ã€ŠThe Amber Swordã€‹


 volume 1 - Monologue

    The militia¡¯s nonmissioned officer did not lie to me. With the necessary experience it can save you at the critical juncture.

    If it was not that month¡¯s training, that seemingly unavoidable sword that lunged towards me during my deep sleep would have been fatal. My senses brought about something akin to a sh of electricity, which tore me away from the deep sleep that I was in.

    What greeted me during the moment when I open my eyes, is the reflection of a sharp long sword which seemed to pierce my heart with a freezing chill.

    It really makes my heart tremble!

    To tell the truth, I do not know how I was able to react to that. Perhaps it was an instinct that was developed from the long training, and I twist my head to the sides at thest instant, and that sword stabs down and brushes past my ear.

    I escape that in the nick of time.

    Then I see the sword¡¯s design embedded onto a metal te amidst the shining light reflected from the sword; the ck rose that bloomed furiously, which can only be from Brumand.

    I pause for a while before recognizing it.

    ¡°Madara¡¯s undead troops!¡±

    It is as if a bucket of water was thrown onto me, and Ipletely sober up, fucking hell, why are these damn shit bastards appearing here?

    I clearly remember I am taking my leave at the countryside Be. Thisnd was left behind by my grandfather, and I received my old man¡¯s permission, and stayed here to take care of this old house.

    My mother was a Kadireig, and it is probably the only bloodline within my body that is close to nobility. On the other hand, my father was a traditional middle-aged ordinary miller, and he did not resemble my grandfather who participated in the famous November¡¯s war and received the Candlelight emblem.

    And I, am simply an ordinary youth who can be found anywhere within the kingdom. My biggest dream is to join the army or go out to adventure, and bring back great wealth.

    Then perhaps at the end of things, I will find a beautiful wife to spend my life with, a perfect life indeed!

    But I am digressing. Right beside my bed is a fearful undead trying to kill me, and it made my heart pulse with dread. Fortunately the things that my instructor taught me back in the days still remained in my mind, and are not forgotten because of my panicked thoughts. I recall in an instant that my sword is ced beside my bed, but that skeleton will surely not let me have the chance to take it. I realize now that this is a terrible habit, I must remember to put it below my pillow the next time.

    These thoughts happen within moments.

    I instinctively pounced towards the sides from the bed, and knocked that gleaming white skeleton onto the floor. Right now I remember my instructor every sentence from my firstbat lesson:

    ¡°Remember, these soldiers from Madara¡¯s lowest ranks, solely use the ¡®soul¡¯s mes¡¯ to move. They are slow,cking in intelligence and they are weak.¡±

    But before I can recall everything, a huge force came from below, as if I am not restraining a skeleton but a bull. In any case, a force that was beyond me threw me towards the sides, where I end up knocking onto the shelves. I can hear the grating sound made from my bones and shelves that would have made people pale. The intense pain throughout my body makes me grind my teeth, but I quickly shake that my dizzy head as I still remember what I need to do. In my blurring vision, the skeleton has already gotten up and intends to pull the sword that he stuck in.

    His movements are apparently very rigid, but his strength has nothing to do with the words ¡°weak¡± right?

    But I turn my body and prepare to run as that bastard has already pulled out the sword and be a dangerous existence again. And I know my strength is not his match, or perhaps even three of me would not even make him ¡®sweat¡¯ one bit.

    And the most important thing is I have no weapon.

    He is in between my sword and I. Of course, I do believe that this is just a coincidence as skeletons do not possess the intelligence.

    I half crawled, half ran towards the door, but I am unable to restrain my voice when I approach near it.

    ¡°Fuck my luck!¡±

    That is because the door is broken down before my eyes, and a ray of bright moonlight poured into the house. It is certainly a artistic, picturesque moment, if it is not shining upon another white skeleton.

    I note that it is another lowly ranked Madara soldier, and in its hand is a firmly gripped steel longsword. On its bones is armor made in the style of Madara, and on top of that it was wearing a ck and heavy helmet.

    The most depressing thing, however, is the fact that it is using a pair of obsidian eye sockets with dancing red ming pupils to look at me.

    Apparently I have been locked on as its target.

    In front of me is a tiger and at my back is a wolf. This is certainly a bad omen.

    Respected holy mother Marsha, I am unable to help myself but pray to my goddess in my heart. I am only 19 years old, I cannot simply die a dog¡¯s death in a poor rural vige.

    That¡¯s right, I have not even confessed to the girl I liked! The moment I think about that bewitching young merchant girl, I feel my heart pounding even faster. Her home is just opposite to me, and I cannot let my heart¡¯s beloved fall into danger.

    I quickly calm myself, and try to think of a way to escape. As my thoughts spin quickly, the teachings of my instructor yed out in my mind.

    ¡°You can fight battles only when you are calm!¡±

    This way of thinking is certainly applicable to my situation, but my hands have no weapon! I can¡¯t possibly fight a wild animal with my bare fists right? I pant as I anxiously stick my back to the wall while my eyes search desperately everywhere. Even though this old ce is not a dested hut, but the living room has nothing that can be used as a makeshift weapon.

    If only my grandfather is a high ranked noble. I had visited Earl Remington¡¯s home, and their living room was five times the size of this ce, and there were many shields, swords and axes hung on the wall. If I am there, I can surely find a weapon that suits me.

    Furthermore, my skill with the sword is not bad at all. I am not bragging about this, that old instructor personallymended me, and said I was the most outstanding out of that entire batch that time.

    Even that bugger from Remington is not my match at all, although I¡¯m envious of him to have a father who is a prefect. If my father is also a prefect, I am definitely able to enter the garrison forces.

    It is certainly pointless to talk about these though. In any case my sword is not reachable thanks to that skeleton. Even though they cannot run and move rigidly, their speed is equivalent to a grown man.

    If this happens on the training grounds I bet I can toy with them easily, but in this narrow space I¡¯m going to get cut down.

    As I mope around, the skeleton in my bedroom walks out, pauses for a while, then quickly walk towards me. I subconsciously step backwards, and strike against something hard.

    I quickly figure out that it should be a painting that is behind my back. This painting is passed down from my grandfather¡¯s generation, and it is a family heirloom. That cripple in the ck Pepper Street once wanted to buy that painting with ten gold coins, but it was rejected by my father.

    My father is a stubborn man, but I am not the same like him. I had frequently thought about selling this painting if I reached my lowest point, buy a pretty horse, and go adventuring in the capital with that girl with a merchant¡¯s dream. If only I am not facing an event like this right now.

    I have reached the end of the line, this family heirloom is going to save me right now. I turn around and tore the painting with its wooden frame down. I can hardly care if I am going to ruin it even if it is worth at least ten gold coins. I suspect it is worth even more, as that cripple in the ck Pepper Street is reputed to be stingy.

    Ten gold coins is a lot of money, thergest sum of money I have seen is only ten silver coins.

    I cannot help but draw a deep breath, my hands are shivering like crazy. I prepare myself to throw the painting at that frightening undead, and slip by it while it defends itself. I will get the sword next and smash these two skeletons to bits with my sword skills.

    Of course I can also use it as distraction and run to the streets. But I have no guarantee that the outside is not crawling with this damn shit. Dashing outside empty handed ispletely asking to be killed. So I steeled my heart and find it is sometimes better to be braver.

    Even though this is the more ideal oue, perhaps it did not care at all and just eviscerates me, and I can go meet Mother Marsha soon enough.

    I cannot help but think whether they will give me a gue,

    ¡°Poor Brandel, he is so dead wrong.¡±

    I shiver and shake my head to get rid of this horrifying thought. Cough cough cough, I am not going to die like this.

    I nce at the gray looking painting in my hands, seriously, is this worth ten gold pieces? I wonder if that cripple will find it a pity if I throw this out?

    That frightening undead is already before me, and I did not have the time to regret over the loss of ten gold pieces and the chance to adventure with the merchant girl. I have thrown at it without thinking.

    My throw is strangely urate, the painting flies towards the skeleton in a straight line. Damn, that stupid bastard really raised its sword and strike that down. That grey painting went with a ¡®pssszzt¡¯ and split into two.

    What kind of ridiculous strength?! But the instructor did not lie, these skeletons are certainlycking in intelligence.

    While my mindments on the resulting events, I have already rushed out.

    My bedroom is not far now, thank Mother Marsha, I only need to take a few more steps to be able to see my sort peacefully lying there. That sword is also a family heirloom. My grandfather took it to battle, and it was said that he was a squire to a knight who presented the sword to him.

    This sword should be from Year 32. It has the emblem design of ivy on it, tomemorate the victory at the hignd fight in Grinoires.

    That year, his majesty changed the knights¡¯ longswords¡¯ form, from two arms length to one and a half, and the armguard¡¯s bronze essory was changed tomon iron with ornamental designs. This was done in order to adjust to the cost of ¡®November War¡¯ which was dragging on.

    Indeed, this is a knight¡¯s sword. Hmph, just wait till I get that sword.

    ¡°You fucking Madara shit bastards, you¡¯re going to suffer now.¡±

    Notes: Ch 0 is Brendel¡¯s pov. I think he dies, actually.

 volume 1 - 1

    Chapter 1 ¨C The person in the dream

    ¡°Warning: Severe hemorrhaging, Imminent death.¡±

    ¡°Warning: Heart function deteriorating, Imminent death.¡±

    When Sophie woke up, his mind was still reverberating with the loud warning sounds after that dire battle. It was a sound like a saber cutting across his mind again and again, causing him to have a splitting headache. (TL: Yes, Sophie is male. Don¡¯t look at me, that¡¯s the author¡¯s choice.)

    That¡¯s right, he remembered he should be in a game with his friends from ¡®The godly force¡¯ defending the Orrgesh mountainous region against the Madara¡¯s undead army. The ashen skies were howling with the freezing winds, and uncountable shadow creatures were streaming down from the dagger-like mountain peaks. The forces were without end in sight as if they were a ck tidal wave. The huge army wereprised of thousands of skeleton, and there necromancers hidden within them, as well as skeleton dragons and blood curling wraiths circling in the sky.

    Surround on all fronts, they were definitely doomed.

    His first reaction was to curse in his heart, that bunch of twat bastards from ¡®The ming thorns¡¯, never mind their ipetence, they even had to dragged their allies down by allowing the enemies to surround their rear, this was fucking horseshit!

    He then finally had the heart to check his status. It was a delightful surprise to find that he did not die, as the Madara army tended not to leave anyone alive. But he immediately creased his forehead. His injuries were a little too ridiculous. Not only did his heart dealt a fatal blow, he even had carrion poisoning.

    Wait, carrion poisoning?

    Did he not alreadyplete the mission to gain the ¡®Pristine physique¡¯? Why would a body from the Silver descendants get affected by this low grade dark status? Bug? What the heck are you doing, devs?

    He did not have too much time to question this point, the youth coughed weakly and lifted himself up from the grey dirty floor. He thought that it was a small matter to be afflicted from the weaken status, and it was enough to find a priest to get rid of it. The urgent thing is to stop the bleeding before he dies. Even though he was not an elite gamer, but he was certainly a veteran and he understood the situation just by checking things out.

    Sophie groaned once and pulled off the skeleton which only had half of its body left and pinning his body. These low level soldiers were like air to him. Come to think of it, this was already the forty-fourth year into the second era, and Madara was still conjuring up these low leveled grunts. Other then wasting soul magic, they werepletely useless. Just as expected the undead wizards¡¯ brains from Ogador were affected by the negative energy and rotted away. None of them know what change is.

    He even had the mood toin, but he realized in an instant he actually had trouble pushing the skeleton away. Just as expected, the punishment from having a weakened status is nothing to sneeze at, he was able to easily push away a bone dragon during normal times.

    Sophie cast his mind back to when he nearly died. When was it? It¡¯s almost close to a few months now. ¡®The godly force¡¯ battle prowess was nothing tough at, if it was not for the useless bunch of people from ¡®The ming thorns¡¯, he probably would have continued to keep his undying record.

    Once he thought about this point, the youth could not help but felt waves of depression. The holy church alliance¡¯s epic failure would certainly bring up a lively discussion on the forums.

    ¡°This bunch of Madara thieves!¡±

    Sure, he could castigate all he wanted to, but he still needed to find a way to stop the bleeding. At this time a healing pot would be the best, and if that was not possible, a bandage would also suffice. These things should not becking in the battlefield. Normally the bags from grunts doing the thankless tanking were left alone. The stuff inside them are mostly healing pots and bandages, especially bandages. He even saw a noob carrying a bag full of bandages.

    What aughing riot, did he think carrying bandages was going to save him from death?

    He subconsciously prepared to climb up, but as he turned his body, he was stunned.

    Wait, was this the Orrgesh mountain region?

    He should have seen this scenery of dystopia before his eyes: White naked spikes that jutted out from the steep slopes, littered with corpses and vultures flying all over the battlefield, the broken Grays g with a bright cross fluttering on the hilltop. But this was not what he saw.

    There was no ear-piercing northern wind blowing through the Orrgesh region, no wraiths flying across the silent shadows, not even the dry, bone-chilling air.

    It was like a hallucination that he was still in Orrgesh. And when this hallucination vanished, he came to realize he was sprawling on the floors of a quiet and broken old house. The smooth wooden nks were nailed in onto the ground, and there was an eye-catching pool of bloody scarlet liquid......

    He could not help but paused there, and unconsciously touched his chest. A series of prating pain interrupted his actions, and he yelled loudly with his teeth bared. This blood was from him, this injury was from him.....

    But where was this? He felt the house was slightly familiar to him. On the first floor was the living room and kitchen, and on the second was the corridor leading to the various bedrooms. The cer was in the basement.

    Yes, this was building design in the Aouine¡¯s southern region, and even though this house was a little old, it was not something amoner can afford to live in. One could guess that the former owner of this house had some form of status.

    Aouine¡¯s southern region. Sophie went into a trance.

    How long ago was that memory? Gesund¡¯s mountains and the melodious flutes from Be¡¯s bordering towns were like a distant dream.

    But did thends not belong to Madara now? In his memory, the Aouine kingdom had long perished, yes, it was during the third ck rose war.

    ¡°Why am I here!¡±

    ¡°Wait.....¡±

    ¡°Be....... Be....¡± Sophie repeated this name.

    That¡¯s right, he remembered.

    His name was Brendel and born in Brus. His blood was half Kadireig which came from his mother, but he did not appear to be noble just because he had a noble¡¯s blood. That was because his father was amoner. Even though his grandfather participated in the November War and received the Candlelight Emblem, ultimately it was just a knight household that has lost its lustre.

    No!

    Sophie¡¯s heart raised a series of rms, what the hell was all these settings. No, no, he is Sophie, a Chinese citizen.

    But a voice in his mind immediately told him.

    ¡°You are Sophie, and you are Brendel.¡±

    Immediately a cold dread washed over Sophie¡¯s spine. He held his breath as he found there was a little something extra in his memories. Brendel¡¯s memories poured into thoughts like a tsunami, or a stranger that intruded without permission.

    Sophie breaths quickened, and his pupils widened. He quickly remembered that hopeless sword swinging from that frightening skeleton. He tried to shrug off that scene, but as his memories piled up, he got mentally exhausted instead. His mind throbbed painfully and his forehead was full of perspiration.

    Hah. He suddenly recalled the event of a big battle. The Grays Church knights fought a fierce battle against Madara who surrounded them and pushed them to the brink of despair. He remembered that ¡®his character¡¯ was killed by a necromancer.

    After that green light swept over him, the world turned to darkness.....

    That was how the game was set up. The death will persist for twelve hours, but could someone exin to him why a normal death in the game led him to here?

    To this world?

    His mind was a scattering mess. If there was a word to describe his current train of thought, it would be ridiculous.

    Ridiculous!

    He understood what happened to him. he got frigging teleported to another world!

    His soul crossed over to his world onto a dead person called Brendel!

    No, more urately it should bebined into one...

    Sophie grabbed onto the floor nks tightly. His fingers¡¯ joints were a little numb. He looked at his own arms. They were a little long and there was sign of sickness from his pale skin. Even though he was prepared for it, he could not resist a jump in his heart. His skin should be a healthy yellow beige color descended from the Mongolians, and not something like this.

    His heart raced as he became bbergasted. Even though he had the entire neen years of the former owner¡¯s memories, it could be said he did not know anything about what he was experiencing right now.

    He could feel that the Brendel youth had in his life.

    His aspirations, his desires, what he loved, what he hated.

    It was like he had just been reborn and finished neen years of life. His everything was like Sophie¡¯s everything, as if it was one and the same. These two very long dreams that merged with each other made him felt lost.

    ¡°I am Sophie.¡±

    ¡°But I am also Brendel.¡±

    A sense of sluggish exhaustion gushed out from Sophie¡¯s innermost heart, and covered his entire body in an instant. In the end, he gave a long sigh and calmed down slowly.

    [Forget it, since things hase to thus, just let it slide.]

    Sophie could not resist shaking his head, and looked at his arm:

    ¡°With this meager strength, he had the nerve to im he was number one in swordsmanship.....¡± He could not help but mock himself when he thought of Brendel. Unexpectedly he felt a scinti of relief.

    [It¡¯s fine, even if I left that world I have no regrets left behind there.]

    Suddenly a sh of lightning streaked across the darkness. Sophie felt that it was the Gods above giving him another chance, and ignited hope within his heart.

    That was because he recalled a particr event.

    That¡¯s right, Aouine. This was a doomed kingdom within the game, and in Brendel¡¯s memory was the ¡®Year of bustling summer leaves and flowers¡¯. This was the 375th year of the first era, and the game history was written to the 44th year of the second era! Sophie¡¯s body trembled when he found himself bing like a prophet because of his memories.

    Indeed, no one was more familiar with what was going to happen in this world. As one who did not aplished anything in his past life and escaped reality by hiding in the gaming world, what was he going to do in this one to make up for it?

    Sophie became dazed.

    This was the ¡®Year of the bustling summer leaves and flowers¡¯, and the opening year of the First ck Rose war. In that war Aouine waspletely decimated, but that was also the era where a new renaissance happened.

    And he was also one who experienced it first hand. He remembered that his first choice was also Aouine when he first yed this game. He was aplete newbie who grew in such a war.

    The curtains were raised thanks to the start of this war and apanied by Aouine¡¯s one sided defeat. The situation was only reversed only when the Brus army arrived. Sophie¡¯s memory of that dire battle was deeply engraved. He had also followed the forces, and the survivors were less than one out of ten.

    He was no more than amon person, be it the past life or this life.

    Brendel¡¯s skills with the swords are literally pointless. The sudden assault from Madara was something out from a ssical textbook. Swift, merciless and silent, and when this ancient kingdom reacted from it, the entire army within this region had received a cataclysm.

    And on this day, Brendel must have encountered the Madara¡¯s scouts. Sophie suddenly felt an rming chill climbing his spine again.

    He could only disy his ambition after surviving.

    He immediatelyprehended that he needed to save himself by finding something to stop the bleeding. The youth struggled towards the empty side corridor. As he examined the design of this house, it resonated with his imagination. He was well acquainted with the building design precisely because he had the most unforgettable time spent here.

    ¡°Aouine, here Ie again¡ª¡± Sophie whispered softly in spite of himself.

    TL: Kind of a speed trantion, I guess. I just wanted to get it out there this was the main protagonist and not CH 0¡¯s trolling (kind of). I¡¯ll fix any mistakester.

 volume 1 - 2

    Chapter 2 ¨C Sophie¡¯s world

    Even though this house was old it was immacte. The former owner had cleaned it very well.

    Sophie raised his head to look at the half skeleton that he pushed away earlier. A pile of broken bones sat quietly there. Brendel¡¯s counter attack before his death resulted in the only casualty amongst the undead scouts. He knew that these soldiers indeedck intelligence, but the necromancer controlling them was not. This mistake could not be attributed to the youth¡¯s fault, because he did not know about this at all.

    During this peaceful era, there were not many who knew about this.

    That sliced paintingid tly on the floor. The skeleton¡¯s soldier¡¯s cold sword was not far away. Sophie¡¯s pupils dted slightly. The Madara troops most likely intended to attack straight after the scouts retreated as they did not even pack the ce up.

    But this certainly conformed to Sophie¡¯s memory about the War of the ck Rose.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Sophie raised his eyebrow a little. His gazeid about the sliced painting. He did not see wrongly, there was a hiddenyer on the painting frame¡¯s surface.

    Wait, the ancestor¡¯s painting? Sophie suddenly remembered, perhaps this was the famous painting of Be?

    He immediately struggled over with strenuous effort, and vigntly kept his ears open at the same time. Sophie knew that the necromancer that killed Brendel was of the lowest level, but even it was more then enough to do away with a normal person.

    Within the ¡®game¡¯, the low level necromancers were able to use the novice ranks of ck Magic, able to conjure up ghouls and skeletons in the nearby cemetery. They are naturally crafty and experienced in sneak attacks. It could be said that they were a big threat to people who did not understand them.

    But Sophie was different, because he probably understood them more than they understood themselves.

    Heid on the ground and tore the painting frame open. A clink rang out as a ring rolled onto the ground. At this time he could not help but took a breath lightly. The design of the ring was too familiar to him. The ring that was made of silver glimmered slightly in the dark. In addition to the looping appearance, there was a Holy Phoenix symbol on the center of it.

    Such a design was rarely seen in the Aouine southern region.

    This was the northern Sanorso¡¯s national emblem.

    Sophie carefully rubbed the ring. This was the famous Ring of the Wind Empress, a mission reward for the ¡®Be¡¯s painting¡¯, but this mission vanished along with the next patch. Ultimately the people who knew andpleted this mission were very few.

    Sophie was not one of them. He only heard of this tale before. In the legend, this was a fake keepsake belonging to one of the four saint, Delutte, how did Brendel¡¯s grandfather had this?

    The Ring of the Wind Empress¡¯s effect was Agility+1, and it could expend the energy within tounch a wind bullet to strike at the enemies in front. In the game it was able to absorb a little energy every ten minutes, but it was unknown whether it was the same here.

    He looked at the ring and his heart raced for a moment, even forgetting the dangers of his surroundings. This ring¡¯s appearance had partially answered his guess, that this world was one that he was familiar with.

    Sophie exhaled without being able to suppress himself. His current mood were swayed from the session of events, but his hesitation was short and he slowly put it on his forefinger. Magic rings only worked when worn on the forefinger or thumb. In Roens, the region between the thumb and forefinger were called by the Tn witches as ¡®The domain of sacred mystery¡¯. They believed that it was where mana was gathered in the human body, and many gestures were evolved from that starting point.

    Naturally to Sophie, that was merely a game rule that he adopted as a subconscious behavior.

    ¡°Bang!¡±

    He was about to test the effects of the ring, when arge sound in the first floor transmitted over and made him turned his head abruptly.

    Sophie¡¯s heart was startled and immediately became alert. It was possible that an undead made that sound, and even when it was not, there was the possibility of alerting the enemies outside. He quickly abandoned the painting in his hands and retreated against the wall intuitively and then carefully gazed into the living room below.

    He instantly saw a suspicious figure.

    It was a young girl wearing a simple leather dress who carefully approached inside. She looked around to the left and right, but despite her tense appearance she did not pay attention to what was above her. She tightly gripped something like a hammer used for masonry with slight difficulty. She seemed to be searching for something based on her looks.

    Sophie sighed.

    He coughed. It was not very loud but in this empty house it appeared to resound loudly.

    The girl was evidently startled and raised her head, her face awfully pale. In his heart, the young girl could be considered as a beauty. Her chestnut hair was bundled up in a dignified fashion, but her silky smooth forehead along with thin long eyes made her look enchanting. Her eyebrows were slightly raised, with her eyes clear but bewildered. Her nose was pointed and straight, and one look let one knew that she had a fiercely independent personality.

    She had a special quality about her but she definitely could not be called ady. At least when one saw her gripping the masonry hammer, with her leather dress hanging a cowskin bag found in the southern region used by merchants, they could not view her as a noble girl from an upstanding family.

    The young girl quickly saw Sophie and rxed instead. She let out a long breath and patted her chest, and disyed a beautiful smile: ¡°So it¡¯s you, Brendel, you scared me.¡±

    ¡°Miss Romain, how did youe in here?¡± Sophie felt a headacheing up when he saw her.

    This was a girl that Brendel had always adored. She and her aunt lived in the opposite house, and she usually had some quaint aspirations, for an example, she wanted to go out to the outside world to be a travelling merchant.

    Sophie thought her view did not make any sense. A traveling merchant in Aouine was not a respectable job, and some of the citizens grouped them together with conmen and thieves.

    In the Anson sixth century, there was a time when these people coborated together and were greatly despised, and even named as ¡®People who had two mouths and three hands.¡¯

    The two mouths meant they were glib and good at deceiving. The three hands meant they did not kept their hands to themselves, often stealing and doing unclean things. They could be said to be one of the biggest great threat to public order. when Sophie was a newbie back in his era, eight out of ten missions were about them.

    ¡°I climbed into your window from your kitchen outside, ah that¡¯s right, your house window is really small! It nearly tore my dress.¡± The young girlined as she bent her waist to fix the corners of her dress.

    ¡°Nobody let you in toe in from there right!¡± With the inheritance of Brendel¡¯s memory, Sophie had a certain immunity to this girl¡¯s personality, but he could not help but grumble in his heart.

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you about this,¡± He shook his head: ¡°I¡¯m asking you, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried about you, Brendel,¡± Romain answered while she looked around, her expression incredibly curious: ¡°You did see it right, this skeleton?¡±

    She noticed it too? Sophie saw that the girl¡¯s eyes were on his chest.

    ¡°You¡¯re injured?¡± The future merchant girl titled her head and blinked.

    ¡°Yeah.....¡±

    ¡°Let me see,¡± She grabbed her dress and ran up noisily up the stairs, and wed at the youth¡¯s hand which was pressing against the injury, ¡°Come on, take your hand away, what are you covering it for, your wounds will get infected!¡± She grumbled, and peered at his wound.

    She drew a sharp breath and raised her head: ¡°This is such a terrible wound!¡±

    Sophie felt the girl¡¯s cold hand grabbing his own, and his heart skipped a beat. Even though he knew this belonged to Brendel¡¯s feelings, he did not make an effort to stop it.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.....¡±

    ¡°Fine¡ª, are you mad!?¡± The merchant girl gave him a look of reproach, then she dug the cowskin bag hanging on her leather dress: ¡°Just wait a little, I think I brought bandages....¡±

    Sophie looked at her with interest.

    He knew that the things in her bag were her precious treasures. Over half of them were strange things, the seashells from the seaside, ss marbles of different colors, a bronze whistle, old coins from the ancient past, and various other things. Most of them are not worth any money, but there were rarely seen in this region.

    This future merchant girl¡¯s biggest interest was to dig things from this pile of old stuff. Even though they had no money to speak off, she always managed to buy cheap and rare things that she loved.

    He held Romain¡¯s hand and shook his head: ¡°Let¡¯s go into the room and search, it¡¯s too dangerous here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of these bones,¡± She nced up at him as she finally found a first aid box: ¡°Do you know how to tie it? I don¡¯t know how to do it.¡±

    Sophie opened the box and retrieved bandages and hemostatic cotton, and paused for a while in confusion. He originally nned to find these emergency supplies, but his consciousness still treated this world like a game. Once he applied the bandages in the game, it would automatically stopped the bleeding and replenish his blood, but he suddenly realized doing it in the real world was a professional skill. He could not possibly randomly go round his injury a few times right?

    ¡°Brendel, do you want me to try?¡± Miss Romain looked like she¡¯s about to lunge at him.

    ¡°Nope.¡± Sophie quickly rejected her. Even if he had nine lives, he should not waste it like that.

    He suddenly felt that thisst resort was not a bad one, if this was how the game did it then just do it like the game. If he died he would just me the gods. He bit one end of the bandages and took off his shirt, then wrapped the bandages from the side across the injury round after round. He was at least a veteran at doing this inside the game, and so he could be considered as well trained, and he carefully avoided to tie too tightly.

    But he promptly stopped.

    He saw a light green number, +1, slowly floating from his injury.

    At that moment it was like a bomb had suddenly sted in his mind and rang in his ears. He could not remember what he should do next. But he immediately reacted to it, and shouted in his mind like he was Professor Xavier: ¡°Stats! Stats! Oh my gosh, juste out right now!¡±

    He waited with a heart filled with expectations and dread, and after a second, a series of data appeared and floated on his arms, legs, joints, torso and his heart.

    Strength 1.0, Agility 2.0 , Physique 0.9

    Then another set of data appeared in his eyes like a ghost suddenly appearing:

    Intelligence 1.1, Will 1.3, Perception 1.0

    Overall power rating 1.0, Element (Sealed)

    These set of data and lines of words, were like a waterfall gushing out, and poured forth into a translucent window panel:

    Brendel, Human male, Level 1 (Strength type body: Physical, Closebat)

    XP: 1 (Commoner level 1 ¡ª-, Civilian soldier level 1)

    Health (Weakened): 60% (Bandaged status, 1 HP will be recovered every day)

    Skills

    Commoner [Basic knowledge (Level 1), Geography Knowledge (Level 0), Local knowledge (Level 1)]

    Civilian Soldier [Military Swordsy (Level 1), Grappling techniques (Level 1), Tactical Theory (Level 0), Military Organization (Level 0)]

    Just as expected, just as expected!

    Sophie wanted to say that the feelings of a normal person who just scored five million dors would probably react the same way like he did.

    Was this a dream?

    No, he knew that a person within a dream would not be able to think so logically, and very few people would even think they were in such a dream.

    Then was he still in the game?

    No, the current year was the 2nd era of the 19th year.

    The young man felt his mind was in a fine mess. All the strange thoughts sprang out in a rush and made him felt a little giddy. But Sophie shook his head and understood that it was reality.

    Mother Marsha, do you really exist here?

    Sophie could not help but prayed heavily in his heart to the the ultimate goddess. He stared nkly at the virtual data reflected on his retinas, and could not help but ask himself:

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this your world, Sophie? What else did you want?¡±

    Yes, as a veteran who had over 130 levels, what else could he ask for? Experience, he had them. Knowledge of the future, he also had them.

    If these things did not allow them to control his own fate, then he really would havemitted suicide by smashing his head against the wall. But truly, the feeling of a confident heart was so good, so very good.

 volume 1 - 3

    ¡°Brendel, Brendel?¡±

    Romain poked his arm at his side while Sophie was immersed in checking his stats.

    Only 1.0 Energy Level in strength? He could not resist cursing the NPC¡¯s uselessness. Even a skeleton has 1.5 strength!

    All the representation units for the stats are in OZ, the simplification for the ancient word Oauth, also known as Energy Level. 1 OZ in strength would allow one to raise about 50 KG worth of weight, and the punching strength will not surpass 150 KG. This was roughly the equivalent of an adult¡¯s strength.

    Even the yers¡¯ basic stats in the game are 2 OZ in Strength, Agility and Physique, while Intelligence, Will and Perception were 1.5 OZ. They were about two times the stats of a normal person, and the Overall power rating was 5 which meant that they would have no problems facing off against 5 normal people. (TL: Science weeps over your logic there...)

    Brendel was even a civilian soldier who trained several months. Even if the yers had the ¡®Hero¡¯ stats, it should not as ridiculous as this where the stats are this far apart right?

    To think he even mocked the yers¡¯ titles as ¡®Heroes¡¯ for having thebat strength of two skeletons. But when he switched to Brendel¡¯s point of view, he realized that the yers were really the main characters molded in the hero form.

    When he thought about how he was not able to even beat a skeleton, he fell into a state of sadness.

    Brendel stroked his arm, but the faint green numbers still remained in his retinas. He discovered there was still a difference from this world and the world that he knew. In the game a bandage would restore 1 HP per minute, and the civilian¡¯s 6 HP would only require six minutes to be replenished like before, but it needed a few days here.

    This was a bad sign.

    Fortunately the method to use the skill sets were one and the same. If he thought about the ¡®Basic Knowledge¡¯, it would bring up themon things regarding this world. If he thought about the ¡®Military Organization¡¯ he was able to gather information about Aouine¡¯s army structure.

    Even though there was also some slight differences, the information seemed to directly exist inside his real memories and not from a system. For example, his skills in the sword. He could clearly feel that his techniques were umted from several months of training. The form on where to strike, the position to ce his body weight in, where his eyes should look at, and how to perform feints and strikes based on the enemies¡¯ own form.

    The game would disy the approximate paths as to where the sword should be swung at, and automatically aided and corrected the angle. But in this world, it was sufficient if he possessed the skill sets as he was automatically able to utilize them subconsciously.

    Even though the veteran gamers have their own insight to attacking, they still needed the system, so you would not be able to find these gaming otaku be a swordsman or martial artist.

    There were some things that had no shortcuts there.

    Sophie felt his own hands. The feeling that he possessed the skill sets were much more awesomepared to the rigid feelings within the game. Everything in his memories felt like a natural part of himself and not just mere ¡®skills¡¯.

    Of course, while he was thinking all of the above, he still reacted quickly and alertly when Romain poked his arm. His ears shook slightly as he heard some faint noisesing outside the house.

    ¡°Brendel, you heard that?¡± The merchantss went behind his back and whispered.

    He nodded. There were footsteps making a ¡°Kakaka¡± noise, and there were quite a number of that. His heart made a loud thump, as he immediately figured out that the vanguard of the Madara¡¯s huge army had arrived. He made a noiseless gesture and pulled Romain to flee from the back without dy.

    The vanguard came earlier than expected. Right at this moment, the rural areas of Elsengran were still in sleeping deeply in their sweet dreams, and no one expected the disaster which was going to rain down next.

    Except for them.

    The urgency from the impending countdown made him creased Sophie¡¯s brows. He brought the southern end of the corridor, entered the room there and closed it lightly. The dust in the room was everywhere and they made muffled coughs. This was a room that had not been used for a very long time, but he knew the window led to the outside as well as allowing the ability to oversee everything outside of the manor.

    He walked over to the window and softly swept away the dust and raised the curtains.

    ¡°Where did these thingse from, you actually know right, Brendel?¡± She withdrew her hand without trouble and asked curiously.

    ¡°This is the Madara¡¯s army. A war ising.¡± He answered as he carefully inspected the outside area.

    It was indeed the Madara¡¯s vanguard. He drew a light breath. In the center of the manor¡¯s estate was a ck pile of skeleton troops. He counted three teams, the total number forty-five. A bunch of red light was dancing in the darkness. On the side were three necromancers controlling these low level undead. They were of a ssic design; a skeleton wearing long robes, its hand holding on to a bone wand, with green fiery eyes darting around as it inspected the low level skeleton soldiers.

    Brendel¡¯s grandfather¡¯s old house sat on a hilltop not far away from Be and was able to oversee the entire vige from below. This was like a small manor that was located beside the town. There were originally five or six families but they moved away, and only Romain and her aunt remained behind.

    The young girl gasped quietly in the dark.

    ¡°Where¡¯s aunt Jennie?¡±

    ¡°She went to a nearby town, and will only be back a weekter.¡±

    Sophie turned his head to nce at her. He only saw a pair of gleaming eyes filled with a strange excitement.

    ¡°Are you not scared?¡± He blurted out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± She replied in a whisper, and raised her head: ¡°But my heart is pounding, like it¡¯s really excited.¡±

    Sophie went speechless. Looks like there was quite a difference between this girl and a normal person. Well, some people were born for adventure, and maybe Romain was someone like that.

    He pretended that he did not hear any of it and gazed outside the window again. The necromancer had not paid attention to their house yet, and Sophie was able to continue observing them without any worries. Shadows seemed to appear in and out of the forest, perhaps there a great number of invaders there.

    He roughly estimated the initial force was slightly over a hundred. This was not a small number, and with such a force there must be an undead acolyte wizardmanding in the shadows. This was a news of dreadful proportions to him.

    In the game, an undead acolyte wizard was roughly equivalent to a level 10 yer. Even if it fought alone against seven or eight well trained male adults, be it militia or the army, they would not the match for it. Romain and himself were only two people, while that foe also had arge army behind him.

    Sophie tapped his finger on the window impatiently.

    The guards from Be would need at least 5 minutes, which meant if they encountered they had to hold on least that duration of time, with the condition they even discovered the attack in the first ce.

    But how were they supposed to alert them?

    He felt a little vexed. The best way was to set a fire, the bright me and smoke would be able to reach far away in the night, and a natural warning to both humans and animals. But it was also a question on how to even set off a fire.

    ¡°Brendel? Are we going to die?¡±

    ¡°Uncertain.¡±

    The dark room fell into a deep silence.

    In this deep darkness, a ray of moonlight streamed inside from the corner of the window and created a small silver colored path.

    After pondering for a few moments, before he was about to set down the curtains down to settle his emotions down and think of a way to escape, they started talking.

    ¡°Where is that pitiful worm¡¯s body, bring him out and let me take a look. Didn¡¯t the report only stated there were were two women here?¡±

    This first voice sounded like a young man and his voice was cold and sharp.

    The second voice sounded raspy and old, as though the dried firewood was cracking.

    ¡°He was merely an unfortunate fool, my master.¡±

    Apprehension struck at Sophie¡¯s heart, and he peered outside again, and quickly discovered the sources under a tree¡¯s shadow. Over there, a figure wearing a broad ck robe was talking to his necromancer underlings.

    Sophie¡¯s eyes quickly cast his eyes on his sleeves, and faintly saw a greyish white bone insignia. This proved that he was an undead acolyte wizard.

    His guess was not wrong.

    ¡°...... Know this, I do not need your opinions. All of you merely need to follow my orders.¡± The robed wizard suddenly stopped and raised his head to the Sophie¡¯s direction.

    Sophie¡¯s heart pulsed with dread and immediately let go of the curtains. Damn it, he still thought he was a veteran warrior with 130 levels for a moment. Hepletely forgot that the enemy¡¯s Perception was many times higher than his stealth skills.

    Even though he was not immediately discovered, he must have raised the enemy¡¯s suspicions.

    Just as he had expected, that figure outside said: ¡°That¡¯s enough. Quickly carry out my orders. I feel that there is someone alive in this house. All of you better search carefully, I have the suspicion that our ns have already been discovered.¡±

    This was the end of things. If they discovered Brendel¡¯s ¡®corpse¡¯ disappeared, they would immediately act upon it. Sophie¡¯s mind spun quickly. His immediate thought was the kitchen¡¯s back door, but Elsengran was a farnd and there was no ce to hide in the open.

    There was a small forest at the bottom of the hill, but there were at least a hundred meters of uncovered ground, what could he do in this situation?

    ¡°Brendel?¡± The girl queried him with her eyes.

    ¡°Come with me.¡± Sophie gritted his teeth. One step at a time, there was no choice to it. (TL: If you want to live! Lulz.)

    He opened the door, and saw a necromancer and two skeletons entering from the door. The necromancer that wore a long robe swiftly raised the bone wand when it discovered Romain and him.

    But Sophie¡¯s reaction was faster and he had no hesitation in raising in his right hand. He pointed his ring on his forefinger at it.

    ¡°Oss!¡±

    He prayed for the ring to work. And it answered his prayers with a slight warmth, and the air in front expanded violently with a loud bang!

    It was as a hurricane swept past in the house, and the necromancer with the two skeletons and front of the entire building exploded in a fury. Countless splinters and pebbles along with bone debris were hurled outside, and fell raining down onto the ground like countless butterflies dancing in the air.

    The instant when the explosion happened, five golden colored orbs flew respectively from the necromancer and skeletons¡¯ bodies and dissolved in Sophie¡¯s chest. Everything happened in the blink of an eye, and the youth did not even realize that himself.

    Even after the explosive wind ended, the ground was left with the evidence of a colossal aftereffect of something firing from within.

    After everything fell to a silent still, Sophie showed an expression of utter shock. In the game it was 30 wind damage, and certainly more than enough to kill a lower rank necromancer and the skeletons, but the effect was not that exaggerated right?

    Although it was a gaping hole in this whole building that was left behind by his grandfather, Sophie did not think twice about it and immediately promptly turned around and ran.

    ¡°Brendel, you¡¯re a wizard!¡± Romain eximed behind his back.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll exin this to youter.¡± He took a deep breath, pulled her and rushed down the stairs to head towards the kitchen. He needed to reach there before the enemies reacted.

    ¡°Wait, Brendel, I can¡¯t catch up with you.....¡±

    ¡°Careful, we¡¯re moving down the stairs¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    The sudden explosion made the skeletons turn their heads, but theycked the intelligence toprehend things and only reacted to the noise. Thus they still waited at the same spot and waited for the necromancers to give the orders.

    The necromancers¡¯ green ming pupils red up, and they raised their bone wands with embers forming at the tips.

    ¡°Don¡¯t use fire, you bloody fools!¡± The ck robed wizard pushed their bone wands down and rebuked them loudly. The explosion had most likely incurred the attention of Be¡¯s citizens. If there was a fire it would have merely sent a warning to them.

    He immediately turned back to point to the house: ¡°Soldiers, catch those two bastards!¡±

    The sounds of swords flourishing echoed out as the soldiers drew out their swords together and rushed inside to the house.

    Sophie had already dashed down to the bottom of the steps and he saw waves of skeletons rushing towards him. Uncountable red lights flickered in the darkness, and he felt goosebumps crawling all over his skins. He was not a veteran soldier with hundred of levels, and the ring on his finger was still in the recharging mode. He could only braced himself as to what woulde next.

    Once the skeletons caught up with him, he would most likely be minced meat from being hacked by their swords.......

    ¡°One woe doth tread upon another¡¯s heel!¡± Sophie felt helpless upon seeing this situation.

    His injury in his chest hurt terribly, but they still managed to reach the kitchen before the skeleton soldiers, and closed the door behind him. Before he could even rx, multiple swords immediately stabbed into the door.

    Fortunately he withdrew his hand quickly, otherwise he would have pinned down.

    ¡°That was too close forfort!¡± Sophie¡¯s heart raced quickly. He looked around, and although at the other end of the kitchen was the exit, he knew he needed to find a way to warn Be. That was the only way to save their lives.

    Furthermore, fire could be used to repel the low level undead.

    ¡°Brendel?¡± The merchant girl bent her waist and panted. She could not help but raise her head to look at him. He had greatly surprised her with his decisive bravery.

    ¡°Miss Romain, please guard the door.¡± Sophie quickly said. He needed to spend every second to think.

    ¡°Kssh, kssh, kssh!¡±

    The soldiers started to break the kitchen wooden door. It was never meant to be used for a defence and very soon there were several opened holes on it

    ¡°Me?¡±. She blinked.

    ¡°Yes, give me a little bit of time.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± The merchant girl asked curiously.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to try to think of a way to warn the people inside the vige. This is Madara¡¯s undead grand army, we need to warn them.¡± Sophie tried to hard to calm down, and replied while he searched for flints.

    Where was that thing that he recalled?

    ¡°Okay, sure, I¡¯ll do that.¡± Romain immediately went over to the door to defend Sophie.

    ¡°Will you be fine?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± The young girl shook the masonry hammer in her hands and replied confidently: ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, since I¡¯ll be a great merchant in the future!¡±

    Sophie stopped and looked at her, nodding.

    ¡°You certainly will, Miss Romain.¡±

    ¡°Yup, Brendel.¡±

    TL: Bone butterflies.... cool but.... barf.

 volume 1 - 4

    Sophie¡¯s n was this.

    If he did not recall wrongly, the current Be¡¯s guards was the famous Marden, a soldier who had participated the November war like his grandfather did.

    Sophie knew him because he was the NPC in-game who taught travelers the ¡®Exploration¡¯ skill.

    But the true reason why this old soldier was famous because hemitted an egregious error as the guard¡¯s leader. He had erroneously guessed the intention of the Madara¡¯s army. He believed that Madara was trying to bring about the usual skirmishes in the past, and he evacuated the Be¡¯s citizens. He originally had one chance to counter attack and be able to defeat the undead army¡¯s vanguard. He could then retreat without casualties.

    Sadly, he did not take this opportunity.

    He could have be the hero of this kingdom, but instead entered into a path of darkness at the very end. Sophie was full ofment and curiosity over a person like him.

    Hemented over the conclusion of his encounter, and curious over how he discovered the Madara¡¯s undead army in advance. If one should know that this was the only visible change in the Grinoires region.

    ¡°Was it out of his own personal gain?¡± An impossible notion suddenly sprang out of Sophie¡¯s mind.

    But he threw out that ridiculous idea the next moment.

    He needed to change history now and had to think of a way to warn them. Fire was a sign of invasion and was a warning in the army¡¯s regtion. He could only hope that they understood.

    The banging continued outside the door, and every second was steeped with a tense atmosphere.

    ¡°Brendel, they areing in now!¡± Romain gripped the masonry hammer tightly with both of her hands. She stared at the door with creased brows.

    Sophie did not had the time to think about them, but upon hearing the merchant girl he nced back at the door. They would be dead if the undead skeleton army rushed in.

    Crashing sounds emitted from the door as sharp swords hacked in and out. The Madara¡¯s swords gleamed like they were the fangs of a beast.

    Something knocked against the door violently with a huge crashing sound, while dust clouds slowly fell from the ceiling.

    The wooden groaned as cracks widened quickly on it.

    ¡°Calm down, calm down, just continue treating like a game. Sophie, remember what missions you had done, this is merely one of them......¡±

    He breathed deeply to regain hisposure. He tied a cloth that was steeped in oil around a bundle of straws and firewood, then tied it with a string. He did this procedure with ease. The creation of a torch was the most basic task in the game, and even easier than using a skill.

    He even knew this would onlyst around five minutes as he created this in the Nogan and Hein¡¯s underground passages.

    But the remaining time given to him was dwindling, and soon enough another violent smash struck at the door, causing the hinges to break and rattle loudly. The dust flew sharply and hovered everywhere.

    ¡°Brendel!¡± Romain felt as her heart was going to jump out of her throat and she blinked her bright eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m here, don¡¯t worry, just a little longer.¡± Sophie perspired profusely. He struck the flint with a metal chain many times with sparks flying everywhere, but the torch could not be lit.

    A game was different from reality.

    The soldiers¡¯ immense strength finally made the door cracked open on the sides and made it tilt sideways, but it still barred entry.

    A bone hand reached in from the outside to break thetch.

    The merchant girl received a fright, and she immediately smashed the hammer on it. The hammer pounded on it with a bang and cracks appeared on top of the hand, but the skeleton soldier did not feel any pain from it and only paused slightly before it tugged at thetch again.

    Romain was stunned momentarily as she witnessed this scene, even forgetting the hammer in her hands.

    ¡°Brendel, Brendel, what shall I¡ª.....¡± She quickly asked with fear creeping into her voice.

    The fire was finally lit up, and the metaltch also fell onto the ground at the same time with a cranking noise.

    With the door finally opened, a skeletons marched in with its swords. He turned their heads and the mes within their ck eye sockets locked onto the youths.

    What was the young man trying to do?

    Before it reacted, something ck in the dark became bigger and bigger in its field of vision, and suddenly a hatchet was struck into the skull.

    [....... This is your final resort. When you throw your sword you must remember that your hands must be stead, your center of gravity low, and no hesitation. You need to try and maintain a straight line between you and your target.......¡±

    [...... If your enemy is a skeleton, then your best target would be to choose the shoulder de and arms, the spine or the thigh bone. And unless you have the confidence to break the head open, the skull is not the weakest point.....¡±

    ¡°Fuck!¡±

    Sophie looked at the soldier that leaned backwards. He had used the military skill ¡®throw¡¯ which was considered to be aplex skill, but he reflexively used that as a veteran. Yet when the hatchet left its hand, the brutal realization struck at him when he remembered he was no longer that expert.

    In the game he would probably have split the skull into two equal parts, but like what the instructor had taught him, a stuck hatchet in the skull did no damage to the overall structure.

    ¡°Miss Romain, be careful!¡± He pulled the merchant to his back as he saw it straightening up again.

    ¡°Brendel.....¡± She waspletely terrified.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here.¡±

    Even though Brendel said that, his heart said otherwise, especially after seeing the pile of packed skeletons ready to rush in.

    He could not care anymore when the situation had became dire. He surveyed his surroundings, but there was simply nothing that could be used here. That skeleton was about to shrug off from the temporary stun.

    What could he do?

    Just give up?

    Sophie shook his head. He swore he never experienced something like this in his entire life. His experience in the game came up with nothing.

    He could only gamble on it, and even in failure there was still meaning to it!

    He charged forward and grit his teeth, grabbed the skeleton¡¯s arm that was holding the sword, then lifted the skeleton backwards through his near subconscious.

    One tended to be able to use every ounce of his strength under extraordinary circumstances, and furthermore the skeleton was unable to resist when it had lost its bnce. It crashed backwards and even affected the ones behind him, forcing them to step back.

    The Madara¡¯s undead was stopped for a single moment, but it was more than enough.

    The young man¡¯s emotions spiraled into a daze. He could not believe he seeded. This was reality! Was he still that useless gaming otaku?

    He threw the torch onto the stacked firewood and straws in the corner of the kitchen.

    mes red up quickly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s run, Brendel!¡± The merchant girl pulled his hand from behind.

    She had never felt so tense in her life. Thest time she saw this young man was over one year ago, and only felt that he was shy and easy to talk to.

    But today, that ordinary youth disyed courage andposure beyond belief. These qualities that were disyed during these dangerous junctures, were surely the ¡®reliable man¡¯ had that her aunt always mumbled about right?

    This feeling was strange.

    Her mind thought about things that she could not exin. When she noticed that she grabbed his arm, her heart raced. (TL: Yes, yes, bring a girl/boy to high ces and hold their hands while confessing. I heard that story before. *Grumble* killed the tense action *Grumble*)

    ¡°Brendel?¡±

    Smoke started to fill the ce up, and the kitchen was filled with choking odors.

    Sophie finally cleared his head. Mother Marsha above, he set fire to Brendel¡¯s grandfather¡¯s house.

    Brendel would surely suffer. Err, even though he¡¯s Brendel right now.

    Messy thoughts started popping up, but amidst them Brendel¡¯s memories gained the upper hand.

    A low, raspy voice came from behind: ¡°Move quickly, you undead soldiers. Put out this fire and ferret out that worm, we only have a minute.

    The voice cleared the youth¡¯s mind, and he started to think of a way out. Since Sophie knew that the undead was naturally afraid of fire, it would be difficult for the skeletons under the necromancer to curb this problem. Thus it was his chance now.

    But the fire was a double edged sword, and he needed to make use of his time.

    ¡°Miss Romain, follow me.¡± Sophie pulled a string of sausages from the ceiling and led the merchant girl towards the back by blindly feeling his way there. This was not a gesture of his greediness, but to the yers within the ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯ had developed a subconscious instinct when it came to food before fleeing.

    The fire turned bigger and bigger, and turned the surroundings into a sea of mes with billowing smoke. The temperature was quickly rising.

    However, Sophie swiftly found the small door that was used to transport food. He opened it and went inside before locking it again.

    Sophie coughed once, but the merchant girl behind him was coughing in distress. He rposed himself before searching the grounds, and instantly found the goldentch. Just as he was about to open it, he hesitated.

    He suddenly recalled something.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    ¡°Freya!¡±

    Perhaps to the citizens of Elsengrad, the stars in April and the skies in May did not hold many differences. It was only at the end of the fifth month, the temperature would start to rise up, and when one looked down from the slopes of the hilltops, it would be a sea of red and white flowers in the early summer. It was the most peaceful ce in Aouine, but it was filled with wars for centuries.

    The young girl looked up, the summer night, where the sky was like a clear crystal going from the west to the north. The bright starry light painted the night, stars that held legendary tales of gods and myths.

    She stood at the vige entrance and looked at the hilltop. Freya was slightly worried. That extremely loud bang made her feel restless. Did they not mention there was undead movement in the nearby regions, could it be.........

    Upon hearing that should she turned her head, and looked at the young boy who still had traces of a child with surprise. He anxiously ran to her side, bent at the waist and panting.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, little Fenris, did something happen?¡± The young girl¡¯s voice was soft and clear.

    ¡°Did you hear that noise?¡±

    ¡°Yes, so I came to take a look at it,¡± Her gaze went back to the hilltop, ¡°I¡¯m worried about Romain, her aunt went to the nearby town..... I heard that it was unsafe recently and asked her to stay at my home for two days, but she did not agree to it.¡±

    The young boy looked at her wide eyes.

    The girl¡¯s light orange hair was tied into a long ponytail, and her figure appeared to give out a heroic atmosphere. She wore a greyish white leather armor, and in it was a thick set of cotton shirt, the symbol on her left shoulder painted with ck dye to look like a painting of pine leaves.

    On her waist was a short rapier, and on the sword guard was a fire emblem.

    If Sophie took a look, he would instantly recognize her as a Be soldier. The ck pines were the mostmon tree in Elsengrad mountainous regions, and it was also the symbol of the Be forces.

    But the guards also wore a well madebat robe, and only the militia would wear a greyish white leather armor made from cowskin.

    In Aouine, every youth would receive militia training, and it usually started from the age of fourteen. The training would take ce every year starting from the October to March until they reached neen. The youths and adults who received the training would be able to be militia, and be the most important reserves during times of war. This rule was set during the Year of Thunder, and militia training became one of the most important measures in Aouine¡¯s military initiatives.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that guy staying over there, I heard he was a militia at Brus.¡± The young boy said puzzledly.

    ¡°The people from the city are not trustworthy,¡± She flipped her long ponytail and furrowed her brows: ¡°I¡¯m worried precisely because that guy is staying over there!¡±

    ¡°This is just your bias, Freya-neesama~¡± (TL: Forck of an English honorary equivalent. Fenris is probably making fun of her though.)

    ¡°What would you know....... Forget it,¡± The young girl lectured him without turning her head: ¡°Alright, just spit it out, boys shouldn¡¯t be as long winded like a girl, understood!?¡±

    Little Fenris¡¯s neck shrank a little: ¡°Did you know, Captain Marden has ordered the guards to gather up!¡±

    Surprise streaked across Freya¡¯s eyes: ¡°Captain Marden? How did you know this?¡±

    ¡°That fellow Brelin told me,¡± He blinked and replied: ¡°When I came out, he already rode ahead to report to the guards.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what is going on?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± He shook his head.

    The young girl turned her head towards to the hilltop, and she could barely see the manor¡¯s outline in the darkness.

    ¡°Call up everyone, we¡¯re going.¡±

    ¡°Freya, it¡¯s sote now, Aunt Shia will murder us!¡± The boy¡¯s mouth was agape and asked instead: ¡°It¡¯s better that we wait for tomorrow¡¯s news right?¡±

    ¡°Coward!¡± She red at him, but knew he was speaking the truth. Even if she was the captain of the Be¡¯s militia, she did not dare to create trouble when she thought about her aunt¡¯s terrifying aura.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same.....¡± He just mumbled a few words before he saw the girl¡¯s serious face with a gesture to be silent.

    ¡°Freya?¡±

    ¡°Shhh¡± She turned her head sideways, and cupped her ears. There was a faint but distinct whistling sound.

    ¡°What is that sound?¡±

    The whistling sound came quickly from far away and approached nearer and nearer to their heads.

    The young girl¡¯s expression changed, and when she wanted to raise her head and move her body to evade, it was toote. A ck shadow came from above the sky and pierced into her shoulder, causing her to yell out and fell backwards.¡±

    ¡°Boss Nee-sama!¡± (TL: .)

    ¡°Fenris, run, run!¡± The ponytail girl yelled out in pain.

    Arrows fell like rain.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    Sophie paused.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Brendel........? Cough, cough.¡± The merchant girl felt something was amiss and asked.

    Sophie did not reply and searched through his memories.

    When Madara attacked in the game, they were not able to avoid the gamers. They were not like the NPCs who worked in the day and rested at night. Some of the gamers were truly like nocturnal creatures.

    He recalled when Madara attacked, they also received interference from other gamers like himself, but most of their actions were sessful.

    Why?

    Indeed, he recalled that this era where Aouine was an ancient kingdom marching to its death, its neighboring countries were weing the new turbulent era.

    The rising stars wereing.......

    Sophie reflected pensively. The current Madara in this era shocked the continent with rising legendary leaders, and there was a new change in the army affairs (368th year, the revolution of the ck rose) seven years prior. This change had developed a strong foundation, and their outstanding disciples that were nurtured supported this kingdom with military might.

    This military might would be disyed in this war.

    And in the midst of the War of the ck Rose, the Madara¡¯s army lightning speed and clear judgment shook everyone in their boots, and yet, it was until Aouine was decimated before everyone became vignt.

    And precisely because of this.

    This blight, this darkness, this shadow, would devour this kingdom entirely.

    ¡°These bastards, are not the same.¡±

    As his rivals in the past, Sophie had a deep impression with Madara¡¯s officers. Only people who had fought with their elites would know of them.

    Sophie¡¯s hand was ced on the coldtch, his heart sinking into numbness. The moment when he closed the door would be the moment theyunched a preemptive attack on Be. They would not allow him to have the time to provide the warning to them, even if it was just a possibility.

    Also, there was the likelihood there were Madara¡¯s skeleton soldiers behind this door.

    What should he do?

    TL: So TAS chapter 5, pretty much the winning point for me to TL this series. It was pretty sweet from CH0 to CH4, but CH5, deal clincher.

 volume 1 - 5

    ¡°Lord Maeza, my soldiers have opened the door but the inner area has been set with fire. My skeletons are hesitating in front of this dirty fire, and I need time for them to adapt.¡±

    The necromancer lowered its head with its body deeply hunched. The green fiery mes flickered in its eye sockets with a cunning gleam, but it ced its arms across its chest to show obeisance.

    Madara had a restrictive aura based on levels. Anyone who tried to approach them would feel deep fear from within their souls. This was especially true because there were undead wizards who were naturally effective in manipting and torturing the soul.

    The undead wizard acolyte tapped his long pale fingers on the ck silk robe. He stood on the top of the hill and oversaw Be¡¯s bells rang out loudly in the darkness.

    The humans would fall into deep despair.

    But this nightmare was just the beginning. Not far from here there was an undead army hiding in the darkness, and a reserve army within the forest at the sides. He had ordered them to fire the arrows at the vige, and the next round of arrows would be fired again.

    And that next wave would be fire arrows, the blue mes of icy soul fire.

    And when the raging mes caused the living to be drowned in fear, he would order skeleton soldiers to invade them.

    ¡°How long?¡± The future undead wizard¡¯s voice was cold and sharp.

    ¡°About,¡± The necromancer estimated with its head lowered: ¡°Eight minutes, no, at most five minutes.¡±

    ¡°I do not have the time to wait, but I will leave a squad to you. Eleven skeleton soldiers. Enough, Kabara?¡±

    ¡°Sufficient, my lord.¡±

    The future undead wizardughed cruelly: ¡°It is best that you do not let the rats slip away from the back door.¡±

    ¡°Do not worry, my lord. I have already ced the soldiers as your had ordered earlier.¡±

    ¡°Then I shall wait for your good news when I return, Kabara.¡± He pointed towards the front and looked meaningfully at its subordinate: ¡°I am going to ept the vige¡¯s submission, and enjoy the humans¡¯ suffering of eternal death. But Marsha above, I pray that my decision to attack early would not affect Sir Incirsta.¡±

    ¡°It will be as you wished for, my lord.¡± The necromancer bowed deeply.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    The interior of the house was flooded with billowing smoke. Fire embers kept licking from under the smoke, and the blistering me not only stopped the undead¡¯s invasion, it also blocked all visibility.

    The increasing heat were roasting the back of two people, the blinding smoke forcing them to shut their eyes, their throats and noses were constantly pricked. But Sophie¡¯s heart was in a state of frozen numbness.

    What should he do?

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Give me the hammer.¡± The young man finally stretched for it. He had been listening attentively, and beyond the crackling mes, he had heard the unique ringing of a bell.

    Be had sounded the rm.

    Mother Marsha above, he hoped that the guards in the vige were smart enough. He prayed silently in his heart, as he had no hope for the militia as they were only a bunch of hot-blooded youths. The only hope he had for them was to survive this night.

    They were Aouine¡¯s future seeds.

    He immediately checked his thoughts. Perhaps he was unable to even survive past this situation.

    ¡°Are there enemies outside?¡± The merchant girl¡¯s eyelids opened and she passed the hammer over.

    ¡°I am not sure, but it pays to be careful.¡± Sophie wanted to be optimistic, but the situation might turn towards to the worst oue, and he needed to prepare for it. He was an experienced warrior who relied not on luck but cautiousness.

    ¡°Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± He stopped his action of opening the door.

    ¡°You seem to be a little different today.¡±

    He was exposed?

    Sophie¡¯s heart squeezed tightly. But that should not be right. Based on logic, his personality and Brendel¡¯s was simr, and he also inherited his memories, how did he get found out so quickly?

    ¡°What....?¡± He could not restrain the anxiety in his voice.

    ¡°Hmm, I can¡¯t really tell, it¡¯s just a feeling.¡± She contemted for a while and asked earnestly: ¡°You will protect me right, Brendel?¡±

    ¡°Is there something wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°No, thank you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary to issue a nice guy tag to me, Miss Romain.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Sophie grinned but did not reply, and the tense feelings in his hearts were greatly relieved. He drew a breath and tensed his body, lightly pulled thetch and ced his hand on the door handle.

    He was going to open it.

    What fate was going to wait for him outside, a brand new world? Or an abrupt death? Was Mother Marsha going to y a trick on him?

    But it was a taboo to fathom Mother Marsha¡¯s intentions.

    ¡°MIss Romaine, I¡¯ll count to three, and we will rush out together.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Three.....¡±

    ¡°Urgh.¡±

    ¡°Ahh.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m too tense, I should count from 1.......¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Brendel......¡± Romain hid her face under her hands. She knocked onto the youth¡¯s firm back, and her heart jumped.

    She was certainly not a person who was so easily embarrassed.

    But Sophie did not have the mood to appreciate the girl¡¯s thoughts. He was also embarrassed from making such a silly mistake. He thought he should be calm about this as they were merely a few skeletons.

    He grit his teeth and opened the door. Before the smoke dissipated, a gleaming sword stabbed inside.

    There was indeed an ambush.

    Sophie¡¯s mind had never been this calm in his life. It was as if his thirty-one years in-game as a warrior merged with this body¡¯s own lifetime. The blooming ck rose emblem from Brumand on the metal te were reflected in his eyes as the sword swung in a straight line.

    It was rigid. And Sophie knew the weakness of it.

    He understood that he could not directly match the enemy¡¯s strength with his own, and held Romain back while evading it. The cold steel sliced across his shirt without drawing blood.

    Then Sophie swung the hammer from above towards the skeleton. The smoke parted to reveal the skeleton¡¯s chest and with a loud crash, three of its ribs were cracked open and hurled backwards.

    The skeleton stumbled backwards from the impact, and the youth immediately took the chance to dash out from the sea of mes.

    He immediately surveyed the battlegrounds. The sight of four skeletons soldiers filled his veins with ice. If there were only one or two skeletons he might even have the mood to curse at them.

    It seemed that Mother Marsha knew his mettle very well.

    A single thought remained in his mind.

    The enemy really thought highly of him and treated him like a scout instead of amoner.

    That made sense, as Sophie believed his performance was no less than what the best scouts could do. In this rustic area, a typical scout would be nothing more than an ordinary hunter.

    It certainly looked like being shy was not a good thing......

    He felt Romain gripping his hand tightly. The subconscious reaction from the girl showed off apprehensive she was. He wanted tofort her by saying something but he did not know what words to use.

    When he looked over to the dark forest that was at the bottom of the hill, he wondered how he would be able to cover the distance.

    The wind blew across his face and the chill spread across his sweaty forehead.

    The four skeleton soldiers were surrounding him.

    What could he do, just close his eyes to await death? Sophie could only try to cover the merchant girl behind him with his body, and wished that he had his warrior with hundred and thirty levels. It would only take a single blow to smash to bits.....

    But this world did not have the word ¡°if¡±.

    Reality was ever so disappointing.

    .......

    Wait, levels? The young man suddenly felt he had missed something. His heart trembled as he realized, the Ring of the Wind Empress! He used it to kill a necromancer and two skeletons,bined with Brendel¡¯s own kills, 6 EXP!

    The requirement to raise a swordsman only required 5 EXP to level two, what more for a militia?

    He hoped that there was not much of a difference between this world and the game¡¯s. If the omniscient Mother Marsha gave him one brand new level, he would be able to escape.

    Time was running out, the four skeletons were already in front of him, he only had a breath¡¯s time, four seconds, to life or death.

    He used his fastest speed to check the data in his retina.

    XP: 6 (Commoner Level 1: ¡ª, Militia Level 1, 0/3)

    Thank the gods!

    He understood what he needed, even though investing the XP into a militia ss was an obvious waste, but he could not care less.

    Any wastage was better than bing any icy corpse, right?

    ¡°Militia, 6 EXP, quick, level up!¡± He yelled in his mind, 4 skeletons had raised their sharp swords, and the merchant girl behind hugged him tightly.

    ¡°Brendel, they¡¯reing!¡±

    And the data changed again.

    XP: 0 (Commoner Level 1: ¡ª, Militia Level 2, 6/10)

    A warmth coursed through his veins. He understood that his body was changed with the 0.1 strength and physique addition, but they were currently unimportant.

    A swordsman inparison would have gained 0.2 strength, physique, agility and even perception. A militia would be utter garbage whenpared.

    But they were currently unimportant.

    What was important, was the chance to pick the unique talents when a character levels up to two. It was the first chance to pick the one out of the three unique talents in this life.

    This was the first chance, the fairest chance, the chance that would bring him new life.

    He anxiously waited, a second was like a millennia, but the panels for unique talents finally lit up.

    ¡°Unique talent, Unyielding.¡±

    Scorching mes zed in Sophie¡¯s eyes. Four swords swung at his body, but he lifted the masonry up as if to conquer the world, while shifting his head, heart and organs away.

    Kssh, kssh, kssh.

    Three swords stabbed into the youth¡¯s bodies at the same time. The only feeling he thought was it fucking hurt!

    But Sophie now had the ability to resist from bing unconscious from bleeding for five minutes, and he would not die from any physical attacks for thirty minutes.

    He had only one chance now to bring Romain away from here. Then he needed to find a health potion with the remaining time he had.

    He did not know if there was something like that in this world, but he could only have faith in his heart.

    There was no other option.

    ¡°Brendel!¡± Romain¡¯s voice changed from the fear.

    ¡°Hold on tightly to me, Romain.¡±

    ¡°I.......¡±

    ¡°Hold on tightly!¡± The youth had no time to exin and roared angrily. Brendel appeared to look like a real hero covered in blood at this moment. The girl looked astonished.

    ¡°I got it, sorry, sorry, Brendel.¡±

    Sophie drew a sharp breath. He lost count of how many times he did something like this, but he needed to calm down. Even though he knew that breathing made his injuries burned with pain, he understood that pain was like an illusion to him right now.....

    The three skeletons pulled out their swords and looked puzzled. The human in front of them was losing the warmth of a life, and a different sort of energy emanated from his body.

    The power of the soul.

    The ¡®Unyielding¡¯ talent was activating the Soul¡¯s fire, and was simr to how the undead were controlled.

    The undead soldiers started to consider Sophie to be the same as them, but that was a mistake. Sophie gritted his teeth and knocked the four skeletons flying backwards.

    This was not because the youth¡¯s strength had suddenly increased, but because they had not expected it.

    Sophie grabbed Romaine¡¯s hand and quickly dashed out there.

    ¡°Miss Romaine.¡± He ran and said with considerable strain.

    ¡°Y-yes.¡±

    ¡°Listen.... carefully....¡± Sophie panted. The undying feature did not allow the body to retain its strength, and he already felt that his surroundings were bing blurry.

    The only thing that was clear to him was the howling wind in his ears due to their running.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°If I faint, bring me to Be and avoid the Madara¡¯s troops...... Go to the holy church and..... seek for a health potion, do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I, I got it, Brendel...... You won¡¯t die right?¡±

    ¡°I.... Don¡¯t know..... Cough..... See what Mother Marsha has arranged for us.....¡±

    Sophie did not know whether the merchant girl really understood, but he only had the remaining energy to talk this much. He had to leave the rest to fate.

    He turned back to look and saw the mes in the hilltop amongst the blur. He sighed and closed his eyes tiredly. Was he still that otaku who was addicted to games?

    The life that he once had was definitely gone now.

    He could not believe it. That one day he would act so decisively and bravely. Even if he was to die like this, he would be able to find sce.

    ¡°Because..... I am no longer a useless person.....¡±

 volume 1 - 6

    TL: As usual, speedy TL. Might have Engrish.

    Ch 6 Freya

    Sophie felt like he was in a long dream. He was in a ce surrounded by silent shadows, and everything appeared to be distorted and strange. A ck moon and a solitary high tower were reflected in a dark body of water.

    What did the moon signify? What did the high tower mean? Or was all of this just a nightmare?

    Sophie did not know, just like he did not know when he would wake up. He persisted in this state until he overheard a conversation in his disconcerted state.

    ¡°Freya.¡±

    ¡°Briedon, have you contacted them?¡± This was a girl¡¯s voice, her diction was clear and distinct.

    ¡°No, there was a bunch of monsters blocking the road. We were not able to find where Sir Marden and the others went, and there¡¯s this person......¡± This voice belonged to a child.

    The child¡¯s voice pointed towards Sophie.

    Sophie¡¯s heard skipped a beat. He could feel a gaze on his body. It was like a pathway that connected him back to this world, making him feel like his body was gradually sinking before the youth realized it was gravity pulling him.

    Sophie finally recognized the fact that he could sense his body, but it did not respond to him.

    His breathing started to go into a slight disarray. Was he dead?

    ¡°He¡¯s one of the wounded, take care of him.¡± The girl said.

    One of the wounded?

    Were they talking about him?

    That¡¯s right, he was gravely injured. His mind started to sharpen and his memories yed back like scenes from an old movie. He had borrowed the body of a young man called Brendel, then bet on his life to aplish something. That was certainly not something an otaku would do.

    But he seeded, thank Holy Mother Marsha.

    ¡°Freya, he¡¯s awake.¡± The child suddenly said.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I saw his eyelids move.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not possible, he received grave injuries and Mackie said........ Eh!?¡±

    Grave injuries?

    That was true. Brendel¡¯s body was already in a fatal state, after which Sophie used the talent ¡®Unyielding¡¯ and took another three sword stabs. He clearly remembered that his stomach and right chest werepletely pierced through.

    Sophie¡¯s mind started to focus, and the surrounding voices became clearer. The noisy din of panicked confusion, with crackling sounds made from burning, along with footsteps and metal colliding that drowned out the conversation between the girl and the child. The temperature around him started to rise, as if to lick him with a gentle warmth, but soon after it started to scald him.

    Hot.

    He blinked. The first thing that came into his irides when he struggled to open his eyelids was a surprised girl.

    Sophie¡¯s impression of that girl who was supposedly called Freya, matched the one in his mind after listening to that voice.

    She had light orange hair coupled with bright eyes, with her long hair tied in a long ponytail, along with a face that brought about a refined heroic elegance. She lowered her head to observe him and Sophie did the same thing.

    She wore a greyish white leather set of leather armor that fit snugly to her, and inside the armor was a thick cotton shirt with the pretty emblem of ck pine leaves on her left shoulder.

    The militia of Be.

    He also noticed the short sword in her hand, a medieval short rapier and the metal te that was on the hand-guard was a me si.

    The symbol of the Church of mes.

    He shifted his gaze upwards, and saw the bloody bandage across her left chest and shoulder.

    She experienced a battle earlier?

    Sophie¡¯s eyes captured every detail.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Once he woke up, the noises in the surroundings died down quickly.

    ¡°Where..... is this ce? ...... Where is Romaine...... *Cough*!¡±

    When Sophie spoke, he felt like molten steel was poured into his throat, burning him and drying everyst drop of moisture. There was a throbbing pain from his chest that traveled throughout his entire body, and he started to cough lightly.

    But what answered him was a winding from the mountainous stretch of pine trees. The wind that blew across the ck pine needle leaves, making it turn into a faint rustle that was like the movement of a river.

    No one answered.

    ¡°He woke up.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this, he actually survived with those injuries.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s probably just living on borrowed time......¡±

    Then the hushed whispers wormed their way into his ears. Sophie was a little confused. What was happening, these people should be Be¡¯s militia right? He was saved by them?

    Then where is that merchant girl?

    The n seeded, Captain Marden understood his intentions?

    He turned his head sideways. He first saw a bright bonfire which danced in his eyes, the fire embers following the rising smoke and dissipated into the night sky.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± The girl finally came to her senses, and quickly rushed to stop him: ¡°Wait, don¡¯t move, this is Be, do you remember?¡±

    ¡°Be..... Be.¡± Sophie repeated this name.

    ¡°Can you tell me what happened to me?¡± He let out a sigh. Logically he should have died, no matter how you look at it from the experience in real life or a game.

    The only possibility was Miss Romaine who really found a health potion.

    ¡°Little Fenris and Mackie found both of you in the forest not far from here.¡± Freya looked at him curiously. Even though this youth called Brendel came to their vige for almost a year, but he did not really interact with the vige¡¯s young adults.

    He was always alone in his gloomy house, and only asionally apanied Romaine to the nearby town. Even the dumbest people in the nearby region knew this youth was interested in the girl who dreamt about bing a merchant, excluding thetter herself.

    Freya gave another round of appraisal to him when she thought about this, along with a drop of suspicion.

    ¡°All of you are?¡±

    ¡°I really wonder how you and Romaine escaped from here.¡± The girl gave an unwilling sigh.

    ¡°How is she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s very well. Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s better than you at least ten thousand times. You should pay more attention to your own condition,¡± Freya stroked her forehead, and spoke softly: ¡°But she kept going on about going into the vige, do you know anything about that?¡±

    Sophie paused.

    That meant he did not use a health potion, then how did his injuries...?

    Almost like an instinctive response, he opened his stats disy, and the dark green data appeared in his retina. He stared at it in shock at the words:

    Health (Near death, weakened): 10% (¡®Banadaged¡¯ status, 1 HP will be recovered every day)

    Impossible! Sophie¡¯s first reaction was he was dreaming. No one understood his condition better than he did. He had at least 4 fatal injuries along with massive hemorrhaging. No matter how he sliced, he was deader than dead.

    Why was there 10% HP left?

    Sophie shook his head in an effort to clear his mind a little, but he saw the girl¡¯s face beside him turned tense: ¡°Don¡¯t move, you¡¯re heavily injured......¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± He waved his hand subconsciously.

    Sophie was very clear about his current status. Even though he was puzzled over it, he was not in a condition where he was losing blood, and there was no other ¡®bad status¡¯ on him. Although he was in a ¡®Weakened¡¯, and ¡®Near death¡¯, he understood these conditions would not be able to be solved easily and could only recuperate slowly.

    But since his injuries are in a stable condition, there was no danger to his life.

    This was the part he was most puzzled over, how did his wounds automatically became ¡®stable¡¯? The talent ¡®Unyielding¡¯ did not have this ability!

    ¡°You!¡± Freya eyes went wild. She had never seen someone who did not want his life.

    In the beginning everyone thought this guy was doomed to die, and did not expect him to even wake up. Yet he woke up. Just from that alone, he should probably thank Mother Marsha¡¯s mercy right?

    But this damnable bastard did not seem to care at all. One should cherish his life properly, damn it!

    ¡°Go and lie back down right now!¡± The girl drew a deep breath and ordered through gritted teeth.

    Sophie became dumbfounded for a while, and could not resist to look at her. What was wrong with this girl¡¯s head?

    ¡°Y-you received the Militia¡¯s training right? My name is Freya, Be¡¯s third toon¡¯s leader. Right now I¡¯m ordering you to follow my orders, temporarily,¡± Freya blushed, as she noticed she made a mistake: ¡°You have no problems right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Freya?¡± Sophie became shocked and blurted: ¡°Freya Elisson, born during the Year of the Moon Flowers, your father the great knight Ivanton?¡±

    ¡°Huh, how did you?¡± The girl got confused with the series of questions: ¡°N, no, my father is only a carpenter in the town......¡±

    There was suddenly a riot ofughter in the surroundings.

    ¡°Freya, this guy¡¯s pick-up skills are good.¡±

    ¡°You need to be careful, Boss-neesama.¡±

    ¡°Nobody will treat you as dumb if you spoke two sentences less, Mackie, Ike!¡± Freya turned her back and red at them sullenly.

    During this time Sophie took the time to observe the militia solemnly. This toon had seven or eight people, which coincided with Aouine¡¯s unit structure, but the leader was actually a female and that¡¯s even a young brat in it.......

    He felt disappointed as he watched the girl and child. It might look like it was a special exception, but the truth was Aouine¡¯s frequent battles over the years had weakened it beyond words.

    And what happened next would devour thest bit of vitality the kingdom had from its shiny surface.

    Sophie gave a sorrowful sigh filled withment.

    He witnessed this passage of history from the beginning, and did not expect to relive it once more in this world.

    But perhaps he could change something this time round.

    He stared at the girl next to him in a trance.

    There was no mistake about it. Freya Elisson. Thest general of Aouine, andter called the kingdom¡¯s War Goddess. She was the daughter of Ivanton, ¡®The Sceptor of Fire¡¯. She was not noticed early during the beginning of the war, but received the princess regent¡¯s favor to be one of the top rising heroes of this kingdom.

    He did not expect her to experience this battle too.

    Unfortunately, now was not the time for her to hold the initiative. Sophie understood he had to be responsible for his own life, and also needed to be responsible for the lives in front of him.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Freya turned her head around, and looked back nkly when she saw his gaze.

    He was not admiring or enamored with her, but treating her like a strange animal and observing her.

    But why was he looking like her like that?

    ¡°You have never seen a dead person yet right?¡± Sophie suddenly asked.

    ¡°Hah?¡±

    ¡°What I am saying is, are you afraid of people dying?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just.......¡± The girl paused for a while, at a loss for words.

    ¡°Then the injuries that I received had nothing to do with you either, can I sit up?¡± Sophie asked earnestly.

    ¡°N, no.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    Freya did not know what to say. She was indeed scared. She was afraid to see someone die in front of her. Even if she was the future War Goddess covered with countless auras, the current Freya was a naive vige girl.

    She had never seen the cruelties of a war, and still retained a naive outlook towards the world.

    Sophie smiled. He too had not seen a dead person, but his experiences in the ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯ were many times more than Freya.

    He had at least experienced the pain of loss.

    With the cogs turning in his mind, where his memories and events that tormented him yed back one by one, he quickly matured and learned to cherish things.

    But they also left the seeds of revenge in him.

    ¡°So I am saying, you¡¯re just a country bumpkinss right? What authority do you have that would make me obey your orders, Miss Freya?¡±

    ¡°You, you.¡±

    Sophie knew that there was no merit to keep dragging this topic. He took another look at the bandages in front of his chest, and immediately changed the topic: ¡°Did someone here tie my bandages?¡±

    ¡°Boss-neesama was the one who did it, she¡¯s the only one amongst us who know how to do the emergency first-aid.¡± The brat over at the sides rushed to answer first. He looked curiously at the young man. He appeared to be really experienced.

    The militia in Brus was indeed differentpared to their militia in a small ce like this, he thought.

    ¡°I barely managed to stop the bleeding. Don¡¯t think of wandering around, I don¡¯t want to tie this for you one more time.¡± Freya immediately reminded him.

    Sophie knew that the recovery effects from bandaging, besides from stopping the bleeding, was only effective a single time.

    But he answered politely this time:

    ¡°Thank you. Although your skills suck just a little.¡±

    ¡°...............¡±

    Mother Marsha above, Freya inhaled deeply. At this moment she suddenly had the urge to strangle this grinning bastard to death. What the hell was he trying to do!

 volume 1 - 7

    Ch 7 ¨C The n

    ¡°Then, where exactly are we?¡±

    Sophie started to inquire for the news that he wished to know after he wlessly got hold of the conversation¡¯s direction. He found that he had really changed a little. In the past, the only time he was able to be this eloquent was during the time he was in the game.

    Perhaps he still treated this world as ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯.

    The experiences he had in the game when faced the youths in front of him, were enough to treat them like children.

    He had naturally developed an air of confidence that affected all the people here, whether if it¡¯s Freya or the ones behind her. The center of the topic had shifted to Sophie without them realizing it.

    Even the ones far away raised their head and turned to him.

    ¡°This ce is the Red Pine Forest. Don¡¯t move.¡± The girl with the ponytail took a deep breath and tried hard to calm down and reply.

    Sophie gazed at the future War Goddess in surprise. She had quickly learned to control her temper quickly, although she was still a little inexperienced.

    ¡°The Red Pine Forest,¡± Sophie repeated her words, then recoiled in shock. ¡°Wait, why are you here?¡±

    He remembered this ce was called the ¡®Dwarven valley¡¯ in the game where level 14 brown bears nested. But it was Be¡¯s southern region, and the militia had no reasons to appear here.

    ¡°We came to look for you.¡±

    ¡°Actually we came to find Miss Romaine, she¡¯s Boss-neesama¡¯s friend.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s also a member of the third¡¯ toon.¡±

    The ones behind her started talking together.

    ¡°Have you defeated the Madara¡¯s vanguard?¡± Sophie asked Freya the most important question in his heart.

    ¡°How¡¯s that possible!¡± The young girl looked puzzledly at him, as if to ask him why he asked such a silly question. ¡°The leader of the guards covered the vigers and retreated from the north. We are the ones who got separated from the rest. The monsters in the main road are getting more and more numerous, and we could only proceed to the south. Besides that I was also worried about Romaine.......¡±

    ¡°Therefore everyone came here?¡± Sophie¡¯s felt his heart sank.

    The girl nodded as if it was the most natural thing, her long ponytail bobbing up and down.

    Then Freya suddenly felt a little strange. This youth was not Captain Marden, why did she felt like she was speaking to someone with a higher rank!

    Sophie tapped his forehead pensively. He did not know whether to describe their actions as naive or foolish. They already had trouble surviving and they still wanted to save others.

    No, maybe it could be described as kindness.

    But the battlegrounds did not need unnecessary kindness, they would only harm themselves.

    Sophie became silent, but his heart wasnguishing into a spiral ofmentation. He had set his own grandfather¡¯s house on fire to warn the vige, but history still repeated itself and continued to travel to its original pathways.

    There were even people here who were as stupid as a log.

    Mother Marsha, what kind of joke are you pulling here?

    He sighed in his heart. The things that he could change were too little. The wheels of history could not be stopped by a meager force. It was absolutely necessary that he got stronger, but before that he had to survive.

    ¡°Captain Marden, it appears that even I am unable to save you.¡±

    Why would Brumand¡¯s ck rose, the Madara, invade the borders before the fifth moon¡¯s celebration of eternal death? This was such an obvious scheme, would it not harm them instead?

    Sophie¡¯s original expectations werepletely dashed, and it left him with an empty feeling. He found out at the end that for all his hard work, it did not affect history in the slightest. It was a heavy blow that left him dispirited.

    But he only possessed the strength of an average man, he had done his best.

    ¡°Brendel!¡±

    As he silently grumbled inwards to himself, an ted voice rang out beside him. Sophie turned his head back, and saw the merchant girl with a face full of disbelief and surprised joy appearing at the other side of the forest. There was another girl at Romaine¡¯s side, wearing a suit of greyish white leather armor. She must have gone to notify Romaine.

    Romaine dashed over like the wind to Sophie¡¯s side and studied him carefully, as if she was afraid of him suddenly disappearing.

    ¡°I knew it. You would surely be okay.¡± She said with great relief and happiness.

    ¡°Oh, Brendel. Freya didn¡¯t let me go back to Be, I.....¡± Then the merchant girl started to exin urgently, as if she was afraid of him getting angry.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine now. I am alright.¡± He gently replied.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Really.¡± He nodded.

    ¡°Romaine, please don¡¯t move him. Brendel¡¯s wounds are very grave.¡± Freya brows knitted together like they were going to touch one another. Did these two people know how grave these injuries were? He was just one step from meeting Mother Marsha!

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Even though Romaine said that, she stuck her tongue out and stood up.

    Sophie smiled. The personality of the merchant¡¯s girl was simply that way. He looked at both of the pretty girls and could not help but admired the scene.

    If he did not teleport to this world, perhaps the merchant girl would have met the same fate as Brendel did. The Madara invaders were merciless.

    He peered at the others. Amongst all of them, who would survive at the very end of this battle? He clearly remembered the survivors from the militia and the guards were less than one out of ten.

    But he was here now, and perhaps there was a deviation in history. There were many things he did not know, but at least the people around him should be saved. These youths were the future seeds of this kingdom.

    Sophie absolutely refused to let history repeat itself.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get back to the important topic. Do you know how grave the situation is right now?¡± The young man exhaled, trying hard not to show off painful he felt. He knew that he needed to rest desperately, but the current circumstances prevented him from doing so.

    His gazended on everyone, and Freya and the young militia looked startled. Romaine blinked her eyes yfully.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Sophie coughed weakly. He said: ¡°What are you going to do next? If I am not wrong, the Madara undead has taken control of the main road?¡±

    Silence fell upon them.

    ¡°H, how did you know?¡± Freya looked at him in surprise.

    (Of course I know, I even lived through it.)

    Sophie¡¯s heart replied. But the the surprised looks made him a little pleased.

    Knowing the future had advantages.

    But that feeling could not cover the anxiety in his heart. Madara¡¯s attacks in the the fourth month was swift and decisive. He needed to create aprehensive n to protect himself.

    Including these youths.

    The enemies that Be faced was the left wing of the Madara¡¯s army. Leading this army was the future infamous ¡®ck Lord¡¯, Incirsta. Even though he was merely a twenty something novice now, this rising star had began to show off his prowess at the start of this battle.

    And what did he had right now? He was merely a nameless person in history. The single advantage he had was the knowledge of the future. With that, he would be able to handle the series of events, but he needed to make good use of the opportunities.

    He had only two chances.

    The first would be the safer route by picking the ¡®Valley of Jagged Rocks¡¯. He recalled that it took the One-eyed Tarkus, Incirsta¡¯s right hand, seventeen days to control this region.

    But the distance was too far away. He was worried that he could not reach there in time to break through before the enemy surrounded there. Unless there were horses of course, but where would he find them for these ten odd people here?

    The other option left was to break through the ¡®River of Daggers¡¯ before the battle between the ¡®Undead Ghosts¡¯ led by Vesa and the ¡®White Knights¡¯ by Ivanton took ce.

    Currently there was only one necromancer leading a small skeleton army patrolling there.

    He rubbed the cold ring on his finger. With the Ring of the Wind Empress, was it not a simple task to break through the defence lineprised of eleven skeleton soldiers and one necromancer?

    Still, he needed to make everyone in this militia team to obey his orders. It was also why he presented himself so forcefully from the beginning.

    Sophie took a look at everyone again.

    ¡°Anyone who had a little knowledge in military studies would be able to make a natural conclusion like that. They sealed off the main road to breakmunications and to pave the way for their army. The next step is to clear this region¡¯s remaining Aouine¡¯s forces while using Be as the center.¡±

    He stressed his words heavily, paused and continued gravely: ¡°Us.¡±

    A heavy silenced loomed, then the light gasps of the militia army sounded out.

    ¡°And I ask you now, what are your ns?¡± Sophie asked wearily.

    They turned and looked at each other.

    There were ten skeleton soldiers defending Be¡¯s main road, and they could not force their way out. Even though there was the reckless confidence from them, that the enemies did not count for much, they had their reservations shown when it came to life and death battles.

    Freya¡¯s face was full of worry. When she made her decisions earlier, she had not considered much at all. Even though they were called the militia, they were just a bunch of youths who had no experience at all.

    Although she did not say anything, her helplessness was already written on her face.

    And everyone¡¯s gazes fell onto Sophie long ago. He seemed to show a demeanor exuding experience and calmness. This impression had a subtle influence on them, making them felt he was reliable during times of danger.

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Romaine asked worriedly.

    Sophie looked back at her and gave a small smile to put her at ease.

    ¡°We need to n for the worst.¡± He snapped his head back at them. He nned to break their naive attitude.

    This was not something he did for the first time. The newbies in his guild always held some optimistic behavior when they went to the battlefields for the first time. But once they received a blow from a shock, they would go into disarray and quickly get annihted by veteran teams.

    There was actually not that much of a gap between yers. The key factor was their mentality.

    And veteran yers like him, were in charge of giving inoction shots to newbies.

    ¡°n for the worst?¡±

    Just as Sophie was about to answer, there was a series of rustling from the forest. Everyone looked over there at the same time, except Freya who faced over to a set of Ericoideae shrubbery and said: ¡°Jonathon?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Captain Freya.¡±

    Everyone sighed with relief, but Sophie quietly gestured at Freya with his hand, warning her to raise her alertness. Freya was a little surprised at his gesture, but immediately realized the militia training did not allow them to leave their posts without reason.

    Sophie had absolute faith in Aouine¡¯s militia training. These youths might be naive, but that not mean they would forget about the basic training rules they had done every day.

    There must not be any negligence in a battlefield.

    ¡°Did something happen, Jonathon?¡± She asked as she ced her hand on her sword¡¯s hilt.

    ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry, Boss-neesama, I, I got caught......¡±

    The shrubbery was parted into two with a rustle, and there were two people who walked out. A crying young man with a pale face with his arms raised, and the necromancer that followed behind with its finger pointing towards the young man. The green mes that were dancing in its eye sockets peered at everyone.

    ¡°Keke, I caught a bunch of rats.¡±

    Their breaths were taken away.

    ¡°Jonathon!¡±

    ¡°How could you...¡±

    And the voices of disbelief followed.

 volume 1 - 8

    Ch 8 ¨C The bloody forest

    ¡°Jonathon!¡±

    ¡°How could you?!¡±

    The young militia red angrily at their fellow soldier.

    The young man who was controlled by the necromancer paled even further with a shudder, his shame and fear made him bowed his head deeply.

    But no one would want to die, right?

    Freya felt like her heart was going to stop any moment, and her hand reached to her sword without thinking. But the necromancer immediately dismissed her notion to draw it. The green lights in its eye sockets red up, and that young man¡¯s arm exploded like a balloon. Blood and flesh sprayed everywhere, and he screamed loudly, falling down and curling into a heap.

    ¡°Gaaahhh! Please save me Boss-neesama!!!¡±

    The bloody Jonathon rolled on the ground, shrieking in horror.

    This frightening scene made a few people turned away and threw up. Freya turned white and stumbled backwards, nearly copsing into a heap.

    ¡°Little human girl, it is best that you do not move rashly.¡± The necromancer warned her with a shrill voice, its terrifying gaze sweeping across everyone who was there.

    But it soon discovered there were only some militia here, maggots that were not worth mentioning.

    The green lights in the necromancer¡¯s eye sockets dimmed with disappointment. It had received orders to pursue and kill the human scout, and not to squabble over these maggots.

    Freya¡¯s mind was aplete nk, but she tried to shake off the waves of dizziness that were assaulting her. She tried her best to mull over the way to escape from this situation. She still remembered that she was the the leader of the militia and could not easily show her weak side to the enemy.

    As for the girl that was beside Romaine, she had fainted at the first sight of Jonathon¡¯s bloody fate. It was fortunate that the merchant girl was there to hold her.

    Sophie felt one of Romaine¡¯s hand grabbing on to his sleeve tightly. It was a sign that she trusted and depended on him.

    He had earlier held Freya from behind to prevent her from sinking onto the ground, but she surprised him with her strong resolution.

    But no matter what, he knew that she needed some assurance at this time, or she might break down mentally. A girl who lived in a peaceful era would find it difficult to endure a cruel scene like this. It was perhaps fortunate that many young men and women were prepared for wars to break out, as Aouine was a country that was stricken with the ravages of war.

    ¡°Freya.¡± Sophie whispered weakly.

    The young girl paused for a while and woke up from her stupor. She breathed deeply, and calmed down bit by bit under Sophie¡¯s presence. He nodded in admiration when her fingers on her sword¡¯s hilt rxed.

    This achievement could be considered to be exceptional. Very few people would be able to calm down when facing the thin line separating life and death.

    Although he did not understand why, his own heart seemed to be as serene as it could possibly be, after experiencing the parallel teleportation and the perilous battle he had previously.

    Regardless, it was definitely a good thing.

    He continued to whisper: ¡°Do you remember what I said earlier, about nning for the worst?¡±

    Freya froze for a moment and nodded slightly.

    ¡°Do you have the strength to fight?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    It was a reply that almost could not be heard.

    Sophie¡¯s heart was relieved.

    He rubbed against the Ring of the Wind Empress with his thumb, and the sensation he felt told him that it was half recharged.

    Three hours to restore a segment of energypared to ten minutes in the game, it was certainly too slow, but it was sufficient at half capacity. Even though it was unable to create a wind bullet, it was able to create a powerful whirlwind.

    Since he was prepared for the worst oue, there was nothing else that could go wrong.

    At the same time, the necromancer was finally convinced there was no ambush here. It did not even bother to look at the pitiful figure that was crying beside its feet, and raised its skeletal arm:

    ¡°My soldiers, y every one here!¡±

    The ear-piercing, dry voice rang out, and there were four skeleton soldiers wearing ck heavy armor wielding sharp swords that immediately came out from the forest. Their bodies made cking noises as they walked through the swirling mist, approaching closer to the militia with every step.

    If it was a little earlier, the militia might still have the courage to resist the undead soldiers, but it was different now. The confidence they had earlier was shattered by the inhuman necromancer, and the remaining bravery they had were crushed by the approaching soldiers, with no strength left to fight back.

    They could only retreat backwards in terror. Some drew out their swords shakily from an instinctive will to survive, but there was no certainty as to how much they could defend themselves.

    There were only quickened breaths echoing throughout the forest.

    The necromancer crackled inughter as it watched them. The green lights in its eye sockets danced wildly, as if they were savoring the fear.

    It was certainly true that fear was human¡¯s greatest weakness, and it could easily be made use of. Inparison, the undead naturally overcame this weakness. Every one of them was the finest soldier, especially the lower ranked undead that did not even need to think and simply obeyed their orders.

    Even veteran soldiers could be as helpless as a child in a battlefield, and weak creatures like them should not continue to exist in this world.

    The necromancer felt only hatred for them: Without a doubt, Madara must be victorious ¡ª¡ª

    But at this moment, it heard the faintest whisper: ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    A calm youthful voice brimming with confidence.

    The necromancer felt its Soul¡¯s Fire jumped a little. It was a bad omen, and the necromancer turned its head warily.

    A shining ring entered into its line of sight.

    The ring was worn on that heavily injured militia¡¯s thumb. It had not taken notice of this human who was half dead, indeed, what was there to note?

    Pretending to be heavily injured might fool others, but they would not be able to deceive an undead. These cold creatures that climbed out from the graves can perceive the mes of Life directly, and there was no mistaking Sophie¡¯s faint mes.

    He was definitely heavily injured.

    The true threat came from the magic ring on his thumb. The green lights in the necromancer¡¯s eye sockets suddenly dimmed, as it could suddenly feel a dangerous aura gathering in the air.

    The necromancer had came into contact with fake replicas of powerful artifacts when its master had taught it ck magic, and from that aura emitted in the air, the ring had to be at least twenty OZ.

    An artifact that could only belonged to a high wizard, why would it appear in the hands of a normal human?

    The necromancer showed an expression that was full of surprise and greed.

    ¡°My undead soldiers, pry the ring off his finger and give it to me!¡± It raised its bone wand and screamed.

    ¡°Oss.¡±

    But Sophie raised his right hand and spat out the word with all his strength, as if to expel all the air in his lungs. The youth fell backwards, and his head was full of cold perspiration.

    The space between them expanded visibly, then violently contracted.

    The distortion in the air rapidly reverted back to normalcy with an explosion, and the st of frenzied wind roared with a thunderous boom. The wind was like a tempest of sharpened arrows piercing through the necromancer and the skeleton soldiers. They tried raising their arms to protect themselves, but the rampaging whirlwind made them stagger to their sides.

    There was no damage done, but the impeding effect was easily visible.

    ¡°Freya!¡± Sophie shouted.

    The girl¡¯s long sword sang in response as she drew it out, her long ponytail dancing behind her figure.

    What amazed Sophie was how the inexperienced girl acted next. She did not rush in rashly, but turned her head and yelled at the rest of the militia: ¡°Mackie, Irene! What the hell are you waiting!? The third squad, soldiers of Be, follow me into battle!!!¡±

    The burst of courage was like a signal, and simple words in a battle between life and death, could be a suggestion that brought about limitless strength.

    But this needed one condition, and that wasposure.

    A single person¡¯sposure would affect even more people, just like what was happening now. Freya¡¯s reminder startled them, but they immediately recognized this was the final chance at surviving.

    The raging winds continued to force the enemy back without being able to do anything.

    When the young militia discovered this, they quickly regained their mettle and the sounds of swords being drawn out reverberated in the forest. It was as if their discipline learned from the days spent in training returned to their bodies.

    ¡°Mackie, cover me.¡±

    ¡°These fucking monsters, it¡¯s time for your turn.......¡±

    ¡°Kill that foul witch first!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a necromancer.¡±

    ¡°Little fenix, you¡¯re behind me.¡±

    But Sophie looked worriedly at the chaotic battlefield. He was afraid of someone acting rashly and ruining the situation, and he reminded them calmly: ¡°Everyone, remember what you had learned in training! You can only fight well if you remain cool-headed!¡±

    In the online game ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯, he had seen many hot blooded newbies, acting the same way like the youths here.

    It was good to be heated, but they must not lose their rationality.

    He recited the militiabat regtions. It was something everyone here had recited before, but there were not many who could keep these tedious but valuable rules in mind during a battle.

    Brendel was someone unusual, Sophie thought to himself.

    Sophie yed back Brendel¡¯s final battle in his mind. As a new soldier, Brendel¡¯s performance could not have been more perfect, and he had some considerable talent in wielding a sword. Unfortunately, he was in the wrong ce and at the wrong time.

    The young militia who heard Sophie¡¯s reminded made them levelheaded. But it was not sufficient, as Sophie knew they needed more confidence instilled in them, otherwise their regained morale would plummet back to nothing.

    The wind started to weaken.

    The skeleton soldiers shook their rattling armor and tried to find their bnce, preparing to fight back, but Sophie¡¯s voice already instructed the militia to change their tactics.

    ¡°Listen well. These low ranked Madara¡¯s soldiersck intelligence and move slowly. Their greatest weakness presents itself when they turn their body. Do your utmost to follow their sword hand and move towards the left. They have a blind spot there and you can attack safely...¡±

    ¡°Mackie, partner up with Irene and attack from both sides. Do you know how to cover her? Good, attract the attention of that skeleton, keep up that pace.¡±

    Sophieid half of his body onto a boulder, staring closely at the battlefield¡¯s situation, and instructed them on their next move. It was almost as if his words carried a magic, bringing strength,posure and calmness to the young militia.

    The Be¡¯s militia were quickly rewarded. Erik broke a skeleton¡¯s thigh bone from shing its leg from Sophie¡¯s directions, and his partner, little Fenix pierced through the skeleton¡¯s skull as a follow up.

    The instant the sword pierce through the skull, the undead creature seemed to let out a gasping sound, the Soul¡¯s Fire in its eye sockets flickered and quickly died.

    Sophie¡¯s eyes caught a gold light flying into his chest from the skeleton.

    Sophie paused for a moment. It was different from the previous time, he clearly felt the experience points clearly. But he did not have time to relish that fact, as he heard the excited yells from the militia¡¯s victory.

    ¡°Heavens, I did it!¡± Erik could not believe it and yelled as he held his bleeding wounds firmly: ¡°Brendel, how the hell do you know about these things?¡±

    Brendel gave a small smile. His experience came from within the game where he analyzed the enemies with his allies. Even knowing what the smallest gesture meant came from harsh lessons, knowledge that was attained from thousands of battles and deaths in the game.

    Be¡¯s militia had also learned simr knowledge from their training, but they were merely superficial in Sophie¡¯s eyes. If Be¡¯s training raised his prowess against the skeleton soldiers by 10%, then his own knowledge would raise beyond 50%.

    From the 375th year until the 2nd era, the frequent battles against Madara had made Sophiepletely familiar with their lowest ranked skeleton soldiers, to the highest ranked demonic witches, vampire lords and even bone dragons.

    There was no one in Aouine who understood the undead kingdom more than him, and perhaps even the entire continent. After all, the kingdoms in this continent, prior to the first War of the ck Rose, did not have as many intense conflicts with Madara aspared to the future.

    The experience that Sophie had in this world was one of his proudest aplishments. He relied heavily on his knowledge, and it was the only reason that he had the confidence to keep walking down the path to where he once stood before.

    He had to finish this task at hand first. The violent whirlwind might have attracted unwanted attention, and just to be safe, he needed to end the battle as quickly as possible.

    His eyes fell upon the necromancer as he contemted.

    This was a difficult enemy.

 volume 1 - 9

    CH 9 ¨C The battle against the necromancer

    TL: There¡¯s a mistake I made. Bone wands are now Bone staffs.

    A lower ranked necromancer was well versed in two different magic, shadows and debilitating spells.

    In the game, ck magic was brought about the Miirna race. They were the servants of the twilight dragon, and had lived in the icy ins of northern Kirrlutz a century before the Era of Chaos.

    The Miirna shamans were well versed in spirit and dark shamanic spells. These spellster on, along with all unnatural spells that affected the mind or attacked the body, were ssified into ck magic.

    After the holy crusade, the King of Fire, Gatel, drove these citizens of darkness into the cold north, and it was said from then on no one ever saw them again.

    But the Miirna definitely existed. In the Bible of Darkness, the ck magic had been passed down to the Shadow Lords of Madara from these demonic race.

    But to call the shadow spells as ck Magic was a little undeserving of the name. It was merely a type of magic to aid in concealment, and the spells used were able to cover the tracks of a small squad of undead troops.

    The skeleton soldiers were not invisible or vanished into thin air, but a mere trick to hide them under the dark shadows.

    It definitely did not make their sounds, scents or other sensory senses other than sight disappear. It was also limited to a certain radius.

    During the dark night, these spells naturally became the best cover for Madara¡¯s undead troops, and it was the main reason why Madara¡¯s army had chosen to only move during the night time in history.

    As for the debilitating spells, Freya and the other militia had already experienced this frightening ck magic at the Pine forest.

    The evil assault spells were necromancers¡¯ primary means of attacking, which relied on negative energy to invade the minds of the enemies. The stronger the negative energy from the enemies, the weaker their wills were, the more damage the spells would do.

    Until the enemies¡¯ deaths.

    The debilitating spells were similiar to various other ck magic that relied on negative emotions to cause damage.

    With such mysterious ck magic at the necromancer¡¯s fingertips, with its cunning and deceptive nature, leading skeleton soldiers that were stronger than the average human, it appeared as if the necromancer was an enemy that was exceedingly difficult to defeat.

    But Sophie knew their secret. Necromancers did not have the ability to cast magic. Its true source of power came from the bone staffs in their hands. The bone staff was a powerful magic artifact that belonged to its own individual owner, and once it left their hands, it would be an ordinary stick.

    With this knowledge at hand, Sophie prepared a strategy to defeat the necromancer.

    Following the next defeated skeleton soldier under Sophie¡¯s supervision, the strongest sword fighters, Freya and Irena marched towards the necromancer on both sides.

    ¡°Attack its hand! The dark shamanic spells are not as mystical as you think,¡± Sophie pointed out the undying monster¡¯s weakness from behind: ¡°Did you see its gesture? Hinder him frompleting it and knock the bone staff out of his hand...¡±

    That necromancer abruptly raised its head and met Sophie¡¯s eyes, the viridescent mes quivering in hatred. Sophie choked up, his throat drying up as though it was being burned. He knew that the necromancer was starting to focus on him, but he tried to shrug off the unnerving feeling quickly, as he knew it was impossible for the necromancer to bypass the militia and attack him.

    Nevertheless, the terrifying chill from the creature¡¯s gaze forced him to halt his instructions, and he waited for Freya and Irene to rob its concentration away.

    The necromancer gave a ghastlyugh and shook the bone staff. Darkness covered itpletely as if it was being submerged by a wave of water. When Irene¡¯s long sword pierced into it, there was nothing but thin air. The necromancer had vanished at the very same spot.

    ¡°Huh?¡± The girl was stunned.

    Sophie¡¯s expression did not change at all; he was too familiar with what it can do: ¡°To your left, Irene!¡±

    She did not react to his voice in time.

    But Freya who rushed over shed through the air with her sword, a straight silver line that seemed to illuminate the inky night, and when it reached the ce where Sophie had directed, the necromancer stumbled backwards in dismay.

    Everyone saw the shadow-like figure revealing itself after retreating.

    ¡°Human!!! Who are you! You are not a militia at all!¡± The screaming voice was of a frenzied rage, and its expression appeared to be in utter agitation.

    It was impossible for a militia to know this much, and part of what Sophie said only circted amongst the Madara¡¯s undead necromancers.

    But Sophie kept his silence, and Freya¡¯s sword followed up again. The green lights in the necromancer¡¯s eye sockets danced wildly, it raised the bone staff to parry the sword in hatred.

    A necromancer possessed 1.7 OZ, and Freya did not have a higher strength than Brendel, thus her attack was easily steered to one side, and she stumbled forward a few steps before she was able to stop. She subsconsciously held against her left shoulder and grimaced.

    The injury from the arrow earlier seemed to be reopened.

    ¡°Boss-neesama, let Mackie do it, your injury......¡± Irene shouted out as she defended against the necromancer.

    Mackie and little Fenix charged over to them.

    ¡°Little Fenix, I want you to back off!¡± But Freya cut off his path and shouted at that inexperienced brat with a fiercemand.

    ¡°But I¡¯m also a soldier!¡± The adolescent shouted in defiance.

    ¡°Back off, did you hear what I said!¡±

    Little Fenix¡¯s flushed red with fury, but he did not dare to go against Freya¡¯s order. She had always been the leader amongst them, with a kind heart and resolution in her actions. Everyone was actually content with her as the leader.

    Sophie shook his head in disapproval. The battlefield was not a ce to have a squabble. But Freya¡¯s insistence had raised his favorable impression of her, it was rare to find a girl like her back in his previous world. (TL: Really? Haha.)

    ¡°The four of you attack the necromancer together.¡± He said simply.

    ¡°Mister Brendel, you!¡± Freya was lost for words as she looked back involuntarily. The young Romaine stood beside the youth who was lying on the boulder. She looked at Freya innocently and blinked.

    [This damn girl, she defected already to his side already?!]

    Freya fumed inwardly.

    ¡°A necromancer is an enemy that is hard to deal with, and the four of you are just sufficient to cover each other¡¯s back.¡± Sophie answered in a serious manner.

    ¡°But little Fenix......¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s also one of the militia.¡±

    Freya bit her lips. When she turned back to look, Mackie and Irene were steadily losing ground from the necromancer¡¯s attack. If the undead creature found a chance to cast a spell, the squad would lose another member.

    It was something that she could not stand for. She nodded reluctantly as she thought through the possibility.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°Praise the Gods! Brendel, you¡¯re too amazing!¡± Little Fenix cried triumphantly and drew out his long sword immediately.

    But Freya grabbed his cuff from behind and ordered him solemnly: ¡°You are going to follow closely to me, and never go out of my sword arm¡¯s radius. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Oooh......¡± He replied with disappointment.

    The situation was reversed when both Freya and little Fenix joined the battle. Irene and her were outstanding sword fighters in their militia batch, and surprisingly little Fenix was not any weaker. He was decisive and urate with a strong inclination to attack, and unlike Aouine¡¯s military swordsmanship which pursued bnce in both offense and defense, he seemed to resemble Kirrlutz¡¯s aggressive sword techniques. (TL: Military batch... Erm, my mind is failing me, is there any official term out there?)

    Sophie gave a high evaluation to him. He thought to himself, when little Fenix reached Brendel¡¯s age, he would probably be as good as him at using the sword.

    Sophie mused over the possibilty where Brendel did not die. If he continued to grow in the uing battles, he would have most likely became as brilliant as Freya. It was as if he was born to fight and his flexibility was even betterpared to little Fenix.

    Unfortunately, there was such a thing called fate, and there were no ¡®ifs¡¯ in history.

    The battle between the militia and the necromancer relied heavily on Sophie¡¯s input. It was as though Sophie saw through every move of the necromancer, and even the smallest n it had was pointed out.

    What was the necromancer going to do?

    Why is the necromancer doing this?

    Was it preparing a spell?

    When should it be interrupted?

    The necromancer grew more and more appalled. The undead did not feel fear, but it could also be unsettled. At the very end it was screaming: ¡°Who are you! An undead shaman! Or a ck knight!¡±

    The uttered sentences were exchanged for Freya¡¯s unforgiving strike. The w-like fingers that were gripping the bone staff flew up and it gave a shrill scream. The green fire in its sunken eye sockets dimmed like it was a candle me in the winds.

    ¡°Wretched humans........¡±

    The battle finally ended with Mackie¡¯s orthodox strike with his sword. The necromancer had tired considerably before the loss of its hands and bone staff, and it wailed in frustration as the bright sword pierced through its skull.

    The Soul¡¯s Fire exploded from its body.

    It was the final counter attack from this creature, but Sophie had already warned them preemptively. Only Irene who was a little slow at evading had her right hand singed a little.

    The final two skeleton soldiers that remained were destroyed by the rest of the militia, while Freya and the others fought against the necromancer. Only one of the militia got wounded from the skeleton soldiers, and the forest was finally restored to its former peace. The wind blew across the forest, causing the leaves to rustle gently.

    Everyone stopped and looked at each other. Their faces were full of disbelief, including Freya. They actually won against a necromancer and four skeleton soldiers.

    Mackie¡¯s sword was the first fall onto the floor with a ng, and it set off a chain reaction. Everyone hugged each other together, shouting and yelling, and even some of them cried out loudly to vent their emotions.

    To survive from such an ordeal made their feelings ran high.

    But Sophie was unperturbed. He raised his head and saw three golden lights flew into his chest from the darkness. Nobody seemed to notice this, even Romaine who was beside him.

    The merchant girl also seemed to be relieved.

    [Hmm, I¡¯m the only one who can see it?] Sophie felt a little puzzled.

    He nced at his surroundings once, and opened his character window at the same time without thinking. He did the same things like he did in ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯, opening his character window once a battle was over.

    The green lines of data appeared immediately in his retina.

    Strength 1.1, Agility 2.0 , Physique 1.0 Intelligence 1.1, Will 1.3, Perception 1.0

    Overall power rating 3.5, Element (Sealed)

    Brendel, Male Human, Level 1 (Strength type body: Physical, Closebat; Talent: Unyielding)

    XP: 4 (Commoner level 1 ¡ª¡ª¡ª, Civilian Soldier level 2, 6/10)

    Health (Weakened, dying): 10% (Bandaged status, 1 HP will be recovered every day)

    Skills (Empty slot skill 1 XP)

    Commoner [Basic knowledge (Level 1), Geography Knowledge (Level 0), Local knowledge (Level 1)]

    Civilian Soldier [Military Swordsy (Level 1), Grappling techniques (Level 1), Tactical Theory (Level 0), Military Organization (Level 0)]

    He noted the change from his strength and physique. This meant he received the increase from the ¡®Civilian soldier¡¯ profession.

    The Overall power rating increased by 2.5. The Ring of the Wind Empress granted a 1.0 increase in agility, and the rest of the increase came from his corresponding stats from his militia profession.

    Finally in this battle, he gained 4 XP from four skeleton soldiers and one necromancer. It was half of what he should have received. Sophie thought for a while before concluding it was as a ¡®Team penalty¡¯.

    [This is total bullshit! Why the heck would there be something like this in reality?]

    Butpared to the fact that he teleported to a parallel world was even more ridiculous.

    He tried to think of this fact like a gaming otaku but he felt that it was pointless after a while, because this ce was different from that online game ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯.

    ¡°Mother Marsha, it¡¯s good that my suspension of disbelief is amazing.....¡± He rubbed his forehead as he felt a little headache.

    Sophie stared at the ¡®Civilian soldier¡¯ level and hesitated. He truthfully did not want to invest experience points in this profession. The profession was pretty much garbage to him, and he had always viewed it a NPC only profession.

    Now in this life here, he could not have thought that he would actually spend experience points on it.

    And he even chose the talent point ¡®Unyielding¡¯!

    The gods above, there were just too many talents useful for a warrior, but this happened to the worst of them all. It was a skill that allowed him to be immune from fatal wounds, but he only had five minutes to bid his will, unless he received a heal powerful enough.

    Except he still had not seen any restorative that was stronger than banadaging, and the potions that were in the game were literally everywhere.

    Still, Sophie did not regret it too much as it did save his life.

    The current situation repeated itself. He was unable to find another profession right now, yet he urgently needed more power, and the only solution was to continue walking down this damnable path of the profession ¡®Civilian soldier¡¯. He felt depressed for a few moments.

    A veteran warrior turning into a veteran militia? Heck, was the warrior profession not enough of a cannon fodder already?!

 volume 1 - 10

    CH 10 ¨C Emergency first aid in the battlefield

    Sophie stared at his character stats in a daze, but he still did not make a decision in the end.

    [One step at a time, since there¡¯s no need to squander it now right?]

    But the 10 AP (ability points) that he got when he raised should be used. Under the dire situation now, even the slightest improvement in power was an improvement over nothing. It appeared to Sophie that increasing the sword rank or abat rted skill was a pretty good choice. Anyone else would probably have chosen this option. Still, Sophie hesitated as he had thought of something else.

    He dismissed the character window in his mind, and it faded from his retina. He raised his head to look at the militia, only to find them still reveling from the victory earlier. He stiffened for a moment, then his face showed an austere expression.

    This was a terrible sign.

    He gestured to Romaine to help him up a little, then raised his voice and ask: ¡°I want to ask, do you all really think you are safe now?¡±

    His voice was not loud, but everyone present had their voices silenced, and the forest became silent to the point where one can hear a pin drop.

    Sophie¡¯s authority was still present, and the young militia had not forgotten who directed them to victory.

    Come to think of it, the earlier warning that he gave became true right?

    They suddenly became self aware that it was certainly not the time to celebrate. Their lives were practically controlled by Madara¡¯s undead troops, and they still had the time to make merry. They felt a surreal feeling creeping over them as they realized that fact.

    Thus everyone stopped and cast their gazes on him. Sophie was currently very weak, but there seemed to be an air about him that would lead them to victory.

    Everyone believed that.

    Even Freya sighed quietly. This was supposed to be her responsibility, but she and her squad members were not able to control their emotions, and she had forgotten that she was even the leader and the responsibilities that came along with it.

    The ponytail girl showed pangs of regret when she became aware of that.

    ¡°Bandage your wounds, clean up the battlegrounds, remember what you have learned in your training. Do you really need me to remind all of you?¡± Sophie also sighed. These headless chickens were more of a newbie than a newbie could ever be. It was fortunate that their stats were better than a normal NPC.

    But they could notpare to a yer, certainly. A hero profile was so much better, till the point where Sophie did not want to think about it when he checked his stats every time.

    Sophie rubbed his forehead.

    Under his reminder, the young Be soldiers started to move. They stanched the bleeding from the wounded soldiers, swept up the battlefield, and took the swords and armor from the skeleton soldiers. Their chain armors were much better than their leather armor in protection.

    Another person extinguished the campfire under Sophie¡¯s instruction. Sophie wanted to knock his head against a wall when he gave the order, lighting a campfire in the enemy¡¯s rear position, he really did not know what these militia were thinking.

    Freya originally wanted to see what she could help with, after all Brendel was not familiar with them. But she soon realized that it waspletely unnecessary, and no matter what he did, he had done things far better than what she had considered doing.

    She could not help but fidget with her hair, her mind was full of questions; They were both militia, but was there so much of a difference between Brus and Be?

    [How could this be?]

    Freya had always thought the people that came from the city could not be any stronger than they were, but in front of Sophie, she started to feel dejected.

    On the other hand, Romaine did not care about it too much, and she happily went along with the others to gather the loot. It looked like the future merchant girl was only interested in them.

    Sophie eyed the cheeky kid who was called little Fenix, as he went over to the unconscious Jonathon.

    ¡°What about Jonathon?¡± Fenix asked everyone.

    This question made everyone look at each other.

    For a moment, a strange silence spread everywhere.

    Indeed, he was one of the youths in the vige, and they were familiar with him and it could be said they were good friends. Jonathon was the most timid amongst them, but they did not expect he would do something like this.

    Even though he had no choice, but this action that was equivalent to a betrayal and it hurt them. It was as if their innocent friendship had cracked, showing how distrust between humans came about.

    Freya also had no idea to repair the rtionship between them. She wanted to protect everyone, but not only did he harmed everyone, he also hurt her deeply. Even if she wanted to speak up for him, she had no confidence to persuade the others.

    And if she spoke, there might not be a chance for them to remain as friends.

    Everyone in the militia held the same viewpoint. They were just naive teenagers, and their weakness and strengths existed at the same time. As they hesitated, they cast their eyes on the only outsider here.

    Sophie.

    And our protagonist sighed.

    ¡°Miss Freya?¡± He asked her.

    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know......¡±

    ¡°Then bandage him. We don¡¯t know if we can even stop the bleeding, perhaps he will die before tomorrow¡¯s sunrise.¡± Sophie sighed again. He was puzzled over why he was so calm, was it also not the first time he saw a dying person?

    Everyone exhaled with relief at the same time. It was Sophie¡¯s order, and they just needed to follow it. It was an excuse to run away, but even then humans needed to escape from time to time.

    On the other side, Sophie beckoned to Freya toe over. She looked puzzledly at him but came over.

    ¡°You know how to perform first aid right, Miss Freya?¡± Sophie asked.

    ¡°Just call me Freya,¡± She nodded: ¡°I learned a little, from Captain Marden.¡±

    [Captain Marden?! The heck, that old dude also teaches first aid here!?] Sophie nearly choked.

    In the game, the first NPC that taught emergency first aid in the Grinoires region was Doctor Borg from Fortress Riedon. That NPC would give a mission to collect fifty bundles of xseed before teaching the skill, and it was a major pain in the neck; to the point where many people immediately skipped the quest and went to Brus, where they simply needed to pay ten silver coins to the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    Even though the market price of 50 bundles of xseed was a huge differencepared to ten silver coins, it was much more of a trouble to acquire them.

    This was an undiscovered secret! Sophie got all excited, but suddenly realized he could not go back to his old world. What was he thinking?

    His excitement quickly died down, but still asked enthusiastically: ¡°Can you teach me a little?¡±

    Freya took a deep breath and gritted her teeth. She eyed him angrily, did this bastard not say that she sucked at bandaging!

    But she was not a petty person to get her revenge back, and she thought for a while before asking: ¡°What do you want to know......¡±

    ¡°The crux and the way how to wrap the bandages.¡±

    Freya did not reply immediately, but went to his side to check on the girl who fainted. Romaine had abandoned her with a face of excitement when she went to gather the loot.

    The girl only fainted from a shock and did not seem to have sustained any other injuries.

    Freya turned back to look at the pale youth and hesitated for a while.

    ¡°Let me take a look at your injury.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I know my injury well enough.¡±

    ¡°You¡ª¡±

    ¡°Really, what exactly did you learn?¡± Sophie changed the topic.

    ¡°Mainly to bandage and stop the bleeding as well as washing the wound.¡±

    Sophie¡¯s heart suddenly skipped a beat. It was something from within his soul, not a voice or words, but he clearly received a message:

    ¡°Freya is teaching you the skill ¡®Emergency first aid¡¯, and requires 8 AP to raise to level 0. Do you wish to learn the skill?¡±

    He exhaled slowly. He wanted this! And it even appeared in the same format as the game, of course he wanted to learn this!

    The emergency first aid had the ability to stop bleeding and prevent the infection of wounds. It was a skill that ignored the surroundings and raised the chances to seedpared to random bandaging, and was something that Sophie urgently needed. He remembered that only the army priests from the Holy Cathedral of Fire were able to perform emergency first aid.

    To think that Captain Marden also knew how to do this, what a discovery indeed. He epted to learn the skill but a message immediately came back:

    ¡°There is no suitable profession found for learning emergency first aid, which profession do you wish to assign the skill to?¡±

    This was not important, but Sophie still ced the skill under the Civilian soldier profession. Because the Civilian soldier profession was not a suitable profession, it would require twice the AP to raise the level, and it was still better than themoner profession, since it was pretty much impossible to raise themoner level.

    A skill level cannot be leveled higher than the profession level. (TL: Commoner level cannot be raised. Probably.)

    Freya taught the skill in detail to him, but she quickly realized the youth was staring at her as if he did not react to her words at all.

    She looked at him nkly, before a fiery fury burst up from her heart.

    This bastard, was he trying to find an excuse to take advantage of her!

    The young girl hands curled into fists, and became so angry that even her ponytail trembled.

    This bastard, how could he do something like this to Romaine, that girl had her heart practically given to you!

    She tried her best to curb herself and waved her hands in front of Sophie, but there was no reaction. If she did not consider him to be an injured person, she would have sent a flying kick. But right at this moment, Sophie¡¯s eyes blinked and he regained his senses.

    He checked his skill set again, and was satisfied from learning the emergency first aid. At least he would have the confidence to navigate through the future battles.

    It was an important requirement to have the ability to heal the team members. Sophie was someone who nned ahead, and thus abandoned the idea of learning sword skills orbat abilities. But when he came back to his senses, he saw Freya¡¯s displeased expression.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He looked on puzzledly.

    ¡°Were you listening?¡± The girl asked through her gritted teeth.

    ¡°Of course, and I learned it already.¡± Sophie answered naturally.

    ¡°You-¡± Freya nearly fainted from theck of breath. ¡°I have not even finished teaching, and you already learned it?¡± She checked him out with a severeck of trust.

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    Freya wanted to punch him in the eye. When she wanted to argue back at him, someone shouted from the sides.

    ¡°Boss-neesama. We can¡¯t stop Jonathon¡¯s bleeding, quicklye over and take a look.¡±

    Sophie wanted to swivel her head back to look, but Sophie said: ¡°This is a good time, how about letting me do it?¡±

    ¡°You?¡±

    Freya¡¯s face was of great distrust.

    ¡°Help me over.¡±

    ¡°D, don¡¯t overdo things.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask Miss Romaine to help me over?¡±

    ¡°In your dreams, I¡¯ll never let her near you ever again, you shameless lout!¡± Freya snapped in refusal, but still helped Sophie up.

    ¡°Shameless lout?¡± Sophie paused nkly, why did he suddenly get scolded.

    ¡°You know what you did.¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡±

 volume 1 - 11

    Chapter 11 ¨C The two factions¡¯ resolve

    The light within the living hall that was upied at thest minute brightened and then dimmed. Part of the candles¡¯ mes were intentionally extinguished. The dim light illuminated the deep gashes on the wooden floor.

    In this remote corner, a silent and chilly atmosphere seemed to fill the air.

    The figures that were sitting down could not get used to the light from the remaining candles, but as long as the middle-aged male leader who had a pale face and wore an eye patch did not speak, none of them dared to utter even one sound.

    If Sophie was here, he would have probably recognized this man, simply because his appearance did not change much even after a decade. This was the right hand of ¡®ck Lord Incirsta¡¯, a vampire lord, the one-eyed Tarkus. He was a member of the Rheinische family, the fourteen generation of vampires. He was considered to be young, but he was a true veteran in the Madara¡¯s army,pared to Incirsta who was like a greenhorn.

    But it did not matter to Tarkus. This was merely the beginning of their cooperation with Incirsta.

    Tarkus looked at the skeleton soldiers bringing out the stacks of papers and books from the study. He took a moment to watch them before turning back and spoke to the necromancer: ¡°Speak. What report did Rothko want to inform me when he left you behind?¡±

    ¡°Esteemed General Tarkus, my master had found a scout in that manor.¡± The necromancer bowed his head and answered in a raspy voice.

    ¡°And?¡± He nced at the necromancer once, and his gaze went back to the strategy map thatid open on the table.

    ¡°He escaped.¡±

    Several disdainfulughs rose from the surroundings.

    The vampire general lifted his head, and the faint voices were immediately silenced. He paused for a while, before saying: ¡°I understand, Rothko did very well. But I want him to do better the next time and not waste time on these types of needless distractions. I want him to advance to the Beldor forest before noon.¡±

    The necromancer nodded respectfully and left.

    But once it left, there were voices of dissent in the room. This time it was a giant skeleton covered in an old brass armor, the a dark yellow me flitting in its eye sockets with fury:

    ¡°Lord Tarkus, it is possible that this scout has discovered our ns¨C¡±

    It opened and closed its mouth, but the air that escaped from his hyoid bone suddenly ceased. That was because Tarkus was staring at it with his left eye, and made it stop subconsciously.

    A burst of quietughter erupted around him, and the mockery contained within theughs, made the mes in his eyes dance with regret.

    ¡°Kabias.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± The giant skeleton immediately held his chest high and answered.

    ¡°Take this location down.¡± Tarkus¡¯s fingers pointed to a vige on the map.

    ¡°Before sunrise,¡± He pointed to the roof: ¡°I want to see results.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lord Tarkus.¡±

    ¡°Wesker, Ebdon.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± The two voices replied at the same time.

    ¡°The both you attack Verbin, and seal off the Dagger River.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lord Tarkus.¡±

    ¡°Raven¡¯s beak.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you two small squadrons, search and clear this area.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Tarkus raised his head from the map, and looked coldly at every one of them: ¡°All of you are nobles from Madara. I want everyone to swiftly and elegantly aplish my every order, precisely as I tell you to. Fortress Riedon, this is our next target.¡±

    He stood up and ced his right hand over his left shoulder: ¡°Madara will be victorious.¡±

    The undead all stood up as well and said gravely: ¡°Madara will be victorious!¡±

    Tarkus lowered his head and his gaze fell upon the map once more. He looked at Be¡¯s southern red pine forest, then to the Green vige and Beldor forest, to Fortress Riedon and upwards, finally to the River of Jagged rocks (TL: Names, names, names...)

    Human scout? He gave a scornfulugh.

    .................................................................................

    Right at the same time, with the full moon at its peak in the pine forest.

    There was no wolves howling in this mountainous region, but a wind started blowing in the forest. The chilly wind seemed to pierce through the branches like they were made out of smoke, and everyone shivered from the creeping cold behind their backs. The youths of Be had never spend the night in the wilds, and the darting shadows in this foggy forest made them jumpy. Each shadow that moved was like a frightening monster to them.

    But a single voice calmed them down.

    ¡°Hold this part down.¡±

    ¡°Yes, continue doing this.¡±

    ¡°Water.¡±

    ¡°Pass me the bandage.¡±

    ¡°Hold it down firmly.¡±

    Sophie gave a long sigh of relief and wiped off the perspiration of his brows when it was finally done.

    He was relieved to see a faint green color of [+2] floating from the Jonathon¡¯s body.

    With his emergency first aid skill reaching ¡®Level 0¡¯, the recovery effect from bandaging naturally improved as well. There was practically no differencepared to the game, but every indication that popped up made him feel at ease.

    The instruction that he meted out, cleaning the wounds, preventing infection, stopping the bleeding, bandaging and the finer details and techniques, he taught Mackie and Neberto thoroughly. He was in no condition to do it himself, and his own body was just slightly better than Jonathon.

    As Neberto finished thest step, Sophie lifted his head up to find everyone staring at him in astonishment.

    A professional.

    They only had this conclusion.

    Even little Fenix looked back at Freya earnestly and said: ¡°Boss-neesama, it seems thatpared to your skills, you kind of suck.¡±

    Freya looked on in an ashen face.

    [Indeed, indeed, this shameless cad found excuses to approach near me! Kukuku, hahahaha!]

    Her heart ended up concluding this oue in fury and looked worriedly at Romaine, but she only saw her smug face counting the victory loot on the ground that was taken.

    [This damn wench...!]

    .......

    Only Sophie himself knew that his knowledge came from the skill ¡®Emergency First Aid¡¯. Every time when he looked at this skill, the knowledge to perform each step appeared in his mind. And in his memories, the emergency first aid skill came from the first three chapters of [Grierson¡¯s holy bible]. The contents of the three chapters discussed the techniques to bandage. And it so happened that Sophie knew Grierson from within the game, who was Brus¡¯s current Grand Priest.

    Since he had already read the contents of the book at least a hundred times, his familiarity with it was like a pro-gamer priest opening a smurf ount performing bandaging.

    Sadly, he had to pay the price when he became a smurf. (TL: The price is Freya¡¯s ire.)

    On the other hand, Sophie quickly realized that Be¡¯s third squadron consisted of ten members, including Freya. He knew Mackie, Irene, Erik and little Fenix.

    Then there was Neberto and d. These two brothers was citizens from the mountainous forced to move from the Bora region. They inherited the native feature of a taciturn behavior, and did more work than they talked.

    There was Jonathon who was in aa and unlikely to wake up.

    Finally there was daydreaming merchant Romaine and the girl that was with her that time. Sophieter knew that she was the daughter of a baker in the town. Her name was Be, with a gentle shy deposition, but at the very least she was a good girl who was kind from the bottom of her heart.

    This was the crew that Sophie had to lead. They seemed like outstanding youths, but he knew that this bunch of newbies amongst other newbies, did not know anything on what to do next.

    So he considered for a moment before finally speaking: ¡°What ns do you have?¡±

    All the smiles vanished and there was stillness in the air.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Fortress Riedon.¡± Irene suggested after a while.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Captain Marden will definitely go there.¡± Erik followed up next.

    He had expected they would say that. And he shook his head.

    He looked at them and saw the uncertain expressions in their faces, as if they were helpless to what might happen tomorrow. Freya appeared to fare slightly better, but her white knuckles that gripped her sword tightly betrayed her true feelings.

    Only Romaine said as if it was the most obvious thing: ¡°I¡¯m with Brendon.¡±

    This reply made Sophie felt likeughing in frustration, but her straightforward reply garnered his goodwill. The youth paused for a while before saying: ¡°Very well, I do agree that the most important thing to do now is to leave this area.¡±

    ¡°And that means you have something that you disagree right?¡± Freya asked.

    Sophie nodded: ¡°Does anyone has a map?¡±

    Everyone looked at each other. Who would have this sort of thing? Even though they were called militia, they listened to the leader of the guards most of the time. If one was to go directly to the heart of the matter, they were simply just a backup squadron.

    Sophie also realized his mistake. Without the permission from the holy cathedral in Aouine, someone possessing a map would be treated as a spy and ¡®handled appropriately¡¯. He kept treating himself as a parallel world traveler, and forgot that he was already a member in this world.

    And there would never be another so-called ¡®yer¡¯ here.

    ¡°The guards...... should have that.....¡± Mackie stuttered behind the crowd.

    Sophie shook his head, and called ¡®duh, isn¡¯t that bullshit?¡¯ in his heart. He sighed and looked back at the merchant girl: ¡°Romaine, give me a sword.¡±

    ¡°Here, Brendel.¡±

    Sophie took the sword and drew two lines on the ground.

    ¡°This is Webster river, this is the pine river.¡±

    He poked between the lines a few times: ¡°This is Be, the Green vige, and Verbin.¡±

    He drew up a summary with a few simple strokes, but the youths once again felt their horizons were broadened. It seemed that no one couldpare with Brendon¡¯s grasp of the world.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t these the three towns?¡± Be covered her mouth in surprise.

    ¡°This is amazing, so our surroundings are like this.¡± Erik¡¯s looks to Sophie were nearly of worship.

    ¡°So Be is here right?¡±

    ¡°Brendel, how do you know so much?¡± Everyone started talking excitedly. They could not suppressed their curiosity.

    Of course Brendel knew. If he did not know the three newbie viges, he might as well find a tofu and knock himself to death with it. Obviously he could not respond sarcastically, so he just deliberately said: ¡°Did you not learn how to read a Strategy Map?¡±

    Strategy Map? What was that?

    Everyone looked vacantly at each other. Mother Marsha above, even Brus militia had to learn this too?

    Stars filled everyone¡¯s eyes as they looked at Sophie with deep respect.

    But our protagonist¡¯s heart was drowning in mirth. This was something that not even the officers in the regr army forces might know, and it was pretty much impossible for a militia to learn this. But he certainly would not break his own lie, and just pointed at the intersection of the two rivers:

    ¡°This is Fortress Riedon.¡±

    ¡°Ah, this is Fortress Riedon?¡± Romained asked curiously.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophie clearly heard giggles from his surroundings, and he asked them.

    ¡°It¡¯s like this, Brendon-oniisan. Romaine envied the merchants who went to Fortress Riedon when she was young. Sheined everyday saying that she wanted to be a merchant, and one day she ran off saying that she¡¯s going to aplish a grand business in Fortress Riedon, and you know what-¡± Little Fenix immediately betrayed her and stopped at the cliffhanger.

    Low murmuringughs sprang up.

    ¡°And?¡± Sophie asked.

    ¡°Haha, she lost her way in the forest, and it was Uncle Cecil who went looking for her¡± Little Fenix snorted loudly with augh.

    ¡°N-nothing of that sort happened.¡± Romaine¡¯s eyebrows were way up in her forehead.

    Sophie looked at the merchant girl and thought she had not learned from this lesson well enough.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get back to the serious topic. Why do you want to go to Fortress Riedon?¡± He arranged his emotions and continued asking.

    ¡°There are troops there.¡±

    ¡°Captain Marden will definitely be there.¡±

    ¡°My uncle will also be there.¡± Everyone¡¯s tongue started waggling again, but basically what they meant to say was, they had their own rtives, and even though they were separated temporarily, they might have gone to Fortress Riedon, so why don¡¯t they go there?

    Sophie had trouble refuting their reply. It was normal of them to think this way, and who would abandon their own rtives? But he also knew that the people who ran from Be were very likely to be caught by Madara¡¯s army. Going to Fortress Riedon now was most likely heading into a trap.

    He knew that they had to reach the Beldor Forest before the ¡®Death God¡¯ Kabias did, then proceed to the Dagger River before d and Ebdon. From there, they had to enter the Forest of Hunted Deer, brushing by the Incirsta¡¯s main army, reaching Ankries and inform the guards of Incirsta¡¯s troops that were advancing.

    This was the only way to keep these militia alive and prevent Aouine from being defeated as badly as the original history.

    But how was he supposed to tell them?

    [Forget it. I¡¯ll just do the same thing as before. I¡¯ll take one step at a time.]

    He rubbed his throbbing temples, and changed his mind: ¡°Very well, we can head towards Fortress Riedon and consider our next move.¡±

    He looked up and met Freya¡¯s worried eyes. She apparently did not believe too much of what he said.

    ¡°Mr Brendel?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just a prediction. Perhaps there might be some changes to the situation.¡± He smiled at her, but inwardly sighed with great reluctance.

    Reality was cruel. It was not up to him to choose when he was so weak. He would have tried his best to think of something and try again, if there was a better chance.

    [You Otaku, are you always so naive?]

    He derided himself.

 volume 1 - 12

    Chapter 12 ¨C Theke

    Both factions spent the night in high tension.

    Tarkus waited for his ns to attacks to unfold, while Brendel was worried that he was unable to gauge how much time was left. Madara¡¯s army and the eleven youths from Be moved through the silent darkness, their destiny closely intertwining while they moved away from each other.

    Eventually the sun rose. The first ray of light hit the ground to indicate morning was here, and it seemed to pass by in a sh. The militia did not encounter even the mostmon brown bears in this region, and they appeared to be safe from enemies.

    Afternoon came.

    The militia in front of Brendel parted the obstacles in front of them with a swishing sound from the vegetation, and he squinted his eyes. The golden sunlight seemed to pierce through the dense vegetation. He followed the voice and looked up from the stretcher he was in, and the surface of the scenery in front of him looked like a mirror, with the reflection of light entering into his eyes.

    Ake.

    It was like a dazzling emerald that was ced here with the surface shimmering in the midst of trees and mountains.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s ake!¡± Little Fenix shouted in a surprise.

    Freya rewarded him with a smack to his head, making him cry out in pain.

    They were not traveling to rx, and everyone had to be more cautious as they might meet Madara¡¯s army anytime. Even though they were safe the entire night, Brendel had also exined the reason that there was no Strategic Value in this vicinity.

    As to what Strategic Value meant, the young girl did not know.

    The youth that came from Brus seemed to always know more things than everyone else. Even though she was not content with that fact, she had to grudgingly ept it.

    She wondered if every other youth in the city was as brilliant as he was.

    Under their silent movements, Freya had transited from one extreme end to another. She could not help but feel a little jealous. If she had trained in Brus along with the other militia, she might be able to do better than this shameless cad.

    The world was unfair!

    Except that the truth was there was no ¡®Brus¡¯s militia training camp. Sophie, no, he should be Brendel now, trained in Dragaz. Sophie did not mention about where Brendel originally trained, as he needed to maintain a facade to gain the youths¡¯ confidence to lead them out of this impossible situation. (TL: From now onwards Sophie will call himself Brendel.)

    Freya might be able to do it in the future, but she was unable to do it now.

    Brendel looked at her as he contemted things. The girl with the ponytail was observing the surroundings and she hesitated for a while, before finally rxing the grip on her sword and exhaled.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take a break here.¡± Freya gave the order after confirming there was no danger.

    Everyone rxed at the same time.

    ¡°I almost died!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bet I won¡¯t do anything but sleep at Fortress Riedon.¡±

    ¡°We can discuss all we want to do when we actually reach there.¡±

    ¡°Shut up Irene!¡± Their voices could be heard in the forest. Even though they tried to keep their voices low, every sentence was uttered with a rush of delight.

    They were just too tired.

    A single night was not a long time, but their high tension was something akin to torture. They traveled through the forest under the dim starlight with immense pressure from the life and death situations that might ur anytime. It was so dark that they could not see their own fingers properly, and the only thing that apanied them was the sounds from flying insects and the asional owl hoots in the forest.

    They moved across endless trees in the darkness with a somber mood on them, and it was as if silent spirits hovered over everyone. The chilly atmosphere made them even more tense.

    It was always an unknown mystery what was behind the dense vegetation, and the bedtime stories that depicted the monsters in the mountain did not help at all.

    When dawn finally broke and with the cold atmosphere finally disappearing, everyone appeared as if they had been hoisted out of water. Their faces were pale with mmy perspiration on their forehead. Even Brendel was not an exception. In the past he had obviously slept on afortable bed, away from wars and lived in a peacefulnd, but he was now on a stretcher listening to all sorts of strange and scary noises from his surroundings.

    Especially in this darkness where the leaves frequently brushed passed his face, and unknown insects crawling on his neck.

    Mother Marsha above, once he thought about doing this for the next whole week, he nearly flipped out. He wanted desperately to go back to his former life, even if he did appear cowardly, he wanted to go back to his former peace.

    This otaku was always enthusiastic, but his passion came and died quickly. But once he saw Freya¡¯s exhaustion and worried demeanor, he stopped and calmed down.

    Because he was being relied on.

    He realized he needed to throw away the identity of Sophie and ept his new life. He touched his own chest and realized the one who died was not Brendel, but Sophie.

    It was not him that epted this world, but this world that amodated him.

    Brendel¡¯s stretcher was ced beside theke, and he could see colored pebbles not far from him. He checked Jonathon¡¯s status. He miraculously lived from the ordeal, but his condition was not optimistic.

    ¡°How is he?¡± Mackie asked.

    ¡°Uncertain.¡± Brendel shook his head.

    Mackie became quiet and stared at theke and threw pebbles into it.

    This river was called the Crystal Lake, and by reaching this ce, it meant that they were very close to the Green vige. However, the only one that knew where they were going was Brendel. The youth stared in another direction, and saw a few faint signs of grey smoke.

    It looks like Kebias had already attacked the vige. Its fate was no different from Be. The speed at which Madara attacked was incredibly quick, and it did not y out differently from his memories within the game.

    Brendel still remembered about thiske and he took a look at the other end. The trees were dense and dark under the high mountains, but he saw familiar shadows lurking nearby.

    He remembered that he spent a considerable time in this area hunting brown bears and foxes, and smiled as he recalled the days where he sold the hides in-game to earn money.

    He took back his hand that was on Jonathon¡¯s head and spoke to Mackie: ¡°Help me out with something.¡±

    ¡°To do what?¡±

    ¡°Help me take out my bandages.¡±

    Brendel wanted to change his own bandages. He had earlier asked Romaine to distribute the sausages that he took from his home, and everyone had the chance to taste the well known sausage from the Grinoires region.

    He was exasperated to find that none of these militia actually thought about taking some rations with them when they escaped from Be. Even the reliable Freya did not think this point through as well.

    The remaining food they had was just this long roll of sausage.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about what you saw when you left Be, so that we can understand more about the enemy to¨C Shit, Mackie, not so forcefully.¡± He hurt so much that his eyebrows trembled.

    Freya sighed when she saw this scene: ¡°I¡¯ll do it, move away, Mackie.¡±

    Brendel looked on in surprise as the girl with the long ponytail walked right to him. She lowered her and carefully removed the bandages.

    ¡°Is there a problem to distribute all the food like this?¡± She hesitated for a while before asking quietly.

    ¡°What problem?¡±

    [This bastard obviously know what I¡¯m talking about!]

    Freya gritted her teeth in annoyance, but Brendel found it funny when this kind hearted girl did not dare to make any sudden movements her hands.

    ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about right? We¡¯re not going to Fortress Briedon?¡± Freya lowered her voice to a whisper that almost could not be heard.

    Brendel studied Freya carefully, and he thought that long ponytail with its light brown color suited her very well. He thought for a moment and asked: ¡°Your aunt and uncle should be in another party right?¡±

    Freya hands stopped as she buried her head downwards.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Brendel sighed: ¡°If there¡¯s a chance, I¡¯ll do something about it. But I can¡¯t guarantee anything and shoulder this responsibility. It¡¯s too big.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    It was a hushed reply.

    ¡°Freya boss-neesama, Brendel onii-san, what are you guys muttering to each other?¡± Little Fenix¡¯s voice rang out with awful timing. He was sitting under a tree and looking curiously at the two. Freya was someone he had always admired, and Brendel was his new idol. (TL: Just so you know, if I was to trante it in full English, it would be boss big sister Freya, and big brother Brendel. Except that every time I TL Fenix doing it, I hear Yugioh¡¯s English dub for some reason. Just... * shudder * no. I me Fenix.)

    His words sessfully attracted everyone¡¯s attention and turned over at the same time to look at them.

    Freya¡¯s face turned crimson, as she realized he was too close to the cad, and stepped backwards to exin: ¡°N-nothing, j-just discussing......¡± Unfortunately, this innocent girl did not understand that it was better not to exin herself, but with her retreating step and exnation, everyone had their own foregone conclusion.

    Especially that blushing face, when did the captain ever got shy?

    Romaine rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up. She seemed to have just noticed what happened. Even though Freya was afraid she might misunderstand something, she tried to signal her for help, but the merchant girl had her head in the clouds and smiled freely: ¡°It¡¯s fine Freya.¡±

    ¡°Et tu, Romaine¡ª¡± The girl with the pony tail could not finish her sentence, and her words seemed to choke.

    She red at Romaine, and wanted to march up to her and strangle this damn girl.

    But Brendel noticed a worried gaze over to him from the youth Neberto. He was slightly taken back. Could Neberto be interested in Freya?

    [If youck bravery that would not cut it.] He shook his head.

    ¡°Alright that¡¯s enough,¡± He interrupted everyone: ¡°I¡¯m discussing the question of food distribution with your captain.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s words were like the natural authority from a lord, and everyone stopped and focused their attention on him.

    [So Miss Romaine, can you exin why are you looking at me with shining eyes? Are you looking at loot?] He shook his head for the umpteen time.

    He continued: ¡°This amount of food, it¡¯s not enough even if we ration it. Besides, we need to keep our strength up to handle any enemies we encounter.¡±

    ¡°But-¡± Freya only said one word and saw Brendel shaking his head at her.

    ¡°The Green vige is not far ahead, and we can travel there to find something to eat. The undead does not need to eat, and this food originally belonged to us humans. We have the right to take it back.¡± He said.

    ¡°The green vige? Isn¡¯t it overrun with Madara¡¯s troops?¡± Erik was sitting on the ground when he asked. His injuries on his legs were bandaged with the help of Brendel, and he had nearly recovered fully.

    The bandaging effect was a hidden recovery value. It would slow down after a period of time to indicate that the bandages needed changing. The time to recover HP was nearly a day in this world, so a change of bandages was only necessary until then.

    ¡°Of course there are enemies. But we are moving in a small group, and we might not encounter them directly.¡± Brendel answered. He had established an escape route and was prepared.

    ¡°A small group, you mean we¡¯re sneaking in?¡± Little Fenix became interested.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to pick a few to go along with me.¡± Brendel nodded and he looked at everyone: ¡°Erik and d are injured, Mackie and Neberto are to stay behind to take care of them. Romaine, you stay behind and take care of Be. As for the others.... Irene and Freya, the two of you go along with me.¡±

    ¡°¡±NO!¡±¡± Little Fenix and Freya objected at the same time.

    ¡°Irene and I can go, but Brendel you need to stay behind.¡± She inhaled deeply.

    Did this guy even know how bad his injuries are.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go too.¡± The brat was the first to jump up.

    Brendel looked at them and sighed: ¡± Very well, I¡¯ll answer your questions.¡± He bit the bandage in his mouth as he wrapped the other end around his body tightly.

    A faint green [+2] floated from his body.

    He breathed in deeply and felt his strength gradually returning to his body. Even though he was still weak, especially feeling the debilitating poison in his body that was consuming his strength, he could manage to move by himself.

    He lifted his head up and asked: ¡°So, Miss Freya, what reason do you have for keeping me here? Injuries?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know that.¡± She turned her head away with a scoff.

    Brendel smiled faintly, with his teeth barely showing.

 volume 1 - 13

    Chapter 13 ¨C Brendel¡¯s starting point.

    Not going to the Green vige?

    That was not possible. Brendel knew something inside there that had a great impact to his future ns. Regardless of stockpiling for food or proving he was fit to go, he had to go into the vige that might be overrun with Madara troops.

    So he first tried to parley with words: ¡°If I don¡¯t go, how would you know where to start? Sneaking in and searching are not things that you could do in the first try, and you need a detailed n and investigation prior to entering.¡±

    The abilities ¡®Sneak¡¯ and ¡®Search¡¯ are the special skills of people who had put in a lot of training in the shadows, for example like the professions ¡®Nightingale¡¯ and ¡®Hunter¡¯. As a warrior, Brendel did not understand their capabilities too well, but he had partied with these yers before and finished missions together. His experience alone would have triumphed over the entire militia¡¯s experience here.

    Freya still disagreed. She understood his words, but Brendel¡¯s injuries were too grave in her eyes.

    ¡°Tell us what we should do and please leave it to us.¡±

    Brendel was not surprised at Freya¡¯s refusal. He broke into a wide grin with his canines showing when he knew he had to rely on his usual method of persuasion. Something that could only belonged to a warrior¡¯s wisdom.

    ¡°Romaine.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Give me your sword.¡± He held his palm open.

    ¡°Here, Brendel.¡± Romaine took her sword with both hands and passed it confidently to him.

    ¡°My thanks.¡±

    Brendel took the sword and breathed in deeply to adjust his mindset to his peak condition.

    He had a feeble status because his HP was below 40%, and the poison in his body took away another 20% of his strength. He could only use 0.6 OZ now.

    The rough equivalent of a fourteen year old youth.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t much time left, so to prove that I have the ability to take part in this expedition, let us use an ancient method to decide matters.¡± He pulled the sword from its sheath. ¡°A conversation between fighters.¡±

    Our protagonist surveyed his surroundings. Everyone seemed to take on an expression that they had somehow misheard Brendel. Mother Marsha, Freya was the undisputed number one swords-fighter in this squadron, even Irene was defeated by her.

    ¡®This bro over here, do you really know how badly injured you are right now?¡¯ This question sprung up from their minds at the same time.

    ¡°Brendel, stop fooling around.¡± Freya was starting to get angry. She had quite the confidence in her skill in using the sword, did Brendel really think himself akin to a veteran who had survived the November war, to able to defeat her under his current condition?

    Brendel did not say anything else, but took on a posture that said ¡®En garde!¡¯.

    The ponytail girl nearly blew her fuse. She had thought that he should have known his limits by now, but things were not going the way how she expected them to. She clenched her fists and decided to teach Brendel a lesson.

    Freya lifted her sword upwards and swung a vertical cut towards Brendel. Her basic foundations were formidable, her sword arm steady, and there was a singing sound that shed through the air from her de.

    Brendel reversed his de and parried it in response. The immense feedback from his sword nearly dislocated his hand, but he immediatelyid his de vertically and shed above Freya¡¯s sword. The youth¡¯s strength was certainly low, but it startled Freya as his sword had already reached for her armguard when she had not even entered the range to attack him.

    Even though she was unwilling to retreat, she could only pull back.

    It was a given that she suffered a disadvantage. Brendel¡¯s technique was very famous in the warrior¡¯s profession and it came from Kirrlutz¡¯s swordsy. In the game it was called [Kador¡¯s counter]. It was a high skill technique, and even though Brendel could only disy part of its prowess, it was more than enough to stop Freya who was currently nothing more than a fledgling in his eyes.

    The price was to learn this technique was two barrels of Madara¡¯s ck wine. He had learned it from a mercenary, and it looked like the wine was worth it.

    Freya backpedaled quickly in order to handle Brendel¡¯s swift counter attacks that followed up. She tried to force him into engaging their swords together by striking horizontally at him. Her reaction was very quick, but her execution was full of openings. Brendel had already predicted her move and taken one step back to avoid it. When she saw how he evaded her attack, the long sword had already pointed towards her chest.

    Freya gritted her teeth in frustration and swung her sword to knock Brendel¡¯s sword away and fight back. But to Brendel, her attack had already became something of a joke, and she swung her sword because she did not want to admit defeat. He lightly pranced backwards, and she fell to the ground as she lost her bnce.

    Dust flew everywhere.

    ¡°It seems that I have already convinced you.¡± Brendel sheathed the sword and said simply.

    Freya raised her head in disbelief.

    It was not only her, the entire batch of militia except Romaine, had their eyes widened in incredulity. Was that a swords style of a militia? He might not even lose to any veterans in the regr army right?

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing strange about it. I¡¯m the best swordsman in the entire 33th batch of the Brus¡¯s militia.¡± Brendel randomly answered: ¡°Your turn, little Fenix. Let¡¯s ¡®talk¡¯ about your problems.¡±

    Little Fenix¡¯s face turned to an ashen grey and quickly shook his head: ¡°I-I don¡¯t think I should go. The rest of you can go ahead.¡±

    This brat. Brendel shook his head.

    .............

    After instructing the squadron the time and ce on the agreed location to meet up, Brendel, Irene and Freya quickly moved off. Time was short and they had to fight for every second.

    The Green vige was around the east of the Crystal Lake, and the distance was not very far away. When they approached further into the direction, they could see the darkening sky due to the spiraling smoke through the gaps of the thick leaves. It looked like it was a bad omen.

    ording to Brendel¡¯s input, they were at the northern side of the vige where Madara had recently upied it. The state of how the vige appeared to them proved that he was right. Madara¡¯s troops had indeed swept past here, leaving charred remains everywhere.

    When Freya looked at the billowing smoke from the burning remains, her final hope was dashed. Madara¡¯s troops had advanced before them, and it seemed like it was a distant dream to even reach Fortress Riedon. She stole a nce at Brendel and wondered what this youth was thinking at this moment.

    Brendel hid himself in a tree and observed the skeleton soldiers. Then he started counting the trees that were shorter than the average ones. When he counted to the twelve tree, he took a mental note of how it looked like.

    In this Green vige, there was a key buried under the twelfth tree in a specific location. It was a solo mission within the game which would allow him to enter a tomb.

    He started to remember about some details on who dug the tomb, it seemed to be someone who was a priest? But this memory did not matter too much. What was important was this tomb belonged to a knight from the holy cathedral, and if reality coincided with the fantasy game, there would be great loot within it.

    However, what he was really after was the sword ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯ within the tomb.

    It was a rare artifact that had been infused with the ¡®Holy¡¯ attribute.

    If he was able to use it, he would be an unstoppable undead yer! Although, that was only how he imagine it would be in his mind.

    After confirming the location, Brendel turned back and pointed to the area outside the forest: ¡°See that?¡±

    ¡°¡±What?¡±¡± Both of them looked puzzledly at him.

    ¡°The number of skeletons in each patrolling unit. Two times, four times. It seemed that there are two squadrons from Madara in the vige.¡± Our protagonist said with the insight from his abundant experience: ¡°Twenty two to twenty four skeletons, two necromancers.¡±

    ¡°That many!¡± Irene was rmed.

    ¡°That¡¯s still not the worst oue. The problem is how they are controlling the graveyard and the za. The necromancers will use a summoning spell, and they will gain an endless supply of soldiers. This is where we need to be careful.¡± Brendel continued.

    ¡°They are desecrating the dead!¡± Freya clenched her fists in fury.

    ¡°Indeed, but they have the power to do something like this.¡± He sighed, and pointed to another section within the forest: ¡°Over there, do you see that farm? You can sneak in by using the fences and the trees¡¯ shade. There should be a cer in the farmhouse that probably has not been burned yet. It should not be too difficult to find and you can hide there. When the sky turns a little darker we can start to act.¡±

    She nodded subconsciously before realizing something was wrong: ¡°How do you know all this?¡±

    ¡°I stayed here for a while.¡± Brendel answered naturally. He did not lie. Except it was just in another world that he stayed in.

    ¡°Then what are we supposed to do after waiting?¡± Irene ask.

    ¡°Just wait for me there, and I¡¯lle find you a bitter. These monsters are concentrating their efforts to summon new skeletons, and they should not be actively seeking to find survivors. If they are indeed looking for survivors, you need to watch your heartbeats and breathing, as the undead can see your life force.¡± Brendel instructed them in detail.

    ¡°Hold on, are you noting with us?¡± Freya was keen enough not to let this fine point slip.

    ¡°I have something that I need to do on my own.¡±

    ¡°You-¡± She wanted to argue, but saw how the young man was patting his sword. It meant, [Don¡¯t forget you have been convinced by me.]

    ¡®But how could that fight count for this?¡¯ Freya wanted to argue back, but Irene pulled her arm to warn her about the iing skeleton patrol.

    ¡°Do you trust me?¡± Brendel asked in a whisper.

    Freya shook her head, then hesitated, and then nodded. (TL: The amount of Tsundere is over 9000!)

    ¡°Then the matter is closed. Quickly set off. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯lle back safe and sound.¡± He said earnestly.

    Freya looked at him with her words stuck on the tip of her tongue. But she was finally led away by Irene in reluctance. Brendel watched them hide under the thick foliage and hide under the long grass, moving slowly to their destination. When they finally sneaked into the farm, he exhaled with relief.

    Brendel turned back and continued to watch the patch of short trees. Tension enveloped him. This was the first time he¡¯s taking a risky by himself in this world. It might appear to be no different back in his previous world, but there was only death waiting for him if he failed here.

    He was more willing to move with Freya, but how was he going to exin he knew about the key? He could not tell them he buried it there, this terrible lie probably could not even deceive Irene, not to mention Freya who was as sharp as a needle.

    After weighing all options, he decided to move alone.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to this, Brendel. Just think of it as opening a new ount to level up.¡± He rubbed his temple and cheered himself onwards.

 volume 1 - 14

    Chapter 14 ¨C The tomb of Gerald

    Things were a little differentpared to Freya¡¯s route. Sneaking into the farmhouse was aided with the cover of the trees, while Brendel had to move to the patch of short trees under the skeleton soldiers¡¯ watchful eyes.

    He had to take a risk here but there was also no need have additional risk by going in early. He decided to only act after the sky turned darker. Even though the undead was able to perceive the life force, their range was limited during the night time.

    Meanwhile, Brendel studied the patterns of the skeletons patrolling the area. He quickly found there was a gap between the two squadrons. When the two intersected with each other, he was able to move forward safely for approximately ten seconds.

    He looked at the area in front of him and estimated he was about twenty meters away from his destination. Even though he had 2 OZ worth of agility, he was definitely unable to able to run forty meters to and fro and dig up the key that was under the tree. He also had the attribute of being weakened too, and it seemed like an impossible task.

    He decided to make a new strategy instead.

    The sky rapidly darkened.

    It was time to act. His heart pulsed rapidly and strongly from the tension in the darkness.

    He was using his life as a token to y this game, and was there anything more exciting than a game with death as punishment?

    He held his breath and counted fourteen steps from the skeletons. This was the time that the two squadrons intersected, and he threw his sword to the direction of the short trees.

    This was the first step.

    The sword was thrown over to a patch of piled leaves, and caused a slight rustle when it hit the leaves. Brendel waited anxiously for a long time, and he rxed when the two squadrons intersected for the second time.

    The next step was the most important one. Brendel counted again, until the two squadrons intersected for the third time. He drew a deep breath sharply and rushed out. His mind was void of any thoughts and he nked his fear and tension out. The only thing that he had in his mind was speed, more speed.

    Three seconds.

    Brendel reached his destination and exhaled slowly. He knelt down, parted the leaves, took his sword and started digging. But his efficiency in digging up the soil was worse than what he expected. He dug as he counted in his heart.

    Six seconds.

    He had prepared an extra second for himself. He left his sword and started running back, the surroundings around him passing by him in a frantic blur. He dove in the bushes and stopped there, feeling like his heart was going to stop any time.

    The skeleton soldiers intersected for the fourth time, and did not discover his presence. Brendel breathed in deeply again. He felt that this tension had started to turn his limbs into jelly, but the adrenaline rush made him incredibly excited.

    He continued to wait for his second chance. Brendel had calmed down greatly when he made his move, but he still came back empty handed.

    He only dug for two seconds the third time as his stamina had clearly dropped. He tried for the fourth time, and finally discovered a four sided b from his fingertips. Brendel had never seen this in his gaming history, and his heart started to race again from the excitement of discovering something new.

    This was it.

    Brendel was incredibly relieved and for a moment he almost could not stop digging, but he knew time was running out. He breathed in and out, calmed himself down, left the sword and ran back.

    The fifth attempt, Brendel¡¯s mind had calmed down and he was more than ready. He ran towards the tree to try and pry the foreign b out. It had began to loosen, but Brendel¡¯s ears caught a sudden sound that did not feel right. The skeleton soldiers¡¯ route had changed.

    [Impossible!]

    Our protagonist felt the blood in his veins turning into ice. He did not know if it was a cruel joke yed on him by the heavens. The Madara skeleton soldiersck the basic intelligence to think, so they would not change their patrolling route by themselves. The only ones who could order them to do would be the necromancers, but they had no reason to do so.

    Unless they discovered foreign invaders.

    He cast a nce to the farmhouse. Did Freya and Irene get exposed? But there was only silence from the direction to the farmhouse, and he overturned this idea.

    The cking steps were getting closer and closer behind him. These monsters was probably able to spot him already. Brendel felt the world was crashing down on him. What should he do? He faced six skeleton soldiers, and they were easily able to cut him to pieces.

    Use the Ring of the Wind Empress? No. Putting aside the noise caused when casting the spell, destroying even three skeletons was considered to be the best oue possible. How about the remaining three skeletons?

    Brendel kept on reminding to calm himself down even though every hair on him seemed to be standing. He questioned himself what he would have done in the game. Indeed, he would go through every skill and stat points to try and survive from certain death.

    He only needed to use his imagination to do so.

    He instantly thought of an idea but the madness of it frightened even him.

    [This is not a game, Brendel, can you afford to do this?!] He could not help but ask himself.

    But the skeleton soldiers were getting closer and closer, and he had to make a choice.

    He took a deep breath.

    And plunged his long sword into his stomach.

    Agonizing pain spread throughout his body from his stomach. The feedback from it was ten thousand more intense than it was in the game. Brendel cried out once and nearly fell over. He felt he was just too crazy; the perspiration had started to gather and rain down from his forehead.

    Right at the same time, the skeleton soldiers¡¯ cking footsteps also stopped.

    He seeded.

    The ¡®Unyielding¡¯ skill had activated and deceived the skeletons that were void of intelligence.

    Brendel did not dare to waste any more time. He endured the waves of dizziness as he pulled out the sword. Even though he intentionally avoided the fatal areas, his blood still sprayed out and pooled onto the ground. The youth was not brave enough to look at it, and continue to pry the b of stone out of the ground with his sword. He finally tore it out and started towards the slope and slid downwards.

    He only had five minutes to save himself, a gambit between the fine line of life and death.

    The ¡®Soul Fire¡¯ that was activated by the ¡®Unyielding¡¯ skill supported him the entire way towards the vige. He was momentarily startled when he saw countless skeletons everywhere from the ruined buildings. They were the work of the necromancers. They crawled out of the graves or even tore themselves out from the bloody corpses when their souls were summoned.

    The night that had fallen seemed to give the skeletons a frightening aura. It was fortunate that Brendel had seen enough of them in the game, otherwise he would have been frightened to the point of copsing.

    He quickly soothed his feelings and did a rough count. He saw there was over fifty of them. It was certainly not a small number, and would mean that Madara¡¯s invading forces were increasing with every step they take. The only thing that made him feel a little easier was how these makeshift skeleton soldiers¡¯bat prowess was much lesserpared to the other undead skeletons.

    They were even weaker than an average adult male.

    Brendel advanced forward while he looked at them. His destination was a small shrine within the vige and recalled that it was somewhere in the north. These undead soldiers saw him as an undead, and even if Brendel knocked into them, they merely adjusted their postures and continued forward.

    It was good news to Brendel.

    With this advantage at hand, he merely used three minutes to find the shrine of Kaldas. The undead did not respect God of Pottery, and already destroyed a section of the shrine¡¯s wall. He remembered that this shrine waster rebuilt.

    He entered in the building and felt his way into it. It was pitch ck inside, but after searching inside for a while, he quickly found the way towards the ¡®Room of Solitude¡¯.

    What he did not expect was a wandering skeleton in it, which gave Brendel a huge jump scare. It was fortunate his nerves were tough enough to endure it and he quickly calmed down, with the thought that it was merely a puppet that had no intelligence.

    He felt it was getting harder and harder to breathe, and his vision was starting to be a blur.

    He had only one minute left.

    After searching through his memory a little, he searched behind the podium, and discovered a four-sided depression there. At this moment he thanked Mother Marsha and put the b into it with trembling fingers. He was afraid that a cruel joke would be yed on him again.

    Fortunately no such event like that happened here.

    At first, it was an unlocking sound in the darkness, then a second low rumbling sound from beneath, and finally a third sound that seemed to indicate something was opening. He felt a slight breeze blowing him from his back. When Brendel turned around, he saw lighting from within the passageway of the tomb.

    There were purple colored crystals that decorated the walls. These were not worth anything due to the light being too weak, and thus they were not used.

    He shook his head as he nearly copsed from the giddiness. The game¡¯s version waspletely different from this world. yers did not experience what Brendel was experiencing right now, and in fact they werepletely unaffected for five minutes. However, once the time was up, no matter how fine they felt, they would immediately copse onto the ground.

    Brendel waspletely relying on his own willpower and the desperate resolution to survive. He tried to keep himself awake by recalling the details about the person who was buried here. The NPC who was buried here was famous, and his name was Gerald or something who was born in this vige. He had participated in Aouine¡¯s battle for Independence, and he acted honorably for his whole life, and requested to be buried in his hometown when he died.

    It was said that this location used to be part of the forest which waster cleared, and a shrine was built on it. The Holy Cathedral of Fire created a pathway inside the shrine to make a tomb for this holy knight, allowing him to forever sleep in peace. Brendel wanted to get this knight¡¯s weapon that he used in the past, which was the ¡®Thorn of light¡¯. He did not wish to interrupt the knight¡¯s eternal sleep, but even the knight was probably unwilling to desecrate this vige.

    The youth panted as he struggled forward against the wall another twenty or thirty meters. He knew that he had gradually reached the end of the passageway when it started to brighten from the effects of high grade crystals that adorned the walls. He tried to wake himself up, but he did not have the time to rx, as a ck figure suddenly dropped down on him.

    Two steely ws hooked onto his shoulders and lifted him upwards into the air.

    Brendel felt the immense strength prating his shoulders. He could not move at all from the vice-like ws and he recognized there was an absolute difference in strength between them. In his great shock, his mind started rattling and he realized that it was a gargoyle. It had at least the strength of 4 OZ.

    [The person whopleted this quest in his previous life did not say anything about a gargoyle!]

    A gargoyle was the great work of an artisan Be wizard. It was a level 23 monster, and a low ranking necromancer was like a gentle puppypared to it.

    Before Brendel finished thinking, he felt himself hurtling through the air and smashed against the icy wall. His bones creaked and groaned, as if every single one of them shattered.

    He did not have any time to worry about it, as the gargoyle started to attack him again. He climbed up and shook his head.

    Was there any chance left?

 volume 1 - 15

    Chapter 15 ¨C Thorn of light

    TL: I won¡¯t be updating the uing Saturday for this series, because I brought it forward today. The summary has been tweaked to include more details about the premise and protagonist.

    The menacing gargoyle stood tall at nearly two meters and even with its pair of wings tucked in, it had a total width of over five meters. It seemed to fill the entire passageway when it charged at Brendel. The st of air that came from the gargoyle¡¯s charge stifled Brendel¡¯s breathing, and he found there was nowhere to hide.

    He immediately raised his right hand and yelled with all his might: ¡°Oss!¡±

    An earth-shattering roar came from the ring.

    The air distorted in the narrow passageway and four consecutive bangs followed as the light crystals embedded in the wall exploded. The maelstrom of air formed into a wind bullet and struck the giant creature. The currents were like sharpened des and stripped the metallic surface of the monster away. The gargoyle¡¯s lower half body cracked away and was hurled backwards into the air like a broken kite.

    It then crashed onto the ground with a thundering boom, and a dust cloud formed in the passageway.

    Brendel coughed while he was in the midst of the dust cloud, and he quickly rushed forward with his sword in hand. He knew that a gargoyle had 60 HP in the game and a wind bullet did not kill it. It was more than likely that it was still functioning in this world¡¯s reality.

    He indeed found the heavily damaged gargoyle. Half of its wings were destroyed with a bright blue liquid oozing from it. The monster opened its mouth and screamed repeatedly at Brendel, while it wed weakly at the ground.

    [Kick the dog while it¡¯s down!]

    Brendel did not hesitate and brought the sword up with both his hands and swung with everything he had. The sword struck the monster¡¯s chest and forced it to take a step back.

    The second swing quickly followed, but the gargoyle brought its wings together and covered itself, and bright sparks flew up when the sword made contact onto the steel wings.

    Brendel had used up all his energy but he did not managed to bring it down, and the injuries in his body seem like they were going to rupture. However, he did not lose heart as this attack had brought him a chance to go around it when it went into a defensive mode.

    But when he ran a few steps forward, the gargoyle suddenly screamed as it unfurled both of its wings. He quickly guarded against them with his sword, but the massive strength from it knocked his sword far away which struck against the wall.

    He was also thrown back against the wall from the impact, and felt the air in his lungs escaping from him. However, he realized he was only a short distance away from Gerald¡¯s tomb after the monster¡¯s sudden action.

    This thought cleared his hazy mind and he understood what he needed to do.

    He yelled once more and gathered his strength, tolerating the intense pain and got up and dashed towards the tomb.

    The gargoyle was a mechanical creature and wasmonly used as a tomb guard. The only thing that was able tomand it was the control rod which could be inside the tomb!

    The light in front was bing brighter, the warm and gentle light seemed like it could soothe the soul. But Brendel¡¯s heart still raced as there was only seconds left, and this was the final chance to seed or die.

    The youth¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard the lumbering footsteps of an heavy object behind him. His instinct that was developed from years of battle made him jump forward, but he waste by a second. Brendel felt the ws grabbing onto his foot while he was in the air. He crashed onto the ground and he was forcefully dragged back.

    The impact made him threw up blood. He had experienced situations like this in the game before, but he never felt more tense in his life. If he failed he would be facing death, what else could he do in this situation?

    The green fonts in his retina indicated there was only ten seconds left from the ¡®Unyielding¡¯ skill.

    A sudden thought suddenly came into his mind.

    He turned his body over, raised his right hand and pointed the ring at the gargoyle. The ring seemed to glint coldly.

    Eight seconds.

    The gargoyle¡¯s green eyes suddenly showed fear and shrieked, released Brendel from its ws and flew backwards.

    Be¡¯s artisan wizards were incredibly impressive, and the war constructs that they made were powerful and cunning, but Brendel was able to make use of this point to his advantage.

    Intelligence was a dual edged sword. Once the creature was able to think for itself, it was able to feel fear and protect itself.

    Brendel gasped for breathed and blinked. He trembled from the session of catastrophic events that happened one after another. But he knew that he could not afford to rx.

    Six seconds.

    The youth half crawled, half walked towards the tomb that was filled with a holy aura using mostly with his willpower. His first ncended on the sword that was on the coffin: The ¡®Thorn of light¡¯. But he was not concerned about this right now, he was searching for something else.

    Three seconds.

    His eyes swept over the left wall. There was a fewpartments there. The second one. He brushed away the cobwebs and reached into it while a few insects crawled away.

    He took the bottle out.

    ¡®No 7 Health potion¡¯.

    This potion was made from the holy cathedral, and there was a fire symbol on it. Brendel brought the potion to his chest and used all his senses to relish the moment.

    Two seconds.

    Brendel tore away the cork from the bottle with trembling hands.

    One second.

    He raised his head upwards and gulped down the potion¡¯s contents. The bitter taste filled his whole mouth, but it felt so pure that he praised it from the bottom of his heart.

    ¡®Number 7 (16 oz)¡¯, which was a substitute for ¡®Number 5¡¯. The priests of Madara were ordered to create these potions during the ¡®Year of moon flowers¡¯, in order to handle the increasing troop deficits. It could restore 25 HP, but would only restore non-lethal wounds. It was the mostmon potion in the game.

    In any case, the holy potion took effect immediately. It first restored the abrasions on his four limbs, and it healed at the rate where he could nearly see it with his naked eye. His wounds that were caused by swords came next, and there was an itchy effect that persisted for several minutes before stopping.

    Brendel tried breathing once and found that he had no problem with it unlike before.

    He peeked at the entrance and found that the gargoyle did not chase after him. He was certain it did not fear the ring to this extent, but more likely that it simply could not enter inside. That was more likely a holy barrier in this tomb that prevented any evil creatures from desecrating this ce.

    He sighed with relief and sat down to inspect his wounds. The only injury left was the one Brendel received from the beginning. As it was a fatal wound, the potion had very little effect on it.

    Still it was more than enough. Brendel stood up and wanted to yell in excitement. This was his best condition ever since he came into this world. There was no pain, his weak status was gone, and he could all his strength.

    The youth exhaled slowly and thanked Mother Marsha. He could not believe that he was able to survive this ridiculous ordeal.

    He was immensely proud of his glorious achievement.

    He clenched his fist and calmed down from his feelings with much difficulty. He remembered about Freya and Irene, and it was time to realize his next n.

    His gazended on the shining sword that was on the coffin when he turned back.

    ¡®Thorn of light¡¯. This leaf-like sword was rarely seen amongst the human race because it was an Elven sword.

    Brendel traced the armguard with his hand and looked above it. He saw the two lines of Elven text:

    ¡®Thy sword shall burst forth from light, and strike thy enemies with terror.¡±

    He had never seen this sword before, but he knew of its fame. This was a Level 19 legendary sword, not only was it exceedingly sharp, and increased the user¡¯s ¡®Strength¡¯, ¡®Will¡¯ and ¡®Physique¡¯ by 1 OZ. This meant that Brendel was two times stronger than a normal human when he used it.

    Most importantly, someone in the game had seen this sword in action before. It had the ability to detect the undead that many people had dreamed for. As long as any undeades near this sword, it will start to pulsate with light, and it was the source of the name.

    Brendel appreciated this moment when he looked at it. There was seventeen simr swords made by the Elves in the game, but the majority of it were collected and destroyed by Madara¡¯s shadow lords in the first era. There were only three left, and this was one of them.

    He held the sword by the hilt and a power immediately integrated into his body. He felt stronger and lighter, but Brendel did not have too much time to experience it in detail as something appeared in his mind:

    ¡°Young man, are you going to continue walking down the road that I pursued?¡±

    [Hah?]

    Brendel¡¯s eyebrows jumped up as he realized what this meant. ¡®Proof of Inauguration¡¯! This was the ¡®Proof of Inauguration! It¡¯s not difficult to get it in the game but he certainly needed this urgently now. It was just that Brendel did not expect the Holy Knight Gerald¡¯s ¡®Proof of Inauguration¡¯ to be a mercenary. It was not a Cathedral¡¯s knight and not even a knight.

    [What is up with this situation? Isn¡¯t he a knight?]

    ¡°You have discovered the ¡®Proof of Inauguration¡¯, you need to spend 2 XP to raise to level 1, would you like to take this profession?¡±

    This profession was certainly better than a militia, even if it was not a ¡®Knight¡¯.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    A series of words lit up in his retina.

    Mecenary [Charge (¡ª-Level)]

    Charge: A skill that assaults the enemies. The striking speed is raised by ten times. Cooldown 1 minute. This skill cannot be used when you have the ¡®Weakened¡¯ status.

    Brendel could recite the description in his heart without even reading it. He was too familiar with it, because this was the first skill for a warrior ss.

    Was this fate?

    Nothing else happened after that, so Brendel started to look around the tomb. He was uninterested in the treasures in it, but he wanted to find holy water that could repel the undead. It was too good to pass up as it could save someone at the critical juncture. But he suddenly stopped on a small gargoyle statue.

    A statue.

    [This is it!]

    Brendel received a shock. This was the gargoyle¡¯s control rod and it was the key tomand the gargoyle. He immediately took that away. It was a delightful surprise to control it. But right at this moment, the tomb suddenly shook and the dust fell from the ceiling. Brendel turned his head to the entrance to hear an explosion that came from the outside.

    [It might havee from the farmhouse!]

    Brendel felt unsettled.

    Did something happened to Freya and Irene? Brendel could only think that there was only this possibility. He quickly grabbed the weaker ¡®Number 9¡¯ health potions and wrapped them in his bloody clothes and ran out from the tomb. (TL: Hah? Did he run out shirtless? Wait, when did he even strip?)

    In his rush he did not see a piece of paper underneathe the health potions, and it fluttered down onto the ground when he took the potions away.

    Brendel knocked onto the gargoyle when he rushed out. But this time he had the control rod, and the monster sat down there like an ornamental statue. Brendel felt a slight pity in his heart. To control the gargoyle he had to have the correctmands, otherwise he would have brought it out to kill the necromancers.

    Basically, this mechanical statue was immune to their negative spells, and thus aplete counter to them.

    The youth rushed out quickly, but before he was able to catch his breath, there was a sudden attack from within the darkness.

    TL: ... What¡¯s up with all these cliffhangers. If you spot any mistakes, please inform me. So now that we have reached this point, you guys should know a bit about what the story is. So I don¡¯t know what sort of summary tweaks/ rewrite I need here, so if you would like to take a shot at doing a super good one, write in thements.

 volume 1 - 16

    Chapter 16 ¨C Be¡¯s guards

    (TL: There are three grades of army here. The highest grade currently is the Kingdom¡¯s army, then the Guards, then the militia. It¡¯s kind of hard to spot the differences, so there might be some mistakes here and there from me. Just know that the people Brendel is about to meet are the ¡®Guards¡¯ which is considered as a formal armypared to the militia. And if you are able to think of better middle-ages terms to rece ¡®Guards¡¯, feel free toment.)

    Brendel dodged sideways and allowed the skeleton to pass by him. He had nearly forgotten about the skeleton in the ¡®Room of Solitude¡¯. But he was no longer injured like before and his hand was already on the sword¡¯s hilt.

    A sh of light streaked across the passageway as the body of the ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯ glimmered with white light. The skeleton¡¯s upper body flew into the air. Brendel watched the remaining bones gradually turn into dust. The ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯ was indeed a Holy sword as it even had a ¡®Purification¡¯ effect.

    One golden light entered into Brendel¡¯s chest.

    Weapons with the ¡®Purification¡¯ effect did double damage to undead, which was no wonder why Brendel did not feel any resistance when he cleaved the skeleton into two. It was like a hot knife cutting through butter.

    [A divine weapon.]

    Brendel instantly graded this sword. Well, although it was not really one, it was just as good under his current situation.

    But he was very worried about Freya and Irene¡¯s safety, so he immediately kicked away the lower body and ran outside. His 2 OZ worth of agility could finally be used without any problems and it showed off his true speed. His strength, agility and physique crossed 2 OZ, and he ran like a speeding truck.

    Brendel traced his original route back, and the dark passageway twists and turns did not cause him any obstructions at all. He jumped out from the shrine¡¯s destroyed wall, and his powerful lifeforce immediately attracted the nearby wandering undead. Two skeletons walked over to him with cking sounds, but what awaited them were two silver shes of light.

    Two XP instantly went into Brendel¡¯s chest. He looked over to the direction of the farmhouse, his pupils dting when he discovered that there were mes from the building igniting the night sky.

    And in his line of sight, hundreds of skeletons were starting to surround the building. He knew that these undead with low intelligence would not act on their own, which meant there was a necromancer nearby who had discovered something.

    ¡°Freya, Irene!¡± Brendel¡¯s heart dropped like a rock. But when he was prepared to rush over there, he heard a cold and shrilling voice behind him:

    ¡°There¡¯s a human over there, kill him!¡±

    Brendel looked back from his shoulder, and discovered a necromancermanding six skeletons that formed into a line advancing towards him.

    The necromancer raised the staff in its hand.

    But Brendel reacted and moved faster than him. His ¡®Charge¡¯ skill instantly activated and lunged at it so swiftly that he appeared to be like a blurry shadow. ¡°Stop him!¡± The necromancer was startled and shrieked loudly.

    The first skeleton soldier raised its sword, but Brendel¡¯s cold eyes appeared before him. A voice yelled out in his mind clearly, and it was as if the feelings of the original owner of this body had been poured into it:

    ¡°You Madara fuckers, you are all going to burn into ashes!¡±

    He did not even care to use any technique and simply crashed his own sword against the skeleton¡¯s. A deafening crash pierced through his ears as the skeleton¡¯s steel sword bent and broke off from the immense impact, and the sword continued to slice past the skeleton.

    Brendel¡¯s charge did not stop at all, and the skeleton soldiers that were left behind from his speed were quartered equally into four pieces before they realized it. At this moment, there were no more obstacles between him and the necromancer.

    The frightening visage of the necromancer was twisted into an expression of disbelief and its mouth was wild open.

    ¡°This sword, is for Brendel!¡±

    He roared, and his sword pierced into the necromancer¡¯s left rib cage, piercing through the other end of the third ribcage bone. The ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯ shed brightly as he red at the necromancer¡¯s green mes in its eyesockets. He then swung the de free upwards.

    The mes in the necromancer¡¯s eye flickered unsteadily and immediately died down. A nking sound could be heard as the staff from its hand dropped down. The necromancer was starting to turn into ashes from the ¡®Purifying¡¯ effect.

    Three golden lights flew from the necromancer into his chest.

    When he turned back, there were two more skeleton soldiers that had approached towards him. Brendel raised his sword upwards.

    The first skeleton¡¯s arm was immediately cut off, and the sword turned its direction and the skull flew up into the sky. He kicked the skeleton¡¯s ribcage out and it flew towards the other skeleton.

    It immediately swung its sword to defend against it, but before it could recover from the swing, a sh of bright light swept down across its body and sundered it into two. The chain armor¡¯s rings seemed to rain everywhere.

    Another two golden lights flew into him.

    Brendel silently called out to his character stats window in his mind. The green fonts appeared across his retina. He chose one of the categories, and said in his mind: ¡°Profession and XP.¡±

    XP: 11 (Commoner level 1 ¡ª¡ª¡ª, Civilian Soldier level 2, 6/10, Mercenary level 1, 0/10)

    More skeletons started to approach him and he casually blocked one of the iing sword, and said in his mind: ¡°11 XP into the Mercenary profession.¡±

    XP: 0 (Commoner level 1 ¡ª¡ª¡ª, Civilian Soldier level 2, 6/10, Mercenary level 2, 11/30)

    Brendel pushed the skeleton back and checked his own stats. His strength and physique was raised by another 0.2 OZ, his agility and perception had increased by 0.1 OZ. But the most important thing was he had 25 AP, and this point alone made the militia profession lose its value.

    Very good. He had 2.3 strength, 2.1 Agility, and 2.2 Physique. His overall power rating was 8.0. He hadpletely surpassed a starting yer¡¯s attributes and had began to take his first step to a Grade 1 rank.

    Brendel¡¯s mind had cooled down from the necromancer¡¯s fight. He looked at the three skeletons in front of him like they were air.

    Yes, he was finally back to Aouine.

    ..........................................................................................................

    Ten minutes was enough to let the dust settle down from a battleground. The sounds of hooves could be heard from afar.

    Two riders.

    The youths on the horses rode together on the long street. They let their horses stop as they surveyed the surroundings, and looked on in surprise as they saw the remnants of dust and bones. They did not speak for a while.

    ¡°Zeta, you¡¯re seeing this right?¡±

    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s only one person who did all this. Do you think it¡¯s from the Fortress Riedon¡¯s army?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a necromancer here, Mother Marsha above! Zeta, can you fight against four by yourself?¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t. This must be the work of a veteran soldier.¡± The lithe young man quietly looked at the surroundings, and disbelief gradually showed in his expression: ¡°Ryan, there are six more skeleton soldiers over there.¡±

    A pause.

    ¡°Erm, you mean seven?¡±

    ¡°Seven.¡±

    ¡°We need to inform the vice captain of this event here. What is your guess? From the Kingdom¡¯s army? Or a traveling knight?¡± Ryan immediately looked back at his friend and asked.

    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine, Ryan. But I agree with your suggestions.¡±

    ............................................................

    When Brendel reached the farmhouse, it had already turned into a sea of mes. The burning structure was like a scene from the movies, and there were asional sounds of the building copsing from within, but he did not see the undead army chasing Freya and Irene.

    Conversely, he only saw the newly raised undead running away from the mes. These fiery mes are the natural enemy of these undead, and their weak Soul Fire were trembling from the strong light. They were almost close to being purified into ashes.

    The building¡¯s mes were not blue. In the game, the Madara¡¯s armies would only use the cold Soul Fire, and thus this was certainly not done by the undead here. Could have Freya and Irene set the fire? He shook his head as he did not think they would be so decisive.

    He suddenly turned to a direction from his sharp senses, and happened to see a toon of skeleton soldiers moving quickly to somewhere. He squinted as he saw a pulsating darkness from them. Was there a necromancer nearby?

    He pulled out the sword with the ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯ shimmering lightly. He advanced into that direction, and the blundering skeletons that came into contact with him quickly turned into 7 XP.

    But before the youth was able to approach, he suddenly heard a loud crash from the corner in front. Countless bone fragments and chainmail rings rained everywhere, and two or three skeletons hurtled through the air into the nearby fire.

    Brendel got startled.

    That was probably a Grade 1 strength. Who was the person behind the sea of mes? Human? Fortress Riedon¡¯s Kingdom army? But they did not appear here in history.

    He subconsciously took a defensive posture, and coincidentally saw a squadron of riders as they emerged from the mes. There were like an unstoppable torrent that rushed out, and the leader of the riders rode towards him. He raised his long sword and the riders reined their horses and neatly formed together.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± A rider asked coldly. His voice appeared to be a young man. But there was a momentary pause from him. Brendel could not see his expression, but he felt as if the young man knew him.

    [No, to be more precise he knew the former Brendel.]

    There were whispers amongst the riders from behind him:

    ¡°I¡¯m betting that¡¯s a militia.¡±

    ¡°I know him.¡±

    ¡°But you are not wrong, he¡¯s merely a militia.¡±

    Brendel frowned. When he gradually adjusted to the bright light, he finally saw the attire of these men clearly. A blue woolen coat, dragonscale armor, shining white steel helmet and a knight¡¯s sword. There was the silver white background with ck pine leaves symbol on the shoulder as well.

    Be¡¯s regr army.

    ¡°Brendel, why are you here?¡± The leader of the riders changed into a tone of superiority.

    ¡°I have the same question.¡± Brendel searched through his memories and found this person¡¯s name: Bretton. He was also a Brus citizen, and he had shown excellent promise in the militia training and recruited into the regr army. He waster sent to Be¡¯s border to train........

    However, this was just how it looked on paper. No matter how good Bretton was, he could not have been better than the former Brendel who was the best swordsman in their batch. The truth was Bretton had a father who was a local offical who spoke up for him, and he naturally had a smooth transition from then onwards.

    The current Brendel knew the enmity between them, no, it could not really be described as enmity. At most they looked down on each other.

    And as expected, Bretton followed up with: ¡°This militia over here, I¡¯m ordering you as the vice captain of the Be¡¯s regr army to immediately report to me why you have appeared in this area?

    The bunch of knights immediately snickered, as they knew Bretton just wanted to find a bit of trouble with this fellow from his hometown. Report or whatever, that was just an excuse.

    Brendel raised his head, with the mes from the burning wreck reflected in his eyes.

    TL: Please inform me of any Engrish mistakes.

 volume 1 - 17

    TL: I have received an apology so I¡¯m editing this portion that used to be ¡®drama¡¯. So if you are reading this now, the drama is over >_>...

    In other news, I also changed the erroneous EN that I used in the past chapters back into the correct OZ term, because of a mistake I wrote in my glossary earlier.

    Chapter 17 ¨C The Goddess of War

    The mes continued to rage around them, the golden red light illuminating every one of their faces till their edges of their faces were contrasted darkly.

    Brendel raised his head and carefully regarded the young vice captain riding on the horse. Brendel saw that he was equally serious: He pursed his lips and red silently at him as if to make him submit.

    But regardless of who had control of this body, Brendel or Sophie, they would not be affected by him.

    ¡°I¡¯m a militia from Anchorite, may I ask Sir captain from Be when the guards from Be able tomand the allied troops from another region? May I ask Sir captain where your appointment order is?¡±

    The riders behind Bretton immediately stopped whispering when they heard Brendel speak. Brendel fought for Aouine in the game for years. His grasp in the kingdom¡¯sws was beyond any of the young guards here.

    The young vice captain thought for a long time and stubbornly replied: ¡°Special times calls for special needs.¡±

    Brendel knew that Bretton would not put down his pride and back down. Still, Brendel did not want to waste any more time on this, and would not have bothered to trouble himself from the childish fights unless Bretton sought to seek it first.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Freya and Irene. Did any of you see them?¡± He asked.

    This was Brendel¡¯s most concerned question. The mes seemed to have been lit by the young guards, but he considered the possibility where the future Goddess of War was also burned to death. That would have been a grave sin on Bretton¡¯s part.

    [Just a mere thought, cough.]

    But Brendel¡¯s carefree attitude looked like arrogance in Bretton¡¯s eyes. He truly did not know why Brendel was so proud of himself when he did not amount to anything at this moment. He resisted the loathing in his heart and asked: ¡°Freya? From the third militia? What is she doing with you?¡±

    Brendel could see that the vice captain was fond of Freya, but his hostile attitude annoyed him. He had tried to provoke him many times.

    ¡°Captain Bretton, it¡¯s my freedom to be with whom. As for the reason why I¡¯m here, I¡¯m afraid it is the same as yours. Please don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what plight you are in right now.¡± He replied sarcastically.

    ¡°You bastard, what attitude is that!¡± One of the young man behind Bretton angrily rebuked him: ¡°You¡¯re only a mere militia and in front of you is the vice captain of the guards, immediately correct your attitude right now!¡±

    Brendel paused a moment and started to study him carefully.

    And as if they wanted to show off to him, they neatly formed into their formation as if to intimidate him. He looked at the fifteen young men who stood tall like a sharp sword with their uniform and shining armor. They certainly looked impressive.

    Brendel knew their pridees from being the best in their cities or Grinoires region, and had undergone strict selection and rigorous training. They were close enough to being considered as a ¡®Grade 1 Rank¡¯.

    The Holy Cathedral of Fire had stated that the average stats of a person were 3 OZ to 20 OZ. The ¡®Grade 1 Rank¡¯ includes the entire ¡®White¡¯ ranked swordsman, wizard apprentices and low ranking elementalists, and other various professions.

    The Holy Cathedral of Fire used amber stones to test for each person¡¯s purity in their stats. Brendel had seen this item in the game before, but they were mainly used for NPCs. The yers were able to see their own data in the character window, and thus they did not need to be tested.

    He once read an information book about the game, and knew that sixty percent of the entire Vaunte continent was of the ¡®Grade 1 rank¡¯. This was because the humans¡¯ average lifespan was over one hundred and sixty years and they had the time to grow stronger, but once the range was limited to the age of seventeen to neen, the ratio would be lower than twenty percent. In Aouine, other than the wizard academy, the church and the reserve knights, the majority of the youths in this twenty percent were in the guards. (TL: Level 1-20 = White rank. Some other color codes fromter chapters.)

    Brendel was currently looking at these youths.

    It was true that these young men were able to hold their heads high up amongst the militia rabble, but Brendel was a person from another world with freedom, and never had the thought of lowering his head.

    A modern person¡¯s perspective who recognized himself as the biggest authority after the divine.

    Therefore he red coldly at the rider who castigated him and quietly evaluated his strength. Even though the opponents were strong, he did not think that his stats were any less than them after having the Thorn of Light and the Ring of the Wind Empress.

    With his experience as a level 130 warrior, anyone who challenged him would definitely beid to waste. At best they could rush up and overwhelm him, but he guessed that Bretton would not want to do something as shameless as that.

    What surprised him was the vice captain stopping his own men by raising his arm, and he asked gravely: ¡°How did you know what we came here to do? What else do you know? Who told you this?¡±

    Brendel obviously knew because of his knowledge in the game. He might not know every detail, but once he thought about how history was going to progress, he could guess the events that happened. He knew that they were here not because they wanted tounch a counter attack but for a different reason.

    Once he rearranged the thoughts in his mind, and think of how the Be guards were going to break the siege to reach Fortress Riedon, everything could be exined.

    The events were simr that happened now were simr to the history in the game. The Madara undead was supposed to lock down the Beldor¡¯s forest sessfully today, and this morning or afternoon the fleeing refugees and the Be guards were attacked by the Madara¡¯s army. They were incredibly close to Fortress Riedon, and they almost seeded in reaching there, but Kebias¡¯s skeleton army made their efforts futile and they were stuck here.

    Even now, Fortress Riedon had not noticed their east was being invaded by Madara.

    However, this was not a coincidence, nor was it because luck did not stand on Be¡¯s side. It was because they faced the left wing of Incirsta¡¯s army who was terrifying and effective for the very first time. It was simply impossible for the Be guards to match the infamous undead general when they brought along the weak and old.

    Furthermore, they had encountered Rothko¡¯s necromancer army earlier who slowed them down. These two points had caused them to fail and turned today into a tragedy.

    When Brendel realized this, he took a longer look at the young riders, and found their dusty uniforms and listless eyes under their angry expressions. He guessed that this was the day when Marden experienced defeat. What they required now was food and medicine from this vige, to assure the survivors¡¯ hearts and prepare for the next attempt to escape the siege.

    But Brendel was certain that Marden was not going to expect failure a second and third time shortly after today. He had only a day and a half before the ¡®One-eyed¡¯ Tarkus¡¯s main force arrived, and today¡¯s tragedy would repeat again.

    Marden was fortunate to escape at the very end with his life, but he lost all glory that belonged to him as a soldier.

    Brendel shook his head when he thought of this and did not have any mood left to argue. Still, he was not one to answer kindly to an aggressor, and replied in an ill-disposed manner: ¡°Is there really any need to ask? Isn¡¯t everything is written on your face when you came marching into this vige?¡±

    ¡°You bastard-¡± The young man behind Bretton angrily replied. His veins jutted out from his temples, and if it was not for Bretton stopping him, he would have pulled out his sword and fought with Brendel.

    ¡°You¡¯repletely right. But since you are unwilling to take up the responsibilities of a militia, then stand aside.¡± The young captain said: ¡°Please don¡¯t block our way.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Brendel¡¯s temper red a little. The idiot tried to incite him to a fight? Brendel stood in the middle of their path and asked solemnly: ¡°Are the vigers with you right now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your concern.¡±

    ¡°How many are injured?¡±

    Bretton¡¯s face turned darker: ¡°It¡¯s none of your concern.¡±

    ¡°It has every bit of my concern. These are are my friends and families. Freya, Little Fenix, Irene and Mackie. Their family members are also amongst the vigers. Everyone in the militia is fighting to protect Be, and what are you guards fighting for?¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Listen well, I am not picking a fight with you, but I want to have an answer.¡±

    His steady voice made everyone in the squadron silent. Their angry mutterings also ceased.

    ¡°Move aside, Brendel.¡± Bretton said with an ugly face.

    Brendel¡¯s heart sank. He had a bad feeling.

    He shook his head: ¡°Bring me to see captain Marden. I¡¯m looking for Freya and the others. I can bring you out of this dire situation, but before all that you must tell me, did something happen to the family members of the third militia squadron?¡±

    Bretton¡¯s facepletely darkened.

    ¡°You? Lead us out?¡± The young captain seemed to have squeezed the words out from his teeth. When he finished, he turned his head around and gestured at his own members, indicating them to move out from the other side.

    He did not even want to waste his breath on Brendel anymore. He even regretted that he spoke to him earlier. He thought about the battle in the afternoon, and felt that it was the biggest nightmare in his entire life. He even suspected that it would continue to haunt him his whole life.

    Brendel stood at one side as he watched them leave silently. His mind considered at the various possibilities, but there was only one possibility that made sense. He could not help but call after him: ¡°Bretton.¡±

    The captain immediately stopped.

    ¡°Was it Freya¡¯s family?¡±

    Bretton¡¯s body went rigid. He hesitated for a while and nodded.

    ¡°What happened exactly?¡±

    ¡°When you find Freya, help me tell her this.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Bretton sighed: ¡°If you find her, tell her that I¡¯m sorry. During this afternoon¡¯s battle, Uncle Cecil and her aunt were unfortunately...¡±

    Before he finished speaking, he heard a nking noise behind him.

    Everyone was startled and they looked back, only to find Freya with a pale face full of disbelief and her sword had dropped from her hand.

    The youth Irene who followed after the future Goddess of war looked helpless.

    ¡°Freya!¡± Brendel was shocked at her appearance. He already knew what Bretton was going to say.

    ¡°How¡¯s that possible, my aunt wouldn¡¯t........¡±

    Freya¡¯s voice suddenly broke into sobbing, and tears started pouring from her eyes.

    There was a weak spot in everyone¡¯s heart.

    Brendel looked at Freya who had always been strong, knelt to the ground. She cried in sorrow, and she appeared so weak that she looked like a small injured animal. This familiar scene had happened many times before in his memories and his throat felt parched. He wanted to say somethingforting, but there were no words that came from his lips.

    He could only watch over her quietly. He suddenly realized something. Did this cruel war baptized this simple, innocent and kind hearted girl as a future Goddess of War?

    History was repeating itself.

    TL: If you have been reading the past chapters, I¡¯m seeking donations shamelessly per month. I¡¯ll stop nagging once I reach my milestones.

 volume 1 - 18

    TL: This chapter was kind of difficult to TL. Hopefully the prose sounds okay here.

    In other news, I found the artist for ¡°The Strategy to Be Good at Magic¡± and updated the image ordingly. The colors on my screen are much more vibrantpared to the printed cover =X

    Chapter 18 ¨C The footprints on the other path in History

    The vastnd slept within the darkness where nature did not even emit one sound. It was as if the silence was mourning for the dead souls that had left this world. A meteor shower streaked across the starry skies, appearing and disappearing quickly, as if to symbolize the names that appeared briefly in history.

    Bretton silently stood straight up against the cold night wind. He sent outmand aftermand, and the guards vanquished the undead remnants in the ruins of the Green vige. Every single undead had to be purified. Every single one.

    The young vice-captain felt that this was the only way to make himself feel better.

    He checked the time. He had only thirty minutes left.

    Zeta looked at the scene from afar. He shook the ss gon in his hand, and touched the girl beside him: ¡°Hey, you¡¯re called Irene right?¡±

    Irene was a little startled.

    ¡°I¡¯m Zeta. Do you want a little?¡± He raised the wine gon. ¡°Pure fire wine made from the Crystal river. Ryan and I found it in a wine cer. Sadly, I don¡¯t know if I can still drink this after this war.....¡±

    He paused for a while.

    ¡°You know, I had a dream once. I wanted to be the best scout.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m regretting it a little.¡±

    Irene felt this person was really strange, but she was curious as to why he had regrets.

    ¡°Why?¡± She asked.

    ¡°My biggest goal was to discover the enemy as quickly as possible, because discovering them would justify my value. But now the thing I want to do the most is to hide the vigers. If I can hide them, at least they wouldn¡¯t be killed. But you know what? I couldn¡¯t do anything. I was unable to do anything.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m a soldier.¡± Zeta sipped the wine: ¡°When I saw that girl cried, I thought that it would have been good if I had died like Kevin did in the battlefield. But I¡¯m still alive now so I can¡¯t escape from this.¡±

    Irene fell into a silence, and she suddenly thought of Brendel. She had this strange impression that this young man who led them out from every dire situation once and again, would be able to lead them out of the darkness that was shrouding them.

    Maybe her premonition would be right, and everything would be solved.

    She hoped in her heart.

    .....................................................................................................................

    Brendel and Freya sat together.

    Brendel truly did not think that he was good atforting someone. He felt that it would have been better for someone else to be here right now, but that damnable Bretton just left with a grim expression without any words, and Irene just stayed far away.

    [Isn¡¯t this girl over here your captain?! Do something!]

    It was fortunate that Freya adjusted her emotions quickly. But she kept staring into space in a daze, her bright eyes had dimmed and were filled with loneliness.

    Brendel had seen that look before in the game. When she had be the Goddess of War, her gaze could sometimes be seen with the same quiet sadness, as though she could never be healed. Brendel felt a little sad. He very much preferred the innocent and kind Freya, who was also a little stubborn and got upset over small matters.

    But what could he say? He hesitated for a long time, and when the words came up to the tip of his tongue, he suddenly felt that they were of no persuasion. The lines that he prepared did not appear to be suitable at all.

    When he was agonizing over it, she spoke:

    ¡°Mr Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Why do think we have wars?¡±

    [Uh...]

    He had never really thought about it. In the game, the bigger guilds would frequently fight over profits, reputation and even a simple matter of pride. Kingdoms fought over power, benefits andnds. Wars would frequently break out without warning.

    He might have answered this in the past, ¡°Because humans are always controlled by desire. They would seek to dominate and pige, and that is why they fight against each other.¡±

    But after today, Freya¡¯s sobs had etched themselves into his mind and could never be erased. He found this answer to be pointless. Humans were weak but they could be resilient.

    ¡°Wars simply happen. The only thing we can do is to ept it. We are living in a terrible era, and we can¡¯t choose the era we want to live in. But we can try to change it,¡± Brendel said, and suddenly the words formed themselves in his mind: ¡°Perhaps we are unable to change anything, but at least have tried to realize it along with many other people. The memories that we had fought together are more than enough.¡±

    He remembered the days back in the game where he fought for Aouine. His friends and people who shared themon goal fought along with him. There were many promises that were made together, and even though everyone parted ways at the very end, he did not regret having these memories.

    These were his memories of Aouine, burned into his very soul.

    The young girl became silent.

    ¡°Freya.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°You must have loved them very much.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± She replied: ¡°When my father passed away, my aunt and uncle had always taken good care of me, and were proud of me.¡±

    ¡°But I loved them too, so very much.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just puzzled. Why did the heavens choose you?¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Freya, have you ever thought about bing a goddess to protect thisnd?¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that possible, Mr Brendel, are you trying to make fun of me?¡± The young girl was a little angry, but her voice became quiet again: ¡°I just want to be a good captain. But my powers are only this much, and only this little. To fulfill my responsibilities till the very end... That¡¯s too far away, and I can¡¯t reach that destination.¡±

    [No, not only did you do it, you did it perfectly. Freya, you were thest hero of Aouine, and one that people remembered the most.]

    [The gods gave you extraordinary trials and you had ordinary talents. But you were humble, dedicated, kind and strong. You were beyond amazing.]

    Brendel yed with the small stone gargoyle statue in his hand. He looked into the distance and sighed: ¡°Freya, I don¡¯t know how far you would go in the future, but I want you to remember this.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Friends. No matter how far you are going to go, there will be many people who would apany you. You will never be lonely.¡±

    Freya¡¯s eyes widened, and suddenly they were misty. She thought of Romaine, little Fenix, Mackie, Irene and everyone in the third militia squadron.

    And of course, her aunt.

    She wiped the corners of her eyes and looked at the crimson sky that was illuminated by the burning vige. It had continued to burn, and the spiraling mes seemed to hint at the next battle which was going to be even bigger.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± She whispered back: ¡°Shameless Brendel.¡±

    Our protagonist started to cough and choke.

    When he looked back in protest, he saw that her eyes had returned to its former brightness, and it was shining like the brightest night star in the sky. Brendel suddenly felt that his existence here had worth. History had started to change.

    .....................................................................................................

    Bretton quickly found what he wanted. Medicine. Even though the Green vige appeared to have beenpletely destroyed, the things that the undead didn¡¯t need were food and medicine, and they were simply stacked up in a corner.

    Furthermore, Brendel was there to help them.

    Even though Be, Verbin and the green vige were under the protection of the guards, Brendel was definitely much more familiar with the area than them.

    With his memories, he found two secret cers that were filled with medicine, food and other goods. There were cast iron, copper and even gold, which were useless in their current situation, so he left them untouched.

    It was not Brendel¡¯s usual habit to leave empty handed. The owners had died in the war and they had no descendants.

    These cers were the yers¡¯ favorite spots after Madara torched the vige. If the yers found one they would have be considerably rich. Because of that, Brendel knew these spots very well thanks to these greedy yers.

    He left the bulky items alone but he wanted the magical equipment.

    Under everyone¡¯s shocked eyes, he quickly opened hiddenpartments with a ¡®bam, bam, bam¡¯ sound. They were mostly filled with precious gems and gold.

    The leader of the young guards looked darkly at Brendel with suspicion. When did he learned something like this and became like a burr?

    Brendel brought out a half temail meant for a female in the midst of their amazed mutterings. It was an ancient armor adorned withplicated bronze ornaments, but the ck gold symbols on it showed that it was an artistic ornamental armor from the golden age of the past.

    Before they finished admiring the armor, Brendel took out another ornamental armor with a flourish. He beckoned to Freya.

    ¡°Freya, over here.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± The future Goddess of War pointed at herself.

    ¡°Try this out.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Bretton immediately mocked without thinking: ¡°Brendel, are you serious in letting Freya that piece of artwork? Not all armor are meant to see action, you do know it right?¡±

    Brendel ignored him and wanted to put it on for Freya. But she blushed and shook her ponytail and received the ornamental armor: ¡°I, I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±

    He paused in surprise. There was not much attention paid on this matter in the game. He had helped the other female yers who were knights and warriors with their armor, but he forgot he was in another world now.

    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Bretton watched Freya run to an area with dense foliage and asked. (TL: Wow... Brendel tried to strip Freya in front of everyone. Ho, ho, ho.)

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an ornamental armor and it¡¯s too heavy. You can¡¯t be serious to let Freya wear that into battle right? Besides, has the militia learned to fight wearing armor before?¡±

    ¡°Too heavy?¡± This was the first time Brendel had heard of this argument. He looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, wondering if lead had been poured into his mind.

    He did not bother to exin but beckoned Freya over. He asked: ¡°How does it feel?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little heavy. It¡¯s not very flexible.¡±

    The youths behind Bretton giggled andughed. How could an ornamental armor not be heavy? But the majority of theughs were made in jest and not mockery.

    Brendel paid no attention and chanted: ¡°S¡¯Taz.¡±

    An ancient word, its meaning was ¡®Wind¡¯.

    The half te was instantly enveloped by a green aura, which floated around Freya¡¯s body and then tightly wrapped around her whole body. The young girl was startled and uttered a low yelp of surprise: ¡°This?¡±

    Brendel looked back and said: ¡°The Half te of the Wind Empress that was infused with the wind element, described as heavy? The Elven armor smiths who designed this must be flipping in their graves.¡±

    Bretton and the riders were at a loss for words.

 volume 1 - 19

    TL: I should have pointed out one thing earlier.

    The mixed series sponsored donation (your donation did not specify which series you want TLed) arebined together with specific series donations to make one sponsored chapter, i.e $13/25 Mixed sponsored Amber sword + $12/25 Amber swords specific donation = 1 chapter, just in case anyone got confused. I wish I had plugins for this sort of thing to make it clearer and easier, but I¡¯m using the free online wordpress domain.

    I¡¯ll also be rounding up the donations in the Mixed pool donations to add in more chapters, since my donation goals are close enough. I¡¯ll be ordering the first two books of the Amber Sword and book 2 of The Strategy to be Good At Magic. Thanks, everyone.

    Of course, extra money doesn¡¯t hurt if anyone else wants to donate beyond my donation goals, cough cough.

    Chapter 19 ¨C The one who opposes

    Brendel and the militia followed alongside with Bretton and his riders. They transported the food and medicine to the Guards¡¯ camp located in the Beldor¡¯s forest region and traveled across the mountainous forest, and finally stopped at a camp in the valley. There was an uproar in the camp when they discovered the youths of the third militia squadron approaching towards them.

    They thought the entire third militia squadron had perished in the battle of that fateful night and were prepared to ept that reality, only to find that they had returned alive.

    The refugees were overjoyed. Even though they were not entirelyprised of Be¡¯s natives, and some of them came from either Verbin or the Green vige, the heartwarming scene affected everyone. This was the first piece of good news they have for the past two days.

    A good omen like this signified that the future might be favorable. Along with the food and medicine they brought back, the people who were gued by the cold and hunger were able to eat something warm, and the injured was treated. Everyone seemed to think that hope was not too far away, and they even forgot a little of the tragic battle they encountered in the afternoon.

    Marden had given amand to light the campfires. The veteran soldier that survived the November War was brave and resilient, and would never submit to the Madara undead. He was not afraid of the undead forces discovering them, and he even said they were free to bring the battle before them as there were no cowards in Aouine.

    There was simply no way to hide so many people who had no militia training, and he decided to make themselvesfortable.

    Freya who had lost her rtives found herself treated like a hero. At first Brendel was worried that she might be depressed instead, but found that it was an unnecessary worry.

    ¡°Freya, it¡¯s all thanks to you and your militia!¡±

    ¡°Freya, don¡¯t be sad. You still have us, don¡¯t you? Everyone in the vige will support you. You¡¯re a strong girl, everyone knows that!¡±

    ¡°Freya, are you alright? Come over here and let Aunt Aakash take a look at you. You need to be more careful!¡± A plump middle-aged woman parted the sea of people around her. She might have the quality of a having a loud voice and rough handling like a countryside viger, but her concern was genuine.

    She parted Freya¡¯s fringe and wiped her face and took a long hard look at the girl.

    ¡°Aunt Aakash, I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Don¡¯t hide everything in your heart, understand?¡±

    ¡°Really, I¡¯m fine. Thanks, everyone.¡± Freya looked at everyone gathering around her. Her eyes were getting misty and interfered with her vision. They had a terrible time for the past two days. Their eyes were bloodshot and jumped at shadows, but she saw that they had genuine concern for her.

    Brendel stood far away and watched this scene. A warmth spread in his heart.

    The warm campfire and heartwarming affection permeated the air with the aroma from the food, seemed to have dispersed the gloomy darkness in their hearts. Even if it was just for a single moment, he could not help but feel touched by it.

    It was a beautiful moment.

    [The rtionship between people should just be like what they are right now.]

    Brendel walked over and leaned onto a white craggy boulder, and looked at the stars in the sky. They shimmered from time to time, and they looked like diamonds strewn across a dark purple curtain.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going over?¡±

    He suddenly spotted Romaine sitting at a higher ce and asked. She was hugging a bag that was ced on top on her legs. Her feet dangled back and forth in the air.

    ¡°They don¡¯t like me.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°In their eyes, my aunt and I are weird people. Besides, which girl in a normal family would want to be a merchant? It¡¯s normal that I don¡¯t get treated well.¡±

    [You actually know what¡¯s wrong with yourself?] Brendel said inside his mind.

    He then realized that he did not have much of an impression of her aunt. She always traveled and was hardly home, and she only came back once in a while to bring some strange items that Romaine might like.

    Romaine might have adopted her unique personality because she was always by herself.

    ¡°Tell me about your parents. I don¡¯t think we ever talked about them before right?¡±

    ¡°I have never saw them before. My aunt was already with me by the time I started to remember things. She even told me, little Romaine, remember to repay my kindness!¡±

    The young merchant girl giggled and looked at the moon with bright lights.

    Brendel looked vacantly at her.

    ¡°... So that¡¯s why you want to be a merchant?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a strange thought.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine that you think that way.¡±

    They chatted for a while before Brendel saw Freya escaping from the crowd. She had appeared to be an affable, naive and simple girl, but once she turned back into the captain of the third militia squadron, she seemed to show off a little of the future Goddess of War¡¯s vibe.

    She had promised Brendel to let him see Captain Marden. Although she did not know what the young man wanted, but like Irene, she had started to have a blind trust in him that he was able to bring them out of this predicament.

    Freya was not trying to be reliant on him but she was curious.

    On the other hand, Brendel¡¯s n was this: He had brought the militia and the Be¡¯s guards together by coincidence, and he knew what sort of setback Marden would have next. Now that they are at this juncture in history, he needed to create a fork on it where they sessfully escaped from the Madara undead.

    In Brendel¡¯s heart, his very first thought was to keep himself safe. But he quickly shrugged that thought off. If he did that, how was he able to face Freya, Romaine, little Fenix and everyone else in the militia?

    He was deeply moved when he saw the future Goddess of War weep in the Green vige. He had experienced enough failures back in the game in his world, and he wanted to live without anymore regrets.

    Brendel pondered on it and decided to continue walking down a new path yet unseen in history.

    Romaine naturally did not want to leave his side, and so the three of them traveled across the valley and several campfires. They finally found the old man at the end of the valley. As expected, Bretton was also there, but Brendel ignored him and looked straight at the veteran soldier.

    Brendel counted the years in his mind where he had not seen Marden.

    [So the game ratio time is 8:1 in the VRMMORPG... I have not seen him for at least thirty years in the game.] (TL: 30/8 = 3.75 years in real time.O_o I wish I can read books 8 times faster.)

    In the game Marden was deeply unhappy in histe life but still passed away in peace. His only one constion was not seeing Aouine¡¯s final moment where it fell intoplete ruins.

    Many yers had a strong rtionship with him. If the yers had an exceedingly high reputation, he would teach many hidden skills that included scouting, swordsmanship and moving in the shadows. Most importantly, he taught the warrior¡¯s first advanced skill: ¡®The Roar of Bravery¡¯.

    The old man did not appear too differently in his memory of the game. He appeared to be slightly younger, and the resolution in his face appeared to be stronger. Brendel had spent time with him and knew his character well. He was calm and fearless, but he had a fiery temper and hated people who beat around the bush. It was better for him to express himself openly to gain a better impression.

    But he still had a little reservation in his heart when he spoke to Marden. What was going to happen if this person¡¯s personality in this world was different from the game? Even though he thought Marden should have the same personality in this world, he found that the things that happened to him were already too surreal to be certain about anything.

    Upon hearing his thoughts, Marden¡¯s eyebrows moved and his forehead wrinkled up. Just as Brendel had predicted, the first to object was the young vice-captain of the guards, Bretton.

    ¡°What are your reasons for saying that we will lose in the uing battles?¡±

    Brendel looked quietly at Marden, and the old man spoke: ¡°Young man, I¡¯m grateful for your loyalty to the kingdom. But I would also like to hear your reasons as to why we would lose the uing battles.¡±

    Brendel inwardly sighed with relief. He was most worried about the temper of the old man. Once he was able to speak freely to him, he had the confidence to convince him: ¡°I have one question, do you know the size of the Madara undead in front of us?¡±

    The young men present in the area were silent.

    Marden did not speak as well but he signaled to Bretton, who replied: ¡°From the looks of the afternoon battle, the ones who continued to pursue us should be the same army who engaged us. There was an additional force that joined them as I noticed a difference in their gs. They are most likelymanded separately, but unfortunately, we don¡¯t know the exact details about the Madara forces.¡±

    Brendel looked at him in astonishment as he did not expect him to actually possess some measure of ability. It was impressive that he was able to make this conclusion from observing the chaotic battlefield.

    ¡°It¡¯s not strange to not know the exact details about them since you don¡¯t understand the kingdom of Madara.¡± Brendel said: ¡°This kingdom has never been unified as one in reality. It was before the Era of Runes and Swords, when a group of exiled shadow shamans became the earliest dark lords of the Madara region, and it became a paradise for pirates and undead creatures...¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Listen to him, Bretton. Be patient.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    Brendel smiled, as he knew he had gotten Marden¡¯s attention. He¡¯s a true veteran, and regardless of his temper, he had already gotten useful information from him.

    ¡°At the same time, this kingdom had a very strong nature to conquer othernds. This dark lords warred against each other repeatedly, and also attacked the surroundingnds without warning. Kirrlutz, Aouine and Osor and even the Baamrin region had suffered from them.¡±

    ¡°The dark lords possessed many divisions of elite soldiers because of their frequent wars. Even though their formations are a mess, their fighting strength cannot be ignored. The two forces that you saw today are most likely very different in their formations.

    I would like to hear details as to what happened in your battles, and from there, I might be able to provide information that might be of use.¡±

    ¡°Brendel!¡± Bretton stood up in anger. ¡°You¡¯re lying, how would you know about the Madara¡¯s force, I know that you well enough, you¡¯re¡ª-¡±

    He wanted to continue speaking, but Brendel¡¯s icy re halted him. Bretton¡¯s words died in him, and he almost could not believe how he was silenced from Brendel¡¯s expression.

    The Brendel he knew of was not so domineering, and was just someone who had just a little talent in him.

    ¡°Listen closely, Bretton. I am not here to argue with you.¡± Brendel paused on every word. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you know to know how critical it is right now, but I want you to take responsibility for your actions for any time lost!¡±

    Bretton was momentarily stunned, before turning furious and ready to fight.

    ¡°Tell him what we encountered, Bretton.¡± Marden interrupted them. His forehead was deeply wrinkled.

    PS: If anyone spots any mistake please inform me in thements so I can correct things.

 volume 1 - 20

    TL: So I yed the Game of Thrones from Telltale recently to see if it can aid with the narrative of this series. But if this series is to get any better in quality, it will need an editor or someone to teach me what areas I can improve on.

    Now in regards to the Game of Thrones game itself, if anyone is curious, the narrative was mostly okay but there were moments of facepalm (in a bad way). As a game, imo, it wasn¡¯t great. Every time I yed each episode, I felt like I was being handed out cards that were increasingly worse with no way to win at it.

    In short, I was ying to lose. The game is rigged.

    In a game where I¡¯m participating as a participant in the Game of Thrones, there should be at least one way where I can prevail and win against my enemies, but there was never one in sight and simply ended just like how I thought it would be, simply because there was never a way to win. This became an un-fun game, to say the least.

    At the end of the game I received my rating of ¡°yer yed the game with Cunning Strategy.¡±, which makes me feel like it was sort of a joke.

    Chapter 20 ¨C The one who persuades

    Bretton stiffly sat down and cast a sneering look at Brendel. He was certain in his heart that Brendel was definitely lying. They had trained together in the same military batch in Anchorite, and even though he did not see him after they went back to Brus, he had continued to receive news about him and knew about his background.

    His father was just a miller, his mother had some noble blood in her and his grandfather a knight who survived the November war. But what sort of extraordinary experiences would he have?

    After Bretton was recruited into the guards, it was said that Brendel had decided to follow his father¡¯s footsteps. The only thing that he did not know was why he went to Be and stayed there for a year.

    It was highly unlikely that he had learned so much about Madara within a year. And if this bastard wanted to lie, he would have to face Marden¡¯s scrutiny.

    Bretton peeked sideways at his captain. Even though this old man¡¯s temper was incredibly bad and a stubborn person as well, he was exceedingly sharp. Anyone who tried lying to him would easily be exposed.

    Another young man from the guards picked up the conversation after Bretton sat down to stop the awkward silence. He spoke about the battle in detail, with the asional nods from the others or additional lines from them added to his description. Bretton and Marden were the only two people who kept their silence.

    Brendel noted Marden¡¯s eyebrows trembling from time to time which showed off his anxiety in his heart. Bretton on the other hand, decided to simply watch everything in silence and ignore Brendel.

    As Brendel continued to listen to them, and he soon figured who they had encountered. The leader of the army who continued to pursue them from Be should be the ¡®Corpse Wizard¡¯ Rothko. He was a brilliant undead wizard in the game and given the nickname of ¡®Corpse Wizard¡¯ by the yers. His talent was to easily convert the undead spirits into necromancers, and thus his army was replenished very quickly. Even though he did not have a high offensive stat, he was cunning, patient and made use of his army as cannon fodder to exhaust the enemy and deal a blow to their morale.

    Right now, he should only be at an apprentice level. Therefore, under Tarkus¡¯s tactics he would only be a leader of a middle sized army. Brendel wondered briefly if he encountered each other when he escaped from Be.

    And he did not need to guess about the second army¡¯s identity. The one who razed the Green vige to the ground was Kabias. The skeleton warrior was not famous in Madara¡¯s history, but was considered as a veteran and definitely one of Tarkus¡¯s generals in this battle.

    A middle sized undead army would have the numbers of over two hundred and at least twenty necromancers in them. Kabias¡¯s army, as one of the main forces sent as a vanguard, had at least one fifth of Tarkus¡¯ left wing¡¯s army. Hisrge forces definitely had more than just skeleton soldiers and necromancers. It was highly likely that there were pale knights and dark warriors in the army too.

    Brendel omitted many details to the Guards. He quoted legends and rumors to briefly describe their ranks, but stating their numbers was certainly out of the question. Even though he knew about the future, he had to tread carefully.

    ¡°I am not sure if you have heard of this location called Ansel. It¡¯s the main region where the undead wizards are living in. Madara is split into three factions. One faction is the vampires, one is the undead wizards. I¡¯m going to skip the description of these two factions, as you should have heard about them before.¡±

    ¡°Thest faction is one that also holds considerable might. These dark lords in this faction areprised of holy knights thatmitted crimes, nobles that were exiled, pirates and undead wanderers. They worship the ck bible, and are rulers that believe in the Madara traditional ways.¡±

    ¡°All these stories are very interesting, but they are just stories.¡± One of the guards retorted.

    ¡°No, just think if there is one person who could unify them, then Madara will return as the blight from the darkness. And right now, the current events match a certain prophecy.¡±

    ¡°You just said that this kingdom has never been unified before.¡±

    ¡°It has never been unified in the past, but their chance to do so is approaching before our very eyes.¡±

    ¡°What does this ¡®unification¡¯ has to do with our situation?¡±

    ¡°Of course there is, have you heard about the legend of the Mercury Staff?¡± Brendel suddenly changed to another topic.

    ¡°That¡¯s also described in the prophecy right? It¡¯s said that when someone possesses it, they will rule the darkness in the world?¡± Someone asked.

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°The full name is ¡®The Mercury Staff of Loptr¡¯. Loptr is an undead wizard genius and he nearly unified the Madara kingdom. Fortunately, he failed at the end and his staff went missing, and this legend was left behind. When someone possesses the staff, he would be the king of darkness.¡±

    ¡°And just this year of spring, someone had witnessed the appearance of the staff in Ansel.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Bretton¡¯s expression suddenly changed. ¡°The rumor a few months ago was real?¡±

    ¡°A few months ago?¡±

    ¡°Wait, I remember hearing about this. It¡¯s some merchant who brought this news here, saying that someone opened a huge door using a strange staff.¡±

    ¡°¡®The Door of Lament¡¯.¡± Brendel added. ¡°That door leads to Loptr¡¯s treasury and his throne.¡±

    The old captain frowned: ¡°Young man, even though I don¡¯t understand the fights between these powerful people, you mean to say there has been a great change in Madara? This is certainly terrible news, and at the very least, it would mean that Madara ispletely prepared for this invasion. Even though I don¡¯t know what their goals are, they wouldn¡¯t just invade us on a small scale right? What you said sounds too ridiculous to be true, but that does not mean it is not possible.¡±

    His hand that was full of calluses was ced on his knee, and it was near enough to draw his sword anytime: ¡°Bretton. Do you know this young man?¡±

    Bretton was startled. If he said that he was suspicious of Brendel, even though the captain would not immediately strike at him with the sword, he would at least tie him up and question him.

    He looked at Brendel without hiding the ridicule in his eyes. But he thought for a while and did not choose to do something like that: ¡°I know him and I think he¡¯s lying to us. But if I think about it rationally... He has no reason to lie to us.¡±

    ¡°What if he has been bribed by Madara?¡± Marden asked again.

    ¡°I have also thought about that, but that¡¯s unlikely considering what he and the third militia squadron had been through. If this Madaramander had prepared things in advance, then I think our defeat was justifiable.¡±

    ¡°Very good, Bretton.¡± Marden patted his vice-captain.

    [Eh?]

    Not only Marden, even Brendel looked differently at the young vice captain. It seemed that this fellow had a pretty good head on him. He had the impression that he was too narrow minded and could not be a true leader. He started to mull over on his assessment on him again.

    But even if Bretton had denied knowing him or used him of something, Brendel had the confidence to persuade Marden due to his knowledge of the future. However, that might have led to a situation that he might expose himself as a different person.

    ¡°Alright, then we¡¯re going back to the real topic,¡± Marden said. ¡°Kid, then you believe that the Madara¡¯s goal is Fortress Riedon?¡±

    ¡°In the Grinoires region, Aouine¡¯s defensive line is Stronghold Vermiere. Fortress Riedon protects the nk of that defensive line, so Madara¡¯s goal can only be Fortress Riedon.¡± Brendel nodded.

    Marden rubbed his nose and cursed: ¡°Then the Madara forces that kept biting on our tails are their bigwigs? Fuck, why did we have to encounter this pile of pigshit trouble!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact details,¡± Brendel said while obviously knowing that he knew everything: ¡°But based on your description, there¡¯s an undead wizard in the first army that pursued you, and one of the Dark lord¡¯s army that came as reinforcements.¡±

    ¡°The undead wizard¡¯s army formation isprised of necromancers as a toon leader. It¡¯s easy to recognize them. I believe the size is half apany of one hundred to two hundred undead. The Dark Lord¡¯s army formation is more chaotic, but there should be at least the size of twopanies, based on the size that invaded the Green vige.¡±

    ¡°It sounds about right.¡± Marden nodded.

    What he did not know was Brendel actually reduced the number by half. Even so, that number made everyone worried. The size of the undead army vastly outnumbered their thirty guard members who even brought a group of weak vigers with them. How were they supposed to break the siege?

    The old captain also sighed.

    ¡°Alright, Brendel. Since you came to tell us all these things, would it be right for me to think that you have your own solution? I can tell you right now, if the situation is as you have reported, then I have no confidence to bring these men out of this siege.¡±

    Freya bleated with surprise.

    But Brendel nodded: ¡°I do.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s gaze suddenly focused on him, and even Bretton looked at him with shock and disbelief.

    Brendel wiped his sweaty palms on his shirt and took a breath. He was a little tense. Even though he had a n, he only had a little confidence in it, and to receive the attention of everyone made him feel pressured. The next few sentences he was going to say concerned many lives. He wondered if he needed to be more careful in his choice of words to convince them.

    He reminded himself to think calmly and not leave out something behind.

    ¡°Everyone can travel to the north and cross the River of Daggers.¡± He said.

    ¡°The River of Daggers?¡±

    ¡°Where is that ce? Why do we need to go there?¡±

    Brendel hesitated for a while. How was he going to exin that the ¡®White Knight¡¯ Ebdon and the ¡®Undead Ghost¡¯ d will bete for nearly two days before surrouding that area?

 volume 1 - 21

    Chapter 21 ¨C Three pronged approach.

    Brendel¡¯s mind quickly spun. He thought if he had some form of scouting skill avable, like ¡®Eagle-eye¡¯ or ¡®precognition¡¯ or other rted skills, he could persuade them. As his mind went through the possibilities, he suddenly thought of another way.

    [Of course! That will work too!]

    He wiped his sweaty palms again and rxed.

    ¡°Right now the River of Daggers is in a state where it¡¯s nearly unprotected. In the worst case, there¡¯s only one squadron of undead defending there, so why not break through that area?¡±

    Everyone¡¯s initial response was almost the same.

    ¡°What, is that true?¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that possible?¡±

    ¡°How did you know this?¡±

    Brendel raised his hand to silence them: ¡°Bretton, do you recall that your guards found a half-broken statue in the green vige?¡±

    ¡°The statue that looks like a devil, heavy and frightening, yes.¡± Bretton suddenly recalled a report from Zeta and Ryan. They had found it in the underground passage in a ruined shrine. They said they found signs of a knight, and the guards expanded their search for him before finding the statue.

    Brendel took the small ck statue from his pocket: ¡°That¡¯s called a gargoyle. I think even you have heard of it. This is a war unit of Be¡¯s, and wizards control these gargoyles using this thing here.¡±

    Heid it t on his palm and raised his arm for everyone to see clearly. The young guards that participated in the Green vige¡¯s search quickly recognized that it looked exactly like the statue.

    ¡°Wait, you mean to say you can control that thing?¡±

    ¡°Can it still move?¡±

    ¡°That thing has wings, can it fly?¡± The scout, Zeta, asked Brendel from the back.

    ¡°Yes, and it can fly as fast as a dragon. The army position for this unit is simr to our own kingdom¡¯s flying dragon riders. It is the best scout in the battlefield, and I used it to avoid the majority of the undead when the militia and I went to the Green vige.¡±

    ¡°During yesterday¡¯s morning, I discovered that the Madara¡¯s army in the north had stalled in their progress. There were at least threepanies that stayed in Verbin as they did not lock down the northern shores in time. They had problems in their cooperation over there, and the undead armies in front of us have not discovered their mistake yet.¡± (TL: In case anyone forgot, apany in army size = 80 to 250 soldiers ording to wikipedia.)

    ¡°Unfortunately, the gargoyle that I sent out was discovered by the undead patrols and damaged as a result. When I ordered it back, itnded in the Green vige.¡±

    Freya suddenly responded when Brendel finished exining.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the reason. Brendel, when you said you had something to do, it was this? No wonder you always managed to lead us away from danger and wanted to go to the green vige with your injuries. If you wanted to repair that thing, why don¡¯t you just tell us?¡±

    Before Brendel could say anything, the future Goddess of War bowed her head.

    ¡°Sorry, Brendel, I¡¯m also at fault. I was angry with you at that time, but I didn¡¯t think that it was for our sake.¡±

    [Hah?]

    Brendel suddenly felt that he was too much of a genius, as he managed to actually weave such a story out from nowhere. And it even let Freya connect everything from the beginning. He did not know whether it was because he was just too smart or because Freya was just too stupid.

    He suddenly felt a little embarrassed when he saw Freya¡¯s apologetic face. (TL: This scumbag Brendel!)

    With Freya¡¯s speech, everyone already believed in Brendel¡¯s story. She was the best militia out of Be¡¯s current batch, and even Marden had a good impression of her. She was also a native of Be, and surely she had no reason to lie to them right?

    Even Bretton rubbed his forehead and asked: ¡°Can that thing still move?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure. I¡¯ll try my best to test it out. I already reestablished the contact with it, and the only thing left is for it to recover on its own.¡± Brendel lied without battling an eyelid.

    [If I could move that thing, I don¡¯t need to waste my time bullshitting you, pff.]

    A level 23 gargoyle, never mind a necromancer, even if Rothko was to fight against it he would have trouble handling it.

    Bretton was unsatisfied with this reply: ¡°You¡¯re really as stupid as a pig. How did you let the enemy discover the gargoyle flying in the air. If we had this flying scout, our position would be much better.¡±

    ¡°Is your particr talent called ¡®Shirking your responsibilities¡¯? If I¡¯m not here, will you forget to fight your own battles too?¡± Brendel mocked him.

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. The battles ahead should be our duty. Kid, we will believe in what you said. But the Madara undead in front of us are still alert, and it will be different when we bring the vigers along with us,pared to just the guards moving. Do you really think we can escape?¡± Marden asked pensively.

    ¡°This would have to be under your responsibility, Captain Marden.¡±

    ¡°Well said.¡± The old veteran could not help but look at Brendel thoughtfully. He found it strange that Brendel seemed to know what he was thinking at every other turn and answered it. He thought that if this young man changed his career and entered into politics, he would have a great future.

    Only the Gods know that Brendel knew his personality all too well.

    Marden stood up and ordered: ¡°On mymand, the Be guards shall gather here and prepare to break out of this siege!¡±

    ¡°¡±Understood!¡±¡±

    The guards stood up together at the same time.

    Marden looked back and said: ¡°Zeta, tell the vigers to let the men amongst them to gather up. Now is the time for Aouine¡¯s men to protect their home and families.¡±

    Zeta looked puzzledly at him. ¡°Captain?¡±

    ¡°What are you looking at? Are you afraid of death? Let me tell you Be¡¯s guards youngsters, this is the moment where you fulfill your oath. We will attack the Madara¡¯s vanguard before dawn to break out of the siege, but I doubt anyone here will be able to survive.

    However, that is fine! Because the Be¡¯s vigers will sing of our bravery and tell everyone in this world that we are not afraid of death, and have fulfilled our responsibilities till the very end.¡±

    The old veteran swept his gaze on everyone with his expression solemn:

    ¡°My oldmander used to say this to me, ¡®It¡¯s a warrior¡¯s duty to protect the weak.¡¯ I give you now this exact quote what he said, and I hope you remember the glory of defending your kingdom!

    Therefore, all of you know what you have to do right?

    Bretton, I want you to lead the rest of the vigers to escape from the River of Daggers. There¡¯s only one requirement needed here, do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Bretton¡¯s eyes were heavy, but he bowed and replied.

    ¡°Very good.¡± Marden nodded: ¡°Kid, and Freya, the two of you. I¡¯m requesting you as militia to immediately join the Be guards, do any of you have an objection?¡±

    Freya immediately shook her head.

    But Brendel nodded under everyone¡¯s shocked looks: ¡°I have an objection.¡±

    Marden paused in surprise.

    ¡°Speak,¡± He looked at Brendel for a while: ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of death, then you can get the fuck out of here right now. Be¡¯s guards have no use for cock-sucking cowards.¡±

    There were murmurs ofughter from his surroundings, but strangely Bretton was silent. Brendel nced at him in wonder, then his eyes fell onto Romaine and he remembered what they had talked about earlier.

    ¡°I have never saw them before. My aunt was already with me by the time I started to remember things. She even told me, little Romaine, remember to repay my kindness!¡±

    ¡°... So that¡¯s why you want to be a merchant?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a strange thought.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine that you think that way.¡±

    Brendel smiled in his heart. He looked back at Marden.

    ¡°Captain Marden, from Be¡¯s point of view, the decision you made is fine, but have you forgotten to ask a question?¡±

    ¡°What question?¡± Marden was once again baffled, bing more and more curious of this kid.

    ¡°The three viges in the Be¡¯s region act as a buffer for Fortress Riedon, and Be¡¯s guards always had the responsibilities of alerting Fortress Riedon of any invaders. If you chose to leave just like this, then what will happen to Fortress Riedon that didn¡¯t receive any warning? I would not think that all the responsibilities are fulfilled till the very end.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s faces gradually changed as they heard Brendel¡¯s speech. He was right. If they merely led the Be¡¯s vigers out of danger, they would not have aplish the responsibilities that were given to them. If Madara managed to break Fortress Riedon, then Stronghold Vermiere¡¯s defensive line would bepromised.

    And if that was to happen, then someday the entire Grinoires¡¯s region might be taken by the Madara¡¯s undead army. The young men were at a loss for words when they thought that Madara might be able to invade the Capital with their undead army, Brus.

    But what could they do here?

    ¡°We tried our fucking best!¡±

    ¡°We could only do so much under this damn situation!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that we abandoned Fortress Riedon, i-it¡¯s Fortress Riedon that abandoned us!¡± (TL: What the?!)

    But Marden just stared at Brendel. Since he pointed this out, it would mean that he had a solution.

    ¡°Indeed. I do know of a path that could bypass the siege and lead straight to Fortress Riedon. Even though the chance is small, it¡¯s better than nothing.¡± When Brendel said this, the air in his lungs seemed to be squeezed out of him. He exhaled deeply.

    He looked back at Romaine again who had lowered her head and was fretfully fidgeting with her bag.

    ¡°Which path?¡±

    ¡°The Zevail mountain pathway.¡±

    Marden took a deep breath. Even though he had searched for various routes in his mind, he had avoided this ce subconsciously. He wanted to remind and ask Brendel if he knew how dangerous this pathway was.

    This pathway was the south of Beldor¡¯s forest, passing through the pine valley and river, and led to out to the wild forest of Aouine¡¯s borders. Once they were out of of the pathway they were at the edge of civilization, but ever since ¡®The Roaring Year¡¯ (Year 350 of the first Era), there was no one who ever came out alive after they entered this mountain path.

    There was even a rumor of fierce dragons in the valley.

    He even thought there was a sliver of hope to survive from attacking Madara,pared to entering the pathway which would result in certain death. He contemted for a long time, but was unable to discard the idea that the pathway was more dangerous.

    ¡°That¡¯s a route of no return, kid.¡± The old veteran shook his head.

    ¡°There is no need to fulfill your responsibilities, only your attempt in doing so.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°But I can¡¯t send my soldiers to death there, that would be irresponsible to them. A warrior should have glory in death.¡±

    ¡°That is not a problem.¡± Brendel replied: ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±

    There was aplete silence.

    ¡°Wh-, say that again?¡± Marden waspletely dumbfounded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°Why would you... the responsibilities of Be¡¯s guards have nothing to do with you at all?! Kid, if you want to force yourself, why not join us?¡± The old veteran could not help but ask for the reason.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not forcing myself.¡± Brendel looked back at Romaine and gave a small smile. ¡°I have my reason why I need to go there. If there are any other reasons, they are just there along for the ride. Now then, Little Romaine, are you willing toe along with me?¡±

    ¡°Brendel?¡±

    Romaine stopped what she was doing and lifted her head up in delighted surprise.

 volume 1 - 22

    Chapter 22 ¨C ident

    The decision for a three pronged approach was quickly epted, and it was now a matter of how they were going to move out.

    Marden will personally lead the guards to attack Madara¡¯s undead army before dawn and attempt to break out of the siege, while Bretton will lead the remaining vigers across the River of Daggers. Brendel and Romaine will travel across the Zevail mountain pathway to inform Fortress Riedon of the attack.

    They were going to move out in three hours.

    Marden dismissed them, and the young guards quietly turned around and left. They did not waste their breaths on any more words, and only the sound of clinking equipment being packed by them.

    The campfire¡¯s wood crackled while the mes flicked chaotically, and the shadows swayed about on the ground that was full of leaves and pebbles. Everyone had many things to prepare for the attack. The final few hours of the night felt like grueling torture to them.

    Freya had gone to gather the third militia squadron, while Brendel packed his own bag and stashed the remaining health potion that he found. The other bottle that he took from the tomb had been given to Jonathon.

    Brendel was actually unwilling to see someone die before his very eyes and saved the youth, with the excuse of ¡®I wanted to have Be¡¯s citizens¡¯ good will and his family¡¯s gratitude¡¯ given to the militia.

    He felt that his identity as a modern person was affecting him every waking moment. He wanted to pursue a better world as he witnessed the cruel battlefield in front of him.

    He randomly stuffed two days worth of food into the bag, mostly dried jerky and biscuits that were made with various ingredients. The Amber Sword¡¯s world had stronger production valuespared to the real medieval era on Earth, thus there was abundant resources here.

    Anyone who knew this world would understand their civilization level was rtively high, but the progression seemed to have taken on a different routepared to Earth.

    When he checked his items again and pulled out the bottle of health potion, he was surprised. He discovered a hard piece of paper that was stuck under the bottle. It looked it was glued onto it but he easily took it out.

    It was slightly bigger than a poker card, with the width about the size of a palm. There were magical sigil patterns on the back of the card, while there was a knight kneeling on the ground on the other side. The knight was wearing a full set of armor with his hands raising the sword to the air.

    At the top left hand corner of the card, there was the number ¡®ii¡¯ written in ancientnguage, while at the center bottom were six yellow crystals. Brendel recognized these crystals in the game as a term called ¡®Element Type¡¯. Six yellow crystals represent ¡®Earth Element¡¯ and ¡®6¡¯.

    Brendel was very knowledgeable about the game¡¯s lore and there were very few things that he did not know, but the thing in his hand was a riddle that he knew nothing much about. He pondered for a while and was certain that this was taken from Gerald¡¯s tomb, but that itself did not provide any clues to what this was.

    He might be able to search the inte forums or the game¡¯s information panel in the game, but here Brendel was limited to level 1 in all his knowledge skills, what could he search for?

    After considering all possibilities, he finally raised the card with his fingers, and asked the merchant girl who was concentrating on repairing the edges of her dress with a needle and thread.

    ¡°Little Romaine, do you know anything about this?¡±

    ¡°D-don¡¯t call me that!¡± Romaine¡¯s little eyebrows went up to her hair:

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this, a tarot card?¡±

    ¡°I know what a tarot card looks like.¡±

    ¡°Then I have no idea what¡¯s that.¡±

    Brendel scrutinized the card and wanted to say something more, but he suddenly squinted his eyes. He spotted Bretton and a few of the young guards pulling their horses into the trees¡¯ shadows.

    [What are they up to?]

    He suddenly thought about the strange behavior that Bretton had when Marden and he were discussing. As suspicion grew in his heart, he kept the card away and stood up. He began to follow them.

    ¡°Wait here for me.¡± He said to Romaine.

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    The guards might be youths with great potential, and their individual strength significantly surpassing an average person, but they were not alert of their surroundings. The entire group that walked in the forest actually did not discover the person who was tailing them at all.

    Certainly, there was also the fact that Brendel was a veteran at moving in the shadows, from the time where he had to fight against the big guilds or to negotiate with them in the game. It was just that he did not realize that he was using these techniques subconsciously.

    ........................................................................................

    If a normal person saw how Brendel was tailing them, they would not see anything unusual about his movements, but Zeta who was scouting in the tree nearly had his eyes popped out. He immediately recognized the young man as Brendel. His captain had personally told the guards before that he was merely passable in swordsmanship and useless in all other areas.

    The swordsmanship of a militia did not really count for anything in their eyes, and any of them could even defeat Freya or Irene. However, as members of the guards, they had their own pride and did not pick fights with a militia.

    No matter how much Bretton hated Brendel, he would not say something like, ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you a lesson!¡±, because it would look like he was lowering his status as a guard.

    Yet, at this very moment, what Zeta saw in Brendel was somethingpletely different. He remembered the time when he was mentored by an esquire who even received a Scarlet Medal, but his techniques definitely paled inparison to this young man. (TL: Esquire is one rank below a knight.)

    Brendel was like a shadow hiding in the darkness. Every time he moved, he avoided the ever-changing lights from the valley. It was by chance that Zeta spotted him because Brendel was in between the light and his position, otherwise he believed that he would have no chance of spotting him.

    Was the vice-captain wrong about him? Perhaps he was actually a scout for the guards? Or was he really Madara¡¯s spy?

    Zeta suddenly felt himself tense up. What should he do? He definitely could not make any noises, otherwise he would spoil the vice-captain¡¯s n. The camp was only thirty meters away and anymotions would draw the attention of others.

    He took a deep breath and gestured at Ryan who was in another tree nearby, indicating him to pay attention to Brendel¡¯s direction. At first Ryan was a little puzzled why Zeta kept pointing at a direction where nobody was at, and even thought he might be drunk, but soon enough he saw Brendel and his expression changed.

    [Holy shit, is this guy a chameleon?]

    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± He gestured and ask.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go up first, cover me from the right.¡± Zeta gestured back.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes, his skill in the sword is formidable, at least a ¡®second-ss unranked swordsman¡¯.¡±

    A ¡®second-ss unranked swordsman¡¯ was a specialized term amongst swordsmen. This rank was the equivalent of the best guards, while a ¡®first-ss¡¯ was of a white rank Swordsman¡¯s strength, or equivalent to a yer from level 5-20. Zeta was afraid that Brendel hid more of his capabilities, thus he treated him with utmost wariness.

    Ryan nodded to acknowledge his n.

    .....................................................................................

    Brendel was inplete surprise.

    [Twenty over men, ten over battle horses, ssmate Bretton, are you trying to cause a mutiny?]

    But he knew that was impossible and unnecessary for Bretton to do something like that. After following them for a while, they stopped and discussed quietly among themselves. When he wanted to approach closer, he suddenly felt he was in danger.

    [It¡¯s too quiet. Right about halfway through this journey, the insects suddenly stopped making noises.]

    He used to pair up with a girl called ¡®Shadow¡¯ with the profession of ¡®nightingale¡¯. Even though the scouting and searching was done by this profession in the game, Brendel learned enough from her and experienced many battles to adopt an instinctive sharpness, and even the slightest movement from a de of grass was enough to put him on alert.

    Just like how he foresaw Rothko¡¯s search for him back then in Be.

    Brendel immediately sensed an arm trying to wrap around his neck from behind, a technique used by scouts. Brendel took one step backwards, his hands immediately working to grab the opponent¡¯s elbow and wrist. He made use of his body weight and sank to the ground, and raise his arms upwards to pull and throw this unknown person, and instantaneously sent a ck figure flying to the tree. The figure knocked against the tree and emitted a muffled sound of pain.

    The strength between the two was about the same, but Brendel had the slight advantage of attacking first. However, he saw that the figure¡¯s immediate action was not to defend himself but to rush at him, and a sh in his mind quickly made him realize there was another person nearby.

    A silver sh of light streaked across the air, and Brendel¡¯s ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯ was instantly unsheathed. He stepped sideways and the sword was already at the other man¡¯s neck.

    The dim light from the reflection of his sword lit their faces.

    Zeta and Ryan were astonished. Even though they thought that Brendel was perhaps stronger than their vice-captain, there had to be a limit to his skill. Even if Bretton was the top swordsman amongst them, it was impossible for him to fight against two guards at the same time.

    They felt like they were somehow in a dream and just stared at Brendel¡¯s sword.

    .............................................................................................................

    ¡°Listen up, everyone. Captain Marden is an old veteran from the November War. Everyone here should be familiar with this point. He had already fulfilled his duty to the kingdom and proved his loyalty. We have an old saying, ¡®If Mother Marsha allows you to live, then you should cherish your luck.¡¯

    We cannot allow a veteran who had survived against all odds from the November War to bet his life once again. That is why I made this n. Please allow me to lead all of you to protect Be. It is not because I desire to steal glory from someone else, but this is simply something that I cannot run away from.¡±

    ¡°Well said, vice-captain!¡±

    ¡°We will support you.¡±

    ¡°Captain Marden will understand.¡±

    Bretton smiled. When Marden ordered him to lead the vigers to the River of Daggers, he had decided to refuse. However, he knew of the old man¡¯s temper and he would never allow him to object, therefore he decided to make a bet here.

    He did understand that Marden was trying to protect him. The captain had said more than once that he would be someone of importance, and would be a pir to support this kingdom. But Bretton also understood that Aouine did not need any cowards.

    Once he thought about it, he saw Brendel¡¯s face in his mind. The useless bastard actually took the initiative to suggest crossing Zevail¡¯s mountain pathway. He thought that Brendel was just trying to find an excuse and run away. It was definitely a possibility.

    But right at this moment, a light noise in the quiet forest made everyone turn their heads.

    They saw Brendel pointing his sword at Zeta and Ryan¡¯s backs as they walked out from the bushes. At first everyone did not react to this scene, then their expressions changed like they saw a ghost.

    ¡°Zeta?¡±

    ¡°Ryan, what happened?¡±

    ¡°Ha ha, we made a mistake.¡± Zeta¡¯s face was one of embarrassment.

    As for Brendel, he looked at the vice captain with surprise on his face. He did not expect this fellow to be so bold; he actually wanted to lead these willing youths for a diversionary attack against Madara. What sort of spirit did he exactly have?

    Brendel found it a little funny but he also respected this decision. Was it merely a youth¡¯s hot-blooded nature, or just his ideals? And yet when he took a closer look at Bretton, he saw there were traces of responsibility in his eyes.

    Bretton was glowering at Brendel, how could he not do so? If Brendel yelled out and alerted the camp, his entire ns would have been for naught.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Bretton growled at him. He wanted to use a stronger tone but he was hoping that Brendel would not divulge his n, which he was almost certain of.

    Brendel lowered his sword.

    TL: First of all, I¡¯m not too sure about this chapter¡¯s grammar. The viewpoints just keep on changing like a roulette. If anyone spots any mistakes, just inform me and I¡¯ll correct things.

    Second, thanks to the donators. This chapter would not be out today without your support.

    Finally, I will be busy tomorrow to prepare for art school this Friday (kind of excited, cause I¡¯ll finally learn to draw some quality fanart properly) and there might be no chapters. I need to upgrade myptop to Windows 10 and purchase a few software licenses. My coffee capsules are down to myst four, and I will be out to replenish my stocks and order the books while I¡¯m at it.

    Edit: I¡¯m upgrading to Win 10 to be ready for DirectX 12 in case anyone is wondering. Even though I can do itter, I¡¯m notfortable upgrading it when my school starts.

    Crap, I cannot un-see a spoilerment. Guys, just so you know, I skimmed ahead to see whether the series is good or bust (skip to random ch 100+ and read the story a little), and I¡¯m 99.99% sure that it¡¯s a great series. For the most part, I¡¯m reading and tranting at the same time, but I just saw a spoiler that I can¡¯t unsee -_-, so no spoilers please.

 volume 1 - 23

    TL: So it rained really heavily in the morning and I didn¡¯t want to go out. I¡¯ll be heading out tomorrow to settle various stuff, so there might not be chapters avable.

    And yes, I fixed the mistake in this chapter, thanks guys.

    Chapter 23 ¨C Dawn, mountain pathway

    ¡°It¡¯s too dark. Seems like it¡¯s not a good time to take a stroll right now.¡± Brendel smiled. His eyes quickly swept over everyone, and walked straight to the center of the twenty odd people in front of him.

    The young guards subconsciously parted to let him cross. Bretton gripped the sword in his hand tightly. He red menacingly at Brendel but he also refrained himself from taking any action, as he knew he would not be able to suppress themotion if they fought. One of his men at his side tried to rush up to Brendel, but he was held back by Bretton¡¯s other hand.

    The tension in the forest was as taut as a bowstring.

    But Brendel kept walking to the other end of the forest before he stopped and spoke.

    ¡°Bretton, the things that you learned in the guards included disobeying orders? Your n sucks. All of you should know Captain Marden¡¯s temper well enough. Why do all of you even bother to try and force him to agree to your petition? If it was me, I¡¯ll just bring everyone out secretly and leave one person behind to inform him.¡±

    Everyone looked at each other with a loss for words.

    Bretton¡¯s hand on his sword shook a little. A streak of suspicion shed in his eyes, involuntarily wondering what this fellow was nning.

    ¡°Well, go ahead and tell me when you are moving out to attack Madara, so I can decide when to move as well.¡±

    ¡°...... Before the Crimson Star disappears.¡±

    The young vice-captain thought for a while before replying. Even though he was wary of Brendel¡¯s motives, his n did sound more enticing, and the possibility to execute his n was much higher.

    ¡°Then you should go to the stretch of the ¡®Fox Forest¡¯ and hide there. That particr area should be the nearest and safest location to attack the Madara¡¯s undead army. I¡¯ll pick up a piece of paper and bring it to Marden and let him know of your nter on.¡±

    ¡°..........¡±

    ¡°Also, be focused when you fight against the necromancers, their magic spells will only work against people with weak willpower!¡±

    ¡°Brendel, just what exactly do you want? How did you find Zeta and Ryan, and how did you manage to beat them?¡± Bretton asked darkly as he took his hand away from his sword.

    ¡°Alright, this might possibly be the final time I¡¯m seeing you after we part. Whether we are rivals or hate each other¡¯s guts, it¡¯s possible that everything will be memories after this. Ultimately, we¡¯re Aouine¡¯s citizens, so I¡¯ll wish you luck.¡±

    Brendel waved his hand to indicate what he thought was not anything worth mentioning.

    Bretton watched him leave silently.

    ...............................................................

    Leaving Marden¡¯s fury at Bretton¡¯s actions aside, the old veteran found that there was no way for him to attack the Madara¡¯s undead army any longer. He could only arrange for Freya to gather the vigers to form a defensive squad and prepare to break the siege at the River of Daggers in the north.

    And right about this moment, Jonathon, who had lost his hand, was seeing seeing Brendel and Romaine off. Little Fenix apanied by his side to see them off too. Because of little Fenix¡¯s age, Freya forced him to leave the militia. He was dissatisfied with her decision, but he recovered quickly when Brendel praised him a little, and insisted on following Brendel to Fortress Riedon.

    Of course Brendel did not agree to his request. He figured that he would probably be stabbed by Freya when he reached Anchorite if he allowed him to join.

    Little Fenix was just too young and unsuitable, even though he indeed needed one more pair of hands.

    Brendel stroked the brat¡¯s head.

    On the other hand, Jonathon was at the sides, opening and closing his mouth without saying anything. He looked at Brendel in shame. He knew that he survived because of him.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry...... Brendel, Thank you..... For saving me at that time.¡± He finally stuttered.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Everyone has their moment of confusion. Jonathon, the militia is willing to bring you back because they believe you will return to them. Alright, concentrate. Don¡¯t let anyone else look down on you any longer.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Brendel nodded and looked up in the sky. The stars were beginning to fade, signalling the arrival of dawn. This was the darkest moment where the stars and moon disappeared, but it was going to be fine. The sunrise wasing soon.

    He took his gaze away from the sky, and lit torches together with Romaine. Even though it was a little unwise to light torches to travel in the dark, they were leaving the area where Madara¡¯s undead controlled. If there were beasts that appeared, the biggest threats were probably going to be just mere wolves. He was certain that he could handle five of them easily.

    The two of them left to the south of the camp, passing through the dense trees. The mostmon ck pine trees in the Grinoires region appeared everywhere as far as they could see into the distance. There were asional animal shadows that flitted in the light but quickly vanished.

    They gradually passed through two hills and the area around them became steeper.

    Anyone who saw their surroundings were be puzzled as to why the trees were decaying there. There were many rugged sharp boulders that jutted out from the slope, and the valley in front of them were filled with such rocks.

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Romaine asked, suddenly finding the environment to be a little frightening.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just follow me closely.¡±

    Brendel knew his destination was getting closer when he saw this scenery.

    He had traveled this pathway in the game before. It was a very famous ce amongst the yers, and remarkably dangerous for anyone below level twenty.

    He could not help but recall memories about that ce.

    The Zevail mountain pathway was at the southern Beldor forest area, and the trees extended all the way to the Pine River. This area was excavated in the past to transport forest logs down the river, but with Madara¡¯s expansion in the region, the logging mills were mostly abandoned.

    The Zevail mountain pathway became disused and turned into a haven for illegal merchants who smuggled using the mountain pathway to avoid checkpoints. Some timeter, a Golden Demon Tree set its roots in the area, taking the earth¡¯s nutrients away and the entire forest surrounding that area started to decay. It also killed all creatures that carelessly entered into that area, and the area was slowly perceived by people as a ce of certain death.

    The level 31 Golden Demon Tree had evolved to a ¡®Rank Two creature¡¯, and had the strength of a ¡®Steel Swordsman¡¯ or a ¡®Mid-ranked Wizard¡¯. Even the formal army of the kingdom would not want to go against such a troublesome enemy.

    Since it did not stop themunication between Fortress Riedon and Be, the kingdom¡¯s knights did not bother to take care of it.

    But this was a famous grinding spot within the game. The Golden Demon Tree remained undefeated in the game for the first three years, and the NPCs even made a wooden post in front of the entrance, where the Dwarven, Elven and Aouine¡¯smonnguage were written on it:

    ¡°Beware! Those who enter this area should give up on all hope.¡±

    Of course there were short-sighted yers who wanted to challenge themselves. However, these solo yers who went in separately did not even get see the appearance of the boss and perished. It was about a year in before people started going in with parties to adventure there, but the furthest they went in was to the stretch of the Pine river before they were forced back.

    This continued to thetter half of the second year, and there were constant news of entire parties who died there circting in the bars, turning into a hot topic during meals. When the ¡®War of the ck Rose¡¯ happened for the second time, the parties that entered the mountain pathway dwindled down, but in exchange they were much stronger.

    Brendel recalled that he entered the mountain pathway around that time. His experience in the game was quite in. He was neither aggressive nor was he conservative. He managed to go to the Pine River and witnessed the unending bleak scenery filled with dying trees and dark shadows.

    What gave him the deepest impression was not the sudden change of the background from Be to the area here, but the strength of the enemies and unbelievably high encounter rate. Every day his party was in a state of fatigue, and the party was finally dismissed when they could not continue onwards.

    But two months after his stint, a guild called ¡®Freedom¡¯pletely tackled this area. They became very famous for a period of time. However, people realized afterwards they were not that powerful, and simply found a special method to engage the enemy by luck. This method was released as a recorded video onto the inte by enthusiastic yers, and brought about a craze where yers soloed the Golden Demon Tree.

    Brendel was one of those people who benefited from the footage that was released, and managed to grind a item called ¡®Heart of the Golden Tree¡¯.

    The average level of the yers back then was level 27.

    But what he wanted to do here was simply to cross the mountain pathway and skip the Golden Demon Tree boss. He had the Ring of the Wind Empress, as well as the Thorn of Light that had a purification effect against the undead, so he might have a chance to survive.

    He reminisced about his gaming years with relish. The prices of the magical equipment in the past did not go down for an entire year, and he did not think that he would be able to cross this pathway with his equipment stats over 10 OZ at such a low level.

    Indeed, the godlike equipment he had now was something that he could not imagine.

    Due to his knowledge in his past life, the facts that he owned two godly equipment from the very start made him feel surreal. If he was fortunate enough to escape from this disaster.... He felt a little hotblooded thinking about the future.

    Precisely because of that, he had to cherish the chance in front of him. He gripped his sword a little tighter and called Romaine to follow a little closer to him.

    The future merchant girl seemed to have an aptitude for adventuring. She nimbly jumped onto the sharp boulders on the way down to the valley without any trouble.

    Even though dawn had probably broken by now, the darkness around them did not seem to lift. The only sources of light came from their burning torches, illuminating their rocky surroundings with long shadows.

    If one was to look at them from afar, they would appear like two stars within the forest.

    Brendel recalled there was a teau nearby that allowed them to avoid encounters. It was too dangerous to enter the Zevail pathway currently, so he decided to travel in the daytime where it was a little safer to cross the pathway, and they were also likely to be out of the range of Madara¡¯s undead army by now.

    The earliest undead army to reach Fortress Riedon in history was Kebias¡¯s division in the morning of the third day. This would mean that he had a full day to arrange his ns. The time remaining was plentiful.

    He raised his head up, and saw the outline of a sign in front of him.

 volume 1 - 24

    Chapter 24 ¨C Withered trees

    The deeper they went into the mountain pathway, the more deste the scenery became. There was nearly no vegetation on the ground, and the path that was void of life was filled with intersecting rocks that appeared like sharp fangs.

    Wilted brambles and grass had grown from within the cracks of the walls. Withered trees seemed to manifest themselves in the distant darkness. The cold wind could be heard blowing through tree branches like ghastly whispers.

    Brendel knew that Demonic Trees drained the nutrients from the soil and turned into this to a barren wilderness that people came to know about. He raised his torch, and there were asional decrepit skeletons that appeared in the shadows. They appeared to be animals like mountain goats which had identally barged into this forbidden area, and turned into the Demonic Trees¡¯ food.

    Romaine nimbly followed behind with her torch raised with one hand, while she gripped her bag with the other and looked everywhere with curiosity and tension. This was the first time that she traveled this far away from her home, and she felt like she was beginning to fulfill a merchant¡¯s dream. The difficulty, excitement and the endless wealth and treasures awaited her, just like how this dream nurtured the numerous other merchants and adventurers in this continent.

    She even had a sense of security by following Brendel.

    The two sources of light passed through the narrow valley. Brendel¡¯s hand was ced over his sword¡¯s hilt. Once he passed through this area in the game, he would have entered a den of monsters of a certain type called the Rotting Beasts.

    The Golden Demonic Tree was a terrifying creature. It was a variant of the Golden Trees, and its former body was most likely the Holy Elven Tree. However, ¡®The Tree Shepherd¡¯ who belong to one the great evil cults, imnted the tree with the ¡®Blood of Gods¡¯ and turned it into a Golden Tree.

    In this chaotic world, darkness thrived where civilization¡¯s fire was unable to reach, and not only did the undead exist, there were regions where leaders found their own evil cults. In the game, evil disciples followed the footsteps of ¡®The Tree Shepherd¡¯ and did surreptitious things. There were signs of their actions everywhere, letting people know of their existence, but no one knew what their motives were.

    Even Brendel was no exception.

    The Golden Demon Tree had two abilities. The first was to turn nts into living creatures. It was able to turn shrubberies into monsters in the form of humans, and they were called Rotting Beasts. These Rotting Beasts were the scouts of the Golden Demon Tree which popte every area of this narrow valley.

    A single Rotten Beast in the game was level 7, and their strength was roughly the equivalent of the guards that Brendel saw, but their intelligence was considered low. Veteran ranked Rotten beasts were over level 13, and this Grade 1 Rank was a difficult opponent for him.

    The second ability it had was turn to infuse its fruits with demonic mana. When the fruits of the Golden Demon Tree fell onto the ground, it would turn into a wilderling creature, growing to over two meters tall within a day. These are elite guards of the Golden Demon Tree, and their level was between level 20 to 22. The only chance Brendel had if he encountered them was to use the Ring of the Wind Empress.

    After several decades, these Rotten Beasts and Demonic Creatures had umted to arge number. If Brendel did not attain his current equipment, it would have been an impossible task for Romaine and himself to pass this narrow valley. He would also have to take special care to avoid the Golden Demon Tree which had reached the Grade 2 Rank.

    They continued to progress with shuffling sounds from their footsteps, which sounded a little frightening in this lonely area. Brendel fondly remembered that he used toe here with arge bundle of ropes, oil, torch, dry rations and a hook to this area and fight the Golden Demon Tree hundreds of times.

    The loot from the Golden Demon Tree was between 20 OZ and 30 OZ, and the best drop from it was the legendary ¡®Heart of the Golden Tree¡¯, which restored 1 hp every minute, and considered to be a godly artifact in the early game.

    The only difference Brendel felt was the future merchant girl following behind him. He suddenly felt that it was somewhat romantic to adventure with the girl that he was interested in. (TL: Was that a confession?)

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Romaine suddenly whispered to alert him.

    He turned around and noticed her gaze on his hand. He was slightly surprised as he found the Thorn of Light to be glowing with white light from its sheath.

    [There are undead nearby!]

    He was startled but immediately realized that the Madara undead might have sent a squadron to patrol this area to ensure there was no one who slipped through their grasp. He rxed a little as he considered a squadron to be an easy battle, as long as he did not alert the Rotten Beasts in the valley.

    He pulled out the sword and started testing various directions. It turned brighter as he pointed to a specific location and he immediately knew they were ahead. He gestured for Romaine to stick closely to him and extinguished their torches and moved in that direction.

    Indeed, there was a squadron of undead. Leading them was the necromancer Kabara. Its performance in Be not only let the human scout escape, it also led to the demise of a fellow necromancer. Rothko assigned it to this area to punish it for the disappointing performance, and also to remind it not to be too eager to disy himself in front of its master or superior. (TL: Kabara appeared in Chapter 5.)

    Kabara understood its error, but the urgent issue was how to defend against the Rotting Beasts in front of him.

    The necromancer and its soldiers had first defeated a Rotting Beast that was in the form of a human with full of thorns, but three other Rotting Beasts immediately charged at them. A pair of glowing mes protected by branches, presumably on their heads, were ring at the undead soldiers. When Brendel took a further look, he saw there were broken skeleton bones around the Rotting Beasts.

    Their battle had begun.

    [What exactly are these creatures?!] Kabara¡¯s green mes dimmed in its eye sockets.

    Seeing that that the enemy was going to attack again, he could only reluctantly order its skeleton soldiers to change their weapons to their bows. The soldiers lit their arrows with a ghastly blue Soul Fire, and a wave of arrows shot at the creatures. Two Rotting Beasts that were struck by the arrows yelled along their branches swaying about, causing a shuffling sound and they fell onto the ground, turning into two bright bundles of intense mes.

    The necromancer instantly chuckled. They were indeed stronger than their skeletons, but these nts were afraid of fire. What a blunder, how did it not think of this point earlier. Kabara raised its staff, and caused the remaining Rotting Beast to explode into half, and a shower of wooden splinters flew everywhere.

    Brendel climbed onto a white boulder and involuntarilyughed when he saw the necromancer gloating from the victory.

    [This moron is seeking death. It actually dared to use magic here.]

    The Golden Demon Tree¡¯s favorite nutrient was mana and it sought after it like a drug. If there was any ripples of mana caused by any spells, it would immediately appear. This necromancer might not have known about it, but it was certainly courting death.

    But this meant that they were in trouble and they needed to find a way to go some ce higher, otherwise they would killed along with these mindless undead.

    He turned to Romaine and pulled her down. She had been looking and blinking at the undead. Her bright eyes did not contain fear, but curiosity.

    ¡°I recognize that necromancer.¡± She whispered.

    ¡°Shhh!¡±

    Brendel treated what Romaine said as a joke. The undead¡¯s appearance was simr enough to each other to make it hard to identify them, and they basically had no difference in their outer appearance other than the ripples of their soul. It was not only limited to the low ranking undead, and even when he identified the higher ranking ones, he did it by finding the decorations on their body or special bodily traits.

    ¡°I really do recognize it, Brendel, this was the one that I saw at your home from far away.¡± She sweared.

    ¡°Ookay, just lower your voice, if you alert them we are going to be in deep trouble.¡±

    Brendel squinted. He had already seen shadows advancing from the darkness, and based on their movements they should be Rotting Beasts. After counting over thirty of them, he stopped. The numbers were still increasing. Yet the necromancer still had not ordered the skeletons to extinguish the Soul Fire on their arrows. The Rotting Beasts were attracted to light, and he decided to treat them with their deaths as a foregone conclusion.

    ¡°There seems to be a lot of things around us, Brendel.¡± Romaine said.

    ¡°Yeah,e with me. Lower your body, and don¡¯t alert them.¡±

    The two people continued to climb higher slowly with Brendel leading in front. He started to note the good points of bringing her along. She did not panic at all under this situation, and it was a difficult thing for a normal person to do so.

    He recalled in the game where a bunch of female yers in the party would scream whenever they entered some frightening ces. But that was not the most embarrassing situation, as some of the guys also did that too.

    He reminisced as he progressed upwards and looked down quietly from time to time.

    The rotting beasts had started to gather into torrents from several directions below, surrounding the necromancer and the few skeletons. Kabara finally felt something was amiss, and started to cast a spell of Shadow Curtain. But before he finished chanting, two dark red creatures came out from his blind spot from between the boulders and smashed his remaining skeleton soldiers to bits.

    [Marsha above, Lord Rothko! What are these damn things, there was no need to patrol here at all!]

    The necromancer did not care about its subordinates at all, as there was nopassion within the undead. But it was allowed to have self-preservation, and it jumped up onto the boulders quickly. A necromancer¡¯s agility and strength were not low, but people tend to be misled by their appearance.

    But Brendel did not enjoy this scene at all, because the necromancer actually jumped to his direction.

    [Are you fucking kidding me, can you choose a better direction?!]

    He obviously did not dare to pull out the ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯, otherwise in this darkness it would be a ¡®Lure of Light¡¯, where every enemy would have its eyes on him.

    Fortunately, a dark red Rotten Beast suddenly jumped up to grab the necromancer¡¯s ankle which sank a little. Right at this moment the Rotten Beasts had surrounded this area and all the skeleton soldiers had probably been crushed to bits. If Kabara hesitated for one second it would have followed their fate.

    [Kill it!] Brendel yelled in his mind.

    He felt Romaine gripping his shoulder from behind, almost as if she was as tense as he was. Anyone who saw the situation would see that their positions would be exposed if the necromancer came any closer.

    But Romaine¡¯s breathsnded on his ears and made him a little distracted. He turned around to look at her, and found she was staring at some other ce.

    [Huh?]

    Brendel subconsciously looked into her direction and his heart plunged into an icy river.

    TL: Uhh... cliffhanger.

 volume 1 - 25

    TL: >_<... I went out with myptop to school intending to finish the remainder of CH 25, and I realized I left the other half of the chapter in my PC, so this endeding outte.

    I was really frustrated at myself today, because I feel like I didn¡¯t prepare enough (there was an assessment to see everyone¡¯s level for this first day). It¡¯s a bit unfortunate, but I think the next chapter will be in tomorrow as I really need to spend more time practicing.

    And uhh, I might need you guys to spot any English errors, I tranted the chapter during public transport.

    Chapter 25 ¨C Minute and second

    Brendel followed her gaze and nearly let go of his Thorn of Light, both sword and scabbard, out of his hand from a tremble.

    [What the hell?]

    At the narrow valley where it intersected the area of sharp boulders, the area at one extreme end was filled with throngs of Rotten Beasts chasing after the necromancer Kabara on the cliff, resembling a tidal wave that was climbing up slowly.

    And on the other side, there was a slim figure that was also climbing up the narrow valley¡¯s cliff in his line of vision. She carried a huge bundle on her back, and a sword hung from the bundle, swaying along with the girl¡¯s long ponytail as she slowly proceeded forward.

    [Freya?]

    He rubbed his eyes, almost thinking that he saw wrongly. But Romaine wouldn¡¯t be wrong at spotting her, and the reason why she was nervous was because it was definitely Freya. But did she not follow Marden to the River of Daggers, why did she appear here? He could not believe she would abandon the militia¡¯s third squadron.

    ¡°Brendel, that¡¯s Freya.¡±

    ¡°I see her, just don¡¯t make any sound, I¡¯ll think of something!¡±

    ¡°She will be caught by them so we need to help her right?¡± She turned her head back and asked testily.

    ¡°No, Romaine! I don¡¯t need your help on this matter, I¡¯ll definitely think of something.¡±

    He found it was a great pity that he did not even have the chance to go bonkers. The situation was very delicate, and the key to change the situation was not in his hands. It was decided on whether Mother Marsha¡¯s mood was good today, and unfortunately it looked like she was not.

    The undead¡¯s situation was just as bad. Brendel turned back and saw the necromancer cutting out his feet without any hesitation, and forced the Rotten Beast that had grabbed onto it back into the midst of the other monsters.

    It quickly flipped over and used its bony hands to climb up the cliff. Its 1.7 OZ strength allowed its light skeletal body to climb rapidly as if it was flying on it. However, when it boosted itself upwards mid-way of the cliff, it suddenly paused.

    Kabara raised its head, and the green mes in its sockets illuminated a male human¡¯s shocked and angry face on top of a gigantic boulder. While it felt that the ripples of his lifeforce was a little familiar, it was of no importance, because it had already raised its bone staff at Brendel.

    [A human maggot.] It thought in its mind.

    Brendel was unable to care anymore at this moment, he pulled out his sword with a singing ring, the Thorn of Light bursting with dazzling radiance in the darkness, and thrust it straight into Kabra¡¯s forehead, creating a light crack. A golden me surged forth from the crack and spread everywhere.

    ¡°Ga¡ª¡± Half of a word was stuck in Kabara¡¯s throat. The speed from Brendel¡¯s thrust was so swift that it was unable to react, and it felt it was reaching the end of its life.

    Kabara had once thought it would be a great necromancer.

    It tried to stagger backwards but the youth grabbed its bony hand. It was surprised for a moment, wondering why he wanted to save it. Yet it was an undead that forever worshiped the Dragon of Cmity, how could it ever ept a lowly human¡¯s aid?

    Just when it was feeling vexation over his actions, it saw that he smoothly pulled off the ring from its index finger.

    ¡°Despicable! You human maggot, bandit......¡±

    This was Kabara¡¯sst thought, and the Soul Fire in its eyes were extinguished.

    Three experience points.

    Brendel was surprised that this necromancer had a remarkable Ring of Spiders which added +0.2 Perception. The familiar patterns struck out at him, as he had one in the past that he kept as a souvenir and did not throw it away.

    Perception was a stat that allowed a character to sense its surroundings, and boosted hearing, smelling, sight, touch and taste toplete aprehension towards space and objects.

    It was a very important attribute in the game. There was a low level dungeon in Brus called ¡®The Public Mausoleum¡¯, where it did not allow the usage of a fire. Parties had to keep dodging a high level monster in theplicated passageway in it, and items that raised perception and agility were once highly sought after because of it.

    Brendel¡¯s friend had once given this exact ring to him, and when he reminisced about it he felt tearful. He nearly sold everything he had to gather a full set of 10 OZ worth of perception equipment, and in the end he still failed toplete ¡®The Public Mausoleum¡¯.

    With the chain of thoughts, he suddenly recalled there was a wonderful item for warriors within this dungeon, The Emblem of Bravery, +2 Military swordsmanship. He pat his head, as he had forgotten about this item. He had spared no expenses in order to get this emblem in the past.

    ¡°Brendel, Brendel!¡± Romaine¡¯s voice was full of anxiety.

    He was startled, the merchant girl did not panic so easily, did something happen to Freya? He quickly threw the necromancer away, and saw a Rotten Beast which caught up to Freya. It extended its withered branch-like ws and grabbed onto the bundle¡¯s strap that the girl was carrying, and hauled her backwards. (TL: Yes, Brendel, daydream away and see if anyone remains calm...)

    ¡°Freya, be careful!¡± Romaine eximed in surprise and she stood up and wanted to run downwards, but Brendel grabbed her and pulled the girl who could not read the situation back.

    [Seriously, please stop adding to my pile of troubles!]

    ¡°Just stay here and wait!¡± He threw the Ring of Spiders at Romaine to let her look after it.

    There was a limit to how much magical equipment a character could use, and the witches spected that it had something to do with a human¡¯s mana pool. Brendel, a level 2 mercenary had reached the peak of what he could use when he had 40 OZ worth of equipment.

    ¡°Okay, Brendel, but.....¡±

    When he looked around his surroundings one more time, he realized that he was worried to leave this clumsy girl here. He had pulled out the Thorn of Light earlier, lit the area and attracted attention to himself. If he left her here, she might be attacked.

    If little Romaine got injured he would really regret it. But Freya was also in the midst of grave danger, and he already treated this determined and kindss as his most important partner, how could he do nothing at all? He was really in a dilemma here.

    All these thoughts passed through his mind in a fraction of a second.

    At the bottom of the valley, Freya shrugged off the Rotten Beast¡¯s ws, and struggled to run forward two steps before falling down. Her helpless eyes glimmered with a little hope when she saw them in front of her.

    ¡°Brendel¡ª¡± She got dragged backwards before she managed to finish her sentence.

    ¡°Pull out your sword.¡± He shouted.

    ¡°It¡¯s grabbing on to my bag, I can¡¯t get to it¨C¡±

    [This blockhead!]

    He decisively passed the Thorn of Light to Romaine: ¡°This sword is able to curb them, protect yourself!¡±

    ¡°What about you, Brendel?¡±

    The youth shook his head to inform her not to worry, and ran towards Freya¡¯s direction.

    [Damn it. This isn¡¯t the first time anyway, if Mother Marsha likes to y jokes on me, then go ahead and do so.]

    Monsters seemed to like picking off the weak first just like how it was in the game. Before he even jumped down, a human-shaped shrubbery had blocked his path. (TL: We want...... a shrubbery! *dramatic music*........ You must cut down the mightiest tree in the forest...... withhhhh a herring! *dramatic music*)

    A young Rotten Beast, level 7 creature, with 2.2 Strength, 3 Physique, 1.2 Agility, Dark attribute, weak to fire and striking, half-resistant to piercing attacks.

    Brendel¡¯s memories came back in a rush. The unique points of a nt-type monster was its high physique but low agility, and the Thorn of Light was truly their bane. Except he did not have it right now. He gritted his teeth and cursed quietly. The only thing he could rely on was his 2.1 Agility and he did not intend to waste time with this enemy.

    The Rotten Beast in front of him obviously did not feel the same way as it lumbered heavily towards him. Even though it was in a human shape, it ran on all fours,pletely looking like a wild human that had not evolved.

    Brendel dodged sideways to avoid its ws, and the sharp tips from the branches scratched a few bloody marks across his forehead. He thought it was fortunate that it was not an undead, otherwise the debilitating poison in his body would umte again.

    But he did not have the time to celebrate as a green line scrolled down in his retinas:

    ¡°Emergency warning: You have been affected by a paralyzing poison.¡±

    [Fuck! Ipletely forgot about this!] Brendel nearly cursed out loudly.

    Because he was over level twenty in the game and could easily pass through the Rotten Beast¡¯s territory stealthily, he forgot that this creature¡¯s attacks also had poison. Even if it was weak, thebination of the remaining debilitating poison and paralyzing poison would cause significant deficits to his status.

    Even though he cursed his own mistake, his actions did not slow down at all. His hands grabbed the enemy¡¯s thorny ws and pushed it back, targeted the dark red Rotten Beast and used the ability ¡®Charge¡¯.

    This dark red Rotten Beast was actually a mature type.

    Brendel took a deep breath. A mature Rotten Beast had 4.7 Strength which surpassed even a Gargoyle. A Grade 1 Rank creature¡¯s power was not easily trifled with. But he suddenly noted something strange, a mature beast should have dragged Freya away easily right?

    Brendel used the young Rotten Beast as a stepping tform and kicked off from it, did a spin in the air, and his skill activated, his speed elerating across the sharp intersecting rocks with a blurry afterimage.

    Dozens of meters were covered in a mere second.

    ¡°Let go of your bag, Freya!¡±

    But she held on to it and shook her head defiantly. One of her hands grabbed onto the nearby rock but she was unable to hold on much longer. One of her fingers slipped.

    But he finally reached before she let go of her hand entirely.

    ¡°Lower your head!¡± He bellowed, and he pulled out her sword on the bag when he charged over, then sliced off the strap that the mature Rotten Beast was holding on to.

    The dark red human-shrubbery figure immediately lost its bnce and fell backwards. It tried to regain its stability by grabbing on to something, but Brendel followed up immediately with a kick to the chest, and it fell backwards to a deep recess in the valley.

    Rotten Beasts were very light and the one that fell down might not perish from it, but it certainly would not be able to climb back up for a while. Brendel finally rxed after he saw that it disappeared into the darkness. However, he snapped his head back and his tone became severely reproachful:

    ¡°Are you seeking death!¡±

    Freya raised her head and looked at him with her bright eyes. She probably did not expect him to be so furious, and she bit her lips, turning her head away stubbornly.

    He wanted to continue his excoriation, but paused when he suddenly saw that her hands were full of abrasions and blood. Furthermore, their dangerous situation was still not resolved. He sighed and pulled her up and said: ¡°I have many things to ask you but we will talkter. Romaine is still waiting for us up there.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    When he wanted to turn back, he saw two golden light entered into his chest. Two XP. He looked back in shock and discovered Romaine raising her skirt with one hand while carrying the Elven sword with the other, running down towards him. The young Rotten Beast had been carefully skewered by her and turned into a pile of ashes.

    The merchant girl was also shocked when she saw the results, not expecting the sword in her hand to be so powerful!

    ¡°Why did you alsoe down?¡± Brendel suddenly felt an urge to send a smack on her head.

    ¡°I thought very seriously for a while, Brendel, but I think I don¡¯t have the means to defend myself.¡±

    He went speechless for a while.

 volume 1 - 26

    TL: The author wasn¡¯t very clear in describing how the area looked like, whether Brendel was on an area that allowed stability. Half the time I wasn¡¯t sure whether climbing = steep mountain climbing or just hiking a slope, and ¡°look over there, Brendel!¡± ... sure, look over... what? Just... use your imagination.

    Chapter 26 ¨C Elite Rotten Beast

    ¡°You¡¯re going to scold me right, Brendel?¡±

    ¡°No, just quicklye over. Be careful.¡±

    Brendel felt frustrated and funny over Romaine¡¯s careful steps. But when he looked up, there were three other young Rotten Beasts upying the boulder he and Romaine were at earlier.

    He then surveyed his surroundings, and found they had became the shrubbery monsters¡¯ targets after the undead squadron was annhted. It was especially true when the merchant girl still held the shimmering Thorn of Light, and it was almost like a candle¡¯s me in the darkness, attracting the servants of the Golden Tree.

    Brendel could almost hear the Golden Demon Tree roaring for its thirst of mana in his mind. They had to leave this ce before as they even might even encounter Demonic Creatures, the personal guards of the Golden Demon Tree. He turned back to Freya.

    ¡°How about it, you can you still go on?¡±

    Freya nodded.

    ¡°Then we will be going up from the other side, take your sword and be careful.¡± He said as he passed the girl¡¯s sword back over. Even though the Rotten Beasts upied the high grounds where they were originally were, there were none of these shrubbery monsters in the opposite direction.

    These nt creatures¡¯ speed were not very fast, and their speed in moving across the intersecting boulders were only as fast as normal humans. Their main advantages were their numbers, familiarity with thend, high physique and resilience. But he had to find a way to escape them.

    Freya brought her bloody hands onto the steep slope and the pain made her flinch, but she gritted her teeth and tore her sleeves to get makeshift bandages and wrapped them around her hands. She then continued to climb up the sharp rocks.

    Brendel felt sorry and admiration when he saw this scene. However, there was not much time left and he quickly took back the Thorn of Light back from Romaine and let her climb up first. When he looked back, there were already two Rotten Beast below them that were on the move.

    ¡°Brendel, hurry up!¡± Romaine said.

    Freya¡¯s face was pale from the anxiety and stretched out her hand towards him. But he did not have the time to reply to them. The two Rotten Beasts had half stood up and hissed threateningly at the youth.

    From a certain viewpoint, these Rotten Beasts did not count as intelligent life, and were purely the puppets of the Golden Demon Tree.

    Brendel swung his sword horizontally, and the sh of light cutting through the darkness made them retreat slightly. He wanted to grab Freya¡¯s hand with this slight opening, but they immediately charged forward with a low roar.

    [You really are seeking death!]

    Brendel became furious and used his high agility to jump up, flew across in mid-air and used the Rotten Beasts¡¯ heads as a foothold and swiveled, his upper body already in the best position for an attack.

    A horizontal sh.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Freya uttered in surprise, finally knowing how far apart she was from Brendel in swordsmanship. She did not think herself as talented, but her greatest pride was believing that she had worked harder and was more focused than most people to do something; Her swordsmanship which was the best in the militia did not mean she was talented, and very few people noticed how much effort she put into training.

    This was the reason Marden admired her and made her the leader of the militia squadron.

    But her swordsmanship¡¯s foundation could only be considered as stable, while Brendel¡¯s swordmanship was truly extraordinary and if there was a word to describe it, it would be ¡®wless¡¯.

    With a single sh, a head was lopped off, without any mistakes at all.

    A ring of silver fire burst out from the headless Rotten Beast¡¯s wound, and it quickly consumed the creature. The other Rotten Beast shrieked sharply at him, its ws suddenly extending and swung at him. As Rotten Beasts rarely did something like this, many people were deceived by the range of their attacks, but Brendel was unfazed.

    [Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me!]

    He had already experienced this attack before in the game, why would he step into the same trap again?

    He was already prepared against this attack, and raised his sword to block it. The Rotten Beast¡¯s ws struck against the Thorn of Light and caused a shower of silvery sparks to fly everywhere. It retreated in agony, but Brendel did not let the chance slip andunched a counter attack.

    He took a big step forward and thrust the Elven sword straight at it.

    This was hismon technique in the game, but his basic stats and current swordsmanship level made him feel exceedingly clumsy when he executed the attack, with his timing alsogging behind. He took note of his dy and estimated that a Steel-Ranked swordsman would easily be able to avoid his sword, but right now this Rotten Beast had no chance of dodging it.

    The sword pierced through its throat.

    Fiery silver mes burst out from the entry and exit wounds, turning the Rotten Beast into a pile of ashes in the blink of an eye. 6 golden lights flew in the sky and into Brendel¡¯s chest.

    The strength of the ¡®Purification¡¯ greatly surprised Brendel. He had never seen anything like it in the game.

    ¡°Brendel, you¡¯re actually so skilled!¡± Romaine was momentarily stunned,

    Freya was at a loss for words. She had thought that Brendel belonged to Brus¡¯s militia, but now that she think about it, he was most likely lying to her. She was not stupid, how could a militia be so skilled?

    But truthfully the two of them were not skilled enough to judge Brendel¡¯s current level. He was severelycking in speed and strength, and the techniques that he barely managed to use were due to his experience.

    He also made use of therge difference in the agility between him and the Rotten Beast, and thus was able to execute his mid-air spin, but if he faced another enemy he would definitely not attempt this method. Without the proper stats and skill level, many of the techniques he knew were mostly useless.

    [What a joke, I¡¯m actually painting a target on my back if I do this stunt without unsealing my ¡®Element¡¯ status.]

    Brendel did not spend any time enjoying the girls¡¯ reactions as he noticed that more Rotten Beasts were climbing up. He quickly signaled for the two of them to continue climbing, and subconsciously looked at the pile of ashes. It was a gaming instinct of his, and funnily enough he wanted to see if any loot dropped from them.

    [Of course not. Well it certainly is different from the game, didn¡¯t they at least drop 1 or 2 copper coins?]

    He shook his head and continued climbing up the slope.

    A mature Rotten Beast had superior strength and physiquepared to a young Mature Beast, but its agility was only two thirds of their 1.2 Agility. Romaine and Freya had standard militia training so their speed did not lose out to a young Rotten Beast, not to mention Brendel.

    The three of them kept climbing higher and higher, gradually pulling apart from the shrubbery monsters. However, thetter had seemingly endless stamina and kept pursuing them, and this cat and mouse game continued for several minutes.

    The differences in physique were starting to show.

    Even though Brendel was not affected much, Freya had started to pant a little, and Romaine¡¯s face was as pale as a sheet. Brendel offered to carry her on his back, but she refused to let him do so.

    He looked back at them and they were behind them approximately tens of meters away. It was fortunate they had not surrounded them from the front due to theirck of intelligence, or else it would have been over. But it was a matter of time before they caught up to them, as a young Rotten Beast had 3.0 physique which was even higher than his own.

    He looked up and checked the distance to reach the peak of the mountain. It was not too far away.

    But at this time, Romaine suddenly shouted breathlessly: ¡°Brendel, look over at the other side on top of the mountain!¡±

    He followed Romaine¡¯s instruction. His pupils contracted slightly as he saw a gigantic Rotten Beast that was over three meters tall, which had suddenly came out from a fissure. It moved quickly towards them.

    [Holy shit! An Elite version, this is the leader of the Rotten Beasts!]

    He loved to see this creature in the game, but now he was hurling every known expletives in his heart at it. This particr thing was an evolved version of the Rotten Beast as it had directly received the Golden Tree¡¯s blood. Not only did it had an increase in both strength and physique, but most importantly, it had 1.7 agility which would definitely match their own party.

    ¡°Freya, Romaine, the both of you quickly go to the edge of the slope over there, and climb upwards to that vertical cliff. There¡¯s a grappling hook and rope in my bag, and once we climb up these monsters would not be able to catch up temporarily!¡±

    He decisively threw his bag to Romaine. He was the only male here, and he had to take up the responsibility.

    Even though there was gender equality back in his world, it was an etiquette for the guys to be in charge of defending the rear in the game, and he made this decision immediately without thinking.

    ¡°I¡¯m staying behind.¡± Freya said.

    He looked and saw her determined face. He knew that he was unable to persuade her, so he nodded. But this was also because he needed another assistant and at least Freya was a suitable candidate. Romaine whozed around in militia training and aspired to be a merchant instead, was surely not.

    ¡°Romaine, hurry, we¡¯re depending on you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, Brendel!¡± She nodded as hard as she could and moved to the designated area as fast as she could.

    The Elite Rotten Beast quickly leaped towards them. The throng of Rotten Beast was approximately forty meters away. Brendel and Freya looked at each other and estimated they had approximately thirty seconds to finish this battle.

    ¡°The range of its ws are three meters long, so be careful of its attacks. We should stand apart from each other. It is also able to shoot the thorns from its body and they are poisoned. Be sure to dodge this attack from the front.¡±

    She clenched her sword nervously and took a deep breath. Even though she did not know why Brendel knew all these, she was certain that he would not lie to her. She tried to calm herself and nodded quietly.

    Brendel grasped his own hands. They felt a little stiff. The paralyzing poison from before had started to show an effect. He opened his character window to check his stats, and discovered that his agility had dropped 0.1 OZ.

    He then eyed the Elite Rotten Beast with ament.

    [Elite Rotten Beasts only drop money in the game, it¡¯s over ten silver coins! Surely there would be some loot here right?]

    But judging from the previous example... He grumbled inwardly.

    TL: Phew. This took really long to TL because I kept checking the chapter. Anyways, this is thest of the sponsored chapter. Thanks again for your donations, very much appreciated.

    The next chapter will resume its normal schedule, which will be next Saturday.

 volume 1 - 27

    TL: Just a warning.

    If you n to eat something or are already eating something, you might want to finish your food before reading this chapter. Apparently Brendel has a very active imagination.

    Chapter 27 ¨C Soul Gem

    The gigantic Rotten Beast raised its branch-like ws that were the size of a human and used it to smash at Brendel. He quickly bent his body to evade it, and the attack went past his head like a hammer. The withered branches of the w dragged the air along with it, causing his hair to dance wildly while it continued to swing against a boulder behind him. The boulder was knocked away with a deafening boom, and it flew twenty to thirty meters away.

    Brendel spied on the boulder to see it hit and crash against the walls three times, before finally piercing deeply into the ground, bringing debris and dust everywhere to where itnded

    He felt a sudden tightness in his throat; the monster¡¯s strength was just too terrifying. If he got struck even once, his entire skeleton would not be able to absorb the impact, and would instantly be reduced to bits. His organs would be ruptured from the immense pressure, while the shattered bone remains would pierce them and create a bloody mess everywhere.

    Brendel quickly searched through his memories. A Elite Rotten Beast¡¯s 8.9 OZ was one of the strongest Level 20 Creatures around, and only Berserkers and the Dwarven Steel Guards would be able to match its strength.

    He had no intentions of facing it head on. He quickly gestured to Freya to protect him from the sides, and used his advantage in agility to get into range for an attack. He swung the Thorn of Light at its left foot.

    The monster was nearly 5 meters tall, the branch-like ws were nearly 3 meters wide, and it had great attack range. But when it lowered its head, it found that it had trouble hitting Brendel who was below him.

    Brendel struck its leg with his sword, but the bright purification mes only left a scorch mark on it. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead when he saw the result.

    Even though the Elite Rotten Beast had high physique, toughness and resistance, the end result should not be this. This meant that there was a ¡®Power Rating Difference¡¯ here. This was a system setting that was in the game but he did not expect it to be here in this world as well.

    Still, the attack from Brendel made the gigantic Rotten Beast raise its head up and roar. The ear-piercing bellow made the nearby des of grass quiver.

    Brendel felt a dull ache in his chest, and Freya even coughed out blood.

    [The skill ¡®Howling Fury¡¯ from the Elite Rotten Beast should not have so much effect on us! Is this because our levels are too low?]

    Brendel felt he was damaged everywhere inside his body. The data in his retina showed different levels of damage in his organs.

    ¡°Brendel!¡± Romaine shouted not too far away.

    He turned back and discovered she had finished setting the hook to the rope, as well as attaching it to the cliff above. He felt relived. Romaine could be relied on when there were critical moments. She was calm during desperate times and certainly had the potential to be a merchant.

    He looked at the other direction. The young Rotten Beasts were very close to finish climbing up, and they only had a few seconds left.

    ¡°Freya.¡± He immediately shouted.

    ¡°I¡¯m, cough, fine.¡± She resolutely wiped away the trail of blood from her lips, raised her sword up and took on a defensive posture again.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to finish it off, cover me, but stay out of its attack range.¡±

    She nodded. Gripping the sword firmly with two hands, she attacked the Elite Rotten Beast¡¯s nk with a low roar. It wanted to stomp on Brendel but got distracted by her. Due to its low intelligence, it diverted its attention to Freya as she appeared to be more threatening.

    It turned around immediately and spread out its branches, and numerous thorns whistled through the air and shot at Freya.

    She was prepared for the attack as Brendel had warned her about it a while ago. She immediately curled up, defending her chest and head with both her arms. She gritted her teeth as her whole body bled from the attack and was sent crashing back against a boulder from the thorns. However, she was still pleased that she had gained time for Brendel.

    Brendel had no time to worry about Freya; he retreated from the Rotten Beast and squatted down, raised his right hand and aimed at the injured left leg with his shining finger.

    ¡°Oss!¡±

    The air temporarily went still, then an explosive current of wind sted at the Elite Rotten Beast¡¯s left leg. Splinters flew everywhere. Nearly half of its body went missing. Withered leaves scattered like it was raining as it lost its bnce and fell backwards.

    Even if the monster¡¯s defense was doubled, it was unable to defend against a 20 OZ charged attack.

    Brendel activated his ¡®Charge¡¯ skill next, dashing forward and jumped high up, matching the moment where it fell down. He raised the Thorn of Light and swung it down with all his strength, shing through its neck with gravity aiding him.

    The Elite Rotten Beast roared again, wanting to resist, but Brendel twisted the sword to drive it further in. Silver mes burst out frantically, and the mighty monster finally lowered its head, its life reaching to an end. As the life force and resistance from the Elite Rotten Beast ended, the mes instantly consumed the entire body and it was turned into a massive fire.

    Numerous golden lights flew from the fire and into Brendel¡¯s chest.

    17 XP.

    He suddenly felt a cold feeling in his palm and looked at it. ck smoke gathered from the gigantic Rotten Beast and poured onto his palm. It gradually became solid and formed into a ck color crystal.

    [A soul gem!]

    Brendel was shocked but he quickly smiled gleefully. The power from a soul was the purest form of energy in this world. Not only did Madara¡¯s wizards use them, other wizards from different schools were analyzing their uses in the game. With different rituals, it could be turned into XP to himself or other people, and even replenish a magical equipment¡¯s energy or activate certain items.

    For example, the Ring of the Wind Empress.

    This size of the Soul Gem looked like it contained at least 30 XP, and was enough to charge the Ring of the Wind Empress at least once. How could he not be delighted at this? He thought he had to find a safe ce and hide for at least three hours before proceeding. Without a charge on the ring he would not have dared to advance any further, but that would have been too much time wasted.

    [To think there¡¯s a chance to seed at the end.]

    He sheathed his sword and checked the young Rotten Beasts¡¯ progress. He found there was already one of them on the teau they were at and received a shock. He and Freya were exhausted from the fight, and they would not be able to fight another battle. If they were dragged into a fight again, the situation would be dire.

    Freya was relieved when she saw him kill the gigantic monster, but her heart raced when she saw the enemies appearing on the teau. She tried standing up with furrowed eyebrows, but Brendel ran over to her with long strides and carried her like a princess towards the rope without giving her a chance to resist.

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    ¡°L-let me down.¡±

    The future Goddess of War, currently a countryside girl from Be who was blushing, struggled for a while. But Brendel did not listen to her and she could only let him quietly carry her as she hid her crimson face to the sides.

    Romaine had already climbed up when they reached the vertical cliff. She was a decisive person without much fear, and if they still did not reach the cliff, Brendel was sure that she would climb down again.

    More and more Rotten Beasts were hot on their heels; they were running out of time.

    He wrapped the rope on Freya, then on his own waist. Even though he felt her body turn rigid, he was unable to worry too much. With the boost in experience points, he leveled up his Mecenary profession to 3. He was able to bring the two of them up with a single hand with 2.5 OZ in strength,

    A young Rotten Beast abruptly jumped and tried to grab his feet as he climbed up, but Brendel¡¯s lightning reactions guarded against it by drawing the sword from the scabbard and shing it, instantly sending it back to the throng of monsters. He continued to climb upwards after sheathing his sword.

    The three of them were able to reach the top, and they sighed with relief at the same time. Brendel saw that the monsters tried to imitate them by climbing the rope up. He cut the rope with the sword and sent them dropping down without thinking. They had plenty of rope left, and the only important thing they needed to keep was the hook.

    Brendel knew that the area they were in extended for kilometers. If the servants of the Golden Demonic Tree still wanted to find them, they had to go all the way to the other end of the mountain valley, so he had enough time to rest. He sat down on his butt and gave a long sigh.

    ¡°Nice one!¡± He gave a thumbs up at Romaine. Her performance was just amazing earlier.

    [This ¡®Brendel¡¯ really has good luck to be able to pick her up.]

    ¡°Really? My aunt also said this many times, ¡®Little Romaine, you are really the best.¡¯¡±

    The merchant girl puffed up her chest in pride, but quickly cast concerned nces on Freya. He knew she was concerned with her best friend¡¯s injury, so he answered:

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, these are just superficial wounds. Once we find a safe ce and bandage her up, it should be fine.¡±

    Freya was still blushing and did not reply.

    Brendel finally got the chance to breathe and he nced at the future Goddess of War.

    He felt a little cross. He wondered how she survived the ¡®War of the ck Rose¡¯. Was it the qualities of being ¡®determined¡¯ and ¡®calm¡¯?

    The past Freya gave him an impression like that. Even though she was a little naive, she had greatposure that normal people would not have. Perhaps she had her own reasons toe here but not letting her bag go made Brendel displeased. She was too stubborn, but perhaps that stubborn nature of hers nurtured her tenacious character.

    [This is still a bad thing in the battlefield.]

    ¡°Why did youe here?¡± In the end she was a fellow soldier, and he did not want to hurt her feelings. He thought for a while and decided to use a gentle tone.

    Freya was silent for a while, then she removed a ring from her finger: ¡°This is the seal ring from the Captain of the guards. Captain Marden asked me to bring this to you when you report to Fortress Riedon.¡±

    Brendel patted his own forehead.

    It was not because he forgot about this matter. The truth was he did not expect to be treated seriously by the people at Fortress Riedon. The militia like Freya might not know this but a veteran like Marden understood it clearly. If the nobility in Fortress Riedon treated the defense in Be with importance, the situation with Madara would not happen today.

    The biggest reason why he wanted to go to Fortress Riedon was because of Romaine¡¯s aunt. He did not expect Marden to be moved by his actions and actually sent his personal ring over. He had overlooked this, and he would have rejected Marden personally if he predicted this would happen.

    After all, this ring would be of great use to the refugees.

    ¡°You were the one who requested toe right?¡± But Brendel reflected on it for a while longer, believing that the veteran soldier would never send Freya to her death even if the ring was of great importance.

    The girlbed and tidied her ponytail, then nodded.

    ¡°Why bother.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not from Be, Brendel, what excuses do I have to run away? I¡¯m the leader of the third militia squadron and I need to set myself as an example.¡± She looked at him and answered.

    ¡°And what¡¯s inside the bag?¡±

    The future Goddess of War lowered her head and hugged the bag. She hesitated for a while.

 volume 1 - 28

    TL: Please excuse any errors as I have not been sleeping very well at all. I might have to pause for 1-2 days as I finish my art assignment. I want my GPA 4.0, cough.

    Edit: So anyone who reads the raws ande back to read my version should know that I don¡¯t follow the text 100%. It¡¯s at the level where I evenpletely rewrite it, because a) Author contradicts himself, b) I sometimes change 4th wall narration to Brendel¡¯s 1st person thoughts to make it more immersive. c) I remove a lot of redundant stuff, d) I dismiss cliche writing almost entirely.

    Thetest chapters I¡¯m TLing seem to be on a roll with Brendel¡¯s long monologues + author¡¯s 4th wall, so I¡¯m editing it pretty heavily. I¡¯m almost 99.99% certain that you guys won¡¯t notice anything strange (since no one¡¯sining yet on PWP), but just so you know.

    Chapter 28 ¨C Haven

    ¡°The Half te of the Wind Empress!?¡±

    Brendel opened the heavy bag and took a look inside. He rubbed his temples after finding the copper colored armor tucked neatly in it.

    [It¡¯s no wonder then... It¡¯s no wonder why the mature Rotten Beast could not drag Freya away. This armor was protecting her.]

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wear this?¡±

    ¡°The armor shone with light thest time I wore it, and I was afraid Madara¡¯s undead would see me. I wanted to wait for daytime when it a little brighter.....¡±

    ¡°Light?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a a green color light that wraps around the armor sigils.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s called the ¡®Wind¡¯s Feathers¡¯, it¡¯s not light.¡± Brendel sighed when he saw her looking puzzledly at himself. This was the most basic knowledge in the game, so he did not expect Freya not to know it at all. He could only pick up the armor and exin it to her.

    The Half te of the Wind Empress was the product of the cksmith Saint Orso. Just like his ring, the armor had the sigil of the Wind Empress, but these items had their own additional trademark from the creators. For example the true Ring of The Wind Empress were made by the druids, while Saint Orso ced his own kingdom¡¯s emblem on the armor.

    Brendel¡¯s ring was a replica and might have been made from a human wizard. Strange, even if it was a replica, Brendel¡¯s grandfather should not have owned this particr equipment. He was unable to gather any useful information from his memories, so he stopped thinking about it. If he was to look at it as a gamer, then this might be a hidden mission, but that would also have to der when he was able to find thatme merchant in the ck Pepper Street.

    On the other hand, this armor te definitely came from Elven hands. This was an equipment specifically made for the Elven guards by the Elves; but ever since the ¡®Year of the Returning Light¡¯, there were hundreds of such armor tes that were brought into various kingdoms, so they were not particrly valuable.

    In the game¡¯s equivalent, it was a 15 OZ equipment.

    The ¡®Wind¡¯s Feathers¡¯ was added onto the the armor¡¯s Wind Empress sigils. It was a type of magic that reduces iing force, or the game equivalent of ¡®reduce iing damage¡¯. nt creatures were particrly affected by this type of magic, so it was not a surprise that the mature Rotten Beast had their strength sealed to a significant degree.

    The thing that Freya did not know was the light that came from ¡®Wind¡¯s Feathers¡¯ could only be seen if it activated against enemies¡¯ attacks.

    Freya felt incredibly embarrassed as Brendel exined. She felt like she was a country bumpkin and made aughing stock out of herself. Her head kept lowering until she finally grumbled in a tiny voice: ¡°Why didn¡¯t tell me this earlier?¡±

    [Am I a mind reader? A telepath? Or Mother Marsha?] Brendel refuted in his mind.

    But he understood that he had subconsciously treated many things like it wasmon knowledge and caused some misunderstanding. It was difficult to adjust his gamer¡¯s habits as he had immersed himself in ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯ for years.

    When he saw Freya¡¯s crimson face and her arms hugging the bag tightly, he felt that he did not need to ask why she did not throw the bag away. It was because he was the one who entrusted the armor to her. Brendel felt quite pleased that she trusted in his armor that he gave to her this much, and did not have the heart to scold her anymore.

    ¡°This equipment is not a living thing, but you are. No matter how precious this might be, you have to protect yourself first if you encounter a situation like this again, understand?¡± He said.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°How about the third militia?¡±

    ¡°I handed things over to little Fenix.¡±

    ¡°Little Fenix?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Uncle Marden told me that he might be the most hopeful person in Be to make it big, so I used to take care of him and hope that he would be Be¡¯s pride, but I thought that you might be right. How could he grow without tempering himself?¡±

    ¡°You might have thought it through, but did Irene agree on it?¡±

    Brendel sighed again with relief. Freya had walked out from her little world. He thought she might still insist on making the same naive decisions, but realized after herposed behavior that she had grown instead.

    ¡°Irene and I have the same idea.¡±

    He nodded. He was able to rx as the squadron¡¯s affairs were settled.

    [It was fortunate that there wasn¡¯t much of a problem in the militia. Even though Freya¡¯s a little headstrong, and somewhat of a petty person, but she¡¯s a reliable partner. But it really bugs me that she did not throw away the bag at that critical moment. Then again I feel really touched. Hah... This is a heavy friendship.]

    He turned back and discovered Romaine, who was separated by a campfire, studying the cave they were using to avoid the enemies. It was as if the cave was some sort of rare treasure to her. He wondered if she would ever be worried about her surroundings.

    ¡°Brendel, how did you know about this ce? It looks as if those terrifying monsters will not be able to find us if we are in here.¡± She asked.

    Freya nodded: ¡°But we can¡¯t keep hiding here forever. When the day is a little brighter, let¡¯s set off.¡±

    Brendel also nodded. Both of them were right. The Zevail pathway had several hiding ces, and back then in that fateful year, countless ¡®Nightingales¡¯ and ¡®Hunters¡¯ paid with their lives to seek out this passageway, allowing the yers to avoid the majority of the Golden Demonic Tree¡¯s servants and get close to this BOSS. (TL: Boss directly written in English.)

    But it had two caveats.

    The first one was the need to travel all the way to the heart of Zevail¡¯s pathway, into the ¡®Forbidden Garden¡¯. There were several broken ridges and they had to use a rope to go across. What would await them would be a bunch of personal guards of the Golden Demonic Tree. Despite these enemies, he was confident that he could handle it.

    The second difficult point was leaving from the ¡®Forbidden Garden¡¯ shadow passageway. He needed Grifond¡¯s crystal key, which was hanging from the Golden Demonic Tree¡¯s branches. In the past, he killed the boss and took it away, but Brendel had to improvise this time.

    He roughly enacted the entire process in his mind, and if there was any situation that suddenly cropped up, he would have to handle it on the fly. A perfect n could only exist in novels and it could not be done in reality.

    This was the importance of having a trump card, and why Brendel ced so much importance in the ¡®Ring of the Wind Empress¡¯.

    He took out the soul gem to check on it in detail under the fire. The heavy item looked more like obsidian, but a wizard would be able to differentiate it if they poured energy into it, while a normal human being would be to see the differences visually if they were familiar with it.

    Brendel brought it near to the campfire and the crystal immediately looked like it was about to evaporate. This proved it was a soul gem. The power of the soul was extremely unstable under fire if there was no protection, and it exined why Madara¡¯s lower ranked undead feared fire.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Romaine asked curiously.

    He ced the crystal to his ring and infused 10 OZ worth of power into it. The crystal first darkened a little before turning a little more transparent. Pouring any more power would be a waste.

    He considered using the gargoyle statue. He would have the best chance of repairing and activating it, but ultimately gave up on it. There were at least 300 differentmandbinations to activate it, and he spent the entire night testing it out half of themandsbination without seeding. The remaining 20 OZ = 20 XP was not something meager either.

    It would probably take 100 XP topletely repair the statue.

    [What else can I do with this then? Keep this and wait for another use?]

    To the current Brendel, XP that was used now would be useful XP. He needed to raise his strength urgently. He could only change the world by surviving right here and now.

    [Use it on myself? Or add it to a skill¡¯s XP bar? But the ratio is just in terrible, 10 XP needed to change into 1 AP! Plus, there are no skills right now that I need to learn from the Mercenary profession. But I can¡¯t possibly waste it to level up the Militia¡¯s level right? I have to at least wait till I have an abundance of XP.]

    Brendel felt he was in between a rock and a hard ce. He checked the outside sky again. It was starting to be fairly bright, and they were ready to move off. The servants relied on phototaxis receptors, sounds and mana ripples to sense their surroundings, so there was no difference to them be it day or night. Humans would have an easier time if they traveled in the daytime, as the light from the torch mes were a giveaway to the Rotten Beasts.

    His hand searched within his pockets to see if there was anything else that he could use, and he quickly found that card with an artistic drawing on it. Brendel suddenly had the idea of experimenting on it.

    To identity an item required a full set of alchemy tools and information books. yers who were not so good at doing that simply went to a NPC. However, it was quite expensive to identify things and the game allowed yers to use items even if they did not know what it is.

    So many yers developed a system to test the items out.

    He first tried usingmon chants but nothing happened. Then he brought the soul gem to touch the card and check if there was any reaction. Usually there would be some mana resonance if the item reacts to the soul¡¯s energy.

    But he did not expect the card to suddenly shine with piercing radiance from the moment he touched it with the soul gem. In fact, the soul gempletely lost its color and became a transparent crystal.

    [Absorbing reaction!]

    Brendel nearly jumped up in shock, and he stared speechlessly at the transparent crystal in his hand.

    Soul gems that lost their potency were called ¡®Creation Containers¡¯, wizards and elementalists bought these containers and used them as storage for spells. They were simr to ¡®spell scrolls¡¯ in other games, while these crystals were the ¡®spell scrolls¡¯ in this world.

    But Brendel was not concerned about this right now. He felt a terrifying shiver traveling all the way up to his spine. ¡®Mana Absorption¡¯ was one of the strongest mana ripples amongst the resonance types. He had gambled wrongly, and even if the Golden Demonic Tree was more than ten miles away, it would have felt this......

    This was not the only enemy. With such a strong reaction, who knows if there were any strange creatures who had their eyes on him?

    Brendel did not understand why the card reacted so strongly with the ¡®Mana Absorption¡¯ effect. Such effects only appear when it is a magical equipment over 40 OZ, and this card did not look like one.

    Brendel quickly made his decision and stood up. Freya and Romaine naturally looked at him in surprise when they saw the light.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving. Now.¡°

 volume 1 - 29

    TL Edit: Ok. I didn¡¯t want to do this but I¡¯m going to issue a final warning. I have said many times I don¡¯t want spoilers, but someone had repeatedly ignored them and posted information in thements that I cannot unsee.

    I have not read ahead while the people who had asked me for the raws or got it from novelupdates, did so at their own pleasure. That¡¯s fine with me, but don¡¯t expect me to feel pleased when you talk about the future chapters.

    People have asked why I don¡¯t post the raw link, and it¡¯s precisely because I¡¯m worried that spoilers might appear. I¡¯m at most half a chapter ahead of the readers to ensure there are no trantion issues, so I don¡¯t know exactly what happens in Fortress Riedon or whatever ce after that.

    The only few chapters that I took a look at are in in the 100s and 200s chapters, to ensure that the amber sword doesn¡¯t suddenly spiral down into a trashy novel or something.

    I don¡¯t deliberately stall my trantions, and I¡¯m up there with the cliffhangers with you guys who can¡¯t read the raws.

    Finally, it¡¯s going to be the weekends pretty soon. I¡¯ll definitely trante the next chapter at the very least.

    Chapter 29 ¨C Tumen¡¯s Legacy.

    Romaine and Freya extinguished the campfire and followed Brendel who started running. They guessed that Brendel¡¯s sudden change in his behavior was due to that piercing light, and Freya did not understand how it was created.

    Romaine had an idea as to what happened back then as she saw the soul gem in his hands.

    [Ah. That¡¯s right, he gave me a ring. I really like the spiderweb design on it.]

    It was rare in this world to create a design using spiderwebs, but she liked things that were umon.

    [I wonder if it has the same magic like the one on Brendel¡¯s hand.] She knew that his ring was special and was able tomand the wind to y his foes.

    This was a side of Brendel that she had never seen before, and she looked curiously at his back. She felt that the things he did was full of mysteries and secrets.

    ¡°Brendel, what happened?¡± In contrast to Romaine¡¯s carefree attitude of ¡®I just need to follow Brendel.¡¯, Freya was more serious. She thought that her responsibility was to take some of Brendel¡¯s burdens off.

    ¡°Nothing much of importance. But we need to leave this area immediately.¡± Brendel suppressed his uneasiness and replied. He pulled out the Elven sword and it glimmered against the barren boulders. He really did not know how to exin to Romaine and Freya about the ¡®Mana Absorbtion¡¯ effect.

    To put in words, it was like an osmosis process where a higher rating magical item took energy away from a lower rating magical item. But it was incredibly rare for an artifact below 40 OZ to do something like this. It was impossible to exin these gaming world¡¯s jargon or scientic words to Freya and Romaine.

    Freya looked worriedly at him, but did not inquire any further.

    Brendel observed the valley. There did not seem to be any movement below but he felt insecure in his heart. He requested Freya to wear the armor, while Romaine was to prepare the rope.

    Freya was already wearing normal clothes on her, so she took out the ¡®Half te of the Wind Empress¡¯ and started to wear it over her body. The only drawback was that she had no prior training in using heavy armor, so there was no hope in her wearing it quickly.

    On the other hand, Romaine was anxious and a little excited. She wanted to help her out but was afraid of Freya scolding her. Even though they were friends, Freya¡¯s anger was not something to take lightly and she knew that she might actually create more trouble for her.

    Brendel felt he could wait for them a little while. What he was more worried about the creatures being attracted from within the valley from the powerful mana ripple.

    He could not help but raise the card in his hand. He was shocked that the Gerald¡¯s most important possession was not the ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯, but this card instead. A magical artifact that could possibly above 40 OZ, just exactly how amazing was this thing?

    In this long chaotic era, the Human and Elven wizards were unable to solve the problem of adding Grade 2 power into magical equipments. It was only until the ¡®Year of the Twilight Moon¡¯ (Chaos Era: Year 471), which was when a genius was able to finally solve it.

    This genius was Tumen, the Elementalist Emperor.

    He invented the technique of imnting Holy Sigils into items, which solved the problem of imbuing them with Grade 2 power. From then onwards, creating magical items that over 40 OZ and above became a reality.

    He did not think the card was some form of sealed Holy Sigil. But he had never seen such aplicated form of Holy Sigil before. It was not the Elven¡¯s Wind Empress Holy Sigil, neither the Kirrlutz¡¯s Fire God Holy Sigil, nor the Irendar¡¯s Water King Holy Sigil.

    He stared at theplicated Sigil and felt a headacheing on. Tumen¡¯s techniques that were handed down underwent many evolution. Logically, the current Holy Sigils in this era could never be asplicated as this.

    [Ancient artifact?]

    As he was trying to figure things out, the card in his suddenly floated without warning. It fired a pir of light in the gray sky, and a few momentster, another pir of light shot out from the southeast mountains in response.

    [Resonance!?]

    Brendel was unable to react at all as he watched the event unfold in a stupor. He immediately wanted to find a table and flip it, because the mana ripple had turned into a mana tidal wave. He figured that even the Madara¡¯s undead army miles away were rmed. A resonance meant that this was a ¡®Combination Item¡¯.

    The worst part was how the other item that resonated was within the Zevail¡¯s mountain pathway.

    ¡°¡±Brendel?¡±¡±

    Both Freya and Romaine spoke at the same time. They knew that the card in Brendel¡¯s hand had to be a problem.

    ¡°I¡¯ll exin to you in a moment, have you worn the armor?¡± Brendel took a final look at the valley and used an urgent tone to ask.

    She nodded.

    The powerful mana reaction had already attracted the servants of the Golden Demonic Tree. He saw the shadows of several Rotten Beast passing by from the dry cavern from below. He did not dare to dy any further and told them to throw any items that would drag them down, and set off by following the narrow path along the steep wall.

    Rations and water were supposed to be preciousmodities, but they could not carry it right now. Brendel only took some basic equipment and a few bundles of rope. Everyone kept a torch and they strove to fight for every second. As they continued advancing, more and more Rotten Beasts gathered at the valley, as if the entire Zevail mountain had came alive.

    Brendel¡¯s heart raced when he looked below. It was a truly a zerg. The first batch of monsters would take at least ten minutes before reaching their campfire. Even though there might be a few Rotten Beasts who managed to see them, the number was ultimately inconsequential to Brendel.

    He was more worried about the Demonic Tree Guards that might have changed their patrolling routes from this sudden change. They had to reach the center portion of the Zevail pathway before the guards found them. That was the only area for to be able to defeat the first patrolling team.

    He knew these guards had just crossed the river in this ce, and even if they turn back now, they needed two hours. He had grinded this dungeon back in the game countless times, and he was only worried about the differences in this world and the game.

    Fortunately, they were just ahead by a single step. The three of them saw a batch of creatures wrapped in ivy arriving in the eastern side, and they discovered each other at the same time. When these Demonic Trees stood at their full size, they were approximately twice the size of a human. They were also wrapped with aerial roots and were eyeless, but they had membranous organs on their limbs to detect sound. (TL: Wiki aerial roots to get a description.)

    They were also differentiated by young and mature Demonic Trees. The mature Demonic Tree had high agility and ran on the mountains like they was on t ground. They were also adept at climbing, and was Brendel¡¯s biggest threat. However, there were only one mature Demonic Tree for every ten young Demonic Tree, and it coincided with his memories in the game here.

    ¡°We need to reach the peak before them.¡± Brendel¡¯s palms started sweating when he saw the Demonic Trees getting closer to them. There was a huge boulder at the peak and could be used by detonating an explosive to loosen it. It would roll down and crush the Demonic Trees, then close off the entrance from the valley. Brendel did not have any explosives, but he had the Ring of the Wind Empress.

    His agility had fallen by 0.3 because of the paralyzing poison. He would have easily gotten up to the small t teau on the peak of the mountain if he was at his peak, but he had to rely on the girls now.

    They did not really understand what he was thinking but they nodded. They were currently treading on thin ice, and even though Brendel did not say anything, they knew the monsters were trouble from his anxious demeanor.

    Freya and Brendel managed to get to the peak, while Romainegged a little behind with a pale face while panting. There was a mature Demonic Tree that appeared on the other side. A level 22 monster, and Brendel knew that if they fought they had zero possibility of winning.

    Brendel took off his ring immediately and threw it at Freya. He shouted: ¡°Wear this ring on your index finger. Find the weak link holding the boulder, aim at it and activate this ring with themand ¡®oss¡¯. Do you understand?¡±

    She caught it and paused: ¡°Brendel?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll distract this monster, hurry up.¡± Brendel wanted to have Romaine do it instead as he would have another helper to cover him, but Romaine was still behind them when he looked back.

    [This is the result forzing around regrly.] He shook his head.

    Brendel took a deep breath. He was so tense that his body felt numb. Even though he presented himself as calm andposed in front of Freya, it did not mean he was not afraid. The enemy had the power of a strong Grade 1 rank. Without the Ring of the Wind Empress, he found it hard to believe that he could reliably match the opponent.

    [4.5 OZ strength, 6 OZ physique, 2 OZ agility. Toughness and defense are extremely high. Its skin has corrosive poison, well versed in range attack, and has the ability to bind. It¡¯s weak against fire and shes.]

    He mentally recalled the opponent¡¯s stats. This mature Demonic Tree¡¯s stats were not so different from the Elite Rotten Beast, but he knew there was a great difference in how they battled.

    Brendel was still thinking of the opponent¡¯s differences, while the ivy on the Demonic Tree suddenly seemed toe alive. Countless ivy branches suddenly came at him. He evaded to one side and rolled to evade the ivy branches that looked delicate, but they pierced through a boulder like steel pikes a ¡®ksssh¡¯ sound. The surface of the boulder started smoking with a hissing sound. Fear ran freely through his veins.

    [A corrosive attack. This is the most frightening aspect of the Demonic Tree. Typical weapons would not be able to hurt them, and instead get ruined by their corrosive nature.]

    The Demonic Trees knew that it had missed when it heard the sound. It moved its ivy to the side, and whipped at Brendel again. He hurled expletives at it in his mind but continued to evade it. The ¡®Iron Whip¡¯ continued to sweep over the surface and hurled stones everywhere.

    Rock pieces struck the area above Brendel¡¯s eyebrows, and it immediately bled. But he did not dare to utter any sounds and just grabbed the ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯ and advanced when he saw a gap.

    He took a few steps forward but immediately paused.

    A series of words appeared in his retina.

    ¡°Summon the Holy Sword?¡±

    TL: As usual I need to rely on themunity¡¯s eyes for these few weeks.

 volume 1 - 30

    Chapter 30 ¨C Heroic Deck

    [Summon the Holy Sword? There are many swords in Vaunte deem as Holy Swords. The Wind Sword, ¡®Nordrasis¡¯. The ¡®Sword of the Endless Sky¡¯ could be considered another one, and even an Amber Sword simply named ¡®Ultimate¡¯... Not that I owned any of these back then.]

    [Is this a type of magic? I know the priest has a low level Light Magic Spell called ¡®Spell of Holy Swords¡¯, but that¡¯s just a series of attacking chants. It has nothing to do with summoning, and the magic vocabry in the game is exceedingly strict and cannot be changed randomly.]

    [Leaving this question aside, the yers in the game have no extreme side effects from using magic, like splitting headaches. At most one will feel exhausted, so...]

    As he finished contemting, he put his mind to it and epted themand, ¡®Summon the Holy Sword¡¯. There were no downsides to this transaction, and he also treated this as ast ditch effort.

    Brendel slowed down slightly from his thinking and the Demonic Treeunched an attack with its snake-like vine whips, but he quickly lowered his body and swung his sword up. An arc of silver sh cut off the two vine whips that gave off a rotting smell, and they turned into ashes in the air.

    He quickly pushed himself off with one hand from the ground, and elerated to the Demonic Tree¡¯s area. When he wanted to continue with his next course of action, the words in his retinas changed.

    ¡°The Path of Warriors, unlocked.¡±

    ¡°Heroic Deck, Chapter 2, Holy Sword of the Knight.¡±

    ¡°Due to the Character¡¯s first time in unlocking the ¡®Cards of Fate¡¯, it shall be entered into the system.¡±

    The ghostly words appeared and quickly disappeared.

    ¡°Holy Sword, symbol of the Knight¡¯s Dedication and the Sword of Purity.¡±

    ¡°Effect: Pay 6 Earth Element Points (EP) from the Element Pool, and summon the Holy Sword into y. All conditions have been met, Character, please disy your card. Point your thumb to the center of the Sigil of Fate, and establish your Mana Link with your index finger and thumb to light up the Holy Sword.¡±

    Brendel immediately that found he was distracted by the amount of words that popped up and almost could not see the Demonic Tree. His hands stopped moving for a moment, and the attacks from the Demonic Tree¡¯s vine made him fall back. He grumbled in his mind, but also knew the chance for him to seed in his attack was slim even if the words did not distract him.

    He sighed involuntarily. He quickly nced at Freya, who was struggling as hard as possible to climb towards the boulder. She was not far away from her goal, but the bouncing ponytail made Brendel pause for a while.

    His concentration changed to the other side without any further issues, and he discovered that the young Demonic Trees at below were a few steps behind. It seemed that she would be fine. Romaine who was somewhere below him, however, was in a terrible state. She was panting heavily and unable to climb any higher.

    The Demonic Tree and Brendel had crossed blows, and neither gained any advantages. The Demonic Tree realized that the human before him was not powerful, but it was afraid of the Elven Sword. Brendel knew what it was thinking as well.

    He gripped his sword again, but the words in his retinas showed a final message:

    ¡®Disy the card?¡¯

    Brendel looked nkly ahead, but his gamer mind quickly worked and he thought of the card in his belongings. And as if to answer his thoughts, he instantly found it.

    [So this sigil is called the ¡®Holy Sigil of Fate¡¯, but I don¡¯t recall hearing about it before.] He was a little puzzled, but his thumb had already been ced on it.

    ¡°Heroic Deck, Chapter 2, Holy Sword of the Knight, sessfully targeted.¡±

    A blinding pir of light shot out from the card.

    The ripples from the magic struck into every living creature¡¯s minds like a sharp knife. Not only did the mature Demonic Tree bellowed, even Freya and Romaine were rooted to they were and they looked at Brendel.

    They saw him holding the card up high in his hand, which kept firing pulses of light until it disappeared.

    ¡°Brendel, t-the card in your hand disappeared!¡± Romaine shouted anxiously. Her eyes were astonishingly good as she was a good fifty meters away.

    But he did not hear anything what she said, as he could only look nkly at the words in his retinas:

    ¡°Holy Sword, symbol of the Knight¡¯s Dedication and the Sword of Purity.¡±

    ¡°When this card is in y, pay 1 Earth EP to attack your enemies, or pay 1 Earth EP to dismiss your sickness, curses or darkness-rted status.¡±

    ¡°The Character is required to pay 2 Earth EP and 2 Spiritual Points (SP) to maintain the ¡®Holy Sword¡¯ every ten minutes.¡±

    ¡°The effect of the Holy Sword affects 1000 meters.¡±

    [Hah?]

    [What kind of evil witchcraft is this?]

    Brendel had never heard of a magical artifact requiring the yer to keep providing power to it. SP does not really need to be exined as it is rted to Willpower, but only a few professions had ¡®Element Pool¡¯, like elementalist, magic swordsman, sun knight. They were the only professions where their magic required using elemental powers.

    [There was never a magical artifact in the game that required a yer¡¯s Elemental Pool. Doesn¡¯t that mean I won¡¯t be able to use this artifact if I don¡¯t have an Elemental Pool? No, I charged it with the soul gem earlier.]

    [Then, the most important thing is the maintenance. To keep using this card means I have to prepare enough Soul Gems. Yet Soul Gems are rare and not every monster drops it.]

    All these questions shed through his mind, but he did not question the power of this artifact, and as expected of a 40 OZ item, the effect was beyond doubt.

    A sword made from pure light appeared behind his back. It was several meters tall, with a broad de and shining armguard with a pair of wings stemming from it. If one looked from afar, Brendel appeared like had had grown a pair of white wings.

    The merchant girl looked nkly at him, her eyes recording everything down, then glittered with idolization and excitement. Brendel was incredibly cool!

    Freya had also stopped moving as she saw what happened, but she quickly remembered she had own mission. She gritted her teeth and continued to climb upwards. The wounds on her hands opened again, and the pain made her furrow her eyebrows.

    Brendel checked his status. When the Holy Sword appeared, his negative stats werepletely removed. When the debilitating and paralyzing poison dissolved like snow as he felt the holy light nourishing him within his body.

    40 OZ, Grade 2 rank, a ¡®Deacon¡¯ ranked priest. Anyone who saw Brendel would believe that he was one if they did not look at his clothes. (TL: Okay, I just made that rank up. What¡¯s the hierarchy rank for one that is below a priest?)

    [This is just strange. This card was summoned with the Earth Element but it¡¯s able to emte the Holy Element effects. Just who exactly made this card?]

    Under his increasing aura of power, the Demonic Tree moved about restlessly. It found it hard to suppress its fear with the intimidating figure of Brendel¡¯s.

    It screeched loudly and finally attacked. The vines around its body suddenly increased in size, and all of them aimed towards Brendel.

    ¡°Brendel, watch out!¡± Romained warned from below.

    He frowned.

    [Because I don¡¯t have an Element Pool, I don¡¯t know how much Earth EP I can take. If I take the conversion of the soul gem at face value, then I should have 20 earth EP. Summoning used up 6, so I should have 14 Earth EP left. This is still ample.]

    He raised his right hand and waved across, paying 1 Earth EP to use the ¡®Attack¡¯ function of the Holy Sword. A golden sword made from light shot out from his fingers.

    All the vines that crossed its path with the sword turned into ashes.

    [This is the Spell of the Holy Sword.]

    He immediately recognize it. It was a low level Priest¡¯s spell, but the attacking power was just as frightening if the OZ was raised ordingly. The Demonic Tree groaned painfully and tried to retreat. Brendel¡¯s attack had destroyed a third of its vine. The Demonic Tree relied on the Golden Demonic Tree¡¯s mana for nourishment, and the vines required many years to grow.

    Brendel obviously did not give the enemy the chance to run, and continued to unleash attacks on it. Three golden swords pierced through the Demonic Tree¡¯s body while one golden sword shed it. The Demonic Tree exploded with a huge bang from the center of the body and turned into ashes.

    Right at this moment, Freya also activated the Ring of the Wind Empress. Even though her aim was slightly off, the wind bullet still managed to knock the huge boulder down, and along with a series ofrge crashing noises, the boulder the size of a small hill went crashing down, turning the ground rocks and Demonic Trees into dust.

    Dozens of Demonic Trees perished in an instant, and the Golden Demonic Tree felt the loss. It gave a terrifying wail, it¡¯s scream traveling throughout the Zevail mountain pathway.

    Brendel heard of this scream hundreds of times and was used to it. He even found it nostalgic, but Freya and Romaine jumped up with shock and looked at each other.

    ¡°W-what was that Brendel?¡± Freya asked from the mountain peak.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t meet that thing.¡± Brendel sighed with relief when the fight was over. Once this patrol group was settled, the remaining task was much easier. He estimated the remaining time to maintain the Holy Sword to be approximately thirty minutes, but it was not enough time for them to walk out from this valley. If he dismissed the Holy Sword, he would be able to summon it one more time.

    He decisively kept the card once he considered the possibility. Romaine finally finished climbing breathlessly and asked: ¡°Brendel, what was, that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the power of this card. I didn¡¯t realize it was a magic artifact earlier.¡± He looked at the stars within Romaine¡¯s eyes and answered ambiguously.

    ¡°Magic artifact?¡± Freya was surprised to hear this answer. The ring that he had gave her was one, the Half te of the Wind Empress was another one, but why would a normal person know so much about magic? In her eyes, magic was so mystical that it could only appear in stories of legends.

    She stared at the youth below her, trying to see through his real identity. He said he was a militia from Brus, but she felt more and more that it was nothing more than a dismissive lie.

    Right at this moment, an astonishing scene that was more impressive than before was happening, but she could not see it. Brendel raised his head to find that golden lights from the surrounding mountain were flying towards him.

    Killing monsters that outleveled him was a wonderful feeling.

 volume 1 - 31

    TL: When I reached home, I just plonked into bed and slept like a log. Oops. I¡¯m heading to school in a few minutes so I didn¡¯t check for any mistakes aside from spell check. I¡¯ll get back to it when Ie back from school.

    Shoutout to Arlos31 ¨C He/She is a major donator to the series.

    Chapter 31 ¨C Aftermath of the battle.

    420 XP.

    The golden lights gathered in mid air to form a stream that steadily flowed into Brendel¡¯s body. As he looked at the ruined battlefield, he sat down weakly on a boulder.

    [That was a Level 22 monster. Even if I add in my militia andmoner level, I¡¯m only level 6. Crossing a difference of 14 levels, even I¡¯m back in my world ying the game, I wouldn¡¯t do something as crazy as this.]

    He would not have done this if he had the chance. His original n was to lure that monster to the area below the boulder, wait till Freya was done with her task, until she was ablee over to fight together and find a chance to escape. Yet this chance was almost non-existent, and very few people in the game would attempt something like this.

    He did not feel that it was a big deal when he decided to go ahead with this n, but now that the battle was over and he had the time to reflect on it, his back was drenched in cold sweat. He used his utmost effort to calmly reply some of the girls¡¯ questions in order not to make them worry, but he knew clearly what sort of situation it really was.

    He felt he had exhausted all his bravery, but he did not realize that people matured in such strenuous circumstances. Freya was also another person who changed. She was only a simple militia a few days ago, but she had became a decisive person now.

    He slowly calmed down. This battle was an incredible reward to him at the eleventh hour. He needed to level up to level 5 so he could unlock the second ss skill.

    [Level 4 requires 70 XP, level 5, 130 XP, level 6 220 XP.]

    Mercenary Level 4 (0.3 Strength, 0.2 Physique, 0.2 Agility, 0.1 Perception)

    Mercenary Level 5 (0.3 Strength, 0.3 Physique, 0.2 Agility, 0.1 Willpower)

    Mercenary Level 6 (0.4 Strength, 0.3 Physique, 0.2 Agility, 0.2 Perception)

    When he leveled up, the character window reflected the changes as it disyed in his eyes. His current stats that are of importance:

    2.5 > 3.5 Strength

    2.3 > 2.9 Agility

    2.4 > 3.2 Physique

    [My stats are three times a normal person, and my Absolute Power Rating is 25 times above them. Just based on my stats alone, I can even handle the entire Be militia all by myself. And if I factor my own experience into the mix, I should be able to handle ten of the guards. I definitely got the status of Grade 1 Rank.]

    If Bretton got onto a battle horse he would barely reach the Grade 1 Rank, and Marden already considered him as a genius. He was only twenty years old and with his talent he might be a Centurion Knight, and from certain point of views, he was considered as someone of important value to the country.

    And Brendel was younger than him by a year.

    Nearly half of the entire continent would not be able to reach Grade 1 their entire life, and only one out of ten could aplish it before the age of twenty.

    [Not enough. Many babies who receive the baptization at the Holy Cathedral of Fire were already gifted with the status of a Grade 1 Rank. They have a status of ¡®Enlightened¡¯. There are even rarer cases where they actually broke the barrier of a Grade 2 rank, the status of ¡®Chosen¡¯.

    There are numerous people who are talented in the ¡®Knight¡¯ profession. This world greatly favors strength, and I need to utilize my advantages to stand out from the crowd.]

    A Mercenary would unlock the skill ¡®Power Break¡¯ when he reached level 5, his next action would consume 3 times the stamina and add 1 OZ Strength to the attack.

    This was the most important offensive skill in the early levels, and Brendel generously added AP to the skill. At level 6, ¡®Power Break¡¯ would only use 55 AP altogether, while it added 4 OZ Strength to the attack, instantly reaching an intermediate Grade 1 Rank¡¯s strength. (TL: 3.5 OZ + 4 OZ, still loses out to that Elite Rotten Beast, lolz.)

    He added the rest of the AP into ¡®Military Swordsmanship¡¯ and ¡®Brawling¡¯. Finally he added 6 XP into the militia to make it Level 3, and his Strength and Physique added another 0.2 OZ.

    This was why so many people in the game took on secondary professions even if there was a penalty to XP gain. It was simply better in the early stagespared to focusing on one profession.

    [But I am certain that there has to be a line drawn here. The yers who took on countless professions paid the priceter on.]

    When one entered the Grade 3 Rankter and their Element had started to unseal, the advantages from taking multiple professions will gradually disappear.

    With his overall level of 10, Brendel closed his eyes and exhaled quietly. The Rotten Beasts were practically XP in his eyes now. If he did not need to go to Fortress Riedon in such a hurry, he would have grinded here to level 15 with just half a month. Time was not on his side.

    He opened his eyes and squinted at the distant valleys. There were some signs of Rotten Beasts that appeared to move towards to their direction. The earliermotion had rmed them.

    Brendel took up the sword on his side. He was not afraid of them but it would not be good if they were tied down by them. Romaine¡¯s aunt was still in the city and they were fighting against time to reach before the Madara¡¯s undead army reached Fortress Riedon.

    He suddenly recalled the Seal Ring that Marden gave him and took it out to look at it. The youth recalled something as he looked at the pattern of ck pine leaves, and smiled coldly.

    The old veteran soldier from the November War did not understand this point. Be was Stronghold Vermeire¡¯s most important buffer since its establishment from the ¡®Year of Thunderbolt¡¯.

    But politics was not as simple as it looked on the surface. Because of theck of sufficient funds and various things that were omitted, constructing both Fortress Riedon and Stronghold Vermiere was the limit at that time. These nobles did not consider creating a warning system in these buffer areas at all.

    As long as they had their fortress and stronghold, they could get by very well. As for the countryside viges, Madara did not attack every year right?

    It was a fact that Aouine was on the verge of copse. Even if there were loyal citizens like Freya, Bretton and Marden fighting for this country, the corrupted upper echelons were destroying the country at the very foundations. Be was somewhat of a special exception, but Brendel knew that he could see the signs where the country was heading into destruction from other regions.

    He sighed again as he looked to the south. The sky was covered byyers of clouds, dimming the afternoon sun. In that direction, a dark kingdom was about to rise.

    ¡°Brendel, your ring.¡±

    He turned back and saw Freya gazing at him with burning eyes. He involuntarily joked: ¡°Did it look nice on your finger?¡±

    ¡°You¡ª¡± The ponytailed girl immediately blushed, averted her head, and saw Romaine giggling at the other side of the hill.

    ¡°Romaine you idiot!¡±

    ¡°What did I do again?¡± The merchant girl was stunned for a moment.

    Brendel gave a chuckle. He knew that she was just venting her anger. He wore the ring back on his finger and felt the Card of Fate. Even though he had never seen it before, it had certainly became his trump card.

    [Ten minutes worth of a Grade 2 Rank¡¯s power. Many things could be done, killing the Golden Demonic Tree is one of them.]

    He decided to change his n. The loot from the Golden Demonic Tree was just too tempting. With every bit of strength gained from here, he would have more confidence in Fortress Riedon. Killing the boss would not take too much time as they would pass by it.

    He estimated for a while and he had approximately eight hours left. It was more than enough, but he hoped to get another Soul Gem to make things more reliable. The attacks from the card relied on Earth EP.

    He was even nning to unlock his Elemental Pool. But it was not very advantageous to take on a side profession like an Elementalist or Magic Swordsman for a 40 OZ or so item. It was best for professions to be rted so itplemented each other. Elementalist, Sun Knight, Magic swordsman are professions that are independent and hardly add anything to a warrior profession. He treated his own profession like a warrior, as they had the same skills and looked roughly the same in the early stages.

    And even if he did want to unlock the Elemental Pool, he needed to take on a mission to unlock his soul, which he was not certain whether he could even find or trigger the mission.

    He stopped thinking about it after a while as he had to n out his way into the Forbidden Garden. If he went straight to it, he was able to save two hours, and he nned to seek out another Elite Rotten Beast.

    He stood up and patted Freya¡¯s shoulders. She was ring at him.

    [Alright, we rested enough, let¡¯s move on.]

    Unfortunately, his action that was well-intended, because Freya subconsciously stepped back, patted onto a very bad ce, The feedback from his touch felt nice, even through the golden scaled armor there was a soft and stic feel to it.

    The atmosphere turned in an instant.

    Brendel watched as the future Goddess of War turned scarlet, then turned white and finally dark. He wanted to exin himself, but a sword swung mercilessly at him.

    ¡°Shameless lout!¡±

    ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t mean to do that, gahhh!¡±

 volume 1 - 32

    TL: Okay, I probably need your eyes for any grammar errors... Just too busy.

    Chapter 32 ¨C Forbidden Garden

    As the fog in the forest dissipated, the battle that took ce in it ended. The young guards¡¯ sudden attack did bring about an unexpected effect on the Madara¡¯s vanguard, but the situation quickly became clear when Kabias gathered the high level undead.

    The forest turned silent.

    ¡°Lord Kabias.¡± The pale undead acolyte brought his hand to his chest and bowed respectfully to the giant skeleton.

    ¡°I had thought that you maggots wouldn¡¯t bother to greet me, Rothko.¡±

    The skeleton general who wore a bronze armor sat on top of a pile of corpses. Its legs were crossed and the mes in his eyes burned intensely. It gripped its double-edged axe, while the other hand was ced on its knee, and looked down upon the weak acolyte, full of contempt.

    The dark lords and the undead wizards hated each other. They had gathered together under the call from the Mercury Staff, but they did not choose to work together by choice. As for the blood lords, they had kept amongst themselves and rarely interfered with Madara¡¯s politics. They had stayed in this fragmented for several centuries before emerging from their stable cocoon.

    The prophecy from the witches, ovepped with the Goddess Helene¡¯s own revtion. ¡®The Darkness shall rise from the east¡¯, regardless of the dark lords, undead wizards or the bloods, everyone believed that this era was indeed going to end, and the new era would be ushered in by Madara.

    Rothko smiled. Kabias is a general under Tarkus, and he was merely a small leader of apany, and there was no argument in their ranks. To draw the ire of this skeleton was because their vanguard stole the thunder amongst all the other generals. Three hundred skeletons and twenty necromancers defeated the Be guards,pletely defeated the Green vige¡¯s militia to allow Kabias unfettered ess, then finally vanquishing Be guards. His results could even be described as glorious. (TL: What! I like Bretton =[... )

    In Madara¡¯s tradition, the undead¡¯s vanguard are used as cannon fodder to sap the enemy¡¯s strength, and under the worst circumstances they were used as a dying tactic or buffer. It was typical to have one third of a squadron of Aouine¡¯s guards to easily defeat such a vanguardprising of skeletons and necromancers.

    In Tarkus ns, Rothko was nothing more to a chess pawn used for disruption, while the real hammers to strike the nail in the Aouine¡¯s coffins were Kabias and Wesker. It was unexpected of this undead acolyte named Rothko, and it surprised Tarkus. Just as he was surprised his right wing, Wesker whomitted a huge error in the battlefield.The battlefield was always changing, and even outstandingmanders were unable to be ahead of every step, even if Tarkus was famed for being reliable.

    Since the acolyte was from a lowly birthright and did not know his future, he naturally did not refute anything. On the contrary, Kabias¡¯s words were like a type of glory to him. Kabias was biased against all the necromancers, but doing something like this raised his status.

    He looked at the ck warriors who lined up behind Kabias and felt a little envious. He might have gotten a fair amount of loot from the battles, but the majority of them had to be given to the superiors, and what remained behind was not enough to summon even one ck warrior. He heard that there was a pdin¡¯s tomb in the Green vige, and certainly the best body to be converted, but the Green vige was Kabias¡¯s territory now. (TL: Change of title, Holy knight > Pdin.)

    [Even though it¡¯s a pity, but there would be plenty of chances in the future. This time all the leaders are aiming to get something good out of this war.]

    He thought for a while before replying: ¡°Lord Kabias, there are a few rats who escaped to the north. We had not seen the refugees since yesterday¡¯s afternoon, and I suspect that the attack here was a diversion, and the remainder of their forces had moved towards the north and entered the River of Daggers.¡±

    It was enough for him to stop there. Wesker was in charge of the northern area. If he wanted to capture live specimens or get a share of the loot, he had to get the skeleton¡¯s approval. A small leader like himself could not shoulder this responsibility.

    But Kabias was no fool either. It nced at the little acolyte and realized the little worm¡¯s scheme. It adjusted its lower jaw, creating a cking sound.

    ¡°You want me to go against that bald headed Wesker? What do I get out of this, little maggot.¡±

    ¡°You would be able to increase your strength, isn¡¯t this advantage good enough, my lord?¡±

    ¡°Hmph. They are merely a bunch of weak humans. I have no interest in creating weak skeletons.

    ¡°I heard that there is a veteran soldier amongst the guards who survived the November war. He is the leader of the guards.¡±

    Kabias ming eyes pulsed: ¡°Looks like that fellow Wesker is lucky today.¡±

    Rothko sighed. He knew that his persuasion had failed, so he raised his head to take his leave. Kabias and him were from different units and as a member of the undead wizard¡¯s faction, his vanguard did not need to listen to Kabias. If it was not for this matter, he would not have sought out Kabias.

    But at this moment, he suddenly felt a tremor in his heart and he looked to the south.

    The giant skeleton also looked in the same direction, bypassing the forest and looked at the mountains covered in ominous shadows.

    [[A terrifying mana response.]]

    ¡°The Zevail mountain pathway.¡± Kabias sniffed the air, as if it could sense the magicing from the pine river. (TL: It¡¯s one thing to pretend that Kabias can talk even though he¡¯s a skeleton, it¡¯s another to pretend he has lungs to suck the air in.)

    Rothko did not answer, because he immediately felt an even more powerful mana ripple from that direction.

    [What is that damned Golden Demonic Tree doing?]

    Any wizard within dozens of miles would be able to feel that response. He was suddenly a little worried, and wondered if the magicians from the White-bearded Legion within Fortress Riedon discovered something.

    ¡°We had best send out some people in advance, Lord Kabias.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, I know what to do even without you telling me. We undead have a stronger reaction to magic. When you be a Lich, you are free to teach me.¡±

    Rothko smiled again.

    ...................................................................................

    Brendel brought Freya and Romaine out from a crack from the wall. He gestured for them to stop, and he looked outside to take everything within the valley into his eyes. In the depressed grounds that were filled with gray boulders, a huge golden tree with healthy leaves stood quietly in the center of the valley.

    [This is the Forbidden Garden.]

    The Golden Demonic Tree had absorbed the nutrients from thend and the surrounding mana. The earth had became barren and lost the Earth Element. Brendel raised his head, the sky was gloomy and dark, as if ck clouds were gathering above them. This was also due to the unnatural bnce of the elements.

    As the Earth Element has beenpletely stripped, other elements gathered here in huge amounts, causing the order of the elements to be chaotic. Thew of the elements were set when Mother Marsha created the world, and governed by the Elven kings, but there could be various reasons for it to be unstable, like the Golden Demonic Tree which disrupted thew.

    In the past, an elementalist¡¯s strength would be sealed by 30%. It was the reason why no teams hardly epted any elementalists. The elementalists even described this bit of history as ¡®History of the three years with bloody tears¡¯.

    Romaine and Freya stared at the strange Golden Demonic Tree. They had only heard of a creature like this in bedtime stories, and even wondered if they were dreaming when they saw it in front of them.

    Furthermore, the beauty of the Golden Demonic Tree contrasted deeply with the dystopic background.

    ¡°W-what is that?¡± Freya stammered.

    ¡°It¡¯s so pretty. Brendel, is that the Golden Apple Tree in the mythical tales? The monsters are the guards of this tree right? I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s a living thing in this environment that is so beautiful!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an oak tree, Romaine.¡± Freya sighed.

    ¡°I-I know that, so it¡¯s an oak tree!¡± Romaine¡¯s eyebrows darted up to her hair while she corrected herself quickly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get trapped by its beauty. This is probably the most dangerous creature¡ª-, no, it should be monster.¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes scanned the entire mountain, and quickly discovered another batch of Demonic Tree patrolling the area. These monsters wrapped with whips slowly moved towards the pathway filled with boulders,

    [It matches my memories of the game.]

    ¡°Monster?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The monsters that we met earlier are born from this tree.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Freya¡¯s eyes went wild with shock.

    They were not as tense as before when they saw the patrolling Demonic Trees. The three of them had fought against the servants of the Golden Demonic Tree and Brendel took in another 65 XP, even managing to get a Tree Crystal from a Mature Demonic Tree.

    This a crafting material in the game, but Brendel did not know how the production stats was calcted, and simply carried it along as it might benefit themter on.

    He also realized that Freya and Romaine¡¯s apparent growth. Especially the future Goddes of War. Her strength and agility had risen sharply from the battles, and she was almost at the level of a guard. The only thing that Brendel did not understand was how they received XP, and from the looks of it, their progress was much slower than him.

    Freya as a pure militia should have increased her level repeatedly from killing a high level monster like the Demonic Tree, but he felt that he increased his Mercenary profession much faster. It was all very puzzling.

    But he quickly put away these idle thoughts because he had more important things to do. If the Golden Demonic Tree discovered them first, then it would summon the Rotten Beasts from the outside to its aid, and leave them with little time.

    He had estimated in the game before, the first batch of Rotten Beast would reach in fifteen minutes, and if they were still unable to finish off the Golden Demonic Tree, they had to consider running away.

    But Brendel did not immediately seek to initiate a fight. He had another issue that needed an answer even before he thought of defeating the Demonic Tree patrol. He looked up at the steep slope.

    ¡°Wait for me here, don¡¯t get discovered.¡± He turned back and replied.

    ¡°Brendel?¡±

 volume 1 - 33

    TL: Yup. Busy. Many assignments. Need your eyes. Check mistakes. May check errors on weekend if schedule permitting.

    Chapter 33 ¨C Before the assault

    Brendel looked at the steep slope that was shaped like a knife, then turned back to Romaine and let her wear the Ring of Spiderweb. He realized that her perception was surprisingly high, and letting her wear this ring would increase her ability.

    Romaine had spied on the beautiful ring with ck and white patterns for a long time, and was naturally happy to receive it. But she still asked curiously: ¡°Is this a magic ring too, Brendel?¡±

    ¡°Mmm. It allows you to hear better. So pay attention and if there is anymotions, inform Freya. I¡¯ll be back very soon.¡±

    In this valley, there were another monster besides the Golden Demonic Tree that was of considerable danger, a Rock Wurm. It was a rare elite that came from the side effects of the mana imbnce. During the first time it appeared in the game, Brendel nearly ended up being defeated by it.

    ¡°There are other enemies?¡± Both of them spoke at the same time.

    ¡°There might be, doesn¡¯t it pay to be careful?¡± He did not want to act like a rvoyant as it was not going to be easy to exin things in the future if he chose that path, so he chose to answer in vague manner.

    But Freya nodded understandingly and tightened her grip on the longsword and guarded Romaine.

    ¡°I¡¯ll protect her, bute back quickly.¡±

    ¡°Erm?¡± He looked at her in surprise.

    [When did this silly girl became so cooperative?]

    He was a little flustered, but it did not look like some conspiracy, so he put down his backpack hesitatingly and took out a rope and hook. He looked at the girls again, before carefully climbing out.

    ¡°Freya, is Brendel going to be alright alone?¡± Romaine whispered and asked.

    ¡°He has his own ns and we can¡¯t help him with it. It will be enough if we don¡¯t let him worry over here.¡±

    ¡°Freya?¡±

    Freya swayed her ponytail, her bright eyes showed a serious expression. She was not admitting defeat, but felt that her current strength could only do so much. She had earnestly reflected on herself, and she had to have high expectations of herself as a leader of a squadron.

    She exhaled slowly and brought her sword close to her chest. She was determined.

    On the other side, Brendel advanced on the steep slope by using the rope. He was still tens of meters away from a certain gap in the wall. He breathed in deeply and nced behind his back. It was fortunate the Golden Demonic Tree and its guards rely on sound and mana to discover their targets, otherwise he waspletely open at his position.

    He grabbed onto a protruding rock, and the sand trickled from the rock¡¯s surface. The tiny sound did not count for much, but he was worried that it would escte into something bigger, and he tried to limit his actions as quietly as possible.

    [30 meters more. it will soon be over.]

    There was no soul gem that dropped along the way, but Brendel knew he still had one more chance. There was a treasure in the gap¡ª no, iming it as a treasure was sort of wrong. yers would call all resources and rewards from hidden ces as treasure, but the treasure was a memento.

    In the plot within the game, there was a young noble who loved to adventure called Bergens. He came to this valley with his allies, and was separated from them. He managed to escape to the gap, but due to his injuries he died there.

    There was some possessions along with a keepsake on him. He could bring the keepsake to Brus toplete the mission, and even though the reward was not promising, it was better than nothing.

    But the possession that the noble had was more interesting. As it was a random treasure, anything could be given out as long as the person¡¯s luck was good. The greatest treasure that Brendel opened was an Amber Relic Stone. Brendel did not hope to get that, and it would be good enough if he got a soul gem. The percentage to get one was actually pretty high here.

    He quickly climbed into the gap and immediately saw the unfortunate noble¡¯s skeleton copsing to one side. For one moment Brendel thought he had gone back into the game, as every detail appeared to be the same.

    He quicklyposed himself and carefully went over to the skeleton, and his eyes fell onto a small bag. He was stunned for a moment as he noticed a piece of dry and dustymbskin paper inside it.

    [There was nothing like this in the game!]

    He picked up the paper lightly and discovered that it was a will. There were only a few lines on it:

    ¡°Mother Marsha above, I might not be in this world for much longer. If I am to meet an unfortunate end, and the one who chanced upon my will, I would legally transfer all my possessions on my body to you. Furthermore, I have a secret wealth passed down from my ancestors, and would award 1/3 to you. Please pass 1/3 to my wife, Sadie, and 1/3 to my daughter...... (unintelligible).

    If you are interested in this wealth, please pass my will and my keepsake to my wife, and tell her ¡®The date on the Barde ball¡¯ and she sill understand what I wish to convey.

    Finally, I am sorry, Sadie. May Mother Marsha punish me.¡±

    Brendel read everything and looked nkly at the paper. He had never seen this piece of paper. The only mission to this was taking the seal ring off and passing it to the Brus citizen registry and he would receive a certain amount of money. The mission would end there and there was no further continuation.

    [What does this mean? Is it because this world is different from the game?]

    Brendel shook his head. He instinctively refuse to believe that judgment. Everything had matched to his memories to everyst detail, and there was no reason why there was an exception here. He pondered on it for a while.

    [What could be the reason? Wait¡ª Of course! It might be possible that the first person who discovered this will receive a unique mission. There are many ¡®first¡¯ missions and ¡®only¡¯ missions... But did such a thing ever happen in repeatable dungeons? Nobody had mention this before...]

    He continued to hesitate for a long time, and finally took the will and seal ring carefully and put them away on him. He somehow felt that this mission sounded familiar. Someone seemed to havepleted a mission with a simr ring to it, but the daughter¡¯s name and the address of the family waspletely blurred out, otherwise this mission would be much simpler.

    Brendel did not really mind this point. The harder it was meant that the rewards would be much better. At the very worst he would start from the Brus citizen registry, as he had the clue of the noble¡¯s name as well as his wife. But that would be a future thing, and he had to face his own problems now.

    He inspected his victory loot next. Two red gems, around 30 silver coins which was a windfall, a smoking pipe, a ss bead and a gray stone fragment. Brendel poured everything out and carefully inspected them once again, and he was disappointed that he did not discover any soul gem. He sighed.

    It was a decent reward if it was in the game, but he did not need money or materials, but items with an immediate impact on increasing his strength. But even though it was disappointing, he still swept everything into his bag. He did not check what was of use as they were just trinklets.

    After cleaning out the gap¡¯s goodies, he took a final look at the skeleton before returning where he came from. Everything turned out smoothly, and the girls were relieved when they saw him returning to the wall¡¯s opening.

    ¡°Brendel, you¡¯re finally back. When you were not around, Freya and I were so tense. There was no sound at all in the surroundings.¡± Romaine patted her chest and exhaled with relief.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pull me into this-¡± Freya¡¯s face turned crimson.

    ¡°I¡¯m just out there to check the surroundings. There is a patrolling team out there, and we should quickly kill them.¡±

    ¡°Do we need to go out?¡±

    ¡°We can also wait here. When it is a littleter we can leave from the other end of the exit. We can avoid a fight, we would be tight on the remaining time.¡±

    ¡°How long?¡± Freya asked.

    ¡°We will set out two hourster.¡±

    The girl paused for a while. ¡°How far is Fortress Riedon from here?¡±

    The furthest she had left from home was Verbin. Even though she had heard of Fortress Riedon from the adults¡¯ lips, it was nothing more than an impression.

    ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way, if we are going to bete for two hours, we will be running against the undead army.¡± He looked at Romaine: ¡°We might reach the fortress a little earlier, but there would be little time left.¡±

    ¡°If we destroy the tree we will save time?¡±

    ¡°There is a hidden passageway behind which was used by merchants in the past to avoid the checkpoints. I have seen it in the Brus¡¯s city documents, when I was still a militia.¡± He lied without skipping a heartbeat. There was no falsehood about the passageway though, since it was knowledge from the game.

    ¡°Is the tree dangerous?¡± He pointed towards it.

    ¡°Incredibly dangerous. It¡¯s 50/50.¡± Brendel answered gravely. Even though he wanted to gamble and finish the Golden Demonic Tree, but he had to tell the the girls the truth about the risk they are taking.

    In a party, everyone had to make a choice about their lives, no one could force another. The basic rules in The Amber Sword.

    Freya went silent.

    ¡°Romaine, are you fine with it?¡±

    Romaine shook her head: ¡°I liked adventuring. My life was meant to do meaningful things.¡±

    Freya took back her gaze on her and nodded: ¡°I understand. Brendel, please bring us to defeat it. Even if we are to fail, I will also not regret it.¡±

    He grinned. He did not expect Freya¡¯s reaction to be so big: ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so polite about this, I¡¯ll tell you how to defeat it. But we need to settle the patrol team. Six Demonic Trees, we are familiar with them already but we need to end it in an instant.¡±

    He brought them to the wall opening¡¯s edge. They could see the monsters clearly. He circled an area: ¡°We will sneak over there andunch an attack with my gesture. Before we fight we should take it slowly, and we cannot let them discover us.¡±

    ¡°We still have at least half an hour, so we don¡¯t need to hurry.¡±

    ¡°Freya.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Romaine and I will attack from the right, while you hide below that boulder on that left side. When weunch an attack, you will attack the two that are at the very back. Do you remember their weaknesses?¡±

    Brendel wanted Romaine on her side to protect her, and ease Freya¡¯s pressure. That merchantss did not have anybat strength.

    She nodded. The Demonic Trees¡¯ weaknesses were at their four limbs, because their sensory organs were on the four of them. If they lost their limbs there were not a threat. But she was a little tense. The way how they handled these trees from before were schemes based on surprise, like falling boulders or something, but it was a frontal assault now. She was not worried about Brendel¡¯s capabilities, but was she able to do so? Freya was uncertain.

    He nced at her and knew what she was thinking. Every newbie had the same problem, and even though Freya should be considered a ¡®NPC¡¯, but she was probably no different. He thought for a while, and spoke encouragingly: ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry too much, your armor limits them by a lot, and you should attack aggressively.¡±

    She nodded.

 volume 1 - 34

    TL: It turns out all the assignments are given till the end of the year for polishing (and a relief cause I totally did not manage to finish perspective drawing at all). On Friday, I¡¯ll be on two weeks break and I¡¯ll back to school for another 4 months worth of intensive stuff.

    Anyways, good news for you guys, cause I¡¯ll be taking at least 1 full day (probably this Friday) to do nothing but just TL so you guys and myself can gorge on some Christmas reading, and no more of that damnable cliffhangers. This will be exclusive from the donations.

    Regarding the schedule of donated chapters, it kind of depends on how crazy my schedule is. I probably can¡¯t do 1 ch per day if I get 4-5 assignments per week because it takes at least 3 hours to do 1 chapter of The Amber Sword, and I spend an ungodly amount of time researching on my assignments while leaving almost no time for drawing from that schedule.

    I don¡¯t even have the bloody time to read the books that I bought (grrrrr), while my coffee intake has increased dramatically to the point I¡¯m going to take a look at my budget again during my term break.

    So it¡¯s probably going to be 1-1.5 hrs/day for donated chapters, while the regr trantions will hopefully continue as per normal.

    I haven¡¯t check this chapter for mistakes too >_>.

    If anyone has any tips/video links on digital drawing for perspective it will be greatly appreciated, because this shit takes up so much time it¡¯s not even funny (and this affects my TL schedule the most). My fastest method currently is to duplicate lots of rectangles and transform it to the perspective line, while figuring out how to make it 3Dter on (still researching on it).

    I need a good texture + color tutorial on painting walls too, so I can be ahead of my ss schedule (which will be 2/3 points VP and some recreation of 2D vehicles into perspective, and finally it will probably be some environments + texture).

    End announcement break.

    Chapter 34 ¨C Golden Demonic Tree

    Three people made their way down to the valley silently and waited in ambush. Brendel made it look like time was frozen, as his movements were so delicate and subtle, and one would find it impossible to discover anything out of the ordinary if they were to survey the surroundings.

    He had walked on this path more than a hundred times. He had failed before in his attempts and got discovered when he was still unfamiliar, but he would not fail here now. Even though the Demonic Trees had exceptional strength, these naturally blind creatures were not effective in investigating their surroundings.

    The tense Brendel heard the faint rustling of pebbles rubbing against boots. He turned his back and saw Freya anxiously looking back at him. The youth furrowed his brows.

    [Freya, you¡¯re still too tense.]

    He stopped to allow Romaine to pass him. The merchant girl had very well by lowering her body and breathing evenly. Her strides were not overlyrge and she did not move too slowly too, and she was as elegant as a cat. Her current mentality was filled with dexterous cautiousness from the excitement, and her heart which was as taut as a string strangely pushed out her potential. She was like a natural adventurer.

    ¡°Romaine, you¡¯re doing really well, keep on doing this.¡± Brendel encouraged her by mouthing the words out.

    She quickly nodded in response, her actions were really small, but she could not suppress the pride in her heart.

    As Romaine passed by Brendel, he looked back at Freya. She seemed to know her own problems, and she lowered her head involuntarily. He sighed in silence when he saw this scene. No matter how one looked at her, it was clear that she did not possess outstanding wisdom, judgment, mentality, physique, and one would have thought she would be nothing more than an ordinary person.

    But Brendel knew there had to be something that allowed her to hold the legendary name of ¡®The Goddess of War¡¯.

    He narrowed his eyes into a line and looked thoughtfully at her. Her light orange colored hair was on full disy when she lowered her head, reasonably dense and soft looking, and it looked like she had taken much care on it. She did notb it skilfully, but it was meticulously done.

    At this moment she was crouching her body and progressing past him. The girl did not utter any sound, and only her long ponytail followed her bobbing action, almost as if it to disy her will in her heart. Brendel knew that it was her unbending will.

    His heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°Freya.¡±

    She paused for a moment.

    ¡°You¡¯re too tense, rx a little.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I......¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Do you see the boulder in front? We should split up here from now onwards. Hide yourself behind there until the patrol team passes by. You must attract the attention of thest two Demonic Trees at the first moment weunch an attack.¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯ll wait here to watch over you. Freya, I¡¯m sure you can do it well.¡± He turned his body andid beside a field of broken rocks and gestured to her.

    She showed off shock as this was different from the initial n. But she was not stupid to not know that he stayed behind to boost her confidence. She felt slightly moved, but she could only press her lips firmly together and nodded gravely at this moment.

    He noticed that her actions a little more steady than before as she progressed forward, and he felt relieved.

    This was a very normal reaction to situations like this, and someone like Romaine who was calm and bold was rare. When he turned his head the other way, he noticed that she had stopped moving and was looking curiously at him. He gave an exasperated sigh and gestured at her to keep on moving forward.

    It was unfortunate that her mind was steady but her thoughts were beyondmon sense. On the other hand, it was Freya who was more reliable and he looked forward to see her grow into the Goddess of War in the future.

    She quickly reached the proposed position. The patrol team had just crossed half of the mountain valley, and it was pretty much impossible for them to do something out of the ordinary. It was just she was too nervous. Brendel had a little trouble as encouraging her took precious time away, and they were already in their ambush range.

    At this distance he might be discovered.

    But he was still that veteran warrior in the game, forcefully willing himself to gauge the best timing and the enemies¡¯ pathing to the best moment without any errors. When he finally was beside Romaine, he had to wipe the cold perspiration on his forehead. It was too close forfort, but his actions were wless and did not let his emotions affect his abilities.

    Romaine noticed the perspiration and quickly handed a checkered handkerchief to him. He noted the handkerchief and faintly remembered that it was a handicraft from the northern region Vieiro. It was difficult to find something like this in Be, and was one of the merchant girl¡¯s favorite items.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± He mouthed the word.

    ¡°I should be the one thanking you, Brendel.¡± She hugged her bag and answered earnestly: ¡°It might be very dangerous in a while, and there might not be such a chanceter right? So I want to tell you that I am thankful, Brendel.¡±

    Brendel was taken aback slightly, but he gave a faint smile.

    In a few heartbeats, the six Demonic Trees were already near them, and the three of them who hid behind the sharp boulders could hear the shuffling sounds of their footsteps approaching nearer and nearer. The Demonic Trees used a low rumbling note to pass information to each other, while they were able to feedback to their parent by justmunicating by telepathy.

    Brendel saw Freya pulling her sword out, who went as far as to wrap her de with her clothes to prevent the reflection of the light from the de from appearing. Brendel nodded at her thoughtfulness even though it was unnecessary here. She was improving every day and moved away from that idealistic vige girl.

    He gestured immediately.

    ¡®I will go first, you will sneak attack them.¡¯

    Freya¡¯s brows creased together. He was always trying to take on the dangerous portion of the job to himself which made her feel uneasy and displeased at the same time. But even so, she knew that this was the best n and could only nod reluctantly.

    The Demonic Tree moved across the ground and continued downwards to an array of rocks. They suddenly stopped and extended their search everywhere, andmunicated differently with a series of notes that had different tones.

    Brendel pulled out the ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯, with one arm protecting romaine, and gave an attack signal to Freya¡ª

    [Right now, they should be behind us and far apart from each other. Now is the best time!]

    Brendel charged out in an arch and his first target was a mature Demonic Tree. Freya decisively pulled out his sword and rushed towards to the back lines of the group, and her targets were the two closest Demonic Trees.

    The Demonic Trees in charge of the rear were typically alert, and thus their reactions were the quickest. They discovered Freya as they turned their heads backwards and bellowed loudly. The vines that pierced through the air like a javelin whistled sharply like a shriek.

    Freya swung her hands outwards and blocked the four chain-like whips away as the ¡®Feathers of Wind¡¯ shone individually to protect her. She jumped high up and knocked onto a Demonic Tree. The dimming ¡®Feathers of Wind¡¯ lit themselves once again, and the giant creature was knocked flying away by the sudden assault.

    She remembered Brendel¡¯s words earlier that her armor was highly effective against them and she should just attack with her limbs.

    She gritted her teeth as she headed towards to the Demonic Tree lying on the ground without any real n. The whips came at her with the force of a tidal wave, and she knew she had limited strength and might be knocked away, so she raised her sword up high and cleaved downwards at the Demonic Tree¡¯s right arm.

    There was a light crunching sound and its right arm containing the vines flew straight up, but Freya was also knocked away onto the ground from the enemy¡¯s attack in return. When she started to get up, another Demonic Tree whipped at her and she rolled onto the ground several times. Even though the Half te of the Wind Empress protected her, the impact ruptured her inner body and she coughed out blood.

    The enemy on the ground would not recover quickly, and she had only one more enemy left. However, she was unable to find any chance to attack as she wiped the blood away from her mouth.

    She drew in a breath of air lightly.

    At the other end, Brendel had already finished off his enemy from the ambush. The ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯ in his hands were like a line of silvery sh: His first attack was a stab that entered the Demonic Tree¡¯s right nk, which then came across in an arc to sever the right arm and several vines, turning it into flying ashes.

    The second attack was a sh that lopped off its two legs, and the instant the creature lost its bnce and crashed to the ground, the icy de had went across its neck.

    Under the web of swirling lights, the mature Demonic Tree turned into ashes.

    This was the advantage of his guerri tactic, but the rest of them had to use some improvisation. He had a few ideas, and he decided to retreat after his sessful strike. The remainder of the Demonic Trees obviously would not let him get away and the three Demonic Trees chased after him with a roar.

    Brendel lured them to a narrow pathway where they formed a line subconsciously to keep pursuing him, but what awaited them was a gleaming silver ring on his finger.

    ¡°Oss!¡±

    Freya heard a frightening sting from the left side and she knew it came from Brendel. She was momentarily distracted and when she regained her senses, she realized that the enemy in front of her was actually stunned by the sound explosion.

    As an ignorant youth from Be, she did not understand that the sound explosion greatly affected the Demonic Tree that was sensitive to sound. It nearly caused aplete loss to its judgment of the world around it, and the world around him was endless waves of bright light where nothing existed.

    The only thing of importance to her that it was a chance, and it was more than enough. She raised the sword that was almost corroded to the breaking point and she mercilessly chopped the Demonic Tree¡¯s legs.

    The short battle seemed to draw at a end by her sword¡¯s arc.

    With a crisp cracking sound, the Demonic Tree and her sword were snapped in half. She almost could not believe she had seeded and her mouth was agape with surprised. Then she finally noticed Romaine opposite of her, panting tiredly with a Madara¡¯s ck steel sword in her hands.

    ¡°Romaine!¡±

    ¡°Freya, s-sorry, Brendel told me to help you.........¡±

    She smiled: ¡°It¡¯s no problem at all, thanks.¡±

    Brendel saw this scene unfold when he came out from the narrow pathway of rocks and was momentarily dazed. He thought that she was going to be angry but her reaction was quite contrary to his prediction.

    He did not entirely n this for the sake of reducing Freya¡¯s burden, but also partly on the tactical consideration. The crux of this n was actually on her side. The strength of the enemy team heavily relied on the mature Demonic Tree as the leader, and the two Demonic Trees that were vignt.

    As long as these two Demonic Trees were bogged down, he would be able to kill the mature Demonic Tree easily and execute the n to lure the remaining Demonic Trees. If the enemies were able to do a counter attack in this open terrain, he might not be able to protect Freya and Romaine¡¯s safety even if he was five levels higher.

    He was agonizing over the exnation but she seemed to have understood this point already.

    ¡°Why is the Golden Demonic Tree quiet?¡± She asked him when she saw himing over, and asked: ¡°It can¡¯t move?¡±

    Brendel woke up from his stupor. He shook his head. The Golden Demonic Tree was not going to stay quiet, and in fact it was the exact opposite. The moment they attacked, the Golden Demonic Tree had noticed them already and alreadyunched its counter attack.

    It merely did it silently.

    ¡°We only have a minute, and I¡¯ll exin to you how to handle the Golden Demonic Tree. Both of you must listen carefully, unless you want your souls to be trapped within the that Golden Demonic Tree.¡± He replied.

 volume 1 - 35

    TL: Welp, it¡¯s good that this cliffhanger isn¡¯t going tost too long...

    Chapter 35 ¨C The illusion of the past

    The sun was brightest in this spring under the clear sky.

    During April, the viridescent grass extended itself to the end of Brus¡¯s river, verdant and luxuriant trees grew in the forest, and one could find a watermill or sawmill at the golden currents of the river¡¯s turn.

    The crystal clear water flowed along the pebbles in the stream, crossing the pine mountains and then downwards to the Vieiro area. To the natives who lived there, this river was like an endless song that carried the wisdom of the ages.

    The old Brendel believed in that story and he traveled along the river to listen to the sounds within the forest. There were bears residing in it, but it was difficult to spot them. In his memories, this was the ce where his grandfather loved to bring him in the past.

    And in the current Brendel¡¯s memory, this was a newbie¡¯s region that he was instantly familiar. Most of the creatures were low leveled while the bears were the BOSS of this area, and dropped quality hides. (BOSS was written directly in English in the raws, which I opted to keep as a vor.)

    The two memories had meshed together and sprang up in his mind here.

    Just a few minutes ago where he recalled the strategy to fight against the Golden Demonic Tree ¡ª

    ¡°Freya, Romaine. I¡¯ll keep things short. Both of you should have realized that the Golden Demonic Tree¡¯s real power is the spiritual strength within it. This is the reason why it is able to control so many Rotten Beasts and Demonic Trees.¡± (TL: Any DnD terms regarding mind power? Spiritual strength soundsme)

    ¡°Spiritual strength?¡±

    ¡°Romaine, don¡¯t interrupt.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Freya.¡±

    ¡°Yes, spiritual strength. The ability to spy on thoughts and gain control of people¡¯s hearts, and the Golden Demonic Tree is able to create grand illusions and detain the souls in there.¡± Brendel replied: ¡°The truth is when we fought against the Demonic Trees, the Golden Demonic Tree has started to affect our thoughts. It is always dreaming, and this dream shall merge with us very soon.¡±

    ¡°Dream?¡±

    ¡°Yes, very soon we will enter into our own dreams. You would see something unbelievable in it, but before that happens I have crucial points that I need to tell you......¡±

    Brendel pointed in the center of the valley. The Golden Demonic Tree was bing more beautiful in their eyes. The branches extended everywhere, seemingly unleashing a vibrant life towards the world. It was a sign that it was spreading the dream world towards reality.

    In the game, the Tree Shepherd bestowed the Golden Tree a drop of blood from the gods to awaken the powers within it, but this Elven tree also slumbered into an eternal dream. The contents of the dream was a world of darkness and ghastly whispers, and any normal mortals would sink into madness just by catching a glimpse of the world.

    This world was considerably fatal to the yers in the game. Once they entered into it they were prone to death any time. But in order to defeat the Golden Demonic Tree they had to enter this dream.

    This was the first stage of fighting against the Golden Demonic Tree, Phantasmagoria.

    This stage was once considered to be the hardest battle in the game, but the guild ¡®Freedom¡¯ solved this problem by using a trick. It was a rarely known secret a bit earlier on, but Brendel returned to this area when the secret had been distributed widely. It was also a coincidence that his resources at hand allowed him toplete the first stage, but it was probably insufficient for the second stage.

    When the first stage ended, he would have to seek victory by using their real abilities, which would be difficult for their current strength.

    [The yers who enter this dungeon has an average level of 25. I¡¯m only at level 10, and the girls¡¯ levels are definitely below me. Even with all our rare equipment, it would be difficult to finish the boss battle in 15 minutes, and after that the Rotten Beasts will arrive.

    The Holy Sword would be my trump card. If I make every strike count, then it might just be barely possible to take down the Golden Demonic Tree within that time frame.]

    ¡°Crucial points?¡± Freya¡¯s voice brought him back to reality. (TL: Sometimes I wonder how long in real time Brendel¡¯s inner monologue is...)

    Brendel took a moment to recall what Freya said, then nodded: ¡°The Golden Demonic Tree¡¯s dream will invade our own, but you must remember you are the ones who control the dream. Regardless of how it constructs your dream, or create the most fearsome of beasts, they would never go past your limits.¡±

    [Back in the game, the Golden Demonic Tree will create the strongest monsters that a yer met alone and recreate that dream. In addition there were several other negative attributes added into the mix, and with every injury and mistake made, the negative attributes would increase while the enemies became even stronger. This ends up as a loop where the enemies be stronger while the yer bes weaker and finally gets defeated as a result.]

    Brendel did not know how these negative attributes would present itself here. But there is only one answer. They had to be brimming with confidence and ensure that they are at their best condition to secure victory.

    He pointed at his temple and looked gravely at the girls: ¡°Gather your concentration and keep up your determination to fight. The human¡¯s ¡®Will¡¯ attribute.¡±

    ¡°¡®Will¡¯ Attribute?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt, Romaine!¡± Brendel snapped in exasperation: ¡°I¡¯m talking about willpower. A human¡¯s willpower can be unstable, and it will fluctuate based on your conditions. Gather your concentration and hold on to your determination to keep on fighting. That way, your willpower will always remain at its peak. As long as your willpower holds steady, the Golden Demonic Tree will find it difficult to bring about your negative emotions. Don¡¯t get controlled by that negative emotion, otherwise there would be dire consequences.¡±

    ¡°How dire?¡± The merchant girl looked at him with bright eyes.

    He did not reply. He was afraid his answer will make them tense, and that was also a negative emotion. In the game¡¯s lore, defeat would mean that their souls would be detained eternally in the Golden Demonic Tree, until it was purified by mes into ashes, where the souls would finally be released. But even then their bodies would not survive the loss of the souls.

    The surroundings were starting to be foggy.

    Brendel still had one more rule that he did not manage to finish exining. The first person who woke up had the ability to enter another person¡¯s dream and signal to the person, boosting their confidence and faith to allow them to defeat the dream more easily.

    Each person had only one chance to do something like that, so there was a tactical cement; The strongest individual will enter the dream first, then the second strongest, the third strongest and so forth. That way the strongest person will be in time to aid the next person. This allowed for less members to be defeated in the game, which was the trick that ¡®Freedom¡¯ discovered.

    Brendel quickly decided the order.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be first to enter the dream state. Next is Freya, and thest is Romaine.¡±

    ¡°How do you enter the dream state?¡± Freya asked.

    ¡°Just continue to close your eyes and you will be pht¡ª¡± Brendel bit his tongue when he saw the merchant girl actually closing her eyes to try it out. He immediately used his forefingers to pull the corners of her eyes to bring up her eyelids.

    ¡°Ah!¡± She uttered a short yelp as Brendel flicked her forehead.

    ¡°My esteemeddy! Curiosity killed the cat!¡±

    ¡°S-sorry.¡±

    ¡°The dream world that¡¯s filled with magic and spiritual powers is very dangerous. You must be cautious. I¡¯m closing my eyes now.¡±

    He sighed. Since he had the most experience amongst them, he naturally should be the first one to enter the dream. Freya had many mind barriers as the future Goddess of War and she was in greater danger, so he had to quickly aid her without any errors. On the other hand, Romaine should have the easiest time escaping from the Golden Demonic Tree¡¯s control, and with Freya¡¯s help, she should have no problems at all.

    The first stage was five minutes in reality. In the dream world it extended to half an hour. If they were not able to free themselves in the dream world, they would be lost forever and detained eternally.

    This looked like a very strong n to him, and at the very least he did not spot any problems on the surface. If he seeded there would be a generous reward from it, and they would have sufficient time to move within the fortress.

    There was no one who knew better than Brendel on the fortress¡¯s situation and how the future would turn out. Every bit of extra time meant additional hope in finding Romaine¡¯s aunt and sessfully escaping from there.

    He patted on the ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯ on his waist and breathed deeply. The dream world was incredibly realistic. The scent of the river¡¯s wet earth filled his nose, a taste that belonged to the Brus¡¯s April grasses and forest trees.

    But what did it mean for the Golden Demonic Tree to throw him here? Did it think that the strongest creature he met was the old brown bear in this forest?

    If that was the case, it was merely a rare level 16 elite, and he could easily defeat it.

    But in his memories, it was never easy with the Golden Demonic Tree. If anything, the creatures that were corrupted by the ¡®Blood of Gods¡¯ were the most malevolent creatures in this world. There was no reasoning to how evil they were.

    [If I counted the time correctly, I should entering a plot event right about now right?]

    Even though he had been in this world for a few days, he still subconsciously used terms unique to his previous world.

    At this moment, he heard a series of sounds where metal struck each other. His ears moved. At his current level three Military Swordsmanship, he was able to discern from his ears that two people were fighting.

    [But it doesn¡¯t sound like a duel, but mere practice.]

    He did not choose to evade this event as he knew that it was pointless to do so. Furthermore, avoiding danger meant that he was fleeing and counted as a negative emotion, which might be used by the Golden Demonic Tree. He followed the source of the sound and discovered they came from the nearby watermill and logging mill. When he drew in a little closer and looked across the water wheel, he saw two surprising figures.

    It was an old man full of silvery grayish hair with long sideburns. He wore a deep blue colored uniform with a familiar emblem, and there was a sword in his hand. His figure gave an indomitable impression, as if he was an immovable mountain. But what made Brendel¡¯s heart skip a beat was his expression, and his eyes disyed an unassable will behind them. If anyone with a guilty bone in his body saw him, they would immediately avert their eyes away in contrition.

    The other person was a boy holding a wooden sword. He looked no different from other boys, but the meaning was different in his eyes.

    This boy was... Brendel.

    More urately, it was a young Brendel.

    He raised his head in shock as he realized who the old man was. That was definitely his grandfather, a veteran in the November¡¯s war and one who had received the Candlelight emblem¨C

    [Holy shit! The Candlelight emblem from the Holy Cathedral of mes isn¡¯t something that can be gotten easily¡ª]

    His heart quickened as he realized that the dream world was a little different from the game. But with that hesitation, he realized the aura from his grandfather was bing stronger, even affecting his mind.

    ¡°I¡¯m being hit with negative emotions!¡± He immediately realized he was affected subconsciously. It waspletely different in the game, since there was no way a game could affect the mind, but right here in this real world...!

    [This is going to be much more difficultpared to the game with this...]

    Brendel gritted his teeth as he checked the bag on his belt. Fortunately he still had a trump card. Even though this was utterly unexpected, it was still in his control.

    He calmed down as he realized this.

    The old man¡¯s eyes stopped on him. He stared at him for a moment before speaking.

    ¡°Lad, are you qualified to inherit everything from my grandson?¡±

    This sentence made Brendel¡¯s body tremble.

 volume 1 - 36

    TL: This... chapter is amazing.

    Chapter 36 ¨C Surpass me

    Brendel¡¯s mind was greatly shaken. It was his biggest secret in this world. Even though the old and new Brendel had merged together, it was hard for him to exin how the two memories merged together. Even he willed himself to ept everything, there was still a subconscious barrier remaining in him.

    [This secret that I wanted to keep locked inside my heart was actually ripped out at the very first moment by the Golden Demonic Tree... No¡ª]

    He immediately shook his head. It was impossible for The Golden Demonic Tree to break it open so quickly. That creature must be using the way how he thinks¡ª¨C Why would Brendel¡¯s grandfather say something like that?

    He suddenly understood that he himself would have thought this old man would say something like this.

    [I am my own enemy here. The things that I fear and hidden away in my subconscious are reflected on Brendel¡¯s grandfather.]

    He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. After realizing that his deepest thoughts in his mind were not revealed yet, the feeling that his defenses werepletely exposed to the enemy disappeared, and he calmed down quickly. He had deflected this first attack made by the Golden Demonic Tree by chance, and his current mentality actually stabilized. He gulped and cried inwardly that he was lucky.

    He pulled out the ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯, answering the old man: ¡°We would know whether I have the qualifications once we crossed swords.¡±

    The old man nodded: ¡°Very good. You sound like a Damon man. But there are many people in this world who brag too much, and I don¡¯t want to see my descendent to be a useless fool.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s mind responded. This was not a test. His grandfather¡¯s reaction was a reflection of his own confidence. This meant this his will was gradually recovering to its peak condition.

    [This is a good sign.]

    He indicated for his grandfather to make the first move. Even if it was within a dream, the opponent was someone that was his senior. Being polite showed off his confidence, and so he did it.

    Within this dream world, the person who made the first move did not represent that he would gain the upper hand. It was possible that it was a trap arranged by the malicious creature. Only by guarding the weaknesses tightly would deny him the chance to invade the mind.

    The old man nodded again and he shifted his left foot forward, and the sword on his left shoulder. This was the highest form within the Military Swordsmanship. When Brendel saw that, his forehead went numb.

    [Even back in the game I did not train my swordsmanship to this level, who the bloody heck was your grandfather!]

    This thought pass through his mind for just a sh, and he felt the sword in his arm be a little heavier. He yelled expletives in his mind, this slight gap actually got caught by the Golden Demonic Tree.

    [Are you fucking serious!]

    He went into a defensive stance. Because he did not have any other sword techniques with levels in it, he could only choose to use something that was more familiar from the Military Swordsmanship. Under such a veteran opponent, there was no meaning to use shy techniques from the higher ranks. Without putting levels in it or meeting the required stats, it was full of ws in front of his grandfather.

    Brendel was also a veteran warrior and he understood his position clearly.

    There was no indication from the old man, but he made his move with the sword shing at Brendel. His sword was not very fast, but the skill behind it was impable. There was no weakness in the attack and it appeared like an ordinary swing, but one would feel that the sword could strike from anywhere with the next attack.

    The air escaped from Brendel¡¯s lungs.

    [This is the swordsmanship from Brendel¡¯s grandfather? Then it¡¯s no wonder he could get the Candlelight Emblem. This monstrous skill... No wonder Brendel¡¯s innate skill with the sword was so impressive. If this old man had a better lineage, he would definitely receive the title of a knight.]

    Brendel had no way to counter the attack, so he had no choice but to try and seal the next attack. There was a loud sh from the swords, and Brendel staggered from the strength of the opponent. His mind panicked and before he could stop his thoughts, he felt the opponent¡¯s sword growing heavier.

    [Holy fuck, you god damned Golden Demonic Tree!]

    Brendel certainly knew what was going on. It could not bepared to the game¡¯s version at all. This was a true puppet master, not that rubbish AI in the game. But Brendel did not feel scared at this moment, and he was overflowing with the will to fight back.

    He stared at his grandfather¡¯s eyes. His expression was perfectly calm like still water, as if he could read someone¡¯s heart.

    He suddenly felt puzzled. Why did such an outstanding grandfather have such a faint impression in the old Brendel¡¯s memories. Even when he saw him for the first time, he had to look at the young Brendel¡¯s memory to confirm it was his grandfather.

    [Something is wrong.]

    He searched his memories again. The old Brendel¡¯s memory of his grandfather was a rigid person who was not fond of speaking ofughing. The next impression was the Candlelight emblem and the aura as a veteran from the November War. But these memories were not as strong as the ones like the painting and old home.

    The grandfather and grandson had lived together for several years, why did he appear to be so estranged to Brendel when they met again under this situation? The old Brendel did not appear to be someone who would forget his own grandfather¡¯s appearance.

    He fended off the old man¡¯s sword once again and the sound between metal sang out. He felt the opponent¡¯s sword grow heavier again, almost to the point where the sword nearly left his hand. His felt a shock in his mind, and he looked at the old man again.

    His expression had be strict, as if he was displeased.

    He read the message in his mind.

    [What the fuck! This is self-doubt!]

    He received another blow to his mind, and the defence in his mind grew from a tiny crack and spread outwards. His attacks became more and more flimsy, and the old man rushed attacks knocked him over to the ground. His blood grew cold as he quickly rolled over from the impact and got up.

    But when he turned back, there was no grassy ins anymore. It was a gray house. Indeed, it was the old house in Be, where he woke up that fateful night in this world.

    Brendel¡¯s perspiration gathered on his forehead. This meant the Golden Demonic Tree had invaded further into his heart. He could not help but reach to the bag on his belt. But he hesitated and questioned himself if he wanted to use a trick instead.

    There was a sudden reluctance in his heart. He looked at the old man¡¯s face. His grandfather still had the same strictness, but there was signs of disappointment on his wrinkled face.

    The disappointment pierced through his mind.

    It was as if the twenty years of Brendel¡¯s memory had suddenly be clear and escaped from his body, wanting to fight his grandfather.

    He suddenly felt this thought growing in his mind, and knew that it was the old Brendel¡¯s feelings affecting himself. He was merging into this world and with the memories of his loved ones.

    But he shook his head.

    [No, It¡¯s possible that the Golden Demonic Tree was utilizing the weakness of a human. I have to use that technique to leave this dream world.]

    But when he ced his hand over to that position, he received a shock. The old man¡¯s disappointment had be more apparent.

    [...No, I cannot abandon Brendel.]

    [But you must understand, the Golden Demonic Tree is using his weakness.]

    [Even so, that is part of me now.]

    [You will fail.]

    [But throwing away my weakness doesn¡¯t mean I defeated myself.]

    Brendel suddenly became quiet. He realized why he had not spoken even once after he pulled his sword. The old man had many chances topletely destroy his mind defense, and yet there was onlyplete disappointment on his face.

    He said nothing, but simply quietly waited and looked at him.

    Brendel felt as if lightning had streaked across his mind and lit up every dark corner in his heart. This was not the Golden Demonic Tree¡¯s handiwork of pity.

    [No, this is the absolute sanctuary that the youth guarded in his memories!]

    Then why?

    He took another look at the old man¡¯s face. In the dark corners of his face, was it only disappointment?

    Of course it was.

    He felt his whole body tremble. Why did the old man feel disappointed?

    [Because it was the endless expectations that he had. This is the old Brendel¡¯s memory of his grandfather. He was strict and full of expectations. His eyes are full of disappointment, but it is not to censure. It was in hope that Brendel could understand his feelings behind this expectation.]

    [He wanted to let you, the old Brendel, know his love for you.]

    Brendel raised his head and gripped his sword tightly. He bit his lips and forced himself to hold back his tears. He thought he understood this world, but realized he did not understand it enough.

    ¡°Brendel, remember what I told you? Your back must be as straight as your sword. The men of the Damon family must live proudly. You are my grandson, and the best amongst the rest of them.¡± The old man raised his swords again.

    ¡°Come, let me see what you learned during ten years when I was gone.¡±

    He nodded, unable to stop the pouring tears. These were his grandfather¡¯s words, but they were also not. This was the answer the old Brendel¡¯s heart wanted to have and the path he wanted to cross.

    Brendel took a deep breath.

    The two swords crossed each other ¡ª

    ¡°Stand up Brendel. How can a Damon man be so weak.¡±

    ¡°What are you crying for. Would a little torn skin kill you?¡±

    ¡°Speak up, how do you want me to punish you this time?¡±

    The grandfather in his memories who sat strictly on the seat of the elders, who sat silently and looked at him with disappointment.

    The grandfather in his memories who was always dissatisfied with seemingly everything that he did.

    But the old man in his memories, finally walked thest journey in his life. The Brendel who was a child stood before that bed, feeling his Grandfather¡¯s hand gently cing over his head and stroking his hair, then finally losing its strength and falling across his small face.

    It was a rough hand, but made him feel he could be relied on. His sigh at the very end, was it still disappointment, or expectations filled with responsibilities?

    Brendel felt the dream state dissolving around him. In his hand was a fading Candlelight emblem that was turning into ashes. He did not speak for a long time.

    ¡°Thank you, elder.¡±

    TL: So in case it¡¯s too subtle, the reason for the old Brendel¡¯s weak memories of his grandfather, is because he perceived his grandfather as one who only saw disappointment in him, and at the end of his memories the lines blurred because subconsciously he realized that his grandfather might have loved him deeply, which became the basis for that sanctuary where the Golden Demonic Tree could not breach (the old man did not want to hurt Brendel).

    New Brendel realized the truth at the very end and epted the old Brendel¡¯s memories and feelings. If I have to take a guess at what the grandfather and old Brendel wanted, the title of the chapter is probably a huge hint.

    Anyways, hopefully there¡¯s no Engrish here. Please inform me if you spot any mistakes.

 volume 1 - 37

    Kind of makes me wonder how long the boss arc is...

    Chapter 37 ¨C Awakening

    Brendel opened his eyes after waking up from his grandfather¡¯s dream. He felt his forehead waspletely cold from the perspiration. He looked up at the gloomy sky and breathed out slowly. There were immediate ways to shake off the dream prison, either by using equipment that strengthen the willpower attribute or special abilities. An example would be his innate talent, ¡®Unyielding¡¯.

    But he realized subconsciously that it was not the best solution.

    Regardless, the past memories of the old Brendel had merged together with his own. He was no longer just purely Brendel or Sophie, and they were now one and the same in one body. If he ignored the old Brendel¡¯s weaknesses, then one day he would be unable to look at his own weaknesses.

    He needed to recognize for what he was now, to be able to ept everything that happened in his past.

    This growth was not limited to just his mind¡ª epting Brendel¡¯s past had benefited him a great deal. Brendel¡¯s grandfather personally taught his grandson his swordsmanship, but Brendel had subconsciously sealed his own memories because he had given up on himself.

    With all the memories of the young Brendel unlocked, the swordsmanship that he had learned merged within his soul.

    [Just exactly what sort of swordsmanship is this?]

    The past Brendel had sealed off his grandfather¡¯s swordsmanship because he deemed himself unworthy to use it. Even so his innate talent in the sword enabled him to be the best fighter in Anchorite¡¯s militia batch.

    The current Brendel opened his character window, and saw it had changed from before:

    Civilian Soldier [Military Swordsmanship (Level 3+1), Grappling techniques (Level 3), Tactical Theory (Level 0), Military Organization (Level 0)]

    The levels in the ability panel could not go past the level of the profession, but equipment and mission rewards were exceptions. A normal human who trained for 30-40 years would have the same level 4 Swordsmanship, but it was impossibly rare to find it on an eighteen years old youth.

    Brendel felt that if he managed topletely absorb what his other grandfather had taught him, he would have increased his level 4 military swordsmanship another 30% more in the XP panel. When he recalled the old veteran¡¯s swordsmanship, he felt a chill creeping behind his back. That was at least a level 10 Aouine¡¯s military swordsmanship, and the old veteran was definitely a legendary figure.

    Brendel sat up from the ground withplicated thoughts. He looked across the mountain valley. The fog surrounding the Golden Demonic Tree felt like it had dissipated a little, indicating that the power of the dream world was weakening. When he looked at the girls, he found they had their eyes closed tightly, asionally creasing their brows.

    Romaine¡¯s face was pale, but her expression was very peaceful.

    [Good. It seems that her situation is not as bad as I thought. Once she receives a mental boost, the Golden Demonic Tree¡¯s first stage would not be difficult to deal with.]

    He went over to Freya and pressed his finger on her forehead. He hesitated just a little before selecting ¡®Faith¡¯.

    The Golden Demonic Tree utilized negative emotions to bring people into a trap that it created. yers had to use positive emotions to handle things. From how he looked at Freya¡¯s usual performance, he believed that her determined and resolute ways were just a form of protection to hide her weaknesses. He hoped that she had more self confidence, as it would allow her to mature into the Goddess of War.

    ...He suddenly realized the girls were currently defenseless. It was easy to take advantage of the girls. He could not help but look at two girls who were deeply asleep. The translucent appearance on Romaine¡¯s forehead made him want to kiss it.

    His heart beat painfully in his chest, and he quickly stopped his thoughts. Even though he liked the merchant girl, he was not a shameless person. He rubbed his forehead as stranger thoughts red up in his mind.

    Then he thought about his dream again to curb his stray thoughts.

    His mentality was different after leaving that world. He felt like he had be stronger from that feeling of loss. He knew that he was not going to turn back to his past world now, and the meaning in his life was to finish walking the road before him¡ª

    After understanding the past Brendel¡¯s desires, he was going to n his own road. He knew the ¡®War of the ck Rose¡¯ was about to end soon, as the battle in the game only extended from the end of May to the end of July.

    None of the nobles wanted to be involved in this battle.

    This coincided with Madara¡¯s ns as well. It was an unprecedented change for Aouine when Madara defeated the kingdom sessfully, but Madara did not wish to provoke the Alliance of Light, and they had to retreat at some point. Since neither of the two kingdoms wanted to continue a battle of attrition, they opted for a truce.

    It was somewhat of a farce, and Brendel knew that the Aouine he wanted to fight for was not the current Aouine.

    He was waiting for the Regent Princess to take over the throne.

    And during the time he waited for this event to take ce, he would take his own actions. He knew that after the war ended, the royal family would want tomend people who stood out in the war, establishing heroic figures to assuage the hearts of the citizens. But he was uninterested in this title, and more to the point, he was indifferent to the antiquated system.

    [But allowing Freya to take up some training in the capital is a good idea. What should I do in the meantime?]

    Brendel pondered on the future. In front of him was the beginning of a chaotic era. He had limited strength on his own and he needed and of his own. He had to gather people to support his ideals, and by using his own knowledge in the world¡¯s future events and his own familiarity with it, he could definitely make his territory grow quickly.

    [So where should I start? Walk down the path of Aouine¡¯s internal affairs? ... No, never mind about the fact that I won¡¯t realize my ns in time, I don¡¯t want to be involved in the uing wars too early. I have to restrain my actions so that I don¡¯t stand out and get discovered by powerful factions.]

    [Bing the lord of some existing region is also a no, with the same reason as above. Another road I can take is to be a pioneer. Both the yers and NPCs in the game had pioneers. In this dark world, not allnds are controlled by the nobles. The borders of the kingdom, the areas in between the civilized and savaged areas, and there were many othernds that had not been tilled, were ready to be taken]

    [There¡¯s a certain government decree, once a pioneer found a newnd of their own, they could receive a position of nobility based on their size of thends.]

    These titles, however, were not to be used as hereditary titles, and most of thends would ultimately be taken back by the kingdom and the holy cathedral after three generations. But there were still many people who were taken in by this route, and they gambled everything to find and. Adventurers, mercenaries, illegal merchants, and even pdins from a legitimate background, as well as clergies, there were no differences here.

    When he thought about the avablends, he became excited. He knew of many suchnds near Aouine¡¯s borders, and even though there were differences between them, all of them were valid choices. But when it came to the time to choose, he hesitated.

    [I don¡¯t really require a good location with a strong advantage in development, the key thing is to have a ndestine area, so it is best to choose thosends with ¡®relics¡¯ in them. Since I¡¯mcking in manpower and resources, I could also save a lot of effort by taking these areas over.]

    He continued to go through his memories and finally decided on a ce. It was and that was remarkably famous in the game, but the yers who owned thendmitted a fatal error and allowed his enemies to burn it all down. It was a famous topic in the forums that did not die down and continuously brought up all the time.

    He could envision countless people saying: ¡°If ¡®Valha¡¯ was still around, it would surely be another differentndscape right?¡±

    He felt thrilled at this idea. He had also thought of this moment himself. If that legendarynd was not destroyed, then the final development phase would have gone beyond anyone¡¯s expectations.

    [To think that I have a chance of realizing this fantasy with my own hands!]

    He continued to fantasize wildly by himself, before realizing the person in front of him moved a little. Freya then opened her eyes and saw Brendel putting his finger on her forehead. She was puzzled for a moment before it disappeared quickly. She quickly woke up from her stupor and retreated backwards, blushing and looking at him.

    Even if she did not say anything, Brendel was able to read the words on her face:

    ¡°S-shameless lout, what are you doing!¡±

    He shook his head and wanted to exin, but Freya abruptly reacted like she had recalled something. Her blush deepened another shade: ¡°Sorry, I......¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, alright, quickly give Romaine an rm clock, and tell her to wake up.¡± He pretended to ease things over.

    ¡°rm clock?¡±

    He coughed as he realized he had forgotten to exin. He exined the origin of ¡®Faith¡¯ and its uses in a hurry. Freya¡¯s expressions became tense when she finished listening to the exnation that he thought was simple.

    ¡°W-why didn¡¯t you let Romaine use it first?¡± She asked and stood up anxiously.

    He was momentarily stunned.

    [Hm? No matter how I slice it, you have a weaker mind, Miss Goddess of War¨C]

    But before he finished his thoughts, Freya had already rushed over to Romaine¡¯s side and picked her up.

    She still had a peaceful expression, but Brendel discovered two streams of tears from Romaine¡¯s face when Freya picked her up. His mouth went wide with shock.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on!¡± He could not imagine that Romaine actually cried.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter.¡± Freya took a deep breath and put her hand on her forehead, but there was no reaction. She was taken aback for a moment and immediately said: ¡°Turn your head away!¡±

    ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°Turn away, hurry up, and no peeking!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s left eyebrow went up but he immediately nodded. Unfortunately, his curiosity was actually no less than Romaine, and after a while, he spied behind his back. He saw Freya hugging Romaine with their foreheads touching each other, and Freya muttered fretfully: ¡°Little Romaine, hurry up and wake up. Have you forgotten our promise?¡±

    He froze for just a little while. He did not expect the merchant girl who spoke whatever was on her mind to have her own secret, even though he knew they had a very good rtionship. But he found Freya¡¯s eyes ring furiously at him before his surprise was over.

    ¡°Apologies, someone else inside me insisted on looking.¡± Brendel tried to me someone else.

    ¡°Y-you devious, outrageous scumbag!¡± Freyambasted him with crimson cheeks.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡±

 volume 1 - 38

    Chapter 38 ¨C The battle for time

    Romaine¡¯s conditions were not as optimistic as Brendel had imagined. With each passing second the atmosphere became more intense, and he realized that there must be a secret that she kept in a heart¡ª and a secret that was so deeply hidden away in her heart would ultimately present itself as fatal in this dream world.

    There were only the sounds of Freya and his anxious breaths while the merchant girl slept quietly in her arms, and Brendel found himselfpletely afraid¡ª that Romaine would never wake up from her slumber.

    He looked at the Golden Demonic Tree, the connection between the dream world and reality was bing weaker, and it was going to wake up anytime.

    ¡°Brendel?¡±

    Freya¡¯s fists were clenched into a tight ball, and she had trouble finding words to rouse Romaine from her anxiety. He said they had only five minutes, but Romaine still looked like she was deeply immersed in her dream. Yet Freya knew she could not me the youth, because she was the only one who knew Romaine¡¯s secret in Be.

    She was starting to regret that she did not tell Brendel, but how could she know that this dream world was soplicated?

    However, Brendel did not fall into a spiral of confusion and thought quickly. He suddenly threw the ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯ over to them.

    ¡°Let her hold this.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The sword has the ability to purify darkness, let her hold it.¡± Even though his lips uttered these words, he knew in his heart that the Elven Sword only added 1 OZ of ¡®Will¡¯. He could only hope that it was enough to bring her out of danger.

    [Mother Marsha!]

    He prayed to the highest holy figure in his heart, begging her to be more merciful to Romaine. Perhaps it was the sword, or perhaps it was his prayers to Marsha, not long after, she actually woke with a moan.

    She blinked and rubbed her eyes to look at the two of them, looking nkly for a while, before speaking happily: ¡°Freya, you¡¯re already up. You know, I had a nightmare earlier!¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Freya was still in a daze, then she yelled from the bottom of her heart. She did not hear what the merchant girl said at all, but simply hugged her and cried. She had believed that there was no hope left but Brendel¡¯s solution really worked.

    ¡°Romaine, you idiot!¡±

    ¡°W-what did you say?! I¡¯m not an idiot!¡± Romaine seemed to have received a fatal blow, and she iled her limbs in indignation.

    Brendel was much calmer than Freya. The aid from the Thorn of Light and another person¡¯s ¡®Faith¡¯ should be able to wake her up from the dream world no matter how deep she was in, but he was more worried about the aftermath of this situation.

    But he knew that she was fine from her silly reaction.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s fine to stop your tears now.¡± He continued: ¡°The Golden Demonic Tree is going to wake up any time, and if there is anything to else to say, we should save it until the battle is over.¡±

    Freya wiped away her tears and nodded.

    ¡°What should we do, Brendel?¡± She asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re not the main protagonists in this battle, but a Rock Wurm in this valley¨C¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Let me finish, Romaine! The Rock Wurm is something from that is born (Earth Element Type) as a Element Creature. It¡¯s a natural enemy of the Golden Demonic Tree, but before the Rock Wurm bes a mature adult, the Golden Demonic Tree is able to force it outside the valley by controlling the roots in the ground. It takes about 80 to 120 years for a Rock Wurm to be mature but we can¡¯t wait this long, so we need to help it.¡±

    ¡°Help it?¡± Freya asked.

    Brendel received the Elven Sword from Romaine, and he replied: ¡°The Golden Demonic Tree¡¯s body is very frail. The only attack it has is the roots extending from the ground and impaling its enemies. We need to to force it to attack us and the more roots it takes out from the ground, the less it has to fend off the Rock Wurm. Once that happens, the Rock Wurm is able to enter the center of this valley.¡±

    ¡°But we only have ten minutes. The first batch of Rotten Beast will arrive in ten minutes, and if we still have not killed it in that time frame, you must run towards the west side without hesitation. There¡¯s a passageway there that¡¯s quite visible.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Romaine looked up at him.

    ¡°Protecting the rear should be left to a gentleman. This is thedies¡¯ prerogative.¡± He softly poked her bright forehead with his finger. He looked back at Freya who was tying up her ponytail in preparation for battle. She noticed his gaze and nodded.

    He paused momentarily as he expected her to demand staying behind. There was no reluctance on her expression but a steady gaze.

    [It looks like she matured from the dream world.]

    He smiled happily as he saw a scinti of the future Goddess of War¡¯s presence on her. Then he turned back: ¡°Romaine, wear the ring I gave you.¡±

    The merchant girl immediately raised her hand smugly, waving the ck and white ring clearly.

    ¡°Your task is to listen to the tremors from the ground, if you discover anything you must tell us straight away.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s move out. Once we cross the array of rocks below us, we will approach the Golden Demonic Tree. Pay attention to the formation below, as there¡¯s a brokenyer that will dy the Golden Demonic Tree from discovering us.¡± Brendel started moving as he spoke, and ran up to the protruding boulder, then signaled to Romaine and Freya toe over to him.

    Freya grabbed Romaine¡¯s hand and went over. She did so to prevent her from running around the ce and to protect her at the same time. Also, she wanted him to concentrate on his task, and once the opportunity presented itself, they could attack the Golden Demonic Tree.

    The three of them quickly rushed towards the indicated spot. He did not remember wrongly as they did not receive any attacks. But once they crossed the zone, Romaine immediately heard something from the ground.

    ¡°Brendel, there are noises in the ground.¡±

    His heart thumped loudly, and he immediately yelled: ¡°Scatter, scatter now!¡±

    Freya instantly pushed Romaine to the sides, and the three of them separated from each other. Two thick vines sprang from the ground. The Golden Demonic Tree did not expect the insects here to foresee its attack, and the roots received Brendel¡¯s attack without being prepared for it.

    The youth cleaved into the center of the vines that were as thick as a bucket. It bit deeply into them, and silver mes immediately burst forth, burning them with a crackling sound. The Golden Demonic Tree trembled in pain from the attack, and the entire valley reverberated with a buzz.

    [It¡¯s calling for reinforcement again.]

    Brendel¡¯s heart sank. Time was running out. He looked back and saw Freya dodging the vines gracefully, and countered by shing onto them. Even she only managed to cut through a third of the vine¡¯s body, the clean attack impressed him.

    [A great improvement in her swordsmanship. She benefited a lot from the dream.]

    ¡°Brendel, there¡¯s another sound!¡± Romaine had moved towards the edge of the battlefield before turning around and yelling.

    ¡°How far?¡± Brendel yelled subconsciously, but immediately noticed his mistake. He had treated Romaine as a ¡®Nightingale¡¯ in the party, but she was only more sensitive in her perception and not a professional scout in the game.

    ¡°70 to 100 meters, probably.¡± Romaine thought for a moment.

    ¡°That far?¡± Brendel was taken aback slightly, before chopping off the vine that was attacking him. The remaining stump lost its vitality and sank down lifelessly; the ce where it was cut off was burned ck.

    ¡°60 meters.¡±

    Brendel hesitated for a while, even though he found it a little incredulous, he decided to trust her: ¡°Freya, enough! Do you see that small path over there, prepare to go over there.¡±

    Freya¡¯s actions only stopped for a split second before she raised the sword over her chest, and defended against the vine who whipped her over to one side. The ¡®Feathers of Wind¡¯ lit up and became a web of light, negating most of the impact and she rolled on the ground several times before climbing up. She was already at Romaine¡¯s side.

    ¡°Romaine, let¡¯s go!¡± She grabbed the merchant girl¡¯s hand and ran to the indicated location.

    ¡°Ehhh! What about Brendel?¡±

    ¡°He will definitely catch up.¡±

    [Oh? Thatss has finally learned to trust me and not overextend herself.]

    Brendel was relieved. He was afraid that Freya would make thingsplicated by staying behind. The vine that attacked Freya went after her again, but Brendel severed it into two from the earlier opening she made.

    He did not dare to stay behind any longer with the enemies cleared. The movement below the ground was loud enough that he even could hear them, proving that Romaine¡¯s judgment was urate. But he was still surprised, how could that ditsy girl hear something at least 70 meters away?

    [If I calcte it.... that¡¯s at least 5 OZ worth of perception.]

    That thought only appeared for just a split second and he immediately ran away. It was not hard for him to catch up to Freya and Romaine, but the three of them were constantly interrupted by the roots appearing.

    Then suddenly, they heard a huge boom at the southern valley, and all the vines that were attacking them pulled back.

    Brendel did not need to say anything, but the girls knew that the Rock Wurm had joined the fray.

    ¡°Did we win?¡± Romaine asked in delight.

    He shook his head. They still had to enter the heart of the valley. In the remaining time, the Golden Demonic Tree would constantly measure which side was more threatening and move its numerous roots to stop them. This defense would notst very long and ultimately end in their victory.

    As long as they managed to do it within the time frame.

    There was less than five minutes.

 volume 1 - 39

    TL: So I have some bad news for myself, the first two volumes of the amber sword that I ordered are ¡®Out of Print¡¯ ¨C Which I won¡¯t be able to tell if there is any difference in the WN and LN version.

    I can do this marathon of chapters since I¡¯m doing it on my free time and treating like my break, but I¡¯ll be working on my art assignments for the next 2 weeks after this. If you guys want more of the chapters from the series, then I can only shake my donation box, paypal: , and ask for some support here.

    Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the past few days. And feel free to skip to the main story, or be prepared to have a long read about the previous poll¡¯s thoughts.

    TL: I love polls. It gives me insight to the human soul!

    JK.

    So I assume the people who voted ¡®others¡¯ means that this series resembles korean novels and their VRMMORPG protagonists¡¯ counterparts? Maybe it¡¯s because of Brendel stealing the spider ring from the necromancer and his love for loot... 8)

    I¡¯m surprised that the choice ¡®JP novel¡¯ got the highest votes, although I can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s because of my TL style or because the plot sounds like JP stuff. Maybe it resembles Log Horizon in some ways? Hmm....

    So ¡®Western novel¡¯. At first when I read the first few chapters and skimmed through theter ones, I thought it¡¯s going to be a bit like game of thrones, wheel of time, or some western novel in the beginning, but the development of epic plot is slow here. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I still think there¡¯s a presence of dragons and dungeons influence, and I¡¯m enjoying the journey the protagonist is having, but it¡¯s a little different than what I expected. I spent a considerable amount of time thinking about name trantions, gosh, the amount of names....swoon.

    ¡®Chinese novels¡¯ received a pretty warm reception with 14.5%. I personally thought it¡¯s going to be one of the lowest because it¡¯s missing that vor text of ¡®You don¡¯t know mount tai!¡¯ or ¡®You¡¯re seeking death!¡¯ or ¡®*insert reference to face* or ¡®the time of 1 joss stick or time of a few breaths or the time to empty 1 teacup of tea¡¯. Lol.

    Despite the nice story here, it¡¯s a fact that CN web-novelists get paid by the amount of words they put into each chapter, and I feel like they are writing against a deadline in many chapters. So this is the only part where I think it resembles a Chinese novel, for all the wrong reasons >_>.

    If you are able to read the raws without relying on MTL, you might find that there¡¯s a fair bit of difference in the writing style and it¡¯s in need of an editor like all other FreeWebNovels. If you MTL the series, then I¡¯ll just warn you guys again that I edit the series heavily. Plot is generally intact, but don¡¯t get confused if you see all sorts of small details missing or added in.

    I rewrote the sloppy areas, removed filler words as much as I could and added details to most of the major fights. Hopefully the story is polished and presented with a stylistic ir in English.

    Truth be told, I was actually concerned a few weeks ago, cause the score for this series in novelupdates was 2.8/5.0, which made me wonder if it was because the story simply sucked, or my TL sucked, or abination of the two. Fortunately the score climbed up, so I feel more confident to let the cat out of the bag. Cough.

    ¡®Mixture of the great three¡¯ (JP, CN, Eng). Nothing much to say here, plenty of reasons listed as above. I personally vote this category.

    Finally, ¡®if you don¡¯t know what it resembles¡¯, time to read more novels, kek.

    Chapter 39 ¨C Redacted

    There was a st at the southern side of the valley, and another st half a minuteter.

    Brendel strained his ears and he confirmed that the Rock Wurm had passed through the valley which was heading inside to the Forbidden Garden. This creature that was d in a rock armor had uncountable needle-like teeth shaped like a whirlpool for its mouth, easily passing through the earth and tearing up the hardest rocks.

    He had seen a mature Rock Wurm in the game before. It was thirty meters long and there had to be at least three people to surround and fight it. The defense of the creature was astonishingly high, even a 40 OZ Vran Sword was not be able to pierce through the rock armor and do damage.

    [Damn it. Two sounds. If the BOSS causes the Rock Wurm to take a long detour, its attention would be on us again.]

    The roots of the Golden Demonic Tree in the forbidden valley extended nearly a kilometer, and factoring in the Rock Wurm¡¯s fastest speed, Brendel estimated that it would at least require two minutes and thirty seconds to burst out of the ground.

    [We¡¯re nearly at the center of the Forbidden Garden. Once we finish bypassing this uneven ground, we would be able to reach the main body of the Golden Demonic Tree. If this BOSS does not interfere with us, that is.]

    There was two minutes left.

    But he knew that the Golden Demonic Tree would definitely try and stop them. Before he finished his thoughts, there were crackling noisesing from the solid ground. They were in such close vicinity of the Golden Demonic Tree that its actions came without warning, and Romaine was unable to warn him in time.

    The three of them felt the ground sink before them, and the prepared Brendel stabbed the ground with the Elven sword to support himself, while his other hand prevented the merchant girl from falling down. When he looked to the sides, Freya was half kneeling on the ground as she tried to steady herself.

    Before the three of them had the chance to rx, the ground sank once again with a crack visibly forming before them.

    ¡°What is it trying to do?¡± Freya nearly fell backwards and asked uneasily.

    ¡°It¡¯s trying to kill us, concentrate and follow me.¡± He pulled Romaine up from the ground, tore out the sword and sheathed it, then lifted the merchant girl with his arm and jumped over the crack caused by the roots.

    Romaine¡¯s face was like a red apple when she found herself hoisted by his arm, and her eyes were openedically and she did not dare to let her breath out.

    Freya also wanted to jump up, but the Golden Demonic Tree was ready with an attack. The roots emerged from the ground and struck her across the chest. If it was not for Brendel¡¯s swift reactions to pull her back, she would have fallen into the crevice along with the rocks and mud.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Freya shrugged his hand off and thanked him.

    ¡°Now is not the time for words.¡± Brendel pulled his sword out and cut an iing vine whip into two. ¡°Move ahead. We¡¯re nearly at the tree.¡±

    There were snake-like tree vines appearing in front of them when they finally reached in front of the BOSS. The crevice behind them was gradually bing bigger, but Brendel was used to this scene.

    [You might have given me a surprise during the first stage but it looks like you have ran out of tricks.]

    The ability in the game was an extensive AOE attack to rip open the ground, but that did not mean it could not be countered.

    ¡°Look carefully!¡±

    He shouted to Freya while holding on tightly to Romaine. He watched the vines carefully, letting the ¡®whip¡¯ pass by, then grabbed tightly onto it¡ª

    The Golden Demonic Tree apparently did not expect that. It tried to curl up the vine and shook it back and forth, trying to throw Brendel away.

    But the youth held tightly onto it with one arm. Both Romaine and him bobbed up and down as the vine tried to shake him off, but it was a futile attempt. The BOSS finally got impatient and raised the vine up high, gathering momentum, managing to throw him backwards. Yet he utilized the momentum from the swing andnded thirty meters away from the crevice safely.

    His high stats in strength allowed him to possess four times the strength of a normal human, while his nimble agility allowed him to handle the tree¡¯s sudden movements, and his robust physique allowed him to absorb the impact. If it was a normal person, their internal organs would have ruptured from thending, but Brendel only felt slightly unused to the feeling when hended.

    This was the advantages of having high stats, and he knew that everything he did had meaning to it when hended safely.

    He immediately shouted to Freya: ¡°Follow me!¡±

    He pulled the merchant girl along without stopping, heading towards the Golden Demonic Tree.

    ¡°Brendel, wait¡ª I can¡¯t catch up.¡±

    But he could not afford to listen to what the merchant girl said, as the ground suddenly erupted in front of him with a crashing sound when he turned at a corner. Numerous vines sprang forth to form a web, covering the Golden Demonic Tree.

    [Shit! There¡¯s less than one minute left.]

    Brendel paused for a moment, while Romaine gasped for breath behind him. She looked up at the tree in front of her; no matter how she looked at it, its appearance looked like a Golden Apple Tree made by the gods.

    He studied the web carefully. It appeared to be identical to the game. The countless vines wiggled for a moment before they attacked him at the same time.

    With a roar, Brendel unleashed his attacks without reservations, the Elven sword shing with a phantasmal silver fire in a blinding speed. Each of his shes urately severed the numerous vines that assaulted him in session into halves, which in turn burst up into mes and turned to ashes. Then he released Romaine and took a step backwards, raising his sword with both of his hands:

    ¡°Power Break!¡±

    One step forward.

    Brendel felt an overwhelming strength spreading from his shoulders to his arms and hands, and he sundered the web in front of him in a beautiful silver arc. The de seemed topress the air from two sides, forcing a screaming explosion of wind to sing from the sword. The web of overflowing vines broke apart like a sea of rotten firewood, and there was arge depression from the center of the web.

    Freya staggered across the uneven ground and rushed towards the tree from behind, where she managed to see this scene in front of her. She always thought she had seen his limits every single time when he was in action, but this was the first time she saw him using this explosive power.

    The Golden Demonic Tree was unable to block them any longer, and could only watch them break into the heart of the garden.

    ¡°The two of you attack the trunk and roots and I¡¯ll attack the main body¡ª¡±

    He took out the Card of Fate, and spoke in his heart: ¡°Activate the Holy Sword!¡±

    ..................................................................................

    Even in the summer time, the Silver w Fortress was still covered by ayer of frost. It was built on the Corcov mountains in order to oversee the savages in the forest. But after the Balta province was built, it was used as one of the royal family¡¯s vi.

    There was an ancient pine tree in the fortress¡¯s diamond shaped garden. It had miraculously survived from a fire within the Silver w Fortress, and the owner thought it was a good omen. Thus the tree was kept after the fortress was rebuilt.

    And under this pine tree, a solemn atmosphere extended from it.

    A adolescent girl was standing there in a thick uniform of the knights. She had beautiful silver hair, and her half pointed ears proved that she had another bloodline beyond a human, but she did not have the elegance and aloof beauty of an elf.

    The fifteen-year-old girl wore a somber face, holding on tightly to a ck and heavy longsword with both her hands. Her stance took on the form of an Aouine¡¯s knight¡¯s defensive posture.

    She pursed her lips tightly, ordering the younger boy in front of him: ¡°Haruze, attack me!¡±

    A tone that denied any refusals.

    ¡°Older sis.......¡±

    ¡°Attack!¡±

    The young boy could only force himself to strike with the sword. But the girl cleanly parried his de and pushed his chest with one hand, making him fall straight onto the ground.

    The surrounding servants audibly breathed inwardly.

    ¡°Again!¡± The girl¡¯s expression did not change as she spoke.

    ¡°Sister, I.....¡±

    ¡°Stand up, again.¡±

    The boy could only stand up. He took one step backwards, before gritting his teeth and charging over again. But the girl with the knight¡¯s uniform passed the sword from her right hand to her left and simply swung upwards, easily knocking her opponent¡¯s sword away.

    ¡°Why did you get distracted?¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Again.¡±

    ............................................................

    Ten minutester.

    The young girl went to the dressing room. She allowed two maidservants to remove her heavy uniform. Her perspiration and hot air were visibly seen in the cold air. She did not turn her head and simply asked: ¡°Where is my father?¡±

    ¡°The Madara¡¯s envoy has arrived, your royal highness.¡±

    ¡°His majesty is meeting Marquis Kluge in the secret meeting room.¡± Another maidservant replied with her head lowered.

    The girl looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was cold and void of expression. She changed into a dress, inserted her hand into her long silver hair and sent it backwards. She raised her head and said:

    ¡°Bring me to Gammel.¡± She had thought there would be a chance to turn the battle around, but the wily Marquis Kluge was someone who could not be trusted. She had to find a trustworthy confidant to speak about this, and not in front of these servants.

    ¡°Yes, your royal highness.¡±

    This was the beginning of June in the ¡®year of bustling summer leaves and flowers¡¯.

    ............................................................................

    Brendel looked at the Golden Demonic Tree¡¯s branches which were gradually losing its color. They weakly drooped down and he knew this terrifying monster had reached the end of its life. He felt mentally tired. He had paid two EP to maintain the holysword, and that effect seemed to have affected his mind as well.

    He was a warrior and not a wizard. Even then, a specialized wizard at his level would only have ten plus EP.

    Freya and Romaine sat down at one side with their staminapletely drained. Freya had injured her arm a little but she was otherwise fine. Inparison, they were delighted to have defeated an impossible foe.

    Both of them looked curiously as they saw Brendel walking forward to the Golden Demonic Tree.

    [Power Break!]

    He swung the Elven Sword across the trunk of the tree. The dying Golden Demonic Tree was nothing more than an oak tree now, and it was unable to resist Brendel¡¯s 7.7 OZ worth of strength. The meteoric strike tore the upper body of the tree away and it splintered everywhere as it crashed onto the ground.

    The girls called out in surprise, not understanding what he was doing.

    Brendel knew that the Golden Demonic Tree hung its dead preys on the tree¡¯s crown and slowly absorbed the mana from them. Despite the passing years, there might be some loot on it.

    Brendel walked over and he saw a card on the floor with his first nce.

    Chapter 39 ¨C The death of the Golden Tree

    TL: You read that right. Not Golden Demonic Tree, but Golden Tree. Since the title for this chapter has spoilers, I have shifted it =X

 volume 1 - 40

    TL: First, Happy new year guys.

    So there are a few reasons why I dyed on TLing TAS. Ch 39 was a pretty great chapter to stop, the boss was defeated, there was hardly any cliffhanger here and was sort of the end of an arc. Other reasons include RL stuff + catching up on TV drama shows, and the ongoing fight against my assignments. I¡¯m about halfway through my arm assignment, while I have 4 other assignments (some partiallypleted).

    In any case, I hope there isn¡¯t any painful cliffhanger for at least a few chapters, because I still have more perspective assignments which will take a gross amount of time which might affect things for a while. Excuse me if I fail to reply to thements.

    Ch 40 ¨C The war in summer

    After the dust settled, Brendel immediately saw the palm-sized card on the ground. He picked it up; there was a tree painted on the face of the card. It was depicted as a majestic tree where a mysterious sheen extending from the body of the tree towards the crown. On the upper left of the card there was a VII written on it, but there was no crystal representing any of the elements.

    Brendel looked puzzledly at it, but he immediately called up the character window and scanned it.

    The depiction on the cards changed an ovey:

    The secret grounds of the Holy Tree

    (The Forbidden Sanctuary of the Elves VII)

    [Basic Forest]

    Adds 1 Water EP every week into the Elemental Pool.

    Tapping: Creates thendscape of a forest.

    ¡®My soul returnth upon to my homnd¡¯

    ¡°This card is called ¡®The Forbidden Sanctuary of the Elves¡¯?¡± Brendel looked pensively at the card. There was no description to activate the card.

    [Does it mean that keeping this card in the deck will automatically generate 1 point of water EP? But what if I don¡¯t have an Elemental Pool? Even ¡®tapping the card to create a forest¡¯ needs some analyzing. But now is not the time to try experiments here. Although the servants of the Golden Demonic Tree are going to scatter and wither, the Rock Wurm will absorb the remnants of the Earth Element and mana. After which, it might pick a fight with us.]

    He kept the card away and thought about the Mana Resonation earlier.

    [There should be another card from the Knight Deck nearby. Unfortunately that resonation is caused naturally and cannot be repeated manually, otherwise I might be able to search the area using this method.]

    He called out to Freya and Romaine to gather some of the tree¡¯s acorns. Mature acorns could be used to make high grade Mana potions which were highly prized in the game. Unfortunately there were only a few of them there were mature, and there was no chance of getting an endless supply of the mana potions.

    He walked over to another location and pulled apart the leaves, discovering a pair of defensive gauntlets. They added 2 bonus defense points but there was a requirement of 2.5 OZ strength. They felt weighty in his hands, and he let Freya test it out as he hoped that she would be able to withstand more attacks. However, once she received the gloves, both her arms were pulled down by the weight. She returned the gauntlets with regret.

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± Brendel shook his head: ¡°If you¡¯re able to wear this along with the Half te of the Wind Empress, any swordsman below the Iron Grade will not be able to harm you.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be sorry about, even the majority of the people in the guards are not capable of wearing them.¡± Brendel said as he wore them himself. Freya noted the details in his words, and was slightly taken aback. Did it not mean that he was amongst the top fighters in the guards?

    In truth, Brendelpletely surpassed Bretton or any of his subordinates.

    The three of them continued to search the tree¡¯s crown. Romaine found a short sword that added 0.1 OZ to agility, Freya found an expensive 22 OZ magic ring that required 1 MP to cast ayer of mes on an equipped sword.

    The rest of the items were mostly junk that lost its mana long ago. Brendel cut away the bark to find the Heart of the Golden Tree. He was disappointed to find that it was still in a crystal form,pared to what he had received in the game as there was a difference of three years. He became alert when he discovered this factor and he could not use the knowledge from the future to look at the things that were in the present.

    [This world is the real deal. History is going to progress slowly here.]

    When he took out the ¡®Heart of the Golden Tree¡¯, he felt a slight breezeing from the Golden Demonic Tree. He raised his head and saw eight golden colored lights flying from the tree to his chest.

    [800 XP.]

    Brendel was momentarily stunned. Even though the XP gain was not a lot, he still felt a grave impact every time he received the experience points. There was a system that existed in this world which made him grow stronger every single time, and he clearly felt the difference when he leveled up.

    He was still reveling in his monologues when he saw Romaine running over, carefully holding something in both her hands like she was going to present a gift. All the equipment they found were identified by Brendel, who quickly discerned the history and identity of the item with just a single nce. It was also why Brendel became a walking encyclopedia in Romaine¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Brendel, you¡¯re looking for this right?¡± She held up the card with both her hands and asked carefully.

    He looked at the card in her hand. The patterns on the card were gray in color, and the painting on it depicted a tall knight with a squire by his side wearing a long robe. The color of the card was the same as his ¡®Holy Sword¡¯ card. He immediately recognized it as the card that resonated, and when he received it ¡ª

    Hignd Squire

    (Knight IX)

    Water EP 1

    [Human/Schr, Grade 8 Living creature]

    When Hignd Squirees into y, add 1 point of prestige every week.

    Maintenance: When this cardes into y, pay 1 Water EP/day.

    ¡®The bravery of the Hignds¡¯

    [This is a summoning card. This Hignd squire is a schr, and the description probably means that it was an apprentice squire from the Karsuk¡¯s Hignds. The alliance between the Karsuk¡¯s wizards and knights had existed for more than two centuries. Grade 8 schr... It¡¯s not amazing, but using it at the right timing would be a great help.]

    He looked at Romaine who was looking at him with great expectations, and smiled: ¡°Thank you, this is really useful to me.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡± She said happily.

    At this time Freya came running from the north and worriedly said: ¡°Brendel, Romaine, I think the Rock Wurm ising from the north, should we avoid it?¡±

    ¡°The Rock Wurm?¡± Brendel considered for a moment. He had originally nned for them to take a rest for a while, but he did not expect it to move so quickly. Even though it might not attack them, it was better to choose a safe approach.

    He nodded: ¡°The two of you should leave first. I¡¯ll arrange something to prevent that thing from chasing us.¡±

    The Rock Wurm relied on its ability to smell mana and vibration to determine the location of its pray, therefore scattering mana objects would be able to draw its attention away. Brendel waited for the girls to leave before taking out a Holy Potion and piercing a small through it with his sword. He ced the potion at one of the crevice in a boulder, then checked his surroundings. He confirmed that he did not miss anything and retreated alone to the west.

    He considered the possibility of Madara sending a small squadron to investigate the Mana Resonance. By that point of time, the Rock Wurm which would stay here will teach a lesson to these skeletons and avenge Bretton and the other guards.

    ..................................................................................

    The sixth month of the Year of bustling summer leaves and flowers. Events progressed without diverting from its course as ording to Brendel¡¯s knowledge.

    The secret emissary reached the Winter w Fortress. The Sixth King of Aouine epted Marquis Kluge¡¯s suggestion not to receive the emissary, and thus the War of the ck Rose quickly went into its second phase.

    On the battlefield, the Karsuk province formally faced Madara¡¯s twin armies, ¡®Winter Solstice¡¯, ¡®ck Crow¡¯. They gravely threatened the province, and Duke Orkin and the messenger who sent out his letter, wept and stated the morale of the soldiers were going to copse if they don¡¯t receive any aid soon.

    At the same time, at Karlman¡¯s mountain regions further to the north which was close to the sea channels, a group of undead army advanced secretly in light armor.

    And the province in southern Grinoires, Fortress Vermiere was facing repeated attacks from Incirsta¡¯s grand army. The region in Be was in a bizarre silence. Amanding officer, Earl P, once sent a letter of inquiry to the 104th swordsman toon in Fortress Riedon, but the final reply was:

    ¡°Everything is fine.¡±

    ...........................................................................................

    It was the first day of the sixth month. Brendel and the girls proceeded through the secret passageway in the Forbidden Garden. They rushed towards Fortress Riedon, racing against time. They already discovered signs of undead activity, but the scale was small, and it appeared that undead scouts were nearby Fortress Riedon.

    This made the small party tense. They were ahead of Madara¡¯s forces by a step, but they did not know how far ahead they were.

    And on the midnight of this day, Brendel led them out of the final section of Mountain Zevail¡¯s pathway. They found themselves out of the forest, southern of Fortress Riedon in a ce called Vendeck. It was a small mountain that oversaw the Pine River and Webster River. The lights from Fortress Riedon made it appear like it was a dazzling jewel, quietly lying on several miles of the mountain valleys, illuminating the stretch of rivers.

    The girls lost their breaths when they saw this scenery. They had constantly imagined how Fortress Riedon looked like, but they did not expect the ce to look like the night sky in the darkness.

    But Romaine suddenly poked Brendel¡¯s back and whispered:

    ¡°Brendel, there¡¯s an army behind us.¡±

    ¡°Army?¡±

    ¡°Yes, look to the north. We just passed the valley this afternoon, can you see it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ten kilometers away, and it¡¯s so dark, how can you see that ce clearly? My nobledy, please don¡¯t joke at this time!¡± He sighed in a exaggerated manner.

    ¡°But I can see it.¡±

    ¡°Brendel, Romaine might be telling the truth.¡± Freya interjected.

    [...... Of course I know she¡¯s probably right, I already seen her perception first-hand. I¡¯m just joking to ease the tension. You¡¯re going to be old quickly if you¡¯re always so serious, Miss Future Goddess of War.....]

 volume 1 - 41

    TL: TSTBGAM will be up soon. I cleared my 2 pt perspective assignment pretty quickly.

    CH 41 ¨C Spy

    He looked back at Romaine, and found that she was looking back at him. Her eyes which were full of curiosity made people feel ufortable at times, but Brendel was truly fond of her and found her mannerisms to be cute.

    He contemted for a while before replying: ¡°Let¡¯s stop here for a while.¡±

    ¡°Stop for a while?¡± Freya asked: ¡°But the Madara¡¯s forces are right behind us, and they would arrive about two or three hourster. We don¡¯t have much time, Brendel.¡±

    But he shook the Seal Ring in front of the girls and answered: ¡°It is now midnight. The city will be on full alert, and just having this alone does not really say anything. If we are treated as the Madara¡¯s scouts, everything would go wrong, understand?¡±

    ¡°T-then, what should we do?¡± Freya thought that all her efforts that she put in should have a little use.

    He nced at her. In his mind, he knew clearly he was full of crap. Fortress Riedon did not notice Madara¡¯s invasion? That might not be true! The nobles would not neglect their own safety, what they wanted was to hide inside the fortress and stubbornly defend until reinforcements arrived.

    He remembered in the Year of the Hidden Beasts (Year 342), the undead army swept across the east of Karsuk, leaving the entire region void of life. The governor of City of Silver Horses ordered the gates to be shut, ignoring the pleas of the eastern region, causing the refugees to flee to the west. In the end, that stretch ofnd was still empty even until now.

    Even so, these city lords did not receive any censure or me, or perhaps the royal family had no power left to rebuke the lords since the ascension of Aouine¡¯s previous king. The girls did not understand what happened to the Karsuk region, but he knew what happened.

    His true intention was to rescue Romaine¡¯s aunt, and possibly a few others if he could, but reporting to the army of Fortress Riedon? He had never ced hope in this aspect, and he certainly did not think himself as a messiah.

    Rather than hoping the nobles would listen to reason, he would rather bet on pigs flying in the air as a better possibility. There were many shes amongst the yers and the arrogant nobles in the game, and even until the political changes in the twelve month, they were still fighting it out.

    He did not even have one good impression of the bastards at all.

    When he considered the pieces in his mind, he realized that Freya might see things differently. He spied on her with the corners of his eyes. She was staring vacantly at the campfire ¡ª The countryside girl still believed in this country. It was not a bad thing, but he was worried that she would be impulsive when it came to the critical juncture.

    And even if disyed the facts before her, she might not believe him. This would only lead to a rift between them and he did not wish to argue with her. He continued to mull things over, then a sudden idea hit him.

    [There are some moves I need to consider in advance for this n.]

    He pretended to think a while longer, then answered: ¡°I have thought things through. It seems like we don¡¯t have much of a choice. We are still Aouine¡¯s citizens and we cannot avoid the dangers here.¡±

    ¡°But,¡± He paused: ¡°We need to prepare for every situation.¡±

    His logical and grand speech made the girls nod in agreement. Even Freya¡¯s attitude softened. She looked at him with appreciative eyes, suddenly finding that he was not such a shameless lout.

    Only the Gods knew that Brendel felt relieved after his speech. He realized that he finally found a way to bridge himself to his past and the current Brendel. He was never a person to be mired in rules, but the recent days made him feel that there was a huge hand continuously pushing him from behind, and that made him feel breathless at every turn.

    But with his growing strength and the baptism from the Golden Demonic Tree¡¯s dream, he finally felt the carefree feeling from the past returning to him. This made him feel like things could be solved easily. His thoughts also had the addition of the former Brendel¡¯s flexibility.

    He took out the ck gargoyle statue which still had a small crack on it.

    He said: ¡°You need to be prepared as well. Turn your ring to face inwards, Freya. Your fire agate is too conspicuous. Little Romaine, you need to keep your dagger close to your body. Thezy guards won¡¯t search too close for it.¡±

    ¡°Do I need to turn my ring too?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary, nobody will want your cheap ring.¡±

    ¡°Brendel, these people are the guards of the fortress! Why do you look like you don¡¯t...... trust them too much?¡± She asked.

    ¡°... I had never trusted them in the first ce. Once we reach there you will understand what I mean. In any case, just follow what I said for the time being.¡±

    Freya had never entered the city and felt that he was overdoing things. But she could only choose to believe since he was the leader of such things now.

    Brendel took out various trinklets while he exined. The only thing that he had not identified was the trinklets from the fallen noble. He found that the pipe was only amon item and he he threw it away. He did not know what the dark gray colored stones were, but there was bound to be something that he did not recognize since there were thousands of different materials.

    But the crystal beads were interesting. He discovered they were the containers of a spent soul gem, or more urately, a storage spell item. The spell inside them should be a silencing spell, an appropriate magic to use for going around the monster¡¯s nest during adventuring.

    But what made him feel awkward was the inability of activating the storage spell items since he was a warrior. He hesitated for a while before keeping the cards and the items away, so the greedy guards would not take them awayter on.

    He checked the night sky. It was still early.

    They started to leave Vendeck from the east, and there were signs of bright stars illuminating the buildings in their path. They were mostly farms distributed on the two shores of the Pine Forest, one after another. There were also inns in the outskirts, which only adventurers and illegal merchants would patronize these buildings. Many NPCs treated the yers like they were grave robbers, since it was true that the majority of them had done something simr.

    They walked in the wild for approximately an hour, and suddenly Fortress Rideon appeared right in front of them. There were fire baskets at the towers, which lit the surroundings dozens of meters away. Brendel told the girls to slow down, and to gradually walk out of the darkness into the edge of the light.

    The guards were chatting with each other, and there was even a faint snoring sound. He was particrly sensitive to the noises, and he furrowed his brows. There were approximately seven or eight of them in the tower.

    Once the three of them appeared, the chatting ceased.

    ¡°Identify yourself!¡± The guards looked warily at them for a while, and one of them revealed himself with a helmet and demanded them to answer. Romaine squinted and looked up, finding a ck pine symbol on the helmet¡¯s top.

    Brendel had once exined to her that the ck pine symbol represented the local forces, while that white-mane something army was a symbol of a wolf. ¡®Brendel really knows everything¡¯, she thought.

    ¡°A men and two women. We came from the forest. Sir, we saw something strange there. Me and my wives arepletely scared, and we want to seek refuge in the fortress!¡± Brendel raised his arm and shouted loudly.

    Freya who was behind listened in fury and embarrassment, what was ¡®a man and two woman¡¯, the crudeness of it all! When she heard him saying they were his wives, she finally stabbed Brendel¡¯s back with the sword¡¯s hilt, this damned bastard must have done it on purpose!

    Romaine looked like she was fine with it, perhaps even feeling that it was a good thing to be Brendel¡¯s wife.

    Brendel could only suffer in silence. This was the only way to make the guardsy down their vignce. They did not look simr to each other in appearance, and he could not possibly say they were siblings.

    ¡°Are you carrying weapons?¡± The guard asked again.

    Freya tensely held on to her sword when she heard that question, but Brendel calmly answered: ¡°We dare not set foot in the forest without weapons, sir, and we also trained as militia in the past.¡±

    The tower became silent, and there was a long pause.

    After a while, a basket was let down from above, and the guard shouted: ¡°Take off your weapons and ce them in the basket. We will receive you one by one.¡±

    Brendel nodded to Freya to let them do the same. Even though the ¡®Thorn of Light¡¯ was more elegant in appearance, without activating the sword it did not look like a Magic Sword. Once the weapons were handed over the basket lift was sent down. Brendel was the first to go up in case something happened to the girls up there. Freya allowed Romaine to go next, and finally she was thest one to be pulled up.

    She sat down on the lift¡¯s seat as she was pulled up, but when she reached the top of the tower, she saw that Brendel and Romaine were restrained with swords on their necks. Two of the guards pulled out their swords and walked over to her.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Freya asked in astonishment. She cast her gaze at Brendel, but he looked away and did not answer her query.

    She panicked a little. Brendel was always the leader of the group, but now it was as if she became the decision maker. What should she do? Let the guards restrain her? Was this the way how they did things?

    [Brendel, answer me, what the hell are you thinking, damn it!]

    ¡°Take them away, these people are Madara¡¯s scouts!¡± At this moment, she suddenly heard someone barking orders from the corner. She was greatly taken aback, and spoke without thinking: ¡°You knew that the Madara¡¯s army was attacking?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s expression was one of tragedy. Even though she had grown, she was a still a naivess who had not seen the various aspects of society. A few mere words was enough to make her lose herposure. She might feel there was nothing wrong in her question, but the guards in Fortress Riedon was afraid of people from Be reporting the situation.

    They wanted to suppress this information in order to shirk the responsibility.

    Brendel knew that all too well. These people thought they could rely on Fortress Riedon¡¯s tall and sturdy walls, but none of them knew the war was going to advance in a direction beyond their wildest dreams.

    ¡°Wait, we¡¯re not Madara¡¯s scouts!¡± Freya argued: ¡°We¡¯re Be¡¯s militia, we have the Seal Ring of the Be¡¯s guard captain!¡±

    But the voicepletely ignored her and yelled: ¡°Restrain her now, what are you waiting for?¡± The person walked out from the darkness, bearing a dark armor, with the feather on his helmet indicating that he was the leader of the guards.

    The perverted middle-aged man staredsciviously at Freya, his mind thinking that he had gotten something good. He believed that Freya was telling the truth as she was still wearing the militia¡¯s armbands, but he had other ns in mind.

    [How interesting. To think there¡¯s such a fine woman in that poverty-stricken Be.]

    He stroked his chin.

 volume 1 - 42

    Chapter 42 ¨C Middle-aged person

    Brendel looked at the helpless Freya who did not know what to do, and he guessed that she should have a certain understanding of the guards¡¯ true appearance by now. It was still not enough, so he continued to wait and let her see with her own eyes and understand what kind of plight they were currently in.

    He did not wish to break her love for this kingdom, but there were times where such emotions were insufficient and would only lead to a disaster. He hoped that Freya would learn to be calm under desperate situations. If there was a need to protect the girls, he would do so should the guards intend to harm them.

    He continued to wait for Freya¡¯s actions, but suddenly realize her gaze was somece faraway. He paused slightly before he followed her line of sight.

    He then noted that the ce she was looking at was the ¡®Eastern Camp¡¯ in Fortress Riedon, and saw a group of people varying in height tightly surrounding a tall man. Behind him was a group of the ¡®White Mane¡¯ light infantry.

    Brendel suddenly felt things were turning interesting. He did not expect to have such good luck, and he felt like he found a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Freya was certainly quick to have noted these people with authority, and he nodded inwardly as he guessed what Freya was thinking about.

    From a normal person¡¯s point of view, Freya¡¯s reactions were correct.

    He turned back to Freya and saw the two guards were about to pull out their swords and close in on Freya. She jumped into the tower and rushed for the weapons.

    The two guards were startled and hurriedly readied their swords to fight her, but Freya abruptly closed in on them and grabbed the first guard¡¯s sword wrist with her right hand.

    They had not expected her to resist when herpanions had already been captured and was caught off-guard by the series of events.

    She then swiveled her body to the side and struck with her left hand at the other guard¡¯s armpit, then grabbed onto his sword and kicked him backwards as he cried out in pain. Her actions were done in a single stroke, almost as if it was done in the blink of an eye.

    The first guard pulled away from her grasp, but she was ready with the stolen sword and thrust three times at him. With the growth she had gained from the earlier battles, she forced him back all the way to the wall, struck him on the head with the sword¡¯s hilt and caused him to slump lifelessly onto the ground with a bleeding head.

    She then turned around again, her intimidating air frightening the other four guards and their captain, and they stepped backwards at the same time.

    Freya was displeased. She had always thought that the soldiers in Fortress Riedon were as amazing as Brendel, but their standards were actually this terrible! (TL: Kek. Anyone can probably see something is very wrong with Brendel.)

    Brendel apuded her in his heart. The soldiers in this fortress were only at the standard of veteran militia, but her current prowess was enough to be one of the guards. Furthermore, she had the qualities of being calm and steady now.

    He eyed the ¡®White Mane¡¯ light infantry.

    [But if she underestimates the kingdom¡¯s regr army, she is going to be in trouble. I¡¯ll keep an eye out for her decisions. Right now ¡ª]

    He suddenly grabbed the two guards next to him and threw them out before they could react. He took hold of the Elven sword next and knocked the longswords of the guards who were holding Romaine away.

    ¡°What do you intend to do?¡± He ignored the sobbing guards on the ground and the other stunned guards, then grabbed Romaine¡¯s hand and went over to Freya.

    Freya red at him for a few seconds, then looked at the camp. Her intentions were clear enough.

    ¡°Over there? That¡¯s fine, it¡¯s good to go straight to the boss than to waste time with the summons.¡± Heughed.

    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Romaine asked curiously as she rubbed her wrists. The guards used a lot of force to restrain her and her wrists were numb.

    ¡°I mean, let¡¯s hear out the lords.¡±

    Freya felt that he was trying to hint at something but now was not a good time to refute his words. She looked at the frightened guard captain with disgust, then proceeded forward by jumping out of the tower.

    ¡°Brendel, Freya looks like she¡¯s angry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, let¡¯s just catch up to her.¡±

    The Golden Apple Lord, Esebar, had a pleasant day until he saw the current events unfold before his eyes.

    He watched the girl charge forward to him and was taken aback for a moment. The soldiers behind him rushed forward to surround her and the other two people behind her.

    Esebar looked at their attire and found they were dressed like they were from the countryside. After a nk moment, he felt anger rising from his chest.

    [What are these fuckers doing! How dare they let these filthy countryside swill intrude here, who¡¯s the captain on the duty here, I¡¯ll skin his hide!]

    Esebar¡¯s face went red with anger, ready to explode, but he felt someone poking him with a cane. He looked back and saw the revolting businessman, Sir Burnley. He had no wish to talk to this penny-pinching podgy bastard. Burnly was constantly filled with the stench of copper, and his face was hideously decorated withyers of fat, but Esebar at least understood they were on the same side.

    Burnley pointed at Freya¡¯s uniform, and Esebar received a jolt when he saw Freya¡¯s emblem.

    [Be¡¯s militia, didn¡¯t the report say that the Madara¡¯s army had reached Beldor Forest? How did theye over here?]

    He cast a nce behind him, hoping the person with high authority did not notice themotion here. He grabbed his sword tightly and barked at the soldiers around him: ¡°What are you waiting for, capture these assassins.¡±

    [Assassins?]

    Freya was dazed by his words. Her eyes were wide open with surprise and she wanted to argue back, but the clear rings of swords being pulled out by the guards pierced her heart painfully.

    ¡°What is happening here?¡±

    At this moment, a low and solemn voice interrupted them. The soldiers parted sideways, and revealed a middle-aged man with sunken eyes and a tall nose; his face cold and dark. He held a golden cane in his hand and looked at everyone in the vicinity with a haughty gaze.

    Esebar took a deep breath and cursed in his mind. His brain worked quickly and answered without changing his expression: ¡°There are a fewmoners who barged in, and they might be assassins.¡±

    ¡°Commoners?¡± The middle-aged man furrowed his brows.

    ¡°My lord, we are not assassins. We¡¯re Be¡¯s militia and we are here to report th¨C¡±

    The middle-aged man showed signs of loathing, and he interrupted her: ¡°What is your name.¡±

    ¡°F-Freya.¡± She lowered her head when she saw his cold gaze.

    ¡°How about you?¡± He asked Romaine who was beside Freya.

    ¡°I¡¯m Romaine, Mister.¡± The merchant girl blinked and replied.

    A few people giggled in the crowd but they quickly stopped themselves. The middle-aged man did not change his expression, but merely waved his hand and said: ¡°Take them away, I¡¯ll decide everything once you are done with the questioning.¡±

    ¡°My lord, we.......¡± Freya raised her head in a panic to try and exin.

    But he did not bother to listen to her and let the guards surround them. But a few momentster, he spoke again.

    ¡°Hold on.¡±

    As if there was a hidden power behind his words, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

    ¡°Bring that man¡¯s sword to me and let me take a look.¡± He pointed at Brendel with his cane.

    ¡®Sword?¡¯

    The soldiers were momentarily confused, then looked at Brendel¡¯s sword and noticed its design.

    [Fuck, that¡¯s an Elven sword which is reputed by its beauty. This ismonly traded amongst the nobles, damn this greedy bastard. He wants both the women and the sword!] Esebar cursed in his mind once again.

    What made him angry was the status that he had. His rank was much higher than Esebar, and he could only give up as he could not afford to offend the powers behind him.

    Brendel looked at Freya and saw that she was lost and disoriented. He knew it was about time to end the farce, but he still maintained a poker face and shrugged.

    He handed the sword over obediently.

    [This man is at least sensible.] Esebar approved this action.

    A soldier carried the sword over with care, and presented it with both his hands to the middle-aged man, who read out the Elven words on the sword:

    ¡°(Thy sword shall burst forth from light, and strike thy enemies with terror)¡±

    He raised the sword up and the Elven sword shone in his hand. The people surrounding him took a deep breath. It was a magic sword, and the nobles cast their gaze on Brendel and the others. They felt they were assassins as no militia would have a magic weapon.

    The middle-aged man looked at the glowing longsword and smiled for the first time. He looked at the merchant Burnley and said: ¡°Sir Burnley, you have a discerning eye for these sort of things, can you tell me this sword¡¯s history?¡±

    The fat noble quickly moved over to him with his wobbling body to ingratiate himself in front of him: ¡°It is true that I have seen a few Elven weapons, but it is you, my lord, who has a discerning eye in your circle.¡±

    The middle-aged man gave a coldugh and said: ¡°Then for the sake of this sword, treat them well tonight. I¡¯ll interrogate these assassins myself. You would best take care of thedies here, and tell your captain Granzon what I said here. Do not think that I am ignorant of the dirty things they do.¡±

    His words became colder and colder, and actually caused the soldier in front of him to shudder. But the other people around him revealed a meaningful smile. The more evident the lord¡¯s attitude was, the better it was for them.

    It was merely a sword and two women after all, and they were more interested in waiting for other opportunities.

    Freya raged with anger and it showed on her burning face. She took a deep breath, clenched her teeth and fists, and for a moment Brendel was worried she would do something rash.

    Brendel looked up at the middle-aged man as he swung the glimmering sword about. He creased his brows as he tried to recall this person. It looked like he was a high ranking person but he could not remember his face.

    [This person¡¯s reaction is interesting. Well, the fun part ising right up.]

    When they were taken away by the guards, he clearly heard the middle-aged man ask:

    ¡°Alright, let us get down to business. Mister Esebar, when do you n on letting me go out of this city?¡± His voice was cold with a tinge of sarcasm.

    ¡°My lord, this is a dangerous time right now, the Madara forces have already arrived at Stronghold Vermiere. The sidelines of Be might fall any moment and it is currently too dangerous. This is especially so when you are a chief councillor for the king, and we cannot let any danger to befall you.¡±

    The middle-aged man smiled without saying anything else.

 volume 1 - 43

    TL: It¡¯s probably going to be a long week ahead for me, going to work real hard on plenty of gesture drawings, 100 of them at least...??

    Needs assistance on spell check again. There are many names this chapter which took a long time to TL, grumble grumble.

    It kind of surprised me to see that ¡®This series feels unique¡¯ took first ce for the previous poll. From a genre point of view, this book did not really bring anything new to the table. That ¡°system¡± that Brendel has ismon in JP WNs, dozens of Chinese WNs protagonists taking over bodies and ¡°second chance time travel¡± (sort of).

    The only thing that I feel is considerably unique is the portrayal of the characters that felt kind of western DnD fiction with a touch of asian vibe (?), which was kind of exactly how that poll before the current one showed (Many of you felt that it was a mixture of writing style). It even beat out the ¡®story plot¡¯ choice by a very thin margin, haha.

    ¡®Brendel¡¯s inner monologues¡¯ was sort of a troll choice, so I can¡¯t really guess if you guys are serious or not (lol). The least favorite poll choice was the ¡®battles¡¯, which is most likely the opposite of xianxia which is full of ¡®crack¡¯ fights. But I¡¯m still d that you read this series for the plot and unique writing style.

    Chapter 43 ¨C Not a hignd knight?

    The captain of the guards led them into the cells, then threatened Brendel¡¯s group coldly with a few lines and left. Freya was fuming mad but Brendel sat leisurely in the darkness. He observed his surroundings with the torches¡¯ ambient light.

    [This is the second level of the prison¡¯s location. 32 Rooms, with 4 wardensprising of the 104th swordsman squadron¡¯s light infantry. Hahaha, this reminds me of the PK that I did back then in the game. It¡¯s not the first time I visited this ce, and I was imprisoned in the third level. The yers were terrible ouws in the eyes of the NPCs.]

    He took out the gargoyle idol from his pocket and felt all over the surface. The cracks were nearly gone. He finally turned back to the opposite cell and asked in theplete darkness: ¡°Freya, Romaine, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Brendel, how long will we be locked up?¡± The merchant girl¡¯s voice came over with slight unease.

    [Hmm? She sounds a little scared. These girls should be safe although it¡¯s a little dark. How should I put her at ease-]

    Suddenly a dull and loud thud echoed in the darkness.

    ¡°Damn it! These damned bastards, why did everyone in Be try so hard for these people!¡± Freya punched on the wooden bars in fury.

    ¡°The ones inside, stop that shit right now! Do you want to be whipped?¡± The warden immediately warned with a menacing voice.

    Even though Freya wanted nothing more than to punch the bastards outside one by one, she recognized her situation she was in and took a deep breath to calm down.

    ¡°Brendel, what are we going to do now?¡± She asked softly.

    Romaine immediately cut in and asked: ¡°This is the ck Prison right? My aunt said there are some people who get locked here for their whole lives without seeing the day ever again. Brendel, are we going to have the same fate?¡±

    ¡°Romaine, just shut up!¡± Freya answer in the ce of Brendel.

    He smiled: ¡°Do you still have any hope in them?¡±

    ¡°I hope that everyone of them dies!¡± She replied in a rage.

    ¡°But if we don¡¯t get their help, Fortress Riedon will be in danger.¡± Brendel stood up and walked to the prison¡¯s door and said quietly.

    She was silent for a while.

    ¡°I have done my best,¡± She said: ¡°I don¡¯t have an infinite pool of stamina and I can only do much for Be.¡±

    [Very good. Looks like the ¡®Goddess raising¡¯ n is working well. I definitely need Freya to help me in the future. It¡¯s good that the amount of trouble that I took was not a waste.]

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you thought things through.¡±

    ¡°Do you have a n?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the two of you back away a little.¡±

    It was precisely because he had a way to escape that he dared to enter this ce.

    The next night was a true nightmare but the nobles in Fortress Riedon did not know that. Freya had brought the final chance right before them, but they locked the group up under a false reason.

    [These nobles really are digging their own graves and jumping into them,]

    ¡°Wait, Brendel, w-what are you thinking of doing? Don¡¯t do anything rash, this is the prison!¡± Even though Freya wanted the nobles to die, she was still a citizen and did not want tomit treason by escaping out so openly.

    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    ¡°What do you know! Ah, Romaine, persuade him!¡± She lowered her voice. She wanted someone, even the wardens, to stop Brendel¡¯s crazy actions, yet somewhere in her mind, she did not want the guards to notice themotion inside the room. She was deeply conflicted for a moment.

    ¡°Brendel, I also want to escape.¡± Romaine answered.

    ¡°Shut up!!! I did not want you to persuade him in this manner!¡± Freya was in tears as the two of them did not seem to understand what their actions were going to bring about. Escaping was punishable by death, and she did not know what to do when the two of her bestpanions were about to be wanted criminals.

    Brendel took out the ¡®Hignd Squire¡¯ card and threw it onto the ground. He paid it with 1 water EP (elemental point) provided by the ¡®Garden of the Holy Tree¡¯. A burst of smoke came and went, and a youth carrying arge number of scrolls with a long robe patted his sleeves, and walked out from the smoke.

    [It¡¯s impossible to store EP without an elemental pool. The EP generated from the Earth card will be lost but I can pay it directly within this week.]

    ¡°My name is Ciel, my lord, I am pleased to serve you.¡± The youth looked at him and bowed deeply.

    ¡°Are you a hignd magician?¡± He asked.

    ¡°An apprenticed.¡± The youth corrected him earnestly.

    Brendel discovered that he was able to perceive his stats, so he called up the window to take a look.

    Name: Ciel

    ss: Hignd Magician Apprentice

    HP: 16

    Mana: 8

    Magic spells:

    Basic Creation (2 MP), Mana Arrow (1 MP)

    Knowledge:

    Basic Magic, Creation Magic, Basic knowledge in geography and locations, Sigil Magic 1 OZ.

    ¡°You learned Conjuration Magic?¡± (TL: It trantes literally to Law Magic....)

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Conjuration wizards was a type of generalist wizard, and they focused on Conjuration principles. The magic maniptes the line between the material world and the world ofws, with gems as a medium of power to create a spell.

    There were nine different types of wizards in The Amber Sword. Conjuration Magic, Elemental Magic, Chord Magic, Shaman Magic, Sigil Magic, Holy Magic, Astral Magic, Necromancy and Leyline Magic. Each type represented a different set of magic, but majority of the people were unable to differentiate between them and ssified them as merely wizards.

    ¡°Brendel, is someone talking to you?¡± Freya suddenly stopped and asked.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my attendant.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Attendant?¡± The girl was confused.

    Brendel took out the soul crystal that stored a ¡®Silence Sound¡¯ spell which affected ten feet of its surroundings and threw it at the youth: ¡°Activate it.¡±

    A warrior could not use a magic item but a wizard apprentice obviously could. Ciel caught the crystal and supplied 1 MP into it and the surface of the crystal should a little. Freya suddenly realized she was unable to create any sound, and her heart beat furiously in the presence of the mysterious magic. She reacted the same way a normal person would, especially so when she did not know it was Brendel who did it.

    Ciel nodded to his owner.

    Brendel turned to the wooden bars that were thicker than his arms and punched it. He had raised his Mercenary to level 8 and Militia to lvl 6. With his overall level of 15, he had 5.4 OZ of strength and with Power Break added to it ¡ª (TL: + 1 viger level)

    The sturdy bars broke from the center and flew violently against the opposite bars, continuing its momentum and bounced twice without any sound. The two girls watched it break with splinters and dust flying everywhere. He walked out from the cell and Ciel followed behind him. He grabbed the steel chains from the other cell and pulled it like a rope. It changed its shape from the force and broke apart link by link, then he opened the door and waited until the magic¡¯s effect was gone.

    ¡°Oh, do youdies want to stay in here a little longer?¡± He stood outside the cell and looked at the surprised girls and asked cheekily.

    ¡°Y-y-you, broke out?¡± Freya could not believe what she saw, this was toowless! And he was too skillful with this which was probably because it was not the first time he did this!

    He only grinned. He escaped countless times in the game, and he even seeded escaping from the harbor Ampere Seale¡¯s prison fortress.

    [Back then the forums were even roused by the yers who managed to escape from Kirrlutz¡¯s capital¡¯s prison.]

    ¡°And who is he?¡± Freya noticed there was someone else beside Brendel.

    ¡°My esteemeddies, I am Sir lord¡¯s squire.¡± Ciel lowered his head and greeted the two girls.

    ¡°Squire?¡±

    ¡°Sir lord?¡±

    They nearly failed to control their voices, what was going on? Was there a secret passageway, why did Brendel mysteriously became a lord and even had a squire?

    Freya patted her face to check if she was dreaming. If that youth who stayed in that old mansion suddenly became a lord after a few months, then she should be a Goddess of War too right?

    ¡°H-how did youe in?¡± She blurted out in a hurry.

    ¡°Like you can see, I¡¯m a magician.¡± Ciel answered without skipping a beat. Brendel greatly appreciated that, this bugger had a level of bullshitting that couldpete with him.

    ¡°A magician¡± Freya was taken aback.

    ¡°Y-y-you are a Hignd Knight, Brendel, you¡¯re actually a Darnian!¡± She looked at him with disbelief. There was one ce in this world where a magician would be a knight¡¯s squire, the Karsuk¡¯s region where the Hignd Knights had allied with the wizards for more than three hundred years, forming Aouine¡¯s strongest forces and known as the White Knights. They were legends in every household.

    At this moment Freya believed that Brendel was a noble youth from a high ranking knight family.

    [No wonder, no wonder he was so amazing. He was so calm in every situation because he was a knight.] She suddenly lowered her head.

    [This bastard is a noble, yet he came to me and Romaine who are justmoners, he must be up to something bad!]

    She immediately linked the bad deeds that she heard from her aunt and jerked backwards.

    Brendel obviously did not know what was going on in the girl¡¯s creative mind, and merely thought she could not ept the events that had transpired. In fact he thought that if they felt better with this exnation, he could skip the trouble of exining himself. He shook his head and looked at Ciel, who also looked back at him.

    Reality was always so troublesome.

    ¡°Alright, you two girls, it¡¯s about time to go¡± Brendel looked at Romaine who was hiding in the dark with her bright eyes looking at him curiously. He shook his head and asked: ¡°You are not going to n to stay here till dawn right?¡±

    ¡°Brendel, are you really a knight?¡± She suddenly asked.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ming out.¡±

    ¡°Please¡ª¡°

 volume 1 - 44

    TL: I have to shift the Amber Sword schedule to every Friday instead. My art ss stuff has begun to go into more irritating stuff like, craft a skull in zbrush and draw perspective stuff from blueprints, more muscles, gestures, time consuming crap etc. Luckily I¡¯m starting on some digital illustrations on characters so I can finally post something interesting.

    If I have the time, I might want to take on a temporary JP title.

    Chapter 44 ¨C Not jailbreaking?

    The three remaining people came out from the prison. The girls looked on as Brendel easily handled the patrolling wardens, and the entire process was silent and practiced. Freya had her suspicion that Brendel had special training as a Hignd Knight, but was it necessary to train to do something like this?

    After the wardens were settled, the four of them walked towards the central area of the level. The guard who kept watch of the keys was surprised when they saw theming out from the darkness, and subconsciously pulled out the sword from the wall.

    Brendel immediately raised his gauntlets he stole from a warden and charged over to him. A blue shimmering glow washed over the gauntlets as he blocked the guard¡¯s sword. The blue light was around the size of a ser ball, and there was a force from within that pushed away the sharp de.

    Brendel grabbed the sword away when the white mane light infantry became surprised, and pushed him back to the wall with tremendous force. A dull thud and a withering gasp could be heard as the guard fainted. Brendel saw that the guards were merely normal soldiers, so he did not use fatal force and simply knocked them out.

    Freya blurted out after she watched him knock down the final foe: ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re so strong. If I did not see you in action, I would still be naive about the strength of the knights.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to look down on yourself. A mid white-ranked swordsman is more than enough to handle the guards.¡± Brendel searched for the key to go up the next level on the warden.

    ¡°White-ranked swordsman?¡±

    ¡°It means unranked,¡± Ciel exined next to her: ¡°The cksteel, silver, gold swordsmen rank counterparts are, squires, knights and veteran knights. The cksteel swordsmen are Aouine¡¯s knights¡¯ reserves.If there are any nobles with slight potential, they would be sent to great noble families to be squires.¡± (TL: The pacing of words is a little unclear here, but nobles probably have nothing to do with swordsmen. They are just training to be knights.)

    ¡°ording to tradition, a grade 1 ranking swordsman enjoy the authority of not taking off his hat when they meet low ranking nobles like squires and lords, but this tradition has stopped approximately fifty years ago. Any rank that is below the cksteel swordsmen, would be unranked. Typically the army guards, militia are of this level, separated only by the words of ¡®upper¡¯ and ¡®lower¡¯.¡±

    ¡°So this is how it is ssified.¡± Freya stood pensively. Just a while ago her mind was still mired in being the top militia swords user, but now her horizons have broadened.

    But Ciel was not done yet as he had seen through his lord¡¯s intention to nurture the girl, so he continued: ¡°A cksteel swordsman represents a grade 1 power, silver swordsman as grade 2 power, gold swordsman as grade 3 power. Our wizards counterpart are cantrip wizard, first circle wizard and second circle wizard. There are also simr distinctions for the priests and other professions, and these distinctions are not of a country¡¯s standards, but from the Holy Cathedral of mes¡¯s strict rules.¡±

    The girls blinked repeatedly as they received the lesson. It was not actually umon knowledge for themoners, but Be was simply too isted.

    ¡°The strongest kingdom like Kirrlutz and Bansel, their standing army¡¯s soldiers areprised of the cksteel rank, while most of the captains are of the silver rank. Inparison, more than half of Aouine¡¯s border army¡¯s soldiers have not reached the cksteel rank, and even an appointed captain of the knights is at the intermediate cksteel rank.¡± Ciel intentionally pointed things out.

    ¡°Ciel, if you spread this, our heads would be chopped off.¡±

    ¡°My lord, if you are not afraid of being executed, as an attached squire I would not be afraid too.¡± The youth lightly replied, before continuing: ¡°My lord should also have the standards of a cksteel rank. It is a very rare thing to see with your lordship¡¯s age, and Ciel is very pleased to have the chance to follow such an outstanding person.¡±

    [If I¡¯m going topare to the people with the ¡®enlightened¡¯ or ¡®chosen¡¯ status, or even the ones with knight talents, I¡¯m nothing much at all. Then again the results that I aplished are quite puzzling indeed.]

    Ciel did not know the circumstances, but since Brendel felt good from the praise he did not reveal anything.

    Especially when it came to the girls¡¯ amazed gazes.

    Ciel looked at the guard on the floor and asked softly: ¡°Number 5, 17 and 22, these seems to be other prisoners in these three cells. Should we let them out to aid us in our escape, my lord? If the outside area is the soldier camp, the more people we have, the better our chances to escape.¡±

    Freya red at him. Brendel had talked about other stuff during their temporary stay in the cells. The people who were locked here were guilty of terrible crimes.

    ¡°No, it will affect my ns if there are more people.¡± Brendel said confidently.

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Brendel turned his head back: ¡°Romaine, do you know where your aunt is?¡±

    She shook her head: ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly either, she only said that she would be staying with a rtive.¡±

    ¡°Where is that rtive staying?¡±

    ¡°The location is at Ponoa¡¯s market. I heard that person is a distant rtative of my aunt. He¡¯s a small fur merchant called Hood.¡± Freya said.

    Brendel nced at Romaine: ¡°Your family certainly has the tradition of having merchants.¡±

    Romaine merely smiled sweetly.

    Since Brendel had the desired location, it was easy to decide on the next step. The first level of the prison was even smaller, and there was only one warden there. Brendel was certain that there were four wardens in their level because of them. He quickly settled the warden here and they proceeded upwards, and found themselves in the inner soldier camp.

    He was familiar with this area, and he led his party swiftly to the warehouse and retrieved Freya¡¯s half te. They then equipped themselves with a sword. He found that it was a pity that the soldiers who fainted did not provide XP, otherwise he would have woken them up and knocked them a few times.

    Ciel repeatedly gave the advice of freeing the other prisoners to let them escape from the riot: The reason was very simple, it was easy for them to handle one or two white-maned light infantry soldiers, just rush them from the shadows and they were down for the count. But once they got to the outside camp, it was impossible to escape with just the four of them.

    But Brendel denied it.

    In the midst of their discussion, Brendel had already led them to the highest point of this soldier camp; a tower. He opened the wooden door at the peak, and there was a open pathway in front of them. This tower was used as ast minute resort to aid the walls, and one of the areas overlooked approximately a fifth of the city.

    But he was not here to look at the scenery. They had incapacitated seven guards along their way, and ording to the standards of the white-mane army, they would discover that there was something amiss after ten minutes. He looked up at the sky. The sky was beautifully illuminated by the moon and stars, and despite the thick clouds, the shape of the moon could still be seen.

    ¡°What are you doing, Brendel?¡± Freya poked him from behind. A stray thought appeared in her mind and she wondered if this fellow actually broke out of the jail just to see the moonlight. Even though it was probably unlikely, but looking at the crazy actions that he did in the past few days, it might be possible.

    She looked at Ciel next, and the youth also had his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky with his lord silently. They certainly had great coordination with each other.

    ¡°The moonlight tonight is pretty good.¡± Brendel answered.

    ¡°You¡ª¡± Freya really wanted to punch his face to see if he could stillugh about it.

    ¡°My aunt said that the moon¡¯s name is Luca, and was born because of Iren, a goddess. Because there is a moon,this world became mysterious.¡± Romaine also looked up at the moon andmented.

    ¡°Your aunt knows a lot,¡± Ciel also added in: ¡°There is a secret amongst the wizards, a book called ¡®The annals of darkness¡¯, which described the things that happened long ago in the past.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that Romaine¡¯s aunt is a wizard?¡± Freya was stunned.

    ¡°That might not be so, it might be possible that she is someone rted to magic. Some witches in the rural areas have also heard of such rumors.¡± He replied.

    Freya¡¯s eyes went to Romaine, but thetter did not seem to hear any of their talk and simply looked at the moon. Freya did think that Romaine¡¯s aunt Jennie was indeed a little mysterious. She frequently brought strange things back to the vige, and the vigers said she was a witch and did not reallymunicate with her family.

    While Brendel listened to their conversation on one side, he suddenly heard strange words in his mind:

    XVI: The Tower

    The fallen ¡®moonlight¡¯ that devours light.

    He was momentarily dazed for a while, and thought he was in an illusion. He quickly shook his head, but could not stop but remember that dream when he was unconscious.

    In a scenery filled with ghastly darkness, isted from the world. There was only a moon shining on the tower in the midst of a ckke, signifying the beginning and end of his dream. There was when he met Freya.

    But when he was about to mull over this thought, the merchant girl suddenly said: ¡°There¡¯s somethinging over, Brendel.¡±

    The three of them looked around in alert.

    After twenty seconds, they heard a low and dull sound of wings pping. Freya was in vignce and unease, but Brendel and Ciel were rxed.

    Brendel looked up, and the next instant a gargoyle broke through from the clouds. The rock devil with its wings extended contrasted deeply from the bright moonlight, and became a figure that was full of intrigue.

    ¡°Brendel, it¡¯s your gargoyle!¡± Romaine recognized it immediately.

    ¡°Yes. Are you afraid of heights?¡±

    The merchant girl hurriedly shook her head.

    ¡°W-what are you going to do Brendel?¡± Freya immediately thought of something and her face paled immediately.

    ..........................................................................

    The Golden Apple Lord barged into Burnley¡¯s home with a grave expression. This noble who was famed in the industry was checking out a finely crafted bronze armor with a magnifying ss. Any armor that was in the ancient era of ¡®The Returning Light¡¯ was prized by all collectors.

    Burnley unhurriedlyid down his magnifying ss, nce at his partner with slight ridicule: ¡°What happened, did that fellow went out of the city with his men?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not something as serious as that, but the criminals tonight escaped!¡± When Esebar said this, he was so furious that he punched a random spot. He was actually not furious over the escape, but it was another madman who intruded his home and yelled at him.

    ¡°That is certainly a small matter. How did they escape?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not angry over this.¡± The Golden Apple Lord shook his head and took a deep breath: ¡°I¡¯m angry over that ¡®Tiger¡¯ Luc Beson actually created a din in my home, saying that I locked a Hignd Knight¡¯s descendant in his prison and I caused him trouble!¡±

    ¡°Hignd knight?¡± Burnley paused.

    ¡°Yes, he said there was a Hignd Knight amongst the three, and his magician squire came to rescue him. Holy Mother Marsha above, he ran over to me and demanded to have him, saying that man must not be harmed and added to his army.¡± The Golden Apple Lord was in delirious anger when he spat his words out.

    ¡°And in conclusion?¡±

    ¡°The conclusion, the conclusion is I have to bring him to settle this! In the middle of the night, this bastard is just too much!¡± He roared.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too impulsive, let Granzon handle this. I¡¯ll move some men from my personal army to aid you.¡± Burnely smiled and answered.

    The Golden Apple Lord looked thankfully at him. It was the first time that he felt this rotund face was not as hateful. But after a while he reminded him: ¡°I still have one more matter. I recently heard you moved a batch of armor to the city? You need to be careful. Even though it¡¯s not a big matter to raise your own forces, you have to be careful of your secrets falling into your enemies¡¯ hands.¡±

    He looked around the room.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a personal hobby.¡± The industry specialist continued to smile.

    TL: The title is contradictory -.-

 volume 1 - 45

    TL: Okay, so there has been a regr donator for full TAS sponsored chapters (going on for months now). I was sort of, well because I¡¯m busy with school, I didn¡¯t really focus much on getting donations but he requested me to put one button up.

    So, I found a pretty interesting ¡°Buy me a coffee¡± button, and you all should know that I really love coffee... Tip me once a month or anything for $2, should be reasonable right? In regards to extra sponsored chapters rate, it shoulde about 2 days/1 extra chapter. I¡¯ll try to work on it during travel time on myptop to squeeze it in.

    Thanks for your support, everyone.

    Chapter 45 ¨C Night scenery

    Brendel and his squire jumped down from his gargoyle, and they saw Romaine and Freya with a pale face in the alley. Thetter was ring at him with a hateful gaze. Brendel found it a little funny that the Goddess of War was afraid of height, and discovered that she resembled the girls in his party in the past due to her frightened expressions in the air.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to talk a little about our current situation.¡± Brendel was afraid that Freya would seek revenge on him and rushed to speak first.

    Freya lightly scoffed when she saw through his trick. She turned her head away and could not be bothered to argue with him.

    ¡°We have already delivered the news, it is up to the nobles to take action or not; the next thing we must do is to find Romaine¡¯s aunt and escape from Fortress Riedon, but it will not be easy to do so.¡± Brendel gestured upwards to instruct the gargoyle to go up to the rooftop and survey the surroundings. He had tried every night to test out the keywords to activate the gargoyle and he finally discovered one that was of use.

    However, he stillcked an attackmand.

    ¡°Freya and Romaine are registered militia, so your rtives at Fortress Riedon will seek to record your names. If we go directly to Romaine¡¯s distant rtive, we might be discovered right there, especially when we don¡¯t know if he could be trusted.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t aunt Jennie going to be in grave danger?¡± Freya asked.

    Brendel nced at Romaine. She did not say anything and was lowering her head to y with the corners of her sleeves.

    ¡°Overall the opposition will also have a reaction time, but if we are going to do these things one at a time together, our chances to fail will be significantly higher. In order to save time, we need to move separately, and each of us need to confirm what our own roles.¡±

    He took a deep breath. He had taken on the role of a leader just like in the game once again. But now that the fate of other people was in his hands, he felt a scinti of tenseness.

    His gaze overlooked the three faces, then pointed:

    ¡°Freya will go and contact Romaine¡¯s rtive.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Freya pointed at herself puzzledly.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But I only know he is staying in Ponoa¡¯s market. I don¡¯t even which street it is, in fact I don¡¯t even know where the market is...?¡± She said with a troubled expression.

    ¡°You can ask around for the directions. Ponoa¡¯s market is nearby, just walk out of this alley and you will see a pub called ¡®The Red Bronze Dragon¡¯s story bar¡¯, and you can seek news in there.¡± Brendel suddenly smiled: ¡°But you need to be careful, the mecenaries¡¯ hands in the bar might not be very proper, don¡¯t get taken advantage of.¡±

    Freya¡¯s face went into a ming red, and she red angrily at him: ¡°Sh-shameless..... lout!¡±

    Ciel was giggling in one corner. He thought his lord was quite interesting. Nobles hardly went to such a low-ss area like a pub, but it seemed that Brendel understood the kingdom from the top to the bottom. Wizards liked to be with intelligent people, especially with people who were knowledgeable in many things.

    ¡°When you find the merchant called Hood, don¡¯t reveal your identity and give him a little time. Invite him to the pub and let us meet him there. Take note of his reactions, and you would know if he is reliable. If you discover the presence of the army, there¡¯s no need to worry. They won¡¯t move until they are clear of our rtionship, since they want to bring us all down at the same time.¡±

    Freya thought about it for a while, as if to check whether she was able to do all these, then finally nodded.

    ¡°Then what about me, Brendel?¡± Romaine blinked and asked.

    ¡°You will help us get a horse carriage and wait for us at the north gate. There are only two hostels in Fortress Riedon, so it is very possible these areas are being watched. If you discover any problems with any one of them, then you can just go ahead to the north gate alone. No matter what happens, we will leave the city in the morning. If we are lucky, we can escape before the order is given to lock the city gates.¡±

    The merchant girl nodded readily.

    Brendel then took out some money from the noble¡¯s relic from The Forbidden Garden, and split it into half and passed to them: ¡°The things that you are about to do might require some money. Here is thirty silver coins, each person with half of it should be more than enough. And if it is possible, purchase some food as well, Romaine.¡±

    The merchant girl nodded earnestly.

    ¡°Then what about you, Brendel?¡± Freya asked.

    ¡°Your independent actions might be too difficult as the White-Mane army might be able to spot the two of you anytime. Ciel and I will visit a few ¡®Old Friends¡¯, and draw the attention of the Fortress guards.¡± Brendel said unhurriedly.

    Only the Gods know how much determination Brendel had when he spoke. He was used to danger, just like leading the girls and himself out of Zevail¡¯s pathway, but he had never thought himself as a hero or a messiah.

    ¡®A detailed n might fail, not to mention a desperate one.¡¯ This was his guild leader¡¯s advice to Brendel in the game, and became his proud motto.

    This time, even he did not know how much risk was involved. But he had promised Romaine in his old home, and there times that he had to keep his promise as a man. He felt that his desire to fulfill his promise calmed him down. He would definitely seed.

    ¡°Are you crazy, Brendel!¡± Freya understood there was something wrong in his words, and her eyes went wide with shock: ¡°Y-you¡¯re going be sentenced to death by hanging, what are we going to do?¡±

    She suddenly realized her words were a little ambiguous and she blushed, trying to exin: ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t want to be like you and be a bandit......¡±

    Brendel felt the tsundere girl was a little cute: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll invite you to join me when there¡¯s a chance.¡±

    There was definitely a chance, but he did not know how much of a chance he had to persuade the future Goddess of War to join him.

    ¡°None at all,¡± Freya said with spite: ¡°You should stay with Romaine, I¡¯m worried for her.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to, I trust little Romaine.¡±

    The merchant girl¡¯s eyebrows went up, and she was secretly delighted.

    Freya was grinding her teeth with anger. She knew that this bastard knew that she was worried about him, but he wanted to force her to say it out loud. And the more infuriating thing was, he might not listen to her even when she said it.

    ¡°Fine. I can¡¯t be bothered.¡± She lowered her head and flung her ponytail backwards with her hand: ¡°B-be careful.¡± (TL: ssic tsundere never dies!)

    The merchant girl gave him a small gesture of ¡®Everything¡¯s okay¡¯, and this was learned from Brendel two days ago: ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you at the north gate, Brendel! The future great merchant¡¯s horse carriage will move only when Brendel¡¯s in it~¡±

    Brendel felt his heart skip a beat, and he smiled at her.

    ...........................................................................................

    In the White-Mane army¡¯s camp after ten minutes of the breakout¡ª

    ¡°You said you did not hear anything at all?¡±

    Luc Beson picked up a broken piece of wood and pointed at a section and asked: ¡°From the damage, this looks like it¡¯s at a Rank 1 strength. A cksteel swordsman broke down our prison¡¯s door, and you are telling me that none of you heard it?¡±

    The ¡®Tiger¡¯ Luc Beson was 45 years old, with dusky skin and a prominent forehead that looked like it was sliced with a knife. His high cheekbones came from his half hignd bloodline. His face was slightly ttened, thin, and his deep gaze held a hint of wildness. Luc Beson had been the captain of the 104th White-mane swordsman army for ten years. If he was to advance he would have to rely on his reputation in his army and his sesses.

    But he was politically inclined to the Evertons, which was also the restoration faction, and it was the truth that the White-Mane army already became Earl P¡¯s personal army. His position in the army was not weed, but this did not hinder him from disying his prestige to his subordinates, and he was not the whelps that came from some noble backdoor.

    The general¡¯s words immediately made the lower ranked officers look at each other. Especially the wardens who were in charge of the security tonight, who went red. There were the White-Mane¡¯s infantry, wearing a blue army uniform, with a pointed helm who walked in and out of the room. The greatest difference they had from the guards was the sigil on their shoulder; a white patch of wolf fur.

    This unique decoration was awarded to this army who participated in the ¡®Hastings war¡¯ where they did not retreat from it. It was also where the army got their fame from.

    ¡°If he is a hignd knight, then his squire might be able to do something like that.¡± Someone said.

    ¡°In the White-Mane¡¯s army, it is not important what your opponents did, it is what you did. A response time of ten minutes, are you the militia?¡±

    Luc Beson¡¯s rebuke immediately silenced everyone.

    At this moment, an army officer brought his attendent and announced himself. He pushed the door open and brought with him a stack of goatskin papers: ¡°Captain, we checked the Be¡¯s militia. There is indeed a Romaine and Freya recorded in it, but the youth called Brendel does not seem to be a Be¡¯s local.¡±

    Luc Beson confirmed his thoughts, and he tapped the table with his fingers: ¡°And?¡±

    The attendent walked near him and said something to his ears, and Luc Beson nodded. He asked again: ¡°What is the answer of his majesty¡¯s secret missionary?¡±

    ¡°The earl did not say, but he hinted that we should execute him.¡± The officer answered.

    Luc Beson was slightly surprised. A kingdom¡¯s missionary would take offense over amoner? He rubbed his chin, trying to read the meaning behind everything, but before that the entire room was buzzing with debate.

    ¡°Really, but why would that old bastard be angry over thatmoner?¡±

    ¡°I think he might be interested in the two women, that perverted bastard.¡±

    ¡°A useless jester, I saw him admiring that Elven sword.¡±

    ¡°A bumpkin who had never seen the world.¡± Someoneughed with derison.

    Luc Beson immediately smacked the table, and the officers stopped talking. He wanted to censure them again, but someone else pushed the door open, a soldier from the outside.

    ¡°Captain, the local parliament is on fire.¡±

    ¡°A damned diversion,¡± Luc Beson cursed inwardly and stood up to issue his orders: ¡°I¡¯m giving you ten minutes. The second and third squadrons are to gather with the fastest speed!¡±

    The officers stood up.

    He pointed at one side: ¡°The two of you, monitor the areas of interest. McLemore, your mission is the hostels, all of you should know what to do, do not rm them.¡±

    The three of them who were appointed lowered their heads and answered. They did not dare to waste any more time and immediately left the room.

    ¡°Captain, how about lord Esebar?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to remind him or the others, that bunch of bastards must have ran to their missionary and bootlick him. They must rely on one side, right.¡±

    The captain¡¯s words made the room echo with a riot ofughter.

 volume 1 - 46

    TL: If anyone donated, please let me know through thements. It¡¯s a new thing for me to use a button and I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s functioning properly.

    Please point out my errors too. I¡¯m a little short on time.

    Chapter 46 ¨C Lv up

    ¡®The Red Bronze Dragon¡¯s Story Bar¡¯ was a pub located between Ponoa¡¯s street and the Traveller¡¯s bridge. It ran through the night and weed all manners of people, mercenaries, adventurers, prostitutes and dubious merchants.

    If one was able to tolerate the chaotic environment and vulgar talk, this was indeed a good ce to find entertainment. There was cheap beer, waitress who wore revealing clothes, and food to fill the stomach. Even if one was to drink a whole night, he would not spend more than a few copper coins, and not worry about the guards hauling him to prison.

    But Freya trembled when she walked towards this dirty area. The countrysidess gripped her sword tightly, her mind filled with Brendel¡¯s hints.

    She lowered her crimson face, carefully walking through the gaps of the crowd. She felt her ponytail hair standing up from the anxiety in her heart. Her thoughts spiraled into every direction. What happened if someone was to molest her? Chop his hand off? Stab him? (TL: Lol.)

    She spied on the waitresses who wore revealing clothes, and felt her ears burn. She could only think of ¡®How could they wore something like this! Do they have no shame!¡¯.

    She walked over to the bar with both hands on her sword, and the plump bar owner who was sitting down with his hand supporting his cheek sized her up, from the top of her head to her feet.

    ¡°This ce isn¡¯t for you, little missy.¡±

    She finally noticed that Brendel lied to her. She gritted her teeth and her sword ttered from her trembling hands with fury. But she did not want to vent her anger in front of a stranger and asked with her lowered head: ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m here to gather information on someone......¡±

    Leto looked at the girl¡¯s head that was so low that it was going to reach the bar¡¯s wooden structure, and he could not help but chuckled.

    ¡°This bar is indeed the ce for information, but little missy, we¡¯re not free!¡±

    ¡°I know, I¡¯ll pay for the information. Please help me.¡±

    ¡°Very well, who¡¯re you looking for?¡±

    ¡°Hood, a fur merchant in Ponoa¡¯s market.¡±

    ¡°That fellow, huh. Are you his rtive from the countryside?¡±

    Freya shook her head hastily: ¡°No, someone asked me to pass a letter to him.¡±

    Leto shook his head, but at this moment, a group of guards walked hurriedly outside the bar¡¯s doors. He keenly felt the girl¡¯s body shook slightly. He had been the owner for over a decade, and his observation skills were unmatched in the vicinity, and he found there was something unusual with this small detail.

    And as if it was turning into a real-life y, a guard actually walked back and shouted just outside the door: ¡°Oh right, Leto, did you see any suspicious people around?¡±

    Leto stood up. He saw the girl was pretending to be calm in front of him, but her fingers were turning white from gripping the sword. He sighed and asked: ¡°Are they finding you?¡±

    Freya looked up in surprise, and she was ready to draw her sword.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be tense, this is my professional habit.¡±

    She looked on in a daze, but recovered instantaneously and quickly said: ¡°I-I have money, can you hide me?¡±

    ¡°A hundred Tor, do you have it?¡± Leto asked with a smile. His bar had many dubious characters around, and it was amon thing for him to hide a criminal, furthermore he found thisss to be interesting.

    A hundred Tor is a silver coin, and she nodded quickly. She quickly walked to the back of the bar and Leto had her hide into a wooden barrel. A few of the guards also went with the first guard and they entered into the bar.

    None of the patrons in the bar wanted to look at them, and they naturally would not point fingers. There were rules in various ces, and even in this low-ss ce, they had their rules.

    This was the ¡®gray¡¯ area. The guards in the city would seek information, but the merchants and thieves would also do the same. They know of each other¡¯s existence, but they held by the rules and did not deal with them in the open.

    This was the rules of a game.

    While Leto stood by them, the naive Freya had a different mindset. When she hid into the dark barrel, she immediately regretted.

    [Freya, what the hell were you thinking! Didn¡¯t you even consider that he might betray you? Are you even a captain of the third militia squadron?]

    She listened to the conversation between the owner and the guards with a tense heart. She was gravely afraid of the cover suddenly opening and hauled out. Even though things were not stated out directly, she knew what fate she had if she was to be caught.

    But after a while, she heard someone knocking on the barrel.

    ¡°They are gone,e out.¡±

    Freya opened the barrel a little and took a look. The guards were indeed gone, and she rxed with a sigh of relief. Then she noticed that everyone was looking at her with a bemused expression, and a few of them even raised their sses with respect.

    ¡°Not bad at all, a littless actually dares to against the bastard soldiers in the army!¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s a drink to you!¡±

    Freya turned to the owner with a red face: ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. That¡¯s a hundred Tor.¡± The fat ownerughed and beckoned to a girl in the room. A girl with tanned skin with braids came to Freya¡¯s side.

    ¡°This is my daughter, let her take you to Hood¡¯s home. Ah, that¡¯s right, littless. Let me give you an advice. Don¡¯t move alone in the middle of the night, where are yourpanions?¡±

    She thought of the lout, Brendel, and she wanted to get angry but could not do so. She realized that he was trying to hone her views of the world, and just thinking about her disy earlier, she could only bury her head in the sand.

    ¡°I¡¯m Sue.¡± The girl looked at her and offered to shake her hand: ¡°I usually help father to look after this shop, but I¡¯m free now. Come with me.¡± (TL: If you want to live.)

    ¡°Thank you, my name is Freya.¡±

    ...................................................................................

    ¡°Someone is trying to take advantage of the situation, my lord.¡±

    Ciel said and looked at the fire from a distant building.

    Brendel creased his brows. He did not think there were other factions in the city. The huge fire in the parliament did not help him at all, and in the contrary, it created considerable trouble for him.

    But this timing was really well done. It had to be done internally, and at the very least knew that they had escaped.

    He thought about the situation back then, perhaps it was a noble from that night.

    [But who? What are his goals?]

    After a while, he shook his head and tossed his random ideas out. Even though he was displeased from being used, but as an unimportant character he did not have the right to be displeased.

    ¡°I hope this wouldn¡¯t bring us too much trouble.¡± He said: ¡°But perhaps we would not be affected. It might be good if we received help, let¡¯s mind about our own tasks.¡±

    ¡°But my lord, you have not told me what we are going to do.¡± Ciel said.

    ¡°Someone borrowed my sword, so I have to collect it.¡± The King Oberg the seventh that Brendel knew was not a generous king, but he did not know how close he was with his close aides. (TL: I¡¯m not sure if this king refers to the current king or the next future king. In chapter 40, it was Oberg the sixth.)

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°An earl.¡±

    Ciel snorted: ¡°I have never seen anyone morewless than you, my lord. Do you really think that your neck is stronger than the rope?¡±

    ¡°When we escaped we are already going to be executed by the rope. If that is the case, who is going to care whether it¡¯s one or two ropes?¡± Brendelughed. He was quite anxious in truth, but he discovered that his squire was quite funny.

    ¡°That is certainly true, but what is my lord going to do?¡±

    ¡°Attack from the front, it¡¯s best to make themotion as big as possible.¡±

    Ciel looked at Brendel closely. Even though Brendel was making small conversation, his pale face and mmy-looking hands betrayed the tenseness in his heart. Even so, he was still nning things out calmly and steadily.

    ¡°What is going to happen if you die?¡± Brendel asked after thinking for a while.

    ¡°A card which dies in the battlefield will go into the graveyard. Before my lord is able to pull out from there, I will stay there forever.¡± Ciel said.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I have to be more careful.¡±

    Brendel said as he estimate the remaining time in his heart. After calcting everything, he raised his hand to grip onto the flying gargoyle in the air. Ciel also grabbed it.

    The two of them looked each other and nodded. The gargoyle flew quickly into the air, and under the cover of the night, they flew towards a small forest within the fortress.

    The wind whistled past them, and Ciel asked: ¡°My lord, are you certain that the earl is staying in a forest like this? And not the within that small castle?¡±

    Ciel pointed to a small castle between the Pine River and Webster river.

    ¡°What did you say, I can¡¯t hear it through the wind?¡±

    ¡°I said, did my lord fly in a wrong direction?¡±

    ¡°Me? Of course not, did I say I¡¯m going to pick a fight with the earl right now?¡±

    ¡°Then what are we going to do?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s to level up! A workman must sharpen his tools if he wants to do his work well.¡±

    ¡°Level up? Is that some form of ancientnguage?¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Let me tell you this. In a game there are always three things. Technique, equipment and stats.¡± Brendel shouted in the wind: ¡°When you look at these three things, one of them is bound to help you. If you are going to be a full-fledged wizard one day, you will thank me for telling you this secret.¡±

    ¡°Game?¡±

    ¡°Human life is like a game, and a game reflects the human life, do you get it?¡±

    ¡°I somehow get it. My lord is truly wise.¡± Ciel said with a lying face. He could only think about the freezing night air and he felt his limbs were turning into ice.

    Brendel stared at the forest and calcted again.

    [At most there is 15 minutes left.]

    ...................................................................................

    In the castle.

    The middle-aged man sat on the sofa and observed the slender sword in his hand, before cing it down. His expression did not change and still retained a cold demeanor. But the chill in his eyes were more apparent.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± The figure behind him asked.

    ¡°This should be that sword. I don¡¯t know how that young man got it, but he must disappear from this world. But the two women beside him, I¡¯m very interested in them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine to have a hobby, but the key thing is not to let it interfere with your job.¡±

    ¡°If I don¡¯t give them hints, how would those short-sighted fools think of using my name to do things? Since they were the one who killed, whether if it was bootlicking me or not, no one would suspect me. All that is needed is a suitable reason. As for that man¡¯s reputation, when did we ever care?¡±

    The middle-aged man thin lips curled into a cold smile: ¡°And you also said it, it¡¯s fine to have a hobby.¡±

    That figure smiled in return and his eyes went back to the sword: ¡°Have you found anything?¡±

    The middle-aged man shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s never that simple.¡±

 volume 1 - 47

    TL: So I have more bad news, I am still behind by at least 2 assignments. I¡¯ll be updating 1 chapter of the Amber Sword and Strategy (1 day or so), then the next update will be on 14 or 15 Feb. By then I should be able to clear everything and updates should resume as per normal (hopefully with chapters that were not updated during my absence).

    Chapter 47 ¨C Babasha

    Brendelmanded the gargoyle to release them, and Ciel and him fell onto the soft meadow in the area. They were in a silent forest of a mountain peak, and what entered their line of sight was a crooked wooden house like a house from the slums. It was two storey high, and there were rays of yellow light from candlesticks pouring out from the gaps of the wooden nks.

    ¡°My lord, is this the ce that you where you can ¡®lvup¡¯?¡± Ciel rubbed his sore wrist from the gargoyle¡¯s grip as he carefully studied the house before him. His face was full of serious suspicion: ¡°I do not wish to question you my lord, but no matter how I look at it, this ce looks simr to the witches¡¯ houses in Bunoxone.¡±

    ¡°You are not wrong, there is a witch currently residing in this house.¡±

    ¡°Oh, the witches do indeed have a way to raise the powers temporarily.¡±

    ¡°No, that temporary power is not sufficient.¡±

    ¡°Then my lord¡¯s goal is spiritual magic? It is indeed a power that can be used under emergencies. But my lord, these spirits are difficult to control, and even though I can think of several ways to deceive them, I have never tried them out¡ª¡±

    Brendel already started to walk towards the wooden house, while the young man followed him from behind quickly and continued to speak.

    ¡°Ciel, tell me your methods the next time. This time however, we¡¯re here to make a transaction.¡±

    ¡°Transaction?¡±

    Brendel reached the door and readied himself mentally.

    He was the only one who knew that the witch called Babasha was nothing more than a cover for something else. When the nobles designed their fortresses, they tend to make an emergency passageway, and the former owner of the pine fortress and duke of Grinoires created a secret passageway to this hill, due to the numerous enemies he had in the political circle.

    And Babasha, who was the duke¡¯s witch advisor, naturally protected the passageway. This secret was only revealed after the Second War of the ck rose, where yers failed to reupy the pine fortress and seeked for an alternative way, leading to the discovery of the fortress¡¯s blueprints.

    Brendel was vert familiar with the level 32 witch. When he was grinding in the fortress, he was still inexperienced in the ways of the game and loved to gamble, so he fell prey to the old witch, as her ce was the only shop that sold secret goods.

    This time, however, he had to try and curb this witch so that he could execute his ns. His right hand was constantly on his sword¡¯s hilt, and his fingers were cold from his tension.

    He hesitated for a while, but knocked onto the strangely bent door three times.

    There was a voice that quickly came from the second storey, old and sharp: ¡°Who is it, if you want a divinatione again tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want a divination. I have brought something along.¡±

    ¡°Do you know the rules if you¡¯re here to do a transaction?¡± The voice replied after a short pause.

    ¡°I have what you want, witch.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Then you better have brought something that I want, otherwise I¡¯ll tear your beating heart out and feed it to my dog.¡± The shrieking voice sounded out from the second storey to the first storey, along with the sound of someone walking down a light of stairs.

    The door quickly opened, revealing an ugly old face. The witch raised her pointy hat and looked at him with a pair of cloudy eyes. ¡°Speak quickly.¡±

    He did not even think and quickly drew his sword and ced it on her neck. His action surprised the two people beside him, and Ciel broke out in a cold sweat: Was there anyone who did a transaction like this?

    His whole body was as taut as a string when he drew his sword, and he felt a little weak when he seeded in his action. He exhaled his breath in a hurry. If he was slower by a slight moment, Babasha had more than ten spells to turn him into dust.

    But fortunately, perhaps even this witch had underestimated her guest. Because of her powers of a First Circle wizard, she did not see this lower Iron-ranked swordsman as a threat. Perhaps Babasha still thought that she might have a chance even if the sword impaled her, but for Brendel the battle was already decided.

    Ciel quicklypared Brendel¡¯s actions. From escaping the jail and seeking the duke, all that he did could not havepared to this moment. Babasha was a First Circle-ranked wizard, and Mother Marsha above, she could easily defeat ten of himself.

    And yet his lord¡¯s first action was to ce his sword at her neck.

    ¡°Young man, what are you trying to do here.¡± Babasha¡¯s countenance turned cold and demanded in a shrill voice.

    ¡°By the time your little fingerpletes the Third Movement of the spell you¡¯re nning, I will pierce my sword through your heart. I have always heard the witches say that the heart is a human¡¯s source of life, and reacts to the Three Corners of Mana. I had always wanted to test whether that is true. If I am you, I will stop that foolish act immediately.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s chilly voice rang through the air, and Babasha and Ciel¡¯s expressions immediately changed drastically.

    [This old witch was actually casting magic. I didn¡¯t even notice it at all, and that must be a powerful spell. But how did my lord noticed her actions?]

    While Babasha was thoroughly shocked. A swordsman who did not even a have a shred of mana recognized her spell, and even saw what stage she was in at casting the spell.

    [Did the world somehow change when I was not paying attention?!]

    Her attitude changed.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°The duke of Grinoires does not appear to have any friends in the capital. My guess is that he loaned it to the earl because he is someone close to the king. If that is the case, why do you need to give your life up for a stranger?¡±

    Even though Brendel was sure of his actions, his sword hand was still trembling slightly. He continued to observe Babasha¡¯s every movement and eyes, afraid that she was up to something. Even though a level 32 witch should have no secrets to him, his perception was too low and could only guess what she was up to.

    [It¡¯s a fight to see who have the bigger galls.]

    Babasha¡¯s expression changed again: ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°My demand is very simple. I want you to swear an oath upon your Star. Let me use the passageway to the pine fortress just this once, and I will also not speak of this passageway to anyone.¡±

    The witch looked at him liked he was a devil.

    [The secret passageway was only known to the duke and myself. Even his family members did not know, so how does this man know? Is he the illegitimate son of the duke?]

    ¡°What if I say no?¡±

    ¡°I do not wish to kill you.¡±

    Babasha finally realized that she had no room for negotiation. She thought for a while and prepared to swear to the Throne of Witch King with her finger pointed at the star, but Brendel shook his head.

    ¡°Babasha, isn¡¯t your Star sign the Long Snake?¡±

    The witch¡¯s body shook visibly. She looked at his jet ck eyes. It was as if all her secrets were revealed under his sharp gaze. A witch¡¯s star sign was a witch¡¯s greatest secret, and she had only told the duke to gain his trust. She felt that Brendel was more and more mysterious, and did not dare to pull off any more tricks, and swore an oath to her star sign.

    Brendel finally rxed himself, and realized that his back waspletely soaked with perspiration. He spoke to Ciel:

    ¡°Ciel, go to the bookshelf located at the back of the house, and take the very first scroll on the right side, the box on the second shelf, and three reagents left from the third shelf. Do not touch the rest.¡±

    Ciel waspletely impressed with his lord at this moment, and even felt that he was bing more of an enigma.

    Babasha felt she had fallen into a bottomless abyss. The young man in front of her actually knew what was useful on her shelf, and the other items were full of evil curses.

    When Ciel opened the box he yelled in delight: ¡°These are element crystals. My lord if you take some time to absorb them you can use the elements directly.¡±

    But Brendel shook his head. He simply went over and picked up the dusty reagents and asked: ¡°Do you know what these are?¡±

    Babasha also looked up puzzledly. Even she did know what they contained. She was able to feel that was a mana ripple from the reagents at her level, so she had kept it for decades and there was a thickyer of dust on it.

    Some reagents are poisonous or if the method to use them was wrong, it would also be fatal. Magic was a powerful, mysterious and dangerous thing.

    Ciel took a while at to look at it, but he shook his head.

    ¡°This is a mana potion, how can you not even recognize this?¡± Brendel wiped away the dust with a little dissatisfaction, revealing the pale blue liquid.

    ¡°¡±Impossible!¡±¡± Babasha and Ciel were shocked.

    ¡°What are you surprised for, aren¡¯t they just mana potion? I want to ask you now, this three mana potions¡¯ effectiveness can raise your mana pool four times. Discounting the change in your powers, what is your wizard rank after having four times the mana pool?¡±

    ¡°A middle ranked wizard.¡± Ciel replied in a hoarse voice.

    ¡°Therefore, this is one of the targets I was talking about. Consider yourself as a middle-ranked wizard even before you use the potions, although the truth is you¡¯re still an apprentice, understand?¡±

    Ciel nodded subconsciously.

    [That¡¯s a mana potion, even called as the ¡®Wizard¡¯s Gold¡¯! This item was created using high alchemical skills, and it is as hard as making a holy potion. I only saw these potions in scrolls, but my lord is just throwing them at me without a second thought?]

    Brendel took thembskin scroll taken from the shelf: ¡°There is an Arte scribed into the scroll here. The air around the sword¡¯s edges would be sharp after using the technique. It is also one of the methods. Do you understand what I mean by ¡®lvup¡¯ now?¡± (TL: Arte = Ougi = skill = ability, you get what I mean)

    ¡°Learning a skill isn¡¯t something that is done within a day, my lord. Is there any point in looking at it just before¡ª¡±

    Ciel immediately refuted, but he saw Brendel ncing at the scroll and then discarding it instantly. As the scroll fell onto the ground with a rustling sound, thetter stood there nkly for a few seconds. Then suddenly he swung his sword at the door. With a cracking sound, the door split into two and flew outwards ten over meters before falling onto the ground.

    Ciel¡¯s mouth hung there as if his jaw was about to drop to the ground.

    Brendel furrowed his brows. Just learning the skill took 153 TP. This was not even a subss¡¯s skill, but the amount of points required to learn it was just ridiculous. The prerequisite to get this intermediate sword skill without a scroll was level 25, and the amount of XP spent was going to be impossible for him right now.

    But he definitely considered it to be worthy of the points. There were only ten over intermediate skills he learned in his previous life, and half of them came from his own profession. He had nearly gotten this scroll back then, but because of his bad luck he missed the opportunity to get it.

    Regardless of the next action in his n, this technique was necessary to get.

    He lowered his sword and looked back at Babasha: ¡°I¡¯m borrowing these things for a while, are you fine with it?¡±

    Rather than borrowing them, it was more like robbing. But this witch was not something of a good person either, so he did not feel guilty about it. But with a simple line, Babasha knelt onto the floor with a thudding sound, lowering her forehead until it touched the ground and said:

    ¡°The ck prophecy said, only the Dragon of Darkness is able to see all the secrets of a witch. All methods that are used before are nothing than mere tricks. The ancestor of Miirna, you have returned¡ª¡±

    This time Brendel and Ciel were stunned.

 volume 1 - 48

    TL: Thanks for the donation, Jeff. So I kind of have to work on 1 more amber chapter because there was a 10 dors backlog for nearly a month. I have to push Strategy¡¯s chapter to the weekend, I¡¯m really sorry if you¡¯re a fan of that series.

    As usual, I need some help on grammar + spellcheck.

    Chapter 48 ¨C Infiltration

    The Dragon of Darkness was the sworn enemy of the four saints in the holy war. It was especially true for the King of Fire, Gatel, who wanted revenge for his kingdom¡¯s demise. Even though he was confused with the witch Babasha¡¯s words, he did not acknowledge her words. A small misstep would make him the enemy of the world.

    ¡°The Dragon of Darkness, Odin? I do know that the witches see him as the guide towards the Fate of Darkness, but I have nothing with it.¡±

    He looked at Babasha, but she still bowed down with trembling fear. He was slightly taken aback at her reaction, but suddenly realized he made a mistake with his words. He had forgotten that the people in this world had deeply revered the Gods and the mysterious powers, and even if they were enemies of them, they would not speak of them lightly.

    Hepletely did not ept them as a yer, while the other Brendel¡¯s memories influenced his choice of words. When he spoke of the names, he naturally spoke of them like they were equals.

    While this action did not appear to be anything wrong to him, it was an offensive remark to Ciel and Babasha¡¯s ears. But the current circumstances were at a subtle state. Babasha was in a state of deep fear, while Ciel regarded his lord with exalted eyes, and hearing Brendel¡¯s reply made them feel that he was hinting at something.

    Brendel noticed that point and he shook his head: ¡°Forget it, you¡¯re free to think whatever you like. As long as you do not interfere with me, and simply wait here until the sun is up.¡±

    Babasha¡¯s forehead stillid on the ground and she did not dare to move even one muscle.

    Brendel gestured at the stunned Ciel, then told him that there was a hidden trapdoor under the table nearby and asked him to open it. The young man moved the table with a skeptical expression, and took away the carpet that was under it. Indeed, there was a trapdoor there.

    By this moment Ciel did not feel any surprise about his lord¡¯s omniscence and could only concluded there were things in the world that could not be exined with human means.

    He reached for the handle and pulled it up with effort, revealing a dark hole with a spiraling staircase.

    ¡°My lord, are we going to go in right now?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Of course, what else do you think was going to happen?¡±

    ¡°Oh? But Fortress Riedon is so big, isn¡¯t there any other ce that allows us to ¡®lvup¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think magic items are like ¡®Big White Vegetables¡¯ that you can pick up from the ground anytime you want to?¡± (TL: Literally TLed as cabbage.)

    ¡°I meant ¡®Lettuce¡¯, you know that right?¡± Brendel rubbed his forehead as he realized he misspoke again. There were slight differences in the terminology in this world.

    ¡°Of course, but it is very different when my lord speaks of it. Big, white, vegetable, it must have been derived from the ancientnguage, even the pronunciation sounds close to it.¡±

    Brendel could not suppress hisughter. He did know of other secret areas in fortress Riedon, in example, the underground church and the well known ¡®Tower of Winds¡¯. However, there were Guardian Bosses¡¯ restrictions to them, while Babasha was a NPC where he could use crafty means to get an upper hand. After considering many times, he decided to give up on the rest of the locations.

    Right now the ideal dream would be to acquire all the items that he knew, while raising his power at the same time, but there was just not enough time. His current goal was to survive the war, and not to gather items at a leisurely rate and wait for the war to be over.

    Once the war was over, he had plenty of time to gather XP and prepare the best equipments for himself before Aouine¡¯s internal civil strife. After checking through his ns, he concluded that it was possible for him to be one of the strongest in the continent.

    As a yer, he recognized that stats, equipment and techniques made up the system to be strong.

    He picked up the box that was beside him, transferring all the Element Crystals into his bag at his waist:

    12 Wind Crystals

    1 Fire Crystal

    3 Water Crystals

    Each crystal contain 1 point of energy.

    After sweeping off with Babasha¡¯s collection and acting like a professional robber, Brendel even took Babasha¡¯s candle and went into the passageway. The witch¡¯s candle was also a magical item, which could teleport someone to where its light reach. This was a secret that was only known amongst the witches, but it was not a secret to him.

    The passageway was approximately 1.5 kilometers long, and most of the passageway only allowed one person to enter at a time as it was very narrow. At the areas where it became bigger, there were three poisonous spiders the size of human beings. The witches normally did something like this, raising beasts for them to be their guards. Babasha put them there to please the duke, but they were a total of 9 XP to Brendel. (TL: Lol. Can you imagine if the duke tried to escape, and the spiders attacked him? This is just asking for snark.)

    The end of the passageway led to the cer. After Brendel reached there, he started to search for the switch and used it, and the shelf holding the wines slid to one side.

    The two of them sighed with relief after walking out from the passageway. The stale air and umted dust were hard to adjust to, and Ciel thought his lungs were covered with a thickyer of dust after that ordeal.

    ¡°We took a little longer than fifteen minutes, my lord.¡± Ciel took out a watch and nced it aftering from the passageway.

    ¡°That is fine.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I originally wanted to go the duke¡¯s treasury, but we probably have to give on that. But the collection there are just some paintings and jewellery, they are not really useful.¡±

    ¡°My lord is truly decisive. Not everyone can remain unmoved by the treasure in front of them.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re mistaken, Ciel. I mean that you can just take a few of them on our way up, I¡¯ll tell you which items are the real deal.¡±

    ¡°..............¡±

    Ciel was surprised at his lord¡¯s unreadable greed, but he did not know that it was not his character, but simply a yer¡¯s subconscious action.

    The two of them continued up the stairs and stopped at the same time to go over their ns. Brendel extinguished his candle and passed it to his squire, then ced his hand at the cer¡¯s door to the outside. He activated his skill and the door knob broke apart with a cracking sound.

    Then he immediately pushed the door outwards. The two guards that were there turned their heads in dumb surprise, while Brendel¡¯s other hand had already pulled out his sword. With an elegant swing with silver light trailing behind the sword, the guards¡¯ half drawn swords were knocked away along with their sheaths.

    They became fearful and wanted to run away, but he could not allow them to do so, and chased them from behind and ended their lives with a stab to each person.

    This was the first time Brendel killed someone.

    He did not think at all when he killed them, and his mind was nk when he did so. He felt he was even calmer than his normal self. If he hesitated, Ciel and himself would end up in a dead end, and in this life and death situation, he did not consider what Romaine or Freya would do.

    His survival instinct was more than enough to make him do it.

    Yet after he killed them, he suddenly felt dizzy as if he could not breath anymore. He tried to steady his body and forced himself to inhale, but he was rooted where he was and could not move. The blood dripped onto the floor.

    At that moment, different thoughts went through in his mind and allowed him to gain a perspective on the situation he was in. The fleeting moment of chaos was merely to find an excuse, and when he found one he felt a little better.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Ciel noticed his strange behavior.

    Brendel raised his hand to indcate he was fine. Even though he nned to bring the two corpses to the cer to hide them, he did not have the mood to do so anymore. The best he could do was not to look at their bodies.

    He did not develop a fear after killing them, but he could not ept the sudden blow.

    Then he suddenly realize there was no XP for killing humans. Even though he desparately needed the XP, he felt consoled by the fact he did not gain any. His mind rejected the notion of getting XP from killing humans.

    [No matter what, I am still a human being. Trading a human life for mere XP is not something I can ept.]

    ¡°We¡¯re going to move separately now.¡± Brendel took a deep breath and replied.

    ¡°As youmand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to seek the earl and create trouble along the way, you should go to the other end and strike the rm there.¡±

    Brendel said as he mentally counted one to a hundred in his mind. When he counted to thirty, he had already calmed down.

    ¡°Strike the rm?¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten what I said? We¡¯re going to attack directly, and the bigger themotion the better it is.¡±

    ¡°Are we going to go back where we came from?¡±

    ¡°No, we must kill our way out.¡±

    Ciel was bbergasted: ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The guest room is at the fortress¡¯s upper levels. We only have time to escape from there, but if the White-Mane army brings along archers, then we¡¯re going to need Mother Marsha¡¯s blessings.¡±

    Ciel nodded and prepared to leave. He did not ask any further questions. If he had to satisfy his curiosity he did not need to be a squire. The knights and their squires had to be ready for battle with their skill sets.

    But Brendel took the initiative and called him: ¡°Wait, why are you in such a hurry?¡±

    ¡°What is it, my lord? Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°Of course. If you go up the stairs and turn left, you will find a corridor, and there are genuine artifacts towards the end. If you see something that is easy to carry and sell, just feel free to take them.¡±

    ¡°......................¡±

    Ciel stared at him for a while and finally spoke: ¡°I take back my words, my lord.¡±

    ¡°What words?¡±

    ¡°¡®Not everyone can remain unmoved by the treasure in front of them¡¯, it should be, indeed, everyone is moved by the treasure in front of them.¡±

    No, you see Ciel, I have the responsibility to take up on the burden on little Romaine and her aunt. It¡¯s not easy helping a family and it¡¯s a man¡¯s reponsibility and I really have my reasons.

    ¡°Please leave your words to the duke, my lord. Please do not worry, I learned appraising in Buga. I¡¯ll pick the most valuable objects.¡±

    Brendel blinked twice, then made a wolfish grin.

 volume 1 - 49

    TL: OZ = Unit to measure stats. Hopefully I didn¡¯t revert back to using EN for the past chapters.

    Edit 2: For now my new PC is up and ready (and I retrieved the txt file, but I still need to try the recurse thing so that I can ess my old Win 7 stuff), you guys can expect a new chapter to break that cliffhanger tomorrow.

    Chapter 49 ¨C Sword Arte

    Since Brendel did not intentionally try to be stealthy, he was discovered at the courtyard in the first level by a patrolling team. The seven guards tried to nk him, but Brendel killed three of them easily and the remaining four scattered, alerting the fortress of an invader.

    There was a total of thirty two guards within the fortress, and the majority of them were mercenaries. The leader of the guards was mercenary captain from Randner, with the capability of a mid level Iron-ranked swordsman withmanding abilities.

    Thus, when Brendel entered the second level, he was ambushed at the dining hall with eleven guards waiting for him. The first moment he pushed open the door, the centralmp in the hall was lit up, with the archers in the floor above immediately raining their arrows down below.

    With such a close distance, the arrows were already at his face once they left the bows, and he was only able to guard his face, chest and abdomen. His gauntles shed a faint blue and some of lethal arrows were deflected, while several of the arrows brushed across his arms and thighs.

    [Fuck!]

    Brendel gritted his teeth and cursed. With 4 OZ worth in his physique stats, he was able to automatically turn the lethal damage into normal damage. The wounds that were supposedly inflicted became nothing more than bruises. Even so, the pain he received did not lessen.

    If this was a normal situation, Brendel would have chosen another path as he knew that there were going to be guards ambushing him from the floor above. There might have been guards at the stairs at the side sections, but the situation would not be as treacherous as this location.

    But this was a different situation.

    He swung his sword at diagonally, and a transparent rippling wave came from his de. A huge crash echoed in the hall as half of it was struck by his sword. The candle-holders, tes and utensils on the long dining table were propelled forward from the wave, while the ceiling¡¯s chandelier exploded into shards. The railings on the corridor cracked and shattered into pieces.

    The guards were cut open by the wave and they fell back lifelessly.

    ¡®The White Raven Sword Rave¡¯, Aouine¡¯s Royal Court¡¯s sword arte. This secret technique was a rare ranged ability that a warrior profession could learn in the early period. At level 0, the sword arte was able to reach approximately five meters away, with a even bigger cross-section impact. At level 25, it was able to strike at the enemies hundred of meters away, and it wasparable to a swordsman who had awakened the Elements within him.

    The expenditure of this arte merely used 3 points of stamina, a mere fraction whenpared to unleashing the Elemental Powers. It was the reason as to why so many people pursued these techniques.

    This unworldly attack made the remaining guards in the living room fall into a deathly silence. It was only when a piece of broken wood fell from the second floor onto the ground, that woke everyone from the stupor¡ª

    ¡°Knight!¡±

    ¡°A pdin!¡± (TL: Literally ¡®Holy Cathedral knight¡¯, but as people have suggested, it¡¯s pdin.)

    ¡°Mother Marsha above! Ser Arnon, let¡¯s retreat!¡± The guards yelled out as they lost their morale and retreated.

    A sword aura was the basic technique of a warrior who had awakened his Elements. ording to tradition, the Cathedral of mes would grant them the official title of a knight, and to differentiate them from the various kingdoms¡¯ conferred title of ¡®knights¡¯, they were called Pdins.

    Even a tier three ranked swordsman could not fight against the Knights, not to mention ordinary people like them. Unless there were enough people to drain their stamina, there was no use in fighting them.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a fucking pdin!¡± The team leader Arnon pulled his closest aide back as he swore loudly.

    [That was a royal swordsman, are we embroiled in some shitty political battle?] (TL: Literally ¡°pce swordsman¡±)

    He lived up as their leader as he was much more experienced than them and guessed otherwise. He even knew the noble lord upstairs was a close courtier to the king. Even though this was not the first time he got involved in a political war, this was the first time he saw a royal swordsman.

    [He used the highest grade Royal Arte, and that was one of the powers only the Crown would have. A low Iron-ranked swordsman possessing such power...]

    For a single moment, Arnon was envious of him, but he quickly remembered his responsibilities. He raised his head up to check his surroundings. Brendel killed four people with that single strike, and the remaining guards either ran away or were too scared to move.

    Arnon did not have any time to feel the loss, and he stood up with a hand gesture as he shouted: ¡°Retreat! Retreat! Find the people of the spiraling staircase and get them to fall back. That ce can¡¯t be held anymore, we¡¯re going up to the next floor.¡±

    The remaining guards finally cleared their minds and immediately ran to the doors. Some of them threw away their bow and arrows. Arnon felt demoralized when he saw this scene.

    ¡°Fucking hell, these nobles are just made out of trouble!¡± He cursed as he turned back and pped the aide who he just pulled back. He screamed at him as thetter shook off the fright: ¡°Inform the Fortress¡¯s camp and sound the rm, do you understand!¡±

    ¡°Sounding the rm, but the earl said that was used to warn the entire city right?¡± The aide was confused.

    ¡°Shut the fuck up! If this ¡®guest¡¯ dies, we¡¯re all dead, do you hear me?!¡±

    The aide paused and then nodded urgently. He was scared of the enemy having aplices, so he did not use the staircase, but climbed down using a rope quietly. Even though it took a little more time, it was definitely safer.

    He knew which camp Arnon was referring to. There was a group of White-Mane infantry dedicated to the defense of the inner fortress. Even though they usually looked down on each other, he still hoped to see them as quickly as possible.

    But before he even saw them, he discovered to his shock that there were two guards wearing deep blue uniform lying dead on the ground. He immediately realized the enemy had allies.

    But he was stillte, a beam of white light shot from the camp¡¯s second floor, piercing through the aide¡¯s chest. The magic arrow threw the body meters away and struck against a pine tree before it copsed into a heap.

    Ciel stared at the window¡¯s hole for a long time, before confirming that he waspletely dead and he had no other allies with him. He took out his watch and looked at the time, then looked back at the rope leading to the watchtower nearby.

    Arnon did not know that his aide was killed, or even the team of White-mane infantry was wiped outpletely. He still clung on to the hope of his men resisting a little longer until there were reinforcements.

    They were currently defending on the staircase which led to the third floor. Behind them was the guest room, and they were cornered with no ce to escape to. Even though he looked down on the servants, he envied them as they were able to hide in some random ce, while he had to stay behind and defend as he was the leader of the guards.

    If the earl was killed under his watch, he would have to change his name and be a bandit.

    The young swordsman quickly appeared in front of him.

    [A few more minutes left. But it is strange that these people are so weak. I thought I would have a lot of trouble fighting my way through. The leader at at least a mid Iron-ranked swordsman, and he should be the one holding the advantage...]

    Brendel estimated the time. There were a few minutes left.

    [....... Maybe I¡¯m thinking about this wrongly. I naturally received the techniques that came along with the profession, and I thought that the others would have the same thing. The guards that are stationed here, most of them areprised of militia members, learned some terrible swordsmanship, and the remaining techniques they havee about from practical battles.]

    [No matter what, I can¡¯t be merciful here. These guards understand what it means to protect the earl, and there is no other choice left for us here.]

    The archers readied their bows and fired their arrows, and he casually flicked away the arrows. In truth, he only needed to fend off Arnon¡¯s arrow, as the rest of them were no threat to him.

    ¡°First squadron, advance!¡± After seeing that the arrows were of no effect and Brendel wasing closer, Arnon could only steel him and lead his men onwards.

    The seven men who were in the first squadron cursed Arnon for being shameless. Why was he not the first one to go up first? Even though they thought they were going to die, a shadow streaked past them.

    They turned back subconsciously, only to find that the Death God had bypassed them to their captain¡ª

    Arnon came from a military background, and learn Aouine¡¯s formal military swordsmanship but other than that he had not learned any techniques. Despite this, he had crossed des with a Sun Knight, and know that there was a technique called ¡®Charge¡¯, which allowed one to increase his eleration many times in an instant. He felt the hair on his skin stand up, and he raised his sword up and blocked in front of him. The experience from his countless battles saved him, as two swords shed together¨C

    ¡°As expected of a mid level Iron-ranked.¡±

    Brendel gauged the opponent in front of him. There was almost no signs of the opponent raising his sword to defend himself, and this was definitely an experienced fighter. A NPC like this in the game caused great trouble to him when he was around level twenty back then.

    But he was no longer that novice from before.

    Brendel reacted quickly and did not allow his opponent to have a chance to rest. He brought his sword over his head and swung it down.

    [Power Break?! Who is this crazy bastard! First he used a Royal Arte, then a knight¡¯s technique, now it was a warrior¡¯s Power Break, has the world gone crazy?!]

    Arnon¡¯s heart nearly stopped and the blood in his veins grew cold. If it was someone else, that person would have died without understanding what had happened.

    As soon as he saw Brendel¡¯s technique, he did not have the notion to counter-attack anymore, and immediately went into the most defensive stance he knew. When the two swords crossed again, both of their swords bent into an exaggerated form along with a ear-splitting metallic scream. Brendel stood firmly at where he was, while the leader stumbled back seven steps, and nearly fell onto the floor.

    Arnon had 9 OZ worth of strength and logically he should be able to tie Brendel down till the reinforcementse, but the situation was different due to the power of the techniques.

    With Arnon¡¯s retreat, the guards at both sides finally took action and tried to nk him, but with Brendel¡¯s casual flick, a wind sh struck them and cut many of them down.

    He continued to move forward, and Arnon threw the sword in his hand onto the ground without any hesitation and shouted: ¡°I surrender!¡±

    Just as he finished his sentence, the rm outside rang loudly.

    ¡°If you surrender then throw down your weapons and get lost!¡±

    Brendel bellowed.

    The guards felt as if they were saved, and they threw the weapons in their hands down and ran away. Their hands were already trembling from the fear, and theirst shred of morale was gone when their leader agreed to surrender.

 volume 1 - 50

    Chapter 50 ¨C Earl

    The huge brass bell was hung on the giant watchtower in the Pine Fortress, and when it was struck the sound transmitted throughout the city. The ringing sound was like a invisible wave that spread everywhere, and the slumbering streets were infused with energy, and everyone woke up.

    There were many who went to the streets in surprise and asked what each other what happened.

    Luc Beson who was waiting for news within Fortress Riedon¡¯s soldier camp, heard the rm clearly from the window. When he turned his head to look at the brightly lit city outside the window, his expression turned. He did not wait for the soldiers toe in with their report, and he pushed the door open and rushed outside, yelling:

    ¡°Are you all deaf? Get up right now! Gather up! Let the second and thirdpany follow me to the Pine Fortress immediately. That fucking retard Esebar!¡±

    Everyone looked at each other.

    ¡°Commander, the city gate?¡± Someone asked.

    ¡°Are you a moron? Other than that hignd knight, who else is able to attack the Pine Fortress. That idiot Esebar hid the news of the prisoners¡¯ escape, now he¡¯s going to face the consequences,¡± After he vented his anger, his tone was less severe: ¡°If anything happens to that person in that fortress, be prepared to face the king¡¯s wrath. I don¡¯t want to be the scapegoat in this matter if someone is after him, so all of you had better get the target! ¡±

    Everyone was stunned for a moment, before rushing off to get prepared.

    Luc Beson sighed.

    [But this is a Hignd Knight, and with his wizard squire, this will be difficult. The Hignd Knights have always been independent, and even during the strongest era of the Corvado¡¯s kingdom, the royal family was unable to control these self-serving bastards. Can we really stop him?]

    He cursed Esebar and his female rtives again.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    Freya followed the girl and they walked across a very long and dark alley. When she heard the sound of the ringing bell, she turned her head back subconsciously and worry showed on her face.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The girl, Sue, asked.

    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°A war ising.¡± Sue suddenly said.

    Freya paused for a moment and looked at her puzzledly.

    ¡°The nobles have ordered the bell to ring only where when there¡¯s a war happening. Even though nobody talks about it, but they know everytime the bell rings there will be a war.¡± Sue said softly.

    ¡°You mean to say they know there¡¯s going to be a war soon?¡±

    ¡°They? Are you referring to the nobles? Of course they know, they have their own informationwork. Usually once the rumors start circting in the city¡¯s bars, they would have known them already.¡±

    Freya did not reply but clenched her fists tightly. Her eyes stared at the ground, with a cold fury emanating from them.

    ¡°Why hasn¡¯t the city reacted?¡±

    ¡°Even if there is an reaction we wouldn¡¯t be able to see it, but the nobles would have prepared for it. Fortress Riedon is a ce with strong walls and defended by the kingdom¡¯s army, so the people in the city are not too worried about it. However, the prices of bread and wheat today has increased by ten percent. This is something that is not usually seen.¡±

    ¡°What happens if Fortress Riedon falls?¡±

    ¡°How could that be?¡±

    Freya could not help but recall Brendel¡¯s firm attitude and words. She shook her head to drive the notion away, but she still replied.

    ¡°I have a friend who says that Fortress Riedon will fall.¡±

    ¡°Then he must be a liar.¡± Sue answered calmly.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

    After Ciel struck the bell, he moved to the camp¡¯s peak tower. He nced at the city¡¯s river from the wall, then watched the street as soldiers gathered there. He was not able to ascertain the faction of these troops due to the darkness, but he guessed that they were the nobles¡¯ private armies.

    His foremost concern was not these troops, so he surveyed his surroundings again, and spotted a suitable location after a while. It was an area within the fortress. He lit the witch¡¯s candle in his hand and recalled Brendel¡¯s method.

    ¡°Et¡¯ham.¡±

    The first syble invoked the Dark Abyss¡¯s powers, governed by the Twin Goddess Iren. This particr power was used by the witches as a medium to invoke the candle¡¯s power. Ciel raised the candle up, allowing the light to travel approximately fifteen meters away.

    He picked a tree in his mind and he was instantly dragged forth into a path of light. When he came back to his senses, he found he was at the top of the tree.

    ¡°Incredible. As expected of the witches.¡± Ciel nced around and he picked another tree. (TL: I¡¯m currently missing the Names Glossary txt file as I have not searched for it. Names and locations might not be urate.)

    After repeating seven or eight times, the candle in Ciel¡¯s hand had burned to the point where only a small stump remained. He raised the candle a final time and selected a fortress¡¯s window, and he was covered in darkness when he traveled to the area.

    He shook his head to drive off the dizzy feeling that was caused by candle. He could faintly hear the fighting sounds in the area that was in front of him.

    [It¡¯s a littlete, but that should be fine. My lord has already given me some leeway.] Cielforted himself, but he did not know Brendel wanted to stab him with his sword for failing to appear.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- A few minutes ago¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    When Brendel pushed open the heavy oak door, he did not see the Earl whom he expected to hide in one corner and shiver. The room was well lit by the candles that were made from suet, and thetter was sittingfortably on a couch. He wore a formal woolen attire that was ironed to the point where there was not even a wrinkle on it. He raised his head and looked at Brendel with a haughty look, and in front of him was the Elven sword.

    Brendel was slightly surprised at this scene. He did not think that the Earl was this brave, but immediately became cautious after thinking it through.

    [He¡¯s not even affected in the least bit. Something is wrong.]

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was you,d. I thought it was the assassins from the trash factions in Acobs Fortress¨C Ahh, but you could also be the assassin that they hired. Please, tell me the truth.¡± The middle-aged man furrowed his brows but his tone was even.

    [Acobs Fortress? This bastard isn¡¯t with the Royal faction?] Brendel¡¯s mind was whirling in confusion, but he shook his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, your Lordship. But if you would cooperate with me, I¡¯m not interested in killing you, to tell the truth.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re not interested in killing me? Then I must thank you, but it¡¯s such a pity. I¡¯m very interested in killing you-¡± Before his words ended, a crossbow suddenly appeared in the middle-aged man¡¯s hands; Brendel¡¯s eyes caught the arrow with a ghastly blue gleam and realized there was poison on it.

    But he was already prepared as he knew the nobles¡¯ tricks very well. He knocked the arrow away with his sword with a ear-piercing clink, and before he had the time to rx, he heard a rushing wind behind him. He subconsciously blocked the attack with his sword¡ª

    There was a loud crashing sound.

    Brendel was thrown onto a shelf at the wall and he was smashed against it. After a continuous series of wooden din, he climbed out of the wreckage with gritted teeth.

    [An Iron high-ranking swordsman. Fuck. He still ambushed me too. Have you no shame? If it¡¯s not for the fact there¡¯s fucking SOBs in the game that didn¡¯t know the meaning of shame, I¡¯m dead meat!]

    Brendel felt the fear rushing at him when he got up, that was a close shave for him. He calcted the risk in his mind again, an opponent of this caliber was troublesome.

    [15 OZ worth of strength. Even if I used power break I might not get the upper hand.]

    But his opponent and the middle-aged man were also shocked. Their ambush which should have worked, failedpletely. Even though Brendel was appearing to be in shabby condition, but everyone knew that the wounds on him did not really mean anything.

    The middle-aged man furrowed his brows again, but spoke mockingly after a while: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect a maggot-lookingmoner to have some capabilties, but this doesn¡¯t change the ending.¡±

    He picked up the Elven sword from the table andughed coldly.

    ¡°You should have already noticed my guard¡¯s abilities. You¡¯re not his match. But it¡¯s quite obvious, how could a dirtymoner like yourself own a treasure like this? How about a trade, cut off your disgusting hand that touched this sword, give me your twopanions and I¡¯ll let you live. I promise I¡¯ll treat them well enough, at leastparable to dogs, hahahaha¨C¡±

    He said as heughed manically.

    Brendel¡¯s breath was released in a cold mist, a zing fury growing in his eyes and his entire demeanor changed.

    Even though he knew the earl was antagonizing him on purpose, he could not suppress the rage that was brewing within him. In this world, Romaine and Freya were the earliest people that he met, and everyone in the third militia squadron, had be precious to him.

    And the other¡¯s Brendel¡¯s grandfather had be his biggest driving force in this world.

    [How can I let you continue spew all these fucking nonsense!]

    The fingers on his sword turned white from his grip.

    The other two men looked delighted from Brendel¡¯s expression, and the middle aged man gestured with his hands behind his back.

    ¡°Ulysses, corner him!¡± The middle-aged manmanded him.

    The tall swordsman immediately pressed forward. His skill in the sword was considerable, and there were no openings in his attacks. He smirked as he saw Brendel¡¯s body leaning forward and adopting the most aggressive stance in the military swordsmanship, and his eyes were on the middle-aged man.

    It was a mistake for Brendel to be so impulsive.

    Ulysses moved even closer, waiting for a chance to get a clean kill. He could almost see the opening in Brendel¡¯s side.

    ¡°Ulysses!¡± The middle-aged man suddenly shouted and Ulysses suddenly spotted an opening in Brendel¡¯s nk as his attention was taken away.

    The grin in Ulysses had not appeared fully, and Brendel¡¯s silver ring on his thumb was in front of him¡ª

    ¡°Oss!¡±

    There was no chance to evade. Tendrils of air converged onto one point and formed spiralingnces, directly striking his face, chest and abdomen, and they were bent in a bizarre way. The immense wind pressure smashed him into the ceiling and there was a loud explosive sound. The candle mes were all extinguished and the room immediately dimmed. Gravel and concrete bits fell down, along with body parts and blood.

    Before the middle-aged man was able to respond from this sudden change, a sword was ced at his neck

    ¡°Speak, how exactly do you want to die.¡± Brendel asked coldly.

    ¡°...... You dare to kill me?¡± The middle-aged man pushed down his fear and said.

    ¡°Why would I not dare to do so?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Earl Dunn, one of the important minister serving the king directly. Do you intend to be enemies with the entire Aouine?¡± Dunn¡¯s eyes were like a poisonous snake as he red at Brendel. ¡°Not only you, yourpanions will be subject to the same crime.¡±

    Brendel paused for a while and fell into deep silence.

    Dunn continued to speak.

    ¡°I can release you and yourpanions, but for the sake of my reputation, you must leave your Elven sword behind.¡± Even though Dunn promised him, his eyes were full of deep hatred.

    Brendel finally let out a mirthfulugh. He looked condescendingly at Dunn as if he was a moron. ¡°Your lordship, just what exactly did you think I was doing?¡±

    Dunn paused.

    ¡°I was thinking, some living creatures are just hopelessly stupid, even when deathes knocking on their fucking door, they don¡¯t even realize that.¡± Brendel shook his head: ¡°Killing an important minister? Escaping from prison? Nobody would even care about these trifling things, because history will be written like this¡ª¡±

    ¡°In the year of the bustling flowers and summer leaves, the sixth month on the second morning, Madara¡¯s army conquered Fortress Riedon. Earl Dunn, the Golden Apple Lord and the captain of the White-Mane army, Luc Beson unfortunately perished in the lines of battle for the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°I, am nothing more than a guest here.¡±

    Dunn¡¯s eyes went wide as he looked at Brendel as if he saw a ghost.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m lying to you? I don¡¯t have the mood to joke with you. Since you¡¯re unwilling to cooperate, then it¡¯s time to lend me your head.¡± Brendel finished speaking and lopped Dunn¡¯s head off.

 volume 1 - 51

    TL: Thanks for the continued support on the series. I¡¯ll be able to work on more chapters of my series during the weekend (I hope).

    Chapter 51 ¨C Wealth

    Brendel fell down onto the ground on his butt.

    The series of battles had caused him to go weak in his knees, and there were no real advantages to be gained from them, and these actions that he took did not match his personality at all.

    His eyes were randomly cast upon Dunn¡¯s headless body, and then he stopped moving. His eyes were glued on the ring on his middle finger.

    This ring was a long snake biting its tail in the form of an ¡®O¡¯ letter, and Brendel¡¯s eyes went wide with shock.

    ¡°Fuck me, are you serious?! This bastard is a member of ¡®Origin¡¯?¡± His hand went for the ¡®Thorn of light¡¯ on the table, but he waste by a heartbeat: The snake on the ring moved and twisted, then a chilling voice echoed in the room.

    ¡°Very good, you bastard. Even though I don¡¯t know who you are, you will not live for long¡ª¡±

    The shrieking voice abruptly started and ended. If Brendel did not know what this organization was, he might have thought he was hearing things.

    [Origin... This organization is simr to the ¡®Tree Shepherd¡¯, except they are even more mysterious than thetter. Back then in the game¡¯s history when Saint Orso overturned Aouine, they were already present. No one knew what their goal was, but more than half of the in-game high level missions were rted to this organization¡ª]

    Brendel knew that the high level members in this organization were able to sense each through the ¡®Ouroboros¡¯ ring. Once someone died, the members would immediately know and choose a new person to rece him.

    And what awaited next was endless revenge.

    ¡°Damn it. These bunch of bastards again, Mother Marsha, are you toying with me?¡± Brendel got up with the support of the Elven sword. He had a difficult time in the end game as he had also killed one of the high ranking members, and the circumstances surrounding it was simr to what happened here.

    ¡°My lord, are you in here?¡± When Ciel arrived the battle was over, but he thought his lord would have easily ended things and wanting him to gather here was nothing more than a polite instruction.

    But Brendel¡¯s anger boiled over when he heard the voice. If he wasn¡¯t alert enough, Ciel would have seen a corpse or turned back into a card after he died.

    He throw a piece of the rubble at him, and the surprised apprentice dodged to one side.

    ¡°Woah! My lord, please listen to my exnation¡ª¡±

    ¡°Save it. Don¡¯t do that again.¡± Brendel¡¯s feelings were soothed after he scolded Ciel. There was at least one advantage for him right now. Madara would raze this ce to the ground and ¡®Origin¡¯ would have a hard time finding out who killed Dunn. Even their organization was big, but they were not omniscient.

    With that thought in mind, he felt much calmer. If they could not find him, then they would not be able to exact their revenge.

    ¡°How many mana potions are left?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t use one at all, but I¡¯m really drained.¡± The young man smiled shyly as he did not wish to say that he did not use them as they were too precious.

    Brendel cast a disapproving look.

    ¡°We¡¯re going up to the rooftop, drink one potion on the way up. This mana potion isn¡¯t instant, and before the next battle begins, I want to see you revived withpletely recovered stats.¡±

    ¡°What is ¡®revived withpletely recovered stats.¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. A wizard without mana has no difference from a dead person. When your mana is full, you¡¯re revived with recovered stats.¡±

    ¡°Even that¡¯s a little cruel, but it seems like it¡¯s true from a certain point of view.¡± Ciel nodded.

    ¡°Naturally. Do you think I have the time to bullshit with you?¡± Even though Brendel was not a wizard, he was still able to teach Ciel till he was at least level 40. But he felt a little puzzled.

    [Why is this guy and Babasha cing so much importance on these mana potions? Even though it¡¯s slightly expensive, there is no need to treat it with so much importance right?]

    ¡°My lord¡¯s words are very right.¡± Ciel waspletely convinced.

    Brendel walked over to Dunn and brought the Elven sword near to his corpse. There was a glimmering light on the sword that looked like it was able to reveal the color of the blood on Dunn¡¯s clothes.

    Brendel frowned and thought back on everything, then nodded.

    ¡°My lord, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saving myself.¡±

    ¡°Saving yourself?¡±

    ¡°Stop wasting time and follow me. Tell me what you discovered too.¡± Brendel knew that he could not let Ciel to be proud of his achievements, otherwise there would be mistakes made the next time.

    As the two of them moved off, Ciel reported what he saw to Brendel. When he heard that the nobles¡¯ armies were gathered outside this fortress, he was worried and pleased at the same time. It was going to be difficult to escape from so many people, but on the other hand Freya and Romaine¡¯s situation would be much easier. Even though he wanted to let them grow on their own, he was still worried about the girls.

    After walking for a while, he suddenly remembered something.

    ¡°Ah, right. Ciel, what about the things I told you to do?¡±

    ¡°What task is that?¡±

    ¡°A task where a hignd knight requested his squire to gather some stuff so that he could pay for living expenses.¡±

    Ciel got excited when he remembered it: ¡°My lord, I picked up some wonderful stuff.¡±

    ¡°With my lord¡¯s expertise, I¡¯m sure you have heard the name Lamona, the little princess of Saint Osor. But her most famous reputation isn¡¯t this title, it was during the time in Kirrlutz where she worked as a court artist. She painted Vaunte and the artwork¡¯s name is ¡®The voice of the souls¡¯. She was a founder of an artistic style and was a grandmaster. I truly did not expect this earl to be such a fan of her work. There were many treasures in his collection.¡±

    ¡°No, I have never heard of this name. I am only interested in how much it can sell for.¡± Brendel shook his head. Most of the gamers are more interested in grabbing gold and silver artifacts. When he thought about it they were really like barbarians.

    ¡°Such uncivilized behavior, my lord, uncivilized!¡± Ciel shook his head with distaste. ¡°But it should be fine to sell this in the ck market for a few million coins.¡±

    ¡°Barely passable.¡±

    Ciel was a little crestfallen when he saw they he did not have the same hobby as Brendel, but he still tried to be enthusiastic and took out a book from his magic bag. ¡°My lord, I also got this book.¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°This is a book to keep magic cards. There is something special within this,¡± The squire took a card out after he opened the book: ¡°Look at this my lord.¡±

    Brendel had guess what it was when he saw the card, but he was only able to confirm that it was a Card of Fate after Ciel passed it over to him.

    It was a green colored card which represented the wind series. There was a ¡®X¡¯ on it on the top left hand corner, while there was a triangr shape with glowing lights painted on the card. There were different lines on the three corners¡ª

    Ta¡¯m ¨C Target of the spell

    Stau ¨C The magic to invoke the spell

    Ee ¨C The eyes of the god that governed magic.

    The required cost to use this card was three wind crystals.

    Brendel flipped the card and used his system on it.

    (Magic Control)

    (The High Tower X)

    (Wind element 3)

    (Instant spell)

    (Choose a target for the spell and choose another target to receive the energy.)

    (Your magic shall be controlled by the High Tower guard, Ordo.)

    Ciel observed Brendel¡¯s expression and exined when he found an appropriate time for it. ¡°This is a rare White Magic card, my lord. It looks like we have good luck.¡±

    ¡°A White Magic Card?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°It means that there are no prerequisites in using this card.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t need a cost to use this?¡±

    ¡°No, my lord. There are many magic spells and cards in the Cards of Fate. Other than the basd cards, you have to under a certain condition. The knight cards, as an example, can only be used by knights or warriors who walks ¡®The path of bravery¡¯, so my lord is able to use that.¡±

    ¡°And a white magic card can be used by anyone?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, my lord.¡±

    Brendel rubbed his forehead. He remembered the scene in Gerald¡¯s tomb and wondered if there was anything rted to this. He had never heard of these cards in the game, and today was the first time where he thought about this in detail.

 volume 1 - 52

    TL: I¡¯ll see if I can squeeze in a JP chapter after I wake up.

    TL: So before you start reading the chapter, I just want to say that Danganronpa is out. This is one of the best mystery visual novels (novel + voiced lines + graphics) you can get right now if you haven¡¯t yed it before. Some of you might not know this, but I first came from the visual novel side before tranting FreeWebNovels. I highly rmend this game.

    If you would like to look at my port report, you can check out this.

    If you would like to look at my review of the game, check out this.

    Chapter 52 ¨C Little Romaine couldn¡¯t possibly take such a risk

    Romaine raised her head and looked at the wooden signature board. Her face was slightly flushed under the cold night air. Even though it was early summer, the temperature in the hignd area during the night time was very low.

    The wooden signature board had turned ck from decades of rain and wind, and on it was a running horse. She did not recognize the words on them but she guessed she was at the right ce. Both her hands were ced on her precious bag, and she rubbed her leather boots together.

    [This should be the ce right? That ¡®Running Horse Inn¡¯ or something?]

    With the rm that came from a distant ce, a group of patrol troops passed by her. The merchant girl was not afraid and curiously observed them. and watched them leave the area. When the rm finally stopped ringing, she let out a small sigh and stepped into the inn.

    The owner of the inn was a dwarf. He appeared exactly like the Dwarves depicted in stories, with a long bush beard with wheat color, and they were braided together. On the dwarf¡¯s neck were bronze chains. Intricate patterns and Dwarven words were carved on the chain rings, depicting the family name, birth and given name.

    Famous family names like ¡®Firebeard¡¯, ¡®Rocksigil¡¯, ¡®Orichalheart¡¯ would even create the precious and heavy gold chain for each member.

    These chains were a proud symbol just like their beards, and the Dwarven families had centuries of history along with them. They would dly wear the chain around and let the jangling chains sound out loudly. It was a rare sight for a dwarf to appear in the human society, and the inn¡¯s owner, Khodrum Barrock, made use of this notion and dressed himself up like a person of great importance, as well as spreading rumors through the use of coins. Many people visited this mysterious dwarf and his business naturally got better and better.

    Khodrum wore a robe made of silk today, with three ruby rings on his stubby fingers, as well as a cat-eye stone ring and an emerald ring. He had a nephew, a human, and was able to establish further rtions with them. As to why the dwarf had a human nephew, no one really knows.

    But his nephew who was serving in the white-mane¡¯s army was currently discussing with him in private along with hispanion. The three of them had been talking for a little while.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying if I see ass I should agree to any of her requests? Why is that? If she wants my entire fortune, am I supposed to give it too? No, no this suggestion sounds just too stupid.¡± The Dwarven boss shook his head forcefully and grumbled.

    ¡°Uncle Khodrum, please listen to me properly. I¡¯m not asking you to give her anything other than to prepare a horse cart for her. Don¡¯t rm her and prepare another horse cart so we can follow her from behind.¡±

    ¡°Only horse carts?¡± Khodrum looked suspiciously at his nephew with his beady eyes.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Fine, will she pay?¡±

    The young man sighed, but knowing his uncle¡¯s temperament, he quickly added on: ¡°Of course she will, but don¡¯t haggle with her too much and raise the price too high. Please don¡¯t frighten her away, and if uncle helps me out, I¡¯ll be able to take the credit of capturing her!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really understand, but you mean that you like thatss? I can consider give you a 0.5 % discount.¡±

    ¡°N-no! It¡¯s something like this, this girl is actually a spy from Madara. She and herpanions escaped from prison and should be seeking to leave the fortress as soon as possible. Captain Luc Beson tasked us to look at the paths that they would escape from.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you capture her directly?¡± Khodrum asked in curiosity.

    Puck rubbed his temples. ¡°Uncle Khodrum, she still has herpanions, and in order to capture all of them, we want to follow her and catch them when their guard is down. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°Okay, in any case, I¡¯ll top up the money if she pays any less. Please be at ease, uncle Khodrum.¡±

    ¡°Get her guard down, satisfy her request? I understand that.¡± The dwarf nodded.

    Even though he had to nitpick at everything, the speed at which he cleared the task was very fast. He called the workers over and ordered them, then informed his nephew: ¡°I already prepared everything. When is the girl going toe?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure but I hope she¡¯s going toe over to our side first, I don¡¯t want to see that bastard Granzon looking down on me.¡± The young man sighed, then suddenly felt hispanion patting his back with everything he had. He turned his head and saw Romaine. He immediately jumped up and pushed the dwarf towards the front.

    ¡°That¡¯s her, she¡¯sing! Quick, uncle, everything depends on you!¡±

    ¡°Rx, young man. Don¡¯t push me like a sack of potatoes, I have been doing this for thirty years and I know what to do.¡± Khodrum did not forget to brag.

    When Romaine came in, she was looking all over the ce with great interest. She had never seen a building that was mainly made out of rocks. She felt something familiar when she saw the pirs and walls, but then she spotted the dwarf whose beard nearly reached the ground.

    ¡°Are you a midget?¡± She asked.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m a Dwarven person.¡± The inn¡¯s boss corrected her.

    ¡°Mr Dwarven, are you the boss here?¡±

    ¡°I am a dwarf, not Mr Dwarven. Lass, do you understand the difference? And yes, I¡¯m the boss.¡±

    ¡°I would like to rent a horse cart, do you rent them here?¡±

    ¡°Of course, what do you think I do here?¡±

    ¡°Do I need to pay?¡± Romaine was still looking curiously at the store.

    ¡°That¡¯s a given thing. Doing a business has a transaction of coins and goods. We calcte the days of how long the guests want to rent them for, but strictly speaking, a horse rental inn typically rents them out for only a day. If the horse cart is damaged because of the guest, we will have to seek payment for it. Furthermore, our drivers have the right to refuse any orders that might harm their lives. When this particr rule and that particr rule ur.....¡± Khodrum spoke without stopping when it came to business.

    ¡°How much do I need to pay if I want to rent for half a day?¡±

    ¡°Thirty coins.¡±

    Romaine took out a blue-grayish pouch, turned it over and shook it. There were three copper coins on her hand. She raised her head and asked without any change on her face: ¡°I only have this much, can I still rent the horse cart?¡±

    ¡°You can rent a horse wheel........¡± Was what Khodrum wanted to say, but he suddenly recalled his nephew¡¯s words, so he changed his tune stiffly. ¡°Fine, even though this is short,ss, when do you want the cart?¡±

    ¡°I want it now. How do I get to the horse cart?¡±

    ¡°The cart is right behind. Here is your card number. Take it and you can find the right cart. Well, do you need me to bring you over?¡± Khodrum passed the copper card over in pain. He had not done a business transaction where he did it a loss for many years.

    ¡°Nope. I still have my friends waiting out there, and I have to ask them for their opinions. Can we finish the transaction now?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Finishing a transaction is my favorite thing in the world.¡± Khodrum dabbed his forehead. This transaction vited his principles in the worst ways. But for the sake of his nephew and his coins, he epted it grudgingly.

    Puck and hispanion watched Romaine leave with satisfaction, and they ran out and he pulled his uncle and asked.

    ¡°Did you manage to do it?¡±

    ¡°Certainly, just think who your uncle Khodrum is? I have made transactions with man-eating devils before.¡± The dwarf described everything that had transpired, but Puck smacked his forehead and yelled. ¡°Marsha above, Uncle Khodrum, what are you doing, she definitely knows we¡¯re here! She won¡¯t sit in your horse cart. We have messed things up!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Uncle, which merchant would do business at a loss, operating at a tenth of the original cost, you overdid things uncle! She must have suspected from the very beginning, what else did she say?¡± The young man had a grim expression as he did not expect his uncle to mess things up with his good intentions.

    ¡°She said she had to seek herpanions opinions.¡±

    ¡°Companions?¡± Puck looked at his partner and they went out immediately. The dwarf shouted behind them.

    ¡°I say, wait, you two little wankers, where¡¯s my promised money!¡±

    He was fuming.

    ¡°These youngsters nowadays have no respect for the elderly.¡± When he looked back, he saw one of his worker running over.

    ¡°Boss, the horse cart that you arranged has driven away.¡±

    ¡°The horse cart that I arranged, what cart?¡± Khodrum looked at his worker in confusion.

    ¡°The horse cart which you said to fulfill any requests that the girl wants. That girl is really pretty and polite. Is she Master Puck¡¯s lover?¡±

    ¡°What!¡± The dwarf looked at the worker as if he was going to kill him.

    ................................................................

    ¡°Miss, where are we going to?¡±

    The horse cart advanced forward with the wheels turning against the rocks. The monotonous sounds were apanied with the scenery changing quickly, and the girl looked on with interest. But she replied quickly-

    ¡°I like the scenery around here, can we go to the south gate? Then let¡¯s go one round to the north gate? Is there anything of interest around here?¡±

    ¡°Of course. We should pass by the Knight Everton¡¯s residence.¡±

    ¡°Everton? Who¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Knight Everton was a famous hero..........¡±

    ..................................................................................

    Brendel and Ciel climbed up to the peak tower of the Pine Fortress. They took in a sharp breath when they saw the troops surrounding the fortress. The disorganized mercenaries had lit up their torch in a random order, and it looked like there were stars on the ground, forming a fiery dragon that coiled around the fortress.

    The private army of the nobles had already broken through the gate and were advancing in the courtyard. The wind bullet that caused a loud explosive earlier had alerted them and they prepared to attack with force.

    Both of Brendel and Ciel¡¯s faces were slightly pallid. It would be a miracle if they managed to escape from this. Even though they could rely on the gargoyle, but it might not be able to fly high enough.

    Brendel held his breath as he felt that things were spiraling out of his calctions. He pointed at another fiery dragon that was appearing in the distance: ¡°Do you see that? The white-mane army is alsoing over-¡±

    ¡°I wish that I didn¡¯t see that, my lord.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±

 volume 1 - 53

    TL: Sorry guys, I have to probably dy the JP series until I have some real free time in March. The next TL release will probably be next week or if I have free time.

    Chapter 53 ¨C The line between life and death

    ¡°Ser Esebar, take a look at this.¡± The leader of the mercenaries handed the brass telescope over to the noble after using it.

    The Golden Apple Lord sat steadily on an Arreck horse.

    Aouine¡¯s cavalry troops once used them as the main choice as war horses, but they eventually switched to the double-footed flying dragons. Despite the change, the nobles still used rode the horses to represent their status.

    Esebar received the telescope and looked into the distance with it, then passed to his ally, the businessman Burnley with an impassive face.

    The Golden Apple Lord was not too anxious. Even if Earl Dunn died on their territory, the only thing that would get affected was merely their reputation. The nobles in this area prized actual power over reputation, and if the king sought someone to me, it was naturally the bastard Luc Beson who was at fault, not the gentlemen here.

    In fact, he wanted the Earl to get into an ident, but he did not dare to do anything that was too obvious. Right now, he merely gathered his private army and prepared to attack the keep.

    But he needed to capture the person who invaded the fortress. If White-Mane army captured the invader instead, and if they doctored the military records, the responsibility would fall onto him.

    Burnley took the telescope with a smile, looked through it and said: ¡°There are people on the tower¡¯s peak.¡±

    ¡°Makavu, get some archers over. Their status must be at least a white rank because the opponent is a Iron-ranked swordsman.¡± The Golden Apple Lord pointed at the top of the tower as he instructed the leader of the mercenaries.

    ¡°Understood, Ser Esebar. Just wait and see. Regardless of whether he¡¯s a Iron-ranked swordsman or a Hignd Knight, we will definitely turn him into a body filled with arrows.¡± The mercenary leader answered and left immediately.

    The nobles¡¯ private armies split into two lines, allowing their leader to ride run over. Not far away the riders rode on their horses over from the river noisily, and the scenery was filled with chaotuc dancing light.

    The Golden Apple Lord narrowed his eyes: ¡°These riders are really crass.¡±

    ¡°If they appeared here, does that mean that Earl Dunn is¡ª¡± Burnley gestured with his hand across his neck with a beaming face.

    ¡°Hmph. A second generation from the Les Bris family. The king favors him because of his lips. Thanks to that, he thinks nothing of the other ministers and everyone hates him because of his arrogance. Dying in the streets is a very normal thing for him.¡± The Golden Apple Lord snorted from his nose.

    ¡°This man is a reputed archaeologist who can identify items. The king looks favorably on him because of this.¡± Burnley corrected his partner¡¯s mistake.

    ¡°He¡¯s nothing more than a fool.¡±

    A scout reported in while the two men discussed. The rider came to them with a weary war horse and he spoke: ¡°My lord, the White-Mane army is here.¡±

    ¡°Oh? How many?¡± The Golden Apple Lord asked.

    ¡°Twenty of them. They appear to be the vanguard.¡±

    ¡°Block them outside.¡± He pointed with his horse whip and ordered the scout.

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    As soon as the rider left, another came up to him and reported: ¡°My lord, the archers are ready.¡±

    The Golden Apple Lord nodded: ¡°That should be enough. Get Granzon to break the fortress as soon as possible. I suspected they had the ability to fly a long time ago. Looks like my guess isn¡¯t wrong, and this time we will definitely get them.¡±

    ¡°That is a Hignd knight. How are you going to take care of it?¡± Burnley asked.

    ¡°This is originally a difficult thing, but since they killed that idiot so openly, even if he is a member of the White Knights on active duty, no one can save him.¡±

    The Golden Apple Lord watched as a ck figurended on the tower¡¯s peak, which then carried the two and flew over the soldiers¡¯ heads. He looked at his soldiers and saw them readying their bows. With a whistle, the order was given and hundreds of arrows fired at the same time¡ª

    ¡°Ahhhh, my lord! They have archers!¡± Ciel shook to his left and right as he yelled in fright.

    ¡°Cut the crap, I can see them with my own eyes!¡± Brendel answered gloomily. He struck down an arrow with his sword, and the force that transmitted over from it numbed his fingers slightly. His heart sank as he realized the opponents had Iron-ranked archers. The arrows flew at them from all angles and struck the gargoyle¡¯s wings, and if they continued to go near them, he would have no way to handle the arrows.

    ¡°Fly to the ground.¡± Hemanded with a low growl.

    ¡°Fly down?¡± Ciel¡¯s eyes were wide open as he thought that his lord had be insane.

    [We¡¯re going to die!!!]

    ¡°We can¡¯t fly back over and we can¡¯t go back. We arepletely surrounded by his men. If that is the case, we should fight our way out, perhaps we have a chance at surviving.¡± Brendel said calmly and stared at the immense crowd on the ground.

    ¡°My lord, you gamble too much.¡±

    ¡°Believing in your strength is called bravery, cing your fate on luck is called reckless. There is a fine line between these two things, and the key is to know how to walk on it. This is one of my motto in the game, remember this well.¡± Brendel replied as he looked at his squire.

    ¡°Game?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you this before? Life is like a game, a game is like life.¡± Brendel suddenlyughed as the weight lifted from his chest, and felt never more awake in his life.

    The gargoyle flew lower while the whistling air passed by the two men. They were almost able to see the archers clearly by now. Another whistle resounded in the air, and another volley of arrows came at them. Brendel desperately tried to block them all, but an arrow slipped by and drew blood from his side.

    The gargoyle turned a full circle and drew most of the firepower away. It boasted one of the highest defence as a level twenty creature, and even a fully charged strike from Brendel¡¯s ring did not manage to bring it downpletely. These arrows did not damage it in the slightest.

    Unfortunately, the agility in the air was nothing special, otherwise Brendel could order it to use various aerial maneuvers to bring them out of the siege. He thought for a while before taking a ruby out from his pouch. He had taken it from the Dunn¡¯s corpse.

    ¡°Is your mana at full capacity?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then conjure a bow for me.¡±

    ¡°Bow?¡± Ciel was momentarily stunned as he took the ruby. ¡°My lord, I suggest to conjure a shield rather than a bow.¡±

    ¡°Offense is the best defense.¡±

    ¡°Then leave it to me-¡± The wizard apprentice nodded and raised the ruby. ¡°Projection ability, conjure a bow with an equivalent exchange!¡± Countless light beams poured from the ruby and curved around it, then formed into a longbow.

    The longbow had no physical body, and was merely formed with leylines of magic. The string and the two corners of bow were written withplicated sigils and represented thews of magic. The conceptual body of the bow was a principle of magic, and it was paid by converting the energy in precious gems. It did not require an arrow to fire a projectile.

    ¡°My willpower can only allow this bow to fire four times.¡± Ciel said as he handed the bow over to Brendel.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try it out.¡±

    The third volley of arrows came again¡ª

    ¡°What is this monster?¡± The Golden Apple Lord pointed at the dark creature with immense wings. Burnley¡¯s eyes glinted, but he did not reply.

    ¡°That is a gargoyle, my lord. It is a masterpiece of Buga¡¯s smiths, a type of war puppet.¡±

    It was a mercenary who replied politely.

    ¡°That is a gargoyle?¡± The Golden Apple Lord¡¯s expression changed. He drew in a deep breath. He had heard of Karsuk¡¯s hignd wizards were a connection left behind by Buga¡¯s archmagi, and it appeared that the rumors were somewhat valid. His heart started calcting. It was still fine to offend a hignd knight, but Buga¡¯s archmagi were something else entirely.

    ¡°Ser Esebar, we have no choice.¡± Burnley¡¯s eyes changed a little and tried to persuade him.

    The Golden Apple Lord suddenly turned back and looked at him, and Burnley suddenly realized that he overdid things. The fat businessmanughed and shook his head. ¡°But it is true that Buga¡¯s wizards are not people to be trifled with-¡±

    The Golden Apple Lord raised his head and felt uneasy.

    Brendel and Cielnded on the ground without suffering any additional injuries. Another volley of arrows came again, and Brendel cut them down with his sword. As soon as the raining arrows ended, he sheathed the sword and brought the bow up as he jumped onto the gargoyle¡¯s back and they flew towards the archers.

    Makavu was in the midst of the archers. He almost could not believe his eyes when he saw Brendel flying up from the ground area, but his experience in the myriad battles in his history brought about a sense of danger when he realized there was a gargoyle.

    He immediately shouted to his vice captain: ¡°It¡¯s close enough, have the archers fire at will!¡±

    The soldiers understood the meaning, and the riders from the sides prepared to surround the area.

    The soldiers fired again¡ª

    Brendel took in another deep breath. There was no need for any bow techniques with the conjured bow, but he had trouble bncing himself on the flying creature. He aimed for a few seconds, then lightly released the bowstring. A white beam of light shot into the throng of soldiers five meters away from Makavu, shattering the rocks nearby into pebbles.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ciel sighed as he watched.

    Brendel did not panic and became even steady. He pulled the bow again and this arrow pierced two archers behind Makavu and the arrow exploded in the vicinity, hurting the soldiers around the area of impact.

    He pulled the bow again. Makavu was already retreating in a hurry as he mistook Brendel for a wizard.

    This arrow brought the vice-captain down from his horse. Brendel was bing more urate.

    [This is thest arrow. They are about to counter attack!]

    Brendel¡¯s eyes followed Makavu with a grimace as he wormed into the crowd. He hesitated before unleashing the arrow into the archers, causing the arrow to explode. Due to the tightly packed area, four of them died, and the archers retreated.

    Because of the chaos, there was an opening as they fled in different directions.

    The gargoyle turned around and grabbed Ciel. This had given Brendel a little time and he felt that his judgment was correct. He then ordered the gargoyle to fly past them. Just when he thought everything was fine, asso came from the crowd and urately looped around one of the Gargoyle¡¯s wings.

    Brendel was shocked and he turned his head around to spot the mercenary leader, Makavu.

    Because of the unexpected turn of events, the gargoyle flew unsteadily in an arch, then descended nearby into the river. Makavu cried out in delight and released the rope. He did not care about his bloody palms and yelled out: ¡°Now! Capture them!¡±

    The situation suddenly changed.

 volume 1 - 54

    TL: I will be concentrating on the JP series next week and I expect the next regr release for the CN series on 12 March.

    I also want to say my sincere thanks to the donators. You guys allowed me to purchase a lot of artbooks, and I¡¯ll post up some photos on them once they arrive some time inte march.

    Chapter 54 ¨C Breakthrough

    The gargoyle skidded against the soft river ground ten over meters after it was forced down. The damage against this monstrous creature was minor, but Brendel and Ciel were hurled towards the ground with considerable impact.

    The nobles¡¯ soldiers around them immediately became excited once theynded on the ground, and they swarmed towards them like angry insects. Even though they were a bunch of low ranking mobs, the riders¡¯ charge made them look terrifying. After Ciel stood up from the ground and shook off the sand, he received a shock after looking at his surroundings and immediately asked: ¡°My lord, what should we do now?¡±

    Brendel pulled his leg out from the mud and drew his sword. He yelled: ¡°Cut the crap, create a wall now!¡±

    This was the ssic strategy of Aouine¡¯s wizards against the riders. The yers¡¯ strategies gradually evolved from this basic spell as it was effective against inexperienced riders.

    Ciel immediately understood and used a ruby and pointed to the front: ¡°To halt, to counter, Wall of creation¡ª¡± Strings of light extended everywhere and formed a wall. The strings of light disappeared and a firm wall made of air was created.

    Most of the riders had no idea what it was and they charged forward. There were a few experienced soldiers who split into two directions while Makavu tried tomand his troops to circle the enemies, but the noise created from the galloping horses drowned his voice.

    The first row of riders crashed into the wall of air. The horses knelt onto the ground, while the riders were thrown upwards and crashes into the wall. The next row of riders trampled onto the first row and then stumbled to the ground. As the third row crashed onto the second row, the increasing pressure shattered the wall of air, and suddenly a great number of the corpses were propelled forward andnded near Brendel¡¯s feet.

    This happened in a single instant, and the forceful impact frightened even Brendel and Ciel. They took a step backwards involuntarily.

    Makavu cursed in anger from behind. The first row of riders were immediately killed, and the second row of riders were heavily injured. The third row of riders were mostly incapacitated and could not join back in the fray. Twenty odd men were never going toe back and rejoin his army, and he felt heartbroken by that fact.

    He clenched his teeth and quickly bandaged his bloodied hands, then charged forth with a brandished greatsword. There were still ten over veteran riders remaining and he needed to lead them personally to suppress the two enemies in front, until the footmen were able to catch up with them.

    [We need to target that wizard! If he continues to use his magic it would spell disaster for us!]

    Makavu waved his greatsword twice, signalling his men to spread out and surround the enemies. He was fuming slightly when he saw their hesitant behavior. Each one of them was at least an Iron-rank, but when it came to the critical moment they were reluctant to advance.

    ¡°Charge! Attack as one!¡± Makavu understood he needed to spur them despite his anger.

    He did not know that Brendel had been observing him for quite some time already.

    [I fought more than enough times to know what you¡¯re thinking. There¡¯s no need to try and hide your tactics.] Brendel watched Makavu advance on an Arreck horse as he continued to issue outmands.

    He spat out the sand in his mouth and tapped Ciel¡¯s shoulder, then pointed to Makavu.

    ¡°See that man, coordinate with me at the right moment with a magic arrow.¡±

    Ciel immediately shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s on a horse and I¡¯m not that urate.¡±

    ¡°No problem, you don¡¯t need to worry about mana conservation, if you miss just keep on shooting.¡±

    ¡°Then it should be fine.¡±

    Brendel checked the riders in his surroundings, grabbed his sword¡¯s hilt and readied himself. After Makavu and his riders circled once, Makavu raised his sword just like he expected.

    [He¡¯s preparing to charge with everyone.]

    Thirty meters.

    Twenty meters.

    Brendel was waiting for a chance like this. He went into a stance and unleashed his sword from the scabbard. Light burst forth along with a violent gust. Makavu saw the translucent ripple spreading forth along the ground, dragging pebbles along its path. Even though he had never seen the royal court¡¯s sword style, he recognized that danger wasing towards him. He immediately jumped high up from his horse.

    As he went up in mid-air, Brendel¡¯s technique swept past the Arreck horse, and the giant horse suddenly stumbled forward and copsed into a heap.

    Its four limbs were severed.

    Makavu drew a cold breath as he thought of a term.

    [Sword aura¡ª]

    But before he could finish his thoughts, a beam of white light pierced through the air and struck his chest. A second beam stabbed his shoulder, the third beam impaled his abdomen, and the final beam of light went past him. Makavu changed directions three times before crashing down onto the sand lifelessly.

    This sudden change made the riders pull their reins. They were not shocked by Makavu¡¯s death, but by the technique disyed before them. It was a signature move used by pdins. Their expressions changed into fear as they wondered who the young man was.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite urate.¡± Brendel sheathed his sword.

    ¡°Ho ho. But this credit belongs to my lord.¡± Ciel answered with a straight face.

    Brendel smiled when he heard that. He checked the scenery in front of him. Even though the riders were stunned into inaction, he could not rx as he saw the shadows from the infantry in the Long Spear Forest.

    He exhaled as he rearranged his n. He looked to the north as he realized the only chance was in that direction. He was not sure whether he was able to pull it off but he pointed in that direction and yelled: ¡°Wstry (Advance forth)!¡±

    [If I don¡¯t have any attackmands for the gargoyle, then I¡¯ll use the movemand as a substitute.]

    The Golden Apple Lord watched the events unfold from a high view. His face was contorted into an ugly expression. Even though these troops were not elites, he had paid for them, especially Makavu. Even though he was a low-born, he was a strongmander and a capable fighter.

    ¡°A hignd knight is indeed a hignd knight. I didn¡¯t really believe in the rumors of the legendary prowess of the White Knight army, but it looks like that was no falsity in it.¡± Burnley said with a smile of his face.

    ¡°Looks like Earl Dunn is most likely dead. I wonder if that ¡®Tiger¡¯ dares to take on this hignd knight. But if he manages to do so, even a dead body would be disadvantageous to us, especially when we did not manage to find the two women.¡±

    ¡°I just find it strange as to why this particr young man needed to kill Dunn. If this man is really a Be¡¯s militia, wouldn¡¯t be better for him to use the Earl as a hostage? This is such a pity, we could have use Dunn¡¯s social powers.¡± Burnley pretended to be dismayed by the events, but his eyes wereughing.

    ¡°Not necessarily. There¡¯s no need to stand on any political factions too quickly. The matters between the royal family and the White-mane army are still undecided. But no matter what, whether that man is an assassin or had some other goals in his mind, I think that sword of his has something very wrong with it¡ª¡± The Golden Apple Lord grabbed his reins and adjusted himself on the horse.

    ¡°That Elven Sword?¡±

    Esebar wanted to nod, but suddenly saw his soldiers were splitting apart like they were avoiding a wave. He paused momentarily, then spotted a gargoyle charging at him. His words faltered as he pulled his reins subconsciously. He wanted to turn away, but because he used too much force as he was too tense, the horse actually stood up in hind legs with a neigh.

    ¡°Lord Esebar, be careful!¡±

    As the gargoyle was over twenty levels, its strength was higher than most Iron-ranked fighters, and along with its formidable defense, charging into the midst of the unranked soldiers was akin to a tiger charging into the midst ofmbs. With the advent of this giant monster, the soldiers suddenly felt an innate fear taking over their bodies. One of them even yelled panickedly: ¡°Dragon!!!¡±

    Brendel expected the gargoyle to easily crush the soldiers¡¯ weak formations, but he also understood that the situation would notst for long. The soldiers were momentarily confused, but once they recovered the gargoyle would not be able to fight against their number.

    If they were well trained, whether the gargoyle could even handle ten soldiers was a question.

    He needed to utilize the chaotic scene and prevent them from regaining their formation, and he acted on it quickly.

    ¡°Ciel, follow and cover me.¡±

    He rushed forward as he finished speaking. The pathway made by the gargoyle was closing up as the soldiers wanted to block their enemies, but Brendel swung his sword forward, and the wind pressure was like a scythe going through the soldiers, reaping them like wheat.

    The soldiers who were behind them fell back in fright as they abandoned all notions to continue fighting, creating a greater pathway than the gargoyle did. If Makavu was still around they might be able to form up, but their leader was now gone.

    Brendel and Ciel quickly passed through the Long Spear Forest. If there were any stragglers who wanted to follow them, Ciel shot them down with magic arrows. He still had two bottles of mana potion, and the magic arrow spell was a cheap and effective magic.

    Brendel raised his heads and faintly saw a group of nobles on top of the hill nearby. He saw Lord Burnley and issued anothermand.

    ¡°That fat bastard, ary ¡ª (Take) ¨C!¡±

    Before he finished issuing themand, he suddenly found a group of ridersing from the left nk. These riders wore deep blue garments with a pointed hat, donned silver armor with shoulder guards, along with a white tussle behind them. These were the light calvary of the White-Mane army.

    The two groups realized that the ¡®Tiger¡¯ Luc Beson had arrived.

    ¡°Bhus, Taron, take down that Madara spy!¡± Even the midst of the noisy army, Luc Beson¡¯s calm voice still resounded clearly, sending a chill to everyone present.

    Two tall riders came from the left and right at Brendel after Luc Beson finished speaking.

    ¡°Very good.¡± Brendel scoffed coldly in his heart and activated his ¡®Charge¡¯ skill, dashing past them in an instant. Bhus and Taron stopped for a moment, and when they realized what happened and turned behind them, the young man had gone past them ten over meters.

    Not only them, the majority of the White-Mane army were also stunned. The two men were squadron leaders and were low Iron-ranked fighters, and Brendel pulled away so easily?

    Luc Beson¡¯s eyebrows went up.

    [Charge skill? This young man is also rted to the Sun knights?]

    He immediately raised his right hand: ¡°Odin, Kline, stop him!¡±

    Two riders advanced together. The squadron leaders were especially proficient in their riding skills, and even though they started offte, they immediately caught up with Brendel.

    But before the soldiers could cheer for their leaders, Odin and Kline were already thrown off their horses. Everyone¡¯s eyes went wide open.

    The ones who had quicker eyes saw the event unfold clearly: The young man did not stop, exchanged a single blow with each of them, destroyed both their swords, and they were thrown backwards like they were knocked by a dragon.

    ¡°Power Break!¡± A person¡¯s cry immediately made many people realize what happened.

    Brendel did not hear or say anything as his attention was on Burnley. The gargoyle had already grabbed him. This was the key to escaping this dead end.

    [Victory is at hand, right?]

 volume 1 - 55

    Chapter 55 ¨C Sword, light

    Along with a fiercesome cry, the gargoyle swoop down from the sky and its hook-like wstched onto Burnley¡¯s shoulders, then raised the ball-like figure into the sky. The businessman reacted subconsciously and tried to wiggle out of the gargolye¡¯s grasp, but realized he was in mid air and paled instantly and stopped moving.

    Everyone raised their heads up. Even though they knew they might do the same thing as Burnley, they secretly despised him for his cowardice.

    Brendel raised his hand up and yelled admist the army without looking back: ¡°Uom e back)!¡±

    When he finally looked behind him, the soldiers before him took a step back under his gaze. However, once they did so, they revealed that Ciel was surrounded by hundreds of spears.

    ¡°Don¡¯t attack me, I surrender!¡± The young wizard raised his hands up to show that he did not intend to resist.

    [I say, can you be any more spineless?]

    Brendel sighed once and shook his head. But Ciel did not seem to see his actions and blinked at him repeatedly, saying: ¡®Everything is up to you my lord, I already did my best.¡¯

    Brendel wanted to pull his hair out.

    The White-Mane riders marched up and circled behind Brendel¡¯s back, as if they wanted to take control of the situation from the nobles.

    The Golden Apple Lord from afar started cursing, but there a number of factors that prevented him from controlling the enemy before him. Makavu was dead, Burnley was dangling in the air, Granzon was still in the fortress. There was no one beside him that was of use.

    He could only ride forth alone. The truth he was enduring the cold perspiration in his back. He was almost certain that the gargoyle wasing from him.

    [But why did he capture Burnley?]

    The Golden Apple Lord gestured and brought forth a few nobles along with him, riding towards the center of the army that surrounded Brendel. He stopped in front of Luc Beson. The two parties had nothing much to say as the tension between the nobles and regional army leader of Grinoires was too much for civility.

    The ¡®Tiger¡¯ Luc Beson stood tall like a spear on the horse¡¯s back. He smirked as he looked at Esebar and the nobles behind him. He might be in the White-Mane army, but his heart was in the monarch¡¯s faction which sought to regain its power. The two parties looked down on each other, so he naturally did not want to waste any time on them.

    He was more interested in Brendel and peered at him. The young man managed to create chaos in front of a big army, and managed to either escape or defeat his squadron leaders in the blink of an eye. But he was surprised to find Brendel¡¯s gaze was on him.

    [Does he know me?]

    Luc Beson frowned but quicklyposed himself.

    ¡°Young man, I¡¯ll give you a chance to put the pitiful fellow, Lord Burnley, down to the ground. As you can see, your ally is in our hands.¡± Luc Beson took over the entire situation once he spoke.

    Brendel confirmed that he was Luc Beson after hearing his voice. He had heard of his voice during missions in Fortress Riedon before the first ck Rose War.

    [The Tiger, Luc Beson. An upper silver-ranked swordsman, one of the stronger fighters in the entire Aouine region.]

    Brendel did not dare to underestimate a formidable foe like him. His thoughts moved quickly. He nced at Luc Beson and Esebar, knowing that his only chance at survival was on these two people.

    This standoff between these two men was not by coincidence.

    This rivalry between the nobles and the regional army was due to Aouine¡¯s unique political rule. As the country came from the splintered Kirrlutz, its rules were derived from the ck Bible. Due to the long history of the lords fighting one another, the fourth ruler of Aouine, Einz the first created the rule of having a regional army governing their own location.

    The lords started to create their own ¡®country¡¯ like a principality. Within this ¡®countries¡¯ the lords enjoyedplete administrative power and their ownws. However, the king imposed a tax on all the mines, forestingnds and farms, while the nobles were free to impose a second tax. The nobles were also unable to hold their own private armies, and the defense was left to royalty or the regional army.

    With this dual system of separating the army and administration, the royal family controlled all the states and created a strong kingdom. However, no matter how glorious Aouine was, there was going to be ambitious offenders that would gue the kingdom. When the royal family¡¯s authority waned, the opposers gradually appeared.

    The first appearance of internal strife came around the rule of the ¡®Pious Disciple¡¯, King Edelweiss, sixty years ago. It was also when he was seeded by King Corvado. Duch Arreck, who also had the same session rights, was spiteful over this event, and when King Edelweiss passed away, the regional armies gradually started to support different factions. (TL: There might be some inurate TL here. The history lesson is killing me.)

    When the royal family found that they were unable to control the huge armies, the authority in the capital started waning: And ever since the ¡®Year of the Empty Beast¡¯, the tax official was unable to gain ess to a third of thends. It was evident that the royal family¡¯s authority had been reduced to be a miserable state.

    Duch Arreck had forced King Oberg the sixth to change a new set of defensews, and they only controlled the minor kingdom¡¯s armies. Cifahd¡¯s ck ded army and Ampere Seale¡¯s eleventh voluntary calvary.

    Under such circumstances, the royal family¡¯s hold over many areas were bing weaker. However, the contest for power was bing more intense between the nobles and the regional armies. In the Grinoires region, the earl and the archduke¡¯s enmity was well known as a source of entertainment in pubs.

    And in Fortress Riedon, this conflict was present in the nobles and Luc Beson. They held the same attitude in abandoning Be, but Luc Beson was in a disadvantage as he was weaker in political maneuvering and capability. Someone had to take responsibility for the failure.

    But now there was a change when Brendel and his partners came along.

    If they were truly Be¡¯s militia and they were still present for questioning, Esebar¡¯s excuses would be a lie, and it was a considerable matter for deceiving the king. Even if the royal family was reduced nothing more than just a name, the ministers in the capital would be able to legitimately use this as an excuse to turn on each other.

    [And because of this... I have at least a chance to escape from this unharmed. Even if Esebar wants me dead, he had to seek Luc Beson¡¯s approval.]

    Brendel felt a little sad. He knew that this would be the oue but he was unable to exin it clearly to Freya. If she knew that the final conclusion was still to leave it to these warring factions, she probably would not be able to ept it.

    [But even if it¡¯s sad, it¡¯s thanks to your short-sightedness that I can use this excuse.]

    After hearind Luc Beson¡¯s words, he could not help but disy a chilling smile: ¡°That is certainlyughable, my esteemed nobles.¡±

    Everyone was stunned from hearing his conflicting tone.

    ¡°Laughable?¡± Luc Beson smiled from his horse as he looked down from the higher ground: ¡°Why do you find itughable?¡±

    [Your grin is going to be wiped off soon.] Brendel beckoned the gargoyle toe to him, and held his Elven sword from the left hand to his right.

    ¡°Ser Luc Beson.¡± He turned his head to him once again. ¡°You want me to let down this fat bastard down?¡±

    He smacked Burnley¡¯s face with his hand, recalling the events that happened two hours ago. It was when Earl Dunn took away his sword and raised it to take a close look¨C (TL: OH? Gee, that event felt like it happened WEEKS ago. I wonder why.)

    The memories yed back smoothly across his mind like a flowing river, calming him. He tilted his head and answered: ¡°I find itughable that, some people don¡¯t even know they are heading to the gallows. Do you really believe you can stay in Fortress Riedon safely and Madara¡¯s army wouldn¡¯t invade Aouine¡¯s territory?¡±

    ¡°Madara?¡± Both Luc Beson and the Golden Apple Lord were confused..

    ¡°What are you trying to say exactly, you bas¡ª, you fellow.¡± The Golden Apple Lord asked while considering his status that was rted to Buga¡¯s wizards.

    Brendel did not want to waste anymore time, and he took up his sword and ce it at Burnley¡¯s neck. Before he finished speaking, the Elven sword red up with brilliant light.

    ¡°Lord Burnley¡¯s family is well reputed for its wealth and knowledge, can you tell me what history this sword has?¡± Brendel copied a certain man¡¯s tone with a cold sneer.

    That fat man suddenly struggled with all his might in the gargoyle¡¯s grasp and tried to retreat backwards.

    Brendel finally confirmed the suspicion in his heart and ignored him. He rebuked angrily at the two men: ¡°This sword is called ¡®Thorn of light¡¯, a sword that was created admist light. All undead creatures are revealed by this sword¡¯s brilliance, but you short-sighted morons only sought to admire it, but forgot what happened when Earl Dunn took it.¡±

    ¡°My esteemed nobles, do you really believe this fat pig is your ally? How remarkablyughable, you don¡¯t even know Tarkus have nted a spy amongst you¡ª¡±

    Luc Beson and the nobles were tongue-tied as they did not know whether this was true. Even though the White-Mane army¡¯s captain already believed Brendel¡¯s words, but he wished that it was untrue.

    Brendel thrust the sword into Burnley¡¯s ball-like figure. Thetter shrieked pitifully as his body rapidly shrank, and his appearance changed to that of a ugly and desated monster.

    ¡°A lich!¡± Luc Beson recognized this creature in an instant.

    Esebar was even more exaggerated as his body sagged as he yelled. ¡°Impossible!¡±

    His response frightened everyone and they cast their eyes on him. Brendel¡¯s expression was cold. He finally knew what happened in Fortress Riedon and why it fell so quickly.

    [But history¡ª or the future... cannot be changed now.]

    Esebar felt the perspiration on his forehead. The words from the damnable fat bastard appeared like a deadly trap now. In order to capture Brendel, he had took out a third of the Fortress¡¯s guards and ced them under Burnley.

    And these private troops, were most likely undead creatures by now.

    When they still hesitated over this matter, ghastly blue mes could suddenly be seen from Riedon¡¯s west and northern areas. Everyone understood what happened by now.

    Esebar felt the world was spinning.

    ¡°Re-retreat! To the south gate now!¡±

 volume 1 - 56

    TL: I managed to clear 2 major assignments so I can allocate a bit of time into TLing more chapters this week. The n is to TL the Jap series with 6 hours over the weekends, but I should be able to squeeze in 1 ch of TAS and TSTBGAM today. Needs some help with grammar too.

    The request to clean up the TOC has to wait until I clear all my assignments which I should hopefully get it done by next week. Hopefully.

    Chapter 56 ¨C Witness

    Brendel coldly watched the gathered nobles who argued ceaselessly at one side. The din created by the nobles and the soldiers did not appear to end anytime soon.

    The nobles wanted to leave the fortress by the north gate, without any regards for the citizens as they could not care less about them.

    [These bastards did not even mention about the citizens even once.]

    There was no one amongst the nobles who cared about political fights anymore. Some ced importance on their assets, even to the point where they would rather die than give their wealth up, others stressed that survival was the most important thing.

    [Do these nobles think that Madara¡¯s undead would care about their status or wealth? These bloody morons are grating my nerves.]

    Brendel lowered his head and wiped his sword. He had received 220 XP, one of the highest gain apart from the Golden Demonic Tree boss.

    [Looks like that was a mid-ranked lich. It was fortunate that it did not react in time as these things are usually level 30 plus.]

    Due to the low strength, the gargoyle was able to trap the lich in its ws, making it unable to move and ultimately allowed Brendel to kill it easily.

    The lich was not limited to mere XP. Brendel chopped off its head earlier under everyone¡¯s stares and took out a bone material. He then sliced off its four fingers from the right hand, pried open its head and pulled out its teeth one by one.

    Everyone watched Brendel¡¯s unthinkable actions in silenced horror as if he was a devil. His actions was like an experienced hunter who was processing its prey.

    Brendel did not think it was unnatural since he really was processing his prey. The lich was different from regr mobs, as its soul fire had a chance to be molded into a gem, the four fingers holding on to its staff could be used as a spell regent, while the teeth could be made into paralyzing poison. One could even describe that the lich¡¯s body was full of treasure.

    Ciel knew a little as to what Brendel was doing, so he stood beside him faithfully. The nobles¡¯ soldiers whose loyalty was to money, had scattered due to the low morale, and Luc Beson¡¯s soldiers had fallen back to their leader. The young wizard recalled the moment where Brendel tested the sword at Dunn¡¯s corpse, and understood that his every action had deep meaning to it, and could not be more impressed in his mind. (TL: Okay... I don¡¯t recall if that sword lit up lol. So Dunn is an undead too or something?)

    As Ciel watched Brendel continue to dismantle the lich, he felt the revered archmagi in Karsuk could notpare against him.

    On the other side, Luc Beson had regained hisposure after the temporary shock. He was not like the nobles who were eager to escape, and looked at Brendel with interest as he grabbed his horse¡¯s reins. In his eyes, Brendel was steady, decisive and flexible, and he was formidable at his age.

    [If he¡¯s ten years older, his aplishments would have been remarkable.]

    Although he was in the royal faction, the current Aouine made him shake his head. He raised his head and look at the dark sky, wondering what future the country had.

    But only the heavens knew Brendel did not n this ahead, but simply chose the best option for escape. He looked at Ciel who stood beside him, and asked: ¡°Between the White Knight and the ck Warrior, which one do you find it easier to deal with?¡±

    Ciel was momentarily stunned by the sudden question and did not know how to respond.

    Brendel shook his head as he watched the squabbling nobles escape to the east. Their formerrades¡¯ bodies were simply left behind at the river without anyone caring about them. (TL: I made a mistake in the previous chapter, Esebar intended to retreat to the East, not north.)

    ¡°The poet Goebbels depicted Karsuk¡¯s nobles as brigands, but I think Grinoires is not too far off.¡± Ciel spat out his words in derision.

    ¡°This country is at its final moments.¡± Brendel did not care if Luc Beson could hear him as he spoke condescendingly. He did not desire to seek revenge against the people who were going to face death.

    [Retreating to the east side means they will face Tarkus¡¯s most infamous general, ¡®The Dragon Cmity¡¯, Lord Tamara.]

    ¡°Are you not fleeing?¡± Luc Beson appeared as if he did not hear Brendel¡¯s words as he asked.

    Before Brendel had the chance to reply, there were sounds of wings beating in the air. Everyone in the vicinity looked up as they saw two huge bone dragons passing by over their heads, and fear spread throughout them. Hellish purple mes burned between their ck bones, and their gigantic tattered wings emitted a dull beating sound as they flew through the air, and the wind that swept through the ground made their hair prick up.

    The people on the ground felt like their souls were shrieking from an unending nightmare. In their minds, they saw nothing but bleak hopelessness, and phantom-like bones were suddenly climbing out from the ground with maggots crawling all over them. The ground seemed to turn into a dry, decayingndscape without end.

    Brendel punched himself in the arm and recovered from his afflicted status.

    [Damn it. The dragons¡¯ fear aura hit me pretty hard. Just flying over us affected us this much...]

    He checked his surroundings and the war horses were running away because of the fright, or dropped to the ground because of their weakened knees.

    Then he saw Luc Beson who also shrugged off the dragons¡¯ aura. Thetter appeared surprised as he saw Brendel¡¯s quick recovery. ¡°Come with me,d. As you can see, an individual¡¯s power is small against such foes.¡±

    Brendel looked grimly at him, then shook his head.

    [You died in history. I¡¯m not going to be caught in your misfortune here. It has been hard to get to this point, but if I can escape from this dead city, I will have fulfilled half of my ns. And from then on, I can grind my level up and wait for Aouine¡¯s final moments.]

    Brendel was not about to step into the trap at this point, and decided to tell him the truth: ¡°I¡¯m breaking through the north as my friends are waiting for me there. If you don¡¯t mind, you can join me.¡±

    Luc Beson stared at him in hesitation, but shook his head at the end. There were huge burning blue mes in the west and northern areas, indicating that the undead army invaded through that direction. Even though he admired him, he did not wish to move to a risky area.

    Brendel did not tell him that all the other areas were a dead end other than the north due to the distance. Time was of the essence, and exining that to him was going to take too long.

    He patted Ciel¡¯s arm and said: ¡°If that is the case, then we shall take our leave. If there is a chance in the future, let us meet again.¡±

    Luc Beson did not have much of a differencepared to the nobles, but he was at least capable. He was also one of the rarer person in this era who still thought about this country, so Brendel did not mind if he had survived.

    [There¡¯s also the fact that I might be considered as a heretic and sent to be burned by firewood. Luc Beson is not Freya or Romaine, He might be able to see past my bullshit.]

    Brendel did not take any unnecessary risk.

    ...........................................................................................

    The year of the bustling flowers and summer leaves, the second day of the sixth moon.

    The peacefulnd in Fortress Riedon turn into ashes under the burning mes. The undead rampaged everywhere, causing chaos and destroyed many lives.

    The citizens found that prayers could not save them and the nobles they relied on abandoned them. A scar that could never be healed was carved into their hearts and gradually spread everywhere from this battlefield.

    [The first step towards Aouine¡¯s demise.]

    The news of Fortress Riedon¡¯s fall only reached Fortress Vermeire on the sixth day, while Tarkus¡¯s secondary army was at Anchorite¡¯s doorsteps. The defensive lines to Fortress Vermeire were gone and they held on with much difficulty.

    The eleventh day, Vieiro discovered Madara¡¯s army and send the news to Corvado, and on the twelve day, Oberg the seven met Madara¡¯s messenger in secret. (TL: Gosh, how many more names are you going to throw at me.)

    On the thirteen day, the merchant alliance of Ampere Seale announced they were going to participate in the war.

    On the fourteen day, Madara¡¯s messenger was formally received.

    On the twentieth day, the battles at the frontlines stopped temporarily. Both countries established a team of envoys, and there was a long negotiation period.

    But the talks was progressing slowly and Madara¡¯s army kept burning thends everywhere, and Aouine¡¯s troops struggled painfully as though they were trapped in quicksand.

    Aouine¡¯s slow reactions caused immense losses to the nobles but the royal family was happy to see that happen.

    The talks continued to progress. On the seventh month and fifth day, the Madara army advanced into Randner, they encountered Ampere Seale¡¯s hired mercenary army for the first time.

    The history¡¯s event of¡¯ Battle at Fortress Frangerd¡¯ raised its curtains as Incirsta became famous in this battle. Under the undead gunners¡¯ cover, the ck knights ripped apart Ampere Seale¡¯s nks again and again, finally defeating them.

    Madara managed to advanced greatly after this, reaching even the capital of Randner. Tarkus, Incirsta, Verand, Augusta and Tabhita became known throughout thends.

    On the seventh month sixteen day, Oberg the seven saw the messenger again. Three dayster, the talks finally ended and the first ¡®War of the ck rose¡¯ ended.

    TL: Names everywhere. Bleah. This is thest chapter of The Amber Sword ¡°Volume 1¡±. The second volume rewinds the events and there would be some sweet battles (atst).

 volume 2 - 1

    TL: This is a sponsored chapter. Thank you very much.

    Volume 2 ¨C The dustden kingdom

    Chapter 1 ¨C The burning city.

    The time was the year of bustling flowers and summer leaves, the morning of the second day of the sixth month.

    Freya quickly reached ¡®number 51¡¯ at the market with the assistance of Sue, the bar¡¯s owner¡¯s daughter. She took a look at the Ponoa¡¯s market area. Even though it was morning, there were a decent amount of people in this ce. Torches were lit everywhere, and the brightness more or less made people feel safe¡ª

    She prepared to move, but Sue suddenly grabbed her arm: ¡°Stop, there¡¯s someone hidden in the alley.¡±

    The young girl with braids stood between the edges of the shadow and light in the street¡¯s corner, her hand against the wall and observing the outside area in alertness.

    ¡°Are they soldiers?¡± Freya¡¯s heart jumped.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But these faces are unfamiliar, they are definitely not people from this city¡¯s region.¡± Sue shook her head and answered quietly.

    Freya brought a clenched fist to her lips, pondering anxiously. If they appeared in the Ponoa market now, they were most likely the soldiers of the White-Mane army.

    [Brendel have predicted this would happen. They really went to find hood. Have they talked to him? Should I still continue to meet with him?] Freya furrowed her brows.

    [... Wait, Brendel said that it was okay even if I discovered the soldiers. Without knowing our rtionship, they won¡¯t act immediately as they want to capture all of us.]

    Freya took a deep breath. She turned her head and asked: ¡°Sue, can you answer me a question?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°How do you know when someone is lying?¡±

    The dark-skinned girlughed: ¡°Did you ask this question because I help out at the bar?¡±

    Freya flushed a little, she was indeed eyeing Sue¡¯s vastly superior experiencepared to hers. Most of the citizens and her naively thought that the nobles would act and save them if anything happened, but Sue pointed out the truth within a couple of lines during their conversation.

    In Freya¡¯s heart, this slightly cold girl was very sharp and assertive.

    ¡°No problem. I help people everyone out once in a while,¡± Sue smiled: ¡°Freya, look at me.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Your friend that says that Fortress Riedon will be conquered, what is his name?¡±

    Freya was momentarily taken aback as she did not know why she asked this question. She panicked a little in her heart, and her eyes darted about: ¡°B-Brendel.¡±

    Sue¡¯s eyes glinted: ¡°You like him, right?¡±

    ¡°N-no, Brendel, he, likes Romaine.¡±

    ¡°Eyes, Freya, look at me.¡± Sue¡¯s deep brown eyes was a pool of still water as it reflected Freya: ¡°And who is Romaine?¡±

    Freya¡¯s face looked like it has been set azed by fire. Her eyes swam about and did not dare to look at Sue, and tried to exin with stuttering in her words, but she did not where to begin with. She suddenly felt she was the biggest fool under the sky, and wanted to find a crevice and hide in there.

    ¡°Understand?¡± Sue asked.

    ¡°Y-yes.¡± Freya lowered her head, while nodding hard.

    She took another deep breath to calm herself, her fingers on the sword¡¯s hilt and ready to move out, but she suddenly turned back and grabbed Sue¡¯s arm. ¡°Sue, can you wait for me for a while?¡±

    Sue paused for a while, but she nodded her head. Freya felt a little mystified by her actions, but she kept feeling Sue was like Brendel, and it gave her a little more confidence.

    She walked out of the alley and acted like there was no one around her and did not pay attention to her surroundings, like she always came to Ponoa¡¯s number 51. She hesitated a little when she felt two pair of eyes on her back, but quickly knocked on the door.

    The bangs on the door felt like they came from her heart. Freya waited for a while and the door opened with a creak, showing a man who was hunched over and bald, and it was difficult to ascertain his age. When he saw Freya, he stopped moving for an instant, then retreated a step back as he recognized her.

    (Freya, look at me.)

    Freya noted the miniscule change in his expression. A somber, icy feeling rose from her heart.

    [Brendel said I should note his reactions and decide...]

    ¡°Who are you, what is your matter with me?¡± The hunched man asked after a while. Freya stood there in silence for a minute, and stared him coldly. Just when the man wanted to retreat, she suddenly pulled out her sword with a singing flourish and ced it on his neck.

    At that moment where the unexpected happened, Sue saw a few people on the streets jerked visibly, but they soon resumed what they were doing. Their actions were subtle, but the girl hiding in the alley saw everything.

    Freya did not know what happened behind her at all. She merely tried to hold her sword calmly and spoke steadily: ¡°Are you the witch¡¯s ally?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, they forced, for¡ª, witch?¡± The hunched man was terrified over the sudden change, fell onto his butt, before finally understood what the stoic girl said.

    [Ciel also said something about her Romaine¡¯s aunt having to do something with witches... I didn¡¯t think I was able toe up with something¡ª] Her mind was actually nk when she drew out her sword. She continued to speak: ¡°Her name should be ¡®Jennie¡¯, but never mind...... It doesn¡¯t matter since it seems I need to give you a lesson first.¡±

    She raised her sword as she spoke, and Hood immediately shrieked in pitiful sobs: ¡°Wait, wait, ser, I-I have nothing to do with her...... Ah, no, I mean, to say, I¡¯m not her ally or anything, I¡¯m just a rtive to her, no, no, I mean distant rtive!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true, it¡¯s true! Please believe me, believe me, she¡¯s just an ult whoes to the fortress asionally to buy stuff! And she just buys some weird things! She lives with her niece in Be!¡±

    Freya red at the man while repressing her hate for him. She hoisted him up in the air: ¡°But my informant told me that she entered the city a few days ago. You better not be lying, as a.... wizard, I can rip out your memories!¡±

    Hood was delirious from the sword on his neck, and could not pick out what was wrong with Freya¡¯s words: ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, I¡¯ll tell you everything! She left two days ago and went to the north of here.¡±

    Freya looked at his eyes and threw him away in disgust. She sighed a little when she heard Sue¡¯s whistle.

    [Damn it. How much time did I waste here, the men outside must have noticed something when I drew my sword. Maybe I overdid things when I raised him up... I need to leave.]

    She ran outside.

    [Aunt Jennie isn¡¯t here. The north of Fortress Riedon is Brus, what is she doing there? This man doesn¡¯t seem he¡¯s lying.]

    She gritted her teeth as she hesitated what she should do next.

    ................................................................................................ (TL: Timeline changes to the seventh month, in case people are going to get confused.)

    The afternoon¡¯s sunlight poured through the room¡¯s arched-shaped windows, and it was decorated with care was lit up brightly. The youthful princess who was dressed entirely in silver sat down in a chair with a high back support next to a dainty round table.

    She sat down in a proper posture with her hand holding on to a cup of red tea, while her other hand was holding on to a spoon. She did not move at all, and her silver eyes looked straight ahead as if she was lost in thought while listening to the story.

    Her hair was a pretty silver color with ringlets. Her half pointy ears peeked out amongst her hair with pale tips. She was Oberg¡¯s the seventh¡¯ favorite daughter, and recognized as the most beautifuldy in Aouine. (TL: Google Ringlets, kind of hard to exin.)

    If she was in Brendel¡¯s era, no matter if it¡¯s a NPC or yer, they would call her the ¡®Regent Princess¡¯. If there was anyone who couldpare to the fame of the Goddess of War, it would be her, except her age was a little tender now. (TL: Regent = a person appointed to administer a state because the monarch is a minor or is absent or incapacitated.)

    ¡°The little girl is quite smart. Everyone in the Everton family is indeed capable.¡± After a while, the princess ced her teacup down, and asked: ¡°And what happened next, Lord Oberbeck?¡±

    Standing in front of her was a stern looking middle-aged man, and if Brendel was here, he would have recognized him. This man¡¯s appearance was the true ¡®Earl Dunn¡¯. There were not many who recognized this man even within the nobles¡¯ circle, but there was a famed nickname that was more recognized:

    ¡®The Wolf Lord¡¯ Oberbeck. (TL: How exciting. Anyway, that Earl Dunn in Fortress Riedon is a fake. Read on.)

    He was a close aide to the king, and one of the key members in the royal faction, and had a good rtionship with the Everton family.

    Oberbeck observed the princess. He knew that she was not simple and could not casually end things, especially when she was the king¡¯s favorite.

    This time he borrowed the family name of ¡®Lais Bruman¡¯ Dunn to go to Fortress Riedon as a antiquarian. The two men were simr because they loved to collect antiques. Even though they were quite different in appearance, there was not too much of a problem because not many could identify him. It was especially true since he had to do a secret mission for Oberg the seventh.

    He paused for a while to recollect his thoughts, then suddenly realized that the princess had asked him a question: ¡°Of course, the daughter of Lord Everton, it looks like she is as brilliant as her father, but it¡¯s a pity.......¡±

    He wanted to say ¡®it¡¯s a pity she¡¯s a woman¡¯, but he realized he was speaking to the princess, and quickly swallowed theter half of his words.

    (TL: At the beginning of the next chapter, it states that Freya is the daughter of that Lord Everton. I kind of had to check things up because things are bingplicated and wanted to make sure for sure. I¡¯m like, ¡®what? has the earl hase back to life?¡¯, ¡®and who is that daughter, exactly¡¯, yup.)

    The girl before him obviously knew what he wanted to say, but did not pursue it. She merely asked another question: ¡°But Lord Oberbeck, I am puzzled about your story. It¡¯s strange that you created trouble for that young man.¡±

    Oberbeck¡¯s mind thought she was asking a rhetoric question, but he still replied politely: ¡°I was merely worried about his actions. He is a hignd knight, and together with his wizard squire, with Everton¡¯s daughter at his side. Mydy, you do know that Karsuk¡¯s white knights do not stand on the same path¡ª¡±

    ¡°I do, but they do not object his actions.¡±

    ¡°Precisely because of that, I thought of testing him. Since that person is only my double, I thought it was more important to make sure of the Karsuk¡¯s knight¡¯s intentions. I will even do it myself for the sake of the king.¡± Oberbeck answered

    (TL: Okay, so in case it¡¯s not clear enough. The real Dunn went along with fake Dunn, ordered him to test out Brendel¡¯s intentions, Fake Dunn died, Real Dunn went back and is speaking to the princess. So right now it¡¯s not Freya¡¯s timeline now, but somewhere in the seventh month. I think. Does real Dunn know about fake Dunn¡¯s connection to the big bad faction? I have no idea.)

    ¡°I will thank you in my father¡¯s ce, Lord Oberbeck.¡± The princess knew that his father and Oberbeck was nning to do something to Karsuk, but she did not think it would seed. She had guessed what they were nning and it was just bound to fail.

    She continued to ponder for a while and thought that there were a few more names that had to be added to the royal family¡¯s ¡®Basta Calvary Academy¡¯. She wanted to hint something to Oberbeck, then stopped herself as she thought of her current status.

    Finally she changed the topic: ¡°What happened next Lord Oberbeck? I wish to listen to the story next. I still have a couple of hours before my history lesson starts.¡±

    ¡°It would be my pleasure.¡±

    TL: Future chapters will jump between Freya/Brendel¡¯s timeline and princess¡¯s timeline. If there is anything confusing, please ask questions in thement section. Phew. This one took a longer time than expected.

 volume 2 - 2

    TL: Okay. I should be less busy next Friday, should be able to clear the final 4 assignments this weekend (hopefully). But you can expect probably 1 more TAS chapter this weekend, and 2 TSTBGAM (I hope).

    Chapter 2 ¨C Mercenary

    (TL: We are still at the princess timeline.)

    Oberbeck took out an ordinary polished brass ne with a crystal in the center. There was a word engraved on the crystal, ¡®Freya¡¯. He presented the ne to the princess and spoke: ¡°She wore this with her. Her name supposedly came from this, but the truth is, this was her mother¡¯s ne, mydy.¡±

    ¡°Her mother?¡± The princess examined the ne without changing her expression.

    ¡°Indeed, she was the same Lord Everton¡¯s wife, who died in that chaos seventeen years ago.¡±

    ¡°Then you mean to say that girl is thest of the Evertons?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Since Lord Oberbeck is already here, that would mean that girl had sessfully escaped from danger?¡±

    ¡°You can indeed put it that way, but the entire process was a little bizarre.¡± The middle-aged man nodded at first, then suddenly raised his brow as though he had thought of something interesting.

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Actually, the main cause was still that young man.¡±

    ¡°He is the cause of everything again?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that young man kept doing some strangely amazing actions in the entire journey. While I put it lightly, the entire journey was filled with unpredictable danger, to the point that I cannot change the oue. There were many people who were prepared for the very worst, but he managed to turn the dire event entirely¡ª¡±

    Oberbeck could not resist a coldugh: ¡°If I am to be direct, thenpared to the worthless trash inside that fortress, this young man was the only person who made Madara suffer losses repeatedly.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± The princess¡¯s silver eyes brightened a little.

    ¡°He even got something wonderful out of this journey,¡± The middle-aged man frowned, in order to recall the prior events: ¡°But let this minister temporarily hold on to this mystery a little longer as to what it is.¡±

    ¡°I am even more interested in listening now. This young man actually made Lord Oberbeck praise him to the skies. Time grows short for me, so please start telling me the story and who he is, Lord Oberbeck.¡±

    He nodded and began to narrate the events that happened.

    ............................................................................... (TL: Time goes back to Freya.)

    Freya heard Sue whistle with rity to alert her. She had ran towards the street, and discovered there were five strangers that started to surround her. She knew that her consecutive actions were taken too far and finally forced her enemies to act.

    She did not even take the time to think and dashed back to the house, pushing away Hood in the process. The people behind her immediately sped up to catch her, but Freya had already fallen back to a room and locked it and blocked it with a cupboard.

    There were loud bangs that happened next against the door, and Freya thought her heart was going to jump out of her. She looked at the wooden window and gritted her teeth, covered her head with both of her hands and hurled herself against it.

    Even though she had the armor te to protect her, she broke it with enough impact to numb her arms and forehead. She rolled against the ground a few times and then crawled up. She found herself in the other side of the alley, and saw Sueing from another path who ran towards her.

    But her face was void of color, as if she saw something frightening.

    ¡°S¨C¡± Freya wanted to beckon to her but she froze.

    She spotted blue lights flying across the air, moving towards the central area. It was as if the sky was filled with stars, and she was momentarily confused, but realized that they were arrows.

    ¡°Be careful!¡± Freya shouted as she recalled that night in Be, dashing towards Sue and knocked her onto the ground. She covered Sue¡¯s body.

    The torrent of arrows soon fell onto the vicinity. Countless arrows rained against the thin roof tiles, and Madara¡¯s heavy cone-shaped arrows prated the buildings, and shrieks could be heard from the house.

    Multiple arrows struck against Freya¡¯s armor but they were deflected away. She thought she was going to die the next moment, and she closed her eyes in fear but she did not move at all to protect Sue.

    The assaultsted approximately a minute Two volleys were unleashed before it finally ended. Freya got up and pulled Sue¡¯s trembling arm. They looked at each other, noting each other lingering fear.

    ¡°S-S-Skeletons, outside¡± Sue¡¯s breath was uneven, and she felt like her heart was going to stop any moment.

    Freya¡¯s heart grew cold. She knew that Madara¡¯s army were already in the fortress when the arrows were fired. She never suspected that Brendel would lie to her, but she did not think it would be this fast. She realized why he wanted to choose such a specific timing now.

    She dragged Sue¡¯s arm again: ¡°Sue, let¡¯s go now!¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± Sue asked in confusion.

    ¡°We need to escape from here! We have to leave this area now!¡± Freya¡¯s mind was swirling in anxiety. She finally understood what sort of pressure Brendel was facing at this moment. She thought about for a little and decided to take one step at a time until she met up with Brendel.

    ¡°I have to go back to the bar, my father¡¯s still there.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Sue nodded.

    The Ponoa¡¯s market was in the west of Fortress Riedon and close to the Pine River, while the bar was situated in between the Ponoa¡¯s market and the Traveler¡¯s bridge that was situated in the north. The distance was not very far, but when Freya and Sue reached there, there was a huge burning fire in the west. The streets and the bar¡¯s exterior were filled with people.

    First it was the huge fire in the noble¡¯s parliament, then it was the guards¡¯ active movements. The night was filled with great unrest and everyone huddled together and whispered, asking what happened exactly.

    Opinions were divided, some thought Madara¡¯s army was already at the city gates, some thought it was caused by nobles, but no one knew Madara had already entered the city. Freya and Sue parted the crowd and discovered that the bar¡¯s owner and the other patrons were already outside on the street. They were pointing at the raging fire in the west.

    Sue immediately dashed into her father¡¯s arms. He was slightly confused but patted her back to calm her down. Thetter whispered something to him and his expression darkened. He looked at Freya and nodded to express his thanks, then faced the bunch of mercenaries behind him.

    He pped loudly to gather their attention, and someone even quipped: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Leto, are you going to treat us to some beer because of this huge fireworks?¡±

    Everyone cheered loudly in agreement.

    But Leto answered gravely: ¡°Treating you to alcohol is certainly possible, but today is not the day. Listen up gentlemen, Madara is already in the city.¡±

    Some people did not understand what he meant and took a few seconds before the meaning sank in. Leto repeated again, and the thirty odd people was silenced

    ¡®Are you serious?¡¯ This question was written on everyone¡¯s face.

    ¡°Sue told me that. She wouldn¡¯t lie to me.¡± Leto said earnestly.

    Freya¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. Normally people would not discuss this in the open, because even she knew that it might cause a panic to break out. But either Leto did not consider this or he had his own ns.

    [It¡¯s more likely to be thetter...]

    The crowd took some time to take in the information, and finally someone asked with some difficulty.

    ¡°What should we do?¡±

    Everyone was thinking of the same thing. They did not flee immediately or yelled out in panic. Freya carefully observed their reactions, and understood that these regr guests had a particr rtionship with the bar¡¯s owner.

    ¡°We should take the fight to them and escape.¡±

    ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s do that.¡±

    ¡°But how are we going to do that?¡±

    If Madara attacked from the west, a normal person would think that the east would be the safest. But these mercenaries had fought in the battlefield and knew something about basic strategy. There was the option of doing a sudden raid on a single Aouine¡¯s gate, or surrounding Aouine¡¯s gates.

    Especially when it came to the motive of Madara¡¯s strategy. Were the undead here to merely kill people, to take this city, or to advance even further than this city?

    This was a problem for the kingdoms in this continent. They did not understand what the undead wanted to do and what strategy they had in mind.

    Everyone put in their input for a while, but no one could find a way to convince everyone. Freya waited anxiously, raising her sword up and down, then finally threw in a sentence carelessly into the fray: ¡°I-I know of someone, who could bring everyone out¡ª¡±

    Her words silenced the entire crowd. They cast their gaze on her, and one of them who recognized her, whistled and said: ¡°Isn¡¯t this thess from just now?¡±

    Freya¡¯s face blushed a little from their stares.

    [Ahhh, what did I just do? ... Will Brendel me me for this?]

    She suddenly realized she was afraid of that, but she calmed down and thought of Brendel¡¯s point of view.

    [He¡¯s always trying to find additional help. If these people are gathered, then it is going to be a source of power that he can use. But how am I supposed to convince them? I can¡¯tmand these veteran mercenaries as a mere militia captain. These people put their lives on the line in the battlefield everyday... No, it¡¯s worth a try no matter what.]

    Freya rposed herself. She grabbed her sword and put it horizontally across her chest. Her appearance looked like like she was a reserved person, and everyone looked at Leto.

    ¡°Thisss saved my girl a while ago.¡±

    ¡°Well then, mydy, why should we trust you?¡± Someone from the back asked.

    [It¡¯s here.]

    Freya took a deep breath.

    ¡°You can definitely trust me. Do you know why the guards wanted to catch me and mypanions?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯re Be¡¯s militia and we were attacked by Madara¡¯s undead. We escaped from Madara¡¯s army just to inform Fortress Riedon, but the nobles¡¯ reactions disappointed us¡ª¡±

    She paused for a while. ¡°I think all of you here don¡¯t expect these selfish nobles to save you, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course, they are a bunch of maggots.¡±

    ¡°Maggots. That is a great description, Cheers to that.¡±

    ¡°Cheers.¡± Everyone echoed that.

    ¡°Then you mean to say you have a way to avoid Madara¡¯s detection?¡± Leto looked at her and asked.

    Freya nodded.

 volume 2 - 3

    Chapter 3 ¨C Freya¡¯s calvary army

    The bar owner fell into silence after hearing Freya¡¯s answer, and she saw an unconvinced expression on his face. She looked around the street and discovered that the people had the same attitude as the bar¡¯s owner. Her heart tightened and she gripped her sword hilt, wanting to and swing it onto the ground to release the tension in her.

    ¡°Freya¡¯s friend had said that Fortress Riedon was going to fall, and everyone here would not believe something like this before tonight. I don¡¯t believe it either, but the truth is right before us. Freya is Be¡¯s militia and I think she has a way out of this.¡± Sue suddenly spoke at this moment.

    Everyone paused, and even Freya looked at the girl. Freya cast a grateful nce at her.

    ¡°... I actually don¡¯t have the means to avoid Madara.¡± Freya thought for a while and spoke honestly, but everyone was momentarily stunned from her words. She continued speaking.

    ¡°But, I know someone who might have this ability.¡±

    ¡°You mean you are not even sure whether that person can avoid Madara?¡± Someone asked.

    Freya nodded, and immediately saw many of them shrugged. These mercenaries did not put their hope onto a girl like her, even adopting a joking attitude towards her response, as they found her to be considerably charming.

    ¡°Wait, please! I know, as a stranger, it must look ridiculous to ask everyone to trust me,¡± She struck the sword against the ground, andposed herself. Her voice became clearer and louder ¡°I¡¯m just offering you a possibility¡ª

    She thought for a while: ¡°It¡¯s like a b-bet, I, I....¡±

    She struggled for a long time, but could not find an appropriate description to use. She started to regret her choice to try and exin in a manner that only mercenaries would be familiar with.

    ¡°Like setting our bets down on gambling dice right? If we get it right, we will win big?¡± One of the gigantic mercenary soldierughed: ¡°That¡¯s a good exnation, Call me Mano, yeah? So missy, I just need toy down my bets right?¡±

    He turned back to the others, and a few peopleughed kindly.

    ¡°Mano, you damned gambler, you¡¯re going to throw your life away one day!¡±

    ¡°Gahahaha!!!¡±

    Freya blushed a little, but she nodded quickly: ¡°Yes, something like that. If you think you can trust in my words, why not take a further look at whether the n is feasible? I think if you see my friend, you will be able to judge for yourself. At the very least, I trust in him.¡±

    The mercenaries fell into silence once again. They felt that her proposal had merit to it, and Sue had guaranteed Freya as a reliable person. There was also the fact where they were going nowhere with their own debate, and could go their separate ways if things did not turn out wellter on.

    However, no one wanted to be the first to volunteer, and the atmosphere was growing colder by the minute. Freya was bing more and more anxious.

    ¡°I believe in Freya.¡±

    Sue was the first to walk out, and she looked at her father. Leto scratched his head. If she already made up her mind, he had to do it too. He sighed, and everyoneughed.

    ¡°Alright, stopughing at me already. I¡¯m going as well, so everyone should take a look. I¡¯m sure everyone will acquiesce to my daughter¡¯s choice this one time right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really shameless, Leto.¡±

    ¡°How can you use Miss Sue as your shield?¡±

    ¡°Where has your dignity gone to!¡±

    Everyone started making a din, but they basically agreed with Leto¡¯s words. The bar owner shrugged off the pointed criticism and looked smug. A few momentster, they made a head count on the number of people who did not want to go. The twenty odd people that remained behind was somewhat interested in her proposal, but their pride refused to go along with a young girl like her and act under her orders.

    ¡°Well thenss, the ones who are going with you are here. Now tell us what requests you have for us.¡± Leto folded his arms and asked.

    The mercenaries understood there were no free meals in this world. They typically saw this as a transaction, and would decide whether to continue joining her depending on her demands.

    Freya did not understand this notion but she responded with a tense voice: ¡°My request is actually very simple. I just want all of us to escape from this ce. If you choose to trust and join me, I hope........ that you will listen to my orders andmands, otherwise our agreement will lose its meaning. I know this is a little offending, but I have to insist on this issue. If you have any problems with it, I will not enforce this.¡±

    ¡°This is certainly the basic thing that we need to do.¡± The mercenaries murmured, but they might not choose to follow an order that might send them to their deaths. Still, they agreed to do so.

    ¡°Is there anything else? What else can you do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure as to what extent I can do, but I will definitely fight together with everyone. We are allies in this battle, and I think this issue wouldn¡¯t affect our agreement.¡± Freya answered after thinking for a while.

    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough missy. I¡¯ll recognize you as the leader as long as you can do it!¡± Mano answered along with a few nods from the crowd. A few people, changed their minds at thest moment, and in the end there were seventeen people left. This was beyond Freya¡¯s expectations as she thought she might not even get even one person.

    Before they could proceed with further discussions, the news of Madara entering from the west area had already reached the people here, and the people in the street started to make amotion. Leto immediately gathered everyone and asked to follow him to take as much as they can from the bar. At this moment they could only try to gather food resource as much as possible before the street became utter chaos.

    There was a difference between the mercenaries and the militia, with the former always thinking ahead of the future and nothing else.

    ¡°What should we do now, Commander Freya?¡± Mano asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to call memander, my status is no different from yours.¡± Freya spoke with a tinge of red in her face. She nearly could not breathe during her entire speech from the tension.

    [I feel like I¡¯m dreaming... But I can definitely do this and help Brendel. I can¡¯t continue being a burden. Hmm...]

    ¡°Does everyone know how to ride a horse?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯re going to steal some horses.¡± Freya replied.

    .................................................................................... (TL: Princess POV)

    ¡°Steal horses?¡± The princess yed with a metal soup spoon.

    ¡°Fortress Riedon has a horse market where the nobles exchanged war horses, ves and serfs. This is public knowledge. And the truth is when some of the ministerse here to this region, these nobles are the ones who provide them with this news.¡± Oberbeck exined.

    ¡°These wretched people.¡± The princess calmly ced her teacup down. ¡°But how did that girl know?¡±

    ¡°This has something to do with her status. During that fateful year, our men ced her at Fortress Riedon when she was three years old, and she most likely had a deep impression there.

    ¡°You lot are merciless, you left a small little girl at that tender age all alone in that unfamiliar ce?¡±¡±

    ¡°We had no choice. That year, themotion was too big, and even Everton¡¯s wife did not make it. Besides that, we had a n to ensure her safety.¡±

    ¡°She knows how to ride?¡±

    ¡°How could a member of the Evertons not know about horse-riding? We arranged an elite knight from the Silver Wing Legion to adopt her. The only thing that we don¡¯t know is why the family moved out of Fortress Riedon to go to such a remote location like Be.¡±

    ¡°Did she seed?¡± Even though she guess Freya seeded because of Oberbeck¡¯s tone, she could not help but to confirm it.

    ¡°Yes. I did already say that all the nobles¡¯ attentions were taken away by that young man. The market basically had no defense and they easily seeded in the task. These mercenaries are considerably formidable, able to be soldiers of the kingdom¡¯s frontline army.¡±

    The princess nodded. Aouine¡¯s frontline armies were different from the others. There were a few designated armies such as the Imperial Guards, Silver Wing Legion, as well as Seifer¡¯s 11th calvary corps. The regr soldiers maintained its strength at the Iron-ranked status, and were a few cuts above the White-mane army.

    As for the other regr regiments, their abilities were even lesser, and their battle prowess were no different from the nobles¡¯ private army.

    With Oberbeck¡¯s description, the half-elf princess understood the strength of the mercenaries who were with Freya.

    ¡°What happened next?¡±

    ¡°The things that happened next is the most interesting portion. After Miss Freya lead the calvary to rejoin that amazing young man...... It¡¯s a story where they vanquished Madara¡¯s army wherever they went.¡± Oberbeck was usually stoic, but when he recalled the memory of Brendel led the army charging into Madara¡¯s troops, his eyebrows danced.

    ¡°That amazing young man.¡± The princess said.

    Oberbeck coughed twice as he noted his mistake.

    But the girl did not mind and she looked at the time. ¡°I still have a little time left, Lord Oberbeck, please continue with the next section of your story.¡±

    ¡°It would be my pleasure.¡±

    TL: There has been somements about the story¡¯s directions, and I just want to give you my take on it. This series breaks a lot of the CN tropes, especially those that are prevalent in Xianxia and Wuxia series. It¡¯s refreshing to me in that sense.

    Understandably there are some criticism on the stereotypical characters like Freya and viins, or expressing disapproval on Romaine¡¯s one-screw-less attitude, but at least there¡¯s a decent backstory as to why the characters turn out that way. And most important of all, there is character growth which is seriouslycking in most CN series, and I appreciate that a lot.

    Freya has taken a leaf out of Brendel¡¯s book and put more thought into her actions instead of acting the way she did for the previous volume, and we can see that change without Brendel being there by her side. That¡¯s pretty big, otherwise if Brendel did not influence her, it will be a progression of where she loses everyone because of her careless actions > bes cold and stoic > bes that future goddess of war.

    As for the princess + Earl, that¡¯s obviously foreshadowing. Brendel will kick ass and eventually meet the princess, and he might throw a pokeball at her, I dunno.

    As for the change in writing style...

    The POV changes are sort of nice in a narrative way in my opinion, but the thing that is problematic about this approach; the TL time in between the chapters is taking far too long and disrupts it in a negative way, and the author introduced some of the elements in a pretty convoluted manner, and my TL time to edit these issues isn¡¯t a lot or frequent.

    I just want to say that, give it another 50 chapters, then re-read the starting of volume 2 before judging this writing style. At the end of the day, if you do re-read this series, this approach might be moresting than just simply ¡°Brendel¡¯s adventures¡±.

 volume 2 - 4

    TL: Well, let¡¯s see how much I can TL over the next 2-3 days. It has been a long day for me so I need to get some sleep first.

    Next update will be 10 hourster or something

    Chapter 4 ¨C Chaos

    (TL: We¡¯re now going back to Brendel.)

    The news of Madara¡¯s grand army inside the fortress spread throughout the entire ce like a gue.

    The pine forest within this mountain region was described as the blightednd of evil, due to the undead and thieves existing in there for centuries. It was as if Aouine¡¯s misfortune grew from there, and so the citizens trained themselves to prepare themselves for the fight, while the nobles pledged themselves to lead them when there were any invasions.

    This fairy-tale like legend that seemed to exist forever in the minds of the citizens had came to life, baring their fangs and ready to devour them, but that was when the citizens realized that the nobles and the army of Fortress Riedon were nowhere to be seen.

    As Brendel ran through the area, he saw more and more people rushing in and out of their houses. The people who still did no know what was happening quickly asked the people in the street, then hurriedly went inside to the house and brought some luggage and their family members out, then proceeded to the north gate.

    More and more people gathered, until it finally formed arge throng in the streets. This scenery was like an oil painting in his eyes.

    Children grabbed the adults¡¯ hands with their faces full of curiosity, while the wives held on to their husband, their faces full of anxiety. The massively packed crowd of people were nearly quiet with hardly anyone speaking, and there was only the sound of shuffling footsteps that moved forward.

    But this silence did notst. Because there was no one to lead them, there were horse carriages which eventually crashed into each other and blocked the road. The crowd¡¯s progress slowed down which led to quarrels. A brawl started with the people at the back cursing at them, and there was a sort of fear that infected the crowd.

    This event happened right at the moment where Brendel and Ciel found Romaine, and so Brendel instructed the carriage driver to drive to the sides after they got in.

    ¡°Brendel, you¡¯re finally here. I was really worried.¡± Romaine sighed with great relief. She had waited a little nervously as she rubbed her shoes against the carriage¡¯s wooden board constantly.

    Brendel and Ciel sat at the left and right side of the carriage in order to guard, and looked at the growing chaos in the street.

    ¡°There were a lot of people along the way which dyed us a little.¡± Brendel pulled out his sword and answered.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Freya?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, let¡¯s wait and see.¡±

    Ciel who was watching the chaos quietly suddenly whispered to Brendel: ¡°My lord, someone is inciting the crowd.¡±

    ¡°What sort of advantage will they have if they do this?¡± Brendel was surprised. He did not understand it. He had never paid attention what the NPCs did in the game and he was certainly not a psychologist.

    ¡°They are afraid that it¡¯s not chaotic enough.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Because these people knew subconsciously that only chaos will bring them advantage. Ambitious people will not stay silent, my lord. Some of them even hope that something like this will happen in order to exploit them.¡± Ciel red at the people outside as he replied coldly.

    ¡°What? They are doing this even though this is such a dire situation. Do they value their own lives?¡±

    Brendel understood that there were such human traits in society, but it was the first time he saw it happening before his very own eyes.

    The scene became even more chaotic as the people near the overturned horse carriage started shoving each other and crying children could be heard. That was not the end of it, as someone yelled out the news of Madara¡¯s army nearby in this vicinity, and everyone started panicking.

    ¡°This is the moment, my lord. My teacher taught me that such madness is derived from the boldness of ambitious people and they would act as one.¡± Ciel pointed at the people responsible for the chaos. ¡°When I was learning magic in Karsuk, my teacher showed me and other disciples not only the method of deciphering magic words in a tall dark rock tower, he also taught us how to manipte someone¡¯s heart.¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    The archmagi in Karsuk taught differently from Buga¡¯s Archmagi. Thetter wore white robes and walked across the white marble floor in their academy, and they appeared more as sage-like leaders amongst their more mysterious counterparts.

    ¡°What are they doing?¡± Romaine asked curiously with her eyes open wide.

    ¡°Stealing, robbing, using violence to get the things they want, which they normally don¡¯t dare to dream of owning, just like you, my beautifuldy. ¡±

    ¡°D, don¡¯t praise me, I won¡¯t thank you.¡± Romaine blushed and her eyebrows raised high up.

    The dreaded fight finally happened. No one knew who threw the first punch, but many people starting hitting each other. People started to force their through and family members were torn apart as they rushed through. The ones who fell onto the ground were trampled on and they never stood up again.

    Yells and shrieks, along with wailing echoed throughout the street.

    Brendel silently watched the events unfold. He could not stop it and could only ask the driver to move towards the side. However, this action drew attention, and some of the people who started the riot noticed him. When they saw Romaine, their eyes disyed greed.

    These men wereprised of ruffians who did nothing everyday, or disgraced mercenaries or adventurers who did illegal things. They had nned signs and aftermunicating with each other silently, they pushed away the people who were blocking them and went closer to Brendel.

    Brendel frowned and he ced one hand on his sword. Ciel and Romaine became tense.

    ¡°Hey you lot, it¡¯s not good if you have one whole carriage to yourself, especially during this difficult times. Let me take a seat too.¡± A mercenary with dirty leather armor grabbed onto the rails without asking for permission.

    ¡°Scram.¡± Brendel ced his sword and ce it on his neck.

    ¡°Kid, I just want to take a ride, are you really going to murder someone over that?¡± The mercenary did not expect Brendel to be so unyielding and was surprised. He stopped moving, ced one foot onto the tform, looked at Brendel with ill intentions, then shouted: ¡°You lordly nobles, when ites to the critical moment you lot abandon us and escape. I simply just want to take a free ride, you nitwit selfish fuckers. If you have the guts, kill me¡ª¡±

    The men started to crowd around the mercenary and looked at Brendel with taunting eyes. But their gazes were more on Romaine with lust.

    ¡°Brendel.....¡± Romaine was a little frightened and she grabbed his arm with her slim fingers..

    Brendel turned around and patted her hand. He then swiveled his head back and spoke to the mercenary with full of disdain: Did you see that? There¡¯s ady in this carriage. She doesn¡¯t wee any of you and you can fuck off right now.

    Brendel¡¯s brusque attitude apparently angered him. The mercenary hurled curses at him and tried to board the carriage. The men beside him also attempted to overrun him, as if they were convinced he was a noble youth who would not fight back when shovees to push.

    ¡°M-my lord, d-don¡¯t¡ª¡± Before Ciel finished speaking, his mouth unhinged as he watched Brendel thrust deeply into the mercenary¡¯s chest and kicked him backwards, knocking the crowd backwards.

    The mercenary had an expression of utter disbelief. Brendel felt a little disgusted when he felt the de prate into the mercenary¡¯s chest, but there was no hesitation in what he did.

    [I might feel no differently from the average person, my heart cries for the people who are suffering from Madara¡¯s invasion, but I have no mercy for you fucking trash!]

    The other men took a few steps back when Brendel murdered the mercenary in cold blood, but they quickly realized they were the side with an overwhelming advantage in numbers.

    ¡°You fucking noble, you killed a human in in sight!¡± Someone immediately shouted.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, we just wanted to get a ride!¡±

    ¡°You bloody animal!¡±

    ¡°These nobles have never seen us as humans at all!¡± The men slowly stepped forward while they incited the surrounding crowd with ndering words.

    ¡°Drag him down out from the carriage now!¡±

    ¡°Beat him to death!¡± The crowd around the horse carriage grewrger. They only believed in what they just saw and heard. Ciel and Romaine were deeply worried as they could see things were turning into a terrible direction.

    Brendel sheathed his sword and looked coldly at the crowd and sat down at the edge of the carriage¡¯s tform. Very soon, another man rushed up as he thought the this ¡®noble youth¡¯ would rein in his attitude.

    But he was wrong.

    Brendel did not say anything and simply thrust his sword straight into that man¡¯s throat with lightning speed. The man clutched at his throat with terror and stumbled backwards, before crumpling down slowly. The sword not only shocked the inciting men, it also caused the crowd to go up in an uproar.

    But Brendel stood up and jumped down from the carriage. His jump made everyone retreat into a circle. He walked forward into their center as he continued to re coldly at them. His sword suddenly swung over the top of the crowd.

    A gust of wind flew across their heads, and besides a few strands of cut hair, the roof of a house nearby exploded loudly with a bang, and a meter long crack could be seen visibly.

    Everyone stared at the crack in amazement.

    ¡°Take care of yourselves.¡±

    Brendel spat the words out in an austere manner, sheathed his sword and climbed back into the carriage. He was more concerned about Freya¡¯s side rather than wasting time with the mastermind.

    [Why is she still not here?]

    On the other hand Romaine was looking at Brendel with starry eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re amazing Brendel.¡± Romaine praised him.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing glorious about killing a man, especially when these people are mere citizens.¡± Brendel shook his head.

    ¡°But you¡¯re the only one who can protect me.¡±

    Brendel paused for a while before giving a faint smile.

 volume 2 - 5

    TL: I¡¯ll tl TSTBGAM next after this chapter.

    Chapter 5 ¨C Confrontation

    Brendel¡¯s sword swing shook everyone¡¯s heart, stopping their feet after he slew the second man. Even though there were still people blocking the street and surrounding their carriage, everyone knew that he was not someone to be trifled with, and kept at a delicate distance.

    The two corpses were simply left there in the open. Without the youth¡¯s answer on what they could do, they did not have the bravery to do anything and could only pretend not to see them. These two bodies were also a deterrent to the new influx of people who came to see what themotion was about.

    Brendel sat in the carriage as he continued to wait for Freya with worry, but he did not disy any of his emotions on his face. Suddenly a new batch of fearsome looking men came up from behind, forcing their way through the crowd and pushing them to the sides, even striking people who resisted a little.

    ¡°Trouble never seems to stop.¡± Brendel was alert and he frowned again.

    ¡°Who are they?¡± Ciel asked.

    ¡°They are merchants from the city.¡± The driver was terribly frightened in the beginning, almost wanting to abandon the carriage when Brendel killed the men, but suddenly realized that the stronger this noble was, the better the chance to survive this ordeal.

    ¡°They also look like they are bullies in the city.¡± Brendel observed their actions, then nced at the driver¡¯s face. The driver seemed to hesitate, as if he wanted to say something more, but Brendel knew that it did not mean anything well.

    ¡°Your peers doesn¡¯t seem like good people, Romaine.¡±

    ¡°No problem, ¡± She sat beside him with a confident face, feeling very safe.

    The group of men came near to the carriage, intending to pull the inhabitants off from it, but they suddenly spotted the two corpses on the ground and their expressions changed. The merchants and their guards exchanged nces, as they knew who to bully and who to leave alone.

    They wavered for a while, then decided to push their through instead of picking a fight with the people inside the carriage. However, the guards who apanied the merchants were used to bullying and they used more force than usual, and their numbers were big enough to push the people around near to the carriage. Because of that, a middle-aged man lost his footing after someone shoved him, and his head knocked onto the carriage¡¯s wheel, bleeding profusely from the long gash that he sustained upon contact.

    ¡°Father!¡± A young panicked voice rang out admist the crowd. A boy was getting pushed further away.

    The middle-aged man grunted as he used the carriage as a support to get up. He went straight up and charged angrily towards the guard who knocked him down. The guard who did not expect resistance was thrown into the crowd. Everyone went into a chaotic uproar, but the middle-aged man quickly ran towards the boy.

    Just before he reached his son, the other guards already swarmed him like angry bees and struck him to the ground.

    ¡°Let go of my father!¡± The boy managed to slip past the packed crowd and ran straight to his father in tears. He tried to pull off the guards who were forcing his father down, but one of them simply flung his arm and the boy fell backwards. The guard who was knocked down by the middle-aged man cursed loudly as he got up, pulling his sword out as he cursed. He grabbed the middle-aged man¡¯s hair and twisted his head.

    ¡°You fucking cockstain, are you tired of living? I¡¯ll grant your wish today.¡±

    The middle-aged man struggled futilely as the other guards pushed him down. The crowd who saw this scene turned their heads away. Even though they were angry and sad over this oue, none of them dared to step out.

    The guard continued to hurl insults at him as he raised his sword over his head, but before it swung down, a st of wind came from the carriage. This visible wind de not only went struck the sword, it also went past the hand that carried it. The guard suddenly screamed as he held a bloody stump; his hand waspletely severed.

    This sudden incident shocked the rest of the guards, and they pulled out their swords immediately, causing a metallic song to sound out as Brendel jumped down from the carriage again.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± The merchant yelled out after a moment. Even though Brendel¡¯s attack awed him, he saw that Brendel was a young man and his attire did not look like he was a local noble. However, the merchant had never left Fortress Riedon his entire life and did not experience much of the world. If he was a noble from the capital, then he would at least recognize how big a threat Brendel¡¯s attack was.

    The youth merely nced at the merchant and did not bother to talk any further.

    But with this attack, Brendel¡¯s situation changed immediately. There were many people in the crowd who experienced the guards¡¯ oppression and were furious over their actions, but they did not have the power nor the courage to stand up to them. Now that someone with the ability to do so stood out, everyone subconsciously rallied to him.

    Brendel suddenly became their natural leader and the atmosphere changed subtly. The merchants wanted to rely on numbers to suppress Brendel, but they hesitated when they saw the crowd gathering behind him.

    A herd of sheep was not frightening, but a lion leading them was a different story, and Brendel had became that lion.

    But the merchant who shouted at Brendel did not know that he could y all of them two or three times all by himself. The merchant got increasingly irritated with the guard¡¯s shrieks with his severed hand.

    At this time, another group of men came to this area. Brendel took a look at their attire and recognized them as the Fortress Riedon¡¯s cavalry who dealed with the public order.

    Fortress Riedon was protected by the white-mane army, so there were no formal kingdom guards here. The local public order was maintained by forces belonging to the nobles. These forces wereprised of cavalry and infantry, and were more of a representation of the nobles¡¯ powers than a true policing force.

    Most of these forces were even more corrupt than the merchants, and the mostughable thing was how the infantry and cavalry viewed each other as enemies. In Brendel¡¯s memories, they even hired yers to steal each other¡¯s territory.

    However, afterpleting the series of missions he thoroughly despised them. He furrowed his brows as he watched theme nearer.

    ¡°What are all of you doing, fighting in the streets like there¡¯s now here.¡± The leader of the squadron spoke with an air of superiority. He nced sidewards at the merchant, then rxed his expression: ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t this messere Markov, how is your business recently?¡±

    ¡°Not too bad, Captain Gaspard. But there¡¯s a man here who killed openly in the street and injured my men, what do you think you should do about this?¡±

    The leader frowned. If it was an ordinary day, he would have the mood to extort from the youth in front of him, but now that Fortress Riedon was about to fall and everyone was about to be killed, he did not have the mood to do something like that. However, he was used to a dominating attitude and he subconsciously spoke to the youth with a condescending attitude.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Brendel lied after eyeing him. ¡°Dunn.¡±

    The leader looked suspiciously at Brendel, but suddenly there was amotion behind them. Two yells with full of fright rang out loudly: ¡°Monsters, monsters! They are a lot of monstersing here!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the undead, everyone run!¡±

    Madara¡¯s vanguard wasing.

    People started to move even faster and started to push towards Gaspard¡¯s and Markov¡¯s guards, but they immediately hit back the swords in their sheaths, forcing them to halt in their advance, and cries could be heard all over the ce.

    Gaspard rubbed his forehead. He was different from Markov who had never been outside Fortress Riedon, and knew that this situation could not be contained. He had to think of another way, and his eyes went back at Brendel.

    ¡°You, bring your carriage over and block the road.¡± He pointed at Brendel: ¡°You lot, block the road! The rest of you, stand to one side and let us pass!¡±

    The citizens behind Brendel were in a dazed stupor once he said that. Gaspard¡¯s usual actions in the day already displeased the citizens and for them to brandish their swords to stop them from blocking the road was thest straw.

    ¡°Why should we!¡± Someone yelled angrily.

    ¡°What a fucking stupid question.¡± Gaspard motioned his men to move away, and he pulled out his sword. ¡°As a citizen of Fortress Riedon, helping the Public Order¡¯s Cavalry to maintain the public order is your duty. What of it, do you want to resist?¡±

    Everyone looked at the parted cavalry with their bared swords, and looked at the raging blue mes that were burning behind them, and admist these ghastly mes, they could see shadows of skeletons appearing. For a moment, they did not know what to reply.

    Many eyes fell back on Brendel.

    [Damn it. Standing out was indeed a problem.]

    Brendel felt ufortable all over, but once he looked at the despair in the citizens¡¯ eyes after being threatened by Gaspard and his cavalry, he sighed andmented at this situation.

    His soul came from the modern era, his bones were mired and steeped in a civilized, peaceful and prosperous society. He was proud of the ce he came from, and it was a sanctuary that he would never let anyone trample upon.

    He leaned forward slightly and entered into the mostmon Aouine¡¯s military swordmanship attacking stance.

    ¡°I¡¯m counting to ten,¡± Brendel¡¯s voice spoke clearly, and Gaspard turned around. ¡°If you don¡¯t scram after ten counts, don¡¯t me me for being ruthless.¡±

    Everyone stopped moving, and fell into silence.

    Gaspard and Markov were especially surprised, and they almost felt as if their hearing had problems. The cavalry leader felt like he had been given a p on the face, and the muscles in his neck bulged and tensed as he roared out.

    ¡°Kill this fucking bastard!¡±

    The cavalry raised his swords and charged at hismand.

 volume 2 - 6

    Chapter 6 ¨C A natural Lord

    A miracle had happened before the citizen¡¯s eyes.

    The cavalry who charged towards the youth were crumpled like a piece of paper. Each time the youth moved, swords would either break or bend backwards, and steel splinters flew all over the ce. The force carried behind the youth¡¯s sword even hurled the rider¡¯s horse upwards, before the rider flew off from the impact.

    One, two, three, the citizens behind Brendel whispered, until seven of the riders were dismounted forcefully. The remaining three riders were already frightened to the point where they held the reins tightly and did not advance any further.

    Gaspard stared at Brendel as if he was a devil, while Markov and his guards were frightened to the point where they forgot what they were holding in his hands. The refugees broke past their lines and ran to Brendel.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Gaspard felt that the blood draining from his limbs. He had seen the captains in the White Mane¡¯s squadrons training fights, and he felt they were elite fighters, butpared to the youth in front of him, they were amateurs.

    [Who exactly is this person?!]

    Brendel sheathed his sword and exhaled lightly. He used Power Break seven times, and he drained a fifth of his stamina, and he felt his hands were starting to go a little numb.

    ¡°I have already said my name. I¡¯m Dunn.¡± Brendel pointed his sword at Gaspard and Markov. ¡°Now, are all of you calm enough to listen to my words?¡±

    The two leaders exchanged looks. How could they not listen? The riders who charged at him were not exactly amazing, but they were well trained and charged at their opponent with a horse. Even the soldiers of the White Mane army would avoid their direct attacks.

    But he merely struck seven times with his sword, and each single blow knocked off a rider off his horse, and at the end of the fight he looked like he was not even tired, and even the captains under Luc Beson could notpare to him.

    [He looks like he¡¯s at least a intermediate Iron-ranked fighter, but he¡¯s so young...] Gaspard swallowed. The captains under Luc Beson were veterans who were thirty to forty years old.

    ¡°Very good. It looks like you¡¯re ready to listen.¡± Brendel nodded at the tongue-tied duo. ¡°I regret asking you to scram, so I¡¯m taking back my words. I want all of you to block the road. I don¡¯t care how many undeades here, your mission is to block them.¡±

    ¡°Ciel.¡± He continued speaking.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Ciel jumped down when he saw Brendel beckoning to him, and took out his pocket watch and passed it to him.

    Brendel looked at the time. There was still a minute left to 4 PM, but Freya was still nowhere to be seen. After rubbing his forehead he raised his head up and said clearly: ¡°All of you here are respected members of Fortress Riedon¡¯s cavalry, helping out the refugees to gain time is a duty that you have. I am sure that none of you needs me to remind what you need to do, and will stand out with bravery to rush to the frontlines-¡±

    ¡°My lord, I am a merchant.¡± Markov did not dare to act smugly anymore and spoke carefully.

    Brendel looked at him with an exasperated sigh. ¡°You¡¯re now under conscription.¡±

    Markov¡¯s mouth moved up and down wordlessly.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Brendel looked at the riders who got up from the ground. ¡°I will be here personally to oversee everyone of you. Anyone who wants to flee as a deserted soldier, you cane back over here and try my steel. Whether you want to test me or fight against these damned skeletons, choose one.¡±

    The citizens behind him had already started to move out to the north. People were pushing each other and trampled onto hapless people who stumbled onto the ground. The crowd was in a frenzied chaos as shrieks, curses and wails continued to poured forth from them, as if they were painting a picture of the world ending.

    Admist this chaotic scene, the only ce of calmness stemmed from Brendel alone.

    ¡°The rest of you, grasp this opportunity and leave now. Do not waste this chance that the cavalry gets for you by risking their lives.¡± Brendel tried to motion some of the remaining people who did not move. He was not a messiah, but he did not want to see more lives thrown away.

    But he did not expect the majority of them to stay behind. The people had seen the unfortunate victims trampled to death by the frightened crowd, and even if they got out they were not certain that they could flee from Madara¡¯s pursuitter on. They would rather ce their hopes on Brendel, hoping that the incredible youth before them was able to lead them out.

    There were many people with power in this world, but there were few who protected the weak. Brendel¡¯s actions had left a deep impression to them, and thest sentence seemed to make them trust in him.

    ¡°You¡¯re unwilling to leave?¡± Brendel looked shocked, suddenly guessing the thoughts of the people before him. He scratched his head and turned around, and saw Ciel with a face full of admiration. Brendel blurted out.

    ¡°What now?¡±

    ¡°In the era of the holy saints, the knights had eight virtues. Mercy was one of them. Every year in this era, there are many knights who swore to uphold the eight virtues in the Holy Cathedral of fire, but who amongst them are able to do something like this?¡±

    The young man continued to speak. ¡°To let the weak depend on you is the charm of the strong. But my lord, how are we going to achieve this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think of something. Just let them stay.¡± He went to Markov and Gaspard. ¡°Have you considered carefully?¡±

    ¡°Definitely, yes, we will fight against the skeletons.¡± Markov nodded as hard as he could.

    Gaspard said nothing, but ordered his men to gather. He had talked with Markov and agreed that they had better odds fighting against the skeletons. If they went against the youth they would be killed instantly, while they had a better chance to fight Madara¡¯s army. Furthermore, Brendel had said that he would stay behind, and it was likely he would help out in fighting the undead.

    Gaspard was the leader of the cavalry, and was at least considered as a capable man who would submit when the time called for it. He was even better at doing it more naturally then Markov, since he had to watch himself in front of Luc Beson and Lord Esebar. In the end he still watched himself in front of the youth.

    Brendel, on the other hand, admired his decisive personality to be ¡®flexible¡¯. He stood there waiting for the riders whose weapons he broke to change to short swords, and at least for the time being he did not have to consider that the men had no weapons.

    The guards and riders¡¯ faces were uneasy, with the exception of Gaspard.

    These men might have been dominating bullies during the normal times, but they were no different from amon man when they faced the fearless undead. Once they thought they were going to face such a frightening existence in the legends, they felt their limbs tremble. The merchant Markov took a long spear and stood beside Brendel, trembling like a leaf without saying anything, and it was apparent that even standing there was difficult for him.

    The citizens behind them looked at Brendel and wondered why the youth did not escape. Because of the words Ciel used to address Brendel, they thought he was at least a knight of some title. Since they decided to follow Brendel, they did not dare to leave if he did not.

    A prolonged silence between them happened.

    Finally, the first skeleton soldier appeared from the other end of a burning street, with two more behind it.

    [Scouts.]

    Brendel immediately recognized them. They came over with the sounds of bones striking against the hard ground. Their speed were not too fast or slow. He checked the pocket watch again. If Freya still did note, he would let Ciel and Romaine move ahead first, while he would go out to find her. He would still see her as arade even if she did not manage to seed, even if he was disappointed at her results.

    He put down the watch as he saw the skeletons approaching the guards. There were seven of them, and if they divide themselves into three groups, they would easily destroy the low level skeletons, but they actually crumpled right there onto the ground, not even able to turn and flee¡ª

    The three skeletons killed the seven of them.

    The eleven riders were so shocked and frightened they did not even have the courage to go up and fight back. Brendel was dumbfounded and surprised at the oue that he could not react in time to save the guards. For one moment, he wanted to just cut the useless riders in front of him and be done with it, before checking himself as he still needed more bodies to cut a path through Madara¡¯s army to save the citizens.

    ¡°What are you bunch of morons doing?! Where did your bravery go after bullying the citizens for so long!¡± Brendel shook his head and yelled at Gaspard: ¡°You, show them how it¡¯s done.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Gaspard might looked like he was calm, but his hands were turning into jelly.

    Brendel said nothing more and just looked at him.

    Gaspard clenched his teeth. He knew that he was most likely going to end up dead. He normally drank and feasted while sleeping with some wench during the normal times, and had already discarded his swordsmanship a long time ago. He red at his subordinates, but they quickly averted their faces away and pretended not to meet his eyes.

    ¡°You bunch of bastards raised by prostitutes!¡± The rider cursed out loudly as he charged forward with his long sword, half trembling. One against three, and the youth appeared as if he had not intention to fight. He closed his eyes as he galloped closer to the skeletons, almost certain that he was going to be dead.

    But right at this moment, there were rumbling noises that felt like horses galloping. Gaspard was a rider himself, and was familiar with the noises. That was the sound of a vanguard cavalry charging together. The rumbling noises got louder, as if it was thunder that came from a distance away. The earth seemed to tremble, and the skeletons turned their heads around, noticing the oddity of Lifeforce gathered together.

    Three horses suddenly jumped out from the burning mes, and sword shes could be seen as the skeletons were struck down into pieces. The riders on them pulled the horses¡¯ reins, and galloped towards Brendel before stopping a slight distance away from him¡ª

    Brendel looked up and saw the figure of a person wearing sky blue armor, with one hand holding a sword, while the other hand pulling the reins. The long ponytail was illuminated by the mes in the street, and Brendel saw an elegant rider on top of a horse.

    Behind her, more and more riders came out from the mes and gathered behind her, the majority of them wearing outfits that belonged to mercenaries.

    [The majority of them looks like they are at least of an Iron-ranked fighter, and quite a few of them are at least intermediate ranks...] Brendel was surprised.

    [Where did this group of mercenariese from? There are at least ten over people here that are as good as Luc Beson¡¯s captains! Wait¡ª Could this be the private army of Freya¡¯s father?] Brendel knew of Freya¡¯s true birth, and took a wild guess.

    ¡°Brendel, where¡¯s Romaine?¡± Freya looked curiously at the people in front of her.

 volume 2 - 7

    TL: A bitte since the trip took longer than expected. TL quality might get shaky since I bought some korean Soju... Yup. Seriously shaky... Next update (TSTBGAM) willeter since I will be down for the count.

    Chapter 7 ¨C Leader

    The densely packed refugees sessfully escaped from the north gate. They were spread out in the Pine River¡¯s region and marched towards the valley ins, appearing like a trail of ants under the moonlight.

    The mistynds ahead was the very south of the Hunting Deer mountainous range. In this area, there was a small mountain called the Silver Sparrow. There were beautiful Grinores fir trees growing in it, and these trees were shaped like a tower that point straight at the sky. Bears and bristling wolves frequently appeared in this area, and yers tend to party in the game to handle any sudden dangers that ur suddenly.

    Brendel believed the first step was to enter this area to avoid any dangers that woulde from the valley ins. Madara¡¯s forces had beenpletely unleashed, and they would absorb raise even more undead from the people they killed.

    [The greatest nightmare would be seeing an endless sea of skeletons in the valley ins... Fortunately that has note to pass.]

    But under the foggy night, there were signs of skeleton riders appearing in and out of the shadows, signifying a terrible omen. These skeletons came directly from the heart of Madara¡¯snd, and it was difficult to create them during this era. However, these creatures weremon in the game world¡¯s era where magic and swordsmanship became increasinglyplicated with repeated wars.

    Brendel stared at the quick shadows that darted in and out of the fog. They spied at the masses and disappeared after a short while, only to reappear somewhere closer to the throng of refugees. Brendel became a little worried and instructed Freya to check on the refugees behind them, as well as to protect the nks. He soon went to check on the refugees himself.

    Freya¡¯s suggestion to steal the nobles¡¯ horses appeared as a great suggestion to the mercenaries, proving that she was willing to risk everything to fight alongside with the mercenaries. If Brendel had not taught her various things, she would not have managed to pull this off.

    She was the first to charge into the market which was still being pelted with arrows, then cleanly severed the rope that raised the bridge to allowed the citizens to escape. From then on, Leto and the other mercenaries decided to stay behind and bet on her.

    Inparison, the youth who was constantly praised by that young girl appeared to be meek in their eyes. He merely traveled quietly in the horse carriage beside the driver with his hand on his sword, brooding quietly while Ciel, a young man who wore a long robe was dozing off in the carriage. Romaine was peering out curiously at the environment, while taking care some of the children who sat in there.

    She did not feel tired at all, only feeling her heart beating quickly. It was exciting and thrilling to escape from the undead with such a mysterious night. It was the adventure that she had been waiting all along.

    Mano¡¯s mouth curled and twisted. He stamped a ¡®useless weakling¡¯ on Brendel¡¯s forehead in his eyes once he saw that Brendel did not know how to ride a horse.

    [This noble brat must be some sort fake strategist who has never been in a war. How do you evenmand an army when you can¡¯t even ride?! ... No, this cannot do. I can¡¯t let a naive girl like Freya fall prey to his lies.]

    He poked at hispanion beside him and gestured at him, then to two horses. Thepanion looked at his eyes and immediately understood. The truth was the group of mercenaries had the same mindset. Furthermore, Brendel even let Freya order them to protect the refugees. Even though they were silent on the issue, their hearts were displeased. Why were they bringing this burden along with them? Now that all the mercenaries had a horse, they should actually dash straight away to safety and stay far away from the undead blight.

    In fact, some of them had already suggested this thought to Leto, but the bar owner dismissed their grumblings and sent them straight off to Freya instead. There was a code of honor amongst the mercenaries. Freya was the one who led them to steal horses sessfully, and they had an agreement prior to this, and thus they could not simply just leave.

    The mercenaries continued to wait since they agreed to see if Brendel had a strategy in mind, but if he did not fulfill that agreement....

    The skeleton riders appeared thirty seconds faster than the previous time, before disappearing quietly into the night. The huge crescent moon was somewhere to the east, and it illuminated the fang-shaped mountains that were shrouded in fog. Brendel looked at the pocket watch after the skeleton rider disappeared, with the edge of the pocket watch casting a cold glint on his face.

    ¡°Why are you quiet?¡± He turned his head towards Freya who rode beside him. She looked uneasy ever since she rejoined him, and constantly kept her head down.

    He had not expected to encounter so many refugees who were willing to follow him, but Freya¡¯s timely arrival with so many mercenaries had helped him out, and he wanted to praise her for that.

    [Originally there were just a few dozens, but the refugees have grown to two or three hundred. Since there is a herd mentality, they would be more and more people joining me... Hmm...]

    On the other hand, Freya was afraid that her independent action would cause Brendel to be unhappy, but she was afraid to voice out her opinion. She originally wanted to simply surpass him, but now she only wanted to perform as favorably as she could in Brendel¡¯s heart. This change in mentality was too subtle for her to notice it.

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re not ming me?¡± She raised up her head with wild eyes after noticing there was nothing odd in Brendel¡¯s voice. Her light brown eyes were clear and reflected the moonlight greatly, showing off the evident surprise in her eyes.

    ¡°Is there something I should me you for? You did really well.¡±

    ¡°But I waste.¡±

    ¡°Any ns will have their moments where things don¡¯t go right. As long as you don¡¯t cross the limit it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m a littlete myself.¡±

    ¡°Erm, I......¡±

    The two of them suddenly went quiet as they noticed a mercenary approaching them. He greeted Brendel politely like amoner would greet a noble. He then raised the two horses¡¯ reins up. ¡°My lord, please choose a horse and ride. It will be easier for you if a fight breaks out.¡±

    Brendel observed him for a few seconds, before guessing what he had in mind. He jumped down the carriage, raised his head towards him and asked: ¡°What are the vital points for riding a horse?¡±

    The mercenary was momentarily surprised when he got down, but immediately showed deep condescension in his eyes when he heard his words.

    [Mother Marsha above, this silly halfwit is making meugh. If you don¡¯t know how to ride one, don¡¯t act as if you know how to. Do you really think you can learn how to ride one in a day? Heavens, there are only a few nobles who can¡¯t ride a horse!]

    It was especially shameful in the eyes of a soldier who fought in battles for not knowing how to ride.

    However, in order to let him make a fool out of himself in front of Freya, he still taught him in detail.

    [Even if I tell you everything, you would never be able to ride one so quickly, otherwise we riders should just knock our heads onto a wall.]

    ¡°First, you should go the side of the horse, see that stirop? Since you¡¯re doing it for the first time, you should ce your feet slowly onto it before ¨C¡±

    The moment he opened his mouth to instruct him, Brendel already received the notification on whether he would like to spend 15 AP to learn riding. He appeared to be unfamiliar on mounting the horse when he ced his foot on the stirop, but when he lifted himself up over the horse, he pulled the reins and started trotting around, as if he had rode for years.

    [Well, level 3 horse riding is sufficient to dobat on a horse. I spent 45 AP in total.]

    Brendel wanted to learn the skill a long time ago, but he did not know that Freya knew how to ride one, otherwise he would have asked her a long time ago. He could not help but long for the ¡®Probe¡¯ ability.

    When he turned towards the mercenary, he saw him ring back with a face full of humiliation and anger.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Princess POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    ¡°Wait,¡± The princess interrupted Oberbeck¡¯s narration. ¡°Did you say he was an amateur when he climbed up the horse?¡±

    ¡°Indeed so, mydy. If I am not wrong, he was very unused to the action of climbing a horse, simr to many beginners. Oberbeck answered politely.¡±

    ¡°Can a person really learn a skill like this in moments?¡± The girl could not believe it. Even though that she thought herself as smart, she still spent half a month in doing so.

    ¡°Unless he wanted to intentionally deceive that man, I am afraid the truth is simply that.¡± Oberbeck felt that it was unbelievable as well, but he did not believe the young man was able to fool him.

    ¡°Surely he did that on purpose. This man is really a master at manipting hearts.¡± The princess murmured to herself.

    [That might not be true.] Oberbeck answered in his heart, but he did not say it out loud and merely continued the story.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªBack to Brendel¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

    Ciel who watched the encounter between them, also jumped down from the carriage, cast a nce at the mercenary and took over the reins. He mounted the horse elegantly. He was a squire and riding was a necessary skill for him. Even though he was not considered as an elite rider, he was considerably experienced in it.

    Freya watched the two of them, thinking that he was good in everything but was just too fond of deceiving people. The girl felt a little flushed when she remembered the incident where he taught her first aid.

    The mercenary looked the lord and his squire showing off their riding skills, and he felt he was yed a fool and had a deep shade of purple in his face. Mano who was behind them noticed that hispanion was in a disadvantage, so he quickly rode up and came to their sides.

    ¡°Young man, how long more do we need to protect these men?¡± He was quite straightforward, and asked Brendel directly.

    ¡°From here to the Valley of Sharp Boulders. If we can bring them to the other side, we can basically ensure their safety.¡±

    Brendel started urging his horse forward so that he could catch up with Freya.

    ¡°Perhaps you can¡¯t do it, but I can.¡±

    Mano also followed him, while he asked curiously.

    ¡°How are you going to do that?¡±

    Brendel pulled out his sword and pointed at an area high up.

    ¡°There are skeleton riders up there and they are the elite scouts of Madara¡¯s army, and theye directly from Madara¡¯s corends. Bring some men and chase them away. The refugees need at least half an hour more before they are able to reach the Silver Sparrow Mountain, and I want to ensure there is no threat to the nks.¡±

    Mano looked nkly at Brendel as he did not expect that his question was the excuse for Brendel to give him amand. He looked at Freya as their agreement was with her, not Brendel.

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Freya was willing to believe his words, but she found his attitude to be too demanding.

    Brendel sheathed his sword and replied: ¡°I say, most of you, or perhaps everyone of you, is just thinking for yourself on how to escape here safely. There¡¯s no need for me to say any more since you¡¯re unwilling to bring these refugees out with me. You have an agreement with Freya, right? Speak up. If you are able to convince me, I¡¯ll let everyone leave with a horse.¡±

    Mano straightened his back up. He finally realized this ¡®Noble youth¡¯ was not a simple man. He had dictated the flow of the conversation with just a few sentences. As a leader who had led a group of mercenaries back then, he was employed by various nobles, but he had never seen one with such an impressive air about him.

    ¡°Since we¡¯re mercenaries, we¡¯re willing to work for you if you can pay us. However, under such extraordinary circumstances, we have to consider ourselves first, there¡¯s nothing shameful about it.¡± The veteran mercenary replied naturally.

    ¡°Indeed. But I have to refute your point of view. Do you truly believe that you would be able to escape from here just because you have a horse? Madara¡¯s army also consist of aerial units. Have you seen spirits and bone eagles? These creatures, which are the eyes of the undead wizards, fly and patrol the area. Do you know how to avoid them?¡±

    Brendel patted his sword. He did not believe these mercenaries understood the frightening aspects of the undead army. Just because they killed a few skeletons and vampires, they understood Madara¡¯s army system? In that case he undead wizards should just take a hammer and destroy themselves.

    Leto and his daughter had followed Mano closely when they saw him approaching Brendel. He frowned at Brendel¡¯s words.

    ¡°Then you have a n?¡±

    ¡°I am uncertain of the oue. I doubt anyone has a perfect n for this. But my chances in the forest are much higher, so I have to consider how to stop the skeleton riders from following us. If they attack our nks, the refugees will not be able to move quickly.¡±

    Mano and Leto went into a silent deliberation. They felt that his words were true.

    Brendel suddenly urged his forward forward, climbing up onto a high spot. He turned back to the mercenary and took a ruby out from his pocket: ¡°If you truly want to have a chance at surviving, then follow me. If you choose to run away, then only those who are blessed by the gods would be able to make it out. My order is very simple.

    Listen to mymands, and protect Freya so that she can lead these refugees out of the valley of the other end. All of you are mercenaries, so this ruby is my initial deposit. If you seed in my request, they would be more where ites from.¡±

    He threw the ruby up and itnded in an arc beside Leto¡¯s feet. Freya pointed at herself in confusion, and she asked loudly: ¡°Me? Brendel why is it me?¡± She looked at the refugees in confusion. They were obviously brought by Brendel, so she simply could not understand why she was the one to lead the refugees out.

    It was not that she was unwilling, but she did not know if she could do it if there were so many people. She was starting to be uneasy.

    [I¡¯m just a small militia captain. Now I¡¯m leading dozens of experienced mercenaries, which suddenly jumped up to hundreds and might even reach a thousand??!]

    Brendel merely smiled as he had already nned things out. He rode back to Leto and Mano, beckoning them.

    ¡°Go now. Gather your men and choose how you want to die. Go your separate ways and encounter the Madara¡¯s army and be an undead as well, or take my money and be a real mercenary who chooses to protect the weak, cutting a bloody pathway for them.¡±

    He turned his head back again. The skeleton riders once again appeared under the moonlight. This time they were faster by ten seconds.

    (TL: Stirop, Middle English, = stirrup. It¡¯s the foot tform that a rider will step on before lifting himself and cing himself over the horse.)

 volume 2 - 8

    TL: Next update, 3-4 hourster.

    Chapter 8 ¨C Cavalry, charge forward!

    Leto and Mano chose to believe in Brendel¡¯s words. There was conviction in his voice, and even if he was lying to them, he at least had the confidence and ability to lead. In addition, he had a great reason for them to follow him.

    Money.

    This word was closely tied to mercenaries, and it was a bridge that made the unreasonable things into reasonable logic.

    There was no need to gather ten odd veteran mercenaries. Theymunicated by hand gestures, and they gathered quickly from the crowd in mere moments.

    [These men are notmon soldiers, not bad at all.] Brendel thought to himself.

    He also made the riders from Fortress Riedon¡¯s Public Order Cavalry gather up as well. He needed the men at hand to be split up into two groups. Even though this was a shabby lot, but they could be used if they were trained.

    He urged his horse round this group once, then stopped at one side. He checked the pocket watch again and estimated.

    A number of the long snaking crowd of refugees who progressed slowly looked at the gathered riders. They wondered what this group of twenty odd riders was going to do. The majority of them who joined inter did not know who Brendel was, but had a deep impression of the female rider who maintained order.

    They kept asking each other who the girl was, and for some reason Freya¡¯s status kept rising. From the captain of a militia to the captain of the Public Order Cavalry, a member of the White-Mane swordsman army and even the captain of the Aouine Kingdom¡¯s guards. In any case, they recognized her as the leader and they simply needed to follow her and they would be led to safety.

    The needle moved to the final second that Brendel nned, and he started to move.

    He raised the Elven sword and pointed forward. The riders immediately followed him, and under his instruction, they dashed towards a road leading to the higher ground.

    ¡°What the hell is he doing?¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t we look like fools if we just rush up like this if the group of skeleton riders appear in the other direction?¡± Mano blurted out.

    ¡°Fuck! If these monsters appear on the other side and charged into the refugees, they would be disorganized even if we run back in time. This bloody brat doesn¡¯t know how to fight at all, I can¡¯t believe you fell for his damned lies!¡± Another man fumed.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you believe in him just now?¡±

    ¡°.... I¡¯m just out for the money.¡± That man paused slightly before refuting.

    Brendel ordered them to move even faster. The riders charged forth, creating a thunderous sound.

    [Two seconds. Almost... There!]

    The group of riders took to the high ground first, but they were immediately surprised by the scene before them. (TL: High ground offers a wider FOV, and troops tend to tire less when fighting uphill and move faster. For more info, go wikipedia it.)

    Forty odd skeleton riders were retreating backwards. This proved that Brendel chose the right location, stole the higher ground and surprised the enemy, and everyone nced at the youth for a moment, wondering how he managed to know the enemy¡¯s location.

    Brendel waved his sword twice after determining the undead¡¯s formation, and charged forth towards the skeleton riders, ordering the mercenaries to charge along with him.

    [What?! Now is not the time to charge at them, you¡¯re too impatient! What if these undead move into a direction? Furthermore we don¡¯t know how fast they can retreat, we might lose our advantage if we just rush blindly!] Mano thought to himself.

    The other mercenaries were also of the same opinion. They should wait a little longer, since they held the high ground and will always have the advantage. Even the riders from Fortress Riedon who had a little more faith from him after he stole the high ground, hesitated and did not want to let go of this advantage.

    But Brendel did not seemed to notice and merely pointed at the direction, which merely meant that everyone was to charge forth!

    After a second, when he realized they did not not follow him, he turned his head and roared.

    ¡°Are you all chickenshit cowards! Charge! Even if we don¡¯t have the advantage of the high ground, they will not be able to upy the high ground if we attack them!¡±

    Brendel seemed to inject a form of energy into the men after they heard the roar. The fact that he was to charge in the fray instilled a sense of confidence in them. In Aouine¡¯s strongest era, the cavalry and nobles who fought with them, became the emblem of unstoppable bravery that was recognized throughout the continent, and now in this ce, they were about to be the same emblem of¡ª

    Unstoppable bravery.

    No one had seen this happen in this kingdom for many decades. It was as if it had be a glorious memory of the past, and these memories were slowly fading into darkness and disappear.

    But right now, there was a figure in this high ground outside Fortress Riedon, that was a lightning streaking across the dark chasm, as if to cut through a hidden curtain to signify the start of a new era.

    Ciel watched the back of his lord with gleaming eyes, his heart overwhelmed with emotions. He urged his horse forward, and whistled with his fingers.

    The mercenaries unsheathed their weapons and roared, rushing forward like a broken dam. Even the most timid soldier in the riders felt his blood was boiling too every part in his body, feeling as if he unstoppable and unbreakable.

    A mercenary watched Brendel ride on the horse with precise control as if he was one with the horse.

    ¡°Mano, did you say he didn¡¯t know how to ride at all?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t know how to do it in the beginning.¡±

    ¡°You must be fooled by him, haha.¡±

    ¡°Oh fuck off!¡± He blustered angrily.

    Everyone believed that they would be victorious.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Princess POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The princess froze with a teacup in her hand. The tea was already cold, but she was so engrossed in the story that she did not realized that. When Oberbeck started describing the cavalry¡¯s charge, her silver eyes shone brightly.

    After a long moment, she asked in a daze: ¡°He led the charge?¡±

    Then she started to murmur as she rearranged her thoughts. ¡°That¡¯s incredible. It feels like we have gone back to our brightest era. Aouine¡¯s knights who held war horns and fluttering capes with the squires holding on to the gs. When the war horns are blown, the riders would charge forth and create a sea of our cities¡¯ emblems, Corvado, Grinoires, Ankries that represented our kingdom. They were unstoppable...¡±

    Oberbeck coughed once. He knew that the princess had great ambition for the royal family, but he sighed as she was not a boy. Compared to the Oberg the seventh¡¯s son who had a weak personality, the princess was a better leader..

    [This is fateughing at us.]

    The girl finally realized her blunder, but she naturally diverted the topic. ¡°And then, did they win?¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Brendel POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Their charge was faster than the skeletons¡¯ retreat. In the mercenaries eyes, a miracle seemed to happen. No matter how the skeleton riders twisted and turn, their path was always predicted by Brendel. Each time Brendel¡¯s sword point out into a direction, the mercenaries would move in that direction and be closer to the skeletons.

    Finally, the riders collided into the weak formation of the skeleton riders like a giant hammer. Brendel swung his sword with a roar, and the sword arte smashed into four riders, bending and shattering the bones into the air and raining onto the ground. The mercenaries struck and charged ahead onto the nks, creating a giant hole in their defense.

    Brendel continued forward, pulling his sword back to prepare for a strike, then smashed the skeleton rider that was in front of him with the ability ¡®Power Break¡¯. The rider was immediately hurled backwards onto another skeleton. Two veteran mercenaries coordinated perfectly and destroyed the skeletons easily.

    Brendel then urged his horse forward towards themanding necromancer. Before it managed to recite the second spellword, Brendel thrust the Thorn of Light into its skull, immediately hoisting it up into the air before he threw it to the ground. White mes burned from the pierced area and it turned into ashes.

    Each time Brendel charged in and out, countless golden lights would fly up into the sky and then flew into his chest. The mercenaries would work together with him and shatter another skeleton quickly.

    However, once the skeleton riders lost theirmanding leader, they started to gather together and prepare for their own charge due to their instinct to destroy living creatures. However, Brendelmanded the mercenaries to get to the higher ground and prepare for another charge.

    After a moment, they shed into each other again, but the skeleton riders werepletely defeated.

    Brendel had aimed for this oue. If the necromancer was not defeated, they would gradually be able to pull away from them as their horses had unlimited stamina. He then ordered the mercenaries to stop and rest on the spot, while ordering Ciel toe along with him so he could gather the loot.

    Everyone could not believe it. They actually won, and only two of their men were injured.

    But they did not know that Brendel was incredibly familiar with the skeleton riders¡¯ strategy, even more so than themanding necromancer that led them. His lips curled for a while. Madara was a like a cursed rival. He had never defeated them during this era in the game, but it was different now.

    After looking through the loot, he asked Gaspard to gather up all the swords as there was nothing particr valuable on them. Madara¡¯s obsidian swords were better than what the mercenaries had, as they used Soul Fire to forge the steel.

    Brendel went up to Leto and Mano, and pointed to a ce far away. ¡°Do you hear that?¡±

    Leto and Mano looked differently at Brendel. He not only proved hismanding abilities in the battle, his terrifying sword skills and prowess deeply shocked everyone present.

    The skeletons that crossed swords with him either had their shoulders or whole body twisted off, and their swords even bend or broke from the Elven Sword¡¯s strike.

    The greatest impression on him, however, was the unbelievable confidence they had when they charged alongside with him, and everyone fell in love with the thrilling excitement.

    As Leto and Mano listened carefully, they heard cking sounds.

    ¡°A skeleton army.... No, a sea of skeletons.¡±

    Brendel was surprised. He did not expect it was Leto who first answered, and his judgment was urate. He had thought that he was merely a bar owner, but his identity seemed that it was not as simple as he thought.

    [Strange. Where did this bunch of mercenariese from. Their abilities are just too good to be somemon mercenaries.]

    Mano¡¯s expression also changed. The number within the fog were most likely thousands. He scrutinized Brendel again.

    [This youth.... how did he know the skeletons are there. Even the timing to attack the scouts was just too good, even to the point of choosing the best timing to do so. If these scouts were not removed, then it would truly be disastrous. Unless we abandoned these refugees we won¡¯t be able to escape from that army...]

    ¡°Do we need to check their progress¡± Leto¡¯s face was grave.

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need to. Their scouts are not here anymore and they won¡¯t be able to catch up with us.¡± Brendel waved his hand. ¡°I only want the both of you to know this, there¡¯s no need to say it out loud. I¡¯m familiar with Madara¡¯s tactics, so if you just follow me, I have the confidence to bring you out¨C¡±

    ¡°But there¡¯s one thing. The battles ahead cannot be avoided, and everyone of us might perish here. You have to be prepared, because the battles would only intensify and will not be so simple like the one we had just now.¡±

    ¡°Prepared,¡± Manoughed. ¡°Kid, we¡¯re mercenaries. We¡¯re definitely better than you in this regard. Let me tell you something, Leto experienced the ¡®Roanoke¡¯s Valley blood Battle.¡±

    [A veteran of ¡®The November War¡¯?] Brendel smiled as he looked at Leto and sheathed his sword without saying anything.

    He looked up at the moon. The sky was bing brighter, hinting at dawn¡¯s arrival. At least they were not going to meet Spirits in this night.

    He exhaled.

    TL: Feels like Leto = Dunn. Lol.

 volume 2 - 9

    TL: I¡¯m off to find food. Next update should be 4-5 hourster.

    Chapter 9 ¨C The first day.

    It was just as Brendel had predicted, after the mercenaries defeated the scouting group of skeleton riders, the undead army did not find them. Brendel sessfully led the refugees into the Silver Sparrow Mountain.

    [The low level undead and vampires¡¯ strength will drastically go down during the daytime. Until theypletely vanquish the White-Mane army, they would not let the skeletons to advance all over the mountainous region. But at the same time, once they take hold of the graveyards in Fortress Riedon, their army will drastically increase. Based on the game, when Tarkus reached the northern area, Dragos, their army had already grown to a hundred thousand, 5 times the number of the entire Grinoires forces...]

    Brendel pondered as he watched the refugees. The number of the refugees that joined them had grown to approximately five hundred, and along with them were horse carriages and mules carrying heavy luggage, and the entire length of the people was even half a kilometer long. Some of these refugees were even fortunate enough to find their lost rtives, and for a moment they felt there was hope.

    Romaine had sneaked off during the daytime and moved off with her precious backpack. She was sitting on another carriage which was filled with luggage. A few kids were sitting there and listening to her story with wild eyes about how brilliant Brendel was throughout the whole journey.

    She suddenly saw a man and woman riding towards her, and she lowered her head in fright.

    Brendel only slept for three hours. That was the first time in these few days that he slept, but because of his constant worrying over the Madara¡¯s army, he did not sleep well. Despite that, he quickly spotted someone familiar, and realized that the girl who was acting strangely was Romaine. Heughed and shook his head:

    ¡°Why did you sneak out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡± Romaine answered with a lowered head.

    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous outside,¡± Freya frowned and red at her best friend, her voice full of worry: ¡°If there¡¯s something that happened to you, how am I going to exin to aunt Jennie?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing really dangerous here, I¡¯m just telling them a story.¡± When Romaine said that, her eyebrows went up.

    The brats nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about what you¡¯re doing right now,¡± Freya sighed. ¡°Do you know how bad things are right now?¡±

    Brendel found it a little funny and asked: ¡°What story are you telling them?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about you.¡±

    Brendel beckoned to her and asked her toe closer. The merchant girl paused slightly, but went to the edge of the carriage without suspecting him. However the youth grabbed her face with both of his palms and pinched both her cheeks firmly: You must listen to Freya and take care of yourself, okay?

    Romaine was frightened to the point that she whined pitifully, trying to pry his hands off and raised both of her short eyebrows: ¡°I. mmmf..... got it, l-let gooo!¡±

    Then she ducked to the other corner of the carriage and watched him warily.

    Brendel smiled inwardly as he felt the warmth remained in his fingers. But when he looked at Freya, she was full of envy. After she met his eyes, she immediately blushed and turned her head angrily and said: ¡°S-shameless, I don¡¯t care anymore.......¡±

    She threw down this line and left, leaving a speechless Brendel behind and wondering what he did to offend that girl. As he stood there scratching his head, Leto and Mano came to find him.

    They came to find him because they wanted to choose some men to make a militia group. The truth was, after entering the Silver Sparrow mountain, the surroundings had be increasinglyplicated. There were many fir trees that blocked their vision, and besides the need to spot for Madara¡¯s scouts, they also had to be alert against the bears and bristling wolves in this forest.

    With the increasing number of refugees joining them, even if Brendel throw in all the riders to guard them, there might not be enough to defend them.

    Furthermore, they had to send a few riders in a fan shaped direction to scout for the way ahead, their numbers were just too tight.

    Fortunately, there were many who done militia training and they were willing to fight. With the distribution of the skeleton¡¯s swords and their personal stock of weapons, they were able to equip fifty odd men. Leto and Mano arranged them to guard the nks and rear, as well as having them to patrol the refugees to maintain order. However, even though it was easy on paper, implementing was actually troublesome. They spent the entire morning doing this. Leto wanted to report the oue to Brendel.

    But Mano wanted to talk about something else. He had gathered the armor pieces from the skeleton riders with Ciel, and wanted Brendel to take a look at the fragments.

    Brendel inspected the broken fragments individually under the sun, then felt the inneryer, finally turning the fragments all around. He found the familiar sigil, an eye.

    He ced the armor back onto Mano¡¯s hand and said: ¡°Looks like the scouts are from the [Undead Maggot]¡¯s army, just like the history log¡ª¡±

    He suddenly realized Mano was looking at him in confusion, and he immediately coughed: ¡°The Undead Maggot, Medes, is half zombie. As a leader of Madara¡¯s army, he¡¯s especially good at gathering numbers, but he likes to move in the night. If that timees, you would be able to see a zombie army crawling all over the mountains.¡±

    Leto and Mano looked at each other. They did not understand why Brendel knew so much about Madara, but he did not look like he was bragging, especially when there was no need to. He had already impressed them with yesterday¡¯s night battle.

    Suddenly Brendel stopped talking and looked at the sky. There were several ck dots in the south-eastern skies, and he was uncertain they were mountain birds or Madara¡¯s bone eagles. But he soon abandoned that thought.

    They were under the cover of thick trees which severely limited their vision.

    At the remaining years of the final era, between 421st and 426th years, the bone eagles filled the skies, and even when the yers used flying dragons, they were unable to drive them back. That was when Madara was at its height, using overwhelming numbers as a strategy to the limits.

    However with such few eagles, once they reach Hunting Deer Mountains with even thicker forests, even if they had one or two thousand refugees, they would not be discovered. This was why Brendel chose to go to the Silver Sparrow Mountain¡¯s path instead of the river area which was far easier to move. He did not mention this alternate path as he was afraid of divided opinions amongst the mercenaries.

    Even though he believed they wanted to help out the refugees, mentioning this was not a good idea¡ª

    Brendel thought for a while and continued. ¡°Even though Medes likes to move in the night, he wouldn¡¯t ck off in the day either. He would get elite ghouls and wights to hound the refugees. Their priorities however, should be on the White-Mane army, except they probably don¡¯t know where Luc Beson is.¡±

    [The worst oue is we get discovered by the Bone Dragons. There should be three of them under Tarkus. If we moved towards a stretch of open area like a river valley or something.... But Tarkus would most likely stay in Fortress Riedon for a few days, since that ce is the greatest obstacle while the area towards Dragos is unprotected...]

    Brendel spoke as he looked into the direction of the river valley.

    At this point, Brendel had be a rising star or a future leader amongst his peers in Leto and Mano¡¯s eyes. Even the way how they looked at him as a noble was different from the usual ones they met.

    Brendel had actually once tried to change Ciel¡¯s way of addressing him, but after hearing the charming youth¡¯s way of addressing him with a serious ¡®My master¡¯, he suddenly shivered, and silently acknowledged the title of ¡®My lord¡¯ instead.

    After considering the issue, he could only attribute this problem as a ¡®Default Factory Settings¡¯.

    No additional problems ured after the security issue was settled in the morning. However, the number of refugees became bigger and bigger. Groups of refugees escaped from the river valley¡¯s direction, and brought about news of the Madara¡¯s army.

    Brendel had predicted correctly. Medes army of ghouls and wightsbined their forces along with Kabias¡¯s skeletal army and fought intensely with the White-Mane army, and Brendel estimated that they would have an oue only in the evening.

    The number of refugees had expanded to approximately a thousand. In the middle of their journey, Brendel had allowed them to stop and make a meal. It was fortunate that these refugees that escaped from the north of Fortress Riedon had sufficient time to gather necessities and food as Madara¡¯s army concentrated their forces in the other three directions, and Brendel did not need to think about theck of food.

    But even so, he had also considered his choice properly. The forest in the Hunting Deer Mountain was a ce filled with resources. The different types of animals were plentiful and there was an abundance of fruits and mushrooms. If they tried to gather these resources, even though it might be difficult to support one or two thousand people, they would not starve.

    In the afternoon around three pm or so, the scouts ahead brought news for Brendel, however, this was not about Madara¡ª

    Someone requested to see him.

 volume 2 - 10

    TL: Yup, please continue to help me check for spelling errors and what not.

    Chapter 10 ¨C Alchemy

    Brendel was basking in the warm sun in between two fir trees, when he saw the riders bringing one person ¡ª

    [Hmm? There¡¯s one whole group of people behind that man.]

    The man and his group followed the mercenaries and slid down from a slope and walked towards Brendel. Two of them took the long way and led their horses down the slope. They either wore thick leather armor, or had chain mails on them, and a few of them were bandaged. WIth a painted shield and long sword, they looked like they were mercenaries just like Mano.

    They were not far from Brendel, and he could see a gigantic man beside Gaspard, which appeared to be the leader.

    [Probably a man from Arreck in the north, or at least he has that lineage from that area.]

    That man had an eye-catching crimson beard, a squarish face, and a sword scar across his brow. He wore a shirt with a broad opening in the center, showcasing incredible muscles with apparent striations on them, and his sleeves were folded back to his elbow.

    [This man must be confident in his own prowess, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have worn only a leather shoulder guard... Other than a row of axes on his belt, there¡¯s no other weapons on him. That¡¯s an Arreck weapon used by the native warriors, sometimes used as a throwing weapon.]

    That barbarian-like giant took off his head and bowed respectfully. ¡°I greet you, respected lord knight, I represent the Crimson Wolves Mercenaries, and I am their leader, Batum.¡±

    [Batum? That¡¯s certainly Arreck¡¯s word for red or crimson.]

    His hand lowered closer to his sword, but it was subtle enough that Batum did not notice it. Brendel merely nodded and wait for his response.

    Right at this moment, the refugees had spread rumors about Brendel¡¯s identity. At this point of time, holding the status of a noble had an advantage, so Brendel did not deny or admit that he was one, instead disying an ambiguous response to create a mysterious air about him.

    Batum¡¯s heart grew conflicted as Brendel did not say anything. He inquired carefully.

    ¡°Respected Lord knight, are you bringing these refugees to escape from Madara¡¯s army?¡±

    Brendel took a look at him and nodded.

    ¡°If I may be so bold, do you stillck men?¡±

    ¡°Why, do you intend to join us?¡± Brendel was surprised, but he immediately realized these mercenaries were most likely chased all the way from the River of Sharp Rocks. Their group must bepletely exhausted and needed someone to offer them protection.

    [Just as expected, Luc Beson was defeated. The White-Mane army and Medes, Kabias has just ended.]

    Brendel looked up and check the mountains that were in a distance away.

    [It seems that even more refugees and the White-Mane army will join us... The scale of our size is going to be bigger.]

    Batum saw that the young noble was holding on to his sword, and he stared ahead in a daze. His heart was bing anxious. He quickly nodded: ¡°Yes, respected Lord Knight, we just need a little food and medicine and a bit of rest, and we can fight for you.¡±

    ¡°What happened there?¡± Brendel suddenly said.

    Batum looked at him in confusion.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the River of Sharp Rocks. How many Madara undead did you see.¡±

    ¡°Countless, Lord Knight, there were countless troops of skeleton riders, and they kept chasing endlessly during the night time. They forced the refugees to flee constantly, and that fucking son of a whore Luc Beson did not even managed to defend against them even once. He had lost battle after battle, then finally they got ambushed by arge group of fucking monsters, and the entire army was nearly wiped out!¡±

    Brendel was not surprised at this oue. Even though the ¡®tiger¡¯ Luc Beson was indeed a considerably impressive leader, he was unable to escape from this tragedy, and failure was a given.

    ¡°¡ª Wait, a group of monsters? What kind of monsters?¡±

    ¡°These creatures are as tall as humans, their skin waspletely smooth and their bodies are of a dark green color. They wore long steel ws and there was a terrible rotting smell on them. They climbed up the boulders around the river and suddenly ambushed us. We did not prepare ourselves for their attacks and the survivors were only two or three out of ten men.¡±

    [Ghouls. Were there wights that appeared as well? These ghouls are one rank higher than the skeleton riders, and one rank lower than the ck warriors and pale knights, but their numbers are great... How many are there? One hundred? Two hundred? They are level 20 creatures and each of them has the strength of a low Iron-ranked fighter... It¡¯s not surprising that the White-Mane army would lose, especially when they ambushed them.]

    ¡°Lord knight?¡± Batum once again troubled when Brendel fell into silence.

    Brendel finally nodded. ¡°If you want to join my group, you have to observe my rules. I will hire you, and besides the money, I will also give you a ce to rest. Gaspard, bring them some food, medicine and bandages.¡±

    He patted Batum¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Rest well. You have to prepare yourself for the uing battles.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for you generosity, Lord Knight!¡± Batum bowed deeply. Brendel¡¯s terms were beyond his expectations. He had been to many ces, but he had never such a kind noble.

    Another mercenary rider who escorted Batum asked: ¡°What about you, my lord?¡±

    ¡°The rest of you return to your posts. I need to be alone and rest for a while.¡± Brendel answered while he looked at his surroundings.

    [This ce is suitable.]

    Brendel did not need to rest, but he wanted to use alchemy. Alchemy in Vaunte was not a mysterious art, and the people in most workshops knew at least a little of it. But to raise it a level where it was of use, required a vast experience and knowledge.

    In game terms, there were two set of different usage before level 5 and after level 5. Artisans used this technique to gather different materials, and before level 5 it appeared like chemistry.

    After level 5, it bes a mysterious art. Wizards would use alchemy to extract pure crystals and magical reagants. They would then use it to transmute things and even create magical potions.

    Bybining them with cksmithing, technology and enchantment, they would be able to create the legendary magic armor. There were many cksmiths and apprentices working in a workshop, and Brendel was able to obtain ¡®Basic Alchemy¡¯ after asking a few questions.

    Raising the alchemy skill set required 122 AP, but this did not prove to be a problem for him, as he had leveled up enough to get 164 AP.

    [The ideal situation for me is to get level 6 Alchemy so I can make magic potions, but my true status is a ¡®Commoner¡¯. As a NPCmoner, I can only learn up to level 5 Alchemy, a noble ¨C level 7, an alchemist specialist ¨C level 15. If I want to go up any higher, I need to change my status. The same goes for learning side skills from other professions...]

    After waiting for Batum and the other riders have left, he continued to wait a while and confirming there was no one else, he came to an empty area, and carefully swept away the leaves. He drew out his sword and draw a simple magic circle.

    [Energy Transmutation. Blood Transmutation.]

    Magic circles came from level 4 alchemy, with artisans using them to extract energy and crystalize them. However, the Blood Transmutation was the true reason why he wanted to avoid everyone. This technique actually came from Madara, and the Holy Cathedral of Fire strictly forbade the usage of this spell. This was because it harmed the user and went against their basic rules.

    However, this was incredibly useful as a skill because it ignored the need for materials, and under any circumstances, the user would be able to transmute simple materials into something useful.

    But the yers in Aouine, Kirrlutz used it freely as they only wanted effectiveness. The price for using it was merely dropping a level if they were discovered.

    However, Brendel was a little anxious here. It was a scenario of ¡®Off with his head!¡¯ instead of just dropping a level, since doing it in the open was challenging the authority of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. Even though he had Ciel as a lookout, he really did not want to do this in the open.

    He sighed and took out the teeth that was taken from the lich, then pierce his thumb with the sword. A blood of drop formed and he turned it over the center of the magic circle. A sh of red light appeared, and the teeth had became grey crystals with the size of a thumb.

    When it waspleted, Brendel felt his heart jump once. He had received -1 damage.

    He wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead, then picked up the crystals. These crystals were made from spirit energy, and were different from soul gems. If someone tried to absorb the these impure crystals, they would immediately be poisoned and die.

    [These things are going to be the most important tools tonight...]

    But he did not stop there. He took out 32 teeth and 4 fingers, and a Number 5 potion.

    However, after transmuting half of them and around 5 minutester, Ciel¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s heart jumped. He quickly wiped away the magic circles and kept all ingredients, picked up the Thorn of Light and ran out.

    As he walked out of towards the Fir trees, he saw a middle-aged man standing in front of Ciel. He furrowed his brows for a moment, before recalling that he was the man who was knocked onto the carriage¡¯s wheel.

    [Why is he here?]

    In Brendel¡¯s memory, this man was quite brave as he fought back against Markov¡¯s men, except it was not a wise thing.

    But he did not expect the words that came from his lips.

    ¡°My lord, are you using Blood Transmutation circles? Please take care of your body¡ª¡±

    Brendel and Ciel¡¯s minds wentpletely nk.

    [How did he know? He stood here for a long time? That¡¯s not possible!] Ciel did not believe that he could not even detect thismoner. The squire was ready to use magic.

    But the middle-aged man saw that their puzzled faces and he bowed. ¡°My lord, I have not had the opportunity to thank you for saving me. My name is Tamar¡±, an alchemist.

    ¡°Tamar...? Y-you¡¯re Tamar!?¡±

    Brendel felt the name was familiar at first, but he suddenly recalled the name of Madara¡¯s Grandmaster alchemist who was prominent in the 380th year. His mouth fell open, then carefully observed him. He looked at him carefully to ensure if it was that Tamar, and he definitely appeared to be like him.

    [Shit... It¡¯s because of that fucking bastard Markov. Tamar must have been turned into an undead after Madara upied this ce. And his hatred must be due to his son¡¯s death... Shit, that makes fucking sense.]

    But Brendel believed he was that person because of his familiarity with alchemy. Tamar was able to see there was a bacsh on Brendel and determined the exact alchemy circle, and this was not any alchemist can do.

    The Tamar in history was an incredibly powerful undead. Majority of the high level undead was because of him, Mesut and Serylen. The famous ability of Tamar was to convert a corpse directly into a skeleton, which practically doubled Madara¡¯s forces.

    [Mother Marsha above, hahaha, looks like it would be pretty difficult for Madara to use that ability.] Brendel beamed when he looked at the human Tamar.

    ¡°M-my lord?¡± His smile frightened Tamar. He had heard dirty rumors about nobles acquiring a ¡®different taste¡¯, but he was confused since he was already old. He was a little fretful. (TL: Seriously?)

    It was Ciel who had to cough loudly to wake Brendel, who quickly exined: ¡°Are you the Grandmaster alchemist Tamar in Fortress Riedon?¡±

    [Grandmaster Alchemist? But that¡¯s a title reserved for the best, when did I be so famous?] Tamar was confused and quickly shook his head. ¡°My lord, I¡¯m just an unknown alchemist working for some nobles, and I have no sessful inventions at all¡ª¡±

    [You¡¯re still unknown? Hahaha, I picked up a great treasure!] Brendel was delighted.

 volume 2 - 11

    Chapter 11 ¨C Into the night

    As they rejoined the refugees, Brendel got to know that Tamar was searching for him ever since he woke up from hisa, so that he could thank Brendel. When he saw Brendel and Ciel leaving away from the refugees, he followed them and waited till they were alone.

    But Brendel was not too worried that Tamar would whistleblow to the Holy Cathedral of Fire because he did not appear to be that sort of person.

    While Brendel was surprised at Tamar¡¯s identity, thetter felt he was mysterious. The middle-aged man had only seen the descriptions of the Blood Transmutation circle, and even he did not know how to use it. However, he could feel the negative feedback within Brendel¡¯s body and guessed that he was using this forbidden magic.

    But this talent of detecting negative magic did note to many people.

    Tamar did not have any opinions on this particr magic. To him, many nobles did illegal things. The Holy Cathedral of Fire forbade the ck markets and illegal very, but the market for it in this area was just as prosperous, and the irony was even some members of the holy church participated in these dirty businesses.

    The truth was, Tamar actually hoped to discuss the techniques of alchemy with him. He thought for a while before asking.

    ¡°My lord, what exactly are you trying to create?¡±

    When Brendel heard the future Grandmaster call him ¡®My Lord, he actually felt smug about it.

    ¡°I need a batch of spirit crystals. I have some higher undead bones, and I need it to make a Soul Statue.¡±

    He needed a Soul Statue (White Deer). This was a simpler type amongst the soul statues. It was able to summon a white colored male deer¡¯s spirit that was able to detect undead Shades. In Vaunte¡¯s old legend, the white deer resided in ce where souls went for their eternal rest, thus they were particrly sensitive to them.

    [This is one of the mid-ranked undead types that we might encounter, and one of the most terrifying units that an undead necromancer can employ against us.]

    ¡°Soul Statue?¡± Tamar felt that it was unthinkable. That was nothing more than a simple alchemy tool, and the only difficulty was getting the materials for it. He found it hard to ept that Brendel would use a forbidden magic to make such a simple item.

    ¡°Sir Tamar, there¡¯s really no need to be suspicious. It¡¯s because Ick alchemy tools to do it.....¡±

    Tamar nearly tripped and fall to the ground after hearing his words.

    The reason why Blood Transmutation was powerful was because of the incredible speed and clean execution in the battlefield, something that normal alchemy could notpete with. But the price for transmuting a high level item was also an incredible burden on the user.

    In the past, where the holy faction fought with the undead faction, there were many who sacrificed themselves to summon powerful creatures for the sake of victory. Ultimately, this went against the teachings of the church, and forbidden to be used.

    But now this noble youth actually used this as a substitute for magic tools.... Any alchemist would bring their tools along with them, even if they had to risk their lives...

    ¡°... Errr, my lord. Actually, I have magical tools with me. If you don¡¯t mind, you are free to use them. Blood Transmutation magic is a forbidden magic that damages your body greatly, it¡¯s best not to use it.¡± Tamar finally reacted to his words after a long time.

    ¡°Of course I wouldn¡¯t mind, please let me use them.¡± Brendel was not silly enough to use his own blood if there was a set of magical tools at hand. He saved his own HP and obtained a future Grandmaster alchemist. His mood rapidly improved and he discussed alchemy techniques with Ciel and Tamar leisurely. (TL: Pokeball thrown.)

    As a wizard apprentice in Karsuk, Ciel had seen a lot of archmagi who were as proficient as a grandmaster alchemist. Even if he himself was not proficient in it, he had a natural disposition for alchemy.

    As for Brendel who had level 5 alchemy, he would easily be able to obtain a professional first-grade alchemist rank if he went to Aouine¡¯s formal alchemy exam. At this point of time, he was more like a geniuspared to Tamar who was still knocking on the door leading to ¡®genius¡¯.

    The more Brendel discussed with Tamar, the more shocked he was. Some of the ideas that Tamar had were extraordinary, and Brendel was certain that he would be that legendary Grandmaster someday.

    Alchemy was something that was incredibly expensive. In the ck market or wizard¡¯s market, a lich¡¯s tooth cost more than three hundred coins, and a simple White Deer Statue required thirty teeth.

    They continued to the refugees¡¯s camp, and Brendel suddenly spotted Freya walking around in a daze. He walked up towards her and waved his hand in front of her, but there was no response, so he had no choice but to tap on her head¡ª

    Freya jumped up and looked for the person who did that: ¡°W-what the hell are you doing!¡± After realizing it was Brendel, she showed a furious expression: ¡°Brendel! Where did you run off to, there are so many people that came over that I can¡¯t handle it anymore!¡±

    Her voice became softer and softer, as if she was suffering from great injustice rather thanining. She had tried her best in leading the refugees, but with the increasing numbers, she felt she waspletely exhausted. Just like Brendel, she had never not slept for days, and she was under more stress than Brendel did because she had to constantly settle the problems that the refugees had.

    Ciel and Tamar stepped away when they saw Brendel and Freya talking together, and they continued discussing about the topic they had. As for the things that were happening to this pair of youths in front of them, they pretended like they have not seen anything.

    It was evident to the others that Freya relied on Brendel, but thetter was not aware of it at all. Ciel watched them like it was an interesting story, while Tamar thought the youngdy was the noble¡¯s fiance.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep at all?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to do so when so many people areing in to join us. I had to assign a ce for them and distribute the rations... Brendel, did you know that the White-Mane army was defeated? We just received a lot of soldiers that came from the River of Sharp Rocks, I heard that many people died.......¡± Freya rubbed her eyes that were as red as a rabbit and grumbled unhappily.

    Brendel looked at her with a ck jaw. He rubbed his forehead as he realized that this silly girl actually took care of everything all by herself. ¡°Did you really take everything on by yourself?¡±

    ¡°T-then what was I supposed to do?¡± Freya looked at him in bewilderment.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t the veterans Leto and Mano there? Even if they are unable to do it, you should choose a few reliable people from the refugees and give them the authority so that they could assist you.¡± Brendel felt that this girl had a greatck ofmon sense.

    ¡°Wha¨C, Y-you should have told me this earlier!¡±

    Brendel knocked on her head: ¡°This has nothing to do with me, you¡¯re just too silly.¡±

    Freya¡¯s face turned bright red and pushed his hand away. ¡°I-I¡¯ll talk to youter.¡±

    She ran away as if her skirt had caught on fire, leaving behind a swinging ponytail behind her. Brendel shook his head as heughed a little

    ¡°So how is she?¡± Ciel grinned and walked up to Brendel once Freya left.

    Brendel raised his water tumbler and asked puzzledly ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Freya, she¡¯s a pretty good girl. She¡¯s kind and serious till the point of being adorable. Can¡¯t you tell, my lord, she actually likes you.¡±

    Brendel had poured water into his mouth and he spat it out with a ¡®pfff¡¯.

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I say, Miss Romaine and Miss Freya are in serious trouble, my lord...¡±

    ..........................................

    Brendel spent the entire afternoon trying to carve a suitable statue. Because it was the first alchemy tool he made, he wanted to create the statue all by himself, but after ruining a few blocks of fir wood, he realized there was a great difference in reality and dreams.

    His best product looked like a carrot of stick and not a deer, and had no choice but to leave it to Tamar to finish it. Most of the alchemists were actually aplished in sewing, painting and even cksmithing, unlike Brendel who was cheating his way through.

    When he got out of his carriage, it was nearly evening. The sun was setting into the western mountains, and it painted them with a copper color. The tip of the fir trees seemed to glitter, as if there was gold dust scattered onto them.

    He looked at the evening sky and could not resist thinking of going into the western region. If he did, he would be able to reach an ind in the Fallen Moon Sea if he traveled far enough. It was also the first time that he traveled a long journey in the game.

    [This world is really right before my eyes....]

    After a while, Brendel tried to spend time to find Romaine, but after searching for a long time, he still could not find her. It was impossible to find her most of the time. That girl seemed to have endless energy, and her warm heart must had gathered considerable fame for her, since he overheard the refugees discussing about her when he searched for her.

    He looked at the sky again. It was already turning dark. At about 7.30 pm, Brendel ordered the refugees to stop in between a deep valley. Theck of light made things look dark. The two sides of the wall seemed to brighten and darken from time to time. The fog started to settle and they could not hear the night birds warbling, making them feel exceedingly uneasy.

    [This is the only ce that can avoid the bone eagles. But when ites to night time, it¡¯s when the Shades would appear...]

    After settling the refugees, hemanded the defensive team to cut down wood. He wanted to make a badge of spears to equip the neers.

    His true force was still the mercenaries and the cavalry from Fortress Riedon, but he nned to add additional personnel like the mercenaries that he epted early, as well as the White-Mane army¡¯s infantry. By enlisting even more civilians, their numbers might possibly grow to two hundred.

    Right now he did notck manpower, hecked weapons.

    He had told Ciel to gather the leaders of the patrol Leto, Mano, Gaspard and Batum. He had to talk about the n in the evening otherwise there might be repercussion.

    8 PM, the final ray of sunlight made its exit, and the first star of the Witch-king appeared in the sky.

    Brendel and the leaders stood on top of a hill. He looked at the refugees who were busy setting up a tent. He spoke.

    ¡°I think everyone knows what happened. You have most likely heard about the oue of the White-Mane army. Madara¡¯s strategy is not merely about pursuing us, they want to destroy uspletely, and allow the news of the Fortress Riedon¡¯s fall spread to Vermiere¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do, my lord. At this time, the number of the undead army far surpassed us. Our scouts said that there were a sea of skeletons. They might have been slow in the daytime, but once evening sets in, they would be all over the ce.¡±

    ¡°And there are zombies.¡± Someone added on.

    ¡°There¡¯s definitely a way, but it¡¯s impossible to avoid them. Because of Luc Beson¡¯s failure, [Undead Maggot] Medes and Kabias¡¯s army is right in front of us, and we need to consider taking a shortcut. Has anyone heard of the [Land of the Holy Saint¡¯s remains]?¡±

 volume 2 - 12

    TL: Alright, here is thest chapter of the marathon run. Thank you very much for your support. The next regr update will be this weekend, unless there¡¯s another sponsored chapter.

    Chapter 12 ¨C Holy Saint¡¯s remains

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Princess POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Land of the Holy Saint¡¯s remains?¡±

    Legend stated that the natives in the mountainous valley built a sanctuary during the Era of the Holy Saints. A statue of the king was ced at the entrance of the valley, and all manners of dark creatures that tried to enter would be struck by lightning, and all forms of dark energy would be suppressed to the limits.

    In the Era of Darkness, humans, elves and dwarves went out of this protectednd, and the gathered knights formed under one banner and defeated the [Dragon of Twilight], ¡®Cmity¡¯, bringing about the new era: ¡®Year of Chaos¡¯. (TL: Coughs out blood. Hopefully I don¡¯t TL things wrongly...)

    ¡°It¡¯s the blessednd that is protected by the king, mydy.¡± Oberbeck answered.

    ¡°He actually found that fablednd?¡± Her tea had been reced, but the princess did not even noticed that. She merely yed with the silver spoon as she listened to Oberbeck¡¯s tale.

    ¡°That youth probably knew how to get to this mystical ce, but he didn¡¯t know the exact location.¡± Oberbeck said. ¡°But his method of searching for that area is quite unique. Mydy, I am sure you have heard the Witch King in Bunoxone who inherited the power of the stars. The archmagi in various factions believe that this lifeforce from the stars,es directly from the Blind Goddess, ine.¡±

    ¡°I thought this is just a myth.¡±

    ¡°That might not entirely so.¡±

    ¡°Can I continue to listen to the story?¡±

    ¡°Mydy, your teacher, Lord Panos is probably waiting for you.¡±

    The princessughed and said slyly: ¡°I¡¯m alreadyte, Lord Oberbeck. Please continue your story, I want to know what happened during the night.¡±

    Lord Oberbeck smiled as he had predicted this oue, so he continued: ¡°Then our story have to start from a legend concerning a king and a white male dear.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-Brendel POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The night had gone darkpletely. Strong winds blew across thend, causing the fir trees to rustle loudly against the wind, and the refugees felt like they were listening to ocean waves.

    Freya stared at the gloomy sky with great worry as the wind caused her hair stands to dance across her face. She grabbed her best friend¡¯s hand and whispered: ¡°Does that idiot Brendel have any confidence in what he said? He talked about somend of the holy saint¡¯s remains, but Leto and Mano never heard of it before. They are natives too¡ª¡±

    ¡°Calm down, there¡¯s absolutely no problems when ites to Brendel.¡± Romaine sat down and stared at the starry sky, answering as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t think about it all, right?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to in the first ce.¡±

    Freya was exasperated at the girl whose mind was filled with nk space, but at least she felt that she was more rxed than before. She wondered if Brendel and Romaine had the same quality to make people feel at ease.

    [Brendel¡¯s way of making people feel at easees from his steady confidence, while Romaine is her natural disposition not to worry about things....] She suddenly wondered what would happen if both of them were not at her side when she meet an obstacle.

    Suddenly there were voices of loud gasps that came from the refugees. Romaine and Freya turned their heads, and they could not believe their eyes:

    There was an ethereal creature of beauty, a white deer with a translucent body, lighting up the area around it with soft light. It appeared elegant and noble, with long slim limbs and a sturdy body, its antlers on its head sharp as des.

    This creature seemed like it did not belong in this world as it jumped onto a body, leaving behind a trail of light simr to fireflies behind it.

    The leaders, Leto, Mano and Batum stood up at the same time as they stared at it. Brendel, who was holding onto a statue, was somewhere further away with Tamar at his side. The deer jumped up higher onto the boulders in the mountain, turned around and nodded to them, then ran further ahead.

    ¡°The finished product is a little imperfect, but it¡¯s quite impressive since our conditions are limited.¡± Brendel said. He was very pleased at his first result in making an alchemy tool.

    Tamar and Ciel gave the same opinion, but the young squire still asked: ¡°My lord, how true is that blessednd that you talked about?¡±

    ¡°You heard of that before?¡± Brendel was surprised.

    ¡°Certainly. Knowledge about the ancient history is something a wizard must study. Many different forms of magic came from the Era of the Holy Saints.¡±

    ¡°I can guarantee that thend is real, but that area is always covered in fog, and I am not sure exactly where it is. I can only pray that the Goddess ine can lend us some help, so that my precious deer can find the way.¡±

    [Except that countless yers visited that ce and got nothing. I didn¡¯t get anything out from it either. It¡¯s famous as heck in the game, and everyone spected that there was something amazing in it... but no one has ever discovered what secret there is¡ª]

    ¡°Lend us some help?¡± Tamar asked.

    ¡°I mean I hope that Goddess ine is going to bless us.¡± Brendel answered.

    ¡°What happens if she doesn¡¯t?¡± Ciel turned his head towards Brendel and asked.

    Brendel did not reply. There was at least three thousand skeletons and ghouls right behind them, and Medes and Kabias elite forces in front. With the shades in this forest, this night was going to be very dangerous for them.

    The white deer caused the refugees to exim in wonder as it ran to the other side of the mountain valley before stopping. Brendel knew that the night¡¯s adventure was about to start. He looked at the pocket watch.

    [11 PM. Time to move out.]

    He gave the order to get the refugees to break the camp and move. The conscripted militia which were armed with long spears, marched together with the refugees, and two long snaking group of people started walking out of the valley, with fifty riders guarding the rear. The stars and moon were bright enough for them to see the road without lighting torches.

    Brendel and Ciel rode together with the riders, with the former pulling out the Thorn of Light. The sword did not glow, proving that there were no undead nearby.

    ¡°Get the refugees to follow the white deer. It will lead us to safety.¡± Brendel turned and instructed the riders.

    A man beside Mano suddenly rode up and asked loudly: ¡°My lord, are we really able to cross that something valley and be ahead of the Madara¡¯s army?¡±

    ¡°Definitely.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not suspecting you, my lord, but all of these things you say sound unbelievable.¡±

    ¡°It is true. But all of you simply have to trust me at this point of time. I¡¯m not going to risk my life over some false information.¡±

    ¡°But how we are going to move to the north when there¡¯s arge undead army in front? There are at least three other groups of Madara¡¯s undead patrolling this region, with them surrounding the nearby area. Each of them came from different directions, one is from the River of Sharp Rocks, the otheres from the side Hunting Deer Mountain¡¯s forest. These are most likelyprised of Pale Knights and Ghouls.¡± An officer from the White Mane army came up.

    Brendel suddenly recognized the two of them. He had fought against the two men once in Fortress Riedon and disarmed both of them, even sending them flying backwards. It seemed that they had deep prejudice against his judgment.

    ¡°If we fight against Medes¡¯s troops directly, we¡¯re all going to be killed.¡±

    Brendel looked at him. He needed someone to keep the White-Mane army¡¯s soldiers in line, so he did not get angry and replied politely. ¡°What is your name?¡±

    ¡°Please call me Taron, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Then Ser Taron, there¡¯s no need to worry, their armies are bound to have openings we can exploit.¡±

    ¡°What openings are you talking about?¡±

    Brendel did not want to reveal the gargoyle¡¯s secret to them.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to go to the rear of Medes¡¯s army, and they will pass through here in half an hour.¡±

    Everyone was silenced at that moment, and even the ones who were starting to believe in him started questioning his sanity for following Medes¡¯s army.

    But Leto suddenly said: ¡°That is a good idea, if we are able to grasp the right timing.¡±

    Brendel looked at him in astonishment.

    [This n is just a random fib... To even make it work, we have to get the right timing to cut across their weakest link of segmented troops, while suppressing their runners so they can¡¯t alert the other patrolling units. This requires a greatmand of the situation during a battle... I have only done this once in the game and simply used this as an excuse to shut this Taron up¡ª]

    Brendel did not expect Leto to guess what he had done before, and even dared to go along with what he said. Everyone was stunned, but Mano was the next to recover and understand Leto¡¯s intentions. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bet on it as well¡ª¡±

    The rest of them gradually understood what his intentions were. But even after understanding what he had in mind, everyone wondered if the three of them were crazy. Brendel looked at the gargoyle which was a speck of ck in the sky.

    [But the odds are much better than thest time since I have the gargoyle to survey the surroundings...]

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Madara POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

    The [Undead Maggot] Medes knew there was a group of refugees that escaped into the direction of the Silver Sparrow Mountain. The group had even defeated his squadron of undead skeletons.

    But he did not ce too much importance on chasing after that batch of refugees, as his attention was on working together with Kabias to deal with the White-Mane army.

    [The humans are weak.]

    It was just as easy as he had predicted. Aouine¡¯s formal army waspletely defeated by them. They had chased them all the way from morning and delivered a final blow by ambushing them. When the sun had set, the battle had ended. Even though their vanguard forces were heavily damaged, they were mostly cannon holder. The ghouls and Kabias¡¯s skeleton cavalry did not suffer much losses.

    Inparison, the forty odd skeleton riders hurt his scouting forces greatly. To regain this forces required a long time.

    It was at this point that Medes turned his attention on this group of refugees. Lord Tarkus had given an order to seal the pathway to the River of Sharp rocks with their lives, and everyone who participated in this war did not dare be careless.

    [Something is amissed...]

    The leader who led the group of refugees appeared to be skilled at avoiding the bone eagles that were spying on them. Ever since morning, they had only caught glimpses of the refugees five times, and at the end of the night, they lost their presence entirely.

    [This is a bad omen.]

    Under the weak soul fire, Medes opened the goatskin map. He drew several circles on the Silver Sparrow Mountain.

 volume 2 - 13

    Chapter 13 ¨C The calm before the storm

    The refugees kept moving to the east after they exited the mountain valley. The group formed a long serpentine shape when the path got narrower, progressing slower because they did not lit up torches and traveled in the dark. Even though the stars and moon offered a certain degree of brightness, they were hindered by the fir trees. Shadows seemed to dart about when the refugees marched through, and they shivered with trepidation.

    Under Brendel¡¯s orders, Freya had separated the refugees into different sections, with two guards maintaining order at every section. Freya told them what they needed to do so that they would not impede the progress, while Brendel told them what would happen if they failed to follow orders, and with this coaxing and threatening approach, they managed to achieve a bnce to maintain speed and order.

    The veterans Mano and Leto were not too worried about their movements as noises were easily muffled because of the thick forest, bing nothing more than a whisper within a short distance. The reason for this was because of the strong wind that caused the fir trees to rustle constantly and loudly.

    Brendel strained his ears to listen to the wind while he led the horse forward on foot. There seemed to be all sorts of noises in it: There was the rustling of Fir trees, groups of birds singing together, but there seemed to be some strange music and whispers in them, as if they were speaking anothernguage.

    Aouine¡¯s southern region described this whispers as the witches trying to bewitch travelers as there were many who did not return after traveling to this part of the forest.

    Brendel did not believe in them, but now that he had experienced it, he felt there was indeed a certain air of mystery.

    The other mercenaries also led their horses on foot as they wanted to reserve the horses¡¯ stamina to prepare for the uing battle. Even though these specially bred war horses¡¯ stamina were approximately twenty percent better than a normal horse, the cavalry riders did not want to ride on them to maintain their charging prowess.

    They had advanced to the east for approximately five kilometers, and was considered to have left the Silver Sparrow Mountain¡¯s area.

    [This area should be considered the area of the Hunting Deer forest... Only seasonal hunters would appear here.]

    Brendel had already sent out the gargoyle to survey the west and southern area, while the other scouts have returned from their various assignments.

    After a few minutester, the scouts came up to Brendel with pale faces.

    The scouts have discovered the entire region ahead was filled with skeletons, even before they reached their designated locations.

    [They must have received a shock... It¡¯s not pleasant at all to listen to a sea of skeletons walk on the hard ground.]

    Brendel soothed them and allowed them to rest, while turning to the other riders and exined their weakness, so that they would be ready to fight when the timees.

    He send out another scout in the the northwest.

    Brendel knew what Madara¡¯s formation was after listening to the scouts¡¯ reports. They wereid carefully in order to be flexible in their movements, and their scouts controlled arge area where they were mobile enough to aid both the front and rear army.

    These Madara¡¯s leaders were the true reason why the Dark Lords were able to pull off their strategies and formations.

    [Fortunately this formation has a fatal weakness. As long as they lose the support of the Shades, the necromancers will reorganize their army, and the space between each squadron will be huge. There¡¯s an additional weakness to it if the enemy leader is weak enough, with the ssic scenario where they can onlymand a small fraction of the army at a single time.... That will be advantageous for us, but at the same time, I need to be careful of Medes¡¯s army. If he¡¯s the one leading, that additional weakness will not be there.]

    There were not many ways to discover a shade¡¯s presence.

    But Brendel ¡®knew¡¯ of a way.

    Mano kept looking down at the white deer as he led a group of volunteer militia. Brendel had told him that the beautiful white deer would be able to show them where the terrifying shades were.

    Mano was irritated. He hated this mysterious act of Brendel talking like a mysterious wizard, and he would rather have a proper battle. They were ahead of the refugees by nearly a kilometer, but the white deer still did not act like what Brendel had said it would do.

    Just when he wanted to curse and grumble, the white deer suddenly turned its head into another direction and pawed at the ground with a distressed expression.

    [Over there?!]

    Mano immediately drew out his saber andmanded everyone to go over to the direction where the white deer indicated.

    There was nothing strange about that area with fir trees, but when they started to surround that area, they saw a translucent white humanoid figure.

    [M-marsha above! This is the shade!?]

    Everyone¡¯s feet stopped when they saw that white figure, but it shrieked loudly and rushed straight at them. The scream made their blood curdle, while the forest suddenly went into deep silence.

    Mano had never fought such a bizarre battle in his life. The Shade¡¯s face seemed to show his friends¡¯ face who had died in battle, but he quickly shook his head and ignored it. Brendel had warned him about this; these illusions were not real.

    Mano did not dare to suspect Brendel any longer; the scene in front of him was just madness.

    Mano gripped his saber tightly and swung at the Shade. The de went past the body and immediately developed ayer of ice. Mano cursed inwardly as he did not feel the impact.

    Spirits were in between the reality and the ethereal, and physical attacks had a fifty percent chance to fail.

    Mano was unable to pull off an evasive maneuver as the Shade went for his head. He immediately turned his upper body sideways, and the Shade¡¯s fingernails pass through his shoulder.

    The veteran soldier immediately felt an intense chill piercing at his bone, and he lost all sensation to it.

    ¡°Attack, attack now, you worthless bastards!¡± He roared at the frightened militia. They finally woke up from their stupor and raised their long spears and attacked the Shade.

    Three spears went through the shadow-like creature, but the other two spears managed to impale the creature and lift it up. It screamed loudly. Mano then jumped high up and tried to cleave the shade into two. It screamed loudly and disappeared when the saber cut through its neck to the lower torso.

    Everyone finally rxed, and a few even of them felt weak in their knees and just sat onto the ground, and no one had the mood to talk about what had happened.

    Brendel watched the scene from far away.

    [As expected of an Iron-ranked fighter, he¡¯s more than enough to take care of these intermediate ranked undead. Hismanding abilities are also good, it¡¯s fortunate that I have these veteran mercenaries, otherwise trying to care of these Shades might be a problem.]

    He suddenly turned his head back to Freya.

    [Although this Soul Statue is amon thing, the one who discovered that the White Deer has the ability to actually discover the undead was Freya... Did I just giarize her idea? Uhh, in any case, once we start clearing out all these Shades, the necromancers will eventually discover that a number of their Shades did not report back... If they stop moving for one or two hours, we can do a lot.]

    Brendel¡¯s surveyed the ground through the gargoyle¡¯s eyes, and he finally spotted a group of skeleton riders passing through the forest. He was not sure if he had missed other groups of skeletons, but he was certain that it was one of the vanguard groups. Hemanded the gargoyle to sweep the ce again, and after three minutes, he spotted another group of riders.

    The gargoyle then went deeper into the mountain region, and he spotted arge group of skeleton infantry.

    [Just like I thought. They gathered up. Approximately two mid-sizedpanies of skeleton soldiers¡ª]

    Brendel found two morepanies as the Brendel flew through the valley. Even though he could not see which leader it belonged to, he did not think that they would be easy to deal with.

    [This is just the beginning of an even bigger army. It shouldn¡¯t be the ¡®Pale Knight¡¯ Ebdon or Vesa in the rear, probably Direndall or Ladios. Two generals under Tarkus, with the army split into five divisions. They have around ten thousand undead stretched across twenty thirty kilometers, and they are moving in the night just like I thought... The timing is bad. We need to move quickly.]

    Even though Brendel still wanted to survey even further and see what unit was ahead, the gargoyle had already reached its maximum flying area. He had once lied to Marden and Bretton that it surveyed the entire Be region, but that was not the case.

    It was 1.05 AM.

    Taron reported that the scouts surveying the north western area had returned, and the elite forces had appeared in the River of Sharp Rocks.

    The mercenaries¡¯ faces were grim when the news spread. They had kept a sliver of hope in their hearts, but the worst oue had happened.

    The refugees were surrounded.

    For one moment they thought of breaking through the north before the undeadpletely surrounded them, but the mercenaries looked at Brendel and Freya, then at the refugees, and they thought it was impossible to do so. Everyone was at a loss for words.

    Freya grabbed her reins anxiously and cast her eyes at Brendel subconsciously, but he did not seemed to notice the atmosphere of the mercenaries at all. He merely looked at the pocket watch once, then got up onto his horse.

    He pulled out his sword and said: ¡°Listen up, everyone¡ª¡±

    The youth¡¯s voice was strong and clear.

    ¡°There are twopanies of undead in the south-west direction, their distance up to two to three kilometers away. Somewhere further beyond that area is anotherpany of undead. Along the way are two to four scouting groups of skeleton riders. We need to eliminate two of these scouting parties and attack one of thepanies to create an opening.

    Then we¡¯re going to go to the rear of Medes¡¯s army just like we nned. We have two hours toplete all of this, after which we will be ying hide and seek with the undead army.¡± Brendel raised his sword and rode around the mercenaries, suddenly showing signs of condescension.

    ¡°Why, is everyone afraid?¡±

    No reply came back, as everyone was stunned as he suddenly came up with information that the scouts did not bring back, and some wondered if he was lying through his teeth.

    Yet, contrary to everyone¡¯s expectations, with most of them experiencing it first hand, the things that happened so far had coincided with everything that he had said. As they looked at him, they saw that very same figure who led them charging downwards on that high ground to vanquish the group of skeleton riders.

    It was as if his sword pointed to a miraculous road of victory, and no matter how hard or difficult it was, he was going to lead through that road.

    Brendel looked at them without moving his eyes away without saying anything.

    [D¨¦j¨¤ vu... I led a simr charge with my allies back then in the game as well...]

    One of his party members even said that he was best suited as a vanguard leader, as he had never swayed from the things he decided upon.

    Every mercenary got onto their horses, and drew out their weapons at the same time.

    ¡°For victory-¡±

    ¡°For Aouine!!!¡±

    TL: Urgh. It¡¯s a god damn cliffhanger.

 volume 2 - 14

    Chapter 14 ¨C Piercing through

    Nearly everyone was stunned.

    Brendel had led the cavalry through the forest quickly and pointed out the location of the undead as if he had the ability of irvoyance. Only Taron and a few of Luc Beson¡¯s soldiers guessed that it had to something to do with the gargoyle, but they did not have much time to think about it.

    Brendel immediately gave the order to attack, and fifty odd riders charged along side with him. They split up into various groups as they got nearer, and surrounded the enemy, sealing off the possible retreating paths.

    [Good. The enemy is moving just like how I predicted and they arepletely surrounded.]

    The mercenaries and Luc Beson¡¯s soldiers started to see Brendel as a leader that was only heard in legends.

    The initial battle began with Brendel¡¯s sword arte, smashing five skeleton soldiers into pieces as he charged straight at the enemy. The skeletons that tried to block him from reaching themanding necromancer was sent flying backwards approximately seven or eight meters. The same scene the men witnessed earlier repeated itself, with Brendel thrusting his sword straight through the necromancer, with everyone reforming and charging at the remaining skeletons, crushing the enemypletely.

    After traveling for about five minutes, they met and defeated a group of skeleton riders which caused them slightly more trouble. It was aplete victory for them, but this time there were three riders who got injured. Brendel immediately rushed over to them and bandaged them up. Due to his skill, their bleeding stopped in a matter of moments, which was even more effective than some blood staunching medicine, and he sent one of the more heavily injured person back to rejoin the refugees.

    This minor action won him even more repute, and even Taron and Luc Beson¡¯s men started to think there was nothing that Brendel could not do.

    [.... Hah. 779 XP for the two battles. With thebined XP from the previous battles, I reached level 17. If this situation wasn¡¯t a game, I might even feel bored because of how static Madara¡¯s riders tactical cements and strategies are in this era...]

    The greatest improvement in the undead tactics came along when Incirsta reformed the ranks, and they became more flexible and difficult to deal with.

    At the same time when Freya instructed the refugees to abandon the horse carriages to improve their marching speed, the Madara undead found they were in trouble.

    Medes, a half ghoul and skeleton, received the report from the frontline. The undead acolytes had sent over ten shades to the south, but there was only half that returned to their ranks.

    [The refugees did it? Or a trap set by a greater force?]

    Medes scratched his maimed head, sending several fat maggots that crawled out from his head in surprise. Some of then crawled into his eye sockets and cavities of his face, and he grabbed one and sent it into his teeth, eating it.

    He then took out the map he used earlier and started drawing lines to indicate where the group of refugees might go.

    [The enemy has the ability to suppress the shades and my predictions might not be right... I need to have the acolytes send out a second batch of shades to verify them, but at the same time my army has to speed up so that we can seal off the escape paths along with Ebdon and the other undead leaders.]

    There were seven undead leaders who were out there, including himself, hunting for refugees in every direction. No matter how cunning the refugees were, they had no way of running out. Madara had a proverb: ¡®No matter how clever the rats were, they cannot escape a sealed oil barrel¡¯.

    [When the sun rises, the entire southern region here will be covered of the shadows of Brumand¡¯s ck roses, and Madara will seize victory¡ª]

    Medes petted a zombie that was lying down like an obedient dog. But just as he thought everything was going ording to n, Brendel was cornering apany¡¯s undead leader.

    Approximately five minutes ago, the ck Knight Xelsa confirmed that he had lost contact with two groups of ten skeleton riders each, and it started wondering if he was targeted by an unknown group of Aouine¡¯s army. Despite the immediate response by sending out shades and riders to the eleventhpany nearby, none of his scouts returned.

    That was when it realized the situation was grave.

    When Brendel and his mercenaries appeared on a hill nearby the undeadpany, they saw that they had stopped and was preparing to camp on the spot. Batum, Leto and Mano did not see anything odd in their formations, but Brendel secretly frowned.

    [The quality of their captains are outstanding, or at least this one is. I was hoping that this undeadpany would form up with the nearestpany ahead after losing their scouts, and we would be able to lead the refugees over with this hole in their formation, but themanding officer made the best judgment in such a short time.]

    ¡°What are they doing?¡±

    Taron knew a little of Madara¡¯s strategy, and he asked out of curiosity. He looked at Brendel, not doubting his ability in his mind anymore.

    ¡°They are on guard at the very same spot. I wanted to confuse their leader by killing all their scouts cleanly and quickly, making it think that there was a force that was at least three times bigger than their numbers.¡±

    ¡°Three times? Then why doesn¡¯t their leader regroup with the nearby undead forces. Are they not afraid of getting surrounded?¡±

    ¡°The leader is waiting for their allies¡¯ scouts.¡±

    ¡°Are they not afraid that we can stop their scouts too?¡± Mano quipped while polishing his saber.

    Brendel nced at him.

    [Do you really think we can stop them anytime we want? If it¡¯s not for one of the best scouting unit type like the gargoyle, do you really think we can sweep up all the scouts that were sent out?]

    ¡°Destroying their scouts have told them there are enemies in this direction. The reason why we destroyed the two groups of skeleton riders, is because Brendel ns to destroy this entirepany as well.¡±

    ¡°Then we don¡¯t have too much time in this n right?¡±

    ¡°One hour. We must finish before that and clean up the battlefield too.¡± Brendel answered.

    [Freya will reach this ce with the militia in about twenty minutes...]

    When Xelsa surveyed the area, he suddenly saw a group of soldiers with long spears walking down from the hilltop. He was momentarily taken aback as their attire was different from any of Aouine¡¯s troops.

    He turned his head around and asked with a hoarse voice: ¡°This army belongs to which city¡¯s troops?¡±

    The necromancer beside him immediately bowed respectfully and answered: ¡°They appear to be militia.¡±

    ¡°Militia? How can a group of militia defeat two squadrons of our skeleton riders?¡±

    The ck Knight felt there was something amiss, and he straightened up on his force and signalled.

    ¡°Change to your bows.¡±

    ¡°The target is one hundred and forty feet, scatter shot formation....... Fire!¡±

    The skeleton soldiers had switched to the longbows on their back when they received themand, and started to fire upon his order. A series of highly strung strings trilled as ck arrows flew across the fir trees and into the hill.

    The wind in the hilly areas were very strong, and the arrows basically had no aim into them. However, the militia that had very little training was frightened by them. When they saw the arrows, they stopped momentarily before descending into chaos.

    Freya immediately rode back to the right nk and issuedmands to the Aouine¡¯s light infantry and remaining mercenaries to lead the militia.

    ¡°Lower your bodies and keep your head! Remember your training, do not stop moving! Follow me and fight for your families!¡±

    Freya roared with her sword in hand. Hermands seemed to work, and the militia quickly regained their courage and regrouped, moving at a quicker pace than before.

    The dark knight furrowed his brows, and ordered the skeletons to unleash another volley.

    ¡°Targets, one hundred feet. Take aim¡ª Fire!¡±

    The skeletons¡¯ arrows were much urate this time, and there were a few militia who were struck down by the arrows, rolling down the hill.

    But after the two volleys of arrows, the militia had ovee their fear and steadied themselves. The arrows were not as effective as they had imagined it to be.

    Xelsa immediately changed his strategy and targeted the female knight. The third volley of arrows concentrated on her, but her armor lit up with countless spots of lights, and every arrow that was fired at her deflected everywhere.

    This miraculous scene stunned everyone, and they cheered and roared out Freya¡¯s name¡ª

    ¡°An Elven imperial soldier?!¡± The ck Knight was so furious that he nearlyughed. He did not understand where this ridiculous army came from.

    Brendel who was hiding along with the mercenaries from a short distance ahead in the hills, nodded when he saw Freya leading the army calmly with decisive orders.

    [Even though she¡¯s a little clumsy during the normal days, but this battle proves she¡¯s the future Goddess of War.]

    He took out the pocket watch and checked the time.

    [We are on schedule¡ª]

    He got up on his horse and gestured. The mercenaries mounted their horses, and when he saw they were ready, he pulled out his the Thorn of Light. A dazzling light burst forth as he roared,

    ¡°Move out!¡±

    The sudden roar and dazzling light made the enemy and Freya¡¯s army look at Brendel and the charging mercenaries behind him.

    ¡°An Elven sword!¡± Xelsa immediately recognized it and almost screamed. He pulled out his own sword.

    ¡°Ciel!¡± Brendel raised his sword high up and shouted.

    The young squire instantly raised the ruby in his hand and pointed at the sword: ¡°Sharpness, shall split all into two, the creation of des.¡±

    A white beam of light extended from Brendel¡¯s sword before it disappeared a momentter. The magic had temporarily improved the quality of the de, making it sharper and harder.

    ¡°My lord, a new day is about to arrive, please remember to pay the cost to my maintenance.¡± Ciel grinned and said when he finished performing the spell.

    Brendel smiled faintly in response, then took on a serious face. He pointed his sword at Xelsa¡¯s formation, signifying the uing battle.

 volume 2 - 15

    Chapter 15 ¨C One against hundred

    The distance was seventy meters away. Brendel did not order the men to rush straight at the enemy, but led them at a steady pace into a small forest, and appeared from the other end of it.

    Xelsa felt things were getting out of hand as he urged his horse forward. He waved his ck de in front of the skeletons:

    ¡°Turn, turn around you damned fools!¡±

    ¡°Third and forth rows, ready your spears, hurry! You bunch of stupid bones!¡±

    Xelsa used a hoarse and hollow voice as he hurled abuses at them, splitting up the soldiers into two groups. One was to face Freya¡¯s militia, and the other was to check the iing cavalry that suddenly appeared.

    The spears were raised and lowered together at the same time. The first row of skeletons pointed slightly upwards, while the second row lower their spears at shoulder height, forming an iron wall of steel.

    Brendel looked at the ghastly spear tips. He was almost immune to the tension after experiencing battles so many times, and there was not a shred of fear in his taut face. His breathing was even and ready to enter into the fray.

    [... Judging from the appearance of the enemy leader, he¡¯s approximately level 20 to 30 and he¡¯s probably wearing equipment of the same level. If that¡¯s the case, he¡¯s at the upper tier of a Iron-ranked fighter. His stats is most likely higher because he¡¯s an elite as well...]

    Brendel pointed his sword into Xelsa¡¯s nks, and the cavalry started to turn to curve and turn away from the spears, inching closer to the nks of the skeletons¡¯ formation.

    Xelsa was greatly distressed. The opponents were full of seasoned mercenaries and theirmander instantly reacted to any changes that the skeletons made in their formations. No matter how many times he tried to lure the enemy with false openings in the skeletons¡¯ formations, the enemy would ignore it and aim for their weakest areas.

    [Any lessermanders would have charged at us by now...! These fucking maggots areing around us again!]

    Xelsa ordered the skeletons to turn approximately one hundred and twenty degrees, but they were slow to react and turn. Reassembling a formation that could resist the cavalry¡¯s charge was extremely troublesome, and he had to assign nearly all his necromancers in hispany to ensure that the formation was done right.

    [Fuck! The militia and infantry areing from the other side. This group of skeletons are much weaker because there¡¯s not enough necromancers to lead them!]

    ¡°Fire your arrows at will!¡±

    The skeleton soldiers had shot their forth volley of arrows, until Xelsa ordered them to fire at will.

    Thebined armyprised of militia and infantry led by Freya was ten meters away. This group of men that were from different cities and age started showing various degrees of fear and tension.

    Their hands held either long spears or Madara¡¯s ck steel swords with their breaths were disarrayed. Their formation was starting to lose its shape, but they still advanced forward. In front of them was gleaming skeletons without fear or excitement. They had no emotions or thought, and merely observed the iing miltia with their orange-red Soul Fire in their eye sockets.

    Freya realized right away that her army was starting to be disorderly again, and her mind went into a nk for a short moment because she did not know what to do. But she quickly clenched her teeth and raised her sword and charged straight into the midst of the enemy like a lightning bolt.

    That was the beginning of her change from a militia to a knight.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Romaine¡¯s POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    The forest of spears entered into Romaine¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Freya!¡±

    She had carefully ran out from the refugees and hid carefully at the hilltop, but she was frightened when she saw Freya charging straight at the skeleton soldiers with their spears pointing forward.

    Suddenly she heard galloping sounds and she turned her head. She found the girl called Sue was riding on a war horse, going straight to the battlefield.

    [She looks like she has great riding skills... Hmm... Riding looks interesting.]

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Back to the battle POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Freya went to the skeletons¡¯ nk and raised her longsword, swiping away the spears that came at her. But she was able to handle only a few attacks at a given time, and many of the skeletons were able to thrust their spears into her. Her armor lit up and most of their attacks grazed her, but even the magic that was woven into the had its limits.

    Two spears found their way through Freya¡¯s upper torso, ripping long gashes across her chest and neck, while one spear lodged itself into her abdomen, and blood poured out like an overturned tumbler.

    She uttered a guttural sound as she severed the spear. The militia had shed with the Madara¡¯s undead by this point, but the skeletons¡¯ formation was affected by Freya¡¯s reckless attacks and they were forced back under thebined pressure. She urged the horse to turn around and retreat from the nks, then charged straight into another section of the skeleton troops¡ª

    Xelsa who had his attention drawn by the Brendel and mercenaries, received a shock when he found the skeleton troops¡¯ formation crumbling. He had thought his army would at least be able to defend for a while, but he did not think that they would be crushed so thoroughly once they made contact. He sought for their leader, and saw her issuing orders to her army to move in an orderly manner without rushing. Each time they moved a step forward, skeleton bones could be found flying through the air.

    He exhaled, the misty breath temporarily covering his lips.

    [If I had more necromancers, they could still remake their formations.... But on the other side is the enemy¡¯s cavalry¡ª]

    He turned his head back to the cavalry and received another shock.

    Brendel had his full attention on Xelsa, and when he saw Xelsa was distracted, he led the cavalry closer to the skeletons¡¯ nks, and Xelsa was unable to react in time.

    Brendel raised his sword up and waved it once.

    The cavalry behind him raised their swords at the same time.

    ¡°Destroy them!¡± Brendel shouted.

    ¡°Aouine shall be victorious!!!¡±

    The calvary charged straight at the skeletons in full speed as they roared loudly. The gravel on the ground seemed to dance as the ground vibrated.

    The skeletons in Xelsa¡¯s rear had started to reach his sides as they were pushed back, with the Freya and army starting to surround the necromancers. He chopped a skeleton into two as it blocked his way.

    ¡°Lower your spe¡ª¡±

    Brendel lowered his body and swung the Thorn of Light. He used the [White Raven¡¯s Sword Rave], and the wind pressure swept across the skeletons like a scythe, smashing five skeletons from the first and second row backwards. He then released his reins and raised both his hands up to the direction of the skeleton formation. Two blue light beams shot at them, knocking their long spears to the side.

    One human and one horse lunged into their formation without stopping, and several skeletons that were knocked, got crushed by the horse¡¯s hooves.

    It might have looked dangerous, but Brendel was confident of his 4.3 OZ agility which was several times faster than a normal man, and the skeletons¡¯ movements in his eyes actually looked like they were crawling slowly. This tiny gap in the enemy¡¯s timing was a huge opening that could be easily used against them.

    ¡°Protect your horses!¡±

    Brendel yelled as the first row of mercenaries made contact with the disorderly skeleton troops. Loud crashing sounds repeated as rows of skeletons fell backwards by their charge. The skeleton soldiers were forced back and almost squeezed the necromancers.

    The mercenaries were veterans who were experienced in charging. They easily tore through the enemy¡¯s ranks and knocked back their spears with ease with their war horses, with the second group of riders ready to charge straight into the enemy¡¯s chaotic formation. They would then reform andunch an assault at the skeletons again, and a few minutester, the Madara army was in shambles.

    Their first charge had the greatest casualties, of which two of them were knocked down by the spears, with the first row of war horses receiving injuries. However, with their Iron-ranked strength, they managed to create a devastating impact that even Brendel did not expect.

    Freya and Brendel¡¯sbined army nearly pierced through the undead army that had the size of two hundred men with their first assault.

    Xelsa could not believe that his army was defeated so easily. His necromancers had tried to stop Brendel¡¯s rampaging charge by casting the spell [Curtain of Darkness] to blind him, but he waspletely unaffected by it and severed the offending necromancers into two after charging out of the area, with white mes burning them up into ashes. Another necromancer tried to cast debilitating magic on him, but he swung a sword arte from seven or eight meters away and cleaved it into two as well.

    Every time Brendel swung his sword, the surrounding skeletons would burst up into mes. Holy fire burned all around him, as if he was surrounded by a heavenly glow, and soon his undead enemies were all turned into ashes.

    It was as if nothing could stop his rampage, and the mercenaries who finally had the chance to rest a little, witnessed his feat and could not help but open their mouths wide.

    Finally, when there was nothing but a scarce number of skeletons left, his eyes fell upon Xelsa.

 volume 2 - 16

    TL: This chapter is considerably short, almost half of its normal size. The next update kind of depends. I have to rush 2 assignments and see what else there are for this week. Typically if there are any sponsored chapters, I¡¯ll try to finish it within 2 days. So there might be an update tomorrow or the day after. Depends.

    This is a sponsored chapter. Thank you very much.

    Chapter 16 ¨C Rout

    One sh, one kill, a force that could not be stopped even by a legion.

    [[[What kind of imposing power is this?!]]]

    It was not only Xelsa who thought of this, the militia and mercenaries who saw Brendel¡¯s frenzied destruction stopped what they were doing. They even thought a legendary pdin would not be able to surpass what he did. The humans who were still in the midst in attacking cheered at the same time, their morale greatly boosted.

    The militia destroyed off the skeletons who were in front of them, and Xelsa knew that he was defeated. But the noble blood in him from the darknds did not allow him to admit defeat¡ª

    [What kind of army is this...? They look nothing more like a bunch of disorganized garbage who are not even equipped properly. They are even worse than militia because they are hastily formed from a group of refugees. This group of men who had even lost their reason to fight... But the one who led them... is far more impressive. Aouine is a nothing more than a decadent kingdom now. How could our glorious undead be defeated by an army like this? ]

    Xelsa could not help butment in his heart.

    The ck Knight pulled out his sword, the soul fire in him ring up. He dragged the necromancer beside him who was of a higher level and pointed at Brendel, ordering him loudly to use a [Mental st] on him.

    He then patted the neck of his horse, bringing along the three ck Warrior guards with him. Even if he had no chance of gaining victory, he had to reim his glory by killing the enemy¡¯s leader. This was Madara¡¯s pride, the pride that only the nobles had.

    Brendel who was observing Xelsa, immediately realized that the situation he was in. He pointed at the necromancer and called out to Ciel. The wizard apprentice fired a ray of white light at the necromancer who was in the middle of casting a spell. But Ciel did not expect his magic to be deflected when it struck the necromancer¡¯s ribs.

    [Ciel¡¯s level is too low.]

    Brendel immediately understood that when he saw the necromancer resisting Ciel¡¯s spell. A few remaining skeletons were in his path, and he had no choice but to destroy them first. He cut them down and raised his left hand¡ª

    A sky blue triangr magic formation formed around his wrist.

    Brendel paid 3 Wind EP into the Elemental Pool, and activated the magic card.

    This sky blue cardbination represented the power of wind, flexible and varied, a magic that was unpredictable due to its nature of countering the enemy after theyunched an attack first.

    A transparent ripple with razor sharp edgesunched from the necromancer¡¯s forehead, aiming towards Brendel and the people nearby him, but it suddenly stopped moving in the middle of its path, as if time had frozen. A hurricane formed in the battlefield and seemed to howl in everyone¡¯s ears. The mental st was then sent back to the caster, and countless undead skulls exploded in its path.

    The necromancer who had lost its head shook once, and dropped down from the horse.

    [[Magic swordsman!]]

    The mercenaries and militia who did not understand magic very well, did not think it was unusual of Brendel to cast a spell after seeing the undead set on fire with his shes. But the ones who were more experienced trembled. Not only was he a genius in tactical battle and fighter who had the strength of an Iron-ranked fighter, he was a wizard who was powerful enough to destroy the enemy¡¯s necromancers with ease!

    Xelsa felt his body turning cold. Once again, he could not understand where the leader of their cavalrye from. He held an Elven sword with incredible skills, leading his men with brilliant tactialmands and he was even able to use magic.

    [How could this man be not famous in Aouine? And if he is not, Is he going to be someone who will rise to be a legendary figure in history?]

    When he hesitated, two of his personal guards had stepped up to stop Brendel who was charging at them. The youth¡¯s expression did not change, and disarmed the first ck Warrior¡¯s two handed sword with a violent metallic crash, then shed across the neck and chest armor in a straight arc downwards. An explosive sound echoed in the mountain valley as he threw down the ck Warrior down along with his horse onto the ground.

    He then punched the second guard¡¯s giant sword away with a deafening ng, and urged his horse forward by tightening his legs around its abdomen. After grabbing the ck Warrior¡¯s arm with his left hand, he thrust his sword through his heart and lifted him off the horse, then throwing him onto the ground.

    He narrowed his eyes as he saw a -72 HP above the ck Warrior¡¯s head.

    [The damage done by the Thorn of Light is ridiculous. Although I must say, it¡¯s bizarre to look at the numbers appearing out of thin air...]

    The ck Warrior had started to burn up when the final guard attacked him. Brendel deflected the iing sword and decapitated the enemy with ease. But a metallic ringing sword from the Thorn of Light made him look at it, and he was delighted to see a magic ne that added +0.3 OZ strength.

    [I had always thought that it was strange for the loot that I got to be so dismal. After fighting against so many Madara undead and even the Golden Apple Tree boss, the loot drops have been awful to the point I even wondered if there¡¯s a difference from the game.]

    When he was momentarily distracted, he found a sword piercing towards him. He was jolted back to his senses and dodge to the side. He found the ck Knight had came before himself.

    The youth looked around him. All his guards and skeletons have been destroyed, but instead of running away from surrendering, Xelsa merely came before him and waited.

    [Does he want to challenge me to a duel?]

    He was taken aback.

    Freya grimaced as she held the wound on her waist with pressure. She felt that her heart was itching or something, like she was more concerned with the armor being spoiled. She thought for a while before persuading herself it was because of the rarity of the armor.

    Freya ordered the militia to check for any remaining undead that was not destroyed or escaped, and to ount for the wounded and dead. She rode around with the horse and found a skeleton soldier crawling on the ground with a broken leg. Before she was able to destroy it, someone else rushed up to it and struck the skeleton through the head with a sword.

    She stopped and turned around, and Freya saw that it was Sue.

    ¡°Sue?¡±

    The girl with bronze skin rode over and looked at Freya with concern.

    ¡°Freya, are you injured?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, did you see Brendel?¡± Freya had pulled away from the main area a considerable distance.

    ¡°Him? Why are you so concerned about him when he¡¯s a coward who won¡¯t even ept a knight¡¯s duel?¡±

    ¡°A knight duel?¡±

    Author¡¯s notes on magic items

    Iron-rankedbel is termed as [Alchemy item], the weakest ss of magic item.

    Bronze-ranked [Minor light], low ss magic item.

    Brass-ranked [Magic], is considered as a true Magic ss item. I.E, Brendel¡¯s Ring of the Wind Empress, Freya¡¯s me Ring, with the typical ability ofunching magic.

    Silver-ranked (Legendary), items that are rarely found. An example would be Brendel¡¯s Thorn of Light, and it was able to change the power ratio to a certain level, like how Brendel easily defeated undead that was above his natural level.

    Gold-ranked items (Fantasy). Items that can only be found in myths or bard¡¯s songs. There are very few people who own them.

    Dark Gold-ranked items (Godly). There are only a few core members in big guilds in the game that managed to get them, and seen as a representation of their status.

    As for ultimate unique items, like the Mercury Staff (TL: probably owned Madara¡¯s undead boss), Lament of the Wind Empress (ring), or the holy dragon spear Gungnir.

 volume 2 - 17

    TL: The resolution of this battle finally appears. For the different types of rarity of items, I will now ssify them as ¡®XXX-ranked rating¡¯. Let¡¯s hope I don¡¯t forget that rule lol.

    This chapter is also sponsored. Thank you very much.

    Chapter 17 ¨C Cleaning the battlefield.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Princess POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    ¡°A knight¡¯s duel?¡± The silver-colored hair princess could not suppress a smile when she heard that, impressed that the ck Knight was able to think of a tactic to try and dy the time. But she soon sighed and turned her head towards the scenery outside the window in a daze, looking past the floating dust that was visible in the sunlight. She frowned with worry as she thought about a number of things¡ª

    [Give up one¡¯s honor? Throwing away your pride as a knight to avoid battling the ¡®Dark Blooming Roses of Madara¡¯? ... Thisnd has been gued by war for centuries, and is now hardly loved by its citizens, but did that youth change their hearts when he led them?]

    The princess did not know that her prediction would be reality. She looked back at Oberbeck and they both did not speak for a long time.

    ¡°The Wise King, Erik, our first ancestor king led citizens from Kirrlutz to independence in order to battle the unending corruption in the empire. Our country was formed for the sake of defying the nobles¡¯ arrogance and greed.

    And now, our nobles have be greedy and noble. Have we lost our virtues and the heart to protect justice, to the point of losing the ability to gather people?¡±

    ¡°I dare not to presume anything, but even though the nobles are corrupted beyond recognition, at least our citizens still believe in the crown.¡± Oberbeck answered.

    The princess nodded, her mood lifting a little.

    Oberbeck was able to see through inner her thoughts and continued speaking. ¡°No matter rotten the ground is, a seed is still able to grow beneath it, mydy. Even since the time from our ancestor king, Ansen the tenth, we have been training militias and forming forces, for the sake of sowing these seeds. That youth that I met was able to give up on his pride and honor, showing the younger generation of Aouine is no lesser than any of Madara¡¯s forces.¡±

    However, the two did not point out that particr youth was from the Hignd Knights, and had nothing to do with the crown. Still, the princess could not imagine why he was able to give up his honor as a knight.

    However, they did not know that Brendel was not a knight in the first ce.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Battle¡¯s POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    Xelsa did not expect it too, so he could only die in humiliation under thebined attacks of the mercenaries.

    Brendel hadpletely ignored him, except the moment where he swung his sword without any warning. Xelsa blocked it in time, but he was thrown off the horse, and Brendel ordered the mercenaries to attack Xelsa immediately.

    Brendel met Xelsa¡¯s eyes when he attacked him. He saw that the ck Knight pursued in the belief of true honor and faith.

    [One person never only hold so much strength, but when you put ten of thousands together, that force would be a strong force. ¡®Madara¡¯s blooming ck roses¡¯ are starting to form. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t agree with that honorable notion, and I don¡¯t intend to.]

    In contrast, Xelsa looked at the young human knight from the ground. He saw only pragmatism from his cold eyes.

    Brendel knew what would happen in the future, but he also knew that no one would believe that future would appear. Therefore he had to be even stronger, to let his wings grow one feather at a time, in order to make the world respect his opinions, and before that happened, all fame to him was nothing but vanity.

    [The only one I can rely on is myself if I am to save Aouine and everyone else. A ck Knight trying to change my thoughts because of a stupid knight duel? Ridiculous.]

    A knight¡¯s duel required fair witnesses from both side, a series of ceremonies and rituals. He would never agree to this ridiculous suggestion unless he was mad. Perhaps the ¡®knights¡¯ in this era would agree and respect his opponent as they observed such virtues as sacred things, but he was from another world.

    [The only warfare avable to me is unrestricted warfare, not fucking fair duels¡ª]

    Ultimately, Xelsa was unable to understand why the knight refused a duel, and only had unending regret when the militia struck their gleaming weapons into his chest.

    The undead enemy had beenpletely defeated.

    Brendel led his horse to run a few steps before stopping. He turned it around and found everyone was looking at him strangely. It was not strange, since a knight refusing a duel was considered as an important matter. Even though the mercenaries had seen many things, they were still affected by the world¡¯s thoughts.

    Brendel sheathed his sword.

    ¡°You might wonder why I refused his duel. It¡¯s simple. The duels between nobles should be done with respect with both side, and the enemy knight is desecrating that because of the deceit in his mind.¡±

    He paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°As to why I said that, all of you can think about it.¡±

    Everyone except Leto and Taron and his men still felt a little ufortable. Brendel changed his tactics and said: ¡°Of course, that¡¯s mostly bullshit. To be more exact, I have no interest in taking a bet without any rewards in it¡ª¡±

    This obviously suited the mercenaries and many of them acknowledged that with heartyughs. Mano nodded vigorously, almost thinking that Brendel was someone he could get along very well.

    Leto and Taron still looked a little unconvinced after noting the hidden meaning behind Brendel¡¯s words, but Brendel knew he could only try to exin so much, as any more would have a bacsh.

    He quickly gave the order to the mercenaries to tidy up the battlefield and pick up the loot, while he dismounted and went near Xelsa and the ck Warriors¡¯ bodies.

    [Time to get my rewards¡ª]

    There were some small items that was burned along with the ck Warrior when they got struck by the Thorn of Light. They looked quite disgusting, but they were considered as treasure in his eyes. He kicked away the empty armor that was much bigger than the average human. The chest armor needed to be reforged to be usable for a human, so it was worthless in his eyes.

    [Let¡¯s see, are there any magic items that could be easily carried....]

    Unfortunately, he did not get much after separating the ashes with his fingers. He found an ¡®Iron-ranked rating¡¯ ring in the form of a snake. It only added +0.1 OZ agility, but it was better than nothing.

    He was not too sad about the situation yet as the three ck Warriors were the appetizers, and if he got anything from it he would be happy.

    [Now for the level 20 + elite ck Knight...]

    The half te that the ck Knight was his size, but the mercenaries made quite a few holes and dents on it. He cursed out loudly.

    [Seriously, will these bloody idiots think about theirmander a little? I don¡¯t even have an armor te on myself as amander!]

    Brendel then knelt beside Xelsa and started rummaging through his waist bag, as most of the magic items and protection trinkets were kept in this ce.

    Brendel quickly found a snake statue and three protection amulets. They were considered as good items in the game as they would bring luck to the person who brought them along. In the game lore, they were originally made by the wizards in the Forest of Ice in the north.

    But they were gradually made popr and spread to other areas yearster, and became highly valued by people. They were rated with ¡®Bronze-ranked rating¡¯, with the important property of not affected by the limitations of the overall magic capacity. (TL: A person can only use that many magic items before reaching their limits. I.E, if Brendel has only 100 OZ worth of magic capacity, he can¡¯t equip magical equipment past that number otherwise it will not work.)

    The amulets separately gave +1 HP, +2 HP, +0.1 defense.

    [Well, they are made with awful quality, but it¡¯s better than nothing.]

    He kept away the amulets and inspected the snake statue carefully, before identifying it as an object that bestowed poison onto des. There were simr statues made by druids, but some necromancers created them and upon activation, they would release a poison magic.

    [12 OZ worth of magic capacity requirement. There¡¯s HP damage along with weakening when the poison is applied. Shit, you fucking dirty cheating bastard, and you dare to pass yourself off as a knight? A knight using poison?!]

    Brendel thought it was lucky that he was not a honorable person himself, otherwise he would be in trouble.

    He kept it well hidden away. His current status was still a Hignd Knight and anyone who recognized the statue would make things problematic.

    [They are a lot of rules binding the knights. A light punishment for breaking them is losing the title, but a heavy punishment would be the equivalent of burning witches alive. That shit isn¡¯t a joke.]

    He then flipped over Xelsa¡¯s body and checked his neck and hands. He did not find any ne or rings, but a frost-coloured ss bracelet.

    [... ss Bracelet?]

    ¡°Elemental Bracelet!¡± Brendel was stunned and quickly pulled it off his body. Even though the game stated it as a ¡®Bronze-ranked rating¡¯, this was highly useful as it could add on damage to close or rangedbat with a certain amount of elemental damage.

    [The lowest tier for this kind of bracelet is 25 OZ, and it can do an additional 4-4 elemental damage! The Thorn of Light is only 9-9 damage without having critical damage.]

    Brendel suppressed the immense delight in his heart. This item was as expensive as the extremely rare ¡®Silver-ranked rating¡¯ items in the game, and an item that he could not afford at the height of its poprity.

    [Attack damage is life. Especially when ites to melee professions in the early stages. Sadly this can only be used by level 20 and above so I can¡¯t use it for now...]

    He tucked it away carefully into his bag, giving it more importance than the Thorn of Light.

    [Even though the Thorn of Light is a legendary weapon, it¡¯s only good for Iron-ranked tier swordsmen. Once I go beyond that level I need to find a better recement for it... Especially with the toughness of the sword... The fights against the ck Warriors¡¯s two handed swords made me feel ufortable since my de is so much thinner. The bracelet is different in this aspect, and I can¡¯t think of a better recement for it before level 40.]

    Finally, he determined that he did not miss anything from Xelsa¡¯s body and stood up and sighed. The rewards from this battle were excellent. Besides gaining 770 XP, the equipment that he received was enough to increase his overall rating by two times.

    If he was able to get another elemental ring and bracelet, he would be able to form a pure attack build and defeat a dragon whelp in the Vierio region before level thirty. He unsheathed his sword and blow on its edge, acting as though as the dragon¡¯s treasures were already in front of him.

    But after a moment, he went back to his normal state and stopped having delusions.

    He checked his surroundings and discovered that most of them had brought back something, especially Leto and Mano who were more experienced than the other mercenaries. Their targets were the necromancers, and getting one or two alchemy items from them aided with their personal strength.

    Brendel checked the timing again after the entire battlefield was cleared. The time taken from the start of the battle was forty-five minutes. The militia was also done with their search. He quickly checked the surroundings as he felt that Madara¡¯s undead riders could appear anytime at this moment. The gargoyle could only scout one direction at a single time, so they had to be quick.

    The refugees had already gone ahead in the gargoyle¡¯s directions, led by a few veteran mercenaries. With the gargoyle scouting ahead, he was not worried that the refugees would run into trouble. He called out to the mercenaries and regrouped with them, and they rode off to find Freya.

    Right up to this point, his n was progressing considerably well, and the only thing left was to y hide and seek with Madara, until the moment where the star constetion of ¡®King of Knights¡¯ appeared. He took out the deer statue and raised his head to look at the sky.

    TL: Brendel is using Xelsa for having impure motives like dying the battle so Madara¡¯s undead can discover them, and that is against the spirit of a fair duel. Also, it seems like lots of people kind of forgot what happened to that necromancer back then where he stole that spider ring. Imo, Brendel will most likely troll the enemies whenever possible and hardly engage in a fair fight, especially when he¡¯s leading that group of refugees..

    TL 2: Actually I have no idea what this 4-4 and 9-9 means. 4D4? 9D9? But 9D9 sounds ridiculously high for DnD damage, and I find it strange that there¡¯s no minimum-maximum damage fluctuation. Head scratch. I might not want to include future weapon damage numbers as I feel it will detract the seriousness of the story.

    Edit: Let me exin why I find that having numbers is bad. Typically DnD will first apply attack rolls, i.e 21 > 20, and damage rolls next (9-9 + 1 strength*stats modifier + bonus damage . So if Brendel nicks a ck warrior, he does -72 damage (it was stated somewhere one or two chapters ago). If he strikes at the chest (attack roll 30 > 20), he does the same damage.

    Only when he does maybe like head thrust (attack roll 40 > 20, perfect critical), he does 144 damage.

    Does that sound ridiculous? So even if I see through the text with ¡°The Amber Sword in-game calction¡±, the numbers 4-4, 9-9, makes no sense to me. I am very much in favor of removing such numbers because the author has never stated his ¡®system¡¯ properly as far as I know of.

 volume 2 - 18

    TL: No, I¡¯m not mean enough to do an April¡¯s fool joke. I rewrote a lot of the pacing within this chapter so there might be some Engrish issues. Please help me check for them. This chapter is sponsored.

    Chapter 18 ¨C Blitz

    After defeating Xelsa, Brendel led the mercenaries to regroup with Freya and the militia. They moved quickly and caught up with the refugees, and proceeded towards the south. Approximately half an hourter, Brendel discovered anotherpany of undead soldiers, and defeated them with considerable ease as they did not have an elitemander.

    [We defeated twopanies of undead and have sessfully created an opening between their patrolling routes... In front of us are three massive groups of undead units, probably led by Direndall, Ladios and Gloeb. The situation looks dangerous, but if we are careful in our position, we¡¯re in a bnced position where we¡¯re in the eye of a storm.]

    Even though there were slight casualties, Brendel¡¯s n still worked.

    In the southern region of the Hunting Deer Mountain, thebined Madara undead armies discovered a huge problem after a while. They had initially thought they have surrounded the group of refugees, only to discover that they had disappeared as if they had grown wings and flew away.

    After Medes met up with Wesker and Ebdon, he issued orders to his captains and scour the area. They had searched the surrounded area carefully, but they were unable to discover them.

    [Is the information wrong?]

    Medes did not believe in coincidences. He immediately wondered if they had hidden in a mountain valley and was waiting for them to move away from this region. He then issued an order to the entire undead army to send their scouts out spread out from their area in order to find the refugees.

    But once the orders were issued out, Gloeb and Direndall discovered that there were twopanies that suddenly disappeared, and believed that there might be a mysterious army that had broken through their surrounding forces and were at their rear¡ª

    ¡°How did this happen? An army of one thousand odd troops that escaped detection from tenbined scouting units?¡± Gloeb said.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be just luck or coincidence...¡± Direndall agreed.

    The two captains did not waste any time and informed Medes with the information of the missing troops. Thetter flew into a huge rage and threw the maps from the table on their faces.

    He pointed at their noses and roared at them: ¡°You bunch of useless trash! The third batch of graduates from Brumand¡¯s roses are worse than maggots! Get out of my sight now!¡±

    The two captains did not dare to retort him and retreated hastily. Medes took a few moments and calmed down before summoning Ebdon and Wesker to discuss the issue. They quickly decided to divide their forces into two and extend them into two wings to prevent the refugees from crossing the region.

    He then issued a second order and ordered the three captains to continue searching for the refugees. Even though he looked down at these new undead nobles like he looked down at Kabias, he had to rely on their strength at this moment.

    [In the end this is era of the neers. I just hope I did not react too slowly.]

    At this point of time, Brendel had led the refugees to bypass Ladios¡¯s army without him knowing, and was approximately three kilometers away from the third undeadpany.

    [Something is strange... Did Medes make a move?]

    Brendel quickly rode back and ordered the veteran militias to turn back with a shout. His action did not puzzle anyone as he had done this several times to avoid the undead scouting riders.

    The veteran militias respectively led their assigned groups of refugees to move in the opposite direction. One of them asked like he was hoping to gain favor with him: ¡°My lord, did the vanguard discover the undead monsters?¡±

    ¡°No, they did not. Lead the refugees to the north and throw away all belongings except their food, water and weapons. We¡¯re going to advance forward as fast as we can.¡±

    Brendel looked at them and replied.

    His words surprised everyone, as they had just escaped from that direction which were filled with undead with considerable difficulty, and yet they were going back in that direction. People started wondering if he was going crazy.

    Brendel pulled the the horse¡¯s reins and let it turn one round. He looked at the uneasy people who overheard him: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have not turned crazy yet. Quickly move, as this is the only chance we have if we want to live.¡±

    They looked back at him with palpitations in their hearts. But they could do nothing other than trust in him, as the nobles in Fortress Riedon had long abandoned them. He was the only knight that had stayed behind to lead them out of this desperate situation.

    They had also heard of his bravery and wisdom as if he was a peerless fighter who defeated the enemy with ease from the militia, to the point where it sounded like exaggeration. However, the vanguard had brought about the news of victory repeatedly and brought back victory spoils like weapons.

    [It looks like my authority is starting to be established since they are not questioning my order. Sadly, this glory is pointless and cannot be used since I¡¯m a fake knight. The only true advantage that can be gotten here is my personal gain in strength. I need to see how the path of the future ising and walk on it carefully, instead of enjoying the fame and what not.]

    He started to move ahead while he thought about the distant future.

    After a short whileter, there was a repeated rumble within the mountain valley, and everyone stopped to look at the scene. It looked like a king was calling forth his knights. Brendel gave the order to signal the mercenaries and militia to gather up as he needed to instruct them.

    A battle was about to happen again, and their nerves began to tighten up.

    Brendel had made things looked like they were fine, but he was truly fighting against time every moment. Aside from battles, he had constantly looked at the pocket watch, to the point where visible perspiration formed on the surface of it.

    No one except him knew how dangerous some of the previous battles were. Some of them took longer than expected andsted for several more minutes, and that amount of time could have been disastrous as the main undead army might be able to encounter the refugees.

    The mercenaries and militia gathered at one spot and wondered what the youth¡¯s intentions were. They had bypassed several Madara undead armies and fulfilled half of their expected journey, but they suddenly retreated back to where they came from a while ago. Even Freya who trusted Brendel greatly was filled with uneasiness. She looked at him several times with the intention of speaking but stopped herself every time.

    Brendel rode to their front.

    ¡°Some of you have already known this from the scouts that returned. Madara¡¯s undead armies have changed their formations and started to spread into two wings to seal off the routes. A third force is regrouping and spreading out to search for us.¡±

    The mercenaries who knew this wondered if the youth n to race against time and bypass the wings. It was not strange to avoid the battles, but in order to do so the refugees have to move at least twenty kilometers ahead in order topletely avoid any contact with the enemy.

    This was hardly a realistic option.

    Brendel suddenly stopped and looked at Freya. She was looking pale and was about to fall off her horse.

    ¡°Freya, why don¡¯t you rest for a while?¡±

    She merely red at him, and he had to give a wry smile in response.

    ¡°I already asked you to let me bandage your wounds, but you didn¡¯t want to listen to me...¡±

    She blushed all the way to her neck when she heard his words.

    [What is this moron doing in front of everyone? How can I let him bandage my body, damn it.]

    She hated Brendel for spouting nonsense, averted her head away and shut her eyes. Brendel was so stunned at her response that his mouth was open.

    [Didn¡¯t you say Freya likes me? This is liking me? You¡¯re not lying to me right?] Brendel looked at his squire suspiciously.

    ¡°My lord, can I do something for you?¡± Ciel felt nervous when he saw Brendel trying to burn holes in him with his eyes, and could only try to ask carefully.

    ¡°No, nothing at all.¡± Brendel shook his head.

    When he turned back, the mercenaries were staring and giggling at him. They had heard the story between him and Freya from Ciel one day ago about the rtionship between him, Freya and Romaine.

    The scene made the mercenaries look at him in a different way. His results were beyond imagination when he led them to fight Madara¡¯s undead, and as much as they respected and trusted him, they also feared this genius. However, this w in him had made everyone realize that he was still very much a normal person.

    ¡°What are you allughing at?¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±No, nothing at all. My lord, you¡¯re mistaken.¡±¡±¡± Everyone answered at the same time.

    ¡°I hope that¡¯s the truth,¡± Brendel looked at them in frustration, ¡°Otherwise, you will get it from me! Alright, I don¡¯t want to exin too much. This is the only thing I want to say.¡±

    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± He pulled out his sword.

    [After defeating all the undead troops we encountered so far, we have gathered enough weapons to create an army about five hundred... Since the undead is spreading out their troops with such haste, their central force is going to be weakened. With the advantage of the gargoyle, I can pick a battle anytime with controlled numbers. Now is the best moment to strike at Madara¡¯s heart, and make our movements even more unpredictable...]

    Brendel¡¯s tactical n was to blitz Ladios¡¯s army as hard as possible.

    After a minutester, Brendel led the army of five hundred odd men and struck at Ladios¡¯s leftpany of two hundred undead soldiers, and the enemies were unable to defend themselves properly.

    The youth swept the undead army like a hurricane, and it was only thirty minutester that Ladios finally realized he had lost his entire left nk. When the intermediate-ranked undead wizard brought back the news to Medes, Brendel had advanced to another location three kilometers away, and destroyed another of Gloeb¡¯spany of undead troops.

    Brendel continued to blitz into the enemies¡¯ ranks.

    He took out his pocket watch and checked the time. The constetion of the King of Knights was approximately fifty minutes away¡ª-

 volume 2 - 19

    TL: Boss battle!

    Chapter 19 ¨C The silver de, the white knight

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Medes POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

    Medes suddenly realized he had suddenly lost the ability to control the battefield. He had nearly ten thousand undead under hismand, but he was unable to use them effectively. He first thought that the enemy had made their way around his army after receiving the initial reports of losing twopanies, and thus sent out his army by spreading them out like two wings, with Ebdon and Wesker leading them.

    But not even half an hourter, Gloeb and Ladios lost both their left nks.

    [This group of refugees.... No, this secret army... Given their speed and effective tactics, they are as good as our main force, or even better than that. Aouine¡¯s imperial guards? Or The Knights of Freedom? It feels like someone of great importance is leading the refugees.]

    Medes looked at the map which had circles and lines drawn on it. It was apparent as to what the enemy wanted to aplish.

    [They¡¯re trying to break out of the siege by force! The enemy is moving in straight lines at our positions, cutting through our forces like a sharp knife into our heart.]

    Medes had a series of cold shudders as he analyzed the map. He suddenly stood up and overturned the table with a furious roar. He went outside of the camp and looked at the dark forest. The undead troops were outside waiting for his orders, but he did not have the confidence in his judgment this time.

    [What army is this? When did Aouine have such amander?]

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Brendel POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    TL: Some music needed here.

    The cavalry galloped through the valley like an unstoppable wave, and the earth shook under the horses¡¯ charge.

    Brendel raised his sword and pointed to a new direction. The glow of the Elven sword kept flickering as if it was a g that was moving along with the wind, and it was the symbol of victory that the youth carried.

    Some of the mercenaries were from the November¡¯s war, some had experienced the Battle of Moonflowers, some had experienced Karsuk¡¯s wars. Aouine had disappointed them repeatedly, as if the country was forever silent, its will buried under the annals of history, and the past glory would never belong to them again.

    That is why they fought for money and became mercenaries, and their goals were to pursue rewards and treasures, and had long ago abandoned the fame and faith as warriors.

    But there was no one who did not crave victory, even if he was a veteran who had experienced countless battles. Today Brendel had shown them that the banners and gs that had been trampled upon hundreds and thousands of time could be picked up. Today he had shown them that victory could be obtained, regardless of what motives they had, be it for glory or for the sake of the unfortunate andmentable refugees.

    As long as they followed him, victory, was this easy.

    Their hearts were set azed by his words and spurred on by his actions. If today, they had to believe in a legend, they would believe he was undefeatable.

    Each time they charged at the enemy, hundred of skeletons were easily destroyed andid down to their eternal rest. None of the enemymanders stood a chance¡ª

    These frightening undead soldiers might have made Fortress Riedon¡¯s formal army tremble, but when it came to facing them, they would be turned into dust!

    At that very moment, the riders believed that they were invincible.

    Brendel pointed at another direction, and they roared to acknowledge his order. No one seemed to know the meaning of exhaustion, and even the militia who marched quickly behind them moved with vigor. They had only one thought in their minds:

    Advance, continue to advance, as quickly as possible!

    No one had the energy to consider other things, as their energy was spend on generating adrenaline. Their pupils were dted and they struggled to breath in as much air as possible, to the point where they had to exchange their lives to drag down an enemy to hell.

    Kill the Madara undead!

    They could almost see the youth¡¯s sword pointing to a door, and behind it was the pathway to a miracle.

    Brendel finally saw an undead group in front of him. He believed that he had broke through the second or third line of defence.

    [This time we¡¯re near the heart of the undead army. Is it Ebdon or Wesker, or the ¡®Undead Maggot¡¯ Medes?]

    A huge group of gleaming white skeletons were marching beside the river, many times more than what they had encountered. He narrowed his eyes as he saw two groups of ck Warriors beside themander.

    [A high-rankingmander!]

    Brendel found that he had caught a big fish. He¡¯s not entirely certain whether he could devour it, but he was already on a road of no return, and he had no choice to defeat it.

    He raised his sword up, the light from his sword shining to the point that everyone around it felt blinded by it. The wind echoed deafeningly in his ears, and he could not hear any other sounds other this own breathing. He shouted as loudly as he could:

    ¡°Riders, charge!¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±Attack!!!¡±¡±¡±

    There were forty-nine riders along with him, but it was as if there was a dam had suddenly broken from the mountain valley. The noise made from their roars echoed throughout the area as they charged straight at their leader.

    ¡®The Pale Knight¡¯ Ebdon¡¯s expression immediately changed.

    Just like Medes, it had wondered who themander was and what division the mysterious army belonged to. However, it did not expect to meet under such circumstances.

    When it turned its head around, the zing frost mes that leaked out from his eyes through the helmet saw the dauntless group of riders charging down the valley, with a youth leading its charge with his right hand high up with a sword that glowed as bright as the stars.

    For one moment, it thought it had returned to the old era where knights still believed in their chivalry.

    It had remembered, that once upon a time the proud knights of Kirrlutz rode on grand gryphons and dignified horses, without any reliance on any tactics, charged straight at the enemy.

    In this world, there was no other army like them, as if they were born to charge, and even if they were to perish they had to die during charging. Their lives were simply meant for that one moment of glory and victory.

    Ebdon found that its heart loosened for one single moment as it thought it had returned to that year. Under that army who viewed death as the highest honor... It lost the best moment to react. When Ebdon regained its senses and ordered the skeletons to get ready, everything was toote.

    Brendel¡¯s army was like the sharpestnce that aimed to strike the heart of the undead¡¯s formation, as if he was a king leading his knights forward.

    ¡°Necromancers!¡± Ebdon pulled out his own sword and shrieked from his soul.

    Ten necromancers raised their bone staffs together.

    A ck tempest suddenly appeared in front of the undead army. The hurricane of darkness pulled everything up, grinding rocks into dust and the trees wilted as they became ck smoke, rising up to the air in a scream.

    Ebdon felt it had lost its breath, almost wondering if it had seen an illusion. It was not possible for the current Aouine to possess a group of cavalry like that... Then The Pale Knight realized, that it did not need to breathe since a very long time ago.

    It sighed inwardly.

    But the next moment, the mes in its eyes stopped moving and its mouth widened a little.

    The youth burst out from the tempest. A blue magical sigil was shining on his right hand, and when he pointed his sword forward, the tempest immediately moved towards towards the undead forces.

    At that moment, Brendel was the ruler of the tempest and he yelled out two words.

    ¡°Magic Control!¡±

    Rows of skeletons crashed into each other, and a few of the skeletons¡¯ Soul Fire were blown out as the tempest blew straight into them.

    But Brendel suffered damage as he had charged through the tempest, and he fell off the horse.

    Everyone in the battlefield stopped their actions when he saw him falling off.

    Freya who was leading the militia who happened to see this scene by coincidence covered her mouth with her hand with a silent scream forming in her.

    [Even if it is him, he can also copse?]

    The mercenaries who followed him lost their grips on the horses¡¯ reins, and finally woke up from their dream.

    But Brendel quickly shrugged off the effects and readied himself in an instant before he even touched the ground.

    [This is the best moment. Charge. Activate.]

    Once his feetnded on the ground, he jumped up andunched himself like an arrow. A silver line streaked across the battlefield.

    Everyone watched that striking silver line¡ª- which symbolized a miracle.

    Once the line came to a stop, twelve skeletons were severed into half. Brendel had jumped straight into the midst of undead with his sword held high up.

    He looked at the gigantic undead knight before him that was covered in white armor, as well as the frost colored mes in his eyes.

    [So it¡¯s you. The Pale Knight Ebdon, former hero of Aouine.] Brendel looked at him and readied his sword, a thin gathering of wind forming on the gleaming sword.

    ¡°Your road ends here, young man!¡± Ebdon looked at Brendel as he parried his sword.

    [A silver-ranked knight.] Brendel did not fight the impact from the opponent¡¯s sword and retreated immediately.

    [This is going to be difficult.]

 volume 2 - 20

    Chapter 20 ¨C The knight of the past (1)

    TL: If you want music to go along?

    ¡°Young man, your road ends here.¡±

    The single sword in Ebdon¡¯s hand is an ordinary magic sword named ¡®The White Fang¡¯, but it was the proof of this knight¡¯s entire fame and honor.

    Its left hand supported his right wrist, and when it finished speaking, the thin de ignited, and a whiteyer of me sprang from the sword.

    [Ebdon¡¯s famous sword¡¯s skill, ¡®White ze¡¯.]

    Compared to him, Ebdon was the true imperial swordsman. The former Ebdon was a knight at the age of seventeen, and when he was forty he was considered a master fighter. He spent his entire life fighting for Aouine and was considered a hero, but the ¡®White Rider¡¯ Ebdon was the name that spread throughout the continent.

    In his era, Ebdon was one of four Madara¡¯s Apocalypse Knights, and the name of ¡®White Rider¡¯ was attached to the ¡®Conqueror¡¯ Ebdon. This name alone terrified children and adults alike. (TL: Yes, that¡¯s from the four horsemen of the apocalypse and the first time it ever appeared in the series, oh gosh the pain of editing every single name that I tled wrongly...)

    As soon as Brendel retreated, he immediately felt the situation was too difficult for him to handle alone.

    [Out of the entire forces in this region, there are two leaders I don¡¯t want to meet. One is the Conqueror, ¡®The White Rider¡¯, Ebdon, the other is the King of Wars ¡®The Red Rider¡¯ Ladios. Looks like Mother Marsha is ying a joke on me again.]

    But Ebdon moved immediately with its horse, and before Brendel was able to finish his thoughts, Ebdon had already attacked shed diagonally from above. The burning white de swung down towards his head, making him feel the freezing air that rushed at his face. He immediately felt his breath was stifled, and without a moment to waste, immediately rolled sideways.

    The white mes blew across the ground and a st rang out from it. Rocks and gravel flew all over the ce as if an explosion had urred there, and he saw that there was a clean cut on the ground extending all the way to a boulder that was in the swing¡¯s path.

    [The wind pressure alone is able to destroy rocks. That¡¯s the proof of a true Silver-ranked swordsman.]

    Brendel felt goosebumps rising all over his body. Even with his skill Power Break, his White Raven Sword Arte was only able to destroy wooden materials.

    Ebdon did not waste any time when it saw Brendel escaping to the sides, and urged its Nightmare Warhorse forward without any regards for the undead around him, trampling the skeletons down in order to reach Brendel¡¯s side.

    When Ebdon got close enough, it made the horse jump ahead of Brendel, with another sh towards the youth¡¯s neck.

    [Shit!]

    Brendel saw that there was no escape, and he could only used the Thorn of Light with Power Break to increase his strength. A grating sound of metallic scream happened when their swords met each other. Both swords bend backwards to their utmost limits, and Brendel was finally pushed backwards by like a cannonball. He rolled uncontrobly on the ground a few times, before he managed to stop himself and crawl up with trembling arms.

    [At least 25 OZ in strength. Move, you stupid hand!]

    His right hand received the greatest impact, and for a moment he lost the feelings in his fingers, before pins and needles rushed to prick them. Brendel felt that it was lucky of him to activate the Power Break in time, otherwise his hand would be rendered useless.

    [This is getting crazy. A single sh from his sword is over a ton each.]

    Brendel watched the rider that was d in pure white rushing straight at him. He wished that he had his Holy Sword card ready to use. In order to win against a monster like this, he had to rely on that type of power, but at the same time, he did not have the avable earth EP to pay for it at this moment.

    Ebdon and its horse was nearly in front of him ¡ª

    Brendel gritted his teeth and raised his sword over his head with both hands, the de pointing slightly downwards towards the ground as well as parallel to it, his eyes ring at Ebdon His stance was one of the best for parrying within the military swordsmanship.

    ¡°The stance is unrefined.¡±

    The White Rider looked down at him from the horse, and a cold raspy voice transmitted from the helmet. Another sh faster than the previous attacks came, with thepressed air forming from the edges of the de.

    [Iing!]

    Brendel immediately took a step forward to meet The White Fang by using the fuller portion of his de. At the single instant where the point of contact happened, he adjusted the angle of the de. Sparks flew, and he actually managed to make Ebdon¡¯s de slide away ¡ª

    But the remaining strength transmitted from the de still made him fall backwards. Brendel¡¯s left leg immediately went back further and downwards. It was as if he had frequently adjusted his entire bnce using this sword stance and became part of his instinct. His feet slid away to the sides, but at the end of it he was steady in a half-kneeling position.

    Brendel¡¯s shirt was nearly drenched in perspiration. He had aplished this in the game many times, but that was with the assistance with the system to predict several things that include the path of the sword and body position, and it even aided him in correcting wrong postures.

    This was done without any assistance at all.

    [If I missed that by a centimeter, I¡¯m most likely dead¡ª]

    But he actually managed to do it.

    He swung his right arm a few times as he still felt that it was not listening to hismand properly. The opponent¡¯s strength was just too much. Each time he crossed swords he felt like a truck had struck him. Even if he managed to parry the de, his muscles and bones were groaning.

    Ebdon uttered a puzzled sound under its helmet. The swordsmanship was nothing special, but he seemed very experienced as he found the appropriate technique to defend himself as if he was a veteran.

    He turned his horse back and went further away, preparing to charge at him.

    How could Brendel give Ebdon another chance when he finally escaped from the opponent¡¯s attacking pace? He immediately raised his right hand and aimed his thumb at Ebdon and roared.

    ¡°Oss!¡±

    ¡°Magic incantation?¡± The burning white mes in Ebdon¡¯s eyes shook a little when it heard Brendel¡¯s words. He quickly turned around and used his sword and prepared to block himself.

    A huge current of air along with an explosive sound had already approached Ebdon, along with huge scars on the ground behind its trail, but Ebdon shed through it and parted the current into two waves which instantly sent the line of skeletons into the air, which broke apart even before it reached the river shore.

    Scores of bones fell down onto the ground, and noisy cracking sounds could be heard, with another metallic scream interrupting the unpleasant music cacophony.

    [Charge. Activate.]

    Before the dust had even settled, Ebdon had already brought its sword up as Brendel had suddenly appeared from above, and it met his attack in the air.

    There were no weakness in his defense.

    Brendel was not surprised at all. An elite figure like himself at this level, could only be strongerpared to the Golden Demonic Tree. In actual truth, he had also relied on the Holy Sword card to fight against the Golden Demonic Tree, otherwise it was hard to know who was going to be the victor. He did not hope to leave anything to chance when it came to fighting Ebdon.

    At this point of time, he could only will himself for a battle that was beyond his strength.

    His next attack came before hended on his feet. His right arm pulled back andunched a Sword Arte next. Ebdon immediately reacted and swung its sword without any expression, and the wind pressure dissipated from the arc of white mes.

    Finally, Ebdon pulled its sword back and did not move. It sat on its horse quietly and looked at Brendel, trying to remember a distant story.

    In the story, there were long trumpets that blew out melodious music in the Baltha Hignds, with swallow-tailed gs flying in the winds.

    ¡°White Raven Swordsmanship.¡± It opened its mouth and said.

    ¡°A scion of the Royal Family?¡± Ebdon asked coldly from the horse.

    Brendel was surprised for a moment.

    [Did Ebdon have anything to do with the Corvado empire? But I didn¡¯t hear anything like that in the game... Regardless of that I should deny it... What would happen if there¡¯s some revenge element in this history. I heard some stories about a level 30 boss suddenly going to level 40s and instantly killed off that party attacking it. A legendary level 40 elite boss bing level 50?!]

    When he thought of that, he immediately shook his head forcefully.

    But he did not expect Ebdon to point his sword at him and say coldly: ¡°If that is the case, killing you would not go against my oath.¡±

    Brendel nearly puked out blood when he heard that, and his mind was instantly filled with regret.

    [God damn it, this bloody bird arse¡¯s oath, shit, I should have impersonated a royal family member, what the blood hell, I just shot myself in the foot!]

    On the other side, Ebdon had resumed into a battle stance with his horse again. Brendel felt really helpless at this point.

    [If Ibine Power Break with a Sword Arte to fight the enemy, I¡¯m going to spend 9 points of stamina every time, that¡¯s way over the limits. Ebdon is at least a level 30+ elite, with 200+ HP. He even split the wind bullet that¡¯s capped at 30 damage, at best he had just received some minor abrasions and that¡¯s about it. Sure, I can kill him if I managed to stab him two or three times with the Thorn of Light, but I can¡¯t even touch him with my attackbination just now.]

    He looked sideways at the mercenaries and could only hope that the mercenaries were able to support him.

    But the mercenaries were engaging the undead skeletons at this moment. They had the upper hand because of his charge, but it looked like it was impossible for them to reach here for a while. He could only ce his hope in the militia who was nearby to sweep up the remaining undead so they could be freed up.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Freya POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Freya who was leading the militia into the fray frowned. She had caught glimpses of Brendel¡¯s fights but had lost sight of him. With such arge amount of undead, she guessed that theirmander was highly-ranked. She was no longer the naive vige girl, and was different from the people who blindly believed in him. She was certain that Brendel was in a difficult battle, and she searched around the battlefield.

    She found Ciel and Sue nearby.

    ¡°Sue, please help me out.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± That young girl was confused.

    ¡°Help me lead the miltia.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I need to help Brendel,¡± Freya replied and called out to Ciel: ¡°Ciel,e with me.¡±

    ¡°Miss Freya, I¡¯m fine with that, but are you sure that you¡¯re fine?¡± Ciel was taken aback. Brendel had instructed him to look after the injured Freya, but it was true that he was much more worried about his master.

    Freya looked at him in the eye and nodded.

 volume 2 - 21

    TL: Next chapter is the conclusion of the boss fight, but I think I need to TL the next chapter 3 dayster because there are 2 assignments that are due on Wednesday.

    Chapter 21 ¨C The knight of the past (2)

    Brendel swung his sword to parry the white fang, and a st of wind sprang from the points where the des connected, driving his hair back in a fluttering mess. He did not resist the force and slid backwards with his eyes narrowed from the pain from his hands.

    His skin had ripped and the blood was starting to flow onto the sword¡¯s hilt. While he had not received any apparent injuries from the opponent¡¯s de, the images on his retina had repeatedly shed, and his HP bar had dropped by over thirty points.

    [Beyond the apparent wounds from my hands, this means that my internal organs are starting to get damaged. Any more of this impact will mean that they will get ruptured. Internal bleeding is going to happen... If it¡¯s not for my high Physique, I wouldn¡¯t be able to receive even one blow from Ebdon and die from the impact.]

    But what made him anguished was the fact that Ebdon seemed to have realized that as well. Its timing for each strike had shortened and was bing stronger as well, not giving him a chance to even breathe for a moment.

    [Doesn¡¯t this bastard care about his own troops? I won¡¯t be able tost if this continues, but your entire army is getting wiped out! Do you really think you¡¯re stronger than the entire army here?]

    But he did not know that ridiculous thought was the closest to reality. Even though Ebdon was considered as a hero of Aouine, but it had be twisted after he had woken up as an undead. Even though most undead did not retain their memories before they died, Ebdon managed to retain most of its glorious moments and often revel in them. As an undead, it saw through the memories like another person, and the bloodbath in the battles made it merciless.

    Ebdon was destined to be a Madara high ranking general due to its great insight, and sought only to kill the most dangerous enemies. And in front him, was an excellentmander whose threat was greater than the entire armybined. It would forsake the chance at victory just to kill the youth.

    But Brendel¡¯s performance had greatly exceeded its expectations. As a master of Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship, it was able to discern that Brendel had learn some of the most basic military swordsmanship with probably one or two imperial sword artes. Even though his skills appeared to be no better than an imperial guard, he had defended against its attacks time after time without fail.

    Ultimately, it could only choose to utilize its overpowering strength and slowly torture him to death. This was difficult for it to ept as this method was despicable, but it had sworn another oath to the undead and chose to throw his honor¡ª

    Ebdon knew that any other undead would choose to do the same.

    ¡°May Mother Marsha bless Madara.¡± The undead knight¡¯s mes in its eyes were cold as the unforgiving sword threatened to cleave Brendel into two.

    But as soon the de went down, Brendel had rolled to the sides, as if he knew that it was going to attack him before hand. The White Fang in its hands could only m into the ground, inching past Brendel every time. The times when Brendel were unable to dodge in time, would be parried away in a bizarre manner by using his unrefined skills.

    [Again!]

    This scene was beyond Ebdon¡¯s imagination. The mes in its eyes shed uncontrobly. This was the third time it changed to to another sword technique. At first it used its most familiar technique ¡ª Aouine¡¯s military swordsmanship, then it switched to Aouine¡¯s imperial swordsmanship, but Brendel seemed to be able to see through all of them. It thought that he had the advantage of having the same country¡¯s swordsmanship, so he switched to Madara¡¯s ck Cross swordsmanship, but Brendel did not show any signs of being unfamiliar, and seemed to predict its attacks even more urately.......

    But it did not know that Brendel was only familiar with Aouine¡¯s military swordsmanship to approximately level thirty. In his long journey, he had seen hundreds of different sword skills, be it amon or high level technique, but if there were two that he was the most familiar with¡ª

    They would be the Pdin¡¯s swordsmanship and Madara¡¯s undead ck Cross swordsmanship. The reason was simply because he had used the Pdin¡¯s swordsmanship the longest in the game, and fought against the undead for decades and had seen the ck Cross swordsmanship the most.

    However, under the opponent¡¯s higher stats in both agility and strength, he had no chance to even counter attack. And he even had trouble capturing the opponent¡¯s movements, and was relying on his experience to predict where the enemy would attack.

    [Damn it... My stamina is nearing half my bar. If that happens my strength and reactions will drop, and if it falls to a third, I might not even be able to put up a proper stance. This battle hasn¡¯t even been three minutes yet¡ª]

    Brendel¡¯s forehead was already covered in sweat. Under Ebdon¡¯s constant push, he gradually started to lose the ability to think about anything else. At first he was still able to observe the battlefield once in a while, but with each percentage of his stamina gone, he nearly had to use all his focus to avoid Ebdon¡¯s attack every time.

    The number of times the swords met had increased.

    It was like an endless cycle that spiraled into disaster. If he had to cross swords with Ebdon, he would feel exhausted and bruised each time, and with that exhaustion find it impossible to dodge its attacks.

    He was already grinding his mrs to hold on desperately. The current situation was no different from being sentenced to death. He had to squeeze veryst potential from his spent body escape from death each time, and his body screamed and begged to let it rest, causing him to want to give up entirely.

    And yet each time when he wanted to do so, the faces of everyone that he led would suddenly appear in the corner in his heart, making it boil in his chest to continue resisting the enormous undead before him ¡ª and dodged to the sides.

    He had blinked for a moment when he got up, but when he opened them, what entered his eyes was a field of dark snow. His senses was suddenly on full alert, as the skin on his scalp seemed to be numbed.

    Ebdon had used his full strength to bring down Brendel. The Silver-ranked abilities showed themselves as a white me burst forth to the front of him in the shape of a crescent. A few momentster, the boulders in the mountain valley broke and started rolling down.

    This sword had reached to nearly a hundred and fifty feet, cutting the walls of the mountain valley.

    The freezing winds blew past the current area as the army fell into a voiceless silence.

    Everyone in the army was terrified. They had heard stories about the prowess of the Silver-ranked fighters, but they have never seen it with their own eyes. This was almost unachievable by human strength, and everyone felt impressed and frightened from the bottom of their hearts.

    The mercenaries who were nearer to Brendel froze for a moment, unable to believe that Brendel was fighting a monster like this for so long.

    Brendel had not even sought for help, and they suddenly realize that he was desperately trying to fulfill the promise to everyone of them. They had always thought that he had effortlessly solved every situation, but he had actually been trying toplete it to the very best of his abilities.

    What were they doing, wasting time with these undead?

    ¡°Shit! Has anyone seen Brendel?¡±

    ¡°We need to help him out now!¡±

    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s still alive after that strike!¡±

    The mercenaries that blindly trusted in Brendel, suddenly felt they truly belong to him as amander.

    Ebdon sheathed his sword with a clear ring.

    ¡°Brendel!¡±

    Freya had rode from the side to find Brendel, but she was toote when she finally found them. After that attack, it seemed like everything had ended.

    Freya dropped her sword onto the ground with a nk. She almost could not believe her eyes. The youth who brought her out of Be and showed off the world to her, this shameless cad...

    Was gone forever?

    She suddenly felt someone patting on her shoulder, and she turned her head back in a daze. Ciel looked at the area below them, his eyes not blinking:

    ¡°Miss Freya, if I¡¯m still here, it means that my lord isn¡¯t dead yet.¡±

    ¡°Wh......at?¡± She paused for a moment, not able to understand the entire meaning of his sentences.

    But at least she understood part of it ¡ª

    Because she saw a familiar figure climbing out from a pile of broken rocks.

    Brendel felt his entire body was about to fall apart. His shirt had been ripped apart from the wind pressure and his forehead was full of blood, and there were countless wounds on his body. (TL: I can imagine the fanservice. Sort of.)

    But he suppressed the pain and grinned.

    ¡°You bastard, to think that you would underestimate me at this final moment¡ª¡°

 volume 2 - 22

    Chapter 22 ¨C The knight of the past (3)

    Ebdon lowered his head in slight confusion to the rocks, but Brendel had already leaped into the air. His entire body was in a blur, and behind him were countless afterimages of himself, and within a split moment, he had already crossed over a dozen meters.

    It immediately found that it could not capture his movement. He was like a gust of wind that seemed to went past him, and before it was able to react, he was already behind its back.

    [I seen him use this before at the start of battle, but experiencing this terrifying technique for myself is different. This young man isn¡¯t simple!]

    Ebdon¡¯s White Fang left its sheath immediately, instinctively covering his back with it. A loud ng rang out as it blocked the Thorn of Light.

    This defense had left the boundaries of swordsmanship.

    They were using their experience to fight each other.

    Brendel immediately stepped to the side like a ghastly spirit leaving hazy shadows behind, and struck at Ebdon¡¯s left chest.

    [One more second left to the Charge technique.]

    But Ebdon immediately swept its sword around to parry the tip of his de, not showing any signs of weakness¡ª

    [Even with 44 OZ worth of agility, he still managed to block the first and second attack... This foe is really troublesome.]

    Suddenly the mes in the undead knight red. He suddenly felt another presence behind him and felt an attacking towards it. He immediately turned around and swung his sword, only to find a gargoyle that was split into two and tumbling onto the ground.

    That moment seemed to extend itself for a long time, Ebdon watched the gargoyle slowly crumble into several pieces and fall onto the ground, but it immediately knew that the situation had turned.

    Brendel ced a foot forward and took a deep breath. Heunched his final Power Break onto the White Raven Sword Arte.

    The wave unleashed onto Ebdon and his Nightmare horse. The wave instantly severed the horse¡¯s head and caused it to stumble downwards, but Ebdon threw his sword onto the ground and a gigantic force propelled Brendel backwards along with his sword.

    [The Wall of Will! Shit, that technique is from the Sun Knight Aegwynn!]

    Brendel stumbled backwards eight steps before he rushed up again with clenched teeth. Ebdon had sessfully gained enough time for it tounch a counter attack. It threw his white cape away and picked up the White Fang and marched straight to Brendel. Three consecutive metallic wails rang throughout the valley, and each time the swords struck each other, Brendel was forced to retreat backwards. The air in the youth¡¯s chest waspletely knocked out and he could not maintain a proper stance anymore ¡ª

    ¡°Aouine,¡± Ebdon watched coldly as Brendel could not defend properly anymore and raised his sword. The white mes in his eyes seem to freeze everything: ¡°Has grown too old.¡±

    The white de lunged forward.

    Brendel¡¯s teeth gritted so hard that his gums bled. He struck down at Ebdon¡¯s de, but it hardly diverged from its course and he tried to grab the sword next. The leather gloves glowed blue for a moment but it still pierced through, causing the de to run through his palm, cutting apart his chain armor and split apart the links, until it snaked its way into the youth¡¯s abdomen.

    The scarlet blood that flowed down was as red as old wine.

    But Ebdon did not find victory.

    Brendel had an insane look in his eyes as he gripped its right wrist with his left hand, locking the White Fang in ce. He raised the Elven Sword with the right hand.

    Ebdon found the words ¡®A¡¯ssonston, Donamiru-¡® glowing on the Thorn of Light¡ª

    And then.

    The sword thrust forward.

    Ebdon tried to use the left hand to block it, but the sword immediately burned through with as the purification fire red up, stabbing straight into its chest.

    Two swords, connected the knights together. At that moment they could only hear the cold wind.

    ¡°Hahahaha,¡± Brendel said weakly: ¡°You bastard, you are wrong......¡±

    ¡°You think you won, young man?¡± Ebdon said with a cold voice.

    Its chest felt like it was burning up, the pain torturing him, but at the same time the wound was not fatal.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that....... Even though Aouine has grown old....... There are still people who loved it regardless.¡±

    Brendel coughed. Ebdon was waiting for this moment, but he had also nned for the same thing.

    They pulled their swords out together at the same time, and Brendel ignored Ebdon¡¯s attack which made its way to his lungs. At the same time, he had hacked off the undead knight¡¯s left arm far away.

    Two of them stepped back at the same time.

    Brendel immediately fell to the ground and started coughing. Specks of blood fell onto the ground. He felt burning sensations all over his chest, and he had never experienced such pain ever in his life, except for one ce¡ª Be.

    The talent ¡®Unyielding¡¯ had already activated, and he stood up with his sword supporting him.

    Ebdon was ready to act. Its injuries were much lighter than Brendel, and even though it was surprised and impressed with his tenacity and unshakeable resolution, it needed victory more than ever.

    It stumbled a little on the rocks in its path. It had difficulty maintaining its bnce, but it was at a better statepared to Brendel who had knelt down once again to the ground.

    Ebdon nced at the mercenaries who were closing in. It quickly raised its sword and rushed at Brendel again.

    Suddenly a golden sh of light came from the high ground.

    [That is not an illusion!]

    It quickly turned its head to check the source and immediately saw a ring that was on a woman¡¯s thumb shining like a star.

    Freya shouted clearly: ¡°mme!¡±

    The mercenaries saw a straight line of fire streaking across the air, but Ebdon saw a gigantic ball of fire charging straight at him. The speed of the fireball was so fast that the mercenaries only saw a line of fire¡ª

    Ebdon tried to parry it with its sword, but it waste in doing so.

    The fire immediately exploded onto him, creating a powerful wave of shockwave that swept through the mountain valley, flinging everyone¡¯s hair backwards with the the needles of the fir trees flying all over to the sky. The mercenaries¡¯ horses stopped in fright and they stood up in fright, sending a few of them onto the ground. The mes continued to persist for a moment longer, before it vanished into the night.

    Brendel was also sent backwards, but after the dust settled, he saw Ebdon half-kneeling on the ground.

    He did not move.

    [I-I won?]

    He rubbed his forehead. The fireball from Freya had actually caused AOE damage to him and sent him a fright, but immediately recalled that he was as resilient as a cockroach. A grin slowly formed on his face as the realization that he was the victor.

    [The ¡®Unyielding¡¯ talent was my final trump card...]

    He took a look at him once more, wondering what Aouine¡¯s former hero thought at the end of his life.

    [Did he still sought after the past glory in his memory?]

    Brendel thought for a while before he finally prepared himself to sit up. Suddenly, there were sounds of shuffling noises behind him and he became alert. When he turned his head around, he saw Freya and Cieling towards him anxiously.

    ¡°Brendel!¡± Freya had nothing on her mind other than to support him up. She asked carefully while she looked at the youth who was still lying down on the ground: ¡°Brendel, are y-you alright?¡±

    Just as he wanted to assure her, his mind suddenly thought of something andid back down.

    ¡°Freya, is that you?¡± He suddenly coughed repeatedly after asking weakly on the ground.

    ¡°Y, yes, it¡¯s me..... C-can¡¯t you see me?¡± Freya¡¯s tears were already falling when she saw his body was covered with wounds, and the uncontroble bleeding from his abdomen and chest made it clear that he was not going to make it. ¡°Brendel, don¡¯t talk anymore, I-I¡¯ll bandage you up.....¡±

    ¡°Freya... There¡¯s... no point. I-I need to request you to do something for me.¡±

    ¡°W-what is it?¡± Freya¡¯s heart sank when she heard him speak in this manner.

    ¡°Can you..... kiss me?¡±

    ¡°Eh, ahh.... huh?¡± Freya¡¯s mind stopped working for a moment. But her face was serious after it registered in her mind.

    Brendel could not hold back hisughter as he sat straight up with some effort. ¡°I¡¯m joking, Freya, here, help me up instead¨C¡±

    ¡°Y-your wounds, don¡¯t move Brendel! Stop..... I-I¡¯ll kiss you!¡± Freya shouted loudly as she thought he was upset with her for not fulfilling hisst request.

    Brendel coughed and exined quickly: ¡°No, seriously, I¡¯m really fine.¡±

    ¡°How can that be possible!¡±

    ¡°You know that I¡¯m not only a knight, I¡¯m also a wizard¡ª¡± Brendel knew that she would not believe him so easily with his fatal injuries, so he could only use a white lie.

    ¡°A-are you really fine?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Brendel pretended to be fine as he rummaged for Holy Potion number 9 in his bag with full of cold sweat on his forehead.

    Freya looked at him in a daze, first turning from white into red, then to white again, then to red again. Finally she clenched her fist and bit her lips.

    ¡°Brendel, you, you.......¡±

    ¡°Shameless cad!¡±

 volume 2 - 23

    This chapter is sponsored, thank you very much. So in the author¡¯s narration Ebdon is an ¡®It¡¯, while Brendel uses ¡®he/him/his¡¯.

    Chapter 23 ¨C Mission?

    Holy Potion 9¡¯s effect was not as powerful as the other types of health potions; the effect of this particr one merely managed to pull Brendel away from eternal death. In addition to the potion, Ciel and Freya helped him bandage up his wounds, and the Emergency First Aid skill finally stopped the bleeding. Even though he felt faint from the loss of blood and was extremely pale, he confirmed that he was no longer in danger from his Stats Window.

    Brendel stood up shakily, but after a few steps he nearly stumbled onto the ground. Ciel and Freya quickly went to his sides to help him up. He looked at Freya with surprise as he thought she would get angry for at least a day over his tasteless joke and ignore him.

    Freya felt his gaze and she turned her head away. Her face was red with anger when she found out that he lief, but after thinking about it, she felt that this ending was better than losing Brendel. But at the same time, she gnashed her teeth and reminded herself that she should not fall so easily to this rotten bastard¡¯s tricks anymore.

    After a few moments, Brendel started to think about his ns again. They walked up to the horses and he patted Ciel¡¯s horse and spoke to his squire:

    ¡°Ciel, help me up¡ª¡±

    Before Ciel reacted, Freya went in front of Brendel and blocked him: ¡°Wait, w-what are you trying to do again!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to sit on a horse?¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Brendel was confused.

    ¡°Y-your injuries are too bad to be able to ride on a horse, can you stop being so reckless. Think about those are concerned with you...¡± She grumbled with embarrassment.

    She thought about how this had happened before. She did not understand if he knew that his injuries would be fatal on anyone else.

    He looked at her expression and finally understood her concern. His attitude weakened and exined to her: ¡°Freya, I¡¯m really fine now. I just drank a holy potion, didn¡¯t you recall how we saved Jonathon with the potion that night?¡±

    Freya bit her lips. She half-believed his words, but the fact that he had just stumbled stayed in her mind. Yet every time she argued with him, she seemed to be on the losing end, so she chose to stubbornly stand before him and say nothing.

    Brendel did not know how to persuade her. He could try to use harsh words to depict the current situation, but this would hurt her in the process and he did not want to do it to a girl who thought nothing but the best for him.

    ¡°Freya, please let my lord get on the horse.¡± Ciel suddenly spoke up just when Brendel was about to sigh in exasperation.

    Freya looked at Ciel in disbelief. She had expected the squire to be on her side. In the continent Vaunte, squires werepelled to follow their knights and protect them, but why did Ciel look like he was not concerned with his master¡¯s life?

    ¡°Ciel, why are you.....¡± She faltered for a moment and trailed off as she did not know what to say.

    ¡°My lord is really out of danger. He¡¯s just a little weak, so please leave the duty of taking care of my lord to me¡ª¡± He said as he nced at Brendel with a little concern in his eyes, but there was much more admiration and respect in them: ¡°My lord has to think of our situation. He has to ride on a horse to show that he has not fallen, that he¡¯s still the banner that will lead us forward¡ª¡±

    Ciel said with pride. ¡°This is his honor to fight for all of us., and the reason why he holds the sword into his hand.¡±

    Brendel grinned when he heard thevish praise. But the truth was that simple, he had to continue riding to give the mercenaries and the refugees the confidence that victory was at hand.

    This battle was many times more intense than the previous battles, and the militia and refugees¡¯ morale had been shaken. Even though he did not understand the art of war very well, the current army that he had was really nothing more than rabble. If they had already controlled the battlefield, they would still be fine, but once they meet any setback, they would quickly copse.

    Therefore he must show that was like an invincible figure that would always lead them to victory. As long as he was still standing, the remaining people that followed him would understand that there was still hope.

    Freya looked at Brendel with aplicated expression, and after seeing him nodding in agreement to Ciel¡¯s words, she finally stepped aside.

    Brendel got onto the horse with Ciel¡¯s aid, but he was so weak that he wondered if he could even hold on to the reins properly.

    [I can¡¯t believe what I¡¯m doing. A few days ago, I was just a normal citizen... I really don¡¯t understand why I have so much determination and will to keep going on and lead these people...]

    The refugees watched theirmander ride up to them. It was as if he had gained another victory and the only casualty was his horse.

    Only those who were near him could see his body constantly trembling from the pain, as well as the cold perspiration on his forehead. But he waspletely silent and did not say anything, not even bothering to look around him but maintaining a cold and stoic expression.

    Leto and Mano looked at each other when they saw this scene. They bowed their heads in respect and went off to regroup with the cavalry. They wanted to ask if Brendel needed any assistance, but looking at his actions, they understood that he did not need any and he would not let them do so anyway.

    They did not fully understand his personality, but this proved that he was full of pride from the determination to lead them to safety.

    His pride was like the symbol of Aouine¡¯s g.

    After giving out some instructions, Brendel rode over to the half-kneeling Ebdon. He threw away the gargoyle statue along his way. It had lost its meaning when the gargoyle was cleaved into two from Ebdon¡¯s attack.

    [It might be repairable if I had some true experts here, but the process isplicated to the point that it¡¯s better to just make another one. This is one of the most important items that I lost here. From now onwards we¡¯re going in blind. Other than that my gloves should be considered as useless. Perhaps it could be sewed back together, but the defensive magic in it might not work anymore...]

    Brendel could not imagine that he was able to defeat a legendary figure like Ebdon in a duel, even in the game. But this ridiculous script had turned into reality. Ebdon was still kneeling there quietly.

    [Ebdon. Born in the Year of the Walnut Trees. He came from a noble family and subsequently became a knight. He then joined Aouine¡¯s Knights of Freedom and fought against Kirrlutz. This was his brightest moment and became a goodmander. He participated in a few famous battle and won much fame and glory within his kingdom. When he finally lived his life fully, for some reason he had woken up as an undead...]

    Brendel knew a great deal about the lore within the game, especially when Ebdon was one of the top elitemanders an was literally impossible to kill. There were very little missions around him, but Brendel suspected there might be a hidden mission when he said something about an oath.

    [Most of the hidden missions have seriously good rewards. Something like the Ring of The Wind Empress at the start of the game could be considered legendary because it¡¯s a 20 OZ equipment. But at the same time I only know secret missions that start after level 40... Hmm, wait, Ebdon... is still alive?]

    He rode next to Ebdon and spoke.

    ¡°Do you have anything to say, Ebdon?¡±

    A moment of silence.

    ¡°Young man, do you..... know me?¡±The undead knight suddenly moved a little and asked with a raspy and low voice.

    Brendel shook his head. ¡°I do not know you. But perhaps I do know the name Ebdon as an Aouine hero who should be resting for all eternity, back in the embrace of Mother Marsha.¡±

    ¡°You might have his name, but you are not him.¡±

    Ebdon scoffed coldly, and stood up by putting strength in its sword.

    ¡°You should have died a long time ago, young man, but you have not.¡± It said emotionlessly. ¡°It seems like your victory was not a coincidence. If you know about this body¡¯s past and you¡¯re here to speak to me, what else do you want to know?¡±

    Freya received a jump when she saw Ebdon standing up from the ground. She immediately started to ride up to Brendel to protect him, but Ciel stopped him with his arm. He slowly shook his head to stop her. He did not know what rtionship his lord had with the undead knight, but he felt that they should know each other. Furthermore, Brendel was a very cautious person who did not easily ce himself in danger.

    Brendel hesitated for a while, but he wanted to use his experience in the game and try something out. ¡°You had asked me earlier if I was a scion of the Royal Family, if I say I am one now, what of it?¡±

    The undead knight merelyughed.

    Brendel sighed inwardly and mocked himself. Looks like there was a difference in the game and reality after all.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re going to bring your secret to Mother Marsha, Ebdon.¡± He could onlyment when he discovered he could not weasel out the mission.

    But Ebdon shook its head.

    ¡°Not so.¡±

    It said.

 volume 2 - 24

    TL: Ebdon is really quite cool for a boss. Anyways, please help me check if there are any Engrish mistakes here.

    Chapter 24 ¨C Lion heart

    ¡°These words are not actually meant for you, but I believe that you can do it.¡± Ebdon was silent for a moment, before it raised its head up to look at the youth.

    Brendel was silent as he grabbed the reins with one hand. He hesitated to reply.

    Ebdon immediately guessed that he did not believe in the words it had just said, but it did not seem to mind. He merely knelt on his right knee, straightened up his chest and ced his sword into before him with both gloves on the hilt.

    ¡°The king slumbers within the valley when the twin moons can be seen. The Evergreen Winter Tree shadow points to the northwest where gathered stars fade away as the dawn lowers her authority¡ª¡±

    Brendel¡¯s expression did not change after he heard the words. He rode past Ebdon before turning back to him again. There were many riddles like this in the game.

    [I was never good at solving at all these puzzles. The twin moon probably references the two moons that appear together under Vaunte¡¯s sky. The king slumbers in the valley... The grave of the Holy Saint? But it might be some random Aouine King.]

    Brendel¡¯s brows furrowed a little.

    [The Evergreen Winter Tree points to the northwest... Aouine doesn¡¯t seem to have this variety of tree, does this mean it¡¯s a metaphor for something? Or a noble¡¯s symbol? The meaning of the Evergreen Winter Tree means saintly, but there are numerous Houses in Aouine that have the symbol of the Evergreen Winter Tree leaves. As for the remaining two sentences... I don¡¯t have a clue at all.]

    Ebdon intentionally gave Brendel time, once it saw that Brendel was looking at him again, he continued speaking: ¡°The two-faced statue did not speak or utter, has it forgotten the Holy Oath? The emeraldke in the pure white mountain, lies a sword amongst swords buried in rocks.¡±

    ¡°Hold on!¡± Brendel suddenly interrupted Ebdon. He suddenly felt a strange excitement within him.

    [Sword amongst swords?! The genuine Lion Heart? That¡¯s the sword of that was passed down generation to generation from Aouine¡¯s first king, ¡®The Kind Erik¡¯.]

    The Lion Heart was the symbol of the Lion Dynasty, as well as one of the four Kirrlutz¡¯s holy weapon. When Erik brought it out from the Kirrlutz Empire, it became Aouine¡¯s royal family symbol. But hardly anyone knew the real Lion Heart had been lost in Aouine¡¯s internal civil war a long time ago. The kings who passed down this sword from that point onwards is nothing more than a fake. There were very few people who knew this secret, and there was most likely going to be chaos if this secret ever got revealed.

    Brendel only knew about this after Aouine¡¯s demise happened.

    [If Ebdon is really speaking about the true Lion Heart, then theter half of the riddle makes sense. The Holy Oath probably referred to Erik¡¯s Oath as a Holy Saint Knight, to rebel and lead the Empire¡¯s citizens away from the arrogant and greedy nobles. He had made a strong rebellion, and that was where the ¡®Kind¡¯ word came from when he fought for the citizens. But the other stuff about theke, mountain and rock... I don¡¯t get it.]

    The lore within the game stated that the kingdom was strongly tied to the Lion Heart, and it appeared to be true. Ever since Aouine lost the real sword, each generation was weaker than the previous one, until Aouine finally perished. But Brendel did not believe in this saying, a kingdom¡¯s demise could hardly be attributed to a single sword, no matter how legendary it was. To him, it sounded like an excuse to push away the responsibility.

    But even so, he was curious over why the sword was so amazing to the point where it was circted with by poets and bards.

    [Based on the spection of the forums... This weapon is at least a level 60 weapon with a Fantasy-ranked rating.] (TL: Fantasy-rank is one tier above Thorn of Light.)

    So he blurted out to ask: ¡°What¡¯s the emeraldke?¡±

    But Ebdon unexpectedly shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t know either. Sometimes when I think about my past, I would frequently recall these words, and there is even a divine oath that¡¯s still binding me. But I don¡¯t know where my memoriese from and why it continues to haunt me.¡±

    ¡°Not every undead likes their memories.¡± Brendel replied. He suddenly felt that Ebdon was someone more important in its former life. At least in his memories, Ebdon did not have any ties to the royal family.

    ¡°I know that I¡¯m more uniquepared to the other undead.¡± Ebdon rubbed the helmet on his head. ¡°The undead that live in the shadows are intelligent, but I¡¯m differentpared to them and I don¡¯t trust them with this secret. But when I see you, young man, I somehow feel that you can unravel this riddle.¡±

    Brendel did not answer Ebdon. He felt that it was telling the truth, but he did not trust it easily.

    [...The two-faced statue did not speak or utter? The Saint Statue in Randner? But if that¡¯s the true identity of the riddle, it¡¯s going to be quite a hassle. To make it speak I need the Sage te... But the nearest Sage te is in Brus that¡¯s half a month¡¯s journey. The ck market rate for that is 500,000 Tol coins. That¡¯s quite arge sum of money... But should I be thankful that this side mission intersects with the thing I¡¯m about to do next?]

    Brendel started to calcte the days he had to execute his next n in his mind quickly and found that he did not have much time.

    He straightened up on his horse and said: ¡°Is that all you have to say?¡±

    Ebdon nodded: ¡°I still have one more request.¡±

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    Brendel looked around. The mercenaries appeared to be ready to move off any time. The battle in the valley had ended.

    Ebdon took off the emblem on his chest. ¡°I wish to die like a real knight. I wish that my armor and sword to apany me in my eternal sleep. This is called the Lion Emblem¡ª It contains powerful magic in it, but it has no meaning to me now. I want to entrust this along with my waist pouch. The things in them might prove to be useful to you.¡±

    Brendel knew that he could forcefully take the White Fang away, and he had nned to give the sword to Freya, but when he looked at Ebdon, he still nodded.

    The two of them knew that such promises meant nothing to an undead and a living person, but Ebdon had told him this much because he trusted in him. Based on this, Brendel could not find the heart to betray him.

    But.

    Ebdon must be killed here. The refugees will not agree to have a high-ranking undead general to apany them¡ª

    Brendel received the emblem and looked at it with the system activated. The brass emblem was fashioned into a lion¡¯s head.

    [The Lion Emblem, Collision Aura + 1?! It¡¯s a skill emblem!]

    Brendel nearly dropped the emblem with his fumbling fingers. The skill ¡®Collision Aura¡¯ was a core skill of the Temr Knights. The highest level that could be reached was level 29, while non-rted professions could only learn up to level 10. The first level gave +1 to defence, while each incremental level before level 10 was +0.5. With level 10-20, each level added +1 to defence, and after level 20, each incremental level was stacked.

    This meant that level 21 would add +2 in defence, level 22 would add +3 in defence, level 23 would add +4 in defence.

    [If I reach level 29 and gain +10 defence on that level, then having this ring would add +11 in defence! That¡¯s as crazy as having three full tes worth of defense!]

    When Brendel saw this emblem he immediately decided to be a Pdin which could simrly learn Collision Aura to the highest level. In addition to the ring, there was another full-te and shield that added +1 ¡®Collision Aura¡¯ each. With thebination of everything, he could gain + 36 defense.

    [That¡¯s like a portable fortress, heck, even the soldiers around me within 60 feet is equivalent to a tank. What kind of prowess would the cavalry have if I lead the charge?]

    Brendel suddenly recalled that Ebdon was Madara¡¯s vanguard in the game. In theter part of the game, it had the highest defense amongst the four riders.

    [As expected as the Conqueror Ebdon... No wonder they called him that.]

    Even though his mind was flooded with emotions and excitement, his expression did not change. After days of experiencing life and death, Brendel felt he was bing more mature than before. If he got this in the game he would have probably done a naked dance to celebrate the event.

    He kept the emblem and looked at Ebdon¡¯s pouch. But he quickly found that his collection was not abundant. There were some low grade materials, while the most valuable material was some metal bits to make a full te.

    [Hmm. Looks like Ebdon also understands the power from this emblem. He had already started to n to go in that direction.]

    Brendel attached the pouch to his belt and looked at Ebdon again.

    ¡°Do you have any other requests?¡±

    Ebdon shook his head. ¡°Please do it.¡±

    Brendel knew that it was a disgraceful thing to die alone in this battlefield. A knight¡¯s death should at least in his enemies¡¯ ahnds in a battlefield, to send him into eternal rest. He could at least do this much.

    Ciel pulled out his sword and walked up to Ebdon, but Brendel stopped him.

    Brendel pulled out his own sword with much difficulty and exchanged nces with Ebdon. He rode up to him and thrust his sword into the opponent¡¯s chest.

    Ebdon broke into a smile as the mes in his red up.

    ¡°Young man, I told you these secrets because I am still ¡®Ebdon¡¯ from Madara. I should thank you for releasing me.¡±

    The undead knight gave a final sigh: ¡°But at the same time, I have to die as a noble undead. The undying Madara represents unyielding mes, it¡¯s just that I did not expect to lose.....¡±

    The Soul Fire within its eyes finally extinguished.

    The ¡®White Rider¡¯ Ebdon was finally gone, and Brendel understood there would not be any Madara¡¯s four vanguards any more from this point forth. He looked quietly at the remains before countless silver particles rose from its corpse and integrated into his body. This was something that he had not experienced before as a warm energy went into his entire body.

    [This seems to be pure soul energy... Well, if I¡¯m going by the system, that¡¯s 1300 XP. Thebined XP from killing the enemies from previous battles is nearly 2000. It¡¯s more than enough to level up and make things easier for the uing battles... but that¡¯s not a good idea as it will interfere with my ns for the future...]

    He raised his head up and looked at the sky. The clouds have already disappeared, and he could see a cross-shaped constetion in the sky.

    [The constetion of the King of Knights.]

    He took out the statue in his pouch and raised it up. The elegant deer reappeared on the mountain¡¯s edge, before it turned around and disappeared to the northeast direction.

    He suddenly spotted Leto riding up to him.

    ¡°We have discovered a lot of ghouls to the sides of this mountain......¡± Leto lowered his voice and whispered.

    ¡°Understood, we¡¯re still on track in regards to timing.¡± Brendel answered with the same calmness. ¡°Get the refugees to make a move now. We won¡¯t have enough time to waste on exchanging words right now.¡±

 volume 2 - 25

    TL: Next update should be next weekend.

    Chapter 25 ¨C Home of the fairies

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-Princess POV¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    ¡°This person is certainly audacious to call himself a member of the royal family.¡±

    The princess lightly ced her fringe of silver hair to the back of her pointed ears with her fingers, then took the porcin teacup and gently sipped from it, smiling.

    ¡°The king slumbers within the valley when the twin moons can be seen¡ª What do you think of the riddle, Lord Oberbeck?¡± She mused for a while before asking.

    ¡°The majority of the noble families in our kingdom have their own secrets, and this is an undeniable fact. But Ebdon mentioned about the oath to the royal family. It¡¯s likely that the treasure has to something to do with the royal family.¡± Oberbeck replied.

    ¡°I think it goes slightly moreplicated than that, Lord Oberbeck. The Holy Oath might have something to do with the first king, Erik.¡±

    Oberbeck nodded. ¡°The emeraldke in the pure white mountain ¡ª There are stories that the ce is where a Saint took his eternal rest.¡±

    ¡°I see. May I know how it came about?¡±

    ¡°The fishermen in the region frequently stated that they saw the Knight of the Lake in the mist. He guards the Lake of the Goddess, located in the central ind, and white boulders could be spotted within the ind. That is perhaps the mountain to the riddle.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the exnation, Lord Oberbeck. Do you have any idea what the two-faced statue means?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have no idea what is that, mydy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. A mysterious treasure like this is most likely unknown to everyone. It¡¯s certainly a very interesting aspect in the stories about knights.¡±

    She covered her lips andughed: ¡°I must have made youugh for my childish behavior.¡±

    ¡°Not at all, mydy. I too wonder about the identity of this former Ebdon. As far as I know there isn¡¯t a royal knight named Ebdon.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps his former name was something else.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s my guess as well.¡±

    The half-elf princess did not look at the middle-aged man, but she guessed that he must have done a careful investigation.

    [Oberbeck seemed to be highly impressed with that young man... He must have reported to Father about this matter as well, but what exactly was he impressed about? Personal strength? It¡¯s certainly a factor, but the most likely reason is the power behind that youth.]

    The princess stroked her chin.

    [Are the Hignd knights so important? This kingdom needs a new power so that it could revitalize itself, but the Hignd Knights, militia, or a new formal army are unlikely to be able to achieve that purpose. That young man...?]

    She shook her head.

    [No, that¡¯s not possib¨C Wait... Am I jealous?]

    For some reason she felt a little threatened by him and was slightly stunned when she thought about the issue. She shook her head again.

    ¡°Mydy?¡± Oberbeck noticed her strange actions.

    ¡°Ah, I apologize. Please continue the events.¡±

    Oberbeck cast a strange look at her as he nodded.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Brendel POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    The first moon had set in the west, while the second moon was still in the middle of the sky.

    Fog had started to appear in the fir forest, bringing a frosty nip to everyone. Brendel looked down from the horse, confirming that the white deer had started to bring them into the lower grounds in the east.

    A few minutes ago, Leto had came up to him to report the zombie army had stopped chasing their tracks.

    [Looks like they discovered that Ebdon¡¯s forces are gone. Medes has most likely called back his forces as a precaution.]

    The valley was silent.

    Two grand statues over thirty meters tall suddenly could be seen from the fog. Everyone except Brendel raised their heads up and stared in wonder at them without saying anything for a long time.

    They did not think that there would be such a ce after crossing the remote valley. They felt like they had caught a glimpse of history from a thousand years ago, and they felt a strange solemn feeling growing from their heart.

    The statues had long robes andyered armor pieces, with war dresses attached beneath the ted armor. The helmet was of Elven-make as the two sides of it were of a winged design. One hand held a longnce, the other held a gigantic shield. Their gazes were peering into the distance.

    They were recognized as the Holy Warriors from the Golden Races, where they fought against the Twilight Dragon in the Era of Darkness, until they finally rescued the continent from its grasp.

    The statues represented the guardians of all sentient beings.

    As they passed beneath the statues¡¯ feet, they felt rejuvenated, as if all fatigue and dirt had been washed away.

    Many people even stopped to check if they was somehow in an illusion.

    Brendel did not tell them that this was Vaunte¡¯s strongest protective barrier ¡®The tenth Percept¡¯. Its effects were very distinct on the people who gained their strength from darkness. A normal human being would enjoy the restoration of strength and purification when they passed through the barrier, but an undead would immediately be turned from extremely evil into extremely righteous if they managed to survive the statues¡¯ test.

    But that was exceedingly unlikely, as even Madara¡¯s any of the 24 eternal undead lords would most likely be turned into dust.

    Once they passed through under the statues and into the valley¡¯s entrance, they found that the inner valley was bing broader and broader, till the point it became an area of tnd. White fog surrounded both sides of the area and one could not see the edges.

    There seemed to be some form of living spirit that was made up of white smoke, sometimes forming into an angel flying in the sky, or a fearsome gryphon, or a knight on a tall horse, but they disappeared within the blink of an eye.

    No one dared to stray too far from Brendel¡¯s side. The refugees had stopped talking long ago and merely kept watching at the ever-changing environment.

    Freya who was in the rear felt things were bing more and more surreal. This ce looked like it was somewhere that amon man would not understand, but Brendel did not appear surprised or excited. She started to fret again after realizing that he was someone who was as mysterious as this ce was. Even though she had constantly fought beside him, she felt that she could not follow his footsteps as she was just a normal girl.

    She frowned and look at Romaine.

    [Romaine¡¯s aunt has her own secret ways and Romaine... Maybe someone like her is more suited for Brendel... They are the type after all...]

    Freya became more and more upset as she thought about it, and in the end hung her head down and rode behind alone, far away from the rest.

    Brendel did not notice anything unusual as he was handling Romaine¡¯s strange questions.

    ¡°What¡¯s this ce Brendel?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you earlier? This ce is the where the grave of the Holy Saint is.¡±

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t mention where the grave is just now.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s headache grew a little. He turned his around to look for some help and saw Ciel with a serious expression.

    [... Yeah right. He¡¯s not going to be reliable at this moment. Urgh, never mind.]

    He looked at Romaine again. She was filthy all over with mud as she sat proudly on the horse.

    [This was something that can¡¯t be helped... If she hadn¡¯t stole a horse to learn how to ride on it, she wouldn¡¯t be so dirty.]

    When Brendel knew that this event happened a while ago, he was really scared as she might fallen and broke something. But when he ran up to her, he found that she had tied a robe to herself to the horse¡¯s back firmly, running about with a puffed up chest.

    He obviously pinched her ear and lectured her for a long time about the things that she could and could not do.

    ¡°The Grave of the Holy Saint is where the ancient kings and sages take their eternal rest. They used their spirits to make a new border, and named as the ¡®Kingdom of Sanctuary¡¯. where all their citizens would be blessed while any invaders would be trapped within forever.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean they are many ces like this?¡± Romaine tilted her body towards the horse and looked at Brendel from the side.

    ¡°Naturally.¡±

    Brendel took a deep breath to enjoy the air within this valley, and nearly choked with eyebrows nearly bundled together.

    [This damn girl needs to go for a bath straight away after we¡¯re out from danger. I can¡¯t believe she can tolerate herself to be so dirty... Sometimes I really want to look inside her brain and what¡¯s going on inside¡ª]

    ¡°Are they all called Grave of the Holy Saint?¡±

    The conversation between Romaine and Brendel had drawn the people around them a little closer. This ce was filled with wonder and they wanted to listen to the youth¡¯s exnation. The mercenaries were a little curious as to how Brendel know about it. Some of the more experienced members in their group had seen more than themon noble, but even so, they had never heard of the phrases that he exined to Romaine.

    [I heard that this young man is a Hignd Knight, but are they really so mysterious?]

    Not only were the mercenaries puzzled, even Ciel felt a little strange. Even as a wizard¡¯s apprentice, his knowledge regarding about this was limited. Even in the ck Tower, there were hardly a few wizards who are proficient in this matter, and certainly no more than five people.

    [Where exactly does my master learn about all this information?]

    Ciel did not voice out his questions. Anyone who was able to use the Cards of Fate was not someone simple.

    Brendel shook his head when he heard Romaine¡¯s question.

    ¡°They have their own names. Each grave has something to rted with the person residing in it. This ce which is filled with a strange fog that never seems to end, based on my knowledge, is called the ¡®Home of the Fairies¡¯.....¡±

    ¡°Home of the Fairies?¡±

    ¡°The King of Knights is one of the eleven ancient kings, a guardian of the human race even before the King of mes, Gatel. The King of Knights made a promise with the Fairy Queen, and the queen allowed him to eat the Golden Apple to be king. After he died, his soul would return to thisnd and sleep there forever, and continue to uphold the promise¡ª¡±

    ¡°Thisnd is where chaos started. Time stops here during the night, and only when dawn breaks would time move again. Legend depicts that there is a Golden Apple Tree here in the center of the valley, where the Fairy Queen lives. If anymon man sees her that she does not approve of, they will never be able to leave.¡±

    A moment of silence happened, and Brendel turned his head to see why Romaine was quiet. She was looking at him with clear eyes.

    ¡°The Golden Apple?¡±

    ¡°What did you remember from the things I said? Only three words? The Golden Apple?¡± Brendel¡¯s mood turned sour as he realized that Romaine did not pay attention.

    Romaine nodded earnestly.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m not going to talk about this anymore.¡± He was almost at a loss for words, but when he was preparing to lecture her about logic and reasoning, he suddenly stopped moving and looked to another direction.

    Everyone turned their heads along with him to look at what Brendel was looking at.

    A solitary tree in the distance.

    [What... is that?]

    Brendel was stunned.

 volume 2 - 26

    I¡¯ll check for any mistakes tomorrow.

    TL: Good news and bad news. Good news, lecturer has give the thumbs up to draw a full illustration of the concepts and I finished my other stuff early, so I can TL it.

    Bad news, the level ofplexity of the designs is enough to make my head spin, and I might need to stop TLing my series for 1 week to meet the deadline. Anyway, I¡¯ll see how it goes.

    The next update will be tomorrow.

    Chapter 26 ¨C The golden mystery

    Everyone who heard Brendel describing the Golden Apple Tree paused for a moment when they saw the lone tree in the distance. The mercenaries who overheard about the part where no mortal could leave when they saw fairy queen, shivered in fright when they linked the tree to Brendel¡¯s story.

    They immediately kept their nces to a minimal, afraid of being trapped here forever. They had just escaped from Madara¡¯s undead with much difficulty to survive, but they did not have any intention to stay here forever.

    But Brendel did not care about the fairy tale at all. He had searched the entire valley along with all the other yers in the game. It was certainly mysterious for the residents that lived here, but in the game there was nothing but a destend and fog, not even an animal.

    There was no monsters, no treasure, no living creatures. The legendary fairy queen in the lore spread about only through the mouths of the NPCs, and no yer has ever seen her.

    And that was why it shook him to the core when he saw the tree. He was more than certain that there was nothing like that in the game.

    [The way how we got into the valley had not changed at all, and the scenery matched my memories. There was nothing in particr that¡¯s worth noticing either in the day or night... But there¡¯s something that has changed here. Timing differences...? Unlikely... Was there a mission about this? I don¡¯t think so...]

    Brendel rubbed his forehead.

    [Then... this reality is different from the game? Or someone carefully hid his experience within the game because it¡¯s a one-time mission? Thetter seems like a better fit, but how did he get all the secrets in this area? Is it triggered by the number of times one enters the valley?]

    Brendel clenched and unclenched his fist.

    [Let me think... The first yer discovered this area... announced the information excitedly in the forums... then there was some form of NPC confirmation that a knight had gone to that area after the yer found that area.... And then another yer from a guild confirmed the rumors shortly after that... I feel like I¡¯m forgetting something important.]

    Brendel was uncertain about this unforeseen event, as it meant that there could be something that was beyond his calctions. Yet his heart was racing from this unknown event, especially when this secret mission was something that had never been discovered before.

    [The rewards must be off the charts since it involves ancient lore!]

    He quickly made up his mind and made a gesture to let the mercenaries to get the refugees to stop marching. Time was slowed down in this ce, and three full days here was equivalent to a single night outside this area. They could stop and eat, explore the entire valley and not take more than a single day.

    He saw Leto looking at him in a puzzled manner. Brendel pointed at the tree and said

    ¡°I feel there¡¯s something wrong and I want to check it out.¡±

    ¡°Do you need my help?¡± Leto might have been a veteran soldier that participated in the November War, but he was ignorant in the ways of the mysterious lore.

    Brendel shook his head.

    Brendel did require some help, but he did not trust the mercenaries. This was something that possibly concerned legendary treasures, and he did not wish to share it with them. He looked at Ciel whom he trusted the most, but he had nearly spent all his mana points in the battle earlier, and he was just slightly stronger than a normal person.

    He looked at Romaine next. She did not fit the requirement either. Even though she had strong perception, but her overall strength was too weak and insufficient for her to take on such a risky mission.

    Romaine looked at him and blinked innocently.

    [There¡¯s really no need to try and get all puppy-eyes at me... I¡¯m not bringing you.]

    He turned his head around and found Freya in an inattentive mood.

    ¡°Freya?¡±

    ¡°Hah? Ah!¡± She looked him in a moment of confusion before she blushed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Brendel was confused by her actions as well. He knew her to be one who had her own opinions on the current situation, but ever since she entered the valley she acted strangely.

    He even thought she might have been swapped by some Madara¡¯s undead, if not for the Thorn of Light which did not react at all.

    ¡°N-nothing, What do you need, Brendel?¡± She was thinking about the tasteless request that he had a while ago, and she was afraid that he might be able to see through her thoughts.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a look at the tree in front,e along with me.¡±

    Freya paused for a while before nodding vigorously: ¡°S-sure.¡±

    ¡°I want to go too.¡± Romaine started twisting her body left and right in protest.

    ¡°Just stay here without doing anything else. If you want to learn riding so much, I¡¯ll let Ciel teach you. If I find that you¡¯re still bound to your horseter, I¡¯ll drag you over and tie you to my horse¡¯s back.¡± Brendel replied spitefully as he threw a nce at her.

    ¡°But I am unable to learn it.¡± Romaine simply answered without thinking.

    He shook his head: ¡°That¡¯s fine since there¡¯s a lot of time. It¡¯s very easy to ride a horse, and if you can¡¯t ride one you can¡¯t go on adventures with me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no problem at all. I¡¯ll tie myself to the horse¡¯s back without any problems. I don¡¯t feel that it¡¯s ufortable.¡±

    ¡°It matters a lot, and it has nothing to do with how you feel.¡± He red at her for a while, before ignoring her whining.

    He instructed Leto on the things to note and brought along a crossbow, before calling out to Freya to set off.

    Brendel had searched this path before along with numerous other yers. As he rode towards the tree, he finally confirmed that the area here was definitely different from what had happened in the game. He kept circling the boulders nearby, before Freya finally called out to him to ask: ¡°Brendel, what exactly are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for the entrance.¡± Brendel kept turning the horse round and round to look at the chaotic white boulders. Finally he seemed to have discovered something and jumped down from the horse, and walked towards the center of the boulder.

    ¡°Entrance?¡± Freya also followed him and jumped down from the horse.

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s right here, follow me-¡± Brendel replied as he pulled out the Elven sword and walked through a small gap between two boulders.

    [¡®Fate¡¯s fork¡¯. The game¡¯s indicator stated this in the journal, but nothing is showing up in my retina right now. There¡¯s a iron box behind these rocks which contain a rock te necessary for the unique area.]

    He kept thinking about this event when a sudden st of wind came at him. He was considerably careful in searching, and before he was able to think about it, his body had already made the decision for him to retreat. He knocked Freya down as a golden arrow aimed at his former postion where his nose was.

    The two of them fell backwards, but Brendel looked at the shooter¡¯s direction at thest moment and spotted a golden figure disappearing behind the boulders.

    [Shit... I¡¯m lucky my reactions are fast enough, because I really didn¡¯t spot where the attacker attacked from just now.]

    ¡°Who¡¯s there!¡± Brendel had subconsciously pushed himself up from the ground to chase the attacker, but when he pushed himself up with his hand, he immediately felt there was much softness in his grasp. When he finally found out what it was, his mind was a nk.

    [............. Seriously?]

    He turned his head back and indeed discovered that his hand was ced squarely into an undesirable spot on the girl¡¯s chest. Freya was staring at him with her clear light brown eyes, and she did not know what to say for quite some time.

    But she finally reacted and pushed him to one side, before scrambling to her feet and kept quiet.

    He also regained his senses and pretended to look for that golden figure, but there was nothing there at all.

    ¡°I¡¯m, err, sorry......¡± He thought for a very long time, but only managed to squeeze out a dry apology.

    ¡°Err, mmm, who was that just now?¡± Freya¡¯s face was flushed with blood.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I saw a golden figure, but fairies don¡¯t appear like that, but more like they are creatures that are summoned.¡± Brendel¡¯s mind worked furiously and his thoughts were cleared up.

    ¡°A-are you fine?¡± The girl¡¯s voice was incredibly soft.

    Brendel looked at her and hook his head. He had been trying to look for a golden arrow, but there was nothing but a deep hole in the boulder¡¯s wall.

    [Arrow of Light?]

    Brendel¡¯s brow furrowed.

    [That¡¯s from a high grade weapon... This is not an illusion, but judging from the opponent¡¯s speed, he¡¯s not as powerful as Ebdon. As long as I sustain my vignce I¡¯ll be fine.]

    Brendel had confirmed his current strength when he fought against Ebdon. If he went all out, he would barely be at the level of a Silver-ranked fighter, and any enemy below that was not much of a trouble to him.

    After checking the area, Brendel gestured to Freya for her to be on the alert, while he gripped the Elven sword tightly and slowly advanced.

    [The enemy escaped to the north. That area is where the ¡®Fate¡¯s fork¡¯ is at. Does that mean he came from that ce? But I have never heard of someone being attacked in the game.]

    He immediately spotted an iron box in a stone tform as he reached around the bend. Anyone with a level higher than a Gold-rank was able to destroy the box, but it was a meaningless action as the box would be restored the next night.

    Brendel looked around his surroundings. He did not trust his memories entirely now. This enemy had proven that events that did not appear in the game, happened here. Not only was there some mysterious living entity, he looked like he was an enemy.

    After confirming there was no one around, he opened the box. But when he did so, he waspletely stunned.

    There was a pair of earring beside a rock te.

    [What... is this?]

    He hesitated. He was now afraid that there was a magic trap in the box. Again, there was nothing like that in the game, but he did not want to take a risk. He did a simple test by allowing the Elven sword to go near the box. Typically there was a simple defensive measure for magic traps that worked sometimes.

    There was no such reaction.

    He then took the ring and nced at it, before throwing back into the box like it scalded him.

    [Ring of Infinite Ice, +2 to knowledge, +1 to will]

    Brendel cried in pain and sped his head with both his hands. An explosive pain went through his mind like a thousand needles had stabbed it.

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Freya jumped in fright and she immediately went over to support him.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, be careful of the surroundings.¡± Brendel gasped for breath as he he took the box with one hand. He cursed the person who put the ring into the box.

    [Damn it. Who¡¯s the bloody moron who put in this 95oz equipment into this box... That was pure magic recoil because my level is too low. This area is still a beginner¡¯s area, and even the max level of any enemy would not be over fifty, but this ring is at least level seventy and above.]

    Brendel had used his ¡®Will¡¯ to investigate the ring, and caused a strong bacsh to his mind. The pain subsided after a while, and Brendel started to think about the events again.

    [... I see. So that is why I felt that things are strange. What if this is an event that was impossible for any yers to get? Rather than thinking that the NPC knight in the game came second after the first yer who discovered it, the NPC was the first to discover this. That¡¯s because the yers started to investigate the veracity of the first yer¡¯s im and discovered the rumors about the NPC discovering this area.]

    Brendel stared at the ring.

    [A hidden quest beyond level seventy? Try and aim for it? Or retreat right away? The risk is crazy, but the rewards are just as impressive. Ipleted 3 such quests in the gamest time, and I got a ¡®Fantasy¡¯ ranked weapon, an intermediate secret skill, as well as a billion Tor coins. Because of these three quests, I managed to get into the upper echelons. But... level seventy? Just any level seventy enemy would be enough to kill me outright just by looking at me.]

    Brendel¡¯s heart raced.

    [But there¡¯s another problem. If I wait till three monthster, the secret mission here might be gone. The timing around that time is when the first yer discovered this area, so...... what should I do?]

    The youth took in a deep breath and looked at Freya.

    ¡°Brendel?¡± She found that there was a strange look in his eyes, and she asked him in trepidation.

    ¡°If I am going to choose to risk my life, would you follow me?¡± Brendel found his voice was hoarse.

    ¡°... I would, but I wouldn¡¯t want you to risk it.¡± Freya thought carefully for a moment before answering.

    Brendel took in her words and nodded, letting out a long sigh.

 volume 2 - 27

    Chapter 27 ¨C Knowing when to call it quits

    Once Brendel heard Freya¡¯s words, he immediately calmed down. He had cleared three secret quests and knew even more of such secret quests that were of equivalent level.

    [There is absolutely no need for me to take on such a risk. When I fought against Ebdon, I literally used everything I had to defeat him. Fighting against anything that is above level seventy ispletely suicidal. Furthermore, the first yer who found this ce did so three monthster. Madara¡¯s undead forces will retreat in approximately one or two monthster, and they most likely won¡¯t search this area because of the protective barrier. If I truly want to aim for this secret quest, I can try doing soter on, especially when my level is higher.]

    He took the ring and kept it stashed away and patted the Freya¡¯s shoulder: ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    ¡°Brendel?¡±

    ¡°There are plenty of chances to take such risks, but we only have a single life each,¡± Brendel smiled mockingly at himself: ¡°You arepletely right. There are problems with my attitude just now.¡±

    [The First War of the ck Rose ends at the end of July, Aouine¡¯s internal strife shows itself during September, and finally there¡¯s a political shift in November. I have only five months to raise my levels as much as possible, but I¡¯m obviously going too fast for considering what I did just now.]

    Brendel wanted to gain enough strength to at least protect the people around him, even if he was unable to change the history was about to take ce. He knew that the world would descend into utter chaos, and things like justice and logic would be destroyed by the wars ahead. In order to survive in the chaotic world ahead, he had to do ridiculous tasks in order to be stronger.

    Romaine and Freya might not be able to understand, and even Ciel who followed him might not be able to understand either. Sometimes Brendel felt the feeling of frustration was even stronger in him because he knew he was powerless to stop the events that came along.

    He sheathed his sword and walked towards the exit, and indicated to Freya to follow him.

    When the two left the area, two person slowly walked out from the dark gaps between the rocks.

    The taller person looked like she was female. She dressed in a strange robe that was white in color, with her sleeves, shoulders and chest area decorated with blue sigils. The upper dress fit tightly to her waist, but the sleeves and pants were uniquely wide. She had long silver hair and her eyes seemed like the deepestke that was dark green in color. There were crimson patterns on her face, but she did not have any expressions.

    ¡°Rauze, are you not going to stop them from leaving?¡± Her voice waspletely neutral and boring.

    ¡°Phoral, if you keep showing off your aggressive nature by showing off your ws and teeth, it won¡¯t be fun anymore.¡± The reply that came back seemed to be full of excitement.

    The shorter girl appeared like she was approximately fifteen years old. Her long golden hair was tied into twin ponytails, and she wore a traditional leather attire like many other adventurers. On her back was a heavy iron box that was taller than a human, with a constetion design that linked five different stars together.

    Phoral thought for a while.

    ¡°Then why did you attack them?¡±

    ¡°Tsk. You¡¯re really boring, I¡¯m just testing them.¡±

    ¡°I see. I was wondering if the Principality of Gold had something wrong when your attack was less than two percent effective¡ª¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to marry a person as boring as you...¡±

    ¡°Rauze, we¡¯re from the dragon race.¡±

    ¡°¡®Person¡¯ is just an analogy, bleah, I don¡¯t wanna talk about this anymore. That human male actually took away your ring. Doesn¡¯t he know what this means?¡± (TL: Dun dun dunnnnn, it¡¯s a trap?)

    She giggled as she spoke. Phoral looked at her without answering. (TL: Sorry, I couldn¡¯t resist that pun. Don¡¯t ask me about their identities, I really have no idea who they are.)

    ¡°Tsk. You¡¯re really a boring fellow. But I really want to see his expressions when he sees the little present I gave him. I heard that humans are really greedy creatures.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you came here to find the legend of the Golden Apple Tree? Why did you give away that item to them?¡±

    ¡°Hahhh.... The legend about the Golden Apple Tree isn¡¯t as interesting as these small creatures fighting for their lives, ya know? I decided to give this adventure to them because of that reason. Also, I find that human male kinda familiar, he might be rted to the King of Knights or something.¡±

    Phoral stared at her: ¡°Do you know the King of Knights?¡±

    She immediately coughed: ¡°That¡¯s just an expression, expression!¡±

    ¡°What exactly are you scheming?¡±

    ¡°Ha ha ha... Just a simple test...¡±

    Rauze started giggling again. Phoral¡¯s brows furrowed.

    When Leto saw Brendel and Freya returning to the camp, the mercenaries had already settled the refugees and started cooking a meal. The fire that was started in the foggy valley seemed to add some vitality into the emptynd.

    The mercenaries and militia werepletely exhausted after the series of battles in the night. When Brendel rode back, he discovered that most of them were sleeping. However, some of the refugees volunteered to be cooks and roused the people who defended up when the meal was cooked, personally handing them the hot food..

    Brendel appreciated the scene before him.

    [The future can be changed. The people I rescued today can rescue even more people in the future, and bit by bit we can write a new history. Even though I¡¯m still weak right now, I¡¯m definitely bing stronger.]

    Leto approached and greeted him, asking him in a quiet voice if he wanted to set off immediately. Brendel looked around him and found Ciel and Sue sleeping deeply on a wooden box. He then took another look at the refugees and mercenaries, discovering that the entire camp was mostly quiet.

    He thought for a while and shook his head. His n was already halfpleted and there was no need to push the people here too hard. They could still pull ahead of the Madara¡¯s ahead even if they slept for a while due to the time dtion in this area.

    The exit in the north valley was very close to the River of Sharp rocks, and reaching there meant that victory was nearly at hand.

    ¡°Have you slept, Mister Leto?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my lord. I¡¯m a mercenary. We¡¯re very much capable of taking care of ourselves in a situation like this.¡± Leto patted his chest andughed.

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°Then Freya, go ahead and sleep for a while.¡± He turned around and looked at the girl who had not slept for several days. Even though this ce restored the body¡¯s physical strength, it was unable to restore mental fatigue.

    She shook her head immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can still go on.¡±

    ¡°This is an order.¡±

    ¡°I, I.....¡±

    She red at him.

    [Did I say I¡¯m going to obey your orders?! I¡¯m the militia captain right!] She growled in her head, but every time she thought of the youth¡¯s elegance in leading everyone to safety, his words felt like they were naturally right, and in the end she could only lower her head and nod.

    ¡°I... I got it.¡±

    Brendel obviously did not know the mental anguish going on in her head, but merely watched her leave with his eyes on her to make sure she went to rest. Finally, he turned his head around and asked Leto: ¡°Ah, I want to ask where¡¯s Romaine now.¡±

    ¡°I just saw Miss Romaine riding with the cavalry.¡± Leto looked at the squadron in front as he spoke. His expression appeared like he had just witnessed something unbelievable.

    ¡°Riding with the cavalry?¡± Brendel did not notice Leto¡¯s expressions, but merely repeat his words in a troubled manner.

    [This crazyss went around the ce by tying herself to the horse again? Looks like she has forgotten some of the punishments that I administered a while ago...]

    But before he decided to grind his fists into her head again, he heard a voice calling out to him. ¡°Brendel, hey, you¡¯re back?¡±

    Anyone could tell it was thess with her distinctive voice.

    When he turned around, he saw that she was riding proudly on the horse in front of him.

    ¡°W-when did you learn how to ride?¡± Brendel was really surprised when he took a closer look at her. He was able to learn it instantly with the help of the game¡¯s AI system, but Romaine obviously did not have something like that.

    ¡°Because I¡¯m one hundred percent merchant material!¡± Romaine stopped her horse in front of him and answered haughtily.

    ¡°What does this have anything to do with a merchant?¡±

    ¡°Eh? It has nothing to do with it?¡± Romaine¡¯s eyes went wild with surprise. ¡°But don¡¯t all merchants know how to ride a horse?¡±

    ¡°Ah, Miss Romaine, I have to say this, but the majority of the merchants don¡¯t know how to ride a horse.¡± Leto aided Brendel in his straight retort.

    Romaine¡¯s dainty eyebrows nearly bunched up together: ¡°I-is that so? Well, there¡¯s no problem at all since I¡¯m one of the better merchants, right Brendel?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Brendel¡¯s reply was half-hearted. He thought that it was heaven¡¯s way ofpensating for a natural scatterbrain. He eyed her with her exasperation, dismounted and said: ¡°Okay, little Romaine, since you¡¯re so free, apany me to walk around the camp.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± She looked quite excited.

    ¡°Do you need me to go along, my lord?¡± Leto asked patiently.

    Brendel nearly coughed up blood.

    [Nice going, mister. Do you really need to try so hard to be a third wheel?]

    But Leto had asked out of good intentions and Brendel could only agree in a gloomy nod.

    Suddenly Brendel felt a strange shift in the bag on his waist and he froze momentarily. He opened it to check and his expression immediately changed. He blinked and thought that he had seen something wrongly, so he closed the bag, then opened it again.

    He still thought he was hallucinating.

    Why would he have this object in his bag?

 volume 2 - 28

    Chapter 28 ¨C The end of the tale

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Princess POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The princess with silver hair did not speak for a long time after the story ended. She supported her chin with her fingers and looked at the sunset outside the giant arched window. It was nearly night time.

    ¡°So what is the ending of this tale, Lord Oberbeck?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the ending apparent enough, mydy? It ends with me finishing narrating the tale to the princess here.¡±

    ¡°You could put it that way, Lord Oberbeck, but you have not told me the most interesting thing.¡± The princess asked with interest.

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°You said ¡®he got something good out of it over the journey¡±, but I have not heard anything of that description from the beginning of the tale, Lord Oberbeck.¡±

    ¡°Is that right, mydy, but this old minister here recalled clearly that he had described it perfectly.¡± Lord Oberbeckughed heartily as he faked surprise.

    ¡°You mean the emblem that Ebdon gave him? It¡¯s nothing more than a magic emblem only right? I think with Lord Oberbeck¡¯s experience in magical artifacts, you wouldn¡¯t be interested in that.¡± (TL: Given that Brendel can actually decide his entire profession on this trinklet... Or how Ebdon was Madara¡¯s top ranking vanguard, heh.)

    ¡°No, no, of course not. Mydy, why not think about it a little more?¡±

    She tapped on her chin and considered for a while.

    ¡°Then it has to be something from the Valley of the Saint. I believe there¡¯s a portion where you gave little description as to what happened.¡±

    ¡°You are certainly wise, mydy.¡± Oberbeck praised her from the bottom of his heart. ¡°But I did not intentionally left out anything. At that moment, I felt two powerful presence hiding nearby and I did not dare to approach any closer. I wanted to warn them of the danger, but I discovered them toote.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Even though Lord Oberbeck is not known for your skill in the sword, but I recall that you¡¯re at least a Gold-ranked fighter. There was actually someone who was actually strong enough to stop you from approaching them?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately so. However, it looked like they did not want anyone to discover them, and merely gave a warning to stop the two from advancing any further.¡± Oberbeck replied with some fear in his heart.

    ¡°Then that youth must have gotten something from there. Ah, Lord Oberbeck, you did not tell me what he saw when he opened his bag.¡±

    Lord Oberbeck checked his surroundings and mouthed the words out. The princess¡¯s expressions changed a little. ¡°That thing really exists?¡±

    Oberbeck nodded: ¡°I have heard of this item in legends, and I was just as surprise as mydy. It is unfortunate because once the item has gone through a mortal¡¯s hand, it would not beloing to another.¡±

    ¡°I see. It is a little regrettable, as it might change my brother¡¯s personality. For a kingdom like Aouine, he is a little too soft.¡± She looked at him: ¡°Otherwise Lord Oberbeck would have made an attempt to steal it, right?¡±

    Oberbeck did not deny it. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t change even if he is a friend of Lord Everton¡¯s daughter.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that their rtionship might not be as simple as friends only.¡± The princess chuckled.

    Lord Oberbeck knew that she was reminding him not to use her.

    [It is true that I considered using the king¡¯s only daughter to get to this Hignd Knight. But it seems like she¡¯s resistant to that idea. Still, she¡¯s a daughter of the crown and has to get married someday. That youth could actually be considered as a good candidate, and he is definitely much better than the majority of the noble youths that I have seen.]

    He bowed: ¡°Mydy, since the story has ended and the the day grows shorter, please allow this old minister to leave.¡±

    ¡°Feel free to do so, Lord Oberbeck. I would still like to sit here in peace for a while.¡±

    He tried to stifle the smile that was forming as he looked at her. He knew that she was trying to avoid her history teacher, and he might even beining to the king right now.

    ¡°Avoiding the issue is not a good n, mydy.¡± He tried to remind her in a small voice.

    The princess smiled with a sly look in her eyes. ¡°But it is still a n.¡±

    Lord Oberbeck took his leave and closed the door after saying his goodbyes¡ª

    The princess stood up and went to the window to look at the scenery outside.

    [What happened after that?]

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Brendel¡¯s POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    There was a wind that started in the forest.

    The trees swayed against the constant bursts of winds like a watter current. The seemingly unending fog started to move. Theyers of fog stacked together, and it contrasted greatly with the clusters of fiery red berries.

    The hooves d in metal broke the twigs and berries on the ground as they trampled across the river which had sharp rocks jutting out from the beach. Thirty four horses galloped across the shallow water and made it ssh like fireworks.

    The skeletons near the area clearly felt the disturbance and they sought out for the source. When they finally discovered the disturbance, they found that there were war horses appearing right in front of them.

    The Arreck war horses charged straight into the fragile bones and smashed into them, either shattering their bones immediately or knocking them back into the jagged rocks and destroying them. The cavalry created an empty path, before it slowed down: The young leader gestured to the riders and they stopped moving.

    Shouts pierced through the morning¡¯s air.

    ¡°Victory!¡±

    ¡°We won!¡±

    ¡°Long live Aouine!¡±

    ¡°Long live Brendel!¡±

    The mercenaries cheered loudly with their arms raised. Their collective cheers echoed throughout the valley as theybined into one.

    Brendel took down his leather helmet and threw it away as he sttered water onto his forehead to wash away the perspiration. A gust of wind blew and he felt refreshed from it. He then mounted his horse and looked at the surrounding environment.

    [Over. It¡¯s finally over!]

    He clenched his fist. It was a nightmarish battle when they fought against Ebdon¡¯s army. Everyone had used up all their strength when they finally reached the Valley of the Saint.

    Two thousand mere refugees managed to cut through a bloody path after being surrounded by ten of thousands of undead. It sounded like it was a daydream, but the reality was they made it happen. It was true that some of them did not make it and they wept in sadness over their cold bodies, but they managed to survive. (TL: When you think about it, it was almost always Brendel¡¯s army > enemy size, and mostly the reason why a smaller army would win a bigger army. If you split up the undead into 50 groups, and have Brendel¡¯s army of 500 militia/mercenaries vs 200 undead all the time...)

    Almost all the mercenaries had injuries on them, but they looked at him with convinced eyes as they know who had brought them to safety.

    It was almost like a miracle.

    The youth had fulfilled his promise as he said that he would point a path leading to a miracle

    Freya brought the militia along with her at this stage.

    Her sentences were,

    ¡°Did we really win, Brendel?¡±

    He nodded at the girl. He did not speak, but the militia behind her were silent when they saw him nod. Some of the people there dropped their weapons onto the ground as they saw their leader¡¯s action. They almost could not believe their eyes when they realized they had escaped to safety after just one full day.

    They had repeatedly broke through the enemy lines, even when the White-Mane army was unable to defeat the undead at all.

    Someone from the militia yelled out loudly as if it in denial: ¡°Lord knight, did we really win?¡±

    Brendel nodded again.

    Everyone started jumping and yelling in delight. Some of them started weeping while a few others ran backwards to inform the refugees. The cavalry tried to keep a straight face, but after a few moments they were grinning from ear to ear.

    Brendel noticed Freya looking at him in a slight stare, and he asked: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Thanks, Brendel.¡± Came the reply.

    Brendelughed in response. He started to look at the green forest far away from him.

    [The Forest of Grand deer. That¡¯s a nostalgic ce. It¡¯s a ce that I used to pass when I traveled from Brus to Fortress Riedon, with quite a lot of wolverines in them. There¡¯s a particr point of interest, an ancient castle, that I need to go at some point in the future.]

    Brendel started evaluating his options.

    [I have nearly gotten 5000 XP from the past battles. The Cards of Fate are something of great value as a magical item and a trump card that I can use, so I have to spend 2000 XP to attain an EP pool. Next is the Schr and Knight professions. The sub-profession as a schr allows for additional development on the main profession ss, as well as providing higher TP.]

    (TL: EP elemental points, TP ¨C Tactical points ¨C Required for raising skills.)

    [Technique skills in this world are a rare thing, because the majority of the people here are NPCs, while a yer could easily get their own innate techniques because of what their profession ss brings along. In this case, I also know missions that provide techniques as well, so I should put them in my schedule so that I have an advantage over the people here. Considering the path ahead of me if I want to be a pdin, I need to establish a good rtionship with the Holy Cathedral of Fire.]

    Brendel then thought about the overall journey.

    [I merelypleted a quest to ¡®rescue the refugees¡¯. The Tarkus in history hadbined multiple undead units and conquered many Aouine cities before they pulled out which led to the prologue of Aouine¡¯s demise. I used tough at Aouine¡¯s weak leadership, but until I led this group of NPCs, I finally realized that war isn¡¯t so simple.]

    He shook his head.

    [A gamer looking at Aouine¡¯s history with a pair of gamer¡¯s eyes. That¡¯s wrong. When you throw this situation to the royal king or the Regent Princesster on, they will most likely be helpless in this situation. I can¡¯t imagine how it feels like to watch their kingdom crumble bit by bit over the decades... In any case, we have already reached the north side of the River of Sharp Rocks.]

    Once they defeated the squadron here, they had swept Medes¡¯sst line of troops that surrounded the region.

    Suddenly he felt someone patting his back. When he turned around, he saw Leto and the other mercenaries, along with the remnants of the White-Mane army gathered together.

    ¡°My lord, what are your ns.¡± The first to speak was Batum who appeared like a coarse city dweller in Brendel¡¯s eyes. His orange-red beard was especially striking.

    ¡°My ns?¡±

    ¡°We have discussed amongst ourselves, we would follow you if you wish to keep us by your side.¡± Mano answered in a straightforward manner.

    The mercenaries found out that they were more keen to work for the youth after experiencing the past few dayspared to working for others.

    Brendel was confused for a moment before realizing they were asking to be his retainers, but he was not a real noble and his identity was merely upheld by Ciel. He thought for a while before replying.

    ¡°It¡¯s not suitable for you to follow me at the moment.¡±

    Everyone was taken aback, but Leto understood there was something else in his words. ¡°Then what are your ns, my lord.¡±

    But Brendel returned the question to him. ¡°What exactly do you n to do if I can¡¯t ept you?¡±

    They looked at each other, but it was Gaspard from the Fortress Riedon¡¯s public policing forces that answered. ¡°We intend to form a mercenary group, if my lord has other thoughts. We fought together so we can trust each other.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you interested in continuing your post as a captain?¡±

    Gaspardughed. ¡°No, I already gave my thoughts about this, and my men are also willing to walk this road.¡±

    ¡°What about you and your men?¡± Brendel turned to Taron and the rest of the White-Mane army.

    ¡°Besides us, there are also a few men from the refugees who are interested in joining us. However, a few of the mercenaries and the White-Mane soldiers have their own ns. The rest amongst the refugees are farmers and city dwellers.¡± Batum was the one who replied.

    Brendel took another nce at him. Batum did not appear to be a simple mercenary to be able to analyze the refugees¡¯position.

    ¡°Taron?¡± Brendel was interested in the White-Mane¡¯s sub-officer as he was one of the kingdom¡¯s veterans. Taron closed his eyes and thought for a while before answering in a solemn voice.

    ¡°I wish to follow you, lord knight. If you disagree, I can only return to the White-Mane Army.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re disappointed?¡± Brendel was surprised after listening to the tone in his voice.

    Taron nodded.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s establish a mercenary group first and... the group¡¯s name shall be ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯.¡±

    Everyone paused.

    Leto asked gingerly. ¡°What does my lord mean?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, also, try and get some of the artisans from the refugees to go with you. Of course, you can¡¯t force them if they don¡¯t want to. On the other hand, I need Batum toe along with me for the next task that I¡¯m about to do.¡±

    He turned back to Taron. ¡°If you really wish to stay behind, then go along with Mister Leto. I¡¯m not sure what I can do for your men, but I will let you know very soon.¡±

    Taron slowly nodded.

    ¡°Where are you going next, my lord?¡± Gaspard asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m heading to Ankries. Someone¡¯s waiting for me there, then I¡¯m going off to Brus. If everything goes well, I believe I can inherit and very soon. At that point we can discuss again.¡± Brendel replied confidently.

    Everyone looked at each other again. There were many noble youths, but knights who inheritednds were very few. It appeared like he was a Hignd Knight from the legends, and they thought they had chosen the right decision to follow him.

    Brendel looked beyond at the horizon as he started to form his ns clearly in his mind.

 volume 2 - 29

    No worries, I¡¯m sure the story isn¡¯t going to turn into a merchant novel. Maybe. Next update wille a few hourster. Please inform me of any errors.

    Chapter 29 ¨C Romaine¡¯s ns

    The start of every year was called the ¡®Month of Winter chords.¡¯ One charismatic person would host the event, so the first month was also called the ¡®Month of socialization¡¯, and many banquets and festivals were held during that time period.

    The sixth month was called the ¡®Month of Hazy Summer¡¯. The word ¡®hazy¡¯ referred to the moonlight during the summer nights, where magic woke up from the Summer¡¯s Slumber. This was when the wizards, both living and undead, had their busiest activities.

    When it came to the seventh month, the ¡®Month of flowing fire¡¯, it was when the day was longest throughout the year. The Sun God would reach the peak of his powers and the beast-kin in the far east held their biggest celebration, the Festival of mes.

    Simrly, the kingdoms who were under the protection of the Holy Cathedral of Fire considered this month an important one. The celebration for this event that happened once a year in Aouine should have started early, but the noble officials in the Grinoires region had no mood to spend time on the events due to the constant battles they faced from Madara.

    However, it appeared there was some changes as there were rumors that the armyprised of frightening undead creatures had stopped at Dragos and did not proceed any further to the north. The Silver-Winged knights had won two victorious battles and reimed muchnd, despite several defeats. Many more rumors spread throughout thend, and people were unable to differentiate the truth. Fortunately, most of themoners would rather believe in good news, and they praised Duke Nakkin for being wise and strong.

    On the seventh day, Incirsta¡¯s army turned towards Randner, and the viges in the Grinoires area received their peace again.

    People started iming that the war was over because it was the time when the Sun walked on the Earth, and once the undead touched the ground they would burn up, and the kingdom was naturally going to go for a counter attack.

    No one knew where the rumors started, but it was spread around the nearby areas within a few days.

    Brendel sat next to a wooden table and listened to the farmers¡¯ discussion nearby him. He and a few others had just left Ankries and were heading to Brus without much issues. The undead numbers were getting smaller, so the farmers were at least right about the war ending soon.

    Marden had sessfully brought the vigers to Ankries, and the news of the fall of Be region quickly spread to Fortress Vermeire. He naturally became a hero and the guards and militia that he brought along were glorified and ced into a list where rewards awaited them. Freya and Romaine were also in the list, but this was certainly not the end of the rewards. Brendel knew that there was a more important y going onter.

    [After the war, the kingdom is going to require ¡®Heroes¡¯ in order to boost the morale of the citizens. In a war, victory or defeat isn¡¯t that important, but it¡¯s more important to have figureheads that allow people to look at.]

    When Brendel and the others reached Ankries, Marden and the the militia were sent to Brus without any dy. The nobles wanted to gather goodwill from the capital, and the army needed to be praised, therefore they had no reason for any shes.

    In the end, the glory was attached to the local White-Mane army instead of the local nobles, which signified that Ankries also had political shes between the two factions.

    However, two news surprised Brendel.

    [Be¡¯s guards did not get wiped out by the undead forces entirely. Bretton and a few of the men close to him survived. Ahh, I feel really annoyed when I think about that hateful bastard, but at the same time I somehow feel relieved that he survived this.]

    The other news really surprised him and made him feel at a loss.

    [The ¡®Tiger¡¯ Luc Beson survived. What should I make of this? I know I changed history somewhat, but what did I do to help him survive?]

    ¡°Damn these bastards! What does it have anything to do with these cowardly nobles when Madara changed their targets to attack? Why doesn¡¯t anyone know Brendel and who is Earl Nakkin?¡±

    Freya was grumbling at the side and he looked over to her, only to find that she had a displeased demeanor.

    Brendel could not suppress a smile.

    ¡°Earl Nakkin is the current head of the Dous family. The family is very well known in this area and they go back a long time in history, and there are nomon nobles that can bepared to them.¡±

    She jumped slightly when she suddenly heard him speak, and her earlier temper subsided quickly. ¡°B-but he can¡¯t take the credit that others made....¡±

    ¡°The goals from the upper echelons are different from us. We basically will not have any contact with them. Furthermore, there¡¯s no need to get angry with the farmers here. You look down on the nobles because you already know what¡¯s inside their hearts, but these farmers are ignorant of the truth. In their eyes, the nobles are people of high importance that takes care of the country.¡±

    Freya paused slightly when she suddenly realized that she had stereotypical thoughts as well in the past. She believed the city dwellers to be arrogant because of how much they know, while the nobles are far above themoners who controlled everything. She looked closely at the youth. After she met Brendel, she had learned many more truths about the world, and seemed to grow up a lot.

    The events that appeared mysterious and difficult had bemon ce now.

    [Was Brendel the one who changed me, or did the war somehow changed my views?]

    Brendel noticed she was deep in thought. ¡°What are you thinking?¡±

    ¡°Have I changed?¡±

    ¡°Humans naturally change, Freya. It just depends where the change is.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± She looked at him in slight confusion.

    ¡°Wisdom.¡±

    ¡°Wisdom?¡±

    ¡°Because you see more things then the others, and know more than the others, that you find the world bing more insignificant. That is wisdom.¡±

    ¡°Then what about you?¡±

    ¡°You can think of it this way. When you know the things I know, the world would beplicated in your eyes, and the events from the future would cause you an endless amount of worry.¡± The youth paused for a while before answering.

    Freya thought about it and shook her head to show that she did not understand.

    Brendel smile: ¡°You mighte to know of it in the future¡ª¡°

    He suddenly Romaine cing her chin onto the table with utter boredom with her puppy eyes on him. His pleasant mood was cut by half.

    ¡°What is it not?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Romaine immediately denied it.

    Brendel found himself at a loss for words. Themon sense of the girl in front of him frequently stopped his conversation from continuing. He contemted for a while before changing the topic.

    ¡°Come to think of it, what are you nning since yesterday?¡±

    Romaine¡¯s eyes shone and she sat up.

    ¡°I¡¯m calcting the price.¡±

    ¡°Price?¡±

    ¡°Ever since the Month of the Moon Flowers, Ankries¡¯s food prices went up by fifty percent. If the war continues until winter, then the merchant Romaine will be able to make her first profit.¡± She answered with logical sense.

    Her words surprised both of them. It looked like thess was having a great time for the past two days in Ankries, off toplete her own adventures, but did not realize that she had investigated the market.

    But Brendel was surprised at the merchant girl¡¯s acuity, while Freya was surprised that her best friend had a serious side to her.

    ¡°Looks like you can¡¯tplete it,¡± Brendel got interested and replied: ¡°The war will onlyst to the middle of the seventh month. Looks like your first n is about to go up in smokes, great merchantdy.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Most likely.¡± Brendel said that it was hundred percent in his heart. He was hoping to see the dejected look on Romaine¡¯s face, but he was quickly disappointed. (TL: We now know that he¡¯s a S.)

    ¡°Hey, Brendel.¡± She blinked. ¡°I heard that Brus constantly supplies food and wine to Dragos, Ankries and the Be region every year right? Ankries and Dragos are also Grinoires¡¯s most important southern areas because they produce food right?¡±

    [You even investigated this?] Brendel looked at little Romaine.

    ¡°Then Brus with the poption of thirty-five thousand, they would have stopped producing wine at the end of the fifth month because of the war situation right?¡±

    ¡°Considering that the nobles received the news early, I think they might have stopped doing so at the beginning of the fifth month.¡± Brendel reflected on the overall Madara invasion and realized that very few people would notice any signs of the war because of how controlled the information was.

    Romaine nodded. ¡°Then if the war ends during the middle of the seven month, Ankries wouldn¡¯t be able to support two festivals, and if Brus wants to transfer wine and food, they would have to do so from the north and pass over the Grey Eagle mountains. If that is the case, the wine prices from that region should be expensive if you add on the fees incurred by the journey.¡±

    ¡°Who exactly told you this?¡± Brendel listened in surprise.

    ¡°My aunt said that ignoring the advice from your elders would be punished by the Gods.¡± Romaine looked at the two in front of her and answered seriously. ¡°Old man Anton, the cripple Carl and Mister John are people who had produced wine for half their lives for Brus. Brendel, do you want the Great Merchant Romaine to introduce any of them them to you? They are really good at what they do!¡±

    Brendel looked at the merchant girl and her imaginary wagging tail that was working furiously. He could believe that people liked her carefree spirit, but what was with the ¡®Great Merchant Romaine¡¯?

    ¡°So you want want to gain a profit before the war ends? That¡¯s your n?¡±

    She nodded furiously.

    ¡°Youck the capital?¡±

    She continued to nod furiously.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Freya finally found an appropriate time to stop them. She frowned as she spoke. ¡°Brendel, you¡¯re aren¡¯t going to be crazy like Romaine right? We don¡¯t have much money.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps little Romaine can give us a surprise on this matter.¡±

    But Freya did not believe that such an opportunity would drop onto theirps.

 volume 2 - 30

    Alright, this marks the end of the sponsored chapters. Thank you very much for your support.

    You can expect two more regr chapters, probably one more chapterter on, and another tomorrow.

    Chapter 30 ¨C Brendel¡¯s ns

    But Freya did not get to finish her talk as she saw Romaine¡¯s sad face, and swallowed the angry words that she had.

    ¡°W-whatever. I can¡¯t be bothered anymore.¡±

    Brendel already knew that Freya was someone who had all bark and no bite, so he took out his own bag and emptied it. A few silver coins fell out from it, and it appeared like he had around five hundred Tor.

    His mouth opened slightly as he did not expect that he had so little money. He had sold off a low grade gem from Ebdon¡¯s loot for a good price in Ankries that was worth of tens of thousands of Tor. He had split up up the money into three parts and divided them to Freya and Romaine. But after purchasing some ingredients for an alchemy potion, he used up most of it.

    The ingredients that he had were nned to make a High-potion that was supposed to raise willpower for a short time. It was called a ¡®Berserker¡¯s potion for mages¡¯ in the game, and it was more likely to be even more popr in this world.

    But this item was an investment that would not see profit like the painting of the Elven princess that was worth a few million Tor.

    [Especially this darn painting. I can¡¯t sell it anytime soon. I kind of regret leaving the decision to Ciel. If I had known this I would have just asked him to take some random gold or silver tes... This type of special item isn¡¯t easily sold even in the ck market, unless I have personal connections.]

    He arranged the coins on the table and sighed. ¡°Looks like I only have this much. But Freya should have some money left, right¡ª¡°

    ¡°W-what does your problems have anything to do with me?¡± Freya nearly choked from her ill mood. She red at Brendel, but still took out her money pouch. ¡°Grrrr. All our travel funds are inside here. Do what you want¡ª¡°

    Freya threw out over four thousand Tor and he looked at her in surprise.

    They had been traveling around the Dragos region for nearly a month, and Romaine, Batum, Tamar and his son, as well as himself and Freya had been living on her budget. In fact, they had four more horses and the horse cart rental, so Brendel did not expect her to have much of the money left.

    [Hoh... To think Freya is a budget nner...]

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Freya checked her clothes when she found Brendel staring at her.

    ¡°Nothing. I just thought you¡¯re really a wise person. I wonder who¡¯s lucky enough to marry you.¡±

    ¡°Freya is mine.¡± Romaine smiled happily.

    Freya blushed like the evening sunset, her heart beating quickly. ¡°What do you mean by lucky, s-stop talking nonsense.¡±

    Then she red angrily at Romaine: ¡°And you, just shut up.¡±

    But the merchant girl was long immune to such attacks. She smiled as she took out her bag which was just as empty as Brendel. ¡°It looks like I ran out of money too.¡±

    ¡°Damn it, where did all your money go?!¡± Freya blurted out when she saw the empty bag. Logically, Romaine was the one who did not need to use any money.

    ¡°Investigating the market requires money, you know. Also I bought a storage warehouse and prepared a bit of wine.¡±

    ¡°You bought a warehouse?¡± Freya¡¯s face asked when it happened.

    ¡°When Freya isn¡¯t paying attention.¡±

    ¡°You need to tell us!¡±

    Romaine thought seriously for a moment before wagging her finger. ¡°A merchant needs to keep her secrets, heh.¡±

    ¡°You and your stupid secrets!¡± Freya was angry to the point she lost the ability to continue talking.

    ¡°Little Romaine, you stored wine and not food?¡± But Brendel raised a question.

    ¡°Yup, I mainly chose Juniper Berries Wine and the local sweet wines.¡± Romaine nodded.

    Brendel was silent for a long while as he looked at her. He finally asked.

    ¡°You predicted that the war will end at the seventh month?¡±

    ¡°I thought it would be a littleter than that. I didn¡¯t think the situation would turn so fast. The Madara undead at Dragos didn¡¯t seem like they are going to advance, so I think they are going to seek for another target. Didn¡¯t Brendel always say that opportunities usuallye only once, and I think the undeadmander also know this. In any case, the nobles will definitely want a festival once the war ends.¡±

    ¡°When did you learn all these things?¡± Freya looked at her in disbelief.

    ¡°It¡¯s a merchant¡¯s secret.¡± Romaine¡¯s imaginary tail wagged proudly again.

    ¡°You really do learn very fast.¡± Brendel¡¯s hand looked like he was going to pat her head, but his fingers flicked Romaine¡¯s forehead and made her sp it. Her brows furrowed and sheined: ¡°D-don¡¯t flick my forehead Brendel!¡±

    Brendel looked at the pool of money.

    [But maybe it has nothing to do with any learning and is more of a natural instinct. It¡¯s rare to see someone as talented as little Romaine. I have to maintain my identity after Brus, and I need a lot of capital to fulfill my ns. Even before constructing any new buildings, Leto and hisrge group of mercenaries still require me to pay them. Now that I have taken another look at the budget before us, it seems that I have to the task of earning money up in my schedule.]

    Brendel rubbed his forehead.

    [The higher ranked items that I have, like the painting or potion, can¡¯t be sold in the southern Grinoires region due to many reasons. Too poor, too politically sensitive, hardly any ck market presence.... Unless I go to Grinoires¡¯s Folcrose, or the northern free port Ampere Seale, or Monsteras. These areas are where the filthy rich nobles reside, and selling in the ck market in that area wouldn¡¯t raise too much attention... The best option is still alchemy.]

    Brendel decided that it was best for him to use alchemy since he also had Tamar as an assistant. He briefly considered to pretend to be a prophet of sorts since he knew the future events, but abandoned it when he considered that he might be branded as a heretic and burned on a stake like a witch.

    [Most of the nobles like to use poison or acquire mana potions so they can recruit intermediate tier wizards... Hmm profits would be...]

    ¡°Romaine, how much do you need, is one hundred thousand Tor enough?¡±

    ¡°One hundred thousand?¡± Freya was surprised. ¡°When did we have so much money?¡±

    ¡°I heard that Nakkin¡¯s treasury has quite a bit of money in it.¡± Brendel rubbed his chin.

    ¡°Y-you¡ª¡± Freya¡¯s face immediately paled. From the performance in Fortress Riedon, she was certain that Brendel could pull it off.

    But Romaine did not act like she cared at all, and replied without any guilt in her voice. ¡°It¡¯s best to have more than that. I can guarantee that the profits would double.¡±

    ¡°Stop that and persuade Brendel, h-he¡¯s trying to¡ª¡± Freya carefully looked around her and did not finish her sentence. She was afraid that someone would inform the local authorities and they would not be permitted to leave this inn.

    ¡°Freya, Brendel can be trusted.¡±

    ¡°Your head cannot be trusted!¡±

    Freya was fuming , but she ultimately made up her mind not to let Brendel steal from the treasury of a noble. The escape from Fortress Riedon was ast resort, but no matter what, this attempt must not be allowed.

    She convinced herself that it was out of justice and not because she was afraid of seeing Brendel¡¯s neck in a noose. She red at Brendel once she thought it through and calmed down.

    ¡°Why did you bring all of us to whis vige?¡± She suddenly asked Brendel.

    There did not seem to be anything in this vige except for a single inn. There were only twenty or thirty families and this looked like a ce that people stopped for a while and rest, but they were here for the entire morning.

    But Brendel was equally impatient as well. He had sent out Batum for a task half an hour ago, but he still had not returned.

    [Did I predict it wrongly? ... No, this ce is the right ce. My memory isn¡¯t bad enough that I can mistaken it for a different ce. What does this mean? That person hasn¡¯t moved in to this ce yet? But didn¡¯t the forums state that he was always here?]

    Brendel finally raised his eyebrow when he saw the striking red moustache from Batum at the corner of the street.

 volume 2 - 31

    Chapter 31- Master of the Mithril Fort, Tulman

    In the Amber Sword, there had been a long standing rumor in the forums. A hidden sage that had a level of hundred and twenty was residing in the Needle Forest between Brus and Ankries. It was only after a long period into the game before a yer finally discovered that legendary figure.

    [Austein Tulman. Master of the Mithril Fort. Grand sage, as well as an intermediate wizard. The Silver leader of the Twelve Circles magic association. After the association disbanded, he left the air city Kanogi and retired in the Needle Forest. Users tried to garner goodwill from him and found that they could get the sub profession Sage from him, but the majority of them chose to pay a little money and get the profession from Brus¡¯s library for nobles.]

    Brendel did not know if there were any additional side quests or secrets from him as no users mentioned that they did. However, regardless of whether they seeded or not, he was about to try out personally now.

    [There¡¯s no harm in trying anyway. I personally think it strange that a level 120 titled sage only offered a profession as a reward. Since I didn¡¯t try it out in the game, I¡¯ll do it now. If there¡¯s a shortcut to sess, I¡¯ll definitely take it.]

    He found out from Batum that Tulman did not live in the vige, but a short distance away on a hill. Due to his small error, Batum took the entire morning before finding out the correct ce.

    [That¡¯s a pretty big blunder that I made.]

    The four of them slowly made their way to the Sage¡¯s house. The path from Ankries to Brus was considerably used, so they did not see a rustic scenery like Be¡¯s region had.

    Every short distance or so, they found wooden fences line in a row, with fallen leaves covering the gravels. It was a ce that made people rx, and Freya lost herself in the beautiful forest, while Romaine followed from behind and scampered everywhere, finding this ce to be very interesting.

    It was only Brendel who saw enough of this scenery to be irritated after walking for nearly an hour. He asked Batum who was in front of him: ¡°Batum, are you certain that the person I¡¯m looking for is living in this area?¡±

    Batum wiped the sweat off from his face while he took off his hat. ¡°I¡¯m certain of that, my lord. If you¡¯re looking for an old man with a long white beard and long grey robes, there¡¯s only one person in this area. Please be assured of Batum¡¯s search.¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    He mostly trusted in Batum. The mercenary had done a reasonable job in his tasks, and he had listened carefully to his orders without much issues.

    Batum also found that Brendel had given him tasks within a mercenary¡¯s capacity and did not overestimate his abilities, and the former was impressed with his leader¡¯s eye for men.

    The only thing that he did not understand was the rtionship between his wizard squire and Brendel. The youth named Ciel kept appearing and disappearing out of nowhere, and he could only view it as the mysterious ways of a Hignd Knight.

    Freya eximed with surprise when they finally reached the end of the forest. There was a lone wooden house in the midst of a grassy hill, with a clear path leading to it.

    It was quite a unique house, as it looked like half an overturned barrel on the ground. The door was located in the center of this ¡®barrel¡¯, while the two sides had windows decorated with pots of various silver and purple flowers. Even Brendel could not identity all of the flowers, but he noted that they might be rare magical nts.

    They walked to the wooden fences surrounding the house and found a bell on the gate.

    [If Tulman isn¡¯t taking a nap or something, he has most likely discovered our presence with a magic spell. Anyone who rings this bell will most likely draw his ire. This is not used for alerting him that someone is in front of his house but alerting him that there¡¯s an emergency or something, like a dragon invading the vige, heh.]

    He suddenly felt someone touching his shoulder, and he saw Freya¡¯s troubled face when he turned around.

    ¡°Brendel, what is this ce?¡±

    She noticed that Brendel was here to meet someone, but she had no clue as to who it was.

    ¡°It¡¯s an old man¡¯s home.¡± Brendel¡¯s gaze was back on the house¡¯s wooden door.

    ¡°An old man?¡±

    ¡°Yup. He¡¯s a wizard.¡±

    Freya nearly knocked the sword off from her belt as she yelped in surprise. Not only her, even the veteran Batum straightened up when he heard that. They were meeting a real wizard that was unlike the ky apprentice Ciel.

    Many people in the entire continent and not just Aouine alone, viewed wizards as the most mysterious figures in bedtime stories, and listened to their rumors growing up, and even associated them with monsters and Gods.

    But most of them did not know that it was amon sight to see wizards in the biggest cities, especially in the royal court or academies established by the royal families. The only rare variants were the ck Wizards or witches that were truly unique to be ced inside legendary stories.

    But Brendel discovered that Romaine was looking a little tense.

    ¡°Why are you looking so anxious?¡±

    ¡°My aunt says we need to be polite when we greet wizards, otherwise there might be unncessary trouble.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Before Brendel could answer, there was an elderly voice that came from within the house. The door opened with a creak.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t something whatmoners would say. Little girl, who¡¯s your aunt?¡±

    The old voice matched the person who spoke. An elderly man appeared before them with grey long robes and silvery hair, along with a pair of shell-rimmed spectacles. His white beard extended all the way to his waist and swayed as he approached the four.

    Everyone saw the legendary Tulman for the first time, even Brendel.

    ¡°My aunt is my aunt.¡± Romaine did not appear shy at all.

    The old man looked at the others with clouded eyes. They swept past Brendel and Batum, but they paused for a while when he looked at Freya.

    Finally, they went back to Romaine and he smacked his lips. ¡°I know who your aunt is when I look at you. Hmph, you definitely got her personality right. ¡°

    [What, this wizard knows Romaine¡¯s aunt? But he¡¯s a real wizard from those rumored stories!] Freya could not believe her ears.

    [Tulman actually knows Romaine¡¯s aunt as a witch.] Brendel was surprised that Tulman seemed to know Romaine¡¯s aunt personally.

    ¡°You know Aune Jennie? ¡°Have you seen Romaine¡¯s aunt before?¡±¡± Both of them talked at the same time.

    Tulman wanted to go back into the house, but he stopped when he heard them. He looked at Freya first without saying anything, but when he looked at Brendel, he asked.

    ¡°Young man, do you know the meaning of courtesy?¡±

    Brendel coughed as he realized his mistake. He could only smile and act like nothing had happened.

    ¡°Wasting time is an embarrassing act, Ser Tulman. I¡¯m only trying to save time¡ª¡°

    Tulman narrowed eyes widened slightly: ¡°Do you know me?¡±

    ¡°Certainly,¡± Brendel did not mince his words: ¡°The Master of the Mithril Fort, Silver Leader of the Twelve Circle Association. I certainly know of Ser Tulman.¡±

    The hat in Batum¡¯s hands dropped when he heard that. There was a famous legend where a groupprised of brigands and mercenaries that numbered nearly five hundred, along with two ogres, had their eyes on the legendary Mithril items.

    They were all turned into stone by the Master of the Mithril Fort..

    They were still ced on a deste beach where seafarers could see them from time to time.

    That legendary figure was now in front of him and what shocked him was Brendel¡¯s casual attitude towards him. He could not help but feel this lord knight was insane.

    But he was even more shocked to find out what happenedter on.

    Tulman turned around and looked at the young man again when he heard his words. He carefully observed him as if to make sure that there was no one like him in his memories, before he spoke again.

    ¡°Young man, it seems like you¡¯re prepared when you came here. But who exactly are you, I don¡¯t recall someone like you in my memories. Whose son are you?¡±

    Brendel thought that was something suspicious when Tulman recognized Romaine¡¯s aunt.

    [One of the famous witches? Perhaps the legendary Blue Witch who abandoned her title as the ruler of witches to live in the world of mortals? Hmm. Well I can think about itter on.]

    Brendel shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not a son of any of your acquaintances. I came here because I have a question.¡±

    ¡°Question?¡±

    Brendel cleared his throat and spoke with an ent: ¡°Stam¡ª¡°

    The old man looked as if he understood something, but his eyebrows knitted together soon enough.

    ¡°What is the meaning of that word?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyebrow went up. He just spoke a word from Kirrlutz¡¯s poem of world creation, the text in the original Blue Poem. In theter era, every original document in the game literally sparked a war between wizards each time they were discovered. Cold perspiration formed on his head when he thought there were no ¡®Nature tes¡¯ in this world.

    [W-wait. It¡¯s because the era isn¡¯t right. The main quest isn¡¯t about Madara conquering Aouine, the real primary quest started when the Nature tes started showing up. The ¡®World Wizard War 1¡¯.... Or something. Cough. I don¡¯t intend to spark the war but this word should be enough to spark the interest of Tulman. It¡¯s meaningless if one doesn¡¯t have the entire text, but it¡¯s a word from the ¡®Creation of the World¡¯...]

    Brendel believed that Tulman was able to recognize the research value in it.

    ¡°Ser Tulman, have you heard of the Blue Poem, the poem of creation from Kirrlutz?¡±

    Tulman stroked his beard. He had indeed felt the ancient magic and meaning from that word. It was not powerful, but it seemed to epass the origin of magic. He thought that it was an ancient dragon word, or a variant of wizard or druidnguages, but he did not manage to find anything close to it after carefully searching his memories.

    Tulman did not suspect the youth was lying to him, and quite frankly as a sage who had spent a century researching such things, he would be impressed with the people who managed to lie to him.

    ¡°You mean the very first historic poem that Kirrlutz tranted as the Holy Elven song?¡±

    Brendel knew that the Silver Citizens were biased against humans. The residents of Buga were humans of ancient blood and despised the humans who lived on the surface. However, the lineage of Kirrlutz extended deeply into history and made the Silver Citizens jealous and certainly something they were unwilling to admit.

    Brendel simply nodded as all these had nothing to do with him.

    ¡°What does it have anything to do with what you said?¡±

    The discussion had gone beyond the limit as to what the other three people could ept. They did not understand anything what Brendel and Tulman were saying. Freya could only watch as Brendel¡¯s shadow grew bigger in her heart, while Batum¡¯s jaws werepletely opened.

    [Ahem. Indeed, I certainly don¡¯t know what exactly it has to do with what I said...] Only the Gods know that Brendel was trying to pull a false one.

    ¡°It¡¯s a word from the Blue Poem, describing how Mother Marsha created this world with kind intentions, Ser Tulman. I believe you are able to experience the magic for yourself on the word itself.¡±

    Tulman¡¯s expression changed and he hurriedly went back into his house. There was a series of noises where books were opened and pages being turned.

    Brendel knew that his n had half seeded, and he gestured to the others toe along with him. All four of them went into Tulman¡¯s home.

 volume 2 - 32

    TL: Next week¡¯s update kind of depends on how many assignments I¡¯m left with. I seem to be just barely ahead my schedule, but I¡¯m almost certain my group project is about toe up next week. If this particr assignment doese up, I might have to stop TLing for a while, even there any sponsored chapters, so that I don¡¯t drag my ssmates down because I didn¡¯t devote enough time. I¡¯ll inform you guys again on Tuesday.

    Chapter 32 ¨C Schr

    The first thing that Brendel saw when he entered Tulman¡¯s house were manuscripts strewn all over the incredibly polished pine floor. When he turned to the left, he saw a thick book ced on a pedestal. The technology in this world was not advanced, and the papers that were made are considerably thick. They had to use leather skin with binding to lock it in ce, thus making it bulky and cumbersome when transporting the books, and they easily spoiled too.

    Even though the kingdom had a library as well as a royal academy, they were typically reserved for merchants, and ranked nobles¡¯ descendants. Most of the time, themoners would rather send their children to various workshops and work as an apprentice.

    Brendel walked up to the book and checked the contents quickly.

    [Ancientnguages. Tulman is actually studying them. Judging from his notes, he looks like he¡¯s studying the variants of the old Higndnguage used in Kirrlutz. Based on his notes, he seemed to have made a certain amount of progress. If I pass these notes to Batum or Freya, they will most likely treat them as scrap paper.]

    Tulman finally stopped flipping through the books inside his house and went up to him.

    ¡°Young man, where did you discover thisnguage?¡± Tulman finally found a obscure variantnguage that resembled Brendel¡¯s pronunciation from his rted documents.

    Tulman discovered that there were five ancient Kirrlutz tribes, and the weakest group amongst them was called Deronhi. Theirnguage appeared to be greatly simr to the Blue Poem¡¯s word and the Kirrlutz¡¯s ancestors might have truly recorded down history.

    Tulman have always suspected that the Kirrlutz¡¯s current citizens were not true descendants, but was unable to deny that the King of mes, Gatel, had traits of the ancient Kirrlutz¡¯s race.

    Brendel grinned but he did not answer.

    Tulman pushed his spectacles up and he carried a huge book from the inner room and walked out. He sat down on a chair near the window and faced Brendel. He looked at the four of them, before opening the shelf next to the chair and took out a smoking pipe from the second drawer. He tapped the pipe on the table, and mes immediately lit the leaves in it, causing the smoke to rise up. (TL: I nearly wrote weed, lol.)

    He put the pipe in his mouth and took a deep breath, puffed out smoke from his nostrils and said: ¡°It seems like you have something that you want, young man. State your request then. I must say you have seeded in making these old bones interested.¡±

    He then ced the pipe onto an ash tray, and said with smokeing out from his lips: ¡°But you have not won yet. Boy, even though I am already old, I have not gone senile yet. What exactly do you want to get from me if you only have a single word? You had better bring something that is of use.¡±

    The old man¡¯s words finally made Batum and Freya realize that Brendel was trying to make a transaction, but they did not know what exactly he wanted to do.

    Romaine was fond of Brendel¡¯s calm attitude. Even though it sounded like the old man was being stubborn, he was already admitting defeat.

    ¡°I¡¯m a Hignd knight. I require someone to invite me to the Schr¡¯s Circle, and my squire¡¯s mentor told mee here as well as what I should do. This is how it really is, Ser Tulman.¡± Brendel decided to squeeze everything he could from the fake identity. If one was to look at it from a certain point of view, he was not lying.

    In the rules of the Hignd, the wizard apprentice¡¯s mentor had the responsibilities of teaching the knight as well. Brendel believed that Tulman knew many of the wizards in the ck Tower, and would not reveal himself as a fake Hignd Knight.

    Tulman ced one arm on the armrest as he inhaled from the pipe again and sank into deep thought. He was thinking of which one of his old acquaintances sent this troublesome man to him. Even though he was not a powerful wizard, he was a great schr and well known alchemist, high famed amongst the wizards. His friends and enemies were all over Vaunte, and he had difficulty guessing who it was that yed a joke on him.

    But in the end, he thought that rmending a neer to the Schr¡¯s Circle was not a big issue, and looking at Brendel¡¯s performance, he would not cause him to lose any face.

    So Tulman grabbed a parchment and ced it on the table, picked up a quill nearby and wrote something on it. Then he rolled it up and ced it into an envelop, dripped wax on it and stamped his seal onto it.

    He raised his head up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll rmend you to Earl Panos to learn from him for a while and you will know how we do things. He might be an old-fashioned person, but he¡¯s a very good teacher, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°Perfect.¡± Brendel answered.

    [So much negotiation and so much of my performance, just to save a few hundred Tor for registration in that ce? I can¡¯t take this lying down!]

    He decided to try and put more work into it. He walked up and grabbed the letter with his fingers.

    ¡°Ser Tulman, about that word, the humble me has also studied the Kirrlutz¡¯s ancientnguages as well. I have discovered something interesting. The natives who are still living in the Baltha Hignd seem to keep to their old ways, and there are a few wizards amongst them who still hold on to single words passed down from the ancient times, keeping the ancient Kirrlutz¡¯snguage alive¡ª¡°

    Brendel said with half-truths mixed into it. It was true that the people there could trace their lineage to the old Kirrlutz¡¯s citizens, and the clues to a ¡®Nature te¡¯ started out from there, but the first Nature te was somewhere else.

    The tes were of no practical use to Brendel, and he did not want to plunge the world into a chaotic war.

    Tulman¡¯s eyes lit up, as the leaves burned and dimmed.

    ¡°You¡¯re studying the Kirrlutz¡¯s ancientnguages?¡± He looked suspiciously at the youth. ¡°Tell me of your views.¡±

    ¡°I believe that Ser Tulman has already discovered that the ancientnguages incorporates magic into it. All their words are linked to the origin of magic, but the Era of Chaos was the moment where things split. After that moment, the magic in their words started to weaken.....¡± Brendel thought for a while before taking some random lore that he had seen from the forums.

    Tulman nodded and he acknowledged it with his eyes.

    ¡°The cause of effect is probably from long wars.¡± Brendel continued.

    ¡°Long wars, interesting,¡± The old man took a ring from the drawer and passed it to Brendel. ¡°You can go to Earl Panos¡¯s private library collection and take a look there. If you have any new ideas, thene back to me with this ring.¡±

    [Oh? It¡¯s working. Looks like a quest to me. I¡¯m not sure if anyone made it to this point, but it sounds like it¡¯s going to be quite difficult. Still, it¡¯s a start.]

    Brendel was delighted.

    [He¡¯s probably nning to set off to the Baltha Hignd to research the lore there ande back here, but I wonder if he is going to get anything out of it.]

    He took the ring and letter, and there were elegant green words hovering in his vision:

    {Do you ept the sub-profession ¡®Schr¡¯?}

    Brendel immediately epted it. A new sub-profession bar appeared in his stats window.

    Schr

    Level 0, 0/6

    Level 1 History Knowledge

    In the game, a sub-profession is different from a main profession. Sub-professions did not introduce new techniques or stats, but allowed users to gain unique abilities. It was something akin to having ¡®Status¡¯.

    For example, when a user reached level 5 and above, it allowed a user to acquire a ¡®Skilled¡¯ title before the sub-profession ss, and in Brendel¡¯s case, he would be a ¡®Skilled Schr¡¯. There would not be any XP penalty interference from having too many main sses as well, unless he got more than three ¡®Skilled¡¯ sub profession titles. At the same time, being a Schr provided many more TP points than other main sses, and therefore it was recognized as a ¡®must have profession¡¯ in the game.

    Once Brendel took on the ss, he immediately put in 220 XP to raise it up to level 5, and received 250 TP from it. Raising it beyond level 5 required the sub-skill ¡®Nobles¡¯ Knowledge¡¯ or ¡®Sigils¡¯ Knowledge¡¯, so Brendel could only leave it aside.

    He looked like he was slightly lost in thought when he finished setting up his ss, but he raised his head once he was done.

    ¡°Ser Tulman, you have already met my friend Romaine. She and her aunt were separated when Madara attacked, and we¡¯re looking for her aunt. Have you seen her?¡±

    Tulman pushed back his sses again as took another puff.

    ¡°Young man, I only know her aunt as an acquaintance. We have not met in over ten years, I think. When I first saw thatss, she was just as old as this girl in front of me. To tell the truth, I did not know that she actually lived nearby here¨C¡°

    He quickly waved his hands when he saw Brendel¡¯s lips move: ¡°There¡¯s no need to ask about it. Our types have their own secrets. If she didn¡¯t tell you, I won¡¯t say anymore. Alright, our discussion should being to a close. Your goal has been met, and when you think that you have enough knowledge about this road, you cane and find me again.¡±

    Brendel took a look at Romaine. She smiled sweetly at him: ¡°It¡¯s fine, Brendel. My aunt is really amazing.¡±

    His heart skipped a beat when he saw her smile.

 volume 2 - 33

    TL: Reminder that there will only be one TAS chapter this week. Next week¡¯s update depends on how much progress I make on the group project, otherwise it will also be 1 TAS chapter.

    TL: There probably won¡¯t be too many cliffhanger chapters but more chapters of Brendel vs nobles politics, I think. He¡¯s a fake noble after all, I¡¯m intrigued to see how¡¯s he going to get and out from nowhere, lol.

    Anyway, thanks for themunity help for Engrish checks again (Cough)

    Chapter 33 ¨C The Red Bronze Dragon, Leto

    After the three of them left Tulman¡¯s home in the Forest of Needles, Batum finally could not hold back his curiosity and asked Brendel timidly: ¡°My lord, do your elders know that Lord Wizard?¡±

    The youth nced at him and gave a smile, but he did not reply.

    Batum looked at him in confusion, not knowing what Brendel meant by his smile. Even though this knight had led them to carve out a blood road from the Madara undead army which him incredibly impressed, he felt that Brendel did not act like a proper noble from the interactions he had with him every day.

    Despite the fact that the youth had said he would inherit and, Batum did not truly believe in his words fully, feeling that nobles tend to exaggerate what they had. Still, he decided to follow him because he still believed in the youth¡¯s capabilities.

    But after witnessing the interactions between the elderly wizard and the youth, he firmly believed in him now.

    [This young knight must have a powerful background, one that is unique amongst the influential families. Normal nobles would not have anything to do with these wizards of high authority, and their lineage might not even need to lower themselves even before the king.]

    Batum scratched his head as he looked at Brendel who was in front.

    The third morning, Brendel and his group finally reached Brus¡ª

    Brus could be seen as the heart of Grinoires¡¯s southern area. The city was built along the slopes of Grey Eagle Hills along the eastern side of the Pine River, and buildings were distributed on the upper and lower hills.

    The city was surrounded by concentric white walls, with each wall higher than the first, and rural vigers sometimes called Brus as the White City.

    Under a clear sky, travellers from Ankries and Dragos were able to see the shining rooftops decorating the streets lined along the hill.

    It was certainly a breathtaking sight, and represented a prosperous civilization.

    While it was not considered arge city, there were thirty-five thousand people tightly packed in it, and probably the most densely popted areas in the Grinoires area.

    The city also had many facilities and workshop situated in the ck Pine Avenue, where constant carriages and mules carrying heavy goods passing by all the time. Travelers from other cities could be seen haggling from the merchants as well.

    Freya and Romaine were greatly surprised by the tall walls and clean streets as they came here for the first time. The bustling area had surpassed what they had seen in Ankries and Fortress Riedon. Even Brendel was amazed by the grandeur of the city when he saw it in the first time in the game.

    Everyone became excited when they passed through the streets, but Freya and Romaine quickly stopped before the jewelry shops. The shining and intricate things that Brus made were exceptional, and they quickly caught the girls¡¯ attention.

    Freya looked enviously at a crescent brooch, while Romaine was attracted to a silver casket. Brendel could not hold back hisughter when he saw them hugging the items tightly.

    The youth gestured to Batum and both of them made their way quietly to the owner and asked the prices, and ultimately paid a few hundred Tor to purchase the items. Romaine easily epted the gift with surprised delight with a happy gaze, while Freya lowered her head with a blush and thought for a long time before epting it, then quietly thanked him.

    Brendel was not surprised at Freya¡¯s struggle to ept it, but when he looked back, he saw Batum giving a thumbs up stealthily. He paused before a while beforeughing.

    [This red beard guy is really thinking too much... I just don¡¯t want to see both of the girls disappointed if they didn¡¯t get any souvenirs from the city.]

    After this slight detour, they finally made their way to their destination.

    The headquarters of the Silver Winged Cavalry ¡ª

    Before they actually made their way into the ce, they saw the little brat Fenix.

    [Hmm, looks like this kid had a pretty good time from the time we saw him. He actually looks fatter.]

    Little Fenix rubbed his eyes when he saw the three of them.

    ¡°Sister Boss, Brendel, Freya! Heavens, I¡¯m not dreaming right!¡±

    The teenager yelled and jumped down from one of the boulders in front of the headquarters and looked at them in wonder. Freya almost subconsciously scolded him when she saw the rowdy boy, but changed her words at the end.

    ¡°Little Fenix, where¡¯s everyone?¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s still around, we¡¯re fine, Sister Boss!¡± Then he looked at Brendel with great admiration: ¡°Brother Brendel, everyone knows about the news where you rescued the refugees out of Fortress Riedon. Some of them went to Dragos and then to Brus, so the stories about your exploits have spread around. Did you really fight along side with the super amazing ¡®Red Bronze Dragon¡¯, Leto?¡±

    ¡°¡®Red Bronze Dragon¡¯, Leto?¡± Brendel was slightly surprised that Leto got a nickname like that, even though he had a part in it.

    ¡°Brat, what do you really know about amazing?¡± Batum knew that these rumors were actually Brendel¡¯s instructions amongst the refugees. He did not know why the youth did not want to take this glory, but he still wanted to interrupt Fenix.

    ¡°Of course I do. Isn¡¯t it super amazing that a single man leading a few hundred men was able to escape the undead siegeprised of tens of thousands of undead?¡± Fenix nodded with much sense in his words: ¡°¡®Red Bronze Dragon¡¯, Leto, I have also heard that he¡¯s a veteran in the November¡¯s War, like captain Marden. Of course he¡¯s amazing! Ah, right, who are you, mister?¡±

    Batum nearly choked himself, but when he wanted to reply, little Fenix¡¯s eyes suddenly shone and he yelled loudly: ¡°Are you the Red Beard Batum!¡±

    ¡°Huh, brat, do you know me?¡± Batum was confused.

    ¡°Of course I do. I think very few people in Brus do not know your name. There are rumors about the Red Beard Batum who makes the undead quiver in their boots everywhere in the street! If you don¡¯t believe me, just ask the Ser Knights in the headquarters, even they know about you!¡±

    ¡°Making the undead quiver in their boots, this description isn¡¯t bad at all.¡± Everyone loved praises, and Batum was no exception. But just when heughed with pride, he suddenly remembered the youth who created this miracle was just beside him. He quickly stashed away hisugh and snorted. ¡°Hmph, a bunch of morons.¡±

    Little Fenix was baffled by his response, but as a young teenager, he thought that many skilled people had odd temperaments and did not mind Batum¡¯s reaction. He looked at Brendel and asked: ¡°Brother Brendel, you must be an important member amongst the mercenaries since you¡¯re so amazing right?¡±

    Brendelughed and ruffled the kid¡¯s hair while nodding.

    ¡°Tch, I knew it. All the other brats in the street don¡¯t believe what I told them about you.¡±

    Freya listened to the talk in great perplexment. She looked at Brendel and called him a great liar in her heart, but once she thought about Brendel¡¯s invincible charge against the numerous undead forces, she felt her heart racing and turned her head away.

    Romaine merely smiled at one side, and no one knew what she was thinking.

    While they conversed amongst themselves, the news of ¡®Heroes of Fortress Riedon¡¯ returning to Brus had already spread in the headquarters. The citizens in the city loved to watch events like this, so the street was quickly filled with people. There were even a few young men from the Silver Winged Cavalry that came out in twos and threes to look at the person who managed to fight their way out from Madara¡¯s undead.

    The Silver Winged Cavalry was the formal troops of the White-mane army, and part of them had fought against the Madara¡¯s undead troops and they knew how difficult they could be. Most of them were unwillingly to believe these ridiculous rumors, but there were reports from both the refugees and the soldiers from Fortress Riedon that confirmed the rumors, and themander of the Silver Winged Cavalry, Lord Xelnal, found there might be truth in the rumors.

    There were still thousands of refugees nearby Brus that did not leave yet, although no one seemed to have seen the ¡®Red Bronze Dragon¡¯, Leto before.

    The lower ranked and upper ranked officers saw things differently. The lower ranked officers started to look up to the legendary figure, while the upper echelons wanted to know what was going on.

    ¡°Fenix, are these the mercenaries from Fortress Riedon?¡±

    A few boys the age of Fenix wormed out from the crowd and asked Little Fenix.

    ¡°Of course, this is my Sister Boss, Brother Brendel, and this is......¡± Little Fenix pointed at Batum and paused.

    ¡°He can¡¯t be the ¡®Red Beard Batum¡¯?!¡±

    The expressions on the boys changed immediately. The striking red beard on Batum was too easy to recognize.

    ¡°Hehe, at least you¡¯re not stupid.¡± Little Fenix¡¯s tail could be seen wagging furiously. He knew that Brendel was impressive, but he did not think he would be linked to legendary people in the rumors. Even though he had exaggerated some of the details and no one believed in him, he finally got revenge when he saw their shocked expressions.

    While the boys were in admiration, Brendel felt the gazes of ill intentions from some of the soldiers within the Silver Winged Cavalry. He was not surprised at that, and had instructed them the refugees to spread a different rumor in order to escape attention. He was still too weak and not suited to be ced within the tempest that was toe.

    At first Batum was his main choice to be his shield, but he also needed someone familiar with Aouine, so Leto was the best choice. However, it seemed that the army was still unhappy and jealous over the events.

    [The game itself had troubling cases of jealousy and pride, not to mention reality itself...]

    He sighed inwardly.

 volume 2 - 34

    TL: So there¡¯s a WIP of that armor I was talking about back then when you click the read more button.

    There¡¯s also something about the TLing of my version to anothernguage.

    And the current update situation is still going to continue at a one chapter per week, because I¡¯m going to be really busy with finishing my assignments.

    Chapter 34 ¨C The meeting with Marden again

    TL: I saw there¡¯s a request to TL my version of The Amber Sword to anothernguage, and I need to respond properly to this and future requests.

    I can¡¯t really say yes to that.

    The problem is that I have edited the original raws quite a bit. There are small events in my version that did not happen in the raws (the most recent example is the battle against Boss Ebdon, some stuff isn¡¯t there at all.), and there are stuff that I cut outpletely from the raws due to various reasons. I do believe that my edits to TAS¡¯s events to be better but my version clearly strays from the original, and TLing my version to anothernguage makes me feel ufortable.

    That being said, I won¡¯t stop you from using my TLed stuff to anothernguage, just that I feel that you should take the raws rather than use my version to respect the author as much as possible.

    WIP

    The fluffy tail is still missing, and I still need to edit various spots, but what do you think of it guys? ~_~

    The gazes from the soldiers made Brendel to be on his guard a little, but he believed that the superiors in the White-Mane army were not ipetent and were unable to look at the big picture.

    His n had not changed.

    He was not interested to enter Aouine¡¯s decaying internal government, but the events of the refugee¡¯s rescue would not be to be kept under covers. Since that was the case, he nned ahead to allow the experienced mercenaries who sought after freedom, glory and wealth to stand out.

    It was far more easier to make people believe that a group of well trained mercenaries led the refugees out sessfully than a single person doing so.

    The loss of Fortress Riedon was like a bomb that could explode anytime. No matter how much the White-Mane cavalry army stood out in the battles against Madara, they were unlikely to escape the me of losing the fortress. If he was to stand out alone in this particr aftermath, he would most certainly satisfy his pride, but the nobles would be even more pleased to use him as a political example.

    Therefore his n was to make sure there were as many people in this ¡®legendary tale¡¯ as possible, so that he could ensure that he was buried under everyone else who stood out.

    He was certain that the nobles would act upon his n, and whatever came next would be their own doing; To find scapegoats to cast all the me of losing Fortress Riedon to them, and to make sure that they exaggerate the series of events in order to regain their dignity.

    He wanted to have nothing to do with them and whatever tale they wanted to weave, but at this moment he was still unable to escape right now.

    The only advantage he got out of this was the fame of his mercenary¡¯s group ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯ bing bigger.

    The crowd had their interest sated after a while, and the citizens outside the Silver Winged Cavalry headquarters quickly dispersed, while Little Fenix and the other boys stayed behind.

    Brendel was able to meet old Marden very quickly after that. The aged captain of the guards looked like there were more wrinkles on his face since their previous meeting. He was moving about constantly with a worried look while looking at some documents. Brendel was certain that Marden was worried because of the situation amongst the nobles.

    Within Brus, Earl Nakkin¡¯s fight against the military nobles had most likely reached its peak, and only someone carefree like Little Fenix would have the mood to pursue stories in the city.

    Brendel walked over to Marden and greeted him.

    Marden raised his eyebrows when he saw him, recalling memories of the fearless young man who volunteered to warn Fortress Riedon. Even though he heard the news that Freya and Brendel were fine, he was relieved to see them fine in person, and secretly thanked Mother Marsha for her protection.

    Then his gaze moved to Freya, and she immediately ced her hand over her chest and bowed. ¡°Captain Marden, I¡¯m back.¡±

    Marden nodded and showed a relieved smile. ¡°Good. It¡¯s good to have you back.¡±

    But after he finished his sentence, his mind immediately went back to the situation about the nobles. The citizens of Be were still homeless while the nobles fought for power. Even though he was not from Be, he was upset over the situation.

    Freya¡¯s eyes turned red when she saw Captain Marden looking like he had aged ten years, and she thought about her family dying in Madara¡¯s hands.

    Little Romaine kept winking at Brendel and he sighed.

    [Why is this damnedss so sharp during such moments....and yet when I start to pay attention to her, she¡¯spletely clueless and doing some weird stuff?]

    He patted Freya¡¯s back tofort her and said.

    ¡°Captain Marden. It might be rude to say this, but there¡¯s really no need for any of you to think too much about the affairs amongst the nobbles. We only need to sit quietly and wait for their final decisions since we will not be able to influence any of their decisions in the slightest.¡±

    Marden was taken aback as he did not expect Brendel to see through his worries immediately.

    He had managed to survive through the November War, but he waspletely unsuited to take part in the war taking ce in the shadows. He was already exhausted from the reports these past few days, and sometimes he was even envious of that brat Fenix who did not even bother to put anything in his brain.

    Brendel had been through this ¡®history¡¯ and he understood that someone of Marden¡¯s position would not be able to affect the oue, so there was really nothing to do other than to await for the nobles¡¯ final decisions.

    [Even though this sounds terribly bleak, it¡¯s the truth after all.]

    He merely wanted to tell Marden what he thought, but Marden looked suspiciously at him and asked: ¡°Young man, who exactly are you? You sound like you have a clear picture of what the nobles are thinking of, but even if I¡¯m not one who¡¯s good at reading all these political affairs, it¡¯s strange that you are able to know more than me.¡±

    Freya secretly confirmed her thoughts with from Marden¡¯s words.

    [Since Brendel is able to know more than Captain Marden in this aspect, his identity is basically confirmed...]

    She told Marden that Brendel was a Hignd Knight, and Marden looked like he finally understood something.

    ¡°So you¡¯re a noble, and a Hignd Knight at that.¡± Marden stared at Brendel in surprise. ¡°I had the chance to fight along side with a Hignd Knight. Even though people said they are uncontroble, but they certainly can be considered as heroes with unquestionable character. It looks like their descendants are just as amazing. At least you are proof of that, Brendel.¡±

    ¡°................. You give me too much praise Captain Marden.¡±

    ¡°Not at all. When you said you wanted to go through the Zevail mountain path to deliver the warning, I merely thought that you were a reckless boy who was not afraid of death. I did not support your decision at that time, and I thought it was a mistake to send Freya to go along with you and Romaine. But you proved me wrong. Young man, true bravery is not the same as foolhardy actions, and your performance is the very definition of true bravery. Certainly, your actions can even be described as heroic.¡±

    He patted both Brendel and Freya¡¯s shoulders: ¡°Both of you are excellent and great examples of what Aouine youths should be like.¡±

    Freya was silent and merely looked at Brendel.

    [There would be hardly anyone left if Brendel was not there to lead everyone. All the credit should go to him, but no one knows about it at all....]

    Brendel merely kept to himself.

    The two of them then finally reunited with Be¡¯s militia. Erik, Iris and Mackey congratted both of them in the same order. Mackey even managed to bring a small barrel of wine to celebrate everyone¡¯s survival after the terrible ordeal. The other members patted their backs without saying anything else, but their feelings were definitely shown through their actions.

    What surprised Brendel was the encounter with Bretton who appeared together with his father. His expression was solemn and dark, but he gave a slight nod to Brendel as they walked past each other.

    [That¡¯s interesting... he didn¡¯t try to pick a fight with me.]

    Some time after that, Mackey informed him that Bretton was severely depressed over the guilt of losing hispanions and med himself for the past month, and only became a little better until recently. Brendel again fell into silence for a moment upon listening, secretly impressed with Bretton¡¯s character.

    When their reunion party was approaching its end, a group of young Silver Winged cavalry soldiers even came in to their room to join the party. Brendel exchanged nces with Batum when they saw them.

    [It seems that my n to distribute the glory amongst the mercenaries also helped out by winning some people over. If all the glory went to me alone, something like this wouldn¡¯t happen at all as I would appear to be someone out of reach.]

    Once the celebration was over, Marden came to him in private to inquire on the matters about the nobles. Brendel made Freya stay behind and said:

    ¡°Captain Marden, the truth is the situation has already been decided. The representatives of the White-Mane Army will make contact with us very soon and tell us of their decisions. But there¡¯s no need to worry about this. Whatever decisions they made has nothing to do with us, and the only thing we need to do is to simply ept whatever rewards they want to give.¡±

    ¡°Can you exin?¡± Marden asked.

    ¡°The situation is basically like this. They need people to be heroes, someone like you or Freya who performed admirably. They want people from the guards or the militia so that the citizens are able to link them to the regional forces. Since you led the Be¡¯s vigers to safety sessfully, and you represent the formal army of Aouine, your glory can be considered to be part of the nobles as well.¡±

    Brendel rubbed his forehead.

    ¡°But a group of mercenaries leading two thousand refugees out from Madara¡¯s army that isprised of tens of thousands of undead? That¡¯s a problem for the White-Mane army. If they handle this situation badly, they would be aughing stock. Since the rumors have already spread throughout the southern region of Grinoires, they have no choice but to admit this event took ce. Their main concern is how to handle this delicate situation.¡±

    ¡°I see, we¡¯re actually a guise for the real people who are going to receive the rewards?¡± Batum suddenly said.

    Brendel nodded: ¡°The nobles have their eyes on Freya because she was part of the army that led Fortress Riedon¡¯s refugees out.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Freya was engrossed in the discussion, but she suddenly woke up once she heard her name: ¡°Brendel, I ¡ª¡°

    ¡°Freya, listen to what I have to say first.¡± Brendel interrupted her. She paused for a moment before nodding.

    Marden was quiet after listening to Brendel¡¯s analysis. He found it difficult to ept that the nobles looked at this war like the only thing that mattered was their appearance in the public, instead of finding a solution to the undead blight.

    [What exactly are we fighting for...?]

    Brendel continued: ¡°The Silver Winged cavalry have their own principals. They dislike to work with the mercenaries because they think that they are full of greed, and to fight in a war just for money was not something they can ept.¡±

    Batum scoffed and his face was full of displeasure.

    Brendel looked at him and smiled: ¡°However, when times demand for it, they would still send someone privately to contact them¡ª¡°

    ¡°Hypocrites.¡± Batum¡¯s beard seemed to bristle.

    ¡°You can describe them that way, or you can say that their vanity is the reason for their attitude.¡±

    ¡°But are these nobles not short-sighted to think this way?¡± Marden still found it hard to believe that the high nobles would be so shallow.

    ¡°Short-sighted?¡± Brendel shook his head.

    [The nobles are no fools and certainly not short-sighted. If anything they understand the soldiers in the army better than they understood themselves. No, these nobles are brilliant, but the greed and vanity that they have are the reasons why they chose to do things in this manner.

    If they have power and the army behind them, these nobles would be able to be independent and disregard the royal crown. Even if Madara invaded their territory, they would be fine with it because Madara will retreat at some point. And in the case where something was to go horribly wrong, their collected wealth would allow them to settle in another country in the continent without any problems at all.

    The only people who are going to suffer is the lowest denominator. If that¡¯s the case, why would the nobles care other than vying for more power?]

    Brendel continued: ¡°No, they don¡¯t care because they know that Madara is going to retreat soon. What is important is how they appear in the public. And when Madara¡¯s undead retreat, they would want to choose someone from the militia to be decorated as a hero. When the citizens look at that hero, they would immediately think of Aouine¡¯s formal army instead of the mercenaries.¡±

    ¡°But, isn¡¯t Gaspard a better choice? He¡¯s the captain in charge of Fortress Riedon¡¯s public security, isn¡¯t he a better choice?¡± Freya restrained herself from talking about Taron. (TL: Taron is from the Fortress Riedon¡¯s white mane army.)

    Brendel shook his head. ¡°No, that¡¯s the worst choice for the superiors of the White-Mane Army. The cavalry in Fortress Riedon belongs to the nobles, a private army created to curb the power of the White-Mane Army¡¯s infantry. Do you really think that the military nobles of the White Mane Army is going to allow this to happen?¡±

    Everyone realized that Freya seemed like the best choice after Brendel exined to them, and even Freya found herself unable to argue with Brendel.

 volume 2 - 35

    TL: Cough. So Overwatch free beta came about and I sort of wasted a day on it to take advantage... Cough. Reinhardt¡¯s lionhardt armor is so sexy I just want to get it, but I doubt I can y enough to get 1000 coins >_>.

    I saw an email about the TAS¡¯s map, I¡¯ll take a look at itter and see if I can get things TLed.

    Chapter 35 Goddess of War and Brendel

    Brendel looked at the silent Freya and knew that she probably did not understand the details behind the politics. This was something that he expected, as a person from the countryside would not have seen the machinations behind the nobles¡¯ goals before.

    [But to summarize everything, it¡¯s all about greed.]

    He decided to be as clear as possible: ¡°I know that it might be difficult for all of you to ept. But the truth is we¡¯re nothing but pawns on the chessboard, and they would not care about whether we live or die.¡±

    Freya was shocked when she heard that, and she looked up at him.

    But Marden frowned and sighed. What Brendel said was what he had seen for the past few days. The nobles had dered to him that the Be¡¯s militia and his army would be rewarded for the defense. Everyone¡¯s morale was raised when they heard the news, but if he was to look at things in another way, only one or two of them would be promoted, and a meager amount of money to be distributed amongst them as a reward.

    And every time he mentioned about Be¡¯s homeless refugees, the reply was always ambiguous.

    ¡°Freya, ¡± Brendel looked deeply into Freya¡¯s light brown eyes. ¡°If you hope to see something like everyone gettingmended and rewarded for their efforts, then move back to the countryside and live a happy and safe life after the war, you¡¯re going to get disappointed for having such a naive and unrealistic thought.¡±

    ¡°Brendel?¡±

    ¡°If you have the idea of just relying on someone else, you¡¯re going to be a pawn that¡¯s going to be discarded by the nobles sooner orter.¡±

    Freya had seen and heard much in Fortress Riedon, and she could somehow understand his words, so she hesitated for a while before asking: ¡°Then what should I do?¡±

    ¡°Be stronger, until you can be a person who can protect others.¡±

    ¡°I-I know, but¡ª¡± Freya answered in a rush.

    [I¡¯m just the leader of a small militia group, how am I supposed to be as powerful as the nobles amongst the capital? It¡¯s impossible!]

    ¡°You¡¯re worried that you can¡¯t do it?¡± He asked.

    Freya nodded.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be worried about it. An opportunity would present itself before you in the future.¡± He smiled and replied.

    Freya was slightly confused and looked back in a daze.

    Brendel had not told her what exactly he had nned for her. In truth, he wished for her to enter into the cavalry academy that was built by the royal crown, so that she could receive the kingdom¡¯s formal education onmanding an army, as well as learning variousbat knowledge.

    He did not wish to change the Freya¡¯s future as a Goddess of War, but at the same time, he wanted her to enter the higher ranks within the kingdom.

    [Romaine is unable to go do something like this, and the only person with enough capabilities and my trust, is only Freya. In regards of safety, there¡¯s really no need to worry about it. The school is in Verand, and that is the private property of the Royal Crown. It is also and that the princess would get hold of in December when the civil war starts. Everything seems to be good for Freya.]

    Brendel did not think the old militarymanding style and the tactics of Aouine was inferior, but there was a certain quality required for the strategies to work, and the Aouine army was getting weaker and weaker, ultimately causing the strategies to be ineffective.

    [With Freya¡¯s serious attitude, she will be absorbing the knowledge taught by the school like a sponge. When she gathers enough achievements under her belt, she will stand out from the crowd just like how it happened in history, and catch the eye of the princess.]

    Brendel recalled that it was the second year of the sixth month, that Freya met the princess during the Academy¡¯s 64th jousting tournament. Since he was going to stay out of the capital, he felt that there would not be too much of a change in Freya¡¯s future.

    [Princess Grffyn Corvado Manoff. She is only sixteen this year, but soon she will be the acting regent. I definitely need to know her thoughts are.... And I have to borrow Freya¡¯s help with this matter.]

    Brendel considered things for a second. He felt that there were no shes with their goals. She wanted to revive the kingdom, while he wanted to turn Aouine¡¯s ultimate fate around. However, he was worried that the half-elven girl who was born in the royal family, would not be able to put the nobles¡¯ interest down.

    His fist clenched tightly when the memories within the game appeared in his mind. It was a moment in history that he was unable to forget; the final moment in the capital Monsteras, where the pce and city burned in a sea of mes, while the sky was dyed ck by the smoke.

    That day he and many yers retreated to the north, and many of them cried while looking to the south. They were unable to change anything because there was just not enough time for them to be able to do anything.

    How was he going to watch Freya fight to the death in the Crimon Valley Dl again?

    [That day everyone of us perished in that valley. I died seven times there and lost seven levels there, and many countless yers also had the same fate that I had. But in the end, what was the result?] (TL: Rhetorical question.)

    That day he saw Freya wearing a silver te with sunflower sigils on it, with a g in her hand with ck pine leaves on it, the emblem of courage in Aouine. He and the thirty-six thousand yers who swore to protect Aouine did not manage to protect that g, and even until her death, she still stood tall in the battlefield.

    [Perhaps she fulfilled her own promise... to shed everyst drop of blood for thisnd. In the end Aouine was too weak and old. There were actually three different armies from Kirrlutz that stood there and did nothing. There was only Freya¡¯s army and yers. And all of us yers were no match for the opponent¡¯s grand army.]

    The brightest jewel in the Corvado family, the princess fared no better. She married an Arreck duke that she did not like, and led a gloomy life, until she was murdered in a scheme conceived by The Unifying Guild. (TL: Remember that fake noble that took Brendel¡¯s sword? He¡¯s from this guild.)

    Brendel thought back on the days he met up with his guild members. They did not y the Amber Sword constantly and some of them stopped ying, but when they did gather together, they would talk about the past events that happened in the game. Everyone would still feel sorry when they remembered that day when Aouine¡¯s spirit was gone forever.

    [Can I let this happen all over again? ]

    He looked at Freya, Romaine and Marden, then shook his head. If he was teleported somewhere else where he did not meet them, he might have considered to escape and develop slowly. With his knowledge, he would have be a legendary figure.

    But experiencing the events and meeting everyone in Be made him realize that he was unable to do so, and he decided to take on a burden so that he could change Aouine¡¯s fate.

    [Even now, I¡¯m still trying to figure out the possibilities in front of me. To change history, I definitely need to sweep everything off that¡¯s blocking my path, and it¡¯s possible that I have to disregard someone¡¯s well being. Perhaps I might have to act like a despicable noble... Not only that, I might have to fight against every single noble in Aouine, and even the princess had to choose carefully when dealing with that five infamous dukes.]

    Brendel rubbed his forehead when he thought about his specs.

    [My growth isn¡¯t that of a yer... and the enemies that I¡¯m going to face from Madara are pretty much a ¡®boss¡¯ spec, not to mention they are considered uniquely talented, especially that boss amongst bosses, the emperor with the Mercury Staff. Even if I joined hands with the Goddess of War, is it really possible to change the future?]

    Brendel thought about the future beyond Aouine¡¯s demise.

    [If I go further in the timeline, Kirrlutz will take a passive and cold look at things. That Griffin Empire is not the cradle of ancient and kind human civilization. What reced it is the pride of the hignd natives, fueled by the revolution of steel and blood. The instruments of war will sound out loudly with the Nature te as the starting point. The Third Holy War will happen soon. When that happens, all the countries will be chess pieces on a gigantic chess board, including Madara.]

    Brendel¡¯s mind shook a little when he thought of that. Doubt surfaced as he asked himself whether he was able to handle everything, because even if he averted the Madara¡¯s undead, what waited for him was something even bigger. He had thought about it slightly when he led the refugees from Fortress Riedon out.

    [... Who am I kidding? Maybe it¡¯s the pride of a ¡®yer from another world¡¯, but isn¡¯t this like a game that has the ¡®impossible¡¯ rating on it?]

    He thought that it was a little arrogant, but he felt that he needed to at least make an attempt in doing this, at least to make amends to that regretful event.

    This was also why he felt that he had to acquire enough power and authority when the Civil War started.

    [When that event happens, all methods of leveling up might be affected because of the chaos, and especially during the chaos, it¡¯s the best moment for me to have the opportunity to be a chess yer and acquire bothnd and armies.]

    Brendel had already decided the location, a kingdom that was sealed once upon a time in the west.

 volume 2 - 36

    TL: Right now there are at least 2 assignments that I want toplete at the very least before I increase my TLed chapters. There is one assignment due next week, and 3 more at the end of this month. At the very least, I want to clear 2 assignments by this week and clear off the other 2 major assignments 2 weekster.

    Chapter 36 ¨C Brendel¡¯s preparation (1)

    TL: This is the image that I received from my email by one of the readers. Some of the minor locations from Be to Brus isn¡¯t written there, while the rest of the locations in this map aren¡¯t really used yet.

    map1

    TL: So this is my environmental drawing that has been edited by my lecturer. I have been working on it for weeks and it keeps getting rejected, until my lecturer finally edited at least 3 sections of the image to show me the areas that could be improved on, and did it within in twenty or so minutes which made it so much better. It really makes me sort of wonder if I can ever do draw environmental drawings at his level, sigh (which is pretty much why I cut down on my chapters, I really need to put in more effort into drawing.). It kind of matches The Amber Sword¡¯s world, maybe? Cough. I have to clean this up.

    Environment

    For the donated chapters, please forgive me and wait for a little longer while I finish my assignments. For any outstanding donations until I get back on track, I¡¯ll do x2 chapters of that amount + rounded up (currently there¡¯s 2 sponsored chapters, so I¡¯ll owe the donators 4 chapters + 1 chapter).

    Finally, here¡¯s the regr chapter for TAS.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Bretton¡¯s POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Bretton saw leaves of the evergreen trees the size of a palm on the, while he passed by the courtyard. Legend depicted that every single leaf on the evergreen trees had the soul of a fallen warrior, thus there were evergreen trees nted in the army camps to represent the bravery and courage of the soldiers. (TL: Note, Bretton =/= Brendel.)

    He stared at the leaves, his mind wandering back to hispanions that had fallen in the war. For a moment, he did not even hear his father, Lord Haskel, a city councilor of Brus, speaking to him.

    ¡°When the rewards are distributed, I¡¯m going to try and transfer you back to Brus. Didn¡¯t you want to enter the city¡¯s cavalry unit? My words still carry weight within the city.

    It is still fine if you want to stay within your current army unit, the patrolling squadron of the Needle Forest isn¡¯t at full roster yet. However, their formation follows the Arreck¡¯s military formation, so it might be harder for you.

    In truth, my thoughts is to wait for you to be formally knighted before I assign you a stable post within the nobles¡¯ parliament.¡±

    Bretton gave a affirmative nod.

    ¡°But what do you think?¡± Lord Haskel looked at his son and sighed. His personality was simr to his own when he was young. He was confident but too proud. Even though it was not a bad thing at certain times, it was not truly a desirable attribute¡ª

    Within the wisdom that was handed down from the nobles, ¡®too much pride would easily lead to setbacks¡¯.

    Lord Haskel was 62 years old in this year. It was still considered a prime age, but his appearance was starting to look aged. His silver hair straightened out and wasbed very neatly, while his sideburns were white. He was famous for being in the radical faction when he was young in southern Grinoires, but he was increasingly conservative and stable as he got older.

    His attire was that of a normal city councilor, a long blue robe that extended to the ground, with a white breasted vest buckle, and a long ck pair of breeches. He held a cane in his hand, and looked at his only son with a warm gaze.

    Bretton looked at his father and said: ¡°I think, I might want to go to the Basta Royal Cavalry Academy.¡± (TL: Hopefully I didn¡¯t get the name wrong -.-)

    ¡°What?¡± Lord Haskel was shocked.

    ¡°I have heard news from Walter. There are four slots avable. The formal guards might rmend me. The White-Mane army have their own thoughts as well. Father, I have to plead with you not to talk about this matter with the other nobles.¡± Bretton exined. Walter was the vice-captain of the Silver-Winged Cavalry and a friend of Bretton. Walter was only twenty-three years old, and it was because of his father¡¯s authority that he was able to take his current position.

    ¡°The news has been locked up really tightly. There has been no news from the parliament and the army bastards. Still, this reward should not be affected have the royal crown¡¯s interference, is there a change somewhere in the capital?¡± Lord Haskel frowned.

    ¡°I am not sure, but I am determined to take this opportunity if it presents itself.¡± Bretton said.

    ¡°Very well, it is good to learn more things. But remember this, our Wakefield family¡¯s political direction typically lies elsewhere. When you attend the academy, do not go against the royal faction, but at the same time, you don¡¯t have to worry too much about them.¡± Lord Haskel thought for a while and changed his decision at thest moment.

    Bretton¡¯s eyes returned to the courtyard. ¡°Who would pay attention to an insignificant person like me?¡±

    ¡°Your words are wrong. Everyone in the Wakefield family is of importance. Your grandfather was the chief councilor in Brus, and even I am famed within the southern Grinoires. You¡¯re my son and definitely would be no less than any of us.¡± Lord Haskel rebuked him.

    Bretton¡¯s expression was nk.

    The pair suddenly stopped moving as they saw a young man approaching them. He wore a deep blue uniform, his side attached with a knight¡¯s sword made in the 32nd year. His long silver hair extended past his shoulders, and there was an androgynous look with his pursed lips.

    ¡°Master Sergeant Tirste.¡±

    ¡°Vicount Tirste.¡± Lord Haskel quickly pulled his son to one side as he greeted Tirste.

    The man who got called as Tirste paused for a while, and looked at the two men with a pair of eyes with the color of amethyst crystals. He nodded at them and wanted to move along, but as his gazended on Bretton, he suddenly stopped and gave augh, then continued on his path.

    ¡°Strange.¡± Lord Haskel said to himself as he watched the young man walk away.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°That boy is the illegitimate son of the duke. He usually cast his eyes above our positions, but he seems to be different today.¡± Lord Haskel answered.

    Bretton looked at that person¡¯s back and he did not reply. His face wore a pensive expression when he turned back.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Tirste¡¯s Pov ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

    Tirste pushed the door of the Silver-winged headquarters open, and themander, vicount Megeska, was staring outside at the arched window with the width of three men. The middle aged man with spots of white in his hair turned back when he heard the door open, and rxed when he saw Tirste.

    He took his pipe and pointed to the side, indicating for Tirste to seat there. ¡°I can¡¯t say that your arrival was quick, Captain.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I had to get rid of the bastards who keep making trouble.¡± Tirste smiled and sat down.

    Just like the rumors, Tirste was indeed the illegitimate son of Grinoires¡¯s duke. But his mother was said to be from the lineage of the lost Silver Citizens, and he believed that he carried the Silver Blood as well. However, behind his facade of arrogance and cold appearance, he was considerably talented and skilled, otherwise he would not be a core member of the Unifying Guild. (TL: I¡¯m not sure if I already wrote this before, but that fake Earl that Brendel encountered before was in this Unifying Guild.)

    ¡°Did you saw those men?¡± Megeska asked.

    Tirste nodded. The young man inclined backwards, and used an even tone to continue: ¡°The young man and that red beard Batum are insignificant people with the strength of an Iron-ranked fighter. There are nothing special about them, but interestingly they have a Be militia with them. Commander, there¡¯s no need for me to repeat the news that you have already gotten a long time ago right?¡±

    Themander inhaled deeply from the pipe and ced it down: ¡°That girl is called Freya. Amongst the four slot, there was an indication that she must be given one. What do you think of that?¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Tirsteughed: ¡°Are you going to tell me that she¡¯s an illegitimate daughter of someone powerful?¡±

    ¡°Please, what does that have anything to do with us?¡± Megeska said: ¡°But that means that these men should not be considered as suspects. The person who killed ¡®Tor¡¯ should be at least a Silver-ranked fighter right? I wonder about the strength of that Leto person. I heard that the ¡®Silver Dove faction is incredibly angry over this matter, and are pointing fingers at us, asking why we did not send a Silver-ranked or Gold-ranked fighter to guard that fool.¡±

    The young man gave a snortingugh: ¡°That fool is just a substitute. When we have the chance to eliminate that famed ¡®Wolf Earl¡¯, there might be some me to go around, but we don¡¯t need any trash in our organization now. In fact, I wonder if Oberbeck noticed anything suspicious about his substitute.¡±

    Megeska nodded.

    ¡°I also received some news when we investigated the refugees. There was amotion within Fortress Riedon, and that position was along the noble parliament and the Pine Fortress. The details are probably known only to the nobles, but sadly all those fools werepletely killed.¡±

    Megeska took another of puff from his pipe: ¡°Do you think if Luc Beson knows anything about this?¡±

    ¡°Even if that tiger knows anything, he wouldn¡¯t say anything about it. His goals does not align with us.¡± Tirste said a deeper meaning in his words.

    ¡°Indeed, regardless of the White-Mane army or us, he is someone who¡¯s odd.¡±

    ¡°What do you n to do now?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this matter left to you, why are you asking what I¡¯m going to do? Captain, your actions are straying a little from the rules right?¡± Themander was taken aback before heughed.

    But Tirste shook his head: ¡°No, this matter is left to you now. There¡¯s something else that I have to check about the transfers to the academy, and another matter I need you to help is assign me a position as a captain within the White-Mane army.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°There is news about the Lionheart sword.¡±

    ¡°What, that¡¯s fast. How did they get the news?¡±

    Tirste grinned but he did not answer.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Brendel¡¯s/Tamar POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    After Freya stayed back in the Silver-Winged cavalry¡¯s camp, Brendel went to the Brus market and joined up with Tamar who had been waiting for a long time.

    Tamar was supposed to be one of Madara¡¯s infamous person, but right now he wore a strange checkered long robe and stood under the scorching sun, and showed great respect to Brendel when he saw him.

    ¡°My lord, the things that you want are ready.¡± Tamar was carrying a heavy bag and pulled his son as he waited at the sides for Brendel.

    His respect to Brendel was not because of his status as a lord, but because he was his savior. His son did not have that same feeling, and he looked at Brendel with admiration because of his status.

    ¡°You managed to buy it?¡± Brendel was surprised as he did not expect amon market within Brus to have an authentic Elven alchemist set. He merely asked Tamar to see if they had it, since the alchemist set from Ampere Seale could also be used, although the requirements were just barely met.

    ¡°I managed to rent it from the local alchemist guild, and they want twenty Tor coins.¡±

    Even though Tamar said that, his heart felt it was difficult to ept.

    [There is really no need to use such special equipment. Even when I was within the nobles¡¯ parliament, I used second hand alchemist equipment. This lord is good at everything, but he¡¯s spending too much money.]

    Brendel rubbed his forehead. He had forgotten about this matter, but it was good to actually procure it, especially when he would notck money once his ns were executed.

    He had his own ns that were different from Tamar¡¯s thoughts.

    [A poisoned dagger steeped in the poisonous sap from a Demon Tree (15 oz), a cursed crossbow (32 oz). Even though I have some fundamental strength, I need some killing trump cards that I can used in the shadows. The dagger can be sold to the nobles thanks to the undetectable nature of the poison. The signs for the poison is simr to a sudden illness, and it¡¯s the best way to scheme against anyone who¡¯s below the Iron-ranked stats.

    And the cursed crossbow is something that¡¯s needed to kill a low-ss character. There¡¯s a certain percentage to cause debuffs like Weakening, Damage Intake and other various debilitation effects. Higher-level characters find it easier to resist it, but anyone below the Silver-ranked level would easily disy the effects. Luckily, the problem of getting all the rare materials like a soul of a high-ranked necromancer, is solved thanks to the fights outside Fortress Riedon.

    It¡¯s a hassle to make it because I need at least Rank 8 in Alchemy, but with the equipment and Tamar¡¯s help, that¡¯s +3 in total. I can make the equipment that I need.]

    TL: As usual, if there are any Engrish mistakes, please inform me. I¡¯ll take a look at editing thister on, this version should be considered a raw TL without proofreading.

 volume 2 - 37

    TL: Well I¡¯m basically tired as heck. This news update is a bit long, bear with me please.

    To be honest I have been sick for nearly a month and I am still coughing even now (which is part of the reason why I had to cut my TLed chapters to 1 or nearly 0 per week), and I don¡¯t see myself getting well anytime soon, stupid persistent cough.

    Moving on to the TL issue, so I¡¯m going to see how much I can TL today, kinda depends on how bad my cough is. These particr updates are exclusive from the donated chapters, meaning it¡¯s kind of like me catching up on my usual release pace. I¡¯m able to do this because two of my assignments have been given 1 more week extension to the deadline, which I¡¯m going to take 1 day off as my break (which is today) and just do whatever I want.

    As for the donated chapters, yes it¡¯s umting >_<.... but I think I have to push it until my term break which starts during July. So far the current amount umted is $110 this month or 9 chapters worth in total. Sigh, I¡¯m really quite sorry about this issue but unless I¡¯m able to somehow magically improve my art skillz, I have to take it slow. Even the next subject is hard because it¡¯s going to be about animals, sigh, can¡¯t say I look forward to researching animal anatomy...

    PS: In other news, I received a free sketch (I requested Horo from Spice and Wolf) from my lecturer which honestly made me smile for the entire afternoon. I¡¯m surprised at how delighted I am for some reason, haha.

    TL: I think I have four TAS chapters and two TSTBGAM. They haven¡¯t gone through proofreading and I¡¯ll take a look at them tomorrow for Engrish mistakes. For now I¡¯m going to y a visual novel that involve fox ears.

    Chapter 37 ¨C Brendel¡¯s preparation (2)

    Brendel lined up eleven daggers that were intricately crafted side by side. He then used a silver hammer to break the crystals that were harvested from the Rotten Beast and threw the fragments into the golden liquid inside the alchemy pot. He turned his head back and asked:

    ¡°Tamar, why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± The middle-aged man was momentarily surprised, but he immediately showed enthusiasm on his face. The future grandmaster alchemist might be reticent during normal times, but when the topic is about alchemy, he could not help but talk about it excitedly. Now that he had the chance to try it for himself, he would definitely take it.

    He might have been an alchemist who worked at the parliament, but he was typically tasked to do only minor things like refinement for the materials, as the nobles themselves had their personal alchemist and typically would not give away any of their secrets.

    This was the first time that Tamar had the chance to create a magical artifact all by himself, and he gulped when he saw the Elven daggers. Brendel chuckled and gave a nod.

    [Tamar¡¯s alchemy skills are going up very quickly. When I first saw him, his alchemy skills were approximately Rank 3, and now he¡¯s Rank 5. At this pace, he¡¯s going to surpass me and be a true master alchemist. This is really innate talent.]

    The reason why Tamar advanced so quickly was because Brendel had passed the refinement of high grade materials to Tamar, and allowed him to improve quickly.

    However, Tamar seemed to look like he did not realize his talents, and when Brendel tried to recruit him for thirty thousand gold per year, he actually requested to reduce the amount of gold to a mere sixth of Brendel¡¯s proposal.

    [A grand alchemist for an annuity of 5000 gold, even close rtives wouldn¡¯t give such a rate. Well, most of these alchemist tend not to break their contract, and in the future I should have the capabilities to keep him even if he requests for more money. Due to his abilities, I must keep him.]

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± Tamar said with confidence.

    The room turned quiet, and Brendel moved to the bookshelves and randomly picked a history book about noble lineage. He had been reading such books for the past few days, and his knowledge about the nobles and sigils have gone up, increasing his Schr Rank to Rank 11.

    With the additional TP, he raised his Militiary Swordsmanship to Rank 7 (6+1), Emergency First Aid to Rank 4, White Raven Sword Arte to Rank 2, and took on the proficiency skills for the profession Mercenary, as well as Stealth and Barkskin.

    The Weapon Proficiency skill was a core ability of the professions ¡®Warrior¡¯ and ¡®Mercenary¡¯. There was only one rank for this skill, but it allowed Brendel to use all rted weapons for his profession.

    [It¡¯s fortunate that I got to have a profession like Mercenary. If I was to actually spend TP on proficiency in weapons because I¡¯m a militia, I¡¯m going to waste thousands of TP of improving them. But at the same time, there¡¯s a limit to specializing in certain weapons. Other than that, the stealth traites from the Nightingale profession, while Barkskines from druids. The Barkskin ability is especially good since it adds 50% natural armor once per day. Thisbination is something I used in the past as well.]

    These two unique abilities from other professions could only be taught within Brus¡¯s Royal Geography Institute, and Brendel made sure to learn them as the chances to acquire such skills were rare.

    [Hundreds of TP are gone so quickly. Technically speaking, repeated usage is also a way to level up skills, but it takes way too much time. I have gone through a considerable amount of fights for the past few weeks, but my swordsmanship has not even reach 6+2...]

    Brendel had not turned over many pages of the book in his hand, but Tamar had already finished with his task. Tamar brought a single dagger as if he was a child showing off his toy:

    ¡°My lord, they are done!¡±

    ¡°That fast?¡± Brendel stole a nce at the hourss at the side, and the sand in it had only gone down by a third. ¡°Are there any failures?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Tamar shook his head.

    Brendel took a deep breath. It was rare to see someone who had no failures at all, and the failure rates within the game for neers were nearly 50%. He took the dagger and inspected it with the Window Stats.

    [1-4 Damage, + 1-1 poison, Dagger Steeped in Demon Tree¡¯s poison. The name of the dagger changed, as well as the rarity. It was originally ¡®White Rank¡¯, but now it¡¯s ¡®Iron Rank¡¯.]

    Brendel got up and ced the dagger back onto the table. He thought for a while and decided that their worth to be around two thousand gold. It was not something that was exceptionally special and only suited for low-ranking nobles or adventurers. Upper ranking nobles had their own personal alchemist and a de like this would not interest them.

    [A total of twenty thousand Tor coins, even if I sell them all. That¡¯s not enough for Little Romaine.]

    He took out the High Grade Crystal that he got from the Golden Demonic Tree and a Dwarven Short Sword.

    ¡°The next equipment is going to be a little difficult. Let¡¯s do it together this time, Tamar.¡±

    ¡°Together?¡± Tamar was a little puzzled when he heard Brendel said that. Alchemists worked alone to avoid any mana interference from each other.

    But Brendel did not have that same concern. He started to use a chalk to draw a circle formation and added runes and numbers to it. Tamar watched him in wide eyes, recognizing the runes as star constetion used by wizards.

    Finally, Brendel raised his head and pointed to the inner circle.

    ¡°Tamar,e over here.¡±

    But Tamar looked on in a daze and asked: ¡°My lord, is this the Loop Ritual?¡±

    ¡°Loop Ritual?¡±

    ¡°I heard that only wizards in Buga had this mysterious skill, where someone who¡¯s standing on the primary star constetion would be able to borrow many people¡¯s power to create a magic or alchemy ritual. My lord, is this...?¡±

    ¡°Something like that. This is a simplified version for 16 people. If there¡¯s a chance I¡¯ll draw aplete version for sixty four people and how it to you.¡± Brendel nodded. This skill was something that every gamer in his world needed to have, but Tamar saw it like it was an incredible feat.

    Fire seemed to re in Tamar¡¯s eyes as he nodded forcefully and rushed to stand within the formation, as if he could not wait to see the power of the ritual without any more dy.

    Brendel inspected the de in his hand. The short sword was intricately crafted by the dwarves,with the surface of the de hammered with Earthern Mana into it, with the tip of the de in a wavy form. He ran his fingers through the sword to check something.

    [A type of sharpening magic. But it¡¯s good that this magic shouldn¡¯t have any conflicts with the things I¡¯m about to do next.]

    He carefully picked up a golden chisel and knocked it into the sword to create a hole.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Batum suddenly yelled.

    ¡°What the fuck are you yelling for Batum!¡± Brendel nearly chipped off the magic from the sword, but his hands were steady enough to avoid ruining the sword that was worth fifteen hundred Tor coins.

    [Shit, if I screwed that up, I won¡¯t have enough funds to buy a second one.]

    Batum knew that he had made a huge mistake and he chose wisely to not answer anything. His heart was bleeding inwardly when he saw his lord making another hole in the sword. He felt like a hole had been knocked into his heart.

    But Brendel ignored him and ced the Tree Crystals into the hole and nodded to Tamar. Both of them started to carve sigils onto both sides of the sword. After working on it for thirty minutes, they finally made a new magic weapon.

    Brendel picked up the sword and flourished it, sending dancing lights throughout the room with the sigils. He then checked it with the stats window, and confirmed there was a +3-3 poison behind the stats. It wasparable to the ordinary damage of the Thorn of Light, and this sword could be ced in the Bronze rank. It definitely had no problem for selling at a price of one hundred thousand Tor coins, and might even interest some high ranking knights.

    Brendel wiped his perspiration off. This was the first time he crafted a magical equipment above 15 OZ, and he felt tired from writing fourteen stacks of sigils. The result was spectacr, however. The sword was perfectly created and he felt like his skill was about to get a +1 behind it.

    [Except that I¡¯m a fake noble. Unless I get a real identity confirming of myself as a noble, my skills won¡¯t surpass Rank 5... otherwise I¡¯m most likely at Rank 6 by now (5+1).]

    As he thought to himself, he saw Tamar looking like he was still excited to do more as his eyes were glittering.

    ¡°My lord, I feel like I havee to a revtion. If I¡¯m not mistaken, it¡¯s just a matter of time for me to create higher grade sigils and formations.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing.¡±

    Brendel patted Tamar¡¯s shoulders and was inwardly happy.

    [If Tamar reaches Rank 10, he can start to make Dragon ying Arrows (40oz), that¡¯s a good thing.]

 volume 2 - 38

    TL: Moreing. As a warning the chapters are TLed within a day, so mistakes are expected.

    Chapter 38 ¨C The Cripple

    Brendel knew that Tamar had reached Rank 6 in alchemy, so he left the creation of a Cursed Crossbow to him. He collected the poisoned daggers and the Dwarven Longsword, and called out to Batum to prepare to go to the ck Pepper Street to meet up with that particr cripple.

    He had wanted to meet with the cripple called ¡®Roen¡¯ for quite some time already, especially when he wanted to know if there was an extra mission regarding about the Ring of The Wind Empress. Besides that mission, he had also heard that the cripple had contacts with the ck market and the likes, so it was something that he wanted to the cripple to introduce him a ce where he could auction his goods.

    [I¡¯m not seeing Romaine... Looks like she¡¯s off to do some ¡®adventuring¡¯ in some unknown ces again.]

    Both of them left the house with long robes. Brendel adjusted his hood in order to hide his face better, but Batum suddenly spoke behind him.

    ¡°My lord, I have thought about this for quite some time, but I think your ns are not good enough.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Brendel adjusted the Elven sword under the long robe before turning back to ask.

    ¡°The refugees that saw us were plenty, and even though you requested them to keep the secrets to themselves, you cannot guarantee that they are going to follow your words.¡± Batum carefully tuck his beard inside the hood and watched the streets, whispering.

    ¡°This was never a secret to the ones who wanted to get to the bottom of the truth, but the nobles desire a result that doesn¡¯t harm their status. If I don¡¯t stand out, they are even more delighted to ept this version,¡± Brendel thought for a while and answered. ¡°And I need to stay unnoticed for a certain period of time, Batum.¡±

    ¡°But I still feel that we should have kept the refugees who saw you.¡±

    Brendel finally understood Batum¡¯s true motive and heughed. He shook his head.

    ¡°We would stand out too much if we recruit these refugees in the open. Furthermore, these people might not be willing to follow us. Know this Batum, humans would seek to grasp at the wheat offered to them during desperate times, but they would not hold on to them every single moment.¡±

    Batum nodded, but his mind disagreed. He had observed Brendel for quite some time from the sides, and knew that his ambition was big, so he wanted to aid him by going for moves that aided in growing his power.

    But Brendel¡¯s current concern was not about power, it was about the Unifying Guild. He was certain there was no one who could point to him for the murder of the fake earl, but gaining exemry results here might invite suspicion to himself.

    [Well the only ones who have an idea about what I did are Freya and Romaine... The greatest cover is my own level as an Iron-rank. Once I grow strong enough, the Unifying Guild is still people who lurk in the shadows and not an army.]

    The ck Pepper street is one of thergest street in the impoverished areas within Brus.

    This was not truly Brendel¡¯s first time in this area, but the rats that ran openly in the streets,bined with the summer¡¯s heat and horrid vapors of rotten odors still made him unused to this ce. Batum on the other hand looked like he had found home. A mercenary like him was a frequent patron of this ce, where there were sleazy bounty hunters, thieves, illegal merchants as well as low level prostitutes. It was as if this ce had the stench of evil and sin.

    But within this ce, there were also scenes where people treated others sincerely.

    Brendel was not able to criticize this ce, and he did not want to anyway. He watched the children with dirty and tattered clothes carefully avoiding him from the sides, then hid themselves with greedy looks in his directions. There seemed to be gazes with ill intentions casting in his direction, so he raised his guard.

    They continued walking and finally stopped at a old wooden house. Brendel raised his head and looked at the triangr carving on the ceiling, and confirmed that it was Roen¡¯s house, and then knocked on his door¡ª

    Three loud bangs echoed within, with the door creaking as if it was going to split apart any time. Dust could be seen scattering from the door as well.

    Batum frowned when he looked at this ce.

    ¡°I can hardly imagine there is anyone living in this ce. I have seen many poor people¡¯s dwelling, but I have never seen a ce like this that¡¯s so dpidated. This ce can already bepared to living in a cave and¡ª¡±

    The mercenary stopped talking and swallowed his words, when the door suddenly opened. A venomous pair of eyesid upon Batum for a moment before it went to Brendel, and a raspy voice could be heard from the horse.

    ¡°Brendel? When did youe from Be? Wait, you¡¯re actually not dead, that¡¯s definitely out of my expectations!¡±

    ¡°Does it benefit if I died, cripple?¡±

    Brendel answered coldly. He looked at the balding old man who chuckled in a low voice twice, before looking at the two of them with his cloudy green eyes again.

    ¡°What brings you here, Brendel? Have you gotten rich? Or have you sent me a new customer?¡±

    The previous Brendel had pawned several of his personal things at Roen¡¯s ce and therefore became linked to this malicious person. But what he did not understand was how Roen came to know about the painting in his old grandfather¡¯s house.

    Brendel red at him with an intense expression, and the cripple recoiled backwards.

    ¡°You....... seem to be a little different, Brendel.¡± The old man hesitated.

    ¡°Anyone would change after they have been through enough ordeals.¡± Brendel gave a reply, but he did not want to waste anymore time so he went for his main question: ¡°Do you still want the painting that my grandfather had?¡±

    The cripple¡¯s nty shaped eyes immediately brightened: ¡°Of course, of course, why, did you bring it here?¡±

    But Roen immediately felt a cold de ced on his neck. The greedy and scheming bastard who charged high interest loan rates and wrecked homes immediately fell to the floor with his weakened knees.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any patience for this. Tell me if my grandfather¡¯s painting was stolen by your men.¡± Brendel red at him as if he was going to kill him right away.

    Batum turned back and saw several men flinching when they noticed his face. He picked up several rocks and hit them squarely, causing them to squeal in pain and run away, before he gestured to Brendel to inform him he was going to go after them.

    Roen lost his confidence when he saw this scene unfold before his eyes, and he immediately shouted in a shrill voice: ¡°Brendel, please listen to me, it was not me, I don¡¯t have the galls to offend.......¡±

    He suddenly felt he had made a mistake, and he quickly changed his words: ¡°Brendel, you know me right, I might be unscrupulous but I wouldn¡¯t spoil my own rules.¡±

    Brendel watched the corner of the bastard¡¯s eyes quiver, and knew that he had already recovered from his fear. He could not kill him here so he pulled back his sword with disappointment.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ept your exnation, so I¡¯ll talk about another deal instead.¡±

    ¡°Another deal? Brendel, I might not be able to receive your deals if they are of the same nature.¡± Roen rubbed his neck as if to check if it was still there.

    ¡°Hmph, that painting is gone. If my father wants my life for it, I¡¯ll be using yours as a substitute.¡± Brendel threatened him with half-truths.

    ¡°I got it, I got it, I¡¯ll find out news about this for your painting.¡± His mind was working quickly to guess who had the audacity to steal that particr item.

    Roen looked at Brendel¡¯s hand and saw that he did not wear anything on his fingers. He thought for a while before he spoke again. ¡°Speaking of your father, I¡¯m certain that your family is looking for you, are you not going to go back?¡±

    ¡°Not for the moment. Perhaps when I find the things that I need.¡± Brendel was actually afraid that his troubles would follow him back to his family, so he decided to separate from them.

    [This is a particr problem. My memories from the other soul is affecting me and I want to see my family in this world... But that¡¯s going to be impossible for a long time.]

    ¡°Very well.¡± Roen seemed to confirm that Brendel was not looking for any more trouble and continued with the topic. ¡°What manner of business do you have in mind?¡±

    ¡°I need money urgently, and I have quality goods that I can sell. But if you think of double-crossing me, cripple, mark my words, I am no longer the same old Brendel.¡±

    Brendel agreed with Leto¡¯s advice to first threaten Roen before dealing with him, as the cripple drew back his neck timidly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t find fault with the things that I pawned to you in the past, but if you pull any tricks this time round, you had better wash your neck.¡± Brendel threw a pouch of coins beside the cripple¡¯s feet: ¡°I only need your rmendation and the coins here are yours if you help me with two other things.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, go ahead and tell me.¡±

    ¡°The first thing. I want you to help me find a woman who is about thirty years old, with purple hair and eyes. Find her within one week, and if you have any news, go to Brus¡¯s market and find me there.¡±

    Roen quickly nodded and thought for a while before shaking his head, letting it show that he had not heard of such a person before.

    Brendel did not expect him to have news of her immediately, so he spoke of the second matter. ¡°The second thing I need you to help with me is to find a noble called ¡®Berg Nesson¡¯ who stayed in this ce before. You¡¯re the most famous local scoundrel in Brus, surely you have heard of a fallen noble like him right?

    The cripple hesitated for a while when he heard the name.

    ¡°I have heard of him before, but he had disappeared a few years back.¡±

    ¡°That is fine, I am looking for his wife or daughter. Where are they staying now?¡±

    ¡°His wife had already passed away two years ago, but I know of his daughter. She stays in a ce that¡¯s not far from here. Is she your rtive?¡± The cripple asked in curiosity.

    But this query immediately lured the Elven sword to dance in front of his eyes, before the sword went back to his sheathe. Brendel cast a side nce at him. ¡°Do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°No, no, there¡¯s no need to, I¡¯ll tell you how to reach her ce¡ª¡± The cripple immediately shook his head.

 volume 2 - 39

    TL: 1 more TASing after this.

    Chapter 39 ¨C Amandina

    [I¡¯m surprised that Berg Nesson¡¯s wife has died. Does this mean that the reward given is by the daughter instead? Certain nobles¡¯ lineage go a long way back, so it¡¯s possible that a good reward might be given out here. In any case, it looks like my only hope is on the daughter.]

    Roen had given details on the daughter. Her name was Amandina, and she stayed alone at the northern Greyrat street, which was just next to the ck Pepper street. She stayed within her home most of the time and hardly went out. Even though it was strange that she lived all by herself without any contacts, she was still a noble and under the strict hierarchy in Aouine,mon men would not think of intruding her home.

    [Roen¡¯s information is most likely urate. This isn¡¯t amon sight for nobles, but at the same time something like this does ur in the game.]

    However, to ensure that Roen gave urate information, Brendel simply took out his sword and ced it over Roen¡¯s neck and told him to lead the way. With Batum¡¯s aid in dismissing the shady youths hired by Roen around his home, the three of them left for the noble¡¯s house without any further incidents.

    When the three of them reached the next street, it was nearly evening. The amber sunlight shone across the buildings at one end of the street, and long shadows were cast across the other row of buildings. Because there was no one who to light the oilmps at the sides, the buildings were shrouded in darkness. Brendel walked briskly into this silent part of the street, his long robes sweeping across the pebbles and lifting the fallen leaves due to the small breeze caused by his movements.

    Batum walked closely behind him, thoroughly checking the dark corners of the street. He fiddled with his beard for a while before frowning: ¡°This ce wasn¡¯t like this when I came here a few years ago.¡±

    The Greyrat street was near the old nobles¡¯ parliament and the Cavalry avenue. It was once a busy street and considered an area where rich people gathered, but after the city had gone under upgrades and moved the prime hub elsewhere, the street had became even more deste than the ck Pepper street.

    [Even if if was because this street here did not have any adventurers, mercenaries or prostitutes lingering here, this ce should not be so deste...]

    Brendel sniffed at the dusty air and he suddenly recalled something.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably due to the underground grave here.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Roen¡¯s smile was a little forced. The de on his neck made him feel very ufortable. ¡°My lord, you might not know this, but there was a strange event about two years ago. A group of of two high ranking monks and one priest from the Haviar Church went missing after they entered the grave, and this city was shaken by this incident back then.¡±

    ¡°And? Did the Holy Church went to Nakkin and caused trouble? If you tell me they did not, I won¡¯t believe you.¡± Batum said.

    ¡°Of course not, under the pressure of the church, he sent a group of Silver Winged Cavalry to investigate the incident. The group was attacked by monsters and there was only one survivor left who went crazy.¡±

    ¡°Madness.¡± Batum muttered to himself.

    Roen led them to an old staircase. After they reached the end of the flight of stairs, they found an old mansion before them and entered in. The wooden floor creaked and trembled under their weight as if it had serious breathing problems and was about to fall apart any time.

    Brendel stopped when he saw this. He tore apart the spider webs with his sword and asked in suspicion.

    ¡°What ce is this, you stupid cripple? If I recall correctly Berg Nesson¡¯s family status hasn¡¯t fallen to this state yet, even if he went missing for years.¡± He coughed in bits as he spoke.

    ¡°His daughter has moved out of her own house a year ago. It seems that she had been cheated out of her money.¡±

    ¡°A gullible female noble.¡± Batum added his input.

    Brendel was silent as he watched Roen.

    In the end, Roen led them to a door in the corner within the abandoned mansion. Brendel kept his sword away and knocked on the door. He almost certain that Roen was lying again, until he heard a serious bout of coughing noise behind the door. A soft voice came from behind it.

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    Brendel paused for a moment before he turned to Roen and asked: ¡°Is she unwell?¡±

    ¡°I have no knowledge of that.¡± He shook his head.

    Brendel was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again: ¡°Miss Amandina? I¡¯m a friend of your father, Berg Nesson, I have a few things from him to give to you.¡± (TL: Seriously? That¡¯s a terrible opening line, sounds like some random evil person preparing to pounce on the noble girl...)

    There was silence behind the door for a while, before the girl spoke again in her weak voice: ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°His letter.¡±

    There was the sound of a chair being pushed back behind the door and an even longer silence, as if to hesitate. Finally there were footsteps and light coughing noises that appeared closer to the door. The voice made behind the door was clearer and Brendel could hear that the owner was a young woman. Her voice seemed to have some form of expectations within it.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but could you push the letter below the door?¡±

    Brendel looked at the gap below the door.

    [Well, at least her guard is working well. Considering that she¡¯s living all by herself for years, it¡¯s understandable.]

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Brendel pushed the letter through the door, and it was taken away with sounds of the letter being opened. It was another bout of long silence, and when Brendel started to think that something was very wrong, the door suddenly opened with a long creak.

    Behind the door was a young woman in a pale night dress.

    Her thin hands were on the door and she appeared to be slightly out of breath, but her expression could be considered as calm. She was not very tall, and only reached the height of Brendel¡¯s chest. Her long ck hair flowed all the way back to her waist, and her ck irides were upon the three person outside her house, appearing a little tense.

    ¡°My father...?¡± Her eyes finally stopped on Brendel.

    He nodded.

    The girl¡¯s long eyshes lowered.

    There was a short moment of hushed silence before she spoke again.

    ¡°I had already thought something like this might have happened. That is just as well, my parents are at least together now. I think I will feel at least better that way.¡±

    [A good reaction. Unlike some of the weak nobledies out there, she¡¯s not half as ignorant or stupid like them. Judging from her room...... There¡¯s really nothing much here. It¡¯s an old bed with just some run-down furniture, along with a few candles here that¡¯s half burned and some scattered papers and books. That¡¯s all she has. Her conditions are just as bad as the mansion looked. The only thing that¡¯s interesting about her is how she might be a sage.]

    ¡°My condolences, Miss Amandina.¡± Brendel said.

    The girl raised her head and looked at him. She coughed twice before speaking.

    ¡°Did you want to ask about the promised reward from my father¡¯s letter?¡±

    Batum and Roen were confused over how the conversation changed into different directions.

    ¡°...... Yes.¡± Brendel felt reluctant to respond for a while, but he decided to treat this event like a mission within the game.

    [There shouldn¡¯t be any need to feel ashamed about this matter. It¡¯s good to try and get a reward out of this, it¡¯s all for the sake of saving Aouine. Really.]

    But Amandina folded the letter and the bridge between her eyes seemed to narrow: ¡°It is unfortunate, but I have never heard of my mother mentioning such a ce in this letter before.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, so it¡¯s a debt¡ª¡± The cripple finally understood what was going on, and he was much more spirited when this particr event was rted to his job: ¡°Brendel, leave this job to me.¡±

    He spoke in a shrill voice and checked Brendel¡¯s expression closely. He was certain that the naive little brat had turned into someone of importance, especially when he looked at the giant mercenary following him. With his years of experience, he determined that the man was considerably strong when hepared him to the nobles¡¯ guards that he knew.

    Even though he did not know why the mercenary was willing to work for Brendel, he was careful not to displease Brendel.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, cripple.¡± Brendel tly refused his good intentions with a wave of his hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s as natural as the rain falling down from the sky to pay your debts.¡± The cripple still did not cease talking, until he saw that Brendel¡¯s fingers were on his sword, before he shrank backwards and muttered to himself: ¡°There are rules in society, rules in society......¡±

    Brendel looked at the girl¡¯s clear eyes. She looked a little worried about her situation about she did not appear to be intentionally lying. Brendel was a little upset to just leave like that and he frowned. But no matter how he looked at the situation, he could not do anything about it, and finally he gave a smile: ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. It was something trivial anyway.¡±

    [It¡¯s ridiculous to push her anymore than this. She lost her parents and she had fallen to poverty, her life is literally in the gutters, what else do I want from her? I¡¯m sure this damned cripple had his ways to squeeze money out from her, but I¡¯m not going to ept have that option. If Little Romaine or even Freya finds out that this ever happened...]

    But the girl suddenly stopped him from leaving. She coughed and shook her at the same time, struggling to steady her body.

    ¡°Ser Brendel, I am not asking to renege the agreement in the letter.¡±

 volume 2 - 40

    TL: Two TGTBGAMing up shortly. I should TL 1 more TAS chapter tomorrow as the regr update.

    Chapter 40 ¨C Magicite

    The girl¡¯s reply stopped everyone, and they looked back at her. Amandina looked at the young man and spoke softly.

    ¡°Ser, please be at ease. I will fulfill the agreement in the letter with my personal thanks as well.¡±

    Brendel was a little surprised at her determined and even confident expression.

    [No matter how I look at her situation, she can¡¯t pay any significant amount of gold, but is it because of her pride that she wants to fulfill the agreement? This situation is going further away from gamingmon sense...]

    ¡°How do you intend to do that,ss?¡± Batum looked at her from top to bottom, with the usual unrefined tone with deliberate quips from his mercenary ways: ¡°Even though you¡¯re considered a fine looking girl, but my lord already has a fiance.¡±

    Anger found its way into Amandina¡¯s eyes and cheeks when she heard that. She looked at Brendel with flushed cheeks due to anger, and Brendel saw disappointment in her eyes. She opened the drawer next to the table and retrieved a big scroll. She stopped for a while before she finally passed the papers to Brendel: ¡°I believe the value in these papers are no less than what you expect, Ser Brendel.¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡± He asked as he took the scroll.

    ¡°My research.¡± She looked a little uneasy when she said these words, but she appeared confident again.

    The cripple snorted derisively, and Batum poked him from behind and whispered: ¡°How much gold do you think the girl owes my lord?¡±

    Roen turned back and looked nkly at Batum. Even though the hood covered his face, he could clearly see the red knotted beard.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t? How should I know about these things?¡±

    ¡°I thought you knew. Let¡¯s see, even a poor noble like Berg should have an annuity of two thousand coins. Calcting it... Well, it¡¯s around a hundred thousand Tor coins. It¡¯s not a huge sum of money, but it¡¯s no paltry sum either.¡±

    ¡°That is indeed a considerable sum.¡± Batum nodded. ¡°Do you mean to say that the papers in my lord¡¯s hands are worth a hundred thousand coins?¡±

    ¡°I did not say anything like that. If it¡¯s something thates from a famous painter, well, fetching a few million coins isn¡¯t surprising. But that little girl had already said it¡¯s her research. I¡¯ll be honest with you, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth anything that much, otherwise this little girl wouldn¡¯t need to stay in this ce already.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really a nasty piece of work.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a logical conclusion, Ser Batum.¡±

    Amandina clenched her fists when she overheard their conversation.

    Brendel did not stop their talk as he was engrossed in checking out the scroll with one hand. He was a little puzzled over it as it felt quite heavy in his hand.

    [Paintings? Old Magic? Or some lore copied from old books? The quality of the scroll is quite bad, but there¡¯s some considerable weight to it.]

    ¡°Can I take a look at the contents of these papers?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°They are already yours.¡±

    Brendel nodded and carefully unfolded it. It was aplicated array of lines that formed into some form of machine. The multiple patterns and arrays were carefully written all over the scroll, along with detailed exnation with the girl¡¯s elegant handwriting. His heartbeats quickly increased when he saw the contents of the scroll, andprehension dawned on his face while he rolled the scroll back up.

    It was the earliest blueprint for creating a machine that moved mana.

    [The overall concept in this design can be considered as crude or terrible... But... I see... so this is how it is... Back then in the game, the guild ¡®Origin¡¯ got the original blueprints for producing this type of machinery and allowed yers to gain their own independence.]

    Brendel did not expect to encounter the answer to be like this. He did not expect the girl to have anything to do with the top ten questions in ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯, and he was genuinely surprised at the oue.

    ¡°The guild leader did not infiltrate an empire or the likes, he simplypleted this one-time secret mission...¡±

    Brendel used all his will to keep his face from changing. The scroll in his hands meant that it was enough to change the world greatly.

    Owning a third type of power in this world.

    The first type of power was ¡®Elements¡¯. Fire, wind, water, earth, space, time and many others. Physical examples existed as well. Professions like warriors, Elementalists, wizards, and many powerful sses have different qualities, but they share amon measuring unit called ¡®Oauth¡¯.

    The power of Elements are typically hidden in one¡¯s body, until the power in them crossed 500 OZ. Under the Holy Church of Fire description, people who crossed 500 OZ had ¡®Enlightened Elements¡¯ in them. From that moment onwards, these people would be crowned as ¡®Holy knights¡¯. (TL: Okay. You know those recent modern games like to ¡®simplify¡¯ things by reducing the amount of buttonsmands right? Everything press ¡®F¡¯ to jump/dodge/hit/execute/whatever? Apparently OZ does the same thing here. If I TLed anything wrongly, well...)

    This was a long journey and even impossible for many to go through. The majority of the poption are born with just 0.3 OZ, and would be unable to surpass that 500 OZ limit. However, there were people who blessed and simply had the talent to surpass the limits, therefore they were called ¡®The Chosen beings¡¯.

    The second type of power did not belong to humans. They were called as the ¡®Power of the Gods¡¯, and more exactly the power of faith.

    The Gods were split into two factions, Ximar and Einkar. Ximar was humble while Einkar was arrogant. They governed thews of the stars and magic, and there were called as gods. Their presence supported this world, and though they did not need the worship of the beings in this world, they had answered their prayers through their faith.

    This response was called the ¡®Power of the Gods¡¯. The source of the powers from the priests were from their will, taking care of their children from high above. And because of that, many different religious factions argued constantly, speaking of misinterpreted instructions or expressing their reluctance to change the world from the signs of the gods.

    The third power, was the power of wisdom, and the power that mortals had to change the world.

    The so called machine in Brendel¡¯s hands was also called ¡®Magicite¡¯. Under the artificial (machine) design, revolution to move the energy in the Element crystals, either to power a magic weapon or floating city. This was originally the creation of the craftsmen in Buga, but the various empires soon took hold of this secret.

    This new power that mortals created changed the entire chessboard in this world. They started off with production which led to a new industrial revolution, and the struggle to gain for resources created new factions and powers. The records started from one hundred years ago, and the Holy Warsted for ten over years, of which the November War was most infamous for.

    [I now hold the blueprints of a ¡®Magicite¡¯... Even though it iscking in many ways and even considered behind the empire¡¯s technology by thirty years, this is the true secret that gamers thought they would never get. In ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯, the magicite called ¡®Star Constetion¡¯ was created twenty years into the game and is the same design that this scroll has.]

    Brendel took a deep breath and asked: ¡°You designed this?¡±

    Amandina¡¯s expression was originally tense but she was taken aback when she heard the question.

    ¡°Y-you understand it?¡±

    She had gotten all her knowledge from books, and spent long hours into designing the machine. Even though her teachers told her that her talent was there, her sess might be limited if she continued to go on this path. Even so, she put all her time and money into this road, selling her family properties and almost got cheated by a deceptive merchant. If her status as a noble did not protect her, she would have be a ything of someone else.

    But she did not give up and believed that she had found a way to create a ¡®Magicite¡¯. She had created this version with a fatal w that it required too much materials to create a single ¡®Magicite¡¯. Despite that, she believed her designs were valuable enough, and was prepared to face Brendel¡¯s sarcasm.

    Except she did not expect him to take her seriously.

    [He understands my work?]

    ¡°It¡¯s very rough, but at least it¡¯s apleted version.¡±

    ¡°No, no, Ser Brendel, you don¡¯t understand this,¡± The girl coughed because she spoke too quickly: ¡°This design is only halfpleted, the input and output cannot be seen as a good ratio¡ª¡°

    ¡°What? You dare to use a halfpleted blueprint to pay for your debts!¡± The cripple immediately jumped when he heard that.

    Brendel gestured to Batum to stop Roen from making any more noise, then looked at Amandina and said earnestly.

    ¡°This is fine. In my eyes, this is a transaction that is worth even more than I expected, and you fulfilled your promise.¡±

    Brendel did not lie and it certainly exceeded his expectationspared to gaining Berg¡¯s treasures.

    The young girl¡¯s eyes went wide with surprise.

 volume 2 - 41

    TL: Darn. Think I lost some of my glossary notes because I forgot to save.

    Anyway, I grossly underestimated on the things I needed to draw and I need to rework my schedule again. This ch is supposed to be the regr update forst week. Next update should be on the weekends. And I still haven¡¯t got the time to edit my chapters... but I¡¯m pretty sure you guys want to see more content instead, so I¡¯ll be pushing it back again.

    Edit: There¡¯s a name change in this chapter. Foltest > Tirste due to future text indication. So there¡¯s no more Foltest here.

    Chapter 41

    ¡°Then I will take my leave.¡± Brendel rolled up the scroll, but he was stole a nce at the girl again. Amandina¡¯s current situation and her future made him a little sorry for her. He hesitated for a while before asking: ¡°...... Do you have anything that you need help with?¡±

    Amandina shook her head.

    ¡°No thank you. I am grateful for the news about my father, Ser Brendel.¡± She held against the door and replied, coughing twice.

    [She¡¯s such a stubborn girl, but at least she¡¯s confident that she can take care of herself. Right now I¡¯m not a good position to truly help as well because of my financial situation. At the very least, I need to sell these equipment at the auction that Roen is going to introduce.....]

    Right when he was about to step out of the door, he heard chaotic footsteps going up the mansion¡¯s staircase, and the group looked over to the direction of the staircase. Batum reached his sword with his hand under the robe.

    ¡°Seven, no, eight.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be tense here, we¡¯re in Brus.¡± Brendel stopped Batum and stared at the direction of the staircase. A few moments after he finished speaking, there was a series of curses that came from below.

    ¡°Fuck, I really don¡¯t want toe to this godforsaken ce. We¡¯re going to waste our time again since that bitch is so stubborn.¡±

    ¡°Shhh, all these nobledies are the same. They act all arrogant and elegant, but once you threaten them a little, they would be shivering like littlembs and will do whatever we tell them to do. She will definitely hand over that thing.

    ¡°In any case, that respected noble had already said it is fine even if we finished her off. She¡¯s just a fallen noble. If we don¡¯t rough her up a little, she probably won¡¯t even take us seriously.¡±

    ¡°Are you a moron? Can you trust anything a noble¡¯s words? Their tongues are even sweeter than the devil¡¯s¡ª¡±

    The group of men were arguing when they appeared from the corner of the corridor. There were precisely eight of them wearing the city¡¯s security guards light grey uniform which were brand new. They did not expect anyone in the corridor, and almost everyone amongst them showed surprise in their faces.

    Their first ncended on Amandina, then on Brendel and Batum, and finally on the cripple at the very back.

    ¡°It¡¯s you! Cripple, what are you doing here?¡± The leader frowned and asked.

    Brendel stopped the cripple from going forward and turned his head back and asked: ¡°Who are they?¡±

    ¡°The scoundrels in Hood¡¯s avenue. I didn¡¯t think these dogs would look like reasonable human beings wearing leather equipment, especially when I just saw them looking like scum a few days ago.¡±

    The cripple red at their city guards¡¯ uniform. It appeared he was on terrible terms with them.

    ¡°Fuck. This dog just keeps on barking.¡± One of them cursed out loudly.

    They were slightly confused at Brendel¡¯s action. He had proven to be the leader amongst the three people there, but the cripple in the ck Pepper Street was well known to be independent, and yet he was here with two strange men. They were unable to guess the rtionship between them.

    It became even more troublesome because they were together with the fallen noble¡¯s daughter.

    ¡°The few of you are?¡± The leader of the ruffians decided to test the waters after considering for a while.

    Brendel looked at him for a moment before ignoring him. He turned his back to find Amandina grabbing the door frame tightly, her knuckles white. She was lowering her head, and while she did not speak, her small actions made him realize she was afraid and panicking inside. After a few moments, he spoke.

    ¡°Are they here to find trouble?¡±

    Amandina nodded.

    ¡°What is the issue?¡±

    ¡°They said that my father owes their master money.¡±

    ¡°Is your father a gambler, why does he owe everyone money...¡± The cripple muttered to himself, but he saw that the girl¡¯s incensed eyes were on him, he stopped talking due to fright.

    ¡°Did your father owe them money?¡± Brendel asked.

    Amandina shook her head with a deep frown: ¡°My father would never associate himself with these people.¡±

    Brendel finally looked at the ruffians and asked: ¡°Then who are you?¡±

    His voice was calm and forceful. The leader of the ruffians gulped when he felt the authority within Brendel¡¯s voice. Brendel¡¯s appearance was partially covered by his hood and his age was unclear, but his voice was definitely young. Even so, the leader of the ruffians thought that he was a young noble with a strong backing behind him from his attitude. He disregarded Brendel¡¯s forceful tone which could be perceived as rude and spoke carefully.

    ¡°We¡¯re the city guards under Lord Harde. I¡¯m the ¡®Night Owl¡¯ Joe, and these are my brothers-in-arms. We¡¯re.... under the request of Lord Tirste to collect a debt.¡±

    ¡°When did the city guards be in charge of debt collection?¡± Batum folded his arms and snorted inughter.

    The eight men looked like they got stuck in two ces. They were just ruffians a few days ago before they got recruited, and they had never seen anyplicated politics in their life. They did not know how to react in front of this secretive young man, but they were also under orders to collect on the debt, so they looked at each other in confusion.

    The leader who spoke wanted to p himself for that mistake he made. He did not expect for that man to retort with a valid argument.

    But there was at least one who was smart enough to grumble loudly: ¡°It¡¯s only fair to pay back your debts right.¡±

    ¡°Then who exactly do you want to pay this debt?¡±

    These ¡®city guards¡¯ became silent again when Brendel spoke. They looked at each other for some time before the leader of the ruffians spoke in a troubled tone: ¡°It¡¯s thedy behind you called Amandina. Her father owes Lord Tirste a huge sum of money.¡±

    Brendel rubbed his forehead.

    [This particr name sounds familiar, but I can¡¯t remember who exactly it is in the game. He probably has a certain amount of fame within the game, but he¡¯s certainly not involved with the main storyline. Hmm, he can be as small as that Golden Apple Lord Esebar, or someone who¡¯s particrly unique for a side mission.]

    ¡°Who is Lord Tirste?¡± Brendel turned around to ask Roen.

    ¡°He¡¯s someone who¡¯s about as young as you. He¡¯s the vice captain of the Silver-Winged cavalry and Vicount Megeska¡¯s right hand man. There¡¯s a rumor that he¡¯s the duke¡¯s illegitimate son,¡± Roen¡¯s face was ugly when he heard the name and whispered back. ¡°Brendel. We musn¡¯t fight with Tirste¡¯s men. You can¡¯t afford to offend him.¡±

    The cripple¡¯s heart was beating quickly and he already started to think how he could run away from the troublesome ce here.

    [Fuck. It¡¯s fortunate that I did not insult them, otherwise trouble will follow me all the way.]

    Brendel grinned when he heard Roen¡¯s tone which sounded like he was insinuating something.

    ¡°Cripple, it seems that you really want me to fight with this Tirste that I have not met.¡±

    ¡°N-no, of course not.¡± Roenughed in a shrill manner, his voice breaking. He did not expect Brendel to instantly see past his goading remarks.

    Brendel nced at Amandina, only to find that the girl¡¯s face had turned pale when she heard that the duke was Tirste¡¯s father. Even Vicount Megeska was someone who she could not hoped to fight against. If they were to pick a fight with her, she could only wait for her death.

    [Vicount Megeska. This is a name I¡¯m familiar with. He might appear to be a loyal military officer to Aouine, but he¡¯s actually a dog of the Unifying Guild. The ¡®right hand¡¯ of Megeska, is he someone from the Unifying Guild as well? In any case, he¡¯s not as well known in the game because of his status as an illegitimate son. But what is this situation with Amandina? Even the fight for power with the Royal Crown is done behind closed doors. It¡¯s unlikely that this Tirste doesn¡¯t know about Amandina¡¯s plight, so what¡¯s the reason for pushing her so hard?]

    Brendel peeked at Amandina¡¯s face.

    [It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s some family feud. But being interested in the person herself? ... That¡¯s a stronger reason since the nobles sometimes do things like that. But this is a vexing situation. I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s going to give up, but I don¡¯t want her to end up losing her. The designer of the Magicite is something that I cannot measure with money.]

    Brendel did not express his desire to ask her to join his group for two reasons. Asking her to join right now might get her guard up instead, while the second reason was to lower his costs like a businessman by not showing that much interest in her skills.

    [It seems like my ns need to change now.]

    ¡°Does your father know Tirste?¡±

    Amandina quickly shook her head. She was an intelligent person and thought of the same things that Brendel did. She had never seen Tirste before, but she felt disgust from his actions and looked at Brendel who seemed like he was her best ally.

    Her heart was beating quickly and was afraid that he might not help her, but Brendel did not disappoint her.

    The young man immediately pulled out his sword when he heard her reply. The gleaming silver Elven sword made the eight men tremble. Pulling out a weapon means that the negotiations had broken down. Still, the leader of the ruffians tried to remedy the situation by clearing his throat and persuade him by asking him to consider the power behind Tirste.

    Brendel¡¯s sword had already swung.

    A visible ripple sted above their heads, and a gale suddenly appeared out of nowhere as the wind pressure caused their hair to fly back. A secondter, the ceiling above them suddenly cracked loudly and one could see breaks in it extending over five meters.

    There was nothing but silence in the dim corridor.

 volume 2 - 42

    TL: Next Monday is my milestone review from my lecturers, so I¡¯ll be busy with tidying up my stuff. I¡¯ll be TLing one TAS chapter today and you can expect my other series some time next week (probably around next Thursday).

    As usual, I haven¡¯t really done any proofreading so you guys have to help me out here.

    Chapter 42 ¨C New member

    ¡°S-sword arte......¡± Roen¡¯s face paled immediately, and he stared at Brendel.

    [Is this Brendel that young man that I know of? You might have gotten some recognition for your potential in the path of the sword, but possessing the power of an ¡®Enlightened Element¡¯ since our meeting half a year ago?!]

    Amandina first grabbed the door frame tightly and released it. The sudden scene that happened before her eyes was beyond her imagination and she bit her lips due to her myriad feelings that stirred within her.

    [The young man who brought my father¡¯s news was at a rank of a ¡®Swordsman of Flowers¡¯... This young master swordsman, is it possible that he¡¯s a ¡®Blessed¡¯ person and had the strength of an Iron-ranked fighter since his birth?]

    (TL: The specific flower described in Chinese doesn¡¯t really exist in the west, so I just took from Game of Thrones. I can¡¯t think of a better term for ÆôÊ¾Õß right now other than ¡®Blessed¡¯. Exalted, sacred, revtor all sounds weird to me because the level of these people aren¡¯t powerful enough to use these words. Finally, the rank described by Amandina is the upper tier of the Golden-ranked fighter which is around level 60-70+ where they can use sword artes freely.)

    Batum merely folded his arms together without changing his appearance. He took everyone¡¯s reaction in his eyes andughed inwardly. He had felt the same thing when he first saw his lord disy that same skill, and even felt proud to serve someone like him, because Brendel¡¯s abilities did not end there.

    As for the ¡®City Guards¡¯, they were already weak in the knees. Theirck of imagination had limited their view of Brendel as a noble who had some strong backing behind him in his family, but they recognized the Sword Arte and changed their opinions about him.

    Brendel¡¯s sword went back to its sheathe. He had intentionally shown that skill in hopes of making them retreat. He was not even close to a Gold-ranked fighter, but that impression they had of him were already carved into their hearts.

    ¡°Did you hear that, this youngdy had said her father does not know anything about this Lord Tirste.¡±

    ¡°But......¡± The leader of the ruffians finally recovered from his shock, and looked at Brendel with a face full of conflict.

    Brendel did a hand gesture to Batum behind his back.

    ¡°But what, get lost right now!¡± Batum saw the hand gesture and immediately yelled at them from the sides.

    The ruffians exchanged looks at each other. This was a familiar tactic to them, doing something like they did not want to argue about logic. In fact they were alsomon users of using brute force instead of logic, but standing before them was a young master swordsman who could wiped them out within seconds, not to mention there was another bodyguard with him.

    The ruffians were angered by Batum¡¯s approach, but the leader took a deep breath and spoke: ¡°I understand that you, ser noble, is going to interfere in this matter. May I please know, who exactly is going to go against Lord Tirste?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    [Hoh. This man isn¡¯t half bad at all, trying to corner me with words. If I¡¯m a real noble I might have to answer him properly, but I¡¯m not. Heck, I¡¯m even a shameless ¡®gamer¡¯ at that. Still, this leader is quite smart, you are attacking me in the open with a scheme for everyone to see and I have to respond.]

    He was secretly on his guards because refusing to answer might actually lead the ruffians to suspect of his identity. He grinned inwardly as he took a piece of paper out and folded it.

    [Give this thing to your lord. As for my identity, none of you has the right to know who I am.]

    The ruffians looked nkly at the paper. But they could not do anything else other than taking the paper and going back where they came from. They red at the cripple, but they did not speak to him. If they tried to do so, they would be humiliated by Brendel.

    Brendel watched thest man leave before turning around to look at Roen. The cripple¡¯s eyes were glittering and Brendel looked at him with inscrutable eyes.

    ¡°What are you thinking, Ser Roen?¡± Brendel said.

    Other than Batum, the cripple was the only other person who knew of his real identity. Batum could be trusted, but the wily old fox in front of him could hardly be trusted.

    ¡°N-nothing.¡± Roen immediately denied it.

    The aging cripple was bitter in his heart. He did not expect to have so much trouble for being a guide. He would have risked getting injured by Brendel instead of going along if he knew he would offend Lord Tirste. The ¡®Night Owl¡¯ definitely remembered him for participating in this affair, and his life in Brus was definitely going to be turned upside down.

    [Brendel definitely knows that Lord Tirste is going toe after me. I doubt that Brendel is going to trust me, especially when I don¡¯t trust myself. I know that he¡¯s a fake noble... and I might want to divulge that information to Lord Tirste... but...]

    Roen took an involuntary nce at Brendel and was certain that the young man would not give him a chance to do so. He did not know what Brendel was going to do. Now that Brendel was a Swordman of Flowers and appeared to be more decisive when hest met him, the cripple felt cold sweat forming behind his back as he started to imagine his future. (TL: Herees that terrible naming sense again. First it was Sophie, now it¡¯s Swordsman of Flowers, I¡¯m going to see it asedic relief from now onwards >_>.)

    The more he thought about it, the more frightened he got, and he started trembling.

    ¡°B-Brendel, if you kill me, they will suspect your identity.¡± The cripple stuttered.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same if you go missing.¡± Brendel smiled.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, yes.¡± Roen agreed with a heavy heart.

    ¡°But wanting us to trust in you, Ser Roen, what¡¯s the possibility of that?¡±

    ¡°Certainly..... a little right?¡±

    Brendel eyed him with slight disgust, but he shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t kill you, cripple.¡±

    Roen was slightly surprised and looked at Brendel with a little disbelief in his eyes.

    [Why are you telling me this? Are you trying to deceive me?]

    Roen did not think Brendel was naive, but he was unable toe up with a reason after thinking about for a long time.

    [Wait¡ª Is he ying with me like a hunter toying with his prey? No, this can¡¯t be happening, surely!]

    ¡°Have you heard of this term called ¡®Namelist¡¯?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know about it? That¡¯s fine, you just need to know, once you sign it, we¡¯re partners.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re trying to drag me into this situation?¡± Roen inhaled deeply.

    The young man¡¯s smile in his eyes seemed to resemble a devil¡¯s smile. He hesitated for a long time, but he could only agree to it. He thought it was best to deceive him now and then find ways to gain Lord Tirste¡¯s trust.

    [Report secretly to Lord Tirste? ... But I don¡¯t know him very well. Kill someone to get noticed? But nobles hardly care if their underlings get killed.]

    Roen¡¯s mind was working fast, but Brendel¡¯s words suddenly came over him like a shower of needles.

    ¡°Cripple, before you came to do what you do now, did youmit a crime in Arreck?¡±

    A sh of lightning struck seemed to strike Roen¡¯s heart. His face turned white instantly and looked at Brendel as if the devil was before him: ¡°N-no.¡±

    ¡°That family name of the nobles is¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop it!¡± The cripple screamed as loudly as he could. He seemed to gasp for breath like he was drowning in water and waved his arms in fear. ¡°I got it Brendel. Please, don¡¯t say anymore. Fuck, you¡¯re a devil, a monster, I have never offended you!¡±

    Brendel merely gave a smirk. Roen had killed the entire family of nobles thirty years ago in Arreck before fleeing to Brus and changing his name. It was a famous sidequest in the game, and Roen was ultimately hung for his crimes. It was not exactly Roen¡¯s fault, as the nobles in the story were not exactly good either.

    Still, Brendel chose to bring this past up to force Roen to join his side. Roen had done something that was akin to treason in Aouine, and even Lord Tirste was not going to be able to protect Roen on this matter.

    [With this secret it should be enough to control this cripple, but I should offer a carrot as well to calm him down.]

    ¡°Very well. Do not worry, cripple, I will not use that incident to ckmail you. I know what happened exactly and the fault does not lie with you. However, I need to protect myself. I can at least promise you that Tirste will not trouble you. This is a transaction that both of us cane out ahead without issues, and it¡¯s not me or Tirste forcing you to submit to either side.¡±

    Roen looked at Brendel with doubtful eyes.

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? That paper that I gave to Tirste will determine everything.¡±

    ¡°What exactly is in that paper?¡± Batum interjected with curiosity.

    ¡°A small habit of mine. I believe Tirste will suspect a certain logical rival of his.¡± Brendel rubbed his forehead.

    [Disregarding whether this Tirste have ties with the Unifying Guild, I¡¯ll push the me to the organization of the ¡®Tree Shepherds¡¯.]

    When Brendel threw the paper to the leader, he had done so in a particr manner that resembled someone¡¯s actions called ¡®Turtledove¡¯. That master swordsman, Lord ¡®Turtledove¡¯, was a core member of the ¡®Tree Shepherds¡¯ and the key political enemy of the Grinoires nobles. He was even someone who was rumored to be an admirer of Tirste¡¯s fiancee. With such a wonderful scapegoat, Brendel believed that Tirste would have a headache trying to deal this situation.

    [Maybe Tirste is able to get to the truth some timeter, but that wouldn¡¯t be a problem since there are no real disadvantages. It¡¯s not as if I¡¯m a pdin from the Holy Cathedral of Fire.]

    The cripple seemed to have understood something from Brendel¡¯s words, and he stared at Brendel. ¡°I¡¯m starting to wonder if a devil had impersonated you, Brendel. You¡¯re not someone like that in the past.¡±

    ¡°This situation forced my hand.¡± Brendel shrugged, and finally looked at Amandina.

    ¡°What are your intentions, Miss Amandina.¡± He asked.

    The youngdy lowered her head and felt that her decision did not belong to her anymore. She started to wonder if her previous judgment was wrong. The young man before her did not seem to be as gentlemanly as she had thought, and after a while she could only reluctantly reply: ¡°Have you not thought of a solution for me, Ser Brendel?¡±

    Brendel smiled when he heard Amandina¡¯s reply, and briefly wondered what kind of upbringing she had to be as perceptive as she is now. He patted the scroll in his arms and spoke.

    ¡°Miss Amandina, I am in awe of your talent and abilities, and I hope that you could work for me. In return, I am willing to sponsor you to continue researching on the creation of Magicite. Of course, as one who is under my employ, I will also protect you from the ruffians who wanted to harass you.¡±

    Amandina coughed and looked at Brendel¡¯s eyes, as if to determine if he was lying¡ª

    ¡°You want me to create machines that uses Magicite? But my teachers said that I am not talented in that field.¡±

    ¡°The creation of Magicite and machines that use Magicite are two different things.¡± Brendel nodded: ¡°Especially what you have in this scroll, you are the only person who is skilled enough to make this a reality.¡±

    ¡°This is only a halfpleted version.¡± Amandina became serious, but shrank backwards as she realized she was being rude in her confrontational attitude.

    Brendel did not mind.

    ¡°Miss Amandina. You have enough faith in your halfpleted work to be used aspensation, why do you not allow me to put value into the creator? There is a certain phrase in my hometown, ¡®The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step¡¯.¡±

    The girl¡¯s eyes lit up: ¡°The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step? ... Ser Brendel, are you really willing to sponsor me to continue walking down this path?¡±

    ¡°I will be honest here. Currently I do not have the finances or my ce, but I am certain that I will be able to get them very soon. Isn¡¯t that right, Ser Roen?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± The cripple nodded furiously.

    Amandina thought for a while before speaking again with a determined look in her face: ¡°Very well. I will ept your offer, Ser Brendel. But I do not wish to do nothing before you are able to gain the resources that you need. I would like to be your advisor until then, and I am confident I have the ability to do so¡ª¡±

    She looked straight at Brendel.

 volume 2 - 43

    TL: This chapter is pretty dry because the entire thing is about world building.

    Chapter 43 ¨C Brus¡¯s underground auction (1)

    The seventh month. Brus¡¯s air was filled with a scorching heat that made people feel reluctant to move.

    Under the peaceful exterior lies a darker current. One could predict the movements of the noble in the first half of this month. The signs of the war ending was bing more and more apparent, and the people who wanted to profit from the aftermath were bing restless. (TL: This paragraph is unclear. Lines like this do appear from time to time, but this one was particrly bad. It¡¯s either part of the nobles were able to predict the aftermath of the war and were bing restless to profit from the war, or what you see above.)

    The citizens frequently saw messengersing in one after another on horse, and those who did not know the situation thought the war was bing even more intense. In truth, these letters were negotiations done in the Winter Rose Fortress.

    Themoners felt insecure, and the nobles also felt insecure.

    Yet this had nothing to do with Brendel, and he spend three days to follow his schedule. He obtained a registry pass for to search newnds as a ¡®Pioneering Knight¡¯. The pass was a document that stated the loyalty and responsibilities of a knight towards the king, which was stamped with a seal on it.

    This thin piece of parchment was even more valuable than gold in the early days. However, with Aouine¡¯s decline and the knights retaining their own power in their local region, as well as adventurers¡¯ turning towless endeavors and without anyone interested in expanding the kingdom¡¯s boundaries, the term of a ¡®Pioneering Knight¡¯ gradually became a title that did not have any power to it.

    Some time after the first king of Aouine, nobles slowly started to auction this title after they had solidified their foothold, and this piece of parchment slowly lost its value.

    Brendel¡¯s action was simr to how he did it in the game. He told Batum to buy a pretty dress for some random administrator¡¯s wife, and he managed to get this title. He had held this title for days before Roen finally brought a piece of good news to him.

    The long awaited underground auction¡¯s date finally arrived.

    Brus¡¯s underground auction date was going to be held on the tenth day. There were numerous illegal goods including human trafficking. The people who participated this event ranged from mercenaries, adventurers, illegal merchants and even Brus¡¯swmakers.

    Without a doubt, there were also nobles.

    The people who controlled this market were certainly from the local underground factions, but it was known to many that there were nobles who participated in them, and none would be the wiser if they maintained a peaceful and stable society for the citizens.

    The auction site was usually held at the Maria¡¯s market in Hood street or the eastern area at the Shepherd market. These areas were filled with people, and were deliberately chosen as it was actually better to use them as cover. People who paid close attention would discover that many unfamiliar faces would appear on certain days, and talked to each other and leave on the second morning.

    These markets had mini auction sites that were used as cover, while the true sites were constructed only during the period and then dismantled.

    These constructions might appear to be funded by ordinary merchants, but if one was to investigate, the funds came from the local parliament of nobles.

    When Batum assisted Brendel down from the horse carriage, Brus¡¯s evening sun lit the surroundings with a fiery hue that seemed to make things look like they were burning. In this light, Ciel wore a knight¡¯s uniform and held his chest up high in order to make Brendel look like a hignd knight from Karsuk.

    Behind Brendel was Amandina and Romaine, acting as his younger sister and fiancee respectively.

    Amandina removed her hand discreetly from Brendel¡¯s helping hand when she alighted from the carriage. She wore a ck veil and an equally ck formal dress, her eyes observing the mini auction site with a disinterested expression.

    She appeared to bepletely different than before. Brendel found her to be weak and soft when he first saw her at the run-down mansion, but she was now cold and unrelenting, as if there was an aura that forbade anyone from approaching her. Even Tirste¡¯s scout would not be able to recognize her even if he was nearby.

    When Amandina disappeared from her home, no one noticed it until a few dayster. The disappearance of a person typically belonged to the city guards, but the city cavalry had done arge scale manhunt for her. Three medium sized toons searched the eastern area and nearly alerted Brus¡¯s parliament.

    However, Lord Tirste did not want this event to trace back to him, and tied the disappearance to a prior case that happened half a year ago, and made it as a case about a headless corpse.

    This was why Amandina was able to go outside safely.

    Beside her was Romaine who was slightly taller than her. The merchant girl was staring at a row of crystal balls nearby. Her frowning eyebrows were knitted together, as if she was a researcher trying to analyze what exactly they were.

    [Even if you stare at it however long you want, or however serious you are, there won¡¯t be anything that appear in it, you know.....] Brendel was a little exasperated.

    He was certain that Romaine was trying to get Amandina¡¯s attention.

    Romaine and Amandina got along well for the past few days, and she was especially delighted to have Amandina¡¯s knowledge about the outside world from her books. It was at least better than Romaine¡¯s knowledge that came from her imagination.

    ¡°What exactly is that, Ama?¡± Romaine finally could not resist asking.

    Amandina¡¯s concentration was also on the row of crystal balls. The owner was a man wearing a ck uniform. Not anyone had the qualifications to wear that uniform, and it clearly showed that he was a priest.

    Amandina turned her eyes to Brendel, but the young man did not seem to react. She paused for a moment and frowned.

    ¡°That¡¯s a ¡®Fire seed¡¯.¡± Amandina kept her eyes on Brendel and replied softly.

    ¡°What¡¯s a ¡®Fire seed¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a holy object that people use to spread civilization in the wilderness. I didn¡¯t think I am able to witness something like this here in an auction.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Romain answered in a straightforward manner.

    Amandina sighed in spite of herself. Brendel did not disappoint her in the past few days. She did not think that he was truly a knight, and one who was a legendary hignd knight. Furthermore, he had acted in a polite manner most of the time, handled situations calmly and effectively, and fulfilled the image of a feudal lord in her mind¡ª

    [This fiancee of his is giving me a slight headache. It¡¯s not that she¡¯s not an easy person to get along with, and her personality is quite charming. But at the same time, she¡¯s treating me like an encyclopedia and keeps asking me everything with the word ¡®curiosity¡¯ in her eyes.]

    But she was unable to refuse and could only reply back.

    ¡°How much do you know about our world?¡±

    ¡°I know nothing about it.¡±

    ¡°............¡±

    The young girl coughed twice: ¡°Then I¡¯ll try to talk about it a little. In the Kirrlutz¡¯s poem, their god ¡®Aixule¡± (Marsha) created the world from Chaos, and made the six elements, ¡®Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, Life and Darkness¡¯. After Aixule established a contract with the four Elven kings, the world¡¯s border was formed.¡±

    ¡°With the border constantly drawing out magic energy from Chaos, it extended to all sides and formed thend that we see now. This world should be a circle that extends infinitely from four sides, but at the same time this world is constantly affected by Chaos, so Mother Marsha createdws to bind thisnd and set the areas where mortals are allowed to traverse in. In this region, the sun, the stars and the moon continue to work normally. Thus mortals are allowed to flourish and civilization can continue¡ª¡±

    ¡°But thend that is outside Mother Marsha¡¯s protection, is the Battlefield of the Elements and Chaos. There is arge buffer area between the protectednd and the Battlefield. This buffer area is what we call the ¡®Wilderness¡¯. Since one can travel into this buffered area from the Battlefield or from ournd, the terms ¡®Pioneering Knights¡¯ and ¡®Monster Waves¡¯ came about.¡±

    ¡°As for a Fire Seed, it is a ¡®Law¡¯ that can be nted into the earth. Anynd that is developed in the ¡®Wilderness¡¯ has a fire seed in them.¡± (TL: The amount of world building tires me out for sure.)

    Amandina coughed as she exined. ¡°Do you understand now?¡±

    Romaine nodded and then shook her head. She answered like a hardworking student: ¡°I only understand the first sentence! O-ouch, let go of me Brendel¡ª¡± Brendel pulled her cheeks, and held her in his arms as she iled about when he heard what she said.

    ¡°Little Romaine. Looks like that you don¡¯t have any talent for bing a wizard, so there¡¯s no need to worry about this. You should just worry about how much money we can earn in the auction.¡± Brendel spoke as he cast an apologetic look at Amandina.

    Amandina gave a faint smile in return and walked towards him.

    ¡°Are you not interested in these Fire Seeds, Ser Brendel?¡± As an advisor, she knew that Brendel had bought the title of an Pioneering Knight.

    Brendel nced at the crystal balls. He was interested at their appearance, but there were definitely others who were interested in them as well, so he could only try to bid for it. At the same time, he had a ce in mind that he wanted to go to which already had a Fire Seed, so he did not urgently need it.

    ¡°I understand. I can try and bid for itter on.¡±

    Amandina watched him nod but she was not very convinced. Brendel appeared to be a young knight who left his home in order to get his ownnd, and his sess depended on his ability to get his ownnd or got recognition in a battlefield. Her own path was a long road, and she knew that Brendel only admired her only for talent and not achievements.

    With so many worries on her mind, she could not help but look at Brendel¡¯s every action closely.

    Brendel wanted to say something else when he felt her worries, but he suddenly saw Roen gesturing at him in a dark corner. He walked up to him and the cripple informed him that the auction was about to begin and they should hurry along. Brendel¡¯s eyes darted around and indeed found that the people gathered around him had started to enter the site.

 volume 2 - 44

    Chapter 44 ¨C Brus¡¯s underground auction (2)

    The inside of the auction site in Maria¡¯s market did not have arge space. It was the size of a mini theater with dim light in it, and surrounding the central ¡®stage¡¯ was a series of chairs that piled upwards. These chairs were for themoners. There was a separate boxed area on the four sides of the stage, decorated with silk and satin. These areas had three levels in them, with a bronze telescope in each seat, ced onto a Redwood stand, in order to let the powerful nobles who participated in this auction look closely at the merchandise on the central stage.

    Roen had enough connections to actually reserve this boxed area, but Brendel refused. He did not wish to draw attention to himself, and participating in this auction was only to see if he managed to obtain any unexpected items.

    They got their number and proceeded to their seats. Even though Brendel looked calm on the surface, he had a repeating crossbow tied under his wrist and it was hidden under his knight uniform. The crossbow was armed with Tamar¡¯s cursed bolts in order to prepare for any unexpected situations.

    This particr crossbow was an intricate object that resembled a jewel box when it was opened. Amateurs would find it hard to use something like this, but Brendel¡¯s professionpensated for this and with his passive abilities. Due to this ability, the knowledge in his mind allowed him to act like a veteran user of such weapons, and it was enough to the point where he could install simple mechanisms on his fingers and used them with proper aim.

    After he sat down for a short while and the auction had not started, Roen came to him in a disguise along with a long robe covering him and sat beside him. He carefully looked to the left and right before he spoke.

    ¡°My lord, the poisoned daggers and the potions have been sold. The daggers had caught the eyes of a familiar guild, don¡¯t worry, my lord, they were very generous with their gold. A single dagger for 2500 Tor Coins, and they did not ask who the seller was.¡±

    Not every transaction was done at the auction itself in this site. In fact, the majority of the transactions that took ce was done privately. The buyers and sellers went through a third party like Roen, and sometimes there were even more intermediaries, to ensure safety and secrecy. Each person only required a small amount of money to seal their lips.

    In this grey underground city, no one was more talkative than them, and no one had tighter lips than them; it was a contradictory mix.

    ¡°What about the potions?¡± Brendel watched the staff with fake interest, while his attention was on the topic. He knew the rules well, and the items like the poisoned daggers and his potions typically would not be sold through the central stage.

    ¡°The potions are slightly more troublesome. The people from the Tower of Stars kept asking for the maker of the potions. They stated that the recipe for mana potions has not been circted for a long time, and they said that the Wizards Association wees a professional alchemist to join them.¡± Roen said while he used his beady eyes to take note of Brendel¡¯s expressions.

    He wanted to see what Brendel¡¯s reaction was. If the youth felt that this news was useful, he would praise him and make him feel safer. At the same time, if Brendel felt the situation was troublesome, Roen would feel delight at getting back at the youth. Even though they were on the same boat, beyond the fear and dread, he also felt that he could not take things lying down without fighting back a little.

    The cripple looked at the youth, hoping that he would seed and bing rich, but at the same was hoping a little that he would fail.

    However, Brendel merely shook his head and replied without showing any expression: ¡°My friend has no interest in that. Just tell me the important details about the transaction, cripple.¡±

    [It looks like I wasn¡¯t wrong. The mana potion in this world is much rarerpared to the game.] Brendel thought to himself.

    ¡°Each bottle of sold for a thousand Tor coins for a total of thirty thousand.¡± The cripple did not show his disappoint in his face.

    Brendel nodded. The price for the daggers was higher by twenty-five percent, and the mana potions sold for over two hundred percent of his original estimation, especially when the materials for making the mana potion were nothing more than ordinary reagents.

    [An insane profit.]

    Brendel immediately ssified this as a golden goose that would keepying eggs. He looked at Romaine and thought it would not be impossible for Romaine to set up her own merchant guild if she used the mana potions as her primary goods.

    Romaine instantly noticed his gaze and raised her eyebrows. She raised her hands and brought them to her chest, and praised him without any reservations.

    ¡°It¡¯s half of one hundred thousand Tor coins. It¡¯s just like you said, I knew that you would be able to do it!¡±

    ¡°The interesting scene is yet toe, Miss Romaine.¡± Ciel was behind Brendel¡¯s seat and he smile while speaking.

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re mistaken Ciel! Our merchantdy is reminding me that the hundred thousand Tor coins is her capital.¡± Brendel said without breaking a sweat.

    Romaine giggled with pride as though she was a wily fox who had managed to take advantage when her real goal was divulged.

    Amandina frowned a little when she saw the scene happening before her eyes. She had seen tens of thousands of Tor coins as she had been born in a noble family, but seeing them treat the amount of money that they received like it was nothing, was something that she had not seen before.

    From this exchange, she felt that this young knight might have left his home to seek his own fortune, but his family background must have been quite powerful.

    Sadly, it could not have been further away from the truth. Romaine had no idea how much that amount of money was, and Brendel had billions of coins in the game. The amount of money might have meant nothing to him, but thinking that he was from noble family because of that fact could not have been any more off the mark.

    The lights in the auction site suddenly dimmed. They looked back and noticed the staff was extinguishing the candles around the walls. It appeared like the auction was about to begin¡ª

    Roen whispered: ¡°If we were in the boxed area, the list of items that is going to be sold in this auction would have been delivered to us. My lord, do you have any particr items that you want to have?¡±

    ¡°I do not know yet.¡± Brendel watched the central stage bing brighter from the candles that were being lit up. ¡°Come to think of it, did theye looking for your trouble?¡±

    Roen shook his head: ¡°Just as you have predicted, Foltest¡¯s men came to look for me after that event at Miss Amandina¡¯s home. I just told them that I did not know you¡ª¡±

    ¡°You sound like you¡¯re unhappy with that?¡± Batum mocked him from the sides.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± Roen now knew Batum¡¯s position, and he did not act as servile as before. ¡°My lord, that sword of yours really looks like a perfect piece of art. How much do you think it will sell in the auction?¡±

    Brendel knew that he was talking about the magic sword made by the Dwarves. He thought for a while and said: ¡°Approximately a hundred thousand to a hundred and fifty thousand Tor coins.¡± (TL: Not the Thorn of light.)

    Amandina lightly gasped from behind when he finished speaking. Everyone looked back in surprise and found the nobledy waving her hands with a blushing face: ¡°E-excuse me.¡±

    She ced her hands over her chest in an effort to prevent her heart from beating too fast. Her eyes was tranting the amount of money.

    [That¡¯s the equivalent of one hundred and fifty Aouine gold coins. When Brendel came, he was empty handed, but in the blink of an eye he had the equivalent of the entire savings of a small noble family in their lifetime. Two hundred Aouine gold coins. It¡¯s not an impossible thing to purchase and fit for a knight in a remote ce.]

    To Amandina, this amount of money should be invested in production. She had once lost herself in her designs and bankrupted herself, but she was smart enough to not make the same mistake twice. She quickly calcted and thought of what this amount of money could do. Regardless ofmercial or production investments, both routes were fine. With this amount of money, she estimated that she could grow it by thirty percent in a year.

    Then she frowned again. She had introduce herself as his advisor and the young knight did not object to it, but she was not sure if he would allow her to use such arge sum of money. But Brendel noticed her myriad expressions and could not help but ask:

    ¡°Miss Amandina?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± She raised her head up by reflex.

    ¡°Are you considering about the problems in our budget?¡±

    Amandina¡¯s face flushed a little, but she soon recovered. She nodded seriously.

    ¡°Yes. As an advisor to Ser Brendel, I feel that I need to consider this properly¡ª¡±

    She spoke as she looked at Romaine without any confidence. As Brendel¡¯s fiancee, she seemed to have more speaking power in this regards.

    But Romaine continued to smile sweetly as before.

    Brendel showed a look of contemtion before ncing at them: ¡°If you have ideas, I can split the money into two. Romaine and you can get an equal portion and handle this amount of money ording to your ideas, but¡ª¡±

    Amandina showed a look of disbelief even before he finished speaking. ¡°Ser Brendel, are you serious?¡±

    He nodded. It was his habit as the team leader not to doubt someone, or test their abilities by letting his team members handle things on their own.

    Amandina took a deep breath and nodded earnestly: ¡°I will definitely use this money well, Ser Brendel, I have already thought of a n to increase this amount of money in a short time......¡±

    Brendel interrupted her: ¡°No. What I want to say is this. I¡¯m leaving it to little Romaine to help me invest the money, but Miss Amandina, I want you to help me use this money.¡±

    ¡°Use this money?¡± Amandina looked nkly at him.

    The bells in the auction site started ringing, and Brendel turned his head back to the front.

    ¡°You will understand it shortly, Miss Amandina. Of course, you can help out by discussing things with our grand merchant missy, she has a huge n ahead of her!¡±

    Brendel was thinking about a newnd of his own. If Romaine was able to set up a merchant guild, it would not be suitable to have ties with hisnd. If that was the case, he needed a butler of sorts.

    Since Amandina wanted to help out, he would certainly be d to leave things to her. (TL: .......)

    ¡°A big n?¡± She was taken aback. She really did not think that this ¡®grand merchantdy¡¯ would have any probable n to speak off, and she even wanted to advise him to not leave the important task of earning money with Romaine, but it was not easy for her to speak of this topic.

    [Wait... Romaine¡¯s actions in these past few days... She kept asking about the events and festivals in Brus. If I rearrange her questions in order, then... I¡¯m seeing a big picture here.]

    She suddenly stopped herself with the idea of persuading Brendel and her eyes brightened a little. She realized something and thought deeply for a while, then whispered to Ciel next to her. ¡°Mister Ciel, before you entered the city, where was the Madara¡¯s army at?¡±

    ¡°They were at the Dragos¡¯s area for approximately half a month.¡± Ciel replied casually, before he paused and followed up with a question: ¡°Did you realize it? Miss Amandina?¡±

    He was a little surprised at Amandina. She was able to understand what Romaine¡¯s n was from Brendel¡¯s words, and remarked inwardly to himself that Brendel¡¯s advisor was someone with considerable skills.

    ¡°If Romaine¡¯s n works out, the profit is nearly eighty percent!¡± Amandina looked at Romaine as she chatted happily with Brendel. She felt like she was knowing her other side for the first time.

    ¡°Miss Romaine calcted that the profits was a fold.¡± Ciel replied.

    ¡°But that¡¯s probably because she did not cover the problem of connections¡ª¡± Amandina gritted her teeth as she felt a blow to her confidence. She thought about it a little longer before she said each word solemnly: ¡°But if we work at it carefully, it¡¯s not impossible to have a hundred percent profit, because of Mister Roen.....¡±

    Brendel did not notice his subordinates talking amongst themselves. That was because the auction had started and unexpectedly, the first item had already caught his attention.

    There was a parchment that sat under the candle light. There was an old contract written in the Elementalnguage used by the Four ns. The corners of the parchment were curled up because the elemental magic of wind, earth, fire and water were spiralling towards the center of the parchment.

    This parchment was used to open a road to be an elementalist, and was meant for those who were not talented in this field. Many nobles use this to create a pathway for their rted family members.

    Without a question, it was expensive.

    But to Brendel, this was something that was worth more than money.

    Because in his eyes, this was the name of the scroll:

    ¡®Scroll of Elemental Pool (unlock)¡¯

 volume 2 - 45

    TL: So I spent a lot of time looking at PC stuff this week due to some mistakes I made in buying things back then...

    Long winded stuff about PC things. Skip to read the Amber Sword.

    I have a skke CPU i5 6600k, which I got during February, coupled with a DDR3 board because I want to save some cash since I still have 12 GB DDR3 ram left from my old pc. I¡¯m getting a rig that I want to OC so that I can use it for multimedia purposes that include video editing.

    Now here¡¯s the interesting thing. Skke rmended voltage for the ram is 1.2v-1.35v (ddr4 runs at 1.2v~), while DDR3 ram typically runs from 1.5-1.65v, and the official word is that intel doesn¡¯t support that much voltage and heck, it might even hurt the CPU health.

    After reading a lot on it, some overclocker users are saying that all is not lost, because VCCIO and VCCSA (no, I don¡¯t know what these terms mean.) are the main things to look at when ites to an intel CPU memory controller. In any case, I¡¯m below the rmended voltage for these two sections (= 2800 mhz, then you can reconsider again).

    I also n to wait out for the GTX 1070. Right now the so called nvidia¡¯s ¡°Founders¡¯s edition = reference card actually¡± is sold at a higher premium. It¡¯s really annoying to see nvidiaing up with ridiculous rehashes and ¡®cool terms¡¯ like they mean something. This Founder¡¯s edition practice right now is not a new thing, however. I.E, EVGA¡¯s SC 980 ti card is the nvidia¡¯s reference card pped with their EVGA cooler, while their own designed card is cheaper with better performance and has lower temp.

    That is why nvidia said they are selling their 1070 gtx FE cards at $449, while the MSRP for their partners is at $379 (once they get their own designs done, supposedly). Right now, the partners are pping a cooler on these reference cards and selling them. I¡¯m using a 1080p 27 inch VA monitor, somewhat okay for drawing images as colors are a little brighter and desaturated, but I¡¯m going to look at dell¡¯s 27 inch monitors at 1440p if they release 1070 GTX at $379.

    Some notes about VR gaming. VR demands 7 times more drawing powerpared to 1080p gaming, and even a GTX 1080 will have problems running that. I¡¯m going to be patient and wait 2 more generation cycles before getting a VR rig =X.

    At 1440p gaming for a 144hz monitor, you are probably going to just hit 100 fps at ultra settings even if you have 1080 GTX. Things like G-Sync and Freesynces at a premium that¡¯s too expensive for me, and I would rather get a work-based system rather than a gaming system.

    Chapter 45 ¨C The Boulder Mercenary¡¯s pendant

    The name of the parchment was called Lancel¡¯s scroll. The crowd of people in the room started to show their surprise with low murmurs, and it spread out like a ripple. Brendel realized that many of them were interested in the scroll as well.

    However, even though they whispered amongst themselves, they did not attempt to bid for it. The ones who were willing to vie for it were nobles with considerable background, sitting in the special box, and all of them waited for someone to make the first move.

    ¡°Such scrolls are made from the fairies in the Crystal Tundra. There is only a limited amount made every year to allow noble families to create more lower ranked Elementalists. Despite that, these underground auctions allowed a considerable amount of such scrolls to be sold to others.¡± Roen exined

    ¡°Why don¡¯t the fairies create more of them?¡± Romaine asked.

    ¡°Creating such scrolls requires a lot of Elemental mana from their Elemental Pool, and it is a burden even for these fairies who are on par with a high ranking Elementalist. Ciel said

    ¡°Furthermore, forcibly opening one¡¯s own Elemental Pool might work for ordinary people, their sess as an Elementalist is limited and would not be stronger than the average Elementalist. Such scrolls does not mean it will be good even there is a lot of it.¡± He continued to exin.

    Batum, Amandina and Romaine were engrossed in the exnation.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see this in Brus.¡± Brendel said.

    Roen¡¯s nose was as potent as a dog¡¯s, and he sniffed out interest from Brendel¡¯s words, as well as the implication that Brendel had been to bigger underground auctions and not limited to just Brus.

    ¡°My lord, are you interested in that?¡±

    ¡°A little.¡±

    ¡°Should I get my man to bid for it?¡±

    Brendel thought for a while and nodded. The scroll was at five thousand Tor coins, and each incremental bidding had to be at least five percent. The cripple signaled to his man, and a board was quickly raised into the air.

    Five thousand.

    But with the initial bidder¡¯s attempt, the price quickly increased and from the boards going up. In the blink of an eye, it went up to eight thousand Tor coins. The announcer saw one round of bidding before he looked at Roen¡¯s man again. The cripple looked at Brendel with questioning eyes, and thetter nodded, followed by a hand gesture..

    Roen¡¯s man raised his board again¡ª

    Eight thousand and five hundred.

    Amandina¡¯s expression changed slightly.

    Romaine did not say anything while Batum¡¯s expression was one of amusement.

    The nobles in the boxed area quickly responded, and the increment was five hundred as well.

    The impatience amongst them showed, as each announcement sharply rose by a thousand, steadily rising upwards......

    [Ten thousand.]

    [Eleven thousand.]

    [Twelve thousand.]

    [Fifteen thousand¡ª]

    It was like the final thunder booming in a lightning storm. Everyone in the crowd felt the air tightening, and they thought this bid was the final one.

    Roen clicked his tongue and looked back again.

    Brendel frowned.

    [Sixteen thousand coins for two thousand TP. It¡¯s starting to be a question whether the price is worth it.]

    But he only hesitated for a while and quickly tapped his own hand, and the board was raised once again.

    [Sixteen thousand.]

    The crowd¡¯s murmurs started again as they understood that it was going to be the final bidding war.

    The assistant to the announcer whispered in surprise.

    [Is the cripple mad? We didn¡¯t tell him to do this, if this continues the nobles will be unhappy¡ª]

    The announcer turned to his young assistant slightly and then pucked his lips to show a direction: ¡°He¡¯s bidding for someone else.¡±

    At this point, Amandina and Batum were looking at Brendel with a curious look. They did not understand why a knight needed the scroll, and wondered if he wanted to be an elementalist.

    But what was missing from Ciel¡¯s exnation, was how talented people could save time by using this scroll. Brendel did not exin this fact to them.

    Ciel was silent because he understood what the scroll meant to Brendel.

    The nobles¡¯ voices in the box were momentarily silenced. They wondered who the mysterious bidder was, but the opposing bidder once again raised the bid¡ª

    [Eighteen thousand.]

    The number came from the fourth boxed area from the left once again, and Roen whispered to Brendel.

    [Lord Donnall. His family has several mansions near Brus, and he has a few of his own properties here as well. He¡¯s a parliament member in Brus, and his father and grandfather also took on this position too.]

    Brendel nodded.

    [There are many nobles here, but someone of his rank vying for this scroll... He¡¯s more likely to be a mouthpiece for someone bigger¡ª]

    Just when he thought that they were the only ones fighting for the scroll, new bidders who did not bid from the start suddenly came up from their new numbers, surprising Brendel as the final bidding point was at forty two thousand Tor coins.

    [Even thirty thousand Tor coins would have been barely within my reach, but a number past forty thousand will definitely hurt my n ahead. I can ultimately get the TP neededter on¡ª]

    Brendel stealthily gritted his teeth and gave up on this bid.

    Amandina and Roen did not think it was strange that he stopped, and mistook it for a whim to bid for this item.

    After this initial war, the auction progressed smoothly with Brendel sessfully bidding for several merchandise, ranging from several thousand to ten thousand Tor coins.

    Since nothing happened out of the ordinary, the crowd in the auction started to feel a little bored. Roen was able to find things to do as he exined to everyone the history of the presented items, even detailing where it came from, giving them the region as well as which noble family sold this.

    Batum, Amandina and Romaine were intrigued by the description, while Brendel and Ciel discussed about the origins of each items.

    They mentioned Tamar once, and felt it was a pity that he did note due to his work, otherwise he would have most likely liked several of the items avable in the auction.

    The second highlight in the auction finally happened. It was a pendant, but to describe it urately, it was a thick string that held several small rocks together. Any ordinary person might have missed it, but Brendel nearly jumped up when he saw the pendant.

    [The Boulder Mercenary¡¯s pendant. If this isbined with ¡®The Rock Nest¡¯ made from a Rank 17 alchemist, it can reduce the materials required for making gargoyles which was created from ¡®The rock Nest¡¯ at least fifteen percent, meaning productivity is raised.]

    He exined the usage to the others, and Amandina and Batum were especially interested in it, as they recognized the pendant¡¯s use for a region.

    In the continent Vaunte, wars typically required three types of resources.

    The first were humans, the second was raw Amberite, the third was typical resources like food and water. The fourth resource was ¡®Nest¡¯.

    Amberite was aposite rock that was mined from Somir¡¯s mine. This crystal-like quality with the color of amber possessed mana in it, and Amandina¡¯s Magicite was designed to draw the energy out, and the basis for all magic intelligent machinery; the blood of ¡®production¡¯.

    Other materials like food, metal, wood, and rocks aremonly found materials even in Earth.

    ¡®Nest¡¯ was the origin where monsterse from and was utilized by humans.

    [To speak of ¡®Nest¡¯, it¡¯s necessary to speak of Vaunte¡¯s origin to exin it. How does ¡®Chaos¡¯ exist, and how does ¡®Laws¡¯ work?] Brendel began to exin.

 volume 2 - 46

    TL: Right now I have 4 art assignments that I need to clear within 3 weeks, and then I¡¯m off for my term break. During the term break, I will be clearing off owed chapters from donations. Thank you very much for your support for the past 7-8 months. I will regretfully be closing donations from July until end of November because I simply don¡¯t have the time to do extra chapters in the uing months (I¡¯ll do a more detailed post during my term break about this.).

    Regr chapters should still happen if no idents ur.

    I will focus my remaining time on my school work, and it is very likely that I¡¯ll draw things rted to The Amber Sword if I¡¯m allowed to as my final project. It depends on how much freedom I have to do something like this, of course. I don¡¯t want to get fans of the TAS series excited on some fully illustrated fanart moments or a book-like cover, but we will see how it goes. I really do think TAS would be pretty good as a weic/webmanga.

    TGTBGAMing in 12 hours time.

    Also please help me check for grammar mistakes or unclear portions (because tranting lore might make things confusing).

    Chapter 46 ¨C Nest

    TL: Recap. Brendel originally wanted to bid for the Elemental scroll, but it was out of his budget and he gave up. The next item he wanted to bid was the Rock Mercenaries¡¯ Pendant which boosted creatures¡¯ production. If you yed Heroes of the Might and Magic, this might sound familiar.

    ¡°Everyone here should know this already. The continent Vaunte¡¯s shape was formed when Mother Marsha entered into a contract with the Four Spirit Kings. It was under the basis of six different Elements that formed the borders.

    In outskirts of the borders, lies the territory of the Elements, while the inner area is an incredibly vastnd.

    The powers of the various Gods that shaped thews within this world is reflected onto the sky, forming the sun, the moon and the stars. Life was created from water with the nourishment from the Earth. The wind protected the life that was created, and the mes granted them wisdom and formed civilization.

    The bible noted the thirteen millionws, a¡¯thro (thews of the Elements), did not apply to the Sea of Chaos. This chaotic energy was simrly reflected in the sky, and the evil disciples called it the Third Round Moon. The members of the Tree Shepard and the Unifying Guild called the Magic Moon.

    It is said that this strange magical moon would appear once every decade during the summer, would overlook the earth for a few months. The powers of witches would be the strongest during this period, while users of the Elements would be the weakest during this period. It is also during this period when the Sea of Chaos brings about a tidal wave, birthing out monsters in this darkness because they are affected by the magic.

    These monsters that came from the tidal wave attack thends of civilization ¡ª Which also causes Aouine¡¯s borders to crumble inwards, and simrly other kingdoms would shrink as well. This early era of this chaotic period, this tidal wave of cataclysmic mana was a nemesis that threatened every living being.

    Which also brought about the existence of Pioneering Knights. (TL: Previously I think used Exploring Knights.)

    Even till now, a kingdom has to prepare part of their forces to guard against such events.

    While it is true that this tidal wavees about every ten years, there would only be an overwhelming wave of monsters thate about every hundred years, therefore the people in this generation are not too worried.

    However, once the mana wave ends, that does not mean that the Monsters¡¯ Nests disappear. They would continue to affect wild creatures and turn them into monsters with their weak pulses of mana, and you would hear news of pathways to the big cities being attacked by monsters.

    In Aouine, it is the duty of the kingdom¡¯s soldiers and the Holy Cathedral of Fire to remove the monsters and Nests. But not all Nests would be destroyed. After such a long time fighting with ¡®Chaos¡¯, our ancestors started to study them and they discovered they could develop them like they domesticated animals.

    The dwarves, elves and humans came together and developed something that was like a ¡®Nest¡¯ after a long time of research.

    Buga¡¯s gargoyles are a ssic example. A single nest produces two gargoyles every year, and it takes arge amount of resources to produce them. Even though the gargoyles are powerful, these Nests does not mean that they are able to gather an infinite amount. (TL: HOMM vibe, hah.)

    Other Nests developed other creatures. Examples would be Aouine¡¯s Flying Dragon Knights¡¯ mounts, or Kirrlutz gryphons, andmonly seen creatures that are used in battle, ground dragons, smanders and ck wolves.

    Special nests are infused with Mother Marsha¡¯s powers and produce minerals affected by different elements, Saint Ors¡¯s Abyss of Wind, the Temrs¡¯ Gate of Heaven, and Madara¡¯s Valley of Shadows.

    There are even hunting hounds that came from Nests, but their abilities are just slightly better than a regr hound.

    A magical creature¡¯s lifespan is affected by their gradual loss of mana, and more often than not they are short-lived. Even dragon-based creatures created from nests have only about a hundred years ¡ª And it is arge differencepared to the real dragons.

    This Rock Nest that I want to build produces Rock Marites, and their strength is the rough equivalent of seven to eight normal adults. It is considered as a rtively low ranked Nest, but the advantage is the numbers thate along with it. Many nobles have them them in theirnds, and even though these Marites have low intelligence, they are able to be used like soldiers in the front lines.¡±

    Brendel drank some water. Amandina and Batum started to consider the advantages of the Rock Mercenaries¡¯ Pendant. Amandina started to calcte the amount of money that they would saved, while Batum thought of the numbers. The three of them decided to get the pendant at all costs¡ª

    The base price was soon shown. It was not as expensive as the scroll and the price was only two thousand Tor coins, with each increment as one hundred.

    Brendel wanted to get it at all costs, so he quietly waited to check the other bidders and avoid showing the others that he had interest in it.

    The first wave of bidders ended with Amandina and Batum looking over at the bidders, but their expressions did not change.

    Once the price got over three thousand, the number of people started to dwindle down. Most of the bidders wanted to try and participate and see if they got lucky, but the majority of them are not interested in the pendant.

    Although thepetition appeared to be steady, the bidders started to bid aggressively.

    The third box of nobles who had their ownnds drove the price up to over four thousand Tor coins. The price was starting to be higher than the average, but the real bidders started to corner in.

    Someone drove the price up to five thousand coins from four thousand and four hundred, and for a moment the ce went quiet.

    Many of them thought the nobles were crazy to bid so much for a pendant that had rocks hanging on it, but a few of them believed there had to be a good reason for the price and thought there might be some worth to this pendant.

    [The crowd is getting riled up. This doesn¡¯t feel right... There are opportunists asking for information about the pendant and the situation might get out of control.]

    Brendel told Roen to go for it.

    Six thousand Tor coins.

    Another wave of silence.

    The people who wanted to try realized a bidding war was going to happen and they backed out carefully.

    Seven thousand. This time it was a captain from Aouine, and another noble bid for seven thousand and five hundred.

    Brendel signaled for eight thousand without any hesitation.

    Eight thousand and one hundred, from the third box.

    Eight thousand and five hundred. Brendel looked over to the direction of his rival. He had no thoughts about giving up about this auction. Amandina grabbed her chair¡¯s armrest, with her fingers going white from her grip.

    The dimly lit auction area waspletely quiet. Even the nobles were silenced. Everyone thought that bidding for this pendant at this price was not worth it at all.

    Brendel¡¯s thoughts were different.

    [I know that the price is over what the pendant is worth for, damn it! But right now I need military mightpared to the people here!]

    The auctioneer swung his hammer down once.

    The Aouine captain looked like he was struggling to try for one more bid, but after a long deliberation, he did not do so.

    After the three hammer strikes, Brendel finally got the pendant. Roen¡¯s men moved ahead and paid for the item, and it was sent over to Brendel in secret.

    Brendel looked to his left and right and noted that no one noticed the item was brought over to him, before he carefully kept the pendant away. It was useless right now as he had nond and Nest to speak of.

    After the rock pendant, the auction seemed to increase in intensity. There were a few art products that had the nobles went back and forth in their bidding. Two bronze ranked Magical armor were up for bidding, and almost all the adventurers, mercenaries and traveling knights got excited over it, and the two armors were sold for over forty thousand tor coins. (TL: Freya¡¯s me ring is Brass-ranked, Bronze rank is one level below that.)

    Brendel¡¯s next bid was for a set of poker cards that was rumored to have magic in it. He did not exactly want the poker cards, but the Card of Fate that was in it. The truth was, when the auctioneer brought the poker cards up, the cards in his bag immediately caused a reaction, and he bid for it without hesitation.

    This time he did not have any truepetitors. There was a handful of nobles who liked this sort of things that tried to vie for it, but Brendel managed to bid for it with two thousand and five hundred coins.

    When Brendel pulled out the card, he discovered it was green in color. There were a group of spiders that were inside a tornado, with ¡®III¡¯ written on the corners, as well as the amount of Wind Element to pay for it ¡ª

    Group of Wind Spirit Spiders

    (Alicia¡¯s prophecy III)

    Wind 1/X

    [Creature ¨C Element/Insect, Level 5 creature]

    Pay X, and put X Green creatures (WInd Spirit Spiders, Level 5) into the field.

    With the death of the Wind Spirit Spiders, choose a target and burn X mana points.

    ¡®They were born from the maelstrom, and they shall return mana back into the maelstrom¡¯

    Brendel looked at it through the system. He was a little stunned over the low level 5 creature, and thought he made a loss. He did not know how to use the card from the description and strange mechanics involved. He thought about it for a while before he turned to Ciel and asked.

    ¡°What does this mean?¡±

    Ciel looked at the card and smiled.

 volume 2 - 47

    TL: I had food poisoning and I couldn¡¯t concentrate on my work for days, plus there¡¯s one RL issue that is really serious so the schedule is changed. In any case, enjoy thiste chapter, and expect another oneing soon (check back a few hourster).

    Chapter 47 ¨C The high note at the end of the auction

    Ciel looked at that card and smiled faintly.

    ¡°My lord, this is a rare Wind Card, and a particrly rare one amongst the Wind Cards. The Wind Card series are versatile and can be used for defense and offense. Even though it is difficult to control, it is quite powerful.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just tell me how to use this.¡± Brendel rolled his eyes.

    Ciel snorted with mirth.

    ¡°When my lord pays 1 Wind EP from your Element Pool, you will also pay 1 MP from your Mana Pool to summon one Wind Spider Spirit.¡±

    [I have 2.9 Willpower and 15 Mana Points. So I can summon 15 level 5 Wind Spider Spirits?]

    Brendel started to work the details in his mind, while Ciel continued to exin.

    ¡°With the death of a Wind Spider Spirit, a Mana Vortex will appear and devour the enemy¡¯s Mana.¡±

    Brendel felt a chill.

    [What do you mean this is a spider summon, this is a living Mana Bomb... If I have hundreds of MP in the future, I can summon an army of spiders? If I¡¯m lucky enough to get the legendary gem of mana regen, Tear of the Goddess, doesn¡¯t that mean I can always have an overwhelming number of Mana Bombs?]

    Brendel licked his lips in excitement as he realized that this was not a terrible card but a trump card. Before his excitement ended, Batum who was behind him suddenly mmed his hand onto his chair and spoke.

    ¡°Finally! The highlight of the show is here.¡±

    Brendel raised his head and looked at the cener of the stage. The glittering Dwarven sword had already been ced onto the disy stand. The ghastly green light on the surface of the sword seemed to indicate the nature of the sword, but the organizers of the auction apparently made this the highlight of the auction¡ª

    The auctioneer brought the sword up: ¡°This is a Dwarven¡¯s masterpiece. The de design and the patterns on it are like art. I don¡¯t really need to say how priceless it is. Yet the beauty of this sword doesn¡¯t end here, an excellent alchemist had turned it into a Magic Sword¡ª¡±

    The auctioneer paused for a while and turned his head around, then slowly spoke once more. ¡°A Magic Sword.¡±

    The auction site was silent for a moment.

    Items that could do low level magic items or had artificial magic properties in them were typically called with a {Alchemists¡¯s} prefix. Items that were more powerful like the sword in the auctioneer¡¯s hand, had the word {Magic} as a prefix.

    There was not one adventurer, mercenary or knight who did not want to have a powerful sword, so they held their breaths upon hearing the words.

    As if to prove himself, the auctioneer suddenly turned back and sliced on a metal anvil that was ced there. Sparks flew throughout the air, and everyone heard a thin metallic sound. A long gash appeared on the anvil¡¯s surface, but it was the corrosion on it that made the deepest impression.

    There were audible gasps of breaths being drawn in, and even the nobles in the Boxes failed to find words for a while.

    The auctioneer ced the sword down and pped once.

    ¡°This sword is called The Tree¡¯s heart. The base price is twenty-five thousand Tor, and each increment must be at least five percent of the base price.¡±

    He paused again.

    ¡°Let the bidding begin¡ª¡±

    Amandina frowned a little when she heard the price. She was a nobledy who did not understand what the weapon really meant to those who faced death all the time.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a little too high?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Batum shook his head resolutely: ¡°If I didn¡¯t know that this sword is our lord¡¯s handiwork, I might actually bid for it. The majority of the adventurers and mercenaries here have some savings that they can use. A magic sword like this, I doubt they would pass on it, unless they don¡¯t use it as a main weapon.¡±

    As if to verify his words, the first bidder had raised his card. People started to follow his action and raised their cards to bid the sword. There was not even a need for the auctioneer to spice up the scene, and it was a fight for the Magic Sword.

    The price quickly climbed to sixty thousand Tor, and there were only four or five voices that continued to raise the price up.

    Roen recognized one of them, and told Brendel that the man represented the vice-captain of the Silver-Winged Cavalry.

    [I wish the captain of that cavalry unit joins in for this bid. Since he¡¯s a working dog for that {The Unifying One} guild, that sword can actuallye back to my hands again once I kill him in the future.]

    The price climbed up to seventy thousand Tor, and two more dropped out from the bidding. It was only the vice captain and two other nobles in the Boxed areas.

    The vice captain raised his bid to seventy-five thousand Tor, and one of the nobles backed out. However his remaining opponent did not seem to want to give up, and after a short silence, the assistant to the auctioneer read out his bid.

    [Ny thousand Tor.]

    The audience stopped moving as though they had been frozen, before turning their heads to the Boxed area to see who exactly it was. Even Roen wondered if the person was a representative of Earl Nakkin.

    ¡°If it¡¯s that bastard Earl Nakkin, this will be a political fight between the White-Mane army and the regional nobles. This is good news, my lord.¡± Roen said a cunning smile.

    But right at this moment, a voice suddenly cut across the murmurs.

    [One hundred thousand Tor.]

    Brendel and the people surrounding him turned their heads over to the source of the voice. Batum¡¯s expression changed when he saw the person¡¯s face, and spoke before Roen.

    ¡°My lord, that is Lord Foltest¡¯s man.¡±

    ¡°Why is he down there and not at the Boxed area?¡± Brendel asked

    ¡°Only the Gods know.¡± Batum shook his head.

    [It¡¯s fine if the swordnds up in that Foltest¡¯s hands. It might appear to be a wonderful sword to Batum and the others, but it¡¯s really nothing that special. In the Port of Freedom, Ampere Seale, items of such quality appears every day in the auctions, while Brus is basically too remote of an area.]

    The vice captain thought for a while and raised the price again, but the representative for Lord Foltest finally deterred him from bidding again.

    [One hundred and ten thousand Tor.]

    [One hundred and twenty thousand Tor.]

    [One hundred and thirty thousand Tor.]

    The noble in the first Box continued to bid against Foltest.

    ¡°This person doesn¡¯t seem to be the representative for Earl Nakkin.¡± Amandina said.

    Brendel nodded. The price in his heart was one hundred thousand to one hundred fifty thousand Tor. The results right now was satisfactory, and even with the procedure¡¯s fee, he was able to obtain one hundred and sixty thousand Tor from this auction. It was enough money to realize his next n.

    But it seemed that Mother Marsha wanted to give him a surprise. Right when Foltest was about to quit, a new bidder entered into the fray.

    [One hundred and fifty-five thousand Tor.]

    This time even the auctioneer put down his hammer to look at the third Box in astonishment, wondering who was the noble who bid for it. Brendel had already turned around to ask Roen, but he was not able toe up with an answer.

    The noble in the first Box finally hesitated, taking a long time to consider. He gave a bid of one hundred and sixty thousand Tor, but the mysterious person in the third box immediately gave a counter of one hundred and seventy thousand Tor¡ª

    Brendel and the people around him looked at each other. The bid had already surpassed what was the price for a Magic Sword.

    Nobody answered the bid and silence hung in the air.

    The auctioneer took a deep breath, recovered from his stupor and raised his hammer shakily. Three hammer strikes and the show finally ended.

    ¡°One hundred and seventy thousand Tor?¡± Batum patted Roen¡¯s face: ¡°Cripple, have you seen so much money before?¡±

    Roen felt a little unsteady. Even though it was not the first time seeing a high bid like this, the money had nothing to do with him. This time however, it was rted to him. He had only saved tens of thousands of Tor after working for nearly thirty years, but the bid that happened just now made him a little delirious.

    Amandina¡¯s hands grabbed the front of her dress tightly, trying hard to suppress her shock. Ciel tried to hold back hisughter when he saw her twisted expression.

    When Brendel looked at Romaine, she was holding a small notebook and writing something in it. She looked delighted: ¡°Brendel, we have the budget now.¡±

    Brendel smiled.

    The organizers seemed to want to make sure the night ended with a bidding war. When Brendel¡¯s sword was taken away, another new item stole the people¡¯s breaths.

    ¡°Fire seed!¡±

    ¡°Mother Marsha, a Fire Seed!¡±

    ¡°Someone¡¯s selling a Fire Seed!¡±

    Voices kept ringing throughout the ce.

    Brendel turned back to Ciel: ¡°This is the best item, saved forst. It¡¯s a pity, otherwise our sword could be the highlight of this auction.¡±

    Ciel nodded.

    But Brendel¡¯s intention was not to pick at this small issue. ¡°Every single Fire Seed in Aouine is produced by the Holy Cathedral of Fire. For Church Havel to sell it so openly, it looks like they are trying to raise money. It¡¯s known that the Church Havel supports the royal family, but the royal family is nning something since they have to use a method like this to raise money¡ª¡±

    Ciel thought for a while and said: ¡°Perhaps it has something to do with the war?¡±

    Brendel closed his eyes and contemted as well, but there was nothing in his memories rted to this. He nodded and raised his head up. The atmosphere in the area had changed considerably. There was an urgent feeling spreading everywhere, and he felt that some people here had already received the news and was ready for the item.

    ¡°Should we participate?¡± Amandina asked.

    Brendel shook his head. He had already decided not to participate in this particr bid when there were so many people ready for this. At least for the current situation, that two hundred something thousand Tor would not be able to gain an advantage at all.

    He shook his head and wanted to say something else, but the lights around him suddenly dimmed. When he turned to the center stage, he saw that the auctioneer¡¯s face had changed.

    [Something is wrong!]

    The young man reached for his weapon when all the candles on the wall were extinguished at the same time, and the ce plunged into darkness.

 volume 2 - 48

    TL: Okay, after this chapter, I n to do 21 TAS chapters + 9 TGTBGAM chapters (Yes, technically I¡¯m on my break now. Technically). This should clear the sponsored chapters and any backlog. Then I¡¯ll be concentrating on my art assignments for the next four months. Updates will proceed at the usual slow pace. Donations are closed until then.

    Chapter 48 ¨C Chaos

    The entire ce was dark. Some of the female nobles¡¯ shrieks could be heard all over the ce. Brendel and Roen were the first to pull out their swords from their robes, while Ciel and Batum¡¯s reactions were slower to pull their weapons out. Batum removed the strap that was holding the two-handed sword sword, while directing the girls to move in between him and Ciel.

    He then held Roen¡¯s shoulder with one hand, afraid that he was going to try and do something funny. The cripple snorted lightly, but his expression did not seem to mind it.

    After the panicked screams, the men angry yells and questioning voices could be heard from all directions, even from the Boxes.

    It was the hall on the first floor that appeared to be more calm. These were seasoned adventurers and mercenaries, and they had enough experience in battles to remainposed, preventing the chaos from bing bigger.

    ¡°Brendel, what¡¯s happening?¡± Romaine¡¯s voice was one of curiosity and not fear.

    Amandina who was behind Romaine, grabbed the hems of her dress anxiously till the point where her fingers were white. But she narrowed her bright eyes and tried not to show her fear.

    ¡°Quiet¡ª¡± Brendel said. He saw that there were some nobles and impatient youths who lit the area up with torches or gems from their scepters.

    But the light were quickly extinguished again.

    It was not umon to see people in Vaunte using Elementary Light magic, and some of the bigger cities had Light crystals installed into the streetmps. Even Roen had a ring like that, but he did not rush to bring it up. Anyone who raised up a light source in this darkness would only be a target.

    But sometimes reality went against wishes.

    Right when Brendel thought there was no immediate danger, the Thorn of Light glimmered once. He paused slightly and looked at it, and realized the sword was glowing brighter with every second. The next moment, a dazzling sh from the sword lit up the entire area clearly.

    Before he had the chance to be surprised at the scene, four robed figures were rushing swiftly through the narrow corridors and passages, rushing straight at their direction.

    Their hands were within their robes, indicating that there were weapons hidden there.

    [Enemies and not allies.]

    Brendel did not say anything but held up his left hand decisively and aimed below him. A series of bolts flew from the hidden crossbow from his sleeve, and they struck on the nearest robed figure.

    The steel bolts had a powerful impact since they were so close, and that robed figure made a muffled noise and fell backwards. His allies moved to the sides and raised their heads to look at Brendel¡¯s direction.

    And Brendel saw a pair of orange mes burning below the hood in every robed figure.

    ¡°They are undeads.....¡± He was puzzled.

    [Why are these damn things appearing in this area and at this time?]

    But the situation did not allow him to think much. The three robed figures withdraw a strange looking scythe with desated arms from their robes.

    Brendel was not sure whether he should call the weapon a scythe. The weapon was like half of a starfish, the end of the curved de was gleaming in three directions. (TL: The description of the de is just bad. The author isn¡¯t making any sense here so take it with salt.)

    Curses had very little effect on undead, so Brendel gave up on using any more of the cursed bolts. He stood behind Romaine and retreated back in between Batum and Roen.

    The remaining three robed figure pushed aside the people in front of them, and rushed straight at Brendel, and swung at him without any hesitation.

    Brendel raised his sword and parried one of the strange scythe. The feedback from the sword was strong enough to make him to take a few step backwards, and he nearly stumbled onto the seat behind him.

    Romaine screamed, but Amandina grabbed her arm and dragged her away. She forced Romaine to lower her body and they crawled to the opposite direction. She was really tense, but her mind was working clearly, and she acted like she had nned her actions from the beginning.

    Batum used his sword to block one of the robed figure, but he immediately grunted in effort, showing that he did not fare well either against the strength.

    ¡°Iron rank, upper tier strength.¡± He roared.

    ¡°Zombie Ounders!¡± Brendel recognized the identity of his opponents.

    These were something like an animated armor, but the undead wizards had ced the soul of a warrior into an empty armor, and thus these abominations were created. They were approximately level 31-33, and considered as a second tier strength within Madara. They were agile and adapt at masking their movements, but they also had another identity¡ª

    Madara¡¯s assassins.

    Brendel felt that he was facing an elite Zombie Ounder, as its strength was near a Silver-ranked fighter. It was still not the strongest unit in Madara¡¯s second tier forces, but as a unit within Incirsta¡¯s undead army, it was one of his best units.

    [Am I the target?]

    Brendel did not really understand the situation, but the Zombie Ounders in the ce started attacking everyone. The adventurers and mercenaries were yelling in angry confusion as they were attacked.

    Brendel felt that his strength was not as strong as his opponent, so he retreated backwards, grabbed a chair and threw at it. The Zombie Ounder swung his strange scythe and smashed it into pieces, but the youth was already in position tounch a thrust to the core of the soul fire.

    The Zombie Ounder gave a hoarse yell and it grabbed Brendel¡¯s sword with its hand. White mes immediately burst up from its fingers and the cleansing fire reached into the soul¡¯s inner depths, and the intense pain caused the undead to immediately scream.

    But it did not release its grip and swung at Brendel¡¯s elbow.

    ¡°Bastard¡ª¡± Brendel gritted his teeth. This was not the first time he faced a Zombie Ounder. but the tenacity of these undead had left a deep impression on him. When this undead fighter grabbed the Thorn of Light, he felt his position was in a bad one.

    He immediately released his hand and retreated, avoiding that counter attack that was almost certain to strike him.

    Under such a close distance, Brendel had lost nearly all means of attack when he lost the Thorn of Light. He was able to use the Ring of The Wind Empress, but he was unable to ensure that the impact did not hurt Amandina and Romaine.

    The Holy Sword Card did not have any Earth EP that he could use, and the Magic Control card had no effect here. He was certainly able to use the Wind Spider Spirits, but summoning at the creatures at this distance would prove to be useless because the opponent would already have cut him into pieces.

    His hesitation was only for one moment.

    Brendel next action was to lunge at the enemy. His arms grabbed the enemy¡¯s abdomen. The collision knocked the Zombie Ounder off its feet and fell backwards together with Brendel, knocking three rows of chairs over. Brendel felt dull aches all over his body, but at least his mind was clear and got up as quickly as the Zombie Ounder did.

    The creature went for the scythe, while Brendel picked up the sword that was on the ground. Due to the reach of the scythe, Brendel had no choice but to use the Charge technique to regain control of the battle. The impact left the armor flying across the opposite direction, but the swing of the scythe had already begun and it aimed at Brendel¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Barkskin!¡± Brendel roared in his mind. The appearance of his skin swiftly changed to the color of wood, but the scythe still cut through his natural armor. Blue light shed briefly as the scythe went through his various defenses.

    For a moment, blood droplets flew in the air.

    Brendel did not utter any sound as he bit down. However, it was enough to cause him to break out in cold sweat. He pulled out the scythe that was buried in his shoulder and threw it to the ground. His eyes followed the Zombie Ounder, while he quickly pulled out the Wind Spider Spirit card.

    ¡°Disy. Cards of Fate, The Wind Spider Spirits.¡±

    A series of stats information appeared in his retina.

    Wind Spider Spirits.

    8 HP

    4 MP

    Str: 1.9 OZ

    Agility: 2.7 OZ

    Physique: 1.0 OZ

    Attributes ¡®nk¡¯

    Attributes ¡®nk¡¯

    Attributes ¡®nk¡¯

    Attack (damage 1-1)

    Special ability: Ethereal form

    [Ethereal creatures take 1/3 of the damage, so a weaponless Zombie Ounder will find it hard to kill a spider with a single attack. Furthermore, there are fifteen of them.]

    He pointed on the ground, and fifteen green vortex appeared. The spiders that appeared from the vortex were baring their fangs and raising their legs, and they went straight at the Zombie Ounder. One Wind Spider Spirit had nearly 2 OZ strength, and while fifteen of them did not exactly in simple addition, it was enough to stop the Zombie Ounder¡¯s movements.

    The spiders bit at the creature continously, and it roared in anger. It pulled them off from its body and threw them away onto the ground, but its actions were pointless as Brendel had already made use of this opportunity.

    The sword had already pierced through its chest. Even though the Zombie Ounder wanted to retaliate at thest moment, the spiders had caused his stance to break apart.

    The sword reached the core of the soul fire.

    The Zombie Ounder released a groan of dissatisfaction. The damage from the Thorn of Light in that critical area had dealt four times the normal damage. Brendel watched the creature turn into a pile of ashes, while the ckened armor fell onto the ground.

    700 XP went into Brendel.

    He turned his head around and saw that Batum, Roen and Ciel forced back by the two undead Zombie Ounders, while Amandina and Romaine was moving into the opposite direction from the fights.

    A loud noise came from above.

    Brendel looked up and saw a ck figure falling from above and to the ground. It was quite for a moment, then a series of yells came.

    ¡°Sir Russell!¡±

    ¡°Marsha above, it¡¯s the vice captain from the city guards!¡±

    ¡°They killed him!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s heart tightened when he heard that.

    [It looks like I¡¯m not the true target of these damned armored undead. Is this a plot where Incirsta is trying to kill Brus top brass? What is he trying to do here? There¡¯s no event like this recorded in history.]

    He was still mulling over it, when he suddenly saw the doors from the stage suddenly opening. Five different rows of skeleton archers walked out from it with their bows raised.

    The youth¡¯s eyes shrank immediately.

    [This many undead? What the hell is the organizers doing? The city guards? The Silver-winged Cavalry and the army? How the fuck did these undead get in?]

    Brendel cursed inwardly.

 volume 2 - 49

    Chapter 49 ¨C Fishing in troubled waters (1)

    The gleaming white skeletons stopped at the same time and raised their bows, the steely bows uttering a groaning sound, before the strings were released.

    The adventurers and mercenaries below finally realized the situation was a grave one, but the attacking Zombie Ounders were forcing them back.

    Brendel checked Romaine and Amandina¡¯s position again, only to find they were missing. His heart raced quickly, and he smashed the chairs around him. The splinters flew over to the nearby Zombie Ounder who was fighting with Batum.

    It was momentarily distract and Batum took the chance to cleave it into two. There was a thunderous ng as the Zombie Ounder¡¯s armor was destroyed together with the body, and numerous silver light flew into Brendel¡¯s body.

    At the same time, Roen and Ciel managed to make the other Zombie Ounder retreat. Brendel shouted to them and they turned back.

    ¡°DId you see Romaine?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± Romaine stood up with one hand waving at Brendel fearlessly, while the other hand was still being grabbed by Amandina.

    ¡°Stay down!¡± Brendel shouted, then he ordered Ciel next: ¡°Ciel, Wall!¡±

    Ciel understood the simple instruction and immediately raised a ruby up. Countless lines spread out from the ruby and extended everywhere. Ciel put his willpower into it and created a wall that extended fifty meters, covering both Amandina and Romaine.

    Thousands of lines that formed glowed brightly and disappeared, and an Aerial Wall was formed.

    The skeleton archers¡¯ bows continuous firing sounded like there was a chaotic song of string instruments. The first barrage of arrows struck onto the nearest people, and they fell to the ground lifelessly, while the next barrage continued to fire onto the second and third row of people, causing them to slump over.

    But Ciel saved even more people. Every time the arrows struck the wall, white light would glow from the area. The frequency of the glowing light increased as the arrows continued to pour onto it.

    This wall finally seemed to wake the confused crowd. There were many wizard acolytes and low level Elementalists, and there were even mid-level wizards amongst them. They did not understand what happened earlier, but they finally understood they were under attack from the undead. They stood up and activated their rings and even chanted openly.

    With thebined forces, light beams poured out from the windows and doors from the auction site. Then a series of explosions could be heard. Shockwaves carried bone fragments, dust and wooden splinters everywhere, and a few skull heads even reached Brendel¡¯s feet, rolling near him.

    Dust spread everywhere in the auction site, and he coughed twice. His sounds were drowned out by the constant yells around him. He pushed away a few stumbling mercenearies and shouted to the area above him.

    ¡°Ciel, Romaine,e down to my side!¡±

    Brendel was worried that his voice did not reach the people above him, but Batum was holding onto to Roen who had lost consciousness, and he walked towards him from the smoke. Ciel, Amandina and Romaine was behind Batum. They were covered in dust, and Romaine looked like a painted fox with a thickyer of dust on her nose.

    She stuck her tongue out.

    ¡°I thought I wouldn¡¯t get affected if I was behind Ciel¡¯s wall. I shouldn¡¯t have stood up. Sorry about that, Brendel.¡± She acted like she learned from her lesson, but her face said otherwise.

    Brendel smacked her head in exasperation. He looked at Amandina and replied.

    ¡°You should thank Miss Amandinater, but now is not the time. Here, take my hand, we¡¯re leaving this ce.¡±

    The nobledy coughed and replied. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡±

    The girl raised her chin slightly up with a little pride. As nobility, she had more or less inherited the pride of Aouine¡¯s old nobles. She had not told anyone yet, but her family¡¯s crest was a vivid lily on top of a shield. This lily was the same as the Royal Family¡¯s lily, and this meant that her family was a side branch of the royal family. Even though she was a fallen noble, but her blood still carried the royal blood.

    It was also from the belongings of that ancient heritage, that she was able to design Magicite. Otherwise, she would not be able to think of the design based on her talent that was not prominent enough.

    Amandina had never thought of admitting defeat, the worse her situation was, the more she wanted to bring back her family name. She was different from her father, and she was a determined girl ever since she was young.

    Batum¡¯s loud voice stopped her thoughts.

    ¡°Where should we leave, my lord? We don¡¯t know how many of these undead are out there and where they came from. This idiot cripple even said that this ce would be well protected, what a bunch of fucking horse shit¡ª¡±

    ¡°We should leave from the back door.¡± Brendel surveyed the surroundings.

    [Madara¡¯s goals are probably Brus¡¯s top nobles, so their targets should probably be the Boxes above us. At the same time... That three Zombie Ounders clearly came for me. I don¡¯t understand what I did to draw their attention. Perhaps the news that I led the refugees were leaked out? Ebdon was a mid levelmander back then when I killed him, was it necessary toe after me?]

    Brendel felt that his presence had started to affect the original history of The Amber Sword.

    [ The numbers of the undead here are impressive enough to think that this had been nned for quite some time. If Incirsta actually predicted that I woulde to the auction, that is impressive as hell. I can only hope that I¡¯m just a bonus target that came here by ident. If I don¡¯t move faster, then my advantages will gradually be lost.]

    ¡°I want to grab some of the items in the auction¡¯s center stage.¡± Brendel said.

    Ciel agreed with Brendel, and he actually analyzed some of the equipment and talked about some of the more important stuff to take. The stacked items that were left behind were like a treasure trove.

    If Freya was here, she would have thrown a temper because of her righteousness. Unfortunately, she was still waiting at the Silver-Winged Cavalry headquarters to receive her rewards.

    Even though Amandina was from a noble family, their qualities in this era were simr to a bandit, and she was also a very pragmatic person. When she heard of Ciel¡¯s suggestions in picking up the items, she did not stop him at all, and immediately added in her own input to make sure that the n was sessful.

    Batum did not care, and the underground auction was an illegal ce anyway.

    Romaine had only adventure in her mind, and as a ¡®family advisor¡¯ she would not object to Brendel¡¯s actions.

    Roen was only all too d to participate in this n. The more infamy he had, the better business would be in the ck Pepper Street.

    Brendel looked at his ¡®subordinates¡¯ who was interested in earning a profit first before anything else. Under such a dangerous situation, he did not know whether this was a good or bad thing.

    [Their actions remind me of my old nickname... ¡®Sophie (Su Fei) the greedy¡¯. Because I¡¯m constantly out of money, I started to...... Well, after Aouine disappeared and I joined the Church as a knight, that nickname finally left me.]

    (TL: Brendel¡¯s original Chinese transliterated name is Su Fei. There¡¯s a reason why I had to use Sophie right from the early chapters, still a pretty long way ahead for that reason to appear in the story, but in case readers get the shudders when remembering this old name, I added it in to make you feel better.)

    But the fondness for danger lied deeply within his blood. Regardless of him being Sophie or Brendel in this life here, they were natural gamblers.

    And because of his personality, he more or less had affected his party members. The only exception was Amandina, because she was actually simr to him.

    The n was quickly decided and they rushed straight to the center stage. They quickly found out that many people had the same idea like him, but the Zombie Ounders were preventing them from approaching the stage.

    Because Brendel had another fifteen Wind Spider Spirits, they were the first to break through the assassins ande onto the stage.

    He first saw the dead auctioneer and his assistant lying in a pool of blood. The Fire Seed was already gone. This made him frown.

    [Two possibilities. First, it¡¯s the undead that took it. Second......]

    He exchanged a nce with Ciel, and they both saw they had their own suspicions on this matter.

    The Fire Seed was an unimaginable priceless item to most living sentient creatures, but it was not to the undead. Madara used the Soul Fire and the Soul Tower to expand their territory, and the Fire Seed had almost no value to them. This particr information was not known to themoners, but Brendel and Ciel knew otherwise.

    ¡°Something is wrong.¡± Brendel immediately brought his sword up in a stance, and warned his allies behind him.

    Ciel was also read to cast spells.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Batum asked.

    Just as he was asking, a huge object that was red in color descended from above andnded onto the ground. There was a loud crash as that object actually broke the wooden floor of the stage, and there was dust that flew up and cover the entire area.

 volume 2 - 50

    Chapter 50 ¨C Fishing in troubled waters (2)

    When the red objectnded on the stage, the wood splinters flew everywhere. Brendel blocked his face with one hand and looked in front of him. There was a giant skeleton covered in red armor. It was about three humans tall, and it wore an immense helmet with a cross opening in it. On it was a hydra emblem, and he drew in a sharp breath.

    [The Madara general¡¯s soldiers. A Crusader Executioner.]

    Brendel felt his skin go numb, like he had been drenched in cold water. It felt like his heart and blood vessels had ice in them, and the idea of fishing in troubled waters was already gone.

    He immediately put up his arm without hesitation and roared.

    ¡°Back, get back, leave here right now and follow me!¡± His voice was unusually stern, and even when he face the undead army, he had not acted so nervous before.

    [Fuck! What the fuck is Brus¡¯s army doing. If this thing is even here, why the fuck don¡¯t they just open the damned city doors and surrender?!]

    The Crusader Executioner was a Nest creature. It was not a normal undead that could be controlled by a necromancer, and it was a creature that had a physical soul, like a Blood Marite or a ck Knight.

    A high tier undead with the prowess of a Silver-ranked tier fighter.

    Brendel saw that the Crusader Executioner had not regained its senses from descending onto the ground, and he immediately got the rest of them to run in the left direction. There was a small door leading to the back passageway.

    Batum¡¯s reaction was very fast. He had been in enough battles to feel that despairing aura from the giant skeleton. It was full of bloodlust and he knew that this undead creature that was covered in fiery red armor and carried an enormous axe was something that he should not go against with.

    They quickly made their way below, but as the undead finally got up, it found they were the nearest.

    Brendel pushed Amandina and Romaine through the door. Ciel and Batum went next. When he looked back, he saw that the monstrous creature had locked them as targets with a pair of crimson fire in its eye sockets. It raised its axe and walked unsteadily towards them on the stage.

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Romaine did not understand.

    ¡°Stop talking and listen to me.¡± Brendel entered the passageway and locked the door. He did not know if the organizers had nned for attacks, but the door waspletely made up of metal and was considerably thick. It was probably able to buy them time.

    ¡°How powerful is that monster? What should we do?¡± Batum asked.

    Brendel raised his palm up.

    ¡°Let me think for a moment. I might have a solution.¡± He said.

    He calmly ordered the Wind Spider Spirits to crawl out of the crevices from the passageway, and he roughly made a script in his mind, but he hesitated as he felt the n might be too dangerous. He hoped that the creature went for someone else, since the hall had so many other people.

    But before he finished hoping, the steel door suddenly shook like a battering ram had collided into it. The feedback from the door actually made the ground unstable and they lurched forward. Batum and Ciel went to reinforce the door. Brendel, who had stumbled onto the ground, stood up and gave up on all the optimistic notions.

    He steeled his heart.

    ¡°There¡¯s only one n. All of you run and leave in separate directions. I¡¯ll stay behind and hold him back.¡±

    ¡°Brendel!¡± This was the second time Romaine saw the youth with an uncertain expression. The adventurous streak in her heart was suddenly smothered, and she recalled that time when Brendel rescued her in Be.

    She wanted to stay behind, but the youth refused to hear it.

    [A Crusader Executioner has 47 OZ worth of strength. It¡¯s not something that Batum and Ciel can handle right now. Letting them fight with this monster would only get them killed instantly. Ciel is somewhat of an exception since it¡¯s only for a while that I can¡¯t summon him if he gets killed, but the rest of my members cannote back if they die.]

    He had already thought about it clearly. He was the only one who knew the monster¡¯s actions well enough to be able to draw it away and find an opportunity to escape. Even so, he had no confidence in handling this monster at all, as it was stronger than Ebdon and he did not have a second Gargoyle to use. In fact, if he faced against Ebdon one more time alone, he was unlikely to defeat him.

    Brendel had actually considered having Batum or Roen, and even Amandina to buy some time for the others to escape, but he immediately shut the idea down with shivers. This thought made him frightened.

    [If I allow this fucking thought to be reality, and give up on anyone, then some day I will give up on Freya, Romaine, and Aouine. I will be nothing more than a cold blooded creature in this world.]

    Brendel shook his head to throw the idea out of his head. This stray thought had darkened his mood, and he felt like he had fought for days. He growled in a low voice.

    ¡°All of you, leave. Separate in two different groups and we will regroupter. I will stay back and secure your retreat.¡±

    ¡°My lord, we cannot leave you behind!¡± Batum transited from a mercenary to a retainer without him knowing.

    ¡°My lord, this is the vanguard of the Madara¡¯s undead forces. You¡¯re not its match, please allow me to buy you sometime.¡± Ciel ced his hand on his chest and answered solemnly.

    ¡°You know of it?¡± Brendel looked at him in surprise.

    ¡°Brendel,¡± Amandina said sternly. ¡°We don¡¯t need you to act as a hero right now. I ced my dreams on you and I hope that you remember your promises to me!¡±

    ¡°What the hell are you talking about, Amandina.¡± Batum grabbed the girl¡¯s shoulders angrily.

    The second impact came again, and the three men felt the terrible strength behind the door.

    Brendel knew that there was not much time left, and he spoke in an angry voice.

    ¡°When did a woman have the authority to interfere with a man¡¯s battle, Batum, take her away.¡±

    ¡°Ser Brendel, you¡ª¡± Amandina looked confused, but she took a deep breath as she realized what Brendel intended to do here. She stopped her actions and looked at him with a conflicted expression. (TL: Yeah, you see, maybe I¡¯m a little slow, but I don¡¯t know what the heck is going on. What did Amandina understand again?)

    ¡°Brendel, what about me?¡± Romaine asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a woman?¡± Brendel asked in exasperation.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Romaine replied in a disappointed voice.

    Since it was an order, Batum did not have any grounds to object. He could only nod and bring Amandina and Romaine away.

    Most of the auction sites had a passageway that allowed goods to be transferred away if there was an inspection, and Brendel entered into one of them.

    [If I dared to say something like ¡®Women should not participate in battles!¡¯ in the game, my female senior leader would have beaten me up... She really taught me well. In the end I became a pretty good leader, but most of the gamers that I know eventually left when Aouine was on its final breath. In the end, I was the only one behind in Aouine¡¯sst battle.]

    This moment now was the same scenario.

    Brendel might have Freya, Romaine as his close friends, Batum and Leto and the other mercenaries as his retainers, and a brilliant Amandina as an advisor, but his heart still felt like he was alone in this world. He did not speak to anyone about the future of Aouine, or that he was not from this world ¡ª

    He looked back at Ciel.

    ¡°My lord, you know of my true identity. In a certain way, your safety is more important than my life. Even if I disappear, as long as you are still alive, I would have the chance to appear once again. But if you die, then everything ceases.¡±

    ¡°You have persuaded me,¡± Brendel nodded: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s fight together.¡±

    The metal door finally split apart and the crimson axe could be seen. Brendel beckoned to Ciel.

    ¡°Quickly, let¡¯s get to the other side.¡±

    Brendel nced behind him as he ran to the other door. The Crimson Executioner swung once more and finally broke through the door. It lowered its body to enter the room and surveyed the passageway. A white beam of light hit the helmet, and the frightening monster turned its head around. It immediately spotted Brendel and Ciel. The squire was still maintaining a gesture.

    ¡°Over here, you mindless undead!¡± Brendel taunted.

    The skeleton gave a ghastly roar and ran over, with its body standing straight up. The wooden ceiling broke apart like it was made of paper. The monster had 22 OZ worth of agility, and though it might look clumsy, it was actually very quick. Its movements were apanied with skeleton cks, and the huge body was already in front of Brendel.

    Brendel pulled Ciel out into an open room, but the Crusader Executioner was already in motion for an attack. The door to the room was easily destroyed, and it entered the room with rocks and granite apanying its feet. It quickly discovered Brendel and Ciel moving to a passageway that led to the auction site.

    Brendel was not as tense as the time when he escaped from Be. Even though he knew that Ciel and himself were not able to do any damage to this high level undead, he was not without a chance. There were two routes that he could take. He could wait until the Silver-winged cavalry toe, and even if themander was a traitor that worked for the Unifying Guild, he was not allies with Madara. Themander was also strong enough to handle this monster as he was a Gold-ranked fighter.

    [Even the captains of the various divisions are of the same strength as the undead here, so there should be no problems of defeating this monster. Butsting that long is a question. The next thing I know I might have my head chopped off... The second option is the best.]

    He needed to find the ¡®Scroll of Elemental Pool (unlock)¡¯

 volume 2 - 51

    TL: The mechanics for this Card usage in TAS are going to be moreplicated. I¡¯ll try my best to make it clearer, but you might need to reread the following chapters. I don¡¯t y much Magic the Gathering, but I think the mechanics are simr.

    Chapter 51 ¨C Fishing in troubled waters (3)

    [It doesn¡¯t take long to unlock my Elemental Pool. As long as I have that, I will be able to pay for the cost of the ¡®Holy Sword¡¯ and self-preservation should be no problem.]

    When one unlocked his Elemental Pool with a scroll, he would absorb the abundant energy within the scroll and fill up the Pool with Elemental energy. Brendel ordered the spiders to search for the scroll, as they were made from Elemental energy and were better candidates to search for the itempared to himself.

    He turned his back and yelled: ¡°Ciel!¡±

    ¡°I understand, my lord.¡± The young wizard looked at him and smiled: ¡°Good luck, I¡¯ll pray that I¡¯ll meet again soon¡ª¡±

    Brendel nodded earnestly. Ciel raised a ruby into the air and countless lines formed between his thumb and index finger. The lines that were created took from Mother Marsha¡¯s protectivews of magic and intertwined with each other. A wall formed with gold light and disappeared into thin air.

    The gigantic skeleton with crimson armor swung the axe onto the invisible wall.

    A ripple of wind current surged outwards, and the gemstone in Ciel¡¯s hand cracked, but he continued to use his life to maintain the spell.

    ¡°Hurry, my lord!¡± He yelled in a low voice.

    Brendel rushed out to the center stage. He did not know who managed to bid for the item. Even though items in the auction could be passed over directly, the nobles tend to protect their dignity and let the organizers send the items straight to their home.

    [There¡¯s still a chance it¡¯s still here.]

    He quickly ran to the path to the corridors, and he tried to find the doors to the Boxes. But with each door he opened, he found that it did not lead to the passageway. He became increasingly disappointed and anxious.

    After a short while, he heard a thunderous boom made from the Crusader Executioner. Brendel¡¯s expressions changed a little and he called out the system. The Hignd Squire card was in the middle of the pack and it was colored in gray when he selected it. The Wind Spider Spirits were also the same. Half of the Wind Spider Spirits were dead and the card was also half covered in gray. It looked like the card was also going to go into the graveyard.

    He hesitated for a while but he did not call the spiders back. It was very hard for him to search for the item in this ce alone. The footsteps behind him were bing closer, and he realized that the monster was not going to give him any time ¡ª

    Suddenly, a spider popped out from one of the rooms and stopped next to his feet, before running off to another area.

    [It found the scroll?] Brendel¡¯s heart skipped a beat and chased after it. His agility was higher than the spider and it was easy for him to follow it, but the heavy and dull footsteps felt like they wereing closer and closer, and his heart beat just as quickly.

    [How much further?]

    [Am I going to be caught up?]

    [Is it the scroll?]

    Brendel felt there was no certainty that the spider found the scroll, but he could only bet on it. The spider and him turned at a corner and he saw that corpses lying on the corridor. They looked like the workers in this auction site.

    [There are enemies here.] Brendel became alert, and he immediately saw that they were skeletons that walked out. He exhaled in relief, and he used the Charge technique to sweep across the undead. They might have been deadly enemies a month ago, but now they were just cannon fodder.

    The first skeleton seemed to swung at him with a slow speed, and Brendel¡¯s thrust was ten times faster. The sword cut across the hand and into its chest, and from the cut sections, white mes started to erupt and consume the entire body.

    Brendel continued to run past seven skeletons, and when he put his sword back to the sheath, the skeletons fell to the ground and burst into mes. The youth did not have any time to relish on his kills as the crimson figure was already at the corner.

    The Crusader Executioner had 22 OZ worth of agility and it far surpassed Brendel who had less than 10. The swinging axe destroyed the ceiling as it reached for Brendel, and he had nowhere to escape.

    The only option was to activate Power Break.

    When the Thorn of Light met the axe, there was a metallic wail as the de bent backwards in a bizarre angle. Brendel felt like the bones in his right hand shattered into pieces, and he was flung onto the wall.

    It was fortunate that he hadnded next to the spider, and he stood up in pain and continued to follow it. He had lost his sword as his hand was unable to hold on to it.

    [I can¡¯t feel my right hand..... If I don¡¯t get the scroll, that¡¯s the end of me.]

    When he entered the room, he surveyed the room with a hopeful expression, but he saw a scene that he did not wish to see.

    A Zombie Ounder which was next to a mercenary¡¯s corpse, turned its head back. It did not expect that someone was outside. It held a scythe that was still dripping blood, and it looked at Brendel with a pair of green mes inside its sockets. The youth found that it was holding on to something tightly.

    It was a clear crystal that held burning mes within it.

    A Fire Seed.

    The Zombie Ounder raised its scythe, but Brendel was one step ahead of it, and he supported his right hand up with his left hand. The pain almost made him tremble, but he said through gritted teeth: ¡°Oss!¡±

    The immense wind pressure that condensed in an instant seem to leave the room in a vacuum, before it exploded with a thunderous boom. The maelstrom of air went straight to the Zombie Ounder and caused deformations to the armor. It was thrown backwards to the wall and sted it through, leaving behind a gaping hole.

    The undead creature was not a defensive creature like the Gargoyle, and it was instantly destroyed like the swordsman in the Pine Fortress.

    Half of the body remained behind, and Brendel went forward to grab the Fire Seed from its hand. He did not know how useful it would be, but he did not care anymore. When he turned back, the Crusader Executioner was holding on to a crushed Wind Spider Spirit that dripped green fluids onto the ground.

    The monsterughed from within its hollow chest. It was not sentient, but this undead monster had an innate bloodlust towards living creature.

    ¡°Fuck off.¡± Brendel raised the Fire Seed with his left hand and squeezed it¡ª

    The crystal ball shattered, and red light poured out from it. It swiveled around Brendel and expanded ten times in size, and moved towards the Crusader Executioner. The monster raised the axe, but it paused and stood still in an instant, as it was paralyzed.

    At that moment, all the Elementalists and wizards within ten miles of Brus, stopped what they were doing with a change in their expressions and looked towards the direction of Brus.

    The red light continued to swivel and expand, pouring out from the auction side and went into Hood street, circled around the area and finally spun around the entire Brus city. It continued to broaden several miles before it slowly stopped and disappeared.

    It was a short moment, but the solders in the Silver-winged Cavalry watched their shadow hounds evaporate in an instant.

    The power of Order.

    The living undead revered Mother Marsha like humans did. They were also creatures that were based on Order, and the Fire Seed would not affect them. But the Crusader Executioner was different. It was a Nest creature.

    The only exception to this was a Guardian Nest, otherwise all Nests are made from the Chaos. The Shadow hounds were low ranking creatures that were unable to fend against it and quickly evaporated into thin air.

    The Crusader Executioner was dealt an immense impact and was unable to move. The youth saw that it took 110 damage, and he sighed with relief.

    [I gambled correctly...]

    No one in their right mind would use a priceless Fire Seed to do something like this, but it proved that Chaos and Order were in opposition of each other.

    Brendel took in another deep breath and quickly searched the room for signs of the scroll. The spider must had found the Fire Seed instead of the scroll. He did not find it and he quickly left the area, as the Crusader Executioner would not stay down forever.

 volume 2 - 52

    Chapter 52 ¨C Pursuit, escape

    After Brendel ran out of the room, the Crusader Executioner stood up slowly. Its bones creaked and it twisted its body with effort, and its movements started to be smoother.

    Brendel found four different Wind Spirit Spiders climbing out from the ruined auction site. Two of the spiders clearly transmitted they found the target, and pointed to their respective targets.

    Brendel was slightly relieved they came back with some sess. Judging from their intelligence, they were not able to be certain of what they found was the scroll he needed, and he needed to check it for himself.

    One of them was to the south, approximately thirty meters away, while the other was in the west leading to the showroom, approximately fifty meters away.

    [The possibility that the item is in the showroom is higher, but the danger is beyond words.]

    He thought to himself as he unsummoned two Wind Spider Spirits in order to prevent the card from entering the graveyard. As he mulled over the possibility of the scroll¡¯s location, the Soul Fire in the Crusader Executioner was bing stronger.

    [Ciel is gone. The Thorn of Light is lost somewhere in the wreckage, and the bones in my right arm might be fractured. Even now I don¡¯t feel any sensation in it. The spiders are useless against the enemies here, and the Ring of the Wind Empress is recharging. Even though the fatigue from the Mana Exhaustion is settling in, it¡¯s fortunate that I still have half of my stamina and my HP is considerably full.]

    He lumbered across the corridor unsteadily, thoughts zing through him quickly.

    [The cursed crossbow isn¡¯t going to work. Another option is to jump from the second floor¡¯s window and escape to a bustling street... But it¡¯s also possible that the undead monster is able to track me from my Life Ripple. And if that¡¯s the case, I will not be able to outrun it under an open area... The Crusader Executioner has weaknesses, but the absolute difference in strength makes it impossible.]

    He could almost hear the undead monster moving again. Brendel shook his head and discarded that idea. It was only for a short moment, but it felt like the auction site a tornado had ran into it. The entirendscape of this area had changed, and once the undead monster came after him, he would not be able to escape more than ten meters.

    ¡°I need to find a solution.¡±

    He suddenly spotted a skeleton remains on the ground near him. It was most likely his handiwork, and his heartbeat suddenly spiked.

    That was a loud crashing sound. The giant skeleton walked out with its axe dragging behind him on the ground, making a loud din. The ribcage of a Crusader Executioner held a zing me within it, and the bones were tempered with the powers of Chaos, making them harder than normal metal. It wore pauldrons, helmet and a armored dress.

    It turned its head from left to right, but there was no sound in the corridor. It paused. The Life Ripple that it felt earlier, made it certain the human came through this area, but that feeling had be impossibly faint.

    Brendel was lying next to the skeleton.

    He lightly exhaled and held his breath. He tried his best to steady his heartbeat, and made his blood to slow down as much as possible to escape detection from the undead monster. The Crusader Executioner indeed slowed down. Brendel¡¯s Life Reaper was bing weaker in its weak vision. It was a little doubtful, and it slowed its footsteps.

    To avoid being deceived.

    The youth understood that it was possible for it to see him, and he carefully took the ck steel sword from the skeleton soldier¡¯s grasp, lightly and slowly. Even though he felt his heart was slow, it was beating forcefully like a huge drum, and it knocked against his senses. He did not know whether he was feeling things wrongly, but the skeleton was approaching him.

    It was no more than ten meters.

    At this distance, a single assault from the undead monster would have his body split into two. He turned his head a few times, as if to check whether his head was still on his body.

    The undead monster took another step.

    Brendel was unable to maintain hisposure. Even though he had learned to be calm from the game, he was using his life as a gambling token. He had seen the vanguard in the game before, and it was well known that it was able to prate army lines with speed and viciousness. The permanent bloodlust it had made it well known to everyone. The axe it had was four meters long and when it put everything behind the axe, it was over twenty tons of force behind it. Humans had to spend one hundred times the price to face an undead army. In Karsuk¡¯s records, the necromancers led ten of these creatures against an entire legion of Aouine¡¯s infantry and was victorious against them. In that battle, these creatures were like moving fortresses, and the infamous legends they had were well known.

    The only humans that could face these creatures were well known elites.

    Brendel did not reach that level yet.

    When the Crusader Executioner¡¯s gaze went over him, his heart elerated and the blood in his body started to move. The Life Ripple became clear again, and there was a slight pause in the skeleton¡¯s movements.

    It had seen through Brendel¡¯s trick.

    Time had only passed for a few seconds.

    Brendel felt cold perspiration on his forehead. Any actions that he made would invite an attack, but maintaining this situation would onlyst a few seconds. He looked at his stats and thought that even a few seconds was better than nothing.

    [Even a few seconds more is better than nothing!] He prepared himself and rolled over to the side with force.

    The skeleton immediately reacted and raised its axe. For a single moment, Brendel felt the cold reflection on the lighting from the de onto his face, which turned his face white from the light exposure. The monster covered a dozen meters in an instant, with the axe running against the wall, dragging granite and wood splinters along its path, creating a gaping gash in it.

    The walls of the showroom have been fortified, but under the immense strength of the undead monster, it was torn apart like a piece of paper. The swing brought along a burst of wind pressure and torrent of debris towards Brendel, but the youth immediately continued his action from a roll to a leap to the wall. He kicked against the wall and flew in the opposite direction of the swinging axe.

    The axe was destined to hit the empty ground, and itnded with a thunderous boom. The floor cracked into countless pieces and sent broken rubble flying everywhere. Brendelnded in between the skeleton¡¯s legs and ran through to get behind it..

    The undead monster roared from the depths of its soul and tried to stab him with the axe, but Brendel had already moved away from the area and jumped onto the skeleton¡¯s femur bone. It wanted to move the axe around but the ceiling interfered with its movements time after time. In the blink of an eye, Brendel had already escaped its attack three times.

    .

    It finally realized something and it used its hand to grab the cunning human

    [Fifteen seconds!]

    Brendel hadsted long enough.

    When the skeleton reached for Brendel with blinding speed using its hand, Brendel jumped to the side and activated the Charge technique just as the cooldown finished. Brendel¡¯s speed made him almost twice as fast as the monster, and he sped to the opposite wall, striking it with his left hand with the activation of Power Break¡ª

    Twenty OZ worth of strength struck against the wall.

    The ck steel sword groaned and broke into pieces. The wall was simrly in cracks as the inner structure was destroyed. Brendel threw away the sword and punched the wall with his left hand, and the wall copsed to the outside. He jumped into the area and found himself in a room. The Wind Spider Spirit was already waiting for him as it had made through the area from the underground sewers.

    [I¡¯m near the target.]

    But the undead monster was even closer to him. Brendel did not dare to waste any time, and continued to move forward like aet with the remaining Charge activation time. The skeleton smashed against the wall, missing Brendel by inches. It roared angrily as it failed to reach him, and he struck the wall with axe until the opening wasrge enough. Rocks fell all over it as it squeezed through the room.

    Brendel ran through the doors, while the skeleton charged behind him like a humanoid bulldozer, destroying the walls. It was a short moment, but it had already destroyed three walls, and it looked like a portion of the building had copsed from the outside.

    Brendel was calcting the distance with burning urgency.

    [Two more rooms!]

    He took out his dagger and turned around to aim for the skeleton. He threw the dagger against it but it simply knocked it aside. The sharp de merely left a white scar on its bone, but it suddenly raised its head up. There was a Wind Spider Spirit thatunched towards its face, but the monster swatted it away and sttered green fluids onto the ground.

    Brendel passed through another room.

    The monster raised the axe again as it got closer to him, making him shudder. It looked like he was unable to make it in time.

 volume 2 - 53

    TL: Darn... That¡¯s probably what I get for not reading the chapters ahead. I¡¯m going to change one of the character¡¯s name. Foltest >Tirste.This might sound terrible or funny... The transliteration for this particr character is Tai si te, and when I kind of googled to see if there was any pre-existing names already done for it, nope. Google trante put it as ¡®Teste¡¯, and I was, really? That¡¯s like one ¡®s¡¯ away, you know...

    Anyways long story short, I tried to find a medieval name and found witcher 2¡¯s ¡®Foltest¡¯ to be the best fit amongst others (medieval sounding enough), so I just stuck it to this character.

    Then I found out that chapter 56 had an English supplementary to his name, so I¡¯m changing it. *Sigh*, I¡¯ll retcon my stuffter after I get some rest.

    16 more ch.

    I¡¯ll be cleaning up the chapters tomorrow for any mistakes.

    Edit: Name change on title to neswalker

    Chapter 53 ¨C neswalker

    The undead monster took a giant stride and raised its axe. Even though there was a wall behind Brendel and the monster, he was experienced enough to know that he was within attacking distance, and his heart raced quickly. He was unable to think of any solution and the only way he could think of was to sacrifice an arm to save his life.

    He was already prepared to make a decision like that.

    But at this moment, he shed into an impossibly attractive young man who was about the age of twenty five who came from the corner. He had silver hair and purple eyes, and his lips were pursed tightly together in an gloomy expression. Behind him were two men wearing a uniform that was deep blue in color,plete with silver colored armor, a long sword attached to the belt, and the pauldrons had silver scales on them.

    They wore the formal uniform of the Silver-winged Cavalry.

    The young man was the illegitimate son of the Grinores duke, Lord Tirste, who worked directly for themander of the Silver-winged Cavalry, with the rank of Master Sergeant. He was slightly surprised when he saw Brendel, as if he remembered something, but his expression quickly darkened. He did not say anything and immediately thrust the rapier into Brendel¡¯s heart.

    His movements was blindingly fast; his hand did not shake and was urate. It was something akin to drawing a very fine line with a silver thread, and anyone would have found it difficult to perceive it.

    Brendel was particrly alert from the battle with the undead monster. He immediately realized that the person in front of him was hostile and not friendly. As he did not know how strong the person was, he could only try to cover his vitals and turn to one side.

    Tirste was slightly taken aback. He did not expect for a normal Iron-ranked mercenary to be so alert. As the adjustment to the de¡¯s trajectory waste, it only streaked across Brendel¡¯s shoulder like a venomous snake, bringing a spurt of blood into the air.

    Brendel uttered a guttural noise and fell backwards together with the sword¡¯s thrust. He saw Tirste¡¯s attack clearly.

    [Mid-rank Knight¡¯s swordsmanship. This person is at least a Gold-ranked fighter. If he wasn¡¯t a little distracted in his attack, I would have been a corpse. When did I offend a high ranking Third-tier fighter? And for someone like his age, he must be a ¡®Blessed¡¯ person.]

    Brendel was not wrong. His opponent was not only a ¡®Blessed¡¯ person, he was also one of the bishop within The Unifying Guild (A candidate for the Unifying Guild¡¯s elder.). He was prouder than most people his age because of his achievements.

    But this pride had been wounded for the second time when it came to Brendel. Tirste had never failed before, but it was a fact that his n went awry when Amandina went missing, and he had been in a foul mood ever since.

    The Unifying Guild had received news that Amandina¡¯s lineage could have been rted to the Seifer¡¯s dynasty one hundred years ago. There was the concern of a great secret, but he thought that the young nobledy was not going to escape and it would not matter, until she disappeared before his eyes. He might have a frivolous expression when he did things, but he was very thorough internally.

    It was the first time he tasted failure.

    This young man in front of him. The recent information they gathered pointed that the information they had a while ago was wrong. Based on the information from various locations, the Unifying Guild in Brus was certain that there was a leader above Leto. Tirste had suspected Brendel ever since he appeared with Batum for the first time.

    Though it was merely a suspicion, he did not keep it to heart, and he certainly did not expect to meet Brendel in this ce. The instant he saw him he decided to test him out.

    His method of testing was killing the person.

    Even he killed wrongly, it was fine. After all, Brendel was just a nameless mercenary.

    But Tirste did not expect Brendel to give him a surprise. A monstrous surprise.

    Brendel¡¯s fall was in between the two soldiers and Tirste. With a roll, he was behind the three men. Tirste was still puzzled over Brendel¡¯s actions and wanted to stab Brendel again, but the wall in front of him suddenly broke apart, with the Crusader Executioner red helmet peeking out from the crevice. The axe came next as it smashed through the crumbling wall and onto Tirste.

    Tirste was astonished and he immediately parried the axe with his sword. The st of wind from the sword made the crumbling rocks fly backwards, but his voice was hoarse.

    ¡°Executioner!¡±

    The undead monster realized that Tirste had managed to block its axe with the slender sword, and the Soul Fire within his eyes flickered. It formed its right fingers into ws and went straight for his chest.

    Any normal human behind would have his body ruptured by the attack, but Tirste calmly used his left hand and stopped the undead monster¡¯s attack. He did not move much, but under the grasp of his left hand, the skeleton¡¯s fingers could not move.

    ¡°Catch that young man!¡± Tirste did not dare to underestimate his opponent even if he was a Gold-ranked fighter, and he could only order his subordinates capture Brendel at this moment.

    But Brendel was far more capable than he thought. He had already considered the possibility of having the Crusader Executioner fight with the bastard. Even before the undead monster¡¯s attack, he had already slipped away to find the scroll.

    [It¡¯s just outside this room! ... If the Wind Spider Spirit did not get it wrong this time.]

    Brendel smashed the door open. The first thing that he saw were the medicine on the table. He recognized it easily because this medicine was the same one that Tamar and he had made.

    [It found the wrong item...]

    Then he stopped. He went to the table and picked up the box, and he stopped breathing for a moment. In it was the familiar yellow goatskin parchment lying quietly int he box.

    [This is it. This scroll can save my life. With the Holy Sword Card, I can use a Tier two attack, even if it¡¯s just for a while, I can face even a Gold-ranked fighter and escape from him!]

    He bit his thumb to open a wound on it, and rubbed the blood in the center of the parchment.

    It was that simple to form a contract with the Elements¡ª

    The parchment glowed and started burning from the corners. It was a fire from another world, from the Element mes within the abyss Barborda, and it was also know as the Contract me. The Element me was first used when Mother Marsha established the first contract with the Fire Spirit King.

    Once the contract was established, the patterns on the scroll would randomly appear on the back of Brendel¡¯s hand, and it was known as the Element Emblem, and also known as the symbol of Elementalists.

    Brendel checked his emblem, and found that it was the mostmon Fire Emblem. He sighed as he had hoped to have gotten something special. He did not hope for Tulman¡¯s saintly emblems that had all six elements, but he at least hoped to get three or four on his hand. A single emblem meant that he did not really have a future as an Elementalist.

    [It¡¯s fortunate that I¡¯m not going to be an Elementalist...]

    The contract establishment was reflected in his retina. The green color words indicated that his Elemental Pool was formed. There were six cells for all his Elements, with the exception of the Fire Element, which had seven. With that, Brendel knew that he did not have the potential to be an Elementalist.

    A yer in the game had seventeen cells for every element, as well as a usable Light and Dark pool. It was the same as a ¡®Blessed¡¯ person.

    To describe Brendel¡¯s status, he was like the most unsuitablemon man to be a wizard or Elementlist, and had the unbelievable luck to use a scroll.

    [Let¡¯s see... If I remember correctly, casting one me arrow requires three cells of that me EP, which kind of means I can cast two basic magic spells every week. Something like Ciel¡¯s basic magic arrow.]

    Even though he did not intend to be an Elementalist, Brendel felt like he was going to cry over his horrible Elemental Pool.

    He called out the system as he heard footsteps outside the door. He did not know if it¡¯s the young man who was a Gold-ranked fighter, and he wanted to grab the medicine on the table. But he failed to grab on to anything, and he suddenly realized that he was somehow not inside the auction site anymore.

    He was in a ce with the surroundings in infinite darkness¡ª

    [What? All the things in the room are gone... What¡¯s with this darkness, I have never seen this before.... Wait, the only time this darkness happened was when I died. Shit! Did I die already? But this isn¡¯t a game! What the hell is going on?!]

    He surveyed his surroundings and wondered if was under an illusion spell.

    [But that¡¯s pointless to cast a spell like this. In fact there¡¯s no illusion spell that functions like this. If it affects my soul, then my Unyielding talent will activate. There¡¯s no way I don¡¯t feel anything.]

    Brendel found himself at a loss for words in the next moment.

    He saw a young man walking out from the darkness. He had blood-red eyes and long ck hair that reached his shoulders. He smiled at Brendel, with his long slender hand that looked like it belonged to a woman brushing across his robes.

    ¡°It looks like you¡¯re very confused?¡±The young man said.

    Brendel recognized the robe on the young man. But the crimson emblems that intersected each other in four directions on the sleeves made him pause.

    A high level Elementalist who held a Twelve-circle spell was able to be a Spirit user, and an envoy for the Spirit King, and would have one flower emblem on his sleeve.

    Two flower emblems meant he was a Grandmaster.

    Three flower emblems are considered Sages.

    [Four flower emblems? Elemental Emperor, Tulman? This young man looks like he fits the legendary description from Mirrna¡¯s records. ck hair with blood red irides, a follower of the Dark Dragon.]

    He hesitated for a long, and did not dare to confirm if he was the legendary figure.

    [Didn¡¯t he die a few thousand years ago?]

    But the young man seemed to see past his questions and nodded.

    ¡°Indeed, I am Tulman.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Tulman?¡± Brendel was so shocked that he forgot his surroundings. ¡°How is that possible?¡±

    ¡°That is not important, Brendel,¡± He replied. ¡°Myst contractor had perished three hundred years ago, and the previous person who brought the cards here did not wish to give up on his path as a knight. What I did not expect was to find a new sessor just after a few decades.¡±

    He stopped and gave a smile. ¡°What I mean is, would you like to stop here for a while and listen about the tale of the neswalker?¡±

    ¡°neswalker?¡±

    Brendel was stunned.

 volume 2 - 54

    TL: Many, many mechanics + lore in this chapter. You should probably read it carefully, can¡¯t guarantee perfect Engrish.

    New name change, Dimension Wizard > neswalker.

    This is the exact raw words, ÂÃ·¨Ê¦. It literally means Traveling Mage, but after I researched a bit more about Magic The Gathering, it has something called neswalkers (most powerful being in the multiverse of MTG).

    Also the level of snark I should put in this chapter...

    15 more ch

    Chapter 54 ¨C The road to surpass limits (1)

    ¡°neswalkers?¡±

    Brendel nearly groaned out. He felt his forehead, wondering if he was dreaming. The person before him who called himself Tulman, along with the strange surroundings and information, made his mind aplete mess.

    [I have never heard of a profession called neswalker in the game. That VRMMORPG is spectacrlyplicated and huge, and I can¡¯t possibly know every single aspect of it.]

    But Brendel felt that things were too forced, and instinct told him that his guess was incorrect. Brendel had a poker face, but his mind was spinning quickly.

    [What ce is this? How did I get here? neswalkers...... Does this mean that the game world different from this reality?]

    Tulman¡¯s hands were ced in his robes, and he was floating in the darkness. He saw that Brendel was showing signs of doubts. He smiled and spoke:

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re still doubtful of this ce. This is just a projection magic, and it allows me to transmit the information that I have left behind directly to your mind. There¡¯s no need to worry. This ce is inside your mind, and everything is created within you¡ª¡±

    Brendel knew that Tulman meant to say subconsciousness.

    ¡°Are you saying that this is a magic that affects the soul? Then why isn¡¯t my Unyielding talent working?¡± He was slightly calmer than before, but he asked again: ¡°How should I leave this ce?¡±

    Brendel suddenly remembered that he was still in danger, and he could not afford to waste any time here.

    ¡°There is no need for you to be in a rush to leave. This is the world that you have imagined, and everything that happens here is as fast as your thoughts. The Basett people has a saying: ¡®A person could have dreamt a long dream in a single moment¡¯. Even after your thoughts havee to pass, a second has not transpired.¡±

    Tulman smile became even broader: ¡°Even if you are going to die the next second, you can live for an hour longer in here.¡±

    Brendel carefully dissected the meaning of his words. His rational thoughts were willing to believe him, but his instinct still warned him of the danger outside. He took a deep breath.

    ¡°I got it, but let us get to the point. Emperor Tulman, what exactly you want to tell me? What¡¯s a neswalker?¡±

    Brendel forced himself to calm down and ponder on the meaning of this ¡®dream¡¯.

    [Tulman said that this is a projection, then it means there¡¯s information he wants to pass to me. But I don¡¯t see myself rted to Tulman. Looking at my other half¡¯s body, he¡¯s a pure southern Aouine citizen. He doesn¡¯t have Mirrna or Basett blood in him. There¡¯s no link for me to inherit anything from Tulman.]

    Brendel¡¯s thoughts went to the items on his body.

    [Projection... Then it must be some sort of medium. There¡¯s a bunch of matchsticks, a deer statue and medicine, the fruit of the Golden Demonic Tree and some reagents. All of these should be excluded. The Ring of the Wind Empress is a replica, so it shouldn¡¯t be that. Furthermore, that ring leads to another different quest.]

    Roen had tracked down the information on the painting that contained it, so Brendel got to know the lore. Roen imed there were thirteen replicated rings centuries ago, and each of them was priceless now. It was a merchant who handed it to a ancient knight, and from then on it exchanged hands until it reached Brendel¡¯s grandfather. As to what happened to the merchant, Roen did not know.

    Brendel suspected that Roen was still hiding something, but he was certain that this replicated ring had something to do with the Wind Sage, Osor. Still, that had nothing to do with Tulman.

    [The myserious rock that I got from Berg Nesson? I have always felt that his background was more than it seems, as it is strange that Amandina was able to make Magicite for no apparent reason. In the game lore, this was something that puzzled the yers. That young man might have discovered that something, maybe not about the Magicite, but the background of Amandina¡¯s family.]

    Brendel shook his head. Even though he felt that the mysterious rock was the most suspicious, he suddenly remembered that it was after he used the scroll, that he entered this dark world.

    [The scroll itself has the legitimate watermark created by the fairies, so it is not the scroll itself. But the activation of this spell, it is the unlocking of my Elemental Pool. Then... this link. The Cards of Fate. Because I saw them as techniques and not items that I didn¡¯t connect the dots. Now that I think about it, these cards are more and more suspicious.]

    The cards had never appeared in the game. Brendel thought that it was incredibly strange that a whole series of cards had not been heard by anyone.

    [It¡¯s possible that one might not have heard of one of the card names, like the Wind Spider Spirit card, but not hearing of the deck itself? That¡¯s like saying you have never heard of what a magician wears for equipment. And the exceptional freedom of these cards actually allows a warrior like myself to use magic freely. You can even say that these cards is an entirely new profession. It¡¯s not like these cards appear only in Madara, it appeared in the city that I am most familiar with.]

    [The tomb of Gerald, The valley of the Golden Demonic Tree, Fortress Riedon, Brus. I have been in these area for a long time, and I can even remember all the rumors for the first three years inside the game. Nothinges to mind. In the first ce, why did I allow myself not to think about these cards?]

    Brendel did not realize that he was in grave peril when he found the cards, and like so many people, concentrated at surviving first. Brendel¡¯s fingers felt to his pocket.

    [If... this is a whole new profession.]

    ¡°You mean a neswalker is......?¡±

    ¡°You have guessed correctly, the Cards of Fate are rted to a neswalker.¡±

    Brendel immediately stopped talking, because he knew that the young Tulman before him was going to exin everything.

    ¡°I need to clear one misunderstanding. These Cards of Fate are not created by me. You should have guessed by now, but they are even older than what we know in history.¡± Tulman brought his hand out and flipped it over. A card was on his palm, but it was facing down. Complicated sigils were drawn on top of it.

    ¡°If you take a look at the patterns here, you would find that they are the original sigils. I had merely simplied them with my little understanding, and passed down what I knew to the humans, elves and the Mirrna people.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Tulman raised his hand up and stopped Brendel from interrupting him: ¡°I know what you want to ask. Why is it that I¡¯m obviously the descendant from the Mirrna and Basett blood, and an eternal enemy of the light, help the humans and elves?¡±

    Heughed: ¡°It¡¯s very simple. As a neswalker, the problems and solutions that I see were different from others. I was all to young when I got these cards, and I tried to pursue the truth in this world. The cardsbination that I created was called ¡®Unification¡¯, and with that intention, I believed that there was not much difference between the races, or even many other things. The only things that I saw differently was the very basic elements in the world.¡±

    Brendel listened carefully and sat down. He thought for a long time.

    ¡°To tell the truth,¡± Brendel said: ¡°I don¡¯t really get what you mean, can you make it simpler?¡±

    Brendel did not have the mood to think anymore. He only felt that the neswalker from Tulman was a new profession to could bring a great change in his future. He did not understand why, or perhaps he was under a wrong impression, but his intuition was telling him that the cards were much more than he thought they would be.

    Tulman nodded: ¡°Certainly. To speak about neswalkers, you have to start with the cards. Every single card represents a different viewpoint in this world. It is not just a simple projection, or replica of reality. With the cardsing together, they would form a small world that is not unlike this world. neswalkers are the only ones who are able to bring true meaning from from these cards and turn it to power in the world.¡±

    He paused for a while before continuing. ¡°Like the cardsbination that I use. ¡®Unification¡¯, is made up of cards thatbines six different elements to describe the qualities in this world, and it represents the meaning of my deck: The power of Laws.¡±

    ¡°And I know of one other neswalker,¡± He continued. ¡°His cardsbination is called ¡®Infinite power¡¯,prised mostly of Red and ck Cards of Fate as abination. He pursued the strongest power. The Red cards can be seen as Fire, but it can also be seen as strength. The ck cards can be seen as Darkness, but it can also be seen as death and destruction.¡±

    ¡°Of course, we both failed to reach the truth of cards.¡± He shook his head, then smiled again. ¡°The meaning of the cards is made of up of thebination. The Cards of Fate¡¯s unique point is allowing many viewpoints to describe the Laws the world and yourself. One can even see it as the cards representing the inner you.¡±

    ¡°As to where the cardse from, or who created them, we do not know. The earliest neswalker should have been born during the Era of Darkness, and I suspect that these are created by the people of Matteya.

    It is said that the Matteya is a group of dimension nomads, who move to one ce to another. Their understanding of the world is different from ours. We think that the world is a infinitely vast ce, with infinite things and knowledge, but the Matteya perceives the world as very small with a very narrow view. They have a concept called ¡®uhs¡¯, which is also the origin the Elven and Kirrlutz ¡®infinite¡¯. In their eyes, ¡®uhs¡¯ contain countless worlds, and they are constantly shifting between them.

    I suspect that they understood they have twisted the meaning of the Guardian Land and the world world, and develop a concept like this. However, it is also true that the humans have a limited knowledge of this world.¡± Tulman suddenlyughed. ¡°I unintentionally talked too much about pointless things, it looks like I have difficulty in getting rid of my habit.¡±

    Brendel asked a question: ¡°I have also heard of the Matteya, and perhaps they are the earliest neswalker, what does this have anything to do with me?¡±

    ¡°The Matteya splits a single day into six phases, and strictly speaking a neswalker also splits the day into six phases.

    The first phase ¨C Six AM to Ten AM, break of dawn to morning.

    The Matteya calls this stage as the ¡®Growing Sun¡¯, while the neswalkers call it the ¡®Growth period¡¯. In this stage, a neswalker can tap theirnd cards, and get their mana for the day¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Brendel said: ¡°Tapping ofnd cards?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, tapping ofnd cards. This is the basic ability of a neswalker, and their source of power.¡±

    ¡°Can you exin a little more?¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. If you have and card, Elemental Pool and Mana Pool, you can tap the card during this time every day, and thend card will draw the energy from the ¡®territory¡¯ that they belong to and link it to your Elemental Pool. This way the energy that is created from your ¡®territory¡¯ will be converted into Elemental Power and ced in your Elemental Pool.¡±

    ¡°Wait, doesn¡¯t say clearly on the Land card, one Elemental Point each week?¡± Brendel interrupted.

    ¡°That single Elemental Point is outside the Elemental and Mana pool. Its purpose is used for the new users who wished to pursue the path of a neswalker, to allow you to use and understand the world¡¯s power. When you be an official neswalker, you wouldn¡¯t need it anymore.¡±

    Brendel nodded. ¡°Understood. Please continue.

    ¡°At the Growth Phase, a neswalker can also gain the ¡®bonus¡¯ of the additional effects. An example would be the Hignd Squire card. As long as your Hignd Squire in on the field, the owner will receive one reputation point. And this reputation point is given during your Growth Phase.

    At the same time, a neswalker can use several effects from.

    Green ¨C Life, nature

    White ¨C Light, Protection, Nurture

    Red ¨C Fire, Vigor, Vitality

    Blue ¨C Water, Nourish, Irrigation

    As well as other cards that are mixed in elements.¡±

    Brendel frowned. He had never thought about this before. Ciel had talked about this before, and he recalled about the cards that did not require anything.

    ¡°The Second Phase ¨C Ten AM to two PM.

    Matteya calls this: Exuberant Growth.

    The wizards and witches call this period, the Falling Tide. It is the day where the Sun is at its peak, and the moon at its weakest. As Mana is weakened, the Elements are stronger. It is the period where the Elements are active, and has the Phase where it has the most offensive power.

    neswalkers call this the ¡®Prime Phase¡¯. This is the only time when a neswalker can use any card without limits. At the same time he can even draw three additional cards from his deck to ce into his hand.¡± (TL: Hand refers to the set of cards, not the limbs)

    Brendel was confused: ¡°What do you mean by drawing cards?¡±

    ¡°This is thew of the neswalker. At the start of every day, you can only have a set amount of cards. You might be able to draw more than the cards in a day, but when you reach the ¡®Reset Phase¡¯, you have to discard the additional cards in your hand.

    At the same time, the stronger a neswalker is, the more cards he can control in his hand. For someone who has just started like yourself, you can only control five cards.¡±

    ¡°Are the cards in my hand controlled?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°No, the cards in your hand can only be taken in the cardbination that you have. My cardbination is ¡®Unification¡¯ from six different elements, thus the Laws separate my cardbination into six equal decks.¡±

    Brendel frowned: ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that the uncertainty of the cards are increased? Isn¡¯t it better that I hold on to a limited number of powerful cards and discard the useless ones so that I can maintain my deck strength?¡±

    ¡°In theory that is true, but that is not the final goal of a neswalker.¡±

    ¡°Final goal?¡±

    ¡°After the the Third-tier of power, people can unlock their Elements and be stronger than before. You might not know this, but after the unlocking of the Elements is the pursuit of Perfect Physique, from Iron-ranked to Gold-ranked. But that final step, is to pursue the transcendent limits of power described only in legends.¡±

    ¡°As you know, fire is aponent of many things, and the purest form is a Fire Element, as it is the basis of all mes. But there has always been a rumor of something even higher than a Fire Element called, ¡®Matter¡¯.

    ¡®Matter¡¯, ¡®Time¡¯, ¡®Space¡¯, even ¡®Logic¡¯. It forms of the world¡¯s most basic principles, and we call it ¡®Existent Force¡±

    Brendel stared at Tulman speechlessly. He knew of the Perfect Physique as he as Level 130 in the game, a Silver Perfect Physique. He had also heard of the Existent Force.

    [yers in the game reported that they did not gain any further experience after level 160 in the game. There was rumors of that Existent Force path, but nobody knew how to get there.]

    ¡°You mean to say,¡± He stuttered: ¡°A neswalker can get to that Existent Force?¡±

    Tulman nodded and pointed to the card floating in the air: ¡°When you have created your ¡®world¡¯, and the Laws reach an equilibrium with the cards, the path to the Existent Force will open to you. But before that, you have a long way to go, and it starts from your most basic cardbination.¡±

    ¡°What do I need to do?¡±

    ¡°The truth is, the moment you got your first card, you have revealed yourbination. But I¡¯m a little puzzled... I have never seen yourbination before. It seems to show something about a Profession System. I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re interested in that. And what does this ¡®All Supreme Profession Dominance¡¯ mean?¡± Tulman said with a perplexed expression.

    Brendel broke into a cold sweat when he heard that. He was in the mindset of Sophie when he found the cards for the first time. At that time as a gamer he naturally wanted to have a strong profession, and it seemed that his Middle School Second-year Syndrome had been caught by the Cards of Fate.

    [Holy shit! Opening the Path of Knights or something crazy like that..... If the Cards of Fate brings one¡¯s viewpoint in the world... Then I¡¯m going to do that All Supreme Profession Dominance as a reality?]

    TL: Here¡¯s the phases for neswalkers so far...

    1) Growth Phase ¨C Tapnds, add bonus effects from cards.

    2) Prime Phase ¨C Draw three cards to put into hand. Use any cards in hand without limits.

 volume 2 - 55

    TL: It¡¯s interesting to see the mixed reaction... The MTG vor has been there for a pretty damn long time actually. Everyone was like, ¡®what does the cards mean!¡¯ in the beginning when Brendel found them like card captor sakura, but now it¡¯s like wtf is going on lol...

    I kind of want to set a new poll about this.

    What you feel about the introduction of the MTG elements

    Dislike it

    Like it

    Needs to see more chapters to see if it sucks

    Don¡¯t care

    Don¡¯t know

    I¡¯m sitting on the fence on this one

    I like it anyway because it¡¯s Brendel and his monologues will somehow make the cards talk the enemies to death.

    Vote

    View ResultsPolldaddy

    Chapter 55 ¨C The road to surpass limits (2)

    Reaching the highest peak of all professions, that was indeed a road that surpassed limits.

    ¡°But how can I be a neswalker?¡± Brendel asked the important question.

    Tulman stopped. His script inside him vanished quickly. Thest person he met was a Pdin called Gerald. He had tried hard to persuade the excellent youth to forgo his faith, and join the ranks of a neswalker but failed. Now that he was prepared for this time and about to persuade the youth in front of him, Brendel seemed to have agreed to be one.

    Tulman obviously did not understand the mindset of a gamer.

    Naturally, Tulman was very happy to have found a sessor. The Tulman here was nothing more than a transmission of information, and since he managed to seed in this mission, it meant that his millennium long mission was finally over.

    So he immediately replied: ¡°To be a neswalker, you must first have your ownnd within ¡®uhs. As I had exined before, the infinite worlds described within the Matteya word, means that you need to build your first foothold and set the Land card and tap it.¡±

    Tulman¡¯s voice became serious: ¡°This is the firstnd of your kingdom. On it, you need to build a strong fortress and summon your faithful knight from your cardbination, and from that point forth, you will be a neswalker.¡±

    Brendel listened till he was giddy with excitement: ¡°Can I try it?¡±

    Tulman nodded: ¡°Of course. I believe you have a Land card, and that is enough to qualify you for the most basic summons. The crux of the question is how you¡¯re going to build your first cardbination.¡±

    ¡°So how should I make the cardbination?¡± Brendel asked, calming himself down to be a good student.

    [neswalker... A unique existence in this world? Or something that is undiscovered by the Amber Sword. I easily found the card within the tomb, so why did the other yers in the game not find it? Or is it because these cards can only be discovered by NPCs?]

    Since Brendel had no means to find out the truth, he quietly listened to Tulman.

    ¡°To make your own cardbination, you must first understand the Cards of Fate. Beyond the Card Type, there are several ssifications to the cards.

    Characters, Heroes, Beasts, Monsters and even Dragons. When you disy the card and summon them, they have different properties and strength, and some even possesses unique abilities.¡±

    ¡°I know of this,¡± Brendel said: ¡°They are like the Wind Spider Spirits, and the Hignd Squire, Ciel?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°The second ssification?¡±

    ¡°They are spells and abilities. These spells are decided by the Color Type.

    ¨C Red, offense

    ¨C Blue, versatility

    ¨C Gray, defense

    ¨C ck, Mystique

    There are many other colors that decide the characteristics as well as timing. The White and Green cards can be used at any given time and conditions, but the others require their own conditions.¡±

    ¡°Something like Mana Control?¡±

    Tulman nodded: ¡°The third ssification, Treasure. The Treasure card is always white. This card requires a particr medium, it can be the neswalker, the summoned creature, and even a barrier.¡±

    ¡°Barrier?¡±

    ¡°This is the fourth ssification, Barrier. It has the qualities of a Spell and Land card. It is not movable, but the effect is powerful.

    The fifth ssification is Resource. The Resource card is simr to the Land card. It can be added to a Barrier, or ced into a Land card. The Resource card is another source of power, and highbination cards require the use of a Resource card.

    The sixth ssification is the Ritual card. This is a unique card type. As you be stronger as a neswalker, you will graduallye into contact.

    The seventh ssification is the Event card. This is another unique card. If you ess andplete the event, you will be able to utilize the effects on the card. Be careful as the Event card is a limited usage card. It will not enter the graveyard but disappear entirely.¡±

    Tulman told Brendel that the remaining special cards are only understood when he became more powerful, and there was no need to understand it now.

    ¡°Thus, a neswalker cardbination isbined with all these ssfied cards. One can summon and cast spells and barriers to perform abination of attack and defense. But you won¡¯t be able to order the sequencing of the cards because of the Laws surrounding it. So, what do you think of it?¡±

    [I see...]

    Brendel¡¯s heart was beating excitedly. He could almost imagine a cardbination. The best part about this was not requiring him to spend any experience points of him. It was a true side profession apart from his original professions.

    [This isn¡¯t just a simple, ¡®Wow, it¡¯s a strong profession¡¯, this is tantly cheating!]

    Brendel started muttering to himself.

    ¡°Since the cardbination is describing a profession, then my cards should automatically reflect that. My firstbination is a ¡®Knight¡¯, and a ¡®Knight¡¯ requires a squire, battle horse, equipment, and rted techniques to the the ¡®Knight¡¯. Then the barrier card protects his fortress andnd...¡±

    Tulman did not look surprised. Each time Brendel said something, cards would appear and float in the air.

    The first card had already entered the graveyard. It was the Earth/Water Hignd Squire card. The second card was a Green color Wind Element card called, ¡®Mercenaries of Lopes¡¯. The card itself was drawn with watercolors, depicting a group of military men carrying swallowtail gs with a horned emblem in it, while their uniforms differed from each other, with their equipment ranging from bows, axes and shields.

    The description of the card:

    Mercenaries of Lopes

    (The Alliance of City-states XI)

    Wind 8/Mana 14

    [Creature ¨C Human/Mercenaries, Level 15 Creature]

    ce a group of 12 Lopes Mercenaries into the field.

    Maintainence: Pay 2 Wealth every day when the mercenaries are in the field.

    ¡®Ever since the First Age, 172 years, the Mercenaries of Lopes are renowned for their bravery, skill in and loyalty in battles.¡¯

    When Brendel talked about a battle horse and equipment, three cards appeared. ¡®Holy Sword¡¯, ¡®Golden Battle g¡¯ and ¡®Silver Colt¡¯. When he spoke about techniques, the cards ¡®Sun de¡¯, ¡®Sprint Drive¡¯ appeared.

    Finally when he was describing hisnds, the final card ¡®Rich Gold Mine¡¯ appeared.

    Brendel saw the cards appear before him as he spoke, and he was surprised but he did not stop talking. He asked: ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°Other than the Holy Sword and your Hignd Squire cards, these are the cards I¡¯m giving you.¡± Tulman exined. ¡°When you described your cards, I removed them from my deck and transferred them to you. This is your first basicbination, and perhaps you will perfect your ¡®Knight¡¯bination in the future. In any case, this means that you have started your path as a neswalker.¡±

    [Oh my god, this is such a good harvest. I had to spend so much for a card like the Wind Spider Spirits, but I got six of them in an instant!]

    He gulped as he looked at them. ¡°So what happens next after this is mine?¡±

    ¡°Now is the time to create your Territory, so that you can use your cards. However, I have to remind you about the rtionship between your cards and territory. A cardbination can be supported with many different territories, but a single territory can only support one cardbination. This means that different cardbinations have their own specific Land cards to support them, and you should not rely on just one territory to support a cardbination. A full deck requires arge Territory system.¡±

    Tulman¡¯s voice became stern again. ¡°Therefore, you need to collect more Land and Resource cards as these are your foundation.¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°Then let us establish your Territory.¡± Tulman continued. ¡°Bring out your ¡®Garden of the Holy Tree¡¯ and disy it.¡±

    The moment Brendel disyed it, there was a sh of green color in his eyes. He saw the color fill everywhere, trees growing to form a lush forest with vigor. A mysteriously huge tree stood in the center of the forest admist a pool.

    Brendel finally understood the description of the card. This was the creation of a territory. He could clearly feel the connection of the forest in his spirit as long as he desired to see it. But this forest was not in the same world he was in right now, and he could feel the distance between him and the forest.

    It was a special feeling, intimate and yet distant.

    Brendel looked back at Tulman with shock. After so long in the game, there was nothing that shocked him anymore, but the feeling right now was one of utter glee and expectation.

    ¡°The Land Card in your territory has matured. The area is very big and borders have been formed. It is a considerably good Territory, and it will provide you two Nature points and One Element Point every day when you tap it. In the future you might encounter a ¡®Unique¡¯ and even ¡®Legendary¡¯nd, which are much better than a ¡®Basic¡¯nd. Just note that if you use them as a Land card, you will lose the benefits of the Resource and Barrier Card.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Brendel did not understand.

    ¡°First, take a look at your cardbination. When you created your territory, you have be a qualified neswalker. Your cardbination has be a deck and your cards will change everyday and enter into your hand.¡±

    Brendel opened his hand and found four cards. They were the Holy Sword, Mercenaries of Lopes, Rich Gold Mind and the Sprint Drive.

    ¡°Look at the description of the Rich Gold Mind.¡± Tulman exined like an old teacher.

    When the youth looked at the card, he understood his meaning:

    Rich Gold Mine

    (Alliance of the city-states VII)

    Earth 2

    [Resource mine/Wealth]

    ce Rich Gold Mine on an (untapped) Land Card and receive 4 Wealth.

    ¡®Gold within rocks.¡¯

    ¡°Understand? Regardless of a Resource or Creature Card, a neswalker can only use them once every day, until the Reset Phase from ten PM to two AM, where the cards will go back in your deck and shuffle. This is when your Resource card that was attached to your Land card, return to the deck and await for the next draw.¡±

    Brendel nodded. He felt like he had nodded more times than the previous monthbined.

    ¡°Finally, I need to remind you that the cards that you have used or overdrawn, with the exception of the Creature card, will return to your deck. When you enter the Maintenance Phase, you will draw cards until you replenished your hand.¡±

    Tulman suddenly stopped and his expression changed. He tapped Brendel¡¯s arm and said: ¡°Looks like our time is up since your enemies are here now. I don¡¯t wish for my sessor to die the moment you became a neswalker. You¡¯re a qualified user now, so use your resources wisely to deal with them.¡±

    Brendel was startled.

    [That¡¯s right. I still have enemies out there. The two soldiers from the Silver-winged cavalry are still okay to deal with, but that young man is an enemy with Gold-ranked stats. Even though Tulman said I should easily handle my enemies now, but I really doubt it.]

    Brendel suddenly opened his eyes, and found he was still maintaining that posture to grab the medicine. The surroundings in the room had not changed, and it felt like the things about the Cards of Fate, Tulman, neswalker, were a dream.

    But Brendel knew that it was not a dream, because he was holding on to the cards in his hand¡ª

    The situation did not allow him to think too much, because he could hear footstepsing closer. Brendel immediately brought out the Mercenaries of Lopes and disyed it. He grabbed the Mana Potion on the table and drank it. With 6 Wind EP and 11 Wind Element Crystals, and 15 Mana points, he was able to use the card.

    Twelve summoning circles immediately appeared in the room.

    The two soldiers probably could not expected it even if they exhausted all their imagination. When they brought the door down, they found seven crossbows, two longswords and three axes focused on their bodies. These bandits with weapons in their hands looked like they came out from a theater. Most of them had curly beards with bright colored clothes and intricate patterns over their leather armor,plete with a long robe and a shield on one hand.

    The two soldiers widened their eyes. They were not clear about Brendel¡¯s identities and acted out of the orders given. Tirste had told them he was a criminal, but they were stunned when they saw them.

    [These damn bandits are wearing such ridiculous attires, do you think you¡¯re the legendary Lopes Mercenaries?!]

    That hateful young man was looking in the center of the room amongst them, looking like he waspletely prepared for this oue ¡ª

    TL: I think that the system doesn¡¯t really distract the users about the plot, at least until the part where I skimmed through rtively far away. Action is still great and Brendel doesn¡¯t get OP, yet, so if readers are worried, well you can generally hope for it to be good.

 volume 2 - 56

    Chapter 56 ¨C The invitation from the Unifying Guild

    The battle was over before it had started¡ª

    Brendel ordered the Lopes Mercenaries to bring the two soldiers who were knocked unconscious to the room¡¯s corner.

    [That swordsman is probably going to reach here soon. The difference him and my stats is nearly twenty times, and he¡¯s even worse than Ebdon or the Crusader Executioner. Even the slightest mistake in fighting him is fatal.]

    Brendel held his left shoulder where the sword struck him. It was burning and the pain came in pulses. If Tirste came with full strength at him, it was literally impossible for him to even see his movements. Brendel wiped away the perspiration on his forehead and rubbed his forehead.

    [We just met for the first time and the reaction he did was to attack me. The only organization that I offended was the Unifying Guild, so is he one of the assassins for them? But it doesn¡¯t really fit their actions. Their typical actions are subtle and intentionally so. Even if they want to take revenge, they wouldn¡¯t pick this ce as a venue. Coboration with Madara? That¡¯s even more ridiculous. The Unifying Guild believes in Chaos and follows the Twilight Dragon, how can they work together with Madara believes in the Laws of Darkness?]

    He shook his held to clear his messy thoughts. He pointed at different directions and instructed: ¡°The six of you, move separately.¡±

    The most important thing right now was to save his own life.

    [Ah. But maybe what I told them to do was unnecessary. Should I call them back? ... No, it¡¯s better to be prepared, especially since it doesn¡¯t make a difference if they are here or not.]

    Brendel would have normally been delighted to order these Iron-ranked mercenaries to and fro, but right now in this cold and harsh reality, there was a Gold-Ranked swordsman who was trying to pick a bone with him, and it made him unsettled.

    For a person to unlock the Third-tier strength, his Overall Power Rating had to be over one hundred OZ.

    [That swordsman is using a thin de, so he is probably training in the Elven swordsmanship which focuses on agility. If that¡¯s the case he might have over 120 OZ in agility and his reactions must be faster than a normal person by twenty over times. That kind of speed burst is two times faster than a racing car. To handle that, his physique is also strong enough to handle the pressure from the air resistance. 60 OZ in physique. That defense is the rough equivalent of a tank. If I use the wind bullet against it... A dent?]

    A swordsman who had unlocked the Third-tier, could be described as a monster in human form. Brendel thought of what was going to happen if he received a blow from him.

    [Booooom, fly into the walls, passing through several of them before finally stopping? That person could run around the entire ce under one minute and search for me. Even if I send the twelve men out to dy him, that¡¯s only a few seconds worth. A few seconds means nothing to me, but in that time he could have killed me many times over.]

    Brendel sighed. He thought he had basically controlled the situations under his ns. He was always very careful to avoid the existences of these people. In his adventures, the only mistake that he had was offending the Unifying Guild, but he was certain to avoid their eyes.

    The only thing that he did not realize, was that this current situation was nothing more than a coincidence. Brendel got up and pulled out the soldier¡¯s sword, then looked back at the door. The remaining Lopes Mercenaries had secured the passageway, while the corridor was silent and empty. But this silence made one uneasy.

    Brendel disyed the Holy Sword card. White wings extended behind him, and a gigantic sword appeared behind him with the sigils of golf flowers. This was the third time he brought out this card. The power of the sword entered his body, and he like he could destroy the walls with a single finger. But he knew that it was just an illusion, and he only became as strong as mid-tier Silver-ranked fighter.

    [Sure, it allows me to hurt the opponent, but the agility difference between us will result in me getting pierced through my thraot. But this still gives me a chance.]

    There were several screams that came from the corridor, and the Merceranies of Lopes card immediately darkened by half.

    Brendel¡¯s heart gripped tightly. He raised his head and happened to see the young silver-haired noble slowly walking out from the corner. He wore a short ck colored cloak and held a rapier in his hand, and there were droplets of blood on his de.

    [Crystal Scorpion Sting. It¡¯s not even close to the most damaging weapon for its level at 60, but the toughness of the sword is amazing. When I was still a noob, I heard a veteran saying users of this weapon had extreme confidence in his skills.]

    Brendel did not know if that statement was true, but at least from the appearance of this man, he looked like he trusted in himself.

    At the same time he looked at Tirste, the noble was looking back at him with amethyst colored eyes. When he saw the remnants of the Holy Sword on his back, it narrowed slightly, before looking at the rest of the men behind him.

    [It looks like he has some skills, but that¡¯s nothing really much for me to take note of. Even if I don¡¯t show my fangs at him, I¡¯m still able to pressure him. If that¡¯s the case...]

    Tirste flicked his sword and returned it to his sheath, and the corners of his lips lifted. His smile was as sweet as a girl¡¯s serene smile.

    The attractive youth¡¯s eyebrow lifted slightly: ¡°Have I seen you before somewhere?¡±

    Brendel did not know what he was nning, and could only force himself to be calm. He gave a derisive smile, showing part of his teeth, before saying: ¡°Indeed. I believe that you stabbed me with a sword about a minute ago. But before that moment, I have not seen you at all, Ser.¡±

    He spat the words out. As he did so, he was quietly opening his Window Stats, and the lines appeared before him like a waterfall.

    [4730 XP. The Elemental Scroll saved me nearly 2000 XP, and most importantly it saved me the time frompleting the mission. Even a few days are too wasteful.]

    Tirste shook his head, not angry at all: ¡°No. We met much earlier. I am certain that I have seen you inside the Cavalry Headquarters.¡±

    ¡°Cavalry Headquarters?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Brendel suddenly realized something, but he was much more rxed after he thought about it, and he spoke calmly.

    ¡°My name is Tirste. I chose this name for myself, taken from the Kirrlutz ancient word ¡®Tiryhd¡¯ which means ¡®struggle¡¯. If you are asking about my identity, then I am the Master Sergeant of the White-Mane army, and the right hand of the Silver-winged Cavalry¡¯smander, as known as viscount Marnowell. Butpared to these boring titles, I still like my name. It is simple, meaningful and full sacrifice.¡±

    [...... This is the first time I have seen someone bragging his own name with a smile like that.] Brendel thought to himself.

    [So it¡¯s him. Does that mean that he had already found the truth to Amandina¡¯s situation? It¡¯s unlikely, unless that cripple betrayed me... Does the cripple have that kind of courage?]

    Brendel forced himself to remain calm in case Tirste discovered something.

    [Viscount Tirste. He did not make too much of a ssh in the Aouine¡¯s history. The only impression I have of him is how he fell in love with a bard which ended sadly. But I do know of his personality. He might appear frivolous, but this person is careful to the point of being inflexible.]

    Brendel suspected that he had something to do with the Unifying Guild since he was the right hand of the Silver-wingedmander, Megeska. Looking at how mysterious his actions were, he was most likely rted to the Unifying Guild. But Brendel was quite surprised. Tirste did not match the lore within the game, where he was described as bullied since he was young and had a twisted personality because of that. The Tirste in front of him waspletely unperturbed without appearing to be a hypocrite.

    Tirste¡¯s smile was like a beautiful snake. Even though Brendel knows there was dangering from him, but he could not help but appreciate that elegance.

    Tirste¡¯s hand was still on his sword, as though he was trying to say ¡®there is still unfinished business, and I don¡¯t deny the fact that I might run you through, but other than that, we can chat freely.¡¯ It was as thought he had put aside life and death, and held on to his own principles.

    Brendel was unable to find any weakness from his appearance. But the other soul in him had a fiery resistance to the powerful, otherwise he would not have fought against Madara for ten years. A cold smile illuminated his face, showing that he was calm.

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall offending you. Vicount Tirste.¡±

    Tirste¡¯s eyes contracted slightly.

    [This man isn¡¯t simple. I made a sneak attack on him and he actually managed to escape my attack as a low tier Iron-ranked fighter. This means that he has some measure of skill. And now...]

    It was a simple rebuttal, but it was a riposte and it was a trap to get more information out of him. The noble with silver hair felt a little awkward, and he rubbed his nose a little. He did not want to be led by his nose, but his pride did not allow him to pretend that he did not hear Brendel¡¯s words.

    ¡°Well spoken. But not everyone in this world has a choice.¡± Tirste said.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes narrowed a little. Tirste was offered a carrot before using a stick, and it appeared the situation was not as good as he imagined. But handing over Amandina was not a possible choice. He worked his mind furiously as he quietly put all his points into the Mercenary ss, finally reach level 20.

    For the first time, his strength broke past the limits of 10 OZ. Even though it was still beneath Tirste eyes, he had risen to a mid-tier Iron rank fighter.

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Brendel¡¯s hand suppressed the Holy Sword¡¯s strnegth, and his hands were sweaty.

    Tirste seemed to have seen through Brendel¡¯s actions, but he did not act upon it. However, this behavior actually made Brendel feel like he was facing a great enemy, and as a veteran warrior, Brendel was trying to find every possibility where Tirste was going to attack, and a bead of cold perspiration streaked past his forehead.

    [This damned Tirste... Even though he looks like he doesn¡¯t care, but he¡¯s watching me closely.]

    ¡°Let¡¯s be straightforward. What is your rtionship to Leto?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s face color nearly turned when he heard Tirste¡¯s question, but the qualities that he had gotten so far from his experience were not false. Within an instant, he had calmed down and answered coolly: ¡°What Leto.¡±

    Brendel looked like he did not know anything, but his mind was crashing around like a ship at the mercy of a thunderstorm.

    [From what position is Tirste asking me from? Regional noble? White-mane army? Unifying Guild? Shit, it feels like all these possibilities are possible, but there¡¯s no hard evidence. But the most important thing is how much they know.]

    Brendel stared at Tirste¡¯s eyes as it was his forte, and he had tricked many top yers from Madara, but appeared like it was ineffective here.

    Tirste did not find any mistakes from Brendel, but that was precisely why he became suspicious. He smiled: ¡°Your answer doesn¡¯t mean anything, and killing you is the simplest solution to me. But your performance has me appreciate your talents. I don¡¯t really care what you say, because there¡¯s no meaning¡ª Brendel, right? I only want to ask you this, are you willing to join us?¡±

    Brendel really wanted to act ignorant and say ¡®Us?¡¯, but when he saw the hand on the sword wearing a ck ring with the shape of a snake biting its tail, he gulped down his answer. He knew that Tirste was giving him a final warning, either join him or report to Mother Marsha.

    But joining the Unifying Guild was a torture to Brendel. They were just second to Madara as his greatest enemy. That was not the only thing, because joining the infamous Unifying Guild meant that he had to ept their branding for his whole life. This was not a road that he was willing to walk, unless there was no road left.

    Brendel stopped fiddling with his Windows Stats.

    He had to choose between Tirste¡¯s sword or the Unifying Guild.

    The room was full of dead silence.

 volume 2 - 57

    TL: Again, all the recent chapters are unedited and unpolished, so Engrish beware.

    12 more ch.

    Chapter 57 ¨C Weight

    Brendel sat down on a chair with a hesitant face and looked at viscount Tirste, but his mind was conscious of the new facts that came to him, and was moving quickly.

    [The Unifying Guild most likely suspects the rtionship between Leto and me. I don¡¯t know how Tirste recognized me, but this means that the news leaked very much earlier than I suspected. The Unifying Guild bastards¡¯ goals are authority. The entire kingdom, royal family or the government are their enemies. If the Unifying Guild is interested in us, then it¡¯s because of the effects we had on the refugees.]

    Brendel¡¯s lips curled up slightly.

    [If I consider that, then I still have a certain gambling chip... No, I shouldn¡¯t see it as a chip. A bnce scale is more appropriate for this situation. Tirste has a Weight called ¡°Brendel¡¯s life¡±, and my Weight is ¡°The ability to control the masses¡±. Which is heavier, that¡¯s difficult to say.]

    Brendel would not act like a rookie at this juncture, and he was certain that he had an advantage for knowing what the opponent had in his hand.

    [I won¡¯t give on the stakes yet!]

    Brendel tilted his head and gave a small smile, lowering his attitude: ¡°Very well. You won, or perhaps I should say your sword has won. Viscount Marnowell, Ser Tirste. I have not dealt with you before, but since you believe that I have something to do with the Red Bronze Dragon, Leto, then I will be open with you. I¡¯m sure you want me to join you, but your goals should not end just there right¡ª¡±

    He spoke and send a small gesture to his summons to watch for any other intruders around the area, as he did not want anyone else to interfere with his ns. The gesture was mostly hidden, and it did not fool Tirste¡¯s eyes. Brendel had intended to show that on purpose.

    A gesture could sent the correct signals, and it could also transmit the wrong hint.

    After receiving the order, the two mercenaries expressed themselves through their eyes. They took their axes and stood silently on each side of the door. The mercenaries had all the qualities of the legends, unified, brave, loyal, as well as having a great insight to strategies.

    Tirste ced most of his attention on Brendel with a hand on his sword, but when the mercenaries moved, he lifted an eyebrow.

    [These mercenaries are as good as the rumors. No wonder they are able to clear a path through Madara¡¯s armies.]

    Brendel had sessfully led Tirste to reconsider the situation.

    Tirste believed that the youth in front of him was quite likely to be the mastermind of the mercenaries, and in truth his guess was not wrong. But the problem it was only a guess. When he tried to find some evidence through Brendel¡¯s words, he did not say anything useful at all.

    The first basis of the negotiation was, ¡®Brendel is the leader of Leto and the mercenaries¡¯.

    Brendel looked slightly nervously at Tirste, afraid that Tirste would somehow object or just stab him with his sword. But he exhaled quietly with great relief.

    [It looks like the viscount is at least a capable and self-conceited person. The first step is working well, but herees the next step of maintaining the power struggle and manipting him¡ª]

    Tirste did not have Brendel¡¯s skills in maniption. He merely smiled with agreement in his heart. Brendel was willing to disclose his identity, so Tirste felt that Brendel was being sincere. The Unifying Guild did not mind giving out generous promises, as long as they were given absolute loyalty.

    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. So tell me, what exactly are we nning?¡± The young noble put down his sword and asked patiently.

    Brendel took a silent breath and cursed him. Tirste was really troublesome to handle.

    ¡°A normal person in your position would be wondering what the mercenaries are nning to do, especially when the mastermind is hiding behind someone¡¯s back. With the tens of thousands of refugees gathering in Brus, and the slow reaction from the nobles, these refugees might as well be a barrel of gunpowder waiting to erupt.¡± Brendel held onto the armrest and said without any change to his expression.

    ¡°Very good,¡± Tirste: ¡°So what are your goals?¡±

    [Goals? What are my goals, you ask? Isn¡¯t it to find some base so I can level up, set up some political party and be the president?]

    Brendel rolled his eyes in his mind, but he was unable to find a good answer to this question so he countered with the same question: ¡°And what are your goals?¡±

    ¡°I will do what the Unifying Guild orders to me.¡± Tirste smiled and said politely.

    Very few people knew what the Unifying Guild¡¯s true goals are, but there were many who had heard of its infamy, and it reached even distant shores. They had caused great tragedies in different ces, and the people who discussed the events would have their expressions changed. People saw them as devils incarnate.

    Brendel knew them well, but he acted like he was understanding them for the first time. Heughed twice: ¡°It seems that we don¡¯t have the same idea, but our ns line up together on this matter.¡±

    Brendel lied through his teeth.

    Tirste turned his head back to look at the other mercenaries. They looked like they were indifferent. He believed in his eyes, and he could find even the smallest change in one¡¯s expression. His conclusion was that the youth¡¯s followers were not against Brendel¡¯s words, or at least he did not lie.

    Tirste thought for a while but he did not understand Brendel¡¯s words: ¡°Exin.¡±

    Brendel recalled some words from his female leader. ¡®The best way to lie to someone, is to let them hear what they want to hear.¡¯ It was not something that was tooplicated, but he thought that beautiful women knew how to lie well. Since his female leader was one of the top beauties in the game, she was most likely correct.

    Stray thoughts entered Brendel¡¯s mind, but he had already decided on his words.

    ¡°To put it simply. You¡¯re against the country. I¡¯m against the country. But you¡¯re idealists, I¡¯m someone ambitious, that is as simple as it is.¡± He answered with half truths.

    The word ¡®idealists¡¯ won Tirste¡¯s good will. ¡°It seems like our paths are indeed different. But I think I understand what you¡¯re trying to say. You don¡¯t want to join us, you want us to be allies.¡± His thumb stroked the sword¡¯s hilt. ¡°Are you not afraid to die?¡±

    ¡°Even if you kill me, Aouine is a dying country that has many predators waiting for it, and you won¡¯t hurt the overall situation. But if I¡¯m alive, we would have mutual benefits, and you might even get assistance from my side. Of course, this isn¡¯t entirely free¡ª¡±

    ¡°But you must know, the Unifying Guild¡¯s job isn¡¯t to create a new kingdom on top of ruins.¡± Tirste was all smiles.

    ¡°Allow me introduce myself. When the old system fails, a new system would grown on its corpse. That is my job.¡±

    Brendel had exceptional talent in lying as he had no change to his heart or expression.

    ¡°That is certainly brave,¡± The noble started pping in spite of himself: ¡°Because of Aouine¡¯s different factions gathering their own power, the local nobles are scheming hard to gain independence. I am quite certain they would not expect a youth to rave like this. Tell me, what exactly do you have to steal power from the Corvado Family that had ruled thisnd for centuries.¡±

    Brendelughed with confidence, but it hardly hid his guilt. However, Tirste had already started to believe in Brendel¡¯s words with a preconceived mindset andpletely did not expect he was full of shit.

    ¡°Gamblers don¡¯t have the confidence of a certain win. As long as the returns are big enough, the only thing that matters is the bravery to see it through. You must understand that ¡®risks¡¯ had never been used to test the desperate.¡±

    ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, that means we¡¯re doing pointless stuff right?¡± Tirste put his weight into one side as he raised his arms.

    The Unifying Guild¡¯s directive was to return to Chaos, but Brendel was telling him that the Laws were continuously destroyed and repaired like a natural cycle.

    ¡°If there are no advantages for us, what do you think I should do?¡± Tirste asked.

    ¡°When a kingdom falls into internal strife, civilization would decline, isn¡¯t that your goal?¡± Brendel went straight for the jugr.

    Tirste¡¯s expression changed slightly, as if to reflect his heart: ¡°Looks like you really do understand us.¡±

    ¡°I understand ALL my friends and enemies.¡± Brendel said with double meaning in his words.

    Brendel¡¯s forehead was starting to perspire. This was the final moment.

    Tirste fell into deep thought. At this moment his condescending attitude was gone. It was the first time that he found the youth in front of him to be much moreplicated than what he had imagined.

    He did not entirely believe Brendel¡¯s words, but Brendel¡¯s steadfast resolution had intrigued him. His hand was on his sword, his heart was clear on the numerous events that letting a person to have disastrous consequences.

    But was the youth going to threaten him?

    ¡°I still have another question, have you been to the Pine Fortress?¡± Tirste finally raised his head and asked a question without really thinking about it.

    Brendel¡¯s expression changed. He was incredibly worried that the Unifying Guild would discover that he killed a high ranking member. He had an advantage that the bodyguard in the fortress was at least two sub-tiers above his Iron-rank, and he would hardly be suspected.

    But if the Unifying Guild was able to discover his presence, what was to say they could not discover the truth now?

    But before Brendel had the chance to think about his reply, Tirste¡¯s hand suddenly shed, and the sword was alreadying towards him.

    [He discovered the truth?] Brendel¡¯s heart turned cold and he subconsciously turned on the charge technique, but he immediately suppressed the thought to counter attack, as he had seen the path of Tirste¡¯s sword when he raised his speed by ten fold¡ª

    Brendel knew that Tirste was testing him.

    And just like he thought, the sword struck behind him and into the chair.

    Brendel felt his forehead turning cold with perspiration.

    ¡°A mid-tier Iron-rank,¡± Tirste muttered to himself, frowning: ¡°Looks like you¡¯re not that garbage¡¯s match. But this is really strange, how can the timing be such a coincidence?¡±

    Brendel did not say anything, but he was cursing at Tirste for suspecting his abilities even at this moment.

    Tirste put his sword back into his sheath and looked deeply at the youth. ¡°How much trouble can you create for the nobles in the near future?¡±

    He asked.

 volume 2 - 58

    TL: I hope you guys enjoy the end of that auction mini-arc, kind of want to close the file on that auction site. What¡¯s going to happen next is me finishing my assignments first before going back to TL. That means I¡¯m not going to TL TAS for a few days until maybe Thursday or Friday.

    11 more ch to go

    TL: Scroll down a lot if you want to skip to the story, otherwise read on for some analysis on the in-text power rankings.

    I recall ament on Mahouka Rettousei¡¯s protagonist Tatsuya, describing him as a shark swimming in a very small pool, because he owned everyone in school. I find that it kind of applies to Brendel too. Most of themoners/mercs react in a very WTF manner whenever Brendel does his stuff, but when ites to the really strong people like Tirste, Brendel gets his ass handed to him.

    Just for some level info rehash

    Iron-ranked Tier is 16-30 (Brendel recently increased his level to 20.)

    Silver-ranked is 31-40

    Gold-ranked is 41-60 (Tirste is assumed to be level 40+ since his description is one who has just entered Gold Rank)

    ¨C Gold-rank + nearly unlocks Elemental power, 50-51

    ¨C Gold-rank + unlocked Elemental power, 51-60

    Above that is some other term that I¡¯ll revisitter since these characters have not appeared yet.

    Here¡¯s a power hierarchy that¡¯s based on innate talent (ranked by me).

    Commoners

    Soldiers/most mercs

    Freya/Felix/Brendel (without the cheat system)

    Ebdon/some of the Madara undeads

    Tirste/People with ¡®Blessed¡¯ status/Brendel¡¯s grandfather probably/yers in the game

    Tulman (neswalker candidate to surpass level 160, but he failed)

    neswalker who surpassed level 160

    So just based purely on the history and lore, Freya managed to climb to the Goddess of War level some timeter at the end of Aouine¡¯s demise. I¡¯ll assume that she¡¯s at level 60+, maybe just slightly higher than gold rank and reached the next level.

    Brendel/Felix has been described to be really good in the path of the sword, so if they are still alive, they will reach around Freya¡¯s level, but probably slightly lower.

    And they have basic NPCmoner stats.

    I think I read somewhere from Brendel¡¯s description in the story, Ebdon bes really powerful if he¡¯s not killed, and he¡¯s alive even after Freya died in the original lore, and gave yers a really hard time, so he¡¯s next in hierarchy.

    ¡®Blessed¡¯ Status. As you can see, Tirste¡¯s stats are off the charts. He has been described as having two times the speed of a F1 racing car (120 agility), and he has the toughness of a tank (60 phys), and stopped the Crusader Executioner with one hand. And he¡¯s just level 40+.

    Brendel¡¯s grandfather is very likely to be powerful as heck, because Brendel had repeatedly said that he¡¯s too good to be just a veteran from the November war.

    When I look at it from a DnD POV, the stats growth of Brendel¡¯s profession is also garbage. His mercenary growth stats are better than his militia growth, certainly, but he¡¯s actually trying hard to save his XP, probably for his Knight or Pdin ss which has much higher stats growth. Since there¡¯s a limit at level 160, I can assume that his stats growth from his profession is limited, and he also has topete with ¡®Blessed¡¯ enemies whose stats are maybe two times higher than him.

    This is where I¡¯m still immensely impressed because the author is really quite intricate with his overall stats progression and still makes sense from many angles. I think that it¡¯s a little strange that Brendel is the only one with MTG/neswalker status, but I don¡¯t really think it makes him that OP yet, considering that he¡¯s simplycking that base growthpared to a ¡®Blessed¡¯ character.

    Anyways, I still find TAS to be awesome. There¡¯s quite a bit of fine details that I think people might miss so I¡¯m putting my input here.

    /End info

    Chapter 58 ¨C Disaster¡¯s aftermath

    ¡°A riot?¡±

    Batum was sitting on top of a thick tree branch, which appeared to be a elm or beech tree. His legs stomped onto the base of it as he suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose and looked up with an expression of disbelief.

    This abandoned sawmill was outside Brus, right along the edge of the forest. Sparse tree stumps could still be seen. Most of the wooden logs came from the north of the Pine River, and the people here intercepted the logs and process them here. The factory could be seen from the nearby pine trees, while one could see the corner of the building here.

    It was time for the moon to be nearly up in the sky, indicating that the rise of Mana. Matteya described this period ¡®The slumber of myriad creatures¡¯. neswalkers could only use the Blue, ck, Gray, Green and White cards during this phase, allowing them ess to defense and counterattack manuevers.

    Brendel watched thest few birds fly into the shadowy forest as the white moon appeared above the pine forest, before everything went quite with the exception of the asional sounds from the birds.

    The city of Brus was to the north, and if one was to gaze from the edge of the forest, they would find an aurora on top of the darkened mountains. Stars lit the sky and it looked like there were precious gems decorating it.

    Brendel was familiar with this ce. One half of him recalled that he used to train with a sword here with his grandfather. The other half recalled that this ce would be a bandits¡¯ den seven yearster, and after the Regent Princess went after the illegal merchants, the underground auctions were moved and held here.

    Brendel felt slightly dazed as he went back and forth to the two memories, and the images felt like they were faded yellow photos.

    Amandina stood uneasily beneath the open sky. She wore a pretty white dress. She had never been out to the outskirts of Brus sote, and even she was still a young noble girl, she had rarely attended slumber parties with the other girls. She had always felt she was somewhat of a loner, but she had proudly thought that it was because she was nothing like the other ignorantdies.

    She gazed at the silver moon. She was slightly apprehensive in the dark forest, but she was also feeling curious, and she wanted to keep on going with the people around her as the adventurous streak and thrill seeking feelings grew in her heart.

    It waspletely new and exciting for her.

    But she quickly stopped that and calmed down. She took over Batum¡¯s words and gave her own opinion.

    ¡°If Tirste isn¡¯t testing us, then the Unifying Guild is nning something and needs us to draw the attention of the nobles. And I think there¡¯s the possibility of both that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just as well, my lord. We shouldn¡¯t have any dealings with these devils in human skin.¡± Batum raised his voice: ¡°Now that the bastard in a noble¡¯s attire isn¡¯t here, he can¡¯t threaten any of us. My lord, didn¡¯t you say ou¡¯re going Randner? All of us will follow you there! I want to see if he can do anything to us once we¡¯re gone!¡±

    Amandina listened to Batum and looked at Brendel. She finally realized that Brendel was not just a high ranking member of the mercenaries, he was the leader amongst them. This made him appear more mysterious in her eyes..

    But what made her steel her heart was Tirste¡¯s identity as the Unifying Guild¡¯s member. That organization name in Aouine was not just infamy, and the girl paled when she heard of that name. Even though she wondered if Brendel was lying to her, but it looked there was no need for the young knight to do so.

    She quickly saw that Brendel was shaking his head.

    Brendel took his mind off the Windows Stats. He was certain that neswalker was not a profession. He had seen no indication of the word anywhere in it, and it was not even a title or sub-profession.

    [A neswalker¡¯s core is still the Cards of Fate. If I¡¯m able to read the cards through the system, then maybe I can see this as a unique item that has its own system, and based on that a yer can simte and implement the abilities of any profession. Even though this is outside the rules of the game and it looks like it¡¯s very powerful, but if any yer can make use of it, it¡¯s not something that¡¯s uniquely powerful.]

    Brendel could only guess why it did not appear in the game but appeared in this world.

    But what Brendel was surprise was how this ¡®item¡¯ system could grow. It was not limited to just gathering more cards, but was also based on the individual level. When he was level ten as a mercenary, he had four cards, when he rose to level thirteen, he had five cards, and the Elements rted to the Knight cardbination, Red, Gold and Gray, had risen by one cell in his Elemental Pool.

    That was when he heard Batum¡¯s words.

    Batum¡¯s words somehow reflect his own heart, but he knew that it was not possible for him to think this way right now. He was no longer a pure gamer.

    [Aligning with the Unifying Guild might be an advantage. It¡¯s quite obvious that I¡¯m not going to work with them, but I need to consider how to stab them in the back from this position...]

    So he shook his head.

    ¡°What?¡± Batum was stunned and asked hesitatingly: ¡°My lord, are you going to work with them? These people are terrible, they have never had any goodwill to their name.¡±

    Amandina wanted to say something but she stopped herself. Brendel¡¯s decision had made her sigh with relief. She had originally wanted to warn Brendel that the Unifying Guild¡¯s influence was not small, and if Tirste allowed him to leave, he must have a backup n.

    She did not wish for ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯ mercenaries to have a strong enemy behind their backs even before they left Grinoires. As her advisor, she was already cing them as his private property.

    ¡°I understand what they are, Batum. But you have to consider the aftermath for everything. If I suggested this idea to that bastard, I wouldn¡¯t say a lie that can be broken anytime.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it mean we have to encourage the refugees to cause a riot?¡± Batum scratched his head, and appeared unwilling to do it.

    ¡°Of course not, Brendel will definitely have a solution. Back in Be, we all called him almighty Brendel!¡± Little Romaine was picking rocks up and throwing them into the river, but she turned her head around and argued with indignance.

    [When did you give me a new nickname in Be again?] Brendel eyed thess with chargin.

    The original dresses that Romaine and Amandina wore were damaged during the chaos in the auction site, and they had gone back to change before regrouping.

    Brendel had bought a few dresses for during the escape from Be and she had kept them like they were treasure, but now she wore one of Amandina¡¯s formal ck dress, which was exceptionallypatible for her. It was a splendid dress that flowed behind her, and underneath her skirt a whitece petticoat.

    She walked with assured confidence and a unique air, and her full chest was matched by the tight fitting dress, and her slim waist ended with a beautiful curve, even making Amandina jealous of her.

    But Amandina still specially tied her light brown hair with a flower ornament into a stylish hairstyle, and when Brendel saw Romaine, she proudly spun one round with a sweet smile, even throwing him a foxy wink. Even till now, Brendel would still lose himself when he looked at her.

    [She looks like a great merchant from Ampere Seale who deals with huge transactions..... Except no one would roll up her sleeves and pick up rocks to throw in the river with a serious expression to see if the rocks went further than thest.]

    Brendel did not really understand why she had to wear such a troublesome outfit into this wilderness, but he guessed that it would be something like ¡®Because I¡¯m a merchant!¡¯, which was an answer that really did not go through thinking.

    Batum looked doubtfully at Brendel after listening to Romaine¡¯s answer.

    Brendel nodded: ¡°Even before half a month, these refugees that gathered to the south of Brus will cause problems. The festival right now might soothe them for a while, but it ultimately does not solve the root of the problems. This is not something that the nobles living avish life will understand.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± This time Amandina was curious.

    Brendel nodded. ¡°The August¡¯s Riot¡±, was not a big deal in history, but it was enough to give an answer to Tirste and they did not have to lift a finger.

    Brendel did not have any thoughts about stopping the riot, especially when he did not have the means to do so. Finding a suitable ce for the refugees to live in was a difficult problem, and none of the nobles wanted to receive this burden, and no one could handle it either.

    [How is one going to find food for these tens of thousands of people? That¡¯s finding three hundred tons of food per month.]

    Batum opened and closed his mouth. He did not expect for thisplicated problem to be solved easily by Brendel¡¯s lips. He looked back at Amandina who did not seemed to worry as much as him. She was unlike Batum who thought of only the simplest profit and loss, but even she found that Brendel seemed to know something more than any of them.

    Brendel spotted Roen walking out from the dark forest, and he became alert. He had let the cripple check something out in the city, and it seemed that he had answers ready.

    Indeed, Roen came along with two short thieves from the bushes and came to Brendel.

    ¡°We discovered the cause. It¡¯s really because of the fuckwits who were negligent and allowed the undead toe in as disguised merchants.¡± Roen said.

    ¡°Who exactly was the culprit?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the cavalry leaders, called Cncadr.¡± Roen wanted to say something more, but he saw Brendel shaking his head.

    [That person is the futuremander of the Silver-wingedmander¡ª]

    ¡°That person swears allegiance to the Royal Crown...¡± Brendel muttered to himself.

    [Negligence... I see. This matter isn¡¯t as simple as it looks. Just thinking about the Fire Seed, it seems like this event has something to do with the political strife with the Royal Crown and the other factions. Because of the riot in Brus, some of these historic events are not noted down, otherwise I would have known about it.]

    Brendel thought about it carefully and he suddenly broke into cold perspiration.

    [What does this mean? Did the Royal family lure the top nobles by selling the Fire Seed, and allow the undead toe into the auction so they would kill them? What the fuck? Isn¡¯t this ying with fire? I can¡¯t believe Oberg the seventh can think of this fucking plot. It¡¯s fortunate that Incirsta isn¡¯t here in Grinoires, otherwise the entire southern region would be overrun if he attacked. Damn it, perhaps this bastard is even the cause of the erosion in Southern Aouine.]

    TL: So that king meeting up with that undead ambassador is... because of this? I mean the story is insinuating a lot of things, so I can¡¯t be sure of whatever, but it¡¯s really quite crazy if that¡¯s true lol.

 volume 2 - 59

    TL: Schedule again is pretty tight for me, so it¡¯s still 1 chapter per week, and if there¡¯s a need to I might even have to put it at a ¡®TBD¡¯ schedule.

    This is my final 3+ months before I graduate, so I¡¯m going to put in a great deal of thought as to what kind of approach I want to have for my portfolio.

    I believe TAS has a lot of potential for a portfolio. It has game elements, which is useful for UI design, the cards based system also allows for some MTG/hearthstone drawings, and finally the characters allow for both illustrations and character designs. If I want to, I can even draw the battlendscape as environmental concept art, ie, Brendel vs Ebdon.

    This allows for two (major) paths for me in the future.

    a) I be a frencer > draws illustrations/TAS web manga/manhua (style not decided), or some other free JP  into webmanga (hopefully with blessings from author if I do) as a living.

    b) Work for apany > draws whatever is handed on my te + doing TAS/ stuff in my free time.

    I know there are a lot of people who want to see more chapters for this series, but it has to be on hold because this is my final chance to ask my lecturers for reviews on the stuff I do.

    Chapter 59 ¨C Thest night in Brus (1)

    The start of Aouine¡¯s final demise came about from civil wars. Oberg the seventh had gradually felt that he was bing frail from his old age, and he was desperate to clear the path for the new king¡¯s ascension to the throne. In the end, he was unable to wait any longer and acted against the two southern duchies in the southern kingdom, which were his greatest threats.

    Oberg the seventh had ascended to the throne only when he was thirty nine years old. This king who was fated to have a terrible demise had great ambition when he was young, and he was determined to his grandfather, King Ansen. That was the period where he created the militia draft and city guards in the cities, allowing central Aouine to be the strongest in its era.

    Unfortunately, Oberg the seventh witnessed how the arrogant duke Arreck practically forced Oberg the sixth to change the militiaws, and that event had forever left a dark impression in his heart. Unlike King Ansen who ruled with both firmness and flexibility, as well as ruthlessness and clemency at the right moments, Oberg the seventh did not possess the skill to do so. In addition, the era during King Ansen¡¯s rule was peaceful and without wars. The royal crown was able to control the military forces without any trouble, while the current era was fraught with constant wars.

    The wind became stronger in Brus¡¯s outskirts. It came from the direction of the sea, and the wind followed the northern mountainous region Karanjar to Randner¡¯s mountainous region, bringing along the scent of the forest and rivers across its long journey, and finally entered everyone¡¯s lungs.

    Romaine was standing barefooted in the water as she held the hems of her dress up. She looked up and closed her eyes to feel the wind on her face and neck.

    ¡°Brendel, the wind in this ce feels like the exact same in Be!¡± She took a deep breath and eximed excitedly.

    Amandina also took a deep breath, but she immediately coughed.

    Brendel nced at her before looking up. The night wind was bringing a dense cloud from the west and it covered a huge area. It blocked the stars, as if to signify that the kingdom was facing a bleak future.

    Brendel did not feel any burden on him, and instead felt excitement coursing through his nerves. The future civil chaos that wasing soon, was a chance for him with his meager strength to change a heavy and cold history that was seemingly carved onto a rock.

    This dark cloud was not a manifestation of a delusion, but a signal for him to start moving. Brendel suddenly turned his head back, as if he had sniffed out a sign from the air, and his cheeks even had a faint blush of excitement.

    ¡°Did you get the money?¡±

    Roen did not understand why a simple news of the guard¡¯s mistake sent Brendel into a short daze, and he felt that Brendel was bing harder to read. He had witnessed Brendel¡¯s strength when he fought against the Zombie Ounder.

    [That ability isn¡¯t normal at all. Now that I think about it, this man really is that old bastard¡¯s descendant.]

    He looked at Brendel for a moment longer before answering in a convinced attitude.

    ¡°The money has been received, and I transferred the money to a safe ce ording to your instructions.¡±

    ¡°Did the people from the auction site pay anypensation?¡±

    Roen was startled, but he immediately nodded.

    Brendel knew that the auction was ran by a famous noble. It was an open secret, and to these people having a good reputation was more important than money, thus he was not afraid that that there was going to be a loss.

    ¡°How much did you receive?¡± Brendel asked.

    Roen counted with his fingers.

    ¡°Around two hundred and fifty thousand Tor.¡±

    Brendel nodded and looked back at the river¡¯s direction and found Romaine walking back to him with a pair of shoes in her hands.

    He looked at Batum and Amandina next.

    ¡°Very well. With this our business with Brus should be concluded. ¡±

    [Although there are a few other things that should be done... There¡¯s a mission within the nobles¡¯ library that teaches some low level techniques, and the Star-crossed inn¡¯s quest on the golden wine, increasing 1 OZ strength permanently... If I attempt these quests, I¡¯ll be using at least a month to get them, and that will dy things.]

    He wanted to pursue perfection and get every advantage here, but the change in Brus as well as the Unifying Guild¡¯s appearance made him realize that this ce was not suitable to stay any longer.

    Once these signs appeared, Brendel had made the decision with his fastest reaction and decided to leave as soon as possible.

    [Either the east or south area. We should go deep into Randner¡¯s mountains or forest to seek the treasures there.]

    ¡°Where should we go?¡± Even though Batum kept grumbling about leaving this damned ce, but he was a little uneasy when it was time to move. Even though he understood from Brendel¡¯s suggestion that they could escape to Randner¡¯s forest and mountains, they were still entering an untamed wilderness.

    It was said that following the river or crossing over the forest after Randner¡¯s mountains, was a desert that did not seem to end. The people living there described a story about a kingdom in the eastern desert: The famous Vige of Pearls, the Kingdom of Nine Phoenix.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to split our forces into two. Batum, take Roen with you and return to the squadron, and let Leto bring everyone to a ce called Gris. You need to hire a guide in order to reach there. At least for now, the safer road in Randner¡¯s main road. Based on the local etiquette, if you bring out your mercenaries g, there shouldn¡¯t be any danger.¡±

    ¡°Where is this ce, Gris?¡± Batum asked.

    ¡°The most eastern port of the kingdom.¡± Brendelughed. ¡°The scenery there isn¡¯t bad at all, and the girls there are warm. You might even find a girl of your taste.¡±

    Batum¡¯s face actually turned red as he grumbled: ¡°My lord, I¡¯m a mercenary who doesn¡¯t have a fixed ce.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s something of the past, you¡¯re my subordinate now.¡± Brendel answered earnestly.

    Batum turned quiet. Although he looked like he was still holding on to the past, he was ready to try and move to a new direction.

    ¡°My lord, what about you?¡± Batum asked after a moment.

    ¡°I have a few private things to settle¡ª¡± Brendel felt that it was a pity to lose the Thorn of Light in the auction site, but it was about time to switch to a better weapon after he was level twenty, and it was necessary to switch to a new weapon.

    In truth his stats and equipment had not really changed since the start of the month. Although reality was still within the eptable levels of his ns, and the stay in Brus was a necessary must, he was just simply not satisfied even if he was moving at a reckless speed.

    This was especially true after he encountered Tirste, and he felt the need to raise his strength once again.

    [There¡¯s a need to move faster. The next target is still that sealed kingdom, but before that I need to confirm Ebdon¡¯s words about the Lionheart.]

    Brendel did not dare to turn his back on this particr secret.

    [I need the Sage te to make the statue speak, but that¡¯s a no go for the oneing into Brus in a few days. First of all I can¡¯t wait for it, and the second is I can¡¯t find five hundred thousand Tor to buy that. The best option is to get one by doing ¡®Instances¡¯. The nearest one is the Lost Forest near Rander, the Undead Temple Ruins and the Dragon Valley. It¡¯s possible for me to go there with my level, and I just need a little preparation. Indeed, this is killing two birds with one stone since I can level up as well.]

    Batum did not say anything else after Brendel said he had other things to do, especially when his heart was taken to Gris. Brendel¡¯s description of the ce tickled his heart, as he had never seen the ocean before.

    ¡°Romaine, what¡¯s your n? Do you want to go with me or stay here to overlook the festival¡¯s work?¡± Brendel asked.

    Romaine turned her head slightly to look at him and replied naturally: ¡°Of course I¡¯m following you.¡±

    But the lights in her eyes were obviously screaming ¡®Adventure! Romaine is going on an adventure!¡¯

    ¡°You¡¯re not thinking about money?¡± Brendel was stunned and he wanted to check her forehead to see if she was having a fever.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Romaine swatted his hand away and said smugly: ¡°Lady Romaine has distributed the task properly to Sue, and the only thing left is to invest the money.¡±

    ¡°Sue?¡± Brendel was surprised as he recalled the girl who red at him with an icy expression, as he owed her a million Tor coins: ¡°Isn¡¯t she Leto¡¯s daugher?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded: ¡°She was looking for Freya. Since I¡¯m Freya¡¯s best friend, I can ask Sue for a little help, heh.¡±

    ¡°You really trust people too much¡ª¡± Brendel smacked her head lightly. This action was bing a habit recently.

    Romaine¡¯s smile was like a little cunning fox.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I should stay back.¡± Amandina suddenly said. ¡°This is supposed to be my job.¡±

    Brendely immediately stopped to look at her.

    ¡°You can¡¯t stay behind.¡±

    [Mother Marsha above, you¡¯re not staying here. Right now you and the future grandmaster Tamar are my greatest assets. Leaving both of you behind in this chaotic Brus is not an option. In order to guard against idents, both of you are leaving this ce.]

    Tamar had to bring his heavy alchemist tools along, so he was setting with Leto, and it was a risk to have all his eggs in one basket, so he decided to take Amandina separately with him.

    [It¡¯s good that Romaine ising too. It¡¯s easier for a girl to take care of another girl.]

    ¡°Tirste is still here and you know his identity. The Unifying Guild is a formidable organization and there is too much risk to allow you to stay here. Romaine can take care of you if youe with me.¡± Brendel answered carefully after a moment.

    ¡°How can I do that?¡± Amandina looked nkly at him. Even though she was slightly inclined towards adventuring, but she knew clearly that she could never adjust to that kind of life. For someone like her, adventuring was only something good in her dreams.

    Some people obey their rash thoughts but Amandina had a good head about her. Even though she still wanted to refuse Brendel, Romaine broke through her defences.

    ¡°Of course you can, Amandina. Adventuring is really interesting.¡±

    Amandina looked at Brendel. He nodded.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else to be said. Everyone should go ahead and prepare. We will enter the city separately. I¡¯m going in alone in case that bastard Tirstees after me again. Before thest star disappears in the morning, we will gather at the eastern gate.¡±

    Everyone nodded.

 volume 2 - 60

    TL: I¡¯ll be returning on 27 August in order to finish up 2 critical assignments (Finally the nightmare of drawing animals are going to end, probably). In the mean time I might have the chance to do an illustration of Brendel¡¯s squire card (Ciel).

    TL: Scroll down till you see the Poll for the tl;dr version. This TL rification section is going to go into TAS TOC as well.

    Edit: After reading thements, I want to rify further that I think I can¡¯t use a simple word as trantor for myself anymore. If you expected me to TL the original raws word for word, it¡¯s not in my TL.

    Herees sort of a story. The kind of quality I want to achieve in my TL started off from Ace Attorney. At that time, I was incredibly impressed with how the localization team came up with a relevant TL that¡¯s suited for English readers (they changed the entire JP cast name to English as well as some punchline plot), instead of just transliterating the JP version, and I felt that my trantions should emte what they do. Even back then, I was somewhat influenced in my own Mushoku Tensei¡¯s TL, which ended with me changing the cast¡¯s names quite liberally.

    This ultimately ended up as ¡®no word padding, more rity, more quality¡¯ for The Amber Sword as my trantion direction, even till now. The definition of quality means I will go spend a bit of time researching a few elements here and there, such as MTG, military sword stances, names and etc. I also change a few things that would not entirely make sense (sometimes the characters turn their heads over and over again, even though they already turned their heads and a few more).

    So there you have it, everything that I can think of (for now) about how I trante things, exined.

    If you can¡¯t ept this, then I can only say that I¡¯m really sorry you hated how I did it and wasted your time. This is not my intention.

    This will be thest time I¡¯ll write about my TLing process and TLing in general. Grrr.

    End Edit.

    So there¡¯s a review there from reader ¡®null¡¯ in novelupdates.

    ¡°Good story but trantor mess it with his/her ¡°creative editing¡±. Re-writing original story are crossing the line of what trantor should do. Might read the English trantion if another trantor trante the original story. ¡°

    And an additional post in the forums.

    ¡°1. He rewrites the story which he admit in the book 1 chapter 28 (way before I post that review). Trantor job is to interpret things not rewriting story of his version , am I rite ?

    2. Let start from prologue and we can see our going to be MC name in the new world , ²¼À¼¶à (B¨´ l¨¢n du¨­). Would you choose Brendel over Brando ? Then his mother nationality , ¿¨µØÀ×¸ç (k¨£ d¨¬ l¨¦i g¨¥). Would you choose Kadireig over Cartge ? See the 4th paragraph from below, ¸êÀ¼°£¶ûÉ­ (g¨¥ l¨¢n ¨¡i ¨§r s¨¥n). Would you choose Grinoires over Grenelson / Glenelson ?

    Doesnt take genius to see the name on that world already in western form. If we takingparison like what he say in his response. Its like tranting Full Metal Alchemist MC ¥¨ ¥É¥ï©`¥É?¥¨¥ë¥ê¥Ã¥¯ (Edow¨¡do Erurikku) into Squidward Patrick instead of Edward Elric. You dont need creative editing in the name of localization for that , rite ? :whistle:¡±

    Here¡¯s my take on TLing names.

    If the author¡¯s naming sense has a purpose and reason with either direct or indirect impact on the story, I don¡¯t mess with it. However, sometimes purpose and reason doesn¡¯te clear until somewhereter in the chapters, which happened in my previous tranted novel, Mushoku Tensei.

    The two biggest mistakes that I made were the trantion of Norn (I TLed it as Nora) and Lace (I TLed it as Lapius), which directly referenced a Norse goddess and a schr/scientific determinism, and so there is intention behind the author¡¯s motives. I only found these wayter when the plot was clearer and there were names that referenced gods and stuff.

    These names were corrected by trantors after me, and I¡¯m d it turned out that way.

    Then there¡¯s Paul (English) Greyrat, which could be Paolo or Paulo (Italian or Portuguese) depending on ¥Ñ¥¦¥í (pauro). I chose Paul, for the reason of general eptability.

    I also chose Janice Greyrat instead of Zenith. Here¡¯s the original ¥¼¥Ë¥¹ (zenisu), and well, directly goes to Zenith ter used by trantors after me). So in my Engrish mind, if I was to have a female daughter, would I name her Zenith or Janice? That¡¯s how I view names. It¡¯s either Rule of cool ormon sense.

    Therefore, my rules for TLing names are typically

    1) Author¡¯s intention and purpose for names overwrites my ¡®arbitrary¡¯ choice to make it localized as much as possible.

    2) Otherwise it¡¯s my choice to localize it so that readers can enjoy a version that is at least as good as the original or better. It is possible that my naming sense + intention isn¡¯t good enough. Maybe Brando (yes, I thought of that name and felt it sounded like a washing detergent) is better than Brendel. I don¡¯t know.

    But in response to Null¡¯s name TL, ¡®Kadireig over Cartge (¿¨µØÀ×¸ç Ka Di Lei Ge)¡¯, I¡¯ll say yes, I think Kadireig is better Cartge (connective tissue, are you serious? That¡¯s like saying, ¡®My mother is a Connective Tissue¡¯).

    Saying something like trantors shouldn¡¯t change and we should follow the author wrote word for word, really makes me incredibly displeased from a reader¡¯s POV. For those who have not experienced the CN FreeWebNovels, they tend to pad their story with words to meet a certain word count to get paid, and in chinese wording, they ¡®water¡¯ down their content with useless padding.

    It¡¯s like saying that authors don¡¯t need any editors and they can just submit their books for printing, with their mistakes and what not.

    So why did I bring this issue up now?

    That¡¯s because a probable major character¡¯s name hase up. I don¡¯t want to be go with ¡®meh here goes wolfie¡¯s horrible naming sense again, h h.¡¯ and get insulted by people who thinks I don¡¯t TL the story with heart or effort.

    I have been putting off the princess¡¯s name, but here it is now. ¸ñÀï·ÆÒò ¨C Ge Li Fei Yin

    Here¡¯s your chance to cast your poll choice on her name which sounds suspiciously like Griffin (¸ñÀï·Ò ¨C Ge Li Fen). I¡¯ll be using the phically close choice of Gryphine as a temporary measure. I now put the power in your hands now.

    What should be the name for the princess?

    Princess Griffin

    Princess Griffhine

    Princess Gryphine

    Princess Gliphine

    Princess Ghyin

    Princess Ghyin

    Princess Ghyine

    Princess Gryine

    Other names (if this gets a high %, I¡¯ll do another poll with additional choices.)

    Vote

    View ResultsPolldaddy

    Chapter 60 ¨C Thest night in Brus (2)

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Princess POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The heavy gilded door was slowly pushed open. The air currents gathered and rushed out as a low rumble pierced through eardrums, as if a dignified kingdom was weing the visitors with open arms behind the doors.

    The light from the corridors were bing visible, and there was a young girl with an angry expression standing behind the door.

    The half Elven princess wore a long full silvery-white dress, and the hems of her dress reached to the bright marble floor. Her head was raised while she stood with her back straight. Her long silver hair extended past her shoulders, while her hands were ced on the crinoline of her dress. In this dark hall with deeply marbled flooring was a blooming lily.

    She red coldly at the few people who walked out from the dim corridors¡ª

    ¡°Mydy.¡± marquis Kluge who was at the front disyed a faint surprised smile. The senior minister who had worked for the Corvado royal family for decades, ced his right on his chest and bowed deeply.

    He then regained his posture and curled his lips upwards. His smile on his gaunt face seemed to always carry a subtle condescension in it.

    ¡°Enough with the pleasantries, marquis Kluge,¡± The young girl stared in front of her without looking back at Kluge. ¡°Is my Father King in there?¡±

    ¡°My sincere apologies, mydy, His majesty is currently receiving the Madara¡¯s ambassador, and I¡¯m afraid he would not be able to see you for the time being.¡± Kluge replied with a slight smile.

    The princess¡¯s brows frowned slightly, but they quickly disappeared.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait here,¡± She held her head up as she answered: ¡°It¡¯s already midnight, I believe that Madara¡¯s ambassador wouldn¡¯t take too long.¡±

    ¡°Mydy, please take care of yourself¡ª¡± marquis Kluge looked at her back with admiration in his eyes, but his tone did not change.

    ¡°I thank you for your concern.¡±

    ¡°Then I shall take my leave.¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    The young girl¡¯s faint silver-colored eyes did not move, and simply waited for the group of people to walk past her. But after marquis Kluge took a few steps in front of her, she suddenly said quietly:

    ¡°Minister Kluge, you should be careful from ying with fire¡ª¡°

    marquis Kluge was slightly surprised from the the princess¡¯s warning. He stopped as he thought of something, and gave a gloomy smile.

    ¡°Mydy, what are you talking about?¡± He asked.

    ¡°You know clearly what I¡¯m talking about. I cannot stop the things that are happening in Brus and Fortress Cruke. But do not forget whose side the Holy Cathedral of Fire is standing on in Aouine.¡± The princess replied dispassionately.

    Kluge¡¯s expression changed slightly but he quickly recovered himself. The old cunning minister took a deep breath and answered indifferently: ¡°Thank you for the reminder, mydy.¡±

    The two of them did not wish to talk any longer, and marquis Kluge quickly left with his men behind him.

    A young man who was in the marquis¡¯s group asked: ¡°My lord, what did the princess mean?¡±

    ¡°This royal flower cannot be underestimated, Welmar.¡± Kluge answered with a dark expression: ¡°Even though our positions are in a good position, she is not idling either. The news from the outside points to the princess gathering funds by using Church Havel¡¯s name. Even though I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking, but she¡¯s definitely going to take action.¡±

    Kluge nced at the sky through the arched windows in the corridor: ¡°She gave us a warning today, but in doing so tells us that the princess still has her reservations in taking action¡ª¡°

    ¡°She¡¯s afraid to strike because she fears that her actions will damage the surroundings.¡±

    He sighed and rubbed the ring on his finger. The ouroboros looked as if it was alive on the ring, and reflected a green light to its surroundings.

    Everyone around him turned silent.

    The Elven princess did not utter any noise after Kluge left. When she turned her head back, she saw Benninger walking out from one of the pir¡¯s shadow.

    ¡°How is it?¡± The young girl asked immediately when he was close enough.

    The young man shook his head bitterly: ¡°It¡¯s no good, mydy. I did not see his majesty either¡ª¡°

    The princessposed herself.

    ¡°Mydy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going back to my territory tonight. Ser Benninger, please bring Hasel along.¡± She looked calmly in front of her: ¡°Be careful not to alert them.¡±

    ¡°Mydy, do we really have no other solutions?¡± Benninger asked in a wry expression.

    He was Seifer¡¯s son and his status was very prominent, but ever since he met princess Gryphine, he was impressed and submitted to her charm, and was willing to even lead her horse on foot to serve her.

    To the world he had overstayed his duration for a traveling noble youth, and his father had sent letter after letter to urge him to go back and inherit his position, but the youth was still lingering beside her.

    It was clear to people around them that it was the princess that held onto the youth¡¯s heart.

    Gryphine had turned sixteen on the seventh month, and was at an age for marriage discussion. However, Oberg the seventh was very fond of her and wanted her to stay by his side, and he was knew that his son Hasel had a weak personality and required her sister¡¯s help.

    It was good news for Benninger. Even though he understood there was no possibility for him and the princess, he would stay by her side as long as she stayed by the king¡¯s side. Still, it was not as if hemented over his position. If he was the eldest son and not the youngest, then there would be another situation altogether.

    The princess¡¯s words made his heart beat faster.

    [This is a huge turnaround if the princess says she¡¯s returning to her territory. It is rare for the royal family¡¯s direct descendants in history to go back to their own territory, but something really big happens whenever it does.]

    Benninger looked at the princess intently and showed uncertainty. His heart was a little expectant and fearful of the future, and felt that once they left, it would not be a simple political fight in Aouine.

    The princess¡¯s determined eyes fell onto the youth¡¯s hesitant expression under the dim light of the hall¡¯s candles. There was nothing but silence for a while.

    ¡°What are you afraid of, Ser Benninger?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a little worried about his majesty¡¯s......¡± The youth did not know how to describe his current feelings.

    [Ever since the sixth month, or more urately, the time when the Madara¡¯s ambassador came here, only minister Kluge saw him. The king¡¯s trusted ministers did not even meet up with him even once. Even the princess and prince were forced to stay within the capital.

    People are gossiping about how the king is under house arrest, but yet the nobles do not have any reaction to it. Ever since Kluge became the prime minister, the king¡¯s trust in him keeps growing and it¡¯s a know fact that Kluge¡¯s party is controlling most of the government.

    But the party don¡¯t have any interactions with the locals and received the king¡¯s trust. The royal family¡¯s faction also trusts them. Kluge¡¯s administrations and ns don¡¯t have any problems with them too. People are even describing him as the greatest politician since King Ansen¡¯s rule...]

    The situation changed during May, and Kluge appeared like he intended to vie for more power. Along with the ck Rose War, it seemed like a storm was brewing in Aouine¡¯s internal political situation.

    Admidst the suspicions and guesses that kept growing in the nobles¡¯ higher echelons, the core people from the royal faction, Oberbeck and Everton went out to settle issus with Madara. The only remaining giant faction was the leader of the Church Havel who kept out of the political situation.

    [This situation within the capital is appearing even more bleak. But at this point of time, princess Gryphine actually wants to go back to her territory. Ignoring the part where we¡¯re literally under house arrest, is the princess really going to leave her father behind?]

    It was public knowledge that the king and the princess rtionship was good, and Benninger understood that fact even more.

    The princess answered after a moment, without any change to her expression.

    ¡°Based on my father¡¯s personality, I¡¯m certain that he wouldn¡¯t agree to Madara¡¯s ridiculous proposal. Even though I don¡¯t know what that bastard Kluge has in mind for his goals, but I know that we¡¯re useless here.¡±

    ¡°The first thing I want to do is to send my younger brother out of here. I have to take this step for the sake of the royal family in case something untoward happens to my father. I believe that he will understand my actions as this is my responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Mydy......¡± The youth looked nkly at the girl in front of him. He felt that she was a young girl of sixteen summers, but a brilliant and mature politician.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ser Benninger. It¡¯s not as if I¡¯m not prepared. With the aid from my teacher¡¯s social links, we can set down our own pieces on the chessboard. I have never trusted that despicable bastard Kluge, and they won¡¯t harm my father with Aouine¡¯s eyes on them.¡±

    The princess suddenly stopped talking, as the Madara ambassador came out from a door with a somber expression.

    At that moment, the living and the dead, exchanged nces, and their bodies passed by each other.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- Brendel¡¯s POV ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    As the storm brewed in Aouine¡¯s capital, Brendel was sitting leisurely in the ¡®Crossed Star bar¡¯ in Brus mulling over the capital¡¯s situation. He then asked the barkeeper for the news about the ¡®Golden Wine¡¯, and nced at the clock on the inn¡¯s wall from time to time.

    [It¡¯s nearly twelve.]

    Brendel did not expect to receive the mission¡¯s hints andplete it within a night. He was merely waiting for someone and wanted to find something to pass the time with.

    When the clock finally rang twelve times, the door to the bar was pushed open.

    A girl with a long ponytail wearing a deep blue military uniform entered the bar, and she looked at him with light brown eyes with a slightly flushed face.

    [It looks like Freya is a knight now.]

    She wore a formal knight¡¯s uniform with ribbons, and there was a longsword distributed by the church worn on her waist belt, and she wore boots that was highly polished.

    She gave the impression of a heroic knight.

    But her concerned eyes betrayed her. She nced at the people in the bar and found Brendel. She took a deep breath, walked over and immediately asked:

    ¡°Are all of you leaving? Brendel?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Freya became silent.

 volume 2 - 61

    TL: I found out that I got a grade ¡®B¡¯ from one of the subjects that I really didn¡¯t want to get a B on. It¡¯s like, well, I spent weeks and weeks on just that subject alone and I kind of go meh on the other stuff, and the others got a B+. That really just drives me nuts -_-. I might have to go again with the 2 weeks 1 update in order to polish things until I think the new assignments shines, depending on the workload. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll fill in the backlog once I graduate.

    As for the artwork for TAS, there¡¯s the freedom to do whatever I want for the next assignment, so I¡¯m thinking of doing Brendel as a warrior. Right now I don¡¯t have a particr inspiration because I¡¯ve just started, but if you guys have any amazing artwork warrior images that you have seen, justment away and send me the links.

    Also at the end of my course, I¡¯ll be doing a check on all the chapter¡¯s text for content errors and grammar mistakes. For the mean time, I will be doing recaps for my series because of the 2 weeks update thingy.

    Next schedule would be tentatively 2 weekster. I kind of need to get a proper pose for Brendel and do up two good character designs, if I can get the design done earlier I can get a chapter out next week.

    Recap: Princess Gryphine crosses blows with the Unifying Guild¡¯s member who¡¯s also a top ranking minister. Brendel meets up with Freya to talk with her before leaving.

    Chapter 61 ¨C Brusst night (3)

    Freya became silent.

    She looked like she was thinking of stray thoughts for a while, before she raised her head up to look at him. Her light brown eyes resembled like a pair of orange gems under the candlelight.

    She hesitated for a while and then raised her left hand, and took off the ring on her thumb: ¡°Take this ring with you. You will need it more than I do outside here.¡±

    Brendel was slightly taken aback. He looked at the Ring of Fireball, and the red ruby glinted brightly in his eyes under the candles¡¯ mes.

    He looked at Freya again, while thetter turned her head away slightly.

    ¡°This ring was originally yours. I-I...... was only, borrowing it temporarily. Have you forgotten about it?¡±

    The barkeep who was chatting with Brendel before Freya arrived, stood up and patted the young man¡¯s shoulder. He smiled: ¡°My friend, it seems like you¡¯re in a bit of trouble. I¡¯ll be off doing my things, and I¡¯ll tell you about the wine cup¡¯s legendter.¡±

    The moment he finished speaking, he took his cup away and intentionally moved to the other corner of the bar, and started to gossip with a few drunk mercenaries.

    Freya immediately snapped her lips shut without saying anything else after she heard him.

    Brendel shook his head upon seeing this. His smile could not suppress the warmth in his heart. He gazed at her carefully and felt the weight of her concern in his heart. He originally wanted to simply leave her a message, but the stubborn girl insisted on seeing him after she talked to Romaine.

    [Certainly, you¡¯re not here just to hand me the ring back. You¡¯re here because you¡¯re concerned about me.]

    Freya¡¯s heart was beating quickly. She clenched and unclenched her fists. When she heard that Brendel and the others were leaving, she had only one thought in her mind and ran out without thinking. She wanted to see them one more time, as if she was a little child who could not bear to leave the adults around her.

    When she calmed down, she could only feel her face burning.

    She thought of her current situation in front of her. She was going to set off to Aouine¡¯s Royal Cavalry Academy, and was leaving everyone behind, especially Brendel.

    [Am I really able to do what Brendel said I can do? To gain the power of protecting little Felix, and everyone else?]

    She felt no confidence in the undetermined future that was in front of her feet, and there was much uneasiness in her mind. Brendel was a lifeline in front of her, but when things came to the point where it counted, she found that she was unable to raise her hand up to grab hold of it tightly.

    She stared at the corner of Brendel¡¯s clothes and looked nkly at it for a while.

    Brendel naturally saw through her thoughts because it was written all over her face. He smiled and received the ring from her. She looked slightly surprised and looked up: ¡°Y-you epted it?¡±

    ¡°Certainly. How can I find the courage to refuse the ring that the Goddess of War is giving me?¡± Brendel smiled. He knew that she would note to any danger within the academy, while he certainly needed every single bit of power. If that was not the case, he would have not epted the ring just so that Freya can be relieved.

    ¡°Goddess of War?¡±

    ¡°I have heard of a legend called ¡®The Goddess of War¡¯. In it she was the heroine who was beautiful and gant, riding on her horse into battle, with one hand holding on to a swallowtail g trailing behind her figure, while the other held onto a majestic longsword, leading her citizens towards victory and protecting her kingdom.¡±

    Brendel smiled fondly as he recalled another story about the Goddess of War in his heart.

    At the end of Vaunte¡¯s turbulent era, a female knight wore a full te of silver te armor, and watched every soldier under her with light brown eyes. The sky in Fort Malgar was dark gray and the Silver Cross army gs were fluttering weakly on long gpoles. She was shorter than many warriors before her, but their dejected figures did not appear to be much bigger than her right now.

    Her long ponytail that was kept ever since from Be¡¯s demise fluttered behind her, and it was a symbol of hope that made people feel there was a reliable figure on the battlefield.

    Freya was Aouine¡¯s Goddess of War.

    She rode out slowly on her horse and came to the front of everyone. The horse¡¯s saddle was ornately decorated and silver robes shimmered and flowed on it.

    A drizzle was falling from the sky.

    Her followers were only from the Royal Cavalry Academy, only one hundred odd students,prising of many rich nobles¡¯ sons and daughters. There were a few of them who ultimately became her enemies in the future, but right at that moment, the cavalry who wore white uniform rode on their horses and followed behind her.

    They were soldiers who were defeated again and again but they continued to stay by her side.

    The gamers in the game had lost their confidence, fell into deep despair and became spiritless. Theymented and med themselves for choosing this kingdom. There was no hope, no tomorrow, and the only thing that awaited them was defeat, along with the humiliation that came along with it.

    ¡°Aouine is done for! This broken kingdom cannot match Madara at all!¡± They cried out.

    But Freya rode out and brought about her soldiers, marching towards the battlefield. It was like a pure ray of light, that tore the dark sky asunder with a sharp de.

    Brendel could not forget that moment¡ª

    Her first sentence:

    ¡°My fellow soldiers, please,e with me and we will set out to defeat Madara¡ª¡°

    ¡°Please forgive me. I am unable to sympathize with your pain, fears, cold and hunger. But I could see the deep despondent feelings on you. These despondent feelings, I feel the same way too! That is because right here and right now, my country has been defeated and we are about to retreat. The undead will soon ravage ournds. We are the losers, no matter how you twist the situation.

    We cannot choose. We cannot win. We cannot fight back. This feeling suffocates me! Have we reached our limits? My fellow soldiers, please, set out for the battlefield once more! We still have a chance, please let me lead you to fight them once more.¡±

    ¡°I ask you to trust in me.¡±

    She ced her hand on her chest.

    ¡°I will fight along with you.¡±

    ¡°I will shoulder all your burdens.¡±

    ¡°Follow me, and allow me to fight till I fall gloriously in battle. Allow me to use this promise, to bring about the courage for everyone to continue onwards!¡±

    That was the first time the Silver Lily appeared magnificently on the battlefield. The legend of the Goddess of War, an epic story that was written into the annals of history and moved countless yers.

    Whenpared to the many other NPCs who defended Aouine, gamers had a deeper impression of her. She was the one who brought them out of the unending fate of defeat and gave them glory. Her name became Aouine¡¯s pride, and she was their g of pride. Everyone was willing to battle for her because they were willing to fight for honor and dignity.

    Aouine¡¯s battle song was written by a rtively unknown gamer on the forums, but there were numerous people who sang¡ª

    ¡°We the proud citizens of Aouine¡ª

    Shall never bow our noble heads and hold it high up even if we are defeated

    Our courage shall be carved unto our weapons

    Our faith shall guard our gs

    Our blood will flow towards the same path

    We pledge solemnly

    To raise the gs of the Silver Lily once more.

    We pledge solemnly

    To believe in Aouine and never falter.

    Upon our deaths, our voices will echo

    and reverb throughout thisnd.

    Our voices shall chronicle

    The love for our hometown.¡±

    Brendel lowered his head and rubbed his eyes. When he looked back up, he saw Freya looking down onto the ground, mumbling: ¡°How can I do the same thing like a legendary figure? I¡¯m just a foolish girl who tries her best, even the point of screwing everything up.¡±

    [That¡¯s right! Your efforts are the source of this legend¡ª]

    Brendel stared at her. He admired the past and current Freya for her earnest attitude. No matter what it was, she had always tried her best to do it.

    [Perhaps you don¡¯t know your own potential, but one day you will shine brightly like a diamond.]

    Heughed softly: ¡°Then just treat it like a dream that you can aim for.¡±

    Freya looked at him and nodded. ¡°Is that a legend from the Hignd knight?¡±

    Brendel paused momentarily, and nodded.

    Freya stopped speaking. After a while, she asked quietly: ¡°Is there anything else you want to instruct me?¡±

    ¡°Not really...... Wait.¡± Brendel paused for a moment, before calling her. He thought for a while before asking. ¡°Freya, what do you think of Aouine?¡± Brendel lowered his voice when he spoke.

    The truth was he had already checked his surroundings once to see if anyone were paying attention to them.

    ¡°Aouine? What about it?¡± She was confused.

    ¡°If I was to put it into an analogy, Aouine is currently akin to an old dying man who¡¯s sick all the way to his core.¡± Brendel said.

    Freya waspletely stunned.

    After all this time, she was no longer that naive militia leader. She had observed the filthy nobles with her own eyes, and she was worried about the upper echelons who ruled the kingdom, but she did not know where the problems exactlyid.

    [Was it really like this? Maybe I misunderstood something¡ª]

    The uneasy girl could onlyfort herself. In this world, there were both light and darkness. Perhaps everything would get better, but it was nothing more than a vicious cycle. Despite that, she kept hoping to get to the truth, to see if the world was in line with her naive thinking in the past.

    But she did not expect for Brendel to strip away all her thoughts, and left the worst one behind with his words.

    Freya was unable to say anything.

    ¡°Listen closely.¡± Brendel had hesitated many times before he was finally determined to speak to her what he thought.

    He was constantly afraid that he would affect her future route, but she was not only the Goddess of War in his heart, she was also a reliable partner that he could trust in, and thetter upied more of his heart.

    He had no true rtive in this world, and Freya lost both of her parents who took care of her, and he felt that he needed her support, and it was the same for her. Ever since that night in the vige, he understood that his link with her could not be broken anymore.

    The two of them were isted and weak, blindly moving ahead and relying each other as they moved forward in the murky future.

    [If I didn¡¯t meet the people in Be, I would have found it to gain a rtionship with this world, and would have constantly felt isted here. Right now for Freya, she is heading to the path of that lonely Goddess of War.]

    ¡°Aouine can no longer go back to the past where it is peaceful. The only thing that can save this kingdom is having a drastic change. Certainly, an upheaval in the kingdom would fracture it into pieces, but everyone of us who were born in this era will try and restore it. I don¡¯t know how many people can see this oue, and I don¡¯t know whether anyone understands what I¡¯m saying, but do you understand?¡±

    She looked at him in a bewitched manner, but she nodded subconsciously.

    ¡°Do you know now why I wanted you to go the Royal Cavalry Academy?¡±

    ¡°But I.......¡±

    ¡°Freya, do your best.¡±

    Freya took a deep breath and said with uneasiness: ¡°I don¡¯t know if what you say is true, but I think I need to believe in you. But I¡¯m a little confused and I¡¯m really scared. How about everyone in our militia, can we try and change everything?¡±

    ¡°I am also going to try my best to change that future. I need your help.¡±

    ¡°...... What must I do?¡±

    ¡°If there is anything that happens, then throw all your support towards the princess. I heard that princess Gryphine in Aouine is famed for her intelligence, if there¡¯s anyone in the Corvado family who could lead this kingdom out of her predicament, we can only trust her.¡± Brendel paused and thought for a moment: ¡°I believe you might have the chance to meet her in the Royal Cavalry Academy.¡±

    ¡°Why do you know she would be there?¡± Freya blurted out: ¡°Are you trying to mess around with me?¡±

    ¡°I wish I was joking, but when you are a chess yer in Aouine¡¯s politics, no matter if you are willing or not, you would be able to see all the situations clearly. You will understand in time.¡± Brendelughed: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much. We will still be able to meet with each other. Don¡¯t forget my words, I¡¯ll definitely stand behind you¡ª¡°

    She lowered her head and pondered for a while to take in his words. She then spoke in a tiny voice : ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡±

    Freya¡¯s lonely figure was like a isted bird on its migrant journey. When she turned around, he had the urge to call her back and ask her if she wanted toe along with him, but at the end, he stopped himself. She had her own path, and he could not be so selfish.

    But at that moment, she stopped and looked back over her shoulder.

    ¡°Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I¡ª- Please help me take care of Romaine. She¡¯s my best friend.¡±

    After throwing out her words, she walked out of the bar withrge strides without turning back again, leaving behind Brendel who was trying to carefully figure out that sentence meant. In the end, the youth shook his head and drank from his wine cup.

 volume 2 - 62

    TL: Got a pretty irritating cough that was serious enough (to choke me). I visited the doctor twice and thanks to the medicine I practically slept a lot the past week and didn¡¯t do much homework. I don¡¯t foresee the scheduleing back to normalcy at least for a month, so it¡¯s still one update per two weeks for September.

    Chapter 62 ¨C Chablis

    Recap: Freya met up with Brendel. Thetter advised her to put her support behind Princess Gryphine. She faltered because she felt that she was just a small militia captain, but he told her that she could follow the example of the ¡®Goddess of War¡¯ in his memory. Soon after, Freya got up to leave, but told him to take care of Romaine in an ambiguous manner. Brendel pondered on her words and drank his wine.

    The end of summer¡¯s breeze brought a hint of sweetness in the air. Under the warm sun, it made people slightly drunk. August had gone by, and October was approaching soon.

    The youth stretched his hand towards the blue sky, his fingers blocking part of his vision, while the pleasant sunlight poured through the fingers¡¯ gaps. He felt like he was seeing a colorful re as the dazzling light entered his eyes.

    He then sighed as he lowered his head and hand to survey Chablis¡¯s surroundings. The viridian mountains once again invited themselves into his eyes. The dry air and clear weather made him feelfortable and peaceful, which put him into a good mood.

    The emerald trees that used to decorate the mountains during summer¡¯s peak had started to fade at one corner. The fir and sycamore trees were starting to have ayer of faint yellow, while the maple trees had a faint red applied to them. The intermixing colors were like a canvas speckled with different oil paints blended together to form a naturally pleasing painting.

    He rode on his horse with one hand on the reins. He peered a short distance ahead, observing the white walls of the nearby mountains that intersected with a river. Houses with red roofs were near that area.

    The town Chablis.

    Brendel did not know much about it as the town was not renowned in the game. He only knew that it was situated in the center of Randner, and there were not many Aouine citizens living there.

    To the north of this little town was a dense forest, and there was an Elven ruins that was hidden underyers of trees. It was called Baern Shyrltaesi, a temple build by the Silver Elves a long time ago. The silver courtyard was constructed in the center of the forest. The corridors were made with ornately carved white marble, and there was a divine feeling to it. It was aesthetically beautiful and mysterious at the same time.

    However, during the Year of the Giant Shadow Dragon, the elves left this area for unknown reasons, and the temple was abandoned.

    [Now the only creatures that live near it are a bunch of Lizardmen bandits, if I remember correctly.] Brendel started to recall the details surrounding this ce.

    [There really isn¡¯t any backstory to this region, and yers only gathered here to steal the loot from the Lizardmen. The game designers probably wanted to give a reason like getting rid of evil or something. Which is quite hrious actually, since we really didn¡¯t need any real reason to ¡®farm¡¯ them.]

    But he shook his head after a moment.

    [Certainly, it looks like it¡¯s just an excuse to feed the ¡®content locusts¡¯... But the backstory I didn¡¯t understand back then, looks like there¡¯s some sort of mystery behind it in this world.]

    Brendel had never been to Chablis. There were no less than a hundred ¡®instances¡¯ in the Grinoires region and low leveled yers did not need to take risks. yers spread out to every region and made the kingdoms look active, while the location here was made for higher level yers.

    Even so, as a veteran yer, he had more or less heard about the rumors in this area. The Lizardmen holding on to the Baern Shyrltaesi territory, a tomb guarded by undead, and a floating city nearby. They were adventures that promised treasures apanied with fights.

    He had collected all these information without even thinking that he would had the chance to visit here. When he stood at right at the top of the mountains overlooking the town, he saw the smoke rising from the chimneys of the houses slowly dissipating into the air, and felt a strange sense of tranquility.

    [It¡¯s fortunate that I took time to research back then, otherwise I¡¯ll bepletely in the dark for this particr n. But Chablis is just as beautiful as the forums described.]

    Chablis looked so peaceful that it felt like it could be a ce that someone could stay there forever.

    Romaine led her beloved horse out from the forest. She had bought it from Brus and she loved it so much, that she could not bear to ride on it all the time. Her ck eyes darted curiously at Chablis¡¯s surroundings, shining with excitement.

    ¡°Brendel, this is the ce?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Brendel answered and nodded: ¡°The Silver elves left the name Chablis behind, and the meaning of the word is ¡®The sweet mountains¡¯. Our luck is quite good. The Madara¡¯s undead did not pass through here and it is still undisturbed.¡±

    [Although from a tactical standpoint, Incirsta would definitely choose the regions that are wealthier. He left Brus alone because of its solid defense and went around it to get to Randner to find a more suitable ce. He wouldn¡¯t bother toe to this secluded ce.]

    Brendel was even more confident of his reasoning since these were ¡®stories¡¯ that already happened in history.

    ¡°Is there anything to eat in Chablis?¡± She quickly asked.

    ¡°You can try their stew.¡± Brendel looked back and grinned fondly at her. ¡°But our little Romaine is bing more and more picky with food, be careful of bing fat.¡±

    Romaine¡¯s pair of eyebrows immediately stood up as she frowned. She desperately tried to refute him.

    ¡°I-I won¡¯t be fat. I¡¯ll just eat a little!¡±

    But it sounded like she wasforting herself. She stealthily went around her waist and furrowed her eyebrows further.

    It looked like she was agonizing over bing fat or to eat delicious food.

    ¡°My lord, is there a ¡®Sage te¡¯ that you had talked about before?¡± Amandina rode on a ck horse which had a radiant sheen on it. The young girl¡¯s face was much betterpared to the sickly white that she had when she first met Brendel. Even though the journey was tough, she did not have to worry about the next meal.

    There was a scroll box tied on her horse, which contained her prized possessions of knowledge. Brendel also saw them as priceless, and insisted on bringing her along the journey because of them.

    The girl coughed twice, and looked at the clear sky ahead of her. She muttered: ¡°It¡¯s nearly October.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, nobody¡¯s going to get ahead of us.¡± He knew what she was asking.

    They had left Brus for over a month, and the news of Aouine and Madara¡¯s truce had reached every part of the southern noble parliaments. Back at that time, they had just reached the Randner region, and rested their feet in Magitan, the ¡®City of Forests¡¯.

    Brendel had hoped to get the Sage te within the Forest of Fogs in the west, but it was taken by the Northern Wind Church, just like how it was in the game. Brendel did not deal with the northern wind knights in Randner, so he could only leave the ce after a short stay.

    But during that stay, he had introduced the most popr snack to Romaine. It was a dessert drenched in honey, and it caused her to be interested in the snacks in other ces.

    Brendel smiled a little before his mind suddenly thought about the political coup in December. He was certain that he could not do anything to affect it, and he could only leave it to the future Regent princess and the girl who came from Be¡ª

    Freya.

    [She must have reached the Royal Cavalry Academy by now. I wonder how tense is the situation over there...]

    The academy was situated within the princess¡¯s privatends, but he had no reach over there to y any games with the ministers. Right now, his biggest task was to gain power as much as possible.

    [Leto and the others should have reached the Arreck region by now.]

    ¡°Are we going to search for the Sage te here?¡± Amandina asked.

    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s an Elven ruins to the north in this area here. Legends state that the te is within the ruins.¡± Brendel replied.

    He wanted to find a native guide. While he knew about the region¡¯s background well enough, he did not know where the the ruins were exactly.

    [There are Lizardmen Bandits here so the situation will not be as easy. In the game the area is a level 23 instance, and while it¡¯s much lowerpared to the Golden Demonic Tree¡¯s Forbidden Garden, there are no shortcuts.]

    After thinking it through, he decided to enter the town before deciding on the next course of action.

    The three of them descended from the mountains and reached Chablis in less than thirty minutes.

    The buildings were very different whenpared to the southern Aouine towns. It was not an easy task to construct something in the mountains, but they used their forefathers¡¯ wisdom to level the valleys with rocks. The slope wasyered one at a time, following the river¡¯s contours, and they appeared to be like a chiseled rock fortress.

    [If I describe how this town looks like... It¡¯s like adder. Or a series ofdders that connect to each other.]

    The houses were ced orderly with each tyer, while they were narrow paths cut in the form of adder that connected theyers together. The mountain folks preserved the underlyingndscape of the mountains, and they rarely used magic. They sculpted rock statues asmp posts and they ced braziers at the empty top, recing oilmps or magically litmp posts.

    Brendel recalled there was a famous inn called ¡®Chablis Winter Cherry¡¯. It was a ce where almost all the adventurers, mercenaries and yers gathered together. Its appearance was like a vast living room, and the rooms were below the living room. Travelers gathered up there and exchanged information and rumors, and it was the only inn that was designed in that manner in southern Aouine.

    However, once they entered the town, he immediately felt something was out of ce with his keen senses. Amandina and Romaine did not appear to notice anything.

    He carefully observed his surroundings. The people who appeared in front of them were mostly young adults that wore different attires from the mountain citizens, and some of them cast suspicious gazes at Brendel and the girls.

    [Mercenaries. Adventurers. Travelers. Monster hunters. These people can appear anywhere in Vaunte, but...... isn¡¯t the number a little too high for a small ce like Chablis? This isn¡¯t like the game where yers gathered here.]

    TL: I might becking in describing how thend looks, so you might have to google ¡®medieval mountain river viges¡¯ and scroll through. Also, I appreciate any Engrish help check.

    Tranted the town ÏÄ²¼Àû = Chablis.

    °ÍÂå¸ÔÊ¥¸ñ¶ûÀ³Ë¹ ¨C Baern Shyrltaesi ¨C I went to an Elven city name generator and picked themon style and implemented in here.

 volume 2 - 63

    Chapter 63 ¨C Eke

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to the bottom of things, these adventurers were already here even before one week ago. No, to be more precise, they are actually mercenaries.¡± Amandina spoke without rushing her answer.

    Brendel looked at her with surprise.

    The young woman found a sliver of satisfaction as she noted his surprise.

    ¡°My lord, is it unexpected that an aristocrat¡¯s daughter who doesn¡¯t venture out of her home would be able to handle a situation like this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just curious where you learned all these negotiation skills. As you well know, it is necessary for a Hignd Knight to learn how to negotiate like you did, but it is impressive that a nobledy like yourself can conduct yourself so confidently.¡±

    Brendel patted Romaine¡¯s shoulders to prevent her from losing herself in the scenery, but she unexpectedly turned her head back to assure him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Brendel, I won¡¯t lose my way.¡±

    Brendel was speechless for a while. He could only look at her with a distressed gaze as he wondered.

    [Just what exactly is stored in your head...]

    It was fortunate that Amandina solved his crisis.

    ¡°Negotiating has always been our forte, my lord.¡± Amandina spoke humbly, but it was not difficult to discern that she was secretly delighted.

    Brendel raised his eyebrow andughed in spite of himself: ¡°Not every nobledy is willing to put down their social status and talk to country bumpkins.¡±

    It was indeed true. In Aouine, the mountain folks were considered as uncivilized boors. Even if their status were raised to lords, they might not get along with the imperial lords in the north.

    [It was said that two important ministers during King Ansen¡¯s rule frequently squabbled in the court, giving many headaches to the king...] Brendel remarked to himself.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m different from them. I¡¯m merely a poor nobledy, my lord.¡±

    Brendel shook his head with mirth.

    ¡°If these mercenariese at this point of time, I think they are here for the bandits in the forest. The various regions in Aouine frequently hire mercenaries to destroy the bandits¡¯ territories nearby the vige, and it has be the norm.¡±

    He walked past a masonry workshop, and brought the topic right back to their current problem: ¡°In a ce with a dense poption, the people who hire these mercenaries would either be the local security forces or the militia. But in a remote location like this, it is the entire vige¡¯s citizens who pool all their money together to pay them.¡±

    Amandina paused for a moment. She had never read what Brendel described in her books.

    ¡°Something like this happens¡ª?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Be in the past also did the same thing, I also paid for it~¡± Romaine excitedly poked her head out from the narrow alley and stared at the inter-crossing street roads, and answered Amandina without turning her head back.

    ¡°Only ces with a garrison will eliminate the bandits on their own. The Royal Faction ces much hope on this ¡®new forces¡¯ for a good reason. While it is true that the garrison forces represent a new type of strength for Aouine, but no one knows if this strength has the opportunity to be bigger.¡±

    ¡°Even if they do be a force to be reckoned with, their strength is merely a generation long.¡± Brendel said with many thoughts in his mind.

    Amandina lowered her head and started to reconsider a number of things.

    Suddenly Brendel and the others heard a violent yell behind them: ¡°Stop right there!¡±

    The three of them were shocked and turned their heads back, only to discover that the voice was not directed at them. They first saw a panicking young man parting the crowd with his arms to run past them, but he did not take many steps before he was stopped by the two mercenaries in front of him.

    The two mercenaries pulled out their swords and blocked the youth¡¯s path. They roared loudly:

    ¡°Eke, where the fuck are you running to?¡±

    ¡°You fucking bastard, have you forgotten our rules?¡±

    The youth¡¯s eyes widened slightly and he nced in every direction, and he discovered there were even more mercenaries with leather armor and shining swords pulled out to surround him. Brendel and the others were at the edge of the surrounding encirclement, and he was d that no one else noticed them. He pulled Romaine back and took a few steps back in order to avoid this strange situation.

    ¡°Capo, what do you want?¡± Eke said tensely. He found all his escape routes sealed and he stopped moving to take a deep breath. He pulled his short sword out from its sheath with one hand, while he wiped away his perspiration with the other.

    ¡°You know clearly what you did.¡± A mercenary with grey robes walked out from the crowd and eyed him coldly: ¡°Otherwise you wouldn¡¯t get a guilty conscience and chose today to run away. Have you forgotten the oath that you took when you joined the mercenaries? Our leader and the rest of us treated you like a real brother, and you repaid it by betraying us?¡±

    The youth shook his head and revealed a conflicted expression: ¡°Capo, I didn¡¯t betray any of you.¡±

    Capo carefully studied his eyes and sighed. He shook his head and replied: ¡°Come back with us and we will believe you.¡±

    The youth shook his head firmly: ¡°Capo, no. I beg of you to stop asking. I already said we can¡¯t go to Forest Baern......¡± He faltered his words, but he shook his head again: ¡°Please believe me this time... Trust me, I won¡¯t hurt any of you. Just think of the past, how can I betray any of you¡ª¡°

    ¡°Enough, Eke!¡± Capo interrupted the youth with a pained expression: ¡°No matter what you say here, you muste back with us to see the leader. If you have anything to say, you can exin to him once we¡¯re back to our camp. He practically raised you since you were young, but you¡¯re leaving us at this point of time? This is the same as abandoning yourrades.¡±

    Capo pointed to himself and the other mercenaries, then he spoke again.

    ¡°Do you see them? These are your allies who stuck with you through thick and thin. What are you trying to do now?¡±

    Eke gritted his teeth and hesitated, but he finally took a step back: ¡°Stop it, Capo. I know I am definitely in the right this time, and I won¡¯t go back with you. I also want to stop all of you from going to that ce, but I don¡¯t know how to persuade you.......¡±

    He took another look around him and discovered the mercenaries wereing closer and closer to him: ¡°Capo, please let me go on ount of our rtionship. Trust me, I swear I won¡¯t let you regret it.¡±

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Romaine asked as she watched the scene unfold.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Amandina also turned her head.

    The twodies asked him questioningly at the same time, ¡®should we leave?¡¯ in their words.

    But Brendel shook his head as he observed the youth with an expression of deep contemtion.

    Capo saw Eke was adamant in his decision and he knew that nothing was going to be resolved from talking. He took a step back and sent his men a signal. The mercenaries immediately swarmed towards Eke and sealed off every path.

    Brendel was immediately surprised when the mercenaries moved. The mercenaries who looked like they were nothing special, actually were considerably skilled, and a few of them matched Leto¡¯s abilities.

    [Mid-ranked Iron tier fighters...... Although it¡¯s true most of the mercenaries with a little fame stuck to their names have this level of capability, but to think there are so many here in this small town.]

    Brendel was slightly bewildered. Amandina also discovered this point. She had wanted to ask Brendel again to reconsider leaving, but she stopped herself and observed the situation.

    Eke maintained hisposure under the mercenaries¡¯bined enclosing movements.

    [What...!?] Brendel was shocked.

    Eke suddenly rushed forward to his front in a blur, his hand grabbing onto the nearest mercenary¡¯s sword hand and disarmed him. His actions were so fast that Brendel almost did not see what he did, and with a shake of his arm, the mercenary was hoisted off the ground and over his shoulder, then thrown onto the ground.

    He shifted his body to the left andunched his whole body as a strike, and another mercenary was immediately knocked away. The direction of the flying man urately flew towards Brendel and the other girls¡¯ direction.

    [This youth is at least a Silver tier fighter¡ª Judging from his appearance, he¡¯s younger than I am by two or three years. This is certainly fitting for the chaotic world ahead. Monstrous talents just keep appearing one after another. That little Felix, Freya and even Bretton could be considered as prodigies but Tirste and this youth here are even more exceptional than them.]

    Brendel was astonished by the youth¡¯s movements.

    [The number of people with such talents are no more than a handful in a normal generation if you look at history, but I already saw at least five ever since Be. It¡¯s no wonder that Vaunte fell into such a chaotic state of constant wars soon after Aouine¡¯s demise. It looks like it was actually fated to happen because there are so many skilled people.]

    Brendel did not stop moving even though his thoughts raced through his mind. He had activated Power Break to catch the flying mercenary, and he ced him back onto the ground.

    [Amazing... The force nearly pushed me back. If the mercenary knocked onto a normal citizen, he might have caused serious injuries. If I still have the Thorn of Light, my stats would make it easier to catch this man¡ª This youth is really reckless.]

    The manhandled mercenary took a short moment before he finally recovered. He turned his head back and looked at Brendel with a pair of surprised eyes. He had not expected a passerby to have such strength, but he suddenly remembered that he ought to thank him.

    ¡°...... Thank you, kind sir.¡±

    Brendel shook his head to interrupt him and his eyes went back to the small ¡®battlefield¡¯.

 volume 2 - 64

    Chapter 64 ¨C The mercenaries

    There was another man who flew out from the battlefield. Eke then struck down three mercenaries in the blink of an eye, and caused the crowd to have an opening. He moved towards the opening before anyone was able to react, but Brendel was slightly intrigued by his choice.

    Capo was directly in the youth¡¯s path.

    The elderly mercenary brought his sword horizontally with his body inclined forwardly, and charged forward like a fearsome beast with tightly pursed lips.

    [Randonian fencing. This swordsmanship was created by Swordmaster Imaria and was widely used in the continent in its early days. But there are not many practitioners in this era due to its technical difficulty. The number of users in this world who are truly able to use this style are exceedingly low.]

    Brendel¡¯s eyes narrowed a little. Almost all the people who knew this swordsmanship are highly skilled.

    [Just raising this swordsmanship alone requires 133 TP from level 1 to level 2, and virtually exceeds the requirements of any typical sword styles by sixty percent. The uracy rating is 2 times better than a military swordsmanship, while the damage increase is 1.3 times more, but there are not many yers who actually spent time on it. That¡¯s because the market price for the skill over one million Tor coins. As for book copies, there are only a few kingdoms who possessed them in their museums.]

    Eke apparently realized his mistake as well, but trying to retreat backwards had became impossible, and he could only charge forward recklessly. Even though he did not use a sword from the beginning, it was clear from his fighting techniques that he was trained in the ways of the sword. Brendel recognized it as one of the knight¡¯s varied swordsmanship.

    [These two mercenaries look like they are close with each other, but the techniques they used arepletely different. That¡¯s quite interesting.]

    But it was not exactly a rare thing to see in a group of mercenaries, so Brendel was just slightly interested in seeing how things turned out.

    Eke directly charged into Capo while using his body to avoid the sword¡¯s path, but Capo did not disappoint Brendel. He cleanly swung his sword twice and sealed off the youth¡¯s options, and forced him to leap sideways.

    If Capo took one more step, he would certainly force the youth into a dire state.

    Brendel¡¯s current stats were unlikely to match either of them, but he was certain of this fact more than anyone in the battlefield. As expected, Capo had seized the best position to attack where Eke was going to retreat next, and his sword was pulled back to prepare for a decisive strike.

    But Brendel¡¯s irides widened slightly.

    Capo¡¯s movements was slower by half a beat, and the youth grabbed his shoulder from the smallest opening to stop his arm from moving. He then lurched forward and smashed onto Capo¡¯s body, knocking the veteran mercenary backwards by five steps. This change nearly surprised everyone, and even the youth¡¯s stupefied expression was clearly reflected in Brendel¡¯s eyes.

    But Eke immediately shook his head. He saw that Capo¡¯s stagger was a momentary thing, so he immediately turned around and escaped into the crowd.

    [Well done.]

    Brendel secretly praised Capo. He had deliberately received the blow from Eke but the way how he did it was really covert, and the average person would not be able to see through his actions. Brendel was the only exception with his unimaginable experience behind him, and everyone his age would have been deceived.

    Brendel did not exclusively use a sword in the game and used other weapons for at least a decade. He had spend over a hundred and forty summers as a warrior. With one hundred and ten years in the way of the sword, and his foundation was beyond many people.

    (TL: The game is 8 times faster in VR, so if the protagonist started off as 16 years old, then he would be around 33 years old IRL when he teleported to this world.

    When I trante/localize, I also think about various aspects visually. So how I imagine it is from way early on when I TLed this series, this young naive fresh green kid Brendel met Freya for the first time and fought with her for years, then witnessing her death on the battlefield and Aouine¡¯s demise, etc, which is the starting point of what Brendel is doing now and why he acts that way.)

    Brendel¡¯s true stats were merely that of a mid tier Iron-ranked fighter, and it looked like he was not even close to Eke¡¯s match. But if they were to truly have a fight, Brendel would not lose even if there were two Ekes fighting him, especially when his military swordsmanship was at level 10 (9+1).

    With the memories of the original Brendel about his grandfather¡¯s swordsmanship, he was literally unmatched by anyone his age, and the military instructors in the army would just barely be proficient enough to be his students.

    Still, even with his own vast experience, he did not reach his grandfather¡¯s unapproachable aura that made people feel like they were on a tight rope hanging over cliffs. He was somewhat close to that state and bing a grandmaster, but the more he raised his levels, the more mysterious he felt his grandfather was.

    [A mere veteran soldier in that November War...? Even a level 100+ warrior like myself can¡¯t gather up an aura to fight against him, it would really be ridiculous to write my grandfather off as a simple soldier. Especially when I don¡¯t even see a hint of his strength on Leto.]

    Leto was another soldier who experienced the November war. The only difference was the fact that he joined in theter part of the war, while Brendel¡¯s grandfather experienced the entirety of the whole war.

    [Who exactly received the Fire Emblem from the Holy Cathedral of Fire?]

    Brendel had actively worked with Aouine¡¯s government in the game, and joined the Church of light. This thought streaked across his mind and vanished.

    Everyone looked at each other in silence as the situation suddenly changed, but the first noise that surged was from the surrounding citizens. Everyone started talking about why and how the mercenaries failed to capture the youth. Even though the majority of them did not really see how the fight started and ended, it did not interfere with their gossiping nature.

    The mercenaries who were knocked onto the ground by Eke climbed up slowly. Even though they did not speak, their eyes did not show any signs of anger or depression, and instead showed like they were relieved.

    Brendel naturally did not miss any of that. When he turned back to the girls, he saw Amandina also turning towards him, and their nces exchanged certain information.

    ¡°Brendel, they don¡¯t seem like they want to go after him.¡± Romaine muttered next to him.

    Brendel chuckled and nodded.

    ¡°Captain Capo, are you alright?¡±

    Brendel saw a few mercenary soldiers going up to Capo carefully and asked. Capo looked nkly at his wrist for a while and then regained a strict face and look at his men.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Alright, everyone form into groups and seal off Chablis. Don¡¯t let Eke escape. If there are any problems with this afternoon¡¯s situation, I¡¯ll take full responsibility¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Captain Capo.¡±

    The mercenaries answered stiffly, but their reactions were slow enough to raise a few heads.

    But Capo seemed to ignore their actions. He surveyed his surroundings and his eyes fell upon Brendel. He had observed the entire battlefield and noticed Brendel helping his man out, but it was only now that he had the time to scrutinize him.

    Capo was actually surprised when he studied Brendel.

    He had noted Brendel¡¯s abilities with at least a mid-tier Iron-ranked fighter, but he did not expect him to be so young. Any twenty years old youth with his skills would raise surprise anywhere, and his immediate thoughts went to Eke. That youth was the most talent person he saw in his life, and he was themander ¡®Maned Wolf¡¯ Marlo¡¯s adopted son. He had attained the Tier 2 Prowess at the mere age of seventeen, and in his memories, only the Blessed prodigies would attain such results at his age. (TL: Tier 1 prowess is iron rank, Tier 2 prowess is silver rank)

    Eke has been the mercenaries¡¯ hope and pride since he was young, and when he deserted from the mercenaries,mander Marlo merely wanted them to bring him back, and the rest of the mercenaries did not wish to see the youth get punished because of this reason. It was clear that the youth was dearly beloved by them.

    When he thought about Eke, Capo¡¯s heart steadied itself, and someone like Brendel appeared to be a natural thing. He exhaled and walked over to him, with his expression slightly more rxed.

    ¡°I am grateful for your assistance, please call me Capo. May I ask for your name, Ser-?¡± He said.

    ¡°Brendel, there¡¯s no need to be so courteous.¡± Brendel was also studying him.

    The veteran mercenary had a pair of a ashen irides, and his brows looked as if they were constantly bunching up together like he had uncountable problems. Coupled with his looks was shoulder-length grey hair, and a pair of hands with long fingers. If he did not have calluses on the hands, he would look like a piano yer.

    Because of his looks, he did appear to be an attractive older man and he might even attract fangirls¡¯ screams.

    Brendel was somewhat jealous. Even though he was quite good-looking as well, hecked a certain maturity that Capo had, who looked like he had been through ups and downs.

    [Looks like these mercenaries are not your average ones either. I wonder which famous group they belong to in the southern regions. There doesn¡¯t seem to be any indication on their clothes, or any easily identifiable emblems on them right now. If they went out for a mission, there might be some clues...]

 volume 2 - 65

    TL: I kind of got rekt for trying something too hard of a subject. The lecturers didn¡¯t like it and I want to fix things before I post it up. Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t drop any series and I¡¯ll be back on November 26/27 for updates on all the series.

    I¡¯m still speed TLing the chapter and there might be Engrish or TL mistakes.

    Chapter 65 ¨C Mercenaries¡¯ code

    Brendel was throughly familiar with the background knowledge in the game. While Amandina¡¯s understanding was restricted to the books, Brendel was was aplete veteran. Even though the captain apparently did not use his full strength, Brendel urately discerned his true strength.

    [About a Mid-tier Silver Rank fighter. At this level, he can match the White-Mane army captain of a full corp, and nearly reaches the strength of amander. This fact makes it clear that this group of mercenaries cannot be underestimated.]

    Leto and the other mercenaries were retired, but they possessed the strength of a Mid-tier Iron Rank fighters, and Brendel thought they were no weaker than the group here when they were at their peak.

    He had tried asking Leto a few times about their background, but Leto did not wish to talk too much about it.

    On the other side, Capo observed Brendel and felt a strange feeling crawl over his heart. His instinct was almost innate. When he looked at his ck irides, they were as calm as though the event earlier did not happen. He had visited many ces and seen many important men, consisting of Aouine¡¯s nobles, great merchants, people from the desert and even a couple of mysterious wizards. None of them matched the youth¡¯s demeanor, who gave a faint smile like everything was under his control.

    It was a look full of confidence as though he knew everything.

    For one moment, the veteran mercenary felt as though the youth had seen through all his secrets. He frowned and shook his head, trying to get rid of the ridiculous notion out of his mind. He did not know that was the truth, and Brendel had seen through everything just by observing him a little longer.

    In this age, not many people knew Randonian Fencing, including Capo himself. He had learned the swordsmanship when he was young, and he thought it was ridiculous that it was impossible for the youth to know about it unless he was a grandmaster swordsman.

    He noted the girls beside Brendel.

    [Their clothes seem to indicate they are from Brus... While the citizens of the Grinoires region have simr clothes throughout the region, they are rtively different from the mountain folks.]

    Capo wanted to speak about this point, but Brendel had stolen his initiative.

    ¡°I take it that you mercenaries are not from this vige?¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes looked past Capo on purpose to look at the mercenaries behind him.

    Amandina and Romaine stood quietly on Brendel¡¯s left and right when he spoke. Amandina had learned enough political etiquette to know that it was not the time for her to speak, while Romaine obediently blinked her eyes without saying anything through a merchant¡¯s instinct.

    Capo looked nkly at him for a short moment.

    ¡°Yes, and you?¡±

    ¡°We would pass through Chablis a few times every year. Even though we¡¯re not locals, we¡¯re at least familiar with this ce. The truth is I was wondering why Chablis had so many tourists of a sudden.¡± Brendel lied through his teeth. ¡°Until I saw what happened earlier did I realize you were mercenaries¡ª¡±

    Amandina¡¯s eyes glinted behind his back, but she did not change her expression. Romaine listened with smiles, as though what Brendel said was the truth, befitting of her profession.

    ¡°We¡¯re here to ept the invitation to subjugate the lizardmen bandits.¡± Brendel answered smoothly and calmly without breaking a sweat, making it impossible to see through any mistakes. The veteran mercenary did not think there was any issues with Brendel¡¯s reply, and it was not a secret as to why they came here.

    But Capo still held on to his wary characteristics and did not continue talking about the lizardmen bandits.

    ¡°You pass by Chablis a few times every year? You must be a merchant. If there¡¯s anything our mercenary group can do for you, please feel free to hire us and we will provide the best service for you.¡±

    He turned his head around to look back as he spoke: ¡°But I have to apologize now. We have a small problem on our side, and I¡¯m afraid I need to leave immediately. If you have the time, I can represent as mymander and wee you toe to our camp any time.¡±

    Brendel smiled. Capo was obviously irritated that he was wasting his time, and wanted to seek the youth who escaped earlier. He pretended that he did not notice the hidden meaning behind Capo¡¯s words, and expressed himself like he understood something: ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°This must be a coincidence.¡± Brendel immediately added.

    Capo was ready to leave, but he stopped upon hearing these words: ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like this.¡± Brendel smiled and continued his reply: ¡°TO be honest I¡¯m not here for business this time. I¡¯m here to search for a particr item.¡±

    Capo frowned and stopped moving.

    ¡°What are looking for?¡±

    ¡°i¡¯m just looking for a rock te that has ancient text written on it. This particr item is within the Baern ruins, and describes a historical incident about the Silver Elves. As you know, the ruins have been upied by the lizardmen about one year ago.¡± Brendel spoke evenly, as though this event actually happened.

    ¡°I came to Chablis three months ago to investigate the lizardmen situation. I brought a number of mercenaries along with me with the intention of stealing the rock te, but I did not expect to meet Ser Capo and the mercenaries with you.¡±

    Capo waspletely surprised. ¡°You mean to say......¡±

    Brendel immediately nodded: ¡°Yes, in order to have any outbreaks amongst us, I suggest using the 314th rule in the Mercenaries¡¯ code. We will temporarily join your men and assist you under the condition that we won¡¯t risk our lives. After we are done with the mission, we will part our ways and take what we need. How does that sound?¡±

    There is no formal agreement amongst the Mercenaries¡¯ code, but the rules could solvemon disputes.

    Long ago, the mercenaries had iron-d agreements with the people who hired them and typically executed them faithfully, but the mercenaries tend to fight amongst themselves from verbal agreements.

    It was only about a century ago before the Holy Cathedral of Fire became the adminstrators for adventurers, that they establish the agreements amongst into a bible, known as the Mercenaries¡¯ code, and ended disputes temprorarily.

    This code had been edited constantly and finally became aplete book. This time, Brendel had used a rare code that was established one hundred and fifty years ago in the Northern Aouine region, but there were very few people who brought this rule up in this era.

    Capo paused for a while when he heard this suggestion.

    ¡°I doesn¡¯t have a problem...... with this oath.¡± Capo eyed Brendel cautiously: ¡°But I don¡¯t have the authority to rule on this. If you¡¯re interested, you have to meet ourmander. His name is Makarov, and moremonly known as the ¡®Maned Wolf¡¯. He¡¯s now in the inn, and you should be able to find him there.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Brendel nodded. ¡°Then I shall take my leave and not waste your time.¡±

    Capo seemed toe out from his trance and nodded.

    Brendel did not mind his reaction. He had nned to make use of these mercenaries when he saw them. Even though the lizardmen in the Baern forest were not malicious foes, it was still considerably difficult for him to lead his current forces to deal with them. If he had the additional help of the mercenaries in front of him, things would be much easier.

    [Right now the Sage te is nothing more than a piece of rock in the eyes of most people. The value of it rose in the game only after yers started to cross other regions. I¡¯m sure I can persuade thatmander... but what was his name again? Maned Wolf Makarov?]

    Brendel paused for a moment.

    [The Blue Woods mercenaries. So it¡¯s them. One of the most famous mercenaries in the southern region... But didn¡¯t be famous only after the Year of the Spring¡¯s dawn? That¡¯s five yearster.]

    He rubbed his forehead and started to doubt himself.

    [Apse in my memories? Or has something changed in history?]

    Brendel did not know that Capo was facing doubts about the youth as well.

    ============================Capo¡¯s POV===========================

    ¡°Captain, who¡¯s that?¡±

    Capo looked at one of the followers who came towards him. He shook his head: ¡°I¡¯m not sure, he appears to be a merchant in this local region.¡±

    ¡°I heard him talking about our Mercenaries¡¯ Oath. I have never heard of 314th rule, is that a fake rule?¡± Another mercenary asked.

    Capo shook his head. He knew that it was true, but it was only after Brendel described the rule that he recalled about it. It was not a particr thing to note of, as there were over seven hundred rules, and people only took care to remember the thirteen core rules. The other rules were just additional interpretation of how things should be done, and there was no strict regtion amongst mercenaries to use these rules.

    But Capo felt that Brendel was the most mysterious and not a simple merchant.

    ¡°Having more people is a good thing.¡± One of the men immediately said.

    ¡°Not really, who knows if these people are spies from the other side.¡±

    ¡°That is quite true¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If he wants to join our group even for the shortest time, he needs to pass themander¡¯s test ording to the core rules.¡± One of the mercenaries replied: ¡°Themander is definitely going to let Buga fight personally...¡±

    The mercenary sighed and finished his words. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Eke brat suddenly created trouble, otherwise he¡¯s going to be the center of attention again.¡±

    The young mercenaries suddenly fell into a silence when the topic suddenly changed to Eke.

 volume 2 - 66

    TL: First of all, wee back. Second, I¡¯m a little sick at the moment (coughing out blood ¡ª bad case of sore throat), I expect to recover in a day or so.

    TL: Things have changed a little due to certain circumstances and I assure you that it¡¯s unrted to the readers¡¯ments, but I kind of want to bring things forward.

    The secret behind the name Sophie for the protagonist.

    As you well know, many people disagreed with the name Sophie (ranging from mildly indignant to I-can¡¯t-stand-the-sissy-name-anymore); I too didn¡¯t like the name too. But, whatester on in the raws was a particr moment was Brendel stating his real name ¡°Su Fei¡± at some point. Here¡¯s the conundrum.

    1 ¨C The inflection of the Chinese pronunciation Su Fei cannot be mistaken as Sophie (when you pronounce it correctly in English). Despite the notion that Su Fei is a transliteration of Sophie, this fact is only known to Chinese. To get an idea on how it actually sounds, go youtube the word ¡°Souffle¡±, or google trante Sophie into Chinese and hit that audio button. You can¡¯t mishear it into Sophie.

    2 ¨C Chapter 2¡¯s title, Sophie¡¯s world, seems to reference a particr book. Sophie¡¯s world is quite sessful, with 40 million in sales and tranted to 50 overnguages. Intentional or not, this title will probably make more sense in the distant chapters ahead. And yet that title has absolutely nothing to do with the plot, unless one can consider his stats window to be the ¡°world¡±. I did not read that far ahead, so I can¡¯t give a conclusive answer.

    3 ¨C It doesn¡¯t help that the Chinese characters for the name Sophie and the protagonist is the exact same as the one in Chapter 2 title.

    4 ¨C Later on, the protagonist used his original name in front of a couple of girls, whomented on his name where his name sounded like a girl¡¯s name.

    5 ¨C Finally we get to the crux of the problem. I would like to think that Brendel would somehow mangle his Chinese ent into a ¡°westernized¡± ent when he told the girls of his original name, and might even rearrange the letters to something like ¡®Sufie¡¯ in order to ¡°westernize¡± it. Why does he go through such a loop? Well, he has always been cautious of him revealing that he¡¯s another person from another world, and by revealing that he¡¯s not really Brendel would have roughly the same effect of a witch getting caught in the medieval era.

    This in turn leads to the reaction of the girls who state that his name sounds like a girl. Basically, Sufie = Suphie = Sophie (in the girls¡¯ minds). Brendel does have a reaction in response to that, but I don¡¯t exactly remember what it was.

    6 ¨C With everything considered, I personally thought that it was the author trolling his readers, mostly because the CN readers gave him the nickname of Big Sister (afaik it¡¯s to make fun of him finding sick leave excuses every month?). But yeah, that¡¯s how it is. Either it¡¯s the author having the absolute worse naming sense ever, or he¡¯s trolling us. Given that his plot and character development is one of the best in the  field, I would think that the possibility of trolling is on the table. As such, I did my best to convey that sense, by giving the name ¡®Sophie¡¯ from the very start. I personally thought that would be the ultimate reveal as to why I did it...

    7 ¨C Here¡¯s a poll on whether you want me to fix the Sophie name into Su Fei.

    Do you want me to change the name Sophie to Su Fei in earlier chapters?

    Yes.

    No.

    I don¡¯t know.

    Vote

    View ResultsPolldaddy

    Since that is out of the way, here¡¯s the chapter. I¡¯ll QC the chapter tomorrow.

    Volume 2 Chapter 66 ¨C Brendel¡¯s swordsmanship (1)

    =================== Makarov¡¯s POV =======================

    The Chablis¡¯s Lantern Grass inn sits on top of the town¡¯s highest point of an ashen cliff facing east. The hall resembled like a painting, depicting a scene where heroes and mysterious godly entities congregated. The huge wooden logs that made up the walls had been beaten by countless storms and the sturdy structure was slowly turning ck.

    Lines of packed windows decorated the building¡¯s exterior, and this unique sight appeared like a giant beehive or a dragon¡¯s nest on a mountain when looked from a distant ce.

    But the truth was, these windows belonged to the inn¡¯s rooms.

    The ¡®Maned Wolf¡¯ Makarov, was temporarily staying in one of the rooms, and the door was opened approximately fifteen minutes ago. The veteranmander looked at the map of Chablis local region, then raised his head to look at the old man in front of him. His subordinates continued to exin several things to him, and one of his bushy eyebrows lifted high up. His deer-skin gloves still held a magnifying ss with a bronze handle as he spoke.

    ¡°314th rule in the Mercenaries¡¯ code?¡±

    ¡°¡®If there is a dispute amongst mercenaries in a formal mission, both parties shall join together and achieve the goal together. The details in the coboration should be decided by both parties.¡±

    The old man¡¯s hair had turnedpletely white. He answered themander without looking away from a thick red-leather book that was nearly four inches thick. He appeared topletely uninterested in the topic.

    ¡°Master Lockwood, can such a rule really be interpreted in this manner?¡±

    ¡°It can.¡± The old man answered.

    ¡°Fine. Then let me see who exactly is thatd first,¡± Makarov beckoned to a youth standing in front of his table: ¡°Go, let Redi test him¡ª¡±

    Makarov paused for a moment before calling out to the youth: ¡°Hold on, did you find that rascal Eke?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still no news yet,mander.¡±

    ¡°Very well, I got it. Dismissed.¡± Makarov shook his head and snorted, mumbling to himself. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that brat gets it from me this time. Seems like I had indulged him one too many times. If this continues I won¡¯t be able to give an an answer to my lord.¡±

    The old man continued to look at his book, but a faint smile streaked across his face and he shook his head slightly.

    ===================== Brendel POV =====================

    ¡°You¡¯re Brendel.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Brendel.¡± Brendel looked up to the young man who was taller than him by a full head. His hair color was a rarely seen pure-white, and his eyes were like an unblemished gold that was as clear as an amber stone. His features were delicate, and he looked a little feminine.

    [A citizen of Ablis?] Brendel secretly thought in his heart. The impression of the minority group was a young grandmaster swordsman named Gory Keyes with silver hair who was active in Vaunte approximately thirty years ago.

    [Even though I suspected the mercenaries wouldn¡¯t ept my request so easily, theirmander actually sent a youth to test me. Honestly, other than a person with ¡®Blessed¡¯ or ¡®Chosen¡¯ status, there really isn¡¯t anyone who could defeat me.]

    Brendel was level 23 and a upper-tiered Iron rank fighter. Once a profession has crossed the barrier of level 15, then additional profession stats would be added to the progress from Tier 1 power level to Tier 2 power level.

    Even though he had lost the Thorn of Light, his strength had increased to 15 OZ, and a dozen times stronger than a trained soldier. He might appear to be a youth who had a lithe figure, but he could easily kill a boar with a single punch easily if he wanted to.

    His current overall power rating had exceeded 220 OZ, and he could face any mid-sizedpany of any kingdom¡¯s second line of defense unit with much ease. With this level of ability, Aouine¡¯s adventurers perceived them to have the equivalent strength of a Mid-tiermander.

    Brendel¡¯s hidden strength did not stop at his stats. His military swordsmanship at rank 10 was enough to make the majority of Aouine¡¯s military personnel¡¯s blood turn cold. Still, Brendel only thought he was stillcking as he was still a certain distance away from his grandfather¡¯s swordsmanship.

    Before he finished his thoughts, the youth in front of him had pulled out his sword and pointed to him. The tip of his de shook slightly, causing the reflected light to dazzle him.

    ¡°Listen carefully, merchant. I have never epted a weak challenge and I don¡¯t show any mercy. It is in fact the exact opposite, because the fights between warriors are sacred. ded weapons cross each other¡¯s path to end the opponent¡¯s life¡ª¡± The youth with white colored hair said: ¡°Themander might have asked me to duel with you, but I will never betray my will to go easy on you. Do you understand?¡±

    Brendel turned his head back to Romaine.

    ¡°Brendel, does he mean to say he¡¯s stronger than you are?¡± She opened her eyes in an exaggerated manner in order to blink after.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think he meant to say that.¡± Brendel sighed and replied, secretly relishing the fact that he did not be angry from Romaine¡¯sment.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Amandina asked.

    Brendel shook his head.

    [Does anyone here have any confidence in me?]

    But his sword was already out from its sheath. He used an ordinary steel longsword after the loss of the Elven sword. Once the white-haired youth saw his sword, he showed off a look of disdain. The de waspletely new, as if it was just bought recently from a cksmith.

    He was not wrong. The truth was indeed so, as the previous sword had been destroyed as it could not withstand Brendel¡¯s strength.

    Brendel raised his sword and swung it randomly, as it to get used to his new sword. However, his actions immediately drew the boos from the nearby mercenaries and adventurers who were gathering around them. Brendel¡¯s actions were like someone who had never fought before.

    ¡°Redi, isn¡¯t your idol the grandmaster swordsman, Gory Keyes? Show us your skills by defeating this tenderfoot!¡±

    ¡°Well said, since you came from the same homnd, you can¡¯t disgrace the name of Ablis.¡±

    ¡°You have my support Redi, trounce him till his mother can¡¯t recognize him!¡± The mercenaries immediately made a din. Thewless lot would forever be a chaotic group regardless of where they are.

    ¡°Gory Keyes?¡± Brendel paused for a moment as he heard the familiar name.

    He was prepared into entering Aouine¡¯s military stance, but his actions were halfpleted and he was off form.

    The mercenaries booed again.

    ¡°You¡¯re not fit to mention that name!¡± The white-haired youth¡¯s face turned dark and thrust towards Brendel with his sword.

    The sword might have been swift and deadly in the eyes of a normal person, but before Brendel¡¯s perception at 3.7 OZ, it was much too slow. Unfortunately, because his opponent had made the first strike without waiting for him to finish speaking, he subconsciously entered into a defensive parry that deflected the sword upwards with a long ringing.

    The white-haired youth could not hold on to his sword at all, and it embedded deeply into the slightly ck wooden ceiling with a slight vibration.

    The entire hall turned silent.

    The mercenaries who cheered loudly earlier had their mouths dangling openly, as if they saw a dragon or some monster. They watched Brendel nkly,pletely forgetting to either praise or boo him.

    Brendel¡¯s action with the earlier defense could not be seen as elegant. To put it mildly, it was like a barbarian swinging a stick, void of any technique. But the key point of his defense was not a matter of elegance, but his strength.

    [A natural born with freakish strength?] Everyone thought of the same thing.

    This was not anything that was out of the ordinary. There were rumors of a portion of people who inherited the Golden Lineage that was in the past, and a few of them would transcend themselves to be a ¡®Chosen¡¯ being. Even if they did not transcend themselves, they would still retain a particr feature of their ancestors. For example, boundless strength, or an incredibly strong regeneration factor, and even someone who could see elementspounded into a magic spell.

    Right now, the bodies that were known to still hold onto the Golden Lineage were dragons, unicorns and a few other mystical creatures.

    But someone immediately yelled out:

    ¡°Tier 1 Power Rating!¡±

    ¡°Iron-Ranked fighter!¡±

    The white-haired youth clutched his wrist and retreated five steps. He gazed at his swollen arm after he took on his opponent¡¯s blow, and was unable to ept what had transpired for a moment. Even though he was not as talented as Eke, he was still able to achieve the strength of a low-tier Iron-ranked fighter, and was considerably impressivepared to the majority of the people out there.

    He definitely did not expect that there was someone even younger than him who was stronger than him, and that he could not even hold his own against him even once.

    [How can there be so many monsters like Eke?] Redi was confused.

    His confusion onlysted for a few seconds, as Makarov and another tall middle-aged man walked down from the rooms to the hall. They did not witness the earlier scene, but looking up at the sword in the ceiling and the expressions of everyone around, themander had a grasp as to what had happened.

    He looked at Brendel and frowned. Even though he had heard that the merchant who wanted to join his mercenaries was a young man, he did not expect him to be a youth who did not look like he was past twenty summers.

    ¡°Buga,¡± Makarov lowered his voice immediately to the middle-aged man next to him. ¡°Test him.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± The middle-aged man had a strong Arreck¡¯s ent.

    ¡°Yes. I suspect this man might be a person from ¡®Paper Cards¡¯.¡± Makarov stared at Brendel as he exined himself.

    ¡°How many talented youths do they have? Makarov, are you not overthinking things?¡± Buga said as he released the gigantic sword behind him: ¡°But it¡¯s fine to test him anyway since you already pointed this out. In any case, this youth definitely has some backing to him.¡±

    Makarov turned to his old friend and looked puzzledly at him.

    ¡°Nothing much, it¡¯s just that there¡¯s a familiar scent that I¡¯m smelling here.¡± The middle-aged man looked at Brendel with a hint of doubt.

    PS: Just in case you wonder if the original raws ËÕ·Æ is a manly Chinese name, HAH. Nope. That ¡®·Æ = Fei¡¯ character is used to describe fragrant flowers.

 volume 2 - 67

    Volume 2 Chapter 67 ¨C Brendel¡¯s swordsmanship (2)

    The silence in the hall continued. Brendel looked at Redi who still wore an incredulous face, then peered up at the still vibrating longsword in the ceiling and sighed.

    He was not surprised at the oue. When they exchanged the blow, he had felt that he was approximately five times stronger than the average man, which meant that he had just qualified as an Iron rank fighter, and was roughly the same standard during the time when he first entered the valley of the Golden Demonic Tree.

    [Considerably impressive at this age, but you¡¯re certainly not my match.] Brendel reflected on his current abilities. He was almost cheating in his growth. Entering to a Tier 1 power rating within one week, climbing to a mid-tier Iron Rank fighter, then bing a entry level Silver Rank fighter. While he still did not match the growth of a ¡®Chosen¡¯, he definitely had the most impressive result in history for an ordinary man.

    [I wonder if there¡¯s anyone who can surpass this result.] Brendel mused to himself.

    [ording to the game¡¯s calction, a mid-tier Silver Rank fighter starts off at level 35. I need to get to level 40. That¡¯s nearly 600,000 XP needed. I have to do this in seven months. Aouine¡¯s Civil War starts off on December, and there¡¯s a time limit after that for me to take part in it. If I miss it......]

    His mind was working quickly, but he suddenly saw that the crowd was parting away.

    Amandina uttered a surprised murmur.

    Brendel also paused for a moment, then focused his gaze on two men behind the crowd. One of them wore a chainmail along with a blood-red robe. He wore a tall hat with colorful feathers on them, like an adventurer from Randner¡¯s royal geographical society in Aouine. However, the emblem on his chest was not the ming Amber but a simple wooden medal.

    There was an Emerald Bird carved onto it.

    The man next to him was even bigger in physical size, and he wore a simple leather armor which covered only the most vital areas. His incredibly muscr arms were exposed outside his clothes, and carried a huge sword over his shoulders with a single hand.

    His forehead was broad, but his cheeks were deeply gaunted as if they had been sliced away a knife. He lips were tightly pursed together, and coupled with his presence, gave the people who saw him for the first time a sense of great awe.

    Brendel looked nked at him.

    [Isn¡¯t he that man?]

    A single strand of suspicion grew in his mind. Thetter looked like a barbarian who came from the northern hignds that snowed throughout the year. The instant Brendel saw him, he immediately thought of this person: Arreck¡¯s ¡®Crosshand¡¯ Buga, the right hand of Duke Rhun,mander of Fortress Lantonrand.

    [One of the three most famous swordsman in Arreck, a grandmaster swordsman who is ced equally with ¡®Grand Eagle¡¯ DeJarre, and the ¡®Silver Knight¡¯ Sivia.]

    Brendel knew of Buga because he was a famous character within the game.

    Buga was the quest giver of ¡®Bravery¡¯, the primary quest for Duke Rhun. Brendel personally participated in that battle along with a number of gamers, and even till to this day, recalled that frightening battle with exceptional rity.

    [That final mission of the quest was to eliminate one of the twelve leaders of the Tree Shepherds, the Envoy of Sorrows, ¡®Funica¡¯. Right at time, the Envoy of Sorrows was level 97, and held the highest tier of the Darkness Element, almostpleting the first step of shaping the perfect self, ¡®Bronze Physique¡¯. During that era, the yers¡¯ peak levels were at 83, and it was an impossible task to defeat the Tree Shepherds...]

    The story during that time progressed in this manner.

    Buga carried along the greatsword ¡®The legend of Irving¡¯, and led to the gamers straight into the heart of the Tree Shepherd¡¯s base in the Forbidden Forest. He was the only one who held the Seaghan Cavalry Swordsmanship at Rank 17 which was a legendary existence. With merely four swipes of his sword, he struck Funica to his death.

    The gamers were almost like an audience watching a movie throughout the entire mission, and their task was merely to dy the mobs.

    [This battle truly cemented my decision to continue the path of a warrior, and in turn became the rare few gamers who yed as one.]

    Brendel observed a younger and healthier Buga moving towards him, and he felt his hands were a little wet from sweat. He did not expect to meet Buga here.

    [This is the future Greatsword Champion, Buga¡ª should I consider the fact that he has already attained the skills he had in the future? ... But why is this man here? In my memories, he trained the Seaghan¡¯s sword style when he was seventeen years old, and only got to know Duke Rhun a littleter on. Why did he appear in this rural ce?]

    ¡°Did you use Aouine¡¯s military swordsmanship?¡± Buga¡¯s eyes were focused on Brendel.

    Buga¡¯s faint blue-greyish eyes glimmered with slight delight. His eyebrows were very bare and his eyes appeared almost vacant, but other than that his appearance did not appear to be that of a foreigner. However the air around him was not of a regr person, but of a terrifying beast.

    The higher one¡¯s perception was, the more he would experience that fact.

    Brendel¡¯s current perception allowed him to listen to hear whispers even from a separated wall and even perceive the air currents, but as he stood there, he felt that Buga was an immovable mountain that stilled even the winds¡ª

    [I definitely see a man in front of me, but I feel like I¡¯m facing a wall where nothing can go past it...]

    Brendel swallowed. Only people who had crossed level 50 would have an aura like that.

    [Does this mean he has already unlocked his Elemental powers? At such a young age?]

    Brendel knew that Buga was not a ¡®Blessed¡¯ person, but this achievement might even cause a number of them to break out in cold sweat.

    [As expected of this monster.] Brendel remarked to himself.

    ¡°Are you from the army, or a youth from the guards in some random city? The militia should not have someone of your skill in them.¡± Buga¡¯s eyebrow raised a little as he asked. Brendel¡¯s reaction did not surprise him. He did not react to his aura, and the only person who could do so in the mercenaries was only Eke.

    [Eke is really an incredible talent.] Buga smiled faintly when he thought of Eke, but that smile immediately disappeared as soon as it appeared.

    [Military swordsmanship. Only three types. Army, city guards or militia. Most of the cavalry nobles have their own household swordsmanship, and even the adventurers or mercenaries would have added their own style into what they have after they experienced battles. But this youth here, does everything prim and proper in regards to his stances. He¡¯s obviously a student trained in some camp.]

    Buga¡¯s real identity allowed him to see things quite clearly.

    But Brendel shook his head: ¡°No, my ancestor is a Hignd Knight. Currently I am attending to matters on my own and did not bring along my squire. I believe you have heard of my proposal. I wish to join forces with you because it is advantageous for the both of us. I have no other goals, and if you have any thoughts otherwise, please stay them.¡±

    He thought for a while, but did not reveal Buga¡¯s identity in order to avoid his suspicions.

    The man who wore an adventurer¡¯s hat and stood beside Buga, gave a small cordial smile when he heard of the reply: ¡°We are very willing to ept your suggestion, but as you well know, mercenaries do not like to bring along baggage.¡±

    Brendel nced back and forth between the two men in front of him and understood.

    ¡°I hear you loud and clear. Please select the men that you wish to cross des with me. I believe I have already defeated the first one. ording to the rules, this test should not happen more than three times.¡±

    Makarov and Buga exchanged nces.

    The huge man brought his sword down onto the ground with a loud crash, and simply said: ¡°Then let me be your opponent, young man.¡±

    [Just like I thought!] Brendel took a deep breath. He stared into Buga¡¯s eyes with a confident smile. He did not feel anxious but was enthralled with excitement.

    [This is just as well. I don¡¯t know how strong he is now, but having the opportunity to test out my abilities now is not a bad idea!]

    Brendel¡¯s heartbeat started to quicken. He raised his own sword as he felt every cell in his body burn. When he finally became level 130, Buga had passed away. One of his regrets was not having the chance to face the grandmaster who was his goal. Even though he had unlocked the ¡®Silver Physique¡¯ like Buga did, there was no longer a chance to duel with him.

    He definitely did not think he had the chance to fight with him.

    [Even though you¡¯re not a grandmaster now, your battle senses are not beneath anyone else!] Brendel raised his head up like he had returned to when he was a level 130 warrior, and his eyes seem to burn with vigor.

    The youth lowered his sword to his hip and pointed the de up to Buga.

    Aouine¡¯s military swordsmanship at Rank 10 was not something to be seen as a basic sword style. A striking aura came naturally to Brendel and wrapped everyone with it. His grandfather was even more impressive when he took his stance, giving off an impression that one was on top of a cliff.

    But this was enough to shock the mercenaries around him.

    ¡°A grandmaster¡¯s understanding of the sword. Good. Aouine¡¯s Military swordsmanship.¡± Buga¡¯s eyes glinted: ¡°You have the right to duel with me.¡±

 volume 2 - 68

    TL: Sorry for thete chapter. I finally broke through my overwatch rank points at 2000. It¡¯s really a hard game, haha.

    I¡¯ll probably do 1 more chapter of TGTBGAM and TAS within the day.

    Chapter 68 ¨C Brendel¡¯s swordsmanship (3)

    After the words left through Buga¡¯s lips, the greatsword in his hand swung vertically down towards Brendel¡¯s head. He was ten meters apart from Brendel, but hebined it with a powerful jump that closed the distance, and in just a split second the heavy sword had already reached Brendel¡¯s head.

    Brendel did not need to look at the oing sword to know how dangerous it was. It was almost like an avnche happening on top of a snow mountain. Before the sword reached its mark, the sound that emitted from was like thunder.

    [Definitely a Gold-tier¡¯s strength!] Brendel gritted his teeth and prepared his stance.

    He tilted his neck and lined his left arm to form a triangle on the upper half of his body. It was the best defense he could use at his disposal. The system he hadbined the levels of his skills and shaped into a reality where his physical feats were raised; if he was still in the game, the description would be ¡®Aouine rank 9 Swordsmanship defensive stance ¨C 27% chance to parry¡¯.

    The swords met in a ze of sparks, and Brendel¡¯s sword screamed as if it was in pain. The sword twisted back as it failed to stop the greatsword. He constantly adjusted the strength in his hand, but the immense power behind the greatsword seemed to press forward every inch like an unstoppable tidal wave, and he realized that he was unable to avoid it.

    [There¡¯s no road to escape-] Brendel¡¯s mind calcted coldly and furiously.

    But the years as a warrior in the game seemed to let him reach an epiphany, and he shifted his body weight to match the greatsword¡¯s path which caused it to deviate slightly to the side. The greatsword smashed onto the ground, the force fanning out and destroyed the wooden nks at the same time, and at that moment the wooden splinters danced around like butterflies flying together.

    The sword was different from Tirste¡¯s lightning thrust. Brendel felt like he was an insignificant object when his strike came and there was no possible way to avoid it. He had seen this attack before in the game when Buga killed one of the Tree Shepherd¡¯s high ranking members, but experiencing the attack personally was an utterly different experience.

    [But he didn¡¯t use full strength.] Brendel suddenly realized this fact. [It showed off his trump card that he have unlocked his Element, and it¡¯s a considerably high level ¡®Earth¡¯ Element at that, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t show off how skilled he is in the sword.]

    Brendel exhaled coldly. The hall was quiet.

    Even though the exchange between them was nothing short of remarkable, almost no one saw what happened clearly. The only thing that they felt was how Brendel did not seem like he was at a disadvantage. The mercenaries held their tongues and suppressed their gasps, not knowing how they should react.

    [[[Buga¡¯s sword was avoided by a Iron rank swordsman?]]] The mercenaries who had the same rank as Brendel started to put themselves into Brendel¡¯s situation, imagining what they could have done under Buga¡¯s attack.

    The only option that seemed avable was to wait for death.

    ¡°That attack seemed to look like the vicemander used seventy percent of his strength, right?¡±

    ¡°T-that was...... luck right?¡±

    ¡°Just look at how he deflected it, at that level of skill, it¡¯s not just luck.¡±

    Whispers started to spread amongst the crowd, with varying degrees of expressions, ranging from excitement and shock.

    Brendel and Buga did not pay attention to them.

    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Buga uttered a surprised voice and lifted his head. He was not in a hurry to lift up the greatsword from the floor, but he took a longer look at Brendel in surprise.

    He thought that Brendel was a youth who had slightly more talent in the sword. He had gotten used to Eke¡¯s talent, and certainly did not think much of others because of that.

    [This young man isn¡¯t simple at all.] Buga pondered deeply. [That slide earlier definitely belonged to a high level technique.]

    Buga was not wrong. Brendel had copied the Elves¡¯ techniques who fell a long time ago; the swordsmanship which had been lost to the ages in history. This particr technique focused on agility and dexerity.

    Brendel¡¯s gamble had paid off, and his mind shifted slightly to the thoughts of acquiring it before dismissing them entirely.

    [Right now, Vaunte¡¯s current era is definitely chapter 1 in the game. ¡®The empire¡¯s birth¡¯, the title of chapter 1, describes Madara¡¯s rise as a kingdom. Dredging up old manuscripts from the past requires me to wait at least to the time where chapter 3, ¡®Ancient Heritage¡¯, happens. These techniques can only wait till then.]

    Brendel rxed slightly when Buga stopped his attack. He shook his sword arm and realized that it was not numb, indicating that Buga had deliberately lowered his strength to match his standards. A thought sprang up in Brendel¡¯s mind. If Buga only saw this as a test, then he might have the chance to win.

    As long as Buga lowered his standards and sought to defeat him with the mere understanding of his swordsmanship and techniques, he was definitely sealing his fate.

    Even though Brendel was not the amongst the top yers in the game, it was not possible for Buga topare with him. Brendel¡¯s character in the game had trained in seventeen different sword styles, and there were more than half of them that reached over ten levels and above. He even saw and fought against countless opponents who had different techniques.

    [Buga¡¯s techniques came from a renown knight that focuses on strong openings and closings, one vertical and horizontal strike, which is where the name of ¡®Crosshand¡¯es in. With thebination of his Earth Element, that majestic aura around him would intimidate his enemies. Unfortunately, this doesn¡¯t work on me.]

    Brendel understood that he should not fall into his opponent¡¯s rhythm, and he sought to have the first strike before Buga had the chance to pull up his sword.

    The distance between them was over five meters as Brendel had backed up a few steps earlier. His attack was very simple, it was Aouine¡¯s one handed thrust.

    But it startled everyone¡ª

    The mercenaries who learned Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship understood that it was an rudimentary technique, and in the game¡¯s term ¨C level 0 Aouine Swordsy. Many of them had learned the technique and trained in it repeatedly, but they did not understand how his thrust covered over five meters in distance.

    Brendel snickered inwardly when he saw Buga¡¯s slight astonishment.

    [It seems like the future grandmaster had learned of Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship to a certain level, but he¡¯s not at an advanced level yet. If you do, you woulde to understand a master¡¯s understanding in the sword increases the effectiveness of the technique greatly.]

    Aouine¡¯s military swordsmanship basic effectiveness covered a meter and half, and a master¡¯s understanding increased it to three meters. Brendel had the advantage of knowing to increase it further through varying means from the game, and had the option of increasing it up to seven meters in distance.

    Brendel¡¯s swordsmanship in the game reached level twenty and above as a grandmaster, and he had heard rumors about a huge barrier at level thirty and a new title that superseded the Grandmaster rank, but he had never seen anyone or a yer that reached that level.

    The sword approached Buga with a sh. His speed was enough to cease the whispers amongst the crowd, while Buga smiled at Brendel when he discovered his intention to seize the initiative. He thought that it was nothing more than a clever trick to catch the enemy off-guard, and he was prepared to teach the youth a lesson.

    It was an unfortunate oversight.

    Buga suddenly realized that it was not a mere trick. Brendel¡¯s sword seemed to dance even though it started off as a simple thrust. He should have followed up with another step and use the sword¡¯s hilt to strike the opponent in a daze, then attack with a flourish. Brendel¡¯s actions seemed to do that, but he pointed his swords in three different feints at three different targets before lunging the sword into his chest.

    Buga was momentarily dazzled by the feints and he had to retreat a step to avoid the lunging attack, but Brendel seemed to have predicted his action and took an evenrger stride. Before Buga knew it, the sword was already inches away from him.

    This action jolted Buga and he drew back in haste, but Brendel followed closely with the same attacks that he did earlier; three feints at different vital areas after the first thrust, followed by a lunge at the area that was the most exposed.

    Buga had never seen Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship used in this manner, but Brendel¡¯s techniques were beautiful in design and effective in reality. Buga swore that he had never even heard of Aouine¡¯s military swordsmanship being used in this manner, but the youth in front of him showed that it was possible to bring thismonce military swordsmanship to heights that one had never seen before.

    This was the crystallization of countless warriors who spent decades in the game.

    The gamers started to discuss the core of the various techniques in earnest around the time when it was about thirty years into the game. They came to the realization that the game had enough freedom to implement new techniques into the game without the need to rely on what was avable in the game.

    It was the era where a revolution in abilities and techniques.

    Buga was facing what gamers defined as the basics, or more urately, the modern Aouine¡¯s system of military swordsmanship. He was also facing Brendel who had became a grandmaster warrior in the game as well, and he had also fallen into Brendel¡¯s pace of attacking.

    He felt tremendous pressure as the youth seemed to predict his every move, leaving him confused and lost, and that feeling made him feel like he was a novice swordsman who had encountered a grandmaster swordsman. He even recalled the moments where he had started to train in the sword for the first time in his life, and how his teacher corrected his every move.

    This was the absolute level of disparity in skill when it came to techniques.

    Buga was forced back by Brendel again and again, until he finally came to the conclusion that there would not be a result where he could win by skill alone. He had no choice but to use his full abilities, and channel his ¡®Earth¡¯ Element into his fist to defend against Brendel¡¯s sword.

    A huge nging sound resounded through the hall.

    This time it was Brendel who flew back ten over meters and smashed into the crowd.

    Nobody cheered for Buga¡¯s punch.

    [Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship? Is that really it?]

    [How could it be used in that manner?]

    [Just exactly how talented is that young man in the sword? Buga actually failed to defend against his attacks even once?]

 volume 2 - 69

    TL: There are a number of reasons why I haven¡¯t been updating my series as much. TAS is actually getting harder to write because it¡¯s more descriptive and more confusing recently, that¡¯s one. I¡¯m now spending five hours and upwards for one chapter just for the first draft (which you¡¯re getting right now).

    Another reason is because of that undisclosed thing I mentioned earlier, and it kind of affects my IRL ns for the future. It¡¯s serious enough for me to actually disclose Brendel¡¯s name in advance, and I¡¯ll say that 2017 might be a really strange year and I hope it won¡¯t affect TAS.

    The third reason is because I have been ying games, duh. School¡¯s over, I received my cert, it¡¯s like how long should I y my backlog of video games before I seek a job (lol). Here¡¯s the review of Tale Of Wuxia, or if you don¡¯t want to read it, you can go ahead and read TAS instead.

    Chapter 69 ¨C Mountain winds

    ¡°I did not expect my lord to have such impressive skills.¡±

    Amandina praised as she walked across the hall. The only time she had the chance to see Brendel in action was during the time in the auction site in Brus. However, she was busy pulling Romaine to safety and did not witness Brendel¡¯s skill in action.

    Three different sets of footsteps resounded throughout the stony walls of the inn¡¯s corridor, echoing towards the dim exit. The owner had carved out windows from the wall¡¯s section, allowing the ambient lighting to cast a soft glow on the dark floors.

    ¡°Yes, but Brendel has always been impressive.¡± Romaine added with flushed pride. Her beaming smile allowed her eyes to narrow in a bewitching manner, and she turned back to look at Brendel. He flinched as he became wary of her brewing strange thoughts in her head again.

    This worry was not misced. Romaine first impersonated a regional noble to investigate the market, then enlisted a pair of thieving brothers to scribe a map to enter Chablis. It was a dangerous move because scribing a map without permission was a risk to be sent to the gallows.

    Her actions were initially kept from Brendel but her words gave her away, otherwise he would still be kept in the dark.

    [Not only that, she faked identification papers... I thought I looked down on Aouine¡¯sws, but here is someone who seems to flout the rules at every turn... Wait, does she even know whatws there are?] Brendel rubbed his forehead.

    Romaine was remarkably cautious in her actions, and was quite alike to a cunning politician who did not reveal their misdeeds in any way. Brendel identally found her counting her coins in the carriage, before he realized that she had earned a considerable amount of pocket money illegally.

    In the end he severely lectured her for hours, with her nodding and agreeing in assent with sincerity, but only Mother Marsha would know how much she actually heeded his words.

    ¡°What are you thinking about now?¡± Brendel blurted out.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Romaine shook her head rapidly and hurriedly.

    ¡°... Then why are you so tense when I asked you?¡± Brendel sighed in exasperation, his doubts doubling.

    ¡°Did I look so tense?¡± Romaine rubbed her cheeks with her hands, and asked curiously with wide eyes.

    ¡°Oh little Romaine, your innocent acts aren¡¯t fooling me any longer.¡±

    ¡°D-don¡¯t call me that n.....¡± The merchant girl¡¯s eyebrows raised upwards, but she immediately blinked and asked: ¡°Can I go out alone for a stroll?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Brendel said curtly.

    He refused not because he was afraid of her driving the scenic town into a frenzy of chaos, but of another consideration.

    The battle earlier had impressed everyone in the hall, and even Makarov admitted that he waspetent enough. Once Brendel¡¯s fiery warrior¡¯s blood waned, he felt his mind regain its rity.

    It was amon thing for a group of adventurers to join up with mercenaries in the game. It was easy for them to get into trouble during their travels, and it was more than necessary to rely on others for help.

    While it was rare for the Mercenaries¡¯ Oath toe into formal actuality, it was not umon for them to be invoked. Most of the time, the different mercenary groups are quite wary of each other and only aided each other when it was necessary to do so.

    [The test that was done today was really nothing more than empty words to try and hinder me from invoking the Oath. That Makarov and Buga¡¯s actions are too strange, and they definitely have a hidden agenda.]

    Brendel reflected on Buga¡¯s facial expressions.

    [He looked like he was suspicious of me. Is that really necessary to be so suspicious of a stranger?]

    He was quite puzzled. He thought back on the situation that happened in the afternoon. The mercenaries tried to surround Eke and bring him back to theirmander, but it looked overlyplicated.

    [A different goal? Or have they encountered some form of trouble? The worst oue is if they are after the same thing that I¡¯m going for...]

    Brendel rubbed his furrowed brows.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Romaine asked. ¡°Are you angry at me?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Brendel red at her in annoyance. He knew that she was not afraid of his anger, but because she was hoping to get a response out of him. ¡°Amandina, what did the mercenaries said they called themselves again?¡±

    His thoughts shifted as recalled of another issue which might turned out to be a new problem for him.

    ¡°The Grey Wolves.¡±

    ¡°The Grey Wolves?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing¡ª¡± Brendel replied in a casual manner, before mumbling to himself: ¡°... The Grey Wolves... Isn¡¯t it supposed to be the Greenwoods Mountain Mercenaries? Makarov looks exactly like how he¡¯s described, but why is the name different?¡±

    [Did history change? While it¡¯s a possibility that they changed their names, but registering a change in the kingdom¡¯s records would have been a huge task, it would usually be rejected unless there¡¯s a huge incident¡ª]

    Brendel suddenly looked up to the stony window to look at the faint skylight.

    ======================== Makarov¡¯s POV =================

    ¡°What do you think of him?¡±

    The middle-aged man with red hair felt the scar on his face as he turned back to ask Buga.

    The cool breeze that stroked his face made him feel heavy-eyed. He narrowed his eyes to look at the town below the hill¡¯s inn. Man-made steps were carved in winding paths to lead up to the inn.

    The ¡®Maned Wolf¡¯ Makarov was renowned in the mercenaries¡¯ circle for nearly seven years. He was famed for his bravery and unforgiving duels he had, almost as if he had no regard for his own life like a starving wolf. The wolves in the southern Aouine¡¯s mountainous regions are also called the silver maned wolves, which was also the reason why he was named so.

    ¡°Hah.¡± Buga smacked his head with his hand and gave a gruffugh: ¡°That young man¡¯s ability in the sword is nearly faultless. He almost has the standards of a grandmaster, and amongst the military¡ª¡±

    He suddenly coughed: ¡°You know what I mean. I cannotpare to his talent when ites to the sword. That young man, Brendel, is someone who¡¯s born to carry a sword. I can hardly believe someone of his age can reach to such skill. Do you know that I couldn¡¯t even fight back¡ª¡±

    He continuedughing: ¡°Before young master Eke, I truly did not think there¡¯s talent in this world. To reach the name of ¡®talented¡¯, would require determination and hard work. Young master Eke proved me wrong. Today, I was proven wrong again. I feel like I have been wrong all my life.¡±

    He grinned when he was finished, revealing his white teeth.

    ¡°You¡¯reparing him with young master?¡± Makarov¡¯s eyes went wide, forcing the scar to be even more prominent. It was left from a Night¡¯s Son, and the people who knew him well know that the scar was already there even before he became a mercenary. ¡°I did not see such skill in him.¡±

    ¡°This is why you¡¯re themander and I¡¯m the fighter.¡±

    ¡°Your opinion of him seems very high, it seems.¡±

    ¡°Yes. But that young man reminds me of someone.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Hah, a really stubborn bastard. But putting that aside, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a spy for ¡®Paper Cards¡¯. If they had someone as talented as him, they would have been signs.¡±

    Makarov shook his head to disagree: ¡°This is hard to determine. The timing of this is too sensitive to be certain of anything. I do not think that ¡®Paper Cards¡¯ would fight for just a simple mission. Chablis is a small town with no prominent resources, so why would it attract them?¡±

    ¡°You mention before that they had other motives?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°But for what exactly? The lizardmen bandits have some other goals, or for another reason entirely?¡±

    ¡°I do not know. Eke has been very strangetely,¡± Makarov closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°This makes me a little worried. I do not wish for a group of unknown men to follow us with ill intentions. Thest mission was meddled with by ¡®Paper Cards¡¯, this time I want no incidents.¡±

    Buga eyed him for a fleeting moment.

    ¡°Has the maester agreed to this as well?¡±

    Makarov nodded, then shook his head. ¡°He did not say anything.¡±

    ¡°Then why not wait?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t put if off any longer. Do you not feel the signs that the Tree Shepherds are catching up to us?¡± Makarov said with a chilly breath: ¡°Three days. That¡¯s the limit. We¡¯re moving out.¡±

    ¡°And the young man?¡±

    ¡°Let hime with us.¡±

 volume 2 - 70

    TL: Should be one more chaptering soon.

    Chapter 70 ¨C Setting out

    The July morning in Chablis was a song of birds¡¯ warbling that filled the forest. When the morning sun covered the town, it also seemed to fill it with vigor and life.

    Brendel¡¯s habits hadpletely changed ever since he entered this world. He used to sleep inte whenever he could back in his original world, but now he woke up early as a swordsman. He took in a deep breath, filling his nose with the air inside his room that smelled of peppermint leaves.

    Having the luxury to sleep felt like it was ages ago.

    He walked towards the nearest window to look outside the inn¡¯s window. The scenery was Chablis¡¯s undting mountains, with the town¡¯s stony architecture giving an indescribable charm. As he admired thendscape, he held down a paper card with two fingers and opening it with his thumb. The Wind Crystal that was ced beside it immediately turned into a path of green smoke that went straight into the paper card. A small gust of wind blew within the room, and numerous dimension cracks appeared to reveal twenty Wind Spirit Spiders which jumped out.

    He immediately gave them an order, and the chattering spiders scattered away, bing blurry and transient, before they finally disappeared as wafts of smoke and went outside the room. The cracks closed and the wind stopped, and upon witnessing this event, the youth smiled.

    ¡°The current situation appears like it¡¯s a quest mission.¡± He furrowed his brows as he opened a bottle of mana potion. This thought has been lingering for two days and he did not sleep well over it.

    The game had events that appeared randomly without warning, which either led to a chain quest or a dungeon. There were hints of how the quests were going to be spawned from logical events, and it was an attractive selling point.

    [Should I treat this current situation like the game or should I worry how far it is going to deviate from the game? Wait. Think about it, thus far, all the major events have followed the game¡¯s history. Surely there¡¯s a possibility that this mercenary group that appeared here was in the game¡¯s history as well.]

    Brendel went back and forth in his mind, trying to recall the insignificant events during the early years in the game. After a short while, he finally recalled about an event about within the Baern¡¯s ruins. The people involved imed to be the first team that got a chain quest.

    [It¡¯s really familiar¡ª]

    As he tried to recall details about the event, a series of impatient knocks could be heard from the door.

    [Not Romaine, she wouldn¡¯t bother knocking, not Amandina either, it¡¯s unlike her to knock in such a rude manner¡ª Makarov¡¯s men.]

    Brendel immediately guessed.

    ¡°Please enter.¡±

    The door opened to reveal two young men. One of them was the youth with white hair and a feminine face, who looked at Brendel with considerable scorn. The other man was one whom Brendel had not seen before.

    Brendel observed the second man closely; he had short near hair, a skinny and short figure, and he looked inside the room with an expression full of curiosity.

    ¡°S-ser Brendel, we¡¯re ready to move, may we know if you¡¯re ready?¡± The short youth nced at him with an inquisitive expression that¡¯s mixed with doubt and admiration. It was evident that the battle Brendel had against Buga had given him a deep impression.

    It was well known that Buga¡¯s abilities was far beyond Makarov, and a young man whose age looked about twenty had bested him in terms of technique, was something that beyond imagination.

    [I have heard of the people who are ¡®Chosen¡¯, but I don¡¯t know how strong they are... I wonder if he¡¯s one?]

    Brendel would haveughed if he knew what the small youth was thinking. At his current strength he was not even close to be a ¡®Chosen¡¯, he could not evenpare to a ¡®Blessed¡¯ person either.

    ¡°Understood. We will be there shortly. I thank you for informing me.¡± He nodded.

    The youth with white hair immediately scoffed.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes darted over to him. He had socialized with some of the mercenaries and found out that the white-haired youth was a noble¡¯s scion. It was not surprising that he had a temper and a condescending personality. Brendel guessed that his reason for joining the mercenary was an entire whole story altogether.

    He had no interest to learn of it in any case.

    But while Brendel ignored him, the white-haired youth did not do so. In fact, he became even angrier for being ignored at, and he scoffed again: ¡°You listen to me. Even though I¡¯m not your match, I¡¯ll constantly have my eyes on you, and if I find out you¡¯re trying to do something out of order¡ª¡±

    The youth beside him turned around in shock as he did not expect his partner to say something like that. His eyes went back to Brendel. He mouthed wordlessly, but no sound came out of his throat.

    ¡°Oh, you¡ª?¡± Brendel secretly added ¡®moron¡¯ in his mind, then held his gaze on him: ¡°Are called Redi, are you not?¡±

    ¡°My name has nothing to do with you.¡± He spat the words out.

    ¡°Are the nobles in your homnd without manners?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°You....¡± Redi said through gritted teeth, his hand reaching for his sword, before he recalled the difference of strength between them, before he dejectedly lowered his hand.

    ¡°Eke escaped?¡±

    ¡°How did you know of this, you.....!¡±

    Redi¡¯s brows creased together and he wanted to question Brendel, but he saw him in a contemting manner, and immediately realized he made a mistake. He grunted heavily: ¡°Hmph. You concern yourself too much with this matter. I will inform your transgression to themander.¡±

    [h, h, whatever. I wonder how many idiots like you are out there.]

    But a smile appeared on Brendel¡¯s face: ¡°I merely ask because I had the chance to meet Ser Eke, if you must know.¡±

    [I don¡¯t gave a shit.] Redi was furiously grinding his teeth, but there was no other expressions about putting on a taciturn face.

    ¡°I heard that you are from the same homnd as the Saint of the Silver Sword, Gory Keyes.¡± Brendel suddenly said.

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your......¡±

    The white-haired youth finally realized that Brendel was mocking him. He ceased talking and added a dismissive snort. Since he realized he could not have the upper hand against Brendel, he turned around and pulled his partner away, with the intention of leaving Brendel behind to find the way on his own, and it would be even better if he was unable to find his way.

    Brendel keptughing in his mind.

    [It seems that bastard Gory has an ardent admirer.]

    He had tried to learn his sword skills from Gory, but he failed to get any quest rted to his techniques, and even suffered considerably under the old man¡¯s temper.

    [I wonder if he knows that old man¡¯s real nature. He really loves to gamble, but he¡¯s always unlucky and hepletely denies making a bet when he loses... But there might be an opportunity to get one of his skill someday. It¡¯s a pity he is traveling in Kirrlutz currently, otherwise I might try to find him.]

    .......

    Makarov and Buga exchanged long looks with each other. In the end it was Makarov who asked: ¡°Ser Brendel, they are?¡±

    He pointed at the twelve mercenaries who wore different uniforms.

    [Mother Marsha above, we locked down the inn¡¯s entrance and exit. We had scouts at the town¡¯s gates, but how did these conspicuous men escape our notice? Did they arrive long ago before us? But we have been here for three days and these men did not appear!]

    He stared at the men who carried axes, spears, shields, longswords along with full headgear.

    Brendel did not understand the conflict in Makarov¡¯s mind, so he merely shrugged as he exined with a smile: ¡°These are my men. I believe I had mentioned before that I have mercenaries under me. Hmm..... They hail from distantnds, and as you know as a merchant, I had the chance to travel to different kingdoms. These mercenaries are from a minority tribe from the eastern Kindoms. Please do not mind what they wear.¡±

    The smile never left his face, as though something like that really happened.

    Amandina and Romaine threw furtive nces at him.

    [Brendel actually has contact with minorities from the farawaynds! Incredible!] Romaine¡¯s innocent mind praised him wholeheartedly.

    But Amandina had different thoughts. Even though she knew he had another group of mercenaries under him, they were most likely from Arreck and not minorities.

    [There¡¯s something amiss. Even though Brendel said Ciel had to go back to Karsuk for a certain matter, there¡¯s something wrong somewhere.] Amandina buried these thoughts in her heart as she did not want to question her lord.

    Makarov and Buga who had more experience than Amandina obviously came to the same conclusion, but they did not understand how these mercenaries came about. Their Silver-ranked scouts even found Eke, but these new mercenaries who looked like they only had Iron-ranks fighters amongst them actually bypassed every scout.

    Makarov subconsciously knitted his brows together. His opinions rated Brendel three grades higher, and he appeared to be on the realms of mystery.

    ¡°Then, Commander Makarov, should we set off?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Certainly.¡± Makarov nodded with some difficulty. He was determined to ce Brendel in the center of his own mercenaries to keep close watch over him. He was originally confident that he could keep trouble to a minimum, but there were twelve ¡®Silver-ranked¡¯ mercenaries who escaped detection, led by a youth who he himself was physically capable as a Silver-ranked fighter who was armed with incredible talent in the sword.

    He felt a headacheing up. He looked back at Buga with a little me in his eyes: ¡°My old friend, this was the result of your investigation?¡±

    Buga shrugged.

    Makarov had asked Buga to search the mercenaries that Brendel had mentioned, but there was not even a hint about them, but there were twelve of them that suddenly sprung up. Even though they looked like they only were ¡®Iron-ranked¡¯ fighters, but Makarov did not believe his own eyes. These men were strangely dressed and he thought they had the means to hide their own strength.

    Buga also shook his head inwardly when he saw the mercenaries.

 volume 2 - 71

    TL: So I recently found a  about chinese history.

    Gravity tales is tranting The Grandmaster Strategist, and I find that it¡¯s tranted really well. The story is about an alternate universe that talks about chinese history as a genre (no cheat skills or systems. It¡¯s not a xianxia.). This novel isn¡¯t a real historical novel, but it picks from famous chinese poets andbine their poems which the protagonist writes, which then invites drama thates into y. This is like a  that introduces you to chinese history written in an entertaining way. I kind of have to tip my hat off for the guts to even try and trante this novel.

    Honestly, the original text picked off hardcore poems that needs a whole chapter devoted to exin the origin¡¯s text and meaning, but the trantor did a really fine job in making it sound great in english and retain its general essence.

    Chapter 71 ¨C The oing premonition

    Brendel rubbed his forehead as he recalled a particr battle during the game, as he traveled into the Baern¡¯s forest.

    Before entering a war filled with bloodshed, the gamers who led a peaceful lifestyle could hardly imagine the fanatical eyes of every person that seemed to be swallowed in bloodlust. The battles were as chilling as it appeared, the cold and merciless des that went into each throat, causing crimson blood to spray everywhere, filling the air with iron rust, while each victim struggled on the ground as the night melted into the background. Their weary eyes saw their final moments before their vision became dim.

    That did not mark the end of them, because their own blood would pool within their lungs and they would cough incessantly, in a painful bid to cling for life before they finally expire in sorrow.

    Once upon a time, ¡®Sophie¡¯ thought ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯ was going to progress like a scene in a novel. He recalled the moments of how the battles unfolded in a bizarre manner.

    There were no two armies deployed in an orderly fashion facing each other. His first true battle withrge numbers urred in the Delttal Forest. Tall trees with dense leaves lined across a precipice which led into a meandering shoreline. The enemies that consisted of very merchants and their private armies hid within the cliffs¡¯rge fissures.

    The number of gamers and NPCs were more than three times the vers¡¯ private armies, but the true battle was decided by how proficient their scouts were in a ce like this.

    The initial battle started off with the gamerspletely falling into chaos as they were nked from an ambush in an unfavorable spot. Team members were separated from each other and the appointed leaders lost sight of their position, and the majority of the people had to form into small groups to fight for themselves.

    The enemy employed multiple highly mobile ambushes that came for the nks and back, and the thousand odd gamers were held back by a single unit of cavalry.

    No one knew where the scouts were spying them from, and the chaos had made it impossible for the leaders to keep track of where their nks were. In retrospect, Brendel felt that having the option tomand a battleground from an isometric view like how other games were, was something of a blissful thought.

    During the thick of the battle, countless swallow-tail gs were carried by a myriad number of guilds that served to obscure sight and contributed nothing but disorder. They were ushered to move in a direction that no one knew where they were going, asionally encountering small groups of the very¡¯s private army and defeating them easily. Everyone thought they had the greater numbers and thought they were going to win, but the longer the battle went on, the more splintered the groups became.

    The vers¡¯ main private army moved in an organized manner with numbers that dwarfed the splintered groups, picking them off one by one, like how Brendel had done so earlier when he fought the undead army with the refugees.

    By the time dusk came, the remaining gamers found themselves surrounded by the enemies¡¯ gs¡ª

    [¡®The Delttal¡¯s massacre¡¯, aptly named in the forums. Seventeen hundred gamers gathered together by threerge guilds to fight along the NPCs. There was no question to the gamers¡¯ skill and courage. Even until the end they formed small parties to fight to their deaths, but the result was the gamers being utterly obliterated.]

    The irony in the situation was how the smaller groups of gamers caused more damage to the vers in the night,pared to the situation in the daytime where they had the advantage in numbers. Brendel gave a wry smile.

    [This memory still chills me to my soul even though that battle happened just after Be¡¯s battle with Madara. The gamers only learned how to employ tactics and memorized the guild gs and whether they belonged to the cavalries or foot soldiers. Themanders situated themselves onto higher grounds so they could observe the batleground and adjust their positions ordingly within a ten-mile radius.]

    Brendel watched Makarov issuedmands that the gamers had to learn themselves.

    There were certainly differences to the battle Brendel had because of the scale, but the principles behind them were simr. Brendel held the horse¡¯s reins closely and directed it to avoid shrubs so that they would not prick it. He nced around from time to time, and discovered figures wearing green robes and painted bows darting across. Normal people would not have noticed them.

    [¡®The Forest Spirits¡¯? They are definitely the best hunters that appeared in this world as far I can see. Kirrlutz¡¯s soldiers called them the ¡®Forest Spirits¡¯ when they invaded thisnd two hundred years ago, but it¡¯s a name that the local citizens saw as praise. This meant they were the swiftest hunters, the most urate archers and the best rangers.]

    ¡°I wonder where Makarov found them.¡± Brendel subconsciously mumbled as he tapped the gold ted bits on the reins. He had actually teamed up with them before, even though the time he had with them was not long, they left a deep impression on him.

    ¡°I wonder if they scouted this ce for a long time.¡±

    The mercenaries would have an easy time if they had excellent scouts. Makarov certainly handled things well. Brendel understood that mercenaries could only perform well if they were far more familiar with thendspared to their enemies.

    The members of Makarov¡¯s mercenaries were definitely veterans. It was amon thing for mercenaries to be hired to clear bandits, and the more famous their name was, the more experienced they tend to be. Makarov himself was clearly someone who¡¯s renowned.

    [There wouldn¡¯t be many differences to how I would employ our positions if I was to lead the mercenaries. He even has an advantage over me since he already knows where the lizardmen are. The Elven ruins in Baern should prove to be a difficult ce to ess if they are not locals, but it seems his men knows this ce well. I wondered how I¡¯m going to work with him and I considered the possibility of hiring other mercenaries to follow his tail, but that itself can be considered as a great affront.]

    Brendel ultimately chose to use the Mercenaries¡¯ Oath, and was secretly delighted that Makarov had a great number of scouts. It also highlighted the disadvantage if he chose to chose his former n. If he followed them from the back, he would not have seen the scouts.

    He looked over to Makarov and Buga.

    Their faces were taut. They had shown Brendel¡¯s their scouts because they had no choice. If they hid them, sooner orter Brendel would have noticed them, so revealing them now was a choice they made to give him a warning. Brendel¡¯s men seemed to be like a bomb waiting to explode. cing them in front or at the back was even more dangerous,pared to cing them at the center where they could surround them quickly.

    If he had a choice, Makarov would have Brendel thrown out a long time ago. Even through the journey he wanted to do so several times, but he shook his head in the end.

    [Even if other groups of mercenaries would do something otherwise, the Grey Wolves must not do something dishonorable. The agreement stands.]

    ¡°Is Eke still in the town?¡± Makarov turns to Buga and asks.

    Buga nodded.

    ¡°Forget it. Let him do whatever he wants. This isn¡¯t his fault,¡± Makarov shook his head and let a sardonic smile spread across his face. ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate that we couldn¡¯t tell him too much.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s doing this because of you.¡±

    ¡°I know he¡¯s concerned about the ¡®Paper Cards¡¯, but he doesn¡¯t know that we know about their presence already. That idiot bastard Drake thinks he¡¯s fooling us, but what he doesn¡¯t know is we¡¯re ying along with his trick.¡± Makarov tilted his head with contempt: ¡°But the most troublesome person is not him, but the youth in front of us. I¡¯m certain that he¡¯s not with the ¡®Paper Cards¡¯ yet that doesn¡¯t give me relief.¡±

    Makarov gave a rarely seen expression that was full of disdain.

    ¡°That¡¯s a terrible irony, you do know that right.¡± He said.

    Buga agreed as well.

    Brendel did not know that he caused such grief to them, but started to calcte the number of men marching. There were seventy odd men altogether heading straight to the Elven ruins.

    [It would be best if we could ambush the lizardmen, otherwise this excursion would take a few days.]

    Brendel¡¯s thoughts drifted to this morning.

    [The insignia of the Grey Wolves are lc flowers that specifically blooms in the southern region. The insignia are the exact same as the Greenwoods Mountain Mercenaries... Wait... what¡¯s theposition of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries again? ]

    Brendel looked at the Makarov¡¯s men around him.

    [Half of them are Iron-ranked fighters, a fifth are Silver-ranked, along with ¡®The Forest Spirits¡¯? With such a group of mercenaries to clear a hundred odd level 20 Lizardmen Bandits, there¡¯s no need to even arrange tactics here. Something is off about this.]

    Brendel finally realized the origins of the Grey Wolves as he observed them, but his train of thoughts were interrupted when he heard Amandina snapping in a loud voice.

    ¡°Why are you cing your men over here? This isn¡¯t normal!¡±

    Brendel could imagine Amandina¡¯s frown on her face without turning around.

    ¡°What the hell do you know, you wench.¡± Redi¡¯s voice rang out loudly.

    Brendel¡¯s face immediately darkened.

 volume 2 - 72

    TL: This is the initial draft. The next chapter shoulde two or three dayster.

    Chapter 72 ¨C Brendel¡¯s strategy

    Brendel turned back and indeed saw the white-haired man wearing a frosty expression.

    What came next into his sight were ten odd Juddn heavy infantry men. The Juddn was one of Aouine¡¯s mostmonly hired mercenaries. These men lived in regions near the sea, and all their eleven ports were frequently hassled by pirates. With these constant battles, the citizens of Juddn naturally became mercenaries.

    A typical Juddn mercenary wore a well crafted and heavy scale armor, a long me-forged steel spear, and on top of the spear held a shield half the size of a man. Finally their waist was adorned with higher grade swords and axes that were handed down from their ancestors.

    Brendel knew them well from the game.

    ¡°What is going on?¡± He jerked his horse to stop it from moving as he asked.

    ¡°These are clearly heavy infantry....... Messere,¡± Amandina¡¯s obsidian eyes beheld a clear alertness as she turned around to answer Brendel: ¡°They clearly do not trust me if they ce this group of heavy infantry behind us.¡±

    Brendel took another nce behind her and realized something suddenly. He merely smiled: ¡°Not trusting is a normal reaction.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    Redi snorted in displeasure at Amandina¡¯s continued disapproval.

    Brendel eyed at him once and asked: ¡°Then what is the reason for putting these Juddn men behind us?¡±

    ¡°It does not concern you.¡± Redi snapped.

    ¡°Ser, these men usually move slower in the forest,¡± It was the shorter youth who came along with Redi in the morning who walked over. He jerked Redi¡¯s sleeve, while he continued to answer: ¡°Commander Makarov also ced them here to handle ambushes, and it¡¯s not because of the distrust towards everyone here.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful, killing two birds with one stone.¡± Brendel expressed an understanding face, but he did not forget to ridicule Redi: ¡°But your partner is just awful atmunicationpared to you.¡±

    Redi¡¯s face shed in anger and flung his arm to get rid of his partner¡¯s pull, leaving the other youth behind. Brendel took a longer look at the youth in front of him: ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Sanford.¡±

    ¡°Sanford, that name doesn¡¯t sound like the locals.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m originally an apprentice baker in Brus...... which was before I became a mercenary. Ser, your ent seems like one from there too.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not, but the girls are.¡± Brendel pointed his chin at them.

    Sanford gave a shy smile and looked at the girl riding behind Brendel. But she turned her face away to the side and did not look at him. Even though she was a poor noble, she had the temperament of a typical Aouine noble who refused to be friendly to typicalmoners. Romaine did not have the same concern, so she winked at him as she was from Be and considered as a neighbor.

    ¡°It sounds like this reasoning is fine, but to bring heavy infantry in the forest is a sign of ill consideration.¡± Amandina looked at the Juddn men as she spoke.

    But there was a loud retort that came swiftly when she finished her words.

    ¡°Serah, messere, pray hold your words. We have to work for our meals, andmander Makarov was kind enough to ept us, so we have to pledge our loyalty. It behooves us to follow our group, have you ever heard of mercenaries leaving theirrades to go forth in danger while we stay back?¡±

    A Juddn mercenary came into sight as he walked out from the shrubs. He was carrying arge ck weapon, his face full of stubble along with a lop-sided grin. He shook his head as he spoke with a heavy ent.

    Brendel¡¯s group looked at him.

    [Here¡¯s someone who can walk freely out of rank. His position within the mercenaries is definitely not low.]

    ¡°Frank, assault captain.¡± He introduced himself as he rubbed his nose.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Brendel¡¯s gaze fell upon Frank¡¯s weapon in his hand.

    ¡°A flintlock gun, this is my precious baby.¡± Frank patted his ck weapon and gave a harshugh.

    Brendel recognized that weapon. Abandoned mana crystal fragments were used as gunpowder, while an Element Needle was uasd as the ignition mechanism. They are the unigue firearms of this world. The Ons had started making guns approximately thirty years ago, and even had two squads of soldiers armed with flintlock guns; and dating even further back the Silver Years was the Dwarves creating matchlock guns.

    A gun was extremely powerful in close range. The best flintlock gun one could find did the same damage within forty meters as a Brass-ranked artifact. Furthermore, the gunners in this era were very familiar with the usage. The only ranged unit that might possibly outperformed it was a trained squadron of mages who specialized in projectile magic. (TL: Examples of the Brass-ranked artifacts are Brendel¡¯s wind ring and me ring.)

    [Many mercenaries love using firearms, especially pistols. Using a long barreled gun like this person here is rare. Even throughout the game, guns didn¡¯t change how wars are fought, unlike my original world. Since mana crystals are limited, so is the quantity of guns.]

    Amandina felt her face burning up slightly but she maintained her vignt attitude. ¡°What did you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. It seems that you¡¯re following what the kingdom¡¯s army was taught to do in books. We¡¯re simple mercenaries. Regardless of whether we¡¯re light or heavy infantry, the only thing we do is to fight together under any type of situation. You are not wrong in saying we shouldn¡¯t be here in this forest, but we need to consider reality......¡± Frank answered in a polite tone, but it was not hard to listen to hear the indifference in his voice.

    Amandina huped once. She knew that her knowledge that she had gotten from the books was shallow, but pointing it out directly made her feel slight anger. She cast a quick nce at Brendel, and whispered quietly.

    ¡°Do you believe them, my lord?¡±

    Brendel looked at Frank and nodded.

    ¡°But-¡±

    ¡°But what?¡± He asked her instead.

    Amandina¡¯s eyes said ¡®Are you really going to believe him?¡¯.

    Brendel merely gave a smile and exchanged greetings with Frank and Sanford, before urging his horse to move forward. He did not give a reply to her, but her obstinate personality did not allow her to stop at that, and gave chase to him.

    ¡°My lord, I don¡¯t think these men are normal.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Instinct.¡±

    ¡°What do you say to that, little Romaine?¡± Brendel said without turning his head around.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Romaine shook her head: ¡°But my aunt has said that being overly formal and detailed are the signs of being guilty!¡±

    Brendel grinned when he heard her answer, and he urged his horse near Romaine and flicked her forehead.

    ¡°You cunning little fox. You obviously know what they are up to and yet you have to do it in such a roundabout way.¡±

    ¡°I, I really don¡¯t know!¡± Romaine¡¯s brows raised up as she quickly tried to justify herself.

    Amandina did not know what to do in front of their flirting, but she finally understood that Brendel feigned ignorance and already suspected their motives from the start. It was finally then she rxed.

    ¡°If that is the case,¡± Amandina¡¯s face was slightly red as she eyed both of them: ¡°What should we do?¡±

    ¡°Be ready to handle things as theye.¡± Brendel merely said.

    He had finally recalled all the clues mentioned from the forum¡¯s guide to this rted quest. As long as the mercenaries were not going to create trouble for him, anything they did was negotiable. Still, this was a headache that he did not need, the enemies that the Grey Wolves Mercenaries was about to face was going to embroil them into another new kind of trouble, but he could only me Makarov for getting involved with such a tricky opponent.

    [Rather than calling it a fight between two groups of mercenaries, it¡¯s the organization behind ¡®Paper Cards¡¯ targeting the Grey Wolves Mercenaries.]

    He monitored his surroundings, taking into view of the men around him. He was not really concerned about their fates, but he was trying hard to think how he could escape from this problem.

    [What I don¡¯t get is how a mere mercenary group got the attention of the damnned Tree Shepherds¡ª]

    The Unifying Guild¡¯s members were likew-abiding citizenspared to them.

    Brendel started to ponder the entire situation as a gamer.

    [Even though there¡¯s no need to stick my hand into this beehive, it¡¯s best for me to consider the oues. While the guide gave a walkthrough to how they handled the events, the details are entirelycking. The background information isn¡¯t mentioned at all.]

    He rubbed his forehead.

    [We should leave before they fight. The boss in this quest is the God Acolyte ¡®Ekman¡¯. ording to lore, the name is derived from ¡®eaam¡¯, and represents verdant mountains and limitless seas as a spellword. In ancient times, there had been a gigantic creature called ¡®Ekman¡¯ as well, both existing in Kirrlutz¡¯s legendary fables and mountain folklore, and represented immortality¡ª]

    Brendel shook his head.

    [The gigantic beast Ekman, is a descendant from the Titans, but the God Acolyte is nothing more a monster¡¯s name. These so called ¡®God Acolytes¡¯ are nothing more than twisted abominations like the Golden Demonic Tree, and really nothing more than the product of being nurtured with the corrupted blood of a god.]

    Brendel recalled the time where he fought with the God Acolyte of Skies ¡®Amar¡¯ and God Acolyte of Darkness ¡®ck lotus¡¯. The former was an iplete form at level fifty. He had fought with it in a random encounter with his allies in the Freedom Port, Ampere Seale, and emerged victorious with much difficulty. Thetter was a level sixty-seven elite boss within the primary heroic quest which two guilds participated in to vanquish it.

    [The God Acolytes are terrifying because they are so much more powerful than what their level indicates. Even with an iplete form at level fifty, they are able to match several Gold-ranked fighters at one go. I don¡¯t even have the slightest intention to go against this opponent... Still, there¡¯s the chance to get some advantages here. The Grey Wolves Mercenaries must have been decimated here but at the very least Makarov and Buga didn¡¯t die.]

    Brendel¡¯s mind ran through the series of possibilities as to why they survived, before it wandered to the loot that the Tree Sheperds dropped.

    [The God Acolyte of Skies drops the Spear of Blue Skies, ¡®Phana¡¯. That¡¯s the highest tier of the Gold-ranked (Fantasy) weapons, allowing to ignore all physical defence. The God Acolyte of Darkness even drops a Dark Gold-ranked (Godly) weapon, the Death Scythe, ¡®Lunar Velit¡¯. Its ability was Coup De Grace, a one percent chance to deal damage equivalent to the target¡¯s current life (non-boss) and ignores all defense. The secondary trait is Annhtion, and prevents the target from receiving any heals with a ten percent chance.]

    Even though they were immensely powerful, they were a walking treasure vault, and one could only wonder where they were able to get so many rare items.

    ¡°The rarest thing these God Acolytes has is actually the blood running in them...... All of them has the corrupted blood of gods in them. Mother Marsha above, how did they get the hands on the blood of these gods who have disappeared?¡±

    He muttered to himself.

    After the Era of Darkness, these Gods had passed away and became constetions. The only God that was still in this world was Mother Marsha, and the world was no longer controlled by these powers. Anyone who tried to call themselves God would be a false one.

    ¡°What are you thinking about, my lord?¡± Amandina saw Brendel was lost in his thoughts.

    Brendel shook his head and said: ¡°The powers of the mountains.¡±

    ¡°Powers of the mountains?¡±

    TL: So about these three titles... They are loan words from game of thrones and dragon age 2, but the meaning might differ for this novel.

    Ser ¨C Given to fighters and knights, gender neutral.

    Messere ¨C Elevated respect of Mister, but not necessarily Ser.

    Serah ¨C Elevated respect of Miss, but not necessarily Ser.

 volume 2 - 73

    TL: So I kind of peeked at chapter 73 and 74, and I decided to kind of TL ch 73 (first draft). Looks like the plot is thickening up quite hard with a possible 4 way fight.

    Chapter 73 ¨C Deceptive currents

    ¡®The Power of the Mountains¡¯ was a pair of vambraces. (TL: You don¡¯t say. )

    A pair of vambraces was considered as a unique weapon that was usually used by monks. It was umon to see warriors and hired mercenaries wearing them, but Brendel was interested in getting them.

    If Ekman was allowed to grow into hisplete form, he would drop the sword ¡®Lightning Sunder¡¯ as well, but Brendel did not waste time trying to figure out a n to stop a level sixty-seven elite boss, who would easily destroy them with just a flick of his finger to unleash the corresponding Element that he had.

    The current Buga might have unlocked his Element, but there was a huge difference between humans and corrupted creatures with a god¡¯s blood in them. Unless he was able to attain a perfect self and reach the Golden Blood, he would have a great disadvantage against mythical enemies.

    [Putting aside that level 62 Dark Gold-ranked weapon, even a level 45 Gold-ranked weapon is enough drive gamers crazy. The damage output would be several times of what the Thorn of Light can do. Some yers who got these weapons even deleted their characters to start over again, just for the sake of showing off their weapons.]

    Brendel was willing to redo his n to level up just to get the vambraces. There was a definite chance to get the item in contrast to the sword, Lionheart. Many kings had sought after it in the history of Aouine, only to fail. Furthermore, it was only a level seventy Gold-ranked weapon.

    [I might have a few clues to get that weapon, but given my history within the game, the chance of finishing a quest like that might as well be finding a needle in a haystack. But if I¡¯m able to get the vambraces, then I should consider nning my character¡¯s path around it¡ª]

    He rubbed his forehead, as he suddenly realized that he was chasing after a delusion. Currently there was no sign of the Tree Shepherd, let alone the ¡®Paper Cards¡¯, and to finish it off, it was still a question if Makarov and Buga was able to kill the God Acolyte.

    [Safety should be my first concern. Getting greedy after that should be the way to go.]

    Brendel started to plot out scenarios to exact details. If he had the knowledge of what was toe, his ns made him an impossible foe to beat.

    [Even though the Tree Shepherds are frightening opponents, but they are nothing more than that.]

    Brendel had faced three of the twelve Tree Shepherds and defeated two of them. Even though he did not have his original strength, his foresight and experience were kept at his peak.

    The God Acolytes were not without their weaknesses.

    ¡°Power of the mountains?¡± Amandina¡¯s eyes were slightly perplexed as she asked in confusion: ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°Uh..... I¡¯m just thinking of a famous treasure in this area. There are rumors that it¡¯s within the Silver Elves¡¯ ruins, but it¡¯s just that no one has seen it.¡± Brendel had to find a suitable excuse for his mistake. He could not say that Ekman, who was a God Acolyte, was going to bring it over to him.

    He still had no intention of letting his image be a mentally troubled person in Amandina¡¯s eyes.

    Even so, his words still drew Amandina¡¯s ire with her eyesining. She sighed: ¡°My lord, now is not the time to consider this, right?¡±

    ¡°Most certainly.¡± Brendel could only offer a dry smile: ¡°I was just a little distracted.¡±

    But his words could only fool himself. Amandina was incredibly perceptive. She looked at him with doubt. In her mind, he was a careful and brilliant knight who would not be merely distracted by something unimportant. He seemed to be constantly thinking about something, and even though it looks like the things he did were not connected together, it was clear that he had nned them from the very beginning after the dust had settled.

    Amandina was very suspicious of the fact that he was able to do something like that. A great n might be great indeed, but the level of which Brendel exhibited was something akin to precognition, and that he was merely waiting for events toe to pass.

    She had thought of several reasons as to why he had that air around him, whether it was because of having huge confidence or exceptional insight. The only possibility that she did not consider was knowing the future. Even the seers in the royal court could only predict the direction of great events, and that only gods would be capable of such feats.

    She certainly did not imagine at all that Brendel was not from this world.

    ¡°Momentarily distracted?¡± Amandina frowned slightly and showed her small displeasure. ¡°My lord, if there are things that you don¡¯t wish to tell me, I won¡¯t ask for it either¡ª¡±

    Brendel felt like he was suddenly a victim who had been med of great crimes. He had secrets that he could not say because it was really impossible to do so.

    [Mother Marsha, how do you expect me to talk to them about these things. Even if I tell them, nobody would believe me, and just give me abel of a madman. This is a deal that will never be in my favor.]

    He could only exin patiently: ¡°Miss Amandina, I assure you that I have no intentions like that......¡±

    But before he finished, Romaine came to the conversation after she roamed around without anyone know where she went, and promised in an excited manner: ¡°I won¡¯t ask for your secrets too Brendel! I promise!¡±

    Brendel red at her. If there was anyone who was capable of creating great chaos, she would definitely be at the top.

    In the end he sighed and raised his hands: ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s get down to business. The two of you must pitch your tents closer to my own tonight. Don¡¯t take off your armor and don¡¯t sleep like a log, understand?¡±

    Amandina immediately checked her surroundings with a pair of watchful eyes. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll exin it during then.¡± He turned around and saw Romaine nodding in an exaggerated manner, but her face clearly showed that she was not paying attention. Brendel¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously. He knew her character all too well.

    ¡°Dearest Romaine, I know you too well. You had better stay awake all throughout the night. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know you will sleep like a little pig, where no one can wake you up other than Mother Marsha.¡±

    ¡°But my aunt says that a woman will grow old quickly if she doesn¡¯t sleep.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you turning old when we didn¡¯t sleep in Be for several days.¡±

    ¡°But the Madara undead will catch up with us if we sleep!¡±

    ¡°The situation right now is the same......¡± Brendel said exasperatedly.

    ================= Eke¡¯s Pov =====================

    Eke was able to differentiate the fennel and cinnamon spices that were transported from the Silver Sand seas. He had trained his abilities to discern poisons in his trainings, and differentiating spices was a part of his training.

    Still, the spices in the air nearly caused him to sneeze. Right now, Eke wished his heart would stop beating, but it was still pounding loudly in his chest.

    He shut his lips tightly so that he would not leak any sounds out. Even if he wanted to breath in deep gasps of air, he could only resist in doing so. His lungs were screaming for oxygen and his mind was assailed with dizziness, and perspiration poured down from his forehead. The white bags that were made from wool were blotched with dark areas.

    ¡°Who are you people? What are you doing here?¡±

    Eke was not able to see that man, but he could guess who it was. It was the second squadron¡¯s leader, Captain Capo, and the familiarrades he had in the mercenary group.

    [Don¡¯te over here¡ª Turn around, everyone. Don¡¯t let these fucking bastards get suspicious!]

    He stared at the shadows that covered the opposite wall, afraid that he would miss even the slightest details.

    He prayed in his heart to plead with Mother Marsha to let Capo and his men leave immediately. It was impossible to imagine that they would leave unless a miracle happened. Even though he knew Makarov left some of his men behind to keep watch over him, it was more alike to having them to take care over him. Capo cared the most for him, and he was the first teacher that taught him how to use a sword. Everyone, even his stepfather Makarov, knew that he was hiding in the town.

    [They probably even know the fact that I slipped back into the inn. I know you care a great deal about me, and you always treat me like a child, but these damned bastards are not from the ¡®Paper Cards¡¯! Do you really think I¡¯m afraid of them? Why don¡¯t you understand this father?]

    He clenched and unclenched his fists.

    [I can¡¯t let the enemy notice me. But Capo and the others aren¡¯t their match... And these bastards are like devils who wouldn¡¯t bat an eyelid even if the whole street is flooded with blood!]

    Eke struggled with himself. He wanted to jump up and warn Capo, to yell at them and flee. In the youth¡¯s heart, Capo was his friend and teacher, and he wanted to fulfill his moral obligations to him. His eyes felt wet.

    [...... There¡¯s a mission that¡¯s more important than both of us. I can¡¯t let these bastards get away with their ns.]

    ¡°Where is that young man you were chasing?¡± Capo said.

    Eke¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°Hand over Eke, we saw you chasing him!¡± There was a another voice that was younger, and sounded even more impatient.

    [Chris, you bloody moron!]

    Eke¡¯s hand subconsciously went to his sword. His whole body was trembling. Then he heard a familiarughter so cold, that he thought needles were entering his spine.

    ¡°Ahahaha, all of you are indeed together with him¡ª¡±

    ================= POV ends ===============

 volume 2 - 74

    TL: Well this is the first draft, not vetted for mistakes. I was kind of distracted by stuff recently, but you should see 4 draft amber sword chapters (including this one) + 3 draft TSTBGAM chapters over the next few few hours.

    Edit: Okay, hopefully I copied the right chapter this time. The reason why there¡¯s a mistake is because the original site had a numbering error. It literally skipped ¡°chapter 66¡± and I have manually corrected each chapter, which kind of confuses me until I finally made a mistake with this chapter.

    Chapter 74 ¨C Night assault (1)

    ===================== Unknown POV ====================

    ¡°Here¡¯s someone we know, Carles.¡±

    A man wearing a ck cavalier¡¯s uniform watched the valleys from afar. The fire torches lit up the dark forest like stars in the sky. The Grey Wolves Mercenaries seemed to slumber as there were no sounds within the camps. The only noise within the forest were the rustling of leaves caused by the western wind that came from the sea.

    [It sounds like a roaring tide.]

    There seemed to be a creature bellowing deep within the mountain forests as the echoes spreaded out. Momentster, a giant monster emerged out from the trees with its immense ws dragging a female guard¡¯s corpse.

    She was also a scout that Brendel had seen in the afternoon, but she had turned into a lifeless corpse. The monster gurgled as the the orange mes shimmered; it was clearly displeased with the cavalier¡¯s flippant attitude.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your ce to lecture me, small one.¡±

    The monster¡¯s voice was raspy and broken, like a clockwork mechanism that had not been maintained.

    It straightened its body and threw the corpse down from a cliff. The dead mercenary fell into a number of dense shrubs, causing many branches to snap loudly as she fell some thirty or forty feet. Despite the noise, the distance to the camp was too far away for anyone to hear themotion, especially when there was a strong wind.

    The cavalier frowned as he looked at his partner¡ª

    Then he saw a group of ghastly translucent spiders with poisonous green eyes screeching noisily as they pounced from the nearby trees.....

    ================= Brendel POV ===============

    There was a cracking sound.

    Brendel stopped what he was doing and located the source of the sound. He found one of his cards on the floor. WHen he turned it over, he saw the Wind Spider Spirits had turned grey, an indication that it had entered into the Graveyard.

    His first reaction was not to mourn for the loss of it but quickly kept it into his pocket and extinguished hismp, causing his surroundings turned dark immediately.

    [That¡¯s too fast.]

    Brendel felt like he was slightly caught off guard.

    The Grey Wolves Mercenaries had selected an ideal vale to avoid the winds and constructed tents there. Brendel suggested their forces to be situated further from each other to avoid suspicion, Even though Makarov and Buga felt surprised, they happily agreed. Brendel did not trust them, and they did not trust him either, thus the two scheming parties found this arrangement to be agreeable.

    What Makarov did not expect was why Brendel wanted this arrangement; it was just so that he could run away in the middle of the night with an excuse.

    The youth crawled out of his tent and immediately felt the hair on his bare skin stand up. Chablis was mired in deep fog in its area, and had high temperature during the day time with the temperature falling quickly in the night. Unprepared travelers would certainly find themselves to be chilled if they did not prepare adequate bedding.

    Brendel shook off any intention to sleep and observed his surroundings. Human figures came in the form of shadows, and despite Brendel¡¯sck of vision training in the night, his high stats in perception allowed him to perceive things in rity during the night.

    [It seems like Makarov is only suspicious of us, but they don¡¯t intend to harm us.]

    After confirming that there was no one nearby, he slowly stood up. He was already dressed and ready for fullbat. He wore a set of studded leather armor, with pouches attached to his belt as well as a longsword. In his hand was a backpack with necessary water and food. He quietly went over to a nearby tent and patted on the tent¡¯s cloth. After a few seconds, a curious voice came from within:

    ¡°Brendel?¡±

    ¡°Romaine, why are you in here!¡± Brendel felt confounded as he had checked repeatedly that it was supposed to be Amandina¡¯s tent.

    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise!¡± She giggled with a little pride.

    ¡°Cut your bloody surprises.¡± Brendel growled.

    Someone emerged from the tent, and he saw Amandina tying her hair while she stood up. She had an apologetic face, but Brendel knew that Romaine would have ignored her protests. He gave an audible sigh and apologized to her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble......¡±

    Amandina took a few moments for Brendel¡¯s apology to register in her mind, then smiled faintly as she nced at her tent.

    ¡°My lord, it seems that you are really fond of Romaine.¡± She whispered.

    Brendel nodded. He allowed Romaine to do whatever she wanted, was not only because lesser half of him had spent his life with her as a friend, but also because the greater half of him acknowledged her as the first friend that he had when came to this world.

    [Unfortunately, that naive and shy youth is no longer here. This body might be neen in this world but I¡¯m certainly not of that age. what I want to attain here will demand an equivalent amount of responsibilities.]

    He pulled back the corner of the tent¡¯s opening, and found Romaine beaming at him.

    ¡°Are you both ready?¡± He asked.

    They both nodded.

    Brendel looked back at the other tents, and as if to respond to his action, a dozen men came out from their tents at the same time. There was no need for them to exchange words, and they began to pack their tents quietly. Even though they were fully equipped with armor and weapons, they did not make any sound from their actions.

    Amandina had seen these men in the day, but her eyes quickly betrayed her surprise.

    [These men are exceptionally well trained, where did he find them?]

    The Mercenaries of Lopes were certainly renowned in history. This specific ¡®Card¡¯ summoned beings seemed to represent a certain collective nature, and these twelve mercenaries were the best representation of ¡®Heroic¡¯, ¡®Loyalty¡¯, ¡®Honor¡¯, ¡®Morale¡¯, and ¡®Discipline¡¯. They also did not fear death and pain, and were most likely to be the best soldiers that graced this world.

    Brendel wanted more men like them.

    The more Amandina watched them, the more impressed she was. She quickly felt her face, then looked at Brendel, wondering whether she was seeing things wrongly¡ª-

    It was not as if she had not seen mercenaries before. The nobles had more or less done dealings with them to protect their properties. Most of the mercenaries were rted to the kingdom¡¯s formal army, if they exclude the local bullies and criminals.

    She thought she had seen the best of them when she traveled with the Grey WOlves Mercenaries, but Brendel¡¯s men clearly distinguished themselves beyond reproach. They seemed to elude something that a normal mercenary would never have¡ª

    She showed a slight frown as she tried to find the words to describe them.

    [... Pride and dignity. How many mercenaries would maintain what they do like it was some form of sacred duty, like a knight¡¯s oath? These men doesn¡¯t look like they could be paid with coins, but more like they are retainers from a noble¡¯s family.]

    The more she thought about it, the more she believed in her supposition.

    A noble¡¯s scion leaving his own family to create his own fiefdom. It sounded like it was came out from some legendary stories. When Brendel invited her to join him to create and of his own, she was unable to resist her adventuring self, even if she had received the strictest education from young.

    It was an immense enticement thatpelled her to want to assist a young knight without using any help from his family to create his own territory.

    [It seems like this lord of mine isn¡¯t starting from scratch... But this is more a delightful find rather than a depressing one. It is better for him to be prepared, rather than someone who¡¯s a hot-blooded knight who wants to imitate the legendary figures of old.]

    Brendel did not know what Amandina was thinking about from his single ¡®Cards of Fate¡¯. If he knew, he would have tried ways to show off his mercenaries and recruit loyal retainers.

    When the twelve men were done with their packing and had gathered before him for his next order, Brendel found he had encountered a small problem.

    Two people, a man and a woman, from the Grey Wolves Mercenaries¡¯ camps were heading over to his camp area.

    He squinted and identified one of them¡ª

    [It¡¯s that white-haired brat, Redi. Did they notice some form ofmotion here¡ª No, these two are clearly not heading for our tents. Judging by their direction, they are cutting across our camps to go out... Why are they going out there?]

    He suddenly formed a new possibility.

    [Spies?]

 volume 2 - 76

    TL: As exined in my correction in the previous chapter, there¡¯s a numbering mistake in the original raws. However, for my sanity points, I think I¡¯m going to follow the raws numbering chapter from this chapter onwards.

    The previous chapter¡¯s contents have been fixed.

    Chapter 76 ¨C Night assault (2)

    Redi and the person beside him walked closer and closer, the two lithe figures looking like they were floating specters in the thick fog.

    Everyone at Brendel¡¯s side had stopped their actions and looked over to their direction. Amandina lowered her head, estimated their direction and immediately paled. She raised her head and looked at Brendel, her eyes full of worry¡ª

    They had camped in an area where there was a clearnding, and the Mercenaries of Lopes had cleared all their tents. Even if they simply passed by the forest, they would surely discover this abnormal scene.

    ¡°Keep your hair on.¡± Brendel merely stared ahead and said. (TL: In here it¡¯s a chinese idiom, so I reced it with the english equivalent, sort of. It means ¡°to stay calm.¡±)

    Even though the people around him did not understand what the phrase meant, they regained theirposure when they saw Brendel¡¯s raised hand and unperturbed face. His action meant that they should not act rashly.

    Amandina¡¯s lips opened slightly.

    The mercenaries were Brendel¡¯s summoned creatures andpletely obeyed the neswalkers¡¯mands. Even if there was a precipice in front of them and Brendel ordered them to advance, they would do so without hesitation.

    However, in Amandina¡¯s eyes, these proud veteran soldiers ceased their murmurs and actions just because of Brendel¡¯s small action. Everyone became silent, and she subconsciously held her breath, not daring to exhale loudly.

    The strength of the valley¡¯s gale was at its peak, howling across the southern mountain¡¯s entrance towards them. The branches beat upon each other and caused the leaves to drown out any other noises. Faint starlight danced across Redi¡¯s face as the leaves swayed to and fro, making him feel like he was brooding.

    The two people made their way across the thick foliage, but they did not act cautiously like how Brendel predicted they would be, to the point where they freely broke the dry branches beneath their feet.

    Brendel changed his opinions and believed that Makarov did not tell his subordinates where Brendel¡¯s camp was, and the two people had no idea they were near them.

    [The ¡®Maned Wolf¡¯ probably wishes to avoid trouble as well.] Brendel thought.

    They were less than a hundred feet away and Brendel was certain they would discover the abnormal sight here.

    [If that stupid brat ims that they are suspicious of us, it will be impossible to exin our actions. Even though these two people are equally suspicious, Makarov will most likely believe in his men than any exnations of our own.]

    He was actually tense like the others but he did not show any signs of it. When he looked to his side, the leader of the mercenaries, ¡®Nightsong Tiger¡¯ was also looking at him with queries in his eyes. He was shrewd as well as experienced, and his intentions were quite clear, ¡°Do you want to take the initiative and ¡®off¡¯ them?¡±

    [Off them? A decision not to be made lightly. This is a normal decision for any mercenaries, but this is different from the time in Pine Fortress. That time was simply because there was literally no choice as our lives are on stake. I have not fallen so far as to disregard lives... but...]

    Brendel was conflicted. He had came from a civilizednd in a more peaceful time, and murdering people out of a mere thought went against all his senses. In spite of that, his position at this juncture required him to act decisively, otherwise the consequences would be of dire proportions.

    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

    [Should I follow the rules of this world and sever the connections of my past? Or hold on to a single thread. Denying Sophie would mean denying my entire past... Maybe I¡¯m actually dreaming in my sleep, a nightmare of sorts... No, even if everything is a delusion in this world, all the memories that I had in the previous world are clearly there, carved into my very eyes.

    How can I deny them?

    If I cut off my past, then what meaning is there for me to work so hard in this world. Losing my ¡®self¡¯, can I still call myself ¡®Brendel¡¯? The answer is clearly right in front of me.]

    Chaotic thoughts filled his mind, but he cleaved them apart like a sharp sword through ropes. He opened his eyes as if he was the king of gamers, his eyes crystal clear as he found his answer.

    ¡°My lord?¡±

    Amandina¡¯s sharp senses had noticed Brendel¡¯s hesitation. She was surprised that a decision would have been easily made as he had constantly presented himself as an unwavering noble who had never needed to even question himself to make ruthless choices.

    These were certainly the rules of the nobles¡¯ game¡ª

    Brendel looked back at Amandina with a look that was full of self-mockery, yet he was rxed with a tinge of regret. She was surprised to the point where lost her words. Had she ever seen an expression like this amongst the cold-blooded nobles in Aouine?

    [Is he faking it? But there¡¯s no reason to do so...?]

    Brendel raised his hand to gather the attention of the mercenaries. His mind was still somewhat conflicted when he did so, but when he lowered it, there was nothing but relief in him.

    ¡°Prepare to act. If it is possible, knocking them out will do. I do not wish to have a war with Makarov.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s voice was a nearly a whisper. He did not know whether his actions would cause him to look foolish to others, but if he did not give this order, then he would certainly look foolish to his own self.

    The Mercenaries of Lopes nodded at the same time. The Nightsong Tiger felt a slight pity at Brendel¡¯s answer. The situation should be handle once and for all without any hesitations.

    Amandina¡¯s reaction was different. She looked at Brendel with new eyes as she discovered there was something in him that she did not know at all. She could not tell if this unique quality of his was good or bad, but there was something about him that did not fit in this world. Yet she did not find that it was unnatural, and it conversly made her feel at peace after a very long time in the nobles¡¯ circle.

    The two people were seventy feet away.

    ¡°Brendel.¡± Romaine suddenly called out with a little anxiety in his voice.

    He puzzledly looked at her but still whispered: ¡°Now is not the time.¡±

    She thought for a while and nodded. The mercenaries scattered and fell into position to await the two people to approach closer. Once they were within reach, they would move together. They outnumbered the two people and their experience vastly exceeded them, so they were confident they could subdue them with ease.

    Brendel felt restless. There was most likely a strong enemy, or enemies that sent his card to the graveyard, and he could not afford to waste time here.

    The two people were about to made their way out of the foge, but they slowly stopped before they exited it.

    ¡°Did they discover something?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyelids flinched, and almostmanded the mercenaries to suppress them immediately, only to forcefully stop himself. The distance for the mercenaries to attack was still too far away. It was more likely to alert them than to catch them unaware. He slowly steadied his nerves as he was certain that they had not discovered anything.

    He looked around to observe the mercenaries, and they were still asposed as before. Romaine gazed the area curiously, while Amandina¡¯s face grew paler as time passed by.

    Redi had stoppedpletely and he faced hispanion to speak with him. Despite nearly a hundred feet away, Brendel still managed to catch a few words with his high perception.

    Redi did not speak loudly, but looked at Brendel¡¯s camp from time to time, as if he had noticed something.

    The conversation between soon became heated, and even ended up as a quarrel. Even though everyone with the exception of Brendel could not hear what they were talking about, they understood that neither of them managed to convince each other. Brendel felt a little annoyed and even wondered if they simply came here to quarrel.

    Their voices were raised even higher, and Brendel managed to catch a few key words, ¡®Eke......¡¯, ¡®Chablis......¡¯, ¡®Ne......¡¯.

    Brendel raised his eyebrow.

    [It sems like Redi knows that Eke is still in Chablis, and if he knows, then Makarov should also know that fact. This mercenary group seems to have a number of troubles. But I still don¡¯t understand why this discussion has anything to do with the ¡®events¡¯ that are to follow.]

    He looked up at the sky to find the Blood Star. The moment when the Blood Star appeared was the moment when it was nearly midnight.

 volume 2 - 77

    TL: Again, there¡¯s no chapter 75, there¡¯s one raws chapter that¡¯s mibeled and never corrected.

    Chapter 77 ¨C Night assault (3)

    Brendel¡¯s thought went to the quest¡¯s walkthrough¡ª

    ¡°...... During a certain midnight on the ¡®Vanquish the lizardmen bandits¡¯, the enemies took action for the first time.¡±

    [This either points to the Tree Shepherds or the ¡®Paper Cards¡¯ as the vanguard, or perhaps they both acted together¡ª]

    ¡°...... The sudden ambush assailed us to the point where everyone was thrown off their game. The attack had started from the northern hill, but everyone who escaped to the south was probably killed at least once. This was because that monsters¡¯ (The Tree Shepherds) main forces were at the south. Fine, I¡¯ll admit that TorrentialRain¡¯s AI isn¡¯t something tough at.....¡±

    ¡°...... Our strategy was to save the Grey Wolves Mercenaries from annhtion. The most important thing to note is how strong Makarov and Buga are. They are the rough equivalent of a yer¡¯s level 45 and 55 respectively. Ensuring that they live is the most important aspect ofpleting the quest.¡±

    ¡°...... But we did discuss our options and think that there¡¯s another way we could about this. This was something that we had discovered in the east. Perhaps TorrentialRain considered the strength of the gamers and designed a Temple of Light in that region.¡±

    ¡°...... Our team discussed over solutions, but regardless of what it is, we believe that to achieve one hundred percentpletion in the quest, you must rescue from the Grey Wolves Mercenaries¡¯plete demise¡ª¡±

    Brendel rubbed his forehead.

    [As I had gone through so many times, this really isn¡¯t a walkthrough but more of a lesson they learned from. This was a unique quest that was only open to the first team who discovered it, and they ultimately did not manage toplete the quest in its entirety, which was why the Grey Wolves Mercenaries were routed. The group¡¯s adventure is actually quite exciting if one looks at it like a movie.]

    Brendel loved quests that immersed him in the game¡¯s world.

    [But damn it, if you bothered to write a report about it, why didn¡¯t you write down the timing, location and the characters properly? ¡®During a certain midnight¡¯ ¡ª exactly which day was it?! Honestly, pursuing a hundred percentpletion rate in this world is silly. The rewards might be double in the game, but where would I get something like this here?]

    The only option that was open to him was to rely on his own experience, and leave everything else to the gods. Brendel¡¯s n was straightforward. He was to leave the Grey Wolves Mercenaries before the Tree Shepherds attacked them and travel to the Temple of Light to activate the quest¡¯s side branch.

    Then he would finish off by killing the lizardmen bandits and get the Sage te and leave. The Grey Wolves Mercenaries¡¯ fate was not of a big concern to him. Vaunte¡¯s constant wars had seen many of these groups rise and fall regardless of their size. There was also the fact that he did not believe he had sufficient strength to help Makarov and Buga resolve their crisis, or recruit them as retainers and give themmands when the battlemenced.

    What he wanted to do was to put effort into people like Amandina and Tamar, where they had great potential in the future. Since he had the knowledge of the future, then this investment was low risk with high rewards.

    His ns looked perfect, but reality had suddenly turned against him quickly. The enemies had probably discovered his Wind Spirit Spiders, then the two people in front of him might discover their actions any time.

    [Will that Redi brat finish quarreling already?!] Brendel was bing increasingly annoyed.

    Romaine finally could not bear it any longer too.

    ¡°Brendel.¡±

    She raised her pretty brows as she poked his back, and used a voice that she thought was very small, which of course was purely her wishful thoughts.

    Everyone near her jumped.

    Romaine¡¯s voice was actually not very loud and at most a little urgent, it stood out because the forest she was a female.

    ¡°Br¡ª Mmfff.¡±

    Brendel covered her mouth quickly and looked back at the two people. Redi had stopped talking and was looking alert.

    Brendel imagined himself strangling Romaine while shaking her to and fro, but he certainly would not do that because he could not bear to do so.

    Fortunately, Redi¡¯s alert behavior onlysted temporarily, before he turned back to continue to talk with hispanion. Brendel sighed with relief, before he recalled Romaine¡¯s action, and red at Romaine.

    Romaine was still trying to shake his hand away with muffled noises, apparently quite unhappy with Brendel¡¯s action. Brendel nearly got angry with her, but he suddenly felt something was wrong.

    [Even though her head is sometimes lost in the clouds and acts like she doesn¡¯t care, she¡¯s much more cunning than she lets it show, otherwise she would have been taken advantage of many times already.]

    Before he could ask her exactly what it was, the Nightsong Tiger came over and tapped his shoulder. It was an unusual sight since the mercenaries rarely acted on their own. He looked at him and saw that the Nightsong Tiger had a wary look on his face.

    Brendel released his hand and Romaine stopped struggling.

    It was not only them, Redi had stopped talking once again and was looking over at them.

    The forest had suddenly turned quiet. It was not only the humans in the forest who had stopped moving, even the wind had stopped.

    ¡°Did you hear something?¡± Brendel whispered and asked. He knew that Romaine¡¯s perception was even higher than his own. She red at him with narrowed eyes before nodding.

    Brendel¡¯s nose suddenly caught something in the air. It was an odd smell that pierced through it; an acrid smell that seemed to ur when a sea volcano erupted.

    [Sulfur?]

    Brendel pulled out his sword immediately without thinking.

    [The Disciples of the Fucking ck mes! That gamer who wrote the walkthrough didn¡¯t mention this shit at all. If they are involved in this bloody mess, I wouldn¡¯t even bother messing with this crap!]

    Brendel finally knew what enemies he was facing. The Disciples of ck mes were the direct forces of the ¡®Wurm Leader¡¯ Mayad. There was really nothing about wurms at all, but they worked with the forces in ¡®The Sulfur River¡¯¡ª

    In other words, they worked with demons from the underworld.

    Brendel clenched his sword tightly. He scolded himself for not linking the southern region to the Disciples of ck mes as their territory was located there. His focus had been on the Sage te and the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, and had forgotten thismon knowledge for the past few days.

    Brendel avoided them with a passion, not because of their prowess, but because of their crazed actions in battle that even surpassed a berserker. Each disciple had different demons that they chained up. Even though they fought together, the duo schemed against each other. While this should have affected their abilities to fight, but the demons had bizarre abilities that were hard to defend against.

    At higher levels, the disciples were even able to absorb the demon¡¯s power and be one with the demon. Recalling the gory scenes made Brendel feel nauseous.

    [One or two demons are still fine, if there are more than my mental health is going to take a beating.]

    Brendel wanted to flee immediately but there was an odd wind within the forest that seemed to buzz in and out. He shrank back as he was too familiar with the sounds. ck chains with two spiked balls flew out from within the dark forest.

    ¡°A Lord of Thorns.¡± Brendel saw the spiked balls smashed through the trees andnded near the two young men. Even though they did not receive damage from the attack, they werepletely shocked.

    Brendel felt a shiver within his body. A Lord of Thorns was a level 29 demon, and was one rank higher than the underworld helldog, Cerberus. Brendel had encountered them in the past with his level higher than the Lord of Thorns, but they had given him much pain and agony when he fought against them.

    But there was no time to reminisce about it, Redi and the other youth started to run from it¡ª

    ¡°Morons!¡± Brendel nearly jumped up from the frustration. The Lord of Thorns did not miss easily; this was apparently to sound out the enemies. But because of that, he was almost certain that the enemies consisted of a small scouting party.

    The problem was because Redi¡¯s retreat was most likely going to attract the main forces of the enemies. Brendel was not keen on helping him, but his men were also on the crossfire. He quickly growled amand to Nightsong Tiger:

    ¡°Catch that two bastards right now! Drag them back here if you must!¡±

 volume 2 - 78

    TL: I have no ETA for the next chapter, so expect to wait for days before the next chapter (kind of need to do stuff).

    Chapter 78 ¨C Outside one¡¯s control

    The two people started to sprint to their own camps, shouting at the top of their lungs. The Nightsong Tiger immediately pursued them. His body seemed to meld together with the trees¡¯ shadows; he was not fast, but his movements were silent and practiced to the point of awe, as if he was a creature of the night.

    The chains dragged across the floor and created a ringing sound.

    [The disciples have discovered themotion over in this area, my ns must change.]

    He frowned as the girls behind him withdrew their crossbows. The other mercenaries took out their weapons in silence and stared anxiously into the forest, readying themselves forbat.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Amandina asked.

    Brendel shook his head. The ns he had decided earlier had developments that were outside his prediction, and he needed to solve the situation quickly. He reached inside his pouches and took out a gleaming crystal.

    The crystal lid up in an instant, casting soft light in the area.

    ¡°M-my lord?¡± Amandina opened her eyes in shock.

    ¡°Brendel!¡± Romaine was also stunned.

    Everyone¡¯s attention was taken by the sudden appearance of light, which grew increasingly bigger before it expanded in all directions, but Brendel threw it out as soon as it did so.

    The lit crystal flew in an arc that passed through trees before it ended in thick foge. Despite theyers of leaves, the amount of light emitted from the crystal still managed to light up the surrounding area.

    Three human figures who wore ck hooded robes stood there. Even though their faces could not be seen, they appeared to be startled as they stood motionlessly for a few moments. However what took Amandina¡¯s breath away were three demons half the size of an average human standing beside each man. The creatures had hoofs for their feet, grey-greenish skin with ck spiraling patterns, long goat horns and sharp teeth.

    Chains were wrapped around their feet and ended with the disciples¡¯ wrists. These were indeed the lowest ranking familiar from the Jurgen Underworld.

    ¡°The higher ranking familiars are on the opposite area!¡± The mercenaries immediately yelled out. These legendary mercenaries had fought against great malevolent forces, and certainly knew what these creatures were.

    But Brendel already knew where they were.

    Once he saw the three figures, he had turned to the other direction and raised his hand. The silver ring on his thumb shone brightly as he recited the word to activate it.

    ¡°Oss!¡±

    The air currents seemed to be like visible lines that surged forth towards the area, before an immense st resounded throughout the forest. The nearby pine trees were dragged along the shockwave, cause them to break and splinter, while the trees that were directly in the shockwave¡¯s path were turned into powder.

    Once the maelstrom of wind ended, the trees were gone and became a clear path in front of Brendel.

    The mercenaries showed signs of awe in their eyes, but Amandina screamed and covered her ears.

    [He¡¯s a wizard! A wizard! This knight is actually a wizard!] Her mind kept echoing this thought.

    Romaine had seen Brendel¡¯s action more than once and merely tilted her head, and just as she expected, Brendel had disappeared from his original location as his body blurred¡ª

    Only the mercenaries saw his action clearly. Brendel had charged forward ten times his speed, casting afterimages in the opening area before he disappeared.

    ¡°The Sun Knight¡¯s ¡®Charge¡¯ ability!¡± One of the mercenaries immediatelymented.

    Even though both their leaders were gone, someone from the mercenaries stood out and pointed his sword at the location where the crystal fell: ¡°I, vice-captain Ro, am taking temporarymand. My first order is tounch an attack on these disciples!¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±I hear and obey.¡±¡±¡±

    Eleven figures immediately pounced on the three surprised disciples.

    On the other end, Brendel had caught up with the Lord of Thorns. The red demon was standing beside his owner, a man who wore crimson robes.

    The Lord of Thorns appeared like a red version of the smaller demon familiars, but it had a gigantic pair of muscr wings, which resembled the descriptions of a demon within medieval folklore. On it were chains with a steel spiked ball at the end.

    It had considerable injuries on its body. Not only was it missing an arm, one of its wings were gone. Brendel did not feel surprised as his ring were incredibly effective against monsters that were level thirty and below. It was considered the best artifact of its tier, with the only criticism that it had a long cooldown.

    Typical demons also did not have any defensive armor, with the exception of ded monsters.

    Brendel observed the man in front of him with narrowed eyes while he was still in the air.

    [A high ranking member of the Disciples of ck mes.]

    He turned once in the air with his sword pointed at them and ready to strike. This battle was different from Buga¡¯s duel, and he did not hold back his strength. A high ranking disciple was only level 21, but there was a real demon beside him.

    ¡°White Raven, Sword Rave!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s sword shed vertically with the addition of Power Strike, and a wind de was released from his sword. The disciple was still checking the injuries of its familiar, andpletely did not expect the enemy toe so quickly. He raised his head, only to find the invisible shockwave ravaging through his whole body.

    Brendel would have likened the disciple as a boss a month ago, but now the disciple was unable to resist Brendel¡¯s full power.

    The man screamed as blood sttered all over the ce.

    When Brendel killed a disciple in the game, the demon would regain its freedom once the summoner was dead, but the contract¡¯s dark energy between them would cause it to go insane, and Brendel wanted this situation to happen.

    When hended on the ground, the chains had already swept past his back.

    ¡°Gah......¡± Brendel felt fiery pain on his back.

    [The demon is moving twenty percent faster from a ¡®Berserked¡¯status, it seems like the disciple is dead. Damn that hurts... The skin on my back is definitely torn off.]

    Brendel grabbed the spiked chains and ignored the sharp apin in his hand, allowed himself to be dragged by the demon¡¯s pull and went straight to the opponent.

    Even though the Lord of Thorns was considered to be a high ranking familiar, it was a low level demonic existence in the Jurgen Underworld without aplete soul. Furthermore, it was driven insane by the dark energy and did not possess the intelligence to handle the unexpected attack.

    Brendel borrowed its strength and pointed his sword at the demon, directly sending it into the enemy¡¯s eye. His action was as trained as ever in the game.

    The Thorn of Lord bellowed in agony as it felt the sword went through its eye, and the guttural noise echoed throughout the forest. The youth creased his brows,nded easily on the demon¡¯s shoulders and swung his sword across the gigantic creature¡¯s neck.

    Blue colored blood spurted out like a sharp arrow, cutting the bellows to a stop and turned it into gasping noises. It struggled for a while before it finally fell over to the ground with a heavy thud.

    Brendel finally rxed. The disciples were known to be dirt poor, so he ignored the bodies to look at the situation with the remaining three disciples, but the mercenaries had already dispatched them like he expected.

    This did not mean that the matter had came to a close. There were movements within the forest that he noticed, regardless of whether it came from the Grey Wolves Mercenaries¡¯ camps, or the opposite direction.

    ¡°Damn it.¡± He ordered his summoned men in his heart: ¡°Prepare to retreat, and bring along that two bastards.¡±

    He turned his head to look at the red demon. It was still holding on to life and did not die yet. The demons were known for their resilience, and were ranked amongst the top three hated monsters in the game, along with the undead and nt-type monsters.

    Suddenly Brendel realized that the creatures he had encountered were undead creatures, the Golden Demonic Tree and its creatures, and now demons. Before he had the chance to mock himself for his bad luck, green words filled his vision.

    ¡°The creature¡¯s contract has ended.¡±

    ¡°The creature is a weakened state¡ª¡±

    ¡°Conditions have been met.¡±

    ¡°Would you like to establish a contract?¡±

    ¡°Yes/No.¡±

    Brendel looked at the sentences for a moment before he shivered in fright and shook his head quickly.

    [Never!]

    Brendel refused the contract and quickly escaped the area along with his mercenaries.

    After a short time, the Nightsong Tiger threw Redi and hispanion onto the ground. The white-haired youth raised his head in defiance and red at the people around him. But when he saw it was Brendel and his mercenaries, his irides shrank a little and tried to stand up.

    However, the Nightsong Tiger suppressed him by pressing down on his shoulder and neck, causing him to kneel down. His silver eyes red at Brendel like an untameable wolf.

    He roared: ¡°You fuckers, I knew that you¡¯re colluding with the enem¡ª Khhk, cough!¡±

    Brendel did not waste time talking to him, and simply punched him in the face. He used enough strength to force Redi to cough out blood and saliva.

    Amandina took a silent breath, while Romaine thought Brendel¡¯s anger was somewhat simr to Freya at the Golden Tree Valley. Thetter was also concerned with Brendel¡¯s hand. He was bleeding from the injury when he fought the demon but he refused her aid.

    The weapon from the Lord of Thorns was poisoned, but Brendel had no trouble resisting it with his high phsyique and he did not want her to have any idents.

    Redi turned his head back at Brendel as if to challenge him to strike again. He red at him with hatred as he licked the blood from his lips. Brendel took a quick nce into the distance. The battle earlier had caused both parties to be alert, and there was chaos from the nearby forest. If he did not act swiftly, he would have been stuck between them.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes went back to Redi. Even now, they were not out of danger. It was why he felt incredibly annoyed.

    ¡°Unless you¡¯re a fool, you should already know that we are not your enemies. If you don¡¯t want to die, please stop struggling.¡± Brendel¡¯s voice was cold.

    Redi gritted his teeth. He came to the conclusion that Brendel and his men were not on the same side with the Demon he just saw. But he was furious over the fact that Brendel punched him, and thought he was taking personal revenge on him and to teach him a lesson.

    Even so, he subconsciously thought that Brendel was trying to scare him.

    [The ¡®Grey Wolves Mercenaries¡¯ is not a simple mercenary group and I¡¯m not worried if we¡¯re going to fight the ¡®Paper Cards¡¯. But this bastard actually dared to hold me here.]

    Redi cursed in his heart and thought Brendel was nothing more than a naive idiot who knew nothing. He looked at Brendel with scorn, only to find him looking elsewhere.

    Brendel was looking at a girl who approached them. Her eyes were closed and the long ck hair seemed to entuate her pale face in the moonlight. Brendel found it surprising that the girl did not appear to be in any panic despite the chaos in the forest.

    [Who is this?] Brendel wondered how he should act, but the Nightsong Tiger came beside him and asked.

    ¡°My lord, it¡¯s the Disciples of the ck mes again. What should we do next?¡±

    ¡°Disciples of the ck mes?¡± Redi¡¯s heart jumped slightly.

    Brendel looked to the northern hills before he answered: ¡°We head to the east.¡±

    The white-haired youth snickered. He came from a noble¡¯s family that was involved in the military and had a certain level of insight. The ¡®Paper Cards¡¯ had already established a foothold in the northern area, while the southern valley allowed forces to regroup much more safely.

    [An amateur pretending to know what he was doing. This is soughable that I feel sorry for these veterans working under him.]

    Redi started to think that Brendel was a useless leader, but he was deeply impressed when the Nightsong Tiger captured him without giving him time to react. Even though he secretly mocked Brendel, he was genuinely concerned with the phrase ¡®Disciples of the ck mes. He secretly spied on the mercenary beside him and thought he had no reason to lie.

    He thought it was impossible to gather any information from the mercenary himself, so he decided to try and fish information from the idiot instead.

    But the Nightsong Tiger was quite interested with Brendel¡¯s opinion, contrary to Redi¡¯s views.

    ¡°My lord, have you fought against the Disciples of the ck mes before?¡±

    ¡°You can think of it that way.¡± Brendel answered without much thought. ¡°I fought against their high ranking priests.¡±

    [In the game.] Brendel added that detail in his mind.

    ¡°Oh?¡± The Nightsong Tiger¡¯s eyes brightened up: ¡°The high ranking priests?¡±

    ¡°Ha...... Cough...... Haha, why don¡¯t you say you met with the Tree Sheperd leaders,¡± Rediughed in derision: ¡°The priests in the Disciples of the ck mes are all silver-ranked and above. Even the army in Aouine¡¯s capital would not im they could score a victory against them. May I know Messere Brendel, which army were you in when you encountered them?¡±

    Heughed again and looked at him in condescension: ¡°You might want to get a better script if you wish to brag. Also, if you¡¯re heading to the east, release me. I don¡¯t want to die along with you.¡±

    Brendel was highly amused and annoyed at the same time.

    [Not only did I see more than one of them, I even killed one. At the peak of my level, I became a Crusader Knight where only one or two people within their organization that could fight against me.]

    But Brendel did not want to waste time exining with him. He merely showed a beaming smile with exposed teeth, although his dark expression made him appear intimidating.

    ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t understand the situation you are in.¡±

    Redi¡¯s voice got stuck in his throat. He finally recalled that he was in no position to even speak, so he simply ignored the annoying youth in front of him and scoffed loudly.

    Brendel did not mind that he acted as a mute, and he gave the order to his mercenaries to bring the girl to him.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± He asked when she was near him.

    Redi took a quick nce at her before he turned away.

    ¡°My name is Y, Ser knight.¡±

    ¡°You know that I¡¯m not a merchant?¡± Brendel was surprised.

    ¡°I know even more than that. Our mercenary group is in grave danger, and I know that Ser knight is capable of helping us, right?¡± The girl nodded to admit that and continued to ask.

    ¡°Hey, Y?¡± This time Redi lookedpletely stunned: ¡°...... But these people are¡ª¡±

    ¡°May I know who exactly are the enemies?¡± Y asked a strange question.

    Brendel looked at her curiously, but he decided to focus on the first question she asked.

    ¡°How do you know I can help you?¡±

 volume 2 - 79

    TL: Some stuff about doing the recent TAS chapters, more information inside.

    Skip the long text to get to the chapter.

    TL: So I actually nned not to TL the chapters but since a lot of people probably want to see what happens next, I guess I¡¯ll TL a little bit more (since 2 days ago) and finally finish the backlog that I hope to clear. I actually nned to fill the backlog of 20 chapters, but like I said before, the time to trante TAS has actually increased by an hour+, and that¡¯s the first draft without any edits.

    Some of the issues include small illogical writing + political stuff for the recent chapters.

    Y is blind, but her interaction in the raws includes ¡°Redi and Y looked at each other¡±, really, author?

    Brendel nods to Y¡¯s question without saying anything, dude... She can¡¯t see your nods...

    Increase of name terminology + economy and political stuff. This particr section takes the longest because I have to think of ways to simplify the text and make it understandable.

    Various other minor issues.

    There are some minor edits to how Brendel/Redi responds to Y that I made. I feel that it¡¯s necessary to remind the readers that while I don¡¯t generally change the plot, there are some areas that I have to change in order to have the story make logical sense.

    A lot of time is spent on names because as we well know how many people hated the name ¡®Sophie¡¯ (35% wanted me to change the name back to Su Fei vs 48% who said there¡¯s no need to do so) for the protagonist. If I had my way, I¡¯ll just change the name entirely from the start because I do recognize that it¡¯s awkward. However, since there¡¯s some evidence that the author took the name from the novel Sophie¡¯s world, I personally thought it wasn¡¯t that bad because the meaning of Sophie is ¡®wisdom¡¯ or ¡®wise¡¯, which I feel was appropriate in a certain sense.

    I¡¯ll post at least 3 more chapters today. Just remember the recent chapters have not been proofread for errors.

    Chapter 79 ¨C The story of fishes swimming in chaos (1)

    Brendel observed Y who sat down on the ground filled with pine needles. He quickly realized that the girl¡¯s hair was a lovely pure ck that was unlike Amandina¡¯s, which was tinged with a purple sheen.

    Surprise streaked across his eyes.

    [Amandina¡¯s bloodline probably came from the Miirna¡¯s bloodline, which causes her to have that ck-purplish color in her hair and eyes. Over countless eras, that bloodline had eroded and they no longer had special traits rted to that race. The only thing left was their appearances. But this Y girl is probably not from that bloodline.]

    ¡°I am unable to say why that is so as well, Ser knight. You could think it as a premonition instead. The ¡®Paper Cards¡¯ mercenaries should have nothing to do with the disciples, but they appeared together tonight. Perhaps it is a coincidence, but I would believe in the possibility that this a nned scheme.

    If I may, Ser Brendel, I believe that themon man would have seeked for their allies¡¯ help. Even though we do not deserve your full trust, but it would surely be better to have our aid. But you and your men chose to to leave here without any hesitation to preserve only for yourselves¡ª¡°

    Y closed her eyes and listened to the battle that the Grey Wolves Mercenaries were having with the Disciples of the ck mes. Her tone did not change as she stated her opinion: ¡°But if I was to change my way of seeing things, this would mean that Ser Brendel has already analyzed the current state of events¡ª That you have known that the ¡®Paper Cards¡¯ was following us from the very beginning.

    The oddity in your n was the choice to escape to the east. I would think that a decisive decision like this would mean that you are not a rash person. If the enemies lies ahead of you and yet still you choose to charge forward, then that would be bravery. However, I believe that Ser Brendel thinks otherwise and has a different opinion as to what exactly lies ahead. Perhaps, it¡¯s not guarded by the enemies?¡±

    Brendel did not change his expressions, although Redi had been showing rich expressions of mockery whenever Y called Brendel a knight.

    ¡°As for the reason why Brendel is a knight.¡± She gave a small humble smile: ¡°That is simply because I heard thedy over there calling you ¡®my lord¡¯. Although I was not given sight, Mother Marsha has given me sharp hearing, which really isn¡¯t something that I should brag.¡±

    Amandina reacted by gasping and watching Y in vignce.

    The blind girl raised her head up to Brendel, her eyes opening slightly. Even though she could not see him, she pleaded with him earnestly. ¡°Ser Brendel, I humbly beg you to help the Grey Wolves Mercenaries.¡±

    Brendel took in a deep breath.

    [If Amandina is someone who can aid me as an advisor, then this girl in front of me is a kingmaker. Her senses are sharp enough to send me jitters.]

    He studied Y¡¯s ck eyes which had a tinge of brown in them. When he went over her pale yellow skin and delicate eyebrows, he suddenly recalled there was a certain region that he was familiar with.

    ¡°I also have a question. Is your surname Phenix?¡± He asked.

    Her eyes have already closed again, otherwise she would have shown great surprise. She felt the area around her chest subconsciously before she rxed, as Brendel took in all her actions.

    He frowned slightly, as if he had thought of more things.

    ¡°Yes, my surname is indeed Phenix, and my original name is Phenix Yul. It appears that Ser Brendel is very knowledgeable, and my appearance would certainly reveal itself to them. However, I do not wish to bring this up again. Please call me Y and let me off with that.¡±

    Brendel agreed to do so. He had guessed of a certain NPC which had the same skin tone and hair color, and she was certainly from the far eastern desert, the Nine Phenix kingdom.

    The Nine Phenix kingdom was ruled by nine different ns, and the kingdom possessed an advanced swordsmanship called ¡®Sword of the ming Lotus¡¯. Many gamers had tried their luck by going to that country, but no one had ever obtained it.

    Many of the country¡¯s citizens traveled to Aouine and Kirrlutz, just like the elves who had traveled from the north. It was not rare for different explorers to leave their homnd and travel around.

    In regards to Y¡¯s request, he shook his head. ¡°I am sincerely sorry to say that we can¡¯t help you. I can tell you that the ck Disciples will not be strong enough to cause yourmander any real problems, but if I am Makarov I will leave this forest immediately.¡±

    ¡°You......¡± Redi was so angry he seemed to lose his words for a moment: ¡°Our agreement, you can¡¯t throw it away. The Mercenaries¡¯ Oath.....¡±

    The Nightsong Tiger punched him in the abdomen, causing the white-haired youth to bend over in pain. The Nightsong Tiger shook his head with a look of disdain.

    ¡°Stop lying to yourself, yourmander doesn¡¯t care about the agreement, even if they are fighting against the ck Disciples.¡±

    ¡°Do you understand our position?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Then what would Ser Brendel want? Money? Power?¡±

    Brendel perked up his ears before he immediately shook his head again: ¡°I am interested in all those things, butpared to money and power, I would rather not get embroiled into this troublesome situation. I will give you another hint. The mastermind behind the ck Disciples are the Tree Shepherds. Surely both of you have heard of that name before?¡±

    Their countenances changed at the same time.

    ¡°How did we get targeted by them?¡± Redi asked with skepticism.

    But Y lowered her head in anxiety.

    Amandina poked him from behind and whispered: ¡°My lord, are you not letting them plead for help if you keep scaring them? Isn¡¯t the conclusion of this ending going to end with something you don¡¯t wish to see?¡±

    Brendel raised his hands in defense: ¡°I don¡¯t wish to lie to them.¡±

    But under Amandina¡¯s suspicious gaze, he could only offer a more detailed exnation: ¡°Helping them is not impossible, but I won¡¯t let us get dragged into this situation.¡±

    ¡°Then what is to be done?¡± Romaine asked with blinking eyes.

    ¡°They have to rely on themselves.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the solution?¡± Romaine did not believe Brendel.

    ¡°Of course it will work.¡±

    ¡°Ser Brendel, what are we supposed to do?¡± Y overheard them and understood that Brendel was reminding them on purpose. She hesitated for a while, as if she was considering whether she could trust them.

    [¡®The Tree Shepherds¡¯ is like a bomb. The Unifying Guild can drive a kingdom into chaos, but the Tree Shepherds have enough clout to create a Holy War. Many of the people in this era probably had harrowing experiences because of them. Since Y is from another country, she would probably know less than Redi.]

    When Brendel looked back at Redi, he discovered that the white-haired youth looked deeply perplexed.

    ¡°I have already given you the answer,¡± Brendel said: ¡°Tell yourmander to retreat and leave this area. Judging from the circumstances the Tree Shepherds have targeted you, but they have a certain habit. Once they realized that their ns have been found out, they will most likely back off to n again. With this, you have gained precious time and I think yourmander will take measures to defend the Grey Wolves Mercenaries.¡±

    Brendel might have appeared to analyze things thoroughly, but he was actually following what was on the walkthrough. The things that he did not know were the exact details and why the Tree Shepherds targeted the mercenaries.

    However, that did not mean that he was unable to handle them. He had fought against them as long as he had fought against Madara, and there were still cards that he could use to fight back.

    Redi looked at Y once.

    ¡°How do we know that what you said is true?¡±Redi grimaced.

    ¡°I am not forcing you to believe me.¡±

    ¡°You...... irresponsible bastard.¡± He barked.

    ¡°We have no need to be responsible to you. Do you understand the situation? It is your mercenary group which is under attack, and my lord is helping you out of his kindness. It is your choice to choose not to ept the advice, if you are so proud.¡± Amandina¡¯s feathers have long been ruffled by Redi, and openly criticized him.

    But once she was done with her outburst, she suddenly stopped and looked apologetically at Y who was still kneeling down: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I mean......¡±

    ¡°There is no need to concerned with my feelings.¡± Y shook her head. She had been pondering in silence for quite some time, and she merely asked: ¡°I believe that Ser Brendel is going to leave this ce, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Brendel nodded.

    ¡°You can¡¯t stay for one more night?¡±

    ¡°No, we can¡¯t.¡±

    [The Unifying Guild is one troublesome affair to deal with, having another Tree Shepherds would mean that the future is fraught with dire consequences. Since Makarov and Buga have a strong chance toe out of this without harm, there¡¯s no need for me to meddle with things too much. Well, as long as they follow my advice, that is.]

    Even if he chose to leave, it was not as if he had let the Grey Wolves Mercenaries down. The agreement between them was as weak as it sounded, and the only real trouble was if he wanted to work with them in the future.

    ¡°Ser Brendel, are you willing to let us go?¡± She asked again.

    ¡°We did not intend to do so, and the truth is we actually saved you. I believe you know this already, Miss Y.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°But are you not afraid we will leak your location to the enemies?¡±

    Brendelughed and said confidently: ¡°There is no way that your group or the enemies can catch up to us.¡±

    Brendel trusted in his experience, but Redi merely eyed him in silence.

    It was clear from his expression that he thought Brendel was bragging. Even though there were many things that shocked him, he thought that Brendel had given himself away as an amateur by heading east, and he nned to persuade Y not to be deceived by Brendel.

 volume 2 - 80

    TL: One more chaptering in about two to three hourster. This chapter is kind ofplicated and I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s easy enough to understand. Just ask which part you don¡¯t understand and I¡¯ll see what can be done.

    Chapter 80 ¨C The story of fishes swimming in chaos (2)

    Amandina watched Redi¡¯s back as he limped away, while Y was beside helping him walk.

    ¡°Are you letting them just leave, my lord?¡± She asked.

    ¡°What do you expect me to do here? Instead of letting them pile onto our problems, it¡¯s better to dismiss them.¡± Brendel answered simply.

    ¡°But I still feel like you¡¯re scheming something.¡± She nced at him with slight suspicion.

    Brendel rubbed his nose with a dry smile: ¡°Is my character that awful in your eyes? I thought that I did things openly in the past.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it would appear so. But I have never thought that my lord has ever done things that appear to be as simple as they look. I recall that you arranged miss Freya to enter the Royal Cavalry Academy, which could be seen like a friend¡¯s encouragement, but I would think that it is because you noticed the fights between the Royal Faction and the Regional Nobles.

    If I recall correctly, the Royal Cavalry Academy is within princess Gryphine¡¯s privatends, and she¡¯s the most outstanding individual out of the current royal family members. Not only that, the younger and weaker brother of hers is strictly cared for by her, almost like a guardian and not as an older sister.

    Based on the king¡¯s health, it is likely that the princess will be a Princess-Regent in the future. Once that happens, my lord¡¯s action will also be a long-term investment.¡±

    Romaine nodded quickly when she heard the words ¡®investment¡¯.

    ¡°These other invisible investments that you made from the time that I met you might not look like they are of any use in the beginning, but once my lord has yournds and reap the benefits that you have sown earlier, then you will be a direct supporter of princess Gryphine.

    If it is someone else, I would think nothing much of these actions that have been done, but the people close to my lord will surely understand that your ambition is nothing as straightforward as it seems.¡±

    Amandina looked up to Brendel: ¡°Am I wrong, my lord?¡±

    The young girl took a long breath after she finished her speech. She had spent a lot of time specting in the past few days because Brendel¡¯s actions were bing stranger and stranger, to the point where she did not understand them at all, and she did not wished to fall behind too much.

    Especially if she was the chief advisor.

    Brendel blinked a few times before he answered: ¡°You¡¯re close enough.¡±

    [Although you missed a few points.]

    He thought to himself.

    [Rather than call it an investment, I would rather call it a rtionship. There¡¯s no need for me to gain ¡®honor¡¯ here, what I need is something I can grow and use in the future. A gamer is different from a lord, especially when I have ¡®that¡¯nd in mind.]

    He could have waited until the civil strife within Aouine reach its highest point, with Madara invading the kingdom with its full might, until the Princess-Regent would finally not be able to control the situation, then garner the biggest profits by stepping in at that point.

    But he did not do so.

    His attachment to the people in the game made him send the future Goddess of War to the princess, and believed that these two brilliant women would not disappoint him. Even if he predicted wrongly, at least he would not leave behind any regrets.

    Still, he did not expect Amandina to know his thoughts that well, so he merely smiled and gave a neutral reaction. She certainly showed off her intelligence if she was able to predict that much.

    He turned back to look at Romaine who looked like she was having fun. She did not seek to understand why Brendel needed to do what he did, and only wanted to help him do the best he could in his ns.

    [The future ahead might call for even more drastic measures. Sometimes knowing too much hurts, and one might not attain happiness, Amandina...... But looking at Romaine makes me feel it¡¯s a pleasure on its own.]

    ¡°Beyond that,¡± Amandina continued: ¡°The money made from the auction was invested into Miss Romaine¡¯s goods which were subsequently used for the celebration after the Madara war. The returns were then poured to gain deep ess into this local region. This is the first time that I realize that having gold coins is an amazing thing. Miss Romaine¡¯s touch seemed to go permeate into theplicated noble society and the underground thieves¡¯ guilds.

    There wasn¡¯t even a need to maintain a good rtionship in order to gain ess to the information too. I thought it was only at Brus that contact was made with the Brotherhood of Thieves, but it seems like it was done much earlier.¡±

    ¡°This is one of the reasons why I formed a coalition of merchants.¡± Brendel admitted it: ¡°But it is not for the reason of acquiring more money but power. Once people brought themselves into some form of any system, even if they have their own personal agenda, their actions would most likely benefit others just like how the cirction of goods would bring about abundance.¡±

    ¡°Information gathering isn¡¯t really hard. My aunt says that information is everywhere around us.¡± Romaine interrupted as if she was interested in the topic.

    ¡°That¡¯s because the information we require isn¡¯t particrly demanding on quality. The hardest part on acquiring information is not on the process of collection, but to determine which information is useful. This requires skilled professionals.¡± Brendel gave augh.

    ¡°My lord, you¡¯re changing the subject. All the things that you do is because there¡¯s some form of benefit.¡± Amandina gazed at him.

    ¡°Even if you point out only these two things, I can only say that they are a coincidence.¡± Brendel did not wish to spend time on this topic. He had too many secrets and each lie that he gave, would inevitably lead to more lies to cover up the old ones.

    ¡°The Red Bronze Dragon mercenaries retired as if they wanted to stay away from the public¡¯s attention, but I can safely state that it was a measure to make sure Miss Freya enters the Royal Cavalry Academy...... But my lord, how did you know there were openings in the academy? No, not only that, it seems that my lord has the ability to see even further. While we are still focused on the problems before us, you seemed to have already seen the end results.¡±

    Amandina looked a little ill and grumbled.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure if this is some form of talent, but I feel tremendous pressure.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Brendel quickly raised his hands to surrender: ¡°I got it. You¡¯re right, it¡¯s a form of talent. But there are areas that I can miss out if I n things alone......¡±

    He looked at the trees into the distant. The night battle seemed to intensify as the camps started to get burned by fire. The northern sky was gradually filled with red light. Their location was starting to be unsafe.

    This was a temporary stop after all.

    ¡°...... We¡¯re discussing too many things that are not rted to our current situation. We should leave this area before the fight reaches here.¡±

    He quickly ended his sentences and grabbed the longsword near him and fled from Amandina, and prevented her from asking more questions.

    [At this rate you¡¯re going to even get my identification number......] Brendel obviously would not divulge himself as a parallel-world traveler with knowledge about the future.

    Amandina understood that it was a poor attempt to change the topic, but she had gone a little too far by saying too much. It was normal for a leader to keep things from his subordinates, and Brendel¡¯s foresight boosted the confidence she had in the things they were doing.

    Thus she followed him without any objections.

    A few momentster she turned around and whispered: ¡°Ser Nightsong Tiger, are we really fine if we head east?¡±

    She had carefully observed Redi¡¯s expressions, and saw him making a scornful face when Brendel said they were going east.

    The Nightsong Tiger looked at her with an impressed expression.

    ¡°Yes.¡± He added a motion to pat his left arm, which was a gesture to guarantee something: ¡°Miss Amandina, I have never seen anyone like my lord who is as familiar with these bastards who deserve to go straight to hell¡ª

    He looked at Brendel¡¯s back.

    ¡°I say this humbly, we have frequently fought them in the past, and the Disciples of the ck mes love to use distractions as a strategy. However, it is difficult to discern their true locations. Even if it¡¯s me, I can only pinpoint their ambushes to two locations, either in the south or west area.¡±

    He pointed towards Brendel¡¯s injured hand.

    ¡°Do you see our lord¡¯s wounded hand? I¡¯m willing to bet that he took less than a minute to deal with that high ranking contract demon, and he probably did it with less than ten moves. Only a veteran can see through the Lord of Throns attacking style and approach this monster quickly. Even though it has a wide range, it is far less threatening to fight in closebat.¡±

    Amandina listened to his exnation and understood about half of it. It was evident that the veteran soldier was immensely respectful of Brendel. As she looked at Brendel¡¯s injuries on his back and hand, she suddenly realized something.

    The current generation of Aouine nobles were ¡®soft¡¯, and unlike their ancestors.

    [Brave, wise, decisive and tough. A lord like this makes me wonder how far his aplishments will go.]

    Amandina exhaled quietly.

 volume 2 - 81

    Chapter 81 ¨C The story of fishes swimming in chaos (2)

    ================ Eke POV ===============

    The battle abruptly ended as soon as it had started. Eke was almost certain that the bastards draped in ck robes were at least silver-ranked fighters. While he predicted there would be a fight, he did not expect the ending¡ª

    He was almost certain that Capo and the others were going to be cut down; he finally could not suppress himself and wanted to pull out his sword in order to prevent the tragedy from happening.

    But there was an old man with wispy white hair who walked out from Capo¡¯s back and pointed his finger at the enemies. The enemies that Eke saw as nightmarish devils were struck by grey beams and turned into piles of dust.

    The youth¡¯s mouth went wide and for a moment, wondered if he was dreaming.

    When the old man cast his magic, the Holy Sigil of Earth briefly appeared on top of his hand. The signs of an unlocked Element was apparent and visible, and Eke knew there were no more than ten people in Aouine who had this kind of power.

    [Who is this? Amongst this ten people are a certain lord and several famous high level wizards. The remaining people who could possibly have such power are from the ck Tower and the owner of ¡®The Association of Stars and Moon¡¯.]

    Capo bowed to him and spoke respectfully.

    ¡°Grandmaster Liszt, thank you for taking the trouble to aid us.¡±

    The words struck Eke like a lightning bolt, rooting him to the ground. There were many people who had the name ¡®Liszt¡¯, but there was only one worthy of the title ¡®Grandmaster¡¯.

    Liszt Hardaway Gemmer.

    The chief royal wizard in Aouine and one of the three elders who aided the throne.

    Eke was momentarily confused and did not understand why someone of such importance appeared in such a remote area. It seemed like Liszt was actually there to aid them.

    ¡°This..... I......¡± The youth was tongue-tied and he stared and pointed at him: ¡°Y-you¡¯re......¡±

    Liszt nodded and acknowledged his guess.

    ¡°It is going to take a while to exin things, mister Eke. Let knight Capote take us to safety, and I¡¯ll exin the situation in detail.¡±

    ¡°Knight...... Capo........ Capote?¡± Eke looked at Capote and felt his world spinning out of control.

    ================= Brendel POV ==================

    Brendel and his men traveled on the quiet eastern forest which led them upwards to a mountain slope. The fifteen-strong group¡¯s footsteps across the dense tall grass caused a rustling noise, like an invisible long snake passing through the darkness. If they looked back, they would be able to see parted grasses leading back into the lower valley¡¯s smouldering camps.

    It was originally an area which was lit with proper fire torches, now it was nothing more than scattered burning remains.

    ¡°Our horses are still in the camp.¡±

    Romaine said this sentence for the third time. Brendel knew she was hurting over the horse she had, but he shook his head.

    ¡°The mercenaries will retreat, right?¡± She looked up at Brendel and asked.

    Her eyes went back to the areas that used to be the heart of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries¡¯ camps. She understood Brendel¡¯s meaning, but she was still soft-hearted.

    Even though she and her aunt were not very popr amongst the Be citizens, it was still a ce that she could call home, and also why she wanted to help Freya rebuild Be. Now that their former allies were in trouble, she was reluctant to leave them behind.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid only Mother Marsha would know the answer.¡± Brendel replied.

    [Whether or not the Grey Wolves Mercenaries¡¯ name will be part of history lies not with my decision but Makarov¡¯s.]

    ¡°But if they discover that it¡¯s a trap he will be on the alert, right? Do you think that Makarov is a smart person?¡± She asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s too smart.¡± Brendel thought back on Makarov¡¯s past.

    He was the chief advisor in an effort to revolutionize the Royal Faction, but his failure in a political fight eleven years ago caused him to end up in this current state.

    ¡°So he and his enemies are plotting against each other?¡± Amandina asked.

    ¡°That sounds about right.¡± Brendel nodded.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What is the reason for them to fight each other?¡± She made a new hypothesis: ¡°Is there something in this forest that would drive them to such greed?¡±

    [There are secrets in this forest, certainly, but they are not precious enough for people to act on them. They are fighting over something else entirely.]

    She saw his smile and immediately asked: ¡°My lord, you do know something.¡±

    ¡°That young man we saw a few days ago, do you still remember him?¡± He nodded his head: ¡°His real name should be Eke Ophelon Lantonrand.¡±

    ¡°That name sounds familiar.¡±

    ¡°Naturally. Because you should have heard of the name Canon Ophelon Lantonrand .¡±

    She formed her breath into a gasp, but because of the acute rush of air she took in, she started to cough instead. After regaining herposure, she asked breathlessly: ¡°Duke Lantonrand?¡±

    ¡°Eke should have his own rank andnd, the Earl of Merak.¡± Brendel narrowed his eyes, ¡°It¡¯s just that he probably doesn¡¯t know about it.¡±

    ¡°You mean...... It has something to do with that political fight eleven years ago? Hold on, Duke Lantonrand¡¯s son had already been missing¡ª¡°

    She suddenly stopped and looked at Brendel with an odd expression.

    ¡°My lord, why do you know so much about this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a public secret in the upper echelons.¡± Brendel lied through his teeth.

    ¡°Then this would mean......¡±

    ¡°The current Aouine is no longer the Aouine of the past. The so-called high nobles are rotten to the point where they don¡¯t deserved to be saved. This sickness have spread into their very bones, to put it mildly.¡± Brendel deliberately said these words in front of her.

    ¡°I am not the only one who sees this point. You can mark my words, Miss Amandina, this kingdom will break up in a civil war within three months. The events that you are seeing now are the final struggles to stop it.¡±

    ¡°Can the Corvado empire be saved?¡± Amandina¡¯s mind was thinking of the once glorious royal family that brought honor to Aouine.

    ¡°Perhaps it can.¡± Brendel stroked his chin and thought about the ¡®princess regent¡¯.

    ¡°What are we going to do, my lord?¡± Amandina broke his chain of thoughts as she asked quietly.

    ¡°We should first search for the Sage te.¡± Brendel looked at thendscape of arching mountains and gentle slopes that repeated itself. It appeared to Amandina like he saw things differently; as if he was able to see past the darkness and opaque obstructions as if he was already there at their destination.

    He brought everyone across a mountain peak; the gale from the southern sea strengthening and billowing towards him, which made his cloak unfurl and spread out behind him.

    He sniffed the air and stared into a dark and silent valley, his eyes zed over with surprise, then turned into an evident look.

    ¡°It¡¯s really here. The only question is whether the person who wrote the walkthrough isn¡¯t lying.¡±

    Everyone heard his murmurs and turned towards him.

    ¡°Do you see the valley down there?¡± He said.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Romaine asked.

    ¡°Hmm......¡± Brendel pointed into the valley, but they saw an empty carpet of darkness with trees lined on each side. He turned towards them and his eyes were gleaming: ¡°Have you heard of altars?¡±

    ¡°My aunt and I have seen an altar in the ¡®Temple of the me God¡¯. Do you mean something like that?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not that. But everyone has heard of ¡®Nests¡¯ right?¡±

    They nodded as they knew about monsters spawning from them.

    ¡°There¡¯s a Nest within the valley.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± The Nightsong Tiger jerked with fright.

    A Nest allowed a kingdom¡¯s forces to prosper as they produced creatures that could be used for wars. However, a natural Nest was much more dangerous than a man-made Nest, and subjugating and purifying such natural Nests would require a tremendous price.

    ¡°What rank is it?¡± He immediately asked.

    ¡°No need to worry,¡± Brendel motioned him to calm down. He paused for a while before he continued. ¡°That¡¯s an Altar of Order, and rted to the Temple of Truth.¡±

    ¡°What is an Altar of Order?¡±

    ¡°Have you heard of the Heaven¡¯s Gate?¡±

    The mercenaries felt their breaths chill. The Mercenaries of Lopes came from a kingdom known for its cavalry and knew what the term signified. The Nightsong Tiger looked at the clueless Amandina and Romaine, before he exined: ¡°Angel of Thrones.¡±

    Amandina gulped and looked at Brendel in disbelief; the kingdom ce was only one-fifth of Aouine¡¯snd area, but itsbat prowess towers all other kingdoms because it possessed two powerful armies.

    The Knights of Fanaticism and Order of Brilliance, and part of their armies consisted of living creatures from Nests.

    In the previous Holy War, the Aouine forces under the banner of the Holy Cathedral of mes had suffered under these two armies greatly.

    The Nightsong Tiger looked at Brendel with an incredulous look, and he stuttered to get his words out: ¡°My lord, are you saying there¡¯s a Heaven¡¯s Gate there?¡±

    Brendel immediately shook his head.

    [Of course not. Are you kidding me?]

    The Heaven¡¯s Gate was unlikely to be found by him. The Heaven¡¯s Gate gave birth to the strongest creature that could be used by the ¡®Order of Brilliance¡¯, the Angel of Thrones. Any ce that had a Heaven¡¯s Gate would have showed strange omens in the near vicinity, and unless the local Holy Cathedral of mes were foolish enough to miss it, he would never be able to get to them.

    ¡°No, the Altar of Order below is simr to the Heaven¡¯s Gate.¡±

    ¡°Simr?¡± The Nightsong Commander reflected on the words Brendel said. He was not as learned as a schr and most of these Nests were controlled by rulers or great lords. A man of his position was usually not privy to know such things.

    ¡°You mean that this natural Nest has been blessed by Mother Marsha?¡± Amandina caught on to what Brendel was trying to say.

    Brendel stopped for a moment. Even though his mind had the exnation avable for the local citizens, but he still used the linguistic words from the game. He could only nod with an awkward smile.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s a great find. A natural Nest is difficult to purify, and changing them requires at least ten years, and twenty years even.¡± The Nightsong Tiger immediately said.

    The Nests that were blessed by Mother Marsha was a gift to the citizens in the world. The living creatures that were born from within are allies of sentient creatures. As long as the mana and maintenance was paid for, the forces that controlled the Nests were able to gather a powerful army.

    Any kingdom who offered the Holy Cathedral of Fire an Altar of Order would immediately get a richnd three to four times the size of a knight¡¯s. In addition, thatnd was hereditary and transferable.

    Amandina¡¯s eyes seemed to re up with vigor.

    But Brendel immediately raised his hands: ¡°Everyone is overthinking things. That is merely an abandoned altar.¡±

    ¡°Abandoned?¡± Amandina¡¯s first reaction was disappointment, before it went back to curiosity: ¡°How does my lord know that?¡±

    Brendel did not reply. He knew where the approximate location was because there was a serene and tranquil air to it, and he was familiar of that feeling in the game since he traveled throughout the continent.

    There was also the fact that a game window with the words ¡®Holy Area¡¯ appearing in his vision. As to why it was already abandoned, the walkthrough had already stated clearly that it was abandoned, of course.

    The group made its way to the valley, and once they did so they realized that the outside world seemed to be cut off. There was no sound within the valley, not even themon shrill of the insectsmonly heard in the summer.

    With the aid of the light from the moonlight, they slowly walked through an unclear path filled with cracks and holes. Within the dense foliage, they would sometimes catch glimpses of glimmering lights.

    They could simply be fireflies, but perhaps they were the eyes of animals.

    Amandina and Romaine had traveled through the night several times. Even though they were tense, they were not exactly afraid of the environment. The Mercenaries of Lopes were not fazed in the slightest, but the surroundings made them feel that there was something odd about the ce.

    ¡°This altar isn¡¯t actually discovered by me.¡± Brendel finally spotted some man-made fragments of arge boulder, and suddenly spoke aloud.

 volume 2 - 82

    TL: The Amber Sword¡¯s raws have finally beenpleted, and it seems like it is a favorable ending amongst the chinese readers. It¡¯s sort of a relief, I guess. Although, I kind of had to sieve through some plot spoilers to see if there are any problems to the stuff I¡¯m tranting. It¡¯s more than likely that I have to tweak some of the stuff in the beginning, but generally it shouldn¡¯t affect any general plot.

    Right now I¡¯m in 130++ chapters in, and there¡¯s like 1500? chapters. Well, I¡¯m nearly at the 10% mark, and I tranted over 200,000 words on this series. So I guess there¡¯s another 2,000,000 words waiting for you guys? Cough.

    I wasn¡¯t nning on releasing this chapter yet because this chapter was done outside of home in a rush, but I still think it¡¯s important to inform the readers on the current status on a few things.

    Next chapter ETA: 3-4 dayster.

    TL: Skip ahead to get to the chapter, otherwise read on for some information about donation status.

    TL: What I have done recently is a partially done fanart (still need to work on it and remove the lineart) for TSTBGAM, my other series. It¡¯s based on the light novel¡¯s original design on the wolf boy, which I imagine him to be all warm and fuzzy in the majik forest.

    tstbgam-fan-art

    First drawing after graduation.

    Donations are still closed until I can get a proper schedule in ce and I stick with it without any incidents.

    In case everyone still doesn¡¯t know, I have graduated from art student to ¡®starving artist lulz¡¯, and I have to consider my future ns properly. It¡¯s either I somehow get by with art frencing + trantions¡¯ donations, or I go out to work for a gamepany and get some additional Artist XP.

    One thing about sponsoring/donation/tipping for the chapters, I¡¯ll remind everyone that you¡¯re not paying for my trantions, but sponsoring me to be able to buy artbooks and novels and coffee. The donations that I received so far have mostly gone into artbooks, thank you very much for easing my burdens.

    Chapter 82 ¨C The story of fishes swimming in chaos (3)

    ================= Scarlett¡¯s POV ==================

    ¡°Scarlett.¡±

    A clear voice rang out from the forest, apanied with hurried footsteps as if there was a group of people approaching towards a girl with red long hair. She tidied her hair band before turning back; her long eyshes flickering once as she blinked at a burning torchlight nearby. Her irides were like red wine as they reflected the shimmering orange mes, but the expression she gave was a little hesitant.

    ¡°That voice sounds like it belongs to Cecilia. Wasn¡¯t she supposed to find Y and Redi, why is she back already? Did she find them, or did she encounter some form of trouble?¡±

    The girl named Scarlett picked up the halberd in her hands warily. Brendel would have easily recognized the origins of this weapon. Beyond the ink-ck body of the spear, the most prominent feature of this weapon were the faintly golden edges that fanned outwards at the tip, giving it a graceful deadliness.

    ¡®Spear of Lightning, Ros¡¯ was a famous drop in Chablis. Any gamer with the appropriate level who used a spear would have wanted this spear. Even though it was a level twenty-five spear, the price within the online tradingmunity did not fall regardless of time. There was only one reason why: The spear had a 1% chance of a special effect called ¡®Whispers of Lightning when the user attacked.

    This special effect was the same spell that an Elementalist used. It added 10% additional lightning damage, and was a particr strategy used by gamers. They would first use the spear until they got the special effect, then switch their weapons with the skill ¡®Preparation¡¯ without any penalties, as well as adding potions that were usually made by Wind Elementalists to increase their damage output.

    However, if they saw the spear in Scarlett¡¯s hands they would certainly be surprised. As far as they knew, it belonged to an undead knight that burned with crimson me. (TL: The foreshadowing is certainly strong for sure...)

    The first rumors of the spear was two years after the Grey Wolves Mercenaries¡¯ battle, and was still held by the lizardmen bandits.

    Scarlett raised her head up to look at the nearby hill. and saw several figures dashing out from the trees. She furrowed her brows. The Grey Wolves Mercenaries had a different meaning to herpared to herrades. She was an orphan raised by Capo, and the group was like a huge family to her. She went into battle not for the sake of money, but for the sake of protecting this family.

    Other than fighting in battles, she felt that she did not know anything else.

    She had witnessed the Grey Wolves Mercenaries scoring victory after victory for eleven years, and her personal confidence improved every day until it formed into a feeling of glory. But this glory was shaken tonight when she did not understand where the enemies came from. There was no question their opponents were incredibly difficult and filled with a strong desire to battle.

    She felt an uneasy feeling growing in her heart, and the tension and fatigue caused her heart to drum loudly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked as Cecilia and the group of mercenaries behind approached her.

    ¡°I found Y.¡± Cecilia replied.

    Scarlett uttered a low sigh and her eyes wavered. She put her halberd down onto the ground and tousled her hair.

    ¡°And? What did themander say? Do we press forward or retreat?¡±

    There was a series of low giggles from the crowd. It was a known fact amongst the mercenaries that Scarlett was fond of Eke, even though she tried to hide it. A few of them even gracefully pretended that they did not know anything about it and even cheered her on, despite the fact that Y was Eke¡¯s fiancee.

    ¡°Y is something of a star seer and she¡¯s highly intelligent. Themander is most likely to follow her advice. Hmph. ¡± Scarlett made a nasally scoff before she red at the giggling mercenaries.

    ¡°Careful that I tear your lips apart.¡± She said viciously.

    But uncontrobleughter burst out and one of them said kindly: ¡°Scarlett, themander has already made the decision to head north to fight the enemies. Redi, Lothar and you are to take one squad of mercenaries each to create an open path. Can we go along with you?¡±

    Scarlett shed a toothy grin: ¡°Why would you want toe along with me. All of you have other intentions right?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± The few men who had their intentions revealed quickly waved their hands.

    Scarlett raised her head and eyed one of the youths with an angry re who quickly turned away.

    [Idiots.]

    ¡°Whatever.¡± She turned away as she answered.

    The few youths looked at her back with stunned expressions. They did not know that she was filled with grave worry. The ¡®Paper Cards¡¯ had exceeded all their initial expectations, but Makarov did not issue any orders to retreat and insisted on carrying on with the usual ns.

    [Is themander that confident, or is there another reason?]

    Scarlett clenched her fist and ced it over her heart which was beating quickly. Since themander had already given themand, there was no room left to disobey the order. Everything had to be left to the spear in her hands.

    She gripped it tightly. Eke had bought the spear from a merchant when she was fifteen years old, and she made the decision to fight with her spear until her life was expended. She even felt at times that this was her life¡¯s reason.

    She started to move forward but she suddenly recalled something and turned her head.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t that merchant camped a fair distance away from us? Where is he now?¡±

    ¡°He probably...... got separated from us when the attack started......¡±

    The mercenaries who followed her closely looked at each other, before one of them hesitatingly replied. They were not Makarov¡¯s direct subordinates and not all of the mercenaries knew his exact identity. Many of them still thought he was still allies with them, even if it was just temporarily.

    She frowned: ¡°We¡¯re moving in this direction to search for them.¡±

    ¡°Is that really...... okay?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that, the Grey Wolves Mercenaries cannot be seen as a group who abandons their allies.¡±

    A few chuckles could be heard amongst them. Scarlett was obviously being soft-hearted but she simply had to find a grand reason to cover it up. The mercenaries were willing to group along with her was partly because of the funny atmosphere around her, although, it was mostly out of a good-natured perspective.

    But as the chuckles died down, there was another cacklingugh that echoed throughout the greenwoods, yet the voice was hollow and empty,prising more of a frightening tone to it that was not unlike the .

    Scarlett¡¯s expression changed and sought for the source of the voice.

    She immediately found the origin of the voice; a dark figure with long ck robes with red sigils on either side was standing next to a gigantic green colored creature. They were atop on a great ck pine tree, while the creature shook his massive wings, causing the chains around them to jangle loudly. The creature¡¯s head was that of a goat¡¯s and their line-like pupils stared at the mercenaries.

    ¡°When did it appear?¡± Scarlett¡¯s heart suddenly jolted and she gritted her teeth. Even though she had no idea what manner of the creature was, she understood they were opponents that they most likely could not face.

    ¡°Lass.¡± The Disciple of ck mes trilled with a piercing voice: ¡°Did you say someone got separated?¡±

    ¡°That has nothing to do with you.¡± She raised her halberd and said through clenched teeth.

    The initial assault had caused the Grey Wolves Mercenaries to lose a squad of patrolling guards, and one of them was Scarlett¡¯s close friend. Even though the mercenaries had gotten used to seeing life and death, it did not mean they were able to calmly deal with them. The enemies and them were beyond conctory terms and only had enmity between them.

    ¡°It is fine if we can¡¯t get to them. Myrade has probably been done in by them, so I¡¯ll quenched my thirst for revenge with your deaths.¡± The Disciple of ck mesughed in a crazed manner. ¡°Abechas!¡±

    The ck chains swept towards the girl with a ringing sound caused by the chain links, while she responded with a loud yell and struck away the chains. The force of the chains secretly swayed her confidence, it was merely a single strike but her arm felt slightly numbed. Her performance was apparently outside the expectations of the Disciple as he eximed in surprise. ¡°A Silver-ranked fighter! Makarov¡¯s subordinates are certainly full of suprises. Even a little girl is skilled, how truly unexpected!¡±

    ¡°There are more toe, you bastard! Ros, Arrow of Lightning!¡±

    Scarlett reversed her spear and pointed it at the disciple. Electricity immediately gathered from the tip of ck-bodied spear and crackled with an explosive noise. By the time the sound reached the mercenaries¡¯ ears, the lightning arc had leapt towards the disciple.

    However, an invisible shield blocked the lightning and sparks sprayed everywhere from the contact, causing the trees around the high-ranking disciple to smoke and turn ck from the heat. The ck-robed disciple did not move at all, and not even the edge of his sleeves reacted to the Arrow of Lightning.

    ¡°A tier 2 Magic Artifact. That is certainly umon.¡± The disciple clicked his tongue after a momentter.

    Scarlett¡¯s blood had turnedpletely cold. She drew in a sharp breath as she tried to dispel the numbness that was spreading throughout his fingers. The moment of shock quickly turned into anger and she roared at the mercenaries who pulled out their weapons in order to participate in the fight: ¡°Run! What the hell are you staying here for!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Captain, we......¡±

    ¡°You idiots, I¡¯m not his match at all, quickly get themander to send help to me!¡±

    ¡°Your ns seem to be thought out pretty well.¡± The disciple sneered audibly, raised his hand, and the creature beside immediately flung a long chain out. This time the targets were the mercenaries.

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    She threw the halberd like a javelin towards the chain. There was a loud grinding noise as the spear and chain collided, deflecting each other to the opposite direction. She immediately raised her hand, and there was a lightning sh in between the spear and her. A momentter, the halberd flew back to her hand as if they were connected to each other.

    ¡°Element Resonance!¡± The disciple screeched.

 volume 2 - 83

    Chapter 83 ¨C The story of fishes swimming in chaos (5)

    ==================== Makarov¡¯s POV ====================

    ¡°He really said that?¡±

    Even though the Grey Wolves Mercenaries were attacked in the night by the endless stream of Paper Cards¡¯ mercenaries and Disciples of ck me, and forced to retreat to the south, Makarov did not lose hisposure and calmly retreated in an orderly manner. He was even able to regroup and gather his forces to make an organized army. Just that point alone would have qualified him as a famous general.

    He was with Buga as usual, and wore a fiery red military uniform that was reminiscent of the previous king¡¯s personal cavalry guards¡¯ uniform.

    Makarov was once themander of the king¡¯s personal cavalry guards, and his fiery red uniform had been his symbol ever since he took on that position. The things that were missing from before were the shoulder emblems, badges and tassels.

    His personal sword had not changed since the time he was themander of the 35th cavalry unit.

    That particr brand of sword was immensely popr amongst the level 30-40 gamers. It had the right bnce of stats for its price and was one of the best Magic Swords at the ¡®Brass¡¯ rating. The quantity of the swords was also sufficient in the market, so it was well received.

    Makarov calmly listened to Y¡¯s report without showing any signs that he was concerned with the enemies, but merely raised an eyebrow upon Brendel¡¯s advice. He turned to Buga and asked.

    ¡°That youth seems to be prepared. Do we head east as well?¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Redi urgently cut in. He had a higher degree of authority amongst the other mercenaries, otherwise they would not have interrupted the Makarov: ¡°Commander, the enemies we are facing now are the Tree Shepherds! We should retreat and seek for a better n right? If they are attacking openly now, I¡¯m sure they are well prepared to fight us, continuing to fight with them in this forest would be falling into their ns!¡±

    His words were rash and rude, but Makarov was used to his attitude and did not mind it. Redi suddenly thought of something and asked. ¡°And Eke is still in town, he might not be safe either!¡±

    Makarov eyed the youth and nodded: ¡°Your words are not wrong, but there is no guarantee that the Grey Wolves Mercenaries would be safe even if we retreat to Chablis.¡±

    He saw that Y had lowered her head and knew that she was worried with her fiance. ¡°In truth we have already suspected that Conrad wouldn¡¯t be so easy to deal with. But we are prepared to face him ever since we stepped into the forest. As for Eke..... I am not sure what he discovered, but him staying in the town is also fine. Capo stayed behind specifically to protect him, so worry not.¡±

    Buga did not offer anyments and simply listened to the conversation, but he suddenly turned his head around and immediately discovered a blinding lighting from the distant forest. A ear-piercing explosion soon permeated the entire forest. Their expressions turned and Redi was about to say something, but the mercenaries around them had started shouting.

    ¡°The seventh chord, thunder!¡±

    ¡°Scarlett is in trouble!¡±

    Buga reached for his greatsword behind his back, but he quickly stopped and turned to peer closer at the direction he was looking at earlier.

    ¡°The battle is already over.¡± He said gravely.

    ¡°You mean, Scarlett is......¡± Y paled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring some men to get to her now!¡± Redi finally reacted and reached for his sword, intending to rush out to that area, but Makarovid a strong arm on his shoulder and forced him to stay right where he was.

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    ¡°Commander.....?¡±

    Makarov did not say anything but frowned for the first time and looked somberly at where Buga was looking at as well. A few momentster, dark figures appeared in their line of sight, followed by two gurgling screams. Whether or not they belonged to a human¡¯s dying throes or a beast¡¯s, the mercenaries could not tell.

    But they took a few steps back, as there were groups of mening from the southern forest. They were certainly the Disciples of the ck mes, their chains dragging across the ground and shrubs with metallic ringings from the chain links.

    The bizarre sounds were clearly at odds with the supposedly tranquil forest.

    ¡ª The attacks in the north are a distraction, while the enemiesid in the south to ambush them.

    Everyone thought of the same thing. Lothar and Scarlett had clearly failed to stop the enemies in the north, but the mercenaries did not have the time to mourn for their losses, because they were also mired in danger as well. The mercenaries were experienced enough to recognize that the enemies had three times their numbers.

    Redi gulped. Even though he was not afraid of death, but he felt suffocated to face such odds. Y listened closely and also realized the danger they were in.

    ¡°Conrad!¡±

    Buga growled, his voice low but powerful.

    ¡°Oh?¡± A flippant voice immediately came back, even sounding young: ¡°Ser Buga, do you know of me personally? Would you like me to address you as the ¡®Crosshand¡¯, or are you Duke Lantonrand¡¯s or Grand Duke Roan¡¯s guardmander?¡±

    The stone thrown by Conrad was like a ripple amongst the Grey Wolves Mercenaries. They looked back their vicemander with stunned expressions. Even though they did not trust the enemies, they felt curious over the sudden information. Buga and Makarov did not react to Conrad¡¯s words, while thetter even stuck out a hand to prevent Buga from doing anything rash.

    ¡°I did not think that the mercenaries of Paper Cards would work together with the infamous Tree Shepherds. I¡¯m sure it would be terrible if words of your deeds are circted to the masses.¡±

    The forest turned silent.

    Conrad had not expected Makarov to know the rtionship between the Disciples of the ck mes and the Tree Shepherds. He only replied with sarcasm after an afterthought: ¡°As expected of the Cunning Fox of the past. You do know plenty.¡±

    [That youth¡¯s words are right.] (TL: Makarov is referring to Brendel.)

    Makarov frowned deeply. He was actually confirming Brendel¡¯s words, but he was also disregarding his men¡¯s morale. In spite of that, he believed his men were not afraid to die in battle.

    Mercenaries were men who risked their lives for coins. Although they were not as formidable as a formal army, they were still recognized as a force to be reckoned with in Vaunte.

    ¡°We should skip with the pleasantries, Ser Makarov.¡± Conrad walked out from his spot, although it was dark enough to only identity him as a young man. ¡°I¡¯m here to confirm only one thing. Is the only son of Duke Rhun with you presently?¡±

    The mercenaries were once again stunned and stared at theirmander. In their eyes, high nobles had nothing to do with them.

    Makarov broke into sheerughter: ¡°Have you gone fucking insane? Leaving aside the face that I don¡¯t understand what you are talking about, but even if I do, do you think I would bother to tell my enemies anything?¡±

    But the young man¡¯s reaction was merely to shake his head at Makarov¡¯s sarcastic remarks¡ª

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t put your foot down so firmly, Ser Makarov. Do you truly wish to see your faithful subordinates who followed you for over a decade to be put down like animals?¡± But he immediately shook his head: ¡°But perhaps you are right. Your original status puts your far above them. It is a natural thing to fulfill your mission and abandon this baggage that is holding you back.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Conrad!¡± Buga snapped coldly at Conrad and shook his head. ¡°We are all hired mercenaries. Do you think your taunts are going to affect our men? If you have any skills, then bring it out and show it to me. The worst fate that we can go through is merely death.¡±

    Ther Grey Wolves Mercenaries immediatelyughed. That was how it should be. They were already prepared to meet death in the battlefield, and Conrad¡¯s little speech before they fought was something of aughable thing.

    It was especially so when they were facing their own kind. In order to show what they thought, they drew out their weapons, and there was a series of metallic noises created by the weapons in the forest.

    ============== Conrad POV ============

    ¡°This old fucking bastard.¡± Conrad took a few steps back and hid himself in the forest once again. He looked at the dying girl with long red hair who was covered with numerous wounds beside his feet. ¡°This cunning fox Makarov is really hard to deal with. Unfortunately our target isn¡¯t him, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t waste my time to persuade this Royal Faction idiot.¡±

    ¡°If you already know he wouldn¡¯t talk about it, why don¡¯t you attack them right away?¡± There was a man who wore long ck robes standing behind Conrad, quietly advising him with a low voice. Two red stripes were sewn onto both sleeves, and Brendel would have recognized the man as a ranked bishop in the Disciples of the ck mes, and several ranks higher than the high ranking acolytes he had faced.

    ¡°We could have done that, but there are two groups of men within the Grey Wolves Mercenaries that are unounted for. Makarov is well known for his devious tactics.¡± Conrad spat the words out with a displeased expression. ¡°He left a group of men to chase after Eke in the town. They really do know how to act like he was running away, but no matter how I look at it, this is a n to distract us.¡±

    ¡°It might be possible that he really ran away.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. To make sure that nothing goes wrong, I have already left a Gold-ranked swordsman behind. Capot might hide his true skill, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to go against my ced swordsman.¡±

    ¡°Then what else do you have to worry about?¡±

    Conrad scoffed lightly. He crouched down and grabbed the girl¡¯s hair, jerking her head up. Blood immediately flowed and trickled down her face.

    Scarlett jerked slightly and groaned softly. She tried to see past the blood in her eyes to see who was in front of her, but the young man pulled her hair even higher and caused her to curl up in pain.

    ¡°Urgh¡ª¡°

    Conrad gave a devious grin: ¡°The other group of missing mercenaries. The report says it¡¯s a merchant along with two women protected by a group of twelve mercenaries. How am I supposed to believe such a ridiculous lie like that? Makarov has definitely nned something, but even if I can¡¯t get him to talk, he can¡¯t ensure his men to do the same.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right,¡± He stared at the girl who had breathing in shallow gasps: ¡°Little girl?¡±

    Scarlett seemed to realize her situation, gritted her teeth and turned her face away.

 volume 2 - 84

    ¡°Why is it, that you don¡¯t wish to tell us where they went?¡± Conrad chortled with mirth, smacking the t de of the dagger on the girl¡¯s cheek: ¡°Why do you want to risk your dear life for that group?¡±

    The cold de reflected the dim light seemed to emit a chilling feeling to her, and she twitched once. She lightly gasped and answered with a pause on every word: ¡°...... My responsibility...... for failing to defeat you...... Only the weak..... would save themselves...... by betraying others.¡±

    ¡°I...... am...... different...... from...... you.¡± Her half-opened eyes hid the burning fury within her.

    ¡°Really?¡± Conrad did not get angry: ¡°But you see, I¡¯m not a patient man. As both you and I know, the Grey Wolves Mercenaries have seventy to eighty of their men here. I¡¯m actually quite certain that not everyone is willing to sacrifice themselves for other strangers. I don¡¯t need to remind you that mercenaries are mercenaries, after all. There is really no need to be so loyal. If you think about it, the results won¡¯t change and I¡¯ll get my answer. Why do you still want to persist in resisting? I can assure you that I don¡¯t enjoy killing, so I¡¯m giving you one more chance, little girl, otherwise you¡¯re going to that useless goddess Mother Marsha.¡±

    Scarlett¡¯s eyelids twitched, and he waited with bated breath. In the end the girl gritted her teeth and shook her head.

    ¡°The other mercenaries...... are not me.¡± Her reply was curt.

    ¡°Then farewell, little girl.¡±

    Scarlett tensed her body and paled. She was a normal human being who still feared death at thest moment, but it still did not ovee her willpower. She feebly clenched her fists and waited for her fate, closing her eyes tightly while two streaks of tears flowed from them.

    Conrad turned his head.

    The high-ranking Disciple of the ck mes who had stood behind Conrad throughout the interrogation nodded his head once. It was just like what Conrad said, the mercenaries were already in their trap and there was nowhere to run. There was no need to worry. Even though the mercenaries were not afraid to die in battle, they would not easily give up their life to meaningless loyalty or honor.

    Makarov and Buga needed to keep their secrets, but the men under them did not.

    Conrad took the dagger and plunged it into the girl¡¯s chest.

    The disciple looked coldly at this scene. The red blood that flowed from the girl did not look like a life was ending, but more of a painting to be admired. She gurgled and her body convulsed a few times, causing her red hair to flutter about. Her eyes opened wide and she looked like she was thinking of something in her final moments, but they quickly became vacant and void of all expressions.

    Her willpower and strength were quickly leaving her own body.

    [Am I dying.....? Eke...... do you know...... that I really like¡ª] She felt extremely sleepy, but felt something was ced onto her chest before she fell to a sleep she would not wake up from.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Conrad turned his head back and asked.

    The disciple had ced a glowing dark ruby on the girl¡¯s body. In a few moments, the ruby extended dark tendril-like lights around the wound. The dark lights passed through the veins of the girl and her body quickly gave out a faint crimson glow.

    ¡°The Divine Blood of a God.¡± He said.

    ¡°Do you wish to awaken her as an undead?¡± Conrad asked.

    ¡°No.¡± He shook his head. ¡°This woman has an Element Resonance with her weapon, and even defeated our high ranking disciple with just her current status as a Silver-ranked fighter. This means that her potential is very high, and with such a tender age as well. What I gave her was the blood of the Lightning God, Cabal. If she raises as an God Acolyte, then this gamble is worth it to me.¡±

    ¡°Blood from a high ranking God?¡± Conrad narrowed his eyes: ¡°You¡¯re a lower ranked bishop. How did you get your hands on the blood jewel when you don¡¯t even have the qualifications to handle it?¡±

    ¡°A mere coincidence. Luck ys a great factor, as dictated by the highest truth in this world, chaos.¡±

    Conrad gave an iprehensible hum in response to that, and looked back at Scarlett. The tendrils were gradually turning her body into a cocoon.

    ¡°The chance for failure is very high.¡± Conrad said.

    ¡°The loss is eptable.¡± The disciple said coldly.

    ¡°You can do whatever you want, my next move is going tounch an attack. You had better stay back. Makarov and Buga are not yourmon fodder. If both of them put their lives on their line, my chances to survive are not that favorable.¡±

    Conrad got up and ce his white gloved hand on his sword. Even though he could supposedly lose his life, there was no tremor to his hand. The disciple knew that he was in charge of their current mission, so he did not oppose his rudeness. He moved to one side to allow Conrad to pass, then spoke suddenly: ¡°The group that left the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, is that truly ¡®Eke¡¯?¡±

    ¡°The possibility is almost certain.¡± Conrad continued to walk towards the edge of the forest and spoke without turning his head: ¡°Regardless of they do, they won¡¯t be able to escape here. If I want them to die here, then they would assuredly be dead.¡±

    The disciple merely gave a sneering smile at Conrad¡¯s deration.

    ============= Brendel POV ===============

    The silence was quickly broken within the quiet forest ¡ª

    ¡°My lord, do you mean to say you knew that Eke was Duke Lantonrand¡¯s son since the beginning?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, Miss Amandina. I was only suspicious of his identity in the beginning.¡± Brendel sighed. ¡°But seeing Miss Y made me certain of that fact. She is not only a Star Seer, her other identity is Eke¡¯s fiancee. I had seen them before in the ck Tower.¡± (TL: ck Tower probably refers to where the wizards congregate.)

    [A lie, of course. I haven¡¯t been to the ck Tower in this world yet. Not that anyone¡¯s going to break my lie anyways. But it¡¯s true that Y is Eke¡¯s fiancee and the most famous Star Seer in Aouine in the future. At the same time, her capabilities in the battlefield are beyond imagination.]

    Brendel clearly remembered that Y was a Chosen, and her blindness was proof of that. Mother Marsha favored certain humans, but mortals were imperfect and unable to receive such pure divine energy, resulting in a damaged body.

    Over Vaunte¡¯s long history, only two Chosens did not have any defects on them. One was the King of mes, Gatel, and the other future emperor of Madara who possessed the Mercury Staff. The other Chosens might have been famous, but they were still wed.

    [Telling them that Y would be a Grandmaster Brawler who awakened her Element status and was at a peak level of 115, will be treated like a running joke. She aided the Princess Regent and the Goddess of War to form a stalwart defense against Madara. Right now, her abilities as a Chosen have not awakened yet¡ª Hold on, is there a possibility that she awakens her abilities in this battlefield?]

    Brendel wanted Y¡¯s abilities, but she was already in Eke¡¯s faction and they were still loyal to the Royal faction. The civil war would temporarily shake their loyalty, but the couple ultimately emerged victorious and pledged their support for the Princess Regent. Unfortunately, the two prodigies died in the war and left behind a daughter, Airrah Lantonrand Orphelon, who led the Aouine¡¯s final resistance against Madara.

    At that time, Brendel had left the frontlines to join the Knights¡¯ Order, ce.

    Brendel rapid thoughts were interrupted by Amandina¡¯s reply who sounded like she doubted him.

    ¡°You mean to say that the fight between these two mercenary groups are a cover for the nobles¡¯ civil war, while Makarov is actually Duke Rhun¡¯s retainer? The Grey Wolves Mercenaries are actually the guards of Eke, and the mercenaries of Paper Cards are hired as assassins?¡±

    ¡°No, the majority of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries probably do not know the real truth behind theirmander.¡± Brendel exined: ¡°When Duke Arreck was in control of the political arena, the entire family of Duke Rhun was nearly wiped out by assassins. I¡¯m sure you have heard of that incident.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the nobles¡¯ blood that was shed on that day caused great political changes in a month. It¡¯s not possible for me to be ignorant of it......¡± Amandina¡¯s eyes shimmered.

    ¡°Duke Rhun knew that the assassination wasing, and he nned to send his only son away. This is the truth behind that incident; he used the deaths of his other family members in order to protect his only child.¡± Brendel sighed and answered wearily.

    Amandina did not respond after listening to Brendel¡¯s exnation. The fights between nobles were bloody and difficult. From a certain point of view, Duke Rhun¡¯s actions were understandable.

    Romaine merely nced around, seemingly disinterested in this topic.

    ¡°Then instead of an assassination, they would want to capture his only son to threaten him?¡± Amandina asked again after a short while.

    ¡°Yes, an astute observation.¡± Brendel praised her: ¡°Duke Rhun is currently the strongest supporter of the royal family, and if someone wants to act against them, they would naturally need to shake this ¡®pir¡¯.¡±

    ¡°That would mean......¡±

    Amandina frowned with worry. Even though a chaotic civil war was an advantage to them, she was still a citizen of Aouine, and did not wish to see the worst oue happening.

    ¡°No more than three months.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Makarov also knew about the movements of the Paper Cards and the Disciples of the ck mes from the beginning? He used his own mercenaries as bait?¡±

    ¡°Most likely.¡±

    The girl took a deep breath and sighed wistfully. The entire Grey Wolves Mercenaries consisted of more than a hundred men and women altogether. There were people who had served Makarov for over a decade.

    She understood that being merciless was the only way to survive in a cruel war, but she still felt a certain chill spreading throughout her entire body when she experienced it first hand. She cast a nce at Brendel¡¯s youthful face.

    [I wonder if my lord is going to be like them in the future......]

    Brendel¡¯s eyes were already ced somewhere else as he prepared himself to solve a troublesome problem.

 volume 2 - 85

    TL: Some additional info about recent stuff. Skip below to get to the chapter.

    TL: Hey guys, so I¡¯m putting in more time to draw stuff and polish my portfolio to prepare for a job. Thanks to the two people who donated, I have now reached my minimum target of 50 dors for this month so I can pay the inte bills.

    With regards to the TOC thingy, I hear you loud and clear, and that upgrade will probablye during February. I¡¯m nning to draw an image for TAS just like I did for TSTBGAM before moving on to other stuff.

    When ites to tranting stuff, I like to vary them. TAS is actually a pretty serious series that can be emotional at times, and TSTBGAM bnces it up with crude humor. If I actually had the time, I actually want to take on one more JP series, lol.

    I¡¯ll also see if I can set up patreon. I always thought that you can only have one ount and I would rather have it on my art, but I now learned that you can have more than one without being faulted for. Thanks for your continued support, everyone.

    Chapter 85 ¨C The story of fishes swimming in Chaos (7)

    Brendel had been thinking of ways to break through the Tree Shepherds¡¯ ns from the start. Makarov brought them along with the intention to attract the enemies to them, and also the very same n that doomed the gamers in Brendel¡¯s memory to be utterly wiped out.

    [Even though the n to escape was dyed by the arrival of those two, we managed to escape the ambush. While that cunning fox used this n to trick the enemies into thinking Eke is amongst us, I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t know there¡¯s an Altar here.]

    Brendel believed that his own ns were superior to Makarov¡¯s ns, as he was confident in his own experiences that were forged along with other gamers who had spent a lifetime in the game.

    The currents of the water had changed, but the fishes swimming in it might not follow the currents.

    The gamers whoter explored thend found out bits of historical content from the Altar. The monks from the Holy Cathedral of mes were the first to discover the temple approximately one hundred years ago from the first era of the game, but the records were mysteriously erased as if they never existed.

    Amandina nced at Brendel¡¯s unfocused gaze into the valley, and looked at the direction at where he was looking at. She saw dense tree crowns but was unable to discover anything. She checked his expressions again, only to discover his solemn looks, and forced back her questions into her throat.

    She had guessed for herself that Makarov had nned to use them as baits from the very beginning, and was quite furious over his actions. She subconsciously ced Duke Rhun¡¯s and the people associated with him into a list where they were not weed.

    Brendel continued to lead them down into the valley.

    There were two mercenaries who were ahead of Brendel to clear a path for them. Brances and vines were constantly hacked away with their swords, and periodically cast dim light reflected from the stars into the group¡¯s eyes.

    Brendel checked the Stats Window and paid 2 Wealth to keep the Card, ¡®Mercenaries of Lopes¡¯ to keep them in the field. He currently had 10 Water EP and 150 Wealth.

    He suddenly canceled the Stats Window and narrowed his eyes as he discovered the two scouts ahead of him had stopped. They looked at each other as they had discovered something in front of them, then turned their heads to Brendel.

    ¡°My lord, there¡¯s something in front.....¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± The Nightsong Tiger was the one who responded with a strict voice.

    The two scouts were the youngest within the group and had the least experience. He had the intention to train them, but did not expect their inexperience to embarrass him. He moved towards them withrge strides as he spoke, almost like he had wanted to cover up the mistakes that his subordinates made.

    But he was also stunned when he pushed the shrubberies away to get a better look.

    It was anrge open clearing that was about the size of three hundred meters wide, and in the center of it stood a temple that was covered with vines.

    The Nighsong Tiger raised his head up subconsciously to study the entire temple; he was almost able to imagine how the grand structure would look like under the sun. Even now, he could almost feel how glorious it looked like in the past under the dim light.

    Brendel had also gone forward to look at the reason why they stopped.

    It was a temple that had tall marble pirs shaped into an arch with intricate patterns carved onto it. It was nearly sixty feet tall and the overall design was certainly a temple to worship the Elven Goddess.

    However, many of the Gods had already died and became star constetions, leaving behind only their Will and Laws that shaped this world. The temple had already lost much of its former glory as it lost its divine protection.

    ¡°Wow!¡± Romaine eximed.

    ¡°This is......¡± Amandina was also stunned.

    ¡°The holy temple of the Silver Elves.¡± Brendel said.

    He had seen much of the grand designs in the game. The Elves and Dwarves¡¯ cities took his breath away when he saw it for the first time.

    ¡°This building used to be the burial grounds for the Elven Royal Family. The humans had left them untouched throughout history because they treated them as sacred allies, starting from the timeline of the War of the Holy Saints when they defeated the Dragon of Darkness and continuing unto this day.¡±

    ¡°But why would the burial grounds for the royal family be turned into a temple?¡± Amandina turned around and asked.

    ¡°The ancestral kings of the Silver Elves swore to protect their territory for all eternity. Their Elven Goddess had asked Mother Marsha to allow their souls to forever reside in thisnd.¡±

    ¡°A ¡®Nest¡¯ of Heroes?¡± She asked again.

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°But why did it get abandoned?¡±

    ¡°History states it was due to wars, but in actual truth the Ancestral Kings did not wish to participate in wars between humans. The citizens of Aouine nearly angered Mother Marsha as well because of the civil wars, so the real truth was covereed up.¡± He cast a meaningful look at Romaine and Amandina: ¡°You won¡¯t find this in any historical text.¡±

    Both of the girls nodded without asking why, as Brendel would have answered ¡®This is recorded in the wizards¡¯ historical records!¡¯.

    ¡°This Altar might still work.¡± Brendel¡¯s words stunned everyone.

    ¡°¡±¡±What?¡±¡±¡±

    ¡°Calm down everyone, it¡¯s just a possibility.¡± Brendel was certain that the chance to activate the Altar was one hundred percent.

    [ording to the research done by the gamers, the ¡®creatures¡¯ that dwell within can exist for thirty days, which is more than enough to finish the quest here.]

    Brendel¡¯s words did not soothe Amandina or the Nightsong Tiger. Both of them were greatly excited of the possibility of the advantages that could have if it still worked. It was as if a treasure chest was in front of them, which could either contain treasures or was actually an empty box.

    The Nightsong Tiger licked his lips before he asked Brendel in a low voice. ¡°What are your orders, my lord?¡±

    Brendel turned around and looked at the mercenaries behind him, then pointed at two of them: ¡°Two of you are Elementalists right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± They nodded at the same time.

    ¡°Do you have men who use the crossbow?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The Nightsong Tiger immediately picked two more mercenaries out: ¡°Is two enough?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Brendel took a coiled rope out from his backpack. ¡°Come, the four of you. We need to practice a bit ofbat tactics.¡±

    Amandina frowned: ¡°There¡¯s going to be fights?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just a Spectral Knight.¡± Brendel answered nonchntly before he saw the Nightsong Tiger¡¯s incredulous face. He looked at him in confusion and asked subconsciously ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°M-my lord, did you said ¡®Just a...... Spectral Knight¡¯?¡± The Nightsong Tiger asked with a bizzare look on his face.

    Brendel coughed once. He suddenly realized that the Spectral Knight was a level thirty-five Elite Undead which was easily stronger than a Silver-ranked fighter. The gamers had even described the encounter as a ¡®mini boss¡¯.

    Since then, however, the gamers had researched deeply into finding the weaknesses of the various Undead, and he was easily able to handle the spectral knights even with a lower level with tactical means.

    Brendel consoled him: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The Spectral Knights have a specific weakness. As long as you listen to mymands properly, it¡¯s not difficult to defeat them.¡±

    The Nightsong Tiger looked at his lord, partly doubting his words but also trusting in his knowledge. Anymon mercenaries would have fled the area immediately, and they would roared at Brendel with spittle.

    ¡®Are you crazy? Do you have goat shit for brains? A Spectral Knight is one the most terrifying Undead you can encounter! It can move swiftly in the forest like a horse undeterred in the ins, and kill someone without even making a sound! Anyone below the Gold rank should run because it would have fucked us up to our deaths with their weapons!¡¯

    The Nightsong Tiger instantly shooed away a voice that crept into his mind. The twelve mercenaries they had here would be easily ughtered by the enemy, and even if they had twice the numbers, they would also be done in.

    However, the mercenaries were summoned by Brendel, so the Nightsong Tiger merely nodded. Amandina observed his fearless attitude and merely served to convince her that he was a loyal retainer.

 volume 2 - 86

    TL: I should be able to post another chapter in about 5-6 hours, thank you very kindly for the donations. After that I¡¯ll be checking up on my TL for the past chapters.

    TL: Paypal donations open at

    Chapter 86 ¨C The king and the dead (1)

    The Spectral Knight under the moonlight looked like it was a translucent statue made of crystal, glowing faintly from the dusty air. It held a silver spear as it rode on its horse around the temple, which then disappeared from the group¡¯s eyes at the other side of the temple¡¯s wall.

    The whole process of the Spectral Knight¡¯s movements were silent. There were no sounds of hooves hitting the ground or the metallic grind from its armor. However, Brendel had already determined the subss of the Spectral Knight in a few moments and decided on his strategy.

    When he looked back at his men, he found thirteen pair of eyes with hesitation, doubt and anxiety. Even the Nightsong Tiger held his breath. Amandina covered her lips and muffled her coughs, trying hard to regain herposure.

    The only exception was Romaine, whose eyes were bright from excitement at checking out the temple. Brendel¡¯s heart skipped a beat and warned her to be careful and not to slip away without his consent. In regards to girl who called herself ¡®The Great Merchant Romaine¡¯, he was not sure what she would not do.

    Brendel fiddled with his thumbs as he grumbled inwardly on how Romaine¡¯s aunt disciplined her to have such a unique personality. He quickly waved away that thought and addressed the mercenaries.

    ¡°Our strategy is quite simple,¡± He brushed away the shrubs and pointed towards a nearby slope: ¡°See that ck pine tree? Other than the four people that I requested, I want the rest of you toy an ambush there. Wait for me to lure the Spectral Knight over and wait for my signal to attack it.¡±

    [[[[That¡¯s it?]]]]

    Everyone was stunned.

    ¡°But...... just what exactly should we do, my lord?¡± The Nightsong Tiger asked with doubt creeping into his voice.

    [What do you mean by that...... Do you need me to teach you to attack someone when you ambushed him? Just kill it!]

    Brendel answered after a split second with an answer: ¡°Just hit him with everything you got......¡±

    He suddenly realized what the problem was.

    ¡°Well, imagine this, treat this enemy like he was the one who murdered your wives and children.¡± Brendel said.

    [Murdered my wife and children?] The Nightsong Tiger did not understand.

    ¡°But my lord, to tell you the truth, my woman had died long ago during the fight with Kirrlutz.¡±

    Brendel ced his palm over his forehead and sighed.

    ¡°Imagine that he owed you a million gold coins to your mercenary group and he intends to evade payment¡ª¡±

    [[[[!!!]]]]

    The mercenaries had never been refused payment after they became famous. They looked towards the direction where the Spectral Knight was earlier with bloodshot eyes as if he had murdered everyone they loved. The Nightsong Tiger gripped his axe so hard that it seemed to groan.

    ¡°Mother Marsha above! So this Spectral Knight is the same type of horseshit like the people of Anjou! My lord, we swear by Mother Marsha¡¯s name, we will beat that cursed undead till it¡¯s nothing more than a pile of rotting flesh¡ª¡± He said with a loud voice.

    Amandina listened to the Nightsong Tiger¡¯s tirade in embarrassment. Even though there was coarsenguage used within the nobles¡¯ circle, she rarely heard it used directly in front of her. She gritted her teeth until he was done with his rant, coughed once and asked with a crimson face.

    ¡°My lord, the enemy is a Spectral Knight that appears in fables, can we truly defeat it?¡± She asked.

    The Mercenaries of Lopes might have trusted him whole-heartedly, but she was still hesistant of Brendel¡¯s simple n. If everyone used his method, would it not mean that everyone was capable of handling a Spectral Knight?

    [Our group consists of simple mercenaries. There is no great wizard, a Grandmaster Swordsman or even a battlemage. The description of a Spectral Knight requires at least someone with the equivalent of a Gold-ranked fighter, but none of us here are that skill level, not even you, my lord. A simple ambush wouldn¡¯t raise the skill level of anyone here.]

    ¡°Of course.¡± But Brendel¡¯s reply came naturally.

    ¡°Why?¡± She blurted the word out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he wouldn¡¯t be able to attack us, or to be more urate, he can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t?¡± Amandina¡¯s jaw lowered itself.

    [What reason is that? Is the Spectral Knight somehow crippled? Or maybe it¡¯s actually a peace-loving undead?]

    She got a little angry at Brendel¡¯s flippant reply, but she was unable to refute him when he had never seemed to fail in his ns. Even the most ridiculous answer like this might somehowe through.

    She calmed down a little, but still grumbled in a small voice.

    ¡°As your advisor... I can¡¯t ept that exnation, my lord.¡±

    Brendel shrugged as it was not an easy thing to exin.

    [It¡¯s rare for a monster to follow a path to patrol, and when it does, it will do so dilligently. It¡¯s quite obvious that this particr Spectral Knight has a strong fixation in this area. However, he has to move within a fixed area. Once it crosses a certain line, it will return to guard its path, regardless of what situation there is.]

    Most of the creatures that appeared in the game that patrolled a pathing area were incredibly powerful, and gamers were usually not able to take advantage of their behavior because they were able to attack from incredible distances.

    However, this Spectral Knight did not fall into that category. It was limited to a certain attacking range and was unable to leave their position. Brendel was certain that he could do kill the Spectral Knight with this method, and even if it failed, he was certain that he could take it on directly.

    The only thing that he was feeling sorry about was the fact that quest mission¡¯s loot tended to be half of the normal encounters, and this world seemed to follow the game¡¯s logic quite closely.

    [The game lore states that Mother Marsha sealed this particr Nest in the past. Aouine¡¯s high ranking priests tried to change the oaths that the Elven kings made so they could be used, but the resistance made from the kings made the oaths twisted and turned to negative emotions. Many of the priest died that day as the guardians turned on them. The kingdom stopped providing mana, and all of the evil undead could not be sustained any longer, except one. The temple itself still provide remnants of what little mana it has, so it can only patrol around the area.]

    Brendel¡¯s mind reviewed the contents of the history behind this temple. Exining it would require the knowledge of the Souls and Mana Cores, and these were closely guarded secrets from the Holy Cathedral of mes. If he tried exining it to Amandina, she would immediately doubt his real identity.

    ¡°Well..... I kind of feel that the Spectral Knight is kind of friendly, maybe he won¡¯t attack us?¡± He took a few more moments before he answered in a serious tone.

    ¡°Lord Brendel.¡± Amandina took a deep breath.

    ¡°Look,¡± Brendel patted her shoulders: ¡°Rx. Learn from little Romaine. Don¡¯t worry, when have I ever lied?¡±

    [Learn from Romaine?] Amandina turned her head to nce at Romaine. Thetter was looking all over the temple, as if she was hoping to see a second Spectral Knight.

    ¡°I feel that you¡¯re lying a lot......¡± Amandina mumbled to herself. Events always turned out the way Brendel said it would as if he had foreseen everything.

    Brendel smiled in response, as he knew that she was convinced. He waved to his men to allow them to move out, then approached the Nightsong Tiger and borrowed a heavy crossbow. He felt the materials of the crossbow with his finger, then ced it on the ground with his foot in the cocking stirrup, pulled the string back and ced a bolt on it.

    [A treasure amongst any serious gamers.] He remarked to himself.

    The Nightsong Tiger kept frowning as he watched Brendel¡¯s strange actions. ¡°My lord, do you want me lure the undead?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m the expert in this.¡± Brendel patted the heavy crossbow with confidence, making the string tremble greatly, as if the bolt was going to be released any moment.

    The Nightsong Tiger looked at him in great dismay. No matter how he looked at him, Brendel appeared to be an amateur, otherwise he would not have said something so impolite. Many nobles took their reputation more seriously than their lives, and it could be perceived as disloyalty to their lords.

    But there was the issue of letting Brendel go out to meet his death. Amandina saw his worry as well and asked: ¡°My lord, is there a problem?¡±

    Brendel looked strangely at her: ¡°What problem is there?¡±

    The girl nearly choked to death.

    Brendelughed: ¡°I know what your worries are, but if I find a particr crystal on the Spectral Knight¡¯s, I¡¯ll treat everyone to stay at Ampere Seale¡¯s most expensive inn and drink their fine wines till everyone drops¡ª¡±

    The Nightsong Tiger and Amandina exchanged nces after they looked at Brendel without confidence.

 volume 2 - 87

    TL: Kind ofte again, cough. I¡¯ll be seeing you guys next Wednesday.

    Chapter 87 ¨C The kings and the undead (2)

    Brendel smiled and showed off his white teeth when he thought about the Spectral Knight¡¯s Crystal.

    [Three Billion Tor. That¡¯s how high a price for the ¡®Engraved Spectral Knight¡¯s Crystal¡¯ was sold for in the auctions. Even up to the second era in the game, there were only a few pay-to-win gamers who could afford this artifact. The chances to get it is incredibly rare, up to the 7th decimal point as a loot drop. Nope, it¡¯s definitely impossible to get this item.]

    He slung the crossbow over his shoulder and asked: ¡°Do you have magic bolts?¡±

    ¡°¡±Yes.¡±¡± The two Elementalists immediately answered. There were female twin Elves, with grey-orange long hair neatly braided into thin strands behind their pointy ears. Brendel recognized them as Wild Elves from the Orrgesh region. When he was still a member of ¡®The Godly Force¡¯ guild, he had spent a long time fighting the undead and was familiar with the natives there.

    The Wild Elves were the children of the female goddess, Gaia, and were closely rted to the Rock Dwarves. Their customs were quite simr, and the Wild Elves were closely attuned as Hunters and Elementalists, as well as Woodsman Knights. These three professions had strong attacking stats, and it was quite easy to recognize their daring exploits.

    When the Fourth King of Kirrlutz invaded the Lopes¡¯ capital, he suffered a great deal of pain under their defense. Even though he won in the end, he paid a great price, till the point where the people of Kirrlutz bore hatred for the Wild Elves.

    It was also because of their nature that many of the Wild Elves permeated the human mercenaries, allowing the formation of Mercenaries of Lopes.

    ¡°My lord, which type of bolts do you wish to have?¡± The older twin with a sharper chin and paler skin asked with a melodious voice.

    ¡°Bolts of Ice and Wind, how many of these two bolts can you create altogether?¡±

    ¡°If I use all my magic, I can create ten.¡±

    ¡°I can create six.¡± The younger twin answered with a crisp voice.

    ¡°Good,¡± Brendel cut them off: ¡°Give me seven each for the two types I asked for, then give me two Bolts of Guidance.¡±

    The two sisters exchanged puzzled looks with each other, then back at their lord. In the end the older sister asked with a small voice: ¡°My lord, I understand if you wanted the Bolts of Binding Wind and Bolts of Shattering Ice, but isn¡¯t the Bolt of Guidance paired with an additional Magic property?¡±

    Bolts that were created with magic could have multiple properties applied to them, especially when if higher ranking magic was used. If someone wasted the usage of a Dragon-ying Bolt, that would be a great loss. Therefore the Bolts of Guidance would have a prefix usually ced in front, and the mostmon type of such bolts was the Fire Bolts of Guidance.

    The only time when the Bolts of Guidance were typically used, was when the nobles who wanted to cheat during a huntingpetition¡ª

    Brendel answered with a cheerful smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the both of you just need to follow what I asked for. When you¡¯re done, go behind the back and rest alongside with Amandina and Romaine. You can leave the battle ahead to the other mercenaries.¡±

    The older sister nodded. Even though she had her doubts, she knew that her lord was overly confident and incredibly stubborn, and wisely chose to not question his decisions. However, her sister frowned deeply and asked: ¡°But, my lord¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tia.¡± The older sister shouted with strictness in her voice.

    Tia looked at her older sister in surprise, understood her intentions, and ceased any thoughts of speaking again.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes went wide for a moment.

    [Surely...... These are real people. Though all of them here are summoned from a card, they had their own judgment, memories and feelings. Even Amandina thought they are truly my retainers.]

    Brendel thought about Ciel¡¯s sacrifice for a moment, and a bitter smile formed on his lips.

    [Did I appear like a cold and cruel lord? Am I not smiling enough in front of them? The sisters¡¯ reactions feel like they are treading carefully around me. Surely there isn¡¯t a huge misunderstanding somewhere right?]

    He suddenly turned his head back and saw Amandina trying to suppress his giggles while Romaine was smiling freely at him, as if they were watching a great show.

    [Am I still your lord? What¡¯s with your attitudes!] Brendel grumbled in his mind but tried to squeeze a cheerful smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.......¡± He said to the girls.

    The bolts were quickly handed over to him after a short while. Brendel required only half of them back in his world, but he made sure to be cautious because there was no second try in this world.

    [Two Elementalists of the Second Circle would not be able to help out much in the battle ahead, so it¡¯s good to allow them to rest now and prepare for any unforseen eventster on.]

    He ced each bolt to the holding area of the heavy crossbow to allow the quick ess to them. He raised his head and found the mercenaries to be in ce. He was more rxed now that the mercenaries followed his orders carefully, but the Nightsong Tiger crunched his already weathered face into further furrows and wrinkles as he observed his lord¡¯s actions.

    ¡°I already said everything is going to be fine, Commander.¡± Brendel sighed.

    No matter how much he exined, the Nightsong Tiger refused to leave his side. He had the same concern as Ciel had, and if there was any danger that arose, he would be able to sacrifice himself to give Brendel enough time to escape.

    ¡°My lord, please allow me to apany you. Even if I am to perish, you can still revive me. Please treat me like a shield.¡± The Nightsong Tiger answered without any fear.

    [Revive, revive. Hear, hear, that would mean that I have to pay an additional maintenance fee for you and I have to wait an additional day to resummon you, Ser Nightsong Tiger!]

    Brendel listened to his reasoning with exasperation and humor. He looked back at Amandina and Romaine, making sure there were far enough where Romaine was unable to hear them, before whispering to the Nightsong Tiger in the softest voice possible.

    ¡°Do your men know about the neswalker¡¯s magic to revive you?¡±

    The Nightsong Tiger shook his head: ¡°Each Card of Fates has its own core, or you can think of them as the leader. My men are branches of the main core, and within this card, I am the core who helps the neswalker maintain the branches and attach this card to another rted card or magic.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a setting like that?¡± Brendel furrowed his brows as he thought of something: ¡°That would mean each ¡®Core¡¯ has their different knowledge about the neswalker?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and it has something to do with the cards themselves.¡±

    ¡°Then do you know how to get a card out of the Graveyard?¡±

    ¡°The ck Cards are mysterious and could easily shift out of life and death. If you wish to use a strategy around fishing the cards out of a Graveyard, then you would probably need to acquire the cards with Dark Elements. Such cards are typically found in swamps, graves, or ces with the undead like to gather.¡± (TL: Some terms are a little fuzzy to me, so I need to check exactly what terms were used.)

    Brendel nodded and prepared his bow.

    ¡°Very well. You can stay here, but do not make any sudden moves.¡± He gazed on the derelict temple beneath the cold moonlight.

    [It probably has been two hundred years since any sentient life entered here, ever since the citizens of Aouine left this ce behind.]

    His thoughts strayed a little as he checked the time. In the game, luring a monster was a considerable skill, and pro-gamers were able to predict their path down to their position. Against monsters with lower intelligence, remembering the path was sufficient, against sentient monsters, it was a battle between wits.

    Brendel had never stopped practicing this particr skillset, even though it was mostly a job that Hunters took. However, a party was sometimes foundcking of such a profession, and as a Warrior, it was expected to have some experience in luring.

    ¡°Eight, seven......¡± He muttered to himself.

    The Nightsong Tiger did not understand what he was counting. His actions werepletely bizarre to the natives of this world.

    With the advancement of the technology in the world, the artificial intelligence in the game had reached to a point where they urately mimicked humans. However, the gamers still perceived them as numbers and data to a certain extent, and calcted their actions like a precision machine to perceive fluctuations in the data.

    Everything had their own rules.

    Brendel estimated the remaining time, and the crossbolt¡¯s trigger was pressed with his finger. The first bolt notched into the crossbow was an ordinary bolt, which sang across the air with a shrilling scream, parting the misty air into two as it flew in an arc to the temple¡¯s grounds covered with shadow.

    ¡°Six, five......¡±

    The noise from the bolt immediately attracted the attention of the hostile undead, appearing quickly to the sides of the temple to investigate.

    [Here hees!] The Nightsong Tiger was tense as he gripped his axe tightly.

    But Brendel threw away his heavy crossbow and took out a shortbow which hung from his waist belt, another iprehensible action in the Nightsong Tiger¡¯s eyes.

    Brendel merely signed with his hand.

    ¡®Retreat, now!¡¯

 volume 2 - 88

    Chapter 88 ¨C The Kings and the dead (3)

    The Spectral Knight immediately discovered the arrow¡¯s flight and turned its horse silently. It raised itsnce as the horse charged across thend, splitting the misty night apart and leaving dust behind it.

    Brendel¡¯s reaction was instant; he pushed the Nightsong Tiger away and rolled to his side. Three loud crashes resounded throughout the forest as the Spectral Knight smashed through with a vortex of air in front of it, destroying everything in its path.

    The enemy thrust out itsnce to clear the debris on it. A path as wide as ten feet had been gouged out, and both Brendel and the Nightsong Tiger had narrowly escaped its charge.

    [Fuck, Vortex Strike?! Are you fucking kidding me? You used an ultimate skill right off the bat?!]

    Brendel swiftly wiped the cold sweat on his forehead and got up immediately. He discovered the Spectral Knight had raised its right hand and acted on his foreboding feeling. The Vortex Strike had the same effect as the White Raven Sword Rave as an Area of Effect attack.

    [If we didn¡¯t escape in time that would be the end of us¡ª]

    The Nightsong Tiger was overwrought with frayed nerves as well. He had heard of rumors about how terrifying the Spectral Knight could be, but when he came to face it, he discovered that it was even beyond imagination.

    He spat onto the ground, thinking to himself that he still had to fight like a greenhorn at his age. He suddenly realized he had not checked on Brendel, and immediately turned to his direction, fearing the worst, but the youth had a resolute face that did not seem to falter even after the frightening attack.

    He took a deep breath.

    ¡°We can¡¯t defeat it!¡± He shouted to Brendel. He was still a veteran mercenary, and he quickly gauged the difference between the enemy and their forces.

    Brendel merely signaled him to be silent. His eyes trained onto the enemy carefully, studying the designs and patterns of the gothic armor. It was the crystallization of the old grandmasters in Vaunte¡¯s history, and the armor was glimmering with faint light. Even the horse was wearing heavy metal armor and he would not be able to cut through it with a sword. The longnce that was pointing on the ground seemed to extend its length with a dazzling brightness, with the Spectral Knight gripping tightly onto it.

    [The Spectral Knight¡¯s Element type is causing my eyes to fail in discerning its length...]

    When any profession reached the Gold-rank, they would more or less disy their Element type, and while the Spectral Knight had not reached that level, it was an Elite creature that rivaled a Gold-ranked fighter.

    The Nightsong Tiger got up to his feet in a rush to try and stop Brendel¡¯s next action and pull him back. In his eyes, Brendel was utterly mad as they werepletely not the match of the monster, and its prowess had gone beyond a normal Gold-rank fighter.

    Brendel ignored his shouts and notched a silver bolt onto the crossbow, took aim, and released it.

    The Bolt of Ice flew just across the Spectral Knight¡¯s head and exploded onto a tree. A silver mist of ice slightly grazed the monster¡¯s left shoulder and left a touch of frost on it.

    Brendel blushed a little and coughed to hide his embarrassment. Due to his strained nerves, he had forgotten that he was merely proficient in the weapon in his current state, and no longer the expert warrior in the past.

    Even so, the meager damage had actually caused the Spectral Knight to miss its marks by a centimeter. It had actually raised itsnce to attack and a silver line of light swept across both their heads just after Brendel attacked it.

    When the Nightsong Tiger quickly turned his head behind, he was in time to witness the trees¡¯ crowns lopped off and falling down to leave behind the tall stumps. His mouth went wide and he nearly lost his ability to breath. This level of strength had gone beyond what he knew was normal and he wondered if the trees were actually packed with explosives instead.

    Brendel saw that the Nightsong Tiger did not notice his problem with uracy and rxed a little. It would be a disastrous result if the mercenarymander suddenly tried to interfere with his actions at this point.

    [Ten seconds. Using Vortex Strike two times in a row requires a great amount of Soul Fire, and he¡¯s going to be on cooldown.]

    He notched another bolt into his crossbow and extended the amount of time to aim.

    The Nightsong Tiger had regained his senses and could only watched him helplessly as the youth half knelt like a statue without moving, while the Spectral Knight rode slowly towards the youth. It was akin to suicide in his eyes.

    The second Bolt of Ice was released after three seconds and exploded around the Spectral Knight¡¯s waist, causing the mist of ice to cover more than half of its body. Brendel confirmed the damage with the Window Stats in his eyes, and dealt 13 points of damage, as well as slowing the attack speed and recovery by 12.5%.

    [The effects have not changed aspared to the game.]

    Brendel sighed with relief as he noted the changes, while his hands did not stop reloading the bolts. Normal physical attacks were considerably weakened against Spectral Creatures, but weapons imbued with magic bypassed such defenses. If the twin Elementalists had higher levels, the effects could go up to 50% with a single strike.

    [4 more bolts left.]

    ¡°There¡¯s actually an effect?¡± The Nightsong Tiger¡¯s experience also allowed him to perceive the difference as the Spectral Knight slowed down.

    ¡°Stop stating the obvious.¡± Brendel heard his mutterings and snapped at him. He was annoyed at the mercenary for causing him to have a harder time.

    ¡°But my lord! We are still not his match even if you slow him down¡ª¡°

    ¡°And?¡± Brendel started to move back as the Spectral Knight rode towards him.

    ¡°We should leave this ce. Compared to this monster, I would rather fight with the ck Disciples!¡±

    Brendel could not be bothered with his yells and threw a bundle of magic bolts at him. The Nightsongmander received it with a questioning look: ¡°What are these for?¡±

    ¡°Are you here to help me or drag me down?¡± The Nightsong Tiger¡¯s face turned slightly red, but he kept grumbling in his heart about his lord being an hopeless idiot or a fearless fool. However, he was a renowned mercenary and would rather obey than to disregard his orders.

    Brendel shot out his third bolt and missed, but his fourth bolt struck the Spectral Knight¡¯s right shoulder and turned his armor to be covered with a thickyer of ice, and was even more effective the previous bolt, causing it to now move slower by thirty percent. The Nightsong Tiger was secretly delighted to see that the enemy to be affected, but Brendel quickly called for him to retreat to the location of their nned ambush.

    The Nightsong Tiger¡¯s eyes nearly popped out when he saw that the Spectral Knight suddenly began to elerate in spite of its rigid movements. It was almostical to look at, but he felt like his blood was turning to ice because he was convinced that it was going to do the very first strike that it did again.

    However, it was merely a Charge skill and not abined Vortex Strike with a Charge skill.

    Brendel also used his Charge skill.

    The human and the undead streaked across the forest. It was a surreal sight where two lines were drawn across a canvas filled with trees, continuously extending themselves while time seemed to stop. Brendel fled in a manner that made use of quick twists and turns, while the Spectral Knight was forced to follow him in an awkward manner because of its mount.

    When Brendel finally stopped, the Nightsong Tiger who had ran in a straight line nearly found himself at a loss for words.

    ¡°My lord, that¡¯s¡ª¡± The Nightsong Tiger shouted to Brendel who was considerably close to him.

    ¡°The Charge skill. It¡¯s a technique that all knights should learn.¡± Brendel nced at him: ¡°As a Mercenary of Lopes, surely you would know this at least.¡±

    ¡°No, my lord, I want to ask how did you know that it would use a Charge skill at that moment.¡±

    ¡°Oh? When I was at the Orrgesh region, my primary job was to fight against Spectral Knights. Did I not mention this before?¡± Brendel quipped.

    The truth was Brendel was also quite afraid as he felt his heart beating loudly all the way to his throat. The Spectral Knight had traveled a ridiculous amount of distance during its first attack and they were nearly a hundred meters apart from each other, but it had been reduced to no more than fifty meters.

    [The error of margin is no more than a meter...] Brendel peeped behind him. Beneath the Spectral Knight¡¯s maskid two white mes for its eyes and it looked directly at him, seemingly puzzled as to who the intruder was.

    Brendel shuddered slightly. He found that he was relying purely on instinct rather than experience because the enemy was much faster than he expected.

    ================ Amandina¡¯s POV =============

    Amandina gasped softly when she saw the two lines charging across the forest. The mercenaries behind her werepletely silent and taken in by the sight where Brendel seemed to always stay one step ahead at turning at the best possible moment, as if he had eyes behind his back who constantly kept watch of the Spectral Knight. The chase onlysted for a few seconds, but they recognized the significant amount of danger that Brendel was in.

    Romaine bit her lips as she watched with excited eyes at Brendel¡¯s escape.

    ¡°If every Hignd Knight youth in Karsuk is capable of such feats, then Aouine would be one of the strongest kingdom!¡± Amandina drew in a deep breath: ¡°My lord... You¡¯re a liar¡ª¡°

    ================= Brendel¡¯s POV ==================

    But Brendel was not in an optimistic position like she thought. The Spectral Knight¡¯s Soul Fire was being replenished again, and the Vortex Strike was not only the trump card that it had. He quickly signaled to the Nightsong Tiger and they made their way to the mountain¡¯s valley, where they would gain a greater advantage because the sharp rocks affected the Spectral Knight¡¯s horse.

    ¡°Nightsong Tiger.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Prepare to use the Bolts of Wind.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Brendel pointed to the Spectral Knight¡¯s horse, and the Nightsong Tiger quickly understood after a short pause. Even though thetter kept rejecting the idea to fight with the monster, he found himself ready to engage it.

 volume 2 - 89

    Chapter 89 ¨C The Kings and the dead (4)

    The Spectral Knight raised its spear for the third time, moving much slower than before, and the Nightsong Tiger shot a bolt before it was ready to attack. The sky-blue Bolt of Wind struck the Spectral Knight¡¯s horse from the front, and trails of colored wind wrapped around its hooves.

    The binding magic was effective, and both the Spectral Knight and its mount were slowed down once again.

    [-12.7%]

    Brendel immediately pulled the Nighsong Tiger to safety while he read the effective data. The Spectral Knight¡¯s attack hadnded on their original positions.

    [That projectile was almost spot on for uracy. For someone who has the stats of just an Iron-ranked fighter, the Mercenaries of Lopes are quite impressive indeed. Right now the distance we have is giving me enough time to read his moves, and we just need to lead him to the ambush.]

    The ambush was no more than fifty meters away. Brendel believed that the effects of the bolts were going tost more than two minutes, which gave them enough time to lure it.

    The Spectral Knight thrust itsnce after missing the third Vortex Strike. Thence¡¯s stab through the air seemed to create a vum, which created an explosion of air rushing to fill its void, distorting the vision of the nearby trees into a maelstrom, causing them to break and crunch loudly, with the void rushing towards the two men.

    Brendel quickly dragged the Nightsong Tiger behind the cover of thergest boulder while he summoned the Magic Control card in his hand. (TL: Magic Control, a neswalker¡¯s card that seizes control of a magic.)

    [This time it¡¯s Seismic st. Let¡¯s see if this still works.]

    The card lit up brightly and the st of air was directed back at the Spectral Knight, causing its body to shake massively. Brendel saw that it did more than three hundred damage and chortled in his mind. The thrusting of thence made it seemed like a physical attack, but the gamers eventually discovered that it was Soul magic, and countered it by sealing off such properties to render it useless.

    Because the Magic Control card was a counter-magic spell, he thought that it might work. The damage caused it to lose a third of its health, and Brendel was certain that it entered into a Stunned state, and would enter Stage Two of its boss phase. Brendel quickly pulled the Nightsong Tiger to his feet and they started to run to the location of the ambush.

    The intelligence stat of the undead Spectral Knight was considerably high, so he was also certain that it would not use the same attack again.

    When the Spectral Knight shrugged off its Stunned status, the two men had already reached the ambush point with shallow breaths. They were pushed to their utmost limits from the very start. Even though the entire exchange was done in less than thirty seconds, they were starting to get tired. Brendel¡¯s forehead was full of perspiration, which was no better than his own.

    The Nightsong Tiger was certain that the Spectral Knight had not shown off its full prowess, so he looked at Brendel and wondered what other tricks he had that could reverse the situation.

    Everyone at the ambush¡¯s location was also thinking of the same thing.

    The Elementalists twins felt their limbs were turning cold when they saw the Spectral Knight made its first attack. The level of how it fought was beyond any battles they had before, and the strength that it had was beyondmon sense. The younger sister even trembled as the older sister hugged her tightly, with both of them gritting their teeth and staying where they were. Any other mercenaries would surely have run away.

    There was an infamous incident in the game where the gamers incited a war against the NPCs against the Kirrlutz¡¯s White Lucerne city with a poption of five hundred thousand. Eleven Gold-ranked gamers fought in the war and caused half of the city to be destroyed. Even though the gamers were routed at the end, the damage that was caused by these high ranking adventurers were fully shown.

    Every kingdom eventually tightened the control of such adventurers after that incident.

    The damage of the Spectral Knight that it caused with the Seismic st silenced Amandina. The unending might of the Spectral Knight appeared like it could distort nature, and even though it was an illusion, it made her feel nothing but despair.

    The Spectral Knight started to charge forward towards Brendel once again, covering an immense distance in a short period of time, and everyone held their breaths.

    But a miracle seemed to happen.

    The Spectral Knight suddenly stopped after charging through a certain point. It raised its head and stared at the two men in front of it, then attacked with itsnce twice, causing two sts of wind pressure to sweep across them.

    The two currents of air rushed forward and caused deep gullies, forcing the nearby trees to bend and groan, but before it could strike Brendel and the Nightsong Tiger, they vanished.

    [[[[[What?]]]]]

    The Spectral Knight paced back and forth against an invisible line, swinging its spear again and again, trying to y the two men in front of it, but it was quickly proven that it was pointless to do so. Everyone started to wonder if Mother Marsha had given her blessings to their lord.

    Amandina was initially surprised but she quickly became suspicious of how the events turned out.

    Romaine was also in a state of nervousness, and she sighed with relief and showed a faint smile.

    [Auntie, little Romaine has an outstanding sweetheart¡ª]

    The mercenaries started to cheer loudly, while the Nightsong Tiger looked at Brendel in disbelief. Brendel had not rxed in the slightest. He had estimated the distance correctly but the battle was not over.

    ¡°Everyone is to enter the attacking range of the Spectral Knight.¡±

    And everyone looked at him in disbelief.

    ¡°My lord, isn¡¯t this good enough? We can hit him without being worried that he would hurt us!¡± One of the mercenaries said, while a few others took out their crossbow and prepared to aim at it. They were somehow worried that their lord had gone half mad.

    ¡°My lord......¡± The Nightsong Tiger began to speak.

    ¡°These are my orders! Are you going to obey them, or not?¡± Brendel roared loudly. The situation was not as simple as the mercenaries thought. Perhaps they thought that the undead was unintelligent, but if the situation continued as it was, the Spectral Knight would return to the temple.

    He was the first to move into the attacking range of the Spectral Knight, which quickly reacted by shing itsnce in his direction. While he nimbly avoided the attacks, he shot another Bolt of Ice and caused damage to it.

    Even though the mercenaries were unwilling to fight within its range, they still moved in once they saw Brendel did so. With the cumtive effects of the magic bolts, they were able to avoid the slow ranged attacks made by the undead monster.

    The undead monster kept striking at them but it did not use the powerful Seismic st, and the Vortex Strike was continously interrupted by Brendel and the Nightsong Tiger. The mercenaries were delighted to see that the enemy could not reach them as they continued to scurry around it like rats, poking and hurling their projectiles at it,pletely disregarding their image on how unsightly and cowardly they were acting.

    The Nightsong Tiger could only expressed his astonishment in his heart. If the prowess of the Spectral Knight was beyond his imagination, the fight they had right now was the most bizarre he ever had.

    Brendel was feeling a little smug when he saw the Nightsong Tiger¡¯s expression. The gamers had spent countless hours trying to bend the rules in the game, and the endless creativity they had created numerous strategies in the virtual world. In his former life, there was a well-known meme:

    ¡®The more freedom a gamer has, the more cheats they possess.¡¯

    They would always seek the easiest solution to solve a problem and never stick tomon sense. If any resources and advantages were avable, they would use it in order to defeat the enemies beyond their means.

    Brendel believed in such a creed. They represented the crystallization of wisdom that would allow him to progress through the darkness and conquer this world that was full of difficulties and pain. He took out the remaining Bolts of Ice and tossed them to the mercenarymander.

    ¡°My lord?¡± The Nightsong Tiger was confused.

 volume 2 - 90

    Chapter 90 ¨C The kings and the dead (6)

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go behind his back.¡± Brendel replied.

    The Spectral Knight was not going to stick around till it was finally killed by the cowardly mercenaries. Brendel checked on the HP of the monster and quickly prepared ahead. Once it reached about ten percent of its health, it would retreat decisively, and he could not allow his prey to escape.

    ¡°My lord, that¡¯s too dangerous.¡± The Nightsong Tiger looked nkly at Brendel for a second before he guessed what he was about to do and tried to stop him: ¡°Let me do it for you.¡±

    ¡°You know what I¡¯m about to do?¡± Brendel¡¯s incredulous reply came.

    ¡°You can teach me, my lord,¡± He answered earnestly: ¡°We¡¯re your loyal men, and you should leave this to us.¡±

    ¡°... I wish I can leave it to you as well,¡± Brendel smiled as he took out the long rope that was prepared earlier: ¡°Sadly, you can¡¯t do this task.¡±

    ¡°Why, my lord?¡±

    ¡°Do you know alchemy?¡±

    The Nightsong Tiger¡¯s mouth opened wordlessly before he rolled his eyes.

    Brendel truly did not wish to do it personally. It was always up to him to clear up some form of mess in the past, but he had been worried about it every time he did so. Any mistakes here would not mean that he lost a level but death. The only safety line for him was the Unyielding talent, and as long as he protected his heart and head well, he could at least have a chance to survive, or at least write his final will.

    The battle persisted for some time. The mercenaries used fortified crossbows that were banned, but most nobles closed an eye when it came to their usage. It was highly umon for most citizens because the people required at least 5 OZ in strength to use it properly, yet the damage done to the Spectral Knight was almost negligible.

    In addition to that, the armor that it wore was resistant to physical attacks. The only time where it truly took damage was when the bolts struck critical points of the armor, but the Spectral Knight was not a wooden doll that sat there quietly. Despite the loss in speed from the debilitating effects from the magic bolts, it was still agile enough to avoid most of the projectiles.

    Brendel was not in a particr hurry. The Nightsong Tiger had enough magic bolts to make the Spectral Knight weakened for at least ten minutes. With that amount of time, a dozen Iron-ranked mercenaries would deal enough damage to a Boss-level creature for it to retreat, and the current enemy was only an Elite-level undead.

    He slipped quietly behind its back while it was distracted by the mercenaries. The distance he took was neither far nor near, about half a ser field. It was the perfect bnce for him. If he was any closer, the undead creature might notice him, if he was any further, his uracy might drop too much.

    His goal was not to backstab it. Even if he attacked the Spectral Knight, the damage done would not be effective to finish off the remaining 10% HP.

    [If I am already at a Silver-rank, if I already learned some form of bow-rted skill, if I managed tond a critical hit, just maybe......] (TL: Silver rank = Over level 31)

    Brendel¡¯s mind wandered a little as he explored the possibility of a backstab, but it was never going to work.

    He nced at the battlefield one more time before he concentrated on his task. The silence was deafening in this areapared to the battlefield. He parted the foliage and drew an Alchemy Magic Circle on the ground with his longsword.

    Tamar would have persuaded Brendel not to do it if he saw what the youth was doing. After the Alchemy Magic Circle was drawn, he drew a Blood Magic Formation which was going to strip away his health.

    He ced the rope onto the Magic Circle along with the Soul Crystal he took from the intermediate-ranking necromancer at Fortress Riedon. Brendelmented over the usage of it. It was not going to be easy to get something like this again until many yearster. There was no better recement for it, otherwise he would not have wasted such a rare material.

    He cut his finger with the longsword and dropped it onto the formation, and his heart tightened greatly. Brendel felt his vitality drain, and the Stats Window reported a loss of half of his health. Brendel had tried to prepare himself for it, but he still got a shock over how much health he lost.

    He rubbed his forehead a little and was thankful that the Soul Crystal was not of a higher quality. If it was, he might have been sucked dry. But that notion suddenly made him remember that thing in his bag. He flipped it open and a golden light poured out from it. The light glowed and dimmed with rhythm, almost like it was an actual heart. (TL: The Golden Demonic Tree¡¯s fruit, The Golden Apple. In case anyone was wonderin.)

    Brendel sighed. This was a secret that he had not told anyone. He was certain that there was someone who ced it in his bag. What he did not understand was who the person was. At best they were mere acquaintances, but why would that person do something like this?

    [What motive is there for that person to this... To make me a scapegoat? Or to test me?]

    Brendel felt unhappy when he thought about it. This thing was highly important to some people, but it was not of much use to him. He needed about four more levels to reach level 25 and allow him to activate the second talent, and this thing in his bag was not something he needed. After a few moments of pondering, he still did not arrive at any usible answer and quickly returned to reality.

    His biggest trouble was still the Spectral Knight, and any other matters could be solvedter.

    He focused on the transmuted object in the Magic Circle. The ordinary rope had turnedpletely ck and even gave out a shimmer from time to time. It looked quite impressive and he was reminded of a shiny new pair of handcuffs.

    Brendel mocked himself for thinking of that. This was clearly a horrifying product of alchemy. It was merely a simple rope infused with the energy from a Soul Crystal. Because the quality of the Soul Crystal was so high, it actually turned out to look like this.

    [If Tamar was to see this... He woulde after me with his legendary scythe¡ª Wait, he hasn¡¯t reached the grandmaster status yet.]

    Brendel corrected himself as he stood up to watch the battlefield again. The Spectral Knight had managed to graze a few mercenaries when Brendel was not there to interrupt it. They were bleeding slightly, but in exchange they became even more cautious than before. Just like Brendel had predicted, the battle took close to ten minutes before the Spectral Knight finally retreated.

    Its upper body creaked loudly as the armor was hindered by the ice. The Nightsong Tiger shot the final Bolt of Ice at it, covering it with anotheryer of ice, but the speed at which it fled was beyond their belief.

    [The Charge skill.] Brendel remarked to himself.

    The Nightsong Tiger¡¯s quick reactions allowed him to fire another Bolt of Wind, but the effect was not any better as it continued to speed away. The mercenaries wanted to pursue it, but the Nightsong Tiger stopped them. It was too dangerous for them to cross that invisible line. Once they did so, the undead monster was free to attack them directly without restrictions.

    He was certain that his mysterious lord was nning something to stop it, and he simply cast his eyes into the forest.

    Indeed, two dazzling bolts shot out one after another, causing two white lines to extend out in the dark forest¡ª Such was the sight before him.

 volume 2 - 91

    Chapter 91: The Kings and the dead (6)

    ¡°The Bolts of uracy!¡± The twin Elementalists spoke at the same time. They were the ones who made the Magic Bolts and clearly the best people to recognize what the bolts were. The Bolts of uracy were uniquely imbued with Light Magic, and even the other mercenaries could make a guess.

    But they did not understand what their lord was attempting to do with the magic bolts. There was no difference in damage even if a normal bolt was used. What was different was the uracy.

    [Is there some weakness somewhere on the monster?] One of the mercenaries thought.

    However, the bolts nailed themselves deeply onto two giant trees with two dull thuds,pletely disappearing from sight.

    ¡°Hold on...... The bolts are off their marks?¡± One of them said.

    Everyone had a strange thought. A few even expressed showed disbelief as to how someone could actually missed their marks with the Bolts of uracy, but they were quickly interrupted by the sharpshooters in the group.

    ¡°Look closer, do you see that¡ª¡°

    ¡°Is that a line?¡±

    ¡°No, it looks like a rope.¡±

    They finally saw that there was a rope connected to the bolts at a person¡¯s chest height.

    [[[Anti cavalry rope trap!]]]

    They were quickly surprised by Brendel¡¯s ingenuity, but some of the magic savvy men pointed out that the Spectral Knight was a spirit creature, which was resistant against physical objects and hardly effective.

    The Spectral Knight noticed the bolts and charged towards Brendel¡¯s direction without considering it as a trap. Unfortunately it did not expect the rope to actually work against it. The ck ropes emitted ck light as the Spectral Knight approached it. A living warhorse of considerable strength might actually break it apart, but the Soul Energy in the rope was incredibly effective against the Spectral Knight.

    That unexpected barrier threw it off its mount and its entire body wasunched straight into the air. Brendel had waited for that moment where it was helpless in the air. The agility it had on its mount was too high for him to aim properly, but now he was able to attack it without fail.

    ¡°mme!¡± Brendel raised the ruby ring towards the Spectral Knight. Red light poured forth like aser from the ruby ring after a short dy and struck the Spectral Knight¡¯s chest.

    It was as if any other light sources dimmed and the surroundings turned darked. mes with the intensity of the sun¡¯s brightness red from the center of the Spectral Knight. An explosive st resounded throughout the whole forest that even Brendel had to cover his ears. The surroudings of the Spectral Knight hadpletely evaporated while the sandy ground turned into ss.

    The foliage that was further away had turned ck and was smoking from the intense heat.

    ¡°Oss!¡± Brendel followed up with another merciless attack with his other ring and a st of wind directly struck the Spectral Knight. The air distorted as the st of wind struck the Spectral Knight before the sound reached Brendel¡¯s ears.

    The mercenaries watched the events unfold in stunned silence. The younger Elementalist muttered to herself: ¡°Fireball, Wind st, is our lord a Silver-ranked Elementalist......¡±

    The older sisterbed her hair neatly after it was affected by the gust of wind: ¡°The magic came from artifacts.¡±

    Her voice did not disguise the surprise she had. They had won the battle without anyone dying and got away with mild injuries.

    Brendel confirmed it with the Stats Window. He had sessfully risen by two levels.

    [Two more levels before I can select the next talent. The first talent decides the different physical attributes, while the second talents dictates that path of what a character can take on in the future. It¡¯s the most important talent amongst the others.]

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the fireball magic takes time to activate. If it¡¯s an instant spell I wouldn¡¯t have to pull off all these stunts.¡± Brendel sighed as he watched the burning trees. The mes would soon die down as they were made from magical properties.

    He made a long sigh and drank thirstily from his waterskin. This battle was not as exhausting as the ones he had earlier, where he found it hard to even lift a finger. However this was highly dependent on being wless in executing the strategy, and every mistake caused him to shake in fright.

    His reflection on the battle quickly turned into shock as he found that the Spectral Knight did not turn into dust. It was lying quietly on the ground as the mount stopped beside, nuzzling against its hand.

    The Soul Fire slowly disappeared on both the Spectral Knight and the mount at different speeds. The glowing armors on them started to crack, before vanishing into the air like tufts of smoke, revealing the body under the heavy armor.

    ¡°A unicorn?!¡± Brendel first identified the mount.

    He gaped at the transformation of the supposedly evil beast, revealing a body with bristling muscles that could only belong to the fittest warhorse. A single horn was adorned on its forehead which easily disclosed its identity.

    [¡ª Wait, but doesn¡¯t the legends in Vaunte state that only the purest of maidens can ride a unicorn?]

    He turned his head to look down, and spat out the water in his mouth. Some of it even went into his nose and made him cough uncontrobly. The armor that covered the Spectral Knight hadpletely disappeared, and a young Elven girl was lying there like a sleeping princess dressed with an finely tailored dress, or perhaps to be more urate it was the spirit of the Elven girl that was there.

    A silver seal was still present on her forehead, which signified that she had not became an adult as ording to the Elven customs, perhaps one who was unfortunate enough to die early. Brendel¡¯s pupils narrowed in utter dismay as he realized what he had been fighting against.

    [A young girl?! That was...... what we were fighting against?]

    Brendel was seized with mental anguish as memories of the past came flooding back. The drowning blood scents of iron-rust and distressing screams as the ve merchants ughtered the gamers and NPCs one by one, till they were finally routed. Did it not resemble the same actions they took when Brendel led his men to y this undead monster?

    Everyone else had came up with the intention to congratte Brendel as they approached him, but once they saw the real figure of the enemy they had fought, they were taken by surprise.

    ¡°This......¡± The Nightsong Tiger looked at the translucent sprit and did not know what words to utter.

    Amandina was also startled, and she breathlessly asked: ¡°...... That thing from before...... Is her?¡±

    Brendel gritted her teeth as he nodded.

    It might have been quite inconceivable that a young girl was capable of the feats that she did earlier, but that was the truth. In the back of his mind, he had faintly thought of the possibility of the idea that it was some corruption of a former Elven king that made it turn into a Spectral Knight, but seeing it as the girl in front of him made him shudder.

    Amandina frowned but epted the exnation.

    ¡°Do we kill her?¡± A small voice asked.

    Brendel turned to the voice and found that it was the younger Elementalist. The older sister only furrowed her brows, but it was clear that both of them were conflicted over the decision to kill a fellow Elf.

    The Silver Elves and Wild Elves were quite different. The Wild Elves had sunny dispositions, were kind and agreeable. They got along with humans more so than many other races, and even stayed in the human cities, as well as marrying them.

    But the Silver Elves were aloof and the true lineage of the noble Elves, stayed faithfully to the prophecies and avoid the material world, giving the world a mysterious and venerated image. They were usually taller than the humans, having lithe figures and graceful actions. They were the earliest descriptions of ¡®nobles¡¯ and seemed unreachable like the moon.

    Such was the difference between the pair of twin Wild Elves and the spirit of the Silver Elf lying before them.

    Brendel felt a pair of eyes on him, and he turned towards Romaine. She seemed to ask the same question, but she yearned to hear the answer she expected the most.

    Brendel licked his lips nervously and shook his head. He turned his gaze back at the spirit. The Soul Energy was breaking down as the spirit became more transparent. Even though she had not disappeared yet, she would not be able to hold on much longer.

    ¡°She is already dead. What you see now is the soul disappearing.¡±

    Romaine uttered a disappointed sound.

    Brendel was also feeling puzzled. The damage that she received was far beyond a Spectral Knight could handle. Even if she was ten levels higher, she should had been turned into dust and not appear like a sleeping beauty.

 volume 2 - 92

    TL: 5th chapter. Edit: There¡¯s a mistake in which the chapter did not copy over (damned umatrix extension).

    Chapter 92 ¨C The kings and the dead (7)

    ============ ??? POV ============

    Am I in a dream?

    The Silver Elven Court was as perfect as my memories. The saintly white luster of the walls, ceilings, corridors and fences.

    How long ago have I not dreamt of this......

    ¡°Sister.¡±

    ¡°What did you address me?¡± That voice in my dreams became sharp as usual.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    That dream......

    I remember my mother said to me, when I pressed gently on my chest, I would be able to feel my warmth and life from my ¡®heart¡¯ with my fingertips. Only when one touched there, would they feel at peace.

    It was precisely because of that, that my memories of the Cherau vige became clearer, and how have I yearned to return to that time.....

    ¡°Father king, my noble sister..... I am sorry. It is all my fault.¡±

    ========== Brendel¡¯s POV ===========

    Brendel¡¯s mind shuffled through different answers as to why the girl¡¯s spirit was still around. He had calmed down from the shock, and thought if he saw it through a gamer¡¯s perspective, this would be a developer¡¯s immunity settings, that it was a follow-up to a quest and possibly the key to activating the Altar, and even though he could probably find the answer on his own¡ª

    Did it not look like the solution was in front of him?

    [If this is a mission, then this little girl is going to wake up pretty soon. The only exceptions thus far in this world are the neswalker and the cards...]

    Brendel looked up at the starry sky and waited patiently, wondering if the spirits also adhered to the game.

    The mercenaries whispered amongst themselves, as Amandina grabbed Romaine¡¯s hand and watched the Silver Elf warily. No one dared to approach her, as the unicorn was still beside her. The might exhibited by the Spectral Knight¡¯s mount was still fresh in their minds and nobody knew whether it would go on a rampage.

    But it was just as Brendel had predicted, the Elven girl¡¯s eyelids moved and opened.

    It was a pair of slightly vacant silver eyes with a little confusion in her eyes, which quickly seemed to be poured in with many things all at once. It was as if memories andplicated emotions filled her eyes up as it suddenly flickered withprehension.

    Her body moved a little, and she turned her head around to look at everyone around her.

    She seemed to recall something, before she her brows were crunched into a sorrowful expression. Her body curled up as she coughed vehemently, and she brought her hands to her lips. Once she uncovered them, her hands were filled with silver blood. She reached out with her hands, trying to grasp the silvernce on the ground.

    The mercenaries pulled out their weapons and were on their guard, and a few of them wanted to stop her.

    ¡°My lord, she has no more strength left to fight us.¡± Amandina quickly tried to persuade Brendel into stopping the mercenaries. She recognized the expressions of the Silver Elf, which was how she felt when she was at her lowest point.

    [Indeed, she has no strength left.]

    Brendel nodded. The spirit had reached the final stage of fading away. Even if he was to stand in front of her, she would not even be able to raise her weapon to strike him down. The spirit was holding on to some wish or mission to persist in this world. It was also the source of her Soul Energy. Once it was gone, she would have no more connection with this world.

    After a short moment, the girl suddenly stopped and stared at her transparent hand. It was bing fainter and seemed like it was going to disappear anytime.

    Brendel raised his hand to make everyone stop, which was not necessary to do so. If the Spectral Knight struck fear in the mercenaries¡¯ hearts, then the Elven girl in front of them was so weak and pitiful that they felt like they needed to protect her.

    ¡°Messere...... Am I going to...... disappear?¡± The Silver Elf stared at her hand while she spoke. Her voice was like the fabled nightingales within the deepest forest.

    Her tone made the twin Elementalists gasp. The Wild Elves were considered as great musicians, and they could hear how beautiful and trance-like the voice was.

    [There are two Elven blood lineage that were derived from the Golden Bloodline. The first is the Silver Elves, thetter is the Mist Elves. As expected, the voice from a Silver Elf is beautiful.]

    Brendel nodded silently to the Silver Elf¡¯s question. The rted quest indeed came, but he felt he was unable to feel happy. If it was in the game, he would have seen her as a NPC, but at this moment, he discovered that he was unable to cut his emotions off.

    ¡°Was......¡± Amandina asked timidly in a small voice: ¡°That Spectral Knight..... you?¡±

    The Elven girl did not speak but silently nodded. Her arms and legs were bing transparent as well. She looked up to sky with a mncholic smile, and said with a tearful voice: ¡°I...... killed so many people...... Mother Marsha, must have abandoned me......¡±

    ¡°That is not your fault.¡± Brendel¡¯s voice sounded angry.

    [The Holy Cathedral of mes was the faction that caused this incident. Mother Marsha would not have gotten angry if it was not for their interference. As punishment, luck as never been on Aouine side ever since then.]

    Brendel had essentially made sense out of the entire situation.

    The priests of the Holy Cathedral of mes probably wanted to change the oath between the Elven kings, the Elven Goddess and Mother Marsha. He personally had changed simr contracts before as a gamer, and the risk presented to him was eptable precisely because he was a gamer. The citizens of Aouine must had been either bold or greedy enough to attempt something like this, and the conclusion was distorting the oath and allowing evil spirits to invade the sanctuary.

    It was a tragedy.

    The evil spirits surely did not stop at controlling just the little girl, and many more Elves must have been possessed. Despite that, the high ranking priests were not simple pushovers and a dire battle not recorded in history broke out in this area. After the battle ended, all records of the Altar disappeared.

    ¡°What is your name¡± Romaine asked.

    Brendel suddenly discovered her question was really constructive.

    ¡°Medissa Lte.¡± Came the reply.

    ¡°¡±You¡¯re not from the royal family?¡±¡± Brendel and Amandina spoke at the same time. Only the royal bloodline, the Aavlon royal lineage, was permitted to enter this tomb.

    ¡°Yes, I am a craftsman¡¯s daughter.¡±

    ¡°But this is the tomb of the Elven kings......¡± Amandina continued to ask.

    The question from Amandina made the Elven girl paused for a while. Half of her body was bing transparent: ¡°There are unique circumstances.......¡±

    ¡°Unique circumstances? I have heard of the Silvers Elves interring their bravest and greatest heroes along with the ancient kings......¡± Amandina looked doubtfully at the girl, unable to find traces of a ¡®greatest hero¡¯ in her.

    Medissa carassed the unicorn beside her as her eyes became misty: ¡°That isn¡¯t it. I am here to rece someone else.¡±

    [What?]

    If there was another mouthful of water in Brendel, he would have spat it out again. He had never heard of substitutes or was there a queue for being entombed?

    Amandina had a clearer grasp of the situation. ¡°A recement in order to save someone? Or to be buried as a sacrifice?¡±

    [What kind of third rate development is this? To think that the ¡®noble¡¯ elves would also do something like this, looks like they are no differentpared to humans.] Brendel was surprised.

    But Medissa shook her head: ¡°I volunteered.¡±

    ¡°Volunteered?¡± Brendel could not understand how an ordinary citizen was able to rece a royal family member.

    She had a faint smile on her face, as though she had recalled a memory to be proud of. ¡°I, volunteered to rece...... my older sister...... No, I came here...... for the sake of the her Royal Princess.¡±

    She was bing fainter.

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Brendel interrupted her, ¡°Sister? Her Royal Princess, what do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°My mother, is a craftsman in the Cherau vige. My father, is the king of Aavlon. I think, I am half a princess......¡±

    ¡°Does this mean your sister is the Silver Elves Kingdom¡¯s princess?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Why did you need to rece her?¡±

    ¡°My noble sister was cursed by the Miirna people. The royal court magicians told me father that a rted blood member had to die for her sake, or else she will continue to weaken in her prime until she died.¡± Medissa slowly exined: ¡°But my noble sister is the best leader within the kingdom. The human allies, the dwarves, our citizens, no one wished to see that happen......¡±

    ¡°In the end, my father chose me.¡±

    Amandina was so indignant that her brows knitted together tightly: ¡°...... He¡¯s your father, how could he have done something like this!¡±

    Brendel could only pat her on her shoulders to calm her down. ¡°During the era of Chaos, the twilight dragon was a force that exceeded the imaginations of the various races. They paid a great price in order to resist that existence, as the king of the Silver Elves, it could only be seen as something normal.¡±

    He stared at Elven girl in silence, before he asked: ¡°Why have you told us about all these?¡±

    ¡°Because...... I wish to ask you for help?¡±

    [Just like a mission.]

    ¡°What help do you need?¡±

    ¡°The lizardmen in the forest had stolen my sister¡¯s ne. I don¡¯t know what they want to do with it, but without that trinklet, my sister¡¯s curse would not be able to focus on me, I¡¯m afraid it would¡ª¡°

    ¡°You¡¯re already about to disappear, why are you still trying to care about someone else!¡± Amandina interrupted her after listening in dissatisfaction.

    Medissa cast a nce at her and smiled.

    ¡°Precisely so, I wish..... That my disappearance..... has meaning.....¡±

    Amandina did not know how to refute her.

    ¡°But this matter is none of our business. We do have the right to refuse your request.¡± Brendel spoke quietly. Even though logic told him that he should ept the quest, but he felt a little angry when he looked at the Elven girl who had nothing to do with the cruelties and violence in the world.

    Her eyes momentarily turned sad, but was quickly reced with a touch of slyness: ¡°Messere...... human, you came to seek, for the souls of the Ancestral Elves...... right?¡±

    She was nearly gone.

    ¡°You know of our intentions?¡±

    ¡°I was able to listen in, through the gust of wind in the valley......¡± She closed her eyes. ¡°To gain the acknowledgement of the Ancestral Elves, you would have to gain my acknowledgement......¡±

    She paused for a moment, as though she was too tired to continue speaking. ¡°That is why, I want to make a deal with you.¡±

    [I¡¯m actually being held hostage. And I¡¯m even threatened by a little girl.]

    Brendel felt bitter feelings emerging from his heart. Did he had the option to get angry? He turned back to look at everyone, but the girls and even the Nightsongmander nodded their heads.

    ¡°Very well, but I have also have my own request. In order to deal with the lizardmen bandits, I would have to gather the help of the Ancestral Elves, otherwise I would not be able to deal with them.¡±

    The girl nodded.

    ¡°I acknowledge your presence and you have my permission.¡±

    ¡°Are you not afraid that I will betray you?¡± Brendel was slightly surprised.

    Medissa was silent for a moment. ¡°I am...... worried.¡±

    She started coughing and flecks of blood could be seen spluttering out, before it disappeared into thin air. She raised her head weakly, as tears spilled across her face: ¡°I¡¯m...... worried..... I...... do not wish to disappear....... I still...... have things...... that I want to do. I¡¯m really sorry, can you...... help me..... please?¡±

    A sudden rush of wind blew across the top of the forest, as though it was wailing¡ª while Medissapletely vanished before their eyes.

    Everyone was stunned into silence as the heartrending pleadings wormed their way into their hearts. Each word seemed to hang around their ears, and Brendel had an inscrutable expression.

 volume 2 - 93

    TL: That¡¯s the final chapter for this mini arc. The next arc is Brendel vs various enemies. I¡¯ll see you guys next week for TAS. Please report any Engrish mistakes. Chapters links should be corrected now.

    I¡¯m also really sorry for those of you who missed chapter 91, that was a nasty ident.

    Chapter 93 ¨C The Eversong Elves

    The winds died down and the forest sank back into silence.

    Brendel deliberated for a moment before he looked back at the girls. They were looking at the Elven girls with teary eyes. Even though they were enemies a moment ago, they quickly realized that it was not Medissa¡¯s fault for attacking them.

    ¡°Do you wish to save her?¡± Brendel suddenly asked.

    Romaine snapped her head to look at Brendel and furiously nodded. Amandina hesitated and bit her lips, but every time she wanted to say something her words did note out.

    (Nightsong Tiger.) Brendelmunicated to his summon in his mind.

    (My lord?) The Nightsong Tiger faced him.

    (I have been wondering about the abilities for quite some time, but is it possible for me to turn the Elven girl into a card?)

    Brendel had wondered from time to time as to how Ciel and the Mercenaries of Lopes came about. The only answer he had was that a neswalker was somehow able to seal them into cards.

    (Yes, you can do so, my lord. This Elven girl¡¯s abilities are incredibly powerful, and if you try to seal her, she might turn out to be a high quality summon card. At your current abilities, you can only spend up to a maximum of 100 Wealth and a little mana to seal something into a card. With this amount of resources spent of sealing, you can only seal someone who¡¯s extremely weak and willing to be sealed.) The Nightsong Tiger exined quickly.

    (That¡¯s fine¡ª)

    (But my lord, you do not know whether she would agree to be sealed. 100 Wealth is approximately a month¡¯s worth of your savings.)

    Brendel shook his head. Even though a loss of 100 Wealth was painful if she rejected it, he needed to do this.

    (If I don¡¯t do this, I feel that I would carry this regret in my life.) Brendel gave an embarrassed smile. His past regrets in not saving the NPCs from the ve merchants, his guilt in fleeing Aouine after Freya died, the things that he could not achieve in his past life, he wanted to absolve himself of such feelings.

    [For what purpose have Ie to this world? This is a chance for Medissa, but this is also a chance for myself¡ª]

    He formed a nk card in his Deck ording to the Nightsong Tiger¡¯s instructions. The card was a nk canvas, as though it was waiting for a guest to move into it.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Romaine saw Brendel taking a card out of from nowhere and asked curiously.

    ¡°My lord is going to save the little Elven girl.¡± The Nightsong Tiger exined: ¡°He¡¯s going to transfer her soul into the card and stablize the Soul Fire that¡¯s cosping.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like the abilities of a summoner, but don¡¯t they use crystals for that? Can you seal souls aside from magical beasts?¡± Amandina¡¯s eyes glinted as she asked.

    ¡°You can think of it as a type of summoning.¡± The Nightsong Tiger answered: ¡°But this is done because it¡¯s the only way to let the girl stay here.¡±

    The girls nodded. If the Soul Fire broke down, the energy was returned to its basic elements and not returned to the embrace of her goddess. Disappearing in that manner was the most painful way for a spirit, not to mention a sentient one.

    Brendel raised the card into the air: ¡°Medissa Lte, do you wish to join in my travels and be part of the Laws in this world?¡±

    The words were repeated in his heart, as though someone¡¯s else voice spoke them. The nk card flew out from his hands and floated in the air. Brendel waited for a full minute before he repeated his words again, but no reply came. A mellow sadness spread within his heart as he sighed inwardly, certain that Medissa had refused and was gone.

    ¡°I...... have a wish, can you grant me that? Brendel..... No, Lord neswalker.¡± Medissa¡¯s voice echoed in his mind.

    Brendel¡¯s tion soared and he exhaled loudly.

    ¡°Of course, Miss Lte. Please state your request.¡±

    ¡°I...... wish to see my sister on your journeys, just once would be fine.¡± Came the small voice.

    Brendel was slightly dumbfounded. He did not think that her wish was so simple. Even if she requested to have full freedom, he could agree to it.

    The Silver Elves had superior bloodlines and their lives were exceedingly long. Perhaps her father and older sister were still alive, so that wish was not as impossible as it seemed. However, the Silver Elves avoided contact with the world and might be slightly troublesome to find them.

    He nodded after a few moments.

    The card immediately emitted a sh of ck light, and the words were written in his retina:

    ¡°Contract established.¡±

    A line came next:

    ¡°A new card has been found, please name it¡ª¡°

    ¡°Eversong.¡± Brendel decided to name Medissa after the most famous Silver Elves¡¯ army from the ancient era.

    The card gradually came back to his hand. Brendel inspected the card, and saw a female knight equipped with silver armor and a longnce in her hands. She wore a warm and friendly smile¡ª It was the very image of Medissa.

    Unicorn Knight

    (Eversong I)

    Darkness 15

    [Heroic spirit/Knight, Level 35 Elite]

    Pay 15 Darkness EP and ces the Unicorn Knight, ¡®Medissa Lte¡¯, into y.

    Maintenance: When ¡®Medissa Lte¡¯ is in y, pay 1 Darkness EP, 6 Wealth every day.

    ¡®The g of the Elves are raised proudly, with her heart and sword shining brightly in darkness.¡¯

    Brendel stared at the card for some time. The response from the card seemed to show off the differencepared to his other cards.

    [Amazing. Even though she¡¯s on the level of a Gold-ranked fighter, I didn¡¯t think that that she¡¯s on the level of a legendary artifact. Apart from the Thorn of Light, this is my second legendary. Tulman told me that my Cards of Fates are much rarerpared to other magic artifacts, but I didn¡¯t think it would be as rare as this.]

    A gleeful smile spread across his face.

    [That 100 Wealth ispletely well spent! Guahahaha!]

    Brendel roared withughter inside his mind. If it was not for the fact that he would ruin his image because of the people around him, he would shamelesslyughed with a greedy voice. He had constantly faced ridiculously overpowered enemies one after another, and was starting to wonder if he was cursed with some unlucky status.

    Fighting against Ebdon before he reached level 15, fleeing against the Crusader Executioner, fighting against Tirste, then dueling with Buga, Tree Shepherds, ck Disciples and the Spectral Knight. It was driving him up the wall. (TL: Ebdon ¨C Level 31 and above. Crusader Executioner, Level 40 and above, Tirste ¨C Blessed stats, Level 45 and above, Buga ¨C Level 51 and above, ck Disciples ¨C Level 31 and above, Spectral Knight ¨C Elite level 35,parable to a level 51~ mob.)

    He was not really afraid of the Unifying Guild, Tree Shepherds or the Madara army, but being targeted by them at every waking moment made him feel awful.

    [I finally have a Gold-ranked follower. This is at least enough for me to travel across Aouine¡¯s southern region without any issues. Even if the Tree Shepherds or the Unifying Guild have the numbers, they can¡¯t possibly send a Gold-ranked assassin after me right?]

    The two organizations only sent such assassins after highly ranked earls, and he thought he had not reached a threatening level yet. With Medissa¡¯s abilities, he would be able tobine their abilities to fight against any such threats.

    [A good deed is rewarded.] Brendel was proud of himself and felt like there was sunshine everywhere.

    He wiped off his crooked smile and turned back to everyone: ¡°It¡¯s done, everyone.¡±

    The girls¡¯ eyes shone brightly, and Romaine even urged him impatiently: ¡°That¡¯s wonderful! Quick, summon Medissa to let us take a look at her.¡±

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Brendel coughed and his expression changed. Romaine¡¯s words stabbed at his weakness. Even though it was a godlike card to him, the problem was the summoning cost of fifteen Darkness EP. There was also the maintenance of 6 Wealth and 1 Darkness EP.

    [Never mind about the Darkness EP. Right now 6 Wealth per day is enough to make me bankrupt. I only have 4 Wealth of ie per day, and 2 of it are used to pay off the Mercenaries of Lopes. If I want to summon Medissa I need to have another Gold Mine.]

    Brendel rubbed his forehead.

    TL: For those of you who read the raw, you would probably have noticed the difference in this chapter. I went back and checked on a particr issue, and I think that the author either made a mistake or had a bout of off-text passage that he forgot to mention.

 volume 2 - 94

    TL: This chapter is kind of short. I¡¯ll probably get one more chapter done if it¡¯s not too long.

    Special mention and many thanks to beefcake who donated a whopping $150. Most of it is going into TSTBGAM though. He/She¡¯s like the first person who donated to that series ever lol, and the biggest donator to donate such a chunk of cash, so I¡¯ll throw in a few more TSTBGAM chapters just for you. Holy shit.

    Chapter 94 ¨C Crystal

    Brendel exined to the girls there was a requirement to summon or use the cards he had at hand, and expressed that he did not have the necessary materials to summon Medissa. Even though he had revealed part of his abilities as a neswalker, Amandina did not suspect the Mercenaries of Lopes to be summons.

    [Medissa is one thing, but the Mercenaries of Lopes act like people who are still alive. If people start to think that I can somehow trap people and turn them into cards, I might be sent to the gallows or to be cut down on sight. Fortunately, Amandina is loyal enough so she probably wouldn¡¯t reveal what I did here. I can probably spin a nice story somehow......]

    After keeping the card, he directed the two mercenaries to scout the temple. At the same time a few of the mercenaries went to pass him the loot. The Spectral Knight had left behind a crystal and a pair of boots.

    When Brendel saw the crystal he thought his eyes were deceiving him. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was not dreaming.

    [No, I must be seeing it wrongly. I¡¯m called the Luckless King in the game, so how did I managed to get so lucky?]

    When he fought the Golden Demonic Tree, it did not have any Golden Apple on it, and he did not find it strange because he simply possessed awful luck. He thought the crystal was a delusion, but after checking it various times and confirming on the Stats Window, it was the Spectral Knight¡¯s Crystal.

    ¨C Spectral Knight¡¯s Crystal [Boosting Equipment, Arm]

    ¨C +10% strength upon equipping.

    Brendel pinched Romaine¡¯s face, and thetter immediately furrowed her pair of delicate eyebrows in protest: ¡°W-what are you doing Brendel!

    Even though he would ignore that level of protest, he really caused her pain this time. She started toin loudly.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just confirming if I¡¯m not dreaming.¡± Brendel spoke as though as he was sleep walking.

    ¡°Pinch your own cheeks, you idiot!¡± Romaine was angry enough to lift her leatherskin shoes and kicked him.

    This time Brendel knew that he was not dreaming because of the pain.

    ¡°Ow!¡±

    ¡°You deserve it!¡±

    ¡°I forbid you to wear leatherskin shoes.¡±

    ¡°Never!¡±

    Amandina shook her head when she saw the two were acting like children. The mercenaries were giggling in one corner as they knew their lord was in a good mood to act in that manner.

    She looked at the crystal and wondered if it was really that important.

    ¡°Is that the Spectral Knight¡¯s Crystal?¡± She suddenly asked a question out of curiosity. The others were also waiting for Brendel to tell them what it was used for.

    It had became amon thing for them to see Brendel as a walking dictionary.

    ¡°Yes, this is the Spectral Knight¡¯s Crystal.¡± Brendel stopped his quarrel with Romaine and answered. Then he suddenly smiled ¡°It looks like I got my prediction right, so I¡¯ll treat everyone at Ampere Seale for a day.¡±

    Compared to how valuable the crystal was, the mercenaries were obviously more interested in hearing that line and everyone cheered loudly when they heard him. Even though they were summoned creatures, they still possessed emotions and their memories.

    Amandina had visited the biggest free-trading harbor of Aouine during her childhood, but other than its busy nature, she did not have a deep impression of it. When she thought of his irresponsible actions, she started to avoid the topic about that ce.

    ¡°Is this crystal really that important?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Brendel answered in a matter-of-fact tone. It had reached the price of three billion Tor coins even in theter parts of the game, which proved the value of this small Boosting Equipment.

    These crystals were ced directly into the body, and there were three areas that a level 20 character can put them. The arms, the head and the torso. The price of it was even higher in the game because it was not an item that dropped upon death. While this advantage was lost in this world, it did not mean that it was any less valuable.

    At leastpared to the Thorn of Light, such crystals would never be lost or destroyed.

    [I have enough experience to upgrade Power Break and turn the burst of strength into 30 OZ, 10% of that is 3 OZ, and pretty much the equivalent of a level 20 legendary equipment. Once I get to over several hundred OZ worth of strength, what kind of bonus stats would that be?]

    Brendel knew how much value it was able to bring him.

    ¡°If you want to put a tag on this,¡± He smiled as he brought the crystal up: ¡°Three billion.¡±

    [[[[Three billion?!]]]]

    The mercenaries¡¯ faces turned into incredulous expressions. If Brendel said three million, they might start to have difficulty in breathing. But three billion was more than the richest duchy could earn in a year. This astronomical figure was beyond the imagination of the mercenaries who were born asmoners.

    They could only think that Brendel was joking with them.

    Even Romaine snorted lightly and red at him, while Amandina frowned and thought he was exaggerating again.

    But Brendel ignored them and happily ced the object on his right hand, which gradually sank into it. He was used to the odd sensation, and he brought the legguards up once the process was over. Once he did so he eximed loudly.

    ¨C Blood Greaves, [Brass Quality], +10.5% in movement speed, +5 Physique

    ¨C Requirements: Level 20; Equipment rating (20 OZ)

    Brendel suddenly thought the world was not realistic anymore.

    [Is this the end of the world? Am I being promoted to be the Lucky King? A Spectral Knight¡¯s Crystal with a Magic equipment. This is an Elite monster, not a Boss......]

    He stared at it before he suddenly recalled something and asked in a hurry: ¡°Who touched the corpse!¡±

    [[[[Touched the corpse?]]]]

    Everyone did not understand what he meant, and he realized he spoke wrongly. He coughed and changed his words: ¡°I mean, who cleared up the battlefield and collected the loot.¡±

    That question sounded a little strange. Was there a need to assign someone to do something like that? The mercenaries looked at each other and was momentarily quiet, but a voice finally responded.

    ¡°It was me, my lord. Is there something you are dissatisfied with?¡±

    The voice sounded a little taciturn. Brendel turned his head and found that it was the older Elementalist sister. She raised his head up to him but she could not hide the sliver of anxiety in her eyes. He had asked with such fervor that she wondered if she did something wrongly.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Brendel nodded: ¡°I¡¯ll leave the matters of clearing the battlefield to you.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± She looked nkly at him with her hand ced over her chest. It looked like some kind of glorious task but she did not understand why she caught Brendel¡¯s attention. She thought for a long time and could only think that it was some fetish of the nobles, and her eyes became suspicious of Brendel.

    Brendel whirled around and did not exin to her. He was secretly delighted because he used to lead a bunch of luckless party members. This time there was a lucky person who was also a hot babe......

    The Blood Greaves were a standard ¡®Tank¡¯ item in the game. Brendel wanted to let the Nightsong Tiger wear it, but thetter exined that summons were unable to benefit from any magic equipment. Even though they could use the sword and bow to do damage, they could not ess the energy from the artifacts.

    The only possibility for them to be equipped was through the rules of the neswalker¡¯s system. By equipping a card onto them, they would be able to benefit from it. For example, if Brendel equipped the Holy Sword card onto the Mercenaries of Lopes, one of them could use the full benefits of the Holy Sword.

    Although, the maintenance still had to be paid out.

    The girls were notbatants so they were not suitable for the Blood Greaves. In the end, Brendel wore it with a little guilt in his heart.

    [If this is done in the game, everyone would have posted in the forums about my greedy actions to take all the loot....]

    When he finished putting them on, the two scouts returned.

 volume 2 - 95

    TL: Next TAS update will be on Wednesday. Any Engrish errors will be fixed some timeter. I need to do some stuff.

    Chapter 95 ¨C The holy alliance

    The scouts returned to report that they did not discover any more enemies, and Brendel led everyone into the temple.

    Once inside the temple of the Elven Goddess Sayel, the sealed Altar opened again after nearly two centuries ¡ª

    Each tall elf walked down with a cold expression, their silver long braided behind their ears, their heads fixed with pointed silver helmets with wings adorned at the sides, their hands carried a doubled-ded sword, their bodies covered with full silver-chain armor. They descended down the Altar made of obsidian rocks withrge steps, and Brendel was unable to suppress his feelings, and only one thought was left in his mind.

    [Heavy infantry! The strongest infantry rumored in the continent, the Royal Elven Guards!]

    Twenty of them nodded towards Brendel and then stood at each side of the altar. At the end, a faint shadow appeared in the center of the altar, like a spirit that was slowly forming. Sounds of weapons being drawn could be heard behind Brendel, as the mercenaries pulled out their weapons, but Brendel was not anxious as he somehow guessed what was going to happen and faintly nodded.

    Under everyone¡¯s anxious eyes, the figure gradually became clearer and his appearance could be seen. An adult elf with silver eyes, hair wore a silver robe appeared before them. Even his skin was a pale silver. He was taller than everyone in the room, and appeared brawny even amongst the Elves.

    He swept across everyone with his stern gaze as though to discern them. Most of the mercenaries lowered their heads, including the Nightsong Tiger. Even though it was just a projection, everyone held their breaths as they could feel the strength of the figure in front of them. Their first thought was that he was one of the ancestral kings of the Silver Elves.

    The Silver Elf thought for a while before he spoke: ¡°Are you humans?¡±

    Everyone nodded.

    ¡°Who is he?¡± Amandina whispered behind Brendel.

    ¡°I believe he is the First King, ndorr. I have seen the likeness of him in engravings.¡± Brendel spouted lies. The eleven portraits of the Silver Elf Kings were posted in the forums and Brendel could naturally recognized them.

    But once he spoke, the gigantic Elf looked at him: ¡°You recognize me?¡±

    Brendel nodded without any choice. What else could he have done? The ancestral kings of the Silver Elves experienced the War of the Holy Saints, which happened during the terrifying Era of Chaos. There were people with the Golden Bloodline, and all the races were descendants of the Silver Bloodline. The strong appeared everywhere, and even Medissa who was underage had the strength of a Gold-ranked fighter. It might appear to be unbelievable in this era, but they were everywhere back then.

    [The gamers who had nothing to do estimated the levels of the strongest fighters. Their conclusions ended up with the Four Holy Saints with at least level hundred eighty and above, while the leaders of the humans, Dwarves, Elves, had no less than a hundred and fifty. A warrior had to have at least their Elements unsealed, while everything under the Gold-rank was cannon fodder. In other words, that was the Era of Legends.]

    Brendel thought that some of the data might have errors in them, but he felt they were not too far off the mark. In front of him was a projection, whose aura made him feel it was hard to breathe.

    ndorr pondered for a while before he spoke again: ¡°That matter about the Child Medissa, I thank you for it. But what is your purpose foring here?¡±

    Brendel nodded again.

    [Didn¡¯t you say that your agreement is given an ¡®okay pass¡¯? Why is there another ndorr? Did that little girl lie....... But I can¡¯t ask her about it now since I can¡¯t summon her.]

    But ndorr continued after pausing for a while: ¡°Speak, what aid do you wish, our old allies.¡±

    The Elven King¡¯s voice was very low, as though he was not used to Kirrlutz¡¯snguage, thus he spoke slowly. However, his meaning was clear. Everyone except Brendel thought the Elven King was easy to talk to.

    [I¡¯m afraid things are not so simple with this king¡ª]

    Brendel decided to be honest in his reply: ¡°I am here to deal with the Lizardmen bandits in the forest. This is also Medissa¡¯s wish, and I wish to receive your help.¡±

    ¡°This is a fight between the living, how can the dead interfere with it?¡± ndorr said.

    [Shit! This sly bastard!] Brendelined in his mind, but he answered:

    ¡°No, this concerns you.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The bunch of Lizardmen are probably under the Tree Shepherds.¡± He boldly looked at them.

    ¡°The Tree Shepherds?¡± He answered in a low voice.

    ¡°After the War of Holy Saints, the Twilight Dragon had been sealed permanently. The Miirna were driven by our ancestor, the King of Fire Gatel, to the icy regions in the north. Although the world had not recorded their presence ever since, the fact is they still exist. They separated and integrated themselves into the world, calling themselves the Tree Shepherds, the tinum Sky Snakes, and worked from the shadows to overthrow civilization and unseal the Twilight Dragon.¡±

    Amandina uttered a sudden gasp. She looked at Brendel in shock as she listened to him. She did not expect that the Tree Shepherds were the fabled Citizens of Darkness.

    [My lord seems to know about this the very beginning, but he knows, then the higher echelons must have known about this. Why have they not taken any actions to drive this group out? If the Citizens of Darkness exists, then what about the Twilight Dragon, is it really going toe back to this world again?]

    She did not think that Brendel would lie in this situation, especially in front of the Elven King. The War of the Holy Saintssted for nearly seven hundred years, and it was a chaotic world that resembled hell. She could not imagine the world to return to that chaotic era, and the fact the Golden Lineage hadpletely died out, while the people with Silver Bloodline waning, how would the meremoners of this world save it again?

    She paled a little.

    ndorr raised his eyebrows when he finished listening to Brendel.

    ¡°Gatel was too soft. I had warned him of this when I was still alive, but it seems that young man did not listen to me in the end. But perhaps he was crowned king precisely because of that......¡±

    Brendel kept his silence, but the others were appalled to the point they nearly could not speak. In the end it was the younger Elementalist sister who asked: ¡°King E-ndorr, you said that the King of Fire Gatel, was soft hearted?¡±

    Brendel understood why they were surprised. History depicted Gatel as a cruel and cold man. He was thest of the Holy Saints, and the rumors about him were how he cut a bloodbath to set up his own empire and chased the Mirrna to the harsh north.

    The real history was something entirely different.

    In order to avoid the topic being changed, he interrupted and said: ¡°The Lizardmen are here partly because of the interest in stealing the treasure from the tomb. Medissa said they had approached the Altar more than once and stolen an artifact that belongs to her. Your majesty, even though you had slumbered throughout the ages, I believe that you were able to notice their actions.¡±

    ndorr nodded. He looked at the two Wild Elves. Although he recognized them as Elves, he was not able to discern which bloodline they were from.

    ¡°That is to say¡ª¡± Brendel said with a confident look.

    ndorr revealed a warm smile for the first time, but it was quickly gone and his face became cold again: ¡°Even though the creatures of the dark have almost no chance to break through Mother Marsha¡¯s barrier, our oaths of the paths are still binding. We will stand together to fight against the Darkness, our human friends.¡±

    ¡°We are most grateful.¡± Brendel ced his hand on his chest and bowed.

    ¡°What should we do now?¡± Amandina gathered her courage and asked Brendel. There was encouragement in his eyes.

    ¡°I will lend my guards to you.¡± ndorr replied: ¡°They are the bravest warriors amongst the Silver Elves, and swore to fight against the Darkness for all eternity after their deaths. They will follow you and help you clear the enemies of darkness. However, the Altar has grown weaker since. They are unable to leave this region and cannot be projected for too long. Thest thing.....¡±

    He paused.

    ¡°Treat Medissa well. She¡¯s a pitiful child.¡± The Elven King said in a quiet voice.

    Brendel nodded. Amandina whispered to Brendel: ¡°Why does he trust us so much?¡±

    ¡°Simply because,¡± Brendel¡¯s expression was solemn as he whispered back: ¡°You don¡¯t understand the era they were living in. The humans have sworn oaths with the other races under unthinkable circumstances. The oath is treated as sacred and did not involve any conditions. It was an alliance that they made in order to simply survive. During that era, the races who fought against the Twilight Dragon were as close as brothers and sisters, otherwise there was no need for the war to continue......¡±

    ¡°The War of the Holy Saints?¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    Then he suddenly frowned and turned to a specific direction. He saw that the Nightsong Tiger was looking in the same direction. Thetter was silent, but he talked to Brendel through his mind:

    ¡°Card Resonance.¡±

 volume 2 - 96

    TL: Currently busy with real life issues, so probably update is on next week¡¯s Saturday.

    Chapter 96 ¨C Fallen (1)

    The battle was over. Conrad and the Disciples of the ck mes¡¯s bishop stood together to survey the battlefield strewn with corpses, as wafts of white smoke rose thickly. There was death everywhere.

    Demons, disciples, mercenaries¡¯ bodies were gradually bing colder as their blood poured into the ground. They were still living a while ago, but their skin were bing taut and their muscles rigid.

    Conrad walked over a few steps, turned over a female mercenary¡¯s body and a groan could be heard from thetter. He frowned and ran his sword through her heart and ended her life.

    He then raised his heart and said impatiently: ¡°No, Duke Rhun¡¯s only son isn¡¯t here. That fucking bastard Makarov!¡±

    ¡°Since you knew him so well, why did you fight this battle?¡± The dark bishop said with a low voice: ¡°We lost quite a few men, and it was that giant who was beside Makarov.¡±

    ¡°How do you reap the benefits if you don¡¯t invest?¡± Heughed as he licked his lips. He pulled out the sword stained with blood and pointed to his nearby men: ¡°Bring the rest of the prisoners to me!¡±

    Several shivering men from the Grey Wolves Mercenaries were quickly brought before him. They fought like the bravest warriors during battle, but once they were out of it they realized they had no chance to fight back. Theirrades-in-arms were skinned alive or eaten by the demons and they realized they had no chance to change their fates.

    Once they understood this, fear of their unknown fate gripped their hearts.

    Amongst them was the familiar white-haired youth that Brendel knew well. He looked condescendingly at the other frightened men who were pale. He had stayed behind to cover Y and a few other Grey Wolves Mercenaries to allow them to escape, so it was a given that he got caught.

    He red defiantly at Conrad. He had once thought he was themander of the ¡®Paper Cards¡¯ mercenaries.

    [Bloody fucking hell...... That bastard Brendel was actually right. Not only was this shit bastard colluding with the Disciples of the ck mes, he was the dog of the Tree Shepherds.]

    Conrad did not look much older than Brendel, and Redi was furious over how Brendel had humiliated him. Now that Conrad did the same thing by catching him, he saw Brendel and Conrad as the same arrogant fucks who deserved to get their faces crushed by hammers.

    He used the most condescending gaze he had to look at his enemies, trying to incite their anger.

    [If this piece of garbage intimidates me, I¡¯ll be able to shame him and let these unworthy bastards know the bravery of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries.]

    He nned to do so, but Conrad merely paused and smiled at him. Thetter then shifted his gaze and looked at another mercenary.

    ¡°Are you looking down at me?¡± Redi was angry and said muffled words because his mouth was gagged, trying to struggle and rush at Conrad, but thetter¡¯s men restrained him tightly. He could only watch helplessly as Conrad walk over to thest man of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries on the right and said something to him.

    That mercenary was momentarily stunned before he shook his head with much difficulty.

    Redi thought that Conrad would have tortured him at least for a while, but that monster waved his hand and hisrade was taken away. Redi could not turn his head, but the sounds of flesh tearing apart could be heard behind him. It was as if flesh was being ripped apart from the bones while organs started slipping out from the body and dropped on the ground. Desperate shrieks of pain echoed throughout the forest, which gradually turned to sobbing howls and finally hoarse gasps with a final low bellow.

    The voice disappeared after a while, and the remaining mercenaries trembled at the same time.

    Conrad walked to the next mercenary and asked something. That mercenary was scared out of his wits and merely knelt on the ground and said nothing. The youngmander shook his head with regret and signaled to the men behind the mercenary. They moved away, and Conrad suddenly stabbed through the mercenary¡¯s eye with his sword and kicked him backwards.

    He pped his hands and let his men take the corpse away.

    There were three men left, including Redi. The white-haired young man saw that his fellow mercenaries seemed to lose their sanity because of fear. It seemed like they had started to remember they joined the profession because they simply wanted to live and not die from starvation. All the glory and belief that they got from their various feats in battle crumbled in an instant.

    The two men realized they only wanted to live on.

    Redi watched them act like cowards. They used tough in the face of danger and were proud of themselves, but their actions now made Redi curse at them in his heart, but he hurled muffled abuses at Conrad.

    ¡°Kill me now, you cunt!¡± Redi wanted nothing more to prove himself. Was it not just death? He wanted to prove to hisrades who were controlled by fear that death was nothing to be afraid of.

    The most shameful thing was to submit to the enemies.

    Conrad seemed like he could not hear Redi. He dismissed the other mercenaries without even asking any questions. Before the final mercenary was dragged away, he managed to loosen his gag and kept begging for his life. He swore to join the Paper Cards and said that he was willing to tell everything that he knew, but in the end he was taken away.

    Redi was the only one left.

    Conrad stood right before him¡ª

    Redi acted without thinking, and he tried repeatedly to pounce at him like a crazed animal. But his chest was immediately kicked hard backwards, and he looked like a kicked dog who rolled a few times on the ground. When he crawled back up, he realized that he was the only one left.

    [There¡¯s no one left to witness my bravery? Who should I show now? The enemy?]

    He looked at the reticent Conrad and the bishop who had his features hidden in the shadows. They would not give appreciate his heroic actions. A bone piercing shiver permeated his whole body and Redi trembled. He thought of a problem. Was he going to die here like the cowards in a shitty death without reason or rhyme?

    [I¡¯m the most talented youth aside from Eke in the mercenaries, if I die here just like the corpses here, who would know of my heroic deeds? No, I can¡¯t die just like that, but there¡¯s no one else in the forest to record them. Was there really no one hiding in the forest? Someone who¡¯s pretending to be dead?]

    Redi did not want to die a meaningless death like the cowards before him, but he knew that it was a wishful thought for someone to record his honorable death. Before the Disciples of the ck mes, no one except themander and Buga could hide in the forest.

    He hesitated in his heart. Dying an ignoble death was something that he could not bear and his expressions kept changing.

    Conrad looked coldly at him. He had said nothing from the start to him, then he suddenly pulled out a dagger from the bishop¡¯s waist and approached the white-haired man. Redi¡¯s straightened up subconsciously as he realized death was approaching. He did not expect Conrad to say nothing at all. He was from a long lineage of high nobles and descendant of the Knight Mark, and he struggled before feeling the cold dagger de on his neck.

    He did not want to die.

    Redi¡¯s heart finally had the color of despair in it. The will to fight back had disappeared, and Conrad did not miss the expression of his eyes. The knife was instantly withdrawn and his gag was loosened.

    ¡°Do you want to die?¡± Conrad asked.

    Redi opened and closed his mouth several times, wanting to curse at him, but he realized that he was merely trembled and could not say anything. In the end he nodded once, before he suddenly realized what he was doing and shook his head repeatedly. He suddenly felt his face hot. It was not because of his own weakness, but because he was actually afraid till the point where he did not even listen to his question properly.

    An utter disgrace.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask you a question.¡± Conrad straightened up to look down on the kneeling man: ¡°The other group of men who traveled with you, where did they go and how many men did they have?¡±

    Redi was stunned. If the monster in front of him wanted him to reveal the core information about the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, he thought he would not be able to bring up anything, but to mention that particr group of men would mean getting revenge. At that moment, Redi saw them as people to cooperate with, and not surrendering to them.

    [I will first get revenge on that bastard.] He gritted his teeth.

    ¡°They headed for the east before you attacked. They are fifteen in total and their leader is around your age. Amongst them are twelve guards and two girls.¡± He paused for a moment: ¡°The guards are at least Silver-ranks. I know this because I secretly listened to themander and Buga talking.¡±

    He spilled everything out without even Conrad¡¯s reminder. If Brendel was to see this scene, he would have beenughing out loud from anger. He only punched him once while Conrad had kicked him like a dog, and it seemed like he hadpletely forgotten about that fact.

    Conrad and the bishop exchanged nces.

 volume 2 - 97

    TL: Thanks to Seren who donated a whopping 150 dors to TAS!

    Chapter 97 ¨C Fallen (2)

    =========== Conrad¡¯s POV =============

    They did not say anything after Redi finished speaking.

    The slightly cool wind swept across the entire battlefield under the night sky, and the scent of blood permeated the air. The monster-likemander of the ¡®Paper Cards¡¯ and the dark bishop stood there quietly, as though they were digesting the information that Redit told them.

    Conrad smiled as he looked at Redi as if he praising thetter¡¯s cooperation. The truth he would find it praiseworthy, regardless of thetter¡¯s brave resistance in order to die or his obedience towards him in order to live.

    ¡°Twelve guards with the Silver-ranked strength.¡± He repeated the white-haired youth¡¯s words: ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Twelve?¡± The dark bishop looked at Conrad: ¡°I feel that group is a decoy, but it¡¯s also the truth that Eke was not in Makarov¡¯s forces.¡±

    ¡°No, you should stop doubting the information in front of you. If you keep hesitating it will only ruin things.¡± Conrad waved him off and looked at the kneeling youth on the ground: ¡°Are you a noble from the Kingdom of Unchanging Skies?¡±

    Redi nodded quickly after a lull.

    ¡°Good, it seems like you have more valuepared to these miserable fools.¡± Conrad¡¯s smile was like a devil: ¡°We don¡¯t need people who have no value so they got disposed of. But you are different; you have a strong will and clearly know what you want. The Grey Wolves Mercenaries are done for, and those who are smart know when to go over to the other side. Do you want to join us?¡±

    Redi looked at him in with a dumbfounded expression. He did not understand what Conrad meant. Thetter had guessed of his identity, and he was afraid that his noble status would actually harm him when he heard Conrad speak of it for the first time.

    However, it was clear if he refused to join them, his ending would be the same as the useless cowards before him.

    Redi was once again hesitant. He had betrayed his conscience once, and right now he was like a merchant who kept losing money. He poured in more investments in order to gain back capital, but it did not seem to be working at all no matter how much he wished for it. Conrad had given him a final rescue buoy. His hesitation onlysted for a few moments before he gritted his teeth and grabbed it.

    Even if he was to die, that wouldeter on.

    Conradughed: ¡°Very good. I¡¯ll lend you a few men, no, a whole squadron. I want you to lead them and chase that group of fifteen people. You don¡¯t need to kill them all, but if you managed to do so, I¡¯ll give you the leadership of the Paper Cards.¡±

    He pped Redi¡¯s face lightly: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am not lying to you. I have somewhere else I need to be after this mission.¡±

    Redi did not pay much attention to the leadership because he was more interested in killing Brendel. He was secretly relieved as he thought he was going to be killed on the spot. Now that he was offered a chance to live along with an enticing position, he started to feel d that he had made the right choice.

    Even though the Paper Cards were not as famous as the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, they were one of the biggest mercenary groups in the southern region. When he thought of the leadership position offered to him, he felt slightly inclined to be a leader.

    When he finished reveling in that future, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure shrouded in darkness. The dark bishop had stepped away to reveal a figure behind him, and Redi recognized her from the weapon.

    ¡°Scarlett.....?¡±

    ¡°Oh, is her name Scarlett?¡± The dark bishop¡¯s sinisterugh echoed in the forest: ¡°Then I shall call her Scarlett since I have no talent in giving names. If youplete this mission, I¡¯ll give her to you¡ª¡±

    Redi¡¯s throat gurgled once, and his hands balled into fists. Everyone in the Grey Wolves Mercenaries knew that he was fond of her, but Scarlett only had eyes for Eke and treated the rest of the mercenaries like siblings. He understood that fact clearly, but he still yearned for the day when Eke and Y got married, which he would hope for a chance after that to gain her affection no matter how small the chance might be.

    Even though she looked a little different from her usual self, he was excited over the prospect of having her. With so many temptations before him, the greed that was hidden deep in his heart started to grow.

    Conrad observed Redi¡¯s expression and gave a subtle grin. He tossed the dagger back to the dark bishop. That ominous de was used for rituals and not for killing, and as a member of the Tree Shepherds, he understood that such rituals were sacred as they were part of the n to revive the Dragon of Darkness.

    He started to walk away after giving instructions to his men and Redi. The dark bishop nced at Scarlett before catching up with Conrad. He nodded his head respectfully and praised him: ¡°You truly are a master at manipting minds.¡±

    He knew that Conrad had no real interest in asking the other Grey Wolves Mercenaries for information. Everything was done in order to show a performance for Redi simply because Conrad was certain about his weakness.

    ¡°Human nature is weak. We are keen on gaining profits and possess an instinct to avoid danger. But I don¡¯t toy with people¡¯s hearts ¡ª The only thing I offer to them is more choices.¡± He replied: ¡°Sadly,pared to the people who speak of honor and justice, I have a w; I cannot lie like them.¡±

    The dark bishop crackled: ¡°But we humans are cunning, he didn¡¯t show his weakness, did he.¡±

    ¡°That is why interrogation is an art.¡± Conrad smiled: ¡°To be honest, I was after his noble status. Having a pawn in the Kingdom of Unchanging Skies might prove to be useful. But why did you agree to lend your new pet to him?¡±

    ¡°That little girl is still holding on to her will. I¡¯ll let her witness how bad her formerrade is. Only when she recognized the darkness of a human would she synchronize faster with the Blood of Gods.¡±

    ¡°A wonderful n.¡±

    ¡°What are your current ns now?¡±

    ¡°We should prepare and rush to meet Hewjil. They actually headed for the east despite knowing it¡¯s the Lizardmen territory. Their actions go againstmon sense. If I didn¡¯t have the ability to control hearts, that cunning fox Makarov would have deceived me.¡±

    ¡°I must say that I destest working with that barbaric Lizardman.¡± The dark bishop shook his head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like it either.¡± Conrad took off his bloodied gloves as he replied.

    ============ Brendel¡¯s POV ============

    The starry night yesterday was proof of the crystal clear weather that followed, but no one knew about the cruel battle in the forest other than those who participated in it, and the only evidence left behind was the smouldering ground.

    The scorching sun was up and lit the entire forest despite the trees¡¯ dense leaves. The vivid-green foliage was surprising to their eyes, and the mercenaries started to wonder if the battles that happened allowed the trees to absorb nutrients from the bloodshed.

    They whispered amongst themselves, but it did not escape the youth¡¯s exceptional perception.

    ¡°Creating a myth like this is really scary.¡± Brendel muttered. He kept flipping the ck card in his hand. Even though it was a legendary artifact, the baleful ck color from the card¡¯s back was perplexing. Medissa¡¯s smile was warm and pleasant so the contrast was striking. This was the only ck Elemental Card he had, and he had no other cards that provided Dark EP.

    If he was able to summon the little girl, then he would be able to move freely without any worries. It seemed like it was still impossible to do so.

    He suddenly stopped his fidgeting. He was feeling the same sensations again from yesterday¡¯s night. The Card Resonance was happening again in his heart.

    [ording to the rules of the neswalker, a Card Resonance means that there¡¯s another card with the same series. I searched through all my cards but the Eversong card is the one causing a resonance. I didn¡¯t think a card that I created myself would have something rted to it. Does this mean that new Laws were written in rtion to the card? Or that it¡¯s because of the Darkness Element that is causing the Card Resonance? Or both?]

    ¡°Nightsong Tiger, is it possible for a Land Card to resonate with the Eversong Card?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quite unlikely, my lord. It is very rare for a Land Card to resonate with any cards. The cards that resonate with Eversong could be equipment, creatures or barriers, or specific creatures that can be sealed into the same series.¡± (TL: Medissa, Unicorn Night is Eversong I. If there are simr creature cards in the Eversong series, it will probably be Eversong II.)

    ¡°The Card Resonance had happened six times sincest night, and it gets closer each single time. Thest time it happened was an hour ago, and I feel like it¡¯s near to our left.¡± Brendel was puzzled. Was it a creature, or someone who was holding on to that card and moving about?

    He raised his head to peek at the location of the sun. They had been moving sincest night without rest, and it was nearly noon. Most Iron-ranked or people with 3 Physique and higher, had no problems for not sleeping a night or two, but Romaine and Amandina were having a tough time. Brendel nced at them to check their conditions. The Elementalist sisters took care of them which helped them to barely manage to keep up with the group.

    [There isn¡¯t much time left. Because of the dy in the Altar, we can¡¯t afford to waste even a second.]

    TL: About Redi and Brendel. I think that¡¯s where the angeres from. He sees Brendel as a merchant who offended the status quo in this world, i.e, merchant vs noble. When it came to Conrad, he¡¯s a Tree Shepherd who doesn¡¯t give a flying **** about social sses, so Redi is being a hypocritical noble here, as he probably perceives them as outliers who wield considerable power and can be worked with.

    Remember that it was hinted that some of the nobles allowed the Madara undead to invade the southern region in order to wrestle power from the royal family, so that ¡®noble¡¯ inside Redi probably epted Conrad¡¯s proposal more easily than he would think. I read criticism about Redi being that stereotypical Chinese trope of setting up as a viin against the protagonist, but I actually think he¡¯s quite subtle as a character since he probably reflects the typical Aouine noble heading to the fallen path (at least that¡¯s what I think the title of the chapter means). I think with a little bit more editing and handling on his character, he could be quite interesting.

 volume 2 - 98

    TL: Suggested music to be yed from Chapter 98 ¨C 100. Donated chapter.

    Chapter 98 ¨C Fallen (3)

    The Disciples of the ck mes were actively searching in the forest for their enemies, which meant that Brendel¡¯s group could encounter them any time.

    [There¡¯s no need to be too worried about encountering any boss fights. The disciples are probably searching for Makarov and Buga, while the only trouble we should encounter are the Lizardmen. This battle can¡¯t be avoided, otherwise there would be troubleter on if I don¡¯t clear them as soon as possible.]

    The entire quest was a trap. A few of the government officials were bribed by the Tree Shepherds and the Tree Shepherds simply waited for Makarov to fall into their trap, which he did. However, Makarov deserved his fame and managed to send Eke out safely just with his instincts.

    Brendel did not care about what was going to happen to them. The problem he faced was the situation evolving past what the strategy guide in the forums had written. In the game, the group of gamers werepletely wiped out when Conrad appeared to battle Makarov, which then led to Makarov and Buga¡¯s escape by sacrificing both the Grey Wolves Mercenaries and the gamers.

    If the situation continued to the point where the gamers did not die, Brendel spected that the Tree Shepherd¡¯s next move was to give orders to the Lizardmen Bandits and search for his group. Once Makarov and Buga were out of the forest, then the Tree Shepherd¡¯s attention would turn back to his group.

    Brendel needed to vanquish the Lizardmen before he was surrounded by the enemies. Once the Lizardmen had the Tree Shepherd leading them, he was not sure whether he would be able to handle his enemies.

    At this point of time, the Lizardmen were nothing more than a mob of monsters. With the group of Elves who wore full silver armor and helmets to only show a pair of irises, he felt fully confident that he would easily defeat them. They were after all the royal guards during the alliance of the Holy Saints who went undefeated during their time.

    The Elves had exined to Brendel that they would quickly lose their strength once they were outside the Altar, but thetter was not worried as took less than two days to reach the Lizardmen. Even if they were weakened to half strength, they were at least level thirty Elites which was more than enough to sweep the Lizardmen away¡ª

    He definitely wanted to leave their corpses behind to get back at the Tree Shepherds.

    [I won¡¯t let any treasure and XP slip past me......] Brendel was still trying to figure out a way to kill the level 50 BOSS, the dark bishop of the Tree Shepherds. Conrad was another great appetizer, if he could get to him. It was one of the game¡¯s highlights to make use of high level NPCs to kill bosses. In this case, the Silver Elves were supposedly a good choice if he managed to encounter them right away, but it was far more likely they would encounter the enemies at a muchter time.

    At the same time, Brendel felt troubled by the Silver Elves. They were mostly proud and had reticent personalities, and chose to follow Brendel¡¯s group from a far distance. They were confident that no enemies would be able to bypass them. Even though the humans held alliances with the Silver Elves, the prideful lot was not keen on working with the human mercenaries. It wasmon sense for them to act in that manner, but the Mercenaries of Lopes were angered by them because they had never been slighted before.

    The Nightsong Tiger frowned at them as he cast nces at the Silver Elves. He knew how terrifying they were so he did not wish to talk about them.

    ¡°My lord, I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s another card within the Eversong series¡ª¡± He spoke patiently in his mind.

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes,¡± Brendel interrupted him inside his mind: ¡°You already told me that six times already. The Eversong card is a legendary card, so the resonating card is most likely a legendary card as well right? I even memorized every word you told me. I know that very well, but that card keeps getting closer and closer to us and it¡¯s just too strange. Rather than actively seek for the card, I think we should just wait and see what happens.¡±

    The Nightsong Tiger smiled while shaking his head. He knew that point very well, but his lord looked as if he did not care about these important things. The more powerful the neswalker was, the stronger the summons would be, but Brendel did not want to listen about it. Even though he kept hinting to Brendel that he should focus to train as a neswalker and gather Cards, thetter simply continued doing what he wanted to do without changing his ns at all.

    The Nightsong Tiger had seen many things in his days but he was unable to guess what Brendel¡¯s ns were.

    [Does he want to be a lord of a region? But this is quite meaningless for a neswalker, especially when they experienced the neswalker¡¯s world for the first time. A mortal might be interested in gaining authority, but the ultimate goals for a neswalker are to discover the truth of this world and seek a higher path of power. Is there anything in the mortal world that is more attractive than that?] The Nightsong Tiger scratched his beard.

    Certainly, the thing that he did not understand about Brendel was his greed for items. Thetter was practically drooling for items that might not even exist. As a hardcore gamer, there would be no way for him to escape from the idea of killing and looting a BOSS.

    When the youth nearly fell into a state of delirious giggling, someone patted his back.

    The shock was extraordinary. He jumped up a little and whipped his head to the back to a shining golden helmet and a pair of silver-grey eyes.

    [The Elvenmander. Gosh, fucking hell bro, do you even make any noises when you move?]

    Brendel recognized him in an instant, before cursing at him in his mind. He patted his chest and asked: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    The Silver Elves were formidable because of their abilities and equipment, and not known for their subterfuge. Brendel was frightened because he did not pay attention to his surroundings in the slightest.

    The Elvenmander did not feel guilty for scaring him, and did not show any expressions at all. He merely pointed to a direction and said quietly: ¡°A group of people is escaping and moving to our location.¡±

    ¡°Escaping?¡± Brendel paused for a moment as he noticed the word the Elven Commander used.

    [Who¡¯s escaping in this direction? Buga¡¯s men should be in the south. Was there anything in the guide that said otherwise or did the gamers miss out something relevant?]

    The Elvenmander¡¯s gaze went back to Brendel, as though there was a slight dissatisfaction to Brendel¡¯s questioning tone, but thetter nodded.

    Brendel knew that this blockhead-like fellow would not be joking with him. He even wondered if the Elvenmander had the word ¡®joke¡¯ in his dictionary. In any case, he quickly raised his hand to signal for his group to stop.

    The sleepy Amandina and Romaine were jolted when the mercenaries immediately stopped upon Brendel¡¯s signal, and the merchant girl asked in curiosity: ¡°What¡¯s wrong Brendel?¡±

    Brendel put his finger to his lips, and very quickly, he could also hear footsteps rushing through the shrubs. Their chaotic footsteps seemed like they were in great disarray, and he could understand why the Elvenmander said they were running away.

    [Amazing. As expected of someone who¡¯s a high level NPC, this level of alertness isn¡¯t something a normal person would have.]

    He had seen many gamers ying like they were tourists in another country, hardly fitting for the brewing wars in Aouine. However, their given abilities were strong enough to fend off ambushes, so that was perhaps why they did acted like tourists.

    He listened carefully once more, and detected another source of troops who had mounts pursuing them. His expression became solemn. Two forces possessed mounts in this region. The first was the Lizardmen with their traditional Riding Lizard mounts, the other was the Disciples of the ck mes and their demons.

    Warhorses did not fare well in the forest, especially in this mountainous region, but he still thought it as a third distant possibility. He then signaled for everyone to fall into formation and prepare for battle.

    Very soon, the panicking people who were trying to escape entered his eyes. There were six of them, males and females split equally into half, and their clothes were tattered and torn like refugees. They had numerous wounds but they did not throw away their weapons, indicating that they still had the willpower to fight. Under the circumstances, Brendel thought they were excellent mercenaries.

    [Judging from their attire, they are the Grey Wolves Mercenaries. Wait¡ª They are heavy infantry made up of Juddn¡¯s citizens. I think I have seen them before. Does this mean the disciples are nearby fighting the Grey Wolves Mercenaries?]

    Brendel narrowed his eyes, but he believed that it was far more likely that they were stragglers who did not managed to group up with Buga. The injured mercenaries seemed to be stunned when they saw a group of men ready for battle and their expressions were full of despair. But someone amongst them recognized Brendel. It was the very same youth next to Redi when they came in the morning to tell him that the Grey Wolves Mercenaries were ready to set off.

    [I recognize that kid...... What¡¯s his name again? Oh, right! Sanford!] Brendel had a better impression of himpared to Sanford.

    ¡°Ser Brendel, please help us!¡± Once Sanford saw Brendel, his whole body seemed like he was stripped of energy and he fell to the ground. He yelled out like to him like he saw someone who came to rescue them.

    Brendel disliked meddling with things that did not concern him, but he was not one to disregard those in need. Furthermore, he was aided by the Elven guards, and it was the best moment for him to act grander than he really was. Makarov threw the Grey Wolves Mercenaries behind and treated them like cannon fodder, but it had also given Brendel an opportunity to recruit them, especially when most of them were experienced fighters.

    [The Juddn mercenaries are one of the finest around¡ª] Brendel nodded quickly as he thought about it, ordering his men to protect them.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± He asked the crucial question.

    ¡°We......¡± But before Sanford had the chance to answer, the troops chasing them literally answered his questions.

    The rusting of leaves could be heard somewhere nearby, and soon after several disciples were riding onrge ¡®boars¡¯ who charged out.

    Brendel recognized them as Demonic Boars, with green and orange spots covering their entire body, with four pairs of tusks and eyes. They were low level demons, but formed the majority of lower ranked cavalry and certainly fitting for the disciples. However, when Brendel saw the attire of the disciples, he took in a cold breath.

    ¡°Ser Brendel, be careful...... T-they are somewhat strange!¡± Sanford yelled towards him.

    [Of course they are fucking strange!] Brendel cursed. The odd ten plus Disciples of the ck mes were all high ranking members, was it not strange for their elite to chase these six forlorn mercenaries who looked like beggars?

    [No, wait¡ª] Brendel pulled out his longsword to prepare for battle. [If they really wanted to chase them, there¡¯s no way for Sanford and the rest of them to reach here at all. This meant they specifically drove them to this area. What is the reason for doing that, to intimidate me?]

    He did not know if he was targeted, especially when these detestable disciples seemed to have no reason as to why they would track him in the first ce.

    ¡°There¡¯s still someone else in the forest over there.¡± The Elvenmander suddenly spoke as he pointed to some tall bushes.

    Brendel immediately turned to the indicated location, but he could only seeyers of dense leaves made up of different colors blocking his view. But a momentter, he suddenly felt a sensation in his heart. The Unicorn Knight Card seemed to beat once like it was alive.

    [Again, it¡¯s a Card Resonance! So that is what¡ª No, ¡®who¡¯ it is, these disciples and that person are here for trouble!]

 volume 2 - 99

    TL: Donated Chapter.

    Chapter 99 ¨C Fallen (4)

    Brendel shook his head.

    [I was hoping to meet the disciples during the journey to the Lizardmen, but to think that you would really offer yourself on a silver tter to me. This service of offering your equipment and XP is exemry. But that figure over there¡ª]

    He rubbed his forehead and then beckoned with his hand to that direction.

    ¡°Come out.¡±

    Silence answered Brendel.

    The mercenaries in front of him were puzzled because they did not see anyone there, and they turned back to look at Brendel and the Elvenmander with confused eyes; Brendel was slightly surprised to see nothing happening despite his invitation.

    ¡°Hmm? You don¡¯t wish toe out?¡± He sneered, and pointed with his thumb. ¡°Oss!¡±

    He did not have any patience for hide-and-seek, and did not mind to use violent methods to bring his wretched enemies out. The air around him instantly went into a frenzy, seeming to converge into a single point where it waspressed with violent winds before it was released forward with a loud explosion. The st of wind shot directly towards his targeted area and the trees that were in its path snapped and cracked one by one. A deafening thunder echoed throughout the vicinity as it exploded in a circr radius, and once the dust settled, a red-haired girl was revealed.

    The powerful gale had torn the robes on her body, revealing red-ck armor and a war-dress that reached to her knees. She wore a pair of boots fashioned out ofyers of ovepping steel armor, and was simrly painted with red and ck. She stood in a battle stance and guarded her body with a halberd, as though this action was enough to prevent the Wind Bullet from advancing any further.

    There were clear tracks on the ground where the air current split in front of her and traveled into two directions where it pulled dirt over ten over meters before gradually stopping.

    Powerful.

    This was what Brendel¡¯s group thought of the girl.

    [That ring has the destructive force of a Silver-ranked fighter, so it also requires a Silver-ranked fighter to defend against it. But to withstand it without any damage and not even flinch..... A Gold-ranked fighter.]

    The Nightsong tiger rubbed his forehead admist the gasps of the mercenaries. He wondered if they actually came to the Era of Chaos. They kept encountering Gold-ranked fighters for the past few months and every one of them was young. Perhaps the capital or the most crowded cities would have such people appearing, but they were in the southern region and they even traveled to a rural ce like this. What was going on in this era?

    After a moment of silence, the red-haired girl raised her head up and stared at Brendel without blinking. Her reddish-gold irises seemed to burn with the intention of battling. She straightened herself up and swung her halberd forward. A bright arc of electricity trailed behind the weapon, and at the same time, the trees in the direction of her weapon were lopped off and crashed down loudly onto the ground.

    She smiled, revealing her canines. ¡°Is that all you have?¡±

    [It really is her.] Brendel sighed as he hadpletely forgot to factor a boss like this. The Bishop of Lightning, the Crimson Spectral Knight, Milford. Brendel stared at her unique halberd and immediately recognized her. He had forgotten about this character and her Spear of Lightning which had made numerous gamers vying for that weapon. It was unexpected because this Spectral Knight was already in this forest while she was only supposed to appear a few yearster.

    When the Card Resonance happened he had formed an answer, but until the girl was revealed he was not certain that he was right.

    [The Laws of Eversong. They turned out to be rted to unyielding hearts. Their hearts yearned for the light but fell into Darkness, and the Song of Lament is sung over and over again. This region gave birth to two Spectral Knights and actually resonated with each other.] Brendel took out the Eversong Card and nced at it. [Mother Marsha, I named this card in the hopes of gaining an undefeated army like the Elves, and not because of this reason!]

    Suddenly he jerked his head back at the red-haired girl, realizing that she was not a spirit yet.

    [But that appearance is definitely Milford¡¯s appearance. But what is up with the air around her? She feels like there¡¯s aplete transfusion of the Blood of Gods within her, not to mention the contradictory facts within the game. Milford is an iplete bishop of the Tree Shepherds, and she also has a Spectral Knight¡¯s form, but that¡¯s definitely a real body.]

    ¡°Scarlett! Redi!¡± A voice rang out beside him.

    Brendel turned his head and saw it was Sanford who was brought back by the Mercenaries of Lopes. He then followed the shocked gaze and saw white hair somewhere behind the girl. He was hiding behind a bush, trying to shrink as much as possible into it. Was it not that arrogant little prick, Redi?

    [Fuck. It¡¯s this pretentious bitch again.] Brendel cursed inside his heart. He thought he had given a good lesson to himst night and at least became a little more humble, but he came to look for trouble again¡ª

    Brendel narrowed his eyes as he wondered how he actually hooked up with the disciples. There was indeed a demonic boar beside him.

    [Hah! So that¡¯s how it is.]

    He could not help butugh with contempt: ¡°You defected to a new owner in a single night, and couldn¡¯t wait to drive your former friends to their death. My, my, my, you really are quite hardworking to try and please the Tree Shepherds.¡±

    The Grey Wolves Mercenaries were stunned¡ª

    ¡°Redi, y-you joined them?¡± Some of them could not believe their ears but they are not idiots. If they thought about what happened earlier, everything made sense. There was one who had a bad temper and immediately yelled at him: ¡°You fucking cuntface, I treated you like my brother!¡±

    ¡°Redi, how could you let us down like this!¡±

    Sanford simply asked: ¡°Redi, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    If res could kill someone, Redi would have executed Brendel many times over and even eat his heart alive. He had wanted to hide behind in the back to allow the disciples to kill his panions¡¯ and ¡®brothers¡¯. That way, he would not need to have such a guilty heart.

    But that was quickly broken by Brendel¡¯s attack, and he started to curse everyone in Brendel¡¯s group¡ª

    [These fucking pointy-eared shit pieces of....... Elves?]

    He suddenly realized there were twenty Elves who were covered in full armor.

    [Where did these bastardse from? Did themander, no, that cunning fox, Makarov, ce them here?]

    He looked carefully everywhere, afraid that it was a trap. He soon calmed down as he realized Scarlett was here. She had be a full Gold-ranked fighter and with the numbers of high ranking disciples he had, the thirty odd Silver-ranked fighters guarding Brendel would not be able to win.

    He straightened his body up and looked down on the Elven warriors. These Elves were really crazy to act like heavy infantries. Their weak bodies were more suited to be rangers, archers or hunters. He smirked as he observed them, before he realized his former allies were staring at him with questioning gazes or hateful eyes.

    He needed to exin himself. How could he allow himself to be branded as a traitor?

    Redi relished that he had made this n to drive the Grey Wolves Mercenaries to Brendel¡¯s location. He wanted Brendel to guard these weakened mercenaries, while having an excuse to defend himself if the situation required it.

    ¡°No, everyone! I did not join Commander Conrad. I merely made a deal with him to borrow his forces in order to deal with this bastard¡ª¡±

    He pointed at Brendel: ¡°This is the fucking son of a bitch who is the cause of all our trouble.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Brendel pointed at himself and felt the situation was a little funny.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s all because of you!¡± Redi roared at him, his old and new memories of hatred mixed together, causing his eyes to be bloodshot. ¡°If it¡¯s not because of you, I wouldn¡¯t end up like this. That fucking shit Makarov used us as baits in order to lure the attention of the disciples, just so that you can leave safely. It looks like the treatment for people are really different for some individuals. I think Makarov did not expect the final situation to turn out this way.¡±

    Heughed manically: ¡°Ser Brendel. You¡¯re so amazing with your twelve Silver-ranked guards. I¡¯m really so terrified. What do you want do now? Do you really think you still have the confidence and courage to teach me a lesson again?¡±

    Brendel was infuriated over the crazy narcissist in front of him. He wanted to speak but Redi raised his hand and interrupted him: ¡°There¡¯s no need to worm your way out of this. Commander Conrad has already told me everything. Why would he send me with so many elite members of his troops just to attack you? I¡¯m not an idiot as well.¡±

    He took a pause to emphasize his point. ¡°You are the real Eke, right?¡±

    [Huuuh? I¡¯m Eke?] Brendel felt like he was being turned into stone¡ª [Fuck your ¡®right¡¯ you imbecile!]

 volume 2 - 100

    TL: Regr chapter.

    Chapter 100 ¨C Fallen (5)

    [My fucking god, why not im that I¡¯m your grandfather too, you stupid fool!] Brendel already regained his senses and started to curse Redi in his mind.

    Makarov still managed to make use of him even though he escaped to the east to avoid such a situation from developing. He took a deep breath and penned it down inside his mind. When he had the time, he would visit Lantonrand and get the score even. Right now, he needed to deal with the dolt in front of him.

    [I¡¯ll probably lose ten years of my life if I have to talk with this crazy person any longer.]

    But before he had the chance to speak, Sanford had already cut into the conversation: ¡°So to sum it up Redi, you joined hands with the Paper Cards Commander, Conrad?¡±

    Brendel turned to look at Sanford, only to witness his calm face with a pair of cold eyes. Thetter did not have much expression on him, except that he was mildly disappointed. Brendel did not think this friendly youth had a steely side to him.

    Redi was surprised by Sanford¡¯s words. He looked at his former allies who were ring at him with anger, then back at Sanford¡¯s gaze who made him shrink back.

    But these angry gazes stoked his feelings to resist and he scoffed coldly: ¡°It¡¯s that simple. Can¡¯t you see that Makarov has abandoned us? The old fucker had only treated us like usable pawns. Why should I continue to work for him? Why can¡¯t I choose a better option?¡±

    ¡°Thus you came over to kill us and disy your loyalty to your new owner?¡± Sanford¡¯s voice was biting: ¡°I am your best friend. These men and women were once yourrades. Makarov had wronged you, have we wrong you too?¡±

    Redi was silenced.

    He gritted his teeth and hesitated for a while. He struggled to find a reply as he answered with a guilty heart: ¡°I didn¡¯t wish to kill you in the first ce. If you join me, I¡¯ll still treat you like myrades.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want your pity!¡± Sanford replied in disgust: ¡°I treated you as my best friend because I thought you had the sense to do the right thing. I must truly be blind not to see for what you are!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re the same as well!¡± The remaining Grey Wolves Mercenaries spoke bitterly.

    Brendel watched the scene unfold in front of him, but he was constantly on the alert to see if the situation changed. However, Sanford suddenly turned and bowed to him.

    ¡°Ser Brendel, Redi is right in saying that Makarov had abandoned us. The oldmander had treated us like family for over a decade, whatever hatred that we have is negated by that fact. From this moment forth, we are a group of pitiful worms who is being hunted right now. If you would lend a hand to save us, we will pledge ourselves to you and fulfill whatever task that you have for us. We merely wish to live.¡±

    Brendel was slightly surprised and he looked at the rest of the mercenaries, and realized that the refugees more or less epted Sanford¡¯s suggestion. It was clear that the youth had considerable influence amongst them.

    But he tilted his head and looked at Redi: ¡°Though it is true that I can save you, that bastard over there said that I have a deep rtionship with Makarov. Even if that¡¯s the case, can you still ept it?¡±

    ¡°That fool has been taken over by the mere thought of revenge. He is no different from a moron! Who would believe what he¡¯s saying?¡± One of the mercenaries with a burly figured snapped.

    Brendel turned back to Sanford and thetter merely nodded.

    He was secretlyughing inside as that he thought the moron Redi did not entirely do bad deeds. At least he did managed to send over a group of veteran mercenaries for him.

    However, his face was serious and said solemnly: ¡°That matter can be discussedter. It seems that I have some personal grievances with this Redi. Once I take care of him, we can discuss further¡ª¡±

    Brendel peeked at him, but that apparently was a terrible move because he saw Redi¡¯s smug face. He had opened his mouth in an exaggerated manner which made Brendel feel really irritated to the point where he wanted to rip a new one for him.

    ¡°Ha! Ha! Ha!¡± The white-haired youthughed three times. ¡°Take care of me? Ser Brendel, oh, or should I say, Ser Eke. It seems like you have not understood the situation you are in. The disciples here are the elites amongst the Disciples of the ck mes, every one of them has the strength of a peak Silver-ranked fighter, not to mention miss Scarlett here who has the strength of a Gold-ranked warrior. With such a force on my side, you are actually arrogant enough to say that you want ¡®to take care of me¡¯, haha, with just thirty silver-ranked guards? Your joke isn¡¯t funny at all.¡±

    He walked to Scarlett¡¯s back as he spoke, reaching out to her face in order to pat it. However, thetter batted his hand away and red coldly at him. He coughed once in embarrassment to clear his throat. It was good that his formerrades did not notice his plight.

    That was because Sanford and the others were shocked at the strength of his forces, and even wondered how the crazy fool managed to get Scarlett working for him. They only saw that there was something odd about her, as though she did not recognize them at all.

    They subconsciously took a step back. Were they going to die today?

    They looked at the their new ¡®boss¡¯, but everyone was stunned at his reaction. That young ¡®merchant¡¯ actually had the time tofort his femalepanions¡ª

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can ignore that narcissist.¡± Brendel turned over and unexpectedly patted Romaine¡¯s face with a convincing voice.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m already ignoring him, w-what are you doing, don¡¯t randomly touch a girl¡¯s face!¡± Romaine¡¯s eyebrows were raised high, and quickly prevented his hand from taking any further advantage with a loud voice and blushing face.

    The Mercenaries of Lopes merely looked at the squadron of twenty odd Silver Elves¡¯ heavy infantry behind them. They were certain of who was the one going to be in trouble. Their lord might look like he was a straightforward person but he was actually a sly and devious person, and there was no way he would let himself get into a disadvantageous situation.

    The Grey Wolves Mercenaries could only look on and scream inside their hearts as they looked at Brendel¡¯s reaction.

    But Brendel¡¯s actions of ignoring Redi had the effect he wanted. Thetter was trembling with rage from all the humiliation from Conrad and Brendel, and barked like a rabid dog: ¡°Attack! Attack! Kill them all! No, leave their leader alone, I will let him know the price of offending me¡ª¡±

    He quickly calmed down: ¡°The two women beside him, keep them alive as well¡ª¡±

    He nned to repay Brendel¡¯s humiliation a hundred fold and licked his lips with anticipation.

    But Brendel merely looked at him and raised his hand.

    [Did he signal for me to wait?] Redi looked at him with a confused look. It waste for him to beg for mercy when his orders are already given. The disciples had already rushed out with a fervor and would not stop for any other orders. He thought it was just as well for the disciples to attack them and let Brendel know the meaning of fear.

    ¡°Continue to pretend, you bastard¡ª¡± He muttered angrily.

    The Grey Wolves Mercenaries¡¯ immediately paled. Their limbs were cold and shivering, but they still took up their weapons and intended to fight to their deaths. They still clung to their namesake and oaths for the Grey Wolves Mercenaries.

    Redi red at their resistance, as though he wanted to enjoy looking at the idiots who wanted to oppose him. He quickly saw Brendel who was smiling and mouthing a few words. They were not asking for mercy. He pieced each word slowly after a long while before they were formed into a coherent sentence:

    ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯re too early.¡±

    [I¡¯m too early?] Redi did not understand what it meant [Has he gone crazy from the shock of seeing my men?]

    When Brendel¡¯s hand was lowered, the twenty odd expressionless Silver Elves immediately acted. When they did so, Redi¡¯s expressionpletely changed.

    He was indeed too early. If he cameter, even though he still could not do anything to Brendel, at least he would not have sent himself to a death that he could not avoid.

    The Grey Wolves Mercenaries, the Mercenaries of Lopes, Amandina¡¯s expressions changed.

    The Silver Elves¡¯ bodies suddenly lit up with all sorts of colors that gathered on their armor and weapons, as though a rainbow had formed in front of them. These signified one thing.

    The powers of Elements.

    The strongest heavy infantry of the Silver Elves who were the match for the Knights of the Holy Cathedral in this era!

    Redi wanted to p himself for thinking that the Elves were suited for only a few professions. The disciples could not wake up in time from their crazed trance and were drowned by the dazzling light.

    The swords were drawn from the Silver Elves¡¯ sheathes, and the disciples and demons¡¯ heads flew up in the air as the twenty odd lights charged forward without stopping.

 volume 2 - 101

    TL: So what happened for the past week? Cough. My mouse broke down and I went shopping for a new one. I had a pretty shitty mouse that I used for overwatch, and so I got a cheap gaming mouse for 10 dors to game at it...... In case you were wondering if there¡¯s any manga like progression where I git gud at gaming, nope. Anyways, I had a lot of fun (I¡¯ll never game like that again) and I¡¯ll be tranting for a full day as an apology for goingpletely MIA. I know that cliffhanger is like wtf......

    You can expect 3 more chapters soon (Over the next few hours).

    Chapter 101 ¨C Perfectpletion

    The battle was over before it started.

    The high ranking Disciples of the ck mes were no match for the Elven heavy infantry who possessed the Element powers. The Silver Elves who lived long lives were exceedingly focused on learningbat techniques. Not only did they have high physique and excellent equipment, they had continuously sought to improve their skills for centuries.

    Under their watchful eyes, the slight movements that their enemies made were enough for them to see through their intentions. Brendel watched the disciples use their abilities in front of the Elven warriors and could not resistughing. In front of the Silver Elves who pursued perfection inbat, it was the equivalent of desecrating the highest form of art.

    The Silver Elves could not believe the servants of darkness dared to use such mediocre techniques against them. Their battles against the Dragon of Darkness and the Miirna were the greatest they had ever faced. Their enemies had exceptional magic spells andbat techniques that made them gasp. They had never despised the servants of Darkness, simply because they were truly at the forefront of the world¡¯s civilization.

    They were so skilled that more than a few of the Silver Elves actually turned to the Darkness. Yet these foes had declined, no, they did not even have techniques to speak of now.

    It was an insult.

    The disciples did not expect theirst resistance to draw the ire of the Silver Elves. In fact, everyone under Brendel¡¯s group felt ashamed when they saw the skill of the Silver Elves.

    It was true!

    After the War of the Holy Saints, civilization did not flourish but waned. The ultimate skills that both factions possessed had became nothing more than legends.

    But regardless of what others thought, the battle in front of them was over in the blink of an eye. The disciples turned into headless corpses with ck blood pouring out from their wounds, turning into streams that filled the uneven ground¡¯s cracks.

    It looked like awork of veins with ck blood.

    The white-haired youth seemed like he was rooted to the ground by an invisible force. His mouth was wide open with gurgling sounds in his throat, unable to form a word.

    Suddenly a ttering sound could be heard behind Brendel¡¯s group. They turned back and discovered it was the biggest man in the Grey Wolves Mercenaries who dropped his greatsword. That man did not seem to realize he dropped his weapon, and merely looked at the group of Silver Elves who had regrouped.

    [Twenty Elves who had the unsealed their Element powers! Marsha above, the strongest forces in Aouine are not any better than them!]

    Some of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries nced at Brendel, wondering who exactly was the person who used them as guards.

    [Is this merchant actually one of Kirrlutz¡¯s princes? Did hee to this ce by coincidence? Or is it a high level sessor to the Holy Cathedral of Fire and these knights are here to guard him?] (TL: There was a small description in the past chapter about how the people who unsealed their Element powers needed to register in the Holy Cathedral of Fire. I don¡¯t think the Silver Elves are under that faction or bound by their rules in any way. The people who unsealed their Element are called Knights of the Holy Cathedral of Fire after registering. While there might be some church faction that is rted to the Holy Cathedral of Fire, these knights are not under them but more of a formality, probably.)

    They had wild guesses as they could no longer believe he was just a simple merchant.

    Only Scarlett kept her wits about her and she swung her halberd onto the ground with a loud crash. Her meaning was clear; she did not want the Elves to kill Redi. Her lips were pursed tightly and her expression solemn. She knew that she was not a match for anyone amongst the Elves, but even so, there was no intention of retreating in her eyes. Her body was ced slightly forward like a panther ready to pounce.

    ¡°Scarlett?¡± Sanford knew of the girl¡¯s movements. He and the other mercenaries were previously too focused on the Disciples, but now that they were gone they realized that it was someone they knew all too well.

    ¡°Scarlett, that bastard is a traitor! Why are you defending him!¡± The big mercenary yelled loudly.

    ¡°It¡¯s only this time¡ª¡± She said through gritted teeth, but she suddenly shook her head as if to drive a thought out of her mind: ¡°Only this final time, I can¡¯t watch him die here.¡±

    ¡°Scarlett?¡± Redi was momentarily confused. He suddenly saw the former Scarlett from her figure.

    ¡°Get lost right now!¡± She roared angrily: ¡°Find Conrad!¡±

    Brendel looked at this scene in surprise. He had seen enough in the game to recognize that the will of this ¡®Crimson Spectral Knight¡¯ had notpletely disappear.

    [It¡¯s her desire to protect Redi! A bishop of the Tree Shepherds who doesn¡¯t care about life will never protect someone of their own volition, so this means she¡¯s actually at her infancy of bing one.]

    Brendel suddenly realized how she turned into a Spectral Knight and gave a thumbs up in his mind. Her spirit was actually able to resist the Blood of Gods¡¯ invasive nature. But even though he admired her tenacity, he was not one to let this disgusting narcissist escape, not to mention he hated to let any enemy of his get away from him.

    [I can¡¯t let this crazy idiot escape. What happens if he turns to some form of ultraman to fight me? Even if there¡¯s no plot armor protecting him, I¡¯m going to regret it if he hurts someone close to me.]

    He decisively gestured at both of them: Knock out that girl, kill that bastard.

    The Elvenmander looked at him in surprise. The gestures that Brendel did were the very gestures that were used in the Era of Chaos, but he quickly followed his orders and ordered his men to move out.

    Even if Scarlett had turned into theplete version of the Crimson Spectral Knight, there was no way for Redi to escape.

    ============== Conrad POV ==============

    Baern Shyrltaesi, the ruins that was left behind during the Year of Brilliance by the Silver Elves when they retreated.

    Themander of the Lizardmen, Hewjil, upied thergest hall of the ruins. The Silver Elves had used this section for worship and important rituals, but after several centuries of disuse, the once grand hall had became decrepit.

    Perhaps due to instinct or because the Lizardmen had notpletely evolved from their primitive self, Hewjil had a strong sense to be territorial and believed anyone who wanted to oust him from this area was challenging his authority as the leader of the Lizardmen bandits.

    What Hewjil was proud of was his sense of aesthetic. Unlike the other brutish Lizardmen, he had cleaned this hall like a civilized person, ced a red carpet in the center leading to a grand chair like how it was done centuries ago, with various stolen furniture that had different designs ced without any particr orde. Hewjil enjoyed the disorder and ordered his subordinates to stack these furniture up, of which he took time every day to study each piece.

    When Conrad and the dark bishop entered the hall, the three of them snorted coldly at the same time.

    Hewjil hated to even look at their face, while the other two men did not want to interact with a primitive creature. Conrad especially hated the messy hall which he thought that it looked like a garbage dump.

    ¡°Cunrat, you had died in the battle, I received news of that.¡± Hewjil straightened his shirt¡¯s cor which was robbed from a noble. His wrinkled face was full of disappointment: ¡°A pity, fake news, it was.¡±

    ¡°I am going to remind you for thest time, my name is Conrad.¡± The mercenarymander did not have the mood to correct his bizarre Kirrlutz ent, and merely reminded that lizard not to roll the tongue to pronounce his name.

    ¡°The same to me.¡± Hewjil looked at the bishop in arrogance: ¡°Not keen to see me, I thought you said that.¡±

    ¡°You used the excuse of investigating the temple grave of the Silver Elves¡¯ kings, but it seemed like you are proud of acting like bandits.¡± Conrad snapped coldly as he surveyed the surroundings: ¡°These things that you stole must be worth quite a lot, aren¡¯t they.¡±

    ¡°No, no, doing serious work.¡± Hewjil¡¯s wrinkles became even deeper as he resisted shaking his head.

    ¡°Then what have you discovered?¡±

    ¡°A little. But not much progress.¡± Hewjil shook his head vigorously: ¡°We could approach not the surroundings of the temple. But this item help me do so.¡± He grabbed a ne and shook it. ¡°Wizard, I need more of these.¡±

    The two men exchanged looks. It seemed like Hewjil was really doing proper work, but that particr matter was not of priority at the moment. Conrad arranged the thoughts in his mind and spoke: ¡°That is not a problem. We require your help in another matter right now.¡±

    ¡°I helped you already.¡± Hewjil said unhappily. He spread the news of his group looting in the area in order to lure the Grey Wolves Mercenaries over to this location, but it had also attracted the attention of the nearby adventurers as well.

    ¡°There will be benefits for you.¡± The dark bishop spoke in a low voice.

    ¡°What benefits?¡±

    ¡°Something big enough.¡± Conrad¡¯s expression was solemn.

    ============ Brendel POV ================

    A loud thud could be heard.

    Brendel had grabbed Redi¡¯s white hair and smashed it onto the ground, causing thetter to scream out. The news gotten from Redi had made it clear to Brendel that the script had deviated from the walkthrough, even though that result was something that he did not hope for.

    [Conrad and the dark disciples have targeted me even before I reached the Lizardmen¡ª I should have predicted that this might be an oue. Was this moron going to betray Makarov regardless, or did I change something? The fact that he showed up with the Crimson Spectral Knight...... It doesn¡¯t really matter now. What is important is knowing Conrad had gone to Baern¡¯s ruins and haspletely abandoned the idea of chasing Buga and Makarov. Instead he has turned his full attention to me.]

    Brendel¡¯s fury was at its peak at Makarov¡¯s scheme. This oue of events had turned into a grave situation and caused serious trouble.

    ¡°My lord, should we retreat?¡± Amandina did not speak after listening to Redi¡¯s description of what happened, and only spoke after a long while.

    Brendel waved his hand.

    [They are going to pay a bitter price if they really want to cause trouble for me. Very well, it seems like it¡¯s going to be a 100%pletion route where I kill them all. It¡¯s not as if I have neverpleted 100% in simr quests before. I wonder what Mother Marsha would give me as a reward.....]

    Brendel quickly calmed down. He wanted to see how strong his enemies were and was imagining how he would cut them down one by one, but his thoughts was soon interrupted by Sanford.

    ¡°My lord, what about Scarlett?¡± Sanford cautiously came over and asked quietly.

    Brendel nced at the unconscious girl. Several Silver Elves were standing beside her, waiting for the order to kill her. There was never going to be a kill order for her in Brendel¡¯s mind. Putting aside what the new Grey Wolves Mercenaries would think, he would never agree to kill her. There was a connection between her and the Eversong card, if her fate could not be turned her next best result would be something like how Medissa turned out to be.

    [Based on Redi¡¯s description on that strange figure, it should be that bishop mentioned in the walkthrough. Since she is only turned recently, then there might be some hope.]

    Brendel was not inhumane enough to try and seal a living person as a card, and he was very willing to rescue this girl who had a fiery personality. Perhaps she might even be willing to his subordinate, with the strength of a Gold-ranked fighter.

    ¡°Bring her along. She¡¯s yourpanion after all. Perhaps there¡¯s still some way to save her.¡± He said without thinking much.

    ¡°She can be saved?!¡± Sanford was shocked and urgently asked.

    ¡°I will try my best.¡± Brendel nodded.

    Sanford nodded to ept his answer. He understood that Scarlett¡¯s condition was somehow strange.

    ¡°How about this person?¡± Amandina asked quietly with a little disgust when she looked at Redi. He was forced to taste the mud as he struggled to breathe.

    With those words, he seemed to regain his strength and tried to raise his head up with effort. His face was mingled with soil and tears as he yelled with all his might: ¡°You promised, as long I told you everything you wouldn¡¯t kill me¡ª¡°

    ¡°My words count.¡± Brendel nodded.

    He patted his hands as he released Redi, then looked at the Silver Elf beside him: ¡°Commander, I will have to trouble you to take over what I wanted to do originally.¡± (TL: If you still don¡¯t get it, it¡¯s game over for Redi.)

 volume 2 - 102

    Chapter 102 ¨C Lure (1)

    The difficulty of attaining a perfect rating for the quest was harder than Brendel imagined. He initially thought that he simply needed to protect what was left of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, but it seemed like he needed to wipe out every single enemy that was in his path.

    [The reports from the Grey Wolves Mercenaries stated there are over a hundred Lizardmen Bandits, but the walkthrough states otherwise.

    Lizardmen mob ¨C Over a thousand.

    Disciples of the ck mes ¨C Over two hundred with the average strength of Iron-ranked fighters.

    Paper Cards ¨C Over seventy with the same average strength as the disciples.

    Hewjil ¨C The peak strength of a Silver-ranked fighter.

    Conrad ¨C Gold-ranked fighter.

    Earth Bishop ¨C Boss tier headache.]

    (TL: I might have made a mistake somewhere. There are TWO bishops that he¡¯s most likely going to fight, the one currently with Conrad is the Dark Bishop who corrupted Scarlett. Brendel is now referring to a new Bishop who hasn¡¯t appeared yet and probably took the Blood of Gods, particrly a God rted to the earth element.)

    Brendel pondered for a while before he turned around. The Silver Elves had already ended Redi¡¯s life, while the Mercenaries of Lopes were helping the Grey Wolves Mercenaries with their injuries. Perhaps it was because of their simr professions, they seemed to bond well.

    ¡°What are you nning to do?¡± A voice called out from his side.

    Brendel looked at the Elvenmander in slight surprise.

    ¡°If that human did not lie, the disciples and the Lizardmen are going to meet soon. Their speed is probably the same as us, and the foes we are going to face will not be mere Lizardmen rabble when we reach our destined location.¡± The Elvenmander described the scenario like it did not concern him.

    ¡°You are basically right,¡± Brendel¡¯s response was quick: ¡°But I believe the Paper Cards¡¯ leader Conrad has already reached the Lizardmenmander Hewjil, and are discussing over how to prevent us from escaping to the north.¡±

    The Elvenmander merely looked at him without saying anything. Brendel was certain that the Silver Elves would not be able to perform as well as he did with the earlier fight, and in his own experience he had never seen a SSSpletion rating with just the mere help of the NPCs.

    ¡°If that is the case, then the Lizardmen will send out their scouts now.¡± Brendelughed: ¡°They think we¡¯re going to escape, haha, that is wonderful; I want them tomit such a mistake.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s guess was not wrong. The Lizardmen rode on their mounts and spread out from the Baern¡¯s ruins.

    A day passed and the next morning came. The dry shrubbery on the hill top was rustling constantly due to hands pushing them apart. Brendel and the Elvenmander hid behind a thick bush as soon as they spotted movements in the valley. The youth observed for a while before he spoke:

    ¡°The Lizardmen Dragoons.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the third group that moved out since yesterday¡ª¡± There was no change in Elf¡¯s expression. The scenery of the emerald forest was reflected in his eyes; the speed and agility that the dragoons moved in the forest was faster than any cavalry in this era, but it could notpare with the Miirna¡¯s shadow knights.

    Even though the dragoons darted through the forest and appeared through the gaps of the trees, it was considered to be much too slow in the Elvenmander¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s two times the normal patrolling radius at this distance. This is just abnormal even if they are under the Tree Shepherd¡¯smand......¡± Brendel muttered to himself: ¡°In the end this looks like a quest mode.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± The Elvenmander turned to look at Brendel.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± He realized his mistake and tried to change the topic: ¡°I¡¯m gauging the distance.¡±

    ¡°Pointless.¡± The Elvenmander eyed him. They had estimated the distance more than once since yesterday.

    Brendel quickly nodded: ¡°Indeed there¡¯s nothing else to look at, so let¡¯s proceed as nned. Sanford!¡±

    The former mercenary who turned into his subordinate ran up the hill panting and looked up to the two men: ¡°I¡¯m here! My lord, what do you need?¡±

    Even though the Grey Wolves Mercenaries just joined them, Brendel epted Amandina¡¯s idea to tell them his ¡®true identity¡¯. Even though it wasmon to travel as an adventurer or merchant, they were delighted to know that Brendel trusted them with his identity, and a future lord strongly appealed to them.

    Compared to the nomadic-like lifestyle, they were more willing to be a noble¡¯s retainers. At least they could settle down, and from the other mercenaries¡¯ description, it was apparent that the young lord was different from most nobles¡¯ arrogant and cold attitudes who treated their subordinates¡¯ lives like dirt.

    They had suffered a lesson of betrayal from Makarov but such was the era of nobles andmoners. What could they do when they had no power?

    They could only work harder to gain the favor of their new lord.

    ¡°Convey the order to get ready.¡± Brendel answered as he looked at the valley.

    ¡°Understood, my lord. I will go immediately.¡± But as soon as he took a few steps, Sanford suddenly turned back and asked: ¡°My lord, there¡¯s something I do not understand.....¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Sanford hesitated for a moment but he gathered his courage and asked: ¡°My lord, there¡¯s no need to use such aplicated n. I¡¯m sure these Lizardmen would not be able to fend us off if we strike at them. I¡¯m sure the result would be the same even if they are working with the disciples. As far as I know, even Aouine.......¡±

    He did not state thetter half. ¡®Even Aouine would not be able to gather twenty knights of the Holy Cathedral¡¯¡ª

    While it was true that Aouine had more than twenty knights within the kingdom, the majority of them did not work for the nobles or even loyal to any faction. But these words made it sound like he was questioning Brendel¡¯s identity, so Sanford stopped himself from going any further.

    Brendel still managed to understand what he was trying to say. He smiled:

    ¡°Perhaps you might be disappointed but these Elven allies are not under mymand. They fight with us because we have the same goal. And one other thing, they get weaker the further they are away from their home.¡±

    Sanford did not quite understand what Brendel meant by the Elves getting weaker, but he immediately spoke in a loud voice:

    ¡°My lord, you misunderstand me. We will never get disappointed. We swore an oath to follow you not because of you possessed a great army but to repay for your aid. Regardless of whether we are the former Grey Wolves Mercenaries or not, we will never break our oath.¡± But he quickly asked again: ¡°Are the Elven allies Knights of the Holy Cathedral? Do they still possess such strength if they get weaker from their home.....?¡±

    Brendel understood what he was thinking. Even if their ¡®strength¡¯ was weakened by half, they could still be considered as people who had the peak strength of a Gold-ranked fighter. Twenty such Gold-ranked fighters would certainly be enough to annihte the enemies in this region.

    However, the rules did not apply in such a manner. A single stat reduction merely degraded their powers by a single rank, but in truth it was a level loss by over half. These Silver Elves were originally level sixty Elites, but Brendel judged that they would be lower than level thirty when it was time to meet the enemies in battle.

    This meant the Silver Elves could not even maintain their Gold-ranked stats. That would spell trouble, especially with the threat of the Earth Bishop and Conrad. He needed to find other ways to defeat the Lizardmen.

    But exining these things required some effort, so he merely folded his arms and answered: ¡°Don¡¯t worry and head off to convey my orders. Believe in me, and I will show you victory¡ª¡±

    Sanford¡¯s reaction was dyed for a moment as he listened to Brendel¡¯s words, before he nodded furiously.

    The Elvenmander watched Sanford¡¯s figure disappear in the woods, then nced at Brendel and said: ¡°I did not think you are this arrogant, human.¡±

    ¡°You mean confidence.¡± Brendel tilted his head slightly as he corrected him: ¡°Remember, this isn¡¯t the battlefield of the Holy Saints, nor the era of your brilliant generals who are capable ofmanding the battlefield to dwarf all other tactics. Perhaps the future might wee that era again, but it would not be right now.¡±

    Brendel paused as he looked to the north forest.

    ¡°At this point of time in this battlefield, I am certain that no one here has the capabilities to steal victory away from my hands. You can jot down my words,mander. I will lead them to victory.¡±

    The Elvenmander took a long time to respond: ¡°To be honest, I do not understand what you mean by ¡®the future might wee that era again¡¯, do you mean to say that the Dragon of Darkness is going to return to this continent again?¡±

    ¡°No, that is entirely another matter, I meant that there will be capable people emerging in the future.¡±

    ¡°How do you know of this, human? Can you see the future?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s voice was stuck in his throat. He hesitated for a while before replying: ¡°It¡¯s not foresight but intuition. When the futurees I¡¯ll return to this ce and tell you what had happened in the world if you don¡¯t believe me¡ª¡±

    Brendel did not know why he said all these words. Perhaps there were too many secrets in his heart which he kept away for too long. After all, the Elvenmander was a spirit that could not leave this ce.

    The Elvenmander looked at him for a while and gave an emotionless smile: ¡°My name is Nethar.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Brendel.¡±

    ¡°I shall wait to see that victory you im will happen.¡±

    [This bastard doesn¡¯t believe me at all.]

    ¡°As you wish.¡± Brendel said through grinding teeth.

 volume 2 - 103

    Chapter 103 ¨C Lure (2)

    Aakkin was themander of a dragoon squadron. His orders were mostly straightforward amongst his usual missions, to either assault or pige. However, he would sometimes take on the scouting role which was one of his most hated missions. It was too dangerous, especially in the forest where technical expertise was more important than speed and agility. He also disliked the fact that he could not use his best qualities in this role.

    He raised his head and took in the golden rays of the rising sun. He trembled as the sun¡¯s warmth drove away the vestiges of the cold night and permeated into his blood. He shook his head in annoyance before sniffing the air, trying to discover any signs of the humans he was tasked to search for.

    In his eyes, the silence in this valley was quite odd.

    He did not like the eerie peace because it was the calm before the storm, like how a poisonous snake was lurking around the corner that would suddenly appear and bite. The northern Chablis region was like an ocean of trees, and he felt that it was impossible to find the humans in this huge forest.

    Still, he cautiously gripped his spear and raised his right hand, pointing all his three fingers into the forest ahead of him. He chattered a series of noises, ordering his men to spread out and search.

    He did not realize he made a mistake.

    He only reacted when his men suddenly disappeared without a trace; his first thought was to retreat and find an excuse to exin to hismander Hewjil as to why he sent four dragoons to their deaths.

    He did not find an easy answer. Even though Hewjil was a irregr amongst the Lizardmen who was churlish, he was considered to be sharp and Aakkin did not think him easy to fool.

    But there he soon discovered there was no need to worry over it.

    That was because he saw a human and Elf waiting when he turned around. He did not know when they appeared behind him, but he only knew that it was a Silver Elf staring coldly at him. The Lizardmen had recently caused trouble near the temple so Aakkin had an idea of what race he was from.

    The Silver Elf had an Element power gathering on his armor.

    The only thing that Aakkin could do was to surrender. A small mistake of spreading his men out, allowed each individual to be caught without anymotion, and was enough to seal his fate. What was fortunate the two men who caught him seemed like they did not want his life for the time being.

    At the same time, he understood as a scout that his current fate would notst for long. He would be allowed to live for a while before they obtained the information they needed, be treated like a burden and disposed of in the end.

    But death was not the most terrifying oue. If the human and Silver Elf were scouts like himself, then they would know of many ways to make him experience a fate worse than death. Aakkin was a veteran as a scout, and even more experienced as a bandit, so he was certain of what wasing next. He was not afraid, because he intended to spill everything out if they interrogated him.

    There was no sense of dignity amongst the Lizardmen, especially so as a bandit.

    His limbs were securely tied up with ropes so he studied the surroundings he was brought to. The other four dragoons were lying dead in front of him. He strangely discovered that he was the only one alive and it made him slightly puzzled. Did they think that a single Lizardman was enough to get urate information?

    He suddenly realized that he was in considerable danger.

    [Who are these men? What do they want exactly?] Aakkin wondered in his mind, before light was blocked in front of him. He looked up and saw the human and Silver Elf standing in front of him. He gulped immediately and his eyeballs turned to both at them in session. He was willing to do anything in order to live. But what exactly could he do to keep his life?

    Brendel was also staring at him while he considered this difficult question,

    [If I think about it, there are differences going from a console controller to aputer¡¯s keyboard and mouse. No matter how close it is in the game to this world, I need to get used to this world¡¯s characteristics and social state.]

    Brendel stood in front of the dragoon and carefully studied him before smiling.

    He knelt in front of Aakkin, reached out with his hand and patted his rough and narrow face, and spoke with a gentle voice: ¡°I know what you are thinking. You are wondering what kind of questions I would ask, which you would then tell me everything you know about them. After that you would ask me to spare your life, right?¡±

    Aakkin¡¯s mouth opened wide, disying over a hundred sharp teeth. He had prepared himself to face his enemy¡¯s questions but he did not expect to receive this answer, and it made him feel like he had been punched straight on. He shook his head once as he did not understand how the human knew what he was thinking. Did the human read his mind?

    If that was true, did it not mean there was already no reason to keep him alive? Aakkin trembled. He did not hope to live, but he hoped that he would at least be spared from any torture from these terrfiying enemies. He stared cautiously at Brendel with his diamond-shaped pupils.

    ¡°Afraid?¡± Brendel asked again.

    When he spoke, soft giggles could be heard from behind his back. He could discern who they were; Romaine, Amandina, the twin Elementalist and many of the Mercenaries of Lopes were amongst the giggles. Brendel fumed for a moment, grumbling in his mind to tell them to give him a little respect. Did they not see he was trying to work seriously here?

    But this was something that could not be helped. The truth was that he tried this with every Lizardman before Aakkin. At first the girls and the other mercenaries were really surprised by Brendel¡¯s words, before they discovered that he was just pretending to know what they were thinking.

    He attempted several times to adjust each interrogation method he learned in the past, based on his previous experience with the various NPC bandits.

    But Aakkin did not have the mood to care what the others were thinking. He waspletely afraid of Brendel, and was almost certain that this human was a wizard, one who was frightening enough to be able to see through his mind.

    Brendel took out a ruby from his pouch and shook it in front of him: ¡°Try answering my question¡ª¡±

    Aakkin looked at him in confusion and tried to respond, but he realized there was no voiceing out from himself. Even though he was desparately closing and opening his mouth, there was no sound at all.

    Aakkin¡¯s body shook in fright. The wizards in this era were not as mysterious as those in the past, but the people in the rural areas still believed that they possessed incredible magic. Aakkin could only look at Brendel in fear, not understanding why he ¡®stole¡¯ his voice.

    Brendel covered the ruby and took away the Silence spell. He looked at the energy left through the system and saw that it still had six uses left. Then he sternly said to the Lizardman: ¡°Do you understand? I can take away your ability to talk and I can return it to you. The voice is part of the soul, and I am capable of taking away not only your voice, but your soul.¡±

    The youth¡¯s voice turned cold and merciless: ¡°A body can decay but the soul lives on forever. The torture on a body can onlyst so long but have you seen a soul being burned for all eternity?¡±

    Aakkin¡¯s body shrunk as he shook his head immediately.

    Brendel smiled warmly and stroked his forehead: ¡°Then how about helping me out a little?¡±

    The Lizardman nodded furiously.

    ============ Hewjil POV =============

    ¡°You said they are escaping to the southwest?¡± Hewjil said.

    ¡°Yes, chief. My men from the center of the hill saw them escaping through the southwestern valley, but I am not sure if they discovered our presence......¡± A Lizardman was reporting to Hewjil.

    When Aakkin opened the doors to the grand hall that belonged to Hewjil, he saw hisrade reporting something to his chief sitting on the high chair. The atmosphere made him a little tense, but the instinct to live overtook it. He took a deep breath to regain hisposure and walked up to his chief.

    That Lizardman who reported to Hewjil seemed to finish what he was saying and turned to leave under Hewjil¡¯s indication, passed by Aakkin and left the hall.

    The ckmailed Lizardman did not dare to look at him or Hewjil and walked on the red carpet with his head lowered, and allowed him to spot two other pairs of human boots at the edge of the carpet. He had seen them before and knew they had some rtionship with his chief, but he had not dared to inquire about them from his chief.

    He read out Brendel¡¯s words in his heart, Marsha above, he swore he had never been so serious even when he prayed. The threat from that human wizard was still echoing in his ears......

 volume 2 - 104

    Chapter 104 ¨C Lure (3)

    At the same time Aakkin nned his maleficence, Conrad and the Dark Bishop were observing the new Lizardman who came in. But what made them feel wrong with this scene before them was how the Lizardmen¡¯s faces all looked the same. At least from their point of view, the ¡®lizard¡¯ who came in earlier did not look any different from this ¡®lizard¡¯.

    Perhaps their patterns on the skin were different?

    Hewjil recognized his subordinate and asked in his own native tongue: ¡°Aakkin, you came back earlier than I expected. Why, did you find your targets?¡±

    ¡°Yes, chief.¡± Aakkin answered with a stuttering chatter.

    His attitude did not draw Hewjil¡¯s suspicion as he wanted deference from his subordinates, but he was a little annoyed at Aakkin¡¯s behavior. He waved his hand and replied: ¡°When did you be inarticte, Aakkin? If you have anything you want to report, just spit it out. What else did you see?¡±

    ¡°My men and I were attacked in the southern area.¡± Aakkin gulped as he continued to chatter. ¡°The people who attacked us seemed to be the men we are supposed to look for. There are fifteen of them, two female, and a youth who is leading twelve guards. They are really formidable, and before we could react...... four of our brothers.....¡±

    ¡°The south?¡± Hewjil answered nkly, as if he did not hear the loss of men: ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s the south?¡±

    Aakkin was also in a daze as he thought his chief would go into a rage. But he quickly recovered and nodded.

    ¡°What did he say?¡± Conrad had no more patience when he heard them talk in their nativenguage. When Hewjil raised his voice, he knew something was up and immediately grabbed his shoulder and asked.

    Hewjil smacked away his hand and yelled out: ¡°This time, in the south region. Conrad, your foes, they ying hide and seek with us?¡±

    ¡°They are appearing in the east, south and southwest.¡± The Dark Bishop was thoughtful: ¡°This goes againstmon sense, there has to be a scheme somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Damned your scheme,¡± Hewjil growled loudly: ¡°The situation, simple. Enemies discovered where we are, that shitfaced youth you sent to bite them, is definitely killed already. They are escaping to the south! In three separate routes! They are dividing focus, I have seen enough of these ploys!¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡± The Dark Bishop nearly jumped out from his chair: ¡°That fool went with my acolyte,¡± He grabbed a crystal out from his robes with his bony fingers: ¡°This crystal has not cracked, which means my acolyte is still fine!¡±

    ¡°Then your, foolish acolyte lost her way.¡± Hewjil spat his words out coldly with sarcasm dripping in his voice.

    ¡°An acolyte of the Gods losing her way? Have your brains rotted, you witless lizard!¡± Conrad interrupted Hewjil and blocked the Dark Bishop from attacking thetter with his arm. He roared at the Dark Bishop: ¡°Why are you losing your temper! That lizard is right in saying that the enemies have discovered our intentions. They won¡¯t break through the north any longer and they are sure to retreat. We can¡¯t wait for them here any longer.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do?¡± The Dark Bishop asked after looking nkly at Conrad for a while.

    ¡°Of course we need to chase them.¡±

    ¡°Into which direction?¡± Hewjil snapped.

    Conrad gave him a piercing look and answered in a tone void of warmth: ¡°Are you truly brainless? Are there only three of us here? What about your men, you imbecile, of course we¡¯re going to divide our forces into three separate directions. Are you afraid that a mere ten odd Silver-ranked guards defeating our forces?¡±

    Hewjil¡¯s mouth opened, but found his voice dying in his throat as he discovered the damned human was right. His tone was slightly deted as he asked: ¡°Then when do we set out?¡±

    ¡°Of course we should set out right now!¡± Conrad said.

    ¡°No, this time we need to be cautious.¡± The Dark Bishop stopped him: ¡°When my men are here to rejoin me, we can set out in the night.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too cautious. By the time we set out, they will be way ahead of us.¡± Conrad grumbled, although he also shared the same concern of a trap when he heard the reports from the Lizardmen.

    Hewjil merely reminded them: ¡°Do not forget, half of the promised rewards, are mine.¡±

    The two men glowered at him in disgust. The three figures did not pay attention to Aakkin who was secretly relieved.

    [What did that terrifying wizard say? If I am not dead when the moon is up, my soul is returned to my body?] Aakkin¡¯s heart was pounding and he shivered. Would that cunning wizard keep his promise?

    Night quickly arrived. Conrad and Hewjil¡¯s men acted first. Hundreds of fire torches could be spotted near the Elven ruins. This gathering of Lizardmen was highly unusual andplicated, especially when they had no notion of gathering as a unit before. Grouping them up and dividing them into separate forces was a huge task.

    After an hourter, another long snaking group entered the ruins from the west, and they carried fire torches with them as well, with the gathered torches lighting up the entire area with a fiery red hue.

    At this moment, four shadows were waiting at the top of a nearby hill¡ª

    ¡°The disciples have gathered.¡± Countless lights were reflected in Brendel¡¯s eyes as he spoke.

    ¡°So are Conrad¡¯s men.¡± Sanford chimed in.

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°Are you sure they will divide their forces into three, my lord?¡± Sanford turned to him and asked: ¡°What happens if they see through our scheme and concentrate their forces?¡±

    ¡°There is no ¡®if¡¯ here.¡± Brendel firmly said. If he was fighting against Madara¡¯s talentedmanders, his tricks would not work, but he was facing a bunch of Lizardmen bandits and mercenaries. Based on their quality, they would never be able to guess what he nned to do. One clear advantage he had was knowing how much men they had, while they only knew that he had twelve guards with him.

    Under this situation, none of the enemymanders would even consider that he had an additional squadron of Silver Elves and that he nned to consume them as experience points. Even if Brendel went up to them and personally told them he was going to wipe out this thousand odd Lizardmen bandits, they would think he had lost his mind.

    Brendel was quiet for a moment before he replied: ¡°Even the worst oue now would be the enemy forces gathering into one direction, but we are already here and ready to exploit our tactical advantage. Know this well, they are the hunters and we are the prey. In this hunt, the party that decides where the battle would be, is the prey and not the hunters.¡±

    Sanford nodded as he listened quietly.

    The Elvenmander stood there quietly. At this distance away from the Altar, he felt a great limitation on his strength, and he did not see any better than Brendel did. Thest person that stood behind them was Romaine.

    She saw much more than the others did when she looked at the field of fire torches. These lights appeared like stars gathering in the darkness to form a painting, and she thought it was truly beautiful.

    Very soon, the fire torches started to spread out and reform into three straight lines.

    ¡°You were right, my lord!¡± Sanford¡¯s eyes brightened up and he eximed excitedly, but his expression quickly darkened as he saw an image of Makarov¡¯s confident figure on Brendel¡¯s back. In the Grey Wolves Mercenaries¡¯ hearts, the person who always had the means to lead them with victory was Makarov, but now it was proven that was merely their wishful thinking.

    Brendel¡¯s reactions were not as unsteady as Sanford. The curtains on this y had just been lifted and about to begin. He pointed towards the front of the fire torches: ¡°Romaine, are you able to see the appearances of the leaders?¡±

    Sanford and the Elvenmander were startled. How was she able to see that far? They were approximately four kilometers away from the enemies, and the fire torches were about as bright as a firefly, and it was quite impossible for them to even see the figure carrying the torches.

    They suddenly realized that the girl who came with them was not an ordinary person as she nodded immediately: ¡°Of course I can! Hmm....... The one of the left looks like a lizard.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s themander of the Lizardmen, Hewjil. Continue.¡± Brendel was confident of her abilities. She was able to spot the Madara army at Fortress Riedon even when the night sky had no starlight or moonlight. In this clear night, along with the fire torches, she definitely found it easy to see what they looked like.

    ¡°The leader of the center group seems to be a human. He¡¯s a young man wearing leather armor..... And there seems to be something strange following next to him.¡± Romaine carefully described what it looked like, and Brendel replied: ¡°That¡¯s Conrad and the Earth Bishop. Strange, if those two are together, then who is leading the third group?¡± (TL: I¡¯ll see what happens in the future when Brendel encounters the ¡®Dark Bishop¡¯ and ¡®Earth Bishop¡¯. Currently I¡¯m using Bishop because I don¡¯t know what the appearances of the bosses are, but I might change it to Avatar of Earth [name?] and Avatar of Lightning [Scarlett] in the future to differentiate them.)

    She nodded and her gaze moved over to the third group and described what she saw.

    ¡°It looks like the figure is wearing a ck long robe with several red stripes on the side? I can¡¯t see anything further than that.¡±

    Brendel took a while to think about it: ¡°Hmm...... It¡¯s a Dark Bishop. That means that bastard Redi was talking about him and not the Earth Bishop. The one who cursed Scarlett should be him, but judging from the strength of the curse, he isn¡¯t one of the higher ranked members of the Tree Shepherd.¡±

    ¡°My lord, do we stick to the n?¡± Sanford asked with concern in his voice.

    [This is a problem. The n was to kill off the Earth Bishop alone, but if that boss is moving with Conrad then the entire battle would be extremely tough. The worst oue is letting both of them flee without being able to stop them. This level 50 boss is the rough equivalent of a level 65 creature, and against the weakened level 35-40 Silver Elves...... With another Gold-ranked fighter like Conrad, trying to get both of them would be difficult. Luring them into a trap will obviously work only once, and they won¡¯t repeat their mistakes.....]

    Brendel rubbed his forehead. He needed to gain the best results from this trap. He agonized over the situation for a while, should he kill the Lizardmen or the Dark Bishop?

    [Wait, the Dark Bishop? Holy shit! Dark Bishop?! Isn¡¯t he a dark elementalist? I should smack myself for being an idiot. Killing him would mean I can get dark elemental crystals, and heck, the Dark Bishops are famous for dropping nothing but crystals. Even the gamers called them one of the poorest mob creatures around.]

    Brendel¡¯s mind was used to think about the overall picture, and actually forgot that he could really use some dark elemental crystals. (TL: To summon Medissa, in case anyone is wondering.)

    Once he thought about it, his mind seemed to clear up and even predicted how the future events would flow. If the Dark Bishop died, the Blood of Gods in Scarlett¡¯s body would also be suppressed because of theck of control, and he would gain another powerful Gold-ranked fighter.

    He pped his hands and said: ¡°No, we¡¯re not retreating. I want to go after the Dark Bishop now.¡±

    Everyone did not understand why he changed his mind so easily.

    Brendel patted the stolen Lizardman¡¯s mount and made the beast turn its body. He smiled with embarrassment: ¡°It¡¯smon to change a n when there are unforeseen circumstances. Don¡¯t worry, this doesn¡¯t affect things. In any case, we should return to our ambush location, I don¡¯t want to get caught in a battle here.¡±

 volume 2 - 105

    Chapter 105 ¨C Lure (4)

    Four of the Lizardmen¡¯s mount darted through the darkness, their faint shadows passing through the valley like river streams. A few momentster, the rider who was leading them raised his hand high up, and the others quickly pulled back their reins to turn their mounts around, then started to dismount one by one.

    Brendel held his sword down with one hand while he nimbly left his mount by standing on the stirrups, jumped up from them andnded gracefully onto the ground. When he did so, he heard Romaine grumbling loudly behind him:

    ¡°Brendel, riding this thing is awful¡ª¡± She was still on her mount with her eyebrows in a frown with her hands rubbing her neck: ¡°It¡¯s not exciting at all and it¡¯s painful.¡±

    Brendelughed as he went over to her and helped her down.

    [If I let our highness Romaine have fun on this mount, would you still follow me properly?]

    The Lizardmen¡¯s mounts were creatures that crawled on the ground, moving in a ¡®s¡¯ direction that jerked from side to side. If the riders did not have specific training on it, they would not have an easy time on it. Brendel had wasted ten-odd skill points on it from the Lizardman prisoner to learn how to ride it.

    He had learned this lesson in this game once already and would not fall into such a trap again. But when he saw that her face was slightly pale, he felt a few pangs in his heart and replied gently: ¡°Take a short rest.¡±

    The battles ahead did not involve Romaine.

    ¡°Then I¡¯m going off to nap¡ª¡± She jumped down from her mount with Brendel¡¯s support with his arm, and blinked at him: ¡°I¡¯ll be praying for you.¡±

    ¡°In your dreams?¡± Brendel asked with some exasperation.

    ¡°Yes, in my dreams.¡± She nodded seriously, her smiling eyes forming in a line like she scored a small victory, then ran past the Mercenaries of Lopes who walked out from the forest. Brendel¡¯s mood also lifted up when he saw her actions. He was truly fond of her optimistic mindset even under dire circumstances. Every time she smiled, he found his heart getting conquered by her, regardless of the old and new Brendel.

    Even from the first night in Be, he found it hard to take his eyes off her whimsical actions.

    He took in a deep breath and allowed the cold air of the night to enter his lungs, and slowly cooled down his slightly dazzled mind which was getting hot. When he spotted the Nightsong Tiger, he paused for a moment before moving straight to him while waving the back of his hand at him:

    ¡°Prepare for battle, the enemy is only two miles away from us. Hurry up, I want all these XP from the two hundred Lizardmen to be takenpletely.¡±

    Brendel did not like to waste time on pointless banter before the battle. He had exined everything clearly to them and it was just a small ambush. It was not even really an operation that required tactical maneuvers like those in the game.

    ¡°XP?¡± Sanford looked like he was confused as he got down from his mount as he heard this unknown word. The Nightsong Tiger merely curled his lips as he nced at him. He was used to his lord spouting some strange words from time to time. The other mercenaries had even learned what they meant.

    ¡°I meant that none of these enemies is to be left alive.¡± Brendel changed his words with a straight face.

    The Elvenmander¡¯s lips twisted subtly at the corner without anyone noticing.

    Brendel¡¯s orders were quickly executed¡ª

    His men quickly moved in the forest and the youth started to deploy them at strategic positions. He chose to use the mostmon tactic in the game against these low level mob of Lizardmen. He hid with the Elvenmander and the Nightsong Tiger, while the other Elves and mercenaries moved to their designated positions. The Elves¡¯ armors were made by the Elven craftsmen not to reflect moonlight, while the majority of the mercenaries painted their leather armor ck. They hid well enough that even trained eyes would not spot them unless they specifically looked for them.

    The Elves crouched down behind bushes with a single hand on their broadswords which were covered with fallen leaves, while the mercenaries were approximately thirty feet behind them, waiting anxiously with readied shortbows or crossbows, not daring to breathe loudly.

    Brendel did not want any deaths in this battle, so he let the Elves lead the forefront while the mercenaries were in charge of ranged suppression. This subconsciously made decision looked like he was taking care of the newly recruited men. Even though Makarov was able to bring victory for them every time, he was amander who was born in nobility, and the nobles tend to see the deaths of their subordinates as mere numbers.

    With the high birth rate of Vaunte surpassing the medieval ages¡¯ birth rates on earth, the rich poption was always a resource to be used in themanders¡¯ eyes.

    However, Brendel paid for each NPC from his own pocket in the game, and some of them were obtained from unique missions; it could be said that every one of them was obtained with effort, and he was reluctant to treat them like cannon fodder.

    Naturally he did not notice his actions had raised the loyalty from the remnants of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries; he merely checked the time from the stats window.

    [I have about an hour more.]

    He exhaled and shook his body to get some warmth in this cold forest. He mocked himself a little. It was just a small battle but he actually felt a little tense. He had led so many battles in the game against Madara forces, and even did so in this world by leading the refugees, but here he was, almost like a new soldier who was participating in battle for the first time.

    [I haven¡¯t done an ambush against such numbers for quite some time. My heart seems to be beating faster.]

    He looked at the constant numbers fluctuating in the Stats Windows. It was calcting the penalty for the distance in both projectile and magic constantly, and he felt like it did not fit reality. Brendel blinked a few times before he checked his own stats:

    Strength: 19.4 (+0.1)

    Agility: 10.9 (+1.1)

    Physique: 21.2 (+2)

    Intelligence: 1.1

    Will: 3.6 (+1)

    Perception: 3.9

    (TL: The stats are inclusive of the bonuses as stated by the author. Strength isn¡¯t 19.5 but 19.4. Also, his intelligence has not grown since the start of the series. Brendel is currently below level 25, and still ssified as a Iron-ranked fighter.)

    [My stats are almost at a Silver-ranked fighter. If I gain another level I will definitely reach it. Butpared to my basic stats, my techniques are truly outstanding. The encounters in this world are much better than thest, Power Break and the White Raven Sword Rave are pretty much the best techniques for a warrior.]

    He could not really remember how he was able to survive back then in the game with his basic stats and techniques. Right now with his current skillset, he was truly invincible amongst his enemies at his level. If he added the various techniques that he had right now, he could fight against against a mid level Silver-ranked fighter. If hebined his experience in the game, he could even go against the Gold-ranked fighters who had not unsealed their Element.

    Brendel rubbed his forehead as he pondered on several things, before he suddenly turned to the Elvenmander and asked: ¡°Are your techniques from the Holy Land?¡±

    The Elvenmander was taken slightly aback, but he immediately looked back with a little caution.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know your rules. I haw no interest in your Elven techniques but I¡¯m just a little curious.¡± Brendel¡¯s mind said otherwise, of course. If he had a high renown he might have a better answer from the Elvenmander.

    ¡°Even if I tell you about them, you wouldn¡¯t be able to learn because our Elven techniques are designed specifically for us, human.¡± The Elvenmander replied coldly.

    There was a scene in Brendel¡¯s mind where he was pulling the Elven¡¯smander cheeks with a ¡®A lie keeps growing and growing until it¡¯s as clear as the nose on your face!¡¯

    He had learned the Silver Elves¡¯ techniques before but he did not break his lies and merely smiled:

    ¡°Come on, Ser Nethar, don¡¯t be so cold. You experienced the War of the Holy Saints right?¡±

    The Elvenmander eyed him coldly, not understanding how the topic turned to that, but he still nodded.

    ¡°Have you learned any Dark Techniques?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Nethar snapped. His eyes red at him, while his lips parted again to say something before he resisted doing so. Any Silver Elf who learned Dark Techniques meant they had joined the faction of the Dragon of Darkness. Even though he thought Brendel was being sarcastic to him, he convinced himself that thetter was innocent.

    Very few people in this era would know that era well.

    Unfortunately Brendel was one of them, and he was indeed making fun of him.

    Nethar was silent for a moment before he suddenly spoke again: ¡°Do you really wish to learn something, human?¡±

    This time it was Brendel who was surprised. His mouth went open but he did not know how to respond.

    [You really want to teach me something? You¡¯re not yanking my chain? But it¡¯s the hardest to raise one¡¯s reputation amongst the Silver Elves¡ª]

 volume 2 - 106

    TL: Some stuff I want to talk about, skip to chapter¡¯s name if you wish to skip on my ramblings about my art stuff.

    TL: For the past few weeks I have been scratching my head and looking over some fundamental stuff for anatomy, until I recently found a video by cushart on doing fundamental ¡®spatial¡¯ construction which I¡¯m currently practicing.

    I am actually incredibly bad at constructing a 3D image properly in my mind and needs tons of reference. The tips that my teachers gave were kind of there but not quite enough or too hard to understand. The theory is there, using XYZ as coordinates in space to kind of plot where the fundamental shape should be, but I could never really grasp it properly because it¡¯s tooplicated for me.

    Cushart¡¯s video goes into details about how he plots and constructs using, well, easy maths (sort of). I¡¯m not sure how far I can go with his method, but I do find it incredibly useful in training fundamentals in ¡®spatial XYZ coordinates¡¯. I¡¯m pretty much spending the entire day just to kind of practice in that area, and I¡¯ll probably just keep going at it for the next 10 days.

    I keep wanting to edit my old chapters and write some codes for the website, but the issue of needing to settle important fundamentals about anatomy keeping up, and I really want to get my weakest area to a manageable state by the end of this month.

    Anyways, here¡¯s the donated chapter, and thank you very much for your continued support on TAS and putting up with my ramblings.

    Also, to make up for thete chapter, I decided to TL one more chapter (which took another few more hours, lol.)

    Chapter 106 ¨C Lure (6)

    ¡°You don¡¯t wish to learn?¡± Nethar looked at Brendel withplete ridicule in his eyes.

    ¡°I want to, of course I want to.¡± Brendel rushed his answer out.

    [Is there a need to even ask? Which idiot would refuse a Silver Elf¡¯s technique?]

    ¡°The Elven techniques can¡¯t be taught to you, so there¡¯s no need to think about it.¡± Nethar¡¯s eyes changed back to its usual taciturn look. ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty, I already told you our techniques are specifically designed for my race.¡±

    Brendel nodded, but his mind said otherwise: ¡°Then...?¡±

    ¡°I can teach you something else that we learned,¡± Nethar paused for a moment: ¡°Do you know how important it is to determine how strong your enemies¡ª¡°

    ¡°Hold on!¡± Brendel drew in a breath rapidly and interrupted: ¡°Are you talking about the ability ¡®Probe¡¯?¡±

    Brendel was trying hard to restrain himself from beating his fists into the air. The unsociable Silver Elf suddenly looked like he was bing affable, Brendel looked hopefully at him.

    He had been relying on numbers from the system to gauge the NPC enemies¡¯ levels, and had always felt disturbed by theck of urate information on their stats. He used his own experience to recall vital enemies¡¯ stats and their favored techniques, but there was no way for him to recall every one of them.

    With the ability ¡®Probe¡¯, he would be able to see the characters¡¯ entire list of stats and their skillsets, and once the ability was raised to high levels, the system would even gave an Overall Power Rating. Judging whether they are strong or weak would be a breeze for him.

    In the game, Marden also taught this ability, but when Brendel tried asking him about it in this world, he discovered that the old soldier did not know that ability at all. When he thought about the reason, he recalled that he met Marden veryte in the game and that thetter learned the ability from someone else. (TL: Marden is the captain of Be¡¯s guards, in case you can¡¯t remember. Also I checked this with prior records and I TLed it as ¡®exploration¡¯ back then. Now that the ability is exined clearly, I¡¯m changing it to Probe.)

    ¡°¡®Probe¡¯?¡± Nethar shook his head: ¡°We simply call it ¡®Evaluation¡¯, if a name is needed. It is something every Silver Elf warrior would learn, so that we can gauge the battlefield with that particr skill.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Brendel looked nkly at the Elf. ¡°What exactly is it used for?¡±

    He had never heard of a skill like that before. The closest skill to Probe was Eagle Eye, a skill that was much better. Not only did it have the same effects of Probe, there was a chance to steal techniques of the enemies killed. However, he would never be to learn this technique because the person who taught it was against Aouine¡¯s princess, and he had no interest to betray this kingdom.

    But he was certainly interested in this new skill that he had never heard before. Given how formidable the Silver Elves were, the skills that they recognized would definitely be good stuff.

    The Elvenmander stared at Brendel as he replied: ¡°I remember that you said you would bring victory to us. I had kept your words in my mind and shall use this skill as a bet. I¡¯ll teach this skill to you if you are able to bring victory to us.¡±

    Once the Elvenmander finished speaking, he turned his head away and smiled faintly without Brendel¡¯s notice.

    [Shit, I knew it wasn¡¯t going to be that easy. Well that¡¯s fine. Both victory and the skill are as good as mine anyways. An unknown skill in the game that I have never seen or heard before..... That¡¯s a little surprising.]

    Suddenly he felt the Nightsong Tiger¡¯s elbow knocking on his side. He looked at where thetter was pointing and noticed the mercenaries readying their weapons. Even though it was only for a short moment, he knew that the long awaited enemies had arrived.

    The first group that entered the valley were thirty odd Lizardmen dragoons.

    They trod under the moonlight and proceeded through the cold boulders, quickly reaching the lowest point of the valley. The next group of units were the Lizardmen infantry withnces and crossbows. These monsters were not like a formal army, and the equipment on their bodies were messily put together. There were no banners that they carried, and wereprised of small squadrons led by Lizardmen who wore an armband.

    The leaders of the small squadrons chattered and made a din, gurgling high pitch noises that kept the individuals who were out of order and their nks from bing too scattered. They marched in disorderly lines of twos and threes and did not form a tactical formation because they were still far away from the humans they were after.

    The long snaking army of Lizardmen passed through the valley, and the mercenaries turned their heads one by one to look for Brendel¡¯s signal, but he shook his head. The Lizardmen were not the only enemies and it was not the best moment to attack yet.

    After a few minutester, the Dark Bishop finally appeared. Because he was not a melee profession, he did not appear in the front or nks, and was surrounded by a bunch of high ranking disciples. Brendel recognized them easily as high-ranking disciples from their attire, and also spotted two single-armed demons walking along them withrge strides. They were called Bachsa; they were once warriors with great sins cast into hell and subsequently turned into lesser demons which had formidable attacking strength.

    More than half of the Lizardmen had crossed beyond the mercenaries.

    Brendel suddenly looked to his left and right before asking: ¡°Where¡¯s Amandina?¡±

    ¡°It seems that Miss Romaine had called her away.¡± The Nightsong Tiger answered.

    Brendel answered with a contemtive affirmation. He was slightly worried about that crazyss causing mayhem again, but he felt better once he heard Amandina was with her. The only thing left to do was to properly handle this battle. He stared at the valley, with the Lizardmen not detecting the killing intent from him.

    The youth carefully pulled out his sword, taking care to ce it under the shadows and pointing to the enemies.

    It was the signal to attack.

    The curtains were pulled back and the battlemenced with crossbows firing at the same time. The mercenaries carefully aimed for their preys as they clenched their teeth and pulled the triggers. The taut strings shot the metallic bolts out and returned to their former unloaded positions. The slightly misty air parted from the projectiles and dull thuds could be heard as the bolts bit into flesh.

    The Lizardmen were only in time to turn their heads as they heard the ¡®twang¡¯ sounds, and more than a dozen of their men who carried crossbows were shot down. Even though most of them did not lose their lives from that, the immense impact had knocked them painfully to the ground and caused them to lose their abilities to continue fighting.

    ¡°¡±¡±¡±Attack!¡±¡±¡± High-pitched chattering and screams could be heard from the Lizardmen.

    The Lizardmen who were not fully evolved instinctively tried to get ready for battle, but the second wave of bolts were fired unerringly into their midst once again. Their own ranged Lizardmen were picked off one by one, and panic started to spread amongst them like wildfire. The foliage suddenly parted and twenty Elven warriors wielding broadswords charged at them with a disciplined formation, disying the fervent aura of the warriors seven centuries ago and making it seem like there were thousands of warriors behind them.

    Such were their killing intent.

    The Dark Bishop were nearly frightened out of his senses when he saw this scene. He immediately thought that the Lizardmen must have offended this ancient race one too many times and caused them to reappear in this world after disappearing for hundreds of years.

    [I¡¯m going to kill that fucking lizard Hewjil! Shit, this is the famous Silver Elven army that participated in the War of the Holy Saints!]

    The Dark Bishop¡¯s hands trembled as he stared the Silver Elves who had the strength of the strongest Gold-ranked fighters.

    He really wished that the Lizardmen were enough to act like cannon fodder and stall for a little time, but it seemed like it was wishful thinking. The immense potency of their charge was like a stake driving into the heart of the Lizardmen¡¯s formations, causing them to be knocked high up in the sky with blood and sinew raining down. Their lithe and bony structures then crashed loudly onto the ground, causing them to die immediately or be heavily injured.

    The heavy Elven infantry quickly regrouped and continued to decimate their lines. Even though the Lizardmen outnumbered them by ten times, they were one-sidedly ughtered.

    The mercenaries continued to reload and fire and gave support to the Elven infantry, while Brendel and Nightsong Tiger and the Elvenmander stealthily moved at the same time towards the battlefield.

    Brendel was seeing something that he did not expect as numbers and lights kept shing in his eyes. His XP was going up all the time. The XP obtained from his mercenaries was one thing¡ª

    [Holy shit! Boosted XP mode because I entered the conditions for a 100%pletion rating for this quest? Going by game logic I should actually receive very little XP because the Silver Elves have higher levels than the Lizardmen!]

 volume 2 - 107

    TL: Ok, I¡¯ll see you on wednesday for a regr update of TAS. I¡¯m going to go back to my art practice. Once again, thanks for your support.

    Chapter 107 ¨C Lure (6)

    Brendel quickly recovered from the surprise and eagerly rushed to activate his Charge skill, moving across the terrain in a straight line, passed through the mercenaries and Elven infantry to swoop down into the thick of the fray. Dozens of Lizardmen rushed at him with theirnces.

    ¡°Good! Come at me!¡± Brendel roared.

    He activated Power Break and swung his sword to strike at the iing weapons, knocking back the Lizardmen easily. With his current strength, he easily pushed back the Level 19 creatures.

    He then took anotherrge step forward, gripped his sword¡¯s hilt tightly with two hands and swung it from right to left. The air instantly distorted and a translucent ripple could be seen rending the Lizardmen¡¯s flesh and passing through them.

    The foliage around him fluttered backwards freely from the Sword Rave¡¯s shockwave. A series of green words and numbers filled his retina as the Lizardmen¡¯s bodies separated into half. The enemies around him fell into a quick silence as they retreated in fear as the body parts were strewn in a fan-shaped area in front of Brendel.

    There were only a few physical techniques that utilized thin air to wound the enemies other than magic and unsealed Elements. Medissa¡¯s area of effect abilities did note from her own Elven techniques but the Spectral Knight¡¯s techniques. In order for a Silver Elf to do the same thing, they had to reach the peak level of 60 before possessing simr capabilities.

    Brendel drew his sword back and changed his stance into a defensive one, taking time to breathe in properly.

    Even though he killed only seven Lizardmen, the effect was more than enough to demoralize them. The Lizardmen nearest to him had their morale bars plunging to a red color, and they started to retreat away from him. The space around him was empty and gave enough time to check the amount of XP that he got.

    [60 XP for these Lizardmen wielding ance. A level 19 creature would give around 20 XP. I¡¯m getting nearly three times the XP of a normal mob creature when I killed these lizards, this is just like how it is in the game. The Elven infantry got me 200 plus XP, I got 420 XP from my charge. If I kill a few Lizardmen leaders and the mobs around them, I¡¯m going to level up!]

    Brendel felt his blood burning hot. He was at 3200/7900 XP, and only had a chunk of XP required to get to reach level 25.

    [Level 25 is a new checkpoint. Not only do I get a new talent, I can get the third ability from my profession. Along with that, I¡¯m goint to be ssified as a Silver ranked fighter, and only at the age of only neen. That¡¯s at the level of a ¡®Blessed¡¯ character!]

    Even though Brendel had never looked down on his NPC status, he was quite irritated to see ridiculous talents popping up around him with Gold-ranked abilities and stats.

    [Or maybe I should target the level 25 dragoons or disciples first¡ª Hold on, should I go after the Dark Bishop now?]

    Brendel quickly swiveled his eyes around to look for the Dark Bishop in excitement. His eyes were starting to be bloodshot as he drooled over that sizable XP. However, what he saw was a group of high ranking disciples rushing to the Elven infantry like a wave. He realized that the Dark Bishop did not wish for the Lizardmen¡¯s formation to breakpletely.

    Once the Lizardmen¡¯s army was cut into half, it would be difficult for the Dark Bishop to give orders, as well as bing slower to respond to the enemy¡¯s attacks. He knew that if he lost control of the battlefield, his chances to escape will be reduced significantly, thus he had no choice but to send out his disciples in order to prevent the situation from bing worse.

    Ten over disciples brandished their weapons while riding the boar-like demons certainly looked imposing, but the Elven infantry had already moved back into position and lined up with Brendel, ready for them. The Lizardmen were impeded by the mercenaries¡¯ ranged attacks and there were not many obstacles between the disciples and the Elves.

    If the Dark Bishop was a little better inmanding, he could order the Lizardmen around him to charge at the mercenaries on the hill. This would even the odds a little bit more, but he was simply not suited to lead. The only things he had in mind were to prevent the lines from splitting altogether and protecting himself.

    After issuing hismands to his men to prevent any enemies froming near him, he started to prepare his spells, but Brendel had already found him and formed a n¡ª

    =============== Amandina¡¯s POV ============

    The war cries in the valley started to mix together and Amandina could no longer discern what was happening. The battle below seemed like it was happening in another world

    When the cool wind blew over the hill¡¯s top which waspletely bare and void of foliage, she shivered and coughed lightly once, before tightening the cloak around herself. She stood alone in the open cliff and looked at her surroundings in slight fear, then turned back to check a certain crevice in the wall and whispered in exasperation:

    ¡°Romaine, are you still not done?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost done.¡± Her voice came back like she was finishing soon.

    Amandina sighed. She had heard of that answer a few times already, but she knew that Romaine would definitely ignore her grumblings even if she tried, so she could only stomp her feet to get rid of the cold.

    However, Romaine was really about to finish what she was doing. She went deeper into the narrow crevice and walked in the dark area without hesitation. Any normal person would feel frightened of this tight area that was void of light, but she walked with an excited expression as she reached her destination. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a crystal, bent down to her feet, cleared the small rocks on the ground and ced the crystal on top of it.

    She got up and count the ces where sheid five other crystals, nodded and finally came out from the crevice with a light-hearted expression. She discovered Amandina with her frowning eyebrows that nearly touched her eyes which were filled with full of discontent and me.

    ¡°I¡¯m regretting this already. Let¡¯s go back now.¡± Amandina shivered and coughed from the cold.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just a small experiment and Brendel won¡¯t notice it at all,¡± Romaine showed a lopsided grin and pulled Amandina¡¯s arm: ¡°Let¡¯s move on to the next location.¡±

    ¡°W-wait......¡±

    ¡°Give me more of that crystal.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to do!¡± Amandina¡¯s wary hands went over her pouch. It was unlucky enough that that damned girl discovered her secret, but she did not want to have anything to do with her crazy acts.

    ¡°But your calctions are fine right?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± She gritted her teeth as she answered: ¡°Romaine, you horrible woman, I¡¯m actually a recognized student in Lantonrand¡¯s Royal Geology Circle.......¡±

    Romaine immediately made a disappointed sigh.

    =============== Brendel¡¯s POV ==============

    A Wind Bullet and a Fireball.

    When the explosion of burning air finally dissipated from the battlefield, the high ranking disciples had been turned into ashes.

    [Ring of the Wind Empress, 20 OZ, 30 damage, me ring, 24 OZ, 70 damage. That¡¯s enough to clear out these Silver-ranked disciples. I was worried there might be some elite demons that came along with the disciples, but it looks like my concern was for nothing. If I think about it, they are unlikely toe into this world in great numbers...... Unless a g is somehow raised and the Gate of Demons is opened, cough¡ª]

    Brendel¡¯s XP was raised by two thousand points. He was nearly level twenty five. He quickly lowered his sword and gave new orders to the Elven infantry: ¡°Attack the enemies¡¯ nks, get rid of the Lizardmen and clear a path for me. The BOSS, I mean, leave the leader to me! Got it?¡±

    Twenty Elves nodded at the same time.

    ¡°How about me, my lord?¡± The Nightsong tiger asked.

    ¡°Go along with Nethar.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need any help?¡± The Elvenmander asked.

    ¡°Just leave the leader to me, I don¡¯t want that bastard to die off too quickly.¡± Brendel answered.

    He had other thoughts about the Dark Bishop. Even though thetter had abilities and stats equivalent to a level 35 normal NPC, his true level was only 25 and Brendel actually had an easier time to deal with enemies with lower levels.

    Without giving them a chance to argue, the youth charged towards the Dark Bishop, but two Bachsa demons that were nearly three meters tall were obstructing him.

    They were aggressive demons who also had the Charge abilities, and could be said to be the bane of low level archers and wizards. Brendel stopped before them for a split moment before going around their backs like a stealthy spirit. His hair flitted about as their weapons missed him before theynded onto the ground with a resounding crash.

    Although the demons had the Charge abilities, their agility was incredibly low and their regr strength were also no match for Brendel¡¯s strikebined with Power Break. His sword danced across the demons¡¯ bodies, painting injuries across them one after another as he constantly moved behind them and biting at their backs. The demons were slowly bleeding to their deaths, but they were not even able to catch a glimpse of Brendel¡¯s appearance.

    The Dark Bishop did not waste any time and quickly finished casting his spell. He screamed and directed a bolt of lightning towards Brendel who had kept an eye on him.

    [ws of the Demon, a magic spell of the Third Circle.]

    Brendel easily recognized the magic spell. It was a spell that had two effects. Even though it was based on the Dark Element, the dark energy converted Hellfire into burning damage, while the second effect caused a loss of speed. As a magic spell of the Third Circle, the effects were much more effective than an Ice Arrow. It would literally seal the enemy onto the ground with dark energy unless they had over 40 OZ strength, and would only dissipate after a couple of minutes.

    This spell was one of the mostmon spells amongst Dark Elementalists and Witches, and were primarily used for a sneak attack. Brendel really wanted to tell the Dark Bishop it should not be used in this manner when he saw this ugly sight. During the early days in the game, yers simply used this spell without thinking until muchter, where they discovered that it was better used with abined spell to hide the shy effects, or even used as a closebat spell.

    The reason for that was because the spell needed careful aim.

    When Brendel saw the Dark Bishop¡¯s hand stretched out, he immediately kicked the Bachsa¡¯s body in front of him to block the lightning¡¯s path. Hundreds of ck electricity sparks chained the body onto the ground and spluttered hellfire everywhere. It was an impressive sight, but the spell effectiveness was rendered to zero as it missed its intended target.

    He then activated Power Break again with an upwards swing of his sword, sundering the other demon¡¯s neck and arm and instantly killed it with the body parts flying high up into the air.

    Brendel took a moment to take a deep breath. The recent addition of the Spectral Knight¡¯s crystal had caused the effectiveness of Power Break to increase his strength to over 30 OZ, but the drain on his stamina was even higher than before.

    Fortunately, the balls of light that flew from the demons into his body caused him to level up and his body felt lighter than before. Green words streaked across his retina:

    ¨C You have reached Level 25. New talents are avable.

    ¨C You have gained the technique Frontal Assault;

    ¨C Frontal Assault (Level 0): Spend 5 stamina and break the opponent¡¯s defenses (Armor, Magic, Natural), causing your enemies¡¯ defenses to weaken by 1.7 OZ.

    ¨C Detected an Item of Destiny: ¡®The Golden Seed of Destiny¡¯. Do you wish to activate the destiny of ¡®The Golden Dawn¡¯?

    [What the fuck! No, I refuse to activate!]

    Brendel was stunned for a moment before he hurriedly shook his head.

 volume 2 - 108

    TL: This chapter is kinda short but I feel like there¡¯s info dumping here..... Erm, I¡¯ll be tranting the JP series and TSTBGAM tomorrow.

    Chapter 108 ¨C Lure (7)

    The Golden Apple was a unique God-tier item in the game. Using that item would open the Destiny¡¯s Gift of ¡®The Golden Dawn¡¯. The unique talent from this gift was ¡®The Leaves of the Golden Tree¡¯, derived from the true Golden Tree, and not the corrupted and useless Golden Demonic Tree.

    The in-game lore of the Golden Tree described its true name as ¡®Prana, The World Tree¡¯, which was found at the edge of the world next to the Deep Lake. Indeed, it was one of the sources that provided the Golden Bloodline, and the talent rewarded a full 10% growth for all stats, and increased the Spiritual Points (SP) by ten times.

    In the game, only a few of the best Elementalists managed to activate this talent through a quest. The Golden Apple was a dream for countless gamers.

    This chance was presented in front of Brendel and in reach of his hands. As soon as he nodded, all his stats would increase and effectively add his MP pool by two times. He would even gain the passive ability ¡®Quaduraple Casting¡¯, which it possible to effectively cast four different spells at the same time. It was the best ability any profession that used spells could have, and affectionately called as ¡®The Fairy¡¯s Language¡¯ by the gamers.

    All the analysis websites rated the Golden Dawn with a S+ Grade, and was even seen as an option for the warrior ss simply because of the stats growth. It was even morepatible with Brendel, because he ultimately had to take on a side profession as an Elementalist to be a neswalker.

    However, he did not hesitate for one moment and refused it entirely.

    Even though the talent was good, he only had one chance to choose and wanted only the best talents, or at least the best avable talents for his n in this world. The game had countless gamers vying for the limited professions, but this world was different because there was no one at all¡ª

    He understood there were many opportunities in this world, and the Golden Dawn was merely something that looked decent.

    He had two Talents he wanted:

    Primeval Bloodline ¨C All Stats increased by 10%, a reduction of 50% in penalty for taking side professions.

    Genealogy Unification ¨C All professions gain a unique modified skillset.

    The first ability gave incredible value as Brendel had no idea how many professions he had to take on in the future, and the more professions he had, the more penalties he was going to have.

    The second ability boosted all professions in some form, and he remembered that it added Fabled Hero to the Warrior ss: All abilities within the Warrior Skill Tree were increased by one level.

    In the game, techniques were ssified as such.

    1-5: Elementary

    6-10: Advanced

    11-15: Veteran

    16-20: Master

    21 and above: Grandmaster

    ssifications above Grandmaster had various names, but the highest of them all was Legendary, and could only be achieved by Genealogy Unification, or at least this was the only method Brendel knew of.

    The grades of each ability would go up by one when they reached the Legendary tier. Many gamers wondered how overpowered a character would be if they managed to raise their all their professions¡¯ abilities¡¯ levels to the max, but that was practically impossible to achieve even for pay-to-win yers. (TL: Basically Grade B skill will be Grade A, etc.)

    That was why some of the gamer analysts called Genealogy Unification the ¡®fake SS¡¯ Talent. Other rumored SS talents in the game were Marsha¡¯s Progeny or The Azure Catastrophe described by NPCs which had never appeared in the game.

    Brendel did not hope to acquire any of the SS rated talents, but he had a rough idea on how the quests for these two Talents he wanted to have. As long as there was a general walkthrough or described process he had read, he was confident that he could do the same like what the previous title holders had aplished.

    [I¡¯m not going to make a shitty choice again. Choosing a garbage talent like Unyielding...... If I had the choice of choosing the talent Dragon¡¯s Scion or Ironwill, mybat stats would be twenty percent better. I need to choose the best talents avable now so that I can recoup my losses. No, no, no, I refuse to activate!]

    Brendel answered in his mind and rotated his body to evade a Mana Arrow from the Dark Bishop. It was a low level spell which did not need a long casting spell, designed to prevent Brendel from getting too close, and not for the purpose of hitting him.

    All the disciples had died and there were only ten plus Lizardmen who were shivering from fear as they guarded the Dark Bishop. He knew they were useless and could only rely on his own strength, even if the situation looked hopeless. He threw another Mana Arrow while hurling curses on Hewjil for failing to provide information on the twenty Silver Elves. Even up to till this point, he did not understand that he had being lured into a trap by Brendel, who continued to dodge his arrows.

    [If you reach level 30 and got the passive ability ¡®Spirit Vein¡¯ from your profession, I might worry about your ability to do dual casting. Why are you wasting your mana to cast low level spells? Is your MP higher than my stami¡ª]

    The option to activate the Talent had faded away when Brendel rejected it, but a new message appeared:

    ¨C Your character has reached Level 25. Your ability has been unlocked for the second time.

    ¨C Unyielding (Level 2): Your character has obtained gained Elemental Resistance +5, and a 5% physical damage reduction.

    [........]

    Brendel immediately canceled the Window to stop it from interrupting his mood to fight. Even though it was quite a good talent for a tank there were no warriors in the game who took on the role of tanks, especially when Brendel took on a variant profession as a Mercenary. This message looked like it was mocking him.

    [Just exactly who would allow a monster to hit them on purpose in this world?!]

    The Silver Elves forced the Lizardmen to the sides of the hill, and the Dark Bishop finally realized his mistake when the path between Brendel and him cleared up slowly. Brendel also noticed the Mana Arrows had stopped and peered at the Dark Bishop who was gathering Dark Element around him, which caused ck smoke to circle around him. It was apparent to Brendel that the Dark Bishop was casting a high level magic spell.

    Thetter forcefully swung his sword to knock any remaining Lizardmen in his path and activated his Charge ability, and instantly turned into a straight line rushing towards the Dark Bishop. Before any of the Lizardmen around the Dark Bishop could react, Brendel had bypassed them to reach the Dark Bishop¡¯s side.

    He nted his right foot forward, raised his sword upwards to the sky, activated Power Break and cleaved the Dark Bishop into two ¡ª that should have happened, but a ck shield that reflected no light appeared, and caused a loud ng when the sword crashed onto it.

    [What.....?]

    Brendel was slightly stunned as he saw the Dark Bishop¡¯s bony arm holding on to a shield that suddenly appeared out from nowhere. The Dark Bishop leered at Brendel as he shrugged off his sword and pointed with his other hand, firing off ck mes from his fingers, and formed into a familiar shape.

    ¡°Mana Arrow!¡±

    TL: Well the cliff is kind of real... I¡¯ll have to see how long are the other series¡¯ TLed length before I can tell you whether I can spend time on the next TAS chapter and squeeze one in for the weekend. If the TSTBGAM chapter is another 3-4k words again, well, the next regr update for TAS will be next Wednesday.

 volume 2 - 109

    TL: Some important stuff that I want to talk about after the intro notes.

    TL: As you know, I tl TSTBGAM along with TAS regrly. The reason why I tl TSTBGAM is mainly because I wanted something to distract myself from TAS ¡®serious¡¯ plotline. In the past TAS took just slightly more than 3 hours, because I didn¡¯t really need to worry about the format of the skill names or search for continuity checks.

    However, like I have exined a while ago, the time to TL has gone up. Not only do I have to make the sure the action scenes are making sense, I have to check the skill names in the past and (future) to make sure there¡¯s no TL errors, squash redundancy lines and format stats descriptions. Now one chapter takes 4-5 hours.

    As for TSTBGAM, the recent chapters are killing me. It used to be around 1k words per chapter, but it suddenly ramped up to 3.5k to 4.5k words. What used to be 2 hours per chapter, turned to 7-8 hours. Don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s still fun to watch Sue making life miserable for a bunch of people, but I¡¯m pretty much sitting on the chair without a break for that 7-8 hours.

    For those of you who always wanted more TAS chapters, well, you¡¯re probably going to get slightly more for the near foreseeable future. Note on PROBABLY, so don¡¯t get excited.

    In the mean time, I want to TL a R18 JP series (the series is probably targeted towards the female audience? Haven¡¯t really read it...) that¡¯s going to rece TSTBGAM. If I¡¯m going to spend 7-8 hours to TL then I¡¯ll want to do to improve my kanji dictionary instead.

    How long will the hiatus be? Probably 1-2 months, with a freeze on donations too. Right now it¡¯s at a pretty good point for me to stop because the plot won¡¯t move till a few chapterster.

    Finally, this chapter is brought to you by donators. Thanks for your constant support. Next regr update will be on next wednesday.

    Chapter 109 ¨C Looting the body and an ident

    ¡°Mana Arrow!¡± The Dark Bishop screeched as heunched it towards Brendel.

    Brendel clenched his teeth and evaded the arrow by twisting his body, letting it slide across his chest. The hellfire scorched his skin and he felt like his whole body was set azed. Even though there was damage done, the oue was much better than having a few of his ribs broken.

    [Damn it. Even though I was on my guard against the Dark Bishop¡¯s Cast Invisibility spell, I still got damaged.]

    In the game, the tanking professions would usually take this damage, but Brendel was certain that he would not get caught by it with his reactions and was not disappointed by his agility.

    If he failed to evade it, then the next few attacks would be a set ofbination spells from the Dark Bishop. He would not get killed by that, but would definitely suffer for the next few days.

    [But this is the only time where I can get full solo XP, since the Nightsong Tiger and the others will probably rush to help me out. In any case, now that the Dark Bishop has failed, it¡¯s going to be my turn for a counter-attack.]

    Brendel leapt and immediately got behind the Dark Bishops¡¯s back with another swing of his sword.

    As he expected, the Dark Bishop flung his arm in an arc and allowed the ck shield to intercept Brendel¡¯s sword, while a pile of ck mes appeared on his left hand again.

    [Although my attack only took 1/3 of the durability away, do you really think I can¡¯t break your Shield of Darkness that only has 10 points?]

    Brendel scoffed as he jumped backwards to avoid the second Mana Arrow. There was no need to be impatient.

    The exchange of attacks took ce during Brendel¡¯s Charge ability. The Lizardmen realized their target had disappeared, and paused for a moment nkly before they started to search for him. When they spotted him again, they saw him attacking the Dark Bishop with a sword that was shining brightly¡ª

    He had called out the Stats Window during his retreat, and raised Frontal Assault to level five. At that level the defenses would be weakened by 10 OZ, and was effectively the bane of warriors who wore Heavy Armor as well as wizards with high level barriers.

    Brendel¡¯s sword started to vibrate intensely as the de reflected the moonlight, and making it seem like it was d with light.

    The sword went in a straight line.

    [Power Break, Frontal Assault, activate!] Brendel felt as though all his strength leaving his body and poured into the thrust.

    The results did not disappoint him. The Dark Bishop stared at his shield which was breaking into a shower of fragments in great disbelief. That ordinary looking sword emerged past his abdomen and back without stopping, and once it did so, Brendel immediately released his sword and went behind his back.

    When he did so, the Dark Bishop screamed loudly as excessive quantities of dark mes poured out from his eyes, nostrils, mouth and injuries. The strength of the mes which were more than ten times stronger than the Mana Arrow, caused Brendel who went behind his back to feel the Dark Element boiling in the sky and made his skin prick painfully.

    Burning life points and converting them into Mana. This was thest defense of any Elementalist. It could be used instantly, but only someone like the Dark Bishop was insane enough to use every bit of his life force to kill Brendel along with himself.

    Brendel had suffered this suicidal move in the past so he made sure to avoid it. If he took that head on, he was most likely going to be dead or at the very least near death.

    That well made Whitesteel Longsword was probably destroyed. Unless it was a magic artifact, most of the normal artifacts would be destroyed from the Mana Explosion. He was not even sure if there was anything going to be left from it.

    He then turned around and smiled at the Lizardmen who were nning to surround him.

    He felt that his smile was quite sincere and friendly, but the Lizardmen looked at him like he as though he was a horrifying monster. Even someone as strong as the Dark Bishop was killed by the youth in an instant, while they were just insignificant minions who would not make a difference in this battle. They could not help but look at each other with doubt, then quickly turned around and ran away.

    Their actions certainly fit the actions that stereotypical bandits would make.

    They were able to relish that the fact that the youth did not go after them. The truth was Brendel was actually in a weakened state. Thebination of Power Break and Frontal Assault had used up fifteen times the Stamina required to use a full swing. Even though he still had stamina remaining he felt quite exhausted.

    [Whatever. This battle is at its end anyway. Let¡¯s see. I got 4200 points from the Dark Bishop, and my current XP is 5645/13600, oh, it¡¯s still going up huh......]

    He looked up and saw the Silver Elves breaking the Lizardmen¡¯s formation wide open, and chased them to paths that were narrow andplicated. When the Dark Bishop died, the Lizardmen were unable to form any resistance any longer and started to flee.

    In the beginning, there were still some resemnce of a defensive formation, but it quickly descended into a chaotic retreat.

    [The only thing left to do in this battle was to just wait for the XP toe in.]

    Brendel went ahead and sat beside the Dark Bishop without touching anything. Since he was unlucky in finding good loot from the bodies, he wanted to wait for the older Elementalist sister to handle the corpse.

    He took out a Moonlight Crystal out, activated it and threw it up into the air. This was the signal to inform the mercenaries they no longer needed to support the battle with ranged attacks, and they should regroup with him.

    Since it was boring to wait for them, Brendel started to study his stats.

    [Strength and Physique are over 25 oz, agility was added by 3 OZ from the level up. I¡¯ve definitely reached the minimum qualification for a Silver-rank fighter. Adding my other abilities like Power Break and Frontal Assault will allow me to reach the top tier fighters of this rank.]

    ¡°That¡¯s two months. Do you believe that, old pal? You turned from amon militia to the level of an Apprentice Knight with the strength of a Silver-rank fighter. Even the formal Be guards can¡¯t evenpare to you now. Trust me when I say our road is still far ahead-¡± Brendel smiled a little as he ced his hand over his chest and muttered. The Brendel from the game world felt a surge of emotions within him. It was true that level 25 was really nothing to him.

    The mercenaries made their way down from the forest, and the former Grey Wolves Mercenaries were especially excited. They knew very little about their new lordpared to the others. Even though Brendel said he would bring them victory, they did not realize that it would be won so easily and without casualties.

    They were outnumbered by nearly seven times, and there were Silver-ranked demons and the Dark Bishop who constantly hounded them in the past like an unending nightmare. Sanford was still a little agitated when he ran to Brendel¡¯s side, and he suddenly felt there was something different about his lord, and caused him to forget his manners. He approached close to him and asked excitedly: ¡°My lord, did you break your limits?¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°The lord is only twenty years old, and he attained the might of a Silver-rank fighter,¡± The Grey Wolves Mercenaries looked at each other and murmured amongst themselves. ¡°We are fortunate enough to witness the birth of two prodigies.¡±

    ¡°Two?¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°The member within our former Grey Wolves Mercenaries. His name is Eke.¡± Sanford replied.

    ¡°So it¡¯s him.¡± Brendel raised his eyebrow. He was not really concerned with that name, so he quickly looked for that person amongst the mercenaries, spotted the Elementalist older sister and immediately beckoned his hand in that direction: ¡°Over here, lucky babe,e over here and loot this body!¡±

    Everyone stopped talking when they heard him ¡ª

    They first looked at where Brendel was looking at, hesitated for a while, before putting their eyes on the older Elementalist sister. She looked at the people around her before pointing at herself: ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t I ask you before to do this task?¡± Brendel pointed at the Dark Bishop: ¡°Loot the body.... No, I mean, tidy up the victory items.¡±

    The girl¡¯s pretty looking brows frowned as she bit her lower lips, while she red at Brendel: ¡°My lord, my name is Fern, and not l-lucky babe!¡± Her heavily ented tongue caused her to nearly bite her tongue. She was looking coldly at him as she thought he was trying to cause trouble for her.

    ¡°Ah, no, you see, Fern, lucky babe is something we say to praise someone in my hometown.¡±

    But he immediately saw her looking back at him with suspicion.

    ¡°My lord, I have also been to Karsuk, but the locals have never said something like that before.....¡± Sanford reminded him from the side.

    ¡°No, this talk is between us wizards.¡± Brendel¡¯s recovery was very quick.

    ¡°What does it mean?¡±

    ¡°It means that the person¡¯s luck is very good, very moe, and a totally hot girl.¡±

    Even though the Elementalist sister did not know what moe meant, she understood there were some ill intentions somewhere. She red at her lord as she confirmed in her heart that all human males were certainly lustful beasts. However, she was a subordinate to him, so she did not make any disrespectful actions, nodded and did what she was ordered to.

    Suddenly there was a series of soft bangs in the east hills. At first the sounds continued with low rumbles, before clear cracking sounds mixed with thunder-like booms could be heard. The ground where they were standing trembled.

    Brendel looked at the pebbles at his feet which moved like they were dancing.

    [Why are these sounds so familiar. They sound like Exploding Crystals used in the second Madara War. Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t heard these sounds in the game for decades. How nostalgic...... Wait, what?!]

    Brendel¡¯s expression changed and immediately looked up. Indeed, the cliffs in the east were being destroyed in a pile of rising dust clouds.

    Everyone stared with gaping mouths as they watched the rocks fly everywhere ¡ª

 volume 2 - 110

    TL: I¡¯ll be posting another TAS chapter tomorrow.

    Ramblings: I ruined a perfectly fine pork belly by ident. It was the saltiest and driest pork I have cooked in a while, darn it. It tasted so good in the beginning too :/

    Chapter 110 ¨C idental bounty

    Romaine was in a rare state where she was quiet and still, sitting obediently in front of Brendel with a lowered head. If she did not peek from the corners of her eyes at Brendel, she actually appeared to be quite like a noble¡¯s daughter.

    Of course that would only be true, if one was to discount her shabby appearance, with her face covered with soot and her tattered clothes.

    The real noble¡¯s daughter who sat beside Romaine was roughly in the same state. She clutched her cloak that was full of holes from the explosion with a lowered head that was covered with full of ashes, and appeared anxious.

    ¡°Brendel, I......¡± Romaine saw Brendel¡¯s furious face rxed a little and rushed to exin herself, but before she was able to finish her sentence, thetter¡¯s re sent her words back down her throat.

    She had no choice but to lower her head gloomily.

    She was sure that her n was perfect, and if it was not for the small mistake at the end , she would have helped him a lot. Even if there was just a tiny problem at the end, it ttened a few Lizardmen right? It even sealed off their escape route too.

    She told herself that she needed to put less Exploding Crystals the next time she did it.

    If Brendel knew what she was thinking, he would probably spank her immediately. He and Nethar went to inspect the area after the explosions. Based on Amandina¡¯s calction, the n was indeed able to kill the majority of the Lizardmen that escaped towards the hills. Unfortunately it was clear that she worked with the wrong person, or to be precise, that n would never have materialized. If the troublemaker Romaine did not see that n, then the n would simply remain on paper.

    Unfortunately, history did not have the word ¡®if¡¯ in it. Just like how Romaine did not have the word ¡®caution¡¯ in her dictionary, her ns were constructed in reality.

    Brendel cast his gaze back on Amandina. She seemed to feel his eyes looking at her, and she shrank a little and said in a small voice: ¡°I¡¯m sorry my lord, this is my fault.....¡±

    ¡°No, this has nothing to do with you.¡± Brendel shook his head.

    Amandina¡¯s mind was nk for a moment. She thought he would ask her to take responsibility for this matter. It was clear to everyone how much he spoiled Romaine, and if something was to happen to her, she did not know how Brendel would react. She had gotten used to being Brendel¡¯s aide and his finances, and she felt that she would not be able to go back to her old life if he did not want to use her any longer.

    [If Romaine did not change Amandina¡¯s dosage on her own she would not caused the explosion to go wrong. In the end, only a few Lizardmen died and nearly caused the two of them to get buried because of the improper explosion. If Amandina did not realize something was wrong, the results would have been disastrous.]

    Brendel could not help but re at Romaine when he thought about this point. This was also the thing that made him the angriest. He did not mind Romaine helping out, as long as she did not act senselessly and ced herself in danger.

    He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

    This girl from Be looked as if she was able to see things clearly like it was an innate talent, but at times she seemed so out of the world that it caused him headaches.

    ¡°Amandina, did you create ns like this all the time?¡± He suddenly asked.

    Amandina felt troubled again and was full of shame. He had treated her like an equal noble of his status, and other than the slight difficulty of traveling, she felt that there was nothing toin about.

    ¡°I apologize......¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Brendel continued to re at Romaine to check whether she was reflecting on her mistake.: ¡°I¡¯m asking if you¡¯reing up with ns on your own whenever something is happening.¡±

    She blinked twice before nodding. Ever since she joined him, she had nned various schemes every time he acted and was even proud of them, but he was always better and certainly proved that she was alwayscking. In front of his foresight which was verging on precognition, she felt that it was almost like a joke for wanting to be his advisor

    Even so, she had never given up on this habit. Now she made these ns to judge herself instead of her initial goal to be his advisor. She would constantly check her ns as the events unfold to see whether she had improved on her old mistakes, but she did not expect Romaine to peek at her boldest ns amongst the ones she did.

    She felt like Mother Marsha was ying a joke on her.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you show them to me?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I.....¡±

    The youth was silent for a moment as he guessed what she was thinking. ¡°Miss Amandina, you were the one to rmend yourself to be my advisor. Since that is the case, isn¡¯t it to be expected for you to tell me your ns?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...... I know that, but all the time your ns...... I didn¡¯t know that I¡¯m so immature. In the future, I¡¯ll¡ª¡°

    ¡°Brendel, the entire thing is my fault, stop picking on Amandina-¡± Romaine interrupted the conversation.

    Brendel nearly failed to keep a straight face from the sudden interruption because he was angry.

    [Shit. Luckily I told the Nightsong Tiger and Nethar to give me some space, otherwise I really can¡¯t maintain my appearance as a lord.]

    He took a deep breath, ignored Romaine and continued his words from before: ¡°Miss Amandina, there¡¯s no one who is aplished from the very beginning. You are especially different, as there are very few who has an astute mind like yours. If you give up your chance to be my advisor because of your childish thoughts, then you¡¯re wasting your talents and Mother Marsha¡¯s efforts.¡±

    Amandina looked at him with confusion and iprehension.

    ¡°There is always a limit to a person¡¯s understanding of a given situation. The Nightsong Tiger is able to help me solve many things because of his experience, but he cannot match one particr thing that you possess.¡± He pointed repeatedly at his head as he looked at her. ¡°Miss Amandina. I hope that you don¡¯t stay outside of my circle any longer. I believe you can help me. Are you willing to do so?¡±

    He wanted to give her confidence andfort. A conman like himself could easily shake her confidence, especially when she had such a strong desire to win.

    [Even if I don¡¯t change history too much, this foresight of mine can onlyst for a few years. In the game the yers had a great impact of how the world turned out, and without their interaction in this world, ¡®history¡¯ will definitely differ from what I know. Even though I can still use my experience to look at things, the ability to know what the future holds will be heavily discounted. Just this mission alone is enough to show me that there were things I missed out.]

    In the game he was not the best warrior or the bestmander, and while he could try to be the former with items and experience, thetter had to be done with other means.

    [I have the Goddess of War with me in the future, but that won¡¯t be enough. Amandina can see the entire situation just from a few details and that isn¡¯t something that I can do easily. While she isn¡¯t someone who¡¯s omniscient she¡¯s more than enough to be an advisor.]

    Amandina was deeply moved by Brendel¡¯s words. There was nothing more precious than give trust to someone like her who was proud. Even though she still felt that Brendel was merely consoling her, she nodded earnestly and was determined to help him.

    Brendel did not expect the shy Amandina to have such a strong reaction as he thought he was only able to dismiss her worries. His eyes went back to Romaine as he asked: ¡°Do you still have any Exploding Crystals left?¡±

    ¡°My lord, you know about them?¡± Amandina looked at her in disbelief.

    ¡°Something like that......¡± Brendel coughed awkwardly.

    [This thing isn¡¯t invented yet? Don¡¯t tell me that this girl also invented the Exploding Crystals too, coincidence much?]

    But he still tried to gloss it over: ¡°The High Tower¡¯s wizards have something simr, so I¡¯m just asking.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a coincidence,¡± Amandina said in a small voice: ¡°I named them as Exploding Crystals too. I used the discarded materials during the creation of Magicite. They are capable of piercing through the surrounding structure of an object, discing their stability, allowing the Elements to be active, and ultimately causes an explosion.¡±

    [You really created this!]

    Brendel¡¯s head spun to her again. This was something quite big in the game, although it was gradually phased out in theter half of the Madara War. Gamers agreed that they were the ¡®explosives¡¯ in this fantasy world, but the stability of the crystals were poor and not suited to be kept in storage. It was quite effective in the early stages, but the strength of the undead units were eventually strong enough at the end of the war to withstand it.

    ¡°Do you have more of them?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I have a few more left,¡± Amandina immediately answered: ¡°If my lord needs them, I can make them overnight.¡±

    ¡°Overnight?¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes became wide. Was it not supposed to take at least half a month?

    Brendel thought history might have changed because he took her along with him when he saw her nodding. He wanted to ask for more details, but he saw the Nightsong Tiger beckoning at him with an urgent expression.

    [Damn it, isn¡¯t he supposed to be with the lucky babe to gather the loot? I wanted to ask about this hack.]

    But the Nightsong Tiger looked like he was about to run up, so he quickly gave his instructions: ¡°If it¡¯s possible, I want everyone to have one or two of them. Also, these crystals are unstable right?¡±

    Amandina felt a little numb at Brendel¡¯s know-it-all words and nodded after a moment of shock.

    [Okay! It looks like there¡¯s no sudden change in history.]

    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you a method to let it stabilize a little longer. But that method¡¯s effectiveness has its limit, so you need to research on it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± She uttered a surprised gasp as she watched Brendel leave who appeared relieved.

    [He even knows how to stabilize it......]

    Her confidence that was repaired from Brendel¡¯s encouragement was once again shattered with his words. She thought she would have at some advantages in creating Magicite-rted artifacts, but he seemed to know even more than her.

    However, this was a misunderstanding because Brendel did not take on such a profession in the game and knew nothing about it. He did have some knowledge about a few recipes and materials regarding to the profession though.

    While Amandina was swimming in a pool of misery, Romaine finally gave a long sigh of relief as the only person who could control her left.

    ¡°Thank you, Amandina.¡± She looked gratefully at Amandina and said.

    [I¡¯ll be grateful enough if you don¡¯t give me anymore trouble.] Amandina nced at her and shook her head hurriedly. She was terrified of this girl.

    But Romaine did not seem like she intended to let the only one whom she could talk to off the hook. She thought for a while and asked: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, did you see that earlier?¡±

    ¡°That?¡±

    ¡°You know, there are a few flying lights that came towards us like fireflies when we were escaping. Did you notice them?¡±

    ¡°I......¡±

    ¡°Did you?¡±

    ¡°I think I did......¡±

    ============= Brendel POV ==============

    When Brendel met up with the Nightsong Tiger, he saw him with a thick book covered in leather. That was without a doubt an item from the Dark Bishop, which were covered with scorched marks left from the explosion of Dark Mana.

    [The lucky babe really has the golden touch of Midas. She can even scrounge items from one of the poorest mob. Damn, it would be fun to watch the reaction of the other gamers if I can post them screenshots online.]

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± He asked.

    The Nightsong Tiger looked at him secretively, and opened the book in front of him.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes turned into dots when he saw what was in them.

 volume 2 - 111

    TL: I spent a while to see if I was able to have lezhin¡¯s weic in an offline format, and it looks like I can somehow do it with a 3rd party program. The quality is seriously rubbish at 720 pixels wide though. Sigh, I do want to support the authors, guess I¡¯ll have toy down some moh -_-...

    Anyone read Sweet Guy? I think the art¡¯s really amazing as it improved towards the end. I¡¯m not quite sure about the official title though (He does a body good, seriously?)

    Also, two chapters today. I had to cut off my TL halfway yesterday to pack the house.

    Chapter 111 ¨C neswalker¡¯s Legacy (1)

    ¡°These...... are?¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes looked a bit vacant.

    ¡°They like exactly what they are, my lord,¡± The Nightsong Tiger¡¯s lips were formed into a straight line to show a sense of mystery and calmness, but his light brown irises were filled excitement: ¡°These are all Cards of Fate!¡±

    He opened the book, flipped the pages and pointed at the cards.

    ¡°I know what they are, but why are there so many cards?¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes were glued to the thickmbskin pages.

    There seemed to be six cards in every page and Brendel guessed there were approximately nine thick pages in this book.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± The Nightsong Tiger¡¯s eyebrow strained a little: ¡°I think it¡¯s better to let Ciel answer my lord¡ª¡°

    ¡°Ciel? You know him?¡± Brendel looked up at him with a questioning look.

    ¡°Yes. The cards in your deck are linked together. From a certain point of view, we exist in the same Dimensional Space that my lord created. If we are not summoned, we will stay in thends that make up the space. The Land Card that you possess pays the Wealth and Element Points required for us. It goes without saying the higher the Card¡¯s rank is, the more wealth you need to pay.¡± (TL: I understand this as, Land Card is used to pay for summoning a creature, and when a creature goes into the graveyard, it goes back to that specifd.)

    ¡°Right.¡± Brendel took note of the Dimension Space, and checked the remaining resources he had.

    ¨C Nature Element: 6 points

    ¨C Water Element: 6 points

    ¨C Wealth: 67 points

    ¨C Reputation: 17 points

    His bag also contained Element Crystals; half of them were Fire Crystals.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me these things before.Also for some reason, these words doesn¡¯t sound like something you would say.¡±

    The Nightsong Tigerughed: ¡°Haha. You¡¯re indeed sharp, my lord. These are Ciel¡¯s exact words. I¡¯m simply acting as a messenger.¡±

    ¡°You can converse with him right now?¡±

    The Nightsong Tiger nodded.

    ¡°I see,¡± Brendel said: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, ask him to tell me exactly how the Dark Bishop came to get hold of this collection. I remember that you told me that only newalkers, his summons and their permitted followers are able to see them for what they are. Why did this bastard have so many cards? Was he a neswalker or something simr, or did you get these cards from something else?¡±

    ¡°No, this is definitely taken from the Dark Bishop, but they are different from the normal cards, this is a Legacy-¡°

    ¡°Wait, what is a Legacy?¡± Brendel interrupted.

    The Nightsong Tiger paused for a while as though he was waiting for an answer, then looked at Brendel and said: ¡°Ciel says that a neswalker¡¯s life is finite. When a neswalker reaches the end of his life, the cards that he collects will be sealed. Under this condition, the cards will materialize and turn solid. Even a normal person is able to see and touch them in this state. These cards would appear to be no different from a fortune teller¡¯s tarot cards to them. However, to a neswalker, they are assets and wealth left behind from another neswalker. There are other reasons as to how a collection of cards can be discovered but this is the primary reason.¡±

    ¡°You mean to say that the Dark Bishop got them by chance, but he has no idea what they are?¡±

    ¡°Ciel says that possiblity is very high, but he also says that it might be possible that my lord¡¯s conjecture the Dark Bishop is a neswalker, is the correct answer.¡±

    Brendel shook his head, if it was true that the Dark Bishop was a neswalker, he would have used the cards on him. Ciel¡¯s reasoning was most likely the correct answer, but he was trying to tter him.

    ¡°If that is the case, isn¡¯t it possible for neswalkers to steal each other¡¯s cards?¡± He asked after thinking for a short while.

    ¡°There¡¯s the possibility, but the majority of the neswalkers wouldn¡¯t fight to the death over them. Many of the cards are not unique and unless they are truly insane, very few will kill over these cards.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by unique?¡±

    ¡°There are many duplicate cards in a different location at any given time. Even a newly formed series like the Eversong Card can have simr cards. My lord is able to summon a Hignd Squire, Ciel, to work for you. Other neswalkers are able to do the same and summon a Hignd Squire, except they would summon other names and not specifically Ciel. There might be conditions and rules for their summons to appear, but once they do so, they will not change¡ª¡± The Nightsong Tiger suddenly shrugged as he raised his hands: ¡°If my lord wants to summon a female eye-candy mercenarymander, with golden flowing hair and azure eyes to work for you, that wouldn¡¯t be possible. Of course, the first half of my reply is from Ciel, thetter half is my humble addition.¡±

    [Are you telling me that I have a preference for older men?] The corner of Brendel¡¯s eyes twitched.

    ¡°Your input is unnecessary. You mentioned something about seals earlier, does that mean I¡¯m unable to use these cards directly?

    The Nightsong Tiger nodded.

    ¡°And why is that?¡±

    The cards were brought closer to Brendel.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Take the collection, look at the cards and you will know.¡±

    Brendel took over the book and touched one of the cards.

    ¨C 1400 Reputation

    Words immediately popped up, and he focused on the card to get a better look.

    ¨C tinum Angel

    ¨C (The Immortal Alliance XIX)

    ¨C Requirements: Willpower 40, Mana Points 50

    ¨C When tinum Angel is on the battlefield, the Summoner will not die from injuries.

    ¨C Maintanenace: When tinum Angel is in the battlefield, pay 10 Willpower, 10 Gems every day.

    ¨C ¡®The secret of immortality is buried in the Angel¡¯s heart.¡¯

    ¨C Conditions: Pay 1400 Reputation to unseal this card.

    [1400 reputation?! Marsha above, I don¡¯t think I can even steal that much, are you toying with me!]

    Brendel nearly dropped the card from his hand. The Hignd Squire Card gave 1 Reputation per day and he had got 17 reputation from it thus far. Ever since the card went into the grave, it stopped giving out resources.

    He stared at the faceless tinum Angel which was drawn in a painterly style wordlessly for a moment, then moved on to the next card subconsciously:

    ¨C Balm of Life

    ¨C (The Immortal Alliance X)

    ¨C Requirements: Light Element Points 10, Mana Points 50

    ¨C [Divine Equipment/Wondrous Artifact]

    ¨C Tap card and pay 5 Light EP. Restore half of your life points and shuffle Balm of Life and your graveyard into your deck.

    ¨C ¡®The life stored in this bottle doesn¡¯t suit my taste, neither does it taste fresh, but at least the effect is there.¡¯ ¨C Baron Cinder

    ¨C Conditions: Pay 2000 Wealth to unseal this card.

    Brendel bit his lips to resist throwing the card onto the ground. There was a bit of wealth saved up by him, but it was definitely not 2000 wealth. He started to wonder if the Nightsong Tiger brought the book over in order to hurt his pride. The cards looked really powerful, but it was impossible for him to do anything with it. He nced at him and thought for a while, but he did not recall anything that he did wrongly towards the mercenary. He flipped the pages with suspicion but discovered the quality of the cards became lower and lower, and at the same time the cost was much more eptable.

    [Lord of Holy mes, Time Rpse, Iona¡¯s judgment, Lion Nirya...... White and ck Cards upy half of this collection¡¯s cards, then there¡¯s a few red cards, as well as several Land cards.]

    Brendel ignored the cards which required high amounts of Wealth and Reputation. A few cards had the requirement of the newalker to have a certain level, which he also ignored. He was still at level 1 and there did not seem to be anything in the cards that would raise his level. The Nightsong Tiger also expressed that he did not know anything about raising the neswalker¡¯s levels.

    Some of the cards required things or terms that Brendel had not seen or heard any hints about them. They were some strange resources needed, or he had to have specifds and even barriers. The card ¡®Time Rpse¡¯, for example, required to have the profession ¡®Wizard¡¯ at level twenty. He flipped through the book and discovered there were ten cards that he could afford.

    [Vanguards of Blood, ck Earth Lion, Hymn of Light, Loxar¡¯s market, Rougen¡¯s Swamp, Land of Eternity, etc, etc...... Pristine Archangel. I can unseal three of them with what I have right now. The first thing I need to get is obviously the swamp for Dark Element Points.]

    Brendel unsealed the card and paid 10 Wealth for it. When he inspected the card, he realized that regardless of whether the card was tapped or not, he would still only get 1 Dark Element Point. It was much weaker than the othernd card that he had.

    (TL: That other card is the Land of the Holy Tree card. He killed the Golden Demonic Tree and got that. Only untapped Land Cards can be installed with certain things. There¡¯s a gold mine card installed on this card so he can¡¯t tap it, otherwise he can¡¯t get the Wealth. If he does tap thend card, he gains 2 Nature EP and 1 Water EP. Tapped cards reset every day.)

    But it solved half of the requirements to maintain the Unicorn Knight, and it was a matter of Wealth points now.

    Therefore he chose to unseal Loxar¡¯s market. It provided 2 Wealth points and 1 Earth EP per day, and if he tapped it and paid 2 Reputation, provided 6 Wealth. This unique Land Card required 50 Wealth which prevented anymore redemption of other Land cards. (TL: Medissa requires 6 wealth and 1 Dark EP per day.)

    The third card he unsealed was the Pristine Archangel.

    ¨C Pristine Archangel

    ¨C (The Immortal Alliance III)

    ¨C Light Element Points 50

    ¨C [Angel creature/Knight, level 20 Elite]

    ¨C When Pristine Angel enters the battlefield, shuffle one non-ck Card into your deck.

    ¨C Pay 1 Light EP every day when Pristine Archangel is in the field.

    ¨C ¡®The light of mercy descends from the sky, the messenger of the Gods emerges forth from the light.¡¯

    Although Brendel was able to unseal the card, he had no rted Land cards that paid Light EP, and he had no Light Crystals either, so it was still a dream to get Ciel or the Wind Spirit Spiders out from the graveyard. He patted the Nightsong Tiger¡¯s shoulders and told him to tell Ciel to wait a little longer.

    ¡°...... Hold on, didn¡¯t you tell me thest that only the Dark Element Cards were able to retrieve the cards in the graveyard?¡± Brendel suddenly looked suspiciously at him.

    ¡°...... I was guessing.¡± The veteran mercenary hesitated for a long time before he answered.

    Brendel felt tears forming in his mind.

 volume 2 - 112

    TL: I¡¯ll see you next wednesday for the next regr update of TAS. The next battle should be the concluding arc between Brendel vs Conrad. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be updating the JP series because I want to finish something else in the meantime.

    Engrish mistakes are probably there because I didn¡¯t really have much time left to look at these two chapters.

    Chapter 111 ¨C neswalker¡¯s Legacy (2)

    [Creature cards like Vanguards of Blood and the ck Earth Lion, etc, all these are level 20-30 Elites, but they are only useful for short-term benefits. I should invest my points into redeeming the two Fire Land Cards and the only Wind Land Card in the book. It¡¯smon sense to have provision first in order for an army to be effective.]

    Brendel gave a long sigh as he closed the book.

    [After that, the next two targets would be the Ocean Gem at 60 Wealth, and the Silver Swallow-tailed g at 100 Wealth. The former card raises Wealth, and thetter raises Reputation. These cards will fulfill my basic needs and I can think about the higher grade cards next. Hmm...... The tinum Angel, a level 60 Elite. I would be able to go anywhere in Randner¡¯s souther region easily if I have that.]

    He had only hoped to get Dark Crystals to summon Medissa for a short time. It was a terrible transaction if he had to spend 15 Dark EP just to summon her, and his Elemental Pool¡¯s limit was too small to sustain her too. Even though it could not be called the perfect reward because of the limitations, this result was beyond his expectations.

    With the Land cards he had now, he would be able to maintain her in the battlefield for quite some time. With a Gold-ranked fighter at his side, the southern region and the outernds that appeared risky to search in was less fraught with dangers now.

    He even managed to get a card that could dig into his graveyard.

    [Well, I¡¯ll ask the Nightsong Tiger to confirm with Ciel about the ease of getting another Land cardter. The younger squire is much more adorablepared to this middle-aged dude who¡¯s not reliable.]

    Brendel finally ced his focus back on the current situation. The explosions most likely alerted Conrad and Hewjil. Based from the information from the prisoners, Medissa¡¯s pendant was most likely on Hewjil, and the battle ahead was most likely going to be much worse than the battle that he had just now.

    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Brendel put the book into his bag and looked back at the Nightsong Tiger.

    ¡°Anything else?¡± The Nightsong Tiger looked back nkly.

    ¡°Things like Dark Crystals.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± The Nightsong Commander showed a look ofprehension, ¡°The Dark Bishop left behind quite a bit of them after he exploded himself, but it somehow fused together to the ground. I have already gotten my subordinates to knock them loose.¡±

    Brendel nodded as he knew that there was no need to worry about the Dark EP any more. Gamers easily got forty to fifty crystals from killing a Dark Bishop, and the cheapest crystals around in the auctions were certainly the Dark Element Crystals. Fire Element Crystals were the next in line for the cheapest crystals.

    ¡°Is there anything else that you discovered?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, there¡¯s something strange.¡± The Nightsong Tiger nodded and took out a ck heavy-looking rock: ¡°This was also found by Fern.¡±

    [A rock with blood-like spots on them...... Right, this is the artifact that¡¯s used to control a God Acolyte like Scarlett. Once she ispletely turned, she¡¯s no different from a monster and will have lost her original personality.]

    There was the option to use this artifact to control Scarlett who would be something much stronger if she turned, but the youth felt great disdain to watch a person lose her soul bit by bit.

    He took over the rock and crushed it with his hand¡ª

    ¡°My lord?¡± The Nightsong Tiger jumped.

    ¡°Destroying this will allow the Blood of Gods to be dormant for a while. Instruct the Grey Wolves Mercenaries to tell that girl to look for me after she wakes up.¡±

    The Nightsong Tiger nodded and prepared to leave, but Brendel called him back as he patted his hands to get rid of the rock¡¯s residues: ¡°Hold on.¡±

    ¡°What is it, my lord?¡±

    ¡°Ciel said that you and him are creations that are rooted in the Dimension Space created by my Land Cards?¡±

    The Nightsong Tiger nodded.

    Brendel inspected his Land Cards in his mind. He was like a giant in the air viewing all these areas. In that alternate world, he could see the edge of the Land of the Holy Tree constructed in his mind, with a bridge leading to a ck swamp, and at both the edges of thesends was a small town. The town was most likely Loxar¡¯s Market.

    ¡°Are you able to construct things in that area?¡± He pulled himself out from that world.

    ¡°Yes, but.....¡± The Nightsong Tiger hesitated before exining things in detail: ¡°The core of these areas is certainlyprised of Land Cards, and Resource Cards attached to such Land Cards pay out Wealth and other Resources. While it is true that you can use summons to gather resources from the Land Cards, but my lord¡¯s powers as a neswalker...... is still too..... unfamiliar.¡±

    The Nightsong Tiger tried to find a word to describe Brendel¡¯s insufficient abilities.

    ¡°Of course, my lord¡¯s current cards are inadequate. Ciel is telling me that this Dimension Space can be seen as an entire world by itself. If my lord concentrates on collecting more cards, they would form the shape of this world, and allow it to be the neswalker¡¯s strength. This world is ultimately formed because of the cards¡¯ connection with each other.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Brendel muttered.

    ¡°Is there anything else, my lord?¡±

    ¡°Yes, inform the men to prepare to move out; we only attained one single victory and our battles are far from over¡ª¡°

    ¡°As youmand.¡±

    =========== Conrad POV ===========

    When Conrad met up with Hewjil again, it was afternoon on the second day. He had discovered something was wrong during midnight when he heard faint explosions, but Hewjil was so far ahead with hisck of caution that it was only till morning before Conrad¡¯s dragoon riders under hismand reached Hewjil.

    On the other hand, the dragoon scouts that he sent to the Dark Bishop were still missing.

    Conrad felt that the situation was bing worse, and was even out of his predictions. He made sure the dragoons kept in contact with Hewjil all the time, while moving back in the Dark Bishop¡¯s path with full speed. He was afraid that Brendel and his men escaped with their sessful assault on the Dark Bishop andpletely left their area of control within this forest.

    If that was the case, their actions werepletely wasted, with the result of losing a leader and soldiers.

    He did not even think for a moment that Brendel¡¯s n was topletely wipe out all the Tree Shepherd¡¯s forces.

    When he and Hewjil returned to their original point and saw the undisturbed Elven Ruins, they sighed with relief.

    The ruins were still being patrolled with a considerable amount of Lizardmen. This meant that Brendel and his men did not reach this ce yet¡ª

    Perhaps it could be said they had quick reactions to respond to this strange situation.

    ¡°Conrad, your n, this is?¡± Hewjil¡¯s narrow face seemed to expand menacingly in an instant in front of the mercenarymander. His emerald eyes stared coldly at him: ¡°Many men lost, when this is over, additional payment.¡±

    Conrad snorted coldly in response. He ignored the bastard who was infamous for his cold blooded actions. When did Hewjil gain a heart and cared about his men? It was all a chance for him to fleece Conrad.

    [I don¡¯t have time for this. Something is wrong. The Dark Bishop is probably in grave danger, but based on the information, none of us should have any problems to take care of Eke. Did that white-haired bastard lie to me?]

    Conrad shook his head as he believed in himself. The white-haired youth did not lie. The Lizardmen scouts confirmed the information. But as he tried to cast out these unknown factors out of his mind, someone else was staring in his direction not far from the ruins.

    =========== Brendel POV =============

    Brendel¡¯s men hid behind the once-grand Elven walls¡¯ shadows.

    Everyone looked at Brendel exined his final n. Their goal was simple. Deal the first strike and made sure it counts enough to be fatal.

    They were just waiting for a chance to them to slip up.

 volume 2 - 113

    TL: Thank you for the donation and continued support. The next regr update will be within the next 24 hours. Engrish will be fixedter.

    Please continue to donate generously (cough).

    Chapter 113 ¨C The Final Battle (1)

    Nethar, the Nightsong Tiger, Scarlett and Sanford stood quietly behind Brendel.

    He supported himself against the Elven ruin¡¯s rugged wall, his hand holding on to a stone tile as he peeked out at the Lizardmen in the valley. His line of sight was blocked by the many trees and ruined walls, and the Lizardmen appeared in and out from the tiny holes approximately a mile away.

    The stone tile in the youth¡¯s hand was the Sage te. It was the size of a fist, and on it was carved with rune letters, ¡®Eaam¡¯. This word represented thend¡¯s life and wisdom.

    Since he already got the Sage te, his goals were halfpleted. The only thing left to do was to get Medissa¡¯s pendant back from that Lizardman leader.

    [Tworgepanies of Lizardmen, their numbers no smaller than three hundred. It seems like there are more of them at the back. Conrad and Hewjil must have met up already, they are pretty cautious, huh.]

    Brendel had led a sneak attack into the heart of the Elven ruins with his men. With the aid of Medissa and Scarlet who were Gold-ranked fighters, he sessfully routed the two hundred odd Lizardmen, which they ended up as Brendel¡¯s XP. He then moved on to the entrance of the ruins where he waited for Conrad and Hewjil¡¯s arrival.

    He looked up at the clear sky that was in a shade of deep blue. The sun at noon was directly hitting the forest with its rays of light, causing the top of the trees to turn to a piercing green color.

    He narrowed his eyes.

    There was a faint scent of blood in the air. Even though he had ordered the men to clean the battlefield, there was still the remnants of a skirmish between his men and the Lizardmen.

    When he was pondering on his next step, he suddenly heard a shuffling noise behind him. When he turned around, he saw the Elven princess tying her silver hair that reached her shoulders. She rode on her unicorn, wearing an ornate full te armor that was painted in a saintly white color andplemented her regal appearance. Light shimmered on her legs as theyers of interlocking armor tes moved ever so slightly, and Sanford mistook it for a silver dress for a moment. Her eyes were so clear that they looked like crystals. She was so beautiful that he lost his breath when his eyes went up to her face.

    Medissa¡¯s unicorn trotted over and she looked at Brendel with a smile.

    [Thank you, my lord-] She spoke in Brendel¡¯s mind.

    ¡°It is my promise to help you.¡± Brendel tore his eyes away from her with much difficulty and replied as he looked at the valley again.

    Medissa¡¯s face turned a little red. His words made her recall what happened on that day. She was so afraid of disappearing that she cried in front of everyone and forgot about the Silver Elves¡¯ royal etiquette.

    She turned her head a little out of embarrassment and suddenly saw Scarlett who was standing further away from the others.

    Her eyes in the shade seemed like two burning embers, while she leaned slightly against her spear. Her head was tilted a little to the sides to look at the scenery.

    Brendel told her about the things that happened so far. The Blood of Gods, the disbandment of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, as well as the events that happened after that. After she finished listening to him, she had been quiet ever since and kept her distance away.

    She did not show sadness or anger.

    ¡°What will happen to thatdy?¡± Medissa asked in a soft voice.

    ¡°The Blood of Gods has been nted in her body. The corruption cannot be removed by any means that I know, and it is currently suppressed by her own will. If she fails to control it, she will turn into an ¡®Acolyte¡¯. That word might sound nice, but you might as well call an Acolyte a monster instead.¡±

    [...... The rules have been established with Medissa as the first Eversong card, and if Scarlett agrees I can seal her as a card. But that will be myst resort...... Also, is it not naive to think that it will work every time without any side effects?]

    Brendel had reservations towards the ¡®neswalker¡¯s system¡¯. Sealing was a foreign concept to him and could have unknown results and problems, especially with the powerful influence of the Blood of Gods. What would happen if she was not under his control?

    Medissa¡¯s brows frowned slightly upon hearing his words, but the quiet personality of her race made her say nothing at all.

    Brendel did not continue speaking and checked the mercenaries at the opposite end. They had split up and hid themselves in the abandoned buildings that once stood tall, crafted by the Silver Elves¡¯ grandmaster artisans. Their crossbows were currently trained on the Lizardmen in front of them in order to make sure they did not regroup with the leaders.

    These Lizardmen which guarded the entrance were left alone in order to make Conrad and Hewjil believe that everything was still fine in the ruins.

    ¡°Brendel.¡± Another set of familiar footsteps, along with a voice filled with a little pride entered his ears. Brendel did not need to turn his head back to know who was calling him. He was evenzy enough not to turn around, and extended his palm behind his shoulders: ¡°You¡¯re already done?¡±

    Romaine ced three translucent white crystals the size of a thumb onto Brendel¡¯s hand. Amandina was a little bit behind her.

    ¡°Of course. The Great Merchant Romaine¡¯s efficiency is very high. Here are the crystals. I already distributed a batch to everyone, everything has been prepared and we¡¯re just waiting for your orders to attack.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that all my materials have been used up,¡± Amandina barely managed to make a smile in spite of her exhaustion: ¡°But I can make more of them in the future. The rest of the materials that I have now, including the Magicite, has been dismantled to make them.¡±

    Brendel nodded and carefully ced each Exploding Crystal into his pouch on his belt. He then signaled to the Nightsong Tiger and received a longsword from him. He pointed the de to the outside: ¡°The enemies are very cautious and we can¡¯t deceive them for long. Once they are within a certain distance, I¡¯ll go out to distract them. Medissa and Scarlett, both of you follow me. Our goal is to distract Conrad and Hewjil. As for their subordinates, Nethar and the rest of the men should be enough to handle them.¡±

    The Elven Commander looked over to Brendel and nodded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just nod,mander.¡± Brendel did not forget to remind him: ¡°Don¡¯t forget about your promise to me.¡± (TL: In case anyone forgot, that promise is a taught skill if Brendel wins.)

    Nethar gave a faint smile: ¡°I await with anticipation.¡±

    Medissa also smiled as she looked at the two men.

    ¡°Scarlett, any problems with this order?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I have no problems.¡± She nodded.

    ¡°Nightsong Tiger, your mission is to provide cover for our Silver Elves allies.¡±

    [Also make sure to care of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, they can¡¯t revive like you do.] He added in his mind.

    He turned to Sanford after seeing the Nightsong Tiger nod. ¡°Make sure to protect yourselves, you can enjoy a victory only if you¡¯re alive.¡±

    ¡°Understood, my lord.¡± Sanford nodded respectfully.

    Brendel questioned them carefully to make sure they understood the orders. Other than Nethar and his men, the people here were his only avable forces. Perhaps Leto could be counted as his men, but they were different because their reputation and status were actually higher than him.

    The forces that he had here now were truly loyal to his cause, or at least Amandina and the Grey Wolves Mercenaries relied deeply on him because they had no one else to turn to.

    It was not that he did not trust Leto, but it was good to have distance and time to be ced between them. He had seen enough betrayals from NPCs and gamers who swore fealty to each other to be cautious.

    Hewjil and Conrad did not seem to notice anything out of ce yet. For some reason, the dragoons were not at the front of the Lizardmen and Brendel was tremendously pleased at that sight. The impact would be greater with the first strike.

    [Seven hundred meters.] Brendel read the data.

    The gradual noise from the Lizardmen became louder as they passed through the forest. It was as if a current of water flowed through the forest, and the countless ants that scurried through were bing bigger. The mercenaries that were at the very forefront ced their hands on their pouch. The Exploding Crystals were 15 OZ worth, with the force of Iron-ranked magician¡¯s Mana Arrow.

    [Five hundred meters.]

    At this range, people with high perception like Nethar, Brendel, Medissa and Brendel were able to almost see the Lizardmen¡¯s expressions. They appeared to be extremely tired from the overnight march, to the point that they did not realize they were going to be ambushed.

    Scarlett bent to her knees as she seeked for Conrad¡¯s familiar figure, gripping her Spear of Lightning so hard that it was making noises.

    The Lizardmen continued to march closer and closer, and at this point they suddenly felt something was wrong with the area they were in. They sniffed the air and chattered, continuing to march forward, but Brendel saw ten odd dragoons stopping in the west direction.

    [Shit, we have been discovered! Damn it, the leaders Hewjil and Conrad still have not appeared yet but I can¡¯t dy any further.]

    Brendel raised his hand and directed his ring into the forest. A dazzling red sh emitted from the ring and even seemed to dim the sun¡¯s rays for a moment. A huge fireball hurled itself through the forest and dragged countless burning leaves in its path, before a loud explosion struck the enemies, and a st of hot wind came back to him and swept his hair upwards.

    The impact from the fireball killed a total of twenty Lizardmen dragoons and Lizardmen Warriors. It was certainly a surprising harvest and proof of their tight positions. This was the signal for his men to attack.

    The mercenaries opposite from Brendel fired their crossbows immediately and killed the remaining guards at the Elven ruin¡¯s entrance, then reached for the Exploding Crystals and took it out.

    They were approximately three hundred meters away, but they possessed enough strength as Iron-ranked fighters to toss them far enough into the enemies¡¯ midst. The crystals caught the sun rays and glittered as they flew in an arc before raining down onto the ground.

    There was a moment of silence as the Lizardmen peered at the crystals.

    It was the calm before the storm, as bright light poured through the crystals as they bounced on the ground and lit the forest. The bursts of light kept forming in session before explosions rang out one after another; the exploding crystals¡¯ impact ruptured the ground and the shockwave sent debris everywhere.

    When the mercenaries finally recovered from the scene, they discovered thendscape of the forest had changed permanently.

    There were numerous craters that formed into a deep cavity in the ground. Giant trees were uprooted and splintered intorge fragments, while hundreds of Lizardmen were turned into corpses with missing body parts. Blood and soil were caked together, along bloody innards and brain matter sttered on trees and bushes, dripping down freely onto the ground.

    It was like living hell depicted in paintings.

    Even Brendel dry-heaved once before he forced back the urge to puke, and concentrated on calcting the remaining enemies.

    [Hewjil brought thergest share of Lizardmen with him. There are at least four hundred of them here right now. I doubt he will want to distribute his forces to Conrad and the Dark Bishop if it¡¯s not because of the search for us. Conrad has his own men...... My guess is a total of more than seven hundred men that we need to deal with. That really isn¡¯t something tough about. Even though we cleared more than 10% of the enemies from that attack, we can¡¯t deal with so many enemies. We need to do thin the numbers again.]

    Brendel knew that it was his time to strike at the enemy¡¯s formation. He signaled to Scarlett and Medissa, and they prepared themselves to attack.

 volume 2 - 114

    TL: Next regr update will be on Saturday.

    I¡¯m also requesting for a little more donation money this month if possible, because Nier:Automata and ME:Andromeda, Torment: Tides of Numenera are games that I want to pick up.

    Chapter 114 ¨C The Final Battle (2)

    ¡°Medissa!¡± Brendel pointed to the path where most of the Lizardmen coulde in from.

    The Silver Elf princess adjusted her helmet and lowered its p to cover the upper half of her face, tapped the sides of her unicorn and answered clearly.

    ¡°Understood!¡± Her white chainmail gloves clinked against her long spear as she hoisted it up from the ground and pointed it to the sky. She pursed her faint pink lips, and there was an aura of determination that could be felt in an instant.

    The unicorn took arge step forward, allowing the intricate heavy armor on it to tter. The designs on it wereplicated and elegant, but the defensive capability was unbelievably strong against shing and piercing strikes. Beneath the armor was a set of white robe that prevented chafing, and it was carefully emzoned with the Elven kingdom¡¯s insignia which were designed with lilies.

    ¡°Charge!¡± The girl shouted and the unicorn sped forth.

    The solitary figure ran out from the sides of the ruined walls and dashed down an unrestricted road littered with the Lizardmen that the mercenaries killed earlier.

    The armor reflected the sunlight as she charged out, causing the mercenaries to perceive her as a legendary knight that flew out from a painting, andpleted the image of a fable transforming into reality.

    The road was once used by the Silver Elves toplete rituals, allowing the high priests to bring along the holy artifacts of their Elven Goddess across it. Centuries had passed and grass had covered the white Cloud Rocks that were used to pave this road.

    History had not taken kindly to these solemn rituals as records were either lost or destroyed, but the unicorn zed across the road once again with the Goddess¡¯s will and etched forever in the eyes around her.

    [A Silver Elf!]

    Conrad¡¯s pupils dted as he spotted her in the back lines. He whirled around and grabbed Hewjil¡¯s padded armor, yelling in his ears: ¡°You fucking piece of shit, what the fuck did you do! That¡¯s a Silver Elf with the Royal Insignia! How did you provoke the Silver Elves toe out here!¡±

    Hewjil was also shocked out of its senses. It had the idea to rob the Elven Kings¡¯ graves since a long time ago. It was initially careful in his actions, afraid that the legendary Elves sung in bards¡¯ songs and fables who fought against the Dark Armies of a hundred-thousand strong to appear in front of them, but nothing happened as they inched closer every day.

    It seemed like the Silver Elves that hid from the world intended to keep their promise and never reappear in this continent again, and Hewjil even thought that the Silver Elves were wiped out for unknown reasons, and it was a lie that there was even an exodus in the past.

    Yet the Silver Elves were reappearing before its very eyes. Even though its perception was not as good as Conrad who was a Gold-ranked fighter, it recognized that soldiers were charging to them dressed in exquisite silver armor. Their impressive designs and attractive crafted pieces were certainly the very craft of the Silver Elves.

    It took a chilling breath and shouted as Conrad shook him back and forth: ¡°Conrad, y-young man...... over there, look at him!¡±

    Conrad turned his head¡ª

    To see Brendel and Scarlett running together behind the Unicorn Knight. They were like a silver and red streak of mes that parted and shot straight into the battlefield, their speed so fast that the Lizardmen could not track them. When Conrad finally locked on their figures properly, he saw two weapons brandished out; a silver longsword and red spear that swiftly hacked off the Lizardmen¡¯s heads.

    ¡°Damn it......¡± Conrad immediately understood that Medissa and Scarlett were stronger than him a tier within the Gold-ranks, while the youth who looked like he was in the Silver-ranked had skill proficiency beyond his ss.

    Even though he did not know where these strong enemies came from, he certainly recognized that girl with red eyes and hair. She was definitely the girl he killed andter revived by the Dark Bishop.

    [Isn¡¯t this girl supposed to be turned into an Acolyte with the Blood of Gods?]

    Conrad exhaled once and calmed down. He could at least confirm that the Dark Bishop was most likely doomed. Only things that had no confirmation were frightening.

    ¡°I¡¯ll handle the three in front of us. You had better take back your nest before I solve this problem.¡± He spat out the words as he looked coldly at Hewjil, then took out a heavy steel gauntlet and put it over his hands. The leader of the Lizardmen sat there without any response. It knew Conrad was at the edge of unleashing his fury at it. While it went against him in the past, there was no need to provoke him any further and risk his life.

    But when Conrad turned around, it finally stuttered and asked: ¡°...... T-the Silver Elves?¡±

    ¡°Handle them yourself.¡±

    Conrad scoffed loudly. If the Silver Elves were really driven out of by the stupid Lizardmen, there was no need for him to deal with this mess. Even though the Tree Shepherds might not be necessarily afraid of the Silver Elves because of their numbers, it was not wise to go head to head with these legendary warriors.

    The Lizardmen were pawns that could be thrown away anyways. He was more worried on exining the Dark Bishop¡¯s ¡®sacrifice¡¯ to the Tree Shepherds. He had a sufficiently high position within the Tree Shepherds and worked under the Lord of Worms, Mayard, one of the twelve leaders.

    And Mayard was considered to have more authority amongst the twelve leaders because he had a bigger force.

    The deaths of the higher ranked disciples could be excused because the mission involved a duke, but losing a Bishop was something that had not happened within the organization for at least a decade. Conrad felt his head hurt when he thought about it.

    The most important thing right now was to find the duke¡¯s son and take one step at a time.

    ============== Brendel¡¯s POV ===========

    ¡°Drive these Lizardmen away from the center!¡± Brendel cut down a Lizardman warrior who rushed at him as he shouted loudly to Scarlett.

    She nodded and twirled her body, her spear swinging wildly in arc with a trail of electricity following it. They immediately retreated backwards, and those of were slow were knocked backwards so hard that flesh and bones broke off when they hit the ground. Smoke could also be seen from their ckened wounds from the electricity.

    ¡°Well done!¡± Brendel praised her without any reservations.

    Even though the Lizardmen were only level 20, they outnumbered him and his men nearly thirty times. Their five hundred odd Lizardmen were also aided by Conrad¡¯s mercenaries, and it would be a disaster if they managed to swarm his men.

    He had no choice but to limit the numbers of the enemies attacking at any given time. If he was able to stop them here, then his men would have an advantage.

    [The goal is simple. Medissa, Scarlett and I will hold down this path with all we¡¯ve got. But I¡¯m surprised at how good she is working with me.]

    What Brendel did not expect was the coordination that Scarlett had with him. It was as if she found the best spot every time he made a move.

    ¡°Why are you praising me? Are you trying to win me over?¡± Scarlett asked.

    ¡°..... Is there any other reason than the fact you did great?¡±

    Brendel grabbed one of the Lizardman¡¯s spear with his off-hand and jerked it towards him, while running through the Lizardman with his de. He then exhaled and answered her.

    ¡°As you wish.¡± Scarlett nced at him before she looked away. She fought for the Grey Wolves Mercenaries and treated them like her family. Now that it was disbanded, the only thing left was revenge. She did not talk much and preferred action act over talking. She always thought that it was something she ought to do, and praise was never given to her actions.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were always on Eke or themander, and she also did the same.

    But Brendel had a different idea. He did not like to overthinkplicated issues. Now that Scarlett had the abilities of a Gold-ranked fighter and her former home was gone, it would be really silly not to use this chance and recruit her. There were lines he did not cross, but he wasnot some righteous knight fixated with the word ¡®honor¡¯.

    The battle continued with the Lizardmen retreating backwards.

    The three of them had ranged attacks with their weapons even before they unsealed their Elements, and theirbined prowess in the battlefield was overwhelming. Scarlett was the weakest amongst them. Due to her Element Resonance with the Spear of Lightning, she was able to use Lightning Cleave repeatedly, but that was the only technique she had.

    Medissa retained her abilities from a Spectral Knight, and was able to use Charge, Vortex Strike and Seismic st, making her look like a portable cannon each time she used her abilities.

    Brendel was even more terrifying. Even though he just reached the Silver-ranked status, he had Charge, Power Break, White Raven Sword Arte and Frontal Assault, and his levels in these techniques were high. He even had two Magic rings and neswalker cards that affect the battlefield. Even pay-to-win warriors in the game could not outdo him at his level.

    [We¡¯re doing quite well. With the three of us holding this section down, our battle capabilities go up by a hundred fold. It¡¯s good that the girls are gullible enough to listen to mepletely. If I asked a handful of experienced soldiers to hold back these Lizardmen, they will certainly think that I¡¯m crazy.]

    Brendel was a charismatic person in his past life, and he also had years of experience in the game inviting famous gamers to his party, so it was easy for him to deceive the girls and board his pirate ship¡ª

    [That¡¯s wrong! I mean, it¡¯s an easy task for me to recruit them to my group...... Putting that aside, our strategy should be obvious to the enemies. Why isn¡¯t Conrad appearing yet? The Lizardmen are already pushed to the sides, and Medissa alone can hold down this narrow path. We can even switch up to conserve our stamina.]

    The enemies should be able to understand this point. But what were they doing?

    He surveyed his surroundings and even looked up. He wondered if the opponents were giving up because he was not Eke, or they had counter measures.

    He received his answer when Scarlett and himself fought off the fifth wave of Lizardmen. Medissa suddenly warned both of them loudly as she guarded the left nk.

    ¡°Be careful behind you!¡±

    The ground behind them suddenly opened up violently.

    [Shit, there¡¯s an enemy below us!] Brendel realized there was an enemy unounted for.

 volume 2 - 115

    TL: Some additional things I want to talk about after the read more button.

    Let me start off with a colored sketch where I decide the general lighting and design.

    sketech 2

    If I haven¡¯t stated this before, I¡¯m actually interested in drawing a few manga-like TAS chapters as a fan. This is my image of Brendel with amber hair (The Amber Sword) and blue-green eyes (that Sci-fi system), so I can y around with my own interpretation of the TAS world and character settings.

    Technically a gambeson (thick padded cotton armor) isn¡¯t supposed to look like that because it¡¯s sewn in a quilting method, but if I¡¯m going to do that then there¡¯s going to be too many details to drawter on. It¡¯s a thick shirt for now (lol).

    Once I¡¯m done with this drawing, I¡¯m probably going to take a look at coding to have next/back buttons for my series and see how it goes from there.

    Next topic. Donations.

    I have received an email about giving discounts on more chapters for a bulk donation, and ament on lowering the goal for a donated chapter. I want to be clear on this.

    This isn¡¯t a merchandise, or a frence contract or even an offered service of sorts.

    This is what I hope my readers do to show goodwill to me, where you show your support in helping me with my electricity/coffee/artbooks/games. If you expect something like a service/contract from me, then I¡¯m telling you now that I¡¯m not offering that at all.

    It has to be from your goodwill to support me. It¡¯s my grateful feelings that I spend hours on tranting a chapter, and not because you¡¯re paying me for a service.

    I also get that you guys don¡¯t like to see cliffhangers. I¡¯m going to finish this final arc by trying to do 1 chapter/day until it¡¯s over, so there¡¯s no need to fret about this issue being a gate whatsoever.

    I understand my readers are reading a wide variety of FreeWebNovels and the priority to help me out is low. That¡¯s fine, but I hope you guys understand where I¡¯ming from about donations.

    Any donations received after this would be queued after the arc.

    Next update wille tomorrow.

    Chapter 115 ¨C The Final Battle (3)

    Medissa was approximately forty meters away, charging straight into a group of Lizardmen wielding crossbows. When she turned around she spotted a disturbance on the ground and realized something was amiss. She immediately warned Brendel and Scarlett, while she urged her unicorn back towards them. The unicorn leapt into the air and she raised hernce and timed it together with the unicorn¡¯s descent¡ª

    ¡°Vortex Strike!¡±

    When Brendel turned back, he found Medissa making her move on the enemy with a loud yell. The air around hernce immediately manifested into a distortion which condensed the air and released it as a st of wind, sweeping the Lizardmen off their feet like they were fallen leaves. When she thrust hernce forward, an invisible path immediately emerged in front of her, destroying all the obstacles in front of her. Wood splinters flew everywhere and the enemy that was behind Brendel immediately retreated to the side.

    The shockwave caused arge fissure to appear on the ground.

    Brendel looked at the deep scar and felt a sheen of cold sweat on his body.

    [Mydy Medissa, can you be a little more gentle? Even if the enemy was a Gold-ranked fighter trying to backstab me, I can still parry it, but receiving your boss attack means I might die from it.....]

    He felt himself trembling a little before he rposed himself and observed the enemy. He already knew the identity of the monster.

    A gigantic creature with the size of three fully grown adults was writhing in front of him. Despite the quick reactions against Medissa¡¯s attack, it did not escape unscathed. Its long left arm clutched its right shoulder as blood flowed freely from the wound.

    It was a humanoid that looked partially like a wurm, and there were three mismatched sections that seemed like they were sewn together. The head, the chest and the abdomen were sections covered in a grayish-yellow carapace that were inches thick and fortified with the blessings that came from the Blood of Gods.

    [It¡¯s definitely harder than steel. The rating from the system is giving it A+ in defense. The Acolyte of Earth is a level 55 boss, so that¡¯s going to add 15 defense to it. It¡¯s on par with a full tank ss.]

    Brendel groaned wistfully.

    The limbs that it had were like an insect¡¯s appendages, although the hands that it had resembled a human. At the area on its abdomen was a pair of eyes and another set of appendages in the form of a scythe. Its long thighs were shaped weirdly and adorned with full of barbs. Any normal human that got swept by it would certainly have gashes big enough to see the bones. Its head was something of a cross of a beetle and ant, with a pair of long antennae andrge mandibles, and there was a pair of huge eyes that could see in low light ces and capture motion well.

    Brendel was d to see that it did not have wings as it meant that it did not have flight yet. This was the only good news.

    [This is third boss in this world after Ebdon and the Golden Demonic Tree. Even though it¡¯s not at its final form, it¡¯s already level 55 and has an unsealed Element. Comparing it with the previous bosses I faced earlier won¡¯t be right.]

    Brendel took a deep breath as he realized this was going to be the hardest battle yet. If Scarlett and Medissa were not here to help him, he would have pulled out of this area and left as far as he possibly could.

    He did not have much time to think about it because there was a loud metallic sh somewhat far away. When he turned around, he saw Scarlett¡¯s spear pushing down on a steel gauntlet. When he traced the defending hand back to the owner¡¯s face, he discovered that it was a young man whom he had not seen before. Electricity danced around his hand, but was immediately pushed away from some unseen force and did not hurt him at all.

    ¡°Well, well, isn¡¯t this our lovely Scarlett? Did you seek a new lover and betrayed our organization so quickly? That Blood of Gods from that man can¡¯t be relied on after all. Don¡¯t worry my dear, I killed you once, I can kill you again and send you to meet up with your deadpanions¡ª¡± The unknown young man sneered loudly.

    Scarlett¡¯s teeth were clenched so tightly that they were grating noisesing from her. She red at him with incredible hatred and desired nothing more than to run her spear through him. That young man brushed off the spear and retreated a few steps, and she immediately chased after him.

    However, it was a rash move and she immediately felt her feet sinking into the ground when she chased after him. Her heart skipped a beat as she lowered her head and saw ayer of ck fog surrounding her feet, making it impossible to move.

    ¡°Magic!¡± Scarlett felt her blood ran cold as she realized he was some form of Magic Swordsman.

    But her reaction was toote. Conrad¡¯s taunt to make her angry was for the sake of making her fall into a trap, and he would not let this opportunity slip by. He opened up his fingers into a w shape and thrust them towards her heart. The vitality of an Acolyte was exceedingly high, but the Blood of Gods was contained within the heart. Once it was damaged, even if the Acolyte did not die in that instant, their strength would diminish greatly.

    Conrad knew that he would have great difficulty to defend himself against two Gold-ranked fighters, so he did not hold himself back and used his full might from the start. His target was clear. Even though Scarlett had the strength of a Gold-ranked fighter, she did not possess anybat experience. She was not the weakest amongst the three enemies in front of him, but in his eyes she was the easiest to take down.

    His lips twisted into a smile as his fingers inched closer to their target. Sess was literally in his hand, but right at that moment, a longsword blocked his fingers¡¯ path with impable timing.

    Brendel had thrown out his sword without any hesitation the moment he saw Scarlett trapped.

    [I probably won¡¯t hesitate even if this sword is the former Thorn of Light, right?] Brendel thought to himself as he threw out hismon longsword.

    During the battle, he saw much clearer as to what was happening than Scarlett did. Conrad was leading her into a magic trap.

    [To think that the leader of the Paper Cards is a Mage Hunter. How peculiar, I rarely saw any NPCs in the game reaching above the Gold rank level in this profession. Although it is quite true that the profession is quite formidable, the path to leveling it up is really tough. It¡¯s quite the PVP profession and unquestionably good for PK.]

    He took a moment to admire Conrad¡¯s ability to set up the trap. It was rare for anyone to fool his eyes, and he nearly failed to spot Conrad¡¯s trap. Even having high proficiency in the skill alone would not be mislead him, so he thought that Conrad must have some form innate talent within him.

    [This bastard must havebined his talent with some form of chantless ability as well to speed up the process. In addition to that, there¡¯s probably another passive ability attached to that trap...... I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a hypnotizing effect. He must have made Scarlett angry in order to hide it. Handling this bastard is a little tricky.]

    Conrad¡¯s attack from the start was well executed, wasting no time in his attack for Scarlett¡¯s heart the moment she fell into the trap. When the sword blocked his attack, he swiped it away and attempted another thrust, but Brendel had ran up to her and dragged her away by the elbow, as Conrad¡¯s steel ws barely missed the front of her chest and drew a little blood from her.

    ¡°...... Thank you.¡± Scarlett said.

    ¡°Cut the crap, you¡¯re lucky that I was fast enough. What were you thinking to lose your head like that!¡± Brendel yelled at her, but did not lose his eyes on Conrad who was ready to attack again.

    Thetter realized Brendel must have somehow seen through his illusion-based magic trap. Scarlett could not move when she stepped into the trap, but it was nothing more than an illusion. The hypnotizing ability from Conrad was the real thing that immobilized her with a suggestion. This was the trick to the Mage Hunters but it was clear that Brendel saw through it with his reply to Scarlett.

    There were very few Mage Hunters in Aouine, and Conrad was recognized by his peers as highly skilled in the profession and even attained the level of a Gold-rank. It was at his level where he realized the advantages of his profession. Not many knew about the Mage Hunters, and even fewer people understood how they fought. He had fought against many of his enemies that were stronger than he was, and emerged victorious with bizarre attackbinations. However, he did not expect¡ª

    To meet his match today.

    [This bastard must die!]

    Conrad¡¯s steel gauntlets swung in front of him, frightening Brendel so much that he immediately activated the Charge skill and retreated even further away.

    Even if he activated Power Break to defend against Conrad¡¯s attack, that would be 50 OZ vs 80 OZ strength, and would certainly meet his maker if he tried to fight him directly.

    Under the Charge ability, he reached over 132 OZ worth of agility and vanished from where he stood. At his speed, he could even outrun a speed based Gold-ranked fighter with the Electric Element.

    Conrad¡¯s wsshed out into empty air and a loud bang could be heard. The decayed leaves in a circr radius of ten meters in front of his ws were turned into dust, and the ground sank deeply to form arge depression. When Conrad raised his head up, he saw that Brendel was already twenty meters away.

    [What..... is that speed? Who the hell is this guy?!]

    Conrad was so surprised that he forgot to chase after Brendel. Even though thetter had reach the Silver rank at such a young age, Conrad himself was a genius who reached the Gold rank and did not think much of him. His target, Eke, was also rumored to be a genius, but Brendel certainly fell short of the rumors he heard when he fought against the Lizardmen.

    But that short exchange made Conrad realize that the Silver-ranked bastard in front of him hadbat prowess that defiedmon sense. Each attack that he made was only a stalemate against his defensive maneuvers.

    He felt his palms slightly sweaty. He had learned various skills and had a wealthy experience against many enemies, and was even confident he could fight peak Gold-rank fighters. But he did not even gain any advantage over a little Silver-rank fighter.

    [That explosive speed...... A Sun Knight?]

 volume 2 - 116

    Chapter 116 ¨C The final battle (4)

    During the time when Brendel and Conrad made their moves against each other, Hewjil had already separated his Lizardmen Warriors into two groups. They avoided the center path and attacked the ruins from the two side paths.

    But the Silver Elves had already set up their positions. Nethar had also split up his warriors into two; one group was led personally by himself, while the other was given to the Nightsong Tiger tomand, and they hid at the side entrances of the ruins.

    The brutish and simple minded creatures screamed as they swarmed out from the forest. Their movements were nimble and they quickly stormed through the entrances, but what awaited them were the Silver Elves¡¯ shining des. The ambush by the Silver Elves was highly effective and their greatswords easily cleaved through the enemies¡¯ throats, then quickly knocked the lifeless corpses back through the congested areas.

    Because of that, the Lizardmen were sent tumbling through the narrow path and some of the Lizardmen who collided with the bodies lost their bnce, and were sent flying down from the elevated height onto both the Paper Cards Mercenaries and their fellow Lizardmen.

    Hewjil¡¯s nned attack was stifled right there at the entrance, and the Mercenaries of Lopes and the Grey Wolves Mercenaries did not miss that chance. They immediately shot volleys of their bolts into the enemies¡¯ formation from the higher grounds, causing even more obstruction for them, making it seem like they had crashed into an invisible wall and could not proceed any further.

    A normal person who trained to use a crossbow was able to shoot six times in a minute, and these veteran mercenaries were even more experienced and agile, firing ten to fifteen shots in a minute.

    The urate bolts were fatal to their morale. Each time the steel rain of arrows fell onto them, the enemies felt like there was a death god who was swinging his scythe repeatedly to reap their lives.

    There were indeed Lizardmen who wielded ranged weapons who could fight back, but Medissa strategically went after them in the beginning of her attack. But even if she did not, the ranged Lizardmenbatants were not as skilled as the mercenaries because they were a race as evolved as the humans.

    With theck of cover and the ability to fight back, the Lizardmen were forced to retreat. When Nethar realized what they were doing, he took down his horn hanging from his belt and blew it. The rich re of the horn echoed throughout the ruins, and the Silver Elves gathered in front of theirmander and fell neatly into position, cing their greatsword at the right side of their chest¡ª

    ¡°My fellow Elves, who are we!¡±

    ¡°The Eversong army, the swords of Arlen!¡±

    Nethar nodded and pointed his sword forward, and the Silver Elves charged down with a loud roar. Their silver armor shimmered in the sun and appeared like a wave of mercury flooding the path down to the lower valley. The Lizardmen were quickly swept away without any means to stop the Silver Elves .

    The bolts did not stop firing from the start of the battle and seven crossbows were already damaged from the overuse. When the final spare crossbow was taken, the mercenaries had no choice but to switch to their shortbows.

    The Lizardmen who appeared to be an endless sea of dark green creatures were unable to break past that silver line, and was even pushed back by their charge.

    When the Silver Elves chanted their battle creed, Sanford and the Grey Wolves Mercenaries felt that their blood was set ame. They felt like their hair standing up as though they had returned to that ancient era where the Silver Elves fought against the Dark forces.

    The battles that took ce in the Era of Darkness, were when all the races put everything they had against the Dark forces for the sake of freedom and pride. Sanford kept firing his bow and felt intoxicated by the feelings when he thought about the fact that they were fighting the Tree Shepherds¡¯ minions.

    =============== Conrad¡¯s POV ==============

    The horn¡¯s re sounded like a dragon¡¯s roar in the distance which reached across the entire battlefield. Almost everyone stopped their actions when they heard it.

    That was the signal of the Silver Elves¡¯ attack ¡ª

    Conrad¡¯s expression changed once again. He was unable to see the nks from his position because of the trees so he did not know what exactly was happening. The long dragon-like bellow could not be mistaken. The Silver Elves had returned once again after disappearing from the world for more than three centuries.

    Conrad was certain that the arrogant and stupid Hewjil was the cause of this entire situation, but he did not think about trying to find the useless bastard and torture him.

    [This fucking lizard is going to die a miserable death. The dragon-horn can only mean one thing, one of the strongest armies of the Silver Elves has reappeared on the battlefield. Are the high-ranking cavalry of the Elves or the Eversong Unicorn Cavalry in this attack as well? Damn it, if they are, I won¡¯t even be able to escape from this fight.]

    He had no heart to linger to battle any longer and red hatefully at Brendel who was not far away. The Mage yer¡¯s agility was considerably high, and his figure darted quickly into the shadows and seemed to merge into the background when he fled.

    Brendel¡¯s mind went nk for an instant, before he shouted to Medissa who was riding over quickly: ¡°Medissa! Stop him!¡±

    [Damn it, if Conrad moves to the front, the situation might change. A Gold-ranked fighter might be enough to turn the tides.]

    Brendel clenched his fist as he felt he made a blunder on not reacting fast enough. However, Medissa had thought of the same thing and did not waste any time in activating her Charge ability. Her unicorn¡¯s speed was already high enough, and the moment she activated her ability, it moved even faster; they were like a silveret and drew a beautiful arc across the ground, moving quickly into Conrad¡¯s path and blocking him.

    ¡°Ser Conrad. You have done too many evil deeds; please stay behind and settle the score. Yourpanions who defiled the living¡¯s pride and desecrated the dead¡¯s eternal sleep, both of you must pay the price¡ª¡±

    Medissa ced hernce horizontally as her unicorn turned around to face the youth whose dark red cape was fluttering from the wind. Her voice was clear even amidst the din from the battlefield.

    Conrad covertly gritted his teeth. He did not want to speak to the Elven knight at all. Brendel¡¯s orders had deepened his suspicion that he had confidence in his forces to defeat all of them. This was a trap.

    Even though Conrad did not know what Brendel and his men had to do with Eke and the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, he was on his guard.

    [Damn you, you Elven cunt!]

    He cursed in his heart and ran in the opposite direction. But how was he going to outrun a unicorn? After a short run, he found that the Elven princess had blocked off his path again with an aloof expression.

    Conrad tried three times and he was blocked off three times. He was starting to panic. If the opponent blocked him without any reservations, that would mean that she had the forces to overwhelm his own. Perhaps the highest ranking members of the Tree Shepherd would be to fight against these arrogant tree sticks, but he definitely could not.

    He did not think his Mage yer abilities would be able to deceive the Elven girl. In front of him was one of the races who were the most proficient fighters in the continent, only a fool would hope that this opponent would make a mistake.

    [If this is the case, it looks I only have to use my final trump card.]

    ============= Brendel¡¯s POV ============

    As Medissa blocked off Conrad, Brendel felt the sight in front in turning dark; a cold and dangerous air was rushing towards his face, and the youth immediately guessed it was the Avatar of Earth, Ekman.

    The gigantic monster which was over five meters tall blocked off the sunlight and raised its arm, then swung it with a loud shriek.

    The air vibrated and he felt the earth under his feet splitting apart and jutting up before it cracked.

    [Earth Element, the power of boulders!]

    He did not waste any time thinking further, grabbed Scarlett and jumped to his right. Both of them rolled a few times on the ground from his force, while Ekman¡¯s palm smashed onto the ground with a ear-splitting st. The soil scattered everywhere, with two rows of long rock spikes sticking out from the ground and merging together at the top, forming into a rock cage.

    The surrounding Lizardmen thought the monster¡¯s fingers had somehow extended through the ground to form the w-like rock formation, but once its hand left the ground, the rocks immediately broke apart and turned into a pile of soil and dust.

    Brendel gulped once when he saw that scene. Even though the guide mentioned Ekman¡¯s approximate stats and strategies it liked to use, he felt it was something entirely different to face it in reality.

    He felt a little like he had gone back during the time when he was level 40+. At that time, the developers Torrential Rain released a new patch to the game, ¡®Knights of the Holy Cathedral¡¯. He and hismander, a senior female ssmate, and a few others went together to participate in a raid. It was the first time they faced a Boss with an unsealed Element, and the fight against the Boss left behind a deep impression.

    This was the first time the gamers understood the Element powers, and what the Knight of the Holy Cathedral was.

    It appeared that he was going to relive that memory of fighting a familiar Boss again.

    TL: I researched a little on the crossbow. There are different types of crossbows depending on their strength, but usually a light crossbow is the only type that¡¯s fast enough for that im. For a powerful crossbow like an arbalest where you really need to windup the string, you could shoot 2 bolts per minute. Brendel shoots a bolt every 3 seconds, or I think he does.

    The next TAS chapter mighte a bitter as I¡¯m halfway done with the JP series¡¯ chapter.

 volume 2 - 117

    TL: I have been sitting on this chapter for a day now.I had a really stiff upper neck (probably because I slept in a bad position) that caused me considerable amount of pain and I couldn¡¯t check through the chapter. I¡¯m going to take a break for half a day and do some back exercises.

    Chapter 117 ¨C The Final Battle (5)

    There were a few subtypes extensions of the Earth Element. While most of the Earth users were famed for heavy defense, Ekman controlled the power to shape the earth into striking boulders. Although it was truly powerful for its initial strength, its growth was severely limited and ssified as a low grade Element subtype.

    But this was enough for Brendel to get a headache¡ª

    When he used his hands to help himself up, he brushed across Scarlett¡¯s hands with his fingers. He paused for a moment, looked down, and saw the red-haired girl lying on the ground and looking up at him with her startling red irises. They looked at each other for a moment.

    ¡°My apologies.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Came Scarlett¡¯s reply.

    Brendel quickly withdrew his hand and flipped his body over to get up, then drew out the dagger that was tied on his calf. The Acolyte of Earth turned over to them slowly. As a Boss that had a disproportionate amount of strength and defense, his agility was low. Because of its tremendous size there was even a penalty to its agility, and it moved clumsily, giving the youths a chance to recover.

    ¡°Can you move?¡± Brendel readied himself into a fighting stance and asked. Scarlett sat up, dusted the dust and soil off her armor. She merely nodded without saying anything.

    ¡°Be careful when you face this monster. Its attacks are very powerful. The Element it controls is the Power of Boulders, the attacks that it can form are¡ª¡±

    Before he could finish, Ekman roared and raised its front limb, almost as if to prove Brendel¡¯s words. Its limbs quickly solidified and turned into hard surfaces to form a tremendous boulder-like sword that was nearly ten meters high.

    It lifted the sword and swung at the direction of the two as it continued to roar.

    ¡°Dodge it!¡±

    Brendel and Scarlett dashed out to the left and right respectively. The boulder sword struck onto the ground and exploded in arge arc. The whole forest seemed to shake as the shockwaves chased up to the two of them. Scarlett made a sharp gasp of pain, while Brendel immediately threw up blood.

    Green words filled his vision, and he realized he lost 30 HP. The attack was even stronger than what the Ring of the Wind Empress could do. At his level, the damage from his ring would have done at most two-thirds of what it normally did, and it showed how strong Ekman¡¯s attack was.

    ¡°My lord, are you all right?¡±

    The forest was filled with dust and Scarlett¡¯s voice came from the other end.

    ¡°Not too bad.¡±

    Brendel coughed one more time. He was on his utmost guard. Ekman also had abilities that were dangerous. In this environment, if he failed to be careful and allowed it to ambush him, then he would be in deep trouble.

    [I¡¯m still not sensing that monster. The cooldown for merging with the soil is ten minutes, how is it possible to lose sight of him so quickly? It hasn¡¯t even been one minute.]

    Suddenly, the two wary people heard a surprised scream from a distant area.

    ¡°Medissa!¡± Brendel was deeply rmed.

    ============= Hewjil¡¯s POV ============

    When the dragon-like roar from the horn resounded through the battlefield, Hewjil was utterly dismayed. It was not as knowledgeable as Conrad who could discern that the horn¡¯s bellow belonged to one of the strongest Silver Elves¡¯ armies.

    However, Hewjil made the same conclusion from where the position it wasmanding at. It oversaw the battle from a high vantage point, and saw Elven warriors d in silver armor, had prominent silver hair and wielded a greatsword. Surely even fools would recognize them for what they were; indeed, they were Silver Elves.

    The Lizardmen¡¯s attacks were quickly rebuffed and they retreated one-sidedly. The Elves¡¯ charge was impressive, cutting the Lizardmen down were like how knives cutting through butter, going in and out without stopping.

    If Conrad¡¯s men did not enter the fray in time, the morale of the Lizardmen would have been brokenpletely. While the new addition did managed to stall the Elves¡¯ charge, they were unable to do any damage to the Silver Elves because of their unfamiliar teamwork.

    At the end of the first exchange, Hewjil found it had lost a tenth of his men just on its left nk. It grabbed one of his men¡¯s dagger angrily and threw it violently onto the ground. As one who lived on the edge, this terrible loss raised its ire instead of making it discouraged. He clearly saw Conrad¡¯s guarded disposition towards the Silver Elves, but now that it saw them in battle, it was puzzled.

    [Are they not just a bunch of Silver ranked fighters? The famed Silver Elves are not some undefeatable opponents. Even the second tier army of Kirrlutz have their level of might, and it¡¯s not as if I have not fought against them.]

    Hewjil was an exile that escaped from the Empire¡¯s might, and he narrowed his eyes a little when he recalled some memories about the armies chasing him.

    After a moment of, it calmed down and observed his enemies, he quickly discovered something interesting. It quickly beckoned its adjutant over and ordered him to lead a squadron to attack the backlines. It was a taboo to separate the army during the fight that was happening currently, but it discovered that the enemies constantly seemed to be the same thirty or forty men.

    It decided to make a gamble to see if its guess was correct.

    Unfortunately for him, the ally it believed in, Conrad, had already decided to escape.

    The Lizardmen¡¯s crossbowmen finally regrouped and started shooting their volleys of bolts from a higher vantage point at a hill.

    Because of the rtively small number of Silver Elves in the battlefield, they did not know how to aim at them and simply shot messily as to where they might possibly be. The rest of the Lizardmen chose to shoot at the Grey Wolves Mercenaries and the Mercenaries of Lopes. Their haphazard attacks resulted in casualties of their ownrades as well.

    The rain of bolts were obstructed by the trees while the remainder of the bolts struck where they were intended to. Nethar decisively made his signal to retreat to the entrance immediately after seeing the Lizardmen¡¯s crossbowmen had formed up.

    Quite a few of the Mercenaries were struck by arrows. The sudden retreat had caused the Grey Wolves Mercenaries to be slow in doing so, and they were caught by a few daring Lizardmen who threw themselves at them. Sanford¡¯s artery was cut by a spear as he rescued apanion from their attacks, but the mercenaries quickly yed the attackers in retaliation.

    Nethar regrouped with them and led them to safety, who then treated Sanford¡¯s wounds.

    Nethar ordered the mercenaries to make a simple stretcher and ced Sanford there. Even though thetter was in pain, he gritted his teeth to prevent himself from groaning. The Grey Wolves Mercenaries treated death as a sacred thing and did not fear death.

    Suddenly there was an urgent set of footsteps that rushed to where Nethar was at.

    Sanford turned his head to the side and discovered a familiar face.

    [Isn¡¯t that someone from the Nightsong Tiger?] This thought came to his mind.

    ¡°Ser Nethar!¡± He said quickly: ¡°Commander Nightsong Tiger saw a squadron of Lizardmen making they way to the back of the ruins. He asked for your views on this.¡±

    The Grey Wolves Mercenaries were surprised, and Sanford frowned deeply.

    [Surrounding us? That¡¯s the worst situation that our lord said we would be in, and that we need to be act ordingly or else we would fall into a panic.]

    The Silver Elves did not show any reactions to that statement, but the mercenaries were the opposite. Most of the mercenaries believed in the Twins of Destiny, and their beliefs were tied strongly to their mental state. Many had described mercenaries to be alike to gamblers. Right now, they did not take this situation well.

    ¡°Human, yourmander has a clearer picture of the attackers. What are his thoughts?¡± Nethar asked.

    ¡°Ourmander states that we would be attacked from the rear if we do not split our forces to intercept them. He said the Grey Wolves Mercenaries and the Mercenaries of Lopes should dy them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an eptable strategy,¡± Nethar nodded: ¡°But who is going to lead the mercenaries to intercept them? My men are unable to lead them because we are unfamiliar with their tactics andnguage.¡±

    ¡°Ourmander thinks that Sanford should be......¡± The mercenary looked around to find Sanford and saw the conspicuous stretcher, and he suddenly lost thetter half of his words.

    The most experiencedmanders amongst Brendel were Nethar and the Nightsong Tiger, then Medissa and Scarlett. The four of them were already assigned to their roles, and Sanford was the only person left who had the best head amongst the mercenaries.

    Brendel had mentioned giving Sanford such a role, but the situation was even worse than what their lord had described. The mercenaries nced at each other in trepidation.

    ¡°Let me have a go at it, Ser Commander!¡± A bell-like sound suddenly came from their back. Everyone turned their eyes on them and saw Romaine dragging a sword behind her back with both her hands. She looked at them with big eager eyes and the words ¡®Can I?¡¯ was written in both of them.

    Of course not.

    Nethar shook his head. The Elvenmander might have asked what training she had and considered her request, but the actions that this girl didst night were too shocking. He could not allow her to lead this battle and treat it like a game.

    ¡°Then let me go, Ser Nethar.¡± Another girl walked out behind Romaine. She clutched her cor and held onto her robes, looking calmly at them.

    Nethar studied her.

    ¡°I have studied light infantry tactics from books. I believe I can be of use in stopping the enemy.¡±

 volume 2 - 118

    Thanks for the recent donations. I¡¯m still seeking more donations this month so I can get artbooks/games. If you would like to continue to support me, please drop a few dors through my paypal so I can get more stuff.

    The next chapter wille 8-10 hourster, along with pictures from the artbooks. I haven¡¯t opened it yet lol. The Persona 5 has over 500 pages. Sounds like super value to me.

    Chapter 118 ¨C The final battle

    When Brendel and Scarlett rushed over to Medissa¡¯s direction, they saw she was pressing down on her left shoulder with her right hand. Blood drenched her white inner robes and leaked onto the silver armor. Her brows were bunched up together as she faced the monster in front of her.

    Conrad was nowhere to be seen.

    The Acolyte of Earth looked different from a while ago. The dull yellow colored carapace were cracked open, revealing a dark red light that pulsed slowly from the crevices, like magma flowing across the ground. The monster that had appeared like it was a carved statue was somehow turned into a molten boulder-like creature.

    Brendel was shocked when he saw Ekman in that appearance. It was clearly in a Berserk mode, and going into such a state was usually a final desperate attempt. The aftermath of the Berserk mode was devolving back into an even weaker state than its already iplete self, if it survived.

    [What¡¯s going on? It¡¯s not like there¡¯s any threat to its life. The Acolytes will never willingly activate this mode to go on a rampage. Simr bosses would only go in a Berserk mode when they have 30% hp or less...... It¡¯s not moving?]

    Brendel¡¯s eyes went over the monster¡¯s state and realized there was an injury on Ekman¡¯s ribcage; the gash was deep enough for him to see the bones. He immediately understood it was from Medissa¡¯s Seismic st, but that was not the right exnation. Given how high Ekman¡¯s defense was, even if her attack was directly on its face, it would deal no more than 1/10 of its life. But the strangest thing was why it did not move at all.

    [Thest possibility is amand to make him go into a rampaging mode.....]

    Medissa saw Brendel from the corner of her eyes, and spoke through clenched teeth: ¡°I apologize, my lord. I allowed Conrad to escape.¡±

    Brendel secretly felt ashamed as it was his mistake and did not expect Ekman¡¯s attack to be a diversion to get to Medissa. He hadpletely underestimated his opponent because he thought it was some sort of Wurm creature that got corrupted by the Blood of Gods, and did not possess that intelligence to outwit him. He failed to consider the fact that Conrad was holding on to the Control Orb to control the monster.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t your fault.¡± Brendel and Scarlett regrouped with Medissa and form a line to face the rampaging monster. ¡°What exactly happened?¡±

    ¡°That man tried to lure me into a trap but I managed to see through it. He then managed to summon this monster somehow and tried to escape by using it as cover......¡± Medissa covered her mouth as she coughed, and blood leaked through her fingers: ¡°...... I tried to use Seismic st to stop them, but the monster suddenly turned stronger and shrugged off the gravity binding from the Seismic st.....¡±

    ¡°Your injury was caused by the monster?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Brendel frowned. Ekman¡¯s strength was increased by 20% when it was in a berserk mode. If Medissa was directly struck by it, her injuries could be quite serious.

    ¡°It¡¯s not too much of a problem to continue fighting. It¡¯s a little scratch......¡± She coughed repeatedly: ¡°But I feel like there¡¯s some Element damage done to my lungs.¡±

    [That¡¯s not a problem?] Brendel looked at her in utter disbelief, then suddenly recalled her status as a Heroic Spirit. Even though she appeared like she was coughing out blood like a real person, it was her Soul Fire that would affect her ability to fight. A normal person would have their fighting abilities greatly lowered if they received the same injury Medissa did.

    ¡°What should we do now?¡± Scarlett asked.

    ¡°I want to change our ns a little.¡± Brendel stared at the monster that blocked their path. He really did not understand why Conrad was so eager to escape from them, to the point that he would waste a creature with the Blood of Gods and allow the three of them to fight it. Ekman would not stand a chance after the Berserk mode was over. Yet there was no time for them to wait for it to do so.

    ¡°Both of you need to go after that man right away. We have to stop him from messing up the tactical positions where the Silver Elves and the mercenaries are fighting the Lizardmen. Leave this monster to me.¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Scarlett looked back at him, forgetting her manners as she heard his incredulous words.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Medissa was also stunned. As someone who fought against him earlier, she knew clearly that he was a fighter who had just reached the Silver-rank tier. No matter much fighting experience he had, there was no chance to fight against a monster who had unsealed its Element power. Even dying it seemed like a problem.

    ¡°Have you forgotten my true abilities, Medissa?¡± Brendel answered in his mind.

    ¡°Do you mean to say your abilities as a neswalker, my lord?¡± She also replied in her mind.

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll fight along with you.¡± Scarlett answered. She raised her halberd against the monster. It looked like it was dead because it did not move at all, but once they moved to chase Conrad, it would certainly attack them.

    ¡°If you die, my lord, Medissa and I have will also have no guarantee that we can face it. In order to protect everyone left from the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, your life is my life¡ª¡±

    Brendel raised his eyebrow at her.

    ¡°Scarlett is right, my lord.¡± Medissa also persuaded him: ¡°As long as this monster is not guarding Conrad, he is not my match. I have fought many Miirna Mage yers in my life time.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Brendel did not wish to waste any time to convince Scarlett, and it was true with thetter¡¯s aid he would have a better chance against it. He took out the second Card of Fate that he had drawn for the day: ¡°Let¡¯s move out.¡±

    Brendel flipped over his card¡ª

    ¨C The Silver Horse

    ¨C The Legendary Light V, White

    ¨C Requirements: 10 MP

    ¨C Artifact Creature/Treasure, Level 7 Construct

    ¨C The Silver Horse has Flying.

    ¨C ¡®Made with Mithril¡¯

    (TL: This card is given by Tulman and not taken from the Dark Bishop.)

    The Card of Fate floated up into the air and a Magic Formation was immediately drawn on the forest ground. A long neigh from a warhorse could be heard in the center of the Magic Formation

    Brendel¡¯s actions immediately caused Ekman tounch an attack. Conrad had given a set of instructions to Ekman to wait at its spot in case Brendel and the others were somehow able to lure it away from guarding him. If it detected an enemy crossing a certain point to go after him or did something else, then the permission to attack would be given. Magic was amongst one of the conditions.

    Scarlett and Medissa went up to intercept its attack and were able to guard sessfully against its attack, although both of them struggled to breath as the air were knocked out of them from the impact.

    [Interesting..... Even though Medissa and Scarlett¡¯s levels are below 50, they are able to reach use their Element powers which are typically learned at level 50 to 51. If they did not utilize their powers they wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop the rampaging monster.]

    The light in front of Brendel faded and a metallic warhorse with wings made from mithril trotted forward proudly. The creature¡¯s chiseled ruby eyes nced at Brendel before it lowered its head.

    The two girls looked looked at the horse in slight surprise, but they quickly understood his intention.

    ¡°Scarlett, get on the horse! Medissa, cover us!¡±

    Ekman wanted to attack Brendel again but the Elven princess used Vortex Strike to force it back. Her abilities had a long cooldown, but the attacking strength was high enough to force Ekman to engage her carefully.

    With the slight opening, Scarlett got onto the horse and immediately extended her hand out to Brendel. He got up onto the horse quickly but she felt a little embarrassed when they rode together. That thought quickly disappeared and she calmed down quickly.

    ¡°Ride behind its back. That creature is obeying Conrad¡¯s order to guard this ce with its life. Attract its attention and make it chase us. Medissa, stay here and make your move only after we leave this ce!¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± She nodded.

    Scarlett urged the horse upwards, and the warhorse jumped into the sky, and flew over the angry creature¡¯s head. That was not the only action she took. She reached for apact crossbow that was behind her belt and shot at it.

    The attack immediately caused it to fight back.

    The creature roared and mmed its palm onto the ground, and a twenty meter rock spike shot up into the sky, reaching towards the two of them. Scarlett urged the horse to fly higher, but spikes continued to chase after them, each time higher than thest. Thest spike nearly reached fifty meters high, and when they looked down onto the ground, they discovered that the ground below had turned into a forest filled with rock pirs.

    When the Acolyte of Earth¡¯s hand left the ground, the rock pirs immediately turned to soil and crumbled. It stared at the warhorse that flew further and futher away, bellowed loudly, then mmed both of its hand into the ground and merged with the soil in an instant.

    That was thest time Medissa saw the monster. She had seen how it attacked Brendel the first time, so she knew that it was performing the same feat again. She remained on guard and looked around for a while before she rode towards where Conrad escaped, urging her unicorn to move as quickly as possible.

    Brendel also saw the same thing and asked Scarlett to lower their flying height. Even though the monster¡¯s intelligence was not high, it would not keep on chasing a prey that it could not reach. Luring a monster in the game was considered to be a precise skill, and it was the same in this world.

    Brendel continued to remain on his guard as the speed and height of the mithril warhorse were quickly lowered.

    ¡°What are we going to do next?¡± Scarlett asked.

    ¡°Bring this monster around,¡± Brendel said: ¡°It¡¯s best to move back to where we fought yesterday, since our n is to regroup back there when the mercenaries and Silver Elves defeat the Lizardmen. We will be able to receive support from them.¡±

    ¡°Can west that long?¡±

    ¡°That depends on our skill. Well, perhaps a little luck is needed as well.¡±

    Scarlett suddenly stopped talking and swung her halberd at a certain direction. A streak of lightning shot out dozens of meters away and struck in between a few pine trees.

    An explosion rang out and the Boss reappeared.

    ¡°Have the horse run on the ground in a zigzag manner.¡± Brendel put out his hand. ¡°Give me your crossbow¡ª¡±

    She nodded and handed it over.

    The warhorse¡¯s direction changed once as a sharp spike reached for their backs. Brendel secretly nodded at Scarlett¡¯s reactions. He might not have done as well as if he was the one leading the horse.

    [This is the start of a dangerous game......]

 volume 2 - 119

    Chapter 119 ¨C The Final Battle (7)

    The scouts quickly reported their information.

    The holy grounds of Baern Shyrltaesi wasprised of the Elves¡¯ Goddess Temple and two outer courtyards with walls, and was in the center of the Elven ruins, with other buildings surrounding arranged like an axis around it.

    The grand hall of the Goddess Temple was where Hewjil had upied previously. The back room led to an altar, while the front of hall¡¯s entrance was a corridor that led to the rooms where the Elven Priests stayed at. It also had stairways leading to the top of the Temple.

    Amandina chose this ce the very moment she saw it.

    The mercenaries passed through the ruined walls of the buildings, epting Amandina¡¯smand to enter the temple. The courtyard within the temple was once filled with Silver Elves who came to pray to their goddess, but now that beautiful and tranquil ce was in shambles. The elegant white tiles in the corridors were broken and stained with dirt, and the only thing left intact was the pirs.

    The wind blew softly from time to time, passing through the holes within the walls almost like whispers.

    In this near silence, three of the Mercenaries of Lopes who set out early were the first to reach the ce. They went up to the temple¡¯s rooftop to deposit a hastily made g made with a spear and grey cloth torn from Brendel¡¯s robes, then went out to the second outer walls of the temple¡¯s courtyards to observe the Lizardmen.

    Two outer walls that surrounded the courtyard were built by the Silver Elves in order to make defensive lines for the Holy Temple and prevent intruders. Many centuriester, these walls suffered harsh rain and winds, and were nearly gone. There was almost no cover left to stand behind and defend the area properly, and the Lizardmen had not repaired the walls when they upied it.

    The Lizardmen did not do so because of two reasons. The first reason was simply because they did not have the ability to repair the walls because of its intricate designs. The walls were built to lure in enemies at certain junctions which allowed the Silver Elves to ambush them, and with Hewjil¡¯s intelligence, he was never able to figure out how it was supposed to be done. The second reason was the Lizardmen had no need to do so because they had no enemies. In this forest, their worst enemies were themselves and wine, having a hundred deaths nearly every year because they killed each other.

    The second batch of mercenaries set themselves up at another opening of the outer walls once they arrived.

    ¡®The Lizardmen have passed through the forest-¡®

    ¡®They are approaching the ruins.¡¯

    ¡®Their numbers are no less than a hundred.¡¯

    ¡®I spotted theirmander.¡¯

    The mercenaries passed information around through signs, before it went back to the Elementalists¡¯ sisters who apanied Amandina and informed her of the situation.

    She lifted up her skirt as she crossed over the hall quickly, then climbed up the stairs to the rooftop where it was able to oversee the entire area of the temple.

    Theplex defense lines of the temple quickly became clear to her.

    She looked down andpared the area to the map that was hurriedly drawn by Nethar. Her studies in the architecture knowledge was useful enough to recognize the important chokepoints, leading her to turn around and search the area.

    She straightened the first g vertically and ced it in the center.

    As long as the g was standing upright, it informed Nethar and the Nightsong Tiger that the backlines and defenses were not lost.

    She then gave the orders to the Elementalist sisters, informing the Grey Wolves Mercenaries to defend the fourth chokepoint.

    The Grey Wolves Mercenaries looked at each other with uncertainty, when they realized what the order was from a Mercenaries of Lopes¡¯ member apanying them.

    Amandina¡¯s location was quite prominent. If the Lizardmen broke through the chokepoints, they could easily enter the inner temple and climbed up the stairs to where Amandina was. Brendel had instructed them to protect her safety, but she had ordered them to move far away where she was.

    ¡°Miss Amandina?¡± One of the mercenaries yelled out in a loud voice.

    ¡°Follow my orders!¡± Her reply came back.

    ¡°But¡ª¡°

    Amandina flung her hand indignantly: ¡°I¡¯m yourmander now. My orders are your utmost priorities, if there are any objections, you can bring it up to our lord after this is over!¡±

    The mercenaries fell into silence.

    Amandina suddenly spotted the Lizardmen rushing out of the forest. Their formation was almost non-existent, moving out quickly across the ground for the sake of speed rather than safety. This meant that the leader of the Lizardmen had indeed deduced of their smaller numbers. She was definitely in a great disadvantage, because she only had a total of fifteen mercenaries under her

    Even though the mercenaries were much more experienced than the Lizardmen, thetter outnumbered them many times.

    [Dying them is the best I can do.]

    Amandina gripped the g tightly subconsciously with gritted teeth.

    ============= Brendel¡¯s POV =============

    Brendel wiped the sweat of his head.

    He had already lost count of how many times they escaped Ekman¡¯s attacks by mere inches. He could hear his heart pounding loudly because of the constant tension. Scarlett¡¯s rate of breathing was also beginning to increase, indicating that her stamina was going down.

    ¡°How long did you say...... that the warhorse can use charge again?¡± Scarlett asked with a panting voice.

    ¡°Another...... twenty seconds.¡± Brendel estimated in his mind. He had used this ability once earlier to cover half of the distance to his destination.

    ¡°No, if we...... don¡¯t fly in the air..... we can¡¯t hold on that long!¡± She shook her head right away.

    Brendel turned his head to take a look.

    He wished that Scarlett¡¯s answer was different from his own but he knew that was something impossible. He had predicted the same results from the start. Even though the monster was clumsy and slow in turning directions, the speed at which it charged in a straight line was shocking. Each time they turned to pull away from it ended up with the monster gaining back the distance after a few seconds.

    If they kept changing directions all the time, they would not be able to lure the monster back to the intended location even if the sky turned dark.

    Flying up to the sky was a temporary solution, but Brendel realized that it was bing more and more urate in sending the rock spikes at them. With the nearby trees being destroyed over and over again, the obstructions to the attacks were also bing fewer. They might as well have a target painted behind their back.

    ¡°You can¡¯t fly up.¡± Brendel gave his conclusion.

    Scarlett rapped the warhorse¡¯s head in frustration.

    He looked back again and saw Ekman getting closer and closer. He finally stopped hesitating and threw out an Exploding Crystal at it. The monster covered its head with both hands as the series of explosions happened right in front of it. However, the explosions did not seem to stop it even for a moment, as it charged right out of the smoke and dust.

    Scarlett felt that threat and forced the warhorse to jump into the air. Ekman did not waste any time and shot the spikes out from the ground at them.

    Even though Scarlett reacted to the attack as fast as she possibly could, the exhaustion from the long tension had caused her to be slower by a split second. The rock spikes urately struck the warhorse¡¯s thigh and caused the entire body to topple, knocking it straight onto a tree.

    The immense impact caused Brendel and Scarlett to be jerked out from the warhorse, and when they finally reacted from the attack, they realized they were already on the ground, dazed and injured.

    Brendel almost felt like he was back at Be the first time he arrived there. That feeling of wrecking pain and confusion was almost like a bomb thrown into his mind. But his worry was not about what kind of damage he received from the impact, because the bastard was going to follow up with another attack.

    [Fuck, this time we¡¯re in grave trouble!]

    He grabbed thest Exploding Crystal and tried to get up while he shook his head to shrug his dizziness, but before he was able to do so, a hand pressed him down.

    ¡°Listen carefully.¡±

    Scarlett¡¯s voice sounded like it came from a near and far ce at the same time. Even his vision appeared like there were two or three images ovepping each other when he tried to focus on her.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to dy that monster and give you some time to escape.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±

    Brendel felt pangs of sharp pain in his spine, and he wondered if it was broken in several ces.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about me. I¡¯m also an Acolyte, the most damage that mindless creature would be able to do is injure me if I dyed it for a short while.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯m the one who told you about the characteristics of an Acolyte...... Ouch.¡± Brendel felt her help him up.

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    The girl scoffed coldly in his ear and released him. ¡°The horse is right behind you. Stop wasting time.¡±

    She took up her halberd and turned around to face the monster. It had crashed into a few trees and destroyed them in its charge.

    Scarlett took up a stance and ced her spear horizontal to her body and gritted her teeth.

    Brendel looked at her back once more before he grabbed the reins of the mithril warhorse and mounted it. There was no time to waste and argue. Scarlett had made her choice and he could only cooperate with her.

    This chance would be wasted if he hesitated.

    He forced the horse into a furious gallop. There was a loud smacking noise, and when he looked back, he saw Scarlett flying backwards like a piece of rock, colliding into trees with audible snapping noises, before he lost all signs of her.

    [Fuck! There¡¯s no way she¡¯s able to hold off a Boss-tier with an unsealed Element at all! This isn¡¯t going to work¡ª]

    The monster turned to Scarlett¡¯s direction for a few seconds, when a small crystal knocked onto its head. The explosions happened in front of its face, causing it to turn into Brendel¡¯s direction again.

    It was certain that the girl had lost herbat abilities, and thus set its target on the irritating fly. Without a proper order, the Berserk status that it had caused it to kill anything that still moved.

    Scarlett¡¯s dy had worked.

    Brendel was ready to use his Charge ability. He made the horse run off in another direction and activated his ability, causing the speed of the warhorse to move over a thousand OZ, reaching the peak of his character¡¯s speed in his previous world.

    If someone was able to look at him from a hill, they would have seen a blurring silver line cutting through the entire forest.

 volume 2 - 120

    Chapter 120 ¨C The Final Battle (8)

    When Brendel activated his ability, he suddenly realized that he was unable to handle the air resistance as the warhorse charged through the area. Scarlett had taken the brunt of the first time he used it, but now that he was alone he reached his limits to handle it.

    It was nearly impossible for a yer in the game to get a pet that surpassed their own stats, but Brendel had gotten a mount that had an innate 132 OZ worth of agility. With the ability Charge added to it, he hadpletely broken the sound barrier so many times that he felt like he had turned into a fly that crashed onto a sheet of metal and was dragged through nearly fifteen kilometers with an insane speed.

    When it finally stopped, Brendel could not stop himself from vomiting out the contents of his stomach. Blood was flowing from his eyes, nose and ears. His organs werepletely damaged, and green words kept shing in his eyes. The remaining life he had was literally a few pixels left on his HP bar.

    [How did Scarlett managed to endure that? Did she use her spear or something to cut through air resistance?]

    Brendel had twenty times the normal physique of a normal person and his defense and regeneration was just barely enough for him to survive that. If he was given enough time to rest, that physique would even allow him to recuperate without side effects.

    [There¡¯s no time to rest and that monster definitely won¡¯t give me time to do so. Because it travels in a straight line at such a ridiculous speed, we couldn¡¯t outrun it earlier. Give it a minute and it would be next to me again. Should I sacrifice this card and let it go to the graveyard?]

    He broke into another bout of cold sweat when he remembered how difficult it was to escape from Ekman.

    This was a desperate move to have his mount lure the enemy away, but the closer he was able to get to the meeting ce, the stronger the Silver Elves would be when they joined up with him. Despite the numerous twists and turns, he was able to travel nearly forty kilometers from where he started and was close to where the Silver Elves fought Redi.

    Twenty Silver Elves at level 50 would be enough to handle a level 50 Boss. When Nethar finished his battle, he would return to the meeting ce with his full speed.

    [The travel time for them to return is ten minutes. Once the Lizardmen fall below a certain number they will probably retreat. Perhaps twenty minutes for them to give up? Hewjil is one thing, but hopefully Medissa can kill Conrad.]

    Brendel spent a few seconds to consider the oues and his options. He did not find any obvious shorings to his ns, so he got off the horse and patted its metallic head. This machine like artifact seemed like it was created by some factory in his previous world. It was intricately built and its toughness was extraordinary, appearing like it was never going to tire. Even that attack from Ekman only put a small scratch on it.

    But losing this mount meant that he was gambling every token on the table. If the monster did not pursue the mount and came after him instead, then that would be the end of him. Brendel¡¯s heart beated rapidly and he could not suppress his tension. Even so, he made up his mind and yelled:

    ¡°SILVER BMW! RUN LIKE THE WIND!¡± He yelled out the name he gave to his pet horse at thest moment, and finished the details of his orders in his mind.

    Since the warhorse was not a living creature, it would not have any fears when it faced the monster. It looked at Brendel once with its red gem-like eyes as if to confirm his orders before turning around and disappeared into the forest.

    Brendel sighed and flinched in pain as he reached for the Silver Horse card. He took it out and began to move as quickly as he possibly could, while listening carefully for any signs of Ekman. It was not long before he heard of angry bellows getting further away from his back, while causing the critters in front of him to flee in terror.

    ============ Hewjil POV ============

    As long as one had not fallenpletely into a crazed bloodlust state, they would always recover their senses at some point.

    Hewjil had poured almost all its Lizardmen into the ruins like an addicted gambler, but the ce seemed like it was a ck hole that sucked out the lives of its men.

    At first the initial tactics that it yed to get its men to attack the backlines worked, as the mercenaries did not appear again and the Silver Elves lost their ranged cover, while its own Lizardmen¡¯s crossbow users gathered up to give cover to the Lizardmen warriors. The situation had reversed, surely, before it quickly discovered that the Silver Elves gave up on attacking in the open and chose to retreat to the ruins.

    They moved back into narrow streets and hidden corners, and all of a sudden Hewjil realized the Silver Elves were using the territory to perform hit and run tactics. However, what shocked it was not the loss of his men, but the fact that when one of the Silver Elves of was caught out of position and killed, then turned into white light and shot back to the ce where the Elven Kings were entombed.

    This was the first time where Hewjil realized these Silver Elves were abnormal.

    However, that thought was soon reced by another problem. It had spotted a g at the roof of the highest building. Even till now the mercenaries did not appear, but so did his men who were supposed to attack the backlines. The Lizardmen who fought against the Silver Elves in the frontlines were greatly demoralized, and thetter did not waste any time inunching another attack to take advantage of them.

    This time, they managed to push the Lizardmen out and even took the control of the outer section. Hewjil was furious again, but it realized it just needed to gather all its men and surround that section. When he turned around to check the number of Lizardmen it had, its eyes bulged.

    There was just a handful of Lizardmen behind him.

    All of its tokens were already on the table, and yet the Silver Elves acted like it did not matter whether there a hundred Lizardmen or a thousand Lizardmen. Would the situation change even if it went in personally?

    Hewjil felt the blood drain out of its face.

    Unlike the other Lizardmen, it was intelligent enough to predict the conclusion of this battle. It called out another of its adjutant immediately.

    ¡°Tell the frontlinemander to put more pressure and force the Silver Elves back.¡±

    ¡°Chief, are we going tounch a final attack?¡± The adjutant asked.

    ¡°No.¡± Hewjile shook its head: ¡°We¡¯re leaving. Only us.¡±

    ¡°What? But our brothers......¡±

    ¡°Ignore them. We can¡¯t care about them anymore.¡± The leader of the Lizardmen shook its head regretfully. It held out its glittering pendant on its neck. ¡°As long as this is with us, we can seek help from the Tree Shepherds and take back this areater. I know where these Silver Elvese from. The next time we are here I will be ready.¡±

    ¡°But do we not inform Conrad if we just leave?¡±

    Hewjil hesitated for a moment before it shook its head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that bastard is an Emissary who controls members that have the Blood of Gods. Even without us, he can take care of himself.¡±

    [It would be good if something happens to him anyway¡ª But if that bastard dies in this area, I¡¯m going to pay a hefty price as well. This is such a tricky problem.]

    Hewjil observed the battlefiled again. Even though the Lizardmen in the battle still had the upper hand, it did not seem like the Silver Elves had any signs of defeat yet. If the battle took another twenty minutes or so, the total number of his Lizardmen lost would be more than half and the situation would change.

    At that point, trying to escape would depend on whether the Silver Elves were willing to let them go.

    The Lizardmen were treated as ves in Kirrlutz, and the pockets of their resistance had gone on for centuries. Hewjil¡¯s instinct was honed by the constant resistance it had against Kirrlutz and the Empire, and the long years of evading capture as a bandit made him sensitive to danger.

    It was time to escape.

    ============= Nethar¡¯s POV =============

    Nethar discovered that the Lizardmen suddenly increased their resistance, but they appeared hesistant and reluctant to do so. With this opening, the Elvenmander who had centuries of experience decisively grabbed the chance and blew his horn. The Elven warriors immediately gathered into position and charged straight into the heart of the enemies. The Lizardmen crossbowmen shot out their bolts in a panic, but were hardly effective as they bounced off their armor.

    The synergy of the Elven warriors was like a portable fortress that cut down the Lizardmen unerringly.

    The waves of Lizardmen finally parted andpletely fell into chaos. When they realized Hewjil was gone, they fell into confusion and screamed, scampering off to the forest in all directions.

    Nethar let his men pursue them for a while, but they were like green cockroaches which fled so fast that even the Silver Elves felt impressed. Brendel would have made fun of the Lizardmen¡¯s excellent escape if he was there.

 volume 2 - 121

    Chapter 121 ¨C The Final Battle (9)

    The Elvenmander took off his pointed helmet which had a few streaks of gold painted over it to distinguish him as amander. He shook his head, and his beautiful silver hair fell down like a waterfall. He exhaled slowly, and looked coldly at the battlefield¡¯s messy appearance. The Lizardmen¡¯s corpses were strewn over over their Elven grounds with blood forming into moving streams. There was a piercing stench of blood in the air, which would have made normal people queasy in their stomachs, but it was the scent of victory to the Silver Elves.

    [No. This is not victory yet.]

    Hewjil had escaped. Nethar¡¯s men wanted to chase it but he stopped them from doing so. He flicked his sword once in the air to remove blood from it and ced it back into the sheath. The ornate design of the sword¡¯s hilt glittered in the sun as he signaled to his men to gather up and get ready for their next move, not wasting any time.

    The Nightsong Tiger brought back the other team of Silver Elves. He frowned when he saw Nethar¡¯s appearance. Thetter already appeared cold and distant, and the blood on his armor added on a disconcerting feeling to him. However, this somehow made him look seductive even to the Nightsong Tiger for some odd reason.

    ¡°Commander.¡± The Nightsong Tiger¡¯s surprise onlysted for a short while: ¡°I think our battle here is over.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Nethar nodded.

    The g on the building was still upright, but no one knew how the battle between the mercenaries and the Lizardmen progressed.

    ¡°We can¡¯t call this a victory yet.¡± Nethar said: ¡°We must abide to our original n and return to the agreed meeting ce right now. I hope that your lord has fulfilled his promise instead of wasting his life.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± The Nightsong Tiger interrupted him: ¡°Our lord¡¯s orders are different. We¡¯re supposed to clear out the remaining lizardmen in the backlines if it came to that.¡±

    Nethar looked at him with arrogant indifference.

    ¡°You saw that monster as well, and it is much stronger than what your lord had described in his ns. Even with our powers at their peak, we would need at least three of us in order to fight it to a standstill. Do you truly believe your lord can take it on by himself for so long? He is in grave danger.¡±

    ¡°But.....¡±

    ¡°There is no time left for arguments. The choices before you are your lord or Amandina, and the importance of your lord outweighs her. Do you truly need to choose? In the battle against the Dragon of Darkness, there is no room for benevolence. The standards for judging the situation lies in the conclusion of the battle.¡±

    The Nightsong Tiger could not help but look at Amandina¡¯s direction. Brendel clearly ordered the mercenaries to protect her.

    Nethar shook his head: ¡°Very well, human, I will tell you a secret. I have already asked Amandina to ce your lord¡¯s safety as priority before she went off tomand the mercenaries. I have no intention of going her aid. In our history, putting our lives before defeating the Dragon of Darkness was to give up hope for the continent¡¯s future. This is why Medissa sacrificed herself for her sister, no matter how unthinkable of a choice it might appear to you.¡±

    He straightened himself and raised his hand, and the Silver Elves gathered before him.

    ¡°Move out!¡±

    ============== Amandina¡¯s POV =============

    Nethar and the Nightsong Tiger understood Amandina¡¯s situation.

    The mercenaries and her were in dire straits. There were simply too many openings in the ruins for the Lizardmen to go through. The cover for the mercenaries was also inadequate and were easily in range of the Lizardmen¡¯s crossbows. Even if they retaliated with their own ranged attacks, it was not effective in stopping the Lizardmen warriors from pouring in.

    However, this showed off the Mercenaries of Lopes¡¯ strong fighting will. The furthest three mercenaries faced off against the initial hundred Lizardmen, giving up their positions twice and took it back two times as well by using Exploding Crystals.

    The reinforcements that Amandina sent out to help them were rebuffed by the enemies¡¯ numbers, and the three mercenaries were ultimately overwhelmed by the Lizardmen warriors who swarmed them angrily with weapons and shredded them into pieces. Thest person waited till his final breath and detonated thest Exploding Crystal on himself, causing thergest damage to the Lizardmen¡¯s numbers since the start of the battle.

    Almost twenty Lizardmen were taken out from that st.

    The battles after that were no less bloodier than the first one. The Mercenaries of Lopes were the ones in charge of defending the riskiest chokeholds, and almost every time they battled it was a melee fest that guaranteed corpses. After exchanging twenty two Lizardmen for another four mercenaries, the enemies finally broke through the outer positions and began to invade the ritual hall.

    The remainder of the mercenaries retreated into the building and defended there, but it was not a n they could hold on to because there was less and less room to defend against the enemies. If the defense lines were pushed back any further, they would have to retreat to the roof.

    Amandina held on to the g and continued to watch for changes in the battlefield, waiting for an opportunity to order the mercenaries to charge into the enemies¡¯ weak points. Each mercenary¡¯s death made her heart feel heavier. When Brendel was leading these men there was not even a single death, but it was just her mere ten odd minutes ofmanding them had caused them to suffer serious injuries and even led them to their deaths

    When the older Elven elementalist sister, Fern, used her own body to block off a fatal crossbow bolt attack, Amandina felt her eyes tear up uncontrobly. The Elven girl even suppressed her own voice in order to make sure Amandina did not panic.

    Amandina understood what Fern was doing and gritted her teeth as sheid her down onto the ground. Thetter¡¯s body warmth lingered in Amandina¡¯s hands, and she looked like she was just sleeping with her closed eyes.

    A handkerchief appeared in front of Amandina.

    She looked back in surprise and saw Deyna, the younger Elven sister.

    ¡°Wipe your tears, miss Amandina.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.....¡± Amandina took a deep breath and then stuttered: ¡°S-sorry.....¡±

    Deyna¡¯s lips moved once and wanted to say something, but she stopped herself. Brendel did not tell her about the secret of the Mercenaries of Lopes, and she did not have the permission to reveal it either.

    ¡°Please give me the g, Miss Amandina. This ce is too dangerous.¡± She said after a moment of hesitation.

    Amandina shook her head.

    ¡°No, I have to be here.¡± She needed to do see this to the bitter end.

    The Lizardmen had already broken the fourth defensive line, and the mercenaries retreated once again. They were close to the roof. From that distance, Deyna estimated there was less than fifty meters before they reached Amandina. She even saw the Lizardmen¡¯s crossbows raising towards them. Even though they were not urate shooters, their repeated attempts will reach the g¡¯s position soon.

    Deyna creased her brows and stood in front of Amandina and reached for her sword. She was out of mana like her older sister. Still, she had to aplish her task to defend Amandina.

    ¡°Deyna.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Amandina said quietly.

    The Elven girl smiled faintly, but quickly fell into a solemn expression when her eyes saw that the Lizardmen were chattering amongst themselves. All the crossbows were raised at the same time, and she was not certain whether she could defend against all the crossbows¡¯ bolts. She gritted her teeth and pulled out her sword, gripping the hilt tightly.

    The Lizardmen¡¯s fingers were on the triggers, waiting for themand to allow them to fire¡ª

    Amandina and Deyna held their breaths. No matter how much they prepared themselves for their deaths, there was a sense of despair when they faced it directly.

    However, that moment never came. A small shining crystal suddenly fell onto the ground and in the midst of the Lizardmen. An explosion happened, and the walls were immediately painted with blood and rained across the stairs along with bits of flesh and bones.

    Everyone was stunned.

    Amandina was certain she gave all the crystals to the mercenaries at the outer wall!

    A sudden ng could be heard from the edge, and she turned her head around to see a sword on the ground. Romaine climbed up onto the roof, appearing utterly exhausted and panting for breath. When she saw Amandina, she gave a smug smile: ¡°Haa¡ª I nearly got lost, haa...... haa...... It was hard to find a path...... to the roof...... Amandina, I learned how to use a sword, I can protect you...... Haaaaa..... I¡¯m tired.....¡±

    ¡°W-wait, aren¡¯t you supposed to go back and wait?! Were you the one who used the Exploding Crystal? Didn¡¯t you give it all to Brendel?¡±

    Romaine¡¯s hands suddenly went to her small bag: ¡°Well..... I might have kept a few.¡±

    ¡°Hold on...... The reason why the explosion failed that night was because there were not enough to break an important section of the hill, causing the rocks to fall around us right! Damn it, didn¡¯t you say you used them all?¡±

    Romaine jumped up when she heard Amandina curse for the first time. She shook her head repeatedly. ¡°I-I promise I only have five, no, four left.¡±

 volume 2 - 122

    Chapters 123 ¨C 125 are still undergoing a basic spellwriting check.

    I¡¯ll start off with the important news first. Next update is on April 1, in case anyone is wondering (I don¡¯t do April Fools jokes.).

    I have pretty much spent the past ten days tranting non-stop and I¡¯m going to have to seriously catch up with my art stuff now. For the next 11 days and the whole of April, I will expect myself to draw a number of fanart images and start exploring the options to either frence or put up a portfolio so I can start applying for a job some time in May/June.

    The next few regr updates for TAS would be restricted to 1 chapter at every weekend for the next 3-4 weeks so I can catch up with my nned art stuff. If there¡¯s going to be any donations for TAS chapters during this time, I will probably need two days to clear it (I¡¯ll allocate 3 hours/day if there are any donations during this time period).

    Despite the batch trantion, I found out that the chapterster on are still at sort of a cliffhanger mode, but I can¡¯t put in anymore regr time for this month. In my mind, I was hoping to kind of bring forward the regr updates so you guys wouldn¡¯t be stuck on the cliffhangers. Welp.....

    Skip if you don¡¯t like to see how I edit things.

    The recent chapters have three particr issues that I want to highlight as to why it took so long for me to do. This section contains spoilers for the chapters for chapter 119-121 in case you haven¡¯t read it for some reason. You cane back to read this section once you read them all (the chapters have been posted).

    1) Level design.

    Okay. Imagine you¡¯re ying a RPG, you have a team consisting of Warrior, Archer, Wizard and Priest. You¡¯re tasked to invade a castle. Ever wonder what the castle looks like? Back in my art school, we were asked to imagine and design our ¡®levels¡¯ so that it looks believable.

    I.E

    Dining hall maybe leads to Kitchen/main hall/courtyard

    Kitchen maybe leads to garden/cer/side road (to ept delivery)

    Main Hall leads to 2nd floor/barracks/main road

    And then we had to fill them up with things that are rted to what they have. Could be gs, statues, weapons, food, etc.

    The recent chapters of the Elven Ruins were pretty much barebones descriptions. It¡¯s kind of like how I imagine a client doing this for the first time would say, ¡®yeah, I think I want two outer walls surrounding that ritual hall which is the tallest building something. The ruins should have 1 main and rear entrance and 2 side entrances, yeah.¡¯

    This is the stuff I had to work with in the raws, and I think it¡¯s the worst section thus far.

    2) Storyboarding

    I also had some storyboarding taught (just a little), but enough for me to have a headache when I try to piece them together to make it coherent.

    So, Amandina is leading the mercenaries. She studied Infantry Tactics, okay sure. How is she going to lead the mercenaries in battle? Is there some gesturing or shouting when she rys orders? No idea, it¡¯s not mentioned. This kind of goes back to that level design because maybe you can¡¯t hear what that girl is saying if she¡¯s too high up and yet the description was, that building is the tallest Elven building in the ruins (also not described how high it is).

    Then does it mean that the hand gestures are universal? Would the Mercenaries understand it? We all know that Mercenaries of Lopese from a different time period and are different from the Grey Wolves Mercenaries. All these details are missing.

    In case you guys don¡¯t know what storyboarding is, imagine you¡¯re the cameraman capturing scenes of people doing stuff. Like Group A mercenaries goes up to Position A on the ground, then asking Amandina about her decision. Then you direct the camera to Amandina at Position B. Cut to long shot scene of Amandina > to close up of Amandina¡¯s face shouting from lower angle. You¡¯re essentially capturing these few moments in a movie/television show and drawing them (moments) on a medium like paper or PC.

    3) Inconsistent facts.

    The author also got the levels of the boss wrong. That¡¯s kind of a small mistakepared to the above two. That¡¯s sort of minor and can be fixed easily. The above two problems, hmmnnnggg.

    4) Changes made to Chapter 119 ¨C 121

    Ultimately the detail settings that I roughly made are, this building in the center ¡ª I¡¯ll just call it Goddess Temple to give it an identity. It¡¯s a building that is tall enough for people tomunicate by shouting and see gestures (it can still be the tallest building, sure).

    Amandina conveys orders to Elementalists sisters and they signal out to the Mercenaries of Lopes who then rymands to mercenaries by mouth.

    Some other misc stuff in regards to overall plot that does not affect world settings.

    This editing took me a whole day to figure out something usible and the longest edit (in terms of time) by far, taking even more time than tranting the chapters. Hopefully this doesn¡¯t need to happen again.

    Chapter 122 ¨C The Final Battle (10)

    Soon after Hewjil left the battlefield, he received a report from the Lizardmen under Conrad and discovered that he had escaped much earlier. It cursed loudly in front of the Lizardmen, but was secretly delighted. If it was the first person to escape and leave Conrad behind, there would be repercussions from the Tree Shepherds.

    If Hewjil did not discover the secrets of the Elven kings¡¯ grave, it would not consider leaving its men behind. Telling the Tree Shepherds this secret would earn a great amount of goodwill and absolve his responsibility for leaving early.

    As for Conrad who escaped like a coward, he would be treated as the scapegoat, while the Lizardmen would be seen as the ones who stayed behind to resist valiantly. The situation was unfortunate as the Silver Elves were ultimately drawn out from the graves by its actions, otherwise it would be free toin to the Tree Shepherds about this bastard andnd him into great trouble.

    [This bloody bunch of sharp ears bastards.]

    Hewjil¡¯s uplifted mood turned dark when he thought about the Elves again. All his stolen goods were ced in the ritual hall of the Elven temple. Giving them up like that made its teeth itchy. Suddenly, it knocked into its adjutant who was in front as it did not pay attention.

    Hewjil did not have anything to vent its anger on, and this made it reach its boiling point: ¡°You mindless bastard! Do you have no eyes¡ª¡°

    The leader of the Lizardmen suddenly realized something was wrong, it quickly snapped its head to the object that was obscuring the light in front of it.

    There was a tall Silver Elf fully d in a heavy-looking silver armor. A pair of silver eyes was behind a pointed helmet with two wings at its side, and at the tip of it was a long white tassel extending below his shoulders.

    And he...... was riding on a white unicorn.

    Behind him were rows of Elves also riding unicorns. They looked almost like they were carved out of the same image; every one of them had the same body height and figure.

    They stood quietly there in the forest, while the forest waspletely silent¡ª

    The Elf in front of him looked down at Hewjil with expressionless eyes, yet they made it tremble. He spoke after a short moment, his voice gentle and low: ¡°Hewjil, I presume?¡±

    The Lizardman opened its mouth and wanted to deny it, but it found that it could not do so because from the intense gaze that seemed to pierce through any falsehoods.

    ¡°Good.¡± The Elf nodded: ¡°We intended to slowly find our way to you ever since the Lizardmen invaded the ruins, but it was only until recently that we were forced toe because the kings¡¯ graves were disturbed.¡±

    Hewjil¡¯s eyes narrowed in terror and felt faint. These Silver Elves were not the same as the ones they fought earlier.

    The Silver Elves had truly reappeared on this continent¡ª

    =============== Brendel¡¯s POV ============

    The card in Brendel¡¯s hand turned grey after ten minutes passed. He threw it out and it burst into mes, and left nothing behind. The card had gone into the graveyard and he felt a little annoyed at that fact. Instead of reducing the number of cards inside his grave, it seemed like he needed to retrieve more of it. Knowing that the cards in his deck were limited made him feel even more frustrated.

    He peered deeper into the silent forest. Ekman had a poor sense of smell, but it had strong vision and hearing senses. It was able to listen through all of its six limbs, and capable of capturing frequencies much more than a human could.

    But the distance between them were nearly five kilometers apart. If he did not make any noise, the monster would probably have a difficult time finding him.

    He considered for a while. Although he wanted to wait a little longer, he was afraid that it would turn around and go for Scarlett instead. If that was the case, that would be the end of her since she was unlikely to beat even a normal person in her condition.

    He chose to raise his right hand and shot a Wind Bullet into the forest.

    [The ring is almost useless against that monster anyway. Using it to attract the enemy is using its capabilities well enough.]

    As expected, once the spell was released, sounds of trees being felled quickly could be heard. The monster¡¯s reaction was incredibly quick, almost rushing straight towards his directions.

    Brendel did not feel tense at all. He took a deep breath to focus himself, took out a ruby from his pouch and counted the time in his mind.

    Countless trees were being knocked down one after another in rapid session, to the point where it sounded like an automatic gun being fired.

    [Three, two, one...... Here ites.]

    Brendel immediately squeezed the ruby in between his fingers and formed an ¡®okay¡¯ sign. He chanted the activation words and a red light was transmitted from it. The surroundings within ten meters of Brendel was instantly silenced. The rustling of leaves, the sound of his breath, his heartbeats; everything was silenced.

    ¨C Charge remaining: 6/10

    Brendel saw the indication in his eyes.

    The Acolyte of Earth immediately stopped in confusion and looked everywhere. It realized that the faint heartbeat it heard earlier hadpletely disappeared. While it was hesitating on whether it should go back to the girl, it saw an elegant white deer appearing in front of him.

    The deer trotted slowly across the ground silently. It was truly like an open challenge to Ekman who was in a berserk state. It uttered a guttural roar and charged towards it. However, the white deer was nothing more than an illusion which was made out of light. Brendel could make it as fast and agile as he pleased, and Ekman could not do anything other than to be toyed with.

    Brendel hid on the branches of an old tree, holding on the statue and ying with the monster like it was a game. Every time Ekman bellowed with frustration, he giggled without holding back. There was no sound from hisughter, of course. Each cast of the Silence magicsted for five minutes, and he had six charges left. With the addition of the ten minutes that the warhorse had given him, he gain a total of forty-five minutes.

    Thest option he had was the Unyielding talent, and Brendel believed that the Silver Elves would be done with the Lizardmen, even with the worst scenario where the Lizardmen attacked the backlines. Obviously, he would not gamble with his life if he did not have the means to dy the boss for that long.

    The time passed by slowly¡ª

    When Brendel wanted to cast the Silence Magic for the fourth time, his heart suddenly skipped a beat. That was because he discovered the monster had suddenly stopped moving and was not paying anymore attention to the white deer.

    It was making repeated growls that Brendel recognized as a warning.

    [Someone¡¯sing, who is it? Nethar?]

    Countless thoughts passed through his mind, but he did not waste any time and recast the Silence spell again. However, he confirmed that there was something amiss as it did not look to the north but over to his direction.

    [What the actual fuck?]

    His heart suddenly tightened. He went through his actions in his mind once, but he did not believe he made a mistake.

    And then he caught something in the corner of his eyes¡ª

    The bushes suddenly parted, presumably with a rustle, because the monster reacted by extending to its full height and roared. A familiar face emerged from the bushes, and the person was someone whom Brendel had seen before.

    It was Eke Lantonrand Ophelon, the cause of this entire chain of events.

    He was the only son of Duke Rhun, and the sessor of the Lantonrand territory. But that was not the biggest problem. Eke was capable of seeing Brendel from his position while Ekman could not.

    The first thing that Eke saw was certainly Ekman¡¯s body fully covered with the Element power that it had and he paled instantly. But when he looked around for a moment, he saw Brendel looking back with an incredulous expression.

    [T¡ª¨C This fucking wanker!]

    Brendel wanted to strangle Eke for intruding into his ns. He truly did not foresee this person appearing in this deste ce.

    Eke hesitated for a moment before he looked at the monster again. He pulled out his sword and ran further away from Brendel, while yelling at the monster: ¡°What are you looking at, you monster, are you trying to pick a fight with me?¡±

    [...... Hah?]

    Brendel watched the baby-faced youth try to lure the monster away. He understood what his intentions were. At that moment all his thoughts were reced by something else.

    [Holy shit! Is this kid Oskar Schindler?!]

 volume 2 - 123

    Chapter 123 ¨C Sorry, I¡¯m not a knight.

    Brendel thought he was an average human being in his past and present life. The difference between the two was that he knew the events that were toe in the future. With that basis, he had arger ambition and desire to change Aouine¡¯s fate, and change that ending that he bitterly regretted.

    That thought did not really have anything to do with the word ¡®selfless¡¯. His wish was born out of his desires and feelings, and did not think he had be a noble person even if he saved many people in that path.

    He would mete punishment equivalent to the evil deeds done, while answering with rewards to good deeds shown, and firmly believed in that principle. He had never bound himself with the responsibilities of a messiah or the likes, but at the same time he could not ignore Eke¡¯s situation.

    [Mother Marsha, did I offend you or something¡ª]

    He looked up to the sky with a helpless expression as he canceled the Silence spell.

    ¡°Stop running ande back to where you were!¡± He shouted to Eke.

    Eke stopped running after a short while, but the Acolyte of Earth was already in the middle of the two. It first stared at Eke, before looking back at Brendel, and recognized him as the one he had been chasing all along.

    ¡°Is it really a gentleman¡¯s behavior to steal the monster I¡¯m hunting?¡± Brendel said as he looked at the monster¡¯s many eyes, feeling like his emotions were being tied intoplicated knots. He really wanted to smack the youth on the head a few times, but thetter¡¯s actions invoked a sense of favorable impression towards him.

    In the end he made a sarcastic remark.

    ¡°...... Thanks.¡± Eke looked back at him with a grateful smile and shouted. He knew if Brendel did not help in confronting the enemy, he would onlyst for a few seconds before getting shredded into pieces. The monster seemed to exceed the strength of a Gold-ranked fighter, and handling it himself was an impossible task.

    It was clear that this was his fault. When he saw Brendel removing a spell, he immediately knew that it was a Silence spell; a spell frequently used by mercenaries to either ambush or infiltrate, and he was familiar with it. This was the equivalent of pulling Brendel right into danger, especially when he was clearly hurt all over from the start.

    He sighed lightly and became convinced that the man on the tree was a righteous knight. Ever since he was young, he was engrossed in reading novels about knights and even dreamed of bing one. Bing a mercenary meant that his dream was still a little far away, but his conviction had never changed. It was also the reason why the Grey Wolves Mercenaries liked him so much.

    ¡°Ser Knight, let us work together to defeat this monster!¡±

    Eke shouted somewhat excitedly. He knew that even if the both of them fought together they were not be able to defeat it, but if they were going to die, then they should at least have heroic deaths. He even thought it was Mother Marsha granting him a chance to fight a monster together with a real knight in hisst moments, instead of seeing viewing this encounter as bad luck. (TL: This dude is absolutely bananas.)

    ¡°Huh?¡± Brendel obviously did not understand what he was talking about.

    There was a sh of red that appeared in the monster¡¯s eyes, and Brendel tensed up. It was a sign that it was about to attack, and he was on the verge of activating his Charge ability when he realized the monster did not move to attack him. He soon found out that it was because Eke had gone up and tried to attack it.

    ¡°Holy shit! Are you crazy?¡±

    Brendel really wanted to cover his eyes at that moment. A level 30 idiot trying to hit a level 65 (+15) boss in a Berserk state. Indeed, the Boss had an increase in levels ever since it went berserk. Not only was it stronger, it even had the abilities of its added levels. Layers andyers of rock walls sprouted from the ground to form borate patterns that prevented him from advancing.

    ¨C Passive ability ¡®Rock Bulwark¡¯ activated.

    Green words appeared in Brendel¡¯s eyes. Eachyer of rock was six centimeters long and was formed with quartz, capable of resisting hardened steel swords. If anyone got close to it, the shield would automatically activate to defend it from harm. A normal physical attack was useless against it.

    Eke did not know that and he struck at the walls, and the sword only prated a few centimeters before it was stopped. He immediately realized that it was a bad move but it was toote to retreat.

    The monster swung its arm backwards, its hardened forelimb bringing about a sharp de made of wind, cutting and breaking its ownyers of rocks to reach Eke. At that moment, he thought he had taken hisst breath, but someone knocked deeply unto him with a great impact, sending the air out of him and forcing him to roll on the ground uncontrobly. When he finally managed to open his eyes from the pain, he realized that the monster¡¯s attack had missed him.

    When he turned his head to the side, he saw Brendel groaning as he got up and immediately understood what happened. After having a moment to allow his mind to function properly, he hurriedly spoke with gratitude: ¡°Thanks ag¡ª¡°

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Brendel punched the ground. The idiot had wasted his ability again. Even though Eke was better with his personalitypared to the bastards Makarov and Buga, this was truly an idiot who did not think about consequences. No matter how he looked at Eke, it was clear that Makarov failed to teach him how to think ahead.

    The so-called idiot youth jumped a little when he saw Brendel looking angry, but thetter did not say anything else and the monster was not going to wait for them, so he put his worries aside and bravely said: ¡°Ser Knight, let me distract him and you can attack him¡ª¡°

    ¡°Shut your god damned mouth! Stop your bullshit!¡± Brendel cut him off again with a roar.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry......¡±

    ¡°Forget it. Just stop your nonsense.¡± Brendel¡¯s patience had ran out and his replies were curt. The monster began to charge towards them like a heavy tank and he immediately stood up. There was no time to waste when he had to face a boss with limited options. Since the monster had trouble turning around easily, he kicked himself off the trees andunched himself to the sides and ran towards the monster¡¯s rear.

    [I¡¯ll test out Frontal Assault first¡ª]

    What surprised him was how easy he managed to get behind him. Even if the monster turned slowly, it would not give up on defending itself. He was even prepared to suffer an attack if things went awry. But he suddenly thought of another possibility and stiffly turned his head to Eke, then broke out into a cold sweat.

    Eke had ced his sword horizontally across his chest and faced the Acolyte of Earth directly where he was.

    ¡°What the fucking hell¡ª-!¡±

    Brendel stopped his motion to use Frontal assault and instead raised his hand to use the me Ring. The explosive fireball struck the monster¡¯s shoulder, disrupting its aim slightly. Instead of hitting Eke¡¯s chest the attacknded on his left shoulder instead. Thetter cried out loudly and was knocked straight into the bushes. There was a loud crash as he mmed into a tree and there was no further sound.

    Brendel quickly retreated, but when he looked at the monster that was turning towards him, he could only scream repeatedly by cursing Eke in his mind.

    He waspletely out of options now. He could only hope for Nethar to reach here as soon as possible, but it seemed like the wish was truly unlikely. Was Mother Marsha listening to his prayers?

    Suddenly, he heard a light giggle that sounded like it came from a child. It sounded truly out of ce in this forest ¡ª

    =============== Amandina¡¯s POV ============

    After Romaine joined the battle the situation was quickly reversed. She did not want to tell her how many Exploding Crystals she had, and simply handed two over to the mercenaries who quickly used them against the Lizardmen, forcing them back from the roof. However, theirmander ordered them to attack in a loose formation and once again pushed towards the roof.

    Romaine took out another two Exploding crystals and indicated that she did not have anymore left, but no one believed her. The horn from the battlefield suddenly sounded out for a long time. This was a signal to indicate the battle at the frontlines was over, and they were free to pull out of battle.

    However, Amandina did not want this to end and she quickly issued an order.

    ¡°Deyna, get me Romaine¡¯s bag¡ª¡°

    The Elven girl obeyed the order and resulted in Romaine staring at Amandina with teary eyes. Thetter took her bag and poured it out onto the ground. She discovered there was another two Exploding Crystals in it, and she yelled angrily: ¡°I told you these things are dangerous! How could you hide six Exploding Crystals from me!

    ¡°I did make sure that I kept them carefully.¡± Romaine said in a pitiful voice.

    ¡°That isn¡¯t the problem...... Forget it. I¡¯ll talk to youter.¡± Amandina sighed. ¡°Deyna, distribute the remaining crystals. I want a counter attack.¡±

    She nodded and left.

    The conclusion of the battle was nearly over.

 volume 2 - 124

    Chapter 124 ¨C The observer in the back (1)

    The clearughter pierced through the quiet forest.

    Brendel and Ekman raised their heads to the source of the voice, and discovered a short girl sitting on top of a branch. She looked like she was fourteen or fifteen years old, and had twin ponytails that were slightly curled. She supported her round face with both hands and looked at Brendel with interest.

    The girl¡¯s clear green eyes was also filled with mirth. She wore traditional leather armor and shook her boots subconsciously.

    ¡°Mister Brendel, do you need any help?¡± The girl asked with a big smile.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Brendel asked after a moment and narrowed his eyes. The little girl was somehow familiar to him.

    ¡°Rauze.¡± The girl said.

    ¡°Rauze?¡±

    Ekman¡¯s bellow interrupted the both of them. It was clearly displeased with this neer, but there seemed to be something dangerous about her and was reluctant to move rashly. It looked at her cautiously while lowering its body and entered into a wary stance.

    This action clearly grabbed Brendel¡¯s attention.

    ¡°How annoying, interrupting me when I¡¯m speaking¡ª¡± The little girl snapped her teeth lightly and jumped down, with a huge greatsword suddenly appearing in her hands. She did not waste any more lines and swung it. Ekman roared loudly and jumped back a little, cing both its hardened arms in front of him. There was a sharp snapping sound like twigs being snapped, as the sword¡¯s de shattered theyers of the rock shield like it was made of ss before destroying the outeryer of the forefront limbs.

    Copper-green blood immediately spurted out from the cracks, but the de continued to travel its path without stopping, slicing off its limbs and biting into its chest. A loud explosion rang out as the sword knocked Ekman away, causing it to scream repeatedly from pain.

    Bredel froze there on the spot.

    The attack was done in the blink of an eye. She only took a split second to beat that scary monster Ekman into a pulp. He even asked himself if it was an illusion. How did she make it was even weaker than the low leveled grey wolves outside of Be?

    ¡°You are......¡± Before Brendel could finish his words, his mouth opened widely because the girl threw away the gigantic sword like it was a toothpick into Ekman¡¯s direction. A loud crash could be heard as the sword struck it and the forest was silent once again.

    ¡°......¡± Brendel did not know what to say.

    ¡°Such a naughty little puppy. It needs to be taught a lesson before it¡¯s quiet.¡± The little girl pped her hands as if to get rid of the dust on them before she turned around. Because Brendel was much taller than her, she had to look up at him.

    ¡°What were you asking just now, mister Brendel?¡± She asked while raising her eyebrow in a mischievous manner.

    ¡°Erm...... I have no questions. I have things to do, so I¡¯m going to leave now.¡± It looked like the girl was someone violent, and he knew how many crazy NPCs there were in the game. Even though they had amazing hidden side quests, it would be better to leave them alone if he could not handle it.

    There was no way he could revive in this world so he had to flee now before trouble got a hold on him.

    Sadly, that trouble was looking specifically for him¡ª

    ¡°Wait,¡± The little girl saw that Brendel really wanted to leave and pulled his sleeves, but she had hurriedly grabbed his leather armor with both hands and tore the seams off with a loud ripping sound. She stuck out her tongue: ¡°Sorry, I think I used too much strength.....¡±

    Brendel said nothing as he took off his leather armor and threw it onto the ground because it was not usable anymore. He sighed and turned around: ¡°Do I know you, miss Rauze?¡±

    ¡°Of course you do, you even epted such a precious gift from me.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡ª I don¡¯t understand what you mean. What precious gift did I ept from you?¡±

    She pointed at his bag.

    ¡°You mean to say.....¡±

    The little girl nodded.

    Brendel¡¯s face darkened. The Golden Apple naturally would not find its way into his bag without rhyme or reason. He had suspected that someone did it on purpose, but he alwayscked a target to point his finger at. He even thought that it was Romaine¡¯s aunt that he had not met yet, especially after he met Tulman. However, he did not think it was..... a little girl?

    He looked at her. Her features were pretty like a doll and she was staring at him in a mischievous manner. He still felt it was a little difficult to believe her.

    ¡°So, you know what that is?¡±

    ¡°The Fairy¡¯s Apple. Is it rare?¡±

    [She really is that person.]

    ¡°That means you were at that ce from the start?¡±

    ¡°Haaah~~~ I feel really hurt that you are so~~~ suspicious of me, mister Brendel! Of course I know what that ce is. The Valley of the Holy Saints, that is the name you humans call it right?¡±

    [You humans¡ª?]

    Brendel caught that two words. He tested her in order to confirm his suspicions and there was no mistaking it. At the very least, she was somehow rted to the Golden Apple. Even he did not realize he was carrying it for a while, after the visit to the Valley of the Holy Saints.

    ¡°Why did you give this to me?¡± Brendel thought for a while before he retrieved the shining golden apple and asked the question he had that was on his mind ever since the day he found it. The Golden Apple was famous amongst folklore as the Golden Tree was grown from the River of Destiny, and had the ability to change the fate of a person. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I know you personally, miss Rauze?¡±

    The short girl giggled again, her eyes turning into crescents. ¡°Of course there¡¯s a reason. Just treat it as a thank you gift.¡±

    ¡°A thank you gift?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Somehow I feel that it sounds like it¡¯s big trouble.¡± Brendel could feel ck manga lines creeping over his forehead and his face darkened slightly.

    [A Golden Apple as a thank you gift. I can just imagine how much trouble it is.]

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m thanking you ahead with that gift, mister Brendel.¡±

    ¡°You saved me this time to thank me too?¡± Brendel was beginning to find what sort of trouble he got himself into but did not think he did anything crazy enough to attract her attention. He thought for a long time but was not able to figure it out. Rauze did not look like she was lying, and more to the point, did not need to give him a Golden Apple to make fun of him.

    ¡°Well, no actually.¡± Rauze shook her head, and her pair of golden twintails shook in a yful manner.

    Brendel looked at her in silence.

    ¡°I wanted to ask you a question but I¡¯m not sure if I want to ask you . If I ask you the question, then I can get the satisfaction of getting the answer, but if I don¡¯t ask you I can get the satisfaction of guessing the answer. It¡¯s so annoying and so conflicting. But if that naughty puppy killed you, wouldn¡¯t I lose that satisfaction? No, no, no!¡±

    [My god. Ekman died in such a horrible manner. Why does it sound like, ¡®Well shit, I¡¯m in a bad mood today, I¡¯m doing whatever I want, so fuck you¡ª¡®? No matter how I look at it, this girl sounds like the unweed and unreasonable dragon race in the continent.]

    ¡°And?¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°I changed my mind. I thought about it enough, and I decided that I want to ask you this question¡ª¡°

    ¡°So you¡¯re going to lose your fun of guessing?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I changed my mind.¡±

    ¡°Very well, what do you want to ask me?¡±

    Rauze pointed at the Golden Apple.

    ¡°It has something to do with this?¡± Brendel looked at her incredulously.

    ¡°Mister Brendel, you should very well know the value of the Fairy¡¯s apple, have you not thought about eating it?¡±

    He shook his head. He had already nned his path ahead of him. However, the girl¡¯s attitude had raised his suspicions. He looked at the apple in his hand and wondered if it was fake or if there was some other problem to it.

    He never believed that something good would just happen out of nowhere.

    ¡°Are you worried that I¡¯m lying to you? Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no poison to it this time, but I did add something interesting to it¡ª¡± The girl answered.

    Brendel felt his back grow cold with sweat. It was lucky that he was careful.

    ¡°What interesting thing?¡± He asked, but it seemed like Rauze did not wish to answer.

    Instead, she parted the bushes and ran to Ekman¡¯s corpse, then dragged the gigantic monster over like she was dragging a small animal. She knocked it around a few times, then suddenly discovered a longbow before throwing it to the sides.

    ¡°Strange, the mana around it is dissipating so quickly. And why is it carrying a longbow?¡±

    [Shit, stop messing the body with your unlucky hands!]

    yers discovered in the game that monsters¡¯ drops were affected by the rate of mana disappearing. A bound Magic Weapon could even be damaged from the disappearing mana, and it was dependent on luck as to how many items could be gotten.

    Brendel was the called the King of Luckless Hands because the monsters¡¯ mana usually disappeared quickly when he messed around with their bodies. The only person who had even worse luck was his female senior, and her level was at the instant evaporation of mana, leaving almost no items behind. He had the sensibility to leave the looting of corpses to other people, but she was really into looting as though she wanted to defeat the fate of being luckless.

    In the end, she failed in her challenge.

    But this time Brendel witnessed another person who was as luckless as she was.

    A level 65 Boss in a berserk state that was killed perfectly when he was at level 25, yet the first item was a longbow at a Brass-rating (Magic) rarity as a reward.

    ¨C Shale Longbow, Brass-rating (magic).

    [Please stop, please......! What happened to my promised pauldrons at the Gold-rating (Fantasy) rarity?!] Brendel¡¯s heart was bleeding with tears.

 volume 2 - 125

    Chapter 125 ¨C The observer in the back (2)

    The girl knelt beside the corpse that was almost like a small building. She flipped it around for quite some time but she did not seem to discover anything else, so she lifted the longbow by its string with her fingers, stood up and shook it in front of Brendel before cing it on the ground: ¡°Do you want it?¡±

    ¡°How about you?¡±

    Rauze naturally shook her head at the longbow which was taller than her. ¡°It¡¯s useless to me, I just want to see what it had¡ª¡°

    Brendel wanted to hit the ground.

    [If you don¡¯t need it stop messing with the body!]

    He really wanted to destroy things with his bare hands so he could feel better, but the girl literally killed the Acolyte of Earth with one single blow for him so he had no rights toin about it. He could only ask with the faintest of hope:

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®that¡¯s it¡¯?¡±

    ¡°You only discovered this longbow?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, there are quite a number of things on it, but they don¡¯t fit my aesthetics so I didn¡¯t want to touch them at all.¡±

    [This is a reason?] Brendel grumbled, but he continued to ask the question he did not receive an answer to:

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me what you added to the Golden Apple. If that¡¯s a thank you gift, I think I have the right to know what it is, right?¡± He lifted up at the apple. He originally wanted to let Freya or Romaine eat it, but he found that it was fortunate that he did not do so. Only the Gods would know what was on it.

    He carefully ced it slightly further away from him, in case he somehow touched that ¡®interesting thing¡¯ on it.

    ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± She giggled again.

    ¡°Secret...¡± His mouth twitched a little.

    Brendel still wanted to get an answer but Rauze suddenly frowned a little and looked to a certain direction. She put her index finger to her lips and made an action to get him to be quiet.

    ¡°Someone¡¯sing.¡± Her expressions turned solemn. ¡°Mister Brendel, your adventures were really exciting and I like them very much. I came to see you personally this time because there¡¯s a little trouble back in my n. My friend and I need to return back there soon.¡± (TL: Friend¡¯s name is Phoral.)

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Brendel suddenly caught on to a number of things. The girl seemed to have followed him for a long time, but he caught onto something that practically confirmed his suspicion: ¡°n? You are......¡±

    Rauze nodded with a smile.

    An explosion set off in his mind. The only race that liked to call itself ¡®n¡¯ was the Dragon race. Everyone in the continent disliked them, even the Madara undead. They were arrogant and did crazy things, while being unreasonable all the time and were infamous for their deeds.

    He really did not expect to be involved with a little girl dragon for so long, but it was fortunate that she did not be unhappy through the process and ate him for lunch. In fact, it seemed she seemed like she had a favorable opinion of him. Now he somehow felt a little lucky with a dragon covering his back.

    Was this good karma for rescuing the refugees?

    ¡°All right, Mister Brendel, those men are about to reach here. I don¡¯t want these lowly stupid creatures to see me. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll stay with you a little longer and not let them hurt you.¡± She stood up on her toes and petted his shoulders, like she was his older godsister. Her body started to fade away, bing transparent and disappeared entirely.

    [Hurt me? Why would Nethar and the Silver Elves need to do that?]

    For the prideful Silver Elves to be called as lowly creatures by the dragon girl would likely cause their king to wake up from his grave and return to the world. At the same time, the dragons were the rare races who still held on the Golden Bloodlines. The dragons might not haverge numbers because they conceived lesspared to the other races, but any of their lineage had the ability to use the Element power from the time when they were born. It was the most recognizable sign of the Golden Bloodlines.

    [Nethar is really slow...... Hmm, did I forget something?]

    A faint thought of something important passed through his mind, but he was instantly distracted by Ekman¡¯s body. Since a pair of unlucky hands already went through his body, then the items were probably set in stone. He first picked up the longbow in front of him and read the description from the system.

    ¨C Shale Longbow, Brass-rating (Magic).

    ¨C Piercing damage: 25-29, +4 agility, +2 strength

    ¨C Ability: Creates one Arrow of Petrification (1 week cooldown)

    Brendel yed with the longbow¡¯s string. He was barely satisfied with the stats. Even though it was merely at a Brass-rating with normal stats, the ability to create an Arrow of Petrification was very useful, as this type of arrow could not be replicated by spells. The arrow waspletely effective on any Iron-rank fighters and below, but that would be a waste to use it on them. It would be a serious threat to peak Silver-rank fighters at level 40, and even affect gold-rank fighters at lvl 41-50.

    The arrow itself can be kept like any other generated Magic arrows, and would retain its effectiveness even after a long time. This was something yers loved to hoard, and many archers prepared this ammunition in advance. It also did not need special bows in order for it to be used too.

    The Shale Longbow was not a terrible weapon but it was underwhelming if it was dropped from a level 65 boss with a perfect kill score. He eagerly went went over to Ekman, even though Rauze was still at his side. Finding great equipment from a boss was still something that enticed him enough for him to ignore other problems.

    He carefully ced the Golden Apple on the ground. He did not feel like putting back into his bag until he figured what the apple had on it. Then he went over and checked Ekman¡¯s body.

    ¨C Star of mes, Brass-rating (Magic)

    ¨C Expands Fire Element Mana Pool by 50%, increase Fire Element by 10.

    Brendel giggled three times when he saw this ne.

    He was a neswalker in this world and it was important to expand his Fire Element Mana Pool. This suddenly led him to consider finding and equipping equipment from the Elementalist¡¯s profession. He could find brooches and earrings, and expanding his Mana pool several times would be an easy task. Even if he had shitty innate talent, he could be a qualified user with great artifacts.

    [Cheating with items in order topensate for theck of talent. Ha, ha, ha.]

    Brendel chucked away the ne before he suddenly heard a snap behind him. When he turned around, he saw a group of men walking out from the bushes. Brendel¡¯s eyes went wide when he saw them, and realized what that important thought was.

    If Eke appeared, was it not possible that the bastards Makarov and Buga were nearby? Naturally there were more than the two of them. Seven or eight men apanied them, but they did not like they were from the Grey Wolves Mercenaries.

    Brendel concentrated on his eyes on the old man behind Makarov and Buga, frowning as he felt like he had seen him before from somewhere.

    Butpared to Brendel¡¯s surprise, Makarov and Buga were utterly shocked. They obviously recognized him, but Brendel looked like a hero depicted from some legendary fable. He was holding on to a short sword, with bloody wounds all over his fit body which were exposed to the air. The monstrous Acolyte of Earth, Ekman, was cut up with deep gashing wounds andid dead with blood spewed everywhere. It was even dragged a sizable distance on the ground.

    It did not seem wrong to say that the youth took the monster down all by himself after an incredible grueling fight.

    Buga and Makarov fought against Ekman a few nights ago, and even at that time the level 50 Boss was equivalent to a level 65 normal monster, which already exceeded a Gold-rank fighter, and werepletely outmatched. The worst thing was how Buga and Ekman had the same Element type, making it easy for everyone to see the difference between their strength. Once he realized that he was outmatched, Buga and Makarov made the decision to leave the Grey Wolves Mercenaries and left them to fend for themselves.

    The two of them took a step back when they saw that corpse.

    [This young man......] Makarov thought to himself.

    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± But it was Buga who spoke first.

    ¡°I was wonder who could it be.¡± Brendel answeredzily as he looked at them. He wasughing inside his mind. To think that karma happened so quickly.

    [It looks like you have yourself to me for your bad luck. What a fucking joke. If I don¡¯t get my revenge, I won¡¯t live up to my name as the Super Veteran, and should just retire somewhere to live life peacefully.]

    His reply came with a pair of folded arms without any inflections to his voice. Buga¡¯s sudden call out was followed by a long silence¡ª

 volume 2 - 126

    TL: Thanks for the continued support and this chapter is sponsored. This is the first TL draft without any error checks or edits. Sentencing might not be smooth. I¡¯ll fix it soon (20-21 hourster).

    TL: I think I¡¯m actually not going to purchase ME:Andromeda. The score for the game is seriously bad, 3.9 metacritic user ratings for the PC version? Must be a huge disappointment for the serious fans. Probably get persona 5 instead.

    Chapter 126 ¨C With great poweres great responsibilities (1)

    ¡°Mister Brendel, do you need some help with your injuries?¡± As expected of the experienced cunning fox, Makarov smiled and asked in a well meaning way after oveing his shock: ¡°We did not expect to meet you again after we got separated from the ambush.¡±

    [You fucking bastard. You led the enemies right to us and you dare to take zero responsibility for your shit. Are you really treating me like some naive kid?]

    However, Brendel did not disy his fury and even smiled, patting the lifeless head of the Acolyte of Earth: ¡°Nope. This enemy is not strong enough to cause me trouble. It¡¯s a pity that you fled so quickly that night, I couldn¡¯t even react fast enough to lend you aid as allies. I sincerely apologize for that.¡±

    Both of them exchanged barbs with each other. Their skills at spouting bullshit seemed like a stalemate, but Makarov was on his guard because he was not certain whether Brendel knew the whole truth or because he was angry at his actions at the night of the ambush. Brendel appeared like he had many facets to him in contrast to his youthful appearance, and Makarov felt it was difficult to deal with him in such a short notice.

    Even to the point where he had to ignore Brendel¡¯s sarcastic remarks.

    Ultimately he did not appear there to argue with the youth. He frowned and looked at the area behind Brendel¡¯s back. He hesitated for a while before he asked:

    ¡°Mister Brendel, did you see anyone else passing by here?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps you mean to find a young man?¡± Brendel asked innocently while suppressing hisughter.

    ¡°Yes, we are indeed looking for a young man!¡± Makarov answered as the people behind him also appeared anxious.

    ¡°Well, if my guess isn¡¯t wrong, that would be mister Eke you¡¯re looking for??¡± Brendel asked.

    Their expressions immediately turned serious.

    ¡°You know him?¡± Makarov took a step forward and his words left him before he could stopped himself. He realized he had overreacted and coughed once, before he returned to where he was. He looked at the Buga and the old man beside him. Buga was holding on his greatsword¡¯s hilt with one hand and looked warily at the youth with a darkened expression, while the old man looked at him with a thoughtful face.

    Makarov was certain that Brendel had guessed something by now, although he did not think that he knew of their identities. Even the entire Grey Wolves Mercenaries and Eke were deceived by him.

    ¡°Mister Brendel, Eke is the son of my close friend. I promised him that I would take care of Eke, but I identally got separated from him. Please tell me where you saw him¡± Makarov coughed again and asked.

    [You got separated with not only Eke but the entire Grey Wolves Mercenaries right? You don¡¯t even looked concerned with their well being, you piece of shit.]

    ¡°Close friend? The subordinate of Duke Rhun, Makarov, calling his lord with that title? Would your duke agree to that?¡±

    The moment Brendel mentioned Duke Rhun, the followers behind Makarov immediately drew out their weapons, while he looked at them in amusement.

    ¡°Young man, who exactly are you.¡± Makarov finally cast off his friendly tone and questioned him in a demanding tone. He immediately wondered if Brendel was on Conrad¡¯s side, but when he looked at the Acolyte of Earth, that did not seem likely.

    [A third faction? Even though the possibility is there, who would be interested in this affair? It does feel more likely that it¡¯s not a faction within the kingdom. Then from the outside? Madara or Kirrlutz?]

    Brendel did not know what Makarov was thinking, but he was waiting for the old man to make a move. If he was standing beside Buga and Makarov, then his status would be high enough for him to do so. But that was not Duke Rhun, and he would not make a mistake with that famous person. Even if Duke Rhun was to disguise himself, he would not be fooled.

    The old finally spoke, but the question he asked surprised everyone.

    ¡°Young man, is that the Fairy¡¯s Apple beside your feet?¡± The old man had spend all the time identifying it and asked.

    [Crap!]

    Brendel yelled in his mind and realized he did not keep the fruit in his bag. That mistake was partially caused by Rauze¡¯s remark and also because he did not expect anyone elseing other than his allies.

    At the same time, he finally recognized who the old man was when he spoke.

    That was the head of the court wizards, the old minister who aided King Ansen the seventh, Fleetwood Deverra Gemmer.

    [This person is the princess and prince¡¯s teacher. So he¡¯s involved in all of this. To think Makarov has this hidden card. No wonder he¡¯s confident enough to leave Eke in town. He even fooled me into thinking his forces were stretched thin. Conrad must have sent part of his men to the town as well, and if Fleetwood is there...... I see. The Grey Wolves Mercenaries was a bait all along. Makarov wanted to make sure that all of Conrad¡¯s men are ounted for. Then¡ª]

    Brendel¡¯s mind worked furiously as he looked suspiciously at the men in front of him and his hand subconsciously touched his sword¡¯s hilt.

    Even though he understood the motives of the nobles¡¯ need for such merciless behavior in times where Madara was at their doorstep, but they had never acknowledged their feelings. Sanford, Scarlett and even Redi, had given up great sacrifices in order to work for Makarov, but were regarded as nothing more than mere pawns.

    When they did not need these pawns anymore, they simply sent them out to die and destroyed their dreams, not even allowing them to resist. The worst thing was how they did not realize this point at all.

    Brendel took a deep breath and gritted his teeth. He was determined to teach these vermins a lesson. It was not because he was honorable, but because he could no longer tolerate his situation. He wanted them to pay for their actions.

    ¡°Grandmaster Fleetwood, right?¡±

    Brendel took the Golden Apple and shook it in front of them.

    His actions made Makarov and Buga¡¯s expression change. They finally realized what Fleetwood meant by the Fairy¡¯s Apple. That was the fruit of the Golden Tree. With that item, they had the ability to change everything. The dying king¡¯s body, or even the prince¡¯s feeble personality and luck, with the Golden Apple, everything would change.

    Was this the chance that the Gods gave Aouine?

    Everyone in front of Brendel thought of that.

    Regardless of whether it was the two-faced Makarov or Fleetwood who had seen countless events, had their breaths quickened.

    ¡°Young man, the thing in your hands is important to us. May I know if you¡¯re willing to sell it to us? We will fulfill your demands, regardless of whether it is money or power.¡±

    Brendel felt two hands ced onto his shoulders, and a small voice in his ears: ¡°Do you want to sell it? I permit you to do that, mister Brendel.¡±

    Brendel merely gave a big smile while looking at them like they were rotting pigswill. ¡°You want it?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Makarov continued from Fleetwood with incredible charisma: ¡°Mister Brendel, that item in your hand is incredibly important to us, to the point where it can change the fate of many people. Please believe me when we say that we¡¯re not buying this for ourselves. We are also willing to pay and abide for a fair transaction. As long as you quote a price, we will do our best to fulfill it. Money, power, girls, or even boys, anything that you desire¡ª we will grant it.¡±

    Brendel chortled coldly: ¡°Such bold ims, mister Makarov. What do you have to guarantee anything to say, or even let me trust you? Just because the royal family is behind you? You ask me what I want? Very well, I do want to ask you two questions¡ª¡±

    The three men in front of Brendel looked at each other in confusion. They did not understand his request, but if that was all, this chance could not be squandered, so Makarov nodded: ¡°Go ahead and ask.¡±

    ¡°The first question. I¡¯m really curious and I don¡¯t understand your n quite a bit. If you had Grandmaster Fleetwood, why do you need mister Buga and yourself to risk your lives, and even throw away the Grey Wolves Mercenaries here.¡±

    Makarov and Buga did not expect this question at all and looked nkly at him, but it was Fleetwood who answered: ¡°Young man, these fights are not what they seem at all on the surface. I don¡¯t know how much you know exactly, but we don¡¯t want to the world to know that the royal family has interfered in this matter¡ª¡±

    He did not wish to reveal this information to a stranger, but Brendel had already recognized him, and the item in his hand was too important, so he lowered his status and exined for him.

    ¡°I see.¡± Brendel nodded.

    ¡°Then the second question. The fact that you came here, is it because you wanted to gather back the Grey Wolves Mercenaries?¡± Brendel lowered his head with a smile, hiding away his sinister eyes: ¡°You see, I epted your men into my group......¡±

    Makarov and Fleetwood looked at each other before he shook his head: ¡°No, you¡¯re thinking too much Mr Brendel. We have no intention toe back for them at all. It was because Mister Eke insisted to find hispanions and his betrothed.¡±

    He felt a little awkward when he spoke about his betrothed. It was shameful that he allowed the only son of Duke Rhun to get engaged with someone under his watch. But he shook his head and continued his answer:

    ¡°The Grey Wolves Mercenaries are a thing of the past. It doesn¡¯t exist any longer, and for the men that you epted, I thank you.¡±

    [As expected.] Brendel was grinding his teeth.

    He heard a nking sound on the ground, and everyone turned to the source of the sound. They found a red-haired girl covered in blood and holding on to her wound on her cheat, standing nkly there. The spear in her hand had dropped onto the ground.

    TL: Sorry, I couldn¡¯t resist from quoting something from something.

 volume 2 - 127

    TL: This sponsored chapter is in the first draft stage pletely unchecked+unedited). I¡¯ll edit itter. If you want to see a more refined chapter,e back 24 hourster.

    TL: Skip to chapter if you don¡¯t want to see my ramblings.

    I recently installed ME:2 and reyed the game again. The game has really aged. Overwatch felt responsive while ME:2 felt clunky. The story was actually not that good when I looked at it from a 2nd time. Anyways, I had my fill of space RPG and I¡¯ll be finishing my drawings.

    Brendel 1 Brendel 2

    WIP more refined color sketch. Left image is a test image which I won¡¯t be finishing (although it¡¯s probably nicer to look at because the features are lit up). I¡¯m going toplete the right image in order to improve on the anatomy skills and rim lights. I¡¯m spotting loads of mistakes that I need to correct from the reference.

    Reference

    Chapter 127 ¨C With great poweres great responsibilities (2)

    ¡°Scarlett?¡± Makarov¡¯s eyes bulged slightly, before he nced at Brendel with a heavy heart, and understood why he had asked these two questions earlier.

    However, at this critical juncture, Fleetwood would never allow him to anger the youth in front of him, even if thetter sowed discord in front of him. He tried to suppress his emotions, but the emotional blow to him was so strong that he could only look away, when his adopted daughter looked at him with disbelief and a tinge of sadness in her eyes.

    Even if he had a thousand excuses, or at the very least one sentence which Scarlett hoped to even listen to, he could not speak of it.

    ¡°She¡¯s a gold rank fighter......¡± Buga suddenly spoke.

    Makarov looked at her again in surprise and realized it was true. He did not know what happened to her in just a few days, and thought it was her potential that came out from the dire situation she was in. They hadpletely failed to spot her talent, but the value of the Golden Apple in Brendel¡¯s hand surpassed any gold-ranked fighters.

    That was a source of the Golden Bloodline.

    Once the person ate it, they would be a ¡®Chosen¡¯.

    ¡°Scarlet, you......¡± Makarov¡¯s exnations turned into these two words.

    But no further words came out from him, and the girl looked sadly to the man whom she looked up to as a father. It was not disappointment she had in her eyes, but a gaze of pleading, even if it was just a white lie, she would believe it.

    She waited helplessly for her merciless leader to change his mind, hoping to hear the words ¡°I¡¯m sorry, wee back.....¡±

    His words felt like he was concerned about her well-being, but his actions were clearly drawing a line that they were nothing more than strangers. The tall figure of Makarov instantly became blurry and far away from Scarlett and she clutched over her heart as tears spilled from her eyes.

    ¡°Why.....¡± She sobbed out a single word before she fainted right onto the ground with a audible sound with her eyes closed.

    Even with this scene appearing in front of Makarov, he chose to stay silent.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes were cold and furious. He felt a tap on his back, and he nodded. If Rauze did not alert him in advance, he would not have detected Scarlett¡¯s presence. He wanted her to know the truth about Makarov because he could not allow Makarov to keep her like a pawn to be disposed of any time.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Brendel sighed and muttered. It was not his intention to break her heart.

    He walked over to her and held her in his arms, and cleaned off the mud from her face. Her tears could still be seen on her face and looked like she was still reliving a nightmare. He then carefully propped her against a tree, before turning back to Makarov and the others with a condescending gaze.

    ¡°Mister Brendel?¡± Fleetwood cut in as he felt Brendel¡¯s fury.

    ¡°MAKAROV!¡± Brendel¡¯s roar was unleashed with a burning fury from his chest, his voice so cold that it was like a de at their throats. Everyone was startled, not knowing what exactly was his rtionship with Scarlett was.

    ¡°Do you think me as a fool? I know all your fucking secrets! Ever since King Ansen the Seventh took the throne, Aouine has been on a decline, and this kingdom is shrouded from the light and became dark from corruption. Ten years, you staked everything on aeback with all you¡¯ve got. Your carefullyid out merciless n seemed like it was meant for the greater good, but the truth is all of you just wanted to indict Duke Arreck and control the nobles after he¡¯s gone. You lied to the whole kingdom into thinking Duke Lantonrand is a fool so you can be the victors at the end. Who else is assisting you? Lord Schwake?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s words were like daggers that lodged into their hearts. Makarov and Fleetwood paled immediately and even forgot to breath as they tried to guess who exactly the youth in front of them was.

    He had pointed out the gist of their ns, and even knew that it was a gamble that was all or nothing. All sacrifices were worth the price, even if it meant their lives. The political exchange between the royal faction and the nobles had be something like a fantatical belief. There was only one chance to topple their target, and once they did so, the royal faction that was losing the battle would be able to turn the tide and sweep the darkness that was guing the kingdom.

    This was the makings of a great legend, and it should rightly have legendary ending of good triumphing over evil. It was supposed to be wless, but the youth who was a stranger who knew more than most of their members, even had the knowledge of when the n started.

    [Who is this bastard? What is he nning?] Makarov¡¯s forehead was glistening with cold sweat.

    Brendel punched a nearby tree in explosive anger, causing it to splinter: ¡°Under the banner of ¡®justice¡¯ from the royal faction, your sword points even at the men and women who are innocent! For the sake of the kingdom¡¯s future, you even tried to bribe me with Aouine¡¯s citizens. Girls?! Boys?! Your morals have been fed to the dogs! Your honor has been fucked away like whores! You sent men and women out to their deaths even if your ns failpletely and utterly!¡±

    ¡°Stop your insults.¡± Fleetwood¡¯s wrinkles bunched up together as he also felt a wrath boiling in him. Even though the Golden Apple was something important to them, he could not allow him to insult the royal crown.

    ¡°Do you have nothing to say about your ns, Grandmaster Fleetwood?¡±

    ¡°Our ns have not failed¡ª¡°

    ¡°Do you want to know the reasons why your failure is inevitable?¡± Brendel suddenlyughed in a pleasant voice. He took a deep breath as he recalled the past in his previous life. The memories of burning pirs and furniture in the castle. The kingdom was in ruins and destroyed by Madara, and everything was gone.

    The Rrincess Regent¡¯s final wish.

    The oath from the Goddess of War.

    They made their vows as though they would be able to allow Aouine to rise from the ashes, and every gamer in the kingdom poured their efforts into the war. But Madara poured in like a ck sea and swept everything away. It was an ending that was destined for faliure and tragedy.

    The nobles who won against Duke Lantonrand were still seating in their high chairs and manipting the scenes from behind. They thought that they were the final victors by ruining the royal family, but they were ultimately yed. Countless lives were lost.

    Even till the end, they did not take responsibility for their actions.

    [These nobles are so high up on their horses that I don¡¯t know how to deal with them. They think their every action is sacred, putting in so much belief into their corrupted sense of ¡®justice¡¯ and ¡®kindness¡¯ or just in ¡®I deserve this shit because I¡¯m a fucking noble¡¯.]

    ¡°How can I let you see the truth.....¡± Brendel sighed tiredly. He shook his hand: ¡°This Golden Apple. I know what kind of impact it has in your eyes, because this will make your ¡®game¡¯ shine ever brighter. You truly believe that the scales will tip in your favor. Sadly, and it¡¯s not because I wish to shock you, you are destined to fail.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± This time it was Buga who frowned.

    ¡°Young man, not everyone can be a seer.¡± Fleetwood shook his head.

    ¡°The ones who uses such lies are burned on a stake.¡± Makarov added with a threatening re.

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe?¡± Brendel merelyughed.

    ¡°Your reason?¡± Buga asked simply.

    ¡°I recall a story. During the Aouine¡¯s brightest era, the knights of Aouine would carry their horns and swallowtail gs. With their des pointed forth, they would blow their horns and charge forth. The golden emblems from Corvado, Grinoires and Arreck were woven onto the swallowtail gs. The nobles in that era held on their oaths¡ª¡°

    Brendel took a pause.

    ¡°Do you still remember that oath?¡± Brendel smiled.

    They looked at him with a dumbfounded look.

    ¡°Don¡¯t recall it?¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes were full of ridicule: ¡°That¡¯s fine. I can recite it for you.¡±

    ¡°I swear upon this sword and will stay true to this oath! I will lead my citizens away from wars and killings, to distance ourselves from the empire¡¯s nobles¡¯ arrogance and greed; I will never repeat the mistakes of the empire¡¯s bloody history. I will ensure that the nobles will be faithful to the knights¡¯ code of being fair and disciplined, brave and unflinching, generous and benevolent. I will enforce this oath to the end of my life!¡±

    Brendel recited these words passionately and looked at the speechless men in front of him.

    ¡°Do you still recall the person who made this vow?¡± He said.

    Fleetwood, Makarov and Buga exchanged nces. They felt a little hot on their faces. They obviously knew who made the oath, but they merely forgot who did it.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Brendel nodded: ¡°That is the source of your beliefs, the origin of Aouine¡¯s nobles. Your ancestral king of the wise, the First King Erik who swore upon the Lionheart. Do you remember the words after the oath? When the dayes where the nobles of Aouine have forgotten their responsibilities, then this sword shall return to where it came from and not protect this kingdom any longer.¡±

    ¡°Do you not remember?¡± Brendel asked admist the silence. ¡°You don¡¯t¡ª¡°

    ¡°Such a pity.¡± Brendel spoke again after their replies still did note.

    He then sighed and cast his gaze into the distant forest. The afternoon sun seemed to shine a little brighter.

    Teaser for next chapter:

    ¡°Mister Brendel, that oath you just recited seemed to have resonated with something; this power, is really strange...... I can¡¯t suppress it any longer......¡± Rauze suddenly whispered. ¡°I can¡¯t hold it any longer, I¡¯m releasing the barrier.....¡±

    ¡°Hey, wait!¡±

    ..........

    ¡°T-this....... This is..... King Erik¡¯s Lionheart sword......¡± Fleetwood waspletely stunned.

 volume 2 - 128

    TL: Okay, I didn¡¯t expect the teaser to be seen as a cliffhanger. I was thinking, man Brendel has a grand speech, surely there must be something that¡¯s going toe out of it. I still don¡¯t have the time to edit the recent chapters, so expect errors.

    The next sponsored chapter ising in a day or so. Sometimes I update the schedule (on the donation section) on the right if you really need to see when.

    Chapter 128 ¨C The acknowledgement from the knights

    The youth¡¯s voice seemed to linger in their minds.

    They were silenced by his words, cutting through their excuses and beliefs, forcing them to lower their heads and ponder upon their actions. Even ardent supporters of the crown, Fleetwood and Makarov¡¯s minds were shaken in that moment. Was the origin of Aouine not the brightest era?

    But they calmed down and reinforced their beliefs.

    ¡°The ancestral king¡¯s ideals are lofty and admirable, but the era now is different from the era of the past.¡± The elderly schr sighed: ¡°To the very end, we cannot allow ourselves to abandon our ns because of the possibility of the Lionheart abandoning us.¡±

    ¡°Ideals will not change reality!¡± Makarov added to Fleetwood¡¯s words with an indignant voice.

    ¡°Therefore you would answer the arrogant and ruthless nobles with your own coldblooded hubris. What is the difference between you and them?¡± Brendel answered with vehement displeasure. ¡°The royal crown, the nobles, any of you, would not bring real change to Aouine, therefore your failure is assured. Even if you im victory over Duke Arreck, are you capable of winning against Madara?¡±

    ¡°Stop your nonsense!¡± Makarov¡¯s voice was like the grinding of teeth: ¡°How would a kingdom splintered into political factions be able to fight against the invaders! This matter has nothing to do with you, now please fulfill your promise and give the Golden Apple to us!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s body shook though he was trying to suppress hisughter.

    ¡°The royal faction allowed Madara¡¯s invasion toe to pass! How would Aouine ever be able to repel the invaders? Your king betrayed Aouine! This Fairy¡¯s Apple that is capable of changing a person¡¯s destiny, but¡ª¡± Brendel nced sadly at Scarlett, before he raised his voice: ¡°It won¡¯t change a kingdom¡¯s destiny. Maybe that sickly king of yours can survive, or that cowardly prince of yours might finally grow a pair of balls, but your actions will only hinder her first step¡ª¡± (TL: Brendel is referring to the princess.)

    ¡°So,¡± Brendel ced the fruit back into his bag: ¡°You¡¯re not getting it.¡±

    ¡°You bastard!¡± Makarov bellowed angrily, his chest full of rage after being yed by Brendel. Even though he knew that it was a huge possibility that Brendel was toying with him, it was his condescending tone that truly enraged him. The advisor known as the ¡®Cunning Fox¡¯ lost his wits and regained that identity of the former Grey Wolves Mercenaries¡¯mander, drawing out his sword.

    The metallic ng rang out as he rushed towards Brendel¡ª

    Thetter did not retreat or move, staring at him without unflinching eyes. When the de reached the youth¡¯s nose, a barrier with hexagon-like tes lit up as lights, with magic runes appearing in between the tes, appearing and disappearing quickly.

    Fleetwood¡¯s wrinkled face paled as though he saw a ghost.

    ¡°Ancient magic!¡± He squeezed out the words from his throat as he looked at Brendel, not knowing what to do. The only known race that could use magic like this was the dragon race.

    Brendel thanked Rauze in his mind and appreciated Makarov¡¯s pallor without any injuries.

    ¡°What are you......¡± Makarov¡¯s throat moved as he retreated in surprise.

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Brendel wanted to mock him further but was cut short.

    ¡°Mister Brendel, that oath you just recited seemed to have resonated with something; this power, is really strange...... I can¡¯t suppress it any longer......¡± Rauze whispered urgently. ¡°I can¡¯t hold it any longer, I¡¯m releasing the barrier.....¡±

    ¡°Hey, wait!¡± Brendel wanted to ask her to hold the barrier a little longer, before he suddenly felt a tremor from inside his deepest self. That was definitely not Rauze¡¯s prank or the resonance between the neswalkers¡¯ cards; it was as if a spark had gone into his mind that was brilliant and gentle, then became a light that lit up the dark. And within this light a door opened¡ª

    He seemed to walk through it, and he saw the human knights standing on both sides smiling and nodding at him, their eyes full of encouraging acknowledgement. He recognized two of them who were wielding familiar weapons. Ebdon and Gerard. Finally there was a grand-looking person standing in the center amongst the knights, who nodded to him as well. (TL: You should know who Ebdon is. Gerard is that poor knight whose tomb got looted by Brendel, lol. Didn¡¯t he steal that sword Thorn of Light?)

    This illusion seemed tost for the briefest of seconds before it was gone. Brendel woke up from his stupor, found the source of the tremor, and subconsciously pressed down on his bag which contained the Sage te. He felt it shake uncontrobly as though it was alive, before a piercing shockwave above him separated the clouds above the entire Chablis region.

    That afternoon, everyone from the nearby region, even the citizens from Brus, witnessed a miracle. Unending light poured down and seemed to disperse the white clouds, like a stone being thrown into ake and cast ripples onto the surface.

    When all the clouds and light disappeared from the region, the sky was like a pure blue gem with hints of purple in it, clean and pure. The citizens yelled at each other to look at it, while the traveling priests and adventurers rushed to their respective groups to observe this moment of intrigue. Even the seers from the Guild of Stars and Moon were rmed.

    The wizards living in Drora at the Sea of death recorded this sight. Monks came out from the pce in droves, suspecting the Lionheart had appeared. The Recorder in the ck Tower even lost hold of his precious Crystal Ball while he looked at the image in surprise. The priests in the Holy Cathedral knelt down and prayed.

    One of the twelve representatives of the Archmage in Drora, William Pestle, held on to his magic scribe which was on a piece ofmbskin paper filled with runes, causing arge ck blot on it while he stared with an agape mouth into the sky.

    Everyone looked at the peculiar circr sky void of clouds, but only the few there understood what exactly happened.

    Divine Artifact Resonance ¡ª

    The forest became brighter than before. Everyone in that area looked up into the azure sky and saw hints of magical rune words that formedyers of circles that were miles long. The Law of Tiamat, created by Marsha to bind the Elements in a border.

    Some of the men in front teared up at this intricate and beautiful sky, knowing how small they were in front of the Divine Magic and admired the beauty with all their heart.

    Brendel gripped the Sage te tightly and looked up into the sky.

    The Law of Tiamat was being invoked, and theyers of circles moved across hundred of miles, turning like cogs in a wheel, lining up to fit into sections like a jigsaw puzzle. Eachyer kept moving and aligned above the forest.

    The forest waspletely silent.

    The wind had stopped.

    If this was in the game, Brendel would have been on hisplete guard. This sight was like a legendary wizard that cast the highest ss of spells that reached the fourteenth circles, or facing the Lords of Elements. This spells were legendary magic that waspletely outside the scope any mortal understanding, and was the highest order of Laws that invoked destruction. The destructive force was akin to a nuclear bomb.

    That tremor in his soul had reached its peak.

    The center of this particr sky suddenly vibrated from a small point, then spread out everywhere with a pir of white light descending from the sky, connecting the sky to the earth, and there was something silver in it.

    ¡°T-this....... This is..... King Erik¡¯s Lionheart sword......¡± Fleetwood waspletely stunned.

    Suddenly another pir of light shot out from the direction of the capital and shot into the sky¡¯s circr borders, causing it to diffract and meet that pir of light.

    Fleetwood and the others stared nkly at this sight.

    But Brendel wanted to knock his head onto a tree. He merely wanted to act cool by reciting that damned oath, and did not expect to receive the acknowledgement of King Erik. If he knew that this was going to happen he would not have done it.

    That was simply because it was a Divine Artifact Resonance.

    Suddenly Brendel shook his head.

    [Hold on¡ª Isn¡¯t the Lionheart a Fantasy-ranked weapon? When did it suddenly rank up to be a Divine-ranked weapon? The history of Aouine wouldn¡¯t make sense! Everyone would have attacked the kingdom to gain possession of it!]

    That phenomenonsted for five seconds before it waned; the Sage te that was held down by Brendel¡¯s hand stopped struggling. At the same time, Brendel felt that a mark was left in his mind, as though he could feel where the location of the weapon was now. The Lionheart and him was now connected to each other.

    Of course, this meant that there were good and bad points¡ª

    The good point was that he was naturally one step closer to that legendary sword.

    The bad point was how Fleetwood and Makarov were now staring at him......

    TL: Ramblings.

    This is some of the stuff I¡¯m pulling out my head, not sure if there are more.

    Royal faction

    ¨C Duke Rhun sent all his family members and men guarding into a trap to preserve his son¡¯s life.

    ¨C The current king probably worked with Madara and allowed them to invade Aouine, weakening the nobles.

    ¨C Makarov uses the Grey Wolves Mercenaries as pawns to get the nobles against the royal faction out in the open, and weakening their forces (the Tree Shepherds).

    ¨C Tries to get Brendel to sell the Golden Apple and willing to pay any price.

    Nobles faction

    ¨C Corruption at Fortress Riedon, witnessed firsthand by Freya (imprisons the militia for bringing news of Madara¡¯s attack).

    ¨C Throws away Fortress Riedon and the three viges at the borders without sending aid.

    ¨C Buried the truth about the militia¡¯s contribution, made Freya a ¡®hero¡¯ to make the citizens happy.

    ¨C Also refused to allow the refugees into the cities.

    Tree Shepherds

    ¨C Tirste is a member of the Tree Shepherds and seeks to do their bidding. He wanted Brendel to create chaos, by inciting a rebel of sorts.

    ¨C Tirste forced Brendel in an agreement to create chaos in the city, but even without thetter¡¯s interference, the refugees will revolt (I think).

    ¨C Turned Scarlett into an Acolyte

    ¨C That fake noble guy from Fortress Riedon wanted Brendel¡¯s girls.

 volume 2 - 129

    TL: We¡¯re nearing the end of the arc, finally.

    Chapter 129 ¨C Reinforcements

    The mood in the forest was turning awkward.

    As a Grandmaster wizard in the royal court, Fleetwood understood many of the events that happened before his very eyes, but he did not know how to react to it.

    [Divine Artifact Resonance, Ancient Magic, knowing all our ns.....! Mother Marsha, what¡¯s going on?! If this is really a dragon before us, we won¡¯t be able to stop him from running even if he is at a young age.] (TL: I feel like it¡¯s bing a running joke as to how many different ways Brendel can be mistaken as.)

    But Brendel was just as confused like them.

    After that phenomenon, he had no desire to continue talking to them and wanted to leave. The biggest problem to him right now was the amount of people who had witnessed such the powerful magic that happened in the area. Anyone withmon sense would believe that something wondrous appeared in this region. The southern region must be in a state of confusion right now, and adventurers from nearby, including the disliked wizards, would be rushing all over to this area very soon.

    [Shit, this whole area is going to be in a state of chaos. I need to leave as soon as possible in case any idiotse after me.]

    Brendel had considered many times as to how he would affect the history, but he did not expect to do just that after a few months he arrived in this world. He was not prepared for that and also not concerned about the Lionheart, but worried about the n to take over thend he was targeting in the Randner region. He was even worried that it would change the princess¡¯s next move in the future.

    [A butterfly effect that changes the entire future will be the worst oue¡ª]

    Brendel was already having cold sweat on his forehead and the tips of his fingers were cold.

    When Brendel was still considering this problem, there was a sudden apuse in the forest. He looked over to Fleetwood and Makarov immediately, but found they were initially confused as well, before they broke into a delighted smile.

    Brendel immediately turned around and discovered a middle-aged man wearing a thick purple coat with an inner white shirt walking out from the forest. Thetter was pping with arge smile on his face.

    ¡°So this is Mister Brendel mentioned by the Cunning Fox? A young genius indeed. Your n is really something that a normal person couldn¡¯te up with.¡±

    [Another person with an Unsealed Element power? ......Wait, I recognize this person.]

    The corners of Brendel¡¯s eyes twitched. He was Count Barre Deorwine, the right hand of Duke Rhun, and ruled over the fief Matthi.

    Brendel had conversed quite a few times in the game with him. Although he looked like he was someone who backstabbed people easily, he was actually a rare noble who was honest and upright to a fault. While he was considerably skilled, Buga turned out to be the greater warrior and reached over level eighty, approximately forty yearster.

    He ultimately met his demise against the Tree Shepherds, and was quite a considerable loss for Aouine.

    Brendel turned towards him and smiled a little in spite of himself, his tone rxing a little as he recalled these memories: ¡°n?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Count Barre said: ¡°ording to my knowledge, the dragon race are mostly on their own under all circumstances. At most they would travel along with their mate, right? By pretending to be a dragon, you are free to do whatever you wish, including that stunt of summoning the Lionheart.¡±

    Brendel immediately heard Rauze¡¯s remarks.

    ¡°That man seems to understand us quite well.¡± She said.

    [But you don¡¯t know him. Barre Deorwine is very different from Fleetwood, Makarov and Buga. This man is a realist, and wouldn¡¯t seek to initiate a conversation just to intimidate me. There is no doubt that he has taken measures here. This person is also someone who has unsealed his Element power...... The entire situation has be much moreplicated than having the Tree Shepherds around.]

    Brendel¡¯s mind was starting to give warning signals to his body to consider running away. He nced around his surroundings.

    [You¡¯re still just a loli dragon, facing these many Gold-ranked fighters would not be in your favor¡ª Holy shit!]

    When Count Barre appeared, Brendel had subconsciously recalled that he was a true holder of a fiefdom. After looking closely in the forest, he indeed discovered human figures in the vicinity, and the numbers wererge enough to rival Conrad¡¯s army.

    [Of course you had to bring an army in order to stop the damned Tree Shepherds! But this area isn¡¯t under your territory, bringing your soldiers into this area is practically asking to fight with Count Randner. Is this Duke Rhun¡¯s goal?]

    Suddenly he recalled a certainnd at the borders of the Randner¡¯s territory.

    [No, that¡¯s not it...... These are not Duke Rhun or Count Barre¡¯s men. That particrnd at Rander¡¯s borders, doesn¡¯t it belong to the Princess? That¡¯s where the Royal Cavalry Academy is. Eke was most likely used as bait in order to lure out the political opponents, and with the troops from the princess¡ª]

    He hardly participated in Aouine¡¯s civil wars because he was busy raising his levels in the game world. Even though he roughly understood how the battles¡¯ conclusions were, he did not know the details of them. If his suspicions were correct, then the princess must have recruited soldiers from the very beginning, even before the Madara¡¯s invasion.

    [Then it¡¯s no wonder why she was able to suppress the nobles with such little political clout for so long. I had never understood how she did it. So this is Makarov¡¯s contributions?]

    He nced at Makarov. This n looked like something that thetter would conceive, but he did not understand the royal faction entirely. It somehow looked like there were separate tangents operating at the same time. The king colluded with Madara, while the princess gathered her own forces?

    He shook his head slightly. Guessing what was going on with the royal faction was making his head spin.

    ¡°Which means,¡± Count Barre continued: ¡°You¡¯re not a dragon at all, right?¡±

    ¡°Miss Rauze, why didn¡¯t you warn me about the men around us¡ª¡± He turned his head away from their gazes and whispered to Rauze.

    ¡°The magic reaction was so strong that this little me was paying full attention to it. Plus, they are just some little insects buzzing around. What¡¯s there to pay attention to? Well, that person who just came in is a little bit stronger.¡± She replied.

    [Insects? That¡¯s a whole army out there. In order to fight Conrad there must be more than a thousand men. Barre used to say his favorite pastimes were ying poker andmanding arge force to fight a smaller force. Even though it¡¯s sort of a joke, but it goes to show how nasty his personality is. Also, what is he thinking? That Ancient Magic that Rauze cast is the real thing!]

    Brendel did not believe her in the slightest. He had killed many dragons in the game and knew them well enough. Judging from her age, there was no possible way that she would be able to match them physically. With this thought in mind, he became even more careful ining up with his response.

    ¡°But his Dragon Magic......¡± Makarov looked confused and asked, but Fleetwood interrupted him: ¡°If I am not wrong, that magic came from a scroll. Since Mister Brendel is capable of acquiring the Golden Apple and invoking the Lionheart, then having a Dragon Scroll would not be a difficult task.¡±

    Brendel looked incredulously at Fleetwood.

    [Aren¡¯t you a grandmaster wizard, how can you fail to differentiate between...... T-that.....]

    If Fleetwood was not mistaken, then it meant the possibility was indeed there. He lowered his head deeply with his canines shown, and whispered urgently: ¡°Miss Rauze, did you use a Dragon Scroll?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Well you see, that¡¯s like the only way where they wouldy their hands on you right?¡± Rauze¡¯s voice was in a gleeful pitch: ¡°I haven¡¯t beaten people up in a long~~~ time.¡±

    [Dear dragon boss, you¡¯re right in guessing that they would fight us because of that..... But we might not win against them!]

    Brendel was certain this problematic girl could not be relied on, so he took a deep breath and lifted his head: ¡°Mister Barre, perhaps you¡¯re right. I¡¯m not a dragon. But are you going to try and find out how many scrolls I have?¡±

    Barre shook his head just like Brendel expected him to: ¡°That¡¯s fine. No matter how many scrolls you have, are you confident that you can fight against an entire army? Mister Brendel, that would be folly, so please hand over the Golden Apple.¡±

    Brendel wanted to punch that incredibly fake smile off that irritating bastard¡¯s face, but he had to force himself to think of a proper response.

    ¡°Is that so? How about if you include us?¡± A clear voice rang out from the east direction.

    The bushes were parted and revealed a group of approximately twenty Elven warriors covered in blood. Nethar took down his helmet and stared at Count Barre with an indifferent expression at him.

    [[[Silver Elves......?!]]] Count Barre and the other men¡¯s eyes popped upon when they saw them. No one had seen them for centuries. He nearly choked when he saw them appear, and squeezed out his words after a long time with much difficulty.

    ¡°Our allies of the past, the Silver Elves, you were the only race who had never participated in any civil wars. Are you going to go to war with the humans over one person?¡± Barre clenched his fists; the Golden Apple was too important to let it slip by.

    Nethar nodded as he looked at Brendel: ¡°I owe him a promise.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Barre sighed in exasperation as he tried again: ¡°But do you really think that you can match our whole army with twenty men? We acknowledge your skill, but we vastly outnumber¡ª¡°

    His words quickly faltered. It was not only him, but the people beside him quickly held their breaths, including Brendel.

    Everyone saw arge patch of blinding silver armor appear, as Elven Knights riding on unicorns came forward to join Nethar and his men......

    The Eversong Army.

 volume 2 - 130

    TL: You know, you guys shouldn¡¯t be so excited over the appearance of the silver elves. Might not be what you expected, I did give you guys warning when I said the arc is nearly over.

    TL: Also, sorry for the dy. I was looking at some stuff in regards to PS4 to PS4 Pro. I was wondering what I should get, because I didn¡¯t really want to get a PS4 pro when I don¡¯t see myself ying on it often.

    There aren¡¯t enough exclusives for me to get even the PS4. I¡¯m even thinking of waiting to see if PS5 gets announcedter on and buying that insteadter on to y Persona 5.

    Chapter 130 ¨C Thou art my friend (1)

    =========== Princess Gryphine POV ==========

    ¡°Mydy, there are too many enemies, please move in a little deeper into the carriage.¡±

    Knight Benninger pleaded sincerely outside the carriage, his voice a little urgent. Crossbow bolts from all directions struck onto the inner steel tes of the horse carriage, shaking and causing audible echoes within it. Princess Gryphine did not expect an assassination attempt within her own privatends.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need, I¡¯ll wait here for my knights to arrive. But the girl pursed her lips tightly and looked forward with her faint silver eyes.

    ¡°Mydy¡ª¡°

    ¡°Benninger.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Say no more.¡± She answered simply. ¡°...... Thank you, Benninger.¡±

    The sounds striking the carriage suddenly stopped, and the youth turned around with one hand on his sword, and had only courage in his heart as his aid.

    Gryphine had worn her usual white gown like before and sat with both hands over each other own her knees. Even at her moment of danger, her sitting posture was as refined as anydy. She exuded the ancient royal family¡¯s grace, and even the most austere of nobles would find that she was the brightest gem on the royal crown.

    At the opposite of the princess¡¯s eyes, was the only sessor to Aouine¡¯s throne. The boy, Haruze was looking at her with a pair of frightened eyes.

    ¡°Sister.....¡± His voice was filled with dread.

    She looked coldly at her brother.

    ¡°Haruze, pick up your sword and point it to the ground.¡±

    The boy had always listened to her strict sister, and he did not disobey her this time. He overcame his jittery feelings and carefully pointed the sword onto the ground. The sheath of the sword was written with refined letters:

    ¡® Hark and know that my name is courage ¡®

    This was the motto of the Corvado¡¯s royal family, and was renowned to be the half-Elven princess¡¯s motto. However, it was a blinding irony on the boy. He stood up as held onto the sword and looked at his sister in utter confusion, with tears swimming in his eyes against the danger they were in.

    Gryphine sighed when she saw his brother acting in this manner. She softened her features and spoke gently to him: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your sister will definitely protect you.¡±

    The boy wiped his tears with his sleeves and nodded with vigor at her words.

    The forest had gone silent for quite some time. The interior of the carriage also fell into silence because of that. They tried to to pick up any signs of where the enemies were, but heard nothing other than their hearts beating rapidly.

    ============== Freya POV ============

    Barsta, the Royal Cavalry Academy. Everyone in the courtyards, ssrooms, corridors, any ce with a window, looked up to the sky as the phenomenon happened.

    Freya gazed at the blue sky with a central pir of light connecting the sky and earth together. The clouds had been dispersed around the area, and the purity of the myriad glows in the sky made her gasp in awe of the beauty.

    [What is that?]

    The girl was wearing a set of armor meant for training, and she wasbing her ponytail absentmindedly with her fingers before she subconsciously put it down. The lights on her face shimmered as smaller pirs of light in a circle suddenly lit up in the sky and connected to the center.

    [Is Mother Marsha showing us a sign?]

    The crowd in the training courtyard started to increase in numbers. They were screaming and shouting, telling everyone to look up at the sky, as though the end of the world wasing. They held their breaths as they watched it.

    Whispers turned into murmurs, and the instructors joined in with their apprentice knights to discuss over what had happened. They shook their heads in disbelief almost as if to shake off what they saw.

    ¡°That¡¯s an Artifact Resonance, right?¡± A man near Freya suddenly spoke.

    ¡°What did you say it was?¡± She turned around and asked.

    The man watched Freya looked at him with a pair of light brown eyes. Sangany, the second son of a count, felt his heart skip a beat. It was an opportunity for him. The majority of the academy were males, and the few females that joined this batch were naturally targets of the nobles¡¯ scions. Freya¡¯s appearance was outstandingpared to the other girls, and it was even better for them because she did not have a notable background and was seen to be a delicious prey.

    This game was circted only amongst the seniors, and because she had just joined in recently she did not know the existence of this game. The only thing she did feel was the odd number of males around her, which made her slightly uneasy and anxious from her instincts. However, the boy with blonde hair in front of her had an answer to her question, so she took another look at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s a type of Mana resonance, but for it to be so powerful...... I have never seen or heard something like that before.¡± He immediately showed off his best side and answered with a patient smile.

    ¡°Mana Resonance?¡± Freya¡¯s mind was slightly jolted, as she recalled a certain heroic image of someone¡¯s back at the Valley of the Golden Demonic Tree. She immediately turned away in order to prevent her burning face to be seen by anyone else. She took another look at the sky as the lights disappeared. She took another deep breath and calmed herself down: ¡°Where is that area?¡±

    ¡°Judging from that area, it should be Randner.¡±

    Freya thought of Brendel and Romaine, and she felt her heart beat faster: ¡°Is that the doing from the two of you? I really miss you.....¡±

    Her uneasy and shy expressions made the youth behind her think that she was impressed. He thought of her as a country bumpkin from her looks, but he maintained his smile and took a closer step to her, wanting to say more, but the tolls from a bell rang throughout the courtyard and interrupted him. Everyone¡¯s eyes reluctantly tore away from the sky and put their gaze into a certain direction.

    The giant steel bell was ced in the tallest building and used only in festivals or emergency situations. Everyone wondered if that phenomenon had anything to do with it.

    A squadron of knights urgently ran into the training courtyard, with the crowd separating to allow them through. The leader of the knights was a young woman wearing a purple swallow-tailed army uniform riding on a horse. She rode to the front, turned around and raised her chin up while looking at everyone.

    ¡°This order is meant for everyone in their respective years. I want all of you to gather in three minutes, fully equipped and ready for battle¡ª¡°

    The woman¡¯s voice was a little low and gruff, but her strict bearings made everyone alert.

    [We¡¯re to wear our armors and swords?]

    [Are we going out for a battle? A mock battle?]

    [But this doesn¡¯t seem like we¡¯re close for any tests¡ª]

    ¡°These are knight members in the Reserves.....¡± Sangany muttered.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Freya looked at the leader whose straight ck hair was tied behind her and weighted down behind her back like a straight spear, all the way down to her waist.

    ¡°The woman at the front is a senior apprentice knight of this academy but she¡¯s special because she¡¯s a Reserve. Their ranks are equivalent to the ck Knights, or the Royal Cavalry¡¯s reserves. She¡¯s a squire and a military officer at the same time. Her name is Maynild, daughter of Madame Ida. Perhaps this would be clearer, Madame Ida is Duke Rhun¡¯s sister, she married to a knight who died in the Ten Years War, and lived alone in her home ever since. This woman is her only daughter.¡± Sangany exined with a stern look: ¡°She¡¯s a genius in this academy, but anyone who is capable of entering the Reserves is naturally more capable than us trash.¡±

    Freyamitted the name Maynild to her memory, and looked gratefully back at the youth with a smile: ¡°There¡¯s no need to put yourself down. I think you¡¯re capable because you know so much.¡±

    Sangany looked back at her in surprise, and was slightly moved and grateful at her sincere gaze. But thatsted only for a moment.

    [Once you try the sword on me, you will find how impressive I really am¡ª] The youthughed coldly in his heart as filthy thoughts washed over his mind.

    ============= Brendel¡¯s POV ============

    The Silver Elves stood quietly in opposition of Barre¡¯smanded men. No wind blew in the forest, and both the ck and silver swallow-tailed gs stood limply where they were. The sun¡¯s rays struck down harshly onto the forest, and showed off the Silver Elves¡¯ lily emblems, while Barre¡¯s men held onto the gs depicting direwolves as their symbol.

    There was the asional horse pants and suppressed sneezes, but other than it was an awkward silence.

    Count Barre and the men beside him had dark expressions, in contrast of the taciturn Nethar as well as themanding officer of the other Elven Knights who wore a full helmet and prevented any signs of his expressions from being seen.

    Only Brendel sat peacefully andzily on a tree trunk in between them. He knew Rauze was beside him, so he did not need to fear of any sudden attacks, and also believed that he would be fine even if a battle was to break out.

    Count Barre and the others still did not know why the Silver Elves were willing to break their vow, and were unable to find a solution to this stalemate. On the other hand Brendel was reflecting on his mistakes and assumptions, and thought about the fact that the Silver Elves had appeared on the continent so quickly after the first Madara war.

    [Is there going to be any major change in the future because of this incident?] He rubbed his forehead.

    It did not seem that the situation was going to change any time soon, so Brendel jumped down and went over the Acolyte of Earth¡¯s body in boredom. The remainder of the mana had already condensed into a highly pure Mana Crystal. It was a Level 65 Boss¡¯s drop, and even had the properties of the Blood of Gods. It was one of the best crafting and alchemy materials, only one rank below the items from a dragon¡¯s loot drop.

    He suddenly looked over the the direction of Rauze, although it was just empty air he was looking at.

    ¡°Your expression is a little strange mister Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Is that right?¡±

    ¡°But Rauze already has a mate. I¡¯m also not really interested in humans. But¡ª If it¡¯s mister Brendel, I don¡¯t mind trying it once.¡±

    Brendel coughed uncontrobly, choking his spit wrongly into his lungs when he heard the reply.

    The two leaders looked over at him for a while, before Count Barre broke the silence:

    ¡°Let¡¯s negotiate.¡±

    Nethar nodded.

 volume 2 - 131

    TL: Yup, sorry for thete schedule.

    TL: Ramblings, skip to chapter to read content.

    Next nned TAS update: Next weekend. The next arc won¡¯t start for quite a while, so I¡¯ll be clearing on my stuff.

    Amber Sword

    It¡¯s kind of done and not finished at the same time. Technically it¡¯s supposed to be more of a horizontal ssh title screen for TAS, so when I crop itter on, it¡¯s just slightly above the neck and title. That kind of saves me from drawing the ring and background. I think it¡¯s kind of interesting to think about cing the light directions for this illustration though.

    At some point I was thinking, well the shirt¡¯s design isn¡¯t that great, and the posture isn¡¯t that interesting. Technically I did n to add some form of emblem on the side of the shirt, but I still think it¡¯s still going to be somewhat boring because Brendel isn¡¯t doing anything in particr.

    Things that he could be doing are holding a sword or a card etc. Hmm. Well, I¡¯ll keep in mind to do dynamic stuff in the future so that I can save time on doing a ssh screen and a proper illustration.

    I¡¯ll be practicing some anatomy stuff in the next few days and then draw some fanart for Nier:Automata or Persona 5.

    During this month, I¡¯ll also look into getting a website and check out some plugins so that the readers can have more features. You guys will finally get the features you want to see (well, at least the previous/next button and standard linkage, no promises on reading mode though).

    Chapter 131 ¨C Thou Art my Friend (2)

    The ones who really participated in the negotiations were Count Barre, Fleetwood and the newly arrived Elvenmander of the Unicorn Knights.

    Buga and Makarov went over to the bushes with Brendel¡¯s directions, brought out a bloody Eke out from there with reluctant thanks, and lowered their glowering attitudes against him. The Silver Elves had clearly disyed their intentions to protect Brendel because he protected the graves of their old kings.

    Brendel sat beside the Acolyte of Earth and watched the discussion. Even though he did not participate in the negotiation, he knew that Count Barre¡¯s core topic would now be about the Silver Elves instead of him. The Silver Elves had disappeared and gave up on this particr forest a long time ago. Thisnd was now regarded to be part of the kingdom, and even the closest allies of the past may not easily enter thisnd anymore.

    Aouine had the upper hand on the territory.

    Brendel could see the Silver Elfmander was adamant in his attitude, almost refusing Count Barre and Fleetwood¡¯s every suggestion. He wondered what sort of agreement would the two increasingly annoyed men enter into.

    ¡°Are you able to guess why the Silver Elves have returned?¡± He suddenly asked.

    ¡°How should I know what these strange Elves are thinking about. They don¡¯t socialize with others.¡± Rauze¡¯s voice was nonchnt at the start, before she suddenly grumbled. ¡°And stop disturbing from doing my important stuff!¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m writing a script about the knight Ser Brendel. It¡¯s really hard for me to get good inspirations. Oh, I forgot to mention, I¡¯m a bard¡ª¡± Rauze¡¯s voice turned to one of pride.

    [A bard...]

    Brendel frowned from that revtion. It seemed like many of the dragons¡¯ professions were bards. He recalled a famous quest in the game: A dragon made a huge underground dungeon and captured a few strong monsters and put them inside, bing the BOSS with his monster underlings. When the unsuspecting adventurers or gamers challenged him, he would record the results and turned them into stories. If they won, then the dragon awarded them part of his treasures. Some gamers investigated the whole affair and proved that the dragon actually made ten times more money than what the given treasure was worth.

    The quest was meant for level 45 yers and was disguised as a normal chain event, but gained notoriety when this secret was revealed. Many yers were quite impressed with it and was a hot topic for quite a while.

    Although it was clear that some of the dragons had bad hobbies, they were still much better than the ones who actually just directly robbed others.

    ¡°Ahh, stop bothering and annoying me.¡± Her attitude quickly changed. ¡°Never mind, I¡¯m going some ce else to write it¡ª¡°

    [Tsk.] He clicked his tongue sarcastically when he heard nothing more from her.

    He suddenly heard a cracking sound behind him, and whipped his head around, thinking that it was Rauze but it was Nethar instead. Thetter had taken off his helmet and looked solemnly at Brendel, then at the creature beside him; his eyes had a puzzled streak in them.

    Brendel looked nkly at him, then gave a smile and said: ¡°Hey, Nethar¡ª¡°

    The handsome Elf looked back at him, slightly startled at Brendel¡¯s strange tone.

    ¡°Could you wear your helmet?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± His monotone reply came.

    ¡°You¡¯re so good looking that I feel great pressure looking at you.¡± The youth sighed.

    Nethar smiled for the first time. He thought about the request seriously before wearing back the helmet, leaving only a pair of eyes that looked at the youth. He paused for a while before he spoke again.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving, Brendel.¡±

    Brendel looked back with puzzled eyes. It was obvious that the Elf was going to leave when the mission was over. He wanted to say thankful words but suddenly realized that there was an empty feeling in his heart. Even though they did not exchange any wasted words along the way, he had trusted in this allypletely and he was now leaving.

    He wondered where Nethar was going to go after this.

    [Is he going back to the altar or take his final slumber? The Altar¡¯s magic is growing weaker by the day and although I said I¡¯ll bring back information of the outside world, is it really possible to do so? Maybe this is really like a quest, Nethar and I will only meet this one time and once I leave, the Altar will be nothing more than an abandoned building.]

    The more he thought about it, the more he felt that possibility was very high. His heart fell when he realized that fact. After a long time, he could only find the greedy words inside of him.

    ¡°Are you going already? But you haven¡¯t fulfilled your promise to teach me that skill. Are you trying to break it?¡±

    ¡°Breaking promises. That¡¯s something you humans are fond of. Of course I will fulfill it.¡± He took out a scroll and handed it to Brendel as he spoke. ¡°I have written the usage of the skill on it, my friend.¡±

    That two words struck Brendel like a bolt of lightning and he looked stupidly back at him. Nethar squeezed the scroll into his hand and hugged him once, before releasing him with a smile: ¡°I thank you for bringing us a battle. We had hoped to have one for a long time. The blood in me has once again been set ame. You are exceptional. Your skills in battle impressed me and the others, but therees a time where we have to go our separate ways. Now, you owe me a promise¡ª¡°

    Nethar closed his eyes:

    ¡°Remember to tell me the events of the future. Be it ten years, or a hundred years from now. I will wait for you to fulfill it, my friend.¡±

    ¡°I will. Yes.¡± Brendel wiped his eyes with his hand. ¡°The wind is a little big.¡±

    Nethar nodded with understanding.

    ¡°There is one other thing. We rushed over to your side because of the Acolyte of Earth. We do not know what has be of your mercenaries, you should ask the Nightsong Tiger for more details.¡±

    His body was gradually disappearing, his helmet dissolving away to show his smile onest time. All the heroic Elven spirits then turned into white light and shot out into the sky, disappearing into a certain direction in the southern forest.

    The other humans looked puzzledly at that disy, while Brendel caught the Elvenmander of the Eversong army nodding to him with respect from afar.

    The youth felt slightly better at Nethar¡¯s parting words, before he set off to the Nightsong Tiger¡¯s location.

    Count Barre went through the situation before him with suppressed anger. He could not allow his forces to fight against the Silver Elves: the Eversong army was renowned in the continent for their skill, and persisted in the lore for more than seven centuries. The only wise decision he could make was to retreat.

    In the end, they negotiated a neutral standpoint, they each retreated three hundred meters away and set up camp, and the atmosphere in the forest finally lost some of its bloodlust.

    The Elven knights nodded at Brendel with respect, and theirmander walked over and gave him a silver fern leaf. It looked something like a bookmark, but Brendel knew that it was a sign of the Silver Elves¡¯ greatest gratitude.

    [Nice. If there¡¯s some political bullshit in Aouine, I can apply for political asylum.] He joked to himself.

    The silver leaf allowed him to redeem a boon from the Silver Elves, and anyone who brought it before them could seek help no matter how much time had passed He did knew that someone in the game world managed to borrow over a hundred heavy infantry from the Silver Elves and the loan period was a hundred years, although he did not know what favors could be sought exactly,

    The Silver Elves¡¯ heavy infantry was just one or two ranks below the Eversong army, but they were definitely regarded as the top tier army to have. Brendel wanted to try and ask for that favor right away, but stopped after a moment of deliberation. This was an alternate parallel world which was different from a game. It would be much better to establish a proper rtionship with the Silver Elves so that he could gain more in the future.

    If he acted greedy, these prideful and distant race might look down on him and affect things in many subtle ways. It would be a loss.

 volume 2 - 132

    TL: TAS¡¯s next chapter ETA is next weekend. Things are going kind of smoothly for me in terms of art practice, and I¡¯ll be putting more hours into it for the time being. When we get into Brendel¡¯s next battle arc, I¡¯ll up the trantion rate.

    Also this is the final chapter for this arc. Next chapter will be the start of Lord Brendel¡¯s territory-acquiring arc.

    Chapter 132 ¨C The end of Summer

    Count Barre stood in Brendel¡¯s path.

    [The hell?] Brendel gave him a wide berth as he walked past the smiling man.

    ¡°Ser Brendel?¡± Count Barre called out to him in a solemn voice when he realized Brendel was avoiding him.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Brendel snapped with a displeased tone. He was in a rush to find the Nightsong Tiger to get the details from him about Amandina.

    ¡°Even though our viewpoints differ our goals seem to align. At the very least, I am certain that you are not on the side of our enemies, are you not?¡± Count Barre spoke in a rush, not giving Brendel the chance to cut him off. ¡°Naturally, we have our own thoughts on restoring the kingdom, but surely there is no need for us to draw our swords at each other¡¯s throats. I agree that Makarov¡¯s actions are a little overbearing, but he¡¯s a only a human who¡¯s acting with limited resources.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°Would you be willing to join us? If you hate our actions, then why not take control of the situation? I hope to have an outstanding youth like yourself on our side.¡± Barre invited Brendel with sincere words, as though he had forgotten the unpleasant exchange between them.

    [That¡¯s something the Count Barre I know would do.]

    Brendel had actually given them enough leeway on this issue and avoided having an all-out battle with them, precisely because they were on the same side. If these people were against the crown, then he would have redeemed the Silver Elves¡¯ promise and killed them immediately.

    Because of Makarov¡¯s ns, he and his men were put into danger. Romaine and Amandina were still nowhere to be seen. If he lost his temper and waged a battle to get Makarov¡¯s head as an act of revenge, then duke Arreck might take the opportunity to capture the princess¡¯snd in the nearby area. Freya might even be in danger because of that.

    [It looks like he¡¯s smart enough not to talk about the Golden Apple anymore, so I¡¯ll put it aside. But joining your group is an absolute joke.]

    ¡°No,¡± Brendel looked at the count and shook his head. His reply was cold and hard, surprising the count with his tone: ¡°You will see me very soon, but believe me, it would not be here, and not the way any of you would like to see¡ª¡°

    ¡°... Then I shall await to see your future.¡± Count Barre¡¯s eyes were fretful as he stared at Brendel.

    ============ Freya POV =============

    In truth, the battle that she was supposed to be in was undertaken by the senior squires in the academy, led by the reserve officers in the graduating ss. When Freya and newer members like herself reached the battlefield in the forest, their task was taking care of the battle¡¯s aftermath.

    She immediately noticed a carriage filled with bolts and arrows like a porcupine in the center of the road. There were cavalry equipped with silver armor riding near the carriage, with many of theirrades¡¯ dead bodies on the ground. They refused anyone from approaching the carriage, and insisted of taking care of their injuries as they cleaned up after their own.

    There were two clear colors. Purple and silver. The bodies with these two colors were strewn everywhere. Heavy groans from the injured, mingled with low frightened murmurs from the newly arrived nobles¡¯ sons and daughters, could be heard everywhere. They were seeing this bloodied sight for the first time.

    The reserved officers wanted to take prisoners, and gave the order for the older squires to intentionally maim the attackers, and had left many of them alive. However, once they took enough prisoners to be satisfied with, the remainder was ordered to be killed, and this task was also left to the new members of the academy.

    Many of them found their weapons shaking, unable to swing it, and there were even a few who vomited as they saw the bloodied mess from the ones who were brave enough to attempt it.

    Freya had fought enough in real battles not to be shaken by the sight and faithfully did her job. She had only paused in the beginning to guess the identity of the people within the carriage. Sangany followed behind with a sick face. He had expelled everything he had for his meals, and he could only heave weakly after that.

    He held himself against up a tree, while being impressed by Freya¡¯s clean strikes to the enemies. She was certainly an admirable maiden.

    ¡°...... Do you know who that is?¡± He asked after catching his breath.

    ¡°What?¡± Freya looked back at him with iprehension.

    ¡°The carriage.¡±

    She took another look at the carriage, then shook her head, her clear eyes showing that she did not understand.

    ¡°The insignia on the carriage is a Holy Beetle. There is only one person within the kingdom who has this.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    [You don¡¯t even know this? How did you even manage toe to the academy¡ª Wait, is she bluffing?]

    The youth looked at Freya in incredulity, but he did not find any signs of deceit in her, so he shook his head and answered: ¡°Grandmaster Fleetwood, the court¡¯s First Wizard of Aouine.¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Freya was shocked.

    But Sangany shook his head: ¡°If that is truly Grandmaster Fleetwood, there is no need for us to go into battle. The person within the carriage is very likely to be someone else. And yet, Grandmaster Fleetwood has very few friends or people rted to him. The people who could borrow his carriage, is either the king, or his student.¡±

    ¡°Her royal highness?¡± Freya¡¯s eyes were wide. She still know thismon knowledge even though she came from the borders.

    The youth nodded.

    Suddenly a ck warhorse passed by them quickly. The rider swiftly rode through the forest, before the warhorse suddenly stopped, turned around in a trot and moved back the two of them.

    Freya and Sangany looked up, and found a beautiful but cold face.

    Her appearance was something like an artistic artifact, it was rare to find such perfectly shaped features. Her sharp chin was a strong arc that led into high cheekbones and deeply set eyes of a pure purple.

    Her central parting of her fringe led down to her fine eyebrows, which was raised slightly before lowering in displeasure. Her straight nose bridge seemed to reflect her extremely strong character.

    The two of them instantly thought of the bards¡¯ descriptions of the beautifuldies of the north.

    There was a slight scoff as Maynild looked down at them from the warhorse, first at Freya, then at Sangany.

    ¡°Your name is Freya?¡± She asked a question while she stared at the young man, making thetter feel like he was being targeted by a predator.

    ¡°Y-yes.¡± Freya answered.

    ¡°The results for your riding and sword skills are excellent.¡± She said in a low maic voice: ¡°I have heard of your tale as well, but if you want to aplish something, you had better leave scum ¡ª like this man here ¡ª behind.¡±

    There was great disdain in her eyes as she spoke unreservedly.

    The two of them looked nkly at her.

    Sangany¡¯s eyebrows frowned and he tried to refute subconsciously: ¡°Miss Maynild, even though you are Madame¡¯s¡ª¡°

    But his words were cut off by a metallic screech, and he felt his neck slightly colder. When the youth understood what happened, Maynild had actually jumped down from her horse and pulled out her sword, drawing it against his neck. Her actions were done in a single second, and he was left frozen with a gesture that he did halfway before it was finished.

    ¡°Have I given you permission to speak?¡± Maynild spoke in a chilly voice.

    Sangany¡¯s back was cold from sweat, but he did not reply because of his confusion.

    ¡°S-Sangany......¡±

    ¡°Your rank?¡±

    ¡°M-Miss Maynild, I¡ª¡°

    The sword in her hand pressed ever so slightly against his neck: ¡°Ser.¡±

    ¡°S-Ser Maynild.¡± Sangany swallowed and answered with a stutter. ¡°I¡¯m a second year squire, I have no rank yet¡ª¡°

    He did not waste any more words, and used all his strength in his body to squeeze out the answer.

    Maynild¡¯s sword was sheathed back so quickly that the two of them could not see it done properly. She red coldly at the youth who was cursing in his heart, then gave an order: ¡°Then, soldier, I¡¯m ordering you to shut your mouth¡ª¡°

    She finally looked at Freya properly, then adjusted thetter¡¯s cor which was a little crooked from cleaning up the battlefield. She patted her arms and said softly: ¡°Remember my advice, it won¡¯t harm you¡ª¡°

    Freya was also in a state of confusion with quick thoughts swirling through her head

    [Should I thank her? She was really amazing with her sword. Can I be someone like her? Perhaps someday.....]

    ============ Princess Gryphine POV ============

    ¡°Who is she?¡± The half-Elven princess asked the young man beside him. The scene where Maynild and Sangany exchanged words happened to fall into her eyes. She looked at Freya, finding that there was a sliver of familiarity.

    ¡°Madame Ida¡¯s daughter. Duke Rhun is her uncle. She¡¯s quite talented and an ardent supporter of the royal crown. We should be able to trust her.¡± Ser Benninger looked over to her direction and said.

    Gryphineughed at the silly response: ¡°Are you exhausted, Benninger? We both know who she is. You even know she¡¯s my close friend.¡±

    ¡°I apologize, mydy.¡± Benninger answered in embarrassment.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the other girl, do you recognize her? She looks familiar.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Everton¡¯s daughter¡ª¡± A warm voice came from outside the carriage.

    Gryphine was slightly surprised, but her light silver eyes immediately shone with delight.

    ¡°Oberbeck?¡± She spoke softly.

    Augh came from the outside. ¡°Yes, your highness. It seems that I amte.¡±

    TL: One thing I want to keep in mind. Anyone close enough to the princess and is a male knight, I¡¯ll use ¡®Mydy¡¯ instead of your highness.

 volume 2 - 133

    Chapter 133 ¨C Romaine¡¯s second n (1)

    In the bountiful pastures of the northern hignds, the citizens who lived there circted a famous legend, which depicted the soldiers left behind in the battlefield to be people who were watched by the God of Death.

    Kren Norsdt had heard of this legend too. He was hired by the northern kingdom¡¯s Baltha region, and was born in a gentry family. He was considerably talented as a beast tamer, and enrolled in the Dragoon Knight¡¯s 34th wing and became a Dragoon. That particr toon was part of the southern region¡¯s army, but it was defeated by Madara and theirmander in in battle. (TL: Not sure how to use gentry in a sentence. Nobles > Gentry > Commoner, in terms of social ranking.)

    However, the squadron did not wait for a truce, and assaulted Madara harder each time the days went by. The nobles that were further away from the battles, used the ongoing negotiations at that time as an excuse not to provide any support for them.

    The messengers that were sent out to the White-Mane Army and the other armies from Arreck did not return, and the situation grew more desperate, and the situation turned out like how the next highest ranking officer in the 34th wing predicted:

    ¡°The southern region¡¯s situation is bing worse every day. We do not know where our brothers are after being separated, and the Madara army continues to attack from all directions. We are unable to contact anyone and it seems like all news have been sealed off. It is impossible to retreat. The nobles are acting on their own, and thisnd haspletely fallen away from the kingdom¡¯s control by now. Marsha above, I pray that I will see this nightmare end while I still live¡ª¡°

    But it was all pointless to Kren right now.

    He rode on his injured flying dragon and patrolled one of the viges destroyed by the undead. He tried taking to the sky when he was discovered, but the thick arrows managed to pierce the dragon¡¯s eye and brought it down shrieking in pain. When it finally crashed back down onto the ground, he found that it had sumbed to its injuries and was pinning him down. He looked at the surroundings with despondent eyes and gritted teeth.

    He became someone who received the gaze of the God of Death.

    He tried getting his body out from but he immediately yelled out in pain. That crash had broken numerous bones in his body and realized there was no possible way for him to drag himself out. In the end, he sighed and reached for his light crossbow, loaded it with a bolt and shot at one of the skeletons.

    The bolt had been blessed with Holy Water and shone brightly as it was fired towards the skeleton, making it hurl backwards, while setting it ame before it turned into dust.

    More of these white lights were fired into the air, but even more undead drowned out Kren¡¯s sight. The youth reminisced upon the time when he first heard of how Madara split up their armies into three different routes. Almost everyone in the army, regardless of whether they were nobles ormoners, held a light-hearted attitude towards their enemies. They believed that these barbaric Dark Lords were going to fight amongst themselves and fall apart because of their uncoordinatedmanding, just like how they failed in history every single time.

    The result was utterly beyond their expectations. The Madara¡¯s advancing army was swift and decisive, calmly taking every bit of advantage whenever a mistake was made. On the contrary, Aouine¡¯s army was like a slow and elderly man. They unable to defend at vital points because they werete to respond, and even when they went into battle, they were haggard soldiers fighting the tireless undead.

    Aouine¡¯s days of glory were long gone, and the praise from the 17th pope of the Holy Cathedral of mes three hundred years ago describing Aouine as ¡®The Fiery de that represents the shining glory of the Old Eras¡¯, was nothing more than history.

    When Kren finally exhausted his supply of Holy Bolts, he gripped the pendant containing his wife¡¯s portrait and looked up. A giant skeleton had already blocked off the sunlight from reaching him¡ª

    The Soul mes of its eyes jumped about.

    ¡°Farewell, my father, mother, and my lovely Vanessa. I wish you remember your son and husband, and the many others who fought to protect Aouine...... This kingdom can no longer see hope......¡±

    ============== Brendel POV =============

    At the end of the tenth month, the scent of autumn was bing denser. Trentheim¡¯s grasnds were dyed with ayer of pale yellow and had a picturesque scenery. But when Brendel and the others rode through the rural vige¡¯s path, they could feel the war¡¯s aftermath.

    After Rauze had ripped his leather armor apart, he decided not to rece it with another, and ordered a ckfortable robe and clothing set from a tailor during their journey. He was now sitting on the horse with a contrasting pair of white gloves, and a silver-ted sword at his waist, looking like a young noble.

    But this was not because he wanted to enjoy being one. It was simply because it was easier for him to avoid any additional troubles. After leaving Chablis, the month-long journey was quite peaceful, but it was clear that public order was poor due to the war. Most of the bandits were formed by peasants whose livelihood were destroyed.

    Brendel had resummoned his mercenaries and formed up into a group of twenty one men strong, and they were all well-equipped. These peasant-bandits hardly had the courage to rob them.

    Brendel nced at the empty viges along the way with unhappy eyes. He had been warned by Rauze that an army of Madara undead was marching towards Trentheim¡¯s southern area. This knowledge was no different from what he knew in the previous world. The ¡®ck Lord¡¯ Incirsta would stay in Randner¡¯s region for half a year after the truce, simply because he was greedy to gain more from Aouine. This kingdom at its current state was unable to fend him off anyways.

    In ordance to Brendel¡¯s knowledge of the month¡¯s end, the upper echelons of Aouine were starting to act behind the shadows.

    Oberg¡¯s first son, Hammil, would receive support from Queen Anna¡¯s faction.

    Anna, sister of Duke Seifer, was a representative of the Seifer dynasty. The members who supported the Corvado royal family were against her from the start, but it was to no avail. She evenmitted adultery with Marquis Kluge, and they worked together to imprison the king and left behind a disastrous and splintered the court.

    (TL: Kluge is the guy who advised the king back then, and he was most likely the culprit who told the king to invite Madara¡¯s invasion. Benninger, dude from the previous chapter, is the son of Duke Seifer, but he¡¯s on the princess side because he likes her.)

    In the beginning of the eleventh month, Hammil announced himself as king and attemped to seize the throne. This formally raised the curtains on the internal strife within the royal faction. Princess Gryphine with her strong personality naturally would not ept this silently, and denounced Hammil from within her territory to the nobles and knights of the whole kingdom, using him to be an usurper of the throne. The people who supported her were fierce opposers of the queen and backers of the Elven races.

    In the middle of the elventh month, duke Arreck formally announced his support for the First-prince Hammil, and the various regions either took their independence or ced their support to either side. The civil war of Aouine started from that moment. From that period onwards, the civil warsted for two years andpletely shook the foundation of the kingdom. It had a brief moment where it resurged, but it had spilled too much blood for it to regain its former past.

    Aouine¡¯s demise was hastened because of this incident.

    No one was able to notice what Incirsta did precisely because of the civil war. However, not noticing the Madara¡¯s presence did not mean that the influence was not there. Many cities and viges werepletely empty and void of life, and there was a bleak feeling when Brendel and the others passed through the ce.

    As they reached further into Trentheim¡¯s region, that sight gradually changed. They finally discovered some presense of human life near the core city of Trentheim, Firburh. The lord of Trentheim¡¯s region was the third son of Duke Randner, Baron Graudin.

    Brendel was not very familiar with him, but the majority of the nobles were arrogant and selfish. A lord was even worse, because they were merciless and cruel, heaping misery upon the citizens in their territory.

    When Brendel and the others entered Firbugh, they quickly realized this fact, and their small expectations were lowered once again:

    In front of them were the impoverished citizens of the city, their clothes tattered and torn, while their gaunt, pallid faces with sunken eyes showed how they had no hope for their future. The refugees were even more wretched as though the air of death was about them, reduced to nothing more than bones and their cracked lips, indicating how hungry and thirsty they were.

    The path to the city was dirty and foul smelling, as though excrement from livestock was everywhere in the dry air. The nobles from Brus seemed kindpared to this ce, simply because the citizens of that ce were still able to survive despite theirmoner status.

    This destitutend seemed to give birth to people filled with avarice. The poorer thend, the greedier they seemed to be. Brendel understood it was not because the nobles in Grinoires were kinder, it was simply because thends of Trentheim were not bountiful, and their lives were in near shambles.

    Amandina widened her eyes in shock and covered her lips in disbelief.

    ¡°My lord, thend you are inheriting...... is this ce?¡± Her tone was filled with disappointment.

    She thought she was leaving the hignds for a richer ce in Trentheim. The area was supposed to face the sea in the east, and it should be a ce of wealth because it was easier to trade. It might notpare to Ampere Seale, but at least it should be on the same standard as Brus.

    She did not expect thisnd to be in such a terrible state.

    Brendel nced back at her.

    After discovering that he intended for the veteran mercenaries to protect her and the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, she had adopted a business-like attitude ever since they left Chablis. She would ignore him every time and only spoke when she was spoken to. Even after he exined that they were simr to heroic spirits like Medissa and brought them back, she did not relent on her attitude.

    Brendel scratched his head at this situation and grumbled to himself about how a retainer should act in his mind, but he did not use his position to remind her on their status.

    ¡°Are you finally willing to talk to me?¡± He asked.

 volume 2 - 134

    TL: I¡¯m still recovering from the coughing virus. This is pretty much unedited so there are probably lots of mistakes. I¡¯ll edit the recent chapters in a few days time.

    TL: I¡¯m also writing some codes to prepare for auto linkage currently.

    Chapter 134 ¨C Romaine¡¯s second n (2)

    Brendel looked at the natives in Trentheim with furrowed brows. Lives had no value here. There were ck markets behind destitute ces like this, and the price of getting a goat was equivalent to the price of getting a ve boy. In some cases, a ve girl was even lower than that of livestock. The settings in the game was now applied in the real world.

    Anyone who possessed enough power or authority would be able to trample on these citizens. Bandits raped and murdered people. Lords did the same deed. The only difference was where it was done; either it was done outside the city, or it was done within the city.

    Nobles could afford to pay these evil lords a little money to perform wicked deeds, and thetter even encouraged them to do so, simply because gold coins were much cuter than people who needed money.

    Brendel wondered if he should exin to Amandina in advance before she found out on her own.

    But Amandina thought that Brendel was displeased with her, and though she still felt frustrated over the mercenaries, she lowered her head and replied: ¡°...... I apologize, my lord! I should not have said that.¡±

    Brendel waved his hand: ¡°Miss Amandina, you¡¯re mistaken. I¡¯m not holding it against you at all.¡±

    Amandina looked up, as if to confirm whether Brendel was telling the truth. She quickly lowered her head again and did not say anything else.

    ¡°We still need to head south a little more to reach ournd.¡± Brendel continued as he looked to the south.

    ¡°Further south?¡± Amandina waspletely stunned as she jerked her head back up: ¡°If we leave Trentheim it would be wilderness¡ª¡°

    ¡°Have you heard of a Pioneer Knight?¡±

    ¡°What¡ª¡°

    She blurted the word in spite of herself. She knew the term well. Young nobles or knights who had nond to inherit, would receive the authority from the Holy Cathedral of mes to develop newnd for the kingdom. They would bring along a few of their squires and head to the wilderness and develop new cities.

    These stories sounded like children¡¯s bedtime stories. She did not expect the legends to happen directly to her. She panicked for a moment. Even though it sounded like a great adventure, it was incredibly dangerous. No one in Aouine had tried to develop newnds for over a century, and for a moment she thought Brendel was a madman.

    But she quickly calmed down. When shepared the days in Brus where she was hounded for her father¡¯s debt to Brendel¡¯s journey, she saw a glimmer of hope.

    [...... So what if it¡¯s dangerous?]

    She took a long look at Brendel. A Pioneer Knight. The title sounded like the ssic heroes from the past who were full of eager to progress. Even though it was dangerous, there was an air of romance about it. No matter how she looked at him, be it bravery, wits and morals, he fulfilled her ideal standardspletely.

    He was even quite attractive when he dressed up as a noble.

    [It¡¯s a pity. He already has someone else.]

    Amandina blinked rapidly as she found her heart beating a little faster, before she looked at Romaine beside her. After her actions of running in the dangerous battlefield twice, she was lectured by him for a long time and was currently kept in check.

    Romaine was looking at something with interest and called out to him: ¡°Hey Brendel, look over there¡ª¡°

    She seemed to have a maic pull to her; Brendel and the others looked over to where she pointed.

    There were many travelers on the street that were not natives¡ª

    Because of Brendel¡¯s action a month ago, the news of the Divine Artifact Resonance in Randner had circted to various bars and inns in the kingdom. The bards were carrying this news further north, and adventurers who wanted to try their luck started appearing. Mercenaries, merchants and bounty hunters were other groups were like hyenas which had smelled the scent of blood, rushing and gathering around the region.

    Nobles who concerned themselves with Aouine¡¯s brewing storm sent out their eyes and ears. Even the Association of Stars and Moon, as well as the ck Tower sent out their scouts. Within half a month, the poption of Princess Gryhpine¡¯s territory actually doubled. If Trentheim was not under the threat of Madara¡¯s army, the cities¡¯ lords would have been delighted at receiving more taxes.

    [The situation is bingplicated.]

    Brendel¡¯s eyes swept across them. It was clear that he did not fit in with these adventurers because of his attire, and the adventurers did not fit in with the local natives. This scene looked as though an artist deliberately painted the social differences.

    The majority of these outsiders did not want to get involved with the locals, and the same goes for thetter who wanted to do with these likelywless lot.

    However, Romaine was pointing at something else. It was a small group of adventurers who were distributing food to the emaciated children. This sight made him feel there was an illusion where time was going backwards, as if he was in the game world, and these were the sympathetic gamers who were distributing food.

    He quickly shook his head to get rid of that illusion. There were still young adventurers who pursued their dreams instead of profit.

    [Four men and two women. All of them are indeed in their youths.]

    Brendel could not help but reflect on the reality between fantasy and the real world. Adventurers were not the exciting and romantic life mentioned in fairy tales, and in truth it was bloody and difficult. They had to enter areas fraught with dangers and perils, and it wasmon for them to meet with their deaths just like mercenaries. Theirpensation was a pittancepared to the danger they were in, and most of them ended up as bones in unknown ces, although there was nock of people who became rich overnight.

    Because of this, the majority of the adventurers had to be practical and work for profit. Only the youths who acted upon ideal dreams did something illogical, and he was certain this group of adventurers had just started their journey.

    The other exceptions were them being the descendants of rich nobles or merchants.

    ¡°What did you want us to look at?¡± He turned his head back to ask.

    He felt pangs of danger when he saw her pretty, dark brown eyes roll about as though she had thought of something creative.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Brendel asked while being on his guard against her crazy antics.

    ¡°Something like what they are doing.¡± Little Romaine replied as a matter-of-fact.

    ¡°The food that we brought along isn¡¯t enough, Romaine.¡± Amandina reminded Romaine as she understood her thoughts immediately: ¡°Our men and horses are draining our supplies quickly. If we¡¯re going to purchase food supplies here, we would have to deal with the local lord. Have you forgotten what happened just a while ago?¡±

    Amandina was referring to the incident when they passed by a low-ranking noble¡¯snd. Brendel had gone with Scarlett to negotiate the price of procuring food supplies, but the noble became interested in Scarlett and sent out his personal guards to abduct her.

    The end results were thirty-odd iron-ranked guards were soundly beaten by the youth, then forced the noble topensate for his transgressions. However, this event served as a warning. Even though the royal crown still retained its power, the nobles were already abusing their powers.

    Brendel gave a grateful nce to Amandina when she finished speaking. The previous lord they encountered was still fine, but this time they were going to face Baron Graudin. Even though he was insignificant in Aouine¡¯s history, his father was Duke Randner. If he tried to ckmail Graudin or kill him outright, the duke would definitely send out his army out after his head.

    [In the past, Duke Rhun¡¯s army is able to freely move through Duke Randner¡¯s territory as they pleased. Perhaps the Princess¡¯s faction established some form of deal with him. Someday I¡¯ll deal with these parasites, but it will only be when my army is ready and I have enough speaking authority. Power, is still one of the most important rules in this world.]

    Romaine shook her head upon listening to Amandina, gave a mysterious smile and replied: ¡°Do you all not discover it yet?¡±

    ¡°About what?¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°The method to do business¡ª¡°

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Brendel took off his glove and brought his hand to her forehead, wondering if she was having a fever, while Romaine swatted his hand away in annoyance. The younger Wild Elf sister asked curiously:

    ¡°Miss Romaine, my hometown has a saying. Poverty and merchants do not go along with each other. In such a poor ce, is there really business to be done in such a poor ce?¡±

    ¡°Tia!¡± Fern said as she red at her.

    Tia was scared of her older sister¡¯s wrath, so she stuck out her tongue and swallowed her remaining words.

    ¡°You can¡¯t really say that. My aunt said that if there are ces with transactions to be done, then there would be merchants.¡± Romaine said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree with your aunt,¡± Amandina looked at the uneven roads. It was highly unsuitable for horse carriages to even pass through the streets at its state. Havingmerce in this area was still a long way off: ¡°But this ce seems tock even the basic conditions for transactions......¡±

    ¡°But are these adventurers not doing transactions right before our eyes?¡± The merchant girl looked at the young adventurers¡¯ actions with great interest.

    Brendel¡¯s head snapped back to Romaine with incredulous eyes. A bold idea was forming in his head as he realized what she was thinking about.

 volume 2 - 135

    TL: Get ready for the longest trantor¡¯s notes in the history of Wolfietrantion.

    I¡¯ll move the notes to another page in a few days, but you can skip to the story and ignore my notes entirely if you want to.

    Let me break it down into sections.

    1) The editing process of TAS

    2) What¡¯s my recent update?

    3) Selecting the new web host

    1) The editing process of TAS

    Oh boy, where do I start...

    The goal of telling you how I edit TAS is because I want the readers to decide on how they want to deal with the protagonist¡¯s name (again) as I re-edit the chapters.

    Long exnation ahead.

    I generally edit TAS with 2 concepts in my mind, ¡°Character design¡± and ¡°storyboarding¡±. These two elements are what I learned in school and generally built on the ¡°Three Act Structure¡°, and also the reasons why editing time has gone way up.

    While my edits are generally done with broad strokes based on the concepts, I do believe the oue of my process is actually quite close to a formal editing, or at least how I understand editing to be for a novel.

    There are variations on the different types of editing but I will specify the four general types that rtes to my process.

    A) Developmental Editing

    B) Substantive Editing

    C) Copy Editing

    D) Proofreading

    A) Developmental Editing (DE)

    As a thumb of rule for DE, the basic ideas are to enhance and refine the story, kill off inconsistencies and unrealistic things if there are any. The easiest example is the blind girl mentioned in TAS. She basically ¡®cannot¡¯ see, but the author chooses ¡°She looks at Brendel¡± and I correct that.

    I create general character sheets and stick to them as much as possible for consistency. There are descriptive text written in to develop or change the characters¡¯ motivations / behavior to make it consistent and less cliche (if applicable).

    I also research various elements that are rted to medieval stuff for proofreading. An example would be Freya enrolling in that academy/school (which I actually am not sure if something like a knights¡¯ school actually existed?). Medieval knights basically transit something like this.

    Page (6-13 years old) > Squire (14-21 years old) > Knight (can be ranked earlier than 21 years old)

    Basically one can be made a knight or inducted into a knighthood. Since Freya is under Princess Gryphine¡¯s forces, she can be made into one. Female knights does exist in medieval times, by the way.

    In case anyone is still wondering, no, I have not changed any significant plotlines at all. Not the job of an editor.

    B) Substantive Editing

    The idea of [] as ¡°thought lines¡± did not exist in the original raws.

    The raws¡¯ dialogues will be split up across really long passages as the author creates his exposition, and it is generally confusing and has a 4th wall narration to it. Ultimately I chose to [] it and rify various things to make it easier for the audience.

    The ======= XXX POV ======== also does not exist in the raws, and is requested by the majority of the readers.

    There¡¯s quite a bit of reordering to the passages whenever applicable in order to maintain a coherent flow to the text.

    Other additions include

    ¨C Rted terms of addressing like, My lord, Your Highness, etc, and falls under this category.

    ¨C Names. I gave a few of the more important names a lot of thinking. Trentheim is a recent example. Brownie points for anyone who actually manages to guess what it means.

    ¨C Reduction on word padding. Please Brendel. You have to stop turning your head around 720 degrees. It¡¯s like a horror movie. And stop looking up so many times too, you¡¯re going to break it.

    C) Copy Editing

    This typically falls under smooth Engrish operation. Basically, I need a real copyeditor who has an A grade in English because I¡¯m admittedly not good enough, but lol there¡¯s no possible way to afford anyone like that.

    Copy editing is supposed to ensure proper word usage, fix awkward grammar English, clean up even more redundancies, improve the prose and natural feel on how the plot is conveyed. I¡¯ll stick characters¡¯ word choice consistency into this section instead of DE.

    D) Proofreading

    Finally, prooreading is just spelling corrections to be done.

    You guys still with me?

    When ites to trantion, I don¡¯t exactly follow the above ABCD in a specific order. My process immediately applies mostly A and B during my first draft TL, then my 2nd TL edit will apply ABCD again as a clean up.

    This initial first draft takes me approximately 3-4 hours. The second read through and editing takes me another 1-2 hours. Generally I want to be done in this time frame so I can take a break on this.

    If you think that¡¯s good enough, nope, it actually isn¡¯t. To be honest, there should be one more round of BCD editing again to ensure I don¡¯tmit inuracies.

    I have to bnce speed and quality at the end of the day, because I don¡¯t have enough time or financial backup on this (yet, I¡¯ll see how it goes when I get a proper job). I also assume that you took the warning seriously in my TAS sections that I edit extensively.

    Going forward I want to address the name Su Fei/Sophie again. After all the long read about my editing processes, I have 3 polls for you. Basically if question 1 gets a negative respond, I will ignore question 2 and not edit the protagonist¡¯s name.

    The reason why I¡¯m asking this is because I have seen a particr bit of spoiler about the protagonist after the book was finally finished by the author. Therefore I can roughly say that the Sophie/Su Fei name isn¡¯t so important (at least for the start of the ), and wouldn¡¯t change the overall plot for the chapters that I have tranted so far even if I take it out.

    Su Fei/Sophie¡¯s identity is generally isted in the beginning and I will probably write ¡®the youth¡¯ (doesn¡¯t it sound like there¡¯s an air of mystery ~_~) as a general recement and even bring forward Brendel as a name change, then reveal his real name when he does it in-text to the people around him.

    Please carefully think on answering these few questions, I¡¯ll be leaving the power in the readers¡¯ hands.

    Do you think Sophie is a terrible name for the protagonist?

    Yes.

    No.

    Vote

    View ResultsPolldaddy

    Do you want me to edit out the name Sophie for the start of the ?

    Yes.

    No.

    Vote

    View ResultsPolldaddy

    Extra poll: If you answered to both questions with a yes, do you want to change Sophie¡¯s name to Souffl¨¦?

    Yes.

    No.

    What?

    Vote

    View ResultsPolldaddy

    Finally, there is one more thing that I will do when I re-edit everything. I¡¯ll create a list of changes for all the chapters and a lexicon detailing my information on TAS¡¯, which wille much, muchter.

    2) What¡¯s my recent update?

    You know...... I don¡¯t remember how I started up my trantion at all. I guess it must be some kind of ¡°meh, lemme just get straight into tranting¡±. I tranted on notepad which is kind of disastrous because I lose content from time to time by not saving the drafts, and worse off, I don¡¯t save it in myputer.

    Everything is in wolfietrantions, lol. If one day there¡¯s some crash or hack into my website, that¡¯s probably game over. Buttt I finally managed to, sigh, get all 291 chapters saved into txt files and stored in my localputer. Such horrible inefficiency by wasting a whole day.

    I also downloaded wordpress manager and local PC hosting software to test out development, and I¡¯m going to start looking into 3 things.

    ¨C Design new website and CSS for reading essibility.

    ¨C Auto-linkage whenever I publish a chapter, back/next button.

    ¨C The plugins avable.

    CSS ns

    ¨C Font type. I¡¯ll check out verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif as the initial reading font.

    ¨C Day/Night background. I might need to rely on the readers¡¯ expertise, if any, on this.

    ¨C Adjustable Font size. Let¡¯s see how it goes.

    Auto linkage

    ¨C Back/next buttons, easily exined.

    ¨C TOC for the series

    Plugins

    ¨C Disqus maybe?

    ¨C Various useful plugins if any, I guess.

    3) Selecting the new web host.

    Technically there are two webhosts that I¡¯m looking at, DreamHost and A2 Hosting. I¡¯m choosing something slightly more expensive so there wouldn¡¯t be any downtime and hopefully it¡¯s going to be faster in page loading.

    I don¡¯t have any intentions to put in ads for now, so you guys can enjoy the ad-free experience lol ing in May, I hope).

    Chapter 135 ¨C Romaine¡¯s second n (3)

    ¡°Miss Romaine, I don¡¯t think you can call their actions a trade but a donation.¡± Sanford answered in the back.

    ¡°That¡¯s obviously a trade. If you are buying hope with food isn¡¯t that a transaction?¡± Romaine¡¯s face went up a little higher as she tapped her chin with her finger thoughtfully.

    ¡°Using food to buy hope? What does that mean?¡± Amandina gave her a strange look.

    Everyone felt the same way about Romaine¡¯s replies. Brendel was the only exception as he wondered on how Romaine¡¯s little mind functioned. She seemed to be always thinking of ideas that normal people could not.

    ¡°Amandina, how long do you need to make this ce a self-sufficient economy if the region is governed by you?¡± He asked.

    Amandina immediately sensed there was an additional meaning in his words. She turned her attention to him, wondering if the youth had his eyes set on this territory, or simply to test her out.

    Regardless of what his intentions were, she took a long serious look at the filthy citizens whose clothes were patched up so many times that their former appearance was no longer there, before she answered with difficulty.

    ¡°The shortest amount of time would be a year, two if things do not go well. The citizens currently have no wealth, and the territorycks the basic requirements to be converted into amercial industry. Even if we did a tax reform and redistribute thend to build a proper city, we need more time to gather the resources to store up wealth...... I am confident that I can start amercial district in two years, but it would require a great sum of money¡ª¡°

    ¡°We just need to distribute the wealth so the citizens are wealthy enough, right? We can save time if we do that.¡± Romaine interrupted her and said it like it was matter-of-fact.

    ¡°Are you...... serious?¡± Amandina nearly choked on her indignance: ¡°We would be no different from gamblers if we lend our money to the poor! Even if they pay the money back it¡¯s still our own money¡ª It¡¯s more likely that we would lose everything!¡±

    She looked at Romaine like thetter was a crazy merchant addicted to risky deals.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you already say that you¡¯re ¡®lending¡¯ money to them? They won¡¯t run away and bring back even more money for us. It¡¯s going to be stated clearly on our promissory notes.¡± Romaine said.

    ¡°In the end we won¡¯t get back anything because they will just spend everything away!¡±

    Romaine wagged her finger to disagree with Amandina like she was a world-ss banker, before pointing at the citizens in the city.

    ¡°You are not wrong if my idea is done in Brus. But these people here are desperate to get out of poverty right? Distributing our money to them is the same as buying them hope. We can teach them how to work in production lines and fulfill their wishes on being self-sufficient. They will be able to pay off what they owe in their promissory notes when they work for it, and I will gain many partners in the Game of Commerce. This is different from gambling. If you bury a gold coin in the ground here, you will be able to gain two the following year.¡±

    She winked at Amandina mischievously.

    ¡°That...... It might work, but achieving it in reality is difficult......¡± Even though Amandina understood Romaine¡¯s point of view, she was unable to ept this crazy logic.

    ¡°Indeed, there¡¯s a certain difficulty.....¡± Brendel nodded, but he looked at Romaine with praising eyes. Romaine¡¯s ideas were not really transactions, but a form of redistribution. If they direct both capital and production materials to a group of highly motivated citizens, they would be able to create high productivity. However, that idea will only work if the entire region¡¯s wealth was under the territory¡¯s lord. Still, it was remarkably ahead for its time in terms of economic policies.

    While Brendel was capable in administering the financial management, he was not specialized enough to build the finer details on amerce district¡¯s infrastructure.

    He was confident he could set the foundations for the policy and free it from any outside interference, though.

    ¡°Rather than say you¡¯re buying hope, you can think it as buyingbor. By having a driven workforce, there would be a difference in the speed on creating financial gains. If we execute this policy, then the most important aspect would be on to redistribute the wealth. Amandina, what are your specific thoughts?¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Repair the roads.¡± Amandina promptly said.

    Brendel nodded inwardly when her idea was the same as his own.

    ¡°...... My lord, are you nning to do something to this territory?¡± Amandina hesitated for a while before she finally gathered her courage and whispered to him.

    She almost could not believe her own words when she spoke. It was the same as encouraging her lord to attack a legitimate lord. Usurping thisnd was the equivalent of betraying the kingdom. But the royal crown was weakening as the days went by, and she was greatly shaken in the kingdom¡¯s future after witnessing the noble lords¡¯ cruel and decadent behaviors.

    Brendel first nodded, then shook his head and rubbed his forehead.

    [I certainly have my eyes set on this ce. That bastard Graudin isn¡¯t some decent noble in the game or this world. Just look at the sight of this ce. He¡¯s also too close to my future territory. Even if he doesn¡¯t invade us, there will certainly be extortion and unfair tradings that will happen in the future, and there wouldn¡¯t be any profit to speak of. But there are two things that I¡¯mcking in to take him down. Men and timing.]

    He estimated that he should wait at least one to two months, until the various lords in the kingdom announced their independence. Then no one would pay attention to the southern border where two lords fought for each other¡¯snd. By then, he would be ready to deal with Baron Graudin.

    [But this is a headache. This year¡¯s Trentheim is certainly one of the poorest regions in Aouine. I was afraid Romaine might have trouble creatingmerce in this area, but it seems like she already have ideas in ce. Should I get Amandina to start working on a n now? Money is the next concern. The first step in gaining our startup capital will be ckmailing money from the nobles who skimmed profits from Brus¡¯ routes, then start working towards gaining ess to the rich southern mines. Any other sources of revenue like overseas trading, can be left to Amandina to work on¡ª]

    A sharp snapping sound from a horse whip suddenly broke his thoughts. He and his men immediately turned to the source of the noise, and saw a group of riders entering the city. Even though their equipment were mixed all over in an ugly fashion, their emblems were clear.

    The gs that they carried showed a pelican on top of checkered squares, clearly representing the emblem of Randner¡¯s retainers. Brendel immediately knew these men belonged to Baron Graudin¡¯s personal troops.

    They dashed across through the uneven roads and raised their whips in order to drive the citizens on the street to the sides. The citizens scattered like they were a bunch of livestock, but this sight seemed to be highly humorous to the riders, and their harshughter echoed in the street.

    A few of them even had to correct their riding postures.

    Amandina instantly frowned. This was not an umon sight in Brus as the city¡¯s guards did the same thing. Scarlett scoffed coldly after observing the riders.

    ¡°They seemed to be dragging something behind them.¡± Sanford suddenly pointed at the ground behind the riders.

    ¡°Dead bodies.¡± Brendel answered, but sighed as he finished as his words: ¡°The nobles¡¯ private soldiers went out to kill bandits.¡±

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Amandina was puzzled over his reaction. Was it not amon thing for the soldiers to do?

    But Brendel ced his palm up to stop her queries, then pointed at another direction. When she ced her focus in the area, she saw a group of women kneeling on the ground, weeping as they covered their faces.

    ¡°...... What¡¯s going on?¡± She asked with a perplexed frown.

    ¡°Rather than calling them bandits, you can call them peasants who are forced to flee from the lord¡¯s taxation. Many of them lived their lives out like themon folks who lived in the city and do not partake in thievery, but since they avoid taxes they are ssified and judged as ouws.¡± One of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries answered her question with visible emotions: ¡°My father was also killed in this manner, these fucking nobles.....¡±

    ¡°Are men the only ones who do this?¡± Amandina took a deep breath and asked.

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not exactly heaven to be living out in the open.¡± Brendel nodded.

    At Brendel¡¯s finalment, the city suddenly seemed to fall into an odd silence. Other than the private soldiers¡¯ yells and curses, and the women¡¯s quiet weepings, there was no one who uttered a sound when they saw this sight before them.

 volume 2 - 136

    TL: This is a donated chapter.

    50.1% vs 49.9% ¨C Sophie is a terrible name for the male protagonist. Please don¡¯t name your children that.

    72.6 % vs 27.4% ¨C Don¡¯t erase the name out.

    Congrats to the majority, you won a major victory and you shall suppress the minority with the powers of democracy. I shall therefore stick to my original n with some minor corrections to my mistakes.

    64% ¨C chose ¡®what¡¯ on the third question?

    In the case of Su Fei and Souffle, and actually exined in thements of thest chapter ¨C

    The Chinese pronunciation of Su Fei ¨C Sue Fey

    The pronunciation of Souffle ¨C Sue Fley

    The pronunciation of Sophie ¨C So Fee

    Sophie might be the direct name trantion of the Chinese characters but the English pronunciation is just off the mark.

    Recently there has been an interesting mod post on novelupdates forums asking whether Brendel is good-looking or not, because the tags at NU keep getting changed and deleted to ¡°average-looking protagonist¡± and the mod got irritated over it (lol).

    To put it simply, he¡¯s good-looking enough to be easy on the eyes, but not on the level of ManSexGod?.

    Whatever arguments or reasons you have in your mind that includes ¡°But he¡¯s a NPC so he¡¯s generic looking!¡± or ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I remember him as in!¡±, take it from your trantor who has reached the *SPOILER* in the story, there is zero chance of Brendel being an average-looking NPC fodder and thus invalidates any and all other arguments.

    Anything else that I have done like outright describe him as in-looking, is wrong and I will change it. I don¡¯t think I did that, other than the early start of the series with something along the lines of ¡°he¡¯s a youth you can find anywhere in the kingdom¡±.

    As for the progress on the new website, it¡¯s going to have to be slightly barebones in design for now. I never did really solve the exact codes for back/next button, so the codes are the default wordpress boolean check on categories. I¡¯ll do some manual coding if it really fails.

    I want to roll out the website, preferably on 1st May, then store wolfietrantion into the freezer.

    Chapter 136 ¨C Dispute.

    ¡°Father!¡± A sudden childish outcry of anxiety and unease suddenly cut through the cavalry¡¯s sneeringughter.

    A haggard-looking woman covered her child¡¯s mouth and looked at the riders with fearful eyes. Silence covered the entire street as the leader of the riders dismounted and walked slowly over to her. His gait had a certain threatening weight to it as he carried hisrge spear over his shoulders.

    While his eyes were dyed with surprise from the cry earlier, it could not hide the disdain in them.

    ¡°This boy knows that wretched thing?¡± The stout man licked his lips as he pointed with his spear to the blood-stained corpse on the ground. Hisrades came up as well and surrounded her like a pack of hyenas.

    The woman hugged her son and shook her head with tears rolling across her cheeks.

    ¡°Let that boy go. I want to hear the answer directly from him.¡± The man used his spear to draw back the woman¡¯s fringe as he said.

    The woman hugged her child even tighter as she was afraid of losing him; the people around her looked on with sympathetic eyes but quickly drew back from her.

    ¡°Did you not hear what I just said?¡±

    ¡°Ser Knight, he¡¯s still young, please have mercy on my boy!¡± She begged him as she wept.

    ¡°You wretched bitch.¡± The man said as he quickly raised his spear to strike her, he immediately found a young woman carrying a longbow spreading her arms out and stood in his way.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± The man looked at the unexpected interference in front of him.

    Brendel rxed his fingers that were on his sword a while ago. He recognized the daring girl from the group of youths who distributed food earlier.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, do you have no shame in bullying a helpless woman?¡± The woman with the longbow shouted angrily: ¡°I¡¯m a daughter of a Bar, and Imand you to stop this immediately!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± The burly man looked nkly at her for a moment, before he turned back to hisrades and said: ¡°Boys, thisss here is an aristocrat¡¯s daughter! What should we do?¡±

    Rudeughter came in reply.

    ¡°And whichnd is your noble father from?¡± The man turned back to the bar¡¯s daughter and asked in a nk tone.

    ¡°Fenna, be careful!¡±

    A man wearing heavy armor burst out from the crowd, his hand on the greatsword behind his back, but it was toote, the leader of the cavalry had already stabbed through her stomach with his spear.

    That oue suddenly came from nowhere, and the woman named Fenna looked down in disbelief as she uttered a soft gasp. Pain drowned her when the leader pulled his weapon, and she staggered back a few steps before she fell forward onto the ground. Blood pooled around her as she repeatedly opened and closed her mouth, shuddering repeatedly before she finallyid still.

    The leader casually ced the spear back across his shoulders like it nothing had happened, flinging drops of blood across the ground. The cavalry behind him quickly took out their longbows and shot at the adventurers and civilians alike. Ten-odd men were instantly killed as screams broke out from the crowd.

    The cavalry did not care whether they hurt the innocent and efficiently drove the crowd away to prevent any sudden retaliation.

    ¡°Fenna!¡± That swordsman cried out again and swept away the arrows with his sword, but before his cry ended, another member in his party copsed to the ground as an arrow struck him. ¡°You fucking bastards!¡±

    He roared as he pushed away the panicking crowd and rushed straight to the leader with his greatsword. Thetter intercepted his attack with his spear and bellowed: ¡°Whoever interferes will be the enemies of Lord Trentheim!¡± (TL: Baron Graudin = Lord Trentheim.)

    The provoked crowd of adventurers quickly abated their tempers.

    The swordsman continued to attack regardless of the leader¡¯s threat, but thetter easily deflected the strikes, urately bashed the swordsman¡¯s fingers with the base of the spear and knocked away the greatsword with a sweep. He then followed up with a strike from the spear¡¯s body to the swordsman¡¯s face before he finally thrust the de into his neck.

    While both of them were perceived as Iron-ranked fighters, it was clear that the cavalry¡¯s leader was several grades above the swordsman.

    But the spear never reached the swordsman¡¯s neck. A tremendous force had struck against it and caused a metallic sh to ring out. It inched away from thetter¡¯s neck, and caused the cavalry¡¯s leader to wobble unsteadily. His hands were numb from the impact.

    ¡°Who dares!¡± The leader roared in fury and turned around, and his eyesid on a youth wearing a jet-ck cloak over an baster shirt with fancy patterns stitched across his cor. His cashmere gloves were dyed in a startling red and were connected to a heavy longbow.

    That youth was gazing back at him as though he was filth.

    The old and new Brendel were aligned perfectly with each other right at that moment. They did not allow unjust actions to defile their sanctuary.

    Amandina, Sanford and Scarlett looked at the youth in utter surprise. They did not think that Brendel would interfere with this situation so openly. Romaine was looking at him with sparkles in her eyes, feeling that this was his true personality.

    The different faces that he showed were many; his courageous expression, his resolute appearance, his air of violent bloodthirst when he fought against his enemies, and even the one when he was angry with her.

    She liked every one of those faces.

    A moment of silence came about as everyone in the streets turned their attention to the youth.

    The cavalry¡¯s leader narrowed his eyes as he studied the men around Brendel. He was secretly shocked at the disy of strength that the youth had.

    The aristocrat¡¯s daughter was stupid enough to go against him here. There was nothing her lowly ranking noble father could do if he did not have anynd under his name. Would he dare to address his grievances directly to a Baron who had a duke as his backing forces?

    But the youth in front of him was different. Nomon man would be able to bring so many guards along with him, and they looked like they had the abilities of the kingdom¡¯s elite forces.

    [This man probably isn¡¯t somemon aristocrat¡¯s offspring.]

    He quickly put away his spear and came to attention and cautiously greeted him.

    ¡°May I inquire who you are, Messere?¡±

    The cavalry¡¯s arrows that were focused on Brendel, lowered as soon as they heard theirmander speak politely. They quickly cooled their heads as they realized the situation was changing.

    ¡°Let them go.¡± Brendel said, his voice void of any warmth.

    He did not even take a look at the archers. With Scarlett and Medissa around, it would be a joke if the people around him got hurt by any arrows. However, he started investing his bonus XP forpleting the quest in Baern Shyrltaesi.

    [200000 XP in total. There¡¯s no telling what will happen here. If I threaten this bastard he¡¯s most likely to back down, but I don¡¯t want any mistakes here...... There, I ced everything into the Mercenary profession. It¡¯s at level 25 now, and my overall character level is 32. Strength and dexerity is at 70 and 40, respectively, putting me on par with the stats of Silver-ranked fighter at a higher tier......]

    Suddenly, there was an odd feeling in his mind. When he fired that arrow at the cavalry¡¯s leader, he was suddenly reminded of the time when he lost his temper at Makarov over Scarlett. He shook off that feeling in a hurry.

    [...... Regardless, I need to raise my level as soon as possible to unseal my Element. Once my perception is raised I should be able to make sense of the type of Element I have. The situation might go out of hand anytime and I need every bit of power avable to me.]

    Brendel was easily able to kill every one of the bastards in front of him, and would dly do so if Baron Graudin was not in the picture.

    ¡°Messere, we will be in trouble if we do as you say,¡± The attitude of the riders¡¯ leader changed to a polite tone as Brendel¡¯s haughty reaction confirmed his suspicions: ¡°These people who fought back might be conspiring with the bandits. We can¡¯t answer to our lord if we let them go¡ª¡°

    But he chose to resist. He did kill a noble, and if he let the survivors escape then there would still be trouble for him if rumors came about.

    Brendel¡¯sughter echoed in the street when he heard the leader¡¯s answer.

    ¡°Who the fuck do you think you¡¯re talking to?¡± The youth¡¯s hand went to his sword: ¡°Killing you is as easy as killing a rat, and I just need to apologize to Graudin after the deed is done¡ª But I¡¯m going to give him my respect by not cutting your head off on the spot despite your insolence. However, my patience has its limits¡ª¡°

    He pulled out his sword and caused the riders in front of him to shiver slightly.

    The world was simply that practical. If the nobility¡¯s status did not work in negotiations, then violence and power were the answers. The price of being naive was too high, and all too easily understood with Fenna¡¯s still-warm body.

    The riders¡¯ leader considered for a while before he finally agreed and stepped away from the swordsman.

    The swordsman still wanted to grab his greatsword and cut down the bastard in front of him, but another adventurer dashed out from the crowd to restrain him. Brendel watched him whisper into the swordsman¡¯s ears before thetter finally calmed down.

    ¨C Don¡¯t cause trouble for others.

    Brendel sighed inwardly. The group of adventurers were truly naive. To the point where it was as rare as precious gems.

    Tears streaked down the swordsman¡¯s eyes as he gently carried Fenna¡¯s body. The crowd parted as the two men walked towards Brendel.

    ¡°Thank you, kind sir.¡±

    The person who thanked him was a skinny-looking youth around Brendel¡¯s age. He had a pale face and long light-grey hair, and wore a monocle which was chained back behind his ear. He wore a grey set of long robes which had runic patterns on his sleeves, and Brendel realized that he was an apprenticing wizard.

    Unlike the swordsman who disyed his anger and sorrow openly, the youth appearedposed and polite, although his slightly red eyes betrayed the fury in him.

    ¡°Do you want to take revenge?¡± Brendel asked after studying the wizard for a moment.

    The young wizard looked up at Brendel in suspicion before he quietly shook his head and pulled the surprised swordsman away.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes followed his back. That young wizard was just as angry as the swordsman and would never forget about this incident, but contrary to his partner, he was cautious and showed restraint.

    [I thought that everyone in that group is naive but that youth is quite intriguing.....]

    ¡°Messere, I have done what you asked of me. Would you kindly follow us and exin to our superiors?¡± The riders¡¯ leader carefully asked.

    Brendel gave a derisive scoff, but he nodded after a moment.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Amandina whispered.

    Since he interfered with this matter it would be necessary for him to meet Baron Graudin. It was folly to use force here, and he thought it would be better for him to make the first move and fool thetter.

 volume 2 - 137

    Chapter 137 ¨C Gift

    Brendel proimed himself as ¡®Viscount Gunston¡¯, a noble who traveled south from the north. The papers he had on him were given by the cripple Roen, and the craftsmanship on them was as perfect as the papers handed down straight from the capital¡¯s parliament. Even the original Viscount Gunston would wonder if his papers were fake if he ever saw them.

    When the riders¡¯ leader received the papers and read them, he bowed politely and said: ¡°My lord, my name is Colton. I will report to my superiors so they can arrange a meeting between you and Lord Trentheim. Would you allow one of my men to apany you and let him direct you to the best inn in the city?¡±

    Brendel nodded, and Colton quickly gave orders to his men to clean up the street, and got one of the younger riders to escort Brendel.

    The capital of Trentheim was called Fohre. Its streets spread out like spiderwebs, narrow and many, and the roofs of the buildings were a spectacr crimson due to the red soil used. Colton¡¯s subordinate lead them to an inn called The Brave Fist, a unique building that was high enough to allow its guests to look at the city¡¯s grey outer walls.

    With such close borders to the wilderness that was outside Mother¡¯s Marsha protection, humans had to rely on the city walls to defend against magical creatures, beasts and demi-races.

    Brendel and the others only had to wait a few hours after their meals at the inn before Baron Graudin¡¯s invitation arrived. Although it was only a small group of Graudin¡¯s men who escorted them, when they arrived at Graudin¡¯s manor, he found two rows of elite soldiers standing at the gates. They wore heavy armor, equipped withnces, and were neatly lined up and without expressions on their faces.

    [A grand entrance indeed. It looks like Graudin is trying to threaten me. It might even frighten a real viscount¡ª]

    The youth ignored them and walked past the gates. There was a massive man who immediately blocked his path and tried to grab his shoulders. However, before he could even touch Brendel a girl with fiery red hair grabbed his wrist and jerked it away. Her eyes looked like she was locking on to her prey.

    ¡°Get lost.¡± She said simply.

    She took a step forward and rammed into him, causing him to crash into the wall of soldiers. There was immediate wailing after a loud crash.

    ¡°Cease your actions!¡± The soldiers were surprised and immediately tried to block Brendel from progressing any further, but they were hurled backwards by the youth the moment they touched him.

    It was as if they were facing a dragon and not a refined noble.

    [70 OZ in the strength stats. Even in king Ansen¡¯s era, I would qualify for a spot in the kingdom¡¯s cavalry. Just a little more and I can be in the elite group. In this era, I am even on par with a captain...]

    Brendel continued to advance quickly, and there were constant metallic crashing noises as the soldiers were thrown at each other like bags of flour. He never looked back and finally stopped at the second gate.

    It was shut tight. Perhaps the person who was meant to open it was lying on the ground, so he did not waste any time, and kicked down the door just like how he had done it countless times in the game.

    The door crashed onto the ground with an impressive bang, and the empty hall was presented before Brendel.

    ============= Graudin¡¯s POV ===============

    ¡°My god, this man is such a brute!¡±

    Somewhere in the mansion behind an arch window, was a middle-aged man who was peeking through the curtains with piqued interest. Even though he sounded impressed, his eyes were cold and discerning. He was holding onto a goblet with bright red liquid in it. He shook his hand and allowed the viscous liquid to bob up and down.

    Brendel would recognize that man in a heartbeat if he saw him. It was all too easy to recognize Graudin¡¯s prominent eagle-like hook nose. His eye sockets were deeply inset and his skin was pale as though he was sick with mise, giving him the uniquely sinister look which was prevalent within the Randner¡¯s family. The only thing that seemed alive was his bushy moustache that ended in a curl.

    ¡°A youth of twenty years and barely qualifies as a Silver-rank fighter.¡± Graudin stroked his moustache: ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Thenky man behind him shook his head: ¡°He did not use his full strength. That girl with red hair isn¡¯t simple either. If we were to fight, the odds will be split in both ways. I do not suggest fighting.¡±

    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t,¡± Graudinid his goblet down onto the windowsill with some annoyance, causing it to gave out a light clink: ¡°He must have some considerable backing if he dares to openly challenge me in my own territory. But even if I don¡¯t find fault with this matter, I need to show him a lesson.¡±

    He lowered the curtains and turned around: ¡°What of the task that I instructed you to do?¡±

    ¡°The men have been sent out. If there are no problems, they would be back this very evening.¡± The man bowed slightly.

    ¡°Good.¡± Graudin threw his goblet away with a fling on his hand, and itnded next to a dead woman. The red liquid immediately sshed everywhere, causing a foul stench to spread throughout the room. The dull-brown carpet slowly turned to a red hue once again.

    ¡°This matter is requested by my father. Make sure everything is perfect.¡±

    Graudin wondered when his damned father would choose his sessor. What disappointed him was how his father became sharper every year, or he would have poisoned all his brothers to their deaths.

    [A bunch of fools blocking my path.] (TL: I made a pretty huge mistake. It¡¯s not duke Randner, it¡¯s count Randner. I¡¯ll make sure to change it one day.)

    ============= Brendel¡¯s POV ============

    The grand hall was decorated with a crystal chandelier, an excessive luxury with intricate craftsmanship. There were sigils within the crystals, indicating that it was an magic artifact. The design dated to the early era of king Ansen, and was crafted to tell the story of the Treatise of the Holy Men, depicting one hundred and eighty star consetions of the Gods.

    Brendel and Graudin met under that artifact, separated by a long rectangr table on each end. The supposedly empty hall was soon filled with people. Besides Graudin¡¯s knights, there were many local nobles who were also invited to the meeting.

    [Looks like his real followers are not here.]

    Brendel was certain that Graudin¡¯s confidants were not in the room after studying everyone. Trentheim¡¯s territory was not consideredrge, but there were at least twenty-odd districts ruled by Graudin¡¯s loyal retainers.

    After the superficial pleasantries were exchanged, the baron formerly announced the banquet¡¯s opening, in the name of weing ¡®Viscount Gunston¡¯.

    The food that the servants brought had a wide variety but they were wasted on Brendel¡¯s men. Having a meal in the heart of the enemy¡¯s territory was too stifling for them. Amandina¡¯s heart was racing all the time, frowning at the table as she looked across at the two exceptions.

    Brendel and Romaine were sampling each dish with delight.

    Baron Graudin noticed Amandina¡¯s expression and spoke after a moment of thinking: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, does mydy feel that there¡¯s something not satisfactory to your taste?¡±

    The grand hall was suddenly silenced.

    Amandina secretly panicked but she raised her head and nodded:

    ¡°My Lord Brendel and Lady Romaine are too polite and would not speak badly of this banquet. However as their retainer, I would have to protest at your treatment. Do you view us as nobles below your rank?¡ª¡±

    The other nobles went still.

    [Good job! You saw through that bastard¡¯s ploy.]

    Brendel secretly raised both of his thumbs up at Amandina¡¯s impressive remark. It was truly a p to Graudin¡¯s face and he was unable to find a retort at her criticism. One could hardly imagine a city¡¯s lord to quarrel with someone¡¯s subordinate, and a woman at that.

    But Graudin merely smiled at her remark, before he cast his slightly clouded eyeballs at Brendel. Thetter also gazed back at him without any fear. He was acting as an arrogant noble who did not care who or what was in front of him, even more so than the typical young nobles in the kingdom.

    ¡°Viscount Gunston.¡± Graudin said after a pause. He had a warm smile.

    ¡°Baron Graudin.¡± Brendel nodded.

    ¡°Since Lord Gunston came from the north, does the weather in the south cause any difort to you?¡±

    ¡°As a knight of the kingdom, there is no difference whether the weather changes or not. The frail idiots who can¡¯t even withstand such changes are not worth being called as nobles in my eyes.¡± Brendel¡¯s mouth fired back with conceit, and he wondered for a moment if he was actually a talented noble in the arts of arrogance.

    The air in the grand hall continued became even more unbearable. This was another attempt to p Graudin¡¯s face, and the nobles wondered who exactly the youth was.

    ¡°A young man like yourself should not bring us old bones into the discussion. If you find that the food is not to your taste, I have a gift prepared for you as an apology.¡± Graudin¡¯s smile was ever polite and even appeared sincere.

    [Gift? What the fuck is he up to?]

    Brendel narrowed his eyes. He was trying to get the idiot to back down and get him to let them leave. It was more important to get his own territory, anding back to pick a fight with him couldeter.

 volume 2 - 138

    Chapter 138 ¨C Element

    Graudin snapped his fingers with a loud snap, and servants appeared to clear the dishes in front of Brendel. After it was cleared, two servants came up bearing a box each and ced them in front of him. They bowed slightly and left the area.

    The baron stood up and extended his hand to prompt Brendel to open the box.

    Brendel was certain that the bastard in front of him was not giving him gifts. Even though he was a viscount, there was no need for Graduin to bootlick him. If thetter actually chose to do that, even the word shameless would not be enough to describe his character.

    He hesitated for a while before nodding to Amandina, indicating for her to open up the box and she did. However, her actions immediately froze when it was slightly ajar.

    From Brendel¡¯s point of view, she was clenching her teeth so hard that she seemed to be trembling but it was to prevent herself from screaming in terror.

    She stood vacantly in front of the box for a while as though there was some magic restraining her. Her throat shifted slightly as she swallowed and took a deep breath before she opened it fully.

    A fork dropped onto the te. Romaine¡¯s hand stayed in mid-air as she stared at the contents in the box.

    Brendel¡¯s expression immediately changed as well.

    That was because a human head was ced in it¡ª

    To be precise, it was the swordsman he saw earlier. The decapitated head¡¯s eyes were shut tightly and the skin had turned white because blood had beenpletely drained from it.

    Brendel did not utter a word.

    Amandina nced at him for a moment before her hands slowly reached for the next box. Her heart was beating so fast that she felt faint, but she was determined to act her role. Her trembling fingers touched the box¡¯s wooden frame, stopped for a second then slowly lifted it up.

    It was another head ¡ª The bar¡¯s daughter Fenna.

    Blood drained from Amandina¡¯s face.

    ¡°The taste of that woman¡¯s blood is quite good,¡± Baron Graudin had a pleasant smile as he spoke: ¡°But a gentleman wouldn¡¯t steal someone¡¯s else belongings. I have heard that the skull of a young girl used as a wine ss makes the wine even better. Lord Brendel, you ought to try it sometime. The other head is aplimentary gift¡ª¡±

    Before he finished his words, there was a light humming sound in the hall.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes went to the source of the noise and discovered Brendel¡¯s sword drawing itself halfway out from its sheath. It was vibrating so fast that it caused the hum they heard earlier, and it looked like it was about to fly out.

    The youth had both of his hands nted onto the table with tightly pursed lips.

    Everyone felt a cold air emitting from him as though there was a palpable killing intent about him.

    The nobles near Brendel dropped their utensils and even fell out of their seats as they watched in horror. That murderous aura intensified and the knights around Graudin drew out their weapon to protect him, while thetter continued to look on as he enjoyed Brendel¡¯s fury.

    But that smile immediately went stiff.

    That was because that cold air manifested into white frost and covered the table, starting from Brendel¡¯s hands. Silver knives and folks twisted into horrific shapes, while the porcin tes and bowls cracked into pieces, then shattering once more to turn into white powder. That faint mist of cold air suddenly traveled rapidly across the table as though a raging beast was trying to stampede across to strike Graudin.

    The two knights who were directly in front of Graudin grunted as they felt their swords¡¯ des break into pieces, before they suddenly screamed and covered their eyes; blood was oozing down between their fingers.

    But the injuries from the knights did not register the people¡¯s minds. It was because the only words that came into their minds were ¡ª

    Unsealed Element.

    Brendel felt his thoughts plunge into an endless darkness that seemed to freeze everything. Themotion he caused in the streets had caused Graudin¡¯s retaliation and killed the innocent man he thought he had saved.

    Utter disgust rose from within Brendel¡¯s heart as he stared at Graudin with piercing eyes. Thetter was worse than any of the nobles he had met so far. The baron was truly made of utter filth. His fake smile seemed to twist into some strange abstract art that looked like it came from hell.

    A sobering rage was born from his heart, wanting every bit of this filth to be gone from this world, and this emotion swept every other useless thought in his mind. Time seemed to stop and his eyes perceived everything with absolute rity.

    His rage, the fear of the nobles around him, Amandina¡¯s difort from being so near his unraveling rage, and Graudin¡¯s surprised eyes.

    It was as though he was watching everything somewhere from above.

    [I can¡¯t believe I reached that so early..... That barrier that prevents me from using my Element.]

    He felt his strength increasing by leaps and bounds, and together with the experience gained from the battle against his grandfather, he found himself pounding on the wall in front of him.

    When he did so, he felt his mind describing the Element power in front of him with words. Frozen. Stability. However, that barrier knocked him back mercilessly:

    You wish to break this barrier? You are not qualified yet!

    The illusion disappeared and the world of darkness fragmented and scattered everywhere. Time resumed, and he was brought back to reality.

    Brendel then heard the shattering noises. Everything was breaking in front of him. The temperature of the hall dropped over several tens of degrees and the walls were cover in a thickyer of frost.

    Brendel¡¯s next reaction was to ce his hand on his sword, and this action alone forced Graudin and the twenty-odd knights behind him to take a big step back, while the furniture behind them exploded into countless splinters.

    ¡°Protect me!¡± Graudin screamed.

    The knights beside him received a great amount of pressure as though an invisible wall was pushing them back, but they forced themselves forward and pulled out their swords against Brendel.

    What awaited them was a seemingly ordinary swing across the table¡ª

    Brendel held the sword with both hands and used the muscles across his body. From the legs, chest, shoulders, wrists and hands. The sword sailed through the air in a straight line.

    [White Raven Sword Rave, Power Break!!!]

    Anyone could see that it was a standard swing of the sword. Any beginner who started training would use the same stance and posture as Brendel did. The path was clear and his intention was easily understood; anyone with the slightest amount of experience could understand how it was done.

    But none of the twenty Iron-ranked knights was able to evade the attack.

    That swing seemed to slice through the air like a visible shockwave of white light, chilling everything as it went across the hall and reached towards the knights¡¯ bodies. Frost spread everywhere like uncontroble wildfire and turned them into ice statues.

    That line continued to sweep across the hall, cutting just above Graudin¡¯s hair and freezing it before it finally ended against the walls. Twenty over heads were hurled backwards as they were lopped off from the sh.

    The nobles werepletely terrified and escaped from the table, some of them stumbling onto the ground, backing away from the frightening youth as quickly as possible.

    The deaths of Graudin¡¯s knights were disyed before Graudin¡¯s eyes. He had controlled the fates of other men, women and even children since his birth, but it was only at this moment that he realized that he was as helpless as the people he had tortured and killed over the years.

    [F-fuck! H-he¡¯s not a Silver-ranked swordsman, he¡ª No, this monster has reached its way to its Element power!]

    Graudin had thought the youth was someone he could stand toe to toe with, and the confrontation between them would getting each other to back down through underhanded means.

    The table suddenly split into half with a light tapping noise and crashed onto the ground. No one saw how the youth cut the table into two, and he advanced towards the baron with no obstacles between them. Brendel¡¯s sword was raised once again.

    ¡°I¡¯m a feudal baron!¡± Graudin shrieked pitifully as he nced around in a panic, hoping for someone to rescue him.

    However, there was no one who did so. None of them expected a banquet to end as a fight, and certainly did not expect a powerful wielder of an unsealed Element toe to such a remote location.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes only saw Graudin¡¯s neck. He gripped his sword tightly and was determined to end him.

    But a hand suddenly reached out to his sword arm and lowered it. He turned his head around and discovered Scarlett in a battle stance, her eyes looking straight ahead to the second floor.

    Brendel peered into the direction to where she was ring in an instant.

    (TL: Feudal Baron ¨C The highest degree of feudalnd tenure. It means he¡¯s directly under the king¡¯s employment.)

    Choose your font type

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    Roberto

    ¡°...... Then if you¡¯re friends with the little prince, surely you can go in by the main entrance. Surely there¡¯s no need to.....¡± Lawrence floundered for a long time but he was still unable to describe Sue¡¯s actions...... Was she trying to pick a bone over nothing?! Or perhaps she was worried that her status as amoner would not be allowed to see the prince?!

    ¡°Who set the rules that one must enter through the front door when they visit a friend¡¯s home?!¡±

    Who the heck could stop her if she wanted to jump onto a windowsill?

    ¡°I¡¯m heading off, you should go back too, I can take care of myself.¡±

    Open Sans

    ¡°...... Then if you¡¯re friends with the little prince, surely you can go in by the main entrance. Surely there¡¯s no need to.....¡± Lawrence floundered for a long time but he was still unable to describe Sue¡¯s actions...... Was she trying to pick a bone over nothing?! Or perhaps she was worried that her status as amoner would not be allowed to see the prince?!

    ¡°Who set the rules that one must enter through the front door when they visit a friend¡¯s home?!¡±

    Who the heck could stop her if she wanted to jump onto a windowsill?

    ¡°I¡¯m heading off, you should go back too, I can take care of myself.¡±

    Times new roman

    ¡°...... Then if you¡¯re friends with the little prince, surely you can go in by the main entrance. Surely there¡¯s no need to.....¡± Lawrence floundered for a long time but he was still unable to describe Sue¡¯s actions...... Was she trying to pick a bone over nothing?! Or perhaps she was worried that her status as amoner would not be allowed to see the prince?!

    ¡°Who set the rules that one must enter through the front door when they visit a friend¡¯s home?!¡±

    Who the heck could stop her if she wanted to jump onto a windowsill?

    ¡°I¡¯m heading off, you should go back too, I can take care of myself.¡±

 volume 2 - 139

    Chapter 139 ¨C Warm words of hope (1)

    There was a dark figure on the second floor of the hall. When Brendel focused his eyes, he found it was a gigantic skeleton covered in a weathered set of brass armor of an ancient design and wielded a battle-axe. The top of the skull had a horizontal crevice, as though someone had tried to cut across its forehead with a sword when it was still alive. Its jaw was slightly unhinged and it looked like it was looking at the scene below with a mocking smile.

    [...... That¡¯s Kabias!] Brendel identified what the dark figure was at once.

    ¡°Viscount Gaston, is it?¡± Kabias¡¯s voice was dry like sandpaper, ¡°How have you been after you left Fortress Riedon?¡±

    It had seen this young man from afar when the undead surrounded the fortress. That youth had caught its eye for some unknown reason.

    ¡°Madara.¡± Brendel said through clenched teeth. He turned around and red at Graudin: ¡°When did the Madara became so close to Aouine¡¯s nobles?¡±

    ¡°All life turns into dust with time. The only thing that does not change is profit, Viscount.¡± Kabias said.

    [Graudin has actually colluded with the Madara undead, but for what purpose? It seems like I¡¯m free to kill Graudin at this distance, but......]

    Although the Skeleton Lord in front of him was a full-fledged Gold-ranked fighter, there was a considerable distance between them. It should at least jump down in between him and Graudin to prevent thetter from being killed but it did not do so. In fact, it appeared almost smug¡ª

    He started to search the hall for any oddities, and finally discovered a pale man wearing long grey robes hiding behind a few shivering nobles.

    [That¡¯s Rothko, I think. This bastard got me good the first time I got to this world. Two purple me sigils on his cors. Huh. He upgraded to a mid-tier necromancer from an acolyte the first time I saw him.]

    Brendel rubbed his forehead and looked back at Graudin. Thetter had seemed to regain some of hisposure. His hand was resting against a wooden pir as support, while his face had that fake smile once again on it. Only his blootshot eyes revealed the anxiety and fear in him.

    Brendel purposely ced his sword horizontally across his chest, causing light to reflect into Graudin¡¯s eyes and caused him to flinch with a rat-like squeak emitting from his throat. Thetter realized a few momentster that Brendel was toying with him. Fury was set aze in his heart but he did not show it in his face.

    ¡°I truly did not expect you to sell your soul to the undead.¡± Brendel¡¯s voice was one of murder as he spoke to Graudin. He cast his eyes on Kabias again and said: ¡°The fact that your rotten bones are here would mean that you want to preserve this worm¡¯s life, right?¡±

    Graudin seemed to have gotten back his courage from the support of his allies. He ground his teeth menacingly with hatred from his eyes.

    ¡°Young man, you can go ahead and bark like a dog if you so desire, but you do know I¡¯m a Randner that even if I don¡¯t rely on my Madara allies. Do you truly intend to go against the entire Randner family? Are you going to bring on a war between two retainers just because of a disagreement? Viscount Gaston, I think even your family wouldn¡¯t allow you¡ª¡±

    Brendel¡¯s scoff turned the temperature of the hall down by several degrees, and cold mist even appeared from Graudin¡¯s lips. Almost everyone shivered from the cold as thetter¡¯s words died in his throat. He did not understand how he was wrong from the very start; Brendel was aplete fake.

    His swung his sword like a quick draw, drawing a line towards Graudin¡¯s throat¡ª

    Two shockwaves collided in the air. Rothko was ready for Brendel¡¯s attack because he had seen the attack before; Kabias kicked against the ledge and propelled down to intercept Brendel¡¯s next attack as he activated his Charge ability. The baron looked on stupidly at the de inching closer towards him,pletely bbergasted by Brendel¡¯s actions which went againstmon sense.

    But the long battleaxe had sessfully parried his longsword. If the Skeleton Lord was one secondte, the sword would have pierced through Graudin¡¯s heart.

    ¡°I have said before,¡± Kabias looked down at the youth as he towered over him: ¡°Baron Graudin is an important ally to us. We will not hand him over so easily to you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you that you didn¡¯t!¡± Brendel yelled as he unleashed a flurry of blows of which the Skeleton Lord deflected them with ease. He activated Power Break in an overhead sh, while Kabias took a step back and sent the battle-axe in a vertical upper sh to meet the de.

    A thunderous metallic crash echoed throughout the hall and both of them took three steps back from the impact, neither gaining an advantage over each other.

    ¡°Young man, you should back down,¡± Kabias stopped his momentum by using the battle-axe as a support on the ground, raised his head and said: ¡°Aouine and Madara has called for a truce. Is it necessary to cause a war over your quarrel with the baron? Themotion in the hall has probably rmed the guards in the fortress as well, are you not worried about your servants whom you left behind in the courtyard¡ª¡±

    Brendel¡¯s face darkened and his chipped sword was raised again.

    ¡°Mister Brendel!¡± Scarlett grabbed his wrist.

    Sanford and the other Grey Wolves Mercenaries were still outside and she could not allow him to continue in his rampage.

    ¡°Miss Amandina, do you think I should let this worm off as well?¡±

    Amandina took a short moment to recover from the sudden chain of events after Brendel called out to her. She looked at Graudin who had fallen to his rear in fear. She wanted to kick that face repeatedly until it was no longer recognizable as a ¡®human face¡¯. But she took a deep breath and answered despite her desire to do so:

    ¡°My lord, this bastard is still a Feudal Baron assigned by the kingdom.¡±

    She pointed out to Brendel about Graudin¡¯s status, but she was implying something else. The real trouble was the people who assigned Graudin¡¯s title.

    While Feudal Barons were assigned directly by the king, it was actually the Randner family who handled Graudin¡¯s territory and rank. From the two prior generations before King Oberg, the family with a long history started to raise their private army in order tobat the monsters at the border. Today, almost all the soldiers in the Randner¡¯s territory belonged to their private army.

    Even if there were those within the royal family who did not view these ¡®barbarians¡¯ as important, the count¡¯s forces were abnormal for someone his rank. Also, because of Madara¡¯s invasion the situation in the capital had be chaotic; the royal crown could hardly care about two families waging wars at the borders.

    Finally, the crafted lie about Brendel being the Viscount Gaston would be revealed.

    There was no possible way for him to set up his new territory if the Randner family poured their full rage onto him. Amandina tried to squeeze every intention to a single line, requesting him to think of the consequences, while limiting her words to a single sentence in order to make sure their weakness was not revealed.

    She believed that the youth in front of him would understand her intentions.

    Brendel spat onto the ground.

    ¡°Observe the situation in front of you and act prudently, young man.¡± Kabias¡¯s jaw unhinged and appeared like it was smiling.

    The youth¡¯s sword slowly lowered to the ground and he red at Graudin with disgusted eyes as though he was looking at a dead animal covered with maggots.

    Graudin gained his wits about him when he felt Brendel¡¯s expression turn to something else. Perhaps Kabias gave him enough courage to threaten Brendel at that moment:

    ¡°If you don¡¯t kill me today, Viscount Brendel, I¡¯ll make certain today¡¯s insult would be doubly returned¡ª¡±

    The baron¡¯s voice was dripping with anger and humiliation. He had invited the local nobles only to have them witness his shameful disy. That sense of failure had caused him to feel like there was an undying rage lit up in him. He wanted to find new ways to anger Brendel in order to goad him into a fight with Kabias to ensure mutual destruction, but his hand was suddenly raised.

    ¡°Oss!¡±

    Brendel fired a wind bullet towards Rothko who cast a counter-spell in a fluster, while his sword drew a silver line across Graudin¡¯s cheek.

    Graudin¡¯s expression went nk as he felt his hair fall onto the ground on the side where Brendel cut. Throbbing pain spread across his face, and the nobles saw a visible wound on his cheeks. He used his hand to feel the area in a daze, then put it before his eyes. Striking red blood covered all over his fingers, and he started screaming like a pig being ughtered.

    Kabias did not react to Brendel¡¯s attack. It saw from his position what damage the attack would do; it was not Graudin¡¯s guard and there was no need to act there. It was also good to have thetter receive a lesson to understand their exact rtionship.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave your head on your body for now. I¡¯lle back and take it the next time¡ª¡± He said, then red at the nobles around him and they stepped back in fright. He nced at Amandina and Scarlett, sheathed his sword and walked out of the hall with angry footsteps.

    When he reached the entrance, the heavily armored soldiers and guards who arrived and watched the fight between Kabias and him, immediately parted and stood on each side. Some of them even saw how he cut down twenty-odd knights with a single sh, and none of them wanted to stand in his path.

    Graudin was still screaming. He wanted to order his men to cut Brendel down as he left the building, but the pain remained in his mind and the words never came.

    TL: If you spot any Engrish mistakes, please point them out... I¡¯m losing my concentration lol.

 volume 2 - 140

    Chapter 140 ¨C Warm words of hope

    When Brendel walked out of Graudin¡¯s manor, he clenched his sword¡¯s hilt till his fingers were white. The men who waited in the courtyard were confused as to why their lord looked so angry as the people who were in the mansion did not exin what happened in there.

    [In the end, I chose topromise......]

    Brendel wanted to swing his sword and destroy thendscape.

    It was not because he was afraid of Madara and Graudin¡¯sbined forces, but because Scarlett¡¯s pleading eyes had moved him. Just like how he could never be someone like Makarov, he would never allow his anger to affect his men who were still waiting in the courtyard.

    The Grey Wolves Mercenaries were herst kin, and she had the right to stop him from killing Graudin to make sure no retribution was going to happen to them.

    He had tried to resist Aouine¡¯s decadent politics ever since he came to this world but he soon realized he did not have the power to go against the nobles. His heart was especially heavy because Amandina had subtly objected to his actions, and was disappointed that she tried to make him y the game that all nobles did. Even though she did not state it directly to him, she did not hide her intentions either.

    [Yes, this might be a better choice for me but is this worth it? This is the first time I abandoned on my decision that I made. I didn¡¯t even think there would be a day like this. No, there¡¯s no way I can let this fucking go. Even if the entire kingdom is backing Graudin I¡¯ll definitely cut him down. Just give me some time......]

    Brendel¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when he detected a piercing rust-like stench in the air. The slight wind picked up and made it stronger, while a sudden scream from Amandina urred behind him. He wanted to turn behind and asked her what was wrong, but he caught a glimpse of an oddity on the path back to the city.

    That familiar path had rows of human-sized crosses on each side, leading back to the city¡¯s streets below. There was no one walking in the streets¡ª

    Because they were cruified to the crosses.

    From their appearances, it seemed that they were adventurers, hired mercenaries and the citizens in the city. Men and women were not spared; everyone had their throats slit, leaving behind lifeless corpses.

    This was an old practice in the continent. Lords would crucify the bandits onto to a cross as a warning to those who would turn to robbing.

    Who was Baron Graudin warning with this disy?

    No, it was not just him. He was warning all the angry adventurers and foreign mercenaries in the city, that he was the lord of this territory.

    A bloody warning indeed.

    ¡°Well done¡ª¡± Brendel said through clenched teeth. His legs nearly turned around but he resisted doing so.

    Scarlett and Amandina nced at him when they saw the disy in the streets, but Brendel¡¯s footsteps started once again without saying anything else. The rest of them followed his back in silence. When they were near their inn, he suddenly saw a human figure hesitating in a corner before he slipped away into an alley.

    [It¡¯s him?]

    He immediately chased after that figure and followed him into the alley.

    ¡°My lord?¡± A few of his men called after him in surprise.

    When he entered the alley, he immediately saw a young man with a monocle on his right eye. Thetter stopped walking when he heard Brendel¡¯s footsteps, and slowly turned around.

    ¡°Lord..... Brendel, is it?¡± The youth said with a dour expression.

    It was the same young man whom Brendel recognized as an apprentice wizard, and also a party member of the swordsman¡¯s group this morning.

    Brendel nodded but the young wizard did not continue speaking, and both of them fell into an uneasy silence. He saw that thetter¡¯s eyes were bloodshot with rage even though he did not show it in his face.

    ¡°...... My lord, my name is Alistair. I remember you asked me this morning if I wanted revenge? If I told you I want to¡ª¡± The wizard gritted his teeth as he took a pause: ¡°My lord, can you show me the way to do so?¡±

    Brendel did not answer.

    ¡°The mercenaries and adventurers in the city have the same thought. The blood feud between Graudin and us has been set in stone.¡± Alistair stared at him: ¡°If my lord agrees to help us, we will work for you¡ª¡±

    But Brendel shook his head, and Alistair¡¯s face fell.

    ¡°Are you absolutely certain that you want revenge?¡± Brendel said after a long pause, rubbing his forehead.

    Life went back into Alistair¡¯s eyes, but he took time to think about Brendel¡¯s words before he nodded resolutely.

    ¡°Then make sure you stay low and don¡¯t get into any further trouble with Graudin.¡± Brendel¡¯s fist went to his heart: ¡°I promise I will help you take revenge but now is not the time. I will send word to you when I¡¯m ready.¡±

    ¡°Wait, my lord!¡± Alistair called out after Brendel as thetter turned around and left the alley.

    Brendel¡¯s men were waiting at the entrance of the alley. They had guessed a little as to what had happened when they saw the crucified bodies and Alistair.

    ¡°Brendel.¡± Romaine called out to him. She went in front of him and stared at his eyes. ¡°Are you sad?¡±

    The youth finally stopped and looked at her in surprise. When he heard her words he felt that he realized that his fury was overwhelming the pain in his heart. He almost teared up as he lightly patted her head.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± He said in a wistful voice.

    ¡°Eh,¡± Romaine frowned as she moved away his hand and asked curiously: ¡°But I haven¡¯t even done anything yet¡ª¡±

    ¡°...... Did Amandina ask you toe over to talk to me?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    Brendel sighed and shook his head. When he turned around, he saw Amandina rushing over with her fingers raising her dress.

    ¡°Are you angry with me, my lord?¡± Amandina stopped in front of him and asked.

    ¡°You did nothing wrong.¡± Brendel rubbed his forehead as he spoke.

    ¡°But you¡¯re still angry with me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Miss Amandina, as you very well know, this world isn¡¯t ck or white nor is it simple. I know you meant to tell me that Count Randner is the highest authority in the southern borders of Aouine. His forces are no smaller than that of any dukes, and his private army is powerful enough to make anyone who dares to resist him shiver in fright. Even dukes will only act against him in the shadows.¡±

    He took a deep breath and brushed his hair back: ¡°Not to mention our small group who is nothing more like ants to him. You might even say that a single order from him is enough to kill us all.¡±

    ¡°But?¡± Amandina asked solemnly.

    ¡°This is not a reason for me to back down. If you ask me to choose between duplicity or violence, I will choose theter. I will not ept Graudin¡¯s ¡®Gift¡¯ with a hypocritical smile; I will choose a path of steel and blood.¡± Brendel unsheathed his sword and pointed it to Graudin¡¯s manor: ¡°You asked me the reason why. The reason is simple, miss Amandina. It¡¯s simply because I am Brendel.¡±

    He looked back at Romaine: ¡°Brendel, who came from Be.¡±

    Romaine immediately winked at him mischievously and gave a curtsy.

    Amandina was slightly awed by his words but she quickly regained her sense: ¡°But there¡¯s possibly a better choice. I understand your thoughts, my lord, but the dead has no power to speak amongst the nobles! We are not just facing Baron Graudin and his family, there¡¯s also Madara to worry about¡ª¡±

    There was a fire that was stoked within her heart from Brendel¡¯s words but her eyes were also full of worry.

    ¡°That would be my problem, miss Amandina. Regardless of Graudin, count Randner, or even the entire Madara army.¡± He looked back at Graudin¡¯srge manor. ¡°Since we¡¯re going to face each other sooner orter, I¡¯ll be ready for them.¡±

    He said, and continued to walk back to the inn.

    Scarlett tightened her grip on her long spear when she heard Brendel¡¯s speech as she followed him.

    Amandina¡¯s eyes followed his back with worry but there was a newfound respect for him in her heart. At the same time, she began to think about the number of enemies they were going to face. No matter how she looked at it, there was no way for a small group of men to go against the hundreds and even thousands of soldiers Graudin had at his disposal.

    =============== Graudin¡¯s POV ============

    There was a loud smash and crazed yelling. Pieces of white porcin were shattered across the ground.

    Graudin was throwing his belongings in his study in absolute fury regardless of how valuable it was after Brendel and his men left.

    Rothko and Kabias had already left the manor. At this point of time, even if count Randner was found to have an alliance with Madara, there would not be any repercussions to him because of the chaos in the capital. However, his reputation would fall beyond unsavory if people found out he worked with the undead.

    The people left beside him were his two male lovers. This was the reason why he could openly vent all his anger.

    ¡°Viscount Gaston, Viscount Gaston, god fucking Viscount Gaston, damned these fucking Northern bastards!¡± He yelled at the top of his lungs.

    If Brendel¡¯s forces did not appear to be as strong as he was, he would have ordered all his men to attack him and cut off his head. He did not care even if he had to go to war with another family.

    One of the male lovers saw an opportunity toe up to him when Graudin was taking a respite to gain his breath: ¡°My lord, since they already left the manor, do you want to gather your soldiers and kill him¡ª¡±

    TL: Bit of trivia on medieval research¡ª

    I can¡¯t believe how much text is written about medieval sexual orientation. Like why only the missionary position is the only position allowed. Lol. And sodomy (note it doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s female or male) is apparently worse than prostitution.

    Things that date back even further in Rome was how it was okay for a high ss noble to prate male or female without any loss of status, but getting prated would probably result in a loss instead.

    ¡°Pration and power were highly corrted with the rights of the ruling elite in Roman society. It was eptable for members of the less powerful group to surrender to pration by members of a more powerful group. Thus, pration was associated with a man¡¯s power and authority, and was not regarded as either a homosexual or heterosexual act.¡± ¨C Excerpt from wikipedia

    The greatest reason as to why and how sex was controlled in the medieval era was pretty much due to the church which was pretty powerful. Since this world hardly has a doctrine to speak of and considering the goddess favors the undead and the living equally without bias...... Well I don¡¯t want to think about it. Too much effort. Just know that this particr world probably does not frown on gender-based sex.

 volume 2 - 141

    Chapter 141 ¨C Warm words of Hope (3)

    The other male lover lowered his voice and added: ¡°He might be a viscount, but surely their family¡¯s influence has limited reach over the south. I had sent men out to investigate his family name and hees from Baltha, the furthest northern region in the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Are you stupid?¡± Graudin said. Even though he was in a rage his mind was unaffected by it. ¡°Who do you think we can send after him? That skeleton said that bastard is at least a Gold-ranked swordsman, and the red-haired woman by her side most likely has the same strength as well. Do you think my troubles are still not enough?¡±

    ¡°I apologize, my lord. I had failed to consider his strength.¡±

    ¡°Then perhaps we can close the city gates and force them to stay here while we send word to the assassins in the capital?¡± His other lover said.

    Graudin took in a deep breath before he kicked him: ¡°Halfwit! Should I send you out to close the gates? Perhaps he would cut you down as well!¡±

    Thetter screamed in pain and shook his head.

    ¡°Perhaps we can try to get the Skeleton Lord and his undead army to attack him? Are they not our allies?¡± The other lover who was still standing said.

    ¡°They won¡¯t act on this matter. Aouine and Madara had just signed a treaty, and they won¡¯t risk a war with any noble families at this point of time. Even though I don¡¯t know what their undeadmander is doing here, I don¡¯t think they will leave the city easily.¡± Graudin said.

    There were other words that did not leave his lips. His family and Madara were both using each other. This alliance in the dark would never see action in the open. Randner was allowing Madara to attack the other southern regions in order to bolster their own forces.

    This was the secret between them.

    He did not tell his kept lovers about this. He looked at them and shook his head, touching the injury on his cheeks and said bitterly: ¡°But I¡¯m not going to let this matter slide. I will absolutely get my revenge on that bastard. My father might not be willing to go to war with another family, but I¡¯m going to see if he¡¯s capable of protecting hispanions¡ª¡±

    His smile was a twisted curl of his lips: ¡°Get me a pen and some paper, I¡¯m writing a letter to the count.¡±

    ¡°Understood, my lord.¡±

    Both of his lovers bowed and prepared to leave, but at that moment the door opened and a dark figure entered the room like a snake.

    ¡°My lord, the matter you assigned to Kerri is finished. I have just received their message¡ª¡±

    Graudin took a moment to understand the figure¡¯s words because of his anger, but he quickly nodded and said through clenched teeth: ¡°Good, then bring that thing and my letter over to my father. I don¡¯t think he will refuse this small request of mine.¡±

    When he saw that the figure was still there he spoke again: ¡°What else do you have to report?¡±

    ¡°My lord, the situation within the city looks unstable, I¡¯m afraid those mercenaries will......¡± He said in a low voice.

    ¡°Ignore them. Even though the Madara undead monsters won¡¯t help me with the viscount they won¡¯t let these rebels get to me. I know this point better than you do.¡± Graudin waved his hand: ¡°Take a rest. If the mercenaries are still rowdy I¡¯ll teach them a lesson again¡ª¡±

    The figure nodded and left the room quietly.

    =========== Brendel¡¯s POV ===========

    Amandina wanted the rest of the day to pass by quietly, but it seemed like the world was not going to let her wishe true. The situation kept spiraling out of control and beyond her calctions.

    Firbugh was no longer safe to stay when they fought with the city¡¯s lord. Even though Brendel was not afraid of Graudin he still had to consider the possibility of Madara backstabbing him. They had most likely realized he was the one who had led the refugees out. He was probably on Incirsta¡¯s kill list.

    Kabias might hold back for now because of his status as a viscount, but that identity was ultimately fake and would notst forever.

    Leaving Trentheim as soon as possible was the best decision. However, just three hours after they left the city, they met with a group of cavalry directly under Graudin¡ª

    Kerri was surprised at the group of people in front of him. His face was angr, had a pointed chin, with prominent cheekbones. His cunning eyes were spaced apart and set under a faint pair of slightly raised brows, looking almost like a hyena. He looked at the women within the group with lustful eyes.

    [Marsha above, these woman are beautiful! Even the lord¡¯s women are not as good-looking as them.]

    The man who was widely known as the Jackal, rubbed his eyes and pinched himself in order to test whether he was dreaming. The women he saw in the territory were mostly weathered and thin, or were whores who lurked nearby the inns. This was the first time he saw so many women with such beauty and elegance.

    [If I can send them all to my lord, wait, maybe keep one secretly for myself¡ª]

    He licked his lips and checked out the group of mercenaries who were following a young man. This was not the first time he attempted something like this, and he had previously sent the sister of the group¡¯s leader to Graudin.

    [Even though these ten-odd mercenaries look like they are Iron-ranked fighters, they should be doable with my riders. The fools who resisted me thest time had even more......]

    The hundred-odd men behind him perked up their heads when he lifted his morning star.

    [It looks like that young man has pretty good clothes on him, probably a small-ranking noble. These nobles who travel to Trentheim are really fools. Do you really think that a ¡®noble¡¯ title is going to help when youe to the deste borders of Aouine?]

    ¡°Boys, let¡¯s go greet our prey.¡± He said and rode out.

    The men behind him snickered with leering faces and followed him. Before long, they reached Brendel and the Jackal yelled at him.

    ¡°Who are you lot?¡± His voice was as grating as the bellows used in a forge: ¡°Do you not know whose territory you are in? If you dare to carry your weapons so openly, are you¡ª¡±

    He wanted to say ¡®bandits¡¯, but the word suddenly stuck in his throat. The young man in front of him was looking at him strangely as though he was looking at an idiot.

    ¡°All of you came over from the Green vige?¡± Brendel asked, acting like he had not heard the Jackal¡¯s question.

    Kerri recovered from his daze and immediately roared with anger.

    ¡°You bastard, who the fuck do you think you are talking to? Do you even know who we are? Lord Graudin¡¯s personal city guards. I suspect you are bandits outside Firbugh, and I order you toy down your weapons ande with us! If I give my order to my men to attack, there won¡¯t be any mercy!¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°How dare you speak back......¡± The Jackal did not hear the suppressed killing intent that was leaking out from Brendel¡¯s lips. Perhaps he did not expect the group of Iron-ranked mercenaries would resist him, and there was also the fact behind him were blood-thirsty mercenaries who were paid handsomely for their skill. ¡°I¡¯m giving you a final chance. If you offer me your women right now, I might be kind enough to just let the rest of you go.¡±

    His menughed when they heard theirmander¡¯s words.

    Amandina did not feel the slightest bit of anger. It was theplete opposite. She had seen enough of the nobles¡¯ private troops acting to what the man in front of her did, but she still sighed as she looked at Brendel.

    That youth was about to unleash the anger he suppressed in the baron¡¯s manor. His right hand was released from his sword¡¯s hilt, clenched and unclenched once before it hung loosely beside him. He tilted his head and said one word at a time: ¡°You asked me who I am, right?¡±

    The Jackal paused and wondered if the man in front of him was crazy, but he subconsciously gripped his morning star tighter as he felt something was amissed.

    ¡°I wonder if you have heard of this story before.¡± The youth said.

    ¡°Story?¡±

    ¡°The story of an idiot and an unhappy person.¡±

    Everyone looked at him with furrowed brows. Brendel was looking so serious they thought that there was something to his words, but they realized he was mocking the man in front of him after a moment.

    ¡°In the story that unhappy person takes off the idiot¡¯s head.¡± Brendel said. His hand suddenly reached for his sword and a sh of light suddenly appeared and disappeared. ¡°Like so.¡±

    ¡°You fucking¡ª¡± The Jackal wanted to order his men to attack but he suddenly froze.

    He had a shocked expression on his face before his head slid off his body and fell down from the horse.

 volume 2 - 142

    Chapter 142 ¨C Warm words of hope (4)

    The battle was over quickly.

    Even though the enemy riders fought Brendel¡¯s mercenaries on equal grounds in the beginning, the situation quickly turned to a one-sided ughter when Brendel and Scarlett joined in the battle.

    Silver and red shes shot into the riders¡¯ formation as Element powers were fired repeatedly, and from the sky it looked like an ice dragon and lightning dragon were gobbling up the riders.

    When they realized they could not defeat Brendel and his men, they quickly yelled in terror and fled in all directions However, they were unable to escape Brendel and Scarlett¡¯s pursuit. Thirty minutester, all the riders were killed and their corpses were scattered all over the ins.

    Brendel did not summon Medissa because he wanted to hide his true strength or the battle would have been over much quicker. There was no telling if there were Madara scouts following him.

    He sat at a distance away from his men regained hisposure after the battle while they cleaned up the battlefield. He realized that his newfound strength was not something temporary and hadsted all throughout the battle. There was no doubt that he had gained enough stats to be on par with a level 40+ Gold-ranked fighter.

    [The duel with my grandfather increased the skill of my swordsmanship before. I had wondered if this was how a NPC leveled up their skill or was it a quest reward? I initially thought I needed to do some rted quests to unseal my Element but it seemed like it¡¯s not necessary now. Typically most NPCs are stuck at the Gold-ranked tier because they are unable to unseal their Element powers...... I¡¯ll open up the Stats Window to be sure¡ª]

    His eyes went wide when he saw the information disyed in front of him.

    [I¡¯m still level 32¡ª but my stats have increased by thirty percent?! What happened?]

    He immediately switched the menus rapidly before he suddenly froze and went back a few pages.

    ¨C Brendel (Level 32 Elite NPC)

    He looked at his name for a few moments and blinked stupidly. He finally realized that he possessed both the special quality reserved for a NPC as well as a system for gamers. He could raised his skill proficiency by points or increase it by ¡®special events¡¯.

    [Are you serious? What would the next title would be? Unique NPC? Boss NPC? Elite Boss NPC?]

    Heined to himself when he realized he was bing something like a monster who had special attributes. One day he might have some crazy ¡®Final Boss Form¡¯ while changing three or four times to get there.....

    He suddenly jerked his head left and right; perhaps there was going to be a 25 men raid party that was going to appear out of nowhere in the future. The entire thing was too surreal.

    [...... Well, is there any stat resistances or elite skills avable?]

    He changed the menu once again and discovered three new ability slots under his character sheet.

    ¨C ??? (Level 45)

    ¨C ??? (Level 47)

    ¨C ??? (Level 60)

    He immediately guessed that these abilities were locked until he reached the appropriate level, and it was probably necessary to add skill points into them before he could use the skills.

    [The skills of an Elite are not that impressive. Even the stat resistance bonuses are about the same as wearing a cloak or something. Maybe if I get a Boss NPC title and above...... Then things would be different.]

    His eyes were so focused and cross-eyed on his new title that he looked silly.

    [If I gained the title ¡®World Boss¡¯..... Then he would go beyond any gamer could possibly go. N-no. The probability of a NPC entering a gold rank and unsealing their Element power is low enough. Reaching the peak of the pyramid is impossible, otherwise gamers wouldn¡¯t have controlled the continent in the end game of The Amber Sword.]

    It was a possibility regardless of how small it was, a voice inside his head said, but he quickly regained his senses and checked his Element menu instead.

    Two words described his Element powers.

    ¨C Frozen. Stability.

    There will be more words to describe his Element power when he had more power to try and break the barrier down. After the barrier was broken he would be capable of using the Laws of his Element power.

    Element Points, Element Abilities and Aura. A fighter with an unsealed Element power would possess these three qualities, and he would be perceived as someone who was beyond a normal human.

    [In the game, a low tier Gold-ranked NPC must possess two conditions: Their overall power rating must cross over 100 and they must be able to sense their Element power. It¡¯s not too difficult to clear the first condition and most people with some talent is capable of achieving it, but they would stop and end as the highest tier Silver-ranked NPC if they are unable to sense their Element power. An Element is based on the Laws of this world. If one is unable to see and manipte the lines that connect them to the Laws, then they will never be able to reach the barrier of their Element Power.]

    Brendel reflected on his NPC body. Wizards, Priests and even Knights NPCs had a much easier time to find the lines connecting to the Laws of their Element powers. A NPC with a warrior profession and unsealed Element Power was almost non-existent. Buga was amongst the rare few who naturally gained his unsealed Element as his level increased.

    [I can¡¯t even think of any warrior NPC who¡¯s able to sense his Element Power with an event at such low levels. And the description of my Element is strange. If the words describing my Element is Cold or Ice, or even Northern Wind or water, I won¡¯t be so puzzled. The appearance of my Element might look like it has something to do with Ice, but no matter how I think about these two words in the game, it¡¯s actually rted to Time and Space.]

    Was it an Ice Element or Time and Space Element?

    Even though the Ice Element was one of the four highly prized Elements in the game, the Time and Space Element was rated Legendary.

    When he was still pondering, he caught the figures of Amandina and Romaine behind his stats window walking towards him. He dismissed the system and paused for a moment when he saw them holding hands with a timid little girl looking at him¡ª

    She appeared to be no older than ten and had braided green hair.

    [A Senia citizen?]

    He frowned slightly. The Viridien vige was the only southern vige in the Trentheim region, and these Senia citizens who lived there were short humans who descended from the Forest Wildlings. They were quite friendly with the druids in the forest, but because of their wild nature they were perceived as barbarians.

    These Senia citizens were istionists and stayed at the very edge of the forest, refusing to submit to Aouine. Most of the local lords ignored them, but there were a few who tried to use violent and bloody means to make them submit.

    Graudin was amongst thetter.

    [But why did that bastard want to capture a little girl like her? The nobles hate to have anything to do with the Senia citizens; it is considered a grave insult if the citizens even touch their clothes. Commoners look down on them. But it is true that the Viridien vige is my next stop.]

    The youth rubbed his head subconsciously.

    TL: This chapter has a ridiculous amount of Element talk. If any of you guys can¡¯t understand the stuff here, just leave ament and I¡¯ll spend more time thinking of better terms. Also, there won¡¯t be a chapter tomorrow because I need to collect some documents.

 volume 2 - 143

    Chapter 143 ¨C Warm words of Hope (5)

    The little¡¯s girl clouded emerald eyes seemed to bring forth a certain vigor in her body. She wore a grey xen dress but was barefooted, while her thin arms looked almost like they were malnourished. Each of her hands were linked to Amandina and Romaine¡¯s hands as they walked side-by-side. When she walked towards Brendel she bit her lips nervously and looked up at him.

    Her green hair were like newly sprouted vines covering her dusty face. Even though her eyes were weak and timid, she did not shy away from his gaze, rather, she was studying him carefully.

    ¡°And who might this be?¡± He said.

    [Emerald-like eyes only belong to Forest Elves and pure-blooded Senia citizens, but her green waist-long hair is remarkably striking¡ª The only NPC I have ever seen with such green hair is the Avatar of Forest.]

    ¡°Scarlett rescued her from the riders. She might have been kidnapped from the nearby vige.¡± Amandina answered as he lowered her head and carefullybed the little girl¡¯s hair.

    ¡°Do you know she¡¯s a Senia citizen?¡± He suddenly said.

    ¡°What¡¯s a Senia citizen, Brendel?¡± Romaine asked with blinking eyes.

    ¡°A Senia citizen?¡± Amandina¡¯s hand drew back momentarily and hesitated, but eventually went back tob her hair. The little girl looked up at her and saw thetter hadplicated expressions.

    There were many rumors about these ¡®Green Folks¡¯. One of the highly circted rumors was this: The Senia citizens carried a disease that turned people into beasts. Most humans did not want toe into contact with them, and nobles were even more loathed to go near them. In certain areas, some extremists even support burning these pagans in order to prevent these supposed disease from spreading.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Brendel ignored Amandina¡¯s reaction, softened his tone and asked the little girl.

    He was indifferent to the different races. The Senia fled to the south in the forest some seven or eight hundred years ago to avoid the Dragon of Darkness while the other races participated in the battle to fight for their freedom. Civilization progressed while the Seniagged behind because of their istion.

    The various races thought they deserved the discrimination they had.

    The little girl did not respond.

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t understand ournguage.¡± Amandina answered.

    Brendel was not surprised. He nodded and straightened up his body: ¡°That¡¯s fine, I can roughly guess where she¡¯s from, but I¡¯m a little puzzled.¡±

    Amandina nodded to agree with him. Graudin¡¯s private soldiers must have realized the little girl was a Senia, and it must have been great mercy to spare her from death. Even if this was some othernd outside Trentheim, it was legal for the army to execute a Senia citizen.

    Brendel took a few steps forward and surveyed thend around him.

    ¡°We¡¯re sending her to the Viridien vige.¡± He said.

    ¡°The Viridien vige? Where¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a Senia vige. It¡¯s the south of here, approximately half a day¡¯s journey.¡± Brendel took up a sword from one of the riders. He pulled the sword out, inspected it and reced his sword which had been damaged during the fight at Graudin¡¯s manor.

    ¡°What are we going there for?¡± Amandina frowned and lowered her voice to the point where it was out of the little girl¡¯s reach: ¡°My lord, we should just send someone to escort her back¡ª¡±

    Brendel waved her off.

    ¡°My lord! Do you really intend to go to their vige? If anyone knows that we went to theirnd,¡± She lost herposure and blurted out. ¡°Your reputation......¡±

    She suddenly realized what she did and nced at the little girl beside her. Even though she knew that thetter did not understand her words, she chose to stop talking.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Miss Amandina. That¡¯s where we¡¯re going in the first ce.¡± He said.

    ¡°What?¡± Amandina waspletely shocked.

    Valha. That was the ce he was searching for. It was tremendous help to him that Mother Marsha had delivered the little girl to his hands. The Senia might be istionists but they treated their true friends with great sincerity.

    [Getting Valha¡¯s location requires the Druids. This particr race chose to retire around the same time as the Silver Elves, and their presence havepletely disappeared some three hundred and fifty years ago. The only possible way to get to them is have the Senia to contact them.]

    ¡°Brendel, who are the Senia?¡± Romaine asked again since she did not receive an answer.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± Brendel smiled and flipped her nose, causing her to scowl angrily as she retreated backwards. ¡°The Elves called them At¡¯zon, The Forest¡¯s Children.¡±

    ¡°Lycanthropes?¡± Romaine¡¯s eyes turned wide with curiosity: ¡°I heard of this term before!¡± (TL: What the....... Green Fur Lycanthropes.......)

    The young man suddenly felt a gaze on him and turned around. The little girl had an obvious reaction when he mentioned the word at¡¯zon. He pondered for a while to ensure he did not make any mistakes in his ns before he ordered his men to set out.

    The Viridien vige was a foreign name to numerous regions and even local mapmakers. Thetest edition of the political map made by the order of King Oberg listed a total of four hundred and fifty locations, but it did not mention the name either.

    In the game, adventurers made their way to Karanjar¡¯s mountainous region from their vige and Brendel was one of them, but the sight he saw that day was different from today¡ª

    ¡°These fucking bastards.¡± One of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries muttered under his breath.

    They rode through abandoned farnds with damaged fences. Gardening tools were broken and strewn everywhere, while the nted vegetables were trampled and ruined by the riders¡¯ warhorses. It was quite easy to see how much effort and time the Senia had spent to clear the verdant forest in order to create arablend, only to have thempletely ruined by the Graudin¡¯s men.

    [When I came here in the game there wasn¡¯t anything like this. It was a ce that had dense foliage and trees with no signs of anyone living here at all.]

    Brendel¡¯s eyes nced across the farnds, almost able to see the nearby river there. He had a difficult time cross the forest back then because it was full of level thirty nt-type monsters.

    The Grey Wolves Mercenaries glowered unhappily as they continued to ride. Their backgrounds were either hunters or farmers, and they regarded farming as something sacred because it was everything their families had.

    ¡°Stop advancing. Let¡¯s enter this area and check for vigers.¡± Brendel suddenly said. He heard soundsing from the inner farnds.

    His men followed his instructions and went around the damaged fence. They finally saw a woman wearing a tattered dress, covering her face and sobbing in front of the damaged vegetables.

    Another man, perhaps her husband, was carrying a rake over his soldiers with a sullen look as he inspected the damage. When he saw Brendel¡¯s mening around the fence, he was initially startled before he ced the rake horizontally across his chest and yelled:

    ¡°Jora, get up and run! They¡¯re back!¡±

    He lunged at the young man in front of him with a bellow. However, Scarlett urged her horse forward and used hernce to sweep across the enemy¡¯s legs. He immediately stumbled and fell forward onto his face almostically. She frowned and instantly realized the man in front of her was just a simple farmer. She quickly dismounted in order to help him up, but the woman behind him ran up and blocked his body with her own.

    ¡°Please, have mercy and spare my husband. Yol, run away!¡±

    But the man did not have the intention to do so. He pulled Jasa back and tried to attack Scarlett with another savage yell and bloodshot eyes. However, before he even took a step forward he found ance already at his throat. He stared at the girl¡¯s cold amber eyes and shivered subconsciously.

    His movements faltered and stopped.

    ¡°Fool.¡± Scarlett¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°You can¡¯t even discern the difference between us.¡±

    She lowered hernce slowly before she suddenly swung it to the sides. There was a sh of lightning that seemed to dim the surroundings because of its brilliance, and when it was over a ck pine tree was sent crashing to the ground.

    Brendel¡¯s men merely watched the scene unfold. They did not have a good impression of the Senia, and Romaine was about the only person who looked at them with curiosity and neutral feelings.

    The man named Yol finally seemed to understand their difference in strength. He did not understand why Scarlett did not kill him, but strength left his legs and he wanted to fall backwards and sit down. A voice suddenly rang out in the midst of the mercenaries.

    ¡°(Uncle Ulf!)¡± The little girl spoke in a differentnguage.

    His head jerked towards the direction of the voice, almost disbelieving his ears. When he turned around, he saw the little girl in the embrace of a pretty woman looking curiously at him.

    ¡°Sifrid, w-why are you here, didn¡¯t they take you away.....?¡± It was Jasa who spoke in astonishment.

    ¡°(Uncle Ulf, these people saved me.)¡± The little girl¡¯s voice were like crystal bells that rang in the wind.

 volume 2 - 144

    Volume 2 Chapter 144 ¨C Warm words of hope (6)

    The bodies of the dead were covered with ayer of leaves, and were lined up in the vige¡¯s square in front of Goddess Nia¡¯s statue. A crowd observed in silence while an elderly priest performed a rite for the dead.

    The difficulty of life had be part of Senia¡¯s citizens dating from a few centuries back. The weak race was powerless to resist the forces around them, and they could only choose to retreat further into the dark forest. Cold, hunger and monstrous creatures greeted them and brought about the threat of death everyday.

    Everyone looked to the oldest elder amongst them, one whom they regarded as the most experienced in life and the best leader they could have in trying times. The leaders had always managed to lead the citizens of Senia out of difficult situations in history. However, their wise elder was now hunched in defeat with mncholic eyes.

    The old man leaned against the cane in his hand, with each wrinkle in his face seemingly casting a dark shadow over him. His sigh ofment was just loud enough for the dark-skinned middle-aged man with a short beard beside him to walk off with a huff.

    ¡°Uncle Brynjar, where are you going?¡± A tall youth beside the old man immediately yelled after him.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take Sifrid back by force!¡±

    ¡°Please calm down!¡± The youth urged: ¡°Uncle Brynjar, what can you possibly do by yourself? Are you trying to head to your death?¡±

    ¡°I promised Sassa to take care of her..... Even if I¡¯m heading to my death I still have to go and rescue her!¡± The middle-aged man was stubborn.

    But he also knew that it was a remark made out of anger. He turned away with clenched fists, and every muscle on his body was taut with anger.

    ¡°Byrnjar, restrain yourself,¡± The elderly leader finally spoke, and sighed: ¡°Sassa is my daughter. Sifrid is also my granddaughter. I am just as upset as you are..... Once the winter is over, we¡¯re moving to the forest.¡±

    ¡°And what about Sifrid? How about the others? Are we not going to take revenge?¡± He whirled around to the elderly man with bloodshot eyes.

    The vigers were silent with bowed heads.

    He scoffed at them and left. The elderly leader sighed deeply again as he looked at Brynjar¡¯s back. He knew that thetter was not going to find the nobles and seek revenge. None of the male viges would turn their backs for the greater good of this tribe. It was their responsibility.

    However, Brynjar¡¯s departure still caused a deafening silence amongst the gathered crowd. There was nothing they could really do. Their greatest warrior was a mere Silver-ranked brawler, and one man was no match for the army of the terrifying Baron Graudin.

    The silence did notst for long as the priest started his ritual rites again but was soon interrupted by a man running in with clumsy footsteps¡ª

    It was Ulf who was in charge of guarding the outer areas of the vige.

    The crowd tensed up when they recognized him, wondering if the vicious soldiers were back to attack them again. They already took Sifrid, were they back for more of them?

    ¡°Ulf, what¡¯s wrong?¡± The old man said when the panting Ulf stopped in front of him. Even though he maintained his calm demeanor for the sake of his tribe, his fingers gripped his cane tightly to the point it was trembling slightly.

    ¡°S-Sifrid...... She¡¯s......¡± Ulf¡¯s words came in breaks as he forced air into his lungs. His pale face looked as though he saw a ghost.

    ¡°Sifrid?¡± The elderly leader¡¯s expression turned grim and immediately demanded for an answer: ¡°What happened to her?¡±

    ¡°She has been rescued......¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    =========== Brendel¡¯s POV =============

    The news of the little girl being rescued were quickly spread throughout the vige.

    But Brendel felt a little awkward from the vigers¡¯ treatment.

    He did not expect them to give him a cold shoulder. Even though he didn¡¯t hope to get gratitude, he did save the little girl after all. The gazes that he received from them were of suspicion and fear. They felt such eyes upon them at every moment ever since he and his men arrived in the vige.

    The man named Ulf returned to receive them and brought them to the biggest house in the vige. He exined to them the Elder was going toe over very soon, and cast aplicated and nervous nce at them before he left the house and shut the doors.

    Once he left, the Grey Wolves Mercenaries were the first to be vocal about their discontent.

    ¡°They are insulting us with their attitudes!¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we should not havee here if this is supposed to be our treatment.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no reasoning with these barbarians!¡±

    Theyined bitterly but they did not go overboard with their words. Their lord had already stated that their original destination was this vige. However, they did not understand why they were here in this remote area, and nced at Brendel with puzzled looks from time to time. Even Amandina did the same thing, but with the addition of resentment in her eyes.

    Brendel had a wry smile.

    ¡°You would feel much more better if you are less biased to them.¡± The youth sighed and had no choice but try and soothe them.

    ¡°But my lord these are the people who fled during that war.¡± The younger Wild Elf sister blurted out with a clear voice. She had been following him closely because she discovered he seemed to have limitless capability to handle problems.

    ¡°Dia!¡± Her older sister yelled. She had cautioned her younger sister multiple times not to interfere with the living world multiple times but she never seemed to listen. She nced at her lord¡¯s expressions but it seemed like he did not care.

    ¡°I care little about their sentiments to us, my lord, but......¡± Amandina shook her head.

    ¡°Yes, I know. My reputation.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°If you understand this point, my lord......¡±

    ¡°And it means little to me.¡±

    ¡°My lord!¡±

    A knock interrupted Amandina¡¯s protest. Brendel nodded to a mercenary nearest to the door, indicating for him to open it. Thetter straightened up and ced his hand over his sword as he walked cautiously over to the door to open it¡ª

    The door was opened but there was no one outside. The mercenary looked surprised.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Brendel asked.

    That mercenary turned around with a strange expression and stood aside from the door. There was a basket of fruits outside. It looked like they were freshly plucked as there were still green leaves and dew on them.

    The mercenaries looked at the fruits in surprise, before their faces turned to awkward expressions. Did the person who delivered the fruits overhear their words?

    Brendel sighed again in his mind. The Senia might have been suspicious of them but they were definitely grateful for bringing back the little girl. The problem here was how deep the feud between the citizens of Aouine and Senia was.

    ¡°What should I do with the fruits, my lord?¡± The mercenary at the door asked.

    ¡°Bring it in.¡± Brendel said. His gaze went outside the house. The memories of the Viridien vige in his memories were different; the Senia hadpletely abandoned this ce a long time ago and it was overgrown with wild nts and trees.

    But in this world, they were still here, despite the signs of fights and bloodshed that happened not long ago.

    The statue of the Goddess of Hunting and Harvest, Nia, was present in the center of the vige and undamaged. She wore a long leather coat and carried a shortbow over her back, while her hands held a basket of hunted game and fruits over her head.

    Brendel shifted his eyes to their cottages made out of stone and wood with a reed thatch over the roofs. These were unlike the rumors where they lived in tents like barbarians. However, their old culture was mostly lost and their title of ¡®Hunters of the Night¡¯ was nothing more than a legend now.

    But their ties with the Druids were still there and as close as it had ever been even from a few centuries ago.

    When the door was closed, the Grey Wolves Mercenaries¡¯ grumbles were silenced and they started reconsidering the difference between the Senia and the rumors about them.

    Brendel did not have to wait very long as there was a knock on the door once again. This time it was the man he had been waiting for¡ª

    An elderly man who held onto a cane entered the house. Brendel immediately figured he was the leader of the vige. Sifrid was standing beside a dark-skinned middle-aged man, most likely her father, and they came in together with the elderly man.

    ¡°My guests from faraway, I thank you humbly.¡± The elderly man bowed deeply and said.

    ¡°Please refrain from thanking us. This is something that we happened to solve in our journey,¡± Brendel did not have the chance to even get up when the elderly man spoke quickly. He frowned slightly and replied: ¡°We have our own request to trouble you......¡±

    The old man exchanged nces with the Sifrid¡¯s father and he nodded: ¡°Ulf has told me of your requests to enter the forest, my lord. It isn¡¯t a troublesome thing for us.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s frown became a grimace.

    [This Elder is starting off with a lie. Why is that?]

    Entering the Dark Forest here was a dangerous thing. Even if his men were to enter it they had to be extremely careful and prepared. If the Senia went in deeper to the forest it would be no different from heading to their deaths.

    ¡°Who are you sending?¡± He asked with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± The middle-aged man took a look at her daughter and at Brendel and his men, and said with resolution.

    ¡°(Father?)¡± The little girl raised her head and asked in surprise at once.

    [Are you leaving your daughter behind.....?] Brendel¡¯s surprise was palpable. He realized why the Elder said it was no trouble for them.

    TL: I also have chapter 145 ready in about 3-4 hours.

 volume 2 - 145

    Chapter 145 ¨C Warm words of Hope (7)

    ¡°Is the little girl your daughter?¡± Brendel said to the middle-aged man.

    ¡°She is indeed Brynjar¡¯s daughter, my lord, but I¡¯ll be taking care of her. Her mother is my adopted daughter.¡± It was the Elder who replied: ¡°He has volunteered to be your guide because he¡¯s grateful that you brought her back.¡±

    (TL: I searched for a while, but I¡¯m not finding any medieval equivalent for ¡°inws¡±. That term seems to be rtively new. So instead of Bro.-inw X, it¡¯s just Brother X. I¡¯ll assume that a father/mother calls his son-inw by name without any addressing term.)

    He took a moment to stroke Sifrid¡¯s head.

    ¡°I would dly guide you through the Dark Forest myself but I hope my lord understands I have to lead the vige, even though I¡¯m more familiar with it.....¡±

    The mercenaries were silent the entire time. The rumors about the Dark Forest were more several times worse than the bedtime stories used to frighten the children in Aouine to sleep.

    ¡°What of her mother?¡± Amandina asked with furrowed brows.

    The Elder sighed and his eyes appeared distant as he recalled old memories: ¡°Sifrid¡¯s mother shares half the blood of an Elf and was the loveliest girl in our vige. She was also the happiest girl when she married Brynjar, but regrettably, she died to protect the other vigers during the previous ¡®Hunt¡¯......¡±

    Brendel¡¯s throat went dry. Memories of the crucified men and women came flooding back to him once more.

    A Hunt was something that the nobles did to subjugate the fearsome barbarians. This practice was supposedly eliminated during the first Holy War as they stopped invading civilized kingdoms by then. Graudin¡¯s supposed Hunt against the Senia¡¯s citizens was nothing more to fulfill his perverse bloodlust.

    [That fucking bastard must have deepened the feud between the locals and the Senia through some ridiculous reasoning......]

    ¡°...... I see.¡± Brendel chose to move forward: ¡°Let¡¯s move on to the next topic. I won¡¯t object to your choice since you have already decided. I don¡¯t believe going into the forest is a simple matter, so how much time do you need?¡±

    His eyes went briefly to Brynjar before it went to the little girl. It should be fine to at least preserve his life with three Gold-ranked fighters in his group but he was troubled about the vigers.

    ¡°We will be ready in a few days, but my lord, I wish to warn you about the Dark Forest. It will be dangerous when autumn sets in fully. It is especially so just before winter, because the starving beasts in it will be extremely aggressive. And the powerful monsters¡ª¡±

    ¡°That is fine,¡± Brendel interrupted him. ¡°We only wish to cross the forest and we can handle anything thates along our way.¡±

    The Elder looked surprised; his mouth opened and shut a few times but no words came out.

    He did not know Brendel was looking for the druids. They had been gone for nearly four centuries and had no ties with the outside world.

    The youth was familiar with their territorial ways, and once he entered the forest, he was certain he was able to bait their ¡®Beasts¡¯ out. With his experience, he would be able to discern the druids¡¯ locations if they ran back to their hideouts.

    [The only problem I have is convincing the druids to find the legendary Lost Santuary, Vaha, for me. These hidden race is neutral and holds no interest in humans¡¯ affairs. The alliance between the druids and humans have been broken even before they chose to hide themselves. A Senia with me should help...... But there¡¯s also the issue of my enemies are piling up before me. I probably need to find quicker solutions because I¡¯m running out of time.]

    He could only take one step at a time. The druids were slightly different from the Silver Elves. In a way, they were slightly better inparison to the Silver Elves because they did not sever their ties to the outside world. The druids having a good rtionship with the Senia was proof that he could strike up a rtionship with them.

    The Elder did not suspect Brendel¡¯s motives. If they wanted to destroy the vige they could have done so easily. One could only imagine how powerful they were when they took back Sifrid without any injuries with the amount of people they had.

    But he was fearful of the aftermath. His experience told him that Baron Graudin would never let this feud go, and his wrath will reach this vige very quickly.

    [This vige is unable to defend against Graudin. I originally wanted this young man and his mercenaries to stay here until this winter but he has tly refused me..... They are not interested in our lives and only want a trade between us.]

    The Elder had measured this in his heart. He felt that he had no excuses or rights to refuse Brendel. He could only sign deeply inside in his heart.

    ¡°I understand, my lord.¡± The old man bowed and said. ¡°We will make arrangements for you as soon as possible.¡±

    Brendel merely nodded.

    When the Senia left he felt he could finally rx. He understood the worries of the Elder, but there was not enough time for him to stay the entire winter. And even if he did it might not be of use¡ª

    [Even if I march right up to Graudin¡¯s face and tell him I did it, that crazy bastard would just vent his anger on them regardless.]

    ¡°Brendel, can we help them out?¡± Romaine tugged at his sleeves.

    ¡°I can lead them into the forest, but there¡¯s no way for us to provide enough food tost them through winter. The only ce we can purchase additional food is within Graudin¡¯s territory, but do you think they would sell to us?¡± The youth spoke slowly.

    Romaine¡¯s eyes flickered sadly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay behind.¡± Scarlett walked up to him and ced hernce over her shoulders, staring at Brendel with her amber eyes.

    ¡°Let me check your forehead.¡± He said after a short moment.

    He got up with a heavy heart and pushed away the hair which was covering her forehead. A ck flower-like pattern had spread across it. He had heard reports about how she had nightmares every night to the point she could not breathe but she had not made anyints about it.

    ¡°You can¡¯t stay behind.¡± He sighed. ¡°The truth is, I don¡¯t want you to leave too far away from me. Staying here for even one month is too dangerous for you or for these vigers. You know what I mean.¡±

    She gritted her teeth and acknowledged his reply with a soft assent. His words plunged into her heart like daggers as she realized he was right. Once she became fully corrupted, these vigers¡¯ fates will most likely be sealed if she stayed behind.

    Amandina stood quietly at one corner without saying anything. She was not fond of the Senia vigers, but she clenched her fist at her inability to protect them.

    Brendel tidied his shirt and looked at all of them: ¡°I¡¯m going out for a walk¡ª¡±

    Everyone looked surprised. Their lord was not someone who took random trips. The Nightsong Tiger and Scarlett walked up to him, but his hands were raised up: ¡°The two of you stay behind. I¡¯m taking a walk to clear my mind. The rest of you should take a good rest and prepare for our journey ahead.¡±

    ============= Sifrid¡¯s POV =============

    There was a tradition amongst the Senia; they believed that the dead will stay amongst the living for some time and bless them for their journeys ahead of them. Thus they built a Longhouse specifically for them and held the most important meetings in it.

    This was to allow the souls of the dead to apany the living to tide over the vige¡¯s most perilous junctures.

    Now, there was an altercation that broke out in this holy grounds.

    ¡°I refuse!¡± The youth who stopped Brynjar yelled, his spittle flying across the table. ¡°Goddess Nia will never hope to see this happen. It¡¯s a miracle that Sifrid got rescued but we¡¯re going to send her back?! Fuck your cowardly suggestions!¡±

    ¡°If we don¡¯t send her back, every single head of the vigers heads will roll,¡± A thin man spoke in a low menacing voice: ¡°None of us here want this to happen to Sifrid but we have no choice. Don¡¯t you think we have seen enough deaths? Sifrid¡¯s mother died resisting them for the sake of our lives. This is a sacred oath to let us survive the odds!¡±

    He red at the young man: ¡°I¡¯ll dly offer my worthless life if the vige requires me to sacrifice it. What we need now is our rational thoughts and not reckless emotions. We survived till this day because of that¡ª Brynjar, Sifrid¡¯s your daughter, tell us of your opinions.¡±

    He turned to the middle-aged man. Thetter was folding his arms and said nothing.

    ¡°Is there no other choice?¡± The young man said through clenched teeth: ¡°Are we supposed to hand our own to the enemies just like that?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps we can enter the forest?¡± Someone said.

    ¡°We have no food for the harsh winter.¡± The Elder shook his head. They had not collected the food from their farms, and hiding the forest now would only mean they would starve and freeze to their deaths.

    ¡°Are we supposed to just send her to her death?¡±

    ¡°Your words aren¡¯t right. The baron said he was taking her as a foster daughter right? Didn¡¯t he say that if we bring her over there would be no need for us to hide in the forest and we can be real citizens.....¡±

    A small voice in the crowd pierced through the room.

    Everyone fell intoplete silence. That was a lie which could not even deceive a child. A local lord will never look to the Senia citizens kindly, even if Sifrid had Elven blood in her. The nobles in Graudin¡¯snd were twisted and immoral.

    ¡°Have you no shame? I cannot believe you are even capable of uttering these pathetic words. Why don¡¯t you offer yourself and beg the Baron to fuck your arse?¡± The young man spat at the man who spoke earlier, thetter flushing red with shame.

    ¡°Elder, perhaps we should take up our weapons and fight these bastards off?¡± Another man said angrily.

    The quarrels in the Longhouse became louder and louder and spilled out into the streets. Brendel was listening quietly on a boulder while he looked at the little girl squatting beside him. She was looking at the ants crawling on the ground peacefully, as though she did not hear the quarrels in the Longhouse......

    ¡°Sifrid,¡± The youth finally said: ¡°You understand what ournguage, don¡¯t you?¡±

    She raised her head up with a surprised look.

    ¡°I¡¯m..... Sorry.¡± She spoke in Brendel¡¯s native tongue with difficulty.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Brendel shook his head. ¡°I know that you needed to protect yourself during that time. It seems like you¡¯re a smart little girl. You can call me Brother Brendel¡ª¡±

    The little girl¡¯s smile was endearing. She paused for a moment.

    ¡°Brother..... Brendel, can I, take you to the forest, instead of my father? I too, know the forest. My mother, taught me.¡±

    Brendel felt his heart melting, but he shook his head at the end.

    ¡°(Sifrid, even if you bring us to the forest and you are not in this vige, that baron will still be here?)¡± This time the youth spoke in the Elvennguage.

    (TL: Ooooooookay. I¡¯m going to pretend that Elven is some generic Frenchnguage. No wait, maybe I should poll you guys. Yah, I should do that huh. Check the end of the chapterter.)

    Sifrid was taken aback for a moment and her face quickly fell.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Brendel whispered.

    The little girl bit her lips.

    Suddenly, he heard crashes within the Longhouse with intensified yells.

    TL: How does Sophie or the old Brendel knows the Elvennguage. I¡¯m not going to chalk it up to ¡®but its¡¯s VR!¡¯ BS without the author giving us proper exposition for this, but I¡¯m leaving it to you guys. In order to have another ¡®background check¡¯ in the event of Brendel speaking a foreignnguage again...... Choose your poison guys.

    Option 1: Languages in this alternate world follow Europe¡¯snguages. Elven = French. Kirrlutz/Aouine/Whatever = English. Dragonspeak = Latin. LoL.

    Option 2: It¡¯s VR MAGICK! VR solves everything! VR makes people godliek! VR......

    Option 3: Maybe it¡¯s that game system somehow connecting to Mother Marsha/Gods/Goddesses hotline with quantum magick and automatically trantes everything and makes Brendel a polyglot BAUS.

    Edit: Okay, I know a lot of people are saying Klingon and Elven etc, and I¡¯m sure that the creators have put in countless hours into it. However, I ultimately disagree that thesenguages can evenpare to ournguages that evolved for thousands of years. Just imagine how Shakespearean English is enough to beat us to the ground (never mind the amount of hair-pulling I have to think about Medieval-speak in this story).

    It is why I¡¯m so skeptical about VR solving everything. It belittles thenguages and effort made in the real world. I¡¯ll respect your decision in choosing VR if ites down to it (and thereafter tranting with your choice in mind if it wins), but I rather not have VR exining every single reason why Brendel is good at what he does.

 volume 2 - 146

    Chapter 146 ¨C Warm words of hope (8)

    There was a loud bang as the young man pounded on the desk with both of his hands. The veins on his arms were visible.

    ¡°I will never agree to it!¡± He retorted with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Sifrid is still a child, and she¡¯s Lady Sassa¡¯s daughter. Are the men in our vige going to trade a child¡¯s life in order to survive? Can you really do it? Can you!¡±

    His roars echoed throughout the Longhouse. Most of the men nced at each other without answering the youth. Brynjar rocked his body back and forth with folded arms and said nothing. The Elder gave a soft sigh and raised his head, blinking his old clouded eyes.

    ¡°Who was that?¡± Brendel asked as his eyes went over to the direction of the Longhouse.

    ¡°Brother Thor.¡± The little girl said with her bell-like voice.

    He nodded to acknowledge her words, and there was a short moment where no one spoke.

    ¡°...... That¡¯s enough,¡± The thin middle-aged man shook his head and sighed: ¡°You said too much, Thor.¡±

    ¡°Uncle rr!¡± The youth protested with clenched fists.

    ¡°Enough! We understand your point all too well¡ª But we¡¯re Senia¡¯s citizens. Do you understand? This is the destiny we carry and the choices of life and death are not for us to choose. Do you not recall the vigers who froze to their deaths in the forest?¡±

    The young man¡¯s eyes widened slightly and he bit his lips. He trembled a few times before he blinked his red eyes: ¡°Of course, my father.....¡±

    ¡°He sacrificed his life for yours.¡± The Elder sighed.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Every one of us survived till this day because of the vigers¡¯ sacrifices. You need to consider our circumstances, as well as the dead. They sacrificed their lives so we can live on, and we must not waste their efforts. Our folklore has a song dedicated to describe how our ancestors fought against the Dark Forest over generations, shedding blood and flesh and their lives for the sake of the Senia¡¯s future. They did not sacrifice themselves to let us throw it all away for one reckless moment.¡±

    rr paused for a moment, before he uttered the next few words one at a time. ¡°Do you understand?¡±

    A few men started tearing up upon hearing his words.

    ¡°I...... understand. But are we going to live on like this forever as cowards? Goddess Nia said we should not live just for the sake of living¡ª¡± Thor wiped his eyes with chokes in between his words: ¡°Should we throw away everything so we can live on?¡±

    ¡°At the very least we still have hope while we are alive,¡± rr shook his head: ¡°If we are not able to see that day happen, then I hope your generation would be able to see it¡ª¡±

    ¡°Elder, please make your decision.¡± He turned his head to the oldest man.

    ¡°...... Very well. We have reached a consensus to this discussion. However, none of us have the authority to send one of us to their deaths. I hope to ask for Sifrid¡¯s opinions.¡± The Elder¡¯s eyes were dyed with sadness.

    ¡°But there¡¯s no precedent to ask for one¡¯s permission.¡±

    ¡°That is because the people before us have been adult men or the elderly. They have made their decisions through their judgments and understood what they were doing.¡± The Elder¡¯s head was bowed as he spoke.

    ¡°But Sifrid¡¯s a child. What would she know about our customs? Are we handing our entire vige¡¯s fate to a child? This is a foolhardy decision!¡± Someone objected.

    Most of the men¡¯s res were cold.

    ¡°And do you not feel any shame on relying a child to save yourself, even if we have no choice?¡±

    ¡°Your words are not wrong but it is also true we have no precedent for this, and Sifrid¡¯s also the Elder¡¯s granddaughter......¡± That small voice filled the room again.

    The men took a moment to absorb his words. When Thor realized what that bastard implied, he walked over to him, grabbed his shirt and forced him to stand up.

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s not your daughter, so you can fucking send her off like it¡¯s none of your concern. You cowardly bastard, you¡¯re not fit to call yourself a Senia, get the fuck out of this sacred building now!¡±

    He threw him across the floor like a sack of potatoes. The men near the injured person retreated away from him.

    ¡°W-what are you talking about, I¡¯m just stating it as a possibility, that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s true.....¡± That man stuttered and groaned in pain: ¡°And who¡¯s to say there¡¯s no possibility of that? Can you assure us that the Elder isn¡¯t favoring his own kind? Are you the Elder?¡±

    The old man stared at the cowardly man backing away from the ground as Thor lumbered angrily over to him. His fist was raised and ready to strike the bastard in front of him¡ª

    ¡°Stop fighting!¡± A child¡¯s voice pierced through the coward¡¯s distressed whining and filled the room.

    The front door had been pushed open without anyone realizing it. Sifrid¡¯s had balled her hands into fists and shouted with her eyes closed, pouring every ounce of effort to raise her voice¡ª

    ¡°Stop fighting, everyone.....¡± She opened her eyes and tears quickly filled them before they spilled over. Her vision was blurry as she pleaded with pained eyes: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, father, grandfather...... It¡¯s all Sifrid¡¯s fault.....¡±

    The room was silenced and only Sifrid¡¯s soft crying remained.

    rr got up at once and walked over to hug her: ¡°We¡¯re the ones who¡¯re sorry! Sifrid, we should be cursed and abandoned by Goddess Nia for our actions¡ª¡±

    Brynjar suddenly hugged his head as he bawled loudly while the others looked at the situation in bewilderment.

    But the Elder¡¯s eyes went to the scenery outside of the house¡ª

    ¡°I have allowed you to see something shameful, my lord.¡± He stood up and bowed slightly at Brendel.

    Brendel¡¯s trembling hand was on his sword. He had to grip it tightly in order to stop himself from making a rash decision.

    The Elder made his way before the youth, his cane striking against the ground with each step. He looked solemnly at him as though he made a difficult decision: He knelt down and bowed with his head on the ground.

    ¡°My lord, I beg you to help us! I know we shouldn¡¯t force this trouble onto you, but......¡± He said.

    The youth looked at the weak before him.

    Sifrid was mewling with stifled sobs, while Brynjar was half-crying and bemoaning his uselessness. Lament filled Brendel¡¯s heart and he licked his dry lips, preparing to open them. But a hand grabbed his own all of a sudden. The youth turned around in surprise and saw a pair of dark eyes staring at him.

    Amandina¡¯s expression was determined and hurt at the same time¡ª

    She nced at the sight before her and hesitated. She was almost swept away by the emotions until she nearly forgot what she was supposed to here.

    ¡°My lord.¡± She shook her head. The words and her actions stabbed through her heart like daggers.

    ¡°Are you here to persuade me?¡± Brendel asked.

    Amandina did not reply and merely looked at him.

    ¡°Do you really the heart to hold me back?¡±

    Amandina bit her lips and nced at the scene before her. Each second she took, made her face paler as though blood had left it entirely. But her fingers grabbed onto Brendel¡¯s wrists till they were white.

    ¡°Resent me for all you desire, my lord.¡± The dignified aristocrat¡¯s daughter said: ¡°I cannot allow you¡ª I will not allow you to do this; My Lord, you know who you will face. Graudin, Madara, Randner, possibly the entire Aouine¡¯s kingdom. Your enemies are nearly endless. If you agree to help them, the only conclusion for you is death¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know that my lord doesn¡¯t care about the foes before you. You are the bravest and most honorable knight I have ever seen, and I feel like I¡¯m bearing witness to the birth of the high nobles described in the legends again. I once thought that they were mere fiction, but my lord has shown me that they all ring true......¡±

    ¡°But I care about your fate!¡± She shouted.

    ¡°Because of that, I will not watch you head to your death. Even if I am to bear all the hatred from the entire vige and your men, I don¡¯t care¡ª¡± She raised her head and stared at him: ¡°But I must stop you.¡±

    Brendel stared back at her for a long while. This was the first time she spoke her mind so freely. He bowed his head.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± He said.

    He closed his eyes and exhaled once before opening them again. He then gently removed her fingers, walked over to Sifrid, patted her head and left.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Amandina looked on in surprise.

    The vigers were slightly dejected as well. They had observed his back and had their hopes diminished with every passing second after his shoulders sagged. Amandina¡¯s words had pointed out of the dangers he would face, and they had no right to have a stranger be their sacrifice.

    They were even thankful for the youth¡¯s anger and sadness. He truly cared about them, and it was not sympathy or altruism, but empathy.

    [Mother Marsha, Goddess Nia, have you not punished the Senia enough?]

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Amandina¡± He called out to her in a low voice without turning back.

    She finally gave a small sigh of relief but when she looked at his back she found herself at a loss, as though she had buried something important with her own hands. She lowered her head and felt her chest throbbing.

    Behind her was Sifrid¡¯s soft sobs¡ª

 volume 2 - 147

    Chapter 147 ¨C Warm words of hope (9)

    The night sky of Senia¡¯s vige was quiet and peaceful. Bright stars filled the cloudless sky like paint on an empty canvas with an aurora highlighting it. The forest was quiet enough for one to appreciate the majestic painting.

    The vige had once again went back to its peaceful self after the quarrels in the Longhouse ended. But at the darker corners of the courtyard which was lit up by the campfire, a small shadow quietly slipped into a warehouse located at the vige¡¯s edge.

    Sifrid was quietly taking in breaths as she looked carefully to her left and right. Her green eyes were dyed with anxiety as she slowly pushed against the building¡¯s door with her tiny hands. She sessfully infiltrated the building and closed it gently from the inside.

    The interior was pitch-ck, save for the sky-window located at the top which cast a tiny beam of moonlight onto the ground.

    However, the buried bloodlines of the Lycanthropes within the Senia¡¯s citizens would awaken in the dark. Her pupils expanded and captured every detail in the dark.

    Sifrid took a moment before she found what she came for. She moved towards a vase which contained water and stood on her tiptoes to fill her waterbag. Once she was done she stashed it away and surveyed her surroundings again.

    In the end there was no resolution to the quarrels earlier, but Sifrid had made up her mind and decided to travel alone to the Baron.

    [The adults said I can save everyone if I present myself before the Lord Baron. If I do so, Father and Grandfather wouldn¡¯t need to fight with them anymore.]

    She prayed for everyone to live on properly and not end up like her mother who left her behind for all eternity.

    ¡°Mother.....¡±

    Sifrid sniffled and stopped herself from having her tears from falling. She knew that she would never see her father and grandfather and everyone else ever again if she left.

    (Sifrid, you should quickly grow up and stop crying. You¡¯re a citizen of the forest, a true Senia¡ª Mother told me this all the time.)

    She wiped her eyes and felt she needed to be strong. But when she thought of her mother¡¯s final moments covered in blood and smiling warmly at her, her tears still fell down like a stream of stars.

    ¡°Sifrid, you idiot.....¡± She rubbed her eyes angrily and bit her lips as she whispered.

    After taking a short moment to rpose herself, she went before the storage boxes stored with the clothes worn only at festivals.

    She rummaged through the boxes before she found her red dress and leather shoes, She held them up and twirled around, almost in a little dance. She loved their designs and the feel of the material and started to wear them with rapid heartbeats. She was unsure what she was about to meet but she still wanted to fulfill her selfish little wish at this final moment¡ª

    She thought that the others would not me for her wearing the clothes. But even if they did, she was going to do so anyway. She grinned with slight glee at the thought of her little mischief; her earlier tears glittering because her eyes were narrowed with mirth.

    [What else have I forgotten? Ah, Mother¡¯s flute.]

    The little girl paused for a slight moment before she reluctantly took it down from her neck. She stared it over and over again, rubbing against the wooden grains with her fingertips, before she finally set it aside gently.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this behind for father,¡± She muttered: ¡°So Father will remember Mother and me.¡±

    She blinked a few times and parted ways with it. As she walked away, the turned around a few times and looked back at it, before she finally clenched her tiny fists and ran to the door, stopping there. She made sure she did not forget anything before she pushed the door slightly open, peeking outside to ensure no one was there.

    Once outside, she started to move towards the vige¡¯s entrance. However, after taking a few steps, the little girl felt something cold pressing on her right arm.

    She trembled.

    She turned around like a small frightened animal, her wide green eyes catching the glimpse of a silver sheathe. She raised her head and saw a familiar pair of warm eyes along with a confident smile.

    ¡°Ah......Brother...... Bre¡ª¡± She said and carefully took a step back.

    It was Brendel.

    ¡°If you¡¯re heading out, you need to remember to bring something to defend yourself with.¡± He said with an encouraging voice.

    He slowly walked over and knelt down before her. He raised her right hand and pressed the short sword he was carrying onto her palms, before closing her fingers.

    Sifrid looked at him in confusion.

    ¡°In the end, you decided to go to the Baron by yourself?¡± He said.

    The little girl lowered her head and did not reply. He nodded in response and took a long breath.

    ¡°Lady Sifrid, will you allow this knight to apany you on your journey?¡± Brendel lowered his head and ced his fist across his heart.

    Sifrid¡¯s head rose up in surprise and stared at him. Perhaps he was escorting her to keep her safe along the journey? In the end, she blushed and extended her other empty hand before him. Brendel grasped her hand firmly and stood up.

    ¡°Well then, let us take a look what kind of man Lord Baron is.¡± He said, his soft voice belied the threat behind his words.

    She looked at him in confusion once again beforeprehension dawned on her.

    ¡°But Brother Brendel, y-you will be killed!¡± She stammered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just as the Senia desires to have hope for themselves, I too yearn for it¡ª¡±

    He cast an unwavering gaze towards the direction of Trentheim. He raised his left hand and stretched it out before he formed his fingers into a tight fist; he pictured himself swallowing up Graudin¡¯s manor as he said:

    ¡°Even if the entire world is against me, I swear I will show you victory before your very eyes, Sifrid¡ª¡±

    ============== Graudin¡¯s POV ===========

    Even though it was deep within the night the Baron¡¯s manor was still lit up with candles. The hallway had people walking through to and fro noisily, but Graudin stood quietly in his room and looked out the arched stone window with a cold gaze out to the night sky.

    Thend below were simrly filled lit up with countless torches.

    Seven administrative officers stood behind the cruel baron. Their mouths constantly moved like worms, but none of them dared to speak up. In the end it was Graudin¡¯s right hand who bowed at his waist and spoke in his low growling voice:

    ¡°My lord, the mercenaries have gathered outside the city in force, I¡¯m worried that our men are not going to be able to suppress them and¡ª¡±

    Graudin¡¯s re swept across his face and forced his remaining words to remain stuck in his throat.

    Graudin whirled around and marched towards the table and swept the top filled with luxurious food with his right arm, causing tes and bowls to crash loudly and spectacrly to the ground. Metallic spoons and forks danced about as everyone got startled. The servants immediately retreated as far as they possibly could to the edge of the room, afraid of their lord¡¯s wrath and getting crucified because of a whim.

    The blood of the mercenaries and adventurers had not dried yet¡ª

    ¡°You fools.¡± Graudin¡¯s icy words filled the room: ¡°Let me ask you, why do you think Kerri and his men are not back yet?¡±

    His right hand swallowed and answered: ¡°...... That¡¯s probably because they are blocked outside by the mercenaries.¡±

    ¡°Probably?¡± Graudin¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°I apologize, my lord, our men are unable to leave the city because of the mercenaries¡¯ blockade. We are unable to receive any news for now......¡±

    ¡°Mercenaries, mercenaries, and still these fucking mercenaries, can¡¯t any of you think of a solution?¡± He threw a fork at his right hand¡¯s face, causing it to bleed slightly, as he roared: ¡°Why can¡¯t you kill all of them?¡±

    ¡°This.....¡±

    [There are tenrge squadrons of mercenaries outside the city, and that¡¯s not counting the adventurers yet. Mother Marsha is already looking out for us because they haven¡¯tunched an attack. We simply don¡¯t have the forces to kill everyone. I even fucking told you not to kill so many of them during the day. It was good enough to teach them a lesson, but you refused to listen and relied on the fact that you have Madara¡¯s army. You stupid arrogant piece of shit. Because of your inability to think of the consequences the situation has gotten out control!]

    Graudin¡¯s right hand insulted his lord in his mind, but he did not show any of his discontent on his face, and merely lowered his head as he waited for Graudin to change his mind.

    Thetter was silent for a while as he realized what the problem was, but he was not too worried.

    ¡°Where are the Madara undead?¡±

    ¡°Are you calling them?¡± His right hand¡¯s head immediately raised up.

    ¡°Of course. This problem is partly because of them. Go to them and tell them the truth about our situation. I only want one result; I don¡¯t want to see any of these filthy mercenaries in mynds by tomorrow¡¯s dawn.¡± Graudin waved his hand to dismiss them.

    [You¡¯re really killing them all?]

    The expressions of Graudin¡¯s men changed. This was not a small matter to gloss over.

    ======== Mercenaries¡¯ POV ==========

    The mercenaries were indeed gathered outside the city, but not all of them were interested in getting justice from a Feudal Baron.

    The bonfire burned with a fiery rage, causing everyone¡¯s faces to be visible near it.

    Alistair looked at everyone of them coldly. The people in front of him were mixed with the mercenaries¡¯ leaders and adventurers¡¯ representatives. Some were sellswords who did not belong to any faction. While their faces held angry looks at the same time, the majority of them were hiding their thoughts on what they could gain from this.

    The young Acolyte sighed and knew that it was impossible to seek revenge today. But the rage in him continued to burn because so many of hisrades died. He clenched his teeth as he questioned the crowd with full of disdain:

    ¡°Do you truly not want to fight Baron Graudin? So many lives have been taken away today and yet you choose to be cowards and stay silent. Has anyone thought about how much they look down on us? Are our lives really worthless and to be wantonly trampled upon?¡±

    Everyone nced at each other but no one responded.

    ¡°Yourrades, friends andpanions, their bodies are still crucified in public disy; have you resigned yourself to watch them rot?¡± He tried again.

    ¡°Do we just let the baron¡¯s transgression against us go on?¡± Someone in the crowd whispered.

    ¡°What else can we do? That fucking Graudin is directly under the king, A Feudal Baron.¡±

    ¡°And that gives him the right to kill us?¡± Alistair retorted in fury when he heard the whispers: ¡°I don¡¯t see anyws that allow him to do so!¡±

 volume 2 - 148

    Chapter 148 ¨C Breaking dawn (1)

    ============= Alistair¡¯s POV ===========

    ¡°Rage does not feed our stomachs, boy.¡± An old mercenary almost did not have the heart to lecture him: ¡°You can bring up thews of the kingdom all you want, but what use does it have if the sword is mightier than the pen? We have gathered in front of the city gates but they act as if we¡¯re invisible. Why? Because they are not afraid of us in the least.¡±

    ¡°Even if we attacked the city, are we capable of prating their defense lines and into the heart of the city? You should stop thinking of the impossible. Don¡¯t forget that bastard has a full army that is no smaller than our numbers.¡± Another mercenary leader said.

    Alistair gritted his teeth and could not think of a way to refute these words, but he tried appealing to their pride.

    ¡°Are we not capable of having a full-fledged battle against them, even if for just one day? Yes, we are adventurers and mercenaries, but do we not have the dignity and pride to defend our own? If we throw these away, are we nothing more than barbarians?¡±

    Silence greeted him, as the leaders were still hesitant even after Alistair¡¯s attempt to rouse their anger. No one was willing to bend their knees, but if they chose to fight today, then it was very likely they would have no future standing in this kingdom.

    It was a path all too hard to cross.

    The young man sighed when he observed their faces: ¡°My apologies. It seems that I have demanded too much from you. Very well, I know the positions you are in and I won¡¯t force your hand. But the victims on the crosses demand an answer. If there is someone who needs to die fighting today, let it be mypanions and I. The only thing I ask of you is not to forget this day when the baron took away yourrades¡¯ lives and your dignity.¡±

    He took a few steps away from them before someone called out to him: ¡°Young man! Have you forgotten what that lord told you? He will bring justice to us one day¡ª¡±

    ¡°And you believe him?¡± Alistair interrupted him, turning back with an incredulous voice: ¡°Do you believe his perfunctory words? These nobles and lords are all¡ª¡±

    He stopped talking.

    There was a strangemotion nearby them. The leaders immediately became alert and spurred towards the source while yelling at their men:

    ¡°What are you lot doing! Stop your sniveling and get back into position!¡±

    ¡°Captain, there seem to be more peopleing up to the walls, they are being reinforced!¡± The mercenaries near the city¡¯s gates yelled in response.

    The leaders frowned when they heard this reply.

    ¡°Damn. They still have more men?¡± One of them made a face.

    ¡°Aye, I understand why they are unafraid of us.¡±

    ============ Madara¡¯s POV ===========

    When Rothko brought his men up the walls, he discovered the ck patches of something in the darkness interspersed with camp fires were all humans¡ª

    The youth with pale skin and a grey undertone under it, scoffed loudly.

    He turned back to the rows of soldiers covered in ck robes behind him. Underneath the robes were skeleton soldiers, the basic unit of Madara¡¯s merciless troops in the frontline. His eyes went back to the ins with irritation, but maintained a restrained tone when he spoke to the noble next to him:

    ¡°Give the order, tell these mercenaries they have half an hour to leave this ce, or be prepared to be killed without quarter.¡±

    His words were sharp like a de.

    The noble looked carefully at him and affirmed quickly with a bowed head. Even though he was puzzled over where the strange army came from, he understood it was Graudin who sent them. He did not dare to ask the man in front of him if he was Graudin¡¯s retainer.

    He did not suspect the mysterious soldiers beside him were Madara¡¯s undead soldiers.

    Rothko hated the fact he was standing there. He would rather return to his study and analyze the research materials he stole from the human libraries.

    The noble walked to the center of the city walls. He was secretly delighted. The mercenaries who surrounded the city had caused him to be exceedingly displeased.

    [Thesemoners had the galls to stand up to us.]

    He never thought he would see the day where the mercenaries revolted. It was a loss of dignity, even if they did not attack the city. He raised his hand, and ordered one of the nearby acolyte wizard toe over: ¡°Get your crystal ready.¡±

    The acolyte wizard did not waste any time and immediately activated the spell, Great Shout, on the crystal.

    The noble officer nodded with satisfaction, acting like amander of a thousand-strong Aouine cavalry unit. He cleared his throat before he roared at the city below:

    ¡°You wretchedmoners, listen well!¡±

    The mercenaries¡¯ heads rose up and they stopped what they were doing. They cast their gaze up on Firbugh¡¯s walls and waited for the noble¡¯s speech.

    But he did not continue his words¡ª

    Shortly after themander opened his mouth, he froze what he was doing and the crystal he was holding on to fell onto the ground. He stared nkly into to the distance.

    The mercenaries near the city wall who listened attentively to him, created amotion filled with insults when he suddenly stopped talking, but they abruptly ceased talking and parted away to the sides; it was as though a giant monster was walking on the road and forced them to move away.

    The strange, invisible monster seemed to move towards the gate quietly.

    [What¡¯s happening?]

    Rothko narrowed his eyes and looked to the distance like a statue.

    =========== Brendel POV ============

    The crowd was being parted by force. The campfire dimmed as the air around it started to cool rapidly. White frost visibly grew on the ground.

    Alistair had detected themotion made from the back and diverted his attention there. He gasped when he saw the figures there.

    A youth was carrying a little girl and cantered towards the city walls. The aura around him was an invisible barrier of frost that forbade anyone from approaching him. Those who were slow to retreat from the cold air found it difficult to breathe.

    No one blocked his path, and a empty passage was extended between him and the southern Firbugh¡¯s gate.

    The mercenaries who were trying to catch a glimpse of him, rallied behind Brendel from a fixed distance, almost appearing as if they had the rtionship of a king and his knights.

    The youth dismounted and carried the little girl down. They walked before the city gates and stopped there.

    Everyone watched them silently.

    Sifrid looked up to him; her eyes were full of trust. He had led her across the dark passageway and wilderness during the night, his embrace chasing away the cold, and she felt nothing but warmth and peace.

    Brendel raised his head up and red at the pale noble officer.

    ¡°What did you want me to listen to,¡± The youth¡¯s voice was not loud, but the silence in the area allowed them to hear what he said clearly: ¡°Pawn?¡±

    The noble¡¯s eyes saw near darkness. The youth had merely cast azy eye at him but he felt like he was stabbed in the chest and could not breathe. He turned his head around to Rothko¡¯s direction, trying to beg for help, but he could not find his presence.

    Because of Brendel¡¯s staggering pressure, he had no choice but to stutter: ¡°I..... I want to t-t-tell you, that...... you are t-t-to leave, or...... you will be s-s-shown...... no mercy.¡±

    The mercenaries immediately caused amotion. They knew the cold-blooded baron will not joke with them. With this threat, many of them wavered in their conviction.

    Brendel merely nodded.

    ¡°Is that all?¡± He said.

    ¡°T-t-that¡¯s all.....¡± The noble¡¯s palms were sweaty. Even though the youth before him was far away, he felt that he was going to be cut down any moment.

    Brendel nodded again.

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s my turn to speak¡ª¡±

    He took a step forward, his left hand raising his sword¡¯s sheath, while his right hand drew out the de; a vertical silver line seemed to be drawn in thin air¡ª

    Except it was not a line but was a sword¡¯s path, and it sliced the air apart in a silver shockwave that expanded from the silver line. Before the air rushed in the fill the void, the city gate was already dented inwards and shattered into dust in an instant. The rippling shockwave continued to travel upwards from the path, tearing apart the stone walls and grinding the rocks into dust¡ª

    Brendel¡¯s sword traveled over his head before he took a step back and returned the sword to the sheath, but once he did so, the sword broke into four pieces. The strength of a Gold-tier swordsman had caused the ordinary de to break!

 volume 2 - 149

    Chapter 149 ¨C Breaking dawn (2)

    Brendel raised his sword and nced at it when he realized the de had broken, before throwing it away.

    The youth turned around and said:

    ¡°I have returned to fulfill my promise ¡ª Do you still remember the words you promised?¡±

    His voice was even, but it was like a sharpened de that pierced through everyone¡¯s heart.

    The mercenaries nced at each other but they did not answer. The reinforcements on the wall had caused them to hesitate.

    ¡°I remember......¡± Alistair exhaled audibly and walked out with big steps: ¡°I await yourmand, my lord......¡± (TL: The mercenaries promised to work for Brendel if he leads them.)

    Brendel eyed him for a second before it went back to the other mercenaries.

    ¡°What of the others?¡± He said.

    But no reply came.

    ¡°You.....¡± Alistair red at them angrily and wanted to punch these cowards for breaking their oaths.

    Brendel¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile while his head lowered a little, and his face appeared slightly darker: ¡°If I am you, I wouldn¡¯t choose to offend two lords¡ª¡±

    Suddenly there was a cacophony of cking noises in the rubble of the destroyed city gates. A group of soldiers covered in ck robes were running stiffly towards Brendel with raised swords.

    Brendel turned around with furrowed brows. The first skeleton soldier was immediately kicked into the air when it approached him, shattering into pieces before a shower of bones hit the ground. The upper half was not destroyed yet, and wed around in confusion.

    The soldiers on the city wall looked on in shock from Brendel¡¯s strength and the revtion that their reinforcements were undead soldiers.

    The second skeleton had reached into striking distance of Brendel, but the youth grabbed its wrist with his right hand and pulled it down, while disarming its cksteel Longsword with his left hand. He then threw the off-bnce soldier over his head and smashed it onto the ground, shattering it into multiple pieces as well.

    His left hand swung the cksteel Longsword in a curve without any hesitation. A line of white line cut across a dozen over skeletons cleanly, spreading out in a crescent, and they quickly ceased to move. He nced at the pile of shattered bones to make sure they posed no threat, before he raised his head and looked inside the city.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to redeem the regrets in your hearts!¡± He pointed his sword into the streets ahead: ¡°The dead who have been crucified in this street, are now looking at your powerless selves, but I swear I shall lead you and have them bear witness your victory against the unjust! Fight with me so this wrong can be redressed!¡±

    Everyone gasped when Brendel unleashed a torrent of cold gales in a circle around him, forcing them to take several steps back. His strength somehow blew their doubts away; his figure appearing like a legendary hero that brought about miracles.

    A few averted their heads; some blinked their puffy eyes; the rest silently gripped their weapons. This was the final time the departed would see them battle.

    They wept inside their hearts and implored the victims in the city to watch their backs.

    Without wasting more time, the mercenaries withdrew their weapons and fell into position behind their leaders. They raised their weapons solemnly in front of them in salutation before lowering them in front of Brendel.

    An oath of allegiance to fight for theirmander.

    Alistair looked at the change with bulging eyes. He could not believe what he was seeing.

    Brendel turned back with clenched teeth as he felt fire raging in his chest. But he shut his eyes for a second and rposed himself: ¡°Themanders of the three major mercenary groups, approach¡ª¡±

    Three people amongst the crowd eyed each other briefly before they walked out.

    ¡°Your names.¡± He said, after the three gathered in front of him.

    ¡°Cornelius at your service, my lord. I am themander of Rosewine Mercenaries.¡± An attractive middle-aged man with silver hair bowed slightly and answered.

    ¡°Raban, themander of Firebrand Mercenaries.¡± A towering man with dark-skin crossed his arms while he observed Brendel.

    ¡°Jana, I am the person-in-charge for Mountain Swallows Company. My lord, forgive me for being blunt. Even though my men and I agree to participate in the battle, it does not mean we will obey all your orders and I will judge our course of actions ordingly.¡± A red-haired woman with a tempting body answered.

    Her green eyes stared at the youth as if to taunt him.

    ¡°I do not know theposition of your men,¡± Brendel merely smiled in response without minding her remarks, and returned her re: ¡°But my order is simple. Ser Raban and you are to organize your mercenaries to guard the south gate and assault the west gate. There is only one condition. Three hours, before the dawn rises, I want to see your mercenaries¡¯ gs on the city walls and control them¡ª¡±

    He turned his gaze to Cornelius: ¡°Ser Cornelius, your mission is to lead your mercenaries and the remaining sellswords to attack the heart of Firburh with me.¡±

    ¡°I await to hear the details of your n.¡± Cornelius bowed again and answered in an unhurried tone.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Jana interrupted with furious brows: ¡°The west gate? Why are we attacking the west gate? Isn¡¯t our target supposed to be Graudin¡¯s manor so we can kill that damned worm?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be open with you. The enemies you are going to face are Madara¡¯s undead army.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    The three of them subconsciously looked at the pile of shattered bones behind Brendel and realized the strange situation before them.

    ¡°Graudin has colluded with Madara. The entirety of Madara¡¯s undead army isn¡¯t in the city¡ª Perhaps there would be a small portion in it, but the majority of their army is definitely hiding nearby. My guess is the south-western forest. Your mission is to prevent them from entering the city until we are done with killing Graudin.¡± He said.

    Jana and Raban looked at each other with uncertain eyes, before thetter spoke: ¡°The inner walls of Firburh are no weaker than a fortress. If Graudin colluded with Madara then there must be powerful enemies in there as well. The mission of assaulting Graudin must be more difficult than guarding the walls, so why doesn¡¯t my lord choose us, the Firebrand Mercenaries? Are we that weak in your eyes?¡±

    Cornelius frowned when he heard his words. But Brendel shook his head: ¡°Did I just not mention I don¡¯t know theposition of your men? The number of mercenaries behind the three of you are close enough for me to pick any one of your groups. Time is of the essence because this is a surprise attack, so obey my orders¡ª¡±

    The naked threat in his voice made the threemanders¡¯ hearts skip a beat.

    ¡°We have to kill Graudin as soon as possible. Madara will retreat if he is killed. If anyone of you is thinking about running away now, be prepared for hell. If we fail to take Graudin down he will definitely hunt you down. Your actions on surrounding Firburh have already caused things to go beyond a path of no return. Inform your men of our ns on our respective missions along the way. Now move out!¡±

    Brendel turned around and carried Sifrid. He walked across the rubble and entered the city.

    ¡°Brother Brendel, you don¡¯t need to fight for me. I heard Grandfather said if I go before Graudin, everything will be fine.¡± Sifrid said.

    ¡°Sifrid, you don¡¯t understand, this isn¡¯t only your fight¡ª¡± Brendel answered softly as he nced at the crosses extending into the darkness, his voice trailing off a little. ¡°I chose to carve a bloody path for myself¡ª that is all.¡±

    In the end he chose to face everything. The road before him would now be difficult and thorny, straight into a fiery path filled with blood¡ª

    His anger in the afternoon held on to hesitation, but Sifrid and the Senia¡¯s plight caused him to realize one thing; if he still chose to avoid conflict here, then he would have failed himself and the people before him.

    [I might find victory through other means by finding Valha, conquer everythingter by hiding in the shadows and ignoring everything else along the way. But is this really something that I want? Gaining power, but losing everything else?]

    Brendelughed.

    In the end, he chose the mostplicated n yet again. He had tried countless ways to avoid involving himself from ying this game of roulette like a gambler, but every time he moved away from it, he found himselfing back to this n.

    He really wished to follow Amandina¡¯s suggestions. It was so easy, so logical and so safe.

    [But, we are still Brendel at the very end.....]

    He mocked himself, but his expression was filled with resolution. Since he had chosen this path, he would charge forward against all odds to victory¡ª

    Or death.

    Brendel stopped moving and turned around. Alistair had been following him closely. Thetter took a moment to rpose himself and his expression was one of neutrality again.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Alistair said.

    ¡°Do you hear it?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The sounds of battle. Take care of Sifrid¡ª¡± Brendel let the little girl down and took out a silver card.

    The next instant, the cavalry under Graudin rushed out from the corner of a street¡ª

 volume 2 - 150

    Chapter 150 ¨C Breaking Dawn (3)

    The trampling sounds of horses¡¯ hooves shook the cold air in the night.

    The loud robes of the nobles¡¯ cavalry fluttered about as they charged out from the corner of an alley. Theirnces were lowered at the same time and pointed towards Brendel.

    The earth trembled.

    Brendel red at them coldly, raised the silver card to the air before throwing it out in front of him.

    [Unicorn Knight, Enter the Battlefield¡ª]

    The card flew down in an elegant arc andnded onto the ground.

    White light poured forth as magic circles were drawn from the ground. Everyone saw an ethereal gate forming in the air before their very eyes. A female knight wielding ance on top of a proud unicorn slowly cantered out from the gate and stood in the middle of the street.

    [[[Summoner?!]]]

    The enemy¡¯s cavalry slowed down in astonishment, while the voices mercenaries behind Brendel rose to a mor.

    ¡°My lord,¡± The Elven princess¡¯s voice was almost a whisper: ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Brendel knew she was talking about the pendant. He shook his head: ¡°I have already told you that you should thank your own Elven race.¡±

    ¡°The process isn¡¯t quite as important, my lord. You were the reason why they acted on this. What are your orders for me this time?¡±

    ¡°Advance forward and attack.¡±

    Alistair was confused. The spell that Brendel appeared to cast appeared to be simr to ¡®Silver Knight¡¯. It was certainly a higher level summon, but the ¡®Silver Knight¡¯ was better used as a defensive role instead of attacking.

    The nobles¡¯ cavalry had once again sped up and was merely a few feet away.

    Alistair hurriedly started to prepare a defensive spell, but when his hands were up, he frozepletely with his mouth wide open.

    The female knight who was d in silver had raised hernce to the sky. When she swung it, the distance between the approaching cavalry seemed to stretch further and further away.

    Time and space were distorted. Soul Energy materialized in thin air, and it was clear it was a form of Element power.

    ¡°Seismic¡ª¡±

    ¡°st!¡±

    Her voice echoed in her helmet as she pierced through the cavalry¡¯s formation in a sh of silver light. Her chargepletely broke through the ranks and files, sweeping them up into the air.

    Neither men nor beasts were spared.

    [[[Gold-Ranked¡ª There¡¯s another one!]]]

    The threemanders of the mercenaries and their men felt their breaths expelled out of their lungs. It was rare for them to see even one Gold-ranked fighter in this remotend, but they saw two today.

    However, the greatest shock still came from the fact the youth himself was a Gold-ranked swordsman and summoned a Gold-ranked knight. Would that not mean he had two Gold-ranked sses?

    The threemanders felt a chill on their back as they wondered who exactly the youth was. They were secretly d to choose Brendel¡¯s side. Graudin might have the power to put up wanted papers for their heads, but Brendel could easily take them down anytime with his own hands.

    Cornelius¡¯s blue eyes were filled with resolution. He clenched his teeth and drew out his longsword, pointing it to the front: ¡°Members of the Rosewine Mercenaries, stand at attention! For our fallenrades, to battle!¡±

    ¡°To battle!!!¡±

    The mercenaries under the middle-agedmander assented and rush forward, went past Brendel and joined in the fray between Medissa and the enemy¡¯s cavalry. The enemy was in disarray and was forced back to where they came from.

    [This is only one point where the enemy is able to attack. Graudin¡¯s men will keep oning from other areas.]

    Brendel thought as he turned to Cornelius who approached and bowed.

    ¡°My lord, the Rosewine Mercenaries will fight with you. We await yourmand and hope to have you lead us to victory.¡±

    Brendel did not reply and smiled. Despite Cornelius¡¯s polite manners from the start, there were slight traces of discontent in his eyes.

    [I can understand why he¡¯s not happy with me since I practically forced his arm. But since you chose to take my hand and walk on this bloody road, I shall have you continue on it without straying. There is no turning back.]

    Brendel¡¯s first move on the chessboard had been ced. The fight would begin now.

    ¡°Ser Cornelius.¡± He said.

    ¡°Yes, my lord?¡±

    Brendel pointed to the inner gates of the city. ¡°Let¡¯s reach that spot first before we discuss our next step. We are in a particrly bad position, and I¡¯m referring to our standing in Aouine. All oues are pointless if we do not take down Graudin.¡±

    ¡°Are you really going to kill him, my lord?¡± Cornelius felt his lips a little dry: ¡°Graudin is a Feudal Baron and count Randner¡¯s son. I think it¡¯s sufficient...... to teach him a lesson.....¡±

    Brendel nced at him before shaking his head.

    [Aouine¡¯s divide between a noble andmoner is so strong that he is still unable tomit fully.]

    ¡°It¡¯s not because I want to kill him. It¡¯s because thews demand his head, Ser Cornelius.¡± He said after a moment.

    The silver-haired man looked stunned. He clenched his fists.

    Jana watched the scene unfold before looking back at Raban: ¡°That indecisive fool Cornelius, he looks like he¡¯s about tomit fully. That¡¯s rare.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± The huge man threw his derisive gaze at him as well: ¡°He¡¯s just a fox.¡±

    There was a low rumble of hooves from the distance, seemingly the reinforcements of Graudin¡¯s men.

    ¡°Stay here, Raban. I¡¯ll assist the lord, as for the west gate, leave it to me and my men.¡± A glint of danger came to her eyes.

    ¡°Why am I the one defending?¡± Raban took a moment to respond with furrowed brows: ¡°The Firebrand Mercenaries are not weaker than any of you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and you would fight with a weak woman like myself? I thought you were a knight in the past, shouldn¡¯t you allow me to have the honors?¡±

    Raban scoffed and ignored her by turning his body away. He lunged his greatsword onto the ground with a loud crack. He faced his mercenaries and ordered with a yell: ¡°No undead is to be allowed in the city before the dawn breaks. Anyone who dares to retreat will get his balls busted by me!¡±

    He raised his right fist.

    And a wave of weapons raised with determination was their response.

    Jana had her smile of victory spread across her face. But when she turned to face her own mercenaries, it was gone and reced by a chilling expression.

    ¡°Men,e with me¡ª¡± Her voice was like a cold de.

    Raban caught a glimpse of her out from the corners of his eyes. The etiquettes of a knight demanded them to prevent women and children from participating in a battle. He did not refuse her because Jana¡¯s only sister was killed in the ughter.

    All the mercenaries had chosen to be silent on Graudin¡¯s atrocities. Even though their hearts were filled with rage and hatred, they did not choose to walk the bloody path of revenge. But the youth had forced them to march on it and made them choose what was truly in their hearts.

    [The dawn breaks only if the first ray of lightes. But where is the ray of light?]

    Raban sighed as he cast his gaze on the starry sky.

    If the battlefield was arge chessboard, then it was certainly an exciting exchange between Brendel and Graudin.

    The nobles¡¯ cavalry were not able to stop Brendel¡¯s advance, but the rear army of crossbowmen quickly set themselves up in an attacking position. They were the core unit for fighting against the monsters at the borders. They wore heavy armor, wielded fortified heavy crossbows, and were well-trained with a good amount of experience behind them. All of them were Iron-ranked marksmen or higher.

    [Arm your crossbows, take aim¡ª- Fire!] Theirmanding officer shouted.

    A hail of ck projectiles shot across from their crossbows and onto the frontmost mercenaries. The first line was instantly felled. Cornelius struck away the bolts fired at him with his sword. The death of his men made him pale in anger.

    Brendel swung his right arm and his sword unleashed the White Raven Sword Arte and the violent tempest of wind knocked back the bolts onto the wall, protecting Alistair and Sifrid.

    The second defense line made by the defending army was starting to deform. Two Silver-ranked knightmanders meted out orders one after another, but they discovered that they were facing against an abnormal Gold-Ranked fighter.

    Before them was a true Elven knight.

    The Elven princess had centuries of fighting techniques in her arsenal and her battle sense exceeded most men. Her indomitable charge prated the defense and met theirmanders inbat. The two enemy knights raised theirnces and thrust at her, but she skillfully avoided them and knocked them off their horses, before ending their lives with an urate jab to their throats each.

    The crossbowmen quickly realized the differences in the strength between theirmanders and the heavily armored Elven knight. There were no obstacles blocking her anymore.

    Thence in Medissa¡¯s hands was raised again as she red at them coldly¡ª

    It was aplete defeat for the defending army.

 volume 2 - 151

    Chapter 151 ¨C Breaking dawn (4)

    ============= Graudin¡¯s POV =============

    Graudin concentrated on the countless torches that were gathering to a single point in the city. His expression was a rigid mixture of regret and fear. He should have surrounded ¡°Viscount Gaston¡± and killed him at all costs before he left the city in the afternoon.

    But he felt more fear than regret. Even though he knew that Madara¡¯s undead army was in the city and understood the Skeleton Lord would not let him die here, he felt his fingertips cold and numb, while his heart palpitated quickly and loudly. He even felt a chill on the tip of his head, as though there was a sword was hovering over it.

    He subconsciously felt the injury on his face. He appeared calm in front of his subordinates, but he was secretly panicking. He could not forget Brendel¡¯s cold eyes as thetter spat out this line:

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave your head on your body for now. I¡¯lle and take it the next time¡ª¡±

    He did not expect his threat toe true only after one day.

    He turned back. Behind him was a mysterious guest who wore a suit of ck chain armor. He was covered with a ck robe with winged patterns on it, wore a dark mask that hid most of his features, and only revealed a pair of golden eyes.

    He held on to a huge scythe with his right hand; a sharp golden-wed glove was worn on it. He was looking at the battlefield over Graudin¡¯s shoulders silently.

    The ck Knight, the Scales of Justice, Iamas, one of the four knights of Madara¡ª (TL: This is the first time this character is introduced.)

    But he was different from the Pale knight Ebdon or the Red Knight Ladios, as Iamas was already highly ranked as Tarkas¡¯s right hand.

    There were many legends about him, and it was rumored that anyone who saw him without his mask would be dead. No living or dead had ever seen his real face.

    ¡°Lord Baron. There¡¯s no need to worry, our great army will be here momentarily¡ª¡± The ck Knight¡¯s voice was pleasant enough to make one think he was smiling under his mask, despite his slightly cold tone. ¡°I have heard from the reports that the viscount is moving on his own. Even though Iud him for his bravery, he clearlycks the wisdom to see his position. Kabias will have no problems fighting someone who just reached the prowess of a Gold-ranked fighter.¡±

    Even though his words assured Graudin, he thought about the youth that Medes had mentioned before. He paused for a moment as he felt the interest to meet thetter, before he continued speaking: ¡°We will leave the decision to you if you wish to torture or kill him.¡± (TL: Medes was the one who led the undead surrounding Fortress

    (TL: Medes was the one who led the undead surrounding Fortress Riedon.)

    Graudin scoffed. He knew Madara was still uninterested to interfere with the nobles¡¯ fights in Aouine, but he was still delighted with his answer.

    When he thought about the trouble which Brendel had given him, he ground his teeth in fury and was prepared to give the viscount an borate feast. (TL: Graudin drank human blood.)

    Death was not going to be a simple thing for him.

    =========== Brendel¡¯s POV =============

    The battles within the city intensified as the mercenaries assaulted the alleys to pick at the enemy¡¯s defense.

    Medissa led the charge, while Brendel followed leisurely behind as he led Sifrid along. The sight of him and the little girl was almost bizarre and the nobles¡¯ cavalry looked on in confusion as to how defenseless they appeared to be.

    Those enemies who recklessly charged in found their answers.

    With a swing of his sword, all their weapons were either knocked away or shattered into metallic pieces, and it took no more than a second. Their gaping injuries ought to bleed heavily but they were quickly covered in frost. They looked on in disbelief and fell forward as their hearts stopped beating due to the cold.

    Brendel mercilessly pushed their bodies away and continued forward. Sifrid¡¯s face was pale, but she did not stop moving and held on to his hand tightly.

    During the time where Brendel and his men killed the Jackal, she had seen his cold and angry expressions from a distance. His gaze had caused her to tremble a little, but she came to the conclusion that they were good people when they led her back to the vige.

    [Enemies of Brother Brendel must be bad people.]

    She thought to herself, her hands gripping onto his hands tightly.

    Brendel nced at her in response and discovered the flecks of blood on Sifrid¡¯s forehead. He frowned and wiped them away with his sleeve, wondering if it was a bad idea to bring her along to witness the carnage in the city.

    They were very near the inner gates of the city and reaching the path towards Graudin¡¯s manor. While they had made considerable progress in the time frame of thirty minutes, he held no illusion they were ahead of the Madara¡¯s defensive setups.

    [¡ªThere. Not skeleton soldiers or White Knights, but Zombie Ounders.]

    He managed to discover them hiding within Graudin¡¯s private soldiers. They were moving silently and quickly towards them. Medissa and the mercenaries did not discover the hidden dangers because of a certain spell over them, but it was impossible for him to miss it. The green mes in Zombie Ounders¡¯ eyes sockets flickered as they were ready to attack the mercenaries.

    [Less than 10 meters away.]

    ¡°Take care of her.¡± Brendel passed Sifrid over to Alistair, and leaped into the air.

    His Charge ability was activated.

    The people near Brendel barely saw a shadow flying over the ground, and witnessed seven continuous shes of a sword as it sliced through the air. They heard sevenbined cracking sounds at the same time before the shadow finally stopped moving and reappeared as Brendel.

    The sight before them seemed to distort as body parts of the Zombie Ounders suddenly appeared and blown away, causing the enemy soldiers to fall backward due to the impact.

    His attack ended with his longsword out in the open, while he stood before the mercenaries who gasped lightly. Even though they realized that the youth was a Gold-ranked swordsman the skill he had shown still surprised them greatly. The enemy soldiers were also bbergasted.

    But this momentary silence was broken as an undead Crusader Executioner six meters tall emerged from the inner city¡¯s gates, and made its way through the enemy soldiers, causing them to either be crushed or knocked away with its clumsy movements. The huge axe it dragged across the ground caused stone tiles to crumble loudly and a cloud of dust to form, causing almost everyone to panic.

    Both factions watched in horror as they saw the gigantic skeleton in front of them. Even though they knew the Madara¡¯s undead was within the city, they still felt terror to see the creatures only described in legends appearing in the city.

    Brendel watched it run before him. He recalled the damned thing caused him to crawl about in Brus¡¯s underground auction, but facing it now made him feel like he was watching a slow-motion video.

    [Surely one strike is enough to break it into pieces now?]

    He mused to himself, but he did not move despite the axe swinging towards him.

    A longnce had gone past his shoulder to intercept the huge axe in the blink of an eye. There was a tremendous crash as thence¡¯s de cut through the axe¡¯s metallic body and causing it to fall in the midst of the enemy soldiers. Shrieks and yells could be heard almost immediately.

    The Crusader Executioner looked at the broken axe in confusion before it looked at the Unicorn Knight guarding the young human in front of it. The Soul mes in its dark sockets red.

    ¡°My lord.¡± Medissa was frowning. Even though she was supposedly an undead as well and was used to their presence, the pure bloodlust the Crusader Executioner was emitting caused her to feel uneasy.

    Brendel did not reply.

    He suddenly turned his head to a specific direction. A small flinch in the shadows caused him to scoff coldly, and he hurled his cksteel Longsword there¡ª

    A screaming sh of metals assailed everyone¡¯s ears.

    The cksteel Longsword seemed to crash into a wall of air. Sparks flew as it was smashed away violently. It struck against the ground three times and skidded a long way before it stopped.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes never left the spot. The air shimmered and a ck shroud seemed to dissipate in the area.

    A tall skeleton wearing brass armor and wielding a battle axe appeared. Pale yellow mes darted about in Kabias¡¯s sockets as it red at Brendel.

    It then raised the battleaxe and inspected the damage caused to it. Arge gouge could be seen where it deflected the cksteel Longsword. Brendel also saw the damage and raised one eyebrow in surprise. He did not think a vice-captain like Kabias was using an ordinary battleaxe.

    Every mercenary and soldier stopped moving, and the only sounds in the battlefield were the injured¡¯s cries. The infamous ¡®Death God¡¯ Kabias had spread throughout the southern region. The Kirrlutz¡¯s brass armor forged three centuries ago made the skeleton all too conspicuous, while the battles against him made the Aouinemanders give him a description of ¡®Devious¡¯.

    ¡°K-Kabias......?¡±

    ¡°...... Madara¡¯s undead general.....¡±

    ¡°Why is it here.....¡±

    Whispers started to sweep across the battlefield, but they were quickly silenced when Kabias spoke.

    ¡°The rumor is true,¡± Kabias ignored the whispers as it observed Brendel and said: ¡°You¡¯re well-versed in ck Magic.....¡±

    ¡°A mere Shadow Shroud, nothing more than a mere cantrip spell. ¡°Brendel sneered coldly.

    (TL: I TLed this spell with various names in the past, but I¡¯m going to go back and edit to this name.)

    [That spell doesn¡¯t look like a normal necromancer¡¯s work. I¡¯m almost certain Rothko is nearby.]

    He secretly paid attention to his surroundings.

    ¡°Who exactly are you, young man?¡± It said with a low raspy voice. ¡°The little act about the Red Bronze Dragon, Leto, might have deceived the foolish nobles, but not me¡ª¡±

    There was a short pause.

    ¡°You are the true leader of that band of mercenaries, are you not? And the person who led Fortress Riedon¡¯s refugees out to safety from our attack is also you.¡± Kabiasughed once: ¡°I have wanted to meet you on the battlefield, since a long time ago¡ª¡±

    Upon this revtion, shocking murmurs broke out once again as the soldiers and mercenaries¡¯ eyes turned to the youth with awe.

 volume 2 - 152

    Chapter 152 ¨C Breaking Dawn (5)

    The Year of Bustling Summer Leaves and Flowers. This year marked the first ck Rose War.

    The regions near Karsuk were invaded and defeated by Madara, while Vieiro went into immediate alert. When the side nks of the White-mane army were crushed, the Grinoires region went into a state of shock and withdrew themselves into their cities.

    The ck Lord Incirsta marched his undead armies straight into Aouine¡¯s territory, and Randner was in grave danger.

    The news of Aouine¡¯s defeat was not unexpected, but citizens of Be and the regions citizens could not help but ask:

    ¡®Where is Aouine¡¯s Army?¡¯

    ¡®Where is the sight of our victory?¡¯

    ¡®Where are our glory and honor?¡¯

    The reply came in the form of a paper stating that Be¡¯s region no longer belonged to the Aouine kingdom and there would be no aid provided.

    Silence came after that.

    But a voice emerged from this silence, as though it was just there to answer the cries for help.

    Within Fortress Riedon.

    A me that lit up the darkness.

    The huge number of refugees broke through Medes and Ladios¡¯s siege under hismand, and slew Incirsta¡¯s right hand, ¡®The Pale Knight, Ebdon¡¯, all in a single night. It was something out of a legendary tale when they appeared before Brus¡¯s city gates.

    The name that led them was The Bronze Dragon, Leto.

    The citizens¡¯ questions in Brus rose to a mor, demanding to know who he was. Rumors spread throughout the southern region, and traveled far to the north, entering the nobles¡¯ ears in the capital, and his identity was the discussions of the citizens.

    He was supposedly the man who brought a miracle.

    But the undead general Kabias known as the Reaper of Death and led the attack on Fortress Riedon spoke of a different truth. It was someone else who stood behind Leto and led the refugees. His gravelly voice was dyed with admiration and expectation. The mes in his eye sockets flickered wildly, as though they were looking at the youth in front of it with respect.

    There was no need to lie to the men and women here, and thus everyone¡¯s eyes were on the silent youth.

    They wondered why he stood behind the scenes. If Kabias did not speak of his deeds, would his name not be known forever?

    They did not understand why he rejected honor and glory. They did not understand how he had the courage to lead the refugees out of that situation when it was far easier to flee on his own.

    And the reaction he had was a mere smile on his face, neither rejection or disdain at the truth that was revealed.

    Some of them swallowed, a few gripped their weapons tightly, and the others inhaled deeply.

    Neither fame or repute mattered to him. This mysterious air started to d around him.

    The only thought they had in their mind was, ¡®Who is this youth?¡¯

    The silence in the battlefield continued, with the exception of Medissa fighting off the Crusader Executioner.

    =========== Brendel¡¯s POV ============

    [What the f¡ª. You mean to say I¡¯m being targeted by the upper echelons of the entire fucking Madara army!?]

    Brendel was screaming loudly in his mind. He did not know what the others around him were thinking at that moment, but when Kabias revealed the truth, he was unable to find a proper response and had to resort to amercial smile in order to hide his confusion.

    ¡°Cornelius, what are you waiting for?¡± He roared after a pause.

    The mercenaries stiffened before they regained their senses.

    Medissa was charging across the enemy¡¯s left nk and the Unicorn Knight leapt into the air like an arrow straight into the Crusader Executioner¡¯s chest. Panic and confusion rose again amongst the city¡¯s soldiers as the gigantic skeleton fell over in their midst, forcing them to withdraw even further.

    Kabias knew that Graudin¡¯s army was no match for the mercenaries. The former worked for money, while thetter was out for revenge and blood. The degree of conviction was too different, and it was not hard to predict the conclusion of the battle.

    The outer city was lost and they needed time to retreat into the inner gates. This was the reason why it was here; to defend the inner city gates.

    The undead within the city was limited and it had to focus their numbers on the most important area.

    But Brendel also knew this point. He understood both Aouine and Madara¡¯s tactics and was prepared to face both of them here. He would not allow Graudin¡¯s private army to fall back to the inner city to set up their defensive lines.

    Although he was perturbed by Kabias¡¯s words, he knew about its ns like an open book.

    The two of them faced each other without moving.

    He was able to wait for Kabias to make its first move because Medissa was able to lead the mercenaries forward without any problems. He gazed smugly at his enemy with his folded arms, waiting for the moment where it could no longer hold itself back.

    The Soul mes within Kabias¡¯s eyes flickered again.

    The battles within the city ought to beplicated, but Brendel had targeted critical positions and broke through strong defensive lines one after another with unbelievable speed, as though he was looking down at the city like a chessboard.

    This made Kabias cautious.

    [This youth isn¡¯t a simple opponent. When did Aouine gain such a formidablemander? It is no wonder Medes said he should be captured alive. His intuition in battle rivals Lord Incirsta. If he is under Madara, then the Emperor would have ushered him under his directmand.]

    When he thought of the Emperor who wielded the Mercury Staff, he felt his Soul Fire trembling, as though blood was flowing through his body once again. It was as though he had returned to the glorious battles of the past.

    These memories pained it when it thought about the past, but they also gave it the desire to battle.

    Brendel¡¯s gaze followed Kabias when it raised its battleaxe, but made no further movement.

    [You dare to fight me alone without the Unicorn Knight?]

    Slight fury grew within it when it saw Brendel¡¯s arrogance. The exchange yesterday made it certain that he had just became a Gold-ranked swordsman.

    ¡°I know you are capable of the Aouine¡¯s royal swordsmanship; the White Raven Sword Arte. But do you really believe a mere mid-tier sword skill is capable of defeating an Element power?¡±

    Brendel gave a smirk when he heard thement, almost bursting out inughter when he heard the skeleton¡¯s words. There was hardly anyone in the continent who could teach him anything about fighting.

    He activated the skill ¡®Evaluation¡¯ and the color of Kabias¡¯s skeletal body changed. His torso and limbs turned into a deep red, while the joints and waist turned into a light red. The Soul Energy in his skull appeared to be translucent.

    White lines from its body lined up to the surroundings; these were indicative of where Kabias was able to attack. Brendel had little use of this skill because his attacks were focused on killing multiple groups of enemies and not on a single duel. But he was free to concentrate and use it now.

    [Physique and Strength are at certainly higher than average for a Gold-ranked tier. His agility is slightly lower, while his Will and Intelligence stats are at an average for a Silver-ranked¡ª]

    Kabias shifted its center of gravity. The extending white lines gradually reduced to three lines that focused onto his path.

    Brendel knew its stance well. It was a basicbat stance for Madara¡¯s ck Knight, and his judgment was the same as the skill ¡®Evaluation¡¯; three paths of attacks were avable to Kabias.

 volume 2 - 153

    Chapter 153 ¨C Breaking Dawn (6)

    A metallic scream exploded in everyone¡¯s ears. Brendel¡¯s longsword smashed into Kabias¡¯s battleaxe, forcing the Skeleton Lord back several steps before it managed to shrug away the attack. In order to bnce itself, the battleaxe¡¯s pommel was thrust deeply into the ground¡¯s stone tile, while Brendel continued his charge into the crowd¡ª

    ¡°What ability is that!?¡± The giant skeleton finally regained his bnce after his body was arched backward, and roared with fury and surprise. The way how Brendel reacted to its defensive maneuver felt almost like he was seeing through everything; it was unlikely to anything else other than an ability.

    ¡°Something that will take your life away!¡± Brendel also regained his footing and yelled as he rushed back with his sword to attack Kabias¡¯s nk.

    But no matter how quick Brendel¡¯s de appeared to be like a sh of lightning which had descended onto earth, it was much too slow in Kabias¡¯s eyes. It waited until the final moment when the longsword could no longer deviate from its path before Kabias¡¯s torso slipped away. Thetter¡¯s footnded onto the side heavily, sending dust and cracked stone fragments upward, its body rotating once with a heavy swing of its battleaxe towards Brendel¡¯s body as a counterattack.

    The single white line from Kabiaspletely changed in a single moment, weaving into an inescapable.

    ¡°My lord!¡± The Elven Princess who was putting half of her attention realized the danger he was in.

    Brendel had also realized the sword¡¯s failed attack; it was toote for him to dodge the battleaxe¡ª

    But a miracle happened.

    A slender figure of zing me streaked across the ground and burned into the crowd¡¯s eyes.

    A reverberation rattled everyone¡¯s eardrums as metal met each other. The Spear of Lightning extended before the two fighters and cut across Kabias¡¯s ck battleaxe. The snaking fiery me soon emerged as a girl with a red-haired ponytail trailing behind her. Her arms were trembling a little as she knocked away the enemy¡¯s weapon, before falling into a stable stance with her hands gripping her halberd tightly.

    Scarlett¡¯s amber eyes were steady and calm.

    Another thunderous sh rang out.

    As it time was frozen in its ce, Brendel¡¯s sword had urately struck across Kabias¡¯s right chest; the rush of power erupting from Power Break extending itself into the de and seeping into the ancient armor. The whirlpool of air in the skeleton¡¯s chest broke its weak Aura Barrier, and cracking sounds echoed repeatedly in there.

    Kabias felt three of its ribcage¡¯s bones break before it waspletelyunched into the air from the impact.

    [[[Impossible!]]]

    Kabias, Scarlett and Medissa had this word in their mind when they saw this scene. The de had clearly missed its mark because Kabias¡¯s body slithered away, yet when the de swung into its designated path¡ª

    Kabias¡¯s body was still in its original position.

    Brendel had swung with everything in his body to take advantage of Kabias¡¯s momentary distraction. A line of white frost had followed the de¡¯s path and continued to assail Kabias even in mid-air, hurling it uncontrobly with countless rotations onto the ground. Meters of dust and soil were agitated as the ancient armor collided violently several times against the street¡¯s pavement, before it finally stopped against a thick wall with a tremendous boom. A cloud of dust prevented visibility of its fate.

    Brendel¡¯s longsword cracked into multiple fragments and dropped onto the floor. He had forgotten about going after Kabias as he looked on with slight disbelief.

    [I did not make a mistake by seeing things wrongly in this low-level ¡®brawl¡¯. I really did miss that attack, meaning there¡¯s another reason why I managed to strike Kabias?]

    He discarded the sword hilt and randomly took another sword out from a nearby fallen soldier. The ordinary swords were unable to handle his current power. He missed the Thorn of Light. Even though it was also a low-level weapon it was still a magic artifact. He sent a signal to Scarlett who nodded and they began to run towards Kabias.

    The Skeleton Lord got up shakily from the wreckage. That attack could not be said to have given it a fatal strike, but its condition was far from optimal. Brendel had used Power Break on his attack, and there was no one in the Gold-ranked tier who could receive it directly on the chest.

    It felt the armor¡¯s dent with its hand.

    Before the Skeleton Lord had a chance toin about the ridiculous attack, it saw two figures approaching it; one red and one ck.

    [A good strategy, but you¡¯re too slow to make it work.]

    Kabias lightly tapped his feet forward a few steps before it leaped forward with the battleaxe rising into an uppercut to meet his opponents. The screeching metallic din pierced through the battlefield when it collided against two weapons, causing the nearby men to cover their ears subconsciously.

    [Power Break!]

    Brendel did not expect the Skeleton Lord to know this ability as well. When he reacted, Scarlett had uttered a groan and was hurled backward. The sudden shockwave reached him and he was also slightly knocked off his feet.

    The ordinary longsword, as well as Kabias¡¯s battleaxe, turned into countless metal fragments.

    The youth immediately used both of his hands to cover his eyes. The fragments had scattered with a frightening impact that shot at both Kabias and him. Merciless pain struck him as his entire body received the shrapnel attack.

    [My strength isn¡¯t much higher than Scarlett, so why did she get sted off and I knocked off my feet? ...... Kabias did this intentionally¡ª!]

    The corner of his eyes nced in front of him and indeed discovered throwing away his battleaxe. At the same time, a glittering gold sheen appeared in his skeletal ws. Shortughter gurgled in its throat, and the glitter turned out to be a short spear. Red mist apanied the weapon as itunched forward in a bloody line with Kabias¡¯s full strength towards his shoulders.

    [Magic weapon, shit, it¡¯s too fast¡ª]

    He was unable to avoid it. Kabias could almost imagine the youth¡¯s unfortunate shrill scream of pain but¡ª

    It did not strike true.

    The Skeleton Lord looked at the empty ground before it subconsciously raised its skull up, and saw Brendel appearing in mid-air with his right thumb pointing towards the ground. He was wearing a victory smile.

    What Brendel did was to flip his body around and use the Ring of the Wind Empress tounch himself up into the air. No matter how many times he thought about it, he found it odd that Kabias used an ordinary battleaxe as his main weapon. When he saw it taking out a spear, he reacted immediately.

    The Wind Bullet did not hurt him much, and it helped him in escaping this critical situation and even turned it around.

    Brendel took out a dagger from his boots as he spun in the air and sliced towards Kabias with the aid of gravity.

    The Skeleton Lord¡¯s reaction was quick enough, and prepared to dodge and counterattack. However, the situation that happened earlier repeated itself.

    Kabias waspletely certain it had dodged it, but the dagger cut through the air and struck urately onto its skull.

    Impossible¡ª

    It wanted to roar out in fury, but a loud m forced its rage back as it was sent flying away.

    Brendel carefullynded on his feet with the aid of that attack, and pounced towards Kabias. He had no time to confirm the strange feeling and chose not to use Power Break in order not to ruin the weapon in his hands.

    Kabias was cursing with rage, trying to dodge the iing de and find an opportunity to counterattack. However, the same thing happened yet again. It had clearly avoided the attack but the dagger still managed to hit it.

    The battlefield had most of its men stopping their actions and looking at this unforgettable sight:

    The youth, Lord Gaston, the true hero of Fortress Riedon was using a dagger to strike at Kabias¡¯s body, and thetter somehow seemed to have rehearsed with him a fancy dance. No matter how hard the Skeleton Lord tried to dodge the attacks, Brendel easily cut him over and over again with the dagger nking away on his armor and bones.

    The speed of the attacks was a blurry mess, and a few started to wonder if the skeleton was truly deserving the name of Reaper. Even more thought the youth was a secret Knight from the Holy Cathedral of mes. (TL: It has been mentioned before, but anyone who has an Element power needs to register in the Holy Cathedral and they are recognized as Knights.)

    A twenty-years old Knight?

    More and more people started to believe in that notion as the strikes keptnding on the undead general. The morale of Graudin¡¯s men waspletely gone when they saw Brendel¡¯s ¡®frightening prowess¡¯. A Gold-tier fighter without an Element Power could still be taken down using numbers, but once they unsealed their Element power, they would be an inhuman existence.

    Nobody wanted to fight this hopeless battle, and be cannon fodder for dying these monsters, especially when they are just soldiers who came for merely money and authority.

    Brendel¡¯s dagger finally broke with his final attack as he watched Kabias fly into a building like a punching bag. He exhaled with relief and threw away the hilt.

    He was careful to distribute the stress to every part of the de, but it merelysted twenty-odd attacks before it finally broke. He finally had the time to reflect on the odd attacks. Every single one of them had supposedly missed its mark but it still somehownded on the skeleton.

    His thoughts were interrupted as Kabias bellowed: ¡°What kind of fucking Element power is this, you damned living creature!¡±

    Brendel gave a thoughtful nod as he picked up another sword as he agreed with Kabias¡¯s words.

 volume 2 - 154

    Chapter 154:

    Brendel had not seen or heard of his Element power before as described in his Character Sheet.

    [Causality Reversal, Time Retrace or Space Distortion, these three Element Powers might achieve the same results. I know the description of the Casualty Reversal is ¡®Sequence¡¯, that alone proves that it could not be my Element Power. Time Retrace has to be rted to the material I¡¯m touching. My attacks need to first hit Kabias for it to work.]

    The way of how an Element Power worked at the Gold-ranked tier was entirely autonomous. It had to be an interaction between ¡®self¡¯ and ¡®target¡¯. Any Time-Element rted power was surely incorrect.

    [There are many definitions of Space. It could interact greatly with Time Element. Order and Stability can be used to describe Space Distortion, but Vectors, Movement, Physical, Mind and Discement are also possible attributes. The only thing that¡¯s missing is Frozen, and that has nothing to with Space Distortion. The lower ranked Element Powers: Sure-strike, Refraction, Curved Route, Illusion, all of them are unable to lower the temperature or have anything to do with the description Stability.]

    Brendel¡¯s thoughts were interrupted as he felt someone approaching him. A scent of Aouine¡¯s summer mountain entered his nostrils, as though he had crossed a bridge toward verdant greenery. When he turned around, he found Scarlett taking out her personal longsword she hardly used and handing it over to him.

    ¡°Here.¡± She said.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Brendel dropped the sword he was holding and received her sword, and saw Kabias¡¯srge body separating from the debris dropping loudly onto the broken rocks. The Skeleton Lord stood up and red hatefully over to his direction, wary of his Element power.

    Its Element power was Soul Energy strengthening its attack and defense. It was able to fend off Brendel¡¯s Power Break even without resorting to Power Break, but the bizarre Element power the youth possessed had nearly suppressed the Skeleton Lord all the time.

    The mercenaries had already proceeded to the inner city gates under Medissa¡¯s leadership, but it did not dare to react carelessly and had to wait for an opportunity where it stood.

    Its bony fingers went across the dents and cuts on its ancient armor. It was certain of its victory earlier, but the mysterious youth¡¯s attacks made it uncertain whether it was able to truly defend against him now.

    The situation was not going to change but it had to at least stall him here.

    ¡°Do we defeat it here?¡± Scarlett readied her halberd and asked.

    Brendel shook his head. He had an unknown Element Power that he had never heard or seen before. The grasp on his Element power was fleeting and distant, while Kabias¡¯s true strength far surpassed him. The Skeleton Lord was able to withstand punishment but he could not. Once he made a mistake with his Element power, a counterstrike from Kabias was not something he could withstand.

    He had readied himself for his own death, but he was holding on to countless lives in his position.

    Death was easy, but that was an utterly uneptable oue.

    ¡°His earlier attack was to force you out. I thought you were able to discern that.¡± Brendel said, referring to the initial moment where she intercepted Kabias¡¯s battleaxe.

    ¡°Sorry¡ª¡± Scarlett said subconsciously before she whipped her head to his direction: ¡°You...... You know I was there?¡±

    She was surprised. She had been following him alone from a distant ce in the forest. She had experience in tracking and erasing her tracks, and he had never once turned his head back when he led Sifrid. She suddenly closed her mouth and looked suspiciously at Brendel.

    Perhaps he was lying to her.

    ¡°When you went out of the vige I already realized,¡± Brendel said: ¡°The Control Key for the Blood of Gods.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    She lowered her head. The young lord in front of her seemed to like controlling every aspect of his ns and preferred to do everything his way. Even Romaine with her quirky charm got yelled at by him. The fact that she took impulsive action on her own even though he specifically warned her not to do so was sure to invite rebuke. But she was ready to ept responsibility, as she had gotten used to not being taken seriously by Makarov.

    She suddenly took in a light breath. She had thought of another possibility: What if Brendel wanted to shift the me to Sanford and the others?

    The more the young girl thought, the more that possibility seemed usible. She looked at him with guarded eyes.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Brendel sensed an apparent distrust from her from the slight pause, as he stared at the motionless Kabias.

    ¡°My actions, my responsibility.¡± She said with furrowed brows.

    ¡°Responsibility?¡± Brendel parroted her.

    [Come now. Let¡¯s see if you can afford to wait longer than I do. I¡¯m not in a rush.]

    He was cavalier in his attitude with Scarlett¡¯s conversation as he paid full attention to Kabias. However, this made her certain that he would cast his anger onto the Grey Wolves Mercenaries. She began to fret as she did not expect her actions to cause trouble for the others.

    ¡°Any punishment is fine!¡± She suddenly raised her voice.

    Even though she was an orphan and a naive girl in the mercenaries, rumors of the nobles had already filled her ears.

    Brendel was startled and looked at her, perplexed. Her face was red, and even the tips of her ears, as though she was squeezing every bit of her strength to speak up: ¡°Any punishment to me is fine...... My lord, but please don¡¯t cast your anger on them.¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡±

    ¡°Is it insufficient?¡± She said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°What?¡± Brendel was confused: ¡°Them? Who are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Sanford, and the others.¡±

    ¡°Cast my anger on them? Why?¡±

    Her eyes went nk as she stared into Brendel¡¯s eyes as if to check whether they hid any lies in them.

    ¡°Because¡ª¡± She suddenly realized she made a blunder and shut her mouth.

    Brendel¡¯s expression turned inscrutable as he realized what she was thinking about, and he broke into an awkward smile: ¡°I would find it strange if you didn¡¯t follow me.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Her voice was so soft that Brendel nearly failed to hear it. She turned her head away: ¡°You say it like I¡¯m some reckless fool......¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Brendel shook his head solemnly: ¡°I¡¯m merely respecting your decision.¡±

    ¡°What about the others?¡±

    ¡°Everyone has their obligations and responsibilities. Anyone can have their willful moments, but that doesn¡¯t mean they would do it all the time. I respect their decisions, but once they made their choice they would have to bear the consequences. A moment of impulse can govern someone¡¯s fate, but there is a clear difference between ideals and naivety. One who is the former will understand what price he is paying for, as well as whether he¡¯s willing to pay that kind of price.¡±

    He paused for a moment: ¡°You are here because you did not choose to run away, right?¡±

    She nodded and looked at the outline of the Firbugh¡¯s manor which was lit up slightly in the darkness: ¡°The truth is I would rather die than retreat before that scum¡ª¡±

    ¡°Then our position is one and the same, and we stand on the same line. Why would I me you?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m an outsider at the very end.¡±

    He obviously wanted her to join him. A Gold-ranked fighter would be viewed importantly anywhere. It was good that she was starting to integrate into his group and be more loyal. He had never intended on giving up on her, but the idea of having the Grey Wolves Mercenaries as the reason why she had to follow him was not particrly a pleasant one.

    The only reaction he could give was a smile at her reply, before his eyes went back to Kabias.

    Kabias¡¯s supposedly short spear was in contrast with its huge body. An average human wielding it would find it to be a suitable length. The Soul mes continued to burn the Skeleton Lord¡¯s eye sockets, even though it did not move even a little. He knew that it was going to make sure he stayed here at all costs.

    He cast a nce at the surroundings. ¡°Scarlett.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Would you kindly lend your aid to Medissa? You can leave this ce to me.¡±

    She quickly nodded and walked away with her halberd raised over her shoulders. She looked at Kabias, who was somewhat in the fog, before she took another two steps and stopped.

    ¡°You can just give the order to me.¡± She said.

    He raised his eyebrow and looked at her, but she had already run off into the streets and disappeared amidst the wafting smoke from the mes. He pleasantly smiled as he thrust his longsword onto the ground and folded his arms.

    Kabias and Brendel red at each other without moving.

    =========== Medissa¡¯s POV =========

    Medissa had encountered a problem. The mercenaries had continued to push Graudin¡¯s army into the inner gates with high morale and overallbat ability, but thest line of defense to the path leading to Graudin¡¯s manor consisted of Graudin¡¯s elite soldiers and an entire army of skeletons.

    These undead skeletons had imposing figures to them, their white bones almost marble-like as they gleamed brightly under the moonlight. They were different from the usual skeletons, wearing flexible leather armor, wielding spears with a buckler, and a backup sword at their waist. They even had three to four Bone Javelins on their back.

    They were now standing quietly at the backlines, but they had previously met the mercenaries in battle just a moment ago, causing extensive damage to them. They were Madara¡¯s Elite Skeletons known as ¡®Bhorns¡¯. They were Tarkus¡¯s main infantry, a ¡®higher existence¡¯ amongst the low-tier shock troops.

    It was also a fact that their existence meant a high-level general could also be somewhere nearby.

    And standing before the Elven Princess was an undead Knight. One of the Four Horsemen of Revtions, the ck Knight and the Scales of Justice, the most dreaded and mysterious out of the four.

    She could see the golden mask clearly; half of it was a crying expression while the other half was a smiling expression. It was a creepy symbol.

    The golden eyes behind the mask were now staring at Medissa.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Medissa¡¯s eyebrows were slightly contorted. The earlier exchange between them made her realize her opponent¡¯s power.

    ¡°Silver Elf¡± The ck Knight was surprised. His voice was full of appeal: ¡°Are you also with that man? How intriguing. He is surely not Viscount Gaston, nor Be¡¯s Brendel with a im of Hignd Knight. Even the ck Tower¡¯s wizards would not be so knowledgeable about Madara. In my judgment, he¡¯s more of an Ancestral Citizen¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ancestral Citizen?¡± Medissa looked nkly at him.

    He raised his head suddenly. In his eyes were the reflection of a bright fire in the south; a magic signal was raised into the sky.

 volume 2 - 155

    Chapter 155 ¨C Breaking Dawn (8)

    ============== Raban¡¯s POV ==============

    A bright light shot straight into the air and illuminated the vastnd, originating from the ruins near the southern inner gate. The varying intensity of the light made it appear ethereal.

    Raban, themander of the Firebrand Mercenaries, wore an aloof expression. His rippling muscles gave him a hard rigid outline that kept dancing from the light. He was a massive man who wielded a greatsword with a carved devil for a hilt, standing motionlessly in the night. His gaze was not on the light but the scenery outside the city.

    The darkness seemed to form a ck line over the horizon, and the night fog had created a thin mist in between the city and the forest. It seemed like nothing was out of the ordinary, but there was a constant shuffling sound of leaves being swept up by thousands of footsteps moving rhythmically.

    The oddity of the inhuman noises was terrifying enough for one to feel like they came from hell.

    Arge army was moving towards the city.

    Raban was not Aouine¡¯s knight. He was formerly part of Karsuk¡¯s forces; a retired cavalryman who had fought against Madara, but he acted like a knight to gain an advantage over the other mercenaries.

    When he listened to the sounds with his eyes closed, he was almost certain they were Madara¡¯s army. An endless amount of skeletons like a sea, shuffling across the ground row after row. The noise wormed into his ears and heart.

    Fire torches began to emerge in the darkness like starsing out during the night. They shimmered in the fog like ghost-fire, causing the mercenaries to grip their weapons subconsciously with solemn expressions.

    They got into a formation and stood atop the city walls in silence, and held their breaths as the skeletons¡¯ shuffling noises became louder.

    Madara¡¯s undead army finally appeared one by one, emerging past the swirling fog.

    A few of Raban¡¯s close subordinates stood behind him, including a few wizards. They were the ¡®brains¡¯ of the mercenaries, in charge of handling the strategies and tactics used. They were hesitant whether this battle was worth fighting for. Thergest reason was not to offend the young noble, but when they saw the skeletons appearing like a tidal wave, they drew in a cold breath.

    Madara. A blooming rose with all its brilliance and thorns in the darkness. It was an irresistible aura like the scent of death visiting upon one¡¯s eventual demise¡ª

    ¡°Commander?¡± A wizard with a pale-looking face asked quietly under his hood.

    Raban did not answer.

    ¡°Commander, the number of undead enemies appears to be at least a few thousands,¡± He said: ¡°Our total numbers with the stray sellswords around us are less than two hundred. These sellswords are also men who can hardly be trusted, even more so for that noble. Are we truly going to fight to our deaths for a single promise made to him? Even if all our brothers are to meet their demise?¡±

    ¡°And where are we to run to if we flee?¡± Raban turned around and nced coolly at him: ¡°I am far more familiar with the undead than you are. This city is already beset with the undead. I have learned my lesson in Karsuk. Never guess how many undead there are because their numbers far surpass your imagination.¡±

    His eyes went back to the scenery: ¡°However, while their numbers are indeed numerous, they are skeletons which are raised from the graves recently. If we hold our position till daylightes they will fall back.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    Raban raised his hand and interrupted the wizard: ¡°Our only hope lies with that young noble. Two Gold-ranked fighters are enough to lead us out of this siege. Prepare your magic signals. Tell him he has two hours, the Firebrand mercenaries will not retreat even unto our deaths¡ª¡±

    He yelled to another person: ¡°Raise our Wargs, even if we are going to face death itself, I want to see them flying in the dawn¡ª¡±

    He spat onto the ground. He was confident of what he knew about Brendel¡¯s n: ¡°Since that young noble wants me to defend this position till dawn breaks, it means that he has a miracle up his sleeves. I want to see how the first light of dawn breaks this impossible darkness.¡±

    [If he¡¯s capable of doing it I don¡¯t even mind giving up my position.]

    The wizards nced at each other with troubled looks. There were two hours left before dawn broke.

    ============ Medissa¡¯s POV ===========

    [Ancestral Citizen?]

    Medissa¡¯s movements have stopped moving. Her brows were knitted together as she shifted thence in her hands. Every nerve in her body was on alert as she red at the undead general. There was a pair of silver-colored scales woven onto his ck robes, and his body gave out a chilling dread about him.

    She did not know what he meant exactly by the two words. Before the Wise Kings ruled in the old eras, there was a mythical legend of a heroic knight leading a group of men and women out of Mother Marsha¡¯s protection, defeated the entity known as the ¡®Final Cmity,¡¯ The Twilight Dragon, which marked the beginning of the Era of Chaos.

    Ancestral Citizens¡ª this title was given to the men and women of varying races who fought the Twilight Dragon.

    The Golden Lineage had all but died out, with the exception of the Dragon race, bing mere legends. The Silver Lineage was the proud existences in the Era of Chaos, but they were nearly wiped out in the battle against the the Dragon of Darkness. Most of these races had already disappeared or became obscure existences.

    How could an Ancestral Citizen, an existence as old as the Golden Lineage still be around?

    [Unless my Lord is a dragon.]

    The Elven Princess immediately shook her head. Even a new-born dragon would not be as weak as her Lord, she thought, before she suddenly blushed and felt as though she had slighted him. She quickly apologized in her heart and refuted his words: ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?¡±

    Iamas¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up with golden mes behind his mask. He was holding on to his scythe without moving but that strange glint made her feel slightly odd, and she hurriedly blinked. She was afraid she was being charmed, but his response was an echoingughter:

    ¡°My words are exactly what they meant, and you understand it well.¡±

    ¡°Stop your lies!¡± Medissa nced at her surroundings. The strength of the Undead General in front of her was far beyond her imagination, and she had to act carefully.

    However, once she stopped moving, the mercenaries¡¯ assault had also started to stagnate. She could not make a decision whether she should ask Brendel for reinforcements. There was a thickyer of smoke and dust forming over the location where Kabias and Brendel had fought, and she did not know what was happening there.

    She was afraid of distracting him in his fight.

    But this stalemate would not be in her favor if the undead general fought back against the mercenaries. She bit her faint silver lips and tried to dy for time: ¡°The Golden Lineage is lost to the ages. There are no Ancestral Citizens, save for the dragons, left walking in this continent.¡±

    Iamas gave a faint smile with a calm reply: ¡°Indeed. The citizens of the Golden Lineage are considered Ancestral Citizens, but young Elven child, you forget there is the existence of the ¡®Great Fool.¡¯¡±

    She could not help butugh at the impossible idea: ¡°The Dragon of Darkness? That¡¯s far too funny. You believe my Lord is the Dragon of Darkness? Is there a point to that lie? No one will believe it¡ª¡±

    ¡°No at all,¡± Iamas shook his head: ¡°But a legend runs in Madara. ¡®The Master of Darkness will return, its eyes sees through hearts, its mind knowing all things.¡¯ Surely you have heard of that legend? It¡¯s the ck Prophecy of Miirna¡¯s citizens after all. They are a sworn enemy of your race, is it not?¡±

    ¡°And what of it?¡±

    ¡°I have merely met a certain witch in Fortress Riedon,¡± Iamas said nonchntly: ¡°As you well know, the witches are sensitive to the Powers of Darknesspared to ordinary people.¡±

    ¡°And you have forgotten that the Dragon of Darkness is the greatest enemy of our race. Compared to the witches, we are far more familiar with the scent of Darkness. The ck Prophecy also has this passage: ¡®The Darkness will be born from no mortals, and the Glorious Races will expire amongst the mes.¡¯ My Lord is a human, a descendant of the King of mes, Gatel. He is a descendant of the Glorious Races, do you deny that point?¡± (TL: gscream.)

    ¡°That is true.¡± Iamas raised his scythe and ced it over his shoulder, nodding.

    ¡°Stop trying to sow discord between us, undead. Who exactly are you?¡± Her opponent seemed to be satisfied with her attempts to dy the battle, and she started to be restless. Perhaps it was a trap after all, and he was waiting for reinforcements. She decided to attack him, and if she did not gain an advantage, she would request aid from Brendel.

    ¡°I already told you my name, Iamas. I am the Scales of War and the Judge of Fairness¡ª¡±

    The undead general ced one hand on his chest and bowed slightly.

    ¡°The inciter and instigator, you meant to say,¡± Medissa shouted as she raised hernce, but her opponent was even faster than she was. She had barely begun to urge her unicorn forward when he had already swung his scythe forward.

    A dark beam of energy shot towards her.

    She immediately shifted her unicorn¡¯s direction, but the edge of the st had reached her. Her armor pieces immediately exploded with light as they fended off the blow, causing a st of powerful wind to spread in all directions. The mercenaries near her stumbled backward.

    She released a soft groan as she received considerable damage from it.

    ¡°Your Soul Energy is very impressive. As expected from an Elven Spirit¡ª¡±

    Iamas raised his hand as he spoke. The squadron of Bhorn Skeletons took out their bone spears and entered into an attacking stance. The mercenaries who had lost their footings were in no condition to defend against their strikes properly. Medissa, who was still trying to recover from the damage, instantly panicked when she realized the situation they were in.

    ¡°Stop¡ª¡± She said through gritted teeth.

    Iamas¡¯s hand lowered mercilessly.

    The air vibrated and whistled as rows of bone spears flew towards them, the noise echoing through the vicinity.

    Her panic turned into determination.

    ¡°Ptyoona!¡± She roared in ancient Elven, as she released the spell ¡®Spirit Wings.¡¯

    Her voice pierced through the entire battlefield, creating countless Soul Fire to emerge around her before it spread out with blinding speed into a gigantic pair of wings. A translucent web of crystalline hexagons filled up the entire street in the blink of an eye. The bone spears fell like rain from the sky smashed into the shield, reverberating loudly as they tried to force their way through, but it continued to hold up and ultimately turned them into ashes.

    The mercenaries looked up in shock as the light brightened their faces, but they quickly realized they were saved.

    Iamas looked on calmly, his golden irises shimmering: ¡°An ancient technique from the Silver Elves¡ª¡±

    He smiled as heid his scythe horizontally across his mount.

    Medissa had no protection once the Soul Fire extended outwards¡ª

 volume 2 - 156

    Chapter 156 ¨C Breaking Dawn (9)

    Medissa did not hesitate to use her ability and protected the mercenaries. However, when she saw the undead general staring at her with an extended right arm holding onto his scythe, she realized her mistake. He gripped onto his scythe with his metallic spiked gloves and shifted it slightly.

    Iamas disappeared from her sight in an instant.

    She raised hernce in instinct, but she was toote. The brilliance of the Spirit Wings immediately dimmed as the scythe¡¯s swing came from the sky. Iamas¡¯s swing had sundered the weaker protection and cleaved through her silver armor easily; the chain links holding them split apart and scattered like leaves covered in glitter.

    Crimson blood quickly dyed her inner shirt as she looked at the gaping injury from her shoulders to her abdomen in disbelief.

    Iamas¡¯s cloak gracefully fluttered as hended on the unicorn. He reached for her throat with his right hand, effortlessly lifted her up, before he hurled her towards the ground.

    The Elven Princess had lost all her strength and was unable to resist. She crashed onto the ground with a loud st, causing a cloud of dust to fly up.

    Iamas leaped into the air again when the mercenaries rushed to her aid. He swung the scythe in a perfect arc, a ck crescent of energy swept across the mercenaries, spilling blood as they were mowed down like grass. Screams quickly filled the area.

    Hended near Medissa¡¯s location.

    Her unicorn quickly blocked his path, but he casually struck it down with a swing of his fist. He walked slowly towards her, and lowered his head to observe the bleeding girl; her eyes were unfocused as she coughed with bloody splutters. The de had cut deeply into her body, and blood dyed it red.

    She had almost no feeling left in her body other than pain invading her every nerve. Fatigue gripped her mind, and her consciousness was leaving her. Iamas grabbed her throat again and lifted her up into the air in her dimming vision.

    ¡°Medissa, why are you so immature¡ª¡± Iamas said with a mocking voice, mimicking someone from her past.

    Her feeble eyes widened slightly.

    ¡°Y-you¡ª¡± She squeezed her words out before coughing out blood. Iamas had closed one eye while his other zed with golden mes, staring into her eyes.

    [Mind-reading!]

    ¡°Damn you¡ª¡± She concentrated and sealed off her mind with her remaining Soul Energy by flooding around it like water. The Mind-reading skill was only able to retrieve surface thoughts, but it was still considered despicable, and only deplorable wizards would use it.

    However, it was widely circted amongst the Madara¡¯s nobles. The Elven girl trembled with rage and felt humiliated by how she fell for his trick so easily.

    [I can¡¯t escape......] She tried to get away from his vice-like grip, but her consciousness was getting fainter, even with the metal spikes from his gloves piercing painfully through her neck. She wanted to warn Brendel, but an invisible wall seemed to shut down her connection to Brendel.

    ¡°Y-you...... bastard.....¡± She coughed

    ¡°There are many ways to use the Soul Element Power. Madara¡¯s undead have put in considerable effort to research this Element Power, and I am no exception. The barrier I created severs your mental connection to the material world.¡±

    Iamas¡¯s voice suddenly stopped, and he turned around.

    He raised his scythe in a certain direction and blocked off a de infused with visible lightning electricity. The explosive sound came a momentter, as he grunted with effort to shake off the electrical spirals.

    Scarlett had struck a blow to him before she retreated quickly.

    ¡°Another Gold-ranked existence.¡± He looked at the red-haired girl standing a short distance away in a readied stance: ¡°That youth has quite the number of skilled people.¡±

    ¡°Release her!¡± Scarlett roared through clenched teeth.

    He scoffed once and threw away Medissa, and his scythe had already swung towards Scarlett. She was momentarily startled as she suddenly lost track of him. The cold de was nearing her neck with a piercing pain like a needle.

    Her blood turned into ice. She saw glimpses of the battle between Iamas and Medissa, but he had actually held back against her. His abilities had far surpassed what he had shown earlier. He was at least at the highest peak of a Gold-ranked fighter, one who had started to master his Element Power fully.

    Scarlett immediately twisted her body to avoid injuries to vital areas. The scythe¡¯s sharp de struck across her back, and she uttered a guttural sound as she was knocked into a nearby wall,pletely destroying it.

    The attack was far stronger than what Medissa had received, but Scarlett quickly got up.

    The Blood of Gods offered a robust defense and regeneration, and it was iparable to the frail Elves¡¯ constitution.

    ¡°What?¡± Iamas was surprised. He had put in considerable strength into his attack and should have killed her outright, but she got up as if nothing had happened.

    Scarlett was ring angrily at the mercenaries. Iamas and her were a fair distance away from Medissa, and it was the best timing for them to rescue her. However, they had be fearful of his attack and made no attempts to move.

    Cornelis was greatly hesitant. His forehead was full of perspiration because of the fear gripping him. The enemy was beyond anything he had seen before in his life and was as terrifying as the monsters appearing in mythical legends. His closest aides had started persuading him to flee from the city, but the youth was just as troublesome to handle. He was not only a viscount in rank; he was also someone who had multiple Gold-ranked fighters under hismand.

    He had to have an incredible background. Abandoning the two women here would certainly doom him and his men in the future.

    The Bhorn Skeletons suddenly started to move. Iamas had given them the order to surround Medissa and kill her.

    Cornelis made his decision with clenched teeth. Going against Brendel might cost them their livester, but they had an immediate threat here. That undead general was clearly stronger than what they had here; he injured both the newly-arrived Gold-ranked fighter and Medissa in a single strike.

    He returned his sword to his sheath and prepared to give the order to retreat, but when he was about to do so, a small pair of hands grabbed onto his sleeve. He looked down to see who it was.

    It was the little girl Brendel brought into battle.

    ¡°Messere Cornelis?¡± Sifrid was looking up at him with a frightened pair of deep green eyes. Her voice was a whisper.

    Cornelis obviously knew what her question was.

    [How should I answer to this little girl? Should I tell her we¡¯re leaving?]

    He opened his mouth and tried to find the words to gently tell her the truth. But he quickly discovered he was unable to do so. Sifrid¡¯s terrified face reminded of his own daughter.

    His wife and daughter had died in the borders of this ursednd against Madara¡¯s forces. Almost everyone living in this damned ce had suffered the hardships of war. Leaving this city meant it was doomed to Graudin¡¯s torturing ways.

    He closed his eyes.

    ¡°Commander?¡± One of his aides asked again for hismand.

    Cornelis¡¯s eyes opened again, bloodshot vessels signaling his madness: ¡°I¡¯m betting everything here.¡±

    Everyone in the vicinity was startled.

    ¡°Our fates are left to Marsha¡¯s hands! Form up!¡± Cornelis bellowed.

    ¡°¡±¡±Our fates are left to Marsha¡¯s hands!!!¡±¡±¡± The mercenaries roared in return.

    The mercenaries did not waste any time the moment he gave his order. Indecisiveness was the biggest mistake in a battlefield. They quickly formed up to get into a formation and pushed forward against the rows of skeletons. The nearest mercenaries to the Elven Princess picked her up and formed a human wall.

    Medissa shook her head to shrug off her blurring senses. There was still a chance to turn this situation around. She gritted her teeth and took a deep breath and whispered feebly to the mercenaries around her

    Scarlett was trying hard to fend off Iamas¡¯s attacks, but she received another injury for the third time. She wiped off the blood off her lips when the mercenaries suddenly yelled at her: ¡°Use all your strength to give a blow to that undead fucker!¡±

    [What? Use all my strength?]

    She was puzzled, but she suddenly caught a glimpse of the Elven princess amidst the mercenaries. Hope red up in her heart and understood that it was Medissa¡¯s advice.

    ¡°A strike with all I got, you say?¡± She raised her halberd in the air like she was iming victory. Lightning gathered to her halberd and lit up the area as though the sun had appeared in the sky.

    The blinding light forced Iamas to partially hide his eyes behind his hands.

    Countless streaks of electricity danced across her body as she leveled her weapon to his body. The static energy was so intense that it forced her tied up ponytail to break apart and raise up into the air. She grinned at him with her fangs shown.

    ¡°Seventh chord¡ª¡±

    ¡°Resounding Thunderp!¡±

    A star descended onto the battlefield. It pierced through the barrier made of Soul Energy and shook the entire ground. The roaring peals of thunder nearly deafened everyone as lightning flooded the area where Iamas stood¡ª

 volume 2 - 157

    Chapter 157 ¨C Breaking Dawn (10)

    The peals of thunder interrupted Brendel and Kabias¡¯s res at each other.

    The youth felt a strange sensation on him and looked at his clothes; the fabric of his clothes was standing up. When he looked up, he found shes of lightning continuing to descend in the inner city with continued tremors to the ground.

    Brendel was immediately on the alert.

    Nothing happened after that. After the sudden show of noise and light, there was nothing but silence. Brendel finally made his move to go forward to the inner city gates with his sword in hand, but when he did so, Kabias immediately walked forward with great strides and blocked his path.

    Brendel sighed as he looked up to the giant skeleton: ¡°Why, Kabias, have you not received enough punishment?¡±

    Kabias¡¯s jaw unhinged itself with augh: ¡°I don¡¯t mind trying.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s expression darkened. The sword in his hand was lighter than the others he had so far. When he raised his sword against Kabias; it took a step back, wary of his Element Power but had every intention of making him stay where he was.

    He frowned. Kabias was a cunning individual who had several surprises during their battle. Without knowing what exactly happened in the inner city, he dared not advance carelessly.

    [Use the White Deer Statue? No, Rothko is hiding somewhere in the dark. His ability in magic is much higher than me. ying this game in front of him is unlikely to go anywhere. And why isn¡¯t Medissa reporting the situation to me?]

    Brendel¡¯s tried sending his thoughts into the city gates several times, but there was no reply. Just when he sighed out of frustration, a feeble voice finally echoed in his mind:

    ¡°My lord, time is limited. There¡¯s a powerful undead general¡ª¡± Medissa said between coughs and growing weaker with each word, ¡°called Iam¡ª¡±

    Medissa¡¯s voice ended. There was a chilling realization when he felt the connection to her waspletely severed. Her card had entered the neswalker¡¯s graveyard, and he felt a pain in his heart for failing her.

    [Iam¡ª Iamas? Fuck, why is that bastard here! Why is Tarkus¡¯s right hand here and not fighting alongside him in the southern-east region!?]

    That name set off an explosion in his mind. The thought of the chilling golden mask made his hair stand on end.

    [Even if it¡¯s to sign an alliance with Randner himself, why would Tarkus send out such an important general out here? Damn it, what are these undead nning?]

    Countless thoughts ran through his mind. Iamas¡¯s name and Medissa¡¯s death had shocked him, but he maintained a poker face all the time. He red at Kabias before he walked closer to it. Thetter stared at him, puzzled. It did not understand why he suddenly became impatient, but its sole mission was to stop the youth in front of him.

    The Skeleton Lord readied itself into a stance, gripping the short spear tightly.

    Brendel clenched his teeth. There was no time to deal with a troublesome foe here.

    ¡°Kabias, I¡¯m going to give you this onest chance to back down. If you still wish to go back to the Mountain of the Dead to rule over yournd, now is the time to do so.¡±

    He could no longer waste any more time. He revealed knowledge about what only the undead would know.

    ¡°You seem to be very familiar with us.¡± The mes in Kabias¡¯s eye sockets flickered warily as it spoke.

    He ignored the question and stabbed his sword into the ground with a metallic ng. He folded his arms and looked at Kabias like it was already defeated.

    ¡°What, young human, are you trying to surrender?¡± Kabias said with a mocking smile.

    ¡°Kabias, you fool, watch out¡ª¡± Rothko¡¯s voice appeared from the streets.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s mana activitying from him!¡±

    Kabias pointed its finger at Brendel while being on its guard: ¡°You mean to tell me this twenty years old youth is not only a Gold-ranked swordsman, he¡¯s also a wizard on the side? Have you be stupid from experimenting too much?¡±

    Rothko¡¯s voice was silenced. He too thought it was impossible. Even one who was blessed by Marsha could not be an all-rounded person. Someone who possessed dual identities of both a Gold-ranked swordsman and a wizard was something out from legends. Only Saints from the Holy War possessed that power.

    The King of mes, Gatel.

    The Grand Priest, Farnezain.

    The Empress of Wind, Osor.

    The Paragon Apostle, Eirnnt.

    The four saints led the various races to war against the Dragon of Darkness and triumphed against it. Even their great leader, the Emperor of Eternal Death, Loptr was no match for any of them, both in abilities or reputation.

    They were not wrong to discern the flow of manaing out from Brendel, but the mana ripple from him was not from a wizard¡ª

    But a neswalker.

    Brendel¡¯s re seemed to focus on Kabias, but he was actually inspecting his Elemental Pool from the Character Sheet. (TL: Elemental Pool)

    [Ten Fire Elemental Points, Eight Elemental Points for the other Basic Elements, no Light or Dark Elemental Points. No matter how many times I look at it, I¡¯m disappointed. It¡¯s an utter mess now with Medissa gone, and I can¡¯t change the situation with my abilities. This means I have no choice but to use myst trump card.]

    He sighed deeply and closed his eyes.

    Kabias retreated slightly. Brendel did not take the initiative and even closed his eyes. The bizarre sight made him even more cautious.

    ¡°Mana is gathering around him, Kabias!¡± Rothko warned it again. The mana gathering around Brendel was the entire Mana Pool of a Silver-ranked wizard.

    ¡°I can see that for myself, there¡¯s no need to worry¡ª¡± Kabias said. There was indeed no need to worry about a Silver-ranked wizard.

    [I-I¡¯m watching someone as talented as the Holy Saints in the legends.....]

    Rothko had no words for the situation in front of him. He started to wonder if it was a mistake to attack the youth. His potential was out of this world!

    When Brendel opened his eyes, the chill aura in them which was affected by his Element Power was reced by something else.

    ¡°The fourth hour in the morning. Matteya calls this hour ¡®The Slumbering Darkness¡¯. It is the period where the living is in their deepest sleep.¡± Brendel nced at Kabias: ¡°If I did not recall wrongly, the undead calls this the Midnight Morning. It is the time where the Dark Energy is at its peak. Am I right, Kabias?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Kabias tightened its short spear in response.

    ¡°I just want to say this. It is true that the world is shrouded in darkness before the sunrise¡ª¡± Brendel raised his hand and threw out a Card of Fate: ¡°But the Darkness is also in my favor!¡±

    The cardnded on the ground.

    ¡°Card of Fates: Mercenaries of Lopes, Reshuffled into deck, Resummoned into field!¡± He said as his Wind Elemental Points drained instantly.

    Twelve mercenaries appeared in the streets on top of the summoning circle with their weapons ready in front of Kabias and Rothko¡¯s shocked eyes. The mercenaries looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what happened. The Nightsong Tiger was first to respond as he asked in his mind:

    [My Lord, what happened here, did you reset our card?]

    Brendel nodded in response.

    Kabias¡¯s eyes went across the mercenaries. The Soul Fire in his eyes flickered slightly.

    ¡°To think you¡¯re a summoner as well, young human. A Silver-ranked wizard capable of summoning twelve Iron-ranked living creatures. I have not seen or heard of a spell like that. You are certainly nomon man, Brendel or Viscount Gaston.¡± The Skeleton Lord looked at Brendel once it was done scrutinizing the new enemies: ¡°But would the situation change if you add numbers to your side?¡±

    Kabias shook his head in mockingughter.

    Brendel did not seem to hear his words. He looked at the twin Wild Elves sisters.

 volume 2 - 158

    Chapter 158 ¨C neswalker¡¯s battle (1)

    In the Laws of this World ¡ª

    During the day¡¯s second hour to the sixth hour, the Matteya race described these hours as ¡®The Slumbering Darkness,¡¯ representing the world¡¯s torpor during this time.

    But the neswalkers called this period ¡®Realignment Phase¡¯. This was the ending phase for them to shuffle any cards in the battlefield, and reconfigure their mana to use new strategies in the battlefield¡ª

    ¡°Fern.¡± He said to the older Elementalist.

    ¡°My Lord, what is yourmand?¡± Fern responded after a short pause. Her guarded eyes were lukewarm without much trust in them. He often asked her to do iprehensible things in the past month.

    ¡°Create an Elemental Resonance with Dia.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Create an Elemental Resonance with Dia.¡± He repeated himself, his face utterly serious.

    ¡°My Lord, what.....¡±

    Rothko, who was eavesdropping in the dark street, wore an incredulous expression on him. An Elemental Resonance was used to teach Elementalist¡¯s students to sense the various harmonious notes of the six basic element types.

    But that was it; an Elemental Resonance had no other uses. The only answer was¡ª

    [[[He¡¯s trying to be an Elementalist right now?]]]

    Fern, Dia and Rothko¡¯s eyes popped out as they had this thought in this mind. It was undoubtedly a crazy notion. An Elementalist had to be acknowledged by the Six Basic Elements, and it was a system that required long years of study like a wizard. There was simply no shortcut to it.

    Fern looked at Brendel with exceedingly troubled eyes. Her younger sister was even more forthright, her bell-like voice twinkling with rage: ¡°My Lord, your idea is a little unrealistic!¡±

    ¡°Dia¡ª¡± Fern gritted her teeth as she stopped her younger sister¡¯sint.

    ¡°Now. Fern.¡± Brendel ordered her as he watched Kabias in a readied stance. There was no time to exin things to them.

    Fern finally nodded with difficulty. She closed her eyes and dived into her Elemental Pool. To create an Elemental Resonance meant she had to evaporate her stored mana, and no one would choose to do something like this on the battlefield. However, this was her lord¡¯smand, and she had no choice.

    Immediately¡ª

    Brendel¡¯s eyes had two lines of green words:

    ¨C Detected a Mentor, do you wish to receive tutge?

    [Stats window.]

    Brendel brought up his Character Sheet.

    ¨C XP: 64420 (Commoner: Level 1 ; Militia: Level 6, 0/200 ; Mercenary: Level 26, 475/55537)

    [There¡¯s no choice but to use all the XP I got from solving Makarov¡¯s quest. I had nned to save this for my second profession. Damn it, that quest also had a Perfect Clear bonus XP reward. I can¡¯t even imagine how many months I have to work to get this amount of XP again...... Raise side-profession Schr to level 15.]

    ¨C Schr¡¯s level has been raised to level 15. You have unlocked a free slot for a new profession ss, attached to the Schr¡¯s profession.

    [ept Fern¡¯s tutge.]

    ¨C You may learn the profession Elementalist. Do you use your slot?

    [Yes.]

    The moment Brendel answered, the twin Elementalists beside him widened their emerald eyes in utter shock. Fern took a step back in surprise, while Dia¡¯s jaw was unhinged like Kabias, thetter looking at him like he was a monster. The young undead wizard hiding in the shadows repeatedly coughed as he choked on his saliva.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Rothko, what the fuck is happening?¡± Kabias bellowed as he sensed several things happened at once. Something was trembling in the air, but it was not a wizard after all and had no idea what was going on.

    The Six Basic Elements started to surround Brendel with restless delight. The chaotic whirlpool continued to swirl around at Brendel, exulting the birth of a new Elementalist in the continent.

    Elementalists, the controllers of the natural Elements, allies of the four Great Spirit Kings¡ª

    ¨C You have established a contract with the Elements.

    ¨C The Elemental Resonance has caused a change within you.

    ¨C You have gained affinity to the Elements. Your innate potential has merged with the surrounding Elements.

    ¨C You have be an Elementalist.

    When the words disappeared, Brendel was pulled back into reality and saw the sisters¡¯ expressions. Fern opened and closed her mouth several times with aplicated expression as she looked at Brendel. After a long struggle she squeezed a few words out:

    ¡°Congrattions, my lord...... We wee you the Elementalists¡¯ world.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s utterly amazing, my Lord!¡± Dia was looking at him with blind adoration and curiosity.

    ¡°Wait!¡± The Nightsong Tiger interrupted them: ¡°Do you mean to say......¡±

    He looked at Brendel with a look of disbelief. Fern merely nodded.

    A momentary silence filled the area.

    ¡°Impossible!¡± Kabias yelled and broke the silence. It smashed the short spear into the ground so hard that the ground cracked beneath him.

    ¡°Rothko, is this some kind of ploy from them? No one can be an Elementalist just because they sensed the Elements, not unless he¡¯s the reincarnation of the Elementalist Emperor Tulman!¡±

    ¡°Lord Kabias, he has truly be an Elementalist! But.....¡± Rothko rubbed his temples. If he did not witness the entire thing with his own eyes, he could not believe how it happened.

    Kabias stopped moving for a long time and stared at the youth in front of him. It managed to squeeze out a response to fight back against the reality in front of it: ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s an unbelievable feat. But young human, what exactly do you think you are achieving here? Are you thinking you can frighten me into allowing you to pass through? What can a fledgling Elementalist do?¡±

    But despite the numerous counters, there was already a smallck of confidence in his tone. Who knew if this damned youth had other things up his sleeves?

    Brendel¡¯s eyes turned to Kabias for a second.

    He then brought up the Character Sheet once more and checked his data. All Elemental Points had been increased by two points, with the Fire Element increasing by three points.

    [As expected, this is much lower than what a gamer would receive. So much for my Elite status. Whatever, this is the first step anyways.]

    ¨C Elementalist level 1 requires 6 XP. Allocate XP?

    Brendel began allocating his XP into the profession.

    ¨C Elementalist level 2 requires 10 XP. Allocate XP?

    ¨C Elementalist level 10 requires 610 XP. Allocate XP?

    ¡°I¡ªImpossible!¡± Fern¡¯s expression changed again, and a word escaped from her lips. She had to be dreaming.

    The Elements around Brendel were gathering around him like a thick wall. The speed of how fast he gathered so much Elemental Power was something that she had never seen before. No¡ª this was not a problem of speed. It was as if he was being blessed by the Spirit King!

    Nay, perhaps all the Spirit Kings were blessing him!

    Brendel did not care about the events around him as he quickly added the XP to his level until he reached level 22 in the Elementalist¡¯s profession. He sighed when he saw the three hundred over XP left.

    The main stats for an Elementalist were Willpower, Perception and Health Points. If the side-profession added to his main stats for Strength, Agility, and Physique, he might be able to break his Element Barrier and unseal his Elementpletely.

    [But this doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t any gain from this. 37 Fire EP, 24 Light and Dark EP each, the rest of my other EPs is at 32.]

    ¡°The peak of an Iron-ranked Elementalist.....¡± Kabias repeated Rothko¡¯s words: ¡°Is that it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    Kabias finally sighed. It was afraid that the youth would somehow break his Element Barrier and unseal his Element Power entirely. Even though it was an impossible task, he had already aplished multiple things that were supposedly impossible. But the world was still grounded in reality, and it thanked Mother Marsha gratefully.

    ¡°Remember what I said earlier?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I said I was going to give you onest chance to back down if you retreat.¡±

    Kabias looked at him in confusion, before urgent footsteps moving away from the area interrupted its thoughts.

    It realized Rothko was running away.

    ¡°Rothko, you useless coward! What the fuck are you doing!?¡± The Skeleton Lord looked over to his direction before it suddenly snapped back to Brendel. Its instinct was screaming at it and had to ignore Rothko.

    Thetter had taken out a book from his leather pouch attached to his belt. A book with dark leather skin.

    ¡°Pity. You ran out chances, Kabias,¡± Brendel said with a snarl.

 volume 2 - 159

    Chapter 159 ¨C neswalker¡¯s battle (2)

    Brendel opened the book, his fingernding to a particr page.

    [Seventh page, second row.]

    ¨C Unlocking this Card requires 100 Wealth.

    The image of the Card centered in his eyes.

    [Unlock it.]

    The 381 Wealth that he had gathered from not summoning Medissa in the past month dwindled instantly.

    [The stars in heaven shall cast its shadows upon the chaotic mysteries. Disy Card of Fate: Eternity Orb.]

    He held the card up with his thumb and index finger as he spoke in his mind.

    ¨C Eternity Orb

    ¨C (Visionary Artifact IX)

    ¨C Costs 10 Will, 10 Mana Points

    ¨C Artifact/Fantasy-ranked rarity

    ¨C Pay 5 Will and Tap the card. Choose a Card that has entered the field and copy it.

    ¨C The Eternity Globe can copy only one card in the field when used.

    Brendel paid 10 Fire EP as Mana to cast the card. It floated into the air and turned into a mysterious Magic Formation. A momentter, an orb the size of a fist appeared with seventeen smaller mercury spheres revolving around it appeared and hovered around Brendel¡¯s shoulder.

    Kabias was taken aback by the appearance of the artifact. The moment it appeared, it suppressed the Soul Fire in its eye sockets.

    [A Fantasy-ranked artifact? Impossible, a mere Silver-ranked summoner and an Iron-ranked Elementalist summoning a Fantasy-ranked artifact! I can¡¯t let him cast any more spells¡ª]

    It was the first time the Skeleton Lord felt Brendel¡¯s threat to be true. It let out a guttural roar and rushed forward to attack him.

    Brendel also felt the same pressure from theck of time. He smoothly slid out the second card and ced it down, while spending 5 Fire EP to activate the Eternity Orb and put it into a tapped phase:

    [The light of mercy descends from the sky, the messenger of the Gods emerges forth from the light.]

    ¨C Pristine Archangel

    ¨C (The Immortal Alliance III)

    ¨C Costs 5 Light Element Points

    ¨C [Angel creature/Knight, level 20 Elite]

    ¨C When Pristine Angel enters the battlefield, shuffle one non-ck Card from the Graveyard into your Deck.

    ¨C Pay 1 Light Element Point every day when Pristine Archangel is in the field.

    ¨C ¡®The light of mercy descends from the sky, the messenger of the Gods emerges forth from the light.¡¯

    Kabias¡¯s short spear was mere meters away when Brendel pointed his finger at it. A bright light burst forth, and white feathers decorated the air. Four pairs of wings guarded Brendel¡¯s nks and intercepted the short spear¡¯s thrust with two sharp metallic screams.

    Kabias¡¯s Soul Fire shook when it realized it was being blocked by something strong enough to stop its charge. Two swords had crossed their paths against the short spear. Complex runes and patterns were carved from the hilt to the bright swords¡¯ beveled grooves. Few would be to identify them as the heaven¡¯s ancientnguage, derived from the Gate of Order¡¯s sacred words. The only ones who were able to understand them were the proud citizens of light.

    The two angels made of light forced back Kabias¡¯s spear and took to the skies. They raised their chins proudly with scornful expressions. Their swords were ced together in an angled cross that would stand in its path if it tried attacking again. Brendel continued to flip his book while he looked at Kabias calmly.

    ¡°Two Silver-ranked creatures will not be able to block me!¡± The Skeleton Lord spat out each word.

    Brendel¡¯s response was a short chortle, causing Kabias to go insane from fury and it started charging towards him again. He wasted no time and summoned one of the two cards he had retrieved from the graveyard.

    [Hignd¡¯s courage.]

    Amidst the white light from the Magic Formation, came the bumbling youth who rubbed his hair vigorously as he charged out from it with his familiar voice: ¡°Marsha above! My lord! I didn¡¯t expect you to get me out so quickly; you¡¯re truly the wisest Hignd Knight from¡ª Gaaah!¡±

    He emitted a strange yell as an angel was knocked over his head and crashed into the nearby ruins.

    Ciel was frightened enough to be at a loss for words. The defense from the angels did notst very long against Kabias¡¯s Power Break.

    [Ninth page, third row: Bitter Ordeal.]

    ¨C Unlocking this card requires 80 Wealth.

    [Unlock it.]

    The image of the card centered in his eyes like the previous card.

    ¨C Bitter Ordeal

    ¨C The Wolf¡¯s Den II

    ¨C Earth 10

    ¨C Event/Search

    ¨C Target summoned Creature receives 250,000 XP.

    ¨C ¡®To a Lornian, the Wolf Den¡¯s altar was more of a safe harbor for the souls.¡¯

    ¨C State which Creature to bind to.

    [Ciel.]

    Brendel tossed the card towards Ciel who was still clutching his head and running about like a headless chicken.

    The image of the card disappeared, and another card appeared in front of Brendel in physical form:

    ¨C Hignd Wizard

    ¨C Knight IX

    ¨C Costs 5 Water Element Points

    ¨C Living human/Wizard, Level 45 creature

    ¨C When Hignd Wizard is in y, you gain 5 Reputation Points.

    ¨C Pay 2 Earth Element Points per day when this card is in y.

    ¨C ¡®Hignd¡¯s courage.¡¯

    Brendel took a moment to read the effects before his eyes instinctively went to Ciel. He looked up and saw a light shining onto Ciel, standing there in confusion when his simple long robes suddenly changed to a new shinier robe. Two long mysterious flower patterns were woven into it, while three white circr patterns decorated the sleeves, signifying that he was a Wizard of the Seventh Circle. Ciel looked at himself in a daze when a short golden staff suddenly appeared onto his hand.

    ¡°This is......¡± Ciel was still in a state of a shock when he somehow felt a disturbance in the air. The second angel was knocked back into his direction. The youth who had be a Master Wizard immediately reacted without thinking and created a soft cushion of air, gently bringing the angel up.

    ¡°I¡¯m a Gold-ranked Master Wizard!¡± Ciel looked at Brendel in utter surprise and delight.

    ¡°Ciel, Time-stop Barrier.¡± Brendel nodded and gave his next order.

    The wizard immediately pointed at the charging skeleton with his staff, shaking his head and disapproving of its reckless charge: ¡°Laws of Time: Stagnate and Imprison¡ª¡±

    A transparent barrier formed around Kabias, and it realized its actions were slowing down. It turned to the source of magic and realized there was a wizard behind Brendel.

    [A Hignd Master Wizard of the Seventh Circle!!! Does this bastard have an endless supply of reinforcements, how many Gold-ranked subordinates does he have?!]

    Kabias¡¯s Soul Fire shook and dimmed as he saw yet another summoned creature. He felt the signs of failure shrouding over him. A wizard did not have the prowess of a warrior, but their offensive spells were incredibly powerful. A Hignd Wizard¡¯s spells were mysterious and nearly impossible to avoid.

    Even if Kabias had a higher level, it was no match for Ciel once it got trapped in his magic. The fact that it had charged straight into his Seventh Circle spell meant that it was already doomed.

    The only possible way it could think of was to reach Ciel before he cast an offensive spell, but Brendel was standing behind him with that ursed book, and it shut down the Skeleton Lord¡¯s final delusion.

    ¡°Farewell and good riddance, Kabias.¡± Brendel shook his head in utter annoyance.

    His expression at the Skeleton Lord was akin to looking at a piece of filth, causing it to roar out in a fury. However, the barrier seemed to castyer uponyer of magical restraints upon him, causing him to move as slow as a snail.

    [Wind Spider Spirits.]

    Brendel had far more manapared to the time when he used it in the auction. He summoned fifty of them, and theynded across the streets. Everyone looked at Brendel in confusion when they saw the low-level creatures that were weaker than an Iron-ranked militia.

    The spiders were existences that could deal with said Iron-ranked militia because of their numbers, but it was utterly useless here. Even if they were used for scouting, the angels that Brendel had summoned were far more efficient and effective. Thus his action was suspect of wasting mana.

    But Brendel went about in his own world, calling up the cards he had left.

    [Disy Holy Swords, Sun de, and Golden Battle g¡ª]

    Brendel picked out the Holy Swords card after a moment, paid for the cost and attached them to the Wind Spider Spirits card.

    In that instant¡ª

    Everyone saw numerous swords hovering high up in the air, and when they looked down across the floor, they saw a corresponding spider below it. But when Brendel smiled and raised his hands, they realized the spiders were somehow controlling the swords when they gathered behind him to form a huge formation.

    ¡°This......¡± Ciel looked at the sight before him at a loss for words.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give this move a name¡ª¡± Brendel nced at him before turning back to Kabias who was still trapped in the barrier: ¡°The Dragon Knights Formation.¡±

    He cast his hand forth¡ª

    ¡°Dragon Knights, attack!¡±

 volume 2 - 160

    Chapter 160 ¨C neswalker¡¯s Battle (3)

    Fifty golden pirs of mes shot out from every direction of Kabias¡¯s body. They burned and melted its ancient armor as waves of wind exploded from its body. The temperature continued to rise until the air was hot enough to twist the light and distort Kabias¡¯s appearance. The ancient armor disintegratedpletely.

    ¡°For Madara!!!¡± The Skeleton Lord¡¯s angry roars echoed in the night sky. The pirs of light had shed three times before it finally dissipated¡ª

    ¡°Marsha above, that fool¡ª¡±

    Rothko¡¯s Soul Fire in his eyes danced when it saw the remnants of the beautiful mes. He cursed once through his teeth before he slid weakly against the wall.

    He shook his head. To think he once thought himself as a genius.

    ============ Iamas¡¯s POV =============

    Iamas¡¯s eyes narrowed as he threw down a mercenary¡¯s corpse. His stable Soul Barrier was quivering widely. Scarlett¡¯s earlier technique had managed to pierce through his barrier just for a few moments before he restored it and made it even stronger.

    [Something is causing my barrier to shake¡ª But there shouldn¡¯t be an existence that¡¯s more powerful than me.]

    Suddenly everyone in the inner city felt their souls shake, almost as if something screamed at them. It first spread from the mercenaries nearest to the city gates, to the skeleton soldiers which had their Soul Fire dimming as though a wind had threatened to extinguish them.

    The battle stopped momentarily.

    Scarlett got up slowly. Blood was streaming down all over her injuries, and she wiped her the blood on her chin with her fist. Her amber eyes still held an obstinate re, but momentarily looked up to the sky. She had felt her soul tremble as well.

    Something cracked loudly, and she reacted immediately by looking for the source of the sound.

    She discovered ck fragments falling over her head before it disappeared into thin air. More cracking sounds spread across the battlefield, and she saw fragments raining across the streets.

    Iamas grunted in pain.

    [Someone has forcefully broken apart my barrier?! How is this possible!]

    His Soul Fire felt like it had been turned to ice when it held the possibility that there was something out there that could defeat him. Suddenly a shining orb of light streaked across the sky, like an impossibly bright firefly.

    More of them quickly appeared and moved across the battlefield in a disorderly manner. Everyone¡¯s confused gazes followed them as they streaked across their heads. The lights suddenly became dazzling like stars.

    A Holy Aura was gathering in the vicinity.

    ¡°Dragon Knights, attack!¡± Someone yelled.

    The first beam of light suddenly descended from the sky, piercing through the darkness and illuminating the ground. The nearest mercenaries were just in time to see it prating through three skeletons as the beam of light moved in sudden and impossible angles.

    Skull, ribs, and pelvis.

    They looked on with agape mouths as the three skeletons scattered onto the ground with broken bones, before they started burning up and turned into ashes.

    The second beam of light started to pierce through the air, the third¡ª

    The night turned into day as lights continued to sh across the battlefield, raining down onto the undead like they were beingmanded by a divine entity. In the blink of an eye, the Bhorn Skeletons were turned into grey ashes one by one. Two rounds of the attacking beams had decimated the skeleton army, leaving but scant few unharmed.

    ¡°Marsha above!!! Quickly, destroy these remaining filthy existences!¡±

    The mercenaries immediately cheered after a stunned moment.

    Cornelius watched the attacking beams in a daze. He was guarding Sifrid by her side. While he was delighted with the sudden turn of events, he could not help but wipe his sweaty palms and nce at his pale adjutant beside him. They recognized the youth¡¯s voice.

    They truly did not expect him to have this power.

    But he quickly understood what he needed to do and decisively gave out hismand:

    ¡°My brothers, break through the enemies¡¯ line of defense! Do not waste this chance!¡±

    The furious roar marked the change of the battlefield¡¯s tide.

    Iamas rposed himself upon hearing the roar. His eyes turned to a particr alley shrouded in smoke and fog. Two angels abruptly appeared and flew into the air before descending onto him in a split second. Their swords were nearly upon him, but he calmly swung at each attacker once, knocking them back and causing their glowing feathers to flutter in the air.

    He did not rx.

    A significant amount of mana was gathering in the sky; magic formations were swiftly forming and converging into a giant sphere. Without any warning, it rapidly turned into an immense boulder that shot towards Iamas with blinding speed. His pupils quickly shrunk as he realized he could not avoid it in time¡ª

    [Laws of Magic that materializes into physical objects, there¡¯s a Master Wizard who¡¯s able to cast high-level Circle Spells here!]

    The earth shook when the massive boulder crashed onto the ground, causing a cloud of dust to spread everywhere.

    He had tried to sunder the projectile with his scythe, but the impact forced him off his steed. He fell t on his face and had to push himself off the ground. After the cloud of dust had been dispelled caused by his body¡¯s impact, the mercenaries had already suppressed Graudin¡¯s army.

    The undead general watched the city¡¯s cowardly soldiers escape from his side. The battle was over. The air was stifling and painful to breathe in, and not simply because it was filled with dust and smoke.

    There was one final chance. He finally saw Brendel appearing in the streets.

    In order to win the battle he had to destroy the orbs of light, but there was no time to go after them individually. He was certain that Brendel was the one controlling these bizarre objects, and if he killed the youth everything would be solved, and the scales in this battle would turn towards him.

    He scoffed coldly and ced his scythe horizontally across his chest.

    Brendel had found Iamas earlier andmanded Ciel to attack him. It was an old opponent in the game, and he had not changed at all.

    [Bleah. He¡¯s still wearing that ridiculous get-up with a pretentious mask. He even has the same old strategy of capturing the enemy¡¯s leader. He probably hasn¡¯t gotten the Blood of the Evil Dragon, so it¡¯s easier to handle him though.....]

    But Iamas did not know that his intentions were seen through by Brendel. Ciel and the Mercenaries of Lopes were participating in the battle, leaving only the two angels who were guarding him. He had never seen or heard the citizens of heaven guarding a mortal before. He concluded they were quite strong from the earlier exchange, but it was not as if he had no chance in bypassing them.

    He moved in a blur, darting across the battlefield three times like an elusive shadow. Each time he did so, he ran across hundreds of meters. Brendel simply reacted by calling back every single Dragon Knight to form multiple rows and fired into a sector at the same time.

    The chaotic golden pirs of light pierced through the ground, and for a single moment, it appeared as though a golden forest had suddenly sprung up in the streets. The Dragon Knight Formation had no need for uracy as the numbers alone made up for the deficit.

    Each single strike from the beams of light was the equivalent of a Silver-ranked spell, and even someone as powerful as Iamas was not able to openly show himself under the barrage of ten-odd strikes happening in a second.

    He swung his scythe and tried to strike the beams of light with his own dark beam of energy, sessfully wiping out seven Wind Spider Spirits.

    The Holy Sword Card was able to provide the attacking strength of a Silver-ranked spell if it was attached to something, but it did not affect anything else. The Wind Spider Spirits¡¯ defenses were as weak as paper against his attack.

    When he realized his strike was effective, he tried chasing them, but the orbs of light immediately scattered everywhere and shot at him from a distant range. When he moved at high speed with his ability, he found they had gathered once again and suppressed him with heavy firepower.

    [The enemy seems to predict every single move that I make!]

    Other than the first strike which managed to get a lucky hit, he found that he was unable to gain any advantage at all. He had to slow them significantly in order to evade the attacks.

    Brendel divided the spiders into eight groups andmanded the angels to take the skies. When he discovered Iamas¡¯s location, he quickly directed six groups of spiders to fire quick separate shots to steer him, while the remaining two groups shot concentrated beams of fire to deal a powerful blow o him.

    It proved nearly impossible to hit him, but Brendel slowly cornered Iamas into a dead alley, while the two groups of spiders waited there in ambush and fired through the wall. The intense power of the beams demolished the flimsy bricks and sted against Iamas, but thetter managed to direct his Soul Element to form a thick barrier against it and defended him.

    Before the beams were able to melt his barrier, he managed to escape the corner and the game repeated itself.

    The Mercenaries of Lopes watched the battle between Brendel and Iamas unfold in absolute shock. Ciel was earnestly exining to them with a dignified expression as though he understood everything:

    ¡°...... To be clear, a game always have three rules. Techniques, equipment, and stats. As you can see for yourself, the techniques of our Lord and his excellent equipment are giving the result you see now. He once taught me that any one of them will be effective, and I thank him for teaching me.¡±

    He nodded, bragging all the way without really understanding what was happening: ¡°Now that I have be a Master Wizard, I am very grateful to our Lord for teaching me this secret.¡±

    Dia could not suppress her giggles.

    ¡°Ciel,¡± Brendel¡¯s teeth were grinding against each other before he yelled at him: ¡°You had better join this fight right now¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Of course, my lord. I am already preparing a spell,¡± Ciel immediately gave a reply: ¡°But I¡¯m seeing a lot of soldiers with their symbols somehow rted to the Randner¡¯s house?¡±

    ¡°They are indeed under Count Randner¡¯s house.¡±

    ¡°My Lord, you offended another house?¡± The young wizard was shocked: ¡°Marsha above, you must have offended many people in your previous life too.¡±

    ¡°Shut it. Based on your theory, we should have been hung the previous time we went against a noble,¡± Brendel constantly changed the positions of the Dragon Knights and replied with amused annoyance: ¡°At most, we will get hung again.¡±

    ¡°You are quite right.¡± Ciel raised his eyebrow.

 volume 2 - 161

    Chapter 161 ¨C neswalker¡¯s battle (4)

    Cielpleted his spell.

    When Iamas finally forced his way through the endless arrays of golden pirs of light and knocked away the angels in his path, he found Brendel behind a Magic Wall. Countless lines of light had weaved into walls that extended before Brendel on four sides. He rushed forward and tried to cut through the wall, sending a shower of sparks.

    His pupils contracted, and he made the decision to retreat. The wall had turned into a physical wall made of Laws cast by a master wizard. The youth was a Golden-ranked swordsman as well, and it was impossible to end things quickly. He thought he could rely on his proud speed to gain victory, but his opponent had decisively abandoned supporting the entire battlefield by summoning all the strange orbs just to slow him down.

    It was a failure.

    [The fact that he used his entire formation of Light Orbs and called back his Master Wizard...... Either he¡¯s someone who¡¯s utterly afraid of getting injured, or he has incredible judgment. Regardless, he has definitely won.]

    When he looked back at Brendel¡¯s light brown eyes as he retreated, he saw his opponent staring back at him without any signs of emotion, appearing like an enemy who had fought against him for many years.

    Brendel was exactly what he had thought of. The battles he had fought against Iamas in the Kingdom of Knights, ce, were no less than ten times over the years in the game. Iamas had attained the Blood of Evil Dragon and was even more formidable than he appeared now, but be it in the game or the world here; he had not changed in the slightest.

    Therefore Brendel¡¯s strategies on him were effective and served only to confuse Iamas, who found it more and more bizarre.

    ¡°Stop him from escaping!¡± Brendel bellowed when he found Iamas had the desire to retreat. Several of the mercenaries jumped up as they were startled at his ear-splitting roar.

    [This fucker is themander whopletely broke through Brus in the game, I can¡¯t let him escape!]

    Even though Iamas did not improve as much over the ages, he remained as the best tactician amongst the Four Knights. If he were killed, it would be the equivalent of cutting of Tarkus¡¯s right arm, and governing the southern region of Aouine would be less stressful, not to mention that he was going to face the House of Randner¡¯s fury.

    Iamas scoffed furiously at Brendel¡¯s words. Even though he was unable to get to Brendel quickly, he felt that victory would not be on thetter¡¯s side so easily if he went all-out. However, he had to ensure Graudin¡¯s safety and had to retreat to reform the city¡¯s soldiers into a defensive line. He was ultimately a general who looked at the bigger picture at all times.

    His entire body was a blur, easily stopping before Ciel¡¯s Time-stop barrier and evading it. The two Pristine Angels came at him again, but with a leap into the air, he had easily dodged them. Scarlett barely caught a glimpse of him as she swung her halberd, and it missed him by meters.

    ¡°Damn it¡ª¡± She red at his disappearing figure.

    Brendel was also disappointed and surprised. He had hoped to anger Iamas into staying by letting the entire battlefield know about his decision to flee.

    [This opponent is truly one of the worst I can face here. Even from the beginning, this bastard is already a level-headed general. So much for hoping that he¡¯s still immature¡ª]

    He immediately thought of the reason why Iamas had to escape.

    ¡°Ciel, find a good-looking middle-aged man called Cornelius. He¡¯s themander of the mercenaries here. The undead bastard might probably take away Graudin¡ª¡±

    ¡°What exactly should I do, my lord?¡±

    ¡°Are you the wizard or I¡¯m the wizard? React as the situationes,¡± Brendel replied: ¡°If that dunce Freya can be the Goddess of War, I¡¯m sure she will be fine as well.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just nning her future.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Ciel bowed: ¡°I am pleased to follow yourmand.¡±

    ¡°Go.¡± Brendel nodded.

    When Scarlett hobbled over, Ciel muttered to himself.

    ¡°She really does look quite like Miss Freya. I see, so my Lord likes this type of¡ª¡±

    Ciel quickly closed his lips; Brendel was looking at him with a sour expression, while Scarlett red at him with gritted teeth while she passed him by.

    ¡°Scarlett, are you alright?¡± Brendel asked Scarlett.

    ¡°Yes?¡± She was slightly surprised.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, my lord.¡± She wiped away her blood: ¡°But Medissa is......¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Brendel¡¯s face was strangelyposed as he nodded. Since he had enough Light EP, resummoning Medissa was not a problem after all.

    Scarlett¡¯s nce was curious. She had heard of the rtionship between the Elven Princess and the youth. She found it strange that Brendel¡¯s reaction was so small upon hearing her death, but it was not her ce to know what he was thinking.

    The mercenaries had begun to push on the path towards Graudin¡¯s manor. Iamas had issued an order to retreat further and create a new defensive line. However, even though he was an aplished undead general who knew the humans well, he was simply not confident in leading them. The mercenaries crushed the skeletons¡¯ bones beneath their feet and marched towards the soldiers, pushing them to the brink of destruction.

    Their morale was already shaken, and when they received the order to retreat yet again, made them feel like they were at the end of their roads. They were almost like a bunch of livestock waiting to be ughtered.

    Brendel had specifically ordered the mercenaries not to kill them. Otherwise, there would not be many of them left¡ª

    Graudin¡¯s manor was somewhat of a small fortress; the building was located on higher grounds, with a fortified gate and extended stone walls with a moat at the base. There was also a winding path that was difficult for arge army to pass through quickly.

    When Iamas created a new line of defense near the gate, the soldiers were already losing their formations and being pried open by Brendel¡¯s mercenaries. Graudin¡¯s army was no longer fit formand.

    ¡°These fools!¡± Iamas muttered angrily to himself.

    The Light Orbs were still flying in the air shooting down from above at pockets of stiff resistance from a few of Graudin¡¯s brave soldiers, while destroying any remaining skeletons. That was when Iamas suddenly saw a dark shadow flittering across the streets.

    [A spider? It¡¯s...... somehow controlling an Orb of light. Then that youth is a summoner? I see¡ª So my first strike back then killed a bunch of them. But a frail creature is controlling a Silver-ranked magic spell. I have never seen such a strange summon before. Perhaps it¡¯s ancient magic?]

    He was again surprised by the youth. The magic system in the Era of Chaos was different from the current generation, just like how the Dragon race wielded ancient Chord Magic and vastly different from the generation now.

    [If Lord Tarkus¡¯s main force is here, they would easily be able to counter these damned creatures. Wraiths and high-level necromancers are more than a match for them.]

    But that was just a mere wish that would nevere true. Lord Incirsta was leading an important mission in the southern-east region and was using Tarkus¡¯s forces to deal with the remnants there. It was impossible for them to appear here. Even allowing him tomand a battalion of Bhorn skeletons was the very limits for stretching out Madara¡¯s undead forces.

    [A tenth of my Bhorn Skeletons were wiped out almost instantly when that youth attacked. Fortunately, these are mere ranged units.]

    The manor¡¯s guards consist of Graudin¡¯s personal knights. Relying on them might allow him to hold on for a while, but the best answer in this situation was to take away the Baron immediately, instead of waiting for Madara¡¯s army outside the city to arrive.

    After a short moment, he cast his gaze back to the western direction.

    ¡°Young human, this battle isn¡¯t over yet.¡± He said.

    His Nightmare mount quickly charged towards the manor, after giving the knights an order to close the gates and raise the drawbridge.

    He chose to give up onmanding the soldiers; their lives were not important to him after all. The youth would not give him a chance to rally them, and there was also the possibility of a smaller force infiltrating the manor.

    When Iamas reached the room where Graudin was overseeing the battle, he realized that Brendel had already reached the fortified gates. The remaining soldiers were fleeing to the city¡¯s side gates like rats on a burning ship.

    Graudin was wearing a set of velvet robes, his facepletely pale.

    ¡°Lord Iamas?¡± He asked.

    ¡°This defense point is unable to stop them,¡± He continued to observe the situation and replied coldly: ¡°Come with me if you want to live.¡±

    The baron looked at him with a shocked expression.

    ¡°What about my men?¡± He asked in a small quivering voice.

    ¡°And you still wish to care about them?¡± Iamas¡¯s golden pair of eyes pierced through him with a chilling re.

    Graudin¡¯s voice died within him.

    Suddenly there was a loudmotion outside, and the two men turned their attention back there. They chanced upon a young man who had destroyed the fortified gates with a powerful spell.

    His long robes fluttered against a rising wind, and his two golden intricate flower patterns shimmered before their eyes. He raised his staff and snapped his fingers, and a resounding st emitted from him. Six golden Magic Formations formed across the ground.

    ¡°Stop that Master Wizard! Fire your arrows at him!¡± Iamas bellowed, hoping his voice would reach Graudin¡¯s knights.

    But it was toote. Six pirs of light formed and extended across the moat and reached the winding path.

    ¡°I invoke the Laws of Exchange: Material Conversion¡ª ¡®Iazu¡¯.¡± The gem on his staff shone brightly as mana filled and converted into physical properties. Six huge bridges made of rocks had materialized out of thin air.

    Silence temporarily filled the ce¡ª

 volume 2 - 162

    Chapter 162 ¨C neswalker¡¯s battle (5)

    As the six bridges smashed onto the ground, the knights lurched forward and fell as though an earthquake had happened.

    The young wizard smiled as he lowered his staff. The sounds of horses¡¯ hooves echoed behind him as the riders amongst the mercenaries dashed past him. The young lord who was just behind them drew out his sword, reflecting the stars¡¯ light as it issued a signal:

    ¡®Attack and destroy the enemy before us!¡¯

    The knights quickly got up as they saw the approaching mercenaries. Brendel had resummoned his Pristine Angels again, retrieving Medissa¡¯s card from the graveyard, and restoring the angels¡¯ health as though they had never been injured.

    The angels flew up and descended upon the knights with their swords. They were no match for Kabias or Iamas, but it was the same for the knights when they tried to attack them. Heads were lopped off one after another, and they ultimately chose to retreat into the manor¡¯s square.

    Iamas did not wait any longer and began to drag Graudin away from the window. As long as he was fine, it did not even matter if Firburh was razed to the ground.

    Brendel who managed to spot Iamas and Graudin at an arched window, gave a cacklingugh when he saw Iamas pulling Graudin away.

    He beckoned to Cornelius and gave instructions to him, who in turn ryed his instructions to his mercenaries.

    ¡°Baron Graudin has fled Firburh!¡±

    ¡°Baron Graudin is no longer in Firburh!¡±

    When the knights heard the mercenaries¡¯ cries, they stopped moving and turned to look for Graudin¡¯s location. When they were unable to find him, they tossed down their weapons and put their hands up and gave up. When Brendel¡¯s men flooded the huge mansion, they were unable to find any traces of the wretched noble.

    Brendel himself had made a guess as to where they were and entered together with Ciel and Scarlett into a secret passage. It led to a set of spiral staircase that descended deep down.

    When he exited the area, he found himself in a hall, not unlike the first time where he and Graudin met, decorated with the same set of crystal chandeliers above him. Two sets of footsteps echoed hurriedly through another corridor, and two figures finally emerged, they found Brendel waiting for them with Ciel lighting up the area with his staff.

    Graudin¡¯s eyes nearly popped out when he saw three people waiting for him, wondering if he had somehow gotten betrayed. This ce was only known to him.

    The same atmosphere was also simr when Brendel gained his Element Power. His eyes glinted dangerously in the dimly lit hall, and could not help butugh at the familiar sight before him. He had promised to cut off Graudin¡¯s head, and this setting was just too simr to where he threatened him.

    Iamas calmly looked at him, almost like he was not surprised. He pushed Graudin back behind him and raised his scythe with his right hand.

    ¡°Human, you are far more capable than I imagine. I am surprised to see Aouine have a noble like yourself¡ª¡± His voice was like rusted iron, unlike the pleasant voice he once had.

    ¡°Stop wasting time, Iamas.¡± Brendel shook his head and cut off the topic: ¡°I am sure you know whose life I am here for. I am unable to stop you from escaping, but don¡¯t even think for a fucking moment you can bring Aouine¡¯s Lord Baron away.¡±

    He put emphasis in thest few words.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are exactly, but I guess I shall recognize you as a viscount. At the very least, Lord Viscount, I do remember the rules between the nobles are quite different. Behind me is a legitimate lord directly under the king himself. His house carries a bloodline directly back to the former kingdom. Are you telling me that you wish toy your hands on such a prestigious House? You would be the precedent of a bloody war between two noble Houses,¡± Iamas said.

    He shrugged. ¡°I can step aside, but even if I do so, are you certain you want to kill him?¡±

    Graudin¡¯s face darkened behind the undead general.

    ¡°The glory of the kingdom does not extend to a traitor,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°But it is still not a reason to break the rules of the nobles, and certainly not a reason to set two Houses at each other till one is beyond saving.¡±

    Brendel¡¯sughter echoed in the hall: ¡°If a single Baron from Randner is capable of ending my House, why the fuck would Ie here?¡±

    Iamas was at a loss for words.

    ¡°Your arrogance!¡± Graudin¡¯s teeth ground furiously at each other when he listened to Brendel¡¯s words: ¡°I don¡¯t know where your confidencees from, Viscount Gaston¡ª¡±

    ¡°Did I allow you to speak?¡± Brendel¡¯s voice was so cold that it chilled Graudin¡¯s blood, causing a great fear to spread within him. Thetter¡¯s pupils contracted, and he immediately stopped talking.

    Iamas pped his hands.

    ¡°Your spirit ismendable. But the Lornians, native citizens of the Kingdom of Knights, have said the wise should learn to seek a bnce. Lord Viscount, a noble like yourself should understand that Graudin has received his due punishment. Why not stop here and allow everyone to have a chance to reconcile?¡±

    ¡°The Lornians have said this as well, blood for blood, tooth for tooth,¡± Ciel added with a warm smile.

    ¡°But the blood that was shed does not belong to Lord Viscount,¡± Iamas countered.

    ¡°Indeed. But the noble¡¯s honor demands retribution,¡± Brendel replied coldly.

    Iamas was once again silent.

    Brendel was secretly frowning. Iamas was not someone who wasted his time on words. He and Ebdon were famous for being decisive and practical. He doubted it was due to some unknown event in the future that somehow changed his personality.

    [Is Graudin this important to Madara? What exactly is the promise between the Randner House and Madara?! No, there¡¯s still another possibility¡ª]

    The best way to avoid any trap is to act upon it.

    Brendel stopped talking and walked forward towards Graudin. His right glove made offortable white leather reached for his sword. A freezing aura immediately extended to half the hall.

    Iamas did not move, but Graudin took three steps back in fright, nearly falling onto the ground. His face flushed with anger and fear, his heart full of disbelief as he gnashed his teeth.

    Even though he was a mere Iron-ranked swordsman, he realized Brendel¡¯s power had increased so much that it could not bepared to the day before!

    Naturally, he could not have guessed that the new source of power came from Brendel¡¯s newly gained levels from his Elementalist¡¯s profession. The only possibility he could think of was that Brendel hid his real strength.

    He immediately went up to Iamas and whispered to him. The undead general nodded and looked at Brendel in amusement.

    Kabias¡¯s report could not be wrong. But he had sensed Brendel¡¯s strength for himself. There was no change in his demeanor, however, as he thought about this problem.

    ¡°Lord Viscount, why not reconsider?¡± Iamas said.

    ¡°There are no advantages for you when you interfere with us humans. You already know that you can¡¯t bring Graudin away, and it a meaningless battle for both of us. Step aside, I know this is not something you would do¡ª¡± Brendel said.

    Iamas shook his head as he watched Brendel get closer with every step. He pushed Graudin slightly back with his scythe.

    ¡°This battle might mean nothing to you, Lord Viscount, but Madara takes it seriously and therefore has a different meaning for me. While we have never allied with the living in our history, there is a first for everything, and abandoning our first ally would cast doubt upon our reputation.¡±

    He gave a shortugh under his mask: ¡°But you are not wrong. Protecting the Lord Baron here against three Gold-ranked fighters is certainly difficult¡ª¡±

    ¡°Lord Iamas!¡± Graudin jolted in fright, his face paling quickly.

 volume 2 - 163

    Chapter 163 ¨C neswalker¡¯s battle (6)

    The only person Graudin rely on for his safety was Iamas. If thetter was unable to ensure his safety, then the barbarian-like youth would really run him through his sword.

    Iamas ignored the mewling man behind him: ¡°But I still have some confidence in holding out for thirty minutes.¡±

    ¡°Thirty minutes? So that your undead army can march in through the city?¡± Brendel¡¯s smile spread across his face, getting straight to the point.

    ¡°Truly, if you are not my enemy, I would suspect that you were some close friend of mine when I was still living. Even my personal maid doesn¡¯t know me as well as you do.¡±

    Brendel merely smiled at his provocation. This character coincided with the knowledge he had of him in the game. His pride extended all the way to his speech and had offended many people in Madara. Because of that, he was sent to work under Incirsta¡¯smand.

    His feet had not stopped moving, and he was less than ten meters away from Iamas. Ciel was right behind him, ready with a spell.

    ¡°Lord Viscount, have you received a response from the city¡¯s west gate? I do recall the mercenarymander¡¯s to have quite the pretty features for a woman. But fret not, the forces under mymand here are not many and was merely sent out to dy them from setting up a foothold in the west.¡±

    Brendel stopped and listened silently.

    ¡°I do believe my kind has breached the city. Of course, they are low-level skeletons led by useless fledging necromancers, but even so, if you don¡¯t rush to that lovely woman¡¯s aid, I¡¯m afraid the situation might turn out to be quite troublesome?¡±

    The youth resisted from wanting to smash his fist onto Iamas¡¯s mask. There was a level of smugness from him that grated on his nerves, but he was quite aware that Iamas had no need to lie to him because thetter already did it.

    [If the situation is just as Iamas had stated, then it wouldn¡¯t be just a troublesome situation, forget the damage done to the city, everyone is in danger. Even now I have received no news from the west gate. The fact that I had Ciel create so many bridges ended up as a terrible decision! Shit, this bastard dared to separate his troops from the start of this battle. Does he really care about Graudin¡¯s life¡ª No, that¡¯s not it, the Iamas I know will never do that, he intended to bring Graudin out of here from the very start!]

    Brendel¡¯s heart sank.

    He had been worried about Jana¡¯s situation since he had not received any news, and now he finally received an answer. He asked himself why Madara had to keep Graudin safe at all cost. He was not even the eldest son, and merely one of many¡ª

    He took a deep breath. Iamas attack had indeed struck into one of his weak points. It was fortunate that he did not waste any more time talking and forced him to reveal his secret. There was still room for a choice to be made.

    [Damn it. As expected from the Scales of War. If it¡¯s possible, I really want to cut off his head right here, even more so than Graudin¡¯s.]

    It was the start of the ck Rose War, but Iamas was already exhibiting the same intelligence and brilliance in predicting the future. If he managed to get the Blood of the Evil Dragon, he would be impossibly hard to kill.

    Perhaps the undead general in front of him might even know of his n?

    ¡°Thirty minutes remain. Perhaps we can make a deal instead?¡± Iamas smiled, golden mes igniting in his eyes.

    Graudin sighed with relief, showing an ugly smile from his rigid face. He chortled a few times, delighted at Brendel¡¯s misery. Thetter seemed to be caught in two ces. He looked like he did not care the undead razed his entire city to the ground. The lowlymoners were like cockroaches after all, and even the city could be rebuilt.

    The most important thing was to enjoy how Brendel felt. He could not help but speak with a triumphant smile.

    ¡°Young man, you have to pay the price for being rash¡ª¡± Graudin suddenly recalled the price he paid for trying to taunt him, and hurriedly stopped what he was doing: ¡°But I admit you are powerful. Strength deserves to be respected. If you let things go as it is, I can make a promise on behalf of my father...... To stop our feud.¡±

    He started to rx and continued: ¡°As you very well know, we nobles typically dislike wars that hurt each other so we should make peace. But there is one other thing; I received reports that my adopted daughter is amongst the mercenaries¡ª¡±

    Suddenly Iamas turned around and red at him. Graudin¡¯s heart beat loudly and realized he hadmitted an error. He quickly stopped talking.

    ¡°Do you mean to give up on the mercenaries and everyone else in the city? I know the skeletons are unable to stop you, and it is no matter to me of might turn out to be their fates. But this is where you are different from me.¡± Iamas returned his gaze back to Brendel.

    Graudin put on a sinister smile. Iamas was using the same trick he had used a few days ago by threatening the men under Brendel. Watching Brendel entering the same trap again filled his heart with malicious glee.

    Everyone looked at Brendel and waited for his response¡ª

    ¡°Iamas, there is an ancient saying where I came from.¡± Brendel¡¯s hand loosened its grip on the sword he was carrying. For a moment he looked almost defeated before he continued speaking: ¡°No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it¡¯s not the same river and he¡¯s not the same man!¡±

    Iamas¡¯s mind froze when he peered into Brendel¡¯s clear and indomitable eyes. Brendel¡¯s right hand flickered, and the longsword was thrown straight into Graudin¡¯s path in a straight line. The undead general barely regained his senses at the whistling de piercing through the air and lifted up his scythe. It barely nced the sword and changed the path of the sword ever so slightly, and it went past Graudin¡¯s neck.

    The de nailed into an oil painting not far away from Graudin¡¯s back, its hilt trembling repeatedly.

    Iamas turned around.

    Graudin was pressing down on his wound on the neck. He stared at Brendel with a face void of color. Mixed emotions of fear, confusion and fury washed over his heart. He did not understand why the youth was so fixated in killing him.

    ¡°Give up cutting Graudin¡¯s head, offer a truce, and surrender Sifrid over? Are you treating me like aplete fool, Iamas? ¡± Frost was literallying out from Brendel¡¯s lips.

    ¡°...... Was that necessary, Lord Viscount? A momentary pause, please, I am quite interested to know what exactly your quote meant.¡± Iamas realized that he was tricked into lowering his guard just for an instant. The long string of words had taken away his concentration, and also realized Brendel waspletely unaffected by his ability.

    ¡°There are many exnations to that,¡± Brendel replied: ¡°But my favorite answer is how someone wouldn¡¯tmit the same mistake; the same trap wouldn¡¯t apply twice and he is no longer the naive person he once was.¡±

    ¡°That would mean you are choosing to do battle with me?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    The undead general gripped his scythe tightly. He stared at Brendel: ¡°Then go ahead and try. I wait with bated breath to see if you are faster than I am¡ª¡±

    He expanded his Element Power and formed into a silver wall that almost appeared in tangible form.

    ¡°Are you mistaking something, Iamas?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°The truth is¡ª I have already gone past you.¡±

    The youth said with a tranquil expression. His gaze went past Iamas¡¯s shoulder and onto the longsword stuck onto wall painting. A card was pinned onto to the oil painting, not seen by anyone else other than Brendel.

    A card with the illustration of a Unicorn Knight¡ª

    [The g of the Elves are raised proudly, with her heart and sword shining brightly in darkness.]

    ¡°Come forth, Medissa!¡±

    There was a loud scream¡ª

    Iamas turned around just in time to witness a silvernce stabbing through Graudin¡¯s chest. Thetter had a look of utter disbelief. He tried turning back to Iamas for help with every bit of strength he had left, but thence was withdrawn easily and caused a spurt of blood to be sprayed across the floor. Graudin staggered a few steps forward before he copsed onto the ground into a heap.

    ¡°She¡ª How can this be, I have already gravely injured her, why is she free of injuries!¡± He bellowed at Brendel.

    ¡°I¡¯m a summoner,¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes had a condescending look to them. ¡°She¡¯s a summon.¡±

    Ciel¡¯s body immediately trembled as he refuted this statement with every bit of his mind.

    ¡°Impossible, a summoner cannot summon anything past my Soul Barrier!¡± He roared again.

    Brendel¡¯s grin under the dim light seemed almost mysterious and terrifying.

    ¡°Have you not realized it? I am quite the extraordinary individual.¡±

 volume 2 - 164

    Chapter 164 ¨C Gambler¡¯s roulette (1)

    A thin de pierced through a skull, and the final Zombie Ounder lost its strength and fell to the ground heavily.

    The femalemander with fiery red hair gripped her sword with a single hand and looked at her surroundings. The reflection in her emerald eyes showed many skeletal bones and mercenaries¡¯ corpses. The battle had finally ended. Even though they paid a hefty price, they had managed to fight the attackers off.

    Jana exhaled slowly and returned her rapier into a sheath covered with ck leather.

    ¡°Commander!¡± A shout came from behind her. She turned back and saw one of her youngest mercenaries run over.

    ¡°Leave your protests forter. Get some men to stay behind and take care of our injured, while the rest advance. We have wasted too much time, and we need to control the west gate before Madara arrives!¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± The boy bent over and held on to his knees in support while he tried to catch his breath.

    ¡°What?¡± She frowned and said with impatience.

    ¡°It¡¯s toote,¡± The youth¡¯s voice was surprisingly loud: ¡°Sometime after we began fighting the monsters, group Mouse caught a glimpse of a magic signal from the south. Commander, it¡¯s toote, the undead has already reached the western city gates. If we head over there, we will just meet against countless undead.¡±

    ¡°What else did Mouse say?¡± She stopped moving and turned around with her full attention.

    ¡°They also said our only option is to retreat right now. We should break through from the north and leave the Firburh. When the undead pours in, every one of us will die.¡±

    ¡°If we leave now, what will happen to the citizens here?¡±

    ¡°Commander, can we change anything by staying here?!¡± The boy refuted anxiously.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± She punched the nearby wall with her full strength, causing the bricks to crack in a radial direction: ¡°Get our men ready. Have the groups ready; Owls, Wolves, and Bears. Get these three groups to advance in the streets! If we can¡¯t stop them from entering the city, we¡¯ll intercept them here!¡±

    ¡°Commander!¡± He said: ¡°We have less than three hundred men. The undead skeletons could easily reach ten thousand! If we don¡¯t rely on the city¡¯s stone walls we cannot stop them!¡±

    ¡°We have to do it even if we can¡¯t! Are you trying to make me break my promise! Follow my orders, now!¡±

    ¡°Commander, does a noble deserve to have your promise? That young man is leading us only because he has a quarrel with Graudin in the first ce. He¡¯s a stranger and even stands on the same line on Graudin¡¯s side, why should we fight for someone like him! Your parents and sister died at the damned nobles! Most of us here have the same background like you, and w-w-we followed you because we respect you! Why should we die for someone like him, let them kill each other!¡±

    Jana was momentarily silent. She sighed and wanted to respond gently when a sudden bang could be heard from the inner city. A pure pir of white light shot into the sky, vanishing the darkness and lighting up the sky. It was as though Mother Marsha had shed her first tear in the darkness, just like how it was described in Kirrlutz¡¯s poems of the world¡¯s creation.

    The light was born in the darkness, bestowing blessed wisdom, spirit and resplendence to the creatures.

    Jana and the mercenaries around her looked to the sky in rapt wonder. A Magic Formation began to expand in the sky, reaching a span of hundred meters before it exploded and sted the clouds apart, and the final form of the magic was¡ª

    ¡°Graudin is dead.¡±

    Words burned in the sky like fire.

    Her voice was t in tone.

    ¡°My Lord is asking us to respond to him.¡± She said.

    ¡°My...... lord?¡± The youth replied in shock.

    ¡°That idiot Cornelius has chosen to stick that young noble, so why would I not dare to? Graudin is dead, and Lord Gaston has given me his answer. From now onwards, I shall follow him.¡± She lowered her head andughed before she shook her head: ¡°Unfortunately, it seems that time has run out.¡±

    ¡°But......¡±

    ¡°There is no ¡®but.¡¯ Are we able to send a signal?¡±

    ¡°...... The necromancers have used ck Magic and shrouded the streets with a spell. Only the Light and Dark elements can be utilized. Trying to use other Elements end up fizzling. We don¡¯t have a priest or wizard in our group, and our strongest Elementalist is an Iron-ranked; he¡¯s not able to use any magic at all.¡± He shook his head.

    ¡°How about Signalling Arrows?¡±

    ¡°Mouse said that stuff requires Elemental Mana.¡±

    ¡°Then we have to use our own means to buy some time for Lord Gaston.¡± She gritted her teeth once while she looked into the dark alleys before her.

    ¡°Commander?¡±

    She wore a solemn look, taking a moment to herself before she raised her head and turned around. Her rapier was pointed to the right: ¡°Everyone here, listen up! A certain someone has given an answer to us through the biggest way possible, but we have failed to answer in return. I am now giving you the order to advance to the west gate. Either we stop the damned undead here, or they can walk past us by stepping over our dead bodies!¡±

    Therge street was silent for a moment, with Jana¡¯s strict order echoing for several moments. Everyone stopped what they were doing as they looked at theirmander.

    ¡°Answer me, are there any cowards in my army?¡±

    ¡°There are none!¡± The mercenaries raised their weapons and roared.

    ¡°Commander, why would you do this much for a noble¡ª¡± The boy said through clenched teeth.

    Janaughed again and patted the boy¡¯s head, while she got closer to his ear and whispered:

    ¡°Little boy, I know more about nobles than you do. If that young man is truly a proper noble, he wouldn¡¯t have killed Graudin. The rules between the nobles are sacrosanct, and no one has broken them for the past few centuries¡ª¡±

    She took a few steps back and looked at the moon.

    ¡°Regardless of who he is, our deals between him and I are concluded.¡±

    The boy looked at her in shock.

    ============ Raban¡¯s POV =============

    The fierce battle continued in the south gate. With the Firebrand¡¯smander careful watch, the mercenaries kept up a rhythmical approach of engaging the undead carefully, losing almost none of their own.

    The battle in the darkness repeatedly continued as though it was never going to end. Everyone was exhausted. Before their eyes were countless skeletons and undead creatures stacked up like a small hill.

    The defensive line was maintained at the gates.

    The earlier destruction from Brendel¡¯s sword had caused a considerable amount of damage to the nearby city walls. The majority of the mercenaries were Iron-ranked fighters, and barely held up against the assault by limiting the number of undead that was able to enter the city.

    In truth, the mercenaries were willing to sacrifice as many bodies as possible to prevent the undead from entering the city before them. One could hardly describe this as a battle, but a bone grinder that crushed and cut the skeletons into tiny bits every time they entered.

    Bothmanders continued to send their forces to contest this hole mercilessly. However, the necromancers had unlimited stakes to gamble their troops with, and they continued to send countless attempts to break through a victory on the table.

    It was one of the reasons why the living feared the undead¡ª

    ¡°Crossbowmen, ready yourselves¡ª¡±

    ¡°Reload your blunt bolts¡ª¡±

    One of the squadron¡¯s captain took up the position of calling the timings for the ranged mercenaries on the walls. The veteran men once again pulled upon their bottles of Blessed water and poured them all over their bundles of crossbow bolts. They felt somewhat pained and reluctant to do so, as they rarely spent this much coin to use in a normal battle.

    ¡°Aim¡ª¡±

    They raised their fortified crossbows and aimed at the skeletons marching in droves into the hole.

    ¡°Fire!¡±

    Sharp twangs resounded in a single moment, and the whistling bolts seemed to form an invisible barrier, striking the skeletons down and turned into ashes with burning mes.

    Raban was nearby that hole, crushing a skeleton below with his feet. He carried his greatsword shoulder with one hand. He had just swapped the first squadron of exhausted mercenaries with the second squadron. He quickly barked out his next order and ordered a few sellswords to bring down the injured men from the city walls. The battle was slow and unending, just like the battles he had experienced in Karsuk.

    He did not waver against the endless number of undead, knowing quite well what he was capable of, as well as knowing what Madara¡¯s undead was capable of.

    When the pir of light shot into the sky, heughed heartily: ¡°A noble killing another noble. It seems like I received an appropriatepensation. It¡¯s the first time I have seen them kill each other than poison or assassinations or political scheming. This young man is more than a brute that I expected.¡±

    ¡°What things are these nobles not capable of?¡± His adjutant replied.

    Raban cast an amused nce at him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± he said before he put his focus back onto the battlefield: ¡°How long more?¡±

    ¡°Thirty minutes.¡±

    Raban raised his hand: ¡°Go and make sure to ce our Wargs higher. After this wave of undead, the necromancers will being out. Since that brutish noble has given me an answer, I need to have a reply ready as well.¡±

    ¡°Dawn......¡± Themander of Firebrand¡¯s mercenary looked out to the horizons: ¡°It¡¯sing soon enough. That¡¯s thepletion of the Head¡¯s first order. ¡±

    ¡°Head?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s call him by that title,¡± Raban muttered to himself.

 volume 2 - 165

    Chapter 165 ¨C Gambler¡¯s roulette (2)

    Brendel had brought out an incrediblyrge map which had dust gathering on it from the secret basement and returned to manor¡¯s hall. He ced it onto to a long table. All his subordinates were beside him, while Cornelius¡¯s mercenaries shuffled in and out.

    When the map was fully extended out onto the table, everyone gave an impressed sigh.

    ¡°My lord, how did you know that horrible man has a secret basement and map?¡± Dia asked while she cast furtive nces at her older sister. It was fortunate that thetter did not get angry at her and only received an exasperated re.

    Fern was truthfully not feeling well. When Brendel became an Elementalist, she felt her world crashing before her very eyes.

    The once arrogant Graudin was now lying outside the manor¡¯s courtyard. There was perhaps some use for his body in the future. The mercenaries were flushing out the remaining enemies and to report any traces of Iamas. Brendel was certain that he hadpletely left the city.

    [He¡¯s not one to stay behind and vent his anger or create trouble to get revenge on me. That¡¯s his habit. If it¡¯s the Red Knight Ladios, then that might happen. The reason why Iamas is so hard to deal with is that his nature always avoided putting himself into a dangerous position. It¡¯s hard totch onto his mistakes.]

    ¡°Most nobles have simr habits, Dia,¡± Brendel answered as he thought about the overall situation. ¡°But this thing might not be Graudin¡¯s handiwork. I suspect he has no real wish to govern this region.¡±

    His mixed his words with half-truths. Nobles¡¯ habits had nothing to do with hidden basements and maps. The only truth here was how he knew gamers turned this ce upside-down by overthrowing Graudin.

    He took a few moments to study the map and concluded that it was not from Graudin, but generations before him who designed and built Firburh.

    ¡°This map has decades behind it,¡± Ciel coughed a few times from the dust. He looked at it with a frown: ¡°Does that stupid fool not care about hisnd? In the ck Tower¡¯s region, the Wizards would redraw a map every year.¡±

    Brendel nearly snorted withughter. Trentheim was the most barbaric region and furthest away at Aouine¡¯s borders. The citizens here were clearly not wizards.

    ¡°In this era, it¡¯s quitemon for a small city to reuse their maps for several decades. It¡¯s good enough to rely on it as a guide, and we don¡¯t need a detailed map.¡±

    ¡°In this era?¡± Ciel looked at him strangely.

    ¡°It¡¯s a lisp.¡± Brendel red at him: ¡°You have a problem?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± The young wizard hurriedly shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s just the moment my Lord speak that few words, I felt a heavy sense of richness like I have experienced history before my very eyes. I feel like my Lord has somehow stood at a very high ce, almost like a God of War, no, truly a God of War.¡±

    The corners of Brendel¡¯s eyes twitched while the corners of his lips stiffened: ¡°Cut the crap out.¡±

    He suddenly thought of something and turned towards the older Elementalist sister: ¡°Ah, lucky babe...... no, I mean, Fern, where are the equipment I asked you to sort out?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± She answered like she was in a stupor before she asked back: ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Clearing up the battlefield?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Fern answered after a short pause: ¡°You mean that Skeleton Lord? I found something strange on him, and I wanted to ask my Lord about it¡ª¡±

    [Something strange? Kabias is a high-level general. There should be goodies from him.]

    There were many odd types of equipment in the game, and Fantasy-ranked artifacts were almost deemed as ¡®Mini Cheats¡¯. His ears perked up in curiosity, but Cornelius walked in with a forehead full of perspiration, alongside with Alistair in his dark green robe fluttering urgently from hisrge strides. Brendel immediately raised his hand up and stopped Fern from speaking.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± He asked in a hasty tone.

    ¡°We are ready, my lord, we can proceed to move any time¡ª¡± Cornelius eyed him carefully and answered.

    His words were like a signal. Brendel¡¯s men stood up with their weapons ready. Scarlett who had been talking to Sifrid all this time stood up and patted thetter¡¯s head.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s move out! I¡¯ll leave you to aid Raban, Ser Cornelius. I¡¯ll have Medissa aid you too. Do you have any news of the west gate?¡±

    Medissa nodded to Cornelius when she heard his order.

    But the silver-haired middle-aged man frowned and shook his head: ¡°We have been looking out for a signal, but there still isn¡¯t any news. I have sent scouts to contact them, but I don¡¯t believe they will be able to report back soon.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no time for that,¡± Brendel shook his head: ¡°We have to set out immediately.¡±

    ¡°My lord, I understand Jana well enough. Even if she did not reach the west gate in time, she would definitely choose to dy the Madara¡¯s undead. My lord, there¡¯s no need for you to worry¡ª¡±

    ¡°Pointless. They won¡¯t be able to hold it. I understand Madara¡¯s tactics far better than you do. One has to guard against them with a fortified position. Under the sea of skeletons, three hundred mercenaries are nothing more than a rock thrown into the sea. They will be wiped out almost instantly.¡±

    His handsid on the table as he studied the map quickly: ¡°And that¡¯s not counting in the Dark Warriors and Necromancers.¡±

    He straightened up and took up Scarlett¡¯s longsword: ¡°The only thing we can do is to set out immediately. We can only hope that Miss Jana is able to reach the west gate in time, or else we have one real ending¡ª¡±

    While everyone nced at each other, Brendel already left his seat and went outside. His men left one by one after watching his back for a few seconds.

    ¡°So the worst oue for you, my Lord, is to give up on Firburh, right?¡± Ciel quickly ran out and walked beside Brendel, keeping pace with his quick strides.

    ¡°What have you thought of?¡± Brendel looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about how my Lord is as bold as before¡ª

    Brendel¡¯s teeth were shown slightly when he gave a smile.

    ¡°The price for Graudin¡¯s head is too high,¡± he said: ¡°Thus I have to choose the most rewarding choice in order not to lose out. The risk is certainly too high, but like I said before, would a dead man care if one or two nooses were tied around his neck?¡±

    ¡°You are right, but I now realize that my Lord is indeed a great match for Miss Romaine.¡±

    ¡°My lord?¡± Cornelius who also followed him was confused over how the direction of the conversation went to.

    ¡°To be clear, Ciel is right about his guess.¡± Brendel nodded: ¡°It doesn¡¯t end with Graudin¡¯s death, I¡¯m also going to usurp Trentheim¡¯s ownership. Count Randner is going to take revenge for his son; then I¡¯m going to take hisnds in return. Victory doesn¡¯t rely on strength alone; wisdom is also part of it¡ª After all, is there a rule that says a newly promoted noble is allowed to have one piece ofnd?¡± He said.

    [No one can defeat the future after all¡ª]

    Brendel¡¯s smile at Cornelius was so wide that his eyes were half-closed: ¡°What do you think, Ser Cornelius?¡±

    The handsome middle-aged man looked at him with his eyes shrinking to the size of a dot.

    [Is this young man crazy! He¡¯s challenging this old kingdom¡¯s traditions and mocking the rules between the nobles! Marsha above!]

    He lowered his head and dared not answer. If the youth actually seeded he would have overturned everything about Aouine. The other possibility was this; he was insane.

    Ciel had other thoughts. ¡°But the risk does appear to be big. The undead is right outside the city. If you give up on Firburh, then you would have lost the reason to usurp Trentheim. What exactly do you n to do, my lord? Are you going to prepare yourself by retreating to the forest and attack as threatse alone? Ah, what was did my Lord mentioned about something the previous time?¡±

    [Is Firburh able to hold on against the undead.....?]

    Brendel walked through the manor¡¯s square and to therge arched gate. It was still dark, but dawn was about to break. The sun was going to be up soon.

    ¡°Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit.¡± Brendel said: ¡°Since we chose to gamble, we should calmly enjoy the thrill thates along with it¡ª¡±

    ¡°As for performing guerri tactics in the forest,¡± he said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I studied under some of the finest Grandmasters.¡±

 volume 2 - 166

    Chapter 166 ¨C Gambler¡¯s Roulette (3)

    ¡°I¡¯m not seeing any enemies.¡±

    ¡°The left street has no enemies too.¡±

    ¡°This alley has none of the damned skeletons either!¡± The yell echoed in the empty street.

    Jana¡¯s anxious eyes glinted under the dim light. Her fingers were on her rapier; her doubts in her heart were growing so deeply that she felt she was drowning. Everyone was under the same state as they searched around the streets for the undead.

    When the mercenaries did not discover their presence, they regrouped and advanced in the darkness. Their hurried footsteps were not curtailed and shuffled against the soil loudly. Under the unknown presence that threatened to lurk at every corner, they felt a chill entering their soul. Fear gripped their throats as every shadow in the vicinity seemed to move.

    They strained their ears to listen for the faintest hint of noise, afraid that the undead would suddenly gush out from a random alley and surround thempletely.

    They crossed than half of the distance required to go to the west gate and found nothing. The undead supposedly overwhelming the city was not there.

    [Did that young noble judge wrongly?]

    The scrawny boy was recently recruited by Jana, and he still had signs of malnourished because of his previous impoverished life. His face held a terrible pallor, mostly because of the terrible atmosphere around him.

    ¡°Commander?¡± The boy said.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Has that noble judged wrongly? Is the undead moving towards the north instead?¡±

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Jana immediately rejected this suggestion: ¡°Timing is everything in a war, and undeadmanders are not fools.¡±

    ¡°But......¡± The boy wanted to say more, but he was interrupted a shout.

    ¡°Commander, we found something.¡± One of the mercenaries ahead of them shouted: ¡°Come over and take a look!¡±

    Jana exchanged nces with the boy before she nodded and ran over. When she got onto the crossroads, she was stunned¡ª

    The entire road had turned into something unrecognizable, and skeletons and human bodies were found everywhere.

    It was as if a terrible battle had happened there. When she looked into the distance, there were almost no stone tiles that were intact. The pavements were filled withrge holes as though they had been dug out. Boulders were strewn all over the ground, and the nearby buildings were smashed full of holes as though something huge had gone through it.

    Some of them looked lopsided as though the ground had sunk; when she looked closer, she discovered wooden splinters leading to smashed wooden supports destroyed with a single punch each. The damage appeared to have been caused by a Silver-ranked fighter.

    If it was not for the fact that they were unable to find even a trace of the Element powers disrupting the mana in the vicinity, they would have thought it was a situation where two Golden-ranked fighters fought each other.

    ¡°Who are these people?¡±

    When she looked at them, she discovered their clothes were no different from the citizens living outside the city, but it did not exin the destroyed skeletons. She briefly counted the number of skeletons to a body.

    It was in the ratio five to one.

    [If this ratio is right, that would mean the citizens have a ridiculous amount of fighting prowess. How is it possible for Graudin to live until this day?]

    The mercenaries were shaking their heads in disbelief.

    ¡°Do you see their weapons?¡± She suddenly realized something odd.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t find any,¡± said the mercenary who shouted earlier.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t find any?¡± Jana took a deep breath: ¡°Are you trying to tell me these humans used their bare fists to fight with the undead? Are you telling me these citizens are from the Silver Lineage?¡±

    ¡°Commander, I¡¯m not sure if you are joking by thatst remark, but the armors¡¯ dents on the skeletons looked like they are smashed by fists¡ª¡± He said in a small voice.

    Jana¡¯s eyes narrowed. The events that happened tonight were a little out of her understanding. Before long, they heard a few sets of horse hooves cantering in the street. Three riders dashed through the swirling fog. The scouts sent out earlier by her had returned.

    ¡°What did you discover at the city gates?¡± She broke off from her thoughts and asked.

    ¡°Commander,¡± the rider greeted her before he answered: ¡°There is a fight breaking out at the city gates between what looks to be undead skeletons and humans.¡±

    [[[What?! Are you trying to say the city¡¯s citizens managed to push back the undead?]]]

    The mercenaries who heard this answer nced at each other and had this thought in their mind.

    ========== Amandina¡¯s POV ==========

    A light in the dark felt like it represented hope. Even though it was nothing more than an illusion in their minds, people were still willing to walk forward towards the light.

    A fire torch was flickering in the darkness.

    A young woman was kneeling on her knees in front of the light. The red hue emitted from it colored her cheeks and body. In the midst of the unsteady intensity of the brightness when it flickered, the beautiful lines of her body were repeatedly drawn.

    Her lips were pursed together with a rxed expression, and she ced both her hands on her knees without moving a muscle. Her ck eyes seemed to have a light dancing in them as the fire burned unsteadily.

    The sights before her eyes did not affect her at all as if she cared nothing about them.

    A tremendous bang echoed in front of her. Three impossibly huge vines which needed two men to hug it emerged violently from the ground, bringing stone fragments and soil up in the air, before they whipped across the gleaming white skeletons in the darkness.

    The ten-odd meters long vines easily crushed and swept across the sea of skeletons, causing a cacophony of cracking noises as the crushed skeletons were knocked high up into the air before it smashed onto the ground.

    Three tall, stoic men who wore long animal hides covering their backs stood on the city wallmanded the vines. They cleared the skeletons which kept rushing in repeatedly like they were sweeping away snow. Standing near them were even taller figures with slightly hunched bodies. They were transformed Lycanthropes and stared at the sea of undead with their gleaming pupils, ready to fight off any Dark Warriors and Necromancers lurking nearby.

    The battle had alreadysted a full hour¡ª

    ¡°Miss Amandina, it seems there are ally reinforcements from the city.¡± A gigantic Lycanthrope walked over with surprisingly stealthy footsteps and bowed to her. ¡°They appear to be mercenaries.¡±

    She got up and looked down from the city walls. She nodded after a moment and nced at Romaine who was clutching her precious bag. Half her body was lying against a battlement as she slept soundly. She would have appeared quite a charmingdy if it was not her drooling and half opened mouth and mutterings from her dreams.

    Amandina walked over with a sigh and patted her cheeks.

    Romaine immediately made a face and made a loud sound of displeasure with her tongue, waving her hands with small protests ofints: ¡°If you wish to kill Romaine, please wait till I¡¯m done with my sleep¡ª¡±

    Amandina suddenly felt she needed to lie down, but not for the reason of being fatigued.

    ¡°Romaine.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± She frowned with her eyebrows as she spoke in her dreams: ¡°Get your queue number, next¡ª¡±

    When Amandina finally brought Romaine over, she found the femalemander Jana in a grimace.

    Thetter was observing the Lycanthropes and Druids suppressing the undead with considerable ease.

    Even if her mercenaries did note, the results in the west gate would not change. Their strange appearances had led them to wonder what exactly they were and whether they worked for the young noble. If they were, did it meant that he had never trusted her in the first ce?

    [Perhaps that youth had also made countermeasures for Raban as well?]

    She inhaled with displeasure. Even though she knew it was amon thing to do, she felt a sliver of difort. It was as if her determination to risk her life was denied by someone else. Despite her maturity, she had looked forward to achieving a miracle after witnessing the proof that the youth had killed Graudin. Her band of mercenaries thought the same way.

    In this chaotic region, she and her mercenaries led a nomadic life. She had hoped that the young man was someone worth following, and at least allowed her followers to feel like they could swear loyalty to.

    [He¡¯s just like them. No matter how outstanding he appears to be, he¡¯s only looking at us like pieces on a chessboard. He doesn¡¯t trust us and sent additional forces to guard against the undead.]

    Jana swung her hair back to her ears and looked silently at Amandina. Thetter returned her gaze and stood calmly with showing any signs of being intimidated. For some strange reason, she found Jana and her mercenaries was staring oddly at her and the men here. She quickly came to a conclusion on what had transpired between Brendel and the mercenaries.

    ¡°May I know who you are?¡± Amandina was the first to speak.

    Jana felt like she was being suppressed even though the person in front of her was much younger.

    [Another damned aristocrat wench.]

    ¡°Jana,mander of the Mountain Swallows Company. We are sent here by Lord Gaston¡¯s order, and who might you be, little girl?¡± She asked with a ridiculing tone, despite knowing who the girl possibly was.

    Amandina¡¯s expressions did not change, although she was smirking in her mind.

    ¡°I am also Lord Gaston¡¯s subordinate. To be exact, I¡¯m his chief advisor.¡± She said, and extended out a hand: ¡°This is Lady Romaine, Lord Gaston¡¯s fiancee.¡±

    The merchant girl yawned as she rubbed her eyes sleepily.

    A streak of disgust and disappointment shed in Jana¡¯s eyes. Amandina did not miss her expressions, and she felt the same feeling in her own heart.

    ¡°Although, I wish to be clear,¡± Amandina¡¯s expression turned cold, her voice with slight disdain creeping in: ¡°I might have introduced myself as his advisor, but that does not mean I agree with his methods. Tell Lord Gaston this, miss Jana, if he thinks he can avoid hurting others by acting on his own, he should cast off that naivety. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s trying to be, but a hero isn¡¯t a saint who doesn¡¯tmit mistakes, but one who takes up responsibility!

    Even if he chooses tomit a mistake, he carries not only his life but our hopes and love for him as well. I might respect his choice today, but I will never forgive the act where he abandoned his subordinates¡ª Finally, tell him in this world, freedom, and hope cannot be obtained without going to war and shedding blood.¡±

    The Lycanthropes who had impossibly sharp ears of hearing turned towards Amandina with emotional gazes.

    Jana looked at the Lycanthropes who reacted strangely before she asked: ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    Amandina did not reply.

    Jana cast her gaze at Romaine for answers, but thetter merely smiled sweetly in response.

    ¡°Erm Miss J¡ª, whatsyournameagain......¡± Romaine muttered under her breath before she continued: ¡°Miss Dame, may I ask if you have Magic Signalling arrows?¡±

    The corners of Jana¡¯s eyes twitched.

    ============== Brendel¡¯s POV =============

    A signal rose from the west gate. The bright fire from the arrow sailed across the sky and lit up the city brightly.

    Brendel and his men stopped running when they saw it. The light felt almost like a congrattory note, informing them they had won.

    Brendel sighed heavily.

    [If I¡¯m a gambler, then I must be one of the luckiest one around. The roulette has stopped and pointed to the biggest door possible to the future. The fact that the west gate is held means that the Viridien Vige has set out to defend it. Since the Lycanthropes didn¡¯t go looking for Sifrid, it must have been Amandina or Romaine¡¯s idea to guard the west gate. Perhaps somewhere along the way, they probably spotted the undead moving...... Regardless of how it came to this conclusion, I have won the day.]

    He did not know what the future lied beyond that door, or at least he could not see that far ahead, but the chess piece he ced down had survived Graudin and Madara¡¯s resistance.

    ¡°My lord, does this mean Dawn is finally here?¡± Ciel asked with a smile.

    ¡°No, not yet,¡± Brendel shook his head while he looked at the light: ¡°But¡ª I can finally see Firburh¡¯s ending.¡±

 volume 3 - 1

    Recap on TAS:

    After the escape from Fortress Riedon, Brendel recruited Amandina and set out to his new destination. He encountered the Grey Wolves Mercenaries¡¯ leader, Makarov. Thetter was someone under the Royal Faction and betrayed the Grey Wolves Mercenaries. This incident caused Brendel considerable trouble as he was forced to get involved with an enemy faction, but he managed to get Medissa, an Elven Princess who¡¯s also a Unicorn Knight, and some of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries.

    After putting the Royal Faction into their ce with the aid of the Silver Elves, he set off to Valha under the title of Viscount Gaston/ His goal was to reach a uniquend that would increase his army strength because it has considerable ¡®wealth.¡¯ (TL: I can¡¯t remember exactly if that ce is a Nest of some sort, but I do remember it being desirable to yers in the game.)

    He passed by Trentheim, the territory near the undead¡¯s borders in the southwest of Aouine. Baron Graudin who ruled there, killed the citizens and mercenaries in Firbugh, the capital of Trentheim, to unt his powers to Brendel.

    After finding out that his atrocities extended all the way to the nearby Lycanthropes in the outer areas, Brendel was driven into a cold fury that made him swore an oath to defeat Graudin. He managed to do so even when the undead was aiding the enemy.

    This oue has set him up quite nicely with threerge mercenary groups, Lycanthropes, possibly the druids, and the city Firbugh. It remains to be seen if they are any stray resistances from other nobles to his im to Trentheim.

    And now, let¡¯s proceed to Volume 3 of The Amber Sword.

    Volume 3 ¨C Royal authority and the Rose

    Chapter 1 ¨C Letter (1)

    =========== Tirste¡¯s POV ==========

    The afternoon¡¯s sunlight poured onto the ground¡¯s decaying leaves. The shadows shimmered continuously on them as the top of the trees trembled against the slight breeze.

    ¡°The silence here is slightly unusual, my lord.¡± Gail said with a slight frown.

    ¡°There is a particr legend circting amongst the Hignd¡¯s citizens. The abnormal silence in the forest¡¯s certain areas happens because the Goddess of the Lake is watching. ¡®In these ces, be wary and do not turn your head back.¡¯ ¡ª So they say.¡± Tirste replied. His bony and pale fingers were on his sword¡¯s hilt, while his gaze was cast towards a thin path where a vignt beast was crossing. (TL: Tirste is a young man from the Unifying Guild who nearly killed Brendel during the auction quite a while back.)

    ¡°You jest, my Lord,¡± Gail felt the hair on the back of his neck rise a little. His eyes wandered all over the surroundings. The shadows seemed to have a pair of eyes hiding in them somewhere: ¡°All manners of Divine Spirits are mere untruths.¡±

    ¡°I think not, Gail,¡± came Tirste¡¯s reply. ¡°I believe the Divine Spirits are real existences.¡±

    Gail¡¯s gaze went back to the young Viscount¡¯s kind eyes, as though he was trying to find the source of the grisly tales. Tirste was recognized as a Holy Saint in the Unifying Guild. To get to his position, he was gifted with wisdom, talent and waspletely loyal to the cause. He was one in ten thousand. Even though he was quite fickle with his personality, no one would believe he utter those words.

    ¡°If Divine Spirits exists,¡± Gail asked with uncertainty, ¡°are our actions not sphemy towards them?¡±

    Tirste nced at Gail¡¯s unsteady footsteps; his expression seemed to mock the young knight¡¯s cowardice.

    ¡°If there are divine spirits,¡± he said, ¡°do you think they are always in the right? I don¡¯t.¡±

    Gail fell into silence. He realized the difference between himself and the viscount.

    Tirste turned around and observed the nearbyke at the edge of the forest. Knights were approaching the bank on boats. They disembarked before towing them back ontond clumsily.

    ¡°Let us continue on our journey.¡± Tirste snapped his fingers. ¡°Pay attention to your surroundings. We might encounter dark spirits and the likes in this ce. Even if they don¡¯t threaten us, they are still troublesome foes.¡±

    He pushed out with his hand to brush his cloak behind him, marching forward. Gail followed him closely. The knights whonded near the shore eventually caught up to both of them.

    ¡°My lord, the third, fourth, fifth and seventh squadrons are ahead of us and will join us in the north. However, the other squadrons seemed to have failed to push through the fog shrouding the forest.¡± The knights¡¯ captain reported to Tirste.

    Tirste studied the beautiful forest¡¯s surroundings as he continued to march forward. The ever-changing light that reached his narrow eyes seemed to be soft with a glow.

    ¡°That would mean a total of thirty-seven knights have arrived?¡± He said.

    The captain nodded.

    ¡°Thirty-seven silver-ranked knights and I included. That should be enough to take care of the ¡®Knight of the Lake,¡¯ if the information provided isn¡¯t wrong¡ª¡±

    Gail¡¯s nervous hand was on his de upon hearing Tirste¡¯s words. Their footsteps shuffled across the soil until he could no longer help but ask a question to relieve his anxiety.

    ¡°How big is that particr ind, my lord?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Feeling afraid, Gail? The native fishermen have said the Knight of the Lake will not appear outside of the sacred mountains.¡±

    ¡°I apologize, my lord.¡± Gail rxed his hand stiffly, taking in a deep breath.

    Tirste smiled kindly in response.

    When they were finally out of the forest, they discovered the northern squadrons of knights waiting for them. After a short moment of greeting Tirste, they doubled their speed to reach their destination.

    A valley of pure white boulders led to tall, rising cliffs. Tirste walked up to the nearby walls and stroked it with his long fingers, savoring the uneven and rough surfaces.

    It was the feedback of a certain weight from a venerable history. Many centuries ago, a king had brought along his personal sword and quietly slumbered within the forest ahead.

    ¡°A king made his eternal rest here. Do you know who it is?¡± Tirste said.

    ¡°King Erik?¡± Gail asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Tirste shook his head. ¡°Not him.¡±

    But he did not speak further and merely withdrew his hand, letting it hang limply beside him. After a moment, he continued his footsteps and went deeper into the valley.

    The knights traversed the uneven ground behind him, and he led them into a cave and out of it. A verdant forest appeared before their very eyes.

    ¡®The Sleeping Forest,¡¯ the natives had named this ce so.

    ¡°Is this it?¡± Tirste asked as he looked at the knights¡¯ captain.

    ¡°Yes, my lord. ording to the report, the Knight of the Lake is patrolling the area within the forest.¡±

    ¡°Is everyone armed and ready?¡±

    The knights¡¯ hands went to their swords as their replies. Tirste nodded with satisfaction.

    ¡°Then follow me into battle.¡±

    ¡°For the Chaos above!¡± The knights responded.

    ============== Brendel¡¯s POV ==============

    Brendel was sitting in front of a table made from a walnut tree, when he felt the Sage te in the bag hanging on his belt vibrating.

    [Again?]

    He paused momentarily in hesitation, beforeying down the goose-feathered pen in his hand, took it out and ced it on the table beside his letter.

    The Sage te continued to vibrate as though it was alive, but it turned silent after a moment.

    ¡°Is there something wrong, my lord?¡± Amandina asked, blinking in confusion.

    She had been standing against an arched window. Her posture was upright and graceful, her long neck entuated by the sun. Brendel¡¯s eyes went to her and were momentarily distracted by her beauty.

    ¡°...... Nothing.¡± He said, his eyes going back to the b of rock. He prodded it, but there was no response. He pondered for a moment. ¡°It seems to be another low-level resonance, something that¡¯s quitemon recently.¡±

    He pulled open the table¡¯s drawer and ced the Sage te in it. He dipped the pen into the bottle of ink, and it went back to the letter he was writing earlier. However, the interruption he had gave him trouble to continue writing it. He rubbed his forehead as he felt a headacheing on.

    ¡°Are you writing a letter to Miss Freya?¡± Amandina nced at the letter on the table.

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s quite a headache. The troubles with Graudin are over, but the real problem starts now.¡± He raised his head back up at her. ¡°How should we handle Count Randner?¡±

    Amandina¡¯s eyes went back to him, irritated.

    ¡°I thought my lord has a solution prepared. Why didn¡¯t you seek my opinion when you marched straight into Graudin¡¯s manor?¡±

    ¡°Are you going to rest easy if I give up on finding a solution?¡± Brendel gave a shortugh.

    She turned her head back sullenly to gaze at the scenery and did not speak anymore.

    [There she goes again with the hot and cold attitude.] He dabbed the pen on the paper.

    ¡°What exactly did you mean when you spoke with that female mercenarymander?¡± He asked.

    ¡°The words are exactly what they mean.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I understand theints in your heart, but you and I both know how straightforward you are. There¡¯s no need to tell an outsider that much.¡± Brendel shook his head. He took the letter up, crumpled it with both hands and threw into a wastebasket. ¡°That was quite a smart move, Amandina. I¡¯m really fortunate to have a subordinate like you¡ª¡±

    Amandina¡¯s eyes went back to him with a hint of admiration.

    ¡°I merely acted on my own when I realized my lord wanted to recruit these mercenaries.¡± She said.

    ¡°So you are not ming me any longer? I should thank Mother Marsha.¡± Brendel sighed with relief.

    ¡°I never did me you, but I was a little angry at being left behind.¡± A faint smile went up before she frowned. ¡°The truth is, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m unable to follow your thoughts. If any misunderstanding arises because of my actions, it will be a rift between us and grow increasinglyrger.¡±

    [As long as you are willing to work for me, you won¡¯t go wrong very far.] Brendel smiled. He took out another parchment.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s put that aside. Now then, do you have any ideas to handle the Count Randner, Lady Advisor?¡±

    ¡°Somewhat of a n. My lord has made a dangerous move, and any ordinary means would not be able to resolve the dangers we are going to face. A noble weak in power against someone stronger traditionally deflects the attacks, or borrows influence from another family.

    In that aspect, we should try and find someone who¡¯s willing to back us. However, families who have strong traditional values are unfortunately unlikely to lend us their troops.

    While we can consider seeking aid from his enemies, our actions have gone against the rules of the nobles¡¯ game. Our name is also weak and unknown to them, and there is probably no one who will ept the risk of going up against Count Randner. We should not expect anything.¡±

    She looked troubled as she pondered on the options. ¡°What remains are illogical choices, but I think they are better than the above. Joining hands with the southern armies, or even Madara¡ª¡±

    ¡°Madara is out of the question. Let¡¯s hear your thoughts on the southern armies.¡± Brendel waved his hand.

    ¡°The reasons why Madara and Count Randner went into an alliance are probably due to one of these few reasons. Count Randner wants to borrow Madara¡¯s hands to eliminate the southern armies, while suppressing the citizens of Randner¡¯s hignd territory. My lord, have you noticed that Madara¡¯s undead has not set foot in the Lightning Lake of the Goddess? Their activities have only progressed in busy cities or within the autonomous regions of the Hignd¡¯s citizens.

    The Southern Armies are cut off from reinforcements, and possibly resent Count Randner greatly for not doing anything. Since they are entrenched in areas of great poverty, their most immediate troubles are theck of supplies. If we can secure an alliance with them with that reason, putting the war with the Randners aside, we can at least secure our defenses in our backlines.¡±

    ¡°You are referring to Madara as the secondary threat?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°The n is a good one.¡± Brendel was doodling on the parchment subconsciously while his eyes and thoughts were outside the window. ¡°However, the Southern Armies are deeply cut off with the world after Madara¡¯s battles with them. Figuring out if they are still battle-worthy is a problem, and contacting them is another problem.¡±

    The pen stopped moving. He sighed deeply.

    ¡°We cannot rely on mere luck. Therefore this n can only be used as a backup. I will send scouts along to investigate the various regions, but before we receive any concrete information, this will remain as a mere n.¡± He said.

    ¡°Are the Silver Elves avable to aid us? When ites to military prowess, they are the strongest troops avable¡ª¡± Amandina said.

    ¡°The Silver Elves?¡± Brendel shifted his body slightly as he allowed one hand to support his chin. ¡°Indeed, the friendship I have with the Silver Citizens is of one of my trump cards that I can use. However, unless we have reached a critical point, I will avoid throwing this card out. Do you have any more ideas?¡±

 volume 3 - 2

    Chapter 2 ¨C Letter (2)

    Amandina was pondering in silence for more solutions before her eyesnded on the pale parchment beneath her lord¡¯s pen. It was gradually turning yellow.

    The parchment came from a particr tree from the southern Grinoires. Natives called these trees Duval¡¯s Gold, prized for the creation of thin parchment and equivalent to the value of gold. Thepleted papers were mostly sent to Seale Ampere, Seifer, Corvado, as well as other rich regions.

    However, the transactional rtionship between Aouine and other kingdoms were affected because of the brewing civil war.

    ¡°My lord,¡± She suddenly realized something and frowned: ¡°You wish to...... But even if the princess¡®s faction is weak, they might not be interested in what we have to offer. In addition to that, the Royal Faction is uninterested in offending Count Randner.¡±

    ¡°You get to the crux quickly, Amandina,¡± Brendel folded the paper into the shape of an airne and sent it flying into the bin, ¡°But what if it¡¯s not borrowing strength, but dividing it?¡±

    ¡°Dividing?¡±

    ¡°This letter is indeed written to Gryphine Corvado Ordelis. As you have guessed, I am doing this to gain a brief respite from the unending pressure on us,¡± Brendel said as he got up and passed his pen to Amandina, ¡°Here, write for me.¡±

    ¡°A letter to the princess?¡± Amandina inhaled lightly when she received the pen. She sat down and pressed it against the paper: ¡°What are the contents?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the format to you, and the contents are these,¡± Brendel snapped his fingers as he went to the arched windows.

    ¡°On the seventeen day of the month of Autumn Twilight, this letter is written in the city Firburh of Trentheim, and addressed to Princess Gryphine Corvado Ordelis.

    There was a battle on the previous night, and it hailed from the Madara¡¯s undead forces, Incirsta the ck Lord.

    They had passed through four southern districts unchecked andunched a secret attack on Firburh, resulting in massive loss of lives and the death of Trentheim¡¯s Feudal Baron, Graudin Randner.

    I am a Pioneer Knight of the kingdom with the rank of baron, who set forth in taking newnd for the kingdom, and sessfully became the lord of the Valha region. With my dual status as a new Baron and a region¡¯s lord, your humble servant had the duty to undertake the defense of neighboring Trentheim, especially when I had received Lord Randner¡¯s generosity during my journey.

    I sessfully repelled the undead after fighting through the entire night. However, in order to prevent the undead from invading again, I had temporarily taken up the position as Trentheim¡¯s lord to handle the local administration and defenses¡ª¡±

    He paused for a moment.

    ¡°Until Your Highness appoints a new lord.¡± He watched Amandina write carefully, her seemingly quick scribbles forming into perfect letters.

    ¡°I¡¯m continuing again,¡± he said, ¡°In addition, I have to question Lord Randner¡¯s motives. He had reported no news of Incirsta¡¯s army in the southern region, and allowed Madara¡¯s undead to pass through four regions unchecked. To validate the proof of my words, I have attached a Mana Stone which recorded the battles along with this letter.¡±

    Amandina¡¯s pen stopped, and she looked up. ¡°A Mana Stone? Where did you get¡ª¡±

    Before she was able to finish herst word, there were a few knocks on the door.

    (TL: I had to search through chapters to see the reaction on this letter for some additional information. It turns out Brendel didn¡¯t sign his full name. Now, this kind of leaves things in an interesting fashion because I keep wondering about Brendel¡¯s surname and whether his Pioneer Knight has some fake name registered on it. I¡¯m going to assume that Brendel did a crazy perfect job about hiding his identity starting from Fortress Riedon, since the nobles didn¡¯t seem to get any real information about him.)

    ¡°Come in.¡± Brendel said.

    The door opened, and the older Wild Elf sister Fern who came in. She nced at Amandina before going to Brendel¡¯s side.

    ¡°My lord.¡± She spoke in her usual t voice, and ced a white sphere-like rock full of intricate sigils onto a nearby table, ¡°This is the item you requested.¡±

    Brendel turned around to look at her. She wore a simple leather armor and dress, with her golden hair braided perfectly behind her head, and appeared tidy and capable like a high-functioning secretary.

    ¡°Have you inspected it?¡± He asked after imagining a pair of sses on her.

    Falearn nodded in response.

    [The Mana Stones are not rare but to use them in advance the previous night, means that my lord did not attack Graudin because he was reckless. He had nned everything in advance.....]

    Amandina snapped out of her thoughts as she saw him take the Mana Stone away.

    Mana Stones were artifacts created by wizards a few centuries ago. They discovered records during the Era of the Silver Bloodlines, where it was mentioned a certain type of quartz was capable of recording approximately for a day or two. When the citizens of the Silver Bloodlines ced them into a Magic Formation, they were able to increase the preservation of the recordings to several decades.

    ¡°We need to wait and see what Princess Gryphine¡¯s response is after she read the letter. Although, I¡¯m sure she will make good use of this opportunity since she¡¯s a smart person.¡± He said.

    ¡°My lord, you seem to know her very well?¡± She quickly found the relevant point with her sharpness.

    ¡°She left the Corvado¡¯s pce admist all that turbulence, possibly with only her knight and a few maids to her territory, then borrowed the Royal Faction¡¯s strength to oppose her older brother¡¯s power. Is that level of wisdom still insufficient?¡± Brendel replied smoothly without batting an eyelid, ¡°Don¡¯t forget this, Amandina, she¡¯s only sixteen this year...... And even if she doesn¡¯t take to my letter¡¯s value, the people around her aren¡¯t blind. They have spent their entire lives in politics inside the royal court, and will understand the intentions behind this letter.¡±

    He walked over to Amandina and took the letter from the table, smacking it a few times.

    ¡°Count Randner is a snake who wavers between the nobles, the Royal Faction and the Prince¡¯s Faction. Everyone would be d to see someone like us, an unpredictable variable that puts pressure on him. That is why the importance of this letter isn¡¯t whether the contents are real or not, but how realistic it appears to be. With this letter, it¡¯s a chance for the Royal Faction to force Randner intopromising¡ª¡±

    ¡°While it is a good choice to be used as a pawn during moments of weakness,¡± Amandina frowned upon hearing Brendel¡¯s words and refuted, ¡°Once Count Randner chooses the Royal Faction¡¯s hand, we will be discarded.¡±

    ¡°Things are not so simple,¡± Brendel shook his head, ¡°Count Randner is a cunning old fox who is careful by nature. He will never allow any sides to control him easily. He¡¯s quite indecisive and easily angered, but when he¡¯s being pressured, he bes cautious. In any case, the pressure on us will be reduced, and from a long term point of view, as long as we have time to breathe, the situation will change for us. Ultimately, it¡¯s our strength that dictates our fate.¡±

    She nced at him before looking away. He had described himself as a mere Pioneer Knight, but how would one know these many secrets? He knew not only the nobles¡¯ traditions; he even grasped their personalities well. Even prominent children of high ranking aristocrats might not know as much as he did. Even though puzzles about him kept getting unraveled, she was certain that he must have an incredible story behind him.

    Surely everyone following him would think the same.

    ¡°Is Count Randner truly going to forget about the fact that we murdered his son?¡± Falearn asked, a little puzzled.

    ¡°A traditional noble like Count Randner woule be more interested in power and position,pared to his offspring.¡± Amandina answered quietly, ¡°Also, Graudin isn¡¯t Count Randner¡¯s only child. However, since it concerns his family¡¯s honor, he wouldn¡¯t let this go unanswered. Sooner orter, we will face Randner¡¯s armies.¡±

    Brendel nodded to agree with her assessment.

    ¡°A pawn needs to establish his worth,¡± he continued: ¡°we have to let her Highness see our pressure on Count Randner. If we are unable to fortify our position, no one will be willing to provide the Venture Capital we need.¡±

    ¡°Venture Capital?¡±

    ¡°Think of it like a gambler¡¯s bet.¡± Brendel exined as he took out another parchment from the drawer, ¡°A great gambler doesn¡¯t rely only on luck.¡±

    The two women nodded to show they understood.

    ¡°One more thing, Amandina, copy the contents of this draft to a new parchment,¡± he said to the confused girl. ¡°This letter is for Leto and the others. I suspect we will fight against Graudin¡¯s remaining retainers and Randner¡¯s armies quite soon. They are the only force outside of Trentheim, and it¡¯s a question whether I can rely on them. As you well know, I hate things that are uncertain, so I want them to give up on their original mission and meet up with me here.¡±

    Amandina opened the folded parchment. A hint of surprise shed in her eyes as she studied the contents. She thought for a moment before she suddenly asked: ¡°The people from the Viridien vige, what do you n to do with them?¡±

    Brendel had thought about them for quite some time. He was certain that they were willing to pledge their loyalty to him, but their lowly status was preventing them from speaking. He did not mind this point, however.

    [There are about three hundred of these Lycanthropes, and their natural strength coupled with the terrible environment of the Dark Forest...... Without any other considerations, half of them should be at Iron-ranked fighters, and is quite a force to have.]

    ¡°Aouine¡¯s citizens might not be able to ept the Senia¡¯s citizens,¡± he replied after a slow afterthought, ¡°the best solution is for them to return to the Viridien vige temporarily. Once I reach that ce, it will need arge poption¡ª¡±

    ¡°That ce?¡±

    ¡°A fantastical ce called Valha, as mentioned in the letter. You will know it very soon. Ah, yes, about the druids, how did they join up with this battle?¡±

    ¡°The druids are a coincidence. When I spurred the Lycanthropes into action, I didn¡¯t know of their existence. But I¡¯m certain...... they were there to find Sifrid.¡±

    ¡°Sifrid?¡± Brendel¡¯s eyebrow was raised slightly.

 volume 3 - chapter 3

    Longer exnation:

    I haven¡¯t been feeling too well these past few weeks, and a few days ago at my worst, I feel so fatigued that I had to sleep more than 12 hours. My stomach feels like it¡¯s churning all the time and I feel nauseous for like a few hours before it subsides (I¡¯m male, so no preggers joke plz). I feel dizzy the days after that along with that nauseous feeling, enough to affect me quite a lot, so I¡¯ll be going to a doctor on Monday. I¡¯ll give it 2 days with diet change, less coffee, more vegetables and fruits.

    Could be a virus or something, or maybe I ate something seriously toxic. If I somehow stop updating/responding all of a sudden, shit has happened.

    I guess I¡¯m most concerned with my patreon users...... I don¡¯t want to raise death gs or something, but shit, I think I need to set up a rule where if I don¡¯t respond for 1 whole month, things have gone out of control. You guys need to message support and get them to turn off my page. I¡¯ll have a new post thereter.

    I¡¯m actually behind my schedule, because I¡¯m still not done with my drawings and some of the basic stuff like updating glossary and others. At the very least, I¡¯ll be finishing one portrait drawing and the above. The environment piece probablyester during August if I cannot finish it.

    Also, because I couldn¡¯t draw the past few days, I actually tranted the remaining 5 chapters for this month. I¡¯ll see you on August 1 for the next update.

    Show Patreon¡¯s nned illustration

    Chapter 3 ¨C Letter

    The doors to the room were suddenly pushed opened with force.

    [Who the hell¡ª]

    Brendel was slightly angered by the people who barged in without seeking permission. When he turned around, he found three faces staring back at him.

    The person with had unique features. His skin was dark and his angr face was chiseled like a rock. His deep sunken eye sockets with long ashen-white eyebrows which followed the bone structure. His grey hair was braided and tied behind his head and long enough to reach his bear-skin overcoat.

    ¡°Please stop, you can¡¯t go in right now¡ª¡± The mercenary who had tried to stop them from going in was pushed back by one of the strange men. When he finally realized that it was meaningless to stop them because he was already in the room, he turned around and looked at Brendel with an apologetic expression, ¡°My lord, I couldn¡¯t stop¡ª¡±

    Brendel waved his hand once, indicating that it was fine. He then looked at the strangely dressed men again, and immediately recognized them as Druids. They were mostly a unique force that held an agreement with Goddess Nia, staying within forests corrupted by Mana to observe and track the animals during the Month of Goetia.

    [Hmm? Isn¡¯t this Andellu, one of the Elder druids of the Waning Groves? The two young followers behind...... Nope, no idea. Some branches of Druids are even nice enough to be cordial with the natives and warn them when the monsters were invading during the ¡®Waves of Cmity¡¯. But the Waning Groves won¡¯t do something like that. So why would they bother to find me?]

    He suddenly spotted Sifrid behind them, just as the mercenary retreated out of the room and closed the door. Silence filled the room momentarily before it was broken by Amandina who made sure the mercenary was out of earshot.

    ¡°How dare you barge into this room without permission!¡± Amandina stood up in anger. She waspletely dwarfed by the three gigantic intruders, but she was not in the least bit intimidated.

    Andellu¡¯s observed the room with a pair of hawk-like eyes. The room had not received the chance to be redecorated as the battle had just ended in the morning. It still retained the slightly dark red fancy furnishings that Graudin was fond of. However, the thick carpet emitted some form of foul, piercing odor that he was able to detect and caused him to frown.

    Brendel scratched his brow in response to Amandina¡¯s outburst and also waved his hand to calm her down.

    [Well, these fellows consort with wild beasts day and night. I¡¯m not surprised they ignore customs.]

    Sifrid peeked out from one of the druid¡¯s back and smiled shyly at him, and he felt his mood lift up slightly. Her green hair was almost like a waterfall that seemed to burst with life.

    ¡°Well then, would you introduce yourselves?¡± He said with a pleasant voice.

    ¡°I am Andellu. The two behind me are Reid and Raim.¡± The Elder Druid spoke with a stiff ent, and pointed at the younger men behind him respectively as he called out their names.

    ¡°This is Amandina and Fern. So, would you exin yourselves?¡±

    ¡°Lord Viscount, we¡¯re here to bring Sifrid away.¡±

    ¡°What exactly do you mean?¡± Brendel was not surprised as he suspected they did not aid the Lycanthropes out of kindness, but because of the mysterious little girl. When he cast his gaze at Sifrid, she avoided his eyes and nodded slightly. Brendel¡¯s eyes returned to the Druids. ¡°I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t bother getting my permission to take her away. What exactly are you here for?¡±

    ¡°Lord Viscount,¡± Reid suddenly cut into the conversation, ¡°we had already sought permission from her father and the Viridien¡¯s Vige Elder, but Lady Sifrid insisted on getting yours to let her leave.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Brendel pointed his question to Sifrid.

    ¡°It¡¯s true, brother Brendel.¡± Sifrid replied softly, but there was something in her voice that said there was more to it.

    ¡°What exactly do you want from me?¡± He frowned and decided to get right to the point.

    ¡°Lady Sifrid has requested us to enter an alliance with you, Lord Viscount.¡± Andellu¡¯s eyes were just as sharp as when he stared at Brendel. He appeared as if he was studying an oddity of the rotting nobility within Aouine. ¡°That¡¯s because you seemed to be caught up in some form of trouble after rescuing her. We have thought about it and we agreed to do so if you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes narrowed and stopped him from continuing. ¡°I have no interest to engage in trafficking people. You lot better start from the beginning and exin everything.¡±

    The room fell into silence, and Amandina and Fern looked at Brendel in surprise. The three druids looked at each other before Andellu spoke again:

    ¡°Very well, Lord Viscount. This has to start from the reason why we left the forest. There has been a prophecy in our forest¡ª¡±

    Brendel raised his eyebrow slightly, but he did not interrupt and listened patiently.

    ¡°In the prophecy, it was said that a female baby had seeded Goddess Nia¡¯s will and would be born in thisnd...... And we believe Sifrid to be the chosen one.¡±

    ¡°Prophecy,¡± Brendel repeated that word.

    The Gods turned themselves into Laws, but they continued to impact the world. When a God¡¯s Will interfered with mortals, they would send a revtion down and be called as prophecy.

    [The Druids won¡¯t lie if they bring up Goddess Nia. This is surprising. If Sifrid came up in their prophecy, that means she¡¯s a Chosen. Considering that idiot Graudin¡¯s actions to want her in front of my face¡ª No, that¡¯s not it. It¡¯s the Madara¡¯s undead who wants Sifrid. Iamas wasn¡¯t trying to stop Graudin from negotiating with me; he was trying to hide the information about Sifrid¡¯s identity! That would mean the undead has received their own prophecy, and it exins the rtionship between the Randner family and Madara much better. It¡¯s not as simple as making use of each other. And yet...... to have both Druids and Madara to have their own prophecies, this isn¡¯t something as simple as inheriting Goddess Nia¡¯s will.]

    ¡°The Dragon of Darkness.¡± He whispered to himself. The divine being that blessed the undead could only be the Dragon of Darkness, and Goddess Nia opposed them. His expression turned serious as he felt the situation had turned into somethingplicated. He asked the Druids: ¡°How certain are you that Sifrid¡¯s the one mentioned in the prophecy?¡±

    ¡°My lord, we have the means to ascertain it,¡± Raim said.

    Andellu nodded as well and immediately lowered himself to Sifrid¡¯s height and said: ¡°Lady Sifrid, would you please turn around?¡±

    The Druid was almost like a clumsy bear bending at the waist, appearing to be nearlyical, but Sifrid nodded obediently and turned. Her hand pulled back her lush green hair and allowed Brendel to see something like a tattoo on her pale neck.

    A leaf-like tattoo the size of a thumb with threads sprouting from the center.

    ¡°Nia¡¯s Holy Sigil!¡± He shouted in a low voice. ¡°The Lady of the Forest!¡±

    Reid nodded to Sifrid, and she lowered her hair back and turned around with a blushing face. Andellu¡¯s expression turned solemn and looked at Brendel cautiously: ¡°Lord Viscount, you know of Nia¡¯s symbol?¡±

    ¡°...... I need to correct something. I am not Viscount Gaston, that identity is used to deceive Graudin. My name is Brendel, and I¡¯m a Hignd Knight. I believe you have met Ciel, my wizard squire.¡± Brendel paused for a moment, ¡°And from him, I learned quite some things about thisnd, including the legend about The Lady of the Forest......¡±

    Brendel finished spouting his usual lies with truth intermixed into it. The three druids did not object to his words and even appeared toe to a certain realization. It was a great excuse for him since it was well known for wizards to be learned, but their expressions changedpletely when they heard his next line.

    ¡°The Lady of the Forest is the key to Valha¡ª¡± He said.

    ¡°Did you say Valha?¡± Andellu took a step forward, and his hands nearly grabbed Brendel¡¯s cor, before he suddenly felt an oppressing feeling from thetter. His instinct told him that this normal looking man was a Gold-ranked warrior. ¡°Ser Brendel, did you say Valha has something to do with the Lady of the Forest? The Kingdom of Fantasy that only belongs in the legends?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that?¡± Brendel was at a loss for words.

    [The Lady of the Forest is someone chosen by the Goddess Nia and the only person who inherits Valha¡¯s lineage. The legend itself is closely linked to the Waning Grove, how could they not know of it?]

    ¡°Valha truly exists, and in fact, it has always existed within this forest. I am quite puzzled as to why you have no idea that legend existed there when you have been living in it for so long.¡± Brendel rubbed his forehead with one finger while he observed Andellu.

    The Druids faced each other and began discussing in whispers for a short while before it ended.

    ¡°Valha has always been a legend in this area, and it¡¯s rumored that the Sealed Kingdom is one of Mother Marsha¡¯s givennd in the earliest days. But there¡¯s no one who¡¯s capable of verifying such a story, as it existed before the records of history. Rumor has it that Valha has a unique ¡®Fire Seed¡¯, and if it¡¯s lit up the entire Dark Forest will be and governed by Laws.¡± Andellu said and swallowed once, ¡°If that happens, the Waning Grove and other branches of the Druids can finally finish their task to guard thisnd and fulfill our promise to Goddess Nia.¡±

    ¡°Then isn¡¯t it clear? That¡¯s the meaning of your prophecy.¡± Brendel said.

 volume 3 - 4

    Chapter 4 ¨C Letter (4)

    ¡°Please wait. Even though the rumors indicate as such,¡± Reid interrupted, ¡°we have not seen any signs of Valha in the forest.¡±

    Andellu suddenly became rmed. He realized it was a possibility that Brendel might be misleading them and even coaxing information out from them.

    ¡°Ser Brendel, let¡¯s go back to our original topic!¡± He tried to stop the discussion.

    But Brendel shook his head.

    ¡°You are mistaken about your position. Sifrid told you to seek permission from me to let her leave, and if you¡¯re unable to convince me to do so, don¡¯t even think for a moment that I will allow her to even take one single step out of thisnd. And you can stop raising your eyebrows, old man. Spare me your nonsense about using your abilities like Merging With Nature or Hide In Nature¡¯s Shadows. You can go ahead and try either technique, but I have my ways to catch you.¡±

    When Andellu heard the Druids¡¯ techniques being called out, he abandoned the idea of taking away Sifrid by force. The masses had a poor understanding of the Druids, but the overbearing youth in front of him was an exception. He did not believe it was an empty threat, so he spoke again after some hesitation.

    ¡°Ser Brendel, what exactly do you want? We are of no threat to Lady Sifrid, and I¡¯m sure that you believe in what we have told you. We can swear upon Goddess Nia that we are only here to bring her to ournd and have her be a Druid.¡±

    ¡°Have you been listening to anything I have been saying so far? Are you not interested in lighting up Valha¡¯s Fire Seed?¡± Brendel said in exasperation.

    The three Druids froze.

    ¡°Of course we do. This is one of our goals in the Dark Forest. The Druids believe in Mother Marsha as well, but I have to be blunt, my lord, Valha¡ª¡± Raim was incredibly polite.

    ¡°Valha is in the Dark Forest! The rumors are true!¡± Brendel¡¯s voice was almost in a yell, before he suddenly stopped and nced at Sifrid, his voice back to normal, ¡°To be more precise, the Lady of the Forest isn¡¯t the key to lighting up the Fire Seed, but the key to using part of Valha¡¯s power.¡±

    He walked over to an armchair filled with cushions and sank fully. He showed an amused face and interlocked his fingers: ¡°Let¡¯s make a transaction.¡±

    ¡°What kind of transaction?¡± Andellu said.

    ¡°Help me find Valha, and I¡¯ll help you light up the Fire Seed.¡±

    ¡°And you intend to be Valha¡¯s lord as a Pioneer Knight?¡± Andellu finally realized his real intentions. ¡°This suggestion is feasible since we have no desire for power, but I have to repeat myself. Valha doesn¡¯t exist in the forest, and it is a mere legend.¡±

    ¡°Fine, believe what you will. If that¡¯s the case, I want you to enter deeper into the forest and help me locate the ruins of a city.¡±

    Reid suddenly whispered to Andellu¡¯s ears: ¡°Elder, didn¡¯t we discover the ruins in the outskirts of the Annulus of Wind?¡±

    The words seemed to jolt Andellu¡¯s memories.

    ¡°Are you certain the ruins are the fabled Valha? I have witnessed that ce for myself in the Annulus of Wind, and it is inplete shambles. Humans have entered the Dark Forest repeatedly in the past, and it¡¯s possible for them to leave something behind like a small city. We have investigated that area carefully, and did not discover anything rted to the Fire Seed.¡±

    ¡°That ce you mentioned, is it the pathway that faces the seasonal wind and loops around the Karanjar mountains?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You got the right ce,¡± Brendel nodded with certainty, trying hard to resist the excitement within him. The Valha he knew was constructed there, and received sufficient rainfall from the Diesluna Ind Sea during summer and ensuring that the harvest was bountiful. ¡°How long ago did you discover the ruins?¡±

    Andellu was slightly affected by his eagerness, and answered carefully: ¡°That was about three years ago.¡±

    ¡°Can you still remember the direction that ce?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to say,¡± Andellu shook his head, ¡°In truth, we discovered that ce by ident. We had gone deep into the Karanjar mountains to investigate the biology of the corrupted beasts. If we want to locate that ce again, I¡¯m afraid we need to send out a new investigative team again. But we do have the general direction and shouldn¡¯t take too long. Are you interested in going to ascertain that it is Valha, Ser Brendel?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have the time right now. That¡¯s it for the transaction. Send your men to find the ce, and once do, immediately notify me.¡± Brendel said.

    The transaction was solely advantageous to him as he obtained Valha, but he knew the Druids ignored power and fame. The only way to have deals with them was to know what they were interested in. Lighting the Valha¡¯s Fire Seed was something that the Druids desired immensely.

    The Druids agreed as well. In their eyes, Brendel¡¯s transaction was something that was also advantageous for them. However, Amandina immediately spoke up when she saw the discussion ending between the two parties.

    ¡°Sifrid¡¯s rtives are now in Firburh. If you take away Sifrid, what is going to happen to them when Counter Randner¡¯s revenge reach this ce? Have you thought about it?¡±

    Andellu frowned and nced at her: ¡°Ser Brendel, our agreement to search for Valha still stands. Once I report to the other Elders, you will receive our aid. However, in the matter of lending our strength...... We have at least one condition that you must agree on.¡±

    Brendel nced at Sifrid who nodded.

    ¡°Speak freely.¡± He said.

    ¡°Our obligations end at defending your forces in Firburh. We will not provide any aid other than this.¡± Andellu¡¯s eyes saw through the youth¡¯s ambitions, but the Druids were unwilling to be tied down to his wars.

    He was almost certain that Brendel was going to try and make use of them, but Brendel nodded unexpectedly: ¡°The Druids have always been neutral. I¡¯m satisfied to hear something like this. But I would like to add one more point; the protection extends to Valha.¡±

    Andellu was momentarily surprised, but he nodded quickly: ¡°Of course.¡±

    [Good~ While the Druids are good at perceiving human emotions, theirmon sense iscking. The nobles¡¯ greed is something they didn¡¯t ount for in their ns. War cannot be avoided with the Randner situation, but having something a mythicalnd like Valha appearing would definitely attract the nobles¡¯ attention. As long as the Druids are tied to Valha, they have to enter the war at some point.]

    Brendel knew that he had to gain as much power as possible in order to rescue Aouine from a terminal fate. Securing the Druids meant that history had changed in some ways, regardless of how small or big it was going to be.

    This was his first major step.

    But Brendel suddenly turned to Sifrid.

    ¡°..... Sifrid, bing a Druid isn¡¯t an easy task. Even though you¡¯re chosen by Goddess Nia, your fate is still controlled by your own hands. If you stay here, it¡¯s still possible to learn many things.¡± His voice became a little softer at this point: ¡°If you say you don¡¯t want to go with them, the deal with them is off.¡±

    The two girls looked at him in surprise. The Druids were shocked. They had thought Brendel to be no different from the other nobles, but now they looked at him with a slightly changed outlook.

    Sifrid stared at Brendel who was smiling slightly, almost as if he was persuading her not to ept the Druids, but she nodded in the end. ¡°I¡¯m going with them, Brother Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Fern did not know the Druids as well as Brendel, was furious over the fact that a little child was being used as a bargaining tool. ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine if you stay here? Why do you need to enter a dangerous ce like the Dark Forest?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because of sister Amandina.¡± Sifrid looked at her and replied earnestly.

    ¡°Me?¡± Amandina looked back in confusion.

    ¡°Sister Amandina told my father that people had to rely on themselves. Brother Brendel treats me very well, but I can¡¯t ept his help without feeling right. Uncle Andellu said that I would have their powers if I be a Druid.¡± She took a pause to breathe: ¡°Then I¡¯ll have the ability to protect everyone in the vige.¡±

    ¡°Wonderfully said.¡± Brendel¡¯s smile was like the sun.

 volume 3 - 5

    Chapter 5 ¨C Letter (5)

    Brendel got up and walked over to Sifrid. He patted her head.

    ¡°Sifrid¡¯s is an understanding kid,¡± he said to the Elder Druid. ¡°I treat her like she¡¯s my younger sister, so I¡¯m going to entrust her to you as per her wishes. I don¡¯t care whether she bes a citizen of the forest or not, but I want you to ensure her safety. The Druids are capable of doing at least that?¡±

    ¡°That goes without saying, Ser Brendel.¡± Andellu nodded.

    ¡°Thank you, brother Brendel.¡± Sifrid¡¯s hands grabbed on to his sleeves as she sniffed a little.

    Brendel stroked her head. The little girl was earnest and mature for her age. Brendel did not care much for the Druids¡¯ alliance, but since they wereing on board, he was going to make full use of Valha¡¯s connection to enforce the rtionship.

    ¡°Amandina, please bring Sifrid out to pack the necessary things for the journey.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Amandina was called back to reality when she was studying the Druids. She looked at Brendel in confusion, ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, even though she¡¯s just a child, she¡¯s still a girl. There are probably things that only girls would know, or perhaps I should let Romaine do it,¡± he suddenly grinned, ¡°but would your mind be in peace if I allow her to take over?¡±

    Amandina had an image of the merchant girl stuffing marbles into Sifrid¡¯s tiny backpack, with thetter boasting how much they cost when she bought them in Be. She sighed:

    ¡°But...... Isn¡¯t Scarlett a choice as well?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not as careful as you?¡± Brendel tilted his head.

    Amandina felt a strange little delight in her heart when she heard that, but his expression seemed to say more. ¡°Is there anything else, my lord?¡±

    ¡°Tell Cornelius and the others to find me.¡± He said.

    Amandina nodded and took Sifrid¡¯s hand. The little girl looked back every few steps until the doors were closed.

    ¡°Is there anything else you wish to request, Ser Brendel?¡± Andellu looked at the youth in front of him. He was certain thetter in front of him was incredibly ambitious, and letting Sifrid leave was a prelude to something more. ¡°We Druids are a straightforward bunch, so there¡¯s no need to beat around the bush.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going to take a while, unfortunately. First of all, I¡¯m really busy, so I won¡¯t be able to send you off on your journey..... I do know that you¡¯re not interested in having an alliance with me¡ª¡± He said.

    ¡°Lord Brendel.¡± Reid interrupted, but Brendel put his hand up.

    ¡°Let me finish. I understand what your traditions; the Druids towards the Dark Forest and what kind of promise you have with Nia, I know of it. However, I have to warn you, the power that the Chaos hold is incredibly strong.¡±

    The Druids suddenly flinched and readied themselves into a stance.

    ¡°You¡¯re a member of the Unifying Guild?¡± Andellu¡¯s eyes turned cold: ¡°The tinum Sky Serpent, the Tree Shepherds, or a Baphomet¡¯s disciple?¡±

    ¡°I thought you would put the Tree Shepherds first.¡±

    The Druid Elder scoffed coldly.

    ¡°None of the above, and every name you mentioned happens to be my enemies,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°An enemy of enemies might not necessarily be a friend,¡± Andellu said with a snarl.

    ¡°True. You and I both know this era is about to reach its ending. The Demonic Moon is about to reach its peak¡ª The previous ¡®Waves of Cmity¡¯ ended the Era of Chaos, but who would know what¡¯s going to happen this time? But one thing is definite, it¡¯s impossible for the Druids to suppress the growth of the Dark Forest.¡±

    ¡°What of it?¡±

    ¡°I know much more about the Dark Forest than you do¡ª¡±

    Andellu looked at Brendel with an incredulous expression. The Druids have spent generations living in the Dark Forest, and now there was a young man telling them he knew the Dark Forest better than they did. This feeling went beyond exaggeration; it was arrogance.

    Brendel merely smiled in response: ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t believe me. Think about it, before the Era of Chaos, the continent was only a fourth of what it is now. Who was it who expanded the borders and turned multiple ¡®Dark Forests¡¯ that were practically everywhere?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Druids.¡± Andellu¡¯s voice had pride creeping in it.

    ¡°To be more precise, it¡¯s the Ancient Druids of the World Tree. When the Sky Tower copsed, the Dragon of Darkness attacked the Druids next and forced them into the Wilderness fraught with monsters. The factions of the World Tree fractured, resulting in the Tree Shepherds and the traditional Druids. Do I need to say more?¡±

    ¡°You are certainly knowledgeable, Ser Brendel.¡±

    ¡°No, this is quite simr to us,¡± Brendel sighed on purpose, ¡°When the Sky Tower copsed, the wizards who studied Ancient Magic and Modern Magic fractured into factions as well. I am certain that the current Druids and Wizards are interested in seeking Ancient Relics. Coincidentally, I know of one Dragon personally, as well as having certain knowledge about the Ancient Druids¡¯ teachings.¡±

    ¡°You know of Ancient Magic?¡± Andellu narrowed his eyes. He knew the Dragons were the remaining Golden Lineage in this world, and capable of the Ancient Chord Magic unique to them. While the Ancient Runic Magic from Druids were more mysterious, the fundamentals between the two were simr.

    ¡°Auiseaamrs. The Seed of Life, surely you understand what I mean by this word.¡±

    The three Druids¡¯ expressions immediately changed when they heard the words ¡®Seed of Life¡¯. The seeds would grow into the Tree of Life, but the Tree Shepherds typically corrupted and turned them into the Golden Demonic Tree.

    The Druids had discovered the Tree of Life was able to purify the Dark Forest, but it was nearly impossible to get the seed without interference from mortals¡¯ hands to create them artificially with great odds, even if they found the tree. The only other option was to find one from Ancient Ruins.

    [Auiseaamrs sounds like a conversion spell word. Eaam refers to the Great Earth. This sounds like it¡¯s part of the Ancient Druids¡¯ Magic, ¡®Words of Nature¡¯. Our legends said the magic is able to purify Mana Corruption in the Dark Forest.]

    The Elder Druid searched through his memories. Such Ancient Magic was more than a thousand years ago, and their oldest books only recorded certain tales about it. Finally, Andellu looked at Brendel with aplicated expression as he writhed a little:

    ¡°Words of Nature?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Brendel nodded.

    The word itself was written on the Sage tes, and almost every gamer more or less knew about it. But knowing of the lore had no effect, because the only way to activate the Ancient Magic was through the Sage tes¡¯ activation. It was also why the ¡®War of the Wizards¡¯ happened in theter part of the game. In other words, it was cool to know the Ancient Words as a trivia, but they werepletely worthless without the artifacts.

    It was just that the Druids fell for the hook, line, and sinker.

    ¡°If you know how to use that magic, then, are you a Druid?¡± Andellu pressed on.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Brendel answered while he reached for the letters and rolled them up.

    ¡°Then what is your purpose for saying that word?¡± Andellu frowned.

    ¡°To put it simply, I¡¯m also interested in the Dark Forest. ¡°In spite of how strong the Laws are, the Chaos¡¯ resistances to them are also just as great. Fighting against them alone isn¡¯t the perfect solution to them. The Druids are used to solving things with the Laws of Nature, but didn¡¯t the Goddess of the Forest give you a new path to quash the monsters?¡±

    ¡°What path is that?¡±

    Brendel took a candle from the table, carefully snipped away the stalk and lit it.

    ¡°Borrowing the strength of others. After the Era of Chaos, civilization hardly expanded outwards of thend guarded by Laws, other than the handful of Pioneer Knights. As a result, with the beasts¡¯ corruption from Mana, and the limitednd avable, the signs of civil wars are increasing every passing day,¡± he said, pausing for dramatic effect: ¡°But I have a new solution to end this problem, even if it¡¯s just an attempt. Still, I¡¯m quite confident of making it work. Are you interested?¡±

    Andellu took a moment to think before he spoke again: ¡°Please continue, Ser Brendel.¡±

    ¡°In order to stabilize the kingdom and revitalize it, I¡¯ll expand mynd¡ª¡± Brendel said as he dripped the hot wax over a rolled up parchment.

    The Druids suddenly took a deep breath as they realized he was hinting at changing the entire politics of the kingdom, and that he was not going to stop there. His ambition was far beyond ruling Trentheim.

    He was going to create an empire of his own.

    Andellu was immediately uneasy and stared at him with guarded eyes. He spoke in a low voice in order to prevent drawing Brendel¡¯s ire: ¡°Such expansions will bring along blood and wars, and this goes against our beliefs. If you wish to entice into joining you by providing us soldiers from your victory spoils that you gained from other nobles¡¯nds, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re gravely mistaken.¡±

    ¡°Wars are unavoidable,¡± Brendel did the same for the other parchment before he extinguished the candle and took off the Ring of the Wind Empress, ¡°and it¡¯s going to be ast resort to protect myself. You¡¯re mistaken by what I mean by expansion¡ª¡±

    ¡°Y-you mean?¡± Andellu looked at him in disbelief, realizing the other possibility.

    ¡°Yes, expansion towards the Wilderness,¡± The ring pressed into the hot wax before it was lifted up, ¡°I¡¯ll carve out new territory and gain resources from there.¡±

 volume 3 - 6

    Chapter 6 ¨C Letter (6)

    ¡°But the Wilderness isn¡¯t something easily conquered. No one will acknowledge sending out their men into the unknown, when there are hardly any resources and filled with monstrous beasts and demi-races because of the Mana Corruption.¡± Andellu said impatiently before he tried again in another approach: ¡°Also, Ser Brendel, do you not have your troubles from the people out for revenge because of the former Lord¡¯s murder? Would you risk all your men to do this?¡±

    ¡°Conquering the Wilderness not as hard as you believe, and profits will always spur people into action,¡± Brendel said after reflecting for a moment.

    [This is the same reason as to why Portugal and Spain ventured out to the sea: For gold and silver. I¡¯m just following what Prince Henry did. The onlyparable organization who knows what kind of probable valuables are in the Wilderness, is the Church, and they are unlikely to match what I know.]

    ¡°There are examples of great valuables found in the Wilderness, besides the usual gold and silver. These are easy reasons for the citizens of the kingdom to act if someone seeds in bringing them back. Mortals easily forget themselves when they see a profit, and only a few can see the risk in them. This is especially so when they find their lives improving from the riches, and will never want to go back to the past. You have seen the poverty in this town, haven¡¯t you? You will gain the men you need to quell the monsters, and I get the resources I want.¡±

    ¡°How can you be sure of the profits when these events of getting valuables are clearly rare? Once you failed, the shock from your assumptions would be devastating.¡±

    Brendel was giggling to himself. If Andellu was standing in his shoes to think for him, it would mean that he¡¯s already persuaded.

    ¡°Which is why I need you,¡± Brendel said with a beaming smile: ¡°with your knowledge of thend and my expertise, a thorough n with a little luck, the chances would be far better. Do you know why the Pioneer Knights in the past failed in getting anything done? That¡¯s because theyck the natives¡¯ and the Lords¡¯ support. Even the entire kingdom did not spare anything for them.¡±

    [There are cases where powerful Lords tried expanding out to the Wilderness, but given the number of political enemies, nobody wants to invest too much into the unknown. Such gambles are usually a single time and never repeated. Since the majority failed in Aouine¡¯s history, people are hardly interested in expanding anymore, other than crazy gamblers.]

    Brendel had a far better understanding of the Wilderness, and was confident that his investments would always end up in profit.

    Andellu folded his arms and thought for a long time about the events leading up to Graudin¡¯s removal, and he finally nodded: ¡°Very well, Lord Brendel, you have convinced me. If you¡¯re capable of expanding into the Wilderness, what do you want us to do after that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to do anything. Rather, you should think about how you can protect what you have earned. You will understand what I mean. I believe you have not truly seen the nobles¡¯ greed in this world yet.¡±

    ¡°I see. I must say that you¡¯re the best speaker I have seen yet.¡± Andellu nodded.

    ¡°There is one final thing before you go,¡± Brendel said as he lifted two letters from the table.

    ¡°What else do you require?.¡± Andellu said and took a deep breath. In truth, he was a little agitated when he heard the possibility of the conversion of the Dark Forest. If Brendel were able to aplish that, then he would possibly be able to do the same for the Wilderness, which was even more impressive.

    King Erik the Kind was known for the greatest expansion of the Wilderness after the Era of Chaos, creating the Kingdom Aouine, and this youth somehow appeared like he was going to be as famous as he was.

    ¡°Help me deliver these two letters to Port Gris to the east of the forest. I have some subordinates there. In particr, send them to the Red Bronze Dragon, Leto. His name is ridiculous enough, so I don¡¯t think you will get it wrong.¡± Brendel said.

    Andellu received and looked at the letters. Striking words were written on one of the parchment¡¯s back: ¡®To The Red Bronze Dragon, Leto¡¯. The other letter was void of the addressee¡¯s name.

    ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s it. The only thing left is to leave it to time and prove things. I have other things to be concerned with, so I won¡¯t send you out. I wish you luck in your endeavors.¡±

    Andellu nodded: ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±

    The three Druids bowed deeply and left the room.

    Fern merely sent them off with their eyes and only spoke when they were gone: ¡°My lord, you passed both letters to them?¡±

    Even though she knew Brendel¡¯s actions were beyond reproach, she was still worried because the three men were strangers. Not only did he entrust Sifrid to them, he even gave them the letters that could decide their lives.

    Brendel was unable to exin that he had actually met Andellu in the game as an NPC over ten yearster from the current time period. He had raised the reputation with the Waning Grove to participate in Valha¡¯s quests. Graudin had been in as well, and it could be said that Aouine was at its peak after recovering from the civil wars.

    ¡°Well, Leto has kept in contact with Freya, so having him deliver the other letter to princess Gryphine would be convenient enough.¡± He chuckled.

    Fern red at him: ¡°You know I¡¯m not referring to that...... My lord.¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean, but you have to admit I understand the Druids better than you. Trust in my judgment. Everything they said is the truth. Their respect for the Goddess Nia is much more than you can imagine, and that prophecy is real. I¡¯m certain that Andellu perceives this letter as a test,¡± Brendel thought a moment and exined further: ¡°If you don¡¯t look at things from their perspective, it¡¯s very hard to understand how much importance they put on this matter.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Look, that itself is just a single n of mine, I have other moves.¡± Brendel gave up convincing her and lied.

    ¡°You do?¡± Fern looked at him with suspicion. There were no signs of any other ns. Having Amandina write the letters and then dismissing her without having anything else done, made it impossible to believe he had more ns. She had started to understand what the youth much better after a long time with him.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Brendel peeked at her unimpressed face. He suddenly had a sh of inspiration: ¡°So has the goods been ounted for?¡±

    There was a moment in Fern¡¯s eyes that showed she looked down at him for changing the topic. But she reached for a book in her bag and said tly: ¡°We checked the warehouses. There are fifty thousand bushels worth of grains, and we can support the entire city for approximately three to four months. The other goods like raw metal, lumber, stone, and others are much less than what¡¯s recorded on paper, and there¡¯s no way to track down where they went to.¡±

    [Embezzlement is amon thing amongst the nobles. With Graudin¡¯s greed, I should be thankful that he hasn¡¯t turned Firburh into another Dark Forest. The Druids should be d that he doesn¡¯t know they existed.]

    ¡°We need to find a solution to the shortage to stone and lumber. The city isn¡¯t in a safe state, and the damage caused yesterday needs to be fixed and repaired.¡± He was rubbing his forehead so hard he was causing the skin to go red.

    [The game used 2 units of stone and lumber to repair a wall¡ª Then how do you convert that into reality? Amandina probably knows nothing about repairing a wall¡ª]

    ¡°Is there anyone amongst the prisoners who know about the city¡¯s conditions or rted to maintaining the city?¡± He said.

    ¡°Most of them are mercenaries hired by Graudin. A few of themanders refused to answer our questions and would rather pay ransom for their freedom.¡± She replied.

    ¡°Fine, we have enough resources to repair the southern gate at the very least, yes?¡±

    Fern eyed him for a few seconds. He had shown off by cleaving the gate into two, but he was literally shooting himself in the foot. She grumbled internally while she said tly: ¡°My lord, the short answer is, an unequivocal no.¡±

    ¡°What!¡±

 volume 3 - 7

    Chapter 7 ¨C Territory (1)

    Brendel¡¯s mind was working furiously.

    ¡°Four sawmills and two rock quarries near Firburh and there are not even enough materials to repair a gate? No, that¡¯s not the full extent, there are seven sawmills in Trentheim! Let¡¯s see, getting four to work overtime and we should be able to fix and strengthen the walls.....¡±

    [A sawmill provides 1 unit of lumber every week, and working overtime increases the unit production by 1 as well. At least, in theory, there should be enough..... Shit, but I can¡¯t guarantee that¡¯s going to be the same here.]

    ¡°My lord knows about the resources here?¡± Fern asked as she looked up from the book, her voice even.

    ¡°Of course I do,¡± Brendel pushed down his questions and replied: ¡°so tell me exactly why the resources cannot be procured.¡±

    ¡°Two reasons,¡± the Elven girl pursed her lips, ¡°the first reason: The workers in the sawmill are Graudin¡¯s private property, and they are not willing to work for us.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because they fear retribution. In their eyes, my lord is one who¡¯s destined to lose. After all, your enemy is Count Randner, and you, my lord, is a weak noble who has no support or power.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable,¡± Brendel nodded, ¡°then vacate them without causing any trouble. The natives won¡¯t follow us if they don¡¯t feel safe. They are as practical as theye, no one will believe promises without proof behind them. That¡¯s fine; we can stabilize our forces if we passed this first hurdle. Overturning this problem will be fast.¡±

    ¡°I see, then who shall work in the sawmills?¡±

    ¡°Do we not have the Senia¡¯s citizens?¡±

    ¡°I see. But we still can¡¯t use the sawmills.¡±

    ¡°Why?!¡±

    ¡°Because my lord needs to conquer them.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Brendel was almostughing out of his nose when he heard the robot-like answers from the Elven girl, ¡°Are the Sawmill not within our control?¡±

    [I¡¯m sure the nearest sawmill was just a few miles away, did the remnants of Graudin¡¯s army gather outside the city and took over the resources? But I don¡¯t recall these mercenaries to have such discipline.]

    ¡°That¡¯s the second reason. I have checked with the citizens. Three out of the four sawmills are upied by Subterrane Dwellers. The remaining sawmill was abandoned five years ago.¡±

    ¡°Subterrane Dwellers, the lowest demi-races living in the Jurgen Underworld? Aren¡¯t they fighting amongst their own tribes and the Demon Lords at the same time, when did they have the time toe up to the surface?¡±

    ¡°It seems there¡¯s a crack in the Dark Forest that leads the underworld to the surface,¡± Fern paused for a moment, ¡°our captain believes that it¡¯s a tribe which escaped from their wars and came to this ce.¡±

    ¡°And Graudin did nothing about it?¡± Brendel tapped the table with his fingers gloomily, ¡°But his fondness for treasure......¡±

    Fern¡¯s eyes were looking at him in an using way, almost as if to tell him that all nobles are iprehensible, and caused him to flinch unhappily.

    [...... It¡¯s not that Graudin did nothing, it¡¯s because he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. I led a squadron of mercenaries and killed off his private men with ease. Even though they easily bullied Firburh¡¯s citizens, the Subterrane Dwellers are a force to be reckoned with. They could easily rival the riders or pikemen of the empire Kirrlutz, known for its military strength. They are even a match for Aouine¡¯s core army in the capital. Graudin must have his hands full from defending their attacks, not to mention attacking them.]

    Brendel silently cursed their ipetence.

    [I¡¯m looking at the world with level 130 eyes. Even though all these wars right now are basically children fighting with each other, a low tier army like the Subterrane Dwellers is causing me trouble...... But I should be happy that the second chapter hasn¡¯t started yet. Otherwise single ¡®hero¡¯ anti-army units like Tamar and Incirsta are going to start appearing everywhere.]

    Brendel pondered on events of the second chapter, ¡®Separation and War¡¯. The battles in that chapter were many times more intense than how Incirsta fought against Be and the nearby cities.

    [If I rate the strongest units right now in the various kingdoms, they would be Tier 5. The Dwellers are Tier 1. The mercenaries under me, well, Tier 0? Since Aouine isn¡¯t like the military empire Kirrlutz, even a Tier 0 unit is considered to be the mainponent of a battalion.]

    Brendel started pacing throughout the room. Fern watched him for a few minutes with an expressionless face, but she finally called out to him with a hint of curiosity.

    ¡°My lord?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°To where?¡±

    ¡°I want to find someone.¡±

    ¡°Who exactly?¡± Fern asked, her thoughts a little slow, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Although I feel like I¡¯m being rushed for time.¡± Brendel shook his head while he walked over to the table and retrieved the Sage te, cing it back to his bag around his belt.

    He then moved to an ornate sword hanging from the wall and removed it entirely. It was one of Graudin¡¯s prized object. The bloodthirsty baron was not a brave swordsman, but his desire to boast was obvious.

    When the youth drew the de, he discovered it was an Iron-ranked longsword enhanced with simple magic. He sighed. There was not much of a difference with a normal longsword because it simrly could not withstand his full strength.

    [I miss the Thorn of Light. Ever since I lost that weapon, I can¡¯t find anything that suits me. There¡¯s no time to get any of the swords I want too.]

    The two of them left the room and walked silently in the empty north hallway. Brendel noticed Fern¡¯s creased brows after a while and asked:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that Kabias¡¯s relics are still with me, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Right, I forgot all about it. I remembered you wanted to ask me something the previous time?¡±

    Fern rummaged in her bag around her waist and took something out. Her outstretched palm revealed a four-sided triangr golden brooch, the shape almost like apass needle. Brendel took the weighty artifact and stared at it.

    ¡°So it¡¯s this, Kabias really is lucky¡ª I mean, I¡¯m really lucky.¡± He blurted.

    Fern was looking curiously at him and waited for an exnation.

    ¡°The Gemstone of Law. It¡¯s a wonderful artifact that expands the territory.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Brendel withdrew his gaze and looked out to the garden, his head shaking lightly. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure how to exin it to you. It¡¯s a rare artifact, and I don¡¯t know how that bastard Kabias got it. This level of cheese¡ª he probably stole from the southern nobles near the borders. Damn, these people must be rich.¡±

    [Maybe I should just rob the nobles?]

    The Gemstones of Law provided a unique bonus in the game. If it were used in a forest, then it would be ¡®Quick Growth¡¯ (+1 to lumber production), or if was used in a workshop it would be ¡®Professional¡¯ (increase in output). He did not know how to exin it to her.

    Fern frowned when she heard him speak iprehensible things again. She took another ring. ¡°My lord, this is also something that Kabias left behind.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s footsteps stopped, causing her to overtake him. He stared at the ring; it was a sword and shield on the ring¡¯s settings.

    ¡°The Warrior Ring,¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes were gleaming as he called out the artifact¡¯s name with great effort, ¡°this is also what Kabias had?¡±

    Fern nodded and asked curiously: ¡°Is it something important?¡±

    The name sounded like it was something that could be found anywhere in the streets.

    ¡°Beyond imagination.¡± Brendel took in a deep breath. If one were not familiar with the abilities it gave out, they would be misled by the name. It was truly a priceless artifact in the game.

    [A Fantasy grade artifact..... Open Stats¡ª Indeed, it¡¯s just like the game.]

    The description was just as simple as the name sounded.

    ¨C The Warrior Ring (Fantasy grade artifact)

    ¨C Description: All Warrior Skills +1

 volume 3 - 8

    He suddenly looked up at her when he realized it was all thanks to her luck.

    ¡°What is it, my lord?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± he said as he brought up the Stats Window and looked at his abilities.

    ¨C Power Break

    ¨C Level 11(10+1), Master Rank, 3 Stamina, + 15 OZ Strength, +10% OZ Strength

    ¨C White Raven Sword Arte

    ¨C Level 6 (5+1), Elite Rank

    ¨C Frontal Assault (5+1)

    ¨C Level 6 (5+1), Elite Rank

    Brendel walked out to the center of the garden, drew out his sword and shed at the sky. But instead of the usual crescent-like wave, a gigantic web of air currents violently formed into a spiral that seemed to drag the world to its center. Metallic petals seemed to appear from nowhere and refracted light as it followed the air currents, piercing through anything that crosses its path. When the burst of wind finally died down, the nearby trees were in shambles and bald.

    Leaves fluttered through the slight breeze that still remained, while the two stared at the scene with agape mouths.

    [Holy shit, this AOE is huge,] Brendel was cursing from the shock: ¡°I have never heard of such an insane Sword Arte. Did the Aouine court ever have something like this in their teachings?¡±

    ¡°My lord,¡± Fern¡¯s eyes glinted once as she adjusted the ount book in her arms: ¡°was that the Royal Court¡¯s Sword Arte?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a coincidence that I got it,¡± Brendel said.

    He sheathed his weapon and saw a red and white figure dashing over. Scarlett and Medissa were resting in their rooms, but the explosive sound from the wind pressure reached them. They were slightly taken aback at Brendel and Fern¡¯s figures, nced at each other once, and spoke at the same time: ¡°What happened my lord!¡±

    ¡°Nothing to be concerned about, I¡¯m just training a little.¡± He replied.

    Scarlett immediately frowned when she saw the trees that were stripped bare. She was fond of the certain tranquil silence found there and felt at peace whenever she walked past it. Her eyes went back to the young man with slight dissatisfaction.

    Brendelpletely missed her reproachful gaze and said: ¡°Right, Scarlett. Follow me for a walk.¡±

    ¡°Where to?¡± Her spear rxed slightly from the surprise.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to Firburh¡¯s inner area, before leaving the city.¡±

    ¡°Only us?¡±

    ¡°I probably want Cornelius and the others toe along.¡±

    ¡°What about me,¡± Medissa bowed slightly and put her hand over her chest as she asked: ¡°should I go along, my lord?¡±

    ¡°I need you to stay in the city,¡± Brendel shook his head, his eyes going to her ¡°the undead might have fled, but they did not move far away. I need to leave men behind in the city to prevent any sudden attacks. Even though Iamas won¡¯t fight a battle with such odds, but a battlefield can change anytime, and I need to put safeguards. Ciel and you should be enough to hold him off.¡±

    Medissa quietly nodded without any surprise shown, and merely head back. Scarlett walked and passed her by. She had thought of something, but after a moment of hesitation, she chose not to say anything. She lowered her spear and walked over to Brendel: ¡°Where exactly are we going, my lord?¡±

    ¡°The prison,¡± he said.

    The journey took approximately thirty minutes. When he set foot in the prison, it was just as he had imagined. It was a dark, dirty ce filled with a foul stench that caused him to frown and wrinkle his nose. Ratsrger than cats would sometimes run past the uneven ground tiles when they went past the cells.

    [A horrible history in this ce. The lore in the game stated that it was constructed about two hundred and forty years ago. The threats from the borders were greater in the past, and this prison was used to torture and jail the ¡®barbarians¡¯ from the Dark Forest.]

    However, Graudin used this ce to imprison the poor citizens who did not pay their taxes, thieves or lowly ranked nobles who offended him. Most of them were falsely used of a crime, and the remainder of them were directly thrown in without reason. Many had suffered in this ce without seeing daylight for years, and given the fact that the kingdom set theirws during a harsh era and hardly changed, the treatment that they received was terrible.

    Many died in the prison from illnesses.

    After the battle against Graudin, Brendel ordered Amandina to release the citizens who were jailed; most of them were impoverished farmers who could not afford to pay the taxes. Thus, the prison that was used filled to the brim appeared oddly quiet.

    Brendel, Scarlett, and Fern continued to follow the guards in front of them. Footsteps echoed throughout the narrow path, and they would sometimes knock against the chains that hung loosely from the ceiling. Brendel was considerably irritated when he realized that they were there to instill fear to the prisoners.

    An old man who was in one of the deepest, isted cells sat up in rm and steadied his breathing.

    [Someone¡¯sing again¡ª the footsteps sound constant and powerful, moving at an even pace. There was a lot ofmotion during yesterday¡¯s night. The guards seemed to be reced with a new batch, and military at that. The people currently approaching here seem even more formidable.]

    The old man¡¯s name was Bosley. He had spent half his life amongst soldiers and developed an innate sense to detect bloodlust like a wild animal. Keys jangled as they repeatedly tried to open an iron gate leading to his cell¡¯s section. Given that he was the only one in it, he was certain they were there to find him.

    His heart beat painfully.

    The first ray of light came from the corner and poured into this cell. He had not seen any form of light for a long time, and it painfully caused him to tear up, but he did not look away. He could not even recall how long it had been since he was thrown into this godforsaken ce, neither remember what the world outside nor the daylight look like.

    [There¡¯s no reason for Graudin to send his man here...... Given themotionst night, does it mean that bastard was reced? But every member of the Randner¡¯s family are as vile as theye.]

    Bosley sneered in his heart.

    A few seconds passed, before the warm voice of a young man wormed into his ears.

    ¡°Bosley Lipsius, Lord of the Golden City, Royal Faction. I do recall that you were supposed to be dead because of Everton¡¯s Rebellion?¡±

    The voice shook Bosley enough for him to stand up. His muscles turned rigid, and his face paled. He gradually got used to the light and realized the person who spoke to him was a young man.

    ¡°Who..... are you?¡± The old man¡¯s heart was beating rapidly.

    The Royal Faction lostpletely in that fateful battle. The highest ranking leader within the Royal Faction, Duke Everton of Highfield, was implicated and imprisoned. Bosley received a secret report of the situation and cast the lies that he died in the battle and he was not an important figure in the Royal Faction.

    He moved to the borders and changed his name, awaiting the day for the Royal Faction to rise again. However, he had offended Graudin over a small matter and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He thought he was going to die alone without anyone caring, but someone called out his true identity out from nowhere.

    Even Graudin did not know his name.

    On the other side, Scarlett and Fern looked at him in surprise. It seemed like the young lord somehow knew at least one person from every single ce they traveled. This time, it was someone who was supposedly dead and well before Brendel was born. Amandina had stated that he was probably a scion of an incredibly powerful family, although they did not put much belief into it.

    ¡°Who I am isn¡¯t important to you. I am not from the Royal Faction, Duke Arreck or Randner.¡± Brendel smiled faintly.

    ¡°Then you are from.....¡±

    ¡°Consider me as a separate faction, Grandmaster Bosley,¡± Brendel received a waterskin bag from one of the mercenaries prepared for the old man, and passed it to him, ¡°but you should know that my goal is the same as yours.¡±

    The old man was considerably grateful to Brendel for his actions. He received the waterskin bag and drank from it greedily. When he was done, he wiped his lips with his dirty sleeves before asking his next question: ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°To restore Aouine.¡±

    ¡°Restoring the kingdom? If that¡¯s the case, why not join the Royal faction and assist the Corvado royal family?¡± Bosley lowered the waterskin bag as he studied the youth with considerable suspicion: ¡°Or perhaps, you stand with the Seifers?¡±

    Brendel shook his head, ¡°No, I belong to no faction other than myself. I have my position to consider, and I handle things differently, but these things are not important. I am here to recruit you to my side.¡±

    ¡°What can a miserable old man help you with?¡± The old man chortled.

    ¡°Grandmaster Bosley, you¡¯re one of the finest cksmiths in Aouine proficient in crafting armor, are you not?¡±

    ¡°¡ª You want to raise your own private soldiers?¡± Bosley¡¯s eyes darkened.

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

 volume 3 - 9

    Chapter 9 ¨C Territory (3)

    ¡°But I belong to the Royal Faction,¡± the old man shook his head and raised the waterskin bag in his hands, ¡°does Lord Trentheim really believe that a small act of kindness will move me?¡±

    ¡°Why not listen to me for a while? Different actions during different situations have another meaning. Stubbornly refusing to change will lead to ruin, just like how Duke Everton did. Surely you have experienced it for yourself by staying in this prison.¡±

    ¡°Then go ahead and try to convince me, young man.¡± Bosley scoffed.

    ¡°Two weeks ago, under Queen Anna, the elder son was announced as heir to the throne. House Seifer, Marquis Kluge and the nobles under his faction support him. Even though you have been imprisoned for years, surely you are familiar with their names?¡±

    ¡°What! What are Lord Oberbeck and the others doing to allow that bastard Kluge to get a hold of one of the royal family¡¯s scion? What of His Majesty?¡±

    Brendel merely gazed back at him without answering.

    Bosley pulled back a little, his grey hair shaking a few times, while his wrinkles sank deeper and he looked as defeated as he could possibly be.

    ¡°How...... How...... If this is so...... Then our efforts arepletely wasted,¡± he mumbled to himself for a few seconds, but he was someone who experienced all sorts of hardships and he recovered himself. ¡°Lord Oberbeck isn¡¯t a fool to suffer Kluge clowning antics. If that rat seeded, surely it must be due to another reason?¡±

    Brendel nodded, although he disagreed with Bosley¡¯s assessment.

    [Kluge is a core member of the Unifying Guild, he¡¯s definitely not someone useless.]

    He began to inform Bosley of the recent events. Because of his insight to Madara¡¯s actions, Bosley quickly realized the meaning to the war was something different in its nature. (TL: It is hinted that Kluge persuaded the king to allow Madara¡¯s invasion to happen to clean up the nobles straying away from the crown, although no one is certain whether the king actually allowed it to happen on purpose or he¡¯s actually dead or influenced? Lots of question marks.)

    ¡°Madara¡¯s invasion, you say......¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Bosley¡¯s face was drained of all colors.

    ¡°Then, it means the Mercury Staff has reappeared? Loptr¡¯s Mercury staff?¡± There was a sudden glint in the old man¡¯s cloudy eyes.

    Brendel¡¯s mouth parted slightly. He did not expect Bosley to know of the staff. The legends of the Mercury Staff was hardly known, and the gamers actually had to do story quests not only in Aouine and other kingdoms to piece the story together.

    ¡°You know of the Mercury staff?¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Bosley scratched his head, sending specks of dust flying about. He walked a few unsteady steps closer to Brendel: ¡°Not only do I know, I know the origin of it.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes opened wider with interest. He had not seen or heard anything rted to the staff¡¯s origin. The legends only depicted Loptr having that staff before it appeared in Madara after countless years of silence. As to what history or whether a child of the Gods possessed it before Loptr, he had no clue at all.

    [Interesting, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m gaining lore from such a rural area. I wonder how much this cksmith knows.]

    ¡°The Mercury Staff is not the only divine artifact that appears in the prophecy.¡± Bosley¡¯s words nailed Brendel to the ground.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°I had thought it as a mere myth,¡± Bosley¡¯s tone was t, ¡°but the story that you have told me might mean that the myth is turning into truth, then the next divine artifact that appears......¡±

    He paused as he stared at the young man in front of him, his cloudy eyes suddenly clearing up: ¡°The Firestorm Staff.¡±

    ¡°The Firestorm Staff? What¡¯s that?¡± Brendel¡¯s questions continued to grow.

    He was confident in the game knowledge he possessed, but nothing from Bosley¡¯s words reminded him of anything. He hadpletely no idea what he was talking about, and if a Divine Weapon like that appeared in the game, it was going to be huge. Madara had sealed off the information tightly, but it only took one year for the gamers to discover it.

    ¡°Lord Trentheim has heard of the Four Sages¡¯ legend?¡± Bosley said.

    ¡°Naturally,¡± Brendel nodded, ¡°King of Fire, Gatel, Wind Empress Osorno, The High Priest Enzian, Saint Eireann.¡±

    Bosley¡¯s gaze suddenly seemed to travel back a thousand years, and he spoke as if he was trying to recall an old memory: ¡°That year, the Four Sages, in order to emerge victorious against the Dragon of Darkness, received the permission of the Ancestral Kings¡ª¡±

    He suddenly looked back at Brendel: ¡°This is Kirrlutz¡¯s poem of world creation, under the Poem of Grey, has my lord heard of it?¡±

    ¡°The Four ¡®Hidden¡¯ defeated the ¡®Emperor¡¯ in the darkness¡ª¡± Brendel said before his eyes bulged.

    Everyone and everything disappeared as if they were swallowed by darkness. When he turned around, he saw a bright moon and a dark tower that extended towards the sky. He felt as though he was standing in an emptynd that was endless, making him feel as though he was nothing more than a speck of dust. He shook his head hard, and he was back to reality.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Scarlett whispered to him when she saw a sheen of perspiration on Brendel¡¯s forehead.

    Brendel put up his hand to indicate everything was fine. His mind went through possibilities but there was no answer, so he moved on: ¡°Yes, I heard of it, and so?¡±

    The old man studied him for a while before speaking again: ¡°The Four Sages took four Divine Weapons from the Ancestral Valley, the Firestorm Staff, Dyrnwyn¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Brendel interrupted with a near yell: ¡°Dyrnwyn, isn¡¯t that King Gatel¡¯s sword?¡±

    He suddenly realized something and took a look at his Ring of the Wind Empress: ¡°The Wind Empress¡¯s Hydra Ring, the Holy Staff Oarvolr, and the Divine Spear Gungnir, these are all .....¡±

    Bosley nodded.

    ¡°...... How do you know all this?¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Does Lord Trentheim think I can trust you with that information?¡± Bosley answered in a low voice.

    Brendel looked a little surprised at his response, and he rubbed his forehead as he nodded: ¡°I understand. But my earlier suggestion to join my cause, Grandmaster Bosley?¡±

    ¡°Before that, I have a question. If you know what the Mercury Staff means, you understand that Aouine is standing on the edge of a cliff. Why are you so confident that you can revive Aouine?¡±

    ¡°I have no confidence,¡± Brendel said without any hesitation, ¡°but is that important? As you well know, the next thing thates after Madara¡¯s war will be the civil wars in Aouine. The fact that Duke Arreck had put his support so quickly into supporting the king¡¯s eldest son means that the princess is in grave danger. I have decided to lend my hand to her in times of need if it¡¯s necessary. You can even consider me to be in support of the Royal Faction.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why not join us? Will it not be easier for you and us to gain strength?¡±

    ¡°Like I said before, I have my position to think of and my means of doing things.¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why you keep refusing...... Can you tell me your motive for supporting her?¡±

    ¡°My motive.....?¡± Brendelughed harshly for a long time, before he spoke through clenched teeth, ¡°My motive is this, why have Ie to this ce if I¡¯m not doing anything?¡±

    Bosley did not understand Brendel¡¯s words. Perhaps he would never understand the meaning of thetter¡¯s words for his entire life. In the end, he just observed him and spoke slowly: ¡°Then, what can this old man who has half his foot in the grave do for Lord Trentheim? If I can help you to assist the Corvado¡¯s royal family, I¡¯ll do anything. But surely you¡¯re notcking in armorsmiths if you wish to raise a private army. As far as I know, Firbugh alone has five different workshops to make standard armor. There should not be any problems for you.¡±

    Brendel felt a headacheing on when the stubborn old man tried to deflect him again. He did not understand why the corrupted kingdom had so many loyal retainers. He even had to state that he was on the princess¡¯s side to get his attention and interest.

    ¡°Grandmaster Bosley, standard armor is difficult to get, but I believe only a royal cksmith like yourself knows how the recipe to create the White Lion¡¯s te Armor?¡±

    ¡°The White Lion¡¯s te Armor!¡± Bosley looked at Brendel with incredulous eyes: ¡°You wish to create a regiment of the royal army?¡±

    Brendel nodded, but suddenly frowned a little.

    The Sage te in his bag was vibrating again.

 volume 3 - 10

    Chapter 10 ¨C Territory (4)

    Tirste looked up. The forest was filled with myriad shades of green. His thirty-seven knights under him were strewn all around him, lying quietly for all eternity amongst the decaying leaves. They were killed quite some time ago.

    The sword injuries on the young Viscount were throbbing with pain, and every time he took a breath, he felt needles poking into his lungs, causing him to feel dizzy.

    He turned his head to look at the ghastly knight staring back at him in the shadows. He realized that he had most likely fallen into a trap.

    [The information came from the Unifying Guild¡¯s internal department, and there¡¯s the proof of the Oubourous sigil¡ª Unless Megeska is a damned traitor.] (TL: Megeska is from the Unifying guild and also themander of the Silver-Winged Cavalry)

    Tirste expelled the air in his lungs with a bloody cough, and he subconsciously searched for the sword that was knocked away from him. But even if he was in peak condition, there was no way he could fight against the opponent before him.

    That knight covered in emerald-green armor injured him with the very first strike. His strength was beyondmon sense, and what surprised him the most was how it did not even use its Element power.

    It defeated him with pure skill.

    Tirst was unable to find his sword and he turned to the altar made out of white rocks in front of him. It was constructed on a ground that was void of foliage. The longsword was ced horizontally on the altar¡¯s t surface. Its de was simple and ordinary, but the hilt¡¯s grip handle was intricately made with golden-red sigils. A golden lion¡¯s head jutted out from the center from the cross-guard with its mane extended from bone sides.

    Three unknown heroic spirits, their runic names written on the blue gem just above the lion¡¯s head, blessed the sword, bestowing the king¡¯s merciful, braveness, and impartial nature onto it.

    It was just a few steps away from the sword, but the Knight of the Lake stood in his way, making it seem as though there was an endless chasm between him.

    Any normal man would run away, but Tirste gave a sneeringugh.

    He was gravely injured and knew that he was about to die, so he hardened his heart and crawled to the sword. Blood flowed freely from his thighs and abdomen, revealing the deadly wounds that stopped him from even standing up. Yet he crawled forward with his left hand, while his right hand attempted to staunch the bleeding wound from his heart.

    [Even if I die, I¡¯ll be closer to my goals than anyone else!]

    As Duke Grinoires¡¯s illegitimate son, he quickly understood the cold-blooded nature of the world. If there was nothing to rely on, then he would rely on himself. Being weak meant losing everything. He had worked hard to gain the position he had currently. Certainly, he could be seen as having great ambition, and he would defy the world even if it meant giving up his life.

    The earlier battle he and his knights had against the Knight of the Lake kept ying in his mind as he crawled towards the sword. He was unable to find that moment where the Knight of the Lake stabbed his heart.

    But halfway through his destination to the Lionheart, the Knight of the Lake turned away; its sword was returned back to its sheath, and it walked away without saying anything. It adhered to the oaths of the knights of the old era, and would not attack anyone who had lost their ability to move.

    [What¡¯s going on?]

    Tirst looked at it in confusion, not understanding why it stopped attacking. But he did not let this opportunity slide and put in even more effort to reach the sword. The distance was gradually shortened, and he finallyid his hand on the hilt.

    The moment he grabbed the sword, a sudden warmth entered his entire body. He felt energy coursing through him, as though every pore within him was able to sense the world around him. His injuries itched for a moment before they repaired themselves.

    He lowered his head to look at the wound on his heart, and discovered it was already gone.

    [What!?]

    Tirste stared at the Lionheart, but to his surprise, the light on it that had enveloped him was rapidly fading away.

    It was turning into stone.

    He was startled and nearly threw the sword away, afraid that it was somehow going to turn him into stone as well. However, when he took another closer glimpse, he could not see any signs of magic on it. He carefully felt the de with his finger tips; it had already turned into rock.

    He looked at it in confusion. Based on the strange event earlier, it ought to be the Lionheart sword as it invoked a holy power, but it was now a rock in the shape of an odd-looking sword. There was a strange feeling in his heart; it was as though the sword was rejecting him. The sword was clearly in his hands, but it did not feel like it was here.

    He finally nced at his surroundings again. He and his knights had searched this ce carefully, and there did not seem to be anything else in the vicinity. The item in his hands was probably not a fake, but there was no answer to why it had changed. He looked back at the shadows carefully. The Knight of the Lake should be there somewhere, staring at him.

    But it still did not appear even after he took a few steps away from the altar.

    He sighed with relief and decided to bring the rock back with him.

    ¡°This trip is truly a nightmare.....¡± He shook his head hard and ignored the corpses around him, picking up another longsword as he started walking out of the forest.

    ============== Brendel¡¯s POV ================

    The Sage te in Brendel¡¯s hand finally stopped. It was the first time it had resonated this long. Everyone was staring at the artifact until it stopped vibrating before they cast their eyes back at Brendel.

    The prison fell into an uneasy silence, with the asional dripping sound of water from somewhere far away.

    ¡°A sealed Sage te, Lord Trentheim?¡± Bosley said.

    Even though he was a prisoner, or perhaps Brendel¡¯s temperorary retainer, his attitude did not diminish in the slightest. He was almost expressing himself that he was likely to go back to the Royal Faction anytime, but Brendel did not seem to react to his actions.

    It surprised him and made him feel uneasy, almost believing that he would be better off being imprisoned. But the warm fire and promise of fresh air stopped him from thinking.

    Brendel nced at him and appeared as though he had understood his thoughts. He had took on the role of Guild Commander in the game, but he had never gotten his own territory and acted as a lord. Even if he was in the position now, he did not feel like he was one.

    Moreover, his attitude seemed to be acknowledged by the people who followed him. Amandina had to agree that his usual easygoing attitude solidified his men as a group better, although the most convincing aspect was how he seemed to have endless confidence in himself. She believed it to be charisma from a unique person.

    ¡°You know what this is?¡± He asked with a curious nce at Bosley.

    ¡°Sage tes¡ª They are described in the Poem of Grey from the Miirna and the witches to be fragments of the Stars. They are able to establish rtionship to Fate itself, and in truth many mortals know much about the Sage tes. Seers use them to find prophecies by having the Sage te establishing a resonance with something else. With the hints from the reaction, they are able to foresee the rted events in the Sage te. The Saint Statue is able to see the future in the same way. As long as you ce them on the Saint Statue, you would be able to receive the answer your heart wants¡ª¡±

    [Indeed, the gamers have validated these rumors themselves. This setting is in the game. But knowing that it¡¯s sealed? Not everyone understands one of the oldest runic words. Perhaps as a cksmith for the royal family, hearing rumors about it is natural. Understanding them is abnormal...... Though I doubt he¡¯s bluffing here.]

    ¡°Indeed, this Sage te is sealed. Since you understand these things well, can you tell me what the words on this Sage te mean?¡± Brendel asked.

    His question was actually forcing the impossible to happen. Even he did not understand what the chicken scribbles meant; though he guessed it had to do something with the Lionheart.

    ¡°Let me see.....¡± Bosley received the artifact almost smugly, but his face gradually turned solemn. Very soon, both of his hands were trembling. ¡°The symbols of the kings, the saints.....¡±

    He rubbed his eyes and looked at it again, before he took a step back with disbelief and looked up at Brendel, almost like he was testing the waters: ¡°The Lionheart?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s face was even in a state of shock when he heard the name.

    Scarlett let out a small yelp. Even though she did not understand what all the fuss was about, as an Aouine¡¯s citizen, she had heard the most famous story about the King Erik the kind, and the Lionheart sword he possessed. She wanted to ask Brendel for confirmation, but he already answered in a hoarse voice:

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

 volume 3 - 11

    Chapter 11 ¨C Territory (5)

    Fern looked suspiciously at the old man, while everyone else was momentarily at a loss for words.

    ¡°It¡¯s truly the Lionheart......¡± Bosley suddenly mumbled and took one step back subconsciously as he looked at Brendel. ¡°...... But how is that possible!? I know King Erik had once said that if his descendants forgot the oaths that the kingdom was founded upon, then the Lionheart would be lost as well, but the Royal Faction have gathered to restore the kingdom and find the glory that was lost for decades, so why is the sword tied to your destiny......¡±

    Brendel took back the Sage te and gave a slightly surprised sidelong nce. He could hardly imagine the beggar-like appearance of the old man had anything to do with his job as the Royal Family¡¯s head cksmith. But despite his entric mumblings, thetter was able to read the runic words.

    ¡°Grandmaster Bosley, is there some secret to the Lionheart?¡± He said carefully.

    Bosley¡¯s hands stopped scratching his head and looked back at the young lord. He knew he was unable to deceive him, but he was still a little conflicted: ¡°Lord Trentheim, my family¡¯s bloodline has sworn to keep this a secret¡ª¡±

    Brendel waved his hand irritably.

    ¡°Is it? Or perhaps it¡¯s because your House Tutius has worked for the royal kings ever since King¡¯s Erik rule, and you¡¯re unwilling to think otherwise? King Erik has also said that the Lionheart would return to Aouine, if the oaths are upheld and glory returned to the kingdom. Regardless of who possessed the sword or when it returns, the kingdom¡¯s fate will be tied greatly with it because of King Erik¡¯s oaths. That is why the person who inherits King Erik¡¯s will is qualified to hold the sword¡ª¡±

    He stopped and stared at the old man before him. The meaning in his eyes was clear.

    [Yes, you¡¯re with the Royal Faction, but your efforts are not supposed just to allow the authority of the royal family to stand above the nobles. If you want the glory of the kingdom to return, you must walk the road that King Erik took in the past. Only then will the mes of the Ancestral King ignite the kingdom and bring new life to it¡ª]

    He was walking on the same path as the Princess Regent did in the game. She tried to bring Aouine back to its former glory and failed, and this time he was going to do so with his own hands.

    He had already walked through the road of darkness in the game; the burning royal pce and cities, the kingdom overturned with its citizens ughtered and the living suffering under an age of darkness.

    Now he was walking through the other road; an unknown, difficult path also dyed with blood and lives, but there was a sliver of hope that lit the path.

    Bosley hesitated for a long time as he lowered his head in thought. In the end, he chose to ept the road Brendel offered.

    ¡°You¡¯re right...... Regardless of who possesses the sword, this ancient legend will not be wrong. Is this why you refused to join the Royal Faction? Perhaps we have fallen too far, and the road to Aouine¡¯s glory once again require bloodshed and mes, just like how King Erik led his citizens out of Kirrlutz.¡± He nodded.

    ¡°Very well, Lord Trentheim. The White Lion¡¯s te Armor is indeed invented by us. Our House¡¯s lineage is unknown to many, but we can be traced back all the way to King Erik¡¯s rule. My ancestor was a cksmith in the army, and also an attendant of King Erik,¡± His voice turned slightly proud, ¡°and generation after generation, my House had also worked for the royal family. After King Erik¡¯s rule, his descendants eventually splintered, most notably to the Seifers and Corvados. Eventually, my House turned to Corvado¡¯s lineage and supported them till this day.¡±

    Brendel nodded. He knew about Aouine¡¯s history, and at the very least, Bosley was not lying.

    ¡°But there¡¯s one secret that our House had kept guarded at all costs. King Erik led suffering citizens from the Great Eagle Empire, Kirrlutz, and formed into Aouine that we know today. My ancestor was one of the five retainers under him.¡± Bosley¡¯s voice suddenly turned deeper: ¡°They brought out the Lionheart from Kirrlutz. Many rumors stated that the sword is one of Kirrlutz¡¯s four Holy treasures, but most of them, even the Kirrlutz¡¯s citizens, probably don¡¯t know that the four treasures were actually derived from one body.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes widened as he realized something.

    ¡°That is?¡± He pressed on.

    ¡°When the four treasures arebined as one, they would make up the Firestorm Staff. The moremonly known name would be Dyrnwyn, King Gatel¡¯s Sword of mes. A Divine Weapon.¡±

    Brendel felt his knees go weak and stuttered: ¡°G-grandmaster Bosley, a Sage te and the Lionheart¡¯s resonance, is it likely to cause a Divine Resonance?¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡± Bosley shook his head, ¡°Even though the Lionheart is indeed a magic sword, it¡¯s not a Divine Weapon. The difference between the two cannot bepared.¡±

    ¡°T-then, how about another possibility? The Lionheart has umted power from King Erik¡¯s oaths and turned into a Divine Sword after centuries?¡±

    ¡°My lord, what are you talking about? I know that you¡¯re young and hold a lot of fantasies in your mind, but you should refrain from overworking your imagination. If you see a Divine Weapon first-hand, you will realize that how silly your thoughts are; these weapons can only be made by the Gods.¡± Bosley nodded with confidence before he suddenly realized he might have insulted the youth.

    This made him remember the events on how he offended Graudin, and he quickly lowered his head to show his obeisance, with his heart was full of regret. But Brendel did not care about that, as he felt like his vision was cking out.

    [Holy f¡ª...... I was wondering why I had a Divine Resonance with the Lionheart, and what I did to get such a good karmic event..... But to think my Divine Resonance was with Dyrnwyn!? A sword used against the boss of bosses, the Dragon of Darkness! Damn, no one in the game managed to get the Lionheart, and that¡¯s why there¡¯s no news on this Divine Weapon. Where and what exactly did I do to tie the weapon to me? Just because I said some oath from King Erik? Surely there are countless gamers who did that in the game!]

    Brendel rubbed his forehead violently before he shook his head.

    ¡°Well, the topic ends here, Grandmaster Bosley. I don¡¯t want any rumors leaking out,¡± he turned to the guards behind him before going back to Bosley, ¡°and I think you wouldn¡¯t want anyone else to know that the Lionheart has chosen me, right?¡±

    Bosley looked at him in confusion. The Lionheart was a symbol of Aouine¡¯s legitimacy. Because of King Erik¡¯s oaths, Brendel could proim himself as the legitimate king. When the Corvado royal family took over the kingdom, they had also dered themselves as legitimate rulers by stating they had the sword, but no one knew that it was already missing. If the truth leaked out, it would definitely affect the standings of the royal family. The fact that the youth wanted to quash this point made it iprehensible to him.

    [Perhaps he truly wants to support the princess?]

    Even though he still did not fully believe in him, he nodded in the end as he did not want the reputation of the Royal Family to be hurt. Regardless of whether the weapon ended in Brendel¡¯s hands or how legitimate he was in proiming king, he would never swear loyalty to him. He had dedicated his life to the Corvado¡¯s family and spent years in the Royal Faction battling against the opposition. Even if he failed in the political battle, he was without regrets. The only hope he had was Brendel not reneging on his words and helped out the princess.

    If the crown prince had the support of the Seifers, then the princess would be the only legitimate representation of the Corvados. (TL: The crown prince¡¯s mother is from the Seifer¡¯s family.)

    ¡°My lord, I¡¯m willing to create the White Lion¡¯s Armor te for you, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough. Even though it¡¯s the core aspect to create the royal army¡¯s infantry, the training for the infantry......¡±

    Brendel¡¯s face was turned slightly away from the torches, so part of his face was hidden under the darkness. He was smiling.

    ¡°The White Lion¡¯s swordsmen, made famous by battling against Kirrlutz in Valha a few centuries back. They were famous for having amazing speed and defense. And the secret to the armor...... It¡¯s because it borrowed the designs from the Half-te of the Wind Empress. Although thebat tactics for them areplicated, that doesn¡¯t mean they cannot be reced¡ª¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Y-you know how to employ the White Lion¡¯sbat tactics?¡± Bosley was looking at him with his mouth half-opened from Brendel¡¯s insinuations.

    ¡°What¡¯s the fuss about knowing the tactics that are unpopr? Also, when King Erik fled from Kirrlutz, there was the support of the Elven Kingdom Osor. Did you truly believe that he was capable of fighting Kirrlutz to a draw? If King Erik wanted to splinter off the Holy Cathedral of mes as well, it might even turn out to be an even bigger war, and bring the First Holy Crusade forward by a few centuries.¡± Brendelughed: ¡°The Elven Queen wasn¡¯t too generous though, regardless on both of the White Lion¡¯s te Armor or Combat Tactics, they are too weak inparison to the original. If the original is a Tier 3, then the modified version would be Tier 1...... two grades lower.¡±

    Bosley had heard about these things when he learned the trade from his family as well, but listening to the youth brought about a new sensation: ¡°My lord...... Y-you mean?¡±

    ¡°The original version of the White Lion¡¯s infantry came from the White-winged knights from the Wind Elves. It¡¯s an inferior version.¡± Brendel giggled: ¡°Even though the White Lion¡¯s Combat Tactics are one the biggest secret¡¯s in Aouine¡¯s royal pce, it¡¯s not even worth mentioning to me. I¡¯ll give you a surprise if you¡¯re able to make a batch of the White Lion¡¯s Armor te, Grandmaster Bosley.¡± Brendel patted Bosley¡¯s shoulders.

    Even though he said that the White Lion¡¯s te armor was inferior, it was nearly impossible for him to find anyone else who could make them in the southern region. It was Aouine¡¯s kingdom secret after all.

    ¡°Surprise?¡± Bosley did not understand how Brendel was trying to make motivate him, and only replied with suspicion.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± he answered with a frown, ¡°then, my lord, you know that the White Lion¡¯s te armor is a type of Magic Armor?¡±

    ¡°You are referring to the special materials required to make one?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you need?¡±

    ¡°As far as I know, Trentheimcks a crystal mine that¡¯s pure in mana content?¡±

 volume 3 - 12

    Chapter 12 ¨C Territory (6)

    Brendel and his men left the jail after Bosley briefly told him about the materials he needed. The old man was led away to wash himself before having a proper meal.

    ¡°At the final step to create the White Lion¡¯s te armor, the Sigil of Wind is enchanted on the joints and torso, raising agility and reducing the weight of the armor. We will either use the purple Moon Quartz, or orange Mana Calcite. These two crystals contain very pure Mana and are used by witches and seers. Grinoires, Arreck, Viero, and Randner¡¯s are the current suppliers for them. They are found in caverns eroded by water in hilly areas, but Trentheim doesn¡¯t have any locations that fit these conditions.¡±

    Brendel recalled Bosley¡¯s words as he rode through Firburh¡¯s streets. This was the first time he was thinking about the poption of the cities. Fern was also riding beside him and informed him about the information on Trentheim

    ¡°Graudin directly held these four areas¡ª The city Firburh, mining town Schafflund, Port Gris and Gareth¡¯s Crossing. These are where most of the poption is centered in, approximately eighty-thousand in total. Firburh and the nearby vicinity have about thirty-thousand. If we include the viges, we would have a hundred thousand.

    Trentheim¡¯s entire poption is approximately three hundred thousand, and the peerage holding the othernds is about a hundred and seventy.

    There are two retainers who are loyal to Graudin, Lord Macsen and Lord Ps. Thetter, nicknamed the Tolerant Knight, is someone who¡¯s knighted because of his skill in the sword, and is a Silver-ranked swordsman. He¡¯s also the only person who has Trentheim¡¯s best army,parable to the capital¡¯s.¡± Fern said.

    ¡°Ps is given that name because he¡¯s beingpared to a tyrant like Graudin. He¡¯s actually a strict and conservative knight, and the reason why he¡¯s trusted by Graudin is his loyalty towards the bastard,¡± Brendel said, thinking about his first goal was to make the retainers under Graudin fear him, ¡°That would mean we¡¯re going to face these two armies next. If we¡¯re able to defeat them convincingly, we will be to make Count Randner who¡¯s hiding behind the scene even more cautious.¡±

    Brendel suddenly stopped his horse. They were at a clear area that was high enough to oversee the distant northern wilderness that led to high cliffs. The farms near the city were enjoying the rays of the sun, and he could see the golden sheening from the ripe wheat. It was nearly time for harvest, and the temperature was dropping quickly.

    The nobles in the north were preparing for war and hoped to attack before winter set in. If they were dyed, the war would drag to next spring, and neither the queen nor Kluge want that result. This was because the Dragonlion Fleet in the Aniras region presented itself as a significant threat by essing the sea, and could easily overturn the situation.

    Seifer¡¯s ck Mercenaries had entered Ampere Seale to convince the various conglomerates to let them pass. The queen¡¯s best speaker was there, and if he seeded, then tens of thousands of Seifer¡¯s heavy infantry would sail through the seas and reach Vaadra¡¯s borders directly.

    Trentheim¡¯s situation was also just as tense because of Brendel¡¯s appearance. The scent of battles seemed to spread through the air, bringing along a sliver of bloodlust.

    ¡°Have your scouts set out to Fort Minst?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Yes. They will send word if Lord Macsen sets off with his army.¡± Fern replied.

    [Today¡¯s the 17th. Lord Macsen should be receiving Graudin¡¯s remnant mercenaries¡¯ words by now. Fort Minst is only a day¡¯s journey from Firburh. I¡¯m sure he has sent out his first batch of knights to gather his soldiers, possibly going to get around two or three thousand men. Considering only twenty percent is Iron-ranked and higher...... No, the odds are still against the approximate thousand mercenaries that I have. If possible, I want the battle to take ce in the northern hills...... The control I have on Firburh¡¯s information is something I should think about as well.]

    But Brendel¡¯s real headache came from the possible steps that Count Randner was possibly going to take. Lord Macsen was nothing more than a distraction. Within a month, he had to repair his walls, tidy up the finances and build the trust he had with the mercenaries. They were currently in the same boat he was in, but if he was to think about the long-term future, it was impossible for them to stand closely together with him unless he was worthy of their protection.

    [None of the three mercenaries¡¯ leader is going to be interested in having a beautiful dream. The uing battle that I n must convince them. Amandina has also said that it¡¯s necessary to convince people of my legitimacy as Firburh¡¯s lord, and overwhelming victories ahead will make Count Randner slow down his ns. With that, I have the chance to win the citizens over. They want not only a merciful lord, but they also want one who can protect them.]

    Brendel turned towards the citizens¡¯ houses. Trentheim was near the Diesluna ind sea, so there was ample rain brought from the wind. Most of the citizens had great sloping roofs and pipes that led the rainwater down to the sewers. The red tiles contrasted with the painted green windows. But the citizens who spotted him cast suspicious and guarded looks at him, observing the new illegitimate lord carefully.

    Even though Brendel had ordered Amandina to redo the tax ns, abolished most of them and even canceled all debts, many doubted how much weight it was going to carry. It was still a question whether he was able to hold on to his position.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the city gates,¡± Brendel said.

    When they reached their destination, they found Amandina and the three mercenaries¡¯ leaders waiting for them.

    Cornelius bowed deeply upon seeing him. He had seen what the young lord was capable of when he fought next to him. He was worried about Brendel¡¯s resistance against Count Randner, or even use him as sacrifices, but the more worried he was, the more respectful he appeared to be.

    Jana lightly pursed her lips. Brendel¡¯s current image made her feel a little surprised. The warm, friendly, and even a little shy smile he had was theplete opposite of his snarl that was full of bloodlust he showed yesterday.

    Raban was the only one who looked on indifferently with a raised chest.

    ¡°Know the reason why I looked for you?¡± Brendel asked.

    The three of them shook their heads.

    ¡°My lord,¡± Cornelius said, ¡°go ahead and give us your orders. We will be sure to fulfill them.¡±

    TL: This is the end of the chapter.

 volume 3 - 13

    Chapter 13 ¨C Territory (7)

    When Cornelius lowered his head, Jana shook her head once, leaving her fiery red hair to flutter in the wind and looked at him from the corners out of her eyes with dissatisfaction.

    [You¡¯re free to bend your knees, but don¡¯t bring us into it.]

    But even if they were unpleasant to listen to and she wanted to find fault with his words, she had to admit they were Brendel¡¯s subordinates and they ought to do what he wanted.

    They understood today¡¯s conclusion from the actions they made yesterday. The young man in front of them was right, they had already offended the previous lord and the powers behind him, and they would not dare to offend another. The only people they could me were themselves for acting rashly after Graudin¡¯s insults and gave Brendel a chance to spur them into action.

    She clicked her tongue lightly in annoyance before her eyes went back to Brendel. She was puzzled when she heard his new tax policies for the city. Vaunte¡¯s nobles did not need to have the people¡¯s hearts because the power they wielded was irond. If Brendel were strong enough to resist Count Randner, the citizens would not dare to resist such a powerful lord, and if he did not, it was pointless for him to administer the policies. Therefore, there was no meaning to his actions.

    [Doesn¡¯t he understand that he needs more money to set up a proper foothold in this city?]

    If he was able to gather more funds, he could at least recruit more private soldiers to his army.

    Brendel rubbed his forehead in thought as he looked at Cornelius and the other twomanders: ¡°We¡¯re surveying thends. Bring along around a hundred of your men each.¡±

    Fern blinked her eyes puzzledly. She knew that he was about to fight Graudin¡¯s remnants and he needed to win at all costs, but it sounded like he was about to bring the mercenaries to subjugate the sawmills. The Subterrane dwellers lived in the harsh Underworld, and their average warrior was at least an Iron-ranked fighter. Even if he was confident in winning, how was he going to avoid the loss of his men?

    Was it so important to regain the sawmills?

    ¡°Survey thends?¡± Cornelius was confused at the answer.

    ¡°There are four sawmills and two quarries near Firburh. Today, our mission is to bring them under our rule.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°My lord,¡± Jana immediately spoke up, ¡°we know of the sawmills, but the Subterrane Dwellers are upying them. Are you telling us we are supposed to seize them back?¡±

    Brendel merely looked at them without answering.

    Cornelius and Jana¡¯s expressions turned ugly. They had been here for quite some time and knew of the creatures in the woods. They were especially fond of night battles; their strength was high and their bodies robust. If they fought, they truly did not know how many of their men were going to be killed. Just the night battle yesterday alone, had caused them to pay a considerable price, and this battle seemed like it would be no less difficult.

    Also, at this moment, it did not seem like it was a necessary battle when there was going to be the retaliation from the nobles in Trentheim.

    They felt like themand was unreasonable.

    ¡°...... My lord,¡± Cornelius raised his head up after considerable difficulty, ¡°The Subterrane Dwers...... Theye from the Underworld, and any of their individuals can match any of my best men. If we are to fight them, we will definitely be at a disadvantage. This...... isn¡¯t a problem, but my advisor believes that Lord Macsen, a nearby retainer of Graudin, would be gathering his forces and marching on us soon.¡±

    His voice softened as he felt that Brendel would know what he was insinuating.

    Amandina shook her head: ¡°Certainly, Lord Macsen is Graudin¡¯s retainer, but why does he want to attack us?¡±

    The three mercenaries looked at her with questioning eyes, wondering if she somehow fell and hurt her head.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it clear enough, Lady Amandina,¡± Jana replied, ¡°he¡¯s Graudin¡¯s retainer, and we killed Graudin¡ª¡±

    She paused for a moment and added: ¡°Furthermore, there¡¯s Count Randner behind him, if he doesn¡¯t move, that old bastard would probably pressure him¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. So our true enemy is actually Count Randner, and Lord Macsen is nothing more than a pawn being used to test the waters,¡± she nodded and said without any expressions: ¡°But do you think that we are capable of fighting against the Count currently?¡±

    The three looked at each other. This matter was something that worried them the most. Amandina did not reveal the contents about the Druids and the princess¡¯s letter, and they had no idea how Brendel was going to handle the situation. It seemed possible that he might hand them over as sacrificialmbs. They nced at him nervously.

    Brendel was quietly musing to himself as he nodded inwardly to Amandina¡¯s answer. She was starting to catch up to his thoughts, and her growth was shockingly fast ever since the battle of Chablis.

    If he was going to fight Count Randner, he had to expand big enough in a single month to cause significant damage to both sides if it came down to war. Trentheim was currently a poor and indefensible location, and it seemed like an impossible task.

    Valha and the Druids were his trump cards, and the Exploding Crystals from Amandina were also a source of strength.

    Besides the time needed to acquire them, he needed resources. The most important thing was to restore functionality around his city. Acquiring the sawmills and quarries were necessary to repair the walls, build a workshop to create Exploding Crystals, training grounds for the militia and many other buildings. Once he was done with all these, only then would Romaine be able to execute her financial ns.

    He must finish the battles before the autumn harvest so that his territory would be on track to raise a proper army. He could also finally start on the myriad things he needed to do for the political battles ahead. It was a tight schedule.

    ¡°Amandina is my advisor, and her words can represent my own.¡± Brendel said, and Amandina¡¯s expression was slightly moved: ¡°My family can ensure my safety in this war, but you lot are different. I¡¯m not one who abandons my followers, but I have my limits. If I lose in the war, you can imagine what your fates would be. We¡¯re traveling the same ship, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s going to be choppy wavesing at us all the time; there are opportunities and treasure. Compared to Graudin, I believe I¡¯m a generous lord. As long as you do not disappoint me, I will not disappoint you.¡± (TL: In case you don¡¯t get it, it¡¯s a fake family.)

    But the three mercenaries continued to look nkly at him, so he spoke again.

    ¡°As for the Subterrane Dwellers...... Do you know that the wizards from Karsuk¡¯s ck Tower fought against the Underworld in order to vie for resources? It was a war thatsted for a decade.¡±

    Raban was quick to catch the point: ¡°My lord, you have a strategy?¡±

    ¡°I always do,¡± Brendel answered, although it was a lie that the wizards fought against the Underworld.

    While the three mercenaries set off to gather their men, Brendel ordered Fern to get someone to find a guide from the slums.

    ¡°My lord, what are your ns for gaining money?¡± Amandina asked after the mercenaries were gone. ¡°If you are not taxing the citizens, I assume you have another source for money?¡±

    Brendel pondered for a moment. He was quite aware as to how territories functioned in the game. Funds came from various ces, but the majority came from these: Trading, taxing, and money from mines.

    Poption and resources were important aspects of development. Trentheim produced silver and processed lumber, but they had quite thecking number of workshops, If it were not for the silver mine, Graudin would be considered as poor as a beggar amongst most of the nobles.

    ¡°How many cksmiths do we have in the city? How many pieces of armor do they produce in a month?¡± Brendel turned to Fern.

    ¡°There are less than twenty cksmiths, and that includes the apprentices. The production¡¯s limit is no more than ten suits of armor, be it chain or leather. Also, their skill in magic and techniques are below the normal standards.¡±

    [...... This fucking piece of garbage. The entire Trentheim¡¯s production line seemed like it has been stagnant since fifty years ago. The whole Firburh, a poption of thirty thousand and yet only this number of cksmiths are employed?]

    Brendel cursed Graudin in his mind. He knew that very little of the silver mine¡¯s profits actually went into Graudin¡¯s hands. Count Randner took thergest portion, while the royal family and the Holy Cathedral of mes took two more portions.

    [When the civil war starts, and my hands are fast enough, I might be able to control the entire mining process for two or three months. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not sure how much it¡¯s worth. I never did be a lord in the game, and only the biggest guilds monopolized them and ran them like apany. But at the very least I think I can get at least ten million Tor coins. I know the people around me are questioning my tax policies. But how many coins can I tax in a year? Three hundred thousand? That¡¯s small change. I¡¯m already opposing the nobles, and thest thing I want is to have the citizens opposing me too. It¡¯s better to gain their hearts and think about the long term.]

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk about my thoughts in detail when wee back from the excursion, Amandina,¡± he said.

 volume 3 - 14

    Chapter 14 ¨C The battle for the sawmills (1)

    The man before Brendel had ragged clothes that were repeatedly repaired with different scraps of cloth. He was found amongst the shacks at the southern Firburh and had previously worked in the sawmills.

    The battles within the city had frightened many citizens, and he was uneasy about working for the unfamiliar lord. But the lure of money and his woman¡¯s persuasion finally made him agree to join as a guide.

    The young lord had promised to give him an entire gold coin. Even if he worked hard for a year, he might not even be able to earn this much money. With this reward, he would be able to send his child to the inner city and allow him to study as an apprentice in one of the workshops, and might even change his family¡¯s fate for the better.

    ¡°The woods in the south of Firburh is called the Direbear Forest,¡± He said carefully, as Brendel¡¯s eyes twitched a little when he thought of the level 65 monsters in the game. ¡°and the namees about because there are a lot of wild bears in the forest. The four sawmills sit within the forest; three are in the deeper parts and are currently upied by the creatures, while the fourth was destroyed and abandoned by the workers. Lord Graudin had sent his private armies to try and gain them back, but after two humiliating defeats, the baron never mentioned this matter again.¡±

    Brendel nodded. Things were just as he expected.

    They had left Firburh for about an hour.

    The wilderness gradually showed more trees the further they walked into the south. The expansive forest seemed to veer off to the east like a giant shadow. The guide was at the forefront riding with another mercenary on horseback, continuing to fill Brendel with the history of Graudin¡¯s past. Very soon, they entered the forest filled with ck and red pine trees, disappearing into the shadows of the forest.

    ¡°Hey,¡± a girl¡¯s voice suddenly interrupted the guide¡¯s exnation: ¡°are the creatures that strong?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyebrows raised upwards uncontrobly, while the corners of his lips twitched once. He did not know when Romaine appeared. After they had set off for the city for some time, she was suddenly frolicking about in front of his eyes.

    [This girl is supposed to be checking the previous ounting books from the past lords and counting the resources. Who¡¯s the idiot who told her that I¡¯m fighting against the Subterrane Dwellers?]

    ¡°Of course, mydy,¡± the guide quickly answered in a loud voice: ¡°I heard the city guards speaking about them. They described them as incredibly ugly and monstrous. Though they don¡¯t have eyes, they can smell and sense sounds to differentiate their direction. They are swift and powerful, and average humans have no chance against them. Even the former baron¡¯s soldiers have to form groups of three to fight a single creature.¡±

    Romaine prodded her chin with a white finger, imagining the image of the creature with her mind, before mumbling to herself: ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean, they have a great advantage during the night?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I believe they do.¡± Amandina looked at Romaine with troubled eyes.

    She had trouble telling Brendel she was the one who actually leaked out the information. The sharp merchant girl had innocently asked a few questions before she spotted clues from her mistake and knew about their movements. Even now she did not know whether this [Lord¡¯s fiancee] did it on purpose or it was a coincidence. Either answer was a little uneptable to her.

    ¡°Not only do they have the advantage in the night, in this dense forest where visibility is low, their advantages are also much better than us. Unless we send out Iron-ranked scouts, it¡¯s unlikely we¡¯re going to be able to discover them early,¡± Cornelius said, before turning to Brendel, ¡°my lord, since we have entered the forest, should we send the scouts out?¡±

    Brendel shook his head.

    [A normal Subterrane Dweller has 15 OZ of strength, and 10 OZ agility. That¡¯s pretty close to a veteran Iron-ranked fighter; any typical mercenary isn¡¯t their match.]

    ¡°I only brought approximately three hundred mercenaries and left the remainder behind to defend the city. I don¡¯t want to split my forces anymore. Also, just think about it, who is more familiar with the forest, the mercenaries or the Subterrane Dwellers?¡± He stared into the forest.

    Amandina asked in surprise: ¡°Of course it¡¯s the Subterrane Dwellers, but my lord...... You mean you are not going to send off scouts......¡± She had never seen any tactics without scouting in the books, but there was a glint in her eyes as she asked: ¡°Magic?¡±

    ¡°A close enough answer.¡± Brendel nced at the ground as he summoned the card in his mind. The Wind Spirit Spiders were climbing out one by one in a line from the ground ahead of them. The mercenaries who saw them jumped up in fright, but a few of them had seen or heard of these things in action during the battle with Madara. Since the mercenaries eventually knew the spiders was controlled by Brendel, they quickly calmed down, but they looked at him with fear and respect.

    They were quickly reminded of the Gold-ranked wizard under him. In this era, any nobles who employed these wizards are proof of high nobility. Even Duke Arreck or Duke Karsuk, or dukes with simr clout only had two or three Gold-ranked wizards as their advisors.

    But Brendel was a mere scion, and he had not only a Gold-ranked wizard but two additional Gold-ranked fighters, Medissa and Scarlett. Even the lord himself was a Gold-ranked swordsman. The veteran mercenaries who saw Medissa even guessed that she was a Silver Elf, and they had not appeared in thisnd for centuries. The impact they had when they exined to their youngerrades was huge, especially when there were rumors that he had a strong rtionship with the Silver Elves.

    The three mercenaries¡¯manders felt they were increasingly unable to see where the mysteries around him ended. But it was also the reason why they had the determination to stand together against Count Randner who quite possibly would only the same number of high ranking fighters as Brendel.

    Otherwise, they would rather escape into the Dark Forest because that option would have a better chance of survival.

    Brendel had heard the rumors as well, but he was certain that it was Amandina and Romaine who spread them. Thebination of a careful nner and peculiar thinker made interesting ideas. They even worked well together during the Madara¡¯s siege, and so he allowed them to continue without checking them.

    He quietly brought out the Holy Sword card. The next moment, Magic Circles appeared all over the area and attached themselves to the spiders. The threemanders who saw Brendel¡¯s actions immediately paled. The mana released into the area around them was impossible to gauge, and it seemed like it could even defeat a Gold-ranked existence if used appropriately.

    They were certain he was a Gold-ranked swordsman, yet it seemed like he was also a Gold-ranked wizard. It was unthinkable.

    Brendel waved his hand and set themands to kill all non-human bipeds, with were several restrictions in y. The Subterrane Dwellers had their outposts nearby, and he needed to remove them. Although it was unnecessary to ensure they were undiscovered all the way, he needed more time to set things up.

    The Wind Spirit Spiders began to fly across the area as streaks of light.

    The Nightsong Tiger rode closer and asked: ¡°My lord, what exactly is your n for fighting this battle? If the information is right, there are thousands of these creatures. They outnumber us many times, and every individual has a fighting strength that surpasses our own army¡¯s, and to tell the truth, I¡¯m unable to think of a way to fight them.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t get the jitters before we fight,¡± Scarlett said from behind them, ¡°Captain Nightsong.¡±

    ¡°Captain?¡± Therge man suddenlyughed as he turned his head at the girl and Brendel: ¡°It seems like miss Scarlett has thought about it and is ready to join us?¡±

    The young girl nodded without any care and nced at Brendel as well: ¡°I thought about it and since I have no ce to return to¡ª¡±

    ¡°I apologize.¡± The Nightsong Tiger suddenly frowned when he heard her words.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let us hear our lord¡¯s ideas. I¡¯m also curious as to how we should fight this battle. When my formermander led the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, the highest number of enemies we fought against was twice our size, but it was a group of untrained bandits. It differs greatly from our situation now.¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Romaine was moving animatedly on her horse, making people wonder if she were going to fall off, ¡°Brendel, a night battle would be to our disadvantage since the creatures have good hearing and smell. I think we should finish the fight against them as soon as possible.¡±

    The three mercenaries¡¯manders drew a little closer and raised their attention when they heard the discussion. Brendel smiled when he saw their reactions. He did not choose to reassign their men because they were still unfamiliar and wary with him. If he tried to force or hastily bring up the topic, he might cause misunderstandings, and they would resist his orders. He ultimately chose to let them be impatient ande to him instead.

    Cornelius was the firstmander to react and shake his head, while he observed Brendel¡¯s reaction: ¡°Even though we have not fought against these creatures, but they are definitely not rabble judging how they disgraced Graudin¡¯s armies twice. My men might be slightly stronger than Graudin¡¯s men by a little, but I¡¯m not ashamed to admit that we¡¯re severely outmatched.¡±

    ¡°Then what should be done?¡± Romaine blinked her big round eyes and asked curiously.

    ¡°I believe my lord wants to remove their outposts,¡± Amandina watched the final spider disappear before returning her gaze to Brendel, thinking for a while, ¡°to gain enough time for us before they react? My lord, are you thinking of assaulting one of the sawmills with as fast as possible, then lure the remaining creatures to attack us?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes had a hint of praise. It was indeed his idea to change from offense to defense.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good n,¡± Raban also praised Amandina¡¯s answer, ¡°but is it going to work?¡±

    ¡°The Subterrane Dwellers know where their advantages lie. If they lose in the daytime, then they will attempt to gain it back in the night.¡± Brendel replied, ¡°They might have the night advantage, but we can make it up with a defense from the sawmill. We are equal in this area. The rest would be on ourmanders¡¯ capabilities, morale, and fighting strength.¡±

    He appeared confident, but he thought he was not exactly a genius in his mind. He had a number of strategies that were derived from the efforts of countless gamers, and this n he was using was when Kirrlutz fought against the Jurgen Underworld.

    ¡°But what if they don¡¯t attack us?¡± Scarlett asked.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that fine?¡± The Nightsong Tigerughed: ¡°We will just attack in the day. But our numbers and fighting capabilities are still a problem, my lord.¡±

    Brendel nodded and ordered their guide to skip the abandoned sawmill and instead march directly to the nearest upied by the Subterrane Dwellers. He looked up at the sun which was slowly setting to the west: ¡°That is a problem, but I do have a solution if they stay behind their defenses.¡±

 volume 3 - 15

    Chapter 15 ¨C The battle for the sawmills (2)

    It had been one hour since Brendel and his men entered the forest.

    The bows¡¯ strings could be heard through the wind, and very soon the mercenaries cheered loudly as they dragged a few corpses from the bushes.

    They were pale yellow creatures with their bodies protruding withrge tumors. Their head was like arge bald mass with smooth waxy skin. There was no nose or eyes and seemed tock them, but under their skin folds hid thousands of sensory organs to smell and listen with, enabling them to fare a hundred times better in the darknesspared to a human. It was expected from a creature from the underworld.

    When the mercenaries inspected them, they realized that their arrows had only caused skin-deep damage, while the fatal injury was on each of their chests. It was arge hole that prated through their body, with the edges on it burned ck. A few mercenaries recognized the injury caused by the ¡®Dragon Knights¡¯. When Brendel rode over, the mercenaries parted and turned around, looking at him with respect and fear.

    Brendel studied the Subterrane Dwellers. Their mouths were open wide like sharks, and the interior was filled with tiny jagged teeth. The blood that leaked out was green in color.

    They were different from warm-blooded creatures and were actually a subtype of lizards. He would have preferreding back during winter to deal with them since their activities would be much smaller, but time was of the essence. Still, the weather was cool enough to affect them. He bade the mercenaries to turn them over, and observed their rigid ws holding onto their long spears.

    ¡°They are the lower caste amongst the Subterrane Dwellers.¡± The Nightsong said as he studied the bodies as well: ¡°It seems like they have put their elites in their inner defenses. The deeper we go in, the stronger the resistance will be.¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    [But it is a good thing. Monsters that progressed from weak to strong like a traditional RPG means it¡¯s a natural caste system in the game. If it¡¯s segmented like an army where there¡¯s a captain leading the outposts, it¡¯s a full military organization. Since it¡¯s not, we¡¯re most likely dealing with a splintered tribe or remnants which are gathered under a strong individual. This is a normal mob zone and not some dungeon elites.]

    He was apprehensive to find the situation as a nned invasion from arge tribe or even a full-on invasion from an entire faction. There would be times where the Underworld¡¯s citizens would hanker after the surface¡¯s resources. Even though the underworld had even richer resources, it was even harsher there.

    ¡°We might meet their warriors and elites called ¡®Camlu¡¯. Thetter means ¡®Warrior¡¯ in theirnguage, and are something like a military officer. They are just one step below Silver-ranked fighters and are the strongest fighters amongst the Subterrane Dwellers. However, I¡¯m certain we can take them on without any trouble.¡± He remarked to the threemanders near him.

    The mercenariesbed the entire area and brought out over twenty corpses. Brendel calcted his XP he received, and it was a match to the number of creatures killed. They were quickly killed under the attacks from the Dragon Knights. Because the spiders utilized the flow of the wind, they were perfect counters to the Subterrane Dwellers who had to rely on their sense of smell and hearing.

    With the surrounding eyes eliminated one by one, Brendel and his men progressed smoothly into the forest. Three hundred mercenaries did their best to move in silently, but a few carelessly trod onto dry sticks and caused a loud snapping sound from time to time. They nervously snapped their heads to their surroundings, but there were only unknown birds that beat their wings as hard as possible.

    The wizards who were ced in the center found the situation to be intriguing. They were used to being the first target of ambushes. Anyone would recognize their importance in a battlefield. Their defense capabilities were low, and their high value made them the favorite targets of scouts. They were used to injury and frequently stood between the lines of life and death, all while witnessing theirrades killed in front of them because they defended them.

    The only target that exceeded their importance was themanding officer, but they were less susceptible to ambushes because of their skill.

    As the mercenaries continued to walk through the forest without incident and continued to make the Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ scouts disappear, they started feeling it was more like an exhibition trip. This could only be the miracle of their lord.

    Ever since the denizens of the Silver Bloodline imparted their mysterious techniques to the mortals, thetter had formed a deep impression of respecting the powerful. They started remembering that Brendel and Ciel frequently discuss matters together in the city and whispers started passing around.

    Meetings between wizards were an exchange of information and power, and this was gradually called as ¡®The meeting of the Golden Duo¡¯.

    But Brendel was quite different from the elegant image they had in their minds. He was repeatedly grumbling in his mind, as he calcted the amount of EP he had to spend in maintaining the Holy Sword card.

    Even though the results from the spiders were impressive, the price to pay was 13 Earth EP for each round of attacks he made. He checked his reserves and discovered his 32 EP had dwindled down to 7 EP.

    He frowned and immediately called for the guide toe over to him.

    The guide came before him and realized Brendel was a little upset. He thought he had done something wrong to incur his wrath and asked uneasily: ¡°My lord, is there something you need?¡±

    ¡°How long more to our destination?¡± Brendel asked with a little impatience in his voice.

    The spell could onlyst for another five minutes before he needed to pay the maintenance again. He was going to give up on it and allow the Holy Sword card to return to his deck, nning to use it only when it was necessary, preferably at night or early morning against the retaliation that would happen after the uing battle.

    The guide was visibly relieved upon hearing the reply: ¡°Very soon, my lord. Once we cross this part of the forest, we would be able to see it. This particr sawmill is constructed in the river to utilize a water powered saw, and¡ª¡±

    His words were suddenly interrupted by a strange bird call. Brendel turned his head in front of him and saw the mercenaries had stopped andid on the ground. It was a warning from the furthest mercenaries in front, and they continued to gesture with their hands.

    They found the enemies.

    He was slightly surprised. He had allowed the spiders to move autonomously, and if there was no reaction or XPing in, it meant that the Dragon Knights had encountered an obstacle that did not allow them to kill in a single strike, and thus they obeyed his second order to hide.

    He dismounted and walked over to the edge of the forest. The three mercenaries¡¯manders, the Nightsong Tiger, Amandina, Scarlett, and Romaine all dismounted and followed him. There was no cautiousness in the merchant girl¡¯s eyes, and were filled with curiosity instead.

    The density of the trees was bing thinner, and Brendel quickly reached the forest¡¯s edge.

    ¡°My lord!¡± The mercenary stood at attention and said. He turned his head and saw hismander, Cornelis, nodding to him.

    Brendel studied the environment. It was a steep slope leading downwards to the river bank. The sawmill was across the river with a few wooden houses nearby; it considerablyrge for its size, but it had changed significantly from its original appearance.

    The Subterrane Dwellers had turned it into a fortress.

    They stacked boulders against the river¡¯s direction and erected a tall wooden wall, along with a watchtower. Within the fortress were countlessrge holes and soil packed into a corner. He counted the holes and estimated approximately two hundred Subterrane Dwellers were living there.

    ¡°They have quite the numbers. It¡¯s a difficult battle.¡± Jana frowned, ncing at Brendel and worried that he would make the order to force them to attack.

    But Brendel did not answer. He studied the patrolling squadrons near the river. Each squadron was led by a Subterrane Dweller with dark-red colored skin. They were Camlu, andunching an attack might cause them to retreat to their fortress and waste their advantage of a sneak attack. He turned to Amandina and the Nightsong Tiger: ¡°What do you two think?¡±

    ¡°You can use our old method of dealing with them.¡± The Nightsong Tiger answered.

    [Hold it, Nightsong Tiger, ry your method to me through our thoughts. This is also a test for the threemanders I have.]

    Brendel gave the slightest nod after the Nightsong Tiger exined in detail. He then cast his eyes on Raban and Scarlett briefly.

 volume 3 - 16

    Chapter 16 ¨C The battle for the sawmills (3)

    The Subterrane Dwellers in the sawmill quickly discovered a team of adventurers. They wereprised of a few warriors, two crossbowmen, and one wizard. Regardless of whether it was in Aouine or Kirrlutz, it was amonbination.

    When the human team appeared, it was undoubtedly a provocation to the territorial Subterrane Dwellers. A shrill whistle quickly rang out within the fortress. The massive wooden gate was raised noisily with groans, and two groups of the Underworld creatures rushed out, following the river¡¯s coastline as their feet stomped through the water before they started wading across.

    They divided into two and attempted the surround the adventurers. The crossbowmen fired two shots. One missed, while the other struck one of the Subterrane Dweller¡¯s chest, but it did not prate through. The impact from the hit caused it take a step back, stirring the water lightly, but that was it. The creature shook its head, raised its spear and continued following its group.

    ¡°Their hides are certainly thick,¡± Cornelius who was hiding in the bushes frowned as he saw the results, ¡°the rumors are true. Even a hundred of these creatures is trouble for us, let alone a thousand.¡±

    ¡°Their speed is shockingly fast. It¡¯s nearly three hundred feet from the river, and yet they only took a few seconds! Surely they are swifter than best riders!¡± Jana said in rm.

    ¡°Swifter than the fastest riders? That is because you have not seen excellent cavalry, miss Jana.¡± Raban gave a shortugh.

    The femalemander immediately shut her lips sourly and red at him.

    Brendel nodded to agree with Raban¡¯s assessment. The creatures could bepared to a Tier 2 mounted unit and were slightly slower than the best horses. But Vaunte¡¯s mounted troops did not exclusively use warhorses. Aouine¡¯s strongest flying troops were called ¡®Cruising Knights¡¯, describing how quickly and effortlessly they entered into the battlefield. They rode flying dragons and were considered elites amongst the flying mounted troops.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Cornelius stopped their quarrel, ¡°My lord, there are at least two hundred of these creatures in the sawmill. Which arge number, there is no way our men can handle them.¡± He shook his head, and his silver hair shimmered against the sunlight that peeked through the dense foliage: ¡°Do you have any solutions?¡±

    His gaze seemed to hold an intentional meaning.

    Amandina scoffed lightly at the other side. She had seen through his thoughts. Indeed, if Brendel and Scarlett were relied upon, a frontal assault would not be difficult. Two Gold-ranked versus a hundred Iron-ranked was not much trouble at all. If the mercenaries helped in the process, they would be able to forcefully conquer the sawmill, and it would take at most two hours.

    But if he was to follow these sellswords at every step, what authority would he still have? Yet when she looked at Brendel, he was calm and assured, and she knew that he must have a n in mind.

    Thus Amandina spoke in a cold voice: ¡°Books about these creatures state that they have difficulty fighting against a defensive structure. Their effectiveness is also limited in this area because they have difficulty digging thend up as it¡¯s near a river. No matter how fast or how thick their hides are, as long as we can take down the sawmill and turn it into our defense, they would have no chance.¡±

    Raban looked at Brendel in surprise: ¡°They have this weakness? My lord, you knew about this ce and chose to attack because of this point?¡±

    Brendel did not give away his thoughts, but he was suppressing the spasms that were on the corners of his lips. That was because he really did not think about it.

    It was quitemon for sawmills to be near rivers. It was easier to transport by following the currents, and it was quitemon to use the water currents to generate power and use it to saw lumber. If it was somewhere in the capital and there were no water-powered saws, they would use Magicite to power the saws.

    Even though he heard about the guide¡¯s descriptions about the sawmills, he really had no idea what sort of state the sawmills were in, just like how they did not expect to see them make a fortress out of the sawmill.

    ¡°The solution is already taking ce,¡± Brendel nodded, ¡°but we have to see how many of these creatures our baits are capable of drawing out.¡± The youth looked at his subordinates-in-name, ¡°But everyone can rx. This battle is not as difficult as you think; just treat it as a warm-up battle for your men.¡±

    The mercenaries who overheard his words were taken aback. The numbers required to defeat the two hundred odd dwellers required more than the three hundred mercenaries they had today. No matter how they look at it, it was not a warm-up but a harsh battle.

    ¡°Just wait for it, you will see what I have prepared soon.¡± Brendel¡¯s mind concentrated to prepare for battle. His eyes went back to the river and watched the adventurers retreat at full speed back to the forest. They were quick, but they were soon caught up at the slope to the forest.

    The wizard in the team mmed onto the ground and roared a chant. Threerge Magic Circles appeared beneath their feet, causing sand and rocks to form together as a small fortress of five meters tall and three meters wide at each side. It wasplete with battlements and allowed the crossbowmen to station between them.

    A spell to create a building out of nothing.

    The mercenaries were surprised. It was close enough to be a Silver-ranked magic spell, although it could notpare to the original legendary spell which created an entire city. Jana and Cornelius had nced at each other before they noticed Raban was smiling nonchntly.

    ¡°Raban, he¡¯s your man?¡± Cornelius lowered his voice and asked. Allowing such a wizard of the Third Circle to go to the frontlines to be bait was unthinkable.

    Themander of the Firebrand Mercenaries nodded without a care. ¡°Matthew, he¡¯s the best wizard in my mercenaries,¡± he replied.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite the risk taker,¡± Cornelius confirmed the truth, but he did not feel rxed but rather, a sense of danger. The middle-aged man who had a full head of silver hair took a long look at Raban, then at the silent Brendel, and felt that his position was shaking.

    The night where he fought alongside with the young lord should have left a good impression, but the quiet veteran soldier beside him had forged an understanding with the youth before he even realized it.

    [Damn it. When did they make some kind of arrangement?]

    He cast his gaze back at the forest¡¯s edge. The middle-aged wizard, Matthew, retreated to the center and stayed behind the crossbowmen and warriors. He put his entire body weight on to the staff and breathed heavily. The spell he cast apparently drained arge amount of stamina and energy.

    The effectiveness of the small fortress was evident. The Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ front limbs were short and weak, and when they attacked, they relied greatly on their legs. They would leap forward with great force, lunging towards their enemies while they held on to their spears.

    They were unable to climb the walls because they were not meant to do so.

    The walls were also high enough to cause them to have difficulty in judging the distance to jump over. If they did manage to go over, the warriors quickly rushed forward and overwhelmed them one by one.

    Within a single minute, four Subterrane Dwellers were cut down and kicked off from the fortress, causing them to roll a few times off the coastline. The creatures started to retreat as they looked on with confusion.

    The two Camlu which weremanding at the back emitted shrill cries to surround the fortress and coordinate the attacks.

    ¡°Defending from that position is too difficult.....¡± Jana¡¯s eyebrows were knitted together in frustration. The group of mercenaries were skilled and chosen by Brendel to be bait. Each of them was highly skilled Iron-ranked fighters, but against thirty-odd Subterrane Dwellers, they would onlyst so long. When they get overwhelmed...... there would be blood and carnage.

    Two rounds of attacks quickly came and went without the creatures having sess, but she did not expect the events that followed. The Camlu which forced their subordinates to attack suddenly shrilled loudly and had them retreat a distance while surrounding it.

    The mercenaries at the fortress stood at attention. Matthew had caught his breath and was ready to participate in the battle.

    ¡°The Subterrane Dwellers are unwilling to pay the price to capture the fortress by force. They will eventually overwhelm them, but they would have a considerable number of casualties. The Underworld is a harsh ce. The poption and military might are preciousmodities and not to be wasted. It¡¯s also why their individual strength is higher than the average human.¡± Brendel exined to the confused mercenaries.

    ¡°I see. But their ability to attack fortified areas is weak. Could it be that these creatures don¡¯t have the experience of destroying fortified buildings, or build their own?¡± Cornelius asked while he shot a nce at Brendel. As a mercenary who lived their lives in the battlefield, they would often look down on the nobles and schrs who knew nothing of it, yet when they were able to apply unknown knowledge to the battlefield, they could not but feel impressed.

    Brendel nearly swallowed wrongly when he heard the question. Underworld races were incredible at building fortified cities. The earliest Underworld fortress was created to prevent the invasion of evil demons. The walls¡¯ thickness and toughness would make most human fortresses like Brus appear weak inparison, which was a given since their craft came from the underground Dwarves.

    And in contrast, the walls of a rural city like Firburh were woefullycking.

    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly like that,¡± he said, ¡°these creatures are usuallybined with Earth Spirit Bears to form an army.¡±

 volume 3 - 17

    Chapter 17 ¨C The battle for the sawmills (4)

    ¡°You probably have not seen it before. They look a little like a bear that stands on both its feet at over two meters covered in fur, and hold some form of blood rtionship with the surface¡¯s Earth Spirits. They are far stronger than their numerous distant rtives. It¡¯s almost a subspecies which has powerful physical strength. Their whelps can match a fully grown man.¡± Brendel exined slowly. ¡°These bears wield a il andrge shield on their hands, while the Subterrane Dwellers dig tunnels beneath them to bypass fortified areas, they are quite the troublesomebination¡ª Since they coexist together, there might be Earth Spirit Bears.¡±

    The people around Brendel were astonished and cast their gazes back at the Sawmill. The gate was once again raised noisily as another group of Subterrane Dwellers walked out. There were heavy lumbering footsteps that could be heard behind them. Three hulking creatures walked out, carrying huge shields and ils that dragged behind them.

    Even though Brendel described them as bears, they could hardly see the resemnce. Their bodies were covered in long shaggy brown fur; their heads seemed like they sat tly on their shoulders and had no neck. However, everyone cast impressed eyes at Brendel¡¯s near perfect depiction of the new creatures.

    Jana stared at Brendel in silence, as though she wanted to find something any signs that revealed a truth about him.

    ¡°I have seen these things before,¡± Raban suddenly stood up and said as he red at the monsters that made their way across the river, ¡°I encountered them in Karsuk once. These things are so powerful that they easily swiped away a dozen soldiers.¡± His expression changed deeply for the first time, ¡°My lord, are you certain that these creatures are also considered as a Tier 1 army like you said earlier?¡±

    Brendel nodded, ¡°The representation of the might of an army isn¡¯t done by me. It was originally created by the four different Holy Cathedrals. Their ssifications not only look at the individual strength of a single unit but also how effective they are in an army. These Earth Spirit Bears are not intelligent creatures and are ipatible with any other Underworld creatures. These Subterrane Dwellers had coexisted with them for a long time, and because of that, they are able to form a specific type of strategy with them. Otherwise, these foolish creatures will probably be taken off the list.¡±

    Raban nodded and did not speak any further. Brendel had told him earlier that his men would not be in any danger even if the enemies sent out their entire forces at them. But the other mercenaries had no idea what was happening, and could only watch nervously.

    As the new reinforcements crossed over halfway, the two squadrons of Subterrane Dwellers that surrounded the small fortress gave a small opening to allow the new reinforcements to join in the fight. There was an odd silence amongst the mercenaries in the forest, as they thought the team of mercenaries on the small fortress were doomed and somehow used as sacrifices.

    The shrill calls happened again as soon as their new reinforcements were in ce to join the battle. They rushed towards the fortress with blood-curdling roars, when they suddenly felt a sudden change in the air.

    The two crossbowmen suddenlyid down their crossbows and unsheathed their weapons from their backs. Strange sigils were carved onto their des, gleaming brightly under the sun.

    ¡°Magic swords!¡± Someone amongst the mercenaries in the forest shouted in surprise.

    And they were not the moremon low-grade Magic Swords made by alchemists, but a fully enchanted de that made the difference against an opponent of simr capabilities.

    Whispers started spreading amongst them as they wondered who the two crossbowmen were from. A few cast their gazes at the threemanders as they were the only ones who would possess such precious weapons.

    But the threemanders had the same question, although they all believed that none of them possessed such weapons.

    The surprise turned into gasps. Two lines of light swung across the walls. The Subterrane Dwellers that managed to jump onto the walls were severed cleanly into two. Only the three mercenaries¡¯manders had that level of skill.

    ¡°Who are those two?¡± Jana turned her head back and asked: ¡°Cornelius, are they your men?¡±

    But Cornelius did not have the mood to answer her words. He finally recognized the pair of swords. The two men were actually the two angels who followed Brendel that night. He could finally understand why Raban agreed to allow his best wizard to be bait. If there were two flying angels who could escape anytime with his men, was there anything to be worried about?

    The Earth Spirit Bears closed in withrge strides and swung their ils at the fortress¡¯ walls. A resounding crash split the walls open, causing fissures along the top. The angels then grabbed the mercenaries and flew up into the air beforending onto the ground a certain distance away.

    To the blind Subterrane Dwellers, it was as if they had jumped from the wall. They screamed excitedly and rushed towards them.

    But right at that moment, a loud horn rang out in the distance, and a group of fifty-odd riders came rushing out led by the Nightsong Tiger, surprising the threemanders. Brendel had secretly prepared a fourth group of mercenaries led by the Mercenaries of Lopes, with the exception of the Nightsong Tiger, a certain distance away from the main group of mercenaries in order to cover their rear when they traveled to the sawmill.

    ¡°My lord, this is¡ª¡± Raban suddenly realized what Brendel was doing. The youth was gradually increasing the number of soldiers to lure the Subterrane Dwellers toe out of the fortress. If there were too many attackers at a given time, they might be guarded and refuse toe out. But with each iteration of reinforcements to threaten the Underworld creatures that were already on the field, they might actually be provoked enough to send out their entire force!

    ¡°This is the Nightsong Tiger¡¯s idea,¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes glinted as he studied the river¡¯s coastline, ¡°the Subterrane Dwellers have sent out their allies because they didn¡¯t want to give up on taking down the bait. Now that they are in danger they would send out their entire forces to minimize casualties. After all, the poption in the Underworld is too precious. Well, it¡¯s not just the NPCs, sometimes the gamers will make that kind of mistake as well.....¡±

    He started giggling with a perverted smile when he saw the mercenaries of ¡®Team Bait¡¯ cheering when they realized the reinforcements had arrived.

    [Oops. That was sort of mean; I shouldn¡¯tugh at the baits¡¯ reactions.]

    When the Nightsong Tiger mentioned this idea, he immediately understood that it would work. It was no different to how the gamers exploited the psychology of the Underworld¡¯s denizens.

    ¡°NPCs, gamers?¡± Raban interrupted his thoughts with a question.

    Brendel coughed and replied: ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted, it¡¯s nearly time for us to take action. Look at the sawmill.¡±

    The threemanders twisted their heads at the same time. The sawmill¡¯s gates were raised up. Indeed, this time it was not a single gate, but three gates that were raised up from the fortress. Long streams of Subterrane Dwellers seemed to appear from thin air as they swarmed out of the sawmill. Cornelius immediately paled while he quickly counted and estimated there were over two hundred creatures. He inhaled deeply and released a cold breath.

    [Marsha above, surely these creatures wouldn¡¯t leave the sawmillpletely undefended, doesn¡¯t that mean there are over three hundred of these creatures? Luring the majority out is one thing, but even if we make them lose the advantage of the fortified position, that doesn¡¯t mean we can take them down, we¡¯re outnumbered!]

    Brendel quietly watched the Subterrane Dwellers wade across the river. Their goal was definitely to rescue their own, and judging from their speed; they did have the capability to do so. Brendel finally stood up, ignoring the three mercenaries¡¯manders unpleasant expressions.

    He snapped his fingers and caught the attention of the mercenaries around him. He gestured with his hand, ¡®Men, ready your crossbows, now!¡¯

    Everyone was momentarily taken aback. Witnessing the monsters in action had caused them tock the courage to do battle. In addition to that, they were confused about readying their weapons when half the enemy was still on the coastline. Still, no one dared to disobey his orders, even if they did not acknowledge him as themander. Theirrades were still on the coastline, and theirmanders had pledged their loyalty to him.

    They quickly took their crossbows off from their backs and drew back their strings to load them. They had been warned to do it as silently as possible, and they took their time to do it. Each crossbow was readied with a soft twang.

    ¡®Aim.¡¯ He ryed his next order.

    His timing was perfect. The new batches of Subterrane Dwellers and Earth Spirit Bears had just reached their destination, just when the mercenaries finished loading their projectiles. The threemanders looked at him in incredulity. This was the first time they had seen Brendelmanding, and it was no coincidence that he timed it urately.

    Brendel merely smiled inwardly at their reaction. Most of Aouine¡¯s mercenaries roughly had the same capabilities, and the scenario he had now proved that his timing was not off when hepared it to the gaming.

    Even if it was a group of Wind Spirit Riders on the other side, he could still have the mercenaries to get the first strike.

    At that moment, three hundred mercenaries readied their projectiles, be it wizards or gunners. Each one of them tracked down their targets, but the enemies¡¯ robust hides made them wonder if they were going to be effective. They wondered if it was truly a warm-up like theirmanders had told them.

    Brendel waited for two more seconds and snapped his fingers.

    ¡®Fire!¡¯

 volume 3 - 18

    Chapter 18 ¨C The battle for the sawmills (5)

    The bowstrings were released in a cacophony. Countless projectiles were fired and covered the ground like a cloud casting shadows over it. The Subterrane Dwellers at the forefront felt like they crashed into a wall. Projectiles littered across the smooth pebbles, and they stepped onto the bolts in confusion, stumbling and falling over. Very quickly, they were turned into corpses as arrows continued to fill their bodies.

    The raining arrowspletely ambushed the Subterrane Dwellers, and those at the frontlines retreated in a panic. However, the creatures at the back continued to advance, and thus they collided and fell intoplete disarray.

    [[That¡¯s a great chance!]]

    Jana and Raban immediately had this thought. They unsheathed their rapier and greatsword respectively, ready to lead their men to charge into battle and finish them.

    But Brendel¡¯s sword swung downwards and cut across a line in front of their feet. The wind pressure cut through the ground deeply, before it ended up in a tree and climbed upwards, causing branches and leaves to be severed. Both of them held their breaths and gaped. They turned around involuntarily to look at Brendel.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Raban asked.

    ¡°Prepare an attack formation at the river.¡± The Nightsong Tiger and his men were engaging the Subterrane Dwellers on the river¡¯s coast, charging straight into their tail.

    ¡°My lord, but.....¡± Jana gritted her white teeth and looked hatefully at the panicking monsters in the river. ¡°This is an opportunity.¡±

    ¡°Your opponents are not humans.¡± Brendel nced at her and answered simply. He pointed his finger to his ears. These creatures fought in the darkness their whole lives and relied on their hearing senses to discern the creatures around them. They were much more responsive in handling unknown situations better than humans.

    This ambush might have caused them to be inplete chaos, but they were going to recover very quickly. Their way ofmunication was emitting pitched frequencies, and it was far more effectivepared to humans who relied on gs and uniforms to discern direction and allies.

    [The Subterrane Dwellers recover much more quicklypared to other army types. The worst of them all is Earth Spirits, once they lose their formation they can¡¯t regroup. The group immune to panic or confusion from ambushes is the undead. Only incredibly well-trained armies can take advantage of the Subterrane Dwellers. You mercenaries are not.]

    The only way to take advantage was to attack the moment they fell into chaos, but only an exceptionally trained army would be able to do so.

    The twomanders were still unconvinced, but Cornelius pulled out his longsword and walked in between them. ¡°We should listen to our lord,¡± he had instinctively realized something was different about the Underworld creatures, ¡°weck the experience to fight these monsters.¡±

    Brendel raised his eyebrow as he noted the ambition in Cornelius¡¯s eyes. He did not care about the reasons why they followed him, but as long as they did, they had to submit to him.

    ¡°It¡¯s good enough if you understand that point, I don¡¯t have enough time to exin it to you,¡± He lowered his sword and said, ¡°now execute my orders.¡± Once he was done, he merely turned his body towards the river.

    ¡°Is my lord going to the frontlines?¡± Jana was still a little uneasy. She did not understand why he insisted on having them fight the Subterrane Dwellers in a direct battle. Even a battalion of Aouine¡¯s army numbering five hundred, might not gain any advantage in fighting them, not to mention their smaller numbers of mercenaries.

    ¡°I have selected my targets,¡± Brendel answered.

    [Over there¡ª]

    The two angels were fighting against the three Earth Spirit Bears to a stalemate, while the Nightsong Tiger held the first advantage by targeting their weakest link. Brendel did not waste any more time and activated his Charge skill. He leaped into the air and flew across the ground like an arrow, and the second step he took changed his direction and descended into the enemies¡¯ midst like a meteor.

    In the mercenaries¡¯ eyes, the young lord seemed to turn into a ck trail of light as his cloak fluttered behind him, reaching the Nightsong Tiger¡¯s army in the blink of an eye.

    A few Subterrane Dwellers realized a disturbance in the air and raised their weapons, but Brendel was already past them and went straight for one of the Earth Spirit Bears. The gigantic brute shook its furry ears and turned around, swinging its il straight at him. Under the influence of Charge, he witnessed the attack in slow motion, dodging the attack by jumping up on its arm and ran straight to its shoulder.

    The movements were done in a smooth stroke, and when the mercenaries finally caught a glimpse of his body, he was already half kneeling on its shoulders and was sending his longsword straight into its throat with both hands. With a quick pull after the de found its mark, a geyser of blood shot out and sprayed across the ground.

    The Earth Spirit Bear bellowed painfully as its body shook a few times before it copsed heavily onto the ground. Silence momentarily filled his surroundings as the Subterrane Dwellers realized what happened.

    The mercenaries who watched the entire exchange stopped what they were doing and felt their blood boil. They gasped heavily as they thought they were witnessing a legendary tale happening before their eyes. They would never forget that moment¡ª

    Raban swung his greatsword into the ground and caused a loud crash, forcing the mercenaries to break their eyes off. He lifted his weapon back up and ordered them with a yell: ¡°Form up, advance with speed, and don¡¯t let the enemies get to the shore.¡±

    But when he turned around, the Subterrane Dwellers had calmed down.

    The ten-odd Camlu were repeatedly screaming, sending outmands to their subordinates. The chaos that the creatures had earlier was gone, and they were back into formations, seemingly ready to advance again.

    It was less than half a minute.

    Raban then realized Brendel¡¯s decision to stop them waspletely right. If they had charged down to the river, they would probably face an organized army before they even reach their destination, while their own mercenaries would not be in formation. Against these opponents that were stronger than them, Raban did not even need to think and know what the result would be.

    His eyes sought for the other twomanders and saw that they were having the same uneasy thoughts while they maintained their own mercenaries¡¯ formations as they started marching to the river¡¯s bank.

    [Who exactly is this youth? It seems like the wizard under him is a Hignd Wizard, so he must be a noble¡¯s scion from Karsuk. Even if youpare him to the most promising nobles of Aouine, he won¡¯t lose out even a little.]

    His stray thought onlysted for a moment, before he turned his attention towards the enemies. He judged the battle ahead of him to be terrible odds. Even though the youth¡¯s judgment had been right again and again, he was beginning to feel that the Subterrane Dwellers were impossible to defeat.

    The mercenaries had no chance at all if he looked at the enemies¡¯ morale and organized formations, as well as each individual¡¯s strength. In fact, he had no confidence that they would be able to handle the first sh.

    He raised his hand and signaled. The first group of the mercenary warriors raised their shields up and marched forward. The row behind them were mercenaries that usednces and other weapons with long reach. The ones that stayed behind at the top of the forest were marksmen who continued to reload and fire.

    The first bout of projectiles did not produce great results, and it was more of a question of how effective it could be. It was almost nothing more than a psychologicalfort.

    As the mercenaries marched closer, they found the Subterrane Dwellers and Earth Spirit Bears maintaining a constant and organized movement, as though it was a requiem of death. Raban¡¯s men could now feel what theirmander was thinking about, and their expressions were infused with doubt and the intention to retreat.

    Their morale was plummeting.

    They were no more than a hundred feet apart from each other when the archers and crossbowmen fired their third volley of arrows. Raban could clearly see the weak arrows bouncing off the Earth Spirit Bear¡¯s hides, and how ineffective they were.

    Fifty feet left, and Jana stood in front of her men. Even though she thought herself as one who did not possess enough strength, she could at least deflect the initial damage to those who saw her as the head of their family.

    She felt considerable regret for the first time, wondering if she chose wrongly. When she peered at the young lord, he had just killed off the second Earth Spirit Bear, but he did not turn back to take even a single nce at the mercenaries facing the reinforcements. She could not help but think that he was just like the other nobles who did not care whether they lived or died.

    Twenty feet, and Cornelius could almost see the disgusting skin folds on the Subterrane Dwellers. His head was full of cold perspiration, and he gripped his sword tightly.

    Just moments before they shed, the mercenaries could hardly be called as an army anymore; but so did the creatures in front of them. They had shed together in confusion, with the resultspletely out of everyone¡¯s expectations.

    That was because the battlefield had lost all sound.

    Everyone realized that fact.

 volume 3 - 19

    Chapter 19 ¨C The battle for the sawmills (6)

    When the warriors felt the Subterrane Dwellers crashed onto the raised shields with their weapons, not even a single sound happened. It was almost aical sight to have the warriors fly up into the air due to the massive impact, then thrashing their arms wildly as they fell down towards the back rows. It wasplete silence.

    Everyone stopped in confusion.

    Jana was the first to turn around, her eyes darting around to find the cause, and she saw Brendel holding up a radiating light in his hand towards their direction:

    A massive Silence spell that covered sixty feet wide at their location, covering the entire battlefield they were in.

    The Subterrane Dwellers fell intoplete chaos as they lost their senses to ¡®see¡¯ and losing their ability to judge. Their first instinct was to retreat, or swing their spears threateningly around them, trying hard to protect themselves. This chaos spread everywhere. They started treating each other like enemies, or run around in random directions. Quite a few mercenaries were dragged into their frantic attempts to fight, but the majority managed to escape the chaos and realized something a short moment of confusion:

    Victory was right in front of them.

    ¡®I understand now¡¯, everyone thought of these words.

    Brendel threw away the expended Soul Gem in his hand as his eyes went back to the third Earth Spirit Bear. It was as though he had seen the conclusions of the battle a long time ago.

    [I see, so these foolish bastards have this kind of weakness.] Cornelius and Raban thought of the same thing as they looked at each other.

    Cornelius quickly bade the gbearer next to him to change the g¡¯s color. A red g with two swords was raised into the air. There was no need for words since the meaning was clear: Attack.

    The warriors dropped down their shields and took out their weapons. They were the defenders a moment ago, but now they were leading the counterattack. It was as if an invisible wave swept through the battlefield as they cleaved down their enemies with both hands.

    The Subterrane Dwellers werepletely unable to defend themselves from the organized attacks, and in this ¡®darkness¡¯ they felt an instinctive fear and started retreating from the direction of the attacks.

    The Camlu were unable to stop the formation from breaking down. The entire surroundings around them were being robbed away by the Silence spell like a ck hole and preventing all aural feedback.

    Even when the Subterrane Dwellers escaped from the spell¡¯s effective area, they discovered that everyone was escaping, and they had no desire to stay behind. Very soon, the Camlu and the Earth Spirit Bears started retreating as well, causing a massive defeat.

    In truth, the casualties were significantly less than one would think. At the mercenaries¡¯ first charge, they killed only twenty Subterrane Dwellers. They were felled near the river, and the water reached their bodies.

    The remainder of the Underworld creatures did not have any thoughts to check their losses and simply obeyed their fear to run away. Once they reached areas where they could hear again, they began fleeing as fast as they possibly could without any formation or organization. Many of them were trampled to death by their own, leaving behind a road of corpses.

    The mercenaries who followed them out of the effective area of the Silence spell, changed their formation and chased after the stragglers that strayed away from the group. They truly did not think the entire battle changed that easily.

    It was just like what Brendel had said; this was nothing more than a warm-up battle.

    At the other end of the forest, there were only thirty Subterrane Dwellers left. Brendel had in all three Earth Spirit Bears, and the remainder of the enemies had to deal the angels and twice their numbers. The conclusion of the battle was foregone.

    Brendel turned his eyes to the escaping Subterrane Dwellers at the other river¡¯s bank and chanced upon the mercenaries keeping a constant speed to chase after the scattering monsters. He snarled in annoyance at their cautious attitudes. At this rate, they were going to allow the remaining Subterrane Dwellers to retreat to the fortified sawmill.

    Even though they appeared to be in dire straits, they did not use up their stamina to fight. Their injuries were practically non-existent, and eight out of ten were still ready for battle. None of the Earth Spirit Bears died either.

    Allowing them to escape was a waste.

    [There¡¯s no choice, I¡¯ll need to use that.]

    Someone familiar was appearing from the direction of the Sawmill. A red ponytail fluttered strongly and created a trail of red in the wind, as the rider charged at the retreating creatures on the summoned card, Silver Colt.

    It was Scarlett.

    She was tasked by Brendel to cut off the retreating enemies, and her spear was raised up threateningly with an electrical arc trailing from it. She stopped before the hundred odd Subterrane Dwellers.

    ¡°Move away!¡± Jana waspletely shocked, not knowing why the girl stopped in front of them. Their numbers included the Earth Spirit Bears, and their instinct to survive would surely bring out their aggression. Even a Gold-ranked fighter would have trouble facing them. In fact, if they gathered together to put up ast-ditch effort to fight back, it would mean their victory would be wasted.

    But Scarlett did not move from the spot as though she did not hear.

    The next instant, countless green lights appeared in the forest near her, and Jana swallowed her curses that were at the tip of her mouth. She knew how powerful they were.

    The spiders were directlymanded by Brendel, and they began their assault, shooting beams of Light Energy unerringly at each Subterrane Dweller. Eachser that fired at them was the full strength of a Silver-ranked fighter¡¯s attack, and the enemies were unable to defend themselves.

    Brendel used the attacks sparingly to conserve his EP by using a lower number of spiders. He ushered the retreating groups of Subterrane Dwellers to the right and did not attack them. This prevented them from retreating into the sawmill, and they scampered off into the forest in fear.

    Scarlett did not move from her spot and merely sent off waves of thick bloodlust. The remaining creatures that somehow escaped the spiders¡¯ attacks did not dare to run past her and fled to the forest.

    Scarlett did not attack. She merely waited till thest Underworld creature disappeared into the forest and waited for the mercenaries to join up with her. She then pulled the reins and turned the Silver Colt around.

    The Subterrane Dwellers within the sawmill realized that none of the of their allies wereing back and hurriedly closed the wooden gates. Scarlett smiled with a hint of challenge in her eyes, and she swung her weapon against it.

    An explosive sound echoed in the vicinity, with the gate hurling high up into the air before they shattered into pieces and rained onto the ground.

    ¡°That¡¯s really troublesome,¡± Amandina frowned to herself and grumbled, ¡°If she destroyed the door, we still need to get people to repair it. Why can¡¯t she think more about it.¡±

    Amandina walked out of the forest when the battle was over. She was almost not bothered by the corpses around her, most likely because she was used to it.

    ¡°Let her do it.¡± Brendelughed, his eyes capturing the trails of golden light flying towards him. He had gained approximately ten thousand XP and was able to advance his Mercenary profession by a tenth.

    Amandina did not continue herints after hearing his words and watched Scarlett lead the mercenaries into the sawmill. Their enemies were not their match, and the conclusion was drawn.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine that these creatures would be so weak against specialized magic. They should logically understand what their weaknesses are.¡± Amandina said quietly.

    ¡°That¡¯s not true, miss Amandina.¡± The Nightsong Tiger rode over and dismounted as he spoke.

    Amandina turned over and asked for the reason with her eyes.

    ¡°The Subterrane Dwellers are grouped with other units.¡± Brendel exined: ¡°The Jurgen Underworld is akin to a huge kingdom. Many different races gathered with each to form it. Not only do the Subterrane Dwellers work together with Earth Bear Spirits, but there are also witches with eagle bodies, and dog-headed bipeds as well. The Subterrane Dwellers do have their witch doctors, but the enemies we are facing here is from a small tribe, and there might not even be one. It¡¯s not strange for them not to be capable of handling magic.¡±

    ¡°Their witch doctors are few?¡±

    ¡°One wizard out of every thousand humans. That ratio is actually pretty high on our side. The Subterrane Dwellers have far less in their ratio.¡±

    Amandina nodded and pondered for a while: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the Underworld to beprised of so many races. It¡¯spletely different from the books. The Subterrane Dwellers are mentioned prominently; I thought the ce below is a ce where civilization doesn¡¯t reach, and it¡¯s a barbaric ce. The world is certainly interesting.¡±

    [It¡¯s normal to make this mistake since Kirrlutz is the one who writes all these books and promotes humans as the superior race. From the gamer¡¯s point of view, this world is incredibly vast.]

    ¡°If Ipare these Subterrane Dwellers to the Madara¡¯s skeletons, they are much more powerful. There must be even more fearsome creatures below. To think there¡¯s such a threat from the Underworld.¡± Amandina said.

    ¡°One characteristic of the Underworld¡¯s creatures is the individual¡¯s might. This has something to do with their environment,¡± Brendel said, before shaking his head and looked towards the sawmill with a sigh, ¡°yet if you think that these creatures are powerful, that¡¯s actually because Aouine is much too weak. If it were Kirrlutz¡¯s army, they would never say these words.¡±

 volume 3 - 20

    Chapter 20 ¨C Expansion

    =============== Tagiv¡¯s POV =================

    The Direbear Forest was somewhat considered as part of the Dark Forest, despite being close to civilization with its small geographical area as the bears were highly aggressive. The four lumber mills in this mountainous forest were approximately a day¡¯s journey from each other.

    The human leader of the mercenaries had taken the lumber mill located in the most western forest called the Hooved Grass Lumbermill. The defeated Subterrane Dwellers brought back the news of the fortress being conquered by humans, and eventually reached the ears of their Elders.

    Tagiv, one of the thirteen High Nobles who became a Witch Doctor without training, had skin color that was even darker than the elite warriors. The creature wore a coat woven from Terror Vulture¡¯s long feathers, won from the Underworld¡¯s Dark Elves in a battle.

    It sat on a throne covered with arge bear hide without any mood to groom the beautiful feathers. Instead, its long fingers were restlessly stroking a Longstaff. The weapon in his hands was adorned with a skull at the tip with Terror Vulture¡¯s feathers.

    Five years ago, Tagiv became the leader of this sub-tribe which splintered off from the main n. Due to a territorial fight, Tagiv had no choice but to bring its tribe away from the area. It was a habit of the Subterrane Dwellers to move away from trouble. Tagiv eventually and its men discovered a path towards the surface, as it was not a rare thing for the underworld to be connected to the surface.

    Rumors had described the surface to be far from the description of paradise, but the Witch Doctor decided to take a risk and led its tribe members to the surface world. It discovered that the human race here was not as terrifying as it had imagined, and thus led its tribe to conquer the four lumber mills within in the forest.

    This act naturally caused the territory Lord, Graudin, to be in utter fury. He eventually sent out his men to fight the creatures in the forest twice, but the unsightly human armyprised of undisciplined local men and nobles¡¯ private soldiers were not the match of the Subterrane Dwellers. In the end, the humans did not win anything and were driven out.

    Graudin ultimately cast down his pride and met Tagiv for negotiations. The Subterrane Dwellers did not need the lumber from the forest, but he needed them. Trentheim provided the merchant city Ampere Seale¡¯s demand for lumber, and if there were any problems with the delivery, the first person who would demand answers would be from his father, Count Randner.

    Even if there was a deficit in the yearly supply of lumber, Graudin had no choice but to find ways to ensure Trentheim provided the minimum amount. The four lumber mills near Firburh supplied a considerable figure, and he did not dare to abandon it lightly. Since he was unable to take them back by force, he had no choice but to establish a transaction.

    It was highly unthinkable that a lord had to buy his ownmodity that was made from hisnd, but Graudin at least had a silver mine in Trentheim to pay for it.

    Silver was also a currency used in the underworld, and Tagiv required money to bolster his tribe. This oue was a secret agreement that would supposedly continue, except that Graudin met his death.

    Tagiv was highly satisfied with the transaction. Despite the numerous victories against the humans and taking down Graudin¡¯s pride, the fact that its tribe was vastly outnumbered remained. Several thousands of Iron-ranked fighters might sound like a terrifying force, but they were the entirety of the sub-tribe¡¯s poption.

    Tagiv was highly intelligent, and with the constant interactions with the humans, it had realized the situation it was in in this surface world. Even though no army that could easily drive them away in Trentheim, there was no easy advantage that it could get by staying within thisnd.

    A poption of seventy thousand lived around Firburh, and the region Trentheim had several times of that. A strange race like themselves attacking the human cities was likely to gather a retaliation many times stronger than what Graudin had done.

    Tagiv understood that the kingdoms of the surface world were simr to the kingdoms in the underworld. Thisnd was merely part of something much bigger, and it was a little fearful and wary of that fact.

    Despite knowing that Graudin had a silver mine, it did not attempt to conquer it. As long as they maintained a hold on the lumber mills, they would receive a constant flow of silver. It could expand its tribe until it was ready to return to the underworld with hoarded silver to use for trade.

    Within its heart, it still desired to go back. Even though Trentheim appeared like a bountiful ce, it was not the Subterrane Dwellers native territory.

    After adjusting to a stable peace for months, the Subterrane Dwellers did not favor holding a hostile behavior towards the humans and would rather remain an unknown existence.

    But good things did not seem tost, and the creature felt that it had encountered a difficult trouble. The news of the conquered lumber mill arrived in the afternoon, when the defeated Subterrane Dwellers reported the humans had once again invaded the forest¡ª

    This time not only did the humans took back one of their lumber mills, they even ughtered more than a hundred of their tribe members.

    Tagiv was in aplete fury when it heard the news. It quickly gave an order to gather the tribe members who could fight, but it calmed down soon after and started to gather more information about its opponents. The Witch Doctor eventually summoned its trusted subordinates in order to hear more opinions about their enemies.

    An Elder Subterrane Dweller who had deep wrinkles in its hide,plete with white tattoos, stepped forward with its weak and thin limbs.

    This Elder was called ¡®Horned w¡¯, a rarity amongst Subterrane as the majority of them had no names, and was bestowed by Tagiv; this name originated from a type of lizard bipeds; hunters known for their efficient movements and cunning ways.

    Tagiv gave this name to him for his wisdom and experience. Horned w had betrayed its rival tribe and escaped from them, before surrendering to Tagiv.

    It was amon thing for the Subterrane Dwellers to surrender to another tribe and they did not have the notion of loyalty. Rather, they submitted to the strong. The Subterrane Dwellers did not look down on Horned w and even regarded its words with considerable weight.

    ¡°ording to the descriptions from our defeated tribe members, the humans most likely have a wizard,¡± the elderly Subterrane Dweller said, ¡°A Silence Spell. In the Underworld, the Dark Elves frequently used it against us. It is unfortunate that we don¡¯t have more Witch Doctors in our army, or we wouldn¡¯t lose so many of our tribe members.¡±

    ¡°How many men do they have?¡± Tagiv asked.

    ¡°Two to three hundred.¡±

    ¡°A mere army with only three hundred at most,¡± Tagiv said darkly, ¡°the human named Graudin must be tired of living. Does he think that I wouldn¡¯t fight back if he sent out the mercenaries after us?¡±

    It mmed its Longstaff onto the ground and said hatefully: ¡°We will kill these damned mercenaries and then take this useless lord¡¯s head. Then I¡¯ll also lead our army and upy that silver mine in the south too.¡±

    ¡°But if we do that we will most likely draw the humans¡¯ ire.¡± Horned w said.

    ¡°That is fine. They require time to move their armies. When we take over the mine, we will grab as much silver as possible and retreat to the Underworld. I want to see if they dare to pursue us.¡± Tagiv responded with disdain.

    The other Elders also chimed in with their screeches, both agreements and dissents.

    ¡°But how should we fight the mercenaries?¡± One of them asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll lead the army myself. It¡¯s merely magic that¡¯s causing a disadvantage for us,¡± Tagiv stood up, ¡°Tonight, I want the humans responsible to be killed in order to pay for our tribe¡¯s blood that was spilled today!¡±

    The chieftain¡¯s screech echoed within the room, and the Elders lowered their heads without any disagreement. The humans were indeed fools in their eyes.

    Tagiv had intentionally led an army of a thousand Subterrane Dwellers at any given time. With the full force of three thousand Subterrane Dwellers, it was enough to overturn Trentheim¡¯s entire army even if they gathered together. If Graudin knew about this truth, he might have made countermeasures by seeking more forces, but since he did not, there was no possible way for him to gather a bigger army quickly.

    The Subterrane Dwellers scouts near Firburh had reported that there was no new influx of any new armies, and there were only mercenaries that gathered there.

    There were some strange movements of the undead attacking the city and nearby citizens going to the city to defend it, but that was it. After a day from the undead¡¯s attack, it seemed like Graudin had persuaded the mercenaries to attack the Subterrane Dwellers.

    [If this short human believes this insolent act would not be met with retaliation, he must be aplete fool.]

    Tagiv would never be able to guess that Graudin had paid the price for his arrogance. The human who was currently standing before them was Brendel, and he knew them as well as they did themselves.

    The battles ahead for these creatures were always in a different direction from the very start.

    ================= Brendel¡¯s POV ==================

    The battle within the Hooved Grass Lumbermill ended quickly. The remnants of the Subterrane Dwellers within the makeshift fortress were the sick and elderly. They werepletely unable to resist the enemy that invaded them.

    Still, the mercenaries paid the biggest price ever since the start of the battle. There were over thirty men who were wounded and ten who were dead from this encounter.

    But Jana, Raban, and Cornelius were rxed when the battle was over. They were leaders who had seen enough death, and the small casualties were something beyond their expectations. No, perhaps it was even a miracle. If Brendel did not make use of the Subterrane Dwellers weakness, even gaining victory was wishful thinking, let alone paying this little price.

    But this battle with the Subterrane Dwellers made them uneasy and was out of their expectations. They had nothing to do with Graudin¡¯s antics, but for they were ultimately bound together for strange reasons and had to fight for their new young lord. They could not help but nce at each other, and they saw nothing but their sardonic thoughts in each other¡¯s eyes.

 volume 3 - 21

    Chapter 21 ¨C Expansion (2)

    ============== Three Mercenary Commanders¡¯ POV ==============

    ¡°This is absurd.¡± Jana wiped her fringe to the back of her head as she spoke emotionally, gazing upon the mercenaries who were clearing the battlefield: ¡°What exactly are we fighting for in this battle......¡±

    She paused before sighing, ¡°But the conclusion to this battle is eptable, barely.¡±

    Raban nced at her once and nodded.

    ¡°That young man is quite the excellent noble. Ever since I left Karsuk¡¯s armies, I havepletely given up on the nobles¡¯ leadership, but he¡¯s starting to make me change my mind. A mercenary bing a noble¡¯s retainer isn¡¯t a bad choice, but to have him forcibly controlling us through our weaknesses is causing us to feel reluctant to do so.¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± Cornelius scoffed coldly. The middle-aged man with silver hair looked back at both of them and said: ¡°Ask yourself this, are you certain that both of you would not act the same way if Graudin said he¡¯s interested in having you as his retainers? If Graudin didn¡¯t act like a crazed madman and started killing innocent people, I believe you would be interested in joining him. Regardless, this young lord of ours have no real footing in this territory, and any one of us can clearly see that he¡¯s borrowing our strength in order to fulfill his goals.....¡±

    He rubbed his gloves a few times, pondering deeply, ¡°It¡¯s suspicious on how he¡¯s acting. He didn¡¯t tell us his ns on casting magic before we shed with the damned creatures..... I won¡¯t let him have his way if he tries to sacrifice my men.¡±

    Raban nodded and said, ¡°This young man seems to be taking an independent stance amongst the nobles. I see no indication of any other nobles allying with him. Graudin is still a lord appointed directly by the king, and his death will spark a strong retaliation. No matter how highly I think of him, I too must be responsible for my men.¡±

    Jana made a light scornful noise after listening to the both of them and turned her head away. Her motives were very different from the two in front of her. She established her own mercenary group in order to resist the nobles. Despite doing so, she was disappointed because she had no choice but to work with the filthy nobles.

    During her leadership, she guarded her only sister fiercely until she lost her. She was still feeling a little lost and did not know what goals she still had left, but if there was one thing that was clear, it was that she disagreed with Cornelius¡¯s words.

    The three of them stopped their discussion when the Nightsong Tiger and his riders entered the lumber mill¡ª The young lord was finally going here. The other mercenaries paused what they were doing and looked over to them.

    It was simple for the mercenaries to judge their leader¡¯s abilities; was he able to lead them to victory?

    Brendel had brought them to a miraculous victory against seemingly impossible odds twice. The mysterious rumors around him had only deepened their convictions, and every one of them felt like this was someone they could follow in their future.

    The three mercenary leaders did not stop their subordinates from acknowledging him. Even though they did not know what direction they were heading into after the battle in Firburh, leaving Brendel¡¯s side would mean they had to seek refuge in the Dark Forest.

    Even though Count Randner was like a dark cloud gathering over their heads, they at least had a small hope shining in their hearts by following Brendel.

    If Brendel was capable of bringing victories under impossible odds, who could be certain of what the future holds?

    A seed of blind faith was growing in everyone¡¯s heart.

    Delighted yells started ringing out just like Cornelius predicted in his mind. The mercenaries generously greeted their hero with the highest respect, and their lifestyle under constant battles had nurtured their hot-blooded personalities.

    But when thest rider rode into the makeshift fortress, the mercenaries became confused.

    There was no sight of Brendel.

    The people at the forefront were Amandina the Nightsong Tiger and, as well as the lively merchant girl Romaine who behaved smugly after hearing the cheers.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Jana was the first to move over to them and demanded.

    Amandina nced at her. Despite the various exchanges between them, the veteran female mercenary was still unable to intimidate the young nobledy.

    Amandina replied disinterestedly: ¡°Our lord has orders. All of us are to set up a defense. The Subterrane Dwellers are likely to attack us during midnight after they finished gathering their forces. The Silence spell cannot be casted repeatedly, so he wants every wizard to use their magic generously to fortify the surrounding walls. It must be done before the moon rises up to the Witch-king¡¯s position.¡±

    Jana had to take a moment to understand the answer. She furrowed her eyebrows deeply when she came to a conclusion and wanted to ask for more answers. Before she did so, Raban came up and patted her shoulders, hinting to her that she needed to calm down.

    He raised his head to Amandina sitting straight up on the horse¡¯s back: ¡°Lady Advisor, when is our lord going to return? The only person amongst us who knows the most about the Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ habits and strategies is him, and without his leadership, we are unlikely to defend this ce past midnight.¡±

    ¡°It should suffice if I¡¯m here. Our lord has said that he will bring us aplete victory if we survive the night.¡±

    ¡°Survive the night?¡± Cornelius was next to voice his disagreement: ¡°Easier said than done, Lady Advisor. This lumber mill is the outermost area of the enemy¡¯s territory, yet the number of creatures we faced was over three hundred. I don¡¯t believe they would just split up a third of their forces to guard this ce, especially for a race that¡¯s in constant battles. Their numbers are far more than just a mere thousand.¡±

    ¡°Commander Cornelius, everythinges with a price, and regardless of the odds we need to hold this ce down,¡± Amandina said with an impassive expression.

    Romaine chimed in with a smile: ¡± For a businessman, opportunities and dangers alwayse together. My aunt had told me that the difference between one person and another, is that the clever people are able of bncing boldness and cautiousness at the same time, and this little me is capable of being a smart person.¡±

    Cornelius did not speak again after listening to her words. Since he did not dispute it, he acknowledged her words.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Jana turned her head slightly and asked Raban.

    ¡°What else can we do? We can see that the young man doesn¡¯t trust us ¡ª this is a test for our loyalty, and he has left us with this choice. We have to make our decision to ept it or not,¡± Raban smiled a little, ¡°He¡¯s quite the confident fellow, and ispletely different from the other useless nobles.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jana looked nkly at him.

    ¡°He¡¯s telling us that our beliefs are wrong. We have always thought he needed us for our men, but the fact that he¡¯s not here means that it doesn¡¯t matter whether he has us or not...... And has given us a chance to decide if we still wish to serve under him.¡±

    Jana stared at Amandina with remarkable intensity: ¡°Arrogance. If we¡¯re capable of defending through the night, we will be able to gain victory over the damned creatures? Does he really think he¡¯s going to reproduce King Erik¡¯s miracle?¡±

    She was referring to how King Erik subdued the Hignd citizens in the past. Raban shook his head slightly as he had his own thoughts about that fact, but he did not say anything more.

    ================== Brendel¡¯s POV =================

    Night slowly descended. No one in the lumber mill knew where Brendel was. While the three mercenarymanders were busy fortifying the lumber mill, Tagiv had split up his army into two forces and advanced through the forest. Countless Subterrane Dwellers and Earth Spirit Bears meandered slowly beside the mountain streams, looking like a gigantic grey snake that was moving slowly in the night.

    There were a few Earth Spirit Riders ¡ª They were not from the Underworld but the surface, and had allied with the creatures.

    [Most of Vaunte¡¯s main scouting forces are flying types. It¡¯s a huge disadvantage for many Underworld races as they are used to living in the small spaces, especially during the daytime when the sun easily blinds them...... but they have allied with the creatures on the surface.]

    In Brendel¡¯s eyes, they were merely weak creatures that could be ignored in a direct confrontation, but they were an obstacle if he wanted to fly over the enemies. He supported himself against a tree as he spied on them from a mountain slope.

    ¡°They have so many soldiers?¡± Scarlett could not suppress her voice and gasped a little when she saw this sight before her: ¡°That¡¯s more than a thousand. I knew the reports from Graudin¡¯s men are untrue. That fool didn¡¯t even realize how many creatures he was facing.¡±

    Brendel nodded. He and Scarlett had flown on the Silver Colt and followed the fleeing Subterrane Dwellers. As the creatures relied on their hearing and smelling senses, they were unable to detect the two. After waiting for a few hours, the enemy finally started to move. Brendel and Scarlett then moved ahead to higher grounds to observe them better.

    Brendel nced at the sky. It was still early, and the creatures would probably reach the lumber mill around midnight.

    ¡°With such arge force, even Commander Makarov would find it impossible to win,¡± Scarlett looked at the valley and frowned. She looked up at Brendel, ¡°what can we do?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. It seems like there¡¯s an outpost ahead of us.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°What?¡± She looked back puzzledly at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time for us to set out, but we won¡¯t be able to fly into the air now. I didn¡¯t expect the Subterrane Dwellers to ally with the nearby Earth Spirits.¡±

    ¡°My lord, you mean to¡ª¡± Scarlett¡¯s eyes were tinged with a sliver of shock: ¡°Isn¡¯t this action too bold?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; this isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯m doing this.¡± Brendel grinned back: ¡°But I do need your assistance¡ª¡±

    Scarlett sighed. ¡°Your orders, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Very well, as you wish.....¡± Brendel nodded after studying her expressions, ¡°Scarlett.¡±

    ¡°What are your orders?¡± She bowed her head.

    ¡°..... There¡¯s an old phrase back in my hometown, in order to capture the bandits, you must first capture their leader. I order you to aid me in doing so.¡±

 volume 3 - 22

    Chapter 22 ¨C Expansion (3)

    The sky¡¯s cotton-like clouds seemed like they were set ame by the setting sun¡¯s prating rays. The near crimson sky extended to a great distance before it gradually turned to colors of violet and dark blue, with patches of unlit clouds at the end.

    The clouds were considerably free of any indication that they were going to rain and instead hinted of good weather for the days ahead. While the trills and warbles of the birds could still be heard, they were diminishing and became quieter than it was a few minutes ago.

    Scarlett¡¯s eyes were slightly tinted by the sunset as she stood at Brendel¡¯s side. She looked over to Mountain Graham¡¯s northern direction; it extended towards Karanjar¡¯s mountainous regions which wrapped around Firburh and continued eastward to the Dark Forest.

    It was rumored that the mountains were the source of thend¡¯s wealth with countless treasures buried beneath the ground. The silver mine in Trentheim was rumored to be just a small portion of what the mountains held, and even that alone was enough to supply Graudin with money to spend.

    While the natives treated the tallest peak of the mountains as something holy and regal, it appeared like an enormous predator in her eyes. The jagged rocks that jutted out at the top caught the sun¡¯s rays and glinted brightly, but the dense foliage from the trees that grew out at sharp angles seemed to prevent light from entering, and appeared like there were something mysterious lurking behind the shade.

    The lumber mills in the forest were visible spots that stood out, and it seemed like there were few Subterrane Dwellers in them. But the truth could not be further away. These creatures dug the ground beneath it and created tunnels leading to exits all over the mountains. The small gaps in between boulders might lead into awork of tunnels.

    It was impossible for an army to reach the mountain valleys without being detected by the Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ strict guard.

    She nced back at Brendel. They had traveled a few hundred meters along the mountain after he told her about the n, but once they reached near the enemies¡¯ outpost, he stopped her from advancing. She initially thought that he was going to observe the situation, but he closed his eyes, sat down on the ground and started munching on some dry rations.

    She waited till he finished eating before she hurriedly urged her young lord to move off, but he scratched his head unwillingly and told her to wait with a small smile. When she asked for the reason, he mumbled about some unclear excuses that she did not understand.

    [This damned noble.]

    The girl did not make any visible reactions, but the root of a nearby tree near her was cracked open as she stood on top of it.

    [If you already decided on your n to capture the ringleader or assassinate it, why aren¡¯t you acting on it......]

    She hated the feeling of wasting time and frowned deeply because of that. A stream of Subterrane Dwellers suddenly appeared from one of the tunnels, and her eyes went to them. They were the second batch of Subterrane Dwellers that appeared.

    ¡°The first army of Subterrane Dwellers we saw a while ago moved deeper into the forest without stopping at the outpost. Are they going to going to wait for this second army or march straight to the Hooved Grass Lumbermill? That first army has over a thousand of the damned creatures. If they are not waiting for the second batch, will our mercenaries be able to hold on until midnight?¡± She asked with suspicion.

    ¡°I have no idea, as for the mercenaries holding on......¡± Brendel¡¯s answer was simple.

    [How should I know? I¡¯m not a genius. Knowing the Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ habits doesn¡¯t give me foresight into how they are going to act.]

    ¡°...... My lord, didn¡¯t you say we are going to move before the sun sets?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s mouth dropped down with surprise and said: ¡°Did I say something like that?¡±

    ¡°You, just did less than an hour ago......¡±

    ¡°Uhh,¡± Brendel interrupted her, ¡°that¡¯s because I saw you looked really annoyed, so I wanted you to rx.¡±

    She whipped her head in his direction and bared her pearly white teeth at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Brendel said with an apologetic smile.

    She did not respond to his words, but she let it slide as he was still her lord. As a subordinate, she could not question her lord¡¯s intentions, and even if she had questions, she could only put them in her heart.

    Brendel would usually exin his thoughts and actions most of the time, but it seemed like he was a little strange today.

    [...... It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to exin, but it¡¯s something that I can¡¯t tell you.]

    He sighed inwardly and tapped the Loxar¡¯s Market card in his mind and paid 2 Reputation. 6 Wealth immediately entered into his pool of resources. He had repeated this for three days and had his entire Wealth increased to 98 points. Although, this terrible exchange of resources made him tremble a little painfully.

    ¡°Even if we were to act now and search the tunnels, we wouldn¡¯t be able to find their chieftain.¡± He considered for a while and said, ¡°The Subterrane Dwellers have most likely dug through the entire mountain, and we wouldn¡¯t be able to find him even if we search the whole year.¡±

    ¡°But we can¡¯t afford to wait, right?¡± She grumbled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, since the enemies responded this quickly, it means they are confident of beating our Silence spell. Judging from their numbers, the chieftain that rules over them is a Witch Doctor. It wille out to fight against ¡®our wizard¡¯. ¡±

    ¡°When will that happen?¡±

    ¡°It depends on how cautious the enemies are. At thetest, it would be sometime after the moon is at its peak.¡±

    ¡°...... Can our men hold the enemy¡¯s vanguard off for so long?¡±

    ¡°I trust Amandina, and I told her my ns earlier. The only thing that matters is whether the mercenaries are willing to stand with me. If they are unable to hold the ce, they still have ways to preserve themselves and escape. In truth, there¡¯s no real importance whether we hold the Hooved Grass Lumbermill or not. When we won today¡¯s afternoon battle, our victory has already been decided.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, look forward to it. My goal isn¡¯t something as simple as winning a victory against the enemies.¡±

    =========== Mercenaries¡¯ POVs ============

    The moon was up in the sky and unhindered by clouds.

    The night scenery around the Hooved Grass Lumbermill had an air of serenity, but Jana detected an unusual scent in the air when she patrolled the fortified walls.

    [It seems like the Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ scouts are here.]

    She subconsciouslybed back her fringe and tidied her hair, which had been blown into slight disarray from the wind that was turning colder. She beckoned a few mercenaries below with her left hand and instructed them to investigate the forest.

    Her actions naturally caught the attention of the other mercenaries. Cornelius quietly nced at her before he turned his attention back to his men. They were digging a trench around the walls to prevent any sneak attacks from the ground below. Raban was also silent as he sent a hand signal to his men and had them to climb up the walls.

    Amandina was secretly relieved at the mercenaries¡¯ orderly and experienced responses. She took another brief look at the defenses in the lumber mill and climbed up the wall with the Elven twin sisters¡¯ aid. She soon reached Jana¡¯s position.

    ¡°Did you discover something?¡± Amandina asked.

    Jana turned her head and was not surprised when she saw the noble youngdy, but she looked away rudely before speaking: ¡°There¡¯s something in the forest, perhaps the Subterrane Dwellers, perhaps it¡¯s just a beast. I have sent my men to check it out.¡±

    ¡°The creatures are already here? This quickly?¡± Amandina¡¯s mind was shaken slightly, but it did not reach her expressions.

    ¡°I said ¡®perhaps¡¯,¡± Jana emphasized on thest word.

    ¡°But if it¡¯s true?¡± Amandina inhaled lightly and calmed herself: ¡°Does this mean the Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ response is fast? Are we able to judge how good organized their army is?¡±

    Even though she was knowledgeable from reading books, she realized that her experience was stillcking after she followed Brendel. She believed that she would learn much from the veteran mercenaries and thus lowered her attitude and asked humbly. Jana turned back and looked at her again, finding that the youngdy was not as annoying for the first time.

    [This little girl has a pretty good mental fortitude for her age¡ª]

    Jana had seen enough talented nobles, so she quickly epted the new Amandina.

    ¡°There is little information on the battlefield that¡¯s reliable. Things change all the time,¡± Jana shook her head, her crimson hair shimmering in the torches¡¯ mes, ¡°it could be possible that it¡¯s a Subterrane Dweller that was left behind in order to check us, or perhaps they are the enemy¡¯s scouts that have reached us. The former would mean that their battle discipline is very high, and if it¡¯s possible I wouldn¡¯t want to face this army; thetter would mean the enemy¡¯s response and organization are exceptional, and the battles ahead would be challenging...... And the reason for that is their scouts. The lumber mills are supposed to an entire day¡¯s journey from each other. For the scouts to reach this ce so quickly, it would mean their physical attributes are astonishing, as well as their speed to gather their army.¡±

    ¡°Which possibility do you think it is?¡±

    ¡°Based on experience, I would think it¡¯s thetter.¡±

    ¡°Experience, you say?¡±

    ¡°Miss Amandina, relying on experience is very important, especially when you are unable to confirm something. Instinct honed from experience is more reliable than your knowledge¡ª¡± Jana answered, before loud shes of weapons colliding each other suddenly filled the air. The mercenaries had encountered Subterrane Dwellers and were fighting them off. ¡°But our lord is even more impressive¨C¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Amandina looked nkly at her.

    ¡°The enemy is fighting back instead of fleeing, so it means they are enemy scouts. If that¡¯s the case, it would mean that the enemy¡¯s main forces are nearby. Judging from the amount of time that the enemies¡¯ main forces are going to take to reach here, the height of our battles will be at midnight, to even predict the time taken for the enemies to reach us, that boy...... Ah, excuse me, I mean our lord truly knows the enemies well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not all he predicted.¡± Amandina looked up at the moon as she said in a t tone.

    ¡°Oh?¡±

 volume 3 - 23

    Chapter 23 ¨C Expansion (4)

    Amandina listened to the faint sounds of the birds pping away within the distant forest and felt a little shiver creeping up over her.

    Jana stood beside her. Both stared silently ahead on top of the wooden walls, with the faint moonlight barely lighting up the trees¡¯ silhouette.

    Who knew what dangers lurked in the darkness? They could imagine the Subterrane Dwellers emerging from the forest, with their heavy footsteps crushing the dry branches with threatening snaps, burly figures appearing before them and sieging the lumber mill ¡ª

    When the Subterrane Dwellers indeed emerged, there were thirty of them pursuing the mercenaries who had been sent out to investigate the forest. Jana had considered that point and sent out experienced riders so they could at least escape from the enemies, or so she thought.

    The creatures were swiftly moving across the ground, and the mercenaries were not able to shake them off. If the humans somehow panicked and made a mistake by opening the fortress¡¯s gate without dealing with the pursuers properly, they would rush in and hold the gates until their main army arrived.

    Jana immediately reacted and ordered her men to open the gate to allow the riders to enter the lumber mill. She then yelled at the mercenaries on the wall.

    ¡°We¡¯re hitting the Subterrane Dwellers, ready your crossbows now! Nock! Mark! Loose!¡± She roared.

    The concentrated bolts struck the Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ formation like an invisible whip, causing them to stumble and lose their footing. But as expected, the damage done to them was suspect. Amandina saw the fallen Subterrane Dwellers getting up once again, with only five or six casualties on their side.

    She took in a cold breath. Even though she saw them in the afternoon, they were much further back and were not as close as they were now. She realized how ineffective the crossbows were.

    When the creatures found that the riders were already in the lumber mill, they retreated without taking back theirrades¡¯ corpses.

    ¡°They are definitely scouts,¡± Jana confirmed this point when she watched them retreat.

    ¡°They are probably the Subterrane Dwellers who guarded here this afternoon,¡± Amandina responded in a quiet voice.

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°Their reactions to recover after they struck by the arrows was much fasterpared to this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible that the scouts know our tactics because those creatures told them what weapons were used.¡± Jana raised her eyebrow. Amandina had asked a basic question earlier, yet her insight was good for something that was harder to determine.

    ¡°Maybe so, but they also seemed like they know this area. The terrain is uneven in this area, and our riders appeared to be slightly hindered when retreating, yet the Subterrane Dwellers had no such problems.¡±

    The two did not have time to discuss their arguments, as they spotted approximately a hundred-odd Subterrane Dwellers walking out from one side of the forest. The creatures marched along the shore and kept their distance from the lumber mill.

    ¡°What are they doing?¡± An inquisitive voice rang out behind the two women.

    A face appeared between the two of them. Romaine¡¯s round eyes were like a pair of glossy ck gems, and they blinked curiously at the long string of enemies before them.

    ¡°Surrounding this ce,¡± Amandina¡¯s brows were furrowed: ¡°It seems like they are going to wait for more to group up with them.¡±

    ¡°Are they slighting us? Hmph!¡± Jana was a little agitated as they moved into a snaking formation: ¡°Perhaps we should get let the Nightsong Tiger lead our mercenaries out and attack them?¡±

    She thought that the enemies¡¯ inferior numbers would make for a great advantage if they attacked them now.

    Amandina silently observed them with a little trepidation in her heart. They were sealing off possible exits and surrounding the lumber mill slowly. She calmed her nerves and shook her head: ¡°It¡¯s useless.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this mean they won¡¯t attack us anytime soon if they are surrounding us. Isn¡¯t this what we¡¯re hoping for?¡±

    ¡°If we cut their strength down, we will have an easier time defendingter,¡± Jana nced at Amandina, noting her calm exterior and impressing her, but she nodded: ¡°But you¡¯re right. We¡¯re going to face perhaps a thousand of these creatures, having a hundred more or hundred less has no difference. Honestly, I don¡¯t have the confidence to take the enemies down in front of uspletely despite outnumbering them......¡±

    Amandina shook her head inwardly as she thought about Brendel¡¯s words in the afternoon. There were three thousand Subterrane Dwellers, perhaps even more.

    As she watched the creatures gather in greater numbers slowly, she reflected on Brendel¡¯s prediction.

    [Brendel said that it was possible for more than half of them to attack the lumber mill, but we should be able to hold our position as they are unused to sieging in open ground. I hope he¡¯s right.]

    She felt more and more anxious about his given n, but she was unable to recall Brendel ever making any mistakes in his strategies.

    ================== Brendel¡¯s POV ==============

    When the moon was nearly at its highest, Brendel finally discovered his target. He narrowed his eyes and saw several Earth Spirit Bears surrounding a skinny Subterrane Dweller, which quickly disappeared amongst the army. Hemitted the estimated position in his mind.

    It was just after midnight.

    The Loxar¡¯s Market card had reset. He tapped it again, entering 6 Wealth into his resources to reach 104. Once he was done with that, he studied the dark mountain valley. The amount of Subterrane Dwellers was staggering and split equally into three armies. Brendel guessed that more than half of them were residing within the the lumber mill¡¯s underground tunnels and only emerged after his attack. He frowned when he looked at the number of long spears appearing like a wall of dense needles.

    [The bad news is we have to search for our target in such a big army. Even if Scarlett and I hold Gold-ranked capabilities, it¡¯s highly unrealistic we can move about freely when there are over a thousand Iron-ranked fighters in our way. The good news is that we¡¯re not fighting in their underground tunnels.]

    Brendel had fought against the Subterrane Dwellers with his allies back in the game. They went directly for their chieftain by searching the tunnels, and the result was getting lost for a whole week. Scarlett nearly repeated his old mistake by wanting to do the same thing.

    He finally stood up and beckoned to her. She looked terribly bored as she tormented the grass in front of her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°We¡¯re finally moving?¡± She looked up in a daze and asked, with Brendel nodding back.

    The two slid down the slope quietly. The lush foliage seemed to cover their tracks, but the Subterrane Dwellers quickly detected their light footsteps a hundred meters away as they did not rely on sight but scents and sounds.

    This sneak attack would have failed for any normal humans, but the duo could hardly be considered as such.

    While the creatures took a few seconds to understand there was something out there, Brendel and Scarlett had closed the distance and appeared before several Earth Bear Spirits that were at the edge of the valley. The lumbering creatures stared nkly at the two humans for a few seconds before they bellowed, sending echoes throughout the valley¡ª

    A metallic grinding sound rang out as Brendel sliced the enemy¡¯s morningstar whistling towards him into two with his sword; he then shifted his head slightly as the weapon hurled harmlessly behind him.

    The Earth Bear Spirit who attacked him discerned that its attack failed and understood its opponents¡¯ strength and howled guttural noises. The information spread quickly amongst the surrounding creatures, but they took time toprehend the human¡¯s power.

    Brendel did not waste any time and drew a long horizontal line with his sword, unleashing his Arte. The wind pressure escaped from his de, and sliced across the battlefield like a long scythe, mowing the Earth Bear Spirits first before it reached Subterrane Dwellers at the back. Blood spilled across the ground like rain as the gigantic monsters were minced into half at their abdomens from the repeating shes, and the Subterrane Dwellers were blown away into the air before they crashed lifelessly onto the ground.

    This single strike terrified the Underworld creatures. Even though the grading of power was different for them, but a Gold-ranked fighter was enough to awe them. The Subterrane Dwellers immediately wailed with fright and shock as they retreated backward like an ocean¡¯s low-tide, although Brendel only heard meaningless noises from them.

    [This is even more exaggerated than the game......]

    Brendel perceived this to be simr to the game¡¯s Morale bar. He did not expect that his single attack to have such a strong effect and it surprised him. But it was a good thing, and he immediately charged straight into the area where the creatures retreated, with Scarlett following closely behind him.

    At this moment, the Witch Doctor Tagiv finally recognized the source of trouble to be two humans. It shook its race¡¯s characteristicallyrge head. It was angry and displeased at its subordinates in the beginning before it realized something was off.

    [Two mere humans causing such chaos in my army that I gathered painstakingly¡ª W-wait, what kind of speed is that! Those two are charging over to my direction!]

    The echolocation from the various noises around Tagiv made it possible for the Witch Doctor to discern their location, and they had closed in dozens of meters to its position within mere seconds.

    [This is a bad omen!]

    Tagiv started to panic.

 volume 3 - 24

    Chapter 24 ¨C Expansion (5)

    ============== Tagiv¡¯s POV ==============

    Although the battlefield was mired in chaos, the Subterrane Terrane Elite Warriors¡¯ angry screeches brought order to those who were frightened by Brendel¡¯s attack.

    Tagiv¡¯s startled heart calmed down after much effort. The Underworld had circted rumors about the people on the Surface. Some had mentioned about their greed, but there were also legends and stories about the Surface Empires¡¯ might.

    The Witch Doctor used to believe in these rumors, and regarded the Surface to be a dangerous and destitute world. It then quickly changed its mind, because Trentheim¡¯s humans gave him an impression they were feeble. In its eyes, their army was weak andcked discipline. The Subterrane Dwellers were considered as a weak race in the Underworld, yet they easily defeated the ¡®big army¡¯ of the local baron named Graudin.

    At first, Tagiv thought that the humans wereying a trap and they pretended to be weak. Even after Graudin came to meet it personally, it still wondered if the human noble was lying.

    In the end, Tagiv was able to prove that this belief was unnecessary. The rumors about of arge empire with an undefeatable army wielding gs with griffins woven onto them were nothing more than a story that was meant to frighten children.

    But it was true that the humans were greedy.

    After the surprise, Tagiv¡¯s careful attitude was reced with arrogance. It began to expand brazenly in the forest and even thought to upy Graudin¡¯s territory with the forest as a foothold. It eventually remembered the humans had arge poption and canceled his n. Naturally, it did not change the idea that they were weak.

    Tagiv believed that the mercenaries were able to take a lumber mill was due to the human wizard taking advantage of the Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ weak point. Once it set out to lead the army, it would give the humans a lesson they would not forget.

    [These weak and greedy humans needed to see fists and fresh blood, or else they wouldn¡¯t remember their earlier lessons.]

    Tagiv hatefully regarded the Surface¡¯s people as lowly beasts subconsciously.

    When its army gave information about the two invaders, it was greatly shocked.

    ¡°The two humans are incredibly powerful, perhaps they have the strength of a velord¡ª¡± A nearby Elite Warrior shrilled and told its chieftain.

    On the surface, the types equivalent to a velords was Minotaurs living in mazes or Golden Dwarves. All of them were Gold-ranked fighters ranked somewhere in the middle.

    Tagiv¡¯s pores opened up, an innate characteristic for Subterrane Terrane dwellers when they are on guard. The velords were creatures that sat firmly in the position of the Fourth Tier of the underworld. They were existences where the entire Subterrane Dwellers had to look up to.

    [These two aren¡¯t the rumored minotaurs wield dual-ded axes or the Golden Dwarves who resides in the Golden Hall but two supposedly weak humans? I see...... To think that there are strong existences within the humans as well. But there are only two of you, and you dare to challenge an entire army?]

    Tagiv¡¯s mind quickly spun and regarded them as foolish creatures of the Surface who did not know tactics. In the Underworld, tactics were seen as an art, and even though the chieftain had only learned a little, it was enough to look down on the humans and regard them as barbarians.

    Tagiv raised its g quickly, getting its subordinates to surround them. Even if they were velords, they would not be able to resist its whole army.

    ============== Brendel¡¯s POV =============

    Brendel¡¯s progress was considered smooth when the Subterrane Dwellers were in a panic. The Witch Doctor¡¯s position was too distinct because it wore a gigantic goat-like skull with feathers stuck onto it. It was approximately a hundred meters away, but the Subterrane Dwellers were quickly filling up the space between them.

    The Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ Elite Warriors weremanding the scattered creatures. They were muchrger, with purplish-red tumors growing on their skin, and mercilessly whipped them with their long spears, forcing them to wake up from their panic and get back to their position.

    The opening was closing as the Subterrane Dwellers were forced back to fight him.

    He quickly found himself against the enemies¡¯ grunts. They stood together in a line, shakily thrust their weapons at him as if to test the waters, and it was naturally ineffective. He quickly swept away the spears of poor quality and used a single strike to divide the wall of creatures into two again.

    The first row of Subterrane Dwellers that was nearest to him were blown away with ayer of frost, and the defense line parted like melting snow.

    Brendel moved forward again, but the Subterrane Dwellers were chased back by the elite warriors to be cannon fodder to dy him. Due to the time gained by them, more of the creatures moved in with a tactical formation, distancing him away from their leader.

    ¡°My lord,¡± Scarlett said, wanting to inform him the enemies were surrounding their rear.

    Brendel did not need to look back to know that they were closing in like a tidal wave. The two of them continued to advance by ten meters, but the resistance they encountered was starting to slow them. Three Subterrane Dwellers charged in with high-pitched screams, their strong legs resembling powerful warhorses, while concentrated their strength on the spears¡¯ tips.

    This attack waspletely different from the previous attempts.

    Brendel felt troubled after defending the new attacks twice. The chaotic screams and charges were causing him to lose where Tagiv was moving to.

    [He¡¯s moving to the north or the northeast? ......Was it a mistake that I didn¡¯t stick to my first n and use the Silver Colt and attack from above? No, I already shot that down because it¡¯s much riskier facing an enemy who can cast anti-air magic. I should consider think of another way......]

    Brendel¡¯s hands did not stop moving while he was reflecting on his n. Scarlett was right behind him, and both of them struck the enemies with lightning and ice, extending their attack range to three meters in front of them. The third group of Subterrane Dwellers who attempted to surround them were crushed by their attacks.

    But both of them soon stopped to take a rest instead of advancing.

    Brendel noted that he had killed at least forty Subterrane Dwellers, and with the addition of Scarlett¡¯s shared kills, he received an impressive amount of XP, except that his stamina was rapidly dropping.

    Scarlett¡¯s face was slightly red, and her forehead was perspiringly lightly. Her overall Power Rating was even higher than Brendel¡¯s by a tenth, but thetter had constantly fought againstrger numbers in the game, and lived a life where he charged in and out of the enemy lines; a gamer¡¯s infinite lives allowed them to test out all kinds ofbat tactics, and Brendel conserved his stamina by using the most efficient way of attacking.

    [As expected of my lord.]

    His face was void of any signs of exhaustion, even taking on a nonchnt expression, and it caused her to feel considerable admiration in her heart when she looked at him.

    Brendel was carefully listening to the shrills around him. He swung his sword and prevented the Subterrane Dwellers from filling in the empty space in front of him, while he pricked his ears for a certain high-frequency wavelength.

    A particrly antiquatednguage, simr to a variation of the dragon¡¯snguage that should not be within a normal human¡¯s listening range.

    However, in this world, the higher perception one had, the more frequencies and noises one could hear. Brendel¡¯s perception was 20 OZ, and he quickly caught that unique sound. The highest-ranking Elite Warriors within the Subterrane Dwellers were issuing orders to the lower rankingmanders with their unique methods.

    Even though he did not understand theirnguage, he was certain that the enemies would fall into chaos if he disrupted these hidden mand posts¡¯. It was one of the mostmon tactics within the gamers to aim for them.

    He quickly locked down the sources and found at least three different voices. They were most likely ordering the fourth attempt to surround them.

    ¡°Scarlett,¡± he immediately shouted, ¡°create an opening over to where I¡¯m pointing.¡±

    Scarlett looked over to where he was pointing at; there was a huge group consisting over one hundred Subterrane Dwellers that was forming a strongyered defense with no gaps.

    It was evident that they realized Brendel¡¯s intention.

    However, their actions also made her realize that was something important behind them. She tossed her ponytail hair to one side, and there was no need for more words; her spear swung onto the ground with a lightning trail!

    The blinding light immediately pierced through the front defenders, then spread out like a fan to hit the person next to them. An explosive noise echoed into their ears.

    The few front rows of defenders were burned into cinders from the intense heat while the rear was paralyzed.

    Brendel¡¯s narrowed eyes managed to spot the burly Elite Warriors once the opening was created in the wall of creatures. However, the two nks were closing in and filling up the gaps of the wall, and there was only a short moment before the chance disappeared.

    He immediately activated his Charge ability. His body blurred into a ck line in an instant and separated away from Scarlett for the first time.

    The ck line leaped above the Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ shoulders and bypassed them. When they finally reacted, they turned their heads and discovered that he had reached the highest-ranking Elite Warriors.

    There were a total of six Camlu of the highest rank, and these purplish-red skinned creatures were smart enough to scatter in different directions when they discovered Brendel had broken through the defenses.

    But thetter used his utmost efforts to strike them down,bining both the Power Break and the White Raven Sword Arte. A translucent distortion of eight meters swept through the air and cut through their bodies. The Camlu staggered as if they were drunk before they copsed to the ground in a heap with their heads lopped off.

    When Brendel turned around with his sword in hand, the Subterrane Dwellers retreated away from him in utter fear.

 volume 3 - 25

    Chapter 25 ¨C Expansion (6)

    ========== Tagiv¡¯s POV =============

    The ball of lightning exploded in the darkness like fireworks, and thebination of electricity and fire immediately prated past the first three Subterrane Dwellers and expanded out like a fan.

    A group of Subterrane Dwellers copsed.

    Tagiv jumped up in fright. It was not because Scarlett¡¯s terrifying attack pressured him. He already knew that power at a velord¡¯s level could increase many times with a concentrated blow. But what shook him was the fact that the Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ formations started to crumble.

    [What¡¯s happening?!]

    The Underworld creature¡¯s eyes darted around the battlefield and suddenly realized the sounds thatmanded the battlefield had stopped.

    [I lost six Camlu. These two humans seemed to know our ways ofmanding the battlefield¡ª]

    Tagiv¡¯s heart suddenly pulsed faster, but he did not even have the time to mourn because the two humans had started to intersect each other and were killing a path towards him.

    Their speed was exceedingly fast, and the disorganized Subterrane Dwellers could not stop them, and they closed in more than half the distance between them.

    Tagiv naturally did not wait there for them to kill him and attempted to organize a defense by screaming at the nearest Camlu. The elite warriors tried to follow his orders, but the two humans urately removed them. After several tries, the Witch Doctor gave up this meaningless attempt and furthermore it did not have that many Camlu to spend.

    Tagiv was finally starting to be anxious after losing half his elite warriors. Time did not allow it to overthink. It nced around; the Earth Spirit Bears were guarding him.

    [It¡¯s time for these giants to be useful here. Even though they are the most powerful forces in our tribe, I don¡¯t want to die meaninglessly to the two humans nearing me with every step.]

    It made a gesture. It was a magic blessing that enhanced creatures to gain even morebat prowess, with the price of temporarily stealing their sight. This spell raised the Earth Bear Spirits, which had the peak strength of an Iron-ranked fighter, to gain the abilities of a Silver-ranked fighter.

    In truth, it was a subtype of ck Magic which did significant damage to the receiver. But Tagiv had no idea what it was exactly, as the shamanic abilities it had were derived from bloodlines. It was the blessing of the Cave Witch, and every Witch Doctor learned this as their first magic spell, without any regards to its fairness.

    Tagiv raised its three bony fingers, poured out ashes onto the ground, and cast the Blind Blessing spell. This made the Earth Spirit Bears blind, but it did not affect their abilities because they had been trained to fight without any sight, and they were mostly unaffected.

    Every Underworld citizen understood that eyesight was unnecessary.

    Finally, Tagiv pointed out to the humans and uttered a guttural scream. Its orders were simple; they were to intercept the humans or at least block them, while it personally organized the Subterrane Dwellers.

    The chieftain knew that the humans had limited stamina and had heard the woman¡¯s breaths bing gradually heavier. It knew that they were fighting to see who could oust each other. However, it believed that victory would belong to the Subterrane Dwellers.

    The experience that was gained from hundreds and perhaps reaching a thousand-odd battles, made the Witch Doctor certain.

    Tagiv listened to the Earth Spirit Bears¡¯ lumbering footsteps as they set off, and ordered its other guards to protect it while retreating. The level of its guards defending was almostughable.

    ¡°These two ursed humans.¡± Tagiv spat out its words vehemently.

    ============ Brendel & Scarlett¡¯s POV ==============

    Scarlett felt she was exhausted and could no longer continue. She had never tried attacking an army all by herself, and while the idea of a Gold-ranked fighter unleashing havoc in a group of Iron-ranked fighters sounded girl, she realized that her stamina was dipping at an incredible rate.

    She recalled that she had killed nearly a hundred or even more. At first, she broke through the creatures like they were made out of paper, but as her stamina was slowly drained, she found that she was experiencing a sliver of dull pain in her body.

    The lightning arc that reached meters wide from her halberd was already reduced to the extent where it merely reached her weapon length. She did not know how long she was going tost, and could only observe the enemies that wereing from everywhere. She took inrge gulps of air, nced at Brendel, and was impressed.

    He was still taking on a nonchnt expression; his Element Power caused the ground to freeze with ayer of ice dust because of the low temperature. It still maintained its range ever since he used it, and the Subterrane Dwellers that approached him were forced back after a moment in its field.

    Scarlett gritted her teeth, unwilling to lose, and followed after him.

    But she did not know that Brendel was just as exhausted. No matter how much stats one was able to umte in the game, as long as that person did not attain a Perfect body, then he would never be able to avoid fatigue. It was still true even one had mastered the usage of Element powerspletely.

    (TL: Gold-ranked, lvl 41-60. The rank above it is called ¡°Realm of Extremes¡± ¼«Ö®¾³½ç lvl 80 or ¡°Realm of Elements¡± ÒªËØÖ®¾³ lvl 61-80. Perfect Body is level 81 and above.)

    His expressions that he took on like he was unaffected and able to use his Element freely, was because of a particr ability. With the increase of his level, the Unyielding talent had also increased in giving out additional traits. When he inspected his Stats Windows to find out the cause, he discovered with surprising delight¡ª

    ¡®As long as your stamina has not reached the Critical Exhaustion level, you would be able to use your abilities as though you are at peak conditions.¡¯

    [This ability isn¡¯t included in the Overall Power Rating, but the practical usage is beyond imagination. If I don¡¯t have this, then I will have to pace my stamina like the battles in my past...... But even though it sounds good, once Iplete the Perfect Body stage, it will be quite useless.]

    He felt a little helpless when he thought about it.

    Still, the fact that he was able to maintain his strength was truly advantageous. The only exception to the rule of losing stamina was the races who possessed the Golden Lineage. Anyone else who battled continuously would have their Overall Power Rating diminished slowly.

    He casually cleaved through the air once again along with his Element Power, and it sent him one step closer to the Critical Exhaustion line. When the dust finally settled, he had reached Tagiv¡¯srge group of Earth Spirit Bears.

    [They¡¯re d in a dark red aura? Hmmm, that¡¯s a blessing spell mostmonly used by their Witch Doctors. It looks like Tagiv¡¯s pretty desperate, given that their Mana Pool isn¡¯t a lot.]

    His victory was practically sealed.

    He could not help but sigh with relief, and he turned back his head slightly towards Scarlett.

    ¡°Can you still go on?¡± He asked.

    Scarlett smacked away a random Subterrane Dweller which had charged in blindly. She gasped for air and could not even muster the thought to answer the question.

    ¡°We...... I...... How much longer must we advance, my lord?¡±

    Her answer showed that she had reached her limits. When she looked up, she was shocked to find a whole row Earth Spirit Bears marching towards them. They were like giant walls that blocked their path. Her face paled, and she took a moment before she clenched her teeth. She took a deep breath: ¡°My lord, I believe you have an ability to elerate?¡±

    ¡°Charge?¡± Brendel blinked nkly.

    ¡°Yes......¡±

    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°I, I¡¯m just too tired. I¡¯m afraid I have no more strength to continue moving forward......¡± Scarlett¡¯s head bobbed up and down as she breathed heavily, but when she looked up at Brendel, her eyes said that she did not wish to lose. She clenched her teeth and said: ¡°I¡¯ll use the Seventh Chord to create an opening, and my lord, you can elerate past the Earth Spirit Bears....... They are called Earth Spirit Bears right?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about, I wanted to ask you if you can give me a bit of time.¡± He shook his head.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I need thirty seconds.¡±

    Her eyes were perplexed, but she ultimately nodded with resolution: ¡°Of course I can.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you!¡± Brendel nced at the ¡®Wall of Earth Spirit Bears¡¯, while Tagiv¡¯s goat skull g was moving further away. But sess was right before his eyes......

    ============ Tagiv¡¯s POV ============

    Tagiv was able to sense that Brendel and Scarlett hadpletely stopped, and thought that victory was almost in his hands. Even if there were two ¡®velords¡¯, they had to be careful in handling twenty Earth Spirit Bears that had been enhanced with Blind Blessing.

    Once the humans stopped moving, it would have enough time tomand the frightened Subterrane Dwellers to surround them. In that way, their efforts would be wasted.

    The Witch Doctor felt a little proud of his brilliance, but before he could order his Camlu to create a new defense line, there was something that surprised him through his hearing senses.

    Instinct honed from the countless wars it had was warning him. His mind worked quickly, and it raised its head as it sensed sound wavesing from above. There were unweed beings in the air.

    [The sound of...... wings? But they are much bigger than the birds in the Surface. Wait, I suddenly remember...... There¡¯s a legend about Giant Eagles which served the Elves?]

    It now knew something was causing the unique distortion by flying. The sound was soft and a hint of chaotic beating, as though it was drumming the air and creating a whirlpool of wind.

    Right at that moment, only Brendel and Scarlett and a few other creatures in Tagiv¡¯s army could see that two glowing angels with two radiant wings on their backs.

    The Pristine Angels were descending from the sky and targeted Tagiv!

 volume 3 - 26

    Chapter 26 ¨C Expansion (7)

    =========== Amandina¡¯s POV ============

    Amandina¡¯s hands were sped tightly together in front of her chest as she silently watched the increase of the shadowy figures in the forest. Since the new month, the temperature in the night had greatly decreased, even though it was still quite a long way from Aouine¡¯s first snow.

    Everyone¡¯s misty breath could be visibly seen, and there was a thin white mist that gathered around the lumber mill. The mercenaries rubbed their hands together as they shivered a little anxiously in the silent night.

    Nearly every defender was up on the wooden walls. Despite Jana and Cornelius¡¯ forceful objections to leave some defenders at the gate, Amandina had rejected them because of Brendel¡¯s ns.

    ¡°What is going to happen if they attack the gate instead? This is a dangerous move to make if we don¡¯t secure our backlines!¡± Jana shouted.

    Amandina had the strangest idea while she listened to the femalemander¡¯s words.

    [If Brendel deceives me and gets me killed I¡¯ll haunt him his whole life.]

    When she realized what she was doing, her body jolted in surprise, and she blushed slightly. She felt a little warm and even gave a quietugh before she shook her head vigorously to get rid of that thought.

    Jana red at the noble youngdy as she acted oddly, but she quickly received thetter¡¯s reply.

    ¡°These are the direct orders from our lord,¡± Amandina said, and immediately destroyed Jana¡¯s good feelings that were built just minutes ago.

    Jana trembled greatly from anger from the irresponsible reply and stormed away, yelling at her subordinates. She muttered curses at the nobles under her breath, but if it were yesterday, she would have done it right in Amandina¡¯s face. In truth, she had subconsciously recognized Brendel¡¯s leadership and did not object to cing all their mercenaries on the wall.

    [That youth must have his reasons for ordering us to defend the walls.]

    Cornelius also stopped his objections when he heard Amandina¡¯s answer. When he went off tomand his mercenaries, he spotted a faint smile on Raban¡¯s dark face and was slightly surprised.

    ¡°You already know?¡± He asked and was instinctively on his guard.

    Raban seemed to see through that old fox¡¯s mind. He rubbed his nose without reacting to Cornelius¡¯s rude tone with a smile.

    ¡°That girl is calmer than both of us. Do you really think she¡¯s randomly ordering us around? The only one who could overwrite her orders...... is probably that young lord of ours.¡± He said.

    ¡°You have quite the discerning eyes.¡± Cornelius scoffed.

    Raban thought Cornelius was the same as him but did not mention it, as a veteran mercenary who noted the number of Subterrane Dwellers at timed intervals hade up to him to give his report, and the imposingmander quietly listened to his assessment.

    There were nearly a thousand Subterrane Dwellers shifting about in the forest.

    Everyone around Raban was on their guard when they listened in.

    The stars were shimmering in the sky, while the moon which hung right beside them meant that it had just past midnight. Before Amandina faced themanders¡¯ rebuttals, she had dealt with Romaine¡¯s endless bizarre questions, and now that it was quiet she stifled a yawn and was about to rub her tired eyes.

    That was when she heard a series of odd piercing sounds; the mercenaries who were already armed with their crossbows suddenlyunched their projectiles.

    Amandina was startled, and her eyes darted around. She caught rows of Subterrane Dwellers marching with appropriately ced Earth Spirit Bears raising their immense wooden shields, shielding them from the raining bolts.

    ¡°Anyone spotted if they have siege weapons?¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see them!¡±

    The question asked by the mercenaries was mostly directed at their scouts who had keener eyesight. Everyone was relieved, but Amandina was immediately alert.

    [My lord has once again predicted correctly!]

    ¡°Be on your guard; they will definitely attack the wall! Be prepared to knock them off if they jump up!¡± Amandina yelled to the surprised mercenaries who nodded after a moment.

    The Subterrane Dwellers began to elerate at around the mark of hundred and fifty meters. They first appeared as if they were jogging, but the mercenaries discovered the distance the Underworld creatures covered was rmingly quick.

    The threemanders ordered the mercenaries to cease firing and reload, then wait for their orders.

    Hundred meters.

    Fifty meters.

    It was at that moment they gave the order to unleash the projectiles at their enemies. The hundred-odd projectiles which fired at the same time caused a loud ringing in everyone¡¯s ears, and the concentrated firepower swept through the air like a sharp de, striking against the Underworld creatures¡¯ formations.

    Their front few rows slowed their advance at the same time, as a few Subterrane Dwellers and Earth Spirit Bears fell over; there was a clear crack to their army¡¯s defense.

    But everyone already knew how ineffective the crossbows were against the enemies. Before they were able to reload their crossbows, the gap they had was quickly filled in by the Subterrane Dwellers. Very soon, they reached the wooden walls.

    The lumber mill¡¯s walls were constructed with fouryers of thick wood logs, and between the twoyers were mud packed tightly between them. The threemanders thought that the Subterrane Dwellers utterly wasted these building materials, but when the Earth Spirit Bears mmed their wooden shields onto the reinforced walls, they immediately regretted ever considering that thought.

    The gigantic clumsy-looking creatures tookrge strides and swung with their body weight, sending their shields crashing into the wall. Cracking sounds could be heard immediately, and certain sections tilted backward. The fact that a third of the wood logs were entrenched into the soil only made the Earth Spirit Bears¡¯ assault appear even more impressive.

    The mercenaries nearly lost their bearings when they heard the walls creaking repeatedly, but Amandina¡¯s repeated yells warned and woke them up¡ª The Subterrane Dwellers were capable of jumping up to the wall.

    It was fortunate that they recovered quickly enough to knock down the leaping Subterrane Dwellers. However, this was apparently not their only option, as one of the mercenaries suddenly bellowed:

    ¡°They¡¯re digging a tunnel!¡±

    The Nightsong Tiger got Amandina to move further back in so that he could inspect the enemies¡¯ movements. Indeed, they were digging under the Earth Spirit Bears¡¯ raised shields. Their speed in burrowing through the ground was shocking, and they were quite rightly reputed as ¡®citizens of the soil¡¯.

    There was no oil in the lumber mill, and even rocks were scarce. The mercenaries tried throwing down thergest wood logs they could find at them, but they werepletely useless because of the Earth Spirit Bears¡¯ immense strength.

    It was fortunate that there was a mercenary group who specifically worked in digging out multiple deep holes some distance away from the walls. They were dug out ording to Brendel¡¯s instructions and reached several meters deep. The battle continued into the thirty minutes mark, and the first batch of Subterrane Dwellers who broke through the area quickly stumbled into the holes.

    Because the creatures rushed out hurriedly, they were unable to read the area well and continued to fall into the traps. When they tried to identify the situation they were in, the mercenaries were prepared and were waiting for them. Dozens of spears stabbed into them, and no matter how outstanding their abilities were, they were unable to fend the attacks off and ended up as pincushions.

    After losing several tens of their men, the Subterrane Dwellers finally recognized that the attacks by the underground tunnels were not working. They had no choice but to choose a more violent way to assault the walls.

    They began to stack on top of each other, and the mercenaries were shocked to discover they were forming intodders.

    It was an effective strategy, and the only drawback was that the Earth Spirit Bears would not be able to follow. Still, their wooden shields formed into a stable tform and allowed the Subterrane Dwellers to scale the walls much easier.

    ¡°Nets!¡± Amandina¡¯s eyebrows went up when she discovered their new form of attack.

    Raban and Cornelius immediately echoed Amandina¡¯s words, and the mercenaries carried s¡¯ formed by oil ropes out to the area. When the Subterrane Dwellers finished climbing over the wall, they found that thes were cast over them and inhibited their movements. It would be quiteughable to use them against humans, but the Subterrane Dwellers were blind and had trouble identifying what had covered them. As the mercenaries were able to prey on their hindered movements and hesitation, the Underworld creatures immediately faced losses.

    The three mercenarymanders were amazed at the effectiveness at countering the enemies. These strategies were simple and efficient, and it did not appear what a noble or knight would consider using. It was instead more simr to what a veteran mercenary woulde up as an emergency solution, but the person who came up with these ns was a youth who was just twenty.

    They would never know that the crystallizations of such ¡®tactics¡¯ were invented by gamers who experienced countless battles.

    The mercenaries were able to stop the Subterrane Dwellers from having a proper foothold with the simple tool, but as the battle continued, thes ultimately frayed and snapped, and the Subterrane Dwellers finally broke through. It was at that point the mercenaries had their first casualty, and from that point, the injuries and deaths of the humans quickly increased.

    In a confrontation, the advantages of the Subterrane Dwellers¡¯bat prowess slowly became apparent.

    The mercenaries continued to be pushed back slowly, and with the increase of the Subterrane Dwellers numbers, they lost their advantage as defenders and were nearly forced off the wall. The Underworld Creatures seemed like they were going to overrun the lumber mill. The sheer numbers they had simply covered all weaknesses they had.

    Cornelius and Raban¡¯s forehead was full of cold perspiration, and they cast their gazes to Amandina at the same time. The only way to overturn this critical juncture was most likely with her. If she did not have any ns, then they could only rely on their own methods to end this battle.

    The twomanders made the same decision at the same time.

 volume 3 - 27

    Chapter 27 ¨C Expansion (8)

    ========== Brendel¡¯s POV ============

    The battle suddenly stopped in the valley, and the no one uttered a sound.

    The only irregrity that broke the silence was the wings cutting through the air. Tagiv¡¯s reactions were swift. The spellcasters of the Underworld had to deal with Harpy Witches or sub-dragon types, and anti-air spells were passed down from generation to generation; most of them were simr to the spell that Tagiv was casting.

    The Witch Doctor raised two hands,bining a thumb, forefinger and middle finger to form a triangle.

    ¡°Tasdam! (Domain of Stagnation)¡± Tagiv¡¯s shriek urately voiced out the two keywords. The Witch Doctor¡¯s anti-air spell was the usage of Rune Words. Legend depicted that these two Rune Words were uniquely controlled by the Northern Wind Witch, before she lost them on the continent, ended up spreading widely and allowing mortals to use them.

    [The northern curse to wrestle the control of air away.]

    Brendel recognized the Rune Words. Depending on the spellcaster¡¯s abilities, the level of control would be different. A low-level Witch Doctor like Tagiv would only be able to affect ten flying units, and he would not be able to cast it a second time.

    He nced at the angels and indeed saw them being locked by some invisible curse. Their wings stopped their movements, and they fell from the height of a few meters, crashing heavily onto the ground.

    Dust flew all over the area.

    ¡°What!¡± Scarlett saw the same thing and shouted involuntarily. But she was directly struck by an Earth Spirit Bear¡¯s il once her attention was divided.

    ¡°Don¡¯t divide your attention. The angels are fine.¡± Brendel caught the staggering Scarlett. His expression was evident; he did not care about the summoned angels. He casually turned his gaze at her wounds and asked: ¡°How are your injuries?¡±

    Scarlett shook her head. Even after the Earth Spirit Bear¡¯s increase of strength, it still would not be able to do much damage to a Gold-ranked fighter, especially when she was a God¡¯s Acolyte. Her recovery and defensive abilities were one notch above the norm.

    Brendel nodded and helped her up and frowned at the wall of Earth Spirit Bears. Tagiv was probably going to face a dire situation but they were no better off.

    ¡°We¡¯re retreating.¡± He nced at the enemies around him and said.

    [Retreat? Do you really trust the angels so much?]

    Scarlett blinked. They had spent a tremendous amount of effort to carve out a bloody path to the enemy leader who was less than a hundred meters away, would it not be aplete waste of time if they retreat from here? She could hardly believe that the angels would be able to subdue or kill Tagiv when they lost their ability to fly.

    ¡°My lord?¡±

    ¡°Obey my order,¡± Brendel answered in a low growl.

    Scarlett hesitated for a moment before she nodded.

    At the other end, Tagiv was truly indeed in trouble, just like Brendel predicted.

    As a Witch Doctor and a reigning chieftain, it had experienced many things, and encountering aerial creatures in the Underworld was part of them. It felt slightly proud that it managed to bring down what he thought as Giant Eagles. It had read in books that these Giant Eagles were much bigger and violentpared to a Harpy Witch.

    It knew that these aerial creatures had onemon point, once they lost their abilities to fly, their movements on the ground were almost non-threatening.

    Tagiv even took a step forward so that it could experience the echolocation better and ¡®see¡¯ the Giant Eagles for the very first time, with the notion of witnessing the two invaders¡¯ troubled situation as well. It could almost imagine that the clumsy eagles beating their wings helplessly.

    It was evident that Tagiv had never heard of griffins or angels, or even the famous dragons.

    This mistake was fatal and irrecoverable. If the Witch Doctor recalled the Earth Spirit Bears, there would be a chance for them to block the angels¡¯ path.

    The first thing Tagiv heard was something different. The two ¡®Giant Eagles¡¯ that were knocked down dashed towards its direction at inconceivable speed beyond his imagination.

    Tagiv then realized that it was in great trouble. There were only a few Camlu and Subterrane Dwellers guarding him, and they were no match for the angels.

    Soon enough, Tagiv ¡®saw¡¯ that its guards were defeated with a few strokes of their sword swings, and two cold des were ced on his necks. They were clearly not Giant Eagles but humanoid figures possessing intelligence. It quickly realized their intentions, and it raised its head proudly to silence their possible words.

    ¡°I...... will...... not surrender,¡± Tagiv spoke in Kirrlutz.

    It had studied thenguage after it met up with Graudin, but the two angels¡¯ lips never opened to answer it.

    The Subterrane Dwellers in the battlefield momentarily paused when Tagiv spoke. Even though it spoke in a quiet voice, nearly all of them heard it. Brendel detected the change, and when he looked over at Tagiv¡¯s direction, he could no longer see the striking goat-skull that hovered in the air.

    However, the Earth Spirit Bears did not stop moving as they were less intelligent to pick up the change. Brendel and Scarlett had to keep retreating as the hulking creatures continued to attack them.

    Brendel pulled Scarlett who was drenched in her perspiration to avoid a swinging il, and carefully swung a measured strike to prevent himself from reaching Critical Exhaustion, but also made sure it was strong enough to force the hulking giants back.

    However, he felt a bout of dizziness after his swing.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Scarlett was startled when she saw his body sway.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. We reached our destination.¡±

    She took a long look at her surroundings. They were at the edge of the battlefield.

    ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± She asked with a little confusion. Even though the enemies¡¯ leader was downed, retreating here did not solve their problems. Even if Tagiv were killed here, the Subterrane Dwellers at the lumber mill would continue their task. His n did not seem like it was working.

    Brendel whistled loudly in response. Very quickly, a streak of silver came dashing out from the dark forest.

    It was the Silver Colt.

    ============ Amandina¡¯s POV ===========

    Amandina nodded at Cornelius and Raban¡¯s gazes.

    ¡°Send your orders to your magicians to prepare their spells.¡± She said calmly.

    Even though the nearest Subterrane Dwellers were mere meters away, she still kept her eyes on the wall¡¯s strongest area of contention between the mercenaries and the creatures.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Jana¡¯s voice came from behind.

    A few turned their heads back and saw her sword cutting down a Subterrane Dweller. She had beenmanding on the southern wall and had came back with difficulty by leaving a mountain of corpses behind her.

    Almost every spellcaster in the area came from her mercenaries, and she knew her men would be effectively useless if they cast the spell. Jana was afraid that Amandina and the other twomanders did not know that fact.

    ¡°Amongst the spellcasters, only a few of them are capable of using the Silence spell. If you¡¯re going to pool everyone¡¯s mana to increase the spell¡¯s Area of Effect, you¡¯re going to use every bit. My point is, we only have one chance to use it and our magicians are going to be useless, are you certain you want to use it here?¡± She took in a deep breath and finished her words in one go.

    ¡°There are no other options. If we abandon the wall, this battle will be our immediate loss.¡± Cornelius said.

    ¡°Taking the chance and driving them off here will allow us to gain more time.¡± Raban followed up.

    ¡°And what next?¡± Jana asked Amandina in a serious tone.

    ¡°Next¡ª¡± Amandina looked up at the moon. It was already after midnight. She looked back calmly at her and said: ¡°There¡¯s no next. The only thing left to do is to wait for our lord to bring back news of our victory.¡±

    The answer made everyone stare at her wide eyes.

 volume 3 - 28

    Chapter 28 ¨C Expansion (9)

    ============= Amandina¡¯s POV ===============

    ¡°They¡¯re retreating,¡± Jana said.

    Her face was painted heavily with blood, and she sat down tiredly opposite to Amandina. There were a few flecks of blood on thetter¡¯s pale face, and even though her ck eyes still had vestiges of apprehension, she had forcefully calmed herself down.

    The Silence spell was not as effective as they had imagined. They thought it would bring about a miracle, but they soon discovered that it was not the case. When the Subterrane Dwellers realized the spell had affected them, most of them charged forward and nearly broke through their defensive line by overwhelming them with numbers.

    The mercenaries had lost their chance to drive the invaders off. It was at that critical juncture where Raban led his men into a do-or-die charge, swept the enemies off the walls and stayed there as a final stand.

    The Subterrane Dwellers suffered significant casualties and understood that they could not continue and started to retreat. Everyone¡¯s heart was rapidly beating when they did so, and the mercenaries panted heavily.

    No one on their side went on to count the injured and the dead. It was meaningless. If there were no miracle on the enemies¡¯ next assault, it would be impossible to fend them off.

    ¡°They wille again.¡± Raban also sat down because his whole body waspletely sore. After he nced up at the moon, he spoke again: ¡°Their next attack would probablye before dawn at thetest. There is definitely a second round of reinforcements.¡±

    ¡°Anyone have any ideas?¡± Cornelius asked.

    No reply came.

    Even Amandina who firmly believed in Brendel¡¯s ns realized that the battle was much more dangerous than she thought, and she did not have the confidence to encourage the mercenaries to believe in him. After clearing her thoughts, she realized that the one that stuck out the most was whether she was going to die in this ce.

    After a moment of reflection, she calmed down again. If it were not for Brendel, she would have most likely died alone in her old home that was dark and cold.

    ¡°We mercenaries are here to do the very best we can and then leave it up to fate,¡± Raban grinned, ¡°we have been through many life-and-death situations. The next time they attack again, we will open the gate and lead our men to break out from this siege. Whether we¡¯re going to die here or live to see another day, will be on Mother Marsha¡¯s decision to bless us or not.¡±

    Cornelius gave a wry smile that served to mock himself. He shook his head and turned towards Amandina:

    ¡°With this,dy Amandina, we have answered Lord Brendel¡¯s orders, right?¡±

    Amandina took a moment to think before she nodded: ¡°I thank everyone here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Jana interrupted: ¡°We¡¯re just willing to believe in that bastard this once. Don¡¯t worry, even if he doesn¡¯t appear, I won¡¯t leave you two behind.¡±

    Romaine was sitting nearby, and her hands were wrapped around her knees to fend off the cold. She blinked herrge, brown round eyes and nodded earnestly: ¡°Thank you, you¡¯re a nice person.¡± But she smiled and continued: ¡°But Brendel will definitelye. He has never exaggerated, ever. If he says he can do it, then he will be able to do it.¡±

    ¡°You trust a lot in him, girl.¡± Jana paid attention to her for the first time.

    ¡°In truth,¡± Amandina said a moment of hesitation: ¡°I also believe in his words¡ª¡±

    ¡°It seems like our young lord has overflowing charisma; to be able to charm you two beautiful girls to this extent,¡± Raban¡¯s grin turned lopsided and teased them: ¡°if I have the same capabilities like him I will be able to die satisfied.¡±

    Cornelius scoffed at his words. He was quite the yboy amongst the mercenaries, and if this brute managed to charm the beautiful girls out there, then every other guy should just knock their heads against a pir andmit suicide.

    Amandina lowered her head in silence and maintained a nobledy¡¯s conduct against Raban¡¯s crude manners. But Romaine raised her pair of little eyebrows and waved her hands vigorously while blushing: ¡°Wrong, wrong, that¡¯s not the reason I believe in Brendel!¡±

    ¡°Then what reason is it?¡± Jana asked curiously.

    Amandina also pricked up her ears. She had joined inter than Romaine did, and there seemed to be many stories between the young lord and thetter. She had made past inquiries regarding his past, but only heard stories right up to the time where he joined up with the Bronze Dragon, Leto.

    She wanted to know how Brendel came to be, from the start of Madara¡¯s invasion. Romaine was also from the same vige, and there was also an air of mystery about her. The only story that she heard from Brendel was another girl named Freya, and thetter had left the group a while ago. She had no idea what happened to her since he never exined.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± the merchant girl disyed a smug and mysterious smile subconsciously, her eyes bright, ¡°when Brendel led me out to escape from Be, his eyes had changed, and he became a manly person. My aunt frequently told me that a manly person would always be responsible for their promises, and I had to find a person like that who¡¯s willing to protect me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s...... your reason?¡± Jana looked exasperated.

    Raban pondered thoughtfully on the actions that Brendel did andpared them to the things he promised in the past. But Cornelius merely made a booing sound and spoke with a disgusted huff:

    ¡°From the time I have been traveling I have not seen a noble that I consider as a manly person. If any of their sons actually have a real pair of balls, I¡¯ll give them my thumbs up¡ª¡±

    Many mercenaries around him also agreed with his assessment. Amandina did not rebuke him for his rudeness but quietly thought about Be. When she wanted to inquire further, a mercenary from the other end of the wall stopped their conversation and brought out new information:

    ¡°Commanders, there seems to be movement within the forest. The scouts say that the Subterrane Dwellers look like they are going to attack again.¡±

    Everyone was unsettled at the enemies¡¯ speed. The earlier warm atmosphere was gone and reced with a dark cold dread that enveloped everyone. The mercenaries were looking at each other with great uncertainty. Even Amandina felt she was short of breath despite her earlier im in believing Brendel.

    The clouds in the sky happened to cover the moon as if to signify the hope that was extinguished in their hearts.

    ============= Brendel¡¯s POV ==============

    Their captured leader hadpletely surprised all the Subterrane Dwellers.

    The Silver Colt easily leaped over the enemies, and once its hooves touched the ground, Scarlett lightlynded beside Tagiv.

    The Subterrane Dwellers at the edge of the battlefield were rushing over to their chieftain¡¯s aid. One of the angels stood in their paths and struck down the nearest Subterrane Dweller.

    Scarlett frowned and felt the urgency to finish things quickly. She pointed her halberd in front of the Witch Doctor¡ª

    ¡°Get them to stop.¡±

    ¡°I...... die, you will, not live too,¡± Tagiv spoke in broken Kirrlutz.

    She paused for a moment before she scoffed coldly and pretended to answer calmly: ¡°Stop your foolishness! Do not forget we have a flying horse,¡± she brought her weapon closer to its neck, ¡°I¡¯ll give you one more chance, order them to stand down!¡±

    Tagiv hesitated in his mind. It was afraid of death, but it felt that things were not as simple as they looked, so it decided to gamble: ¡°In that case, please send me off to meet with Lord Siaa¡ª¡±

    Siaa was a deity in the Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ legends. It was depicted as a gargantuan lizard that lived in the Realm of Earth Elements.

    [What deity. That¡¯s just a mythical subdragon, confirmed by gamers.]

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t dare to kill you!¡± Scarlett¡¯s ire was raised, and she kicked it forcefully, making it bend over to the ground with both hands extended.

    But this kick confirmed his suspicions. It became less afraid and patted his hands to remove the dust on them: ¡°I believe...... you can run away, but, yourpanions in the forest...... might not be safe?¡±

    ¡°You¡ª¡± Scarlett¡¯s words were silenced. She did not expect the Witch Doctor to confirm what she was thinking. She could not admit to it, but she had no idea what she could do.

    ¡°Which faction do you belong to?¡± Brendel took over the conversation and looked down at Tagiv from above: ¡°Tnd or Dragontongue city?¡±

    His words immediately incited a reaction from Tagiv who quickly shut his lips. Even though it had no eyes, it involuntarily raised its head up towards him. If there was a description of its expression, then that would be as if it had encountered a poisonous snake.

    Tagiv belonged to a faction which was the sworn enemy of Tnd city. It was clear that the youth knew the Underworld well, and it suddenly felt like its advantages were extracted out of it. It had no choice but to take a second look the two humans again that it thought as unintelligent.

    This was the first time a human had the right to negotiate with it.

    [Where did this male humane from? If he knows about Tnd and Dragontongue city, does he have any rtionship with our ursed rivals? But he should be aware that we don¡¯t have strong ties to our tribes once we are separated from the main group. It¡¯s amon thing in the Underworld so why would he pursue this line?]

 volume 3 - 29

    Chapter 29 ¨C Expansion (10)

    The Subterrane Dwellers were not unintelligent creatures and stopped their aggressive actions because they detected a change in their leader¡¯s attitude. Even though Tagiv had not ordered them to cease talking, they understood their rash actions might cause them to lose their chieftain. The two angels were also a factor, of course.

    The more time Tagiv took to think, the more satisfied Brendel was.

    He wanted to shock the Witch Doctor to make sure it was not conceited. The cities Tnd and Dragontongue weremon areas that led to the surface near Trentheim. Thus he guessed the Subterrane Dwellers came from this two ces. While this knowledge came naturally to him, the people in this world would probably view it as a secret.

    After breaking down Tagiv¡¯s pride, he continued to threaten it with a harsh tone: ¡°The humans do not wee you Underworld creatures!¡±

    ¡°I did not wish..... to intervene, in your world.¡± Tagiv had to temper his tone.

    It was not exactly a lie. Even though it once had the ambitious n to take advantage of the weak humans, it canceled it because of their numbers. Aouine had a poption of millions, and this information was beyond its imagination.

    The fact that the weak leader named Graudin actually governed hundred of thousands of citizens and still considered as a small lord made Tagiv greatly surprised. In its homeworld, only a mighty leader like a velord which had a powerful military might would be able to hold that many citizens. The Tnd and Dragontongue cities were also examples.

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Brendel refused to acknowledge his words: ¡°But it seems like you, great chieftain, are acting differently from your words. The woods that you upy arends that the humans have upied since the Age of Divinity¡ª¡±

    He said it as though it was fact but quickly realized there were issues with his statements. He corrected himself:

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll change my wording. These four lumber mills are part of my wealth, and I don¡¯t intend to even lend it to you for one minute, let alone epting your upying of them.¡±

    ¡°Your wealth?¡± Tagiv repeated the words nkly. It had met Graudin a few times, and it did not believe that the youth was the actual owner of Trentheim, Count Randner.

    ¡°Yes, they are mine...... for now,¡± Brendel nodded.

    ¡°Then, what exactly, is it you want?¡± Tagiv¡¯s head moved towards the angel¡¯s sword and Scarlett¡¯s halberd, seeing them through echolocation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you two choices. One, go back where youe from.¡±

    Tagiv shook its head, the feathers all over his body shaking. A branch tribe which lost a battle would mean certain death for the chieftain...... Unless it was willing to surrender to its sworn rival. It rejected this possibility a long time ago.

    ¡°The second choice?¡± It asked.

    ¡°It seems like you and your tribe members have lost a battle in the Underworld if you¡¯re unwilling to go back..... Even if you go back and be sessful in the future, you would be working for others. If that is the case, why not switch over to a new point of view? How about this; why not be my citizens? I know your rules, and you pledge loyalty to me, I can promise to let your tribe continue to go about without my interference.¡±

    Tagiv had guessed what the youth was thinking but refused to believe that it would happen. He actually wanted it to be subordinates and sell out its entire tribe to him. Even though the youth truly understood how the Underworld function, getting the Subterrane Dwellers to surrender was remarkably hrious.

    What exactly did he have in him to demand its whole tribe to swear loyalty to him?

    Both options were just as bad as each other. Tagiv looked down on humans, but surrendering to a rival tribe was beyond frustrating.

    [But it¡¯s possible that this human doesn¡¯t really intend to let us go back. If I say no, these des might end up cutting me to pieces.]

    The Witch Doctor hesitated for a long time, and Brendel continued to wait. Scarlett was silent and her expression was even gloomierpared to the two people in front of her. She was worried. If this damned creature said no, then what would her lord do?

    He had no other way to stop the battle at the lumber mill, and the Subterrane Dwellers would continue attacking Amandina and the others. Even if they killed every single one of them, it would be toote to save the others. She exhaled lightly and had sweat on her palms when she realized this fact.

    Brendel¡¯s hand had never left his sword¡¯s hilt. Tagiv¡¯s guess was not wrong. If it said no, then it would go through an unthinkable fate.

    He was not as worried as Scarlett, because he intended to force or trick Tagiv into epting a new proposal if it refused. The hundred Wealth in his mind was already set and ready to be used. Tagiv would be a card if it rejected him.

    Even though it was a different way of solving things, the tribe would still submit under him. He needed this force as a secretive backup. Regardless of Lord Macsen or Lord Ps, they would not be of any threat to him if he had the Subterrane Dwellers.

    (TL: Both are Count Randner¡¯s men in Trentheim possessing an army each.)

    The strength of three thousand Iron-ranked fighters would leave Trentheim with a voice in the political arena, and Count Randner would never be able to predict this oue.

    His heart started beating faster. The thorny road extended in front of him had be crystal clear for the first time. It was the first time he felt such a strong ability to change the future ever since he arrived in this world.

    After a few more minutes, the chieftain finally lifted its head up shakily. The feathers around its body trembled as though they had made a huge decision and it opened its mouth.

    A chilly wind blew across the entire forest, causing the pine trees to rustle loudly, overpowering the words that would change Trentheim and Aouine¡¯s history.

    The youth¡¯s expression became softer, and he nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you decided¡ª¡±

    And his second sentence was: ¡°Because you would find that you have gained much more than what you have lost.¡±

    The mercenaries who participated in the lumber mill¡¯s battles did not understand how they won the night.

    Days soon passed, and Firburh gradually went back to a certain hushed and stable state like before. A week-long battle was finished in a dramatic single day.

    The Subterrane Dwellers had theplete advantage in terms of numbers and geography, yet not only did they retreat, they even gave up their upied lumber mills and surrendered their territory.

    At such a near-miraculous result, the mercenaries hadpletely changed their view on Brendel. In their hearts, he had be a mysterious figure who could achieve anything. Even though the mercenaries¡¯manders had their questions, they ultimately chose to submit to him without any conditions.

    Brendel did not immediately rearrange their armies. The first thing he did was to have the Viridien vige stay in the lumber mills, and produce timber for Firburh, and hasten the date to repair the walls.

    The next thing he did was to enforce the tax exemption and create new ways to revitalize Firburh¡¯s destitute farms. The citizens could not believe what they were seeing. Instead of acquiring taxes, the lord was actually spending money on thends.

    He smirked when he thought that the citizens were probably betting on how long he would stay as the city¡¯s lord. The table he was sitting in was filled with papers containing reports on Graudin¡¯s wealth. Perhaps only the gods would know how much time the former lord spent on Trentheim¡¯s affairs.

    He continued to work on the paperwork before him with a smile.

    TL stuff to talk about: Chapter end.

    First about patreon.

    I¡¯m finally f*@#ing done with the environmental drawing (probably could do more things on it but urgh).

    I¡¯m having serious trouble keeping up with my trantions/drawing thanks to my gastric issues the past two months, and I think I need to postpone another month. My doctor appt ising up in a day, and I¡¯ll ask what kind of tests can be done.

    Unfortunately this time I¡¯ll only TL the basic 6 TAS chapters for October because I haven¡¯t finished my nned stuff for Sep.

    Secondly, more enjoyable for me and maybe you guys.

    I¡¯ll be ying Danganronpa at 6 pm +0 GMT Sep 26, approximately 25 hours from now. I¡¯ll try to y every day for 2-3 hours around this time, feel free to join me (I definitely need help because I suck at puzzles.).

 volume 3 - 30

    Chapter 30 ¨C Expansion.

    The morning¡¯s daylight broke through the clouds, but there were still remnants of the cold air from yesterday¡¯s night, and white mist could be seen from the men and horses¡¯ mouths. Winter wasing to Trentheim.

    A group consisting of humans and horses passed through the mountain valley. Their surroundings were filled with greenery, but the scenery from afar was almost ink-ck, almost as if it was painted with dark palettes. Somewhere past the fog were mountains filled with verdant green foliage, creating a strong contrast between the mountain peaks and valleys.

    There were a total of thirty-odd men, each fully covered with armor and weapons. However, they were not from Aouine¡¯s formal armies but mercenaries.

    In Trentheim, the only ces where Aouine¡¯s formal armies were at: The Ps Region, or Graham¡¯s northern mountains where Graudin¡¯s most elite knights were stationed.

    After the men passed through the valley, they entered a small clearing within the forest. Another group of men was guarding a bunch of crestfallen youths. When thetter noticed the iing group, they raised their heads and saw the group¡¯s leader, a middle-aged noble.

    All but one looked at him restlessly; the youth who was the exception amongst the group looked slightly frustrated.

    The middle-aged noble, Lord Macsen, was riding on his favorite horse. It was a stout ck horse with a smooth mane and a purebred from the north and had apanied him through thick and thin. Even though it was already aged and no longer as quick as before, he was still affectionate to it.

    (TL: I just want to point out one thing, Lord Macsen¡¯s real name is Samuel, but since he¡¯s in charge of the Macsen region, he¡¯s called Lord Macsen.)

    He bade his horse up to move up to the youths and red at them without speaking.

    A few days ago, he received the report of a rebellion in Firburh. This cautious noble did not march straight to his lord as it was forbidden for retainers to bring their private soldiers without orders. Only when he was certain that the news was urate that he ordered his knights to march.

    The Macsen region was close to Firburh, and an army could reach there by nightfall if they started in the day. He gathered his army overnight and left the next morning, and entered Port Gris. The scouts who went ahead had reported that it was not upied, and the towns nearby had not heard any news from Firburh. Even after traveling for another ten miles, there were still no signs of any rebellion.

    Lord Macsen was not surprised. The news he received stated that there were only a few groups of mercenaries that participated in the uprising in Firburh. He believed these mercenaries to be no different fromwless bandits who did whatever they wanted and probably left the city after looting it.

    He even thought that he was too paranoid for checking the port. Only people who wanted to upy the city would control the port; they were just a bunch of mercenaries who loved wealth and would not wait in the city to be exterminated.

    He was originally worried that Madara might be involved as the Undead¡¯s army was still lurking somewhere at the southern border, but once he saw enough reports, he was confident of the situation.

    It was nothing more than a simple rebellion.

    Lord Macsen was relieved at that moment. But his good mood did notst a long time after his confidant gave frustrating news to him, and it was the cause of why he had to bring thirty of his men in this forest.

    His youngest son, Carglise, was wearing a light brown cloak that hid most of his clothes, but it was clear that he was bearing a longsword. Lord Macsen favored him the most out of his three sons because the youth disyed quick wits and excellent swordsmanship. He had ced in much effort on him, but thetter refused to ept his efforts and was constantlyzy and yful.

    In the end, Lord Macsen sent him to the neighboring county, but not only did it not cure his attitude, he even came back with a streak of ridiculous ideas after he received an education.

    When he learned that Carglise had brought along his subordinates and servants, he went into a fury and ordered his men to capture him.

    ¡°Speak,¡± Lord Macsen asked as he red from above: ¡°Why did you sneak out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m too bored, father.¡± Carglise raised his head and was unaffected by his father¡¯s dominating pressure.

    ¡°Hmph, didn¡¯t you want to experience what war feels like? I¡¯ll bring you along this once. But I want the truth from you.¡±

    ¡°War? They¡¯re just a bunch of civilians. How can this be considered a war?¡± The youth gave a faint smile and said disdainfully, but his tone turned serious: ¡°Very well, father, did you know that there are rumors that princess Gryphine had gone back to hernds and are gathering her knights¡ª¡±

    Lord Macsen took a pause. Even though he was also considered a noble, he was of a lowly rank and would not even be factored in as a pawn in the political chessboard. He did, however, hear of the rumors in the north.

    ¡°And why does it concern you?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Of course it does,¡± the youth said excitedly: ¡°this would be a battle that decides the kingdom¡¯s fate. I decided to cast my lot in this moment of history, and serve the princess¡ª¡±

    Lord Macsen did not expect his son to have this ambition. He took a short while before he spoke again: ¡°Ridiculous. You have never left Trentheim. Do you know where the princess is? Or what¡¯s happening in the current political affairs?¡±

    ¡°I have my ways.¡± Carglise was full of confidence.

    Lord Macsen had no answer. His son was smart, and he might really find a way. He shook his head and ignored that thought: ¡°I don¡¯t care if you have your ways, you should be thinking of ways to convince me¡ª¡±

    ¡°Father, there will be times where you won¡¯t be able to keep me from leaving, so why don¡¯t you give me your blessings to be someone of importance in Aouine? The titles that your generation have in Trentheim are your aplishments. To me, a true knight should gain their achievements through wars¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wars? Have you ever seen one?¡± Lord Macsen could not help but mock his son. He had followed Graudin as a knight when he was young, and the wars he had made him a cynical and careful man. In front of his son¡¯s seemingly romantic notions of wars, he had nothing but scorn.

    [Hold on¡ª My son was taught by Lord Ps when I sent him over to the neighboring county. Even though he doesn¡¯t have a famous reputation, he¡¯s a first-rate veteran in Trentheim.]

    On Graham¡¯s mountains, Lord Ps led his army and defended against other nobles¡¯ attacks, and faced constant battles against bandits and the asional undead in the south. The asional civil trouble in Trentheim would be akin to docilembs to him. Anyone in this region would recognize him as a strict military man.

    After thinking for a while, he recalled that his son had also fought overnd disputes. In terms of leading a battle, his son might be as good as him.

    ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll give you a chance to show me that you can do it.¡±

    ¡°What exactly?¡± The youth was thrilled.

    ¡°Be my assistant and show me your performance. If you¡¯re capable of undertaking this position and excel in it, I¡¯ll let you leave.¡± Lord Macsen¡¯s mind obviously thought otherwise, but he did not wish to waste time arguing and wanted to deal with him after the uing battle is over.

    [Maybe I should throw him to Lord Ps since he like wars so much.]

    While there were rumors that he was on bad speaking terms with Lord Ps, it was actually untrue.

    But the youth realized what his father was thinking, and he rolled his light blue eyes before he smiled again: ¡± Father, these people are just a group of unruly civilians. Are you not making a mountain out a molehill?¡±

    ¡°Oh? Does your confidencee from studyingbat tactics under Lord Ps?¡± Lord Macsen suddenly realized that it was a good idea to waste his son¡¯s energy. He had heard of an unfounded rumor and decided to goad him: ¡°I¡¯ve heard the leader of the rebels is a young man too. He¡¯s around the same age as you, but he¡¯s actually leading the mercenaries despite the veterans amongst them. You, on the other hand, are just boasting all the time. Now that I¡¯m giving you a chance to prove yourself and you¡¯re not taking it?¡±

    Lord Macsen was not truly concerned as to who led the rebels, but he wanted to tie his son down.

    ¡°A trick like this wouldn¡¯t work on a knight, father,¡± Carglise said, but his interested expressions betrayed him, ¡°but fine, I¡¯ll agree to your terms and see who this person is.¡±

    Lord Macsen¡¯s face was stoic, but he wasughing inside. However, his smugness was gradually turned into another sigh.

    [The young people are just too impulsive.]

 volume 3 - 31

    Chapter 31 ¨C Expansion (12)

    ================= Carglise¡¯s POV ===============

    Lord Macsen went back to his camp tomand his subordinates after he solved the sudden situation that had cropped up.

    He was thankful that he was fighting against an unruly mob. If the enemy¡¯s leader led his army out to fight an open battle, he would not be able to take time out to capture his reckless son and change his mind.

    Once Lord Macsen turned his back, Carglise¡¯s servants and subordinates surrounded him. They gave a relieved sigh. They were around the same age as the youth and inquired inquisitively like children: ¡°Young master, are we going to war?¡±

    Carglise nodded and smirked: ¡°Of course we are. Our enemies are just a bunch of vigers in this uprising. How can they be stronger than Aouine¡¯s formal army? Remember this; the future enemies might be the kingdom¡¯s true elites. As for this rebelling mob, we will have them be the first stepping stone for our future¡ª¡±

    ¡°But based on our Lord¡¯s description, the enemy leader seems to be an incredible person!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, no matter how brilliant amoner might be, they would be limited in their insight,¡± Carglise scoffed, ¡°also, it¡¯s not as if I don¡¯t understand what my father is trying to do here. Does he truly believe I can¡¯t tell he¡¯s dying me? His words are possibly false, and the enemy leader isn¡¯t aplished at all. But that¡¯s fine; once I refute everything my father said, I¡¯ll be able to see what other excuses he cane up with!¡±

    He curled his lips into a cunning smile as he watched Lord Macsen¡¯s body gradually disappear from the forest.

    =============== Brendel¡¯s POV ============

    Brendel continued to work in his room, but there was amotion outside that became louder over time. He frowned and finally stood up, went over to an arched window and looked down to the courtyard.

    He quickly discovered the master craftsman Bosley, Amandina and the mercenarymanders arguing. Medissa was trying to stop them from doing so, while Scarlett was lying against a tree with her halberd, biting on a de of grass and appeared to be uninterested in the quarrel.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    He did not understand what they were arguing about, but after a moment of hesitation, he decided to check it out for himself. It was not a good thing for his core subordinates to fight.

    After he opened the door, a dark shadow charged into the room with two hands extended out with the intention to push open the door. If his reactions were any slower, they would have collided. He jumped backward while Fern stopped herself and took several steps back. She calmed down before handing out a piece of paper, and spoke in a crisp voice: ¡°My lord! An urgent message!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Brendel knitted his brows as he stared at the paper. He wondered what kind of unfortunate day he was going to have as events seemed to start piling up. He took the piece of paper and closed the door, while he studied the message¡¯s content, before speaking in surprise: ¡°Samuel¡¯s troops have gone past Port Gris?¡±

    The name Samuel was Lord Macsen¡¯s real name.

    Before the battle with the Subterrane Dwellers, he had sent scouts near Port Gris. When Lord Macsen¡¯s army finished their journey over the river, the news had already reached Brendel¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Fern nodded.

    ¡°Based on the previous reports, he must have gathered his soldiers yesterday. This is much faster than what Ciel had predicted. This fellow isn¡¯t simple¡ª¡± Brendel could not help but praise him.

    Ciel had great insight to Aouine¡¯s politics and understood the nobles¡¯ deployment speed the best amongst his advisors. Based on his judgment, Lord Macsen would not ignore the rules, and even dy his approach as the majority of the nobles were cowards or reluctant to send out their army. But it seemed like Lord Macsen¡¯smanding abilities were much better than many low-ranking nobles.

    The only ¡®noble¡¯ who would ignore the rules was Brendel who came from another world, naturally.

    ¡°How many men do they have?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°A few hundred, but the numbers don¡¯t exceed a thousand,¡± Fern answered with her usual stoic expression, ¡°but Cornelius¡¯s scouts did not venture too far past Port Gris, so they don¡¯t know if there are going to be reinforcements.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s all the men he has,¡± Brendel shook his head and smiled wryly, ¡°Samuel is just a retainer, how many men would he have? But to gather only a few hundred men instead of borrowing more, it seems like he¡¯s looking down on us......¡±

    ¡°I would rather have everyone look down on us, instead of the odd idea of wanting to fight more enemies, my lord.¡± She looked at him and refuted him.

    Brendel smiled in response and was about to drop the topic before he suddenly thought of something.

    ¡°Come to think of it; I remember there are several areas in the river towards Mountain Graham that are shallow. Surely the scouts would be able to avoid the enemies¡¯ eyes from there and check whether there are reinforcements, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but they would be risking their lives.¡±

    ¡°This is why the mercenaries are no match for a formal army. Ahh, but I¡¯m not referring to you.¡±

    ¡°The Mercenaries of Lopes are not that different either.¡± She replied.

    ¡°Well, leaving that aside, what¡¯s going on down there in the courtyard?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡ª¡± Fern shook her head. She had seen the quarrel as well when she walked into the building, but she had a disinterested disposition and did not care about things unrted to her.

    Brendel nodded and did not ask further. He left the room and walked down the spiral staircase as she followed behind him, reflecting on the state of his army.

    Even though the mercenaries worked for money, they did not act as involvedpared to actual soldiers. They saw wars as transactions and only aplished as much as the money paid to them.

    The majority of the mercenaries tend to only follow their orders and were mostly used to pad the army¡¯s numbers. Graudin was an exception who abused his position to use them and bully the citizens into submission. Very few nobles would treat them as their main force, even if their quality and experience were excellent.

    In a real war, discipline was the most important aspect. This was also the reason as to why Brendel did not regroup his mercenaries. The veteran mercenaries¡¯ undisciplined characteristics were very difficult to change, so he decided to integrate them all into The Amber Sword Mercenaries, and allowed them to what they do best on their own in a war. (TL: In case you can¡¯t remember, Brendel rescued mercenaries from way back, Leto and the others, are The Amber Sword Mercenaries.)

    As for the make-up of his formal army, he would recruit the natives and take a few men with extraordinary potential from the mercenaries, and did not n to ce the mercenaries in important positions. Currently, the ideas on his armies were very rough, and he had just started building a corner of the blueprints he had in his mind.

    In his eyes, he was in aplicated position.

    [The pressure that I¡¯m facing isn¡¯t small. Samuel has already set out with his soldiers, and I¡¯m still nothing more than a pilgrim on his journey. Putting aside Randner¡¯s forces that would dwarf my own multiple times, even Ps and the cavalry under him would be enough to cause me trouble¡ª]

    At this moment, he was unable to put eyes in the north, but he was certain that ¡®Merciful Knight Ps¡¯ had received news of Graudin¡¯s defeat and was preparing to gather his forces. Knowing that man¡¯s loyalty to Graudin, he was certain that his army would move at the quickest possible time to reach him.

    [I¡¯m notpletely worried about Psmanding Graudin¡¯s most elite riders, but it¡¯s a pity to defeat them. They are Trentheim¡¯s true soldiers who trained for battle since they were young. If only I could use them......]

    He obviously knew that it was wishful thinking, and after a moment he crushed the paper into a ball and put it into the bag on his belt. He understood that building up his army had to be done step by step, and there was no point thinking about it.

    [Well, I¡¯m not surprised at Samuel sending out his army, but my battle with the Subterrane Dwellers wasn¡¯t pointless. The river extends to the Firburh¡¯s forest, but Tagiv and his men have already controlled that area.]

    Brendel did not need to overthink about Lord Macsen¡¯s fate. A few hundred private soldiers and a handful of knights going up against thousands of Subterrane Dwellers and his own mercenaries as reinforcements. It was easy to know what the results were going to be.

    Brendel and Fern walked out of the entrance hall and into the courtyard. The area had been cleaned up the previous time where he made a mess by unleashing a Sword Arte, and even the benches and tables were changed.

    The quarreling noises were bing clearer, and words could be picked out.

    Brendel first saw Romaine sitting down at one end of the long table with her body hunched over it; she was wearing a strange pair of sses, with both elbows were pressed against a big pile of parchments and seemed to be copying something¡ª

    The arguments did not get her attention, but when she heard the footsteps behind her, she abruptly turned around. When she saw the young man, she immediately got up and yelled: ¡°Brendel!¡±

    Brendel gave an exasperated sigh and picked off the sses from the girl¡¯s narrow nasal bridge: ¡°What are you doing exactly with this look?¡±

    ¡°ounting.¡± She lifted her chin up and answered as if it was the most natural thing.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes went wide in a moment ofprehension before nodding. Graudin¡¯s private wealth and trophies were naturally taken over by ¡®Lord Brendel¡¯ when thetter took over Firburh, and there was still money left over after paying the mercenaries and investing in the city.

 volume 3 - 32

    Chapter 32 ¨C Expansion (13)

    The wealth Graudin left behind was handled quite messily. Brendel had left the management of it entirely to Amandina, which she then allowed Romaine to use the wealth to invest in Trentheim¡¯s businesses as well as restoration to the city.

    Soon after, Ciel, the threemanders, and the grandmaster craftsman Bosley were given a certain level of rights to use the wealth as well.

    Brendel arranged it in this manner purely to enjoy the convenience of not having to deal with it after attempting to do so initially. Even though he epted the responsibilities as a guild leader for a certain time in the game, it was under the system¡¯s assistance to log in the members¡¯ contributions and basic calctions for budgets.

    Now that hecked this function, he realized the amount of administrative work was overwhelming him, and quickly discovered that it was bing a chaotic mess. After several attempts to put together a budget, he found many issues that made it unable to work.

    He soon threw it to Amandina who also had trouble handling it on her own.

    In the end, it was Romaine who went up to Amandina and suggested that she would take control of the entire budget by herself by logging in the data and stabilizing the entire system.

    It was the first time Brendel realized Romaine¡¯s prototype system worked.

    When he nced at her ounting methods, he realized that he did not understand the majority of it. When he inquired about it, she replied that it was taught by her aunt. The symbols looked familiar, so he asked Ciel if thetter knew anything about Romaine¡¯s method, and he received the reply that it was probably the secretnguage between witches.

    Brendel nodded and did not mind the secretive nature. The people he could rely the most on, leaving his summons aside, were Freya and Romaine.

    After studying it for a little longer, he finally looked at the people quarreling a short distance away. It had been persisting for quite some time; Jana¡¯s voice was the loudest, Cornelius seemed to be arguing for his cause while Bosley was trying to drown out Jana, and Amandina interjected from time to time. But the person who spoke the most was Medissa who attempted to dissuade them from fighting. It seemed like no one was going to convince each other.

    ¡°What are they arguing about?¡± He asked.

    Romaine immediately shook her head happily, imitating Amandina¡¯s disapproving voice: ¡°Only the ones involved know how valuable resources are, my lord¡ª¡±

    Brendel¡¯s brow raised up and felt like he had guessed what the core issues were.

    Amandina had a disapproving frown on her forehead while she looked at the people in front of her. Even though she maintained her basic manners, she was truly annoyed inside.

    She definitely supported her lord in his decision to get his own army. She also knew that Jana, Cornelius, Raban and the Nightsong Tiger had their missions from Brendel, and that Jana was recruiting citizens within Firburh to create the initial structure for a private army.

    But the problem was not in that area.

    There were a total of fifteen thousand citizens within the city. The autumn harvest was just over, and the total amount of grains were just enough to keep the poption going for the next year. In other words, there was no guarantee that there would be surplus food for the mercenaries and they had to rely on trade.

    Yet Trentheim was most likely about to face many battles. The food needed to sustain these soldiers was nearly twice the amount.

    Considering that the city was also undergoing development, the workers would simrly require more food. Finally, the Subterrane Dwellers also wanted ess to food. Graudin had provided them partially by starving the citizens within the city, but they could not do the same thing.

    With all these things into considerations, the amount of food required was quite substantial.

    If he wanted to go one step further and control the entire Firburh, the deficits would be even more apparent. For this year alone, Amandina knew that the grains in the south were in a shortage.

    It was partially due to this year¡¯s unstable weather, but the real reason was Madara¡¯s invasion.

    Even if she wanted to purchase grains, she was going to have another problem. The invasion in the south by Madara was over, but a great war in the north was about to happen soon. Dark clouds were gathering all over Aouine. (TL: Civil war in the north.)

    The oues from consecutive wars meant that the prices of food were going to be more stable than gold. Their prices would go high up, and it would not just be a little.

    The devious merchants in Ampere Seale, thergest trading harbor in Aouine, knew what was going to happen. They would not lower their prices out of pity but drive the prices up as much as they possibly could.

    Purchasing grains at this point of time was difficult.

    Amandina had rubbed her forehead many times in frustration over this matter, but she was unable to think of a solution. She had factored in the silver mine in the Schafflund region, which was also part of Trentheim¡¯s territory, but this was a military matter and could only suggest Brendel to capture it. If he denied this suggestion, she could only think about the resources she had at her fingers to solve this issue.

    Furthermore, Lord Macsen and Lord Ps¡¯s armies were reaching Firburh, and her lord was unlikely to leave this ce. Because of that, even the self-centered Romaine obediently dyed her ns to implement her business strategies.

    Jana hade to Amandina in order to arrange the recruitment of a private army, but doing so at this point would mean that thetter needed to provide nearly double the funds because of the issue of obtaining enough food for them.

    Amandina did not want to imagine the consequences of doing so.

    She convinced the femalemander to put this issue aside with great difficulty, or at the very least, wait till the citizens felt safe in the city.

    Then Bosley came along and sought money as well.

    The reason he had was that Brendel wanted him to establish a workshop. Before he could think about making Magic Armor, he would first require arge workforce and assets. Forget about whether Trentheim mined metal ores; even training craftsmen apprentices needed arge sum of money.

    Because Bosley was originally a royal craftsman, he never had to consider the issue of money, and naturally demanded it when he realized that hecked the funds.

    Cornelius was the next to join in, also with the issue of money. He was not there for the recruitment of soldiers, but the remuneration for the mercenaries¡¯ expended equipment. The mercenaries in Firburh right now could be seen in-name only, as they were more like Brendel¡¯s private soldiers.

    Since these mercenaries were without a normal ie, the equipment they expended had to be replenished and their lord Brendel naturally had to take responsibility. He had silently agreed that he had a hiring rtionship with them.

    But Cornelius also understood they were in the same boat and Brendel was currentlycking in funds, so he did not even mention their wages.

    The mercenaries were going to be embroiled in constant battles, and it was an urgent situation to replenish armors, weapons, and ammunitions. He had toe and demand money from her.

    Amandina was quickly overwhelmed. The little money she had right now was simply insufficient, but before she could think of a solution, the three people in front of her started arguing because they could not find amon point to agree on.

    The arguments generally went along the lines of ¡®your matters can be dyed, my stuff is more important so you can get lost¡¯, and Amandina initially tried to dissuade them, but after a while, she angrily joined in the battle.

    Medissa who passed by them hastily went over to stop them from fighting. Scarlett who apanied the little Elven princess felt that it had nothing to do with her and merely sat from afar and watched them quarrel, feeling nothing but boredom.

    The arguments were reaching boiling temperatures.

    Bosley had been in the Royal Faction for some time, and his oratory skills were quite formidable, having barbed sarcasm in every sentence, and caused Jana to nearly drown in his litany of sneering words. Her face was visibly flushed with furious anger and was about to shout him down when she suddenly stared behind him with a grimace and instead said:

    ¡°My lord.¡±

    The others paused, then turned around and greeted Brendel: ¡°My lord!¡±

    Brendel put on a poker face and scoffed through his nose: ¡°It seems like there¡¯s an ongoing party?¡±

    Everyone lowered their heads, but Bosley merely tilted his head and thought for a while. After a moment, he also did the same and said:

    ¡°My lord, based on your words, we should have amon goal and enemy, so I won¡¯t cause trouble for you. However, as everyone knows, a war is a contest between wealth. It seems like your situation isn¡¯t an optimistic one¡ª¡±

    Brendel did not answer him. He understood this point well. An average person would feel that Graudin¡¯s wealth was massive, but it was clearlycking if he wanted to use it to build the city. As an example, the amount of money spent on fixing the wall was huge......

    Amandina had to spend twice the money to get the craftsmen to work for him. It was quite unthinkable because a normal lord would have forced their citizens to work for free.

    [It¡¯s the same old story of instilling citizens¡¯ trust in me. Cornelius and Raban had rmended using force to make the citizens work for free, but Jana and Amandina objected to it. Romaine also objected, but her views were on the future economic reasons. I chose not to do so because I don¡¯t want to stoop to Graudin¡¯s level. But this problem has to be solved somehow......]

 volume 3 - 33

    Chapter 33 ¨C Expansion (14)

    ¡°....... Lord Macsen¡¯s army has reached Port Gris.¡± Brendel said.

    Everyone was taken aback and were unable to react. Brendel did not request Bosley to leave when he informed his subordinates, but thetter bowed slightly and said:

    ¡°Since this topic is unrted to me, this old man shall take his leave,¡± he said and acted ordingly to the nobles¡¯ etiquette by cing his left hand over his chest, ¡°although, my lord, I¡¯ll be waiting to hear good news from you.¡±

    Bosley then left the courtyard with leisurely footsteps.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jana red at Bosley¡¯s back and saw him disappear behind a wall while she asked. She then turned around to face Brendel: ¡°We hadn¡¯t received news that of any army departing.¡±

    ¡°The scouts sent news directly to the Nightsong Tiger,¡± Brendel exined, and he introduced the young Wild Elf girl next to him: ¡°This is Fern, I believe you have seen her before. I¡¯ll let her speak.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s gaze fell onto her, but she continued to wear a stoic expression, raising her chin a little as she repeated the information that she told Brendel.

    Their faces took on odd expressions when they heard Lord Macsen only brought seven hundred-odd soldiers over the river. The enemy¡¯s army wasprised of mostly private soldiers recruited from farmers, a portion of it mercenaries, and a small handful of knights.

    ¡°Wait, this idiot lord, surely he¡¯s not eager to send himself to his death right?¡± Jana flipped a few strands of her long red hair back behind her neck, shaking her head withoutprehension: ¡°We can take him down easily in a single swoop if he brought so little men.¡±

    ¡°Is it possible that it¡¯s some form of trap?¡± Cornelius asked cautiously.

    ¡°No, I think it¡¯s because Lord Macsen believes that the mercenaries wouldn¡¯t be so bold, to the point that they would stay here,¡± Brendel exined his thoughts to them, ¡°Graudin¡¯s most loyal knights were killed by us long ago, and the remaining private soldiers he had were shady adventurers and questionable mercenaries. When they were driven away by us, do you think they would escape to Lord Macsen or Lord Ps to report Firburh¡¯s situation?¡±

    The mercenaries were silent. It was not exactly an honorable thing to abandon their lords, especially in this era. It was possible for the deserters to be sent to the gallows so no one would do something so disadvantageous.

    ¡°Which is why the news Lord Macsen and Lord Ps received came from other sources. For example, the news came from the Firburh¡¯s refugees.¡± He continued to exin.

    ¡°We locked down the surrounding areas around Firburh to prevent Graudin¡¯s soldiers from running away that particr night,¡± Amandina added after Brendel¡¯s words, ¡°and your men were sent to the various chokepoints within ten miles of the city. You know it best whether Lord Macsen¡¯s scouts managed to infiltrate the city.¡±

    Jana and Cornelius exchanged nces. Their mercenaries were highly experienced, and while they were not great soldiers, they were excellent hunters. They did not believe a small noble like Lord Macsen had scouts capable of entering the city or gather urate information about their forces.

    It was evident that he was arrogant enough to set off with their troops with such limited information, and it seemed like he did not view these ¡®rebellingmoners¡¯ as a threat.

    Brendel scratched his forehead. Jana and Cornelius were standing at attention ever since he appeared before them. His mind was a little surprised but realized that ever since he recruited Tagiv and its men, the mercenarymanders seemed to understand their positions under him were weak.

    He had disyed enough strength to make them cut off any useless thoughts like how they had to submit to Brendel to avoid Count Randner¡¯s revenge, and were now contemting what positions they could get under him. Even Jana who did not like fighting for influence had to think about her men.

    [I see, this is what they are thinking about...... When these twomanders heard that Lord Macsen only had seven hundred men, they were ready to join in because there are thousands of Subterrane Dwellers as our allies. That means it¡¯s easy to attain victory and they are willing to vie for achievements.]

    In truth, Raban hade before him to hand over his men for direct control even before the battle for the lumber mills. But Brendel did not do so as he thought this would cause the Jana and Cornelius to be uneasy in their positions.

    He thought for a while before he replied: ¡°Cornelius, prepare your men and meet up with Raban; tell him about Lord Macsen¡¯s arrival. Then you¡¯re to find a way to go around Lord Macsen and get to his rear to cut off his retreat path. If it¡¯s possible, capture every one alive, especially Lord Macsen. I have use for him¡ª¡±

    Brendel rubbed his chin as he pondered momentarily: ¡°........ Of course, I¡¯ll defer things to your judgment if a situation crops up.¡±

    Cornelius¡¯s eyes lit up slightly as though a burden had been lifted off his back. He nced at Jana and answered gravely: ¡°As you wish, my lord.¡±

    When he finished his words, he acted like a real knight by tidying up the position of his sword and saluted to Brendel. He then turned away and left the courtyard, with his satisfied footsteps hitting the stone pavement.

    Jana could not help but glower at him, but she did not say anything in the end. Medissa and Amandina were relieved to find the arguments were over, although thetter knew that her troubles were not over. The problem with the budget allocation was still unsolved, and dying it was not a solution.

    ¡°My lord, are you not going to the frontlines?¡± Amandina asked while she gathered the documents she had brought along.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to look at,¡± Brendel shook his head. He did not think there would be any unforeseen situations and allowing the Nightsong Tiger and the other two mercenarymanders lead their own men would be more effective than him doing so.

    He was a warrior who led charges straight into the battlefield and certainly not amander. Being a city¡¯s lord was already hard enough to cause him a headache, and he wanted to bezy whenever he could. If he had time, he would rather solve the more pressing issues.

    ¡°How much money do we still have left?¡± He said.

    ¡°Approximately 350,0000 Tor coins, including the valuable objects that Graudin has. But considering the issue of time, the current amount of coins we can use is less than a third,¡± Amandina¡¯s expression became solemn and replied, ¡°also, the question of food is right up our noses. Trentheim¡¯s current food production is equivalent to its expenditure. We don¡¯t have surplus food for our men and don¡¯t forget, Ser Leto is bringing along a few thousand refugees.¡±

    Brendel did not forget about that point and nodded as an acknowledgment.

    ¡°When ites to trading, it¡¯s not as simple as it looks. First of all, we don¡¯t have any ships¡ª¡± Amandina continued.

    ¡°But there should be ships in Port Gris, right?¡± Medissa whispered to her. Although she was not familiar with Aouine¡¯s territory, she had studied Trentheim¡¯s geography to handle any future battles.

    ¡°Leaving aside the issue of us not controlling Port Gris, this particr harbor is mostly used for fishing. While there¡¯s a few merchants ship using it, the biggest problem we have is whether they are willing to work for us. If they do, we¡¯re going to fork out anotherrge sum of money. But we can¡¯t afford to spend our current funds on this because we are likely to spend half of what we have in the uing battles. To be honest, I¡¯m not sure how long our situation is going tost because Count Randner will never let us have it easy.¡±

    Amandina sighed at this point before she continued:

    ¡°Finally, we control Firburh, but that¡¯s only in name. The majority of the city isn¡¯t willing to work with us, and our situation is truly in a terrible state. Right now, I¡¯m more inclined to hide with the Dark Forest. No matter how brilliant you are, we can¡¯t do anything without money, my lord.¡±

    She then cast a resentful re at Brendel: ¡°As for the promised building for my Magicite Research, it¡¯s fine, I can continue to wait for it, but it seems like Bosley isn¡¯t interested in waiting......¡±

    Brendel smiled wryly at her words, as they were the exact opposite of ¡®fine¡¯. She was right, to solve Trentheim¡¯sck of food, he needed to find a way to trade, and theck of money was the core for most of his problems.

    [The first thing I need to solve is the issue of money. Romaine made a profit in Brus and left it to Leto¡¯s daughter. If she didn¡¯t encounter any issues, I could probably get around a few hundred thousand Tor coins. But Count Randner is in the way because he¡¯s blocking Grinoires and Trentheim. Then my first idea would be...... the silver mine in Schafflund.]

 volume 3 - 34

    Chapter 34 ¨C Expansion (15)

    Schafflund¡¯s source of silver came from the base of Graham¡¯s mountains which contained an enormous amount of silver ore. The mine vein extended towards Karanjar¡¯s mountains and the Dark Forest.

    Schafflund¡¯s silver mine was just a small portion of what the Dark Forest had to offer, but it still allowed Aouine to benefit greatly.

    ¡°Amandina, tell me what you know about Schafflund,¡± Brendel said.

    The young noble girl¡¯s eyes brightened up slightly, and she immediately answered: ¡°Schafflund is the most important source of ie in Trentheim since its beginning. During the Year of Dwelling Beasts, the previous Lord Trentheim built a fortress to harvest and transport silver, but it slowly formed into the town that we know of today.¡±

    ¡°Year of the Dwelling Beasts,¡± Brendel recalled in his mind, ¡°that¡¯s thirty years ago?¡±

    Amandina nodded and said:

    ¡°The highest ranking officers there areprised of an adjutant and secretary officer. Neither of them answers to Graudin but directly to Count Randner, and this is why Graudin is unable to take much of it, despite the silver mine producing nearly fifteen tons of silver every year. Also, the creatures in the Dark Forest make it impossible to extend the harvesting area of silver ore, and Trentheim continues to remain poor.¡±

    ¡°Graudin is utterly useless as a city¡¯s lord,¡± Brendel was pitying that pitiful worm a little, and he smiled a little, ¡°but this means I¡¯m going to take away Count Randner¡¯s cheese.¡±

    Amandina smiled at his remarks: ¡°Have you not moved it already, my lord?¡±

    Brendelughed. He turned around and saw Jana¡¯s gaze on him, keenly noticing a streak of anxiety in her eyes despite her restrained expressions.

    When Jana saw the other twomanders who joined Brendel at the same time as her receiving his orders, she did not want her men to sit and do nothing. If they had nothing to show Brendel, then they might be sold out for being useless.

    Even though the young lord appeared to be friendly, she had encountered many nobles and had to maintain the necessary amount to despise and suspect these bastards, simply because she knew how despicable they could be if they turned against her.

    ¡°My lord, please allow me to conquer Schafflund! I know the situation there, the mine only has a mere hundred-odd soldiers defending it,¡± She used a slightly raspy voice to plead her case, and ced her hand over her chest, ¡°it is more than enough for my men and I to capture it.¡±

    ¡°But Ps is too close to Schafflund. I¡¯m afraid that other Lord is watching the situation closely, even if we do upy it, we wouldn¡¯t be able to control it.¡±

    Jana was silent.

    ¡°Are we not able to follow up with that thought? Can¡¯t we use the Subterrane dwellers, or are we unable to trust them?¡± Amandina asked.

    ¡°We want Schafflund to work properly; the workers will be affected if Lord Ps harasses the ce,¡± Brendel exined after thinking for a moment.

    [Hmm, well, Tagiv had sworn upon his deity, and the Subterrane Dwellers wouldn¡¯t dare to break their oaths, so it¡¯s okay to trust them, but it¡¯s not a good choice.....]

    ¡°How much food are wecking?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Seventeen thousand bushels,¡± Amandina said.

    Brendel felt difficulty to adjust to this world¡¯s system as the game used metric measurements.

    [One bushel of wheat is roughly 27 kg, and rounding it up would be approximately 500000 kg. That¡¯s a pretty big number.]

    ¡°If we count our men and the partial allocation of food to the Subterrane Dwellers, how long we canst based on the current wheat in the city?¡±

    Amandina frowned slightly: ¡°Based on the data, that would be two months. But there are a few other sources of food that have not been entered yet, though we would still notst for more than three months.¡±

    ¡°This means we have a window of two months,¡± Brendel said.

    Amandina nodded.

    Brendel thought for a while: ¡°Then it¡¯s fine, continue to recruit soldiers from the citizens. If Bosley wants a plot ofnd, human resources, or money, just give it to him. Do the same for the other three mercenarymanders, but I¡¯ll have to set the Magicite Workshop aside for now.¡±

    Amandina nodded again. She deliberately chose to mention it, but she understood that Trentheim did not produce Amber Gemstones so it was more of a grumble.

    ¡°Romaine¡¯s business ns have to be set aside as well,¡± he continued.

    He could hear Romaine¡¯s voice behind him, ¡°Of course, right now there¡¯s no point in implementing these ns.¡±

    It seemed like she was not feeling sad.

    ¡°Finally, make sure that we are capable of fighting for the uing battles, you can use your judgments to cut out any other expenditures. Of course, you do know that the only true request that I have, is not to let everyone here chased off into the Dark Forest.¡±

    Hisst sentence made all the girls grin.

    But Amandina still felt it would be nice to move off to the Dark Forest when she thought of all the things she had to do now.

    ¡°My lord, does this mean you have a solution for our finances?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s still the silver mine.¡± Brendel gave a heartyugh, ¡°there¡¯s no reason not to move such arge piece of cheese when it¡¯s right beside us, right?¡±

    ¡°But......?¡±

    Medissa suddenly understood why, and her silver eyes widened withprehension, ¡°My lord, you mean to say we should take a different approach to Schafflund?¡±

    Brendel praised her with his eyes: ¡°Yes, I want you and Scarlett toe along with me to visit Count Randner¡¯s subordinates. Miss Jana, you cane along too¡ª¡±

    Jana immediately replied: ¡°Do I need to bring my men?¡±

    ¡°Of course, but there¡¯s no need to be too many,¡± Brendel deliberated for a moment, ¡°twenty to thirty men would suffice.¡±

    Jana nodded silently, but she was feeling quite conflicted inside. He was younger than her, but every time she spoke with him she felt that she became a head shorter and had to look up to him. Clearly, it was not his noble status, but a unique air about him that allowed him to remain utterly unfazed by anyone.

    She could not help but think that even if this young man met up with the king, thetter would feel the same way. Even though this thought was a little ridiculous, Jana¡¯s instincts told her she was right.

    In any case, receiving this order made her relieved. She politely took her leave and immediately went to gather her men.

    ¡°Do I need to go as well?¡± Amandina asked after the femalemander left. It was apparent to see she was unwilling to go. She was starting to feel tired of seeing battle after battle, as well as running everywhere.

    ¡°It¡¯s best if you stay behind and help mee up with a n,¡± Brendel could see how unwilling she was and said.

    ¡°What of it?¡±

    ¡°Rebuild the entire Firburh city somewhere else into a fortress.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Amandina¡¯s eyes werepletely round.

    Brendel knew that she would be shocked, but it was a necessary n for him. If princess Gryphine refused to enter an arranged marriage with Lord Arreck, then this rewritten history meant that the Royal Faction¡¯s armies would lose in battle once the northern lords and crown prince¡¯s coalition army fought them.

    When that happened, he hoped the newly rebuilt Firburh would be the final bastion of defense against their terrible might. It would preserve Aouine¡¯s southern territory, especially Valha, which was his trump card to tilt the chessboard.

    Firburh¡¯s position was also an excellent spot. It faced the sea in the west, and had a silver mine in the east, and was a naturalmercial hub between the rest of Trentheim and Valha.

    [Aouine¡¯s future capital for me has to be Valha. Firburh needs to be an impregnable fortress to defend it, but this spot isn¡¯t going to work. I already instructed Tagiv and his men to find a suitable ce somewhere in the north and make sure there¡¯s enough space and geographical suitability for defense and offense. The north of River Gris is hills that have gentle angled slopes, so it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find somewhere suitable.]

    These creatures were not used to attacking cities, but they were brilliant city builders in the Jurgen Underworld.

    He stopped his thoughts when he saw Amandina¡¯s confused expressions: ¡°There¡¯s no need to be shocked. This matter cannot be done within a day or two. We have one or two more years so we can make this a long-term project.¡±

    It was a little challenging to build aplete fortress with all the facilities of a town in a year or two, but the basic necessities could be set up. Naturally, this building speed was only possible with magic, unlike Earth.

    ¡°What do I need to do?¡± Amandina inhaled deeply when she saw that Brendel was serious. It was not a small project to build a city, and the amount of knowledge to build one was just too much. It was the first time that she felt she was not going to be able to do a good job.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a hard problem. You can just take a look around this city and think back on what you saw in Brus. Ponder on how the past architects build the cities and think about what we need.¡±

    Brendel once again emphasized that the New Firburh had to be a fortress.

    ¡°Ciel will also aid you in this matter. Even though he¡¯s a wizard by profession, I¡¯m sure that he has studied widely in many areas and shouldn¡¯t be a problem for him when ites to simple nning.¡±

    ¡°Ciel will help me?¡±

    Brendel nodded. ¡°...... Of course, if there are any noteworthy craftsmen good in building structures, you can recruit them.¡±

    He did not have much confidence in his words. The famous city builders did not really exist in this era, and even if they did, they would not gather in this impoverished city. This was not some fictional novel, and Bosley was already an exception.

    [The more I talk about this, the more ridiculous it sounds. This world isn¡¯t a game where I can just spend unlimited resources, and let the system go ¡®ka-ching¡¯ and build an entire ready-made fortress in the middle of a forest. We¡¯re building a real-life fortress after all......]

 volume 3 - 35

    Chapter 35 ¨C Expansion (16)

    [How does building something work in this era? Lime as mortar? The rocks aren¡¯t going to cut and stack themselves to form a wall, which means bricks have to be made from a kiln and then transferred to the workce. Human workers aren¡¯t a simple set of data too. The money and food involved are going to be ck holes. It¡¯s also a professional skill to allocate human resources effectively. It¡¯ will be challenging to ensure a hundred men outputting a hundred men¡¯s worth. Heck, it¡¯s easy to make it less than half if I did it poorly.]

    Even though Brendel had managed a small number of men in the past, he thought that the number of workers would go up to thousands and even over ten thousand.

    It was not like fighting a war where he could just send in his armies. He had to know what the workers were supposed to do for their tasks.

    [Maybe the Rn Dwarven Craftsmen or underworld Great Earth Spirits, or the Wizard Craftsmen...... These dwarves live in the northern regions even further away than Osor. But that ce is always snowing in the mountains, and they don¡¯t live in Aouine. Hmm,e to think of it the Kirin Dwarves are distant rtives¡ª No, I can¡¯t use them, they are professionals in making wine, and not building cities. The Great Earth Spirits are considered high-ss citizens. On top of that and their building skills, they have exceptionalbat prowess and are regarded highly. Why would theye up to this poor ce and suffer?]

    Lastly, Brendel thought of the Wizard Craftsmen. They were arrogant old men who were in the Silver Alliance, but they were unlikely to be interested in him. Also, these men had incredibly keen senses who might guess that he usurped the original Brendel¡¯s body after talking to him.

    In the end, he chose to take it one step at a time. He currently had no solution, but once his strength rose in the future, he might be able to find a method to substitute things.

    ¡°Go ahead and do your best, I trust in your abilities.¡± He could only say these lines.

    But these words made Amandina glow and she nodded earnestly.

    ¡°I think I heard you calling for me, my lord?¡± A youthful voice came from the outside.

    Scarlett who was not too far away from a ck pine tree subconsciously followed the voice and saw Ciel wearing a dark cloak covering his entire body who walked into the courtyard.

    The young wizard had hardly appeared before anyone ever after the day Graudin was killed. He stayed in a small cottage provided by the city¡¯s guards and acted as though the worldly affairs had nothing to do with him.

    Ciel had exined to Brendel that he was testing out new magic spells. An apprentice wizard bing a master overnight needed to some time to get adjusted.

    Brendel watched him stroll in with a face full of carefree ease and even appeared to be a little excited.

    [This guy seems to be doing well these days. It¡¯s certainly more interestingpared to the time he was in the graveyard.]

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Brendel asked, but he quickly saw that he was not alone and there was another young man beside him.

    Brendel recognized the young man to be the only person who survived amongst the unfortunate group of adventurers, Alistair, who was a fledging wizard who used Chord Magic. Although, he did not understand why Alistair would bother staying on under him. He eventually came to know that hispanions were all from noble families, and while they were not exactly influential, they were still well off.

    [He¡¯s still around, huh...... There¡¯s actually no need to continue mingling with my mercenaries since his origin is good. Amandina called us as righteous rebels, but we¡¯re more like bandits, to put it mildly. And the only difference between real bandits and us is that Amandina, Ciel and I understand the rules of the nobles¡¯ game.]

    Ciel came up with a small smile and respectfully bowed all the way to his waist before Brendel. Any outsiders would have been shocked to see a wizard so respectful to a noble, but Ciel did not miss a beat and greeted Brendel.

    This meant that Alistair was now staring at them with odd, astonished expressions. He shifted his eyes at Ciel, then at Brendel. Even though Brendel was a Gold-ranked swordsman, Ciel also had the same rank, and the position for thetter was regarded with higher importance.

    Amandina did not seem to be surprised anymore and merely fiddled with the documents she had. Medissa did not understand the etiquette in this era, while Scarlett had no idea what a Gold-ranked wizard really meant.

    ¡°I¡¯m here for the money.¡± Ciel answered with a smile before he acted like an elderly gold-ranked wizard and scratched his head, causing Scarlett¡¯s eyebrows to twitch a little: ¡°But I¡¯m also here to give out money.¡±

    ¡°Give out money?¡± Brendel parroted his words with a peculiar look.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll talk about the reasons why I need money, since I know my lord likes to take in the bad news first,¡± Ciel quickly stole the chance to speak his agenda, ¡°the things that you asked me the previous time, I thought for a while and there should be no problem.¡±

    Brendel quickly understood what Ciel was talking about.

    Ciel had now be a leading figure amongst all the casters in the city. If he were to shape up the other wizards in the mercenaries, it might be possible for him to establish a Wizard¡¯s Association like the Tower of Stars and Moons.

    Although his situation looked quite pitiful now, the future that he envisioned was quite optimistic; it would not be as good enough to go up against the Silver Alliance, but they would not be weaker than the ck Tower¡¯s wizards.

    Brendel had asked this question a little earlier because Ciel studied under the ck Tower¡¯s wizards and there might be some taboos. There was a certain degree of discretion when it came to their knowledge, and a war nearly happened when they splintered off from the Silver Alliance. He finally received an affirmative reply from Ciel now, but he was quite surprised by Ciel wanting to give out money.

    [What¡¯s this guy ying at now?]

    ¡°I think we should talk about the good news first,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°My lord, have you forgotten what you item you had given me?¡± Ciel reminded him with a smile.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Brendel was still uncertain, and he saw Ciel taking out a painting from the Magic Item Bag on his waist.

    ¡°Marsha above, the portrait of the Coruscating Darkness Princess!¡±

    Amandina dropped all her documents and shouted with wide eyes, then turned suspicious: ¡°Is this a fake?¡±

    Judging from her lord and Ciel¡¯s true nature, that might be a possible answer. But Brendel shook his head.

    ¡°This is the real thing.¡± He said, recognizing it from Fortress Riedon. It was something he stole and was quite a devious act back then, but right now it seemed that the decision to do so was brilliant.

    The painting of Lamona, the Elven princess of Coruscating Darkness, was highly sought after and not impossible to sell it for several million. Even though this money was not much to Brendel, it was enough to solve their immediate problems.

    Brendel immediately thought of Ampere Seale because there was no appropriate market in Firburh.

    [I need someone to head to Ampere Seale, the opportunities there are favorable due to investors betting their whole fortune on theplicated political structure. There¡¯s also a need to establish some form of rtionship with them as this city¡¯s lord. A civil war is about to break out, and Ampere Seale would certainly be in a raucous state right about now.]

    Brendel smiled confidently as ns started formting.

 volume 3 - 36

    Chapter 36 ¨C Princess Nun

    =============== Princess POV ==============

    ¡°Ampere Seale?¡± Magadal said.

    She was sitting on a tall chair and looked at her close friend, Gryphine, with shock. Thetter was also sitting down on an identical chair, with her long silver strands of hair copsing gently onto her dress, her lithe body sculpted like a doll.

    The half-elven princess with silver eyes seemed to be filled with patience and mercy, appearing to be meek, but she was well known for her unyielding personality amongst the nobles.

    She carried a short silver sword outlined with emeralds carved into runic patterns on her belt; it seemed like it was only decorative, but Magadal was absolutely certain that Gryphine was capable of easily subduing a male adult, and perhaps that was still an understatement.

    Gryphine was famed for possessing exceptional swordsmanship, and even a formal knight was not her match.

    Both of Magadal¡¯s hands were ced on both her knees while she sat elegantly. She was also a princess from the Manticore Duchy and had known Gryphine when they were young.

    Magadal was a little envious of thetter who naturally showed off her assertive side, and every action seemed to show how she acted for herself.

    Inparison, Magadal had grown up under strict upbringing for nobles. Even though she was widely learned, outsiders treated her a gentle and quiet nobledy that was the very model of an aristocrat¡¯s daughter.

    But she hated this praise. She wanted to pursue a life of freedom, although she did not know exactly how it felt like, and her responsible nature meant that she had to ept her fate. The Manticore Duchy was only a small kingdom from the north of Aouine, and a girl of her status had her fate already decided from the beginning.

    ¡°Why do you want me to go to Ampere Seale, is it because of the war?¡±

    The half-elven princess nodded.

    Sudden roars and cheers came outside the balcony; the knights were having apetition in the courtyard. But the voices quickly died down and did not affect their conversation for long.

    ¡°Has the situation became this tense?¡± Magadal lowered her voice.

    ¡°What do you make of the situation? My older brother has moved faster than what I imagined. Many dukes have joined him and they have formed a coalition army. Even though that old fox Arreck is still hesitating, I think he would make his decision very soon.¡± Gryphine spoke unhurriedly, as though it had nothing to do with her.

    ¡°Perhaps the situation is still able to change?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as you think. Arreck is an ambitious person and either he chooses to stand with my beloved brother, or he stands with us,¡± Gryphine paused for a moment before she said wistfully, ¡°I don¡¯t mind a marriage with him, but I¡¯m afraid it would hurt Haruze.¡± (TL: Haruze is Gryphine¡¯s younger brother.)

    Magadal did not speak further and looked silently at Gryphine. She knew Gryphine well and understood that thetter would not topple because of this problem.

    Otherwise, Gryphine would not be recognized as Aouine¡¯s brilliant star.

    ¡°In truth, I¡¯m more worried about Count Randner,¡± the half-elven girl said, ¡°Arreck might be the dark clouds gathering over the northern skies, bringing about violent storms and lightning, but if the wind is right, he might not be our enemies and instead be our allies. The count, however, might bring out a dagger behind our backs.¡±

    A sh of amusement streaked across Magadal¡¯s brown eyes, and she abruptly spoke: ¡°I have heard of something recently; you might be interested in it.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    The Manticore Duchy¡¯s princess brought her body a little closer: ¡°I have a letter written in sealed magic from a friend in Randner¡¯s territory. The Count seems to be in some sort kind of trouble because there¡¯s a rebellion in his territory. I think he doesn¡¯t have the time to care about things outside his territory.¡±

    ¡°Your friend is from the Cathedral?¡± Gryphine asked solemnly.

    Magadal nodded lightly.

    Gryphine took a serious look at her close friend. Even though theter did not have Elven blood, she was regarded to be just as beautiful. She had a different air about her, with her soft golden locks reflecting the light around her to give her a saintly sheen, entuating her gentle and tranquil appearance.

    Magadal was called the ¡®Frowning Angel¡¯, and she was so beautiful that Gryphine could not help but recall an ancient fable about a human queen who captivated everyone. But the queen¡¯s ending was an unhappy one, and Gryphine knitted her eyebrows for an instant before she discarded her stray thoughts.

    Magadal was extremely pious and had excellent terms with the Cathedral of Holy mes. She even had personal friendships with the Cathedral¡¯s local bishops in various territories, yet this was also the reason why she was ridiculed by some nobles and called as the ¡®Princess Nun¡¯.

    Even the Cathedral¡¯s High Priest had praised her devout faith, which in turn assisted her to go rtively untroubled despite her beauty. Between nobility and faith, people would be inclined to pursue the former, but thetter made them feel awe and distance themselves away from her.

    ¡°Do you remember the joke when we studied etiquette back then? In Aouine, a lord wouldn¡¯t be a true lord until they settle one or two uprisings.¡± Gryphine asked.

    Magadal gave a faint smile in response, Gryphine was most likely thinking about the peaceful days.

    ¡°It¡¯s roughly the same anywhere,¡± Magadal replied.

    ¡°Yes, while I hope Count Randner gets his hands tied down by this rebellion, we can¡¯t put our hopes as to what happens to him because there are things that we can do right now.¡±

    ¡°What would you like me to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the merchants would be swayed by the profits offered by the nobles in the north. I hope that you can use your rtionship with the Holy Cathedral and convince the merchants in Ampere Seale to deny lending their harbors to the coalition army to travel south. The Cathedral of mes have the ability to protect the harbor, so the merchants don¡¯t need to worry on that. ¡±

    ¡°I do know of a local bishop in Ampere Seale; I can try persuading him,¡± Magadal recalled for a moment before speaking, ¡°but when do you want me to go?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to hurry. Once you leave my territory, I believe the dukes will immediately receive the news of your departure. My request is dangerous, so I want you to think about this carefully. You are my close friend and I don¡¯t wish to trouble you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Precisely because we¡¯re close friends, that I want to help you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Another round of shouting and hurrah rang out again from the courtyard, and Gryphine looked towards the balcony. Someone had won again, and a glint appeared in her eyes.

    ¡°Let me pick a few of my people to guard you. They can ensure your safety and aplish this task alongside.¡±

    ¡°Then, I want Ser Maynild,¡± Magadal showed off a rare cunning side of her, which she would only do so in front of Gryphine, ¡°if she¡¯s there with me, I¡¯ll have some to chat with and relieve my boredom.¡±

    Gryphine smiled in response: ¡°You¡¯re certainly taking advantage of me for going after my best knight so quickly. Very well, if that¡¯s the case I can only let her go with much pain in my heart¡ª but you do need to care of Maynild¡¯s whims; her temper is much worse than mine.¡±

    ¡°Naturally.¡± Magadal blinked several times.

    In truth, the three of them were close friends who knew each other well. Even though Maynild had an indifferent personality, she was not one to vent her temper.

    Another round of delightful roars came again andsted for a long time. The two girls understood that the final match amongst the knights was about to take ce.

    Gryphine stood up, her attention taken away by the cheers: ¡°Let¡¯s take a look and see which talented youths have the fortune to travel with you¡ª¡±

    Magadal stood up as well and nodded.

    ============== Freya¡¯s POV ============

    Freya¡¯s hands were full of perspiration, and her heart was pounding intensely. If the crowd got closer to her, they would be able to see clearly that her face was like a ripe apple and was gasping deeply for air. Her sweat was dripping off her sharp chin, and her uniform was already soaked long ago. The consecutive matches that she had were making her feel that her stamina was about to run out.

    The number of opponents she had defeated had gotten the audience¡¯s attention. As the newest member amongst thepetitors this year, her performance could be seen as outstanding.

    And in the other arenas, Bet and three other neers formed the brightest existences this term.

    (TL: Bet used to be Bretton, and I changed it because the name is too close to Brendel. He was a rival of the old Brendel and quite near the start of the series, in case you can¡¯t remember.)

    She wiped away her perspiration from her chin. She would certainly be considered the least prominent out of the five.

    Bet had defeated a reserved knight with just three strikes. When Freya saw his match, she realized that the once immature and rash youth was bing more level-headed, and his skill in the sword was improving by leaps and bounds.

    Freya could almost imagine his talent shining brilliantly through his sword, and he had found where he was supposed to belong to. This was the best stage for him.

    And inparison, she felt a little lost.

 volume 3 - 37

    Chapter 37 ¨C Freya¡¯s swordsmanship

    ============== Freya¡¯s POV ============

    Freya knew that she did not have superior talent in the sword. After the events in Be, she had tried closing the gap between her and the other squires in the academy with her obstinate personality, by putting in more effort than the others to inch her way closer.

    But it was not as simple as she hoped for.

    As the days passed by, she gradually realized that effort alone was not able to bridge the gap between the talented and untalented. There were many people who were more capable than she was, and she was part of the crowd who were insignificant. Her little pride as the best swordsman in Be disappearedpletely when she realized she was dwarfed by the brilliance by the top knights in the academy.

    In front of her was a senior apprentice knight; a Silver-ranked swordsman like Bet. The rules of thepetition limited the usage of strength, and thebatants were to duel each other with the knowledge of their swordsmanship; if this were not the case, she would have been defeated long ago¡ª

    However, this was precisely why she felt her sword which was held with both hands tremble a little, at the thought that she was fighting against someone superior.

    Her frowning opponent was carefully circling her. The stubborn defense from her had caused him to suffer a little disadvantage.

    Ever since the creation of this yearly tournament in the Royal Knights Academy, there was a rule which stated matches were conducted again as soon as they were over, which practically gave participants no time to rest. Everyone had to pay the price for spending too much stamina in a single battle.

    The person who made this rule did it so these knights would understand that the enemies in a battlefield would give a ¡®fair¡¯ rule. They needed to conserve their stamina so they could survive longer.

    The reason for building the Royal Knights Academy was to sire the best military personnel. In this current era of peace, the knights who graduated were then sent off to be groomed by high ranking officers. Those who showed excellent skills might even be epted to be the royal family¡¯s knights.

    This was how amoner could be a noble overnight.

    The tournament¡¯s format utilized a points system and a single elimination system. The aspiring squires would duel each other and gain corresponding points to their years in the academy by being victorious; the victors would continue to proceed to duel with each other until the final victor emerged, and would then attain the highest honor in the academy, the ¡®Champion Knight¡¯.

    And after the Champion Knight was crowned, the squires of respective years in this academy would be picked out based on the points to be named as the best knight amongst their own.

    These winners would literally be perceived as nobles.

    Even though the rules were unfair, it urately captured the reality on a battlefield. The first person who created this academy once imed that luck was part of one¡¯s strength and the most reliable attribute to save them from dire situations.

    Perhaps this was the most appropriate description for Freya. She managed to arrive at where she was despite surrounded by thousands of undead and even reached the pinnacle of an Iron-ranked fighter at her age.

    She felt she was outmatched by her opponent both in skill and stamina. She could barely keep up with the opponent¡¯s attempt to find a weakness by circling her.

    It would be a miracle if she somehow won.

    Her opponent also realized her current status. After making sure she was at the end of her rope, he decisively attacked with a lunge where her right guard was the weakest.

    [...... Won¡¯t make it in time!]

    She could hardly think to react, partly because of her fatigue, but her body reacted even before she was able to piece her thoughts together, mirroring a familiar figure¡¯s stance and defense against the undead Knight Ebdon.

    The next moment she felt the enemy¡¯s de running through her left forearm, causing it to burn painfully, but her opponent looked back in confusion as he was pushed slightly off-bnce; she stepped to the side and struck down at his thrust by the narrowest of margin near the base of her sword.

    This had allowed her to knock his de to the ground, where she followed up by stepping on it and drove her sword¡¯s pommel to his face. It dazed and made him lose his hold over the sword, and he staggered back several steps. Freya then kicked him in the chest without missing a beat and knocked him down onto his back. When he got up shakily, Freya¡¯s sword was on his neck.

    ¡°What is the name of this swordsmanship?¡± He asked as he nced at the dripping blood from the girl¡¯s hand; it was a little ring.

    ¡°.......¡± Freya did not answer.

    In truth, she was still a little confused as to what happened. Her opponent¡¯s thrust somehow resembled a single moment between Brendel and Ebdon¡¯s duel, and she copied Brendel¡¯s diverse techniques to deal with it.

    Ebdon¡¯s terrifying swordsmanship seemed to corner Brendel¡¯s simple defensive stance and parries every given moment when she watched the fight, but now that she had used it for herself, she realized how practical his defensive techniques were.

    [...... If Brendel were the one defending, he would never get himself injured. Now that I recall the duel between that undead knight and him, I finally understand just how incredible it was.]

    ¡°I lost.¡± The senior apprentice knight sitting on the floor raised his hands after a dazed moment.

    Freya watched a female knight with ck hair on her shoulders walk over to the tournament area. She was the acting judge and looked at both of them with her usual cold expressions.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you fought in battles?¡± Maynild asked, and her tone was cold as well.

    Freya noticed a sliver of deep suspicion in her ck eyes; Maynild seemed to wear a mask on her face, but at this moment it was lifted just a little. She was a bit puzzled at Maynild¡¯s reaction but nodded at her question. No one opposed her in this school, yet.

    ¡°You fought against Madara¡¯s undead?¡± Maynild asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Freya said.

    ¡°Are you still able to use that technique again?¡±

    Freya hesitated as fatigue was quickly catching up to her, and the bleeding on her arm hurt. Maynild also noticed her situation, so she spoke again:

    ¡°That technique you used earlier has Aouine¡¯s Miliary Swordsmanship¡¯s shadow in it, but it¡¯s different from what the instructors teach here. You were trained in Be as a militia?¡±

    Freya nodded again.

    ¡°I can¡¯t think of any region in Aouine which would teach differently to their militia or even their formal guards. These straightforward techniques for the sake of killing feels like someone had modified Aouine¡¯s Military Swordsmanship to be even more practical in wars.¡± Maynild frowned and stared at Freya deeply: ¡°You came from Be? Do you know someone in the White Mane Army?¡±

    Freya was confused as to why Maynild who somewhat looked out for her, was demanding answers to strange questions in this ce right now.

    She naturally shook her head.

    But she was no longer that girl who came from the rural area Be. The few months of training had increased her insight, and when she recalled Brendel¡¯s usage of his varied techniques, she realized that was amon point amongst them. They were all concise.

    Every single action he made did not seem to contain any wasteful movements at all, and it was as if his techniques were all used for the sake of victory. Freya thought on the effects that it would bring onto the battlefield, and was able to understand why Maynild said they were made for killing.

    Brendel¡¯s movements were clean and swift every time he charged into battles. It was indeed a mystery why he was so good with the sword. The training he had as a militia would not exin his skills.

    [...... Does talent really exin Brendel¡¯s abilities?]

    She suddenly realized Maynild was still staring at her. She jolted and wanted to shrink away, but thetter finally spoke:

    ¡°But the core seems to have deviated from Aouine¡¯s Miltary Swordsmanship.¡±

    Freya was even more confused.

    ¡°Are you hiding anything?¡± Maynild asked.

    Freya shook her head, her ponytail swinging hard.

    ¡°I have seen these techniques before......¡± Maynild¡¯s expression was a little strange as she muttered to herself.

    Freya watched Maynild leave for the other tournament area after throwing that sentence, but she gradually paled as she thought of a possibility¡ª

    [She knows Brendel?]

    =============== Princess Gryphine¡¯s POV ==============

    ¡°Who is that?¡± Magadal asked.

    ¡°What?¡± The half-elven princess turned back.

    ¡°That squire who won earlier,¡± Magadal watched the crowd from above as she spoke, ¡°I saw Maynild speaking to her down there.¡±

    Gryphine followed her gaze and recognized her quickly.

    ¡°That¡¯s Everton¡¯s daughter,¡± she sighed, ¡°but it seems like she has not inherited his father¡¯s talent. Even though she¡¯s quite good, she¡¯s not the best amongst this year¡¯s batch, and if youpare her to her father, the difference would be even more apparent.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because the quality of this year¡¯s batch is outstanding.¡± Even though Magadal did not know much about swordsmanship, she was observant and had seen enough to judge: ¡°Bet and two other talented youths. I have heard you speak about them more than once.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it seems that Mother Marsha still blesses Aouine,¡± Gryphine answered with a small smile, ¡°I intend to pick the squires with the highest points from the respective years. Oberbeck and I agree that we need to groom this year¡¯s intake, and it¡¯s my idea to allow them to leave here and train.¡±

    ¡°Then that youth Bet has caught your eye?¡± Magadal looked up and turned to her: ¡°He does seem to be very reliable; youths like him in the nobles¡¯ circle are rare¡ª¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Gryphine¡¯s eyes glinted, ¡± but I know of one more. He is the one who showed me the noble lineage from our ancestors has not dried out yet, and that this ancient kingdom still has hope.¡±

    ¡°I rarely hear such high praise of another person from you.¡±

    Gryphine did not answer. The person she was thinking of was the very same person Oberbeck spoke of. She had confirmed that he had not apanied Freya to attend the academy.

    [This person is mysterious. I¡¯m not sure where he is right now and what he¡¯s doing, but I have a feeling that he would appear before us very soon. As to how he would reappear.....]

    Gryphine smiled inwardly and dispelled her strange thoughts.

 volume 3 - 38

    Chapter 38

    TL: I¡¯ll see you guys at the end of the month for the bonus chapter. Commission is still open.

    Chapter 38 The lord, the youth, and the hunter

    =============== Raban / The Nightsong Tiger¡¯s POV ============

    The edge of River Gris was slowly bing brighter as the sun rose.

    The Nightsong Tiger and Raban were hiding amongst the dense foliage of the forest, silently staring at the noble¡¯s boisterous army from afar as they continued their march into a used path. It was not a strange thing; even soldiers from Aouine¡¯s formal armies were not disciplined enough to curb chattering.

    The Nightsong Tiger and Raban¡¯s mercenaries were obviously different, mainly because they were attempting to ambush them and had to be silent. Hundreds of mercenaries were lined near River Gris¡¯s edge and waited for Lord Macsen¡¯sst soldier to enter the ideal spot for their ambush.

    Their crossbows and longbows were already aimed at their chosen targets.

    ¡°Even though their scouts don¡¯t seem like much,¡± the Nightsong Tiger said as he watched their enemies, ¡°they reacted quite well, and merelycked a little experience in a real battle.¡±

    Raban nced at the man next to him. No one knew what The Nightsong Tiger¡¯s real name was, and Raban had never heard of a tiger species with Nightsong in it.

    [Lacked a little experience? You¡¯re the only person who would say that!]

    He had seen much as a former Karsuk¡¯s cavalrymander, and Lord Macsen¡¯s scouts were good enough to be ced in any of Aouine¡¯s regr armies, but the Nightsong Tiger and his men simply overwhelmed them with sheer skill.

    The Mercenaries of Lopes charged towards the enemies¡¯ scouts swiftly, leaping onto the horses and killed them in a single stroke from behind. They even discarded the bodies without startling the horses. Even now, these murdered men were still warm to the touch as they slumbered forever on the forest ground.

    The level of coordination they had made Raban feel they were not mercenaries. The fact that the Nightsong Tiger was considered as a low-ranking subordinate and not treated as a retainer made him wonder what Brendel¡¯s real identity was.

    His crude appearance belied his intelligence, as he saw more subtleties and recognized Brendel¡¯s capabilities earlier than Cornelius and Jana did. At the same time, he was curious as to why thetter had toe to this impoverished and rural area.

    He urately discerned Brendel¡¯s great ambition, which was why he surrendered to Brendel early.

    He had gone through many difficulties to create a group of mercenary of his own because he did not want to be amon man. He hoped to look for someone who he could serve, but the people he judged worthy did not cast a nce at him, and those who did were bastards like Graudin.

    It was until Brendel came along to give him this chance and they struck a chord with each other.

    Raban continued to ponder over Brendel¡¯s identity while Lord Macsen¡¯s army advanced in the forest¡ª

    ============= Lord Macsen¡¯s POV ==========

    Lord Macsen had slowed his speed down ever since he passed through River Gris. It seemed like the rebelling citizens were not present, but his careful personality made him cautious.

    He continued to let his men proceed slowly and be alert of any strange movements, but the slow march had caused them to chat even louder due to boredom. Even if he restrained his private soldiers and mercenaries by telling them to cease their noises, it would only work for a while, and it caused him to be in a slightly foul mood.

    However, he was satisfied when he saw his knights who were d in full armor beside him. They were his old subordinates, seasoned warriors who apanied him since he was a young man, and maintained vignce by surveying their surroundings with their hands holding their swords lightly at all times.

    The squires who rode on top of the gigantic Dragon Beast at the back of the army carrying the various gs even appeared to be more disciplined than the hired soldiers and mercenaries.

    As Lord Macsen thought about the uing battle with a grimace, he was soon distracted by the sounds of a galloping horse.

    Somewhere in the back were fifty soldiers who had been distributed to his son. He thought his son would suffer from undisciplined men. However, when he looked behind, he discovered they were far more subdued than he expected.

    [What new tricks did this brat think of this time?]

    Lord Macsen¡¯s eyes sought out for his son, and the corner of his eyes twitched when he saw Carglise urging his horse towards him, apanied by several soldiers.

    Carglise reined in his horse¡¯s speed once he got close to his father. He rode on the horse with an outstanding knight¡¯s upright back, as if he was a sharp de that pointed upwards. Hebed his slightly disheveled hair and expelled the air in his lungs with a huff.

    ¡°Father.¡±

    ¡°What do you want now?¡±

    The youth gave a meek smile and asked: ¡°How long has it been since thest time our scouts returned?¡±

    Lord Macsen paused for a moment, and suddenly realized that it was a problem. However, he was not keen to admit it and responded with a somewhat displeased tone: ¡°Does it concern you? They are just a littlete. Perhaps they have traveled a little too far ahead because they are a little too spirited¡ª¡±

    Carglise¡¯s eyes narrowed and nced at the forest ahead.

    ¡°Well, I somehow doubt that,¡± he said.

    ¡°What are trying to say, you damned brat?¡± Lord Macsen said.

    Carglise let out aughing snort and stared at his father with a teasing expression.

    ¡°Everyone ims that Lord Macsen is a cautious person, but it seems like that¡¯s not the¡ª¡± He realized that his father¡¯s face was bing darker and darker, and the youth inwardly eximed in rm before he changed his tune quickly: ¡°But you¡¯re a little too bold, father. There¡¯s a clear problem with the scouts¡¯ dyed return, and yet you still allowed the army to advance into the forest.¡±

    Even though Carglise spoke up, he was not exactly worried. His opponents wereprised of citizens and perhaps a few mercenaries after all. He did not believe they would be superior to his father¡¯s private soldiers.

    ¡°A veteran like myself getting taught by an upstart like you?¡± Lord Macsen¡¯s retort came with a snap: ¡°When I had my first battle, you weren¡¯t even born yet!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, father. Please stop the army for now.¡±

    Lord Macsen nced at his surroundings and also became a little worried. It was a stage that he coulde down from without embarrassment, so he raised his hands and ordered his adjutant to ry his orders.

    After a brief moment of chaotic disorder, the army stopped.

    But the moment the chatter died down, Carglise immediately discovered a problem. He quickly raised his head up and surveyed the trees, frowning deeply.

    He was not only the person who discovered the oddity, as the knights simrly realized the same thing.

    The forest waspletely silent.

    ¡°Retreat.¡± His expression was grave as he stared into the forest ahead.

    =============== Raban / The Nightsong Tiger¡¯s POV ============

    Raban simrly frowned. The noble¡¯s army was just a short distance away from the ambush area. If they continued to march in a little more, he would be able to lead his mercenaries to gain a preemptive strike, but their current position would only allow for a stalemate instead of an advantage.

    He stared at them and noted down every single detail he could spot. In the end, he chose to wait a little longer. During his stint amongst the Karsuk¡¯s cavalry, the most important trait he learned was being calm, and it had allowed him to see the situation clearly and lead to a victory.

    But this time he was wrong.

    The Nightsong Tiger had sensed the unusual atmosphere in the air. After that young rider entered the main army, the entire army stopped their march, and he suspected that the enemies had discovered their mercenaries.

    Regardless of what the enemy realized, he knew that he had to make an immediate judgment.

    The Subterrane Dwellers were in ce approximately a hundred meters away, armed with heavy crossbows. Tagiv had wanted to get these weapons ever since they fought with Graudin, but thetter was not foolish enough to give away military provisions to his enemies.

    Naturally, it was different when they entered Brendel¡¯s army.

    A hundred meters was a little far for humans to charge in, and even Iron-ranked fighters needed a few seconds to traverse on open ground, not to mention in a forest. The Subterrane Dwellers were a different story, though.

    ¡°Send out the signal¡ª¡± The Nightsong Tiger made his decision and gave the order.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Raban did not understand, ¡°they are still too far away for the crossbows to reach them.¡±

    ¡°We have absolute numbers and strength. The ambush is nothing more than a strategy to conserve our men, but if the enemies realized we are here, then things might take a different turn. Remember the crucial point for this battle; our lord wants to capture Lord Macsen.¡±

    Raban took a moment to realize it was indeed so.

 volume 3 - 39

    Chapter 39 ¨C Town Schafflund

    ============ Carglise¡¯s POV ==========

    ¡°Prepare to retreat!¡± Carglise¡¯s voice was raised.

    ¡°What?¡± Lord Macsen could hardly believe what his ears were hearing. The brat actually ordered his men to retreat in front of him: ¡°You damn brat, this old man isn¡¯t dead yet, so don¡¯t think you can order my men!¡±

    Even if his son was cautious, retreating out of the forest was a little too much. Furthermore, how was he going to deal with the loss of his pride?

    ¡°My lord, I¡¯m afraid the young master is right.¡± But one of the knights also chose to speak up with a solemn expression: ¡°It¡¯s best that we retreat, at least a little¡ª¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s happening? What are y¡ª¡± Lord Macsen¡¯s mind was going nk. His subordinates would not joke with him, and this time he was starting to panic a little.

    Before he could finish his words, there was a visible signal made from a magic spell that rose up to the sky, followed by frightening bestial screams!

    Carglise¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he saw countless enemies swarming towards them.

    [T-this rebellion can¡¯t possibly consist of just disgruntled civilians and mercenaries!]

    ================ Brendel¡¯s POV ================

    Brendel and his men passed through the dark green peaks and ridges of Mountain Graham and stood at the highest point to observe the extending scenery. A scenic view of red and green spread across the coiling valleys. They had reached close to their destination before it was afternoon.

    He took in the beautiful season for several minutes with astonishment.

    ¡°That ce is Town Schafflund,¡± Jana said, referring to the houses with bright red roofs sitting near the forest, with the highest poption density in its center.

    A town that slumbered deeply within the mountains.

    Ciel had given Brendel an entirely new line of thinking after he discussed the potential revenue that could be gained from the trading hub, Ampere Seale. The painting from Fortress Riedon was just a part of what could be obtained. Brendel also had Tamar, a future grandmaster alchemist, andbined with Brendel¡¯s knowledge of the future, it was not difficult for him to profit from Ampere Seale.

    However, Schafflund was also something that could significantly benefit him in the long run, so he decided not to change his ns.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Scarlett said to herself when she looked at the scenery.

    The shrubs behind her rustled as the other mercenaries walked out. There were twenty-seven of them, each with steady hands and long endurance, and their eyes surveyed their surroundings with vignce. These elite mercenaries were picked from Jana¡¯s mercenaries and the smaller groups of sellswords, and even the weakest amongst them was a peak Iron-ranked fighter.

    Brendel was initially quite surprised to see such a group. If they were trained a little more, they could be skilled warriors no weaker than Aouine¡¯s knights.

    But all the mercenaries knew that they were unable to match Brendel¡¯s close subordinates. The two girls beside him were Gold-ranked fighters, and the two angels that followed behind him were genuine Silver-ranked warriors.

    Brendel made the angels keep their wings folded to keep a low profile. Summoning and unsummoning them wasted too many Light EP. He did not have an effective means of replenishing his light EP, so he paid 1 Light EP every day to keep them outside. If he needed to retrieve a card in the graveyard, he could unsummon them and cast them again anytime; or if only five Light EP were left, he would unsummon them to ensure he could at least cast the angels.

    He had spent his 100 Wealth after the battle at the lumber mill to unseal the Fire Element Earth Card ¡®Ashen Volcano¡¯, and the Wind Element Earth Card ¡®The Nest of Storms¡¯.

    Right now in his created dimensional world within his mind, sat an inactive volcano and a hurricane that spun continuously. The finalnd card in the album was the Fire Element Land Card, Karudu¡¯s Wilderness.

    With the Wind Element Land Card, it would not be a problem to summon the Wind Spirit Spiders, while the Fire Element Land Card allowed him to target the next card in the album:

    ¨C Fire Djinn

    ¨C (The zing Inferno X)

    ¨C 15 Fire Elemental Points

    ¨C Living Element: Djinn, Level 36 Creature

    ¨C Tapping the card will cause Fire Djinn to deal an enormous amount of damage to target enemy. Shuffle this card back into the deck after tapping.

    ¨C Pay 2 Fire Elemental Points every day when the Giant Fire Spirit is on the battlefield.

    ¨C ¡®The Fire Djinn always terrifies its enemies on the scorchingnds.¡¯

    ¨C Unlocking this card requires 50 Fire Elemental Points.

    This card appealed to Brendel because it did not require Wealth to unseal it; his foremost priority was to unlock cards that gave out resources. It was still a little too much for Brendel now as he only had a total of 37 Fire EP avable in his Mana Pool, but if he trained by casting more Fire Spells, then his mana pool for the Fire Element would increase gradually.

    The spells he picked when he increased his Elementalist levels were all fire-based spells too, like Fire arrows or Control Fire.

    He was targeting another card as well:

    ¨C Silver Swallow-tailed g

    ¨C (Alliance of Light VII)

    ¨C 12 Earth or Water Elemental Points

    ¨C Artifact / Fantasy-ranked rarity

    ¨C When Silver Swallow-tailed g is on the battlefield, all creatures¡¯ maintenance cost is decreased by 1. If any Cards have multiple maintenance costs, choose the Element you wish to decrease.

    ¨C Tap a target card that produces Wealth and doubles it.

    ¨C ¡®Glittering flow of silver.¡¯

    ¨C Unlocking this card requires 100 Wealth

    This card has caused Brendel to crave for it for a long time and even made him hesitate whether to unlock thend cardster, but Ciel¡¯s suggestion made him change his mind. The source of a neswalker¡¯s powers stille from Land Cards.

    ¡°What should we do next, my lord?¡± Scarlett carried her heavy halberd over her small shoulder.

    Jana spoke before Brendel could: ¡°Town Schafflund is built because of the silver mine and most of the residents work there. It¡¯s quite affluent because of that, and many merchant shops and a few inns have been set up.¡±

    ¡°There are inns in this remote ce?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not strange at all. Schafflund is the deepest town in the eastern Graham mountain, and there are quite a lot of adventurers who visit this town. Rumors also state there are silver veins in boulders found in the forest. Manye here in hopes of striking it rich.¡±

    ¡°Silver veins?¡± Romaine came from behind and asked: ¡°Is there something like that?¡±

    Everyone turned around and saw the merchant girl crawl out from a bush. She even held the corners of her dress to prevent it from getting caught by the branches.

    But she did not secretly follow Brendel this time; it was him who wanted her toe along. There were going to be ounting notes about the silver mine, and Romaine was probably the only person who understood them besides Amandina.

    ¡°Some were rumored to be rich because they found the silver veins, but it¡¯s rare. The majority of the people go back empty-handed.¡± Jana said.

    ¡°Why do so many bother toe here when the sess rate is so low?¡± Scarlett did not understand.

    ¡°Because the only thing people sees is the sess that people had,¡± Brendel said as he observed the town.

    ¡°My lord is right. Some of them spent their money by gambling them away after they discovered the silver veins.¡± Jana nodded.

    ¡°Things that are attained easily are discarded just as easily,¡± Medissa said as she spoke of a Silver Elf adage.

    Many agreed with her words, but Romaine had a different opinion on the silver veins: ¡°I find it hard to believe. My aunt regrly says that things that are too conspicuous invite trouble. How is it possible that the other nobles wouldn¡¯t take notice of this? I think even Count Randner¡¯s men would be interested in it!¡±

    ¡°Strangely enough the people who did not find any silver mining veins did not enter the forest again. It¡¯s also one of the mysteries of this forest.¡± Jana shook her head.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Romaine¡¯s eyes widened, apparently curious as to why they did not continue searching.

    Scarlett shook her head and scoffed: ¡°Mysteries? This rumor is more likely to be false! The people who got rich probably discovered something else and pretended otherwise!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible,¡± Brendel¡¯s mind did think of a possibility, but he brought the topic back to their real goals, ¡°but we should start talking about our ns. Jana, you¡¯re most familiar with this area amongst us, go ahead and speak your thoughts.¡±

    ¡°My lord, the mining area is approximately two miles to Schafflund¡¯s eastern-north. Every morning, the workers would pass through a dedicated path to enter the silver mines and work. The path is guarded by several watchtowers, and there is light cavalry patrolling as well. We won¡¯t be able to enter the area without concealing ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Is there only a single path? What are the chances of sneaking in from the sides with our men¡¯s skills?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible,¡± Jana thought for a while, ¡°but I heard themander of the guards is a Gold-ranked swordsman.¡±

    Brendel nodded. It would be strange without that this ce did not have one. He knew the strongest defender of a silver mine in the game was a Sword Saint who hadpletely mastered his Element Power.

    ¡°Very well. Entering the town shouldn¡¯t be a difficult problem. Since we have quite the number of men, we need to divide ourselves into small groups to avoid suspicion. Everyone needs to make sure to bring keep your funds with you at all times and stay in different inns,¡± He nced at the sky as he spoke, ¡°we will gather in the evening. Have all of you memorized your signs?¡±

    Everyone nodded.

    ¡°Then move out.¡±

    TL: Just in case anyone is wondering, that¡¯s the end of Carglise and Macsen¡¯s POV. Both are captured and house arrest.

 volume 3 - 40

    Chapter 40 ¨C Silver mines (1)

    There was an inn located in central Schafflund and the owner a normal middle-aged man. However, the ale sold there had exceptional taste and thus attracted many recurring customers.

    Most of them were locals who worked in the silver mines six days every week and returned every Sunday to rest, with a terrible body odor worked up from perspiration. They had loud, boorish voices, ignored what others thought of them, and leered at the waitresses.

    If any barkeep girl flirted with them, they would definitely be booed at.

    A few young men sat in one corner and stole nces at the noisy drinkers while discussing their affairs. Their parents were workers at the mine, and so were they. But these youths¡¯ restless and brash personalities made them unwilling to resign themselves to spend their whole lives in this manner, and were currently discussing with each other to leave this town and see the outside world.

    They had spent their entire lives within the town, and the furthest they went to was the forest, and the ideas they had of other regions came from the adventurers that came into the inns.

    When they were finally prepared to leave Schafflund, they arranged the time to meet up and depart. However, they heard a cold scoff emitted through the nose near them. The young men¡¯s startled heads whipped quickly to the opposite table in guilt and saw an aging dwarf.

    He had arge nose and long braided beard that reached to his waist. Metal sps were wrapped around his stocky arms, his legs short but thick and powerful. His skin color did not belong to a mountain dwarf¡¯s ruddyplexion but a pale grey color.

    The youths¡¯ expressions immediately contorted. The old dwarf¡¯s name was Odum; they did not know where he came from, but he was rumored to be skilled in mining and was hired to be a foreman.

    His temper was atrocious, personality stubborn, and was inflexible; he never humored anyone. He seemed to have troubles of his own, and many had seen him drinking by his lonesome self¡ª Dwarves love to drink, but they rarely do so on their own, and certainly unlikely to put a snarling grimace while ignoring everyone.

    That was not the end of his unfavorable impression. He was also arrogant and looked down on everyone, even speaking badly about his superiors. He was bad-tempered enough to even insult the king, so they saw him as an entric person and ignored his actions.

    The youths who saw him instantly cried bitterly in their hearts. One of them who had better social sense immediately spoke in a friendly tone: ¡°Foreman Odum, we didn¡¯t see you¡ª¡±

    The old dwarf red at them: ¡°Why, did I disturb you?¡±

    ¡°No, no, not at all. Would you allow us to treat you to a few rounds......¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about your treat, but I¡¯ll remind you young¡¯uns that the world outside is harder than you think. Be careful not to get knocked in the head on your way out.¡± Odum snorted from his nose.

    The youths were relieved and stuttered a few parting words in response. They nudged each other and quickly left the front door.

    When they were finally out of the inn, they could not help but curse their luck for encountering the old dwarf. It was fortunate that he was in bad terms with the majority of the people in the town. Many of them would be rebuked if their parents found out.

    Odum shook his head when he saw the youths leave. The world was a harsh ce, but he did not bother himself with a bunch of hot-blooded youths. He was about to lift his gon of ale, but the appearances of a groupprising of three men and women caught his eyes.

    In fact, most of the people in the hall had their eyes lit up when Brendel pushed the doors open.

    A bunch of beautifulsses¡ª

    Medissa was a pure blooded Silver Elf from the royal family and was remarkably beautiful. Even though her body had not fully matured, her somewhat delicate appearance was more appealing.

    Romaine and Scarlett were just as eye-catching. The merchant girl had a unique air about her that made people look at her twice, especially with her inquisitive dark eyes darting everywhere, while her hands were ced squarely on her leather bag in front of her belt.

    Scarlet¡¯s wary crimson eyesbined with herrge halberd had the same effect. When she walked into the inn¡¯s hall, her eyebrows were slightly knitted and lifted up a little, warning everyone not to approach.

    But the reason why the bar was rowdy was due to Jana. Some men whistled loudly as they leered at the female mercenarymander¡¯s ample chest and sexy body.

    Thetter did not mind the noise but sneered coldly in response.

    Brendel had seen typical scenarios in games and stories about the inns; adventures would discuss their ns, while the loutish customers would raise their voices as they had drinking games, with the waitresses flirtingughs.

    [It will be perfect if there¡¯s a bard.]

    He was quite fascinated by this sight and smiled.

    The inn¡¯s owner closed in on them. He looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, but it seemed like he was able to recognize the rtionship between Brendel and the others.

    While the inn¡¯s men looked at the group with their lower bodies, the middle-aged man studied the two handsome men a few steps behind Brendel but shifted his gaze away after a few seconds to the youth.

    As the owner of this inn, he learned how to read people after seeing so many peoplee and go. He was able to recognize him amongst the others because Brendel¡¯s confidence as a modern-age person was simr to descendants of high-ranking nobles who had received good upbringing.

    [This must be a scion of an important noble!]

    He thought as he squeezed out a smile and used a polite tone subconsciously: ¡°What does everyone need?¡±

    Brendel looked at the menu and pointed at the most expensive wine. He was uninterested in the choices but merely chose to keep up an appearance.

    The otherdies, with the exception of Medissa, chose a fruit wine that tasted mildly sweet and sour. Heroic Spirits did not need to eat, and Medissa merely sat quietly at their sides. Scarlett noticed this and whispered: ¡°You can¡¯t eat?¡±

    Medissa paused for a moment and shook her head: ¡°It¡¯s not necessary for me.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s best to try something. It will be a little conspicuous if you don¡¯t order.¡± Scarlett said as shebed through her ponytail.

    ¡°Not so,¡± Romaine¡¯s voice cut in as she spoke earnestly, ¡°a realdy wouldn¡¯t eat or drink in this chaotic and noisy ce!¡±

    Scarlett watched the merchant girl drink her gon of fruit wine with satisfaction. She rolled her eyes as she said with a huff: ¡°Aren¡¯t you drinking?¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not ady!¡± Romaine¡¯s said with widened eyes.

    Medissa giggled as she listened to their conversation.

    The middle-aged owner confirmed his thoughts when he saw the two men standing silently behind Brendel without ordering anything. The girls were the youth¡¯spanions, and the men were his subordinates.

    He nced at everyone and asked with a sensitivity belonging to a businessman: ¡°I assume everyone isn¡¯t a local?¡±

    Scarlett stopped speaking and raised her eyebrow cautiously. Brendel knew there was nothing to hide. The innkeeper might not hold power in this town, but he probably knew enough locals to see through any lies they coulde up with, so he nodded:

    ¡°We¡¯re here to test our luck.¡±

    But he did not give the truth either.

    The owner thought Brendel was a young noble seeking fun and adventures. It was not umon.

    ¡°Do you mean to go out to the forest? Do you need a guide?¡± He asked.

    Since Brendel had ordered the most expensive wine, he was quite happy to aid him.

    Brendel nced at the wine in his hand. The service was quite considerate, probably because of how expensive it was. This ce was an information hub, and the owner typically sold it as a side business, but as the information was taken from third parties, it was not checked for falsehoods.

    He had to remove the useless bits by himself. The only thing good about it was the price of the information was included with the drinks.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need a guide, but I want to know more about the forest.¡± He shook his head and said.

    ¡°The town¡¯s surroundings are safe, but if you go deep into the forest, you might encounter beasts and possibly monsters. Also, the mines are in the north, if you travel there, you might encounter the patrolling guards. It won¡¯t be good for you to meet them because they might capture you for being suspicious¡ª¡±

    The owner paused in the middle of his exnation, then quickly added as though he was afraid the youth might abuse his status:

    ¡°While this ce is within Trentheim, the owner of the silver mines is Count Randner.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Brendel sipped the wine that was brought to him, and a burning sensation went down his throat before it burst up to his nose, almost causing him to cough. He frowned because he nearly made a fool out of himself, especially when he was not a good drinker. After dispelling the taste in his mouth, he decided not to touch it anymore.

    ¡°What other areas must I avoid?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Not heading north would be fine.¡± The owner said.

    ¡°But how is it possible for us to find the silver veins if we¡¯re not close to the mines?¡± Brendel pretended to look troubled.

    The owner thought he was right in predicting what Brendel came for.

 volume 3 - 41

    Chapter 41 ¨C Silver mine (2)

    ¡°I don¡¯t have firm information about the silver veins in the forest,¡± the owner lowered his body and whispered, ¡°but if you do notck money you can approach the well-known local adventurers here, they have entered the forest many times and even drew maps of the nearby areas.¡±

    ¡°How useful are these maps?¡±

    ¡°Priceless.¡±

    Brendel nodded and asked information regarding the town¡¯s workers and the patrolling time of the soldiers near the mines. He thought he made his group look like they were out for adventuring, but the innkeeper saw them as naive scions of nobles who were out for fun.

    Neither cared about their misunderstandings, and the conversation continued until a dwarf nearly crashed onto Brendel as he stumbled close towards him.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Odum looked at the youth and barely recognized him as the person who came in earlier. His eyes were almost usatory, as though Brendel was at fault, and shook his head in disapproval.

    Brendel¡¯s mouth nearly dropped. The path was wide enough for the old dwarf to walk by, but thetter made him sound like his chair was blocking his way. He did not want to have a scene, so he pulled his chair in after a moment of hesitation, but suddenly whirled his head back to the dwarf again.

    Odum¡¯s face was red from the alcohol and Brendel thought he was amon Mountain Dwarf, but the color of his arms was light grey.

    The youth¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    [A Rune Dwarf?]

    He felt like he was somehow asleep and wanted to pinch the dwarf¡¯s face to confirm whether he was sleeping, or if thetter was real.

    The Rune Dwarves in Vaunte¡¯s history was not as prominent as the Silver Elves, and theye from the Jurgen Underworld just like the Subterrane Dwellers, but their status was unique because they were from the Silver Lineage that disappeared from history a long time ago.

    It was believed that the Rune Dwarves had died out during the Era of Chaos, but rumors indicated that the race survived because there was another city in the Underworld cut off by the Mercury Sea.

    Either way, Brendel did not think he had the chance to see a living Rune Dwarf, mostly recognizable by their skin color as no other dwarves had the same color.

    These Rune Dwarves were the builders of the Steel ins, and their architectural skills were considered on par with the Wizard Craftsmen, though the Rune Dwarves were dissatisfied with the evaluation. Unfortunately, they would never be able to trulypete because the dwarves¡¯ buildings were located in the Underworld and the Wizard Craftsmen¡¯ buildings on the surface.

    Brendel calmed himself after a short pause.

    [It might be possible he¡¯s from a bloodline that drifted outside the Underworld. Every race has their own adventurers no matter what kind of traits they have. Though these drifters might not have their cultural heritage, and some of them don¡¯t even know what race they belong to.]

    Perhaps no one in the town recognized this old dwarf for who he truly was.

    Brendel continued to ponder as Odum staggered shakily past him, and his eyes followed thetter¡¯s back out of the inn¡¯s door.

    [There¡¯s no point to talk with a drunken dwarf right now; he seems like he¡¯s a worker here as well, so I don¡¯t think he will be disappearing anytime soon.]

    Brendel did not follow him in the end. His goal was to take control of the silver mines, and there would be a chance to interact with himter. He turned towards the innkeeper and said:

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°That old man? His name is Odum. He has stayed here for a quite some time,¡± the innkeeper did not know why the youth was interested in the dull-looking dwarf, ¡°he¡¯s currently working in the mines.¡±

    ¡°As a miner?¡±

    ¡°He works as one of the foremen.¡±

    ¡°Does he have any special traits like being knowledgeable in construction?¡± Brendel pressed on.

    ¡°...... Hmm, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard anyone say that before,¡± the innkeeper shook his head.

    ¡°I see, I thought the dwarves are all specialists in building something,¡± Brendelughed and lied intentionally.

    ¡°That would be the dwarves in the north.¡±

    Brendel nodded and thanked him for the information and the innkeeper left to tend to his other customers.

    ¡°Is there something special about that dwarf?¡± Jana asked.

    ¡°No, nothing of importance. Let¡¯s discuss the information we have from the innkeeper.¡±

    ¡°What do you make of his information?¡± Jana¡¯s eyes had a streak of anxiety in them. She was the next person to Brendel to be concerned about this matter¡¯s sess.

    ¡°We had originally thought that the workers return every day from the mines, but as you heard from the innkeeper, they work six full days there and only return to the town on Sunday. That¡¯s not good at all.¡±

    ¡°The people in charge of the mines seem to be quite strict.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and our chances to sneak in bes smaller.¡±

    ¡°Why do we need to sneak in?¡± Scarlett asked as she did not understand.

    ¡°Controlling the silver mines isn¡¯t hard as long as we can capture that Gold-ranked swordsmanmander. It shouldn¡¯t be hard since Scarlett, Medissa and I are Gold-ranked ourselves. The hundred-odd guards won¡¯t be a match for us, but doing it silently without attracting the attention of Lord Ps would be difficult. You should know how much of amotion between Gold-ranked fighters is, and if any guard realizes the silver mine is under attack, they will make sure to seek help from Lord Ps, and it won¡¯t take more than a few days to know that Schafflund is taken.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps we can cut off their paths ahead of time by putting the mercenaries in their paths,¡± Romaine suggested.

    ¡°Lord Ps is indirectly in-charge of the silver mines¡¯ safety, and if there¡¯s no news from Schafflund for a long time, he would be suspicious.¡± Brendel shook his head: ¡°We need to control this ce and make it look like it¡¯s running as usual, then transport the silver to Firburh.¡±

    The silver would then be moved to a mint to manufacture coins. This was not much of a secret in Firburh as Graudin had his private mint hidden in a manor within the city.

    This was naturally an act of treason liable to hanging, but Brendel¡¯s favorite phrase easily stated his thoughts¡ª A person on a death row would not mind if the noose on his neck were one or two ropes.

    ¡°Is it possible to lure him out and take him down? Surely thatmander can¡¯t stay in the mines all the time.¡± Medissa suggested with her soft voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s certainly possible, but what if he doesn¡¯te out for a whole month, does it mean we have to wait just as long?¡± Brendel shook his head again and said: ¡°This is why we should take the initiative, and at the very least, we should enter the mines and observe their movements. We might even pick up on how theymunicate with the Ps region.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do now, my lord?¡± Jana asked.

    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t address me with that title,¡± Brendel nced at his surroundings cautiously, ¡°there are two pieces of good news from the innkeeper. First is the possibility of the adventurers mapping the silver mines. I feel this is highly possible since good adventurers probably make maps all the time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, my...... young master,¡± Jana changed her words in time when Brendel¡¯s eyes darted to her who had trouble using this title, ¡°sometimes, the adventurers would even work with the local bandits. The nobles tend to ignore them since they won¡¯t be able to cause any problems.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the second good news?¡± Romaine asked.

    ¡°This information is subtle to pick up on, but the adventurers asionally go to the mining area and work there. Not all the adventurers manage to earn money here.¡±

    Jana was surprised and asked: ¡°Count Randner is willing to allow these troublesome people into the mines?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they? The mines need workers. I¡¯m certain that the adventurers are not allowed to bring in weapons when they enter the mines, and they are not allowed to bring even one piece of rock out when they leave. They exchange the silver ores in the mines for food and money, so what kind of trouble would they be able to cause? And the final reason...... It¡¯s Count Randner¡¯s territory. Who else would cause trouble other than us?¡± Brendel listed his reasons one by one.

    ¡°Then can¡¯t we go sneak in by this method?¡± Scarlett¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°Well, yes and no, the women can¡¯t, while the men can. The silver mines can¡¯t allow women to work or else there will be chaos,¡± Brendel said with a bemused expression.

    The girls looked at each other and understood how easy it was to gain information on the guards¡¯ movements with this n.

    ¡°Therefore,¡± Brendel said as he observed them, ¡°it¡¯s best I infiltrate the silver mines on my own.¡±

 volume 3 - 42

    Chapter 42 ¨C Silver Mine (3)

    The gates of the silver mines were bustling with people. Regardless of whether they were workers or adventurers, they were watched by a squadron of cavalry and proceeded towards to the mines in an orderly manner. They were also formed into three lines to speed up their entry.

    Brendel nced at the map on his hand, and silently memorized the locations and symbols on it before he rolled the parchment up and put it away in his bag. He looked up at the group ahead. Twenty mercenaries had sessfully sneaked in a while ago. The cavalry that was guarding the entrance were not vignt.

    It was probably because Schafflund had enjoyed peace for too long. Even though there were asional groups of Trentheim¡¯s bandits that troubled the town, these desperados rarely approached the mining areas. One reason was the intimidating name of Count Randner, and another was because the loss outweighed the gains.

    His eyes briefly darted to the lush green forest. His female subordinates had most likely entered the area already. Even Jana who was the weakest of the lot had the strength of a Silver-ranked fighter. Bypassing the watchtower¡¯s guards should not be difficult.

    Romaine stayed behind in the town with two Pristine Angels protecting her, so he was not too worried.

    ¡°Next!¡± One of the cavalry guards yelled with a thick native ent.

    Brendel realized it was his turn and quickly lowered his head and walked forward. He thought he would at least be checked by them, but the rider in front of him with a silver pointed helmet merely swept his eyes on the people in front of him, and let them pass when he saw they had no weapons.

    [If this is the case I might as well have the girls disguise as men and let them sneak in. Judging from the way how this ce is guarded, that Gold-ranked swordsman¡¯s vignce probably isn¡¯t high¡ª]

    He shook his head in disapproval. Still, it was good news.

    Once he was past the gates, the observations on them were even more rxed. Brendel surveyed the surroundings and quickly saw the disguised mercenaries. In truth, their disguise was really nothing more than not taking their weapons. Naturally, Brendel was not rash enough to carelessly group up with them.

    Twenty adventurers in a group were definitely suspicious no matter how one looked at it. Since they had their own methods of contacting each other, there was no hurry.

    [I¡¯ve done all sorts of missions in the game, but this is the first time I¡¯m disguising myself and entering deeply into a territory full of enemies. I¡¯m feeling a little anxious and excited at the same time..... Hmm, then again a Gold-ranked fighter is enough to travel through Vaunte¡ª]

    His mind was more settled when he remembered this detail. It was still the first year of the game, and a Gold-ranked fighter was a considerable force to be reckoned with. In this year, one could count the number of Gold-ranked fighters below the age of twenty with their fingers.

    He then continued to observe and memorize his surroundings as he progressed, while marveling at the beautiful scenery. The path between the town and the silver mines was a long snaking path that passed through the mountain¡¯s forest, and there were sporadic clearings that allowed him to see the valleys below him, as well as the distant Graham Mountain which was made up of a series of smaller mountains extending towards Trentheim.

    It was like a watercolor painting where blue mountains lined vividly towards the horizon, and the trees were like ck specks sprayed onto them, forming into a canvas that pleased the eyes greatly.

    He finally tore his eyes off thendscape to look at his hands after a long while and reflected on his journey in a daze.

    [I¡¯ve been using the sword so much that my hands have calluses. I feel like I¡¯ve been traveling for so long, yet it has been only a few months. The unknown kid in Be has gainedpanions and subordinates and is relied on for his strength. I even have my own territory just like I envisioned, and I¡¯m controlling the known future step by step..... until this old kingdom¡¯s fate is changed]

    He had sessfully turned the ship that had sailed towards the darkness towards the path of light just a little, and thought that the female upperssman who introduced him to the game would be delighted to hear it.

    A unique building structure broke off his thoughts. When Brendel looked at it, he saw a watchtower in front of him surrounded by foliage. When he checked ahead, there were more watchtowers simrly guarded by soldiers with shiny armor.

    [Unlike the cavalry¡¯s rxed attitude, the defense here is strict. Based on the map and the positions of these watchtowers, it seems like the adventurers didn¡¯t lie to me.]

    The map cost him three thousand Tor coins, but it seemed like it was worth the price.

    Suddenly, someone bumped into Brendel¡¯s back while he was concentrating on the watchtowers. When he looked back, he saw a young man. Thetter was surprised to find Brendel to be of simr age to him; when the young man knocked into him, he felt he had smashed against a mountain, and the feedback nearly caused him to fall over.

    The young man staggered a few steps before he steadied himself. He patted his chest and breathed in deeply, and it was easy to see his startled expression. He looked back at Brendel, and that emotion soon changed to an apologetic one.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the youth seemed to realize his mistake and apologized.

    Brendel observed the youth¡¯s attire; he was wearing amon adventurer¡¯s outfit. The type of leather armor he was wearing did not offer any real defense, and the only good point about it was that it looked pretty decent.

    ¡°Well, since you apologized then you should return my things,¡± Brendel replied after a pause.

    It wasmon to see pickpockets in the game, but it was the first time he encountered it in this world. The difference between then and now was his skill level. He could not catch them in the past because hecked the skill to do so, but now he was a true Gold-ranked fighter.

    The young man¡¯s face turned into shock before he smiled upon hearing Brendel¡¯s words.

    ¡°You found out? That¡¯s amazing!¡± The young man¡¯s smile showed pearly white teeth, and he did not argue when his actions were revealed, and generously took a bag of coins out from his clothes.

    It was Brendel¡¯s bag of money.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Brendel received the bag and said, ¡°your hands need to be gentler when you steal, also,¡± he gravely added another line, ¡°you should pick a better target!¡±

    ¡°Are you an adventurer? You don¡¯t look like it! You¡¯re an outsider, right? But it looks like you know our rules very well?¡± The young man nodded hard before he asked curiously. ¡°But I agree that I need to pick better targets. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect you to be so amazing at your age. Your reaction is even faster than Maher! That guy always like to brag, oh, right, where are you from, brother?¡±

    Brendel was not interested in knowing who Maher was, and also a little unused to someone using such a familiar tone with him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been to many ces, but the rules of the Thieves Guilds are roughly the same. Since you returned my money, I won¡¯t make a scene out of this. I¡¯m going to give my respect to these guilds..... since their type is obnoxiously troublesome.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s words came from experience, and only experienced adventurers who traveled throughout the continent would know what he was talking about.

    The young man did not mind and was even delighted as though Brendel had praised him, but he showed a curious look: ¡°You said you traveled to many ces? But you don¡¯t look any older than me; it can¡¯t be true, right?¡±

    Brendel merely smirked and shook his head as he continued to walk.

    But this action made the young man even more interested in him and he followed him at his side.

    ¡°My name is Jocah, what¡¯s yours?¡±

    This question did not gain a response from Brendel, but Jocah did not mind, ced both his hands behind his head and continued to ask with interest: ¡°Are things you said true? Do we really resemble a Thieves Guild? What does a real Thieves Guild look like?¡±

    Brendel nced at him and replied: ¡°The things you do are pretty much what they would do.¡±

    Jocah raised his eyebrow at Brendel¡¯s evasive answer: ¡°I heard there¡¯s going to be a war in Firburh, is that true?¡±

    Brendel felt slightly gloomy as the boy next to him kept asking questions.

    [Do you really think I¡¯m an information vault?]

    He decided to ask questions of his own: ¡°Aren¡¯t you a native? Why are you interested in the outside world?¡±

    But this time the boy beside him gave a mysterious chuckle and said: ¡°Ah, well, nothing really, I¡¯m just curious. I shouldn¡¯t bother you anymore. I¡¯ll chat with you if there¡¯s time in the future¡ª¡±

    After he threw down this sentence, he disappeared in the crowd behind them.

    Brendel¡¯s perception was high enough to discern shrewdly where Jocah went to; thetter met up with a group of people of his age, and Brendel focused in on their conversation.

    ¡°It¡¯s a failure, that guy is quite amazing!¡± Jocah said.

    ¡°Hah, how amazing can that person be when he¡¯s not older than any of us. I can even steal from the veteran adventurers¡¯ pockets in the town, are you sure it¡¯s not because you are shit at it, Jocah?¡± A new voice said in mockingughter.

    ¡°Why, Maher, please go ahead and show it to me.¡± Jocah retorted.

    ¡°Tsk, he¡¯s already alert, that¡¯s quite the devious n you have there for goading me¡ª¡±

    ¡°But that person is really quite interesting; he seemed to have traveled to many ces. Even though he¡¯s an outsider, he seems to understand our rules quite well, I¡¯m surprised.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± a new voice that sounded slightly refined interrupted Jocah, ¡°you mean the rules that Maher stole from a drunk and made them our own? It¡¯s not strange that someone else would know about these rules.¡±

    Maher¡¯s face turned red: ¡°Cut your bullshit, doesn¡¯t it mean that man is knowledgeable? Why not go up to him and sell the things you¡¯re talking about all day? Perhaps he might take a fancy to them!¡±

    Maher emphasized on the word ¡®sell¡¯, making it sound like he was mocking the third voice.

    ¡°I can¡¯t be bothered with an oafish brute like you; you can¡¯t recognize the good stuff at all!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. I already told you not to cause trouble.¡± This time it was a fourth voice¡ª which belonged to a female voice.

    [What, a girl really managed to sneak in? She doesn¡¯t sound like an adult too.]

    Brendel was taken slightly aback and sneered at the gate¡¯s cavalry guards before he continued listening.

    ¡°I saw that person yesterday at the Forest Trout Inn along with a few other women. They don¡¯t look like adventurers no matter how much I look at them. I saw that man order the most expensive wine from John, and he doesn¡¯t look like hecks money at all. He¡¯s definitely up to no good foring here.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s brows knitted slightly and cursed his luck. It was a spontaneous decision to fish for information before he sneaked into the mines, and he did not think it would end up as a mistake. Who would know that there was someone to overhear their conversation and spot him again in the mines so quickly?

    ¡°Should we report him?¡± The girl continued.

    Brendel¡¯s heart tightened.

 volume 3 - 43

    Chapter 43 ¨C Silver mines (4)

    The youth with a refined voice disagreed with the girl.

    ¡°Shhh, stop talking about it. What that young man wants to do isn¡¯t any of our business. Just pretend that you know nothing about what you saw. This isn¡¯t a simple matter and he might have otherpanions. None of us wants to get our throats cut, right?¡±

    The group fell into silence after his persuasion.

    ¡°...... Very well,¡± Maher finally said, ¡°then it¡¯s decided. Since we¡¯re going to leave after this, we won¡¯t want to get into unnecessary trouble.¡±

    The others nodded.

    Brendel turned his head to look at them. He did not expect there was someone with goodmon sense amongst them, so he wanted to see who the person was, but the group had turned around and walked away.

    [That¡¯s a little interesting.]

    Brendel mused to himself. He continued to walk a mile to the silver mines without taking very long. When he entered the area, he clearly felt the increase of security to the point where it could be considered strict.

    The silver mines sat in the middle of the looping mountains, and the thinner veins of silver deposits had beenpletely mined, causing the mountain walls to form into a depression and made into an artificial valley

    [I wonder what kind of minerals these dark red boulders have in them. Hmm, these buildings on the surrounding mountain peaks are clearly watchtowers. They make this terrain very troublesome to capture. Also, there¡¯s no hidden space to lure the Gold-ranked swordsman out here. It¡¯s literally impossible to catch him here...... I need to change my ns a little.]

    He continued to study the environment. The ground was considerably t and extended towards the horizon, but he was unable to find the entrance to the silver mines. What he saw next was a heavily guarded building which looked somewhat like a fortress.

    [Randner¡¯s Gold-rankedmander and his administrative officer must be in this building.]

    Workers were moving about in the mines amidst the piled rocks, soil, and carts. Most of them were walking orderly in a queue, and there were only a few adventurers who looked perplexed as they were here for the first time, just like Brendel.

    But he did not feel tense and calmly followed the workers in silence. The soldiers would not leave this group of adventurers alone, and he was certain they would be ordered.

    He was right.

    A group of patrolling riders soon appeared from the valley¡¯s side and rode towards the adventurers who were milling about. These riders wore bright army uniforms that represented they worked for nobles and roared at the top of their voices, apparently uninterested in wasting time: ¡°Queue up over there, take your number tags and tools!¡±

    Once they threw down their instructions, they immediately went towards the iing adventurers at the valley¡¯s entrance.

    Brendel nced at the direction where the riders had pointed to. The administrative workers were handing out tools and wooden tags with numbers written on them, which were forbidden to damage or lose them. If anyone lost them, they would be heavily punished. In this medieval-like era, Vaunte did not promote humanitarianism. One could have a reasonable or unreasonable cause to kill someone, and it would not be a big deal.

    Even the officer even in the mining area had the authority to hang someone to death, as long as he suspected that person was stealing Count Randner¡¯s precious ores.

    Brendel did not care about that. His concern was the camps he was going to be allocated to. The workers naturally stayed within the valley, and no matter how stingy the officers were, they would build at least build camps for the workers, no matter how terribly built they were.

    [I can¡¯t help but sigh at the thoughts of staying in awful smelling huts. Thankfully the body of a Gold-ranked fighter tolerates things better despite the increase in perception.]

    In the game, these camps were usually thatched huts that had awful odors that a person from modern Earth would find it intolerable. Brendel was worried that he would keel over if he entered it.

    [Bloody fucking hell.]

    His worries became a reality.

    Brendel¡¯s nose wrinkled as the smell of shit and piss mixed with thick body sweat wafted into his nasal ns, and he covered his mouth in order to suppress the urge to retch. He frowned deeply as he stood in front of a shaky hut that looked more like a hastily constructed shed, and nced back and forth at it and his number tag several times, but he eventually realized that he was going to sleep there. He suddenly realized the girls had made a wise decision for not sneaking into the camp, and he was the foolish one for choosing to do so.

    He hesitated for a while and turned back to look at the camping area. There were many sheds in the valley. His mercenaries were scattered all over the ce, but he was certain that they would not be affected inmunicating with each other.

    The other good news was that three mercenaries were also allocated to the same area. He had found their signs outside the hut in front of him.

    But whether he received good or bad news, he had to face the most important question in front of him. He agonized internally for a while before he walked into the dimly lit area, with an expression that was no less pained than a falsely used prisoner walking to the gallows.

    Before he entered the area, he shook his hand slightly, and an undetectable flow of air ced a few pebbles on the ground into the shape of a triangle. At his current level, the White Raven Sword Arte allowed him to control the wind to a certain degree.

    [This is a pretty useful technique. Maybe if I have time, I can try going to the pce and get the advancement scroll for it. It¡¯s a bit of a shot in the dark though. Hmm, but princess Gryphine is most likely proficient in it, maybe I can fulfill some conditions to get her to teach me? How should I tackle this problem......]

    Despite his attempt to distract his mind, he could not help but cover his nose a little as he entered the shed, which had turned silent upon his entry.

    ¡°Tsk, a noble¡¯s spoilt brat.¡± The voice was nearly undetectable to an ordinary human, but Brendel heard it clearly.

    He nced at the direction of the voice and was instantly surprised. Jocah was sitting down on a straw mat and was looking at him with a smile, while the other youths in the group were beside him.

    The oldest amongst them was taller and more built, nearly reaching Brendel¡¯s height.

    [This must be Maher.]

    Brendel was certain the voice came from him. His eyes shifted to the slight movement from thetter¡¯s hands on his shirt. He could guess that the object behind the thin fabric was either a dagger or short sword.

    [These useless guards at the checkpoint...... As for this Maher person, you have some guts, but apparently, you¡¯re asking to be killed.]

    His eyes shifted to the side after he evaluated him. There was anky boy who looked malnourished, his face appearing almost gaunt. However, his eyes were unlike Maher¡¯s wary looks or Jocah¡¯s sheepish surprise, but of intent observation.

    Brendel wanted to rub his forehead. He had been in battles constantly for the past few months, killed and ughtered undead and humans alike, led thousands of soldiers and mercenaries, and even became a Gold-ranked fighter.

    Even if he tried to hide his identity, there were traits that he was unable to hide. In the end, he decided to observe that youth as well, but there was nothing interesting about thetter, other than a grey bag which was filled to the brim at his feet.

    After a few more seconds, he turned to the disguised girl. Despite the dimly lit ce, Brendel could see freckles on her as though she was under sunlight. She was thin and not exactly pretty, but her features were prominent.

    There were three other young men near them beside the people he had some slight impression with, and they seemed like they belonged to the same group as well. But his thought quickly shifted to a furiousint¡ª

    [Eight people squeezed together like packed tuna in a can. This damned hut is even smaller than my university¡¯s dorm room...... You bunch of miserly pieces of shit-eating nobles!]

 volume 3 - 44

    Chapter 44 ¨C Silver mines (5)

    The room was quiet after Brendel entered, but he did not mind the situation and walked between the small gaps avable before sitting down on the only empty bed. Everyone¡¯s eyes followed him, especially Maher who continued to frown as he stared at Brendel.

    [Why are they on their guards? Do I look terrifying? Or is it because there¡¯s another reason?]

    Brendel shook his head inwardly. For some reason, their muscles were stiff, and their hearts pounded loudly. However, he did not want to remove their anxiety. While they had agreed not to report his strange behavior, but who knew if their minds changed? It would be better to observe their movements.

    The strange tension continued to the evening because of his presence.

    Due to the number of workers pouring into the silver mines when they returned, the work usually started on the second morning, which gave Brendel much time to familiarize himself with the mines.

    He had passed on the frightening meal offered for dinner. There was no possibility of identifying what was cooked in the pot, and the green-like paste looked like it was some kind of witch¡¯s potion as it carried a rotten stench to it. Brendel nearly emptied the contents of his stomach, not to mention eating it.

    He was secretly thankful for Jana¡¯s reminder to bring sufficient dry rations. At the same time, he wondered if she had done simr rted work to foresee the necessity of carrying his own food.

    He stealthily confirmed several locations in the other camping areas after touring the valley once before returning to the ce he was assigned to. He immediately saw the slightly malnourished youth when he entered the ce.

    The other young men in the group had gone out for their meals, with the exception of the girl who was also sitting beside the malnourished youth.

    ¡°Are you not going to go for your meal?¡± Brendel asked, wondering if their rtionships with the group were bad. It wasmon in some groups after all, but the youth shook his head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t eat dinner.¡± The young man replied. He did not seem like he was afraid of Brendel like the other youths were.

    [Don¡¯t eating dinner? Perhaps he¡¯s a follower of the Temple of Silver Lily?]

    In his memories, only the suffering believers who lived in poverty had this strange habit. The reason the believers did not take the evening meal was to pay tribute to the King of Fire, Gatel, at his worst period in his life. The humans led by him in that era desperately tried to escape the assault from the Miirna by going into the wilderness, and countless people starved to deaths as a result.

    The youth nodded to Brendel¡¯s question.

    [The Temple of Silver Lily branches off from the Holy Cathedral of Fire. It¡¯s quitemon in Arreck, but the typical believers don¡¯t fast, and the ones who do are apprentices taught in the religion¡¯s ways.]

    ¡°Did you learn their ways as an apprentice?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Yes, and no. I had studied the doctrine alongside with an apprentice, but I have not entered the Temple as one.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you can read if you studied with the apprentice?¡±

    The youth nodded. Brendel thought he was quite impressive. Freya recognized a few words because she was fortunate enough to encounter Captain Marden.

    Many old veterans could not write and read, but his own grandfather was another exception, and his family was sufficiently well-off for him to be educated, while Romaine was taught by her aunt. It would be a joke if she did not learn how to read as a witch¡¯s descendant.

    But in this world, there were not many literatemoners.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why have youe here? Even though the Temple of Silver Lily doesn¡¯t receive many donations, it¡¯s a legitimate religion recognized by the Holy Cathedral of mes.¡± Brendel sat down and asked curiously.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I belong to the Temple. The priest who taught me has passed away.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s curiosity onlysted for a moment.

    [I see. Without a formal introduction from a ranked personnel, he can only be considered as an ordinary believer.]

    His thoughts quickly went back to his operation. He had roughly understood the terrain within the silver mines, but he felt the situation was bing more and more troublesome.

    The Gold-ranked swordsman rarely appeared within the mines and mostly stayed within the army building. Sneaking into there was still doable, but capturing him there without being found out was nearly impossible.

    He was currently unable toe up with a n, but since he already nned to stay for a week, he could only wait and see if an opportunity came up. While he was thinking, the malnourished youth suddenly started coughing severely.

    Thetter felt Brendel¡¯s gaze on him and said with a slightly apologetic smile: ¡°I¡¯m a little ill. If you feel ufortable, you can sit a little further away.¡±

    Brendel was not worried. He had nearly 100 OZ worth of Physique and was literally invulnerable to sickness. He shook his head and retrieved a waterskin bag from his bag as he knew that the water within the mines was not for human consumption. The barrels that contained water was starting to smell foul.

    ¡°I have clean water here. Go ahead and drink it,¡± he said.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The girl with a few freckles on her face epted the waterskin bag under with the approval of herpanion and looked at Brendel like he was an exotic animal.

    [Why is she looking at me like that now? It¡¯s just water.....]

    Brendel naturally did not mind something so trivial when he came from a world where the necessities of life were freely avable. But the backward world of Vaunte went with a different principle; the lowest social ss mostly believed that the weak were prey to the strong. Not many would extend their hands to the weak.

    But this act won a favorable impression from the two. It was clear that the ill-looking youth felt much better after drinking several mouthfuls of water. The silence continued for a while before the girl broke the silence between them.

    ¡°Mister, I heard that you¡¯re quite amazing?¡±

    Brendel blinked. The question sounded really strange. Still, he had not considered this question properly. Was he amazing or not? Hepared himself earnestly with his former self at level 130, before shaking his head: ¡°Hardly so......¡±

    ¡°¡®Hardly so¡¯ still means you¡¯re impressive. I heard that the adventurer¡¯s ranks are something about a metal rank, I assume mister is someone like that?¡± She asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s Iron-ranked.¡± The youth beside her corrected.

    Brendel nced at them, unsure why they were interested. But the distribution of ranks was not a secret, and manymoners knew about it.

    ¡°I stillck by a hair¡¯s breadth to reach that level,¡± Brendel said. He felt that someone of his age having an Iron-ranked status was too conspicuous. The Iron-ranked mercenaries under him were nearly thirty to forty years old.

    The lower his profile was, the better it was for him in this camp, so he randomly replied.

    ¡°Mister, are all the mercenaries like you? At that...... Iron-ranked level?¡± The girl asked again.

    ¡°Of course not. I think your friend knows that adventurers possessing an Iron-rank are considered to be skilled. But why do you ask?¡±

    Brendel was not lying. Hardly anyone would want to be an adventurer if their skills were higher than an Iron-rank. The rare exception was those who liked to travel everywhere like a nomad.

    ¡°We want to take a look at the outside world.¡± This time it was the youth who answered.

    ¡°To go on adventures?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Brendel did not think it was a good decision, but he did not persuade them. From a certain point of view, this mining job truthfully looked like it was an awful one. Furthermore, he was also young enough to understand why they would feel this way.

    [Hmm. That Maher fellow isn¡¯t here now, and it seems like the two in front of me are less wary. Isn¡¯t this a good time to get information from them? They have been in here longer than I am.]

    ¡°I heard rumors about the silver mines¡¯ tunnels. Do they lead to the Jurgen Underworld?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that Jurgen Underworld is, mister,¡± the youth shook his head, ¡°but there are tunnels which lead further down. The rumors say that no one has ever walked till the end of it, and people had gotten lost because of that.¡±

    Brendel nodded inwardly. It seemed like Tagiv¡¯s provided information was not wrong. He suddenly had a hazy idea to kill two birds with one stone, so he continued to ask: ¡°That sounds very interesting, are there any rted legends about them?¡±

    The two people in front exchanged furtive nces, but it did not escape Brendel¡¯s eyes. Since the two people in front of him knew he had other intentions in his mind, he started to lead them into a direction where it seemed like he came for the strange rumors like an adventurer.

    ¡°Of course there is,¡± the youth said and slowly nodded.

    ¡°Would you like to listen, mister?¡± The girl asked.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Brendel answered with a smile, ¡°I can give you money for any interesting information you heard about the mines in detail......¡±

 volume 3 - 45

    Chapter 45 ¨C Silver mines (6)

    The morning at Graham¡¯s mountain was a sky painted with desaturated purple and scant blue, and thin rays of light shot out from the horizon to pour onto the dense mountain forest¡ª It was a picturesque view of vivid shapes.

    But the time when workers went to work was even earlier than the break of dawn. Whistles sounded out when it was still dark.

    The shimmering light from oilmps lit up the shadows. Brendel and the others were called out of their camps to gather at the valley. He eyed the cross-like mining pick in his hand drowsily while he walked in the slightly chilled air due to the sun¡¯s absence.

    The coarsely made mining pick was about four feet long. It had undoubtedly served many users, as the wooden surface had beenpletely worn down till it was smooth, and the edges of the metallic des were dull.

    [I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m mining again.]

    He had mined metal veins throughout the game in ancient ruins for quite a long time. He carefully inspected the rocks to extract ores and crystals from them and sold them at the market. Although he thought that it was an irksome and dull task now, he had endless motivation and fun back then to equip his character step-by-step, and it satisfied his mind immensely.

    But he quickly came to the thought that it was done in a fake world and started to mock himself. When he was done thinking about the past, he looked up and carefully observed the crowd in front of him. He quickly discovered Jana, Scarlett and Medissa¡¯s presence. They had evidently noticed the marks and clothes he left behind in the forest and were now disguised amongst the workers.

    They wore bandanas for easy recognition, though the headdress was umon amongst the Hignd folks, and their dirty clothes were bought from the group of youths in the hut. It was quite convenient to have them, but the greatest benefit he got was the information from the malnourished youth called Cohen. The fact that the tunnels linked to the Jurgen Underworld gave him a particr thought about the game¡¯s information, and he decided to check it out and execute his n at the same time.

    [Whether or not this n works will depend on tonight¡¯s situation.]

    He did not think that the chance to lure out the enemy¡¯s Gold-ranked Swordsman woulde so quickly. While he was deep into his thoughts, someone elbowed him from behind. He turned around vigntly, but he discovered it was Jocah.

    ¡°Hey, you need to be careful. If you¡¯rete you¡¯re going to get whipped,¡± Jocah whispered.

    Brendel¡¯s first thought was to check his money bag. When he found it was intact, he nced back and saw Cohen nodding towards him from afar. Thetter had sent Jocah to remind him.

    It seemed like the group of youths had lessened their wariness towards him, despite having only a day¡¯s interaction. Brendel felt that Cohen was helping him because thetter did not want to owe him gratitude, but was surprised that the sickly young man had such influence amongst them.

    ¡°Where should I go to mine?¡± Brendel whispered back to Jocah.

    Jocah now knew Brendel¡¯s reason foring here was something else, so he did not find the question strange.

    ¡°You should follow us if you don¡¯t know where to go, I know the better mining areas.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a free service,¡± Jocah raised his hand and rubbed his fingers together, ¡°you have the money right?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Brendel gave a faint smile.

    Once they entered the mines, Brendel discovered different tunnels distributed in the slightly t ground. Oilmps were lined appropriately to ensure the minimum amount of light to walk through safely. The workers who entered started scattering and went into different tunnels. He chanced upon the girls again as they silently integrated themselves into the crowd and disappeared.

    Jocah continued to walk quickly, with Brendel following closely behind.

    ¡°The tunnel which Cohen mentioned is in the deepest pit of the mines. We¡¯re going to a different section to mine for ores, although it¡¯s still quite far away,¡± Jocah said.

    ¡°I see.¡± Brendel nodded.

    [...... The chance to reach a huge ¡®Nest¡¯ that¡¯s in between the Jurgen Underworld and the surface. It¡¯s something worth using despite the risks.]

    The snaking tunnels seemed to venture out to even more tunnels, and anyone who was lost would find it hard to exit the ce. It was also one of the barriers between the Jurgen Underworld and the surface. The Nest was also another reason why there¡¯s a barrier between them. With so many monsters living in there, it would be a death trap.

    But Brendel wanted to make use of the monsters to lure the enemy¡¯smander into the tunnels. The workers would get out of the mines to safety, while he and his men would stay behind. It was a good n.

    Jocah finally led Brendel out to an open area, and they got onto a lift that descended deeply. They then continued walking for ten-odd minutes in a tunnel with a low ceiling after the lift stopped.

    [H-how¡¯s he keeping up with me? He¡¯s definitely not a neer!]

    The surprised youth thought Brendel would be unused to the sudden changes in the tunnel and was even prepared to slow down. If one were careless, they would knock against the ceiling easily and get injured. But Brendel seemed like he had done it for several decades. The way he moved through smoothly and unhindered through the cracks was something that Jocah had never seen before, even amongst the veteran workers.

    In the end, it was Brendel who led the progress, and he shortened the time to less than half what Jocah usually took to reach his destination.

    Thetter did not know how he managed to keep up with Brendel¡¯s speed, but he was panting with his whole body drenched with perspiration, partly because of the stuffy heat within the tunnels. He had not felt this way since he started out as an apprentice a long time ago.

    The air in the underground was quite thin, so mes were not used. Instead, Brendel took out a light crystal that was given to him. In order to save costs, the crystal¡¯s quality that was handed out was one of the worst in the market, costing no more than a few Tor coins. Although the light given out was just slightly brighter than a firefly, it still managed to light up the uneven outlines on the surrounding walls.

    He nodded inwardly. Jocah¡¯s group had indeed picked a good spot. There was a faint purple sheen on some of the nearby boulders. It was not the silver ore that the workers were looking for, but Brendel was certain that there were Mana crystals within the rocks.

    It was not umon. A typical mine usually had different types of Magic Energy apanying it. Based on his long experience in mining, he was certain there was a rich vein of highly prized raw materials behind the boulders.

    Footsteps could be heard. Brendel turned back and discovered it was Maher¡¯s group who arrived, and they were surprised to find Jocah and Brendel.

    ¡°Jocah, the two of you arrived this quickly?¡± Maher asked.

    Jocah was still catching his breath, so he nced at Brendel before nodding to Maher.

    ¡°The ce you picked isn¡¯t bad,¡± Brendel said. His gaze stopped at the youths for a moment before it went back to the walls.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Maher scoffed lightly, ¡°you can tell?¡±

    ¡°A faint purple sheen on the boulders means that it¡¯s likely to have Cold Iron nearby. It¡¯s a rareponent.¡± Brendel narrowed his eyes when he saw weaving patterns on some of the walls and asked: ¡°Have you ever mined out slightly blue quartz with diagonal patterns?¡±

    ¡°Quartz with patterns? What the hell is that?¡± Maher looked back nkly.

    ¡°It¡¯s also called Azure Quartz.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a fake crystal. Why would a silver mine have it?¡± Maher shook his head with distaste and said: ¡°If you are looking for that, I can tell you that you came to the wrong ce.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not an ornamental crystal. It¡¯s a type of Moonstone, one that reacts to moonlight and gives out a Mana signature. Low-grade Azure Quartz crystals are worthless, but the highest grade is called Mystic Eye Gems.¡±

    Brendel closed his eyes for a moment, and decided to leave out the part that the Mystic Eye Gems were used as the source of Mana for Magic Rings, then pointed with his finger.

    ¡°In any case, you¡¯re digging the wrong ce. If you mine in this direction, you might be able to find veins of Cold Iron.¡±

    ¡°How do you know all these things? And why tell us?¡± Maher said as he exchanged looks with the other youths. He would not have trusted Brendel a few days ago, but it was different now, and it seemed like thetter did not have any reasons to lie.

    Brendel merely told them spontaneously as an experienced miner and did not deceive them.

    ¡°What¡¯s Cold Iron used for?¡± The girl behind Cohen asked.

    ¡°...... It¡¯s a valuable ore that¡¯s mixed into a weapon as an alloy,¡± Brendel said slowly, ¡°and raises the effectiveness in injuring monsters. A sword made out of pure Cold Iron has twice the effectiveness of an ordinary one, as an example.¡±

    [It¡¯s fine to give them more information. It¡¯s free of charge to me, and I can win them over, especially when I still need their aid.]

    ¡°Kingdoms in Vaunte face monsters at any given time, so the demand for it is very high. These Cold Iron ores only exist alongside with silver or copper mines, as well as a few crystal mines, and their demand is high enough to cost as much as gold.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s exnation drew the youths¡¯ attention. If they were able to mine out Cold Iron, secretly take a portion of it and sell to a suitable buyer, they would be able to attain unimaginable wealth.

    It was not their first stint to smuggle out precious ores. In truth, the mines¡¯ supervisors knew such deeds were ongoing, but since they reached their quota and the stealing attempts are few, they werezy to investigate.

 volume 3 - 46

    Chapter 46 ¨C Silver Mines (7)

    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee that there would be Cold Iron ore if you continue mining in that direction, but there¡¯s definitely a rich vein of metal ores,¡± Brendel said.

    Cohen nodded to Maher¡¯s group. They moved over to Brendel¡¯s indicated location and raised their mining picks to the rocks. But Brendel did not have the intention to dig, and instead looked at a forked tunnel a few meters away.

    ¡°Where does that ce lead to?¡± He asked.

    ¡°That tunnel leads to the lowest level, but it¡¯s abandoned because of the monsters that appeared after the workers broke through to an undiscovered cavern. The soldiers drove them back with much difficulty and the mining area was abandoned after that.¡± Cohen exined.

    The members of his group gathered part of their ore and put them to his side. Due to his health, he was unable to work, but it seemed like they did not mind.

    Brendel rubbed his forehead thoughtfully for a moment. He then started walking towards the other end.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Cohen called after him, ¡°it¡¯s best that you wait for a while before going there.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Brendel stopped and asked.

    ¡°The foreman in charge of our level will inspect our location. It¡¯s best that you wait for him to leave before going elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°When is heing?¡±

    ¡°Between five to thirty minutes.¡±

    Brendel frowned: ¡°Will hee again to inspect?¡±

    ¡°Yes, hees over every few hours, but there¡¯s no exact timing.¡±

    ¡°I see, thank you.¡±

    [A few hours should be enough for me to execute my n. Looks like getting on their good side paid off.]

    Brendel toyed with his mining pick by throwing it in the air a few times before he randomly knocked twice on the wall. Under his Gold-ranked strength, the mining pick cut through the rocks as though they were made of paper.

    The group of youths who were watching him with curiosity was surprised with his strength, but as they continued watching, they became stunned at his techniques; his mining pick seemed to cut off edges of the silver veins, and the thin sheet of ore slid off the rocks like running water.

    The pile of poor-quality silver ore quickly piled at his feet. He was initially a little interested at the prospect of mining again, but he soon sat down in boredom and randomly poked at the silver ore. He quickly gave up and simply watched Maher¡¯s group work.

    The youths dug quickly, and the walls were quickly taken down to reveal a change in color. Grey rocks could be seen, and Brendel told them to stop and throw a piece over to him. Jocah did so, and Brendel picked it up and inspected for a bit before he spoke again:

    ¡°There are Azure Quartz crystals in the rock, continue digging!¡±

    ¡°You mean they found it?¡± Cohen asked.

    Brendel nodded, and the youths showed subtle excitement. They needed arge sum of money in order to travel to the outside world, and it seemed like it was a chance for them to get rich. Their mining picks increased in speed, and the constant metallic clinks filled everyone¡¯s ears. The rocks were thrown away in order to prevent themselves from tripping, and a few rolled over to Brendel¡¯s feet. He curiously looked at them before his eyes widened.

    [The quality of the Azure Quartz is getting better. This level is only seen in crystal mines that have high purity. Metal mines don¡¯t typically have this grade!]

    The sounds suddenly stopped, and Brendel¡¯s gaze went up. The rocks parted to reveal a richly saturated blue material¡ª Cold Iron Ore. But what stopped the youths from moving were the glinting crystals in the faint light.

    [Mystic Eye Gems! And seventeen of them with the size of a thumb!]

    Brendel looked stupidly at it for a moment as he stood up in a hurry. He had never heard or seen anyone lucky enough in the game to find seventeen Mystic Eye Gems, let alone lower-grade Mana Crystals.

    ¡°Do you know how much Cold Iron is in here?¡±

    The youths shook their heads in silence.

    ¡°At least a ton. The rocks in this section are unusual. Cold Iron is something that¡¯s affected by Mana, and I don¡¯t know why there¡¯s so much Mana gathering at this spot. But it¡¯s a fact since there are so many Mystic Eye Gems here......¡±

    Maher was the first to reply: ¡°Let¡¯s share equally.¡±

    It was not a fair deal for the youths since there were seven of them and Brendel was only one. However, Maher knew that Brendel was skilled inbat and was afraid that thetter might get greedy.

    ¡°No, I want them all. Just sell me your share,¡± Brendel patted his bag at the waist as he spoke excitedly, ¡°I can pay immediately.¡±

    The uses of the Mystic Eye Gems were more than just the creation of Magic rings. They could also be applied to the White Lion te Armor and even the legendary Wind Bow of the Golden Elves.

    [Seventeen! That¡¯s more than enough to make a hundred sets of armor! What a find!]

    The youths looked at each other in silence, and Cohen took over the conversation: ¡°How much are you willing to pay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie to you. I can only offer a tenth of what the gems are worth because I don¡¯t have enough money, but I¡¯m sure you will still be satisfied with the amount of money offered. You may disagree with the money I¡¯m offering because of what they are valued at, but these gems are poisonous because of how much they are worth; you¡¯re very likely to get killed trying to sell them.¡±

    ¡°Then how much are you willing to pay us?¡± The girl beside Cohen asked.

    ¡°Ten square gold coins.¡±

    Loud gasps could be heard immediately. Ten square gold coins were approximately 25,000 Tor coins, and it was the biggest sum of money the youths had ever heard.

    ¡°You¡¯re willing to pay...... so much?¡± Jocah asked with a stutter.

    ¡°Of course, oh, and yourmission is also included in it.¡±

    Jocah gave an awkwardugh. He knew that Brendel was joking with him; he would at most charge him 15 Tor coins for leading the way.

    Cohen thought carefully for a while before he nodded. Hispanions gently mined the crystals and passed them to Brendel, who paid them readily. The youths who received the money counted them repeatedly and even bit the coins with their teeth as though they did not believe they were made out of real gold.

    Even if they worked collectively for ten years and stole the silver ore to sell, they would never earn the sum of money they had in their hands.

    ¡°Brendel, are you going to buy the Cold Iron as well?¡± Cohen asked.

    Brendel nced at the metal vein. He certainly needed the material, but there was no need for him to have it now. It was not as if the metal would be mined immediately, and if his n went well the mine would soon be his.

    He shook his head. The youths sighed with disappointment at his response. It would be difficult for them to sell the Cold Iron Ore.

    Approximately thirty minutester, the foreman that Cohen mentioned finally arrived. Brendel and the youths had returned closer to the entrance because they wanted to hide the discovery of the Cold Iron.

    The foreman seemed to know the youths as he greeted them and mistakenly treated Brendel as their newest member, but they did not correct his mistake. Once the foreman left, Brendel finally received the chance to investigate the forked tunnel.

    He bid farewell to the youths and traveled the dark tunnel which seemed to have no end. The oppressive silence that was void of life would have frightened an ordinary man, but Brendel was delighted because of the thing he was about to do. Finally, he came out to arge area.

    He stopped at a corridor that was blocked off by rocks. It was the spot where the soldiers had filled up in order to prevent monsters froming back. He extended his palm out, and a shining card appeared the next moment:

    The Wind Spirit Spiders.

 volume 3 - 47

    Chapter 47 ¨C Silver mines (8)

    ============= Cohen¡¯s POV =================

    ¡°Just who is that fellow?¡± Maher said.

    The youths began discussing amongst themselves after Brendel left. Maher had been against that dubious person since yesterday, but thetter found a Cold Iron vein and used arge sum of money to make a trade between them. He had to admit there were good points by dealing with him.

    However, Jocah was a little worried. 25,000 Tor coins was not a small sum of money, and he felt the entire situation was a little off. They had gotten money too easily. He could not help but look at Cohen. The sickly youth was the most knowledgeable person amongst them, and he even knew magic.

    Whenever they got injured in the mines or fought with someone, Cohen would treat them with a magic spell. Even though it was not like the magic spells in bard tales where injuries could be healed in the blink of an eye, it was more effective than using herbs.

    Eventually, Cohen was quietly recognized as their leader, although Maher did not fully admit that fact. It was mostly because thetter¡¯s pride was a little beaten when he was taken off the leader¡¯s seat.

    ¡°It¡¯s none of our concern,¡± Cohen shook his head, ¡°continue mining. The things that happened here do not concern us.¡±

    Suddenly, one of the youths who was still working yelled out, and everyone¡¯s heart skipped a beat and looked over to his direction. There were many strange tales in the dark mining pits. Even though they had not heard of any workers speaking out on odd things recently, they were afraid to encounter something that might hurt them.

    The youth who yelled earlier ran towards them anxiously.

    ¡°Come over and take a look!¡± He shouted.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Cohen asked.

    ¡°I-I have no idea,e over, and you will know what I mean¡ª¡±

    The youths exchanged nces puzzledly. When they crowded around the young man¡¯s area where he was working earlier, they were shocked to see a silver de sticking out from the rocks.

    ¡°Take a look at this,¡± that youth who alerted them brought up his mining pick only to discover that a section of the edges had been sliced off smoothly like a polished mirror.

    ¡°It was caused by that?¡± Cohen frowned, not recognizing that the thing in the walls was a weapon.

    That youth nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s a sword!¡± Maher was the first to identify it, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that other races are living underground, and this must be one of the weapons they are using. Just how sharp is this de!¡±

    ¡°No, wait, why would the weapons be stuck in the walls?¡±

    ¡°It must have been left behind by them. The creatures that came out from the pits proved they were able toe up.¡±

    ¡°You idiot, that¡¯s because the workers opened a tunnel to the caverns below! There wasn¡¯t any tunnel before we made one, andstly, this sword is buried in the rocks!¡±

    ¡°Then maybe it happened a really long time ago, and a cave-in had buried the sword!¡±

    Cohen stopped the youths from bickering: ¡°That¡¯s enough, let¡¯s just dig it out first.¡±

    ¡°Dig it out? Why? Cohen, that¡¯s useless to us, right? I¡¯m a little worried about this. It will be difficult to smuggle it out without detection. Let¡¯s just leave it in there.¡± The girl said.

    Cohen hesitated. He was a little intrigued by the appearance of the weapon, and Maher was probably right in guessing the sword¡¯s origin. At the same time, she was right. It would be difficult to bring the sword out. However, he made up his mind when he nced at the mining pick¡¯s edges. The value of the sword must be immense when it easily cut through it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get it out!¡± He said.

    The young men gave a delighted agreement as their curiosity finally won over their fear of the unknown.

    ================ Brendel¡¯s POV ==============

    ¡°It looks like the soldiers have sealed up the ce well. There are no holes in the barricade.¡± Brendel said to himself.

    He wanted to lure the monsters and instigate a fight between the Gold-rankedmander and them before he and his group joined in the battle at the very end, but it seemed like it was unlikely now. Still, it was not much of an issue since his original n was to capture themander with his own men.

    He directed the Wind Spirit Spiders and sent them upwards into different groups. He knew that the workers would soon panic and bring the news to the valley. Since the mines suffered casualties from the previous attack, there was no way that the administration would ignore the monsters.

    He did not go back to where he came from and instead chose another route to go back to the higher levels. Under his 20 OZ Perception, he was able to see through the tunnels as though he was walking under daylight. He entered a tunnel where the spiders had gone through without hurrying. The area was silent and empty as the workers had already fled in panic.

    Very soon, he reached the lift and activated the controls, and the crude machinery began to bring him a level up. When it stopped, he got off and walked to the gathering site where the silver ore was transported to the surface. The ce was almost like an artificial cavern, and part of its ground was covered with wooden tracks for the silver ore¡¯s transportation.

    He raised the crystal in his hand up to get a clearer view of the ceilings. The walls were supported withrge wooden beams and had ceholders for torches.

    [It seems like the workers had taken the torches away when they fled the area.]

    He continued to search the walls carefully and finally discovered a subtle mark on it pointing to a nearby tunnel. He entered it and came to a crosspoint.

    Suddenly, a sword thrust behind him from a blind spot like a venomous snake. His hair fluttered from the gale of air and alerted him. He dodged to the right while his head turned back, and his eyes were filled with vignce. Very soon, the sword¡¯s hilt came into his eyes, and he formed his fingers into a w and gripped onto somewhere between the attacker¡¯s sword hand and wrist with incredible speed, twisting it fully.

    A light gasp of pain revealed that it was a woman¡¯s voice, and the sword was twisted out of her grasp before itnded onto the ground with a soft ng.

    ¡°My lord......¡± Jana recognized it was Brendel and her green eyes grimaced at the vice-like grip, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know it was you!¡±

    She knew that Brendel was a Gold-ranked fighter, but she did not expect him to be this amazing!

    In truth, Cornelius was the sole mercenarymander who had witnessed Brendel¡¯s abilities with his own eyes, and the other two only knew of his skill by reputation. Jana felt like her entire body was locked down when Brendel grabbed her wrist, and she felt like there were broken bones.

    [I¡¯m a Silver-ranked fighter, and I¡¯m disabled with just a single move? Is there such a big difference between a Silver-ranked and a Gold-ranked fighter?]

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, but didn¡¯t I tell you not to use your weapon against the workers? And where¡¯s Scarlett and Medissa?¡± Brendel asked as he released her wrist.

    ¡°I apologize, my lord. The workers suddenly disappeared in a rush, and your footsteps were disciplined enough for me to think that you were a strong enemy guard. As for Medissa and Scarlett, they are in the other mining sectors. My lord, why have you called for us with the spiders?¡± Jana said as she rubbed the bruises on her wrist.

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to lure out themander to the outside. We need to change our n.¡± Brendel sent out an aimed shot of wind at the sword and caused the dropped sword to bounce up onto his hand: ¡°I received information that the silver mines had encountered a serious incident approximately ten years ago. The workers had identally dug a path into the Jurgen Underworld, and the monsters there ended up invading the mines. I have a new n based on that¡ª¡±

    Brendel left a mark pointing back to the open area he was in earlier.

    ¡°In any case, let us wait for them in the ce where the workers gather the ore for transportation. I think we will be able to meet up with the two before the guardse.¡±

    Medissa and Scarlett soon arrived at where Brendel was.

    ¡°You wish to lure themander out with this n, my lord?¡± Medissa said when she entered the gathering site. She had easily made a conclusion when Brendel told her to convene with him through his mind.

    ¡°Yes. Based on the information I have, the guardmander¡¯s name is Kodan. He was the one who led the guards personally to drive the monsters back during the attack a decade ago. It¡¯s very likely that he would do the same thing again.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°This ce looks like a good ce to battle, but will it hold with four Gold-ranks fighting here?¡± Scarlett said.

    ¡°We can try and capture him as quickly as possible,¡± Medissa said.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a little tough,¡± Brendel frowned as he considered the possibility. ¡°Our opponent isn¡¯t some random person who recently became a Gold-ranked fighter. He¡¯s likely to be a Grandmaster Swordsman, but there isn¡¯t a better way. In any case...... Let us wait for him. Jana, make sure you¡¯re waiting for us back there. You wouldn¡¯t want toe near us.¡±

    =============== Perkins / Kodan¡¯s POV =============

    Voices were circting in the administrative building as soon as the morning sun rose. The rumors first started in the deeper mining sections. The workers found monsters appearing out from nowhere, and the news quickly spread to the foremen who immediately requested for a squadron of soldiers to investigate the situation.

    But none of them returned¡ª

    When the foremen realized the soldiers were missing, they scrambled to put up a report. Perkins received it on his desk in less than thirty minutes. This thirty-odd years old energetic administrative officer, who was still considered young by Vaunte¡¯s standards, finally realized the severity of this issue.

    One of the reasons why he was able toe to the silver mines and work for Count Randner was because of thetter¡¯s recognition of him, and another was because he had connections. He was the nephew of Count Randner¡¯s wife and thus easily gained his position. Once he finished dedicating his time to this temporary post, he would be ushered into the council of advisors working for the Count.

    The silver mines were of great importance to the Count, and if he would be one of the trusted retainers if he seeded in handling the silver mines without nay mistakes. This was why he governed this site with a great passion and waspletely satisfied at getting the position of his dreams.

    It was going well for him, and the incident where the workers broke through a cavern of monsters was a decade before his time, at least until this morning.

    [Giant spiders sighted in the lower pits? A squadron of soldierspletely missing? Possibly because the workers dug through a tunnel leading to the Jurgen Underworld!? Fuck! Fuck! This is a serious incident beyond imagination!]

    He felt cold perspirationing out from his body. He could not imagine what would happen if there were invaders from the underworld. He was in a position where Count Rander kept an eye on, and he was unlucky enough to possibly encounter the worst situation.

    Losing the silver mines.

    Perkins sank into his seat like jelly. If he lost the mine, he might be executed by Count Randner¡ª

    When Kodan pushed the door open, he saw Perkins in a miserable state. This old man had entered the Gold-ranked status thirty years ago and was one of Count Randner¡¯s most trusted men.

    The Grandmaster Swordsman was unable to suppress the waves of disdain in his heart when he saw Perkins¡¯s spineless expression, especially when he came to his position through nepotism.

    [This boy is even more worthless than I thought.]

    Kodan coughed once and woke Perkins from his stupor. When thetter saw Kodan, his grey eyes lit up in joy. The old man was different from him. Even though Perkins¡¯ position was technically higher than Kodan because he was in charge of sending off the gold, Count Rander recognized thetter as his right hand withplete trust. The old man did not use connections like he did, which meant he had gotten to his position through sheer capabilities.

    The young man took on an even more respectful tone and expression than usual because of the situation,pletely hiding away his darker thoughts of cursing the old man because thetter constantly looked down on him.

    ¡°Ser Kodan, you¡¯re here, we¡¯re in big trouble!¡± Perkins spoke as though he was a drowning man clinging on to thest hope for safety.

    ¡°What sort of trouble?¡± Kodan shook his white hair in contempt.

    But Perkins did not dare to get angry and exined the report in detail. Kodan had already gotten hold of some information along the way and understood things to a certain extent, but he was seething with fury when the young man described the situation.

    [You damned bastard. You suppressed the rumors from reaching my ears and sent my men off to the pits without telling me. Now that the situation has gotten worse you¡¯re looking for my help?]

    However, the situation was grave enough for him to restrain his anger and he replied with cold indifference:

    ¡°I see. Then what are you going to do, my lord?¡±

    Perkins felt a lump in his throat. He knew that Kodan was trying to show his displeasure through this opportunity. But he also knew that he was in the wrong, so he gave an apologetic smile and tried to think of something:

    ¡°Well..... we don¡¯t know what the real situation is in the pits, and I¡¯m afraid that the workers might be panicking and disorderly, so I want to send in the guards to maintain..... order......¡±

    He gulped as he saw the old man¡¯s expression getting darker and darker: ¡°Perhaps, at least enough men to.....¡±

    Kodan scoffed coldly.

    ¡°Your idea is shit. It¡¯s utterly worthless. If you send all the guards in, wouldn¡¯t the workers know that there¡¯s something wrong with the pits? They would go crazy and immediately panic. Furthermore, there are over a thousand workers in the mine, and you want to maintain order with less than a hundred guards? Administrative Officer Perkins, perhaps you¡¯re not thinking hard enough with your brain?¡±

    Perkins¡¯s dignity was almost shredded to pieces, but his skin was thick enough for him to ask: ¡°T-then what do we do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring in a few men and take a look,¡± Kodan rubbed his sword¡¯s sheath and said, ¡°the monsters in the pit below are troublesome, but they won¡¯t be able to trap me. We will discuss our options once I find out how serious the problem is.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!¡± Perkins eximed with a cating tone. Even though the situation was not over, he was relieved to know that Kodan was going to settle it himself.

 volume 3 - 48

    Chapter 48 ¨C Silver Mines (9)

    [It¡¯s strange. Arge amount of Cold Iron. Mystic Eye Gems. It¡¯s somehow familiar to me, but I¡¯m certain I have never seen them together in the game before.]

    Brendel was currently sitting on a pile of silver ore at the gathering site.

    He had ambushed a squadron of guards with the aid of his Wind Spirit Spiders earlier. By using the White Raven Sword Arte, he extinguished their torches, ambushed them and knocked everyone out with a blow to their heads.

    He took their swords and attached them behind his back on his belt before he called the girls to move the guards elsewhere in the tunnel. They then waited for the enemymander¡¯s next move. Medissa stood quietly with her eyes closed and looked like she was meditating, while Scarlett polished her halberd¡¯s de.

    But Brendel was thinking back on the discovery of the Azure Quartz.

    [If it¡¯s not within the game, then perhaps...... Yes, that¡¯s it, a forum post. I remember there¡¯s a post about someone getting a quest in Trentheim. He discovered a vein of Cold Iron and two different types of strange materials. Eventually, one was identified as the Mystic Eye Gem, but the other had no conclusion during that time. I think it was a silver ball, but I don¡¯t remember¡ª]

    His eyes suddenly widened at the notion of a silver ball.

    [A Legacy of the Silver Lineage?]

    The forum post that Brendel recalled was considerably early in the game, and more people eventually understood the purpose of the silver ball in the future.

    In Kirrlutz¡¯s ancient poems, the era before Mother Marsha¡¯s creation of the world was known as the ¡®Era of Eternal Night¡¯. Within its lore, she was living in a world that every Golden and Silver Lineage lived in.

    It was unclear whether Mother Marsha was created by higher Divine Entities in the Era of Eternal Night, or she was the highest Divine Power, but one thing was clear; she shed her first tear and brought the earliest Golden and Silver Lineage out of darkness. The Sages were born and fought against the creatures of Chaos and Darkness, and Mother Marsha established the Laws of Vaunte.

    Gamers who yed the game ended up breaking the fourth wall to fill up the missing lore. Mother Marsha was a mouthpiece for the ¡®Divine Entities¡¯, or simply the people who made the game.

    Vaunte¡¯s formation took a long time. The earliest Golden and Silver Lineage sought refuge in different supposed Sanctuaries to avoid the Twilight Dragon¡¯s assault against them, but they were discovered time after time by the Twilight Dragon. Finally, they made their strongest stand in the Tower of Babel but ultimately lost.

    Many different races disappeared that day, and it signified the start of the Era of Chaos.

    But these sanctuaries remained, and Brendel had been to one when he led the refugees of Fortress Riedon out of Madara¡¯s siege. He even got a Golden Apple from there, a type of Legacy item from the Golden Lineage.

    [There are three different types of Sanctuaries. The first is half-physical, half-phantasmal, either hiding within time or space, like the Homnd of the Fairies that I¡¯ve been to. The Second is fully phantasmal, like the tallest point of the world, Babel, thest Sanctuary that¡¯s supposedly impregnable. And the third is a physical Sanctuary.

    The Silver Lineage mostly used them, which were the most damaged from the wars. The Steel ins werepletely done in, and the Rune Dwarves were nearly wiped out. One of the Sanctuaries that remained is Heaven¡¯s Gate within the Kingdom of Knights and had be a holy symbol. And one other is the Sealed Kingdom, Valha.]

    But Brendel had doubts about his hypothesis.

    [The possibility of this silver mine as a Sanctuary...... I should go back and check the Cold Iron again.]

    Time continued to pass, and they waited until they were a little restless. Brendel suddenly stood up.

    ¡°The Gold-rankedmander has arrived,¡± He said, and drew in a deep breath, ¡°and there are ten guards with him. Let¡¯s get into the position that we have discussed earlier.¡±

    Scarlett nodded and went over to Brendel and hid behind the carts. Jana stood behind near one of the exit tunnels, while Medissa positioned herself in the center of the gathering site, with her back facing the entrance.

    Soon enough, footsteps could be heard amidst over a few talking men.

    Kodan had led his men into the tunnels. He was feeling puzzled as he did not discover any creatures on the first and second level. When he descended into the third level, he finally found a giant spider scurrying away towards the gathering site. It was quickly destroyed, and they proceeded towards the room after he warned his men to move cautiously.

    But when they entered the area, they were astounded.

    There was a woman there. She turned around slowly when they came into talking distance.

    To be more urate, it was a girl not even the age of twenty, with silver hair and silver eyes, along with a pair of sharp, pointy ears.

    The guards could only recognize that she was an Elf, but Kodan was trained as a knight. Not only did he learned etiquette from the noble families, but he had also studied geography and history to a great extent. That was why he was able to recognize she was a legendary Silver Elf.

    His eyes widened in shock. He thought his eyes were failing him, or that he was looking at a spirit. The Silver Elves had disappeared several centuries ago, but one was right here before his very eyes.

    But despite his surprise, he did not drop his guard. He left two of his men at the entrance with a signal, while he brought the others closer to her.

    ¡°Who are you? Why have youe to Count Randner¡¯s silver¡ª?¡± Kodan asked in a gruff voice.

    But before he could finish his questions, he suddenly turned around to discover two youths charging out from the carts, and they knocked out his two guards in a sh.

    The grandmaster swordsman quickly understood. He threw away his thoughts about the Silver Elves; it was clear that the cause of the monster incidents was because of the culprits here!

    ¡°How much did Jara pay you?¡± Kodan¡¯s eyebrows red up, and his next question came.

    Brendel blinked nkly at the sudden question.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Scarlett asked in confusion.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Kodan pulled out his sword, and Brendel and the girls reacted by readying their own weapons, ¡°since you¡¯re not my old rival¡¯s men, then you must be the Count¡¯s enemy! Regardless of who sent you, prepare to die¡ª¡±

    His orders echoed loudly in the area, and the guards drew out their weapons. Kodan might appear to be an old man with a head full of white hair, but anyone would be awestruck by his killing intent!

    [Kodan is amongst Count Randner¡¯s thirteen most trusted knights, and while there were a few others who were stronger than him, he¡¯s the only veteran soldier who participated in the November War. I should assume he¡¯s within in the top five knights. Rumor has it that he entered the Gold-ranked status thirty years ago. I should treat him like he¡¯s close to breaking through the rank!]

    Brendel did not waste any more time and brought his Element Power out.

    Kodan had looked at the youths in disdain when they readied out their weapons, but when he saw the youth¡¯s release his aura, the air turned colder, and ayer of frost started to spread out from his feet. Kodan¡¯s eyes widened instantly.

    [An Element Power, he¡¯s a Gold-ranked Swordsman at his age?]

    But his surprise did not end there. Scarlett had reacted as well, and visible electricity gathered on her halberd and arms, causing hissing and spitting sounds to vibrate in the air. When he nced back at Medissa, there was a white spectral energy concentrated on her body, causing her beauty to take on an ethereal breath, almost like she appeared from a dream.

    He started to tense up.

    [Three Gold-ranked opponents! Who would bother to send out three prodigies to pick a bone with me? And all of them look like they are just twenty years old. No matter where you put them, they would be treated with importance, and not used as assassins and thrown into this shit hole!]

    Kodan took a step back subconsciously. He was not showing off his weak side, but he needed to think about how to protect himself when he was surrounded by three Gold-ranked fighters.

    Brendel flinched when Kodan moved. Against a Grandmaster Swordsman, he did not dare to hold back, and his first move was a fully powered White Raven Swords Arte as an involuntary reaction.

    The air split into countless razor winds, and they traveled across through the air towards Kodan and his men in a crescent arc. Shrill whistles followed closely as the thin des struck the guards, instantly hacking them into gruesome pieces with blood sttering across the ground, while Kodan had jumped into the air and avoided the attack.

    Several tremendous bangs followed next as the shockwave from Brendel¡¯s attack struck against the walls and wooden pirs, and the fragments of stone and wood rained down.

    Jana stared at the attack in disbelief and thought Brendel was closer to a monster than a human.

    Kodan¡¯s counterattack came as his jump brought him closer to Brendel, with his sword in a position to cleave the youth into two. Brendel immediately kicked the ground and swerved to his left, while Scarlett swung her halberd as well in arge, exaggerated arc. Kodan¡¯s rippling muscles tensed up as he unleashed his de from above.

    The two des collided violently, causing the metallic screams to echo in everyone¡¯s ears. Scarlett wobbled backward a few steps and nearly toppled over to the ground Although she was a God Acolyte and her stats was higher than a normal Gold-ranked fighter, she still lost out in terms of strength and technique.

    Kodan was sent hurtling back through the air from Scarlett¡¯s attack, and Medissa did not miss the opportunity and moved closer to thrust her spear at him. Despite his unsteadynding, he managed to duck and dodge the Silver Elf¡¯s swift strikes. His body was nimble and flexible as though he was a young man, and his aged wrinkles and white hair looked like they were lies.

    The old soldier who survived the November War naturally used Aouine¡¯s Swordsmanship, but he had incorporated his own style and elevated it to even greater heights.

    His attack was a mere straightforward sh, but there was an oppressive, bloodthirsty feeling to it. Medissa guarded with her spear ced vertically to receive it, and her boots left a grinding mark across the ground as she was pushed back with her hands trembling.

    Brendel suddenly felt he had misjudged the difficulty of capturing him. Be it Conrad, Tirste, or even any Gold-ranked swordsman that he had seen in the game; they were no match for this elderly man¡¯s skill. Even Iamas back then did not give as much pressure as Kodan did right now. The swordsmanship and seemingly undefeatable aura reminded him of one person.

    The Pale Knight Ebdon.

    [Analyze!]

    He roared in his mind and threw his sword at Kodan who ran towards him. There was no way he would be able to match the old man¡¯s skill in with Aouine¡¯s Swordsmanship, and he decided to even up the odds by using the system.

    Kodan was momentarily confused when Brendel abandoned his sword, but he struck it away, then jumped slightly when the sword snapped into two. The youth drew another sword from his back, and that was when Kodan suddenly realized six or seven swords were hanging behind from his belt. His sword was clearly unable to handle the technique he used earlier, which was why he had to prepare that many des.

    [This must be the biggest joke I have ever seen. A Gold-ranked swordsman without a proper sword he can use?]

    The old man scoffed and flickered his weapon at Brendel, aiming at his wrists, and thetter bent his knees into a low guard and parried the iing de by sending it upwards with his own. The two men¡¯s swords went back and forth in a tight metallic chorus, each attacking and defending alternatively.

    Brendel finally experienced Kodan¡¯s swordsmanship fully. The old man was even more formidable than Ebdon was, and every time their des met, there was a striking fear in his heart despite the fact that he used to be a level 130 gamer.

    Kodan was surprised at Brendel¡¯s aggressive strikes. The youth seemed like he had entirely given up his defenses to injure him. Kodan wanted to take advantage of his weaknesses, but that ordinary steel de seemed to find its way to riposte at the veryst second.

    [This isn¡¯t Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship! Kirrlutz, no, this isn¡¯t exactly right as well¡ª]

    However, that limit was soon reached as he eventually overwhelmed the youth in a flurry of blows and managed to kick him to the sides. He began to run to the entrance. There was no point in staying on. Once he managed to escape, he could send for help.

    Scarlett had recovered and tried to bar his way, but he swung his sword in a mighty arc¡ª

    ¡°Get lost!¡± He bellowed, and the girl staggered back several steps after deflecting his sword.

    Kodan was briefly shocked as he had used his full strength in that swing; he expected her to be at least driven back to the walls.

    Brendel was burning inside with worry. He could not allow the old man to escape. He immediately activated the Charge skill and aimed at Kodan¡¯s legs, but thetter¡¯s Perception was high enough to recognize the danger and turned back to deflect his sword.

    [So fast!]

    Kodan¡¯s eyes widened at Brendel¡¯s speed but quickly realized that the attack was a feint, and it had be a thrust to his chest. He hastily drew back his sword to defend against it, but that was also a feint. Finally, Brendel drew out another sword and swung at him in a horizontal sh at his arms, and Kodan was forced to dodge to his right.

    Brendel¡¯s relentless aggression caused the old man to be in a fury. Thetter used his skill in Aouine¡¯s Swordsmanship to the utmost limits, and rage fueled his de¡¯s trajectory.

    This time, Brendel felt Kodan¡¯s attack was not from a single sword, but a wall that could not be avoided and gave a feeling that he was about to be doomed, despite the single white line from the system¡¯s aid. The youth gritted his teeth and parried the meteor-like attack with the two des with the use of Power Break.

    The sword smashed away the two swords and caused them to shatter into pieces, while a shockwave struck against the walls and created a huge gash that was the length of ten-odd meters. Brendel¡¯s legs quivered, and his hands felt numb, but he quickly took out another sword.

    ¡°My lord, please move away, I¡¯m going to use my Element Power!¡± Scarlett yelled.

    Electricity flowed freely all over her body and weapon, and Kodan gave up on retreating to the entrance, and instead ran to the carts that were full of silver ore. He grabbed one and easily flung one at Scarlett.

    ¡°Seventh Chord¡ª Resounding Thunderp!¡±

    Bright light filled the area, temporarily blinding everyone. The cart that was hurled over to her seemed to continue in its destination before it hovered a few meters, and the violent tempest ofpressed air sent it back to Kodan. g rained across the area as the lightning superheated the metals, and the old man hid behind the carts to protect himself.

    Medissa leaped across the room and lunged her spear into the cart Kodan hid at.

    ¡°Vortex Strike!¡± She roared.

    Kodan barely reacted in time and swung his sword to divert the spear¡¯s path, dragging the cart along with the spear. Brendel sprinted across and jumped up into the air.

    ¡°Power Break!¡± He forced every bit of his strength into the de at Kodan¡¯s other arm and snarled into his face.

    As expected, Kodan had lost his center of gravity after defending against Brendel¡¯s strike that was aided with momentum and left him open. Brendel sank his elbow into Kodan¡¯s abdomen, and the old man grunted in pain. He wanted to continue striking him, but countless lines appeared in his vision, and he hurriedly retreated to a distance.

    Kodan¡¯s Element Power activated and caused the surrounding objects around him to forcefully scatter.

    ¡°Stop!¡± The Grandmaster Swordsman shouted.

 volume 3 - 49

    Chapter 49 ¨C Silver mines (10)

    =========== Jocah¡¯s group POV ============

    The entire mine experienced repeated light tremors when Brendel and the girls fought Kodan.

    Jocah felt sand falling onto his shoulders. He touched it with his hands and looked up.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did somewhere in the mine copse?¡± He said worriedly and looked at his group members, ¡°Do you all feel that?¡±

    Maher and the other men were busy with their mining picks. They were almost done in revealing the weapon. Because it was too sharp, they had no choice but to work around it, and the shiny metal gradually showed itself.

    However, they were shocked to find that it that the de lost its shape when the rocks were broken off and had turned into some kind of silver sphere when more than half of it was finally exposed to the air.

    ¡°How¡¯s this possible?¡± One of them tapped the strange object with his mining pick, and it was immediately chipped. ¡°It retains its sharpness when it¡¯s agitated, but if you gently trace it, it¡¯s not affected.¡±

    The girl suddenly shivered.

    ¡°I feel a little cold,¡± she said, looking at her surroundings restlessly as though there was something hiding there, ¡°I feel like the temperature has gone down.¡±

    Cohen¡¯s attention was on the silver ball. He inspected it and discovered that was a sheen of light golden color on the surface. He had seen it before in one of the books from his former teacher¡ª Mithril.

    His pupils dted. The price of the Cold Iron was like a piece of rockpared to the sphere in his hands, but he quickly regained hisposure. Mithril could be infused with magic, and it was probably the reason why the mining pick was cut, although it remained to be seen if the ball was made entirely out of it.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time we felt tremors in the mine. Compared to the past, we¡¯re experiencing some light ones. There¡¯s no need to make a big deal of it and frighten yourself. But we¡¯re definitely rich now. Even if we don¡¯t travel the world, we can still experience the lives that we want to¡ª¡± Cohen said.

    ¡°Hey, look at this!¡± Maher suddenly interrupted him and caused everyone to look back at the wall.

    Maher¡¯s pick struck off arge piece of rock and revealed a smooth sheet of ck metal.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t naturally formed, take a look. There are words on it!¡± Someone shouted.

    Everyone concentrated and indeed saw rows of finely written words on it. But the words had be illegible over time. Cohen felt it with his hand and heat drew away from his palm. He turned his hand over and discovered it had turned dark.

    ¡°ck Iron rust. This metal is iron.¡± (TL: ck iron rust forms under low oxygen.)

    ¡°What do the words mean?¡±

    Cohen was unable to answer him. He had learned quite a bit from his teacher, but he failed to guess what the strange things they found were. Still, the discovery made him excited and tense.

    Even the other members were able to guess they had dug up something priceless.

    ¡°Alright, let us get this piece of metal out,¡± Maher immediately said. He was one who prized action over talking.

    ¡°Hold on, do you know what this is in the first ce? Perhaps it¡¯s worthless? Furthermore, this sheet of metal is so big that it¡¯s impossible for us to bring it out.¡±

    That statement swayed Maher¡¯s decision. He stopped and cast his nce at Cohen.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get that silver ball out first,¡± Cohen said.

    The ck iron wall did not offer anything else of worth, so he lost his interest, and decided to get the items that were priceless first.

    But when the ball was free from its rock prison, the mine suddenly shook. It was different from the light tremors earlier, and it was as though the whole ce shook.

    Everyone lost their footing and copsed onto the ground.

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong, that silver ball is shining!¡± One of them shouted amidst the frightened screams.

 volume 3 - 50

    Chapter 50 ¨C King of the underground (1)

    ¡°Stop!¡± Kodan shouted.

    He realized there was something wrong at the gathering site. Not a few seconds after his yell, the ce suddenly shook violently.

    Brendel, Medissa and Scarlett¡¯s expressions immediately changed. Thunderous splitting sounds followed as the walls repeatedly cracked until it reached the ceiling. Dust and pebbles quickly rained on their heads.

    ¡°Leave this room now!¡± Brendel¡¯s yell woke everyone up from their shock. He had naturally assumed that the area copsed because of their fight.

    He quickly retreated to one of the exit tunnels, but Scarlett¡¯s urgent voice rang out behind him:

    ¡°My lord, watch¡ª¡±

    But before her words were finished, Schafflund¡¯s mine shook again, and arge piece of the ceiling copsed under the tremors. The light to the room dimmed immediately as the exits were blocked by the falling rocks.

    [Fuck!]

    It was impossible to dodge the rocks, and Brendel cursed in his mind before everything turned ck.

    The terrifying vibrations extended all the way to the surface. Perkins who was near the entrance lost his footing and rolled down the steps. He got up unsteadily with a bleeding forehead with much difficulty.

    The rumbling sounds did not stop, and he paled as dust fell over his head. He quickly climbed back out and saw a chaotic scene unfolding before his eyes. Many of the workers were down on the ground because they fell over, but even more were fleeing the valley.

    [Did an earthquake happen? Is Mother Marsha angry?]

    He started to shiver.

    ============ Princess Gryphine¡¯s POV ===========

    There was a scent of bleakness in da¡¯s autumn. Princess Gryphine¡¯s silver eyes glinted as it reflected the moonlight. She stood on the balcony and watched the thick ink-like mist cover the forest¡¯s crowns.

    Some of the trees¡¯ leaves hadpletely fallen.

    The sobering cold was a contrast to the warm room. A robust fire was consuming the wood in the firece, sending asional ashes thatnded on the bricks outside.

    Gryphine was wearing a red robe inteced with white threads over her nightgown. Although she was barefooted, she was standing on a white fur carpet. Her silver hair rested a little untidily on her shoulders, and she yawned once before turning back into her room.

    She threw her robe onto her table, causing several parchments to fly off lightly, and sheughed a little before changing into her formal attire.

    Oberbeck would have scolded her for not watching her conduct if he saw her. He was currently busy with the documents on his desk. It had been three days since the knights¡¯ tournaments, and Maynild had delivered the results in person.

    She was standing in front of him, wearing a ck knight uniform, which contrasted against her exposed hands and neck; many would dly ogle at her.

    They did not speak and time continued to pass.

    Finally, the silence was broken when Gryphine entered the room after knocking on the door. She appeared to be slightly listless because she had just woken up, but she brought her eyes up to look at her two retainers.

    ¡°My apologies, Ser Oberbeck, Ser Maynild, I¡¯m a littlete.¡± She said.

    ¡°You should watch yourself. Work and rest go hand in hand,¡± Maynild said.

    Oberbeck nced at Maynild. The knight wore her usual taciturn expression, but her concern for the princess far surpassed what a retainer would have for their lord.

    ¡°What¡¯s this report about?¡± Princess Gryphine took over the papers that Oberbeck reached out to her. She briefly read it, frowned, and ced her hand over a crystal ball the size of a fist on the table.

    The crystal immediately glowed, and its surface showed a series of moving images.

    It was a record of the tournament for the knights, and Gryphine recognized the girl in the scene, Freya. She was slightly surprised and reyed it again.

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± She looked up to Maynild.

    ¡°Her swordsmanship,¡± Maynild replied.

    ¡°There¡¯s a little problem with the girl¡¯s swordsmanship,¡± Oberbeck said almost at the same time.

    ¡°She¡¯s Duke Everton¡¯s daughter, what problem could she have?¡±

    Maynild nodded to acknowledge her question. She took a bell from the table and shook it. After the ringing ceased, the door opened and a young knight wearing a chest te and a red robe with white thread, not unlike the one that Gryphine wore earlier, entered and greeted Maynild and the princess:

    ¡°Your highness. Captain Maynild, what are your orders?¡±

    ¡°Attack me.¡± She gave a simplemand.

    The knight was slightly taken aback, but he did not question her orders. He took a step back and pulled out his sword. As a personal knight of the royal family, he had met the requirements of a Gold-ranked swordsman. His actions were clean and smooth and showed a clear understanding of Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship.

    Maynild took a single step back to avoid the range of his sword¡¯s thrust, while she swung her sword together with its sheath and struck her opponent¡¯s sword downwards. Once his sword was deflected away, she immediately kicked the side of his right knee with the same leg that withdrew a step, pulled out her de and thrust it at his throat, stopping at mere inches.

    ¡°Maynild, your skill has improved again.¡± The half-Elven princess¡¯s eyes brightened.

    The knight who was half kneeling on the ground was not frustrated at all. He grabbed Maynild¡¯s offered hand after she sheathed her sword and got up, and said with a lowered head: ¡°I¡¯ve disappointed you!¡±

    Maynild was Gryphine¡¯s knightmander. Although her position did not fall under the same system, she couldmand the royal family¡¯s knights, and it would not be wrong to say she was theirmander too. Most of the young knights were impressed and admired her skills. Those who were jealous spread her infamy as someone who had nothing but swords in her mind.

    Maynild nodded and said nothing else.

    ¡°This is a new military swordsmanship created to finish a battle quickly.¡±

    Gryphine thought for a while and nodded: ¡°Yes, I can see the differences between the old and new.¡±

    ¡°The new method is supposed to improve on the original to make it more practical instead of relying on standard forms of attacks. In its core, it relies on using the simplest methods to cause the opponents to losebat prowess.¡± Oberbeck said as he pointed at his neck, arms, knees, and the abdomen area.

    ¡°The method targets vulnerable spots like the joints in order to strike through the weak points of an armor, but it¡¯s unlikely for someone to develop it without spending a lot of time in the battlefield.¡± He continued.

    Gryphine thought for a while and once again watched the images on the crystal. She noticed several simrities between Maynild and Freya.

    ¡°The counterattacks and attacks?¡±

    ¡°Ser Maynild and I have studied it carefully. The counterattacks that she made against her opponents were unrefined, but it is clear that the essence of the newly developed military swordsmanship we¡¯re preparing to propose is distilled in her actions!¡±

    Gryphine first furrowed her brows at Oberbeck¡¯s subtle insinuations, before she disyed an interested expression.

    ¡°You mean to say it¡¯s impossible for her to develop a swordsmanship like this because you need an extraordinary amount of experience in fighting. She clearly did not spend years on the battlefield and was only a militia. The amount of time that she spent fighting against Madara was at most only a few weeks long.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Oberbeck nodded, ¡°But there¡¯s another possibility.¡±

    ¡°Let me guess, a veteran? Captain Marden?¡±

    ¡°No, I investigated the old guard captain. He ispetent and experienced the November War in the past, but his swordsmanship sticks closely to the original method.¡±

    ¡°...... Indeed. His protege Bat didn¡¯t disy this new swordsmanship in the tournament.¡±

    Gryphine briefly considered the possibility that Freya was a genius, but there was no indication that she showed off her skill at any given time. Everyone had followed her progress from the start, and the possibility was so small that Oberbeck and Maynild did not mention it.

    ¡°Who could have taught her?¡± She was a little troubled: ¡°There are not many people she knows.¡±

    ¡°But there is, your highness, and that person has always been in our sight.¡±

    ¡°You mean to say it¡¯s him?¡± She made a strange face as she immediately realized the answer.

    Oberbeck nodded.

    ¡°But he¡¯s just as young as Freya. Did someone teach him...... Were you able to uncover more information about him?¡± She tilted her head, and her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

    [...... Wait, why am I feeling this way? Am I really so curious about him?]

    ¡°No. Unless we return to Be.¡±

    ¡°Is there no information to be gotten from the people who fled from Be?¡±

    ¡°They are not acquainted with him,¡± Maynild cut into the conversation, ¡°I have privately asked Bat and sent out men to ask the refugees from Be, but they said they don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Bat said he doesn¡¯t know and not that he¡¯s unclear about it?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Maynild also found it questionable, but no other information was gotten.

    ¡°Let¡¯s put it aside for the time being,¡± Gryphine sat down andbed her hair with her fingers before tying it with a silver ribbon, ¡°let¡¯s go back to Freya¡¯s swordsmanship. Are we able to get any useful information about it?

    ¡°That girl is unable to teach us anything. Ser Maynild observed her for a while, but her understanding of that young man¡¯s swordsmanship is fuzzy at best.¡± Oberbeck shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s pointless unless we can find that person, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Maynild, are you really unable to glean anything from Freya¡ª that man¡¯s swordsmanship? You¡¯re a genius in our kingdom after all.¡±

    Maynild seemed to be pondering on something, and it took a while before she finally responded: ¡°I¡¯ll try my best, but you shouldn¡¯t expect too much from me. I¡¯m not a fighter after all.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean by that.¡±

    ¡°Without a certain amount of experience in the battlefield, it would be hard to figure out the essence of the swordsmanship.¡±

    ¡°I see..... Oberbeck, please arrange to have a few veterans from the November War discuss with Maynild when she returns from the trip to Ampere Seale. Maynild, spare some time on this matter during your trip. I expect great things from the new Military Swordsmanship.¡±

    ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± Both of them said.

 volume 3 - 51

    Chapter 51 ¨C King of the underground (2)

    asional sounds of pebbles dropping on the ground could be heard.

    Brendel¡¯s eyelids flitted once before they opened feebly to seeplete darkness. There were no signs of the others.

    He spat out the dust in his mouth, and his consciousness started to return. He subconsciously called out his Stats Window and rxed a little when he saw the green fonts appearing in mid-air.

    The system indicated there were no broken bones or internal injuries, and he merely suffered some bruises, scratches and a minor concussion.

    [I worry a little too much. The resilient body of a Gold-ranker isn¡¯t something to joke about.]

    However, no matter how high his perception was, he was unable to see anything if there was no light. He wanted to try and reach for his Light Crystal, but he soon realized there was arge boulder pinning down his body. It was at that moment that he remembered he was knocked out because the ceiling had dropped on him and caused him to faint.

    [If I¡¯m a normal human being, I would have been killed immediately, but I¡¯m going to suffocate to death at this rate.....]

    He took in a deep breath and pushed against the boulders on him and immediately caused the smaller rocks on it to fall off. He stopped for a moment and tried again, adding Power Break into his hands, and finally removed the debris that was on him.

    Once he was free, he stood up and dusted himself off while subconsciously wiping his sweat off, before he realized that he did not work really hard enough to sweat. He took out the Light Crystal and saw blood covering his hand under the weak light.

    [Damn it. There¡¯s blood......]

    For a moment, Brendel recalled the time when he came into this world. He was definitely skewered by the skeletons when he saved Romaine, but how did he survive?

    He initially thought it was Freya who bandaged him and managed to stop the bleeding but was that it? His HP went below negative points, and only a potion would be able to let him survive. It should not be possible for a bandage to work and he would just die from the loss of blood.

    He shook his head puzzledly and studied his surroundings for a while, discovering that one of the exits was notpletely sealed off. The torches on the walls were extinguished, and the surroundings had significantly changed, making him unable to differentiate the directions.

    He was about to check the exit when he heard a pained groan behind him.

    [Ah, right, I should check for the others.]

    He turned back and started searching for the source of the voice, and indeed saw Scarlett lying still under a pile of broken rocks. Her eyes were tightly shut, and her pointed face was as pale a sheet of paper. Her eyshes were trembling, and she showed off a weak and quiet side that he had never seen before.

    But he did not have time to appreciate this alluring side of hers because of the dripping blood from her forehead.

    [This is an abnormal sign. A God Acolyte¡¯s body is far stronger than a human being, and she shouldn¡¯t receive an injury to her skin¡ª Oh no.]

    He suddenly thought of a terrible possibility and carefully walked over the unsteady ground and knelt beside her. He felt her forehead and was rmed to find her skin scorching hot. He pulled back his hand and brought the Light Crystal nearer to her face. There was a subtle ck tattoo on her forehead that was slowly but visibly growing along her cheeks.

    This proved that Scarlett¡¯s body was fighting against the corruption of the Blood of Gods. Each time she lost consciousness, it would be a harsh test for her. He took out his waterskin and poured it over her face, and took out a stone that was split into two.

    It was the item that had been smeared with the Blood of Gods and could be used to control Scarlett, but he broke it into two to slow down the process.

    He ced the two fragments on her forehead.

    ¡°Scarlett?¡± He said, ¡°Wake up!¡±

    The girl¡¯s eyelids fluttered before they opened, revealing the supposed whites of her eyes dyed in a terrifying mix of ck and red colors, but they quickly returned to normalcy.

    A pair of burning amber eyes that seemed to boil with willpower and life.

    ¡°Scarlett?¡±

    ¡°Commander Makarov? Eke?¡± She looked at Brendel in confusion and spoke in a weak voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Brendel kept the stone fragments away and said.

    ¡°...... My lord?¡± She said after a moment of hesitation, and she closed her eyes again, faintly remembering that she had a nightmare.

    She saw herself buried deeply in a red tree that resembled the color of blood. Tree branches coiled around her and the tendrils sank into her skin, draining away her blood constantly, but she was unable to move.

    It was not the first time she had this dream, but it was particrly vivid this time. She was slightly uneasy and became conscious of the fact that it might have something to do with the Blood of Gods in her.

    ¡°Yes, how are you feeling? Can you still go on?¡± Brendel asked a little worriedly when he saw Scarlett closing her eyes.

    When she moved a little, she instantly cried out in pain, as the injury on her leg sent warning signals to her mind. She lowered her head and found there was a long gash across her thigh, and blood had dyed her robes in red.

    Her heart skipped a beat. Logically one would be injured from the falling rocks, but she should not receive such an extensive injury. As a Gold-ranked fighter, her resilience and healing strength was different from an ordinary person. She was also a God Acolyte, making it even more unlikely.

    It was strange. She tried sitting up hastily, but the pain immediately caused her to hiss in pain andid down again. She took inrge gulps of air, and she had cold sweat forming on her forehead. Her pain was quickly reced by dread.

    [What happened to my strength?]

    Brendel had told her that her source of power was because she had be a God Acolyte, but her feeble arms made her feel like she was weaker than a child. It was the same feeling back when she was young and had gotten sick.

    She tried to put strength into her fingers, but it was clear that it was gone. Her eyes quickly became unfocused, and she was at a loss as she realized the gravity of the situation.

    She had lost all meaning to her life when Makarov disbanded the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, which was reced with a sense of despair that choked her. She was then captured by someone despicable and turned into an ursed God Acolyte.

    It was Brendel who brought her out from the despair, and he epted the majority of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries. It gave her an excuse to continue pressing on with her life.

    Eventually, she climbed out from the pits of her despair with much difficulty and adapted to a new life. She was even a little fond of apanying Brendel who treated her with importance even if was because she had power. It was unlike the past where Makarov had only eyes for Eke and Buga, while she was nothing more than an unimportant member who could be sacrificed at any time.

    Her existence was needed by Brendel and the old Grey Wolves Mercenaries, and she was satisfied, regardless of how short it was.

    [Mother Marsha, why are you so cruel? I have just gotten used to all these things, and you take away everything from me yet again? I¡¯m no different from an ordinary person, no, I¡¯m even weaker than one.]

    She was afraid.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Brendel asked her again when he saw her strange silence: ¡°Does it hurt?¡±

    [A noble doesn¡¯t need a useless retainer. Amandina and Romaine are smart people who can help my lord handle administrative work. But what about me? A wild girl who knows nothing other than fighting?]

    ¡°My lord...... I-I lost my power.¡± She finally whispered.

    Brendel looked nkly at her. He did not understand her answer and thought it might be due to her blood loss that caused her to feel weakened. But it was still a strange reply.

    [What does this mean? Does she want me to help her up? If it¡¯s little Romaine I can kind of understand, but the girl in front of me is pretty independent.....]

    Brendel¡¯s eyes sharpened. It was an odd situation. He quickly took a step back to get out of her attacking range and observed her carefully.

    Perhaps she was faking her expressions in order to get a chance to attack him. But he knew the signs of a God Acolyte well, and no matter how much he observed, it did not seem like the Blood of Gods controlled her.

    ¡°What?¡± He finally said with a little confusion.

    But Scarlett¡¯s mind was filled with Makarov¡¯s cruel voice that day, a figure whom she treated like a father and teacher, where he abandoned her in front of Brendel, andpletely missed thetter¡¯s actions in front of her.

    She could only repeat herself while holding back her feelings of hopelessness:

    ¡°My lord, I¡¯ve lost my power, and I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t follow you anymore......¡±

 volume 3 - 52

    Chapter 52 ¨C King of the Underground (3)

    Brendel once again paused in a nk.

    [What kind of ploy is this?]

    But he finally realized what she meant and tested her with an additional question: ¡°You mean to say you¡¯re lost your abilities as a Gold-ranked fighter?¡±

    Scarlett¡¯s eyes momentarily widened before she closed them a defeated expression and nodded slowly.

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Brendel nodded like it was a natural thing.

    This time Scarlett was confused. She had imagined Brendel¡¯s reactions multiple times and was worried to hear his voice turn cold just like Makarov did in the past. But she did not expect his reaction to sound like he had solved a difficult puzzle!

    ¡°Ah, excuse me,¡± Brendel apologized sincerely.

    He knew bad things were happening to Scarlett. There were signs of the Blood of goods speeding up, and when she recovered her strength again, she might be a true God Acolyte. But there was no way he could tell it directly to her face.

    ¡°Can you stand up? Here, let me help you up.¡± He consoled her and extended a hand.

    Scarlett looked at the hand in front of her in a daze before she nodded.

    Brendel¡¯s voice was soft, warm, and even a little sympathetic, but it was because of these words that she felt like her defenses to her heart were being cut away.

    Tears spilled out from the corners of her eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Brendel became flustered when he saw her tears.

    The young girl continued to cry silently before she suddenly woke up from her daze. She sniffed through her nose to stop her emotions and wiped away her tears weakly. When she realized how she acted, her face immediately flushed red.

    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s b-because it¡¯s too painful...... My lord.¡± Scarlett turned her head away and answered a little unwillingly.

    Brendel cried inwardly at once.

    [Your excuse is just awful...... Do you think you look like you¡¯re crying because you¡¯re in pain? You might as well say that you¡¯re flustered because you¡¯re trying to hide your pain!]

    He was not a fool and was vaguely aware what the girl was thinking about. Even though he did not know what she thought of the people in her past, her silence was unable to mask the fact that she was trying to escape reality. She had not epted her situation and was still stuck in her memories, and regarded the world with fear and distrust. In the end, she had no choice but to confront her circumstances, and was immediately swallowed up by istion.

    ¡°Can you stand up?¡± He said again.

    Scarlett nodded weakly and attempted several times to get up to her feet. But even with his assistance, the immense pain caused her to whimper and kneel down.

    Brendel felt sorry for her. She was clenching her teeth and tearing up at the pain. It was not as if he had never seen a woman cry, but she was much tougher than the nobledies in the game who teared up easily.

    ¡°Here, let me carry you. There¡¯s no need to keep on trying.¡± He said. He was still a man after all.

    They could not stay here for long. Even though he did not know what was Medissa and Kodan¡¯s situation, but their mission would fail if the old man returned to the surface. He had to fight for every second.

    ¡°How can I do...... that?¡± Scarlett waspletely stunned.

    Which Lord ormander would do this? But she quickly corrected herself. Makarov would do it for Eke because thetter was the son of a duke.

    [Perhaps Makarov saw me as someone who¡¯s even less important than Redi because I was an Iron-ranker back then. Damn it! I feel disappointed¡ª]

    Once she thought of the detestable youth with white hair, she felt sick in her stomach. There were no tears shed when Brendel ordered his death.

    [But why is this young lord willing to bother with me? I¡¯m not popr with the remaining Grey Wolves Mercenaries like Sanford is, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯m pretty enough to catch his eyes..... His fiancee is much better looking than me. And I have never seen him even seeking the pleasures of the flesh from anyone. His actions stop at teasing his fiance...... Right now, I¡¯m nothing but a burden right now.]

    ¡°...... There¡¯s no need to waste your time with me, my lord. You need to get Kodan right now, and once you do, you cane and rescue me,¡± she shook her head vigorously, before she said with some hesitation, ¡°I¡¯m a mercenary, and I won¡¯t feel too scared. If you would kindly leave me with a l-light crystal......¡±

    Brendel sighed inwardly with exasperation. It was clear that Scarlett was feeling scared. It was still an unknown problem whether he was able to find his way out, and even if he did, he would have to take several hours. But the biggest problem was not leaving a defenseless girl behind; it was the danger that Scarlett might turn into a God Acolyte once he left her.

    ¡°You¡¯re bleeding too much. It would be dangerous for you if you still here.¡± He did not reveal the truth to her and dodged the subject.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine; perhaps this is Mother Marsha¡¯s will. There¡¯s no need for you to keep holding on to a burden¡ª¡± She paused for a moment, smiled a little, and her voice became softer: ¡°But I should thank you, my lord. The fact that you didn¡¯t abandon me is enough..... I can¡¯t be selfish, right?¡±

    Brendel stared at Scarlett¡¯s misty, seemingly hollow eyes.

    [Makarov must have really hurt her by sending the Grey Wolves Mercenaries to their deaths and refusing to acknowledge her. She¡¯s a pitiable person, but I don¡¯t have a solution for her curse. ]

    ¡°...... Evesting regret.¡± His words came out like a soft sigh ofment.

    He closed his eyes and dove in his memories of the game for a full minute, while Scarlett looked restlessly in confusion at him before he opened them:

    ¡°Perhaps you think that if you live in Aouine¡¯s time of peace, you wouldn¡¯t need to go through with this mncholic fate¡ª But is there a moment where Aouine is truly peaceful?

    This continent is constantly at war and chapters are written in history books like epic poems. The mes from the wars burn cities to the ground, countless bones are piled up, and the bloodshed is like a river that flows endlessly. People band together to be stronger in order to survive, but at the same time they have to pursue pragmatism.

    Eventually, bonds are weakened and the warm feelings between people disappear. Society is left with nothing but ice-like cruelty and machine-like efficiency.

    Civilians rebel all the time because of the useless nobles governing the kingdom, but their resistance is unable to pull down their authority. Why? Because the thing that matters is power.

    The strong rules and the weak ought to die.

    Your story is not the only example on this continent. There are thousands of you and thousands of Sifrids, and many people on this continent are more unfortunate than you are.

    I don¡¯t have the power to change their fates, because I cannot change the natural rule where the mighty rules over everything. This world is much harsher than the fairy tale that I know of called Earth.

    However, I think I might be able to lend a hand to the person who is in need in front of me.

    So why are you not asking me for help?¡±

    He wished to save the people that he was familiar with in the world. The princess, the Goddess of War, the many, many people who sacrificed their lives for this kingdom. He desired to rewrite history.

    ¡°...... I¡ª¡± Scarlett was still hesitating, but the light was returning to her eyes, and Brendel noted it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m a selfish person. My self-serving wish is to save this kingdom. I cannot tell if it¡¯s going to hurt people, and I might even hurt even more innocents than the nobles you see right now. Perhaps the innocent citizens of this kingdom, or from Kirrlutz, or the nations to the far north.

    However, I don¡¯t want to see tragedy befalling on the people I know in front of me because I don¡¯t think I can ignore my heart...... If a hand is not enough, you can have my back and let me carry you.¡±

    Brendel added hisst sentence as Scarlett nced at the injury on her thigh, but she was still hesitating even though she looked ready to ept his aid.

    ¡°No, wait, are you refusing because of...... Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯m not going to take advantage of you.¡± Brendel was already tearing up because he was cringing inwardly from the speech he made. Maybe she was refusing because she did not want to be carried in the first ce.

    ¡°Ehhh?! No, it¡¯s just that¡ª¡± Scarlett felt the blood rushing to her cheeks and shook her head repeatedly.

    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing else to be said.¡± Brendel was growling with impatience and shame, and he scooped her up with both hands, ignoring her frightened squeaks.

    She did not expect Brendel to be so forceful. She shrank in his arms as her blush extended to her ears, and became silent.

    [H-he said he wouldn¡¯t take advantage of me...... I-isn¡¯t this the legendary ¡®bridal carry¡¯?]

    She had dreamt of Eke carrying her to the cathedral someday more than once back with the mercenaries, but it quickly became a fantasy with the appearance of Y. But she never expected someone to carry her, although it was a little odd because she was being carried around in a dark tunnel.

    She brought her head to rest on Brendel¡¯s chest. Even though her heart was beating fast, she felt a sense of safety.

    [He¡¯s different from Eke, and makes me feel like I¡¯m safe and I can trust in him. I¡¯m sure Miss Amandina and Romaine feels the same way.....]

    She finally understood why the number of people around him continued to increase in the past few months. His connections and abilities were indeed outstanding, but it would not exin why the people around him would choose him over the other nobles.

    [Maybe Mother Marsha hasn¡¯tpletely abandoned me. I¡¯m lucky enough to meet a lord like him.]

    She still felt a little sad about losing her powers. She was not a smart person and finding her powers again would not be an easy task. She shook off her thoughts and decided to take one day at a time. Brendel¡¯s actions had calmed her down.

    But his current thoughts were secretly pondering on her lifespan, which could be a matter of a few days or even just a few hours.

 volume 3 - 53

    Chapter 53 ¨C King of the underground (4)

    Brendel continued to carry Scarlett through the dark tunnels, and thetter held the Light Crystal which barely lit the pathway.

    The mine did not copse at just the gathering site. Rocks and boulders have nearly blocked off their path, and more often than not, they discovered that certain areas werepletely sealed off.

    Brendel had considered clearing obstacles with brute force, but in order to prevent a second copse in the mine, he chose to find another way around them.

    Scarlett could feel Brendel¡¯s strong heartbeat, and she felt her own heart beating fast in response. She felt she should say something to end the awkward silence, but was unable to find the words because of the situation that had happened without warning.

    After feeling her slightly flushed face for a while, she finally managed to speak: ¡°Is it really okay to bring me along?¡±

    ¡°......A goodmander doesn¡¯t abandon his subordinates,¡± Brendel said, quoting his female upperssman in the past.

    ¡°......Do you think the others are safe?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but they should be fine.¡±

    Brendel shook his head. He had not discovered any signs of Jana. He summoned Medissa¡¯s card in his mind and tried to call out for her, but she did not answer. Since the card did not turn grey, it would mean that she was not sent into the graveyard yet.

    He recalled that Medissa was closer to Kodan than either of them during the final moment when the ceiling copsed. Perhaps she was knocked out, and Kodan had escaped. She was not a match for him alone.

    ¡°Are you still in pain?¡±

    ¡°N-no,¡± Scarlett quickly changed the topic, ¡°but I find there¡¯s something odd earlier.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The earthquake happened after Kodan suddenly shouted for us to stop, and I don¡¯t think that our attacks are on a scale that would damage the other tunnels. At most it would just affect the room, right?¡±

    Brendel pondered silently. He was also suspecting this point. Even though it was a dangerous thing to have four Gold-rankers battling it out in a closed room, the origin of the cracks seemed to be unrted to the damage caused by them.

    [If this ce is really a Sanctuary...... No, I should investigate how extensive the damage is first.]

    Brendel continued to move in the dark tunnel, ducking high and low because of the fallen debris. At the third dead end, he finally concluded that there was no way up from the passageways avable. The only option was to use the lift and head downwards to the pits.

    That area was aplicated maze of tunnels that led to various sections of the fourth level, and from there, he might be able to get past the dead ends and reach the third level. Jocah had informed him the lifts in other areas essed higher levels from other points too.

    The lift¡¯s noisy descent stopped with a shudder upon hitting the ground. Brendel observed the area and realized that there was also signs of the mine copsing, but the walls were much sturdier so the damage was lesspared to the above level.

    [There¡¯s no doubt about it. A Mana Resonance from an artifact. And the source is likely from Jocah¡¯s group unearthing something powerful. But what kind of item is it to make such a strongmotion?]

    ¡°My lord?¡± Scarlett interrupted his thoughts.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Please let me down. I think I can try walking now.¡± Her voice was a faint whisper.

    Brendel lowered his head to check her wounds. The body of a God Acolyte certainly lived up to its name. Even though she lost her powers, her ability to recover from injuries was much stronger than normal people. The injury on her thigh had stopped bleeding and was starting to form scabs.

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re fine?¡± He asked.

    But the girl insisted on getting down, and he ultimately let her feet touch the ground. She grimaced lightly for a moment when she stood up, but after a shaky test, she gradually became stable. Even though she was a little slow, but she was mostly able to walk on her own.

    Upon discovering this point, she felt a little happy and smiled at him.

    ¡°My lord!¡± She eximed with a small smile.

    The youth blinked at her rare smile that came without any reservations, and thetter quickly realized her mistake and turned her head away.

    He thought she was quite pretty when she smiled, but there was no way he would tell her that unless he wanted to get hated. Their footsteps grated against the pebbles as they made their way silently into the tunnels.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Brendel muttered to himself as he suddenly spotted a mass of white color somewhere in the darkness.

 volume 3 - 54

    Chapter 54 ¨C King of the underground (5)

    ¡°What is it, my lord?¡± Scarlett asked from behind.

    ¡°There¡¯s something in front of us,¡± Brendel¡¯s voice was reduced to a whisper.

    Scarlett¡¯s eyesight was currently no different from an ordinary person, and it was difficult for her to see far ahead with the weak light provided by the crystal.

    Brendel pulled out his sword and led the girl slowly ahead and realized that it was a person, seemingly a worker in this mine. He carefully studied him, but there was no visible injury.

    ¡°He¡¯s still alive,¡± Scarlett took a nce and immediately judged so.

    Brendel agreed. He had also seen the shallow rise and fall of the worker¡¯s chest. Thetter seemed to be merely unconscious. He tried shouting at him, but the middle-aged man did not wake up, so he took his waterskin bag and poured a little on his face.

    Considering that they might be stuck in the underground and the water they had on them was limited, he refrained from pouring too much of it. He was about to p the worker¡¯s face, but it seemed like the worker¡¯s eyelids twitched and opened soon enough.

    His rousing was not pleasant, and the moment he saw the two people in front of him, he retreated to the walls and knocked himself against them.

    Brendel hurriedly said after seeing his panicked reactions: ¡°We work here as well, there¡¯s no need to be frightened.¡±

    The worker stared at them for a while before he calmed down. He studied them carefully and asked: ¡°You¡¯re from the administration? Foremen? Or the guards?¡±

    Scarlett¡¯s disguise as a man held because of the darkness, but he could see the outline of their weapons. Only the three groups would be allowed to have weapons, but it was more likely that they were guards.

    ¡°We¡¯re from the guards,¡± Brendel nodded and answered, knowing that the workers knew almost every foreman.

    That man seemed relieved to find that there was help, but he quickly tensed up.

    ¡°Did you encounter monsters too?¡± His gaze went to their injuries.

    Brendel exchanged nces with Scarlett.

    [Monsters? The only monsters are my summoned spiders......]

    But he thought that the situation was not so simple.

    ¡°What type of monsters did you encounter?¡± He frowned and asked.

    ¡°Statues, monstrous creatures in the form of statues, Marsha above!¡±

    ¡°Creatures in the form of statues?¡± Scarlett repeated his words curiously.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry. We¡¯re here to help you. Take your time and think back to the time when you encountered the creatures. Is it a humanoid or beast-like creature?¡± Brendel asked.

    [There are many types of creatures made of stone. The Wizard Craftsmen from Galbu, Gargoyle Sentinels, and War Puppets, but considering the environment here, Earth Elementals are also a possibility.]

    ¡°They are like beasts, but made out of rocks! Please believe me! I swear I didn¡¯t mistake them for something else!¡±

    ¡°A beast form? Are there wings?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± His reply was firm.

    Brendel rubbed his forehead. He had not heard of a living rock monster. Even though there were plenty of strange creatures in the continent, most of them had particr traits. Monsters made from rocks or soil were usually artificial life forms made by Wizard Craftsmen, and the other type was Elementals, although thetter was unlikely because they did not resemble beasts.

    [Non-flying animated statues rarelye in the form of beasts. And Elementals mostlye in the form of worms.]

    But the worker was looking at them puzzledly for some reason, and Brendel quickly moved on to his next question: ¡°Is there anyone else besides you?¡±

    The workers usually worked in groups, and as expected, the middle-aged man in front of Brendel swallowed as he remembered the incident that happened earlier, and nodded quickly:

    ¡°Yes, I came in a group, but we were separated when we encountered the monsters,¡± he took a quick nce at the deeper parts of the tunnels, and continued with some uncertainty, ¡°but I¡¯m not sure where they are now, or whether they are alive...... I think the monsters went after them.¡±

    He seemed thankful to be alive, and at the same time, he was still feeling a little afraid.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, Marhann was also here.¡± He suddenly recalled something.

    ¡°Who?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know him?¡± The worker was surprised. ¡°He¡¯s the foreman in charge of our level. I heard that he used to be in the army and his swordsmanship is amazing. When the earthquake started, he said he would go to the pits to take a look. Not long after he went in, the monsters started appearing.¡±

    The corners of Brendel¡¯s mouth twitched. He nearly outed himself when he randomly asked a question, but it was lucky that the worker was not alert because he thought ¡®his allies¡¯ were rescuing him.

    Scarlett, on the other hand, frowned when she heard the answer. ¡°Didn¡¯t the tunnels start to copse immediately after the earthquake? Furthermore, what made him think of going to the pits?¡±

    Brendel immediately caught on to the problem when he listened to Scarlett¡¯s reply: ¡°That¡¯s right, isn¡¯t it better to find a safe ce to avoid the copse at that time?¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± the worker shook his hand, ¡°the tremors were not that strong in the beginning, and the walls are much thicker here, and there wasn¡¯t much of a copse in this area. Also, the key point is that it originated from the south of the tunnels here. It seems like you were not in our level when it happened, otherwise you would have known that.¡±

    Brendel suddenly sighed when he heard the surprising information.

    [That seals the deal. Jocah¡¯s group had dug out something from this mine and caused a Mana Resonance. It looks like they are likely to be dead since the point originated from their side.]

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like an earthquake, my lord,¡± Scarlett whispered to Brendel.

    Brendel nodded. He decided to investigate Jocah¡¯s location.

    Even though the Legacy of the Silver Lineage was not as rare as the Golden Apple, it was still a unique item. But the quest probably was not going to be easy, judging from the power of the Mana Resonance.

    He suddenly turned around and ced a finger on his lips and said: ¡°Both of you, stop talking.¡±

    The tunnels turned quiet, and only the worker¡¯s heavy breathing could be heard. Very quickly, they heard rumbling noisesing from the south, as though there were things moving across the ground.

    ¡°They¡¯re back!¡± The worker suddenly whispered with urgency and immediately paled.

    Brendel readied his sword. He was a little suspicious in his mind. Even though it seemed many things wereing towards them, they did not sound like they were something dangerous.

    Very soon, the first creature emerged from the darkness. It was a greyish-white panther that elegantly trotted across the ground, ring at Brendel with a pair of gemlike eyes.

    No¡ª The eyes were actually a pair of gems.

    The cat-like creature seemed like it was carved out of stone and had a pair of grey colored gems as eyes, but Brendel finally knew what it was.

    [That¡¯s not a stone creature but soil molded with Earth Element Mana into a creature. It can take on any form that the summoner wants. Does this mean there¡¯s an Elementalist doing this, or some other defense mechanism activating and summoning these creatures?]

    Brendel thought the second possibility was more likely, and it meant that the Legacy item or Sanctuary was possibly sentient. Either way, it meant there was a Fantasy-ranked item. Brendel¡¯s heart soared and his eyes nearly teared up.

    It was the first time where he could get his hands on a high-level equipment.

    More creatures poured out from the dark tunnel, easily more than a dozen, and their eyes glinted dangerously in front of the Light Crystal. Eventually, twenty of them surrounded them in a semi-circle.

    There was no sign of anxiety on Brendel¡¯s face, and he took a step forward: ¡°Stay back a little, Scarlett.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± The red-haired girl caught the worker who was trying to crawl away to flee the area and dragged him back to where they were.

    It was safer for them to stay where Brendel was at. She did not move forward to help him because she would instead interfere with his movements, given her current state.

    But she was not worried. Her judgment remained even though she lost her power, and she could see that the panthers were hardly a threat to Brendel.

 volume 3 - 55

    Chapter 55 ¨C King of the underground (6)

    The worker saw things differently. He tried to resist Scarlett¡¯s pull and started shrieking: ¡°Let me go...... And both of you should run too! These things are incredibly tough, and des can¡¯t cut through them!¡±

    He saw his partners smash their mining picks repeatedly on the creatures, but even when they used their full strength, they left only slight impressions on their bodies.

    And when these creatures attacked, their ws easily smashed a person¡¯s body to a pulp. It was a nightmarish scene that he could still recall viscera sttering onto the walls and ground.

    But his words quickly died in his throat.

    Brendel swung his sword seemingly in a light, elegant stroke through thin air, yet the panther that was still a distance away from him was sliced into two. That was still not the end, as its split body smashed against the wall, and shattered into pieces.

    The worker waspletely bbergasted.

    ¡°You...... You......¡± He pointed at Brendel, ncing back and forth at Scarlett and the youth, and continued to stutter without managing to say a full sentence.

    ¡°Stop making noise!¡± Scarlett¡¯s pped his hand down. But when she looked back at Brendel she was shocked to find out that his swordsmanship seemed to have be even sharper than before.

    Brendel realized the same thing too. His ability to utilize the sword had be even easier. He quickly brought out the Stats Window and discovered there was a +2 next to his Military Swordsmanship stat. (TL: When he fought his grandfather back then, he gained +1.)

    He was certain that he had gained the additional rank after fighting Kodan, and probably missed the system alert after he lost consciousness because of the falling rocks.

    This gain surprised and delighted him at the same time. Even though there were cases where fighting high-level NPC swordsmen increased the level of swordsmanship, they were incredibly rare. The increment of a swordsmanship gain was usually because of the aplishment of a mission, and there had to be strict conditions before one gained it.

    [I thought the reason why I managed to gain +1 back then was that a story-like quest progression between the old Brendel and his grandfather happened. I have never gotten an increment like this in the game from fighting NPCs, and that¡¯s over a hundred years worth of in-game time. But now I feel it¡¯s because the system recognizes the fact that I¡¯m able to understand the grandmasters¡¯ skill in MIlitary Swordsmanship¡ª]

    Another rock panther leaped towards him, interrupting his thought. He got irritated with the annoying gnats bothering him, so he charged into their midst and began cutting them apart. Each time he swung his sword, multiple pieces of rocks were sent flying away.

    ============ Romaine¡¯s POV ==============

    The town had felt the impact when the earthquake happened in Schafflund¡¯s mines. The people on the streets felt the ground quiver, and shop owners held on their goods to prevent them from falling to the ground, but they only had two hands and cursed loudly when the ones they could not protect crashed onto the floor.

    Residents who had rtives working in the mine panicked as the news spread to every corner in the town.

    Romaine had been staying quietly in her room since the beginning of Brendel¡¯s absence because he had bought her different sets of clothes, and she had been testing them out. One of the more striking dresses looked somewhat like a maid¡¯s uniform, which Brendel had bought because of an ulterior motive.

    Even though the real motive was a little immoral, Romaine was quite fond of it. Brendel would have given two thumbs up if he was around Romaine.

    She had been checking herself out against the mirror when the earthquake started, and in a rare moment of clumsiness, knocked her head on the mirror¡¯s frame, causing a bump to appear on her head.

    She rubbed her injury as she saw stars in her eyes, but quickly steadied herself and got out of the room in curiosity. She went straight to the angels outside, but they stated they did not know what was happening. In the end, the merchant girl went to the innkeeper and received urate news.

    There was an earthquake in the mines. She thought about things in detail and became worried soon. She made an earnest decision after a moment:

    ¡°I want to find Brendel,¡± she said to the angels in a serious tone, e along with me.¡±

    ¡°Miss Romaine, Lord Brendel will never agree to this,¡± but the angel replied so.

    ¡°Lord Brendel¡¯s orders are for Miss Romaine to stay here in this inn without going anywhere before hees back, without any exceptions.¡± The second angel was even more direct.

    ¡°To add on to my partner¡¯s words, we are still here without any changes to our orders, which means Lord Brendel is fine.¡± The angel who replied to her first persuaded her.

    ¡°Even though Brendel is fine right now, that is precisely why we need to help him because he might be trapped in the mines!¡±

    If Brendel knew Romaine was going to talk about him with her unlucky tongue, he would have rubbed her temples with rotating fists. Unfortunately, he was not there, so Romaine was overly enthusiastic.

    Her thoughts were indeed rejected by the two angels who shook their heads at the same time. In a way, they thought she had a career in writing tales for the bards.

    But Romaine was not dejected from being rejected. Not long after Romaine returned to her room, they heard yells and screamsing from within. The angels quickly rushed in because they had to check for danger.

    Little Romaine was rolling around in her bed under a nket like a child throwing a tantrum. Once she felt like they had entered the room, she revealed her head from the nket as if to peek at them, and inted her cheeks.

    ¡°I. Want. To. Go. To. The. Mines!¡± She said with teary eyes, with the subtle threat of ¡®or else I will make a scene¡¯.

    The angels nced at each other with a slight shrug of their shoulders and closed the doors after they left. After this situation repeated several times, they gradually ignored her antics.

    ¡°I can see why Lord Brendel told us to ignore weird situations. From the looks of it, the advice is logical.¡± The first angel said to his partner after Romaine¡¯sst attempt happened to be on the floor.

    ¡°Yes, he knows Miss Romaine well.¡± The second angel nodded.

    The two concluded that Brendel was very fond of Romaine.

    Unfortunately for them, when she realized that Brendel¡¯s evil subordinates finally ignored her actions, she hurriedly changed her clothes and revealed a cunning fox-like smile while she executed her n.

    She wore amon-looking adventurer¡¯s shirt, and a loose pair of pants that were not unlike pumpkins with a pair pointed leather-skin boots. Thebination was quite ridiculous, but because of her inquisitive looks, it made her look surprisingly adorable.

    She packed her strange collection of items into her bag and started tying her bedsheet to the window. She even turned around to the door and made a funny face before she climbed out.

    Despite her detailed n, she had missed out on one detail. She was prepared to sneak down to the back of the inn as she swung from the bedsheet, but suddenly realized that it was not long enough¡ª

    She continued to swing in mid-air while her sweat on her forehead shimmered: ¡°I-it seems like I have gotten into a little bit of trouble......¡±

    Odum was passing by the back alley as he had always done to enjoy his afternoon beer. He happened to raise his head up and saw this particr scene.

    At first, he thought he was still asleep and widened his eyes, but quickly confirmed that a girl with a ridiculous outfit was dangling from above by holding on to a bedsheet.

    The dwarf lowered his head and started to think if it was a day of celebration and people were doing crazy things. But he could not remember if it was the summer festival or the harvest festival. He quicklymented the deterioration of memories when people got old, but eventually recalled that the previous festival was a few weeks ago, and the next one was two monthster.

    He thought that he had gone to the wrong alley or he somehow triggered a magic spell when he entered it.

    But he quickly whirled his head to check for the inn¡¯sndmarks and was certain that he was in the right ce, and there was indeed a possibility that a girl was hanging from above. He supported his lower jaw and asked:

    ¡°Lass, what are you doing?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Excuse me, old mister, but it looks like this bedsheet is too short¡ª¡± Came the reply.

 volume 3 - 56

    Chapter 56 ¨C King of the Underground (7)

    Odum spent a significant amount of effort in receiving the girl hanging in mid-air. The fat old dwarf¡¯s face was bunched up together, and his thick bushy brows were nearly knitted together while grumbling into her ears that she was too bold andpletely ignored danger, and caused him as an old man to have so much trouble and worry.

    But in the end, he asked her out of concern: ¡°Lass, are you injured anywhere?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Romaine stood back on the ground, patted her chest and said happily: ¡°That was dangerous!¡±

    But he could hardly see that she thought she was in danger, rather, her face was flushed with excitement.

    [Oh, so you know the meaning of d¡ª]

    The dwarf¡¯s thoughts died in his mind when the merchant girl followed up eagerly: ¡°That was interesting!¡±

    ¡°Lass, the way you¡¯re thinking is too dangerous! What¡¯s going to happen if I didn¡¯te?¡± The dwarf¡¯s expression became strict, and his thick ent immediately revealed itself.

    ¡°But old mister, you came,¡± Romaine said.

    Odum scratched his head, thinking that his current line of argument was probably not good enough to convince her, so he tried again: ¡°That¡¯s a huge coincidence that I¡¯m there. What¡¯s going to happen if I¡¯m not? Furthermore,ss, you¡¯re giving this old man a huge amount of trouble, and the biggest problem is that you interfered with my time to drink¡ª¡±

    ¡°My aunt says that drinking so much is bad for health!¡± Romaine interrupted.

    The dwarf immediately felt a headacheing on. The girl¡¯s thought process was different from ordinary people.

    He started to wonder if rescuing the girl was a wrong decision. Perhaps he should have pretended to see nothing from the start and head off to drink his beer instead. Maybe he should not even raise his head up.

    He put up a hand to stop her.

    ¡°We¡¯re not discussing this problem! And do you think a dwarf who doesn¡¯t drink can be called a dwarf? Lass, your aunt is......¡± Odum paused for a moment, feeling that it was not right to talk behind someone¡¯s back, especially when the person in question was a female. ¡°In any case, this is this, and that is that. Look, a normal person wouldn¡¯t tie their bedsheet from the window and dangle in mid-air behind the inn, right?¡± The dwarf began to lecture her, although he started to think there was something wrong with his words.

    But when he pondered about it, he was unable to find out where the problem was so he shook his head and stopped thinking. The only thought had left was that his precious time to drink in the afternoon was leaving him.

    Because the girl started talking again.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Romaine nodded after a moment of thinking, ¡°but I¡¯m forced to do it because I need to go to the mines!¡±

    Odum did not realize that his attention was gradually pulled away by the girl in front of him, and he looked at her in stunned silence.

    ¡°...... What is your business with the mine? Women aren¡¯t allowed in there.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because the person I like is in there and there had been an earthquake in the mines. I¡¯m really worried. Oh! Old mister, can you bring me there?¡± She looked at the dwarf and suddenly blinked in realization.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know how to go to the mines?¡± Odum¡¯s beady eyes red open.

    ¡°I think so.¡± She had never considered this problem. It was clear that she made the mistake of acting first before thinking again, and was quickly throwing the incident that happened a moment ago out of her mind.

    But Odum startedughing so hard that he pounded his fist repeatedly into an open palm: ¡°That¡¯s funny, that¡¯s really funny! You wanted to go to the mines so badly that you climbed out of the window to get there faster, without realizing how to get there in the first ce. There¡¯s a limit to make such a careless n,ss, and even the most impulsive Mountain Dwarf wouldn¡¯t make such a mistake. No, even the dumbest beastman would have a proper n before they hunt!¡±

    ¡°But the beastmen have an adage called ¡®Uimassnemont¡¯; the capable hunter might not be smart!¡± Romaine said the difficult word with a stutter.

    ¡°That¡¯s their excuse for being stupid,¡± the dwarf shook his head, ¡°wait, who taught you that word?¡±

    ¡°My aunt.¡±

    ¡°No, no, what am I doing!¡± Odum found himself being led around by the girl. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say from the start is that you can¡¯t be too impulsive, and that has nothing to do with beastmen being smart or not¡ª¡±

    He rubbed his beard before he frowned. ¡°Hold on, did you say there¡¯s an earthquake in the mines?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t I know about it?¡± He stared at her.

    Romaine looked back at him with blinking eyes. The dwarf became aware that he had said something silly. If the earthquake had happened an hour ago, he was probably napping.

    In truth, he should be in the mines working, but it was not the first time he did not work and drank instead. He had helped the young noble, Perkins, with his personal problem not too long ago and won his trust.

    Thetter did not mind whether the dwarf went to the mine and worked since there was not going to be much of a difference if he did. Soon after, Odum frequently skipped work and drank in the inn as a dwarf¡¯s pastime.

    But Romaine¡¯s words immediately sobered him up.

    He knew about a secret within the mines and had been waiting for a long time. He was originally disappointed with the knowledge that the workers dug into a monster¡¯s nest a decade ago and the administration had refused to extend any deeper into the mines.

    He tried convincing Perkins to reopen the fifth level, but thetter refused to do so, not because of the workers¡¯ safety, but for the reason that he did not want to cause trouble for himself. He could only stay in the vige with disappointment, and after a while, his passion died down.

    But his heart started beating faster at this moment.

    ¡°Very well,ss, I¡¯ll bring you to the mines, but you must agree¡ª¡± He said.

    ¡°I understand!¡± Romaine immediately agreed with no hesitation.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t finished my words yet!¡±

    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s fine, old mister, I¡¯ll agree with the random things you say since it wouldn¡¯t matter sooner orter!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really honest...... But that¡¯s kinda charming too.¡± He sighed.

    Odum began to think about the women back in his hometown when he looked at Romaine. He had grown up in the Golden Dwarf vige. The vige was not as interesting or diversified whenpared to the humans, and even their beer brewing skills lost out to the humans.

    However, their people were much more passionatepared to the humans. While this human girl in front of him was aplete handful, he liked her personality and made him happier than he was in years.

    Though he instinctively realized that there would be trouble if he allowed the girl free rein.

    ¡°In any case, there are three important things you must agree if I¡¯m to bring you there. Do you understand,ss?¡± He said as he began walking.

    Romaine nodded, but she quickly had a new question as she followed him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that women are not allowed in the mines?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me!¡± Odum frowned. He could not bring Romaine directly into the mines. It was also unlikely for him to enter the ce because of the procedures during times of crisis. But he had prepared for a long time, and it was finally going to be of use.

    A secret passageway to the mines¡¯ inner sector.

    Since he was a foreman, he could pretend that he was trapped there when the earthquake happened. The girl was a little more troublesome to hide, but that was just a matter of disguising her.

    ¡°Okay. But old mister, are you a Mountain Dwarf? And are mountain dwarves impulsive?¡± Romaine asked.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not one. Those impulsive fellows have nothing to do with me. I¡¯m a......¡± Odum stopped and coughed loudly. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

 volume 3 - 57

    Chapter 57 ¨C King of the underground (8)

    ============= Brendel¡¯s POV ==============

    The battle that Brendel had almost did not give him any loot, and the experience he gained was a pittance.

    Before he started searching amongst the rubble, he had told the worker to stay behind for a moment while he and Scarlett investigated the creatures.

    [Killing Iron-ranked creatures and below hardlys any XP at my level. This is the same XP reduction in the game.]

    The single loot he found amongst the rubble was an ogre ring. It raised the wearer¡¯s strength and was rated ordingly as a prefix for equipment. The lowest rated Strength Ring was a ¡®Ghoul Ring¡¯, and the highest rated Strength Ring was ¡®Colossal Dragon Ring¡¯.

    The Ogre Ring that he had gotten was a 20 OZ ring, which far surpassed his expectations for a loot drop. The odds were a 1/1000 chance for a level 15 creature to drop a magical equipment like this. The best item that a level 15 creature could drop was a 25 OZ defensive item, but the odds were even higher at 1/10000, which any gamer would not perceive as a possibility to get it realistically.

    [But to get such an item when my luck is pretty much shitty at all times.....]

    He could not help but nce at Scarlett. Was she some kind of luck idol?

    He inspected the ring and saw that it raised the wearer¡¯s strength by 5%. Because of the imnted Spectral Knight¡¯s crystal and Power Break, his strength was close to a hundred in stats. It could raise approximately five strength points.

    But when he looked at his index fingers and thumbs, he saw that he was already wearing the Ring of the Wind Empress, the me Ring, the Warrior Ring, and the Minor Serpent Ring. Brendel thought for a moment and decided to throw the Ogre Ring to Scarlett.

    (TL: Minor Serpent Ring is dropped off from some mob, adds 0.1 OZ to dexterity.)

    ¡°That¡¯s a ring that raises your strength by approximately five percent.¡± He said.

    Scarlett caught the ring with a little confusion in her mind: ¡°...... B-but I don¡¯t have anybat abilities.¡±

    ¡°...... That¡¯s a temporary thing. You can recover your strength very soon.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Is that really true?¡± Her amber eyes lit up immediately. She wore the ring on her thumb, and her careful expressions looked like she was guarding an invaluable treasure.

    Brendel¡¯s hands clenched into fists, and was momentarily silent before he nodded in the end.

    ¡°When have I ever lied? Of course, it¡¯s real.¡±

    She immediately showed a dazzling smile of delight, but her keen observation detected a subtle change in Brendel¡¯s face, and her smile faltered.

    ¡°The reason why I will recover is that I will turn into aplete God Acolyte?¡±

    His white lie was exposed very quickly, and he slowly nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not afraid of turning into a monster. I¡¯m more afraid of losing my strength since I can¡¯t fight for you any longer.¡±

    There was a short moment of silence between the two.

    In the end, he told the worker that the search was over and it was safe to move on.

    He discovered a few bodies further into the tunnel, and the worker tearfully identified them as his co-workers.

    He asked the worker to wait at the third level for help, but thetter considered for a moment before refusing and insisted on going along with him.

    The disy of Brendel¡¯s strength had made the worker steel his heart to go along with the two. It was definitely safer for him.

    Brendel had no choice but to allow him to follow.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so careful with it. It¡¯s a minor magic artifact that isn¡¯t worth much.¡± He said when he saw Scarlett fiddling with the Ogre Ring now and then.

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re right. But as a gift, it takes on a different meaning.¡± Scarlett said.

    Brendel blinked several times in response to her answer.

    She changed the topic before he could reply: ¡°My lord, do you think that the earthquake is rted to the monsters?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°The earthquake caused the monsters to emerge from the pits?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s the opposite.¡±

    ¡°The opposite? How can that be? I don¡¯t think these weak monsters are capable of causing an earthquake.¡± She was surprised.

    ¡°Weak?¡± Brendel shook his head. That was just the beginning. If this quest involved Legacy items from the quest, then the things they were going to encounter would be something else entirely.

    But he quickly cut off his words as he had found another body at the tunnel¡¯s turn.

    ¡°T-that¡¯s foreman Marhann!¡± The worker¡¯s voice was high from fright.

    Brendel nced at his surroundings and discovered there were two destroyed Rock Panthers near to the left of the tunnel. There were clear marks of swords cutting through their bodies. Marhann was at least an Iron-ranked swordsman based on his judgment.

    He thought the foreman fought against the beasts and ultimately lost, but when he inspected his body, he discovered the wound on his neck to be a clean strike, which meant he was killed in a single blow.

    [The attacker¡¯s abilities clearly outss the victim. This mean there are even stronger monsters around.]

    Scarlett came to the same conclusion. Her expression became solemn, but she remained quiet.

    The worker was trembling on the ground from fear. The foreman was someone reliable and rumored to be a great swordsman, and the fact that he got killed made the worker feel like he could die anytime. He lost control of his emotions and started yelling and crying.

    Brendel had no choice but to restrain him to prevent him from attracting more monsters. They continued advancing to the north when the worker calmed down.

    Based on the familiar weaves and turns, he was certain that he was close to the ce where he separated from Cohen and the others.

    But their path was once again blocked by two groups of Rock Panthers. He cut all of them down but quickly realized that the concentration of monsters was starting to increase as though they had endless numbers.

    Scarlett seemed to realize the same thing, and she reminded him in a whisper: ¡°We have to kill our way out now, my lord, this ce isn¡¯t safe.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I agree that this ce isn¡¯t safe.¡± Brendel nodded.

    However, his n was a little different from hers. He knew that an ordinary man would not be able to flee, and soldiers or mercenaries would choose to do the same as Scarlett.

    But he was a gamer.

    An endless amount of creatures that one could grind in the game was unusual. He calmly and quickly searched for the leader that was hiding amongst these low-level creatures.

    [There!]

    He quickly spotted a smaller cat-like creature made of shiny ck obsidian moving in the darkness. Even though it was just a second, Brendel had already recognized that the creature had to be at least five levels higher than the Rock Panthers based on its material.

    The youth quickly cleaved the surrounding enemies in arge arc and pursued after it. But what surprised him was the swift reaction of the creature. Before he was able to swing his sword, that ck panther had disappeared into the shadows.

    [That creature¡¯s speed has surpassed what it should have at its level!]

    Brendel wanted to activate his Charge skill, but he lost his target as it seemingly disappeared into thin air. The Rock Panthers also started retreating like a falling tide, and he stopped chasing them in astonishment.

    All the creatures had disappeared after a few seconds.

    [What¡¯s going on?]

    He certainly did not think it was because of his bloodlust or oppressive might that ¡®frightened¡¯ them away. These creatures were non-living and acted upon their instructions.

    The area became open.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Scarlett managed to catch a glimpse of the ck creature when Brendel chased after it.

    ¡°The leader. Although to be more urate, the summoner¡¯s eyes. Regardless of what kind of summoner they are: An elf, necromancer, or beast tamer, in order to control arge army, they need to control a creature that¡¯s intelligent enough for them to use. I¡¯m not sure how big this army is, but if that obsidian panther is the strongest creature amongst them, it¡¯s still fine.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s not?¡± She asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re in trouble,¡± Brendel said and walked a little faster than before.

    Scarlett felt the events that happened so far were bizarre. Even though it seemed like Brendel knew what was going on, she did not like the feeling of a trap.

    ¡°My lord, let us return to the third level. Aren¡¯t our goals supposed to be capturing the guardmander and controling the mines? Why are we wasting time with these creatures?¡± She whispered.

    ¡°At first my goals are to do just that, but now it¡¯s a little different.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s different?¡± She asked in wonder.

    ¡°It¡¯s......plicated.¡±

    A Legacy item from the Silver Lineage had more value than the silver mines. He would never do something stupid like switching the Golden Apple with gold mines. But he did not exin himself and continued to walk deeper to where Cohen¡¯s mining spot was.

    He stopped after a few steps.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± He uttered lightly to himself.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Scarlett asked from behind.

    ¡°Take a look at this.¡± He walked to the cornering turn.

    Scarlett limped her way over with her halberd as a crutch and discovered that the tunnel widening into a fairly big space. However, she was surprised to see the ce in shambles.

    It was as if a violent tempest had urred there. Under the weak light from the crystal, she could see there were fragments of Rock Panthers intermixed with a few ring obsidian shards.

    Brendel looked deeper into the tunnel, pulled out his sword, and said: ¡°It seems like someone is ahead of us. And that someone is powerful.¡±

 volume 3 - 58

    Chapter 58 ¨C King of the underground (9)

    The underground world was seemingly shrouded in endless darkness. The long tunnels were mostly silent, with the exception of the rare dripping sound of water onto the ground.

    Medissa had to rest after driving awayrge batches of uninvited creatures that came from the deeper levels. Even though she was a spirit, it did not mean her Soul Fire could continuously output energy. There was a limit that how active an undead could be.

    But there was no need for her to require the use of external sources of light. Her eyes glowed in the darkness from her Soul Fire and allowed her to see far into the tunnels.

    The Elven princess did not sit down. She was currently standing up against the wall while holding on to her spear. Countless shards of Rock Panther filled the area around her, as well as the path she had taken earlier. After a moment of silence, she faced towards the end of a forked corner and asked:

    ¡°Is there a lift in that direction?¡±

    The only person who was breathing came from the other end of the tunnel. She was not alone in the darkness.

    ¡°Yes.¡± A voice answered her.

    Medissa did not reply. She suddenly gripped hernce and readied herself in abat stance. But she soon had delight on her face and shouted:

    ¡°My lord!¡±

    The people who came were Brendel and Scarlett, thetter holding up a Light Crystal to light the area. They did not appear too surprised to see Medissa. Ultimately, there were only three possible people who had enough power.

    Medissa, Kodan, or the culprits behind the attacks.

    But they paused as the light revealed someone else in the tunnel.

    ¡°Medissa,¡± Brendel said, ¡°how did he.....?¡±

    He looked at the silent Kodan sitting on the ground and immediately felt a little confused. The fearsome old man looked thoroughly battered. His forehead, face, and his bluish-grey uniform were full of blood stains. Even his greyish-white hair was a mess.

    ¡°Ser Kodan was injured earlier.¡± Medissa said.

    She pointed out subtly and left out information. But she was certain that Brendel understood what she was had in mind.

    But the old man scoffed: ¡°Just spit it out. I have be your prisoner. It seems that this little girl still believes I have some use and temporarily sealed a truce between both us.¡± He tilted his head and looked at Brendel: ¡°But she¡¯s real respectful towards you, boy, saying that the decision is left to her ¡®lord¡¯. Go ahead and make it. Do you want to kill or torture me?¡±

    The truth in his mind was something different. He was cursing the Elven girl¡¯s cunning actions. When the mine copsed, anybody¡¯s instinct ought to be surviving, even for Gold-ranked fighters.

    But he would never have known that Medissa was not a ¡®living¡¯ person. Her first action was not to retreat but to continue attacking him when the rocks copsed around them. It was an action equivalent to suicide, and even someone asposed as Kodan received a shock.

    Even though his abilities were far superior to hers, he did not have the mood to fight anymore when he realized the ce was copsing and was unprepared to defend himself. In the end, she managed to hurt him badly, and if it were not her, he would have died in a grievance with the rocks burying him as a Gold-ranker.

    Though he was filled with disgruntled and stifled emotions, he was secretly impressed with her boldness. If it was him, he might not have the guts to do the same thing she did. As a veteran soldier, he had no words when he was defeated on the battlefield, regardless of the reason.

    If he knew that Medissa was a spirit, he would surely regret his decision to take his enemies lightly.

    Brendel nodded slightly, before asking: ¡°A truce?¡±

    ¡°Ser Kodan promised to bring me along to find both of you and leave the mines. He¡¯s familiar with this ce, enough to know which tunnels lead to the lifts. He even created a tunnel of our own without triggering another copse. Just a while ago, he told me about a lift that leads up to the main loading area in the third level. There are many tunnels in there that lead to the surface for transportation, so it shouldn¡¯t be blocked.¡± Medissa exined carefully.

    She smiled a little: ¡°If it were not for Ser Kodan, I wouldn¡¯t be able to find my way so quickly.¡±

    Brendel guessed that it was the lift that he had taken down with Cohen when he first came in. He had seen a loading area with three different rails that led upwards. He nodded and nced at Kodan again:

    ¡°What is his condition for the truce?¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll let Ser Kodan speak for himself.¡±

    Kodan eyed Brendel again: ¡°Boy, I know what you¡¯re nning. I have nothing to say much to say as a prisoner. You can go ahead and take over this ce. If you¡¯re lucky, you can get away with it for three months, if not, a month. Ps wouldn¡¯t discover anything wrong during this period. As for my condition, it¡¯s simple. I don¡¯t want to end up like Graudin.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    [How does he know?]

    There was no way to hide the fact that Firburh had a rebellion, but none of the city¡¯s citizens knew what happened to Graudin.

    It was hardly surprising that an uprising would happen in that city, yet no one dered that the former lord died in the battle. Thus many believed that Graudin had fled the ce through a secret tunnel that fateful night. Only Brendel¡¯s mercenary leaders received his personal confirmation that Graudin had truly died.

    [If the outside world received news of Graudin¡¯s death, then the nature of Firburh¡¯s rebellion would be different. Lord Ps will set out with his men right away, and Count Randner will not give Trentheim¡¯s remaining nobles any more time to ¡®resolve this situation by themselves¡¯. If that old fox discovers that this territory is in danger of leaving his hands, he would probably bring his armies down in less than two weeks.]

    The script that Brendel had in mind was Count Randner sending in his ipetent sons to solve the issue of his territory. That should happen as long as that cunning old fox was uncertain of his son¡¯s life.

    A rebellion started bymoners was not something that nobles feared, especially when many retainers were loyal to Graudin. Time would pass, and the situation would slowly resolve itself without needing Count Randner¡¯s interference.

    However, if Graudin died, then this little group of rebellers would be challenging the nobles to the highest degree, even if that was not their intention.

    Brendel had nned for the nobles to eventually realize this fact after Lord Macsen and Lord Ps¡¯s defeat in the future.

    He should have at least one or two more months, in theory.

    Kodan seemed to have seen through his thoughts, and he gave a mysterious smile: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. These are just outside rumors, but the fact that you have appeared here made me realize it wasn¡¯t a simple uprising done by Firburh¡¯s citizens.¡±

    He then shook his head: ¡°But I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re crazy, or I¡¯ve gone mad. Aouine had not seen a rebellion since the ¡®Year of the Lute¡¯.¡±

    ¡®Year of the Lute ¡® was mostly recognized for the demise of Hesse the First, who was also known as the ¡®King of Roads¡¯.

    He was the most infamous king in Aouine¡¯s history; a member of the royal family who came from the Seifer family. He established his own private army and stole from all merchants who passed through Aouine, regardless of whether they were natives or from other kingdoms.

    The greedy king publicly announced that all the wealth transported through the kingdom belonged to him, and merchants had to give two-thirds of their goods to him. His tyrannical behavior ultimately angered everyone, and within three years he was chased off the throne.

    In the end, he was the only king who died at the hands ofmoners.

    It was the darkest period of Aouine and was many times worse than the current Madara¡¯s invasion. Everyone knew how badly the citizens were suffering under his rule. The term ¡®uprising¡¯ was rarely found in the continent¡¯s history, and that year in Aouine was described perfectly with this word.

    Perhaps this was the fate of all kingdoms regarding luck and power.

    The Corvado family eventually established themselves as the rules of Aouine for many years despite having unfavorable odds, yet Princess Gryphine would fail to reform Aouine despite having more supporters than her ancestors.

    Ultimately, Madara defeated Aouine with the odds against them too.

    Brendel pondered for a while before he shook his head: ¡°Your promise means very little. We might be able to get along here, but once we leave the surface, how do we ensure that you¡¯re not going to run away and inform your superiors?¡±

    He could make Tagiv swear to its gods, but humans were a bunch of faithless people. Even though they would frequently bring up Marsha on their lips, they mostly treated it as a sham.

    Kodan merely shrugged with open palms: ¡°This old man is heavily injured. Even if I want to run, I can¡¯t.¡±

 volume 3 - 59

    Chapter 59 ¨C King of the underground (10)

    Brendel made a curtugh: ¡°You might not flee now, but that doesn¡¯t mean that you won¡¯t do so in the future. You, Ser Kodan, haven¡¯t lost your skill at all; my normal mercenaries or guards can¡¯t stop you once you recover¡ª¡±

    He could not possibly leave behind two Gold-ranked fighters just to watch one person in the silver mines. His new territory was about to meet its hardest moments, and his forces were weakened because Scarlett had lost her strength. While his knowledge of the world could possibly get him all the talent he wanted in the future, he had to be prudent right now.

    Kodan¡¯s hand held onto his sword before he released it again. He felt that the youth was interested in the truce, otherwise thetter would not spend so much time talking.

    ¡°Then what do you intend to do?¡± He asked with a stoic expression.

    ¡°Hmm...... What¡¯s the administrative officer¡¯s name?¡±

    Kodan looked nkly at Brendel, unable to catch up with the youth¡¯s train of thoughts. He did not know why the topic went to that noble, but he still answered: ¡°Perkins.¡±

    ¡°Perkins from the House of Kewell?¡±

    ¡°You know him?¡± Kodan¡¯s eyes narrowed. His instinct told him that the youth was likely to be a noble as well, or he would not be able to guess Perkin¡¯s identity so easily. Even a veteran military officer like himself did not necessarily recognize nobles from the other regions.

    Truthfully, Brendel knew more about the younger generation of nobles than the older generation. In the game, the older nobles gradually handed their powers to the younger generation or even passed away, and yers had to work with the young nobles.

    [Perkins is supposed to be the lord of the Silman¡¯s territory. I didn¡¯t expect him to be the administrative officer here. This must be the start of his career where he gains Randner¡¯s trust. I even got missions from him too. Sorry, but it seems like I¡¯m going to ruin your bright future because of my actions.]

    ¡°I heard that he sticks to the rules,¡± Brendel said carefully.

    ¡°This evaluation is indeed pleasing to the nobles¡¯ ears,¡± Kodan¡¯s eyebrows raised up, ¡°but he really is a coward with middling capabilities.¡±

    The old man was still seething over the loss of his men because of Perkin¡¯s foolish actions, and he mocked thetter without reservation.

    ¡°You nobles really love your pretty conversations.¡± He gave a seemingly taunting look at Brendel.

    But the youth did not care about the old man¡¯s probing question. He continued to ponder in his mind.

    [Kodan¡¯s evaluation of Perkins matches what I know of him. The noble will surely suppress themotion in the mines for the sake of his future, and would never notify Lord Ps about the supposed monsters too. Since that¡¯s the case...... we have ample time to search the mines instead, if the old swordmaster doesn¡¯t cause a problem.]

    He nced at Kodan and suddenly thought of a new idea. He was reluctant to let a Gold-ranked swordsman go back to Randner¡¯s hands, but it was somewhat of a problem to recruit him just like that. Judging from Kodan¡¯s words and actions, he did not seem like he waspletely loyal to Randner, or he would not be setting up a deal for a truce.

    [This old man looks like he retains some form of knightly behavior. Persuading him to surrender would be difficult, especially when I have no clout...... But.]

    ¡°Ser Kodan, why don¡¯t youe back with us to Firburh? A duration of one to six months, and I¡¯ll let you go back.¡± He said.

    Leaving two Gold-ranked fighters at the silver mines was impossible, but having them watch him at Firburh was naturally fine.

    ¡°Six months?¡± Kodan¡¯s eyes narrowed: ¡°If I¡¯m not at the mines for an extended period of time, it will be suspicious. Are you not afraid that your actions will divulge the fact that you¡¯re stealing Count Randner¡¯s silver?¡±

    [This wily old bastard.]

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem at all. Didn¡¯t you get injured in the earthquake? I think Perkins will understand that you need some time to recuperate.¡± Brendel¡¯s response was almost immediate as he had already thought ahead, even emphasizing on certain words.

    Kodan tutted with a disdainful expression. He was certain that Perkins would ¡®understand¡¯, and even if he did not, the youth in front of him would make him do so. He could imagine Brendel physically threatening Perkins, and that the noble would agree to his demands in tears.

    ¡°It seems you have you have already made up your mind, but how would I know that you will fulfill your promise to let me leave?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Why do I need to promise anything?¡±

    Kodan¡¯s mouth opened, but words failed him. He red at Brendel.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do anything to you or put you in a difficult spot as long as you ept my invitation. There¡¯s no meaning to pointless sacrifices, right? You¡¯re a veteran who survived the November War, and you know how precious life is. The winners in war are the ones who survived.¡±

    The old man scoffed: ¡°You seemed to know the war well. Did your elders participated in that war too?¡±

    Brendel did not answer and merely looked back. Kodan¡¯s eyes nced at the rings on Brendel¡¯s hands, suddenly turning quiet, before he spoke again:

    ¡°It seems like you intend to stay here in Trentheim for a long time, but I have to warn you, Count Randner will never allow his territory to slip out of his grasp, even if it¡¯s this impoverishednd. Are you prepared to receive a ruler¡¯s wrath?¡±

    With the exception of the Corvado Royal Family¡¯s territories, Aouine was controlled by thirteen ¡®rulers¡¯. They wereprised of six Dukes, two Marquises, and five special Counts. Their power wasparable to the royal family¡¯s, and the citizens called them the ¡®rulers below the throne¡¯.

    The three strongest ¡®rulers¡¯ were Duke Arreck, Duke Viero, and Duke Seifer, while most of the other ¡®rulers¡¯ were somewhat close in strength. Count Randner was not amongst the top power, but he was not the weakest either.

    Kodan felt that Brendel and his men were like ants challenging a giant, and they would be crushed any given time against Count Randner¡¯s might.

    Brendelughed and shook his head when he heard Kodan¡¯s reply.

    ¡°There are two things where you got it wrong. Number one, I know what Count Randner¡¯s going to do. Number two, Trentheim is not as poor as you think.¡±

    ¡°Having confidence is a good thing, but arrogance is a different matter, young man.¡± Kodan¡¯s eyes thoroughly searched Brendel¡¯s demeanor.

    ¡°I agree with your wordspletely.¡±

    ¡°Very well. Regardless of what you think, I still want your assurance that I can leave after six months.¡±

    ¡°Can you promise that you won¡¯t return to Count Randner¡¯s side?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that isn¡¯t something I can promise.¡± Kodan¡¯s tone was adamant.

    Brendel looked at him with considerable admiration, but he did not refuse this time. ¡°I¡¯ll give you that promise. I¡¯m quite sure that things between and me will be settled in three months anyway.¡±

    The old man looked at him with some surprise and shock, but Brendel merely smiled and did not give an exnation.

    Medissa had rested enough when the deal was made. Her Soul Fire once again burned with brilliance, and the group continued on their path.

    Brendel nced at the worker behind them. When thetter realized that Brendel and Medissa were not miners or guards, but in fact rebels who wanted to go against Count Randner, he nearly ran away in fright. However, he quickly calmed down and considered the immediate future. If he ran away, the monsters in the mine would kill him instantly, so he decided to follow them in the end.

    A quick nce at Scarlett immediately made her understand; she pretended to be aggressive and threatened the worker, and ultimately thetter could only agree to tearfully bring his family to Firburh.

    Brendel soon got to know that the worker had learned how to make silver trinkets and offered him the chance to learn from a cksmith. It was much safer than working in a mine and the benefits were much better. While the worker was still a little uneasy, he was a little expectant of the future.

    Suddenly, Brendel¡¯s footsteps slowed down. It was not monsters or another human being that stopped him, but there was a ck door that appeared not too far in the distance.

    And it sealed off the entire pathway.

    Medissa and Scarlett looked at Kodan at the same time. He had said the path led to a lift. However, the old man¡¯s expression showed that he was filled with disbelief.

    ¡°This is?¡± He muttered.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to ask you this question?¡± Her weak voice was filled with suspicion.

    ¡°No, no, it doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Kodan¡¯s eyebrows were knitted together. He turned to Medissa and asked: ¡°Youngdy, can you help me over to take a closer look?¡±

    Medissa turned to Brendel with questioning eyes, and thetter nodded. He had been through here as well and knew that Kodan was not lying. There was no door when he passed by earlier. He had an idea as to what it was, but he needed to be certain.

    Medissa lent her arm to Kodan, and both of them made their way to the cold, gigantic door, and thetter touched it cautiously.

    ¡°How can this be...... How is it possible?¡± Kodan said.

 volume 3 - 60

    Chapter 60 ¨C King of the underground (11)

    ¡°My lord?¡± Scarlett whispered to Brendel while she looked a little distrustfully at Kodan.

    ¡°Just wait for a little while,¡± Brendel said.

    He was certain that the door was not there previously, and it was likely that it had to something to do with the monsters.

    ¡°There are words on the door!¡± Kodan suddenly raised his voice.

    The rest of them went closer to take a look at it and saw unknown letters carved into the heavy steel gate. Brendel studied the angr letters for a moment before he spoke:

    ¡°These are Dwarven words.¡±

    ¡°Dwarven words?¡± Kodan turned back and looked at Brendel with a frown: ¡°But why would it appear here? Mountain Dwarves live in Trentheim, but they don¡¯t live in caverns or mines.¡±

    ¡°Are there no Grey Dwarves or Iron Dwarves here?¡± Medissa asked.

    The Grey Dwarves branched out from the Mountain Dwarves, while the Iron Dwarves branched out from the Rune Dwarves, and both variants lived underground.

    But Brendel shook his head. Theirnguage was derived from the Dark Elves, and the words werepletely different. The letters on the door were far older, and from a certain point of view, could be viewed as the true heritage of the dwarves.

    ¡°If they are not the right Dwarves, which Dwarven branch carved these words onto the gate?¡± Medissa asked.

    Brendel thought of three possibilities, as it was likely that the gate was rted to the Silver Lineage.

    [Fire Dwarves, Tempest Dwarves, and the Rune Dwarves. These three Dwarven races were present during that era. Fire Dwarves are out of the question because they live in a ce that is strong in the Fire Element. It¡¯s one of thest two¡ª]

    Before he could finish his thoughts, Scarlett struck the gate with her spear. There was a light ringing that came as the response, but when she took a closer look, the gate that was as smooth as a mirror did not even have a scratch on it. Its hardness was beyond imagination.

    ¡°My lord, do you know what is written on the door?¡± She asked with a frown.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Brendel shook his head.

    ¡°Kid, didn¡¯t you say that the words are Dwarven?¡± Kodan asked somewhat exasperatedly, ¡°Why are you telling us you don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°I only know what the words look like.¡± Brendel rolled his eyes.

    The system in the game automatically tranted thenguages, but it was not functioning in this world. He could only stare helplessly at the words. He walked over to the gate and inspected it by prodding and touching with his fingers.

    ¡°But I suspect that it¡¯s a type of Barrier.¡± He continued.

    ¡°A barrier? A magic or illusion spell?¡± Kodan raised one of his eyebrows: ¡°Are there other people besides you?¡±

    ¡°No, this isn¡¯t a magic spell. The spells of magicians utilize the Laws of this world that are created by a higher power. But these barriers could be considered as Laws themselves¡ª¡±

    Kodan did not understand what Brendel was talking about, but Medissa¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°A Legacy left behind from the ancient eras? My lord, you mean to say that there¡¯s a Sanctuary behind this door?¡±

    ¡°Not a Sanctuary, but a smaller version¡ª A Haven,¡± Brendel said. The entrance to a Sanctuary was not as small the one in front of them. Just like when he had entered the ¡®Homnd of the Fairies¡¯, where two gigantic statues stood at the entrance¡ª

    It would make sense if a Haven was created underground to store the Heritage from the Silver Lineage.

    He closed his eyes and ced his hand back on the cold door, and recalled the first time he entered a Sanctuary. Hundreds to thousands of years worth of history were probably behind this door.

    ¡°Medissa, do you know where the Sanctuary to the Silver Elves is?¡±

    The young Elven Princess blinked a few times before she shook her head: ¡°I don¡¯t know. I have never been to our sacrednds. When the War of the Holy Saints started, the Silver Elves have already left the Sanctuary for more than ten generations. The legends back then stated that we can no longer find our way back¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s correct. The Silver Elves have most likely returned to your Sanctuary. Do you have a name for the ce?¡±

    ¡°It was coined as the Holy Silver Valley.¡±

    Brendel nodded, but Scarlett was a little confused.

    ¡°My lord, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the right time to discuss this right now. Should we not find ways to open the door?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m opening it right now.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°A Barrier that could be seen as the Laws of this world; it¡¯s a symbolic door that represents the entrance of a ce. The meaning of ¡®entrance¡¯ is to enter the ce. If your wish is to go to the other side of the tunnel, then you will never open this door.¡±

    ¡°Enter? What ce are we entering?¡±

    ¡°You will know in a moment.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes were still closed, but his thoughts about the past had changed into one word, ¡®Enter¡¯. Suddenly darkness engulfed everyone, but before they could raise their panicked voices, the light returned once again¡ª

    Or perhaps it would be more urate to say that it was brighter than before.

    It was as if they had returned to the surface, where the sunlight reached everywhere. Their eyes narrowed in slight pain from the surroundings as they were used to the darkness just moments ago.

    Scarlett and the worker hid their eyes away, but the others forcefully opened their eyes to look at the surroundings and immediately shouted in surprise.

    Sudden roaring cheers emerged around them like tidal waves pouring into their ears. They were gradually able to get used to the blinding lights and yells, finally seeing clearly what the surroundings were like.

    They had been in a dark tunnel blocked by a steel gate just moments ago, but now they were in an empty field lit by countless fire braziers.

    But after a few moments, they realized it was not an empty field but a huge coliseum. They were standing in the middle of the field, while the audience on the seatings were cheering constantly.

    There were no empty seats, and for some reason, multiple sources of bright light came from the stands and prevented from the audience¡¯s faces from being visible.

    [The audience is made with an illusionary spell..... This ce is a semi-physical dimension hidden in the gaps of space in the real world, but it¡¯s not asplicated as the Homnd of the Fairies which also affects time. Still, the noise and light are really annoying. Just who exactly is that bastard who purposely designed it in such bad taste?]

    Brendel rubbed his forehead.

    ¡°My lord, what exactly is this ce?¡± Scarlett¡¯s voice was trembling slightly, but she had was calm enough to ask a question, unlike the worker who fell backward in terror.

    Medissa and Kodan were silent, but they were on their guard as their hands were ready on their weapons.

    ¡°The Coliseum of Destiny,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Coliseum of Destiny? What is that?¡± Kodan asked.

    ¡°See that sword?¡± Brendel raised his hand and pointed at a certain location.

    Everyone else followed his finger. There was a sword embedded in a boulder located near them. The ck heavy-looking longsword reflected a dull gleam, and its design was quite unique. The length of the weapon was a longsword, but the width was as wide as a palm, looking like abination of a greatsword and a longsword.

    ¡°What is that sword?¡± Kodan¡¯s eyebrows jolted a little. As a grandmaster swordsman, he was able to see that it was an excellent weapon.

    ¡°I recognize it,¡± Medissa said in awe, ¡°the Sword of Earth, Halran Gaia, This is the Legacy item of the Rune Dwarves.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, this is the sword, Halran Gaia. Legend states that it¡¯s connected to the ground, and when it¡¯s used it is able to cause the ground to shake and even make avnches happen. A Fantasy-ranked sword.¡± Brendel said.

    [Another name that the gamers called it was the Earthquake Sword. Each time the weapon is swung, it allows the user to cast an Earthquake spell......]

    The spell was an AOE attack that could be cast in a frontal direction, and almost had the same area of his White Raven Sword Arte. Even though it needed Mana, the efficiency in conversion was definitely worth it.

    It was truly a divine weapon for a profession like Magic Swordsman. Even Brendel¡¯s fingers were itching when he saw the sword.

    [There¡¯s even the additional trait of ¡®Guidance¡¯. Since the name has an ¡®Earth¡¯ in it, it could ¡®guide¡¯ that particr element..... I see, so the Rock Panthers we saw came from this sword.]

    ¡°Halran Gaia...... That Halran Gaia that was used by that Giant, Migael?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The most doted son of the Earth Mother, and known as the Crownless king of the Earth. The sword is his symbol to rule thends.¡± Brendel recited the legend he knew of, and his heart fluttered a little.

    He drew in a deep breath and looked at everyone with grave eyes before he continued:

    ¡°Everyone whoes here has the chance to challenge the series of tests to obtain that sword. However, that doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t a price. If you fail in the challenge, you will be a rock statue and never leave. This is where the name ¡®Coliseum of Destiny¡¯es in. You either win in glory, or lose in death.¡±

    Brendel was feeling a slight headache. The Coliseum of Destiny was posted in the forums sometime after the discovered quest in the Silver Mines and was rated to be one of the harder Legacy Quests. Right when he was still agonizing over the quest, Kodan suddenly asked:

    ¡°How difficult is the challenge?¡± Even though the grandmaster swordsman did not understand what the ce was, he considered himself to be skilled and a Gold-ranker like himself would not act like the worker who was still shocked into silence.

    ¡°It¡¯s nearly impossible,¡± Medissa said, ¡°this ce is created in between fantasy and reality with the Laws of this world. There is no limit to the difficulty.¡±

    Scarlett¡¯s expression changed upon hearing that.

    ¡°What about those who can¡¯t duel? Do we have to?¡± She asked.

    Medissa shook her head: ¡°There¡¯s no way to avoid this. Everyone has to duel in this ce at least once before they gain the permission to leave.¡±

    ¡°Everyone?¡± Kodan keenly caught on to the keyword.

    ¡°Yes. Everyone has to fight their own battles. The only exception is that you¡¯re an Iron-ranked fighter and below, and you can fight in twos.¡±

    Scarlett¡¯s face paled upon hearing that answer: ¡°What...... if the person...... fails?¡±

    She had no strength right now, and passing the challenge was almost impossible for her.

    ¡°You will be temporarily imprisoned. Once the Barrier disappears, you will be a statue permanently,¡± Brendel interrupted, ¡°however, if someone is willing to challenge the test again and seed, they would have the chance to save theirrade. There¡¯s no need to worry, Scarlett.¡±

    ¡°My lord......¡± Scarlett naturally understood what Brendel was saying, and she looked at him withplicated eyes.

 volume 3 - 61

    Chapter 61 ¨C King of the underground

    Just as everyone was whispering amongst themselves, a sudden thunderous voice interrupted everyone.

    ¡°Wee to the Cathedral of Heroes, mortals!¡±

    The voice was cold and dignified, as though it was filled with a mysterious power.

    ¡°Thou will challenge the destiny that belongs to thine; perhaps thou are just here to fight for thy survival, or maybe thou would be the king that rules the Mother Earth¡ª¡±

    ¡°Now, ye lowly challengers, step out and let us see the moment where destiny is born.¡±

    The voice echoed through the huge coliseum as though there were countless thunders, and shockwaves struck at everyone and caused them to pale. Medissa and Scarlett nced at Brendel as he observed the entire battlefield.

    He was pondering on the possible challenges he might face.

    [There are different types of monster that one can face in here, but it¡¯s dependent on the surroundings. If it¡¯s Trentheim, then there aren¡¯t really any famous figures around here, so it will most likely be a strongnd or air monster. If it¡¯s the upgraded version where it summons gods......]

    He was secretly relieved that he did not have to fight enemies that came from legends, even if they were a lesser version. Those monsters truly made him feel goosebumps.

    ¡°We will have our duels one at a time. Let me arrange the order,¡± Brendel looked at the red-haired girl, ¡°Scarlett, go ahead and group up with that worker. Both of you currently don¡¯t have the strength of an Iron-ranked fighter, so you can be rescued as a group.¡±

    Medissa had been confused by Scarlett¡¯s actions for a while and was looking puzzledly at her.

    ¡°My lord, what¡¯s wrong with Scarlett?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll exin to youter. Ser Kodan, please go next after them.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°What?¡± Kodan¡¯s eyebrow was arched so high that Brendel took a second nce at him. ¡°Are you worried that I can¡¯t pass the challenge too?¡±

    Brendel shrugged and looked at Medissa and spoke in his mind.

    ¡°Medissa, we will go in together.¡±

    ¡°Is that allowed?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re summoned by me, so we should at least try and see if the rules allow it.¡±

    Brendel thought the challenge would be much easier if he could fight with Medissa as a group. But before he could revel in his thoughts, the surroundings suddenly changed and mechanical rumblings could be heard. Fences were raised up near the walls and revealed a row of cages, while arge stage was elevated just a few meters away from them.

    Kodan frowned when he saw people in the cages.

    ¡°My lord!¡± Someone stood up and shouted anxiously from the cage when she saw the people in the field: ¡°Medissa, Scarlett, I¡¯m here!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s expression turned into a grimace when he looked to the direction of the voice. Jana was in one of the cages, and there were two other cages that held Cohen and hispanions.

    ¡°Mister Brendel, can you help us?¡± Jocah shouted.

    [Damn it.....]

    Brendel was silent as he was in a dilemma. It was not that he did not want to rescue them, but if he attempted to do so, he would have to go through at least five challenges to save all of them. If he calcted the increase in difficulty, the final challenge would most likely be equivalent to a Gold-ranked saint.

    It was not something he could gamble on.

    [The highest creation from a Rune Dwarf is a living puppet that has two different types of Element Powers and stands at the peak of a Gold-ranker. This is far more superior than the Wizards Craftsmen¡¯s Diamond Golem. The former is like a Magic Swordsman, while thetter is an ordinary brawler. This fact goes to show that the Rune Dwarves are better than them in this aspect and something that they are insanely proud of. Challenging it would be foolish.]

    Brendel knew that it was difficult for Medissa and himself to engage an existence that had reached the pinnacle of a Gold-ranker. It might be doable if hebined the Wind Spirit Spiders and rushed in as a group, but that hope was still small.

    He could only remain silent.

    ¡°Go ahead, Scarlett. There¡¯s no need to force yourself, just proim that you surrender in the stage once your opponent appears!¡±

    ¡°But what aboutmander Jana.......¡± Scarlett¡¯s voice was lowered when she saw Brendel¡¯s hesitation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely save her. Go.¡±

    She nodded, one hand holding tightly to her halberd, and the other dragging the worker who had already fainted once he heard that he had to go into a duel.

    The crowd around them immediately exploded into apuse and wild cheers. Brendel listened carefully and realized that the audience was constantly yelling ¡®Glory! Glory! Glory!¡¯. Even though he knew that that was nothing than a fake scene, he could not help but feel slightly tense in his mind.

    ¡°Does this ce make you afraid, Medissa?¡± He nced in the Elven girl¡¯s direction.

    ¡°My lord, I¡¯m an undead and we are not affected by fear,¡± Medissa replied with a smile.

    Brendel immediately felt his face burn up for forgetting that simple fact. Thus he stopped talking and watched the gate in the walls opposite of them slowly open.

    A frightening monster suddenly leaped out from there, with numerous chains iling violently behind it. The beast quickly descended to the center stage, ready to attack the red-haired girl, but the chains suddenly reached the limits of their length and jerked the monster back like a whip. An explosive crash happened and a dust cloud covered the field, but the beast once again reappeared in an instant and strained itself against the shaking chains while uttering low guttural growls.

    ¡°What creature is that?¡± Kodan stared at the monster and asked.

    Brendel watched the monster¡¯s three heads snarl and snapped at each other in frustration. It was over four meters tall and there were asional roars emitted from its throat like peals of thunder. Very quickly, the coliseum was filled with a sulfur odor.

    ¡°It¡¯s a Cerberus,¡± Medissa replied.

    ¡°The monsters of the sulfur rivers which followed the Dragon of Darkness once upon a time,¡± the Elven princess whispered, ¡°I have fought against them in the battlefield before; they were truly troublesome foes¡ª¡±

    ¡°What battlefield?¡± Kodan looked a little puzzledly at the Elven girl, wondering what sort of ce she had to be in to fight this monstrosity.

    Medissa turned her back to Kodan with a smile: ¡°The War of the Holy Saints¡ª¡±

    Kodan¡¯s mouth and eyes widened in shock. He instinctively felt that Medissa was joking, and instantly appeared like a cunning little girl.

    ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that it¡¯s not an Elite Hound Lord guarding the entrance of Hell. It should be fine if you¡¯re careful since it only has the strength of a strong Silver-ranked fighter, but make sure you avoid its Breath Attacks.¡± Brendel also faced Kodan and said.

    ¡°Boy, are you teaching me what to do?¡± Kodan immediately realized that Brendel was instructing him.

    ¡°My only wish that I don¡¯t have to rescue one more person.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! That¡¯s because you haven¡¯t seen my real capabilities, brat,¡± The old man stroked his sword, ¡°you should worry more about yourself.¡±

    Kodan was almost in a huff when he spoke. He felt that he was down on his luck. Getting ambushed, then injured by Medissa, nearly dying because of the sudden earthquake which caused boulders to bury him. It was shameful for a veteran Gold-ranker like himself to fall for such petty tricks.

    However, even if he was injured now, handling a Silver-ranked monster was not a problem for him. Even if it was a Gold-ranked creature, they typically had low intelligence and did not possess many techniques. He was going to vent his frustration on these grunts.

    He even eyed Brendel: ¡°Do you want me to rescue someone from the cages, boy?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to. I¡¯ll rescue them on my own,¡± Brendel quickly shook his head.

    [This old man really don¡¯t know how dangerous this event is. The Coliseum of Destiny raises the challenge every single time. It¡¯s a Cerberus now, and the next challenge would most likely be the equivalent of a Mountain Giant.]

    Kodan scoffed lightly, almost as if he was displeased with Brendel¡¯s opinion of him.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name, boy?¡± He suddenly said.

    Brendel had his mind filled with the situation in front of him and answered out of reflex: ¡°Sop...... Brendel.¡±

    He managed to stop himself from making a mistake and red at him: ¡°Why do you ask, Ser Kodan? Do you want to seek revenge by finding out my name?¡±

    But the old man did not reply with sarcasm or condescension. He merely repeated the name twice.

    ¡°Brendel? Brendel......¡± He suddenly mysteriouslyughed out once and regarded Brendel with a bizarre expression.

    Brendel¡¯s hand went to his sword instinctively. If this old man suddenly went crazy in this ce, it would absolutely spell disaster.

    Just as Brendel was on his guard, there was a change in the stage. Scarlett had pped the worker awake and got him to surrender, and she did the same. Before the Cerberus freed itself from the chains, they were both sent to a nearby cage in a sh of white light.

    ¡°Scarlett!¡± Jana was shocked to find the young girl locked up like her. Thetter had fiery red hair just like her, and she was reminded of her younger sister.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why didn¡¯t you fight?¡± She asked with concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m injured.¡± Scarlett said with a disappointed expression.

    Jana frowned sadly. ¡°Those workers were trapped in the cages and asked for my help when I came to this ce, so I asked that mysterious voice a few questions. Every challenge that one clears would allow an imprisonedpanion or group in the cage to be released, but the difficulty increases every time. Unfortunately, I failed on my very first attempt¡ª¡±

    She sighed and said softly: ¡°It¡¯s a question as to whether that young noble is willing to rescue us. Nobles wouldn¡¯t risk their lives for this pile of horseshit......¡±

    When she thought about this point, she sat down in slight despair at a corner. She was more concerned about her mercenaries rather than her own life. If she fell here, Cornelius and Raban would surely take advantage of them.

    However, Scarlett did not reply Jana while thetter worried about her fate. She merely looked at Brendel and somehow felt that he would rescue both of them, surely.

    At this point in time, Brendel watched Kodan march withrge strides toward the stage.

    The old man¡¯s face was stoic as he brandished his sword with a single hand. There was no fear in his eyes as he red at the creature. Just before he reached the final step to the stage, he suddenly turned around and said:

    ¡°Tsk. The arrogant brat from Torbus¡¯s lineage, I¡¯ll let you see what real swordsmanship look like, otherwise there would be no end to your arrogance.¡±

    Brendel nked out upon hearing his words.

    That was because Torbus was his grandfather¡¯s given name.

    TL: In case I ever forget...... Said grandfather¡¯s name is Torbus Darius Cadirosso, and Brendel is well, Brendel Cadirosso.

 volume 3 - 62

    Chapter 62 ¨C King of the underground (13)

    Brendel momentarily lost himself in panic, before he realized that Kodan was also a veteran soldier who experienced the November War. It would not be strange that thetter knew his grandfather.

    However, Kodan was from a family of knights, and his grandfather was amoner, so how did he know about his grandfather?

    (TL: Brendel¡¯s grandfather is most likely someone of importance. Unreliable narrator Brendel, in case anyone is wondering.)

    But he temporarily suppressed his suspicion as the battle in the stage had begun. The Cerberus seemed to be highly dissatisfied with the loss of its prey. It howled angrily and struggled against its chains when Kodan stepped onto the stage.

    When the chains the size of an arm broke apart, loud snapping sounds echoed throughout the ce. The Cerberus excitedly rushed toward Kodan.

    [This damned dog!]

    He immediately drew out his sword and hurled his sheath at the gigantic beast. One of its head snapped at the projectile and tossed it away, while its body dragged the broken chains across the ground with grating noises.

    The old man¡¯s eyelids flickered slightly, and his eyes reflected the figure of the three-headed demon dog as it pounced towards him from the air. He took a single step back and went into a stance, holding his sword¡¯s hilt with both hands.

    ¡°Scram!¡± He roared angrily.

    A visible shockwave suddenly exploded into all directions from his figure, and the hound from hell was suddenly flung away from the tempest unleashed by the old man.

    The creature that was hurled back could bepared to the Wind Bullet¡¯s speed. Its body sailed through the air a hundred meters away.

    An immense impact could be felt and heard as the Cerberus collided against the wall. Countless bricks fell onto the ground and a dust cloud formed.

    [What the hell! How the bloody hell did the Sword Eruption technique get boosted so much by his core Swordsmanship skill?]

    Brendel could not help but scream in his head. It was amon technique where a user in the sword could attain, but he was utterly shocked to see Kodan managing to send the creature back a hundred meters.

    In the game, every technique was boosted by different qualities. The White Raven Sword Arte and Frontal Assault that Brendel possessed were enhanced by his core Military swordsmanship, while his Power Break and Charge technique were magnified by his stats, namely Power, Physique, and Agility.

    The higher one¡¯s swordsmanship¡¯s rank was and the stronger one¡¯s stats were, the more powerful their skills became. But Brendel had never seen or heard of the Sword Eruption skill sending arge enemy like the Cerberus hundreds of meters away at a Gold-ranked level.

    It was not as if he could not do it, but he was at nearly at a level close to ny when he did so.

    But the Cerberus proved to be resilient and was not injured badly. It stood up and the threerge heads shook away the pile of broken fragments. Sand and dust poured down like rain, making it look disheveled and shaken.

    Brendel felt it was a pity. If the Cerberus had attacked Kodan from the ground and not from the air, the damage will be far greater.

    But Kodan did not miss this opportunity. He quickly darted across the field, each step crossing over dozens of meters. Even though he did not have the Charge skill, his figure still appeared like it was a blur. Just as the monster started baring its fangs at Kodan, his de was already above its head.

    There was no time for the creature to dodge or even be afraid.

    A tremendous st filled the coliseum. Kodan¡¯s depletely sank into the creature¡¯s middle head with a perfect arc. ck blood spilled around its neck, and he gracefully retreated before even a single drop of blood reached him.

    The Cerberus¡¯s legs skidded as the impact forcefully mmed it back onto the ground. But the aggressive beast did not give up and the remaining heads each spewed a column of fiery mes at Kodan.

    The old man was already on his guard against the mes and had retreated back to where the stage was, but he did not expect the pirs of mes to have enough range to reach him. Scorching heat sted across the ground, and he rolled on his back without stopping.

    Despite his quick reactions, his clothes, eyebrows, hair, and beard were all partially burned.

    Kodan stood up and bellowed with fury as his proudly grown beard for years had disappeared. He lowered his legs till they were nearly touching to the ground before heunched himself towards the creature like a projectile.

    From the spectator¡¯s point of view, Kodan¡¯s fist was so small that it could hardly be seen, but the impact that struck one of the Cerberus¡¯s chin instantly reached their ears.

    Loud cracking bones immediately disconcerted the youths in the cages and made them flinch.

    It was almostical, but the creature was actually lifted up in the air, while a shockwave of distorted air erupted from Kodan¡¯s punch. Its body veered uncontrobly towards the left, yet before it reached the ground, the old man had leaped into the air andnded on the final remaining uninjured head. His de dipped into its snout and he began sprinting across its body, and the weapon seemed to cut shallowly over its skin.

    However, once he pranced off the creature¡¯s rear, its body split into two and a squall of blood drenching the ground before the two halves crashed onto the ground.

    For a moment, the coliseum was silent¡ª

    ¡°Incredible......¡± Jana took in a cold breath as she spoke, and her green eyes dted with shock.

    She was not the only person. The youths in the other cages werepletely stupefied with their mouths open, but they were unable to utter any sound. The strength of a Gold-ranked fighter was just as shy as it was fearsome.

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have gotten caught in that creature¡¯s attack earlier if he wasn¡¯t injured,¡± Scarlett gripped the steel bars and observed quietly.

    Jana nodded to acknowledge Scarlett¡¯s insight as thetter was a Gold-ranker. She knew that she could hardly understand anything that Kodan had done at her level.

    At the same time, Jocah was whispering to the sickly-looking youth: ¡°Cohen, do you think they will save us?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say,¡± Cohen shook his head.

    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Maher¡¯s expression was filled withplicated emotions, ¡°why would he save us when we have no rtion to him? Besides, this isn¡¯t a game and lives are on the line.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to us?¡± Jocah asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Cohen shook his head again.

    ¡°Are we going to be imprisoned here forever?¡± A few youths started crying.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you think of something?¡± Jocah started to feel impatient. He did not want to stay in this ghastly ce any longer.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Cohen¡¯s eyes never left the stage.

    ¡°Who are you going to ask for help?¡±

    ¡°Of course we should ask the guardmander to help us. I¡¯ve heard people talking in the inn about how he¡¯s undefeated in Trentheim!¡± One of the youths said.

    Their eyes gradually turned towards Cohen, but he stopped replying.

    Brendel was not surprised at Kodan¡¯s victory and was actually astonished at how injured thetter was.

    [Why did the old man need to spend so much effort to deal with a three-headed pooch?]

    ¡°How did you injure him?¡± He turned his head slightly to Medissa.

    ¡°Seismic st.¡± Came the light reply.

    The youth rubbed the cold sweat off his palm and wondered what kind of freakish constitution Kodan had to survive that particr technique.

    But Medissa quickly added: ¡°But it was not a perfect hit. He managed to dodge the majority and was swept away by the air currents. He was then knocked down by a huge boulder. When I started chasing him after he got up, he quickly surrendered.......¡±

    ¡°It seems like he doesn¡¯t want to fight,¡± Brendel suddenly thought about the moment where Kodan suddenly yelled and requested to stop fighting.

    [How did he recognize me? Even though the basis of my Military Swordsmanship probably came from...... my grandfather, but the swordsmanship I disyed earlier is from the gamers.]

    While he was still pondering over it, the Cerberus¡¯s body turned into white particles of light and disappeared. Kodan had requested to duel yet again without waiting for Brendel¡¯s instructions, and the gate opposite to them was once again raised. This time it was a dwarf who was fully d in armor.

    As the lumbering footsteps reached everyone¡¯s ears, Medissa suddenly spoke: ¡°My lord, I know this man.¡±

    Brendel inspected the dwarf¡¯s appearance. Thetter wore a barbarian helmet which had four horns, and he carried a warhammer the size of his body. A symbol of a ming fist could be seen on his weapon.

    ¡°I recognize him too. Lord Varian. He¡¯s a famous Grey Dwarf who became a ve of the Rune Dwarves in his early years. But the person you¡¯re seeing right now is a faker and not the real deal. I believe that living puppet has the strength of someone who had just be a Gold-ranked fighter. Kodan is in considerable trouble if he¡¯s hurt this badly.¡±

    Medissa looked curiously at Brendel. Even though she knew he was a neswalker, that did not exin why he knew so many things that he should not know.

    The Rune Dwarves had died out centuries ago and their history was hardly known. Only Galbu¡¯s oldest wizards who poured their time deeply into research till they wore spectacles and had ashen white beards, would know about the Silver Elves and Rune Dwarves¡¯ secrets.

    The weapon shes between Kodan and Varian caused her to cease her thoughts and she paid attention to the fight.

    Varian was not as agile as Kodan, but his heavy armor was like a fortress and made it difficult for thetter to present any immediate threat to him. The warhammer he used was a famous weapon called ¡®mes of Fury¡¯, and each time it was swung, it caused a fire to shoot out some twenty meters around himself. Kodan had retreated and advanced several times, and in the end, his beard and eyebrows had shrunk till they were nearly caught on fire.

    The battle continued to intensify, and the youths in the cages felt like their hearts were in their throats. They believed that the grandmaster swordsman was their only hope, yet it looked like it was a bitter duel and their confidence was shaken.

    This was only the second battle.

    Each duelist had their own wealth of experience. Varian dueled in the Rune Dwarves¡¯ coliseum in his prime, and had an excellent weapon and a suit of well-forged armor. Kodan was a veteran knight who had survived the November War and emerged from a sea of blood.

    But in the end, it was Kodan who managed to force Varian to the walls with his superior swordsmanship. The dwarf¡¯s vital points were struck again and again, and although his attacks were stopped by the armor, the dull impacts were gradually transmitted to the dwarf¡¯s organs.

    Varian roared in fury and spun his warhammer,pletely abandoning his defenses in order to reach his opponent. A fiery ze trailed behind his weapon and it descended towards Kodan like a meteor.

 volume 3 - 63

    Chapter 63 ¨C King of the Underground (14)

    ¡°I can¡¯t take this anymore!¡± The girl beside Cohen screamed in distress.

    Scarlett¡¯s eyes were filled with a little doubt at the scene unfolding before her.

    Kodan did not retreat but pressed his attacks even harder. Grinding steel formally met for the first time as his sword violently crashed against Varian¡¯s warhammer. Metallic screams and fiery sparks flew around them, and everyone narrowed their eyes and covered their ears.

    Very quickly, the youths were shocked and excited to find that Kodan had knocked away Varian¡¯s weapons with brutish strength. They thought it did not make sense that a heavy hammer in an overhead swing would be knocked away by a longsword.

    Brendel¡¯s heart jolted.

    He had suspected Kodan was hiding his true strength to lure the dwarf topete in strength. But what truly shocked him was Kodan¡¯s following attack. Only Medissa and he saw a blue streak of light shine on the old man¡¯s finger.

    [Wind bullet!? Even though these fake rings could be found anywhere it¡¯s too much of a coincidence, right?]

    Brendel subconsciously looked at the Ring of the Wind Empress on his thumb.

    He lost sight of the battle and missed Kodan closing in with an open palm. The old man lifted away Varian¡¯s helmet and thrust his sword into the dwarf¡¯s throat. When Brendel looked at the scene again, Varian had already disappeared in a sh of white light.

    However, Kodan did not go uninjured. In order to seed running through the dwarf with his sword, he had to suffer a punch from thetter.

    Varian¡¯s gloves were full of metallic edges. Not only did his punch damaged Kodan¡¯s lungs, but it also ripped off thetter¡¯s muscles and broke several ribs.

    The old man¡¯s body was finally at its limits and he could no longer hold on. He dug his sword into the ground and had to pant for a long while before he stood up straight again.

    ¡°Well done, mortal. You are allowed to select one of the cages and free the people in it, if you wish.¡± The mysterious voice boomed from the surroundings.

    ¡°I can only open one of your cages,¡± The old man huffed as he raised his voice to the group of youths, and he pointed at Jocah¡¯s cage, ¡°Jocah and the others in your cage. Get out. I want to hear how you involved in this messter on.¡±

    The people in Jocah¡¯s cage were silent as the door swung open. The youths were separated into two groups and caught at different timings. It seemed like Kodan only rescued them in order to investigate the cause of this situation, and he did not intend to take on another challenge.

    But everyone also knew that the old man no longer had the capability of continuing to do so.

    Although Maher and Cohen frequently quarreled with each other, the youths had a tight bond. They felt that it was difficult to ept this decision and simply stood there in confusion. However, they ultimately knew they were powerless against their fate.

    ¡°All of you should get out of the cage first. There¡¯s no telling if the door will close again.¡± Cohen¡¯s face did not show any signs of panic.

    ¡°But¡ª¡± Jocah said.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that at least some of us escaped. I¡¯ll try to think of a solution for the rest.¡±

    ¡°What solution do you have?¡±

    ¡°None yet.¡±

    Kodan did not pay attention to the youths any longer. He had seen Jocah and Maher before but recognized the group as a bunch of irresponsible scoundrels in the town, and simply did not think highly of them.

    ¡°Mortal, do you wish to continue challenging your destiny?¡± The voice rumbled again.

    ¡°No!¡±

    The old man refused the challenge and limped off the stage, while he shouted at Brendel: ¡°The boy from Torbus¡¯s family, what do you think?¡±

    Brendel merely shrugged in response.

    Kodan tossed his weapon over to him: ¡°Take this. I¡¯ll lend you this sword since it¡¯s your turn. Let me see how good the stubborn fool¡¯s descendent is!¡±

    He took a closer look at Brendel as he limped past thetter and muttered: ¡°....... His son?¡±

    He shook his head quickly: ¡°But you look like you¡¯re just twenty years old, so a grandson then. You actually became a Gold-ranked swordsman at your age. From this point alone, you¡¯re no less talented than that bastard is. A lion¡¯s cub is still a lion.¡±

    The old man sighed, seeminglymenting over the fact that he did not have a sessor.

    Brendel nearly dropped the sword he received.

    [Hold on! Is grandfather a Gold-ranked swordsman at my age? Doesn¡¯t this mean he¡¯s a Blessed if he reached the Gold-ranked status at the age of twenty?]

    The information was a little uneptable to him. It was an incredible thing for someone to be a Gold-ranked swordsman at twenty.

    Brendel rubbed his forehead. The former Brendel had never asked about the origin of his grandfather, but in his memories, his grandfather was someone who moved to Brus at some point in his life.

    Later on, his grandfather bought a plot ofnd in Be and built a mill on the outskirts of Brus.

    Even though the former Brendel was born with nothing much, he lived a life of considerablefort. Otherwise, an ordinary youth would have to find work or be an apprentice after militia training, and he would not have lived alone in Be without worrying about money.

    [Come to think of it, grandmother did not seem like amoner¡¯s daughter. She knew many things about the kingdom and was literate. But my mother definitely came from a noble¡¯s family. I¡¯ve wondered why a noble would marry amoner for a while now. No matter how wealthy he is, the union of different social circles has a strong stigma.]

    Brendel searched through the former soul¡¯s memories but eventually realized that thetter had never bothered finding out about his family¡¯s status. He frowned a little and asked Kodan:

    ¡°You know him?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been with that stubborn fellow for a period of time. I was just as young as you are when I met him. I had just left my hometown, and even though Ie from a family of knights, I was really just a wild brat. But your grandfather graduated from an academy of knights meant for nobles, and he was the real deal. I¡¯m not afraid of beingughed at, but I was his subordinate for a while¡ª¡±

    Kodan wanted to continue speaking, but the voice above them interrupted loudly:

    ¡°The next challenger!¡±

    Kodan eyed the sky.

    Brendel put away his thoughts as well. He had an eidetic memory and met all kinds of people in the game, but there were only so many people that he kept in his mind after decades¡ª

    He felt that the rtionship between Kodan and his grandfather was not as simple as he imed. Especially when he looked at Kodan¡¯s ring which was identical to his own.

    [I did wonder why amoner would have the Ring of the Wind Empress, even if it¡¯s just a replica. When I asked the cripple in Brus, he imed that it was a knight who gave the oil painting to my grandfather...... Well, these questions can be askedter. As long as this old man is my hands, there are plenty of chances. It seems like my grandfather has a colorful history.]

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Medissa.¡± He said in his mind.

    ¡°Understood, my lord.¡±

    Both of them walked to the stage at the same time.

    Cohen¡¯s face stiffened when he saw both of them enter the stage. Kodan looked puzzledly at them and called out to them from behind:

    ¡°You¡¯re going together?¡±

    But Brendel and Medissa did not answer as they became focused. The two walked up to the center of the stage and waited quietly.

    Kodan suddenly realized that the Element power the Elven girl used was Soul Energy. And yet there was only a single existence that would use Soul Energy as their Element Power.

    [Undead!]

    The grandmaster swordsman realized why Medissa went after him instead of seeking cover. There was no need for her to fear death. The second word that came to him was ¡®necromancer¡¯, but it was obviously an incorrect answer.

    [A Gold-ranked Necromancer can¡¯t summon an undead with the same strength. And that boy¡¯s eyes did not have any flecks of purple or green in them. Wait, didn¡¯t the girl say that she fought in the War of the Holy Saints?]

    ¡°A Heroic Spirit!¡± Kodan suddenly muttered to himself in astonishment.

    [Is the boy an apprenticing Sacred Knight of mes from the Cathedral of Fire?]

    Kodan¡¯s thoughts went to the strongest force in the Cathedral of Fire. They were amongst the strongest forces in the continent, and every Sacred Knight of mes was apanied by a Heroic Spirit from the War of the Holy Saints. In the History of Blue, King Gatel had two hundred and thirty-two knights, and there were never more than two hundred Sacred Knights of mes.

    [What am I thinking..... There were no Silver Elves in amongst King Gatel¡¯s knights.]

    But he corrected himself again, He continued to wonder in confusion.

    ¡°...... It¡¯s all over.¡± Jocah suddenly sighed.

    ¡°Shut up, Jocah. What do you mean it¡¯s all over? The battle hasn¡¯t started.¡± Maher tutted unhappily at hisrade¡¯s words.

    ¡°Have you forgotten?¡± He looked back sadly at him. ¡°Cohen asked the announcer questions earlier, and people who are stronger than Iron-rankers will not be allowed to enter the stage together. What do you think this means when these both of them entered together?¡±

    Maher¡¯s words disappeared in his mind. This meant that Brendel and the girl was someone without any abilities! The youths who were freed nced at the other caged youths. Cohen¡¯s expressions were nk, but the others were dyed with despair.

    ¡°Damn it, I didn¡¯t think this bastard was this useless!¡± Maher quickly puffed with anger: ¡°He only looks like he¡¯s strong on the surface. To think that I actually believed that he¡¯s a capable fighter!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you constantly say that you didn¡¯t think he¡¯s any good?¡± One of the youths said, and naturally received Maher¡¯s furious re.

    TL: Since this is infrequently brought up, I¡¯m going to have a refresher course on ¡®talentz¡¯ again. I had to spend hours searching on this to make sure I¡¯m not (that) wrong, sigh. Might have mistakes in the way early chapters -_-.

    Blessed ¨C People who are highly gifted but isn¡¯t ¡®chosen¡¯ by the gods. Reaches high levels of skillz. Tirste, a guy who belongs to the Unifying Guild, is a Blessed (Gold-ranked swordsman who hasn¡¯t unsealed his Element Power), and had kicked Brendel¡¯s butt. Eke is also in this category.

    Chosen ¨C People who are favored by the gods. They typically have significant ws in their body. The exception to this is the King of Fire, Gatel. Can happen anytime and have a sudden increase of powerz. I think Y is the only Chosen mentioned in Brendel¡¯s era till now. I¡¯m not sure if I TLed Sifrid as a Blessed or Chosen, but Chosen is most likely wrong.

 volume 3 - 64

    Chapter 64 ¨C King of the Underground (15)

    Brendel suddenly recalled that he needed to familiarize himself with Kodan¡¯s sword and swung it several times. He found that it was sturdy and light, but it was just amon Magic Sword.

    [A pretty low-end magic weapon. I¡¯ve used something simr in regards to the size and length, though I don¡¯t remember its name since it was a temporary thing.]

    The ground was scarred lightly with from the wind, and dust danced about with each swing. Kodan¡¯s eyelids were slightly lifted up.

    ¡°That technique really is the White Raven Sword Arte. But it¡¯s never taught outside the royal family, so how did the kid learn it?¡± He rubbed the remainder of his beard thoughtfully and muttered to himself.

    This same action also incited a debate amongst the youths¡ª

    ¡°What is he doing?¡± Maher watched Brendel¡¯s sword glinting against the light while it was swung in beautiful arcs.

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s creating some kind of smokescreen?¡± Jocah said uncertainly: ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s trying to score a victory over the enemy by creating a chance. Fighting a battle requires one to use his brains, got that, Maher?¡±

    ¡°Oh? And how would he see his enemies in the smoke?¡±

    Jocah¡¯s mouth opened for a while before he rolled his eyes with a huff: ¡°Then it must be some kind of special technique. Why would he create trouble for himself? Just think about it a little and it will be all clear¡ª¡±

    But Cohen was certain of a different answer after observing Brendel carefully. ¡°He¡¯s familiarizing himself with the sword.¡±

    A few other youths chattered in response after hearing his remark.

    ¡°He¡¯s doing that?¡±

    ¡°But is it really fine to change to a new sword at thest minute?¡±

    ¡°Commander Kodan gave his personal sword to him, and it¡¯s strange that he¡¯s carrying so many swords behind him. I think all his swords are of low quality.¡±

    Even though they did not know much about wielding a sword, they were certain that it would affect his performance.

    At that moment, Brendel had stopped his actions and appeared ready.

    Medissa did not bring her unicorn with her because they were there on a mission, but she was just as skilled on the ground. She brought hernce upright on the ground and stood beside her young lord.

    While the youths briefly wondered if the Elven girl had any capability to fight when she did her own noticeable actions, Kodan nced at her posture and gave a thoughtful hum to show he was impressed with her skill.

    The gate opposite of the challengers was once again raised, and the monster that appeared was the very same Cerberus that died earlier. Threerge heads growled repeatedly as the monster¡¯s ws dug deep into the ground. Six bloodshot eyes nced at their surroundings and sought out the enemies before them.

    Its appearance caused a smallmotion as nobody expected that the creature would return again.

    This time it appeared to have learned from its previous experience. It waited till the chains were broken off before shaking its whole body to remove the chainspletely, then sniffed the air cautiously and slowly approached both humans before circling them.

    But Kodan sensed a hidden scene happening. His nose was raised slightly as heined with a disgruntled expression.

    ¡°The boy doesn¡¯t know how to control his killing intent. It feels like he¡¯s everywhere, though the little girl is masking her presence quite wellpared to him.¡±

    His frown became deeper and deeper: ¡°But there¡¯s something mixed into his killing intent...... Element Power? What kind of Element Power is this, strange......¡±

    The air was rapidly bing colder and colder, and frost started appearing on the ground and walls. A mist came out from everyone¡¯s breath and the air suddenly seemed to stop moving, as though there was something pulling it down.

    Even the youths that were a hundred meters away felt like they were stuck in quicksand.

    Brendel regarded the three pairs of blood-red eyes in front of him calmly. Soon enough, the monstrous dog felt like its body had a mountain weighing down on it, and its paws were somehow chained tightly. It was tough to even take a single step, not to mention attacking.

    Its three heads were shaking as though they were resisting a mighty power that was invisible. It had no choice but to sink down to the ground because of the incredible strength weighing down on it.

    ¡°What?¡± Kodan was taken aback.

    Two words were never clearer in Brendel¡¯s mind. ¡®Stasis¡¯ and ¡®Stability¡¯.

    Right now, his passive Element power was turning into an active one.

    He felt he had once again grasped the Laws of his Element Power during the fight with Kabias, and was now able to wield it freely any time he wanted.

    But he knew that it was still something that could not be grasped yet. A Gold-ranker would not be able to master the Element Powerpletely because they were not powerful enough to handle it.

    Everyone watched the five-meters tall monstery down in front of Brendel, as though it was bowing to its king.

    And the youth stood there motionlessly with a re, seemingly epting its submission. The people around him were shocked.

    [What ability is this? The Authority of Kings?]

    Kodan¡¯s mouth and eyes were wide with shock.

    ¡°Medissa, attack,¡± Brendel said these two words lightly.

    Unlike the others, there was a tremendous force struggling against him in his body as he desperately brought out the power of the Laws. Outside in the real world, he felt all the power in the world would be there for him to use if he just lifted a finger,

    The Elven princess advanced in a silver line. Hernce extended behind her, with the tip of her de reflecting the light as though it was the signal of death. The straight line was turned into a perfect arc before it lunged towards the monster.

    At the final moment, the Cerberus managed to shrug off Brendel¡¯s Element Power, and leaped into the air with all its strength, while its heads moved away to avoid Medissa¡¯s thrust infused with Element Power.

    Unfortunately, Brendel twisted the Laws in his mind and forcefully brought the monster down as though its jump was an illusion.

    Medissa¡¯s attack found its target, and arge shockwavepletely blew the monster¡¯s heads off in a shower of blood and bones. The corpse fell to the ground in a loud crash.

    A single strike thatpletely surpassed Kodan¡¯s attack.

    The youths werepletely astounded by the girl, not knowing what Brendel did.

    [An Element power that affects space and time?!]

    However, Kodan felt like his jaw hadpletely fallen to the ground, and had to rub his chin to feel that it was still there.

    Brendel also thought he had gotten close to the truth of his Element Power. He looked at his hand, a little unsure. He had locked on to a certain space and froze time, and made his Element power manifest as an active power, though he was still unsure whether he could use his abilities at will.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Medissa went back to him and asked in surprise. The impact she felt from striking the three-headed dog made her feel like she was piercing something strange.

    ¡°I can¡¯t really exin what happened just yet,¡± Brendel replied, thinking for a moment.

    After a minute, the thunderous voice came again from the air:

    ¡°Mortal, do you wish to continue challenging your destiny?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s move on to the next challenge first,¡± Brendel said a little excitedly and restlessly, ¡°Yes, I wish to continue.¡±

    Varian soon appeared once again.

    ¡°Let me try it this time,¡± Brendel said hurriedly.

    He was leaving the state of controlling the Laws quickly, and needed to experiment as soon as possible to confirm the suspicions in his mind. Medissa nodded as she looked at him, understanding his intentions.

    Brendel brought his sword out with his right arm, pointing it to the ground, and walked forward withrge strides.

    The cold killing intent once again assaulted its new opponent.

    Varian¡¯s shy appearance of brandishing his warhammer into the air to rouse the audience stopped in mid-air. The dwarf¡¯s supposedposure that was supposed to pressure his opponents quickly faltered; he readied himself into a stance and regarded Brendel a little gravely.

    He scoffed lightly with his beady eyes staring under his barbarian helmet, but anyone could see like that he was like a wild beast which had detected a danger to its life¡ª

    ¡°Is he really that scary? He might be good with the sword but he¡¯s just too young!¡± Jocah observed Brendel carefully as he mumbled to himself.

    He had thought him to be as skilled as the guard riders in the mines. No matter how much he thought about it, he could not imagine Brendel would make a dwarf equipped like a steel fortress to feel nervous.

    It was especially so when he recalled Brendel¡¯s carefree attitude.

    ¡°Eh?!¡± He eximed.

    But he quickly realized he waspletely wrong. Brendel suddenly disappeared and appeared right in front of Varian, as though he had instantly teleported.

    There was a shockwave of dust and afterimages that trailed behind the young swordsman, so the youths knew that he moved with an incredible speed that exceeded even Kodan¡¯s earlier charge at the Cerberus.

    Varian did not react mentally in time, but his wealth of fighting experience made his arms move his warhammer through sheer instinct and roared desperately to deflect Brendel¡¯s attack.

    However, at that moment, it appeared as though his arms were pulled back to its location before they reached their destination.

    Brendel¡¯s de seemed to pass through his defenses like an illusion, shimmering as though it was present and yet not, with the sword slipping into the gap between the dwarf¡¯s armor and helmet as a conclusion.

    The dwarf¡¯s eyes bulged, and he sputtered out blood lightly from his lips.

    When the afterimages fully materialized into reality, Brendel had a single hand blocking his warhammer, while his sword was lodged firmly into the dwarf¡¯s throat. Once he drew out his de, the dwarf with the heavy fortress of steel copsed heavily onto the ground, and blood slowly pooled around him.

    He then flicked the blood off his sword with an outwards swing before he walked back.

    TL: ¡®Statis¡¯ was suggested by one of thementers a long time ago. I used ¡®Frozen¡¯ in the previous TL, I think.

 volume 3 - 65

    Chapter 65 ¨C King of the Underground (16)

    The cheers from the seatings stopped. There was only deafening silence.

    Jocah uttered a few gurgling noises and turned around to look at Maher, who also did the same thing to look back at him. Both had disbelief in their eyes.

    [[Just who exactly is this man?!]]

    No matter how unskilled they were, they easily understood Brendel could not be someone simple.

    And at that moment Brendel felt like a tidal wave was crashing in his mind. This was the second time he entered into an indescribable state, and it was only a few weeks after Firburh¡¯s city battle¡ª

    The definition of the third keyword of his Element Power seemed to manifest itself in his mind, but there was a paper-thin barrier that prevented him from essing it.

    When he reached out to it, the state of that illusion cracked from a sudden rush of loud cheers, and he found himself back at the coliseum feeling slightly exhausted.

    Brendel blinked a few times before he sighed. It was still too early for him. If his levels were higher, he might be able to enter the barrier and move on to the second stage of the Element power.

    However, this did not mean that reaching the maximum level of a Gold-ranked status would allow the person to use an Element power.

    Understanding the Laws of the Element powers were critical to reaching a higher state, and there were many examples of talented people forever stuck as Gold-rankers despite reaching the status early.

    [Sometimes people who are too smart might not be able to see the world for what it is, and having a zen-like mind instead is better. Though luck sometimes ys a part too. If I really can¡¯t break the barrier, I¡¯ll just use the Ancient Glyphs made by those powerful wizards.]

    There was always a way for Brendel unlike the people in this world.

    He was certain that his Element power was rted to space and time, because of his ability to invoke ¡®Stasis¡¯ and ¡®Stability. He nced at the borrowed sword and took a double take, as there was a shimmering aura around it, along with green words floating across his retina.

    ¨C Element Power (Stage 1):

    ¨C +20% uracy

    ¨C +100% Speed

    ¨C +10% Cold damage

    [Just like I thought. The Element power has been unsealed from its hidden state, and the difference between low and high ranking Element powers is clear as day. ]

    Brendel recalled that a Lightning-based Element power added 20% speed and 30% Lightning damage, and there was a huge difference inparing it with his current Element Power.

    The gamers in the early game were unable to get any Element powers above the ¡®Nature¡¯ variations, and were only able to raise the ranking through advancement quests.

    The only people capable of that were big guild leaders or pay-to-win gamers.

    Brendel really wanted to calm himself by downing himself in a tub of cold water when he realized that his NPC status avoided this issue.

    ¡°Open her cage.¡± He pointed at Jana¡¯s cage when he finally reached Medissa¡¯s side and spoke towards the sky without waiting for the announcer¡¯s question.

    ¡°My lord, have you discovered something?¡± The Elven girl greeted him.

    As one who had lived during the War of the Holy Saints, she did not think it was unusual for any young adult to reach a Gold-ranked status regardless of any race. However, she was someone who had experienced the state of unsealing her Element power and asked with concern.

    Brendel did not reply but lifted his sword to let her take a look.

    ¡°This is......!¡± Medissa was shocked: ¡°A Time Element Power!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Brendel raised his eyebrow, as he urately captured the surprise in her voice: ¡°Isn¡¯t it amon Element Power during your time?¡±

    [It should be amon thing, is it not? Even though it was a rare thing in the game, there were at least a dozen gamers who attained a space-time rted Element Power.]

    His understanding of the War of the Holy Saints was an era filled with exceptional talents, and even someone like Tuman was found everywhere. (TL: Tuman is a neswalker and called the Elemental Emperor during his era.)

    ¡°What?¡± Medissa¡¯s eyes widened in iprehension: ¡°Even during those years the only person who had it was the leader of the Silver Alliance¡¯s Wizards, Arkasi. He was the creator of the Tower of Stars and Moon, also known as the Last Sage, who had the Time Element Power.¡±

    The Elven girl paused for a moment before she added: ¡°And if I was to go back any earlier, the only other person who had this would be the Dragon of Darkness himself.¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡± Brendel felt like he needed to dab away the perspiration on his forehead.

    Even though he understood the game¡¯s background pretty well, it was still not as detailed as knowing what skills they had. Medissa¡¯s exnation took him by surprise.

    [I see. So the game is still a game. The fact that a hundred-odd gamers possessing the rarest of Element Powers¡ª Ha, ha ha......]

    Jana felt a little strange when she saw the cage¡¯s door open. She thought Brendel would rescue Scarlett first, but the youth did not bother looking at their direction after releasing her, which meant that it made no difference as to who were saved first.

    ¡°Mortal, do you wish to continue challenging your destiny?¡± The announcer spoke again, interrupting Brendel¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°Yes, I will continue to do so,¡± Brendel gave his reply.

    The youths woke up from their stupor and realized that the youth had the capabilities to rescue them. In fact, he hadpletely exceeded their expectations. Maher could not believe that a young man around the same age as him was stronger than themander of the guards, and it was not just a little.

    Very quickly, the gate was raised, and every pair of eyes stared into the darkness. The sounds of orderly horses¡¯ trottings could be heard within the shadows, and everyone waited with bated breath.

    Brendel narrowed his eyes when he finally saw the first revealed enemy.

    It was a knight, but to be more precise, it was a metal doll riding on a puppet horse. Its left hand wielded a round shield, while its right hand carried ance, while it was surrounded by four different types of sigils floating and revolving around it.

    ¡°Type IV Hunter Knight,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°An invention by the Hazell kingdom. Be careful, this thing possesses the peak strength of a Silver-ranker.¡±

    The Hazell kingdom was located in central Vaunte, somewhere to the west of Kirrlutz, and the borders between the two kingdoms were separated by mountains that extended all the way to the clouds.

    Their citizens were said to havee from another continent, and not descendants of the sages from the War of the Holy Saints. They believe in the powers of Magic Artificing and held thergest forces of gunners and cannoneers.

    There were even tanks and aircrafts amidst their armies.

    Kirrlutz frequently warred with Hazell, and despite possessing military might many times more than Aouine, it was unable to gain any advantages over them, which showed how formidable their country was.

    The youths watched as thirty metal knights rode out.

    ¡°There are so many!¡± One of them said.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this unfair?¡± Jocah hadpletely forgotten about the fact that Brendel had brought Medissa in, which was against the rules.

    ¡°This is despicable. They¡¯re fighting with numbers!¡± Maher ground his teeth as he hissed through them.

    ¡°Fighting with numbers?¡± Brendel managed to hear the youths¡¯ints.

    The third challenge was thirty times harder than the first if he looked at the numbers, or maybe even more if they had some kind of tactical formation. He looked at the edges of the walls and smiled inwardly before he looked back and pointed at a metallic creature¡¯snce:

    ¡°Be careful of their weapons. There are actually guns installed in them¡ª¡±

    ¡°Guns?¡± Medissa did not understand.

    Brendel suddenly realized that the technology of Magic Artificing was two to three hundred centuries ago, and he quickly exined: ¡°Think of it as a type of crossbow with powerful pration. It won¡¯t do much harm to Gold-ranked fighters, but it would hurt if we get hit. Make sure you protect your eyes and throat.¡±

    Medissa nodded.

    ¡°Also, their four colored sigils hovering around their bodies are activated one at a time. Red represents a line of fire towards their enemies; make sure you pay attention to that as it¡¯s a long-ranged attack. Blue means it¡¯s guarded with a magic ice shield. Green represents an eleration of speed, while yellow means that it will encase itself in ayer of rock.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± She found it easy to understand Brendel¡¯s exnation but was also curious about the intricate designs of the Hazells. Even though Galbu¡¯s Wizard Craftsmen had powerful designs to their constructs, they did not have such refined details. ¡°Do they use tactics, my lord?¡±

    Both of them had just entered the Gold-ranked status. Handling ten peak Silver-ranked units would be their limit. Even though their extensive battle experience made them far stronger than the normal Gold-ranked fighters, they would definitely find it difficult to face them head-on.

    But Brendel shook his head: ¡°Just protect yourself and leave the rest to me.¡±

    Medissa paused in surprise, but Brendel raised his hand and snapped his fingers, and suddenly the light around the coliseum dimmed a little.

    Everyone else looked up subconsciously before their bodies stiffened.

    Two hundred Wind Spirit Spiders carrying a shining sword on their backs suddenly appeared from magical formations. They glided in the air elegantly, and this scene caused the cheering from the audience to stop.

    ¡°Fighting with numbers¡ª¡± Brendel said, ¡°that¡¯s my line.¡±

 volume 3 - 66

    Chapter 66 ¨C King of the Underground (17)

    ¡°What are those things?¡± One of the youths said.

    The youths had their mouths agape as they stared at the spiders without blinking, almost as if they were afraid of missing a detail.

    Countless Holy Swords were hovering on top of the Wind Spirit Spiders which had assembled into a gigantic diamond shape.

    They resembled a constetion.

    The Type IV Hunter Knights naturally saw the same thing as they raised their heads. Each prism crystal lens detected and regarded them as an immense threat, and all the constructs made the same response.

    Their guns unfurled together from thences, and thirty-odd mechanical constructs aimed at Brendel¡¯s body with redsers at the same time.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Someone shouted from the direction of the cages.

    The revolution of gears and cogs could be heard spinning vigorously with a high-pitched whine.

    ¡°Ptyoona!¡± Medissa shouted in ancient Elven.

    Bullets fired at the youth and caused the dust in the air to agitate wildly. Medissa¡¯s reaction against this attack was to raise hernce andmand her Element Power to surge out of her, which extended into a gigantic pair of wings made of Soul Fire.

    All the enemies¡¯ bullets smashed into hexagonal-shaped crystal-like barriers when they approached the mes. Half the stage was filled with vivid showers of sparks for a brief moment, and the constant high-pitch metallic clinks made many to cover their ears.

    The Type IV Hunter Knights changed their target to Medissa, but Brendel made his move and pointed his finger at the very edge of their group.

    Buzzing noises could be heard from the sky as the Holy Swords red up in a zing heat. Rotating magic formations appeared on the Wind Spirit Spiders before they were drowned out by the light generated by the Holy Swords.

    The spectators tried imagining what would happen next when the counter-attack came, but the spectacr disy still surprised them. It was a scene where most of them would not forget for the rest of their lives.

    The Type IV Hunter Knights¡¯ reacted by halting their attacks and their yellow sigils rotated to their front. They started huddling together in a group. The sandy soil beneath them rumbled and rocks protruded from the ground, encasing them in rocks.

    Countless pirs of light soon struck the fortress. Fiery heat seemed to vaporize the moisture in the coliseum, and the youths thought that the coliseum was in danger of bing destroyed.

    Kodan suddenly remembered a Kirrlutz¡¯s famous quote to describe the war in their historical text, the Poem of Grey:

    ¡°We saw columns of clouds split open, and the sky turned blood-red as though burning steel was in the air, and golden pirs of light rained down from to the earth and purged the living creatures with a sea of fire.¡±

    The old man had survived the November War and seen wizards disy their destructive might against an entire army, and he thought he would never have to see such a sight again. This scene once again brought out the nightmarish events that were buried within his heart.

    He did not realize it himself, but his eyes dted and darted everywhere, and his breathing became ragged as he tried to reach out for his sword.

    He failed to do so.

    The grandmaster swordsman was startled and a sheen of cold perspiration covered him before he realized where he was. Still, the shock remained in his mind and he looked on in slight confusion. The destructive firepower seemed like it was capable only from an Archmage.

    Brendel snapped his fingers.

    The pirs of light started converging to a single point with a terrifying buzz and began drilling through the rocks that were covered withyers of magic.

    These barriers deflected part of the firepower, but one could see that the rocks were turning into molten liquid.

    The youths were rendered speechless. Just when they thought they had seen the limits of a battle, there was a new standard.

    A rain of fiery destruction against theyered barriers of magic defense.

    Jocah froze at where he was standing while Maher retreated in fright as soon as the beams of destruction moved in their direction. Thetter crashed onto the cage¡¯s steel bars, and he jumped up like a startled rabbit. When he realized what he bumped into, he found his forehead full of cold sweat.

    Cohen¡¯s skin color was saturated with a golden hue while he continued to observe. Both his hands firmly held on to each other without moving a muscle. Unlike the others who were attracted by the beautiful magic, his eyes were on Brendel.

    ¡°This is......¡± Jana watched the disy of magic in awe.

    She finally knew how insignificant her mercenaries were to Brendel. It could not be moreughable for them to persist in believing that they were something worth of value.

    There waspletely no reason for this young man to appear in such an impoverished territory. With his strength, he could have gotten any position he wanted and be awarded plots ofnds that were far better than Trentheim.

    It was aughing joke. Why he would choose to get Graudin¡¯s territory with his strength, to the point where he would fight against Count Randner and Aouine¡¯s upper echelons¡ª

    Jana found that she could not find any reason that would exin it.

    But she finally remembered something. That fateful night where Graudin got his retributions, was when Brendel rode to the city with resolute eyes, bringing along a little girl.

    Jana suddenly recalled the Poem of Grey describing a heroic knight who led an army against impossible odds. Several centuries ago, this quote was also used on the Ancestral King, Erik¡ª

    [The emissary sent by the Gods to gather everyone under a single g. Fate changed as they rode as one¡ª]

    The Type IV Hunter Knights¡¯ defensive magicsted for a short while, but every pir of light fired into a single spot and the barriers were finally prated through.

    It caused the rocks to turn into ashes and vapor quickly. Molten steel poured out from the hole and onto the ground, while loud cracking sounds could be heard as ss was gradually formed on the floor from the extreme heat.

    The pirs of light moved faster and faster to destroy the remaining enemies on the battlefield. In less than a minute, they were all destroyed and the pirs of light stopped firing.

    Smouldering embers clogged the coliseum with a nasty choking gas. The fortress of rock waspletely pierced through and none of the Type IV Hunter Knights survived and was turned into metal scrap under their created grave.

    Even Medissa felt surprised at Brendel¡¯s magic despite her experience in the War of the Holy Saints and nced at the array of Holy Swords above her head.

    ¡°Did we just win the challenge, my lord?¡± Her pleasant voice asked.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Brendel replied with some exasperation.

    The Elven girl seemed like she still wanted to see more.

    If he was not a neswalker, these thirty-odd metal constructs would really present a problem to him.

    He sighed slightly as he lowered his hand. Controlling the battlefield without a problem felt good. It was a slight pity that the Holy Swords did not have enough firepower. Three converging pirs of light nearly failed to pierce through the constructs¡¯ Silver-ranked defenses.

    The coliseum became silent as though Brendel¡¯s actions had presented itself as a problem.

    [...... Shit. Did I overdo it? It¡¯s possible for the Coliseum of Destiny to set a personal difficulty. In the game, this ce is actually a shitty Fantasy-ranked dungeon that allows gamers to challenge themselves.]

    But after a moment of silence, a voice suddenly appeared in his mind, and words started spreading across his retinas.

    ¨C You may choose to redeem an additional reward for sessfullypleting three challenges.

    Brendel rubbed his forehead in delight as he remembered his experience in the game.

    The core reward of this Coliseum of destiny was certainly the Sword of Earth. If he wanted to get the sword, he needed to attempt two more challenges.

    There was an additional rule when one decided to challenge.

    From the third challenge onwards, every additional challenge would him a reward, and it would be better and better. There was also no limit to how many times one was allowed challenge, and the gamers who attempted it stated that doing it over thirty times would eventually them rewards that were even better than the core rewards.

    But it was obvious that he did not dare to attempt it.

    ¨C If you do, you will not be able to release the prisoners in the cages.

    [Of course, I ¡ª ...... Eh?]

    He finally remembered more details about the rewards. If he took the additional reward he would not be able to free Scarlett this round.

    [Damn...... it.]

    Brendel¡¯s mind worked furiously.

    He nced at the longsword embedded in a boulder. Ever since he lost the Thorn of Light, he wanted to find a weapon that he could use, and did not want to give up on this opportunity in gaining one here. The battles ahead in Firburh were unavoidable and there was no telling how difficult it would be.

    If he wanted Halran Gaia, he would need to fight three more battles. He would be able to pick the next two additional rewards and free Scarlett along with the core reward.

    But choosing the additional rewards meant that he had to give up on saving the youths.

    [If I choose to rescue them here, what¡¯s going to happen in the battles ahead in Firburh and Valha? How am I going to protect my mercenaries and soldiers without sufficient preparation?]

    He was at a crossroad of no return.

    He closed his eyes and clutched his wrists, cursing at his weakness.

    In the end, he chose to abandon the youths.

    [I wish to redeem the additional rewards.]

    ¨C Are you certain you wish to redeem your reward?

    [Yes.]

    ¨C Please choose your status.

    Brendel blinked once. He had never encountered this in the game.

    ¨C Normal status

    ¨C neswalker status.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Brendel was stunned.

    He had never seen a game that would change the rewards based on a profession. Sometimes rewards could be chosen but they were predetermined. He hesitated for a while when he saw the choices, but he chose the neswalker.

    The words changed again.

 volume 3 - 67

    Chapter 67 ¨C King of the Underground (18)

    A screen was disyed before him. On it was a roulette, and from the numerical description, Brendel found there were one hundred and seventy ¡®normal¡¯ bronze cards, with forty ¡®rare¡¯ silver cards. However, it appeared that the rare cards were currently greyed out, possibly because he did not have the qualifications to unlock it yet.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Medissa¡¯s voice suddenly went to his ears.

    ¡°Give me a few minutes,¡± Brendel said and pondered for a while.

    His eyes went back to the cards. He looked and read them one by one in detail, before stopping at two cards that seemed to have the best quality.

    ¨C The Altar of Dripping Blood

    ¨C (The Wolf¡¯s Den III)

    ¨C 25 EP, 200 Mana

    ¨C Barrier Nest

    ¨C You can sacrifice 5 Grey creatures to summon the Earth Dragon Voltaire into y (Sub-dragon, level 50 Boss)

    ¨C This card will enter the Graveyard if Voltaire dies or if the Altar¡¯s barrier is destroyed.

    ¨C When Voltaire is on the battlefield, sacrifice a Grey creature every day or the card enters the graveyard.

    ¨C ¡®There is a low rumbling roar nearby within the cave.¡¯

    ¨C The ins of Gems

    ¨C (Wondrous Scenery VI)

    ¨C Special ins card

    ¨C Tap the card, deposit 2 Light EP to your Elemental Pool.

    ¨C Tap the card, pay 2 Light EP, add 20 Wealth.

    ¨C ¡®No one knows what nature offers beneath the grass.¡¯

    The second card held Brendel¡¯s attention over the first. Regardless of Wealth or EP, they were resources that he needed badly, especially thetter, as he did not have proper means to replenish Light EP.

    ¡°Scarlett,¡± the dispirited youth shout through a tight jaw, ¡°wait there for a while, I¡¯ll free you after two battles.¡±

    He had been spending his resources conservatively, and getting a Land card that could continuously allow him to cast other cards, was much better than the opposite. The wealth gain on it was just as important too.

    [Golden Battle g, Sun de, and Pristine Angel are all cards that need 5 Light EP to activate, and thest one even requires me to pay 1 Light EP to maintain it. I can¡¯t really be called a neswalker if I can¡¯t use my cards...... Disy neswalker Cards.]

    ¨C Treasure Cards: Eternity Orb, Golden Battle g, Holy Sword, Silver Colt.

    ¨C Creature Cards: Hignd Squire, Mercenaries of Lopes, Pristine Angel, Wind Spirit Spiders, Unicorn Knight

    ¨C Resource Card: Rich Gold Mine

    ¨C Magic Cards: Magic Control, Sun de, Sprint Drive

    ¨C Land Cards: Garden of the Holy Tree, Rougen¡¯s Swamp, Loxar¡¯s market, Nest of Storms, Ashen Volcano

    ¨C Event Card: Bitter Ordeal (Used)

    [I¡¯ve already used the Bitter Ordeal card on Ciel, so it¡¯s greyed out. Based on Ciel¡¯s exnation, a deck of cards needs at least forty cards before it can be used in a realisticbat without issues. I¡¯m not even halfway there. Rather than a neswalker, I¡¯m more like an apprentice or something. Disy EP and Wealth ie.]

    ¨C Garden of the Holy Tree, 1 Water EP/day

    ¨C Rougen¡¯s Swamp, 1 Dark EP/day, tap card to produce an additional 1 Dark EP.

    ¨C Loxar¡¯s market, 1 Earth EP/day, 2 Wealth/day. Pay 2 reputation, tap, and gain an additional 6 Wealth/day.

    ¨C Nest of Storms, 2 Wind EP/day.

    ¨C Ashen Volcano, 2 Nature EP/day, 1 Fire EP/day.

    ¨C Rich Gold Mine, 4 Wealth per day.

    ¨C Elementalist profession, 1 EP of all types/week.

    [I¡¯m not tapping the Garden of the Holy Tree because the Rich Gold Mine needs an untappednd. Hmm. Ciel had mentioned that nature cards have the best summons too. Sooner orter, I would want to get these cards. Disy EP expenditure.]

    ¨C Unicorn Knight, 6 Wealth/day, 1 Dark EP/day

    ¨C Mercenaries of Lopes, 2 Wealth/day

    ¨C Hignd Squire, 1 Earth EP/day

    ¨C Pristine Angel, 1 Light EP/day

    [Maintaining my summons means that I don¡¯t have a way to use any other cards rted to their EP. Casting the Wind Spirit Spiders only requires my mana and a little Wind EP, but the Earth EP required to sustain the Holy Swords means that I have to save it for at least half a month. In fact, I¡¯m actually resummoning Ciel every day to avoid paying his maintenance.]

    And it was not without drawbacks.

    Brendel had to alternate tapping hisnd cards and recasting to gain resources and save Earth EP. Most importantly, he was unable to get 1 reputation per day if Ciel was not maintained on the battlefield.

    This profession could not be treated as his trump card if it was unstable all the time.

    He felt the profession¡¯s immense potential, but to get it working he needed more cards. After thinking it through for a while he could not help but mutter:

    ¡°The system of this profession is a little intriguing.¡±

    He tossed the rewarded ball onto the screen, and it spun round in the roulette, and his eyes followed the ball closely. After a few seconds, the ball slowed down and missed the ins of Gems, andnded somewhere to the north instead.

    Everyone frowned with anxiety as they watched Brendel stay motionless. Thetter¡¯s eyes seemed to gaze off into empty space, yet there was nothing they could see in his line of sight.

    [Stop! Stop!]

    Brendel yelled for the ball to stop at the next best card in his mind, the Altar of Dripping Blood, but itnded a few slots away instead.

    ¨C Fire w Spearmen

    ¨C (The me Tribe II)

    ¨C Costs 15 Fire EP

    ¨C Fire Lizardmen Warriors, level 27 Creatures

    ¨C ce apany of battle-thirsty Fire w Spearmen into the battlefield.

    ¨C Pay 5 Wealth/day when Fire w Spearmen is on the battlefield

    ¨C ¡®There is the smell of enemies amidst the mes.¡¯

    [Oh fuck off!]

    Brendel cried with disappointment in his mind, but he at least had the senses to not show it to the world. The window disappeared, and a red card appeared in the air before itnded right on his hand.

    The illustration of the card was a group of lizardmen warriors, though their appearances were quite different from Vaunte¡¯s normal Lizardmen. They had bright red scales much thicker than normal Lizardmen, and each wore a suit of golden armor that was in in its design, while their backs carried a battle spear the length of their bodies.

    But what caught Brendel¡¯s attention was the gold diamond-like eyes. The creatures in Vaunte which had golden irises meant they had the blood of dragons flowing through them, with their blood purityparable to a sub-dragon species.

    Although their low levels meant they were just short of the Silver-ranked status, their lineage was quite unique and must have flourished at some point.

    [This exins the battle-thirsty trait. Dragons have it and morale is instead increased if they are injured or if they take the initiative to attack.]

    It was not a perfect ratio, but a +1 Morale meant an approximate increase of 10% in stats.

    It was quite the buff, though Brendel was a little annoyed at getting a Creature card and not a Resource card. In addition, the Fire w Spearmen needed 15 Fire EP, and its maintenance was close to the Unicorn Knight.

    No matter how many times he looked at the Fire w Spearman card, it could notpare to Medissa.

    But he ultimately nodded a little when he saw the word ¡®squadron¡¯. Aouine typically defined apany of men to be a hundred, while Madara set it at eighty. He was not certain how many Lizardmen there would be, but it was unlikely to be lower in numbers.

    Brendel did not use the card and sent it straight into his deck.

    This card materialization and disappearance happened before everyone¡¯s eyes except Kodan because Brendel¡¯s back was facing him,

    ¡°My lord?¡± Medissa was summoned by Brendel and she recognized a neswalker¡¯s card, but she did not know why the card appeared from thin air.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just a reward from winning that battle. Let¡¯s continue the challenge,¡± Brendel finally recovered his senses.

    ¡°Are we still going to continue?¡± Medissa was surprised.

    He nodded gravely in response.

    ¡°Mortal, do you wish to continue challenging your destiny?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I wish to continue.¡± The youth proimed loudly as he gazed at the longsword.

    The coliseum was momentarily silenced.

    But unlike the previous times, the gate was not raised. The sand suddenly parted and was sucked as though there was a hole in it. Before long, a gigantic cage was elevated past the ground, and the monster within made everyone gulp¡ª

    It was a dragon.

 volume 3 - 68

    Chapter 68 ¨C King of the underground (19)

    Brendel secretly wiped his palms when he realized it was not a dragon, but a subspecies of a dragon¡ª A drake.

    The monster¡¯s front legs towered over the challengers like a pair of tall towers. It was covered with blue-green scales which were as shiny as polished metal and reflected the cold light from the coliseum. Each scale was several inches thick and it looked like it was d in ayer of steel-ted armor.

    The special characteristics of this creature were its ugly, triangr-shaped head with spiked horns shaped like they had been carved into sharp edges. Its deeply inset eyes were a light blue color, but its irises had flecks of golden mes, showing clearly that its ancestors were pure-blooded dragons.

    [Adra Drake, a type of wind dragon. It¡¯s fortunate that it¡¯s not a mature adult.....]

    If Brendel was topare the Cerberus against it, the former would be a puppy. The winged monster in front of him was the top of the food chain in the Mountain of Calm Tempest, and the natives who lived there called them the Tyrants of Wind.

    There used to be a legend about these Adra Drakes in the game. They were supposedly descended from the Sky Dragons during the era of the Dragon of Cmity, but the quests involving the creatures ultimately led gamers to Kirrlutz¡¯s royal historians who disputed this im. The truth to them was actually much closer to the Mountain Dwarves¡¯ lore.

    The Adra Drakes descended from Blue Dragons. Thetter described as the fairies of the clouds, but one would find the drakes very different in terms of temperament. They were aggressive predators carrying the Wind Element in them, unlike their ancestors which carried the Ice Element within their body.

    But regardless of whether this monster was a mature adult or not, it was still standing near the apex of a Gold-ranker.

    [...... Wait a minute. An Adra Drake uses the Wind Element, right? Isn¡¯t this a bloody counter to the Wind Spirit Spiders?!]

    Brendel cursed the announcer, but he could only grudgingly ept the results. The Coliseum of Destiny must have scanned the Wind Spirit Spiders and responded with a monster that had near immunity to it.

    [But it seems like this damned ce is able to see only the superficial contents. The attacks from the Holy Sword are based on the Earth Element, and they are the best counters to Wind Element creatures.]

    His mind was filled with malicious revenge.

    But the others had different thoughts. When they saw the creature which was tens of meters tall, making it big enough for the people in the cages to look up at it, they could not help but draw in a cold breath.

    Fear started to grip their hearts.

    The youths who had never left Schafflund with close to no worldly experience was still able to recognize for what it was.

    It was a dragon.

    Even though they did not know what difference there was between dragons, wyrms, drakes or wyverns, they knew that they held viinous roles opposing heroes in bedtime stories.

    Every one of them had heard about the legends regarding the Dragon of Darkness and the Dragon of Twilight.

    These creatures were thest of the Golden Lineage, and in their body flowed a mysterious and noble bloodline.

    Jana and Kodan had seen Aouine¡¯s scouts in the past, which were called the ¡®Winged Dragon scouts¡¯. But they suddenly realized their mounts were really winged lizards, and not truly rted to the creature in front of them.

    The Adra Drake unfolded its wings and swung them at the cage holding it. The gigantic metal rods were instantly pulverized into t pieces.

    ¡°This...... is a dragon¡¯s power.¡± Someone muttered.

    Maher was the first to recover, or perhaps he was cruder in his personality. He tapped Cohen¡¯s shoulders roughly and whispered: ¡°H-hey, he¡¯s challenging again. Do you think he¡¯s going to rescue you all?¡±

    Cohen did not answer and felt his heart pounding in his throat.

    Even though he knew that the monster¡¯s target was not on them, he could not help but feel that a light beating of its wings would create a gale strong enough to send everyone into the air¡ª Then they would be killed as they crashed violently into the ground.

    Although it was not unreasonable for him to think that way, the truth was even if there were one hundred Adra Drake, they would not be able to break the barriers¡ª

    ¡°Cohen?¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Cohen snapped, getting angry for the first time. ¡°Stop attracting attention when there¡¯s a monster out that¡¯s capable swallowing us up in one bite!¡±

    Maher scratched his head and backed away silently.

    Even though the dragon had Cohen¡¯s attention now, the scene where Brendel stared nkly into the air had caused him to ponder something.

    His hand reached into his pocket to find something.

    Medissa quickly recovered her senses after the monster destroyed the cage imprisoning it.

    ¡°An Adra Drake.¡± She pursed her lips tightly and hissed through her teeth, and she subconsciously gripped her silvernce tightly¡ª

    This was a creature that posed a huge threat to them.

    ¡°My lord, even though this beast¡¯s body appears to be clumsy and heavy, its speed in the air is incredibly swift and nimble¡ª¡± The Elven princess warned Brendel in a whisper.

    Before she had the chance to finish her sentence, the drake suddenly took off to the air with extended wings. A faint green glow appeared on its body and it sailed through the air with incredible, leaving behind a ghastly trail of green particles.

    Before the youths had the chance to react, the gigantic monster had already charged into the midst of the Wind Spirit Spiders. The Adra Drake was familiar with these weak critters as they also lived on the same mountain, but the golden shining Holy Swords on them made it feel threatened.

    Its instincts were not wrong.

    And its initiated attack managed to destroy arge portion of the Holy Swords¡¯ formation.

    ¡°Scatter and fire at will!¡± Brendel watched the copse of its formation and immediately gave his order to the spiders.

    2 Earth EP was taken away from his Elemental Pool, and a huge golden was weaved in the sky.

    But what followed next made Brendel see something that he would never forget in his lifetime.

    The Adra Drake easily steered through the dense concentration ofsers like a slippery fish. Approximately seventy percent of the Holy Swords¡¯ attacks did not connect, while the remainder of that struck the drake¡¯s scales did not hurt it and was even used as momentum to sail through the air.

    The speed of the dragon¡¯s rotation appeared seemingly slow. Its wings allowed the pirs of light graze the tips of its wings to help it shift left and right, dodging the majority the attacks.

    Yet with its leisurely pace, it somehow allowed one to capture its movements.

    That illusion quickly passed and the Adra drake was directly in front of anotherrge field of Wind Spirit Spiders.

    [Its actions are so fast that they appear like the des of a helicopter...... I didn¡¯t get to see them in action because I was at a high level and had killed them in a heartbeat. These creatures of the Wind Element are just like what one would expect. They feel almost graceful.]

    The Blue Dragons are known for dancing through dark clouds filled with lightning at an extraordinary speed. The gamers in the past who had encountered these ancestral dragonspared them to the Adra Drakes, and dered thetter as true descendants that lived up to the name of its ancestors.

    [Alright, the time to dwell on the past is over. I¡¯ll have a much easier time if it¡¯s a Gold-ranker on the ground, but it seems like there¡¯s going to be a little bit more challenge here.]

    ¡°Medissa, summon your unicorn and engage it.¡± He said.

    ¡°Understood, my lord!¡±

    The Elven princess leaped into the air in an elegant arc, and the spectral unicorn appeared through a dimensional space to receive her.

    Medissandedfortably on her steed and took the reins and continued flying. The unicorn trotted through the air as though the air was made out of solid ground and started pursuing the Adra Drake. Even though the gigantic creature was swift, the unicorn did not fall behind.

    Brendel decided to observe the situation a little longer.

    He took a moment to observe the unicorn¡¯s flight. They were proud creatures with strongbat prowess, and only the Silver Elves managed to use them as steeds.

    The Unicorn Knights were the strongestbat units of the Silver Elves, and each mature unicorn was even capable of using an Element Power. They were rated to be almost at level 60, the rough equivalent of a peak Gold-ranked fighter.

    [There is some kind of Laws in y here that restricts the Unicorn strength. Only speed is left in Medissa¡¯s mount. The core aspect of the card is definitely Medissa, or I would see that unicorn exceeding her abilities.]

    The Adra Drake felt a threat approaching from its back. Even though Medissa was less powerful than it was, exposing its back to her would have the same results to how Kodan left an opening to her earlier.

    It gave up trying to destroy the Wind Spirit Spiders and turned around to battle with Medissa instead.

    Both Adra Drake and Silver Elf crossed each other in flight.

    Even though the Adra Drake was at a disadvantage because it lost the initiative, Medissa was the one who got injured.

    The Adra Drake had caught on to Medissa¡¯snce and attempted to w at her, forcing her to steer downwards. The dragon rotated a few times and smoothly took on the higher position without injuries.

    Medissa did not escape unscathed. The critical attack by the monster was avoided, but the Wind Element of into ws had left deep marks on her armor.

    It was a unique point of Wind Element creatures. Galbu¡¯s wizards craftsmen even copied a lesser version of it and made a shield with a Wind Element spell weaved into it, allowing the shield to exude a unique defense that would repel enemies from approaching.

    The girl on the unicorn felt her cheeks and found blood covering her palm. She looked up with rm and caution.

 volume 3 - 69

    Chapter 69 ¨C King of the Underworld (20)

    The Wind Spirit Spiders spread out and shot out golden pirs of light yet again to form a magnificent.

    Brendel¡¯s Elemental Pool dwindled to 3 Earth EP, and he immediately tapped Loxar¡¯s Market in his mind to increase it by one.

    The effectiveness of the Holy Swords was low. A single pir of light could hardly pierce through the Adra Dragon¡¯s outer Wind Element defensive barrier, not to mention melting dragon scales that were several inches.

    But multiple convergences of concentrated beams did not seed either, as it took time for the spiders to rotate the Holy Sword, and the Adra Drake slipped through easily.

    [There¡¯s a w. The Wind Spirit Spiders¡¯ levels are much too low. Their Agility, Perception, and intelligence are all inadequate for them to make a precise strike on the Adra Drake. Numbers can cover this weakness, but having half of what I started with isn¡¯t enough. Shit, letting that creature have the first strike is my mistake.]

    The Wind Element that the Adra Drake had was boosting its Agility by at least 300%. Medissa could barely engage its attention to stop it from targeting the Wind Spirit Spiders.

    Brendel did not waste any more time and lowered himself into a stance, while his hand caught a card that materialized out of thin air. He flung it into the air and leaped just like Medissa. A Magic Formation appeared and the Silver Colt appeared.

    ¡°He also knows how to summon a horse!¡± Someone amongst the youth shouted.

    Their eyes were glittering with excitement. The battle had surpassed legends and fairy tales that they heard of. If the dragon was the most frightening thing they knew of, then Brendel and Medissa were the strongest people they had seen in their lives.

    Kodan waspletely engrossed by the memorable scene before him as well.

    The November War might have been bigger and darker where everyone fought to theirst drop of blood, but it could notpare to the elegant battle between the dragon and its challengers.

    There was a sense of mystical adventure; two heroes rose up to face an impossible opponent. The grandmaster swordsman¡¯s memories of his youthful self were evoked, and he rubbed his ring on his thumb.

    Brendel tapped the side of his steed¡¯s head, and the mechanical creature shot towards the Adra Drake like a meteor. The youth activated the Charge ability in the middle of its rush, and the boosted speed sent a violent shockwave that made everyone cover their ears.

    He aimed for the Adra Drake¡¯s weakest spot, the stomach.

    But the Adra Drake was perceptive enough to realize the second threat to it. It first swept away Medissa¡¯s attack with hernce with a wing, then spun around and attacked Brendel by whipping him with its tail.

    A banshee-like wail broke through the air when its tail hurtled towards Brendel, and thetter pulled away in response. He grabbed the steed¡¯s stomach with his legs andid tly horizontal, allowing the attack boosted with Wind Element to miss himpletely. However, the sharp air currents from the aftermath still managed to cut a few strands of Brendel¡¯s hair.

    It appeared that Brendel¡¯s intention to attack the Adra Drake had failed, and he became the one who was hunted.

    The Adra Drake flew upwards with stunning speed before it turned aroundpletely and charged towards the youth in a sh of green lightning.

    ¡°No!¡± Scarlett shouted, surprising the youths and Jana beside her.

    Her yell made several imprisoned people in the cages realize they were gripping the steel bars tightly.

    It seemed like the aerial battle was a disadvantage for Brendel and Medissa. Jana looked up anxiously, realizing that the dragon¡¯s strength and size were beyond her imagination.

    But Brendel did not think much of it.

    It was amon trick for a dragon to charge at its prey after striking it with its tail and he moved on to his next n. He climbed back on to his steed and dove downwards while yelling out an order to Medissa:

    ¡°Prepare your strongest attack!¡±

    Medissa nced at Brendel and nodded. Thetter raised his sword and gave the Wind Spirit Spiders new orders. Multiple pirs of light converged into focal points that sought to block the path of Adra Drake. As more and more beams fired at it, the light became so blindingly bright that it blocked the Adra Drake¡¯s vision.

    Finally, the gigantic monster gave up and allowed Brendel to gain some respite.

    [2 Earth EP left. It¡¯s time to hunt.]

    Brendel patted the Silver Colt¡¯s neck and it flew upwards once again, making their way past the beams of light and carefully hid from the drake¡¯s line of sight. Another card appeared in his hands while they did so.

    The Adra Drake suddenly realized that it had been goaded into attacking the youth and lost sight of Medissa. Even though it merely stopped for just a moment, Medissa finally found a chance to slip into its defenses after following it closely.

    ¡°Seismic st!¡± Medissa¡¯s charge was a straight line that went straight for the beast.

    The slender body of hers found explosive strength at this moment to dig deeply into the drake¡¯s flesh, and a bestial scream of pain shook the entire coliseum.

    Even though it tried to dodge the attack atst moment, the spectral energy from her Element Power caused a maelstrom and condensed its surroundings before it exploded with sheer intensity.

    Thence easily pierced through its outeryer of magic defense and the impact from the st shattered its scales and reached directly into its back.

    A shower of blue blood fell from the sky and rained onto the ground, with some of it directly converted back into Wind Element because of the concentrated purity in its blood.

    The Adra Drake nearly lost consciousness from the pain as it fell from the sky.

    The Seismic st was an ancient technique of the Silver Elves that converted Element power into sheer destruction, although its weakness was how slow the attack was. Even though the Adra Drake outssed Medissa in every way, thetter still managed to injure it greatly.

    Brendel was ready as he passed through the light blue vapor; a card was raised in his hand:

    ¡°Disy!¡± He shouted.

    The illustration on the card was a group of charging cavalry. Once he let go of it, it floated into the air and shone brightly.

    ¨C Sprint Drive has entered into y. The neswalker has paid 2 Earth EP.

    ¨C The summoner has connected with the Unicorn Knight. Overall Power Rating, techniques, and stats will be shared.

    Brendel felt his strength double. He stood up on the Silver Colt and activated Power Break, readied himself with a stance and swung his sword upwards to the dropping Adra Drake without sparing anything in his body.

    He lost his footing after his attack and fell out from the Silver Colt, but the mechanical beast¡¯s body moved nimbly and allowed him to sit back without any further incident.

    His Sword Arte seemed to hang in the sky without being unleashed for a moment, before it was sent towards the dragon with a deafening explosion.

    It was no longer a simple distortion of air. Brendel had converted part of his Element Power with the Seismic st technique and sent it into the White Raven Sword Arte. Nearly thirty meters of glowing particles in an arc spread out and cut across the air, reaching over a hundred meters.

    Confusion set in because the barrier started shaking even before the dragon was struck, as though time and space had been reversed.

    ¡°How¡¯s this possible! That stable control of his Element Power seemed like he had trained in it for years! It¡¯spletely different from his earlier fight against Varian!¡±

    Kodan froze up like he was a statue. He did not know what kind of devilish magic Brendel had used, but the increase in skill happened before his very eyes.

    Who was capable of having a breakthrough in power in mere minutes? Was there any race out there in Vaunte that could do so?

    ¡°...... Bloodline of a Golden Lineage?¡±

    Kodan suddenly wondered if Brendel hade from a lineage that went all the way back to the ancient eras.

    Screams echoed throughout the coliseum. The attack from the youth¡¯s sword hadpletely severed both the Adra Drake¡¯s wings, and another shower of blue rain fell from the sky. The Adra Drake was no longer a child of the sky, and it descended quickly like a flightless bird.

    Finally, it crashed heavily to the ground in an immense dust cloud with a dying shriek.

    Everyone felt the ground shake. They werepletely shocked. The intensity of the battle had surpassed their imaginations, but the speed that the battle was finished with was theplete opposite of what they had expected.

    Brendels and Medissa¡¯s assaults on the Adra Drake took a mere thirty seconds.

    The youths exhaled heavily. Part of their minds was still reveling in the earlier battle, and the remainder of their thoughts were waiting expectantly on what Brendel was going to do next.

    But they were disappointed yet again.

    After the mysterious youthnded on to the ground, he did not look at them in the slightest, nor at Jana and Scarlett. He simply stared into the distance.

    Brendel had a better grasp on how the roulette worked, and he sent the ball in with uracy.

    He got the item that he wanted.

    ¨C in of Gems acquired.

    He nodded with satisfaction and readied himself once again for thest battle. The challenge was most likely going to be an army led by amander.

    ¡°Prepare for ourst battle, Medissa.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±

 volume 3 - 70

    Chapter 70 ¨C King of the Underworld (21)

    Kodan looked at the youth withplicated feelings.

    He entered the Gold-ranked status thirty years ago, yet the youth seemed to be blessed by the gods and had reached the same level of control over his Element Power as him.

    Even if the person was blessed with talent, they would never attain such mastery at such a young age. A possibility was being favored by the Gods themselves, but they would be disabled in some form, so he thought of something else.

    ¡°Young man, who¡¯s your Guardian Spirit?¡± Kodan called out to him.

    ¡°What?¡± Brendel turned around and said puzzledly.

    ¡°Stop pretending, you clearly know what I¡¯m talking about!¡± The old man was angry enough to shout: ¡°This is important, tell me quickly¡ª¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about, what am I supposed to know?¡±

    Brendel was truly confused. He thought that the grandmaster swordsman might ask if he was going to save the youths up there, yet it was a strange question with unfamiliar terms. He watched the old man walk up to the stage in annoyance, but an invisible barrier blocked him.

    The thunderous voice once again reverberated throughout the coliseum and interrupted them:

    ¡°Mortal, do you wish to continue challenging your destiny?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Brat, answer me!¡± Kodan mmed on the barrier with his fist.

    Brendel nced at him and put a palm up to tell him to wait. The coliseum suddenly turned darker.

    ¡°The next match will be the Duel of Ordeals!¡± A voice announced over their heads.

    Brendel¡¯s expression immediately changed.

    ¡°Do you have any idea what the match is, my lord?¡± Medissa asked curiously when she saw his reaction.

    ¡°...... It¡¯s a type of extreme challenge. No matter how much strength you acquire, you will be turned into an ordinary person. In this stage, you must use pure skill to defeat your enemies.¡±

    ¡°Skill? What¡¯s the exact definition?¡± Medissa arched her eyebrow slightly.

    Brendel tapped a finger on his de: ¡°Combat techniques.¡±

    Medissa reflected on his words for a moment. It sounded like it was advantageous to them, but her lord did not seem happy about it in the slightest. Considering the challenges earlier, it could not be something simple.

    ¡°Do you know anything about the Duel of Ordeals, Cohen?¡± Maher asked gingerly.

    ¡°No.¡± Came the simple reply.

    ¡°What are they arguing about?¡± Jocah¡¯s attention was on Kodan. He was worried whether all of them could leave the ce.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Why does he keep on challenging the duels without freeing us or his remainingpanion?¡± Someone asked.

    ¡°Maybe there are some rules we don¡¯t know about? How is it possible to construct a ce like this in the mines? To build it only as a game to catch and release people?¡± Another youth said.

    The other youths looked at the blurred faces of the audience and a few found his words somewhat agreeable.

    ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s not as if you don¡¯t know how sick these nobles¡¯ hobbies are. Perhaps they just want to have perverse fun!¡±

    ¡°But look at this ce! It¡¯s a mine! Why would they set up their entertainment in this ce? No matter how much I think about it, this incident is because of the odd thing that we dug out earlier.¡±

    ¡°I agree as well! Besides, that was a dragon! How much money do they have to throw in to get ordinary people like us to fight it? To be honest, I feel like this is a dream or something. Maybe this ce isn¡¯t real.¡± One of them touched a steel bar from a cage and felt the heat in his fingers dissipate.

    They were momentarily silent.

    ¡°His goal is that sword.¡± Cohen¡¯s voice was not loud.

    The sickly young man had waited till the youths quieted down before he spoke, making his words feel weighted. He had seen Brendel nce at the ck broadsword several times and made a conclusion.

    The others felt it was a logical deduction once he spoke.

    ¡°Does he not intend to save us?¡± One of the youths said.

    ¡°Why should he?¡± Came Cohen¡¯s reply.

    ¡°Cohen?¡± Jocah looked at him.

    In his mind, Cohen was someone who did not like speaking much, but he had a better idea of the world and provided the best answers.

    ¡°Well, I can try persuading him.¡± Cohen¡¯s voice was small, as though he was trying to convince himself.

    ¡°With what?¡± Maher asked with iprehension.

    ¡°A trade.¡±

    Maher¡¯s eyes turned wide: ¡°Are you thinking of using your worthless things to trade with him? Angering him won¡¯t do us any good!¡±

    Cohen did not answer and merely looked back at him. However, his attention was drawn elsewhere very quickly.

    Sudden lines of golden words appeared in the air. Dwarven, Elven, Dragon, Ancient Kirrlutz and many othernguages. But what shocked Brendel was the existences of multiple familiarnguages that should never have appeared in this world.

    [It...... can¡¯t be! It can¡¯t fucking be true! How can there benguages from Earth!]

    The youth¡¯s body trembled greatly and he gulped in utter confusion. Multiple possibilities exploded in his mind.

    Perhaps he was somehow lying unconscious on some hospital bed and was dreaming of this world? Or perhaps this world was somehow connected to Earth in some strange ways? Or perhaps because of how Earth created the game, another world would somehow be created?

    Crazy theories spun in his mind and for a moment, the thought of possibly returning back to his original world surfaced, causing his emotions to explode within him.

    ¡°My lord?¡± But Medissa¡¯s concerned voice brought him back to his senses.

    ¡°Yes......? Yes.¡± Brendel¡¯s chaotic thoughts were quickly shut down by a greater desire.

    He had stolen someone else¡¯s identity, resolved to live as him, and swore to save the kingdom. His past life had nothing to do with his current one any longer. He raised his head to look at the instructions again as he wiped the corners of his eyes furiously with the back of his hand.

    It was not the time to be affected by emotions, perhaps when everything was over he could reflect on it.

    He read the familiar words in the air:

    1) Limitation in Strength. (The duelists are limited to 10 OZ in strength.)

    2) Limitation in techniques. (All techniques unrted to weapons will be disabled.)

    3) The challenger shall be given worthy opponents.

    Jana drew in a cold breath as she read in the ancient Kirrlutznguage which was not too different from the modern version. Even though Brendel¡¯s power astounded her, it was clearly different from training with a weapon for years.

    No matter how talented one might be, even if they became a Gold-ranker at a young age, they required time to match someone who had talent and years to go along with it.

    The people who were widely recognized were old white-haired duelists who had reached their eighties or nies. (TL: The humans in this world live over a hundred easily.)

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry, Jana,¡± Scarlett¡¯s voice came from behind. She seemed to see through the worry in the mercenarymander¡¯s heart and appeared confident, but in truth had ced her concern deeply into her heart: ¡°Lord Brendel¡¯s swordsmanship is excellent¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know he¡¯s very skilled, but if the previous challenge was a dragon, then this opponent of his would be even harder. Even if it¡¯s just Aouine alone, there are many Sword Saints.¡±

    Scarlett¡¯s confident expression froze and she started to worry too.

    Brendel¡¯s thoughts were the same as Jana. He wondered what opponents he was going to face. Suddenly, a new power washed over the stage, and he felt something in him got severed.

    Medissa, the Wind Spirit Spiders, and the Silver Colt under him disappeared, and hended on the ground with both his feet.

    [The neswalker¡¯s energy has been cut off? Not only that, I feel like I¡¯m being drained. It looks like my stats are going down.]

    Brendel felt a numbing sensation on his scalp. He had originally hoped that this cheat-like ability was able to bypass the rules, but it seemed like the neswalker profession was still considered part of the Laws of this world.

    But he did not rely too much on his neswalker identity, and was not truly affected inside. He took in a light breath and adjusted his thoughts before staring at his surroundings cautiously.

    Darkness washed over the coliseum next, and a secondter, he found that he was on a dueling stage made out of granite blocks cut to perfection.

    His eyes searched the area, and discovered a familiar dark figureing out from the shadows.

    ¡°Buga?¡±

    ¡°The Cross Sword, Buga.¡±

    Kodan and Jana were able to recognize him. He had considerable fame with a unique stance and swordsmanship, easily allowing both of them to identify him.

    Kodan frowned deeply. He had met Buga when he was younger and knew of his potential in the sword, but he was slightly relieved as Torbus¡¯s lineage was surely as good as Buga if not better. The young man was of his blood after all.

    Jana sighed with relief as well. She had seen Buga on her way to Lantonrand and heard rumors of his skill in the sword, but she believed that he was much easier to deal with whenpared to famous grandmaster swordsmen.

    Before the two people had the chance to gauge who the winner would be, another shadow came forward.

    Brendel cursed loudly in his mind.

    [Damn it, Tirste? There¡¯s one more. Shit, this time it¡¯s Ebdon...... Who¡¯s thisst person?]

    There was a fourth shadow that came out, but his face was still shrouded in darkness.

    Brendel¡¯s body reacted on its own by trembling a little without its owner noticing.

    ¡°That¡¯s!¡± Kodan¡¯s expressionpletely turned to one of shock.

    ¡°T-t-the Dragon of H-H-Hararth.......¡± Jana¡¯s expression had also changed, and she felt like her throat had been stuck with something when she saw the fourth person¡¯s attire and longsword.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Scarlett¡¯s brows furrowed together and asked in confusion.

    Jana turned her head and looked back with an expression of defeat and panic, but words refused toe out.

    But Brendel did not have the time to worry about who the fourth person was. He suddenly realized he was in deep trouble.

    It was one against four.

 volume 3 - 71

    Chapter 71 ¨C King of the underground (22)

    ================= Odum¡¯s POV ===================

    ¡°Ouch!¡±

    A girl¡¯s yelp of pain echoed throughout a dark tunnel, and the dwarf who had just crawled out at the end of it had to turn back his head again. He saw Romaine clutching her forehead with tearful eyes as she tried to make her way out.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The old dwarf patted the merchant girl¡¯s left hand and saw that her pale forehead had a red patch on it.

    His eyes bulged and eximed with exasperation: ¡°Why did you knock yourself again? Didn¡¯t I tell you that this tunnel was dug for my own personal use? It¡¯s definitely going to be a low ceiling for you, so you need to be careful about how you move about!¡±

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t warn me again after that.¡± Little Romaine clutched her head,ining and muttering with a frown.

    ¡°Lass, this doesn¡¯t need to be reminded all the time!¡± The dwarf sighed and lent a hand to pull her out from the pits, ¡°Alright, how is it, do you still feel pain, girl?¡±

    ¡°Of course it hurts!¡± Came the reply without any hesitation.

    ¡°Well, you must hold it in even if it hurts. If we dwarves stubbed our toe on a sheet of metal, we wouldn¡¯t even make a sound.¡± Odum went close to the forest¡¯s edge as he spoke and looked down. The road to the mines was just below them. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re pretty much in the Silver Mines now. Quickly now, wear your bandana!¡±

    But Romaine was apparently more interested in his earlier words.

    ¡°Is it really true?¡± She stared back with big round eyes as the dwarf made his way back to her: ¡°Even if you stubbed your toe, you wouldn¡¯t make a sound?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± The old dwarf clearly saw that the little girl did not believe him. He red and yelled angrily at her: ¡°Lass! I¡¯m an old dwarf whose beard is longer than your hair. Do you think I¡¯m lying!¡±

    He watched Romaine flip open her bag and search it with great interest. Soon enough, she brought out a t object that was ck in color.

    And his jaw soon unlodged itself and hung loosely.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Odum said with great suspicion.

    ¡°A metal te!¡±

    ¡°What are you doing with it?¡±

    ¡°Testing if it¡¯s true?¡± The merchant replied curiously with innocent eyes.

    ¡°Get! Why would a dwarf do such a ridiculous thing!¡± His expression immediately changed: ¡°Lass, why do you even have this thing in your bag to begin with!¡±

    Her reaction made him blink in an odd manner.

    The merchant girl was tilting her head with arge smile, with her long finger moving across her face repeatedly as she spoke smugly: ¡°Shame on you, you¡¯re bragging! My aunt didn¡¯t lie to me. She said dwarves love to brag!¡±

    ¡°What did you say!¡± Odum¡¯s temper red up and he raised his fist. But he suddenly remembered that she was a young girl and he had lived a long life. He could not possibly make beat her up or her aunt, for that matter. In the end, he coughed and reluctantly let it go. ¡°Let me tell you, little girl, only witches would make that im!¡±

    Odum did not know he had hit the nail on the head.

    He thought for a moment and decided he had to at least maintain his dignity: ¡°The reason for not trying is there¡¯s no need to. Also, we¡¯re in the mines and we sneaked in here. It would be bad if we get discovered just because we made a bunch of noises!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Lass, do you think a dwarf in my position would lie to you? I¡¯m different from those cunning humans!¡±

    But before he could finish his words, he heard a yell that came from the forest:

    ¡°Who¡¯s inside there?¡±

    The old dwarf¡¯s words were silenced. He turned his head back stiffly to peek out from the bushes and instantly discovered a group of patrolling riders. He did not know when they appeared exactly, but evidently, the loud exchange between Romaine and himself had caused them to be discovered.

    ¡°Oh, this is bad.¡± Odum frowned and ced a finger to his lips: ¡°Don¡¯t speak, got it?¡±

    He emphasized his words as he was afraid that she would cause trouble.

    But the girl nodded obediently like she understood, though she stared at her surroundings looking a little excited.

    The two trespassers whispered amongst themselves, but that did not mean that the people out there had failed to overhear their mumblings.

    ¡°The people who are inside the forest, stop hiding ande out right now. We definitely saw you.¡± Themander signaled to his men. They untied their guns below their saddle and took them out, and he waved his own threateningly: ¡°If you don¡¯te out, we¡¯re going to attack.¡±

    Romaine immediately cast her gaze back at the dwarf. Even though she had a weak sense of social interactions, she traveled enough with Brendel to know the knights were not giving out empty threats.

    ¡®What should we do next?¡¯ ¡ª said her eyes.

    The dwarf did not need her reminder. He immediately stood up from the bushes in a hurry and raised his hands: ¡°Captain Mordel, it¡¯s me, don¡¯t shoot!¡±

    The captain of the riders was slightly taken by surprise but he quickly lowered his gun: ¡°Odum, so it¡¯s you, old fellow. You¡¯re sneaking in again. Well, Lord Perkins is asking for you,¡± he suddenly nced at Romaine and asked puzzledly, ¡°who¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°..... She¡¯s one of my rtives.¡± The old dwarf¡¯s skin was nearly not thick enough to spit out this lie without blushing, but he had no choice to give a shoddy excuse for this unexpected encounter. ¡°What does Perkins want me for?¡±

    ¡°Your rtive?¡± The riders immediately ¡®understood¡¯ and some of them even made fun of him, ¡°oh, I didn¡¯t know you had a daughter¡ª¡±

    ¡°Cut out your prattling!¡± Mordel quickly interrupted his men. ¡°Something has happened to the mines, and Ser Kodan has gone in to check it. Lord Perkins wants you to help out¡ª¡±

    There was clearly not much respect in the riders¡¯ tone when it came to Perkins.

    Odum snorted through his nose.

    ¡°What exactly happened in the mines?¡±

    ¡°It seems like someone has dug into the pits again. Monsters came out and injured the miners. I have to thank Mother Marshater. Today¡¯s not my duty to guard the mines¡ª¡± Mordel clearly did not have the disposition of a military officer, and appeared to be even relieved. ¡°And the events are just like what you have probably experienced. There¡¯s an earthquake, and it¡¯s a real mess inside the mines.¡±

    The dwarf¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard the heart of the mines were dug through again. But the news of the earthquakes and monsters made him turn his focus on that aspect. ¡°An earthquake? Are the tunnels preserved? Hmm, the emergency tunnels A4, A12, B3, are they still usable? And how about the lifts?¡±

    Odum knew the mines like the back of his hand. He immediately asked about the stable tunnels that would lead to the fifth level.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Mordel shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to go in right now. You can try asking information about it from the guards there, but old fellow, you can¡¯t be serious about going in. You must think carefully. There are monsters below, and there¡¯s no need to work so hard by putting your on the line for that ¡®Lord Perkins¡¯, right?¡±

    ¡°Hmph. What would you know?¡± The dwarf answered grumpily.

    ¡°Fine, fine, then I wish that you will croak faster, old man,¡± he leered at Romaine, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help take care of your rtive¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Odum roared in fury.

    The ridersughed and started moving away.

    The dwarf turned back to Romaine with apologetic grumblings, but he quickly lost his ability to maintain his dignity. Romaine was looking at him with curiosity and repressedughter.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really very important¡ª¡± Romaine nodded earnestly, ¡°I won¡¯tugh or look down on you for bragging about how respected you are on the way here!¡±

    Odum was immediately rooted to the spot and felt like his reputation was ruined.

 volume 3 - 72

    Chapter 72 ¨C King of the Underworld (23)

    Brendel nearly allowed his sword his sword to tter on the ground when he finally realized who the fourth person was.

    Torbus Cadirosso, his grandfather.

    The former Brendel did not have fond memories of his grandfather when thetter trained him during his childhood.

    A certain fragment floated before Brendel¡¯s eyes.

    The taciturn old man forced the boy to measure the distance with every single thrust and was not allowed to make a mistake. If the boy was off with his attack, then his grandfather would parry against his attack and wound him with welts thatsted for days.

    Brendel closed his eyes to reflect on his state of mind when he felt certain sections on his skin crawl. When he opened them a secondter, the sensation was gone.

    [These are people who had defeated me in one way or another. Buga was thest person I fought who used his Element Power and forced my loss. Tirste nearly killed me with his thrust. Ebdon proved to be stronger against me when I fought against at my level. Finally, my grandfather whom the former Brendel had never won. But this is a challenge in skill where all our stats are equal.....]

    Brendel sifted through the fragmented memories of his grandfather and his former self.

    [An orthodox swordsmanship. Straightforward offense and defense. My grandfather doesn¡¯t seem to be very impressive. In terms of swordsmanship, Ebdon probably has the best swordsmanship, since he retains his knowledge of his past life. Buga is troublesome because of his two-step attacks that are just filled with power and speed. Tirste¡¯s swordsmanship is mostly based on fencing.]

    Tirste, who had an oddly seductive appearance for a man, relied on his Gold-ranked stats to overwhelm the opponents with quick thrusts. The Duel of Ordeals limited him the most since his swordsmanship relied on stats to make it work.

    Brendel nced at each of his opponents while they slowly surrounded him in a circle. He decided to go after Tirste as it was annoying to deal with thrusts, but the situation was still unfavorable since he had to fight against numbers.

    Once the Coliseum of Destiny epted a challenge, there would be no possible way to stop it other than losing and surrendering.

    Although the youths at the walls were not able to read what the rules were, they realized the difficulty of the challenge went up each time. It might be possible that the opponents were strong enough to resist Brendel¡¯s strange power. Some of them sped their hands tightly and hoped they were wrong.

    Kodan stood there in momentary shock. Even if he went inside to substitute Brendel, he felt that he would not be able to do anything. Torbus¡¯s skill in the sword would easily defeat him every single time.

    [I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s the real or it¡¯s just an illusion. But if he¡¯s real, I hope he goes easy on his grandson.]

    ¡°Watch out!¡± One of the youths yelled out.

    Tirste made the first move. Even though his speed could not be seen as quick, the path of attack he had chosen was in Brendel¡¯s blind spot.

    The warning was well-timed.

    Brendel¡¯s head shifted slightly to allow his line of sight to reach Tirste¡¯s position and swung his sword behind his back, causing thetter¡¯s thrust to veer off its target.

    [As expected, Tirste¡¯s fencing swordsmanship isn¡¯t impressive. Around the skill of a level 40.]

    The initial exchange between their swords made Brendel feel that thetter¡¯s threat was lower than he expected.

    His other three opponents started moving once Tirste attacked. Brendel leaped back and knocked into Tirste as hard as he could while continuing to face them.

    The viscount stumbled a few steps and Brendel elbowed his abdomen as hard as he could. The impact sent him sprawling onto the floor, but before he could give the finishing blow with his sword, Ebdon swooped into Brendel¡¯s front with burning white mes in his eyes, while Buga approached squarely from his back.

    [These bastards really know how to work together,]

    Brendel cursed in his mind.

    He dared not to engage them from the front and back as it would spell certain death. He hurriedly avoided Ebdon¡¯s overhead sh, kicked off the ground, and rolled across it to distance himself away from the two iing men.

    The Pale Knight immediately followed up with a technique. Two shes that came in the form of a vertical and horizontal direction were released to Brendel¡¯s direction.

    [It¡¯s one of Madara¡¯s Arte, Cross Strike!]

    Brendel pushed himself off the ground and leaped into the air with a somersault, avoiding the well-known technique that was easily fatal to many in the early game. Madara¡¯s military swordsmanship pursued closebat with speed and strength, but Cross Strike was one of the rare ranged attacked it had.

    Ebdon¡¯s technique sent a small storm of dust into the air, and Brendel narrowed his eyes a little when hended on one knee. But before he was able to stand, Ebdon¡¯s sword traveled a straight line to his neck.

    Brendel gritted his teeth and received the attack with his de. Steel shed together, but Brendel managed to subtly angled his sword and pushed Ebdon back. But his counterattack was stopped short when a heavy greatsword appeared from the left in his eyes¡ª

    Buga¡¯s greatsword went Brendel retreat yet again.

    Ebdon did not miss the opportunity and once again went on the offensive. His two opponents tightened the space where Brendel could retreat in just a few moves. Since his de could only parry another at any given time, it made most of the people feel that he was going to get cut down at any given time.

    And that moment came. Ebdon and Buga¡¯s attacks came together at the same time where Brendel had no space to evade. Screams leaked out of several people¡¯s voices, but Brendel pulled one of the stolen guards¡¯ swords and parried both iing des.

    Unfortunately, the strength of his left hand was not the same as his right.

    Buga¡¯s greatsword changed direction, but before it did so, it managed to slice across Brendel¡¯s face, and thetter sucked in the dusty air with a hiss. He immediately cursed in his mind.

    [Fuck, why can¡¯t you pick somewhere else instead of my face!]

    The youth¡¯s body quickly turned around with the aid of Buga¡¯s attack. He first pried open Ebdon¡¯s defenses with Frontal Assault with his left sword and unleashed Power Break on the other.

    The Pale Knight was sent flying back; his sword was blown away and became embedded in the ground.

    [Pity. I can¡¯t chase him because Charge isn¡¯t based on a sword technique. It¡¯s dangerous to chase Ebdon without it.]

    Brendel¡¯s mind remained clear. An ordinary person might have chosen to rush out and try to strike Ebdon while it was down, but the first directive of Madara¡¯s Military Swordsmanship was to exchange blow for blow if it was unavoidable. An undead was dead, after all, so why would they bother to defend themselves?

    As expected, Ebdon immediately went for its sword, instead of fleeing to allow the others to cover for him. Brendel took one step towards the undead general before stopping.

    This action made thetter believe the youth¡¯s attack wasing, and it went further into a defenseless stance to allow rotational strength to be added to his de.

    Brendel took another step.

    A powerful roundabout swing that hit nothing because Ebdon misjudged his opponent¡¯s distance.

    But Ebdon¡¯s military swordsmanship hid a trap in its attack.

    The opening that it showed to Brendel afters its wide swing was even bigger than before, If he took the bait, its de would be swung once again. And with Brendel¡¯s third step, it thought that it had the youth right where he wanted.

    Brendel soared to the sky.

    The swing of Ebdon¡¯s de cut nothing but empty air.

    Tirste had gotten up a few moments ago and rushed to Ebdon¡¯s side to help it, but Brendel flung his sword at him with Power Break in mid-air, and the projectile forced Tirste to guard against it. His advance was stalled and his fingers trembled after deflecting the sword away.

    Ebdon¡¯s counterattack hadpletely left itself open. Buga was on the other side and could no longer tie Brendel down.

    Brendel sailed through the air in an elegant arc and thrust Kodan¡¯s sword¡ª

    Time seemed to slow down when people realize that Brendel¡¯s attack was going to pierce through his target.

    Everyone watched with bated breaths. This battle was different from the past yet again. Unlike the duel against Varian, Brendel¡¯s dazzling skill in the sword was seen for the very first time. Even though it was not as grand as the battle against the Type IV hunter Knights or the dragon, they still felt as though they were intoxicated.

    The youths did not really understand the level of skill presented before them, but they could see that Brendel hadpletely overturned a supposedly impossible situation and gained the upper-hand once again. This was even crazier than the stories in the inns, where the protagonist in front of them would keep on winning against the odds¡ª

    But the script did not progress as they thought it would.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes saw his grandfather stay rooted in the very same spot since the beginning of the battle. He did not understand why thetter did not move, but there was no possible way that Ebdon could be saved now.

    Reality betrayed his convictions.

    A terrifying wail broke across the air like a whip and Brendel felt his hair standing up in terror. He could certainly pierce through Ebdon¡¯s throat, but if he did so, the wind de from his grandfather would cut him into half.

    The youth immediately turned his body andunched his own White Raven Sword Arte. An explosive st of wind immediately hurled him across the stage, and he crashed into the ground, rolling across it several times uncontrobly before stopping himself by digging his sword into the ground. His fingers were numb and throbbed painfully¡ª

    [I lost in technique?]

    Brendel was shocked.

    While it was true that he could not unleash the full potential of the White Raven Sword Arte in his position, he knew that he would lose even if he had his feet nted on the ground.

    The youths uttered cries of pity when they saw Brendel knocked away in mid-air, not knowing his plight.

    ¡°This is strange, why is Brendel so much weaker than he used to be?¡± Jana suddenly realized the strange phenomenon.

    ¡°Torbus and that brat are far too weak. What¡¯s going on?¡± Kodan frowned deeply, also nothing the limitations that the Coliseum of Destiny had implemented.

    Brendel¡¯s opponents slowly surrounded him again. But this time they were cautious enough to stop and observe for signs of a weakness first. The youth hurriedly arranged his thoughts.

    [The Coliseum of Destiny created my opponents based on the skill what they had shown in the past. It¡¯s not unlike that Golden Demonic Tree. Buga and Tirste did not use their full extent of their skill when I encountered them, so they definitely don¡¯t reflect their counterpart in reality. But my grandfather¡ª]

    Brendel was momentarily confused.

    He could not remember much about him, but the level of his grandfather¡¯s skill exceeded even Kodan, who was the strongest swordsman he had seen so far. Did the Coliseum of Destiny dig into some subconscious memories that he did not know of?

    The youth believed he would find out the truth once he crossed swords formally with his grandfather. But he was still disappointed that his efforts were fruitless at the very end of the attack and even lost part of his stamina.

 volume 3 - 73

    Chapter 73 ¨C King of the Underworld (24)

    The second roundmenced with Torbus leading the attack and Brendel immediately shied away. The position he was in did not allow him to fight against four opponents.

    His target was Tirste yet again, and he unleashed his full extent of his military swordsmanship against him. The tip of his de wavered at different vital points, making it difficult for Tirste to know where the de was going to go next.

    Brendel¡¯s sword went for Tirste¡¯s fingers, and thetter was barely able to deflect the attack in time. But the youth¡¯s deflected sword seemed to correct itself into another path of attack and seeded in wounding Tirste¡¯s left leg.

    The androgynous man staggered backward, but Brendel did not follow up and retreated instead, as Torbus hade in with a straightforward sh from the sides.

    Rushed footsteps shuffled across the floor as three des tried to cut the youth in three different directions, and he soon suffered another wound.

    Metal shed desperately with each other as Brendel tried his best to whittle his opponents one at a time, whilepletely avoiding a match with his grandfather. However, his three other opponents seemed to pick up on what he was doing and were content to let Torbus take the charge and lead them.

    Brendel seemed to look like he was doing fine to most of his spectators, but the truth could not be further away.

    His grandfather did not show that earlier attack, and fought with incredibly simple strikes and thrusts. That was when Brendel knew that he was not entering into a match of skill, but one of attrition.

    His grandfather was spending a minuscule of stamina to exchange for Brendel¡¯s desperate defense, forcing thetter to exert a considerable amount of energy, and this n was working because of the two to three different points of attack from his other opponents which he needed to defend against.

    And it was getting only harder.

    The coordination of the three swordsmen was getting better and better. He knew that the illusionary equilibrium between them would be shattered once he made a mistake.

    [It¡¯s fortunate that I got an increase in my military swordsmanship against Kodan earlier, otherwise, I would have been cut down several times......]

    In the previous fight against Kodan, Brendel had forcefully incorporated his knowledge of Kirrlutz¡¯s swordsmanship from the game into his core Aouine¡¯s military swordsmanship from the system.

    Kodan¡¯s usage of Aouine¡¯s military swordsmanship was powerful strikes that linked from one point to another, allowing for endless variations to keep on attacking.

    But Brendel¡¯s usage of Aouine¡¯s military swordsmanship was based on the gamers, where attacking was based on feints and counters that could be repeated again and again with incredible efficiency. In addition to this style, he added in Kirrlutz¡¯s sh Strikes which were aggressive and lightning fast.

    This pattern had caused Kodan to hesitate in his attacks, and he was now using it once more against his opponents.

    But it was primarily because of Brendel¡¯s incredibly extensive knowledge of the different types of swordsmanship that saved him.

    His eyes were concentrating so hard on his opponents that he picked up even the slightest movements of their muscles, and his body responded to the amount of information that was fed to his mind.

    Each move from his opponents could be identified and dealt with ordingly, and the exchange of defense and offense continued.

    Seconds turned to minutes.

    Despite his utmost efforts, the wounds that Brendel suffered were starting to pile up. The noose was tightening around Brendel¡¯s neck as he was forced closer and closer to the barrier¡¯s edge.

    Brendel¡¯s body and mind were screaming with pain. His breath became shallow and the corners of his eyes were darkening. His thoughts became sluggish, but his counters against his opponents still happened.

    Each time Buga, Tirste, and Ebdon attacked, he was able to send back a flurry of attack and feints instead of purely guarding against them.

    The unification of the gamers¡¯ use of Aouine and Kirrlutz¡¯s swordsmanship was happening right before his eyes, turning the efforts of the gamers¡¯ research into reality.

    [No, it has exceeded the previous world because there are elements of the military swordsmanship from this system that I¡¯m using as well¡ª]

    Brendel¡¯s mind suddenly sharpened when he realized he was undergoing a metamorphosis.

    He took a step back as he deflected Tirste thrust to send it to Ebdon¡¯s iing sword, then parried Buga¡¯s greatsword with Power Break to force the gigantic weapon down so that his grandfather¡¯s attack faltered slightly, then borrowed the strength of his grandfather¡¯s affected sh to take another step back.

    The White Raven Sword Arte struck against the floor and sent dust flying into Ebdon¡¯s helmet and Tirste¡¯s eyes, momentarily blinding them. The inferior sh Strikes technique that he emted was swift enough to pierce through Buga¡¯s defenses and caused him to bleed.

    [While the system doesn¡¯t recognize my efforts officially, it seems that I¡¯m capable of executing the techniques to a certain extent with my stats and Military Swordsmanship rank.]

    He was not the only person who noticed his change.

    Kodan was able to perceive it as well, and he could not help but be jealous of Brendel¡¯s talent that seemed to increase to no end in sight. If he was the one fighting on the stage, he thought that he would not be able tost more than three rounds of attacks from the four opponents.

    The way how Brendel managed to defend against their attacks appeared as though he had fought against them hundreds or even thousands of times before.

    It made no sense to Kodan, but he could only attribute it to Brendel¡¯s talent. And the fact that he merged Kirrlutz and Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship made it truly unbelievable.

    [This isn¡¯t any of the sword styles taught by the Guardian Spirits...... This boy, is it true that he doesn¡¯t know what that term means? How can this be!]

    Kodan¡¯s questions continued to pop out one after another. The legacy item of Torbus was in Brendel¡¯s hands, Yet it seemed like he had no idea what it was.

    And even without the aid of the Guardian Spirit, he still managed to be a Gold-ranked swordsman.

    [Is this the meaning of talent?]

    Brendel went all out against his opponents.

    In a moment of folly, Tirste had made a mistake and allowed Brendel to disarm and kick him away. Buga received a punch to his throat and allowed Brendel to get him off-bnce. He was then flung to the other side of the stage.

    His grandfather directed his de to him in an overhead chop, but Brendel managed to defend against it by taking out another sword with his left hand, and intercepted it with the aid of Power Break, while his right hand struck out the White Sword Raven Arte against Ebdon, forcing him to retreat to the side as far as he possibly could to avoid the wind sh.

    [Time to duel!]

    Brendel roared in his mind.

    There was no doubt he had to take down his grandfather first. Every time heunched a fatal attack on the other three opponents, his grandfather would obstruct it and nearly caused him to receive a fatal attack instead.

    The youth discarded his left hand¡¯s sword and went back to a single weapon. Time seemed to slow down as he unleashed the full extent of his techniques against his current opponent.

    And he discovered that his grandfather¡¯s swordsmanship changed.

    The simplistic thrusts, shes, strikes, and chops suddenly took on an additional trait.

    Endless.

    An endless array of defensive lines. A perfect sphere where no attacks could prate through his grandfather¡¯s defenses. If Brendel was able to activate his Analyze skill, he was certain that he would see how exquisitely precise his grandfather¡¯s use of Aouine¡¯s military swordsmanship was. Each feint that Brendel made was useless because his grandfather¡¯s de seemingly mirrored his own, always ready, always there to impede whatever attacks that he had nned in mind.

    Kirrlutz¡¯s swordsmanship was almostughable. It was utterly useless. Even though the tempest-like attacks from Brendel seemed like he was forcing his grandfather back, he knew that thetter was purposely retreating in order to conserve stamina. A single step and a shift in body posture to let an immature thrust go past effortlessly.

    Each time Brendel took a step forward made him feel like he was getting caught in a trap. The techniques of the gamers were somehow getting analyzed in full by his grandfather, and each time their des met, he could not help but feel that a counterattack woulde.

    Cold perspiration had already drenched all over his body from the intense pressure.

    He had no choice.

    He admitted that his grandfather¡¯s knowledge of Aouine¡¯s military swordsmanship exceeded the collective research of the gamers in the past world.

    The exchange between them continued till Brendel went past half the stage. His grandfather finally made his counterattack as though he was satisfied that the youth¡¯s swordsmanship could no longer present a threat to him.

    An explosive sh of metals echoed throughout the Coliseum.

    [Again..... It¡¯s my loss.]

    Brendel nearly dropped his sword from the impact and staggered backward, while his grandfather stood at where he was. He had put in everything to make a contest of power. The result was having his fingers feeling nothing.

    He stared wordlessly at Torbus. He still had not given up.

    [Would deception work? Should I try and create an opening to let my grandfather make a mistake?]

    There was a chance since he had the ability, Unyielding Will. A bait that might entice even thetter. But Brendel¡¯s instincts told him that it was highly unrealistic.

    At this moment, Kodan shouted out to him.

    ¡°Boy!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s exhaustion was at its peak. He could barely recognize that it was someone from the outside calling out to him, but he did not understand why the old man would want to distract him, and was a little annoyed.

    [Are you trying to get rid of me at this time by distracting me?]

    ¡°Where¡¯s your Guardian Spirit?¡± Kodan yelled.

    ¡°This again?¡± Brendel muttered to himself.

    Kodan realized that Brendel truly had no idea what he was talking about, and corrected his words.

    ¡°Your ring, use your ring!¡±

    [Ring of the Wind Empress? But skills and items unrted to sword techniques are sealed.]

    The youth did not bother to reply.

    The old man was taken aback when he saw Brendel¡¯s displeasure. He suddenly understood the problem.

    ¡°Boy! Wait, I¡¯m not asking you to use it. Express your desire to the ring and wish on it with all your heart! That ring contains a secret! Your grandfather has used it in the past in the same way!¡±

    Brendel finally looked back at Kodan with surprise.

    Kodan jumped a little when he saw Torbus moving. ¡°Watch out!¡±

    Brendel suddenly felt death creeping up to him. The sudden distraction had momentarily caused him to lose his concentration¡ª

 volume 3 - 74

    Chapter 74 ¨C King of the Underworld (25)

    Brendel¡¯s head immediately snapped back, but his reaction to his grandfather¡¯s longsword was slow. It was an unerring thrust imbued with a technique simr to Power Break, no, a technique that was superior to it. It felt as if the de¡¯s sharpness had already reached his heart before it even reached him.

    Brendel¡¯s heart palpitated. Blood rushed to his head, and he faintly put in the idea to swing his de upwards to try and divert the attack as much as possible, while his body sunk a little to evade the sword¡¯s path. But the fatal thrust seemed to follow his heart like a magic spell.

    It was toote. Brendel felt the metallic feedback from his sword, yet Torbus¡¯s sword was not deterred in the slightest in its path. Cold steel reached pricked his skin and broke through.

    [I...... failed? But I haven¡¯t seeded in the things that I needed to do yet¡ª]

    Brendel¡¯s cry ofment echoed in his mind. The amount of effort that he put in for months and had risked his life repeatedly to save the kingdom was all for naught. Frustration assailed his heart and he could not help but tear up.

    Pain red through his flesh as his opponent¡¯s de continued to reach for his heart. It was all over. Brendel¡¯s thoughts could not help but think back on the people he had encountered in this world.

    A second passed.

    Brendel had taken a step back when he felt the impact from the de. And he was immediately bewildered. How could he possibly be pushed back like he was being struck by a blunt weapon? When he nced at the trembling de in his chest, he was shocked to find blue light emitting from the wound.

    An unknown power was pushing the foreign body out of his chest with force.

    An explosion rang out.

    Brendel and Torbus hurled dramatically away from each other.

    Screams and yells rang out from the coliseum when they saw the youth getting run through with a de, then confusion set in when they saw a blue light forming into the shape of a human figure, standing between him and his grandfather.

    Very quickly, they saw that it a translucent woman who had long hair going past her shoulders. She wore an Elven longsword on her sword belt while fully d with te mail armor.

    Kodan blinked several times when he saw Brendel¡¯s Guardian Spirit. He thought the Guardian Spirit was going to be Torbus¡¯s former Guardian Spirit.

    [Certainly, there are females amongst the Twenty Four Knights, but I really did not think the one who answered him would be a female knight.]

    Kodan was shaking his head inwardly. His own Guardian Spirit was the Wind Destroyer, Suorat, while Torbus had the Grey Swordsman, Grice. The female knights amongst the Guardian Spirits had their own swordsmanships as well, but surely they were unsuitable for males.

    In addition to that, there was even a female knight whose main weapon was a bow and not a sword. When he took a second look, Kodan thought it was probably not the female archer, as the description of her appearance was a ponytail along with a long cloak.

    But one thing was clear. This was truly Brendel¡¯s first encounter with his Guardian Spirit given his stunned expressions.

    [If this boy managed to climb to this level of skill without unsealing his Guardian Spirit, then how far would his limits be in the future!]

    Kodan was unable to gauge.

    But unlike what the spectators were seeing, Brendel was experiencing something entirely different. Time had slowed down in his vision. Noises ceased and he was in an isted space.

    It was simr to the first time when he encountered Tuman.

    He did understand, however, that the Ring of the Wind Empress had something to do with his situation.

    [How¡¯s this possible? Even the neswalker¡¯s abilities were shut down, so how did the ring work in this duel? ...... Unless the Laws of the ring are simr to the Coliseum of Destiny, and it became a loophole.]

    ¡°Boy, this is the second time that I have saved you.¡±

    A beautiful voice wormed inside Brendel¡¯s ears from behind. It was filled with an elegant, aristocratic-like tone. Brendel could only imagine nothing but a woman filled with exquisite charm.

    ¡°Who¡¯re you?¡± Brendel was shocked, whirling around to find a stunning woman with Elven features on her face.

    He didn¡¯t know there was a third soul in his body ever since he teleported to this parallel world.

    ¡°I¡¯ll exin these things to youter. This isted space cannotst. Your improvement is certainly incredible, but it¡¯s still not enough to deal with these enemies. Let me use your body.¡±

    Brendel jumped a little upon hearing that. There were spirits and ghosts possessing bodies in the game, and he retreated hastily. But the Elven woman beckoned to him and his body, or soul, walked towards her while ignoring hismands to stay away from her.

    He found himself merging with the spirit.

    And he was back into reality. The woman who suddenly appeared on the stage had disappeared. His opponents looked around in confusion, but they did not stand idly and cautiously surrounded him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid,¡± the female voice in his head spoke, ¡°concentrate and observe the ring in your hand.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s mind spun quickly.

    [The real Ring of the Wind Empress? Osor¡¯s Divine Artifact, The Wind Empress¡¯s Lament? How¡¯s that possible, and how did my grandfather have a ring that¡¯s at least a Fantasy rank?]

    The true Ring of the Wind Empress that the gamers found was an artifact that allowed one to implement an Aura of Wind Element. It bestowed the ability to control the Wind Element Power temporarily and went past the simple spell of a Wind Bullet from the replicated rings.

    Yet a spirit or soul suddenly appeared out from nowhere from this supposedly fake ring in his hand. It was as if the gamers had it wrong, and the fake replica was actually the real deal.

    ¡°Boy, stop getting surprised,¡± the female voice urged, ¡°quickly get used to it and focus. I can only manifest in my state for a short while. This isn¡¯t the proper way to activate the Holy Seal.¡±

    ¡°The Holy Seal?¡±

    ¡°The reason for our manifestation is to pass our legacy to the ones worthy of seeding it. But you¡¯re in danger and require my assistance, so I¡¯m forcibly breaking the Laws of the Holy Seal and manifesting myself before you. I need you to unseal the ring so that I can lend my knowledge to your body and mind through it. I¡¯ll exin the matters concerning this to you in the future¡ª¡±

    Brendel was still confused, but understood the danger he was in and quickly studied the Ring of the Wind Empress.

    A brilliant sh of light poured out from the ring¡ª

    Brendel suddenly stood up and roared, and a dominating aura filled the stage. It stopped his opponents from advancing any further.

    Knowledge poured into his mind and his body became lighter. One thing immediately came to his mind as familiar techniques came rushing back to him¡ª

    [I have returned as the warrior in the game.]

    ¨C Ring of the Wind Empress (Unsealed)

    ¨C +1 Agility

    ¨C Magic spell: Wind Bullet

    ¨C Holy Seal activation: Guardian Spirit has been released.

    ¨C Possessed state.

    ¨C Shared techniques are avable.

    Green words appeared in his retina.

    [...... Guardian Spirit? That¡¯s a term I have never heard before in the game.]

    Two terms caught the youth¡¯s attention. ¡®Guardian Spirit¡¯ and ¡®Shared techniques¡¯.

    Brendel easily understood the first term.

    Was he possessed by a spirit? Or ghost? Or soul?

    It usually indicated some kind of debuff, and gamers understood that warning well enough.

    The second term was familiar as well. This term was typically reserved for wizards in the game whererge ritual spells were cast. Many people to ¡®gain¡¯ that spell through the main caster. It was the same thing when he used Medissa¡¯s techniques just a few minutes ago.

    He suddenly became curious about the description in his Stats Window and opened it. He once again froze in shock.

    He still held his old titles: Commoner, Militia, Mercenary, Elementalist, Schr. There were skills as well attached to the various professions as well.

    But there were three new professions.

    ¨C Swordsman

    ¨C Sword Saint

    ¨C Knight of the Seal.

    [The first two professions are easy to understand. The former is a basic profession for a yer, while the Sword Saint is a popr Advanced profession. I have never seen the third profession before, but the thing that surprised me the most...... Is the number of techniques and swordsmanships shared.]

    There were ten-odd swordsmanships that were added to his stats window. Brendel certainly knew these them, but he did not expect this strange woman to be so skilled. There were less than twenty people in this era with her strength in the entire continent.

    ¡°Are you a Wind Elf?¡± He asked, thinking that she came from the distant past.

    ¡°Shhh,¡± the woman said, and Brendel felt an enjoyable sensation on his lips, as though she had ced a finger there, ¡°the noble me shall answer your questionster. Pay attention, your enemies are about to approach.¡±

    Brendel nced at his surroundings. His four enemies had once again surrounded him.

    ¡°Here, let me help you out¡ª¡± The woman said.

    But Brendel refused immediately.

    ¡°No.¡± The youth tly denied her.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± The female Elf was surprised.

    ¡°This is my duel.¡±

    The system had restored his body and mind to be simr to his former body in the game. Once he had these skills, he was confident that he would not be any weaker than anyone here. Even if he was back in the War of the Holy Saints, he would still be considered one of the strong.

    ¡°Boy!¡± Kodan yelled out again.

    He knew what had happened when he saw Brendel shouting earlier. His Guardian Spirit had also done the same thing of merging together with him when he was young, and the amount of information transmitted to him nearly incapacitated him because of the pain. His Guardian Spirit had to unmerge with him in order to keep him conscious, and he assumed that Brendel went through the same thing.

    And in the past, he had to deal with his danger with an iplete understanding of the techniques that was forced into his mind.

    ¡°Knowing the techniques is different from executing them! Perhaps I can give you some pointers on using the techniques given to you! Tell me, do you recognize any of the swordsmanships?¡±

    But he would never be to guess that Brendel was already capable of using the techniques avable, and that he had even surpassed the techniques that were given by the system. In addition to that, the system handled the information overload and he waspletely unaffected by the merging.

 volume 3 - 75

    Chapter 75 ¨C King of the Underworld (26)

    His grandfather took the lead to attack again, with the other three following close behind. It was the same strategy that they used earlier, and Brendel recognized that his stamina was getting low.

    The youth decided on his swordsmanship.

    He took out another sword from his back and fell into a familiar stance. It was a swordsmanship that his friend in the previous world was gifted in. He had put in considerable effort into it, but the skill ultimately shed with his ss and gave up on using it.

    [Two selves. The first self shall perceive his surroundings and make the decisions, and the second self shall handle the body¡¯s power and control.]

    A delicate bnce was created from a near-meditative state.

    ¡°Duel wielding?! Boy! What are you doing? There¡¯s no one who¡¯s capable of executing a new swordsmanship just like that¡ª¡±

    Torbus was the first to attack.

    [A slice to sever the jugr. Parry with the right sword, counter-thrust with the left sword.]

    Brendel¡¯s machine-like efficiency nearly reached Torbus¡¯s level of control.

    His grandfather retreated against his counter.

    Then Tirste approached from the youth¡¯s right, while Ebdon moved in from the opposite direction.

    [Tirste¡¯s attack is a feint. Ebdon¡¯s is using Madara¡¯s overhead strike. Step into Ebdon¡¯s space to take initiative.]

    The youth lunged at Ebdon, forcing him to change into a defensive posture in a hurry.

    [Parry against Buga¡¯s greatsword, then use Power Break and deflect it to Tirste.]

    A loud metallic grind happened as he superbly changed the angle of Buga¡¯s two-handed attack, and stopped Tirste from approaching

    Kodan¡¯s eyes nearly popped up of their sockets. If they were not properly affixed to his head, they would be rolling about on the ground. He recognized the Wind Elves¡¯ swordsmanship.

    The Sword Dance of Wind.

    [H-he¡¯s using the swordsmanship like he has been practicing for years¡ª No, there¡¯s no hesitation in his moves at all. It feels like he hasbat experience with the swordsmanship! What kind of talent is this!]

    ¡°Boy!¡± A female Elf¡¯s surprised voice echoed in Brendel¡¯s head again.

    She had been with Brendel ever since he left Be. He had never disyed any signs of knowing Elven swordsmanship, yet his skill in it appeared like he had been using it for years.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Brendel¡¯s mind was clear enough to even squeeze in a reply to her, as though he was watching the duel from the sidelines.

    ¡°Your talent in the sword is truly enviable. I think that person is the only one who can match you.¡± A soft sigh escaped her throat, and it nearly crashed his perfect state of mind when he listened to it with a hundred percent focus.

    He did not know who that person was but made a guess that it could have been King Gatel. Thetter was considered the best talent during the era of War of the Saints. Even if there were countless prodigies back then, he still stood out amongst them.

    Confusion set amongst his opponents with the exception of his grandfather.

    The old man rushed into Brendel¡¯s space with a defensive approach meant to wear him down, and the youth felt a cold dread in his head when he saw the other three opponents realized the strategy.

    Not only was his grandfather¡¯s skill outrageous, he was fighting with the ability tomand.

    [Just who exactly was my grandfather? Damn it, the others areing back again.]

    A storm of des struck at Torbus, while he suppressed his other three opponents. The reversal between Brendel and his opponents had already shocked the spectators. It was especially potent amongst the youths, who believed Brendel to be the equivalent of a God of War.

    ¡°As expected of the former owner of the ring. His skill is impressive.¡± The female Elf said with admiration.

    Brendel did not reply as his mind went into overdrive to find a weakness. Unlike the people watching from the outside who saw him suppressing everyone, he knew that his grandfather¡¯s defense was like an imprable fortress. Even if he was at his peak condition to use the Sword Dance of Wind, he was not certain that he could win.

    In addition to that, the moment he tried going after the other opponents, his grandfather would rescue them out of danger with incredible uracy.

    [There¡¯s no choice. I have to switch back to a single longsword.]

    Brendel did not wish to use the second swordsmanship he had reserved as a trump card because it would certainly drain all his stamina. There was no telling what would happen after this match because Medissa had been dismissed, and Scarlett lost her strength. What would happen if Kodan tried to take advantage of the situation?

    He stopped his offense and retreated quickly. His opponents did not rush to pursue him.

    The swordsmanship that he intended to use was the very same one that his previous avatar had used at level 130. The amount of time he had spent using it in the game exceeded all others.

    This particr swordsmanship was passed down in history from the War of the Holy Saints and spread to the north, finding its way to a particr kingdom.

    Brendel sheathed his left sword back into his belt and readied his other sword into an aggressive position. His legs nearly touched the ground as his body wound itself tightly.

    [The symbol of the Kingdom of Knights, and gamers had further improved it ¡ª The Swordsmanship of Charging Tempest!]

    At that moment, it seemed like Brendel had cheated and activated the Sun Knight¡¯s Charge skill.

    Tirste was surprised to see the youth suddenly appear before him. Torbus was in front leading them, not to mention that Brendel was supposedly a great distance away.

    Buga and Ebdon opponents were not able to see how Brendel did it too.

    Torbus could only look back in surprise, but when he did so, he discovered that Brendel had already pierced through Tirste¡¯s throat.

    ¡°Boy, that doesn¡¯t appear to be my swordsmanship.¡± The Elven woman looked upon the scene with astonishment.

    ¡°I adopted and improved it,¡± Brendel said shamelessly.

    Torbus caught glimpses of a sprint from Brendel that removed all semnce of defense or offense, and his center of gravity was so low that he might as well be running on fours. Thetter did not waste any time and darted across the field to reach Ebdon next.

    But before the youth could reach him, he found Torbus in his path. An explosive sh of steel happened between them and both took several steps back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± His grandfather¡¯s expression changed and he spoke for the first time.

    This was the first time Brendel heard him speak, and the old man¡¯s surprised face quickly disappeared from his view.

    It was because he had leaped into the air to avoid Buga¡¯s greatsword from behind. His grandfather¡¯s warning to the middle-aged swordsman was toote as the youth decapitated him from mid-air.

    Ebdon was next to be cut down from the beast-like charge and it disappeared into a pile of ck smoke.

    Torbus had given up on defending the undead knight and merely stood there to wait for Brendel to get ready.

    The youth was panting heavily and perspiration was pouring down his face. His muscles were trembling and straining with pain.

    The Swordsmanship of Charging Tempest was different from the Sun Knight¡¯s Charge technique. The former relied on pure physical prowess, while thetter was a technique that had a waiting time before it could be used again.

    His grandfather nodded to him, as though to signify they were ready to start their final duel. Brendel lowered his sword towards the ground and readied himself to sprint again.

    Six consecutive shes struck Torbus¡¯s defenses in different directions, with each attack from Brendel getting stronger, and the old soldier who survived the November War realized that the youth¡¯s offense had be great enough to distort his defense.

    He would eventually be defeated if he just continued to defend. Waiting for thetter¡¯s stamina to run out was not an option anymore.

    The seventh exchange would be thest.

    Both of them concluded that thought.

    Brendel did not hold anything back and used every bit of his stamina for his final attack. His grandfather¡¯s stance was nearly broken from the previous lunge, and he was certain that it would end in the next attack.

    The distance closed rapidly between the two.

    A sudden impulse struck Brendel.

    Nearly a century worth of experience in the game was warning him that he was going to be killed. In his mind, he could see a sudden change in stance where Torbus would sacrifice his arm or his life to get in a strike.

    It was all over for the youth.

    The Elven woman had sensed the very same thing and concluded it as such, and she instantly regretted allowing Brendel to continue dueling when he insisted on it.

    But there was a reason why the gamers were able to surpass the NPCs. Their ingenuity was able to lead the techniques used in the game to greater heights.

    The Charging Tempest Swordsmanship was originally developed for swordswomen in the past to use both power and speed. Multiple refinements were made to make sure that the body was allowed to remain bnced when it was used.

    But gamers disregarded the notion of having it bnced all the time and instead overloaded it with speed and power.

    The reason why Brendel was able to turn so easily despite that the increase in speed was having a pivot point. He had flicked his sword against the ground to control that bnce every time it was required. When he saw his grandfather¡¯s change in stance, he immediately drew up his left sword and thrust it into the ground, allowing him to suddenly brake and instead soar into the air.

    Torbus swung his sword in a clean line that should have cleaved Brendel into two.

    Brendel¡¯s body spun multiple times in the air before he swung his sword in an overhead strike.

    His grandfather had changed into an attacking stance and was thus not able to retain his unique defense where he was ready for every attack. He barely managed to meet Brendel¡¯s de in time, but found that his sword was pushed aside from the youth¡¯s momentum.

    Brendel¡¯s de emerged from the other end of the old man¡¯s chest.

    ¡°How artful......¡± His eyes met Brendel¡¯s gaze as he spoke. ¡°Well done, young man.¡±

    Torbus vanished in a pile of ck smoke after hisst words.

 volume 3 - 76

    Chapter 76 ¨C King of the Underground (27)

    ¡°Currently, the only lift working is in sector a03, but mister Odum, are you certain you want to go down?¡± A worker said as his gaze shifted between Odum and Romaine.

    He was leading Odum and the girl deep into the mining tunnels, and behind them were ten-odd soldiers.

    Perkins had beenpletely frightened out of his wits because Kodan was gone for hours. When Odum appeared and requested to venture into the mines, he nearly jumped up in joy as the dwarf was the noble¡¯s final hope to solve this situation.

    As for the strange appearance of Romaine?

    Perkins did not even realize a girl had appeared beside the dwarf, and even if he did, why would he interfere with his savior¡¯s choice? Who was going to care if the dwarf was willing to bring his daughter into the mines?

    Upon hearing the worker¡¯s question, the dwarf snorted through his nose.

    ¡°That¡¯s a stupid question. Why else would Ie here?¡±

    He nced at the trembling soldiers behind him; they were obviously frightened from the mine¡¯s rumors.

    ¡°You can go back if you don¡¯t wish to follow us.¡±

    The soldiers were relieved to hear that, but someone amongst them asked: ¡°What if Lord Perkins questions us about it?¡±

    ¡°And what has that to do with me?¡± The dwarf growled.

    Bringing these soldiers down was a problem for him since it interfered with his goals, but it was also true that he did not want to go down without any guards. There were many people who imed they encountered monsters, and he might meet the damned creatures along the way. Even though he was capable of using a weapon, he was not particrly good at it.

    ¡°...... Just find an excuse, or is there not one amongst you lot who knows how to lie? I¡¯m not going to expose you¡ª¡± The dwarf continued after a moment of hesitation.

    The soldiers finally nodded: ¡°It¡¯s very thoughtful of you to think of our safety, mister Odum.¡±

    The group quickly reached the lift.

    Romaine looked around curiously. If it were not for the fact that there were so many people, she might have fiddled with all the mechanisms in front of her. Just as she was hesitating, the dwarf prodded her and got her to enter the lift.

    The worker who led them did not follow: ¡°Mister Odum, I won¡¯t be going any further. Please stay safe.¡±

    ¡°Naturally I¡¯m going alone without the other miners or guards. You humans are really cowards.¡±

    The guards¡¯ expression contorted, but the worker responded with a little embarrassment on his face: ¡°I assume the lifts for all the sectors are the same and there¡¯s no need for me to teach you how to operate this particr lift, right?¡±

    ¡°You do know that you¡¯re talking to a supervisor?¡± The dwarf rolled his eyes and operated the levers and the machinery started moving. It slowly descended and left the worker and soldiers behind, which then picked up speed and the walls quickly flew past the two passengers. The air was bing warmer as well.

    Romaine soon woke up from her docile state when there were no outsiders. She gingerly reached out to the walls flying past her eyes with her hand. Odum immediately smacked her hand down and red at her.

    ¡°Lass, do you want to lose your hand?¡± He roared.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Romaine apologized in an instant.

    At that moment, the lift suddenly mmed against solid ground and both of them became unsteady on their feet. Odum lifted the torch and found the exit led to a narrow tunnel that was filled with stale air. He thought for a while, shook his head and extinguished the mes.

    [...... Damn it. I forgot to bring along a Light Crystal. Even though I can take the lift back up and get from them but that¡¯s too shameful. A supervisor forgetting to bring the necessary items?]

    Since he was capable of seeing things in low light, he decided to continue.

    ¡°It¡¯s really dark,¡± Romaine said, her big eyes reflecting the incredibly weak light emitted from the minerals in the wall.

    ¡°Shhh! Just follow me!¡± Odum said.

    ¡°Why did you extinguish the torch?¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯re deep underground and air is precious here.¡±

    ¡°How about a Light Crystal?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have that¡ª¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s so dark.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no helping it!¡±

    ¡°But I really want to have a light source.¡±

    ¡°Oh will you just shu¡ª¡± The dwarf¡¯s words died in his throat. The area in front of him was softly illuminated all of a sudden. He blinked a few times and almost thought he was dreaming. He turned around with his beady eyes opened to the widest he could make them, and saw Romaine raising a glowing hand up.

    ¡°H...... How did you do that?¡± Odum stuttered once.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, my hand just lit up, how interesting!¡± Romaine turned her palm back and forth.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± The dwarf felt she was pulling his leg.

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Romaine nodded obediently, ¡°I just want a light and my hand just lit up. Amazing, right?¡±

    ¡°This is the first time?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    The dwarf tiptoed and touched Romaine¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Nothing, how strange,¡± Odum shook his head, ¡°...... I¡¯ve heard stories about special humans shunned by wizards and witches because their blood carries mana in them¡ª Did your family ever do the same thing like you are doing now?¡±

    Romaine thought for a while: ¡°Brendel says that my aunt¡¯s a witch.¡±

    ¡°A witch,¡± Odum¡¯s eyes became even bigger, ¡°that¡¯s impossible! Witches and that special...... cannot coexist. Unless she¡¯s not your real aunt, are you adopted?¡±

    Romaine was cross. ¡°My aunt is my aunt!¡±

    Odum raised an eyebrow at her angry retort.

    [That¡¯s true. What does someone¡¯s else family has to do with a dwarf like myself?]

    He suddenly felt that he had more and more bad habitsing out ever since he met this girl. He scratched his head: ¡°Very well, it¡¯s good that we have a light source, follow me closely. Don¡¯t lose yourself in this ce alone. It¡¯s not a game.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Romaine nodded.

    But this meek behavior onlysted for a few seconds as she pointed at something. ¡°Odum, what¡¯s that?¡±

    The dwarf turned to follow her finger subconsciously and was taken aback by what he saw¡ª

 volume 3 - 77

    Chapter 77 ¨C King of the Underground (28)

    The invisible barrier disappeared the moment Torbus was defeated.

    Kodan lost his bnce and nearly had his face nted against the ground, but he did not forget his skills at thest moment and managed to push himself up with a single hand, cursing audibly. Hepletely forgot to ask Brendel how thetter got Torbus¡¯s ring due to this distraction.

    At the same time, Medissa reappeared where she was earlier and blinked in confusion.

    Brendel was feeling vexed.

    He was not certain whether his phantom grandfather had ever praised his past self. A warm joy seemed to spread out in his body, but part of him was still thinking about Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship used against him earlier.

    [If this was a match that did not cap our stats, if that swordsmanship was a little faster...... More than anything, that strangely defensive style seemed like that phantom was limited in many ways. That is surely not the limits of my grandfather]

    He was hardly satisfied at his victory over the illusions because he felt that the future ahead of him was bing uncertain. Was there going to be a duel in the future where he could not win even if he regained his former strength?

    He stood there reveling for a moment as his emotions spun like a maelstrom, staring nkly ahead with his sword held tightly in his hand. After a long while, he finally noticed green words shing in the corner of his vision, and shook his head, waking up from the daze.

    A woman¡¯s voice rang out in Brendel¡¯s head as soon as he was done thinking, as though she had been waiting for him.

    ¡°It seems that it¡¯s not a coincidence that you¡¯re able to call out to me. Surely the word genius is insufficient to describe your talent in the sword.¡±

    Her voice was just as pleasant as before, tickling his ears and made him want to listen to more of it.

    ¡°Can you tell me who you are now?¡± Brendel asked with a slight frown.

    The woman parted from his body again and presented herself before him. When Brendel looked at her again, he could not help but feel that her regal presence had a strong contrast to her mature beauty.

    It was oddly alluring, and he even forgot to breathe for just a moment.

    Her ornate trinkets around her head resembled the designs on a certain character in the War of the Holy Saints; it was just that the particr character wore a veil and he did not recognize her the first time he saw her.

    ¡°Orthlyss¡ª¡± She began to speak.

    ¡°Wait, Are you one of the twenty-four......¡± Brendel interrupted when he suddenly realized who she really was.

    He had suspected her to be a Heroic Spirit from an ancient era, but it took on a different meaning if she was one of the twenty-four knights of the Wind Empress, Osor.

    ¡°Interrupting me, boy?¡± Orthlyss pushed her finger against his lower lip with a smile in her eyes, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m one of the Wind Empress¡¯s knight. You can call me by my nickname, Lyss.¡±

    Brendel blinked a few times as he looked at her features.

    [The Elves who became the Wind Empress¡¯s direct knights were naturally the most prominent heroes of that ancient era. Unfortunately, they all perished in the battles against the Dragon of Darkness. In fact, Orthlyss¡¯s the origin of the profession ¡®Knight of Keen des¡¯. The youngest and thest knight who was still alive in the Battle of the Grey Marsh, and the favorite disciple of the Divine Archer Suoya. In order to allow the King of Fire to advance, she died defending her route.]

    The Wind Elves were just as famous as the Silver Elves, and when Brendel converted Orthlyss¡¯s age into human years, she was no older than a sixteen-year-old.

    [But she looks...... Does age increase when one bes a Heroic Spirit? Why does she look so mature?]

    ¡°Why do you¡ª¡± Brendel said, but quickly paused while he stared curiously at her and decided to ask something different: ¡°Earlier, you said that it was the second time you saved me?¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten the fire in Be, boy?¡±

    The faint scars on Brendel¡¯s body started burning as he recalled the event where the skeletons stabbed him with their swords. He then shuffled ufortably when he remembered his first fight against Ebdon, and the moment when his grandfather¡¯s sword pierced through him.

    [This makes it the third time I nearly died. I even thought that night was due to the skill ¡®Unyielding¡¯.]

    He secretly let out a sigh in his mind.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me, boy. The noble me is your Guardian Spirit. Saving me is helping myself. I don¡¯t want to sleep for centuries again.¡± She replied with a smile.

 volume 3 - 78

    Chapter 78 ¨C King of the Underground (29)

    ¡°I had thought all the Wind Empress¡¯s knights slumbered into their final rest, but to think that you have be Heroic Spirits,¡± Brendel said after a moment, ¡°....... can you tell me what a Guardian Spirit is?¡±

    Heroic Spirits did note from unfulfilled wishes or through sheer willpower.

    It was through aplicated process held in sacred ces, and an example was the Crimson Pce that was currently controlled by the Cathedral of mes. The building was housing the Heroic Spirits from the War of the Saints and they nurtured the people who were anointed to be the Sacred Knights of mes.

    For a ring to be able to summon and link to the Wind Empress¡¯s knights, it could only be said that the Ring of the Wind Empress was equivalent to a Divine Artifact.

    ¡°Guardian Spirits are actually Heroic Spirits carrying the name of the Wind Empress. Our Empress had twenty-four rings made and we sealed our souls into the rings. The other knights and I entered a contract with Mother Marsha to allow our souls to stay here in this world and nurture the next generation of heroes; youths who have potential like yourself. During our era, powerful souls were exceedingly important, because these souls became the best army to stop the Dragon of Darkness¡ª¡±

    ¡°An armyprised of Heroic Spirits?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Be it the Wind Empress or the King of Fire, their abilities to create a Heroic Spirit came from the knowledge of the Dragons. The sages in our era also gained knowledge from the Dragons. It was a truly desperate war. You would understand how brutal it was if you were born in that era.¡±

    Thoughts of the Silver Elves surfaced in Brendel¡¯s mind. They were Heroic Spirits who willingly stayed behind to fight against the Darkness, along with Mother Marsha¡¯s blessings.

    [But there really isn¡¯t a mention of the Guardian Spirits or other Heroic Spirits from other races in the game. It¡¯s unlikely that only the Elves and Humans have Heroic Spirits. What about the other races?]

    ¡°What happened to the other Heroic Spirits from other races after the war is over? Did the contract with Mother Marsha somehow end after the various races established their kingdoms?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know what their fates were.¡±

    Brendel expected an answer like this. Orthlyss was killed in battle before the war ended, and it was a normal thing that she did not know what happened to them.

    ¡°Now that the war has ended, do you..... regret being sealed in this ring for all eternity?¡±

    Orthlyss looked at him for a long time before giving out a sigh.

    ¡°There was no choice.¡± Each word was stated softly and slowly.

    There was another long pause.

    ¡°If no one was willing to make sacrifices, then the Dragon of Darkness will never be defeated. And for the generations ahead of us, if there everes a time where evil surfaces, when will the mes of wars be extinguished if heroes are not made? We chose to seal ourselves so that civilization can continue.¡±

    He listened to all her words attentively in silence. The ancestors of the past were truly sagespared to the nobles in this era. Yet the wisdom and sacrifices offered by them to offer peace led to a moral decay after the various races lived infort.

    ¡°Ser Orthlyss,¡± Brendel¡¯s tone was much more respectful than before as he changed to a new topic, ¡°is it possible for me to retain some of the skills like before?¡±

    ¡°...... I don¡¯t understand how you were capable of using the swordsmanships as though you¡¯ve been training for years.¡± She shook her head as she watched Brendel clear his throat. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen this. Do you mean to say that you have forgotten how to use them when I separated from you?¡±

    ¡°Erm......¡±

    ¡°In any case, it was a temporary solution to merge my body with you. I can, however, teach you the swordsmanships like I¡¯m supposed to. Reaching for the moon in a single day is supposed to be impossible, boy.¡±

    Brendel stole a glimpse at Kodan.

    [A Guardian Spirit¡¯s task is to cultivate a person¡¯s talent as much as possible. A talented person with the aid of the strongest knights in the War of the Holy Saints as a teacher. Certainly, their growth would be incredible. Kodan¡¯s certainly outstanding as a Gold-ranked Swordsman, but considering that my grandfather disyed enough skill to threaten me even at my best, it¡¯s clear who is better¡ª]

    Brendel suddenly narrowed his eyes, and the Elven woman immediately did the same, even raising her head upwards as if to look down on him.

    ¡°The ring holds a limited amount of power. While it can be recharged over time, it¡¯s not possible for me to appear and save you all the time. Like I said, merging with you is a temporary thing. I know that I¡¯m a noble being, but I don¡¯t have the power you¡¯re craving for, boy.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Brendel¡¯s ears actually turned red. He was thinking that an incredibly high-level NPC was going to escort him while he went after the various quests in his ns.

    ¡°Do not forget this. The Guardian Spirits are only meant to pass down their knowledge. Four rings were circted to the humans, and the reason why your grandfather had one of them is because the Elves owe your lineage a favor.¡±

    ¡°My lineage? What is the favor?¡±

    But Orthlyss did not reply.

    [Is there a familiarity bar somewhere like how it is in the game? Maybe if I raise my familiarity with her I can squeeze an answer out?]

    There was a considerable amount of freedom in the game where yers could coax an answer out from the AI, but for certain legendary NPCs, there were conditions and they had to be familiar enough with the yers.

    Brendel toyed around with the idea before he pondered on the things that his grandfather hid from his family. He caught Kodan and Medissa waiting patiently at one side in the corner of his eyes, and realized he was still in the dueling ring.

    The green words were still shing in his eyes. It was probably because of this system that somehow blocked the announcer from starting the next match.

    [There are far too many things to think about. The sudden appearance of Earth¡¯snguages; how this system works to interfere with the Laws of this world and vice versa. But I¡¯m going to be utterly shocked if I ever get an answer from this ce. The first thing I should do right now is to get the core reward, and release S¡ª]

    ¡°Mister!¡±

    Someone from one of the cages called out to him just as he started to walk over to the Dwarven sword.

 volume 3 - 79

    Chapter 79 ¨C King of the Underground (30)

    Brendel turned around to meet Cohen¡¯s eyes. He knew it was him who called out, but there was no real possibility that he could continue dueling. The difficulty in the Coliseum of Destiny scaled each time and the next round was most likely a match using Element Powers.

    [Orthylss has already said that merging cannot be done again, and Medissa is a level 40+ character. I¡¯m almost certain that the next match will at least be a level 60 NPC appearing. Since it¡¯s a contest of Element Powers, even if we¡¯re in our best conditions and I bring out all the Gold-rankers I have, it¡¯s unlikely that we will win.]

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think I can help you.¡± He said simply.

    The truth was he had roughly guessed that the youths were the ones who had triggered this situation.

    But it was him who led them to that mining spot. The fact that he failed to realize that there was something strange in the silver mines ultimately caused numerous deaths to the workers. He even dragged his subordinates into this mess.

    There was a strange feeling in his mind when he denied the youths¡¯ request, but he ignored it and was prepared to go towards the sword again.

    ¡°Please wait, mister!¡± Cohen shouted after Brendel¡¯s back. ¡°Perhaps we cane to a deal! You can choose to ept or refuse after hearing what I have to offer, please!¡±

    Brendel hesitated for a moment and walked to the youths¡¯ cages. Listening to Cohen¡¯s final request with sincerity was something that he could at least afford to do, but he did not know what thetter was able to offer. The youths did not possess any abilities and were just mere workers. He even recalled that Maher had said that the Cohen owned something strange and worthless.

    But what that sickly-looking youth brought out surprised him.

    Brendel¡¯s expression changed to one of deep thought when he saw two Cards of Fates in Cohen¡¯s hands. He did not expect that thetter would be able to bring them out.

    [I¡¯ve benefitted greatly from the neswalker profession since it allowed me to handle situations that were supposedly impossible.]

    He thought there might be a chance, though it was also true that he was greedy for them as a gamer.

    He studied them through the system.

    ¨C Fire w Lord

    ¨C The me Tribe I

    ¨C Costs 20 Fire EP

    ¨C Fire Lizardmen Warriors, Level 33 Elite

    ¨C Battle-thirsty

    ¨C When Fire w Lord enters the battlefield, all Fire w members gain +1 Command

    ¨C Pay 1 Fire EP, all Fire w Spearmen gains the ability ¡®Charge¡¯

    ¨C Pay 1 Wealth and 1 Reputation per day when Fire w Lord is on the battlefield.

    ¨C ¡®The Fire w Lord is the bestmander amongst the Army of Hellfire.¡¯

    ¨C Dwarven Treasure Vault

    ¨C (Visionary Artifact III)

    ¨C Costs 30 Will

    ¨C Artifact/Illusionary World

    ¨C Target a creature card (Dwarf or Kirrlutz Human). Target gains three appropriate equipment from Dwarven Treasure Vault

    ¨C ¡®The Dwarven Treasure Vault glitters with golden light.¡¯

    Brendel read the cards through the system and regarded the first card with disappointment. It was not at a level where it would help in the next round, as the level 33 Elite creature was roughly the equivalent of a fighter that had just entered the Gold-rank.

    ¡°My lord, that first card is silver in color. Look at the title, that is most likely the core card of the series!¡± Medissa had followed him from behind and could not help but blurt out at the discovery.

    Brendel was momentarily surprised and read the contents again.

    [¡®The me Tribe I¡¯. The ¡®I¡¯ usually means it¡¯s the best card out of the ¡®Fire w¡¯ series. Considering the fact that the card is silver in color, it also means that it¡¯s a rare card to get as well. But even if I bring the two Fire w cards out, it¡¯s not likely to make a difference in the next match.]

    ¡°Do you know anything about the other card?¡± He asked.

    ¡°An equipment card...... You can try asking Ciel about it.¡± She said.

    Brendel looked at her in surprise.

    ¡°We canmunicate through such a long distance? Is there no limit between a neswalker and their summons?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe there is, my lord. Ciel and I are naturally able to hear you calling out to us, while the Nightsong Tiger who¡¯s the core representation of the Mercenaries of Lopes will be able to hear you.¡±

    Brendel nodded and called to Ciel in his mind without wasting time.

    ¡°My lord, did you get something good again?¡± A youthful, rxed voice rang out in Brendel¡¯s head.

    ¡°How¡¯s the situation at your side?¡±

    ¡°Haha, would you like to take a guess?¡± Ciel said, but after Brendel refused to reply, he coughed and continued: ¡°There¡¯s a fellow over here who¡¯s suspicious about your identity and requires you to educate him.¡±

    Brendel was puzzled over his answer, but he was currently in a considerably tricky situation so he exined the card quickly to Ciel.

    ¡°My lord, is the back of the card silver in color?¡± Ciel said.

    ¡°No, it looks like a normal card.¡±

    ¡°A normal equipment card raises a summoned creature¡¯s level by 5. Take a look at a creature¡¯s card, my lord. I believe you can see a number painted there. Since the card gives out three equipment, then it will raise the target card¡¯s level by 15.¡±

    ¡°...... Numbers and levels, hmm.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that, my lord?¡±

    [Because the NPCs in the game don¡¯t use numbers and levels to describe a creature¡¯s strength. It¡¯s the first time that I realized this, but the fact that my system can urately reflect a neswalker¡¯s card even though it has never appeared in the game......]

    ¡°No, nothing. I¡¯m able to let you use this card, right?¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Why is that? It says ¡®Kirrlutz human¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a Hignd Wizard, and my lineagees from the Silver Alliance. Even though our blood is mixed with Aouine and Kirrlutz¡¯s lineage, the rules state that we are Galbu¡¯s descendants.¡±

    ¡°I see, so no one can use this card.¡±

    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t true. The Mercenaries of Lopes can use this card.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Brendel frowned: ¡°Fern and Dia are Wild Elves, and there are various mixed races that are not from Kirrlutz, and there are no dwarves in the group either.¡±

    ¡°But the core of the group is the Nightsong Tiger and he¡¯s a true citizen of the Lopes region. And that region is part of Kirrlutz.¡±

    ¡°...... Is this true for any group summoned cards, where a core creature would represent the description on the card?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    [This card does seem better the Golden Battle g that I have. That card raises all my creatures level by 1, but what is the use of +1 level? In addition, I have to pay an extra 5 Light EP.]

    Brendel¡¯s mind rearranged the information he had. If he was allowed to bring in the neswalker¡¯s cards the next match and added everyone in the duel......

    [Insufficient to win the next battle.]

    He made this conclusion.

    ¡°My lord,¡± Medissa spoke in his mind, ¡°I don¡¯t believe there¡¯s only one copy in each series. If it¡¯s impossible, we should give up on the cards.¡±

    Brendel rubbed his forehead thoughtfully.

    [But the odds of getting the same card is really small. Once the chance to get it slips by, it¡¯s gone. Unfortunately, Medissa¡¯s right. This is impossible.]

    He suddenly noticed Jana, Scarlett, and Orthlyss staring strangely at him. It seemed like he was nking out almost every match and it would be shameful if he was seen as an airhead.

    The way how Orthlyss spoke reminded him of his female senior, and he felt she would almost start teasing him any time now.

    But his eyes went back to Cohen instead of exining himself.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have to refuse your proposal,¡± He said, and announced loudly to the ceiling, ¡°Open her cage!¡±

    He pointed at Scarlett¡¯s cage and declined the additional reward for winning the previous duel, but no sooner than he did, an unexpected voice suddenly called out to him.

    ¡°Brendel, you¡¯re here!¡± A crisp and pretty voice echoed throughout the stage.

    His eyes widened and turned to the source of the voice subconsciously. His heart beat violently when he saw a familiar face that was filled with surprise and delight, and he could not help but clench his teeth.

    [...... Karma. This is karma for being greedy and not saving the youths and Scarlett straight away!]

    He watched her run towards him in stunned silence as she clutched herrge bag to prevent the contents from spilling over.

    ¡°Brendel¡ª¡± She ran straight to him without paying attention to the others, her eyes slightly red. ¡°I was really worried about you! My aunt isn¡¯t around and I thought if something happened to you......

    When she came closer, she lowered her head and suddenly shuffled her feet together: ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t leave the angels¡¯ supervision and I¡¯m going to get scolded again¡ª¡±

    She suddenly noticed Brendel¡¯s expression when she nced out of the corners of her eyes. His face was a mixture of regret and bitter sorrow, and there seemed to be tears in his eyes. It was the first time she saw such an expression on him.

    D-did I do something wrong?¡± She stuttered.

    ¡°...... No, there¡¯s nothing wrong. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s wrong.¡± He said with a broken voice.

 volume 3 - 80

    Chapter 80 ¨C The unexpected guests

    Brendel finally understood what was wrong. The words he used against Makarov back then could now be applied to him. Was he any different from them when he turned away from the youths? If he rescued them instead of choosing the additional rewards, it might be possible for him to reserve thest chance to free Romaine.

    [What a hypocrite. What happened to that oath to be generous and benevolent, or to be brave and unflinching?]

    He cursed himself.

    ¡°Mortal, you have proven yourself. This is your reward¡ª¡± The announcer¡¯s deafening voice once again rang out at that moment.

    The longsword that was embedded in the boulder suddenly vibrated loudly. It seemed to shrug off the invisible restrains on it and flew towards Brendel, making everyone gasp.

    Brendel raised his hand and it flew straight into his palm, shaking unsteadily. The youth immediately felt a power rising from within, making him feel connected to the earth beneath him. It was as though he would never fall over as long as he stood upright.

    The silent coliseum suddenly exploded with a chant:

    ¡°Z¡¯roe! Z¡¯roe! Z¡¯roe!¡±

    Everyone could hear that the waves of cheers were full of respect and harbored no ill intentions, though they were slightly dazed by the volume.

    Brendel felt like he was anointed as a king by holding the sword, and he quickly shook his head to shrug off that feeling.

    ¡°Do you have any idea what Z¡¯roe means?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s...... actually a name. It¡¯s the ancestral king of the Rune Dwarves, but that name eventually took on the meaning ¡®Conqueror of the earth¡¯.¡±

    Brendel studied the de and saw the words written on it. However, he was not surprised to find that it was written in English. Everything that could happen had happened already.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know what the words on the de means.¡± Medissa also noticed the words.

    ¡°The owner of the sword shall rule the great earth.¡± Brendel said with a twitch in his eyes.

    ¡°My lord, you can read the words?¡± Medissa widened her eyes in shock. Even Orthlyss did the same.

    Brendel rubbed his forehead as he noticed his mistake, and quickly made up a lie: ¡°I studied thenguage amongst certain old books from the ck Tower.¡±

    Medissa nodded, but the Knight of Keen des narrowed her eyes with suspicion.

    Odum had been staring and marvelling at the architecture once he entered the coliseum. He waspletely engrossed into the details and did not pay attention to anything else, until the ground suddenly shook and the Dwarven longsword went into Brendel¡¯s hands. His expression immediately changed when he saw that happened.

    [T-that¡¯s the sword of Z¡¯ore! So this is the treasure left behind in this ce? But why did the sword go to a human. Wait, that voice earlier said something but I didn¡¯t pay attention!]

    Green words were filling Brendel¡¯s eyes. He had heard of the de and knew that it was a level 45 Fantasy de. The price of it was beyond imagination when it was released in the game.

    ¨C Halran Gaia

    ¨C Gold-ranked rarity (Fantasy)

    ¨C 34-42 (Bludgeoning/shing)

    ¨C +22 Strength, +17 Agility, +20 Phsyique

    ¨C Additional skillsets:

    ¨C Earthquake: The wielder is able to automatically release an Earth Spike to their target (Affected by user¡¯s Strength stats.)

    ¨C Elemental Lord: The wielder is able to summon 6 Obsidian Panthers to battle.

    ¨C Nest of Rocks: Pay X Grey Crystal and X Rock Panther will be generated. One Rock Panther will be generated per day (10/300, automatic generation if crystals are paid.).

    ¨C Nest Upgrading is avable to Obsidian Panthers:

    ¨C 1 x ck Mana Crystal,

    ¨C 1 x Rock Key,

    ¨C 1 x Sage te,

    ¨C 6 x Amber Gemstones

    [This is incredible. The stats on this is at least a third higherpared to simrly ranked swords. I¡¯ve heard rumors about the sword¡¯s abilities but to think this is actually a portable Nest that can be upgraded!]

    The Ring of the Wind Empress was somewhat like a portable Nest as well, since it allowed a high-level summon to appear. While the Halran Gaia was a lesser version, upgrading the ability would mean that he could have three hundred Obsidian Panthers in a year, and each Obsidian Panther had the peak strength of an Iron-ranked fighter.

    Not only that, portable Nests were typically allowed to be upgraded twice in the game, but this sword might be possibly unique enough for it to be upgraded multiple times.

    Brendel¡¯s troubles were nearly swept away by joy at this discovery, but he quickly regained his senses. First of all, it did not solve the situation in front of him, and the second was how difficult it was to locate the various items required.

    He sighed again. Suddenly he caught a dwarf not far away from the sobering Romaine.

    [Isn¡¯t that the dwarf I saw in the inn? His name is...... Odum? Why is he here?]

    ¡°My lord, is it possible to let me try again?¡± Scarlett had gotten out of the cage and moved unsteadily to the edge of the walls, seemingly ready to jump down from there. ¡°I feel like some of my powers c¡ª¡±

    Jana suddenly pulled her away. She knew that Scarlett wanted to risk her life to save Romaine. However, as Jana observed Scarlett¡¯s frail body, it reminded her of her sister who had died at the hands of Graudin. She did not want to let another noble take the life of the girl in front of her.

    ¡°Let me go, Jana.¡± Scarlett tried to shrug off Jana¡¯s tight grip, taking thetter aback.

    Jana stared at Scarlett¡¯s fierce determination and slowly released her hand, and sadly watched thetter go back to the edge of the walls.

    But Brendel¡¯s reply and solemn re stopped Scarlett from jumping down. ¡°There is no second attempt.¡±

    [Even if there is a new attempt, how much power have you gotten back? A silver rank? Your peak strength is a starting Gold-ranked fighter. You need to beat the Cerberus, a creature that Jana couldn¡¯t defeat by herself, to gain the permission to leave, then fight Varian. A hopeless attempt piled on another hopeless attempt.]

    ¡°Mortal, do you still wish to continue to challenge your destiny?¡± The announcer¡¯s voice finally rang out.

    Brendel looked at the fretting Romaine who somehow realized the severity of the situation.

    ¡°I wish to dy my challenge!¡± He said, and the coliseum turned silent.

    [Have I gotten numb to the loss of lives? Why was it okay for me to abandon the youths up there?]

    Romaine was the first person he met in this world. In his mind, his character had beenrgely preserved by her innocence and silly antics even though he had to face countless bloodshed. She was also the person that the past Brendel was most fond of and someone thetter would never give up on.

    In a way, her presence was even more important than the Goddess of War.

    Freya represented the unfulfilled dream and regret that he had, while Romaine was the person who anchored him down to reality and made him feel less lonely in this senseless world. When he thought about it, the reason why he did not seek out his ¡®parents¡¯ in this world was because he was subconsciously denying his ties to this world.

    [I can¡¯t make another mistake here. If I don¡¯t rescue Romaine, then I will never be myself ever again.]

    ¡°Your request is acknowledged, mortal,¡± The announcer¡¯s voice finally spoke again, ¡°a new mortal has entered the dueling grounds, will you challenge your fate?¡±

    ¡°Wait! Please give us a few minutes!¡± Brendel shouted.

    He began to feel that it was fine for him to be turned into a statue with Romaine even if he failed, because he ended up doing what he wanted to.

    ¡°My apologies, Medissa,¡± Brendel shook his head and gave the brightest smile ever since he came here, ¡°it seems that you might have to wait here until the next neswalkeres along.¡±

    ¡°That would be unlikely, my lord. When I was recreated with the Laws of this world, I glimpsed upon the world that you envisioned as a Warrior. Each neswalker has their own beliefs and thoughts, and the same card would likely summon a different person instead¡ª¡±

    ¡°...... I see.¡±

    ¡°My lord?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°About Scarlett, have you realized that you¡¯re the only person she believes in after the Grey Wolves Mercenaries disbanded?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Brendel looked at her with a frown: ¡°I took in some members as well, right? And that Eke, if I¡¯m not wrong, she likes him.¡±

    ¡°Autn¡¯sda¡¯ttkares¡ª¡± Came the reply.

    [People are tied to one another......?]

    Brendel silently recalled the Elven proverb used in the game.

    The Elven girl continued: ¡°When a person is treated with importance, that person will also treat them with importance. The Elves believe there are very few true friends in a single generation, and we treasure these rtionships that rarelye by. I can feel my lord treating us with great importance, and Scarlett feels it clearly. I was an illegitimate child, but I can feel your respect and civility towards me, and I treasure it greatly¡ª¡±

    She smiled and nodded: ¡°There¡¯s no need to feel any guilt, my lord. I¡¯m sincerely grateful to have met you.¡±

 volume 3 - 81

    Chapter 81 ¨C Difficulty

    Maher and Jocah got upset when Brendel refused to ept Cohen¡¯s offer, especially when the sickly youth¡¯s hands grasping the bars slid down as though he had given up. Even if they were freed and went outside, it was a fact that they had caused this incident.

    The conclusion was almost certain death for all of them even if they got out. If Cohen and the other youths could not be freed, they intended to stay behind.

    Maher was especially vindictive against Brendel. Thetter was at least a noble, and probably someone of considerable importance because of hisbat skills. If it was not for him, they would not have been imprisoned.

    [If that bastard loses, it¡¯s all worth it. Getting trapped with all of us is worth it to get back at him.]

    Brendel was secretly thankful that the announcer gave him extra time. Perhaps winning the sword was the reason. He turned towards Romaine and said:

    ¡°Romaine, we will leave the stage. When the announcer asks you the question again, raise your hand and say that you¡¯re giving up, do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes. Brendel, did I do something wrong?¡± Romaine asked again.

    ¡°...... No. I think that trying to do the right thing and failing is better than doing the wrong things to do the right thing.¡±

    Cohen suddenly shouted: ¡°Mister Brendel, catch!¡±

    Two cards left the sickly youth¡¯s hands and were flung to Brendel¡¯s direction. Thetter turned around, saw his actions and waved his hand. A wind carried the two cards and allowed the cards tond on his hands.

    ¡°Are you crazy!¡± Maher looked at Cohen¡¯s actions in disbelief.

    But Cohen gave a satisfied smile at Brendel¡¯s confused reaction and said:

    ¡°Mister Brendel, I don¡¯t exactly know why you came here. Given your skills, I¡¯m sure that you will be highly regarded anywhere, even if you¡¯re not a noble. Why would the silver mines interest you? It doesn¡¯t seem like you came here specifically for rare crystals or to challenge this strange ce......¡±

    ¡°But I believe you are destined for greatness.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how the cards work, but I saw you taking and using them during the duels. I also noticed that you nked out during the third and fourth duel and received cards, but you did not do so in the second duel.¡±

    ¡°That means this Coliseum did not award you any rewards on that round because if it did, you would have at least told that rescued subordinate to wait for rescue, since you did so for your other subordinate during the third round.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t think that you are in the wrong.¡±

    ¡°While you sought for power, you did not leave your subordinates behind and instead risked your life for them.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t serve you, nor did we attempt to save our lives by making a deal with you during the start. Perhaps if I had acted sooner, there would be a different oue.¡±

    ¡°However, if I have to guess why you had toe here, it¡¯s something that has much more gain than just mere trinkets......¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes widened when he realized Cohen was about to reveal his secret.

    [T-this guy!]

    ¡°...... Perhaps you wish to find a way to gain control of the silver mines?¡± The sickly youth said.

    Cohen¡¯s words made everyone fall into a shocked silence, but he ignored them and continued: ¡°I¡¯m intrigued by Trentheim¡¯s new lord. As I¡¯ve said before, I do not think you are wrong. No, on the contrary, I think you¡¯re on the path to be a wise lord, more so than the other nobles ruling thesends, and your name will surely be written in history books and sung in bards¡¯ tales.¡±

    He suddenly went into a coughing fit, and the girl beside him patted his back and supported him.

    ¡°We¡¯re certainly insignificant people...... and perhaps it¡¯s toote for us to change our fates, but I can at least try to change yours. And if you do escape, I shall be part of your legend.¡±

    Brendel stared at Cohen inplete astonishment. He did not know how to gauge the young man in front of him.

    ¡°I hate to disappoint you, but I might still fail the next challenge even with these cards,¡± he said.

    Jana and Scarlett held their breaths when they heard his answer.

    ¡°Boy, wait, are you......¡± Kodan suddenly realized Brendel was going to attempt the challenge again.

    Cohen suddenlyughed. ¡°It seems that my lord did not deny any of my words. No, Lord Brendel, since you have already epted the cards, I¡¯m satisfied with whatever the results may be.¡±

    The youths werepletely dumbfounded by the chain of events.

    They felt like it was the first time they truly knew Cohen, and they felt a little distant and worried about him revealing such a secret. Brendel might choose to silence him even before this ce turned them into statues.

    At the same time, they felt like they had to raise their heads up to look at him because he seemed to be sitting in a ce unreachable by them.

    In fact, he seemed to be sitting in a ce where he could look at that noble, Brendel, straight in the eyes.

    It was unthinkable.

    Brendel¡¯s expression changed a few times.

    [This person¡¯s insight is unbelievable. Did he reveal my secret because he knew that Kodan and I entered into a deal? Wait, perhaps this person is someone of importance¡ª]

    ¡°What¡¯s your full name?¡± He suddenly asked.

    ¡°Cohen Kvaern. My teacher gave me that surname.¡±

    [You¡¯re that Lord Kvaern!? ......I see, so this is the person who eventually reached the pinnacle of power. I certainly remember that he lived in Trentheim when he was young. But how did he start gaining power? By simply acquiring coldsteel in the mines? Or is there still something else that he found?]

    The history in the game had Lord Kvaern recing Lord Randner, and he took over thetter¡¯s entire territory. It was a legendary tale where he started from amoner and eventually rose to the position of a duke.

    Brendel furiously went through his memories when he realized a small possibility.

    [Did I create this mess and changed history? Or is this possibly part of the history that¡¯s supposed to happen?]

    But the announcer¡¯s voice finally rang out again, as though the coliseum was tired of waiting.

    ¡°Mortals, will you challenge your fate?¡± The announcer¡¯s voice rang out.

    ¡°Romaine, give up on the challenge.¡± Brendel had no choice but to stop his thoughts: ¡°You¡¯re Odum, right? Go along with Romaine and give up, I¡¯ll attempt the next challenge.¡±

    ¡°What did you say, boy?¡± Even though Odum¡¯s voice was a little low because of his age, it was loud.

    It was an insult to tell a dwarf to give up on a challenge, and no dwarf would back down from it because it was a cowardly thing to do. It was especially so when he was a Rune Dwarf with the bloodline of a Silver Lineage.

    Not to mention that this was a sacred ce where countless ancestors were watching him.

    How could he back down right here?

    ¡°I might be old, but I will never back down! Especially when this ce is the territory of us Rune Dwarves, you impudent brat!¡± Odum roared.

    Kodan immediately smirked upon hearing Odum¡¯s words. He had never heard such fitting words in his life, to the point that he saw the grumpy old man in a better light.

    [Torbus¡¯s grandson certainly has no manners, but¡ª]

    ¡°Odum, why are you down here?¡± Kodan asked.

    The old dwarf still had moreints in his chest, but it quickly died down when he saw the Gold-ranked Kodan in an injured state: ¡°Commander Kodan, what happened to you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because your Rune Dwarves¡¯ territory is a fine ce indeed,¡± the old man raised a bushy brow and replied with a huff, e to think of it, are you not a Gold Dwarf? When did you be a Rune Dwarf?¡±

    ¡°I merely stayed in the Gold Dwarves¡¯ territory when I was young, I¡¯m a full-blooded Rune Dwarf!¡± Odum was furious to hear someone suspecting his bloodline.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll believe that you¡¯re a citizen of the Silver Lineage, what are you doing down here?¡±

    ¡°I......¡± Odum suddenly blinked at Kodan¡¯s sinister smile. It seemed like thetter had baited out his secret, and the old dwarf tried to think of an excuse while he stuttered.

    Surely he could not say that there was a rumored legend where a treasure vault buried here and as a real Rune Dwarf, he had the authority to inherit it all? Leaving other greedy nobles aside, Count Randner would turn him into a genuine dead Rune Dwarf first.

    ¡°M-more importantly, why do you have Halran Gaia?¡± The dwarf tried to change the topic and turned back to Brendel.

    ¡°You recognize this sword?¡± Brendel looked at the dwarf and asked with surprise.

    Even though Odum said he was thest bloodline of the Rune Dwarves, Brendel had encountered too many of such st bloodlines¡¯ in the game. The majority of them in the whole continent had already forgotten about their Legacies.

    In fact, one could trace the current citizens of the continent back to the Gold Lineage if they tried.

    But the era of the Gold and Silver Lineage were already over, and so was the Era of Darkness. The current Vaunte was a different thingpared to the past Vaunte where Gods and legendary figures were still around.

    ¡°Ahem, of course, ...... my lord,¡± Odum lowered his head slightly and spoke more respectfully when he remembered that the youth was carrying Halran Gaia.

    The corners of Kodan¡¯s lips went up to reveal his teeth. He suddenly felt disgusted at the sudden change of the dwarf¡¯s attitude.

    [Why is this old bastard changing his tune faster than that cowardly Perkins and sucking to the brat? I¡¯ve experienced his stubborn attitude before. Sure, that sword looks like a good sword, but is it really that important?]

    Kodan¡¯s gaze went to the sword, and so did Brendel.

    ¡°Is this sword very important to you?¡± Brendel said.

    He brought his sword a little closer to the dwarf, but he naturally had no intention to give it to him.

    ¡°Rather than it being rather important, it has something to do with a...... legend.¡± Odum was a little disappointed in his heart.

    There were many legends about the Rune Dwarves¡¯ treasure vaults, but there was only one of the Halran Gaia. If the sword appeared here it meant that the sword was the only ¡®treasure¡¯ here.

    [This is really such a waste of time. I waited years to get my chance to get nothing. I¡¯m just a minor branch of the Rune Dwarves too. I didn¡¯t even learn my ancestors¡¯ architecture skills that rival Galbu¡¯s Wizard Craftsmen......]

 volume 3 - 82

    Chapter 82 ¨C Legacy

    There was an indescribable feeling deep inside Odum¡¯s heart. The knowledge he had about the sword was a certain prophecy. Perhaps the reason why he stayed here for so long without giving up was that the ce called out to him.

    He stared at Brendel¡¯s sword again, hesitating.

    [If I tell the human that the Rune Dwarves are required to acknowledge the wielder of Halran Gaia as our king and that the wielder would lead us to rebuild the kingdom, will he even believe it? But this is a damned human and a stranger at that, and I¡¯m supposed to acknowledge you as my king? My poor old bones!]

    ¡°A legend?¡± Brendel said.

    Odum gritted his teeth. He decided to weave a story and take his chances instead. He coughed loudly and continued: ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the legend is only for the ears of the Rune Dwarves. But it seems that you are interested in leaving this ce, based on the earlier discussion?¡±

    ¡°Do you have a solution?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± the old dwarf initially thought of using ¡®my liege¡¯ or ¡®your majesty¡¯ when he realized the youth carried Halran Gaia, but he felt the words were uneptable to him, and probably everyone in this ce would be shocked out of their wits, ¡°the solution is actually very simple¡ª¡±

    He paused and carefully pointed at the sword: ¡°If you lend me the sword for just a while, I might be able to let everyone leave easily.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Brendel was surprised. His puzzled eyes went to Medissa who looked back just as confused.

    ¡°Odum, what the hell are you trying to do. Let me tell you that this boy is even more skilled in the sword than I am. If you try to pull off any strange tricks, be careful that your head gets cut off from your body.¡±

    The old dwarf immediately thundered after he understood what Kodan was saying: ¡°Everything I said is the truth, you damned¡ª¡±

    He suddenly realized that the guardmander was still someone powerful. Even though he was a stubborn person, he was at least not a fool: ¡°This sacred ce was constructed by us Rune Dwarves solely for the purpose of putting this sword here. Since Lord Brendel has already taken the sword, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to leave here!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s such a rule?¡± Brendel asked.

    He had never heard of such a function in the game.

    ¡°Of course. My lord, the Legacy items of the Silver Lineage are meant for their descendants. However, you can be recognized as a person worthy of receiving the Legacy even if you¡¯re from a different race,¡± The dwarf¡¯s tone was once again different towards Brendel: ¡°though, as a Rune Dwarf, I should be able to open this space if I wield that sword¡ª¡±

    Brendel nced at Kodan, but thetter looked just as surprised as anyone else. Even though the old guardmander had worked with Odum, his understanding of the dwarf was merely the knowledge of how stubborn he was.

    [There isn¡¯t really a choice here. Even if this dwarf tries to pull off any tricks, the coliseum will deal with it. Probably.]

    There was also a worming suspicion in his mind about Cohen, the appearance of the dwarf, and the gamers whopleted the quest in the game.

    It was only a short moment before he tossed the sword to the dwarf.

    ¡°Go ahead and try it,¡± he said, looking back at Cohen.

    [It will be good if this works out for everyone.]

    ¡°Is there something you wish to say, my lord?¡± Cohen noticed his gaze and asked.

    ¡°It seems like you have a chance to leave your own name behind in songs and books.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so certain that he¡¯s capable of releasing us?¡±

    Cohen watched everyone leave the dueling grounds except for the dwarf who walked to the center, and he asked puzzledly.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that I believe in history,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°History?¡± Cohen repeated the word, not understanding.

    But Brendel did not answer and merely watched the stage closely. The dwarf raised his sword and waited.

    ¡°Mortal, do you wish to challenge your destiny?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Odum said in a thunderous voice.

    But the gates were not raised and the coliseum was instead filled with silence. After a moment, the announcer¡¯s voice came again: ¡°I sense a familiar blood in you. Are you our descendant?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a proud citizen of the mountains and boulders, the child of steel and fire, revered ancestors. For hundreds and thousands of years, we have experienced difficulty in the wilderness, but we finally managed to ovee all obstacles ande here to allow our souls to enjoy our deserved respite¡ª¡±

    ¡°This is our homnd, and where we started from.¡±

    The coliseum was momentarily silent, but the announcer¡¯s voice bellowed:

    ¡°Respite? No, that moment has not yet arrived!¡± The voice echoed repeatedly, as though it was furious to hear the dwarf¡¯s answer, while the ce shook and made everyone unsteady on their feet: ¡°Descendants of the Rune Dwarves! You have to continue to struggle against the Chaos and rebuild what we have lost with your Champion, only till then will your souls be weed back to this sacred ce!¡±

    ¡°And that moment has arrived, revered ancestors.¡±

    ¡°...... Is that so?¡±

    The dwarf suddenly nced back at Brendel with some hesitation and a little disbelief, but he raised the longsword in his hand.

    ¡°Dazzmoteshremm!¡± The dwarf yelled.

    Brendel did not understand what it meant, but Medissa exined to him with a frown.

    ¡°It¡¯s ancient word of making an Oath. I think it¡¯s part of the Holy Alliance¡¯s Contract during the Era of Chaos.¡±

    [That contract from the Era of Chaos? That¡¯s even older than the Era of Darkness¡¯s.]

    The lore in the game stated that every sentient creature in this world signed an alliance with Mother Marsha as the witness to fight against the Twilight Dragon, and a Law bound the alliance together. This was the era when the Gods still lived.

    It was considered ¡®meaningless background details¡¯ by Brendel since the supposed Gods did not have any impact on the game.

    There was another Holy Alliance¡¯s Contract where the majority of the various civilizations fought against the Dragon of Darkness after the Twilight Dragon, but it was much weakerpared to the original copy.

    Brendel did not know what the details of both contracts were, only that they were both divine artifacts.

    Soon after Odum said the word, the entire coliseum suddenly shook and everyone was blinded by light. They felt like a seal was lifting, and knew that the dwarf was telling the truth.

    However, Brendel saw something different in that rumbling space. It was as though he was hallucinating¡ª

    A strange painting appeared before him.

    A ck moon atop of a ckke, and in the center of theke was a tall tower......

    The painting changed and turned into numerous ck-clothed men walking on an endless wastnd......

    ck words appeared in his eyes:

    ¨C XVI: The Tower

    ¨C The Fallen ¡®Moon¡¯ has stolen the light.

    [This looks like the image I saw during Fortress Riedon¡¯s escape.....!]

    ¨C XX: Judgement

    ¨C The light has been lost.

    Words continued to be written in his eyes.

    ¨C XVII: The Star

    ¨C The Silver Lineage is lost on the grand earth, advancing (seeking) on the thorny path in the darkness amidst ignorance.

    Then the words vanished and he found himself back in the silver mines. He shook his head to clear his mind and saw Medissa looking at him with concern. He nodded to indicate he was fine.

    When he nced about, he saw Romaine approaching carefully bit by bit, as though she wanted to ask if he was out of concern, but was also afraid that she would be caught by him. He found Romaine¡¯s cat-like walk to be funny.

    ¡°You know, we really need to thank someone.¡± He said to Medissa.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Medissa looked back in slight surprise.

    ¡°We need to thank Romaine for bringing us good luck,¡± the youth turned around with a solemn face and his both hands pinched her cheeks with lightning speed: ¡°right, little Romaine?¡±

    ¡°Ow! Ouch, hurts, it hurts, Brendel...... I-I won¡¯t do it again......¡± Romaine¡¯s face did not escape his grasp, and she narrowed her eyes from the pain as tears nearly spilled out. She quickly admitted her fault: ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, really......¡±

    Her eyebrows were almost bunched together. She wanted to retreat, but was afraid to pull back because of the pain, and remained stuck in that position.

    Brendel nced at the dwarf before he looked at Romaine again: ¡°Do you dare to run about again?¡±

    ¡°I, I won¡¯t......¡± The girl¡¯s eyes went to the left and right when she said that.

    Brendel sighed inwardly. She was definitely not going to change. But he decided to bring her along everywhere as long as they were traveling together. He was not going to be able to handle it if this situation had to happen again.

    He let go of his hands.

    The light disappeared and they found themselves back in the darkness.

    ¡°Why is it dark again?¡± Romaine¡¯s voice immediately rang out.

    ¡°It¡¯s because we¡¯re back in the silver mines,¡± Brendel replied simply.

    [I have much to reflect on...... Earth¡¯snguages, the fact that I chose not to save the youths, that the system is affected by the Laws of this world, and the strange images when I left that ce¡ª]

    Brendel¡¯s thoughts suddenly went to Halran Gaia. Now that he and hispanions were out of danger, he could not help but get excited about having a new sword.

    [But, well, I guess I can start thinking about the loot I gotten from that ce first...... Let¡¯s see, upgrading the portable Nest: Tamar can make the ck Mana Crystals with a ck Crystal and Mana Fragments. A Sage te can be bought at Ampere Seale, though the battles at Chablis really makes me want to stay away from it. However, the Amber Gemstones are directly controlled by the kingdom, and a Rock Key is even harder to obtain¡ª]

 volume 3 - 83

    Chapter 83 ¨C Ambush

    TL: Tirste is one of the important members of the Unifying Guild and nearly killed Brendel during their first encounter with each other.

    ================ Tirste¡¯s POV ================

    As the beginning of the winter approached, the forest of the Patalone region became empty of life and the trees turned bare, but the creepy atmosphere made it was as though monsters were lurking at each side of the main road.

    The sounds of galloping horses could be heard from afar; eleven knights soon appeared and parted the thick milky mist and invaded the silent morning.

    In order to maintain a certain speed, the riders allowed their mounts run at a slower pace. Their destination was still a hundred miles away and they had to preserve the stamina of their horses.

    All the riders, except one who had a long ck robepletely covering him, wore a full set of heavy armor and were armed with swords and crossbows that asionally peeked out from their cloaks. They were highly alert and their eyes constantly darted around them.

    There were wild beasts that still lurked in the forest.

    The riders continued to advance and soon reached a small river. The river¡¯ had not turned into ice yet and the surface was glittering in the day¡¯s light.

    When they reached toward the bridge across the river, the leader of the riders suddenly raised his hand in vignce and they pulled their reins to halt the horses.

    The same leader cut through the air with the same hand to his left and right, indicating that there were people ambushing the two areas. He turned his horse around and pulled out his sword that hung from his waist.

    The riders quickly assembled into a circr formation around the person with the ck robes to protect him. Their quick and orderly actions proved they were trained well, and even the veteran scouts from Aouine¡¯s armies would not do better than them.

    And with the actions of the riders, the forest also shuffled noisily. Cleverly hidden soldiers started pouring out from foliage. They wore decorated leather armor, which implied they were private soldiers working under a noble. Each carried different weapons; axes, sword and shield, even crossbows.

    The people who ambushed themunched a forceful assault when they realized they had been made, but the riders¡¯ reactions were faster than them by firing their crossbows at them.

    The rider with the ck robes was an exceptional marksman; he deftly equipped himself with the crossbow hanging from his waist and shot bolts at the attackers as they emerged from the foliage, reloading and firing with incredible speed,

    The riders around him were skilled at shooting as well. Many of their bolts found their marks in the enemies¡¯ throats as the soldiers rushed toward the main road.

    The remainder of the soldiers were smart enough to take cover behind boulders and advanced slowly, waiting for the riders¡¯ projectiles to run out.

    After the momentary cat-and-mouse game they had, the riders ran out of ammunition, and the soldiers rushed at them once again.

    The riders suddenly took out hand axes and flung them into the midst of the attackers. Screams echoed throughout the vicinity as some of the axes pierced across their faces but did not end their lives immediately. Birds further away from the battle took to the air as themotion frightened them.

    While it was true that another row of the soldiers went down from the unexpected attack¡ª

    ¡°Quickly, overwhelm them! They are out of projectiles!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way they can win against our numbers!¡±

    The air filled with iron rust from the blood spatters only made the soldiers bloodthirsty. The soldiers were nearly ten times the riders¡¯ number and they were determined to finish them off, even if they had to suffocate them by piling on them.

    Yet the riders who faced the soldiers remained calm, and thetter was perhaps further agitated by their behavior. They started to hurl insults at them.

    The soldiers soon realized their opponents were far more powerful than they could have ever imagined.

    When the riders pulled out their swords, the battlefield took on a dramatic turn. The white mist swiveled around them as they swung their swords at the impulsive ambushers.

    Blood and fat rained across the ground and the soldiers who were behind were soaked in them. Limbs and flesh decorated the feet of the riders; it was somehow turned into a wall that stopped the advance of the soldiers.

    Thetter had been told their enemies were knights, but they were not informed that each was an elite Silver-ranked swordsman.

    The soldiers further at the back continued to push forward, but quickly realized they were facing opponents who were like death reapers.

    In just a few seconds, their morale waspletely shattered. A third of their forces had been cut down as soon as they approached the knights.

    Once their heads cooled down, they realized how terrifying their enemies were and retreated faster than when they charged at them¡ª

    The battle was soon over.

    The leader of the knights stopped and took in a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the blood-soaked ground and cold winter air. He raised his hand to stop his knights from pursuing them.

    He had lost count of the number of times they were ambushed. Pursuing them was meaningless as there were no targets of value. It was more important for them to finish their mission.

    They dismounted to inspect the area and a few cleaned their swords by rubbing on the bodies¡¯ clothes before sheathing them.

    No one spoke during the process and there were only the asional stomps from the horses.

    The leader of the knights swept the area with his dark grey eyes. He looked at the corpses but did not find any specific insignia on them. Neither did he find any gs.

    He pulled back his hood, revealing a middle-aged man, and signaled to the rider with the ck robes to indicate it was safe. Thetter also revealed himself by pulling back his hood.

    The person wearing ck robes was Viscount Tirste.

    The youth¡¯s face was considerably thinner than it was a month ago and had almost turned to a pallidplexion, though his green eyes were still as bright as before.

    ¡°This is probably thest ambush.¡± The youth¡¯s voice was shockingly low and forced, as though his throat had been pierced several times to produce an incredibly hoarse tone.

    He coughed once, almost as if to show how difficult it was for him to speak.

    ¡°Do you have any idea who has been attacking us?¡± The middle-aged man asked.

    ¡°Duke Arreck.¡±

    ¡°These are his men?¡± The middle-aged man was slightly taken aback. ¡°Isn¡¯t that bastard trying to y nice with us?¡±

    ¡°Nobles are two-faced knaves,¡± Tirste said with a shrug, ¡°so you shouldn¡¯t expect much from me either. I will stab you in the back if there¡¯s a chance.¡±

    The middle-aged manughed: ¡°Well, that¡¯s not surprising. But there¡¯s no need to remind me of trust, since my men are the only people I trust.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    Tirste did not bother to look at him again and was about pull his hood to cover himself once again. However, his actions froze at that very moment.

    There was a ray of green light within the forest, and his face contorted in rm.

    ¡°Over there, watch out!¡± He roared and pointed into the forest with his sword.

    The middle-aged man immediately turned around with his sword ready, only to find that a green light stiking his chest.

    [What is this mag¨C]

    His thoughts were cut off and his puzzled expression was forever turned into stone in that instant. Tirste and the other knights watched themander turn into a statue before their very eyes.

    [That crazy monster has once again caught up with me!]

    Tirste¡¯s heart raced as he realized the nightmare that was torturing and haunting him, was once again before him.

    He wanted to lift the reins and urged his horse to run away, but it was as though his hands were filled with lead and did not listen to his panickedmands.

    There seemed to be a gigantic humanoid covered in a full suit of emerald-green armor ¡®walking¡¯ out from the forest, but the distance between that monster and the knights was dwindling like magic.

    The bizarre attack on theirmander and manner of approach confused them.

    Were they supposed to take out their swords and rush at it? But how were they supposed to fend off that strange attack when they did not even get a glimpse of how it started? Even if they wanted to form a n to see if they could take revenge for theirmander, they had to at least know what they were facing.

    The knights pulled out their swords but did not know whether to attack or retreat.

    The monster continued to move towards Tirste. Thetter who was a Gold-ranked swordsman uttered a weak voice that was more like a groan:

    ¡°You......¡±

    The monster was nearly in attacking range.

    One of the knights finally could not handle the pressure, mounted his horse and charged towards the strange humanoid with a brandished sword. But the attack made by the knight was stopped with a single hand. The knight was then flung into the air along with his horse, breaking several pine trees in the process before they smashed onto the ground without further movements.

    The sudden disy of strength shocked everyone, but the knights finally recovered their senses and also charged towards the emerald monster with naked des. However, that strange emerald armor that had countless patterns and mottlings suddenly shone and created a barrier around him, stopping the des from even touching the armor.

    It was Damascus Armor, ted armor that was forged with rare metals and infused with extremely potent magic. It defended against magic spells and even isted physical attacks.

    Even when Aouine was at its strongest, there were only a few suits of armor made with the efforts of the royal alchemists, wizards, and cksmiths. Their numbers were scarce, and the people who owned them were definitely influential.

    The knights staggered and tried to guess the identity of the monster. Unfortunately, they did not realize that their time was limited. Tirste had not warned them of what the monster was capable of, and the knights were gradually turned into stone, be it their suits of armor or even Magic Swords.

    A few discovered the strange phenomenon and immediately discarded their swords but it was useless. In a few seconds, the knights werepletely turned into rock statues.

    Tirste felt his sanity crumbling when he saw this situation, but found that he was still able to piece coherent thoughts together even when the emerald monster was before him. He desperately wanted it to be a dream that he could wake up from.

    Strangely enough, that monster merely raised his head and merely stared at him through a helmet. He did not speak or attack and simply stood there without moving.

    Like this:

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    The Amber Sword Volume 3 Chapter 82

    6 COMMENTS

    naosouonight January 5, 2018 @ 7:14 pm

    Thanks!

    REPLY

    jusso322 January 5, 2018 @ 7:29 pm

    ¡°Nobles are two-faced knaves,¡± oops

    REPLY

    thatguy572 January 5, 2018 @ 7:34 pm

    So Tirste is still in the process of retrieving the Lionheart¡¯s vessel (after getting his team killed and only surviving due to the technicality/chivalry the green knight embodies that prevents it from attacking those who cannot fight), which is a useless hunk of stone as it will only work for those it recognizes (like MC). But the green knight refuses to let go of the duty to safeguard the sword until someone worthyes, and so is ¡°haunting/following¡± Tirste and killing hostile entities in its path until he wises up and returns the sword. Quite interesting to see a stubborn man like Tirste try and retrieve an even more stubborn sword that is useless to most (certainly is useless to the guild as they are asshats). The most they can do is deny the asset to others, and only at great cost since I doubt they have someone able to beat the knight.

    REPLY

    Dawnless January 5, 2018 @ 7:38 pm

    Thanks for the chapter!

    REPLY

    jfantasybooks January 5, 2018 @ 7:46 pm

    Damn.

    REPLY

    Anonymous January 5, 2018 @ 8:12 pm

    ¡°As the beginning of the winter approached¡± -> ¡°As the beginning of winter approached¡±.

    ¡°became empty of life¡± -> ¡°became devoid of life¡± sounds better.

    ¡°the creepy atmosphere made it was as though monsters¡± -> ¡°the creepy atmosphere made it seem as though monsters¡±.

    ¡°allowed their mounts run¡± -> ¡°allowed their mounts to run¡±.

    ¡°river¡¯ had¡± -> ¡°river had¡± or ¡°river¡¯s surface had¡±.

    ¡°When they reached toward the bridge across the river¡± -> ¡°When they reached the bridge that crossed the river¡±.

    ¡°proved they were trained well¡± -> ¡°proved that they were well-trained¡± sounds better.

    ¡°from foliage¡± -> ¡°from the foliage¡±

    ¡°but the riders¡¯ reactions were faster than them by firing their crossbows at them¡± should be ¡°but the riders reacted more quickly and fired their crossbows at them¡±.

    ¡°incredible speed,¡± should have a period instead of ama.

    ¡°The air filled with iron rust from the blood spatters¡± should probably be ¡°The air filled with the stench of blood-encrusted iron¡±. I may be interpreting the sentence¡¯s original intent incorrectly.

    ¡°riders¡¯ number¡± -> ¡°riders¡¯ numbers¡±.

    ¡°they were determined to finish them off, even if they had to suffocate them by piling on them¡± -> ¡°were determined to finish off their enemies, even if they had to suffocate the riders by piling on them¡±. ¡°they¡± and ¡°them¡± were being used inconsistently in the original sentence.

    ¡°Blood and fat rained across the ground and the soldiers who were behind were soaked in them¡± -> ¡°The soldiers who stood behind their brethren were soaked in the blood and fat that rained across the ground¡±. In my edit, I presumed that the soldiers were standing behind other soldiers.

    ¡°it was somehow turned into a wall¡± -> ¡°the body parts somehow turned into a wall¡±.

    ¡°rubbing on the bodies¡¯ clothes¡± is a bit vague. Whose clothes are they using? The corpses¡¯ clothes or their own?

    ¡°signaled to the rider with the ck robes to indicate it was safe¡± -> ¡°signaled to the rider with the ck robes that it was safe¡±.

    ¡°stiking his chest -> ¡°striking his chest¡±.

    ¡°wanted to lift the reins and urged his horse¡± -> ¡°wanted to lift the reins and urge his horse¡±.

    ¡°merely raised his head and merely stared at him¡± -> ¡°merely raised his head and stared at him¡±.

 volume 3 - 84

    Chapter 84 ¨C Freya¡¯s letter

    =============== Tirste¡¯s POV ============

    Time seemed to slow down.

    The young viscount felt cold perspiration all over his body, and he had to use every bit of effort to squeeze out a question: ¡°What...... exactly do you want?¡±

    The Emerald Knight pointed at the bundle of cloth tightly wrapped around an object. His meaning was clear; ¡®I want the sword¡¯.

    ¡°You allowed that sword to be brought out! Why do you want it back now!¡± Tirste roared, panting greatly.

    This was the first time he felt he was toyed with in his whole life, and felt that the humiliation he received was simr to a little girl being yed with. He wanted the monster cut him down rather than to continue this game, yet when he nced at the statues, he subconsciously shivered¡ª

    The Emerald Knight did not react to his anger, nor was any emotion shown because of the helmet covering his head. He pointed at the sword again, then at his chest.

    ¡®I want the sword.¡¯

    [How am I supposed to exin myself to the members and elders of the Unifying Guild if I hand the sword over? They even sent a group of elite knights to protect me, and I got them all killed. I even lost the Lionheart! I¡¯ll definitely be punished heavily¡ª]

    Tirste was recognized by the upper echelons of the Unifying Guild, but his awarded position would be shaken for failing this task. While it was true that he was a ¡®Blessed¡¯, he was not the only one.

    He red with at the Emerald Knight with bloodshot eyes, but the only expression that he saw was his own from the reflection of the helmet. He was certain that he would be turned into a statue if he refused.

    [Why hasn¡¯t this monster turned me into a statue? There¡¯s no reason for him to leave me alive. He could easily take over the Lionheart instead of giving me a choice to choose. Merely to toy with me? But that¡¯s a senseless reason.]

    He hesitated for a long time and finally made a difficult decision. He undid the knots to the bag and tossed it over to him.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you killed me?¡± Tirste asked at the same time.

    The Emerald Knight received the sword with his hand. He did not seem to be concerned if he was attacked by letting his guard down when he did so. Tirste¡¯s hand almost went to his sword when he saw the opportunity but pushed down the thoughts to do so.

    Leaving the matter of the magic armor aside, the monster¡¯s skill in the sword was beyond imagination and he had personally experienced it for himself.

    ¡°You refused to bow down to fate, but you¡¯re willing to do so for your masters?¡± The Emerald Knight asked as his gaze behind the helmet prating through Tirste.

    It was the first time Tirste heard him speak. The voice was affected by the helmet and it was difficult to the discern the age of the knight, but it was certainly a man.

    ¡°Who exactly do you mean? The king and the nobles? Or the Unifying Guild?¡± Tirste was frowning out of dissatisfaction.

    He resigned himself and stopped thinking about the Unifying Guild¡¯s punishment. Even if he had to die, he wanted to find out why the monster was torturing him for the past month.

    ¡°There is no me for wanting to go against the rules of society, but it is foolishness to be used by others because of that¡ª¡±

    ¡°Then the Unifying Guild? I¡¯m just using them.¡±

    ¡°Weak.¡±

    The Emerald Knight threw out his final word and turned around to leave. Tirste watched him walked to the bridge in a matter of seconds before thetter threw the Lionheart into the icy waters of theke.

    [You madman!!!]

    Tirste yelled in his mind as his eyes followed the sword, but he quickly calmed down.

    It had nothing to do with him whether the monster was insane or not. But the word ¡®weak¡¯ resounded within him. He smiled bitterly to himself as he wondered how he was going to receive the punishment from the Unifying Guild.

    His eyes sought the Emerald Knight again, but thetter was nowhere to be found and seemingly vanished into thin air.

    ================ Freya¡¯s POV ==============

    Freya, who hade from the Be vige, felt that the days in the Royal Knights Academy were passing faster than the ces she had been in. It only seemed like yesterday when the withered leaves on the ground below the bald trees dyed the academy¡¯s scenery in a hue of gold and red.

    She was currently sitting on the stone steps during the training¡¯s break.

    The girl rested her chin on her sword with both arms around it, and she stared out at the dark green silhouette of the distant mountains in a daze. She finally realized that winter hade, and it had been half a year since she arrived at this ce.

    Because of the great difficulty to adjust to the new environment, she hardly paid attention to her surroundings. The trees¡¯ leaves grew vigorously in summer, before they turned to form a sea of red in autumn, and finally withered as winter approached.

    The year ended in such a manner.

    She lived each day as ndly as a devout priest. In order to be stronger, she had to give up on pastimes. Every day was alternated between training and breaks as she desperately tried to reach her goal of bing stronger¡ª

    Was it for the sake of everyone in Be? Or to answer to that youth¡¯s expectations of her?

    Every time she recalled Brendel¡¯s warm and concerned gaze, she could not help but feel her heart beating a little faster, bing tense enough to be breathless.

    She felt ashamed for feeling that way from time to time, but she could not shake his image off.

    ¡°Brendel......¡±

    She muttered his name, not noticing that there was someone before her. She immediately raised her head up to meet a woman¡¯s solemn gaze with ck hair that reached her shoulders¡ª Her face immediately flushed red and she stood up with her hands moving about in a fluster.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Maynild tilted her head and asked.

    ¡°N-nothing......¡± Freya lowered her head and denied subconsciously, feeling that even she would not believe that answer.

    [You idiot! Why can¡¯t you make up a lie like that scoundrel who¡¯s capable of doing it all the time!]

    But the serious female knight in front of Freya did not admonish and order her to be alert like she usually did.

    Instead, she patted Freya¡¯s head, causing thetter to nearly turn around and flee in fright.

    ¡°Are you missing home?¡± Maynild took away her hand and asked in a low voice, her face expressionless but her eyes caring.

    ¡°N.....¡± Freya started to shake her head but suddenly nodded. If she did not pretend that it was so, she could hardly what she was really thinking about.

    Maynild sighed at the weak lie and felt that she was able to guess what Freya was really thinking about, but she did not question her and instead reached into the bag on her belt.

    ¡°There¡¯s a letter for you,¡± she said.

    ¡°Brendel¡¯s letter?¡± Freya blurted out, then blinked several times, before she cupped her lips with her hand when she realized her mistake.

    Maynild¡¯s lips twisted upwards slightly. It was the first time Freya ever saw her smile.

    ¡°So that lucky person is called Brendel, hmm¡ª¡±

    ¡°L...... what do you mean by lucky......¡± Freya¡¯s head was lowered again, feeling her ears burst into mes. Her voice was so small that she could hardly hear herself, but she received the letter carefully with both hands.

    The sounds of horses could suddenly be heard as they traveled through the main entrance. It was rare for people toe into the academy during winter, and the two women turned their attention toward the unexpected visitors.

    A white horse carriage parted through the light morning mist and slowly entered the academy. It passed by both of them and went deeper into the academy.

    [That¡¯s the direction of the princess¡¯s residence. Not anyone can enter that ce, and it¡¯s tightly guarded by the royal knights¡ª]

    ¡°Who would these people be......¡± Freya asked when she realized where the carriage was going.

    Maynild¡¯s eyes paid attention to the symbol; it was a shield with vivid purple gillyflowers on it.

    ¡°Someone from the Lantonrand¡¯s family, probably another person who can be considered lucky,¡± she said after a moment, but her tone was a little unfriendly.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Maynild shook her head, causing her ck hair to shimmer against the light, ¡°you should focus on yourself, Freya. But you¡¯re improving very quickly so there¡¯s no need to worry too much.¡±

    ¡°T-thanks.¡±

    ¡°...... Oh, and did that worthless mane to trouble you?¡±

    Freya looked back puzzledly before realizing Maynild was talking about Sangany, the second son of an Earl from somewhere.

    Sangany had gathered a group of men to go after Freya with malicious intentions, but somehow Maynild found out and personally went out to teach them a lesson. He was almost expelled because of this incident.

    However, the matter was ultimately put aside without any punishment on his side. While Freya did not understand much about the nobles¡¯ affairs, she knew there was political interference in regards to this matter. Still, she was grateful to Maynild because she was just amoner.

    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t any trouble from him,¡± Freya said.

    [Is there something that I should be worried about?]

    She did not know why Maynild suddenly talked about him.

 volume 3 - 85

    Chapter 85 ¨C The new owner of the silver mines

    Maynild¡¯s expression was serious.

    ¡°You should be a little more careful these few days. That bastard is acting up again recently, but this time his actions are more covert and I¡¯m unable to find evidence of his wrongdoings¡ª¡±

    Freya frowned and looked worriedly at her.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry yet,¡± Maynild¡¯s ck eyes were resolute and she drew in a light breath, ¡°I¡¯m still here. Still, you should just be a little more careful.¡±

    She nced at the disappearing horse carriage as she cautioned Freya again. The sky to the north was a little dark, as though it was an omen for a terrible storm.

    [Is this storm going toe before the winter ends?]

    She knew that there were people in the academy who were starting to feel uneasy.

    This ce was supposed to be and that was a safe haven for all, but it was possible that it was actually the center of a chaotic maelstrom. The peace it had now was nothing more than an illusion.

    [The negotiation battle has begun in Ampere Seale and it will soon turn into a true war.]

    ¡°Do you think you can take on the responsibilities??¡± Maynild suddenly asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry......?¡± Freya said in confusion.

    Freya¡¯s startled expression made Maynildugh and thetter covered her mouth slightly.

    ¡°No, nothing,¡± Maynild¡¯s voice sounded like she found something amusing.

    ============== Brendel¡¯s POV ================

    Two weeks had passed since the strange earthquake in the Schafflund mines¡ª

    While the troubles in the north intensified and seemed like war about to break out any given moment, the town¡¯s citizens lived as though nothing had happened. Even though there were deaths in the silver mines, they were quickly forgotten by many. Only the injured and family members of the dead would remember this unfortunate day.

    Most people went about their usual schedule within a short week, forgetting all too easily.

    On the surface, the silver mines seemed like it had not changed, continuing like it had been for the past few decades. But things were different when one looked deeper.

    Shortly after the people who were trapped in the coliseum escaped from the silver mines¡ª

    Brendel and Medissa went straight to Perkins¡¯s office and forced him to surrender, which the noble did readily. Jana was then ordered to lead twenty-odd Iron-ranked mercenaries to watch him constantly at all times.

    There was a good excuse to rece the injured and dead soldiers by enlisting them as such. However, this solution would notst very long as Perkins exined that Count Randner would not let his silver mines be employed with unknown soldiers.

    The longest that Perkins could dy was two months, but it was enough for Brendel.

    Kodan then announced to the workers and guards that he would transfer all his authority to Perkins and rest to recuperate from his injuries.

    In truth, his speech wasposed by Brendel to mislead them.

    Contrary to what Brendel knew of the noble, Perkins was cowardly and responded by working harder on the documents before him in the days after the change in management, to the point where the administrative personnel who was kept in the dark praised him.

    They thought their superior had turned over a new leaf when all the responsibilities in the mine had fallen onto hisp. Even Count Randner¡¯s spies who were sent there to monitor him wrote positive remarks about him for the past two weeks.

    Naturally, each report by the spies was intercepted by Brendel to ensure that his secret was still safe. When he showed them to Perkins, thetter actually cursed Randner for not trusting him.

    Though, Perkins cautiously looked around him to ensure that none of Randner¡¯s spies were around him. Brendel shook his head when he saw Perkins¡¯s actions.

    In order to soothe the cowardly and ambitious noble, Brendel promised that he would not reveal this conspiracy and that Perkins was free to find a solution on his own if the secret was ever revealed. Thetter soon started to find someone who resembled him and nned to act like he was imprisoned as ast resort.

    Even though it seemed like a weak solution, Perkins was still relieved to possibly have a way to avoid taking responsibility for the loss of the silver mines.

    Kodan was escorted to Firburh shortly after he made his speech by Medissa and Scarlett. When the old man saw Ciel, he understood there was no way he could escape. But he rejected Brendel¡¯s further attempts to recruit him and reminded thetter to keep his promise and release him when the time was up.

    Brendel who was staying at the inn in Schafflund, could only smile and shake his head when he saw the report that came from Trentheim.

    Even though there was definitely a rtionship between his grandfather and Kodan, thetter did not even mention a word about it after they left the mines.

    Brendel was considerably interested to find out his grandfather¡¯s secrets, but he was a patient person and he had more important things to deal with.

    He nced at the lithe figure buried in a mountain of ounting documents near him. He had reprimanded Romaine again when things settled down and thought that she would throw up a tantrum by ignoring him, but she held on to his hands for the past few days like a precious treasure as though she was afraid to lose him.

    She was even working hard at the documents and cleared the numbers required for his administration in Schafflund. She was now working on the wed sections in the reports that Perkins and the past people who governed his ce, or more notably the amount of embezzled funds done by them.

    He wondered if he was a little too hard on her, but there were moments where she slipped back to her usual self, and he believed that it was only a matter of time before her antics started appearing again.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes went back to the report on the table, but his mind was thinking of something else.

    He was immensely appreciative of Cohen¡¯s intelligence, and the fact that thetter would rise to be a duke proved he was someone worth going after. Unfortunately, to Brendel¡¯s surprise, Cohen and the youths rejected him and stated clearly that they would leave this ce and follow their original n to see the world and make it on their own.

    [It¡¯s a pity, but since they¡¯re still in town for the next few months, there might still be a chance to get them to change their minds.]

    Strangely enough, while he failed to recruit the people he wanted to have, there was someone else who stuck around even though he had no interest in him.

    Odum, the dwarf who imed to be thest bloodline of the Rune Dwarves, seemed to be appearing in front of him almost as if he was doing it intentionally. The bad-tempered dwarf seemed to alternate between respectful tones and angry shouting whenever he appeared.

    The performance Odum had in the silver mines did make Brendel believe in his words, but the youth was not exactly certain he wanted to see the dwarf.

    It was because of Halran Gaia.

    He was secretly worried that Odum¡¯s goal was ultimately the sword.

    [Even when I told him I¡¯m not giving the sword back, he still lingers around with that crazy attitude...... Urgh. This mad fellow.]

    He shook his head, stopped thinking about the dwarf, and continued to read the report.

    The Nightsong Tiger was about to reach Schafflund in a few days in order to secretly transport the silver ore in the warehouse.

    Ciel had found Graudin¡¯s private coin factory in one of the gardens within Firburh. Surprisingly, there were still remnants of Graudin¡¯s private soldiers who shut themselves by barring the entrance and even imed that they would fight to the veryst man against the mercenaries.

    This act naturally angered the mercenaries, and the captain leading them at that time wanted to fulfill the private soldiers¡¯ wishes by killing them all. His fiery temper was about to be unleashed on them, but Ciel denied his request to attack.

    ¡®Wait and see.¡¯

    It was only one sentence.

    But a day after the wizard¡¯s reply, the private soldiers who seemed keen to resist for all eternity came out to surrender. The mercenaries were momentarily stunned by the wizard¡¯s mysterious foresight, though their marvel was somewhat lessened upon learning the truth.

    It was quite simple.

    The news of Lord Macsen¡¯s utter defeat had spread throughout Trentheim¡ª

 volume 3 - 86

    Chapter 86 ¨C Omens of war

    Approximately ten days ago on the battlefield near Firburh¡ª

    A faint scent of soot, smoke and burnt flesh permeated the air.

    Even though it was winter, Brendel had given strict orders to the Nightsong Tiger to deal with the bodies properly. A rampant gue was something that the youth did not want to risk, even if the weather was cold enough to start snowing.

    As time was a factor, the Nightsong Tiger split up the mercenaries into various groups to set up multiple burning sites. Corpses were gathered and tossed into pyres to be burned, which poured trails of choking ck smoke upwards into the sky.

    Lord Ps¡¯s scouts entered the forest a few dayster to investigate the news of Lord Macsen¡¯s defeat. Their heartbeats quickened when they found asional armor fragments, shattered des, and darkened blood spatters left in the forest, proving that a fierce battle had taken ce.

    While they found burnt remains at the site, they were not certain whether they belonged to the rebelling party or Lord Macsen¡¯s men.

    Since the rumors stated that the rebels had won a victory, they made their way to Lord Macsen¡¯s region instead of going to Firburh directly. While it might be true that thetter was defeated, they thought Lord Macsen had escaped safely.

    But to their utter shock, the region had been taken over by a group of mercenaries called the ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯.

    When the scouts questioned the local citizens, they learned that these mercenaries led Fortress Riedon¡¯s refugees out from a heavy siegeprised of multiple undead armies.

    The mercenaries eventually went to Port Gris and out into the Wilderness, with the intention to search for arablend and be Pioneers.

    (TL reminder: Wilderness is the area not blessed by Goddess Marsha, and a Fire Seed allows her protection toe through and prevent monsters from attacking. The people who set out to find newnd are called Pioneers.)

    But no one knew when they turned around and moved to Lord Macsen¡¯s territory instead.

    The scouts suddenly realized that things were not as simple as they seemed. The idea that it was just a group of rebelling citizens who sessfully took down Graudin was unlikely when there were so many strange circumstances.

    Lord Macsen was also nowhere to be found.

    The scouts were close to the truth.

    Brendel¡¯s letter to Leto was to order them to set out from Port Gris and head toward to the direction of the Wilderness, before changing their direction to Lord Macsen¡¯s territory if the noble attacked Firburh.

    Lord Macsen did not even know that his territory had been taken over when he was captured by the Nightsong Tiger.

    The scouts began to think that the leader of the rebels was someone who was highly capable.

    Brendel on the other hand truly viewed the attack from Lord Macsen as nothing more than a ¡®vige fight¡¯. He had fought against huge battles withplicated tactics in the game, especially the ones against Madara where he had to fight against overwhelming odds.

    It was also why he dared to allow Raban and Cornelius to join the Nightsong Tiger in battle as a learning experience.

    Still, the youth understood that the next battle with Randner would be a bitter one.

    The final destination the scouts infiltrated was the outskirts of Firburh.

    ¡°It seems like the rumors are true.¡± One of the scouts returned after speaking with the locals. ¡°Someone sighted the rebelling army returning with a number of prisoners. Judging from the information we uncovered, Lord Macsen¡¯s army waspletely defeated, and all his men were either killed or captured.¡±

    The scouts became silent.

    Even though they already realized the conclusion when they first visited the ce where the battle took ce, it was still something that made the hair on their skin stand.

    The leader of the scouts, an old man who had been through many battles, received the other scouts¡¯ gazes for instructions.

    ¡°It¡¯s an unnatural thing. I¡¯ve been a scout for decades, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen such an effective ambush. The most important thing to do now is to return to Lord Ps with this news.¡± The old scout thought for a while and said.

    ¡°I heard that Captain Carglise participated in this battle.¡± One of the scouts said. (TL: Carglise = Lord Macsen¡¯s son.)

    Carglise had trained under Lord Ps and thetter taught everything he knew to the young man. Since Lord Ps did not have children of his own, he saw Carglise as his own and thetter did not disappoint him by having exemry achievements in battles against Hignd rebels. Lord Ps¡¯s men also regarded him highly.

    Lord Ps also agreed to Carglise¡¯s desire to serve Princess Gryphine. While the old knight was loyal to Count Randner, he was more supportive of the Royal faction and hoped that his disciple would assist the kingdom and restore it to its former glory.

    ¡°It¡¯s strange that Captain Carglise got ambushed even if it¡¯s a good one. When he led as the scoutingmander, he never fell for the traps from those cunning Hignders set.¡± A young scout said.

    The others nodded, except for the scouting leader:

    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time to think about this matter. I¡¯m going to split us into two groups. The first group shall return to Lord Ps and report to him, while the second will infiltrate Firburh and try our luck to discover who our opponents really are.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it risky to investigate this strange enemy at their base of operation?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of scouting if we¡¯re unable to gain any useful information at all? In any case, I¡¯ll pick two of you toe along with me, while the rest of you return back to Lord Ps.¡±

    The rest of the scouts looked at each other in uncertainty. While they believe they would not encounter any real danger because of their skills, they felt like they were walking on thin ice because of the mysterious enemies.

    =================== Ciel¡¯s POV ================

    As the scouts discussed amongst themselves, Raban and Cornelius first exchanged nces before they turned around to look at Ciel.

    The youth wore a conspicuous red robe and was sitting on a nearby boulder just a few meters away from the scouts. Beside him was the leader of the Subterrane Dwellers, Tagiv, who looked at a little fearfully at him.

    The young wizard¡¯s magic hadpletely erased their presence. No matter how skillful a scout was, they would never be able to detect their presence. In fact, they were so close to them that they were able to listen to their conversation.

    Raban was impressed with the scouts. They had chosen a remote area where there were little hiding spots and were constantly paying attention to their surroundings. Their hands were always close to their weapons and their strength seemed close to Silver-ranked fighters.

    But he was even more shocked at Ciel¡¯s magic. He came from Karsuk and had seen the mysterious wizards from the ck Tower, and he was absolutely certain that this youth had the same air as them.

    [I¡¯ve heard rumors about Brendel being a Hignd knight, I¡¯ll believe that, but does it make sense that a wizard from the ck Tower serving as a squire to a knight? Just who is that noble?]

    ¡°Those scouts are bold,¡± Cornelius said, bringing back Raban from his thoughts.

    The scouts separated into two groups, one moving towards Firburh, the other heading back to the Ps region. They quickly vanished into the main roads.

    ¡°Hah,¡± Ciel rubbed his forehead, his action resembling Brendel greatly.

    His master was truly excellent. It was baffling to him that the young noble seemed to know everything, and he idolized him so much that he started to imitate his actions in the recent days.

    But he soonughed at himself before speaking: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that fellow Carglise to be so popr with Ps¡¯s men. He¡¯s constantly demanding a duel between one of you. Are you not interested in epting?¡±

    Both Raban and Cornelius¡¯s faces turned strange upon Ciel¡¯s teasing.

    During the ambush against Lord Macsen, the biggest problem they had was that youth, Carglise. Hisbat abilities were truly remarkable. The Nightsong Tiger, Raban and Cornelius engaged him in a three-way fight, yet the youth¡¯s swordsmanship was brilliant enough to keep them at bay. If it was not the fact where Lord Macsen was captured, it was actually possible for that youth to pave a bloody road for his escape.

    Fortunately, Carglise surrendered.

    Lord Macsen and Carglise were put under house arrest and they were treated considerably well, but thetter kept yelling for a rematch and demanded duels. The three mercenarymanders avoided the ce.

    Ciel had told Brendel that someone needed to be taught a lesson; that was Carglise.

    ¡°What are your thoughts on them?¡± Ciel shook his head with a smile after seeing the silence from both men and changed the topic.

    ¡°...... Did our lord predict the scouts?¡± Cornelius asked as he looked at Ciel pointing to the scouts.

    Tagiv was starting to be dissatisfied. It was the one who alerted the humans that the enemy scouts had entered the area, yet was it was being ignored.

    ¡°Oh, right, the credit of discovering the scouts goes to Tagiv.¡± Ciel suddenly said and nodded to Tagiv, spotting its discontent.

    Tagiv immediately puffed up its chest.

    ¡°And?¡± Raban frowned and asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re to capture the scouts heading to Firburh. As for the others, we¡¯re to let them go.¡±

    Cornelius and Raban exchanged nces.

    [Letting them return will let Lord Ps be on his guard. He will prepare an army much bigger than Lord Macsen.]

    [What is our lord thinking?]

    But Ciel raised his head to the sky and mused to himself thoughtfully. He had guessed what Brendel wanted to do; it was going to be an all-out battle.

 volume 3 - 87

    Chapter 87 ¨C The gathering storm (1)

    ================ Brendel¡¯s POV ===============

    The silver obtained from Schafflund restored some life to Firburh.

    At the same time, the gains that Brendel received from the Rune Dwarves¡¯ Haven were beyond his expectations, and the youth believed that he had enough strength to take on a bigger challenge.

    At this point in time, his eyes were cast to the north and he was prepared to give the nobles an announcement¡ª

    A new force is on the rise.

    [The letter to Gryphine should reach her any moment now, and so is the news of Lord Macsen¡¯s defeat to Lord Ps. Count Randner will get the news of the defeat in a few days.]

    Beneath his palm were a few written pages assessing the number of troops that he had and the terrain around Firburh.

    [The things to consider next would be Randner¡¯s reinforcements to Lord Ps. He might send in ten thousand men from his own region, but he¡¯s unlikely to send in Gold-ranked fighters since that would be his core strength; what he really wants is to show his hand to the other nobles so he will present arge army. There¡¯s also the consideration that Madara worked with Graudin, so I should expect undead enemies. In addition, when I look at the Ps region on the map ¡ª]

    His eyes narrowed. There were densely popted areas consisting of Hignd natives.

    [The n is certainly to have an all-out war, but there¡¯s the possibility of my men being outnumbered ten to one...... In conclusion, there¡¯s a need to secure more men of my own. Dying for a while would be good here. Hmm, doable.]

    His mind began to spin as he began formting an overall strategy and the ns to support it.

    In order to prove to himself to this old kingdom, he needed to have aplete victory in order to warn his future enemies and gain the trust of his possible allies. It was also imperative that he did it as soon as possible.

    ================== Gryphine¡¯s POV =============

    Gryphine was sitting down on afortable chair with a high back that was decorated withces before a mahogany table covered with documents.

    She wore a set of specially made army uniform that was silver in color. While it gave her a strict and sharp look, it also brought out her lithe figure that could only belong to a soft and gentle girl.

    Her thin but dense eyshes were flickering quickly as she scanned through the two documents in front of her; a letter and the day¡¯s report on the important information¡ª

    Gryphine tapped the table¡¯s surface thoughtfully as she blinked her silver eyes, and finally lifted up her head. It was rare for her to put her full attention to read.

    Maynild and Oberbeck were not there. It was another group of people, and she knew only one of them.

    ¡°Teacher.¡±

    An elderly man who wore a schr¡¯s long robes bowed respectfully before the princess. He was the royal court¡¯s archmage Fleetwood, and he currently did not have the arrogance when he faced Brendel.

    Gryphine was his best disciple and also a hope to revive the kingdom. Even though he was strict during his lessons when he taught her, he was now respectful to her as a courtier.

    ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    Gryphine smiled in return, and her eyes moved on to the others. Even though she did not know personally, she was able to guess their identities.

    The only young man in the group who had a rosy appearance and a little lost would be Eke.

    Beside him was a middle-aged man. Even though he had a weather-beaten appearance, he still kept an air of nobility to him. She recalled meeting him when she was very young, the cunning fox Makarov, and the person who once led the royal faction.

    The third person was a man who had a robust figure with hands full of calluses. She thought it was certainly Buga.

    The final person was undoubtedly the lord of the Matthi region, Count Barre. Even though she had not seen him before, she heard that he was a noble who did things in a unique way.

    Her eyes paused on each of them for a few seconds, using the information she had gleaned from the reports she received in the past and managed to guess all her guests¡¯ identities with her own eyes.

    Fleetwood did not even need to introduce them.

    [Today¡¯s guests are quite famous. Duke Lantonrand¡¯s son, the Cross Sword¡¯s sessor, the leader of the former Royal Faction, and the next person to be called Cunning Fox after Makarov.]

    Even though the Lantonrand region was small and situated beside Ampere Seale and the Arreck region, Duke Lantonrand¡¯s support was critically important to the princess. It was good that history of the past Dukes of Lantonrand and Dukes of Arreck did not get along, and this generation¡¯s dukes were sworn enemies.

    Her gazended on Eke for a while longer.

    The young man¡¯s face started to turn red when he felt her eyes. He still had not adjusted his identity¡ª perhaps anyone who turned from a nameless mercenary to the son of a duke would be stunned even now.

    Eke had not expected the princess to be this beautiful.

    As a half-elf, she was touted as the brightest gem on Aouine¡¯s crown. Her aloof elegance that came from her Elven blood seemed to be mixed in with a human¡¯s warmth, and anyone who met her for the first time would easily be infatuated with her.

    Even though she was young, she already possessed the potential for anyone to fall in love with her appearance.

    ¡°Lord Eke, Lord Barre, Lord Makarov, and Ser Buga. I¡¯m pleased to meet you, and I thank you for still supporting the Corvado royal family.¡±

    The group was quite surprised to see her point their identities out correctly.

    Makarov was feeling slightly d. The princess was just as excellent as the rumors had stated. Hope was not transient as it appeared when the Corvado royal family had a sessor like her.

    He believed that talent was the most important thing, but loyalty and resources were equally as important. The first prince was aggressive and impulsive, and Makarov disliked him. However, he was feeling much more relieved with the princess.

    But he suddenly recalled another youth and the oath that he made. He quickly shut his eyes and shook his head inwardly, tossing out the memories of the past.

    Count Barre, on the other hand, did not get moved by the princess¡¯s polite attitude, neither was he interested in it. The rumors about her capabilities would be grossly inurate if she did not have this amount of insight.

    He instead nced at the two reports on the table. She had been focusing it with strange intensity when they came into the room. The strangest thing was how she looked at it and smiled at the same time, and he was certain that she did not notice it herself.

    Naturally, he did not point that fact out, nor was it his turn to speak. He turned his gaze to Fleetwood.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite, Your Highness. We should apologize for beingte¡ª There was something that we encountered along the way,¡± Fleetwood bowed and raised his head, ¡°may I ask what is the situation to the north?¡±

    ¡°The dark clouds are filling the sky.¡±

    Gryphine turned her head and looked past the window, describing the movements of the northern armies of the various dukes.

    ¡°Their speakers have reached Ampere Seale and they are starting to convince the greedy merchants.¡±

    ¡°Are there no ns made to counter them?¡± Makarov asked.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on him. After bing a mercenary for a decade, he had be more practical and cared less about the rules amongst the nobles. Under normal circumstances, it was not yet the turn for him to speak.

    But Gryphine¡¯s silver eyes glinted. She was more appreciative of people who spoke up instead of holding back.

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked Princess Magadal to assist in this matter and she would be setting out soon. She has close ties to the Cathedral of mes and her contacts are many. There¡¯s a chance to turn things around,¡± she said.

    ¡°Would it be the princess who¡¯s very devout?¡± Fleetwood asked.

    ¡°Does she have proper guards? At this stage, our actions are closely watched to the point where they might as well be transparent to the enemy. Once Princess Magadal leaves, she would most likely encounter assassins.¡±

    ¡°Naturally. Maynild is the leader of the guards protecting her.¡±

    Buga¡¯s eyebrow was raised. Maynild was Lady Ida¡¯s daughter and had family ties with Duke Lantonrand. He had met her when she was still young, but her talent in the sword was already blossoming and he was certain that she had be an excellent swordsman.

    He nodded slightly to Makarov¡¯s questioning looks. Thetter had also heard of her name, but he still questioned the princess¡¯s decision: ¡°Even though Lady Ida¡¯s daughter is an excellent swordsman, but she is still someone who has not left the Academy. I believe that you need a more experienced leader.¡±

    Gryphine nodded: ¡°Which is why I waited for everyone to arrive here and dyed Magadal¡¯s departure.¡±

    Makarov¡¯s eyes widened slightly at her answer and exchanged nces with the rest of the group. They bowed their heads to the princess.

    ¡°We¡¯re grateful for your trust and would be d to escort Princess Magadal,¡± Fleetwood said.

    The room turned silent.

    There was still a secret contract to be settled between Duke Lantonrand and the Corvado royal family, but the group felt that it should be the princess who should initiate this topic. While it was possible for them to talk about pleasantries, no one had the mood to do so when the pressure from the north was so great.

    In the end, the princess spoke again with a small smile:

    ¡°Everyone should take a seat. Perhaps we can talk about things that are more rxing. I¡¯ve been hearing bad news day after day. I believe Lord Eke was a mercenary for a few years? It is quite remarkable and interesting even amongst the nobles.¡±

    Her eyes also went to Makarov for a moment, bringing him into the topic.

    Eke was suddenly taken aback as the attention focused on him. He started to stutter several words out before the princess spared him.

    ¡°Ah, yes, and I also recalled that teacher Fleetwood said that you encountered some trouble. You have always been on time when ites to appointments, do you mind telling me what dyed you?¡± She continued to ask.

    Fleetwood nodded and said: ¡°Yes, to tell the truth, this has to do with the Golden Apple!¡±

    Gryphine¡¯s felt her heart beat violently and her pupils dted a little. While she still kept her expression, as usual, Count Barre saw that minute reaction.

 volume 3 - 88

    Chapter 88 ¨C The gathering storm (2)

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Gryphine repeated the name she just heard.

    Her thin eyebrows finally shook a little and a streak of astonishment shed across her silver irises for a moment.

    ¡°That youth said his name is Brendel? Most people would hardly choose to reveal their name in that situation.¡± She said with a frown, staring at her guests intently.

    ¡°Most people,¡± Count Barre interrupted, cing his hand on his chest and bowed: ¡°would do so, but I think he isn¡¯t one. For him to have such a close rtionship with the Silver Elves, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s unlike most people, Your Highness.¡±

    Gryphine interlocked her fingers to make a single fist and rested her chin on it. She pondered a little nkly.

    [Golden Apple, Silver Elves, Dragon Magic, and Hignd Knight.....]

    ¡°You said he¡¯s a Silver-ranked Swordsman?¡± She said

    ¡°I believe so.¡± Makarov nodded.

    ¡°Twenty years old.¡± Gryphine¡¯s mind was a chaotic mess as though a hurricane had gone through it. Oberbeck clearly stated that he was an Iron-ranked swordsman. She suddenly turned to Eke who became a little startled: ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same rank as Lord Eke?¡±

    Buga nodded and replied: ¡°That young man¡¯s a true genius. But there¡¯s one thing about his swordsmanship that bothers me......¡±

    ¡°What is wrong with his swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a familiar shadow to his swordsmanship, like...... someone I¡¯ve seen before.....¡±

    ¡°Please speak freely, Ser Buga.¡±

    ¡°Sword Saint Darius.¡± (TL: Darius Torbus Cadirosso)

    ¡°Sword Saint Darius? But you just imed that he used Aouine¡¯s Swordsmanship in a revolutionary manner. How can that be linked to the Sword Saint when he left this world a long time ago?¡±

    ¡°His stance and movements. Although I believe his techniques have surpassed the original Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship, his foundations have the same origin as Darius¡ª¡±

    Gryphine¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she heard the word ¡°surpassed¡±.

    ¡°It¡¯s indeed very rare to see a twenty-year-old swordsman reaching the Silver ranks.¡± Fleetwood chimed in, and his eyes went to Eke.

    The youth lowered his head with embarrassment.

    Gryphine nodded inwardly. There was also a number of excellent youths that appeared from the recent tournament.

    [Sometimes I wonder if Mother Marsha still blesses our kingdom when there are so many talented youths in this kingdom, but why is the situation so difficult right now?]

    She felt a little tired but immediately forced herself to turn her attention back to the group with her will. She took in a deep breath and her face even paled a little when she got to the crux of this topic:

    ¡°Grandmaster Fleetwood, you mentioned the Golden Apple. Is it true that it¡¯s not Soulbound to him?¡± She asked with a serious expression.

    ¡°Yes, this old man swears on the honor as a mage who has worked for the royal family for decades. I am certain that it¡¯s not Soulbound.¡±

    The Golden Apple was said to be able to change a person¡¯s destiny for the better. If she possessed the Golden Apple, would it be possible for her timid little brother to be Aouine¡¯s true king?

    [But why did that youth not eat the apple yet? Could it be that it¡¯s a fake? But my teacher wouldn¡¯t be wrong about this...... Perhaps the Golden Apple is the reason as to why the Silver Elves are so close to him? No, that isn¡¯t the end. A Hignd Knight possessing Dragon Magic?]

    There were legendary tales about Hignd Knights, Silver Elves, and Dragons. Her heart started to beat quickly and her eyes gleamed: ¡°Is it possible to recruit him?¡±

    The group of men turned silent. As someone who possessed the Golden Apple and had a rtionship with the Silver Elves, they were willing to recruit him.

    But Fleetwood¡¯s arrogance, Makarov¡¯s greed, and the threat of Count Barre¡¯s men had offended the youth. Even Eke¡¯s presence would be annoying to him, although he did not know that.

    Even though Brendel seemed to favor the Royal Faction, this was hardly a point that they could use.

    ¡°That would be difficult.¡± Makarov who was the most practical person amongst them answered instantly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about that¡ª¡± The princess suddenly smiled, almost bursting intoughter when she thought about this matter: ¡°If this is the same person that I know of.¡±

    They looked puzzledly at her as she took the letter and stretched out her hand and prompted them to read it.

    Makarov received the letter and began to read out loud.

    ¡°On the seventeenth day of the Month of the Autumn¡¯s Twilight, I address this letter to Her Highness, Princess Gryphine Corvado Ordelis, from the city Firburh of the region Trentheim.

    On the previous night, there was a movement of Madara¡¯s undead army under the leadership of the ¡®ck Lord¡¯ Incirsta thatunched an unexpected attack on Firburh. This assault on the city led to thousands of casualties, and in the battle, the previous Lord of Firburh, Baron Graudin, died inbat.

    As a Pioneer Knight and the Lord of the Valha region, I had received Graudin¡¯s warm reception during my travels. As one who is duty-bound to protect the ideals of the kingdom as well as to pay respect to my reception from Graudin, I took up the role of defending Firburh.

    The undead was driven back after a night¡¯s battle. However, in order to prevent the undead from attacking again, your humble knight shall take up the reins of leadership for a temporary period. I will handle the city¡¯s defenses and administration, until the moment where Your Highness appoints the next lord for this city¡ª¡±

    Makarov¡¯s expression suddenly contorted for a second, but he recovered quickly with a cough and continued to recite the letter¡¯s contents:

    ¡°I hereby hold Count Randner responsible for the Madara¡¯s invasion and demand actions taken for his culpability in this matter. He had known that Incirsta¡¯s undead army was at the southern borders and allowed them to pass through ournds unchecked. In order to prove this matter, I have attached a Recording Crystal detailing the battle.¡±

    Makarov raised his head.

    ¡°The Recording Crystal is with me, please continue,¡± Gryphine said without batting an eyelid.

    ¡°There¡¯s no more, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°No, check again, there¡¯s one more word.¡±

    Makarov¡¯s eyes searched for that word and immediately widened upon finding it.

    ¡°Brendel.¡± He said with quivering brows.

    A momentary silence filled the room, before he tried to make light of this incident: ¡°I knew that Baron Graudin was derelict in his duties, but this young man is much too bold and.....¡±

    It was clear that the youth was the one who slew Graudin and med the undead. He even pointed his finger at Count Randner.

    ¡°And......¡± Makarov thought for a moment but was unable to find a word for Brendel¡¯s audacious behavior.

    ¡°Preposterous!¡± Fleetwood¡¯s tone was sharp and cold: ¡°This is a challenge to the kingdom. He has broken the nobles¡¯ rules!¡±

    Gryphine¡¯s throat stiffened when she heard the words ¡°nobles¡¯ rules¡±.

    Count Barre wonder if it was contempt that caused her to have a supposed lump in her throat.

    ¡°..... What does everyone think of the truth on this matter?¡±

    ¡°I believe in Ser Brendel¡¯s integrity.¡± Eke suddenly said with a clear voice, standing up and bowing slightly: ¡°I know him as a true knight.¡±

    His sudden action surprised everyone.

 volume 3 - 89

    Chapter 89 ¨C The gathering storm (3)

    ¡°Young man, you ought to know that people are quite capable of deceit,¡± Fleetwood said.

    Makarov and Count Barre agreed when they heard this remark. The years of battles they had against other nobles had made them realize anything was possible when people were involved. The princess did not agree or disagree with her expression and merely watched the youth intently with her eyes.

    ¡°Grandmaster Fleetwood, Ser Brendel specifically came back to aid me when it was a life-and-death situation. I can hardly believe a morally upright person would be capable of such deceit. But most importantly, it was his oath that convinced me¡ª¡±

    The naivety on the youthful face disappeared as he locked eyes with each man in the room.

    ¡°The fact that the legendary Lionheart recognizes him is proof that his rebuke of us was right.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gryphine blurted.

    Fleetwood had briefly mentioned about seeing the Divine Resonance during their journey to her, but Eke somehow seemed to hint that it happened because of the mysterious youth. Her eyes turned to her teacher curiously and thetter knew that the incident between Brendel and them could not be kept under wraps any longer.

    This secret was originally meant to be kept from the princess because it was an embarrassing encounter. Fleetwood did not expect Eke to spill it out, and the questioning gaze from the princess meant that she wanted an answer and would find out one way or another.

    The grandmaster wizard nodded to Makarov, who sighed at the thought of exining how he was censured by a youth no older than twenty. He detailed the entire encounter to Gryphine.

    ¡°Your Highness, this isn¡¯t something that we intentionally tried to hide,¡± Makarov added.

    Gryphine nodded and said generously: ¡°Different circumstances with different viewpoints can easily lead to conflict. It¡¯s understandable to avoid reporting certain things. This was taught to me by Fleetwood¡ª¡±

    Fleetwood immediately bowed his head. Gryphine was actually grumbling to him for keeping this a secret. He felt rmed and relieved at the same time; rmed at his superior doubting him, and relieved that she was merely hinting her displeasure to him.

    This was ultimately a sign of their familiarity with each other.

    Makarov and Count Barre exchanged looks. They were also relieved as Gryphine showed that she would not pursue this matter.

    As subordinates of Duke Lantonrand, they were supposed to work for the Royal Faction since their superior chose to stand with them. Hiding things from the princess could cause rifts and they needed to avoid this at all cost, especially at such a critical juncture.

    ¡°I am curious. What exactly were the words Brendel said that caused a Divine Resonance?¡±

    ¡°He asked if we still remember the Ancestral King¡¯s beliefs.¡± Makarov¡¯s voice trembled a little.

    The truth was that he was shaken by Brendel¡¯s words.

    [The youth said our defeat is fated even if we took the Golden Apple. The change that we can get from it wouldn¡¯t lead us to victory against Madara, and to hear him deny our blood and tears for the past decade is truly infuriating ¡ª yet I¡¯m unable to refute his words.]

    ¡°That is¡ª¡± Gryphine suddenly recalled a certain story from Oberbeck.

    A Hignd Knight led a group of near defenseless refugees and cut through a path at Madara¡¯s undead armies. It sounded like it came out from a fairy tale that could only happen during the era of the Ancestral King, when the fiery blood of the noble knights had not cooled yet.

    The most exhrating aspect of this story was that it happened in this era that she was born in.

    This was why she could not help but keep the knight of this story in her mind.

    ¡°Do you still remember his exact words?¡± Gryphine said subconsciously.

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Makarov¡¯s mind started to nk out.

    He recalled the youth¡¯s burning eyes of righteous anger, as well as the moment that Scarlett suddenly appeared. Count Barre detected the odd change in him and instead answered:

    ¡°Let me do it.¡±

    ¡°You have my gratitude, Count Barre.¡± Gryphine nodded slightly.

    Count Barre¡¯s expression became slightly solemn:

    ¡°His exact words were: ¡®I recall a story. During Aouine¡¯s brightest era, the Knights of Aouine would carry their horns and swallowtail gs. With their des pointed forth, they would blow their horns and charge forth¡ª¡®¡±

    Makarov suddenly sighed and he took over: ¡°The golden emblems from Corvado, Grinoires, and Arreck were woven onto the swallowtail gs. The nobles in that era held on to their oaths¡ª Do you still remember that oath?¡±

    Gryphine suddenly closed her eyelids a little, her hands sped in front of her, and repeated about the oath in her mind that she knew well.

    [I swear upon this sword and stay true to this oath!]

    ¡°I swear upon this sword and stay true to this oath! I will lead my citizens away from wars and killings, to distance ourselves from the arrogance and greed of the empire¡¯s nobles; I will never repeat the mistakes of the empire¡¯s bloody history. I will ensure that the nobles will be faithful to the Knights¡¯ code of being fair and disciplined, brave and unflinching, generous and benevolent. I will enforce this oath to the end of my life!¡±

    When the final word was said, Gryphine¡¯s heart was full of overwhelming emotions.

    She could almost picture the youth saying the words clearly and loudly. Her heart pounded. She thought no one would understand what she truly desired to achieve in her life. She hid her emotions behind a mask and constantly did things that were against her beliefs to deal with the situation before her.

    Yet when someone appeared with the same beliefs as her and was achieving it in spite of the obstacles...... Her mask shattered a little and she could not help but be stunned.

    But what she did not know was that she had another self in another world.

    In a game called The Amber Sword, Aouine was like a boat traveling through a dark stormy sea, and Princess Gryphine had constantly worked to sail through it with her unshakeable will.

    The dream was like a moth to a me.

    The Goddess of War, countless people within Aouine, and the gamers within the kingdom, gathering together in order to fulfill the Regent Princess¡¯s dream.

    The dream where she could fulfill the Ancestral King¡¯s promise to protect the kingdom and its citizens, where the knights would vanquish the darkness and lead everyone to warmth and safety.

    In the end, that dream was extinguished.

    However, the Gryphine of this world opened her eyes as if she woke up from a world that was filled with darkness. Her fatigue was suddenly gone. Even though the dark clouds to the north were gathering and it seemed like a storm was about to descend, she felt like she suddenly found something that would lead her to her destination.

    ¡°That young man¡¯s words are right, but only when dreams can be achieved in reality can they be called practical. The difficulty of achieving them is not reduced just because we have the willpower to do so.¡±

    Gryphine paused for a moment.

    ¡°He has sent us an invitation into his world. What exactly is his aim by sending us this letter? Please, feel free to express your thoughts¡ª¡°

 volume 3 - 90

    Chapter 90 ¨C The Gathering Storm (4)

    ¡°He¡¯s showing us goodwill.¡± Makarov concluded simply.

    ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s not trying to make us his shield,¡± Fleetwood frowned and disagreed, ¡°offering us evidence of Count Randner¡¯s wrongdoing and his territory? If we be allies of this youth, we¡¯re forcing Count Randner to join hands with Duke Arreck.¡±

    Gryphine creased her brows.

    Count Randner was not a reliable ally to the Royal Faction and was more like a knife to their backs if he joined them. But it was also true that he had not stated where his support would be, and it would be foolish for her to force him to join her older brother instead.

    ¡°Hmph. That scheming Count.¡± She said a little irritably.

    ¡°The situation¡¯s a little interesting.¡± Count Barreughed once.

    That youth was daring enough to take the city but his action could hardly be seen as impulsive. By delivering his letter at this particr time......

    It was truly an excellent timing and definitely not a coincidence.

    Brendel¡¯s move was thrilling and dangerous as though he was walking on a thin wire.

    Count Barre nced at Makarov.

    [I¡¯m sure the Cunning Fox of the previous generation has already noticed this fact. But what does the youth want from us exactly? If he wants actual support from us with this letter that¡¯s not even a loyalty pledge to our faction, isn¡¯t he a little too naive? No, he can¡¯t be this foolish if he sent out this letter. Then...... he just wants to be acknowledged by the Royal Faction? But even if we do so, how is he going to handle the aftermath when Count Randner marches in with his army?]

    Mere usation from this letter would not prevent Count Randner from sending his men to attack Firburh¡ª

    Count Barre was extremely curious about this matter. If the youth were to seed in defeating Count Randner¡¯s army...... He found that he was unable to imagine how things would end up if this scenario happened.

    Makarov spoke after he thought for a while: ¡°I believe that young man understands our position on Count Randner.¡±

    ¡°You mean......¡± Gryphine pondered for a moment before her eyes turned to the letter again.

    ¡°Why did he send this letter?¡± Makarov nodded, ¡°No, it¡¯s not to insult our intelligence¡ª¡±

    His joking words made Count Barre and Gryphine chuckle, though Fleetwood lightly tutted.

    ¡°He¡¯s really showing us goodwill,¡± Makarov repeated his conclusion again.

    ¡°I agree with Makarov¡¯s words. The youth is showing us goodwill, but he does not intend to join us. He also knows clearly what position he is in.¡± Count Barre said.

    ¡°Then what does he want?¡± Fleetwood¡¯s silver eyebrows knitted in slight confusion. Even though he had been in the royal court for years, he had spent his whole life on Magic techniques, and stillcked an understanding fights between the nobles.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it clearly stated in the letter?¡±

    His dislike for that youth was not as important as the Royal Faction¡¯s interest, so he considered the possibilities carefully. If the Royal Faction were to acknowledge his words and put pressure on Count Randner...... Even though he did not have a good impression of the youth, this transaction seemed like it was still very much in favor for them.

    ¡°He wants us to denounce Count Randner openly?¡± He said after a while.

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need to do so. The Royal Faction¡¯s silence on this matter is enough. The youth¡¯s target is clearly Count Randner, and only him. We need not get involved in this.¡±

    ¡°But his actions have challenged all the nobles. No one dares to openly upy a legitimate territory awarded by the king to a noble. This is no precedent¡ª¡±

    ¡°Which is why he¡¯s trying to avoid the situation where everyone attacks him by sending us this letter. Did he not state that he¡¯s just temporarily taking over the territory until the princess appoints someone?¡± Count Barre shook his head with a smile.

    Makarov nced at Count Barre, wondering why he was biased to that youth when he known to be mostly neutral.

    ¡°Unfortunately, this excuse would only work if people are truly convinced of it. An excuse and a false usation are two entirely different things. Your Highness, have you watched the contents of the Recording Crystal?¡± He said.

    ¡°I did. There¡¯s indeed an army of Madara¡¯s undead, and it¡¯s certainly not a small one,¡± Gryphine scoffed lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to ask about the dirty acts between Count Randner and Madara¡¯s undead, but just how effective is this letter with the Recording Crystal?¡±

    It was clear how disgusted she was when she spoke about Count Randner.

    ¡°It¡¯s strong evidence, at least enough to question Count Randner on the failure to detect Madara¡¯s invasion.¡± Count Barre said, his admiration for the youth continuing to increase.

    ¡°So let us see what advantages we can gain from this. I believe that youth knows that we cannot give up Count Randner as an ally, but there¡¯s one point that made me very surprised.¡± Makarov said gravely, causing everyone to pay attention and wait for his words.

    ¡°He¡¯s probably trying to be a chess piece.¡±

    ¡°A chess piece?¡± Fleetwood was confused.

    But Count Barre¡¯s eyes immediately widened with delight, even he did not manage to see what Brendel was trying to do: ¡°Impressive! This is indeed a chess piece that forces Count Randner into a bad position!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Makarov nodded, but contrary to Count Barre¡¯s delight, he was feeling dread.

    Leaving aside the part where Brendel clearly knew what the Royal Faction currently needed, his knowledge of the current state of the entire kingdom had left Makarov highly alert.

    ¡°Count Randner will soon find out that we will be keeping our silence on this matter, and that this Brendel had seemingly cast his lot with us...... The scheming Count will then ponder about the situation if he chooses to side with Duke Arreck during this time¡ª¡±

    Makarov paused for a moment.

    ¡°And he will realize that he¡¯s surrounded by his enemies.¡±

    Count Barre quietly listened to Makarov¡¯s thoughts. He could not help but check out the man¡¯s white sideburns. Thetter was certainly living up as someone who once led the Royal Faction. He could not help but admire the experience Makarov had.

    ¡°Is there anything that the youth can get by bing a chess piece?¡± Gryphine acknowledged Makarov¡¯s words by nodding: ¡°We can throw him away at any given time if Count Randner pledges his loyalty to us. Surely he understands this point.¡±

    Fleetwood was taking everything in. He found that the youth was not as irksome as before when Makarov exined his thoughts and said after some hesitation:

    ¡°It does seem like he¡¯s standing on the Royal Faction¡¯s side. Perhaps he¡¯s willing to join us. But, the only thing that we can do right now is to conceal this thing¡ª¡±

    Count Barre shook his head inwardly and nced at the old Archmage. A schr was indeed just a schr; they could never participate in politics.

    ¡°What the youth wants is very simple. He wants to y a game of bnce. He¡¯s a neutral party who believes that Count Randner will not cast his lot with us¡ª¡±

    ¡°An admirable gambler.¡± A voice rang out from outside the office. The knights outside opened the door and allowed a noble wearing a mink coat to walk in.

    The familiar face made Makarov pause slightly.

    [This is...... Oberbeck? I remember him as a pretty capable youth when I was leading the Royal Faction.]

    The youthful innocence of Oberbeck was gone, reced by a sharp and firm air. He even had a new nickname, the Wolf Lord.

    Oberbeck nced at Makarov, then bowed slightly to the princess.

    ¡°Your Highness,¡± he greeted Gryphine, then turned to Makarov, ¡°Lord Makarov, it has been a while.¡±

    Oberbeck¡¯s position within the Royal Faction was currently considered higher than Makarov, but his humble attitude made him feel pleased.

    Makarov nodded back with a smile: ¡°Lord Oberbeck.¡±

    Oberbeck continued to exchange short greetings with the other men and caught up to the discussion that had happened so far.

    ¡°Let¡¯s continue with the discussion. I believe that Makarov and Barre¡¯s analysis is logical, but I have another thought as to what the youth wants¡ª¡± He said

    The room fell into a silence.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were on him. Gryphine was the only person who knew that Oberbeck understood Brendel best amongst them.

    ¡°The people who do not even have the value as chess pieces are worthless, the people who be chess pieces without even knowing are fools, but people who are like this young man and be chess pieces on their own will, they are chess yers.¡±

    ¡°Chess yers?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Even if they only control a single chess piece, they are chess yers. And on this chessboard, he¡¯s now standing on a ce high enough to meet us. If he¡¯s a chess piece, then we are chess pieces. The only advantage we have over him is possessing more resources than he does.¡±

    The others in the room were speechless.

    ¡°Oberbeck, you mean to say that he wants to get involved in this game as a yer?¡± Even Gryphine felt disbelief. She drew in a light breath: ¡°If this is true, his real goals are to take advantage of us? This is certainly quite displeasing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and yet the only option we have is to ept it. His suggestion is still the most advantageous option for us.¡±

    ¡°This sly fellow,¡± Fleetwood suddenly felt he should not participate this discussion as he listened to all theplicated analysis on the letter. He rubbed his temples and asked tiredly: ¡°Then what should we do now?¡±

    ¡°We can choose any option as long as it doesn¡¯t directly interfere with the parties involved in this matter,¡± the Wolf Lord concluded mysteriously, ¡°and after that, all that¡¯s left for us to do is to watch that youth¡¯s brilliant performance against Count Randner.¡±

    The group of men looked at Oberbeck with disbelief. Even Eke who was confident in Brendel¡¯s abilities became worried.

    One was a youth who had no resources, the other was an experienced Count who had arge force.

    Count Barre momentarily thought about the Silver Elves, but they stated they would not interfere with Aouine¡¯s internal politics. He did not understand where the youth¡¯s confidence came from to participate in this game.

    But Gryphine knew why Oberbeck spoke in that manner. The report that came in almost at the same time as the letter had a simple line:

    ¡®Trentheim, Lord Macsen¡¯s utter defeat.¡¯

 volume 3 - 91

    Chapter 91 ¨C The gathering storm (5)

    The Randner region was situated between Arreck and da¡¯s borders. The area was designated during the rise of the kingdom¡¯s beginning with strong military forces to prevent the Hignd natives from attacking the northern areas. Over time, the control of the south got stronger and became a true defensive line against invaders.

    Count Randner situated himself in Fortress Patalone. Even though it was not the biggest fortress, it had a long history of a hundred and thirty years, and the construction method was influenced by Elven design that resurged in poprity. It was currently deemed to be a rare work of art from that era.

    It was the House of Randner¡¯s biggest pride and showed how much they respected traditional values. This respect had also won them considerable prestige from nobles of higher ranks.

    Interestingly, the current Count Randner who had a ¡®good reputation¡¯ of being two-faced, benefitted just as much as Fortress Patalone¡¯s fame.

    It was a few days after Lord Macsen¡¯s defeat, and a few riders urged their exhausted horses toward Fortress Patalone. The gatekeeper of the fortress was a veteran soldier who had guarded the fortress for half his life, and it was the first time ever since the November War that he saw such urgency from the riders.

    The riders and their horses looked like they had been traveling without rest, and the gatekeeper quickly realized that they were carrying armbands that signified an urgent report. The news of the unrest in the north had also reached his ears, and he immediately ordered the guards to raise the gate.

    The gate was raised halfway noisily, and the riders rushed in without even waiting to confirm their identities and rode straight to the heart of the fortress.

    The report from the scouts was quickly transferred to the chambein. There were three levels of reports in regards to their urgency, and upon listening to the scouts¡¯ exnation, he quickly stamped it with the highest level of urgency and handed it to his aide who started running in order to send it to Count Randner.

    This level of urgency had not appeared for nearly a decade.

    The chambein then quickly pulled a rope that rang a bell in Count Randner¡¯s office. It was an antiquated system that was reced by magic, but Count Randner had a quirk of disliking magic and would use machines whenever he could.

    It was well known within the nobles¡¯ circle that he thought that magic was unreliable.

    Count Randner was currently in his office. He wore a monocle, a fur coat with a silver ruff that matched with his neatly trimmed beard, and a faint smile that held a sliver of warmth, though anyone who knew him well would know that he was hiding his thoughts.

    His hair had turnedpletely white and no one could guess how old he was, but they would never underestimate him; he was known for amongst the higher echelons as a noble who participated in the November War.

    It was a war that left the kingdom greatly wounded and any survivors from that war were perceived as skilled.

    The person who sat in front of Count Randner and caused him to wear a smile was a Hignd native in the Randner region. These natives would hardly admit they were citizens of Aouine. The majority of Hignd natives were considered barbarians, but there were exceptions like the ones from the Karsuk region and were instead highly regarded.

    Two centuries ago, the Hignd natives in Aouine were still considered as barbarians, but they were gradually influenced by the kingdom¡¯s civilization. However, there was one point that had not changed yet. The Hignd citizens still pursued their freedom, and the kingdom could never tolerate the danger of letting be independent. Randner¡¯s region was still fraught with small skirmishes every year.

    There was of course exceptions, and a few groups of Hignd Natives were willing to ept Aouine¡¯s rule. The guest Randner had was one such person, and came from the area that the Count governed himself.

    He came with a simple goal. He desired to have their taxes exempted.

    Madara¡¯s invasion had caused significant damage to the agriculture and production sectors. Even if the heavy taxes were exempted, they would still find it hard to survive since they could not collect any harvests.

    The kingdom seemed like they could not see this point and instead increased their pressure on them to pay their taxes.

    Count Randner carefully listened to his guest speak about their circumstances. He always wore a smile, but he did not express his opinion. Even though he seemed like an affable old man, his guest did not dare to see him as one.

    Just when his guest was about to plead for Count Randner¡¯s understanding and state his request, the bell rang.

    Count Randner¡¯s expression changed. It was the first time since this afternoon where he was unable to maintain a smile.

    He could not remember how long he received this level of urgency.

    ¡°My apologies, but I have to leave for a while. Please wait.¡± He got up with a frown and nodded ruefully as he spoke.

    ¡°Certainly, my lord,¡± the guest stood up in a panic and a little fearfully, not daring to show any signs of dissatisfaction.

    Count Randner left the study room and pushed open a door that led to an adjacent room. He saw that his advisor and his right hand waiting for him. Since these were his trusted men, he did not bother to keep a smile and instead changed into a dark expression: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°It has something to do with Trentheim,¡± his advisor answered.

    ¡°It¡¯s still that matter?¡± Count Randner received a silver-tipped pipe from a servant, sat down on a chair and took in a deep breath before he continued to speak, ¡°that useless fool still hasn¡¯t solved that rebellion? It has been half a month!¡±

    The old noble said with some anger.

    ¡°There¡¯s new information regarding this issue from Lord Ps.¡±

    ¡°Ps?¡±

    Count Randner paused.

    Even though Lord Ps was Graudin¡¯s subordinate, he was once his subordinate and had also participated in the November War. Even though he only participated near the end of the war, Count Randner admired his abilities and began to groom him.

    His loyalty could be trusted and Count Randner saw him as one of his most trusted subordinates. Therefore he calmed down when he heard it was news from the old knight.

    ¡°What exactly did he write?¡±

    The advisor did not answer and instead presented the report.

    Count Randner carefully read through the report. He stood up, paced a few times in silence, before his sullen eyes red at his advisor.

    ¡°That worthless piece of shit. His soldiers are useless swill as well...... When did this start?¡±

    ¡°Approximately fifteen days ago.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, fifteen fucking days! Trentheim is in such a huge mess and it took this long for the news to reach me, what the fuck are you and the rest of Trentheim doing!¡± he threw the parchments into his advisor¡¯s face, causing them to scatter all over the room.

    ¡°My lord, this is unlikely a simple rebellion. No matter how much Lord Macsen underestimates them, he shouldn¡¯t be defeated by an army made of civilians. The fact that the news can be dyed so long is also because of the enemy¡¯s control.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to tell me that, you halfwit!¡± Count Randner roared in fury, but he quickly calmed down: ¡°...... The real enemies are definitely made up of mercenaries, but they are insects that buzz only if they smell profits. This is clearly a ploy.¡±

    The earlier reports stated that Graudin had offended the mercenaries, but Count Randner was certain that the mercenaries would not go against his son as they would offend the entire nobility and even the kingdom.

    He sat down in his chair and tapped the emerald ring on his thumb. His advisor had been with him long enough to recognize that the Count was thinking, and wisely shut his lips to wait for the old noble to make his decision.

    ¡°I¡¯m concerned with two things.¡± Count Randner said after a long pause: ¡°One, is Graudin dead or alive? Two, who is the mastermind behind this?¡±

    The advisor did not speak. He knew there was more toe.

    But at that moment, the front doors were pushed opened forcefully with a groaning sound and a tall man walked in withrge confident strides.

    ¡°Father.¡± The man¡¯s loud voice reached Count Randner first before he could reach him physically.

    Count Rander¡¯s lips closed until his son stopped before him.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to knock on the doors beforeing in?¡± He said coldly.

    ¡°You did say that the aplished don¡¯t care about the trivial things, father.¡±

    The man wore a ck shirt with long sleeves that was covered by a coat with gold cuffs, along with a longsword hanging from his belt. His features made him look like he was in histe twenties, but he was past forty.

    He was Count Randner¡¯s second son, Andrei, and the only son who was not appointed with and of his own, as he had willingly given up to do so in order to assist his father.

    ¡°So you heard the news?¡± Count Randner was not offended by his son¡¯s thoughts.

    The urgent report must have caused a significant amount of panic, and he was not surprised if his son knew about the contents of the letter.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve heard that it was urgent. What happened exactly?¡± Andrei nced at the people in the room, then his eyes hovered over the parchments on the floor, before dropping down on the sofafortably.

    ¡°Your younger brother has gotten into trouble.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re happy to hear that.¡± Count Randner¡¯s eyebrow was raised and he sounded like his temper was going to re again.

    ¡°My apologies, father,¡± Andrei lifted up a cup to make a feeble attempt at disguising his emotions, but he ultimatelyughed and put it down, ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t do it, but I just can¡¯t control my emotions.¡±

    Count Randner shook his head with resigned reluctance. He had done the same thing when he was young. In the end, this was a small matter to him.

    But a family squabble was different from someone else hurting his descendants. It was rare for nobles to try and harm other nobles openly. Scheming was very different from murder, and the blood of a noble was precious.

    Count Randner was furious over this report and had decided to make it a blood feud, and he nned to announce to the entire kingdom that his family was not to be trifled with.

    ¡°Firburh has been taken and there has been no news on your younger brother. I believe he¡¯s most likely dead. Also, Lord Macsen suffered aplete loss to the rebels.¡±

    Andrei was shaking his head when he heard that his younger brother was missing after the rebellion at Firburh. If Graudin was killed because of mere civilians, House Randner would be disgraced. If this news got out to other nobles, Andrei felt like he would not be able to raise his head in front of others.

    However, he sat up in surprise when he heard that Lord Macsen was defeated. Count Randner¡¯s advisor continued to exin the report in detail.

    [This isn¡¯t a game anymore.]

    Andrei was someone who could read between the lines. He immediately got up and said: ¡°Father, there¡¯s something very wrong about this. Please allow me to gather our men and let me lead an army straight away and exact revenge on the leader of this rebellion.¡±

    But Count Randner shook his head with a little disappointment as he looked at his son.

    ¡°Do you know who¡¯s the mastermind?¡±

    Andrei knitted his brows, not understanding the question.

    The experienced Count Randner pointed at his temple: ¡°The sword in your hand can cut down your enemies, but it can¡¯t bring you towards victory. You should think again.¡±

    ¡°...... The biggest suspect is the one who benefits most from this incident.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Count Randner nodded: ¡°the kingdom will eventually split into three factions, but as of right now, the Royal Faction is the most likely culprit behind this rebellion. The crafty little wench...... No, the people around her are the ones who would propose a scheme like this. If they are trying to force me to make a decision because of the situation in the north, they truly are underestimating our House too much.¡±

    ¡°But this might also be an attempt to cause tension between us and the Royal Faction, father.¡± Andrei did not want his father to choose Duke Arreck¡¯s faction.

    Rather, he wanted to have an arranged marriage with the princess. With her aid, he could easily be the head of House Randner.

    There were also the rumors of the princess¡¯s beauty and her fame as ¡°the brightest gem on the kingdom¡¯s crown¡± that even reached the kingdom¡¯s neighboring country, Kirrlutz, despite her young age.

    But Andrei¡¯s thoughts did not escape Count Randner¡¯s eyes, and he red at his son coldly: ¡°You fool. Do you really take me as someone who cannot see what you¡¯re thinking because I¡¯m outraged?¡±

    ¡°Father?¡±

    ¡°Your pathetic thoughts of lusting after the princess and the family¡¯s position are clouding your judgment.¡± Count Randner¡¯s voice was severe: ¡°Marrying the princess? Do you really think that¡¯s possible? She would think of choosing the Kirrlutz empire even before she considers our House! If you can¡¯t attain the things that you want, then stop thinking about it! House Randner cannot be overly greedy, so only reach for the things that you can get, do you understand?¡±

    He rapped the silver pipe onto the table: ¡°Listen well, it doesn¡¯t matter which side House Randner supports, the most important thing is that this House retains its autonomous control over our region at all times. This is the most important thing.¡±

    Andrei was momentarily stunned at his father¡¯s words, but he quickly shrugged his shoulders: ¡°Understood. So what should we do now?¡±

    Count Randner tapped the emerald ring on his thumb: ¡°Since the Royal Faction killed my son, House Randner will definitely pay this with blood. I¡¯ll torture and ughter every single mercenary in that city as revenge. Then I¡¯ll see what move that little wench and her men makes¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Andrei got excited and patted his sword, ready to go into a battle.

    ¡°No, House Randner cannot send its members to quell a small rebellion like this. We will be lowering our status if we did so.¡± Count Randner shook his head, displeased with his son¡¯s eagerness: ¡°The Royal Faction and Duke Arreck are looking at us very closely, and we cannot allow ourselves to be underestimated at this point of time.¡±

    Andrei made an unsatisfied noise with his tongue. He unbuckled his sword irritably and threw it onto the sofa, before plopping downzily again: ¡°Very well, father, you have made your point. However, even though Lord Ps has a pretty good army under him, he isn¡¯t very much stronger than Lord Macsen. I doubt that old knight is capable of winning if we don¡¯t send our men, since the report stated that Lord Macsen was defeatedpletely.¡±

    Count Randner nodded. Even though his second son¡¯s actions were frustrating to him, he was outstanding when it came to military affairs. His other sons were not as useless as Graudin, but they were still middling.

    ¡°Continue,¡± he said.

    ¡°Let me think. You¡¯re going to send some of our men along with the Hignd natives. Ah, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re thinking of having Madara send in their undead soldiers too? While they do have military strength, they are not humans. Lord Ps is a knight who¡¯s quite rigid, and he might not be able to control them. Besides, can you really trust that Incirsta who¡¯s always putting that stupid grin? I heard that he¡¯s only a Baron in Madara¡¯s ranks.¡±

    ¡°And would that be reasons for not trusting that undead?¡± Randner scoffed. He turned his gaze away from his son and looked at his advisor: ¡°Draft two letters for me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord. What would you have me write?¡±

    ¡°The first letter is to be sent to Madara¡¯s nobles. Tell them the thing they want is still in Firburh. They must send out their forces if they want toplete the transaction with me. The second letter is to be given to that messenger of the Hignd natives. Tell them if they¡¯re willing to participate in this war, I¡¯ll exempt them from taxes. I¡¯ll even provide provisions for their armies they send out!¡±

 volume 3 - 92

    Chapter 92 ¨C Brendel¡¯s chief architect

    Andrei scoffed lightly at Count Randner¡¯s instructions, but he had to admit that it was a good move to use Madara¡¯s undead to kill their enemies.

    Count Randner¡¯s right-hand man was slightly startled. The exemption of tax and providing free provisions would certainly spur a significant amount of desperate Hignd natives to participate in the battle, due to the damage caused by Madara¡¯s invasions on their farnds.

    They would not refuse and simply could not refuse.

    Furthermore, these barbarians were no strangers to battles.

    With such strong incentives, the Hignd natives participating in this battle would surely be more than ten thousand, and this figure did not include Madara¡¯s undead or Lord Ps army.

    The scale of the army made him a little excited. His lord who always yed down his strength had decided to show his might to Princess Gryphine and Duke Arreck in this battle.

    Aouine had not seen such a battle for a decade, maybe even two. A new generation of talented youths might have appeared, but this did not mean the old Count had lost his vigor.

    He nced at both Count Randner and his son. Even the former¡¯s eyebrows had turned white, but his eyes were still sharp.

    Everyone knew that once the two letters were sent out, no one would be able to stop the battle from happening. While everyone was paying attention to the North¡¯s impending battles, no one could have expected that the beginning of the kingdom¡¯s civil war to begin in its most southern borders.

    Indeed, who could have expected a battle to take ce over a destitute and remote ce like Trentheim?

    =============== Brendel¡¯s POV =============

    Brendel understood that he had made a move that caused ¡®history¡¯ to change. Once Lord Macsen¡¯s defeat was announced, it meant that he had ced himself on the uing civil war that would decide Aouine¡¯s fate.

    As for the results, it would depend on the performance of each faction.

    However, Brendel was currently not thinking about this problem.

    He was in arge horse carriage that departed from Schafflund and was heading back to Firburh, and was instead staring vacantly out the window at the blue sky.

    It was a bumpy ride due to the uneven roads on the hills.

    He left behind all administrative works in the silver mines and left during a certain night. It was not because he received news of Count Randner¡¯s preparation to send out a huge army to crush the borders, neither was it the delivered letter from the Regent Princess to Firburh.

    It was for an entirely different reason.

    He soon turned his gaze at the changing scenery outside the window andnded on the dwarf opposite of him. Thetter was staring at the youth with open eyes.

    ¡°Mister Odum,¡± the youth finally opened his lips first, ¡°I want to know what you¡¯re doing.¡±

    ¡°Huh......?¡± The dwarf showed a puzzled expression and nked out for a few seconds, before he stuffed his mouth with desserts: ¡°Fhat Im woing?¡±

    The dwarf weed himself to the specially made desserts by Fern that filled a hiddenpartment in the carriage. He had eaten approximately half of it and was finishing the other half off.

    Brendel looked at the massive amount of chewing with slight annoyance and felt that he had lost his appetite. Perhaps this was the dwarf¡¯s strategy to prevent him from eating the desserts.

    At the very least, it was working.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe I invited you to travel along with me?¡± Brendel asked with some exasperation in his tone. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a good job in the silver mines? I didn¡¯t cause you to get dismissed so why are you hovering around me every day¡ª¡±

    The youth paused for a while and thought. He sighed deeply and added: ¡°For the past two or three weeks¡ª¡±

    ¡°Gough?¡± The dwarf choked and smacked his chest loudly and swallowed the tart he was having: ¡°Erm, well, you see! Lad, this is a good question......¡±

    Brendel felt the sides of his lips spasm. If there was a chance, he would definitely kick the old dwarf down the horse carriage. He replied coldly:

    ¡°Mister Odum, may I ask you to leave the carriage if you don¡¯t have an answer?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no!¡± The dwarf shook his small, fat hands, ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m definitely not leaving!¡±

    ¡°And the reason why you can¡¯t leave?¡±

    ¡°Well..... Hmm, let me think,¡± Odum was troubled.

    [I can¡¯t say that I want to observe you for a while to see if you have the potential to be the King of the Underground, and that all the Rune Dwarves would then need to follow you, right?]

    He felt like he would be treated as insane if he said that. After pondering for a few more seconds, he finally found a lousy excuse: ¡°Lad, don¡¯t you need people to work for you?¡±

    Brendel felt he was tough out loud with sarcasm, but he spoke in an annoyed tone through his grinding teeth: ¡°Very well, old dwarf, what can you do?¡±

    ¡°I...... I can mine, yes, I¡¯m skilled at mining. I-I have been taught by the Gold Dwarves, even though Rune Dwarves are not famous for mining, but the Gold Dwarves are proficient¡ª¡±

    ¡°Please, stop talking now,¡± Brendel shook his head, ¡°since you¡¯re so good at mining, why aren¡¯t you staying in the mines?¡±

    The old dwarf stared back with big round eyes, opened and closed his mouth a few times before he stuttered: ¡°Well...... I mean, even though I¡¯m good at mining, I actually want to switch professions......¡±

    He said with a smile.

    A very forced smile.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Brendel suddenly felt a little better. At least the dwarf seemed to know how strange his actions were. ¡°Then what do you want to do?¡±

    The youth¡¯s tone was both sarcastic and malicious.

    Odum grabbed his hair. It was a difficult question.

    [Urgh, this damned question has hit me in the guts. What else do I know other than mining? Are you pulling my leg,d? You¡¯re making things hard for me on purpose. If this was anyone else but you, I¡¯ll punch them so hard that they see stars!]

    After hesitating for a while, he finally said with much strain: ¡°You know...... I know a little...... about construction.......¡±

    He did not lie. At the very least, he knew a little about constructing structural supports in the mines. It was his hobby too, and he could at least consider himself as someone who knew a little about building something.

    But his knowledge did note from the Rune Dwarves and he did not inherit their famous skills. In the end, he was still a miner.

    But Brendel pricked his ears upon hearing that.

    He obviously knew that the Rune Dwarves built grand structures in the underground, but he was not certain whether Odum inherited their skills. Since the old dwarf said he had them, his mood started to change, even throwing the gloom in his heart back to his mind.

    ¡°Did you say construction?¡± His voice was thirty percent higher.

    Odum jolted and this eyes twitched a little at the youth¡¯s sudden enthusiasm, and theck of confidence in his reply was even less: ¡°J-just a little, I think......¡±

    But the stubborn character of a dwarf suddenly boiled in him. He realized he could not make himself look weak. He was a dwarf, and a Rune Dwarf, and in him flowed the blood of a Silver Lineage!

    ¡°Lad!¡± He coughed out loudly and cleared his voice: ¡°There has to be a beginning somewhere for everyone. Even though I said I know only a little about construction, I meant that my experience isn¡¯t enough. As you well know, I¡¯ve worked in mines my whole life.¡±

    His reply was full of holes and even Romaine would probably not believe him. Unfortunately, Brendel had visited a ruined city made by Rune Dwarves in the game and was awed by the scale and design. It did not help that Odum had performed that miracle with Halran Gaia as well.

    He nodded as he felt that Odum was talking about not having a budget to construct grand cities:

    ¡°I understand. You mean that you¡¯recking in funds. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give you enough money, so you can build a city for me.¡±

    ¡°You want to build a city?¡± Odum yelled.

    The old dwarf was so shocked that he started perspiring. A city was not like a simple building. He started to imagine himself trying to build one with his current knowledge.

    In the future, at some random ce, an unsightly city that became a famous ce, oops, it was actually an infamous ce.

    It was teaching material for all dwarves. Odum could even hear a grumpy old voice speaking to a group of young dwarves.

    ¡°Alright, youds, take a look at the braggart Odum¡¯s infamous work! This foolish dwarf even forgot to make the damned city gate¡ª¡±

    Odum shook his head and threw away the nasty thoughts out of his mind. Brendel¡¯s eager eyes were staring at him¡ª

    ¡°How about it?¡± Brendel continued to speak to Odum with a tone that sounded like a devil trying to tempt him: ¡°A city that¡¯s also an impregnable fortress, and once it¡¯s built, your name shall be remembered forever by everyone¡ª¡±

    Brendel seemed to believe his own words, and his eyes stared into the far-off distance:

    ¡°Hark, the Grandmaster Dwarven Builder Odum¡¯s masterpiece, a city that withstood a thousand invasions and the test of time. He brought back the glory of the Rune Dwarves that were known for their skill in construction.¡±

    Odum blinked a few times when he heard Brendel speaking about glory. Brendel¡¯s confidence and descriptions of the city¡¯s image had made him forget that he was actually an amateur.

    [Yes! Of course! I carry the blood of a Rune Dwarf, even if I¡¯m worst builder amongst my race, I still wouldn¡¯t be that bad!]

    He immediately strengthened his resolve and nodded forcefully.

    ¡°I look forward to your skill, mister Odum.¡± Brendel was also relieved.

    [How silly of me. I should have asked him earlier whether he¡¯s an architect. It¡¯s lucky that he insisted on joining me. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem if I want to build a fortress now.]

    Brendel felt like he had profited immensely, and so did Odum.

 volume 3 - 93

    Chapter 93 ¨C Return to Firburh

    ¡°You¡¯re Firburh¡¯s lead architect now. If you need anything, go ahead and speak with a young woman called Amandina, and if you want you can take over the duty of repairing the walls.

    There are a few important people that you should know. My cksmith, Grandmaster Bosley, and two of the mercenarymanders working under me, Raban and Cornelius

    If you have any questions you can ask them. It will take a while for me to gather enough funds and get you builders, so I¡¯ll let you know when to start building a city.¡±

    Brendel pondered for a moment, before continuing:

    ¡°There¡¯s a library in my manor. You¡¯re free to enter it and see if there are any rted books to the Firburh¡¯s construction, especially if you want to repair the walls. Firburh¡¯s design has been changed several times to make the heart of the city resemble something like a fortress. You might get interesting notes from the past nobles and architects.¡±

    Odum blinked a few times, suddenly realizing that the youth in front of him was the new ¡°lord¡± of Firburh. Even though he could care less about the fact of who was in charge of the city, he suddenly realized the person in front of him was the leader of the rebels.

    [The fact remains that I¡¯m a dwarf without any real skills in construction. Also, it doesn¡¯t look like thisd has a lot of money. Doesn¡¯t this mean I have to work with limited funds? If I screw this up...... I¡¯m not even given workers who know about construction too!]

    What would happen if he failed to construct the fortress the youth wanted and squandered money instead?

    He imagined speaking to Brendel:

    ¡°Ah! My lord, no one will be able to break down this fortress!. That¡¯s because there¡¯s no gate at all! And it fulfills the promise of being well-known too!¡±

    If the youth was bold enough to murder a noble, he would definitely have no qualms about murdering him for this failure. He started thinking of an escape route.

    [Hmmm, I don¡¯t really care about this human kingdom, and I can go back to the Gold Dwarves as a respectable veteran miner. I can probably try to escape anytime I want if I n well...... Also, the Gold Dwarves and humans are not truly on good terms. If I mishandled the construction, maybe I can brag about it and make it seem like I swindled the humans. It will be recognized as an achievement amongst the Gold Dwarves!]

    Brendel¡¯s expression suddenly turned dark as though he had read Odum¡¯s mind. His eyes narrowed as though he had sensed something incredibly displeasing, and the old dwarf suddenly remembered Kodan¡¯s words about the youth being someone who was even more powerful inbatpared to him.

    Odum gulped and trembled once. He broke into a cold sweat.

    But Brendel did not pay attention to Odum¡¯s frightened behavior.

    Ciel suddenly spoke to him in his mind, stating that Scarlett had taken a turn for the worst and she might not live past the next day. He started to brood.

    The journey was filled with ufortable silence for Odum, as Brendel reached out to Orthlyss to ask about the Blood of Gods and ignored him.

    [Ser Orthlyss? Have you recovered enough to speak to me?]

    ¡°Do you need me for something, boy?¡± Came the whisper in his ears.

    Brendel was d that the Heroic Spirit replied. She lived during the Era of the Holy Saints, and the forces of the Darkness and Chaos were far stronger than what it was now. The Tree Shepherds and the Blood of Gods were not things that were unfamiliar to Orthlyss.

    ¡°There are only two methods that I know of that will permanently cure her. One, invoking the strongest Holy Words to weave the spell of Astral Healing. It¡¯s a spell that nearly ignores the Laws of this world and reverses cause and effect. This way, it would be possible to return Scarlett back to her former self before she was imnted with the Blood of Gods. However, I only know of the Holy Saint, Farnezain, who was capable of casting this spell.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone is capable of casting this spell in this era,¡± Brendel said with a frown.

    [Not even the gamers have this spell. It seems like only the ultimate NPC or World Boss would have.]

    ¡°The second method would be signing a contract with Mother Marsha. I believe that the effects will be even better than using Astral Healing.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean that she has to meet with Mother Marsha? But she hasn¡¯t appeared before anyone for centuries.¡±

    ¡°I see. It¡¯s not exactly necessary to meet Mother Marsha directly; there are artifacts that allow one to meet with her and sign a contract.¡±

    ¡°...... I have never heard of these artifacts before, and it sounds like it¡¯s impossible to find one in such a short period of time.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry, boy, I don¡¯t have any more ideas. Perhaps I can think of something else when I check your friend¡¯s condition.

    After a few hours, the gate to Firburh was raised. The shiny ck horse-carriage was driven into the city. Because of the many mercenaries gathering at the gate with an air of slight excitement and solemn discipline, everyone knew that the young lord had returned.

    Since Kodan was sent back with Scarlett and Medissa a few days ago while Jana stayed behind in Schafflund, the mercenaries in Firburh got to know that the youth captured the silver mines with only thirty-odd mercenaries.

    Was it not a miracle?

    Even though they knew that their lord was capable, this deed had made it seem like he could do anything.

    The mercenaries escorted him with to the base of the huge manor with much fervor and stopped there. Odum alighted with an exhausted face and was about to be led away to a guest room before Brendel called out to him.

    The youth thought the old dwarf¡¯s exhaustion was due to him being unused to riding in a horse carriage and politely told him to rest well. He even apologized for suddenly not speaking halfway through the journey and exined that one of his mercenaries had gotten very ill which caused him to be moody. Odum¡¯s ears turned slightly warm when he realized the real reason behind the youth¡¯s attitude.

    The old dwarf could hardly face Brendel¡¯s eyes and wondered if he should tell him the truth. In the end, he decided not to. It was not beneficial to either of them, and he was worried that Brendel might faint from the shock.

    The youth did not look too well too.

    Also, Odum was even more afraid of the mercenaries around him who were looking at Brendel like he was a saint. If he caused harm to their lord, he might get quartered right there. Even bravery had its limits, and there was no need for him to be hacked into pieces even if he had to die.

    He thanked Brendel for his kindness.

    When the youth reached his destination, he opened the door to a quiet scenery filled with green and red colors. The past owners of Graudin¡¯s manor had also nted evergreen trees around the manor so that the ce would be filled with some greenery throughout the seasons.

    He did not change anything to the manor when he conquered the city. However, when he nced at the building in front of him, he realized that the curtains¡¯ colors had been changed into a pale yellow, which was a color that he was fond of.

    [It must be Fern¡¯s doing. The manor feels like home.]

    Even though he did not know how the older Wild Elf knew about the colors that he liked, he felt a little happy to a meticulous arrangement like this, especially when he always felt a slightly disdainful feeling from her like a disapproving secretary when she followed him around.

    The word ¡®home¡¯ was far and distant to the youth, and he felt like it had nothing to do with him anymore. The old house in Be was just a temporary stop or symbol that he would never be able to return to his old world.

    Perhaps there was a family in this world waiting for the original Brendel to go back, but the current Brendel felt like he was unable to cross this invisible line. He knew that as long as he felt this way, he would never be able to meet his family of this world.

    He studied the quiet manor as he alighted. The guards stationed there were looking alert. The ce was orderly and clean, making him feel at peace. The youth closed his eyes and breathed in the winter air deeply.

    He could sense the hopeful gazes of everyone around him, and they made him realize he was indeed the owner of this city. In order to save this kingdom, he had gotten all of them involved in his dream and there was hardly any way out for them. If he were to lose the uing battle against Count Randner, everyone would be killed.

    But he was confident that his actions would not disappoint them at the very end.

    He felt someone approaching him and opened his eyes, jumping a little when he found that it was Fern was standing before him with a stoic expression. She carried a thick book and stood straight with a dignified posture; even the most professional etiquette teacher would not be able to point out a mistake.

    The Nightsong Tiger ordered her to cater to his needs ever since the battle at Firburh, and she had done a fantastic job as Brendel¡¯s secretary and personal maid thus far.

    [There¡¯s really no need for her to do this job. Although¡ª]

    Brendel briefly wondered if he could get her to wear a pair of spectacles and a tight dress to cosy an officedy worker, but he quickly shook off that thought.

    ¡°I like the manor¡¯s change,¡± he thanked her.

    The older Wild Elf regarded him with a pair of eyes that resembled a dead fish and the youth coughed, wondering if she read what he was thinking. But she nodded a secondter, probably satisfied with Brendel¡¯s words.

    ¡°A bath has been prepared for you,¡± she said.

    He nodded and entered the manor while taking a few more nces at her as they walked in. As an Elementalist himself, he could feel the change of power in her even without using his system.

    After he emerged from the silver mines, he attached the Dwarven Treasure Vault card to the Mercenaries of Lopes and raised their levels. Each of the Mercenaries of Lopes became top Silver-rankers, and their abilities matched Aouine¡¯s second-tiermanders.

    The Nightsong Tiger¡¯s skill inmanding an army was good as well, and the youth started to consider making him the backbone of his armies.

    [But there¡¯s a problem with their identities. If anyone of them is struck down and revivedter, what would my men think? Even if they ept that the Mercenaries of Lopes are summons, thetter would hardly inspire them to charge into dangerous battles when death hardly means a thing to Mercenaries of Lopes.]

    He rubbed his forehead. He could think about that pointter.

    ¡°I¡¯m skipping the bath, bring me over to Scarlett¡¯s room right away.¡±

    ¡°Are you not going to rest just a little, my lord?¡± Even though her tone was t, the contents of her words showed her concern.

    She knew that Brendel had traveled from Schafflund without resting at all. Judging from his appearance, he had not been resting much when he was working in Schafflund as well.

    Indeed, he only slept for four hours every day ever since he conquered the silver mines.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Brendel said anxiously.

    He had dropped everything in Schafflund and rushed back to Firburh. While he was not sure whether he could save the kingdom, he had to at least keep this promise that he made in the silver mines that he would save her.

 volume 3 - 94

    Chapter 94 ¨C The girl¡¯s thread of fate (1)

    Ciel allocated Scarlett into one of the manor¡¯s southwest room. The main color of her room was light green, and past the windows was a spectacr disy of faraway trees with a majestic orange-red color, contrasted against an ink-like painting consisting of mountainousndscapes and the Dark Forest.

    The young wizard was currently waiting outside her door as he had received news of his lord¡¯s arrival. Brendel appeared momentster along with Fern, and his first question was:

    ¡°How is she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not doing very well. Romaine, Medissa, and Amandina are all in there¡ª¡±

    Brendel nodded and pushed the doors open. Scarlett¡¯s room was not really a patient¡¯s room as there were no signs of any herbs or medicine. A light cold breeze came through the windows and he immediately saw the scenery, making him nod inwardly to Ciel¡¯s choice.

    In the center was a canopy bed, and the vnce was fluttering lightly against the wind. Scarlett was lying in the center with a pale face and lightly closed eyes.

    This was the first time Brendel had ever seen her braided haire undone. Her soft red hair had a wave-like sheen to it, and it covered her face partially. Her expression did not have her usual stubborn scowl and was instead reced with a face that was deeply asleep.

    Unfortunately, it was a deep sleep that was gued by nightmares.

    Her facial muscles twitched involuntarily and she was frowning slightly as though she was in great pain.

    Medissa and Amandina stood up at the same time and greeted him. Medissa nodded lightly, while Amandina stared at him with worry.

    Scarlett returned to Firburh without any issues but she suddenly copsed a few days ago. Amandina only knew that the silver mines were captured but she had no idea about happened exactly.

    When she questioned Medissa, thetter merely frowned and exined that Scarlett did not want to reveal the details. She further said that Brendel would be returning immediately and an exnation could wait until then.

    Amandina¡¯s heart was sinking.

    The experience at Chablis with Fern¡¯s ¡®death¡¯ made her realize how pure-hearted she was. Even though she tried to ensure that her heart was not affected by emotions in order to be a worthy advisor, she could not help but shed silent tears.

    Even though it was naive and foolish to hope that no one in this group would die, she did not want to give up praying. Brendel even told her that there would be bloodshed over the nobles¡¯ wars, and that victory could only be gained upon the sacrifice the lives of thousands.

    [To be cold in your thinking but not cold-blooded.]

    She could not help but recall these words when she saw him. With her lord¡¯s inexplicable capability, perhaps Scarlett could still be saved.

    Brendel returned their greetings. He quickly caught the sight of Romaine slumbering on Scarlett¡¯s bed. Her eyebrows were even dancing a little like she was fighting something bravely, though her drool on Scarlett¡¯s nket made his eye twitch a little.

    Still, the youth knew her personality well enough, he realized she must have exhausted herself to help Scarlett, and he did not have the heart to scold her.

    ¡°What did Romaine do to be so tired?¡± He asked out of curiosity.

    ¡°She was telling Scarlett stories,¡± Medissa answered. ¡°because her aunt told her stories whenever she got sick, and she was cured when the story was finished¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Brendel nodded. Romaine¡¯s aunt was most likely a witch, and she probably used Holy Words or something simr to cure Romaine.

    Unfortunately, while Romaine might have the potential to be a witch, she obviously was not one right now and she could not imitate her aunt.

    Brendel did not wake Romaine and instead observed Scarlett.

    [It¡¯s been only ten days, but she looks much thinner.]

    Scarlett was so pale that her veins could be seen, and the patterns on her neck had spread all the way to her face.

    Brendel¡¯s heart fell a little.

    Ciel had done his best to dy the corruption from reaching her brain, but Brendel also made the same judgment. There would not be a girl called Scarlett by tomorrow morning.

    [Judging from the severity of the patterns, the ce where the Blood of Gods that was imnted on her body is her heart. The person who imnted it is experienced; he first killed her, then revived her with the Blood of Gods. If this is a spirit or something simr, I can destroy its will, but the Blood of Gods is something that simply corrupts the body and mind by instinct and it won¡¯t stop. And if I find a way to destroy the Blood of Gods entirely, it¡¯s also the thing that sustains her life.]

    Amandina and Medissa watched Brendel¡¯s expression closely and realized that he did not have the usual confidence where he solved seemingly impossible situations.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Medissa could not help but ask.

    ¡°Let me take a look, bring your ring closer to her.¡± Orthlyss spoke in Brendel¡¯s ears, pausing momentarily as Brendel heeded her words, ¡°the girl¡¯s corruption has reached her mind. I think it won¡¯t take more than half a day before she¡¯spletely gone. I¡¯m sorry, boy, but I¡¯m unable to think of a solution.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Brendel muttered to himself, ¡°then there¡¯s no choice but to use my method, though it¡¯s quite foolish.¡±

    ¡°You...... have a solution?¡± Orthlyss¡¯s voice was surprised.

    ¡°I can dy the Blood of Gods from taking over her body.¡±

    Orthlyss was dumbfounded. Even if she was in her real body, she could only extend the girl¡¯s life by a day. Perhaps if she was back in the Dwarven Haven, she could have borrowed the power of the Laws in that area and extend her life, though it would still be limited.

    But the youth actually said he was capable of extending her life?

 volume 3 - 95

    Chapter 95 ¨C The girl¡¯s thread of fate (2)

    The people in the room, except Romaine, heard his words. Ciel had never seen Brendel so serious before.

    ¡°My lord, what does that mean? Are you able to save her?¡± Amandina blurted out.

    ¡°No, my solution only dys the inevitable. The Blood of Gods is not something thates from the mortal world. Any ordinary means would be greatly limited. You might not know this, but Scarlett is already deceased before she was given the Blood of Gods. The Blood of Gods is the sole reason why she has returned from the dead. One can say that reviving the dead is a taboo, but the Blood of Gods holds the overwhelming power to overturn the Laws......¡±

    ¡°Do you mean to change her into a spirit like Medissa?¡± Amandina asked.

    ¡°...... No,¡± Brendel hesitated before answering, ¡°I¡¯m uncertain of how things will turn out if I do that. My ability to turn a spirit into a card ultimately adheres to the Laws of this world, and the Blood of Gods is something that¡¯s outside these Laws. In addition to that, it¡¯s incredibly unfair to be anchored to this world for all eternity.¡±

    Brendel nced at Medissa, but thetter shook her head instantly.

    ¡°My lord, this was my decision to be turned into a card. I believe you should ask Scarlett directly. I think she would not refuse.¡±

    ¡°..... Even so, I would not use it unless there are no other options. The Blood of Gods can still take over her consciousness.¡±

    Brendel had discussed this option with Ciel during his journey back to Firburh, and thetter shared the same opinion.

    ¡°I believe Scarlett was merely an Iron-ranked fighter and became a Gold-rank after given the Blood of Gods. While the Blood of Gods offers temporary life and strength, these two things are actually a by-product of the power that consumes Scarlett¡¯s soul. The power also strengthens her body so that it finally bes an avatar of the evil gods.¡±

    ¡°Is there no way to resist this power?¡± Amandina asked.

    ¡°If she¡¯s alive while the Blood of Gods is used on her, she can resist it somewhat. But that itself is nearly impossible because of the tremendous energy from the Blood of Gods. Even if she somehow manages to ovee it, her body will be in shambles.¡±

    Amandina shivered. Even though she had heard rumors about how terrifying the Tree Shepherds were, she merely regarded them as fables. In her eyes, they were merely robbers or bandits, and this was the first time she understood that how evil they were.

    Perhaps the Unifying Guild was just as frightening.

    ¡°Why are they doing these terrible deeds?!¡± She asked through clenched teeth.

    ¡°To go against civilization, or to bring back chaos. I don¡¯t know.¡± Brendel shrugged. ¡°In any case, the Blood of Gods in Scarlett¡¯s body is on the verge of consuming her soul entirely. The foolish solution I have is to provide energy to her body in order to resist it. If this solution was used when she¡¯s still alive, perhaps she can ovee the Blood of Gods, but now, it¡¯s merely dying the inevitable.¡±

    Ciel asked in a surprised voice: ¡°But the Blood of Gods is capable of corrupting said energy quickly. Even if you spend a year of Trentheim¡¯s ie, you can only dy it for a few days. What is it that you have that could sustain her life, my lord?¡±

    ¡°Spend Trentheim¡¯s ie on what exactly?¡± Amandina asked.

    ¡°Well, Health Potions for an example,¡± Ciel said.

    ¡°We do have Health Potions.¡± Amandina said with a frown: ¡°We found a few of them in Graudin¡¯s treasury. Even though I¡¯ve set them aside to be used on a battlefield, I can bring them out now. How many do you need?¡±

    ¡°A hundred bottles.¡±

    ¡°T-that many......¡± Amandina was taken aback.

    ¡°A day.¡±

    Amandina waspletely speechless; she finally understood Ciel¡¯s surprise. Surely Brendel did not have an endless supply of Health Potions on him.

    ¡°Then...... doesn¡¯t it mean that there isn¡¯t a solution,¡± she said.

    Medissa was quietly taking in everything. She too had a certain understanding of the Blood of Gods, and knew that this method was impossible to sustain. She did not why Brendel viewed it as a valid solution.

    A cough suddenly came from the center of the room and attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Scarlett slowly opened her eyes. Her body was wet from cold sweat because of the nightmares that she had. She slowly and feebly turned her head to the side.

    [Who are these people......]

    She looked at them in confusion and blinked several times. She had woken up to hear them talking about things that did not make sense to her. But after a moment, she finally realized they were talking about her.

    There was a young man in front of her looking worried.

    This youth had once told her that he would never leave her behind. She had only known him for a few months, yet he was there when she needed someone, while Makarov, whom she had known for more than ten years both as a father figure and a teacher, said that she was nothing more than a sacrifice.

    She could hardly move a finger. Sheid in bed and her mind slipped in and of consciousness and felt like she was going to be pulled back into that dark abyss once again to be haunted by shadowy creatures.

    She knew clearly that it would not be very long where she would go back into Mother Marsha¡¯s embrace. She was not worried and even a little disinterested. It was about time, and she was tired of everything.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± His warm voice suddenly pulled her back to reality.

    Suddenly she realized why she continued to hold on in her nightmares, even though she had already forgotten what she waiting for.

    Her eyes widened slightly when she finally recalled who the youth was. Tears started spilling out.

    ¡°My...... lord......¡± She blinked weakly, struggling to bring her voice out.

 volume 3 - 96

    Chapter 96 ¨C The girl¡¯s thread of fate (3)

    Amandina nced at the silent people around her before putting back her suspicious gaze back on Brendel. Though she did not have Medissa¡¯s eyes for people or knew what happened in Schafflund¡¯s mines, even a fool would be able to see how fond Scarlett was of Brendel.

    The youth patted Scarlett¡¯s head and thetter¡¯s sweet smile moved him.

    But her fragile body made her smile look like it was about to break anytime.

    ¡°Wee back...... My lord.¡± She had not eaten for several days, and the only sustenance she had was water. Her voice was nearly in a whisper.

    ¡°I¡¯ve returned,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Have you settled the things in Schafflund?¡±

    Brendel did not answer and merely smiled.

    ¡°Have youe back to see me, my lord?¡± There was a little hint of hesitation in her voice, but there was had a trace of expectation in her eyes as well.

    She suddenly shut her eyes and held her breath. The pain guing her suddenly struck her body again and she could only wait for it to pass. No one dared to speak at that moment.

    Soon Scarlett gasped a few times before her breath went back to normal. She turned to the other side and stared at the scenery outside the window and asked softly:

    ¡°Can I be saved?¡±

    ¡°...... Yes.¡± Brendel nodded.

    ¡°Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Have I ever lied?¡±

    Scarlett was taken aback for a moment. Had Brendel ever lied?

    ¡°But I feel..... that you¡¯re lying to me!¡± She sounded like she had given up and was even throwing a tantrum to express her frustration. ¡°I...... overheard your conversation.¡±

    She stared at the leaves against the golden rays of the sun: ¡°It¡¯s not a practical solution. Even I feel it¡¯s pointless for me to continue dragging on.¡±

    Her smile was ever so sweet.

    ¡°How can you say that!¡± Amandina interrupted her and took a step forward a little angrily, but she felt sadness above all other emotions.

    Brendel merely raised his hand. He nodded, though it was not to acknowledge Scarlett¡¯s decision but to affirm his decision to use his solution to save her.

    ¡°Do you have any other wishes?¡± He asked gently.

    But the others thought otherwise and held their breaths when they saw Brendel¡¯s nod. Scarlett¡¯s eyes went back to Brendel, almost in tears again.

    Brendel said he would not leave her behind, but in the end, he still did. Even if it was something that could not be helped, this only meant that the promises made to her would always end up as lies.

    [Am I too greedy? Have I asked for something that is always impossible to achieve?]

    She had tried her best to do everything she could to please others, but what she got in return was pain that seemed to cut her heart into pieces.

    The red-haired girl stared at Brendel with wet eyes and in the end asked with a resigned voice.

    Why was she unable to save the ones she loved?

    Why was there no one who could save her?

    Why did she have to turn into a monster at the end of her life?

    ¡°My lord...... I...... Back in my hometown......¡± She paused several times before stating her final request with a sob: ¡°There¡¯s a tradition......¡±

    She tried to steady her emotions so that she could get herst request out to Brendel.

    [You horrible, evil liar...... But why can¡¯t I hate you?]

    ¡°When someone is about to die, the people closest to them would kiss them on their forehead, and their thoughts would be left behind...... And even if they are to depart to another world, they would not forget the people closest to them......¡±

    She struggled to get up: ¡°My lord, can you be...... the person closest to me? Even just for this moment, then you can......¡±

    [End my life¡ª]

    She suddenly copsed back onto the bed and muttered with confusion as the abyss pulled her back, her gaze looking far away at something else: ¡°Commander, Eke, Y, all of you, why are you abandoning me......¡±

    Amandina could not help but turn her head away. She rubbed her eyes and sniffed hard, unable to hold back her emotions. But Medissa and Ciel stared straight at Scarlett, determined to see this through.

    ¡°Close your eyes, Scarlett.¡± Brendel¡¯s voice was gentle.

    Scarlett was back in Chablis again. She could hear the rustling of leaves as the wind blew across thendscape. It was where she grew up in. She remembered her beginning and ending in this illusion of hers. In that moment, she remembered theughter of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries around her.

    She grew up with them, and their smiles were ever so vivid, especially Eke and themander. It was a time where she had no worries, but they were so very far away from her. When she tried running after them, they were instead getting further and further away. When she called out to them, it was as if they could not hear her.

    But a familiar voice called out to her to close her eyes and the girl looked vacantly in front of her before she obeyed. She wanted to open her eyes and reach out to them, but that familiar voice spoke again:

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    And she continued to shut her eyes tightly.

    Something cool pressed against her lips.

    Suddenly her focus came back and she remembered the request she made. A shriek nearly escaped her throat. She felt her ears, no, her entire face burn.

    [H-how can he kiss me on the lips..... E-everyone¡¯s watching!]

    Her heart beat violently as time continued to pass. Her mind felt like it was filled with rocks, and she was about to die not from the corruption but from the burning shame.

    And it seemed like he was getting bolder as the sensation went all over her lips.

    She tried to blurt out angry words, but it was as though he had been waiting for that moment; the moment she opened her lips, a wet sweetness invaded her mouth. Scarlett¡¯s squirming actions immediately froze.

    [T-t-this pervert!!!]

    ¡°Pfff¡ª¡± Someone tried to stifle aughter.

    It was thest straw. Scarlett¡¯s hand immediately went up and smacked the offending person¡¯s...... hand?

    She suddenly realized what she was doing. Why did her mind suddenly be clear?

    An indescribable sweetness.

    Her pain hadpletely disappeared. She felt energy returning to her with every breath. A warm current spread from her mouth, first to her throat, then to her entire body, pulling out her blurry thoughts from the abyss she was in.

    She opened her eyes. Amandina and Fern¡¯s bodies were turned away while trying to hold back theirughter. However, Ciel and Medissa appeared to be utterly stunned, and their gazes were on Brendel¡¯s hand.

    It was a shining golden apple, with a slice missing from it.

    Brendel¡¯s lips were slightly lifted in an incorrigible manner, while his eyes were slightly narrowed to form an impish line. But when he saw Scarlett getting up with a stunned expression, he suddenly turned solemn and brooding.

    [The lifeforce provided by the golden apple will extend her life, but it doesn¡¯t stop the corruption. Rather, it will strengthen the Blood of Gods in her. The legend about the Golden Apple states that it can change one¡¯s destiny. I can only hope it changes her fate.]

    This was the only solution he had.

    [That little female dragon also said there¡¯s something applied to this apple. Even though it¡¯s unlikely to be poison, I doubt it¡¯s anything good either...... Wait¡ª her face is really red. Is the Golden Apple really poisoned?]

    Even though he teased her as a joke, he did not expect her reaction to be so strong and thought that the dragon really did something to the apple.

    ¡°Do you feel there¡¯s something wrong?!¡± He asked urgently.

    However, it sounded like their lord was making fun of Scarlett, and this caused the two girls to break out into uncontrobleughter.

    Scarlett wanted to find a block of cheese, smash her head into it and die right there to end the shame.

 volume 3 - 97

    Chapter 97 ¨C The girl¡¯s thread of fate (5)

    Scarlett was saved.

    It was like a miracle¡ª

    The room¡¯s atmosphere became boisterous and it took a long time before the joy abated. No one expected Brendel toe up with a way to save Scarlett from such a dangerous situation.

    However, it proved one thing. Their young mysterious lord was omnipotent!

    Amandina had countless moments where she had this thought, and this time was no different. She pulled back her gaze from the youth, feeling the burden on her shoulders lift.

    Scarlett was looking at the golden apple that was on both her hands in a daze. When she felt Amandina¡¯s gaze on her, she smiled back weakly, and thetter sighed in her heart.

    [This foolish girl!]

    Amandina shook her head and that the girl in front of her could not be saved any longer. When Scarlett hugged the Golden Apple like it was the greatest treasure in this world, Amandina knew that Scarlett was going to find a way to pay Brendel back her whole life.

    Just a few moments ago, Brendel handed the Golden Apple over to Scarlett while Ciel informed everyone that it was the legendary Golden Apple. Scarlett acted like someone who got struck by lightning when she heard that, and the Golden Apple fell out of her hands. If it was not for Brendel¡¯s lightning reactions, this would be the first Golden Apple that smashed to bits in history by dropping onto the ground.

    In that moment, Amandina finally realized, just like how Medissa did, that this seemingly tough red-haired girl had an abnormal reliance on other people, as though she was living her life based on other people¡¯s opinions.

    The most sorrowful thing for her was that this world was one where most people had to rely on themselves, and it was rare for a stranger to spare a thought for another person.

    It was especially so for nobles simr to Makarov. They would never stop moving forward and only stop for profits.

    The efforts that Scarlett gave would never be rewarded. If the Grey Wolves Mercenaries and she could see this point, they might feel a little better at Makarov¡¯s betrayal.

    Unfortunately, the Scarlett that Amandina knew was a weak but stubborn girl.

    The young nobledy nced at Brendel, feeling fortunate that the lord she was pursuing was an anomaly.

    Generous, merciful, and full of humanity.

    His every action seemed like it did not match the world of the nobles. Yet, if she was to say that he was not one, she could not convince herself. Only a noble would know so much about that the politics of that world and conduct himself with such dignity.

    If she took every event that happened and put it on the table....... This youth was not only a noble but one who had a powerful House backing him.

    This was made evident by Kodan¡¯s arrival as a prisoner.

    Since she was the person temporarily in charge of Firburh¡¯s affairs after Brendel was gone, she quickly got to meet up with this old guardmander.

    She had been studying on the important figureheads amongst the nobles in order to realize Brendel¡¯s future ns, and thus recognized him as one of Count Randner¡¯s best knights.

    Kodan was born in a lineageprising of knights and had participated in the November War, and served beside Count Randner for many years. When she spoke to him, she discovered that his attitude towards Brendel was strange and it made her suspicious.

    There was no doubt at all. He recognized Brendel ¡ª

    When she asked Medissa, she found out that he knew Brendel¡¯s grandfather and even served under him for a period of time. With the bits and pieces of information she discovered that would not interest any normalmoner, she put together aplete image.

    Brendel was from a powerful House that had a long history but kept a low-profile.

    [Sometimes I wonder if I¡¯m blessed by the gods. I left my dark home in Brus and met with this strange youth, and became his advisor just like that.]

    At least from the time when she left her home, she had never truly regretted it and felt that she was fortunate to meet him.

    [Though, I must say that Golden Apple makes me feel a little jealous.]

    It was something that came out from legendary tales and could change a personpletely, to the point where it affected an entire kingdom¡¯s destiny.

    Before Scarlett¡¯s recovery happened, she had not even considered that this legend was true.

    However, the fact that he had this Golden Apple would mean that he could buy off any of the strongest forces in the kingdom, and even be a duke regardless of whether it was the Aouine or Kirrlutz¡¯s kingdom. Even the pope of the Holy Cathedral of Fire would want it. As long as the youth wanted to, he could exchange it for almost anything that he wanted.

    That was how priceless it was.

    And it was simply given away to a girl whom he had just met for less than a few months. Certainly, Scarlett was a Gold-ranked fighter, but a Golden Apple¡¯s value really had nothing inmon with her other than the word ¡®gold¡¯. In fact, the Golden Apple was the worth of at least a hundred Gold-ranked fighters.

    She did not understand why he did it.

    But Brendel had a different perspective in regards to the fruit. The only thing he saw here was that he should not have this item in the first ce. Amandina believed there was a powerful House backing him, but he obviously did not.

    But even if he did have the power to retain the apple, he would never deal with Aouine¡¯s rotten nobles or make a deal with Kirrlutz who was looking for a chance to take over Aouine.

    He was here to change Aouine¡¯s fate, not be part of the kingdom¡¯s problems.

    The youth obviously knew how easy it was for him to livefortably in this world, but that was not part of his goals. It was especially so when he met people like Makarov and Graudin, and his belief only got stronger with each passing day.

    Therefore he did not really care about the Golden Apple.

    If it could cure Scarlett, he did not mind giving away a hundred apples away to save her life.

    But Scarlett also saw things differently from Brendel, and just like Amandina, understood the value of the Golden Apple.

    She heard that Makarov, Buga, and two other important nobles nearly started a battle against the Silver Elves over this Golden Apple. The greed in their eyes could not be any clearer.

    There was never any doubt that her formermander would choose this Golden Apple over her life a hundred times.

    Why would this youth just make such this decision so easily like it meant nothing to him?

    She nced at the people beside Brendel to seek an answer, and her eyes fell onto Medissa who was discussing with Ciel¡ª

    ¡°My lord,¡± Medissa finally spoke, ¡°I understand what you¡¯re trying to do, by using the tremendous Lifeforce from the Golden Apple, you seek to replenish her strength......but.......¡±

    She frowned deeply: ¡°If you do this, this is just like drinking poison to quench a thirst.¡±

    ¡°This is a choiceless solution since there is no other solution. By slowing her condition down, there might be another answer. Still, using the Golden Apple in this manner, I¡¯ll probably drive the people who want this apple mad.¡± Brendelughed.

    Ciel nodded and also grinned while he nced at Scarlett: ¡°Indeed, to use this precious material for such a matter.¡±

    Scarlett lowered her head upon hearing Ciel¡¯s words. She also started to feel that it was wasteful when she thought about it. She got to eat the legendary Golden Apple for an incurable disease. It was unthinkable.

    Brendel immediately shot a murderous re at Ciel, and thetter realized his mistake: ¡°Miss Scarlett, don¡¯t overthink this, I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s wasteful, it¡¯s just that the Golden Apple is priceless, and I think...... Ha ha, I suddenly remember something appropriate that¡¯s an equivalent exchange¡ª¡±

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were on him.

    Ciel shrank a little, but he giggled: ¡°Well, if this Golden Apple is used as my lord¡¯s dowry for Scarlett¡¯s hand in marriage, then the debt would be offset, right?¡±

    ¡°Hand in marriage?¡± Scarlett blinked nkly.

    ¡°Well, you know, bing our lord¡¯s wif¡ª ommph!!¡± Ciel said as he tried to dodge Brendel¡¯s sword hilt, but as a wizard, he would never be able to avoid Brendel¡¯s attack at such a close range. He immediately yelled out in pain as the sword¡¯s hilt sank into his abdomen, causing him to fall over.

    Brendel was furious over Ciel¡¯s lips and had attacked him mercilessly, expecting that scoundrel to roll about on the floor for several minutes in pain. Medissa nced at the writhing wizard and showed a rarely seen ¡®you deserve it¡¯ expression.

    Scarlett finally understood what Ciel was talking about and her face flushed red.

    Brendel was worried about what she was thinking and said: ¡°There¡¯s no need to heed what this idiot¡¯s words. If you want to pay back the investment of this Golden Apple, then make sure you live properly from now onwards. Remember, you¡¯re my most importantbat strength amongst my subordinates.¡±

    He took a deep breath: ¡°I believe there¡¯s going to be a huge battle in Trentheim very soon.¡±

    Scarlett paused for a moment but nodded furiously without lifting her head back up.

    Medissa discreetly pulled Brendel¡¯s sleeve and spoke into his mind: ¡°My lord, the Golden Apple can only dy the danger temporarily. Do you have a real solution to this?¡±

    Brendel paused for a moment and thought aloud.

    [Ser Orthlyss, do you have a solution if we have a couple of years?]

    ¡°I did think of a solution when you pulled out that Golden Apple. The solution I had earlier was to destroy the Blood of Gods, but why not try and overwhelm the Blood of Gods now with a mental fight now? The apple gives out Lifeforce that strengthens the soul, and she is in a better position to fight back.¡± Orthlyss replied.

    Brendel pondered for a moment to himself.

    [Indeed, the Golden Apple is the best item for Wizards and Elementalists because it enhances the Will stats. But it¡¯s not an easy task for a native of this world. There¡¯s no cheat here where Scarlett can level up with XP, and the Golden Apple would only dy things for a year or two. To be truly effective, she needs to take on a Wizard or Elementalist profession and raise her level to the point where she can gain an Element Power¡ª]

    Unlocking an Element Power in two years?

    Brendel shook his head inwardly when he thought about it.

    Still, it was a solution that was better than no solutions, and it was not as if there were no chances. There were a few extreme methods that he knew of that could unlock an Element power derived from an Elementalist.

    Now that things hade to this point, he could only try.

    For now, he kept these answers to his heart and threw down a few words that evaded giving a real answer.

    ¡°Amandina, take care of Scarlett. The rest of us should leave so that she can rest.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Wait, let Romaine sleep a little more,¡± Scarlett said.

    In the end, everyone except Amandina and Romaine left the room, with Brendel closing the door lightly.

    Even though Scarlett had recovered, her body was still weak and she needed to rest properly. Brendel was also quite worried about little Romaine. She worked even longer hours than he did in Schafflund and seemed to have apanied night and day with Scarlett when she returned.

    Brendel rubbed his forehead when he thought about the extra ingredients that little female dragon left behind on the Golden Apple. He still had no idea what it was, but at least the matter about the fruit was over and done with.

    Fern soon led him to his room where he took a bath and restedter.

    When he woke up, he went to the study to check up on Firburh¡¯s report and spotted Odum in the library.

    ¡°Mister Odum, have you found anything interesting?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are some notes about a drainage system and garbage disposal for a city.¡±

    Odum¡¯s eyes were gleaming slightly.

    The Gold Dwarves were famous for mining and digging tunnels. Since they lived underground, they did not really think about hygiene, In fact, they rarely bathed their whole lives. They ate food that was in the soil and the only pollution they cared about was about the water they drank.

    However, amongst theirplicated maze of tunnels, they had a unique tunnel system to handle garbage.

    A city that had hundreds of thousands of people living in it would produce arge amount of rubbish which would pollute water. If the polluted water and rubbish were not handled properly, they would lead to gues, which was why areas with low levels of civilization did not haverge cities.

    Odum discovered the direction he should go into.

    The drainage system could be developed in the way how the Gold Dwarves handled rubbish, and if he borrowed their methods, it might work out quite well.

    As for the walls and gates, he had some architecture skills that he learned from the Mountain Dwarves. Bybining his knowledge along with the books and squeezing out his potential as a Rune Dwarf, it seemed like things were not asplicated as they looked.

    Brendel was considerably pleased as he exchanged words with him.

    However, the people that he called into his studyter were a different story.

    He reviewed the reports where the mercenaries fought against Lord Macsen, began thinking about the mercenaries, and realized that he did not really have people around that excelled in leading like he thought earlier. Other than his summons and himself, there was really no one else who could lead the war against Count Randner.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Ciel go along with the rest to at least oversee Lord Macsen¡¯s battle? Did you feel that his expertise is needed elsewhere? Or did you think that it¡¯s enough that the Mercenaries of Lopes led the rest of the mercenaries?¡± He questioned themanders who led the battle.

    Ciel and Amandina were also called in to listen.

    ¡°There are more casualties than your ns anticipated against Lord Macsen. Did you do a review about why it was so?¡± Brendel continued. Silence answered him, and he rubbed his forehead:

    ¡°I¡¯ve been leading the mercenaries against bigger odds ever since Firburh¡¯s battle against the undead and Graudin. Ever wondered why we seeded? It¡¯s because there are Gold-ranked fighters fighting in crucial areas. I¡¯m not saying that they should hold your hands in every single battle, but at least make sure that they are there to ensure there are no loose ends. You had one for this battle, so why didn¡¯t you at least get him out there? It¡¯s not as if there are reports of enemy armies appearing out of nowhere and Ciel had to stay in the city to defend it.¡±

    In truth, he did not realize he was asking for near perfection. Since he had fought for over a century of in-game years against the nobles and emerged from a sea of corpses, it would not be wrong to say that his experience outmatched against nearly everyone in the kingdom when it came to battles.

    [Even though Amandina has strong analytical skills and a broad view of things, I still feel she needs more experience. Yes, she ced most of the scouts correctly around Firburh that would anticipate other enemy movements, but what¡¯s the use if she lets Ciel sit in the city when there¡¯s no need to?]

    Amongst the various mercenaries, Amandina was perceived as an impable advisor. She was calm and decisive, had her opinions with strong insight in regards to various policies and yet they were never reckless. She could even foresee events that others could not.

    There was even her extensive knowledge of monsters and the environment, as though she had insight into everything. They felt like she could even match Ciel, a wizard from the ck Tower, on these aspects.

    The mercenaries who got called to her meetings were usually confused when she spoke, yet it sounded like her words made sense somehow. They wondered about her background.

    Raban who had a better understanding of the nobles frequently looked at Amandina with an odd gaze. In his eyes, Amandina was like the children who were specifically raised in extremely affluent families to be their children¡¯s loyalpanions. Because of his rtively crude background, he had often wondered if she had to meet their lord¡¯s ¡®special¡¯ needs.

    This conjecture was not limited only to Raban. Many mercenaries had the same thought. Amandina¡¯s authority was far beyond what an advisor would have, and that level of trust could only have one exnation.

    Amandina was Brendel¡¯s woman.

    Sadly, Brendel was far too busy with his various thoughts to notice the small things like this. Since Amandina ignored the rumors and did not mention it to him despite realizing what they were thinking, it ultimately allowed this misunderstanding to continue.

    Brendel continued to lecture Amandina with a dissatisfied tone on the things that she could have done better. It did not mean that she was shunned, instead, the mercenaries believed that she was viewed with importance.

    The level ofpetency that their lord wanted made the mercenaries secretly shake their heads in disbelief. Yet the youth¡¯s words were full of logic and pointed out things that could lead to a serious problem. Everyone could only redraw the line where the word petent¡¯ really pointed to.

    A new aura started appearing on Brendel. Everyone thought that he was a scion of an extremely powerful family and was sent out to rule a territory on his own for training.

    Eventually, they were all dismissed and Brendel started to ponder about themanders.

    [Raban¡¯s a former cavalrymander of Karsuk. He¡¯s probably the only one who¡¯s stable and disciplined, and he does things better than Jana. But as a mere cavalrymander, his foresight isn¡¯t good enough. Jana is someone who spends too much time on details and can hardly see the bigger picture, but she can be trusted.]

    Brendel was satisfied with Jana¡¯s actions in the mines and allowed her to stay in Schafflund to oversee Perkin¡¯s actions. He doubted that she would do anything that would betray him.

    [As for Cornelius, he¡¯s too much of a bootlicker. He does have the capability to lead, but unless I solidify my position, I can¡¯t really trust him with too much power since he might get ideas. Even though all of them can be finemanders, but there really isn¡¯t enough time for them to grow stronger.]

    He shook his head. Yes, he was asking for too much, but where was the talented personnel that he needed?

 volume 3 - 98

    Chapter 98 ¨C The girl¡¯s thread of fate (5)

    Medissa discreetly pulled Brendel¡¯s sleeve and spoke into his mind: ¡°My lord, the Golden Apple can only dy the danger temporarily. Do you have a real solution to this?¡±

    Brendel paused for a moment and thought aloud.

    [Ser Orthlyss, do you have a solution if we have a couple of years?]

    ¡°I did think of a solution when you pulled out that Golden Apple. The solution I had earlier was to destroy the Blood of Gods, but why not try and overwhelm the Blood of Gods now with a mental fight now? The apple gives out Lifeforce that strengthens the soul, and she is in a better position to fight back.¡± Orthlyss replied.

    Brendel pondered for a moment to himself.

    [Indeed, the Golden Apple is the best item for Wizards and Elementalists because it enhances the Will stats. But it¡¯s not an easy task for a native of this world. There¡¯s no cheat here where Scarlett can level up with XP, and the Golden Apple would only dy things for a year or two. To be truly effective, she needs to take on a Wizard or Elementalist profession and raise her level to the point where she can gain an Element Power¡ª]

    Unlocking an Element Power in two years?

    Brendel shook his head inwardly when he thought about it.

    Still, it was a solution that was better than no solutions, and it was not as if there were no chances. There were a few extreme methods that he knew of that could unlock an Element power derived from an Elementalist.

    Now that things hade to this point, he could only try.

    For now, he kept these answers to his heart and threw down a few words that evaded giving a real answer.

    ¡°Amandina, take care of Scarlett. The rest of us should leave so that she can rest.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Wait, let Romaine sleep a little more,¡± Scarlett said.

    In the end, everyone except Amandina and Romaine left the room, with Brendel closing the door lightly.

    Even though Scarlett had recovered, her body was still weak and she needed to rest properly. Brendel was also quite worried about little Romaine. She worked even longer hours than he did in Schafflund and seemed to have apanied night and day with Scarlett when she returned.

    Brendel rubbed his forehead when he thought about the extra ingredients that little female dragon left behind on the Golden Apple. He still had no idea what it was, but at least the matter about the fruit was over and done with.

    Fern soon led him to his room where he took a bath and restedter.

    When he woke up, he went to the study to check up on Firburh¡¯s report and spotted Odum in the library.

    ¡°Mister Odum, have you found anything interesting?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are some notes about a drainage system and garbage disposal for a city.¡±

    Odum¡¯s eyes were gleaming slightly.

    The Gold Dwarves were famous for mining and digging tunnels. Since they lived underground, they did not really think about hygiene, In fact, they rarely bathed their whole lives. They ate food that was in the soil and the only pollution they cared about was about the water they drank.

    However, amongst theirplicated maze of tunnels, they had a unique tunnel system to handle garbage.

    A city that had hundreds of thousands of people living in it would produce arge amount of rubbish which would pollute water. If the polluted water and rubbish were not handled properly, they would lead to gues, which was why areas with low levels of civilization did not haverge cities.

    Odum discovered the direction he should go into.

    The drainage system could be developed in the way how the Gold Dwarves handled rubbish, and if he borrowed their methods, it might work out quite well.

    As for the walls and gates, he had some architecture skills that he learned from the Mountain Dwarves. Bybining his knowledge along with the books and squeezing out his potential as a Rune Dwarf, it seemed like things were not asplicated as they looked.

    Brendel was considerably pleased as he exchanged words with him.

    However, the people that he called into his studyter were a different story.

    He reviewed the reports where the mercenaries fought against Lord Macsen, began thinking about the mercenaries, and realized that he did not really have people around that excelled in leading like he thought earlier. Other than his summons and himself, there was really no one else who could lead the war against Count Randner.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Ciel go along with the rest to at least oversee Lord Macsen¡¯s battle? Did you feel that his expertise is needed elsewhere? Or did you think that it¡¯s enough that the Mercenaries of Lopes led the rest of the mercenaries?¡± He questioned themanders who led the battle.

    Ciel and Amandina were also called in to listen.

    ¡°There are more casualties than your ns anticipated against Lord Macsen. Did you do a review about why it was so?¡± Brendel continued. Silence answered him, and he rubbed his forehead:

    ¡°I¡¯ve been leading the mercenaries against bigger odds ever since Firburh¡¯s battle against the undead and Graudin. Ever wondered why we seeded? It¡¯s because there are Gold-ranked fighters fighting in crucial areas. I¡¯m not saying that they should hold your hands in every single battle, but at least make sure that they are there to ensure there are no loose ends. You had one for this battle, so why didn¡¯t you at least get him out there? It¡¯s not as if there are reports of enemy armies appearing out of nowhere and Ciel had to stay in the city to defend it.¡±

    In truth, he did not realize he was asking for near perfection. Since he had fought for over a century of in-game years against the nobles and emerged from a sea of corpses, it would not be wrong to say that his experience outmatched against nearly everyone in the kingdom when it came to battles.

    [Even though Amandina has strong analytical skills and a broad view of things, I still feel she needs more experience. Yes, she ced most of the scouts correctly around Firburh that would anticipate other enemy movements, but what¡¯s the use if she lets Ciel sit in the city when there¡¯s no need to?]

    Amongst the various mercenaries, Amandina was perceived as an impable advisor. She was calm and decisive, had her opinions with strong insight in regards to various policies and yet they were never reckless. She could even foresee events that others could not.

    There was even her extensive knowledge of monsters and the environment, as though she had insight into everything. They felt like she could even match Ciel, a wizard from the ck Tower, on these aspects.

    The mercenaries who got called to her meetings were usually confused when she spoke, yet it sounded like her words made sense somehow. They wondered about her background.

    Raban who had a better understanding of the nobles frequently looked at Amandina with an odd gaze. In his eyes, Amandina was like the children who were specifically raised in extremely affluent families to be their children¡¯s loyalpanions. Because of his rtively crude background, he had often wondered if she had to meet their lord¡¯s ¡®special¡¯ needs.

    This conjecture was not limited only to Raban. Many mercenaries had the same thought. Amandina¡¯s authority was far beyond what an advisor would have, and that level of trust could only have one exnation.

    Amandina was Brendel¡¯s woman.

    Sadly, Brendel was far too busy with his various thoughts to notice the small things like this. Since Amandina ignored the rumors and did not mention it to him despite realizing what they were thinking, it ultimately allowed this misunderstanding to continue.

    Brendel continued to lecture Amandina with a dissatisfied tone on the things that she could have done better. It did not mean that she was shunned, instead, the mercenaries believed that she was viewed with importance.

    The level ofpetency that their lord wanted made the mercenaries secretly shake their heads in disbelief. Yet the youth¡¯s words were full of logic and pointed out things that could lead to a serious problem. Everyone could only redraw the line where the word petent¡¯ really pointed to.

    A new aura started appearing on Brendel. Everyone thought that he was a scion of an extremely powerful family and was sent out to rule a territory on his own for training.

    Eventually, they were all dismissed and Brendel started to ponder about themanders.

    [Raban¡¯s a former cavalrymander of Karsuk. He¡¯s probably the only one who¡¯s stable and disciplined, and he does things better than Jana. But as a mere cavalrymander, his foresight isn¡¯t good enough. Jana is someone who spends too much time on details and can hardly see the bigger picture, but she can be trusted.]

    Brendel was satisfied with Jana¡¯s actions in the mines and allowed her to stay in Schafflund to oversee Perkin¡¯s actions. He doubted that she would do anything that would betray him.

    [As for Cornelius, he¡¯s too much of a bootlicker. He does have the capability to lead, but unless I solidify my position, I can¡¯t really trust him with too much power since he might get ideas. Even though all of them can be finemanders, but there really isn¡¯t enough time for them to grow stronger.]

    He shook his head. Yes, he was asking for too much, but where was the talented personnel that he needed?

 volume 3 - 99

    Chapter 99 ¨C The guest from the Red Bronze Dragon Mercenaries (1)

    ¡°My lord.¡±

    A few hourster, Ciel entered Brendel¡¯s study room and called out to him. Thetter was buried in documents when he nced up at Ciel before going back to reading.

    ¡°Speak, ¡± he said.

    ¡°There¡¯s a new report. There¡¯s movement in the Ps region.¡±

    ¡°From Amandina¡¯s scouts?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s from the Red Bronze...... Ahh, no, the Amber Sword Mercenaries.¡±

    ¡°Did they sent their report from Lord Macsen¡¯s territory?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Brendel was surprised.

    This was the first time they had sent information on their own initiative. Even though he had gotten them to attack Fortress Minst, he was not exactly certain how loyal they would be.

    It was possible that some of them might have different ideas since they were former guards in Fortress Riedon. Leto and his men were unlikely to betray him, but it was hard to tell with the others.

    ¡°Let me see the report,¡± he said.

    Lord Macsen left his oldest son in charge of defending the fortress. In order to prevent his son from abusing his power and perhaps harming his other brothers, he took the mercenaries and most of the soldiers away with him, leaving behind a few soldiers who were neutral.

    Unfortunately, this created a great chance for Leto and the others. The Amber Sword Mercenaries sessfully infiltrated the fortress and attacked in the middle of the night, causing the guards to be captured as prisoners.

    After Fortress Minst was controlled, Leto forced Lord Macsen¡¯s oldest son to send letters out to the various retainers in the region, including priests and the lower ranking aristocrats, invited them to a ¡®banquet¡¯ and captured them sessfully.

    After this was done, Leto sent out his men to attack the nearby areas with lightning speed. Even though the process was not a smooth one, the experiencedmanders such as Mano, Batum, Gaspard, and Taron, effectively led the mercenaries against the remaining soldiers of Lord Macsen¡¯s subordinates to victory.

    [How surprising. Taron and Gaspard. The former is amander within the White Mane Army, while thetter is a guardmander in Fortress Riedon. It¡¯s interesting that they still choose to stand on my side instead of going back to the nobles. I can understand why Leto, Mano, and Batum chose to follow me, but these two.....]

    Brendel pondered for a moment. Would it better if he called the first two back to him so he could keep a closer eye on them? How risky would it be for him if they chose to betray him in the uing battles?

    In the end, he decided to leave it aside and focus on other things as he could not find an answer.

    ¡°Leto and his men did well!¡± Brendel praised themvishly.

    His only expectation was for the Amber Sword Mercenaries to capture Fortress Minst, but they surpassed his expectations by capturing more than half of the Macsen region. While it was true that Lord Macsen and his men did not govern hisnd well, it was also true that these mercenaries were great inmanding.

    [With this, we can redraw the defensive lines. The Macsen region controls important stretches of forests and mountains where the Ps region can attack from. Controlling these areas means we can dictate where the future battles can be.]

    ¡°The person who delivered the report is still here?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    Ciel suddenly revealed a slightly flippant smirk: ¡°My lord, why not take a guess?¡±

    Brendel shot a nce at him from the corners of his eyes. Ciel who was standing close to the table could see that the youth¡¯s hand was reaching for Halran Gaia¡¯s sword hilt, and he gave a yell that resembled like a strangled chicken:

    ¡°Nonono, I mean, there¡¯s no need to guess. He¡¯s waiting outside. I¡¯ll have him sent in right away. Should I get Fern and Medissa in too?¡±

    Brendel nodded. Fern would take notes while Medissa was there as his bodyguard.

    He was slightly taken aback when he saw Gaspard entering the room. He had thought it would be Batum, as thetter expressed much interest in following him.

    Gaspard appeared shocked when he saw Brendel too. When he entered the room along with Ciel, Fern, and Medissa, but his attention was immediately drawn to Brendel instead of looking at the girls.

    The youth¡¯s appearance had be more maturepared to six months ago, and his seemingly youthful and shy innocence seemed to have receded greatly. His cheekbones had be more prominent, as if to show off his sharpened aura that seemed to prate Gaspard¡¯s soul. The faded ck attire that he wore did not diminish the air of nobility around him.

    The only thing that did not change, was his relentless gaze of steely confidence that he disyed during Fortress Riedon siege.

    The youth was ying with his sword by passing it to his left and right hands as he observed Gaspard with a carefree smile. However, the mercenary felt goosebumps all over his skin. Luc Beson had a simr feel to him.

    Cold and decisive. These traits that could onlye from the battlefield.

    ¡°My...... lord?¡± Gaspard spoke in hesitation.

    But the longer he looked at Brendel, the more he felt that there was hardly aparison with themander of Fortress Riedon. For a moment, his instinct was screaming at him to run away when their eyes met. It was like there was a sharpened de filled with bloodlust on his neck, yet when he blinked in fright that feeling was gone.

    [...... A Gold-ranked grandmaster swordsman?]

    He gulped. It was just a fleeting moment, but the fact that he felt slight perspiration on his forehead meant that his instinct was not wrong, and he was able to make this conclusion because he knew Luc Beson as a top Silver-ranked swordsman.

    The pressure that was given out by Brendel far surpassed themander of the White Mane army in Fortress Riedon.

    After Brendel led the fight against the undead, Gaspard felt like he had benefitted greatly and improved his skill quickly in the past few months. He was very close to reaching the standards of a Silver-ranked fighter, and it would not be wrong to say that his improvement was the fastest amongst the mercenaries, and arguably only Taron did better. He was originally not Leto¡¯s match, but now he was able to fight thetter to a draw.

    [This truly means that it was not a fluke when he fought against that undead general. But it only had been six months...... No, at most he¡¯s a Silver-ranked swordsman?]

    Brendel nodded in response to Gaspard¡¯s greeting.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that it would be you,¡± the youth said honestly, ¡°it must have been tough to fight against the nobles.¡±

    It was only then that the former guard remembered that Brendel led the charge against the undead.

    ¡°My lord,¡± Gaspard bowed his head sincerely.

    The Red Bronze Dragon Mercenaries acknowledged Brendel when the youth led the charge against the undead, but as time went by, some of them had forgotten the emotions they felt at that time. When Brendel asked them to take over Lord Macsen¡¯s territory, there were many who were against it and an internal conflict happened.

    It was sheer insanity to attack the nobles.

    But Gaspard, Taron, and Batum stood firmly on Brendel¡¯s side. While Gaspard did not know what the rest of them were thinking exactly, he had his own thoughts.

    He was once Fortress Riedon¡¯s guardmander in charge of security, and because of the nobles behind him, he was allowed to actwlessly. Everymoner had to address him respectfully. He was not a fool; he knew that their deference to him was to mask the fear and hatred within them. At that time, he did not care much about it, because in his eyes the only thing that mattered most in this world was power and authority.

    These were the attributes that were needed in order to rule the masses.

    It was only until the moment where Brendel led the refugees and defeated Madara¡¯s undead which was far stronger than the nobles, that he realized there was something else that could move others and give everything that they had.

    The youth called it ¡®ideals¡¯.

 volume 3 - 100

    Chapter 100 ¨C The guest from the Red Bronze Dragon Mercenaries (1)

    Many things were going through Gaspard¡¯s head when he saw Brendel again.

    He had once hesitated in Brus over the decision to join the Amber Sword Mercenaries, but he chose not to go back to be a city guard. Still, even after his decision, he wavered as he traveled along with Leto and the others. They escorted various groups of refugees on their way to Trentheim, fought against bandits, and had a lifestyle that was much harder than when he lived in Fortress Riedon.

    He did not know why he persisted.

    But he did understand that the refugees who traveled with the mercenaries, who even hated him in the past, now greeted him with respect.

    Their greetings did not change; it was Captain Gaspard.

    There was something different now.

    He realized that he could no longer throw away his current life or go back to what he used to be. Somehow along the way without him knowing, there was a word called ¡®responsibility¡¯ that was growing in his heart.

    It was the reason why he supported Brendel regardless of his thoughts, along with Taron and Batum.

    [I¡¯m not supporting this youth governing this city, but the youth who changed me. If someone like him possesses this much charisma to change someone like me, then he definitely has the ability to lead the people under him to a better ce.]

    Truthfully, even though he supported the youth, he was actually internally conflicted about the orders from him. As someone who had served the nobles for some time, he understood the rules of their games. The order that Brendel gave was going against the entire kingdom.

    ¡°My lord..... You said that you would be inheriting and, but you didn¡¯t tell us that you would be inheriting it in this manner.¡± He said.

    ¡°Hmm. Well.¡± Brendel stood up and came closer to Gaspard while stroking his chin. He understood what thetter was insinuating, but he did not expect him to think that deeply.

    Surely he could not tell him that it was just something that he came up as a whim?

    The youth secretly exhaled with relief. If Amandina was there, she would have red at him without leaving a ce for him to hide as this was a sore point.

    ¡°There¡¯s a ce that I¡¯m going to inherit, and this incident was a little ident. Graudin crossed the line by interfering with me, and I had to deal with him. However, I¡¯ll get that ce.¡± Brendel nodded with an embarrassed smile while he started to change the topic.

    Gaspard eyed the youth.

    ¡°But what about Count Randner? I don¡¯t think that he would let this affront slide,¡± he said.

    ¡°It¡¯s the reason why I wanted to see you. Was it the elderly Leto who had youe over?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s respectful tone when he mentioned Leto made Gaspard relieved. The youth had not sent any further instructions or even anyone to Fortress Minst and simply left Leto on his own.

    This gesture confused some of the mercenaries, including Gaspard, but he now knew that it was Brendel¡¯s trust in Leto¡¯s foresight. The people who did not understand Brendel¡¯s intentions were worried about Count Randner¡¯s retaliation and started making ns to flee and hide within the forests before moving elsewhere. They were mercenaries after all, and they treated death lightly.

    Except that his initial guess was right. Brendel truly did not remember that he still had the Amber Sword Mercenaries because he waspletely buried in work in Schafflund. upying the Macsen region was a preparation for the battle against Count Randner, and he could care less about attacking other regions within Trentheim since these aristocrats were poor.

    Brendel tapped the table behind him with his fingers, and he started to frown.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Gaspard said puzzledly.

    ¡°The war ising a little faster than I thought¡ª¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The report you delivered. Lord Ps in the history books is supposed to be someone who¡¯s steady and experienced. He already has the knowledge of Lord Macsen¡¯s defeat, so he should slow down and be more careful.....¡±

    ¡°Lord Ps in history books,¡± Ciel repeated somewhere close to him in a serious manner. He was already used to the strange word choices from his lord.

    Brendel shot an irritated re at Ciel, and thetter quickly shrank back.

    ¡°Instead, the number of his knights have increased. This means that he has already received the instructions of Count Randner. It¡¯s a sign of the next battle that is toe.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Gaspard raised his voice in rm. He knew that Count Randner would seek revenge, but he did not expect it toe so quickly. He had not even made mental preparations.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Medissa raised her voice.

    Brendel shook his head to indicate that there was no need to worry yet.

    ¡°What should we do?¡± But Gaspard became worried.

    The advisors that he saw in Fortress Riedon were mostlyprised of the lower-ranking aristocrats. As for people who were even more capable and higher in rank, he had only seen them from afar. Count Randner¡¯s military might was not any weaker than the other dukes.

    It would not be wrong to say that Brendel and his men would be crushed like bugs, so why did the youth speak like it had nothing to do with him? In fact, his attitude was like he was facing some country bumpkin and not a Count with powerful military might.

    ¡°Are you afraid?¡± Brendel suddenly asked.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Gaspard hurriedly shook his head. Of course, it was a lie. How could he not be scared?

    ¡°Indeed, there¡¯s no need to be scared. If we can win against Lord Macsen, then we can win against Count Randner. Enemies are supposed to be treated with importance and not to be feared.

    Gaspard nodded.

    ¡°Are we going to war? How much time do we have?¡± Fern asked while she readied her book.

    Brendel chewed his lips before answering: ¡°His full army wille in a month, at the verytest, two months. But Lord Ps won¡¯t leave us alone during this period. It¡¯s important that we are prepared for skirmishes.¡±

    Everyone was momentarily silent.

    Medissa and Ciel knew that the uing battle would be the biggest trial for them and thisnd.

    Once Brendel became victorious, he would get the recognition of the Royal Faction, and once he did so, the loyalty of the citizens in Firburh would be stable.

    In this era, the entire continent perceived reputation and legitimacy as extremely important things. No matter how much he tried to gain the loyalty of the citizens, it would never work if he did not have these two points. The citizens might praise the person privately, but they would not stand together with him.

    Brendel knew this point clearly.

    [Again, it¡¯s this question. In the best oue, I might be able to gather one or two thousand soldiers, including the mercenaries I have now. Tagiv¡¯s forces might reach over three thousand, but it will never put the fate of their entire tribe of my hands. Lending half of the Subterrane Dwellers to my aid is a great sign of respect for me.]

    Brendel thought for a while on how to deploy these men now that the lines of defense had changed. Although Count Randner¡¯s army might go up to twenty thousand men, it did not mean that the initial skirmish would have that number.

    Trentheim¡¯s rebellion probably had little effect on Count Randner¡¯s overall situation, but this was a moment where Duke Arreck, as well as the Royal Faction, were pressuring the cunning old man. It was enough to get tired from dealing with them, and it a fire was burning in his backyard, he would have his hands full.

    Lord Macsen¡¯s utter defeat had sent off a warning signal.

    His reputation must have gotten a beating for this rebellion to happen now.

    [But a loss in reputation hardly means anything. Count Randner won¡¯t ask for the other nobles for help because of the two factions watching him. His pride won¡¯t allow it. Since Graudin worked with Madara, I won¡¯t be surprised if Count Randner tries to borrow their strength again. Even before I came to Firburh, Madara was already interested in Sifrid. Considering Incirsta¡¯s personality, he won¡¯t give up easily. If Count Randner had an agreement with them, Madara will send out their army.]

    ¡°Any news of Madara¡¯s movements?¡± Brendel turned to Ciel and asked.

    ¡°They are quite meek recently and seemed to have retreated out of Trentheim,¡± Ciel replied.

    ¡°Make sure you keep an eye on those damned bones. I suspect they were colluding with Count Randner even before the initial war started.¡± Brendel sighed.

    [Incirsta should actually thank me. If I didn¡¯t eliminate Kabias, he would actually get fewer resources.]

    Brendel remembered Madara¡¯s history quite well. Incirsta¡¯s greatest trouble was from the Shadow Lords¡¯ interference who did not trust him because of his inexperience. If Tarkus did not support him, then Incirsta would have trouble standing out in the War of the ck Rose.

    [I¡¯m getting sidetracked. I¡¯m naturally willing to bolster my defenses and wait for the opportunity to fight back, but my opponent won¡¯t give me this chance.]

    (TL: ÏÈÎª²»¿ÉÊ¤£¬´ýµÐÖ®¿ÉÊ¤. The raws used these two sentences. It¡¯s chopped up from Sun Tze¡¯s ÎôÖ®ÉÆÕ½Õß£¬ÏÈÎª²»¿ÉÊ¤£¬ÒÔ´ýµÐÖ®¿ÉÊ¤: ¡°The people who are good at war would create conditions so that the enemies could not gain victory over them, and then they would wait till they find an opportunity to defeat the enemies.¡±)

    ¡°The scouts that were sent to Aouine¡¯s southern armies at the borders. Did they managed to find them?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Unfortunately, there is no news from the majority of them. The ones that sent back a reply gave useless information.¡±

    ¡°I see. Although, by the word ¡®silent¡¯, you mean they ran away and fled elsewhere.¡± Brendelughed.

    [There goes the n on getting the support of the southern armies to curb Madara¡¯s forces. It seems like I have to rely on my other ns.....]

 volume 3 - 101

    Chapter 101 ¨C Trentheim and the young lord (1)

    ¡°Ciel, I want you to speak with Raban and Cornelius, and have them send out their most trusted men to search for the southern armies. The majority of the people that we have sent out earlier and are most likely gone.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±

    ¡°As for you, Gaspard. Tell Leto I have already started preparing for Count Randner¡¯s counterattacks. He should continue to monitor what Lord Ps is doing and inform me of any changes. I¡¯ll leave everything else to his judgment, but I won¡¯t suggest him to attack any other regions other than Macsen. Oh, and one more thing, if there are still refugees following you and if you have spare cksmiths from the Macsen region, send them over here.¡±

    ¡°Understood, my lord.¡±

    Brendel gave his instructions and thanked Gaspard before he dismissed everyone. He then sat back in his chair and continued to study the reports.

    The city walls and other areas that needed repairing were progressing in an organized manner, but it was projected to be finished at the beginning of the next month, which was a weekter than was estimated. The resources spent on it were also much greater than projected, and the only people who benefitted immediately were probably the workers when they received theirpensation.

    [It seems like the start of the project wasn¡¯t smooth.]

    He remarked to himself before moving on to the next page.

    Nobody was willing to work for the young lord who took over Firburh ¡®illegally¡¯. Graudin¡¯s presence still lingered, and Count Randner¡¯s infamy weighted down on their hearts like a mountain.

    The policies that Amandina set up in a generous manner was immediately met with resistance. Dangling resources in front of the citizens hardly convinced them and could not conquer the fear from the other nobles, or perhaps it was because they feared retribution that mighte in the future.

    Based on her observations, if it were not for the mercenaries around Firburh, along with the fact that the citizens who also held the same fear towards Brendel as a noble, a massive number of citizens would have fled the city long ago.

    In the end, she realized where her mistake was and started to use forceful measures to correct it, bing like what a noble¡¯sckey would do.

    She bade the soldiers follow her, came to the outskirts of the city during the morning, and forced the citizens to gather at the city square. Tools were handed out to them and the mercenaries watched them perform the tasks given to them.

    Even though she tried to reduce bloodshed on her part, her actions still invited a riot. The people who incited the riot were beaten severely, and the title ¡®Lady Devil¡¯ quickly spread throughout the masses.

    But their attitudes started to change when this Lady Devil arranged an extravagant dinner for them.

    Loaves of white bread that were rarely eaten bymoners and a pot of stewed meat soup¡ª

    Well, it was not exactly stewed meat soup. When it was poured into the bowls, there were only a few pieces of shredded meat and the soup was almost as clear as water. One could see the bottom of the bowl, and even Amandina frowned when she saw thecking contents in the pot.

    But it was not the mercenaries trying to be mean or miserly. They hunted in the forest and gotten quite a few kills, however, it was hardly enough to feed hundreds of men.

    Amandina was worried that the workers would grumble about the given meal, but it was proven that the oue was contrary to her expectations.

    The citizens of Firburh were more like impoverished refugees who experienced a famine. Their eyes became brighter than the starving wolves in the forests when they smelled the aroma of the soup.

    They considered the loaves of white bread to be a delicacy, only bought or made during celebrations and important days. As for acquiring meat, it depended on Graudin¡¯s mood during the end of the year, where the remaining scraps would be sold from his feasts.

    It did not matter whether the soup was clear.

    Amandina again found a mistake in the way on how she perceived things when she saw the workers gorging themselves on the food.

    When she lived in Brus, the food that she ate was just small slices of hard ck rye bread every day, and after she left with Brendel, she was actually highly pleased to return to having proper meals and never looked back to her old life.

    One could only imagine how much more desperate the citizens were to acquire food.

    With the response that she saw from the first dinner given to them, she was certain that their minds would change with the right persuasion.

    She dered that everyone could enjoy the food every day if they continued to work.

    This promise caused amotion amongst the workers. Even though they were doubtful about the promise, the majority of them were interested to see if the promise was upheld. Though, even if they did not want to, the mercenaries would put on fierce expressions and made their choices for them.

    Their suspicions were eventually dismissed with each passing day. The Lady Devil¡¯s promise was indeed true. A loaf of white bread and a small bowl of ¡®thick¡¯ stewed soup was served every dinner.

    This decision quickly diminished the sources of meat avable in the city because the mercenaries did not seed in getting good hunts every day. Small amounts of cured meat made from sheep or pigs were used to supplment theck of meat. Livestock meant for Graudin and his men¡¯s consumption were also included.

    The supplies eventually did not meet the required demands, and Fern repeatedly grumbled about it to Amandina. If this continued, Brendel would not have a decent meal when he came back from Schafflund.

    This apparently seeded in persuading Amandina. It was between her respected noble lord and the citizens of this city who were strangers. She spent almost no time to decide on it.

    However, she continued to enforce her promise. She had the mercenaries cut down on their training and got them to hunt longer in the forest to make up for theck of meat.

    This action brought an unexpected positive effect. The workers apparently got news on how the Lady Devil provided their meals.

    She made the mercenaries hunt in the lord¡¯s private hunting grounds.

    This action moved the citizens, and there were even a few who secretly requested the mercenaries to tell her that the loaves of white bread were good enough for them.

    It was possible that the young lord of this city would punish this generous and trustworthy girl.

    Amandina¡¯s confidence was bolstered when she heard their gesture and told the workers that it was not her, but the young lord who issued the instructions, so they had nothing to worry about.

    This small exnation pushed all the credit to Brendel.

    The youth¡¯s action of suspending the taxes was quickly remembered, and he gained unquestionable prestige overnight.

    Brendel still did not know about this matter, as the report in his hands only described the actions that Amandina did.

    Approximately ten days into the repairing the walls, the workers asked if Amandina needed more men to repair the wall.

    This was a signal to show that her actions had attracted more people. Not only that, the power held by the nobles were starting to weaken against the trust in their new lord.

    People were starting to waver.

    However, despite the increase in manpower, the project was still dyed. They had a bad start and no one was proficient in construction.

    Grandmaster Bosley more or less limited the mistakes made, but he was obviously more suited to create a magic armor overying down rocks on the wall.

    Brendel finished reading the report and went to Odum again.

    The dwarf nodded as he listened to Brendel¡¯s exnation, stated that he would check the site immediately, and was soon escorted to the site.

    Though he was not really reliable, he did learn a few things from the Mountain Dwarves and was able to rectify unresolved issues. The repairs eventually progressed faster and were finished at the end of the month, saving time from the estimated dy.

    Amandina invited Brendel and his important confidants to take a look at thepleted repairs. They stood quietly and approached the city walls, which appeared in and out from the morning mist.

    She sighed with relief, though she lightly frowned in the next moment and looked back at Brendel with an apologetic expression:

    ¡°I apologize for wasting so much time, my lord¡ª¡±

    But Brendel¡¯s eyes were full of praise when he looked back at her.

    [This is a priceless treasure that I dug up from Brus. I haven¡¯t realized it till now. I used to think I was lucky to find someone who can create Magicite but she¡¯s much more than that. This is even better than finding gold coins on the floor!]

    Amandina was a quiet girl, but she had her own principles, dreams, and beliefs. Brendel wondered what sort of karma he had to get such an extraordinary manager to work for him wholeheartedly.

    He was worried about the progress of the city walls¡¯ repairs dragging on from unforeseen circumstances. Additional dys would lead to even more dys and the probable snowing would be an issue. Examples would include an increased expenditure of food and risk of injuries.

    Bosley and Odum¡¯s performances were also satisfactory, though thetter seemingly appeared to be a little timid all the time.

 volume 3 - 102

    Chapter 102 ¨C Trentheim and the young lord (2)

    ¡°What do all of you think?¡± Brendel suddenly asked.

    His question was mostly directed to Raban and Cornelius who were conversing quietly a slight distance away. They were rubbing their hands a little with their breathsing out in white mists. After Jana left, the two of them became even friendlier than before as they continued to work with each other.

    Truthfully, the twomanders had known each other even before they met Brendel so they had no problems working with each other. They paused when they heard the question, but it was Romaine who replied almost instantly after Brendel asked his question.

    ¡°I find that the repairs of the city walls look wonderful. What do you think?¡± The merchant girl said, looking back at Brendel with big eyes as if she wanted to see if he agreed with her.

    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Cornelius also said, ¡°and it has surpassed my expectations. Even though it¡¯s a littlete to say this, my mercenaries and I participated in the middle of the repairs. We¡¯re not familiar with this type of work, but Miss Amandina did a fantastic job directing us. While I wouldn¡¯t say that it¡¯s perfect, she surprised me¡ª¡±

    Everyone loved being praised.

    Amandina could not help but take a second look at the attractive middle-aged man. Even though she looked like she was not pleased with his glib tongue, she could not help but agree with his assessment.

    There were many issues in the beginning, and almost every small decision she made had some kind of unforeseen consequences. But it was also because she had handled the numerous incidents that cropped up that she became quick at resolving them.

    ¡°Indeed, it was surprising.¡± Raban did not use many words and got straight to the point.

    Amandina secretly nced at Brendel. In her heart, the youth¡¯s opinions were more important than the rest of them. It was the first time she felt her heart beating this fast and was worried that there he would be dissatisfied.

    Her eyes teared up when she saw Brendel¡¯s unreserved praise in his eyes. She found her nose bing stuffy and felt that her hard work had paid off in the past month.

    She sniffled, turned her head away, and attempted to avoid crying in front of so many people, which would most certainly be an embarrassment to herself. She was still Brendel¡¯s advisor and the city¡¯s administrator; it would be unseemly if she cried like a little girl.

    But she spotted Medissa passing a handkerchief discreetly to her when she turned her head, and she received it gratefully. This subtle action made by the Elven girl was not detected by anyone with the exception of Brendel, who shook his head with a wry smile.

    ¡°I apologize. What I really mean is this: ¡®What do you think of that night?¡¯¡± Brendel said.

    Everyone else was momentarily silent as they thought back about that fateful night battle. They were hot-blooded and bold during that short duration, but it took days or even weeks, to fathom what they had done exactly.

    Under Brendel¡¯s encouragement, they participated in the battle to kill a lord recognized by the kingdom.

    They would not have dared to think about it in the past, but to their disbelief, they had really murdered a lord. Whether it was because they were goaded, encouraged, or even threatened into doing so.

    There was nowhere to run now.

    After that night, one month passed by in the blink of an eye, but they did not break down mentally like they thought they would. Now that the wall waspleted, it seemed like it was symbolizing something.

    Perhaps under the youth¡¯s leadership, they were no longer mere rebels, but people who were on the cusp of a revolution. Why would they have any doubts about the final results when the youth was so confident?

    ¡°You might not know this, but I really don¡¯t think that much about the distant future. Perhaps you also believe that I¡¯m a noble who could care less about your lives but I don¡¯t think that way at all¡ª¡±

    He spoke sincerely, but it was a question how many people believed in his ¡®truth¡¯.

    ¡°I came here to inherit and further south of Trentheim that belongs to my ancestors,¡± Brendel lied through his teeth with a hint of truth in it, ¡°and I had not nned to kill a lord and take over hisnds. However, the education that I received told me that the existence of nobles ought to fulfill something called ¡®noblesse oblige¡¯. We receive better education and privileges because we have the responsibility to bring the citizens under us out of a difficult situation.¡±

    Brendel took a pause as he pointed at everyone: ¡°Authority and responsibility go hand in hand. King Erik said this: Nobles define responsibilities. Power is responsibility; authority is responsibility!¡±

    Everyone looked silently at him in slight confusion. His words were pretty and engaging, but they did not know what he was talking about.

    Amandina had a strange expression in her eyes. She vaguely felt that the youth was pursuing King Erik¡¯s ideals and was trying to get back the honor that Aouine had lost.

    This was the most mysterious aspect about him and it was the reason why she was attracted to him. It was bing almost fatal, as a fire lit in both her eyes.

    Suddenly, it started snowing.

    The snowkes were very light at first and were almost undetectable. But when theynded on everyone¡¯s faces, they felt like cold rain was drizzling on them. Everyone lifted their heads.

    ¡°Before this,¡± Brendel stared at the sky. The dark clouds signified the impending battles: ¡°I have not been the lord of anynd...... Neither do I have the experience of leading one. Amandina and all of you are the same.¡±

    He lifted both arms up, allowing the snow to gather on him:

    ¡°We are not so different. Each one of us is learning how to handle everything, be it on how to run a region or to fight our enemies. We are all trying to learn how to walk and our first step might be difficult, but this isn¡¯t a problem.

    The problem is whether each of you is brave enough to stay behind and face what is toe. Our actions might look like they are insignificant, but they are shining as brilliantly as the first time when King Erik led his citizens out from Kirrlutz.

    His actions have been proven they could cut through the darkness and that you should not be ashamed to pursue this dream!

    This dream of ensuring that the citizens are not affected by the nobles¡¯ greed and arrogance.

    Regardless of whether you see this as an honor, or you¡¯re here because you have made a promise to me, or the responsibilities to the citizens as a noble, you must stand here.

    I ask you this question.

    How much longer do you want to run away from the plights of these citizens?¡±

    His palm gestured towards to themoners who were watching from a short distance away from them. His voice raised to a yell, expelling his breath into a mist, making him appear divine and mysterious.

    ¡°I ask all of you. If you were to be Aouine¡¯s new nobles in the future, would you still remember the things I said today? Would you still remember that nobles are the definition of responsibility?¡±

    But no one answered him.

    Raban could not believe his ears. He did not dare to think about the hidden meaning behind the youth¡¯s words. He nced at the man next to him, but Cornelius reacted by staring nkly at Brendel.

    Thetter also knew what Brendel was trying to do.

    He was saying:

    ¡®From now onwards, you¡¯re my retainers, and you would gather under my House through thick and thin, regardless of good and bad times. You¡¯re my knights and will act as my sword to expand mynd.¡¯

    At that moment, Cornelius felt endless energy surging within his body. It was the first time his heart felt like it was being set on fire after working as a mercenary for decades of great struggle.

    The chance he had been waiting for was right in front of him.

    Every mercenary thought the same way, except Scarlett who felt it was enough for her to follow Brendel. Romaine did not need to think too much about his words either because she had already treated him like he was her world.

    His summons naturally did not react as they were already loyal to him.

    But Amandina bit her lips.

    She did not understand why this youth who had almost no foundations to speak of would be able to be so charismatic with just confidence and dreams.

    It was almost as though it was a power that captured everyone¡¯s heart, and even when she saw through the outlines of his real ns for the future, she was already sinking in his dream. She closed and opened her mouth several times, but she did not find a response.

    [Yes, he¡¯s saying ¡®be my retainers¡¯, but that¡¯s just part of it. He¡¯s forcibly changing the rules of the game. He wants to create new nobles to rece the old ones.]

 volume 3 - 103

    Chapter 103 ¨C Trentheim and the Young Lord (3)

    TL: Alistair is the wizard guy who had hispanions killed by Graudin. He was a little cynical about Brendel because he thought all nobles are the same, or at least until Brendel came back to kill Graudin.

    ============Alistair¡¯s POV=============

    The first year of the War of the ck Rose¡¯s winter was colder than the past seasons. The moisture in the air was frozen into powdery snow which fell from the dark grey sky.

    Alistairid in ambush amongst the shrubbery at the mountaintop overnight. He was still wearing his dark green robes but he was almost frozen from the cold. Snowkes fell on his face and he felt the chill pierce through his skin.

    [The first snow of this year.]

    He used to overhear the conversations between Grandmaster Ciel and Lord Brendel back in Firburh. The contents of the conversations were about the northern situation, the armies of the dukes, the princess¡¯s fate, how Madara invaded Aouine, even the activity in Kirrlutz.......

    [The uing battle in the north is dyed long enough that it will only happen after this winter.]

    Alistair came from a small family that was considered part of the gentry. His hometown was in Karsuk, but it was situated in a remote area and his knowledge about society was limited; he merely watched high nobles pass through the area.

    While he lived a life better than mostmoners, it became worse each year.

    He knew that he had to change his own fate and went on an adventure. A wizard had taught him for a period of time and hearing the stories from his teacher was a fatal attraction to the youth.

    This chaotic world seemed to have opportunities everywhere.

    Thus when his teacher passed away, he went on a journey that he had always dreamed of.

    But his luck was not as good as he thought.

    Two of thepanions he encountered along the way who almost had the same background like him, died in the middle of their adventure. He and his other members had no choice but to stay in Firburh and decide whether to return to their homes or continue their journey.

    He never expected Graudin to kill all his otherpanions. It was as though only despair remained in his future. He stayed behind, wanting to assassinate Graudin even if it cost his life.

    But sometimes fate was simply just that fickle. He met the young noble, Brendel, and participated in that battle and continued to serve under him until he was reassigned to be part of Ciel¡¯s Wizardry Corp. (TL: The original term I had was Wizard Army but someone in the patreon suggested Wizardry Corp. Anyone else want to take a shot?)

    As Ciel¡¯s right hand, he naturally had the opportunity to listen to the discussions between Brendel and Ciel.

    That was the first time he thought Brendel as a true lord who ruled over Firburh. Thetter¡¯s insight towards the events around him had shown him a whole new world. It was something that his teacher had never taught him before.

    From that moment onwards, he became a true supporter of Brendel. He knew that he had caught onto an opportunity, or perhaps he had already reached the ce that he was searching for.

    He soon volunteered for the scouting mission that was deep in the Ps region.

    Since the scouts needed a talented person familiar with magic, he naturally got into the team.

    Ciel evenined to Brendel that he stole his right hand.

    But Alistair did not regret his decision. Rather than staying silently beside Lord Brendel, he felt he should catch his attention through physical actions. He was someone out for adventure, or he would not have left his home to reach Firburh.

    The youth stared at the sky for a long time, before he finally came back to his senses. He slowly reached forward and looked down from his vantage point, taking care not to make a single sound to avoid the attention of the guards. There were yellow tents set up in the forest with people milling about.

    Suddenly there were soft shuffling noises behind him. That direction was supposed to be guarded by hispanions, and it should be them, but it was possible that it was something else.

    Alistair immediately became tense.

    ¡°Cab.....bage....¡±

    A strange password was uttered. Ciel was the one who instructed them to use it.

    Alistair rxed. It was hispanion. He turned around and asked: ¡°Woo ham eye?¡±

    ¡°Melf.¡± (TL: DND reference. Melf is a Grey Elf and a fighter/wizard.)

    That name was given to another wizard apprentice. Because that person was an orphan, he only had a nickname, and Lord Brendel gave him that name.

    [So it¡¯s you, you lucky darned fellow. Hmph.]

    Alistair could not help but think that way when he recognized who the person was.

    ¡°Alistair, how is it? Is the area below us the ce where Ps¡¯s knights set up their camps?¡± Melf came over quietly like a cat with his back hunched over and whispered when he reached Alistair¡¯s side: ¡°But Rat and the others said there aren¡¯t any camps around other than this ce¡ª¡±

    ¡°These aren¡¯t the Knights¡¯ camps.¡± Alistair shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡± Melf appeared stunned.

    Alistair nodded as he tried to massage his frozen and slightly stiff legs: ¡°They are Hignd natives.¡±

    ¡°Hignders? Huh. But are they not in bad terms with Lord Ps! Why are they here? Wait, are they nning to attack the region at this point in time? That¡¯s really helping us out!¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that simple. There are many groups of Hignd natives, and they might being for us instead.¡±

    ¡°What? A-are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m much more familiar with them than you are. Alright, you should head off and pass the message to the various scouting groups. My group is preparing to retreat. Our clothes won¡¯t match the surroundings if it¡¯s starting to snow, and we will need to change our clothes beforeing here again.¡±

    Melf nodded and moved off.

    =============== Brendel¡¯s POV ==============

    Amandina was distributing the workers¡¯ wages at the southern gate, and each person would get only a few copper coins. It was not a lot of money, but it symbolized something and was better than nothing. She originally wanted to cut down on this expense, but Romaine said that it was part of revitalizing the economy and asserted that the money must be given to them.

    In the end, Amandina was unable to convince Romaine and had to give up. However, in order to get back at her, she forced thetter to stay behind and help out.

    Brendelughed a little when Romaine tried to slip away, only to be caught by Fern who was sent out by Amandina because she predicted it a long time ago.

    Romaine put on a tearful expression but was unable to persuade Amandina, who had no exceptions when it came to work. Brendel had already escaped the moment when the two girls argued in the beginning, so Romaine could not hide behind his back as a final trump card.

    He was the only exception to Amandina¡¯s iron-d administration and did not know if he was able to resist Romaine¡¯s teary eyes. Therefore, he hid in a corner to watch the merchant girl put on a bitter face with great interest.

    After a short while, Brendel left the southern gates along with Scarlett and Medissa. A mercenary came up and greeted everyone.

    [Hmm, I recognize you. You¡¯re..... an Elementalist. Are you not working under Ciel?]

    Brendel recalled that he asked Ciel to recruit people who had the talent for magic, and thetter went around to choose from adventurers and mercenaries.

    Third-rate Elementalists, conmen, fake witch doctors, apprenticing magicians to make up a so-called army of spellcasters. The number of people who could truly use magic was few.

    Since Ciel was a Gold-ranked wizard, he did not really have to put in an effort. Many voluntarily left the mercenary groups they were in to join Ciel¡¯s Wizardry Corp. Even though many mercenarymandersined, Ciel had Brendel¡¯s support and he did not really encounter trouble.

    Brendel wanted to set up an army made up of wizards because of how effective it could be used strategically in a battle. This was proven in theter part of the game where the gamers first utilized the concept before the NPCs started copying them. Even though Ciel grumbled about the majority of these people were unworthy of being in the ¡®Wizardry Corp¡¯, Brendel did not care. At the very least, it was his first specialized army.

    Since there were talented people in them after all, they could be nurtured to be the backbone of a Wizard Association. Unfortunately, his n was not going well. Ciel had the capabilities of a Grandmaster, but he did not have the experience of teaching. The so-called Wizardry Corp was still a sham.

    But that did not mean the Wizardry Corp was useless. The wizards had varying degrees of experience, but there was a singlemon point.

    They all knew how to write and read.

    The Wizard Army had the part-time job of helping Brendel, Amandina, Nightsong Tiger, and Ciel¡¯s tasks to handle information and administrative work.

    Currently, the person in front of Brendel belonged to Nightsong Tiger¡¯s ¡®Intelligence Network¡¯.

    ¡°My lord, there¡¯s urgent news from the ¡®people in the north¡¯. The report states that it has something to do with the Hignders¡ª¡±

    Brendel blinked a few times before he recalled that the Nightsong Tiger and Leto had sent out scouts to investigate the Ps region, and the former was the one who nned the entire project to investigate the news about Count Randner.

    The Nightsong Tiger selected the better wizards from the Wizardry Corp and had them disguised as adventurers while scouting thend.

    However, Brendel was the one who suggested the usage of familiars. It was not a new idea, and there were examples of wizards sending their familiars as messengers throughout the eras. However, it was rare for a wizard to be used as a scout, and thus this method was not widely used.

    Gamers witnessed the increase of talented wizards in the game years after the War of the ck Rose, and the method became more and more popr. Eventually, there was a breakthrough in using magical artifacts tomunicate more reliably, but it was obviously not that year yet and Brendel thought of using this ¡®primitive¡¯ method.

    With this method, the time taken would approximately be a full day from the Ps region, which was much faster than the normal duration of one week. However, there was ack of wizards who had enough stamina to act like a scout. Only three groups were formed, and information about the knights in the Ps region was limited because of the insufficient scouting.

    Brendel skimmed through the report.

    [It seems like the nobles are still underestimating us. Well, their numbers prove that they are treating us as a threat, but the way how they set up their defenses is a joke. Also, it seems like Lord Ps isn¡¯t controlling them very well.]

    Lord Ps was a traditional Aouine general. He stuck to the rules and had a strong discipline, but his attitude would most certainly draw the ire of Count Randner¡¯s knights. The Hignders were even less interested in listening to hismands, and this allowed Brendel¡¯s wizards to be able to infiltrate theirx security.

    Still, it was true that the nobles could not imagine to send wizards to the frontlines and act as scouts. Even Amandina and Ciel were stunned when Brendel mentioned this method.

 volume 3 - 104

    Chapter 104 ¨C Trentheim and the young lord (4)

    The insane strategy mentioned by Brendel was now proving to be an excellent one.

    The wizards had the capabilities to cast illusive magic to aid the scouting party, and they were able to send messages back far more quickly through their flying familiars than the previous scouts could.

    The scout ryed Ciel¡¯s message to Brendel as he unfolded the parchment:

    ¡°My lord, though you have proven that you¡¯re right, I must remind you that this will only work in the beginning of a war. If our opponents realize what we¡¯re doing, the loss of even a wizard will be something that we can¡¯t bear.¡±

    Brendel nodded to the scout¡¯s words, but his expressions be graver as he read through the report, his face appearing even darker than the grey clouds in the sky.

    Scarlett and Medissa nced at each other worriedly. They had rarely seen Brendel show such a solemn expression and they wondered what the report mentioned.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Medissa whispered.

    ¡°The contents of the report is quite simple. A group of Hignd natives appeared in the Ps region.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that quite normal? They are frequently seen fighting with Lord Ps, and it¡¯s not just one or two years, but decades.¡± Scarlett asked, her mind thinking that it was fortunate Lord Ps was going to encounter trouble.

    ¡°No, this is an addition to the enemies that we¡¯re going to face.¡± The youth gave a helpless smile.

    ¡°What? But why would they attack us?¡±

    ¡°There are many branches of Hignders, and the report identified them as the onesing from the east of Mountain Graham. While they are subordinate to Count Randner¡¯s rule, their autonomy to their ownnds is very strong. They hardly travel inrge numbers, and certainly would not leave thend that they rule¡ª¡±

    ¡°And so......¡± Scarlett did not really understand military affairs, but she knew there was something odd about them from Brendel¡¯s tone.

    ¡°I can hardly imagine they would be there to celebrate the uing festival. I have no idea what Count Randner promised these stubborn people, but they are definitely here to attack us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. It¡¯s the same regardless of whoeveres; we will defeat them.¡± Scarlett scoffed lightly.

    Brendel smiled at Scarlett¡¯s attempt at boosting his confidence.

    ¡°Is it a big problem?¡± Medissa asked.

    ¡°Definitely. If Count Randner managed to persuade one group of Hignders, I can assume that he¡¯s offering the same conditions to the other groups. It¡¯s difficult to say how much pressure we will face.¡± Brendel¡¯s tone was light, but his mind was not very certain about the odds.

    [I¡¯ve predicted the Hignders would help them. Now the question would be on the food supplied to them. I have no idea how much food Lord Ps has in his region, or how much food Count Randner is supplying. If I can..... I would want to dy this battle as long as possible to waste their food.]

    ¡°Should I get Miss Amandina, my lord?¡± Medissa asked.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not necessary,¡± Brendel rubbed his forehead, ¡°but I¡¯m more curious about the person who sent out this report.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The report even included where the Hignders came from. This is a clear insight into the situation at hand. The things I just mentioned must have crossed this person¡¯s mind.¡±

    Brendel only knew so much because he had ¡®lived¡¯ in this world for decades. No one in his group was able to predict that the Hignders was a trap, and Ciel only understood this point after he exined it.

    [I wonder if anyone else would be able to understand the meaning of this report if they read this...... Just who is this scout?]

    Brendel suddenly discovered that the Elementalist who delivered the report was still staring at him. It was as though he was waiting to speak.

    ¡°Is there something else?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Yes, my lord.....¡± That Elementalist¡¯s expression looked a bit odd, and he was stuttering: ¡°Actually, Ciel had given me another additional letter. It¡¯s addressed to you.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by additional letter?¡± Brendel frowned as he wondered what stunt that fellow was pulling off now.

    ¡°Would you like to see it?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Brendel snapped.

    Since it was addressed to him, was there any reason not to read it? But he stared at the Elementalist in front of him a little suspiciously. No matter how much he thought about it, his attitude was strange.

    ¡°Erm, my lord, would you mind turning your head away first?¡± But the Elementalist¡¯s face became even stranger.

    [Turning my head? Is this a prank?]

    Brendel did not react and saw that a spear-like shadowing from his side. Scarlett had her halberd on that Elementalist¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Take it out!¡± Her voice said coldly.

    That Elementalist was terrified and trembled with a bitter face before taking out a creature from his robe.

    His familiar peeked out at them.

    Brendel immediately identified what it was, and so did the others.

    A duck. It was a duck.

    Everyone around the Elementalist froze.

    Brendel and his subordinates had years of experience, even centuries worth, that included an Elven princess and a wizard from ck Tower, but it was the first time they saw a magic user with a duck as a familiar.

    Brendel looked at the duck with a pair of crossed eyes for a while, before he woke from his stupor and nodded: ¡°Very good, you¡¯re stylish. Instead of picking a fairy-type creature like most Elementalists, you picked a duck.¡±

    ¡°My lord,¡± the Elementalist made a sorrowful face, ¡°that¡¯s not my choice. I originally did not use a familiar. This thing...... this thing is given to me by Grandmaster Ciel...... He said that using a duck as a familiar would bring luck.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, much luck,¡± Brendel put his palm to his face and shook his head when he thought about his bizarre squire, as Medissa tried to stifle herughter, ¡°what¡¯s your name?¡±

    He finally paid attention to the person in front of him; thetter was about as old as Brendel was, and his features were quite attractive. But after he pulled out his duck, Brendel found it hard to hold in hisughter. Ciel must have pranked this person.

    If the Elementalist did not be aedy actor back in his world, it would be a waste of his appearance.

    ¡°They call me Red Boar, my lord.¡± The Elementalist said.

    ¡°..... Right, and where did that namee from?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s the name of a monster in my hometown.¡±

    [Huh. Named after that level 30+ violent creature. Not many would want to hunt it.]

    Brendel looked at the duck again and coughed. His voice had a tinge ofughter in it: ¡°Well, how about this. Follow me around. I happen to need an apprentice.¡±

    ¡°My lord, you need an apprentice? Are you a wizard?¡± The Elementalist was surprised.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m an Elementalist. Anyway, cut the crap, just follow me.¡±

    The messenger looked at him a little nkly. A high-ranking Elementalist could give off a feeling of intimidation to someone weaker, but he did not feel anything from his young lord. There were two possibilities; his lord was weaker or was around the same level like he was.

    [But this is the legendary lord who¡¯s capable of doing anything! I can only see him from afar several times and only heard about how he defeated Graudin, made the Subterrane Dwellers submit, and captured Schafflund¡¯s mine with only thirty people! ...... But isn¡¯t he a Gold-ranked swordsman? When did he be an Elementalist?]

    The messenger became more and more puzzled.

    Brendel waved him off. He needed an apprentice in order to prepare for another n and it was a good time to start it right away. The appearance of the Hignders made him feel pressured.

    ¡°In any case, I¡¯ll give you a proper name. From now onwards, follow me, and your name is Mordenkainen.¡± (TL: DnD reference. Human wizard.)

 volume 3 - 105

    Chapter 105 ¨C Trentheim and the young lord (5)

    Brendel opened the letter. The contents in it were empty save for a darkened spot on the corner. He immediately understood what it was. He crumbled the letter and burned its corner with a spark of fire that came from his hand.

    He then tossed it away as it turned into ashes.

    The druids had replied to him. This bit of good news made him feel relieved, but he did not immediately make ns to meet them and instead spoke to his new assistant:

    ¡°Mordenkainen.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Y-yes, my lord, what is it that you need?¡± It took a moment before that young man realized Brendel was calling for him.

    ¡°Find Tagiv and bring him to me.¡±

    ¡°Who is Tagiv?¡±

    ¡°Chieftain of the Subterrane Dwellers. He¡¯s staying inside the inner city.¡± After the battle of Lord Macsen, Brendel had it stay in Firburh.

    Tagiv was quite happy about the youth¡¯s action; Graudin was not as respectful.

    Other humans would have thought that Brendel was holding it as a hostage, but Tagiv did not even consider that possibility. It was pointless for the youth to do so since it swore an oath to its gods.

    ¡°Make sure he puts on a robe and minimize his exposure to the citizens,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Understood, my lord. But where would you like to meet up with him?¡± Mordenkainen hurriedly nodded.

    Brendel got closer and whispered into Mordenkainen¡¯s ears, who then nodded and looked at his lord to make sure that there were no further instructions, before running off into the distance and disappeared into the falling snow.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s move off to another ce.¡± Brendel turned around to the girls and said with a genuine smile.

    Scarlett found herself staring at Brendel¡¯s smile, and suddenly realized that she wasparing him and Eke. She felt the blood rushing to her ears and shook her head to clear it.

    ¡°Where are we going..... My lord?¡± She asked in a quiet voice.

    Medissa nced at her, feeling another bout ofughter within her.

    ¡°A wonderful ce,¡± Brendel said.

    The snowfall became bigger, and soon there was a faint sheet of white that covered the streets. There were not many people walking about. Instead, there were rows of houses that leaked out with warm orange light.

    The sight of the scenery around them made them feel calm.

    It was the first time that Scarlett left the manor ever since she was sick. Coming back to life and starting what she was doing before made her look at things with a lost look, and she trailed behind Medissa while clutching her halberd tightly.

    Medissa, on the other hand, was interested in the scenery before her. It was the first time that she had been in a human city in winter, and she would asionally ask Brendel the things that she could not identify.

    The three continued to walk till they heard a series of hammering against metal in front of them.

    Medissa was the first to pick up the noise with her long ears, and after a momentary pause, recognized the area to be Bosley¡¯s workshop.

    The workshop finally started operating after Brendel brought back Cold Iron and magic gemstones from the mines a few weeks ago. This was originally Graudin¡¯s private property, and Bosley bought the two rows of houses beside it and expanded the workshop.

    But having the workshop did not mean that it was operating smoothly. Brendel put up a notice to recruit workers, and Bosley found the people who applied were a mixture of good and bad. Thetter grumbled several times, telling Brendel that he was not being supportive of his work because he did not care about the quality of his men.

    Fortunately, Gaspard ryed the youth¡¯s instructions to Leto, who sent the cksmiths and anyone who was talented to Firburh. Certainly, it was beneficial to Leto in the long run since his mercenaries would also be armed, but it was also a show of loyalty to Brendel.

    When Brendel and the girls reached the workshop, they found fiery mes greeting them which contrasted sharply against the morning darkness. A golden-red fire was stoked in the forge and covered the whole ce with warmth. It was as though there was a line separating the cold and warmth, and Brendel could feel that difference even when he stood outside.

    ¡°My lord?¡± A voice came from the workshop.

    Bosley was thinking about the numerous issues in the workshop; teaching the idiots was much harder than keeping track of the materials or making an armor. He was taking a break outside the building when he spotted three familiar people.

    ¡°Grandmaster Bosley.¡± Brendel gave a smile when he saw him.

    Naturally, he did note to take a stroll and admire the scenery in Firburh. The news of Lord Ps¡¯s armies had spurred him to speed up his ns.

    ¡°What is it? Are you trying to check up on this old man¡¯s progress, my lord?¡± Bosley asked in his gruff voice.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare,¡± Brendel shook his head before he grinned, ¡°it¡¯s just that I thought of an idea.¡±

    ¡°An idea?¡± Bosley looked curiously at him, but he quickly remembered the four people in front of him were still waiting patiently: ¡°Regardless of what idea you have, my lord, if you don¡¯t mind the noise and dirt in this ce, you cane in.¡±

    Brendel led his subordinates into the workshop. The first batch of armor was being produced. The youth watched the cksmiths and apprentices walking to and fro with sleeveless shirts. Since there was no one wearing robes, it meant that Ciel¡¯s men were not here.

    [It seems like the first batch of armor produced isn¡¯t the White Lion Armor.]

    ¡°The work on the Magic Armor hasn¡¯t started yet?¡± He asked.

    ¡°My lord, didn¡¯t you just say that you are not here to check up on our work?¡± Bosley looked back at him with disapproval with a wry smile: ¡°Years of inactivity have caused my skill to be rusty. The magic gemstones that you brought back are too expensive to be used as practice. I intend to make an armor for practice first.¡±

    Bosley¡¯s eyes darted around the workers before sighing: ¡°Besides, these workers also need to practice. They are very far away from being capable of making one.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re too demanding,¡± Brendel said.

    Bosley was the royal cksmith and known publicly as the best grandmaster. Even his assistants were well-known. It was no wonder that these people were unable to get his attention.

    The best cksmiths amongst them were just ordinary cksmiths working in this area. Some of them evenck the experience in crafting weapons, not to mention making a suit of armor, which was even moreplicated.

    Tanners and tailors were also added to the workshop, and they were in charge of connecting the armor pieces together to form a suit of armor.

    The whole process was very slow, and each suit of armor required several days of man-hours.

    In order to craft a suit of magic armor, the chest and the back of the armor were first drawn with Magic Emblems with crushed Magicite, then ced into the forge where Magicite was added into the fuel. By repeating the process of hammering and adding crushed Magicite repeatedly, the armor would finally bepleted.

    Unfortunately, the forges were fitted with unstable old machines that frequently had problems.

    ¡°The machines that I used back then were still better than these two here. Their conditions are even worse than the ailments of an old man like me.¡± Bosley said.

    He had never felt such a challenging work in his life. There was almost nothing that Trentheim could offer, and he did not think that Aouine had such a rural area that appeared like it was centuries ago.

    The forges hardly converted Magicite to fuel. The city was like a rubbish dump rather than a ce fit for living. Outside the city walls was the Wilderness, and the agriculture produced here was stuck with primitive techniques.

    The era that the old cksmith worked in was approximately ten years ago, and he stayed in one of the richest city in Aouine. At that time, thend was aided with the assistance of magic. Apprenticing Elementalists that studied in the nearby magic academy arranged the Elements in the air and changed the climate in a small area, allowing something like a greenhouse effect and kept it from flooding.

    But there was nothing here.

    Machinery that ran on Magicite were used to speed up various tasks in agriculture and was considered to be an industrial revolution. Kirrlutz stole the technology from the Hazell kingdom, and Aouer got to learn from it. (TL: Hazell is that country next to Kirrlutz with advanced machinery technology.)

    This revolution in technology affected the November War and brought the second Holy War to the world, which again advanced the research of Magicite as well as the techniques to utilize it. (TL: Somewhere in the story it was mentioned that the second holy warsted for decades, and I think it takes ce after the November War.)

    Bosley looked at the two gigantic forges in the center with a deep frown. The machines attached to them were old technology built decades ago. This workshop was the most advanced area in the entire city. It was as if the owner of the entire region was owned by someone who disliked magic and allowed the area to remain outside of civilization.

    But that was just Bosley¡¯s biased outlook. Aouine¡¯s southern borders were impoverished due to many reasons, and it was not only Trentheim that was poor. The Grinoires region and the south of Karsuk¡¯s area were just as poor.

    Aouine¡¯s southern borders were next to the Wilderness, and thus they were at the edge of civilization. Poor geographic locations and having monsters attacking all the time were the real reasons that Be and Trentheim were poor areas. Even Brus was also affected because it had to supply Fortress Riedon and Be with resources.

    ¡°You have to try and ept it, Grandmaster Bosley. Even though these two Magicite converters are considered trash anywhere else, they are valuable treasure here.¡± Brendel said.

    Amandina wanted to break them apart in order to study the internalponents the first time the two crumbling machines were found, but Bosley refused to let her do so with all his might.

    His decision was considered wise since the two machines still aided his work greatly. No matter how outdated they were, the production they had was still faster and better than the primitive usage of just human hands.

    Brendel did not want to think about the fact that Firburh was stuck in an era where it was the equivalent of Earth¡¯s medieval period. His ns needed a long adjustment time before they were fulfilled if it were so.

 volume 3 - 106

    Chapter 106 ¨C Trentheim and the young lord (6)

    ¡°Well then, my lord, you said you had a new idea?¡± Bosley took out a pipe and was about to light it when he recalled that Brendel disliked the smell. He put it back after a moment of hesitation.

    ¡°Ah, you will see what I mean in a moment. What about that matter that I requested?¡± Brendel asked.

    Bosley took a moment to think what the youth was talking about.

    ¡°You mean the suits of armor? We¡¯ve crafted two hundred sets, and the workshop is going full-time on them. However, our workers and the workshop¡¯s size are still insufficient. I believe we need to have at least a hundred men and above before fulfilling your demands on time.¡±

    [Two hundred suits of armor, that¡¯s slightly below my expectations. But finding additional experienced workers and adding Magicite machines are impossible tasks right now.]

    ¡°I can try solving other problems if you have them, like theck of certain materials, but Firburh is unable to sustain a big workshop. Even if we have the Macsen region it¡¯s still insufficient. There are not enough machines¡ª¡± Brendel said.

    Another idea came into his mind. ¡°If only we can make our own Elemental Forge.¡±

    ¡°Elemental Forge?¡± Bosley¡¯s head snapped to Brendel¡¯s direction.

    He had used all kinds of furnaces in his work, and while he had not heard of that term before, he could roughly guess what it was.

    ¡°An Elemental Forge can directly absorb the Elements in the air and add to the smelting process,¡± Brendel exined.

    It was a revolution in terms of forging techniques, but that was invented approximately twenty yearster by an Elementalist born in a noble family. In that generation, there was a strong outburst of Mana throughout the continent, causing countless heroes and heroines to be born. There were numerous inventions to utilize the Mana as well.

    [Unfortunately, I¡¯m not the type of yer to create inventions in the game. If my senior was here, she would be able to create one...... She¡¯s an expert in this. Hmm. Was that inventor from Arreck or Vieiro? Maybe I can get that person like Amandina.] TL lol

    ¡°My lord, what exactly does it use for fuel? Charcoal? Or other types of specialized fuel like Magicite? By infusing the Fire Element, would it mean that the fire produced will be very clean? It¡¯s not just an improvement by removing impurities in the mes because there¡¯s an infusion of lements into the metal?¡± Bosley¡¯s eyes lit up and his face flushed red.

    He could almost imagine what it meant just from the name.

    ¡°...... Yes, I saw it from an ancient book. I believe it¡¯s a lost technique made by Galbu Wizards.¡± Brendel lied through his teeth.

    ¡°Galbu¡¯s techniques? My lord, but Galbu¡¯s wizards use Mana Enchantment to forge items. They shouldn¡¯t be using forges. Did they change their methods in the past few eras?¡± Medissa frowned slightly and raised an objection with her soft voice.

    Brendel was momentarily stunned and realized that he made a mistake. He could craft random lies he wanted in the past when Medissa was not around, but now that she was sticking to him closely as a bodyguard, she saw through his lies easily since she was part of the Silver Alliance, just like the Galbu Wizards.

    He took a while to think about the history of the Silver Alliance before finding ame excuse with much difficulty:

    ¡°Oh. Then I¡¯m not sure where it came from. I mean, I¡¯m just someone who learned from the ck Tower¡¯s wizards.¡±

    Medissa nodded and looked at Brendel curiously: ¡°Since my lord brought this up, I did think of one possibility. This sounds like what the Miirnas would do. The technique of Elemental Forging was lost long ago before the War of the Holy Saints. I believe that the book you saw was Galbu Wizards¡¯ record about their old enemy¡¯s techniques.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s lips jerked a few times when he heard his own lie getting fixed by Medissa. He nodded a few times to acknowledge her words. Bosley said a little emotionally:

    ¡°My lord, do you know how to construct it?¡±

    ¡°...... I understand the principals behind it but constructing it might be difficult.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps we can try building one?¡± Bosley immediately brought out papers and writing tools.

    The idea of a new furnace was too much of a lure for him. He patted his chest with excitement:

    ¡°These old bones don¡¯t have any other skills other than building things. I dare say that I¡¯m unmatched in the whole of Aouine. Please go ahead and tell me about it, perhaps we can really recreate it!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. The concept is easy enough, but there are a few major obstacles. First, we need a Mana Core and Mana Conductor to provide power. Second, we need to find a method to gather the Elements in the air and separate the Fire Element. Third, conversion of the Fire Element into mes.

    The first obstacle requires the technology of utilizing Magicite. The second obstacle requires an Elementalist to research on the Magic Formations or handle it directly. The third obstacle requires an alchemist to design it.

    I believe you can resolve the design of the furnace, but are you able to resolve these three obstacles?¡±

    Bosley opened his mouth but no words came out.

    ¡°The collection of the Elements in the air. It¡¯s not a difficult problem.¡± Medissa said.

    ¡°What? You know how to solve it?¡± Bosley blurted in a loud voice and even gave a little jump. His voice attracted the gazes of the cksmiths and apprentices; he was slightly embarrassed but he could not hold back his enthusiasm: ¡°Quickly tell us, girl, this thing is too important to us¡ª¡±

    Brendel secretly disagreed.

    [It¡¯s just a furnace. Sure, it solves the problem of ourck of fuel, and it can smelt metal better, but Trentheim doesn¡¯t really produce any workable metal. How much can Cold Iron be gotten from Schafflund before it runs out? The fastest I can expand the workshop is after I make a trip to Ampere Seale.] (TL: Ampere Seale is the ce with lots of markets in the north, if anyone can¡¯t remember.)

    But Brendel apparently did not expect his subtle dismissive expression to be caught by Bosley, and the grandmaster chastised him gravely:

    ¡°My lord, do you really understand the worth of this furnace? Based on your exnation, it sounds like the mes reach a higher temperature. Just based on this alone, I will be to remove more impurities. I don¡¯t know if you can imbue the weapons and armors with Elements, but the equipment we created can be sold for more because of its quality. You can even sell a lesser version of the furnaces to the nobles, and I can assure you that they will be bought even if you quote them a high amount, which you can recruit more men into your army with the money gotten. Without a proper army, how can you protect yourself, and how would you be able to help the princess when your own life is suspect? The tension in the north is getting increasing every day. I don¡¯t think Her Highness would be able to wait for you to get ready.¡±

    Brendel felt a headacheing on when he heard Bosley¡¯s nagging, but he immediately realized that the grandmaster cksmith was right. He was still debating over what goods he should bring to Ampere Seale and it seemed like there was a good choice in front of him. He nodded and said:

    ¡°Please go ahead and tell your ideas to Grandmaster Bosley, Medissa.¡±

    Medissa smiled and said: ¡°The method is resolved through Magic Formations.¡±

    ¡°Magic Formations? But you can¡¯t absorb the Elements and release only the Fire Element because the rted Magic Formations don¡¯t stack. Bridging them together with the Fortification Magic Formation won¡¯t work because the Absorption Magic Formation is too restrictive in its conditions. Dividing the Magic Formations also won¡¯t work because you need to separate the Elements so that the Fire Element can be released. Absorb, separate, release. You can only have two Magic Formations working at any given time here.¡±

    This time it was Brendel who brought up his questions. Even in the past, he had not heard of a method to separate the Elements properly. The only exception was an Elementalist manually separating the Fire Element. If a single furnace needed to be used for twenty-four hours to make something, then one would need six or seven Elementalists, and these Elementalists had to be Iron-ranked and above. It made Brendel how the Elemental Forge worked in the game.

    In any case, this investment was a little too much if the forge needed Elementalists.

    ¡°My lord, you forget that I¡¯m a silver Elf.¡± Medissa¡¯s voice was very quiet.

    Brendel looked at her with crooked lips. What did the Magic Formations have to do with a Silver Elf?

    ¡°Boy, I wanted to ask you for the longest time, is that little Silver Elf girl who¡¯s always following you a member of the royal family?¡± Orthlyss¡¯s voice suddenly came up.

 volume 3 - 107

    Chapter 107 ¨C Trentheim and the young lord (7)

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s considered royalty, what of it, Ser Orthlyss?¡± Brendel said in his mind.

    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that she appears familiar to my eyes. Hmm, indeed, she¡¯s very familiar to someone I know but it shouldn¡¯t be her. Perhaps her descendant. But if she¡¯s royalty, then your problem is as good as solved.¡± Orthlyss said.

    ¡°But¡ª How?¡±

    ¡°One of the Legacies that the Silver Elves provide is the technique of conducting Elements. The royal members definitely know this technique.¡± Orthlyss said, and she became silent.

    ¡°...... I see,¡± Brendel nodded and looked at Medissa, ¡°you mean to say that you possess the technique to control the Elements?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Very well, this matter is solved. That¡¯s one obstacle down. Let¡¯s move on to the question of conversion of Fire Element to mes. The majority of the alchemist¡¯s Magic Formations forms are instantaneous, but the Fire Element needs to be released in a continuous, steady pulse. I¡¯m not sure if the existing forms will be sufficient for what we need.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Is there no other way besides using an alchemist?¡± Bosley¡¯s excited brows quickly sank down and said with a little anguish: ¡°But it doesn¡¯t sound like it¡¯s very difficult.¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s difficult. The level of stability required for the Magic Formation is extremely high. But it¡¯s not as if there are no alternate methods. The first is Fortification Magic Formation to stabilize and convert it, but that will limit the output. The second method is finding a better material andbine it with an alchemist¡¯s Magic Formation. However, it will be expensive.¡±

    Brendel thought for a while.

    [A smaller furnace with Fortification Magic. A bigger furnace with a better material spent on it. That¡¯s an eptable sacrifice.]

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine. A substitute is better than none. I¡¯ll have my alchemist, Tamar, research on the magic formations and see if hees up with a better alternative. Let¡¯s move on to the final problem. A Mana Core and Mana Conductor.¡±

    ¡°I can do something...... about the Mana Core,¡± Bosley nced at Brendel, and for the first time in the discussion, he stuttered: ¡°I have some contacts that I know in Seifer, Corvado, and Ampere Seale. I can ask them to get a few Mana Cores for me, but Capital-sized cores will not be possible.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s enough if we can get some medium-sized ones!¡± Brendel answered.

    Amandina had a few designs on machines that harnessed Magicite. It should be possible for her machines to use Mana Cores. Mana Conductors were much rarer as they are controlled by the Royal Family and powerful nobles.

    But he was a little surprised at Bosley¡¯s initiative. This was the first time thetter used hiswork, which meant that this furnace toy was really tempting to him. What really delighted Brendel was the Bosley¡¯s revtion of such a widework. If he could utilize it......

    ¡°Grandmaster Bosley, why don¡¯t you ask your friends to bring over some people over? Are you notcking with manpower?¡± He tested the water.

    The old man red at him: ¡°You want to drag more people on your sinking pirate ship? I don¡¯t care about other people, but stop thinking I will help you get my students or the Royal Faction¡¯s members!¡±

    ¡°No, no, no, you¡¯re wrong,¡± Brendel was not discouraged at all, and moved to persuade him: ¡°The Royal Faction or us, are we not on the same? We¡¯re all trying to help the princess right?¡±

    Bosley scoffed loudly. He did not trust the youth, but once he thought about the Lionheart resonating to Brendel¡¯s presence, he started to loosen up: ¡°I¡¯ve agreed to work for you, young man, but I have no power to interfere with my students¡¯ lives. It is especially more so for the Royal Faction.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not asking you to interfere with their decisions. You can invite them over and I¡¯m not asking you to force them too; they are just here to help us and they can leave whenever they like. We all need to be flexible!¡± Brendel sighed with a little exaggeratedly and shook his head.

    Brendel put his arm around Bosley and drew a wonderful image for him:

    ¡°This isn¡¯t very different from the fact that we¡¯re smuggling silver, right? We¡¯re trying to restore Aouine to its former glory, and I¡¯ll definitely be paying them for their service. None of your students will suffer. This is a win-win trade for both us and the princess¡ª¡±

    [Phew. A few years as amander in the game and experience in a working industry really helped out here. Really, if those godly CEOse over, they might be able to create scams that would break a kingdom, ah, no, a multi-nationalpany? Hmm, maybe they could set up a religion that permeates every kingdom!]

    Brendel could not help but think they would be able to match the religions in this world.

    This action made the girls giggle when they saw Brendel¡¯s expressions. He resembled a devil from hell, persuading Bosley with his honeyed tongue and mischevious eyes.

    Bosley finally looked as though he was convinced. He hesitated before speaking: ¡°Very well, what does my lord needs exactly?¡±

    ¡°What I need exactly? People! As many as you can get! Any race will do! Even young children are fine!¡± Brendel blurted.

    ¡°What!? Young children? Y-you, want me to do human trafficking? Are you mad? Aouine ouws human trafficking¡ª¡±

    Bosley¡¯s voice faltered off at the end. Aouine had plenty of ck markets, and nobles were always doing this dirty act. It was an open secret.

    The Brendel that he knew was not someone like that. Even though he openly mocked the youth for being idealistic, he did admire his character for staying on that path. It was befitting for his age, after all.

    ¡°What are you talking about, what do you mean by ¡®human trafficking¡¯? These two words sound so nasty. Grandmaster Bosley, please don¡¯t bring the horrendous habits of those old nobles to mynd¡ª¡± Brendel showed an overly offended expression and shook his head with disapproval at Bosley.

    Bosley nearly choked. He red exasperatedly at Brendel.

    [You are the one who said you wanted people. You even want young children! What other reasons do you have if you want them!]

    ¡°Then what do you mean exactly, my lord?¡± Bosley looked at him with narrowed eyes.

    ¡°Let me give you an example. Do you know about the War of the ck Rose?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Hmm......?¡±

    Brendel suddenly blinked a few times. He suddenly realized that the kingdom had not given a name to Madara¡¯s invasion yet. The War of the ck Rose did not exist. He coughed and smoothly changed his contents.

    ¡°I¡¯m referring to Madara¡¯s invasion a few months ago.¡±

    ¡°..... But what does a ck rose have to do with Madara?¡±

    Brendel had ck lines on his head. Would the old man stop going off-topic?

    ¡°I heard that Madara is also called as the ck Rose of Brumand. Perhaps my lord is talking about this?¡± Scarlett said.

    Comprehension dawned on the old man and he nodded: ¡°That makes sense. I believe the people who write Aouine¡¯s history would give that name as well. And what of it?¡±

    Brendel coughed lightly:

    ¡°Ahem. The War of the ck Rose will appear to be the biggest war after the second Holy War, but that isn¡¯t true. Very soon, the Royal Crown will lose their power to rein in the nobles, and these nobles will eventually go to war with each other. In fact, for the past twenty years there have been constant skirmishes, and one day, a civil war will eventually happen......¡±

    The young lord took a momentary pause and asked: ¡°Do you know where the refugees are right now in the Macsen region?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? I do know some of the refugees are working for me¡ª¡± Bosley suddenly realized what Brendel meant and he looked at him in surprise: ¡°My lord, do you mean refugees?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The constant skirmishes between the nobles have caused a considerable amount of people to lose their homes. These refugees had to be farmers or even fall into servitude. They have hardly any clothes, no homes, no food, and no hope. Although I don¡¯t have a clear number of the kingdom¡¯s refugees, I¡¯m sure there are many people who are troubled with their current lives. Attracting them would be simple. Sufficient meals and the direction to a better life would be able to get them to migrate to Trentheim. All we need to do is to provide a safe passage.¡±

    TL: The one who actuallymitted the crime...is YOU! No alibi, no justice, no dream, no hope! It¡¯s time to pay for your crimes! TAKE THAT!¡±

 volume 3 - 108

    Chapter 108 ¨C Trentheim and the young lord (8)

    Bosley¡¯s initial surprise quickly abated.

    ¡°My lord, perhaps these refugees do exist, but the majority of them are sick and old. The strong workforce that you want to have are of value to the nobles too, so you wouldn¡¯t be able to get them. I¡¯m afraid these refugees would not be of much use to you.¡±

    ¡°epting and spending money on the sick and elderly proves that we are sincere in epting everyone. It also doesn¡¯t mean there are no able people amongst the refugees. Some of the youths would want to stay together with their families, and most of the nobles would not ept them because they have to feed every mouth. The women are capable of farmwork, sewing, and many other things, while the young are the future of this territory.¡±

    Brendel had already made long-term ns for Aouine¡¯s feature. Not many people did so in this generation because of the civil war.

    ¡°In any case, I have considered these issues before and it¡¯s not a big problem. The people we have will be the future of this region. I¡¯ll even give these foolish nobles a free lesson who can¡¯t see this point. Therefore, I¡¯m requesting that you get as many people as you can toe to this region.¡±

    ¡°Fine, you have the poption, but what about the food?¡±

    Bosley was still not fully convinced, though he had to admit that Brendel¡¯s methods captured the popce¡¯s heart very well as he continued to stay in Firburh.

    Regardless of whether it was his own personal selfish reasons or for righteousness, he did not wish to see the youth¡¯s effortse to a blinding halt. In his heart, he had often wondered when it was deep in the night, was the youth really chosen by the Lionheart?

    Thetter¡¯s actions caused everyone to support him, and at times he felt as though he saw a mythical figure of the past.

    The kind king who raised his sword to swear an oath under the gs and banners.

    Indeed, Bosley could not believe that it was true.

    ¡°The food is a problem, but Grandmaster Bosley, when did you be so concerned about this issue?¡± Brendel nodded and quickly eyed Bosley with a strange look.

    ¡°I¡¯m just asking out of curiosity.¡± The old cksmith felt embarrassed.

    ¡°I see. Well, the n, hmmm. It¡¯s a really big problem, but when I think about the refugees losing their homes, I really do feel pained, and it¡¯s difficult for me to sleep and no matter hard it is, I have to keep on persisting, right, Grandmaster Bosley?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s words were solemn and dignified, but his eyes wereughing like a little fox, teasing the old man.

    ¡°You.....¡± The old man became angry: ¡°Cut the crap, you damn scoundrel! Tell me your n!¡±

    The girls giggled again.

    ¡°Since we have the support of Schafflund¡¯s silver mines, we won¡¯t really have a problem for the time being.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t rely on buying the food supplies. Are you not afraid of the northern dukes¡¯ embargo?¡±

    ¡°One, the merchants in Ampere Seale are all ¡®merchants¡¯.¡± Brendel put one finger up, and shot up another: ¡°Two, the northern fleet is still in the princess¡¯s hands. Certainly, there¡¯s a worst-case scenario, but Trentheim isn¡¯t really a barrennd.¡±

    Brendel had the druids in his hands, so why would he worry about farming? They were even better than the Elementalist when it came to agriculture.

    Even though it might be a little difficult to convince the druids who believe in being neutral, he had already set up a trap for them to jump into. The contract that they signed earlier would mean that the druids had to protect Firburh against all wars, and that included a war concerning the city¡¯s food.

    Brendel¡¯s smile was really wide and twisted when he thought about it.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t understand why you need so many people. Trentheim already has a strong poption. If you conquer this ce, creating an army wouldn¡¯t be difficult.¡±

    Brendel merely rubbed his forehead.

    Bosley would not understand that his ultimate end goal would be conquering the endless Wilderness. It was not limited to just the kingdom¡¯s area, or stopping at Valha, but to lead an army towards the Wilderness and expand Aouine till it became a powerful empire.

    This opportunity could only be found in the Wilderness.

    [Perhaps one day everyone would understand my reasons for doing this if I¡¯m still alive.]

    ¡°Grandmaster Bosley, when have you be so interested in my territory? Are you interested in joining my banner wholeheartedly?¡±

    Bosley choked on his saliva and started coughing loudly. When he finally got his breath back, he hurriedly spoke: ¡°What are you thinking about, you rascal? I¡¯m only worried that you¡¯re going to lose everything in this investment and drag my career¡ª No, I mean you¡¯re going to block the princess¡¯s efforts from making this kingdom strong again.¡±

    ¡°Why, that would be strange indeed. But if you¡¯re not interested in joining me, why are you the one who keeps on talking about unrted topics?¡± Brendel found it a little amusing and asked.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Are we not focusing on how to get the refugees over to thisnd? Why are we talking about food now? Would you like to exchange jobs with Amandina?¡±

    Bosley obviously knew that Brendel was making fun of him. Even though he had a good personality amongst all the nobles in this generation, he was clearlycking in respecting his elders, and he did not seem like he would stop anytime soon.

    ¡°I¡¯m not as shameless as my lord. For me to trying and steal the little girl¡¯s job. We¡¯re talking about the Elemental Forge and you were the one who...... Forget it, I¡¯m not going to exin myself anymore!¡± Bosley suddenly realized if he continued to exin himself he was setting himself up instead.

    He quickly sought to speak of something else: ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll get your request done. Let¡¯s get back to the issues at hand. The suits of armor you requested me to make, would you like to inspect them?¡±

    ¡°It would be good if we can,¡± Brendel nodded; he was interested to see thepleted product, ¡°but not here. Is there a hidden room in this workshop? Or is there a ce that would allow us to talk privately?¡±

    ¡°There is a ce that¡¯s closed off,¡± Bosley red at him, ¡°but what¡¯s with all the secrecy? Are you up to no good?¡±

    Brendel snorted.

    If the old man was honest, why would he have a secret room? He did not recall that he instructed him to make such a ce. But he did not dare to speak about it, lest the stubborn old man got angry and chased all of them out. That would be a loss for him.

    Bosley led the three of them across the sweltering workshop despite the snow and pushed open a door in the south building.

    But Brendel quickly realized that he had mistaken Bosley¡¯s words. The secret room was just as thetter described. It was more like a warehouse or resting room for Bosley to use privately.

    The room was not very big, approximately ten square meters in size with many boxes and barrels in it. Bosley counted the boxes from the left, before getting a crowbar to open one of them and took out a strange armor.

    It could hardly be seen as an armor because it looked more like a failed product of an apprentice.

    ¡°Just look at this. Can anyone wear this? The metal extends all the way to the head. There¡¯s no opening to let the heade out, not even a neckline. The torso and backte are sewn together too tightly. The holes to let the arms and legse out are different from a normal human being. And it¡¯s heavy as well.¡± Bosley nearly had to exert his entire body strength to bring the armor out. ¡°I¡¯m even willing to bet that the knights would not be able to wear this armor even if it¡¯s made normally. This is just too heavy!¡±

    Bosley threw the armor onto the table while panting hard. The armor crashed onto the table with a tremendous thud and he continued:

    ¡°Look at it. I assure you that I have followed your designpletely without a single change. And I can assure you that no normal person would be able to wear this. Really, I have no idea what you want to do with this. And it¡¯s not just one set. There are two hundred sets of this armor!¡±

    Brendel grinned with delight as he studied the armor. He poked it several times and felt greatly satisfied. Bosley¡¯s craft was truly the best cksmith in Aouine; indeed, the only person who was recognized as a legendary cksmith in the second War of the ck Rose.

    Based on the armor¡¯s craft, it had to be crafted by at least a level 60 cksmith. Ordinary NPC cksmiths were people who did not even exist in the eyes of the gamers who chose to get into nonbat professions, but Bosley was an exception and was treated like a national treasure even twenty years into the future from now.

    It was no wonder Brendel was grinning from ear to ear when he looked at him.

    ¡°Are you even listening to me, you damned rascal?¡± Bosley scowled, his fury reaching new heights.

    ¡°Of course I am. I¡¯mpletely satisfied.¡± Brendel nodded.

    ¡°I can see you¡¯re satisfied, but I¡¯m asking you what this is for.¡± Bosley felt exhausted. He found that it was an exhausting task to speak to Brendel; it was as if the youth was always thinking of something else.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will get to know what it¡¯s for in a few moments. I just don¡¯t think that it¡¯s better that I¡¯m not the one to tell you about it¡ª¡±

    ¡°What do you¡ª?¡± Bosley was confused.

    But someone knocked on the door right at that moment. The old man was rarely disturbed when he entered this room to rest. His eyebrows bunched up together and he roared: ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Grandmaster Bosley.¡± The voice outside the door sounded as though the person shrank back.

    ¡°How the zes would I know who you are, you fool!¡± Bosley became angrier when he saw the youth in front of him looking like he was half-smiling: ¡°Spit it out, what do you want, you better find a good reason to convince me or I¡¯ll be tossing you out of the workshop!¡±

    ¡°Erm...... I¡¯m looking for Lord Brendel......¡±

    The old man blinked a few times and cast a doubtful look at Brendel, who nodded.

    ¡°Come in!¡± Bosley then replied.

    The door opened with Bosley¡¯s reply. The person who was standing outside was indeed the youth Mordenkainen. His duck familiar was not with him, but there was a strange looking person beside him.

    A short body entirely covered by a long robe.

    ¡°A Dwarf?¡± Bosley muttered to himself.

 volume 3 - 109

    Chapter 109 ¨C Trentheim and the young lord (9)

    ¡°No, you guessed wrong, Grandmaster Bosley,¡± Brendel said.

    Mordenkainen closed the door behind him, while the mysterious guest tugged off its robe to revealed a feather dress covering over its wrinkled skin.

    Tagiv bowed deeply to Brendel.

    ¡°A Subterrane Dweller?¡± Bosley was stunned for a moment before he spoke with a shocked voice: ¡°Wait, my lord, do you mean¡ª¡±

    His mind spun quickly. Humans would not be able to use the armor at all, but it was a perfect fit for these underground creatures.

    ¡°When did you enter into an alliance with the Subterrane Dwellers?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we fight alongside with them against Lord Macsen a while ago?¡±

    ¡°But...... Just, how exactly did......¡± The old cksmith was utterly confused.

    Brendel locked down information concerning Lord Macsen, and thetter¡¯s men were either captured or killed in that battle. The information of the Subterrane Dwellers participation in that battle was not revealed.

    Since Bosley did not care about Brendel¡¯s military affairs and put all his efforts into his workshop, he did not know that there was arge army of Subterrane Dwellers under Brendel.

    ¡°My lord...... powerful.¡± Tagiv maintained its respectful attitude and answered in weak Kirrlutz.

    ¡°In other words, they have submitted to you?¡± Bosley turned to Brendel and asked.

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°Marsha above. How many of them submitted to you?¡± Bosley eximed. He stared at Brendel with a shaken expression as the thought of a possibility surfaced. A palm with five fingers was raised: ¡°...... Five hundred?¡±

    That was the number of armors that Brendel wanted.

    Brendel shook his head with a smile.

    ¡°My, my. Your thoughts are too simple like the others, Grandmaster Bosley. How would it be possible for every member of the Subterrane Dwellers to use this armor? Surely they have the old and young with them. The figure is much higher¡ª¡±

    [Even though Tagive is respectful to me, he would never ce his whole tribe in my hands.]

    He eyed Tagiv: ¡°At least three thousand.¡±

    Bosley stumbled, and hurriedly leaned against the table¡¯s corner: ¡°...... I see. It seems that these old bones of mine cannot keep up with you youths any longer.¡±

    Three thousand. How exactly did the young man in front of him defeat the Subterrane Dwellers? Not to mention getting them to submit.

    It was no wonder the younger mercenaries idolized him. Bosley originally sneered at them a little, but now it looked like they were not doing it blindly.

    ¡°I got it. It appears that Lord Ps will be in big trouble.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s not that simple. Count Randner is going to be the one behind the next attack. That cunning bastard will be more careful with us because of Lord Macsen¡¯s failure.¡±

    ¡°You mean that Lord Ps will have reinforcements?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a guaranteed thing......?¡±

    Bosley rubbed his chin: ¡°So this is why you want to arm the Subterrane Dwellers.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Brendel patted the armor and turned towards the Subterrane Dweller, ¡°Tagiv,e over and test this out.¡±

    ¡°My lord, what is...... this? ¡± Tagiv could not see the armor, but it could hear that the thing Brendel was holding was something metallic.

    ¡°Wear this and you will know.¡±

    ¡°But, I¡¯m a...... witch doctor, my lord!¡± Tagiv¡¯s hands went over the armor and eximed.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m just letting you test it out. This is the gift that I¡¯m giving to you. Are you going to refuse it?¡±

    ¡°Gift?¡± Tagiv answered with a pause.

    ¡°Your tribe isn¡¯t particrly strong in the Underworld right?¡±

    Tagiv became silent. If they were strong enough, they would not be chased up to the surface. Compared to living on the surface, they would very much prefer to go back where theye from. The numbers of their tribe were considerably big, but they were still unable to find an Underworld Lord to protect them. Rather, they were considered cannon fodder for others. Its ancestors had left the old and weak to itsmand, and the genuine fighters that it had that were considered strong in the Underworld were few.

    It nodded.

    ¡°There¡¯s no problem at all. I always tell my subordinates this, if you can¡¯t improve your personal skills and techniques, then you can raise the equipment¡¯s level that you wear.¡±

    ¡°Raising the level....... on equipment?¡± Tagiv repeated this sentence with some doubt.

    ¡°I intend to send five hundred suits of heavy armor to the Subterrane Dwellers. They are specially designed for your race to wear.¡±

    Tagiv was evidently surprised by the number as both its hands trembled and rattled the armor. Five hundred suits of armor were also considered an enormous amount of wealth. An Underworld Lord would not spend metal to equip a group of Subterrane Dwellers which were considered as cannon fodder.

    ¡°But...... the Subterrane Dwellers..... don¡¯t wear armor!¡±

    [What the hell? What do you mean you don¡¯t wear armor! Didn¡¯t your future lord and city-invader expert A lead all of you wearing these suits of armor as the vanguard? The armor in your hands was designed by your own darn race!]

    It was indeed the original prototype that A designed. It was also ahead of its time by five years. Brendel, unfortunately, did not get the recipes of the future variations. In the end, the youth said a little irritably:

    ¡°Do you want to be treated as cannon fodder all the time? These suits of armor are specially designed for you and once you wear them, history will be made¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold on!¡± Bosley suddenly interrupted: ¡°My lord, what exactly did you say? Do you mean that this armor has never existed before?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Bosley looked at the youth in disbelief and appeared to be a little angry: ¡°A new suit of armor that has never been tested or even worn by these damned creatures, and you got me to make two hundred of them!?¡±

    It was almost at a bellow at the end of his words. He felt like Brendel was ying a joke on him.

    Who had done this before in history? A new set of armor that had not even been tested and instead of went into production? Did this idiot lord think that it was a toy?

    If Brendel was rich enough to rival the entire kingdom¡¯s revenue, he could still understand his action as a wasteful noble¡¯s behavior, but it was clear that he was just a new lord who had trouble maintaining his own territory.

    ¡°The amount of metal spent to make these armor is almost all the avable metal ores that Firburh has. I even refused to let my workers go out and assist in the city repairs because of this project. Even that little girl Amandina came to grumble about this issue more to me a few times !¡±

    The more Bosley thought about it, the angrier he became. When he thought back at that moment when Brendel said he was supporting the princess...... he wanted to smash the armor on his head. If everyone around the princess was the same as this youth, then he suddenly doubted the future of this damned kingdom.

    [Marsha above. A royal cksmith getting fooled by an idiot! No, this will not do. If he doesn¡¯t give me an exnation, I¡¯ll show him my temper. And my temper is very bad!]

    The old man red at Brendel.

    The youth did not change his expression, not even a little, though he was a little surprised at Bosley¡¯s anger. However, he could not help but snicker at hisst sentence.

    ¡°Really, Grandmaster Bosley, is there a need to be so angry?¡± He shook his head.

    ¡°You can evenugh at this point?! You better give me an exnation, damn it! Otherwise, I¡¯ll definitely threaten you!¡±

    ¡°What sort of threat?¡± Brendel¡¯s smile was befitting of his age. Innocent and sweet.

    ¡°I, I¡¯ll go a strike!¡± Bosley stomped his foot.

    ¡°Okay, yes, please calm down a little. Grandmaster Bosley, you¡¯re the head of the royal cksmiths, can¡¯t you tell if this suit of armor works on Tagiv?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly because I¡¯m the head cksmith that I¡¯m telling you this is an irresponsible act!¡± Bosley roared, but his eyes went to the armor on Tagiv¡¯s body. He was quite familiar with the suits of armor because he made them with his own hands. Even with the first nce, he knew that Brendel¡¯s design did not have any problems.

    It only looked like the size was a little too big on the Subterrane Dweller.

    But Tagiv did mention he was a Witch Doctor, which meant that the warriors of the Subterrane Dwellers would be bigger and stronger in size. The suits of armor should be a good fit for them. If there were Subterrane Dwellers with burlier sizes, he could simply craft a few sets suited for them.

    Bosley¡¯s fury was quickly reced with surprise. Based on the designs that Brendel gave, it appeared like it had gone through at least several rounds of tests to make sure that the armor fit the Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ physiology. Even he would not able to make a suit of armor perfectly for them the first time.

    Was this youth a genius cksmith?

    But he could not believe this notion, and instead asked with a huff: ¡°You¡¯re not the one who came up with this thing, right?¡±

    Brendel nodded. He was not shameless enough to steal someone else¡¯s work: ¡°It¡¯s a friend of mine. He had studied the Subterrane Dwellers quite well.¡±

    A somehow became his friend at that moment and it sneezed in the Underworld.

    ¡°At least that makes more sense. You better stop giving me this kind of surprises in the future. Leave your stunts to people of your age instead. My old heart can¡¯t take this sort of torture.¡± Bosley stopped pursuing this issue when Brendel satisfied his suspicions.

    ¡°Really, you¡¯re exaggerating, why would I do this on purpose? You¡¯re my greatest asset in this territory.¡± Brendel said with a grin.

    ¡°I¡¯m just working for you temporarily.¡± The old cksmith reminded him with a mutter, but Brendel¡¯s pandering made him feel pleased.

    Brendel merely rubbed his forehead at his response: ¡°Well, how about it Tagiv, are you willing to ept this gift?¡±

    Tagiv hesitated. Its hands were going through every nook and cranny of the armor as Brendel and Bosley spoke to each other. It had practically confirmed that the armor was indeed made for them.

    It was quite tempting, but there were no free meals in this world after all. Tagiv finally asked: ¡°What are..... the conditions?¡±

    Brendel nodded as he was greatly satisfied with Tagiv¡¯s answer. It was obvious that he could not just give away five hundred suits of armor. While they were considered to be allies, this ¡®gift¡¯ was not really a gift.

    ¡°The conditions are simple,¡± Brendel said, then went beside Tagiv and whispered into its ears.

    Tagiv paused momentarily and went into another bout of hesitation, but it finally nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s a...... deal.¡±

 volume 3 - 110

    TL: If you would like to support the series, you can do so at patreon or paypal,

    TL: This will be thest chapter I¡¯ll be posting for the day. The remaining chapters willeter this month when they are ready. This is due to the fact that I need to trante ahead and see if there are issues to be fixed.

    TL notes 2: The author time skips with random specialized names for months. Technically it should currently be in November/December, but author shoots everyone¡¯s feet by going time-skip repeatedly without going into detail about the tranted month.

    I tend to ssify them by our understanding of Jan to Dec, but here¡¯s a list of the original months that I think are there after searching the CN forum. Didn¡¯t trante most of them because I can¡¯t remember if I ever tranted these names or author had any additional names for the months, and I don¡¯t want to have any conflicts.

    So, here¡¯s the thing. 9.95% of the voters went with ¡°I want the original raws in all its glory¡± a while back. You get some of it, I guess. In terms of coherence and less mind-funkery, I hope you understand my decision to choose Jan-Dec instead of tranting month names that I can¡¯t remember which frigging month it¡¯s going to be.

    ÔÂÉç½»Ö®ÔÂ

    ÔÂÀ×ÃùÖ®ÔÂ

    ÔÂÏÄ´¢Ö®ÔÂ

    ÔÂÊé¾íÖ®ÔÂ

    ÔÂ¸´ËÕÖ®ÔÂ

    ÔÂÏÄëÊÖ®ÔÂ

    ÔÂÁ÷»ðÖ®ÔÂ£¨Á¦Á¿Ö®ÔÂ£©

    ÔÂÇïÄºÖ®ÔÂ

    ÔÂËª½µÖ®ÔÂ Month of Descending Frost

    Ë·»¨Ö®ÔÂ

    12 -ÔÂ³ÁÃßÖ®ÔÂ, Month of Sleeping Moon (This is probably November/December, and for this chapter I used December)

    3 -´ºÏþÖ®ÔÂ, Month of Breaking Spring (This chapter states three months after ÔÂ³ÁÃßÖ®ÔÂ)

    Also, in case anyone is wondering, there were two significant wars that happened, November War and the Second Holy War (My guess is that the First Holy War = War of the Holy Saints which happened way back even before the Aouine kingdom got set up). Since the clue for the November War is that the Second Holy Warsted for years and it happened after the November War, it should be decades ago.

    The frequently used ÀÏ±ø from the November War has a dual meaning of old/veteran soldiers, but I¡¯m now inclined to think it as these soldiers participating this war when they were young and survived it to be called as ÀÏ±ø. It would be strange to see many old soldiers going to war after all. Marden, Kodan, Brendel¡¯s grandfather.

    Chapter 110 ¨C Trentheim and the young lord (10)

    ============= Gryphine¡¯s POV =============

    The seventh day of December¡ª

    It was just after the first snowfall.

    The harsh winter had sealed off the ess from Arreck¡¯s mountains to Ampere Seale¡¯s countryside paths. Each faction wasted two months of talks in the Port of Freedom without any sess. The cold winter ultimately caused the northern waters and the restless factions to be frozen. The fierce rumors of the civil wars happening disappeared one by one.

    But to the people who could see through everything, they understood that it was a false peace. The des of steel underneath this ethereal frozen world, were thirsting for blood and waiting patiently to erupt.

    Gryphine knew clearly that once winter ended, it would not be water from the melted snow seeping into the spring¡¯s ground, but blood.

    A hidden force was on the verge of breaking out under the snow-covered ground elsewhere.

    Countless riders made their way through the forest.

    Lord Ps led his knights through Macsen¡¯s hills for the first time to make battle, but he did not know that spies had delivered the reports of Lord Macsen¡¯s defeat in Firburh to the various Counts and Dukes, and they were watching Trentheim closely.

    Every noble thought that the princess was taking a huge risk to usurp Firburh during such a sensitive time, where even a spark would cause the civil war to break out. In truth, there was nothing that Gryphine could do other than ept Brendel¡¯s ¡®kind¡¯ intentions.

    They felt intrigued by the situation and wondered what Count Randner¡¯s next action would be, though no one really cared or paid attention to the leader of Firburh¡¯s rebels.

    Gryphine could not help but shake the parchment in her hand with her fingers. The report stated that Lord Ps¡¯s army was moving towards Firburh.

    ¡°Ser Oberbeck, who do you think would win this battle?¡± She asked the Wolf Lord with a faint smile.

    Oberbeck bowed slightly: ¡°Logic tells me that Count Randner will be victorious in this war, but my intuition tells me otherwise.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen if Brendel wins?¡±

    ¡°Count Randner will not dare to move easily if his army is defeated.¡±

    ¡°What happens if he loses?¡±

    ¡°Duke Arreck would want to make Count Randner keep his neutral position, which suits thetter just fine¡ª¡±

    ¡°In other words, it will end up as an advantage for us no matter what?¡±

    ¡°Only if Your Highness recognize that Count Randner will never join hands with us!¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, Makarov and my teacher Fleetwood are unable to see this point.¡± The girl with silver hair used one hand to support her pale chin and sighed.

    Oberbeck did not answer. In his eyes, Makarov and Fleetwood probably understood this point, but they had their own considerations; a strange youth with an unknown background was less trustworthy than Count Randner. Makarov also wanted Gryphine to be less involved with that youth.

    These words could not be said openly, otherwise, doubt would grow in the Royal Faction¡¯s people, but Oberbeck believed that the princess would see this point sooner orter.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Gryphinee¡¯s thin eyebrows lifted slightly as she peered at her retainer: ¡°Why is he doing something so risky? Is it really because he holds goodwill towards the royal family?¡±

    ¡°That would be unlikely. My guess is that he¡¯s an ambitious adventurer.¡±

    Because of her birth, Gryphine did not trust a rtionship if both parties did not profit from a beneficial rtionship with each other. She pondered on Oberbeck¡¯s answer: ¡°Ambition, you say......¡±

    Her eyes went back to the numbers in the parchment. There was one thing that was clear, Count Randner had a massive army marching towards Firburh.

    ================= Lord Ps¡¯s POV ================

    Lord Ps used a wrinkled hand that was full of calluses to lift up his mask. He expelled a breath of condensed vapor as he looked at the faraway mountains shrouded in mist.

    The camps in the valley had been attacked yet again¡ª

    It was the sixth raid from the start of the week.

    The elderly man¡¯s eyebrows nearly met each other. His wrinkled face resembled a tree¡¯s bark as he frowned deeply. The figures of the knights behind him continued to walk out in turn, and their expressions were just as grave as theirmander.

    They thought that the Macsen¡¯s mountains would notpare against Mountain Graham¡¯s treacherous environment where they constantly fought in terms of danger.

    ¡ª Surely, the rebels would not be as good as the Hignders in their ambushes, and this war would allow them to be more rxed.

    Such was their thoughts.

    But before they encountered the rebels, they met even tougher foes.

    ¡°These damned Subterrane Dwellers!¡± One of the knights cursed.

    The creatures¡¯ targets were many. They did not just attack their army, but also their food supply and nonbat workers. The mysterious attacks they received already made Lord Ps¡¯s men anxious before Count Randner¡¯s army could join up with them. The attacks had extended to the Hignders¡¯ camps as well, and it was the second time too.

    The damage was not big, but Lord Ps was worried that his army¡¯s destination was going to be dyed.

    The Subterrane Dwellers¡¯ speed in the forest was extraordinarily quick. They attacked from the nks and disappeared into the northern forest after causing a considerable amount of casualties.

    Theyout of these forests was unfamiliar andplex, and the cavalry could not be deployed easily as sharp rocks seemed to be scattered in advance. There was also the snow which covered the ground and made it look like it was the same everywhere.

    It was impossible to pursue them.

    ¡°How many did we lose this time?¡±

    ¡°Not many, approximately a dozen or so, but there are many who are injured.¡±

    ¡°And how many dead for this week?¡±

    ¡°Nearly a hundred soldiers from their attacks, but there¡¯s a battle that happened and there were significant casualties.¡±

    ¡°Why was there a battle?¡± Lord Ps turned around to his adjutant and asked.

    A real battle against Firburh was still far away. Food supplies or other materials like ammunition and sleeping tents supplied by transport workers were slower than expected. Even the Hignders¡¯ speed was slow, and there was only about a tenth of the expected Hignders who joined up with them.

    But what surprised him was the battle that happened. He had never given the order to attack.

    ¡°It¡¯s because of a private group of Hignders who wanted to get revenge. They were ambushed after entering Macsen, and there was only a handful that returned.¡±

    ¡°Those bloody fools. Just how many did we lose exactly?¡±

    ¡°...... Over three hundred.¡± The adjutant finally said.

    ¡°In merely two weeks¡ª¡± Lord Ps shook his head, though the loss of these men was still eptable to him.

    These creatures were a nuisance to him and were difficult to remove if they did not take the initiative to attack them.

    But it was clear that the rebels were making theirst struggle after all.

    Lord Ps had been gathering information for the past two months. The scouts managed to discover a few private soldiers who worked for Graudin during the night of the rebellion, and they brought back information of the mercenaries in Firburh. The private soldiers also provided some information about the Subterrane Dwellers that appeared a few months ago.

    Lord Ps believed they had a role in ambushing Lord Macsen.

    [Given that it has been months after Graudin¡¯s defeat, the number of mercenaries might have increased. Perhaps more than a thousand mercenaries, and a few hundred Subterrane Dwellers. If I make progress steadily, it¡¯s a guaranteed victory.]

    He would not allow himself tomit the mistake that Lord Macsen made. Although, given his cautious nature, he probably would not have made this mistake if he was leading the first assault against Firburh.

    His hand gripped his sword¡¯s golden hilt.

    Rumors of Carglise being captured by the rebels came back a few days ago, and Lord Ps was worried about his student.

    The original n of attacking Macsen¡¯s fortress still needed approximately fifteen days of travel time. Even if there was a thousand casualties or even a third of his army injured, it would not matter to him.

    However, what worried him was not the number of casualties, but the morale of the army. Sometimes a battle was decided by something else. Having the Hignders devolve into a state of confusion would mean that they would bepletely out of his control.

    It was definitely the enemy leader¡¯s scheme to pressure him into an early battle.

    And there were definitely traps waiting for him if he did so. The ambushed Hignders were a good example. He understood that he could not be impulsive here, but the various leaders of the Hignders were constantly badgering him about getting the Subterrane Dwellers gave him a headache.

    These leaders were not exactly wrong either. The Subterrane Dwellers went deep into their camps and burned part of their food supply. Lord Ps even wondered if Schafflund had a security problem. The route that the Subterrane Dwellers took could onlye from that region.

    But the scouts who met up with Perkins reported everything was fine. Even the second batch of scouts that he sent out came back with the message that Schafflund did not discover any oddities.

    [This damned Perkins...... It¡¯s as if the town is a giant sieve that allows anyone to go through.]

    But he did not know that the scouts also used this town¡¯s poor security to ess the routes to Firburh.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± In the end, Lord Ps pushed down his aching desire to chop the Subterrane Dwellers to pieces.

    ¡°My lord, what we are going to do with the Subterrane Dwellers if we go back?¡±

    ¡°Get the Hignders to tighten their defensive lines, change the food supply routes and n a different camping spot for our warehouses. The enemies are lurking in the dark while we are out in the open. The only option is to raise our guard.¡±

    ¡°But surely this is a waste of time? Why don¡¯t we lead our current army and kill the creatures?¡±

    ¡°If you really think this way, then our enemies will be delighted.¡± Lord Ps¡¯s voice turned cold: ¡°Madara¡¯s undead, the Hignders, Count Randner¡¯s reinforcements, our weapons, and even our food are all not here yet! If we lose this region, what do you think Count Randner will do to you and your family?¡±

    ¡°But my lord, we currently have a total of five thousand men. Even if the rebels came out to fight alongside with the Subterrane Dwellers, they would not be our match.¡± His adjutant bowed respectfully.

    ¡°The stupid Lord Macsen had the same idea. Have you given a thought to how he ended up?¡±

    ¡°Still, Count Randner expects us to show results as soon as possible. The fact that we have lost men even before we fought and we did nothing about it would not be pleasing news to him.¡±

    ¡°...... No. It¡¯s best that we dy fighting until March and beyond. It wouldn¡¯t matter as much if we gain aplete victory.¡± Ps shook his head adamantly.

    Even though it was a p to his face as well, it would not be a wise move to go after this minor harassment. He was a cautious person, and the enemy leader seemed to have noticed this point as well and thus harassed him with the Subterrane Dwellers to no end in sight.

    Though the Subterrane Dwellers were brazenly attacking his men, he was confident that he would not be lured out to attack in anger.

    [The enemy leader is leading an army that¡¯s like a trapped beast. As long as I continued to tie up his options, there will not be a chance for him to win this. And this humiliation can be returned to him.]

    ¡°Three months? Marsha above, how much food would we need? My lord, Count Randner might punish us for that!¡± His adjutant eximed.

    ¡°My lord, we will be flogged to death for wasting his food!¡± Another knight also chimed in, and a few others agreed.

    ¡°It¡¯s the opposite,¡± Lord Ps looked at his old subordinates, ¡°the battlefield is not limited to Trentheim. In any case, Count Randner would not interfere with us before this war ends. There are things that cannot be gotten with just money. As long as we score a perfect victory at the end, Count Randner will be able to sleep soundly at night and forgive us.¡±

    Even though Lord Ps was a pure soldier, his experience in life enabled him to see the undercurrents of Aouine¡¯s politics.

    ¡°...... Understood, my lord.¡± The knights around him answered.

 volume 3 - 111

    Chapter 111 ¨C Trentheim and the young lord

    [I¡¯m sure that old knight is thinking that he has seen through my goals. How unfortunate for him.]

    Indeed, the old knight did not know what sort of existence was he was facing.

    Perhaps it was due to Brendel¡¯s system or his eidetic memory in his past life, but he was could remember almost every lord in the past and future, and it did not matter whether they were insignificant or not.

    He was familiar with them just like how he was familiar with his swordsmanship. From the start of Madara¡¯s war to the second era of the game, he had done enough quests to meet up with almost every lord who had some kind of territory.

    Lord Ps would definitely think over his strategies again if he knew Brendel was capable of reciting his nickname when he was a child. But unlike the youth, there was no second chance for him.

    Brendel was grinning broadly; the old knight actually retreated back into hisnds instead of continuing to advance to Macsen. After he finished reading the report from ¡®Raven¡¯, he tossed it back to the table.

    Raven was the name given to the scouting wizards by him. It was quite fitting since most of them used ravens as their familiars to send back the reports.

    ¡°That¡¯s a pity.¡± Raban had also read the report and sighed with a little disappointment: ¡°The old knight is really cautious. We would have won half the victory if he tried attacking us¡ª¡±

    ¡°Putting your hope on our enemies? This isn¡¯t a good habit,mander Raban.¡± Amandina eyed from Brendel¡¯s side, her voice chilly.

    The lead advisor under Brendel was increasing her authority with each passing day. Even though she was saying it in a reproachful manner, Raban did not feel anything out of ce, and she was even right to do so.

    Raban simplyughed for a few moments: ¡°I only feel that it¡¯s a little regrettable. We will face a difficult battle in the next battle.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Brendel refuted.

    Lord Ps might be cautious, but his very bones were steeped with an unyielding personality. Since Brendel knew what sort of strategies the old knight loved employing, he could logically guess what moves thetter would make next.

    This information was merely the confirmation of his traps working. No matter what decision Lord Ps made, it would not go beyond his predictions.

    On the other hand, Amandina looked at Brendel with astonishment, to the point where she was a little lost.

    Brendel had called her in to inform her of his n before Tagiv left the city. The traps that Lord Ps thought were everywhere, were actually located just around his army. If Lord Ps actually went out in full force to chase Tagiv or attack Macsen, Brendel might actually find himself at a disadvantage.

    But it proved that his ¡®strategies¡¯ were more like a prediction.

    ¡°But why would that be?¡± Raban did not understand.

    ¡°Lord Ps is someone who graduated from a royal academy which specializes in groomingmanders. He also participated in the November War. Thus, he is one of the most orthodoxmanders trained in an orthodox academy. Do you know that this academy has a few lines written in Kirrlutz in their entrance?

    ¡®The objectives of a war are to attain your objectives and prevent your enemies from reaching their objectives.¡¯

    This is the core directive of Aouine¡¯s military strategies. Allmanders whoe from a military school treat this sentence as their dictionary.¡±

    Raban nodded first, with Cornelius and Medissa agreeing moments after they thought about it.

    Since Raban came from a military background, he was familiar with this sentence. Cornelius had a few decades in battlefields and he could understand the verity of this sentence. Medissa also had her own understanding of the Silver Elves¡¯ wisdom and agreed with it.

    ¡°The Subterrane Dwellers are moving out in full force to harass Lord Ps. It¡¯s like telling him that we¡¯re like a trapped beast, so we want to seek a chance to defeat the enemies here before Count Randner¡¯s grand army arrives, right?¡± Amandina woke up from her stupor and asked.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that exactly the situation we are in right now?¡± Raban asked.

    ¡°Certainly,¡± Brendel nodded, ¡°but are we going to be so foolish to tell theirmander our situation and let them deal a ¡®crit¡¯ on us?¡±

    He was sittingzily in his chair and ced both his legs on the table,pletely acting like a ruffian rather than a lord. Amandina¡¯s eyebrows were twitching badly, and Fern¡¯s scowl was even more pronounced.

    But the youth put on a smug look and added a certain jargon.

    ¡°Crit?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Brendel¡¯s expression did not even change as he lied, ¡°it¡¯s an abbreviation for a critical hit. I found it in an ancient journal which contains strategies about battlefields.¡±

    Raban nodded withprehension. Brendel continued speaking:

    ¡°But our strategy is still working. Our ¡®supposed¡¯ objective is to have a battle right now, but Lord Ps naturally would not let us have our way due to Aouine¡¯s military directive. However, I find it hard to believe that he would just retreat without doing anything else. If he retreats so openly, he might be trying to hide his real goal.....¡±

    ¡°Or it could be a trap for us, if we carelessly chase his army, he might be able to get us instead,¡± Raban said.

    ¡°But what is his end goal?¡± Cornelius interrupted.

    ¡°He obviously wants Count Randner¡¯s entire army to gather in his territory beforeunching an all-out assault.¡± Raban hadpletely gone into Lord Ps¡¯s perspective and answered again.

    ¡°So we should still send out troops to break them?¡±

    ¡°His retreat might be a cover to hide his intention to attack Macsen secretly¡ª¡±

    Different voices came quickly and ovepped each other.

    ¡°Regardless of whatever is lying in wait, there are only two choices,¡± Amandina spoke calmly and came to a conclusion, ¡°either we wait for their army to finish gathering, or we attack them right away without hesitation.¡±

    But Medissa immediately interrupted.

    ¡°The way how we deduce a military oue isn¡¯t so simple. This isn¡¯t a game of rock-paper-scissors. We need to understand what the military officer is thinking. Some things cannot be gauged easily. The strength of the opponent¡¯s army, their resources, their morale, even the weather and geographical locations. Even having reinforcementsing to their aid is something to consider.¡±

    ¡°Two choices, with so many factors; any variations on the two choices feel like it wouldn¡¯t be easy to deal with.¡±

    Brendel listened to every opinion and finally spoke: ¡°You forgot the most important thing, Lord Ps¡¯s personality.¡±

    ¡°But what exactly is your n, my lord?¡± Raban asked the youth.

    Based on Medissa¡¯s exnation, was it not easy for Lord Ps¡¯s scheme to work with all these factors? And it seemed like thetter had made the best decision without them knowing.

    They were already at a disadvantage and needed to resolve things before Count Randner¡¯s army arrive. Even if Lord Ps did not n any schemes and merely retreated to his territory, they would still lose once Count Randner¡¯s army arrived.

    But Brendel looked at them in utter disbelief: ¡°Isn¡¯t my n working already? Each of you is beside me and you don¡¯t understand what I¡¯m doing?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Everyone was shocked.

    The youth¡¯s smile was almost mischevious and he pointed his finger to the side of his head:

    ¡°Your thinking is limited. If I¡¯m the one who tells you there are only two options, are you going to be stuck with these two options?

    I¡¯m the one who¡¯s surprised, since two of mymanders here have been through at least a few decades of battles. Was there really no battle that took you by surprise and had a different oue than what you had expected? If you don¡¯t think outside the box, you won¡¯t be able to see any other options, let alone the third option¡ª¡±

    Everyone was silenced, but Raban quickly asked with a frown:

    ¡°What is the third option?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the first and second option. Since Lord Ps already retreated instead of meeting us head-on with his entire army, his first option would be sending in a separate army to march to either Firburh or Macsen, but we will be able to directly break our current problem if he tries this move. Of course, I doubt he¡¯s that foolish, and I think even Graudin wouldn¡¯t make this silly mistake.

    The second option, if he chooses to shut himself up in his territory, we do nothing and wait for his army and we fight Count Randner¡¯s full army. That would be quite dangerous for us.

    However, we can directly move to the third option that I want instead of waiting if he retreats¡ª¡±

    Brendel showed his palms: ¡°What exactly do weck? Time.¡±

    ¡°But what does time do for us, my lord?¡± Amandina had been frowning nearly all the time from the start of the month.

    Brendel reminded her in a serious tone when he spotted her furrowed brows: ¡°Frowning all the time will cause wrinkles, mydy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you to pay it back sooner orter, my lord.¡± Amandina rolled her eyes and glowered at him.

    Brendelughed heartily, as though it was a great aplishment to get his advisor to rx even a little, and exined:

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, time will eventually show you that it¡¯s our ally. The third option..... is securing my inheritednd, and from there, our options will expand again.¡±

    He was not exaggerating.

    Since the druids had sent him a message, he knew that they most likely had Valha¡¯s news. It was going ording to the history he knew of, and thus he made a number of arrangements, including Tagiv¡¯s harassment to dy the old knight from attacking the Macsen region.

    The meaning of Valha was important to him, and he needed to ensure that he got that legendarynd before the Count Randner¡¯s army arrived. As long as he got it, everything would not be a problem any longer.

    He could either retreat there if his army was defeated at Firburh, though he did not expect to lose as there were the addition of the Druids in the uing battle too.

    Everyone looked at him doubtfully, but they at least knew that their young lord did not boast.

    But Raban still felt that it was still a little strange and asked: ¡°But would that old knight discover signs that he has fallen into your scheme?¡±

    ¡°And did any of you discover what exactly I¡¯m nning?¡± Brendel asked him instead.

    ¡°B-but what happens if he tries to pick the first option again, and attack with his entire army?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes a decision decides everything. The oue of a battle can turn with just a subtle detail,¡± Brendel wagged his finger from side to side, ¡°one of the worst trait amander could have is to be indecisive, and to change a decision repeatedly is even worse.

    In any case, Lord Ps has already retreated instead of attacking. Tagiv will constantly harass him all the way. When he finally tries to pick the option of attacking us with his full army, he would have to deal with the army¡¯s sagging morale because he fled from a harassment instead of fighting. It¡¯s toote for regrets at this point in time.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean that he¡¯s going to lose in either choice of attacking now or waiting for his reinforcements?¡±

    ¡°Just like you¡¯re stuck with the two options that all of you are discussing, I¡¯m also giving him the same question supplied with the answers that you came up with. Why wouldn¡¯t he lose? Sometimes you need to think outside the box instead of trying to react to what your opponents¡¯ goals are.....¡±

    Brendel¡¯s words trailed off. Everyone was looking at him with an odd expression as though he was a devil. The youth rubbed his nose and felt embarrassed. This was not his strategy, but Incirsta¡¯s during the second War of the ck Rose. The ck Lord humiliated the old knight with the same strategy, and he merely copied it.

    ¡°So what exactly should we do now?¡± Raban asked again.

    ¡°Just do your current tasks well,¡± Brendel answered, ¡°and there¡¯s a second issue that I want to talk to all of you about. I¡¯m going to leave Firburh for a trip that willst around a month or more.¡±

    He leaned in with all his fingers crossed together like he was praying: ¡°I don¡¯t hope to return to this territory with everything messed up.¡±

    ¡°My lord, you¡¯re leaving again?¡± Amandina¡¯s frown returned: ¡°To Schafflund, or......?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡±

    The youth raised a finger and ced on his lips.

 volume 3 - 112

    Chapter 112 ¨C Trentheim and the young lord

    After informing his subordinates the details of his journey as well as other ns against Lord Ps, Brendel started preparing for his ns to go into the Dark Forest.

    But he did not immediately leave and instead waited for several days. When he was certain that Lord Ps had withdrawn into his territory and tightened his defenses, he finally felt at ease to execute his ns.

    He went to the courtyard in his manor on the day he was supposed to leave¡ª

    ¡°Your swordsmanship has improved yet again.¡±

    Kodan picked up his sword that was on the ground and ced it back on the weapon rack in the corner. Brendel was not certain whether the emotions in his eyes were envy, helplessness, or vulnerability, but there was some kind of expectation in them.

    Brendel did not act humbly but disyed a youth¡¯s bashful smile.

    Ever since the previous discussion, everyone immediately rushed out to prepare for his departure, but he was apparently quite idle.

    The duel he had against Kodansted for ten minutes and ended in his victory. The youth was not surprised. After the duels in the silver mines, he raised Aouine¡¯s Military swordsmanship to level 16 which was now greyed out. The maximum level that could be gotten from the system was 15, but Orthlyss¡¯s teachings had caused the system to give out a confirmation window to appear and allowed him to raise it as an exception.

    The total amount of TP spent was 11000, 2000 points each for raising from level 12 to 15, and 5000 points for going to 16.

    [I can defeat Kodan because I¡¯m seeing shared patterns in his moves gained from the level increase on my Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship, but¡ª]

    He did not manage to see anything that gave an insight into his grandfather¡¯s skillset from the Military swordsmanship, but there he felt like he was at the edge of grasping something new.

    How was his grandfather able to see through the gamers¡¯ techniques on Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship or the Kingdom of Knights¡¯ swordsmanship? When he asked Orthlyss about it, she said she was not certain about it unless she fought against him directly, and merely taught things that were simr to what the system gave.

    [The level of my swordsmanship is 16+2. Does this ¡®+2¡ä refer to attaining a Grandmaster swordsman¡¯s traits instead of increasing the swordsmanship directly?]

    In any case, Brendel understood that he had reached the limits of what the system could offer for Aouine¡¯s Military Swordsmanship. If he wanted to go any further than level 16, he would have to train every day and get a breakthrough by himself.

    He went back and changed into a Kirrlutz traveler¡¯s clothes which were ck in color. They were derived from the Tower n¡¯s warriors, and the clothes were made from some type of fur. It consisted of a thin long-sleeved shirt, but it was puffed up like a gambeson at the arms, while the ends of the sleeves were woven in a way that tapers at the wrist and made them fit tightly. The trousers were also loose at the legs.

    The youth then wore a pair of wrist-guards and tall equestrian riding boots. He also carried a specially made sword sheath that had double straps on them which allowed the sheath to be attached to the belt; the de of Halran Gaia was wide enough to look like a greatsword, but the length still adhered to a longsword.

    His meeting with the Druids recently was considered peaceful. Andellu, whom Brendel met during the battle against Graudin had set out to the Loop of Trade Winds.

    Instead, the elder that Brendel met was called Grey Raven.

    The Grey Raven bird was the symbol of a tempest, and the name was likely to represent the druid¡¯s abilities. It at least insinuated that Grey Raven was good at the Druid¡¯s wind magic spells. A druid who possessed aerial magic was usually someone who enjoyed a high ranking position amongst the druids.

    (TL: The term ¨C Loop of Ö®»·, Trade Winds ÐÅ·ç, is a direct trantion here. Trade Winds is a specific term, which you can find in wikipedia. This term ÐÅ·çÖ®»· only appears from this chapter onwards, while the previous term way back was just ·çÖ®»·. My trantion on this was ¡°That ce you mentioned, is it the pathway that faces the seasonal winds and loop around the Karanjar mountains?¡±, so I avoided giving a name till now. This term is probably going to appear a lot.)

    Thus Brendel believed that Grey Raven was a Druid of the Inner Circle.

    There was a secretive group was known simply as the Druids¡¯ Gathering who served as themunicators of other Druids. This particr group¡¯s symbol was a loop, and their Inner Circle was called the House of Aerial Lords. Each member of the Inner Circle was a Grand Druid who couldmunicate with other members through the seasonal winds from thousands of miles away.

    The only exception was during the spring, which was the Goddess Nia¡¯s season. Each Druid would close off all theirmunication magic, ensuring the Goddess would not be disturbed from blessing thends.

    The Grand Druid, Grey Raven, had indeed brought an unexpected news to him. The Druids had most likely found Valha, but they had encountered into a small problem.

    The Loop of Trade Winds seemed to have undergone a strange change, and the Laws within the Dark Forest were altered. The Druids encountered fogs and violent gales, and even their proud magic and techniques to navigate through the forest had lost their use.

    ¡°The trees within that area seemed to be rejecting us. If it were not for the fact that we did not have any evil intentions, we might not even be able to walk out from that area.¡±

    Brendel only needed to think for a while before he knew what trouble the druids encountered. The Month of Mana was bing stronger as the Great Wave approached; The Chaos within the Darkness was bing more restless, and the Dark Forest was being affected by all kinds of signs appearing. (TL: Great Wave of [monsters].)

    It was a difficult problem, and there were no particr tricks to solve it. The only solution was to force their way in, and power was needed. Even though the Grand Druid also had the abilities of a Gold-ranker, he and the other Druids knew too little about Valha. He had no choice but make a trip himself.

    But it was also what he wanted.

    [Half a month should do the trick, and I have a month¡¯s worth of prepartions]

    ¡°It looks like I¡¯m old. I¡¯m not your match anymore.¡± Kodan said when he saw Brendel reappear in the courtyard.

    ¡°Times have changed, Ser Kodan, the student has be the master. But how about it, why not¡ª¡± Brendel said as he approached Kodan who was wiping his sword and sheathed it after.

    But voices suddenly interrupted them.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    ¡°I want to see yourmander, I know that he¡¯s already back for several days!¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap, a prisoner should act like a prisoner, why the hell do you have so many demands!¡±

    Brendel looked over to the direction to the voices and realized they came from the direction of the guest rooms.

    ¡°Would you noisy bunch of liars just shut up!? The bastard that I defeated the previous time promised that I can meet up with your leader if I won! If you¡¯re upset then get that fellow over here and I¡¯ll defeat him again!¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± One of the soldiers yelled out: ¡°Can¡¯t you see thatmander Cornelius went easy on you? If his sword did not break during the duel, he would have defeated you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then why not let him get a better sword and try fighting against me again?¡± The youthful voice retorted with a sneering voice.

    ¡°You damned brat, you really need to be taught a lesson!¡± The soldiers were irritated.

    But there were several howls of pain followed by a young man who wore a white shirt running out of the bushes. His light golden hair was slightly disheveled, appearing to be flustered, and he held a swordmonly used by a mercenary.

    Brendel quickly studied him.

    [Hmm. There¡¯s no blood on the de, so he didn¡¯t hurt them too badly?]

    The youth who appeared from the bushes nked out when he saw Kodan and Brendel. However, he noticed that Brendel had a sword on him and appeared to be the weaker fighter, so he subconsciously treated him as one of the guards and rushed towards him without even speaking.

    Brendel¡¯s eyebrows went up a little, wondering why the guards allowed Carglise to leave his room, but his thoughts were quickly stopped as thetter lunged at him with a readied sword.

    Carglise¡¯s target was his right arm, and it was apparent that he did not wish to hurt him.

    [Fast! And his technique isn¡¯t half-assed!]

    Carglise¡¯s sword arm did not even shake a little, proving that he showed a considerable amount of training into his basic strikes.

    Brendel originally nned to disarm him, but he changed his mind and wanted to test the full extent of the opponent before him. He easily parried the iing blow downwards and knocked his opponent¡¯s center of gravity off. Carglise staggered a little, but he recovered quickly and attacked by swinging his de up again.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes glinted.

    [Oh? That¡¯s a pretty good recovery and attack. So this is the skill that broke Cornelius¡¯s de and forced three mercenarymanders to a draw.]

    He did not parry Carglise¡¯s de and instead swung his de to meet Carglise¡¯s de at the same time with an equivalent force.

    Each attack was resolved as though Carglise had told Brendel in advance where he was going to attack, and his eyes bulged a little when he realized the guard wearing an ordinary set of clothes was starting to appear like he was a Grandmaster Swordsman.

    [Impossible!]

    The youth started to sacrifice his uracy and instead went for speed, trying to stop his opponent from meeting his de. However, the supposed guard in front of him merely looked at him in amusement and started striking at precise points against his de, causing it to swing back at odd angles. Realizing that his flow of attacks was being cut off on purpose, he quickly went into a wide stance with the aim of swinging his de with all the power he could muster.

    Brendel kicked Carglise hard in his right knee, causing thetter to yelp and fall down in pain.

    [Well, the basics are all there and there were pretty good moves, but there were a lot of openings too. At least level 8 of Aouine¡¯s Military Swordsmanship, if I go by the standards of the system? The attacks are better than his defenses though, hmm.]

    ¡°I give up!¡± Carglise tossed his sword to the side and raised his arms while looking like a deted balloon.

    Hepletely recognized that the person in front of him was a master in the sword, and there was no chance for him to win. Frustration crept over him and he regretted not escaping to a different direction. His eyes went to the old man in the corner, wondering if he should rush over there instead. Out of curiosity, he nced at the old man¡¯s hands and immediately shuddered; they were clearly full of calluses and belonged to a swordsman. He recognized the fact that his defeat was inevitable.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± He looked at Brendel again and allowed the soldiers who finally caught up from behind.

    They were particrly displeased with their prisoner for injuring them, and they were naturally not gentle at all, causing him to bare his teeth in pain as they mishandled him.

    It was fortunate he did not kill anyone, as the soldiers might have beaten him up even if Brendel was there.

    ¡°Are you not afraid that you will be killed?¡± Brendel asked and peered at him with interest. He suddenly had a new thought.

    ¡°Why would you kill me?¡± Carglise was not afraid at all and merely answered with a question: ¡°There¡¯s no advantage in doing so anyway.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm...... How about doing it as a warning to others?¡±

    ¡°Then go ahead and do it. If I blink I¡¯m not a man of the Bantry family.¡± The youth puffed up his chest.

    ¡°So you¡¯re not going to care about your father? That¡¯s what a man should do?¡±

    ¡°What does being a man have anything to do with my father?¡± Carglise asked incredulously.

    Brendel looked back speechlessly as he realized that the customs of this world were different, looked at his soldiers and asked:

    ¡°So why didn¡¯t you kill them?¡±

    ¡°Why is that each time you speak you need to bring out the word killing? I¡¯m obviously much better than them, and there¡¯s no need to kill them so that I can escape. But if I meet someone of my skill, I¡¯ll have to put my life on the line to bring him down.¡± Carglise spoke honestly.

    ¡°But they are your enemy after all.¡±

    ¡°And I can¡¯t kill them all?¡± Carglise rolled his eyes and shrugged to show that he did not care: ¡°Plus if I killed someone and get caught, the person who will be unlucky is still myself. Just look at me right now!¡±

    Brendel found the fellow to be a little interesting: ¡°You thought out things quite well. Very well, do you still want to know who I am?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just ask who you are earlier?¡±

    Brendel tilted his head and looked at the soldiers: ¡°So, what should all of you call me?¡±

    The soldiers immediately bowed their heads, ced one hand on their chest and bowed: ¡°My lord¡ª¡±

    Carglise¡¯s jaw dropped and his eyes widenedically. One could fit a few eggs in his mouth: ¡°Y-you¡¯re......¡±

    Brendel nodded with the most dignified expression he could muster, but he wasughing inside so hard at Carglise¡¯s looks that he could imagine himself smacking on a table:

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m that person you¡¯ve been wanting to look for.¡±

 volume 3 - 113

    Chapter 113 ¨C Trentheim and the young lord

    The soldiers hurriedly forced Carglise down when he tried to stand up, and their eyes looked at their lord with words written in them:

    ¡°My lord, should we bring him away?¡±

    [The second son of Lord Macsen. That stubborn old man has such an interesting boy.]

    Brendel studied the youth in front of him and shook his head, changing his mind: ¡°Release him.¡±

    The soldiers were taken aback and they nced at each other, chewing on the meaning of hismand.

    ¡°Go on, release him,¡± Brendel repeated himself and nudged the soldiers.

    The soldiers then released the thick ropes on Carglise¡¯s wrists. The youth exposed his teeth in difort and rubbed the area where the ropes bound him, frowning. Even though the soldiers did not beat him up, they certainly were not gentle with him.

    He nced at the red impressions on his pale skin and made a sulky face. But he was more interested in Brendel¡¯s intentions and stood up to look at him with a pair of light grey eyes. After a moment of staring, he asked: ¡°Are you really......¡±

    ¡°Ah, you mean to say, the leader of the rebels?¡±

    ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t offend you.¡± Cargliseughed awkwardly as the pitch of his voice went a few octaves higher.

    In truth, there was a series of explosions setting off in his mind. The person in front of him looked like he was no older than him; not only did he defeat him soundly in swordsmanship, he was also inmand of an army that was bigger than his father¡¯s.

    The more Carglise looked at Brendel, the more he felt that the past ten years he had been living was wasted. Lord Ps had told him more than once with a grave tone that staying in a small ce like Trentheim would ultimately limit his growth.

    ¡°I¡¯m curious,¡± Carglise asked as he rubbed his wrists, ¡°why are you releasing me?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Brendel put on a bright smile and turned into a salesman, ¡°if I say I want you to work for me, would you believe me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. Why should I work for you?¡± Carglise¡¯s head immediately shook left and right.

    ¡°Well now. How about if I tell you this? I¡¯m the secret agent of the princess Gryphine Corvado Ordelis, and my mission is to build a covert operational base to curb Count Randner. Do you believe me?¡±

    This time it was not just Carglise¡¯s eyes which threatened to pop out of their sockets, even Kodan lost his footing and stared at Brendel.

    Carglise¡¯s next expression was one ofplete disbelief and even looked at Brendel as though he was insane.

    But the old man¡¯s eyes appeared as though he hade to some form of revtion. There was a certain rtionship between Brendel¡¯s grandfather and the Corvados, and Brendel¡¯s actions from the very beginning he appeared in Trentheim seemed to have a grain of truth.

    At least part of his words had no lie in them.

    ¡°This joke isn¡¯t funny at all. But seeing you¡¯re the lord here, I¡¯ll reluctantly force myself to say that it¡¯s a passable joke.¡± Carglise said.

    Brendel took out a silver brooch with a grin: ¡°This is called the Silver Emblem. It happens to be the symbol of the royal family¡¯s knights.¡±

    ¡°...... How do I know you¡¯re not lying?¡±

    Kodan was somewhat skeptical as well. He had naturally heard of the Silver Emblem, but it was another matter whether the thing in the youth¡¯s hand was the real deal. Yet the more he thought about it, the more he felt that Brendel had some kind of link to the Royal Faction.

    The brooch was indeed real.

    It was delivered together with the princess¡¯s reply. The contents of the letter were quite simple; it mainly described how the royal family admired a talented youth like him, but there was no other mention of any requests or hints.

    The letter was merely a proper, courteous diplomatic reply, and the entire letter had nothing useful in it. Even if Brendel imed that this letter that was written back to him by the princess, it had no material use. But the youth treated it like a great treasure and kept it away carefully.

    Amandina was incredibly confused, mumbled to herself about how stingy the royal family was, and only an idiot like Brendel was unable to see how awful he was treated.

    Brendel obviously understood this point, but there was a great amount of regret in him for being helpless in the princess¡¯s final moments in the game. Each failure in the War of the ck Rose only led to the next failure, and there was no one more bitter than the princess herself.

    When this letter was presented to him on his table, it would be a lie if he said he did not feel anything.

    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s put aside the matter of the brooch¡¯s authenticity and talk about something else. I heard that you intend to bring a few of your servants to go to the north and answer the princess¡¯s call to revive the power of the Corvados?¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°It seems like you know much.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re much better than most of the youths that I see around here. Trentheim wouldn¡¯t be able to contain your potential,¡± Bendel said as he tried to recall the name of Carglise in the other world¡¯s history, but it was a nk.

    Still, it was not a strange thing, there were quite a number of youths who did not shine in the end. Perhaps it was because there was someone who was more talented than them, or they were simply unlucky and died on their way to da.

    Bandits, monsters, evil disciples of cults, or even evil human lords who were like Graudin. The current era in Aouine was a little dangerous.

    ¡°Why does it sound like that I¡¯m being mocked when the wordse from your lips?¡± Carglise frowned.

    Brendel shook his head vigorously to deny it: ¡°No, of course not. I¡¯m serious. So, how about it? Do you want to?¡±

    ¡°Want to what?¡± Carglise was perplexed.

    ¡°I¡¯mcking an adjutant.¡±

    ¡°Are you pulling my leg?¡±

    ¡°I already said I¡¯m serious. I think you¡¯re skilled enough to take up this position. The most important thing is whether you have this wish¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Carglise interrupted, ¡°I never said I¡¯m interested in joining you.¡±

    ¡°Then are you going to stay in Trentheim forever and miss out on the opportunity where heroes rise up in this era? In the end, you are satisfied to be a small lord in a backward territory with balding hair?¡±

    ¡°You sound like you¡¯re insulting my father on purpose.¡± Carglise frowned again. He felt like he was bing more of a guest rather than a prisoner: ¡°But why should I trust you?¡±

    ¡°You can leave anytime if you don¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°But I know that once I help you it wouldn¡¯t be that easy to get off this pirate ship. Even if you want to convince me, you should at least do so with a better reason. If you turn out to be a shyster, and you¡¯re not working for the crown, wouldn¡¯t it be too stupid of me?¡±

    And Brendel¡¯s eyes were gleaming when he heard the reply.

    [Ho ho ho, you¡¯re asking me to give you a better reason? Sounds like there¡¯s room for negotiations.]

    Carglise sounded like he was guarded but was already starting to be persuaded. He was never one to be stuck with rules, he did not want to live an ordinary life like his father did, even if he had to follow the leader of the rebels and not the princess. There was also the fact that Brendel seemed like he could seed with his confidence and skill too.

    ¡°Well, if I say I want to grab Duke Arreck by the beard and beat him up violently on the ground, then get revenge for Madara¡¯s invasion, would these reasons be enough¡ª¡±

    Everyone froze. Even Kodan felt this answer came out from nowhere.

    ¡°W-who are you exactly? What did you say you want to do?¡± Carglise stuttered and tested to see if he heard wrong.

    ¡°What do you mean? I already told you who I¡¯m working for and what I want to do.¡± Brendel looked back with a subtle expression.

    Carglise nked out for a long while before a fire started zing in his eyes, and nodded vigorously: ¡°Your ideas are wonderful!¡±

    Kodan¡¯s eyes twitched a little as he stared at the two insane youths in front of him.

    He felt that he was getting old.

    He momentarily reminisced about the past when he was working with Torbus and other knights, also unafraid of the world around him. They were even recognized as demons in the November War where every enemy was afraid of their group.

    But the era was different from the past.

    The old swordsman nced at Carglise who seemed to bepletely convinced and ready to try it out.

    He hurriedly dragged Brendel over to the sides, and spoke to him in a hushed voice:

    ¡°Are you crazy, Brendel? Have you thought it through at all? That stubborn old fool Samuel will risk his life if you kidnap his son.¡±

    ¡°Risk his life?¡± Brendel looked back with an incredulous expression andughed: ¡°That can only happen if he escapes from the house arrest.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t intend to let him out?¡± Kodan suddenly felt that this youth was a little insidious.

    Stealing away Samuel¡¯s son that he raised for decades, and imprisoning him? This was a little too much.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m open to the idea of letting him out as long as that person over there agrees to it.¡± Brendel pointed at Carglise.

    Kodan met Carglise¡¯s eyes and immediately shook his head. If Samuel knew that his son joined hands with a rebel, he might just beat him to death instead. His son obviously knew it as well, and he would certainly agree with Brendel to dy the release of his father.

    [The youths these days......]

    ¡°Really, there¡¯s no need to worry. Lord Macsen will definitely be treated well. I look forward to Carglise¡¯s future; he¡¯s going to be someone who achieves much.¡±

    ¡°..... The things that you said earlier, are they true?¡±

    ¡°What things?¡±

    ¡°Stop pretending,¡± the old man¡¯s voice was harsh, ¡°I¡¯m talking about the princess.¡±

    ¡°False.¡±

    ¡°Oh fuck off!¡± Kodan sent a foot at Brendel, but thetter was ready for it.

    ¡°Ha ha ha, Grandmaster Kodan, even if this matter is real, it¡¯s supposed to be a secret. How can I im it as true.....?¡±

    Kodan¡¯s mouth was agape. It was true that it would not be good for someone under the princess to admit killing a noble who was appointed by the crown, but Brendel seemed like he did many dubious things as well.

    He should not believe everything the youth said.

    Brendel nodded as he continued speaking: ¡°In any case, Ser Kodan, are you interested in going on an adventure?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Kodan looked at Brendel with strange eyes. What was the devious youth trying to do now?

 volume 3 - 114

    Chapter 114-1 ¨C At the edge of the Dark Forest

    Amandina and Scarlett traveled to an abandoned orchard near Firburh.

    The abandoned orchard was renovated several months ago, with the crumbling walls fixed with wooden logs made into an enclosed wall and extended the area of the original orchard¡¯s size, making it bigger than before. Trees were nted around the area, making it enough to hinder visibility to what was inside the orchard.

    In addition, there were hidden scouts ced at specific points. The corners of the wooden walls were made into watchtowers, allowing quick ess to alert the makeshift training camp of any situation.

    This was the ce Brendel chose to train the future White Lion Infantry secretly.

    The orchard was divided into two sections. The south-eastern corner took a quarter of the orchard, and provided the mercenaries and adventurers a ce to sleep in. These men were specially chosen to protect the first batch of White Lion Infantry, as well as maintaining order.

    Brendel had considered adding them to form a new army, but itrgely depended on whether Cornelius was vested enough in training them.

    Thetter was currently in charge of training the White Lion Infantry.

    Originally, he was a little displeased that Brendel transferred him out from the city, but after arriving to the orchard and seeing what the new army meant, he realized that Brendel regarded him highly, and he was not being shunned.

    He immediately became enthusiastic about his task and arranged the army¡¯s affairs orderly. Even though his abilities tomand on a battlefield was middling, he was talented in handling internal affairs few could match due to his meticulous personality.

    Amandina and Scarlett¡¯s carriage went deep into the area and they found several mercenaries waiting for them. When the girls descended from their carriage, they saw youths waiting and chattering amongst themselves in the open ground near them.

    Amandina walked quietly towards the shade of a nearby cedar tree. Scarlett, who was in charge of her safety, stood silently beside her. Most of the trees around them were evergreens found in Trentheim, and even in winter there would be dark green leaves that were covered in snow.

    Sixty youths were specially chosen from the natives in Firburh, and the mercenaries had them gather in orderly rows on an empty plot ofnd.

    Some of the youths had not seen much of the outside world because they were formerly craftsmen and farmers. A few of them were descendents of the gentry in Firburh, while the rest were made up from young adventurers and mercenaries. When the youths spotted the girls, they realized there was a young noblewoman who hade to the orchard, and it caused amotion to happen.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s the female aristocrat who repaired the walls!¡±

    ¡°Why is she here?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s the daughter of the lord, right?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about, the lord is as young as she is!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the lord who took over a middle-aged man?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s the lord¡¯smander.¡±

    ¡°I see, then she¡¯s the lord¡¯s fiancee?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a logical deduction.¡±

    The loud voices wormed into Amandina¡¯s ears, and she was forced to listen quietly. Her eyes went to Scarlett for a moment.

    ¡°...... What is it?¡± Scarlett returned her nce, her ponytail whirling behind her as her head moved quickly..

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Amandina said, and averted her gaze.

    The White Lion Infantry was one of her lord¡¯s ns, which was started ever since Firburh was taken over. However, creating a powerful army was far more difficult than just pouring resources into it. Brendel intended to train this batch of youths to be the backbone of the White Lion Army, and eventually allow them to reach the level ofmanders.

    They were going to be his personal knights.

    All of them had onemon point, they were no older than twenty, and some were only thirteen. They were like nk pieces of paper, full of potential.

    They were highly curious and restless about their future. It had been only three days since they entered the orchard and had only received simple training. The mercenaries had already roughed them up a little to remind them of discipline.

    The majority of them were still rash and naive, save for the few descendants of the gentry and the young mercenaries who had been trained well. These exceptions stood there motionlessly, but they were alert to their surroundings and did not get involved with the chatter.

    Thus they easily entered Amandina¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Some of these young men seemed like they are trained. Who are they?¡± She asked.

    ¡°A few are descendants from the owners of the nearbynds. The others are young mercenaries.¡±

    ¡°The gentry? But why would their descendantse here?¡± Amandina thought it was strange.

    ¡°It seems like they snuck out of their homes.¡±

    [Ah. So they are seeking excitement? I wonder if the mercenaries checked up on their background.]

    But it was unlikely for them to be spies. It was incredibly risky for them because they would be entering the Dark Forest, and there would be no way for them to report their activities.

    As for those who joined Brendel¡¯s faction purely for excitement, she hoped they would not regret their decisions.

    She took out a pocket watch¡ª It was something that Brendel used a few months back when he led the refugees out of Fortress Riedon. Even though it was not worth much, it was something that allowed him to time the enemy¡¯s movements urately. She took great care of it and did not intend to change it.

    She flipped open the cover.

    [It¡¯s nearly eleven.]

    When she raised her head, she indeed saw a mercenary running towards her; he stopped before her, ced a hand over his chest and bowed.

    ¡°The preparation is almost done, mydy.¡± He said.

    Amandina nodded, and he bowed again and ran off. Her eyes shifted over to the four caravans that were a short distance away. These caravans certainly could notpare to the nobles¡¯ carriages. Thetter were led by four horses and they were built to look like artworks rather than a mode of transport. The former was of much poorer quality and used by merchants or farmers to transport goods.

    The mercenaries obviously did not care how good the carriages were, and busily handed out number tags to the youths.

    It was a method that Brendel copied during his stint as a worker in Schafflund. These tags were also made of wood, but inside them were magic imprinted by Tamar. A Crimson Crystal imbued with detection magic would easily verify their authencity.

    In order to prevent tampering, these Crimson Crystals that the mercenaries had would lose their effectiveness after a while, and they must be reced at fixed intervals. Brendel was the only person who had a crystal to detect the identification permenently.

    The youths got onto the caravans after they received their tags, and soon enough the orchard waspletely silent as though the noisy chattering was an illusion.

    Amandina finally let out a relieved sigh.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s send Brendel off.¡± She said to Scarlett. ¡°Tell the other drivers to move out in separate directions. Our lord¡¯s movements are supposed to be a secret, so we should be careful as we possibly can.¡±

    The red-haired girl nodded, slightly impressed at the length to what Amandina was willing to do in order to meet up with Brendel.

    ¡°Do you want to go with him?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°To the Dark Forest.¡±

    Amandina jerked once, but she did not answer.

    ============ Brendel¡¯s POV ==============

    When Brendel left his horse carriage, he could feel thezy sunlight on his back. The youth could not help but stretch out his back like a cat. He turned around and looked at the Dark Forest; the sunlight pierced through the ck needle leaves and shone down in a dazzling manner to his eyes, and the grass received the remainder of the thin light rays.

    ¡°I knew this wouldn¡¯t be anything good, you little brat.¡± Grumbling came behind Brendel¡¯s back.

    Brendel turned around to see a gloomy Kodan jumping down from the carriage. Thetter¡¯s attire had changed to a guard¡¯s uniform when he left the city. He carried a longsword, dagger, short bow, and a quiver filled with arrows. He looked more like an adventurer instead of a traveler enjoying a trip.

    The old man took in a deep breath. Even though the Dark Forest was a dangerous ce the air was unusually refreshing. The scent of the forest was invigorating despite the cold weather. Kodan looked at the ground and saw that his boots were standing on a thick carpet of grass. It was as though the snow had hardly affected the vitality of the vegetation.

    He stomped the ground as hard as he could and the impact immediately caused creatures to scurry out.

    ¡°Centipedes, snakes, rats, and scorpions......¡± The old man shook as head as he spoke: ¡°This is truly a ghastly ce.¡±

    ¡°I heard that you fought at the kingdom¡¯s borders during the November War.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me of that experience.¡± Kodan red ruefully at Brendel.

    Kodan¡¯s army were forced to retreat into the Dark Forest and fight there during the November War. That was the only time when themanders did not care about strategies at all; both factions fell into bloodlust like two dying animals tearing at each other throat, but neither of them could deliver the finishing blow.

    The savage war exceeded everyone¡¯s imagination. Hundreds of men who went out aspanies, ended up with only tens or even single-digit survivors. The battlefield covered over tens of miles, and corpses could be spotted everywhere in the wild.

    The stench of rotten blood and meat made the borders a living hell, especially when onepared the small skirmishes that happened during that era.

    Brendel understood and did not talk about it anymore.

    Carglise was the third person who jumped down. He pulled Mordenkainen out from the carriage and dragged him about.

    ¡°Let go of me!¡± The Elementalist yelled, and his duck familiar also quacked in protest, but there was no way for him to oppose a swordsman with his strength, especially when it came to Carglise who¡¯s also a Silver-ranker.

    Carglise ignored his yells, looked around with interest and breathed in deeply: ¡°So this is the Dark Forest?¡±

    ¡°Why, does the ce disappoint you?¡± Kodan snapped.

    ¡°It resembles the forest in Mount Graham, yes.¡± Carglise looked curiously into the deeper sections of the forest. The poor lighting made the area look like it was a dark oil painting.

    ¡°Hmph, I hope you don¡¯t regret what you said.¡±

    ¡°Regret? Well, at first I was regretting it a little, but now I¡¯m not,¡± he shook his head before grinning at Kodan, ¡°entering the Dark Forest and treating it like an adventure, why didn¡¯t I think about it before?¡±

    [That¡¯s because you¡¯re just a little crazy brat, and you haven¡¯t met this utterly insane brat who¡¯s standing next to you.]

    Chapter 114 part 2 ¨C At the edge of the Dark Forest (2)

    Even though the old swordsman grumbled in his mind, he regarded Brendel carefully from the corner of his eyes.

    Brendel smirked a little when he caught Kodan¡¯s admonishing stare. The reason why he sought Kodan was quite simple. He wanted to use this opportunity on his adventure to train the youths. The Dark Forest was filled with danger at every corner and it was the best ce to train.

    There was also the fact where it would be easier to impart his ideals to them by having the youths around him.

    The problem with this strategy was the unpredictable dangers within the Dark Forest. It was a difficult task to protect these youths alone, and he could not spend all his time to do just that, so he needed more people to help him.

    Ciel, Medissa, and Scarlett were powerful Gold-rankers, while the Mercenaries of Lopes were Silver-rankers. However, the current Firburh could hardly allow Brendel to bring out too many of his forces. If it were not for the fact that Scarlett still could not leave his side for too long, he was not even willing to choose to bring her along.

    Therefore Brendel imed that it was a short trip and used it as an excuse to bring Kodan along to help him. Even though thetter grumbled about it, Brendel believed that he would still lend a hand in the end.

    [Well, it looks like he only hesitated for a moment before he agreed. As long as I didn¡¯t get him to openly fight against Count Randner or be my subordinate, he¡¯s quite willing to go on an adventure. Still, if looks could kill......]

    ¡°Very well, where are the whelps that you needed to take care of?¡± Kodan said in a gruff voice.

    ¡°They are going to reach here soon enough,¡± Brendel replied.

    He looked out to the Wilderness outside the Dark Forest, and soon spotted a ck dot which rapidly became bigger. The four carriages soon reached to where they were and stopped one by one.

    The mercenaries hurriedly descended from the carriages when they recognized Brendel¡¯s figure, bending their bodies slightly as they greeted him:

    ¡°My lord!¡±

    ¡°Is everyone here?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±

    ¡°How about Scarlett?¡±

    ¡°Miss Scarlett is here along with Lady Amandina.¡±

    Brendel looked up and his eyesnded on the final carriage that was ck in color. Amandina and Scarlett alighted from the carriage, but what surprised him was the two Wild Elf sisters in the carriage.

    The younger sister Dia even waved at him.

    ¡°My lord!¡± She called out.

    The Mercenaries of Lopes were busy with their missions for an extended period of time, and she had not seen Brendel for a while. She seemed particrly excited.

    ¡°Why are they here?¡± Brendel walked over and nodded at the little girl, but his eyes went to Amandina with this question.

    Amandina seemed to have predicted Brendel¡¯s question, but she suddenly nced at the four carriages as if to confirm something subconsciously, before she spoke: ¡°Miss Fern is here to take care of your needs.¡±

    [A maid serving at my side with all these people around me!?]

    Brendel nearly choked on his saliva and looked at her in shock: ¡°...... I don¡¯t need a maid.¡±

    The older Wild Elf sister¡¯s face twitched several times, and the shadows around her eyes seemed to darken. She red at him and the meaning of her eyes could not be any clearer: ¡°You¡¯re being disrespectful, my lord!¡±

    ¡°I.....¡± Brendel opened and closed his mouth several times like a fish. He really did not think about that Fern was a maid, but the way how she conducted herself truly ovepped the duties of that job. He thought for a moment, but had no choice but change his words: ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t need someone to take care of me. I¡¯m not like a kid who needs to be spoon-fed or be dressed up¡ª¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re the lord of Trentheim,¡± Amandina said in an earnest expression.

    ¡°But that¡¯s a fake title, just like how I¡¯m a fake noble in the past.¡±

    ¡°The past is certainly in the past,¡± Amandina raised an eyebrow, and her voice was a little reproachful, ¡°but now you¡¯re the fake lord of Trentheim, every single fake word or deed has to be filled with the fake acts of a noble. How can you not have a fake maid?¡±

    She turned her head away slightly to look at him in a meaningful way: ¡°Or perhaps you prefer Lord Ciel to take care of your daily life, my lord?¡±

    Brendel was finally at a loss for words and trembled when he imagined that situation. He nced at Fern. In truth, he had gotten used to Fern back at Firburh who had been tasked by Amandina.

    In the end, he raised both his hands to show that he submitted.

    ¡°This little girl isn¡¯t bad,¡± Kodan observed Amandina from head to toe as he came up and spoke to Brendel, ¡°an aristocrat¡¯s daughter who¡¯s pretty and has decorum. That¡¯s hard toe by. Your grandfather would be satisfied.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Brendel said with a huff.

    Sometimes an old man just wanted to see the world burn.

    ¡°What?¡± Kodan realized something and spoke with a beaming smile: ¡°Are you dissatisfied? Then I¡¯ll introduce her to Carglise. Since he¡¯s your adjutant and has the same kind of personality as you¡ª¡±

    Brendel coughed once and looked at Amandina: ¡°Stop talking nonsense.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a flirt but you don¡¯t follow it through. You lose out to your grandfather on this point, boy.¡±

    This time Kodan did not get angry at Brendel¡¯s disrespect and patted his shoulders instead, looked like he was triumphant and left his side as though there were springs in his boots. It was rare to find a weakness in Brendel, and he showed off smugly.

    Brendel rolled his eyes and looked back at Amandina, whose face took on a rare blush. She lowered her head and said quietly: ¡°Please prepare now, my lord, your time is limited.¡±

    ¡°Do you not intend to join us?¡± Brendel suddenly realized there was a second meaning in her choice of words, but Kodan¡¯s words suddenly made him conscious of Amandina and how she appeared to be a little cute when she went against most of the time.

    The girl nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous for you to go back alone¡ª¡±

    ¡°But Scarlett said she wants to go along with you, so she can¡¯t escort me back.....¡± Amandina thought it would be fine since the road between the Dark Forest and Firburh was not too far, and since the city¡¯s surroundings were controlled tightly by the mercenaries, she would be fine.

    ¡°What I mean is for you toe with us,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°What?¡± Amandina blurted.

    Brendel rarely brought her out because she had hardly any physical abilities to speak off. Even though she felt it was a tiny regret, she knew where her abilities should be used in and did not think much of it.

    Now that Brendel suddenly brought up this request, it had gone out of her ns. She knew what kind of ce the Dark Forest was, and if she went along she would just be a burden.

    ¡°I...... It¡¯s not a good thing, right?¡± Even though she refused, but there was a small voice that told her to ept it. When she thought that she could go on an adventure with her lord just like the past days, the girl who was usually calm hesitated.

    But Brendel was not asking her out based on a whim. He got Scarlett to bring Amandina out safely because he wanted Amandina to take over Valha¡¯s administration. She would be his first adjutant in the future, and maintaining a normal operation was integral to his ns. He needed her to be familiar with this sleepingnd.

    Valha was an unusualnd that would shock any mortals once it was awakened. The fastest way to get the person to ept it was to activate it themselves and let them experience the process of its awakening.

    There were many things he had to do and could not possibly stay in hisnds for long.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, this is certainly part of my ns, but it doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t be reced. The Dark Forest is indeed a very dangerous ce, so I¡¯m leaving the choice to you.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°But what about Miss Romaine?¡± Amandina frowned and hesitated once again: ¡°If I¡¯m not there, no one will be able to rein her in.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she won¡¯t do anything crazy.¡±

    ¡°But.....¡± Amandina looked confused.

    During the past few months in Firburh, there was hardly a day that went by without Romaine causing some kind of trouble. She wondered how the self-proimed merchant girl survived her past life, and even respected thetter¡¯s aunt greatly for being able to keep her in check.

    Her aunt must have been an extraordinarydy.

    But Brendel believed differently. If he was missing in Romaine¡¯s life, she would be more docile than anyone else. The reason why she got trouble all the time was to attract his attention. Even though she was airheaded at times, she was naturally wily like a fox, which made him feel that she was adorable.

    ¡°So how about it?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Of course I do,¡± Amandina gushed after an afterthought, but she quickly recovered herself with a cough, ¡°What I mean is, I¡¯m not afraid of danger if it¡¯s for you, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Brendel replied with a small smile, but he immediately pointed at Dia who was curiously studying the forest¡¯s nts: ¡°I can understand Fern, but what is with the situation with her?¡±

    [I can understand the choice with the older sister, but why the younger sister? Though it might be a good thing if a second lucky babe searches the loot. I approve of this transaction!]

    ¡°She¡¯s here upon Sir Tamar¡¯s request,¡± Amandina said.

    [Oh,e to think of it, the younger sister had been acting as an assistant to Tamar, but what request¡ª]

    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s here to collect materials for him?¡±

    Amandina nodded: ¡°But I¡¯m not sure what kind of materials can be gotten in this ce.¡±

    Chapter 114 (3) ¨C At the edge of the Dark Forest (3)

    Brendel understood Tamar¡¯s thoughts.

    The Dark Forest was part of the Wilderness that had never been imed. People hardly entered the ce, and the Laws within this area were affected by Chaos and would be reset at a fixed interval. Mysterious things of shapes and sizes could be found in the forest, and the treasure beneath the earth¡¯s surface was unimaginable.

    However, due to the increasing Mana within the forest, various creatures mutated and increased their activities, and even the vegetation spouted with full of life. There were pockets of Mana that gathered in great intensity; crystal quarries could be found near small streams of water, fountains that spouted small flecks of gold ore.

    Even though bards sang about such stories all the time, the Dark Forest made it likely for them to be true. Brendel nodded and said:

    ¡°I see. It¡¯s true that the Dark Forest is a ce where civilization bans people from going there, but it¡¯s also a treasure vault in their eyes. After the second Holy War, many Houses had their powers greatly reduced and they were no longer capable of funding the pioneering knights who entered the forest in great numbers.

    But the legends depicted in history is ultimately left behind. There are tales about how the river water which had been basked in the moonlight was able to bring the dead back to life, or that the crimson soil contains the blood of a Sage and made it possible for steel to be gold. There are rumors of a gigantic dragon graveyard where the bones of the dragons could be found which are more precious than diamonds. There are even hallucinogens of burning rare leaves that could bring about illusions of a paradise.

    Indeed, it¡¯s definitely the biggest kind of treasure for an Alchemist. If they get any one of these materials, they could make a legendary artifact¡ª though most of these daring Alchemists who ventured into this forest usually ended up as meals for the beasts around here.

    This is another truth; the Dark Forest is also a ce where monsters dwell in the highest concentrations.¡±

    Brendel exined to Amandina in detail, then rubbed his chin thoughtfully: ¡°Grandmaster Tamar can actually request me to get the materials directly instead of going through Dia. Though it¡¯s also my mistake for forgetting that the Dark Forest is a great treasure vault for any Alchemist.¡±

    Amandina suddenly chuckled: ¡°I suddenly understand why Grandmaster Tamar has his own thoughts about this matter.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps you should ask Dia.¡±

    Fern turned her head expressionlessly and called out to her sister: ¡°Dia¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± The younger sister trotted over, but she kept her distance cautiously and meekly when she saw Fern¡¯s disapproving eyes: ¡°Is there something that needs to be done?¡±

    ¡°Our lord has questions for you.¡±

    ¡°My lord?¡± Dia looked at Brendel with puppy eyes. Compared to Fern, she was much more willing to approach him because he frequently told her interesting stories.

    From this viewpoint, Fern was quite a failure as an older sister.

    ¡°Dia, why did Grandmaster Tamar tell you toe along?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°To collect materials, my lord!¡±

    [Isn¡¯t this normal?]

    Brendel nced at Amandina, but thetter pointed her chin back at Dia as if to tell him to ask for the details.

    ¡°What kind of materials?¡±

    ¡°Grandmaster Tamar said¡ª¡± Dia tried to mimic Tamar¡¯s personality, but after Fern sent a murderous re at her, her behavior instantly turned respectful, though she spoke through pouted lips: ¡°There are Mana Crystals in the Dark Forest that are just below high-grade, so if it¡¯s possible I should gather more of it.

    This includes Moon Crystals and Gold crystals...... Mana nts like Blood-spotted roses, Whipvine-tail flowers......

    As for metal mines, it would be best if there are Adamantine mines, though Mithril would be just as good, still, the best metal would be Orichalcum. Of course, It would be fine if it¡¯s a lesser metal like Cold Iron.....

    Legends state there¡¯s a fountain of youth, Wings of an Archangel, the Poem of Dragons, the Heart of Gold......¡±

    ¡°S-stop, stop, time out!¡± Brendel hastily stopped her when he found that she had no intention of stopping.

    At first, the list sounded like it was reasonable, but the list was bing more and more absurd. The Fountain of youth was already a Legendary item. Thest three items that Dia said even reached God-tier rarity.

    [This Tamar is really treating the Dark Forest like a Dwarven Treasure Vault. Do you really think you can get these treasures once you enter the ce? If it¡¯s so easy, everyone would have rushed in here. Also, do you really think these items won¡¯t be protected by some crazy high-level mythical monsters? I can kind of understand his thoughts, but even protecting ourselves in this ce is kind of a luxury for us already, let alone bringing out these items.]

    Most areas of the Dark Forest were less dangerous and not as mysterious as the legends described, and it was rare to find precious metals or unique nts. Tamar¡¯s list was more of a dream.

    Even if a powerful lord sent in their Gold-ranked fighters to the Dark Forest, they might not necessarily return and instead get turned into a monster¡¯s meal.

    Brendel dared to venture into the Dark Forest only because he knew the ce well. After all, he had an endless supply of lives in his past world as a gamer to explore the ce, and even had theption of information gotten from other gamers.

    Since he had Tamar¡¯s requested list, he rearranged his thoughts.

    [I was wondering how I should train this bunch of newbies, but Tamar¡¯s list has given me a clear direction. We will spend a greater half of the day to move towards the druids, then explore the vicinity with the remaining time. Then we can split up into three groups, myself, Kodan, and Scarlett. Each group will be rewarded based on their performance and the things they find. That way we would havepetition and allow them to bond with each other. A good n, if I say so myself.]

    Brendel made a rough n and inspected the rowdy group of youths. A few momentster he heard someone shouting in the group:

    ¡°Merial!¡±

    Brendel recognized Carglise¡¯s voice, and he spotted the young man dragging Mordenkainen across the ground with incredible speed.

    ¡°Carglise? W-why are you here?¡± Merial appeared a little confused and blinked several times nkly to look at Carglise.

    Merial had a rarely seen golden hair, long enough to go past his shoulders. His eyes were as blue as the ocean and appeared to be someone from the north, but his attire was simr to Brendel¡ª A suit of male Kirrlutz traveling clothes. His body was lithe and his face soft, appearing to be an androgynous person.

    His actions and response were so elegant that Brendel thought he was actually a noble¡¯s daughter at the first nce.

    ¡°I think I understand. You were defeated along with your father.¡± Merial took a moment to gather his thoughts before he parted his lips slightly and spoke.

    ¡°Haha.¡± Carglise merelyughed as he looked at his old friend.

    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯te, but to think that Lord Macsen was defeated even with you around,¡± Merial¡¯s eyes were fretful and his brows were slightly pinched: ¡°did you join them?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Carglise nodded as though he did not care that he joined the rebels, ¡°but what are you doing here?¡±

    He was surprised to find his friend in this ce.

    ¡°My squire and I were passing through thends when we saw the four carriages, and the mercenaries captured us because of that. We had to lie.¡± Merial¡¯s face turned slightly red.

    ¡°More like you ran out secretly?¡± Carglise saw through his friend¡¯s lie immediately.

    ¡°N-no.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, I know your secret so you can stop pretending. Don¡¯t worry, I will protect you. But I must say you¡¯re in considerable danger,¡± Carglise pulled in close to him and whispered so that no one else could hear him, ¡°mydy, you¡¯re entering the Dark Forest, are you prepared?¡±

    Carglise¡¯s expression was one of mischief.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that!¡± Merial immediately red back at him, before her eyes widened: ¡°I¡¯m entering the Dark Forest?¡±

    ¡°Why else would do you think you would be here?¡± Carglise raised his head up to look at the forest before looking back at her: ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t know this, and I also forgot to tell you, this is the edge of the Dark Forest¡ª¡±

    Merial paled and her body shook but Carglise supported her by grabbing her up: ¡°What are you doing? Isn¡¯t it just a forest? Besides, I¡¯m also here to protect you!¡±

    He warned her and cast his eyes towards the mercenaries around them. Her actions might cause them to realize that she was masquerading as a man.

    ¡°H-how can I enter the Dark Forest. You must help me, Carglise!¡± Merial was a little delirious.

    ¡°Well, I actually think that this is a chance.¡± Carglise disagreed.

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you always wanted to escape from that damned father of yours? This is a chance! Based on my judgment, my new lord isn¡¯t likely to care what your father says¡ª¡± Carglise¡¯s evilughter came out as he felt his idea was pretty good.

    ¡°But what I can do in this ce? The monsters within the Dark Forest are terrifying enough that even the lords avoid it! We will perish if we enter!¡±

    Carglise held his forehead and continued to speak in a low voice: ¡°Mydy, you¡¯re the next stand-in bishop, how can you be so timid¡ª¡±

    He suddenly looked around vigntly and whispered next to Merial¡¯s ear. At first, she appeared puzzled, but her eyes quickly lit up and she nodded.

    Brendel saw that Carglise and the boy next to him pull away from the crowd, and their voices became smaller and smaller. He did not try to listen to their conversation as a courteous gesture. Even if the two were to scheme something they would not be able to cause any huge trouble when they were in the Dark Forest. Furthermore, he had the time to observe that person¡¯s details all he wantedter.

    [Given how familiar Carglise is with that boy, he must also be from a noble family. I am a little curious as to how the mercenaries managed to recruit the gentry¡¯s offspring though.]

    Brendel was not arrogant enough to think that families of higher social status in Firburh would support him, unless they were not interested in keeping their heads. Count Randner¡¯s revenge would be more than enough to keep them in check.

    ¡°Are they......¡± He turned around and cast a questioning look at Amandina.

    ¡°The scions from the noble families. I heard that their families live in the upper-ss districts within Firburh.¡±

    ¡°You mean there are more than a few who joined us?¡± Brendel felt that the situation was bing bizarre.

    Amandina nodded.

    He did not want to have any people joining his group of knights with an unclear background. These youths had a clean background, and perhaps the higher ranking people in Firburh would support him eventually, but it was still something odd.

    ¡°How did theye to join us?¡± He asked.

    ¡°The mercenaries said they secretly came to join us because of your fame.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Brendel rubbed his cheeks and was unashamed of his brazen acts, ¡°have I be so famous?¡±

    Amandina merely looked back with considerable disapproval.

 volume 3 - 115

    Chapter 115 ¨C The treasure vault of alchemy

    The journey seemed to begin with expectations and unease, and the youths felt like they were unprepared, but they could not run away any more.

    The Tower n from Kirrlutz had an adage: ¡®The difficulty of a long journey can extinguish one¡¯s strong willpower¡¯. These nomadic merchants who loved to travel with their vast products had a deep understanding towards adventure.

    On the very first day, Kodan rmended that Brendel camp outside the forest and set off after a night¡¯s rest.

    However, Brendel thought that he needed to finish his goal quickly, and since he was more experienced than the old swordsman, there was no need to waste.

    In the blink of an eye, Brendel and his crew had already entered the Dark Forest for a week.

    As they traveled deeper into the Dark Forest, they found it was like peering into of unlityers of emerald gems, covered under branches that appeared to be ck in color. The density of the verdant leaves was thick, and they leaked out sunlight which in turn made the environment appear shadowy-green. Speckles of light would flitter in and out against the wind, making the leaves undte. asional spiders would dart across their webs when it happened.

    Light intermixed with darkness, causing the area to feel like it was a surreal world of silence, save for the shuffling boots across the ground, and the asional rustling of leaves. It was almost evening, but everyone found it nearly impossible to tell the time in this forest.

    Brendel was holding on to a book; on it were words written with illuminating ink:

    ¨C ck Magician, Moonlit Grass, four-leaves Hop Clover, Witch¡¯s Agony......

    The ck Magician symbolized ¡®mystery¡¯ in the Witch¡¯s secretnguage, and it was used to bring forth a mediative mentality. A person with 3 levels in Alchemy would be able to make Breath of Serenity, and it was the main ingredient for an Incense of Mediation.

    The Incense of Mediation was highly popr in the game, and the rted professions would achieve faster results. They would be able to experience the ¡®truth¡¯ more easily if they were in a closed room filled with the incense.

    It allowed a better performance in incantations.

    If one was to express it in game terms, it was a 5% increase in XP.

    With 7 levels in Alchemy, one would be able to gain ess to the lowest tier 2 material called Mysterious Extract from the ck Magician. This could be eaten directly and one could gain a permanent health increase, but it would only work once.

    The Moonlit Grass was also called Wizard¡¯s flower. It was used to cultivate Mana. Eating it directly could increase the Mana regen by 1 point. With a Level 5 Alchemist, one could extract it to attain pure Liquid Mana and make a simple Mana Potion.

    The four-leaves Hop Clover represented luck. It was quite rare to see it in Aouine¡¯s territory but rathermon in the Dark Forest. There was a unique method amongst the gamers to extract Luck Essence from the clover, but it needed 8 levels in alchemy. It could be used in almost any potions to raise the chance of sess, and even be used in all types of Alchemy needs, cksmithing, and the creation of Magic Formations.

    The final item, Witch¡¯s Agony, was a poison reagent. Nobles viewed it as an obvious type of poison because of its smell, and it was worthless to them. However, this was not the proper usage. The evil cults utilized the characteristics of this reagent, the Agony and Poison Elements, to summon creatures from the underworld.

    The Lord of Agony, or the Queen of Poison.

    The Holy Cathedral of Fire strictly prohibited anyone from carrying it, but this did not prevent the evil cults from attaining them. They would dly purchase them at a high price, or even murder an owner in order to possess this.

    Brendel merely chucked all these materials away without a second thought or fear.

    He had gotten all these items due to the efforts of the youths training under him. The first three days were actually fruitless, and they constantlyined bitterly for wasting their time. Naturally, he did not allow them to idle¡ª As soon as someone waszy or bing incredibly negative, one of the mercenaries would rough them up and mercilessly drive them forward.

    Every day, the youths would be woken up by the mercenaries at the crack of dawn. A few of them were unused to the cold and wet conditions of the forest and had difficulty in sleeping. But the training schedule was still adhered to, and they had to drag their tired bodies toplete every day¡¯s ¡®homework¡¯.

    The contents of the training were notplicated. They had to march a certain distance every day, then group themselves and face each other inbat. Swordsmanship and brawling techniques were taught to them as well. The final task was to gather materials for Tamar, though it was disguised under the topic of ¡®survival training¡¯. Still, this was a core training for them.

    With a week¡¯s progress, the materials noted in Brendel¡¯s book were bing longer and longer. The rarity of the discovered materials was also going up. This proved they were leaving outer areas of the Dark Forest and was approaching nearer to its deeper sections.

    He finished logging in the second team¡¯s acquisition and logged in notes at the paper¡¯s side with a quill. Sixty youths were grouped into six groups, with each team assigned to a leader. The second group¡¯s leader was led by a youth called Mars. He was from Raban¡¯s mercenary group and had the abilities of a low Iron-ranked fighter. His attitude was serious and his organization skills were strong as well.

    Though he was a little rigid in his thoughts.

    [But it¡¯s not exactly a w.]

    Brendel then nced at Carglise who was not far away. Thetter was leaning against a tree wiping his sword, amander¡¯s weapon in the Year 377. The sword was somewhat like a mberge and was more appropriate for a user with a dexterous style.

    Brendel was very fond of this design, so he gave a sword to each member of the White Lion Infantry.

    Grandmaster Bosley was the person who crafted the swords, so there was no need to worry about the quality. The design was apparently sessful; everyone who received it could not let the sword out of their sight, even if they did not use swords before.

    Brendel was surprised, but his reactions were very quick to act upon this situation. He raised the value of these swords to a badge of honor. They became the symbol of the White Lion Infantry, and as long as each man was in this army, the sword would apany him for his lifetime and represent his belief in the unit.

    The youths once asked what belief it was, and Brendel answered them after a moment of thinking.

    ¡°Bravery, determination, and one who paves the way, symbolizing the sword of justice.¡±

    This was widely epted by the idealistic youths who were keen to be knights.

    Brendel came back to his senses after thinking about the past events for a while. He flipped open to a new page and wrote on the top right-hand corner as his quill moved lightly:

    ¡®December 16th, clear weather

    The Dark Forest is even denser than before. Some of the areas that we passed by earlier did not even have a ray of light in them. There are huge spiderwebs at the tree crowns, as well as flying insects the sizes of our fists that are packed everywhere.

    There are increasing discoveries of strange brambles found on different trees, like the Witch¡¯s Agony. This means that we¡¯re nearly reaching the inner sections. We also discovered the presence of strong creatures affected by Mana. Based on the tracks, they are most likely ck Wolves.

    Perhaps one can call them as monsters. These monsters can be ssified under several archetypes. Violence, Shadow, Corruption, Malediction, Evil, Dream, Demigod.

    The ck Wolves are ssified under the Shadow Archetype.¡¯

    He stopped for a moment and the quill left the paper slightly.

    [A level 25 creature¡ª]

    ¡®They are considered as a lesser monster amongst the various existences, possessing ink-ck fur and blood-red eyes, and their fangs are shaped like daggers. They are resistant to physical weapons because Shadow-type creatures heal very quickly from their wounds. Conversely, their fangs can easily puncture most armors, except for te armor.

    ¨C Brendel, 7th day of the Dark Forest expedition¡¯

    He did not release this information to the youths, and the experienced mercenaries also had a tacit understanding and chose to keep silent.

    They wanted to see what the youths¡¯ reactions were after a week¡¯s worth of training upon encountering these monsters, especially in regards to theirbat training. There was no need to worry about danger, since a Gold-ranked fighter would make these wolves appear like they are no different from an obedient puppy.

    After Brendel finished writing his journal entry, he observed his surroundings.

    It was not a peaceful environment.

    The six groups of youths were fighting against the Rock Panthers summoned by Halran Gaia, and there were another six Obsidian Panthers lying downzily on their paws nearby watching them. These creatures seemed to be uninterested in their battle and even showed iprehension. The humans appeared as though they were having fun battling despite the fact that their own kind was holding back. Their eyes followed them left and right, thinking that they would easily be able to bite off any of their throats if they went to fight instead.

    The youths did not realize that these seemingly obedientrge cats were interested in their necks, or they might shake uncontrobly. But the current danger they felt were actually from Kodan and Scarlett.

    Gaspard was also there as the leader of the mercenaries training them. The mercenaries actually had the most hectic mission, as they had tomand and protect the youths at the same time.

    It was not the first asion where the mercenaries discovered the youths choosing to set their sleeping bags on damp ground. They waited till thetter slept before kicking them awake with their boots, then lifted up their bags to show them the centipedes and snakes that were the sizes of their arms.

    One would have to say that it was an effective move. Many were frightened and listened closely to the mercenaries.

    Gaspard was currently grading the groups of youths. The group with the lowest marks had to run three miles in the Dark Forest. If they had to run on t ground it might not mean much, but it was impossible to run in the Dark Forest because of its dangers. Rather, they had to march out in the Dark Forest, but it might take them the whole evening to finish traversing the distance. There was no way to count on theirpanions to leave any food behind.

    The three judges were a little distracted. Gaspard and Scarlett could see that the youths were performing badly.

    [Apleteck of strategy and a terrible mess of positioning themselves. They are far from ready.]

    Kodan thought they were no better than children fighting with sticks.

    Brendel also shook his head, but he knew that things required time. In fact, these newbies were much better than the first time they fought the creatures because they did not even dare to fight. The mercenaries back then had to kick them with their boots and forced them to advance. They eventually became brave enough to hold against them, and this current battle had been going on for ten minutes.

    The improvement was very fast. The Dark Forest was indeed a good ce to train someone.

    He watched the battle a while longer before his head turned to the other direction; the Druids¡¯ camp was there. The Druids who were supposed to meet up with Brendel only joined him on the second day due to their independent nature.

    There were seven of them, including Grey Raven.

    [Even though they are strange people, they are worthy of respect. They brought out a hundred veteran Druids and ten Elder Druids to help with my city¡¯s defense and also promised to help out with Trentheim¡¯s farm work.]

    Although he did not know how many Druids lived in the forest, at least three hundred Druids were promised to permanently reside in Firburh, which meant there was a considerable number of Druids. This race was of an immense help to him as they aided greatly in defense. They nted thorny brambles that solidified the walls and even carried a type of fruit that acted like grenades.

    One could say that a hundred Druids were more effective than an entire army in a defense.

    [But they are still wary of me. The Druids went to the city are all fnature-based , probably from the Circle of Brambles, which is an outer Circle. There¡¯s not even one Druid from the Circle of Beasts¡ª]

    Brendel smiled a little when he thought of that. Most would not be able to tell the differences. The Circle of mes, Circle of Tempest, and Circle of Beasts were the strongest offensive groups amongst the Druids, but the Circles of Brambles were considerably effective in defense.

    The Druids¡¯ intentions were clear as day.

    [Well, there¡¯s no need to rush. Rtionship points can be earned in the future.]

    He packed away his journal and quill, then took out pale yellow leaves from the bag around his waist.

    Moonlit Grass.

    These were low-level materials within the Dark Forest but were appropriate for Brendel to train his side-profession. When he received the letter from the Regent Princess, the system acknowledged him as a Noble Lord instead of amoner. He could not but help grumble in his mind about this fact when he looked at the materials.

    [A worthless title, unfortunately. It allows me to raise up my Alchemy to level 8, but my Elementalist profession supersedes it and allows me to go up to level 10.]

    The grade of the Moonlit Grass was perfect. The shape and luster of it were far beyond the same type from other areas. Even though the Dark Forest was dangerous, it was indeed a treasure vault for an Alchemist.

    He concentrated slightly and a Magic Formation was formed with a color that was violently red. After spending several days and hundreds of tries, wasting countless materials in his attempts, Brendel was finally proficient in Blood Refinement Magic. It was a method that extracted the essence from a material and even formed a few Alchemy items. He did not need to waste time drawing up a Magic Formation and was simply required to let out a few drops of blood from his hand.

    It was simple and convenient, and saved much time.

    Though he was probably the only person who did this forbidden magic so openly, with the exception of the great Evils who hid in the shadows.

    The Blood Magic showed itself visibly and the Moonlit Grass started to smoke. It was slowly converted into a transparent crystal orb.

    Mana Essence.

    Putting ten of these orbs into water would make a Mana Potion. This refinement appeared like a simple task, but it needed at least level 5 in Alchemy. Mostmoners would never be able to cross this level. If amoner was able to surpass their limits, then their title would be changed to ¡®Alchemist¡¯s Disciple,¡¯ allowing them to reach level 8. A true Alchemist would be able to reach level 15.

    And if they were able to surpass level 15, then they would be recognized as a Grandmaster.

    In the game, level 15 was also the limits where the game¡¯s system allowed the use of TP. Once a gamer reached level 15, they would find the buttons to be greyed out.

    The hurdle with each increasing level was an exponential increase. The gamers had an analogy where each increase from level 1 to 5 was 1 point of effectiveness, and crossing level 5 to 10 gave 2-3 points of effectiveness. From level 10 to 15, one could be considered as a ¡®Master¡¯, and each level gave 5 points of effectiveness. However, the difficulty at this stage was ten times harderpared to the levels before.

    One could only imagine the difficulty of an NPC attaining a Grandmaster¡¯s level. It was at the stage where miracles could be created, and their names would be forever left in history. Gamers often joked that reaching level thirty would be close to the existences of gods.

    After Brendel was done with the extraction of the Moonlit Grass, he moved on to the four-leaved Hop Clover to extract Luck Essence. But the extraction was of a higher difficulty, and he barely seeded once after failing six times, but he tutted after reading the words on his retina.

    [...... Iplete Luck Extract. It¡¯s not even aplete sess.]

    Brendel forced the gaseous extract into an empty bottle. Suddenly he felt his hair standing up behind on his back, and he turned around to see Fern. She had been staring at him since his first attempt. Each Luck Essence required ten four-leaved Hop Clovers, and searching for them required a considerable amount of effort, even if they were quitemon in the Dark Forest.

    The Wild Elf was nearly unable to keep watching Brendel waste them.

    ¡°My lord, we have a saying, ¡®We must learn to walk before we can run¡¯¡ª¡±

    [Haha...... What a coincidence, we humans on Earth have the same saying. But I really can¡¯t wait to raise my levels and pour TP into it. I just spent everything on swordsmanship.]

    Brendel could only sigh when he looked at his empty TP bar. He had no choice but to choose such a silly method.

    When Brendel received the ¡®Iplete Luck Essence¡¯, he immediately saw his level bar increase immediately and reached level 7. Since the materials in the Dark Forest were abundant, the method to raise his Alchemist level was effective by using materials that surpassed his levels.

    With level 7 Alchemy, he was able to create higher level Mana potions and Magic formations. The potions were naturally more effective, but the materials required were also more unique.

    [There are a few recipes to improve the youths¡¯ stats with the recipes I know. It¡¯s even effective for me since I can create a potion that adds 5 Fire Max EP.]

    ¡°If only I have the Dragon Blood Moss. It¡¯s a pity I¡¯mcking this main ingredient.¡± He muttered to himself.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Fern asked.

    ¡°They are legends stating that ces where arge dragon is felled, would have its blood flow into ancientkes. Bright red moss would grow in abundance beside theke, and they are known as Dragon Blood Moss. This material can be used to make Potion of Dragon Strength.¡±

    The Wild Elf understood. The Potion of Dragon Strength was as famous as a dragon¡¯s notoriety. There was a definite increase of power for a warrior. Giving a normal person this potion was the rough equivalent of him training for two or three years.

    In Brendel¡¯s words, the potion permanently added 5 OZ worth of strength and physique, allowing a normal person to reach an Iron-ranked fighter¡¯s strength immediately.

    This potion was exclusively reserved for raising an army, and the nobles fought to obtain this potion whenever it appeared. Its price in the ck market was very high, and each potion was about ten thousand Tor coins.

    [Ten thousand coins to make an iron-ranked soldier. It¡¯s a waste of money, but considering the time limit, it¡¯s worth the price.]

    Brendel did not intend to rely on this item to get rich. The Dragon Blood Moss did not grow abundantly in Aouine and the Dark Forest. The Mana Wave was also about to happen. All potions and magical artifacts were going to drop drastically in value. Meddling with the rted transactions was purely causing trouble for himself in the future.

    He warned Romaine not to pay attention to the materials rted to Magic, but it surprised him to know that she had known about the Mana Wave. Still, she did not know anything about the uing Mana Wave that was called as the ¡®Waves of Cmity¡¯, which was something that Aouine had never seen before. If she did, then he really needed to ponder about her aunt¡¯s identity.

    ¡°My lord, do you know how to create that potion?¡±

    ¡°I do. And I just reached level 7 in alchemy, otherwise, the rate of sess would probably be low¡ª¡± Brendel finally turned back to the youths.

    Thetter had sessfully fought back twelve Rock Panthers and were awarded a temporary respite. But Scarlett and Kodan would be teaching them new things in a short while.

    Kodan was in charge of teaching the crucial points of Aouine¡¯s Military Swordsmanship, while Scarlett was more direct. She beat everyone in the two groups she was in charge and left them to experience where they werecking.

    ¡°Level 7 alchemy?¡± Fern frowned, wondering if the students taught by wizards talk strangely, but she refrained from expressing her opinions since he was her lord.

    ¡°I mean I have attained the required skills to create the potion.¡± Brendel corrected himself without skipping a heartbeat.

    ¡°In my memories, there were not many who were capable enough to make the Potion of Dragon Strength in Port Lopes. It even sells for three thousand coins of our currency. Mercenaries like us could only view it from afar.¡±

    Three thousand Lopes coins could exchange up to fifteen thousand Tor coins. Brendel marveled at the amount.

    ¡°The adventures you had must be interesting.¡±

    ¡°Forgive me, my lord. I¡¯m afraid that you might be disappointed to know that we are not exactly the true entities that you¡¯re looking for. Our bodies and memories are created by the Laws of the neswalker.¡±

    Brendel looked back at the expressionless maid: ¡°But your memories existed in the past, right? I don¡¯t think Medissa as a fake entity. You are just as real in my heart like your past.¡±

    ¡°I thank you for your words, my lord. Our adventures are not exactly interesting because our goal was to earn money. While it is true we spend it to improve ourselves, what little money we earn is unable to buy such extravagant items.¡±

    ¡°But the Potion of Dragon Strength isn¡¯t really a rare potion,¡± Brendel said, though he understood that what she said was true. The recipe of the Potion of Dragon Strength was worth at least three million Tor coins.

    The current era was actually a generation where Mana had dried up, but the time where it returned would be soon.

    ¡°We had to buy weapons and sharpen it repeatedly to prevent them from wearing out. Our armor was sewn back repeatedly. The lives of a mercenary are very hard, and we faced blood and death constantly as though we were going through a surreal dream.¡±

    Brendel was momentarily silent as he reflected on the events in his past life, both in the game and reality: ¡°Life isn¡¯t easy for others as well. Whether they are born as a noble, a king, a merchant, just because they lived in status or wealth doesn¡¯t mean they are satisfied with their lives. Happiness is fleeting. There is no one would who would feel satisfied their whole life. Pain and worry will always be around.¡±

    The two reflected on their endings and they had their own answers. No further words were exchanged.

    Lumbering footsteps could be heard and Brendel turned to the source. The gigantic figure of the Fire w Lizardman, Ropar, appeared in and out of the dense vegetation. The dark red skin had patches of ck mixed into it, appearing no different to the red tree bark around the area. It was a natural camouge.

    When it finally appeared before Brendel, the youth was startled to find a wary expression intermixed with a hint of inquiry: ¡°Is there something, Ropar?¡±

    Brendel summoned the Lizardman Lord on the second day. He had briefly thought about using it on the city¡¯s defenses, but it was hard to exin to the citizens, so he thought it was better to have it on his side.

    He also summoned the Fire w Lancemen. It was the size of a medium toon, a total of thirty Lancemen. There were peak Iron-rankers, but Ropar provided the unique ability where all Fire w tribe members have a +1 inmand, turning them into Fire w Assault Lancemen.

    The Fire w Lancemen were turned into level 32 creatures, entering the ssification of a Silver-ranker, getting close to the levels of the Mercenaries of Lopes who were attached with the Dwarven Treasure Card.

    These Lizardmen were in charge of outer security. Brendel had told them to let a beast or two to slip past their defenses in order to test the youths.

    The results were considered good thus far.

    Ropar did not answer and looked at the young lord. It bent down at its waist and ced a cold rock into Brendel¡¯s hand. The creature was nearly two meters and a half tall, with its body¡¯s width two-thirds of its height. He could feel a pressure as though the Lizardman was going to pounce on him when it bent its waist.

    But the youth ignored it and stared at the t sheet of rock instead.

    It was almost like a crystal; the body was clear but there were grains across the rock which glowed dimly. It seemed like it was absorbing light and became an impure ck.

    ¡°Where did you discover this?¡± Brendel felt a jolt to his spine. This was not a crystal but a hydra¡¯s scale¡ª

    ¡®In ake.¡¯ Ropar did not speak but drew on the ground with three fingers to let Brendel understand what he meant. Amandina and Dia discovered theke, and they were the ones who discovered the scale.

    [The scale is evidence of a hydra nearby us.]

    The history of hydras was that they descended from a gargantuan sea monster, evolved to have legs and bred greatly onnd before they were chased off to the Wilderness. There were many hydra variations, for example, the Dark Elves reared a Nine-headed Shadow Hydra as their Warbeast. In Karanjar¡¯s mountains and its nearby inds, the barbaric tribes that lived there worshipped the Five-headed Ancient Hydra as a divine spirit.

    Amon three-headed hydra was equivalent to a Gold-ranker. If there were five heads their scales had great toughness; nine heads would mean it had unsealed Element powers. The greatest number of heads were twelve, and its body would have shed its mortal self and shaped towards perfection, the Bronze Physique. (TL: Bronze Physique = level 80+, also google images ¡®mtg hydra¡¯ without quotes.)

    Brendel immediately focused on the scale. The scales had the divine protection of its ancestor and was rated as a precious Alchemy material. Even though the blood of a Hydra could notpare to a dragon¡¯s, but it was obviously much better than a moss. It could be used to make a Potion of Dragon Strength, and the effectiveness was much higher.

    He made his decision and stood up, pping loudly to draw the attention of the people around him.

    ¡°We have work to do!¡±

 volume 3 - 116

    Chapter 116 ¨C Five-headed Hydra

    When Brendel tracked down the Hydra, he also discovered Amandina and Dia hiding in the bushes hundreds of meters away to spy on the mythical creature.

    Amandina had originally gone out to find Dia, who was moving everywhere senselessly to gather materials for Tamar. She was guarded by the Fire w Lizardmen and they managed to find her near ake looking at the scale that was eventually passed to Brendel.

    Amandina recognized the scale as she had encountered the description in the books that she read, and a few of the books described the Hydras in great details.

    She got the Fire w Lord, Ropar, to report to Brendel, while she got the others to track the serpent. Soon enough, they discovered the huge creature. It was a five-headed Hydra, its body was sleek and elegant against the areas of light and darkness. The detailed scales were ink-ck, but there were several sections seemed to have a green glow.

    It was a Poison Hydra.

    Its defense and strength were not as strong as its other rtives; it could not be a fog-like existence like the Nine-headed Shadow Serpent, or manipte Ice or Fire Elements like the other subspecies. However, they were the hardest to deal with because their corrosive poison could shoot a hundred meters in distance and melt Magic Alloy.

    ¡°All of you stay here and wait!¡± Brendel immediately ordered the excited youths who were ready to try their mettle. ¡°Kodan, Scarlett, Ropar, attack it from the back while I attract its attention and force it to use its poison. The angle that it can attack from is only 180 degrees, so make sure you stay out of range.¡±

    Brendel was the first to charge out.

    ¡°That¡¯s too dangerous!¡± Kodan pulled out his sword and followed next. Brendel had promised to give him a Potion of Dragon Strength for taking part in this battle.

    ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Brendel activated the specially crafted Wind Sigils by Tamar on his sword sheath, raising his Agility tremendously.

    He entered the Hydra¡¯s guarded range a few seconds after he spoke, and the gigantic creature that was tens of meters tall had its third head raised up. Its huge tapered mouth opened up and shot a geyser of ck poison from nearly a hundred meters away, but the youth had not forgotten how to fight this creature.

    He frowned and immediately veered towards the sides, allowing the poison to fire past him while he continued to advanced quickly. The hissing poison continued past him and sttered onto the ground.

    Smoke immediately appeared as the poison corroded the foliage. The chemical reactions even caused the liquid to burst into mes, while the surrounding nts visibly wilted at the speed where the naked eye could even detect it.

    The young men who were originally ignorant of the monster they were facing immediately paled and even a few yelled out.

    ¡°Marsha above!¡±

    Mordenkainen stared at Brendel who was now dodging the Hydra¡¯s projectiles from the five heads in disbelief. Thetter¡¯s movements were in a blur, but it was clear that he was avoiding the poison arrows with ease.

    He had heard of Brendel¡¯s legendary exploits that seemed almost exaggerated, but he discovered that the reality before him surpassed the stories. His jaw copsed several times and went back up to clench his teeth when it appeared dangerous.

    ¡°I-Incredible. Didn¡¯t our lord say that we can be as strong as him one day? Is this really true?¡± The person next to Mordenkainen suddenly spoke and jerked the nearest person¡¯s sleeve, who happened to be Merial. She pulled back a little.

    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s you Merial. Did I pull too hard?¡±

    ¡°N-nothing,¡± Merial shook her head vehemently and replied, ¡°our lord seems like he¡¯s a Gold-ranked swordsman, I think we would need decades of training to reach his level......¡±

    ¡°Decades, but our lord looks like he¡¯s at most twenty years old!¡±

    ¡°Our lord is a genius, do you think you canpare to him?¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s true, but isn¡¯t it too long to train for decades?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about a Gold-ranker.¡± One of the youths who was a former mercenary replied sarcastically at once: ¡°Do you think it¡¯s lettuce from a field and you can get arge number just by nting them? You have heard of the reserve knights from the Holy Cathedral, right? As long as you have the abilities of a Gold-ranker, you can enter the Holy Knights¡¯ reserves¡ª¡±

    Many held their breaths when they heard him speak about that position. It was a legendary status where most would aspire to, and they were existences far beyond the likes of Graudin.

    Someone else added to the discussion: ¡°You don¡¯t even need to reach the Gold-rank, as long as can be a Silver-rank, you can be knighted under any lord!¡±

    Even if a knight was the lowest ss of nobility, the title was full of enticement.

    ¡°Then is it possible for us to reach the Silver ranks?¡±

    Carglise finally came back to his senses. He suddenly felt that Brendel must have beenughing maliciously inside when he rushed at him with a sword. He was merely an Iron-ranker and dared to challenge a grandmaster swordsman with the capabilities of a Gold-ranker.

    Even though he was thick-skinned, he could not help but burn up a little. Still, he looked at the others and answered: ¡°We will definitely be able to enter the realms of a Silver-rank.¡±

    ¡°Why are you sure, Carglise?¡± Merial asked curiously: ¡°Amon man would find it hard to reach that level, and you need a certain level of talent right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you find that you¡¯re improving really quickly?¡± Carglise asked.

    Everyone stared at him. Did they really improve? Kodan called them fools where no man could hope topare, and Scarlett shook her head every time she saw them. Even their lord who seemed friendly and approachable merely smiled at them without saying anything. These actions made them feel like they werepletely untalented.

    But Carglise shook his head. He knew that they had no problems. In fact, he realized that his swordsmanship that had not improved for a long time was starting to be better. He was even surprised to find himself bing stronger after entering the Dark Forest for a week. He was almost at the stage where he could be called a Silver-rank.

    ¡°Do you know what swordsmanship the lord is teaching you every day?¡± He said, and most of them shook their heads.

    ¡°Merial.¡±

    Merial frowned: ¡°It appears to be the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s swordsmanship.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it forbidden to teach it outside the Holy Cathedral?¡± Someone called out, and suddenly there was silence amongst them. A few of them looked at each other; it was quite a severe crime to teach the techniques from the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    Carglise did not care the Holy Cathedral as they would not pick the youths here to train them. Thetter could choose from arge number of talented youths who were blessed by the Gods.

    He was a normal person at the end of the day.

    He patted Merial lightly on her shoulders: ¡°Do you understand why I feel like I have chosen the correct decision?¡±

    Merial blushed a little.

    The others started pondering when they heard Carglise¡¯s words.

    While the youths were lost in their thoughts, Brendel was not as rxed as they thought. Even though there was no direct hit by the venom shot out from the five heads, there was a shing warning in green color on his retina:

    ¨C Poisoned.

    Brendel had gone past the fifth round of attacks by the Hydra, and the monster finally needed a little time to prepare for its next projectile. He quickly made a signal to Kodan, Scarlett, and Ropar to make their moves while making a side turn in order to lure the monster, as well as staying away from the poisonous cloud.

    He swiftly checked his Stats Window to confirm his vitality.

    It was still green.

    Even though he was poisoned, his Physique was high enough to resist the venom since it was past a hundred points. Any normal person would have died a hundred times if they passed through the poisonous cloud.

    But once he inspected the details, he found that the Resistance Bar was yellow at 87%, and it was dropping. He calcted the time and estimated that he had less than ten minutes to resolve this issue, or he would die from the poison.

    [As expected from a high-level Gold-ranked monster. It¡¯s not easy to deal with it.]

    The time taken by the Hydra to spew its poison again was a minute and a half, and the attackers needed to close in the distance. However, the Poison Hydras were intelligent enough to retreat and shoot its projectiles while retreating.

    Unfortunately, Brendel had drawn its attention long enough for his allies to sneak up behind it. When the Hydra finally discovered them, it could only hiss angrily as it did not understand strategies.

    The time taken to get close to the huge monster only took thirty seconds. Brendel activated his Charge skill, leaping to avoid the Hydra¡¯s tail swipe that was like a steel whip. It was a ssic move for dragons and its subspecies. The tail had scales harder than metal and easily broke the ancient trees apart, sending loud smashing sounds apanied by tremors that could be felt miles away.

    Brendel somersaulted andnded next to the Hydra¡¯s front right leg, raising Halran Gaia as he did so.

    Brendel raised Halran Gaia with both hands and tried to cleave the Hydra¡¯s leg, which was more like a rock pir. Surprisingly, the monster¡¯s dexterity was astonishingly fast despite its huge body. It drew in its foot so quickly that Brendel could only cut through the air.

    However, the powerful strike destroyed the ground beneath the Hydra and caused fissures to spring up everywhere. The sword¡¯s contact to the ground also caused a shockwave to spread out in a cone and the Hydra became unbnced; its body nted towards the side.

    But Brendel could not find an opportunity to continue to attack because the five heads of the Hydra danced around the air like whips, trying to bite the youth, which forced him to retreat repeatedly, and he ended a distance that was ten meters away.

    His allies approached the Hydra¡¯s back to find a chance to attack it, but Brendel immediately roared when he realized there was a ripple of energy emanating from the Hydra: ¡°Be careful of its Venom Shield!¡±

    The three was momentarily stunned as they found a wall of green liquid appearing out of thin air before them. Kodan and Scarlett had enough experience to stop themselves from advancing, but Kodan went one step further and hurled his dagger into the wall to strike the Hydra¡¯s body.

    A soft hissing sound could be heard before the dagger even went through the liquid. It was quickly turned into white smoke.

    ¡°Marsha above!¡± Kodan felt relieved in his heart that the warning came in time, but he started to wonder how they could handle this damned creature.

    However, Ropar did not seem to hear Brendel¡¯s words and rushed straight into the wall of venomous liquid, but it was not affected at all, though the dirt on its scales was burned away.

    [Immunity to poison!]

    Brendel¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.

    [W-well, a four-legged Hydra is considered somewhat to be like a lizard. Ropar and Hydra can kind of be considered as the same type. It can be considered reasonable for some kind of suppression amongst the same type.]

    Ropar had broken into the Hydra¡¯s defenses, surprising everyone. The huge monster was unable to turn its heads around in time and Ropar swung its greatsword on the Hydra¡¯s rear right leg. mes wrapped around the greatsword as it severed the Hydra¡¯s scales and sinew. Before the blood could spew out, the heat turned it into gas and was spurted out in a red mist.

    The Hydra raised all its heads and screamed at the same time. The deafening st transmitted for miles, frightening the nearby birds into taking flight.

    The wall of venom rippled a few times and disappeared at the same time the Hydra got injured.

    [[Now!]]

    Kodan and Scarlett thought at the same time. They charged in together, but after taking a few steps they felt a sinking feeling beneath their feet and the ground copsed.

    ¡°What are these?¡± Scarlett felt her heart skip a beat. She saw countless green thorny vines breaking through the ground as though they were alive, and they were darting towards her legs.

    It was not just her. Kodan also faced the same situation.

    Brendel¡¯s reaction was to nt his sword into the ground to gain bnce from the unsteady ground, while he raised the other hand towards the sky¡ª

    The youths who were watching from saw a small Magic Formation appearing above Brendel. A card was thrown into the air, causing tiny grains of green light to appear from the earth and rising up to rush into the Magic Formation.

    Over a hundred golden Holy Swords poured out from thin air and surrounded the Hydra with the des pointing at it.

    The youthspletely froze when they saw the scene. They had imagined the most beautiful swordsmanship and terrifying magic from the singing bards and legendary tales, but they did not expect to see such a sighting from the young noble.

    Carglise¡¯s eyes appeared zed as he stared dumbfoundedly at the majestic moment: ¡°Merial, I feel like I¡¯m an idiot.¡±

    Merial lowered ahead and replied softly with a red face: ¡°Yes, you always have been one.¡±

    The Hydra also felt the threatening swords. The fifteen pairs of eyes across its five heads stared at the formation of swords. The vines swiftly changed directions and formed into a dense towering shield that was ten meters long.

    ¡°Advance!¡± Brendel yelled at Kodan as he activated the card.

    The golden swords of light fell like a meteor shower, drilling through the shield of vines and turning the outeryer into ashes. Very quickly, the shield was filled with holes as the swords rained into the shield. Light poured out from the shield in all directions, and the green poisonous vines gradually turned into a bubbling red liquid.

    The Hydra¡¯s poisoned vines created by its Element Power was pierced through by the swords, and the pirs of light came into contact with the Hydra¡¯s chest. The leather protected by the crystal-like scales temporarily refracted the light, before it also turned red and the scales shattered into fragments. The blood beneath its hide was expelled in a red mist. and the immense pain caused the Hydra to writhe on the ground.

    Kodan and the other two fighters did not stop to watch the scene. They avoided the hydra¡¯s tail that was thrashing around like a whip and tried their best to wound the monster.

    The Hydra was certainly not as agile and quick as a Wind Wyvern, but its defenses were far superior to thetter.

    Scarlett used her full strength to create an Arc Lightning from her Element power, which traveled several tens of meters across the monster¡¯s scales, but most of the energy did not go through its hide and only caused a small burn mark.

    Kodan also tried using a shockwave to damage it, but the results were simr.

    Ropar was unable to do a ranged attack and merely rushed in with its greatsword, but it became clear that each blow damaged the Hydra. Kodan and Scarlett promptly discovered this fact and started copy the Lizardman¡¯s actions, stabbing and cutting the monster, instead of using their Element Powers or techniques.

    Even though the Hydra had astonishing regenerative abilities, it did not mean its blood could be recovered as quickly. It started to be clumsy and the attacks from the five heads became slower after the increasing loss of blood.

    Brendel, who was still attracting the bulk of the monster¡¯s attention, found it easier and easier to avoid the attacks. Soon enough, he found an opportunity to get closer to the monster¡¯s right chest.

    A deep breath was taken in before the Halran Gaia was swung.

    Abination of Power Break and White Rave Sword Arte.

    Muscles worked under the direction of his level 16 Aouine¡¯s Military Swordsmanship, and a white maelstrom was formed from the shockwave¡ª

    One of the youths thought a huge dragon had smashed into the Hydra.

    A vertical hurricane tore into the Hydra¡¯s already injured chest, dragging away flesh and blood into the air. It did not end there as Halran Gaia added on to the technique, turning the ground into mud that reached ten meters deep. The Hydra desperately tried to w its way up, but it was dragged down by gravity.

    When the technique was over, thendscape had changed entirely. The single sh made by Brendel causedyers of earth to shift as though there was a hugendslide. The dying Hydra was half buried under the soil as blood continued to spill from its wounds.

    Brendel took a few more nces before he sheathed his sword.

    The forest was silent.

    Brendel went over to Dia and Fern, instructing them to clear the poisonous air with wind magic as he imbibed an antidote potion. After it was done, he told the youths to investigate the surroundings for treasure.

    They were quite reluctant to go near the Hydra. The monster¡¯s strength had surpassed their understanding, and they could not believe how big it was when they approached it. It was difficult to understand how a person could defeat this creature.

    They debated amongst themselves fiercely, and there were those brave enough to poke the crystal-like scales. Everything was unfamiliar to them.

    Kodan was eventually sent along with them to find the Hydra¡¯s nest. Monsters did not drop any equipment, but perhaps there were things that could be used in its nest.

    The next thing that Brendel did was to get Fern to pry the scales down from its chest. The rule of having a lucky babe looting something must never be changed, despite theck of equipment drops.

    The scales of a Hydra¡¯s front chest were called Hydra¡¯s Blessing. They were green in color, unlike its back where the scales were as ck as ink. Brendel knew that these unique scales could be used in many ces, and they were important Alchemy materials.

    [A shame that I have to use my full strength to damage the Hydra. Only thirty scales are pulled out. At most it¡¯s enough to make a magic armor.]

    He made ns for the materials gained.

 volume 3 - 117

    Brendel filled up several full bottles of the Hydra¡¯s blood.

    As usual, Kodan split the youths up into six groups. The deeper they entered the Dark Forest, the more they found the ce to be unaffected by winter. Trentheim was undergoing a harsh season where everything was barren because of the cold, yet the temperature in the Dark Forest was increasing the more they traveled south.

    The group led by Carglise discovered a cave next to a steep slope covered with green moss, which was behind a hill approximately two miles away.

    The group followed the slope all the way down to the valley, and discovered the cave under massive boulders that were hundreds of meters tall. After the youths parted the overgrown vines that hung down from the boulders, they discovered the putrid nest¡¯s entrance.

    Carglise obeyed Brendel¡¯s orders not to search it; they reported back to him. Thetter stopped tinkering with the Alchemy tools on his hands and sent out a signal into the air to get the others to gather.

    Soon enough, he and his men went through the thick vegetation and went down to the valley. The formation of thend was indeed as reported by Carglise¡¯s messenger. It seemed like the boulders were actually sections of a cliff copsing onto the ground, but that was probably at a few years ago. The white boulders were covered with green vegetation.

    The number of leaves in the valley was as much as one would expect in the summer. Not far away from the cave was a waterfall going past the cliffs.

    Brendel found Carglise and his men near the waterfallke. Merial had twisted her leg when they entered the valley, and she was sitting down on the rocks with a few men caring for her.

    Brendel knew that Merial was a bishop at the first nce, but when he saw that she bared her lower leg, he found it to be elegantly shaped and surprisingly white, though her foot was slightly swollen.

    He did a double take before he went to Carglise and tapped his pauldron, whispering: ¡°Is your friend really a man?¡±

    Carglise shook his head: ¡°My lord, you should know that there is no gender amongst the chosen children of the gods in the me Scriptures. As long as one wears the robes, there is no difference if there are additional bumps anywhere.¡±

    Carglise gave a filthy smile, pointed at his chest and replied in a crude direct manner learned from the military school.

    Brendel coughed once and asked: ¡°So you mean your friend is a woman?¡±

    Carglise shrugged: ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about gender, did I? The first time I saw Merial, well, she had already worn the robes. If she¡¯s not wearing her bishop uniform, then she would be wearing clothes for a male. I think only her parents and her nanny knows about this secret. Her father wanted her to be a member of the Church.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±

    Cargliseughed mysteriously before he replied: ¡°My lord, let us search the cave.¡±

    Brendel nodded, ncing at Merial one more time as she got up to follow the crowd, before he brought his men into the valley and headed for the cave. He was at the forefront and parted the vines hanging below the massive boulders. Lizards scampered away in fright as he walked through the cave.

    The ceiling was approximately seventeen meters high. The waterfall was close to the cave, and there was refracted light at the entrance, showing off the colors of a rainbow.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite pretty,¡± Amandina could not help but utter a gasp when she saw the rainbow. had one of her hand held by Brendel when they entered the cave. She felt at ease in her heart.

    ¡°Pretty is pretty, but the smell is a little awful.¡± Carglise was pinching his nose awkwardly with his fingers through his gauntlets.

    A horrible stench that could make someone sick to their stomach was wafting out towards everyone¡¯s noses. Eyes stared into the cave, but only darkness came back. No one knew how deep the cave was.

    Brendel pulled out Halran Gaia and his men did the same, causing a series of metallic ngs to ring out. Kodan moved towards the front as he lit up a torch instead of drawing up a sword. The ground was uneven and there were loose rocks which had long shadows because of the light, seemingly pointing towards the darkness.

    ¡°Look over there. Hmm, the geology of this ce is really bizarre. It¡¯s amazing how the Hydra was able to find this ce and build a nest.¡± Kodan pointed to thergest opening.

    The walls were cracked near where Kodan was pointing and there was a huge pit leading deeper into the earth.

    [The entrance to the Hydra nest? It seems like it was here before the massive boulders crashed down. If I have to take a guess, this ce was originally where the waterfall basin was. The water would have eroded this ce to form arge hole. What are the chances for an entrance to be made like this?]

    The cave¡¯s formation was indeed a little bizarre.

    He raised his hand to get everyone to move over to the pit which wasrge enough for the Hydra to enter. The vile stench was indeeding from it. There were green spots on the walls; they were possibly wilted moss which came about when water used to pour through the pit.

    Though the group was standing beside the pit, they did not enter it immediately. Kodan brought the torch to the hole, but he could only see darkness. It was difficult to tell how deep it was. Scarlett silently tossed arge rock into the pit.

    Arge crashing sound echoed after several seconds.

    The majority of the youths nced at each other, wondering if they were going to be sent in.

    Brendel tapped the pit¡¯s stony entrance with his sword before speaking he spoke to Amandina: ¡°I¡¯ll go down to take a look, the rest of you wait for me here.¡±

    ¡°My lord,¡± Carglise stood in his way, ¡°I think it is best for us to go first.¡±

    Brendel patted his shoulders andughed: ¡°When I¡¯m going to use you as my runners I will definitely do so, but your experience in this ce cannotpare to me.¡±

    He turned to Fern with a radiant smile: ¡°Fern, you¡¯re with me.¡±

    The older Wild Elf sister blinked several times before she ced her hand on her chest: ¡°Me?¡±

    Her face was suffused with displeasure: ¡°I¡¯m an Elementalist, my lord.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. You forgot that your task is to clean up the battlefield. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    Brendel had to agree that the lucky babe¡¯s luck was still working as usual. The pit was over a hundred meters deep, but Brendel saw something wonderful as soon as hended on the cave¡¯s ground.

    The depths of the pit was a vast space. It was clear that this was indeed the Hydra¡¯s nest. There was a mountain of decaying meat and bones, and at the corner was a bunch of dried tree branches. In the gaps of the tree branches, he found arge quantity of armor and weapon fragments.

    [Is that possibly¡ª]

    This ordinary metal was not of interest to him, but what truly drew his attention was a pair of metal gloves slotted with fiery-red gems.

    Fern came floating down with a pair of Wings of Wind. She flitted the giant pair of wings that were glowing green once before undoing her magic. She scanned her surroundings, but the pair of gloves also caught her eyes when Brendel rushed over to it.

    However, she did not make any inquiries about it. Based on her knowledge of her lord, he would tell her if he wanted to.

    Green words rolled out neatly in Brendel¡¯s eyes the moment he picked up the golden metal gloves.

    ¨C Crimson blessing, Bahamut¡¯s grasp

    ¨C Gloves

    ¨C +2 Armor Defense

    ¨C +5 Fire Shield Defense

    ¨C 10% Fire additional damage with each attack

    ¨C Grants the ability [Advanced Magic Formation]

    Brendel praised the gods loudly in his mind. This was indeed the legendary gloves of alchemy. Even though it¡¯s just a Fantasy rating, the gamers called it the ¡®The Godly Artifact of Fantasy¡¯. It was a pun on how it was the best item amongst the Fantasy-rated items, and also stated that it was even rarer to findpared to a real Godly-rated item.

    Obviously, it was just a pay-to-win item to certain gamers, but gaining this item legitimately was one out of a million. Brendel could never believe that he would be able to get one just by going on his first adventure. It was like picking up a million dors lottery ticket that he had to fish out of a drain, at least inparison to killing a Hydra and gaining this item for his troubles.

    He was about to wear the gloves when she heard Fern whisper: ¡°My lord, look over there.¡±

    Fern was pointing at a bunch of pearly-white balls which the size of a coconut. Brendel could hardly believe his eyes when he saw twenty to thirty just at the tip of the nest. There had to be more inside.

    [Holy shit! I¡¯m rich! Hydra eggs! Over a hundred!]

    The value of the eggs could buy the entire Trentheim. Brendel¡¯s heart started beating loudly. These eggs were the rough equivalent of a treasure vault containing priceless treasures in his eyes. He stared nkly at them before turning around to Fern, took in a deep breath and spoke:

    ¡°Quick, get everyone down here. We need to get these eggs out of here!¡±

    The youths who entered the pit by descending down the rope immediately shrieked:

    ¡°Urgh, this smell.....¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m dying!¡±

    ¡°Gods above, this is really poison!¡±

    ¡°Silence!¡± Scarlett bellowed in an authoritative manner, but she frowned as well. The stench was overwhelming.

    If the Hydra they faced earlier was a person, it must be the most disgusting andziest person. The nest seemed like it was a giant pit of feces that would induce anyone to puke out their guts. It was not wrong to say it was poison; Amandina who had the weakest constitution vomited a few times. If Merial did not cast a purification spell on her, she would have fainted.

    Kodan was thest person to descend to the pit. Since Brendel was wearing a pair of glowing gauntlets, Kodan¡¯s eyes went over to it, immediately discovering the crimson rubies slotted on them. The shape of each individual link to the metal gauntlets could only be described as dignified.

    ¡°Is this the legendary Bahamut¡¯s Grasp.....?¡±

    Brendel was incredibly pleased and put on a beaming smile: ¡°You guessed correctly, grandmaster Kodan.¡±

    ¡°Are these truly the legendary gauntlets which the hero, Suthend, used before?¡± Kodan stared at the gloves with all his attention drawn to them, repeating his question: ¡°Not a fake or replica?¡±

    Suthend was one of the most famous Alchemists in history. However, that was not the reason why he was well-known. It was because he was also a Dragon Knight. He was cherished by the Fire Dragon King, Bahamut, and the songs about him and his dragon¡¯s travels were still sung by bards even in this era.

    But the most famous aspect about Suthend was not his identity as a Dragon Knight or an Alchemist, it was his gauntlets.

    These gauntlets were blessed by Bahamut and given to Suthend as a symbol of their friendship. It was also why they were called Bahamut¡¯s Grasp.

    ¡°They are real.¡± Brendel clenched and unclenched his right fist, allowing the rivets to make a slightly grating noise as the metal bits rubbed against each other.

    ¡°How do you know that it¡¯s the real thing?¡± Kodan looked suspiciously at the gauntlets. He could not believe that Brendel¡¯s luck would be able to bend fate. Just randomly entering a cave would allow him to obtain a legendary equipment that was used by a hero?

    The legends about Suthend were nearly three hundred years ago, and the gauntlets disappeared after that. Did it disappear along with the hero, or had it been passed down to others? It was a question that no one could answer.

    It was impossible to find out how it ended here.

    Everyone¡¯s attention was on Brendel when they heard Kodan¡¯s words, but the youth did not exin any further. He merely grasped his sword¡¯s hilt firmly before pulling it out.

    mes poured out from the gauntlets, covering his right hand and Halran Gaia. He raised his sword above his head, illuminating the entire pit.

    The youths stared at Brendel with ck jaws. Kodan¡¯s eyes were also widened but he tried forcefully to hold on to his viewpoint despite losing track of time for a while:

    ¡°There are many different types of enchantment that are simr to it...... me Favor, Fiery Grasp, it¡¯s not necessarily blessed by a dragon.¡±

    Brendel swung his sword. The mes vibrated and created a sound that was like a dragon¡¯s roar At the end of his swing, they turned into a Dragon which rushed towards the wall. An explosion rang out, and the walls shook as dust and sand rain down for a moment.

    Kodan waspletely convinced that it was the Crimson Favor after seeing the might of the mes. Only the Favor of a dragon would create such firepower and shape.

    Brendel extinguished the mes on his hand and returned Halran Gaia to his sheath: ¡°But the dragon¡¯s mes are not the strongest feature of the Crimson Favor. Do you know what other identity Suthend has?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Kodan¡¯s mind was notposed yet when he realized that the legendary gauntlets were before him, and he calmed himself before answering, ¡°he¡¯s an alchemist.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. The symbol of their friendship, the Crimson Favor, is said to be the perfect equipment for him. However, the strongest spell in this gauntlets is not the mes, but something else¡ª¡±

    Brendel took out a Hydra¡¯s Blessed Scale. He turned over his hand to allow his palm to face up, and a Magic Formation immediately lit up above it.

    Every ruby on the gauntlets dazzled with light and the scale that was ced on his palm started to float. In an instant the scale seemed to receive thousands of degrees in heat, softening in mid-air to be a liquid before separating turning into drops of crystal that were green and red.

    He continued to manipte the Magic Formation and the crystal drops started to converge together to slowly form into a crimson dagger.

    The surface of the dagger started to cool down visibly with the naked eye. Ripples ran across it as it gradually hardened, as though someone was hammering on its surface and causing it to vibrate. Finally, the dagger waspletely cooled down and the red metal turned into a ck-green color.

    Brendel grabbed the dagger¡¯s hilt as it dropped neatly into his palm.

    ¡°See that?¡± The youth smiled and asked as though he did something praiseworthy.

    Kodan could not help but draw in a deep breath despite the awful stench. He knew that it was Alchemy, but the Alchemy that he knew was certainly not as miraculous as what Brendel did. In the continent, Alchemy was a secret art circted amongst the upper-ss nobles, witches, and rted professions.

    Perhapsmoners might view it as a mysterious magic that could do anything, but in truth, Alchemy was a strict technique thatbined Mana and unique materials.

    Witches could create different types of potions in a bubbling pot of green liquid, while Galbu¡¯s wizard craftsmen would use their knowledge to carve sigils on their weapons and armors, allowing their equipment to take on powerful magic.

    But each creation took time and detailed work, with the exception of simple materials that required proprietary magic. The majority of the work done from Alchemy required a quiet location with aplete set of tools.

    Brendel had skipped every single step, even the need for a cksmith, and created a dagger with his materials.

    ¡°W-what is this.....¡± Kodan stared nkly at the dagger.

    ¡°An Advanced Magic Formation. To tell the truth, the Blood Magic Formation which is currently banned, was actually researched from this technique. Galbu¡¯s wizards have aplete set of data on it, but they won¡¯t be able topare the Gauntlet¡¯s Magic Formation¡ª Hmm, with the Dragon¡¯s divine blessing added into this, the Advanced Magic Formation¡¯s quality is actually increased.

    Usually, a typical Advanced Magic Formation can only create level 10 items and lower, and there¡¯s also a limit in producing magical artifacts because one can only enchant it on the surface. But these gauntlets is capable of reproducing items to level 13 and below, and enchant the material¡¯s body.¡±

    Kodan did not understand what the levels meant, but he did understand the rules behind it. Brendel was able to manipte the material that was limited by the normal Advanced Magic Formation.

    The old swordsman heard of the term ¡®Magic Formation¡¯ before, thus the mysterious aspect about Brendel was greatly reduced.

    ¡°I understand the process roughly, but I actually think that the Dragon¡¯s mes are more useful than this Alchemy thing.¡±

    [...... This old fool. What is the use of your eyes if you can¡¯t see the value. This Alchemy thing is the equivalent to Aouine¡¯s revenue for an entire year. It costs seven billion Tor coins in the game!]

    Brendel¡¯s eyes of delight turned to annoyance. An NPC certainly had a different line of thinkingpared to a gamer. Which gamer would want to be stuck in aboratory all day? This item was naturally a godly artifact for them.

    He briefly considered telling Kodan how much it really cost. The youth could not but feel a little pity for his gauntlets and patted it, but his thoughts were pulled away from one of the youth¡¯s voice.

    ¡°My lord, are these the monster¡¯s eggs?¡±

    Kodan felt like he had been struck by lightning. After entering the Dark Forest, he thought he would not be able to be surprised any longer after killing off a Hydra and finding the Crimson Blessing, but to find Poison Hydra¡¯s eggs?

    [Marsha Above, is this young man going to gain one of the strongest War Beasts around? Once they mature, they would be standing on the top of a Gold-ranked ss!]

    He immediately turned around to search for them, ¡°Eggs? Whe¡ª¡±

    He stopped speaking and clutched his forehead, wondering if he was dreaming. He could see a great number of eggs ced into the Hydra¡¯s nest, possibly more than a hundred.

    ¡°Eggs..... from that five-headed Hydra?¡± He asked Brendel to confirm it.

    Brendel nodded. His reaction was just like Kodan¡¯s when he saw them for the first time too. The value of the eggs had more practical use to him right nowpared to the gauntlets.

    ¡°You...... What do you intend to do with all these eggs?¡± Kodan turned his head back stiffly to Brendel.

    ¡°How should I handle them?¡± Brendel repeated the question to himself.

    This was indeed a question. The sudden wealth made him feel that it was unsafe no matter where they were put. He had to lead his men further into to the forest to find Valha, but it was unsafe to leave the eggs here.

    ¡°Boy, I suggest for you to send these eggs back to Firburh,¡± Kodan said with a slow and grave voice.

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t do that.¡± Brendel considered carefully. Valha¡¯s worth could not be gauged and was worth more than the eggs.

    Kodan stared incredulously at him: ¡°Is there something else in the Dark Forest that has more value than these eggs?¡±

    ¡°I thought about this for a while. It¡¯s best to leave some men behind.¡±

    ¡°Leave people behind?¡± The old swordsman shook his head repeatedly: ¡°Who? This is the Dark Forest.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because it¡¯s the Dark Forest that no outsiders woulde here. Weaker monsters won¡¯t approach this ce because the Hydra¡¯s nest foul smell makes it seem like the Hydra¡¯s still here. The strong monsters have their own territory and would not easily change their locations. Furthermore, this is still the outer section of the Dark Forest. The Hydra is standing at the top of the food chain here.¡±

    Kodan suddenly became alert: ¡°Why are you exining so much to me? Are you nning something?¡±

    Brendel grinned.

    Kodan said exasperatedly: ¡°I have never recognized myself to be part of your group. Are you not afraid that I would run away with these eggs? Certainly bringing all of them away isn¡¯t possible, but I can simply take one or two away.¡±

    ¡°Well now, Grandmaster Kodan, this is the Dark Forest. Is it possible for you to find your way out without the Druids?¡± Brendel coughed.

    The old man was immediately at a loss for words, and his eyebrows were raised: ¡°What, are you threatening me again?¡±

    Brendel hurriedly shook his head: ¡°Of course not, it¡¯s just a joke. I actually n to leave a group of Fire w Lizardmen here. They should be sufficient to handle any beasts thate in by ident. Having them stay here is just a precaution.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. That sounds much better. Don¡¯t joke with me if you have nothing better to do, boy!¡± Kodan said.

    However, he found himself slightly disappointed when Brendel said that. It proved that the youth did not trust him.

    The two of them continued to talk until amotion stopped their conversation. Brendel found one of the youths rushing to him in a panic.

    [This person is under Carglise¡¯s group? Did they find something?]

    Brendel had sent the youths to inspect the tunnels within the pit during his conversation with Kodan. Since this pit was the former waterfall basin, the tunnels were originally rivers. He sent them out to investigate if there were any other materials. If it was Firelight Moss, it might exin the scout¡¯s astonishment, since they could grow as far as a football field.

    ¡°M-my lord..... C-captain Carglise, wants you to take a look for yourself......¡± The person who reported to Brendel said breathlessly.

    Brendel and Kodan exchanged nces. What could that fellow Carglise be up to?

    But Brendel nodded and gestured for the youth to bring them over.

    The tunnel they entered was long and narrow, and one could see that the walls were smooth, proving that water had once flowed through here.

    He studied the walls carefully to ensure that there were no other signs of creatures living here. They did not have any spider webs. While there were rodents and small creatures scuttering, they were not a threat to them.

    It would be quite dangerous if a Tentacle Horror suddenly attacked them in this enclosed area.

    After walking through the tunnel for several minutes, a light appeared in front of him. There were only four youths resting, and Brendel remembered that half of Carglise¡¯s men were left behind to take care of Merial.

    When these youths saw Brendel, they stood up immediately to greet him:

    ¡°My lord!¡± Lord Macsen¡¯swless son rubbed his hands, as though he found a difficult problem. ¡°We discovered something that we can¡¯t handle.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t handle? What¡¯s the situation?¡±

    ¡°How should I exin it......¡± Carglise¡¯s expression was incredibly odd: ¡°I can¡¯t exin it with words.¡±

    Brendel wondered what this fearless youth had seen to make him look like the sky had crashed to the earth.

    [If he¡¯s pulling my leg and there¡¯s nothing here...... Ha ha ha...... I wonder what I should do with you.]

    Though he secretly wondered if there was a football field of Firelight Moss.

    ¡°In any case, my lord, let us go and have a look.¡± Carglise coughed and answered, moving to the side and having his hand pointing towards the darkness.

    Brendel nodded and headed for the tunnel¡¯s exit. There was glowing light and he became was slightly mystified. Did the material he was thinking about really grow here?

    When he finally left the exit and came to arger opening, he opened his mouth slightly and was instantly spellbound. Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to describe him as being struck by a petrification spell.

    Dazzling glowing lights filled his eyes. It was a crystal mine.

    And it was a crystal mine that he could not see an end to.

    ========= Ciel¡¯s POV =========

    It seemed like Brendel urately predicted his enemy¡¯s actions. The south of Trentheim waspletely peaceful ever since he left for the Dark Forest for a week, and there were no signs of a future battle happening.

    However, the north of Trentheim was experiencing things differently. Tagiv and his n members seemed like they had be addicted to their raids, and harassed Lord Ps¡¯s men even more than before. Even though they were sometimes ambushed by thetter, the armies of Lord Ps were incredibly worn out by them.

    While these men were busy dealing with Tagiv¡¯s tribe, Firburh was considerably free of such hassles.

    Romaine checked the ounts one more time before she became bored. Just like how Brendel had predicted, she was remarkably disciplined and subdued, except that she went to a certain bar and sat in there in the afternoon till it was sunset. Based on her exnation, it was a ce where Brendel often went and she wanted to take his ce.

    Everyone closed an eye when she did that; it was good enough as long as she did not break the city down.

    Bosley did not care if she tore the city apart as long as his workshop was safe. He sat on the balcony of a building near it and was taking out his pipe to smoke. However, no matter how much he tried to light it up, none of the sparks went into the pipe.

    When two or three sparks finallynded in the pipe, they went out. It was an unnatural event¡ª

    He raised his head and indeed discovered Ciel wearing a light purple robe and grinning from a short distance away. He grumbled andined under his breath:

    ¡°This damned wizard!¡±

    But he did not dare to utter his words out loud. He could argue with Brendel, but wizards were mysterious people. Who knew if they cursed people in their sleep if they got insulted?

    Bosley raised his head up and sighed: ¡°Very well, Lord Ciel, what matter do you have toe and look for these old bones? Or did youe here to make fun of a pitiful man like me?¡±

    ¡°No, no, of course not, I¡¯m here to discuss something with you,¡± Ciel shook his head hastily.

    ¡°What matter is it?¡±

    ¡°My lord has given me an order.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Bosley knew that the young wizard might have a way to contact the young lord.

    ¡°I am talking about¡ª¡± Ciel thought for a while, before deciding on a gentler tone to describe the chain of events, otherwise the old man might be shocked to his death: ¡°Grandmaster Bosley, what do you think of the possibility of creating a path to the Dark Forest?¡±

    ¡°Opening a path?¡± Bosley looked puzzled at him for a while: ¡°Ah, I understand, you want to get some resources from the Dark Forest, right? That¡¯s a little troublesome. Even if you invest in it there might not be an ie, there¡¯s nothing good in the Dark Forest, and maintaining such a road would cost a lot...... I¡¯m afraid that even Trentheim cannot afford it.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s an order that must be aplished even with deaths?¡±

    ¡°Has he gone crazy!¡± Bosley suddenly paused as he realized the Grandmaster Wizard in front of him was Brendel¡¯s squire and he quickly changed his tone: ¡°That would depend on how deep the road is. I believe a day or two¡¯s journey should not be a big problem.¡±

    ¡°My lord says that he needs a safe path up to the distance of a week¡¯s journey.¡±

    ¡°Impossible!¡± Bosley nearly jumped up.

 volume 3 - 118

    Chapter 118 ¨C The end of the flourishing flowers

    Even though Bosley imed that the materials in the Dark were not useful, he knew it was simply untrue. He did not have much knowledge in paving a road, but he understood the Dark Forest very well and knew that it was too dangerous, despite the materials¡¯ usefulness to his work.

    ¡°That would certainly be quite troubling.¡± Ciel shook his head as he spoke.

    ¡°What are you not saying?¡± Bosley suddenly felt the wizard was insinuating something.

    ¡°My lord..... He found a Greater Mana crystal mine in a tunnel that used to be a river...... But based on your words, Grandmaster Bosley, it¡¯s impossible to make it ours.¡±

    ¡°A Mana Crystal Mine!¡± The old man really jumped up this time: ¡°Are you serious!¡±

    ¡°No, I mean to say it¡¯s a Greater Mana crystal mine,¡± Ciel hurriedly corrected him: ¡°But based on my lord¡¯s observation, there might be Starmetal and Cold Iron, with the possibility of other types of minerals.¡±

    ¡°An iron mine......¡± Bosley¡¯s voice was cracking.

    ¡°Yes, iron too, I suppose, but you¡¯re forgetting the Star Metal and Cold Iron.¡±

    ¡°H-how big is it?¡±

    ¡°My lord isn¡¯t sure. They spend two days searching through the mines, but they are still unable to reach the end. Since there isn¡¯t much time to spare, he could only map how big the area is in the future.¡±

    ¡°Two days, and they still could not reach the end?¡± Bosley felt it was difficult to breathe. There were three Gold-ranked fighters in his group, and they still could not reach the end? Just how big were the mines?

    He suddenly thought of another thing, and he paled: ¡°Is it an open quarry?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s underground.¡±

    Bosley sighed with relief and felt it was a slight pity: ¡°I thought you meant that they explored out in the open for two days and could not reach the end of the mining area. Mining is a professional job. You mean to say that our lord is mining in the ce for two days and could not reach the end of the mining area?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no,¡± Ciel shook his head: ¡°it¡¯s difficult to describe it, but it¡¯s not wrong to describe it as a quarry. The underground cave they are exploring right now used to be a river, and the area ispletely filled with minerals.¡±

    ¡°Is that truly so!¡±

    Bosley¡¯s hand opened up and the pipe that had apanied him for years dropped off from the balcony, shattering into pieces.

    But he did not mind it at all and grabbed Ciel¡¯s cor without caring that he was a wizard, shouting: ¡°You¡¯re saying there¡¯s a mining area that no one knows how big it is, has a Greater Mana Crystal mine, as well asrge quantities of rare metal for us to mine?¡±

    ¡°Shhhh, lower your voice, lower it.¡± Ciel hurriedly put a finger up his lips: ¡°Surely you don¡¯t want this secret to be leaked out to Count Randner right?¡±

    Bosley felt a cold dread and looked at his surroundings cautiously, but he immediately turned back at Ciel: ¡°Are you serious? That¡¯s wonderful, the White Lion Armor won¡¯t be a problem anymore!¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Ciel pretended to look like he did not understand: ¡°Grandmaster Bosley, the ce is quite the far distance away from Firburh. Based on your words, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s going to take a long while before we can mine that area.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Bosley patted his chest with bloodshot eyes, gritting his teeth: ¡°Leave it to me, even if these old bones fall apart on this matter, I will make it a sess! Marsha above, a mining area that¡¯s already open for us!¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do at all, Grandmaster Bosley, if anything happens to you Lord Brendel would have my head, especially if he knows I agreed.¡±

    Bosley stared at him with a scoff: ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t worry about it. I won¡¯t do it alone and I can¡¯t do it alone too. I¡¯ll get my students to help me out, but this will take time.¡±

    He apparently put in a great amount of determination to make use of his connections. The mining area was certainly a fatal attraction to a master cksmith like him.

    ¡°We can start by getting people to harvest some Mana crystals first. These things are worth much morepared to silver. It would be easy if we have money.¡±

    Grandmaster Bosley suddenly red at Ciel from the corner of his eyes: ¡°Hold on, did you set me up from the start?¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Ciel feigned surprise and had an innocent voice: ¡°Of course not. I think that it¡¯s a good idea but if you didn¡¯t agree, I was thinking of getting the Subterrane Dwellers to help out, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m not sure if Tagiv is willing to help out.¡±

    Bosley looked suspiciously at the fellow before him, increasingly believing that the damned wizard had dug a trap and let him jump into it all by himself. The fact that he would get his students involved now made him feel like he was going to faint, because he recalled to a certain moment where he refused to get them involved to help Brendel,

    Ciel did not notice Bosley¡¯s regretful looks. He was busy thinking about how he could get Tagiv to hand over more of his men to handle this task. It was not going to be easy to fulfill this order that his lord gave him.

    Creating a road to the Dark Forest.

    It was a major effort which Aouine had not done for centuries.

    =========== Brendel¡¯s POV ============

    While Bosley and Ciel were determined to carve a road by first getting the Subterrane Dwellers to reach the Dark Forest, Brendel and his men continued their adventure without stopping.

    Based on the calendar, December was the month that represented potential. Astrologists believed that babies born in this month would possess great potential, but in the witches¡¯ ancient prophecies, the word ¡®potential¡¯ referred to powers that were asleep.

    The final month of the year was also the definition of waking up; It was lighting up the Fire of wisdom in the darkness and an allusion to the civilization¡¯s mes. It was the month that bid farewell to the year.

    In most of the historic doctrines of the various religious groups, this was thergest festival for the next year. The people would celebrate it, and the duration wouldst for seven days. However, for a flourishing city like Ampere Seale, the celebration would extend for two months.

    Brendel and his group certainly did not have much of a festive mood within the dark Wilderness, but Fern who went on adventurers most of her life, acted as the leader behind the scenes and distributed a small ginger biscuit to everyone every day, including Ropar and his men to celebrate the final month.

    The journey to reach the Loop of Trade Winds¡¯s outer area finally ended during midnight. The youths gathered around the campfire and sang their hometown folksongs, and their lyrics described the yearning for past memories, as well as moving forward towards the future.

    The songs reached everyone¡¯s hearts, and the difficulty of traveling in the Dark Forest was turned into memories as the campfire¡¯s smoke rose up to the ck skies.

    The youths felt themselves maturing in this journey.

    The ginger biscuits were distributed to everyone again, and Brendel passed his own to Dia. The younger Wild Elf sister seemed very fond of it. It was not a local delicacy in the Lopes region, and she ate it with relish with crumbs still sticking to her lips. She smiled sweetly at Brendel as she held on to his biscuit in her other hand.

    ¡°It seems like Dia is more fond of me,¡± Brendel said to Fern who was standing behind him, who merely looked at her younger sister without responding.

    She also reserved her own ginger biscuit to give it to her younger sister. Even though she was strict, she did look out for her.

    ¡°Fern wouldn¡¯t care to pick a fight with you.¡± Amandina also handed her biscuit over to Dia, smiling while she spoke. They were in a clearing where they could see the sky, and she felt her rxed, which was a rare asion. It was thest day of the year, and the events that happened were so numerous that she could not remember all of them.

    This was the Year of the Bustling Flowers and Summer Leaves.

    Dia kept her biscuits in a pouch. There was already a small bundle, and she looked at them with shiny eyes.

    Scarlett who was leaning against a tree branch looked at the biscuit in her hand, thought for a moment, and went over to ce it in Dia¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Thank you, Scarlett.¡± Dia said sweetly.

    The red-haired girl patted her head in response.

    Brendel did not reply to Amandina, or mind Fern¡¯s taciturn attitude and simply smiled. He looked up at the night sky for a moment. There was no wind and the leaves did not rustle. The environment waspletely quiet save for the singing.

    The brightest star was said to be Marsha¡¯s, and he looked at it as the year passed by. He would always remember how he came to this world in April and saw the same starry sky in Be. The events that happened made him recall all the people that he encountered. They came and went in his mind, but the people of Be stayed in his mind.

    [The next year will be the Year of the Swords. The uing bloody civil war will soon feel the effects of the Great Mana Wave. It¡¯s not as chaotic as the future wars or the cause of Aouine¡¯s demise, but this kingdom¡¯s foundations will start to shake.]

    The path of the stars changed and showed signs of swords. Thus the astrologists named the year as Year of the Swords, and heroes were born as if to answer this destiny.

    Swords represented conquest.

    They were murderous weapons that caused people to bleed.

    It was the year where Aouine¡¯s tumultuous civil war started, and the year where gamers wrote their own legends.

    [This is the year that decides the future of Aouine. The time is near. Aouine either regains its former glory or continue down its original path to the abyss.]

    The young lord stood up and went over to look at the Loop of Trade Winds beneath him.

    Thendscape caused the cirction of the winds to form a massive loop, entering from the southern forest of Mountain Karanjar, then passing through the inds until it went up to build a wall of clouds. It was as if an ancient beast was lying right before him.

 volume 3 - 119

    Chapter 119 ¨C Loop of Trade Wind (1)

    =========== Aouine Military officer Nordas¡¯s POV =========

    Nordas had a dream. He was surrounded by waves of undead in the endless Wilderness. The skeletons were dark yellow in color, with fiery eyes burning in their sockets, charging straight at him from the darkness.

    His allies fell one by one, his camp struck full of arrows, and there were corpses everywhere when he looked around. Aouine¡¯s battle g was split in the middle as though it was bowed in defeat, not even moving a little.

    Heaven and Earth seemed to swallow him whole till thest moment¡ª

    And he woke up from his dream. He yelled loudly and sat upright on a soft reed bed. The early morning within the Dark Forest brought about a hint of coldness, but when he felt his back he realized it was full of perspiration and his pallid forehead was full of thin sweat beads.

    He gasped for a while before he finally gained hisposure, raised his head to find a ray of morning light streaming through the small room¡¯s window¡ª

    No, the room was the hollow interior of a giant tree, and the window was carved out by removing its bark.

    The room¡¯s furniture was very simple and mostly made out of wood. In fact, several of them were carved out of the tree with several vines hanging down above.

    Nordas clutched his forehead, realizing that he was no longer on that battlefield. He was rescued by strange men and sent to this ce. It had been several months, but he still had these nightmares.

    He took in a deep breath and stood up shakily, before realizing there were boisterous noises outside the room. He was puzzled as the vige had always been quiet.

    [Did something happen? Or has the Festival of Revival started?]

    Nordas walked towards the window and cast a curious gaze outside¡ª

    ========== Brendel¡¯s POV ============

    The Druids built a setThe Great Elder weighed Brendel¡¯s words without speaking. Valha was an ancient legend in the Loop of Trade Winds where warriors spent their eternal rest. It also contained one of the primeval Fire Seeds. As long as the Fire Seed was lit up, the Laws of the Karanjar¡¯sndscape would be rebuilt, and be a blessednd that was likely to be as wide as the Kirrlutz empire.

    The ckthorn¡¯s Druids guarded this secret for generations. They also wanted to enter the Loop of Trade Winds to discover the truth behind the strange wind currents.

    Valha was like a legend, there were signs of it appearing and disappearing, but the countless Druids that went into the Karanjar mountains was unable to find anything. The only thing that they found thus far was the ruins located in the center of the Loop of Trade Winds.

    However, the Great Elder knew clearly that Andellu and the other Druids discovered only the outer sections of the ruins. Entering the center of the ruins meant that they had to brave the violent tempest.

    No one was able to enter it.

    ¡°Brendel, I believe that Grey Raven has already informed you of the changes in the Loop of Trade Winds?¡±

    The youth nodded. The change in the Loop of Trade Winds came from the Mana Wave¡¯s ebbing flow. It had possibly gone longer than just a few days.

    ¡°He has downyed the truth; the troubles that we encountered are far greater than we told you.¡± The Grand Elder exined.

    Brendel observed the eighteen Druids in the hall silently. All the high ranking Druids in this region were present. If they had to seek an outsider for help, their troubles were certainly much bigger than he thought.

    However, he did not take advantage of the situation and quietly waited with a nod. His humble attitude made the Great Elder believe he could be trusted.

    ¡°The Loop of Trade Winds originates from the Karanjar¡¯s eastern penins, loops around the mountain, and is the most spectacr natural sight. The white clouds would form a wall that extends to the southern Aouine. Even Trentheim and ada would be able to witness it.¡±

    ¡°, Grandmaster Tulman¡¯s work¡ª¡± Brendel was slightly surprised upon hearing that excerpt.

    He had the impression that the Druids did not know about the worldly affairs, but they were knowledgeable about them after all. People merely did not know about this fact.

    The Great Elder nodded: ¡°You are well read. The Circle of Skies is a loose group and the Druids in it act on various tasks. They have observed the Dark Forest for a very long time. As for us, the council of ckthorn, we have guarded the secret of the Loop of Trade Winds for generations.¡±

    He looked past the trees¡¯ crowns and stared at the wall of white clouds that reached tens of thousands meters long. It extended endlessly while birds flew below it like ck dots.

    ¡°The patch of Dark Forest located in Trentheim¡¯s south has always been touted as ¡®The Wilderness closest to civilization¡¯. Trentheim rarely receives the invasion of monsters, and it is equally rare to see a monster straying at the forest¡¯s edge.¡±

    Brendel agreed with the assessment. The gamers would not enter the Dark Forest if it was overly aggressive and excessively difficult. They would not have been able to enter the heart of the Karanjar mountains as well.

    ¡°The reason for that stability is due to the Laws of the Loop of Trade Winds, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    The Druids were shocked when Brendel stated his conclusion.

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    Brendel ignored their shock: ¡°It¡¯s been a month since we entered the Dark Forest. There were two lightning storms, a day of snow, elven sunny days, three days of extreme heat, and the rest were cloudy days. There was a week where there were less than six hours of sun, while there was a day with no night. These supernatural events happen more when one goes further into the Dark Forest...... And yet in this illogical Wilderness, there¡¯s a wind that¡¯s unchanging and reaches the Karanjar Penins the entire year, bringing along sufficient rainwater as well. Doesn¡¯t it mean there are hidden Laws?¡±

    The Great Elder¡¯s staff dropped onto the ground with a tter, but he did not bend his waist to pick it up and merely stared at Brendel with aplicated expression: ¡°...... You, do understand this ce very well.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, as you have guessed,¡± the Elder stopped for a moment before he continued: ¡°We discovered that the Laws from the Loop of Trade Winds stabilizes the Dark Forest, but the situation has changed recently.¡±

    ¡°What exactly are the changes?¡±

    ¡°We used to be able to enter the Loop of Trade Winds, but it has be dangerous. There is strong activity of monsters lurking everywhere in the forest, and the Ancient Trees are not giving us any directions...... And in that location...... that location......¡±

    The Grand Elder was struggling to find an appropriate description:

    ¡°Seems to be shrouded in a huge fog. One cannot see or hear anything. The people who went outside the settlement were attacked and became injured, but fortunately, there are no deaths.¡±

    ¡°I see, so this is why you are afraid that it¡¯s a sign. The Laws around the Loop of Trade Winds are weakening slowly, and once that happens, the stability of the Karanjar Penins would be gone. The rampaging mana from the Mana Waves would sweep across the entire area, and even Trentheim would be affected. The Druids¡¯ work throughout the ages would be destroyed.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s words went straight to the point. The Great Elder¡¯s expression was grave and he nodded.

    The current Aouine had no ability to handle the creatures in the south. Once the change happens to the Karanjar Penins, the entire Trentheim, and perhaps even the Randner region would be turned into Wilderness.

    Brendelpared the possibility against his memories in the game: ¡°Indeed, your hypothesis isn¡¯t wrong. But this problem isn¡¯t without a solution.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a solution?¡± Andellu blurted. The Elders trieding up with solutions for half a month without sess, and the youth had one when the information was just ryed to him?

    [I-Is he lying?]

    ¡°I¡¯m the one who finds it strange. If you know about the Mana Wave, why wouldn¡¯t you know about the link between the two?¡±

    The Great Elder was surprised: ¡°You mean to say that the Laws of the Loop of the Trade Winds are weakened by the Mana Wave?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious that there¡¯s a pattern where the Laws weaken when the Mana Wavese?¡±

    ¡°Hold on! The Mana Waves only happened in thest century, and even during the Month of the Demonic Moon where the Mana is strongest, there has never been an event like this!¡±

    Brendel finally realized what the problem was: ¡°Ah, I take it that you don¡¯t know what the Waves of Cmity are?¡±

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°Multiple Mana Waves that happen approximately every thousand years. The previous Waves of Cmity happened in the Era of Chaos, and it¡¯s going to happen again soon. The Loop of Trade Winds is currently affected by it.¡±

    The Druids¡¯ expressions changed. Monsters became more aggressive during heightened concentrations of Mana. What would happen if an incredible burst of Mana surged over the region?

    ¡°Did you say multiple?! I remembered that you have spoken of that term before, but we equated it with a single Mana Wave. Is it possible that the term is chosen because of multiple Mana Waves happening all at once? What a blunder, I didn¡¯t think that it would be so serious!¡±

    [This is indeed serious. There are no gamers here to handle this event.]

    Brendel nced at Andellu: ¡°Have you not contacted the other members of your Circle? I¡¯m sure there is a headquarters located in your Holy Land. Wouldn¡¯t they keep the doctrines of the past centuries? Is there truly no one who knew about the Waves of Cmity?¡±

    The Great Elder wondered if the youth had some kind of ties with the Druids; thetter knew too much about the Druids:

    ¡°Allow me to exin. For the Druids tomunicate with each other, we would rely on the wind to pass on messages. We would require at least a season to send and receive a reply. Furthermore, the next season is Spring, the season of the Goddess Nia. When we receive our reply, it would be summer.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Brendel nodded, ¡°then let us get back to the topic of solving this issue. I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t wait until summer.¡±

    ¡°Do you have a solution, Lord Brendel?¡± The Great Elder changed his tone, causing the youth to scratch his head when he heard the usage of his title again.

    ¡°The single solution that I know of, is to ensure the Laws don¡¯t change even if the Waves of Cmity happen.¡±

    ¡°You mean......?¡±

    ¡°Valha.¡±

    tlement outside the Loop of Trade Winds called The Green Tower. It was somewhat of a city since as there were thousands of people. There was arge amount of Centaurs, Tree Elves, and a small number of Senia.

    The Druids spent a long time living with other races. They had nted a type of ancient tree that grew exceedingly quick, and resided within the branches of magical giant trees.

    The settlement was built upon these gigantic trees some thirty meters above the ground, and it was connected by countless vine bridges reinforced by Mana. They were interwoven together to make them sturdier than stone bridges, and wooden nks were ced on top to make them t.

    The druids lived a simple life despite the creation of the unique city, but the centaurs loved a vibrant city, and decorated the bridges withmps and crystal lights, causing it to seem like it was aze even in the night.

    The settlement also had different levels, a ce to allow the Druids to gather, as well as nests for the Giant Eagles.

    The Druids and the Giant Eagles had been allies for centuries and treated each other as partners.

    Brendel followed the Grand Druid Grey Raven and slowly went up the Vine bridges. It was at that moment where he saw therge flying beasts dancing in the air. The crowns of the giant trees were like their clouds as the eagles passed through the green canopies.

    The centaurs that passed by Brendel wore shiny armor and wearing Sentinel Helmets. They had lived together with the Druids for a considerably long time too. They were a race that lived forbat, and their physical feats were even stronger than the Subterrane Dwellers.

    But in the Dark Forest, they had to rely on the Druids to survive.

    Drayds, Senians, Furbolg, Pegasi, and Unicorns also lived within the settlement. As long as they worshipped the Goddess Nia, they would be the Druids¡¯ guests. (TL: Senia = lycanthropes, Fulborg = bear monster)

    But the Druids were not in charge of the city¡¯s daily operations. The leader of the centaurs, Zegnar, was in charge of the Green Tower¡¯s defenses, while the daily operations were managed by a council consisting of a Tree Elf, Senian, and Furbolg.

    The Druids lived in the upper level, and they had their own council, ckthorn, to handle their internal affairs. Their main task was to observe the Loop of Trade Winds, as well as the Dark Forest¡¯s movements.

    The Druids¡¯ residence was much simplerpared to the town area. The Grand Druids created a courtyard where it was centered around six different trees, and there were six different branches leading out to six different halls. The center of the courtyard had a statue of the Goddess Nia, while the west hall from the courtyard was the location of ckthorn.

    Two Elder Treants, the size of approximately six meters tall, held up their upper bodies with their hands while sleeping. They seemed to be the hall¡¯s guards but did not fulfill their responsibilities. However, when Brendel approached them, the left Treant opened an eye to peek at the Grand Druid Grey Raven, before closing it again.

    The other Treant snored, its voice long and rustling as though it was a song from the ancient forest.

    Grey Raven nodded at the Treants before he turned back and spoke to Brendel and his followers: ¡°Please follow me into the hall.¡±

    The youths under Brendel had been allocated in the settlement, and there were Tree Elves who were fond of guests to entertain them. Kodan and Ropar were there to keep these energetic men in check.

    The people behind Brendel currently were Amandina and Scarlett. They had never seen such a unique ce, and even Amandina who controlled her emotions well nced around curiously.

    The ckthorn¡¯s hall did not have any difference with their normal architecture. It was simple and crafted from nature. Other than a few statues of the Ancestral Druids and Divine Beasts, there was no additional decoration.

    The pirs looked exposed in the strong winds as the gigantic tree branches had been dug hollow and its bark removed, but the Ancient Trees¡¯ vitality was very robust and their growth was not affected; the pirs extended upwards to grow into new tree branches and leaves.

    Brendel looked at the people standing in a circle in the great hall waiting for him.

    Andellu was the first Elder Druid that he saw. There was a total of seventeen Druids, including a few elderly men. However, Brendel sensed two Druids who were like the Grey Raven.

    [Three Grand Druids, including Andellu. They certainly think highly of me.]

    He could not help but think that when he realized this fact, but his thoughts were quickly interrupted by a small figure rushing out from the side room, her long green hair swaying behind her and she jumped straight into his arms.

    ¡°Brother Brendel!¡± Sifrid buried her head against his chest and called his name in delight.

    As the person chosen by the Goddess Nia, she had foreseen that he was going to leave Firburh to reach this ce one day. After a month¡¯s worth of waiting, she finally got to meet him.

    Brendel had to take a moment before he recognized the little girl. Sifrid had grown a little taller and the color of her face had be rosy.

    [The Druids must have treated her well.]

    Unfortunately, that was a misunderstanding. The Druids did not know how to take care of people, and they left Sifrid¡¯s livelihood to be taken care by the Tree Elves. Since it was the request of the Grand Druids, the Tree Elves who were friendly by nature made doubly sure that her needs were taken care of.

    ¡°I like people who keep their promises. I¡¯m satisfied that you didn¡¯t lie to me.¡± Brendel patted Sifrid¡¯s head and nodded to the Druids.

    Sifrid understood that Brendel was here for official business, so she received her head pats and stood to one side. Amandina took Sifrid¡¯s hand and smiled at her, and she received a sweet smile in return.

    ¡°Lord Brendel,¡± One of the Grand Druids spoke; he was the eldest amongst all the seventeen Druids.

    He was leaning on a staff and wore a robe that was woven from long tree leaves. His hair and eyebrows were greyish-white, and the severe wrinkles cut deeply on his face, but there was a pair of sharp eyes that were full of spirit.

    ¡°Great Elder,¡± Brendel interrupted him politely, ¡°although I¡¯m a noble of Aouine, there is no meaning to that title once I leave the humans. There is no need to call me lord. You are the elder here and I¡¯m much younger, so please call me Brendel.¡±

    The Great Elder paused momentarily and his expressions softened as he nodded. But Andellu stood out after observing for a while.

    ¡°Lord Brendel, I think it¡¯s best that I ry the questions.¡±

    Brendel nodded as he knew that the Druids wanted to return the respect, and did not object.

    ¡°The Great Elder wants to know how much truth there is when you im that you know the Druids¡¯ ancient Magic, as well as the secrets in the Dark Forest.¡±

    [My, my, these Druids really don¡¯t know how to interact with the guests. Instead of weing us and letting us have seats with some refreshments, you¡¯re going straight to business? It feels like you don¡¯t care about the guests at all. Though it¡¯s not to say I dislike this style. Having to stay here for three days and only discussing things after banquets, I probably won¡¯t be able to enter the Loop of Trade Winds if I don¡¯t spend half a month on pleasantries.]

    He did not have time to waste.

    ¡°...... I know a little about your Ancient Magic, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I understand it, let alone being familiar with it. As for the Dark Forest, I do know a fair number of secrets.¡±

    ¡°Then is the ruins in the Dark Forest truly Valha?¡± A tall Druid asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Brendel nced at him, recognizing him as a Druid from the Circle of Beasts: ¡°I said that Valha is in the Loop of Trade Winds. I am not certain if the ruins that you found are truly one and the same. Perhaps the ruins are merely ruins that are close to Valha.¡±

    The Great Elder nodded. Brendel did not exaggerate or make a conclusion easily. This made him feel that the youth could be believed a little. But he did not make speak and only exchanged nces with the other Druids.

 volume 3 - 120

    Chapter 120 ¨C The Green Tower¡¯s market

    ============== Nordas¡¯s POV ==============

    The Tree Elves chanced upon the pale human who rarely left his abodee outside, and they greeted him warmly and curiously:

    ¡°A good day to you, Nordas.¡±

    ¡°Today¡¯s weather is quite good, you should take a walk!¡±

    The women chattered next to his ears, causing him to feel a little overwhelmed. If it were in the past, he would have felt overjoyed when these many pretty Elven girls surrounded him and spoke him with a smile, but now he only felt that everything was unfamiliar to him.

    The rays from the sun that pierced through the shade seemed to be especially ring, and the young officer could not help but raise his hand to block them. Locking himself up in his house for a long duration had seemed to cause him to be unable to adjust to the outside environment.

    ¡°What is it, do you feel unwell?¡± A young female Tree Elf girl with concern.

    ¡°No,¡± he shook his head and forced a smile.

    He looked at the settlement below him. The Tree Elves had allocated him an area that was in the north-eastern direction. There was a t tform which had several rooms built and the elves resided in there too. It was in between three Ancient Trees, and the environment was quite pleasing.

    Everyone was friendly with him, but Nordas always felt distant from them and felt that he did not belong there.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He stared at the settlement below for a while. ¡°Why is it so noisy?¡±

    ¡°I heard there are many outsiders who hade in.¡±

    ¡°Outsiders?¡±

    ¡°Humans, like you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but there are also Lizardmen.¡± The Tree Elves chatted amongst themselves again.

    ¡°Do you want toe along with us, Nordas?¡± Someone suggested.

    The youth was a little interested, but one of the Elven guards came down and saw the youth. Her alluring voice came after a slight pause: ¡°Nordas, you finally came out?¡±

    ¡°Lady Calina,¡± Nordas recognized her as she was the one who showed him his room: ¡°I heard that there are outsiders who came in?¡±

    ¡°Yes, quite a few. Why, do you still want to leave? But there usually isn¡¯t anyone who would leave the Green Tower. The Druid Elders do asionally go out to the outside world, but they won¡¯t bring y¡ª¡±

    She suddenly realized something: ¡°I understand, you want to see if those outsiders are yourpanions, right?¡±

    Nordas nodded.

    ¡°I heard it¡¯s a human lord.¡±

    ¡°A human lord?¡± Nordas felt it was strange and asked: ¡°Why would hee here? Don¡¯t the Druids avoid contact with the humans?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Calina shook her head: ¡°but it seems they are the Elders¡¯ guests. There are a few kingdoms. Kirrlutz, Galbu, oh, and your fellow countrymen from Aouine.¡±

    ¡°Aouine?¡± Nordas¡¯s eyes widened in shock, and he was suddenly excited: ¡°Calina, is it possible for you to help me with a favor?¡±

    ¡°I know, you want me to bring you to them, right?¡±

    The youth smiled with embarrassment.

    ¡°But what¡¯s so good about the outside world,¡± the Elven guard shook her head and sighed: ¡°very well,e with me.¡±

    ¡°Nordas, are you leaving?¡± One of the Tree Elves asked.

    He nodded as he could only think about his wife who might be waiting for him.

    ================= Brendel¡¯s POV ================

    Brendel had just finished discussing with the Elder Druids. In order to resolve the troubles of the Loop of Trade Winds, the best way would be to find where the Fire Seed was kept in Valha. ording to legend, once the Fire Seed was lit, the Dark Forest would gradually be a protectednd, and everything would be solved.

    However, he still needed to wait for three more days, due to a need to investigate the area again as the earlier scouts had been attacked. ording to the descriptions from the Druids, he suspected that it was a rare monster that attacked the Druids.

    Even though he had fought against it a few times, he remembered the unique attacking patterns.

    His thoughts were suddenly broken by Amandina¡¯s sigh:

    ¡°That¡¯s beautiful.¡±

    Brendel turned around and saw her looking at an Elf ying a flute near a bridge. The music rhythm was elegant and beautiful, easily drawing one in, and it made them wonder if the tune was about a tale or a location.

    The Green Tower in the game was known for its beautiful environments. The wall of clouds served as their background, build in the middle of the sky. The settlement was a city built on trees, linked by vine bridges and suffused with a taste of fantasy.

    Ever since Brendel left the meeting in the ckthorn¡¯s hall, he promised Amandina and Scarlett to take a stroll in this strange city. Amandina was incredibly excited on this day, and he rarely saw her so happy.

    The three hade to a market called ¡®The Centaur¡¯s hooves¡¯ in the city. The market was suspended in mid-air. It was a structurepletely made out of wood and there were three sections.

    The four corners of the market were linked by vine bridges, but the market itself was suspended in the air by magic.

    There were quite a number of Tree Elves, but the main upants were still centaurs. There were various clothes, essories, strange nts and fruits, magic materials, unique minerals, and a few artifacts containing magic.

    The Dark Forest had an abundance of materials, which was why there were many varied goods in the market. The currency was not limited to gold and silver, but also an exchange of goods.

    In truth, Gold and silver were also considered as a type of material.

    Brendel, Amandina, Sifrid, and Scarlett gathered at the third level. There was an ongoing fight¡ª The centaurs were hotheaded and frequently fought with each other, but there were a dedicated dueling grounds to allow them to vent their anger. The Tree Elves asionally had an archerypetition, but Brendel and the others did not have the luck to witness one.

    After watching the centaurs¡¯ duel, they went to a bar that was run by a Tree Elf and sampled a special wine made from flower nectar. It tasted like a flower wine, but the aftereffects were powerful, and Brendel realized he made a mistake. Amandina and Scarlett were not great at drinking, and they cheeks were red after drinking a small mouthful.

    Brendel hurriedly stopped them. There would be trouble if they get drunk in the bar because they could not hold their liquor.

    But Amandina looked like she still wanted to stay in the bar. She got to hear about a tree that produced gems which looked like emeralds, but the transparency was greater. The best part about it was that it was inexpensive.

    She was moved in an instant, and she started to pester Brendel to bring them over to the shops with the aid of the alcohol.

    The youth shook his head when he saw her make a tantrum with a red face. The calm and intelligent noble girl had such a terrible resistance to alcohol. But the suggestion had also made him feel like he had been persuaded to check it out, and he knew that he could not resist it.

    [It seems like the women in this world also have no resistant towards shiny things. I¡¯m sure people in this world said that they resemble dragons in this aspect.]

    It was wise of him to bring out a few Mana Crystals out from the mine. Although these crystals were considered not the best crystals out there, they were easily able to exchange for arge number of essories made with the trees¡¯ gems.

    When he presented a small piece of Mana me Agate before the centaur shopkeeper, thetter knew that there was a big spender in front of him.

    The tree gems would not sell for much, so the Centaur tried to inquire subtly whether the human lord needed magical artifacts, while presenting the essories that he made on his own.

    Brendel found it a little hrious. While he did know that he could buy many genuine magical materials in the shop, it was rare to find anything worthwhile. Beguiling a bunch of newbies would be possible for the shopkeeper, but a veteran like him would never fall for his tricks.

    ¡°Brendel, just let him take them out,¡± Amandina squinted with a red face and said in a small voice: ¡°a-and let us take a look whether he makes them better than you.¡±

    Brendel found she was quite adorable acting this way, so he nodded: ¡°Alright, let us take a look.¡±

    The white centaur immediately showed a delighted expression, if he was able to sell one or two magic items, then there would be no need to sell anything else for the whole month.

    He took out a pair of rings in a mystifying manner and said to Brendel: ¡°My good man, these are rings I bought from a witch. The rumor has it that they are imbued with the magic of love. If your twopanions wear them, they would love you for all eternity without changing their hearts.¡±

    ¡°W-what rubbish is this!¡± Amandina cupped Sifrid¡¯s both ears, and spoke to the centaur in an upset tone: ¡°Take them away, he wouldn¡¯t buy these despicable objects!¡±

    Brendel shook his head with a smile.

    [These rings are merely imbued with the ¡®charm¡¯ magic. If these rings were imed to be imbued with the magic of love, wouldn¡¯t it mean that my ring is the divine artifact of the Wind E¡ª Huh. The Ring of the Wind Empress on my hand is the real deal. Though there are multiple copies of it.]

    He coughed once and shook his head: ¡°If you only have these things, I think it will be fine if we just buy a few essories with the tree gems.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, please wait,¡± the centaur immediately tried to halt them: ¡°I do have something good right now, I¡¯m sure you would be pleased, human lord, you wouldn¡¯t be able to buy it anywhere else.¡±

    Brendel was slightly surprised: ¡°Do you know me?¡±

    The centaur gave a mysteriousugh: ¡°Respectfully, human lord, I¡¯ve conducted business for decades. I do believe I know most of the people in the Green Tower, and I¡¯ve seen quite a few human lords too.¡±

    ¡°I see, business must be difficult.¡±

    The centaur immediately had the word awkward written on his face. He knew the truth about the rings was definitely seen through by him. He could only smile bravely: ¡°I promise you, human lord, that it wouldn¡¯t be of terrible quality this time.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°I truly bought this thing from a witch and she was an outsider, just like you who havee here.¡± The centaur said as he brought out a box.

    There was a rock fragment in the shape of a shield in the box, and Brendel¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he saw it.

    The Rock Key.

    Legend stated that it opened the doors between the continent and another dimension filled with the Earth Element.

    In the game, its other use was to activate a city that was built in the Wilderness. It was simr to a Fire Seed. The Fire Seed represented the Laws of Order, while the Rock Key created the fundamental Elements.

    This was how Mother Marsha formed the world and gave birth to its shape. The Laws bound the Mana, while the Elements established the structure.

    It was quite valuable in the game, and there were times where there simply were no stock to meet the demand. It was also a core item used in a high-level quest that involved any Earth Element powers.

    For example, the Sword of Earth, Halran Gaia, had such a quest to upgrade it.

    [Even if one tried searching for it, their shoes would be torn to shreds without ever catching a glimpse of it. Obtaining this item is based on ridiculous luck, not effort.]

    The corner of Brendel¡¯s eyes jolted once when he the shield-like rock piece.

    ¡°Boy, your luck is pretty good¡ª¡± Orthlyss seemed to have felt Brendel¡¯s rush of emotions and woke up from her slumber.

    He nodded, but there was no change in his expression, asking: ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°The Rock Key. Legend states that it can connect our world to another world¡¯s tunnel¡ª¡± The centaur shopkeeper replied.

    Brendel interrupted him with feigned irritation: ¡°Another world? What does that world have?¡±

    ¡°Erm.......¡± The centaur was immediately at a loss for words. He had epted the transaction when the witch told this rumor to him. That damned old woman even took away one of the best tree gems that he had.

    ¡°I think it leads to a ne where it¡¯s rted to the Earth Element?¡± He considered the terms that can be used to exin another world.

    ¡°A ne of the Earth Element?¡± Brendel acted like he did not understand and his face waspletely innocent: ¡°Why would I want to go there?¡±

    ¡°Boy,¡± Orthlyss could not help but shake her head: ¡°Your ability to bluff is as good as Eirnnt. She would be very fond of you if she were to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Eirnnt, you say?¡± Brendel asked inwardly. (TL: Okay, even I don¡¯t remember who¡¯s this character.)

    ¡°Yes, we.....¡± Orthlyss suddenly coughed and corrected herself: ¡°Gatel, Farnezain, and Sanorso, as well as Eirnnt who was the oldest, well, they went on adventures when they were young, and it was also mostly her who was the point of contact with the Lords and merchants.¡±

    ¡°So you mean she¡¯s themander.¡±

    ¡°Something like that.¡±

    While Brendel and Orthlyss were conversing with each other, the centaur seemed to be stuck in a rut. Brendel did not seem as interested as the rings presented earlier to him, and it made him a little depressed.

    ¡°If you please, Human lord, that witch had also told me that it is tremendously useful to an Elementalist.¡±

    [That¡¯s true. Using the Rock Key would open a path to a different world filled with the Earth Element. Just opening the tunnel for twenty seconds would allow the Elementalist¡¯s Earth Elemental Pool to expand by a hundred times. It¡¯s even possible to sustain twenty to thirty spells. Under the circumstances, if the Elementalist can manage their Mana, they would be a superman.]

    Still, Brendel had never seen anyone use this core item that was worth millions of Tor coins as a one-time usage item in the game with his own eyes. It was a pay-to-win measure that was beyondmon sense.

    The centaur seemed to think that this statement was enough to make it work. Brendel secretlyughed as he observed him, and pretended to be slightly persuaded: ¡°Is that so, then how much is this thing worth?¡±

    The centaur considered raising it to a sky-high price and have that me Agate in Brendel¡¯s handed over to him. His me Agate crystal was almost half the value of his entire store, but stating such a price might incur the human¡¯s wrath and get him to leave in a huff.

    Just as he was hesitating, a hand that appeared out of nowhere threw out a simr me Agate crystal, and reached out for the box of the Rock Key like a snake going for its prey.

    ¡°Shopkeeper, I want this.¡± The owner of the voice was crisp and quick.

    But Brendel¡¯s reactions were almost instantaneous, just as the hand managed to touch the box, Brendel had already invoked his Elementalist¡¯s powers and shot out a bolt of lightning to strike the Rock Key, and he reached out for the Rock Key.

    The owner of the voice was apparently not one to be taken lightly either.

    ¡°Damn it, an Elementalist!¡± The person scoffed lightly and drew out her sword to strike the Rock Key away.

    The Rock Key smashed into a wooden pir before it bounced back towards the two people. The woman tried to snatch it away, but the Rock Key suddenly stopped in mid-air slightly out of reach, before it flew towards Brendel like a ball of cotton swept away by a wind.

    ¡°A Wind Binding spell? An Elementalist specializing in two Elements!¡± The woman stomped her foot and gave up directly on snatching away the Rock Key, and thrust her sword towards Brendel.

    The youth was delighted to see the attack instead of being surprised. Before she could even reach him, vines came from everywhere and bound her up tightly.

    It was the Druids¡¯ barrier magic¡ª

    A ttering sound happened. The sword of the woman who looked like a young noble dropped to the ground.

    ¡°I-It hurts.....¡± Her eyes narrowed in pain.

    Brendel finally had the time to observe his opponent. He was slightly taken aback. She was not a Senian or Tree Elf, but a full-blooded Kirrlutz citizen.

    The golden hair coupled with a pair of cold emerald eyes made him certain that they were definitely the traits of the Kirrlutz Empire¡¯s royal blood. Surely, her ancestors were amongst the King of Fire¡¯s first followers, the Eagle Knights.

    The possible princess wore a white dress and long ck leather boots, with her wavy hair bundled into two luscious groups of ponytails. She struggled against the vines and red hatefully at Brendel.

    [Wow, golden twintails! But to act violently in the Druids¡¯ base, how bold!]

    ¡°Y-you scoundrel! How dare you steal from ady!¡± The corners of her eyes were raised high enough till they became sharp as she red at him.

    ¡°Hold on, when did this be yours?¡± Brendel hurriedly interrupted her.

    ¡°I, I paid, didn¡¯t I!¡± The girl stuttered once, but she immediately spoke as though she was in the right: ¡°Return it to me, you evil country bumpkin!¡±

    Brendel nced at the me Agate: ¡°My Lady, you threw down a me Agate, but did you see the shopkeeper ept it? He has not even stated the price of the Rock Key. A forced transaction is certainly what a brute would do.¡±

    ¡°You!¡±

    The young woman was so angry that her chest was going up and down, but she could not hit him because her limbs were restrained. She turned her head back, and her green eyes immediately brightened.

    ¡°Faena, what happened?¡± It was a male teenager with ck hair.

    He wore a ck robe that was unique to the Kirrlutz¡¯s royal Alchemists, and it caused Brendel to stare nkly at the young boy who looked no older than fifteen.

    Kirrlutz¡¯s royal Alchemists had to be at least level ten in Alchemy before they could meet the qualifications to enter the ranks. There had to be some kind of line drawn for being so talented, right?

    But he certainly did not expect the young boy to inspect hispanion for a moment before raising his head at him with a yell: ¡°You hurt mypanion. I request for a duel with you!¡±

    The young boy looked up at the Ancient Treants and shouted: ¡°Venerable spirits, I promise I won¡¯t hurt this man¡¯s life and I just want to teach him a lesson. This is a quarrel between our race and I hope no one else interferes!¡±

    When he was done with his words, there was a green sh in the trees¡¯ crowns.

    ¡°The promise has been epted.¡±

    [Oh for crying out loud. The barrier won¡¯t work anymore on him, though the girl is still stuck. It looks like there¡¯s a veteran who understands the Druids here, but you¡¯ve have got be kidding me if I have to fight him. He¡¯s just a kid!]

    But before he could respond, Scarlett had struck her lightning spear against her palm which caused an audible smack. She red coldly at the two opponents in front of her and said: ¡°My lord, allow me to represent you.¡±

    ¡°A Hignder?¡± The young boy was slightly surprised at Scarlett¡¯s ming red hair: ¡°You¡¯re not locals?¡±

    ¡°They are Aouine¡¯s citizens!¡± Faena sneered at them and continued to struggle: ¡°A bunch of rogues and thieves!¡±

    But the more she resisted against the vines, the tighter they became.

    ¡°Urgh, it hurts so much¡ª¡±

    ¡°Faena, stop moving. It¡¯s useless to struggle and it would be undone after a while!¡± The young boy sighed at hispanion. It seemed like the haughty noble girl was also quite troubling for him: ¡°This is one of the Druids¡¯ spell, Barrier of Peace. You were told not to be violent in this ce!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all because of these barbarians!¡± Faena said with wet eyes: ¡°You have to teach them a lesson, Rono! The dignity of the Kirrlutz Empire cannot be blemished!¡±

    Amandina frowned when she heard thest sentence.

    Brendel secretly gritted his teeth when the words, ¡®country bumpkin¡¯, ¡®knaves¡¯, ¡®scoundrels¡¯, continued toe out from her lips. He was never very receptive to the Kirrlutz Empire in the game, and when he heard that particr sentence from Faena, it finally went past his point of tolerance.

    ¡°Well said,¡± His eyebrow went up and he had a chilling smile that showed his teeth, ¡°the Kirrlutz Empire¡¯s dignity cannot be blemished¡ª¡±

    The young boy looked back at Brendel and Scarlett who stood in from him, then spoke scornfully: ¡°A man who needs to have a woman to fight for him doesn¡¯t have the right to speak to me in that tone!¡±

    Brendel felt a vein popping up over his forehead.

    ¡°Scarlett, step aside, I want to see how unbeatable the so-called Kirrlutz Empire is.¡±

 volume 3 - 121

    Ch 121 ¨C Furious duel

    The concerned parties moved to an open area that was next to the shop, but Brendel suddenly raised his head up and saw many knights rushing over to their location. Apparently, the barrier¡¯s activation had alerted them.

    All of them had Kirrlutz¡¯s uniforms.

    [But it is strange. Why are these people here?]

    The knights were still quite a distance away from them.

    When Brendel returned his gaze to the young boy to indicate that he was ready for the duel, thetter had already thrown two bottles of explosives made from Alchemy.

    He frowned slightly and took a step back. Even though the young boy said he would not injure him, he did not hold back at all. He did not indicate for the duel to start too.

    If these two bottles were thrown onto a normal person, they would definitely be crippled and possibly die.

    The bottles exploded in mid-air. The boiling acid and ss fragments flew in every direction, but before they reached him, a wall of blinding mes was raised in front of him.

    The Fire Shield spell on the Crimson Blessing had activated automatically.

    When the mes and white smoke disappeared, Brendel found two bizarre humanoid creatures the size of a human adult lumbering towards him, and their twisted and ugly bodies had Magic Formations crawling all over them. They looked like a pile of rotting meat, but one would realize they were no weaker than gargoyles after looking at them closely.

    The name was simply called Mutant in the game. It was a level 25 Alchemy Creature. One could call it as living creature, but it had no feelings, emotions, or intelligence. This was why it did not go against the teachings of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    Brendel immediately understood the young boy¡¯s intentions when he saw twelve metallic orbs hovering behind thetter.

    Rono wanted to use the Alchemy Creatures and other defensive tools to gain more time.

    [This boy is trying to prepare an Advanced Magic Formation. He¡¯s really quite experienced in battles. Does he belong to some special department? Perhaps a Battle Alchemist?]

    He was slightly surprised. Kirrlutz¡¯s royal Alchemists had a special group that was focused onbat. They wore blood-red emblems of eagles and were called Battle Alchemists.

    [A Battle Alchemist is indeed one of the sub-professions for an Alchemist to advance in the direction ofbat, but it¡¯s rare to find one. And this boy is really a little too young if he¡¯s one. Quite the talented individual.]

    However, he mocked the boy while shaking his head: ¡°Your abilities only go this far?¡±

    The young lord did not even pull his sword against the Mutants. His right hand sliced through the air, and he invoked the White Raven Sword Arte¡¯s wind pressure against the two Mutants in front of him. The stats of a Gold-ranker could hardly be imagined. The two mutants did not even have the chance to resist the vertical hurricane and were hurled back.

    The girl trapped by the vines shrieked as one of the Mutants went past her, causing her long golden hair to dance in the wind. The other Mutant was thrown upwards towards the knights, but their reactions were swift and split apart in both directions to avoid it.

    One crashed against the ground, another was flung over the fence and dropped hundreds of meters like a stone.

    ¡°It seems that the Kirrlutz Empire doesn¡¯t amount to be anything much,¡± Brendel said as he raised his hand again.

    The wind started up yet again. The boy was astounded. He had never expected his opponent from Aouine to be so difficult. Two superior Iron-ranked monsters did not even dy him for a second. Even the strongest opponents he had faced in the past would take a moment to deal with the Mutants.

    ¡°The Shield of Tyr!¡± He shouted. The metallic magical artifacts immediately formed a circle around him, and twelve transparent shields blocked off the hurricane that Brendel conjured easily.

    Tyr was a famous Magic Artificer who was good at defensive magic. He invented numerous defensive magic and artifacts.

    The boy inhaled deeply after defending against Brendel¡¯s conjured wind and was prepared to counter-attack, but a burly hand pressed down on his shoulder.

    The knights had arrived.

    ¡°Rono, you¡¯re not his match! Fall back, and support us with Alchemy. Leave this bastard to us!¡±

    The knight who stopped the boy was covered in full armor and wore a purple-green helmet that covered most of his face. His voice echoed within the metal tes, and Brendel quickly recognized him as a Centurion.

    ¡°Captain?¡± Rono was surprised to hear that assessment; he initially thought the opponent in front of him was a second-rate Elementalist, but it appeared that the youth angered by Faena was a difficult foe and required the entire squadron to fight against him.

    ¡°Leave it to us.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Grandmaster Cullens?¡±

    ¡°He will be arriving shortly.¡±

    The captain of the knights turned to look at Brendel, and the green eyes under the helmet were full of cautiousness: ¡°Ser, did you say that the Kirrlutz Empire amounts to nothing much? You seemed to be confident in yourself! Allow us to show you what we¡¯re capable of, citizen of Aouine¡ª¡±

    He raised his sword, and twenty knights rushed out from both sides.

    The boy did not waste time too. The metallic orbs spread out started firingsers vertically onto the ground to draw a Magic Formation. Eachser created a node, and the boy threw down a Mana Crystal in the center of each node. The Magic Formation was divided into threeyers, and had twenty-two nodes to form a tapered formation.

    The Magic Formation was swiftly created and its speed could bepared to Blood Magic. However, these metallic orbs were expensive to use because they required extremely pure Amber Gemstones as fuel. The creation of these orbs was also costly, and only a few people knew how to make them.

    [Indeed, only the Kirrlutz Empire can afford to let their Alchemists use these luxury items. But these people make me fuckingugh. Do they really think the Kirrlutz Empire is the human race¡¯s pride?]

    The tragic ending of the Princess Regent was linked to this ¡®prestigious empire¡¯. Duke Arreck was unable to give an answer to where her assassins came from, but the gamers were everywhere on the continent.

    The truth was eventually revealed.

    [I haven¡¯t even thought of going after you bastards, and you dare to reveal yourself in front of me? Good. It¡¯s time to let these arrogant idiots understand that the world doesn¡¯t revolve around Kirrlutz. You¡¯re just the favorite kingdom of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.]

    He nced at the ground Rono was at. It was a Magic Formation to invoke the Wind Fog spell. It greatly aided an Alchemist in closebat, and he naturally could not let his opponent finish it. Even though thetter¡¯s speed was indeed an envy for most Alchemist, it did not matter to Brendel at all.

    The young lord reached out for a me Agate in his bag. The Mana that it contained was more than ten times the boy¡¯s Mana Crystal had. Brendel invoked an advanced Magic Formation with the Crimson Blessing which immediately shattered his me Agate.

    The centaur shopkeeper howled silently in distress when he saw that sudden scene. That was a me Agate Mana Crystal of the highest quality!

    The Mana that gushed out from the broken fragments appeared like it had a physical form. Because of the purity, there was a sky blue mist that wrapped around Brendel¡¯s hand. Three Magic Formations formed on his arm and condensed the Mana into several balls. The blue Mana spheres were vibrating slightly as though they were about to burst out into an explosion.

    Brendel then lifted his hand, fired the projectiles past three iing knights as they left a trail of blue light. They shot into the boy¡¯s Magic Formations and his expression immediately changed. The Magic Formation that was drawn nearly topletion was destroyed instantly.

    [Counter Magic specifically to disrupt an Alchemist¡¯s Magic Formations! He¡¯s also an Alchemist who¡¯s experienced inbat!]

    The boy staggered backward a few steps and coughed out blood. He quickly covered his mouth, but the amount of blood leaked out from his fingers.

    [How is it possible for him to form a Magic Formation so quickly? That Counter Magic Formation is at least a Seventh-Circle Magic Formation. It¡¯s even greater than my own by two Circles! Blood Magic? That¡¯s not right either, it can¡¯t be used in Advanced Magic Formations. Even if there is one, a Blood Magic Formation is red, and that Magic Formation of his is clearly white.]

    The boy waspletely stunned as he copsed to the ground. The feedback from the Counter Magic had greatly damaged his organs in an instant.

    ¡°Rono!¡± Thedy who was still tied up by the vines gasped.

    The knights were also shocked. They did not expect the greatest genius amongst the current Empire¡¯s youths was gravely injured in just a single move. What was even more stunning was that his opponent used Alchemy as well, and he was not much older than the boy was.

    But themander of the knights had his shock quickly turned into anger. He could not imagine what fury the emperor would have if he knew the genius under his protection got injured, as well as what kind of fate would befall on his head.

    ¡°Kill him!¡± The centurion roared, but he suddenly realized that this was still the territory of the Druids, and he quickly changed his words: ¡°No, capture that Aouine man!¡±

    ¡°Catch me?¡± Brendel¡¯sughter was cold: ¡°What qualifications do you have to do so?¡±

    He nced at his surroundings. The twenty-odd knights had the strength of an upper-tier Silver-ranker. On one hand, it was clear that Kirrlutz had strong military power, and the other was that the boy and thedy¡¯s identities were not simple.

    Still, it was just a mere twenty-odd Silver-rankers to him.

    [I shouldn¡¯t waste any more time. They probably have strong reinforcements.]

    He took a single step forward.

    And an aura exploded from the youth. Under thebined might of his Gold-ranker¡¯s strength and level 16 Aouine Military Swordsmanship, the aura took on a visible form of a white mist.

    Even though he did not take his sword, the knights felt like there were countless des pointing at them.

    The centurion could not have imagined the youth had reached the standards of a Gold-ranker, and that he was already a grandmaster swordsman¡ª

    ¡°A grandmaster swordsman!¡± The knights shouted as their formation was quickly broken.

    The overwhelming, physical pressure from the youth could not be withstood. In just a single heartbeat, the twenty knights werepletely downed.

    Brendel expected this oue. If he were to engage these knights before the events in Schafflund, it would have taken him considerable trouble to deal with them. But they were pretty much harmless to him. He spun round to look at the female aristocrat from Kirrlutz.

    ¡°D-don¡¯te any closer......¡±

 volume 3 - 122

    Chapter 122 ¨C Veronica

    ¡°Faena, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Before Brendel could respond to the girl¡¯s words, another man wearing a ck formal attire for nobles walked out from the crowd of centaurs and spoke to her. He looked at the bound girl before his eyes moved to the coughing Rono, then at the sprawling knights on the ground, his facial expressions gradually turning to shock.

    Finally, when he raised his head up, he discovered Brendel with his hand still raised. Scarlett and Amandina were a short distance behind him. Without a second word, he drew out his sword and charged towards the youth with a scowl.

    Brendel felt a burning sensation from that man¡¯s sword.

    [A passive Element? He¡¯s also a Gold-ranker!]

    Brendel and Scarlett¡¯s eyebrows twitched. Their Element Powers reacted at the same time, and the air between the three people stagnated¡ª The temperature of the air suddenly dropped, while Scarlett¡¯s halberd had lightning dancing all over it, with the people around feeling their hair raised.

    The middle-aged man¡¯s sword did not meet any des, but a wall of mes that appeared in front of Brendel. He frowned and retreated instead, cautiously assessing the two youths in front of him.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± His heart was secretly racing.

    [Two Gold-rankers at such a young age? Why have I not heard anything about them?]

    He easily understood that Brendel and Scarlett could not be Senians or Tree Elves. In fact, Scarlett¡¯s vibrant red hair allowed him to identify her as a Hignder.

    Faena would have patted her chest in relief if she could when she saw the middle-aged man appear. ¡°Count Cullens, these people are from Aouine! They were the ones who hurt Rono and the others, and that...... that..... young man, he said....... the Empire isn¡¯t worth much.¡±

    ¡°The Empire isn¡¯t worth much? Hmph!¡± Cullens repeated her words with a heavy scoff.

    The Empire¡¯s glory was the pride of any citizen of the Eagles. Aouine was made up of nothing more than a bunch of rebels in his mind, and if it was not for the Wind Elves interfering behind the scenes in that fateful year, the Empire would have vanquished them.

    Even though Aouine gained the recognition of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, the proud Kirrlutz Empire did not wish to admit this fact. In his mind, these Aouine citizens were nothing more than a bunch of uneducated people, and their nobles could not be considered as nobles.

    Though it was true that their Ancestral King Erik¡¯s lineage could be traced back to a family with a long history in Kirrlutz.

    He stared at Brendel darkly: ¡°Boy, did you say these words?¡±

    Brendel was studying Cullens intently, trying to figure out what sort of background thetter had. However, there were simply far too many nobles in the Kirrlutz Empire, and the number of people who managed to be a Gold-ranker was as numerous as the stars. He simply could not figure out the identity of the middle-aged man.

    ¡°I¡¯m simply stating the truth.¡± He answered flippantly.

    Count Cullens gnashed his teeth, but he had a smile on his pale face: ¡°What an astute observation. I too have observed something. It seems that your kingdom is going through many difficulties recently. Oberg the Seventh being defeated by a single Madara army, and he had to send his messengers to our emperor and beg for reinforcements with tears and snot. Ah, that old fool must be on his deathbed by now.¡±

    He pretended to think for a moment and sighed: ¡°And there¡¯s a civil war that¡¯s about to happen. It seems like your kingdom is in great trouble, young man. I¡¯m not sure if your princess is interested in our Emperor¡¯s ninth son, perhaps His Highness could lend a helping hand if she agrees to marry him. Even though our Empire that isn¡¯t worth anything much, solving the insignificant troubles of Aouine is really as easy as lifting a hand.¡±

    Cullens¡¯s words were full of ridicule and any Aouine citizen would be offended by it. Amandina gritted her teeth and forced her anger down in order not to fight back with ugly words.

    Scarlett frowned as well. No matter how despicable and deplorable Aouine was, she was still a citizen of this kingdom. Having an outsider ridicule the kingdom made her feel ufortable.

    It was Brendel who let rage take him. A mocking grin spread across his face, but it was clear that only darkness remained in his expression.

    His hand reached Halran Gaia¡¯s hilt for the first time.

    He did not easily take out his sword because he did not wish to kill. But since the person in front of him wanted to die, he did not mind granting his wish.

    [You¡¯re not even close to Kodan¡¯s skill, and I have already bested him. I haven¡¯t even brought out my neswalker abilities. Ten strikes, and I¡¯ll be able to shut you up even without Scarlett¡¯s interference.]

    Sifrid was still holding on to Amandina¡¯s hands. She did not feel much for Aouine, but she had never seen the youth so furious before. But most of all, there was an unnerving feeling that something would happen to him. She felt she needed to stop the situation from bing worse.

    ¡°This ce doesn¡¯t wee you! You should leave!¡± She spoke in a crisp voice as she looked up at the Count.

    Cullens was momentarily taken aback. He did not expect a Senian child to have the audacity to order him. He failed to speak for a few seconds, but he quickly came up with an insult: ¡°As expected from savages, you can¡¯t even educate a chil¡ª¡±

    He ceased speaking. It was not just him, the nosy centaurs who were watching the scene suddenly became silent. The dueling grounds they were familiar were starting to be covered with ayer of frost that was visible to the eyes. The temperature dropped to the point where they started shivering a little.

    Creaking sounds could be heard as the white frost forced the wooden nks on the floor to change its shape. It seemed like they were wailing before they shattered.

    This snaking frost extended swiftly towards Cullens, and he showed a startled appearance.

    [An Element Power of this magnitude? This Ice Element is exceedingly potent¡ª]

    He wanted to lift his own sword and fight back with his own Element Power, but someone bellowed:

    ¡°Halt!¡±

    Cullens was distracted by the voice, but Brendel acted as though he did not hear it. Halran Gaia was already out of its sheath, and his Element Power was pushed to the limits as it mixed in with his fury. The scene where the heads of Graudin¡¯s knights was lopped off was about to reappear again.

    The terrifying power charged towards Cullens, but an even greater force severed it.

    It was as though a wall had been erected all around Brendel and caused him to lose his connection to his Element Power.

    The youth was naturally shocked, and he turned to the source of power. The centaurs who had gathered together were starting to part. A woman with long flowing green hair like a waterfall; along with a red cape covering one side of her shiny armor that covered her entire body.

    The woman was very beautiful and appeared to be approximately forty years old. The only sign that gave her age away was the slight wrinkles around her eyes. She red at Brendel¡¯s direction, but it was meant to be meaningful because she was restraining the youth¡¯s movements with her Element Power.

    [You have got to be kidding me. Commander of the Azure Skies, Veronica? What kind of gaming script is this!]

    Brendel suddenly felt his life was in danger as soon as he saw the unique pair of green eagle earrings.

    She was one of the rare femalemanders in the Kirrlutz Empire and a participant in the November War. She was also the highestmanding officer of the Alliance in the Eastern Battle Lines during the Second Holy War of this era.

    She unsealed her Element Power fully a hundred years ago. She already had the titles of Great Sword Saint, Dragon Knight, The War Sage, and the Azure General for the past thirty years. No one knew how powerful she was right now. If one were to gather the strongest fighters in Kirrlutz, she would definitely be one of them.

    She even had a rtionship with Freya in the game, and one could say she was thetter¡¯s teacher.

    [Even if Freya was at her peak strength in the game, she won¡¯t be a match for Veronica. Shit, I don¡¯t want to meet this person here. The fact that I tried to kill Cullens¡ª Although Kirrlutz is the cause of this incident, she¡¯s definitely going to side with the Empire.]

    ¡°You look down on the Empire?¡± Veronica¡¯s tone waspletely void of warmth and she went right to the point.

    And with her words, her aura changed and reached the youth like a de pointing towards him. Thetter flinched a little, but his eyes red right back.

    ¡°It seems like the Kirrlutz¡¯s citizens have gotten used to using suppression and conquest to solve problems, and thus they have forgotten the word ¡®chivalry¡¯? It also seems like you¡¯re not just violent in your own kingdom, you do the same thing even when you¡¯re in foreignnds.¡±

    His heart was beating loudly but he did not show his anxiety in the slightest. This was the Druids¡¯ territory, and at least in this ce, they would not dare to act rashly.

    His words also struck directly at their sore point. Kirrlutz¡¯s cruelty and indifference were why they were harshly criticized amongst the other alliances in the Holy Cathedral of Fire. However, the Kirrlutz Empire held at least half of the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s seven Cardinals¡¯ position throughout the ages and thus held on tightly to their power.

    Veronica scoffed coldly once before speaking again: ¡°Having a sharp mouth wouldn¡¯t bring you any advantages. Cullens, teach this person from Aouine a lesson!¡±

    Cullens sensed that Brendel was affected by Veronica¡¯s aura, and he gave a sinister smile. While he could not kill the youth in the Druids¡¯ territory, it would be fine to leave behind hidden injuries to make him permanently wounded. In fact, he was very willing to destroy not just one, but two talented youths from Aouine.

    He bowed respectfully to Veronica and pulled out his sword to cut off the tendons in Brendel¡¯s wrists. Scarlett raised his halberd in response to block off the attacking point, but Veronica swept a nce at her, and the red-haired girl felt as though she was bitten by a venomous snake, and the halberd in her hands fell onto the ground with a tter.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have incurred our wrath!¡± Cullens smiled coldly, his de nearing Brendel¡¯s hands.

 volume 3 - 123

    Chapter 123 ¨C Two against One

    Brendel looked at Cullens regretfully.

    It was true that he waspletely suppressed by Veronica¡¯s aura to the point where he could not move, but as Cullens approached him with each step, the Stats Windows on his retina were shuffling at a high speed.

    ¨C Character Stats.

    ¨C neswalker Card.

    ¨C Elemental Pool.

    ¨C Type.

    He stopped at a certain card, then smiled at Cullens. Thetter looked puzzled as to why the youth still had the guts to smile, but Veronica immediately sensed something was off:

    ¡°What, this boy is¡ª Cullens, retreat!¡±

    She tried to warn him but she was a second toote. A white-golden ming de appeared out of thin air and floated in front of Brendel. This was the first time Brendel had ever activated this card.

    The unfortunate Cullens who had the misfortunate to face the card stared fearfully at the sudden burst of Elemental power. He was unable to react in time because he never expected that Brendel was able to fight back under Veronica¡¯s suppression.

    The de made from pure mes struck Cullens¡¯s body directly, and he was flung back with such force that he spun in mid-air a dozen times before crashing heavily onto the wooden nks.

    ¡°Count Cullens!¡± The girl with twin golden ponytails eximed in astonishment.

    Veronica¡¯s beautiful eyebrows lifted slightly as she did not expect Brendel¡¯s counterattack. She had initially been greatly displeased by Brendel¡¯s temerity to wound her men and instantly sought to quash him.

    When her hand reached out for her de, the Azure Green, to draw it out, she faltered at thest moment as she realized what she had done.

    She carried the title of Illustrious Sword Saint and was amander of an army who participated in countless battles. On top of that, she was over a hundred years old. Bullying a youth who looked no older than twenty would hurt the dignity of the Kirrlutz Empire.

    [But I cannot allow the Empire to be insulted¡ª]

    She raised her hand and spoke in an icy tone: ¡°Capture this man!¡±

    Veronica red at Brendel emotionlessly and swung down her hand. Thetter¡¯s pressure lifted instantly as she spoke, while thirty-odd Imperial Knights who had followed her from behind rushed out.

    [Even though a few of these Imperial Knights are not exactly worthy of the title, they should be able to defeat him even if he¡¯s a Gold-ranker. The typical Aouine swordsmen are nothing more than rabble. I just need to suppress his Element power and any other tricks that he has if he tries to use them again.]

    Brendel thought he was being underestimated when the pressure on him lifted. He took a step back to fall into a stance and pulled out his sword fully for the first time. The heavy ink-light de glinted against the sunlight.

    ¡°T-that..... sword.....¡±Faena rasped in surprise.

    But Rono¡¯s yell drowned Faena¡¯s voice: ¡°Be careful, he has the Crimson Blessing!¡±

    The young boy crawled up slowly and wiped away the blood from his lips. One of his hands was nted firmly on his chest as he felt pain creeping all over his organs. Still, that agony was dulled from his surprise¡ª Brendel¡¯s metallic gauntlets confirmed his earlier suspicion.

    They were definitely the Crimson Blessing, or Bahamut¡¯s Grasp, the divine artifact that any Alchemist would crave for in their heart.

    mes had already enveloped Brendel¡¯s hands and they sped upwards to swallow Halran Gaia. The youth zed across the field as he wielded in a horizontal position. At that moment, he appeared like he was a devil that came out from hell leaving behind a trail of mes.

    Veronica¡¯s eyes widened upon seeing that sight.

    [That¡¯s not a mere swordsman, even calling him a grandmaster swordsman isn¡¯t sufficient! This boy has reached the level of a sword saint! And that sword and magical gauntlets¡ª]

    She realized she made a huge blunder and immediately drew out her own weapon, but Brendel had already rushed into the midst of the Imperial Knights.

    Orthlyss had woken up quite a while ago when Brendel invoked his Element Power. Her thoughts were calcted and calm as she delivered them to thetter.

    ¡°Attack from the left¡ª¡±

    ¡°Take this opportunity to retreat¡ª¡±

    ¡°Advan¨C¡±

    ¡°Counter and p¡ª¡±

    ¡°...... Boy, how are you doing this?¡± She suddenly stopped speaking. Brendel seemed like he was predicting the enemies¡¯ movements even better than she did. She had centuries of fighting experience, but what the youth possess?

    [Even Gatel wouldn¡¯t be able to read better than this youth!]

    Exining the current situation seemed a little far-fetched with just the word ¡®talent¡¯.

    However, Brendel was seeingyers andyers of golden lines in his eyes to form aplex drawing.

    The intentions of the knights were disyed fully before him. Attacking, defending, attempts to surround him; as long as they changed their thoughts, the lines would switch and point to the areas where they were aiming for.

    It was the skill ¡®Analyze¡¯ received from the Silver Elves.

    Brendel realized that the skill was exceptionallypatible with Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship. The kingdom¡¯s clean and efficient style allowed him to proceed naturally from offense and defense like running water. It was truly a shocking disy of martial feats as hebined multiple traits from the swordsmanships of Kodan, his grandfather, and the gamers. He even included a few points from Orthlyss¡¯s instructions.

    The Imperial Knights¡¯ attacks were stopped even before they could attack. They feltpletely stifled and soon realized what was wrong.

    The youth seemed to know what they were doing, even when they tried to attack randomly or retreat subconsciously. No matter what they tried, a single move from the youth shut them down.

    However, Brendel stopped his fatal attacks at the veryst moment. The Imperial Knights were greatly surprised, as they knew he could easily kill them if he had the intention to do so. Still, they felt like they were being toyed with like how a cat would toy with a mouse, and it made them feel like they should just abandon their swords and run away as quickly as possible.

    Did he spare them on purpose?

    But he did not seem like he had the intention to do so.

    In truth, he was analyzing the Kirrlutz Empire¡¯s swordsmanship closely, while half of his attention was ced on Veronica. When she finally started walking forward, Orthlyss reminded him:

    ¡°She¡¯s moving in.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m curious,¡± Brendel deflected one of the iing swords and kicked his current opponent to make him off-bnced, ¡°Ser Orthlyss. at the height of your power, are you stronger than thatdy?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s just a little girl,¡± Orthlyss scoffed and replied with confidence: ¡°I don¡¯t even need to use a weapon.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Brendel was shocked.

    [Is your level that high?]

    ¡°Pay attention, she¡¯sing!¡±

    Veronica indeed appeared right before his eyes, and her sword aimed for his throat. Electricity ran across his nerves as he frantically rolled backward to avoid her de.

    [How surprising. He actually seems to know where I¡¯m going to attack, and his reactions are quick as well.]

    But Brendel was getting scolded by Orthlyss.

    ¡°Why are you running away? Go and have a proper fight.¡± Orthlyss was greatly dissatisfied.

    ¡°Ser Orthlyss, I don¡¯t mind fighting it out if we¡¯re restricted to our swordsmanship, but the control of her Element Power is far superiorpared to mine!¡± Brendel retreated repeatedly as consecutive thrusts went his way.

    ¡°Silly fool, if she tries to use her Element power, just fight back with everything you have. She will have to destroy the entire market first in order to suppress your full strength!¡±

    Brendel blinked a few times.

    [Of course! Even though the market has a barrier, it can only hold back two Gold-rankers¡¯ Element powers. The barrier would be destroyed if it goes beyond that.]

    That momentary pause nearly caused him to be struck in the face, but the youth managed to recover his senses at thest moment and tilt his head at thest moment. Veronica¡¯s sword missed his cheek.

    But the Azure Green that was d in her aura caused a wound to open up.

    Brendel felt a slight wetness spread and his eyes twitched a little along with a nervous smile. Veronica was half amused and exasperated when she saw his cramped expressions. This youth actually dared to lose his concentration right in front of her. Even aplished sword saints at her level would not be so bold!

    Yet this boy still managed to avoid her attack entirely!

    Brendel did not know what his opponent was thinking about, but he decided to face Veronica properly after Orthlyss¡¯s reminder.

 volume 3 - 124 â€“ Standing at the edge

    Chapter 124 ¨C Standing at the edge

    Brendel took several steps back and readied himself into a defensive stance, and Veronica allowed him to do so. Her earlier attacks were nothing more than attempts to gauge his strength.

    They took a pronounced pause as they sought for weakness in each other¡¯s stance. Brendel found hundreds of lines prodding at his body, and he shifted ever so subtly to react to any changes. It caused Veronica to knit her brows slightly.

    [This level of raw talent..... It¡¯s such a pity that he¡¯s not a Kirrlutz citizen, or I will definitely get him to be my disciple and inherit my swordsmanship.]

    Silence filled the area and the tension rose to the point where everyone was holding their breaths. One could almost hear every subtle movement from both Brendel and Veronica.

    The femalemander was the first to attack. The Evaluation skill reduced the number of lines pointing to his body, but there was still a dazzling number that pointed all over his body. It was proof that the skill had its limits in predicting someone of her skill. In the end, Brendel turned it off and relied on his experience to defend against it.

    Their des met in screaming union, and a sh of green and ck blinded the crowd. The youth gritted his teeth when he felt the immense impact. Veronica¡¯s de had incredible speed and power which caused him to nearly shift out of a defensive position, but he nted his feet firmly on the ground to resist her.

    Her de drew back and she flicked it to his. He pulled his body back a little while rotating his sword so that itsrge t de guarded against her needle-like thrust.

    As soon as the des met again, her sword was drawn back like a bowstring and shot out towards its next target at his thigh. Brendel took a single step back while his sword swung down to sweep the iing de away.

    Veronica utilized his momentum and allowed her de to go up before she went for an overhead sweep. The youth kicked off from the ground to the sides to avoid her sword, but there was almost no pause of the exchange of swords crashing into each other.

    Both duelists changed the directions of their swords midway before their weapons shed again. The female sword saint tried to disarm him by dragging his weapon upwards into the air. Brendel felt a force sticking onto his weapon like glue and hurriedly leaped into the air to avoid being disarmed, somersaulting once before retreating yet again.

    Veronica¡¯s eyes widened a little when she saw his move, and she changed into another style again. Her arrangement of attacks started to grow inplexity and speed. A song of metallic rings echoed throughout the market. Even without the Analyze skill, Brendel felt he could see afterimages of the lines happening because Veronica was thrusting her sword at an astonishing speed.

    However, it was not the speed of her sword but the intricate designs of her attacks that were causing him to break out in cold sweat. In order to defend against her swordsmanship, he had to find the best moment to block or deflect her attacks.

    It was as though he had to get the thread into the eye of a needle, and he had to do it every single time on the first try.

    On the other hand, Veronica was feeling a little baffled. The level of his swordsmanship had exceeded the depths of what Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship should be. No matter how many times she changed her patterns, he was able to fight against them as though he had been dueling against her for years, no, perhaps even decades against the different styles of the Kirrlutz Empire¡¯s swordsmanships.

    Brendel continued to guard himself tightly while he d his aura around Halran Gaia. Every time she attacked, he could sense the subtle changes of her form and reacted ordingly to it, improving little by little. Each parry and deflection took even less stamina than the previous ones.

    [..... I think I finally understand my grandfather¡¯s swordsmanship. It¡¯s not just having precise movements or fundamentals. It¡¯s about reading the enemy and finding the best moment to counter it.]

    Veronica was an opponent that forced him to use everything he knew about Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship. The memories of the old Brendel surfaced; his grandfather was strict about calcting the range of attacks when he trained as a child.

    He parried Veronica¡¯s thrust andunched his own riposte for the first time. She easily knocked it away, but the knights around them gasped in utter amazement.

    Was the youth actually holding his own against theirmander?

    Murmurs started to worm into Veronica¡¯s ears, and she gradually raised her power in order to calm them.

    The barrier implemented in ce started to flicker and distort as invisible des ran across the ground and buildings. Finally, the spirits ignored the request made by Rono and started to go after her. However, the Sword Aura that she invoked instantly sliced them to pieces without even putting her mind into it. They were unable to enter within ten feet around her.

    But Halran Gaia was able to suppress it by having a defensive barrier that formed tightly around Brendel like a cloak. Although the Azure Green was a Fantasy-ranked weapon, it had a Wind Element power and was countered by Halran Gaia¡¯s Earth Element power. This was the reason why he could avoid being cut by her weapon.

    Veronica started to feel impatient.

    The Kirrlutz Empire had sent them out as messengers in the name of improving the rtionship with the Druids, but its real goal was to investigate the reason for the powerful Mana Resonance a few months ago. The wizards were certain that it was a Divine Resonance and it was likely to indicate the location of the Empire¡¯s long-lost weapon, Lionheart.

    The court¡¯s Star Seers studied the stars for several months and had the same conclusion as the wizards. The Lionheart was incredibly important to the Empire. Even though Aouine¡¯s Ancestral King, Erik, stole it from the Empire several centuries ago, they had never stopped their desire of getting back the weapon.

    Since this city was not governed by the Empire, it was necessary to keep a low profile. It was a mistake for Veronica to take her eyes off Faena, and it was another mistake to overwhelm the youth with everything she had at the first opportunity.

    [The boy¡¯s concentration is at his sharpest and he¡¯s pushing his skills to his limits. Even if I unleash the full extent of my techniques on him, I might not be able to overwhelm him given how good his reactions are right now. Controlling him with my aura wouldn¡¯t work as well because he¡¯s utilizing his sword¡¯s power.]

    Veronica was feeling a little awestruck.

    When did Aouine produced such a gifted swordsman? She was born in a family of swordsmen and was the most talented star in her generation, but she did not think that she could bepared to youth in front of him at his age.

    Every once in a while when he surprised her with an unexpected move, she wanted to put down her sword and ask him if he was willing to go to Kirrlutz with her and be her student. His talent was truly out of this world.

    As time continued to pass, Brendel finally discovered a certain pattern amidst her varied attacks that urred.

    [There¡¯s a very slight pause every time I make an unexpected move that counters her. Perhaps she¡¯s trying to read my attacks? If I can exploit that...... Kirrlutz¡¯s swordsmanship has a strong focus on consecutive sh strikes, but using it against her¡ª]

    Brendel was currently able to use various swordsmanships he learned in the game to an extent. He was certain it was because of the basic fundamentals of Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship, and he started to wonder if the person who founded the swordsmanship was an incredible genius.

    At the very first nce, it seemed like the various guards and attacks were restrictive and clumsy, but the way how each move can flow to another was almost effortless when hebined them.

    [Given the history between Aouine and the Kirrlutz Empire...... Isn¡¯t it possible that the Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship is actually derived from thetter? ...... But it¡¯s pointless to use the Kirrlutz swordsmanship against a grandmaster. Wait¡ª if we¡¯re talking about history, then the King of Fire, Gatel. There¡¯s a considerable amount of differences between the polished Kirrlutz swordsmanship and Gatel¡¯s swordsmanship......]

    Brendel started to change his state of mind. Fury and tranquility merged to form a ferocious whirlpool of emotions. Burning mes that would spill forth in a concentrated and relentless assault until nothing was left.

    A barrage of murderous and unpredictable strikes sought to unbnce Veronica. The sudden tempest forced her to go on the defensive as each motion tried to eviscerate her. With each passing blow, it became harder and harder for her to react it in time as Brendel seemed to borrow from the momentum of her defenses andunch a new attack.

    Veronica snarled and fought aggressively as well, seeking to dominate her opponent as she continued to pour more power and speed into her sword, but she was just slightly behind as Brendel was able to make the first move every time. The two duelists gnashed their teeth as the exchange intensified.

    Both took risks to end the exchange. Brendel leaped into the air slightly and swung his sword downwards with all his might, while Veronica rotated her body to send a spinning kick to her opponent.

    His sword missed its target by several centimeters while it caused a huge fissure to break out across the ground; her kick had smashed into his ribs from the side first.

    The youth rolled several times on the ground, but he quickly got up and was ready for another round.

    Several long hair strands could be seen flying against the wind.

    [This bloody brat!]

    Veronica roared as fury imed her. She made up her mind to go all out. Green light particles gathered onto her de and Orthlyss immediately warned Brendel:

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    He felt the hair on his skin stand. If Veronica unleashed her full power, she might split the market into half. It was not as if the Druids could do anything to stop her. At most, they would throw her and her men out of the city, but that was it.

    The youth nced at his back to see if there was any natives behind him, and he was shocked to see Amandina and Scarlett carrying Sifrid from a distance.

    [This crazy bitch!]

    ¡°Invoke Holy Swords!¡± Brendel was just as angry.

    Wings of light appeared behind his back as he raised his left hand. They quickly faded as hundreds of swords made from light floated in the air, pointing at Veronica and the crew behind her.

    The femalemander faltered when she saw this scene.

    It was not just her, everyone had their eyes on Brendel when they saw the white glowing wings behind him, then stared at the hundreds of swords above him in astonishment.

    ¡°Just try it.¡± Brendel pointed Halran Gaia at her and said calmly.

    ¡°Are you threatening a general of the Kirrlutz Empire?¡± Veronica¡¯s eyebrow lifted slightly: ¡°Do you think these things can harm me?¡±

    ¡°Harm you? No. But these two hundred-odd projectiles have the force of a Silver-ranker and all of them can rain down in an instant. Commander Veronica, do you have the capability to protect every one of your men?¡±

    The youth¡¯s tone was light, but she frowned.

    Rono was an Alchemist and a knight. He was one of the most gifted youths in the Empire and even received an audience with the Emperor. Faena¡¯s status was even more unique.

    Nothing must happen to these two.

    She actually stood there nkly for a while, unable to think of a response.

    ¡°You¡¯re despicable for trying to hold ady as your hostage!¡±

    Faena saw that her idol being caught in a bad position and the reason was her. She red angrily at Brendel. If looks could kill, then she would have stabbed him a hundred times.

    ¡°And you are honorable for using numbers against us? Or to bully us with experienced fighters?¡± Amandina immediately retorted.

    The two aristocrats did not allow each other to gain the upper hand.

    Amandina continued to speak: ¡°Commander Veronica, does the Empire¡¯s honore in this form?¡±

    The Azure Green easily allowed her to identify Veronica, even if she did not recognize thetter¡¯s face.

    Veronica scoffed and did not answer Amandina¡¯s question: ¡°Elementalist, Alchemist, a Sword Saint and even bringing out the Equipment of Gods? When did Aouine have a genius like you? Speak truthfully, which faction is interfering with Aouine¡¯s politics? Is it the Divine Pantheon of Wind, or the Sacred Church of Light?¡±

    There was a slight pause before she added sarcastically: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Aouine is capable of drawing the attention of so many factions.¡±

    Brendel wanted to cough out blood as he listened to Veronica¡¯s words.

    [What does the Holy Swords have anything to do with the Equipment of G¡ª?]

    He suddenly whipped his head and stared at the swords, and the urge to spit out blood came again. Why did he not realize that this Cleric skill somehow resembled the projectiles from the Equipment of Gods?

    [But they are two different spells, right? ...... Damn it.]

    The Equipment of Gods was one of the signature spells of the Sacred Church of Light. Only a ranked personnel who was a Bishop and above would be capable of casting it. The Sacred Church of Light was also enemies with the Holy Cathedral of Fire, and they were rivals who fought bitterly with each other.

    Brendel had no doubt that any Bishop belonging to the Holy Cathedral of Fire in the kingdom would invite him for tea, if they heard rumors about him casting the Equipment of Gods.

    While he dared to go against Aouine¡¯s nobles, he definitely did not dare to go against the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    [For crying out loud, they areprised of two Empires and twelve kingdoms. If any of the seven Cardinals say something like ¡°Destroy Aouine!¡±, the kingdom will be wiped off from the map. In fact, the reason why Aouine is safe from Kirrlutz is that they recognize the kingdom. Otherwise, Kirrlutz would never tolerate their presence. Shit, how am I going to exin this?]

    ¡°Hey, you know what? I¡¯m a neswalker! What is a neswalker? Well, they are professional card yers!¡±

    Brendel could imagine Veronica pping his face and making it kiss the ground. The youth felt a sense of dread and could only hope that this crazy woman was not one who gossiped. It was fortunate that the game¡¯s Veronica was known for being a taciturn person in front of outsiders and was not fond of people who ckmailed others.

    But Veronica did not continue to harp on this topic. She raised her sword coldly and arrogantly continued: ¡°But do you really believe I wouldn¡¯t attack, young man?¡±

    Brendel knitted his eyebrows. He could sense overwhelming pressure all around him.

    ¡°She¡¯s determined to attack,¡± Orthlyss warned him.

    [Is she insane!] Brendel cursed inwardly and was frantically finding a way to stop her attack.

    But a dignified voice came from above and interrupted both of them.

    ¡°Just try it, woman from Kirrlutz.¡±

    The deafening voice reverberated in the air and thundered in everyone¡¯s ears. The green barrier around the market shimmered as Druids started entering it. They stopped in front of Brendel and stoodpletely in the path of Veronica¡¯s attack.

    A moment of silence covered the market.

    Veronica frowned inwardly and she lowered her sword.

    The Druids finally appeared. No matter how prideful she was, she would not break the Druids¡¯ rules in front of them. If she identally hurt any Druid, the Empire would have to give an exnation even with her status.

    Even though these Druids seemed like they do not concerned themselves with the mortals, the fury from the Circle of Skies was not something to joke about.

    There were thousands of Dark Forests in the whole continent, and each of them had Druids guarding in them. Only Mother Marsha knew how many Druids there were.

    There was also the fact the Kingdom of Forests, Einn, was also their allies.

    ¡°Lady Veronica, your messengers promised not to cause trouble when they entered the city. You should understand your Empire¡¯s strength has nothing to do with the Druids.¡± Andellu spoke somberly.

    His forceful tone made Brendel stick out his tongue. That man was not giving Kirrlutz any respect. It was also clear that the Druids were siding with him by using Veronica first.

    [It seems like the Druids are pleased with my suggestion.]

    Meanwhile, Veronica¡¯s expression was turning dark. She naturally felt the unfriendly tone from them. She originally hoped that her status as Kirrlutz¡¯s messenger would be enough for these grass maniptors to arrest Brendel.

    She thought that Brendel hade to the city in the guise of an adventurer, and the political clout she had would make the Druids think twice. She truly did not expect the Druids to shield him to this degree.

    Thus she widened her eyes and observed Brendel and the Druids. Was it because the youth had some kind of connection to the Druids, or did they think that she was the one who waspletely at fault?

    But what did a noble from Aouine have anything to do with the Druids?

 volume 3 - 125

    Chapter 125 ¨C Galbu

    Veronica was unable to think of a reason and shook her head before she answered in an icy tone: ¡°This is a private feud between Kirrlutz and Aouine. I request that the Druids not interfere with this matter.¡±

    The temperature seemed to drop with the femalemander¡¯s reply.

    ¡°A private feud?¡± Andellu shook his head with furrowed brows: ¡°Regardless of any feuds or whatever reasons that you have, we will not allow any of you toy a hand on him in this city.¡±

    There was a slight pause. The people from Kirrlutz was looking at him in disbelief.

    ¡°On ount of the friendship from the King of Fire, Gatel, we would not pursue the earlier events. However, if the Kirrlutz Empire is arrogant enough to cause trouble in this city, then don¡¯t me us for being impolite.¡±

    ¡°Our arrogance?¡± Veronica scoffed: ¡°And how do you intend to be impolite if we insist on being arrogant?¡±

    Even if the three Elders in the city fought against her at the same time, they might not be a match.

    ¡°Commander Veronica, do you insist on having a war with us?¡±

    Rono jumped a little when he heard the word ¡®war¡¯. A war with the Druids could easily end up as a Holy War.

    Faena looked at Andellu in disbelief: ¡°You intend to have a war with the Kirrlutz Empire over a citizen of Aouine?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he shook his head, ¡°it¡¯s not because of his status as a citizen of Aouine. It is because he is our most revered guest.¡±

    [The most revered guest of the Druids? What kind of term is this?]

    The Druids had never addressed anyone in that manner before, right? When did they be so close with an outsider? The majority of the people in the market looked at each other before each curious gazended on Brendel.

    Veronica was silent when she heard Andellu¡¯s words. It seemed like the Druids werepletely serious about this matter. She had no choice but topromise: ¡°Very well, I will not seek to capture him. However, what about the matter of this little boy hurting my men?¡±

    ¡°Would you kindly exin?¡± Andellu turned to Brendel and asked.

    ¡°I think you should allow her to speak up.¡± Brendel pointed at Faena who was bound into a bundle and said graciously.

    But his actions were not truly gracious. When the Druids saw the vines around the young girl, they roughly understood what had happened.

    If someone tried to attack someone without seeking permission, they would be restrained by the barrier¡¯s defensive system. There were certainly a few people who could resist it easily, like Veronica, but the majority would not be able to defend themselves against the vines.

    [This cunning little fox. If he¡¯s a citizen of Kirrlutz......]

    Veronica cursed the youth silently, but she also praised him. He remained cool-headed when she used him of starting the chain of events, and he was also smart enough to deflect it without appearing overbearing. But the most important point was how talented he was.

    ¡°Faena, exin.¡± She said softly as she nced at the bound girl.

    Since the events hade so far, there¡¯s no need to cover up them up. She knew that the fault most likely was on their side, but she had to protect the Empire¡¯s dignity when she discovered that Brendel had attacked her men.

    Brendel actually thought the vile aristocrat girl would exaggerate the events and gather sympathy for herself. If that were to happen, she would have fallen into his trap, but contrary to his expectations and shock, she did not lie at all and simply stated the events with a huff.

    She even red at him while she spoke, as though she was saying ¡®I have no reason to lie,moner!¡¯

    Naturally, she called Brendel names whenever she got the chance. Country bumpkin, mannerless bastard, wretched male scum who took girls as hostages. He was so annoyed that a vein actually popped out from his forehead.

    The Druids made their judgment when they understood the chain of events.

    The Kirrlutz Empire was originally in the wrong, but since there were no major issues other than some broken items from the centaur¡¯s shop, they were to pay him for the damages. They then carried the gravely injured Count Cullens from the ground and left with their heads hanging dejectedly.

    The feeling they had was simr to the proud knights of Kirrlutz who waspletely defeated by the Hazell kingdom a hundred years ago.

    The defeated knights had to lower their heads and retreat from that fatefulnd. The white tassel on their helmets was mostly broken andid lifelessly over their shoulders.

    The Empire had never suffered such a defeat again until this moment. Even when their general was here to fight for them, they still did not manage to salvage their pride. The knights red hatefully at the young lord from Aouine, who in turn returned a disdainful look as though they were crazy.

    ¡°I will remember your face, boy.¡± Veronica was staring at Brendel.

    ¡°You mean the Empire remembers me,¡± Brendel said with ease as he sheathed back his sword and nced at the femalemander.

    ¡°Are you a noble?¡± She suddenly asked.

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°A lord?¡±

    Even though this woman was overbearing, she was still considered as a hero because of her deeds. She was also half a teacher to Freya, so he replied properly: ¡°A Pioneer Knight.¡±

    There was a moment of silence.

    ¡°It seems like Aouine will have a new legend appearing.¡± She finally said.

    Brendel did not reply.

    ¡°Young man, I ask you this,¡± Veronica¡¯s tone suddenly softened a little, ¡°Are you willing to be our citizen and be a knight of the Kirrlutz Empire? I can give you anything that you want¡ª¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes widened. This legendary figure thought so highly of him?

    ¡°Thank you,¡± he smiled before answering, ¡°but I will remain as a citizen of Aouine.¡±

    Veronica looked at him a final time before she nodded and went over to Faena. She patted the girl¡¯s shoulders after she was released from the vines with the Druids¡¯ aid:

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°H-hold on,¡± the young girl¡¯s thin eyebrows looked back at Brendel in shock, ¡°t-the Rock Key, are you going to give it away to that rude man?¡±

    Veronica red at her and raised her voice: ¡°Do you feel you haven¡¯t thrown enough dignity away for the day?¡±

    ¡°B-but......¡± The young girl jumped and muttered with a lowered head: ¡°That¡¯s a necessary item in order to pass my test.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving right now. When we get back I¡¯ll have to discuss thoroughly with your grandmother about your discipline.¡± Veronica sighed and shook her head.

    ¡°What!¡± Faena¡¯s face paled and she immediately lifted her dress up a little to catch up with her, begging: ¡°Commander, t-this matter isn¡¯t my fault, it¡¯s all because of that human scum who has no sense of decency......¡±

    Brendel stared at that girl¡¯s back in disgust while he released the Holy Swords. His entire party was nearly killed because of an insane female aristocrat who was just as bad as Graudin.

    He heard Amandina and Scarlett approached him.

    ¡°My lord, it seems that we have offended the Kirrlutz Empire,¡± Amandina said weakly with a sigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s all worth it,¡± Brendel took out the Rock Key with his left hand and studied it.

    ¡°Worth it? My lord, do you not know who that woman is?¡±

    ¡°Veronica,¡± he nodded, ¡°I recognize her.¡±

    ¡°And yet you still dared to fight with her!¡± Amandina raised her voice with great exasperation, even bing a little angry: ¡°My lord, when will you stop doing things that make people worry?¡±

    Brendel was a little stunned and he looked back to find Amandina¡¯s worried expression.

    ¡°...... I was utterly terrified.¡± She stared at him for a long time before she spoke again, and closed her eyes to heave a sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Brendel felt his body be warm and he answered sincerely.

    ¡°Please stop saying sorry all the time after doing something like this every time,¡± Amandina said with a huff.

    ¡°I apologize?¡± He said with augh.

    He was also relieved when the people from Kirrlutz left. If that Faena girl forcefully stayed behind and started a bidding war over the item, given how rich Kirrlutz was, he might not be able to seed in getting it.

    The Rock Key might be important to him, but paying an excessive amount of wealth was undesirable. He was still not rich and Trentheim was still a poor ce.

    With theck of apetitor, Brendel finally purchased it with two Fire Agate crystals. The centaur thought that he profited greatly on this transaction, and he even thought that the Kirrlutz people brought him luck, otherwise the young lord in front of him would not pay so much.

    Brendel believed that he also made a great deal, if he discounted the fact that he offended the Kirrlutz Empire.

    It was a happy ending for everyone in the market too; they got to see a fantastic duel. The only exception was the people from Kirrlutz, of course.

    ============ ??? POV ==============

    No one noticed the two pairs of eyes that had observed the events in the market from a short distance away.

    The two pair of silver eyes that were filled with age and wisdom.

    The Silver Bar was located between two trees called Od and Dasa. They were Tree Elven words for ¡®Aged one¡¯ and ¡®Evergreen¡¯. Tree branches that formed something like a bird¡¯s nest were beneath the bar. Even though the outer appearance was strange, the interior design made people feel warm and fuzzy.

    The bar was in the shape of a circle and the ground was paved with sturdy wooden nks. Green vines hung loosely from the ceiling. The bar was also suspended in mid-air, just like the ¡®Centaurs Hoof Market¡¯.

    While the centaurs built their market in a wild and unbridled manner because of their fiery character, the owner of this bar was a Tree Elf, and thus they had the typical elegant Elven designs.

    The seats near the western section of the bar had arge circr window which overlooked the market. The man sitting on the left was one of the twelve Archmagi from Galbu, the Silver Leader and also known as the Recorder of Ten Thousand Spells, returned his gaze back into the bar. He wore a long silver robe and his snowy beard nearly reached the ground.

    ¡°That little girl seems like she has the features of a Kirrlutz citizen,¡± he said.

    ¡°Veronica,mander of the Azure Skies.¡± The old man sitting opposite of him replied.

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s understandable. The Lionheart is their legacy. It¡¯s no wonder they would send out their men out in such a hurry. But the descendants of Gatel are certainly getting worse with each generation.¡±

    ¡°What are your thoughts about the sword, William?¡±

    ¡°Mine? Erik was my good friend in the past. If his sword appears, I would naturally want to see the sessor that he chose¡ª¡±

    ¡°Rumors have it that the wizards from Galbu are cold and friendless. It looks like they are not true.¡± The other old man said with augh.

    ¡°I wish that is the case. Unfortunately, most of us have no desires other than time and knowledge. But no one can surpass the limits of their flesh, not even the races with the Silver Bloodline in them.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. What is the Madara¡¯s undead up to recently?¡±

    ¡°The bunch of skeletons isn¡¯t capable of stirring up any huge trouble, though their movements are a little strange recently.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°The Silver Candle Association¡¯s monitoring on their borders seems to be interrupted by something. There¡¯s some kind of change in that dark kingdom of theirs, and the Star Seers stated prophecies that an emerging power was rising from the east. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s about them.¡±

    ¡°You mean that a new kingdom is about to be born?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s not just one. Though I must say if it¡¯s someone who caught my eyes...... That young boy, isn¡¯t he one of your Aouine citizens? He¡¯s a little interesting.¡±

    ¡°Yes, he is, but I feel like I have seen from somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°I discovered there¡¯s a magical seal on him, but it seems like he doesn¡¯t even know about it. However, that magical seal has a mana signature that I¡¯m somewhat familiar with.¡±

    ¡°Whose?¡±

    ¡°A particr girl who¡¯s not obedient at all.¡± The old man¡¯s face had a strange expression.

 volume 3 - 126 â€“ The scheme in the dark

    Chapter 126 ¨C The scheme in the dark

    ¡°I¡¯m so angry that I¡¯m at a loss for words!¡± Faena kicked the wall of the Ember Tulips Inn, but her thin pointed eyebrows that were like thin sword des immediately went up with regret: ¡°O-ouch!¡±

    She turned her head back to find Rono and another handsome youth. Thetter wore a ck uniform that was tailor-made to bring out his figure, along with a pair offortable gloves made from the hide of a mink. There was an eye-catching silver flower embroidered on the chest area of his shirt.

    ¡°Rono, Viscount Elman, what did the Lord Commander say?¡± She asked.

    The young boy shook his head: ¡°She warned us to keep a low profile.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful news,¡± she pped her hands lightly once and looked relieved, ¡°so she won¡¯t be pursuing this matter?¡±

    The slightly androgynous man listened to the contents of their conversation, and he looked at the boy next who was half a head shorter with a seemingly curious expression.

    ¡°Lady Faena, may I know what happened exactly?¡±

    The Duchess was in a rare moment of fury and she rebuked the captains of the knights from the head to the bottom. It had to be rted to the events of this afternoon, and the source was certainly from thedy in front of him.

    He earlier suggested to Faena to tag along secretly when the Kirrlutz Empire sent the messengers to the Druids.

    When it was discovered, Veronica did not openly oppose Faena¡¯s presence because of the empress. Now that an incident had happened, Elman received thergest share of me from Veronica because he did not meet his responsibilities as a guardian.

    But he waited patiently and looked at Faena with a smile.

    ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s all because of that country bumpkin,¡± she became angry and described the events while fuming.

    ¡°That man is incredibly aplished in dueling. Count Cullens was defeated by him at the very first direct exchange. All the empire knights added together were also not his match.¡± Rono added to her story but he did not really dwell on their defeat.

    After all, that man was someone from Aouine and unrted to them. However, he was interested in the Crimson Blessing that the youth possessed.

    ¡°That¡¯s because Count Cullens underestimated his enemy. Furthermore, the knights that came along with us are actually a bunch of coddled children because of their noble lineage. I even think they lose out to the knights stationed at our borders.¡± Faena disagreed with a ridiculingugh.

    Although Elman was also part of the ¡®noble¡¯ knights, he did not get angry and merely smiled in response to her sarcastic remark: ¡°Aouine has a genius amongst them as well?¡±

    ¡°He has the capabilities to fight against our Knight Commander,¡± Rono said.

    ¡°That¡¯s because the Knight Commander is unable to use the full extent of her abilities in this ce. Also, the sword that man has is Halran Gaia. He¡¯s cheating!¡± She was still unconvinced.

    Rono nodded a few times: ¡°Well, you might be right, but if you pick any of us, well, even standing up against the Knight Commander¡¯s aura would be considered a good result.¡±

    Faena whipped her head to the ck-haired boy and red at him: ¡°Rono, why are you going against me every time!¡±

    The boy¡¯s eyes widened for a moment and blinked a few times. He thought about her question before he answered her: ¡°I¡¯m just stating the truth.¡±

    She wanted to tear her hair out upon hearing his reply. She stomped her foot on the ground heavily and ceased speaking.

    ¡°I remember that Aouine in recent times isn¡¯t faring too well,¡± Elman nodded with a faint smile with narrowed eyes with a light voice, as though the smile extended to his eyes, ¡°but it seems like they haven¡¯t received enough of a lesson.¡±

    ¡°Elman?¡± The boy turned his attention to hispanion with a frown.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about, Rono. However, I won¡¯t let this incident slide when Lady Faena has been insulted.¡± Elman said elegantly.

    Faena¡¯s heart skipped a beat upon the chance of hearing his words. Even though no one dared to go against the duchess, Viscount Elman was a rising star amongst the Empire¡¯s political forum. He was even called ¡®one of the new Eagles of Kirrlutz¡¯.

    Her father had praised Elman more than once about his intelligence and cautious nature, as well as his self-awareness in the political arena. He certainly thought him as one of the most talented youths in Kirrlutz.

    It was rare for her father to praise someone this much, and it let her think that Elman might really have a way.

    Regardless of what n Elman had, the fact that he was willing to extend a helping hand at this moment made her feel very pleased. She took a longer look at him with admiration and expectation.

    ¡°What can we do without going against Lady Veronica¡¯s orders. Even if it¡¯s you, Viscount Elman, you can¡¯t go against her, right?¡±

    ¡°Naturally. But there¡¯s no need to report to Lady Veronica about every little thing that we do. The suggestion that I have shouldn¡¯t be a problem as well.¡±

    ¡°But that man has the abilities of a Gold-ranked grandmaster swordsman, and possibly beyond that. None of us would be a match for him,¡± Rono frowned, ¡°and even if we go against him with numbers, the Druids will interfere with this matter. They seem to treat him with great importance......¡±

    Rono did not finish his words, but they knew what kind of grave consequences there would be if this matter reached Veronica¡¯s ears again.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing as troublesome as that. Did you forget that Aouine¡¯s ambassadors are here as well? Since that youth¡¯s a member of Aouine¡¯s nobles, then he¡¯s probably part of their ambassadors. And even if he¡¯s not, this matter should still be resolved amongst themselves.¡±

    Faena¡¯s eyes brightened slightly.

    ¡°Of course!¡± She agreed with Elman: ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of that? Those cowardly appointed officials from Aouine will submit to the Empire if weunch a formalint.¡±

    She scoffed lightly: ¡°We have to get them to educate their men properly! ...... But who among us should go?¡±

    Elman shrugged. Although he was a viscount, he was officially themander of the Imperial Knights. His position was not appropriate to allow him to meet up with other ambassadors from other kingdoms.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it either. The Royal Alchemists can¡¯t be in contact with foreign ambassadors.¡± Rono shook his head as well.

    ¡°Y-you can¡¯t possibly have me go personally, right? I-I don¡¯t have the experience in this area.¡± Faena¡¯s eyes widened as she ced a hand on her chest.

    ¡°Let me go,¡± a soft voice suddenly came from behind the three.

    Faena turned to find a young woman wearing a purple dress walking out from the hall. Thetter came up to them and did not speak any further, standing tall like a Moon Flower in the Darkness, and the air about her seemed mysterious and quiet.

    That woman smiled pleasantly and nced at Viscount Elman for a moment.

    ¡°Sister Delphine! Are you willing to help out? That¡¯s wonderful! Do you have a way too?¡± Faena shouted in delight.

    ¡°Viscount Elman¡¯s method is excellent. Didn¡¯t you agree to it?¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re the prime minister¡¯s daughter, the Empire¡¯s Flower of Wisdom. I rather believe in you if I have to choose. Besides, everyone knows that you¡¯re fond of him, who knows if you¡¯re staying on the sidelines just to help him stand out. I can¡¯t be sure if you don¡¯t have a better method!¡±

    Elmanughed lightly in response and looked at the woman next to him in a yful manner. Delphine shook her head in response with augh as well.

    ¡°Very well, perhaps we can get the Holy Cathedral of Fire to put pressure on Aouine too.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Elman lifted an eyebrow. Delphine noticed his gaze and returned with a faint smile.

    ¡°The Holy Cathedral of Fire? Would they even hear us out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Aouine man cast a spell that resembles the Sacred Church of Light¡¯s Equipment of Gods. But the truth doesn¡¯t really matter here, what matters is how we describe it.¡± Delphine brushed her fringe back past her shoulders.

    Elman nodded with a smile: ¡°A wonderful suggestion. I heard that the appointed leader from the Holy Cathedral of Fireing to the Dark Forest is called Amman, who is known as the Bishop of Greed. If that youth encounters him, he would at least get his skin torn off even if he escapes death...... Indeed, we can even stir things further since there are other forces here, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if conflicts happen.¡±

    Delphine concurred.

    ¡°Good!¡± Faena excitedly shook her fists as she imagined Brendel¡¯s impending doom. She looked like she had vented her anger: ¡°Then let¡¯s get to it right away!¡±

    But Rono was paid attention to the real reason why they came here when he listened in to the suggestions: ¡°Come to think of it, there are more forces appearing in the Dark Forest than expected. Galbu¡¯s wizards, the Cathedral of Fire, Aouine, and even Beastmen. The Lionheart is obviously our Empire¡¯s sacred sword.¡±

    Faena¡¯s passion was suddenly cut in half when the pessimistic boy spoke up, and she sighed: ¡°Why are you worrying so much? There¡¯s nothing to worry about the Beastmen with Lady Veronica around. Galbu¡¯s wizards are merely here to take part in the excitement. As for the Holy Cathedral of Fire, one can say that it has close connections to the King of Fire, and therefore close ties to us. As for the Aouine Kingdom, do we really need to care about these traitors who stole our legacy have to say?¡±

    Rono nodded in regards to this assessment, but he spoke again:

    ¡°Hmmm, but does the Lionheart really have anything to do with the strange changes in the Loop of Trade Winds? Our Star Seers detected the Divine Resonance to be somewhere to Randner¡¯s south and somewhere near Chablis instead.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal that we couldn¡¯t find anything. The Divine Resonance¡¯s impact is too powerful for one to find its exact location. We already searched Chablis and moved all the way to the Dark Forest.¡± Elman said.

    ¡°Is it possible that the bunch of undead took it away?¡± Faena recalled the undead army that they encountered along the way.

    ¡°The Holy Swords have divinity in them. The Lionheart, the de of mes, or any weapons rted to the Light would instantly reduce the undead to ashes upon contact. They will never be interested in these weapons.¡± Rono exined.

    ¡°Which is why the only ce left is the Loop of Trade Winds,¡± Delphine added.

    The topic changed from Brendel¡¯s punishment to their real goal. As they discussed the finer points, a squadron of knights hurriedly entered from the outside.

    They first saw Viscount Elman and immediately saluted him: ¡°Captain!¡±

    ¡°What is it? What matter is so urgent?¡± Elman turned towards them and asked.

    ¡°T-there¡¯s something of great urgency, captain! The Loop of Trade Winds has a sudden change!¡± The knight who replied was out of breath.

 volume 3 - 127

    Chapter 127 ¨C Change of the Loop of Trade Winds (1)

    The presence of soldiers from the Kirrlutz empire more or less made Brendel wary, but he did not want to deal with them, at least not right now. He was quite certain that Veronica would not pick a fight for himter on just to get revenge for this incident.

    The duel in the market did not diminish the interest of the girls apanying him, and with Amandina¡¯s suggestion, they continued to survey the streets that overlooked the Loop of Trade Winds.

    Indeed, the grand scenery that was disyed in between the ancient trees could make one forget their troubles¡ª

    Brendel kept an eye out for any interesting items in the small shops that appeared inconspicuous after purchasing the Rock Key.

    [I must say that the Dark Forest is indeed filled with materials. I actually managed to get good stuff just from walking around. Most of the materials I got are valuable. Wyvern¡¯s blood, Ancient Wood Branch, and Sealed Element of Wind, all of them are Brass-rated. I thought I was lucky enough to get the Five-headed Hydra¡¯s blood and twenty of its blessed scales, but I did not expect the Green Tower to continue giving me advantages.]

    Most materials were different from equipment. If the materials did not undergo refinement or reforging, they would usually be ssified as unranked. Even after a single bout of refinement, they would be rated as Iron-ranked. Crystals with raw Mana in them were considered scarce.

    The Ancient Wood Branch was a good medium to make a Mystic staff. While Brendel had no real use for it, he could sell it to others or exchange it for other things in Ampere Seale. It was even possible for him to train Merial and let her use it, making her a great asset in the future.

    The only thing holding him back was whether she could be trusted. A good healer in any game was always sought after, and even more so in real life. If she proved loyal to his cause, then he would immediately consider getting her the best equipment he could possibly get.

    The Wyvern¡¯s Blood was also a substitute material for the Potion of Dragon Strength. Brendel had already turned his Hydra¡¯s Blood into arge batch of potions and they were ready to be distributed to his rowdy batch of youths at any given time.

    Finally, the Sealed Element of Wind was a core material in strengthening crystals, or it could be used to let someone learn a rted technique to Wind Magic.

    [Back then in the game, the shopkeepers are more cunning...... They always set prices that are more or less simr to the Auction Houses. These rare materials were never on sale too. Then again, I wasn¡¯t one of the yers who yed on the first day of the game¡¯s release. I startedter and was always slower by a step. The yers before me must have made the shopkeepers realize the demand for their materials. I¡¯m sure there are even more useful things to be found.]

    The youth could not help but break into a grin. He realized that the city he was in was still in a state where everyone was like country bumpkins who did not realize the worth of their materials. There were still many stores to be seen and he wanted to get to all of them in a day.

    A traveling Senian Magician was selling a strange card to people who passed him. Brendel thought he saw wrongly when he looked at the card which no one was interested in,

    But it was indeed a Card of Fate.

    [Dr Wilderness. Hmm..... This is a pretty goodnd card. Tapping it gives 2 Earth EP and 1 Light EP.]

    After a short negotiation, Brendel agreed to use a Mana Crystal in exchange for the card. The traveling Magician was overjoyed when he heard that, and he eagerly told Brendel that the card had to have some kind of secret to it, despite the fact that he could not detect any kind of magic reaction to it.

    He even brought up a small me on his finger over the card as though he was afraid that the youth would regret his purchase.

    ¡°Look at this, mister,¡± he exaggerated and treated Brendel like he was a mark being conned: ¡°any normal paper would turn into ashes, but there¡¯s not even a sign of this card being damaged. It means that there¡¯s something to it. Even though you and I can¡¯t determine what it is exactly, but for the price of a Mana Crystal, it¡¯s nothing more than a small gamble. What if this was a legendary artifact?¡±

    Brendel nodded as he received the card. He did not realize that it was actually resistant to fire and cast his own mes to test it for himself.

    The traveling magician was shocked to see Brendel¡¯s actions. Even though creating Starfire was nothing but a trick for an Elementalist, a third-rate magician like himself was unable to do the same thing. It meant that Brendel was a not just an apprentice but a full-fledged Elementalist.

    [Judging from the speed, he¡¯s at least a 2nd circle!]

    While the magician was more like a sham magician, he had enough insight about magic.

    ¡°So you¡¯re a master Elementalist. Would you be interested in more of these cards?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? You expect me to buy more of this rubbish? It¡¯s nothing more than a passing interest.¡± Brendel kept the card away while unsealing it at the same time.

    Scarlett watched at her lord putting on a thug-like expression that had disinterest written all over it, and she could not help but purse her lips. Amandina secretly pulled the red-haired girl¡¯s hand from behind and cautioned her to pay attention to her actions, or the other party might discover something wrong.

    The traveling magician had analyzed the card for quite some time. He first discovered it in an old building, but he was not really a schr after all and lost patience after studying it for a while: ¡°I understand. But I can sell them cheaper if you¡¯re interested.¡±

    Brendel pretended to hesitate for a while before replying: ¡°Very well, how much cheaper?¡±

    ¡°I have five more cards, how about four Mana Crystals?¡±

    ¡°...... Four?¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, three Mana Crystals!¡± The traveling magician felt that he still earned a profit with three crystals. If he tried to maintain the price stubbornly, the youth might just leave while rolling his eyes. He tried selling these cards in many other ces, but there was no one who wanted it.

    The young human in front of him was a silly fool who was unlikely to be encountered again.

    But Brendel did not bother to press him and nodded immediately. The earlier incident at the centaur¡¯s shop made him reluctant to waste time to drive the prices low.

    ¡°Very well, bring them out and let me have a look first.¡± Brendel eyed the Senian who nodded vigorously.

    ¡°Would you mind waiting for a little while? I left the cards in the ce that I¡¯m currently staying in. It¡¯s not too far away and I¡¯ll be back really soon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you thirty minutes.¡±

    It was unlikely for the Senian magician to be subservient to Brendel if he was just a noble, but it was a different story since he was a formal Elementalist as well. Amandina watched the Senian magician disappear in the alleys in a hurry before she finally sighed: ¡°I finally understand why Miss Romaine is together with you, my lord.¡±

    ¡°No, these things are quite worthless to him or even to others,¡± Brendel shook his head and disagreed.

    The Rock Key was worth its value to many people, but these cards were only useful to neswalkers and it was unlikely for the entire Aouine kingdom to have even one neswalker. Even the Kirrlutz kingdom might not have one. It was impossible for the Senian magician to sell the card, and even if a schr was interested they would not pay for such a high price for it.

    Strictly speaking, Brendel did not think it was a worthy transaction.

    The Cards of Fate in this world appeared to be of abundance, though the rare cards were certainly rare.

    ¡°The next transaction is the important one.¡± He suddenly smiled as he nned his next move.

    ¡°The next transaction?¡± Amandina did not understand.

    ¡°I want to buy that fellow.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± She was shocked. When did her young lord be a ver?

    ¡°That Senian is an Elementalist and he seems to have a pretty good foundation. I n to have a group of young mages splintered from my future knights. Merial and Mordenkainen are only two people, after all. Real wizards wouldn¡¯t be interested in a small-time noble like myself, and I won¡¯t be able to control them even if they join me. But a third-rate magician is much easier.¡±

    Amandina appeared worried when she listened to his n. It sounded like he was trying to pick up junk. There might be severe disadvantages down the road too.

    But she did not know that Brendel was capable of turning a normal person into a magician, let alone those who have innate talent in them.

    ¡°Most importantly, the Senian might not be willing to work for you, right?¡± She said.

    Brendel merelyughed at her response. She did not understand magic very well, and no caster would be unwilling to remove the word ¡®apprentice¡¯ in their reputation. There were ¡®apprentices¡¯ everywhere in the continent, and true wizards were umon. Thetter was recognized to be of a high social order, and every apprentice wanted to be one.

    ¡°I¡¯m a true Elementalist. If I give that Senian a chance, he won¡¯t refuse me and would even be delighted about it.¡±

    Amandina stared nkly, but Scarlett finally burst intoughter as she nced at Brendel: ¡°One has to be careful when doing business with our lord. It seems like they might sell themselves if they are not careful.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Amandina nodded as she looked at Scarlett.

    Brendel shrugged his shoulders. He knew they were making fun of him, but he did not mind enjoying this rxing moment.

 volume 3 - 128

    Chapter 128 ¨C Waves

    The tremendous change to the Loop of Trade Winds had shaken the entire city.

    And such a change might not be for the better¡ª

    The Druids quickly became anxious, while the various factions started to act quietly in the city. That night, the messengers from the Kirrlutz Empire visited the members from the Aouine Kingdom and the Holy Cathedral of Fire privately. New rumors started circting at the same time.

    The first rumor was about the awakening of a Holy Sword that existed in legends, King Erik¡¯s Lionheart, which was also the cause of the Divine Resonance half a year ago. The Lionheart was now rumored to be in the Loop of Trade Winds, and someone from Aouine had already grasped the means to enter the ce and take the sword.

    The second rumor was that the powerful Kirrlutz Empire was actually forced to be at a disadvantage by the Druids over someone from Aouine. This ¡®news¡¯ alone made interested people go wild with their guesses.

    The Lionmane Beastmen mercenaries from the barbaric regions also received the rumors of Halran Gaia appearing in the continent. Their ancient history included this fabled sword, which was fought over between the Lionmane Empire and the dwarves.

    Witnesses¡¯ ounts stated the sword was currently wielded by a young human male who was in the Green Tower. Some even imed that the Kirrlutz Empire tried to take the sword by force and cause an incident.

    Even more absurd rumors spread throughout the various taverns, like how the Aouine Kingdom was under the protection of the Sacred Church of Light. Various truths and lies were mixed together, making them hard to believe.

    However, rumors did not require one to believe in them to propagate, because people would just volunteer to spread them freely.

    Brendel did not know schemes were brewing behind his back. The first moment he saw the change in the clouds, he immediately left the market and entered ckthorn along with two Grand Druids after a few instructions to hispanions.

    The ckthornmittee received a report¡ª

    The clouds over the Loop of Trade Winds had split into half and had a clear path thatsted for ten miles. However, no one knew exactly what was happening in the area. Once the clouds cleared, the mountains became dangerous because the monsters in the foggy areas became active.

    It was for this reason that the Druids lost several of their observation points. The frontline was crumbling. Things were bing tense.

    In the courtyard where the Goddess Nia was worshiped stood hundreds of Elder Druids. Even the nearby branches were filled with members of the outer circle. The ce was filled with tension.

    [It seems all their elites have gathered here.]

    Brendel nced at his surroundings before looking up. The evening sky was dark red in color, and countless birds were flying around the six ancient trees in great density, which nearly covered half the sky. And when he looked down¡ª

    [Wow. It looks like a green dragon is climbing up the paths. Hmm, the Druids are prepared for an all-out war.]

    There were tens of thousands of druids moving out from the Dark Forest to the Green Tower. Be it victory or defeat, this would be the turning point of history. After more than a century, all the Druids in Trentheim gathered in one ce once again.

    ¡°Everyone!¡± A Druid Elder roared, his voice which was amplified by magic, echoed through the entire courtyard, almost like the thunder in a tempest: ¡°Our brothers and sisters are unable to stop the monsters¡¯ attacks at the frontlines, and they are being pushed back as I speak.¡±

    A grey raven flew in and turned into a human form, shouting:

    ¡°I have scouted from the sky, and the monsters in the Dark Forest is like an ocean of ck water, pouring through the forest and drowning the Circle of Thorns, the Wall of Flowers, and the Loop of Gales, as well as many other areas.¡±

    And the Druids in the courtyard bellowed in response:

    ¡°We need tounch a counterattack!¡±

    ¡°Stop these monsters right now!¡±

    ¡°Our work in the Dark Forest that has persisted for more than a century will be ruined if they destroy all the observation posts!¡±

    The Great Elder smashed his staff onto the ground, and a violent rumbling spread throughout the branches, causing the slightly chaotic atmosphere to fall into silence.

    ¡°Just exactly how many monsters are we dealing with?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I see no end to their numbers.¡± Came the reply.

    Brendel was standing behind a gigantic Druid, and for a while, no one noticed this outsider.

    [No end to their numbers...... That¡¯s certainly a memory that I can¡¯t forget.]

    A gust of wind caused the dead leaves from the trees to fly across his vision. He stared at them until they disappeared into the darkness. They reminded him how the yers threw themselves against the unending numbers of the monsters.

    ¡°¡ªrd Brendel, Lord Brendel!¡± Andellu was a little dissatisfied with Brendel¡¯s distracted look: ¡°What do you think of the change in the Loop of Trade Winds?¡±

    ¡°Am I allowed to participate?¡± Brendel spoke to the Great Elder.

    The Great Elder thought for a moment, shook his sleeves and took a step back with his staff. He nodded slightly: ¡°Please go ahead¡ª¡±

    Sudden murmurs broke the silence as the Druids finally noticed there was a human amongst them.

    ¡°Who is that youth?¡±

    ¡°Probably a guest of the ckthorn Council.¡±

    ¡°A male human?¡±

    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ve seen him going around with the Favored Sifrid. He¡¯s probably someone close to her.¡±

    ¡°I see, but what is he doing here?¡±

    Brendel did not shy away when the Great Elder gave him the entire stage. He instead took a step forward and asked the Druid who flew in as a raven: ¡°Where are the monstersing from?¡±

    The Druid took a moment to think before he answered: ¡°They appeared out of nowhere from the fogs.¡±

    ¡°And they poured out of the fog even though it doesn¡¯t seem likely that the monsters were there in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°...... The Waves of Cmity has started.¡± Brendel answered with certainty. His memories matched the report.

    ¡°As the moon rises, the first Wave of Cmity willst for seven days. The wolves will howl and run under the moon as the nts wither. They are the civilization¡¯s first cmity¡ª The Cmity of Wolves. The monsters that you saw are ck Wolves.¡±

    The Great Elder¡¯s eyes widened in shock, and so did the other druids. The Cmity of Wolves was a prophecy that stated civilization wasing to an end. Brendel never said that the Waves of Cmity had anything to do with this prophecy at all!

    The other Druids who did not participate in the meeting between the ckthorn Council and Brendel, could not understand why the change in the Loop of trade Winds had anything to do with this prophecy.

    ¡°The change in the Loop of Trade Winds is rted to the uing Mana Wave, and the Cmity of Wolves is only the beginning of the chain of events. And this beginning is just as fatal as the other cmities that will soon follow. The monsters are running amok in the entire Loop of Trade Winds and they will reach here very soon. These wolves will destroy the Green Tower and then hide until the final moment of the Mana Wave before appearing once again, bringing destruction to the world.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s thoughts wandered back to the era where the invasion of the monsters signified the start of the kingdom¡¯s downfall. The mes of civilization were like a candle in the wind about to be extinguished.

    The core of the game¡¯s second chapter. Chaos and Wars.

    Numerous heroes would start to appear like the stars in the sky, and each star would light up the continents. The Goddess of War Freya, would carry her g and march forward in difficulty. Duke Aranjar, the Dashing Wolf Walter, and the King of Rage Conan wouldter bring the gamers and refugees out of the darkness after Aouine was felled.

    Swords caused the ground to be stained with blood, mes burned down buildings, and hot-blooded wars were fought one after another until the passion was nearly gone. But as long as there was still hope, civilization did not crumble.

    Brendel pondered on the past events for a moment. Though he did not join in on the first cmity, he had walked through the remnants of the destruction and watched the recorded videos.

    ¡°In any case, do you know where the monsters are heading to currently?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t.¡± Came the reply.

    ¡°Does anyone?¡± Brendel threw the question to the other Druids.

    There was a moment of silence, but a raven soon flew down onto the center of the courtyard. It turned into a young male Druid and regarded everyone with a solemn expression.

    ¡°Now that you mentioned it, after the monsters swept past the Wall of Flowers, its direction seemed to be heading straight towards the Green Tower.¡±

    Murmurs started again as everyone realized the severity of the situation they were in.

    ¡°Do you have a solution?¡± The Great Elder asked.

    ¡°The Fire in the Green Tower must not be extinguished. While you defend the city, I will enter the Loop of Trade Winds.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°At this moment?¡± Andellu stared at him.

    ¡°Seven long nights. You will face the darkest moment against the power of Chaos. The sun will not rise in this period and it is known as the Eternal Night in the prophecy. Do you think the Green Tower can stand against an endless onught of monsters until the seven nights are over? The only way to resolve this is to light up the Holy Fire within Valha.¡±

    The murmurs faltered slightly.

    ¡°Can you do it?¡± The Great Elder asked.

    ¡°I need your Druids to aid me.¡±

 volume 3 - 129

    Chapter 129 ¨C The Dark Forest¡¯s frontlines

    It was dawn.

    But the forest was still shrouded in darkness.

    A long line of ming torches shimmered in the bone-chilling mist that filled the forest. Different groups of Druids shuffled across the ground and broke the dead silence as they tread on the fallen tree leaves.

    Someone coughed.

    There was a strong stench of blood in the air that easily made one gag. The Druids in this area had organized a counter-attack, taking back part of the Wall of Flowers.

    The corpses of ck wolves could be seen not far away in a nearby clearing filled with dull-yellow grass. These dead creatures would shrink in a couple of days and be pure Mana Crystals.

    The bodies of the dead Druids were imed by their own and buried, directly going back to nature. It had been an intense fight throughout the night which could not be described by words. The waves of ck wolves ultimately retreated, but it seemed like they were going to the north instead, the Valley of Vines.

    They were slowly surrounding the Green Tower.

    Still, the Druids managed to take back a small patch of forest and avoided fighting the bulk of the enemies. Many Druids believed the monsters were about tounch a new wave of attack again.

    Brendel frowned when he reached this ce.

    Various factions had alsoe along. The Kirrlutz Empire, wizards from Galbu, the Holy Cathedral of Fire, and groups of adventurers.

    [I thought most of these people would seek to leave the Dark Forest. It seems like I¡¯mpletely wrong. The rumors of a Divine Artifact triumphs the dangers of the creatures and the strange changes within the Loop of Trade Winds. Well, that¡¯s fine. They are going to relieve my pressure when I enter Valha...... But there might be unavoidable battles before entering it.]

    The wizards from Galbu were more dangerous than the people from the Kirrlutz Empire, but it seemed like they did not understand the changes of the Loop of Trade Winds. It was his greatest advantage.

    [Seven long nights. The sun won¡¯t rise again. In the game, there were at least three thousand gamers helping out against the endless waves of monsters, and now I¡¯m the only one here. One person to repeat the events in the game..... Hmm, but I did cause the Divine Resonance half a year ago and it brought more people here. Though it¡¯s still a question whether I can really seed.]

    Scarlett and Amandina were sitting beside Brendel. Thetter seemingly stared into the darkness as he listened to Amandina¡¯s report on the various factions¡¯ movements, while in truth he was fiddling with his Stats Window, making a final preparation.

    The Cmity of Wolves was a World Event in the game that was designed for thousands of yers. It was literally impossible for him toplete it alone, but as a true gamer, he believed in his own abilities more than any outside factors.

    [There isn¡¯t much XP gained from the past month. 57000 XP. I can¡¯t even raise my current mercenary level. But one level from this system won¡¯t really make a difference in this quest. The neswalker system......]

    Brendel checked his resources.

    [The Silver Swallow-tailed g was redeemed three months ago¡ª Now I have 2220 Wealth and 330 Reputation. I was actually trying to redeem anothernd card, but it seems like I need to change my ns.]

    Brendel tapped the system¡¯s icon, scrolling through the album of cards.

    [Vampire Baron, Ancestral Vampire, and Night Lord.]

    Even though he believed the white-colored cards were better, he simply did not have enough ins to maintain them after summoning. These vampire cards were different. The owner of these cards merely needed to maintain them by paying with their HP.

    For a spellcaster, that would be unthinkable, but it was not a problem for a Warrior ss. He even had the Unyielding talent, making his recover faster by three times. He paid 400, 600, and 800 Wealth respectively for the three cards, then shuffled them into his deck.

    ¨C Vampire Baron

    ¨C (Night Shadow XI)

    ¨C Costs 10 Dark EP

    ¨C [Undead Creature/Vampire, level 28 creature]

    ¨C Feeds on blood

    ¨C When Vampire Baron is on the battlefield, all lower-ss Vampires gain 1 Command Point

    ¨C Pay 2 HP every day when Vampire Baron in on the battlefield

    ¨C ¡®The elegance in the darkness is a type of fatal art.¡¯

    ¨C Ancestral Vampire

    ¨C Costs 15 Dark EP

    ¨C [Undead Creature/Vampire, level 30 Elite creature]

    ¨C Feeds on blood

    ¨C Sacrifice 1 non-ck creature, Ancestral Vampire gains 3 Command Points (until Ending Phase)

    ¨C Pay 5 HP every day when Vampire Baron in on the battlefield

    ¨C ¡®The lower caste often forgets they are not guests or servants, but property.¡¯

    ¨C Night Lord

    ¨C (Night Shadow III)

    ¨C Costs 15 Dark EP

    ¨C [Undead Creature/Vampire, level 30 Elite creature]

    ¨C Feeds on Bloodline

    ¨C Pay 5 Dark EP, ce a team of ck Creatures (Vampire Progeny) into the battlefield

    ¨C Pay 10 HP every day when Night Lord is on the battlefield.

    ¨C ¡®Blood is dripping.¡¯

    These three cards could be seen as abination. Even though the Vampire Baron was only an Iron-ranked creature, it could add to lower-ss Vampires. The Ancestral Vampire¡¯s strength was no weaker than Medissa, and sacrificing a non-ck card could even have its strength rise up to the peak of a Gold-ranked ss. It was literally his strongest card at this current point.

    As for the Night Lord, its strength was somewhere in the middle of a Gold-ranked ss. It could also create an endless supply of vampires which was aided by the Vampire Baron¡¯s ability.

    [It¡¯s definitely another corebination just like the Holy Swords and the Wind Spirit Spiders. I would have seven Gold-rankers in total. That¡¯s considerable strength in Aouine.]

    He spent his remaining wealth on two more cards.

    ¨C Sea Gem

    ¨C (Visionary Artifact V)

    ¨C Costs 10 Will

    ¨C [Artifact/Magic]

    ¨C Gain 1 reputation when Sea Gem is on the battlefield.

    ¨C Gain 2 Wealth when the card is tapped.

    ¨C Sacrifice this card and choose any card in hand and ce it on the battlefield.

    ¨C ¡®Unstoppable temptation.¡¯

    ¨C Grey Harbor Tax Officer

    ¨C (The Alliance of City-states XXI)

    ¨C Costs 5 Light EP

    ¨C [Human creature, level 5 Creature]

    ¨C When Grey Harbor Tax Officer is on the battlefield, gain 1 Reputation.

    ¨C If you own a city or and card with buildings (barrier), gain 2 Wealth when this card is tapped.

    ¨C ¡®Tax is the core of a city-state.¡¯

    [These two cards are now my long-term investment to regain my Wealth. The level 60 Elite tinum Angel card is going to have to wait untilter.]

    Brendel then spent 325 Reputation to unseal a card.

    ¨C Graveyard Revival

    ¨C (Whispers from the Grave II)

    ¨C Costs 20 Dark EP

    ¨C [Magic Barrier]

    ¨C Summon a creature card in your graveyard and put it into y, or pick a dead creature on the battlefield and put it into y. Target creature is ck and ssified as [Ghoul] while this card is attached to it.

    ¨C ¡®Death is not an excuse to refuse orders.¡¯

    Brendel was certain that he would encounter a creature that would be worthwhile to reanimate it, thus he redeemed this card. Finally, he scrolled to the recent cards he obtained recently.

    Kodan was instructed yesterday to wait for the Senian magician with Mana Crystals. A total of five cards were purchased for three Mana Crystals. There were three Land Cards and two Creature Cards.

    The two Creature Cards were Firew Buglers and Rune Summoner. The three Land Cards were Phantom Labyrinth of Water, Death Forest, and Anjou Mountains.

    [The Firew Buglers are Iron-rankers, but the most interesting thing about it is how they are able to boost a rted card. If the Firew Buglers are in y, the Firew Lancer card will have twice the effectiveness. Twoncers are summoned instead of one. If I obtain more cards and build around it, the cardbination would be as effective as the Holy Swords and the Wind Spirit Spiders.]

    He studied the description of the Rune Summoner. It also had the same abilities as the Night Lord, with the difference that 10 MP was required, and the Rune Summoner would be able to bring in creatures equivalent to the number of Land Cards he owned. The Rune Summoner was also a weak card in the early stages, but its potential in the future was nearly unlimited.

    Although there was an increase to fifteen usable cards, it also meant that the cards that he could draw to his hand would be limited.

    [It¡¯s a new problem. The cards I get every day are random. Is it possible for me to get the cards I want? It¡¯s nearly a new day, so......]

    After a few minutes, he checked the new cards he received for the day.

    [Ancestral Vampire, Wind Spirit Spiders, Holy Sword, Fire Djinn, Mana Control, Firew Buglers, Sprint Drive..... Should I summon them now?]

    Amandina poked the inattentive Brendel who turned around. His eyes followed her fingers and saw that a group of people was walking towards them not far away.

    ¡°They are wearing uniforms from Aouine.¡± She whispered.

 volume 3 - 130

    Chapter 130- The group of ambassadors from Aouine

    [What are they doing here?]

    Brendel watched the nobles from Aouine slow down as they approached his camp. It appeared like they were studying him as well. The leader amongst them was a middle-aged man. His face was gaunt and he had a gait with an unsteady limp.

    [If I recall correctly, that¡¯s Count Austin, a high-ranking military officer in the north. The six men and two women behind him..... I don¡¯t recall their names, but they should be members of the royal family, except they don¡¯t wield any real power. ]

    They were members of the Royal Faction or at least from a neutral party.

    [But I feel something is odd here...... Ah, I see. Members of the Royal Faction appearing in Randner¡¯s territory. Isn¡¯t that strange? I should be seeing Randner¡¯s men here instead.]

    Brendel did not realize his actions had been recorded by Lord Oberbeck ever since the siege on Fortress Riedon. Oberbeck directly observed the battle between Ebdon and the youth, and he had been tracking the movements of thetter closely ever since.

    But the nobles sent to the Dark Forest did not know who Brendel was, because they were tasked to search for the Lionheart.

    Count Austin was certain that Brendel was a noble. His confident and elegant demeanor was not something that could be faked, and Amandina was even more striking, with every move graceful and assured. If the youth was partnered with such ady of high pedigree, there was no mistaking his identity.

    He nced at the youths resting in the forest, secretly believing they were Brendel¡¯s squires, before his eyes moved over to the Lizardmen and Elves. It was a messyposition.

    He approached Brendel and said: ¡°A citizen of Aouine?¡±

    Brendel nodded, but he knew that these people were not here to have a friendly chat over their citizenship.

    As expected, the short and plump noble who was beside Austin immediately interrupted them: ¡°You¡¯re that supposed noble?¡±

    ¡°Are you a supposed noble from Aouine?¡± Brendel raised his eyebrow upon hearing the rude tone.

    The raspy voice from the short man allowed the youth to recall who he was. He was a famous conservative noble called Dnt, a seventy-odd-year-old man who had aged well. The humans in this world lived a long lifespan, and Dnt looked like he was still a middle-aged man, though part of his fetching curly hair that wasbed to perfection had ayer of snow on it.

    He was easily recognizable through his official silver uniform. His had was adorned with three golden leaves ¡ª An ordinary Count from Aouine should be wearing three silver leaves, and it was evident that the golden leaves were a special honor.

    Dnt was stunned to have his identity questioned, and he bellowed in rage: ¡°I have no need to prove my nobility here, you mewling churl! Answer me, did you offend the Kirrlutz Empire and bring trouble for the kingdom!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes turned into an icy re. These bastards were indeed here to point fingers at him. He shook his head inwardly; these foolish officers from the kingdom truly made him at a loss for words.

    ¡°..... If you¡¯re asking whether I taught a bunch of arrogant cretins yesterday, that would be me,¡± Brendel red back at him with slight ridicule, ¡°but questioning me here, I wonder who exactly is the one bringing trouble for the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Good! You admit it,¡± Dnt ignored Brendel¡¯s reaction and continued: ¡°the ambassadors from the Kirrlutz Empire expressed their discontent. It will be war if you¡¯re not handed over to them within a certain period of time. I don¡¯t think you need me to tell you what to do!¡±

    Brendel almostughed when he heard that: ¡°You want me to hand myself over to them? Do you even think that is possible?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an order.¡± This time it was a middle-aged female noble who answered, wearing the administrative officer¡¯s uniform in the capital with a schr¡¯s emblem. Brendel guessed she was amongst the Lantonrand¡¯s schrs.

    ¡°Orders? Based on whose orders, exactly?¡±

    ¡°We order you in the name of the king. We are the tasked directly by His Majesty to act as ambassadors in this territory and represent the kingdom¡¯s dignity. You¡¯re hereby ordered toy down your weapons ande with us.¡±

    ¡°And if I refuse?¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s treason. Your actions are suspected to get the kingdom involved in a war, and we will have reason to denounce your actions and exile you from the kingdom. Aouine has no involvement of your actions.¡±

    Brendel had to take in a deep breath.

    He was able to endure this affront because he witnessed the nobles¡¯ filth within the game and this world, otherwise he might have fainted from his rage. He nced at Count Austin. Thetter was a fervent supporter of the Regent Princess and a high-ranking general of one of the northern armies.

    ¡°As a military officer, does Count Austin think the same way?¡± He asked.

    Austin did not answer, but there was a small frown on his forehead. He was annoyed over Dnt¡¯s interruption, but it was true that Brendel¡¯s rumored actions were an unfavorable act. He was not afraid of Kirrlutz¡¯s threat of war, but the kingdom¡¯s unrest and ambitious nobles were growing because of the king¡¯s waning health, and also due to Madara¡¯s recent invasion. He had no choice but to acquiesce to Kirrlutz¡¯s demands.

    [How disappointing. I thought the future reformist would at least have something to say in my favor. But using the idea of exiling me? It sounds like these nobles don¡¯t know the exact events that happened yesterday. Handing me over to Kirrlutz would likely mean a death sentence for me, so why would I surrender myself? Is this Veronica¡¯s idea? No. That¡¯s unlikely, because...... In any case, this event must be caused by some high-ranking bastard from Kirrlutz. I won¡¯t be surprised if they are watching this show right now.]

    Brendel finally realized that the nobles in Aouine were beyond saving. Creating his own force was indeed the right move. He quelled his anger with much difficulty before he looked back at the female noble with a faint smile:

    ¡°You want to exile me?¡±

    ¡°That would depend on your decision.¡±

    Brendel¡¯sughter was full of incredulous mockery as he surveyed the nobles around him. For a moment, he thought of pulling out his sword and bashing the idiots with the hilt.

    ¡°Very well, then go ahead and tell the people from Kirrlutz that I have been exiled. Perhaps they would ept this answer.¡±

    The nobles appeared stunned.

    They thought the threat of exile would make Brendel submit. The ambassadors from Kirrlutz would never ept this oue. They clearly stated that Brendel had forced a transaction from a shop merchant and snatched an item that their royal family member needed.

    ¡°You¡¯re clearly asking to be arrested!¡± Count Dnt roared angrily.

    He raised his hand, prepared to let the ambassadors¡¯ guards take down the youth in front of him. The guards were actual knights in the capital, elites of the Corvado family. Forcing a small noble youth to submit would not be a problem.

    In addition, he had observed Brendel¡¯s squires sufficiently. Most of them were as young as thetter, and even if this motley crew was a bunch of promising talents, they would not be a match for the veterans in the capital.

    There appeared to be a few Elves amongst Brendel¡¯s forces, but that was not enough to deter Dnt from executing his order. Although it was dangerous to start a fight when the monsters were nearby them, he felt there was no choice because the Kirrlutz Empire might really start a war because of a whim.

    Brendel confirmed his theory as he studied the expressions if the people in front of him. The ambassadors from Kirrlutz did not disclose the full events to them. None of them wanted to stop Dnt.

    ¡°It seems like everyone intends to hand me over, even if you have to use force.¡± He interrupted Dnt with augh.

    ¡°Naturally.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s clear that none of you don¡¯t know the exact details of what happened yesterday, otherwise your actions would be very different.¡±

    ¡°Stop your pretense.¡±

    ¡°Pretense?¡± Brendel shrugged and rolled his eyes: ¡°Very well, the people from Kirrlutz probably didn¡¯t tell you I offended the only child of the Duke of Mottled Leaves. I caused her to be disgraced in front of everyone in the market after she got tied up by the Druids¡¯ spell.¡±

    Count Austin¡¯s eyes widened as the words registered in his mind. He felt that things had beplicated. Based on rumors on that duke¡¯s temper, a war might really happen. However, Brendel was not done with his words.

    ¡°They probably failed to mention that I single-handedly beat up their entire group of knights to the point where they can¡¯t get up.¡±

    The female noble originally intended to speak, but her expression turned into one of disbelief and she stared at him instead. Surely there was a limit to exaggeration.

    ¡°Ah, I even offended the Knight of Flowers, Count Cullens. That man had the reputation of bing a master swordsman of his generation. It is most unfortunate that I smashed his face in with a magic spell. I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s awake from his injuries,¡± Brendel paused for a moment beforeughing good-naturedly, ¡°I hope there¡¯s no permanent scar on his face.¡±

    Brendel brought his hands together as he tilted his head and closed his eyes, fiddling with his thumbs.

    ¡°Ahh, there¡¯s another batch of knights that came after Count Cullens. My goodness, these people are the elite Imperial Knights in the capital. I think they won¡¯t forget the beating I gave them. Oh dear, I think this naughty pair of hands of mine, I slipped up and nearly killed their Battle Alchemist. That poor fifteen-year-old genius...... I heard that the Kirrlutz emperor regards him favorably.¡±

    Then he nodded: ¡°But the worst thing that I probably did was to go against ady called Veronica. My, my, my. Themander of the Azure Skies, you might have heard of her? It¡¯s one thing to have a duel with her, but for me to threaten the life of the Duke of Mottled Leaves¡¯ daughter to force her to back off..... That might have been a mistake.¡±

    He gave the nobles a pleasant smile: ¡°If the ambassadors from Kirrlutz told you all these things, are you still going to tell your guards to arrest me by force? Oh, if you do seed in capturing me, who amongst the people I offended are you going to hand me over to?¡±

 volume 3 - 131

    Chapter 131 ¨C Golden Lionmane from Toquinin

    The ambassadors were frozen in ce by Brendel¡¯s words. Count Dnt¡¯s plump hand trembled once or twice, but he did not swing it down.

    Brendel could see the disbelief in all the nobles¡¯ eyes, no, they were looking at him as though he was a madman. He sighed as his anger leaked out from him:

    ¡°Well then, what is going to happen now?¡±

    The nobles¡¯ lips quivered.

    =============== Faena¡¯s POV =================

    ¡°What the hell is happening? Why are they not moving? Urgh, this bunch of useless fools.¡± Faena was hiding behind a boulder, staring at the clearing where Brendel was facing off against Aouine¡¯s Ambassadors: ¡°We can¡¯t achieve our goals if this stalemate continues.¡±

    She could not help but turn back to viscount Elman with a hint ofint.

    The young viscount was not annoyed and merely smiled back with confidence: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the best part is yet toe.¡±

    As if to prove Elman¡¯s words, Brendel suddenly turned his head towards the forest and bellowed:

    ¡°Who?!¡±

    =============== Brendel¡¯s POV ================

    Halran Gaia shed through the air in a ck blur, knocking away a metallic bolt that shot out from the forest with a clink. The first target was the female noble. If Brendel did not act to save her, she would have been killed. But he was able to protect only one person.

    Count Dnt was struck by another arrow. The plump noble was trained in swordsmanship, and even though he had neglected it long ago, he was still able to move at thest moment, allowing the arrow to pierce his shoulder instead of his vitals. However, he was a privileged noble who had never been in real battles and immediately let out a wail like a pig being ughtered.

    ¡°Who dares!¡± Count Austin¡¯s reaction was only slower by a beat. Ambushing while the threat of the monstrous wolves was near them made him angry and shocked, and he immediately pulled out his sword and headed for the direction where the arrows were shot from.

    Brendel did not immediately move and instead studied the arrow that he cut down.

    [It¡¯s not just a heavy crossbow bolt. The forcees from an equipment reinforced by alchemical means. The soldiers from Aouine don¡¯t carry Magic Crossbows. Furthermore, the attacks seem like they are meant for the ambassadors.]

    Shadows quickly appeared in the forest and moved rapidly across it. When the figures finally appeared, they were already starting to surround Brendel and the others. There was no less than a hundred from Brendel¡¯s initial estimation, but it was the identity of the invaders who stunned him.

    The bodies of the figures were humanoid and almost herculean, but every single head on them belonged to a lion. The dull golden fur seemed like they were long mangy beards hanging across their brigandines. Their hands were almost paw-like, but they were longer and more elegant than their animal counterparts. Their boots were also bigger than a normal human, and each of them carried different sets of weapons.

    ¡°Toquinin¡¯s Golden Lionmane Beastmen!¡± Count Austin yelled out their identities.

    The hundred-odd Golden Lionmane Beastmen stopped moving in an orderly fashion, and two of them walked out from the group; they were nearly a head taller than the other Beastmen.

    The Beastman who was in front had a long scar that ran across his face, as if to divide his eyes into two different territories. The other Beastman behind him seemed to be his adjutant and stopped a step behind him.

    ¡°Greetings, everyone, my name is Rovak, I have to interrupt your discussion for a little while,¡± the leader of the Beastmen smiled, causing his scar that appeared like a raw wound to twist horribly.

    ¡°The Lion Beastmen from Toquinin, what are you trying to do? Are you trying to start a war?¡± Count Austin said with a dark expression.

    But Rovak¡¯s pretense of a gentleman quickly disappeared. He ignored the general and raised his sword, pointing it at Brendel: ¡°Little boy, hand over your sword.¡±

    This act instantly made the nobles¡¯ faces suffuse with rage. Even though this demand was made to Brendel, Rovak was definitely looking down on them by not even exining his actions.

    The ambassadors from Aouine could make demands from Brendel because they were nobles tasked by the royal crown. They tolerated the ambassadors from Kirrlutz because the Eagle Empire was powerful.

    But what about these barbaric creatures in front of them?

    These Golden Lionmane Beastmen were from a small tribe located in the kingdom¡¯s northern borders. They fought against Aouine many times but suffered many losses, and were ultimately driven up to the mountains. Although the kingdom¡¯s power was weakening for thest century, none of the nobles expected the Lionmane Beastmen to be so brazen.

    Surrounding and attacking Aouine¡¯s ambassadors without any fear of repercussions.

    Austin wondered if these creatures that had not evolved fully found allies, but he was only able to think of Kirrlutz. Yet it was highly unlikely. In Kirrlutz¡¯z eyes, these barbarians were more like beasts and they would never support them in a war against Aouine. Ultimately, the kingdom was still supported by the Holy Cathedral of Fire, and it would go against their teachings if the Kirrlutz Empire did so.

    [I truly have no idea why they are so bold, but a hundred-odd men against Brendel¡¯s motley crew and our guards we brought along. We are at a disadvantage.]

    He exchanged secret nces with Dnt. Even though both of them felt that the beasts needed to be taught a lesson, it was not a good time to deal with them. They had to find a way back to their camps and discuss their options.

    ¡°Rovak, are you not worried about the consequences? Do you truly believe the number of men brought by us only amount to this much?¡± He asked gravely with an icy expression.

    Rovak narrowed his eyes and finally looked at Austin. He licked his ws as he regarded him with his unique almond-shaped eyes that only a cat would have.

    It was true that he did not have the audacity to do so.

    However, the people from Kirrlutz leaked news about Aouine¡¯s current political status. Their king seemed to have passed away and the people were divided into two camps. A civil war was going to happen soon. There was no way that the kingdom could fund a war against Toquinin right now.

    Rovak found it funny that these ambassadors were still pretending like their country was still fine. Toquinin had been eyeing Aouine¡¯s richnds for some time, and it was a great opportunity if the civil war started.

    And since a war between them was going to happen anyway, it would not make a difference if it was today or tomorrow.

    What was more important was how Halran Gaia ended up in the hands of one of the nobles from Aouine. It was a divine weapon discovered in the Wilderness, and legends stated that whoever possessed the sword would be able to unite nature¡¯s citizens. The Golden Lionmane Beastmen believed that it was lost within the deep mountains, and they had repeatedly fought the dwarves for more than a century to contest the territory.

    Rovak initially came for the Lionheart but there was no additional news about it. When the news of Halran Gaia surfaced, he was naturally more interested in it.

    ¡°...... Consequences?¡± He finally spoke to the ambassadors for the first time: ¡°Perhaps a decade ago your words might work on me, but do you really not know the state of your kingdom is right now?¡±

    Austin froze for a moment but his recovery was swift:

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I must say it¡¯s quite impressive for your kingdom to withhold information for as long as it is, but the nobles and lords in your kingdom¡¯s northern regions are on the brink of a civil war, and you ambassadors have the time to go on an adventure to search for treasure?¡±

    The nobles paled immediately. They obviously knew the situation was worsening within the kingdom. However, the Lionheart was important enough for the Royal Faction to go after it as the sword was tied deeply to the kingdom¡¯s fate. It seemed like it was going to be impossible; the civil war would happen before they could find the sword.

    Perhaps it was Mother Marsha¡¯s will.

    But Brendel interrupted the conversation with a refreshingugh, his voice cheerful: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t catch what you said to me earlier, can you repeat yourself again?¡±

    His hand pushed down on his sword a little.

    The mes within the youth¡¯s heart were so high that he felt they could burn down the entire forest. He had realized Aouine¡¯s ambassadors were used by the Kirrlutz Empire and was greatly displeased. They should be taught a lesson on behalf of the Regent Princess; the fools who could not understand the situation. This thought was initially stuck in his mind.

    But he did not expect this situation.

    A big furry Beastman pointing his sword at him, using a tone of arrogance to demand him to hand over Halran Gaia. Rovak even had the audacity to mock Aouine¡¯s situation after attacking them.

    [Holy fucking shit. Your ability to taunt must be at a Grandmaster rank! Congrattions, it worked and you have my full attention now.]

    Brendel held his smile as he took a deep breath.

    ¡°I told you, little boy.¡± Rovak did not realize death was lurking in the corner.

    How strong could this youth be when he looked like he was not even twenty?

    The Beastman became a Gold-ranker decades ago and was one of Toquinin¡¯s veteran warriors, or he would not have been tasked to search for the Lionheart. Brendel¡¯s threat was answered with the same sarcastic smile he disyed.

    ¡°Hand over your sword t¡ª¡±

    Brendel pulled out his sword and swung it.

    There was no semnce of Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship, or even any swordsmanship. But it contained all of Brendel¡¯s experience and knowledge to unleash all his strength.

    A meteor exploded.

 volume 3 - 132

    Chapter 132 ¨C Brendel¡¯s reply

    Brendelbined several techniques and unleashed them onto his foe.

    It was an altered Power Break enhanced by his grandfather¡¯s unique technique andbined with his own Frontal Assault. In that single moment, Brendel¡¯s strength rose more than three times and broke through the limits of what a Gold-ranker could achieve.

    The air distorted as though refraction had urred.

    Rovak was dumbfounded but he reacted in time by pulling out his own sword to defend himself.

    An ear-splitting metallic shrill caused everyone to flinch¡ª

    Rovak¡¯s pupils narrowed even further as he watched the broadsword bend his sword to the limits. Cracks appeared across his de, and when the de could not be bent any further, it turned into metallic shards that fired into the Beastman with incredible velocity.

    Such blunt fragments were unlikely to harm a Gold-ranker¡¯s body, but there was so much force behind them that they simply sank into his body like it was made out of paper.

    A loud shriek of pain filled the clearing.

    But it onlysted for an instant, stopping abruptly just as it started.

    Even before Halran Gaia reached the Beastman, thepressed shockwave forced his body to bend backward. Bones shattered audibly, while his skin and muscles were torn away. Very quickly, the entire upper body was forcibly removed from its lower half, and both sections shot out backward like arrows with a stream of blood following closely.

    An explosion sounded off a moment after Brendel¡¯s depleted its path, and a cone of destructionid waste to the forest.

    Most of the Beastmen were stunned, but there were a few veteran fighters who reacted and rushed towards Brendel.

    ¡°Mother Earth, bestow des to me!¡± Brendel roared as he swung his sword again.

    The earth moved like it had been turned into liquid, before countless spears made out of rocks shot out from the earth like upturned rain. Each needle-like projectile was approximately three meters long and the size of a human arm, and it pierced the approaching Beastmen from below.

    The stgmites quickly changed the forestndscape over a few hundred meters.

    The twenty-odd beastmen in front of Brendel were turned into porcupines in an instant.

    ss vials fell onto the ground as Rono stood up and stared at the event in shock, not even noticing that he knocked over his bag. Faena was trembling out of fear. There were blood flecks on her face, left behind by Rovak¡¯s body parts as they flew past her. She would have screamed in disgust if she were normal self, but she did not even dare to leak out a sound and even forgot to blink.

    Elman was the only one who still had his senses, but his heart was racing when he saw Brendel¡¯s first sh.

    Even though Veronica¡¯s swordsmanship could render people ineffective because of her control over her Element power, there was something terrifying about Brendel¡¯s swing. It was as though thetter was swinging his sword in front of them, bringing along endless bloodshed¡ª

    [This level of bloodlust...... It¡¯s a pressure that¡¯s simr to Lady Veronica¡¯s swordsmanship! It¡¯s fortunate that I did not suggest to pick a fight with him head-on¡ª]

    ¡°H-he¡¯s......¡± Rono stuttered with difficulty: ¡°a Runic Swordsman!¡±

    Elman¡¯s expression changed again as he thought about Brendel¡¯s second sh.

    The nobles next to Brendel seemed like they were turned to stone. They initially believed that Brendel¡¯s earlier words were mere puffery. Dnt opened and closed his mouth several times like a fish as though he was trying to speak, but his words seemed like they were stuck in his throat and could note out.

    Austin was in a readied stance to pull out his sword ever since Rovak spoke to them. He intended to fight once things went awry, but he found his de to weigh like a ton after Brendel pulled out his sword.

    [This crazy bastard is Aouine¡¯s noble? When did our kingdom have someone like him?]

    Brendel stayed in his pose for nearly two seconds before exhaling loudly. The first swing drained an incredible amount of stamina and made his Unyielding talent activate. The second swing even caused him to freeze for a moment.

    But even so, none of the Beastmen dared to move after that disy of prowess.

    Rovak¡¯s death was understandable. The youth looked like he used an incredible technique, but his second attack was beyondmon sense. Nearly a hundred meters of earth was turned into liquid and reformed to fire a torrent of projectiles that could not be defended against.

    An Arcane Knight?

    Or Runic Swordsman?

    Brendel sheathed his sword, and the stgmites formed crumbled and returned to soil. He red coldly at the frightened Golden Lionmane Beastmen. They surrounded him like a crescent moon, but no one dared to advance a single step.

    ¡°I think King Erik could never have imagined there would be a day where his descendants would be mocked by a bunch of beasts.¡± Brendel turned around and said as he looked at the ambassadors: ¡°Aouine¡¯s g of glory that has fallen onto the ground, do you think you¡¯re capable of carrying it up again?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s voice was not loud and his tone was even.

    Dnt nced at the Lionmane Beastmen, then at Brendel. He was unwilling to acknowledge his words, but he was unable to refute him. The female schr lowered her head. Austin was the only one who pulled out his sword in silence.

    The Lionmane Beastman adjutant eventually regained hisposure. Even though Brendel astounded everyone with his strength, he was still a Gold-ranker regardless of whatever techniques he possessed. It was clear that he would not be able to repeat the same feat many times. There were more than a hundred Silver-ranked warriors behind him. In addition, he and one other captain were also Gold-rankers.

    The ambassadors were unlikely to be warriors, while their guards would have only one Gold-ranker at most. The motley crew of youths and mercenaries following Brendel could bepletely disregarded.

    The Lionmane Beastman adjutant quickly made his decision. He had to end things before the Druids came: ¡°Kill them all! Get revenge for Captain Rovak!¡±

    His roar woke all the Beastmen up. After a chaotic moment, they prepared to surround the humanspletely and rush them.

    Brendel¡¯s army of youths and mercenaries were already alert when Aouine¡¯s ambassadors appeared. When he raised his sword against Rovak, Carglise had already signaled them to prepare for a battle. A cacophony of weapons pulled out from their sheaths could be heard.

    Count Austin walked to Brendel¡¯s back and tossed his scabbard away.

    ¡°We only need to hold on for a while. The rest of our men would being very soon since a battle has broken out in your camp.¡±

    ¡°Hold on?¡± Brendel did not bother to turn back his head and answered in an icy tone, surprising Count Austin.

    ¡°Carglise, Kodan, Ropar, Scarlett,¡± he red at the Beastman as he yelled, ¡°lead the men and kill them all!¡±

    ¡°As you wish, my lord!¡± Carglise answered in excitement.

    ¡°Understood!¡± Scarlett replied as though she had been waiting for this order and rushed into the fray, with lightning dancing around her weapon.

    [Another Gold-ranker with an unsealed Element Power?!]

    The Lionmane Beastman adjutant felt his eyelids jerk.

    But he quickly discovered there was another big threat in the battlefield. The Firew Lizardman appeared from nowhere, dashing across the battlefield silently and knocked the Beastmen¡¯s left nk out of formation with a single swipe of its gigantic tail.

    With a single horizontal sh of its two-handed Greatsword, a sea of fiery mes turned a row of Lionmane Beastmen into ashes. They lost a single squadron with a single blow. It was as though a wall had suddenly appeared on the battlefield. The Lionmane Beastmen quivered in front of the Lizardman Chieftain, but thetter was not yet done. It raised its three-fingered hand and pointed its thumb at them.

    Ten-odd Firew Lizardmenncers emerged from nowhere and charged towards their enemies.

    Kodan walked slowly to Brendel¡¯s side as he pulled out his sword: ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever agreed to work for you, boy?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t?¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°At least I never agreed to ept your orders.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not ordering you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Brendel nced at Austin and asked: ¡°Count Austin, was there ever a time where our ambassadors were insulted when King Erik was alive?¡±

    Austin returned the youth¡¯s nce with a strange look and shook his head.

    mes covered Halran Gaia in an instant.

    ¡°Then, should we give Aouine¡¯s reply with our swords?¡±

    Austin smiled wryly: ¡°Understood.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes returned to Kodan. Thetter did not answer and merely tossed his sheath away. A whirlpool of green light revolved around his body.

    Elman who watched the events unfold widened his eyes.

    [Another Gold-ranker! No, even that ambassador is a Gold-ranker? When did Aouine gain so many of them?!]

 volume 3 - 133

    Chapter 133 ¨C Forced retreat

    Scarlett, Kodan, Ropar, and Austin were like four sharp weapons that stabbed into the Golden Lionmane Beastmen¡¯s formation. Thetter fell into momentary confusion, but they quickly regained theirposure, realizing there was still a chance for a hundred-odd Silver-ranked Beastmen to triumph over a few Gold-rankers.

    The Beastman adjutant tried his best to lead his men against their foes, but he soon realized that it was folly to rely on numbers. He was also categorized as a ¡®Gold-ranker¡¯, but there was a great difference in the quality of the Element Powers between them, let alone skill.

    Scarlett was still a novice when it came to using her Element Power, but she had eaten the Golden Apple which greatly strengthened the amount of electricity she could invoke. The lightning that surrounded her body was more like thick curtains of light.

    Every time she swung her halberd, several lightning bolts discharged into the midst of the Beastmen that reach more than a hundred feet. The ones struck directly in their chests had smoldering cavities in them. The more she fought, the stronger she became, almost entering the state of a God Acolyte. Her eyes glowed as white lightning poured out from it, and she eventually reached a point where she merely pointed her finger to direct a lightning bolt into a Beastman, turning him into cinders.

    Lightning shed repeatedly in the forest, dazzling all those who watched her. Faena stared at the Beastmen hiding behind rocks and trees with an unhinged jaw,pletely forgetting about the things that she came to do.

    ¡°Is she the daughter of the Wind Spirit King Casas, the Lady of Lightning?¡± She stammered.

    ¡°What a tremendous Element Power¡ª¡± Rono¡¯s eyes glinted repeatedly as lightning streaked across the ground.

    Elman¡¯s face was just as pale as the two. Even though the old swordsman near the red-haired girl controlled his Element Power far better she did, thetter appeared to be more powerful than he was.

    However, his attention was mostly on Brendel and Ropar. If Scarlett was like a Lightning Goddess, then the Lizardman Ropar was a Fire God. His Greatsword had mes dancing in the air as he dissected the Beastmen easily. mes even covered his entire body and he did not even flinch from the heat.

    Elman could not understand it.

    In truth, while the Firew Lizardmen appeared like they had a physical body, half of it wasprised of the Fire Element. These Element lifeforms had long lifespans, and those who became chieftains meant they had emerged victorious under countless battles. Ropar came from a world of burning ins and had considerable fighting skills. Each thrust of his greatsword ensured that at least one Beastman would be struck down.

    The second Gold-ranked Lionmane Beastman rushed in to block Ropar¡¯s advance by lunging at him, but he did not think that the Lizardman simply allowed the sword to pierce through his chest. He looked up at Ropar¡¯s face in shock and confusion; why did the Lizardman allow the de to run through his heart?

    But the Lizardman only red back with eyes lit aze by fire. It was the unique trait of the Firew Lizardmen. They were Battle-thirsty, and theirbat abilities rose if they received damage. Although the Beastman¡¯s attack was a critical blow to Ropar, thetter¡¯s strength rose tremendously.

    Ropar¡¯s counterattack came swiftly as the Lionmane Beastman attempted pulled out his de but it was all toote. The zing greatsword cleaved thetter into two and set the remains on fire.

    The Lizardman Chieftain pulled out the longsword on its body and threw it away in silence, bringing out a jet of mes as the de was drawn out. He briefly checked on his subordinates. The thirty-odd Silver-ranked Firew Lancers had be strong enough to reach the threshold of what a Silver-ranker could achieve.

    Their charges on the battlefield were like an unstoppable ming meteor that forced the enemies to scatter. The Lionmane Beastmane were unable to defend against them, causing the left nk to lose its formation.

    But the Lionmane Beastman adjutant did not notice the increasing number of casualties, as he was busy staring at Brendel in cold sweat.

    In his eyes, the youth before was aplete monster in human form. The usage of his Element Power clearly belonged to someone who had just be a Gold-ranker, but hisbat prowess was even more terrifying than any Gold-rankers who mastered their Element Powerspletely.

    Brendel¡¯s broadsword looked like a dragon releasing its breath when he raised the weapon over his head. mes spewed out from his silver gauntlets and spun around Halran Gaia like a hurricane. When he finally swung it towards the ground, the spiraling pir of mes instantly engulfed the adjutant¡¯s squadron of Lionmane Beastman, turning them into ashes in mere seconds. A few managed to escape the attack, but rock needles suddenly thrust up into the air after a series of loud cracking noises, and they turned the hapless survivors into pincushions.

    A single sh across the ground caused arge hole in the center of the Lionmane Beastman¡¯s formations.

    Brendel took a single step forward, and the Lionmane Beastmen from Toquinin retreated in an uproar.

    ¡°Prepare your crossbows now! Hurry!¡± The adjutant screamed in terror.

    The warriors from Toquinin sent to the Green Tower were elites. Even the crossbowmen were carrying Magic Crossbows. As soon as they heard theirmander¡¯s order, they woke up from their daze and hurriedly prepared their projectiles. Yellow light glowed from their crossbows, and it was clear that the crossbows were imbued with Earth Magic.

    ¡°Fire!¡± The adjutant roared after a few seconds.

    The taut strings sang as dozens of yellow lines trailed from the crossbows to Brendel¡¯s body, but before the projectiles could find their mark, a shield of red mes materialized out of thin air and turned them to ashes.

    The Beastman adjutant stared at the mes and forgot to breathe as he realized the attacks failedpletely. If there were gamers around Brendel, they would have yelled in frustration and envy instantly¡ª

    ¡®Just how amazing is this bastard¡¯s equipment!¡¯

    Halran Gaia, Bahamut¡¯s Grasp, The Warrior¡¯s Ring are Fantasy-ranked artifacts, along with countless magic artifacts. His Defense and Physique stats surpassed a Guardian Knight ss, while his damage output was even higher than a Berserker or other rted DPS ss. And evven if Brendel¡¯s equipment was discounted, the number of techniques he had could only bepared to a pure pay-to-win yer.

    [What a sneaky cat. You ran away the moment I cut down your leader, but it¡¯s a mistake to think you¡¯re safe just because you¡¯re hiding in the back.]

    Brendel quietly remarked to himself, after he heard the Beastman adjutant¡¯smands and discovered his location. He reached for the Shale Longbow on his back and dismissed the shield of mes after the volley of crossbow bolts ended. He pulled the longbow¡¯s string fully and aimed:

    ¡°Earth to earth, dust to dust, Arrow of Stone!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s shooting skills were derived from his experience as a level 130 warrior. With the addition of a Mercenary¡¯s proficiency, he was absolutely confident that he would hit him at this distance. He released his fingers, and the arrow flew like aet towards the adjutant.

    Thetter was still a Gold-ranker and immediately deflected the arrow away, but the projectile¡¯s magic transferred itself across the de and turned the Beastman¡¯s flesh into stone.

    ¡°Lonmmf, mff, mmmmf!¡± Rono jumped up and shouted as he mistakenly identified as the weapon in Brendel¡¯s hands to be a Longbow of Petrification, a weapon that was wielded by a legendary humanoid creature called Medusa.

    The reason for Rono¡¯s garbled words was due to Elman. The viscount frantically covered the ck-haired youth¡¯s lips when he realized Rono was about to make a mistake.

    Brendel¡¯s hidden trump cards were starting to frighten them, and they felt a cold dread spreading all over their backs. The Lionmane Beastmen were pushed backpletely.

    Even though the Beastmen still had greater numbers, Kodan and Austin were veteran Gold-ranked swordsmen who were experienced in battles. They struck at the Lionmane Beastmen¡¯s formation and forced them to lump together. This made it impossible for the Beastmen to surround their enemies and be ineffective instead.

    With the death of their twomanding officers, they quickly lost their morale and their formation was broken. The Beastmen¡¯s left nk was the first group that ran away. They had the biggest number of casualties due to the Firew Lizardmen¡¯s charges, and once the Beastman adjutant died, they ran away and disappeared in the Dark Forest.

    The center formation immediately received pressure once the left nk disappeared. They also started to flee, but their retreat was disorderly and panicked as the right nk realized what was happening. Their numbers dwindled down quickly but Brendel did not allow his men to pursue them.

    It was because the Druids had appeared.

    The majority of the fleeing Beastmen were quickly taken as prisoners by the Druids who bound them up tightly, with only a handful escaping. This result was not surprising to Brendel, but Aouine¡¯s ambassadors were still reeling in shock. It was only after they returned to Brendel¡¯s camps to receive treatment, did they realize what kind of miracle had happened.

    Dnt sat down silently with a dark expression as Merial treated his wounds, but the female aristocrat and Count Austin went over to thank Brendel for their treatments. Still, they felt a little ufortable. They originally intended to arrest the youth but ended up working with him to fight the Beastmen.

    There was something that greatly puzzled them. How did the Lionmane Beastmen know that Aouine¡¯s civil war in the north was going to happen? Who leaked the kingdom¡¯s information to them? Then there was the fact that Kirrlutz threatened them without revealing the details about Brendel.

    Was it even possible to arrest the young man, given how strong he was?

    Austin suspected that the Kirrlutz¡¯s ambassadors perceived the youth as a threat and hoped that Aouine would somehow foolishly hand him over.

    But Brendel did not stay and talk with the ambassadors. He was fiddling with his cards when he heard Carglise calling out to him. Thetter briefly reported the results of the youths.

    [Excellent. It seems like I really must raise him to be my adjutant.]

    Brendel was pleased to find out that Carglise managed to defeat two Lionmane Beastman all by himself. Even though it could notpare to Scarlett, he was actually the only person amongst the youths to seed alone.

    ¡°My lord, I feel like there¡¯s something wrong.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Brendel nodded in approval: ¡°Go ahead and speak freely.¡±

 volume 3 - 134

    Chapter 134 ¨C Brendel¡¯s advisors

    The Druids were interrogating the Lionmane Beastmen prisoners. The attack from the Beastmen made them furious. The ckthorn council members did not think that there would be anyone who dared to cause trouble in the frontlines, especially when Brendel was considered to be their ally.

    The two-legged cats from Toquinin were wasting their time, and time was the rough equivalent of life at this critical juncture.

    On the other hand, the Beastmen felt wronged. The scouts heard that Brendel had only brought a group of men who were not highly skilled, and the ambassadors from Aouine only brought a small number of Silver-ranked guards. Their deadmanders thought that it would not require much time to effort to steal Halran Gaia, or to kill them if it were necessary.

    The people from Kirrlutz did not inform them of Brendel¡¯s true strength, and they caused them to get wiped out instead.

    But the truth was the Kirrlutz Empire was unaware of how strong Brendel was. Even Rono and Faena were greatly shocked to find out Brendel¡¯s true strength. Just like the Beastmen, they did not think that a few Gold-rankers would be the match for the Beastmen¡¯s hundred-odd Silver-rankers.

    Even though these Beastmen did not have any strong swordsmanship or simr techniques, they were able to enter a state of rage to boost their strength and were incredibly aggressive. A typical Silver-ranked human would not be a match for a Lionmane Beastman even when they are ssified as the same rank.

    While the Druids discussed amongst themselves what they should do with the Beastmen, Brendel summoned his Wind Spirit Spiders and secretly had them scout the area.

    Carglise stretched and yawned as he sat down beside Brendel.

    ¡°I feel that someone made this event happen.¡± He said.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Brendel tilted his head.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be a coincidence that the ambassadors and the Catmen from Toquinin picked a fight with us,¡± the youth lowered his voice, ¡°if the ambassadors are pressured by the people from Kirrlutz, then it¡¯s hard to say that the catmen are not influenced by Kirrlutz.¡±

    ¡°Toquinin belongs to the faction of the Hallowed Temple of Earth. It¡¯s certainly a disaster for Aouine if the people from Kirrlutz worked with Toquinin to suppress Aouine, but the Holy Cathedral of Fire will never agree to this. While Kirrlutz holds a great number of seats in the Holy Cathedral of Fire, it is a vition of their teachings and Kirrlutz will pay a big price for helping Toquinin fight our kingdom.¡± Brendel rubbed his forehead.

    ¡°Although we have no direct proof of their involvement, it¡¯s very likely that they leaked the information of the civil war to the Catmen. Do you remember what they said? The civil war in the northern regions. It¡¯s too specific. Even our own ambassadors don¡¯t seem to know where it¡¯s going to happen. Do you think the Catmen¡¯s magic is more advanced than Aouine¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°True.¡± Brendel nodded. Only the Kirrlutz¡¯s Empire could spend an enormous amount of resources to cast a long-rangemunication spell.

    [Ah. Correction, the wizards from Galbu are capable of doing the same feat, but these people have the Silver Bloodline in them. They wouldn¡¯t interfere with us. Even if these crafty old men wanted to cause trouble for Kirrlutz, they wouldn¡¯t find a troubled kingdom. Wonderful, son of Macsen. It¡¯s easy for me to guess that Kirrlutz has a hand in this shitty mess since I know how history is going to y out. But for you to make such a good analysis with a little bit of information so quickly, especially after having a ¡®terrifying¡¯ fight where the opponents supposedly outnumber us. It makes me wonder if you already formed an opinion the moment you saw the Beastmen appeared.]

    Brendel believed it was a wise decision to recruit Carglise. Even though his father was an ordinary man, his son was certainly not.

    [Hmm, how is it that you¡¯re not famous in my past life? Someone like you should be someone prominent. Or did you somehow get killed during your way to the princess? Hmm, hmm, I saved your life, young man. You should repay me.]

    He patted Carglise¡¯s shoulders without saying anything. Revealing his thoughts carelessly would probably invite unwanted rumors. What if the Holy Cathedral of Fire sent a bunch of people to arrest and set him on fire?

    ¡°But why did the Catmene all the way to pick a fight with us? Did they reallye all the way to simply steal your sword? I understand that Halran Gaia is a legendary weapon, but those stupid cats are actual ambassadors, right? Ambassadors bing bandits, this is such a loss of reputation.¡± Carglise said a little puzzledly as he scratched his head: ¡°Or did they have such a tradition from the ancient times? I can¡¯t understand their motive at all¡ª¡±

    Count Austin and the female schr were eavesdropping on them, and both of them coughed with strange expressions on their faces. If the Lionmane Beastmen knew that this young man turned Toquinin into a kingdom of thieves with his remark, there might be a war for that insult.

    But Amandina came over to answer the question: ¡°Halran Gaia is considered as the holy relic of the Hallowed Temple of Earth. Its value is how a citizen of Aouine would regard the Lionheart. An example would be this, if our lord possesses one of Kirrlutz¡¯s national treasure, they would rush over to pry it from our lord¡¯s hands.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then it¡¯s still likely to be Kirrlutz¡¯s handiwork. The people who witnessed the fight between our lord and the people from Kirrlutz are mostly natives, and they aren¡¯t likely to spread rumors about him having Halran Gaia.¡±

    [Backstab me after failing to win in a direct confrontation? This isn¡¯t Veronica¡¯s style.]

    Brendel nodded again to agree with the assessment. He had already figured out the culprits behind the scene as soon as he saw the Lionmane Beastmen, but the people from Kirrlutz were indeed recurring viins who came back again and again.

    Amandina pondered for a moment: ¡°But it¡¯s strange. Why would the famous Veronica scheme behind our backs in this manner? We are no match for her.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps she doesn¡¯t want to have a fall out with the Druids?¡± Carglise suggested.

    ¡°But the Druids are no fools.¡±

    Cargliseughed as he turned his head back: ¡°Wait, I think I get it. Count Austin, out of curiosity, is there someone important amongst the ambassadors from Kirrlutz?¡±

    As a high-ranking general and aristocrat, Austin did not have to answer the youth in front of him. However, he did cooperate with Brendel and was also dissatisfied with Kirrlutz¡¯s actions to use them.

    ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s someone I recognize. The daughter of Kirrlutz¡¯s prime minister.¡±

    ¡°Ah. So it¡¯s indeed the people from Kirrlutz, but Veronica has no idea about it.¡±

    Brendel nodded. But he was unable to go to her and point fingers, because she might actually pretend that the order was from her to protect the empire¡¯s dignity. Even if she were to teach her subordinates a lesson, it was unlikely that she would let the people from Aouine off since the move had already been made.

    ¡°In any case, the people from Kirrlutz don¡¯t intend to let us off,¡± Brendel said in a t tone. Dealing with the Cmity of Wolves and the schemes behind his back at the same time made him furious.

    ¡°My lord, we should act now,¡± Carglise suddenly came over to him and whispered: ¡°I¡¯m sure they are trying to look at our trump cards if they nned for the ambassadors and the Catmen to attack us.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, my lord,¡± Amandina was close enough to hear Carglise¡¯s words and also agreed, ¡°Carglise is saying that the people from Kirrlutz are watching us.¡±

    But Brendel quickly replied: ¡°Stop. Move back a little and continue to discuss what they are going to do next.¡±

    Carglise was momentarily surprised, but he quickly understood that his lord had already made a move. His eyes were full of shadowyughter as though he could not wait for the world to be engulfed in chaos, but he took a moment to think it through: ¡°Well, in order to find out where our limits are, they have to raise the quality of their cards..... Which means they are going to find a stronger force.¡±

    ¡°The Holy Cathedral of Fire,¡± Amandina continued, ¡°because the Kirrlutz Empire wields the authority to speak for them. If they got our ambassadors and the Beastmen from Toquinin toe after us, they are likely to consider the Holy Cathedral of Fire in their ns.¡±

    Count Austin and the female schr paled. Thetter was thankful for Brendel¡¯s assistance back then and joined in the discussion with a frown: ¡°But even if the people from Kirrlutz made a request to them to get back at you, they would need a legitimate reason for the Bishops to act on this matter.¡±

    [Reason?]

    Brendel felt his eyelids twitch as he thought about the Holy Swords magic that he disyed, which was simr to the Sacred Church of Light¡¯s magic. He could not help but took in a deep breath and prayed that his suspicions would note true.

    It would be a disaster if they did.

 volume 3 - 135

    Chapter 135 ¨C Wolves¡¯ movements

    ============ Faena¡¯s POV ============

    Faena watched the Lionmane Beastmen¡¯s interrogation by the Druids with a pair of zed eyes. Both of her hands were mped over her lips. Her throat moved several times, wanting to grumble about how these Beastmen were useless for not being able to defeat a group of men from Aouine with superior numbers, but there was no sound.

    Brendel truly terrified her.

    It was only at this moment that she realized the country bumpkin had held back that afternoon. There was no way she could have waited for Veronica or the others toe in time if he wanted to kill her.

    The three nobles from Kirrlutz had to stay where they were in order to avoid encountering the Druids who were searching for any remaining Beastmen. Instead, they continued to watch Brendel and his group of men from afar, but that youth from Aouine was slowly walking over to them.

    Even though it seemed like he was just taking a stroll, Faena felt her heart beat heavily like a stick hitting a drum. The icy expression around his eyes made her afraid of even leaking out the tiniest of breath.

    ¡°Elman, Elman...... H-he hasn¡¯t discovered we¡¯re here, right?¡± She whispered in desperation.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Elman frowned but he assured her, ¡°it¡¯s unlikely that he discovered our ploy so quickly. Even if he did, he wouldn¡¯t know that we¡¯re hiding here.¡±

    There was nothing good about a gifted prodigy appearing in Aouine. He was even younger than him. Elman stared at Brendel, feeling a strange sense of enmity towards him.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good time to leave now.¡± He patted Faena¡¯s shoulders as he was also worried. Brendel¡¯s abilities were too frightening. There was no guarantee that he would fail to detect them if he came closer.

    ¡°Are we not going to wait and see if the people from the Holy Cathedral are going toe?¡± Rono whispered.

    ¡°The people from Holy Cathedral of Fire are not like these beasts who act on instinct. The bishop leading them is greedy, but he¡¯s not a fool.¡± Elman shook his head. He suddenly saw Faena lift her finger up and hurriedly knocked her hand down.

    ¡°What are you doing!¡± He hissed loudly.

    ¡°H-he¡¯s looking in our direction.....¡± Faena¡¯s eyes were wide.

    Elman stiffened as he looked at Brendel. The youth¡¯s eyes were fixated in their direction, causing his scalp to feel numb.

    [Impossible, this is a coincidence!]

    ¡°Lower your heads, both of you, don¡¯t let him spot you!¡± Elman whispered as a Wind Spirit Spider darted across the ground behind him silently.

    Brendel tilted his head slightly as he pondered on what he should do. There was actually quite a fair distance between them because he did not walk for long. In fact, half his face was lit up with an orange glow because he was still near his camp¡¯s torches.

    ¡°He..... discovered...... us!¡± Faena stood up and tried to run away, but Elman pulled her down. She struggled in his arms.

    ¡°Don¡¯t p¡ª¡± Elman¡¯s words suddenly stopped when he saw Brendel pulling out Halran Gaia. An outline of golden light covered the ck broadsword.

    Elman finally believed that Brendel had discovered them.

    ¡°Run!¡± He shouted with a panicked expression.

    A hurricane of light started to gather around Halran Gaia as Brendel raised it over his head. The figures of the fleeing nobles from Kirrlutz could be seen in his eyes. He brought his senses to his limit and swung his sword.

    A single sh.

    Speed that was too fast for a normal human to even catch a glimpse.

    White energy emerged from his de, bringing along screaming gales as invisible des of air sailed through the air, almost in the shape of a pair of majestic wings.

    The wings chased the nobles.

    The wind uprooted the trees behind them and they crashed onto the ground, as though a gigantic beast was rampaging in the forest, advancing quickly towards its prey.

    And in that moment.

    The adventurers, mercenaries, ambassadors, and Druids in the Dark Forest turned their heads towards the source of the noise. The tremendous energy could be felt even from a great distance¡ª

    ============= Veronica¡¯s POV ============

    Veronica was still discussing their ns with her subordinates when she heard the distant howls from the violent winds. She had a grave expression as she raised her head up away from the maps. The wizard next to her put down the crystal bowl in his hand and also turned to the source of the disturbance.

    They were just in time to spot a st of white energy lighting up the night in the northern direction. It finally disappeared after covering half the Dark Forest, leaving debris and dust across its wake.

    ¡°White Raven Sword Arte?! It¡¯s from that boy, what is happening in that area!¡± Veronica¡¯s eyes suddenly widened, and she turned to question her subordinates in a harsh tone: ¡°Where¡¯s Faena? Wait, where¡¯s Rono and Elman!¡±

    Delphine¡¯s face had a deathly white pallor when she realized something was wrong.

    ¡°Delphine!¡± Veronica immediately noticed her reaction: ¡°Did they go there?¡±

    The long-haired girl shook her head subconsciously, but the furious re from the female general stunned her, and she nodded with difficulty.

    Veronica¡¯s face darkened. She advanced to the girl withrge strides.

    ¡°Did you have something to do with this?¡±

    A silent nod, again.

    A p resounded in the camp.

    Veronica took a deep breath and stared at the girl who was knocked onto the ground and demanded an answer with a pause between each word:

    ¡°Why did you not tell me?¡±

    Delphine had a hand sped over her face as she lowered her head in silence. There was a stream of blood that flowed down her white wrist. The color of her blood was especially striking.

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with youter.¡± Veronica scoffed coldly at the girl¡¯s response.

    She was worried that Brendel had killed Faena and the other two boys. Things would truly be out of hand. Even though she threatened Brendel, it was definitely not a good time for the Empire to be involved in a war now.

    Especially if it concerned Aouine¡ª

    ¡°Get your soldiers ready,¡± Veronica¡¯s eyes made the people around her tremble as she looked at them, ¡°and move out.¡±

    ============== Brendel¡¯s POV =============

    When Brendel raised his sword, the ambassadors were still confused over what the youth was doing. When the damage to the vicinity was over, they jumped up in fright. Three sets of Kirrlutz¡¯s uniforms bearing the symbols of important Houses. Three bodies lying on the ground.

    The ambassadors were initially astonished at Brendel¡¯s overwhelming might, but now fear consumed them and they could feel no warmth in their bodies.

    It was all over.

    Austin only had one thought. A war was going to break out between Kirrlutz and Aouine. The Empire would unleash its fury to their kingdom. It happened all too easily. Brendel¡¯s subordinates thought the same as they watched him move slowly towards the corpses.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be so lucky the next time. If I see you again, I¡¯m afraid your heads won¡¯t be attached to your necks again.¡± Brendel said.

    The three bodies flinched when he spoke to them. Indeed, they were spared. Faena got up slowly, but her legs acted more like a newborn deer¡¯s attempt to get up, and she fell onto the ground in a heap. The moment where the Sword Energy brushed past her head kept looping in her mind. She did not even have the energy to cry any longer.

    Elman¡¯s initial reaction to Brendel¡¯s attack was much better than the other two. He instantly pushed Rono in front of him when he saw the attack and turned around to run. Unfortunately, he only took a single step before he crashed into a pine tree.

    Rono stumbled from Elman¡¯s push and fell face-down in the mud.

    The Sword Energy seemed like it had a mind of its own and merely danced around their skin. Elman¡¯s sword belt was cut off, Rono¡¯s robe was shredded into pieces, while Faena¡¯s pauldrons were split into half. They were then tossed up into the air by the shockwave of energy before they crashed onto the ground with a thud.

    The trees around them were gone and not even grass was left intact. The Sword Energy snaked to a different path at a strange angle before it tore everything up in a straight line.

    Brendel watched the Rono and Elman get up silently. They pulled up the shaking Faena and started to leave for their camps. However, they did not get far because they saw a colossal ck wolf was in their path, motionless.

    The boys sobered up and pulled out their swords but there was no reaction from the monster. They then noticed that it was in a strange pose. It looked as though it was charging towards something; its front paw was still lifted up. The two inched closer to the creature, their feet sweeping across fallen leaves and creating a rustling sound.

    The wolf did not move but wobbled as though the minute vibrations had affected it.

    Suddenly, its body split into half from head to tail, and a gush of blood and entrails poured all over the ground, causing a foul stench to permeate the air.

    Brendel observed the golden lights emerge from the wolf¡¯s body and flew towards him. Angry and annoyed as he was, he had no intention of getting Aouine in a war with Kirrlutz. As long as there were no deaths, these ¡®insults¡¯ to the people from Kirrlutz were unlikely to cause a war between them. Aouine had its troubles with Madara and the civil war, but the Kirrlutz Empire was not exactly in a healthy state right now.

    The era of wars was still many years away.

    It was not his personality to let these spoilt nobles get away with things. He chose the next best option. Threatening their lives in a show of power. It was the only way to make them feel fear from the bottom of their hearts.

    But the true intention of his sword¡¯s swing was to rescue the three aristocrats. Frightening them was his secondary goal.

    ¨C ck Wolf (Lord) in.

    ¨C 2300 XP gained.

    [They can¡¯t die here even if it isn¡¯t my fault. But the wolf¡¯s appearance means that the event is starting.]

    He sheathed his sword quickly and nced at the other end of the forest where it led up to the ck mountains.

    A wolf¡¯s howl pierced through the silent night¡ª

    And more wolves far and near answered it. Moving shadows started appearing in the forest. Brendel observed that area for a moment as though he was confirming something, before he turned back to the youths with a raised hand:

    ¡®They¡¯re here¡ª¡®

 volume 3 - 136

    Chapter 136 ¨C Into battle

    The trees within the Dark Forest were of varied height and appeared like waves of water in the night wind. It was impossible to find where they ended. Wolves started to howl within the forest, and more answered the call from near and far.

    The session of howls came nearer and nearer to the camp, and it sounded as though the beasts with bared fangs were growling next to everyone¡¯s ears. ck shadows darted across the ground, stopping asionally as they sniffed the air, as though they were seeking their prey.

    A single pair of red lights the size of dots suddenly appeared in mid-air. In a heartbeat, hundreds more emerged and left vanishing trails. And in a few seconds, the number was as many as the stars in the sky. White cold mist could be seen streaming from their steely snouts.

    The youths gasped, while the ambassadors¡¯ muscles became taut.

    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± Austin immediately judged they were unable to leave in this situation and ordered his knights.

    Brendel¡¯s men also readied themselves into a defensive formation; those with armor and shields stood in front, while the archers were ced in the back.

    ¡°Stay in position!¡± A yell rang out.

    Brendel nced at them. The youths were split up into squadrons and each leader was making sure they were orderly.

    [Most of them are shaken but the leaders are doing well. Even though they aren¡¯t confident, they are calm enough.]

    ¡°Lancers,y down yournces, horizontally!¡± Kodan yelled at the youths¡¯ side: ¡°Hurry up! And make the formation a little bigger!¡±

    The des glinted as they caught the light from the campfire¡¯s golden hue. The tips of the weapon seemed to increase in length. The wolves stopped moving and trotted uneasily. Red eyes moved back and forth slightly.

    ¡°They are going to test for weaknesses.¡± Kodan inspected the youths¡¯ formations once more as he spoke.

    Brendel nodded in agreement. He threw a vial of red liquid to Kodan and said: ¡°Catch!¡±

    Kodan subconsciously caught it. When he opened his palm, he discovered that the vial had Sealing Runes written all over it.

    The contents looked like blood.

    ¡°Drink it,¡± Brendel said

    ¡°What is this?¡± Kodan asked.

    ¡°Potion of Dragon Strength.¡±

    Kodan picked up the vial and shook it with his thumb and index finger. ¡°I¡¯ve drunk this stuff before. It only works once in a lifetime, right?¡±

    ¡°The garbage made out of Dragonblood Moss can be called a Potion of Dragon Strength? Potion of Cow Strength, perhaps. Drink it. You will get to feel the real thing.¡± Brendel answered with disdain.

    The Wyvern¡¯s blood bought from the Green Tower was made into a concoction and bottled in the vial. It was one rank below a dragon¡¯s and one rank above a five-headed Hydra¡¯s blood. A hundred vials were made in total and distributed to the youths when the camp was set up. There were still some left, simply because the neswalker¡¯s cards did not benefit from any potions or materials.

    As for the five-headed Hydra¡¯s blood, Brendel had even more vials made. He nned to use it on his future White Lion Army and to give some to the Subterrane Dwellers. It would be good to bribe Tagiv and make them even more loyal.

    Kodan took a final glimpse of the potion and drank it a little doubtfully. But his expression immediately changed and he stared at Brendel with disbelief.

    ¡°T...... This is......¡±

    Brendel only grinned a little in response and surveyed the defense line.

    His group of youths formed a formation in the front, while the ambassadors¡¯ knights were ced on the left nk. Ropar led his Firew Lizardmen to the right nk.

    ¡°My lord! Do we drink it now?¡± A young man with light golden hair asked.

    Brendel recalled his name to be Janos, the leader of the first squadron. Thetter was a shoemaker¡¯s son who had a somewhat scrawny body when he first joined, but now he looked a little more like a soldier.

    The approval was given and Janos was about to instruct his men to drink the potion, when someone interrupted him with a mocking tone.

    ¡°My word, is a shoemaker¡¯s son going to fight against the big bad wolves?¡± A youth with silver-grey hair said.

    He wore a simple suit of leather armor with his hand ced on his waist and wore a lopsided grin.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s not the time to throw your jeers, Rnd.¡± Janos did not have the mood to argue with him. The monsters were approaching closer and he felt the tremors on the ground, causing him to grip his sword tightly.

    Rnd shrugged when he saw his taunt fail, but he suddenly froze.

    A light gasp escaped his lips when he saw the ck wolves suddenly rush out from the trees like a tidal wave. He wanted to seek excitement when he joined Brendel, and now it seemed like the situation was certainly too exciting.

    ¡°Take out your Potion of Dragonblood!¡± Carglise was the first to raise his hand and a vial was in it. Janos, Rnd, and the other leaders in charge of their squadrons also shouted as they took out their vials: ¡°Drink!¡±

    The Potions of Dragonblood Strength had a stronger effect when it was consumed before a battle. The youths took out their vials from their pouches and drank them. Under the guidance of Brendel and the other Gold-rankers, they had just cleared the hurdle to be called Iron-rankers.

    But drinking the high-quality potions at their levels had a violent effect on them. They felt like a dragon¡¯s me was exploding within their chests.

    ¡°Shit, it¡¯s so hot!¡±

    ¡°My body feels like it¡¯s burning up......¡±

    ¡°Help, water, water!¡±

    The youths¡¯ faces were flushed red from the heat. Carglise smacked one of the youth¡¯s head with his sword¡¯s scabbard: ¡°Eyes on your enemies, fool!¡±

    Yells from the other leaders could be heard as well.

    ¡°Focus and don¡¯t be distracted!¡±

    ¡°Pay attention to the enemies¡¯ movements!¡¯

    Brendel nodded inwardly when he watched them from behind. He turned his head to search for Austin, and he tossed a vial towards him: ¡°Catch this, Count Austin!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re giving me this?¡± Austin had been paying attention to the ck wolves, but he also saw the youths drinking the contents in the vials. He looked a little nkly at Brendel. Thetter¡¯s action surprised him, because the ambassadors were not allies with him.

    But the youth¡¯s gaze had returned to the wolves.

    ¡°Do you still remember, that once upon a time in the ancient battlefields, the horns of the six dukes rang out loudly, while the swallow-tailed gs were flying against the wind?¡± His voice was loud enough to reach everyone.

    ¡°Do you still remember, the epics of our glorious knights who fought against their enemies and crushed them¡ª¡±

    Brendel gave a smile that bared his teeth as a sudden wolf howl could be heard: ¡°In the name of Aouine, and the oath of the selfless lions¡ª¡±

    Austin was transfixed, but a single cry broke out behind him and answered Brendel: ¡°I will uphold it with the sword in my hands!¡±

    The knights behind Austin pulled out their swords and also repeated that cry as they faced the ck wolves.

    Brendel pulled out Halran Gaia: ¡°Thus, descendants of the warriors who followed King Erik¡ª¡±

    The ck wolves were finally moving.

    ¡°y the foes before us!¡±

    A rolling carpet of ck wolves rushed towards the camp. Red eyes shed by as the wolves ran in the shape of a curve, heading towards the knights who formed a wall. Ten-odd wolves who were ahead of the pack leaped up to an area that oversaw the camp. They released a long howl that was high in tone before it fell in pitch, and the other wolves split into two forces, running past them.

    The ck monsters crashed into the humans wearing white armor. Lances impaled several bodies all at once, and ck spurts of blood went in all directions. Thences creaked heavily as they withstood the immense pressure from the wolves, and the knights and youths were forced back with their feet dragging across the ground.

    Finally, thences snapped.

    ¡°Swords!¡±

    The people who had their weapons broken threw them down and immediately pulled their longswords.

    [A little longer. I need to wait a little longer.]

    Brendel watched the wolves collide against the humans like they were cars that lost control in an ident. Golden lights appeared and flew straight at him. In an instant, more than two hundred XP were added to his total points.

    He reached out for his own Potion of Dragonblood Strength and drank it. The viscous liquid went down his throat and he felt his body warm up. It was not painful, but it was an undeniable heat.

    Green words appeared across his retina:

    ¨C Strength +25

    ¨C Agility +10

    ¨C Physique +20

    ¨C Potential +~10%

    The effectiveness of the potion was diminished because of his high level. The youths under him would have benefitted far more in terms of additional stats. Kodan¡¯s true level was actually higher than Brendel, so the increase in stats would not be as high.

    The increase of stats was temporary with the exception of the Potential stat. The Potential Stat will slowly temper the body as long as the ¡®drug¡¯ remained in the system. Most of it will be squandered, but intense battles would allow it to be spent at a faster rate.

    [Time to grind XP. Wait, that isn¡¯t right. Time to have a workout.]

    Brendel flexed his wrists with a few audible cracks.

    [Holy Swords, open the path!]

    A sudden pair of gigantic green wings appeared behind him and extended to each side¡ª

 volume 3 - 137

    Chapter 137 ¨C The Alliance in the forest

    ========= Elman¡¯s POV ==========

    ¡°T-these are all Potion of Dragon Strength...... And the quality of the potions!¡± Rono nearly bit his tongue in his shock.

    The youths from Kirrlutz were unable to leave, and they had to move closer to Brendel¡¯s camp for protection.

    ¡°Rono, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Faena jumped a little.

    The appearance of the wolves made her jittery, and she lowered her voice subconsciously, afraid of either attracting the monsters or Brendel.

    ¡°H-he¡¯s treating these potions like water......¡± Rono could not suppress his ire and said: ¡°If they are instead used on knights who have more potential than this strange bunch¡ª of people.¡±

    ¡°What is so surprising about these potions.¡± Elman regarded hispanion a little coldly. He had pushed Rono down to cover himself when Brendel attacked them, and even though it was an instinctive action, he knew that this act would not be forgotten or forgiven.

    Exining was pointless and a waste of time. He even thought it would even be wise to consider ending this prodigy¡¯s future in this Dark Forest.

    Rono nced back at his panion¡¯. While Elman¡¯s expression was one of disinterest, Rono expressed his condescension openly because of the anger and injustice he felt.

    ¡°Ignorant fool. This is a true Potion of Dragon Strength made from a dragon¡¯s blood, or perhaps a grade that¡¯s close to it. The filth that you drank has nothing inparison to the youths¡¯ potions.¡±

    Elman secretly gritted his teeth, but he showed no changes in his expression and looked at Brendel¡¯s men one more time, before he spoke again:

    ¡°Fine, but it¡¯s about time we leave. There¡¯s an opening that we can take advantage of since the wolves¡¯ attention is on Aouine¡¯s men. We won¡¯t be able to escape if we waste any more time.¡±

    The trip was a mistake. But he could not openly me it on Faena, even if she was the one who suggested to watch Brendel¡¯s reaction. The responsibility would still fall on him.

    Rono was probably interested to watch Brendel a little longer, but Elman had seen enough talented people and simply did not care. It was especially so when Faena was the only sessor of the Redhill family.

    [What an awful mess. I came here all for the sake of ttering this girl, but that Brendel ruined my perfect image. A genius or a duke¡¯s sessor, everything is pointless if my life is forfeit, but the ending to this scenario was a mere warning...... Damn this bastard from Aouine.]

    Faena did not seem to realize Elman¡¯ s actions back then because she was also panicking. Rono was certainly the victim, but he was not fond of speaking ill of others and did not give away Elman. Still, thetter¡¯s eyes regarded Rono as though he was a dead person.

    [If he were to tell Lady Veronica the things I have done to him......]

    ¡°Look over there!¡± Faena suddenly yelled.

    ============ Brendel¡¯s POV ============

    Everyone felt the night sky brighten a little.

    A pair of gigantic wings of green light extended on the battlefield. But when they looked at the pair of wings, they discovered that it was actually made up of countless Magic Formations. The Wind Spirit Spiders appeared in the air one by one, with a golden shining sword hovering over each of them.

    The green lights quickly took on a golden hue.

    Everyone held their breaths. Many had already seen Brendel¡¯s magic before, but it was never cast in the night. The golden Holy Swords that were pointing to the ground had more of a mysterious air to thempared to the ones summoned in the daytime.

    [Is this magic?]

    Austin could only stare at them like he had been turned to stone. The ambassadors behind him felt like their world had suddenly gone crazy. The youth was clearly a Gold-ranked swordsman.

    How was he able to use magic?

    But the gigantic pair of wings were clearlying from him. Yet the scale of this magic was far beyond what an Arcane Knight could do.

    [He¡¯s a spellcaster too?]

    Brendel was used to such gazes and ignored them. He merely yelled out as he pointed Halran Gaia at the wolves: ¡°Lower your eyes!¡±

    ¡°Lower your eyes! Our lord is going to unleash his attack!¡± The squadron leaders immediately yelled as well.

    The knights subconsciously looked at the sky. They were just in time to see the brightness of the glowing swords increase in intensity. Eyes squinted as pirs descended from the sky, easily piercing through the wolves. The creatures had the durability of a strong Iron-ranker, but it was still weak enough for the magic to pierce through them.

    The pirs of light becamesers that burned the wolves¡¯ fur before reaching their internal organs. Even when the monsters tried desperately to run away, thesers tracked them in their general direction and continued to st at them. The wolves who suffered the attack eventually had light pouring out from the other end of their wounds, and they exploded in a shower of burning ashes.

    Beams continued to sweep across the monsters. A few went close enough to the knights and youths, causing them to shudder and shrink a little from the terrifying firepower. Each beam of light killed about two or three wolves before they went into cooldown.

    A stream of golden light flew towards Brendel, and after sweeping the battlefield with the ten-odd beams of light a few times, the ck wolves¡¯ charge started to crumble. Half of their numbers were in, allowing Brendel to around close to 1000 XP. Each wolf that was personally killed by him gave 7 to 8 XP, depending on the creature¡¯s level.

    The knights and youths were relieved to see the wolves weakened, but Brendel shouted a newmand: ¡°Advance and push them back!¡±

    Austin was startled. His intention was to retreat and meet up with the main bulk of the ambassadors¡¯ guards, or to go behind the Druids¡¯ defense lines.

    ¡°It is too dangerous for us to attack them. We should retreat, Ser......¡± Austin turned to Brendel and said, before realizing that he did not know the youth¡¯s name.

    ¡°Brendel, the Baron of Firburh,¡± Brendel gave a singleugh in response, ¡°Aouine will never retreat in the face of these monsters¡ª¡±

    Austin waspletely stunned. Perhaps the youth in front of him was a crazy fool? It would exin why he went against the people from Kirrlutz. Even if the youths under hismand became Silver-rankers because of the Potion of Dragon Strength, going against the endless waves of wolves was impossible.

    ¡°Lord Brendel, you have to calm down, we will be torn into pieces if we fight them!¡± Dnt ran up to the youth as well.

    Even though he looked down on Brendel initially, thetter fought together with them as Aouine¡¯s citizens and taught the wild beasts from Toquinin a lesson. His opinion on Brendel went up, but the decision to march forward was too frightening.

    And yet the number of knights that was brought along merely amounted to twenty-odd men. If Brendel insisted on going forth, they had no choice but to follow him. Dnt¡¯s eyes briefly went over to the ck wolves. The opening created by Brendel was starting to be filled up. The tremors that reached his feet was making his hair stand.

    Brendel shook his head and pointed to the right: ¡°Count Dnt, you¡¯re the one who needs to calm down. We will not be torn into pieces because our allies have arrived.¡±

    Dnt quickly followed Brendel¡¯s finger. A group of wolves was scattering from something as though they had encountered something frightening.

    A metallic glint shed briefly in the forest.

    It was a centaur that suddenly charged out from the forest, d in silver armor with a silvernce on his back. He wielded a huge ornate longbow that was the size of his body, chasing after the group of ck wolves.

    With each arrow fired, a ck wolf would tumble over and cease breathing.

    A few secondster, hundreds of centaurs galloped out of the forest, firing at the wolves and thinning their numbers at a quick rate. There were many Druids who rode on the centaurs¡¯ backs, and they raised their staffs. Large vines shot out from the ground and overtook the charging centaurs, lifted the dead ck wolves up and hurled them in the midst of the beasts that were still alive, causing many to stumble on the ground.

    The monsters got up shakily, but the centaurs came up and finished them with a thrust of theirnces. The reinforcements were like a group of heavy cavalry causing a great din, and they changed the dire situation in an instant. They cut straight into the wolves, reached where Brendel and the ambassadors¡¯ forces were at, and quickly eased their pressure.

    A centaur who appeared to be slightly older than the others trotted forth. He had a different suit of armor. His pauldrons had the shape of a pair of deer antlers that curved majestically outwards, while his gold armor followed the shape of his chest closely, making it look like he had bare skin that was gold in color.

    With a shake of hisnce, he came before Brendel with a loud voice: ¡°Human, I am Wydall! The Elder Druid have made his request known, and we shall assist you to break the first wave of the Cmity of Wolves!¡±

    The nobles from Aouine snapped their heads towards Brendel What agreement did the youth make with the Druids?

    ¡°You agreed? What about the Tree Elves?¡±

    ¡°We are here in the battlefield too, young one.¡±

    There was a sudden shift of lighting on Wydall¡¯s back, revealing a tall elf with green hair adorned with leaves. He wore a robe, but did not wear a shirt and had an exposed chest. He too had a longbow, but it was evenrger than what the centaurs used and made one wonder how he was able to use it.

    ¡°It¡¯s you¡ª¡± Amandina expressed her surprise; he was the Druid that she and Scarlett saw when Brendel entertained the children.

    He nodded with a tiny smile: ¡°If it were another human, we might reject the Elder Druids¡¯ proposal, but I am pleased with your actions, young one, and I can try believing in the proposal.¡±

    Brendel was a little confused as to what he did to gain the elf¡¯s trust. But he nced at Amandina and took a quick guess, nodding:

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste, allow me to exin the n.¡±

 volume 3 - 138

    Chapter 138 ¨C Piercing through the siege

    ============ Druids¡¯ POV ============

    While Wydall had led his subordinates to reach Brendel¡¯s camp, the Druidsunched a formal attack to break the siege. War horns rang out in the darkness, causing countless birds to fly out and many factions to look at the Druids¡¯ march.

    It was as though a slumbering dragon had woken up with a roar; its voice clear and melodious that made the forest tremble.

    More than a thousand Druids and Tree Elves poured out in response to the war horns. These allied forces wore robes made out of reeds, forming a line of green that severed the wolves¡¯ charge.

    More than a hundred Ents woke up from their sleep under the Druids¡¯ summoning magic, and these giant trees that reached several meters high smashed into the wolves with their feet. They then lowered their body and swatted the ck wolves the size of cows with their immense hands. Once they entered the battlefield, the ck wolves that poured out like a flood were suddenly halted.

    The summoning magic was a fourth-circle spell. While these Ents could notpare with a real Treant, they were ssified as intermediate Silver-rankers, which were more than enough to handle the monsters.

    But the Druids who could summon them were elite Druids within the ckthorn council, and they nned to stay in the area until Brendel seeded in entering his destination, making it clear that the Druids were determined to support him by risking their lives.

    While the Ents were indeed powerful, they were really shields for the Tree Elves. Thetter was natural sharpshooters that shot twice as fast as a human, and they used longbows that were much harder to pull. Even the most untalented soldier was able to shoot twenty-five arrows in one minute. It was a frightening storm of arrows, especially when the projectiles were made from Ironbark. While the wolves were fast and powerful, their defenses were considered weak for a monster, and it ended in a massacre.

    With just two volleys of arrows, the wolves¡¯ left nk immediately lost its shape and they began to scatter.

    The Alpha Wolves howled when they realized the sudden loss,manding the scattered wolves and notifying the wolf that lorded over them¡ª

    The Warg.

    Howls echoed throughout the forest to echo the Alpha Wolves¡¯ cry, and the tyrant that hid in the deepest area amongst the wolves raised its head and answered.

    It was an ear-piercing bellow that could be heard everywhere in the Dark Forest. Hundreds of Alpha Wolves began to move at the same time, making the wolves that followed them change their directions.

    The original movements of the wolves were to directly charge into the area, but now they moved in the shape of arge spiral, turning slowly and changing the shape of the battlefield.

    =========== Brendel¡¯s POV ============

    The Cmity of Wolves was spawning around the entire Loop of Trade Winds. The wolves that entered the Green Tower¡¯s outer areas were merely the vanguard of the wolves.

    [If there are no unexpected changes, there are twelve hordes of wolves for the first wave of attack. I can¡¯t remember the exact numbers, but there are at least two medium-sized groups that have approximately five hundred wolves.]

    The first wave was the weakest amongst the Cmity of Wolves, but Brendel did not take it lightly. There were thousands of wolves led by the Alpha Wolves, and each mature ck Wolf had the strength of a peak Iron-ranker. More than half of the ckthorn council¡¯s Druids had not even reached that level, let alone numbers.

    [The biggest advantage the Green Tower has is the Fire Seed¡¯s protection. The mes emanating from it are strong and stable, and it suppresses the monsters¡¯ levels by 15. The Druids should be able to hold out for days. The area we are in also has a Fire seed, but it¡¯s much weaker inparison. Once we leave this area to go to the Loop of Trade Wind, it will be much harder.]

    Brendel¡¯s n was simple.

    The first wave of wolves and the second wave of wolves were nearly apart by ten hours. He needed to break the first wave and reach the Loop of Trade Winds before the next night. The Druids had agreed to lend their assistance to create a distraction¡ª

    Brendel did not waste any time while the Druids had the attention of the Alpha Wolves. He tasked his men and the newly-join centaurs and carved out a bloody path.

    The group of ambassadors had no choice but to follow him from behind because Austin failed to persuade ¡®Lord Firburh¡¯. There was no choice. Twenty-odd guards were insufficient for them to break through the siege and return to their camp. The Centaurs and Tree Elves that appeared were unlikely to escort them back.

    [These damned barbarians arepletely ignoring our status as Aouine¡¯s ambassadors...... But at least the people from Kirrlutz are also ignored.]

    Dnt was originally making a din and wanted to get Brendel to send them back, but a group of wolves came close enough to frighten him. He stumbled and quickly ran back to his guards and did not think about making this suggestion again. The three youths from Kirrlutz were forced back once again to Brendel¡¯s camp when the Centaurs drove out the wolves. They called out to the centaurster on and asked if they could be sent back to their camps, but they were ignored.

    Calling the Centaurs and Tree Elves¡¯ attitudes towards Brendel polite was an understatement. Quinn and Wydall agreed to let Brendelmand them after a few moments.

    Things quickly turned out to be difficult.

    Brendel¡¯s tactical exnations initially made it an easy task for the Centaurs to make a path, but as they reached the eastern side of the Wall of Flowers, the Spiny Ridge, there was a gradual change.

    ¡°Look over there!¡± He heard a certain familiar voice that was grating to his ears.

    [The trio from Kirrlutz. Not foolish enough to try and leave for their camp on their own. What a pity. I might be able to absolve myself from any responsibilities if they died there and then, but now I have to ensure their safety.]

    He looked over to where Faena was pointing. He thought it might have been a naive aristocrat¡¯s exaggeration, but he did not expect to see something noteworthy. Amongst the stream of ck wolves, there were a few abnormal ones that were much bigger leading the pack.

    [Dire Wolves! Six of them are close to us, with five in the back. Shit, eleven mini-bosses. Something¡¯s wrong¡ª Did I predict wrongly, and the Warg is actually nearby us?]

    He immediately scanned his surroundings, trying to find out if there was a Warg. Logically, if there were so many mini-bosses that appeared, a Warg must bemanding them. But he clearly heard the Warg howling from far away, with the wolves around it responding.

    Still, he did not discover the Warg¡¯s unique presence even after several attempts. With 25 OZ worth of perception, even if it was during the night, there were no blind spots over hundreds of meters.

    ¡°Elder Wydall!¡± He shouted, unwilling to let things go.

    The Centaur Elder was just piercing a wolf¡¯s skull with hisnce, but he immediately turned towards Brendel with questioning eyes.

    ¡°Left side, Lord-ss ck Wolves, do you see it?¡± Brendel shouted with a pointed finger.

    Wydall nodded immediately. Even though it was his first time experiencing such an outbreak of wolves, he was the highest ranking officer amongst the Centaurs and had a vastbat experience, and he quickly understood Brendel¡¯s description.

    ¡°What about them?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Let your men back away a little,¡± Brendel ordered. He needed to observe the Dire Wolves¡¯ reactions, and it would be good if he discovered the Warg¡¯s position.

    Even though Wydall was puzzled over Brendel¡¯s suddenmand, he did not ask about it and immediately whistled. The hundred-odd centaurs instantly changed their formations and gathered next to Brendel¡¯s side.

    The youths under Brendel¡¯smand eximed in surprise. It was the first time they saw the Tree Elves and Centaurs, and these two races only existed as allies to humans in bardic tales. The orderly change in their formation was indeed swift, but it only made their lord more mysterious because he could issue orders to them so easily.

    ¡°Lord-ss ck wolves, what a funny description. Does he mean that the wolves are able to act like aristocrats?¡± Faena giggled.

    Brendel¡¯s ears caught that remark, and he whipped his head to re at her with the words ¡®shut up!¡¯ written on his face.

    Faena¡¯s temper rose up. There was no one in the Kirrlutz Empire who dared to be so rude to her! But she quickly knitted her brows in shock as she remembered what Brendel did a while ago, and she forced back her words of insult.

    ¡°Hmph, what an evil man.¡± She could only mumble to herself in frustration.

    Naturally, her voice was so soft that even Brendel could hardly hear it with his high perception.

 volume 3 - 139

    Chapter 139 ¨C Warg

    Brendel could not be bothered with the spoiled brat. His eyes went back to observe the endless sea of wolves. Indeed, once the centaurs retreated, the wolves began to be restless.

    In a few moments, the eleven Dire Wolves began to weave in and out of the ck water like sharks, driving their own forward in order to surround the races.

    Brendel did not waste this opportunity. The Wind Spirit Spiders he summoned earlier weremanded to hide in the trees when the centaurs appeared, and it allowed the wolves to lower their guards. Two hundred golden lights shot out into the sky when the youth raised his hands, flying over to the Dire Wolves in a packed formation.

    A golden pir of light shot out at a steep angle.

    Brendel did not use the Holy Swords conservatively and focused them at the area that was dense with wolves, forming the singr pir of light that devastated the ground, before it dimmed and another pir of light shot at a different ce.

    ¨C 7 XP gained

    ¨C 7 XP gained

    ¨C 7 XP gained

    ¨C 8 XP gained

    ¨C 7 XP gained

    He watched the reported XP in his retina change like a waterfall. It might appear to be impressive, but it was actually quite low since it was on a battlefield.

    The golden pir of light changed into a that went for numbers, causing the ck wolves that passed through the to burst into mes. The went up and down, causing countless sources of light as the wolves writhed in burning pain. Finally, they stopped moving after screaming in agony for a few seconds.

    This process repeated several times until the Holy Sword card finally spent the EP in it.

    The centaurs had stopped moving forward. Even though Wydall had seen many harsh battles and even fought an Earth Dragon, he and the other centaurs still took in a deep breath as they watched the scene unfold.

    A hundred feet around where they stopped¡ª

    The sea-like wolves had beenpletely massacred, and there were only burning ashes. It took less than a minute and hundreds of wolves werepletely wiped out. The monsters even looked like they hesitated to approach.

    [5250 XP in total.]

    Brendel paid 2 Earth EP to replenish the Holy Sword card again, and the Wind Spirit Spiders glowed once more, waiting for the Dire Wolves to drive more wolves to them.

    But the wolves continued to run around the empty space.

    ¡°We should move now!¡± Wydall shouted to Brendel. Indeed, it would be a good time since they were unchecked. But this was not what Brendel¡¯s current objective.

    The youth¡¯s eyes narrowed and stared at the extreme limits of the encirclement, where clumps of fogs filled it.

    Quinn was also staring in the same direction¡ª

    ¡°Wait, something isn¡¯t right.¡± He said.

    Brendel nodded. The reactions from the wolves proved this point. He used the Holy Sword card not to carve out a path, but to watch the reaction of the wolves, which appeared to be ¡®logical¡¯.

    [Beasts corrupted by Mana are typically berserk andck intelligence, especially if it¡¯s a ck Wolf. They will not act as a normal wolf pack or be afraid from watching its own die. They will only be more rabid if they are injured. But they retreated. This proves that a Warg is in their midst. The creature is nearly as intelligent as a human adult, and would order the horde back in order to cut its losses.]

    This reaction exposed the Tyrant amongst the wolves.

    But a long bellow pierced through the ck sky. It was low and vicious, as though to announce something.

    ¡°He realized that we have discovered him.¡± Quinn¡¯s expression changed and he immediately took out his longbow.

    The ck wolves started to rush towards them again.

    There was an unsettling feeling spreading throughout everyone. A beast that was as smart as a human, nning to tear out their throats with a n. Brendel felt it had seen through his intentions to test it.

    ¡°A wild beast that¡¯s this clever?¡± Even Carglise who was always bold had a worried expression, though his tone was one of disbelief.

    ¡°Hush¡ª¡± One of the Tree Elves said.

    ¡°Do not doubt the abilities of a Warg. Beware that it will tear your throat while it¡¯s dreaming.¡± Another Tree Elf said; the contents of his words were equally mysterious.

    The strange words made not only Carglise shiver but also Rnd and Janos too. Brendel did not find it funny when he saw them.

    The description in the game for a Warg was this:

    ¡®Every one hundred years, when the two moons shone in the night, the young wolf that was born under the red moons will eat its siblings and parents, bing a gargantuan wolf that was stronger, more cunning and cruel than a normal wolf.¡¯

    ¡®The Warg is the mate of the Wolf of Cmity, Skoll. When they mate in summer, their descendants would be able to walk humans and cause endless chaos for a thousand years within the Dark Forest; an aberrant shadow of the night.¡¯

    And it was the truth.

    Brendel stared at the distant fog, but he was unable to see past it.

    ¡°Amandina,¡± he said.

    ¡°What?¡± The girl took a deep breath and turned to the youth with a pale face with tightly pursed lips.

    Her heart was racing, but the constant howling drowned out the sound of her heartbeats. She felt like she was on a boat in the ocean, facing against strong waves that threatened to capsize at any moment. At the same time, there was an acrid smell within the air from the smoking corpses of the wolves, and she felt like she needed to empty her stomach when she realized how violently the wolves died.

    In fact, there were many youths who had the same expression as she had.

    But she resisted her urge to puke, raised her skirt a little higher to avoid the filth on the ground as she came over.

    ¡°What is it, my lord?¡± She asked.

    ¡°The potions are with you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Please pass me the grey potion.¡±

    Amandina opened the hard bag on her waist, allowing Brendel to glimpse at the vials and potions that were packed neatly in the bag. It was organized so well that he could easily identify them, and he could not help but knit his brows together.

    Despite being a level 130 warrior, he was pretty much used to throwing all his potions into his bag, and it was like a mysterious surprise each time he took one out.

    [Shameful. How shameful. I definitely can¡¯t do something like this, but this is reminding me how I took out a bottle of tomato paste instead of a healing potion in the game.]

    It was a fatal blunder that happened several times, but Brendel was starting to appreciate how Fern and Amandina worked when he saw this scene.

    The girl took the third vial from the left and passed it to Brendel in less than a second.

    ¡°Amandina,¡± Brendel could not help but call out to her.

    ¡°Yes?¡± She was a little confused.

    ¡°I feel thatpared to Dia,¡± he took off the potion¡¯s cork, ¡°I feel like you¡¯re more like sisters with Fern. But who¡¯s the older sister?¡±

    Amandina red at him while she carefully closed the bag.

    When Brendel looked at the fog again, it actually increased in density. Wolves with red eyes continued to pour out, getting closer towards them.

    [Each Warg has their unique name, along with their unique ability. Perhaps it¡¯s Shadowmist? It¡¯s capable of moving quickly within the fog and attack those who lose their senses in it.]

    He frowned. Wargs rted to nature were the hardest to deal with. It was easier if they were rted to physical attributes instead. He hurriedly drank the potion that murky liquid grey in it. It was a Potion of Eagle Eye, raising 20 OZ worth of Perception through the vision. The materials used to create it were Griffin¡¯s feathers and Mana Fern. They were sold at a ridiculously low price in the Green Tower, and the potion itself was quite useful, so Brendel made a few.

    His eyes sharpened immediately. The fog seemed to turn translucent and saw a wolf that was the size of a hill.

    [Shit!]

    He immediately cursed in his mind. Wargs were dangerous Gold-ranked monsters with Element Powers. Everyone started to realize the fog was getting thicker and starting to affect their vision. The ambassadors and their guards in green armor got closer to the centaurs for protection, causing the mist around them to swirl about.

    Everyone was tense.

    [Even with a thousand Druids just to make a distraction isn¡¯t enough to lure them? Did the Warg think it¡¯s a trap instead? Just one Warg would be difficult for this group. Shit, it¡¯s moving. F-fast!]

    The gargantuan wolf sprinted in the fog, and the youth immediately roared: ¡°There is a Warg approaching us! Cease all chatter and be on the alert now!¡±

    The Dark Forest became still.

    And a terrified scream suddenly broke the momentary silence.

    It was the sound that belonged to a human¡¯s death throe.

 volume 3 - 140

    Chapter 140 ¨C The enemies in the fog

    Heads turned around to the scream to see the ambassador¡¯s knights chasing after a silver wolf, but thetter was too slow. The noble that was dragged away screamed for a while, but the gleaming white fangs bit harder and crushed his throat, causing the scream to stop suddenly.

    Everyone watched it drag the body into the white mist helplessly.

    ¡°How did you let it approach us! Are you fools!?¡± Austin roared at the knights.

    [Mist Wolves! They are descendants of the Misthowler!]

    Brendel watched the dying noble kick his legs feebly a few times as it disappeared into the mist. His eyelids twitched as he realized the identity of the Warg he was facing. He immediately raised his hand and shouted:

    ¡°Everyone, move closer to each other! These damned wolves turn invisible when they are in the fog!¡±

    Before his words ended, two swirling currents of fog suddenly rushed at the youths.

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    Quinn raised his bow with lightning reflexes and shot three arrows consecutively. The arrows tracked its prey beautifully in the air like silver threads. Two spurts of blood fountained out in the white fog, with one arrow missing its targets.

    A silver wolf emerged from the fog by jumping into the air, apparently dodging the arrow, and itnded onto the ground lightly. It pounced onto one of the youths with incredible speed, and when they finally reacted, the wolf had already lodged its fangs onto the youth.

    There was a gut-wrenching wail as the youth was nearly broken into halves. The monster had bitten hard enough to shatter his bones and crush his flesh into pulp. The youth¡¯s eyes were wide open, as though he could not believe he would die here, and his bloody body fell forward.

    ¡°ncy!¡± Hispanions called out his name in bitter rage. Anger consumed them and they lost their heads, and they rushed at the silver wolf with their swords to take revenge for him.

    Brendel¡¯s reaction was much faster than them. Even though he knew that they would be casualties, he was still furious to see one of the youths die before him. Ten beams of light shot down from the sky at the wolf, creating several holes in it despite its attempt to flee.

    At the same time, he suddenly had an idea, and the beams were used to form a wall of light, preventing the invisible creatures that were circling in the mist from approaching the youths.

    But the ambassadors and centaurs were on their own. Even though the Mist Wolves were rated as weak Silver-ranked monsters, they were powerful assassins in the fog and would retreat into it after attacking. This allowed them to get the first strike all the time.

    In addition, they functioned as a pack and attacked with coordination. Even if their enemies possessed strongerbat strength, they would still be at a great disadvantage.

    It did not take long for the group of knights to lose half their numbers, either injured or dead. The Centaurs lost ten-odd men as well, with each centaur attacked by at least two or more Mist Wolves.

    Confused yells and pained screams filled the vicinity for a while.

    The ce was starting to be hell. Wolves tore apart the men who were pulled away. Bones and flesh were ripped apart by force; an uninjured knight was turned into a pile of bones in the blink of an eye.

    Amandina was so afraid that she held her breath. Her face was pale and her hands trembled but she stood resolutely. Faena was just as frightened, but Rono was quick enough to show off the discipline of a Kirrlutz¡¯s Combat Alchemist. He threw down several vials and strange vegetation quickly grew around them, isting a space around them that denied the fog from entering. Elman had a grimace, but he pulled off his sword and stood beside Faena, asionally forcing the silver wolves that revealed themselves and tried to invade their space.

    The fog was bing thicker, and the other wolves were beginning to join in the attack. It was clear to the everyone that it was just the beginning. Despair was starting to seep into their minds.

    [A little longer. Just hold on a little longer. The Warg needs to be lured in a little closer¡ª]

    Brendel was standing in the open, exposing himself. He controlled the Dragon Knights System to protect the youths while looking out for the Warg at the same time.

    [Got you. You¡¯re finally moving closer to us¡ª]

    ¡°Dia, Fern, Wall of Wind!¡± Brendel shouted as he smacked away several Mist Wolves. Even if they were unable to harm him, they will eventually charge through the beams and kill the youths. He brought them to get XP, and not be food for the wolves.

    Fern immediately grabbed her younger sister and moved to the center of the army. With the Dwarven Treasure Vault attached to the Mercenaries of Lopes, the two sisters became powerful Silver-ranked Elementalists. Creating a spell of the second circle was simple for them.

    The sisters cast the spell and created an air current on their fingertips.

    ¡°Wind, spread your wings!¡± Fern shouted, and the current expanded by a thousandfold.

    A hurricane was formed around them. An endless doleful roar wormed into their ears as the Wall of Wind extended over a hundred meters. The spell was used to counter physical projectiles and was not very useful, but it was certainly a counter to the Misthowler¡¯s passive Element Power.

    The hurricane started pulling the fog away and caused it to dissipate in seconds.

    Several spots started to ripple like water and silver wolves near the hurricane were revealed. They appeared slightly confused, not understanding what had happened. Brendel did not waste any more time. With a point of his fingers, the beams of destruction turned ten-odd silver wolves into dust.

    ¡°A wonderful idea.¡± Quinn lowered his bow and praised.

    He had lived for two centuries and heard the rumors of a wolf that spewed out mist, but he truly admired Brendel toe out with a clever solution so quickly.

    The Mist Wolves were just slightly stronger than the ck Wolves after losing their advantage in the fog. The centaurs could easily drive them back when the wind lifted the fog. But Brendel knew that the Wall of Wind was just a temporary solution and the main problem still needed to be solved.

    ¡°Ser Kodan, I¡¯ll leave themand to you temporarily. Carglise, you¡¯re the vicemander.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the vicemander?¡± Carglise jumped a little.

    What orders could he give to defend against the endless wolves? Could he keep the casualties to a minimum? He had no guarantee. But how could he answer Brendel¡¯s trust if he did not dare to face these wolves? He bit his lips and nodded hard: ¡°Not a problem.¡±

    Brendel gave a thumbs up to the youth, but Kodan frowned and asked: ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m obviously going to kill the Warg. Scarlett, cover me.¡±

    The red-haired girl was using a shortbow to kill the wolves that retreated out of the hurricane. When she heard Brendel¡¯s words, she turned around and swiped her stray hair back with her left hand, and tossed her shortbow to one of the youths. She wielded the lightning halberd on her back and walked to Brendel¡¯s side.

    ¡°Are you fine with it, Scarlett? It¡¯s risky,¡± asked Brendel.

    ¡°It¡¯s not the first time anyway,¡± she answered.

    ¡°Mister Quinn, are you fine with following us?¡±

    ¡°Not a problem.¡± Came the light reply.

    Brendel nodded. He thought of taking Ropar, but thetter was mainly a Strength-type warrior and was unsuited for this battle. He took a deep breath and started moving forward, but a hand reached out and grabbed him.

    He turned around to see Amandina¡¯s deeply furrowed brows. She spoke to him through gritted teeth:

    ¡°My lord, have you forgotten your promise? You¡¯re now a lord who carries the responsibilities of countless lives, why are you risking yourself yet again!¡±

    Brendel was slightly taken aback, but he pulled off her hands: ¡°This battle isn¡¯t because of me wanting to be a hero. It¡¯s because it¡¯s necessary. Don¡¯t worry, I am confident of the oue.¡±

    Amandina¡¯s lips parted and closed a few times, but she gritted her teeth and swallowed her other words.

    ¡°Understood,¡± she lowered her head and said.

    Brendel did not know what she was thinking, but he did not lie. Staying here for too long would only get the Warg to call for more reinforcements, and by then they would all be surrounded and killed.

    [It would probably end up as a death sentence for others if they go. The Warg is too cunning for them. Since I¡¯m the only one who has a strategy for him, it has to be me. I might even be able to take it down in one blow. That¡¯s the advantage of another soul¡¯s memory¡ª]

    ¡°But how are you going to reach it?¡± Kodan asked: ¡°The wolves outside the hurricane are endless. It won¡¯t be easy to cut a path to the Warg.¡±

    ¡°Do you need the centaurs to do so?¡± Quinn said.

    ¡°No.¡± Brendel shook his head. He raised Halran Gaia and yelled: ¡°Hear mymand, separate to my left and right!¡±

    The armies under Brendel were momentarily quiet.

    The Centaur Elder, Wydall, looked back at the youth puzzledly, but he knew that a militarymand could not be refused. Even though he had a mind full of questions, he raised hisnce.

 volume 3 - 141

    Chapter 141 ¨C Rock Bridge

    Austin¡¯s sword ran through a Mist Wolf that pounced onto him from the air, and threw the corpse far away, momentarily wondering if the wolves corrupted by Mana would cannibalize their own.

    Dnt tapped his shoulder and spoke aloud: ¡°Look over there, are they crazy!?¡±

    Austin heard Brendel yell out something, but he did not pay attention to thetter. When he looked at the youth in confusion, he saw this scene¡ª

    The youths were the first to move; Carglise and the squadrons¡¯ leaders raised their hands parallel to the ground, and they moved ordingly.

    The Centaur Elder held up hisnce and reared up to make himself taller, giving out the loudest roar he had:

    ¡°Formation, divide!¡±

    It was as though an explosion had rung out. The Centaurs stiffened for less than a second, and the crescent formation immediately divided into two in an instant.

    ¡°Thorsar!¡± Quinn shouted as well, echoed by the Tree Elves. Their magic over their conjured dark green vines made it move to the sides.

    It did not take very long for the Warg tomand the wolves to rush in. Even though it was strange for the enemies to divide their forces, doing so allowed them to surround them easily.

    The wolves charged through the Wall of Wind like flood water rushing through a broken dam. The earth rumbled loudly.

    [Why? Isn¡¯t this a death sentence? Dividing our forces will only work if they have a limited number to surround us, but these wolves have an endless supply of reinforcements. No matter how many we kill, the numbers will only increase.]

    Austin stared at the scene with wide eyes.

    ¡°Mad! They have gone utterly mad!¡± Dnt was jerking Austin¡¯s arm and shouting: ¡°Even if they want to meet their deaths here, do they have to drag us down?¡±

    Austin did not reply and suddenly narrowed his eyes. Brendel was moving to the center where the armies divided alone.

    Another howl came from the Warg, and the horde of wolves rushed towards the youth. It was certain that the youth was their highestmander, and it wanted to finish him off as soon as possible.

    But Brendel also had the same idea.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± He asked, looking back.

    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Scarlett said.

    Quinn had gotten off Wydall and nodded as well.

    Ten meters.

    Brendel gripped Halran Gaia tightly with both hands and rotated his body to his limits.

    Five meters.

    The front row of ck wolves lowered their bodies and readied themselves to pounce at the youth. They bared their fangs and uttered loud guttural noises from their throats.

    Brendel could almost feel their eyes that were full of crazed bloodlust staring at him. He expelled all the air in his lungs.

    [Power Break and Frontal Assault into White Rave Sword Arte¡ª]

    A violent maelstrom far stronger than the Wall of Wind formed from Halran Gaia and reached the sky. Invisible des cut across the ground around the youth, forcing Quinn and Scarlett to back away from him.

    The Warg felt its fur stand on ends when it saw the hurricane from afar, and it started moving away from the battlefield. The sense of danger only grew stronger over time and it saw the most shocking scene in its lifetime.

    The ck Wolves that pounced with terminal velocity slowed as they got nearer to the youth, and were eventually flung back from the violent wind.

    Brendel lowered the de vertically, inch by inch. Light burst forth as energy fed into Halran Gaia, and the hurricane that reached the sky was gradually turned towards the ground. The invisible des were spinning so fast that there was a whining pitch that grated in everyone¡¯s ears. When they finally came into contact with the wolves, the beasts were knocked backward with countless cuts that eventually separated skin, flesh, and bones.

    A frightening, bloody rain was created.

    The wind of des was finally projected at an angle that was parallel to the ground. It was strong to cut all the wolves within a hundred meters, and the shockwave beyond that range sted the wolves away and rendered them unconscious. Even half the battlefield was upheaved with countless scars.

    Brendel felt his stamina drop till it registered red fonts in his retina.

    ¨C Fatigued State.

    ¨C Unyielding Talent activated. Strength and Agility unaffected by Fatigued State.

    [A normal person in Fatigued State would see at least a 50% drop in terms of Strength and Agility stats.]

    Brendel stumbled onto the ground with Halran Gaia stabbing into it while gasping. While the Unyielding Talent still allowed him to use his full strength, it did not help with the pain and exhaustion. He felt pins and needles stabbing in his hands and could not help but tremble.

    But using his full strength allowed him to clear a path that thinned the area between him and the Warg. The only problem was that the path was starting to fill up with even more wolves. The beasts clearly did not care how many of its kind died under his sword, and they were starting to fill up the void.

    ¡°We need to hurry,¡± Brendel said to the two behind him.

    Austin finally understood what the youth was doing, but the n did not appear like a sess in his eyes. In just a few seconds, the wolves had started to create a barrier around the Warg.

    [There¡¯s just no time to exploit the opening!]

    He could not help but sigh.

    But Brendel¡¯s attack was not yet over. He started moving towards the Warg as he shouted: ¡°Mother Earth, grant me des!¡±

    The ground in front of the Warg started to copse, while the earth next to it suddenly jerked in the opposite directions as though springs were loaded into it, causing the wolves to be dumped into the center of the copsed hole. Even though they tried to jump out of it, the earth continued to sink further and the earth from the sides buried them.

    Brendel put in more MP into the sword as he formed his hand into a fist. The earth beneath his feet suddenly rose up vertically over twenty meters, raising Scarlett and Quinn along with him. The second mount of t earth spiked up, followed by a third, and countless more that eventually merged at the top.

    An artificial bridge was suddenly formed in just a few seconds, and it extended all the way towards the Warg.

    The Warg stared at the unnatural event in confusion before it realized what the human had done. It looked at the bridge for a few more seconds before it thought of fleeing. But it lost its opportunity to do so.

    ¡°Move closer to me, now!¡± Brendel shouted.

    Scarlett and Quinn did not waste any time and move to his side, even though they did not know what the youth was nning. Theirbined weight was not a problem for Brendel, and he grabbed both of them like they were potato sacks and activated the Charge ability.

    900 OZ worth of agility sted across the bridge. A ck line sped across hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye and jumped off¡ª

    Right across the Misthowler¡¯s head.

    The Warg looked up at the tiny humans with its blood-red eyes. The trio also saw the Warg clearly for the first time. It was a massive wolf that was the size of the Five-headed Hydra with a thick coat of grey far.

    [A single eye. The lore in the game states that this Warg lost its other eye against another Warg. Amazing, I can feel the heat from this beast.]

    But Brendel did not have much time to marvel at the terrifying creature¡¯s grand appearance. There was less than a minute before the hastily made rock bridge copsed, and they would not want to get surrounded by the ck wolves after killing the Warg.

    ¡°Scarlett, limit its movements. Mister Quinn, please cover me!¡± Brendel yelled as he released them on the bridge and descended like aet to the Warg.

    Misthowler growled at the youth. It did not like to fight personally, but if there was anything that challenged its authority, it would shred them into pieces.

    It tried to p Brendel away with its paw.

    Brendel knew that he must appear to be as slow as a snail in front of the monster¡¯s eyes. It was a level 60 Boss after all, let alone that it was a creature that was known for its Agility. But he was ready for it as soon as he saw the Warg¡¯s muscles move.

    ¡°Oss!¡± He roared, and a Wind Bullet shot out at the paw. Even though it was more like a breeze to the Warg, the resistance from the air propelled him backward and avoided its attack.

    Even though the swipe failed, the Warg immediately moved forward and bit at Brendel, its figure in a white blur from the incredible speed.

    ¡°No!¡± Scarlett gave a short cry; she knew that the magic ring was unable to be used consecutively.

    The youth was still suspended in mid-air and he looked like he was going to be crushed.

 volume 3 - 142

    Chapter 142 ¨C Misthowler

    Brendel¡¯s vision was a mouthing at him filled with sharp fangs. An awful stench erupted in his nose as the Warg growled at him. Scarlett felt as though time had stopped for a moment as the wolf¡¯s jaws closed down.

    Any Gold-ranked warrior would be greatly injured by the attack.

    But Brendel turned around at a sharp angle and shouted:

    ¡°Wind, unshackle me!¡±

    The Wind Dance spell was cast on himself. It was a cantrip spell simr to the spell Feather Fall. Brendel copied this technique from an Elementalist yer who founded this technique. It allowed the angle of a flight direction to be changed, allowing an Elementalist to dodge at sharp angles, and became one of the signature low-level spells in PvP.

    Although Brendel was not an Elementalist, it was required to at least know the trick in order to deal with it in PvP. Wings appeared behind Brendel¡¯s back and he suddenly jerked sideways, causing the Warg to miss him.

    An angry howl was made as the Warg realized it failed to bite the youth, and thetter spun around and grabbed onto its fur with both hands while quickly sheathing his sword. It seemed like Brendel had managed to ride on the Warg, but it was nothing like that.

    The monster was moving so fast that the wind seemed to smash against him. Its reaction was also swift when it sensed Brendel had grabbed onto it. The ground shook as itnded and tried to shake him off. Brendel did not stop moving and pulled out Halran Gaia with one hand and stabbed it into the wolf¡¯s spine.

    A stream of blood spurt out from the Warg.

    [Wow. A level 40+ NPC piercing through the defenses of a boss that¡¯s at least level 60. An ordinary weapon wouldn¡¯t even break its skin, and any weaker Fantasy-ranked sword would just cause a simple flesh wound. As expected of the highest tier amongst its ss, Halran Gaia¡¯s sharpness and hardness allow me to bypass the level difference.]

    Misthowler let out a sharp cry. Its blood quickly turned into a mist and spread out with the wind.

    ¡°Don¡¯t breathe the air that¡¯s tainted with the Warg¡¯s blood!¡± Brendel quickly covered his nose and mouth as he shouted. A corrupted monster¡¯s blood, especially when it¡¯s a high-level one, was more like poison.

    He quickly jumped off from the Warg¡¯s back. Someone who was inexperienced with it might have stayed behind and continued attacking it, but any monster that had an Element Power would not be that easy to deal with.

    Mist gathered around the Warg and formed into four whips that swept against its back at different angles. if the youth still remained there, he would have been crushed by them.

    The wolf only took a few moments to realize that the human hadnded on the ground. His cunning actions had greatly surprised it. It believed that each of its attacks would have killed him, but he dodged it every single time.

    Once or twice might be a coincidence, but escaping three times was an anomaly, and it immediately chose to distance itself from Brendel. The entire exchange was only a few seconds. The people far away were only able to see blurry afterimages, and only Scarlett and Quinn saw things clearly. The red-haired girl was unable to discern how strong the creature was when Brendel avoided it so easily, but Quinn paled a little.

    As a Tree Elf protecting the Green Tower, he had encountered countless monsters and the Warg was one of the most powerful opponents he had ever seen. Yet even when it attacked the young human first, it was him who gained the upper hand by using a perfect control over deft tricks, almost as though he predicted how the Misthowler would attack.

    His guess was not wrong.

    Even though Wargs had their unique names, they attacked in simr ways. Brendel knew that the Misthowler was preparing to attack again after a moment of consideration. It lowered its body and lunged at him again.

    [It¡¯s too fast. I¡¯m not steady on my feet yet¡ª]

    Brendel made a judgment that he was unable to dodge it. He quickly conjured up the spell Barkskin and activated it at full speed. ck Ironbark covered his entire body.

    [250 MP spent to create 5 armor, with Bahamut¡¯s Grasp at 7 armor. Let¡¯s see if 12 armor holds up against one attack.]

    He needed to make the Warg focus its attention on him. If it had gone for Scarlett or Quinn during that jump, they might have been torn into two. He was the only one capable of escaping from it. Halran Gaia was raised over his head, preparing to receive his foe¡¯s attack.

    But that was unnecessary.

    The monster¡¯s charge was halted mid-way. Two green lines descended from the air, firing straight into the Warg¡¯s body.

    [Arrows of Purity!?]

    Brendel immediately identified the projectiles. The Warg could easily ignore any ordinary arrows shot at it, but these arrows were certainly not ordinary. Lore stated they were divine arrows blessed directly by the Goddess Nia, the counter to all monsters born from Chaos or Darkness. It was a little exaggerated, but these Arrows of Purity could indeed suppress a monster¡¯s Element Power. If the Warg was struck by them, then it would be an ordinary monster with the stats of a Gold-ranked creature.

    But the Warg felt an instinctive fear from the arrows and immediately retreated away from them. Perhaps it had encountered a simr power in the past.

    Scarlett jumped down as well. Her first attack came after a few seconds of preparation.

    ¡®Lightning, Seventh Chord¡¯; her strongest technique.

    She knew that the Warg was one of the strongest opponents she had ever encountered and struck at it with all her strength.

    Five lightning bolts shot out from her left hand, more potent than when she fought against Madara¡¯s elite general Iamas, and they shot towards the Misthowler¡¯s body while rotating around each other with frightening velocity and sound.

    An explosion of noise rang out.

    The light intensified and forced the girl¡¯s eyes to narrow. Electricity surged and ran all over the air, but to her surprise, the lightning did not reach the Warg. A mist shrouded it and with a shake of its body, the mist expanded forcefully and dispelled the electricity.

    Scarlett thought that she was able to at least halt the monstrous wolf for a few seconds, but since it did not, she quickly went into a stance and observed it.

    The Warg turned around and stared at her with a pair of glowing red eyes.

    She held her breath as the Warg¡¯s muscles tensed up¡ª

    ¡°Quinn!¡± Brendel yelled at the top of his lungs.

    When the Warg jumped away, it distanced itself by nearly sixty meters. It was impossible for him to help her in time. Even if Scarlett had the status of a God Acolyte, getting struck by it would mean that she would probably need to stay in bed for at least half a month.

    At least, that was how long she needed when she fought against Ekman¡ª

    The Tree Elf did not need Brendel to tell him; his bow was ready and it was another two Arrows of Purity, forcing the Misthowler to retreat. The monster roared in anger, frustrated that it failed to evennd an attack on its foes.

    A low bellow came from its throat, ordering the Dire Wolves and its minions to attack the three people that came after it.

    [Fifteen seconds¡ª Fuck, I almost screwed up. Even with the Golden Apple, her Element Power lost out to the Warg. I originally wanted Quinn to suppress the Dire Wolves, but it looks like their roles have changed since he has the Arrows of Purity.]

    ¡°Scarlett, deal with the surrounding wolves,¡± Brendel gave a new order with a yell, ¡°Quinn, aim for the silver tuft of fir on the Misthowler¡¯s head. That¡¯s where its Mana Point is.¡±

    A creature corrupted by Mana gather its Mana at a certain point, and it could be seen as a fatal vital point.

    Quinn narrowed his eyes and indeed found a small patch of silver that seemed to glow a little. He hesitated for a moment before he quickly raised his bow; it was a small area and the Warg was fast enough to dodge his projectiles.

    Two Arrows of Purity formed between his fingers and on the bowstring, but he did not release them, as he wanted to wait for a better opportunity.

    Scarlett created a continuous loop of lightning to the wolves that charged in, immediately causing their skin to rupture and burn up with a choking stench.

    Brendel started running to the Warg¡¯s side and the monster¡¯s eyes momentarily went towards the youth, recalling that he had injured it. However, it felt a different source of danger and became restless and uneasy.

 volume 3 - 143

    Chapter 143 ¨C Outflow

    The Warg took a moment to ponder where the Arrows of Purity came from, and it deducted that they came from the Tree Elf. It turned towards him and bared its gleaming white fangs at the Tree Elf, before it leaped onto the rock bridge, causing it to wobble a little. The Warg¡¯s ws dug deeply into the bridge and causedrge stone fragments to rain down.

    Quinn waved his hand and conjured a vine which grew from the ground. It quickly climbed around the rock pirs, and the Tree Elf jumped down and caught onto it, dodging the monster that awkwardly tried to swipe at him with its paw. The Warg eventually jumped down onto the ground and snarled at the Tree Elf, who was hanging on to the vine somewhere in the middle of the rock bridge¡¯s height.

    Brendel judged that he was close enough and leaped into the air, bringing Halran Gaia above his head and intending to chop the monster¡¯s head, but it suddenly turned its head to bite at him. The youth was forced to change his attack into a defense, knocking his de against the fangs. The sounds created sounded more like pieces of metal crashing against each other.

    The huge force made Brendel retreat repeatedly and he could hardly feel his fingers from the feedback. The second time he blocked the Misthowler¡¯s fangs after it pounced on him, made Halran Gaia bend nearly ny degrees.

    [Are you kidding me!?]

    Halran Gaia proved to be a weapon that was made well. The weapon was flexible and robust, and it returned to its original form like a spring, but it also resulted in Brendel pushed far away from the Warg.

    The huge wolf jumped a short distance away to assess the situation. The Tree Elf was slowly climbing back to the top of the rock bridge, while Brendel was fending off several ck wolves that came after him.

    It decided to attack the youth first. It started running in the fog, causing the three to lose track of the monster.

    Brendel barely caught sight of the Misthowler charging at him at top speed. He subconsciously raised his right arm and felt a tremendous jolt of pain to his whole body, and found himself high up in the air. The Ironbark armor was ripped off along with the bonus armor provided by Bahamut¡¯s grasp.

    The youth soon crashed onto soft ground and rolled several times¡ª

    [Soft...... ground? Shit, my head¡¯s bleeding. My sword knocked against my own head.]

    He sat up and nearly found himself falling over and hurriedly steadied himself. At first, he thought he had been knocked dizzy, but he suddenly found himself looking at a pair of confused red eyes. A Dire Wolf the size of arge horse carriage turned its head, and it was blinking and looking at him.

    Brendel screamed a little at the sudden surprise. The Dire Wolf reacted far better than the youth and bit at his shoulder without any hesitation.

    There was a crunching sound.

    ¡°My lord!¡± Scarlett screamed as well. She was busy with dealing with the wolves around them, that she took a moment to realize the object that was knocked into the air was her lord. When she finally realized that fact, she turned around to see a wolf munching on him.

    She felt that the world had be dark and became dizzy.

    But Brendel wrenched off its jaws and pulled out his arm. He stood up and climbed over its head.

    ¡°Sit, doggy!¡± He yelled as he punched its head. The sounds of crushed bones could be heard audibly. The Dire Wolf sank down in a strange position. Brendel had an eye closed as blood was streaming over it. Even though he looked calm, he was screaming and cursing inside his mind.

    [Fuck, it hurts like hell. This is really quite a bad situation. Unlucky, too.]

    His HP had gone below zero. The Unyielding Talent activated fully, and he hurriedly took out a health potion and drank it immediately. A slight rumbling on the ground made him search for the Warg, only to discover that it was charging at him again.

    But Quinn had positioned himself once again and used an invisibility spell to mask his presence. The distance was far away and the target was small and moving quickly. Even for an Elf, it was a difficult target. There was also the situation where the Warg reacted much too quickly even without seeing them. Two green lines went straight at the Misthowler¡¯s forehead, perfectly calcted to meet it halfway.

    But they missed, easily going through the Warg¡¯s body as though it was mist, and the tail feathers still shaking on the ground.

    Quinn was utterly shocked and stared in disbelief. The arrows were blessed by the Goddess Nia, and were divine objects that countered Element Powers from any monster¡ª

    But the Warg could use its Element Power on them without issues?

    [Nice one, Quinn! You forced it to use its trump card!]

    It was a technique called Mist Projection. It was a magic that protected against all physical or magical attacks, as the body was projected away to another ne by casting on it. Even Divine spells or magic derived from Laws could not affect it. Fortunately, this magic could only be cast a single time per day.

    Brendel wanted to get the Misthowler into a berserk state, and one of the ways was to get it to use this magic.

    Startling blood-red runes lit up all over the Warg¡¯s body. Mana Rampage was an ability that all higher-ranked corrupted monsters had, which was simr to a Berserker¡¯s Rampage ability, but it had almost no side effects other than expending all the mana in the body.

    It was one of the trump cards a corrupted monster had, and would not be used unless they were in danger.

    Their levels would go up by 5 and their stats by 10%.

    Brendel guessed that the Warg was now close to level 70, and this powerful burst of strength caused Quinn and Scarlett to tremble.

    The Tree Elf saw the Misthowler return to physical form. It opened its jaws, with a red light gathering in its throat. Quinn wanted to flee to another area, but he discovered that mist had gathered all around him and the air was almost solid, making it impossible to move.

    A red beam fired from the Warg and struck directly at him. His bow fell to the ground and he started to scream.

    Curse-type magic, Life Vaporization.

    It was one of the most frightening spells that a gamer could face in the Cmity of Wolves. It was a magic spell ssified under witchcraft, a true Instant Death magic spell, and it vaporizes all the liquid in a person¡¯s body. This was an instant kill for most creatures.

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± Brendel was apologetic in his mind when it happened. However, heughed maniacally, almost as though he was enjoying Quinn¡¯s screams, but it was also true that he was waiting for this moment. His left hand was already up in mid-air with a card even before the attacknded on Quinn.

    ¨C Magic Control card activated

    ¨C Sensing......

    ¨C The following spells have been detected, ¡°Life Vaporization, Aura of Lightning, Protection of Life¡±

    [Aura of Lightning is probably Scarlett¡¯s ability, but Protection of life is probably from Quinn. I don¡¯t remember him casting this spell, so it¡¯s probably from an equipment that got triggered from the Life Vaporization. He really has quite a good set of equipment. Target Life Vaporization.]

    ¨C Target acquired

    The Misthowler suddenly roared in confusion, realizing that it was unable to control its magic. Brendel pointed at it, and the beam of light suddenly jerked in multiple angles and shot back at the Misthowler¡¯s body.

    There was a sharp bestial scream that caused everyone to flinch. Red mist constantly poured out from the Warg¡¯s body, and it quivered under the tremendous pain before falling to the ground.

    ¡°Hold your breaths and run away!¡± Brendel yelled out as the red mist extended its range to over ten meters.

    The Warg had fallen unconscious and canceled the spell, however, that did not mean that it was over. The Mana in its body was out of control and was destroying the body from within.

    An immense explosion happened. The innards of the Warg exploded everywhere, leaving behind a pile of white rotten meat. Because of the remaining Mana in its flesh, a series of explosions continued on it like water was thrown on heated oil.

    Brendel finally felt relieved at seeing this ghastly scene. He sat on the ground and sighed, ncing at the corpse. He took a double take and gasped when he saw a ck rock with tapered ends.

    [No way, a Warg¡¯s heart?]

 volume 3 - 144

    Chapter 144 ¨C The Warg¡¯s heart

    The mist filled the mountains.

    The forest was in a bizarre state of stillness after the battle. A hundred-odd centaurs were shuffling about as they took a short respite from the earlier battle. The youths that Brendel brought were not far away and nearly everyone was injured. Even the Tree Elves who rode on the Centaurs were wounded.

    They felt a fatigue that reached their bones after carving a bloody path through the tens of thousands of wolves. Their exhaustion felt like a w grabbing at their nerves, dragging them into the abyss of deep sleep. But no one dared to stop moving, even if they had to close their eyes to fight.

    Brendel was sitting on an ancient fallen tree. Its age was a mystery and impossible to tell what generation it belonged to. The trunks and branches were hollow, covered in thick green moss with ayer of mushrooms.

    He was currently pressing his hand on his injured face, gritting his teeth in pain as he allowed Merial to treat him with a healing spell. It was fortunate that the magic spell was as effective as the game. His wound tickled slightly, but it quickly healed and did not hurt any longer. Still, the blood loss caused a lingering fatigue. The spell elerated the healing speed, but it could not create energy from nothing.

    ¡°My lord, you were lucky that you defended yourself in time. The Warg¡¯s fangs nearly reached your left eye, but it was hindered by your gauntlet and cheekbones.¡± Merial said.

    Brendel could hear Amandina¡¯s grumbles nearby, which eventually stopped because she knew he had to solve this problem personally.

    Merial finished casting her final spell and passed a small portion of dried food to Brendel from her bag: ¡°Please eat a little, and you will feel better.¡±

    Her voice was a little soft but it was definitely nice to listen to.

    ¡°Have you been to a battlefield before?¡± He asked as he received the food.

    ¡°Yes, I was attached to a group of knights as a cleric.¡±

    ¡°To vanquish bandits?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Have you seen dead bodies before?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    [No wonder.]

    Brendel secretly nodded inwardly; it was very rare in the game to have a cleric with experience to not have an official rank with the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    [Hmm. I feel like she has seen quite a few things for her to react so calmly. Did she experience it first hand or did ite from books? But it seems like she¡¯s not interested in my group. It would be tough to bluff my way through to get her to stay. It looks like I need to work on getting Carglise to stay here instead, then she would be inclined to stay as well.]

    Brendel looked at her with slightly strange eyes before he spoke again, his head slightly turning towards to the back:

    ¡°Do you like that fellow?¡±

    Brendel showed an impish grin and it caused to Amandina to smile as well. She found it funny that he asked her so directly. It was easy to guess what he was thinking about.

    [My lord, you¡¯re handling things so awkwardly. You should have let me do it instead¡ª]

    He could hear a series of coughs behind his back. There was no need to see who it was, but Merial blushed furiously and lowered her head without answering. She was definitely a girl.

    Carglise sensed the strange atmosphere and Merial¡¯s blushing face made him feel unnatural. He quickly interrupted with a cough and spoke loudly: ¡°My lord, when are we going to move out?¡±

    ¡°Move out?¡± Brendel answered with a question as he chortled. He moved his hand away from his face, revealing a faint discolored scar that stuck out from his original skin color: ¡°Why the rush?¡±

    ¡°...... Ahem,¡± Carglise cleared his throat as he dealt with Brendel¡¯s antics, ¡°of course we need to rush, did you not tell us that we only have a few hours, my lord?¡±

    A mere month¡¯s worth of traveling together allowed Carglise to roughly know what Brendel¡¯s personality was like. If it was not for thetter¡¯s horrible taste on pranking people, Carglise actually thought him as someone excellent to follow. It was especially so when Brendel punished Aouine¡¯s bad nobles.

    ¡°Well, that is certainly true, but there is a need to take a short rest to recover our strength. You¡¯re not rushing because you¡¯re feeling guilty, right?¡± Brendel said as he nced at him from the corner of his eyes.

    Carglise stopped replying and looked away.

    Brendelughed again and took out a ck tapered stone from his bag. He lost four youths from the battle with the wolves, and it was the first casualty ever since they entered the Dark Forest. There were others who were heavily injured as well, and it was under the ardent protection that the Centaurs and Tree Elves gave.

    But he was satisfied to see that the youths were not filled with despair to the point where they could not act, though their morale was affected. It at least proved they were qualified warriors. They would achieve renown in this era with additional training and trials, taught by a gamer who used gamers¡¯ methods.

    In the Waves of Cmity, only talented people blessed with luck would be able to survive the onught and gain experience. But now these youths were the first batch of beneficiaries who walked down the path of glory.

    Brendel nced at the centaurs. They lost a great number of men in the battle. Wydall stated that only two-thirds of his men would be avable for the next battle.

    Most of them were torn to pieces by the wolves.

    [There are four hundred Silver-ranked centaurs. The Tree Elves archers did not lose as many as them, and they indicated there are more than two hundred men ready to fight. It¡¯s a waste to use them in a battle of attrition. Most of them would just die here in the Dark Forest. If I could somehow get them to fight in Trentheim¡¯s battlefield instead...... The remaining men I have are the youths, my summons, and the ten-odd knights who came along with the Aouine ambassadors. Unfortunately, Austin is unlikely to hand over the control of his knights to me.]

    He nced at the Aouine¡¯s ambassadors. Dnt and Austin were fine, but he could not find the female schr anywhere.

    The youth sighed. He saved her earlier from the Toquinin Beastmen because his side profession was a schr as well, but he could not save her a second time.

    But contrary to his thoughts, the overall mood was one of disbelief and astonishment in their camp. The result of the battle was overwhelmingly positive. Killing a Warg was supposedly an impossible task for any of them. It was a creature that was supposedly more powerful than any Gold-ranked warrior or mage.

    But everyone saw Brendel took control of the Warg¡¯s magic and redirected to the creature itself. The only conclusion was that he was a Runic Swordsman of the highest caliber. He single-handedly killed three Lord-ss ck Wolves that were the size of a small hill, and slew hundreds if not thousands of wolves with a single action. Twice, even.

    [Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t checked how much XP I gain...... Wow, 35000 XP for killing the warg, 23250 for killing the other ck wolves. Then the ¡®Team XP¡¯, or should I say, ¡®Army XP¡¯, that¡¯s another 12000 XP. That¡¯s close to ten thousand wolves killed. Unfortunately, there are still so many wolves left that I can¡¯t pick the loot from the Dire Wolves. Still.....]

    The youth yed with the rock which was cool to the touch. This item alone was outvalued all other loot that he could have gotten. Scarlett was watching from the sides without saying anything, but Brendel was smiling so broadly when he fiddled with it that she got curious. Since she did not have Amandina¡¯s restraint, she finally opened her lips, revealed her canines and asked:

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you mean this? Haha, this is something really good.¡± Brendel raised his head up and said mysteriously.

    ¡°My lord, stop teasing us,¡± Carglise could not help but roll his eyes, e on, tell us what it is. You¡¯re smiling so much that it must be valuable.¡±

    [Valuable?]

    Brendel turned to him and blinked multiple times.

    [Boy, you don¡¯t know that even pay-to-win yers can¡¯t buy this cheat item. Countless guilds are green with envy with this, and it isn¡¯t just money that can get it alone.]

    ¡°The Misthowler¡¯s heart.¡±

    ¡°The Warg¡¯s heart?¡±

    Amandina also chimed in: ¡°The leader of the wolves?¡±

    ¡°If you were expecting a bloody heart, this isn¡¯t it. But this particr artifact can be seen as housing the ¡®soul¡¯ of a Warg, as it holds in the rampaging Mana and the Laws of Chaos.¡±

    ¡°The Laws of Chaos and rampaging Mana.....?¡± Carglise did not understand.

    Brendel nodded. The person who was lucky enough to possess this would be an Alpha Wolf!

    ¡°So what does it do?¡± Carglise asked again.

    ¡°You will get to see it immediately.¡±

    The Misthowler¡¯s heart was ssified as a Rune, but its use was a little different from normal Runes.

    As for the usage of the rock......

    Brendel brought the rock and ced it tly against his forehead. Everyone watched the rock vibrate suddenly and started glowing with red light. It softened and started melting as though it was liquid, assimting into his skin. It was as though someone was painting an intricate pattern on his face, extending all the way to his neck and chest.

    The process took a few minutes before it ended, and the pattern of light started to fade a little. But the curving patterns made one trace Brendel¡¯s features and the faint glowing red light entuated it, making one unable to take their eyes off him. The only thing that lightened this devilish charm, was the white diagonal scar that went across his cheek and forehead.

    ¨C System linked, creating ¡®Nest Ovey¡¯ over your nerves

    ¨C Checking requirements, Will check: Passed.

    ¨C Conditions met.

    ¨C System updated.

    ¨C Title gained: Leader of Wolves

    ¡°There, it¡¯s over,¡± Brendel said as he felt sensations in his mind around the forest that felt familiar to him. He could even feel them miles away.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Someone said.

    Everyone woke up from their stupor. Amandina was still at a loss for words when she saw Brendel¡¯s strange appearance.

    With a mentalmand, he reached out to a nearby sensation. In an instant, that sensation got up and tilted its head, before it started galloping towards him.

    [Oh, that¡¯s really fast, maybe even reaching 100 OZ worth of agility. A peak Silver-ranked Direwolf. It¡¯s quite a mature one too.]

    ¡°My lord?¡± Carglise called out to Brendel when he just sat there without saying anything.

    Wydall, who was resting not far away, suddenly stood up in alert and peered at the Dark Forest. He raised his hand and the centaurs immediately got up as well.

    ¡°Alert! Get ready for an assault!¡± He shouted in order to inform the other men. The expressions of the Tree Elves and Brendel¡¯s men changed. The youth said the wolves would not be attacking them, not at least for a while.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay! Let this one pass.¡± Brendel responded.

    The bushes rustled and an immense thud could be heard as a burly Dire Wolf jumped out. The trees trembled in response, and the men were tense. But the creature did not attack and regarded Brendel with puzzled eyes.

    Scarlett raised hernce and stood in front of Brendel, while Quinn readied his arrow on his longbow, targeting the Dire Wolf, but the youth waved them down and looked at the wolf. It hesitated for a while before it finally approached him. There were no signs of aggression, and it stood a small distance away from him.

    The wolf brought itsrge head over to Brendel and sniffed him...... and rubbed against him intimately.

    Almost everyone dropped their jaws.

    ¡°T-that¡¯s the use of the rock?¡± Carglise was the first to understand. But he could hardly believe his eyes.

    Brendel rubbed the Direwolf¡¯s furry snout enthusiastically. He turned back and said smugly: ¡°Why, is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°No...... Of course not......¡± Carglise¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened: ¡°My lord, how many can you control?¡±

    Brendel read the green words in his eyes: ¡°ording to the system, I¡¯m now a minor Wolf Leader. Controlling two Direwolves and two hundred normal ck Wolves will be my limit. But this thing can level up, which is why it¡¯s considered to be a cheat item.¡±

    ¡°System?¡± Carglise was confused.

    ¡°Hmm? Oh, it¡¯s just an exnation.¡± Brendel was so delighted that he forgot to maintain his facade. This item was the equivalent of possessing a full army, and it was incredibly unlikely for a solo gamer to get it. Only major guilds would possess this item most of the time. There was also the fact that such artifacts drop upon the character¡¯s death.

    Plus the cement of the Rune was on the forehead. Everyone could see it.

    [Hmm. Hmmmm. Wait, a Misthowler dropping a Warg¡¯s Heart...... Perhaps it¡¯s a 100% chance of dropping it and not a rare lucky drop?]

    Brendel scratched his head. He thought he might have rubbed off some luck from Dia, but it seemed like his bad luck was still going to continue when it came to getting rare loot drops.

    [Back then in the game, there are other good drops from the Wargs...... But it¡¯s impossible to get them. Just this one Misthowler alone would have killed me if it was not for the Unyielding Talent. It¡¯s not good to get greedy here. Besides, the Warg¡¯s heart is the best droppared to the others. No gamer woulde after me in this world for possessing this item, and I doubt the ¡®NPCs¡¯ here know anything about this item. Such profit!]

 volume 3 - 145

    Chapter 145 ¨C Lord of the Nest

    Brendel stopped petting the Direwolf¡¯srge head, and he rubbed his forehead instead.

    [In order to create a new army of wolves...... I can use my new title to make the Direwolf submit, but the normal wolves found in this area is probably not as appealing as the ones created by the system.]

    With the Warg¡¯s Heart, he was able to control the dark chaotic Mana to create a wolf. He started fiddling with themands and looked through the new page, Leader of Wolves, and soon discovered the new functions.

    ¨C Leader of Wolves

    ¨C ck Wolf: Spend 50 Mana to create a ck Wolf

    ¨C Shadow Rock Beast: Spend 20 Mana to create a Shadow Rock Beast

    The youth paused for a slight moment. Summoning a ck Wolf was understandable, but what was a Shadow Rock Beast? Did it mean that the Warg¡¯s heart could provide two different types of wolves to choose from?

    He did not know much about the inner workings of the Warg¡¯s Heart, only that it could summon ck Wolves. It was the first time he even saw how things really worked. (TL: It¡¯s been a long time since the previous chapter, so maybe reading the previous few chapters might be good)

    [...... But I don¡¯t recall any information in regards to a Shadow Rock Beast in the game. Even if there¡¯s an additional option, shouldn¡¯t it be a Mist Wolf or something? Furthermore, its Mana requirement is only 20 MP, so it should be much weaker than a ck Wolf. This is strange. Well, there¡¯s no harm in trying.]

    It had been several hours since he summoned the Wind Spirit Spiders, so it was now possible for him to summon a few ck Wolves.

    He raised the hand that was on his forehead and pointed it at a nearby empty ground. A dark current started swirling and formed into something. There was a burst of light and a ck Wolf jumped out from the current of ck Mana in the air.

    Brendel stumbled.

    [What the heck?]

    The wolf was stretching its limbs; it was the size of a horse with ck shiny fur. A pair of red eyes regarded its surroundings, and the wolf revealed sharp white fangs as it yawned. It looked like a ck Wolf from the Cmity of Wolves.

    But there was armor on it. A strange ck colored armor covered the wolf¡¯s body and made it appear imposing.

    [...... I don¡¯t think a ck Wolf is supposed to look like this. Wolves with metal armor, well it did appear in the game. But a ck Wolf with ayer of rocks over it? It doesn¡¯t look like bones or horns. If it¡¯s in this form...... An elemental spirit? But how?]

    Carglise looked excited when he saw the shinyyer of ck rocks over the wolf.

    ¡°My lord, did you summon that wolf?¡± He asked.

    Amandina and Scarlett did not bother to chime in. They knew that the reply would most likely be ¡®the spell came from the ck Tower¡¯ or ¡®it is a secret¡¯. Amandina believed that there were secrets to be kept, and therefore she did not pry into his secrets. Scarlett merely thought that Brendel was always right in what he did and there was no need for a reason.

    ¡°My lord, the...... rocks seemed like they merged into its body. Is that wolf not in pain?¡± Merial asked.

    Scarlett flipped her ponytail back and disagreed: ¡°Doesn¡¯t it look pretty? Besides, don¡¯t wizardse up with these things all the time?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure my lord did not hurt it in any way,¡± Amandina exined.

    Brendel did not answer. He waspletely engrossed in figuring out the mysterious identity of the strange wolf. The Warg¡¯s Heart was an unfamiliar item to him, and perhaps the summoned wolves in the game appeared in this manner. He decided to test out the other ability and pointed at the ground next to the wolf.

    20 Mana was spent.

    The ck-colored Mana once again converged, but this time the ground below the mana suddenly bulged out and a strange creature emerged from it.

    Brendel stumbled again.

    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t this a Rock Panther..... It looks different?¡± Carglise said.

    The Rock Panther looked like the one summoned from Halran Gaia, but it had an elegant and sleek appearance. Sleek ck lines were drawn onto its body, with pointed tips on its shoulders, legs, and head.

    [T-this isn¡¯t really formed by earth but Mana. It feels a little twisted, like some kind of demonic spawn. A half-living elemental spirit? Wait a minute!]

    Brendel touched his sword subconsciously. He quickly pulled it out and scanned it with the system.

    [The Nest of Rocks ability from Halran Gaia is gone. I see, so the Warg¡¯s Heart has somehow taken away the ability from the sword and merged it into one because of the system? Unique systems created for equipment did exist in the game, but it¡¯s very rare. Usually, it¡¯s a profession or if a yer possesses a territory. Then again, there¡¯s a neswalker system here. Maybe my system is grouping up all sources of Nests andbining it into one unified ce? So if I get another equipment with a Nest ability, it will bebined into one.....? Going around the world, searching for Nests and defeating the guardians, absorbing each Nest ability and bing the Monster King. Hahaha.]

    Brendelughed to himself. His eyes switched between the ck Wolf covered with rocks and the Shadow Rock Beast, and he suddenly froze¡ª

    [...... Why does the ck Wolf have the Earth Element from Halran Gaia? And the Rock Panther has the Shadow Element?]

    The system windows in his eyes rotated in a frenzy as he started looking at them in detail. He discovered a new entry and his irises dted in excitement.

    ¨C Lord of Nests (Level 1)

    ¨C 2 Nests have been obtained

    ¨C Nest of Shadows (Tier 2), Nest of Rocks (Tier 1)

    [What! Are you kidding me? So there¡¯s really a system that absorbs Nests? It takes in the different creature types and includes the attributes too? So this is why it¡¯s a new creature that didn¡¯t exist in the game...... But is the new creature stronger or weaker?]

    Getting all the Nests was nice, but what if the conjured creature somehow ended weaker?

    ¡°Carglise, test them out.¡± He said.

    Carglise did not wait; he wanted to try fighting the newly summoned creatures. Since it was not the first time he defeated the Rock Panther, he decided to use the same strategy for them and pulled out his sword.

    Brendel issued an order to the Shadow Rock Beast in response.

    The distance where he could control his summons had been greatly increased with the inclusion of the Warg¡¯s Heart to approximately four miles. Any further and the effects would be greatly weakened. Naturally, the neswalker¡¯s system was far superior, since he couldmunicate with them regardless of the distance.

    The Shadow Rock Beast immediately rushed towards Carglise upon receiving Brendel¡¯smand. It had simr movements as the Rock Panther, but there was a ck shadow-like trail behind it.

    Carglise was initially tense when he saw the trailing darkness behind the Shadow Rock Beast, but he quickly recovered when he saw that the familiar movements of the creature. He had fought against the Rock Panther countless times and was familiar with how it moved and attacked.

    [It probably isn¡¯t too difficult.]

    The youth stepped forward and readied himself in an aggressive stance. He decided to test the creature by thrusting his sword cautiously, but the panther charged forward and allowed it to sink into its body.

    Carglise did not think it would be so violent as to disregard his attacks and everyone watched him get taken down by the panther.

 volume 3 - 146

    Chapter 146 ¨C Rock Garurumon

    The Rock Shadow Beast which had its front paws on Carglise¡¯s chest did not continue its attack, and it instead looked up at Brendel with its head that was formed with sharp jagged rocks. Thetter nodded and the magical creature retreated instantly.

    ¡°That Rock Panther seems like it¡¯s almost as strong as the Obsidian Panthers now. Why is it so strong all of a sudden?¡± Carglise rubbed his chest and asked.

    Brendel nodded and agreed with the assessment. It was strong for an Iron-ranked monster because it was an Elemental Spirit. This meant that it could nullify half the damage from a physical attack. Its agility was also a tier higher than the older version. The overall prowess of this summon was actually higher than the Obsidian Panther, or it would not have taken down Carglise in a single swoop.

    The ck Wolf was next. Since it was strengthened by the Earth Element, Carglise would not be a match against it. He got Kodan to test the creature. The results were easy to predict.

    The ck Wolf was defeated.

    Its offensive strength was slightly weaker than a Silver-ranker, but its defensive capabilities were high enough that it could shrug off Kodan¡¯s normal strikes.

    Brendel could not help but narrow his eyes in consideration. The summoned wolf was stronger than the normal ck Wolves found in this Dark Forest. There was the possibility where his Nest system could be upgraded if he found more equipment rted to it.

    [Hmmm. This new system is revamped as level 1. I wonder what are the conditions to generate the higher tiered Obsidian Panthers and Direwolves...... Calling this a ck Wolf feels weird, and it might confuse people.]

    Carglise had the same idea: ¡°My lord, is this really a ck Wolf?¡±

    ¡°Not really. I haven¡¯t thought of naming it.¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°How about Elemental Rock Wolf?¡±

    ¡°I feel it resembles more like a Warg. Maybe a Wargling,¡± Kodan disagreed.

    ¡°What, no, what¡¯s with your naming sense?¡± Brendel shook his head: ¡°I¡¯m calling it Weregarurumon!¡±

    ¡°Weregarurumon?¡± Everyone was stunned at the strange name.

    [Yeah, if I get a Nest with the Metal Element in it, the wolf will be Metal Garurumon! A wonderful ssic!]

    His fantasy was broken by one of Brendel¡¯s men; he reported that there was a visitor who wanted to see him.

    The youth sobered up and remembered that he was still embroiled in the Wolves of Cmity. It was not yet time to celebrate. The Nest system in the game required tons of materials, and this new system was likely to be the same. It was not as if he could conjure up two hundred wolves immediately.

    He indicated to let the visitor approach and was surprised that it was not Wydall or Quinn, but Austin.

    ¡°Count Austin?¡± He was slightly surprised to see Austin¡¯s slightly surly face.

    The ambassadors from Aouine followed the youth and the centaurs from a distance away, treating them as though they were free guards protecting them. They did not even thank him after the Warg was killed. Why would theye to him now?

    ¡°Lord Brendel, have you seen Lady Faena and the other two nobles from Kirrlutz?¡± Austin asked.

    [Faena who? Oh, he means that noble bitc......]

    Brendel took a moment before he remembered who she was. His eyeszily darted around to search for her presence while he asked: ¡°Are they not here?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Austin shook his head, ¡°in truth, we had been searching through the camps ever since we reached this ce, but we couldn¡¯t find them at all.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Brendel mused to himself. The bad-tempered brat was not with them? His eyes went briefly to everyone next to him, but they all shook their heads.

    ¡°No one knows? Ropar, have you and your men seen them, or discovered any strange presence that came to our camp?¡± He spoke in his mind.

    But the Lizardman indicated that the Direwolf that came to their camp was the only strange event they saw.

    [Theory number one. They did not leave the camp and are still here. Theory number two, they were in the camp and somehow got captured under the Centaurs and the Lizardmen¡¯s watch. Theory number three, they were never here in the first ce and somehow got separated from us when the fight started.]

    Brendel sighed. He felt that he had seen enough deaths for today and decided to search for them. If his old teammates were here, they would have spurned on the idea to even let these people from Kirrlutz to tag along from the start.

    [No matter how stupid that girl is, she has the Alchemist genius and that other suspicious-looking guy. How did they lose sight of hundreds of men and fail to join the camps?]

    ¡°My lord, perhaps you can ask Fern?¡± Amandina suggested. The older Wild Elf sister was the most careful person amongst them, and perhaps she discovered something odd.

    When Brendel contacted her through the newalker¡¯s system, he got up in shock when she told him she had been searching for her younger sister ever since they set up camp as well.

    [Dia¡¯s missing? That should not be possible¡ª]

    Dia was one of his summons from the newalker¡¯s system. There was no way for him to not know that she was gone.

    But he was shocked when he realized he could not sense her. Even the Dark Forest did not prevent him from contacting Ciel or Fern, why would it fail to work now!

    =========== Faena¡¯s POV =============

    Faena and her twopanions were passing through the dense, thorny bushes in the Dark Forest. There were several times where she lost her footing and nearly crashed to the ground, but Rono managed to guard her dignity by catching her in time. However, the pretty dress she was wearing had been torn to pieces long ago.

    She lowered her head to study her beggar-like appearance and could not help but feel anger in her heart.

    [That lowly low-born bastard...... If it was not for you, how would we have ended up here? When that stupid wolf spewed out its mist, you didn¡¯t notice we were separated? Impossible, you reacted to every situation as though you knew what was going to happen. You did it on purpose!]

    She wanted him to appear in front of her so that she could run the youth through with her sword. But it was clear that he was not in front of her, and she did not possess the ability to do so. After gnashing her teeth for a while, she turned towards Elman and finally asked feebly: ¡°Elman, how long more before we catch up with them?¡±

    It was not the first time she raised this question.

    Elman nced at Rono and thought that it was a good opportunity to get rid of him, but he felt a little despondent in his situation and did not wish to do so. He was certain that Brendel and his men walked in the direction, and there was no reason why they could not catch up to him after walking for so long.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure they intend to walk till it¡¯s a little further ahead. I believe they want to get closer to the Wall of Flowers where there¡¯s a Fire Seed. It makes it easier to set up camp there.¡± He shrugged and tried hard to convince himself.

    He knew that that the Centaurs and Brendel¡¯s men would have to rest soon, or he would not have chosen to follow them. He did consider finding a way back to Veronica but he did not have the courage to try and search for her. It was akin to finding a needle in the haystack, and there was no way for him to cut a bloody path out of the tens and thousands of wolves to reach her.

    The thought of the endless sea of wolves moving in the Dark Forest made him pale. The danger within the Dark Forest was beyond his imagination, and he regretted the decision to ept this mission.

    [No, it should be fine if I actually stick to Veronica. The true cause of this situation is because of this spoilt girl.]

    ¡°But you said that several times already.¡± Faena was a little displeased to hear that answer: ¡°I¡¯m reaching my limits to walk anymore.¡±

    Elman could not help but feel annoyed at her whining voice. He took in a deep breath to calm himself: ¡°You should ask that question to the little girl behind us. Didn¡¯t she say that she was able to contact that youth?¡±

    Faena blinked and turned to the girl who was following behind them at a short distance away. Dia moved with difficulty because of her height. She told them that she could contact Brendel, but she did not manage to seed even once.

    ¡°It feels like there¡¯s some kind of powerful Mana Distortion right now,¡± Rono said, ¡°and in the first ce, the Dark Forest isn¡¯t a ce wheremunication magic works well. Even the wizards that came with us had to rely on the artifact we brought in order tomunicate with the outside world.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case we should leave her behind. Bringing a child with us will slow us down.¡± Elman replied with a little impatience.

    ¡°Viscount Elman,¡± Faena creased her brows as she spoke, ¡°how can you utter those words when you¡¯re a Kirrlutz¡¯s noble! Leaving a child behind?¡±

    Elman was surprised and looked at Faena and Rono; both their faces had disapproval written on their faces. He changed his tone: ¡°I apologize, that was a shameful disy.¡±

    Faena wanted to speak again, but she was interrupted by a voice that came out from nowhere¡ª

    ¡°Hehe, the three of you still have the mood to quarrel when danger is right in front of your faces. How interesting.¡±

    The abrupt voice echoed within the forest, causing the surroundings to suddenly turn silent.

 volume 3 - 147

    Chapter 147 ¨C Wither

    Elman pulled out his sword; a metallic scraping sound against the scabbard was released, with the de glinting slightly in the darkness.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± He furrowed his brows and asked with a wary expression.

    ¡°Hehehe.¡±

    A light giggle came in response. Theughter was not far away, and Elman saw the air in front of an ancient tree shimmer before a woman walked out with sauntering footsteps.

    She had a pair of long pointed ears and her long purple hair flowed sleekly behind them like a waterfall. Her upper body swayed lightly while she walked, and her fingersbed through the top of her hair. The long eyshes cast a darker shadow over her light purple irises, andbined with a beautiful almond-shape face with purple lips, made one feel that she was captivating.

    However, it was the features of her lower body that captured the group¡¯s eyes. Vines and thorny bramblespletely formed her ¡®legs¡¯, and they extended to cover her ample chest with the stray vines reaching to her neck and cheeks.

    [What is with this appearance? A naked woman covered in vines? Someone crazy? Or perhaps some kind of legendary creature in bardic tales like a Dryad?]

    Elman continued to point his sword at her. The woman smiled faintly, pointed at the sword and said: ¡°Young man, what do you hope to aplish with that thing? Hurt me? Protect yourself?¡±

    Rono¡¯s reaction was slower than Elman as he was distracted by the woman¡¯s appearance. He blushed before regaining his senses, and raised his pointed eyebrows and demanded: ¡°Who are you? We¡¯re Aouine¡¯s ambassadors and not to be trifled with¡ª¡±

    The woman giggled: ¡°How cunning.¡±

    She slowly walked forward to them like she did not see the sword in Elman¡¯s hands, the vines and brambles squirming as she did so. They were like a pair of gigantic worms and made the group¡¯s hair stand on end.

    ¡°Rono. Disciple of Grandmaster Heumann, the young Alchemist prodigy of Kirrlutz. But you also possess the nickname of Wolverine. You severely injured eleven and killed two in Kirrlutz¡¯s Royal Academy of Magic. What lies beneath your shy exterior is a savage heart.¡±

    She turned to Faena and Elman with smiling eyes.

    ¡°As for this girl. Faena, The little princess of the Duke of Flowers, Lord Menedicia, and the only sessor to the dukedom. Finally, viscount Elman, a noble-born out of a lowborn mother. You are just as brilliant as your siblings, but who can see the depths of your ambition?¡±

    Elman¡¯s lips jerked when he heard the words lowborn.

    ¡°As for this little girl behind you. Indeed, she¡¯s indeed someone from Aouine, but her background appears to be insignificant since I did not get a report on her. I am a little intrigued by that interesting lord of hers though.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re interested then go ahead and look for him.¡± Faena red at the half-naked woman. Her greatest taboo was when a stranger divulged her identity as the sessor of a duke: ¡°You shameless woman!¡±

    She turned around to the ck-haired youth: ¡°Rono, what are you looking at!¡±

    The youth¡¯s face turned red and looked back at her like he was wronged: ¡°I don¡¯t think this is the time to say something like that, Faena.¡±

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Faena gritted her teeth with a huff, ¡°all of you men are bad!¡±

    Dia was the only one who did not speak and was secretly prepared for a fight. She had the least experience amongst the Mercenaries of Lopes, but she was at least ready with the basics.

    ¡°What exactly are your intentions, mydy?¡± Elman watched the woman get closer to them and started bing anxious. He ced his sword in an aggressive stance and threatened to cut her.

    But he could not imagine that his words caused the woman to giggle instead. She walked up to him and flicked against his sword with her finger:

    ¡°You humans call this thing a sword. It¡¯s a weapon that can protect you or hurt someone..... Because you believe that the human body is fragile, and metal is something that is sturdy. Tools are the specialty of civilizations. Unfortunately, this thing in your hands is no different from your bodies and it is just as frail. Everything decays and withers, and the only thing will persist is Chaos.¡±

    Her purple eyes locked onto Elman, and as she spoke, the sword in Elman¡¯s hand actually spawned a purple rose. The rose¡¯s petals fell off individually against the wind and withered, while the sword¡¯s de rusted and crumbled into dust as though it had aged for thousands of years.

    ¡°A member of the evil cults!¡±

    Everyone was shocked to discover her identity, but it could notpare to the moment when they witnessed Elman¡¯s sword crumbling into dust.

    The Element Power that caused decay.

    They could only think of one person who was a member of the evil cults and possessed the Withering Element Power in the entire continent.

    ¡°W-w-wi.......¡± Faena¡¯s face was as white as a sheet. She stared at the woman and pointed with her finger, stuttering because she was terrified.

    Elman retreated a few steps and immediately drew out his spare shortsword. He knew that there was no meaning to continue talking the moment he knew her true identity.

    The only thing that mattered was to act first.

    The reactions from Rono were just as fast as him this time, even before the woman¡¯s words ended, he had thrown more than a dozen bombs at her. But she raised her right hand at the same time he acted, and a of vines burst out from the ground with loud rustles. When the bombs came into contact with them, they exploded violently and nearly injured the youth instead.

    Rono covered his face and rolled backward. His hand stretched out and the metallic orbs that he carried with him floated onto the air, rotating around him before they started drawing a Magic Formation.

    [What.....?]

    But a few secondster he dropped his jaw. The artifacts¡¯ metallic surface started to rust, while the Magicite in them became dull and void of light. They plopped down onto the ground and rolled towards a dirty puddle of water, and he could not feel any connection to them any longer.

    Elman rushed forward with his sword raised. But his target was not the terrifying woman but Faena. The girl looked on in confusion, but her subconscious mind instinctively got her hand to pull out her sword. Mana surged into the rapier, causing white light to re out to form a shield.

    Unfortunately, such shoddy arcane magic was no match for Elman¡¯s full assault. His brute force disarmed Faena¡¯s sword, and he grabbed her by the throat, turning her around and cing his sword on her neck.

    The entire process was such a surprise that everyone froze.

    Dia was the first to recover and immediately activated her prepared magic. Ice shot out from her hands and flew towards Elman in the shape of a dragon. Frost followed its path with an eruption of harsh cracking sounds, but Elman used Faena as a shield who immediately shrieked. Dia was just as startled and she hurriedly canceled her magic. The ice cracked and scattered into countless pretty shards.

    Elman stared at the strange woman and inhaled deeply. His tone was calm: ¡°I believe your target is her? But I¡¯m sure that a dead sessor to the dukedom has no value to you, right?¡±

    Faena took a few moments to understand the sudden turn of events before she gasped. She trembled, not knowing if it was due to herpanion¡¯s betrayal, or the fact that she was in a situation full of despair.

    [No, Elman must be doing this on purpose. He¡¯s trying to save everyone with this method.]

    She convinced herself and felt a little better, but when she recalled Elman¡¯s icy gaze that was like a dead fish, she could not help but quiver. Rono gritted his teeth and kept his silence, who also thought the same as Faena.

    ¡°Stop struggling,¡± Elman said coldly to the shaking girl in his hands.

    ¡°Are you crazy, viscount Elman?!¡± Faena screamed, as she finally realized that Elman was only interested in himself.

    ¡°Shut up. If you want to live, stop talking!¡±

    ¡°You......¡± She was still indignant, but his de sank into her skin slightly, causing a small ripple of pain, and she forced back her words.

    [T-that damn country bumpkin, Commander Veronica, or someone, save me.....!]

    She was crying inside her heart, but she thought of that horrible youth first.

    The woman who watched the chain of events nced at Dia and said: ¡°Hmm? A Water Elementalist. But how does a Water Elementalist possess such a potent telepathic power?¡±

    Dia¡¯s expression changed: ¡°It¡¯s you, you¡¯re the one who disrupted brother Brendel¡¯smunication with me!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is he called Brendel? I watched that interesting boy lead those young men quite well against the wolves. Thank you very much, little girl!¡±

    Dia was furious. She stretched out her hand and Ice Arrows were fired at the woman. But they were turned back into water after a short distance, and the woman smiled faintly: ¡°The Laws of Magicst only but for a moment. Indeed, the original form of Mana looks best.¡±

    She raised her hand. Countless vines answered in response and reached for Dia. The young Wild Elf tried to resist by casting several spells at them, but she was bound tightly in the end.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t answered me,¡± Elman watched Dia get bound up with emotionless eyes and said.

    ¡°Your question?¡± The woman turned around and sneered: ¡°You think your little tricks can fool me?¡±

    ¡°You really think I don¡¯t dare to kill her?¡±

    ¡°Try it.¡±

    Elman forced his sword deeper into Faena¡¯s pale neck, and a visible wound appeared. He stared at the woman: ¡°What about now?¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Rono roared, but he stood where he was, afraid that he would trigger that madman into doing something truly insane.

    The woman narrowed her eyes. She thought Elman was pretending to take her hostage, but it seemed like he really was a mass of cruelty.

    ¡°Interesting. You want to live?¡± She said.

    Elman nodded.

    ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll give you a chance. Kill that boy, and then follow me.¡± She ordered lightly as she gazed pleasantly at Rono.

    Rono stared back in surprise, but he cried out in pain a secondter. He looked at the crossbow bolt sticking out from his chest in disbelief before he looked up at Elman.

    The projectile had poison on it, which was even mixed with his own hands. The goal was to deal with the monsters in the Dark Forest, but he could not have imagined that he would be the first experiment. He did not think that Elman would be so decisive and looked at him with iprehension.

    His body fell backward.

    ¡°Rono! Have you gone mad? What have you done, Elman!¡± Faena could not believe her eyes. Tears gathered in her eyes as memories of the shy boy came flooding in her mind.

    But Elman did not look at her and continued to hold his sword against her neck. He threw away the crossbow in his left hand and looked at the woman.

    Thetter looked at this scene with interest and pped her hands: ¡°You¡¯re just like I expected. Clean and decisive. You do have the potential to join us.¡±

    She tilted her head with a smile: ¡°Do you want to?¡±

    Elman did not doubt that a refusal would end up in his death. He hesitated for a moment before he nodded. When he did so, his nerves that were fraught with anxiety was flushed with relief. As a rising talent amongst the high nobles in the Kirrlutz Empire, he believed that he still had value in her eyes.

    [She won¡¯t harm a new initiate.]

    But this thought was ended in an instant. The vine that was slithering behind him moved in a blur and pierced through his neck and emerged out from his throat.

    The blood that spurt out drenched Faena¡¯s neck.

    She felt the man he had known for years fell heavily onto the ground with a thud. Her thoughts were nk and she fell down on both her knees, unable to utter a single word.

    The woman stretched out a hand. Vines emerged in front of her, carrying a coiled thorny whip. She took and swung it at where she was standing. A violent shockwave streaked past Faena and cleaved Elman¡¯s body into two, causing the air to rain with blood as the two parts flew away.

    She swung the whip again, coiling it around Elman¡¯s short sword and hurled it at Dia. The de prated her heart, and she struggled for a while before her head drooped down.

    ¡°How foolish. Does he think that I am simr to the weak fools in the Unifying Guild who are obsessed with authority?¡± She smiled with satisfaction.

    ¡°Power is nothing more than an illusion. One day, the throne will turn into dust.¡± She nced at Faena, her lips raising upwards: ¡°As for you, little girl, you are indeed of a little use to me. Come, I¡¯ll bring you to make a transaction¡ª I really do love how the humans put it, a transaction.¡±

 volume 3 - 148

    Chapter 148 ¨C Deep into the ridge

    [Do I want to reset the Mercenaries of Lopes and try to get the card at the Draw Phase?]

    Brendel thought for a while. Her sudden disappearance signified a serious issue and he needed information to assess the situation.

    [No...... If I resummoned them, then the people I ced in Trentheim w¡ª]

    ¨C Dia of the Mercenaries of Lopes has entered the graveyard.

    ¡°What?¡± He could not help but express his shock.

    But this event allowed him tomunicate with Dia who had entered the graveyard. He assumed that she was in grave trouble, but the timing of it still made him feel guilty and wary of his surroundings.

    ¡°Dia, did you encounter another Warg?¡±

    ¡°No, my lord. But I died a painful death! It¡¯s so horrible!¡± Dia said.

    Brendel consoled her and she began to roughly exin the situation where she met up with the Kirrlutz nobles and a strange woman. When the youth heard that the weapons and magic artifacts turn into rust and lost its mana, his heart skipped a beat.

    [The woman you encountered has purple features, you say...... Then there¡¯s only one possibility.]

    Mistress of Withering Decay, Andesha, one of the twelve leaders of the Tree Shepherds.

    [The Element Power of Decay isn¡¯t that powerful if you rank it, but the damned faction is just one cut below the strongest powers in the continent. Why is that woman here?]

    Brendel¡¯s heart was beating fast when he realized the answer. He was the cause of the Divine Resonance. Attracting the attention of the wizards from Galbu and the Holy Cathedral of Fire was already ridiculous. But even the Tree Shepherds was here.

    Was the Lionheart so appealing to them?

    [Perhaps the Tree Shepherds know that the Lionheart used to be a part of Dyrnwyn...... A Divine Weapon might get them to act. The Four Sages in the past were considered to be one of their sworn enemies. Perhaps they want to prevent their weapons from surfacing again. This exnation is eptable.]

    Brendel felt a little sorry for Dia. It seemed like her great luck in getting great loot was somehow bnced by attracting bad luck. She was braver than he expected though.

    [Rono and Elman¡¯s deaths are not that surprising. Even ten of them would not be enough to even hit her little finger. The reason why Faena is alive...... is that she wants to threaten the Kirrlutz¡¯s ambassadors? Veronica¡¯s level is probably 80-100. Even though she mastered her Element Power, she should not be a match for Andesha. Which means the Kirrlutz Empire¡¯s forces are even stronger than I imagined.]

    The military forces of the Kirrlutz Empire are split into several categories. The Knights, Court Wizards, Star Seers, and the Holy Cathedral¡¯s faction. Since the Holy Cathedral of Fire sent in an official group, then the Kirrlutz Empire would have at least sent in a couple of grandmaster wizards for Andesha to move so cautiously.

    [The leader of the Kirrlutz Empire¡¯s force is still Veronica. It would be interesting to see Andesha fight with Veronica and whatever forces that she brought along¡ª in the game. I might even get some loot drops in this world, but I¡¯m feeling so much danger in my heart that I feel I should leave this ce right away.]

    Brendel¡¯s gamer soul itched, but he thought that he would at least have to die ten times before he got something. Dia¡¯s death only reinforced this chilling thought.

    ¡°Lord Brendel, lord Brendel!¡± Austin raised his voice.

    ¡°...... I¡¯m sorry to say this, Count Austin, but I¡¯m not going to search for Faena and the others. We have to leave for the Loop of Trade Winds, now.¡± Brendel came back to his senses and replied.

    He was not saintly enough to try and rescue the girl who tried to get him killed in the first ce.

    Perhaps if Brendel was the old Brendel from Aouine, he might have tried to rescue Faena regardless of the danger out of loyalty. A war between Kirrlutz and Aouine might break out if things were handled poorly.

    But the current Brendel knew what Aouine¡¯s future would be if he failed to reform the kingdom. In addition, if he failed to light up the Fire Seed in Valha, the Druids, Centaurs, and Tree Elves would all be killed. That would include all his men as well.

    ¡°You must consider the aftermath of this situation¡ª-¡± Austin¡¯s tone was severe as he tried to beg him.

    ¡°The answer is the same, Count Austin. I will not search for them, and your repeated insinuations to use the royal throne and influence me will not work here.¡± Brendel was smirking coldly in his mind.

    Perhaps he should just bring out the silver brooch that the princess gave to shut him up.

    The brooch was the symbol of the Royal Knights, and ordinary members were forged with brass metal. The captain of a squadron was given a silver brooch, while themander of the knights was given a gold-ted brooch. A knight who was given a silver brooch was usually assigned to a royal family member. In terms of rtionships, they were much closer to the thronepared to these delegated members of the Royal Faction.

    [...... But this is wishful thinking. Even though Gryphine secretly gave this to me, it¡¯s clear that she doesn¡¯t want to expose the rtionship between us. If I go around showing off this brooch, it will definitely leave a bad impression on her.]

    Even though there was no real need to care about what she thought and use it freely to gain an advantage, he was unwilling to do it because of how much he admired her.

    He decided to ignore the nobles. They would not leave his group despite pleading for him to search for the Kirrlutz¡¯s nobles. The twenty-odd men that they had would not survive the wolves, and there were other monsters lurking about as well.

    Austin¡¯s mind was still clear. Since he saw that the youth was adamant in his decision, he did not demand Brendel to escort them back like Dnt did, and instead attached their men to the centaurs¡¯ protection unabashedly.

    Everyone started to move out. Brendel rode ahead and observed the Aouine¡¯s ambassadors from halfway up the mountains. He revealed a mysterious smile before looking at the starless night sky.

    After a moment, he peered at the road ahead of him¡ª

    The mountainous road was uneven with ups and downs. The Wall of Flowers were south of the mountainous ridges that formed broad hills. Once they passed the hills, they would start to enter the Karanjar mountains that led to the north.

    [Since we¡¯re in the mountain ridges, I can say that we have reached the outer areas of the Loop of Trade Winds.]

    The surrounding mountainous dark forest was covered with a thin veil of white mist that resembled cotton. If the Wind Scar did not ur across the clouds over the Loop of Trade Winds, the area would have been flooded with a thick fog.

    When Brendel stared closer into the night sky, he realized that the dark cloudspletely covered the sky and blocked the stars from being seen. It was the same no whether which direction he looked at, and he felt infinitely small by being enveloped in this endless trail of clouds.

    The stunning scenery caused him to be at a loss for words.

    The blue Mana amongst the trees were full of purity, but they eventually turned into a ck color, which then formed into the shape of a monster. The Waves of Cmity was starting again, and the air was fraught with danger, overwatched by a silver moon that lit up the forest.

    [Perhaps a fake silver moon? How does logic work here again when I can¡¯t see the stars?]

    He sighed and went back to thinking about Andesha¡¯s presence. That woman would not have thought Dia¡¯s death would have revealed her presence instead. If he knew that she was acting in this area, the threat would be much smaller since he had knowledge in dealing with the Tree Shepherds. He even fought a few of them personally and knew them well.

    ¡°Will it be fine?¡± Dia asked in his mind: ¡°That woman seems to be incredibly powerful.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If I didn¡¯t know about her presence, it would be much more dangerous. Thank you very much, Dia.¡±

    The Wild Elf smiled sweetly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Amandina was looking at him with concerned eyes, making Brendel feel awkward. Did he stare into space again?

    [Why are you paying attention to me all the time?]

    ¡°Nothing at all. Is there something?¡± He asked.

    Amandina let out a huff: ¡°Wydall has been asking for you for hours. You looked like you were deep in thought so I told him that, and he dared not to disturb you¡ª I think they discovered other adventurers ahead. You should take a look.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

 volume 3 - 149

    Chapter 149 ¨C Mysterious corpses

    Wydall informed that they had discovered adventurers, but what Brendel really found were dead people. More than thirty corpses were strewn all over the Dark Forest. They had light grey surcoats worn over silver armor.

    Brendel turned over one of them and investigated his coat of arms.

    [Just like I thought when I first saw them. These people are the guards of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. The clearest indication is the fiery red emblem on their armor.]

    The longswords on the ground were mostly forged in the Kirrlutz¡¯s style, but the thing that truly stuck out was how every single weapon on them was a longsword. Any military army would have othermon weapons like axes or spears.

    ¡°These men are the Grey-robed Priest Soldiers in the Holy Cathedral of Fire,¡± he stood up and spoke to Quinn and Wydall, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if there are any me Sentinels apanying them unless I check every single body.¡±

    ¡°They probably did not encounter wolves here, or they would have bite marks. The bodies here are ced strangely and it feels really odd,¡± the Centaur Elder said.

    They looked at the men once more. The majority were lying on the ground like they were sleeping, while a few leaned against the trees; some even looked almost natural and alive with their poses. Strangely enough, their eyes were all closed, and their weapons were not far away from them.

    But their dull skin proved they were dead.

    ¡°Indeed. Furthermore, it is strange for the Holy Cathedral of Fire to leave theirrades behind in the wild to the wolves. Covering their bodies with stones and branches isn¡¯t something hard to do.¡± Quinn said.

    ¡°Another Priest Soldier.¡± Brendel walked over to another body and lifted the surcoat.

    ¡°In addition, there are no signs of a battle,¡± Quinn¡¯s ears shook a little when a nightingale¡¯s warbles came from time to time, ¡°it appears like they died in their sleep. Our early inspections revealed that they did not have any apparent injuries.¡±

    ¡°Every single one?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The situation was indeed very odd. Quinn and Wydall remained quiet when they saw Brendel deep in thought. They believed that no one really understood the Dark Forest, and with each step taken deeper into it, was akin to getting closer to a Dream Demon which would silently reap their lives away in their sleep.

    [Are there any Wargs that have the ability to attack them in an instant? Hold on, I forgot to check one more thing......]

    Brendel suddenly walked up to a few bodies and inspected them. He stopped and looked at a Priest Soldier¡¯s fist that was formed tightly into a ball.

    After prying it open with some difficulty, he discovered that the dead man was holding onto a golden amulet. Brendel poked at the fingers, determining that was slightly stiff and cold.

    [The body generally bes stiff after three hours or so. How surprising. The Holy Cathedral of Fire actually got here ahead of us by this much? Hmmm...... I wonder. For some reason, I feel like they made use of the Druids as a distraction and avoided the wolves. As expected from them, these damn bastards have really good scouts.]

    Brendel deduced that the powerful factions were making use of the Druids¡¯ defense of the Green Tower to further their agenda. It was probably easy to predict where the Druids¡¯ frontline was.

    He inspected the amulet. There was a purple diamond-shaped crystal in the center, but much of it was cracked as the Mana was depleted from it.

    [A purple crystal usually means it¡¯s used to ward off evil. This Priest Soldier understood the danger he was in when he held this artifact in his hand. He didn¡¯t die immediately.]

    The youth nodded. He had gathered a number of hints. His hand holding the amulet began to move towards his pouch out of habit, but he suddenly stopped. Quinn and Wydall¡¯s eyes were on him. The artifact could still be used if he repaired it, and the artifacts used by the Holy Cathedral of Fire would at least be of some quality.

    But this was not a game. He could not smash the vases in people¡¯s homes to get money or something. Taking the items from a dead person...... He was not sure if Quinn and Wydall would smack him for doing that.

    The Centaurs and Tree Elves were deeply respectful of the dead.

    In the end, he returned the amulet back to the dead priest¡¯s hand.

    ¡°These Priest Soldiers were left behind to block the enemy¡¯s pursuit.¡±

    ¡°Pursuit?¡± Wydall was surprised.

    He had been observing the youth¡¯s actions and was slightly amused by them. Even though there was information to be gleaned from the bodies, only veteran soldiers, professional hunters, and a few select professions would be able to read them.

    As a warrior who had seen different kinds of injuries created from weapons, bites, and even magic, he should have been able to find something. But there were no injuries at all, and that stumped him.

    [This young man walked around the bodies twice and determined they were left behind to block the enemies? Is he making a wild guess?]

    He could not help but crease his brows. It was irresponsible for amander to make a conclusion based on a wild guess. He nced at Quinn to see what his opinion was, but thetter shook his head and indicated for him to wait for a little, which only made the Centaur Elder irritated from theck of decisive action.

    Brendel pondered for a few more seconds before he pointed in a certain direction: ¡°The men from the Holy Cathedral of Fire came from this direction. It¡¯s pretty close to where we came from.¡±

    Quinn and Wydall were surprised. Their men had searched the surroundings carefully and determined where the humans entered and left based on the disturbed foliage. But how did Brendel know?

    ¡°What? You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Brendel frowned as he looked at their stunned expressions and pointed to another direction: ¡°I¡¯m sure you will discover they left from this direction if you search for their presence.

    ¡°No, I think we just want to know how you determined that.¡±

    ¡°Well¡ª¡±

    [To think that the Holy Cathedral of Fire is already using the Cross Formation this early. Gamers copied the five-men groups that protected the center formation. After improving on it further, it became one of the most popr formations. It was easy to adapt to situations.]

    As one of the group leaders in the game, he was more than familiar with it.

    ¡°The Holy Cathedral of Fire moves in a specific formation. This group of men is most likely one of the nks. This group¡¯s scout first discovered the enemies and warned the main formation of the enemy or enemies¡¯ positions. ¡±

    The youth raised his head and looked around. He pointed at the top of a tree to indicate there was a dead body perched there. He then moved to the outermost area of the discovered bodies, which was near where he pointed earlier.

    ¡°These are the first few men that died. They were closest to the scout, but they were unable to react because of the incredible speed of the enemies. Since the Grey Knights are usually used as scouts in this formation¡ª¡±

    He opened one of the men¡¯s surcoat to reveal the heraldry of the Grey Knight.

    ¡°Scarlett!¡± He shouted: ¡°Move over to that position!¡±

    The girl was quietly observing the surroundings for any danger at Amandina¡¯s side, and she was momentarily surprised by the sudden order. Even though she did not understand, she moved to where he ordered her to be.

    Brendel drew a circle on the ground where the Grey Knights were before he looked back at Quinn and Wydall.

    ¡°The Grey Knights attempted to surround the enemy or enemies in a crescent formation. They are quite far apart from each other, so their goal was to dy for time. These men can be considered to be the elite forces of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, but¡ª¡±

    Brendel pointed at where Scarlett was: ¡°There wasn¡¯t even a battle. Six Grey Knights simply fell over to the ground.¡±

    He studied the area and saw there was a disturbed patch of grass where Scarlett was. He followed the trail and eventually found another body.

    ¡°This is probably thest Grey Knight. He was frightened out of his poor wits and started running away. But he was caught without any form of resistance and died just like that.¡±

    He then informed Scarlett to continue walking deeper into the Dark Forest and report any signs of activity.

    ¡°The enemy or enemies are very powerful. I believe themander in the center formation somehow got to know what happened to their nk, and he immediately repositioned themselves to run away while leaving some men behind to cover his rear.¡±

    Scarlett eventually reported back with the conclusion that Brendel made. Quinn and Wydall widened their eyes when they realized Brendel was once again right.

    A sudden flurry of footsteps caused the group to look at the source of the noise. It was Austin. Since Brendel had investigated for quite some time without advancing, he got impatient and went up to find out the reason why they were dyed.

    He was shocked to discover corpses everywhere.

 volume 3 - 150

    Chapter 150 ¨C Scarlett¡¯s change

    Austin reached out with his hand and pulled back the surcoat to inspect the armor beneath. When he realized the shiny armor had the crimson emblem of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, he paled. He immediately recognized the Priest Soldiers.

    [Marsha above! What enemies did they encounter for so many to die here?]

    He turned his eyes and found Brendel, but his attention was immediately on the dead body next to him.

    ¡°A Grey Knight? But thisposition of men means there¡¯s at least a Bishop here?¡± He muttered to himself as he felt his blood turning cold.

    A formal Bishop appointed by the Holy Cathedral of Fire was required to have mastered his Element Power. Even if they encountered a Warg, they would most likely win in a direct confrontation.

    Austin suddenly thought of the most dreadful idea and looked at Brendel. Perhaps the audacious young noble killed these men? It seemed like there was nothing that the youth was afraid of. He did not even care about offending the Kirrlutz Empire in the first ce.

    [Oh Mother Marsha, h-he¡¯s allied with the Druids. Perhaps they intend to bring about a Holy War again?]

    He could not help but swallow at this terrifying thought. But he soon realized that it was a foolish notion.

    ¡°Some of these men are holding on to their longbows,¡± Brendel mused and exined to the group, ¡°but they did not reach for their arrows. Either it¡¯s a massive spell that affected them at the same time, or it¡¯s an enemy that¡¯s massive. But the ground isn¡¯t disturbed to the extent where I can determine that it¡¯s a huge creature. But I do believe that it¡¯s some kind of illusion that affected everyone as it fits better.¡±

    The analysis that was void of emotion made Quinn, Wydall, and Austin tremble. A monster that was likely to be more terrifying than the Warg? It felt like that the unknown creature was watching them from the shadows and might attack them at any time.

    What they could not imagine was why the youth was still standing in front of them without any fear.

    ¡°Have you heard of any creatures that attack in this manner?¡± Brendel had seen enough creatures that fit the variation of attacks, but there were too many answers and it made him perplexed. Furthermore, it was not as though his answers were right, and there were monsters within the Wilderness that he had not seen before.

    The creatures that were born from the Chaos and Mana were vtile and unthinkable. Perhaps the breeze they were feeling was actually a monster and the true culprit.

    Or perhaps¡ª

    [If this is a game¡¯s quest, the NPCs would provide hints about the real answer. I should try and test it out like a quest and see if I get anything out of it.]

    ¡°It sounds like a Spectre. Only the deadly spirits in legends would be able to take away a life without any warning.¡± Austin said as he observed Brendel closely. He had thought the youth as a rash person, but thetter¡¯s detailed exnation and reenactment of the battle that took ce made him reconsider.

    Perhaps he had looked at him with biased eyes from the start.

    [I¡¯m starting to see things that I have never noticed before. When did Aouine have someone like him? No, wait, did you say he was Firburh¡¯s lord? That¡¯s in Trentheim. Isn¡¯t the lord of that city actually one of Count Randner¡¯s useless sons?]

    As he was a military man and was just a noble who was right in the middle of the social circle, he did not pay much attention to the powerful or weak factions, and thus could not remember who the lord of Firburh was.

    [But one thing is clear. This mysterious youth can¡¯t possibly be the lord of a city in a remote location like Trentheim. Even the most talented youths in this generation could not match up to him. In fact, most of Aouine¡¯s young nobles are a joke. No, his identity must be a lie. Is he truly a citizen from Aouine?]

    Brendel just fought in a battle that was even more dangerous than any of the battles against Madara, and he still acted as though nothing had happened.

    Austin could not help but give him a strange look.

    ¡°Spectre? That¡¯s unlikely.¡± Brendel shook his head.

    First of all, a Spectre would not have required the Grey Knights to spread out and surround it. It was definitely a big monster. Besides, a Spectre¡¯s attack stole the warmth from living creatures. The dead bodies should at least have ayer of ice if they were killed by a Spectre. Wydall and Quinn shook their heads as well. There were indeed Spectres in the Dark Forest, and they had fought against these insubstantial creatures in the past. There was no evidence of the Spectres being here.

    But they did not offer any new ideas and Brendel went back to thinking on his own. That was when he vaguely recalled about the Druids being attacked by something when they investigated the Loop of Trade Winds.

    [I remember that the Druids were forced away from the Loop of Trade Winds. It¡¯s unlike the current situation where these men are killed. Is it because the Druids are recognized by it, or is it because the Wind Scar had appeared, changed that creature and it¡¯s attacking everyone indiscriminately? But regardless of the answer, this creature is definitely the boss for this quest of mine. To wipe the men from the Holy Cathedral of Fire so easily and force the rest to flee...... Just how powerful is this thing?]

    Brendel¡¯s expression did not change, but his heart pounded rapidly from realizing that they had dodged this disastrous monster. He became thankful for the fact that the forces from the Holy Cathedral of Fire were faster than them, as they helped him be a scapegoat. If he faced this terrifying thing right here, he was really uncertain whether there was a possibility to even escape.

    [I thought that this mission would be easier. The gamers managed to somehow enter Valha at a level that was lower than me, and so I thought it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult. But now...... damn it. Those gamers really entered the Loop of Trade Winds by luck.]

    His anger and frustration rose but he calmed himself in an instant. He led forces in the game for decades and was able to correct his mindset quickly.

    [If they somehow entered the Loop of Trade Winds¡¯ center by luck, then this quest isn¡¯t without the possibility ofpletion. To be honest, judging from the current strength of this boss, the gamers would need at least twenty more years of grinding in the game before they can even attempt the quest.]

    A direct confrontation must absolutely be avoided, and the way toplete this mission must have been a secret path. However, even when he went through the past information in his mind, he was unable to find details about it. Guilds did not post their entire processplete with a walkthrough and videos, and even if they posted them, it was under a fee. But that itself was quite silly for many people. Who would pay for a one-time quest other than random entertainment?

    The youth was feeling regret in his heart for mocking the people who paid for them. Who would have expected something like moving to another parallel world?

    Veronica and her wizards, Galbu¡¯s Archmagi, Andesha, and a boss that was probably even more terrifying than the three forcesbined, let alone the endless sea of wolves. Brendel¡¯s head ached tremendously.

    [Please, go ahead and make this quest even harder for me! The damned guild that seeded in getting Valha obviously lied and downyed the rewards gained from Valha. This isn¡¯t an early game quest, fuck!]

    Brendel was rubbing his forehead so hard that he left the skin red. When he finally looked around him, he saw Scarlett lost in her own thoughts. He was surprised since she was always on her guard.

    ¡°Scarlett?¡±

    ¡°...... Yes?¡± The red-haired girl said absentmindedly and turned to the youth.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something on my hand.¡± Scarlett looked at her hand with a little worry, causing Brendel to panic a little as he thought that the Blood of Gods was corrupting her again, though it was strange as the effects of the Golden Apple should not run out so quickly.

    When he studied her hand, he discovered that there was a strange golden emblem appearing over the back of her hand and arms. No matter how he looked at it, it did not seem like it was a sign of the Blood of Gods rampaging.

    Instead, it seemed like there was Mana moving under her skin.

    Brendel felt that the patterns appeared familiar to him, but he was unable toe up with anything despite thinking about it for a while. He shook his head and said:

    ¡°This isn¡¯t due to the Blood of Gods. I think it¡¯s the Golden Apple that¡¯s causing this since it contains a massive amount of Mana. Maybe..... The Mana within your body is resonating with the Mana Wave in the Dark Forest. This is a good thing and not something bad.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing?¡± Scarlett became less worried. She knew Brendel would not lie to her but she still did not understand what it meant.

    ¡°...... Yes. I might have a way to turn you into an Elementalist, but I have to wait until Ser Orthlyss wakes up from her slumber.¡± (TL: I roughly remember that bing an Elementalist and mastering her Element Power will allow her to beat the Blood of Gods¡¯ control or something)

    [A freaking Heroic Spirit that requires sleep twenty-four hours a day, and wouldn¡¯t wake up even if thunder strikes next to her ears. It is no wonder they retain their youthful appearances!]

 volume 3 - 151

    Chapter 151 ¨C The curtains rise

    The men from the Holy Cathedral of Fire were presumably making a clear path leading to the Loop of Trade Winds, but the unknown monster was chasing after them. Brendel did not have the courage to follow the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s path.

    What if the boss became tired of chasing after them and decided to head back instead?

    [If this monster patrols the entirety of the outer areas of the Loop of Trade Winds, then it¡¯s a boss that will actively hunt for intruders. If I go by the game¡¯s standards, the closer I get to the center of the Loop of Trade Winds, the more likely the boss will detect me. The more I think about it, the more I feel that impossible problems are going to ur. I need to increase my options.]

    The Holy Cathedral of Fire used their elite Grey Knights for scouts. Brendel thought he needed to copy what they did, and he started to think about using the Firew Lizardmen to increase his map awareness. Thetter was not exactly dedicated scouts, but it was where the neswalker¡¯s system excelled. There were no restrictions onmunication and it was real-time. He could easily expand the map range.

    In order to make the detection stronger, he even took out the Firew Buglers card out, activated it, and ced them next to the Firew Lancers. No one knew that Brendel¡¯s men increased as the Firew Lizardmen were ced outside the eyes outside of other people.

    He then distributed the Wind Spirit Spiders, Firew Lizardmen, Rock Panthers, and the newly summoned wolves around the Centaurs and his men, creating a warning system that had no holes. With nothing left to do, he and the others eventually left the dead men behind.

    Time passed quickly and it soon turned to noon. It was the second stage of a neswalker¡¯s phase where the cards were shuffled and drawn.

    Brendel tapped the Ashen Volcano card to replenish the Fire Element in his Elemental Pool, and he managed to draw a new Vampire Baron card.

    [A pity. When the sun is at its brightest, it¡¯s forbidden to use ck cards, or I would have put it into y regardless of the cost. The Vampire Baron is a first ss scout because of its speed and short-range flight.]

    He finished drawing all the cards and stared at the trees ahead of him. The fog was starting to sink;yers of white mist wrapped around the mountain ridges that prevented visibility. The Gold-rankers had already detected an unstable Element that was increasing rapidly in the air.

    The borders of the Sea of Chaos was fluctuating and ebbing. A ck Demonic Moon now hung over the sky instead of being silver. Mana began to surge, reaching to a peak level that happened only every thousand years, announcing its presence as though a tidal wave was descending all over the continent with a bellow.

    This change was bing visible by the minute as a sudden drop in temperature could be felt. It only took a few hours before Brendel and the others felt like they were experiencing a harsh winter. The trees and ground were starting to be covered with frost before their very eyes.

    ¡°The Cmity of Frost......¡± Someone muttered subconsciously, and several trembled with fear upon the mention of these words.

    It was one of the worst natural disasters in the Dark Forest. The temperature would dip far below zero degrees in the matter of a few hours, and the extreme cold weather would kill any living creatures that were affected within the area if there was no protection.

    Monsters were no different.

    But since it was the Cmity of Wolves, then there were a particr subspecies that was not affected.

    The Winter Wolves.

    ¡°Cmity of Frost!¡± Another repeated the same term, bing conscious of what it really meant.

    ¡°The Cmity of Frost is here!¡± One of the centaurs took off his ne in a hurry. A single crystal was adorned in its metallic core, with fine gold strings wrapped around it, and within that crystal was a tiny Fire Seed.

    This tiny Fire Seed was unable to create a Sanctuary and convert thend to be under the protection of Mother Marsha, but it was used like a fire torch in the dark. It was capable of turning a small area that was affected by Chaos into a stablend.

    Adventurers who ventured deep into the Dark Forest and attempted to reach the Green Tower must bring along this small Fire Seed, or the violent and unstable weather could easily kill any of them. But there were many foolish people amongst them who did not bother to prepare them.

    A single pir of light shot straight into the sky as the centaur activated the Fire Seed.

    ck Mana gathered swiftly, as though it waspeting against the Fire Seed. The Law of Mother Marsha, ¡®Tiamat¡¯, was broken at its outeryer, proving that Chaos was invading it. Blue light red repeatedly amongst the clouds, as though there was lightning urring in them.

    A Mana Wave had arrived once again.

    [We¡¯re going to encounter wolves yet again.]

    Brendel also took out a tiny Fire Seed. He obviously did not forget to buy it from the Green Tower before he set out for the Wall of Flowers. He ced it in between his thumb and index finger, uttered a chant, and the sigils on the Fire Seed glowed, emitting intense light.

    He raised his hand, and another pir of light shot into the air. The Fire Seed pulsated, resonating with the Centaurs¡¯ Fire Seed.

    Wydall looked at the youth with a raised eyebrow. The Druids had requested him to aid the young human, but thetter was constantly surprising him at every turn. He fought against the wolves as though he had been fighting them all his life, and he even traversed the Dark Forest as though he knew it like the back of his hand.

    The third pir of light fired into the sky, interrupting his thoughts. It belonged to Quinn.

    The creation of the tiny Fire Seeds was not difficult, and only cost several thousand Tor Coins or a Fire Agate crystal.

    Wydall walked up to the youth, unable to suppress his curiosity: ¡°Have you been to the Dark Forest often?¡±

    But Brendel¡¯s fingers were rubbing over his forehead, which meant that he was thinking deeply.

    [The second wave of attack is different from the game! The first wave of wolves belonged to those that moved in the shadows and fog. But the second wave is supposed to be blighted wolves...... There¡¯s a difference here. Why?!]

    The walkthrough that he had in his mind had to be remade. It was just a matter of swapping the order to handle the wolves, but he was extremely uneasy because he felt like things were slipping out of his control.

    A few bone-chilling snowkesnded on his face and he shuddered as they melted on his face. His eyes focused. The snowkes outside the area of their Fire Seeds struck the surroundings as though tiny pebbles were thrown in the sky and rained down. He realized that they melted on his due to the Fire Seeds, not because of his warmth.

    ¡°Is this the sign of the second wave of wolves?¡±

    The youth nodded with lips tightly pressed together, and he raised his head: ¡°The Mana Wave is happening before our eyes.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Wydall asked.

    ¡°Take a look at the sky. I think you will never see this incredible scene a second time in your whole life.¡±

    The men looked up at Brendel¡¯s indication.

    A violent gust of wind suddenly rose from the ground and up into the air, bringing along dirt and vegetation into the air, and merged into the clouds that began to rotate. The hurricane expanded and many people started to shield their faces, while their hair and clothes fluttered heavily.

    They stared in awe as the countless tree leaves form into a river that flowed upwards and defied gravity, blotting out the light that was already weakened by the thick clouds. Purple lightning raged across the peak of the clouds as they expanded like a burst dam, but there were no thunders that apanied them.

    A thick pir of fiery red light shot into the sky, and Brendel guessed that it was the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s Fire Seed. This particr pir of light seemed like it also called out to the other Fire Seeds that were slumbering; pirs of light reached the sky one after another.

    [Orange-red, Kirrlutz. Even though they are supposedly King Gatel¡¯s descendants, the Fire Seed that they possessed doesn¡¯tpare with the purity of the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s Fire Seed. Still, there¡¯s a golden tinge to it, which would certainly allow them to be so proud of their heritage. The light-green pir of light probably belongs to the Druids. Blue? The Wind Elves are here as well? But they live quite far away from Aouine. Several light reds. Probably a group of knights from some dukedom. The weakest amongst them, colorless and dull, naturally belongs to the adventures and mercenaries that don¡¯t belong to other factions. Around Thirty or forty pirs of light.]

    The Fire Seed in Brendel¡¯s hand was created by the Druids, which leaned towards a gentle but strong characteristic.

    Still, the number of people in the Dark Forest still surprised Brendel, even when he knew that it was due to the Lionheart. But he also knew that even more were unprepared for the sudden drastic drop in the temperature. These adventurers would perish in the cold.

    Hailstones began to fall from the sky followed by heavy snow. It only took several short minutes for the surroundings to turn white.

    Brendel took a deep breath. Though his mind was heavy with the unexpected change in the waves of wolves, he felt a hint of excitement. He felt like time was reversing as he recalled the scene of the Mana Wave that he saw in the videos. He was now participating in a war that sought to create newnds.

    It was a story that did not belong to him in the game, but now it was.

    ¡°Let us continue moving.¡± He said to Wydall, who ordered his men to move out.

    When The Wall of Flowers was in visible range, Brendel discovered that the Fire Seed in that area was dim, but the wolves had not taken down the guard towers at the frontlines. The Druids had managed to repel the first wave of wolves.

    Just a few minutes ago, the Fire Seed in the Green Tower was also activated and became something of a lighthouse in the dark. However, only seven out of the twelve watchtowers around the Green Tower activated their Fire Seeds.

    A powerful explosion of Mana abruptly red in the clouds, and the Fire Seed in the Wall of Flowers was extinguished. With this Fire Seed permanently gone, so did the mes of countless lives.

    [This is bad. The Wall of Flowers is probably going to be taken down faster than I thought. In the game, it actually managed tost four waves of attacks from the wolves. Valha was also able to activate in time, or the wolves would have turned it into ruins.]

    ¡°We need to move even faster. The second wave of attacks is about to reach them. The position we¡¯re in isn¡¯t safe either.¡± Brendel said with a frown.

    The Winter Wolves were monsters that had higher levels than the ck Wolves. Even though their numbers were fewer than them, they were definitely much more terrifying. The northern people called the Winter Wolves living in the Dark Forest ¡®Spectres of breathing mist and fog¡¯. It was not something that was exaggerated.

    ¡°That ce¡ª¡± But Wydall was distracted and lost in his own thoughts as he muttered to himself.

    ¡°Ahh.¡± The youth suddenly realized something.

 volume 3 - 152

    Chapter 152 ¨C The Winter of Wolves arrives

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Wydall suddenly became conscious of something and turned away.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Amandina, who was nearby, felt there was an odd atmosphere in the air and asked.

    Brendel turned to her and saw that she was wearing an additional robe to keep herself warm.

    ¡°The arbor near one of the Green Tower¡¯s watch towers; it is also the hometown of many Centaurs. But the Fire Seed there did not activate.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± She looked at the Centaur Elder¡¯s back with a little sympathy: ¡°But how did you know that, my lord?¡±

    ¡°Do you not remember the words from our Tree Elf guide from the ckthorn Council? He just told us yesterday morning.¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s......¡± Amandina¡¯s eyes widened a little as she recalled: ¡°But it was just a fleeting moment and we got interrupted by the wolves. You remembered it so easily?¡±

    Brendel hurriedly faked inspecting his sword to avoidughing at the earnest girl¡¯s admiration. In truth, he already knew where it was in the game. It might be just as likely that he did not remember what their guide said.

    ¡°In any case, we need to cease the chatter.¡± His eyes and tone suddenly became serious.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°The wolves are here.¡±

    It was difficult to see ahead because of the light being blocked by the flying debris, though shes illuminated the Dark Forest whenever there was a Mana re. There were no sun, moon, or stars that could be seen.

    If one were to look from afar, it seemed like the Fire Seeds were the only sources of light left in this world.

    [The Fire Seeds are moving. Even though there were thousands of gamers defending the area back then, only the top gamers went for Valha. This sight reminds me of the videos. Twenty-odd pirs of light moving towards the center of the Loop of Trade Winds. They ultimately seeded in the end. But now there is only me.]

    He quickly adjusted himself. Now was not the time to question whether he could seed. Flecks of silver darted across the trees several miles when he nced at his surroundings.

    The Winter Wolves.

    It had been nearly ten hours of traveling after their short rest from defeating the ck Wolves. They were very near the entrance of the Karanjar mountain range. The inteced mountains looked like soldiers standing on opposite sides, with the geography of the area steep and difficult to traverse. But once they passed through the entrance, they would have cleared the first hurdle.

    Based on the group¡¯s speed, the youth estimated they needed at most an hour to reach that ce.

    [The gamers coined it the Blockade of Wolves. It¡¯s also the most dangerous position in the entire journey.]

    He took out his pocket watch while observing the increasing number of Winter Wolves.

    [We¡¯re ahead of time. There are ny more minutes before the second wave of wolves truly starts. If they gather at that mountain pass, it will really be a blockade.]

    The armies slowly crossed over thest peak and valley of the mountain range. A few Winter Wolves dashed out from the snow from time to time, and the centaurs¡¯ arrows greeted them. Brendel¡¯s rm system that consisted of his summons gave him ample time to inform the centaurs of anyrger pack of wolves, though its primary purpose was to detect the Loop of Trade Winds¡¯s boss.

    The ck Wolf Garurumon¡¯s name did not take off amongst his men as they considered it to be the most dreadful name they heard. Thus they disregarded his ¡®Garurumon has detected a pack of Winter Wolves!¡¯ments and decided amongst themselves to call it a Shadow Wolf.

    The smaller groups of Winter Wolves that were unfortunate to encounter his Firew Lizardmen ended up dead, but if there were any group of wolves that had the size of a horde, they were allowed to enter the rm system.

    The Centaurs could still afford to have a certain number of casualties from fighting against the wolves, but if there was an opening in his system, and the mysterious boss sneaked into his group, it would not be a problem of running away from it, because it¡¯s the end of the road for every one of them.

    The Winter Wolves were dangerous Silver-ranked monsters. They were more like white Spectrals that dashed with the wind. Powerful howls could be heard as a few dashed across the snow like lightning. Their jaws were bigger than the ck Wolves and leg muscles rippled when they ran, and each of them was as big as a horse. They were strong enough to break trees easily with a light smash, and Silver-ranked soldiers were like ordinary fragile mortals in front of them.

    Not too long ago, one of the Winter Wolves barged into the knights of Aouine¡¯s ambassadors¡¯ defense, and even though the ten-odd knights surrounded and attacked the monster, it managed to bite one of them to his death.

    But the true reason why they were dangerous and seen as Spectres, was because they had gained a partial amount of Frost Element Power. Their ws were imbued with a deep cold, and a weak slice across skin or armor would freeze the entire body. They could also breathe out mist from several meters away, turning one¡¯s blood to ice.

    The only fortunate thing that came when facing this creature, was that the Winter Wolves did not have a Warg lording over them. Legend depicted the Wolf of Cmity, Hroovitnisson, killed the Winter Warg to be the King of the Forest, and from then onwards, the Wolf King no longer allowed the Winter Wolves to have a Warg.

    In the game, the gamers knew that the strongest creature from the Winter Wolves subtype was the Winter Direwolf. These mini-bosses gathered packs of wolves and huddled together to be a horde.

    These monsters seemed to know their weakness as well, and hunt their preys with at least four or five packs of wolves. With at least a hundred Winter Wolvesmanded by seven or eight Winter Direwolves, they were a threat to the borders of any kingdom in the continent, let alone Aouine.

    During Brendel and his men¡¯s journey to their destination, a third of the thirty to forty pirs of light from the Fire Seed were extinguished. And it was not hard to understand what it meant for the light to disappear.

    The Centaurs encountered more and more resistance. Everyone was starting to be gloomy and worried. The Winter Wolves were actually rarely seen in the Dark Forest, but they were the mostmon threat in the northern Kirrlutz Empire. Wydall¡¯s eyebrows were knitted so tightly together that they bulged out. They could handle them initially when the arrows killed most of the charging wolves, but as more and more appeared, they had to fight in a melee battle which resulted in harsh injuries.

    [This is bad¡ª There¡¯s one here in Aouine who¡¯s proficient in fighting the Winter Wolves!]

    Austin could not help but break out into cold sweat despite the freezing weather. There was hardly anyone in Aouine who had experience in dealing with the Winter Wolves, and it extended to the Centaurs and Tree Elves. He had been to the Kirrlutz Empire when he was young and fought against the Winter Wolves twice by luck, but it was better than nothing.

    With that thought in mind, he started to move towards the Centaurs and request to take over themand.

    But there was a youthful shout and sudden change in the formation that stopped him. Brendel was already next to Wydall, along with Scarlett and Kodan in the frontlines. And it only took a few seconds before the grim situation was overturned.

    ¡°Stop for seven seconds! Move back and ensure you¡¯re at least ten feet away from the Winter Wolves!¡± Brendel¡¯smand made the Centaurs and Tree Elves retreat: ¡°Now! Fire where my arrow flies!¡±

    He shot out an arrow with his longbow, and a secondter, a concentrated volley of arrows decimated the pack of wolves that were breathing out chilling gales of frost. Quinn could not help but marvel at the impable timing, but Brendel barked out his next order. The Centaurs divided the pack by nking them with arrows, then charged them with theirnces, lowering their numbers by a quarter.

    Even though the wolves were powerful monsters, their defense was greatlycking. Each counterattack on them heavily wounded them or killed them outright. If the monsters decided to charge at the Centaurs, a wall ofnces was quickly formed along with invoked thorny vines.

    With the youth leading the armies, the Winter Wolves were unable to gain the first strike.

    [I got somewhere in the vicinity of a million XP in the game killing these wolves. It was one of the most boring things to do, ever. If I don¡¯t beat the shit of them in this battle, I might as well give up on getting Valha now.]

    He fought against countless varieties of monsters and knew them well over the hundred years in the game, just like many other gamers did and exploited their weaknesses. It was even expected for them to know how to beat the monsters and not be a dead weight to their allies.

    But now he was the only person in this parallel world with a crossover history, and a strange carpet had been weaved underneath his feet.

    The wolves that suffered a massive loss finally retreated far away and howled with malicious rage. Austin could not believe his eyes and stared in disbelief. His hand that gripped his sword tensely was subconsciously removed.

    [I-isn¡¯t this is the standard tactics of the White Army of Fallen Frost?]

    Out of a sudden, the aging general recalled meeting the veteran soldier from the Kirrlutz Empire during his youth. Thetter taught him the very same tactics, but in his eyes, the youth actually surpassed his teacher in terms of effectiveness.

    ============= ??? POV =============

    Several miles away from the battlefield, a man was standing on top of a mountain¡¯s peak and observed the battle with an impressed sigh.

    ¡°Kirrlutz¡¯s citizen?¡±

    His appearance could be stated as still young and gentlemanly-looking, but his neatlybed hair that reached his shoulders was turning ashen-white. There was a massive greatsword on his back that nearly reached his height, and he wore an ordinary grey robe that made him appear unassuming.

    His grey-brown eyes moved faintly and had a hint of doubt in them.

 volume 3 - 153

    Chapter 153 ¨C Final assault, Blockade of Wolves

    Brendel did not know what his allies were thinking of him.

    He merely led them forward with each passing second. The ughter of the wolves made time seem to stretch. The Centaurs¡¯ armors were stained red with fresh blood, from the Winter Wolves, their own, as well as their allies, with eachyer stacking on top of their bright silver armors. The several hundred men walked beside a frozen narrow mountain stream.

    Two high cliffs were on each side covering half the sky, with a narrow exit at the end of their vision.

    The Blockade of Wolves.

    There was another white wave rushing at them. More than a thousand wolves poured out from the exit, and therge Winter Direwolves raised their upper bodies towards the sky and howled. White fur expanded against the wind and made them all the more fearsome. The ground rumbled as the wolves split into three groups. Snow was agitated like boiling water asrge ws dug into the ground. It was as though a trident was hurled towards the group of Centaurs.

    But the wolves in the center slowed down, while the wolves on either side bolted across the forest trees, appearing as though they were jaws closing on each end as they attempted to surround their preys.

    Quinn raised his hand, and the Tree Elves shot their arrows. The time for them to draw, aim, and shoot took no more than two seconds. Their actions were as natural, quick, and were used to firing at will. Hardly anyone shot at the same target and the volley of arrows was more like scattered raindrops across the nking wolves.

    The wolves on both sides were struck and rolled across the ground, not moving any longer, but the numbers allowed them to seed in advancing. They were close enough to threaten them.

    ¡°They are certainly much harder to deal withpared to the ck Wolves!¡± Brendel cut down a Winter Wolf as it lunged at him. He exhaled in a sigh, and the white mist that escaped his lips was released into the sky.

    The Centaurs¡¯ left nk was exposed. He had no choice but to order apany of Firew Lizardmen to move from their position jump into the fray. They charged out from one side of the forest and shed against the Winter Wolves.

    ¡°Ser Brendel!¡± Quinn yelled, giving themand back to the youth.

    ¡°Fire where my arrow is!¡± Brendel roared in response. ¡°Then charge in with me!¡±

    A single arrow flew across the sky and struck a Winter Direwolf¡¯s head. The Centaurs joined in the ranged attack with the Tree Elves and concentrated on the monsters in front of them. The first three rows of wolves crashed and rolled on the ground uncontrobly, while the others leaped over theirrades¡¯ corpses like an overflowing dam.

    The Centaurs and the army of Winter Wolves in the front rushed towards each other, destined to crash into each other. At the same time, the nking Winter Wolves finally managed to enclose Brendel and his allies in a circle, and they began running towards them.

    The distance to the Blockade of Wolves was less than a mile. It was the final push. The number of Winter Wolves was increasing rapidly and there was no time to waste.

    Brendel nced at Wydall, and thetter nodded with a solemn expression. The Centaur Elder ces his right hand across his heart as a salute and suddenly raised hisnce, elerating to move ahead of the army. Quinn gave a signal, and the Tree Elves alighted from the Centaurs¡¯ backs.

    ¡°Warriors of the Goddess Nia!¡± He bellowed.

    Fists drummed against chests. The Centaurs galloped after Wydall as they raised theirnces high up in the air, hooves trampling heavily across the ground. Very soon, their movements echoed as one.

    Brendel¡¯s men stared at them in amazement.

    Under Wydall¡¯s lead, the Centaurs were forming a formation that was like an arrowhead.

    Austin directed his knights to the right nk, guarding the Tree Elves who were exposed from the Winter Wolves, but they were momentarily distracted by the Centaurs and subconsciously uttered words of blessings for theirrades-in-arms.

    They were all soldiers and understood what the centaurs were attempting to do.

    But Winter Direwolves in the opposing direction howled once, and one section of the Winter Wolves copied the same formation that the Centaurs made.

    ¡°......What..... How....... cunning!¡± Amandina rode on one of the centaurs when the resistance of the wolves was not strong, but got off and paced herself with Scarlett¡¯s protection when the battle started. She was out of breath.

    ¡°Tree Elves of the Green Tower, pave the way for our glorious allies!¡± Quinn pointed with his longbow.

    The Tree Elves who was targeting the wolves attacking from the nks picked out a special projectile from their quivers.

    ¡°The Arrows of Life!¡±

    ¡°Strong wind to the east!¡±

    ¡°Draw at two hundred feet, aim at hundred-fifty feet, loose!¡±

    The archers released their bowstrings at the same time, and a light vibration echoed in everyone¡¯s ears. ck shadows flew into the sky like a flock of birds. The arrows that were imbued with magic reached their peak and descended downwards to hunt for their preys, striking and killing the wolves as they were unerringly nailed down to the ground. Countless wolves were mowed down as though the reaper of death swung his scythe.

    The formation of the charging Winter Wolves was disrupted, but there was no time for them to change. They could only leap over their fallen brethren and collide into the charging Centaurs.

    Dull impacts could be as hard muscles rammed into steel armor. The Centaurs¡¯ charge slowed and the white sea of wolves swallowed them. The silver line was no more as it was dismantled by the wolves.

    Until a violent explosion hurled the throng of wolves back in all directions.

    Brendel suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and he caused the tidal wave of wolves to halt. The Centaurs¡¯ charge began to move again.

    ¡°Formation reset!¡± He raised his sword and stood in front of them. The formation looked like it was bing an arrowhead again. Morale reached its highest point. ¡°Our charge cannot be stopped! The Warrior¡¯s Road is right before us! Vanquish the foes who dare to deny our victory!¡±

    The deration was answered with mighty roars. Blood coursed through their minds as hearts pumped harder with every road. Brendel shut his eyes.

    [An unstoppable charge, is the romance of a warrior!]

    ¡°ADVANCE!!!¡±

    And when he opened his eyes he activated his Charge ability; aet descended into the battlefield.

    A trail of white light followed the youth as he tore into the wolves single-handedly. Each swing caused his clothes to clutter with elegance, followed by sliced flesh and raining blood. A silver needle pierced into the wolves and expanded on both sides, forcing the wolves to part as though a shockwave threw them back.

    Because his charge was so quick, the magic from Halran Gaia urred only after Brendel finished cutting down his foes. The earth seemed like it was breaking apart behind Brendel. Sharp rocks shot out from the ground and extended to the sky, preventing the Winter Wolves from filling in the sudden cavity that he created.

    The Tree Elves did not stagger behind.

    ¡°Warriors of the forest, hinder our enemies!¡± Quinn pointed to their rear and nks. Countless vines emerged from the ground, breaking apart ice and rock, and a bubble was created around their allies. The Tree Elves put away their bows on their backs and drew out their slender hunting swords, forming a thin line of defense.

    When Brendel finished creating his opening, he turned around to see Wydall leading his men and cutting down any stray wolves that he missed. The youth suddenly retreated back and went past the Centaur Elder. A Winter Wolf that pounced towards thetter was immediately cut into two, with itsrge head severed from its body as the blood spurted out, and Wydall looked at Brendel¡¯s back to give a light grunt of thanks.

    Scarlett and Kodan led the youths safely into the opening. Ropar and his Lizardmen joined in with Austin¡¯s knights and did so as well.

    Brendel went back and forth the battlefield, smashing away several Winter Wolves with the White Raven Sword Arte, and when he looked around to survey his surroundings, he realized they had gone past the Blockade of Wolves.

    The space in front of them was an open field.

    [We made it!]

    He took a deep breath and looked back. Scarlett and Kodan were on the left and right respectively, allowing his men, the Tree Elves, Aouine¡¯s knights and Firew Lizardmen to pass the blockade. However, when he looked for the Centaurs, he was dismayed to discover their numbers had dwindled down to less than half.

    At some point in time, they went back to guard the rear and nks to minimize the casualties to the rest of them from Wydall¡¯s orders. When the final man amongst them crossed the narrow exit, the Centaur Chieftain and his men raised hisnce and stood there.

    The Centaurs created a wall to seal off the exit.

    With their lives.

    ¡°Wydall!¡± The youth was startled. This was not his original n.

    The Centaur Elder turned back momentarily and made a gesture. The humans did not understand them, but Brendel did.

    The denizens of the forest would understand.

    ¡°We are the children of the forest¡ª¡±

    Brendel¡¯s pupils shook and he held his breath.

 volume 3 - 154

    Chapter 154 ¨C The Sword Saint of Ashes

    [Is it too risky to seal the exit with just Halran Gaia¡¯s magic? Is it impossible after all?]

    Brendel initially thought of raising a barricade that was too high for the Winter Wolves to jump over. But the magic would onlyst for a minute before it disappeared. The short time limit and the mostly unhindered woonds after the Blockade of Wolves made it impossible to escape from the Winter Wolves. The youth¡¯s assessment eventually matched Wydall¡¯s judgment.

    ¡°...... Let¡¯s go.¡± The tone in his voice was decisive and loud, reaching everyone¡¯s ears. The Tree Elves were already ahead and merely waiting for his words.

    [They nned this from the very start. If there was ever a moment where we needed to leave men behind, the Centaurs would stay behind. If a situation like this happens again, then it would be the Tree Elves¡¯ turn¡ª]

    The Winter Wolves that suffered considerable losses paced in front of the Blockade of Wolves. They were regrouping and more joined their numbers rapidly. Finally, they rushed together at the Centaurs mercilessly, drowning them with numbers.

    Amandina and Kodan looked back several times as they followed Brendel¡¯s swift footsteps. Aouine¡¯s nobles followed slowly from behind while their knights shuffled uneasily beside them, feeling stifled.

    But Austin did not move.

    There was once when Aouine had pursued such a faith.

    The aging general gripped the sword in his hand tightly.

    He turned around and looked at the remaining nobles. Dnt was still alive. Was he favored by the Gods, or was his luck that good?

    ¡°Count Dnt! I leave the ambassadors under your charge!¡± He yelled.

    ¡°...... Me?¡± The plump man was stunned: ¡°What are you trying to do, Austin!¡±

    Austin returned his gaze to the Centaurs. There was an emotion burning in his eyes and he had never felt it in his whole life. He raised the gleaming sword that was only presented to a general and his voice was filled with rity:

    ¡°Knights of Aouine!¡±

    ¡°Today! Today you see your allies fighting alone! Do you leave them to die on the battlefield?¡±

    The knights suddenly stopped. They turned around and stared at theirmander.

    ¡°The Lions¡¯ g is flying against the wind. The beliefs in our past have never been extinguished. We will not let our allies be alone. Therefore swordbearers of Aouine, follow me¡ª¡±

    Austin cast a nce a final look at the knights with his head raised high.

    ¡°On the oaths sworn upon our swords!¡± The knights answered one by one, and the knights wearing green robes charged towards the Winter Wolves once again.

    Dnt¡¯s jaws could not help but drop, and he stared wordlessly at the scene before him, but he was unable to stop Austin with a single word. More than half of the nobles ran past him, joining the knights.

    It was not only him, even Brendel turned around with shock. The beliefs of Aouine still existed. Even if the kingdom had fallen to greed and corruption, they were still shining in brilliance in the dark. He could not help but tear up.

    This was why countless gamers loved this kingdom.

    [We are not strong, but we love the kingdom for what it stands for¡ª]

    Many gamers agreed with this statement in the forums.

    The name of the Kingdom, Aouine, was the definition of ¡®belief in a miracle¡¯. King Erik had named thisnd in the glorious past. If there was no belief in miracles, then there was no meaning to build this kingdom.

    But he could not participate in this battle. These men were sacrificing themselves so he couldplete this mission. He raised his greatsword and said:

    ¡°Ropar, guard our rear.¡±

    The Firew Lizardmen withdrew his gaze from the humans and Centaurs. He bowed deeply to Brendel and spoke for the first time:

    ¡°The true meaning of a battle is to prove a warrior¡¯s honor. The reason for a battle holds great meaning to the Firew n. And the pursuit of one¡¯s beliefs is considered to be an honor above all.¡±

    Ropar raised his head: ¡°I thank you for giving us this chance to fight alongside this group of warriors. The Firew n will not let you down.¡±

    The Lizardman finished his words and pointed at the battlefield, and the Firew Lizardmen entered the fray.

    ¡°Let...... us set off,¡± Brendel felt a knot in his throat as he spoke.

    They had sessfully pierced through the firstyer of the Loop of Trade Winds. Their next destination would be moving towards the next barrier where violent winds blew. Quinn nodded quietly, remaining silent all this time.

    There were no wolves spawning in the next obstacle, but higher level monsters lurked in the area. If they seeded in going past it, then they would finally reach the Loop of Trade Winds¡¯s core area. It was not exactly suited for arge group of people to enter the area, and Brendel had nned to get most of them in one of the safe ces he knew. In truth, the Centaurs and Tree Elves had seeded in their mission when they went past the Blockade of Wolves.

    A quick headcount of the youths brought along revealed a third was killed. One of the squadron¡¯s leader was dead and another gravely wounded. This result made them realize how desperate the situation was.

    After traveling for approximately twenty minutes, the pir of green light flickered in the dark sky, and it finally disappeared.

    Everything returned to darkness.

    Brendel found no words when he saw that sight. A sigh of regret escaped his lips.

    [Even though I know there would be losses, I can¡¯t help but feel that I led them to their deaths.]

    The youth felt he should his heart would be as hard as steel for experiencing enough deaths, but he found himself shaken. He suddenly sensed a gaze on him and discovered Amandina looking him with a pair of inscrutable, gleaming eyes.

    [Are you disappointed that I¡¯m unable to save them?]

    The illusion that he could always find a solution to any problems had been shattered. Amandina seemed she wanted to see his perfect side all the time.

    [But no matter how hard I try to n ahead, there¡¯s always the possibility that I failed. No, perhaps it¡¯s even safe to say I was lucky to seed in the first ce. Maybe there¡¯s a genius out that¡¯s beyond mortalprehension and control every aspect, but I¡¯m definitely not that perfect person. I was neither the most brilliant gamer nor the strongest warrior in the game.]

    Brendel¡¯s troubled eyes blinked and he sighed again.

    Amandina¡¯s gaze captured the youth¡¯s reactions and she spoke in a soft tone: ¡°My lord, I think there are situations where there are no solutions.¡±

    ¡°...... What?¡± Brendel replied, surprise creeping into his voice. He looked puzzledly at her; these words did not seem like what she would ever utter.

    Amandina only gave a faint smile in response: ¡°I believe that you¡¯re regretting over this matter very much, and I believe that anyone would feel this way. But it¡¯s precisely because of this frustration that we will strive to surpass our limits...... In truth, I actually feel relieved that my lord is imperfect.¡±

    ¡°...... I see. You read my mind.¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes turned slightly bloodshot, furious at himself.

    ¡°In the end, my lord is the same as us.¡± Amandina ced her hands behind her back and nodded lightly.

    Brendel coughed and looked away with his hand rubbing over his forehead, only to sense Quinn nodding not far away. Her words did not reach him, because he desperately wanted things to have a better ending.

    ¡°Ser Brendel. Life is precious, which is why this type of sacrifice is worthy of respect.¡±

    The youth¡¯s mocking smile was hidden by his hand: ¡°There are many factions here with many people carrying the mes of civilization, but how many are fighting to help preserve it?¡±

    He pulled his hand away from his eyes that were narrowed: ¡°At the core of things, even I am not doing this because I¡¯m selfless.¡±

    ¡°...... A pure-hearted person doesn¡¯t exist. I do have a question in mind, would you give me an answer after giving it some thought?¡± The Tree Elf¡¯s attention was on the youth, but he never stopped looking for signs of any trouble.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Would you give up Halran Gaia to save Wydall and the others? Perhaps even save the Green Tower?¡±

    ¡°...... Why not?¡±

    Quinn smiled and he spoke in Elven: ¡°Do you not understand, Ser Brendel? You don¡¯t need to me yourself. Your kindnesses straight from your heart, and it¡¯s the most precious thing in this world. I have said this before, if it¡¯s you, I¡¯m sure we will be allies.¡±

    ¡°Most people are selfish,¡± Scarlett suddenly spoke, ¡°They wouldn¡¯t help anyone else without getting something in return.¡±

    The older Elf looked at her for a while before he spoke: ¡°If people do not have hope, how did this world be civilized?¡±

    ¡°What...... does that mean?¡± The red-haired girl was confused.

    Quinn reminisced the days when he fought alongside with Wydall. They frequently joked with each other on who would slumber eternally, but he did not think that it would be so sudden. He drew in a light breath before he replied:

    ¡°If we did not hope for something better, we would not speak with each other. Languages would not be created because we don¡¯t need tomunicate. What difference would there be from men and beasts if there isn¡¯tmunication from the hearts?¡±

    Scarlett contemted over his words, but another voice that was full of rity agreed with him, startling everyone. The voice came in the direction from the nearby trees, but not even one person had detected the owner of the voice.

    ¡°The difference between men and beasts is because they fear fire, and we walk towards the light. Civilization¡¯s fire burns brightly in the wilderness, lighting not only Chaos but also people¡¯s hearts.¡±

    The faint shadow of a man flickered in front of Brendel and the others as the Mana Wave in the sky pulsated. He eventually emerged, carrying a greatsword behind his back that was bigger than a normal adult, with his grey robes flowing behind him. His strange pupils seemed to absorb all light, making them dull and lifeless, but his gaze somehow made everyone feel like they were being targeted by him.

    ¡°But the descendants of the King of mes have forgotten about it after centuries have passed.¡± He continued to remark.

    [Who is this man?!]

    Kodan was the first to pull out his weapon, sensing the man in front of him was someone impossibly powerful, and there was no telling whether thetter was a foe or friend. Quinn and Scarlett followed the old knight¡¯s actions, realizing that it was strange for a single person to appear where they were.

    But Brendel only stared at the man in utter disbelief.

    The Sword Saint of Ashes, Mephisto.

 volume 3 - 155

    Chapter 155 ¨C Great misunderstanding

    There were many legendary characters that many gamers knew of in the whole continent.

    The Sword Saint of Destruction, Darius, Goddess of Combat, Veronica, and even the fameless Buga in this era would be someone of great repute.

    There were legendary wizards, Tulman of the Silver Fortress, and the King of Knowledge, William.

    Famous leaders like the ck Lord Incirsta, the Perfect Eagle, Nic, and Goddess of War, Freya.

    But no one amongst them received the same level of poprity as the Sword Saint of Ashes, Mephisto. He was the only person who challenged the Kirrlutz Empire all by himself. Just this bravery alone was enough to make anyone emotional.

    It was approximately thirty years ago when the Kirrlutz Empire destroyed a small duchy when Duke Suthend resisted them and reimed thend. It was a nothing but a small blot in Kirrlutz¡¯s history of wars that dated a thousand years long, and there ought to be nothing significant about it.

    But the Eagle Empire encountered a foe that caused countless headaches.

    Mephisto appeared in the Kirrlutz¡¯s capital and attempted to assassinate the Emperor by himself.

    Naturally, he did not seed. But Mephisto slew an entirepany of Imperial Cavalry, killed countless guards, and even fought off the army from a neighboring territory. One Count, three Viscount, twenty officers, and nearly a hundred squires were killed.

    If the casualties were limited to the nobles, it would only be remembered as an embarrassment to the Empire, but losing the squires made the Emperor in that generationpletely furious. These squires were prodigious talents who would be the future elites and decision-makers of the Empire, and all of them were murdered by Mephisto. No matter how rich in talents the Empire was, she would still feel the pain of losing so many gifted youths.

    The Empire made a task force that was truly the strongest in its history, with the fourmanders from its four principal armies, the leader of the Imperial Alchemist Association, and even three Imperial Archmagi from the Tower of Stars and Moons.

    Veronica was one of the fourmanders, but even she was considered to be the one with the least experience amongst the group. One could only imagine how monstrous these individuals were.

    Yet Mephisto still managed to escape, though he was gravely injured.

    This event was a humiliation to the citizens of Kirrlutz. Perhaps it was the hardest p on their faces after King Erik stole Lionheart. It was certainly sensational news in the continent.

    Later on, the Divine Pantheon of Wind and the Sacred Church of Light tried various means to find Mephisto, wanting to help him with his hatred against the Kirrlutz Empire, while getting him to join their faction. Unfortunately, he seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

    Rumors circted that his wounds were so severe and he died soon after.

    However, gamers eventually found that he provided an important quest and they could not be more familiar with him.

    [......Why is this person here? The earliest appearance should be five yearster! Is the Lionheart so attractive that even this crazy monster came out?!]

    Brendel could not believe his eyes. If there was ever a moment his eyes would pop out of their sockets, this was it.

    The current Mephisto had long hair that reached his shoulders, with its color the same as his eyes. Ashes. There would never be another person with such a color in this world. The unique color he had was due to his Element Power, Realm of Ashes.

    The youth still remembered his quest against Mephisto, which was the first step of a chain quest to obtain the Iron Physique, a milestone that allowed one to break through level 100.

    It was to have a duel with him andst for ten seconds. He took every single buff that he could possibly drink and eat and went up to fight against him, but he was sent back to the Revival Altar in three moves.

    Mephisto did not overwhelm him in terms of levels, and one could say that he was perhaps level 100 or so at his peak, but the swordsmanship he had was just too frightening. Many gamers believed that his swordsmanship had reached level 25, bypassing the limitations of stats.

    [C-crap..... I don¡¯t really understand him well, but this isn¡¯t someone with a good temper. Just look at what he did to the Kirrlutz Empire!]

    Even though Mephisto seemed to be favorable towards Aouine in the game¡¯s history, and he did not have any quarrels with the Druids, it was hard to tell whether he was a friend or foe when he appeared so suddenly.

    [Maybe I could ask for help with Valha¡¯s Fire Seed? N-no, what if I somehow offend him and it¡¯s all over for us? There isn¡¯t really a way through here other than the Blockade of Wolves, so he followed us¡ª]

    The youth felt that it was difficult to determine why Mephisto chose toe before them, and he decided to not act until the Sword Saint of Ashes did.

    The situation persisted for several seconds.

    Mephisto observed everyone just as they observed him. His nce swept past the ambassadors and the other warriors, before his eyes ended on Brendel. He extended his hand, and the greatsword behind his back flew by itself andnded on his fingers, and he pointed at Brendel with the weapon.

    ¡°Kirrlutz¡¯s citizen?¡± He said.

    Brendel¡¯s jaws dropped. In that instant, he felt as though he had heard the loudest explosions in his ears, and a chill ran all over his back.

    [Are you fucking kidding me? Kirrlutz? Why not call me a freaking Tauren? Oh for crying out loud, if this airhead really believes I¡¯m from Kirrlutz, I¡¯m going to be chopped into two right away. I¡¯m not dying here to some bullshit misunderstanding!]

    ¡°No, no! Please, I believe you¡¯re mistaken, I¡¯m a full-blooded citizen from Aouine.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Someone from Aouine? Indeed, it does seem like Aouine¡¯s ambassadors are traveling with you, but your features seem to carry some traits from Kirrlutz¡¯s noble lineage, and some of your men are wearing Kirrlutz¡¯s traveling attire. In addition, how would someone from Aouine know the Legion of the Fallen Frost¡¯s tactics?¡±

    Brendel realized that his strategy to fight the wolves was the reason for luring this monster to him.

    [But all the bloody gamers in Aouine know how to do that! Even the gamers in Madara are also capable of this shit! I¡¯m innocent, you hear me, innocent! So this is how the innocent people feel when they are burned on the stake!]

    The strategy was really nothing more than a test of experienced one was. There was no technique to speak of, and any video on the inte revealed it all.

    But this was not an exnation, and Brendel could only try to find another way to weasel his way out of the situation.

    ¡°There might not be many people who know this strategy, true, but why is it only limited to the Kirrlutz Empire? Surely there are mercenaries and generals who would know how to deal with the Winter Wolves, right?¡±

    While the excuse sounded flimsy, it did not feel like there were holes to it. There were other kingdoms that had to deal with the Winter Wolves and the strategy used by the Fallen Frost Legion was not a secret. But Mephisto was not persuaded at all. In fact, he even had a faint smile of smugness, which Brendel interpreted it as ¡®everything is within my calctions, stop trying to talk your way out of it¡¯.

    ¡°Indeed. There are many who know about the strategy. But to do it better than themander of the Fallen Frost Legion, young man, you are the first person that I have seen doing so. But the thing that¡¯s even stranger, the whole of Aouine does not suffer from the Winter Wolves, true?¡±

    [Hah?]

    Brendel¡¯s knees never felt weaker. It was as if an explosion had detonated in his mind.

    [I¡¯m innocent! I¡¯m not guilty of your usations, you idiot!]

    He wanted to smack the ground with his fist. How did the strategy to grind for XP in the game be a fatal blow here? The worst part was how he could not find a way to refute Mephisto¡¯s words. His hands clenched and unclenched, while he nibbled on his lips nervously. The experience from the game that he considered as cheats hade back to give him trouble.

    [Big boss man, Sword Saint of Ashes, prithee, stop cornering me like this, I can exin it!]

 volume 3 - 156

    Chapter 156 ¨C Hostage

    Brendel¡¯s cogs were spinning as hard as they could. There were a number of things that could prove his identity, but the most persuasive proof was the White Raven Sword Arte and the princess¡¯s brooch.

    The White Raven Sword Arte was a closely guarded technique of Aouine¡¯s royal family. Anyone who recognized it would suspect his rtionship with them. In addition, the White Raven Sword Arte was derived from the Wind Empress, and it had no rtions with the Kirrlutz Empire.

    The brooch that Gryphine gave was the symbol that represented the royal knights. Even if anyone from the Kirrlutz Empire obtained it, they would not use it for a disguise. If they attempted to do so, even the current weakened Aouine would never take this matter lying down.

    In the first ce, the high nobles of the Kirrlutz Empire would be loathed to disguise as Aouine¡¯s citizens, but in the event where one wanted to do it, they would have to consider the consequences. Even though the Kirrlutz Empire protected their own and was not afraid of Aouine¡¯s strength, they would hardly want to enter into a war without a proper reason.

    This was why the White Raven Sword Arte or the brooch of the Royal Knights were his best proof of Aouine¡¯s citizenship.

    [But which is the better option? ...... White Raven Sword Arte. The brooch is a secret promise between the Regent Princess and me. Based on the game¡¯s history, the nobles supporting the Royal Faction are not of one mind. Oberbeck and Benninger are loyal retainers, but Fleetwood and Makarov are neutral parties. The worst lotes from the people under Duke Lantonrand, everyone has their own ns. I¡¯m certain that many are opposed to the idea that I¡¯m somehow linked to the princess, and would even employ means to block me from her.]

    His guesses were close to the truth. The princess went against the opposing voices and privately bestowed the brooch to him. It was an insignificant gesture of support and trust.

    Since he was someone from another world and lived in an era of modern society, he did not have the same level of loyalty as a knight who would pledge himself to the princess, but he was indeed delighted to have the princess¡¯s confidence.

    Using the brooch carelessly would most likely put her in a disadvantageous position.

    Even though it did not matter to him right now, he avoided the decision to use it subconsciously.

    ¡°Ser Mephisto,¡± Brendel took a deep breath and adjusted his dismayed expression of being wrongly used and took on an earnest tone: ¡°I believe you have mistaken one thing.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you recognize me?¡± The Sword Saint of Ashes scoffed lightly. He red at Brendel and spoke in an icy tone: ¡°Enough with the chatter, where is Veronica?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s mouth dislodged itself once again.

    [You¡¯re here to pick a fight with her? So you heard rumors that she brought out a group of men from Kirrlutz and followed her all the way?]

    Brendel felt goosebumps all over his body. Mephisto must have put a ridiculous amount of effort into stalking Veronica. There were at least ten different routes that includednd and sea options from Kirrlutz to Aouine, and it was impossible to track her down in the Dark Forest. Just how much hatred did he have for Kirrlutz¡¯s people to able to do this?

    [I have no words. Where am I supposed to find Veronica for you? I even lost the three stupid nobles from Kirrlutz under my nose, and two are dead because of Andesha. I can¡¯t even wait to avoid these nightmares, and you want me to search for them. Do you want me to die?]

    But Brendel¡¯spse into internal monologues only served to confirm Mephisto¡¯s suspicions. Even though he hated the people from Kirrlutz, he knew that most of them were extremely proud and stubborn. It was rare for them to back off because they were threatened.

    [This boy here reminds me of the squires I fought back then. None of them died with their backs facing me.]

    The battle left a deep impression on him. It was also why he did not expect Brendel to give Veronica¡¯s location away.

    ¡°Hmph. You don¡¯t wish to reveal her location? Then I¡¯ll have youe along with me for a trip. I¡¯m sure Veronica will not abandon such a talented youth of the Empire.¡± Mephisto said.

    Even though he could not see Brendel¡¯s swordsmanship in detail because he was observing from a far location, he definitely could see how thetter led his forces against the Winter Wolves. The boy was more than enough to be called as talented.

    [A-Analyze! Shit, it¡¯s not working at all!]

    ¡°Wait!¡± Brendel called out urgently, but Mephisto had already swung his greatsword. A burst of wind exploded in his face, which forced him to narrow his eyes in pain. The hair on his back stood and he leaped backward into the air in response.

    Mephisto would have made Brendel¡¯s retreat impossible if he dared to block his sword; none of the men could have protected the youth if that happened. But the Sword Saint of Ashes did not expect the youth to escape as though he was impossibly afraid to engage in a battle with him.

    [Even Analyze works on Veronica to a certain extent! At least show me something!]

    Brendel¡¯s body could not help but tremble. This was a swordsman that exceeded any opponents that he ever met in this world. Even Veronica was no match for him.

    The only reason why he could dodge the attack in the first ce was that he researched his habits whenpleting his quest. It was unlikely that Mephisto wanted him dead, so it was easier to guess what wasing. If thetter truly wanted to cut him down, he did not even need to touch him physically; just his Sword Energy alone would have sliced him into two.

    But leaping into the air made it impossible to dodge Mephisto a second time. There was not enough time to prepare to receive the second move, even if he knew what wasing next. The level difference between them was just too big, let alone the level of swordsmanship.

    Defeat was the only oue.

    Mephisto¡¯s pause upon witnessing Brendel¡¯s jump onlysted a short moment, and he swung his greatsword without any more hesitation. A white Sword Energy in the shape of a crescent was unleashed from the de. It swept across the ground in a beautiful arc, but it suddenly shot up and went past Brendel as though it was alive.

    [Sword Arte, Dragontail!!! Fuck!]

    Countless gamers died under this technique and it generated much interest. The old Brendel was no exception. He had tried copying it back then but it was half-baked at best. In fact, no one had ever seeded in copying Mephisto¡¯s techniques, at least not to his knowledge.

    There was no choice but to stay where he was when hended. If he tried moving back, the Dragontail would smash into him like a hammer. The fight was going to be concluded when this result happened.

    Mephisto disappeared where he stood, moving in a blur towards Brendel with his greatsword pointed at the youth. A violent gale assaulted Brendel¡¯s face, forcing him to shut his lips and close his eyes. It caused him to force the ¡®wait¡¯ word back into his stomach. The ghastly sensation made him feel like he was going to choke.

    This was indeed Mephisto¡¯s n to force the youth to cross swords with him. As soon as they did, Brendel¡¯s sword would be knocked away and he would have caught him by his throat.

    [Quickly, you stupid moron, stop being scared and think about your next move!]

    Time seemed to dte when he urgently sought a way to turn this situation around. That was when he realized that time slowed for a different reason.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± A familiar voice spoke in his mind.

    Orthlyss was awakened by Mephisto¡¯s strength from her deep slumber in the Ring of the Wind Empress. When she reached out with her senses, she found Brendel in a precarious position.

    ¡°I have never seen this type of swordsmanship before, but this fellow certainly appears to be very strong.¡± Orthlyss stretched her limbs before she spoke leisurely: ¡°Boy, how do you get into trouble all the time?¡±

    [It¡¯s my fault!? This crazy airhead is the one who¡¯s picking a fight with me! I can¡¯t even speak because he doesn¡¯t want to hear what I have to say. Where the fuck is justice? S-shit, it¡¯sing, I can¡¯t waste any more time.]

    But no matter how slow time was, the greatsword was on its way to going through his chest. There was no other choice but to parry it with Halran Gaia.

 volume 3 - 157

    Chapter 157 ¨C Whose swordsmanship

    There was no point in using the White Raven Sword Arte here. Mephisto¡¯s thrust wouldpletely blow away the technique. It was difficult to determine whether he even had enough time to try and activate it. Even though Mephisto¡¯s goal was to capture him, any mistake made would likely get him killed. He had gauged Brendel¡¯s skills in just a few seconds, before attacking and leaving enough space for him to defend himself with the sword and do nothing else.

    Mephisto was secretly shocked with Brendel¡¯s reactions and the feedback when their swords met.

    [This boy is a prodigy. Perhaps a prodigy amongst prodigies.]

    It was not arrogance, but he had not seen any youths who managed to defend three strikes from him yet. Instead of knocking away Halran Gaia in the first exchange, Brendel managed to alter the greatsword¡¯s path slightly, and he gave himself time to defend against the next attack with the same deflection. In fact, Mephisto had fought against many famous Gold-ranked swordsmen, and none of them could readily receive his three moves.

    [But the more talented you are, the more Veronica would want to protect you. A youth no more than twenty possessing enormous talent in the sword and military tactics. It is a rarity in the Kirrlutz Empire...... No, it¡¯s one in several hundred years!]

    Mephisto could not help but feel swayed by the youth¡¯s talent. However, the boy in front of him was a citizen of the Kirrlutz Empire. All prodigies from Kirrlutz were his enemies. His greatsword moved faster by a notch.

    ¡°Hurry, little boy, lend your body to the noble me. You can¡¯t fight against him.¡±

    ¡°Will there be a problem?¡± Brendel spoke quickly, his hands not stopping against Mephisto¡¯s attacks. Even if Orthlyss shared her abilities and allowed him to gain back his former skills, he was not confident of winning against this opponent.

    ¡°There¡¯s a bit of a problem, your physical prowess is greatlycking inparison to his. But it¡¯s not at a level where there¡¯s no chance of fighting back.¡±

    ¡°What I meant to say is the duration on how long you can share your powers with me. You did mention that the previous time.¡±

    ¡°It has been a month or so. Lending my abilities for ten minutes should not be a problem,¡± Orthlyss¡¯s tone was proud, ¡°or are you looking down on me?¡±

    ¡°Not at all, Ser Orthlyss,¡± Brendel replied. He did feel a little strange about the body possession, but he felt assured once he remembered that she saved him during the burning forest in Be: ¡°Please go ahead.¡±

    The exchange was done in an instant. Mephisto¡¯s swordnded on Halran Gaia with the same intention to disarm Brendel. But the broadsword blurred into three ck shadows. Brendel thought that the movements were likesers that burned and converged into a single point in a single instant. A crystalline noise rang in everyone¡¯s ears as they watched Halran Gaia strike at Mephisto¡¯s greatsword, forcing it to swing up.

    The Sword Saint of Ashes realized that he could not continue his attacks and went into a defensive state, but Orthlyss elegantly retreated out of his range instead of pressing her attacks.

    Silence filled the area.

    Brendel¡¯s men werepletely shocked, and the ambassadors suddenly realized what they just saw. Two Sword Saints who fought each other in a duel that ended in a stalemate. Two unbelievable swordsmanships that surpassedmon sense.

    Was the youth truly someone from Aouine?

    Dnt¡¯s background was prominent, and thus he had enough insight to judge someone¡¯s talents. He could not but gasp deeply, realizing that the youth was the most talented genius ever since the birth of the Aouine kingdom.

    [There¡¯s no way I would allow this boy to die to this suspicious stranger!]

    The fight happened so quickly that Dnt did not register the infamous name that Brendel spoke of. It was also due to the fact that Mephisto had disappeared out of the public¡¯s eyes for years.

    ¡°Please wait, he¡¯s not a Kirr¡ª¡± He yelled out, hoping to prove that Brendel was not a Kirrlutz¡¯s citizen, but Mephisto ced his greatsword over his shoulder andughed, interrupting him.

    The Sword Saint of Ashes lifted his eyebrow and stared at Brendel with interest:

    ¡°Sword Arte, sh Fire, young man, or should I call you King Gatel¡¯s descendant? The Imperial Family¡¯s Sword Arte is shown right before my eyes. What excuses do you have now?¡±

    The entire batch of Aouine¡¯s ambassadors dropped their jaws. Dnt¡¯s mind went nk as he stared at the youth. The sh Fire Sword Arte was taught by the Dragons, which was much more famous than the White Raven Sword Arte that was derived from the Wind Elven Guards.

    There was still the possibility of learning the White Raven Sword Arte elsewhere other than the Aouine¡¯s royal family, but the sh Fire Sword Arte was only taught directly to King Gatel¡¯s direct subordinates and their descendants. The swordsmanship from the King of mes was one of the Eagle Empire¡¯s pride.

    This time, it was not only Mephisto who thought Brendel was Kirrlutz¡¯s citizens, even Dnt wondered if he was really one. The more he looked at him, the more he felt that there were features from Kirrlutz¡¯s nobility.

    The truth was that Brendel¡¯s mother was a Kadireig, and her ancestors were a branch of Kirrlutz¡¯s high nobility, making it true to a certain extent.

    [...... I understand now. So this is why the youth is able to teach the Duke of Flower¡¯s little princess a lesson. No wonder he dares to go against the Azure Sword Saint Veronica. He even ughtered the Toquinin¡¯s Lionmane Beastmen. This youth is from Kirrlutz, and he¡¯s not just someone ordinary, he¡¯s one of their royal lineages!]

    Dnt looked like he understood everything.

    The Kirrlutz Empire was not like Aouine which had its dynasty changed once; the Corvado family had taken the throne over from the Seifer family. Because of the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s support, the descendants of King Gatel¡¯s direct subordinates continued to hold over the Kirrlutz Empire¡¯s throne.

    The plump man could not help but wipe the cold perspiration of his head. They had sought to go after a member of the Kirrlutz¡¯s royal family and demanded him to capitte to their demands. He changed his tone and spoke to Brendel in hesitation:

    ¡°Lord Brendel, I apologize humbly for the earlier transgression¡ª¡±

    He did not dare to confirm Brendel¡¯s identity as someone from Kirrlutz to avoid angering the strange man, but it seemed like he recognized Brendel¡¯s identity anyway, so it seemed like there was no difference whether or not he divulged it.

    [It¡¯s impossible to clear my name this time!]

    Brendel was hitting the ground with his fist as hard as he possibly could in the isted space created by Orthlyss, while thetter looked at him in confusion.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Orthlyss was slightly bewildered. The reactions from Mephisto, Dnt, and Brendel made her realize that she might have done something foolish. ¡°Is there something wrong with King Gatel¡¯s swordsmanship? But he¡¯s one of the Sages and there¡¯s nothing improper about his technique. Or did the sessors who inherited his swordsmanshipmit some kind of atrocities?¡±

    Though it was unthinkable for the inheritors tomit something like that.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a Wind Elf, why did you use the sh Fire Sword Arte?¡± Brendel was on all fours and appeared to be lifeless: ¡°Normally people would use their swordsmanship they are most familiar, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but you¡¯re forgetting that I¡¯m using your body, boy, and most of my swordsmanships that I learned are for women. Gatel¡¯s swordsmanship is probably the most suited for you to unleash your full potential. I have no choice but to use the extent of my full abilities when that man has the initiative. Furthermore, I sensed that you used the sh Fire Sword Arte just a few days ago?¡±

    Brendel started hitting the ground again.

    [But that¡¯s a ridiculous faked copy, and anyone could see that it¡¯s derived from Aouine¡¯s swordsmanship if they witnessed the fight with their eyes! It¡¯s so different from yours..... Oh for crying out loud, this is one of the worst decision ever, the biggest blunder I ever made.]

    He really thought Orthlyss could rescue him from this situation. He knew that her decision was rational and meless, but this coincidence was just too much.

    [WRYYYY is this happening!]

    But there was no meaning to continue speaking about this matter. The deed was done. Even the nobles from Aouine suspected of his identity. He was not even sure whether his own men started to have doubts about his identity because of the sudden usation.

    In fact, was there anyone who could change Mephisto¡¯s mind now?

    Brendel finally got up and looked through his physical eyes. Scarlett seemed like she wanted to join the fray, but Kodan grabbed her shoulders and forced her to stay put. This action made him relieved.

    Mephisto did not use killing blows because Brendel was still useful, but he might not spare anyone else for intervening.

    [The only real proof I can use is the princess¡¯s silver brooch. A real sessor of the Kirrlutz Empire would never disguise himself as one of Aouine¡¯s royal knights. But I can¡¯t reveal it in front of the nobles.]

    ¡°Ser Orthlyss, do you have any techniques that increase speed?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, what about it?¡±

    ¡°Find a way to lure this man away from here to a deserted location.¡±

    ¡°Boy, you¡¯re conjuring up a fantasy. All his physical attributes surpass yours by a mile. The reliance on my techniques can onlyst for a while, and there¡¯s no escape¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more than enough. The weakness to Mephisto is his speed,¡± Brendel said with confidence, ¡°I¡¯m not seeking to shake him off but to lure him away.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so certain about his weakness?¡± Orthlyss was puzzled.

    He would not have seeded in holding out against Mephisto back in the game for ten seconds if he did not do that.

    ¡°I am confident. Please, Ser Orthlyss, lure him to a clearing in the west.¡±

    Orthlyss hesitated for a moment but she nodded.

 volume 3 - 158

    Chapter 158 ¨C Amandina¡¯s orders

    ¡°Do you not feel foolish for resisting me, when you clearly know that you¡¯re not my match?¡± Mephisto ced his greatsword over his shoulder and asked.

    Orthlyss smiled in response: ¡°Bold warrior, even though your swordsmanship is powerful, your eyes fail to see the truth.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s change in tone made Mephisto slightly perplexed, but it was gone as quickly as a lightning sh:

    ¡°Are you trying to say that you¡¯re not Kirrlutz¡¯s royalty?¡±

    ¡°You will know whether I am in a moment.¡±

    Mephisto¡¯s eyes narrowed: ¡°...... What are you trying to do?¡±

    Brendel informed Orthlyss there was an area of safety simr to a Sanctuary in the Dark Forest. There were three spots discovered in the game, all of them located past the Blockade of Wolves, and the White Cliffs of Divinity was the nearest spot.

    Orthlyss walked over to Amandina and passed the Fire Seed to her, while she whispered next to her ears:

    ¡°Amandina, follow this valley and walk north to the White Cliffs of Divinity.¡±

    ¡°White..... cliffs of divinity?¡±

    ¡°If you see the rocks changing turning to an ivory-white color, that would be it.¡±

    Amandina looked at her lord and nodded, uncertain of the details but not asking for a further exnation. Mephisto released his grip on the greatsword¡¯s hilt and tightened it again. He could capture the contents of their conversation with his high perception, but he did not interrupt them since he did not think the youth would be able to escape far away from him.

    His target was Veronica, and Brendel was all that he needed to control.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what petty tricks you¡¯re trying to make, you can scheme openly if you want to,¡± he said.

    Orthlyss turned to Mephisto and raised the sword in her hands.

    ¡°Oh? Are you done?¡± He asked.

    ¡°You are truly confident of yourself.¡± She replied.

    Mephisto¡¯s arrogance also drew out the ire of the female heroic knight of the past. The Sword Saint of Ashes thrust his weapon to the ground and beckoned with his hand.

    Come and find out how confident I am.

    Orthlyss scoffed through her nose as she returned Halran Gaia to its sheath. Six green wings of shimmering light suddenly spawned from the youth¡¯s back.

    ¡°This is!¡± Mephisto¡¯s expression crumbled.

    [Wind Elf¡¯sbat tactics, Cerulean Bolt?]

    Orthlyss hopped into the sky and seemed to glide in the air. But the seemingly slow flight in the air was an afterimage, and the youth was already near the forest¡¯s edge. The Sword Saint of Ashes snarled and pursued after him, his movements resembling a ck dragon. His speed was indeed slower by a sliver, and the chase would be a contest of stamina.

    Orthlyss changed direction once she entered the forest.

    ¡°How far do you want me to take him to?¡± She asked.

    ¡°One or two miles would do,¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s a little far, boy.¡±

    The wings extended upwards, causing Brendel¡¯s body to glide upwards above the trees. Orthlyss turned around and saw Mephisto was a second away from her.

    His weakness was his speed, but that hardly mattered against Brendel.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have some special move to strike at him? It wouldn¡¯t be a problem if you dy him a little,¡± she asked.

    ¡°No, the Holy Sword spell requires a certain condition.¡± Brendel shook his head. He had spent all his Earth EP long ago when he led everyone to the Blockade of Wolves. It onlysted two hours before he ran out.

    Mephisto did not idle during their exchange and attacked Orthlyss. Three sts of Sword Energy struck at her in a beautiful arc, and the Heroic Spirit dodged behind an ancient tree, allowing them to cut through it. The Sword Energy rampaged through the wood, causing wood fragments to fly everywhere and broke the tree in the middle, felling it.

    Orthlyss hurriedly escaped from the explosion of wood splinters.

    ¡°Use the Charge ability.¡± Brendel reminded her.

    ¡°Fool, a straight line will be predicted at our skill levels.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it will definitely work here.¡±

    The two continued to exchange pointers.

    Mephisto was currently listening to the movements of the surroundings. Orthlyss was shrouded due to the fragments and leaves from the fallen tree, and he could not determine where she was.

    A green blur streaked past him, causing him to flinch and cut it down with his greatsword. The heavy de cleaved the Wind Spirit Spider that jumped at him into two halves. The air elemental creature exploded, and Orthlyss charged out the instant when he was distracted. It was perfectly timed, and even though the Sword Saint of Ashes reacted quickly, he only saw Brendel¡¯s shadow leaving.

    [You have quite the number of tricks.]

    Mephisto put away his sword on his back and started following Brendel. He was not afraid of an ambush, and he even weed the idea of Veronica attacking him; he could get her if she dared to appear.

    ============ Amandina¡¯s POV ==============

    Brendel¡¯s army and the Tree Elves heard loud cracking noises, and they turned around to see a gigantic tree deep in the forest crashing to the ground. Everyone could only guess a battle happened there, but they did not know the details.

    Scarlett gripped her weapon tightly to the point where her fingers were numb and white, staring at the fallen tree.

    ¡°Lady Amandina, what are your orders?¡± Quinn walked over to her and asked. Brendel¡¯s words to her appeared like he had handed the role of the leader to her.

    ¡°We will head down this valley and wait for my lord at the White Cliffs of Divinity.¡± She answered in a calm voice.

    He nodded, gestured to his men and ordered them to advance. He did not show any signs of worry, but he nced at the forest one final time before marching off. Kodan did not waste any time and alsomanded the youths to move, and they marched slowly in the snow, though the group of nobles from Aouine were still confused.

    Silence filled the area after the tree was felled. There were no signs of Brendel or Mephisto.

    Scarlett was still in a daze. There was only worry in her heart, causing it to beat painfully and quickly. What if she discovered Brendel¡¯s lifeless corpse at the felled tree? The suddenck of movements caused her to be at a loss. She rebuked herself for thinking the worst all the time, but she was unable to feel at ease.

    ¡°Scarlett? We need to leave.¡± Amandina walked right in front of Scarlett, blocking her view of the forest. Her white fur coat fluttered against the wind, while her hide boots dug into the thin snow. Her calm demeanor made people feel rxed.

    ¡°I wish I was as strong as you Amandina,¡± Scarlett said, her face showing signs of exhaustion.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried as well,¡± Amandina sighed, ¡°but worrying will not help our current situation. We must fulfill our lord¡¯s orders.¡±

    ¡°It is why I hate being weak,¡± Scarlett answered miserably.

    Amandina did not answer and merely nudged the red-haired girl along. She was just as unsettled. The men trudged on in the silent snowing winds. But her worry was soon reced by another issue. There was a sudden mor amongst the Tree Elves, and half the group had stopped moving.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked, only to discover the men dividing in front of her.

    A woman wearing a green robe came out from the trees and marched quickly withrge strides, making her way towards Amandina, and she caused thetter to pale. Did no one realize themander of Kirrlutz¡¯s imperial army was this close to them?

    The Goddess of Combat, Veronica.

    She pursued Brendel all the way to the Blockade of Wolves by following the wolves¡¯ endless corpses, but did not realize that someone had managed to get there before her. Her eyes swept through the remaining group of people still alive.

    Faena, Rono, and Elman were not there. Brendel¡¯s presence was nowhere to be found. However, she recognized Amandina and Scarlett. Her hands went over her sword, while she took one step¡ª

    And that step seemed to bypass time and space. It was as if she had turned into a gust of wind and traveled over a hundred meters to reach them.

    Amandina was shocked and took a step back, but the cold de was already ced across her white slender neck. Quinn was the fastest person to react, but he merely managed to raise his bow. Scarlett and Kodan did not even lift up their weapons in time.

    Amandina stiffened.

    Veronica was taller than her, and she looked down on the pretty girl¡¯s ck hair and eyes, which were unlike Aouine¡¯s noble lineage. There was a short pause while she stared at them as though there was something unbelievable about it.

    [I ced my sword on someone who knows nothing about fighting¡ª]

    She had used her full strength in order to get to one of them because she waspletely on edge over Faena¡¯s disappearance, not realizing the person she attacked had no weapons. It would not be surprising if someone amongst Brendel¡¯s men who could resist her attack appeared, but here was someone who probably had never held a weapon in her life.

    Still, the hesitation disappeared quickly.

    Three important nobles of the Kirrlutz Empire were missing. It was especially so for the daughter of the Duke of Flowers; nothing must happen to her.

    ¡°Lady Veronica, what are you doing!¡± Quinn notched an arrow and aimed directly at her. Kodan discreetly ced his hand on his sword¡¯s hilt, prepared to move at any time. However, they were dismayed to see Kirrlutz¡¯s men appearing from the direction of the Blockade of Wolves.

    Veronica did not even bother to look at Quinn and interrogate the girl: ¡°The nobles from Kirrlutz, I assume you have seen them?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where they are. They left us a long time ago.¡± Amandina said.

    ¡°Brendel did not kill them?¡±

    ¡°Naturally. My lord does not want to cause a war.¡±

    Veronica¡¯s expression changed to one of surprise: ¡°When did they leave, no, where were theyst seen?¡±

    ¡°...... I apologize, I don¡¯t have the permission to tell you that. Even if my life is forfeit, Lady Veronica.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! Then where is your lord?¡± Veronica said as she sheathed her sword.

    Threatening the girl was apparently her bottom line.

    Amandina hesitated for a while before she made a firm decision: ¡°My lord isn¡¯t here now.¡±

    ¡°What? Where is he? No, I want you to bring me to him now.¡± Veronica was too distracted to detect the Amandina¡¯s strange behavior.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I do not have the capabilities to follow you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fine, then have that girl bring me to him.¡± Veronica suddenly pointed at Scarlett.

    Thetter jumped up like a startled cat, took a step back and brought her halberd up as though she wanted to protect herself. She stared at Veronica like a wary beast.

    Amandina could see all the muscles on Scarlett tense up. It was clear that the red-haired girl would fight to the death once Veronica made a move; she would never betray Brendel¡¯s location willingly.

    ¡°Scarlett, stop this foolish act now!¡± Amandina cried out.

    Scarlett looked back at Amandina in confusion.

    ¡°Bring Lady Veronica to where Brendel is. This is an order!¡± Amandina put emphasis into every word.

 volume 3 - 159

    Chapter 159 ¨C Communication

    Orthlyss streaked across the forest like a spirit, with Mephisto tailing her from a distance. They advanced past the trees for several minutes before Orthlyss frowned. She nced to a certain direction. The deeper she went into the Dark Forest, the stronger she felt a familiar scent.

    ¡°Strange.¡± She mumbled to herself.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°The scent of blood. It¡¯s getting strong enough that it¡¯s not getting dispelled by the wind. I wonder if there are creatures nearby.¡±

    ¡°The scent of blood? Let¡¯s take a look?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be nosy, boy.¡±

    Brendel did not expect Orthlyss to be so unfamiliar with the Dark Forest. The monsters in the Dark Forest were sustained by Mana and did not require food. While they would asionally attack other living creatures, it would not be a number where it would fill the air.

    [The source of blood is most likely from adventurers. It¡¯s possible that there¡¯s some kind of unknown danger nearby that are not wolves. Strange. King Gatel traveled in the Wilderness in the past, so the Wind Elves should logically do the same. Or does this mean that the Dark Forest in the current era has some kind of biological change, and therefore Orthlyss doesn¡¯t know? But it¡¯s best to investigate now so there won¡¯t be any nasty surprisester on.]

    ¡°Ser Orthlyss, it¡¯s best that we take a look.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    Orthlyss suddenly paused upon listening to Brendel¡¯s words and she narrowed her eyes, before moving out again like a shot arrow, not caring about her pursuer. The sudden change in Orthlyss¡¯s direction made Mephisto crease his brows and he raised his vignce.

    The scent of blood became stronger and stronger, as she passed through three ancient gargantuan pine tree with their surfaces covered with thick green moss.

    It did not take long for her to suddenly stop dead in her tracks.

    There was a small clearing that opened up and expanded in front of Orthlyss. However, the contents of the clearing were nauseating to look at. The original grasnd seemed like it was filled with a jam of congealed blood, with broken limbs and bloody organs strewn everywhere. Two hundred humanoid corpses piled on top of each other with a thinyer of crimson snow.

    Both Orthlyss and Brendel gasped.

    [Even though I¡¯m used this massacres, it¡¯s been several centuries since I¡¯ve seen a bloodbath like this.]

    Orthlyss could not help but choke a little. The stench of blood rust in the air was thick enough to make one throw up.

    ¡°These are men from the Holy Cathedral of Fire. It looks like everyone is dead.¡± Brendel recognized them with a nce. Under the Priest Soldiers were two Bishops.

    [Unthinkable. A single battle with at least two dead Bishops.]

    The ranks in the Holy Cathedral of Fire were distributed into three levels. The various kingdoms had their own Cardinals, forming a total of eleven bodies and were the authority holders of the me Council, the highest echelon in the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    Then there were Major Archbishops in charge of the various regions, followed by Archbishops in charge of local territory. They belonged to different systems and were the core power of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. In order to be one, they had to have an unshakeable faith in the mes of Gold that the Holy Cathedral of Fire believed in, as well as bing a Gold-ranker who awakened their Element Power.

    A Bishop must at least have a Gold-ranked status as well, and they also had a much higher position than the knights of the same rank. Because their numbers were not many, losing even one would be considered as a huge loss.

    Each Bishop was protected by at least three Gold-ranked knights when they were sent out on a mission, which meant there were at least eight Gold-rankers lying dead right on the ground.

    [Just what monster did this bunch meet? A strong group like this ending up in such a horrendous ending. Puzzling. It¡¯s so weird that the earlier Priest Soldiers seemed like they died peacefully, but these men were torn up violently. If this monster boss is one and the same¡ª It¡¯s just too powerful.]

    Brendel frowned deeply, lost in his thoughts, but Orthlyss heard movements behind her and turned around, discovering the Sword Saint of Ashes crushing the dry twigs beneath his feet with every footstep. He walked out from the forest¡¯s mist slowly with hesitation. He thought his opponent was leading him into a trap by suddenly stopping, but it was a gruesome sight that he walked into.

    ¡°What is this?¡± He frowned and asked.

    ¡°It seems they are attacked by some kind of powerful monster.¡±

    ¡°Hmph. Thepdogs of Kirrlutz. It¡¯s a deserving end for them.¡± Mephisto replied without the slightest hint of feeling sorry for them. His tone was polite to Brendel, though his actions were not; he pointed his greatsword at him: ¡°Very well, you have seeded in ¡®luring¡¯ me away from your men, it¡¯s time for you toe with me.¡±

    Orthlyss raised her eyebrow. The man in front of him was unbelievably stubborn. She wanted to take out the brooch that Brendel mentioned, but thetter suddenly warned her urgently.

    ¡°Ser Orthlyss, something ising over from the west very quickly!¡±

    She frowned in confusion as she did not sense anything, and she slowed down time and asked:

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°My Wind Spirit Spiders are disappearing at an astonishing rate. It¡¯sing!¡± Brendel was panicking a little as he thought it might be the monster boss. ¡°W-wait, there¡¯s something from the east as well!¡±

    Orthlyss became a little tense as well.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying there are two monsters?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we need to leave here quickly regardless of what they are.¡±

    ¡°But running away now will definitely cause that man to act aggressively. I have no confidence in running away since you are too weak, and I can¡¯t use the Cerulean Bolt a second time temporarily.¡±

    One side of Brendel¡¯s lips raised up, and he opened his mouth slightly with an indignant head tilt.

    [This is the first time someone actually calls me weak. I¡¯m a Gold-ranker at the age of twenty. That¡¯s already an astonishing feat. What else are you expecting to get?]

    But there was nothing good that woulde from arguing with the Heroic Spirit who was several hundred years old, or perhaps even a thousand years old. It was also true that he was weak in her eyes too. He rubbed his forehead and said:

    ¡°Let¡¯s switch back. I¡¯ll exin to him.¡±

    Orthlyss did not object and immediately drew her consciousness back into the ring. Brendel took back his body. He looked like he nked out for an instant in Mephisto¡¯s eyes before he woke up.

    ¡°Ser Mephisto, something ising over, and it is likely the creature that killed all these men,¡± Brendel said as he brought out the silver brooch from the princess, ¡°I have pr¡ª¡± (TL: proof that I¡¯m not a Kirrlutz citizen.)

    Mephisto looked curiously at Brendel¡¯s actions curiously, but he suddenly red to his left as the youth spoke to him. The bushes in that direction suddenly parted and two people came out from it.

    ¡°The Sword of Ashes, Mephisto!¡± A voice cried out in surprise.

    ¡°Veronica!¡± Mephisto quickly identified one of the neers. Both of them took a step back and raised their swords at each other.

    ¡°My lord!¡± Scarlett called out to him.

    Brendel stumbled a little. His hand was still up in mid-air as he cried out inwardly in agony.

    [T-this old bitch from the damned empire. Why must you appear at the worst timing! Why won¡¯t this damned misunderstanding ever clear up?!]

    But he quickly saw it as an opportunity amidst the risks. It looked like Veronica was here for him, but Mephisto got all her attention, and two of them seemed like they were about to fight each other and forgot that there were two other people around.

    [Right, any distraction on a duel of their caliber is life-threatening. It¡¯s time to slip away as soon as possible. The Wind Spirit Spiders are still being killed off in the west.]

    He took in a light breath and discreetly gestured to Scarlett in a hurry who was standing next to Veronica, afraid the monster boss would just charge out from the trees. He did not care whether Veronica and Mephisto fought to the death. It was not going to be a simple one-level-reduction-upon-death if he ended up having the boss¡¯s attention.

    Scarlett also realized that Veronica¡¯s attention was no longer on her. In fact, she wanted to run to Brendel the first time she saw him, but she was afraid that he would rebuke her for bringing Veronica over.

    It seemed like the youth did not care and she quickly became relieved.

    They carefully walked away from their captors and joined up with each other. Scarlett looked at her lord with slight relief, but he suddenly sped an pulled her hand: ¡°Hurry up and follow me.¡±

    ¡°Heeeek!¡± There was a small squeak.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Scarlett lowered her head and answered calmly.

    She could feel a warm current transmitting to her hand and flowed all the way to her face, even though it was snowing. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

    Brendel nodded subconsciously as he nced at the west, Veronica and Mephisto, and his surroundings, before running away in the direction he picked. Scarlett was dragged along and held her breath as she stared at her lord that she admired.

    Her mind was nk.

    She was pulled along like a doll, unable to recognize where she was running to, but she felt the youth would stop holding her hand if she made a sound. Her heart was racing to the point where she felt it was difficult to breathe.

    Brendel sensed that Scarlett was acting strangely, but his worry suppressed his curiosity.

    [We need to go to the White Cliffs of Divinity as soon as possible. I passed my Fire Seed to Amandina, Scarlett and I can onlyst in this snow as Gold-rankers for a few hours before our strength gets affected.]

    ¡°Watch out behind you, something¡¯s attacking you!¡± Orthlyss suddenly cried in his mind.

    Brendel sobered up and heard a screaming roar cutting through the air.

 volume 3 - 160

    Chapter 160 ¨C Dragon¡¯s shadow

    The screaming roar was quickly tranted into an analogy in Brendel¡¯s mind. It was actually a whip that sliced through the air at a supersonic speed, and the sonic boom would reach him in less than a second. The magnitude of the whip was unimaginable to him.

    To put it more precisely.

    It was a whip that swept through the entire forest.

    Brendel subconsciously reacted and pulled Scarlett under him. His eyes hurriedly the ground and to his delight, he discovered a huge pothole and jumped straight into it.

    The explosion of noise and wind flooded the entire forest, reverberating and shaking his mind. Pain filled his eardrums and for a moment all he could hear was high-pitch whistling, and the tinnitus only ended after a long time had passed.

    [Fuck...... That was just too terrifying.]

    He could see only see a nket of white snow out of the corner of his eyes when the wave of air rushed over him like a river. The whip was at the height of around two or three meters, and it swept through the valley in the blink of an eye. If he was any slower in jumping down to the pothole, he would have suffered the full damage from the shockwave.

    It was only until then that he realized there was a sudden pain in his lips. He had struck his teeth against something hard, which caused a cut in his lips. He squirmed a little and licked the front of his lips before he realized his tongue was touching against something soft.

    The girl in front of him was breathing very faintly, but it made him realize that he had pushed Scarlett down.

    Brendel felt his cheeks warm up as blood rush into them. His eyes were starting to adjust to his surroundings and discovered that Scarlett was lying down on the icy soil, looking at him like a startled little animal with her lips opened ever so slightly.

    Her burning amber eyes appeared ever so brightly in the darkness. However, it was not anger but shyness. She nearly forgot how to breathe.

    The two of them had blood on their lips and both tasted salt.

    Brendel scratched his head without saying anything. He sat up and pulled Scarlett up with an extended hand a little stiffly. Even though he did not want to think about it, that memory reyed itself vividly like a video clip.

    The taste of a young girl¡¯s soft lips dyed with a deeper shade of red because of the blood, made him feel like his thoughts were melting.

    [It onlysted for a few seconds but what is with this feeling that it willst forever in this mind. Why, is it because this body feels like it lost its first kiss in such a ridiculous manner? Come on, kissing little Romaine¡¯s forehead should be the first kiss right? Right?]

    As expected, such a poor excuse could not convince even the new Brendel.

    The red-haired girl¡¯s body was so hot that she felt like she was going to melt into ice like liquid. Her eyes were wide open with nk shock until Brendel pulled her up.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°S-sorry.¡± Scarlett stuttered.

    Both of them spoke at the same time.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Scarlett lowered her head.

    Brendel felt his face burning. The dangers of the forest seemed like they were disappeared or thrown to the back of his mind. It was as though this body was unprepared for intimacy.

    Orthlyss giggled. Her clearughter was like bells which somehow made his mind clear up and cool down.

    ¡°Little fellow, you¡¯re so adorable.¡± She said.

    [Finally. Now is not the time to be distracted.]

    He sighed inwardly and cleared his throat.

    ¡°...... Did you see what that was, Ser Orthlyss?¡±

    Orthlyss acted like she discovered whole new continent, but it was not a pressing issue to corner him now, so she replied after thinking for a while:

    ¡°It looked like it¡¯s a tail. I don¡¯t think I saw it wrong.¡±

    [A tail?]

    Brendel felt his blood run cold. What creature could have a tail that was that big? He reflected on how the shockwave appeared. It really did seem like a dragon¡¯s attack with its tail.

    [Unbelievable. If that was a swipe with a dragon¡¯s tail, how big is this dragon?]

    ¡°Wait, is it a creature with a physical body?¡± Brendel suddenly asked.

    ¡°..... It seems like it¡¯s some kind of creature in a gaseous form. The glimpse that I had was barely able to discern that it¡¯s like a cloud or mist creature.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a monster.¡±

    Brendel corrected that answer. He turned around and said:

    ¡°Scarlett.¡±

    The red-haired girl also regained back her senses. Even though she was still blushing cutely, she responded ¡°I understand, my lord, let¡¯s go back. Wait¡ª¡±

    She was rmed.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where my spear is!¡±

    But Brendel had already left the hole and discovered the halberd not far away.

    [I wonder if Veronica and Mephisto are still out. I wonder if one of the two killed each other in an instant. One of the legendary figures ending up dead in front of my eyes. And the cause of it is because I recited some oath. This is a little too astonishing even though I understand it¡¯s somewhat of a butterfly effect.]

    However, once he nced at his surroundings, he jumped straight down into the hole with his head tucked in¡ª

    Scarlett saw that her lord had a little perspiration on his forehead with an odd expression.

    ¡°What is it, my lord?¡± She asked.

    Brendel hurriedly ced a finger to his lips to get her not to make a sound.

    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± He asked Orthlyss in desperation.

    ¡°Even though you ask me what it is, I don¡¯t know about that either, boy.¡± Orthlyss sounded like she was just as overwhelmed. Even though there were many things within the Dark Forest, but the creature outside the hole was too ridiculous. She had to think for a while before she found a reliable description.

    ¡°It...... looks like a fifteen-head hydra?¡±

    Brendel waited for quite some time. After he felt that the creature did not discover him, he carefully elevated his head above the hole to peek at it. If he was awestruck the first time, then he needed to check again if it was just an illusion that he saw.

    Even with the background of a level 130 gamer in the past, he felt weak in his knees and hands. He gradually angled his eyes upwards to see the monstrous creature standing on the great earth that reached for the sky.

    It was above the tallest trees.

    It was above the clouds.

    Fifteen massive white dragon heads towered above the mountains and were looking around its surroundings. The forest that had dark greenyers of tree crowns probably felt like a carpet beneath its feet. This beast seemed like it a white mountainous range made out of clouds.

    Brendel could not help but remember the days where he saw the craziest temperamental storm clouds during the summer. The creature seemed like it was made of that.

    [The pressure emitting from it is staggering. Did this creature ever appear in the game? No matter how I look at it, this monster is probably level 140 and above.]

    Mythological creatures.

    ¡°Brendel,¡± Orthlyss said.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°This creature...... probably is the ancestral beast. The original Hydra.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it supposed to be a physical creature? This monster looks like it¡¯s made out of clouds.¡± Brendel felt that his mouth was dry.

    ¡°Probably...... It¡¯s probably a projection.¡± Orthlyss was not certain as well.

    The Sea Beast Livyatan, the World Serpent, Miogarosormr, the Lernaia Hydra, were all legends that came from ten-odd centuries ago.

    [Even a projection will be the end for us.....]

    ¡°Boy, something¡¯s not right.¡± She suddenly said.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s fog in the forest.¡±

    ¡°Fog?¡±

    Brendel was taken aback. He nced at his surroundings. He thought it was still snowing, but he eventually discovered that the snow and wind had suddenly stopped. The fog was rising up. The forest was strangely silent.

    [The legends did not mention that this ancestral beast has the ability to create a fog.]

    He suddenly jerked his head up to stare at the clouds, and his pupils contracted a little. The immense two walls of clouds were increasing in size. The areas of trees and mountains that were beneath it were shrouded in darkness and sted with rumbling thunder.

    The Fire Seeds were being extinguished one by one, as though they were candles snuffed out by a tempest.

    [The clouds are starting to close up again.]

    Brendel could feel his eyelids twitching.

    ============ Amandina¡¯s POV ================

    Carglise sat beside Merial and held her hand tightly under the White Cliffs of Divinity. He stared at the frightening phenomenon with an open mouth.

    The ten-odd pirs of light to the south were extinguished one by one¡ª

    One after another, flickering, before they disappearedpletely.

    With each pir of light gone, it did not only mean that lives were taken away, it also represented that hope was disappearing bit by bit.

    None of them was able to speak.

    Amandina was sitting in front of another campfire. The pirs of lights reflected in her eyes disappeared one by one, and she eventually lowered her head and hugged her knees, as if to gather more warmth to stave off the freezing air.

    Her lord was gone. Scarlett was also taken away. The sudden change in the sky brought great unease to her, and yet she could not present that to anyone else. Her pale slender fingers that subconsciously grabbed the dress over her knees were the only proof that betrayed her real feelings.

    Veronica¡¯s men totaled a hundred-odd, and they followed them along to the White Cliffs of Divinity. It was possible for the Tree Elves and the youths to fight Kirrlutz¡¯s men, but Amandina rejected this proposal.

    There was a female Count amongst them who was just slightly older than Amandina, and thetter nced at her.

    The female Count¡¯s face looked a ssic female goddess¡¯s features,bining beauty and grace into one, and even enviable in Amandina¡¯s eyes. She wore a thick dark purple coat, with her light lc long hair going past her shoulders as she stood there quietly, giving out a mysterious and elegant air about her.

    But Amandina was certain that this girl was simr to her; the beautiful Count appeared like she was calm and rational, but there was a slight frown to her eyebrows that revealed her true feelings.

    [She¡¯s worried. Does this mean the sudden change in the sky forebodes something?]

    The young female Count, Delphine, looked at the fog outside the White Cliffs of Divinity gather at an rming rate. She did not sense Amandina¡¯s gaze on her.

    ¡°The Fire Seeds are extinguished. This is the Mana Wave...... Elman, where exactly are you?¡± She muttered to herself.

 volume 3 - 161

    Chapter 161 ¨C Mist Conversion

    The Wall of Clouds gathered together proved that Mana was gathering at an astonishing speed. The Waves of Cmity¡¯s influence was bing more and more apparent. Brendel could hardly breathe when he looked at the Lernaia Hydra, and it was not simply because of the pressure that was emitting from it.

    [Even a Projection means that this thing is level 120 and above. It¡¯s beyond mortal means.]

    He and Orthlyss did not speak, but both were pondering what they could do to escape this difficult situation. The youth looked around and discovered a huge boulder not from away. He inhaled and exhaled once to regte his breathing. It was not the first time he faced a dangerous situation that was significantly past his levels to handle things.

    [Calm down. Consider the chances of avoiding the Hydra¡¯s line of sight if we hide under the boulder. There¡¯s no reason why I should be afraid even though there¡¯s only a single chance to get it right. Like breaking past Madara¡¯s Fortress Nirui, or the Dragon Nest War. As long as each step is done perfectly¡ª]

    Brendel regained his former self. The blood of the old adventurer started burning in his body.

    Another breath.

    ¡°Wait here, Scarlett,¡± he said.

    He inched his way onto a nearby gigantic tree that was thick with foliage, and started crawling on the thick trunk like a lizard while ensuring that none of his body stuck out from it¡ª

    ¡°Boy?¡± Orthlyss did not expect Brendel to be so bold.

    ¡°Hiding in this ce isn¡¯t a solution. I doubt that creature will be leaving any time soon. It looks like it has discovered something. Perhaps Veronica and Mephisto are still alive.¡±

    ¡°What is your n?¡±

    Even though it was impossible for anyone else to hear her voice, Orthlyss lowered her voice subconsciously.

    ¡°I want to get over to that huge boulder and hide behind there, then see if there is any way to make use of the environment and escape. I think moving three or four miles away will be enough. The Lernaia Hydra probably will not be able to detect our movements.¡±

    [That¡¯s quite the distance to escape from, are you confident?]

    Orthlyss wanted to ask him those words, but she did not utter those words in the end. It seemed like the youth had made his decision, and his determination was zing in his eyes along with a streak of adventure. This side of Brendel was one that she had not seen before, but she liked it more than the steady and rational Brendel.

    Brendel ceased his chatter and moved across the tree with slow careful grips with his fingers. He did not dare to breathe heavily, and he felt like there were eyes watching his back. Even though the weather was clearly cold and dry, perspiration still formed on his forehead. It took him several minutes to reach the first thick branch that was the size of a human¡¯s waist, and he waited a full minute in the same position without moving.

    His heart drummed in his ears.

    Finally, he rxed and drew out a rope from his bag in his belt, tied it around the branch then lowered it down to the ground. Scarlett was peeking from the pothole from time to time, and she soon saw Brendel gesturing to her. She climbed up and reached to where he was.

    ¡°Do not make any sound regardless of what you seeter on. Got it?¡± Brendel warned her. ¡°Alright, look past the trees and up into the sky.¡±

    He trusted in her judgment, but he should prepare her at the very least. The girl nodded hard in response and looked up. At first, she did not see anything, before she suddenly realized the mountain that she saw was moving, and her eyes shook as though a stone was thrown into ake.

    But as promised, she did not make a sound, and Brendel gave a thumbs up as praise.

    Still, it was only the beginning. The thick branch had vines growing around it, and he tested them out slowly to see if they supported his weight. He made his way across the branch, ensuring that he made the least possible noise by pushing each finger into the right spots. Even though it was only twenty or so meters, and the distance could be covered in the blink of an eye if they ran for it, they had to crawl and stop every few seconds, making it feel like the ordealsted an eternity.

    The Lernaia Hydra turned around from time to time, its body moving slowly, but the tail that swept past the trees and over their heads made them tremble.

    When they crawled their way to the giant boulder¡¯s shade, they felt like their bodies had lost all strength. Brendel¡¯s back waspletely drenched with sweat. He was affected more by the Lernaia Hydra because he knew how terrifying its power was.

    He gave a long sigh.

    [Now what?]

    He nced at his surroundings. The trees gave pretty good cover and there were not many open areas. He considered the north mountain ridge. Walking through the valley in that area would be enough to avoid the Hydra¡¯s eyes. The distance was less than two miles, and was nearly half of his original n.

    [But the halfway point is a little troublesome. We have to cross the mountain¡¯s stream and the shrubbery on both sides might not be enough to cover us. It will be very dangerous for us.....]

    Still, he decided to go on that path after weighing the pros and cons. It was not a good thing to be indecisive on a battlefield, and not being confident of himself meant that the battle was already half lost.

    He might not be the best gamer out there, but he was still a top tier warrior in the game.

    It took another thirty minutes before the Lernaia Hydra started to walk away and moved towards the valley, with fifteen heads in the clouds searching for something. Brendel counted for a full minute before he gestured to the girl beside him, and the two dashed out away from the monster as fast as they possibly could.

    The Lernaia Hydra still did not look over to their side. Even though it appeared to be moving slowly, it was definitely an illusion.

    If the creature moved more than a hundred meters in a single step, the slow-moving disposition it seemed was a mere concept.

    Brendel¡¯s target was a forest of hornbeam trees that grew near the rivers. Their rted family was the best cover for hunters in the mountains, and it was also effective forymen like them. They were silent throughout their way, except for the moment where Scarlett identally crushed a dry twig, and both of them reacted like they had stepped on a mine.

    But instead of turning around, the Lernaia Hydra discovered something at the other end of the valley. Fifteen dragon heads roared at the same time, and it moved further into the forest.

    Soon enough, its fog-like tail swung across the forest.

    [Veronica, or Mephisto? In any case, I wish them luck.]

    He dashed even faster with Scarlett following closely behind. The two of them entered a row of dense vegetation which extended to a nearby stream¡¯s smooth pebbled ground.

    Both were a little fatigued as they went near the stream that was just ten feet away. At their current physique, they should not feel tired because they merely ran slightly more than a mile, but the high amount of stress seemed to make them spend their stamina greatly, and it made them feel like there was a great burden on their shoulders.

    Brendel nced back at the Lernaia Hydra several times. The distance between them was three miles apart. Even though the mythological creature seemed like they were far away from each other, it was definitely within range to reach them with a few steps; the tail alone looked like it was a kilometer long.

    [This thing isn¡¯t possible for mortals to fight, at least not for people in this era. For the gamers, it¡¯s probably the equivalent to the evil dragon boss during the Dragon Nest chapter. No, now is not the time to think about the past.]

    He pped his face to wake up from the dreadful hunting moments in the War of the Dragon Nest. Each of its dragon heads was darting to and fro above the clouds, waiting before they attacked separately, each from a few hundred meters to a mile apart.

    [It¡¯s impossible for Veronica or Mephisto to run such a long distance in an instant. Does this mean there are other people nearby?]

    He moved out of the bushes, but he suddenly sensed something approaching him from the left at great speed and tried to shift his body away. However, his reaction was clearly slower by a beat as he felt his shoulder being grabbed onto by a force, and he was pulled back into the bushes.

    ¡°My lord!¡± Scarlett was shocked to discover a hand reaching out and grabbing Brendel back into it, and she subconsciously pulled out her dagger that was on her boots.

    It was a familiar face.

    One of Veronica¡¯s hand was on Brendel¡¯s shoulder, while the other held onto a sword and it was already pointed at Scarlett¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Lady Veronica?¡± The first reaction Brendel had when he saw who grabbed him was surprise. He did not forget that he lost three important characters from the Kirrlutz Empire, and he also knew that at least two young noble lords had been killed by the Mistress of Withering Decay.

    ¡°Shut your lips.¡± The Goddess of Combat¡¯s expression was solemn. She nced at the monster that was far away and pulled Brendel deeper into the bushes: ¡°If you want to live, stay in the bushes!¡±

    Brendel looked curiously at her before he realized something. He turned his head to look at where Veronica was looking and found a mist from the monster¡¯s body expanding outwards that slowly filled the forest.

    [Mist Dispersal! I thought it¡¯s some kind of magic projection from the Hydra, but this looks like it¡¯s not the case. This monster isn¡¯t the Lernaia Hydra but some kind of Law, or a creature¡¯s Element Power surrounding the Loop of Trade Winds. The creature that the Druids discovered is actually this...... fog thing. The mist that¡¯s now covering the forest now is some kind of surveince method.]

    The youth understood that Veronica saved him. If he left the bushes, he would be immediately discovered by it.

    [Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t asked Scarlett why she and Veronica appeared together.]

 volume 3 - 162

    Chapter 162 ¨C Secret Arte, Wind Dance

    Brendel¡¯s distracted thoughts onlysted until a sharp clink woke him up. Scarlett knocked away Veronica¡¯s sword pointing at her chest with her dagger, attempted to fight back with a thrust, but the female general easily disarmed her.

    The dagger fell into the grass¡ª

    Scarlett held her injured wrist with the other hand, ring hatefully and silently, with revealed canines biting her lower lips. It was the second time she suffered a defeat by Veronica, and the condescending look that thetter gave pissed her off.

    She would have fought to the death if her lord was not in Veronica¡¯s grasp.

    Veronica¡¯s response was to drag Brendel away, not caring if Scarlett followed them.

    ¡°Lady Veronica, this is impolite.¡± Brendel felt his shoulder was being gripped by a vise. It was difficult for him to resist her in his position.

    [Hahaha. If any of the male gamers got dragged so intimately by Veronica, they would have rushed to the forums in shocked delight. It¡¯s indeed a pretty unique situation to be dragged away into the bushes...... But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s really something to boast about right now.]

    Veronica continued to drag him away as though she did not hear a word of what he said, but eventually gave a reply: ¡°Ser Brendel. You can only talk about being polite if you survive on a battlefield.¡±

    She released him, and he felt his body was given back control. He drew in a sharp breath as he rubbed his shoulders, and the pain caused him to bare his teeth.

    [This old witch¡¯s strength is enormous.]

    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any more time. Where are Faena and the others?¡± She asked.

    Brendel¡¯s hand stopped moving.

    Veronica red at Brendel without saying anything else. Her hand shuffled about under her robe, and this small gesture did not escape his eyes; he was certain that she was holding on to some kind of artifact that allowed one to detect lies.

    This action would most likely not be seen through by anyone else, but it was pretty much a boring trick for an experienced gamer like himself.

    ¡°Ist saw Lady Faena and Lord Elman when the wolves started appearing. They left very early.¡± He said without changing his expression.

    It was not a lie. They did, however, sought protection from his army, centaurs, and Tree Elves after it started.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill them?¡± Veronica¡¯s brows came together and sank a bit.

    [You saved me because you think I killed Faena? What kind of twisted y is this...... In any case, this means that she did not meet up with the Mistress of Withering Decay yet.]

    Brendel sighed. He looked at the sky. A fog was spreading throughout the forest from the air, and it meant that even his original destination would be unsafe.

    ¡°Why would I do that? I don¡¯t have any reason to cause a war.¡± Brendel returned his gaze back to Veronica. He hadpletely calmed down.

    Veronica rxed. But she suddenly recalled that Amandina said the same thing as Brendel and frowned. Was there something amiss?

    ¡°Ser Brendel, you seem to know the Dark Forest well, would you guide me and search for them?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not possible!¡± Brendel refused with a snarl. ¡°You know this very well that I have no responsibility to take care of the nobles from Kirrlutz if they go missing.¡±

    Elman and Rono¡¯s corpses were likely eaten up by the wolves, and Faena was taken by Andesha long ago. He still had an important mission for him toplete, and there was no time to waste and search for them.

    Veronica did not show whether she agreed or disagreed with him. She merely stared at Brendel as if she wanted to read his real intentions.

    The air between them became tense.

    Scarlett wanted to move behind Brendel, and she broke the silence by walking onto a patch of grass. But as soon as she did so, Veronica ced her de on her throat. The cold temperature had lowered the sword¡¯s temperature cold enough to make Scarlett shudder.

    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Brendel looked at Veronica with considerable astonishment and disbelief, while his heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°I apologize, young man. But if you don¡¯t agree to help me, I¡¯ll have to take away yourpanion.¡± Veronica¡¯s voice was cold.

    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Brendel gasped.

    The Goddess of Combat was known to bewful and upright, and she even had a half-teacher, half-friend rtionship with Freya. He did not think that she would draw out her sword to threaten two youths. Looking at her emotionless expression made him realize how important the Duke of Flower¡¯s little princess was to Veronica.

    ¡°Lady Veronica, the reason why I¡¯m refusing to help you is that of the current cmity that¡¯s happening. The monsters are invading the region and the Druids have requested me to fix the Laws within the Loop of Trade Winds, and prevent the destruction of the Green Tower from the Cmity of Wolves. As one of the descendants from the King of mes, you know very well of the consequences if the monsters are not controlled.¡±

    ¡°And what has that to do with me? I am a noble of the Empire, not the savior of the world.¡± Veronica lifted an eyebrow, filled with the qualities of what amander should have.

    ¡°Surely it is not your wish to sacrifice the lives of others to rescue only one person, right? It might be true that Lady Faena is the only sessor to the Duke of Flowers, but her life isn¡¯t more important to anyone else here.

    ¡°...... You are right,¡± Veronica sighed, but she was shaking her head, ¡°unfortunately there is no meaning to your words. You clearly know what my status is.¡±

    She grabbed Scarlett¡¯s shoulders and caused thetter to frown in pain: ¡°I apologize, but if you are unwilling to aid me, I have no choice but to bring yourpanion along with me. It seems like this is the only way for you to assist me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I will not do as you wish!¡± Brendel answered with a low growl.

    Having Mephistoing out from nowhere to pick a fight with him had caused him to wallow in great frustration, but having Veronica threaten him over the spoilt girl who attempted to get him killed stoke up the embers of anger in his heart.

    [Since negotiations have failed, there¡¯s no need to continue to tolerate this bullshit.]

    Halran Gaia was drawn out in an instant and swung to draw out a dark line that aimed for Veronica¡¯s wrist. Against an opponent who was vastly stronger than him, he had no choice but to take initiative.

    But his decisive action did not surprise Veronica. After the battle in the Centaurs¡¯ market, she knew that he would not easily submit to her threat. A fight was within her expectations.

    ¡°You overrate yourself, boy.¡± The Goddess of Combat scoffed and casually swung her own de to deflect Halran Gaia.

    In Brendel¡¯s eyes, the path of Veronica¡¯s sword was more like a shield that could not be prated or deflected. He instantly lowered his body to the ground to change the path of his own sword and swung it at her feet instead. This move was done in order to avoid her de and force Veronica to let go of Scarlett instead.

    Veronica was secretly startled at Brendel¡¯s reaction. She had used the legacy swordsmanship that was taught to each generation of the Azure Sword Saint, but the youth still managed to predict and counter her sword¡¯s path.

    [Just how gifted is this boy in the usage of a sword?]

    Changing the path of her sword was toote, and Veronica had no choice but to let Scarlett go and retreat. However, once she took a step back, she thrust out her sword and a st of Sword Energy struck Brendel¡¯s de.

    A loud metallic ng could be heard, and it was as though two physical des met each other.

    At that moment, Brendel felt like it was not a st of Sword Energy but a dragon that smashed onto his de. The feedback from Veronica¡¯s sword energy was a mighty blow that could not be defended from. There was no time for him to react to it and his body was hurled back like a cannonball.

    An explosion urred with a loud crash as Brendel mmed into the sandy ground next to the frozen stream. It was not a surprising conclusion. He felt dizziness assault his senses for a moment, but he got up immediately to see Scarlett rolling away from Veronica¡¯s hand.

    Unfortunately, even though her reactions were quick, Veronica¡¯s speed was much too fast. She rushed straight at Scarlett who attempted to resist by kicking a pebble towards her face. It was quickly knocked away by her sword and her hand once again reached out for Scarlett¡¯s shoulder.

    Brendel did not think any further and threw Halran Gaia out like like a javelin. The weapon shot out like an arrow at Veronica, with a trail of rocky spikes following behind it. Thetter frowned and stepped sideways, allowing herself to avoid the projectile and was prepared to jump over the spikes to get to Scarlett.

    But she froze in her jumping stance as Brendel conjured up a wind with the White Raven Sword Arte. A Sword Energy reached out for Halran Gaia, pulled the sword back in mid-air, and with a huge rotation¡ª

    It shot at Veronica once again.

    She was finally troubled with the sword¡¯s path. Although it was highly inurate, the speed it was thrown at was as fast a bullet and the spikes that jutted across the ground were a threat. She had no choice but to deflect it with a Sword Energy of her own before it reached her, and the sword merely rotated once before itnded back on Brendel¡¯s hand.

    The youth let out a long sigh when he received Halran Gaia. The two-stage attacks from the sword were unintended, and he did not think that it would actually work. But if he had to describe it.....

    [I¡¯m so freaking awesome!]

    He was even stunned for a moment.

    ¡°Boy, your application of the White Raven Sword Arte has nearly reached the standards of the original technique!¡± Orthlyss immediately rang in his mind and could not but sigh: ¡°If it was not for the fact that I know you have not learned the Wind Elf¡¯s Wind Dance technique, I have to suspect what your background is. Your talent in the sword is just too brilliant and I can scarcely believe it.¡±

    Brendel did not reply to the Heroic Spirit and simply stared at Veronica with a relieved expression. Scarlett sessfully escaped from the femalemander and was nearly at Brendel¡¯s side.

    The distance between them was not much, but it was enough.

    Veronica¡¯s expression was dark as she sheathed her sword, intending to approach the two first, but she suddenly recalled something when she saw Brendel¡¯s expression.

    She turned around and looked up.

    Her breath was held as she saw fifteen dragon heads in the sky. The Lernaia Hydra was already close to their positions, but Brendel pulled Scarlett back into the bushes, while Veronica found herself standing on top of the frozen stream with no cover.

    It was clear who was more eye-catching.

    [Damn it, I¡¯ve been fooled by this brat!]

 volume 3 - 163

    Chapter 163 ¨C The Forest¡¯s fog

    Veronica¡¯s eyes reflected the fifteen dragon heads that formed into a circle in the night sky. Even for someone as strong as her, she could not help but hold her breath.

    The colossal beast that reached the clouds had captured the slight movements in the forest. But instead of moving back to that area, its heads began to spew mist which covered them. Only seven heads remained visible, with the mist forming into clouds.

    A secondter, thousands of projectiles made out air shot out from the cloud towards Veronica.

    [Shit! The monster¡¯s attack is just too big! ]

    But it was Brendel who panicked. The projectiles covered a radius of a hundred meters in the blink of an eye. The white arrows of air that fired at the same time were beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Brendel could feel nothing but killing intent that stifled his breath. He rolled over to the side as ten arrows the width of a water barrel exploded into the ground. Leaves and grass were sted away and craters immediately appeared.

    Scarlett¡¯s reaction was quite speedy as well, avoiding the translucent currents like a beautiful panther and joined up with Brendel. They intended to leave the area before the Lernaia Hydra¡¯s second barrage came for them, but an angry roar entered their ears:

    ¡°Did I permit you to leave?¡±

    Veronica received the most attacks out of the three. Hundreds of projectiles came together to form a frightening hurricane in the air. Under normal circumstances, even one who mastered their Element Power would be hurt from that. However, Brendel and Scarlett were shocked to find out that Veronica was uninjured and still had the energy to keep them from leaving.

    Brendel studied Veronica¡¯s condition and he found that a sky-blue transparent barrier had appeared around Veronica. The barrage of sharp projectiles collided into it and immediately dissipated into all directions. Even though the transparent barrier flickered constantly, it did not seem like it was going to break any time soon.

    Veronica stood firmly where she was with her sword brandished, and she looked at Brendel with fury in her eyes. Brendel gulped, knowing that he had truly angered her. It was not his hobby to face a crazed Goddess of Combat.

    Heat radiated from Veronica¡¯s location, her Element Power melting the frozen stream of ice back into water in an instant, and an intense white light covered her entire sword. He leaped onto the other side of the stream the moment he saw her sword move; she pointed her into the air and the Sword Energy fired out before it shot towards Brendel at sharp angles, but it barely missed him as he rotated in mid-air and struck the ground instead.

    An earth-shattering explosion of light filled his senses, with water instantly vaporized by the intense heat. For a moment, the stream of water that was ten feet wide had its flow of water cut for several seconds before it resumed flowing down.

    [It¡¯s too scary to fight a Sword Saint at their peak and using their full strength¡ª]

    Brendel could feel every strand of his hair standing. Scarlett also jumped andnded next to him, but she did not have the time to stabilize herself before Brendel roared in her ears:

    ¡°Scarlett, prepare yourself!¡±

    The youth grabbed her hand and activated his Charge ability. He saw that Veronica was pointing her sword at him and instantly ran out. The burst of speed caused the Sword Energy that targeted him to miss, and he disappeared in a ck blur into the forest.

    A violent gust of wind happened as the Sword Energy mowed down dozens of tree trunks the size of a horse carriage, sting them away in a cone shape into great distances, destroying the trees behind them like dominoes.

    Veronica could not help but grit her teeth in frustration after she saw her two attacks miss. The previous time she lost herposure was during the hignd war with the Hazell kingdom.

    [This is too strange. That young man predicted my moves three times in a row and avoided every single attack. Is there some kind of link between him and me? But the Wall of Azure is a swordsmanship that¡¯s only handed to disciples and never to outsiders. Not only that, it requires one to have the Wind Element Power..... Damn it, I can¡¯t go after him unless I remove the Abatement Barrier.]

    Brendel had not revealed his Element Power yet, but it seemed like he knew that the protective barrier she created was required of her to stay in a fixed position. She red at the Hydra, wondering when it was going to stop attacking her. The Abatement Barrier was rumored to be an invincible fortress, but it was an exaggeration. If the Hydra attacked her with its full strength, she had to defend herself with everything she had.

    She immediately widened her eyes. The seventh dragon head was dissolving into mist, but they were quickly turned into a flower-like shape before they fired at her with increased uracy.

    It was certainly a flower of death.

    Veronica frowned and activated her Wind Element Power once again. The barrier of green light increased in density. Countless arrows made from air struck into it, but there was no change.

    [Why is this Hydra splitting up the projectiles? It¡¯s weakening the strength just to ensure uracy? But it¡¯s not effective at all. How peculiar, this creature should possess higher intelligence...... Which means there¡¯s some kind of trick?]

    She became alert and looked around her. The air projectiles that she thought had dissipated had reconverged and formed into mist.

    [Mist Conversion?]

    The mist that subtly surrounded her was converging together and formed into knights. They were bigger and taller than a Centaur and wore a suit of unique armor that did not resemble any kingdom¡¯s style.

    [Not Elven, not Dwarven, not human or even the undead. What are these things?]

    She realized that the barrage of projectiles were not mere arrows. She released her barrier and waited to face the strange new enemies.

    =========== Brendel¡¯s POV ============

    Brendel ended up moving hundreds of meters in an instant across multiple obstacles. He was afraid of Veronica or the Hydra catching up, and did not dare to slow down and continued to run. He checked his surroundings before he and Scarlett moved along to the southern valley. As long as Veronica was blocking the way back, it would not be possible to go back to the White Cliffs of Divinity.

    For some strange reason, he realized that the Cmity of Frost had ended abruptly, and it would not be a problem to stay alive in the Dark Forest.

    [Still, not returning means that I will make Amandina worried. But there¡¯s no helping it.]

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Orthlyss suddenly warned him.

    Ance suddenly parted the mist and was thrust straight at his face. The entire process was done without a sound and he nearly walked straight into it. He frantically jumped backwards and knocked straight into Scarlett. The impact onto both of them caused them to murmur in pain, but he was unable to care whether she was hurt and instead pulled her to the side, allowing thence to brush past his chest.

    He saw what he was facing for the first time.

    [A knight riding on a Dragonbeast? No, that¡¯s not it, some kind of entity formed into humanoid-like shapes by the fog?]

    The Mist Knight with a blurry face rode out slowly on its Dragonbeast, withdrew itsnce and looked at Brendel. The youth shuddered and his hair stood up on end again.

    [A Lernaia Hydra isn¡¯t enough? There are mobs too?]

    But his thought was once again interrupted by the knight. It raised and thrust itsnce, with its attack fast and urate. The attack was unique in the way that there was hardly any vibration in the air, and it made Brendel feel highly unused to it. But he discovered that the knight¡¯s capabilities were not very strong, and was around a mid-level Gold-ranker.

    [It seems like it¡¯scking in intelligence.]

    In order to prove this point, Brendel stepped forward and showed an opening, inviting his opponent to attack. It was one of the game¡¯smon feints, and the Mist Knight indeed fell for his trick. His body shifted subtly and allowed thence to slide past it, while his left hand went to grab thence at lightning speed.

    However, he managed to grab nothing but air.

    [What!]

    Brendel jumped a little, but his right hand immediately went for Halran Gaia and thrust at the Mist Knight¡¯s head. The sword was a Fantasy-ranked weapon, and it disregarded whether entities had a physical body. The magic on the de simply rushed straight at the Mist Knight¡¯s core and destroyed the Mana on it. The Mist Knight gave a shriek and returned back to fog, disappearing into the forest¡¯s air.

    ¨C System Notice: You defeated Demonic Fog Nightmare (part), 1510 XP gained.

    Brendel¡¯s jaw dropped slightly, revealing his white teeth.

    [This thing has 1510 XP? That¡¯s pretty close to a Direwolf. It¡¯s not even an Elite creature. Also, it said defeated, not killed. This feels like some specific types of undead where a spell is needed, or a weapon like the Thorn of Light that purifies and kill them permanently. Otherwise, I¡¯m just disabling these things temporarily with Halran Gaia.]

    ¡°Boy, this thing has a familiar air about it.¡± Orthlyss suddenly said.

    ¡°What about it?¡±

    ¡°A hint¡ª The Lernaia Hydra.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Brendel seemed like he understood: ¡°You mean to say that thing is formed by the Lernaia Hydra?¡±

    ¡°You think quickly.¡±

    [Well, not exactly the Lernaia Hydra. The system said Demonic Fog Nightmare (part), and it has the ability to rebuild itself. The Lernaia Hydra is just a bluff. It¡¯s some kind of creature that¡¯s living in the Dark Forest¡¯s fog and making use of it. Demonic Fog Nightmare...... I seemed to have read about it somewhere in the forums. But this thing still looks like a ridiculously overpowered monster.]

    Scarlett tapped Brendel¡¯s hand gingerly as he was lost in his thoughts again, directing him to look at the area ahead of him. There were quite a few humanoid figures.

    Brendel subconsciously raised Halran Gaia, prepared to fight.

 volume 3 - 164

    Chapter 164 ¨C Amman

    The mist had be so dense that one could not see the sky at all. The figure of the Lernaia Hydra waspletely lost in the fog, and no one knew if it was still in the valley. But Brendel was certain that part of the fake Hydra had been converted into a fog, or the forest would not be covered in it.

    The humanoid figures in the fog quickly approached them, but the youth was slightly surprised to find they were real humans and not monsters. They were squires wearing golden-red cloaks, with ornaments emzoned with Fire Raven Sigils hanging around their chest. The bishop amongst them wore a golden-red silk ferraiolo and a biretta with three peaks on it. The sash that hung over his shoulders was embroidered with the Kirrlutz word ¡®me¡¯. With suchvish dressing, he could only be a regional archbishop from the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    Brendel studied the old shriveled face which was dry as a cooked eggnt that was sliced and baked.

    [The high ranking bishop from the Einkel region, Amman. This bastard isn¡¯t simple. He acts incredibly humble on the surface, but that¡¯s a lie.]

    He frowned inwardly.

    ¡°Your Eminence.¡±

    [You damned shill. Why did the Holy Cathedral of Fire send out such an infamous bastard out here? Are they not afraid of offending the Druids?]

    Amman looked at the youth that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, secretly pleased, as thetter had manners that were a hundred times better than the mercenaries he encountered a while ago.

    [A noble is a noble, after all. At least he knows how to be civil. But it seems like he¡¯s someone from Aouine?]

    He observed Brendel and noted his style of greeting belonged to the Aouine kingdom.

    Scarlett looked at her lord strangely. He was acting quite differently from his normal self.

    Brendel¡¯s reaction was almost instinctive. That was how the gamers handled the high-level NPCs in the game.

    Amman and his men had surrounded them in order to ensure that they were not the monsters they came upon earlier. In truth, there were only squires apanying him, which made him cautious. The Gold-ranked knights were killed when the Lernaia Hydra discovered them. Every one of them were on edge; the Holy Cathedral of Fire did not have a high-ranking knight returning to the ¡®Holy mes¡¯ ever since the November War.

    The loss was a nightmare.

    Amman subconsciously felt the precious item that was ced next to his chest. The knights¡¯ sacrifices were at least not without meaning, and he sighed quietly. He disyed a kind demeanor and spoke with a pleasant tone:

    ¡°Young man, you are well-mannered. Which noble family do you belong to? You must have entered this area through an exit where there are two cliffs on both sides? Do you know how to get there from our position?¡±

    Amman asked three questions in one go. Even though he was trying hard not to show it, Brendel was able to discern that the archbishop was tense.

    [He must be referring to the Blockade of Wolves. But why is he anxious? Because of that fog monster? The people from the Holy Cathedral of Fire are fanatics. A hundred-odd men wouldn¡¯t make them afraid. While you¡¯re one of the greediest bastards around, that¡¯s merely a character w. To be an Archbishop means you¡¯re someone with a strong will.]

    He lowered his head and hid his expressions to avoid incurring suspicion:

    ¡°Your humble servant is the Lord Baron of Firburh. Your Eminence might not have heard of the Trentheim region. It is a poor countryside and it is a ce not worth of mentioning. Your Eminence, I am afraid I am just as lost, but the ce you are seeking is not far from here.¡±

    Brendel spoke as politely as much as he could to dismiss the old man in front of him faster. He was afraid that Veronica would catch up with him, and these men would not stand on his side. Yet Brendel did not dare to show impatience. It was still a small matter if he got suspected, but having the crime of being disrespectful to the men from the Holy Cathedral would be disastrous. Most of these people looked kind on the outside, but he knew they were deeply wed on the inside.

    Amman nodded, the news of the Blockade of Wolves being nearby boosted his spirits greatly, and the exhaustion on his wrinkled face was diminished by quite a bit. However, he did feel that it would be quite inhumane to leave the youth and hispanion if he just simply left. Even though the duties of the Holy Cathedral of Fire took precedence, it was not a good thing to show such an unseemly image so wantonly.

    Amman took a few steps forward and asked: ¡°Lord Baron, we seek to leave this area urgently, do you wish to join us?¡±

    Brendel scoffed coldly in his mind. Perhaps if it were someone else, these words could be trusted, but Amman¡¯s invitation was written with subtle rejection on his face. But the youth did not mind it and shook his head instead:

    ¡°Your Eminence, you might have guessed my goal, but I am here for the Lionheart like many others are. I¡¯m afraid that I unable to take up your offer. In order not to have any regrets, I must advance.¡±

    Amman nodded. His thoughts were mostly upied by the artifact, and he nearly reached out for it with his bony fingers to confirm that it was still there. He wished nothing more for Brendel to reject his offer. Still, the archbishop gave a curious look at Brendel when he mentioned the Lionheart.

    ¡°If that is so, then we will not hinder your quest. Your Lordship has good graces, and this humble servant of the me will write a letter of appreciation to your king for this pleasant encounter.¡±

    Amman promised with a warm face, and the dark mood he had seemed to have changed in an instant. Brendel showed a small smile, without acknowledging or refusing, sufficiently disying the elegance of a noble.

    [Oh for crying out loud, would you just put a sock in it already? Get the fuck away from me, please! Aren¡¯t you that greedy scumbag Amman who doesn¡¯t give a flying crap about anyone? Stop acting out of character. My time is precious, old man!]

    The youth was spewing out curses in his mind throughout the conversation. Amman and his men finally started walking away, but fate did not favor Brendel, and someone parted the vegetation with an urgent rustle.

    It was Veronica.

    The Goddess of Combat did not even bother to use words and simply attacked him. The sword glowed with a thin light and Brendel hurriedly rolled to the side. The Sword Energy cleaved a ck pine tree into equal and neat parts, and the branches on it cracked loudly as they could not support their weight when it fell over.

    This attack caused Amman and his knights to be stunned. The Archbishop¡¯s eyebrows were raised up and he was prepared to rage over the stranger¡¯s action, but he shuddered when he realized who she was. Even though he was just as famous as the fourmanders of the Kirrlutz Empire, it was clear that military clout was the true wielder of authority.

    Furthermore, leaving aside the fact that Veronica was a Sword Saint, she belonged to one of the twelve families with the longest history in Kirrlutz. Just from this alone, Amman would not dare to offend her. Perhaps the Archbishops who handled the wealthiest regions would be able to exert pressure on her, but he was definitely not one of them.

    Since he understood that this woman could not be offended, he turned straight around and looked at Brendel with his clouded brown eyes, his expression resembling a dead fish. It was clear that he was demanding an answer from the youth.

    [This damned codger really changes his expressions faster than one can flip a book.]

    The youth caught his gaze, but his attention was soon directed to Veronica. She shrunk the distance between them instantly and attempted to grab his shoulder, but the youth¡¯s body shifted slightly and moved away like a slippery eel. He stood in front of Scarlett, afraid that Veronica would use her as a hostage again.

    However, Veronica was clearly aiming for him. The first grab was a failure, so she attempted a second time. Brendel did not think he was able to run away and could only bring his sword up to guard his body while conjuring up an Earth Spike to block her vision. However, Veronica smashed arge hole through the rock and went straight to grab his shoulder.

    Amman¡¯s eyes widened a little when he saw the Earth Spikee out from the ground, but he immediately attributed it to Brendel¡¯s sword.

    Brendel did not think that he was able to cut off Veronica¡¯s hand off when he recalled her barrier, so he pushed Scarlett aside while flinging himself to the sides as hard as he could. This caused him to roll around in pain, but he tolerated it and yelled out immediately.

    ¡°Scarlett, now!¡±

    The red-haired girl understood and she escaped in the other direction. Brendel threw out a card onto the ground, but no one else saw his actions. A fiery red Magic Formation suddenly appeared across the ground and a Fire Dijinn sprang out from it and charged straight at Veronica.

    The sudden attack surprised her and she retreated subconsciously. However, a quick assessment of its speed and strength lead her to believe that Brendel was dying for time. She only hesitated for a short moment before she charged at the fiery creature in a straight line. The Azure Sword in her hand twirled once, and she intended to end its life with one critical strike.

    [Explosion!]

    Brendel ran as he roared in his mind. It was just as he had nned.

    A ray of golden light spilled forth as a crack formed from the Fire Dijinn¡¯s body. The boundless energy from within caused Veronica¡¯s expression to warp. The Fire Dijinn was releasing all its mana and Fire Element within its body andbining it together, and this attack was the equivalent of unleashing an Element Power.

    A loud bang urred. The light was so strong that it washed out all colors, and everyone had to look away and close their eyes. Brendel was retreating towards the thickest foliage he had seen a while ago, but Amman¡¯s familiar voice wormed into his ears:

    ¡°Holy Word, Wall!¡±

    Brendel immediately felt a strange energy cutting off his retreat. The translucent walls of light around him belonged to one of the few spells a Priest ss would have. The constructed walls of light were over a hundred meters long, but they were less than ten meters tall. Brendel raised his sword into the air and an Earth spike was formed near the wall¡¯s edge, but a projectile made up of Sword Energy whistled through the air, and it shed across the spike at incredible speed. There was a cracking sound as the Earth Spike was lopped off in the middle.

    Brendel¡¯s n was crushed and he could not help but nce back. He discovered that Veronica had already recovered from the earlier explosion.

 volume 3 - 165

    Chapter 165 ¨C Escape

    Veronica was no longer asposed as before. The earlier explosion had turned her military uniform into tatters, and her pretty sky-blue hair was burned in several ces.

    The Abatement barrier did not protect her fully as she had constructed it in haste. The Combat of Goddess red at Brendel with gritted teeth without a trace of emotion in her eyes. She regarded her hair with great importance, and just for a second, she wanted to kill him.

    She lowered her sword, and the barrier was immediately gone. She then swung her de with without warning, with three fingers supporting her right hand, and a green de of Sword Energy went straight for the youth. Brendel only managed to react at thest moment and tilted his head to the side, allowing the attack to go past his face. But he could feel a hairline pain that radiated outwards, and he knew that the attack had hurt his face.

    ¡°You¡¯re the rumored noble from Aouine, I remember now,¡± Amman interrupted them, and he lifted his finger up at Brendel. A cross-shaped light form at the tip of his fingers: ¡°I heard that you are capable of using magic from the Sacred Church of Light?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s blood ran cold in his veins. But he did not dare to move carelessly as Amman was ready with his spell. He red hatefully at Veronica.

    [You caused the rumors? Why are you so different from the game?]

    ¡°I have nothing to do with the rumors,¡± Veronica answered upon Brendel¡¯s gaze at her, but her eyebrow suddenly lifted. She recalled the image of Faena moving suspiciously with the other youths, and it caused her to realize the truth. She continued to answer coldly: ¡°But you are free to pin it on me. I will answer your challenge any time you want.¡±

    ¡°Two people of great repute bullying a youth, have you no shame?¡± Brendel wiped away the blood on his face with a mockingugh. Even though his tone was insulting, his body was tense and ready for a fight. Veronica would never stop here, and Amman was unlikely to let him go either. He could only risk his life here.

    Brendel¡¯s mocking smile revealed his white gleaming teeth, and the cold gaze on Amman was akin to the wolves that were driven insane by Mana. He was never one to put his life into someone else¡¯s hands, and he would never submit to anyone.

    [The nobles from Kirrlutz stated that the heathen possesses Halran Gaia. This sword he¡¯s holding must be it.]

    Amman did not seem to take in a single word Brendel said. Halran Gaia¡¯s renown was not limited to the Beastmen of the Toquinin region. He was certain that his position within the Holy Cathedral of mes would rise if he had the sword. It was not even important if Brendel was actually someone from the Sacred Church of Light.

    ¡°The heretics that do not repent must be killed.¡± He said while he stared at Halran Gaia. When he was done with his words, the cross-shaped golden light surged in an instant, and a bullet of light shot towards Brendel. However, a green sh happened, and Veronica actually used her sword like a whip to smack the bullet far away into the forest. There was an explosion of deafening sound and light that lit up the valley.

    Veronica turned to Amman and said:

    ¡°If you want to kill him, you would need to seek my permission. Your Eminence.¡±

    ¡°Lady Veronica?¡± Amman was slightly confused, but he was highly capable after all and immediately understood: ¡°I see. You want him alive.¡±

    Veronica did not answer.

    Brendel was secretly moving back. Both Amman and Veronica had mastery over their Element Powers, and it was impossible for him to fight against them. He sincerely wished for the two of them to fight each other because of their differences, but it did not seem like a feasible n. Amman was trying to please Veronica instead.

    A cold wind blew past the trees, causing the leaves to rustle, but the fog did not grow lighter.

    ¡°Very well, Lady Veronica. It is easy to force a heretic to capitte if you capture him, but it is far easier to work on hispanion.¡±

    ¡°Hmm......¡± Veronica merely said.

    Amman turned to the direction of where Scarlett escaped from. Brendel¡¯s face turned ugly as he could not read what Amman was up to.

    ¡°You dare!¡± Brendel did not dare to wait for Amman and rushed straight at him with Halran Gaia.

    But Amman suddenly whirled around with a devious smirk, apparently waiting for Brendel toe at him. A sudden aura of light appeared around his entire body, and he disappeared into thin air. The next moment, he reappeared behind Brendel¡¯s back and there was a crimson radiance on both of his hands.

    [This isn¡¯t a priest¡¯s spell!]

    Brendel waspletely stunned by Amman¡¯s actions, but his body clearly remembered a century¡¯s worth of experience as a warrior. He lowered his head and avoided Amman¡¯s projectile, which shot past the youth¡¯s hair and caused it to flutter, before it ended up in a bush. The red sh of light immediately lit the vegetation of fire.

    Brendel continued to use his momentum and rolled forward.

    [A Priest ss tends to only have Holy magic. That is definitely not any spell in the ss that I know of. No, it resembles more like an Element Power, specifically Time or Space. But Amman¡¯s Element Power is Ironwall......]

    The Archbishop merelyughed when he saw Brendel rolling forward:

    ¡°Holy Word, Bind!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s fingers gripped Halran Gaia tightly till they were numb. He was unable to dodge in this position, and it was difficult for a low Gold-ranked swordsman like himself to resist a high-level character like Amman.

    [Why do the gods in this world refuse to bless me? Why am I being punished repeatedly for reciting an oath?]

    For a moment, despair and rage filled with his heart, but there was a sudden stroke of genius in his mind.

    The golden rays of light burst forth and shot at Brendel, but a Gate made out of light abruptly appeared, and a majestic stag trotted forth. The spell struck the ethereal beast. If it were a physical projectile, it would have passed through the stag, but Amman used a Holy Spell and the White Deer Statue was clearly an artifact that belonged to the Holy attribute. The spell was clearly ineffective against the stag, and even the basic binding effect did not work.

    ¡°A Sage Deer!¡± Amman could not imagine in his wildest dreams that Brendel would summon a creature like that.

    But the battle was suddenly interrupted with a savage gust of wind, and it forced them to close their eyes.

    ¡°My lord, be careful!¡± Scarlett suddenly yelled out.

    She had been hiding for a while and waited to see if Brendel escaped, but since he did not appear for a long time, she went back to check. To her dismay, she discovered that Brendel was forced to stay. She wanted to help him, but she was worried that she would instead be a burden and drag him down.

    Since she stood away from a distance to assess the battlefield and hope for a chance to help her lord, she discovered a white dragon head suddenly appearing over the trees.

    It was one of the Lernaia Hydra¡¯s heads.

    Veronica was the second to notice it. She was about to make her move when she saw the Archbishop¡¯s spell failed to hit its mark, but a sudden instinct got her to use the Abatement Barrier instead. With a swing of her sword, ten-odd waves of green energy came together to form a barrier. It was at that moment that she discovered the dragon heading towards her with a bite.

    She raised her Element Power to the limits and put everything into the barrier.

    The fangs that were made out of mist smashed into her barrier and caused it to shake and crack. Brendel rolled on his back and discovered the fangs going past his nose, causing him to gulp and perspire profusely despite the fact that he was uninjured.

    Amman was the unluckiest person out of the three. The dragon¡¯s head was just like the Mist Knight. It seemed to hold an ethereal and physical property at the same time. The fangs moved across the field wildly and one of the fangs managed to snag itself onto the Archbishop¡¯s robe. Barriers formed, but they were all punctured save for one. Amman was sent flying through the air and even rotated several rounds before he crashed onto the ground. He would have met King Gatel if it was not for thestyer of protection. At the same time, a grey gem dropped out from Amman¡¯s cor and dropped into the nearby bushes.

    Brendel and Veronica were the only ones to see that. Amman¡¯s mind waspletely rattled by the sudden attack that he did not notice it. The squires from the Holy Cathedral also did not manage to see the dropped artifact.

    ¡°Boy,¡± Orthlyss suddenly chose to speak at this moment: ¡°That gemstone looks a little familiar to me!¡±

    Brendel woke up from his stupor, only to be stunned again at Orthlyss¡¯s words. The Heroic Spirit was someone from an ancient era, and for it to be familiar in her eyes, it could only be from the distant past. He wondered where Amman got the gemstone, but there was no time to ponder over it as the fake Lernaia Hydra began attacking them with renewed fury.

    Three dragon heads appeared, with three pairs of eyes overlooking the humans on the ground. They emitted a roar that agitated the ground and began moving towards the perceived insects in the forest.

    Brendel was delighted to discover the three dragon heads going for Amman and Veronica, and they did not even target him once. Even though this Demonic Fog Nightmare was not the real Lernaia Hydra, its original strength was still not something that he could deal with at all. Amman and Veronica quickly found themselves in danger. The squires from the Holy Cathedral of mes wanted to save their superior, but two of them were killed in the blink of an eye.

    Even though he did not know why he was not attacked, he did not waste this chance. He hurriedly turned and rolled away, using the shrubs as cover, before getting up to prepare for his escape.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Even though Veronica was busy with the Lernaia Hydra¡¯s attacks, her attention was on Brendel. She raised her sword in anger and pointed it at Brendel. A ray of Sword Energy shot towards him, but this hasty attack could not find its mark. She wanted to pursue him, but two dragon heads blocked her path the moment she lifted up her foot, and she could only watch Brendel run further and further away,

    ¡°This damned monster!¡± Veronica cursed through gritted teeth for the first time on this journey.

 volume 3 - 166

    Chapter 166 ¨C What tactics?

    ¡°Archbishop Amman, stop him!¡±

    Veronica knew that she was unable to stop the youth and could only ask for help from the nearby priest. At the same time, she quickly swung her sword at one of the Lernaia Hydra¡¯s head that wasing for her. The Azure Sword smashed heavily into its nose with a ghastly glow of energy, but it turned into mist and waspressed before it recovered its shape. Instead, the resulting feedback pushed her away from where she was by ten meters.

    With her retreat, the second Hydra¡¯s head rushed towards her at an acute angle, and she could only growl inwardly to avoid the monster¡¯s attack. The concentrated mist struck the forest¡¯s ground like a violent projectile, and the wind generated pushed all the ck pine trees to and fro. Veronica¡¯s long hair iled against the wind and blocked her line of sight. She shook her head in order to get the strands off, and her eyes caught the Holy Cathedral of mes¡¯s squires using their lives to give Amman time to recover.

    Amman hesitated as he crawled up from the ground, wondering if he should stop Brendel or deal with the Lernaia Hydra. There was only one chance, but if he were to stop Brendel, then none of his men would be likely to survive this ordeal. But greed towards Halran Gaia triumphed against reasoning, and he raised his right hand. A visible me was drawn into a magic pattern with his agate ring on his thumb, forming a sign of the Holy Cathedral of mes: ¡°In the name of the me, you will not escape here no matter how much you run. Return to whence you came from, ming Invocation!¡±

    Brendel nearly stumbled when he heard these words.

    [You actually used a spell that¡¯s higher than a Seventh Circle¡ª Are you fucking kidding me?]

    There were only two professions that could use the Holy Words magic, the Witch and Priest professions. The Curses from the witches and the Prophecies from the priests were considered as something alike to the Languages of the Gods. There were plenty of spells that were powerful enough to hinder someone.

    It was especially effective for a warrior with low Will stats. Even though Brendel had put in levels into the Elementalist profession, it was simply too low and useless to resist Amman¡¯s magic. As soon as the archbishop¡¯s words ended, he found a sea of mes right before his path.

    The youth turned around and red at the smirking Amman. He gnashed his teeth and said: ¡°It seems like Your Eminence intends to keep me here.¡±

    ¡°Naturally,¡± Amman said.

    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t regret this!¡± Brendel did not continueining. He drew out his sword with both hands and rushed towards Amman.

    ¡°You audacious cur,¡± Amman¡¯s facial muscles stiffened. A normal person would at least feel hesitation and fear when they go against the Holy Cathedral of mes, but Brendel¡¯s decisiveness made it seem like he was threatening his authority: ¡°Shield!¡±

    A shield of light with six edges extended from his palms and Brendel¡¯s de smashed across it, drawing sparks.

    The youth knew that it was not a magic spell but Amman¡¯s Element Power. Amman prepared a new spell and a fiery-red light enveloped his robes. It was anotheryer of protection.

    ¡°It would be wise of you to surrender,¡± Amman said as he cast a new spell. He dismissed the six-edged shield and grabbed Halran Gaia with his bare hand. There was a grating noise of metal rubbing against each other when his skin met the de.

    Holy Magic spell, Iron Fist.

    A Priest buffing himself with spells would have enoughbat prowess to match a warrior with a full set of equipment. Even though there were just two buffs on Amman, Brendel could feel that the Archbishop¡¯s strength was on par with his own.

    ¡°Even though your Lordship is a heretic, the Holy Cathedral of Fire and the Sacred Church of Light are not at war. With the rules of the nobles in ce, you can trust in this humble servant that I speak for the Holy Cathedral of Fire and not hurt a noble like yourself. You can even pay for your own ransom¡ª¡± Ammanughed darkly, while he cast a nce at his men to see if they could still hold on against the Lernaia Hydra.

    [Why is this bastard¡¯sughter so familiar to me?]

    A thought streaked across Brendel¡¯s mind, perhaps recalling a viin of the past, but he did not dare to ponder on it. He was still in battle, and he tried pulling out his sword, but the sword refused to budge out of Amman¡¯s hand. He then scoffed and gave a disdainful smile in response:

    ¡°Oh? What does Your Eminence want me to pay in exchange for my life?¡±

    ¡°Halran Gaia, and whatever Commander Veronica wants, that would be a fair deal, right?¡±

    In Amman¡¯s eyes, killing Brendel would be the safest option, but Veronica would not agree to it and he could only acquiesce to her.

    Brendel startedughing.

    [Surrendering Halran Gaia? There are going to be countless monsters in my path to activate the Fire Seed in Valha. I will automatically fail. Helping out Veronica is a waste of time and it will only lead me to fight Andesha at the end, and she¡¯s stronger than these two right here¡ª]

    Fury rose within his chest. The Centaurs¡¯ blood was on his hands. Not only that, if he were to fail here, the entire Trentheim would be in danger because of the Dark Forest would be overrun by monsters and Chaos, no longer protected by the Laws from the Green Tower¡¯s Fire Seed. After Veronica stated that she was not the one who spread the rumors, he immediately knew that Faena and thepanions spread the rumors secretly without her permission.

    But the source of troubles that started it all was because he recited an oath.

    If it was not for him, the Kirrlutz Empire would not be here. Perhaps the Holy Cathedral of mes would be here doing whatever it was, but it was unlikely that Amman would corner him like this. It was his own fault that things turned out this way.

    [There¡¯s no use crying over spilled milk...... Amman, one of the Regional Archbishops. Even though his position isn¡¯t the highest, he was one of the most challenging foes within the Cathedral. Even though his Element Power, Shield, is considered to be one of the weakest Element Power, it does not equate to how strong an opponent would be. Even the highest Fantasy-ranked Element Power isn¡¯t considered as invincible.]

    Brendel¡¯s mind assessed the situation as fast as he could.

 volume 3 - 167

    Chapter 167 ¨C Death

    Amman was someone who could use a terribly rated Element Power to great strength. That was because he had covered the weakness of a Priest profession where he could leisurely cast his spells. A fully buffed Priest was strong enough to resist an offensive Mage ss, let alone a warrior.

    In the game, a fully buffed Priest was perceived as a God-tier profession, and the only professions that could match them were a Berserker with a raged status, as well as some specific advanced professions.

    [There¡¯s no possible way I can beat him in a duel. His level is much higher than me, and just casting a third of his avable spells to buff himself is sufficient to wreck me......]

    Amman spoke again with a cold smile when the youthughed for a few seconds: ¡°Are you trying to stall for time, your Lordship? Perhaps you are fearless because Lady Veronica does not want to kill you, but that does not mean others will receive the same treatment.¡±

    Brendel stopped.

    ¡°That loyal subordinate of yours is hiding nearby. But it seems like that pretty girl is actually your femalepanion, and I trust that your lordship wouldn¡¯t want to see anything bad happening to her, right?¡± Amman said as he nced at a tree.

    [Failure. Failure, failure, failure, failure!]

    Brendel was unable to find a way out of things. The only events that he saw were the deaths of all the Druids and the people that came along with him. Trentheim would fall and so would the kingdom. Freya, the Regent Princess, and everyone else was killed in the future.

    The path to a bright future was closed.

    [...... If that¡¯s the case, then¡ª]

    Brendel gripped the sword with both hands and activated Power Break, forcefully tearing the de out Amman¡¯s hands. Thetter was momentarily surprised by the sudden burst of strength and took a step back subconsciously, but with this retreat, Brendel pressed in and was already in a stance to attack him.

    Amman thought that Brendel was moving so quickly to prevent him from his Element Power, but he was instead delighted to see him doing so. It was true that he was unable to use his ¡®Shield¡¯, but Brendel was simrly unable to avoid his attacks.

    [A fool who doesn¡¯t think of the consequences.]

    Amman chortled and extended out five fingers, with each finger emitting a cross-shaped light: ¡°Holy Smite!¡±

    Five bullets of light fired at the same time. Amman did not use his full strength, believing that his attack was unlikely to reach his opponent given the youth¡¯s skills. He was thus prepared to prepare a second spell, ready to predict and aim for Brendel¡¯s escape route with a ¡®Holy Word, Bind¡¯ spell.

    But the next event nearly made him misfire his spell due to the loss of his concentration.

    Brendel did not avoid the bullets and instead rushed straight into them.

    [Has this fool gone mad! Even though my spell is made in haste, all five of them hitting a Gold-ranker would still kill him immediately!]

    Amman stared nkly at the Holy Smite spell piercing through Brendel¡¯s shoulders and abdomen, the dull thuds resounding throughout his ears. However, he did not care if Veronica was going to be furious with him, the problem was¡ª

    That youth still moved like he was uninjured.

    [How is this possible! Why do you move like you¡¯re fine¡ª A berserker?]

    Even Veronica would be gravely injured for facing his spell head on. But there was sanity in Brendel¡¯s clear eyes and he denied that possibility.

    The moment of hesitation made it impossible for Amman to do anything, but even if the youth used Halran Gaia, it was unlikely for his attack to work. He had cast a newyer of protection onto his robes, which had an astonishing amount of protection in the first ce and was used by generations. It was even capable of defending an attack from the Lernaia Hydra.

    But Brendel¡¯s actions were a feint and he hugged the old priest.

    ¡°Unhand me, you scoundrel!¡± Amman did not think that a Gold-ranked swordsman would grab him, but he quickly realized that it was an effective move against him, as he was unable to move his arms and hands.

    As a priest who was respected by people, this was the only time where he encountered an attack like someone in a street fight. He fumbled in a panic, trying out ways to free himself, before he realized Brendel was moving towards a certain direction.

    Brendel was effective here because he was too familiar with restricting the actions of wizards and priests in the game. It was not entirely effective to simply hold onto Amman, but he believed that it would work for a few seconds.

    Brendel¡¯s gamble paid off, and Amman was unable to find a way against this absurd tactic. Veronica suddenly cried out to the Archbishop: ¡°Watch out!¡±

    Amman turned his head subconsciously, and he immediately paled. The squires were unable to stop the Lernaia Hydra by drawing its attention, and there was a dragon head approaching the youth and him.

    [This brat is trying to kill himself along with me!]

    Amman had correctly guessed Brendel¡¯s true intention. The Lernaia Hydra¡¯s appeared bigger and bigger in the Archbishop¡¯s wide eyes, and the monster opened its jaws to reveal individual fangs that were razor sharp. As it approached him, he could not help but yell out in a crazed manner.

    ¡°Let go of me now, have you gone mad!¡±

    ¡°Why, Your Eminence, you¡¯re a revered Archbishop from the Cathedral. Do you still fear madness?¡± Brendel carried him towards the monster while he bared his gleaming white teeth while he smiled coldly.

    ¡°Brendel!¡± Veronica¡¯s pupils shrank when she saw the youth rush towards the dragon¡¯s heading for them: ¡°What are you doing, let go of him!¡±

    She did not think that Brendel would be so bold as to kill Amman. Even though she did not think much of the old man, she would be a witness to the death of an Archbishop from the Holy Cathedral of mes.

    This situation would beplicated. And¡ª

    ¡°Let go of me! Young man, you would perish as well!¡± Amman had never felt fear ever since he became a Bishop, his blood feeling like it was congealed in his veins, and he was on the verge of speaking nonsense.

    ¡°You, if anything, I will drag you down to the depths of hell,¡± Brendel snarled as he red into Amman¡¯s eyes.

    Amman was stared into silence before he squealed like a frightened pig: ¡°You...... dare to kill an Archbishop from the Cathedral......¡±

    Brendel showed a face of fury and hatred and activated his Charge ability.

    Both men crashed into the dragon¡¯s open mouth at a dazzling speed, and a fang that was nearly half a meter long jutted out from Amman¡¯s back as he stared at it in disbelief. With thebined force from Brendel and the Hydra¡¯s charge, the robe failed to protect Amman.

    The old Archbishop vomited arge mouthful of blood, and the immense pain caused him to il his limbs as he groaned and coughed without stopping. Brendel was just as hurt as the fang pierced through his chest. He had managed to move his body slightly and was able to prevent the fang from going through his heart.

    And it went through his left lung instead.

    Brendel coughed out blood in a matter of seconds. Red warnings appeared in his retina, warning him of imminent death. It reminded him of the moment when he appeared in this world and got impaled by the skeletons¡¯ swords.

    [It¡¯s not just a simple case of blood loss, the left lung has been damaged severely. It hurts so much that I¡¯m seeing stars¡ª]

    ¡°My lord!¡± Scarlett screamed.

    The youth sobered up and shook his head. Grey colored words filled in his eyes, proving that the Unyielding talent was activated. But his hands were almost trembling and he felt weak all over his body.

    [The damage is too severe? If this happened in the game, I would still be performing as though I was uninjured¡ª]

    Thoughts shed through his mind like a quiet stream, but once he shook his head, he quickly assessed the situation in front of him. The Lernaia Hydra¡¯s head was about to close and bite down on both of them. He knew that it would be all over if the mouth mped down on them, and he released his hold on Amman, then drew out Halran Gaia and stabbed upwards.

    The de sank deeply into the dragon head¡¯s soft upper mouth till only its hilt could be seen, and the monster lifted its head and roared in pain. Brendel pulled out his sword and aimed for the monster¡¯s throat. A bullet of wind smashed through it and caused the mist to scatter like blood, and the feedback from it propelled him away with a tremendous force. His body sailed through the air like a cannonball and he broke through several tree branches, before crashing down on a bush. If it was not for his body stronger that was stronger than the average human by nearly a hundred times, this would have ended his life.

    Still, he felt dizzy from the immense impact. Pain assaulted him quickly and he stumbled, but he got up once more through sheer will.

    Brendel¡¯s hand moved up to his lips as he started coughing to expel the blood in his throat. Bloodshot eyes started scanning the area, and he discovered Veronica drawing the fake Lernaia Hydra¡¯s attention. The squires looked like they were lost, and Amman was probably dead.

    ¡°My lord!¡±

    Brendel heard Scarlett yell out to him, full of worry and tension.

    ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet.¡± He dered.

    ¡°But you will soon be,¡± Orthlyss¡¯s voice wormed into his mind with a great sigh. ¡°that was beyond reckless. It¡¯s a miracle that you are not dead yet.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Brendel could not help butugh, but hisughter was soon converted into a serious of coughs. The dragon head that he had injured was still dancing madly in the air, but he did not care and started moving towards the grey gemstone that dropped onto the ground.

    ¡°Amman¡¯s gemstone.¡± Orthlyss was momentarily surprised.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± he said.

    ¡°You..... are still obsessed this trifling object at this juncture?¡±

    Brendelughed again as he picked the gemstone up, and this time his maniac-likeughter was sessfully carried through the windless mist.

    ¡°A gamer¡¯s soul...... I would say. Always aim for opportunities, I would say. I will never forget my origin, I would say......¡± Brendel¡¯s voice was almost raspy and waning, his legs struggling to keep him upright.

    ¡°Gamer?¡± Orthlyss was confused.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Brendel nodded as the world around him turned dark, ¡°that is...... my true self, no matter what...... I won¡¯t forget...... my goals and motives.¡±

    ¡°My lord!¡± Scarlett called out to Brendel once again, this time appearing next to the youth, though her voice appeared like a badly-tuned radio to him.

    ¡°We need to leave this area...... It¡¯s unsafe.¡± Brendel whispered in a hurry as Scarlett caught him before he fell to the ground, and ced his arm over her shoulder, helping him walk forward.

    The girl wiped the corners of her eyes and nodded. The fact that he was still able to speak made her feel much more at ease. She thought herself as someone with resolve, but could not stop herself from panicking at the thought of Brendel¡¯s death.

    If she could, she would rather take on Brendel¡¯s injuries and die instead, so that the anguish in her heart would not be felt. She gritted her teeth as she could not tell whether there was some level of selfishness to this thought.

    The youth held the fragment in his hand tightly and closed his eyes, shuffling in and out of consciousness, not knowing if the Demonic Fog Nightmare was still chasing them. Eventually, Scarlett realized that the youth¡¯s footsteps were getting slower.

    ¡°My lord! Please, you can¡¯t sleep here! You must have a solution!¡± She cried out desperately.

    Light returned to Brendel¡¯s eyes. He thought for a moment and fumbled around in his bag, taking out several Health Potions. These were taken from Graudin¡¯s collection. He had concocted a batch that was made with his Alchemy skills while being aided by Merial, but most of them were distributed to the youths.

    ¡°Here, my lord, these are my Health Potions.¡± Scarlett understood what he was trying to do.

    He gulped down the contents of the five small bottles.

    [It¡¯s no good. I recovered a little HP, but the bleeding damage will eventually drain away everything. Health Potion number 21. It is really the weakest Health Potion out there. Even a priest-in-training could make them, but the effectiveness is awful. Gamers used to call it a painkiller¨C]

    Brendel¡¯s current HP went past the critical zone, but he knew that the injury was too grave and would continue to whittle down his HP.

    [Luck is my only option.]

    ¡°Scarlett.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Listen carefully, if we continue south, there should be a Safe Zone.¡±

    ¡°Safe Zone?¡±

    Brendel could not control his coughings. There was no time to exin, and the warnings in his retina were increasing. His life could end at any time given his condition. He took a deep breath and exined: ¡°It¡¯s the same as the White Cliffs of Divinity. Bring me there.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps we should go back to Lady Merial? Your wounds¡ª¡±

    Brendel interrupted her: ¡°You are not to go back. This is an order.¡±

    If Veronica managed to escape from the Demonic Fog Nightmare, she would most likely guess that the youth retreating back to Amandina, and they would be caught. If she somehow ended up getting killed, the Demonic Fog Nightmare¡¯s mist was all over the valley. The chances to survive were equally bad.

    ¡°But......¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    [There is no retreat here. The only path to survival is to enter the Loop of Trade Winds. But I¡¯m the only one who knows how to enter it. It is there that survival is guaranteed for everyone. And it¡¯s the first step to find the legendary Valha, and light the Fire Seed of the Dark Forest. The first long-term goal that I set ever since I came to this world. The first step to changing Aouine¡ª]

    The youth did not tell Scarlett to leave him behind even though he knew he was dying.

    The Unyielding Talent ended at that moment, and the world turned ck.

 volume 3 - 168

    Chapter 168 ¨C God¡¯s Acolyte

    ============== Veronica¡¯s POV ==============

    The Lernaia Hydra became berserk after getting injured. Multiple dragon heads roared in fury, chasing after the remaining squires who fled after seeing Amman killed, as well as attacking Veronica with renewed vigor in order to vanquish the insignificant insects who challenged it.

    The squires were already pushed to the limits just to distract the monstrous dragon heads to buy Amman time in casting his spell, but his death immediately sent their morale to the pits. Their formation was crushed in an instant when more dragon heads appeared. Many of them were bitten in half by the dragon heads that appeared out of nowhere, and it was as though the forest had be hell with shrieks and screams filling the area.

    Veronica¡¯s brows were furrowed greatly and she kept using her Sword Energy to parry the Lernaia Hydra¡¯s attacks, but it was not the death of the knights or even her own safety that confused her.

    It was Amman¡¯s death.

    When she saw Brendel¡¯s eyes, her heart seemed to stop beating for a moment, because she did not think Brendel would actually risk his own life to kill an Archbishop from the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    It was a faction that held a powerful rule over the kingdoms that had allied with it, which naturally included Aouine and the Kirrlutz Empire. Even if the high ranking Cardinals in Kirrlutz were able to wield the right to speak for the Holy Cathedral of Fire, they would never go against the colossal faction.

    The authority from the Holy Cathedral of Fire had long entered the popce¡¯s hearts, and everyone feared and revered them. Anyone who stood against the Cathedral would be standing against the entire Fire Alliance.

    Other than the Holy Wars that appeared over the eras, no one dared to challenge the Cathedral.

    Veronica¡¯s position was indeed higher than Amman, but she would never dare to kill him. The Empire would never split off from the Fire Alliance over amander.

    ¡°That fool¡­..¡± Veronica gritted her teeth and gripped her sword so tightly that her fingers became white.

    This event that happened today had to be buried in her heart forever.

    She took a deep breath.

    It wasplicated because the source of today¡¯s events could be traced back to Faena, and the reason of inciting Amman to attack Brendel was due to a stupid rock that the girl wanted.

    The internal strife between the Kirrlutz Empire and Aouine led to the death of an Archbishop.

    If the news of Amman¡¯s death ended up spreading, then it would be a question about the authority of the Holy Cathedral of Fire if they did not retaliate against this transgression. Any kingdom which did not desire to be ced under ¡®Divine¡¯ authority, would start to act in the shadows. It was sufficient to make a political shakedown because the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s authority would be questioned if they did not act.

    The Emperor from Kirrlutz might have even thought about it before, a secession from the Fire Alliance.

    Thus, the concluding result might end up as using Veronica and the others who made their way to the Green Tower of false charges and subjecting them to a ¡®sacred judgment¡¯. Even Veronica had to shudder when she came to that conclusion. When she finally created some space for herself, she nced around and realized that Brendel was nowhere to be found.

    But it was a given that Brendel died from being impaled by the dragon¡¯s head, and she figured that the red-haired girl must have brought his corpse away from the forest. It was a pity. The youth¡¯s headstrong personality had won her admiration, and she could not help but remember the time when she was young.

    It was not as if she was willing to submit to the world¡¯s unfairness.

    It was a pity, that he had to be someone from Aouine.

    ================ Scarlett¡¯s POV =============

    Scarlett carried the unconscious Brendel past the ce where they came from where she lost her halberd. She followed Brendel¡¯s instructions, moving to the south and crossing over the valley, to reach the ancient ridge outside the Loop of Trade Winds.

    In order to reach the ¡®Safe Zone¡¯ Brendel had talked about, she had not slept for two days, but Brendel¡¯s breathing was bing weaker and weaker, making her uneasy and constantly questioning if she was traveling in the wrong direction. In order to keep her spirits up, she spoke to the unconscious Brendel about various topics, but he never once answered her.

    Her heart felt empty and she did not know how she could face the fact that Brendel might stop breathing forever at any given time. Bleak thoughts constantly shed in her mind, and she even started to whimper with teary eyes at a certain point in time. She even felt that someone was watching her all the time.

    The more she walked to the south, the fewer trees appeared before her eyes. The dark green vegetation had be a dull yellow. Even though the location was shrouded in an endless night where there was no sun, the asional shes of light from the Mana in the clouds illuminated the area from time to time.

    The grass in the area was distributed in patches like a balding man¡¯s hair. Naked rocks jutted out from the dark soil, with trees far apart from each other in the distant. The road waspletely silent ahead.

    In her exhaustion, she lost count of the hours and was unable to tell if it had been more than two days, but she finally found the ce where Brendel was speaking off. It was a gigantic boulder lying in the midst of an empty clearing. There seemed to be a slight glow on the rocks, and there was an air of divinity around it.

    There was no need to question it anymore, it was definitely the right ce.

    The girl half-climbed and half-crawled over to it. The exhaustion, anxiety, and tension finally overwhelmed her and she stumbled over a rock that was jutting out.

    Brendel tumbled far away from her. Scarlett stood up from the ground with gritted teeth, ignoring the pain on her elbows and hands, rushing over to the youth in order to carry him. Liquid filled the youth¡¯s clothes and she immediately knew that his injuries were infected, but there was nothing she could do.

    The girl hesitatingly reached over Brendel¡¯s chest. His heart was still beating, but it was so faint that she could hardly feel it. Scarlett could not help but cry with her hands covered over her cracked lips. She was cold and hungry too. There was another bag she had carried that she had tied to a tree, and she forgot to take it because she could think of running away from the Hydra.

    The necessities of food and water in the bag were all left behind.

    She cried for a while before she carried Brendel and ced him on the boulder. She did not dare to leave him behind and simply sat beside him in a daze, hoping for a miracle where her lord would just get better by himself.

    But things did not go the way she hoped for as she fell asleep from exhaustion.

    A few hourster, she woke up in a dizzy state and realized that the body¡¯s youth was glowing.

    But this situation was anything but good news. Mana was leaking out from Brendel¡¯s body. This phenomenon would only happen to a Gold-ranker when they awakened their Element Power while approaching death.

    If Brendel was awake, he would have dered it was over for him. However, Scarlett did not know what it signified and gingerly felt Brendel¡¯s heart, only to discover that his body was as cold as the air around her. She started panicking, but she could note up with an idea.

    But right at that moment a voice suddenly came from behind her:

    ¡°Hmmm?¡±

    It was a woman¡¯s voice.

    Scarlett¡¯s thoughts were momentarily halted, and she turned around with her guard up to see who it was. The only woman who was here could only be Veronica. But it surprised her to see a strange-looking woman walking closer towards them.

    [No, to be more precise, the upper half body is a woman, and the lower half looks like some kind of living nt?]

    Scarlett did not recognize who the strange woman was, but she recognized the unconscious girl that was wrapped around with vines and hanging behind thetter.

    [This woman is most likely responsible for the disappearances of Dia and the nobles!]

    She subconsciously tried to pull out her dagger, only to realize that she had lost it long ago.

    Her teeth clenched and unclenched, and she looked warily at Andesha.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± She asked, her voice raspy and her throat dry enough to hurt.

    Andesha studied Scarlett with great interest. The dangerous woman kept on smiling at her without even looking at Brendel at all.

    ¡°Little girl,¡± her voice had a little sex appeal to it, I seem to know you.

    ¡°I don¡¯t recognize you.¡± Even though Scarlett felt dizzy, she used one hand to protect Brendel and replied to Andesha through gritted teeth.

    ¡°No, no,¡± Andesha¡¯s eyes narrowed into slits and she shook her head, ¡°what I mean to say is, you have a very familiar scent on your body.¡±

    Scarlett did not respond, but Andesha¡¯s smile became broader.

    ¡°I remember now, this scent is the Blood of Gods!¡± Her eyes brightened and she licked her lips: ¡°Should I call you the Acolyte of Lightning?¡±

    Scarlett¡¯s expression warped, and her face turned as white as a sheet. The pain that the Blood of Gods gave to her was as sharp as a de cutting into her. She could not forget that very day when she was killed by that member of the Tree Shepherd, then revived as a puppet only to wait for her soul to bepletely destroyed. The nightmares that haunted her daily nearly drove her to the edge of insanity. If it was not for her lord, she knew that she would be a monster long ago, just like the Acolyte of Earth, Ekman.

    She stared at Andesha with wide eyes, knowing very clearly in her heart that she was also likely to be a member of¡ª

    ¡°The¡­.. Tree Shepherds?¡± Scarlett was almost unable to breathe, but she squeezed out her words.

    ¡°Hah, you actually know of us. But if I think about it, it¡¯s not really surprising,¡± Andesha replied, ¡°since the Blood of Gods run through your veins, you¡¯re naturally one of us.¡±

    She tilted her head.

    ¡°But it¡¯s a little strange. You seem to possess your own will.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not an Acolyte!¡± Scarlett took in a deep breath and denied with great agitation: ¡°I¡¯m not part of you either!¡±

    ¡°Oh no, no, no, no,¡± Andesha looked at Scarlett, her expression bing brighter and brighter, ¡°it seems like this trip¡¯s gain isn¡¯t small at all, other than Kirrlutz¡¯s little princess, I actually have an idental windfall. A wandering Acolyte, hmmm, now who is it who gave you the Blood of Gods?¡±

    Scarlett red at her without answering.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I will know of it eventually. Since from now onwards, little girl, you will be part of my victory spoils.¡±

    ¡°Never!¡± Scarlett shuddered.

    ¡°Really? But, it, is, not, up, to, you.¡±

 volume 3 - 169

    Chapter 169 ¨C The Blood of Darkness

    A vine shot out at Scarlett at a startling speed, but it was clear that Andesha underestimated thetter¡¯s strength. Even though she was tired and hungry, she was able to take Brendel along with her and somersaulted into the air, dodging the vine¡¯s attack.

    Scarlett¡¯s eyes were full of hatred as she stared at Andesha. She did not know that Andesha was one of the twelve leaders of the Tree Shepherds, but she knew that she was definitely not a match for her.

    Andesha was taken aback and lightly mumbled to herself in surprise: ¡°Hmmm? Isn¡¯t the Acolyte of lightning a spellcaster type? An altered bloodline? My, my, what amazing luck.¡±

    But the arrogant woman pulled back her whip-like vine and did not attack again, and instead looked at Scarlett with her light purple eyes: ¡°You¡¯re not my match. Come with me obediently, and thisdy will not hurt you.¡±

    Scarlett shook her head firmly.

    ¡°Tsk,¡± Andesha let a vine hang loosely, ¡°humans are truly creatures who don¡¯t weep unless they face death. Listen well, I cannot ensure that I don¡¯t hurt you in the process.¡±

    Scarlett merely readied her stance and prepared to attack anytime. Her fingers were curled into ws, and golden sigils suddenly appeared over her arms.

    [Mana Resonance?]

    But Andesha denied her own guess: ¡°No, it is not.¡±

    As heretics who acted in the name of Chaos, the Tree Shepherds had an instinctive sense towards Mana movement. Even though the mysterious symbols on Scarlett¡¯s arms seemed like they reacted with the Mana in the vicinity, there was a definite subtle difference.

    It was more alike to a wizard¡¯s Mana Sigils that they cast.

    Andesha was getting increasingly curious. There were too many strange things with the little girl in front of her, and she could not wait to study her closely. She raised an index finger, and a vine whipped towards Scarlett. Thetter dodged carefully to the sides, but the vine changed its direction as though it was alive and wrapped itself around her left wrist. Scarlett panicked a little and quickly wed at it with her right hand, and actually tore it to pieces.

    [What sharpness!]

    Andesha was a little surprised. Even though her vines seemed like it was quite thin, it was infused with a corrosive Element Power. It was highly resilient and even a normal magic weapon would not be able to cut through it easily and in fact get damaged by it, but it was torn to pieces by Scarlett¡¯s nails.

    However, she was one of the twelve leaders of the Tree Shepherds after all. During the time when Scarlett was dealing with the single vine, more vines broke through the earth below Andesha¡¯s feet and rushed to Scarlett at incredible speed while she was distracted, and they easily overwhelmed her and bound the red-haired girl up.

    Scarlett tried to resist, but Andesha¡¯s vines pulled taut and restricted her movements. She gritted her teeth and used her mana to attack the blood crystal embedded in her heart. Lightning immediately fanned out around her body before they targeted for her heart.

    In Andesha¡¯s eyes, this act represented suicide. The majority of the Acolytes throughout the ages would do this instinctively through the Blood of Gods¡¯s directive when they are captured by the enemies. This was done to prevent the factions outside the Tree Shepherds from gaining a sample of the Blood of Gods.

    And Scarlett was doing the same thing with her own will to kill herself. Even though she could not fight back, her eyes bore into Andesha with great hatred. It was clear her zing orange eyes had one meaning.

    I rather die than submit.

    https://youtu.be/uWHUJkcNIuc

    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Andesha gasped, her mind working quickly to try and dissuade Scarlett from doing this act.

    And she finally spotted the unconscious Brendel. She stretched her hand out and a vine wrapped the near-dead youth and hoisted him into the air, while another vine with a sharp pointed edge was brought close to his throat.

    ¡°Stop your actions right now, or this boy ceases to live!¡± Andesha¡¯s shrill voice invaded Scarlett¡¯s ears.

    The girl shuddered and her suicidal actions stopped immediately. Her teeth gnashed for a moment before she spoke again:

    ¡°Despicable!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, but this is for your own good, little girl.¡± Andesha rxed before she smiled again, and Scarlett averted her head.

    Andesha was certain that Scarlett will kill herself immediately if the youth was left behind. She could not help but feel a little conflicted. An Acolyte was quite useful to the Tree Shepherds, and not to mention the strange signs Scarlett which also made Andesha interested.

    [But I can¡¯t possibly bring a filthy man along¡ª What in the name of Chaos, it¡¯s this boy!]

    ¡°Brendel, is it? Tsk, tsk, how did he end up like this?¡± Andesha nced at him before she realized in surprise, but she spoke sarcastically next: ¡°Let me guess, this would be the handiwork of the people from Kirrlutz?¡±

    Scarlett¡¯s eyes went back to the woman in surprise.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be surprised, there is nothing that can be hidden from me.¡± Andeshaughed mysteriously, though she noted there was a stench on him that she abhorred¡ª The divine magic from the Holy Cathedral of Fire had left their marks on Brendel¡¯s wounds. A scheme suddenly came into her mind ¡°He¡¯s your current lord?¡±

    Scarlett did not answer.

    ¡°Your lord does not seem like he can live much longer,¡± Andesha patted her face in glee when she saw Scarlett¡¯s body tremble, ¡°Mana is pouring out of his body, and for people who awakened their Element Power like us, it is no different from our life leaving our bodies. Do you wish to apany this male till he dies? That is fine, thisdy shall apany you in doing so.¡±

    Scarlett gritted her teeth and answered earnestly:

    ¡°I know why you¡¯re talking so much. You can save my lord. I understand, if you can really do so¡ª I¡¯ll follow you.¡±

    It took a long time for the girl to finish her words.

    ¡°A wise decision.¡±

    ¡°But you should remember this. If my lord dies, then there is no meaning for me to continue living.¡± Scarlett¡¯s eyes were cold.

    ¡°Threatening me, is it? What a passionate love, but don¡¯t you worry. I will do exactly as I say, and that he will not die here.¡± Andesha gave a faint smile.

    [This boy seems like he has offended the Holy Cathedral of Fire as well, and it is not impossible for him to be a member of the Tree Shepherds.]

    Andesha spied on Brendel when she was searching for Faena. At that time, the youth was dealing with the Misthowler Warg, and his strength left a great impression on her. Dia was the one who supplied the youth¡¯s name.

    [He is quite the impressive youth.]

    She walked up towards the youth and patted his face: ¡°I¡¯ll help you for the sake of the Acolyte of Lightning.¡±

    ¡°Can you really save him?¡± Scarlett felt ufortable when she saw Andesha¡¯s actions. At that moment, she suspected whether Andesha was lying to her.

    ¡°Judging at the speed of his Mana loss, it will at most take another one or two hours before he expires. But saving him is easy, and I just need to replenish what is lost¡ª¡± Andesha suddenly gasped in astonishment when she realized the severity of the youth¡¯s injuries: ¡°How quaint, he didn¡¯t die immediately from such injuries? I would have thought that he¡¯s an Acolyte if he survives such injuries, but since I do not detect the Blood of Gods, perhaps he is not a human? ...... Well, he would eventually be one in any case.¡±

    Scarlett heard Andesha¡¯s mutterings and she roared: ¡°What do you mean by that!¡±

    Andesha¡¯s head slowly moved to Scarlett¡¯s direction.

    Her eyes never looked more sinister.

    ¡°Then, child, in what manner do you think I would save him?¡± Her voice was pleasant, but Scarlett never felt more fear than she did now.

    ¡°You can¡¯t use the Blood of Gods......¡± She could not believe how ruthless Andesha was and she struggled at once: ¡°Stop!¡±

    ¡°Stop?¡± Andesha took out a ck crystal before she stopped, waiting patiently: ¡°Is that really what you want? Remember this, this is the only way you can save your lord, or he will definitely die.¡±

    Scarlett was silenced. She stared at Andesha in disbelief, but she eventually spoke: ¡°You....... You¡¯re lying.¡±

    ¡°Of what reasons do I have to deceive you, child? I am not the priests from the Holy Cathedral who have the ability to raise the near-dead and fallen. I can save this boy, but this is my only way.¡±

 volume 3 - 170

    Chapter 170 ¨C Item of Destiny

    Andesha held up the crystal up to show Scarlett, watching the little girl chew her lips in hesitation:

    ¡°In any case, I shall revive him, and you will follow me willingly. The Blood of Gods in this crystal has the purest Darkness Element in it and I am not willing to use it, if it¡¯s not to acquiesce to your request.¡±

    ¡°You......¡±

    But Andesha finally lost her patience. She suddenly realized that Brendel was actually an incredible candidate, no, he was possibly the best candidate for an Acolyte she had ever seen. He was someone who became a Gold-ranker at his age and had even awakened his Element Power. Otherwise, Mana would not be leaking out from his body.

    Andesha ignored Scarlett¡¯s struggles and directly pierced Brendel¡¯s heart with the pointed crystal.

    Brendel lightly groaned and frowned in his unconscious state.

    ¡°Nooo!¡± Scarlett stared with wide eyes as she wailed in despair.

    Andesha pped her hands as if to clear off the dust and looked back at Scarlett.

    ¡°Hmmm. Indeed, there are cases where Acolytes who don¡¯t survive or loses their will after receiving the Blood of Gods, but there are exceptions like yourself, and your lord has a very good chance of seeding. Don¡¯t be too eager to kill yourself, little girl, you might be separated from your Lord forever!¡±

    It was difficult for the Blood of Gods to corrupt someone with an Element Power because of their immense will, but it also depended on an individual¡¯s mastery. In addition, there was another lie within Andesha¡¯s words. The Blood of Gods she had was the purest amongst the ones distributed to the members of the Tree Shepherds. Even someone like Veronica would be unlikely to suppress it, and she did not think the youth would be able to seed.

    Even though Scarlett hated Andesha, thetter¡¯s words could not suppress the sliver of hope that sprung with her heart. Her eyes went towards Brendel and she watched the Blood of Gods spread through her young lord¡¯s veins, biting her lips as she prayed for a miracle to happen.

    Suddenly, Andesha snapped her head to Brendel as she felt a peculiar vibration behind her. A golden point on Brendel¡¯s body had suddenly appeared, and it rushed straight towards one of the many ck lines from the Blood of Gods, and the ck line was converted into a golden line that went straight back to the sources. A second point, a third point, countless points appeared and overwhelmed the ck lines as though they were consuming the Blood of Gods.

    ¡°This is......¡±

    Andesha stared at the blinding golden crystal with a cked jaw. She had seen countless people transformed into Acolytes, but she had never seen this sight before, and felt that things were going out of her expectations. Her hands subconsciously tried to take out the crystal, but as soon as her skin came into contact, she screamed. It was as though her hands were plunged into moltenva.

    She withdrew her hands to inspect them and discovered her skinpletely blistered, even peeling off a little.

    [What¡¯s going on?]

    The light from the vibrating crystal continued to intensify, and the golden rays emitted from it lit nearly half the valley.

    ¡°A divine bloodline! A divine bloodline! The bloodline of a true god!¡± Andesha muttered to herself with a stunned expression as she held her breath, refusing to believe her eyes: ¡°He¡¯s a descendant of the gods! How can this be!?¡±

    But the golden lines on Brendel¡¯s suddenly stopped, and Andesha¡¯s expression changed once more. The divine energy was reaching out to one of the star constetions in the sky.

    ¡°No, this isn¡¯t good!¡± Andesha came back to her senses as she realized she was not the only strong entity in the Dark Forest. Veronica and Mephisto were lurking around somewhere, not to mention the strange fog demon masquerading as a Hydra. Countless vines rushed over Brendel¡¯s body to nket the divine energy, but an immense beam of light reached for the heavens¡ª

    [I¡¯m toote!]

    The light parted the clouds and reached for the seventh constetion in the sky.

    The Dragon of Combat, Fafnir.

    ================= Brendel¡¯s POV ================

    ¨C System alert: The Blood of Origins ispatible.

    ¨C Repairing started.

    The nearly unconscious Brendel felt himself floating in an endless sea of darkness, until a voice echoed in his mind and pulled him back to reality.

    The youth immediately sensed needles prickling into him from the heart, and he could not help but cry out in pain as the foreign energy invaded his body. Then the shing green words registered in his mind.

    [The Blood of Origins!? That¡¯s the system¡¯s term for the Blood of Gods. Is someone using the Blood of Gods on me?]

    After a moment of surprise, he gritted his teeth and immediately tried to gather his Element Power to resist the Blood of Gods¡¯s invasion to his soul. Even though it was repairing his body, it would ultimately turn him into a mindless puppet. But the pain only increased and he realized that his Mana was leaking out of his body.

    [I-I can¡¯t stop it.]

    The image on the system¡¯s windows indicated that the Blood of Gods was reaching into his brain.

    [Fuck, why is this happening!]

    He red at the floating screen as the core area was about to be affected.

    ¨C Detected an unknown Item of Destiny.

    Brendel took a moment to understand what he was reading.

    [Item of Destiny?! What item is near me? Wait, in the first ce, where am I right now?]

    ¨C System Alert: Unknown Item of Destiny is interfering with the Blood of Origins.

    ¨C System Alert: Unknown Item of Destiny has been forcefully activated.

    Brendel looked at the messages with a stupid expression.

    [I didn¡¯t even get to refuse or ept it..... Is this the result of the Blood of Gods invading my soul? No, wait, it¡¯s saying that the Item of Destiny is interfering with the Blood Of Gods. I¡¯m confused......]

    There was a sudden change in the scenery before his eyes, and he discovered himself sitting down on a cold golden throne. The youth had never seen any descriptions of an Item of Destiny manifesting itself in this manner.

    Fingers traced the golden metallic armrest, and they withdrew quickly as a sobering cold invaded them.

    Brendel finally calmed down as he felt the sensation on his fingertips, and he started to think about his situation.

    ¡°Where is this ce?¡± He muttered and sighed.

    The area around him was dimly illuminated, but he soon realized it was a vast hall. Obsidian pirs with an intricate design extended endlessly into darkness. A slight streak of pain pulsed through his mind as he peered into the cold, empty darkness. It was almost as if he was being strangled.

    He averted his gaze and swept the surroundings.

    [There¡¯s no one here. Where is this? Am I awake or unconscious?]

    He narrowed his eyes and tried to find anything that was out of the ordinary. Suddenly, he spotted a glint in front of him. It was a golden throne, not unlike the one he was sitting at, and on it was also a person.

    [He¡¯s looking at me¡ª Wait, is this a mirror in front of me? Am I looking at myself?]

    He continued to look at the throne opposite of him, about to raise a hand to test whether it was a mirror, when a low booming voice reached into his ears. It was not a grating voice, but a little heavy. The voice crossed a great distance, but it was clear as though that person was speaking next to him:

    ¡°Announce your name formally.¡±

 volume 3 - 171

    Chapter 171 ¨C Ancestral Descendant

    Brendel asked the man instead of answering:

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Came the reply.

    The man opposite of Brendel suddenlyughed. He ced an upright arm on the throne¡¯s armrest, tilting sideways, and ced his chin on his fist: ¡°I am a fool.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s brows furrowed a little.

    [Is this some kind of quest? But I don¡¯t recall anything like this in the Dark Forest, or even the other areas in the game. No, calm down, think of how to respond. The first thing to do in the game with a setting like this, would be to continue the conversation...... Hopefully, it¡¯s not some kind of riddle.]

    ¡°Then why am I...... Why are you here?¡± He asked, wanting to ask why he had appeared in this ce, but changing his mind at thest moment.

    ¡°You should ask yourself this question, boy.¡± The voice said, demanding subservience.

    ¡°Me?¡± Brendel became nonplussed. ¡°I apologize, I do not know why I am here. I did, however, offend a woman, subsequently killed a bishop, and came to this ce.¡±

    There was mockery in his voice.

    But the air in the vast hall turned cold, and the youth could feel the piercing gaze on him.

    ¡°It is a little interesting to know these additional bits of information from your lips, but these are not the cause, they are the conclusion.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°For what reason did you lead your men towards death? Why did you fail to protect them? Most importantly, do you truly not know the state you are in right now?¡±

    Brendel could not help but swallow.

    ¡°Fool. Such a fool,¡± the mysterious manughed coldly as he watched Brendel¡¯s reactions as though he was pitying him, ¡°even unto death you do not know how to regret your actions, such is the vanity of all humans!¡±

    The cause of his troubles was due to his oath before Makarov and the others. He was the one who practically invited the various factions to travel to the Green Tower over the Lionheart. The Rock Key, insulting Faena, fighting Veronica with the Holy Sword card, all of them were causes that led further to his downfall. He even chose not to betray his core values to spite Amman.

    Time seemed to pass painfully slow as Brendel continued remaining silent, agonizing over his decisions on whether they were mistakes, while the mysterious tyrant simply stared at him.

    ¡°Enough. I no longer want to dwell on this matter.¡± It was ultimately the mysterious man who ended the silence first.

    ¡°To answer the earlier question, you¡¯re here because you¡¯re carrying a Seed of Destiny.¡±

    [Seed of Destiny? I don¡¯t get it, is he talking about his artifact?]

    But the youth dropped his jaw when he recalled Amman¡¯s dropped gemstone and made a connection. Perhaps the person in front of him was Farnezain, one of the four Sages who took on the role of the Priest profession, in the form of a Heroic Spirit? The possibility was there because the Wind Empress and the King of Fire left behind their Legacies. Even though the Pope¡¯s Legacy did not appear in the game, it might just mean that nobody discovered his Legacy.

    [Farnezain, one of the four sages? His divine artifact put me here?]

    ¡°You are......¡± Brendel was almost stuttering.

    [Of course! Orthlyss said that gemstone looked familiar. If it came from the same era, how could it not be familiar¡ª Wait, I remember that Farnezain¡¯s artifact should be a staff, how did it end up as a gemstone? Hmmm, perhaps the gemstone is one part of the staff?]

    ¡°Your Eminence,¡± Brendel¡¯s tone became polite, ¡°you refer to the gemstone that I¡¯m carrying.¡±

    ¡°That gemstone you¡¯re referring to is indeed a Seed of Destiny.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Brendel¡¯s head hurt when he heard that term.

    [So it¡¯s the Item of Destiny after all that brought me here. I just gave one of the best Item of Destiny, the Golden Apple, to Scarlett recently, and now I got another Seed of Destiny. It might even help suppress the Blood of Gods! What luck!]

    ¡°Are you a member of the Golden Lineage?¡± The mysterious man asked.

    Brendel¡¯s mind threw aside the difficult questions and chose to focus on the current one. He decided to answer truthfully: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not even a member of the Silver Lineage.¡±

    ¡°I see, so you are garbage. It is certainly fitting that you failed others and even yourself.¡±

    There was a moment of silence. Anger red in the youth¡¯s heart, but it quickly subsided. Brendel did not respond and his eyes look zed at the supposed Heroic Spirit¡¯s judgment. He failed in his past life, in the game and reality, and when he came to this world, he doomed his allies in the Dark Forest, and in extension, Aouine¡¯s fate. He could not even save himself.

    ¡°The Blood of Gods isn¡¯t something to be feared of most of the time, but the condition your body is in does not allow you to use your Element Power to control it. Though I don¡¯t think you are capable of resisting it anyway,¡± the mysterious man said.

    ¡°What exactly do you want from me?¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Ah, what should I do indeed? I thought you were at least from the Golden Lineage, but you said you are not. If this is true, then why do you have our blood running through your veins? Garbage, perhaps, but even so, you are still our descendant, and helping you is not out of the question.¡±

    [What? Did you say ¡®our blood¡¯? ¡®Descendant¡¯? Are you saying that I¡¯m one of direct lineage from one of the members of the Holy Alliance? How can they be rted to me?]

    Brendel suddenly thought of his secretive grandfather; thetter possessed a Ring of the Wind Empress, and now he was rted to the human members of the Holy Alliance?

    The youth could not help but think of the messy rtionships in the royal families.

    [This body¡¯s genealogy traces back to one of the ancient royal lineage? But that¡¯s unlikely, because this body would at least have some traces of boosted stats to match someone from the Silver Lineage. Instead, this body is perfectly average.]

    ¡°What exactly do you want from me?¡± Brendel asked again after thinking in confusion.

    ¡°A forgotten descendant of the past lineages, do you not understand what you are supposed to do? Reim what is lost to you.¡± The mysterious personughed: ¡°ept. Your. Destiny.¡±

    [What do you mean by epting? Join the Holy Cathedral of Fire, or perhaps the other theocracies? What insane conditions do I have to fulfill to get your Legacy?]

    ¡°What destiny am I supposed to ept?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°In this world, there are countless talented people, either gained from bloodlines, their races, or their history,¡± the mysterious person sat up and pointed at himself, ¡°but there are people who imed their own Talent because of their birth, opportunity, and fate. The invisible threads that join the connections around them, which decide the path they are going to walk.¡±

    The hall seemed to grow even darker than before.

    ¡°The Legacy that I bestow on you will be simr to your fate. Perhaps you wille to realize what my Legacy means in the future, it is the key to unlock potential¡ª¡±

    ¡°What do you gain from this?¡± Brendel asked in suspicion.

    ¡°I am merely waiting for someone to inherit my full Legacy.¡±

    ¡°...... It sounds like I have to go around searching for things again,¡± Brendel mumbled to himself.

    The entire thing sounded like a huge chain quest.

    ¡°Oh? Indeed. It seems like you understand quite well of what is to be expected of you. Finding a true sessor is difficult, and the bloodline alone is already a strict condition.¡±

    ¡°I cannot refuse, can I? It sounds like a devil¡¯s temptation!¡± Brendel vented in frustration.

    ¡°There is no need to test me,¡± the man shook his head, ¡°the devils are my enemies.¡±

    ¡°...... Are you really Farnezain?¡±

    Mockingughter echoed directly into Brendel¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Your imagination is rich indeed.¡±

    The youth felt the personality of the mysterious person was too strange for a priest, but perhaps he was one of the four Sages, though it did not seem like he was any of them.

    ¡°Who exactly are you?¡± The youth asked yet again.

    ¡°Collect more of the ¡®gemstone¡¯ that you possess right now. In truth, I sealed my soul in the Grey Primordial Divinity after my death, but it was shattered into fragments during the great battle, and one of those fragments is the gemstone you hold right now. If you find all of them, you will find all the seeds required to gain my full Legacy.¡±

    Brendel stood up in shock and could not help but yell out, shivering: ¡°You! Y-y-you...... are......¡±

    The mysterious man nodded: ¡°The Silver Elves called me Darnols, the witches addressed me as the Lord of Eternal Darkness and Myriad Realms, but I prefer what you humans call me, Ooinn.¡±

    ¡°T-the Dragon of Darkness......¡±

    ¡°Afraid?¡±

    [There was a video in the end-game where gamers fought again a projection cast by a fragmented consciousness. So this is the human form? But he looks like a normal person.]

    Brendel was at a great loss. Going by the history excerpts from the Kirrlutz¡¯s poems, the Dragon of Darkness was a supreme viin amongst viins, and he was a cliche tyrant who wanted to dominate the entire world.

    Now the protagonist of the cliche plotline was in front of him.

    The Dragon of Darkness was mentioned just a little less than the Goddess Marsha in the game, and he was actually tired of the NPCs mentioning him everywhere, but now that the real deal was in front of him, he could not help but feel all sorts of negative emotions.

    Upon the revtion, the cold eyes that stared at him now had made him afraid.

    ¡°What do you want to do with this world?¡±

    ¡°I am already dead. You should ask what you want to do.¡±

    Brendel blinked a few times before registering that fact: ¡°Are you really dead?¡±

    The Dragon of Darkness nodded: ¡°You should understand that what you see now is just a stream of consciousness left behind by my soul.¡±

    Brendel always thought that the Dragon of Darkness would surface as the final boss in the game, revived in the final piece of content where gamers would have to face him, but he became relieved that thetter would note back.

    The youth suddenly recalled Tulman and the Card of Fates. Did that old man not do a simr thing about handing his Legacy down to him?

    But when he thought of how many times he failed, and failed despite having so many advantages, he doubted himself and was hesitant to ept the Dragon of Darkness¡¯s offer.

    The Dragon of Darkness raised a hand, and a golden light shot into Brendel¡¯s body, and his voice boomed:

    ¡°Still, it doesn¡¯t matter even if you refuse me. I have made my decision to give you my Legacy; that woman has angered me by giving you that filth. I will even lend you my mes for a while, but perhaps you are too much of a weakling to defeat her. Go ahead and struggle like a fool, boy.¡±

    ¡°Wait......¡±

    Pain red up in Brendel¡¯s body when the light struck him, and he convulsed involuntarily as he clutched his throat, copsing to the ground as the Dragon of Darkness¡¯sughter reverberated in his ears.

    ¡°¡ªYou have no choice but to face your destiny.¡±

    These were the final words the youth heard before the world faded into darkness.

    ¨C System Notification: The destiny of ¡®The Fool¡¯ has been acquired.

    Note: There are going to be spoilerish discussions in thement section. Be careful when navigating there.

 volume 3 - 172

    Chapter 172 ¨C Interlock

    =========== City Dwellers¡¯ POV =========

    It was the fifth day of the Wolves of Cmity, and the sky was still dark¡ª

    Heavy rain that blocked visibility was pouring down at the Green Tower¡¯s area. All the watchtowers¡¯ Fire Seeds around the city, regardless of whether they were near or far, had been extinguished. The surroundings were pitch ck, with the exception of the purple lightning shes that urred and cut through the darkness, as well as lighting up the rain to make it a sea of silver.

    The wolves had broken past the final barrier outside the Green Tower. The snow-white Winter Wolves and the Blight Wolves with their festering hides leaped past the stacked corpses of the Druids and Tree Elves, appearing in front of the Green Tower¡¯s natives.

    The throng of wolves covered the earth like a flood. Their sharp ws dug into the ground and brought the dirt up, stepping into murky rainwater intermixed with blood, and they passed through the rainstorm with speed.

    There were rows of people lining up in the rain, filled with both genders, young and old. The elderly held back their emotions on their faces, while the youths had fear and uneasiness written on them. Rain slid down from their heads to their throats. Lips were parted slightly, but no one dared to utter a sound, and they gripped the weapons in their hands subconsciously.

    One of the senior Druids stood behind such an ¡®army¡¯. He wielded an oak staff with a strict expression. In his eyes, this group that was mostlyprised of youths was the Green Tower¡¯sst bastion, and perhaps the final and future hope of the Druids in this area. Under the threat of death, they had no choice but to participate in the defense.

    The Druids were already in ce at the Green Tower¡¯s lowest rung, the Great Hall of Autumn, and they would try to bar the wolves from invading the inner city.

    Everyone could hear thebined footsteps of the wolves, which seemed to be even louder than the rain falling over the surroundings. The Fire Seed in the Green Tower shook as though it was afraid of the terrifying army.

    Perhaps, the darkness in front of them would remain for all eternity.

    The thousands of dwellers in the Green Tower would be swallowed up by the monsters. History would remember them as numbers who perished, and who would stop to think that these numbers used to be a husband, a son, a friend, a lover? The brilliance of these rtionships would be gone forever.

    The first batch of Winter Wolves emerged from the darkness. Their strength had been reduced to the lowest they had ever been by the Green Tower¡¯s Fire Seed. They would be rated as intermediate Iron-ranked monsters, but their frightening numbers still made the people in the Green Tower tremble.

    It was this aspect that made them feel despair. No matter how brave and heroic they were, they would sumb to exhaustion in the end due to the endless attacks.

    The wolves might have suffered casualties that were tens of times, perhaps even a hundred times more, than the Druids and Tree Elves, and yet they came relentlessly and crashed into the defenders.

    It was as if there was no end to the creatures.

    The wall of brambles held back the first wave of wolves, but the second wave pushed forward without any care to the former. Sharp thorns pierced through the Winter Wolves¡¯ hides, staining their white fur with their ck corrupted blood. As more and more wolves collided into one another with their charge, the first wave of wolves was reduced to crushed bones and mangled flesh. Eyeballs popped out of their cracked sockets and eventually exploded.

    The dying Winter Wolves screamed with pain, but their frenzied howls merely filled the defenders with terror, as the monsters started climbing upwards on their dead to surmount the obstacle before them. Blood and flesh were torn apart as the ws of the wolves dug down deep into the ground of corpses to find a better foothold. Soon enough, the white wave of monsters went past the wall and rushed straight towards the Tree Elves¡¯ formation. A hole appeared in the formation as a tremendous impact struck at it. The Winter Wolves bit and dragged the defenders away, and sharp cries could be heard throughout the area.

    ================ Druids¡¯ POV ================

    The awful din from the rain covered all other noises.

    The Druids of the ckthorn Council were standing outside the Fire Seed¡¯s courtyard. The situation was dire and everyone knew it, but they could do nothing but wait for Brendel¡¯s news. The Great Elder nced once at the Fire Seed. The mes were flickering unsteadily against the Mana of Chaos. Even though the old man appeared calm, he was filled with anxiety.

    Brendel should at least have shown some indication that they had reached their destination. Or perhaps Quinn or Wydall would do so in his stead. The Great Elder could not help but look at Sifrid who was holding on to his hand. The little girl had not spoken at all since Brendel left.

    ¡°Great Elder, it¡¯s about time,¡± one of tall Druids said.

    But the old man shook his head after thinking for a moment.

    Suddenly, vibrations ran through his heart. It was not only him; the other Druids felt it as well¡ª

    =============== Archmagi¡¯s POV ==============

    ¡°It¡¯s a huge Mana Wave that¡¯s rarely seen,¡± William said.

    He stood on one of the courtyards between the Green Tower and the Great Hall of Autumn. The rain that fell over him hit an invisible barrier, which turned into ayer of water vapor.

    In the eyes of the people around him, there was an invisible barrier in the shape of a perfect sphere that covered the legendary wizard from the Silver Alliance. The barrier had a radius of one meter, and it even made the ground to be perfectly dry, with the rainwater forming a small stream around it instead.

    The elderly Archmage supported himself with a silver staff, with six Runestones hovering around it. If Brendel were there, he would have blurted out its name; the Legendary-ranked staff, the Mithril Brilliance, Legacy of the city Kanagi¡¯s current reigning lord, one of the symbols that represented William¡¯s identity.

    He lifted up his staff and randomly threw out several bolts of lightning, striking the few Winter Wolves that had gotten past the Tree Elves¡¯ defensive lines.

    ¡°Hmph. Haru said in the council meeting that this Mana Wave was nothing more than routine business. But what did the Silver Candle Association tell him early on? They informed him that their Star Seers discovered several stars out of ce when they were observed the Constetion of the Twilight Dragon, and that fool disregarded their warnings.¡±

    The old man who was next to William snorted as well, lifting his white eyebrows. There was also a barrier around him that blocked the rain, but it was not as exaggerated as William¡¯s and did not dry the ground.

    ¡°And you came here because of this matter?¡± William turned to the old man and asked.

    ¡°Indeed, if something is wrong with the Loop of Trade Winds, the humans would have to abandon all the cities south of Seale Ampere. Aouine is still half of my homnd.¡± The old man replied as he stared into the dark sky. ¡°I originally wanted to observe the situation, but it seems like it¡¯s far more serious than I imagined. Indeed, it¡¯s even worse than the recorded history of the Holy War. If my rationality is not with me, I would have suspected that Mother Marsha¡¯s Law ¡®Tiamat¡¯ has a w in it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like cold jokes like this,¡± William said as a lightning sh lit up his gaunt features white, ¡°what do you intend to do, my old friend, Tulman, kill all these monsters and protect them?¡±

    ¡°Jest all you want, but I don¡¯t have the capabilities to do so.¡± Tulman shot him a re and took out a crystal ball from his sleeves: ¡°If these men are capable of defending this ce, it will be a happy ending. But if they can¡¯t defend it, I¡¯ll transfer the ckthorn Council to another safe location. If I am to use their words, ¡®As long as there is a seed, a tree would grow andy its roots¡¯.¡±

    ¡°A Sphere of Teleportation,¡± William lifted his eyebrows, ¡°you actually brought this thing here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called being prepared, old friend.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re mocking me again. I already told you, I came here not because of these messy affairs, but only to meet up with an old friend.¡± William smiled and wagged a finger that was like a dry twig.

    ¡°You¡¯re still talking about the Lionheart?¡± Tuman showed a mysterious smile: ¡°You know that thing isn¡¯t here.¡±

    ¡°No, and I said this before, the important thing is not the sword, but the person behind it. Erik did not be who he was because of the Lionheart, but the sword¡¯s brilliance is due to my old friend.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, its brilliance was due to a man. Was Erik ever a Schr? That boy he had chosen lied to me early on, saying he wished to walk down the path of a schr. Once I confirm the news of the Sage te, I¡¯ll settle the score with him.¡±

    William could not help butugh.

    ¡°There are moments when you get fooled?¡±

    ¡°That boy isn¡¯t someone simple. You should be careful if you ever deal with him, or I would be looking at a future joke.¡±

    William did not take heed of Tuman¡¯s warning. He looked at the struggling Tree Elves and changed the subject: ¡°How long do you think they canst?¡±

    ¡°An hour.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°The Tree Elves and Druids should have another batch of elites, and the Centaurs in the town could form another group of guards. But their defense will onlyst a day at the longest.¡±

    ¡°A day.¡±

    Tuman was not wrong, the Druids had done their best. Even if they were to choose a more strategical ce, like fighting the Winter Wolves in the city alleys, they would onlyst a few more hours.

    William stared towards the south. There were a few pirs of light still shining in the distance. The legendary wizard¡¯s thin lips moved a few times as though he was thinking about something. Suddenly, his eyes widened¡ª

    He turned to Tuman and saw the same reaction on his old friend¡¯s face.

    It was a massive Mana Resonance.

    A powerful golden pir of light connected the earth and sky in the southern Dark Forest, piercing through the clouds and dispelling them before it reached for the stars.

    The Druids next to the Fire Seeds looked at it in shock: ¡°What is that?¡±

    But another shocking thing happened. It was not even a secondter, when another golden pir of light shot out from the Loop of Trade Winds.

    [Another Mana resonance!]

    ¡°That boy!¡± Tuman said immediately and frowned.

    William found this scene to appear familiar to him. He nced at Tuman before he took a step forward and disappeared into thin air.

 volume 3 - 173

    Chapter 173 ¨C Awakening

    ============ Mephisto¡¯s POV ===========

    Mephisto raised his head and saw a pir of light reaching for the stars. He then turned his gaze on the distant pir of light that mirrored it, then stood up from the bushes and patted off the leaves off him.

    A few secondster, he narrowed his gleaming eyes and started walking towards to the first pir of light.

    The Sword Saint of Ashes had the easiest time escaping from the Lernaia Hydra, but he did not expect to lose his way in the Dark Forest.

    ============ Andesha¡¯s POV ============

    Golden mes were pouring out from the crystal embedded from Brendel¡¯s chest.

    Andesha had countless green tentacles of vines growing out from her back and they shot towards Brendel. She attempted to quell the immense Mana emanating from him a second time, but her steel-like tentacles started burning like paper on a me upon meeting the light, and they turned into ashes in the blink of an eye.

    She screamed, hurriedly withdrawing the tentacles that were everywhere in the vicinity. The golden light seemed like it had the capability to burn her soul, and she felt waves of pain crawling over her skin.

    The leader of the Tree Shepherd suddenly turned to the trees, sensing something. Her purple eyes suddenly contracted as she saw a green light shing from the valley.

    ¡°Shees really quickly,¡± Andesha said through gnashing teeth.

    She hastily moved back and grabbed Scarlett¡¯s arm, speaking in a low voice:

    ¡°It is still not the time to fight with that woman. My little darling,e with me now.¡±

    But she did not expect to meet resistance and failed to move Scarlett. She turned around in surprise, only to discover that Scarlett was grabbing on a boulder that was jutting out from the ground.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going with you.¡± Scarlett was looking fearlessly at Andesha¡¯s eyes with determination, and she spoke each word with a pause.

    ¡°How dare you!¡± Andesha¡¯s voice went up several octaves: ¡°You promised me! As long as I cured him, you will follow me!¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t say anything about keeping my promise. I will not leave my lord, kill me if you want to.¡±

    Andesha was stunned for a moment. The image of the Tree Shepherds was their cunningness and broken promises. It was unthinkable that she would fell for a little girl¡¯s lie. Even if she wanted to kill Brendel now to get back at her trickery, the golden mes around the Blood of Gods might not allow her to do so.

    She trembled in fury and smacked Scarlett¡¯s head with the back of her hand, causing the girl to utter a short cry and fall unconscious to the ground.

    But this short dy allowed the green sh in the valley to reach Andesha. Veronica elerated as she pursed her lips tightly, with her hand gripping her sword¡¯s hilt. She took a single step and crossed the distance of hundreds of meters and enabled her to reach her destination.

    In the next moment, she had blocked Andesha from her escape.

    ¡°Andesha!¡± Veronica said, eyeing the tied up Faena with a cold gaze.

    ¡°Tsk.¡± Andesha ceased her actions. She was someone who had much experience in life after all and becameposed: ¡°Hmph. It seems like I¡¯m slower by a step. Lady Veronica, your control over your Element Power has indeed reached the ¡®Extreme¡¯ state. Your speed is fast enough to cause illusions to fool one¡¯s eyes.¡±

    ¡°Cut your nonsense, Andesha.¡± Veronica¡¯s voice was cold as winter¡¯s ice. She knew this woman¡¯s identity very well, and thetter¡¯s appearance here was definitely not to tter her. The fact that Andesha had Faena was just another bit of evidence. ¡°Why is Faena with you, and where are Rono and Elman?¡±

    ¡°Are you referring to this little girl?¡± Andesha apparently did not take offense to Veronica¡¯s tone. She stretched out her hand; Faena who was bound up by the vines came a little closer to Andesha, allowing her to stroke the girl¡¯s chin. ¡°Such a pretty face.¡±

    ¡°I told you to stop beating around the bush!¡± Veronica shouted and pulled out her sword at her foe: ¡°Andesha, what are you doing here!¡±

    She noticed the pir of light behind Andesha, but the golden mes were burning wildly and she did not know there was a person in it. But she noticed that Scarlett was unconscious, and she frowned.

    Andesha¡¯s eyes closed slightly and she smiled, making her beauty even more apparent: ¡°Perhaps the Commander would care to take a guess?¡±

    Veronica¡¯s face turned dark and her lips pressed against each other to form a line. She swung her sword without uttering any more words. A green-colored air current left the de, and it formed into a bird with extended wings and a long tail, homing onto Andesha.

    Its speed was astonishingly quick¡ª

    Andesha¡¯s eyes widened as she did not expect Veronica to be serious in fighting her. Her slender hands that wereden with green vines waved upwards, and countless pale-white brambles sprung out from the ground, attempting to stop the Sword Energy byshing out at it. These were the branches of the Roses of the Bloody River that were grown in the Sulfur Rivers. Andesha had brought them along with her and they were as hard as steel, with the thorns on them having a lethal poison that would rot a creature¡¯s skin.

    But the green Sword Energy moved as though as it was alive, beating its wings while slipping through the gaps of the nightmarish nts as though it was a nimble swallow, bypassing the obstacles and rushing at Andesha.

    [Sword Arte!]

    Andesha understood that Veronica intended to use her full strength.

    The female Sword Saint¡¯s famous Abatement Barrier utilized her Wind Element Power as a defensive style, and though it was known for its formidable defense and did not have any gaps, it also had quite the number of astonishing counterattacks that were flexible and unique.

    This green bird was the best example of how strong it was.

    Andesha gritted her teeth and let go of her hand on Faena¡¯s chin, and swung it down on the green bird, destroying it. Wind exploded on her fingertips, causing her hair to flutter before they fell back into ce.

    ¡°Lady Veronica. You¡¯re not my match, why do you act so rashly¡ª¡± She said.

    Veronica did not reply, but the sword in her hands gave an answer. Before Andesha finished her words, a huge maelstrom of green air currents formed in the sky. Countless green birds slowly flew out from it and formed a beautiful scenery. It was an illusion where the green birds were seemingly flying against the white Wall of Clouds.

    ¡°The Congregation of Wind!¡± Andesha muttered to herself in shock.

    But the Mistress of Withering Decay did not take long to react. She extended out her five fingers and shouted with a shrill voice:

    ¡°Greater Stone Golem!¡±

    A powerful rumbling happened beneath both women¡¯s feet. Countless spikes jutted out, along with soil gushing out like a violent geyser, and they instantly hardened to form a gargantuan Golem.

    The green birds that were formed from Veronica¡¯s Element Power smashed into the Golem. Each bird was a condensed shard of Sword Energy, and it caused a huge pit across the Golem upon contact. Hundreds of holes appeared across the Golem, but soil continued to pour out from the ground to repair the Greater Stone Golem.

    The Greater Stone Golem was still capable of moving despite the damage done to it, and a low bellow filled the valley as it raised its fist, sending a punch across a hundred feet in order to smash Veronica into a pile of dust.

    Perspiration had already formed on Veronica¡¯s forehead, but she appeared calm. She leaped into the air and with her sword raised above her, and swung it with clenched teeth. The de sank into the Golem, and a sh of green light emerged at the other end of the Golem¡¯s arm.

    A deafening explosion shook the air.

    The Greater Stone Golem¡¯s arm had fallen onto to the ground with an earth-shaking crash.

    Veronica sheathed her sword and took a moment to breathe. Her earlier Sword Arte, the Congregation of Wind, had exhausted her a little. When she looked up at Andesha, she discovered thetter paling a little, but there was no indication of exhaustion.

    It was clear who was stronger.

    Andesha tilted her head as she returned Veronica¡¯s gaze. In order to prevent the femalemander from attacking again, she smiled and brought her fingers to Faena¡¯s neck:

    ¡°Lady Veronica, I did note here to fight you. However, if you insist on doing so, then do not me me for being ruthless.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill her.¡±

    Andesha was momentarily taken aback at Veronica¡¯s curt reply, and sheughed a momentter: ¡°Indeed, you see things clearly. However, it still depends on how much value this little princess has.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°You ought to know very clearly what I want,¡± Andesha smiled and paused for a moment, ¡°the Lionheart.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind.¡±

    ¡°Then it seems like you¡¯re not interested in keeping this little princess alive?¡± Andesha patted the unconscious girl¡¯s face.

    Veronica drew a deep breath, but shook her head in the end: ¡°Putting aside the fact that the Lionheart isn¡¯t with me, even if it¡¯s with me, I will not exchange it for Faena.¡±

    ¡°How merciless. Is something that¡¯s not alive not as valuable as a human life?¡± Andesha¡¯s sharp fingernails were moving threateningly across Faena¡¯s face: ¡°The little princess is the only child of the Duke of Flowers. Are you not worried that he will seek revenge on you?¡±

    ¡°Stop bbing, Andesha, you and I know what the Lionheart means to the Kirrlutz Empire. Even if the Emperor is in your hands, I will not agree to your threat either. The Kirrlutz Empire will never bow to any threat.¡± Veronica said.

    This time it was Andesha who became silent.

    The Mistress of Withering Decay understood Veronica¡¯s personality quite well, and she did not n on meeting her so early. Instead, she wanted to wait for Veronica to obtain the Lionheart, before using Faena as a distraction so she could steal the sword. It was a tactic that she was best at.

    But the sudden appearance of Scarlett and Brendel caused her to lose sight of her goal. Anger slowly filled her heart as she realized her mistake, but she did not stop thinking on how to resolve the current situation.

    ¡°Though the Lionheart is not with you, you must have an artifact that can detect it,¡± Andesha spoke with a low growl.

    Veronica frowned when she realized that Andesha was prepared for a fight. She raised her sword to defend herself. But Andesha giggled in an alluring manner, and she grabbed Faena by the throat: ¡°Well, since the little princess has no more use, I¡¯ll use her for a blood ritual.¡±

    Veronica¡¯s expression changed and wanted to speak, but another voice that was void of emotion suddenly interrupted them:

    ¡°Lady Andesha, I have no objections to what you¡¯re doing. But you had better exin what you did to me and my guard.¡±

    Andesha¡¯s pupils contracted in rm. At that very moment, she felt she had been targeted by a monster behind her back. Her hair stood up, and she subconsciously turned her head around.

    There was a long stream of golden mes surging towards her.

 volume 3 - 174

    Chapter 174 ¨C Escape

    Andesha¡¯s expression distorted greatly at the iing mes. The terrifying heat could be felt even before it reached her. The painful lesson of touching the crystal was still fresh in her mind, and she instinctively dodged to the side without a second thought.

    However, though she escaped from the mes, they burned up the vines that held onto Scarlett. At that moment, she realized who was behind her.

    The Mistress of Withering Decay screamed. She tolerated the painful feedback transmitted by the vines and tried to grab Scarlett who had fallen to the ground, but a longsword with a wide de covered in mes swung downwards to her hands, and she was forced to withdraw them.

    A few secondster, the mes died down and a human figure appeared in its midst.

    It was indeed Brendel.

    The youth¡¯s clothes were in tatters, but the injuries on him werepletely healed. He slowly turned his head to Andesha¡¯s direction, before he reached out to the crystal embedded in his chest with his hand and pulled it out. mes erupted from his chest and abruptly dissipated, with his skin perfectly intact.

    ¡°This thing, belongs to you?¡± Brendel¡¯s voice was almost mechanical. He crushed the crystal into dust with his bare hand and it was gone with the wind. ¡°Andesha, or perhaps you wish to be addressed as the Mistress of Withering Decay?¡±

    [It¡¯s not strange for Veronica to recognize me, but how does this boy know what my identity is within the Tree Shepherds?]

    ¡°You know who I am?¡± Andesha¡¯s eyes narrowed and focused on the young man, her guard heightened. As one of the twelve leaders of the Tree Shepherds, she rarely took action. People might recognize her because of her Element Power, but her full title was only known to the upper echelons of the Tree Shepherds.

    Brendel nced at Scarlett and determined that she was fine and merely passed out. Then his emotionless gaze went back to Andesha, causing her to flinch for a moment. They exchanged stares for a few seconds before she seemed like she finally ascertained something and asked with a stunned expression:

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re not an Acolyte?¡±

    ¡°What? You used the Blood of Gods on him!¡± Veronica furrowed her brows and growled.

    ¡°What does that have anything to do with you!¡± Andesha snapped.

    [How did this happen? Curse this brat...... The Blood of Gods that I possessed is unique. I expected to have an excellent God Acolyte to obey me, not this...... thing that¡¯s standing in front of me.]

    It seemed like the Blood of Gods had somehow twisted him into something that she did not recognize.

    Veronica who was just yelled out left her mouth open. Indeed, it had nothing to do with her. It was truly a waste that the youth had to be turned into a mindless puppet that had nothing but sheer killing intent in his eyes¡ª

    [Wait...... Is that how a God Acolyte is supposed to act? That¡¯s not¡ª But the Blood of Gods that Andesha had must be something that¡¯s even more potent than the usual people within the Tree Shepherds.]

    ¡°Why? Disappointed, mydy?¡± Brendel raised his chin and looked at Andesha out of the corner of his eyes.

    Andesha¡¯s expression had never appeared to more interesting to Veronica. The fury and betrayed look that she had nearly caused thetter tough out.

    ¡°If you join me and obey my orders, I¡¯ll let you and your guard live,¡± Andesha¡¯s voice was low and hoarse.

    This authoritative tone did not make Brendel amused; he frowned and raised his sword instead. Even though he had gained strength from the Blood of Gods and the Dragon of Darkness, it was not enough to have a direct confrontation with Andesha. His murderous aura slowly disappeared.

    ¡°I have no intention to fight you, Andesha, and I do not wish to get involved with the quarrel between you and the Empire. But if you continue to push me, then you¡¯re forcing me to stand with Veronica.¡± He lifted Scarlett up as he spoke calmly.

    ¡°Brendel!¡± Veronica furrowed her brows.

    But the youth ignored themander. Perhaps if she did not corner him to search for Faena, he might have been willing to help her, but he had enough of the arrogant people from Kirrlutz. Though his wounds were healed, he still remembered the searing pain from Amman¡¯s projectiles.

    ¡°You want to escape from me? Not in your wildest dreams!¡± Andesha¡¯s voice was filled with ire: ¡°I will never allow my belongings to escape from me! Do you think I¡¯m afraid of the two of you joining hands?¡±

    Her purple pupils shrunk to resemble the shape of reptilian eyes. They were overflowing with a piercing bloodthirst and she lifted up her chin haughtily:

    ¡°Whether it¡¯s the Lionheart, you, or yourpanion, everything belongs to me. Both you and Veronica can try struggling as much as you want to!¡±

    Veronica immediately scoffed. She had never been slighted ever since she became themander of the Azure Skies, and though she knew each of the twelve Tree Shepherd¡¯s leaders was stronger than her, she would not ept it. At the end of Andesha¡¯s deration, the female Sword Saint had made her move. She ced her left hand over her chest and muttered a chant, while she gripped her sword tightly and filled it with her Element Power.

    This was the first time she was unleashing her full capabilities in the Dark Forest. Her emerald eyes locked on Andesha¡¯s movements, and her eyebrows were lifted up like a pair of sharp swords. There was even a tinge of red blush on her fair skin.

    Her de was swung.

    A huge green-colored wyvern emerged from the sword, extended both wings outwards and released a prolonged roar, then rotated once in the air before it charged towards Andesha.

    Brendel ced Scarlett against the rock, and he entered into a stance, ready for battle as well. If the Mistress of Withering Decay wanted to keep Veronica and him there, she definitely had the power to do so, even if it sounded arrogant.

    In the early years of the game, the leaders of the Tree Shepherds were nearly invincible existences, with the exceptions of the Dragons and the fearsome Archmagi amongst the wizards.

    The ck wooden fragments of the destroyed trees in the area suddenly floated up, and they quickly turned into dust and flew along with the wind. This phenomenon was the first sign of Andesha using her Element Power, and it was clear that she was also serious.

    In truth, Veronica¡¯s actions had incurred Brendel¡¯s wrath. Andesha¡¯s levels were at least two tiers higher than her, and she outssed him even more.

    Even if he worked with Veronica worked together, they were unlikely to defeat her. Attempting a direct confrontation against Andesha was the worst choice avable, and this Sword Saint in front of him did so. He cursed Veronica in his mind, using her of not learning anything despite being in battles for decades.

    But the Kirrlutz Empire was one with incredible military might, and there was really no need for Veronica to employ trickery in battles¡ª

    Andesha stretched out her palm, and a barrier was formed in front of her, stopping the Wyvern¡¯s charge. A shockwave spread in all directions and a crystalline sound echoed in the vicinity. It was not the end of Veronica¡¯s projectile, however, as it flew up and shot towards Andesha in a different direction, trying to find a weak spot.

    Brendel narrowed his eyes as he found Andesha trying to move Faena away subconsciously while she dealt with the creature. He concentrated all his strength into his feet and dashed towards the Duke of Flower¡¯s sessor. Trails of ck smoke spiraled around his legs, making him appear like a blur. His sword pointed at Andesha¡¯s back and a ck beam of Sword Energy shot out from it.

    Andesha instinctively felt the threat and raised her other hand.

    A tremendous rumbling shook the ground and the Greater Stone Golem stood in between Brendel and Andesha; the ck beam of light struck its right leg and an explosion immediately happened. Arge hole with a radius of two meters was drilled into the Greater Stone Golem¡¯s leg, surprising Brendel.

    [The White Raven Sword Arte is affected by the Darkness Element Power?]

    The youth stopped moving for a moment, but he quickly came back to his senses when he felt a shadow hovering over him. He looked up and saw the Greater Stone Golem was unbnced from the impact; it was about to fall over him because the entire leg had broken off.

    Brendel did not dare to waste any time. He activated his Charge ability and turned into a ck blurry line to escape from the Greater Stone Golem¡¯s body, moving straight for Faena. The loud crash and dust that were created had covered his intention perfectly.

    Andesha could never have known that Brendel was capable of moving even faster than Veronica who had the Wind Element Power. She did not even realize that the youth was already next to her until he was about to grab Faena.

    ¡°You!¡± Andesha immediately understood what he was after and wed at him with a savage expression.

    Brendel dodged her fingers and they slid past his clothes. His sleeves and inner armor was instantly turned to dust, but he had avoided the attack and gained the advantage. He took one more step and swung Halran Gaia, sliced off Andesha¡¯s vines, and received the falling Faena with his left hand.

    The girl uttered a soft moan and she made a knot between her brows. Brendel discovered a deep red around her throat and realized she must have suffered considerably.

    Andesha screamed and chanted at a high speed. She pointed her five digits at Brendel; a huge wooden spike appeared out of thin air and shot towards Brendel, while the cut vines swung around madly in an attempt to strike him. Brendel sliced the approaching vines and constructed a visible barrier with his Elementalist ability, with its defensive capabilities backed up by his Will stat.

    The wooden spike crashed into the sturdy barrier, and it was shattered into countless fragments. However, that was only the start of the spell. The fragments were turned into vines that grew at a rapid rate, seeking for its target. Brendel could only increase pour his Mana into it and made the barrier into a shockwave that destroyed all the fragments, turned them into ck dust.

    The youth felt a little dazed from exerting his mind. He sensed that his Will had grown tremendously and was capable of resisting powerful magic spells, but it took a lot of concentration from him. Seeing that the ck powder was about to fall over him, he coated Halran Gaia with golden mes once again and swung it around him once, burning away the powder.

    The magic that Andesha used was a three-prong attack. It first did piercing damage, then cast a Binding spell, and the final stage of the attack was a powder that had lethal poison. Anyone who did not know the magic spell would easily fall for it, but Brendel had seen enough in the game to identify it.

    His final act was to jump away from Andesha¡¯s attack range.

    ¡°Lady Veronica, Lady Faena has been rescued. We should leave in two directions!¡± He shouted.

    In order to force Veronica to stop her foolhardy actions, he had to rescue Faena. If he simply tried to leave with Scarlett, then Andesha would put all her attention on him, and Veronica might attempt to rescue Faena with the opening. The only ideal situation was to get Veronica to cover for him instead, then the possibility of him escaping would be greatly increased.

    His words apparently angered Andesha. She made an ear-piercing shriek and spread out her palms. Countless vines swarmed out from the ground,pleted with poisonous thorns, and they towered over Brendel like a tidal wave, blocking all paths of retreat.

    Brendel gritted his teeth upon seeing this oue, realizing he underestimated this Poison-Ivy woman. At that critical juncture, a green sh of light passed through the mist and sliced the vines into halves, then split up into a flock of birds that exploded onto the remaining brambles, causingrge holes to appear on them.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes lit up and leaped into one of the holes while carrying Faena to escape from the vines. He nced back to see Veronica blocking Andesha¡¯s path. Violent gales swirled around the female Sword Saint, causing her hair to dance in the wind, giving an impression of a green aurora forming before his eyes.

    ¡°Escape with Faena and the red-haired girl. Leave this woman to me.¡± Veronica said without turning her head back.

    Brendel sighed with relief. Things were moving in the way he predicted. Even though Veronica was not Andesha¡¯s match, she still made a choice to stall her in order to increase the possibility of rescuing Faena.

    It was just a transaction after all.

    The youth did not waste any more time and went straight for Scarlett, while Andesha screamed with rage:

    ¡°Damn you, boy, you had better not let me catch you!¡±

    But her tone sounded more like frustration in his ears.

 volume 3 - 175

    Chapter 175 ¨C Deep lure

    Brendel thought he would be able to escape even with the two unconscious girls as long as Veronica dyed Andesha, but he soon discovered that he had predicted wrongly.

    He moved around the maze-like valley for approximately thirty minutes, but there was a raucous projectile moving through the air out of a sudden.

    The youth nervously nced behind him and saw a green sh in the dark sky. The next moment, there was a thunderous smash, and a human figure appeared before him, shattering the hard ground and creating a field of smoke and dust.

    It was Veronica.

    Brendel frowned and walked towards her, dismissing the particles with a simple wave of his hand. The femalemander was lying in the middle of the pit covered with blood. Her cloak was reduced to rags and there were many ces on her uniform that revealed her inner armor. It seemed like she used a tremendous amount of energy to escape, as there was white smokeing out from her outer garments.

    Brendel thought that she had lost consciousness, but she groaned softly and opened her eyelids to reveal emerald irises.

    ¡°Hurry up and leave this ce,¡± she coughed with half-closed eyes, though there was still spirit in them, ¡°Andesha¡¯s about to catch up.¡±

    She struggled to get up despite her injuries and reached for her sword with difficulty, but Brendel snatched it away before she could get to it, and she looked at him in surprise.

    Brendel felt greatly conflicted as well.

    If Veronica had the ability to continue fighting, he would have allowed her to continue what she was doing, but it was apparent that she was going back to dy Andesha with her life. Considering that she was Freya¡¯s teacher in the game, he did not want things to end in this manner. It was especially so when he had to live with the idea that he sacrificed someone in need of help in order to stay alive.

    ¡°Lady Veronica, you are no longer suited forbat,¡± Brendel said in a monotonous voice, sighing inwardly.

    Veronica saw that the youth was carrying the two girls with his left and right arms, and she was relieved to see that he did not abandon Faena.

    ¡°Give me the sword,¡± she extended her hand out and said.

    ¡°...... That is not possible. Lady Veronica,e with me if you want to live.¡±

    ¡°Escape from one of the twelve leaders of the Tree Shepherds? If we move together, no one will be able to escape.¡± Veronica sighed and closed her eyes with a frown.

    ¡°If there is no possibility of escaping I wouldn¡¯t ask,¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes were dispassionate, ¡°I like miracles, but I never rely on them. I like gambling as well, but I will never put everything on the line.¡±

    Veronica stared at him with a certain emotion in her eyes, as though she was assessing him. She smiled weakly and shook her head.

    ¡°How do you intend on bringing me away? I¡¯m in a terrible state. Stop forcing yourself. Now, quickly hand me over the sword, my good child¡ª¡±

    Brendel showed a hollow smile. There had not been any signs of a sun for a while now. He stretched out two fingers, and a card formed with ck trails of smoke swirling around it. Brendel took the card and tossed it to the ground.

    A ck hexagram appeared on the ground, and Veronica looked at it in wonder. Light poured out from it and faded. A girl with long hair and a short fringe wearing a tuxedo walked out amidst the ck smoke. The beautiful girl walked to Brendel and ced her dainty hand over her chest, bowing respectfully:

    ¡°In the name of Darkness, this humble one¡¯s name is Morpheus, and I havee to answer the call of my Master...... And I must inform you that I¡¯m a man.¡±

    Brendel stared at Morpheus with an inscrutable expression while he listened to thetter¡¯s soft, neutral voice.

    There was a real trap in front of him.

    But it was not the time to ponder over it and he pointed at Veronica.

    ¡°Morpheus, support thisdy and follow me.¡±

    The vampire nodded once and moved over to the general. He easily lifted Veronica who wore a full suit of armor and supported her with an arm. Even though he appeared to be frail, he was a Gold-ranker after all, and carrying a person was not difficult.

    But Veronica appeared uneasy and looked at Brendel with sharp eyes: ¡°A Vampire? That¡¯s High ck Magic, you¡¯re a Necromancer?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken. It¡¯s a Legacy heirloom.¡±

    Veronica paused and thought for a while: ¡°Something like a summoning statue?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She became silent for a while, almostughing at herself for entertaining a silly idea that Brendel was a necromancer. However, If he was really one, then there might be a chance to fight Andesha. Having just one more Gold-ranker was simply not enough to go against that woman.

    ¡°Andesha is close to us. I endured my injuries to get away from that woman, but she will catch up with us very soon, what do you n to do?¡±

    ¡°There is a way.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Lady Veronica, do you know what¡¯s ahead of us?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± She frowned and looked at the youth with suspicion: ¡°It seems like you¡¯re suggesting you do.¡±

    ¡°A little. It¡¯s an immense canyon, the heart of the violent winds. The clouds surge past that area, driven by the air currents and the shape of thend. But my point is theplexity of thend. I am confident that Andesha would not be able to follow us easily there.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re not going to shake her off.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes were shrouded in darkness: ¡°Shake her off? No, but I¡¯ll find a way to kill that demon.¡±

    Veronica stared at him, trying to see if he was joking, but she eventually exhaled lightly.

    ¡°You thought of a solution?¡±

    ¡°There has always been one. But it¡¯s a little dangerous.¡± Brendel suddenly turned over his palm, and the grey gemstone, or as the Dragon of Darkness called it, the Grey Primordial Divinity, appeared on his hand.

    [It is unrealistic to return to Amandina now, and the only way is to lure Andesha into the heart of the Loop of Trade Winds, where the Nightmare Demonic Fog¡¯sir resides.]

    Getting two bosses to fight each other was something that gamers loved to do in the game. But the higher the level of the bosses, the more difficult it was. It was difficult to fool them when they had high intelligence and outsmarted people instead.

    But he sensed a strong Mana Resonance when he received the Fool talent within the Loop of Trade Winds, along with the presence of the fake Lernaia Hydra. Even though the Dragon of Darkness did not give any useful information about it, he knew that Amman and his men did something there to cause the monster to chase them.

    It exined why Amman was anxious to flee the area, and also why the fake Lernaia Hydra persistently went after him instead of the youth.

    Brendel believed that the Mana Resonance came from the Lernaia Hydra¡¯sir. There was a small chance that he could be wrong, but he needed to convince Veronica to move along with him. With a flip of his hand, the gemstone was kept away and he started walking forward with Morpheus following closely behind.

    Just like Veronica said, Andesha quickly found reached the ce where Veronica reappeared in front of Brendel. She had tracked down the tracks left behind by them, as sharp as an experienced hound. If Brendel were to describe her identity, it would be half-Druid, which would exin her abilities to track. The Tree Shepherds had a muddied rtionship with the Circle of Skies; the former was darkness and thetter, light.

    Brendel and the others stopped at various sections in the valley from time to time, with the youth leaving behind tracks that led in the opposite direction. They moved slowly and Andesha eventually caught up with them, but she fell for his tricks and kept moving past them before she came back to search the vicinity.

    At that point, they had already moved off.

    This ability made Veronica greatly surprised. She even wondered if Brendel had a map of this area and highlighted spots that would throw off pursuers. But no matter how many times she asked him, he merely kept his silence, and she gave up in the end.

    This went on for several hours. Brendel brought his group into the ancient canyon that he mentioned without any issues. It was the finalndmark to reach the ruins of Valha. They were deep within the Wall of Clouds, and the entire canyon was filled with mist, almost giving off the impression the Lernaia Hydra was nearby.

    Thisplex area was quite famous in the game. Roads were long and windy, frequently crossing into each other. There was no vegetation, and the ground was formed withtite and obsidian rocks. Therge boulders that were present formed many dead angles, and Brendel had an easier time to avoid Andesha than before. But what caused him a headache was how she always seemed to have a natural instinct to be next to them, nearly discovering their presence every time.

    This cat-and-mouse game was not fun for the prey, especially when it concerned their lives. After advancing through the canyon for half a day, Brendel truly stopped for the first time and took a rest.

    Scarlett had forgotten about their bag of food and water by ident, while Veronica did not even bother to bring it along since she had her subordinates carrying it for her. Brendel was certain that this female Sword Saint did not expect this situation.

    Thus he could only endure the feeling of an empty stomach as he sat quietly against arge boulder. Still, he did not feel a strong hunger after absorbing the Blood of Gods, and dared not to make a fire even though he also felt a little cold.

    Andesha might be nearby.

    Morpheus put Veronica down and sat opposite of Brendel. The female Sword Saint was visibly exhausted as she had lost quite a lot of blood, but instead of resting, she looked at the youth with considerable praise in her eyes.

    ¡°Do you know, boy, because you¡¯re a citizen from Aouine, I will not give you my thanks.¡±

    ¡°...... I don¡¯t need that.¡± His lips curled downwards, using an indifferent tone.

    ¡°Do you want to learn my swordsmanship, boy?¡± Veronica closed her eyes, smiling in response to the youth¡¯s rude mannerisms.

    ¡°Tsk, I said I don¡¯t need¡ª¡±

    [Hah?]

    Brendel said instinctively, but he suddenly snapped his head towards the Sword Saint so fast that his bones creaked, blinking rapidly, finally waking up from his resentment.

    The youth looked at her in confusion, wondering if he heard her wrongly for a moment, even wanting to dig his ears to ensure it was not a trick.

    ¡°Unwilling, are you......¡±

    ¡°N-no......¡± Brendel muttered incoherently: ¡°I-I mean, I can¡¯t be a citizen of Kirrlutz, I said that before......¡±

    [Are you for real? You¡¯re really going to teach me your swordsmanship?]

    Brendel felt like he had punched on the face a few times. Veronica shook her head lightly and sighed, her lips moving a few times as though she was saying something. The youth waited for a few seconds with great expectations before his eyes bulged, realizing that she had fallen asleep because of her exhaustion.

    Her head was tilted to the sides, and her breathing was steady and long.

    [NOOOOOO! Fuck me! Not like this! What have I done!!!]

    Brendel screamed inside his mind.

    TL PS: So, if you think that Brendel was going to be the next DoD and be evil because I hinted heavily on that, that¡¯s not really possible. Just to remind everyone, he went up to pick a gemstone even though he was dying. Changing his ways? HAH.

 volume 3 - 176

    Chapter 176 ¨C Ancestral Citizen

    Brendel¡¯s body was remade whole by the Blood of Gods.

    Calling him an Acolyte was not exactly wrong, but the Dragon of Darkness¡¯s gift to him was a single drop of blood thatpletely usurped the energy from the Blood of Gods.

    An ancient signal seemed to have awakened something inside the youth¡¯s soul. He felt as though his mental strength and willpower grow stronger a hundredfold, and the ¡®weak¡¯ corruption from the Blood of Gods waspletely washed away.

    It was an evolution of his bloodline.

    He now had the ability to regenerate quickly and replenish his lifeforce, which meant that he could recover from injuries ten times faster than before. Even Scarlett¡¯s healing factor was not as good as his, though it was not surprising to the youth since the quality of Andesha¡¯s Blood of Gods was higher.

    There was also a new description in his stats window. It was the ¡®Darkness¡¯ trait, a rough equivalent of possessing the Darkness Element Power; he had the capability of manipting the Darkness Element.

    This trait was mostly used by Necromancers and Dark Priests¡¯ skillsets. Currently, Brendel was only able to add it into his attacks. Although it might seem like it sounded weak to anyone else, he knew it was actually a great advantage because it was an attribute that bypassed physical defense.

    [Even throughout the whole game, the weapons with the Lightning or Darkness elements were sky-high prices. Lightning had the best area damage, while Darkness weakens defense and weakens healing spells.]

    Brendel fiddled with his stats windows, discovering that his Darkness EP had be twice as much, but his Light EP had been reduced by a third, making him wonder how he should react to this situation. The Physique and Perception stats were increased as well, but it was his Will that caused him to drop his jaws.

    [124 Will? I knew there was a substantial increase, but I didn¡¯t think it was this much...... A hundred Will means that any magic spells below the Twelve Circle would be ineffective on me. I¡¯m pretty much immune to magic under most circumstances. It¡¯s no wonder why Andesha¡¯s magic couldn¡¯t work.]

    He then scrolled down to the newly added Talent, the Fool.

    ¨C Talent: The Fool (Level 1)

    ¨C Abilities: Trance, Ancestral Citizen.

    ¨C Trance: All character stats are increased by 100% for half an hour; this ability can be activated twice a day.

    ¨C vor text: The endless concentration that you have isn¡¯t necessarily a good thing.

    ¨C Ancestral Citizen: Ancient Techniques could be learned like any normal skills, ignoring conditions.

    Brendel wanted to punch the air in joy when he read the text. Even the talent Genealogy Unification was not as impressive whenpared to it.

    (TL: Genealogy Unification, modifies profession to possess a new skillset, mentioned in volume 2 chapter 108. To sort of summarize it, since Brendel¡¯s a warrior, it adds the ability Fabled Hero, and increases all his abilities¡¯ level by 1.)

    The first ability was simple. He could be superman up to an hour if he chose to activate it.

    The second ability was something that was rted to his System. If he were to pick up King Gatel¡¯s swordsmanship and learn the true sh Fire Sword Arte, he would have to firstplete Kirrlutz¡¯s chain mission of ¡®The Eagle of Brilliance¡¯, and notplete any missions given by Miirna¡¯s NPCs, and finally, to have the highest grade of the Fire Element Power.

    After that, the system would allow him to learn and spend his experience points on the swordsmanship.

    ¡°Putting the fourth condition aside, the third condition sounds like an easy thing to do, but the majority of the missions in the game¡¯s third chapter has something to do with the Shadow Factions. These quests will eventually lead back to the Miirna race, and people would automatically fail. The only exception would be grinding monsters for the entire chapter.¡±

    Brendel remarked to himself with a giggle.

    Skills like Tuman¡¯s creation of the Holy Sigils, or Farnezain¡¯s Prophecy Magic, were tagged with the words ¡®Ancient Technique¡¯. These skills required a specific bloodline, stats, and luck. If there was a wrong mission done, or if they failed toplete a specific mission, learning the techniques would not be possible.

    Learning a single Ancient Technique changed one¡¯s entirebat style, and countless yers wondered if there was the possibility of learning the different Ancient Techniques for the ten limited skill slots that they had, making them the shiest yers alive.

    Most of the Ancient Techniques were signature skillsets of famous NPCs too.

    (TL: If I recall correctly, you can learn a variety of skills, i.e, Charge, but you can only use them provided if they are ced them under the professions. Smh, rules are tooplicated. I probably want to look this up, but seeing that we¡¯re probably at ~400 chapters... I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s easily done.)

    Brendel was so gleeful that he wondered if he should congratte himself with a ¡®just-as-nned¡¯ugh, and write off the mistakes that literally killed him.

    But he quickly went back to brooding, when he realized that he had just rejected Veronica¡¯s proposal.

    ¡°My respected Master, I¡¯m hungry.¡± Morpheus suddenly spoke, staring strangely at the youth who was giggling and groaning repeatedly.

    Brendel looked up in a distracted manner, realizing it was his summon who spoke to him. He blinked several times and observed Morpheus. No matter how he looked, this vampire noble was a ¡®girl¡¯.

    [A trap. A huge vampire trap.]

    ¡°Ahh, about that, I¡¯m sorry, there¡¯s no food with me,¡± Brendel said.

    But Morpheus only tilted his head and licked his sensual lips, while using his blood-red, crystal-clearrge eyes to gaze at the youth without blinking¡ª

    It was as though he was looking at him like a delicious meal.

    [...... Wait, he¡¯s a vampire.]

    Brendel¡¯s facial muscles stiffened, but he was saved by Scarlett suddenly stirring. It did not take long for Faena to do as well.

    However, Morpheus managed to get what he wanted in the end. The youth had to decide whether it was to keep his blood or a fight against Andesha at their full strength.

    He chose thetter.

    It was approximately twenty minutes after Veronica went to sleep, but he decided that the break was enough and they should move again.

    The violent winds were like des that blew past the steep cliffs, sending in loud whistling noises into their ears. Despite the powerful air currents, the mist was not dispelled, and instead seemed like they were appearing together with the wind. In addition, there were sand and dust sweeping up into the air, making the visibility of the ancient canyon low.

    This situation was advantageous to the youth and the others to avoid Andesha¡¯s pursuit, but it was increasingly difficult to advance.

    Brendel stretched out his hand to a cliff¡¯s protruding rock. The powerful wind was causing him to narrow his eyes.

    Once he got a stable foothold, he lent a hand to Scarlett who was climbing below him, helping her up onto the t ledge above him. Faena was next, while Morpheus assisted the injured Veronica in the same way the youth did.

    Finally, Brendel made his way up onto the ledge.

    ¡°The wind here is almost unbearable. This must be the area where the Loop of Trade Winds really happens. It is said that no one can go through these walls of violent winds.¡±

    Veronica supported herself by leaning against her sword, which was returned to her by Brendel after she woke up: ¡°What is your n from now onwards, boy?¡±

 volume 3 - 177

    Chapter 177 part 1 ¨C Battle in the canyon (1)

    The path in front of the group split off into two directions. One led to a deep gorge with ck granite cliffs on each side. The edges of the cliffs were smooth and t, as though it had been snapped into equal halves. The second direction of the path was probably a dead end or led back to where they came from, and it was not where he wanted to go.

    Violent winds constantly blew into the gorge with visible air currents, with mist forming a white line, entering and exciting the chasm like a sea¡¯s waves. It took a moment before Brendel recovered from the picturesque scenery.

    [If I follow the air currents, they will most likely lead me to the fake Lernaia Hydra¡¯sir.]

    He nced back at Veronica. Even though she was still weak, she had gotten back her spirits with the short break. But she did not ask him to learn her swordsmanship again, and he did not want to ask her about it, especially in front of Scarlett and Faena.

    ¡°The way to go into the Loop of Trade Winds is through the underground passage located below here. The Druids had put in countless manpower and materials into this area just to find that passage.¡± He spoke to Veronica.

    ¡°Did they find it?¡± Came the reply.

    The youth shook his head.

    ¡°And yet you know where it is?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve read an ancient document that gave a hint on the entrance¡¯s location, it should be nearby.¡±

    It was his habit to throw out ¡®ancient documents¡¯ as his cover against the ¡®Projectiles of Questions¡¯. Somehow, it felt like there were indeed ancient documents that existed when he stated it so earnestly.

    He started surveying the gorge, but it was difficult to see if the underground passage was in this bottomless gorge. Suddenly, he discovered Scarlett looking at his wrist with a strange expression yet again, making him put on an awkward expression.

    He could not help but rub the teeth marks on his wrist. How should he exin it? Or did he really have to tell the truth and said that it was not a gesture of allegiance from Morpheus?

    Just a while ago, Scarlett woke up at an impable timing and caught him favoring his ¡®injuries¡¯.

    [Screw this neswalker System...... Why isn¡¯t paying the Life Force an automatic thing?!]

    He turned to re at Morpheus, but the damned Vampire trap merely averted his eyes.

    ¡°Hmm...... Well, to continue where I was,¡± Brendel changed the topic in an awful attempt that did not seem entirely coherent, ¡°we should try and make our way downwards from here. But it does look like it¡¯s difficult to do so, and I¡¯m also not certain there¡¯s really a passage down there¡ª¡±

    ¡°From here?¡± Faena suddenly interrupted him.

    It was the first time she spoke after waking up, almost as if she had done so from her stupor in order to question his decision. Her eyebrows were knitted together and raised high up as though they were to disappear under her fringe.

    ¡°T-that¡¯s absurd, right!?¡± She stared at the dark ravine with a pale expression.

    ¡°For a sheltered, useless, and weak female noble, it would be so,¡± Morpheus replied with a blinding speed that surprised everyone. He looked at Faena with an emotionless face: ¡°this is a warning, girl, you are not to question my Master¡¯s decision¡ª¡±

    ¡°You!¡± She red back with furious eyes that were also filled with disbelief.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Faena,¡± Veronica broke up the quarrel, ¡°since there¡¯s a historical document about the passage, then there is meaning if we made our way down. Let us search for it.¡±

    [Sometimes I wonder if these people really don¡¯t know that I¡¯m lying about the documents..... Let me think. The gamers who entered here didn¡¯t even reach half of my current power. The cliffs are impossibly steep, so it means there¡¯s a safe way to the ravine if we¡¯re on the right path¡ª]

    Brendel suddenly sensed that it was about time to draw a new set of cards, and he hurriedly dismissed the tinum Angel Card, in hopes of getting it again.

    Firburh was not in urgent need to have the tinum Angels for defense, since there was other better summons protecting the city, like Ciel and Medissa.

    If the Holy Sword card¡¯s maintenance was not paid when it was on the battlefield, the card would be unsummoned and returned to his Deck. The Magic Control Card had been used in battle and already returned to the deck a long time ago, but it would be good if he got the card again.

    He waited for a few seconds, then frowned when he looked at his newly conjured cards.

    He now had the tinum Angel, Golden Battle g, and the Holy Sword cards in his hand.

    [Damn it. I was hoping to get the Silver Colt too. That way I can ferry the others down in just a few rounds..... The tinum Angel is able to fly, certainly, but does it has the stamina to carry even one of us down all the way?]

    He currently had the Wind Spirit Spiders and Morpheus out, with the spiders ordered to reach him in the canyon a while ago.

    The Fire Dijinn and Ropar were killed in battle and sent to the Graveyard quite a while ago, but he had ns to bring them back when he made a mock battle against Andesha in his mind.

    ¡°Andesha is down there,¡± Scarlett said all of a sudden.

    The youth was momentarily lost in his thoughts as he subconsciously looked down behind him. That woman was indeed moving upwards on a path. She did not discover them as she did not bother to look up, but it was also true that there was a deep fog masking their presence.

    [Shit...... how fast is she moving? She doesn¡¯t even know this ce well but she¡¯s just a few minutes behind us. The difference in speed is staggering.]

    Brendel quickly lowered his body and signaled to the others to do the same. They lowered themselves onto the ground as he whispered: ¡°Regardless of whether there¡¯s a path, we need to move now.¡±

    ¡°That woman......¡± Faena could not help but tremble as she recalled the earlier events. She balled her hands into fists tightly until her fingers were white.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move off.¡± Brendel signaled to Morpheus to drag the trembling girl towards the path, while the others nodded.

    But he did not expect Faena to lose her footing when Morpheus pulled her. She was too close to the edge.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Brendel called out to her with a startled look.

    Morpheus seemed surprised, letting go of the girl, but he quickly regained hisposure and managed to grab her foot. Faena was suspended in mid-air with tears in her eyes threatening to spill out; the Vampire gripped her with considerable strength in case he failed to hold on to her again.

    Still, Faena had enoughmon sense. She bit her lips and tried desperately not to make a sound. However, the mistake was done, and the disturbed pebbles caused by her clumsiness rolled across the cliff, making ttering noises.

    They stiffened for just a moment.

    Brendel nced at where Andesha was.

    The winds in the valley were powerful and noisy, and it seemed like Andesha did not notice the strange event.

    ¡°P-pull me back in......¡± Faena was terrified.

    She was dangling from her foot over a steep cliff. Even a knight would not be able to save himself if he fell from that height, let alone the sheltered Faena. It would not be surprising if she started crying.

    The youth looked at Veronica puzzledly.

    She was famed for being rational and intelligent, so why would she bring out a useless girl like Faena out here? Anything that thetter did was a negative oue.

    The femalemander sighed.

    But it was not her fault. It was Elman who did it without her permission. When she finally came to know about this act, it was not as if she could order them to go back to the Kirrlutz Empire. They were the children of powerful and influential families, not her subordinates.

    [...... No, it seems like the Kirrlutz¡¯s internal affairs are quite the mess too.]

    The youth noted her reaction and mused to himself. It was unlikely that she was the one who brought Faena and the other young nobles along with her.

    Still, these nobles were not as bad as Aouine¡¯s. He sighed when he recalled Graudin and his subordinates.

    Morpheus brought her back up to the ledge when saw Brendel nodding to him.

    Even though thetter wanted to leave Faena and Veronica behind, he was afraid that thetter would just pull out her sword and demand him to get them to safety, creating a lose-lose situation.

    But before they could rx, Brendel spotted a glint with his eyes and his jaw dropped.

    The short sword that Faena was carrying slid out of its sheath¡ª

    It dropped out from the sheath as though it was in slow motion. Everyone saw the de strike against a protruding rock, creating a crystalline sound, before shooting upwards as though it was making the most pleasant jump, spinning round and descendingically again to make the next ng.

    This scene repeated itself, and the series of metallic rings echoed throughout the valley.

    The people on the ledge frozepletely.

    Andesha stopped moving.

    Then that woman suddenly looked upwards as her purple eyebrows lifted up slightly. Even though the mist blocked her view to finding them immediately, she believed she had found where Brendel and the others were. Countless vines sprouted from her back and propelled her upwards, and she was like an inky-green dragon that ascended to the sky, surging to where the youth was.

    It was obvious that the steep terrain was not a problem for her, and she moved across the cliffs as though it was t ground.

    The distance between them shortened rapidly.

    ¡°Run away!¡± Brendel was the first to react. If Andesha was unable to discern their location after that fiasco, then she would not have be one of the twelve Tree Shepherd leaders.

    ¡°Brendel¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up, just stick to our n and run to the south!¡± He cut off Veronica¡¯s words: ¡°...... Wait, help me take of Scarlett.¡±

    The female Sword Saint frowned. She suddenly realized the youth intended to split off from them. Indeed, Brendel wanted to lure away Andesha if she were to catch up.

    [Really, having this useless idiot girl Faena around me, is the same as tying a noose around my neck.]

    The youth watched Veronica drag the unwilling Scarlett away. Morpheus had already gotten Faena up, flipped her around, and carried her off like a sack of potatoes. Faena was hurting and burning with shame from the rough treatment, but she knew that the trouble she had caused and did not make anyints.

    Brendel was thest to move off, ready to stay behind if it was necessary. He nced back and saw that Andesha was moving up the cliffs like a spider, her vines iling about at a tremendous speed.

    The group of five people scampered across the treacherous path despite the risk of falling.

    Andesha¡¯s feat had a considerable risk as well since she was fighting against the violent winds, otherwise she would climb even faster.

    [She¡¯s definitely going to catch up. Summon the Holy Sword Card into y¡ª]

    Brendel started to prepare his cards for the uing battle.

    The Wind Spirit Spiders were able to make use of the wind when they entered the canyon, reaching to where he was at an astonishing speed. Hundreds of Wind Spirit Spiders appeared out of nowhere and formed a wall in front of Andesha.

    ¡°You dare to block me!?¡±

    Andesha roared when she saw the green wall in front of her. As a leader of the Tree Shepherds, she easily identified the creatures with her vast experience. Her mind worked quickly and attributed this feat to the youth; Faena, Scarlett, and Veronica did not seem capable of using summoning magic.

    She waved her hand in annoyance, and countless vines shot out to pierce the Wind Spirit Spiders. It was obvious that she did not use her full strength and wanted to swat them away.

    It was a mistake.

    In the next second, the green wall glowed and their color was reced by a golden hue. The light intensified and formed a brilliant sun.

    And the sun spread out its rays.

    Countless beams of lights fired out, piercing through the vines and striking Andesha¡¯s body. The Tree Shepherd shrieked. Though the attacks hardly caused any damage due to her overwhelming magic power, she was greatly flustered at the sudden attack.

    Brendel used all the Earth EP that he had, unleashing the Holy Sword¡¯s magic without reservation. Wave after wave ofser beams fired at Andesha, angering her, but she was unable to move well because of the violent winds. The Wind Spirit Spiders had a great advantage as they moved around easily in the air and out of reach of her counterattacks.

    When the beams of light finally stopped, she realized that Brendel and the others had distanced themselves again, causing her to roar out in anger.

    The ledge that Brendel and the others were running on eventually widened to a teau. The gorge was located at the end of the teau, and the youth suddenly stopped moving and shouted:

    ¡°Morpheus and I will stay behind and dy Andesha. If you don¡¯t find a path leading downwards, then check if there¡¯s any possible way we can climb down.¡±

    Veronica nodded. Morpheus threw Faena down roughly and went back to his Master, receiving a set of instructions from thetter.

    It did not take long for Andesha to reach where Brendel was. He stood alone with his sword drawn out, and the moment he saw the Mistress of Withering Decay, he roared:

    ¡°Trance!¡±

    Halran Gaia was stabbed into the ground at the same time. Countless rock pirs rose up from the ground and blocked Andesha¡¯s vision. She immediately covered the area with her Element Power with a wave of her hand, wanting to turn Halran Gaia¡¯s magic back into raw Mana, but to her great surprise, the rock pirs held their shape.

    ck energy surged out where Brendel stood and he disappeared under the shadows of the rock pirs. Andesha snarled in frustration and started destroying the pirs with a vine whip, but they were remade quickly with Halran Gaia. She decided to ignore Brendel, intending to force the youth out by capturing hispanions, but ck wings suddenly fluttered in front of her, and a hand with blue mes swiped upwards at her face.

    Andesha¡¯s expression was cold and screeched with fury: ¡°How dare you!¡±

    Her whip moved like a poisonous snake and whipped away that offending hand, and she realized that it was a girl she had never seen before who attacked her. Brendel¡¯s sword suddenly entered Andesha¡¯s eyes at a startling speed, but her vines pulled her away to the sides as though she had expected the attack, while a few stray vinesshed out below the iing sword in an attempt to strike Brendel.

    The vines hit nothing but the rock pirs.

    The youth had hurled his sword like a javelin, before it wobbled back to his hand like a boomerang by using the White Raven Sword Arte. Though the violent winds affected his control, it was reduced because of the rock pirs that Brendel had created.

    A Wind Spirit Spider jumped down directly to reach Andesha¡¯s head, but thetter acted as though she had eyes above her and destroyed it immediately with a swing of her whip. Brendel did not miss this opportunity and threw a rock with great timing, yet the Mistress of Withering Decay merely tilted her head to allow the projectile to fly past her.

    The youth¡¯s actions had angered her beyond words. Vines started pouring out beneath her to lift her up into the air so she could see where her enemies were, while she started pouring her mana into the ground:

    ¡°My children, ari¡ª¡±

    [Sacrifice non-ck creature card, Wind Spirit Spiders, to the Ancestral Vampire.]

    ¨C The Wind Spirit Spiders Card has entered the Graveyard. Mana Feedback is avable, please select your target.

    [Is this even necessary to ask me? There¡¯s only one real target. The Mistress of Withering Decay, Andesha!]

    All the Wind Spirit Spiders suddenly disappeared, leaving behind green rays of light that repeatedly bent in strange angles as though they were reflected by mirrors and entered Andesha¡¯s body, causing the woman to groan in pain as part of her Mana was burned. But it was an explosion of mes in front of her face that disrupted her magic spell. She flinched because she was wary of the golden mes, but she realized there was no damage that bypassed her protections.

    [Summon tinum Angel into the Battlefield! Tap Eternity Orb and copy tinum Angel! Revive Firew Chieftain and Fire Dijinn from the Graveyard and summon them into the Battlefield! Explosion! Sacrifice non-ck creature card, Fire Dijinn, to Ancestral Vampire just before Explosion ends!]

    Brendel had given new orders in a frenzy even before the system could prompt him.

    ¨C Three Command Points have been added to Ancestral Vampire from the Wind Spirit Spiders.

    ¨C Three Command Points have been added to Ancestral Vampire from the Fire Dijinn.

    ck mes suddenly burst all over Morpheus¡¯s body. His pale neck and hands were drawn with mysterious floral patterns.

    The two tinum angels, Ropar, and Morpheus rushed towards the distracted Andesha. But she swung her whip all around her skillfully, creating a defensive wall that made it impossible for them to attack her.

    ¡°My children, arise!¡± She screamed with great fury, attempting to cast her spell a second time.

    Vines spouted from the ground like a fountain, forming into worm-like creatures that squirmed all about and knocked down the rock pirs.

    There was nothing to stop them from rising up now¡ª

    [This is now or never. White Raven Sword Arte!]

    Brendel had sessfully caused Andesha¡¯s fury to reach a new height. He raised Halran Gaia and a maelstrom of mes gathered around it. The air was heated till the point where Andesha¡¯s figure was distorted in his eyes. Invisible des of wind sliced through the summoned creatures, roaring as they reached for her, and the billowing golden mes that apanied the wind devoured the vegetation hungrily until it was no more.

    But Andesha swung her whip onto a rock pir and got herself to safety; she was on her guard against the golden mes despite the anger filling her mind.

    ¡°Sacrifice the tinum Angels and Firew Chieftain!¡± Brendel said aloud.

    ¨C Six Command Points have been added to Ancestral Vampire from the tinum Angels.

    ¨C Three Command Points have been added to Ancestral Vampire from the Firew Chieftain.

    Morpheus¡¯s strength increased yet again. The blue mes on his hands turned ck and covered his whole body. Brendel activated his Charge ability, moving straight for Andesha in a vertical leap, leaving behind a ck trail of dark energy. Morpheus did not idle and also went for her, flying down towards her like a fallinget.

    ¡°How is this possible!¡± Andesha eximed in surprise as Morpheus reached her first in a blur.

    She had assessed the girl with ck wings to be a Gold-ranker, but thetter¡¯s speed rose tremendously to the point where she took her by surprise. Cold mes broke past the Mistress of Withering Decay¡¯s defense, causing her to realize that it was an Undead being before her.

    [Soul Element Power? Is this a joke? How did this girl master her Element Power so quickly?]

    The attack¡¯s negative energy was targeted at Andesha¡¯s legs. Morpheus had faithfully executed his Master¡¯s instructions, causing the Mistress of Withering Decay to gasp as she felt the cold mes reaching to her core.

    As one of the strongest figures in the continent, she could not remember how long it had been when she received an injury to her soul. It was the price for underestimating Morpheus.

    Her whip immediately struck back with tremendous force, causing the pretty Vampire to fly into the fallen rock pirs. Rock fragments and dust showered the area. Brendel did not miss the opportunity and swung his sword at his foe, causing Andesha to panic slightly when she realized the youth was moving even faster than Morpheus. She covered her hands with vines reinforced by Mana, parrying away the dazzling array of strikes and retreating away from the youth.

    Though the pain from the golden mes was still fresh in her mind, she noticed that Brendel was not using them and narrowed her eyes in contemtion.

    [The mes that this boy possess are not from the Blood of Gods...... It doesn¡¯t appear to be his Element Power as well. How did he conjure the mes? Surely it¡¯s not possible for him to keep using them, right?]

    It did not take long for Andesha to try and use her whip against Brendel in order to disarm him, while Morpheus returned to the fray and started aiming for her legs again. She was almost impressed at how well they worked together, but even so, the difference in their abilities was palpable.

    Morpheus was caught by her whip, and Andesha started smashing him against the ground repeatedly, breaking his left wing and arm at a painful angle, while she positioned herself and Morpheus in a way that made it difficult for Brendel to attack her. ck blood flowed from Morpheus wounds, caused by the whip¡¯s thorns. He even coughed out a few mouthfuls of blood.

    But his eyes were resolute and he held on to the whip instead, trying to pull Andesha towards Brendel¡¯s sword.

    ¡°Let go of my whip, you rabid bitch!¡± Andesha screamed as she dodged the youth¡¯s attacks when they came near to her face, and she almost lost her footing due to the Vampire pulling back.

    She suddenly jerked her whip to her, before flicking it in the opposite direction, letting go of her weapon. The sudden turn of events surprised Morpheus and he did not react in time. The addition of Andesha¡¯s push and his own strength from pulling the whip caused him to fly up in the air like an arrow, before he dropped down into the endless gorge, disappearing before Brendel¡¯s eyes.

    [Morpheus! Damn it¡ª Andesha¡¯s level is just too high for us to ovee.]

    Brendel gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly.

    Andesha¡¯s abilities were beyond his expectations. Her techniques inbat were quite formidable, and there were no real openings that he could exploit despite gaining an advantage in the terrain. Even with his newly gained power due to Trance and all his summons¡¯ aid, he was unable to suppress her.

    He immediately decided to retreat since he did not have Morpheus¡¯s aid any longer, evading the conjured vines that suddenly came from nowhere and tried to take a hold of him.

    The Mistress of Withering Decay clutched the wounds on her legs and watched the youth flee with seething rage. It was taking a while to remove the damage from Morpheus¡¯s Element Power.

    ¡°Boy, you¡¯re a summoner?¡± Veronica asked the youth when he came back to them.

    She had seen part of his duel with Andesha from afar and saw multiple figures suddenly appearing, then to her surprise and astonishment, the youth had emerged unscathed.

    Brendel nodded. There was no point in denying it and he might as well pretend to be one.

    A neswalker was something else entirely, and who knew what would happen if he tried to hint anything about it. He did not want to have a second chain of unknown events happening, especially after the fiasco of reciting an oath that eventually led to his downfall.

    ¡°In any case, we discovered a path. It seems that we can get to the bottom of the gorge if we use it.¡±

    Brendel nodded again. Andesha¡¯s furious screams were getting nearer to them, causing him to frown. The tinum Angels were his only way of retrieving cards from the graveyard, and it would mean that there were fewer cards for the battles ahead.

    He nced at his Stats Windows.

    [The golden mes from the Dragon of Darkness are all used up...... But losing Morpheus is a real problem; he¡¯s at least Level 70 by my estimation after all the sacrifices and I wanted to keep him at the very least for Valha. In any case, I need another n.]

    He thought for a few seconds.

 volume 3 - 178

    Chapter 178 ¨C Battle in the Canyon (3)

    Brendel observed the ce where Veronica was pointing to.

    [Rather than say that it¡¯s a path, it¡¯s a series of boulders jutting out from the cliffs where we can jump onto. I can¡¯t imagine if these are formed like the by some twisted ident of nature or an epic work created by human hands. Even without the violent winds, creating such a path down to the gorge is a miracle. In any case, it¡¯s time for n B, since Andesha is near enough.]

    ¡°Lady Veronica, give me the Lionheart! I¡¯ll head down while you bring Scarlett and Faena to the other direction and escape!¡± Brendel spoke aloud.

    Veronica and Andesha¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. The former saw that the youth was pointing at her sword, and she stared at him with disbelief when she understood what he was trying to do.

    Anyone could see that it was a lie.

    The female sword saint was hesitant, but she eventually tossed her sword over to Brendel, who caught it with an outstretched hand.

    ¡°My lord!¡± Scarlett spoke in confusion, taking a few steps towards the youth.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Veronica caught Scarlett¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Let go of me!¡±

    Veronica raised an eyebrow when the red-haired girl bared her teeth and red back like a wolf pup, looking like she was going to bite her hand. The former merelyughed out loud despite the tension.

    ¡°My, my, just how fond are you of your lord?¡±

    Scarlett stuttered with a denial and even forgot to resist, but she got pushed away by Veronica.

    Andesha suddenly attempted to use her whip to grab Scarlett. He would most likely not leave hispanion behind if she was caught.

    The youth immediately saw what Andesha was up to.

    Unfortunately, the dunce Faena was straying around the area and was much nearer to himpared to Veronica. If he failed to protect her, the same situation where Veronica threatened him with hispanion would happen yet again.

    He immediately rushed over and grabbed the girl like a sack of potatoes and leaped into the air, jumping straight onto the cliff¡¯s protruding rocks, making his way down quickly.

    Mockingughter and insults echoed from the cliffs.

    Catch me if you can, nt woman.

    I thought you wanted the Lionheart?

    Just how old are you anyway? Three hundred? Five hundred? Hahaha~~~

    Andesha stared at Veronica for a moment. That sword was definitely not Lionheart.

    But she was finding it impossible to read Brendel. What if Veronica somehow switched her de to the real Lionheart sword and threw it to the youth?

    In addition, she also used the highest quality Blood of Gods on him.

    But most importantly, there was no way she could let this humiliation pass.

    The Mistress of Withering Decay jumped onto the boulders, disappearing into the white fog.

    Faena was so frightened that her teeth were chattering.

    ¡°W-w-w-why did you take me with you¡ª¡±

    Her voice was almost pushed back by the wind forcing its way to her throat.

    ¡°Then should I leave you here, mydy?¡±

    Brendel was using his full speed to jump across the rocks, but he was still able to answer.

    ¡°NO!!¡±

    ¡°Hey, do you want me to bring you along or leave you here?¡±

    ¡°Y-y-you, I-I-I will get my father to cut you into pieces when I get back!¡±

    ¡°Woah, I¡¯m so scared, hmmmm, how about this, I¡¯ll just make it so that you won¡¯t be able to go back?¡±

    ¡°Y-you dare!?¡±

    Brendel let go of his hands, scaring Faena and causing her to scream immediately, and she hugged his neck tightly.

    The youth felt liquid going down his neck, and he realized he had just intimidated her into crying.

    [You did well, me!]

    ¡°You b-bastard......¡± She cried.

    Brendel did not regret his actions at all. He even felt vindicated for doing so since she brought so much trouble to him. He nced back to ascertain Andesha¡¯s position.

    Her figure was moving faster and faster in the blurry mist, advancing the terrain by using her vines instead of jumping across the rocks. It would not be long for her to appear clearly in his eyes.

    [Our distance is just slightly more than ten meters apart¡ª]

    Andesha swung her whip from that distance, and a cracking sound could be heard as it parted the white mist. Brendel was on his guard and jumped high up into the air. The whip struck across the protruding boulder where he was at earlier, cutting a portion off like a knife.

    Her speed made him frown. If he did note up with something soon, he would definitely be caught.

    He nced at his surroundings. There was nothing he could use with this terrain, and the protruding rocks lined up in a row were the only things avable. At that moment, Faena rubbed her red eyes and spoke a little angrily:

    ¡°Hey, your sword¡¯s hilt is poking me all the time! It¡¯s hurting me!¡±

    ¡°Sword hilt?¡±

    Brendel suddenly realized he was holding on to Veronica¡¯s sword. His eyes brightened as he thought of a n.

    ¡°Nice idea!¡±

    ¡°W...... What?¡±

    ¡°You gave me a nice idea.¡±

    ¡°What idea? Are you delirious?¡±

    Faena was puzzled but she suddenly felt herself sinking like a stone, and the mist was rushing up at her face. She suddenly realized that Brendel was tucking his legs together and shrinking his body into a straight line as much as possible.

    They were falling through the air freely.

    Faena had never felt such a thrill in her entire life, and her heart was about to jump out of her throat.

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh¡ª¡±

    Her voice dragged out like a falling star as she felt the wind cutting her face like des. Her tears spilled out, no, flew out from her.

    [I¡¯m dying, dying, dying¡ª]

    Brendel did not need to ask Faena to hold onto him since she was already doing so. He took out Veronica¡¯s sword and stabbed it into the cliff. A sharp metallic scream immediately assaulted his ears. Veronica¡¯s swordpletely disappeared into the cliff, and bright golden sparks showered from the cliff as he slid towards a rock tform.

    He pulled out the sword and jumped onto it, taking a moment to rest and recover his strength, before he did the same thing again a few times. He actually reached the abyss without any issues.

    Faena stared at the sky when she finally confirmed they had stopped. She gulped in the air like a fish, her chest moving up and down, acting as though her soul had left her.

    ¡°Am I dead?¡± She asked nkly.

    Brendel rolled his eyes and pushed her over his shoulders, and she overturned once to fall on her butt.

    ¡°Ouch! What are you doing!!¡±

    ¡°Hah...... Didn¡¯t you ask if you were dead? Tossing you over was the fastest way to find out.¡±

    ¡°Y-y-you scoundrel......¡± She started sobbing again.

    The angry, spoiled, and stubborn girl was nowhere to be found.

    Brendel massaged his sword arm as it was feeling numb and had no sensation. He sighed and looked upwards.

    [I don¡¯t want to do this again, even if it felt as thrilling as a roller-coaster. I nearly failed to hold onto the sword despite my increased Physique and Strength with Trance¡ª]

    Andesha¡¯s speed was incredibly quick, and he could make out a speck in the air. It was hard to say where their of the fake Lernaia Hydra was, and the cat-and-mouse game still had to continue. He pushed Faena¡¯s shoulder:

    ¡°Stay here and hide. I¡¯ll lure her away.¡±

    Faena suddenly stopped crying and stared at him. She looked wary and Brendel did not know what was going through in her mind, but she suddenly blurted loudly:

    ¡°I¡¯m going with you!¡±

    [Hah?]

    Brendel thought she hated him more than Andesha, but he shook his head after a moment.

    ¡°No, you will only slow me down with your speed,¡± Brendel said and walked away.

    But he could hear her standing up and chasing him from behind, causing him to sigh immediately.

    ¡°It¡¯s incredibly dangerous for you to stick with me. Do you even know what I¡¯m going to do next?¡±

    ¡°Staying here is even more dangerous, h-h-how can you can leave ady...... behind in such a dangerous ce?¡± Her voice became softer and softer at the end.

    ¡°Hmm¡ª¡±

    Brendel was taken aback for a moment.

    Faena was right. Who knew what was lurking in the abyss? Even though he told her to hide, she might encounter a monster. He would not mind if something bad happened to her, but what if there was an investigation from the Kirrlutz Empire or Veronicaing back to bite him back in the butt?

    He turned around and extended his hand: ¡°Hmmm..... Okay.¡±

    ¡°W-w-what are you doing now?¡± Faena was on her guard and stared at the hand before her.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want toe along with me?¡±

    ¡°Who wants to hold hands with you damn it!¡±

    ¡°Okay, forget it.¡±

    Brendel was about to walk away.

    ¡°Wait! Hey!¡±

    Faena ran up hastily and gritted her teeth as her twin ponytails shook behind her. She looked at his hand in hesitation before grabbing it. She was afraid of the surroundings but she was reluctant to admit it:

    ¡°R-r-remember this, I-I¡¯m not afraid and did not take your hand because¡ª I...... won¡¯t thank you.¡±

    ¡°Ohhkay,¡± Brendel replied, enjoying the idea of jerking her around.

    The two of them crossed the deep valley. The mist was taking on a grey color tone, and there was some kind of stench in the air.

    Despite walking for a while, Brendel could not see any vegetation or signs of life. He sniffed the air, pondering to himself, but it was Faena whomented out loud:

    ¡°Strange. The purity of the different Elements is incredibly thick. It feels like Ether.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Brendel turned to look at her: ¡°You recognize it?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I recognize it?¡± Faena rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m an Elementalist, are you one?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an Elementalist? How is it possible that you even became one? And I¡¯m a proud Magic Swordswoman, hmph, you country bumpkin!¡±

    Brendel had been angered before by the words ¡®country bumpkin¡¯, but now the girl before him had frizzy hair and swollen eyes, and he could not help but giggle.

    ¡°What are you staring at?¡± She red at him, feeling his ridicule.

    ¡°You said that it¡¯s Ether? Do you know what¡¯s Ether?¡±

    ¡°Hmph. The different Elements are active, but if they are stagnant in a ce for long periods of time, it will turn into Ether. Incredible, how is it possible for so much Ether to be in this area?¡±

    ¡°You can feel it bing thicker?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then it means we found the right ce.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Brendel took out a grey gemstone that glowed faintly. Faena looked at it curiously, and she found it to be somehow captivating.

 volume 3 - 179

    Chapter 179 ¨C Dream

    When Brendel took out the gemstone, a ray of grey light shot out from it and pierced through the mist, pointing towards a certain direction.

    ¡°What are you holding on to?¡± Faena asked.

    ¡°Why do I need to answer your question? Surely someone from the Empire would not care for what a citizen from Aouine has to say.¡± Brendel raised the gemstone higher, making himself a lighthouse.

    ¡°You¡ª¡± She gnashed her teeth.

    But Brendel ignored her and started walking, dragging the irate girl along with him. Both of them became silent, unwilling to speak to each other.

    The light from the gemstone was a form of Mana Resonance, and it focused on something within the valley. The two of them continued to walk in the fog for quite some time, following the direction of the light as ck rocks peeked in and out. A strong air current was flowing past their legs like a river¡¯s water which slowed their progress.

    The boringndscape made the weary duo sleepy as they continued walking, but it did not take long for the gemstone in Brendel¡¯s hands to sh a few times before it dimmed. The youth suddenly became alert and focused his attention on his surroundings that seemed to be oddly bright. He pondered a few seconds, before taking out Veronica¡¯s sword and dropped its sheath onto the ground.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Faena did not understand what Brendel was doing.

    ¡°We¡¯ve reached our destination,¡± He said, pulling Faena to arge boulder and indicated for her to be quiet.

    Even though it was his n to get the fake Lernaia Hydra to fight Andesha, he did not want to be caught by the monster because Faena made a fool out of herself.

    He narrowed his eyes and tried to see past the fog. There was a bottomless quarry ahead of them, and when he looked into it, he suddenly held his breath¡ª

    [What the f.....]

    There was an incredible beast lying in the quarry. The strange shapes that he first saw were actually a pair of white shining ears, leading down to a silver mane that glowed in the darkness. There was no fog around that beast, as though it was somehow pushed away by an invisible barrier.

    When the youth took a few more seconds to look at it, he realized that it was a wolf that was just as big as the fake Lernaia Hydra. Its elegant snout was ced on top of its paws, with its body nestled upfortably in a curvy mass. It gave off an aura that exuded magnificence, appearing more splendid than the most glorious mountains.

    [A silver scar across its face and eye¡ª]

    Brendel swallowed as he looked at the mighty sleeping beast, even forgetting to breathe. Faena eventually discovered what was causing the youth¡¯s shock. She nearly cried out, but her hands already covered her lips to prevent any sound from leaking out.

    ¡°What is this monster?¡± Faena whispered in disbelief.

    Brendel took a deep breath and dered with shining eyes:

    ¡°The Twelve Demonic Moon¡¯s son, the Warg that is known as Hati!¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Faena cried out through her covered lips.

    The Warg Hati was also known as the source of the Cmity of Wolves. As the Kirrlutz Empire¡¯s northern borders were frequently harassed by the Winter Wolves, Faena knew about the lore quite well.

    Hati was depicted as a half-god in various legends and stories, but no one believed that it really existed.

    ¡°H-h-how is this possible, y-you are mistaken, r-right?¡± Faena stuttered in terror.

    ¡°The colossal wolf with a body filled with snow-white fur, and the unmistakable injury left behind on its right eye during the fight with the Winter Warg¡ª¡±

    Brendel suddenly stopped himself.

    [This could be a trick from the Demonic Nightmare Fog. If it managed to turn itself into the fake Ancestral Hydra, why not the fake King of Wolves, Hati?]

    He suddenly felt Faena poking his waist. He turned around and saw her looking up in the air,

    ¡°B-Brendel......¡± She could only utter his name as though she had her tongue tied up.

    The youth was on his guard when he saw her appearance. He looked up and also changed his expression just like she did.

    The fog was changing its shape repeatedly, forming into various Ancestral Beasts, but it ultimately turned into a shape they were familiar with¡ª

    The Lernaia Hydra was before them once again.

    Fifteen pairs of eyes suddenly opened up at the same time, revealing nothing but evil killing intent. Brendel and Faena¡¯s hearts turned cold, and they felt as though they had been pierced by fifteen sharp swords and were nailed to the ground¡ª

    [...... It¡¯s the opposite. This Hati here is the real thing. Indeed, it¡¯s the true source of the Cmity of Wolves, and it is currently dreaming of creating chaos in the real world. The identity of the Demonic Nightmare Fog is actually a dream of Hati that affects reality, and it¡¯s strong enough to beat up everyone.]

    ¡°H-h-has...... it seen us?¡± Faena muttered.

    Brendel shoved his hand to her lips:

    ¡°Are you stupid? It would have just attacked us long ago if it saw us. Stop talking unnecessarily, you¡¯re going to attract its attention.¡±

    The youth stared at the fifteen dragon heads once again.

    [It¡¯s the gemstone. The Demonic Nightmare Fog appeared because the gemstone was taken out and too close to it. But what does this gemstone have anything to do with Hati?]

    He moved further into the boulder¡¯s cover and pulled Faena in as well. Thetter squatted down and ced her hands on the sides of her torn up dress.

    ¡°Did you n on luring that woman here from the start?¡± She thought for a while and asked.

    Brendel looked at her in surprise.

    ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t know you had a brain¡ª¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that!¡± She red at him and said through gritted teeth with a raised voice.

    ¡°Silence!¡± Brendel stared back and said with a huff.

    Faena¡¯s body jolted, and she remembered to lower her volume: ¡°Did you know that this thing would be here? Does it have anything to do with the gemstone that you have?¡±

    ¡°Gee, your guess is right, how about making more guesses to my other ns?¡±

    ¡°Tsk, any idiot would be able to see through it, do you really think you¡¯re so smart!?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s ire was drawn and he felt blood rushing to his face, and he immediately countered back with an insult: ¡°Is that so? You¡¯re an idiot who managed to see through my ns, well done.¡±

    ¡°You!¡±

    Faena¡¯s eyebrows were knitted together and she was about to explode, but she saw the youth had his finger on his lips, and it caused her to dete like a balloon.

    ¡°..... This obnoxious country bumpkin from Aouine.¡± She muttered.

    Brendel did not have the mood to continue arguing with her. He looked at his surroundings and discovered a spot that was better than where they were at. The fake Lernaia Hydra would find it difficult to spot them if they were there instead. He gestured to Faena and brought her over carefully after walking for a few minutes, using the many boulders in the area as cover.

    It was a gap within the cliffs, which allowed them to see the entire valley easily, as well as the quarry below them. It was a good ce to avoid the Lernaia Hydra¡¯s eyes and also allowed them to observe Andesha¡¯s movements if she came.

    Brendel estimated that she would take ten more minutes to catch up to them.

    As expected, the figure of Mistress of Withering Decay appeared in the fog within that time frame.

    [It is quite the feat, to be able to pursue us so quickly.]

    Brendel thought they had only left their scent behind.

    Interestingly, Andesha took a sheltered path that blocked her view if she were to look up, and thus she did not notice the Lernaia Hydra¡¯s existence. It was the same for the creature, which also did not notice her.

    This was not what Brendel wanted. There was a strong killing intent in the air that would invite Andesha¡¯s cautiousness if she were to move any closer, and he needed to ensure his n¡¯s sess to get them to fight each other.

    He took a deep breath, ready to act¡ª

    ¡°Hey, country bumpkin, are you sure this n is going to mmmf¡ª¡± Faena could see Andesha¡¯s figure, and she asked after gulping once.

    Brendel grabbed the girl¡¯s cheeks using one hand and squeezed them with great spite. His courage and determination were suddenly deted because of this stupid woman.

    But he was out of time. He acted immediately and took out the gemstone. The Lernaia Hydra suddenly stopped moving, before fifteen heads turned and stared at the spot where the two youths were hiding at.

    [Here ites!]

    Brendel¡¯s heart raced as he lifted up the gemstone, and the figure of the Lernaia Hydra immediately moved towards the gap.

    ¡°F-Fhat arr yew dewing!¡± Faena could not help but speak in rm, her hands iling about.

    Brendel did not answer her.

    A dragon head was moving quickly to where they were, and he forcibly pulled Faena out of the hole. Four additional dragon heads suddenly parted the mist and appeared before them, and he hurled Faena like a javelin upon seeing that sight.

    Fangs snapped at the screaming girl flying in the air, but they missed and Faena tumbled onto the ground roughly, rolling a few times. She had curled herself into a ball and hugged her head. The youth then activated his Charge ability and rushed next to her, scooping her up into his arms and he ran across the valley with a dazzling speed.

    Even though the deep valley was considerablyrge, the size of the Lernaia Hydra was far too big for it to use all its heads at the same time. Fifteen heads moved to attack Brendel, but they knocked into each other and slowed down their progress.

    The youth ran and made use of the many boulders and gaps within the cliffs, making it impossible for the Lernaia Hydra to get them.

    He quickly ran into Andesha. She was holding on to the sheath of Veronica¡¯s sword which he had left behind as a bait; the sheath¡¯s materials were special and she took time to study it.

    When the leader of the Tree Shepherds saw Brendel carrying Faena in his arms and appearing before her, she could not help but feel surprised. Her reactions were quick as she immediately spoke aloud with ridicule:

    ¡°Delivering yourselves to me, are we?¡±

    ¡°Surely you know that I¡¯m not holding onto the Lionheart¡ª¡± Brendel stopped running, and heughed with sarcasm while he shook his head.

    Andesha scoffed: ¡°The Acolyte of the Dark God is more important than a mere sword.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then how important is this thingpared to me?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Andesha was confused by Brendel¡¯s words and actions; the youth tossed a gemstone over to her. She nearly smacked it away instinctively, but she managed to identify at thest moment and her expression changed.

    ¡°A Sealed Fragment?¡±

    Andesha immediately caught the gemstone with a conjured vine whip and studied it.

 volume 3 - 180

    Chapter 180 ¨C Through the valley

    While Andesha was distracted with the gemstone, there was a sudden roar that shook the valley. The fog parted and a huge dragon head with open jaws rushed towards her.

    ¡°A dragon!?¡± The Mistress of Wither Decay jumped in fright, but she immediately chanted loudly: ¡°Northern Wind, Imand you to conjure a bitter winter!¡±

    She flung out her palm; a blizzard formed on top of her head and blew out a wild storm of frost and hail. Shards of ice were fired like projectiles, striking the surroundings in front of her. The strong wind tossed her hair about and made it dance, but she did not move at all.

    It was as though she was a queen who controlled the weather. Snow covered the half the valley in the blink of an eye, turning the ground into a carpet of hard ice. The Lernaia Hydra¡¯s dragon head was forced back as the sharp ice fragments pierced through its body, riddling it with holes.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Andesha felt there was something wrong with the strength of the ¡®Dragon¡¯. She pointed at the head with her thumb, chanting:

    ¡°Time flows; nature withers. Your scales shall fall from off your body, your muscles will ck and rot, your blood turns dry, your bones be brittle, today is the day when your end is nigh!¡±

    The Lernaia Hydra¡¯s head bellowed. Its white scales turned yellow and fell out, while its muscles and blood were turned into liquid, and rained all over the area before turning back into mist.

    In just a few seconds, the gigantic head disappeared.

    But before Andesha had the chance to rx, the air was agitated. Mist gathered and the dragon head appeared once more.

    Andesha¡¯s brows formed a knot between her eyes.

    Brendel had used this opportunity to slip past them while she was facing off the Demonic Nightmare Fog, but he was still struck once by a stray shard of ice on the shoulder, causing him to lose sensation of his entire arm.

    Even though the Andesha¡¯s magic did not affect him much with just a thinyer of ice spreading across the injury, it was the physical damage that caused him to grit his teeth.

    He ran over a hundred meters before he spotted a crevice in the cliffs and went into it, gasping a little when he stopped. It was as though a knife had been stabbed into his shoulder. His blood seemed like it was being pumped hard to fix the wound, causing him to feel a scorching heat as it fought against the freezing magic.

    Faena asked with a little concern in her voice when she saw Brendel¡¯s twisted expression.

    ¡°Hey, country bumpkin?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Brendel snarled at her.

    ¡°You¡ª¡± Faena wanted to ask if she could do anything to help, but Brendel¡¯s attitude made her angry. She scoffed and her tone was hard: ¡°Nothing at all.¡±

    Still, she asked again in a whisper: ¡°Hey, country bumpkin?¡±

    ¡°What is wrong with your eyes? Lady, do you think I¡¯m free to talk to you?¡± Brendel snapped at her.

    ¡°Y-y-you obnoxious¡ª¡±

    ¡°Huh? Who¡¯s the obnoxious one? You mean calling me names is your way of apologizing?¡±

    Faena eyebrows disappeared into her hair: ¡°I¡¯m not apologizing, why would you think I¡¯m doing that, how is it possible that I will apologize to a country bumpkin!¡±

    ¡°Then why the hell do you keep talking to me?¡±

    Faena¡¯s face turned red. She wanted to say ¡®Let me walk on my own since you are injured¡¯, but her words changed to something else:

    ¡°When do you intend to put me down¡ª¡±

    Her angry voice became softer and softer with each word.

    [Hah?]

    Brendel suddenly realized he was still carrying her in his arms. But he could hardly be med; the youth thought he was carrying baggage all the time and simply forgot.

    If it were some other hot girl, he might have entertained some delusions about her, but Faena actually managed to send his affection score below negative points.

    [Arrogant, condescending, wicked, and clumsy.]

    He could not help but send a meaningful re at the girl before letting her down.

    Andesha and the Lernaia Hydra¡¯s fight intensified. The fifteen dragon heads were repeatedly destroyed and regrown without being able to fight back, and its body was eventually forced back.

    [Madness. Even though I knew this woman was strong, I didn¡¯t think she would be this powerful. This fake Hydra is a beast that could take on Amman, Mephisto, and Veronica all at the same time, and yet Andesha is capable of making it do nothing but defend itself. Still.....]

    The youth was on the verge of giggling.

    The Lernaia Hydra could regenerate itself infinite times. If Andesha was unable to realize this point, she would eventually die from exhaustion. The Mistress of Withering Decay¡¯s Element Power was not something that boosted speed, and given how persistent the creature was, fleeing would not be an easy thing.

    [It¡¯s best for us to go back in case something happens again¡ª Wait, the entrance to Valha, could it possibly be past Hati¡¯sir?]

    The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was possible, and he decided to move to the end of the valley. The fake Lernaia Hydra targeted Andesha because of the gemstone and her attention was on the monster, therefore it was unlikely that he would be targeted.

    Two dirty yellow light rays lit up the surroundings. Andesha had cast a new spell and the Lernaia Hydra¡¯s thunderous roars shook the cliffs and ground, giving the impression that an earthquake was happening.

    Brendel and Faena advanced carefully against the cliff¡¯s walls. Small rocks and sand kept pouring down as the beast¡¯s pained bellows echoed around them, but Faena did not dare toin. She merely looked at Brendel carefully with a frown when he was not paying attention to her.

    The two quickly made their way through the winding path, and they went down into the pit. The mist did not interfere with their sight any longer, and they saw that the massive beast was sleeping quietly.

    ¡°Wait, we¡¯re supposed....... to go past it?¡± Faena had already guessed his intentions, but when she saw the wolf appear so vividly before her eyes, she could not help but pale and question the youth¡¯s sanity.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°B-but the King of Wolves, Hati?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s sleeping, what are you afraid of?¡±

    ¡°But what if it suddenly wakes up, are we not doomed?¡±

    Brendel gave a condescending stare: ¡°The slumber of a half-God. Do you think it will be roused easily? You must be dreaming, Lady Faena.¡±

    ¡°You¡ª¡±

    Faena¡¯s teeth were clenched together in irritation. She knew that lore stated that a god could sleep for thousands of years, and they could not be roused regardless of what happened during this period of time.

    But it was just lore.

    Facing the situation in reality waspletely different. Hati was known as the source of the Cmity of Wolves, the White Spectre that hated all humans instinctively. Any child who lived in Kirrlutz would grow up with the story of a white wolf the size of a titan gobbling up humans under the moonlight. Faena was no exception, and her mind shut down a little when she saw the legendary monster with her own eyes.

    Brendel had already started to walk again, and she had to follow him even though she was afraid. Explosions rang out above them, indicating that Andesha and the Lernaia Hydra were still fighting, though the sounds were a little muted in the pit.

    The half-god was even more majestic up close. The silver fur looked like they were meticulously groomed and shone in the darkness. The wolf¡¯s outline was like a mountain range that went up and down, and Brendel and Faena could not help but feel like a speck of dust when they looked at it.

    They were in awe of the power presented before them.

    Hati¡¯s breaths were long and unchanging, its back rising up and down without fail. An immense soul resided in this body and seemed to fill it with endless strength. The wind that constantly blew in the Loop of Trade Winds were stilled in its presence, as if the world revolved around it.

    [I remember now...... The game introduced Hati as a ¡®she¡¯. Many are mistaken about her gender when they read the lore because she fought to be the ¡®king¡¯ of all wolves. Indeed, she is beautiful.]

    Despite the youth believing that it would not wake up, he still held his breath and carefully took his steps while he admired the elegant shape.

    ¡°I-i-it won¡¯t wake up right?¡± Faena squeaked.

    ¡°...... Do you see it waking up from all themotion around us?¡± Brendel turned his head slowly.

    ¡°Hati is the enemy of all sentient beings, right? Maybe it¡¯s able to sense us?¡±

    ¡°And it will send out a group of Winter Wolves that will break your throat¡ª¡± Brendel suddenly growled and his hand wed towards her throat, frightening the girl into shrinking back her neck.

    ¡°W-w-what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Trying to get you to stop talking nonsense.¡±

    ¡°You stupid evil country bumpkin!¡± Faenained unhappily.

    When the two of them passed Hati, its slow breath blew on them and caused their hearts to race.

    But Brendel was right; Hati did not wake up.

    Faena suddenly asked the youth whether they should take the chance and kill it while it was asleep. Brendel blinked several times and stared at the girl like she was the biggest fool in the world. He then passed Veronica¡¯s sword to her and said with the most innocent expression, but his sarcasm was obvious:

    ¡°Form a contract with me and save the world by bing a Magical Girl!¡±

    Faena snatched the sword and tried to cut a single strand of the wolf¡¯s fur, wanting to see the youth panicking as revenge for mocking her. But before the de even went close to within three feet of the wolf, an invisible barrier suddenly repelled Faena¡¯s attack.

    Brendel¡¯s lips were spasming as he tried to hold back hisughter. He had thestugh regardless of the girl was going to do.

    Faena stopped speaking to Brendel and red at him all the way as they quietly made their way past Hati.

    The end of the pit led to another narrow valley with obsidian walls. Its surroundings did not really look out of ce in the canyon, but there was one thing that stood out.

    There was a huge stone gate standing in the center of the valley.

 volume 3 - 181

    Chapter 181 ¨C Valha¡¯s gate

    Two statues were carved on either side of the gate, both towering nearly a hundred meters high. Brendel and Faena did not even reach the size of their toes.

    The statue on the left was the long-beared King of Bitter Frost, Kail, and the statue on the right wielding a massive axe was Kort. Both of them were gods of war in Kirrlutz¡¯s legends.

    When they reached the strange gate, Faena noticed a few lines written in angr letters, but she could not read thenguage.

    ¡°Valha was created for the Final Battle. May the stars in the sky still light the ground even after a millennium¡ª¡± Brendel read them aloud.

    The Sky Knight used hisnce and broke through the clouds during the final battle against the Twilight Dragon, signifying the birth of the second era. An ancient history that was even older than King Gatel and the other three Saints.

    Much of this ancientnguage was lost after the War of the Saints, and Faena could not help but stare at Brendel in astonishment. There was only silence in the valley after the youth spoke, making the atmosphere feel a little mystical.

    Brendel¡¯s first thought was to confirm whether the gate was the way to Valha. It was a powerful fortress built to fight against the Twilight Dragon, but it was still destroyed like the other Sanctuaries, leaving only a fragmented history that was turned into fables for people to trace.

    After marveling at the structure for a while, Brendel thought it was time to contact the Druids as promised. The Druids had given him twelve gemstones which he would use to send his coordinates, and then they would send Sifrid, who was the key to opening the gateway, over to him.

    He walked next to the gate and inspected the ground, eventually discovering what he wanted.

    An angr rock that jutted out from the ground.

    The youth scooped away the dirt around the rock to reveal more of it. He carved a circle on it with Veronica¡¯s sword and ced four green gemstones within the circle, before continuing to carve patterns around them.

    Faena found a spot and sat quietly on it. The Lernaia Hydra¡¯s roars which had stopped for a while were starting yet again, and they seemed to be even louder than before. She hugged her knees when she discovered the pebbles around her vibrating.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing now? Why did we stop moving?¡± She asked a little fearfully.

    ¡°Serious business. Make yourself useful and go back to the entrance to keep guard. If Andesha doesn¡¯t appear, continue to stay there and stop bothering me with your stupid questions.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Faena was shocked at his rudeness.

    This country bumpkin dared to order her?

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to? Sure, that¡¯s fine with me. I¡¯ll leave you behind if shees. That woman must be fuming, and you¡¯re a pretty good decoy even though you¡¯re ipetent. She will definitely torture you thoroughly before killing you,¡± Brendel was careful in his carving while he spoke in a delighted tone, as though he was describing a joyful event, ¡°ahhh, did I forget to mention that the Tree Shepherds love chopping people¡¯s limbs off and nt their demonic vegetation from hell on the injuries? These nts crave blood for nourishment..... Perhaps you have heard of their ways?¡±

    The blood in Faena¡¯s face waspletely drained. She pointed at Brendel with a shaking finger: ¡°Y-y-y-y-you, how could you describe something so terrifying with a smile on your face!¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s the truth?¡±

    Faena¡¯s rose-like lips quivered, with her tongue seemingly tied up with fear, but she squeezed out her usual unyielding words after a few seconds: ¡°I-I-I¡¯ll return you this favor f-f-for rescuing me¡ª¡±

    She stomped over to the entrance.

    Brendel was giggling to himself. It was easy to get her to do what he wanted by prodding her in the right ces. His lips started to bunch up together in concentration as hepleted the Magic Formation. Space Magic was the mostplicated out of all the Magic Formations, and he had discussed the feasibility of this n with the Great Druid Elder many times.

    The final conclusion was to send his coordinates with a Magic Formation, and the people in charge of sending Sifrid by a Teleportation spell were Druid Elders chosen in advance.

    The first problem was not difficult. Brendel was an Alchemist, and carving a Magic Formation was not a big problem for him. He easily remembered the sample that was given to him by the Druid Elder and did not even need to refer to it.

    The gemstones given to him were natural green agate crystals formed in the Loop of Trade Winds. They were high-quality gemstone capable of forming a Mana Resonance, and were also ssified as a low-level Space Element Power. Many Wizards used them as a medium for Transmission Magic.

    The distance between his location and the Green Tower was over ten kilometers across the Dark Forest. It was a risky n that did not guarantee sess, but the Druids were prepared for this do-or-die n, putting all their hope into one basket.

    [Well, they do have a backup n......]

    The youth knew that the Druids had sent off a group of their young offsprings and elderly away when the Cmity of Wolves started, in hopes of passing down their Legacy to their future seeds. He did not me them for not putting all their strength to guard the Green Tower, and instead pretended not to see their n.

    [Honestly, this shouldn¡¯t be as risky as it sounds. The gamers seeded in getting Valha, and I¡¯m pretty sure they used this method tomunicate with the Druids. It¡¯s not the first time that this method worked, and definitely not thest time in the game. The problem is with Andesha¡ª She somehow managed to block themunication between me and my summons, though I¡¯m certain that she has to actively cast a magic spell to do so.]

    Brendel was the one who proposed this n. The first time when gamers made use of these gemstones formunication ended up using six of these green agate crystals. Future tests went from a single gemstone to double digits, but statistics eventually proved that four gemstones were the best efficiency to cost, which was at a sess rate of ny-seven percent.

    The Druids provided twelve gemstones to Brendel, but the youth nned to use four and pocket the rest. He was certain that Andesha was busy dealing with the Hydra and it was unlikely for her to stop the magic he was going to cast.

    When he was finally done drawing the Magic Formation, he pointed Veronica¡¯s sword at the center and chanted loudly: ¡°In the name of the Dragon of Time and Wind, I invoke the Law of Dsityle and beseech the Third and Seventh Constetion, to lend your mystical powers to me and pierce through the skies.¡±

    The youth¡¯s voice was deafening, as though a mysterious force was increasing his volume, and a word echoed throughout the valley¡ª

    ¡°Dsi......tyle.......¡±

    Faena hopped into the air like a frightened rabbit. She turned around to see the Magic Formation bursting with green light, moving around the patterns of the Magic Formation like liquid and filling each curved line to its brim.

    ¡°What kind of magic is this? You actually managed to get the Dragon of Time and Wind to aid you? Why would the Divine Dragon Dsityle grant you its powers?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a Space Magic spell. Also, I did not cast it. Rather, it¡¯s an invoked Law that sends out coordinates.¡±

    Brendel kindly exined to her. He looked up and saw four green lines moving behind the Wall of Clouds. A gigantic wheel was being pulled at its edge, a sign of the Law being invoked.

    ¡°Space Magic? But Dsityle is the Dragon of Time and Wind, why does it have anything to do with Space Magic......¡± Faena was unable to recall what Divine Being was required to call out for invoking Space Magic.

    It was advanced magic that was beyond her level.

    ¡°Hah? All spells rted to Space Magic need the permission from the Dragon of Time and Wind. Don¡¯t you know that?¡±

    ¡°O-o-of course I know it, I was just surprised by you casting a high-level spell!¡± Her face was red from embarrassment and anger.

    ¡°Ohhh?¡± Brendel dragged his tone into a mocking one.

    The girl¡¯s face flushed even deeper and she snapped: ¡°Fine, why does invoking a Space Magic require the permission of the Dragon of Time and Wind?¡±

    ¡°Lady, has no one ever tell you how rotten your temper is?¡± Brendel rolled his eyes and sighed: ¡°Space and Time are one and the same; it¡¯s just that they exist in different dimensions.¡±

    Brendel quoted the theory of the Archmage, William Pestel. The Space Magic that existed in this current generation was mostly due to his efforts, and legends stated that no one had researched on the topic more deeply that he did.

    An old voice answered in great surprise as soon as Brendel finished speaking:

    ¡°What? Young man, where did you hear these words from?¡±

    Brendel and Faena felt a jolt to their spines, looking to the source of the voice at the same time.

    But there was nothing there.

    Brendel frowned, making a guess that it was a member of Galbu¡¯s Wizards, and he asked:

    ¡°Are you a member of the Silver Alliance? Why do you not show yourself?¡±

    The elderly voice was turned into a chain of heartyughter: ¡°Young man, your mind works really fast. Though goading an old man at my age isn¡¯t going to work well.¡±

    However, an elderly man wearing long silver robes that reached the ground appeared before Brendel¡¯s eyes.

    William Pestle, one of the twelve leaders of Galbu¡¯s Wizards, removed his invisibility spell and showed himself.

    He was over four hundred years old, his fame not only limited to Galbu¡¯s Wizards but also well known amongst the human mortals.

    A poet who went by the name Colgo, wrote a book called ¡®About the story of an Archmagi by Colgo, and sponsored by Bista Merchants¡¯. Bista was a considerably famous merchant near Ampere Seale. Natives knew that some of the merchants were entric, and it was because of this strange merchant, that the stories of William Pestle became known to themon people.

    Brendel looked at the old man with a grimace.

    Given thetter¡¯s personality, he might have actually sought a copyright fee from Colgo and Bista..... Dealing with him was likely to be troublesome.

    William showed a little surprise in his eyes when he saw Brendel looking unhappily at him. The youth clearly knew who he was.

    ¡°How strange, you even managed to recognize me?¡±

    ¡°Surely there are many who know your names. The Lord of Kanagi, one of the Twelve Silver Circle Archmagi, the respected leader of the wizards?¡±

    ¡°To think that I would have these many nicknames,¡± the elderly manughed, ¡°but knowing my name is one thing, to recognize me is another. How quaint, that you even know that Time and Space Magic are one and the same¡ª¡±

    William squinted his eyes.

    The School of Silver was founded by him, but it was still at an immature state on the ideas of Time and Space. Not many acknowledged his theory, and even a few of his old friends disagreed with him. But this young man dered the same hypothesis with confidence, and it made William more and more interested in him.

    ¡°What, you¡¯re¡ª¡± Faena could not believe her ears and stared at William with a pair of incredulous eyes. She was at a loss for words.

    ¡°My, my, even the little girl knows of my name, it is my pleasure to meet you.¡±

    [What is this old man doing here? Even though I know that the wizards from Galbu are here, I didn¡¯t think it would be one of their leaders. This is bad, he¡¯s probably as powerful as Andesha, and I have no idea what he wants.]

    Brendel¡¯s eyebrows could not but lift up.

    ¡°Do not worry, young man. I¡¯m here because I¡¯m merely curious.¡± William¡¯s smile became bigger, acting as though he could see through the youth¡¯s worries.

 volume 3 - 182

    Chapter 182 ¨C Waiting

    ¡°What is there to be curious?¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Yes, strange, very strange. A noble who¡¯s rumored to be from Aouine¡¯s borders, but he easily recognizes me, identifies Hati readily, casts a Space Magic that borrows from Dsityle¡¯s powers, carrying Bahamut¡¯s Grasp and Halran Gaia...... You even have that girl¡¯s sword, the Azure Sky¡ª¡± The old wizard looked at Brendel with his dull-green colored eyes, his smile extending to them.

    Brendel¡¯s heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°Is it strange for a low-ranking noble to be capable of these feats? That¡¯s nothing but prejudice.¡±

    ¡°But you have to admit that prejudice is a gained experience. Though, I must have crossed the line as it seems you wish to hold on to your secrets. If I apologize to you, surely you will not hold it against me, an old man, right?¡±

    Brendel could not help but smile at his cheeky words. William¡¯s friendly attitude was a breath of fresh airpared to the people from Kirrlutz, and in theory, he was actually much more qualified to look down on the lowborn because he was a leader of the Silver Bloodline.

    If one were topare the Galbu Wizards¡¯ polite and humble attitudes to the people from Kirrlutz, thetter would definitely be treated as violent savages.

    ¡°Very well, my true interest here is this,¡± the old wizard looked at the imposing stone gate and shook his head, ¡°the Lionheart¡¯s ce of rest isn¡¯t behind this gate, everyone has guessed wrong.¡±

    He nced at Brendel, his eyes twinkling with curiosity: ¡°But if my guess is right, you know what lies beyond this gate?¡±

    Brendel turned his head sideways a little, looking at William from the corners of his eyes. He was certain that the old wizard did note to this ce just because thetter was curious. The youth even thought that it was possible that he was the reason that William came here.

    Still, he yed along with his act and asked a question:

    ¡°Grandmaster William, what is the basic principle behind Magic?¡±

    This question was simple to the old wizard, and he answered immediately: ¡°Magic is the exchange of Mana and rules of the Laws.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the symbol of the Silver Alliance is a silver bncing scale, would you please tell me why?¡±

    William¡¯s eyes glinted as heughed: ¡°An equal exchange¡ª Alright, what do you want, you rascal?¡±

    ¡°I need a helping hand.¡±

    ¡°I see, you want me to aid you against that woman?¡± The old wizard looked at the entrance of the valley: ¡°It¡¯s a little troublesome, but I can consider about it.¡±

    Brendel nodded. It was not surprising for William to make a correct conclusion quickly. Thetter not only had wisdom, but his experience alone would allow him to arrive at the truth of many things.

    ¡°This is truly a difficult transaction to ept, but I think I can see it as worthwhile. Now, can you tell me what is behind this gate?¡± The old wizard asked with augh.

    ¡°Valha,¡± Brendel answered.

    William froze a little: ¡°Do you refer to the Druids¡¯ secret that is handed down to each generation by word of mouth; the ruins that they have been looking for throughout the years?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Brendel was not worried about William getting involved in this matter. People viewed Valha as a ce that housed a primeval Fire Seed. Possessing it would certainly allow one to be the lord of thend, but the Archmagi was already standing at the very top of authority amongst the wizards, and there was no meaning to possess Valha.

    In addition, Galbu was an alliance formed with floating cities. There was no meaning or need to own and on the ground. If anything, the Archmagi should be on the youth¡¯s side to help kindle the Fire Seed, since he was one of the allies of Order.

    ¡°There are tales of the Goddess Marsha leaving behind a Fire Seed in the south of Aouine, but to think that it¡¯s in Valha, and right behind this gate!¡± William eximed: ¡°But while it¡¯s all very surprising, this secret is highly guarded by the Druids, and even I had no clue at all as to what is really behind this ce¡ª So how do you know this secret?¡±

    Brendel merely smiled back without saying anything.

    ¡°Ahh, another secret? How very vexing.¡± The Archmagi sighed in exaggeration to Brendel¡¯s nod.

    ============= Druids¡¯ POV =============

    The ordinary citizens were mostly gathered in the Green Tower¡¯s town hall, with a few people trickling in every now and then from the various districts. Adults hugged the children and loved onesforted each other in the air that was filled with uneasiness and tension.

    A few high-level Druids conjured up thorny brambles that sealed off most of the paths from various city areas leading to the town hall. However, if the town hall was lost, then the only ce left to defend was the ckthorn Council¡¯s area.

    The growling wolves were slowly moving up the Green Tower, and a fight was taking ce in the markets. The Centaurs and Tree Elves had lost this area a while ago, but they regrouped and sessfully took it back.

    Both armies fought in this area that was made up of vines and immense tree trunks, having a battle whichsted for nearly ten hours¡ª

    But it was clear that they would be pushed back eventually. The wolves seemed like they were endless.

    The Druids were waiting desperately within the ckthorn Council¡¯s hall. Lightning was striking almost every second, and it felt as though that it was not rain that poured but lightning. shes of light came from every direction, illuminating the Druids¡¯ faces through the rain.

    The hourss ced in the center of the ckthorn¡¯s hall was flipped one more time. Perhaps it was thest time that it would be flipped. Each turn was merely four hours, but the Druids felt that it was the longest period of time in their lives. They were still waiting for their final chance to defeat the wolves, but it seemed like it was going to be a road of destruction that they were going to take instead.

    This fact was clear to everyone.

    The Druids had been debating non-stop, but once the young Druid who was in charge of flipping the hourss performed his job, everyone suddenly ceased talking and a bizarre silence filled the hall.

    ¡°In a few more hours, the Fire Seed within the Green Tower will be extinguished. That young human still hasn¡¯t contacted us.¡±

    One of the elder Druids finally broke the silence.

    ¡°Perhaps he is dead.¡±

    ¡°I doubt it, I recognize Quinn¡¯s Fire Seed, and it is still shining.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s eyes looked into the darkness. A lone pir of green light was piercing through the clouds.

    ¡°But it hasn¡¯t moved for a very long time. Perhaps they encountered some kind of trouble. Judging by the distance of that ce, even if we give them another four hours, they would still be unable to reach the Loop of Trade Winds¡¯s heart in time.¡±

    This remark brought back another bout of debate. The uneasy feeling that they had was brought out into the open. Even the Great Druid Elder frowned.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s more than likely that young human is still alive and about to reach his destination.¡± A loud voice pierced through the dissent.

    The Druids looked at the hall¡¯s entrance in surprise. Arge figure appeared in the rain and walked into the hall. He removed his hood and revealed a bear-like face.

    It was Andellu who had went out into the Loop of Trade Winds.

    ¡°Andellu, you¡¯re safe!¡± Someone yelled in shock and delight: ¡°We thought you had returned to the forest¡¯s embrace.¡±

    ¡°I was near a narrow entrance in the mountains when the Cmity of Wolves happened. I sensed there was something wrong and sent out my raven to scout the area, and I managed to escape by moving deeper into the Dark Forest, avoiding the wolves sessfully.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d to see you¡¯re safe,¡± the Great Druid Elder nodded and said: ¡°but it must have been incredibly risky toe back to us when we¡¯re surrounded by the wolves. Surely, there must be something more you wish to report?¡±

    Andellu¡¯s appearance suddenly instilled confidence into everyone. There was a great amount of tension in the air, but the Druids hoped that he brought back even more good news. To their delight, he nodded:

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for me to speak about the monsters that are approaching the Green Tower. But I believe you would be interested in the fact that I met Quinn.¡±

    ¡°You met that young human?¡± One of the Druids asked in astonishment, and many echoed his reaction.

    ¡°No, I met Quinn. Unfortunately, I did not meet that young lord.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Isn¡¯t Quinn supposed to be escorting him?¡± Someone immediately asked before Andellu was done speaking.

    ¡°They encountered trouble along the way, and that young lord went to the Loop of Trade Winds by himself.¡±

    ¡°Alone?¡± The wrinkles on the Great Druid Elder were never more prominent. ¡°Do you know if he managed to reach the Loop of Trade Winds?¡±

    ¡°No. I can¡¯t. I came back only to inform you of what I have learned. But I have more to tell you. I spotted wolves that were capable of flight.¡±

    ¡°Wolves capable of flight......¡± The Great Druid Elder had to lean onto his stuff for support.

    ¡°We should get ready and alert the Tree Elves. If these wolves approach from the air, then the people in the town hall will be in danger!¡± A young Druid reacted promptly and yelled, but there were not many who answered his call.

    While some were stunned by the news, many more were considering the idea of retreat. Was there any meaning to resist till the bitter end? Would it not be better for the young Druids with the potential to turn into ravens and escape from the Green Tower?

    Escape would be possible because the flying wolves still had not gathered inrge numbers. The more Druids that set out now, the bigger the number of survivors.

    ¡°I have to ask, is everyone still able to make time for a guest?¡± A voice called out from outside the hall.

    Everyone was taken aback. Why would there be a guest at this time?

    ¡°If you¡¯re a guest, then please enter.¡± The Great Druid Elder answered calmly, his voice cutting through the noisy rain.

    The rain was parted in a sphere as a figure appeared before the Druids.

    His hand held a silver staff with six Runestones floating around it in a loop, and he had a faint smile on his face.

    The schr stood there with a rxed posture, as though the Cmity of Wolves did not exist, and some of the Druids felt that the old man before them did not seem to fit in with this world.

 volume 3 - 183

    Chapter 183 ¨C The Druid¡¯s choice

    A hush descended over the hall.

    ¡°An Archmage from Galbu?¡± The Great Druid Elder asked.

    ¡°No, this time, I represent Aouine,¡± Tulman said.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The Great Druid Elder frowned.

    ¡°Establishing Order takes a long struggle and repeated failures before seeding. If the ckthorn Council exists, then I¡¯m certain that it¡¯s just a matter of time to rebuild the Green Tower even if it¡¯s destroyed. A Mana Wave is something that¡¯s temporary and will ultimately end.¡±

    ¡°...... Does this mean you¡¯re going to help us? To aid us in dealing with the Wolves of Cmity?¡±

    Tulman shook his head and continued his exnation:

    ¡°As I said before, I am here to represent Aouine. The southern region requires a stable defense line, and if the Loop of Trade Winds¡¯s Druids perish, the Dark Forest¡¯s corruption will spread to my homnd. Aouine cannot afford to lose the cities south of Ampere Seale. However, my abilities are limited. I am only capable of bringing the ckthorn Council¡¯s members to safety, and I am unable to save the Green Tower¡¯s citizens. I have drawn a Magic Formation to teleport your chosen Druids; it is in the inn¡¯s room where I resided for the past few weeks.¡±

    He paused for a moment, sighed, and continued speaking:

    ¡°It is rude of me not to seek the owner¡¯s permission to draw a Magic Formation, and I apologize for that, but right now I have to ask, does my proposal interest you?¡±

    The Druids nced at each other without uttering a word. Leaving would mean giving up on the lives within the Green Tower. Even though it was a matter of time to rebuild the city, it was a natural structure that took more than a hundred years to grow and build. How would they face their ancestors in the afterworld if they fled?

    It would be better to die in a battle than to live with the shame.

    And yet..... Tulman was right.

    The Green Tower could be rebuilt and they were not giving up permanently. His proposal still made a few druids sway in their decisions.

    ¡°How many would you be able to bring out, respected guest?¡± The Great Druid Elder asked with aposed mind.

    ¡°A hundred, no more than that.¡±

    A few gasps could be heard. Many Druids were in awe of the Archmage¡¯s powers to bring out that many people to safety, but at the same time, they sobered up and realized that only a hundred would survive, and the rest of them could only wait for their deaths. If everyone went and fought to their deaths, then there was nothing to think about, but to choose who would live and die.....

    It was a cruel thing to do.

    Everyone deserved a chance to live, but who had the qualification to select them?

    Tulman did not press for an answer and waited patiently.

    Finally, one of the older Druids spoke: ¡°We should let the younger Druids leave. They will be our future hope.¡±

    The Druids had sent away many children and elderly away before the war started, but many talented youths stayed behind to ensure they had the manpower to do battle. If these elites were also sent away, then the defenses of the Green Tower would be a wall with leaking holes.

    But Tulman did not seem satisfied with that answer and he spoke again:

    ¡°I do not suggest your chosen Druids to consist of merely the young. They would need an experienced leader as a guide. It is easy for them to make mistakes, and it would be best to at least have one or two Druid Elders to join them. This way, the Green Tower can be rebuilt to be more resilient than before.¡±

    A mor started in the hall, but the Great Druid Elder raised his voice: ¡°I remind everyone, that we still have a promise with that young lord¡ª¡±

    The Druids were surprised. They thought the Great Druid Elder would be the most likely person who would consider epting Tulman¡¯s proposal, and it was only Andellu who looked at the old hunched Druid with admiration, even feeling proud to hear thetter¡¯s deration.

    The Great Druid Elder was someone who embodied the beliefs of the Ancestral Druids, people who could be traced back to the Golden Lineage.

    A true Druid would never forget their oaths. When the majority of the Golden Lineage disappeared and the Silver Lineage waned, the sessors of the four Holy Saints fell to corruption and greed, leading to the current era of wars and suffering. But the Druids still remained behind and continued to stand at the forefront to maintain Order. As long as their connection with Goddess Marsha still existed, they would continue to keep their promise.

    ¡°I too, object to it.¡± A high-pitch crystal-clear voice could be heard.

    Everyone else was drawn to it, and they found a tiny face that showed a taut expression of anger. The little girl balled her fists and yelled, surprising the people around her:

    ¡°We made a promise with brother Brendel, and so we must keep it! If we abandon this promise today, then we will also abandon the promise that we are striving to protect!¡±

    Everyone was astonished at her unyielding attitude, and Tulman even pped lightly with a beaming smile:

    ¡°Well said.¡±

    ¡°But this goes against your suggestion,¡± Andellu stated puzzledly, as he looked at Tulman¡¯s enthusiastic expression.

    ¡°Yes, it does,¡± Tulmanughed, ¡°but it doesn¡¯t hinder me from admiring someone¡¯s else firm stand. Different viewpoints exist all the time, and one who firmly believes in theirs deserve my respect. But time is limited, and thus I have to ask one more time, what is your decision?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here,¡± Sifrid dered instantly, her expression so resolute that she did not seem like a child.

    ¡°Indeed, it is an admirable stance, but youngdy, it is also required of you to be prudent in a big event like this in order to match the position that you have within the Druids. Perhaps you could listen to the others¡¯ opinions first.¡±

    ¡°You are aware of my position?¡±

    ¡°I have heard of the rumors.¡±

    ¡°But I am only speaking for myself,¡± Sifrid spoke with a frown.

    ¡°Unfortunately, because of your position within the Druids, you will decide the fate of many people. Do you understand what that means?¡±

    ¡°The way you¡¯re speaking is too crafty!¡±

    The Great Druid Elder interjected: ¡°Respected guest, please let us return to the topic. Sifrid is still young, and her innocence and kindness are not something bad to have.¡±

    Tulman nodded: ¡°Then, would you give me an answer?¡±

    The old Druid bent his body slightly, appearing to hesitate a little. Sifrid was standing close to him, biting her lips, and stared at Tulman like he was a despicable foe. She did not know what Brendel needed from the Druids, but she sensed that it would be a bad oue if the Druids left now.

    Many younger Druids also kept their silence cautiously, looking at the older Druids for their decisions, but thetter were also struggling to make a decision. Not escaping would mean that they had given up to make a possibility for the future, and yet the other decision was to give up on the promise made with the human to save the Green Tower.

    [It is important to keep our promises, but this promise is likely to destroy our oath to protect the Order. Is this not folly?]

    [Mother Marsha, please show us a sign¡ª]

    [That young lord is risking his life to help us, abandoning him would make us no better than the other selfish humans out there.]

    But a streak of light bright enough to make everyone cover their eyes suddenly shot out from the hall¡¯s center. A shaking voice described the event:

    ¡°The Runestones are moving!¡±

    A Magic Formation was operating before their eyes. Green light spilled forth as intricate patterns formed on the ground, and the high-ranking Druids started running towards them and channeled their Mana.

    ¡°In the name of Dsityle, obey our summons, Violent Winds of the Firmament!¡±

    ¡°This is¡ª¡± Tulman muttered to himself at this astonishing spectacle.

    The huge Magic Formation was running at full force, and a pir of green light shot upwards and punctured a hole in the clouds.

    Coordinates of a particr ce were being reflected in the light, and a fuzzy image of a few people appeared before everyone. Tulman could not help but raise his eyebrows as he recognized Brendel, then his mouth fell slightly opened when he discovered William standing next to the youth.

    ¡°I must thank Mother Marsha. It seems like she has not forgotten a small existence like me; the Magic Formation works,¡± Brendel said.

    His voice sounded like he was in a faraway ce and his words were a little garbled. The contents of his sentences made the Druids displeased. It was as though he did not believe in Mother Marsha. However, their irritation disappeared with his following words:

    ¡°I bring you good news, Elders, I have found the entrance to Valha. I humbly request for Sifrid to be sent over to my coordinates. Victory is before us, and we need only to take one more step.¡±

    Many could not help but cheer with relief. Tulman frowned at his promation and wanted to question the youth, but William winked at the old schr, and the old schr smiled faintly and decided to keep his silence, at least for the moment.

    The only other person who kept hisposure was the Great Druid Elder, and he asked with after taking in a deep breath:

    ¡°How much longer do you need to reach Valha and light the Fire Seed?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not sure. Because no one has tried it before, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not going to be a simple thing. In fact, I have not opened the gate to Valha.¡±

    Brendel had already told them about this possibility with the Druids even before the Cmity of Wolves started. However, they still showedplicated expressions upon hearing his confirmation.

    ¡°...... You only have four hours, young man,¡± Tulman broke the silence as he nced at the Druids, ¡°can you ensure that you are able to save this city from the Cmity of Wolves within this time period?¡±

    ¡°Of course brother Brendel would be capable of doing it!¡±

    Sifrid walked out and eximed. She could not hold it in when Tulman questioned the youth in front of everyone.

    But Tulman ignored the little girl and continued to peer at Brendel. The youth appeared surprised when he discovered Tulman amongst the Druids, and he blurted out:

    ¡°Archmage Tulman? Why¡ª¡± Brendel suddenly shut his mouth.

    Tulman smiled in response, looking as though he had caught a child doing something naughty: ¡°It seems like you indeed knew who I was from the very beginning. I¡¯ll put aside your little trick on me from our encounter for now, but I would certainly like an answer to my current question.¡±

    Brendel raised an eyebrow. He was certain that Tulman was not really going to pick a fight with him over his deception, but why was the schr trying to hinder him?

 volume 3 - 184

    Chapter 184 ¨C The Druids¡¯ Choice (2)

    ¡°Grandmaster Tulman, if you ask me this question, could it be that you wish to help Aouine?¡± Brendel asked curiously.

    The great schr was ced in the top three of his profession in the game, and he probably had his own n for this cmity.

    ¡°Your observation is astute, but you¡¯re not answering my question,¡± Tulman said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I can only try.¡± Brendel paused for a few seconds before shaking his head: ¡°Are you suggesting something, Grandmaster Tulman?¡±

    ¡°Rather than ce one¡¯s hopes into an uncertain possibility, why not choose something that is more definite?¡± Tulman scrutinized Brendel as he spoke: ¡°The Druids should abandon the Green Tower. Young man, we do not have the right to gamble with the lives of others. The chance that you will seed is abysmal¡ª If the tokens for this gamble are merely gold, I will bet on you, but you are gambling with lives instead.¡±

    ¡°Brother Brendel won¡¯t do that!¡± Sifrid felt like she was about to faint with anger because of the old man.

    ¡°Hmph. Using crafty words to sway others, that¡¯s yourmon method of choice, you mysterious bastards¡ª¡± Faena who was standing next to Brendel scoffed.

    The girl did not know that Tulman was someone who was on equal footing with William, otherwise she would not have dared to mock Tulman, even if Veronica was there to guard her.

    She suddenly realized that she was standing on Brendel¡¯s side, even though she wanted to stab him a dozen times. Still, she could not help but get upset when Tulman went against the youth. In the end, she muttered that she hated people who tried to corner others.

    ¡°Hoh~ I didn¡¯t think you will speak up for me.¡± But Brendel seemed like he wanted to pick apart her words, even going as far as to speak in a tone of ridicule.

    Faena was so furious that her neck flushed red, wanting to strangle him: ¡°What manner of foolish prattle is this, I did not speak up for you!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s mockingughter persisted for a while before he turned back to Tulman.

    The great schr¡¯s words were not wrong, and perhaps it was even meant to happen in the game. The Druids were destined to fail to protect the Green Tower.

    It was amon sight in the continent¡¯s history, after all.

    But he was not here to give up on Aouine or the Green Tower. Tulman thought that it was a simple Mana Wave and would soon be over. However, the term in the game was Waves of Cmity, proving that there would be more Cmities, and the kingdom¡¯s southern region would bepletely destroyed if the Druids failed here.

    Perhaps one day the ckthorn Council would eventually return to the Dark Forest and set up the Green Tower again, but Tulman¡¯s stance to help Aouine here would instead be crippling the kingdom in the near future.

    Brendel could not allow this oue to happen.

    ¡°I have to use lives as my gambling tokens because the thing that I¡¯m saving is lives, and I risk my own by entering the most dangerous ce. It is a fair trade.¡±

    ¡°Your bravery is to bemended, but you cannot expect others to be as brave as you.¡±

    Brendel raised his voice and right fist, eyes ring at Tulman:

    ¡°If that is the case¡ª I shall request for the treatment that a hero is entitled to receive!¡±

    His voice echoed in the hall, reaching everyone¡¯s ears despite the noise from the heavy rain and lightning.

    The Druids who were swayed by Tulman¡¯s words suddenly felt ashamed, and the Great Druid Elder nodded in acknowledgment.

    Tulman was slightly taken aback, but heughed and exchanged looks with William.

    [Interesting.]

    ¡°Very well, young man, you have convinced me. I will give you a little more time. Now, my friends¡ª¡± Tulman turned around and nced at the Druids: ¡°What about you? Our young hero has extended an invitation, and only the brave can join this game. Have you made your decision?¡±

    His voice reverberated in the hall, and most of the Druids answered with their eyes.

    Brendel¡¯s unwavering eyes and his confidence had affected them. Even Faena looked at Brendel from the side with astonishment. The country bumpkin who did not seem to know the meaning of manners, looked like he was incredibly......

    Charismatic?

    The Great Druid Elder patted Sifrid¡¯s shoulders, and everyone made a path for her as she walked to the center of the Magic Formation. The Elder Druids around her started to chant andpleted their spell. Light burst forth once again, even stronger than before¡ª

    Tulman spoke in his mind:

    ¡°Valha, it looks like you discovered something remarkable, old friend.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me who discovered it. I¡¯m just someone who¡¯s observing all these things as they happen,¡± William answered,municating through telepathy.

    ¡°But it is true that the Green Tower will be saved if Valha¡¯s fabled Fire Seed is kindled.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and Aouine would also gain another piece ofnd because of this,¡± William nodded, believing that Tulman was happy about this oue.

    ¡°...... But why did you ask me to agree with his n?¡±

    ¡°What? Did you not already agree to help him?¡± William was surprised at Tulman¡¯s disapproval.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not fully convinced. You know very well that I hate uncertainties.¡±

    ¡°...... Or perhaps you have another reason to disagree. The Nine Phenix Kingdom has a saying, those who are talented and ambitious invite suffering to themselves.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. You already have a faint notion in your mind about how risky this n is, so why did you tell me to agree to it?¡±

    ¡°Hmph, did you not hear the little girl¡¯s words? She¡¯s insinuating that the Silver Alliance is betraying the Order and influencing the Druids who have never broken their promise!¡±

    Tulman smiled: ¡°True, it¡¯s also one of the reasons why I agreed to the youth¡¯s n. We are all standing in the same faction to maintain Order. The humans might have fallen, but the Silver Lineage must not follow in their footsteps. The intensity of this Mana Wave has made me feel very uneasy, and I¡¯m starting to suspect the ck Prophecy has some truth to it.¡±

    ¡°The humans have fallen? I think not all of them are so.¡± William looked at Brendel and smiled: ¡°But it is ridiculous to think that the Dragon of Darkness will revive. You and I know very well what existence the Dragon of Darkness is.¡±

    Tulman shook his head but did not refute William. However, it was clear that he did not agree with William¡¯s words.

    A sudden explosion stopped their conversation. The Runestones in the Magic Formation had shattered, and the Druids were knocked back onto the ground. It was amon urrence of a Magic Formation gone awry. If the Runestones were unable to endure the Mana Feedback, then the casters would receive the damage.

    The candles in the hall were snuffed out, but before everyone recovered their senses, Andellu had already issued an order:

    ¡°Time is running out. Get up and reinforce our defense lines. We cannot allow the wolves that are capable of flight to breach them.¡±

    The dizzy Druids who were affected by the explosion regained their focus, and they started to get up to join the others who were alreadypeting to get to their posts. The chaos made the Great Druid Elder frown, but it was different from the Druids¡¯ low morale caused by the despair that they felt.

    In a heartbeat, everyone¡¯s courage had been stoked, and they were thirsting for glory and honor.

    The Great Druid Elder tapped the ground with his wooden staff and sighed. Tulman came before him and remarked:

    ¡°It is difficult to believe my eyes. Not only did the Druids put their trust in a human that came from the outside world, but they renewed their beliefs and vigor from him.¡±

    ¡°A heart that is full of resolve is something that¡¯s transferable. When one sees the most determined person is still standing against impossible odds, then their hearts would be firm as well.¡±

    ¡°But it is a pity.¡±

    The Great Druid Elder looked puzzledly at Tulman.

    ¡°Wisdom cannot be transferred. You could have requested me to send the little girl over to him. It would be easier for me to do so, rather than have your Druids perform a Magic spell that you¡¯re not familiar with.¡±

    Tulman spoke with a teasing tone as he nced at the exhausted high-ranking Druids. It was clear that they had spent all their Mana, and regret immediately filled the Great Druid Elder¡¯s face.

    ============ Brendel¡¯s POV ===========

    Brendel received Sifrid who popped out of thin air above the Magic Formation in his arms, and he let the girl who was looking at him full of admiration down gently.

    ¡°Ahh, I see, the Lady of the Forest?¡± Comprehension dawned on William¡¯s face: ¡°You intend to have the little girl open Valha¡¯s gate?¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°So the legends are true. The Fire Seed in Valha is kept in the Lady of the Forest¡¯s hands, and it will be awakened one day. It¡¯s not strange for Tulman to suddenly talk about that prophecy when this particr one is going to be reality. But is she going to open the gate?¡±

    Brendel rubbed his forehead. How would he know? The walkthrough mentioned that as long as Sifrid was brought along, the path to Valha would be open.

    But the gate was still closed.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to try a few things, it probably isn¡¯t very hard,¡± he said.

    The gamers seeded after all.

    ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t know how it works......¡± William raised an eyebrow: ¡°I understand your plight, but I suggest for you to think quickly.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    The old wizard nced at the valley once more. Mist was suddenly filling the valley: ¡°That woman seemed like she has managed to escape from her troubles, and it seems like it¡¯s going to be your turn very soon¡ª¡±

    Brendel¡¯s expression paled a little, but he quickly replied: ¡°I do remember that we had a promise, Grandmaster William.¡±

    William smiled with a nod: ¡°Yes, and that would not be all. I will give you another piece of information.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, Andesha is not alone.¡±

    ¡°Not alone? What do you mean Someone else is here?¡± Brendel was holding on to Sifrid¡¯s hand with a confused look.

    (TL: ck Prophecy, as mentioned in Iamas vs Medissa way back: The Darkness will be born from no mortals, and the Glorious Races will expire amongst the mes. Brendel received the Blood of Gods and became an Acolyte, and one day he will kill everyone muahahaha.

    No assurance of that previous sentence, ofc.)

 volume 3 - 185

    Chapter 185 ¨C The final moment (1)

    Brendel contemted the canyon¡¯s shape one more time.

    The ces that one could hide near Hati¡¯s pit mostly consisted of small boulders and gaps, and given how good at Andesha was tracking people, she would have encountered the person William was describing very quickly. If she did not murder the person immediately, then it was unlikely for them to be anyone good.

    [Just who exactly could it be? Another member of the Tree Shepherds? Even if that person is not, he would probably be one of the bad guys. Bad news, in any case.]

    ¡°How much time do I have, Grandmaster William?¡± He asked.

    The old wizard¡¯s intelligent eyes studied the pit, while his hand opened a dimensional portal and took out a silver staff:

    ¡°Andesha seems to be stunned from discovering Hati. But she¡¯s the Mistress of Withering Decay, and I believe she will recover from it very soon. You have a few minutes before she arrives.¡±

    Brendel nodded; the Archmage was hinting to him to open the gate now. This ce was not a good one to do battle with Andesha, and the youth was not sure how much William was going to help him.

    He studied the rock gate closely. It was made with the hands of the Ancestral Citizens. The Great Craftsman, Delluha constructed it approximately thirteen thousand years ago, transcending many Laws and generations, standing quietly in this ce with the mist giving it a mysterious air.

    This bit of lore was written in the ancient chronicles.

    The gate was carved with poems praising the light and fire in many differentnguages, and Brendel eventually discovered them on the dark obsidian walls. The letters were written majestically and gazing upon them made the youth feel breathless.

    He touched the icy gate, and a st of energy struck him, as though it was a message that came from thirteen thousand years ago.

    The sounds of spears and swords filled the entire area. Murderous roars filled his ears, and a vivid picture of the ground stained with fresh blood assaulted his eyes. A bell high above the clouds rang out loudly, as though it was signaling the oue of this unknown battle.

    A pir of green light pierced through the heavens, striking through the colossal dragon which had unfurled its wings and blotted out the sun¡¯s rays.

    Brendel gasped and shook his head, waking up from the illusion. A fragment of history that left him out of breath. Perspiration filled his forehead, and he nced around to make sure he was not stuck in that timeline.

    William smiled when he met Brendel¡¯s gaze:

    ¡°Not many people know about that era. The Sky Knights sundered the empyrean to bring us to a new world, felled the Twilight Dragon and ended the generation of suffering. But at the same time, the races gradually forgot the meaning of glory.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes squinted as he considered a speech.

    [But the suffering hasn¡¯t ended yet! The people in this era have never lost the meaning of glory. This world is always oppressing someone; heroes do not just exist in one¡¯s memories, they are created whenever the era needs one¡ª]

    He would have dered so in the game.

    A perfectly standard answer to call forth a new quest.

    But the youth was afraid of something crazy happening. There was no need to repeat the situation where the Lionheart reacted to his nonsense again. This particr ce was probably even more mystical than the sword, and there was no telling what would happen if he tried to make a grand speech.

    Furthermore, he was way past the age of a hot-blooded teenager.

    His eyes stayed on William for another second before he turned to Sifrid. Time was running out, and Andesha was probably moving past Hati by now.

    ¡°Sifrid, do you sense anything?¡±

    ¡°I hear a voice calling out to me, brother Brendel,¡± Sifrid said a little nervously.

    She also went up to the gate, closed her eyes, and ced a white hand onto the ink-like rock. Her body shook.

    ¡°Is it saying anything?¡±

    ¡°The key within the gate, the radiance of starlight, heroic spirits of the past, the Lord who will guard Order.¡±

    ¡°These linese from the Druids¡¯ Poem of Brambles. This is probably a code of some sort. Did the Druids teach you about what the lines mean?¡±

    ¡°...... No, I only learned ¡®The Way of Nature¡¯, brother Brendel.¡±

    ¡°They only taught you that?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not your fault, these stubborn fools are really fond of wasting time. They didn¡¯t even teach you about ¡®The Great Split,¡± Brendel resisted the urge to call them names, ¡°perhaps they have been spending too much of their time with the Elves and have picked up on their bad habits.¡±

    ¡°How much do you know about the Druids and the Elves?¡± William did not appear bothered by Andesha¡¯s threat and asked curiously.

    The youth kept on surprising him.

    Brendel did not respond. His mind was quickly shuffling through the walkthrough and the lore about Valha from the forum posts. Despite his powerful memory, the urgent situation was interfering with his ability to recall them.

    ¡°No. Not this. Perhaps..... The key within the gate? Sifrid, repeat after me and tell the gate these few lines. I am the Daughter of the Forest, blessed by the Goddess and chosen by the Heroic Spirits, the wielder of the Forest and Mountains¡¯ authority.¡±

    Sifrid¡¯s eyes popped out when she heard Brendel¡¯s words. William was stroking his beard with narrowed eyes.

    ¡°Ah, I forgot, add in ¡®Oh, Mighty Spirit of the Gates¡¯ before you repeat my words.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Mighty Spirit of the Gates,¡± Sifrid slowly recited Brendel¡¯s words as he repeated himself one more time, ¡°I am the Daughter of the Forest, blessed by the Goddess and chosen by the Heroic Spirits, the wielder of the Forest and Mountains¡¯ authority.¡±

    A mysterious energy poured out from the little girl¡¯s voice. A long moment passed, and Brendel was about to think of another way to interpret the words, but a sudden rumble shook the valley.

    ¡°And?¡±

    A thunderous voice reached into everyone¡¯s hearts. Sifrid¡¯s eyes gleamed brightly and she looked at Brendel with disbelief.

    Faena who was looking at the situation with great cynicism, stuttered: ¡°Brendel, i-i-it¡¯s talking......¡±

    William¡¯s eyes were so narrowed that they were forming a line.

    ¡°What do I do?¡± Sifrid asked in confusion.

    ¡°Erm...... Please open the gates¡ª¡± Brendel said with uncertainty.

    ¡°Please open the gates!¡± She shouted.

    ¡°Did it work?¡± Faena asked.

    ¡°Are the conditions wrong?¡± Brendel frowned as he muttered to himself.

    He kept looking at the lore stated in the forums in his mind, but the more pressure he put on himself, the more unfocused the words became. No matter how good his memory was, there was a limit to it.

    William¡¯s eyes suddenly nced at the valley¡¯s entrance. This subtle action did not escape Faena¡¯s observation, and she started to be restless:

    ¡°Hurry up¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Brendel eximed.

    ¡°You¡ª¡± Faena was like an angry cat, hissing loudly, but she knew who was in charge and could only sulk in silence.

    ¡°Brother Brendel, there¡¯s another voice, and she¡¯s asking me something.¡± Sifrid suddenly spoke.

    ¡°What?¡± Brendel was jolted out from his memories and he replied in a daze: ¡°What is she saying?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s asking me, where is the Lord King who will guard Order?¡±

    [...... The Lord King?]

    The memory from the gate shed through his mind again.

    [Ahh¡ª I see. The Lord King is Valha¡¯s lord, the king of the Forest and Mountains.]

    Sifrid was the wielder and keeper of the Forest and Mountain¡¯s authority. But the day woulde where the authority was handed to its true owner. The Lord King shall lead the Heroic Spirits of Valha and guard its vicinity, just like how the chronicles described it.

    Brendel ced his hand onto the wall, speaking within his mind:

    ¡°Oh past Lord Kings and Heroic Spirits, I am willing to receive your de and guard thisnd against the Chaos. I will never let it cover thisnd, and allow Order to break the fog of Chaos for all eternity. If this is your responsibility, then allow me to take over; if this is the crown of glory, please coronate me. The Light shall sunder the Wall of Clouds and allow the sun to illuminate the earth once more. The miracle that the Ancestral Citizens witness shall be repeated.¡±

    Brendel could feel each word carve into his heart:

    ¡°Many more than a thousand years have passed, but the Sacred Oath still remains¡ª¡±

    Time seemed to stop for a moment. And a venerable voice spoke:

    ¡°May it be, Sessor.¡±

    Brendel and Sifrid felt an invisible energy pushing them away from the door, and they took a step back. There was a slight movement of the gates, with a faint rumbleing from above the Wall of Clouds. At first, they could not sense anything, but the earth started to tremble and shake, and the rumbling turning into resounding roars that came like an endless wave.

    The pebbles around the gate started dancing like a king¡¯s jester, creating tiny cking noises.

    Faena was so terrified that she backed away from the gate and crashed into a boulder without even feeling anything. William was so astonished that his eyes opened wide to witness this spectacr scene.

    The gate was slowly opening revealing a small dark gap between the doors, but a gust of strong wind blew out of it, causing everyone¡¯s hair to flutter freely. The wind was not musty and instead had a scent of nature.

    It was quiet after the doors were opened fully.

    Brendel took a deep breath. Peering into the dark cave within the gate made him feel like there was a fearsome beast lurking somewhere within it.

    ¡°S-s-surely we¡¯re not going in there......¡± Faena stuttered when she saw the cave¡¯s ominous darkness.

    There was a sudden long cry that came from the cave, sounding a little like a bird, and it immediately crushed her mental strength and turned her face pallid.

    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s not really necessary for you to go in. After all, there might be monsters that are more terrifying than Andesha.¡± Brendel took out a strip of cloth from the bag on his waist and tied up Veronica¡¯s sword to his belt. He then pulled out Halran Gaia out from its sheath on his back.

    ¡°Y-y-you think you¡¯re scaring me, I-I-I¡¯m not frightened.....¡± Tears were swimming in the girl¡¯s eyes and threatening to spill out.

    Brendel cast a final nce at her, patted Sifrid¡¯s shoulder, and led her into the darkness.

    ¡°Archmage William......¡± Faena turned to the old wizard when she saw that Brendel went in without hesitation.

    ¡°Little girl, your Lord is right. There is no telling what dangers lurk in the ancient ruins, but there might be a possibility where it¡¯s significantly less dangerous than what you encountered earlier.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not my Lord!¡±

    ¡°I see, well then, at the very least, you wouldn¡¯t need to worry about his safety.¡± The Archmage replied with a smile, lifting up his staff and prepared to enter into the darkness as well.

    Faena¡¯s face turned red in shame, then turned white in fear, but she gritted her teeth and eventually followed them. She did not know whether Brendel was scaring her on purpose, but a possible danger could notpare with a danger that was all too real.

    ¡°That old man is right. That man rescued me from Andesha even though I did him wrong. I-I-I can¡¯t leave him when he might face a great danger. T-that¡¯s right!¡± She muttered to herself and persuaded herself in a twisted manner.

 volume 3 - 186

    Chapter 186 ¡ª The final moment (2)

    ¡°Scarlett.¡±

    The call was softer than the howling wind.

    The red-haired girl raised her head. Veronica was sitting not far away from her. The two of them were hiding behind a ck boulder that had a depression in it, shielding them from the natural wind. It was not rare to see simrly shaped boulders in the area that was enveloped in violent winds and sand storms.

    Veronica wanted to break the silence but she did not know where to begin.

    The girl in front of her was deeply guarded against her. Of course, she could not be med when they were still enemies. Still, the female general had made the first move, and Scarlett blinked her pretty eyes to look at Veronica with suspicion. The two of them had a subtle link to each other where they relied on each other.

    Though Scarlett felt her situation was a little unreal, she was mostly overwrought due to her Lord leaving her behind, and did not care about the situation she was in. Her emotions were easily shown on her face. Little wrinkles formed between her eyebrows as she knitted them together, and the corners of her eyes drooped slightly.

    Veronica finally found her words: ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry too much. Your lord will definitely be fine.¡±

    Perhaps theforting words made Scarlett rx a little; her hands were not formed into fists any longer.

    ¡°There¡¯s a saying in the Empire¡¯s army, the boys who live long are blessed by the stars.¡± Veronica continued with a smile: ¡°There¡¯s also a folk¡¯s tale, if a baby was born during the moment where a sea of shining stars can be seen, then they would be a Child of the Stars, blessed with the incredible ability to turn misfortune into luck. I feel it¡¯s very likely that he possesses this ability.¡±

    Scarlett did not understand why Veronica started talking about Brendel, but she stared at thetter withrge round eyes as though she was questioning her if the myths were true.

    ¡°Where are both you and your Lord from?¡± Veronica suddenly asked, sensing that her rtionship with the girl was closer than before.

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Scarlett only uttered a word before she became on guard, looking suspiciously at Veronica. But the female general only chuckled with a shake of her head.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so tense. I¡¯m merely curious.¡±

    Scarlett turned her head a little while her puzzled eyes narrowed slightly.

    ¡°I have seen many, many talented youths, but someone like your Lord......¡± Veronica shook her head.

    Even though she was over a hundred years old, she still kept her energy up and appeared to be at her prime. Calling her an incredible beauty would not be wrong, but she appeared to be a little haggard from her exhaustion as she sat on the sandy ground.

    ¡°It is said that a talented person is born out of every hundred, but your lord must be someone who appears once every thousand years. I have no doubt in his future, but I cannot help but doubt his lineage. Even though he ims to be a small noble from the borders, that assertion is too much for me to believe it.¡±

    Veronica¡¯s eyes that seemed to be looking into the distance suddenly went back to Scarlett, glinting a little as though wisdom was shing across them: ¡°He came out from nowhere, like a heroic figure described in the legends sung by bards and told by storytellers, but everyone knows a story is merely a story.¡±

    Scarlett looked at her nkly.

    ¡°Like I said, I am merely curious and mean no harm,¡± Veronica said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Scarlett lowered her head and shook it.

    The female general seemed like she was trying to discern if Scarlett¡¯s words were true, but she did not force out an answer, nodding as though it was truly a casual chat.

    ¡°That girl got to know him much earlier than you did, right?¡±

    Scarlett somehow knew that Veronica was referring to Amandina and nodded.

    ¡°Such a mysterious little rascal.¡± Veronica licked her lips subconsciously. It was a habit of hers to do that when she discovered a foe on the battlefield that she could not defeat. Her green eyes leaked out a wild intent to do battle.

    ¡°Are you still worried?¡± Veronica asked after a moment of silence.

    Scarlett shook her head, unwilling to show weakness in front of a stranger.

    Veronica gave a faint smile: ¡°When the wind is a little weaker, let us search for him down there.¡±

    The red-haired girl raised her head sharply, causing her ponytail to il about, looking at Veronica in surprise.

    The female general did not speak again.

    In truth, she rarely showed a friendly disposition to anyone, but the lonely girl before her brought out her softer side. Veronica found Scarlett¡¯s reactions to be interesting because¡ª

    She recalled the time when she was younger.

    But there was a low voice that abruptly called out through the wind, interrupting her thoughts.

    ¡°The travelers behind the boulder, do you mind if I join you and avoid the wind? This weather is really unfriendly.¡±

    Veronica peered below. There seemed to be a small boulder sliding across the path, as though someone was using it to block the wind and make their way across the steep path. The quick footsteps made by that person sounded more like he was running rather than walking.

    The female general instinctively reached for her sword when she heard the voice, but after failing to grab it, she recalled that she had handed it to Brendel.

    After a moment of hesitation, she answered with a raised eyebrow: ¡°Come in, Count Mephisto.¡±

    There was a stunned silence from below, but he immediately rushed towards the boulder where the two women were hiding at. The dim lighting that illuminated the boulder¡¯s interior was blocked by the neer. Mephisto¡¯s hand was on his sword and he looked down on the sitting Veronica.

    ¡°Veronica!¡± The Sword Saint of Ashes eximed.

    ============ Brendel¡¯s POV ==========

    After passing through valley¡¯s massive obsidian stone gate, Brendel found that they had entered a spacious cavern that seemed like it was without end, and was poorly lit by the mineral content on the ground below them.

    It was an Isted Space that connected one ce to another.

    The youth thought he could easily conjure a light, but there was no telling what was around them and it might be dangerous to do so. Still, Brendel had to swallow a few times when he realized he was walking on a huge ¡®bridge¡¯ in the shape of a pole, and not on t ground. He immediately warned the others about his thoughts.

    [Shit...... I nearly fell down when I walked to the sides.]

    It was not steep ground that they were climbing, but something like a bridge.

    It was so dark that the group had to walk for minutes before they got used to it. They eventually managed to see many other pole-like bridges that led upwards. There were obviously no railings on them, but the width of these paths were tens of meters wide, making it rtively stable to walk on.

    Brendel sometimes looked out to the sides, seeing nothing but endless darkness. He could not see an end to the top, too. The strange ascension made him feel like he was walking on adder that led him from the ground to the heavens. The more he climbed, the more he felt he was going to fall back into the abyss below him.

    It was all too easy to experience vertigo, and someone in the group was certainly experiencing it more so than the others.

    It did not take very long for Brendel to feel another hand grabbing on to his own other than Sifrid¡¯s. He turned around to see the terrified Faena next to him. Her face waspletely drained of blood. She lookedughably pathetic, and there was a pleading look in her eyes, seemingly asking him not to mock her.

    Brendel secretly giggled inside.

    Her actions were quite visible to the others. William¡¯s Perception stats was definitely higher than his own, and Sifrid was next to him and would eventually discover Faena¡¯s actions. Faena was lying to herself.

    ¡°I don¡¯t sense any creatures around, should we cast a light spell?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m sensing some kind of subtle interference, perhaps an anti-magic spell? You can try to cast a spell of light if you want to, but I doubt it will work. Even artifacts like an Evesting Torch would probably fail.¡± The Archmagemented, as though he was not interested in lighting up the area: ¡°But you can try casting a high-level spell.¡±

    There was a dramatic pause.

    ¡°Like creating a sun.¡±

    ¡°...... Never mind.¡±

    The Archmage¡¯s joke was not exactly a lie. The spell really did exist, but it would probably blow up the area they were in as well. The darkness in the area was not exactly a threat. Inparison, he was more worried about the enemies behind him.

    Just a while ago, William cast a powerful Magic spell that imprisoned Andesha and her helper in an illusion, causing thetter to go around in circles. The Archmage was indeed living up to his name; who could trap Andesha so easily? He even did so under the supposed anti-magic environment.

    William caught Brendel¡¯s expression and could not help butugh with squinted eyes. He rubbed the top of his staff and said with a little pride: ¡°My spell can trap them for a little while, but young man, I can¡¯t help you any more than this.¡±

    It was Brendel who suggested to implement a trap in the cavern in the first ce. William had fought Andesha several times, but he did not know her personality very well and doubted that she would enter a suspicious ce like this. The youth, however, was certain that she would follow them in order to get back at him.

    ¡°Are the Tree Shepherds not enemies of the Silver Alliance?¡± Brendel could not help but look back and asked: ¡°Why not get rid of them here?¡±

    He cast an imploring look at the Archmage, hoping for him to act so that Andesha could be rid forever.

    ¡°Continue to dream, young man,¡± William¡¯s body was shaking with mirth, ¡°though it is true that we are enemies and I would be d to do so. However, that woman is one of the twelve leaders of the Tree Shepherds. I don¡¯t know how you managed to draw her attention, but the chance of winning against this woman is too low for me, which is why I will not act easily.¡±

    [Even gauging a battle¡¯s oue is rounded to a number. It is no wonder why the ¡®Wizard Craftsmen¡¯ never truly lost in a war. Then again, any member of the Silver Lineage is a monster.]

    Brendel did not really expect William to be persuaded. He more or less kept thinking that the people in this world were somewhat game-like. At the very least, no high-level NPC would give a gamer such a chance to cheat so easily by helping them directly.

    ¡°How about a sneak attack?¡±

    ¡°No. That¡¯s enough, you rogue, stop thinking about it. My spell is working because Andesha doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m here. If she did, the spell would be useless. She will eventually realize that it¡¯s an illusion, though I think it will at least dy her for thirty minutes. But the true reason is that I¡¯m running out of time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Brendel was stunned. The Archmage was his greatest ally but he was leaving so soon?

    ¡°The Green Tower is about to fail in its defense. Surely you don¡¯t wish your hard work from before to go up in mes?¡±

    William scratched his head, soothing an itch there almost like a dog. Brendel¡¯s eyes looked suspiciously at the Galbu¡¯s leader.

    ¡°Oh all right, their plight has nothing to do with me; it¡¯s Tulman who requested for my help and I can¡¯t decline.¡±

    [Hmm. It¡¯s surprising to see the Green Tower¡¯s defense fail so quickly.]

    Brendel did not realize that he had been unconscious for at least two days, and he thought the reason why things progressed so quickly was theck of gamers. If William participated in the battle against the wolves, then the Green Tower would be able to hold on.

    Though he needed to hurry as well.

    William patted the youth¡¯s shoulder and took out a box out of thin air.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give this to you, boy. There¡¯s a cape here that will allow you to bypass Andesha¡¯s senses¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait, there are three of us here.¡±

    ¡°I know, which is why you should let me finish my words. This cape is meant for a Giant.¡±

    ¡°A Giant?¡± Brendel put on a strange look. Just what sort of settings was happening here?

    ¡°Indeed, but you can only use it once per day, as it will turn into an ordinary cloak after each use.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure there are no other drawbacks to using it??¡± Brendel received the box and thought about the Galbu Wizards¡¯ crafted items. Many of them were unpleasant.

    ¡°Hmm? It sounds like you know us very well. I¡¯m reassured¡ª¡± The old Wizard smiled, waving his staff in the air and opening a silver door out of thin air: ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate this cloak, when it¡¯s working, even the Dragon King would not be able to see past the invisibility spell!¡±

    ¡°Dragon King? Bahamut?¡± Brendel stared at the box with slight skepticism.

    Regardless of whether the Dragon King was referring to Bahamut or Fafnir, if the cloak did what William said, this was an item of the Gods.

    And it was just given away like this?

    William was already in the silver door, but he suddenly turned around and spoke with a solemn tone: ¡°Young man, I have given you additional time, the rest is up to you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, I know! But you haven¡¯t told me what the keyword is needed to activate this!¡±

    But it seemed like William did not hear the youth¡¯s words. The door made out of light vanished as though it had never been there once the old Wizard finished speaking.

    [What the hell!]

    Brendel felt like he had been deceived in the worst possible manner.

 volume 3 - 187

    Chapter 187 ¨C The final moment (3)

    Brendel had a slightly confused look while he held onto the box with one hand. The silver door that was made out of light disappeared without a trace.

    ¡°Pfff¡ª¡± Faena suddenly snorted withughter when she saw his appearance.

    ¡°Is it very funny?¡± Brendel¡¯s tone was polite and pleasant.

    ¡°Hmph. The future Duchess of Flowersughs at you. Do you think you can stop me?¡±

    ¡°I see. Hmm, I wonder whose ws belong to. They seem to shake every time when there¡¯s a noise.¡± Brendel looked at his left hand, shook his head, and sighed.

    Faena withdrew her hand with lightning speed, her ears blushing: ¡°H-h-how dare you! Mocking my reactions¡ª¡±

    ¡°What? Why can¡¯t I talk about the scared little baby princess?¡±

    Faena clenched her fist and her eyes were spewing out mes. She red at Brendel as though she wanted to eat him alive, before stomping on her foot and snarled:

    ¡°Just you wait. I¡¯llin to General Veronica.¡±

    ¡°Comin? What will you say?¡±

    Faena blinked nkly a few times before she stuttered with her cheeks turning red: ¡°I..... I¡¯ll say that you took advantage of me.¡±

    [This crazy girl......]

    Brendel¡¯s jaws dropped. He really did not think she would utter these words out. It felt like he was being punched in the guts and lost his breath.

    ¡°Are you really going to say that?¡±

    ¡°Idiot, I obviously won¡¯t do that!¡± Faena scoffed lightly: ¡°My reputation will be damaged if I say that a country bumpkin took advantage of me!¡±

    Brendel fell into silence.

    [This witless and chestless woman¡ª Never mind about Veronica, if she mentions anything to the Duke of Flowers, shit¡ª would he send out his Pegasus Knights after me?]

    The youth¡¯s eyes went back to the box after determining there was nothing he could do to stop her. When he pulled off its cover, he discovered that it had a space deeper than what it could possibly hold from the outside.

    He tugged at the robe that was neatly folded in the box without holding back his strength, pulling it out as though there was no end. He eventually discovered that it was actuallyrger than the box.

    [Regardless of how awesome this thing is, it¡¯s no different from a curtain if I don¡¯t have the right words to activate it. No, it¡¯s even worse since it¡¯s uglier because it¡¯s so in. Even a curtain is better since it provides shade for us.]

    He shook the robe, trying to see if there was any reaction to it. It was a waste to discard it, yet it was also a nuisance to carry it. Ultimately, his greed won out and he tucked it under his arm and moved off. He left the box behind as it was too unwieldy.

    [The gamers¡¯ post stated they walked for more than ten minutes in the darkness. They thought there was a bug since they could not find an end to the cavern, and nearly attempted to forcefully retire by killing themselves, before suddenly finding themselves in the Loop of Trade Winds¡¯s heart. I¡¯ll probably find myself in the same situation.]

    He looked upwards. The ¡®bridges¡¯ were starting to converge into one point. The more they climbed, the more apparent it was. After calcting the remaining time he had, he led Sifrid and Faena forward slowly. Their footsteps were clear and distinct, but they echoed softly in the enclosed environment, sounding as though someone was following behind them.

    It made Faena nervous, and she looked behind more than once, only to see nothing but darkness in the distance. She thought of following Brendel closely, but she would always stop when she got too close, recalling his looks of ridicule.

    Brendel finally felt there was a change in the air. It was close to nearly thirty minutes.

    [Finally, I feel the wind. The written walkthrough of the gamers¡¯ is unreliable as heck¡ª or this ce is actually screwing with my senses. They most likely recorded the gamey and got the timing down after all.]

    It took a few more minutes before Brendel came to another gate made out of stone, though it was much smaller and its size was approximately a tenth of the previous gate. When he approached it, the doors started to open outwards, causing light to shine in and dust to fall across the ground.

    The youth took the time to marvel the intricate patterns on the doors as they opened slowly, apuding the gate¡¯s modern-like technology to sense visitors.

    The scenery outside slowly revealed itself and stunned the group with shocked gasps.

    At first, the light rays were like sharp des, cutting into the darkness and the group¡¯s eyes that had gotten ustomed to the darkness. They eventually got used to the light, walked out of the cavern, and started to admire the scenery before them.

    They were now standing on top of the mountain range located within the Loop of Trade Winds¡¯s heart. Spiraling patterns of wind and mist could be seen below, and one could instinctively understand how the smooth cliffs towering several hundred meters high were formed. It was unclear if anyone had set foot into this ce for the past few millenniums.

    Brendel peered into the sky. The sun was visible and unhindered by the Wall of Clouds, and he knew that they had reached their destination. The entire area around the stone gate was untainted by the Chaos and unaffected by the violent winds. The Mana Wave did not seem to even reach this ce, and there was mostly tranquil silence, broken only by the flock of birds chirping in the air.

    It was almost like a paradise that could only be found in books.

    Brendel¡¯s attention was suddenly drawn away by something. There was a tree with such an epic size that its crown eventually disappeared into the blue sky. The youth initially was unable to judge what the tree was, and he had to follow the mossy roots that spread across the mountain range¡¯s ground to be sure of it.

    [The...... World Tree?]

    It was a legendary golden tree described in books. The Druids¡¯ Circle of Skies was once called the Circle of Worlds in the past, and they cared for a World Tree for generations and lived around it.

    The wars of that era eventually destroyed the World Tree and the Tower of Babel, and from then onwards, the Druids were split into two factions; The Circle of Skies, and the Tree Shepherds.

    [There isn¡¯t any documentation about a World Tree still existing in this world. Interesting, it doesn¡¯t have a golden hue described in the legends, but more of a normal tree. The moss and odd branches and leaves near the trunk have a vivid green color.]

    His eyes went to the top of the tree again. The branches that he could see were spreading out outwards before ending in a dome-like shape. One of therge branches was seemingly on fire, while another covered in ice, and another had a rainbow over it.

    ¡°It sort of resembles Yggdrasil from Earth instead......¡± Brendel could not help but mutter to himself.

    ¡°Is this the World Tree in the legends, brother Brendel?¡± Sifrid spoke in awe.

    Brendel nodded. He suddenly realized the ¡®bridges¡¯ they were walking on were probably the roots of this tree. The forest before him was lush and filled with birds, untainted by human activity.

    [Hmm. The game¡¯s Valha was eventually destroyed after Aouine was lost. I heard it went out in a sea of mes, such madness.]

    ¡°B-Brendel?¡± Faena suddenly spoke in surprise. She nearly bit her tongue and had to pull her cheeks when she spotted something.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Brendel spoke absentmindedly.

    ¡°The tree¡ª¡± She pointed at it.

    ¡°Yes, the tree is going to be all burned up in the end?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about!¡± Faena eximed: ¡°I¡¯m telling you to look at the center of the tree!¡±

    Brendel finally spotted a city built in the branches¡¯ outer area, though it might be more urate to describe it as a huge pce surrounded by mist and lightning. It looked grand enough for ancient deities and spirits to live there.

    ¡°Valha......¡± Brendel muttered.

    ¡°I heard you say that name to the wizard earlier. Valha is that city?¡± Faena asked.

    But they were interrupted by another person¡¯s voice not far away from them:

    ¡°Chaos above, the World Tree!¡±

    It was Andesha¡¯s voice.

    Brendel and Faena¡¯s faces paled.

 volume 3 - 188

    Chapter 188 ¨C The final moment (4)

    Brendel ced a finger on his lips and quickly showed this action to Faena and Sifrid. Andesha¡¯s voice had shocked Faena to the point where she nearly shrieked, but the youth¡¯s calm attitude was enough to stop her from making any mistakes.

    The only sounds in their surroundings were the monotonous dronings of the insects, with a few small rodent-like creatures darting through the vegetation at high speed that created rustling noises.

    Faena could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. She was so tense that she felt her blood turn cold, and her fingers were white and mmy.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± She mouthed these words.

    Her haughty conduct earlier was nowhere to be found; she was now a normal girl who looked at the youth with a pair of frightened eyes, realizing that he was the only person she could rely on right now.

    Brendel nced at Faena. The girl¡¯s face was as dirty as a spotted cat, her pretty golden ponytails were covered with dirt, but he thought she was cuter and better to get along with than before.

    ¡°Worry not.¡± He mouthed back.

    Sadly, he did not think that this change would be permanent. She was still a duke¡¯s daughter from Kirrlutz, and her proud character was carved into her bones. Perhaps it was even safe to say that she took advantage of the fact that he was reluctant to harm her, and she chose to quarrel with him throughout the journey.

    Soft footsteps could be heard from the cavern¡¯s exit. Brendel listened to them carefully with aposed mind. It seemed like Andesha had no intention of hiding her presence, and it was unnecessary to do so at her level against him anyway.

    [Damn it...... It¡¯s been a while since I have to work so hard to hide myself.]

    Brendel wished that he was the level 130 Warrior in the game. He at least had the sub-ss techniques of a thief even if he needed to hide. It was all fun and excitement in the game, but it was full of stress and tension in reality. Andesha felt like an unbearable threat with every step she took.

    Still, the youth was able to make a rational judgment because of his experience.

    He simply did not move.

    Then he heard another set of footstepsing from another direction, and he frowned.

    [Another nearby exit from the caverns? It¡¯s fortunate that this person hasn¡¯t detected us.]

    ¡°It¡¯s possible that boy has already left long ago. I didn¡¯t expect that there would be someone else from the Silver Alliance protecting him, other than the Druids. That earlier magic spell had a familiar Mana signature to it; I wonder if it¡¯s someone I know.¡± The Mistress of Withering Decay said.

    Brendel held his breath.

    A familiar male voice answered Andesha instantly:

    ¡°Ironic. I did not think a monster like you would regret making too many enemies.¡±

    ¡°Making too many enemies? What an absurd notion,¡± Andesha¡¯s voice was a little high-pitch, and one could hear the sarcasm in her voice, ¡°listening to you has allowed me to understand why your faction acts so cowardly. If you fear your enemies so much, why don¡¯t you depart back to your dirty little nest this very instant?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯m not here to pick a fight with you, Andesha. I¡¯m more interested in learning about this area here instead. I suspect that we¡¯re the first group of visitors in a few thousand years.¡± The man said.

    ¡°The second batch, you mean. Don¡¯t forget, the little boy...... and his otherpanions probably entered before us.¡±

    [Interesting. That woman doesn¡¯t know how many of us are in here. As long as she is suspicious of our numbers, she will be more cautious.]

    ¡°You¡¯re right. It seemed like that boy knows what was in the canyon. That mysterious stone gate was definitely locked earlier, and yet it was opened when we reached it. I took a while to study the gate, and it appears to be a Legacy left for the foolish humans, but I refuse to believe he was able to open it without any preparations. Even you have to admit that these creations from the Golden Lineage are splendid.¡±

    [This man was in the valley before us?]

    ¡°What are you trying to say, Hamir, no, your current name is......¡± Andesha interrupted him with a condescending tone, but the man continued speaking.

    ¡°Are you not worried that the Druids are preparing something? They have hidden what they learned in the Dark Forest for centuries. A Sealed Fragment of Divinity was hidden in this area, while the damned long-living hypocrites from the Silver Alliance appeared at this strange timing. Who knows what other shocking things could be found in this ce?¡±

    ¡°More shocking things? This World Tree isn¡¯t enough? No, perhaps the most valuable thing is this Sealed Fragment.¡±

    ¡°The World Tree dates back to the ancient era when the Twilight Dragon still existed. You know this point better than me. The things that are contained within......¡±

    ¡°...... Very well, I¡¯ll admit it. I too am curious what is within it, now cut your nonsense and follow me¡ª¡±

    ¡°Your personality hasn¡¯t changed at all.¡± The man remarked.

    Brendel was almost certain that Andesha¡¯s perception was higher than him. Fortunately, it appeared that Andesha was so interested in investigating the World Tree that she did not bother to track them. In addition, Faena was surprisingly decent in masking her presence, probably a feat that was gained from the excellent trainers from the Kirrlutz Empire. Sifrid was quite adept in hiding too, and the youth recalled the time when she tried to sneak out of her vige to surrender to Graudin in the past.

    The trio waited in silence. Andesha and the mysterious man¡¯s footsteps shuffled quickly and they left for the World Tree. Thest words that he heard from her were:

    ¡°They might have gotten close to the World Tree.¡±

    Brendel waited for another ten minutes before he sighed.

    Faena saw his action and copsed to the ground while patting her chest in relief. She looked like she had been taken out of a pool of water. Her forehead and back were drenched with perspiration.

    ¡°That¡¯s good, right? They are far away from us now. Let¡¯s return when we have the chance.¡± The noble from the Kirrlutz Empire said.

    Brendel pondered for a moment: ¡°Return?¡±

    ¡°That woman believes we are near the World Tree, so before she realizes that we¡¯re not there, we should go back and meet up with Lady Veronica. We should leave this ce now, right?¡± Faena¡¯s eyes opened up and stared at Brendel as if it was the most logical thing.

    ¡°No, no, you¡¯re mistaken on one thing. There is no ¡®we¡¯ here, but ¡®you¡¯, you should return alone. It¡¯s actually a good chance for you. There¡¯s no need to worry about Hati, it¡¯s not going to wake up, and the fake Hydra has been defeated by Andesha. I didn¡¯t sense any monsters along the way as well, so it should be fine. You do remember how to go back, right?¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Faena looked at Brendel in confusion, her eyebrows moving upwards while being pushed together into a frown: ¡°Y-y-you intend for me to leave alone?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What else do you want?¡±

    ¡°W-w-without you?¡± She stuttered in disbelief.

    Brendel¡¯s mouth opened a little and he looked a little nkly at the girl. Just how spoiled was this girl for her to think he would escort her back like a bodyguard? Did he present himself in a way that he was protecting her selflessly?

    ¡°Why should I escort you?¡± He naturally rejected her suggestion.

    ¡°I...... You......¡± Her facial expressions changed a few times, looking like she was about to throw a tantrum but always stopping at the point where she got angry: ¡°Then...... Then why are you staying here?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm. Like Andesha, I¡¯m curious about that hugeeee tree, mydy.¡± Brendel did not want to reveal the truth about his ns for taking over the entire Valha, and he instead chose to joke about it.

    Of course, anyone with a working mind would be able to see past his joking words.

    ¡°Hey, surely having a life is more important than being curious.....¡±

    ¡°Uhh?¡± Brendel first rolled his eyes at the dumb girl, then suddenly asked in a strange tone: ¡°Are you worried about me, or worried about no one escorting you?¡±

    Faena¡¯s face flushed and she roared furiously with red nostrils: ¡°No way, you fool! It was merely a spontaneous question, and I don¡¯t care about your life! I¡¯m going...... If you die, d-d-don¡¯t me me......¡±

    She took a deep breath and walked off. The youth flipped over his palms and shook them a few times along with a shrug, while looking at her back with an incredulous expression. The girl was a giant ball of contradiction.

    [Now then, Andesha moving off to Valha is definitely going out of my ns.]

    There was no choice but to fight over the Legacy. He started to walk to the World Tree as well, bringing Sifrid along.

    It might sound like an impossible task, but Andesha had no idea what was lying within the ruins, while he had a pretty good idea on where his destination was. This would allow him to gain the advantage. In addition, the Heroic Spirits and Ancestral Kings had most likely acknowledged him as the new king of Valha.

    Once he essed the Legacy of this mysteriousnd, he could borrow its power and defeat her.

    [As long as I¡¯m the Chosen One in my Divine Kingdom! My Heroic Sentinels would easily take Andesha out!]

    Brendel started to exaggerate a preposterous scenario in his mind. Though if he really managed to gain the advantage of pulling things off under Andesha¡¯s eyes, it would really be possible to chase her out.

    Since it was a risky gamble, he had no intention of taking on something that would drag down his legs. As long as there was an opportunity to send Faena away, he would definitely raise both his hands and agree to it.

    In fact, he wanted to send Sifrid to a safe ce if he could. Faena at least had Veronica to guide her out of the Dark Forest.

    It was far easier for him to move by himself and not take unnecessary risks.

    But it did not take long for Brendel to turn around as he heard running footstepsing from the cavern.

    ¡°Hey¡ª¡± Faena said, her face pale and hands shivering: ¡°R-right, I suddenly remembered something, the people from Kirrlutz, t-t-they don¡¯t have the habit of abandoningpanions. Even though we¡¯re enemies, y-y-you still saved my life...... You might be inconsiderate, but I mustn¡¯t act like you and be magnanimous.....¡±

    [Fuck me. Why didn¡¯t I escape at the very first second she went into the cavern!?]

    Brendel immediately scolded himself.

 volume 3 - 189

    Chapter 189 ¨C The final moment (5)

    The forest was peaceful. Brendel tried hard to maintain that silence, gently pushing away obstacles and vines. Even the birds were content to stay and watch his group as they made their way closer to the World Tree.

    The lush greenery was very different from the Dark Forest¡¯s atmosphere. Looking past theyers of greenery was a view of a broad basin, its center looked almost as though a finger had pushed down the earth to form it. The mountain range had surrounded this area and prevented violent winds from reaching it.

    The World Tree was also in the middle of the area. Its roots expanded in all directions and caused the ground to be uneven, with a few extending all the way to the cavern.

    [Andesha and her ally must have traveled on one of the roots. If I follow some of the roots¡¯ paths, they actually lead to interesting positions that¡¯s difficult to ess if one travels on the ground. Hmm, but we can¡¯t follow too closely since she¡¯s a half-Druid. We will get detected all too easily if she tracks us.]

    Brendel studied the area for a while, before he suddenly caught sight of a few artificial marks on broken stone fragments that were half-buried in the ground. He then led the girls to a small path overgrown with vegetation. Even though time had hidden the secrets in this ce, the youth was certain that he needed to investigate the ce.

    There were four massive ancient trees with overgrown vines and bushes around the area. Two white boulders were hidden behind dull green flora, and through the gaps, he discovered carved marks there were like letters, though most of them were corroded and unreadable.

    [These letters look like they are from the Silver Lineage. Not the Elves or Wizards, naturally, but another race closely rted to the forest. So someone ruled over this ce, at least during the time when the Dragon of Darkness was still around.]

    Brendel tried asking Medissa through his mind whether she knew anything about Valha, but the Silver Elf princess stated she did not.

    ¡°Valha existed long before we did, my Lord, outdating the Silver Elves, the Mist Elves, and the Moon Elves. These three Elven bloodlines are the main Elven bloodlines of the Silver Lineage, dating all the way back to our Ancestral Elven King Ljosalfheim, even before the Dragon of Darkness appeared.¡± She said.

    It was just as Brendel had assumed. The Twilight Dragon in the continent was a fuzzy symbol in the Twilight Battle. Though the ordinary citizens in this era knew of the monstrous being¡¯s name, it was just a dead god amongst the stories of the gods in the past.

    Even in the game, there was really no quests or lore about this primeval dragon, and the gamers only had to deal with the evil cults who would put the name of Twilight or Chaos in their deeds.

    ¡°Am I wrong, or are those letters?¡± Faena asked in a tiny voice.

    Since she did not dare to return on her own, she decided to openly follow the youth. He was not a sycophant like the other nobles around her and even bullied her all the time, but at least he did not physically threaten her.

    ¡°Urgh, stop bothering me and think on your own.¡± Brendel snapped.

    ¡°I recall that thest time someone from Aouine who attempted to im the Wilderness was approximately two centuries ago, Lord Roman from the Vieiro family, also known as thest Pioneer Knight. The historical reports stated that the Dark Forest used to be bigger, and the entire south of the Randner region was corrupted and lordless. No civilization had touched it before......¡±

    Faena spoke as though she was reciting a textbook, then she pointed at the carvings.

    ¡°But if these carvings are actually letters of a civilization, then it proves that the Loop of Trade Winds is and that was lost to the Wilderness. The Dark Forest was not always part of the Wilderness formed by Chaos, therefore the books are wrong..... W-what? Why are you looking at me like that, my grades in history are excellent! I even received an award from Grandmaster Mahaein!¡±

    ¡°The famous dwarf who can decipher the contents that belong to the Poem of Skies?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°A portion of it. Also, even though Grandmaster Mahaein is a Dwarf, he¡¯s a citizen of the Kirrlutz Empire.¡± Faena was proud enough to raise up her chin and started bringing out her status.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t tell me, he¡¯s the one who wrote what you just recited. What kind of historical nonsense is that dwarf writing...... Doesn¡¯t he know that the Druids were living here before the Aouine kingdom was founded? What did he mean by the south of the Randner region was corrupted and lordless?¡± Brendel smirked and said sarcastically.

    ¡°You are the one who¡¯s spouting n-nonsense! The Druids don¡¯t have any interest in being the lord of and!¡±

    ¡°Unbelievable. Does the Empire dare to use this excuse and drive away all the Druids from their borders? I should congratte you now since your borders are going to expand yet again!¡±

    ¡°Y-you......¡±

    The real reason why Brendel was annoyed, was how the Kirrlutz Empire included Aouine¡¯s history in their reports. Kirrlutz¡¯s citizens had never regarded Aouine as a kingdom, instead, they treated it like an overseas province, and it was especially so amongst the nobles who supported the Imperial politics.

    Naturally, this arrogance annoyed the gamers in the Aouine Kingdom.

    Brendel was not keen on bullying a spoiled girl, but he wanted to kick her down before her conceited nose touched the sky. After saying his fill, he turned back to the path.

    [The four trees and the two boulders with carvings on them. These things make up a marker to denote a certain area of a ¡®city¡¯, though I can¡¯t tell what this ce is for.]

    He parted the vegetation and the group continued down the path, reaching to another section in the area. They discovered the strange shape of the foliage were actually overgrown greenery over boulders that were cut into buildings. Verdant nt life surrounded them, rustling gently from time to time against the wind.

    Brendel was about to step into a clearing, but Sifrid suddenly pulled his hand, causing him to go on his guard.

    ¡°What is it?¡± He whispered.

    ¡°The bad woman is here.¡± Sifrid did not speak and mouthed the words.

    Brendel felt a chill and mouthed back a word:

    ¡°Where?¡±

    Sifrid pointed at the highest building. Brendel immediately stared at the spot and discovered that there was a peculiar nt growing on top of the roof. His mouth fell open and gasped lightly.

    That was not a nt at all, but Andesha. That half-druidic talent of hers made it difficult to discover her presence, and she also hid in a clever spot, allowing her to hide and observe as well.

    It was unfortunate that she waspeting with the Lady of the Forest who was blessed by the Goddess Nia.

    Still, Brendel could not help but burst out ayer of cold sweat. He now realized that it was a wise decision not to send back Sifrid; having her to help him in this forest had many advantages.

    ¡°Stay quiet!¡± Brendel turned around to Faena and mouthed these words.

    [This ce should be a market. The boulders are ced in a way to form a something like a circle, and this particr building is probably a temple for the God of Commerce, since it¡¯s popr to have one in the ancient times.]

    Andesha was standing on top of this temple. As a member of an evil cult, she did not respect any gods from the Order.

    Faena finally spotted Andesha and was startled. She turned to Brendel in a hurry and mouthed: ¡°Why is she here?¡±

    ¡°If you have the slightest bit of intelligence, you would know that she¡¯s obviously looking for us,¡± came the reply.

    The girl was at a loss, but she put on a sulking look: ¡°It¡¯s all your fault! I told you that we should leave this ce!¡±

    Brendel rolled his eyes. Did he not ask her to leave earlier? But he did not want to deal with a spoiled girl¡¯s temper, so he responded:

    ¡°What? Huh? I totally can¡¯t hear you. Your lips are pping but it seems like I can¡¯t read theseplicated words! Why do you always pretend to act tough and then cause trouble for me? Man, you¡¯re such a cliche and a pain in the b¡ª¡±

    Faena tried hard to read Brendel¡¯s lips, but he was moving them so quickly that she did not understand what he was trying to say, and she became at a loss for words when he added exaggerated movements with his entire body.

    When the youth finally had his fill of venting hisints to the frozen girl, he turned back to ponder on the problem before him.

    [Honestly, if Andesha just rushes straight to the heart of Valha, I don¡¯t think I can reach there before her. But now that she stopped here...... It¡¯s my chance to overtake her. Hmmm. I did check the area, but I couldn¡¯t find herpanion. The exit to this market is.....]

    Brendel suddenly realized why she stopped at the top of the building.

    [There¡¯s a man-made wall forming around the market, and its roots are covering over the wall and the mountains. Almost like a natural barrier of protection...... But if I¡¯m not wrong, exiting this market will lead me to another enclosed area with a simr wall. If I am to use an analogy, it¡¯s a fan-shaped city leading towards the World Tree. Since the exit of the market will definitely be under Andesha¡¯s supervision......]

    It was probably difficult to understand the shape of the city if one did not look above it, but Andesha was able to discern instinctively that one would have to approach and exit this market to reach the World Tree.

    If Brendel were to control the city, he would have been dancing with joy on how defensive this area was, but now he could only taste the bitterness in his mouth. He was almost certain there was no other way to the World Tree, since it was a fortification designed to fight the Twilight Dragon.

    He felt a slight headache.

 volume 3 - 190 â€“ The final moment (6)

    Chapter 190 ¨C The final moment (6)

    Brendel took a few tiny steps before he suddenly felt a jerk to his sleeves and turned around to find Faena¡¯s hand. She mouthed her question and pointed at the streets covered with overgrown vegetation with a finger:

    ¡°You want to go through there?¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Faena looked at him in disbelief before she thought of something that could exin his actions: ¡°...... Have you figured how to activate the cloak¡¯s invisibility?¡±

    [If I can I would have used it immediately. That old fool didn¡¯t even give me a clue to activate it. How should I know what to do with it?]

    The youth rolled his eyes, gestured at Faena and Sifrid to stay behind, then went out to his destination without responding. Faena could only look on with fright in her wide open eyes. Her fingers were digging in so deeply into her skin that it left marks on it, but she did not make a sound despite her cked jaw.

    [Honestly, with Andesha¡¯s Perception stats, I¡¯m pretty sure that even with a ranger with level 10 Stealth would have trouble hiding from her. I wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.]

    Brendel always had a clear mind. After hesitating a few times, he chose to risk it as he did not have the habit to waste time. His current goal was to get a closer observation of thend before him. It was difficult to conclude things when he was looking through from the dense vegetation.

    He inched closer by using the cover of the shrubs and stared at the flowering heaths. His mind worked quickly in the midst of the dead silence.

    [No, I can¡¯t think of anything. Andesha isn¡¯t a fool and I¡¯m one hundred percent certain that she will be able to spot me. If this is a game...... Surely there will be a way toplete this mission?]

    He searched through his memories, trying to find an inspiration from the battles he fought in the past before he stopped at a certain shback.

    The game had just entered beta testing.

    During that period, the gamers were making a ruckus over the game design.

    The typical game designers would create difficult trials for the gamers, but no matter how hard they were, there was always at least one path that the gamers were able to use andplete them.

    In a simple game, it was regarded as the easy way out. In a difficult game, it was a thorny path, but it was still a path ofpletion.

    But the Amber Sword had a distinct game design, and one of the developers stated a somewhat famous line that stuck with the gamers:

    ¡°In real life, there isn¡¯t a road in a forest until it¡¯s built. Use your courage and intelligence to make one.¡±

    At that time, the data-miners amongst the gamers put up the information of an unknown world boss called the Emerald Dragon, which had the Element Power, Eternity. It even had the nickname, Immortal Boss. The gamers thought it was a joke made by the developers when they gave it a loot table, but they eventually epted it as a challenge to break the rules.

    [...... What¡¯s the use of recalling this memory? Try doing this shitty quest in real life to get past Andesha, and watch the gamers immediately give up and throw the game away. It¡¯s the game element they are after, not flexibility.]

    Still, the youth regained his spirits about facing impossible odds. If there was no strategy or path that he could borrow from, he could create his own.

    [There¡¯s no point to brute force our way through. Retreating and choosing the sidelines is a choice I can take.]

    He moved back slowly and crawled out of the bushes, only to find Faena¡¯s pale face staring at him as though he hadmitted atrocious crimes with.

    ¡°My lifespan has been cut by ten years just standing next to you!¡± She red at him and mouthed the words.

    ¡°If scouting the area is ten years, then the actions I¡¯m going to do next might just cause you to drop dead immediately.¡±

    ¡°W-what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°That section of the ruins over there, we will try to slip through there using it as cover. I inspected the area quite carefully and that¡¯s the best path for us. The others are basically dead ends.¡±

    Brendel slowly exined with gestures to present his judgment clearly, but Faena only took a nce to refute him:

    ¡°It does look like a good spot since her line of sight can¡¯t reach it, but the final stretch doesn¡¯t have any cover at all. No matter what we do, we will definitely be discovered right?¡± Her eyebrows were pointing upwards. ¡°That woman is one of the twelve leaders of the Tree Shepherds, would you stop treating her like a fool? If she stays up there, it means that she¡¯s definitely confident of catching us!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know, I can see that. I¡¯m certain that Andesha realizes this point as well, and it¡¯s foolish to cross over so tantly.¡± Brendel shook his head, disagreeing with Faena¡¯s assessment: ¡°However, I don¡¯t believe that she considers us to be fools, not when we escaped from her repeatedly. That is precisely the reason why she would not pay attention to that area.¡±

    ¡°I think I understand your logic, but we¡¯re traveling across a courtyard without cover. If she happens to cast a nce over there, she will discover us even if she¡¯s not paying attention.¡±

    Brendel did not answer. He obviously knew that there was no perfect solution, but he had to try and get there at least halfway. The rest of the solution would be luck and hard work. At this point in time, it was impossible not to take a little risk. There was no time to waste, as it was not certain how long the Druids were able tost, even with William¡¯s help.

    Thus he shook his head.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Faena was so desperate she nearly cried out. She grabbed Sifrid next to her and mouthed: ¡°Sifrid, quickly persuade your big brother, this fool is trying to kill himself and I don¡¯t want to apany him!

    Sifrid looked at both of them before she shook her head at Faena. She did not intend to object. In fact, Brendel¡¯s decision was her decision.

    Faena was at aplete loss.

    ¡°Stay behind,¡± Brendel mouthed.

    There was no reason to bring her along. It was indeed true that it could be a trip to hell. But the girl was a little flustered and hesitant over his words. She stared at the both of them before throwing up a tantrum.

    ¡°No, you must bring me along!¡± She shook her fists up and down.

    Brendel could not understand what she was thinking and mouthed back in frustration: ¡°Don¡¯t you ever feel like you¡¯re baggage?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who kidnapped me to this ce. Country bumpkin, you need to take responsibility for that. Are you still a noble if you leave me behind?¡±

    [I¡¯m not a fucking noble! Screw this shit. Don¡¯t me me for getting yourself killed if you want to follow me.]

    Brendel roared in his mind, but it looked like Faena was serious. Even if he refused, she would probably follow him. It was quite the headache, but he gave up in the end. He had to bring along Sifrid, and there was no difference to add one more person.

    He sighed but he agreed to Faena¡¯s words.

    The girl seemed to be pleased and relieved that she won a verbal battle against Brendel.

    ¡°Are we moving off right now?¡± She asked.

    [What do you mean ¡®we¡¯? It¡¯s me who¡¯s going to do all the work......]

    But the youth nodded. It was easy for him to make his way across the ruins alone, but bringing Faena and Sifrid made thingsplicated. He did not dare to allow them to follow him on foot, and he exined that he was going to carry them over one at a time. It was actually better that way since he was at least experienced in the Stealth skill.

    His first attempt to bring over Sifrid was sessful. He carefully went to the side where there was abundant cover, then dove into the ruins. This area was facing Andesha¡¯s back, and just like he predicted, she did not pay much attention there. She would have discovered Brendel if she happened to turn her head for a split second.

    After putting Sifrid into one of the half-broken rock houses, he turned around to get Faena. His actions were incredibly swift, passing through the grass with hardly any noise, and he was so skillful that Faena¡¯s eyes nearly popped out.

    As one of the top-ranking nobles in the Kirrlutz Empire, she was well learned and knew that only the most capable scouts within the army were capable of doing a feat like him. The typical nobles were not required to learn it, unless they were working for the throne as ambassadors with the skillset of a spy.

    She learned a few things from her father¡¯s spies in the past, but they now appeared like frauds when shepared their abilities to Brendel¡¯s.

    But Brendel thought otherwise and was greatly concerned about his actions. His ability was not corrected by the system, and there was nopeting against the professions in the game. As long as the Stealth level was above level ten, the stealthy professions like a ranger or Night Oracle could hide right in front of Faena and not be noticed. At level fifteen, they could even disappear right in front of her eyes, nearly reaching the capabilities of a magical artifact, though it was not easy even for the main professions with these skillsets to learn it. Invisibility magic could be dispelled but stealth could not.

    When Brendel carried the stunned Faena, she was so startled she squeaked out a sound, but the youth was alert enough to cover her lips in time and red at her to warn her to be careful.

    The girl suddenly remembered the thrilling moments where he carried her.

    Like jumping off a cliff and scaring her till she cried. Or throwing her into the air and past the Lernaia Hydra¡¯s mouth as it snapped at her.

    When she realized that Brendel was carrying her in his arms, she suddenly felt her face burn up and wished that she was still gawking over his skill. It was only after that she was ced next to Sifrid that she recovered from her panic.

    Brendel brought both of them closer to his desired destination by repeating the same steps. When they reached the final house in the ruins, he patted Faena and mouthed:

    ¡°Are you really going to follow me? It¡¯s possible that we will get killed.¡± Brendel tried to frighten the girl one more time, but she still refused to let him go alone.

    [What pills did this woman take? She just keeps staring at me and nodding.]

    If there was one thing that the people from Kirrlutz and Aouine had inmon, they were both unwilling to abandon theirrades. Brendel felt highly ufortable at that thought.

    ¡°Fine. I tried my best,¡± he sighed.

    He then peeked out at the clearing to investigate it again, but his expression contorted immediately. Faena did the same thing, and she pushed her hands up to her lips with lightning speed to prevent herself from making any noises from surprise.

    There was a figure covered in red robes standing at the other end of the clearing.

    [Bloody hell, this was a trap.]

    Brendel cursed in his mind. He thought that Andesha had a small oversight, though it was still highly unreasonable to think that it would work if he tried to cross over the clearing. What he did not expect was Andesha to have a watertight surveince. The youth backed away and gritted his teeth. He did not have a backup n.

    Faena prodded him: ¡°We¡¯re actually close enough. Perhaps we can try using the cloak? Its magic should be able tost for a while.¡±

    [Cloak? The one that William gave us?]

    ¡°What are you talking about? Have you forgotten that the old wizard didn¡¯t give us the keyword to activate its magic?¡±

    He patted Faena¡¯s hand away. Was the girl too terrified to think properly? Perhaps the old wizard¡¯s forgetful nature had spread to her head.

    ¡°Do you really think the cloak cannot be used just because that old man didn¡¯t tell you the keywords to activate it? Have you forgotten what my profession is?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What your profession is? Daughter of a high-ranking duke?¡±

    ¡°You oaf! I¡¯m a Magic Swordsman, deciphering runes is part of my skillset!¡±

    ¡°Hah? Just how capable do you think you are? This cloak is a legendary item that¡¯s only heard in mythological tales. The Magic Formations on it are very much different from the ones we¡¯re using in this era. If I¡¯m not wrong, mydy, you¡¯re not even formally recognized as a Magic Swordsman. An apprentice instead, yes?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because I¡¯m a noble that I¡¯m not recognized as a Magic Swordsman! There are many pairs of eyes on me as a duke¡¯s daughter and I can¡¯t go out to get recognized as one! But the skills I¡¯m taught as an aristocrat are even more detailed than your average Magic Swordsman!¡±

    Brendel tilted his head and looked at her with discerning eyes. She did have a good memory and even won an award of sorts. His tone was a little earnest for the first time:

    ¡°Can you really do it?¡±

    ¡°Let me try, but I can¡¯t guarentee it.¡±

    Faena did not dare to brag about it, but she had a solemn expression and did not put on an air of superiority like before. Brendel nodded and passed the cloak over to her. She extended the cloak up in the air as much as she could with shaking arms. It was actually quite heavy and tough physically on her, proving that it was indeed a cloak for a giant.

    After several minutes of inspection, she suddenly uttered a delighted gasp, startling Brendel, and he hurriedly checked if the robed figure hiding in the clearing noticed them, before he cast a nce at Andesha. Fortunately, both of them did not react.

    He turned back to re at Faena. It was impossible for her to be a spy working for the enemies, but she was definitely acting like one right now. She also recognized her mistake and stuck out her tongue with an embarrassed look, but she quickly mouthed out in delight:

    ¡°I studied this particr school of Magic before!¡±

    ¡°You did!?¡± Brendel was shocked, but he also became delighted. It was quite the fortunate turn of events. If she learned it before, then it should not be difficult to discover the keyword to activate it.

    It seemed like luck was still on his side.

 volume 3 - 191

    Chapter 191 ¨C The final moment (7)

    Professions like Magic Swordsman and Rune Knight were indeed capable of identifying items. Rune Knights were able to use magic, but their true skillset was to analyze magic and fight wizards. They were greatly specialized in anti-magic and well-versed in dealing with Chants.

    The words to form a Chant were typically fixed. The only ones who were exceptions to this rule were powerful wizards who could bend the rules. Witches who resided in rivers of concentrated Mana, believed there were thirty-six thousand words in this world that had mysterious power in them.

    These words made up the rules of all Laws, Runes and Holy Words. and they were frequently used to activate magical artifacts. The mostmon words to activate old artifacts were the following.

    Eaam was earth, Oss was wind, Vo was water, and mme was fire.

    But they were not going to work for the cloak.

    The magic artifacts created from the Golden and Silver Lineage were indeed old, but the earliest magic artifacts were taken from the Elemental nes.

    Faena sensed the cloak had a powerful Earth Element leaking out from it. She first tried the words that were from the races of the great earth, the Poem of Titans.

    There were twelve hundred words in it. Trying them out one by one was nearly impossible, but she was experienced enough to choose the suitable words for activating a magic artifact. It was narrow enough to test them out.

    After several tries, she moved on to the tale of ¡®Yara¡¯s teeth¡¯, which represented the Shadow Element and the Vibration Rune. Her eyebrows were lifted slightly up and looked up with an air of triumph as she passed the cloak back to Brendel.

    Her sky-blue eyes were full of pride and her pursed lips were slightly curved upwards. Brendel eyed her for a second as he took over the cloak.

    Once a magical artifact¡¯s known usage and activation word was discovered, the game recognized it as ¡®identified¡¯.

    Green words immediately shed in his retina:

    ¨C King Bruni¡¯s invisibility cloak.

    ¨C Magic Resistance: 30%

    ¨C Activated ability: Enters a Shrouded state for a hundred and twenty breaths. The user would be as if they have disappeared from this world.

    ¨C Activation keyword: Far

    [Oh, it¡¯s identified. Wait, the description for this......!]

    The corners of Brendel¡¯s eyes twitched. The game exined that the world wasprised of sevenyers. There were four Element nes, two Energy nes, and a Physical ne. One¡¯s existence was anchored to one of these seven nes.

    An invisibility spell utilized the Air or Water Element to distort light and deceive the eyes, but it was just a type of an illusion, and the caster could still be seen, heard, and even be touched.

    A Shrouded state was significantly stronger. The mostmon use for this state was to pass through walls. Under it, there were no ¡®walls¡¯ in this world.

    [A hundred and twenty breaths. That¡¯s about five minutes, but it¡¯s just the right amount of time to escape. This cloak is a god-tier item for those who need it. A 30% magic resistance is definitely a mythological treasure. It definitely doesn¡¯t bring shame to the King of Titans and is a fitting collection for his vault.]

    Brendel unfurled the cloak to its fullest and covered both Faena and Sifrid.

    ¡°Far!¡± He said.

    The cloak became invisible in an instant. The feeling that came from it was incredibly intriguing. It felt like there was ayer of shimmering water all around them.

    Sifrid¡¯s eyes went wide and looked around her surroundings, before she turned to the youth with a revered expression. Brendel was always capable of doing something miraculous or unexpected things.

    He also took a while to get used to the Shrouded state. There were a few famous solo yers who had this equipment, but he had never seen one in action before.

    ¡°......Why do you know the activation keyword, I haven¡¯t told you yet!¡± But Faena waspletely shocked and stared at Brendel.

    The youth also stared back vacantly.

    Then he realized he made a serious mistake. Gamers could directly see the activation keywords once the artifact was identified, but he forgot he was not in a game.

    An NPC would have to prove that they had the bloodline of a Star Seer who could see the future. But if they were a practitioner of ck or Blood magic, it was highly probable they would be burned on a stake.

    Brendel stiffened and was a loss of what to say. It did not make sense for him to say that he had the abilities to identify an equipment, since he had brought the two girls to a point where they were close to their enemies. Why did he have to wait before Faena volunteered to identify it?

    [Shit. I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t know about it, it doesn¡¯t make sense. How do I know how to activate it?]

    ¡°Erm......¡± Brendel coughed once and his mind spun quickly: ¡°Well...... You were muttering words from the Poem of Titans! There¡¯s a section within the Poem of Titans that are rted to the Shadow Element, and it¡¯s either Yara¡¯s Teeth or the Rune Words rted to the Vibration¡ª In any case, I tried one of them......¡±

    ¡°And you got it on the first try!?¡± Faena¡¯s jaws dropped. She was supposed to the expert here, but this person had managed to solve it before her with a simple guess. Her confidence was greatly shaken and her eyes trembled.

    ¡°No, no,¡± Brendel hurriedly shook his head and said. Faena was actually being useful for once and did well, and he did not want to break her confidence and be more of a baggage than before: ¡°You were the one who confirmed the scope. I can¡¯t sense the particr brand of magic Element that¡¯s exuding from the cloak...... I¡¯m just slightly better in the knowledge of myths and legends.¡±

    ¡°...... Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m an Elementalist and even I¡¯m unable to discern that the cloak is giving off the Earth Element.¡±

    ¡°What kind of Elementalist are you when your swordsmanship skills reach the level of a Gold-ranker?¡± Faena could not help but snicker with a disbelieving look: ¡°The famous Grandmaster Makaine said this, human lifespans are severely limited, and if we don¡¯t put our fullest focus into a single thing, it¡¯s unlikely that we will be good at it¡ª¡±

    ¡°Really? Did you forget that I beat you by using magic in the Green Tower? I took the Rock Key away from you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such a rude lout! How reprehensible are you to snatch something away from ady!¡± Faena was angry that she made a tiny squeak of noise even though she knew where she was: ¡°...... I thought you were a fake noble at that time, hmph, but it seems like you¡¯re a real one. Still, the nobles from Aouine are indeed a rude bunch.¡±

    Brendel grabbed the cloak¡¯s fabric with his hands and rubbed against them to remove his sweat. He was really a faker.

    [Yes, it¡¯s rude to fight something over with a girl, but honestly, you needed to be taught a lesson. You were the one who started it first by stealing my bargained item. And the Rock Key is something that I needed to.]

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s an event that¡¯s in the past, and I don¡¯t want to discuss who¡¯s at fault right now.¡±

    Brendel was in a great mood. He led the girls out leisurely while he tracked Andesha and the robed figure¡¯s movements.

    Andesha was still staring out at the forest on top of the building. She did nce at the courtyard several times but did not see the trio walking across it.

    On the other side of the courtyard, Brendel found that there was a man¡¯s figure wearing red robes standing there. Thetter did not detect their presence as well.

    [This man¡¯s figure seems a little familiar.]

    Brendel felt a prod on his arm and found Faena mouthing words: ¡°Hey, that person looks familiar.¡±

    He was surprised.

    There were many Tree Shepherds that he came across in the game, and it was reasonable to feel some of them appear familiar, but for an aristocrat to know a member from an evil cult?

    ¡°Ah. Isn¡¯t that Bishop Amman? My father and I had seen him many times when he was the regional priest in our territory. He and my father got along with each very well. But why is he here?¡±

    ¡°Amman?¡±

    Brendel nearly spat out the word ¡®impossible¡¯.

    [Didn¡¯t he die hours ago from the fake Lernaia Hydra¡¯s fangs? One of them went through his heart. And the only people who can survive that are people from the Golden Lineage. Even an angel cannot revive him.]

    But Faena cast a veil of doubt on him. The more Brendel stared at the figure, the more he looked like Amman. He felt that was something wrong but did not think up wild theories just yet.

    ¡°That¡¯s really Amman? You¡¯re certain of it?¡± Brendel could not help but ask.

    ¡°Why are you acting so strange? How can I be sure of it? He¡¯s so far away and his figure is all unclear, not to mention his face is under his hood. I only feel that he appears to be Amman, and it¡¯s just a passing remark. Why are you acting so serious?¡±

    Faena grumbled but added another remark:

    ¡°But if he¡¯s really Amman, then it¡¯s truly shocking news. Think about it, a Bishop from the Cathedral of mes and a member of the Tree Shepherds working together!¡±

    She even licked her lips, as though she found a piece of juicy gossip.

    But Brendel¡¯s facial muscles only tightened further.

    [If this is really him, then it¡¯s not as simple as a juicy gossip to be discussed over tea. There¡¯s no legitimate way toe back from the dead. But evil spells rting to necromancy...... I would have never associated Amman with that. Yet, to work with Andesha...... Which means he¡¯s a spy? Amman is a Tree Shepherd?]

    All sorts of information were popping up in his mind. This piece of information was just too stunning. Even the game did not leak out any information about him, and he thought that no secrets from an NPC would be kept hidden from the gamers.

    While he kept thinking of wild theories, a loud voice suddenly called out and echoed in the forest:

    ¡°Who¡¯s over there? Stop hiding ande out!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s arms jolted. The sudden voice was a little hoarse, and it was so chilling that he felt like his bones were cold.

    Indeed, it belonged to Andesha.

    But how was it possible for her to detect them?

    Brendel¡¯s eyes subconsciously looked to Faena and found her staring back at him in terror. Both of their faces were pale.

 volume 3 - 192 â€“ The final moment (8)

    Chapter 192 ¨C The final moment (8)

    ¡°Stop hiding there, coward!¡±

    Andesha¡¯s voice was like a hissing snake, echoing throughout the courtyard again. The group of people under the cloak did not dare to move.

    The Mistress of Withering Decay finally made her move and conjured a whip, but instead of attacking the courtyard, she swung it at the other end of the forest. The vine whip of incredible length swept through the forest, cut through the trees with overwhelming force and uprooted them with thunderous noises.

    Soil and dirt fell through the air like rain, while someone emerged from the forest and approached Andesha at lightning speed.

    But before Brendel managed to see who the mysterious stranger was, he caught sight of the rain suddenly stopping in its midst. The colors of the area were suddenly changed into greyscale, while Andesha¡¯s whip slowed down as though it was going through a sea of liquid that resisted it.

    [The World of Ashes!]

    It was a nickname given to Mephisto¡¯s Element Power.

    The Grey Realm was a boundary that changed the Laws of the area. It was an Elemental ne with a high concentration of Shadow Element and Grey Mana that was rted to the Earth Element. However, this particr Elemental ne was destroyed in the Twilight War into many fragments, and they were scattered throughout the continent¡¯s Physical ne.

    Mephisto¡¯s World of Ashes was a powerful ability that projected the Grey World into the continent¡¯s Physical ne, bringing forth the power that was entrenched within the realm.

    The slowing of time was one of them.

    It was one of the most unique Element Powers, and Brendel was absolutely certain that it was Mephisto who had appeared.

    [Why is he here?]

    He took in a deep breath and found his palms to be full of cold sweat. The situation was a little too exciting for him, especially when Andesha took out a whip. Surely no one expected this sudden turn of events.

    Andesha frowned as she put in more strength to her whip, causing it to speed up and chase Mephisto like a living snake.

    Mephisto had to change his direction in a sharp angle in order to avoid the attack. He did not advance any further and patted the dirt away from his body before he looked up and said:

    ¡°Andesha, I presume?¡±

    The Mistress of Withering Decay scoffed: ¡°So it¡¯s the defeated dog from the Kirrlutz Empire. The Sword Saint of Ashes, Mephisto, why are you not going after the citizens of Kirrlutz, but appear in this godforsaken ce instead?¡±

    Mephisto ignored her wordspletely and spoke as though he was talking to himself: ¡°Since you¡¯re Andesha, then I apologize, I¡¯m here to take your life¡ª¡±

    ¡°This man is the infamous demon in our empire, Mephisto? But who does he think he is; he actually dares to look down on that woman......¡±

    Faena was shocked to learn of that man¡¯s name. It was indeed a famous name in the Kirrlutz Empire. Adults even used his name to scare their own children, telling them that the demon Mephisto would kill them if they did not go to sleep early.

    Unfortunately, once Faena saw that Mephisto was not a menacing giant with rippling muscles, but someone who looked like a rtively handsome middle-aged man, her opinion of his name dropped.

    Andesha was stunned as well. She did not expect Mephisto to fight after speaking twice. The greatsword on his back was pulled out with two hands, its color grey underneath the bright sun, and he pointed it at her.

    ¡°Get ready!¡± Mephisto¡¯s voice was low-pitched.

    ¡°You!¡± Andesha¡¯s wrath was clear: ¡°Such arrogance!¡±

    Dark clouds suddenly gathered out from nowhere in the sky after her furious scream, and it was as though Lightning Dragons were breathing out in the sky; lightning shes were apanied with thunders.

    Andesha pointed her finger downwards.

    Brendel vaguely saw three runes appear around her body before they disappeared¡ª

    Countless lightning strikes hammered down from the sky, all of them converging onto a single point as if there was a gigantic lightning rod ced there.

    [The Druidic Call Lightning spell. The Runes used were ¡®lightning¡¯, ¡®Fury¡¯, and ¡®Nature¡¯.]

    Brendel starting analyzing Andesha¡¯s response. The spell she used could be separated and used as an area-of-effect attack to strike multiple enemies, or it could be used to concentrate the lightning strikes onto a single person. Each peal of lightning could kill a knight, and the spell¡¯s power could be raised ordingly based on the caster¡¯s bloodline.

    [As expected from a Tree Shepherd, each strike can easily kill a silver-ranker, and converging every one of them into a single spot would increase its destructive power multiple times. But it¡¯s not as if it can¡¯t be countered¡ª]

    But no sooner than Brendel thought about it, Mephisto showed that he had the same idea.

    The Sword Saint of Ashes tossed his sword into the air, and it fell down into a neat arc and sank into the ground. The lightning was caught and thews of physics happened. The sword turned into a blinding lightning rod of light. Normal metal would have been melted by the high temperature, but Mephisto¡¯s weapon was a magical sword capable of absorbing the mana from the lightning.

    The spiraling electricity that descended from the sky onlysted for a moment. The ground that the de sank into was scorched ck, while the sword had electricity the size of an arm emitting from it apanied with startling, cracking noises.

    [Should I say that this is to be expected from the legendary swordsman who fought off the pursuers from Kirrlutz countless times? Now his sword is actually enchanted from Andesha¡¯s spell instead. That sword is going to cause some serious damage for the next three strikes.]

    ¡°Why are you lost in your thoughts?¡± Faena pulled his sleeves and mouthed urgently: ¡°Start moving!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go. This is a chance for us,¡± Brendel patted Sifrid¡¯s head and answered.

    Faena nodded to acknowledge his words with lingering fear as she nced at Andesha. Even though that woman¡¯s spell did not do its desired effect, it was a spectacr feat. The environment actually appeared dim because the light was too overwhelmingly bright.

    Mephisto did not even walk to his sword. He merely stretched out his hand and the greatsword returned to him. In the next second, he faded into a blurry image and zed towards where Andesha was.

    Brendel noted Mephisto¡¯s speed was slower than before when thetter chased him. It was probably because Mephisto had to maintain the World of Ashes.

    Andesha immediately cast a second spell, summoning Spirits of Darkness and Decay. Wild deformed beasts with blood oozing out from every crevice burst out from the ground like an exploding spring. Thergest creature looked like a buffalo with the size of a huge elephant, but there were bones protruding out at many sections of its body, which were also covered with thorn-like protrusions.

    It was a spell unique to the Tree Shepherds. It was simr to how Druids were able to summon holy beasts to aid them, while the Tree Shepherds corrupted these holy beasts with the Blood of Gods and bound them to do their bidding.

    Andesha pointed at Mephisto and the creatures rampaged towards him, destroying the pebbles under their feet and knocking down trees. There were even shockwavesing from their feet. If a soldier were to stand within ten meters of the creatures, they would be instantly killed even without being trampled on.

    But these creatures were merely capable of impeding Mephisto¡¯s progress. Andesha did not rely on them to subdue him. She waved her hand again. Countless vines sprang out from the ground and parted to reveal a staff that had squirming vines. It was a little revolting as they iled about like a sea creature¡¯s tentacles.

    The Mistress of Withering Decay grabbed the staff and waved it. Her lower legs that were made out of green vines turned into tough brown bark and extended outwards, covering her slim belly and chest to create a suit of hardened armor. Even her hair had ayer of protection.

    This was the first time she prepared to defend herself.

    She raised her staff as her Medusa-like hair danced against the wind that was picking up, appearing strikingly abominable like an evil deity that was only mentioned in myths.

    [Shit, that crazy bitch is going all out! I know that Mephisto¡¯s stronger than Veronica, but is he really that strong to force her hand like this?]

    Brendel and the others were hurriedly moving across the ground, feeling a sense of great trepidation washing over them.

    Mephisto¡¯s method of killing the buffalo was of brutal efficiency. He did not even bother to get out of its charging path. Once the creature lowered its horn to target him, he grabbed by its horn without even dodging. There was a loud explosion of noise¡ª

    The seemingly unstoppable charge was halted with just a single hand.

    The powerful speeding creature that changed into a frozen state made everyone feel like their eyes had been deceived, but the gigantic buffalo actually knelt down despite its muscr limbs. Another loud crack reached everyone¡¯s ears as the ground split in several directions.

    Not a momentter, the creature was swung left and right, knocking away the other unholy spirits into piles of bloody flesh. When Mephisto finally released his hand, the buffalo¡¯s head was bleeding from all its orifices, apparently killed at the very first moment when it was forced down onto the ground.

    [Holy shit, is this guy still a human? This middle-aged man looks like a gentleman, but he¡¯s such a violent fighter when he doesn¡¯t use his weapon...... Though I did do it rarely during certain asions when I was level 120 and above.]

    Brendel was suddenly feeling a little battle-thirsty. This was how warriors should fight, advancing without stopping and fighting till they reached their limits. Once they charged forward, the enemies would shrink in fear.

    Andesha was not afraid, but she was surprised at Mephisto¡¯s strength. The majority of her face was covered by the armored vines and there was no emotion that could be seen, but her eyes glinted once. She clenched her teeth and hissed, waving her staff once: ¡°Go forth, my children!¡±

    An earthquakemenced. The buildings in the area started to shake and many of them crumbled into broken rocks, including the building that Andesha was standing on. Massive roots broke through from the ground and formed into something that resembled a gargantuan Sandworm, reaching for the sky before it arched towards Mephisto.

    ¡°Conjure Greater nt Wyrm!¡± Brendel remarked while his feet continued moving. The quality of the duel was nearly causing him to stay right where he was to watch them. The standard of the battle was the highest he had seen thus far after he arrived in this world.

    Both parties were incredibly experienced inbat.

    The normal yers in the game could never be as good in battle as the famous NPCs in the game, and even skilled yers could learn a few tricks from them.

 volume 3 - 193

    Chapter 193 Part 1 ¨C The final moment (9)

    When Mephisto disyed his strength, Andesha immediately sought to subdue him by force.

    Both were proud people who did not stand down.

    Conjuring a Greater nt Creature was a Druid¡¯s spell of the Eighth Circle. The Tree Shepherd¡¯s variation of this spell distorted its nature greatly, raising its power and size by ten times by overloading it with her Mana and her staff¡¯s powers. The Greater nt Wyrm was now as powerful as a Warrior who perfected his control over his Element Power.

    As the Wyrm¡¯s head reached for Mephisto, part of its body suddenly scattered into countless vines and formed a to block off all of Mephisto¡¯s escape routes, forcing him to face the monster head-on.

    But the Sword Saint of Ashes did not panic and instead lowered his greatsword behind his back. He looked up at the wriggling vine tentacles of the Wyrm¡¯s head, appearing as though it was opening a mouth.

    The World of Ashes expanded¡ª

    He swung his greatsword.

    Even though the distance between Brendel and the two girls were nearly a hundred meters apart from the fight, they could feel the whole world turning dark. The only thing visible was the path of the greatsword¡¯s swing; a grey line that sundered the air and sucking everything into its vortex.

    Then time stopped.

    The picture of Mephisto and the Wyrm was neatly cut into two, and its upper half slid down for a second before an ear-shattering crackle assaulted everyone¡¯s ears and caused them to hear ringing in their ears. Every single vine was spewing green liquid from its severed sections and the remains rained down from the air.

    Light returned and revealed the forest¡¯s destruction; countless trees were cut down with an explosion of dust and soil filling in the vacuum of the severed space.

    Visibility was once again limited.

    Mephisto nted his greatsword into the ground and took in a deep breath. It was clear that he had used a significant amount of energy.

    Andesha suffered just as much. Her spell was broken in a single instant, and Mephisto¡¯s sword technique traveled through the vines and part of its power reached her. If she did not force an excessive amount of mana to sever the link between the Wyrm and herself, her body would have exploded.

    She coughed out painfully red at Mephisto below her as pain throbbed in her left hand; it was bleeding with green blood oozing out from her fingers. She had never suffered such a beating even when she fought against the Archmagi from the Silver Alliance. The Wizards were cautious and careful to make a move, but the crazy fool before her fought as though he did not want to keep his life. This mistake of assessing her opponent wrongly cost her.

    ¡°Hamir, you bastard, how much longer are you going to watch?¡± She finally roared: ¡°Are you trying to reap the biggest advantage by standing on the sidelines until thest moment!¡±

    [This woman has a helper? Even though I gained the advantage with that strike, I unleashed all the Grey Element that I have. It will take a while for me to recover my strength. I can¡¯t even gather the scattered Element Power right now.]

    Mephisto was surprised to hear that. He took another deep breath and started surveying the surroundings, and he discovered a man with red robes that was meant for rituals walking out from the smoke.

    ¡°You¡¯re one of the bishops from the Holy Cathedral of Fire?¡± Mephisto was able to see his face.

    Brendel also managed to see the robed figure¡¯s face as thetter had raised his head to study Mephisto.

    Amman walked past the trio who were hiding under the invisibility cloak, though even if he were to collide straight into them, he would have simply passed through.

    The youth could not help but feel stunned after confirming that the robed figure was indeed Amman. However, the bishop had such a pale face that it looked it had ayer of wax on it. His arms had patches of red on the skin, which was a sign of livor mortis. This was certainly not what a living person should look like, and he instead looked like an undead.

    [This seems like a particr spell to change a living person into an undead, and it¡¯s famous because it changes the person instantly upon death. But casting this spell requires one to make preparations in advance, and the person who receives the spell needs to split part of their soul into a special container.]

    It was not a vase or box that Brendel was thinking about. The way to store a soul was to store it in a living person who did not have theirs, and the way to make a living person into a container was unspeakable. This dark magic was strictly forbidden by every holy religion. Only Madara¡¯s undead necromancers and unholy sects would pursue this magic.

    Brendel was absolutely certain that Amman was a spy, but thetter¡¯s rtionship with Andesha was strange. The bishop was probably not a Tree Shepherd, but since there were many evil cults around, Brendel was unsure which one Amman belonged to.

    However, the youth soon discovered a conspicuous ck ring on Amman¡¯s finger and narrowed his eyes. It was the symbol of the Unifying Guild.

    [Well, the Unifying Guild and the Tree Shepherds belong to the bigger cults in the continent. It¡¯s not surprising to find them here drawn to the treasures within the Dark Forest. But it seems like Amman doesn¡¯t intend to hide his identity anymore by disying the ring so openly.]

    ¡°It¡¯s really him, Bishop Amman!¡± Faena tugged Brendel¡¯s sleeves and mouthed.

    Brendel nodded: ¡°The Unifying Guild is everywhere in the human world.¡±

    Amman smiled at Mephisto: ¡°You have a discerning eye, but that is merely one of my identities.¡±

    ¡°A bishop bing a member of the evil cults. The people of Kirrlutz have fallen beyond imagination.¡± Mephisto¡¯s tone was condescending as he eyed him.

    ¡°Count Mephisto, I have to disagree with this statement. Bishop Amman is an extreme example of a deeply hidden spy, and he¡¯s not a citizen of the Empire too. How can you lump the Empire¡¯s citizens and him together?¡±

    Another voice suddenly came from within the forest¡¯s smoke and dust.

    Brendel raised his eyebrow.

    [Veronica? Wait, what¡¯s crazier is the fact that Mephisto didn¡¯t turn her into chopped liver. They definitely met and came here together. But why? Isn¡¯t he chop-happy with his sword?]

    His thoughts about how he received unfair treatment from Mephisto were suddenly interrupted as he noticed a green light from the forest.

    Amman had raised his hand like he was about to cast a spell to attack the stationary Mephisto, but there were noises of urgent pping of wings that caused him to falter. In the next moment, green birds broke through from the trailing smoke and flew straight for the bishop.

    The translucent birds seemed like they were made out of light and the youth took a moment to admire their colors and shapes. However, it was a different story for Amman, as he knew what kind of danger was behind these stunning creatures; each of their feathers was sharper than a real sword.

    These birds were made out of Veronica¡¯s Sword Energy.

    ¡°It¡¯s Lady Veronica!¡± Faena could not help but whisper when she saw a familiar sight.

    Amman promptly took a few steps back. Eight Runes appeared at his side and a huge six-sided wall was constructed in front of him. Ripples could be seen shing across the wall as the birds smashed against it, but they eventually faded.

    It was one of the strongest defensive spells within the Holy Cathedral of Fire. It was capable of defending any types of attack, but the effect was greatly weakened when Amman cast it. After he had be an undead, thepatibility of casting the Holy Spells went down significantly.

    It would not be long before Amman¡¯s flesh started to rot, and once it happened, he would lose his ability to cast the Holy Spells permanently. But he was currently still a powerful bishop of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    Veronica finally appeared from the forest. Amman took one more step back, looking warily at the neer. Brendel tilted his head slightly and stared at Veronica¡¯s wielded longsword with a strange expression.

    If he was not wrong, that was Mephisto¡¯s spare weapon.

    [Erm, when did this two have such a good rtionship? He even allowed her to use his backup weapon? His hatred for the people of Kirrlutz is a lie? ...... Or did Veronica seduce him? But she¡¯s over a hundred years old. Yes, sure, she looks like she¡¯s just slightly older than thirty...... No freaking way, you can¡¯t be serious right? Wait, that dude isn¡¯t that young either. I think he¡¯s pretty close to her age.]

    Brendel thought that it was a strong possibility. Veronica might appear to be attractive to Mephisto, and perhaps he fell within love with her when she was in her weakened state? Maybe it was a fine line between hatred and love?

    ¡°Hey, Faena,¡± he could not help but ask, ¡°why are those two together? Did Lady Veronica seduce him?¡±

    ¡°W-w-what the hell are you talking about! Lady Veronica would never do something like that!¡± But Faena was looking incredibly shocked as well and her words were not convincing.

    Brendel suddenly felt worried in his mind. He nced around, hoping that Scarlett did note. But the oue disappointed him, as he quickly spotted the red-haired girl emerging behind Veronica.

    He sighed.

    [Damn it, you¡¯re giving me trouble, Lady Veronica.]

    ¡°Let¡¯s meet up with Lady Veronica,¡± Faena suggested.

    But Brendel immediately grabbed her arm: ¡°Wait, we should take a look at the situation first.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by looking at the situation. Even your little lover is here, are you going to make her wait?¡± She looked at him from the corners of her eyes.

    Brendel faked a soundless cough when he heard her words: ¡°Tsk. Are you really an aristocrat? The way how you form your words is just nasty. Also, stupid girl, we¡¯repletely hidden and the enemies are out in the open. We will lose our chance to strike their backs if we reveal ourselves.¡±

    Faena took a moment to get what Brendel was nning, but she suddenly realized that she indeed sounded unrefined and blushed: ¡°O-of course I¡¯m one. And I¡¯m not as despicable as you, trying to stab people in the back all the time. Are you even a noble?¡±

    ¡°Are you serious? Stabbing people in the back, poisoning, assassinating, these are all the specialties of the Kirrlutz¡¯s nobles. I think I actually fit your Empire¡¯s values pretty well.¡±

    Faena was at a loss for words and red at him with clenched teeth.

 volume 3 - 194

    Chapter 193 ¨C The final moment (10)

    Amman was just as surprised at seeing Veronica, but before he recovered hisposure, thetter spoke again:

    ¡°Your Eminence, you have truly surprised me.¡±

    ¡°I have the same sentiments, Lady Veronica,¡± he replied with a grim expression.

    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s truly an eye-opener, the supposedly mighty Sword Saint of Ashes joining hands with someone from the Empire.¡± Andesha nced at her left arm, finding that Mephisto¡¯s attack was more deadly than it appeared. There was arge wound on it, but she did not seem like she was hurting and merely continued: ¡°Is the defeated dog¡¯s memory so shallow that it has forgotten what the Empire did to it?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes went to Mephisto to see his reaction, but thetter¡¯s expression did not even change a little. It was as if he had not heard Andesha¡¯s words at all.

    The youth secretly nodded at Mephisto¡¯s patience.

    However, Mephisto raised his head and said one word:

    ¡°..... Huh?¡±

    [Is your head in cuckond?!]

    Bremdel nearly choked on his spit, recalling how Mephisto reacted to him earlier when they met for the first time.

    The Sword Saint of Ashes, one of the most powerful warriors amongst the NPCs and worshipped by countless gamers, was actually an airhead. Even though Brendel was not a rabid fanboy, he could not help but feel that Mephisto¡¯s image was destroyed in his mind.

    Andesha¡¯s expression was one of rage. The color of her face was turning to a particr shade of dark green because of the blood rushing to it. She did not understand that Mephisto was dense in the head when it came to insults, and thought that the bastard was mocking her instead.

    [It has been two hundred years ever since I mastered my Element Power. And I have never been looked down on ever since, certainly not to this degree!]

    She felt her blood was boiling as she pointed her finger at Mephisto, half-screaming:

    ¡°Mephisto, I heard that you were a genius thates every one thousand years. The Kirrlutz Empire perceived you as a threat and sent out soldiers to quell the Dukedom of Suthend. You were fortunate enough to receive the foolish Goddess Marsha¡¯s favor, and yet you did not cherish it but joined hands with your enemies instead! Indeed, you¡¯re certainly gifted, but you are still far away to be my match. The situation where I underestimated you will never happen again.¡±

    Her finger moved to Veronica.

    ¡°You should work with me and kill her. That woman is known as the Goddess of Combat in the Empire, and if she dies, it would be a considerable blow to the Empire. Surely you understand this point?¡±

    Mephisto nodded: ¡°Indeed, Lady Andesha, I know it well. But for now, I¡¯m here for your life. As for my enemity with the Empire, I¡¯ll settle itter on.¡±

    ¡°Wretched fool, do you really seek to go against me?¡± Andesha spoke through clenched teeth.

    She had roughly gauged Mephisto¡¯s strength, and as long as she was cautious in dealing with him, there was no chance for Mephisto to reach her. However, even though she wanted to end him, she did not trust Hamir. The filthy worm from the Unifying Guild was very likely to stab them both in the back the moment they did not pay attention.

    ¡°There is no number of threats that would change my mind,¡± Mephisto raised his greatsword and replied, ¡°you ought to know that faltering is the worst thing a swordsman can do.¡±

    Veronica smiled smugly with folded arms and joined in the conversation, even flicking her hair back and formed a beautiful pose:

    ¡°Indeed, and you know very well that we humans are all Mother Marsha¡¯s children. We¡¯re unlike the twisted abominations like yourself. You are the biggest enemy before anyone else. Even if Count Mephisto hates us people from the Empire more than he already is, it is still natural for us to exterminate you first, right?¡±

    ¡°Then die! Die! I will make sure every one of you dies!¡± Andesha went berserk: ¡°I shall let you witness the ravages of time!¡±

    A green boundary formed in front of Andesha, spreading towards the city and forest. Every object that was caught within the expanding light turned into dust in an instant. Buildings that persisted for tens of thousands of years and dated back to the era of the Twilight Dragon were not spared either, disintegrating into fine sand.

    The boundary soon reached Veronica and Mephisto, and it was going to swallow them in the blink of any eye. But the green light did not advance and stopped a hundred feet around Mephisto¡¯s body. The rocky paths broke down to reveal the earth beneath them. Vegetation grew rapidly out from the cracks before they withered and the earth eventually turned dark.

    But the area around Mephisto retained its appearance without a change at all.

    [What?]

    Andesha felt a slight chill crawling over her nerves. Mephisto¡¯s control over his Element Power was considerably weaker than hers, and he should not be able to resist her.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Faena muttered under the cloak: ¡°How is that d¡ª fellow capable of resisting her Element Power over such a wide area? Is he as strong as Andesha?¡±

    Faena changed the words ¡®demon king¡¯ into that ¡®fellow¡¯ when she saw Veronica standing at Mephisto¡¯s side.

    ¡°..... No, it¡¯s an oppression of a stronger Element Power.¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes were brightening up: ¡°Andesha¡¯s Element Power, Withering Decay, is some kind of byproduct of the Element Power of Time. At best, hers is an Element Power that affects the physical world. But the World of Ashes is the one of the strongest Element Power that affects reality and changes the Laws within the boundary. It¡¯s also rted to time, and just this fact alone renders the Withering Decay factor useless. Time slows down within the World of Ashes, so how is Andesha¡¯s power going to work? Furthermore, the Laws are changed, so the Withering Decay won¡¯t work.¡±

    Brendel did not teach Faena the ssification of Element Powers. There were six tiers of the Element Powers a person could have.

    The weakest tier was hard to detect and was something that anyone could possess as long as they were born in this world.

    The next tier was a passive Element Power, and an example would be adding strength to the body.

    The tier that was in the middle was a visible manifestation of the Element Power, like how Brendel was capable of manifesting a by-product of his Element Power that could freeze things, or Andesha¡¯s Withering Decay.

    By mastering the full extent of the Element Power, it would once again be ssified as one tier higher, and came in the form of a true boundary. Mephisto¡¯s Element Power was something that could rewrite the Laws within that boundary, which meant that it was simply more powerful.

    The second strongest tier was the control of powerful Laws that built the foundation of this world

    Finally, the strongest Element Powers were something that broke mortalprehension. It could surpass the limits defined by this world and rewrite physical entities and even whole consciousness.

    If it was not for the fact that Mephisto was much weaker than Andesha, he could have used his Element Power and overwhelmed thetter instead.

    ¡°My, my, it seems like we¡¯re quite lucky, Count Mephisto,¡± Veronica stood behind Mephisto and said with augh. She knew how dangerous Andesha¡¯s Element Power was from her previous encounters, but she still smiled without a single worry.

    Mephisto nced back once at the woman behind her, his eyes saying as though he already knew about Andesha¡¯s powers would not work.

    ¡°I see,¡± Veronica said. She extended a hand to push Scarlett back: ¡°Move back. You can¡¯t participate in this battle.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to coddle me, Lady Veronica, I¡¯m a Gold-ranker.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Mephisto was a little surprised: ¡°Your young lord is a Gold-ranker as well, but what¡¯s even more impressive was his swordsmanship at his age. To think that he¡¯s someone from Aouine...... Indeed, there are quite a number of rising stars from this kingdom. I have heard of a young man called Buga, one who has gained the teachings of the Cross Sword. Is he from your kingdom too?¡±

    Scarlett nodded. Buga was even her vicemander in the past, but she did not exin that he was no longer a young man.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that look, Mephisto?¡± Veronica said in exasperation: ¡°Do you really think the Empire sent their forces into your dukedom because of you? Besides, I¡¯ll honor what I said, so stop worrying.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Mephisto swung his sword twice, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that woman, and you handle that bishop, there¡¯s no problem, right?¡±

    ¡°None at all. Amman is no match for me.¡± She answered.

    ¡°It might not end up that way. Be careful¡ª¡± Mephisto said, paused for a moment, then added another line: ¡°I¡¯m not worried about you, but I don¡¯t want you dragging my feet.¡±

    Veronica stared at him. No one dared to speak in that manner ever since she became famous. She was even older than Mephisto. But the Sword Saint of Ashes continued to disy his disrespect by ignoring her and turned back to Andesha.

    The conversation only took a few seconds, and by this time, Andesha also realized what the problem was.

    She was so surprised that the muscles in her face bunched up.

    But even if her Element Power was oppressed, it did not mean that she was unable to fight Mephisto. As one of the twelve leaders of the Tree Shepherds, she had more than one trump card. She gripped her squirming staff tightly and shrieked, rotating it as she red at the people below:

    ¡°The Chaos that is above everything, I revere your might wholeheartedly, may you rage and destroy the limitless oceans of Laws and overturn the rules of this world, lend me the authority to wield you and be your conduit!¡±

    Her words sent shockwaves into everyone¡¯s minds.

    ¡°In the name of the seventh moon, Ankaram, let Chaos unify into one entity! Descend onto earth, Dragon of Chaos!¡±

    [Shit, she¡¯s borrowing the seventh moon¡¯s Mana of Destruction and Shadows. By doing so she¡¯s replicating the Twilight Dragon¡¯s energy. In addition, Ankaram is closely rted to the fourth moon, Akaana, Judgment and Rebirth.]

    Brendel watched a pair of horns grow out of Andesha¡¯s head. The sunlight suddenly dimmed as Mana poured into Andesha¡¯s body, and her body twisted and shuddered as though her bones were being rearranged. Finally, a pair of scaly wings burst out from her back. She swung her neck that was extending slowly, her fingernails bing pointed, and her body grew many times in size.

    ¡°She¡¯s definitely using her trump card now!¡± Brendel watched a tail spout out from Andesha¡¯s lower spine while she released bestial roars. He gripped Halran Gaia and spoke to Faena: ¡°Hold on to the cloak and bring Sifrid somewhere safe. Don¡¯t get too close to the battle. Even the wind from it can cut your face into ribbons, and if that happens, don¡¯t me me for not reminding you.¡±

    ¡°Y-you...... I, I¡¯m not afraid. I¡¯m going too, I¡¯m also a swordsman!¡± Faena¡¯s eyes seemed like they were glued onto Andesha¡¯s transformation. She reached for her sword before she remembered she dropped it on one of the cliffs: ¡°I-I can use magic to help you!¡±

    ¡°Mydy, is your heart made of stone? You¡¯re abandoning a small child like Sifrid alone?¡±

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Faena was unable to respond and her eyes went to the youth: ¡°Fine, I got it, but I¡¯llugh at you every time I see you if you lose.¡±

    [Lose?]

    Brendel nced at the dragon. If they lost, everyone would be dead and there would be no need for her tough. But he did not truly have the intention to get involved between Andesha and Mephisto¡¯s fight. He waspletely outssed even if he wanted to.

    The youth slipped out of the cloak and hid behind a wall.

    His attention was on Amman, and when the bishop was fullymitted to fighting with Veronica, he would backstab him.

    Faena would probably call him despicable and ruthless for that, but it was the most foolish thing to do if he did not sneak up on people and stab them in the back.

    [Foolish little girl¡ª Know that this is the power of the gamers¡¯ cheese strategy, and even something like the power of Chaos would not be a match for it!]

    Brendel tried to encourage himself when he stared at Andesha who had turned into a massive ck dragon.

    [...... Ah. Wait. I forgot to ask that stupid girl something.]

 volume 3 - 195

    Chapter 195 ¨C The final moment (13)

    Brendel turned his head back in alert at Scarlett¡¯s warning, and he immediately saw a beam of Dark Energy shooting at his face. The youth did not have the time to think, but his experienced mind reacted subconsciously and his body lurched forward towards the ground. However, the beam streaked across his back and dealt a ncing blow.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± A st of pain spread across his body and he cursed loudly.

    [That direction could only mean that it¡¯s Amman. I shed him hard enough to reach his bones. He got impaled by Veronica next, and I even struck him with the Arrow of Stone, and he still lives?]

    ¡°Damn it, is that bastard an undying cockroach?¡± The youth muttered as he scrambled to get up. A bishop was a light-armored profession. Getting struck by three fatal attacks should have killed him, even if he was an undead.

    He looked back again.

    Amman was getting up as well, with dust and rubble from the Andesha¡¯s battle with the others falling off his body. The bishop¡¯s face had a surprised look as well. He probably did not expect Brendel to avoid his attack.

    ¡°How?¡± He mumbled to himself before he spoke aloud: ¡°Even the knights in the Holy Cathedral are not capable of matching your reactions. It seems like you¡¯re not just a simple noble from Aouine.¡±

    Amman even projected his voice over to Brendel by magic, afraid that thetter could not hear him because of the considerable distance.

    Brendel rolled his eyes. If he were really a simple noble, would he appear in this ce? He quickly brought up the Stats Window and looked at the Life Bar. It did not reach ten percent of his HP bar.

    [Hmm. But the Vitality stats is an unhealthy yellow from feeding too much blood to the nts. My limbs feel weak and the fatigue is slowing setting in my body. I really feel like dropping onto the ground to sleep. I need to end this quickly.]

    He shook his head vigorously, trying to keep himself awake.

    Mephisto was fighting with Andesha in mid-air. Thetter wanted to flee the area urgently, while the former was waiting patiently to find a weak spot, making the battle at an impasse.

    Veronica had heard Scarlett¡¯s cry and was rushing over to the youth.

    [The disruption towards the Mana from the surroundings will increase as the corrupted nts continue to grow. Andesha knows that she¡¯s at a disadvantage as time passes by and will definitely seek an opportunity to break this stalemate. The Tree Shepherds are a bunch of fanatics who will do desperate things if pushes to shove, so the conclusion of Mephisto versus Andesha will be here soon enough. As for Amman.....]

    Brendel¡¯s mind was working quickly. The bishop had most like predicted that he could not get away despite using a teleportation spell and therefore feigned death. The youth believed that even Andesha fell for Amman¡¯s trick.

    [Still, he chose to ¡®revive¡¯ himself at this moment. Did he do so because he saw that Andesha was in trouble, or is it due to another reason? If it¡¯s thetter, that would mean that he has the confidence to take on all of us. At least...... It would be something that I would do. But if it¡¯s this reason, just what exactly is giving him the confidence to do so?]

    Brendel¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when he heard Veronica¡¯s boots stepping on the rubble. She was frowning as well, most likely having the same thoughts as Brendel. She disliked Amman even before he was an Undead as she felt that he was always scheming something.

    There was the scent of a trap.

    Amman was smiling as though he had seen through what the two people in front of him were pondering over.

    ¡°You must be wondering why I¡¯m choosing to reveal the fact that I still live.¡± Amman took out a book that was smoking at its edges. One nce at it and anyone could tell that it was some kind of evil object. ¡°What an incredible surprise. Valha truly exists! Regardless of your transgressions against me, I must thank you.¡±

    ¡°Amman, what are you talking about?¡± Veronica asked with a frown.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand my goals? Valha has stabilized the Loop of Trade Winds for thousands of years. If I destroy the Fire Seed in this cepletely, not only Aouine will be affected, but even Kirrlutz too! It is my pleasure to destroy the Empire with my own hands. Ah, but there is another myth about Valha. A secret about the ancient past; perhaps I will even let you see it before I kill you.¡±

    ¡°You are truly insane!¡± Even though Veronica thought he was spewing nonsense, hearing that he wanted to destroy a Fire Seed left her stunned with shock.

    ¡°Indeed, you keep calling us crazed fools,¡± Amman shook his head with a sanctimonious expression: ¡°and yet we¡¯re not that different. The Kirrlutz Empire had massacred people in order to conquer them. If we are topare each other¡¯s deeds, are we not more refined inparison to your hypocrisy?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just resorting to sophistry!¡± Veronica¡¯s eyebrows were knitted together so much that they pointed upwards, and herst word was dragged in tone as she dashed towards Amman. Her sword seemed like an extension of herself, d in blurry green light.

    Amman seemed to have expected this oue and flipped open the book in his hand. A beam of dark energy shot up in the sky, while a boundary of energy nearly a hundred feet wide formed around him. Veronica smashed into it, but there was no effect at all. Instead, a strong beam of light shot at her. The female Sword Saint guarded against it with her sword and felt a massive st of force nearly prying the sword away. She had to take several steps back before she managed to steady herself. However, the immense feedback was so strong that she fell to her knees and grunted in pain a few secondster.

    ¡°Sophistry or not, it isn¡¯t important right now, Lady Veronica. Rather, if you have anyst words, you can go ahead and tell me freely. I will listen to it very carefully.¡± Amman¡¯s head was raised high as he looked down on her.

    No, he spoke so arrogantly that it was if he controlled everyone¡¯s lives.

    Although Andesha was still engaged in a bitter battle against Mephisto, she witnessed every action that Amman took. Even though she knew their ¡®working rtionship¡¯ was worth less than a coin, she could not help but bellowed: ¡°Hamir, you clearly have the ability to defeat your opponents, why did you need to y dead? Stop wasting time and kill these bastards!¡±

    Amman nced at the sky,pletely disregarded that woman¡¯s demands, then lowered his head and continued to speak to Veronica: ¡°Mydy, have you thought about what you wish to say?¡±

    Veronica¡¯s fingers werepletely numb. She stared at Amman within the Dark Energy that manifested around him, utterly surprised that he was hiding such power. Judging from that single st of energy he fired at her, his current abilities were not below Andesha¡¯s dragon form. This discrepancy of strength chilled her heart.

    Two Sword Saints and one unexpected youth who had the ability to seal Andesha¡¯s magic barely managed to contain her.

    Veronica could not think of any way to win if there was another foe who joined in the battle.

    But Brendel suddenly roared out just as she gritted her teeth:

    ¡°Fucking bullshit! That¡¯s just the power from that grimoire. The Wall of Chaos is only capable of activating three times. Hell, I even bet that once that barrier is down, he won¡¯t be able to cast it a second time!¡±

    Veronica looked back at the youth in slight disbelief, but when she turned her eyes on Amman, she discovered that the bishop¡¯s eyes were so wide that they were in danger of popping out. It was as if a meteor had struck his head and there was only ringing left in his ears.

    Brendel¡¯s words werepletely right.

    Veronica was ultimately the Goddess of Combat. One nce at Amman¡¯s expression and she knew that Brendel was stating the truth or at least a great portion of it. She made a quick n and rushed straight over to Amman with a raised sword.

    ¡°Damn you!¡± When Amman finallyposed himself, it was already toote. He cursed as he retreated with the book, releasing two spells of dark energy from his hand to stop Veronica. But there was a strong difference in their physical capabilities; she avoided the beams and swung the sword at Amman.

    He had no choice but to activate the Wall of Chaos again. The sword cut across the Wall with full impact.

    [Damn this boy! Damn this woman! The Wall of Chaos only has one charge left¡ª]

    Amman was franticallying up with a way to stall for time, but he suddenly caught sight of Brendel taking out his longbow from the corners of his eyes.

    ¡°You wretched boy!¡± Amman roared.

    Brendel¡¯s actions always had perfect timing. Amman could not help but suspect that Veronica and the youth were secret fighting partners working together for years. He could never have expected that Brendel¡¯s experience to exceed Veronica or Mephisto. It was more than enough to work with anyone.

    The twang of a longbow could be heard, and the ck boundary of Dark Energy was broken.

    ¡°Stop, do not engage him just yet! Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire isn¡¯t so simple!¡± Brendel hurriedly called out after Veronica who wanted to seize the opportunity to advance.

    The Goddess of Combatpletely believed in Brendel¡¯s words at this moment and forced herself to stop. A few secondster, the Dark Energy around Amman exploded in a radius, smashing the surrounding boulders into fine powder. If she had taken another five feet forward, she would have been crushed to bits as well.

    After a frightening tremor, the courtyard was once again filled with dust.

    Veronica could not help but take a light breath to look at Brendel again.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not yet over, so don¡¯t be rxed! Amman still has the ability to fight back because he holds the infamous grimoire.¡± Brendel¡¯s blurry image could be seen through the dust and smoke. He was raising his sword and his tone was not rxed.

 volume 3 - 197

    Chapter 197 ¨C The final moment (14)

    The dust and smoke slowly receded to a thinyer. Even though there was only silence where Veronica and Brendel were at, it felt even more ominous. The strong Mana had changed the shape of thendscape as a deep gully had been formed by the Wall of Chaos¡¯s destruction.

    Mana suddenly surged again, causing Brendel and Veronica¡¯s hearts to skip a beat. Amman¡¯s earlier monologue was to gain time so he could cast the Wall of Chaos. But he was currently nowhere to be found. Perhaps he had used a teleportation spell again during that interval.

    ¡°Boy, what exactly is that thing......¡±

    Veronica took in a deep breath. Even at her level, she felt the Mana pulses in the area to be increasingly stifling. What kind of spell was Amman preparing now?

    Brendel¡¯s eyes were nearly shut. He could have an endless array of strategies when he had his newalker¡¯s abilities and even shrug off Andesha¡¯s Element Power to a certain extent, but he could not but feel like copsing against the swelling Mana.

    ¡°Have you never...... heard of Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire? To think...... that I will see it in this ce.¡± Brendel gnashed his teeth.

    ¡°Is it really that cursed book? Why does Amman have it!¡± Veronica finally recalled that name.

    [But the book was rumored to be destroyed in the Twilight War. How could it appear in Amman¡¯s hands?]

    Mavekart¡¯s evil grimoire. It was the Disciples of Chaos¡¯s bible, an evil artifact that was created in the Sea of Chaos where evil creatures resided, and was rumored to be a book that devoured everything to gain forbidden powers.

    Its power rivaled nearly all divine artifacts.

    Brendel watched the ck-colored Mana gather into a single spot. It was as if a ck hole had appeared in the center of the courtyard, sucking in the wind and fog in a spiraling manner. This phenomenonsted only for a short while before the dark energy exploded in a circle, and it was followed by a physical shockwave that hurled Brendel and Veronica backward.

    Several screams came from the nearby buildings. Scarlett pulled Faena and Sifrid, running away as the Dark Energy shattered the walls into rubble. The fragments were flung into the air, while the girls were knocked down onto the ground from the shockwave that reached them in the next second.

    Andesha and Mephisto felt the world shake even though they were in mid-air. Several showers of spark rained across the ground as her ws met his greatsword. The Mana derived from nature was growing increasingly thin and Andesha found that she was nearly unable to maintain her dragon form. Her fury was causing her eyes to be bloodshot, but she finally tore her eyes away from Mephisto to peek at the courtyard.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Hmm......¡±

    Both Mephisto and Andesha felt a second pulse of Dark Energy that was no weaker than the previous one.

    ¡°Shit, he wants to kill everyone...... This spell is the Shadow sting Waves!¡± Brendel groaned.

    It was a magic spell of the Eleventh Circle. Even though it was supposed to merely affect the ground area, the Eleven Circle was touted to be the limits of what a human could achieve and it was never going to be something straightforward.

    The first phase of this spell was the ¡®Chant of Forbidden Air¡¯.

    Mephisto and Andesha started to feel a great pull on their body. Mephisto was using his Element Power to slow his descent at appropriate moments to fight Andesha in the air, and he was surprised to find that he could not control his Element Power any longer. Andesha tried to beat her wings furiously but she could not gain any altitude. Both began to fall to the ground.

    ¡°You¡¯re attacking everyone indiscriminately! Hamir, you insane fool!¡± Andesha screamed.

    Amman¡¯s freakyughter transmitted over the thin fog. He was clearly doing it on purpose:

    ¡°Andesha. I need to thank you as well. You gave me enough time so that I can prepare this ancient holy artifact. It is unfortunate that you blood drinkers don¡¯t understand the majestic dignity of limitless power.....¡±

    He was never more confident of his victory, but his hands did not stop. The Mana gathered in the area was increasing at an exceptional rate. The third pulse of energy exploded once more, and this time it was the strongest explosion yet. The ck trail of energy was like a whip sweeping through the entire valley.

    Veronica lost her breath. The violent winds were causing her wind to flutter painfully. She turned to Brendel.

    ¡°As expected of Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire, that artifact is something close to the power of the Divine. We are no match for him. Retreating is for the best.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote.¡± Brendel said through gritted teeth, struggling to get his words out: ¡°If we run, we¡¯re dead, but if we fight now there¡¯s a chance for us.¡±

    ¡°How do we fight back?¡±

    ¡°Even though Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire is one of the strongest artifact rted to Chaos, it¡¯s much weaker than the Twilight Dragon. In addition, the caster is definitely not from the Golden Lineage or even the Silver Lineage. He¡¯s just a mortal being, undead or not, therefore we have a chance.¡±

    ¡°I have to ask again, how do you know all these things?¡± Veronica¡¯s green eyes were full of curiosity.

    ¡°It¡¯s really a simple observation, not my understanding of the lore. I think you can see the pattern here, Amman prattles on for a while before a new attack happens. Casting a new pulse takes time.¡±

    [Is that really the truth?]

    Veronica was doubtful of his exnation, but the youth continued speaking while he bit his fingers anxiously:

    ¡°In any case, there¡¯s no time to exin. This is our only chance!¡±

    [The timing to stop him is extremely crucial......]

    The fallen bishop¡¯s spell could not be stopped anymore. The Mana was still increasing and the youth could feel his skin blistering even from the considerable distance. Once it was released for the fourth time, no one would escape unscathed.

    ¡°But how are going to defend against his spell, boy?¡±

    Brendel did not answer and merely squinted at a certain direction; Andesha was screaming as she tried to create a small boundary around herself to keep herself in the air.

    Veronica immediately realized his intentions: ¡°Boy, you can¡¯t possibly be......¡±

    But the fourth pulse of dark energy exploded yet again and Andesha could no longer keep herself in the air. The clouds suddenly parted as the Dark Energy fired up into the air, revealing a ck Magic Formation that resembled a wheel.

    [Arus, Cau, Tiamat...... Five seconds.]

    Brendel counted in his mind. The gigantic formation lit up with the Rune Words activating from the outer formation before they led towards the center. Finally, when the center of the Magic Formation, a beam of dark energy struck Amman.

    ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± Brendel stabbed his hand with Halran Gaia. The pain traveled up to his mind and shook off his body¡¯s Frightened state that was dealt from the spell. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The youth activated his Charge ability and grabbed Veronica before he rushed to hide behind Andesha¡¯s back.

    ¡°How dare you pull off this trick, maggots!¡± Andesha instantly realized Brendel¡¯s goal and shrieked with fury.

    Amman¡¯s face waspletely shrouded in darkness from the concentrated Mana, but his eyes started to glow with a deep purple color and an unrestrained st of energy was unleashed from his outstretched hand that was pointed at Brendel¡¯s back. The thin pir of Dark Energy from the aerial Magic Formation expanded ten times as it flowed down to Amman.

    A thunderous crash shook the ground, but it was Andesha who finally dropped from the air and was currently blocking the beam¡¯s target. The dragon gasped as the clouds separated even further to pour even more energy onto Amman who wanted to kill the youth.

    It was no longer the pulsing waves of energy, but a beam of absolute destruction.

    ¡°Haaaamir!¡± Andesha wanted to shred him into pieces, but the ck beam of light was over ten meters in size and was shooting straight at her face. She could only extend her wings into a defensive shield in front of her and pour her Element Power out to repel the energy.

    There was a deafening explosion. Andesha screamed, but her voice was swallowed up by an even louder st of sound. A visible shield of light was conjured in front of her wings and it shook violently as the Dark Energy collided into it.

    Spiderweb-like cracks quickly appeared all over the shield.

    Thendscape was already ruined from the earlier sts of energy. The ground was uneven and filled with cracks, but this beam of energy turned the area beneath it into hollowed ground and destroyed everything into powder.

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Andesha screamed with terror.

    She was unwilling to ept this oue and red at Amman with wrathful wide eyes. If she was at the peak of her strength, she could have defended against the spell. However, the vegetation that Brendel grew did not just sever her connection with nature, it even distorted the Mana in this area. She did not even have half of her original strength left.

    The beam of light was now a tidal wave that warped Andesha¡¯s shield of light. The scales on her wings cracked and were torn off mercilessly. Blood spilled out inrge amounts, and showers of blood drenched the ground.

    Her screams continued amidst curses.

    ¡°Ahhhh! Hamir, I curse you!¡±

    The dragon was actually hurled far away by the Dark Energy. There was a tiny explosion, followed by uprooted trees and soil flying into the air.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes lit up as the beam of Dark Energy finally subsided. Andesha did not exceed the limits of a mortal body yet, and the Shadow sting Waves dealt quite the fatal blow on her. There was no need to worry about her any longer.

    ¡°Now!¡± He roared. ¡°I need just a few seconds!¡±

    Veronica immediately reacted. She activated her defensive magic equipment and poured her Element Power to form a light green barrier that reduced the burden of the pulsing Dark Energy on the youth.

    Brendel calmly took out his Shale Longbow again.

    He took on a closed stance to create a steady form to ensure a better frame alignment that was reinforced with his back muscles. His feet shuffled back slightly as he drew the bowstring in one quick motion.

    He exhaled violently.

    All his senses were cut off. The sensation of the powerful gale against his skin did not register any longer. Roaring sounds of the wind did not reach his ears. The scent and taste of the dragon¡¯s blood were sealed off. His eyes did not perceive the destruction of thendscape.

    Amman¡¯s shrouded figure was the only thing that he wanted to have in his mind.

    There was a dim shimmering light on Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire, and on it was Amman¡¯s pale bony hand that was shriveled up like a raisin. Heughed like a madman despite the hastened aging on his body:

    ¡°Andesha or Veronica, you¡¯re no more than ants in my eyes...... Hahaha¡ª¡± Heughed so hard that he coughed a few times: ¡°You make meugh, hahaha......¡±

    Brendel took in a deep breath and his senses came back again.

    It was impossible for him to match the truly talented archers in the game. They were capable of superhuman feats. Firing point-nk shots, splitting projectiles in mid-air, or even catching the enemies¡¯ arrows to fire them back. The videos about them leaping around by making use of their environment made it seem like they rehearsed a choreographed dance, all while shooting arrows freely in every angle possible. Some yers even joked about them having a Mind¡¯s Eye where they simply needed to think where their target was and shoot with absolute uracy.

    But Brendel was nowhere as gifted as them. What he had was merely a polished system that he gained through countless shots.

    His current aiming style was different from his usual preference. It was a modern style that was catered for sports, not for battle. But that was his goal. Three fingers from his right hand pulled the bowstring and anchored it onto his lips, while the left hand held the bow¡¯s grip loosely without letting his palm touch it.

    It was going to be a single shot that required uracy, not repeated firings.

    [Distance. Slightly over a hundred meters. Time taken to reach target. Less than a second.]

    The size of Amman¡¯s figure was norger than a thumb, but with his high Perception stats, he could see it with reasonable rity. The problem was the harsh wind and pulsing Dark Energy. It was as if he had to thread the eye of a shaking needle with a thick string in a single attempt.

    His arm was raised slightly. Even gravity affected his arrow, and therefore he had to ount for the angle. His projectile was not going to travel in a straight line.

    He put his focus on the wind and adjusted his aim.

    Time was not an issue.

    Amman was continuing his monologue.

    Another breath was taken.

    But this time he exhaled lightly.

    Finally, his right fingers released and straightened at the same time, while his left hand hung loosely. The arrow was shot out as it bent left and right from the vibrations before it corrected itself, rising into the air in a beautiful arc as the Shale Longbow rotated downwards smoothly. The youth¡¯s form was almost ethereal, and it looked like he was performing a ritual to send off the arrow to its victory.

    The projectile sailed through the wind and Dark Energy that was now resembling a tempest.

    Surely, it was an impossible feat.

    And yet it somehow pierced through the shrouded figure.

 volume 3 - 198

    Chapter 198 ¨C The final moment (15)

    ¡°Impossible! Gah!!!¡± Amman¡¯s haughtyughter turned into a scream.

    ¡°What? He¡¯s not dead?!¡± Brendel was just as shocked.

    Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire was an artifact that was ced within the Unifying Guild¡¯s sanctum, and it only made its appearancete in the game. Brendel was very familiar with the Shadow sting Waves magic spell. One had to constantly control their Element Power to guard against the pulsing Dark Energy at all times, or it would burn away their Life Energy. The closer one was to the spellcaster, the stronger the Dark Energy; Amman¡¯s flesh hadpletely aged and his appearance resembled a desated corpse. The activated spell was even capable of physical damage, and it was powerful enough to hurl arge figure like Andesha¡¯s dragon form away.

    It was nearly impossible to approach Amman or injure him with Energy-based attacks since the Dark Energy from the spell simply flushed everything away. But Brendel revealed the weakness with his longbow by attacking Amman when the spell was in its charging phase.

    [Are you fucking kidding me!? Amman is a Priest! This is a bug! Bug! I shot him perfectly through the chest too!]

    Brendel was screaming in his mind just as loudly as Amman.

    The bishop sounded almost lively as he clutched his chest in terror: ¡°My spell...... No! Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire, ahhh, I will destroy you all for this!¡±

    As soon as he finished speaking, the entire wave of Dark Energy shook and exploded around the caster. The courtyard was temporarily quiet, leaving behind an inky fog with a whiff of decay.

    The spell was interrupted.

    Amman¡¯s full figure was revealed against once more as the fog dissipated. The color of his face waspletely white, while the corners of his lips were stained with dark stters of blood. His eyes were staring at Brendel as though he had killed his loved ones and was gloating about it.

    [Huh. His re actually looks like one of my past allies when I owed him a few hundred thousand Tor coins...... Wait, how the hell did I¡ª]

    The youth remarked to himself before his eyes widened. Veronica was opening her mouth slightly as she noticed the same thing he did.

    Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire had an actual hole in it. Brendel rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. He could not believe that he shot through the book. That was the ultimate book of evil. It was an existence that nearly rivaled a divine artifact, and he punctured a hole in it?

    Amman¡¯s lips trembled a few times: ¡°I..... kill you.¡± The pitch of his voice changed because of his inexpressible rage.

    However, Brendel merely pped in delight: ¡°Hah! I understand now, that Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire in your hands is a fake!¡±

    Amman and Veronica¡¯s expressions changed at the same time. The former waspletely stunned, while thetter looked puzzled.

    ¡°A fake?¡± She repeated.

    ¡°Ah, no, I should say that¡¯s a projection of the actual grimoire. An object that recorded information from the evil book. A replica!¡± Brendel immediately exined: ¡°Even though that fake replica has the same power, it doesn¡¯t have that powerful protection that the original¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Amman hurriedly interrupted Brendel. The priest could not help but feel a chill despite being turned into an undead. There was a monster here who seemed to know the outside and inside of the Unifying Guild, and it was not Veronica or Mephisto, but an unknown youth.

    [How...... Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire hasn¡¯t appeared in ten thousand years. How is he able to know so much?!]

    ¡°Even though it¡¯s just a projection, its power is enough to wipe you maggots out,¡± Amman finally said as his expression kept on changing, ¡°as long as I cast another spell......¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Veronica¡¯s ears pricked up, and her green eyes looked at the priest were full of dangerous, mocking mirth: ¡°And do you think I will give you the chance to cast another spell, Amman?¡±

    They looked at each other and made their moves at the same time.

    Veronica was no match for Andesha even when she was at her peak state, so she was naturally unable to handle the power from Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire. These two were beyond mortal means; Andesha was a monster who had lived for hundreds of years, while Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire was even more ridiculous and was created with the Sea of Chaos.

    But Veronica was a genius amongst the mortals. As the Empire¡¯s Goddess of Combat, her sword represented the brilliance of what a human could achieve.

    Her sword that was filled with her pride, a brilliant green color that resembled an emerald gem, was unleashed in the shape of a crescent.

    Amman¡¯s face was filled with despair.

    ¡°Ahhh, no!¡± His pallid face was twisted with regret and rage, while he gripped on the fake Grimoire as hard as he could, hugging it as though it could save his life: ¡°No, you ursed fools...... I will make you suffer...... Even if I am to perish.....¡±

    The undead bishop started to gurgle and mutter iprehensible words, acting like almost like a wild beast. His fingers started to flip the pages of the Grimoire quickly. Dark Energy suddenly surged from the book and illuminated the area. The book was suddenly thrown up into the air, and the Dark Energy suddenly condensed into a small ck hole.

    [The area is bing dimmer? ....... And I feel a powerful pull, damn it, this crazy bastard. He cast the Rift of Destruction!]

    No sooner did Brendel figure out what spell Amman cast, the hole began sucking in everything around it. A shimmering light appeared around the youth and he nced at his feet in surprise, trying to find the source, only to discover floating patterns around Halran Gaia. The lines were translucent, differing between straight and curves to formplicated patterns. The spell from Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire was so powerful that it was wrenching the magic out of his sword.

    Brendel could not help but cry out in dismay. The book was actually ripping off the Laws that were carved into the sword. If the Magic Formations in Halran Gaia were ripped off, then it would be no different from a heavy broadsword.

    Amman was the first to experience the Rift of Destruction. He was apparently unable to control the spell¡¯s power and was torn apart into particles. Screams filled the valley as he was devoured by the ck hole, and everyone shuddered subconsciously.

    Veronica¡¯s sword, the Azure Sky, was the next object that was affected. It glowed twice and dimmed in just a few seconds. Her weapon was a Fantasy-ranked weapon just like Halran Gaia, and yet it was ruined in the blink of an eye.

    Both Veronica and Brendel¡¯s faces paled.

    ¡°Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire is able to devour everything! We need to destroy the replica!¡± Brendel shouted.

    Veronica did not need his exnation as she had the same idea. She shot out several green waves of Sword Energy, infusing the Wind Element Power into her strikes, but they were promptly scattered when it reached the edge of the hole. The ck hole instead expanded after absorbing the Sword Energy. The immense pulling force was making Brendel unsteady on his feet.

    ¡°Get lost, you useless fools!¡± Someone called out with a cold grating voice that came in the direction of the forest.

    It was Andesha¡¯s voice. She was no longer in her dragon form and she walked out with much difficulty. Her body was covered with injuries, dirtied with blood and grime. The bark-like vines covering her chest was torn off in various locations and her ample breasts were exposed proudly in the air. But Andesha was not a human and did not care of her nudity.

    She promptly shot a beam of energy into that ck hole, which disappeared quickly.

    ¡°No! Stop!¡± Brendel¡¯s face tightened but he was toote.

    ¡°How is this possible! It¡¯s devouring the power of the Laws! What is this infernal thing!¡± She immediately screeched with fright.

    Brendel wanted to tear his hair out when he discovered that ck hole expanded in size. He wanted to smack Andesha¡¯s face a few times and inform her that the Rift of Destruction was a Law that outssed her Element Power beyond her imagination. There was only pure Chaos Element Power within that hole and it devoured everything. Her Element Power could not even dent it at all. Veronica fell over and she plunged her sword into the ground to get a stable grip.

    [It¡¯s no good. We can¡¯t escape because that idiot poured in too much power.]

    The youth lowered his body and tightened his muscles. He leaped into the air with Halran Gaia readied at his side. With thebined push of his legs and the pull of the ck hole, he sped into the air even faster than his arrow that he fire earlier.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°Brendel!¡±

    ¡°My lord!¡±

    ¡°Brother Brendel!¡±

    Mixed cries called out when they saw the result.

    ¡°Fuck! You stupid woman!¡± He roared.

    He reached into himself and drew out his Element Power as much as he could and covered his entire body with a denseyer, then activated Power Break and thrust his sword into the Rift of Destruction.

    There was a tremendous sound and a brilliant sh of light as Halran Gaia pierced through the ck hole. Brendel gasped and all the air rushed out of his lungs as he felt like he had crashed into a wall. His hands were wet as his skin was torn and shredded from the impact, but he managed to hold onto his sword, which was shuddering and vibrating as though a grinder was trying to crack it into fine fragments. Metallic screams caused everyone to flinch but the sword somehow held on.

    ¨C Halran Gaia has been given the trait of ¡®Indestructible¡¯.

    Green words shed across Brendel¡¯s retina, but his world was bing dark. There was so much pressure that he could not take in any air. His sword was sinking deeper into the ck hole, an inch at a time.

    But each time the sword went deeper into the Rift of Destruction, the more cracks appeared on the ck hole. A few more seconds passed and a soft plinking sound somehow managed to reach everyone¡¯s ears.

    The ck hole was broken into countless fragments.

 volume 3 - 199

    Chapter 199 ¨C Revive the dukedom?

    ¡°Impossible!¡± Andesha was unable to stop herself from screaming when she watched Brendel fall lightly onto the ground without any injuries.

    But sometimes impossible notions were made into reality. Brendel added the attribute of Indestructible to Halran Gaia with his Element Power due to the Stability trait.

    The Rift of Destruction seemed like it was a force that cannot be destroyed or hindered and Andesha was unable to affect it in the slightest, but it was ultimately because the grade of Andesha¡¯s Element Power was too low. It was the same for Veronica. The Magic Formations from her sword were ripped off even though she was guarding herself with her Element Power.

    Halran Gaia¡¯s Magic Formations resisted the Rift of Destruction¡¯s pull not because of the sword¡¯s grade, but because Brendel¡¯s Element Power was powerful. The youth realized this fact when his arrow shot across the violent winds and was hardly affected by it. He decided to trust in his Element Power when he could not resist the pull from the Rift of Destruction; he carefully assessed the Grimoire¡¯s position within the ck hole and thrust Halran Gaia into it.

    [It seeded? Really? Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire is the representation of the Chaos Element Power. It should have destroyed Halran Gaia even if it¡¯s a replica. If my sword resisted that book¡¯s power, doesn¡¯t it mean that my Element Power is at least amongst the level of the major Arcane Elements?]

    The four Holy Sages. King of mes, Gatel. Empress of Wind, Osorno. The Grand Priest, Farnezain. The Saint, Eirnnt. They gained their fame because they possessed incredible Element Powers. Brendel could never have imagined that he had an Element Power that rivaled them. Only the biggest pay-to-win yers managed to procure these Element Powers.

    [Ah, but it¡¯s such a pity. Judging from the early looks of it, this power isn¡¯t the highest tier though.]

    Brendel¡¯s greed to have even more power passed in an instant. Right now he simply wanted to roar to show off his delight. Not only did he managed to confirm the strength of his Element Power, but he also cleared off the final obstacle and Valha was in sight.

    [I wondered how the lucky yers who managed to get Valha felt. The entire chain of events was an endless number of death gs. I¡¯m not even sure how I survived.]

    First, it was the people from the Kirrlutz Empire, then it was the people who were interested in Halran Gaia. Next, he had to deal with the Cmity of Wolves which was even more dangerous than he expected. Mephisto joined in the party, along with that fake Ancestral Hydra, Veronica, and Andesha. With Faena dragging his feet all the time.

    ¡°Everyone wants a damned piece of me. Even S-rank missions are easier,¡± Brendel grumbled as he turned around to face Andesha.

    The Mistress of Withering Decay gritted her teeth when she saw Brendel¡¯s dangerous gaze: ¡°I surrender!¡±

    She was decisive. There was no way she could fight against Veronica and Mephisto when she was badly injured. Furthermore, Brendel was someone who seemed to have an endless number of trump cards, and he even managed to shatter Amman¡¯s final spell that was created out of spite.

    In truth, she was actually more wary of that youth than Mephisto and Veronicabined. She suddenly recalled the time where she could not take down the rock pirs that the youth conjured in the earlier duel she had with him, not to mention the mysterious golden mes.

    ¡°...... Lady Veronica, could you watch over this woman?¡± Brendel considered for a moment before he spoke.

    He did not want to push Andesha into a corner. Even a cornered rat would bite back, and she was more like an injured lion.

    Veronica was still mourning over the loss of her sword. It was no longer shining with a green glow. She sighed and nodded upon hearing Brendel¡¯s words.

    There were no signs of the Lionheart, which meant the Empire had wasted her time and instead cost her sword. She could not help but feel downhearted over the oue.

    ¡°Roquel is still a guest in our Empire¡¯s Imperial Jail. It¡¯s just as well that you can apany him, Andesha.¡± Veronica sheathed her sword as she spoke.

    The Mistress of Withering Decay merely scoffed in response.

    [What the hell...... That¡¯s one of the Tree Shepherd¡¯s twelve leaders, the Lord of Corrupted Blood. The game hackers mined the game¡¯s data and discovered his title and identity, but they never found him in the game. Some even thought he¡¯s thest boss of the Tree Shepherds, but to think he¡¯s actually in a jail. I¡¯mughing my head off.]

    Brendel was finding it hard to contain his giggle. If Andesha got imprisoned as well, then the enmity between the Tree Shepherds and the Kirrlutz Empire would certainly increase and end up as a blood feud. And the youth was certainly happy to see that conclusion.

    When Faena discovered that the battle was finally over, she hurriedly ran over to Veronica. Scarlett was her usual self and led Sifrid out to Brendel patiently.

    ¡°Commander.¡± The supposedly spoilt princess saluted Veronica and addressed thetter properly. Veronica stared at the girl who had caused an endless amount of grief, but she eventually sighed and shook her head.

    At least the girl was not a treacherous snake like some of the nobles in the Empire, though she was just as arrogant as most of the young nobles. The Empire had given the young nobles a glorious entitlement, but they also fiercely guarded the Empire¡¯s dignity with great pride.

    [Still...... Offending this particr boy¡ª]

    Veronica nced at Brendel who was petting Sifrid¡¯s head without saying a word. Scarlett was staring at him with considerable intensity.

    ¡°What is it?¡± He suddenly noticed the red-haired girl¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°Nothing, my lord,¡± Scarlett said, secretly frustrated over the fact that she was unable to protect him. If she did not put on a resolute expression, she thought she would show off a weak side to her lord. That was something that she could not bear.

    ¡°Since we have settled things, let us go up there and take a look, boy.¡± Veronica interrupted them as looked up at the World Tree that disappeared into the clouds.

    Even though it was probably impossible to find the Lionheart here, she was curious about what secrets the legendary tree held. They might be able to find the primeval Fire Seed that was created by the Goddess Marsha and reactivate it to convert the Dark Forest into stable territory.

    Mephisto pursed his lips in contemtion as he approached the group. Civilization was going to expand again after centuries, and there was great meaning to this fact. Only Andesha gnashed her teeth and looked livid.

    Brendel suddenly knitted his eyebrows together and turned around to observe Veronica and Mephisto.

    [Hold on. I nearly forgot because the earlier battle was too intense. So. Why are Veronica and Mephisto working together again? He¡¯s even looking like he¡¯s relieved to hear Veronica¡¯s words. Some kind of deal? In theory, this guy should be sworn enemies with the Empire¡¯s citizens. I actually thought that Andesha had a pretty good chance to get Mephisto on his side.]

    The youth was certain that nine out of ten yers in the game would have the same conclusion, while he thought the remaining one-tenth were crazy yers who liked to see mayhem.

    ¡°...... Lady Veronica, may I request for an exnation about that guy?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm? Exin? Why can¡¯t Mephisto be on the Empire¡¯s side?¡± Veronica pretended that she did not understand the question with a faint smile: ¡°Boy, I must inform you that Count Mephisto is a very understanding person. The Tree Shepherds and the Unifying Guild are themon enemies of civilization, so it¡¯s not strange that we would put away our differences and work together to stop them.¡±

    [Haha. Hahahahaha. The bloody Sword Saint of Ashes is someone who¡¯s understanding? This madman who wanted to catch me so he can lure you out? The same airhead who chased me around like a dog after a bone? Bullshit. No freaking way. It¡¯s more likely that this olddy used some underhanded means. Like seducing him. Yeah. I mean think about it, she¡¯s a really good match for him.]

    Brendel nodded, but he was definitely not doing so to agree with Veronica¡¯s words.

    [Look at her. She¡¯s in great shape and roughly the same age as him. And on top of the romantic inclination, she¡¯s probably a good candidate for a political marriage. Damn..... All those nasty cliche plots about having some kind of personal rtionship and vengeance. It¡¯s definitely proof! Ahhh! Look! Look at how Mephisto is looking at Veronica!]

    ¡°Oi. Brat. What are you thinking inside your head?¡± Veronica¡¯s eyes were likesers.

    ¡°Huh? What are you talking about? Nothing at all.¡±

    Brendel shook his head rapidly.

    How crazy did she think he was? If he spilled out his thoughts, truth or not, she would probably impale him with that sword of hers.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± But Veronica had seen enough liars in her lifetime. She even managed to guess correctly what the youth was thinking about and gritted her teeth with annoyance: ¡°I merely made a promise to Count Mephisto.¡±

    ¡°I knew it! You¡¯re marrying him!¡± He blurted out unintentionally.

    ¡°Knew your fucking head!¡± Veronica lost her temper and tried to knock the youth¡¯s head with her sword¡¯s hilt. Her veins were bulging as she exined herself: ¡°I made a promise to restore his dukedom¡¯s territory!¡±

    ¡°Huh, restore his territory!?¡± Brendel blocked her sword with both hands, nearly biting on his tongue while he looked on in disbelief: ¡°Did I hear wrongly, you want to restore hisnd? The Empire will never agree to it. Your Emperor and imperial nobles are too proud to admit their fault in persecuting House Suthend. And restoring theirnd? Hah! Unless pigs learn to fly!¡±

    Veronica was pushing the sword hilt down in a drilling manner, but Brendel continued to voice out his thoughts:

    ¡°Ahhh, I retract that statement. Even if pigs can fly, the Empire will never give back thend back to the Suthends. Lady Veronica, surely you¡¯re not deceiving that guileless Sword Saint bro? We can¡¯t handle his furyter on. Don¡¯t forget that Andesha is right next to us, and he might work with her instead......¡±

    Brendel was going weak in his knees at the idea of another twist happening.

    Unless Veronica was the Empire¡¯s Speaker, no, even if she was the Speaker, she could not make this decision.

 volume 3 - 200

    Chapter 200 ¨C Dividing the loot and the n to revive the dukedom

    Veronica looked at Brendel with a perplexed expression. The youth¡¯s perception of the Empire was exceptionally bad. It was true that the Kirrlutz Empire and Aouine regarded each other poorly because of the past feuds, but she could not understand why an astute person like Brendel would act so tantly hostile towards them without even conceding a little ground.

    But she was mistaken about Brendel¡¯s reasons for being hostile. It was because the Empire had a hand in Aouine¡¯s destruction in the future, not the past. Still, it did not prevent Veronica from admiring the youth¡¯s insight, and she had a faint smile on her face which unfortunately made thetter feel unsettled.

    ¡°You know this point better than I do, Lady Veronica, most of the Empire¡¯s Imperial Council would never agree to restore Mephisto¡¯s territory. Even if your Emperor supports this idea, it wouldn¡¯t pass because of the objections...... No, in the first ce, why would the Emperor even support it? Mephisto attempted to assassinate him and killed countless young elite officers who were supposed the Empire¡¯s future pirs. Millions of Tor coins are offered as bounty for his head.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm. You seem to know the Empire¡¯s events very well?¡±

    ¡°Certainly not, definitely no more than the gossipers amongst the noble circle.¡± Brendel hurriedly changed his tune. There was no telling what this woman was nning if he continued to talk badly about the Empire.

    ¡°Hmph! This idiot keeps on criticizing our Empire. It¡¯s as if there¡¯s some kind of secret feud with us and he¡¯s trying to study our history to find a weakness.¡± Faena interrupted them and rolled her eyes.

    [Huh. Even though the snotty princess sounds like she¡¯s mocking me, she¡¯s actually trying to get me off the hook by stating a ridiculous notion. But I feel like there¡¯s a chill on my back...... Why is this girl trying to be nice out of a sudden? There must be some kind of scheming involved!]

    Brendel¡¯s hair was standing up.

    Veronica, however, nodded at Brendel¡¯s thoughts: ¡°You are right. The Empire will never agree to it.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s mouth opened and he could not help but feel impressed at Veronica admitting it so easily, especially when Mephisto was in listening range. This woman was a politician, no, she was even more thick-skinned and viinous than the average politician!

    ¡°Is your head filled with nothing but cynicism? Why is the younger generation nowadays full of scheming thoughts? As amander of the Empire, my promise isn¡¯t made lightly and I will definitely restore Mephisto¡¯s territory.¡±

    ¡°...... Didn¡¯t you just agree with me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the Empire will never give back hisnd. But you can.¡±

    ¡°Me? Huh?¡± Brendel suddenly realized what Veronica was trying to do: ¡°Why would I help him restore his territory? Even restoring his House is an onerous task. Also, why are you getting me involved in the transaction that both of you made with each other!¡±

    ¡°Boy, what do you mean by you¡¯re not involved?¡± Veronica¡¯s words were slow and pronounced with a pointed stare. ¡°Mephisto and I risked our lives to aid you with Andesha. We could have walked away instead. Don¡¯t you think you owe us this favor?¡±

    Brendel shook his head like a dog¡¯s wagging tail: ¡°The Empire owes Aouine a lot for what they did several centuries ago. Didn¡¯t I help out in protecting your little princess as well? So we don¡¯t owe each other anything.¡±

    Veronica¡¯s smile cracked. The brat was not acknowledging their efforts to stop Andesha? He did not owe them anything?

    She poked repeatedly at his forehead with a finger: ¡°How can things be settled so easily? Besides, taking part in this deal isn¡¯t something that¡¯spletely bad. I¡¯m sure you know this point very well, so why are you trying to plead with that big innocent eyes of yours!¡±

    ¡°I apologize, mydy, I do not understand what you¡¯re trying to say,¡± Brendel¡¯s mouth and eyes were slightly widened, trying to show that he was surprised and puzzled.

    Veronica¡¯s lips could not help but turn up at the corners:

    ¡°Is that so? Then let me spell out everything for you. Earlier when I asked you for your aid to find Faena, you refused me and said that you¡¯re helping out the Druids? The Fire Seed in Valha, hmmm? It sounds like you¡¯re after this legendarynd. I assume you already have the qualifications of a Pioneer Knight, and you have the authority to own it the moment you light up the Fire Seed, yes? It¡¯s a wonderfully calcted move, but is it truly realistic?¡±

    Brendel did not respond, so she continued to speak.

    ¡°Nobody has made it past the Loop of Trade Winds for centuries and no one even knows that a primeval Fire Seed exists here. Once it¡¯s lit up, the Dark Forest will be converted into stablend. Valha would not be just limited in the Loop of Trade Winds but the area around it as well. In fact, the size of this territory could almostpete with the entire Aouine kingdom. This temptation is surely too much for your kingdom¡¯s nobles. None of these people would care whether you acquired thisnd legitimately, and you ought to know that the word ¡®legitimately¡¯ is merely just a word. A primeval Fire Seed? It¡¯s enough to cause a civil war.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Brendel regarded her a little warily.

    If she suddenly wanted to stab him with her pointy de and try to take thisnd for the Empire, he probably could not stop her.

    ¡°Me?¡± Veronica looked like she had heard something funny: ¡°Why does the Empire want and that requires at least a month of traveling to reach it? However, I might be tempted if the owner of thisnd is next to the Empire.¡±

    Brendel pondered for a moment and nodded. He understood what Veronica was trying to say.

    [She wants me to share thend with Mephisto. He gets to restore hisnd while I gain an ally because our interests are tied together. He won¡¯t let the nobles from Aouine target this plot ofnd. Since I¡¯m the one lighting up the Fire Seed, I can get more of thend, but I would at least have to give up at least a third of the territory to acquire this ¡®bodyguard¡¯.]

    There was indeed an oversight in his ns. He had considered the dangers of Count Randner attacking his territory, but what was going to happen if the nobles formed some kind of alliance to gain a slice of this pie? In the game, the owner of a territory could only belong to one guild at a time as it was enforced by the game¡¯s system. However, this was a different ce where ¡®NPCs¡¯ outnumbered the single gamer in this world.

    [It¡¯s also not possible for me to form an alliance with the Royal Faction. We¡¯re practically strangers and we did not part happily in the previous encounter. Even though Princess Gryphine gave me that trinket, would she really feel at ease over a mysterious stranger who had a territory that¡¯s as big as the entire Aouine kingdom? I am willing to bet that she trusts me, but if I lose this bet, it wouldn¡¯t end with me losing the territory but the entire future of this kingdom.]

    The most annoying thing was how Veronica took advantage of this situation. She was using him to solve a sworn enemy of the Empire without any effort at all. All his loot was now being divided up because of this woman, and that smile of hers was annoying him to no end.

    [A bloody general resorting to such trickery. What a scheming fox. I should try and resist the conversation¡¯s flow.]

    ¡°This is still a proposal that¡¯spletely unfavorable to me. Instead of me tying up Mephisto to my cause, he might swallow me up instead and usurp everything.¡±

    ¡°Mephisto isn¡¯t such a person.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha, I¡¯m also not a greedy person, do you believe that,mander?¡± Brendel spoke through clenched teeth.

    Veronicaughed: ¡°You¡¯re really quite sly, boy. Very well, I promise you as themander of the Azure Skies, we will support you in the shadows to build thisnd. With the Empire as your shield, Mephisto will not have any other thoughts.¡±

    Brendel nodded. Even though he was certain the Empire would never provide any true aid to him, this promise was enough to give the nobles from Aouine pause, and probably Mephisto as well. The princess would even rein in the Royal Faction tightly to preserve her rtionship with Brendel.

    ¡°The revival of the Suthends will not be a simple thing. I¡¯m sure Mephisto doesn¡¯t merely want to be a lord of some random people?¡± Brendel asked.

    He was certain that Veronica would want to make her plot to work.

    ¡°Naturally. There are some former subordinates and citizens living in the Suthends¡¯ former territory. As long as they are willing to move, I will send them over through various means.¡±

    Valha¡¯s Fire Seed merely weakened monsters in the Dark Forest. It obviously did not convert it into a city or and fit for living. The first thing to drive out the weakened monsters, then cut down the trees and build a ce that was fit for living. Tilling the soil and mining the quarries were next. It was going to be a great effort to convert the ce into a thriving city.

    Sending over Mephisto¡¯s retainers and citizens meant that he had freebor.

    As for the native Druids, the youth expected their poption to dwindle down to a mere twenty percent of what it used to be, and these members were alsoprised of mostly the elderly and young. It was going to be hard for them to participate in building Valha. He was going to have to move Trentheim¡¯s citizens to this ce to aid the conversion.

    ¡°Lady Veronica, I understand that you¡¯re removing a sworn enemy of the Empire, but your political opponents might see this as an opportunity to attack you. Instead of hunting down Mephisto, you allowed his retainers to escape along with him and build another kingdom. Are you certain that you¡¯re willing to sacrifice so much for the Empire?¡±

    Brendel suddenly asked. Veronica snorted and fluttered her long eyshes:

    ¡°Are you trying to sow discord between the Empire and me? You¡¯re too green, little boy. The Empire¡¯s growth is my best reward. And even if you managed to cause the imperial nobles in the Empire to go against me, what kind of advantages do you hope to gain? Even if I want to swear my allegiance to another, you¡¯re not qualified to let me do so.¡±

    She found the notion funny andughed: ¡°Instead, you should swear allegiance to me.¡±

    ¡°Haha.¡± Brendel did not mind her mocking tone and smiled as well: ¡°It is my pleasure to work with you, mydy. Since we are done dividing the ownership of thisnd, let us inspect the area as quickly as possible. The Druids are still waiting for us to light the Fire Seed.¡±

    ¡°You are certainly cheeky.¡± Veronica gave a final prod to the youth¡¯s forehead, but she found that the youth¡¯s confidence to be charming: ¡°And I assume that you want Amman¡¯s things for yourself?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Brendel did not mince his words at all, ¡°I was the one who defeated Amman and broke his spell. It¡¯s my loot!¡±

    He answered with a tone that could only belong to a gamer.

 volume 3 - 201 â€“ Great fortune is bound to come after a great calamity

    Chapter 201 ¨C Great fortune is bound toe after a great cmity

    ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll go ahead and investigate the western area of the courtyard while we wait for your investigation of Amman¡¯s remains. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll inform you if there anything noteworthy, ¡®Lord Brendel¡¯.¡±

    Veronica had gotten the answer she wanted from the youth, so she started to cut back on revealing her intentions and started to hide behind a smile.

    [I can¡¯t rx around her.]

    Brendel¡¯s lips twitched a little. For some reason, Veronica was quite tolerant of his greedy act and even yed along by making fun of him. If he was to put aside her status as someone from the Empire, he was actually quite impressed with the way how she did things.

    Having a personal rtionship was with someone of her strength was quite advantageous, but if there was politics involved, then they would be destined to scheme against each other.

    [A brief respite is what I need to grow stronger. This reason is enough to be temporary allies.]

    Both of them had a satisfactory result from cooperating with each other, so it was quite pleasant.

    Veronica led Faena way with long elegant strides, walking towards Mephisto who dragged Andesha along with him. Once the femalemander was next to him, she scribbled something on the ground with her sword and wiped it away after a moment. When the famous Sword Saint of Ashes read what Veronica wrote, he actually nced back at the youth.

    Brendel and his group were the only people left in the area. Sifrid had waited patiently for the youth to finish his conversation with Veronica, and he was suddenly worried that the girl was going to grow up to resemble Scarlett. The little girl had a face that was dirty from dust, but she did not evenin or show that was scared of the earlier battle.

    He wiped Sifrid¡¯s face and pondered. A meek and quiet personalitybined with bouts of earnest enthusiasm was an attractive point to some people, but he was quite worried about Scarlett¡¯s behavior.

    Scarlett found that her lord was looking at her strangely. Was there a mark on her face? The red-haired girl frowned and rubbed her face with her sleeves, but her hands suddenly stopped.

    [Is my lord going to offer to wipe my face? Should I refuse or ept it?]

    But Brendel¡¯s eyes eventually moved away, and she hurriedly wiped her face again with considerable embarrassment.

    Amman¡¯s body was gone, and so were his equipment and artifacts which were most likely turned into worthless dust. The fragments of the fake Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire top-grade materials were probably the only things left, and Brendel paid strong attention to them.

    The fragments of the grimoire had continued to suck in the area after it fell towards the ground, leaving behind a deep smoking crater.

    Brendel was feeling unused to the fact that the area was silent. This was the moment when all the gamers wanted to snatch away the best loot from the boss.

    He slid down the crater and discovered three ck orbs floating in the air.

    [These orbs are materials made up of powerful Laws. Chaos, Entropy, and Vigor.]

    Brendel felt stumped when he approached the orbs. There was a powerful force that simply sted at his face when he moved towards them.

    Even if it was in the game, he rarely had the chance to handle such materials. It was especially difficult to handle the Laws of Vigor, and it would simply break the containers unless it was an artifact with the Laws of a powerful Dimension Space to counter it.

    [Well, Bahamut¡¯s Grasp is a creation of the Dragon King, so it¡¯s something that inherits powerful Laws and I can hold these orbs...... Huh?]

    Brendel reached out for the ck orbs and his eyebrows were raised. He was momentarily stunned before his emotions changed to intense delight. The orbs had simr properties to Soul Gems, and in other words, these things could be absorbed by his system as XP.

    [Oh. Ohhhh?! A boss¡¯s XP, and it¡¯s on a level of a half-divine god¡ª Which means the fake grimoire contains XP that¡¯s even higher than a level 160 boss!!]

    Andesha in this generation could actually be considered as a World Boss, but she was still lower than Brendel¡¯s original level in the game.

    The yers in the game were stuck at level 160, but the World Bosses in the distant past or future wars a hundred-odd yearster were over level 200.

    ¡°Should I pinch myself to test it out? Ah, no, what am I doing, just absorb a little XP from the orbs to test it out¡ª Hohoho, twenty thousand XP just like that?¡±

    Brendel took in the vapors and estimated the amount taken from the orbs. There was at least ten million XP packed into each of the orbs.

    [Oh shit, oh shit, what kind of luck is this? It¡¯s the first time I got something this good with my own hands!]

    He tried to absorb the XP all at once but realized there was a strong resistance from the orbs. He had to control his Element Power and peel off the surface bit by bit, and it would take a considerable time before everything was absorbed.

    [A single person receiving all the XP of a boss, I¡¯m sure no one in the game has experienced that before. I¡¯m not sure I can sleep tonight since my face is already feeling cramped from smiling too much.]

    The great exhaustion coupled with the intense emotions made him stumble when he raised both hands in triumph.

    [S-shit. I¡¯m too tired. I need to find a way to keep these orbs safely. I can¡¯t be holding them in my gloves all the time. Maybe I should ask Veronica if she has a Bag of Holding. It¡¯s the Empire after all, and they are rich enough to give her one for this trip. Or perhaps Mephisto? Hunting down all the people from Kirrlutz, I imagine he has to secure something of convenience. It might be difficult to ask Veronica for the bag, but negotiating with Mephisto should be fine. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to help restore hisnds, and it¡¯s going to be something like a deposit.]

    He was prepared to find Mephisto and check if he had a Bag of Holding, but a familiar voice called out in his mind.

    ¡°Huh? A fragment of a divine artifact? Where did you get this, boy?¡±

    ¡°Ser Orthlyss? You did not respond at all after...... Did you fall asleep?¡±

    Brendel thought the Dragon of Darkness had done something to her. She was a subordinate of the four Holy Saints who sealed the Dragon of Darkness, and he might have sealed the Ring of the Wind Empress as revenge.

    [But even if that¡¯s not the case, what is going to happen if she discovers that I had taken the Dragon of Darkness¡¯s power? I need to confirm it.]

    ¡°Fool. I know what happened.¡± Orthlyss¡¯s haughty voice scoffed in his mind.

    Brendel¡¯s lips trembled.

    ¡°Then......?¡±

    ¡°You received his Legacy.¡±

    Orthlyss did not sound angry at all and Brendel sighed inwardly with relief. The Wind Elves were quite open in disying their emotions. If she was upset with him, that it really meant that she did not mind that he received the Dragon of Darkness¡¯s Legacy. Still, he was puzzled over her reactions. In a way, she had chosen him to inherit her Legacy, so why would she be fine with him inheriting the Legacy of her sworn enemy?

    ¡°There¡¯s no wrong or right on gaining power. What is important is the person wielding it. Surely you don¡¯t think that this noble one is a narrow-minded person? I chose you because I have confidence in your character. Besides, I¡¯m interested in that stupid dragon¡¯s Legacy¡ª¡±

    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re impressed with him.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    Orthlyss did not avoid the topic at all and spoke with a bit of reflection in her voice:

    ¡°He was the strongest opponent after all. He definitely had personality and charm since he reached the pinnacle of strength. But we ultimately stood in different factions and our ideals are different. It is just like how good and evil cannot co-exist. Now we¡¯re all figures of the past and no longer alive. Our enmity has disappeared long ago, and the only thing that¡¯s left is the respect for each other.¡±

    Brendel was silent. He did not really understand the past events very well and simply watched them unfold with the eyes of a bystander. The things that he felt for Aouine¡¯s factions were simply disgust and frustration. Was the Royal Faction really worth respecting when they simply fought for their ideals? To sacrifice people in order to achieve a greater good? Or should he admire the opposition for lusting after pure power?

    ¡°Did the Dragon of Darkness do something to you?¡± Brendel asked after a few seconds of thought. The Dragon of Darkness was still an infamous figure of pure evil in history.

    ¡°Not anything bad if that is what you¡¯re wondering, but he passed down part of his Legacy to me. I wasn¡¯t able to get used to it for a while.¡±

    [He passed down his Legacy to his enemy? Respect is respect, but you¡¯re his enemy...... Is this some kind of revtion or achieving higher morals after death? No matter how I think about this, it¡¯s too strange. Is that guy scheming something......]

    But Orthlyss did not seem like she was interested in discussing over what she received: ¡°Hmmm. That dragon has somehow awakened your blood? I sense a familiar kinship to you. You feel like someone who was born in my era. I even feel like calling you ¡®little brother¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m quite certain that your potential has gone up. Maybe I can teach you a few of my swordsmanships and you will be able to pick them up easily. Hmm, or maybe that particr Sword Arte.¡±

    Brendel muttered a few ¡®huhs¡¯ and ¡®ohs¡¯ and his eyes glittered as though the sky was raining diamonds.

 volume 3 - 202

    Chapter 202 ¨C The victory loot that continues to give surprises

    The era of the Holy Saints was one of the most vibrant periods where many had learned ancientbat techniques. But the majority of these techniques, including the various swordsmanships, were lost.

    Even intermediate-rankedbat techniques were considered rare.

    The current Wind Elves who had guarded their history with considerable effort did not even manage to keep even one high-ranked technique, and they studied intermediate-ranked techniques instead.

    Even the White Raven Sword Arte that Brendel was using was an iplete technique derived from the Wind Elves, and it was considered to be a secret Arte handed down to Aouine¡¯s royal members.

    It was only a hundred-odd yearster, when the Mana Wave reached its peak, that the Sage tes reacted and pointed to hidden areas. Various factions and adventurers finally discovered the ancient techniques that were used in the past.

    Orthlyss was a Heroic Spirit who worked as a personal knight of the Wind Empress who also fought against the Dragon of Darkness¡¯s forces. Brendel could hardly imagine whatbat techniques she possessed, and she was the very definition of a huge, dazzling, walking treasure mine.

    ¡°So what exactly can I learn?!¡± Brendel asked with slight disbelief.

    ¡°You sound like I¡¯m going to go back on my words.¡± Orthlyss rolled her eyes before she continued with a solemn tone: ¡°When ites to swordsmanships, it¡¯s very difficult to go far if you don¡¯t focus. Thus, even though I know many swordsmanships, I intend to teach you just a single Sword Arte instead¡ª The Wind Empress¡¯s Nine Luminaries.¡±

    ¡°W-what did you say?¡± Brendel stuttered.

    ¡°The Wind Empress¡¯s Nine Luminaries.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s mouth openedrge enough to fit several eggs in it. His nostrils red in an ugly manner while his eyelids opened up to show his bulging eyes.

    The Wind Elves had several famous swordsmanships. Legend depicted that the Wind Elves were split into three different factions after the final battle against the Dragon of Darkness. Kaelnir,ter crowned the Summer King, inherited the Dazzling Sun Sword Arte, and his zing Sun Knights sessfully snatched away the throne from the Wind Empress. Even now, the descendants of the Summer King¡¯s knights were the prevailing High Nobles amongst the Wind Elves.

    The personal knights of the Wind Empress Osorno inherited the Resounding Stars Sword Arte. But most of them were killed in battle, and the remaining few did not pass on their Legacy. Thest Wind Elf died four hundred years ago, and the Resounding Star Sword Arte was forever buried in the annals of history.

    But the strongest Legacy was from the Wind Empress herself. After Kaelnir sessfully usurped the throne, Osorno disappeared and her swordsmanship was forgotten. The members of her House quietly vanished after the war, and no one mentioned the Nine Luminaries Sword Arte ever again.

    [The Nine Luminaries Sword Arte! Navagraha! It¡¯s one of the Great Three Sword Artes in the War of the Holy Saints! I can understand if you possess the Resounding Star Sword Arte, but how did you get your boss¡¯s swordsmanship?!]

    The Nine Luminaries Sword Arte literally summoned eight extra bodies to fight along the original body, and they resembled the attacks of a nine-headed hydra. It was also coincidentally the symbol of the Wind Empress.

    If the sh Strike Sword Arte was the limit for the fastest sword strike, then the Nine Luminaries Sword Arte was the limit for the most powerful AOE technique.

    ¡°I can learn it......? This particr technique that¡¯s ranked amongst the great three Sword Artes, sh Strike, Nine Luminaries, and Thunderous Nature?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Nao?¡± Brendel bit his tongue out of sheer excitement and giddiness.

    ¡°I can certainly teach you right now, but I would suggest that you finish your task first. Learning a Sword Arte isn¡¯t aplished in a minute.¡±

    Brendel immediately sobered up at Orthlyss¡¯s reminder. The Druids were still hanging on by a thread, and he could learn the swordsmanship any time he wanted. But before he went to find the Fire Seed, he needed to find a way to handle the ck orbs. These things were unstable energy sources and he could not just hold them in his hands.

    ¡°Ah, going back to the earlier question. These orbs look like they are the fragments of a divine artifact. How did you get them?¡± Orthlyss asked.

    ¡°Not exactly a divine artifact. It¡¯s a replica.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still a remarkable feat to even create a replica, but how are you going to handle these orbs? They are certainly a strong source of power and can be used in different ways if you know how to do so, but they are also highly unstable at the same time.¡±

    Orthlyss was experienced enough to know that these orbs were pure Element Power of different natures. Mishandling them could cause serious harm. The crater was proof of how dangerous they were.

    ¡°I have some experience in handling these things. The best way is to find something that has the Dimensional Space characteristic.¡± Brendel said without skipping a beat.

    ¡°The Laws of Time and Space to hold them? That¡¯s quite a good n. They are capable of holding many different types of high-level Element Powers, and these orbs are no exception...... Hmm?¡± Orthlyss¡¯s tone suddenly changed.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°You are looking for an artifact that has the Laws of Space and Time...... Look over to your right.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Brendel instantly turned his head but there was nothing to be seen.

    The Rift of Destruction literally destroyed the vicinity and there was not even a piece of rock left. However, he did not believe that Orthlyss was pulling a false one on him. He took a few steps before his heart skipped a beat.

    ¡°Are you fucking kidding me!?¡±

    His mind went through several reactions. From disbelief into astonishment before transitioning to delight. It was as if he found an unbelievable amount of money on the ground. After checking the repeatedly, he discovered a silver thread of light. It was so subtle that he was certain he could not discover it if it was not for Orthlyss.

    He slowly reached out to that familiar silver thread and gently pulled it away. It was as if space was sliced away to reveal a perfectly cut sphere that did not fit in with the environment, and it flooded the area with light.

    The sphere was as big as a bank¡¯s vault and he eagerly walked into it. He was smiling so hard that his muscles were starting to cramp up.

    ¡°This......¡±

    The youth gasped as he picked up a golden bodkin arrowhead amongst the seven that were ced neatly on the ground.

    ¡°God-ying arrowheads?!¡± Orthlyss gasped as well.

    These projectiles were not created with metal but were made with the Golden Tree¡¯s wood and carved with intricate runic patterns of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. They could sever almost every single type of Element Power and Mana.

    [These are the killer assassination tools that suppress tier 5 Element powers. The ultimate cheat who would catch anyone with their pants down if they fail to guard against it. These things are super rare because the only NPC who made them was Farnezain who had two Element Powers, Order and Chaos. Even if yers managed to get these two Element Powers, they needed to know how to craft it as well. In truth, the gamers use them to hunt World Bosses and I haven¡¯t seen anyone using them for PK.]

    Anti-Element Power, anti-Mana, it was the nuclear bomb of all projectiles. And there were actually seven of them.

    Brendel carefully put them in the bag that was attached to his belt, then started going for the vials and potions near them.

    [Healing potions number 7...... 5, 13, 19. This is crazy. There are more than a hundred of them.]

    ¡°What is in the vials?¡± Orthlyss asked.

    Apparently, Healing Potions were created after the War of the Holy Saints, and Brendel had to inform her of the various types. She was quite surprised that Alchemy had advanced to a point where drinking these potions could replenish life to the users.

    Brendel was in such a pleasant mood that he continued to talk about how civilization advanced by creating Magicite and even aerial ships that made use of them.

    ¡°Even though many of thebat techniques were not passed down and were lost, there were still many talented people who¡ª WOAH!¡± He suddenly shouted.

    Orthlyss immediately looked at the vial in Brendel¡¯s shaking hands. It still looked like one of the healing potions, but the youth was muttering ¡®Number 1¡¯ several times.

    It was the ultimate potion that the Holy Cathedral of Fire developed in order to ¡®save someone from the brink of death¡¯ if there was ack of Priests. It was the effort of countless people and money, and the effect surpassed everyone¡¯s expectations.

    Even a few drops of the potion could restore flesh on a bone. However, the price was so exorbitant that even the most powerful faction in the continent would be stressed greatly from procuring one. It was also the reason why the other types of subsequent healing potions eventually became popr and mass-produced, though their effects were increasingly diminished.

    Brendel had to take in several breaths before he managed to tear his eyes away from the vials and put them into his bag. He felt like he was swimming in a sea of golden coins, no, there was really a sea of coins in front of him.

    ¡°Wh¡ª There are rare materials and suits of armor and weapons in this vault! ...... Hmm, mostly from the Holy Cathedral of Fire.¡±

    Brendel was now certain that this vault belonged to Amman. It seemed like the Dimension Space that he possessed had resisted the Chaos Element Power and prevented the destruction of these things.

 volume 3 - 203 â€“ Underground fog

    The Dimension Space had over five hundred sets of armor from the Holy Cathedral of Fire. These were meant for their soldiers and were all low-ss magic equipment, but there was also equipment meant for pdins.

    The exceptional suits of armor were carved with Magic Formations and were imbued with physical and magic resistance. Longswords and broadswords were ced opposite of the armor¡¯s location, and they were easily identified as there was a fire symbol on every de.

    [These are definitely stolen equipment meant to spply the Unifying Guild, and their rarity is on par with the Thorn of Light. Hah. Now they are my victory spoils and can be used to equip my White Lion Army...... Though some modifications to their appearances are required.]

    There was a messy stack of random equipment floating in the air. However, he discovered that they were not high-grade. Amman probably looted them from his enemies and did not bother to arrange them.

    [Hmm? Wait. That¡¯s interesting.]

    Brendel discovered an essory with a ck gemstone in the center near the floating equipment. He was sensitive to great loot and found the essory¡¯s shape familiar, and he could not help but grab it to inspect it in detail.

    The center of the ck gemstone had silver runes in them that seemed like it was made by nature.

    [Tear of the Witch Demon? It¡¯s even rarer than Halran Gaia!]

    ¨C Tear of the Witch Demon (300 OZ)

    ¨C Adds Stoneskin trait to the user

    ¨C 300 HP, +1 Defense, Curse Spell Level +1

    ¨C Rune Activation: Instantly cast an Eighth Circle spell and below.

    ¨C Remaining Charges: 0/30

    ¡°I see, so it¡¯s this thing that allows Amman to cast his defensive spells so quickly. This thing is really a cheat item. As a Warrior profession, I have one of the higher HP count out there, and it¡¯s at 411. Wearing this is clost to doubling my HP. No wonder Amman is like an undying cockroach. He probably has the hp of a level 80 warrior.¡±

    Brendel grumbled to himself. There were many types of fantastic equipment in the game, and it was a bad thing to judge someone withmon sense. There was a lot of truth in the sentence ¡®Never underestimate your enemies or your head is forfeit¡¯ in the game.

    ¡°An equipment with 300 OZ, hmm. Even Halran Gaia has just over 100 OZ. Technically speaking my level is too low to wear this essory now. If I insist on wearing it a few weeks ago, I will have to strip myself naked just to use it. But now I have insane Will stats, and my OZ limit is at 300 + 1240 OZ. Hahahaha.¡±

    The youth immediately wore it. The Charges could be restored over time like the Ring Of the Empress¡¯s Wind Bullet, though he did not know how long it would take since it had such arge capacity.

    He heard footsteps just as he was done admiring the pendant.

    It had only been a couple of minutes.

    ¡°Scarlett.....? No, it¡¯s not her.¡± Brendel¡¯s ears focused on the footsteps, but they were heavy and stable, while Scarlett¡¯s footsteps were light and guarded.

    The youth hurriedly dropped off the fragments of Mavekart¡¯s Grimoire and dashed out of the Dimension Space. He then poured his immense Will into it and closed the sphere-shaped hole into a silver line and tethered it to his mind. As long as he lived, no one else would be able to ess it.

    This silver line was a weakness in this world that led to a different ne of a different time and space. By tying it up with one¡¯s Will, they would be able to carry it around. A Bag of Holding was a physical entity created by wizards that did the same thing, but the difference was that the Bag of Holding ¡®s durability was no different from a normal bag.

    In order to prevent these bags from being torn apart, some of the yers in the game actually stuffed them in their underwear. There was never any limit to being shameless. Brendel chuckled at this random thought before he looked up at the approaching person. He squinted his eyes to look past theyer of dust and discovered a tall figure.

    The person was just as he had expected, Mephisto.

    ¡°You shoulde right now to take a look at what we found,¡± the Sword Saint of Ashes stood at the edge of the crater and said.

    His gaze wasposed and serene. It was if the massive bloodlust that he had when he chased Brendel was like an illusion.

    [How the heck did this bloody airhead get raised as a kid? Not even an apology for chasing me all over the ce. It¡¯s like he believes he has the right to do anything he wants.]

    Brendel wondered how to describe his personality. Arrogance? Smug? Excessive pride? How would one describe a person who dared to challenge the Empire alone?

    ¡°What did you discover?¡±

    ¡°There is something below the ruins.¡±

    [Something below this courtyard? No matter how I look at it, it¡¯s just a simple market. What did they find instead of going to the World Tree?]

    Brendel nodded to Mephisto and climbed out of the pit.

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to be on your guard around this man?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know him better than Veronica.¡± Brendel answered.

    Mephisto detested attacking someone sneakily. Honestly, it was rare for him to take an interest in anyone if it did not concern his revenge for the Empire. Furthermore, their interests were currently aligned and he would never disrupt it with his own hands.

    Brendel leisurely walked ahead with Mephisto looking behind his back without moving a muscle. But a sh of surprise streaked across thetter¡¯s eyes. Either the youth was a fool or a genius at reading someone. Since Amman was furious enough to throw his life away to kill Brendel, then the youth had to be a genius.

    The thoughts in Mephisto¡¯s mind never stopped after he made a deal with Veronica. He naturally thought about the possibility of Brendel failing to light up the Fire Seed, or that the deal would somehow be reneged. Thinking that the deal would really seed was actually ced all the way back in his mind.

    However, after observing the youth and considering his earlier performance against Amman, there was a sudden shift in his mentality. As long as Brendel gave him a third of thisnd, he would definitely be able to restore his House. Perhaps working with this youth was not a bad thing, and it was a pleasant thing to be allied with someone intelligent. The youth was merely twenty years old, and he already had a brilliant achievement. It might even be possible that Brendel would be the one who could offer protection to him in the future.

    [I have never thought myself to be someone invincible or one who could continue to fight against the Empire. Those fools from the other factions seemed to think that they are the center of the world and I would be interested in joining their worthless crusades. It¡¯s a question whether House Suthend is able to continue after my death even if I restore it here. I¡¯m not even sure whether I can find a sessor.]

    ¡°Ser Mephisto. are youing? I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m supposed to go.¡± Brendel turned around and asked when he realized Mephisto was not moving.

    The Sword Saint of Ashes¡¯s mind was spinning its cogs rapidly, and there was a sudden change in his tone: ¡°It¡¯s over there, I¡¯ll bring you over.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s head shifted to the right and looked puzzledly at him.

    But Mephisto walked off withrge strides.

    ¡°Is it really wise to leave Andesha alone with Veronica?¡± Brendel suddenly asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Veronica and I discussed with each other and we decided to explore the courtyard first, and only make our way to the World Tree when you rejoin us. But there is something of interest that I discovered and want you to look at.¡± Mephisto said.

    Brendel and the girls followed Mephisto, who led them to the courtyard¡¯s corner. The earlier battle with Andesha made the ground copse and revealed an empty space. The ck vegetation that Brendel grew with his blood had extended downwards into the empty space as though it had been doing so for centuries. It was because of the strange growth that Mephisto discovered the artificially created passage.

    When they finally made their way to the end of the passage, Brendel immediately rubbed his chin in contemtion. There was a Magic Formation,prised of thinly crafted crystals a few meters wide and two thumbs high, jutting out from the ground. A thin line of crystals that extended out from the Magic Formation led deeper into the passage.

    [Crystal Circuits? These are built to transfer an incredible amount of energy. And if it¡¯s secretly built under the courtyard...... The conspicuous buildings in the World Tree, and the ordinary courtyard that has something so intricate beneath it. Therefore the World Tree is a distraction, while the true identity of this courtyard is¡ª]

    Brendel could only think of one possibility.

    The Fire Seed.

    ¡°Ser Mephisto, I think you have discovered what we have been looking for,¡± Brendel said in a grave tone.

    The Crystal Circuits repeated themselves in one direction. As long as they followed it, they would reach their final target.

 volume 3 - 204 â€“ Lighthouse in the dark

    Brendel passed through a warehouse, barracks, and heavily fortified War Room. The passageway had led to various defensive sections.

    It was an underground fortress that was even more prepared than any of the Kirrlutz Empire¡¯s castles. Even Dwarven or Elven cities could notpare to this final bulwark built against the Twilight Dragon.

    Every inch of the walls was fortified with runes and magic crystals. Pirs in the shape of ancient creatures that were built from precious materials held the ceiling up, and the Crystal Circuits on the ground seemed like modern cables supplying electricity to the various areas.

    The tiles over the ground in the various chambers, which was polished till it resembled marble, was remarkably free of dust.

    When Brendel lit up the area with his magic, he could not help but tremble. This ce was all too familiar in its architecture.

    His fingers shook as he sat down on one of the chairs and lit the Light Crystal that was embedded on the round table in the War Room.

    The first moment heid eyes on the chair in front of him, he went over to sit on it as though he was hypnotized. He was so exhausted that he went over in a daze. When he sat in the chair, he recalled the surroundings of a simr ancient War Room shortly before he was transported to this world.

    ¡°Hey bro, you¡¯re a warrior? We¡¯recking a vanguard for the uing fight against Madara¡¯s forces.¡± A youthful voice echoed in Brendel¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Sure thing.¡± Brendel¡¯s smile was dazzling as he muttered under his breath: ¡°Name¡¯s S¡ª¡±

    The youth suddenly stopped himself from uttering the name.

    This world was not his home.

    This world resembled the game of his past world to a remarkable extent, but even then the game was just a game. He was just connecting to thetter from his home. His past world was a ce where he had fun and was free from worries, though there were strong regrets that he wanted to change.

    [...... Ah. I see.]

    The emotions and stress from the near deaths and excitement were getting to him. For one moment, he wanted to be free from all the responsibilities in this world and simply go back to his former self who simply enjoyed the game.

    [I...... am homesick.]

    He had been working towards getting Valha almost from the time he came to this world. Many people looked up to him in gratitude as he went around Aouine and saved them in the process, but even more looked at him like they wanted nothing more than to tear him apart. There was no one he could truly confide to, and it was simply because he did not belong to this world.

    ¡°Boy, I want you to be honest. Are you really a citizen of Aouine?¡±

    Orthlyss suddenly asked.

    ¡°What?¡± Brendel suddenly broke out of his stupor. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    [This is bad. Did I give away myself? No, how is it possible that she knows that I came from another world? I don¡¯t think I revealed that much.]

    ¡°Just look at the others¡¯ reactions,¡± Orthlyss could not help but express her disbelief at Brendel¡¯s awful denial.

    Scarlett and Sifrid were pacing around the War Room with great wonder. The red-haired girl who usually kept to herself was now a kid like Sifrid. Both girls gushed at the murals and statues that were hovered in the air. The murals formed a strategic map of Valha, while the statues of soldiers and mounted knights were pieces to represent armies.

    There was even a flying dragon that circled around the map.

    Mephisto¡¯s eyes glinted with surprise when he saw this sight. Even Orthlyss waspletely drawn to it as well, but she soon realized Brendel¡¯s first reaction was to sit on the near War Table and mumble some iprehensible words.

    It was as if he was all familiar with this ce.

    Almost as if he belonged to the past era where the strong fought difficult battles.

    Orthlyss was shaking her head: ¡°An ordinary person¡¯s reaction ispletely different from yours. Just look at the girls. Their eyes are glittering with wonder and awe. You look like you have been here countless times. Even if you read the description of this ce in history books, shouldn¡¯t you at least express some kind of schrly reaction to it? Your insight into certain things even seems to surpass mine. Tell me the truth, are you someone from the Golden Lineage, or the Silver Lineage?¡±

    She was suspecting this point. Why did the Dragon of Darkness give his true Legacy to Brendel?

    Brendel showed a stupid face. How did Orthlysse to this point? He shook his head immediately to deny Orthlyss¡¯s words.

    ¡°Of course not. You can trace my origins in Aouine. You clearly know my grandfather, right? Isn¡¯t he the one who possessed the Ring of the Wind Empress?¡±

    ¡°Maybe your family has more secrets than he led me to believe, hmph!¡± Orthlyss was still puzzled over Brendel¡¯s strange reactions, but his words refuted her thoughts: ¡°Still, it doesn¡¯t matter even if you¡¯re someone from the Golden or Silver Lineage or a descendant from either Lineage. The stronger you are, the more pleased I would be.¡±

    [Bing a member of the past Lineages? It would mean that I¡¯m straying even further away from the people that around me in this world. I can¡¯t say that I wish for that, though it¡¯s probably a littlete with that drop of blood.]

    Brendel extinguished the Light Crystal on the War Table and called upon the others to continue moving.

    [There are countless things to do in order to save the kingdom. But if the dayes when I am done with everything, should I try to find a way to go back to my original world?]

    The group slowly passed through three defense lines. The temperature within this maze-like ce continued to rise as they went deeper to the heart of the underground city. If it were not for Brendel, they would have taken a long time to make their way through.

    [We¡¯re finally out of the outer defense lines and in the fortress¡¯s living areas.]

    They found themselves in a huge cavern split into several districts. Residential houses, markets, temples, and even a pce. It was a grand city with a huge sewage system.

    Dwarven cities had simr designs, and it was alsomon for monsters to reside in the sewers. yers often received quests to subjugate the monsters as they would often venture into the city.

    Brendel could not help but think back on his past when he searched the area. Drinkable water was transported around in water channels from a central reservoir in the city¡¯s heart. After walking for another minute, he eventually discovered the artificial water channel that he was looking for.

    The group eventually reached arge flooded courtyard with a fountain in its center after following the watercourse. Even after several millennia, water was still gushing out from the fountain, but the stone basin around the fountain had been erodedpletely and ended submerging the area with water.

    ¡°It¡¯s just like you said, brother Brendel! We found the courtyard!¡± Sifrid eximed in surprise.

    Scarlett nearly reached Sifrid¡¯s level of worship. Her lord was a fantastic schr who seemed to have a limitless amount of knowledge. The other nobles at Brendel¡¯s age were jealous individuals, engrossed in nothing but carnal pleasures in life, while he was on equal footing on incredible people like Mephisto and Veronica.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Brendel nodded quietly, unable to share hispanions¡¯ excitement, but kept his brooding to himself.

    This courtyard was massive in size, making the youth believe that he was near the sacred halls that housed the Fire Seed. The symbols carved into the nearby walls were familiar as the people of the past believed in Goddess Marsha.

    The faith of the continent had never changed.

    Mother Marsha continued to bless thend and traditions were kept. There were some minor differences in terms of aesthetics, but it was clear that the symbols represented the Holy Mother.

    ¡°I found it. The ramps over there.¡± Brendel said with a frown.

    There were several grand buildings that made the youth pause, but he eventually made a deduction based on the defensiveyout of the area. Magic Formations were ced strategically to create powerful barriers that made it tricky to assault this area.

    [There¡¯s another secret behind Valha. Indeed, the Fire Seed allows the Dark Forest to be stabilized, but it¡¯s not the reason why the guild controlling Valha in the game became powerful. Even though it¡¯s extremely unlikely for Mephisto or Veronica to find out, I need to be on my guard.]

    It was the biggest hope of saving Aouine and there was no way he would give up this secret.

    Brendel continued to lead the way, but Mephisto suddenly pulled the youth back. A dark shadow emerged and Mephisto pulled out his greatsword and shed at it. A tremendous sound echoed in the area, and Brendel saw that the flying shadow was actually a huge scythe de with glowing Runes on it.

    It was definitely imbued with powerful magic, and getting struck by it would be quite fatal even as one as powerful as Andesha in her dragon form.

    [This trap seems like it¡¯s from the civilization after the Twilight Dragon¡¯s era, so it¡¯s actually avoidable for me even if Mephisto didn¡¯t pull me back. But this at least proves he¡¯s on my side.]

    Cold sweat broke out of Brendel¡¯s forehead when he realized he was being careless. If this was a trap from the Golden Lineage, then it would not matter if Mephisto pulled him back.

    Everyone would have died there.

    Still, Mephisto¡¯s action won the youth¡¯s goodwill and thetter nodded at him in gratitude.

    ¡°Be careful,¡± Mephisto said monotonously in response.

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    There were indeed more traps along the way. Even though Brendel did not have a Thief profession and did not have the system¡¯s guide to spot one, he was experienced enough to test for them. These traps were created by people from the Silver Lineage and were of no challenge to him. As long as he knew what trap it was, he was able to figure out the range of the affected area.

    Mephisto raised an eyebrow at Brendel, but he quickly assumed the youth was someone who had poured a great amount of effort into studying Magic Engineering subjects. Orthlyss who had observed Brendel for a long time waspletely baffled at how the youth seemed to excel in every subject. The girls simply acted like it waspletely normal for Brendel to be capable of everything.

    The Sacred Hall that the group entered was not overlyplex in design, neither was it excessively luxurious. The walls were carved from stone, while the ground was fitted with marble tiles and Magic Formations. The four pirs supporting the ceiling wererge enough to have a dozen people hug it.

    Thirty poles were nted in a circle around a gigantic beacon in the center of the hall. The closer the group walked towards the beacon, the stronger they felt the energy that was pulsing from it

    [A ¡®Lighthouse¡¯.]

    Brendel¡¯s first thought that it was a structure that housed the Fire Seed.

    Indeed, when he brought the Light Crystal up, he saw a gigantic crystal that was the size of twenty meters hovering over the beacon. Runes shimmered across it like water waves with the rhythm of a beating heart.

    ¡°The Fire Seed,¡± Brendel remarked amidst the stunned silence from the others.

 volume 3 - 205 â€“ I anoint you as king

    ¡°Mother Marsha......¡± The people around Brendel finally spoke aloud.

    It was a primeval Fire Seed that had been sleeping for several millennia. The dim glowing runes emitted a slight warmth, almost as if there was a goddess extending out her hand with a gentle smile, beckoning her children toe closer.

    Every one was struck with wonder.

    The goddess did not abandon her children. The ming runes burned silently throughout the ages despite the constant corruption in this area, waiting in the darkness till her children came again to ignite the Fire Seed. It was a lighthouse waiting to shine with a gentle but brilliant power.

    Brendel showed a solemn expression as he looked up. The predecessors had protected this ce in order to hand it to their sessors. After numerous generations, the Fire Seed would ignite the mes of civilization once again.

    The honor of lighting it was now converted into inexpressible emotions running through everyone¡¯s veins. A divine mission that every sentient race yearned for; to bring forth the mes of order and light.

    Promanthano was the person who lit the first Fire Seed in the dark Wilderness. Civilization took its first step out of its primitive ways and began its unending journey to seek a world of light.

    Brendel took a deep breath and looked at the others. Mephisto nodded at him, while Scarlett had a pair of fretful hands on her chest and looked worriedly at the youth. Sifrid was a little bewildered at everyone¡¯s reactions.

    The person who was going to follow Promanthano¡¯s footsteps to bring light and order was Brendel.

    ¡°Then I¡¯m going off to bring light to this forest,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Go.¡± Mephisto had an earnest expression when he looked at the tform that housed the Fire Seed.

    The youth turned around and started to ascend the tform that led to the Fire Seed. With every single step that he took, the Fire Seed became brighter, and particles of light seemed to materialize on Brendel.

    Mephisto¡¯s eyes widened when he saw robes forming on Brendel¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°This is the scene in the Kirrlutz¡¯s Poem of Skies...... Child, I grant you the wings made from light, and thus, I shall anoint you as king.¡±

    Even though his mind thought that it was nonsense made up by zealots, Mephisto felt his heart pounding in acknowledgment.

    Mother Marsha was going to appear and ce a crown on the youth¡¯s head with her own hands.

    The light emitting from the Fire Seed was almost blinding when Brendel stood before it within arm¡¯s reach. He stretched out his hand to touch the crystal with a deep frown and spoke with a weary sigh:

    ¡°Mother Marsha, after thousands of years, your children havee before you¡ª¡±

    Brendel suddenly withdrew his hand and nearly stumbled down the steps. Something warm had touched his hand gently. A voice responded in his ears in an ancientnguage:

    ¡°Indeed, it has been a very long time. My child, this journey must have been impossibly difficult for you.¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡± Brendel¡¯s mindpletely nked out.

    [The Goddess Marsha? She exists in this world? That Holy Mother that everyone praises in this world!? How can this be possible!]

    His mind was shutting down.

    The Era of the Gods was over. None of the old gods had appeared in the game¡¯s future timeline, or this world¡¯s past after the War of the Holy Saints. Everyone in this world believed that only the Laws were left behind and Mother Marsha was gone. But it seemed like the divine goddess was still watching over this particr Fire Seed and silently waited for its sessor.

    ¡°My child, even though I am very far away from you and the others, I can still sense your beliefs for a brighter future. I have seen your predecessors walk out from the protections of the gods to traverse thend of darkness. They cut down the obstacles in their path, slowly made their way into the Wilderness and founded and of their own. I believe that you would be able to conquer every hurdle thates your way and achieve victory.¡±

    Did she know the truth that he hid from the others?

    He was unable to repress his burning emotions and a trail of tears flowed down when he heard her gentle voice. Her warmth felt like it was the embrace of a mother that he had not felt for thousands of years, and he was experiencing it once again.

    ¡°It seems like dust has entered my eyes,¡± Brendel said with a little embarrassment.

    ¡°Cry not, my child. Even though I wish for your sess, the roads ahead of you are filled with difficulty. Are you truly prepared to light this Fire Seed and follow your predecessors? Each time an attempt is made to progress beyond the twilight, countless sacrifices would be made, but even if they fall, another person who follows their beliefs would walk in their footsteps. This history is in truth a poem filled with bravery and incredible sadness¡ª¡±

    Marsha appeared within the crystal as she spoke. She shook her head slowly.

    ¡°This is a game that is meant for heroes, and every participant would be a part of this epic poem. My child, are you truly certain that you are prepared for this?¡±

    Brendel hesitated.

    [Lighting a Fire Seed should be an automated process. But the goddess of this world appeared before me and said all these things. Is she saying that I will never have the chance to return my original world? But if I refuse and instead try to find a way back, then would happen to Aouine?]

    ¡°...... Naturally, I am prepared,¡± he finally answered.

    Marsha looked at him for a while before she spoke again: ¡°My child, would you permit me to ask you a few questions.¡±

    [Questions? Wait, I¡¯m assuming too many things. Does the goddess truly know that I took over this body and I¡¯m just here to save Aouine? What did she say just a few seconds earlier..... Progress beyond the twilight? Maybe she expects me to do some kind of crazy stunts that the ¡®predecessors¡¯ did, like ying the Twilight Dragon or something? ...... Hmm, I have no clue as to what she wants, but it¡¯s best that I nod my head here.]

    He nodded.

    The goddess¡¯s warmth was difficult for anyone to reject her.

    Marsha smiled.

    ¡°My child, what are your beliefs?¡±

    ¡°My beliefs?¡±

    ¡°Do you seek the Fire Seed for glory? Power? Or perhaps to survive? This thought could be considered a belief as well. If you have a goal, civilization would be able to progress.¡±

    [She doesn¡¯t know what I have done toe here if she has to ask me this question. What was I expecting here.....]

    Brendel said: ¡°Probably...... fulfilling my wish could be considered as a belief.¡±

    Marsha ced a crown of light on Brendel¡¯s head, her hand gently caressing his forehead amidst a field of white light: ¡°My child, do you understand the meaning of a crown?¡±

    [The symbol of authority¡ª is obviously the wrong answer. The person who bes king is meaningless to a divine being.]

    Brendel shook his head.

    ¡°The person who wears a crown is called a king. Your predecessors became king and were always ahead of everyone. It is because of this act, that their citizens could see their backs. As long as someone is in front of them, these citizens would be strong and gain the courage to continue walking forward. Do you understand it? As a king, you must radiate light and warmth so that everyone would be able to see you in the dark. You must bring them to clear the obstacles that are in front of you, to bring the light in this endless chasm of darkness. Only when you surmount all these hurdles, would it be dered as a King¡¯s Devotion.¡±

    ¡°Devotion...... of a king?¡± Brendel could feel the heavy crown that the goddess had ced on his head, and his heart started racing.

    ¡°What do you think of the word ¡®devotion¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Devotion?¡±

    Brendel was unable to see the goddess¡¯s appearance clearly. She had been wearing a smile ever since she appeared in the crystal, but he thought she was expecting something from him in her eyes. He gathered his courage and replied with the desire that he always had in his heart.

    ¡°I believe devotion is to aplish something that would satisfy my heart, and to do it without any regret or me.¡±

    ¡°Do you have something that you wish to aplish, my child?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Brendel answered simply.

    The greatest regret in his memories of the game was the burning white tree in that pce. If there was something that he had to change, this would be it. Perhaps it was the reason why he came to this world.

    The youth understood this point when Marsha asked him this question.

    But pain shed through his mind as soon his reply left his lips.

    [Should I ask if there¡¯s a way back to my previous world? Or the secrets as to why some of the ancientnguages match my world¡¯s? If I don¡¯t return, then what about my family and friends...... Am I not going to see her ever again?]

    The goddess¡¯s expectations in her eyes turned to approval when she heard his answer, failing to see the youth¡¯s hands balling up into fists.

    ¡°Some are fated to be different from others. As long as light continues to originate in one¡¯s heart, bringing along unwavering determination to change this world, regardless of sess or failure, the wings of light that extend from their backs will make everyone feel safe.¡±

    Light converged in the goddess¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Such a person would be deemed a hero in history. My child, your answer has made me very satisfied. I shall present you with a gift and hope that it allows you to fulfill your beliefs.¡±

    ¨C System Notification: The destiny of the ¡®Chosen One¡¯ has been acquired.

    [D-destiny? Another? Didn¡¯t I get the destiny of the ¡®Fool¡¯ from the Dragon of Darkness? Shit, is there a bug in the system? It sounds nice and all but I feel this is a great trap! Look at how that dragon threatened me!]

    Brendel was upset.

    With great luck came great misfortune. He was certain that he had to do some impossible task that Marsha wanted.

    [And why is it ¡®Chosen one¡¯? Isn¡¯t Marsha¡¯s Legacy supposed to be ¡®Marsha¡¯s Child¡¯?]

    Marsha seemed like she saw through what he was thinking and spoke with a smile:

    ¡°Indeed. I did not present you my true Legacy, but I have ced my expectations on you. My child, I presented you the wings of light as foretold in the ancient prophecies, and thus anoint you as king. I hope that you continue to act ording to your will, and I can attain honor because of you.¡±

    ¡°Attain honor because of me?¡± Brendel was utterly baffled at her strange words.

    But the goddess did not exin herself. Her eyes seemed like she was looking past countless veils and darkness was bing clear in her vision. Finally, she spoke again:

    ¡°Come, let us witness this moment again. Light shall return once more to this ce.¡±

    She raised her hand.

    A pir of light pierced through the Dark Forest¡¯s trees. Everything froze in that single instant.

    All men and beasts trembled at the same time. The Laws within the area were gone. The immense Mana Wave that affected the Dark Forestpletely disappeared.

    Those who witnessed the phenomenon thought it was impossible, and when they followed that pir of light, they discovered that it originated from the Loop of Trade Wind¡¯s center. It had pierced through the heavens as though it was breaking out of a shell.

    The Fire Seed was ignited.

 volume 3 - 206 â€“ Race?

    =========== The Green Tower ==========

    The darkness was fading.

    The first ray of light was like a sharp de that sundered the heavens, turning into a blinding pir of light that exploded within that single moment, and the surroundings seemed to dim because of the contrast between darkness and light.

    The Wall of Clouds was being pierced by additional rays of light as if was a cocoon being lit up from within. The dark night was turned into a shade of light purple, then to blue, and thend was lit up from the receding veil of illuminated clouds. The Dark Forest disyed a vivid green that the Druids had never seen before, with light piercing through the holes between the leaves to reach the ground.

    The mist lifted and shadows formed with rity; it was as if dawn had arrived.

    Someone had pulled off the ck cloth that covered the mountains. Golden hues spread across the dense vegetation, and the first ray of light reached the Green Tower¡¯s walls, washing away the fatigue of the warriors.

    The battleground waspletely silent. The cold fallen ancient Treants¡¯ bodies stood tall with countless dead wolves in front of it, almost like statues that were deliberately positioned. The rays of light continued to move and illuminate the city, revealing the various battlefields and murky figures.

    The heroic Tree Elves defended their positions with every corner they could find, but many were killed after they exhausted all their strength. The monsters at the frontlines were also copsing from fatigue, but they were reinforced by even more of their numbers.

    The major blockade was at the Elven Great Hall. The Tree Elves and Centaurs were forced back and forth from the iing storm of wolves, but they still secured the position miraculously. Almost every Druid was locked into battle, with a staggering amount of spells sailing through the air. The two Archmagi from the Silver Alliance were standing at the back, forming the strongest barriers in their defenses.

    Nordas, who was from one of Aouine¡¯s southern army, blinked his unfocused eyes. His muscles went rigid when the rays of light reached the wolves¡¯ back and he stared in surprise. Beside him was a row of centaurs who also could not believe what they saw.

    It was morning...... and the wolves were burning.

    The steel-like hides of the wolves burst into mes, and the monsters screamed in pain as they scrambled to flee from the light, though even the ones hiding in the shadows were not spared. Very quickly, the entire Green City seemed like a sea of fire had been poured down onto the monsters.

    The wolves that were directly in the light seemed like they were being pierced through; holes started appearing in them with mes bursting out from their wounds.

    Even the bravest person in the Green Tower could not help but feel lucky for surviving this ordeal. The frantic assault waspletely dismantled in an instant as the monsters disintegrated into ashes.

    Just exactly what kind of power was invoked?

    But everyone believed in one thing.

    ¡°It¡¯s just as I have predicted. He seeded.¡±

    William turned to hispanion with a faint smile.

    ¡°Hah! It seems like a remarkable youth has appeared in our kingdom,¡± Tulman responded with a grin.

    ¡°My old friend, Erik, founded Aouine as the kingdom of hope within this darkness. I understand his beliefs, but they have been twisted by his descendants for far too long. I wonder if he ever hoped to see something like this happen today...... Perhaps someone is finally able to pick up the g that had been dropped onto the ground for far too long.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. It is a pity that I am unable to participate in restoring my homnd¡¯s former glory, since it is forbidden for a member of the Silver Alliance to do so,¡± Tulman said.

    ¡°But at least you won¡¯t see it crumblepletely, yes?¡± Wisdom twinkled in William¡¯s eyes and he recited an old adage: ¡°The young will develop a new era, and the old era should be left in the past.¡±

    While the two wizards of the Silver Alliance were exchanging their opinions, the Druids and Elves were descending into sorrow after a short period of intense delight. The people who were standing survived, but even more of them who were lying on the ground left this world forever. Every one of them had one or more loved ones leave them. Even the long-lived Tree Elves who did not disy much of their emotions could not help but cry softly.

    There was ayer of sadness over the courtyard.

    Nordas and the centaurs stood on one side, watching the Elves hugging each other and crying. The centaurs viewed dying on a battlefield differently. Nordas had spent enough time crying over the Madara War, though his heart still felt a little heavy.

    ¡°I think I can understand their emotions.¡± The tall Centaurian leader spoke: ¡°Death should be glory for those who died on the battlefield, but this battle only brought sorrow and loss.¡±

    Nordas nodded. Aouine¡¯s battle creed was simr to the Centaurs, but the reasons as to why the kingdom fought might not give her soldiers a satisfactory answer.

    He looked at the Elves and Druids, feeling a little pensive.

    ============ Brendel¡¯s POV ================

    Light poured from every corner of the great hall, and its scale and mysterious appearance were revealed. There were a hundred pirs that supported the ceiling¡ª

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were however on the Fire Seed that was dyed in a divine color. It was emitting pure white mes, appearing like a divine fire, but those mes were actually Laws of Order, binding every single type of Element Powers and Mana from the Sea of Chaos into silence as they ebbed under Marsha¡¯s Divine Order.

    A still calmness of purity pulsed and extended outwards from the Fire Seed. Everyone¡¯s body trembled, and the weak Mana within their bodies were cut off from the Mana Wave.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Brendel muttered.

    He suddenly realized there was a difference in how the Primeval Fire Seed functioned. The Fire Seeds created by mortal hands rearranged the Laws, while Marsha¡¯s Fire Seed separated Laws, Elements, and Mana. It was as if it was wiping away everything on a ckboard and writing new Laws on it. During this period, the Laws that were allowed by the Administrator could be written down onto the Fire Seed.

    Due to the separation of the various Laws, Elements, and Mana in its initial stage, Chaos could hardly affect thend of purity. Every single person within the Dark Forest would have their strength suppressed.

    The youth¡¯s mind was working quickly as he clenched and unclenched his fingers.

    [We¡¯re too close to the Fire Seed¡¯s suppression. Mephisto¡¯s strength is probably no stronger than the typical adult male fighter right now...... If I calcte things, this process willst for a week. Hmm, although the people at the Green City are affected, I doubt they will run into danger since the suppression towards monsters is probably a hundred times stronger. At worst, they can¡¯t get used to it.]

    Mother Marsha was already gone.

    Brendel suddenly frowned and turned to the right as he heard footsteps. The people who were within the Loop of Trade Winds should only be Veronica and her group.

    Were there unknown natives in this underground city?

    But it was certainly Veronica who appeared, bringing along Andesha and Faena. She had followed the Crystal Circuits that had suddenly lit up on the ground, and she eventually made her way to the Fire Seed.

    The Combat of Goddess¡¯s eyes was attracted by the bright light in the center of the hall. She was surprised when she saw Brendel and the others but recovered quickly.

    ¡°A Primeval Fire Seed?¡± Her eyes had a look of reverence just like Mephisto when she looked at it: ¡°The legendary blessings given to the mortals by Goddess Marsha. I have seen it in Marus.¡±

    Marus was a city within the Kirrlutz Empire. A primeval Fire Seed sat in a temple that worshipped Marsha. The power of the Fire Seed was strong enough that it deterred monsters for thousands of miles for many centuries, and not even one person had reported news of their appearances. It was because of that reason that Marus and the surrounding cities were the most thriving cities.

    Brendel knew what Veronica was insinuating, but Andesha paid no attention to thetter¡¯s words. Her diamond-shaped eyes narrowed as she gasped:

    ¡°A primeval Fire Seed?¡±

    She was able to recognize it immediately. None of the people around her matched her knowledge, excluding Brendel. The Mistress of Withering Decay had a strange expression. The suppression of the primeval Fire Seed was just too powerful. It meant that a new territory with the strong Laws of Order would be formed if it was built well. A new Empire that could rival the Kirrlutz Empire was not something impossible.

    The Kirrlutz Empire became strong because of the Fire Seed in Marus.

    Andesha¡¯s eyes were glinting with danger. She wanted to gamble everything on her n. If she seeded, it would mean that the Tree Shepherds would need not to worry about a second Kirrlutz Empire appearing in the future...... It was the right time to strike, especially when it was still new. Leaving it alone meant that it would eventually grow with vassal states.

    ¡°Andesha, what are you scheming?¡± Veronica felt that her ¡®prisoner¡¯ was acting strangely.

    Even though Andesha¡¯s injuries were great, she was in a stance and ready for battle. Mephisto and Veronica pulled out their weapons at the same time.

    ¡°Hehe, isn¡¯t this the best chance?¡± Andesha licked her lips. Even though she was in a fervor, she did not lose her rationality: ¡°Under the suppression of this Fire Seed, we¡¯re only capable of pulling the strength of our races. Even though my strength is suppressed greatly because I¡¯m a half-monster, the blood that runs in my veins is much stronger than yours, you weaklings. Even if it¡¯s one against all of you, it doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t have a chance.¡±

    Everyone shuddered, with the exception of one person.

    ¡°Are you serious, Andesha?¡± Brendel pulled out Halran Gaia and snarled: ¡°Have you forgotten what you have given me? You know very well that I¡¯m not your typical God Acolyte when you fought me earlier!¡±

    There was an awkward moment of silence with plenty of blinking eyes.

    Andesha recovered quickly and drew out a thin whip that was coiled around her waist. No one noticed this hidden weapon on her, but it was toote. She swung it at Veronica and Mephisto who retreated to the walls. Brendel leaped off from the tform and thrust his sword at Andesha, but thetter somersaulted a few times back and swung her whip in mid-air.

    Because the youth had Bahamut¡¯s Grasp, he managed to catch it with his hands.

    [Power B¡ª No, that isn¡¯t it.]

    Brendel nearly pulled the whip with all his strength before a certain memory of someone being flung away flickered into his mind, and he swiveled around where he was instead. Andesha opened her hands and had allowed the whip to slip out of her hands,pleting the same action that she did to the vampire trap, Morpheus.

    Even though Brendel had reacted with hisbat experience backing him, he was stillte by a second. Andesha had started to flee. If she was unable to defeat them, then she could just simply run away and wait for a better chance to strike in the shadows.

    [I can¡¯t let this bitch esc¡ª]

    Suddenly there was a loud smack that interrupted Brendel¡¯s thoughts. The Mistress of Withering Decay was flying in the air with a scream of pain, and she ended up smashing into a pole and destroying it.

    There was someone who was not suppressed by the Fire Crystal? Mephisto and Veronica¡¯s minds had the same question.

    ¡°Impossible! Someone from the Dragon race!?¡± Andesha screamed.

    [Dragon Race!? That proud loli dragon is here?! Even if she¡¯s done with her things, how did she track us down? Considering the timing, it¡¯s unlikely...... Erm...... It¡¯s Scarlett? W-what¡¯s going on?]

    Brendel¡¯s mind felt like there was a system error happening in his mind and he stared at Scarlett with an opened mouth.

 volume 3 - 207 â€“ Scouts and information

    ============= Firburh ============

    The seasons within the Dark Forest changed frequently, but the harsh winter in Firburh in the Year of the Sword was just over, and the temperature had not gone back to its warm state.

    It even snowed heavily twice in January, but it also seemed to hint that the city was going to have a wonderful harvest.

    The cold winds were still biting in the streets, and there was hardly anyone passing through.

    The only bar within the city was a different sight, and the firece in it was burning strongly to fill the bar with light and warmth.

    Adventurers would gather in this ce during autumn and wait for the snow in the forest to melt. Every one of them who came into the bar would take out their robes that were covered fully with snow, observe the entire hall, then took out their hat to show their respect to a young woman who was sitting far away at the corner of the hall.

    That girl¡¯s forehead was very high, and it was smooth as a crystal. The light from the fire would make it shine brightly, and her eyes wererge and showed a little wisdom in them, and they glittered as she looked at the people and goods around her curiously. She wore a beautiful formal dress, and though she could not be considered to be a full adult yet, her chest was maturing amply. Her dress was tucked in at the waist and perfectly entuated the girl¡¯s slender body form. It was just that thedy-like dress was not very fitting for her as her actions were a little thief-like; she acted as if she had stolen the dress from somewhere.

    ¡°Lady boss, this is the deerskin that you wanted. The forest haspletely frozen up and we spent a great deal of effort to chase after a herd of deer. Harduo even suffered a little frostbite. You can¡¯t be overly stingy with our rewards¡ª¡±

    There were a few people who were clearly hunters standing before her and negotiating. The leader was apparently a nearby viger living in the hills. He wore a thick fur coat and there was a longbow on his back.

    ¡°Hoh, Harduo has frostbite? That¡¯s really unlucky for him.¡± Romaine blinked her eyes and asked curiously: ¡°Are there no more deer herds in the forest?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because of those damned Subterrane Dwellers. They scared away the animals.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I heard that the Subterrane Dwellers stopped doing that before it snowed.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s...... In any case, it has something to do with it.¡±

    ¡°I want these deer hides so I can make a coat for Brendel. Are two hundred silver coins fine?¡± Romaine carefully poked the deer hides with her finger as she looked up and asked.

    ¡°We¡¯re definitely pleased to help our Lord and make him arge coat. I¡¯m sure he will be even more fond of you,dy boss.¡± The leader¡¯s face did not show that he believed thedy in front of him would be able to make a coat, but he still spoke respectfully: ¡°But this amount is too little. Lady boss, please take into ount that Harduo is frostbitten.¡±

    ¡°But this deer hide is clearly fromst year. Look at the top here. There are worms that bit through this section,¡± the merchant girl innocently lifted up the deer hide.

    ¡°What¡ª¡±

    ¡°An experienced merchant is in front of us¡ª¡±

    ¡°S-surely it¡¯s not too important how old it is, right? Besides, we really went to the forest. Harduo really has frostbites.¡± The leader coughed as the other adventurers showed embarrassed looks.

    ¡°Which is why these deer hides are not worth a lot of money, and you know it well, right? The remainder of the money is for Harduo, okay? Don¡¯t go off and gamble away your money to that gambler Mano. I¡¯ll send someone to check on Harduo,¡± Romaine red at them, ¡°if he didn¡¯t receive the coins, I¡¯ll send the Subterrane Dwellers on you and have them feast on your flesh.¡±

    The hunters obediently received the money and left after being scolded. Even though they did not deceive thatdy, they did not show any dissatisfaction as if they were used to such haggling.

    Romaine restlessly touched her leather shoes, and she looked around with herrge eyes constantly as if they never stopped while holding on to arge steaming mug of beer. She looked like she was waiting for someone.

    Ever since it was winter, the self-proimed great merchant had been sitting on that particr spot, working on official business or working to buy the natives¡¯ hearts. It was not without reason that she was being respected. Not only was she the lord¡¯s fiancee, but she also had half of the territory¡¯s money and was a goddess of wealth. But the biggest reason was that she was friendly and would never use her status to oppress someone, and instead spent an afternoon to bargain over a few copper coins.

    Strangely, it was because of that reason that the natives did not feel the difference in status. The lives of the adventurers were not easy.

    Money was a very important thing, and they actually looked down on people who arbitrarily spent coins. Amongst Brendel¡¯s advisors, only Freya and Romaine understood this point. Freya knew it because she was born in a poor vige, but Romaine did it because she was simply fond of shiny things.

    As the winter days passed, Romaine had interacted enough with the adventurers to be recognized by them. Even though they were not very close, she was able to gain enough news that Brendel¡¯s men did not get.

    The doors to the bar were pushed open once again, and there was a moment of hushed silence.

    The Silver Elf princess, Medissa, stood in the snow. She was wearing a dull silver fur coat and she ced both hands over lips and sighed. Her eyes looked at the packed hall a little tensely.

    Humans were a little strange to her. The Elves did not like to gather inrge numbers. The definition of a friend was like a mental attachment of sorts. With time passing slowly for the Elves, their disy of emotions was perceived to be one of slight indifference.

    But it was not the first time that she came here. She was here to transmit a message from the lord¡¯s squire, the wizard Ciel, to Romaine.

    The people who saw the little Elven princess backed away to create a path made from an unspoken agreement. There were people who teased her the first time they saw her and nearly caused the long-eared girl to blush.

    In the end, a rumor spread out. ¡®The shy second fiancee of Lord Trentheim¡¯ was Medissa¡¯s new title, and she could not help but re at Romaine with every muttering and whispering that came at her.

    ¡°Medissa, do you want to drink beer?¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°Fruit wine?¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°How about mead?¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    Medissa knew that Romaine did not drink wine. Thetter held a mug of steaming beer to get warm, and she was stingy enough not to switch for a new mug. Every time it got cold she would request for reheating, and if she could, she would do it until the second day. But perhaps it was because of such a stingy person, that the finances of the city were dealt in such an orderly fashion.

    In fact, Medissa had a headache when she first saw the city¡¯s ount book.

    The finances of the city were gradually moving on the right path. The money from the silver mines was continuously delivered to Romaine, and she redistributed the money to the refugees.

    This act was not a charity movement, but a nned result to have the forest in the north cut down into usablend. Seeds had been nted onto the farms and were sleeping underneath the snow. They would germinate once the snow melted.

    Ciel and Bosley discussed how to receive more refugees from the north, while the operation to build a road to the Dark Forest was slowly progressing. The poption of Firburh was not significant, and even if they added the natives from Fort Minst and Port Gris, they were still unable to meet demands. Odum was still repairing the city and the workers could not be spared. Even the White Lion Army wascking in soldiers.

    Food was the cornerstone for all their ns, and Romaine¡¯s maturity andposure in aplishing her tasks had surpassed everyone¡¯s imaginations. It was just like how Ciel had imed it would be.

    She had a natural sparkling talent in logistics.

    It was something one could only be born with, and it allowed her to prepare everything in detail and order without any panic.

    The food that was bought from Ampere Seale was transported by sea, but Romaine did not hand them out directly and instead passed them to the merchants. This method allowed her to recoup the money that was handed out to the citizens.

    After an unknown number of years under Graudin¡¯s rule, the grain market was rebuilt in just a few months, and she won the hearts of the citizens over from the shortsighted former ruler.

    The merchant girl was currently considering to rx the amount of money to recruit people.

    Brendel required more bodies, and she had to show a certain sincerity. Food was not a problem at all in her eyes. As long as there was money to be made from Firburh, then the merchants from Ampere Seale would be like sharks who got the whiff of blood and gathered around her.

    In truth, the first batch of merchants had arrived, though the group was not very big. The merchandise that they had were sold to the city and quickly ran out, but it was fine since there would be even more merchants in the future.

    The money did not just attract merchants. The nearby refugees from Madara¡¯s invasion were starting to flock to Firburh. Free-flowing currency was even more delicious than a cake, as stated by Romaine¡¯s aunt.

    Medissa handed over Ciel¡¯s report to Romaine. The merchant stared fixedly at Medissa and asked: ¡°Where¡¯s Brendel?¡±

    ¡°My Lord hasn¡¯t said anything about returning yet.¡±

    ¡°Then I want to talk to him.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Medissa immediately refused. It was not the first time Romaine had used her as a messenger, and she exined in detail: ¡°Ever since my Lord entered the Loop of Trade Wind, my connection with him was somehow cut off.¡±

    ¡°Haaaah¡ª¨C¡± Romaine let loose a long disappointed sigh: ¡°Then that Ciel fellow has other things that he wants me to do?¡±

    ¡°Yes. He wanted to ask you why you spent so much money on a strange mission, and if you have something nned.¡±

    Medissa looked at the batch of deer hides on the table, wondering a little if Romaine was doing it purely out of fun. But this thought quickly passed. As an Elven princess, the importance of property was very faint. If it were Scarlett or Freya, they would have stared at Romaine with great suspicion.

    ¡°Ah, I wanted to talk about this,¡± Romaine showed an expression of surprise, ¡°there are no more deer in the forest. Do you know anything about it?¡±

    As someone who lived before the War of the Holy Saints, and one who was raised as a Silver Elfmander, Medissa¡¯s expression became stern upon hearing Romaine¡¯s words.

    The animals in the forest would not disappear without a reason.

    It was clear that the enemies have started moving. She looked at Romaine and understood that thetter was sending out the adventurers to different areas in order to scout for unnatural things:

    ¡°What exactly did the adventurers report?¡±

    ¡°A few adventurers said that they spotted activities of the undead nearby. I think these bad undead things from Be have reached this area. Brendel previously said that they are near Trentheim, right?¡±

    It was Madara¡ª

 volume 3 - 208

    ¨C Rose, brambles, and lust for power

    ================ Royal Faction ==============

    Madara was here.

    Not only that, Count Randner had gathered an army of twenty thousand men in just two months in the Ps region, including three retainer knights withnd deeds and soldiers.

    With the addition of the mountain natives and other tribal forces, this force was no longer looking like a simple subjugation, but a show of force towards the people who dared to mock the Count.

    This level of mobilization proved that Count Randner was a long way off from ¡®retirement¡¯.

    He was still like a tiger that was narrowing its eyes, and once it opened them, it would be able to cause the entire southern mountainous region in Aouine to tremble, which happened several decades ago.

    The entire Trentheim region was still under the tiger¡¯s paws, and many people were starting to mock the fools who dared to tug at the tiger¡¯s whiskers.

    Grphyine¡¯s Knight Commander, Count Assel immediately took this report when he received it, and promptly left his office for the Princess¡¯s. Lord Cobb saw and followed him:

    ¡°My greetings, Knight Commander, I¡¯ve heard the news from the south.¡±

    Cobb¡¯s position within the royal faction was not high, but he worked under Grandmaster Fleetwood. Since Fleetwood was princess Gryphine¡¯s teacher and a court wizard, his position amongst the Royal Faction was respected. Even the bigwigs in the Royal Faction had to lower their heads when they saw this wizard.

    Assel did not wish to deal with the trouble from Copp¡¯s superior, so he nodded to acknowledge thetter¡¯s words:

    ¡°Her Highness favors the rebellion army greatly but it¡¯s a pity; she will be disappointed. In truth, many of our superiors doesn¡¯t support the idea of getting involved with these rebels. It¡¯s too dangerous since Count Randner is someone with strong military might.¡±

    Kopp faked a sigh and nodded:

    ¡°Her Highness isn¡¯t willing to speak with Duke Arreck. She¡¯s just a child, regardless of how much the outside rumors that praise of her intelligence. Indeed, a girl is still a girl, it¡¯s unavoidable that she would cling on to a few wishful thoughts.¡±

    Aseel raised an eyebrow and replied:

    ¡°Politics is politics. The future of the kingdom is more important than anything else, and I believe that Her Highness will be able to see this point. Achieving an agreement with Count Randner is our best oue. Only with it would the princess have enough clout to negotiate with that old duke.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m worried about the princess being stubborn about it. Do you know this piece of information, Lord Assel¡ª I heard that she secretlymunicated with the rebels. If the evidence of her collusion gets to Count Randner¡¯s hands, we will be ced in a passive position.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Duke Lantonrand and Grandmaster Fleetwood and our knights do not agree to support these country bumpkins that are lurking in the shadows. I am certain Her Highness will not continue her ways that in light of this new information.¡±

    Cobb secretlyughed. Princess Gryphine was much more stubborn than Assel thought, and it was not as if everyone was against her support for these rebels. But he was a smooth person and would not say this thought directly, and instead asked slyly:

    ¡°What of Lord Oberbeck¡¯s position in this matter?¡±

    ¡°He......¡± Assel became quiet.

    Indeed, that person who had the nickname of a ¡®Wolf¡¯ had an ambiguous attitude, making it impossible for anyone to know his thoughts. What was even more of a headache was that Oberbeck was the leader of his own clique, and his mind was no weaker than Makarov the ¡®Cunning Fox¡¯.

    Because of Oberbeck¡¯s silence in this matter, the opposition to the princess did not truly register.

    And if all these voices were not aligned, then it meant that there might be a change to the perception of these rebels. But Assel did not favor them at all and even thought that putting the fate of the kingdom on them was akin to treating it like a game.

    Cobb and many others had the same thought. In their eyes, Count Randner who controlled arge territory and forces was a hundred times more likely to win against a bunch of thieves.

    Perhaps they were even more likable than these damn rebels¡ª

    Although the princess¡¯s ns were feasible, it was just too dangerous. The alternate ns that she had were treated like a young girl¡¯s naive hope to control her own fate.

    The nobles had seen such acts in history one too many times and did not make a fuss about it, and instead had faces of pity and understanding.

    A princess¡¯s fate was to be used as a pawn for a political marriage. If the little girl wanted to struggle, then they would allow her to do it as long as it did not affect the overall oue.

    Assel made a signal to Cobb to get thetter to leave as they approached the princess¡¯s office, before pushing the wooden doors open.

    There were quite a few people in the study.

    Oberbeck, Fleetwood, Makarov, Count Barre, and almost all the core members of the Royal Faction were there. Assel was not surprised. Ever since the southern situation became tense, a meeting was held almost in the study every day.

    But the silent atmosphere in the room was a little stifling and umon. Assel presented the report in his hand to the princess amidst the res.

    ¡°Thank you, Ser Assel.¡± The crisp voice of the princess was calm, but Assel felt a little guilty upon hearing it.

    He was considered as a half-teacher to the princess since the skillful swordsmanship of hers was taught by him.

    ¡°It¡¯s my duty, Your Highness,¡± Assel lowered his head and answered.

    The princess and the others did not look at the report, and he knew that they had received this information already.

    He could not help but steal a nce at the calm half-elven princess. She was still asposed as her usual self.

    Her beauty seemed to stand out in this oppressive atmosphere with her silver hair reflecting a soft sheen from the candlelight, while her hands were ced on her thighs with an unflinching gaze and pursed lips.

    But there was a rarely seen expression of graveness as she returned the stares from everyone.

    ¡°I understand, let us go ahead with your wishes,¡± she said.

    It was apromise, but her decisive voice did not allow any further negotiation.

    It was as though she was the one who made the decision all by herself, without being affected by their bemoanings. Count Barre shook his head in disappointment. If this princess was actually a prince, then how wonderful would it be?

    Unfortunately, there were no ¡®ifs¡¯ in history.

    A peace treaty with Count Randner, then an arranged marriage of alliance after holding talks with Duke Arreck.

    In the minds of every member of the Royal Faction, the damned invaders from the north would be treated like the threat of a barking dog.

    Once the snow melted and the battles in the future were over, the revival of the Aouine kingdom would definitely be realized.

    It was a perfect oue.

    ============= Trentheim =============

    Hadsh sneezed after a yawn. He rubbed his face and tried to stave off the cold from his face. Even though it was a new year, the freezing cold did not seem like it was going to end soon. It was instead getting colder, and the Gris river had ayer of ice over it from time to time. Trees were bing as hard as stone.

    He was standing on top of a watchtower and ced his hands on the walls while he looked out to the forest. Part of the forest had been cut down and thend was tilled, but the seeds had not sprouted yet. The farmers had already left the area, and there were only soldiers and mercenaries along with a number of knights. These military units were the best professionals from the various regions.

    The watchtower he was in was a short distance away from Trentheim. There were many people who knew there would be a great battle ahead, and they thought there was no doubt at all in terms of their strength.

    Even though Count Randner was slowly bing an old man, his vigor had not decreased at all. His orders to the various retainers that he had were still seen as authority. An army of nearly twenty thousand was gathered in a short period of time. Most of Trentheim¡¯s men also knew that there were tribal natives and undead assisting Count Randner as well. Even the northern lords would take pause at Count Randner¡¯s strength.

    But Hadsh and many natives had a different view from the other nobles watching the fight between the Count Randner and the rebels. There were twenty men that came to this watchtower in the past three days. But what was surprising to Hadsh and the others was that these men were true veterans.

    He was formerly one of Graudin¡¯s ¡®private knights¡¯, and though he could notpare to the knights working for high-ranking nobles, he was still considered as a skilled warrior, and there were no more than fifty of his caliber in Firburh. Private soldiers or militia were no match for him.

    In this era, the fights between nobles were usually a bloody affair.

    These nobles did not really directly participate in such battles, though there were unlucky ones who were shot by stray arrows. The soldiers and knights working for them were killed in great numbers, and Hadsh had experienced several such battles.

    People like him who survived the battles would be seen as veterans, and they tend to look down on new soldiers who had trouble wielding a sword correctly and saw them as fodder.

    A noble of considerable influence would have roughly a hundred men consisting of them and knights. That was the limit for a noble.

    First of all, these lords could not afford to pay them.

    Paying for the Knights¡¯ armors and swords already required a considerable amount of resources, let alone paying off a seasoned knight like Kodan.

    Secondly, there were not enough talented men. A small lord could not attract people with such skills, as the ones with even a little talent would rather go to Count Randner or someone else with simr clout.

    In truth, a lord with a hundred knights could be seen as someone powerful.

    Even someone like Graudin who was given excessive power as a Baron had no more than a hundred knights.

    Yet Brendel was the exception that broke allmon sense.

    The men under this youth were gathered by coincidence,prised of mountain warriors and mercenaries from a faraway region.

    Even though they did not participate in a battle of arge scale, they fought bloody battles throughout the year and had keener senses than the typical soldier.

    Jana, Raban, and Cornelius were the cream of the crop. Raban¡¯s subordinates were formal cavalry from the Karsuk Hignds and they were elite scouts who had fought off Madara¡¯s undead. Each member was more formidable than the ordinary mercenaries.

    But they were not the strongest unit.

    Leto and the mercenaries under him were even more impressive. They were not as strong as Raban¡¯s men due to their old age, but it was precisely because of their age that they had exceptionalbat experience. Their identities were suspicious, and Hadsh suspected they were actually veterans who survived the November War.

    This conclusion was a little frightening but it was also the most likely hypothesis.

    There were also other men from Be, soldiers and cavalry from Fortress Riedon who fought against Madara. There were even Lord Macsen¡¯s knights who surrendered to Carglise who Brendel.

    Therefore Brendel had close to three thousand men after recruiting new soldiers from Firburh, and eighty percent of his men were veterans who had enough fighting experience who would not lose to the knights under Count Randner.

    The outsiders thought that Trentheim¡¯s rebels were a disorganized mob, but Hadsh knew there was at least two thousand knights under the young lord.

    [Marsha above, two thousand knights could easily lead a hundred thousand men...... King Erik had only two hundred knights when he founded Aouine.]

    ¡°There¡¯s movement in the forest.¡± A voice suddenly called out behind him.

    Hadsh jumped and turned around.

 volume 3 - 209 â€“ Half-Dragon Scarle

    tt

    ========== Brendel¡¯s POV ==========

    While the tension of Trentheim rose, Brendel and the others were descending into surprise.

    Andesha was knocked unconscious with considerable ease by Brendel and Scarlett. The Mistress of Withering Decay who was older than them could not get even a little advantage under theirbined prowess.

    [But what¡¯s going on?]

    The red-haired girl walked over, her face as red like a cute apple, but she dared not to take in a single breath.

    Brendel stared at the girl who asionally showed her sharp canines with a little unruliness on the side, and he blurted:

    ¡°Scarlet, are you alright?¡±

    The girl shook her head quickly to show that she was fine: ¡°I¡¯m not too sure, my lord. I feel that the Fire Seed has suppressed my Element Power, but I don¡¯t think my strength was affected too much.¡±

    ¡°If going by rank?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps a little less than a Gold-ranker?¡±

    ¡°You retained that much!?¡± Veronica gasped.

    Her abilities had been reduced to an Iron-ranked warrior, and Mephisto was no different. Brendel¡¯s abilities went down as well, though it was mitigated greatly by the Dragon of Darkness¡¯s blood.

    Mana and Element Powers were added passively to a body¡¯s Physique, Strength, Agility, and Perception.

    An Unsealed Element Power was to perceive the Laws in one¡¯s own body and the world¡¯s Laws. By achieving a perfect understanding of the Laws, one would be able to absorb and hold the Laws within them to achieve a Shaped Physique for the body.

    The greatest advantage for a Golden Lineage was their Shaped Physique, and they were typically born with an Unsealed Element Power, and they would automatically move towards perfecting their Element Powers and bodies. Galbu¡¯s wizards and Silver Elves had their own Shaped Physiques and were just a step behind.

    But there were other races that were not blessed. The Wind Elves and humans, even though they were perceived as beings who were blessed by Marsha, had to start with a body that was poorly attuned to their Element Power and had to take one step at a time to reach the top.

    Still, the humans were flexible and had limitless potential.

    The citizens of the Golden Lineage had to undergo a long journey to perfect their usage of Element Power, frequently requiring centuries to do so. The Silver Lineage also required a long time as well.

    The person who gained strength the quickest was the Sword Genius King Gatel. He was only seventy when he reached perfection with his Element Power. The Dwarves¡¯ record was a hundred and sixty years, while the Wind Elves¡¯ record took two hundred and ten years.

    They were much quicker than any of the Golden Lineage or Silver Lineage to master their Element Power.

    ¡°Not a true dragon,¡± Mephisto remarked.

    Brendel nodded as well. Scarlett probably had a portion of the Dragon¡¯s bloodline, and it was rtivelymon amongst humans. Dragons loved to change into human forms and leave their descendants behind amongst the humans.

    ¡°Dragons are said to choose their mates every decade on the fifth moon. The Star Seers from the Tower of Ten Borders ims that the first baby birthed on this month would have the blood of the dragon flowing in them.¡± Mephisto continued his remarks.

    Rumors frequently happened at the southeastern regions of the Dark Forest.

    Brendel suddenly squinted. There was a little girl dragon that he thought of, but he quickly dispelled that image in his mind.

    ¡°Scarlett, your parents are?¡± Brendel asked.

    Scarlett looked puzzledly at her lord before she understood what he was thinking and hurriedly shook her head:

    ¡°My lord, my parents are normal citizens.¡±

    ¡°Are you certain?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I still remember things about my childhood. I¡¯m definitely their child. My father told me that I resembled my mother more, and I have a brother as well.¡± She seemed like she was afraid of Brendel not believing her, so she added another sentence: ¡°But my vige was raided by bandits and I was rescued by my formermander after they.....¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Brendel was feeling a little guilty because he had forced her to think about the sad events of the past and replied softly.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± Scarlett shook her head and smiled, revealing her canines.

    Brendel was nearly in a daze from looking at her smile. In his mind, he recalled that she rarely smiled, and now she had a huge dazzling smile stered on her face. He yelled a few times in his mind to recover himself, and at the same time had a stronger doubt about Scarlett¡¯s bloodline.

    [Andesha shouldn¡¯t be wrong about this. She¡¯s one of the Tree Shepherds and sensitive to races with powerful bloodlines.]

    ¡°The Blood of Gods?¡± Orthlyss spoke in her mind.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. Humans carry the bloodline of the Iron Lineage, and they wouldn¡¯t magically turn into someone possessing the Dragon¡¯s blood or even the Golden Lineage after drinking the Blood of Gods.....¡± Brendel continued with some uncertainty after considering a while: ¡°I¡¯m probably an exception because I received the Dragon of Darkness¡¯s blood and it had somehow awakened a certain bloodline.¡±

    ¡°My lord, look at this.¡± Scarlett raised both her arms.

    Dark golden runes were flowing across her arms. It was a familiar sight, as it had happened before when the Mana Wave came. He did not think much about it back then and merely thought it was the Golden Apple that caused the tremendous flow of Mana to move in her veins, and it had resonated with the Mana Wave.

    But it seemed like that was not the case.

    The Mana and Elements around this area were severed, so there should not be any resonations. These magic Runes were definitely the power of a Bloodline. Brendel frowned. He did not study much about Bloodlines and did not recognize the Runes, but Orthlyss shouted in a startled voice:

    ¡°The Blood of a Dragon?!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Brendel asked in confusion.

    ¡°This girl had drunk the blood of a Dragon in the past, and it¡¯s a living Dragon at that. A half-dragon¡¯s blood...... It¡¯s not a Lineage, but it¡¯s still something that¡¯s good for her. She¡¯s definitely stronger than you if she leaves the influence of the Fire Seed. It¡¯s a great advantage for her, typically half-dragon humans learn things faster by twenty or thirty percent.¡±

    Brendel nearly choked on his saliva.

    [Dragon Bloodline...... That¡¯s a quest in the game that offers that Talent and it¡¯s an ¡°XP gain +20-30%¡±, but that¡¯s so rare that I have never seen a yer with it. And drinking a Dragon¡¯s blood? I drank plenty of that stuff costing from several hundred to millions of coins. It adds stats, and I have never seen someone drinking it and gaining a Talent. Do things work differently in this world?!]

    Brendel wanted to smash his head against a wall when he heard the given advantage, but he quickly recovered and asked carefully: ¡°Is there any harm to drink the Dragon¡¯s blood?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no real harm, but the drinker will have form a unique kinship to the owner of the blood,¡± she replied.

    The youth could sense Orthlyss¡¯s smirk.

    ¡°You have quite the number of enemies, and this little girl will be of great help to you, but you need to be careful. If that dragon who gave its blood to her happens to be a male dragon who¡¯s full of charisma, your loyal girl would be seduced away by him.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s lips jerked a few times at the teasing words, though he was not really worried about it. He was basically certain that the little dragon girl did something to the Golden Apple.

    [Hmm. Wait. Did Rauze intend me to have this Golden Apple? Shit, I knew it, that loli dragon is up to no good!]

    Brendel was hugely relieved that Scarlett ate the apple. It was not a good thing to be fancied by a dragon¡ª He had seen enough unlucky fellows in the game because of the text ¡®A Dragon fancies you.¡¯.

    The Dragons in the game solved things simply and directly.

    They threw a Charmed magic spell on the yers or NPCs and directly dragged them into their caves. yers would not actually get affected by the magic and instead see this on their quest windows.

    ¡°A Dragon has expressed interest in you. It is casting a magic spell on you in order to take you away. You can choose to ept or refuse, but it will still drag you away¡ª Alive or Dead.¡±

    ¡°Please choose to ept or refuse.¡±

    The majority of the gamers who had a normal IQ would choose the former. Technically, a dragon who dragged such a person into theirir was not really going to do that particr pleasurable and entertaining thing that the masses enjoyed during their teenage andter years. It was actually a matter of making the dragons delighted.

    The mostmon method of making them happy was telling a story to them oring up with a riddle for them to solve. Most of the time it would take three full days and night.

    Logging out was possible for the gamers, but it was necessary for them to work at least seventy-two hours and perhaps longer to make these Dragons satisfied.

    The rewards were satisfactory, but the majority of the gamers were unwilling to do such quests because of the hassles involved. The Dragons¡¯ memories were good enough to catch any stories that were repeated. It was all too easy to make the gamers know how good the dragons¡¯ intelligence was when they solve the riddles quickly.

    Brendel shivered when he thought of these things. Rauze gave away the Golden Apple instead of charming him with a spell. This meant that her interest had surpassed the norm. She did not leave him because of theck of interest, but because there was something really important that she had to handle.

    But despite the strong interest in him, a dragon¡¯s thinking waspletely different from a human.

    She was most likely saying this: ¡°Human, I want you to act as a toy until I¡¯m greatly satisfied..¡±

 volume 3 - 210 â€“ Valhalla Ruins

    One of Faena¡¯s hands clutched the edge of her skirt and raised it up. The others did not know when she had approached and stood on a pyramid-shaped tform. The pale light from the Fire Seed lit up the thin strands of hair hanging the sides on her face.

    ¡°What is this thing!?¡± She suddenly asked aloud and pointed with her other hand to a certain object.

    It was a ck metallic staff. Its body had roughly the thickness of an arm and was embedded in arge crystal that was connected to the base of the tform. On top of the staff was arge crystal sphere.

    Brendel was certain that this thing did not exist earlier.

    He patted Scarlett¡¯s hand. Both he and Orthlyss had guessed the answers to the puzzle that concerned Scarlett. It could be put aside for now since the Dragon¡¯s blood did not pose any real danger, and the threat from the Dragon loli girl Rauze was still faint.

    Brendel and the others went over to take a closer look at the staff. There were golden patterns inscribed into the ck staff¡¯s body, though these patterns seemed like they were meaningless lines. They resembled the aesthetics of the hall and was a product of the ancient eras. The crystal on the staff¡¯s head was fixed tightly and could not be pried off with strength.

    Brendel¡¯s current strength was many times of a normal adult but there was no sign of the crystal loosening. It meant that the crystal was not affixed by physical means but magic.

    The youth had already guessed this oue at the first nce. He took a moment to look at the others before he ced his hand back on the crystal sphere. In the next instant, a web made out ofyers of green light came into everyone¡¯s eyes. It quickly extended to reach over a meter to form colorful images filled with mystery.

    [Just like I thought.]

    A spark streak across Brendel¡¯s mind.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Veronica asked.

    ¡°The core of this underground city,¡± Brendel answered.

    ¡°Oh? I know that the Wind Elves¡¯ Fade Fortress has a crystal sphere in it. The wizards from Galbu made them and it allows one to manipte the outer defense systems. Is it simr to this crystal?¡±

    ¡°Simr, yes, since it¡¯s a replica of this crystal,¡± Brendel replied.

    In the game, the Galbu Wizards crafted many replicas and sold them to yers at a million Tor coins. As expected, the imitation¡¯s effectiveness was much weaker than the real deal.

    Words formed in Brendel¡¯s retina.

    ¡°Stao cu......d oaa s......A¡¯rtee s...... (Request....... Temr...... Interrupted, broken.....)¡±

    ¡°Dum Ru......d oaa s......A¡¯rtee s...... (Dawn Knights...... Cathedral, request..... Interrupted......¡±

    ¡°Pos¡¯ssa......d oaa s......A¡¯rtee s...... (Market area...... Request........ Interrupted......¡±

    Thenguage of the ancient eras wasplex. The shaped designs of the alphabets were prominent twenty thousand years ago, spread throughout the continent at a certain year, but it was eventually phased out and buried. Brendel recognized some of the words because he saw many of the deciphered images in the game.

    Thisnguage in the game was created by the AI and deemed a miracle by the public. Many yers studied the books collected in the various libraries scattered in the kingdoms. The history in the game was tied to many events, and it was greatly enthralling to many yers.

    More words poured out over Brendel¡¯s eyes like a waterfall, each sentence bing more and moreplicated. The others were looking at the various images that had unrecognizable words hovering over them, but they suddenly rearranged to form a map.

    Brendel had issued amand to the system.

    ¡°This is a map of the entire underground city!¡± Veronica¡¯s eyes glinted with a strange light when all theyers of green light stopped moving.

    There were three defense lines created across the images that resembled broken ss. Lines were drawn across them like spiderwebs, and there were also three-dimensional pictures of the various rooms and halls.

    [It certainly looks like gxy maps in the space-genre games.]

    Brendel saw Veronica looking back at him with her green eyes:

    ¡°There¡¯s even an image of the city above us...... Is it be possible for the crystal to control the above city?¡±

    Brendel nodded with excitement that could nearly be perceived as agitation, but it was not because of what Veronica asked. It wasmon knowledge that a city¡¯s Core Crystal was the operating system of the city¡¯s defenses.

    What surprised him was that he could recognize the words that the images were showing.

    [I see. So this is why Valha is perceived as a territory with a ¡®legendary¡¯ rating. There are some words that I can¡¯t read since I didn¡¯t read enough ancient texts, but it¡¯s enough for me to understand. Valha is a Conceptual Land. The entire city is equipped with an ¡®Eternal¡¯ magic system.]

    ¡°This ¡®Eternal System¡¯ you¡¯re seeing now is aplex magic formation that incorporates Element Powers and Magic Spells for defense. It¡¯s a Domain that¡¯s self-sustaining and not affected by outside forces. Unless you destroy the entire city to bits, the system would continue to function.¡±

    Brendel remarked, though he left out certain information.

    [It¡¯s also a powerful form of Spirit magic. The citizens of Valha probably preserved their souls back then. This system is capable of collecting Heroic Spirits from other regions. This means that it could retain technology, armaments, and techniques. In short, it¡¯s a data preservation center.]

    The youth organized the windows in his retina. He saw Mist Elves, Negans, Dawn Knights, Dark Elves, and a few other races.

    The Dawn Knights were Negan warriors who worshipped the sun. They were from the Golden Lineage. Each one was capable of conjuring the morning sunlight to resist the enemies of darkness and capable of casting powerful healing magic, but these Dawn Knights were ultimately wiped out during the war against the Twilight Dragon, and the Negan race disappeared in the annals of history. However, Valha was able to preserve these Heroic Spirits.

    There were also Angels of Death and Dusk Elves avable for recruiting.

    [The Dawn Knights are Tier 10, the Death Angels and Dusk Elves are Tier 14. Just a handful of the former would be the equivalent of a medium-sized kingdom¡¯s entire force in the distant past. Each individual Death Angel or Dusk Elf is equivalent to a hero found in the War of the Holy Saints. Indeed, Valha is a fitting name as it calls Heroic Spirits to this ce¡ª]

    Brendel frowned a little. It was strange......

    Even if this was a parallel world, what were the chances that the civilizations of this world used terms that resembled his past world?

    His thoughts were interrupted by Veronica¡¯s gasp.

    ¡°Just how much Mana is required to control the city through the Core Crystal? Doesn¡¯t it mean that the circuits are connected everywhere?¡±

    The youth knew what she was thinking. This was simr to Galbu¡¯s floating city. The Kirrlutz Empire would definitely be interested in thisnd.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not just the entire city,¡± he shook his head, ¡°it¡¯s the entire region.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±What!?¡±¡±¡±

    It was not just Veronica who eximed. Mephisto and Faena joined in as well. Just exactly how impressive this territory was?

    ¡°But you¡¯re going to be disappointed.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Veronica was already tempted. She was still a general of the Kirrlutz Empire, and this was a floating city that was bigger than the Galbu¡¯s.

    ¡°Here, try it out for yourself.¡± Brendel removed his hand from the crystal and invited Veronica to try it out.

    Thetter looked a little stunned.

    ¡°You want me to control this ce?¡± Veronica was curious and puzzled over Brendel¡¯s actions. He was literally inviting her to control this ce and fly it over to the Empire.

    Brendel merely smiled and nodded.

    Veronica did not ask again and ced her hand on the crystal. Her eyebrows first lifted up, then sank quickly. She showed a face of understanding after a few moments.

    ¡°What is it,mander?¡± Faena asked eagerly.

    ¡°I see. I was thinking how a wily fox like you would be trusting enough to let me test out the system.¡±

    Even though Veronica did not understand thenguage, she discovered that it was impossible to activate any of the magic circuits in the city. Perhaps it was because there was severe damage to the circuits, or maybe time had somehow corrupted them despite the system being ¡®Eternal¡¯.

    ¡°Is it possible to repair them? How bad is the damage?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Completely ruined, and I doubt anyone knows how to repair this ce. The only thing that survived is the Fire Seed.¡±

    ¡°¡±It¡¯s a pity.¡±¡± Mephisto echoed Veronica¡¯s words at the same time.

    ¡°You¡¯re too devious!¡± Faena red at the youth, certain that he would not reveal this information if this ce still functioned.

    Brendel merely nodded with an emotionless face.

    [Indeed, it¡¯s a pity. It¡¯s a legendary ce...... But at the same time, there¡¯s a functioning spare Core Crystal underneath this ce. It¡¯s too bad you can¡¯t read thenguage, hahaha¡ª]

 volume 3 - 211 â€“ Leaving the Loop of Trade Winds

    After lighting the Fire Seed and confirming that the Core Crystal had lost its use, the group began to search the underground city to see if there were anything of use. Since it was an adventure, they should not be returning empty-handed. Brendel had not felt such a pleasant time searching in an underground city after Aouine was destroyed in the game.

    The youth traveled to other kingdoms and grouped up with yers, but it was not unusual to have yers kill-stealing and he had to guard against them. Many groups were also ambushed in dungeons, and there were many who werewless and troublesome to deal with.

    Here, Veronica and Mephisto made Brendel feel safe. The female general kept her promises and she only had eyes for precious artifacts. What Brendel wanted might not be things she wanted, and it was not as if she recognized the value of the ancient artifacts. He would always gain the upper hand here.

    Mephisto was someone who did not have any material desire, and instead trained in the path of the sword like a maniac. If he was not bogged down by the fate of his kingdom, he would probably have reached Andesha¡¯s level long ago. He was also in need of Brendel¡¯s help to restore his kingdom, so it was unlikely that he would vie for something that Brendel wanted.

    The youth brought these two powerful bodyguards around with confidence that he would find at least one or two Legacy artifacts, but contrary to his beliefs, he did not even find one functioning magic artifact despite searching the underground city for several hours.

    The entire underground city¡¯s Mana seemed to have beenpletely disassembled. Any artifacts that they found had lost its power.

    Several passages showed signs of violent battles, and the ground had broken weapons and armors strewn across the floors. Magic patterns could be clearly seen on them, but there were no signs of Mana activity on them.

    Brendel also discovered some magic artifacts meant for daily life, like Illuminating Crystals and Mana Stoves. But they were all void of Mana and could not be used again.

    [A powerful Anti-Magic spell was cast down here and affected them. But what kind of power does that spell have to sweep over the entire city?]

    Brendel and his two bodyguards were a little shocked. Thergest war they knew was the War of the Holy Saints. The most powerful spells cast during that era were at the Fourteen Circle and it certainly did not reach this magnitude. It was clear that this particr Anti-Magic spell was used against the monsters from the Era of Chaos as a final desperate measure.

    Still, Brendel swept all this equipment into the Dimension Space. Trentheim did not have iron mines, and melting these weapons and armor down made it possible for the metal to be reused. This equipment was high quality and some of them were even made of Star Metal.

    [This is such a wasteful use of Star Metal...... Just applying a little of it makes it possible to resist magic spells. And it¡¯s hard to procure Star Metal too.]

    Veronica found it humorous when she saw Brendel¡¯s greedy actions. If it were a young noble from the Kirrlutz Empire, they would never do something so openly to loot a sacred ce.

    Faena mocked Brendel for being a ve to money, and thetter agreed with her assessment, though he rolled his eyes at the notion of being a ¡®noble¡¯.

    Trentheim and Valha were just starting up and it was difficult. He did not mind being greedier when he needed money. The ratio of Trentheim to Aouine was like Aouine to the Kirrlutz Empire. It was a very sensible thing to do.

    ¡°You...... stupid oaf!¡±

    ¡°Why are you interfering with my choice?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s thick skin made Faena angry. She did not understand why he did something so shameless and ignored her goodwill, but she was unwilling to admit that she did not want Brendel to act in this manner in front of Veronica.

    They eventually exited the underground city and explored the ruins above. It seemed like there was resistance at every street corner. Brendel thought the guardians of this ce were all defeated as he collected the equipment. He estimated he got at least a few thousand sets of armor and weapons, filling the Dimension Space to the brim.

    [If Amman had a grave he would turn his body over. Honestly, just having this Dimension Space alone is already a reward.]

    The group eventually stopped searching the area. They confirmed that Valha waspletely destroyed and there were no magic artifacts that still worked, and Veronica and Mephistopletely lost interest in the area.

    There were no signs of the Lionheart and Veronica lost two talented youths instead. Even though this probably did not affect her authority in the Empire, she did not wish to stay on any longer.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± She expressed her desire to Brendel.

    ¡°Are you going back to the Green Tower?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m heading back to my subordinates and leaving for the Empire. I don¡¯t wish to deal with the Druids.¡±

    Brendel could understand Veronica¡¯s mindset. The Druids had confronted thetter earlier and she would not allow her probable enemies to see her awful state, but the also youth thought that the Druids were probably suffering even more casualties than she did.

    ¡°Come to think of it, the youths that you brought are probably the weakest fighters amongst the various mercenaries and factions, but it seems like you lost the least amount of men. That¡¯s a little too much of an irony. What are your ns now?¡± Veronica asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving as well. This ce is currently a dead city and there¡¯s no point to stay here.¡± Brendel scratched his head.

    The youth had discovered the second Core Crystal. It had a different shapepared to the conspicuous crystal, resembling a grey walnut. If he did not ess the information from the first Core Crystal, he was definitely going to miss out on this thing, let alone Veronica and Mephisto.

    Thus Brendel took possession of Valha.

    [It¡¯s not going to be easy to restore it. This Core Crystal establishes the Domain for approximately 2 miles and supplies twenty buildings with Mana, which is more than sufficient since there are only that many buildings. Building Wizard Towers, Nests, Magic Forge, or Magic Formations..... I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for me to build even half of the buildings. I should focus on making a Hydra Nest and Magic Forge first. Then aboratory for Amandina to study Magicite. Even though she volunteers to be my advisor and has some considerable talent, it¡¯s a waste if she didn¡¯t do what she was meant to do.]

    The instructions given by the second Core Crystal was to build arge hall ording to its designs and nt it into the ground. Once it was activated, the Domain would be created and extended out. The activation was akin to nting a seed, and the entire process would take two weeks.

    Even though he thought it was bizarre to construct such a strange hall, he could not stay here for two weeks. He had been cut off from the outside world after he entered the Loop of Trade Winds while Trentheim was surrounded by strong enemies. It was possible to have a dangerous scenario and he had to settle things as quickly as possible and bring back the advantages that he received from this adventure to fight the possible enemies.

    Building the hall for the World Tree could be tasked to Amandina, and it was also possible to get the Druids to help out, so in his eyes there should not be a problem Veronica showed a little surprise to Brendel¡¯s response, but she was quite pleased to see the next action he would take. Mephisto naturally followed them. He did not have any reason to stay behind, and his original intention was to pick a fight with Veronica, but no one would have expected that he formed a temporary alliance with her as well as Brendel.

    From that moment onwards, this little alliance would be take root to be something of significance in Aouine.

 volume 3 - 212 â€“ Preparation for war 1

    Chapter 212 ¨C Preparation for war (1)

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Brendel froze for a moment after walking out of the Loop of Trade Winds.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Veronica eyed him and asked.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Brendel shook his head.

    He felt that the connection with his summons restored the moment he exited the Wall of Clouds. Medissa and Ciel reached out to him almost instantaneously once they felt the connection and they reported Firburh¡¯s situation to him.

    Count Randner¡¯s army had finished gathering in the Ps region, and it was not even a day before they started moving towards Firburh, which was before the harsh winter was even over.

    It was a little faster than what Brendel had anticipated.

    ¡°Medissa, help me to praise little Romaine for catching the enemy¡¯s movements. Ciel, get the Druids stationed in our territory to fortify our defenses along River Gris. If the battle starts, keep me informed of the situation.¡± Brendel said.

    Firburh had been preparing for this battle for several months. It would be ridiculous if they could not hold out for several weeks.

    [Thismunication system via the neswalker is just too good. I can actually direct a long-distance battle. Sure, there are magic artifacts that achieve the same results, but it¡¯s a low-level fight happening in Aouine, not some important fight between the Kirrlutz Empire and another kingdom. Neither Count Randner or me can afford to pay out the device or Mana Crystals to make it function¡ª Huh?]

    He suddenly sensed a weak cry in his mind, one that should not exist.

    ¡°¡ªMorpheus?¡±

    Brendel saw an image of a ¡®boy who cannot be this cute until he looks like a girl¡¯ in his mind. His ck attire was in tatters and he was covered in blood. There was even a naked shoulder revealed as heid sprawled across broken rocks as though he was unconscious. Indeed, he was unconscious after climbing for several hours towards where Andesha had fought Brendel and him earlier.

    It was only when he detected Brendel¡¯s telepathic link that he fluttered his eyes and woke up. Perhaps it was the special rtionship between a neswalker and a Summon¡ª

    ¡°My Lord, you finally found me, I have been searching for you for a long time.¡± The ¡®girl¡¯ showed an expression like he was dreaming. His pale, calm face was spotty with blood, but it still glowed with radiance.

    [I see. Morpheus didn¡¯t enter the Graveyard after he was knocked down the valley. Looks like there are two things that interfered with themunication system. Andesha, as well as the ruins in Valha. Well, it¡¯s not surprising that Morpheus survived after so many sacrifices were made to boost his level. Hmm. How long has it been? A day? Maybe he was unconscious because I didn¡¯t feed my blood to him.]

    Brendel was relieved to see that the Vampire Trap was still alive. Thetter was still a Gold-ranker, and he could be boosted to higher levels to enhance the usage of his Element Power. It was a sizable unit for his army.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Brendel was unable to treat his summon like a ¡®card¡¯, and he asked with a little guilt when he took a closer look at ¡®her¡¯ wounds.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Morpheus shook his head with a blush appearing on his face, and he spoke with a little embarrassment in his voice, ¡°I¡¯m just a little hungry, my Lord.¡±

    It did not take long for Morpheus to appear. Scarlett¡¯s face turned crimson, and Veronica looked at the youth with an odd look.

    There were two cute bite marks on his neck.

    ¡°Wait, I told you not to bite my neck¡ª!¡±

    Brendel was unable to ept that he was hugged and sucked on his neck by another man, no matter how much he resembled a girl. He did not expect Morpheus to rush over to him with blinding speed and did not allow him to react in time. A Vampire¡¯s primary attribute was speed, and even Andesha had to engage Morpheus in closebat despite having superior levels.

    It was simply not possible for Brendel to avoid Morpheus when the youth did not activate Trance.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m gravely injured and need blood from a pulsing artery, and my Lord¡¯s blood is too delicious......¡± Morpheus revealed two adorable canines with a faint smile and answered shyly with a blush.

    Brendel could only sigh and look up at the clouds in silence. It was because of him that Morpheus got gravely injured so he could only ept the oue. Still, he gave a strict order to Morpheus and forbid thetter from approaching his neck unless there was permission given.

    The interlude was quickly over, and Brendel had his eyes on the uing battle. He wanted to see his army¡¯s increased prowess against the challenge from the north. After a day¡¯s journey, they finally moved back to the Wolf¡¯s Blockade.

    The Fire Seed had established Order to the Dark Forest and there was sunlight pouring across the cliffs. The terrible sight of countless dead corpses in the area was gone. Was it because the wolves had devoured them before they went for the Green Tower?

    Silence filled the forest. Dew could be seen on the leaves. Everything was peaceful and there was no tension in the air.

    The group continued to make their way to where Amandina¡¯s camp was, and a smallmotion broke out when everyone saw Brendel and the others appeared. The first person to rush out was Amandina, followed by Fern and her sister Dia.

    As long as a neswalker¡¯s card was in y, a reset would allow the resurrection of the fallen members of the card. The others in the camp thought that Dia was merely lost and eventually made her way to the camp.

    Veronica¡¯s subordinates came out in delight when they saw the female general, while the remaining Tree Elves and Centaurs also rushed over to Brendel.

    ¡°My Lord!¡± Amandina was still wearing her fur coat. Mist poured out urgently from her lips despite her calm expression, and the delight and relief were apparent in her eyes as she stood in front of Brendel.

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Brendel did not fail to spot the exhaustion in her eyes, but he merely gave a slight nod to the girl that he had the most faith in.

    It was sufficient. Amandina and he were simr people. Their minds worked well under stress, and they could understand each other thoughts with a few words. Great partners did not need much to understand each other, and it was unreserved faith in each other.

    Even if the Kirrlutz Empire¡¯s Emperor came personally to employ her because he saw value in her talents, she might not be willing to leave this ce. Other than the trust she had in Brendel, no one else understood her and believed in her like thetter. This faith was exceeding the romantic interest between a man and a woman, and was instead a pure form of dependency and need.

    Brendel did not ask any questions. He looked past her and saw Carglise with a smile and a lowered head. It was almost the formality of a retainer. Thetter who was supposed to stand with the nobles had chosen to stand with Brendel in a different kind of belief.

    The performance that Brendel had against the Cmity of Wolves had won thesting trust of the youths. They seemed to have discovered their goals in life, and each other them were reborn with maturity and determination.

    ¡°My Lord!¡± The youths eximed together as they formed up in front of Brendel and quieted down.

    The past few days were like legendary tales sung by bards unfolding before their eyes. They had experienced it first-hand. Brendel entered the heart of the Loop of Trade Winds and lit the Fire Seed in the darkest hour. The Cmity of Wolves was dispelled in front of their very eyes. That magnificent scene was truly an explosion where the future and history were mixed together.

    Just a day ago, the Druids, mercenaries, and other factions from the Green Tower searched the Dark Forest for survivors. They managed to track down Amandina¡¯s camp and expressed their thanks to the youths when they discovered thetter was Brendel¡¯s men.

    The youths knew It was definitely true that Brendel was the one who saved everyone.

    As each pir of light from was extinguished on that fateful day, a single man lit the lighthouse that illuminated the entire Dark Forest.

    This time, it was a hero from Aouine, and the Kirrlutz Empire was not involved.

    Brendel would not have thought that he had won even more friends lurking in the shadows. The various people who survived the Cmity of Wolves had more or less received his goodwill. One could hardly imagine the amount of gratitude induced when a stranger lent a hand to pull them out from certain death.

    Everyone was convinced that the Darkness had triumphed against the Light at the most violent moment of the Cmity of Wolves. Thest sliver of Order was gone and the Fire Seed in the Green Tower was about to be extinguished. Yet, that single ray of light like the morning sun appeared andpletely drove away from the shadows.

    Those who did not know Brendel¡¯s n were stunned by this event.

    When they finally knew what had happened from the Druids¡¯ exnations, everyone was speechless from their shock. While it was true that gratitude and awe faded as time passed by, these people would more or less remember this event if they met Brendel.

    But Brendel did not know that and was currently surprised by the youths¡¯ sudden silence. He didmand a strong obeisance from the youths, but that was because he was the lord of a territory. Right now, these men were looking at as though he was their king.

    If they became knights in the future, they would answer Brendel¡¯s call and fight for him as though they were fighting for their kingdom. Perhaps these youths even dreamed of doing so. After the four Holy Saints, the only person thatmanded such esteem in Aouine was the Ancestral King Erik. No one else came close to be called a hero.

    Brendel was satisfied when he looked at the youths. The White Lion Army was starting to form properly. He took a step forward while he pulled out Halran Gaia.

    ¡°The Cmity of Wolves is over, but your real enemies are already approaching before our very eyes. Form up and prepare to return to the Green Tower. Glory to Aouine!¡±

    ¡°Glory to Aouine!¡±

    It was a sea of passion.

 volume 3 - 213 â€“ Preparation for War 2

    Chapter 213 ¨C Preparation for War (2)

    The situation of the Druids surprised Brendel considerably. The Green Tower had more than a thousand people in it, and the evacuated Druid apprentices and young Tree Elves that trickled in after receiving the news of victory added even more numbers. The survivors in this world exceeded the game by four times.

    Brendel thought he had to witness far more sacrifices since there were no yers defending the Green Tower, but it seemed like the several thousands of yers did not do as anything close to what the two Archmagi from the Silver Alliance did.

    William and Tulman made the city¡¯s defenses impossible to breach.

    The Druids received Brendel and his men with the highest possible reception. Even though the city was in dire need of various important repairs, there were over a hundred high-ranking Druids who took out precious Mana from their reserves to create a road of fresh flowers that was over ten miles. When Brendel finally reached the Green Tower, nearly all the entire city¡¯s residents were waiting at the entrance.

    The youths were fidgeting because Brendel made a joke about how the pretty female Elves might present a kiss to them, and there were a few young nobles who pricked up their ears along with gleaming eyes.

    Of course, the kissing scenes did not happen. The young Elven girls were conservative and reserved, hiding behind the trees and looking curiously at the heroes from a different race.

    But even though there were no kissing, every one of them was ganded with flowers, with Brendel receiving two wreaths. Unfortunately, thetter was too busy greeting the Druid Elder Quinn to look at the two Elven girls who ced the wreaths on his head.

    The Tree Elf Druid walked up to Brendel to give a hug, then patted the youth¡¯s two shoulders. This act was the highest formality given to arade amongst hunters. Quinn recognized Brendel as a friend who was worthying down his life for.

    ¡°A¡¯aton mess tr (May the forest and you stay evergreen, my friend.¡± Quinn took a step back and spoke in his native tongue.

    ¡°A¡¯aton os dar X¡¯dor mun (The bowstring sings in the evergreen forest.¡±

    A fragment of surprise streaked across Quinn¡¯s face. The Tree Elves¡¯nguage waspletely different from the prevalent Wind Elves. He did not expect his human friend to understand it, and he was nning to exin the meaning afterward, but Brendel understood it and even answered with a perfect greeting of his own.

    The Elder Druids behind Quinn were also surprised. It was unthinkable that a human would know so much about their habits and customs, not knowing of his ¡®past¡¯ where he had stayed in many ces and learned about such customs.

    Quinn showed a warm smile: ¡°You did not let us down, and we will not go back on our oaths. You are now the Lord of thisnd.¡±

    He raised both hands, presenting a white acorn.

    ¡°This is the White Holy Oak Tree¡¯s seed? You¡¯re giving this to me......?¡± Brendel was stunned.

    Amongst the Tree Elves¡¯ traditions, the White Holy Oak Tree was the protector of every soul in the forest. There was a White Holy Oak Tree next to the Fire Seed in the Green Tower, which every Druid and Tree Elf¡¯s soul would return to when they departed the earth. By giving the acorn to him, Quinn was recognizing him as the Lord of Green Tower. Under normal circumstances, only the Great Druid Elder would have the authority to possess this acorn.

    ¡°I think you know our customs very well, Brendel.¡± Quinn presented the seed with both hands and spoke.

    The youth nodded and looked at Quinn and the Druids behind him with a slightly bewildered expression. Just because he saved this ce, these people started to bow their heads? It was a little ridiculous.

    Quinn seemed to have seen through Brendel¡¯s puzzled thoughts and he exined: ¡°Based on our customs, the Tree Elves and the Druids are supposed to gradually move out to the edge of civilization and find a new ¡®Dark Forest¡¯ to guard that area. But my Lord, we have considered your proposal carefully. If you are willing to walk down of the path of the ancient Saints to develop the Wilderness, we will be willing to submit under your leadership.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s the consideration of recuperating from the Cmity of Wolves as well, yes?¡± Brendel asked.

    Quinn showed a look of appreciation. A Tree Elf hardly beat around the bush during discussions, and Brendel was willing to engage with them with the same customs.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he nodded, ¡°the Tree Elves and Druids need a few years to recover from this event, and these few years would be enough time to witness your promise.¡±

    ¡°I think it will be insufficient to expand with just a few years, but if you merely wish to see if I¡¯m going to make ite true, I won¡¯t mind it.¡± Brendel nodded, secretly delighted.

    Things were progressing more smoothly than he thought. He originally wanted to inform the Druids of his ns and get the Centaurs and Tree Elves to stay behind in the city as well. Most of the survivors of the probable ten thousand-odd poption were elderly, children and women. The warriors suffered huge casualties in the Cmity of Wolves, and even if they joined his army right now, they would not provide muchbat strength in the battles ahead. It was at most a long-term investment.

    Brendel received the seed, but he did not make an immediate decision and pondered for a while.

    ¡°But I think we should keep our status quo. This is my territory, but it is your home as well. We have the same goals and we don¡¯t needplicated rtions.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Quinn did not expect Brendel to refuse. He was certain that the youth¡¯s original goal was this plot ofnd.

    ¡°I need dedicated allies, not subordinates who are bound by rules,¡± Brendel replied. He knew that the Tree Elves and Druids would not get used to the human ways of living. If that was the case, then he might as well be generous and return the Green Tower to them. After all, the Druid and Tree Elven warriors would definitely join his army to protect their home.

    Quinn took a long look at Brendel and turned back to the Elders. They revealed satisfied expressions.

    ¡°You are the most unique human that I have ever seen. Brendel, can we be ¡®friends¡¯?¡± He asked

    Brendel nodded. The Tree Elves believed that being friends needed time to witness their friendship; he understood what Quinn meant.

    ¡°Then my friend, may I invite you to oversee our celebrations?¡± Quinn gave a small smile.

    But he did not expect to see Brendel shaking his head: ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. Quinn, I need a favor from you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I have to leave here for a while and return to my territory immediately. But I need some supplies, armor, and weapons. I also need horses that could carry us out from the Dark Forest as quickly as possible.¡±

    The surroundings fell into silence.

    Carglise and Kodan suddenly understood why they had to rush to the Green Tower. It seemed like Firburh was in trouble.

    ¡°...... Have you encountered trouble, my human friend?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my territory is under threat. I need to solve this small problem before returning to continue fulfilling my promise with you.¡±

    ¡°Is it war?¡±

    The tall Tree Elf showed an understanding gaze. He straightened his body and eximed to his n members: ¡°Did you hear what our human ally said? He needs an army who can fight. He risked his life on his own to travel deep into dangerousnds and rescued every one of us in our darkest hour. Now, my n members, are you the type who is only interested in your own lives?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s jaws fell as Quinn¡¯s voice echoed in the Green Tower. He knew that the Druids¡¯ conditions were really quite unsuitable to continue fighting. But Quinn was trying to gather an army.

    ¡°Wait, you¡ª¡±

    ¡°My friend, I want to fight next to you,¡± Quinn smiled, ¡°you are right. This is your territory and our home. How are we going to protect this precious treasure without battles and bleeding?¡±

    There were no passionate answers.

    But the Tree Elves walked out one by one from the surrounding trees. Most of them were female as the males had perished in the Cmity of Wolves. Then the Centaurs rode out. They would not retreat as they sought glory in battles. The Druids answered the calls as well. Even though they did not care about the outside world, it did not mean they were cold on the inside¡ª They had held their promise throughout the years to protect the Dark Forest, and there was meaning to protect something in a war.

    Even so, this army was only the size of a few hundred men. There were just too many casualties from the Cmity of Wolves. But unexpectedly, another group of men walked out,prising of mercenaries and adventurers who wore various colored equipment, almost resembling an army made up of beggars, but they were all standing there to form a group.

    There was another bout of silence after everyone walked out.

    A man amongst these mercenaries and adventurers was appointed quickly and he spoke:

    ¡°My Lord, thanks to your grace, we were fortunate enough to survive in this cmity. I hear that you are in need of an army.¡± That slightly scoundrel-looking man who had a stubble askedzily while shrugging: ¡°May I ask if you need a group of mercenaries who live to fight for battles?¡±

    Brendel suddenly found himself nearly speechless again.

    ¡°What is your price?¡± He asked as though he was really trying to bargain.

    ¡°A gold coin, is that fine?¡± That man asked.

    ¡°Good, you are now my knights. I will permit you to return to witness my victory with this gold coin.¡± Brendel said.

    There were no more unnecessary replies. The mercenaries pulled out their swords and raised them high up. The sounds of grating metal filled the forest, followed by the Tree Elves wielding their bows.

    Brendel felt moved when he saw this sight. The Elves and humans were standing together as allies after hundreds of years. The holy oaths sworn in the past were being repeated again. No one would forget today¡¯s alliance, and the people who witnessed this moment would probably remember it for the rest of their lives.

    The youths behind Brendel also pulled out their swords. This scenario was just too shocking. Even Kodan and Mephisto did not know how to describe this moment.

    This hastily made alliance did not seem like it was secure, but it felt like it had the magic to change everything in the end.

 volume 3 - 214 â€“ Preparation for war 3

    Chapter 214 ¨C Preparation for war (3)

    In the end, thebined army of the various races was less than a thousand, but the adventurers and mercenaries who sought for opportunities in the Dark Forest were all skilled fighters, each who could only be found in one out of a hundred men.

    They were made up of powerful Iron-rankers and some were even Silver-rankers. The Tree Elves were roughly the same caliber; Silver-rankers who survived the Cmity of Wolves.

    A mixed force of Iron-rankers and Silver-rankers was the equivalent as having an army that was entirely made up of knights. Even the strongest army under Aouine¡¯s generals did not have a luxurious formation.

    Brendel wondered what Count Randner¡¯s face would be like when this army suddenly appeared in the battlefield. It was definitely outside one¡¯s expectations.

    However, the youth dyed his departure instead of leaving immediately. The Druids rushed overnight to prepare equipment for this army, which was done at the Mana Pool that was naturally formed in the Green Tower. It was amon structure that was found in major cities, but rarely found in smaller cities.

    There was always an Elder Druid overseeing operations as the others forged steel equipment with Mana. Even though they were not as sturdy as metal that was genuinely forged, the equipment had the advantage of being lightweight.

    The Centaurs¡¯ workshops were also lit all night long. There were banging of steel that rang all night that sounded throughout the market area, extending beyond several miles. The various weapons were quenched in water and immediately delivered to the army.

    The various factions staying in the Green Tower sent out their craftsmen as well. The Mountain Dwarves volunteered to join in the Centuars¡¯ workshops and oversaw operations. It was a peculiar sight to see several Dwarves, Centaurs, and Elves standing together,peting with each other to increase production. This scene happened before in the past, but it was only during the War of the Holy Saints.

    The other factions sent out messengers to thank Brendel generously. The youth knew that most of them did not have any discord with Aouine or were distant from the kingdom, but even the coldest faction verbally supported Brendel by promising to boost his credibility to the Holy Cathedral of mes.

    The few Wind Elves ambassadors in the city asked the youth if he required reinforcements. These elegant Elves even made a joke about their ancestors having a close rtionship with King Erik, though Brendel could hardly perceive it as one. The Wind Elves were aggressive to the Kirrlutz Empire and actively sought a chance to make Aouine¡¯s neighbor fret¡ª

    Brendel rejected their ¡®kindness¡¯ gently.

    The Wind Elves wanted to trouble the Kirrlutz Emperor and wished for his early death, but if they got involved in Aouine¡¯s civil war, then it could escte into a Holy War between the Holy Cathedral of mes and the Divine Pantheon of Wind. He also did not want to face the wrath of the Holy Cathedral of mes.

    Orthlyss also gave her input and told Brendel to reject the Wind Elves¡¯ aid, even if she was one herself. It was likely to end up as a political issue, and her insight into politics was far better than Brendel given her vast experience.

    Brendel saw a few unexpected guests a few dayster¡ª Count Austin.

    Apparently, Mephisto slew the majority of the wolves at the blockade before he approached Brendel for the first time, allowing the remaining nobles and Centaurs to escape to safety. Andellu then found and led them to safety after Brendel lit the Fire Seed.

    The youth had dispelled his prejudice against this group. These descendants of King Erik picked up the gs that were left lying on the battlefield once again, carrying the will of the Lionheart.

    [Though I must admit it¡¯s a shock that he survived.]

    Brendel stared at Austin who also did the same thing to the youth.

    ¡°We will consider persuading the princess to stand on your side.¡± Count Austin finally said.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised. Surely it¡¯s not because I lit the Fire Seed or kept you safe during the Cmity of Wolves?¡± Brendel said.

    But Austin¡¯s reply was simple.

    ¡°We had experienced life and death when we charged against the wolves on that fateful day. It felt like the gs of our Ancestral King were flying brilliantly once again. Aouine¡¯s gs have not been raised for too long, and we cried on that day when the battle was over. Not because we feared the wolves, but because of regret. We regret losing our glorious past, and we feel ashamed to face our ancestors.¡±

    Brendel trusted his words because Austin was firstly a general before a noble, thus his character could be trusted. This was the first time that a noble had shown so much deference to Brendel. It was extremely important to the youth because his final wish was not to stand against the princess.

    ¡°The only request I have is for you to always stand on Aouine¡¯s side, to always stand on King Erik¡¯s and the other ancestors¡¯ path.¡± Austin continued.

    He had not felt the passion to earnestly seek the path of a knight for many years, not knowing who was capable of picking King Erik¡¯s white swallowtail g and ced hope in the Corvados, but on that fateful day, he saw somethingpletely different in Brendel.

    Makarov and Buga also saw the same thing in Brendel during that particr encounter, when the youth swore an oath that many people from Aouine had forgotten, making one recall the gleaming Lionheart and the belief of an Aouine that was free from corruption and greed.

    Austin and the other nobles left after Brendel nodded. It was the first promise won from Aouine¡¯s nobility, and it bound them together on the same battleline in history.

    The preparations of the alliance continued day after day.

    Brendel originally nned to extend his stop for two weeks, but he received news from his Summons that Madara was joining in the battle. There was evidence that themanding officer was Incirsta¡¯s adjutant¡ª The One-eyed Dragon, Tarkas.

    It was definitely bad news. The current Madara was like a sharp de to Brendel¡¯s neck, and he had to bring forward his n and return in a few days.

    Brendel did not idle during his return to the Green Tower. He peeled off the XP off the grimoire¡¯s remnants. It was like a treasure vault. He only took in a small strand from it in the Loop of Trade Winds and he got over twenty thousand XP and raising the Mercenary level from 27 to 28 required only 130,000+ XP.

    When Veronica was beside him, Brendel did not dare to increase his level since she was interested in him. She was still considered an enemy behind the scenes, and increasing his capability every second would make her suspicious.

    Then there were many things to do after the return to the Green Tower. He had to set up the alliance army and oversee the operations until everything was running smoothly before he found the time to extract the XP.

    He got Quinn to prepare a quiet room for him and started working his Element Power on the grimoire¡¯s remnants. It only took two minutes to get the required XP to level up.

    The youth was bbergasted to see the system¡¯s notification. It was like he fired a nuclear missile in this ce and wiped out a bunch of monsters, reaching sci-fi levels of incredulity.

    He suppressed the agitation and shock in his mind. The rise of the XP bar was making him feel so great that he wanted to break out in a dance. Still, it was not the first time he experienced something crazy, so he quickly calmed down after taking a deep breath and continued to channel the stripped power into the Laws of his Element Power.

    Five minutester, he reached level 29 after adding 170,000 XP.

    Ten minutester, level 30 after adding 220,000 XP. It only took thirty minutes to raise three levels. It was illogical. Brendel stared at the three glowing ck orbs. After stripping close to 500,000 XP, the shape hardly changed. This meant that the XP within these orbs were far greater than he thought. His body trembled uncontrobly a few times after realizing that fact.

    He did not rush to increase his levels after reaching level 30, and he instead ran to a Grandmaster Warrior profession staying in the Centaurs¡¯ district to inquire about abat technique. There was a core technique that he could learn as long as his rted Warrior profession reached level 30.

    These core techniques were usually learned at level 30, 40 and 60. Anything beyond that was a different concept, involving Element Powers and Shaped Physiques as a chain quest. The youth did not bother to think about them.

    Since he had visited the Green Tower in the past and knew about the NPCs after the Cmity of Wolves, he searched for a Centaur Warrior called Manehoof. Thetter¡¯s appearance was no different from the typical Centaur, but half of his bloodline was a Devil from the River of Scorching Heat. He was not the most prominent Grandmaster Warrior NPCs in the continent, but Brendel knew that Manehoof taught two powerful skills.

    The first was Piercing Strikes. It was one of the strongest low-tier techniques a Warrior could use, and even bested some of the mid-tier techniques. It had the chance to do double critical damage, and was one of the essential techniques for a Warrior to learn in the early stages of the game.

    The second technique was a strange one. It could only be used once and did not put itself in the list of techniques. It was called Bloodline Awakening, a talent that a Devil could have.

    This ability was actually used to reset TP and technique slots, and the only alternative to Mediation Incense which was not obtainable in the early game.

 volume 3 - 215 â€“ Preparations for war 4

    Chapter 215 ¨C Preparations for war (4)

    Learning both Piercing Strikes and Bloodline Awakening originally needed a considerable lengthy chain quest to be done, but Brendel had the advantage of a maxed out reputation in the Green Tower.

    Manehoof did not dare to refuse Brendel¡¯s request, and he was actually honored to teach him these techniques.

    Brendel activated Bloodline Awakening and removed all the techniques under the Militia profession without hesitation. He then ced Analysis under the Mercenary slot.

    The unique riding skill of riding a hunting dragon was not needed anymore and was discarded.

    Power Break and Frontal Assault did not work if they were ced together under the same profession slot, so Brendel eliminated Frontal Assault.

    The White Raven Sword Arte was also thrown away after a moment of hesitation, as it was not going to advance in levels since he did not have the second half of the technique. He was also going to learn the Wind Empress Nine Luminaries Sword Arte soon enough, so there was no reason to keep it.

    The White Raven Sword Arte was merely derived from the Wind Elves¡¯ sword technique, while the Nine Luminaries Sword Arte was the ultimate technique of the Wind Empress, and there was no possible way for it to be weaker.

    After removing the various techniques, Brendel received a total of 6000 TP. He spent half of it and raised Piercing Strikes to level 10.

    ¨C Piercing Strikes

    ¨C Level 10

    ¨C Does 425% bonus damage in a frontal cone shape of thirty meters

    ¨C 12.7 % chance to do a critical strike.

    ¨C Grandmaster trait: Increase 100% damage from Charge with a fixed percentage.

    [With thebined Charge and Piercing Strikes techniques, there¡¯s a chance to do more than 1500% damage. It¡¯s a low probability, but it¡¯s still a chance.]

    Brendel had considered this arrangement even before he entered the Loop of Trade Wind. After he sessfully gained Valha and the Druids¡¯ trust, he felt that he had gained the first step to control his fate.

    For an NPC living in this world, they had to put in a tremendous amount of effort to reach such skill levels. But for a gamer, the characters that they yed had the potential to possess such powers. Brendel¡¯s goal was to be the strongest just like the other gamers. He would use a single person¡¯s power to shock this era.

    In the game¡¯s terms, he must be a Carry, and be that Carry who possessed the ultimate equipment, capable of saving the entire world in the game. While it was not truly necessary to be so extreme, he at least intended to expend an immense amount of resource and execute a long-term n to be one. (TL: The ng ¡®Carry¡¯ refers to someone in a game who can totally flip a losing game into a victorious one.)

    [I¡¯ll leave my Mercenary at level 30 and Elementalist at level 25. There are two professions avable with thisbination. Frost yer, Ice Knight. These are professions suitable for Angurvadal.]

    Brendel had started to aim for the future sword of Y and Eke¡¯s daughter. It was a Fantasy-ranked weapon, the Icicle of Golden mes. In the game, Ir Orphelon Lantonrand was thest royal member who possessed this weapon.

    [I apologize, future-unborn-girl, it¡¯s necessary for the current Aouine. Ice Knight is a Dual-wielding profession, so I can wield Halran Gaia in my right hand, and wield Angurvadal in my left hand. There¡¯s even the possibility of advancing to Elivagar Sentinel.]

    He rubbed his forehead. An overall total of 80 levels, and it was necessary for him to reach the state of ¡®River of Eternal Ice¡¯ as an Elementalist. He could also be a Pdin as a side profession to gain the skill Aura of Conflict. Ampere Seale was one of the cities that had a Bishop who could anoint knights. It was also a journey that merely required him to travel a month or two.

    Finally, he called Orthlyss to teach him the Nine Luminaries Sword Arte. This would be one of his ultimate trump cards ever since he came to this world, forming the core technique of his long-term n. He should definitely learn it first.

    But Brendel immediately stared in confusion when Orthlyss showed him the technique.

    The technique at level 0 created an illusionary clone when he moved to make an attack, and there would only be one clone with each move. The clone was able to deal 5% of his damage and was capable of using techniques, but it would require Mana from him. It had nothing to do with physical capabilities like King Gatel¡¯s sh Strike Sword Arte.

    [Considering that it¡¯s the Moon Legacy...... It¡¯s logical that the Nine Luminaries Sword Arte is a Magic Sword technique. Mana is rted to the moon after all. But what makes me speechless is the amount of TP required. 3550 TP to learn this skill? My knees are already on the ground. Military Swordsmanship only requires a few TP to advance to level 1. Military Swordsmanship requires slightly more than 10,000 TP after level 13. Does it mean it would be 3550 times 10000 at a certain level..... What¡¯s with this insane ck hole?]

    Brendel¡¯s face was pale. Orthlyss even thought there was something wrong and asked with concern:

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Brendel shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s too hard......¡±

    The female Elven Knight froze for a moment before sheughed with a smug expression: ¡°So there are times when you would find it difficult too? My little brother, I actually thought you are capable of everything.¡±

    She eyed Brendel and teased him: ¡°Haha, did you know that I reached the basics of this Sword Arte before I was thirty-five? I was considered the most talented sessor of this technique. Now, now, you must not let this older sister be disappointed, indeed~~~¡±

    The Elves aged much slower than the humans. The age of thirty-five for one was the equivalent of a five-year-old human child. Brendel knew that how difficult the Sword Arte was when it required that much TP. Orthlyss was indeed a genius to learn the basics at the age of ¡®five¡¯.

    [Basics huh. That¡¯s the first three levels, it¡¯s still not a problem for me.]

    Brendel was not going to let his ¡®proud older sister¡¯ look down on him. He punched in his remaining TP into the Sword Arte, then took a step forward and left an exact clone behind him.

    ¡°Wha...... Yo....... Brendel, how can this be possible!¡± Orthlyss gasped and stared in disbelief, a huge contrast from her earlier mature and confident behavior. It was almost cute. ¡°T-t-this is just too ridiculous!¡±

    She had never seen something like this even with more than a thousand years of insight. She was screaming in her mind that he was cheating and it was a scam.

    Brendel had grasped the strongest technique in the Legacy of the Moon in just a few seconds. That was the legendary technique that exceeded the other swordsmanships, something that defiedmon sense.

    The Nine Luminaries Sword Arte was recognized as the pinnacle of techniques, one that rivaled the sh Strike Sword Arte. How did he learn it so quickly?

    [Is it really possible for such a genius to exist in this world!? Are the legends of the Ancestral Citizens true!?]

    Orthlyss¡¯s ears were filled with roars from a thunderstorm in her mind.

    [Just who is this little boy? How is it possible for an existence like him to appear in this era?]

    Brendel was testing out his new technique, shocked at how powerful the Nine Luminaries Sword Arte was,pletely failing to realize that Orthlyss waspletely silent. He took a step forward and his clone seemed toe alive and move to a position. It was as if the clone had inherited his abilities and judgment. Brendel took the time to analyze the position of his clone, and he realized that he would have also chosen the same position if there enemies next to him.

    The clonested less than a second and disappeared. Since there was no enemy, the clone did not pull out his sword. The duration was short, but victory or defeat tend to be ced on a thin line. It was more than enough.

    [This is a divine technique! It¡¯s possible to summon multiple clones and multiply my strength¡ª Other high-tiered techniques in the game cannotpare to this.]

    Brendel opened the Stats Window and saw the skill written in dark gold letters.

    ¨C Nine Luminaries Sword Arte (Transcendent/Ancient)

    Brendelpletely immersed himself with this Sword Arte the next few days. He had never seen or heard anyone possessing this technique, though there were plenty of rumors about the techniques used during the War of the Holy Saints. The first thing to do when a game got such a powerful technique was to max out the levels as much as possible.

    Not enough TP? No problem, the grimoire¡¯s fragments provided them, right?

    The XP could be converted to TP. The 10:1 ratio from XP to TP was still eptable to him. He pulled out the XP from the fragments, converted and poured it into the technique. Other than performing the daily necessities of life, no one saw Brendel leaving from the room he was in.

    But the grimoire seemed to have a mind of its own. After Brendel caused the ck orbs to crack from absorbing too much of its essence, it began to resist the youth¡¯s Element Power, slowing down the amount of XP drained.

    Brendel converted nearly all the XP into TP, increasing two levels in the next two days. Orthlyss was a little numbed upon seeing that result. Every time when Brendel showed off his skill in the Nine Luminaries Sword Arte, she wondered if she was sleeping in the Ring of the Wind Empress and she was actually dreaming.

    ¨C Nine Luminaries Sword Arte (Transcendent/Ancient)

    ¨C Level 5 (Professional)

    ¨C Creates an illusion during the point of attack in the body¡¯s original location.

    ¨C 5 maximum clones, 35% damage of the original body

    ¨C Professional Trait: The main body is able to switch with a clone¡¯s position once.

    [There¡¯s already an effect on the ¡®professional¡¯ level? I should express my shock, but the TP required after level 5 is 100321. That¡¯s fucking bananas. Are you kidding me?! Level 5 and you need a hundred thousand TP? Then after level 10, it would require a billion XP! Mother Marsha!]

 volume 3 - 216 â€“ Preparation for war 5

    Chapter 216 ¨C Preparation for war (5)

    Brendel gave up raising the Nine Luminaries Sword Arte after it reached level 7 for the time being. The skill needed more than 250000 TP at that level, and the XP gained from the grimoire¡¯s fragments could hardly keep up with the requirement.

    The Nine Luminaries Sword Arte at level 7 could produce eight illusions and deal 50% damage of the base body. It was just a step away from producing the maximum number of illusions, which was nine.

    The youth also realized that the illusion¡¯s duration was affected by the level. The initial duration onlysted a little longer than a second in the beginning, but each level increased the duration by approximately 0.1 seconds.

    [Hmm. Typically my physical abilities use my stamina points, but my illusions use MP instead. Charge uses 6 MP, Piercing Strikes uses 20 MP. Since I¡¯m a warrior, my MP is significantly lower than my stamina. I only have 250 MP in total, and casting eight illusions along with a Charge and Piercing Strike will use up almost everything.]

    Brendel experimented with one of the illusions casting a magic spell.

    [There isn¡¯t really much time for the illusions to do any real casting, but let me try using the illusion as a defensive tool. Barkskin¡ª Hmm. It adds +1 to armor. Barkskin requires 50 MP, but if an illusion does it, the ability requires 100 MP instead. That¡¯s double the MP usage.]

    He continued to experiment with the ability and called out Kodan to test out the Sword Arte. The illusion could not cast another illusion on its own, and it did not seek to actively swap ces with him even if the main body was in danger.

    But after Kodan fought the youth for a day, heined in frustration and refused to do so any longer.

    Brendel had be even stronger than before, and the Nine Luminarinaries Sword Arte was too bizarre. The old man was literally a punching bag for the youth; a normal person would refuse to be one and it was even more so for a Gold-ranked Swordsman.

    Kodan did not show up on the second day.

    But Mephisto came to look for Brendel. The youth did not know where the Sword Saint of Ashes heard that he was looking for someone to train with, but thetter did not beat around the bush and bluntly asked for a duel immediately.

    [This is a little puzzling. There¡¯s really nothing to learn from me at your skill level. Your stats or swordsmanships are vastly superior to mine. It¡¯s more appropriate to say you are guiding me or something.]

    Brendel obviously did not refuse someone who was willing to aid him. What was unexpected was how Mephisto limited himself with a handicap and fought the youth patiently.

    Mephisto had more insight than Kodan and his eyes narrowed in recognition of the ancient technique.

    ¡°This technique is beyond my understanding, but your clones are using the same standard of your military swordsmanship. There are some minor things you can do to improve it.¡± Mephisto said.

    [As expected of a Sword Saint. Hismand of the Empire¡¯s Military Swordsmanship is really something. Even though there are some differences with Aouine¡¯s Military Swordsmanship, they are somewhat rted to each other. I feel like I¡¯m moving closer to level 17 Military Swordsmanship, though it¡¯s a pity I can¡¯t get a +1 on my Military Swordsmanship like how I got it from Kodan and my grandfather.]

    Brendel¡¯s mind was itching. The effect for a Swordsmanship above level 15 was tremendous. The higher the level of the Military Swordsmanship was, the more bonuses associated with it.

    [If I seek out all the Sword Saints in the continent and get to learn from them, maybe I can reach the Divine Realm? Or maybe not. There are more than ten Sword Saints, but these people have really peculiar personalities. Some of them are even evil. Mephisto is really considered to be a normal person when Ipare them. A really normal person amongst normal people.]

    It was an impossible task to raise friendship points for all of them, though Veronica jokingly said she could teach him her swordsmanship if he defected to be a citizen of the Kirrlutz Empire. It was naturally impossible for him to ept.

    That was a loud ng which jolted Brendel from his nonsensical thoughts, and the tremendous feedback that transmitted to his hand nearly tore his sword away. He hurriedly retreated and three illusionary clones behind him rushed forward to stop Mephisto from continuing his attack, allowing him to escape.

    Mephisto watched the illusions disappear in front of him, but he did not continue his attack and instead put away his sword while he looked at the panting youth.

    ¡°You lost your concentration?¡± He asked.

    Brendel nodded and took in a deep breath: ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s call it a day.¡± Came the short reply.

    Brendel nodded again, but he suddenly blurted out with curiosity: ¡°Count Suthend, we haven¡¯t got to know each other for very long, but it has been fifteen days. I think I¡¯m quite certain of your personality, and you would never take the initiative to lower your head or express goodwill, right?¡±

    Mephisto did not reply. Brendel¡¯s words were acknowledged.

    ¡°I think you have an insight into my character as well. I don¡¯t mind joking about the minor things, but I am definitely not regretting or dying the promise I made to Lady Veronica to restore your kingdom.¡±

    Brendel paused for a moment.

    ¡°But I think your intention today is to teach me swordsmanship.....?¡±

    ¡°When do you n to leave the forest?¡± Mephisto did not answer his question.

    ¡°The Druids have prepared all the necessary war equipment. The Elves and human mercenaries are geared up and ready to move out, but it¡¯s a problem to transport the food supplies over to Firburh on such arge scale. Even with the natives¡¯ aid, there are not enough horses to travel quickly.¡±

    Brendel frowned as Mephisto threw out the most problematic issue he had. If the army was to travel on foot, then it would take at least a month¡¯s journey.

    ¡°But back to the question you asked, I¡¯ll be leaving in a week by thetest. A portion of the army will follow me separately to travel light and return to Firburh quickly.¡±

    Mephisto nodded: ¡°I¡¯ve heard that your territory is under attack. How confident are you in winning this battle?¡±

    [So you¡¯re afraid that I will lose?]

    Brendel finally understood why Mephisto was teaching him. He took a long look at him and replied:

    ¡°Count Suthend, I always wanted to ask you a question. Even though I¡¯m not sure what kind of agreement you came to with Lady Veronica, do you know that I have enemies all over Aouine? Choosing to get on my ship is perhaps a bad choice.¡±

    Mephisto peered back. The youth¡¯s wits reminded him of Veronica when she was young. It was no wonder why that woman admired his brilliance.

    ¡°Captain Brendel, your enemies are indeed numerous while I only have one enemy. What do you think of this?¡±

    Brendel blinked a few times before heughed.

    Indeed, the aloof Sword Saint of Ashes only had one enemy from the start. The Kirrlutz Empire. If he was not afraid of that enormous monster, why would he be afraid of the tiny creatures from Aouine?

    ¡°What exactly do you want from me, Ser Mephisto?¡± He asked.

    Mephisto straightened up and asked in an earnest tone: ¡°I wanted to ask if you¡¯re willing to be my sessor and learn my swordsmanship.¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡±

    Brendel was instantly stupefied. He resisted the urge to find a mirror and check his appearance to see if there was any change. Why did it seem like everyone was treating him so nicely? But since he was already being taught by a Heroic Spirit, he was not too stunned by the fact that a Sword Saint wanted him as a student.

    [No, calm down. Mephisto might want me as a student because there¡¯s another attachment for me to help restore his dukedom, and he wants to restore it because it¡¯s his duty. He¡¯s someone rare in this era because of his purity, but this doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s a fool. I¡¯m sure that he will protect his territory when he¡¯s around, but he will never put all his energy into leading this country, and his ultimate lifelong pursuit is swordsmanship.]

    Brendel¡¯s mouth jerked once.

    [But other people probably perceive me like a lord rather than a swordsman. For some reason, I get the feeling that my shy spell cards are what people remember me for instead of my swordsmanship. Then again, I probably can¡¯t match even Kodan¡¯s passion for the sword. If I had the experience of bing a wizard, then I won¡¯t choose swordsmanship, and instead choose a power that can help Aouine, not technique.]

    This was indeed Mephisto¡¯s reason for feeling that Brendel resembled Veronica. She was a Duchess and general of the Kirrlutz Empire before a Sword Saint. The name ¡®Goddess of Combat¡¯ was far more famous than the Azure Sword Saint. It was why the gap between Mephisto and Veronica¡¯s swordsmanships wasrge, and why the former was known as a Sword Saint longer than she did.

    Brendel¡¯s head cooled down fully once he understood this point.

    Mephisto¡¯s swordsmanship was likely to be a skill tree of its own, and the quality was at least close to an intermediate rank or above it. Having someone as skilled as him to back him was good, let alone learning his skills.

    However, he was already being taught by Orthlyss. She might ignore the Dragon of Darkness¡¯s Legacy because he was someone from her era, and it was understandable that both of them had respect for each other, but what about Mephisto? No matter how skilled he was in this era, he could not be on an equal footing with her.

    It was difficult to know what her opinion was, until she stated she did not object to it.

    ¡°I suggest you ept it.¡± Orthlyss felt a little satisfaction in her heart when Brendel asked for her opinion.

    He did not regard her simply as a Heroic Spirit who was trapped in a ring, but a real teacher. Even though she did not really think that it was an issue, she was still pleased to find an impossibly talented youth as a sessor.

    ¡°Mephisto¡¯s swordsmanship is very unique and it is its own style. My view is limited to things that are a thousand years ago, and what that bastard Ooinn gave you was a Bloodline Legacy. Inparison, what he gave you might help you even more than what I can give you. There¡¯s no need to pay attention to what I think. Your older sister is willing to see you be stronger.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Brendel felt a little stir of emotion in his heart. The care from Orthlyss truly resembled an older sister¡¯s protection for a younger brother.

    But he did not immediately agree to Mephisto¡¯s request:

    ¡°I thank you for your kind intentions, Ser Mephisto, but please allow me to think about it for a day.¡±

    Mephisto¡¯s eyes showed admiration. He was very confident in his swordsmanship, and people would probably faint from glee if they heard he wanted a sessor, but Brendel retained hisposure. Be it a swordsman or a lord, it was necessary to remain calm at all times.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine for you to choose, but you should know that I¡¯m teaching you my swordsmanship not because you¡¯re a future lord, or that I want your aid in restoring mynd, but the fact that I indeed believe that you¡¯re brilliant enough to inherit my swordsmanship. Even though I haven¡¯t been with you for long...... I believe in Veronica¡¯s judgment.¡± He paused for a moment and added in another line.

    ¡°You knew Veronica from long ago?¡± Brendel could not help but blurt out his curiosity, though he regretted it a little upon finishing his words. It was a little too gossipy. His habits as a gamer were hard to change despiteing to this world for quite some time.

    But he did not expect Mephisto to nod without minding the question: ¡°My dukedom was always a part of the Kirrlutz Empire. When I studied in the Empire¡¯s academy, Veronica was living next to my room.¡±

    ¡°Damn! Really?¡± Brendel yelled, and his gossip soul immediately zed. He only knew that Mephisto was the Empire¡¯s mortal foe and had fought with Veronica many times, but to think that they were childhood friends to a certain extent.

    But Mephisto cut off Brendel¡¯s question despite thetter¡¯s growing questions: ¡°Remember that I asked about when your army is leaving?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± Brendel looked at the stoic Sword Saint in confusion. Mephisto had an expression like it was carved out of wood.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t actually a problem. The two Archmagi from the Silver Alliance. I have a little past with Grandmaster Tulman, or perhaps I could say he owes me one, and I can get the two wizards to help out.¡± Mephisto said.

    ¡°Mass Teleportation magic!¡± Brendel¡¯s body jolted. It might sound a little crazy to teleport thousands of people, but it was definitely not a problem to send out several hundred. If the rest of the army took swift steeds from the Green City, then everything would be solved!

    The youth dyed his trip in order to solve this problem properly. Even though the Druids were trying to gather various mounts to transport supplies, how was it possible to do so when the Cmity of Wolves just happened?

    But Brendel inquired with a little hesitation and expectation after he recovered from his surprise:

    ¡°But Tulman belongs to the Silver Alliance, and they made an oath not to interfere with us mortals.¡±

    Mephisto merely put his finger to his lips, signaling an ¡°If you don¡¯t speak of it, and I don¡¯t, then who would know?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s jaws dropped.

    [Cheating!? This is absolutely cheating...... What the fuck.....]

 volume 3 - 217 Battle at the riverbank 1

    ¡°In the name of our Lord¡¯s clemency, I will grant you one chance toy down your weapons and surrender!¡± A knight stood on an elevated ground, raised a g, and yelled to the people below.

    ¡°Return whence you came from, and carry my greetings to your lord!¡± Hank pulled out his longsword and roared back to him.

    The knight shook his head as though he had already guessed this oue. He mounted on his horse and disappeared from the hignds.

    ¡°Why did you not consider surrendering?¡± Hadsh could not help but ask.

    ¡°Did you only learn how to surrender under Graudin¡¯smand?¡± The veteran scout peered back with dull brownish eyes. (TL: Hadsh was introduced in chapter 209.)

    Hadsh was at a loss for words. He did not know who the old man¡¯s identity was, but he guessed thetter was a direct subordinate of that young lord.

    [I heard rumors that he belongs the Red Bronze Dragon mercenaries, but I don¡¯t buy it. This old man moves like he¡¯s an elite military scout. He was the one who managed to discover the movements of Count Randner¡¯s army and led us out of a predicament. But that old knight from the Ps region lives up to his name. He used the native Hignders as guides and ushered our army into favorable spots for their armies¡ª It¡¯s as if they are herding us up like deer and hunting us one by one.]

    It was difficult to discover the enemy¡¯s intentions unless one was a very experienced ¡®hunter¡¯.

    Hadsh did not exaggerate his thoughts.

    The other guards stationed at the watchtowers did not detect any of the enemies movements, other than the old man in front of him. Thetter had to be one of the best scouts in the army, if his primary job was indeed scouting.

    The old man did not mind Hadsh¡¯s stare and knocked on thetter¡¯s chest: ¡°Stand straight, boy. There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. Abandoning someone like Graudin is the best decision you ever made. You¡¯re now a true warrior, so bring out the courage a warrior is supposed to have¡ª¡±

    The other scouts immediatelyughed for a while. It was remarkable they were still able tough.

    The enemy Hignders camete but moved quicker than them. Firburh¡¯s defenders were dyed in this forest and got surrounded by Count Randner¡¯s army that wasmanded by a few of his knights.

    Hadsh¡¯s face was slightly red. He knew that he had misspoken. Even though he was forced to submit to that young lord, Count Randner would still perceive him as a traitor; the others could surrender to thetter but it was not a choice for him. He was initially someone with considerable pluck, but his willpower was gradually worn down by working for Graudin.

    He took a deep breath and determined himself to be as hard as his de.

    Hank was admonishing the other scouts: ¡°What are you foolsughing at, get ready for battle¡ª¡±

    The twenty-odd riders started moving off to various directions. The new soldiers in the watchtowers were frightened and they had pale faces long ago under this desperate situation, not knowing what to do when they were surrounded. But the experienced scouts held themselves with inscrutable expressions, their breathing even, with bodies on edge as though they were like beasts seeking for a chance to escape danger.

    ¡°Study where the enemy is going to attack and find a chance to break out of this blockade.¡± Hank¡¯s sharp eyes surveyed his surroundings like a hawk and issued an order to his temporary subordinates.

    A sudden whistle pierced through the cold air, and Hadsh sensed one of the riders fall from his horse. His hand quickly reacted as he turned around to look, stabilizing that falling rider on his mount. The arrow seemed like it was a signal, as many more fell through the area like rain apanied with buzzing noises.

    Hadsh was distracted by his own action and an arrow was already blitzing towards his head, but one of the riders pulled out his longsword and intercepted its target. The scouts pulled out their weapons to deflect the raining projectiles, creating a cacophony of metallic noises for a period of time.

    If these riders weremon soldiers that the nobles hired, they would have frozen in fear or scattered like frightened rats.

    It was not long before Hadsh and the others noticed that the concentration of fire on their nks was not as intense. Hank whistled and pointed to the right with his sword. The riders understood hismand and turned their mounts without excessive collisions or chaos, rushing to where theirmander pointed to.

    Wilson, the knight who conversed earlier with Hadsh, felt a chill in his heart when he oversaw the battle on the high ground. The report stated it was a bunch of rebels who killed Graudin and upied Firburh, yet when he looked at the quality of these scouts, where and how did they resemble rebels? Some of the highly regarded armies in Aouine did not even have their discipline.

    He immediately issued an order to his subordinates to get the other knights to move out, hoping to reach the enemies before they got to the archers who would not be able to fend them off.

    But despite his quick orders, he felt uneasy in his heart.

    Foot soldiers hired privately by the nobles raised their spears and poured out from the forest. Even though these people were not a proper unit, they were still a threat to the Firburh¡¯s riders.

    Hadsh leaned back to avoid a spear that was aiming for him, and his longsword slid past that foot soldier¡¯s neck.

    It had been a long time.

    The feeling of a sharp sword breaking the fragile skin of the throat, cutting through arteries and causing a shower of blood to spill forth. All the muscles in Hadsh¡¯s body tensed, and he turned his head away to avoid any blood stter that might reach his eyes, only to see a rider get stabbed in his back by two spears. Thetter was someone who had treated him to wine just two days ago, and even though it was not anything good, Hadsh clearly got to know him as a mercenary.

    Right now, that mercenary was letting loose a dying gasp and coughing weakly, but his hands still gripped onto the reins and he urged his steed forward, maintaining a charge to break through the foot soldiers. There was a loud crash with shocked cries as men were knocked into the air. The mercenary was hurled off his mount and struck onto the ground, hard, and when Hadsh galloped past him, he was already dead.

    Hadsh inhaled deeply when he saw that situation and raised his longsword in fury, cutting down three foot soldiers in front of him. The enemies were low Iron-rankers and there were some who did not even reach that standard. With his current strength, these enemies were not really a threat to him.

    However, there was a loud bellow sting from a nearby horn and trampling noises from horses that came from the right. Ten-odd knights broke through the thin veil of mist and appeared before the scouts.

    ¡°Turn around and engage the enemies!¡± The old scout¡¯s voice rang out behind Hadsh.

    The situation was getting dire.

    The scouts were already surrounded by the foot soldiers. Thetter¡¯s morale was boosted by the sudden reinforcements, and they were trying hard to dy the scouts to allow the knights to join in the fray.

    There were less than twenty riders remaining.

    A ck figure suddenly emerged from the scouts as they were forced to huddle by the foot soldiers. Hank rode forward and snatched away a spear, cut down its owner down with his sword, then whirled his horse and charged towards the knights.

    A man and a horse, seemingly with an air of a reigning champion in the dueling ground, charged forward as though there was nothing that could stop him.

    It was not just Hadsh, even the knights under Count Randner were shocked. Both sides were lightly geared, who would dare to charge forward so recklessly to do mountedbat?

    But that momentary pause had allowed the old scout to ram into them. The nearest knight to Hank screamed as he was impaled by the spear and lifted off his mount, and his outburst was suddenly cut short as his life was snatched away.

    The spear was clearly not suited for horsebat. The forceful impact had snapped the spear into two, and Hank continued to unleash an assault in the knights¡¯ formation. His longsword was swinging to and fro, and another knight was cut down from his horse.

    Hadsh nearly bit his tongue. In his eyes, the old man¡¯s strength was not high, probably about the same level as he was, but that smooth action of his was not something that anyone could achieve.

    [Which army did this old man belong to in the past?]

    He immediately wondered. Even Aouine¡¯s current elite army could not raise such an excellent warrior.

    This was someone who fought hundreds of battles, and it was definitely not something that could be imitated.

    He suddenly recovered from his surprise and yelled to the people behind him: ¡°Arrows, arrows! Cover him!¡±

    Several riders were already preparing and did not need his reminder. They took down the longbows that were behind their backs and shot arrows to disrupt the knights¡¯ attempt to surround Hank.

    The old scout easily charged out of the poor attempt to surround him, and he raised his longsword and pointed to a certain direction.

    ¡°Seize this chance and break through the siege!¡± Hadsh was acting like he was possessed by a divine spirit, understanding Hank¡¯s intention immediately. He felt his body burning up, and the adrenaline forced his eyes to be bloodshot. He directed his sword forward and the riders roared in response. The foot soldiers could no longer hold the riders down.

    Count Randner¡¯s knights had trouble controlling their horses that were moving chaotically, while their opponents who had roughly the same skill were charging towards them......

    Wilson nearly cked out from watching this scene unfold. He thought he had grabbed onto a piece of juicy meat, but it was instead a steel te that smashed onto his hand instead. A hundred-odd men with ten-plus knights were unable to surround less than twenty scouts, and these enemies were even able to escape from them.

    ¡°Fuck! A veteran who survived the November War, how are we supposed to fight this battle!?¡±

    Wilson was the best knight under Lord Ps. He had great experience in fighting due to the frequent battles against the hignd natives. The rebels should have been nothing to him, and even if it were a formal army of Aouine, he might not even think they were worthy of a match, but this time Wilson believed that it was the most bizarre battle he had ever fought in his life.

    He had seen more things than Hadsh did and was absolutely certain that Hank was a soldier who survived the November War.

    [At least half of the soldiers who survived the November War were awarded the Candlefire Emblem. They were even given a small plot ofnd even if they were not knights. Why would someone like that appear amongst the rebels?]

    Wilson started shaking, believing that he and his lord had fallen into an insidious scheme.

    While the knight was agonizing over the pain from his losses, the reports of the frontline battles were ryed to Lord Ps by scouts. Even though this old knight was working with two other armymanders, he had such a vast experience in battles that these two othermanders were only fit to be his adjutants.

    The only person who could fight head-to-head with him was actually the famousmander Tarkas from Madara. The undead officer was considered old by human standards, but he was perceived as young amongst Madara.

    There were many talented ¡®youths¡¯ in Madara who were appearing in this particr War of the ck Rose. Lord Ps was sighing in his mind even though he was working with Tarkas. Aouine was like a frail old man with an air of deathpared to Madara.

    For some strange reason, the old knight suddenly recalled that it was a young man who led the rebels. He was starting to have a little interest in his foes, though it was definitely impossible to shake his beliefs.

    ording to the reports, their vanguard had fought against the watchtower guards. The truth was that it was not an ideal exchange. Most of the reports were victories that had significant casualties, and there were even battles that they lost.

    And yet it was his army who had the advantage in numbers.

    Thebat prowess of the enemies was out of his expectation, but it was not at a level where he found it difficult. Regardless of the losses, at least these watchtower guards were forced to retreat to the north back into River Gris, and the goal in his strategy had been achieved.

    The next battle would be taking Port Gris and crossing the river to do battle.

 volume 3 - 218 Battle at the riverbank 2

    Chapter 218 ¨C Battle at the riverbank (2)

    =========== Ciel¡¯s POV ===========

    The scouts escaped from the forest and proceeded to cross River Gris, bringing back the news of the enemy knights¡¯ invasion from the Ps region.

    Brendel¡¯s young attending wizard wore a long robe, held a staff with his hands and stood on the watchtower, looking towards the north as far as he possibly could, then turned around and spoke:

    ¡°The casualties are far heavier than expected. The scouts stationed in the north suffered a death toll that¡¯s higher than fifty percent. All of them are veteran soldiers with rich experience. In addition to this, we lost another fifty men and have three times the number of injured men within three days at other defense lines.¡±

    Ciel took a pause before throwing down another line:

    ¡°If I¡¯m the lord, I would have rolled up my nket and flee.¡±

    ¡°Which is why you¡¯re not the lord.¡± The Elven Princess who wore a suit of silver armor nced at him and answered emotionlessly.

    Medissa wore a unique pointed helmet that covered her small facepletely. Her lips were pursed tightly and she looked dignified.

    ¡°He¡¯s trying to remove our scouts. Is there some kind of scheme?¡±

    ¡°Maybe not. This most likely happened because Lord Ps know we have Subterrane Dwellers. He probably doesn¡¯t want to be attacked on the nks during a battle, avoiding the mistake that Lord Macsen made.¡±

    ¡°Truly difficult to deal with,¡± Ciel shook his head, his eyebrows were nearly about to bunch together, ¡°I wonder if we can dy them for another three days.¡±

    The full army of Count Randner had already arrived¡ª

    ¡°There are people in the nearby forest!¡± Someone shouted.

    The first glint of light appeared in the forest, and a knight covered in full armor appeared at the edge of the forest near River Gris¡¯s opposite bank. Very quickly, more men appeared behind him. That knight raised the g in his hand and stabbed it viciously into the riverbank¡¯s loose soil. The g unfurled to show a sky-blue pattern.

    The emblem of Lord Ps¡¯s hunters.

    ¡°The north, even the east.....!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot.¡±

    The soldiers who wore intercrossed red and blue uniforms came gushing out; their numbers were no less than a thousand. Ciel watched an archer shoot an arrow from River Gris towards the city, and the projectile struck the ground approximately fifty paces from Firburh¡¯s walls.

    ¡°Are they preparing to attack the city right away?¡± He nced at Medissa and asked.

    ¡°Not yet. He¡¯s testing out the distance. This army might try to attack us and test the water. But they will probably observe instead.¡±

    As the youngest princess of the Silver Elves, the number of battles Medissa fought could not bepared to the other Silver Elves, but the atmosphere of the impending battle did not make her tense. Instead, she felt it was a familiar weing feeling.

    [But the enemies are too little.]

    She shook her head.

    Medissa did not predict wrongly.

    ========== Lord Ps¡¯s POV ==========

    Lord Ps was currently on a hill that was approximately a kilometer away, sitting on his mount with a posture that was as straight as a sharp sword.

    He was a retainer that Graudin formerly trusted in the most. His hand pressed down on the sword¡¯s hilt firmly, his eyes in their sunken sockets surveying the distant riverbank like a hawk.

    The old knight was the oldest amongst all of Graudin¡¯s retainers. Even though he maintained personal contact with Lord Macsen, their age difference was quite far apart.

    Lord Macsen was still in his prime, but Lord Ps¡¯s sideburns were in patches of white. The old knight had experienced hundreds of battles, and though his fame did not reach ces like Ampere Seale or Be, he was a figure of terror amongst Trentheim¡¯s barbarians, capable of silencing their children from crying.

    He had been to River Gris a few times and now that he was near it, he suddenly recalled that thend was supposed to be a plot of t grasnd, but the current scenery made him wonder if his memories were wrong.

    A verdant forest hadpletely covered thend past the opposite riverbank. Still, there was proof that they did note to the wrong ce since the river ended at the port with shallow water. This period was when the water levels were at their lowest. Even a foot soldier could trudge across the icy waters to reach the other side.

    There seemed to be fortifications in the forest. As proof, watchtowers constructed tall enough to reach the tree crown could be seen.

    [The time that I came here was merely three years ago, but the trees in this forest don¡¯t seem like they can grow so quickly as to cover thend like this. Any of the trees would need two or three people to wrap their hands around it. Perhaps ten meters tall? These trees are specimens that could reach for the skies one day but they grow slowly. ......Never mind three years, they probably couldn¡¯t reach this height even after thirty years.]

    ¡°The scouts have just sent in their reports. There¡¯s a stronghold in the opposite riverbank, and the rumors of the Druids aiding the rebels seem to be true.¡±

    ¡°The Druids are capable of making a forest in such a short time? Is this an illusion or a forest that has been transferred from somewhere?¡± Lord Ps asked.

    It was clearly a dense forest that was easy to defend but difficult to invade. It was unthinkable that the Druids could create a forest out from nothing, but it was just as difficult to transport an entire forest. It was not as if he had not seen magic, but most of the spells are over in the blink of an eye. Even though they were powerful, it was not uneptable.

    This forest was at least tens of kilometers wide, presenting itself before he and his men. This was not a case of hallucination.

    The other knights around him did not answer. The Druids were a bunch of mysterious people. No one could describe exactly what they were capable of. There were plenty of rumors about the Druids, and putting aside whether they were capable of casting magic spells, the Druids were said to be capable of taming animals to fight for them, or that they were capable of bing powerful animals to do battle.

    Lord Ps eventually sent out a messenger to the wizard personally dispatched by Count Randner.

    ¡°What? This forest wasn¡¯t here in the past?¡± The old wizard was also greatly shocked. ¡°The Druids are capable of making nts grow faster, but it¡¯s definitely not to this extent¡ª Unless the number of Druids is surprisingly high, or that they are Grand Druids from the Circle of Skies.¡±

    ¡°Grand Druids? That¡¯s on par with a wizard from the Silver Alliance. That youth leader called Brendel is capable ofmanding someone like that? I refuse to believe it. How many Druids are needed to create this

    forest...... if the time restriction is two or three months?¡±

    ¡°Months!?¡± The old wizard¡¯s voice was nearly a shriek, clearly intending to leave: ¡°If this forest is truly created in a few months, then there must be thousands of Druids!¡±

    ¡°Thousands? That¡¯s not possible. The rebels definitely do not have thousands.¡± One of the knights interrupted and denied the notion.

    ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, A Grand Druid, or at least thirty Arch Druids to form a Circle..... Thirty Arch Druids are as good as a full-fledged military unit.¡± The Wizard said in a dark tone.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound right either. If our opponents are so strong, why are they waiting to be attacked?¡± Another knight asked.

    ¡°Is it not possible that this forest is some kind of illusionary magic?¡± Lord Ps cut through the chatter and inquired on a possibility with the meager knowledge of what he knew about magic. The wizard also thought about this possibility, but it was the adjutant who answered first.

    ¡°Our soldiers have already tested them out, or at least the trees in front are all real.¡± He shook his head.

    ¡°Perhaps abination? The trees in front are real, while the back is an illusion of sorts. But even then, it¡¯s still impressive.¡± The wizard groaned.

    ¡°Perhaps we can try using fire?¡± One of the knights asked.

    ¡°If we¡¯re facing Druids, they would easily be able to extinguish the fire. Do not forget, these people are protectors of the forest, and they are very capable of handling fire better than we do.¡± The wizard said.

    ¡°Regardless, let¡¯s try out this method.¡± Lord Ps issued an order with a stoic face: ¡°Have the soldiers prepare fire arrows. We will test out the enemies. Whether the n is a sess or not, we will set camps here and have the Grey Bear Knights cut down the trees.¡±

    ============= Ciel¡¯s POV =============

    A portion of Count Randner¡¯s army moved out.

    A row of soldiers appeared in the forest, wearing dull greenbat gambesons, wielding shields on their hands with their longswords hanging on their waists. The three rows of soldiers behind the frontline wieldednces that had a long grey triangr g tied near their tips.

    The northern Trentheim had three regions next to each other ruled by knights. The emblem of Lord Ps was the Hound, Lord Raleigh was the Grey Bear, and Lord Kruss was the Crescent. These marching soldiers¡¯ raised gs were all crescents.

    ¡°I thought such arge forest would have paralyzed them with shock,¡± Ciel shook his head.

    Even though the Druids presented their precious Magic Seeds and worked tirelessly day and night nearly without rest to create this defense line, they stillcked a little time. Only a part of the forest that reached the hastily built stronghold were real primeval trees, while the rest of the trees was actually an illusionary spell created by him.

    The soldiers from the Kruss territory advanced slowly. Their two nks were apanied by hignders who wore ragged surcoats over their thick leather skin, wielding sharp axes and round shields. These three units made their way across the river water and were about to reach the other end of the river.

    ¡°What does our Lord say?¡± Ciel raised his hand to give an order.

    ¡°¡®These are not even ssified as the lowest tier of soldier types! Privatencers and shieldbearers that the nobles randomly hired? Just get it done and over with already, why do you need my orders? Fool!¡¯¡± Medissa imitated Brendel¡¯s tone.

    ¡°Lowest tier of soldier types? What the heck is that?¡± Ciel¡¯s eyebrows were already tied up into knots.

    His Lord seemed to be fond of talking about strange things. The young wizard did not really understand what the term ¡®level up¡¯ meant back then in Fortress Riedon, now there was the ¡®lowest tier of soldier types¡¯?

    But there was not much time to think about it. Count Randner archers had finally caught up to the soldiers. These trained men were all of Lord Ps¡¯s chosen elites. They took out their arrows and drew a thin line across wet sand that was out of the water level, then took out a pouch on their waist and poured the contents into the drains they created.

    ¡°It¡¯s oil, they are using fire arrows!¡± The Elven Princess¡¯s expression changed.

    A fiery dragon suddenly emerged near the edge of the forest. The archers raised their longbows with ming arrows ced into position. There was a loud cry, and arrows were let loose at theirmander¡¯s order.

    The next instant, almost everyone in the forest saw a fire cloud forming across the sky, dyeing the surroundings with a sea of red at its apex, before it rained down onto the ground with fury.

    ¡°Fire arrows!¡± A sharp yell warned.

    The arrows were buzzing through the air. It was fortunate that the trees were dense and most of the arrows were affect the leaves at the trees¡¯ crowns. There was a noisy din with thuds and clicks, but only a small portion struck near the mercenaries¡¯ stronghold.

    There was almost no direct damage done from the Fire Arrows.

    Lord Ps who observed the event from afar did not reveal any particr expressions. He was waiting to see an effect, and it appeared like there was going to be one very soon.

    The archers raised their longbows once again, and the second wave of fire arrows was on their bowstrings.

 volume 3 - 219

    The trees began to burn once the fire arrows struck them, with the moisture of their wooden bodies evaporating amidst the mes and caused thick sooty smoke. The soldiers wearing dull-green gambesons and the Hignder warriors took the opportunity to move under the cover of the smoke, advancing towards the stronghold in the forest in the blink of an eye.

    The invasion¡¯s progress was incredibly smooth without encountering any enemy resistance. Lord Ps could not help but raise his eyebrow slightly as he observed this oue.

    But there was a sudden peal of thunder that came over from the heart of the forest at that moment. Large dark clouds gathered at a rate that was visible to the eyes, congregating above the trees. The old knight caught a golden sh of lightning and apanied with it were big raindrops that came without warning, almost putting out the strong fire that was created a few moments ago.

    Once the mes were out, the storm continued to spread with several bolts of lightning striking at the edge of the forest,nding coincidentally into the midst of Count Randner¡¯s men. There was a deafening explosion of blood and flesh, with severalrge pits forming because of the destructive force of the golden lightning, and the loose rocks caused by it flew in every direction andnded onto the people near the pits.

    Pained cries could be heard in that instant.

    The morale of Lord Kruss¡¯s soldiers plummeted. Be it the foot soldiers or the archers, everyone wanted to escape, running away at ten times the speedpared to the time when they were advancing. Even though the Hignder warriors were brave and fit, it was unfortunate that this battle did not have any meaning for them. Since the soldiers fled, the Hignder warriors naturally fled as well, though thetter moved orderlypared to the soldiers.

    The two other Knight Commanders who traveled alongside with Lord Ps with were secretly shocked at the Hignders¡¯ discipline, and they remained silent when they thought about Lord Ps gaining victory over these men and even forced them back. Even though they naturally hated to be ced under Lord Ps¡¯smand, they could only keep their silence when they saw their army¡¯s performances.

    ck clouds gathered over the archers, and themander-in-charge screamed:

    ¡°Retreat! Hurry up and run!¡±

    But it waste by step. Arge bolt of lightning¡ª No, it was a of golden electricity that exploded in the midst of the archers. Lord Welkins was also struck by the lightning, but his magic resistant full-te armor saved him. The adjutant beside him did not share the same luck, and he was turned into a charred corpse.

    The muddy Welkins climbed up from the ground, and wept in sorrow.

    [The entirepany of archers wiped out in just a single attack!]

    In truth, only twenty percent of the archers was killed, but the others were so terrified that they would not be able to participate in the uing battle, at least for a short period of time. Not to mention that the dark clouds above them were still active, almost looking like it was about tounch a second series of lightning strikes.

    Screams surrounded everyone¡¯s ears as they realized mortals had no defense against such power from nature. The experienced knights under Lord Ps might fare a little better in this situation, but these soldiers privately hired by nobles definitely would not be able to do anything.

    Suddenly, chanting noises of long passages could be heard echoing in the forest, and there was an invisible energy that seemed to form in the air. Pressure seemed to be lifted off from the surroundings, and the dark clouds faltered, before disappearing bit by bit.

    In the blink of an eye, the sun suddenly shone through and the clouds vanished as though they were never there.

    ¡°Magic Dispel, there are at least three chanting points,¡± a druid covered with a robe made of grass said after listening carefully to the wind.

    ¡°No, there are four points,¡± Ciel was listening in as well and shook his head a while after.

    ¡°Four?¡± The others did not dare to disagree.

    The first batch of Druids sent to Firburh did not have any Grand Druids, and Ciel could be seen as the most powerful wizard in the territory. High-level casters were rare, and someone as powerful as Count Randner only had two Gold-ranked Wizards with him at his sides. It was unlikely that the enemies in Trentheim had brought along one.

    ¡°Even though I said there are four chanting points, that doesn¡¯t mean there are only four wizards. It¡¯s unfortunate to not know the exact numbers. The report stated that there are possibly more than thirty wizards in the enemy¡¯s army, and some of them are Silver-ranked casters. Judging from the battlefield, this possibility is very real.¡± Cornelius who was standing in one corner answered.

    He was themander-in-name for the mercenaries. The more dependable Raban was actually sent out to helpmand the eight hundred Subterrane Dwellers. Leto and part of his men were the recement for Jana at the silver mines. Count Randner was unlikely to know that the silver mines were lost, and Brendel hoped that Leto could make a nasty surprise when the truth was revealed.

    This was a dangerous mission, but Leto and the others were veterans from the November War and were more suited for this missionpared to Jana and her men.

    As for Jana, she was relegated to defend against Count Randner¡¯s army at the forefront. She was immensely satisfied with this arrangement. Currently, this pretty female mercenary leader was standing next to Medissa and she issued her own question:

    ¡°Why would the Ps region have so many mages? Even if that ce is beset with battles all-year long, it¡¯s still not possible.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Lord Kruss and Lord Raleigh are participating in this battle. But I think Count Randner had also pulled some manpower from his personal group of wizards. It¡¯s unlikely the enemies would have Silver-ranked wizards if that was not the case.¡±

    ¡°A squadronposed of thirty wizards. There hasn¡¯t been a battle like this ever since the November War. Count Randner is really not sparing any costs to silence ¡®the weak¡¯!¡± Gaspard could not help but ridicule the Count.

    As one of the patrollingmanders in Fortress Riedon, he was like half a noble, knowing all the major and minor battles that happened in Aouine.

    Everyone smiled a little at Gaspard¡¯s words. The Druids they had right now were more than a hundred, even if they were to put aside the fact the young lord¡¯s attending wizard was a Gold-ranked spellcaster.

    The numbers of the army that Brendel brought with him to Firburh were not high, but the quality that was unbelievable. The soldiers consisted of veteran personnel who fought in the November War, and even the least experienced amongst them were people who had fought against Madara in the past. There were very few ssified lower than Iron-rankers, and there was quite arge amount of people who were above the standards of a typical Iron-ranked warrior.

    Apart from that, he still had a group of Subterrane Dwellers, a force that was definitely close to Silver-rankers.

    The total men from these two armies were close to three thousand. Adding in the Druids on top of the existing spellcasters made the percentage more than ten percent. It was unthinkable in Aouine¡¯s history. If the news of this force spread out, then the outside world would be stunned with plenty of noise made. The strength of Trentheim¡¯s new lord would have to be analyzed one more time.

    Brendel purposely suppressed this information. He knew very well that a surprise was more deeply etched when the truth was revealed. He wanted everyone in Aouine to know his name, and that he was the rightful owner of Trentheim.

    Gaspard¡¯s words made the uneasy darkness shrouding over everyone¡¯s hearts fade quite a bit. It was as if Count Randner¡¯srge army in the forest was not as frightening.

    But Ciel till gave them a word of caution and waved his away:

    ¡°Even though we make fun of the enemies, their army¡¯s strength still beats us by quite a bit. There are three Knight Commanders leading the armies, with twenty thousand men from Count Randner and ten thousand hignd natives. That is to say¡ª¡±

    Ciel pointed at River Gris with a solemn expression: ¡°We might be facing numbers that are thirty times our size right now.¡±

    Everyone sobered up. They knew this point a long time ago.

    ¡°In addition, these Knight Commanders have first-ss knights that number at least a hundred, perhaps even more, and all of them are at least Silver-rankers. Weck such a unit. Even though the Subterrane Dwellers are capable of going up against them, but our Lord has said very quickly. If the Madara undead don¡¯t appear, the Subtterane Dwellers must not appear too. This is why our opponents have an absolute advantage in terms of having Silver-ranked units.¡±

    Ciel paused for a moment before he continued:

    ¡°With the exception of Lord Ps, it seems the other two Knight Commanders are Gold-rankers, and it¡¯s hard to guarantee that there are no hidden trump cards¡ª Supposing that they only did bring in two Gold-rankers to this battle, we are only equal in strength if Medissa and I encounter them. If there¡¯s a third enemy Gold-ranker, then we would be in a disadvantage.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do?¡± One of the Druids looked a little cross-eyed once Ciel revealed this answer.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We only need to follow our Lord¡¯s words.¡±

    ¡°Lord Brendel¡¯s?¡±

    Brendel had asked them to dy Count Randner¡¯s army from making their way across the river for as long as possible, but the enemy vanguard¡¯s numbers were not as terrifying as before. Now the armies of the three Knight Commanders, native hignders, and even Madara¡¯s undead were looking in to get an advantage.

    The youth had promised victory in the past, but that was something in the past. Could they really win now?

    Many people who followed Brendel in the past had almost a blind trust in him. The promises he had made always seemed toe true, and as long as he moved forward, then the sword he was pointing to would always be the path of victory. The young lord was like the legendary heroes found in history, proiming victory proudly and it would be as easy as putting it in his bag.

    But the people in this battlefield could not help fall into a lull.

    These were warriors who could smile in the face of the most desperate battles, but this did not mean they had lost it. Even without understanding Brendel¡¯s ns, they were certain that victory could be achieved if they dyed the advance of Count Randner¡¯s army to the utmost limits, forcing them to retreat after all their food was expended.

    But this was a hefty price for both parties.

    As a warrior, this was not uneptable as they had pledged allegiance to Brendel, and everyone was prepared to shed blood.

    But the youth¡¯s promise was to defeat Count Randner¡¯s armypletely and directly in battle.

    How was that possible?

    The Druids naturally thought that Ciel was merely trying to boost morale. But Jana and Cornelius who had witnessed Brendel¡¯s miracles for themselves were having headaches; both of them were thinking hard but they were simply unable to know what Brendel was relying on to achieve victory.

    Ciel and Medissa merely met each other¡¯s eyes and smiled amidst the various types of stares. Indeed the Loop of Trade Wind¡¯s change would spread throughout the kingdom and even the whole continent.

    The battle at Firburh would be the next event that would be recorded in history as well.

    Ciel once again looked out to the forest.

    Lord Ps did not sense that foreboding gaze. He was currently assessing the casualties from that thunderstorm. The men under Lord Kruss did not suffer many deaths, and the advancing foot soldiers merely had ten-odd bodies lost, but the archers were in no condition to return to battle.

    [This is a little painful. A whole squadron of archers who are out of this battle, without even having the chance to see even one enemy.]

    The army he was controlling directly was around twenty thousand, but there were not many trained soldiers. He only had another thousand-odd archer of the same quality as this squadron, and arge portion of these men came directly from Count Randner¡¯s private soldiers. It was difficult to exin himself if he lost too many here.

    ¡°Is that lightning storm a spell of the Druids? These are Iron-ranked Druids right? How can theymand such frightening magic?¡± He could not help but bark this question at the wizard next to him.

    The wizard nodded.

    ¡°The spell is Call Lightning, but the magnitude of the spell isn¡¯t simply done by one or two Druids. This spell is definitely cast together by at least ten Druids, and if these Druids are truly Iron-rankers, then they would need to rest for a full day. But if these Druids are Arch Druids, it¡¯s a whole different story altogether.....¡±

    The old knight interrupted the wizard, refusing to believe there were high-ranking Druids in the rebel army: ¡°You mean to say that our opponents cannot cast that spell repeatedly?¡±

    ¡°Lord Ps, there is no need to worry even if they are capable of casting it repeatedly. It takes at least ten of them to do so, while we only need three mages to dispel this magic. In addition, dispelling the Call Lightning doesn¡¯t require a lot of Mana. It is much easier for us to use Mana for defense than offense, and I would not use this magic spell again if I were them. This spell is probably used to deter us from advancing.¡± The wizard lowered his head and answered respectfully.

    Lord Ps nodded. He did not need to worry much if thatrge area-of-effect spell could not be used. The difference in military might was too far apart, and he did not need to use any excessive strategies at all. The food expenditure for his army was too high and he did not want to waste time, thus his n was to use straightforward tactics from the beginning to end this war.

    As long as they crossed River Gris, then it would be a matter of days to take Firburh.

    It was within his eptable range to finish the war within a week.

    [Rebels, Aouine......]

    His mind revolved around these two words, and all his other deep thoughts turned into a confident, faint smile. As a general who had won countless victories, he did not have any reason that he would lose under such overwhelming advantage.

    The old knight snorted. It was a sigh that showed his pity for the enemies and this kingdom. There had not been such arge rebellion for the past century in Aouine. Even though Count Randner disyed his strength, it did not change the fact that this kingdom was bing decrepit and corrupted.

    [Even if you extend it another two hundred years, there isn¡¯t a case where a noble is tantly murdered like Graudin was. Brendel, did I get your name right, let this old man be thest watchdog for this kingdom......]

    He threw his dagger on the table¡¯s map, stabbing exactly onto Firburh¡¯s location, as though victory was at hand.

    There was no more hesitation in him. Count Randner¡¯s army would set camp for this evening and rest, beforeunching a full assault and take the enemy¡¯s defense line. He waspletely unafraid that the ¡®rebels¡¯ would try andmit to a night raid, and he would never make an error to defend against such a lousy tactic. If the enemies were that foolish, then he would not mind for the war to finish a little earlier.

    And the enemies¡¯ leader was as sharp like he had thought. There was no disturbance in the night, and the next morning came.

    The real fight was about to begin at the crack of dawn.

    Ciel and Medissa stood on top of a watchtower and saw unclear shadows at the other end of the river. The sky was still dark.

    ¡°They are constructing bridges with wooden nks, taking advantage of the fact that we arecking in numbers,¡± Ciel said.

    Medissa nodded.

    [[It¡¯s going to be a test from now onwards.]]

    Both of them thought of the same thing.

    The trees bega

    TL: Just installed kingdome deliverance today, and I discovered this game is crazy hard on any GPU. Spent an excessive amount of time saving/loading so that I can knock the NPCs out and steal everything from them lol, though I kind of feel sorry because they look super poor.

    The trees began to burn once the fire arrows struck them, with the moisture of their wooden bodies evaporating amidst the mes and caused thick sooty smoke. The soldiers wearing dull-green gambesons and the Hignder warriors took the opportunity to move under the cover of the smoke, advancing towards the stronghold in the forest in the blink of an eye.

    The invasion¡¯s progress was incredibly smooth without encountering any enemy resistance. Lord Ps could not help but raise his eyebrow slightly as he observed this oue.

    But there was a sudden peal of thunder that came over from the heart of the forest at that moment. Large dark clouds gathered at a rate that was visible to the eyes, congregating above the trees. The old knight caught a golden sh of lightning and apanied with it were big raindrops that came without warning, almost putting out the strong fire that was created a few moments ago.

    Once the mes were out, the storm continued to spread with several bolts of lightning striking at the edge of the forest,nding coincidentally into the midst of Count Randner¡¯s men. There was a deafening explosion of blood and flesh, with severalrge pits forming because of the destructive force of the golden lightning, and the loose rocks caused by it flew in every direction andnded onto the people near the pits.

    Pained cries could be heard in that instant.

    The morale of Lord Kruss¡¯s soldiers plummeted. Be it the foot soldiers or the archers, everyone wanted to escape, running away at ten times the speedpared to the time when they were advancing. Even though the Hignder warriors were brave and fit, it was unfortunate that this battle did not have any meaning for them. Since the soldiers fled, the Hignder warriors naturally fled as well, though thetter moved orderlypared to the soldiers.

    The two other Knight Commanders who traveled alongside with Lord Ps with were secretly shocked at the Hignders¡¯ discipline, and they remained silent when they thought about Lord Ps gaining victory over these men and even forced them back. Even though they naturally hated to be ced under Lord Ps¡¯smand, they could only keep their silence when they saw their army¡¯s performances.

    ck clouds gathered over the archers, and themander-in-charge screamed:

    ¡°Retreat! Hurry up and run!¡±

    But it waste by step. Arge bolt of lightning¡ª No, it was a of golden electricity that exploded in the midst of the archers. Lord Welkins was also struck by the lightning, but his magic resistant full-te armor saved him. The adjutant beside him did not share the same luck, and he was turned into a charred corpse.

    The muddy Welkins climbed up from the ground, and wept in sorrow.

    [The entirepany of archers wiped out in just a single attack!]

    In truth, only twenty percent of the archers was killed, but the others were so terrified that they would not be able to participate in the uing battle, at least for a short period of time. Not to mention that the dark clouds above them were still active, almost looking like it was about tounch a second series of lightning strikes.

    Screams surrounded everyone¡¯s ears as they realized mortals had no defense against such power from nature. The experienced knights under Lord Ps might fare a little better in this situation, but these soldiers privately hired by nobles definitely would not be able to do anything.

    Suddenly, chanting noises of long passages could be heard echoing in the forest, and there was an invisible energy that seemed to form in the air. Pressure seemed to be lifted off from the surroundings, and the dark clouds faltered, before disappearing bit by bit.

    In the blink of an eye, the sun suddenly shone through and the clouds vanished as though they were never there.

    ¡°Magic Dispel, there are at least three chanting points,¡± a druid covered with a robe made of grass said after listening carefully to the wind.

    ¡°No, there are four points,¡± Ciel was listening in as well and shook his head a while after.

    ¡°Four?¡± The others did not dare to disagree.

    The first batch of Druids sent to Firburh did not have any Grand Druids, and Ciel could be seen as the most powerful wizard in the territory. High-level casters were rare, and someone as powerful as Count Randner only had two Gold-ranked Wizards with him at his sides. It was unlikely that the enemies in Trentheim had brought along one.

    ¡°Even though I said there are four chanting points, that doesn¡¯t mean there are only four wizards. It¡¯s unfortunate to not know the exact numbers. The report stated that there are possibly more than thirty wizards in the enemy¡¯s army, and some of them are Silver-ranked casters. Judging from the battlefield, this possibility is very real.¡± Cornelius who was standing in one corner answered.

    He was themander-in-name for the mercenaries. The more dependable Raban was actually sent out to helpmand the eight hundred Subterrane Dwellers. Leto and part of his men were the recement for Jana at the silver mines. Count Randner was unlikely to know that the silver mines were lost, and Brendel hoped that Leto could make a nasty surprise when the truth was revealed.

    This was a dangerous mission, but Leto and the others were veterans from the November War and were more suited for this missionpared to Jana and her men.

    As for Jana, she was relegated to defend against Count Randner¡¯s army at the forefront. She was immensely satisfied with this arrangement. Currently, this pretty female mercenary leader was standing next to Medissa and she issued her own question:

    ¡°Why would the Ps region have so many mages? Even if that ce is beset with battles all-year long, it¡¯s still not possible.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Lord Kruss and Lord Raleigh are participating in this battle. But I think Count Randner had also pulled some manpower from his personal group of wizards. It¡¯s unlikely the enemies would have Silver-ranked wizards if that was not the case.¡±

    ¡°A squadronposed of thirty wizards. There hasn¡¯t been a battle like this ever since the November War. Count Randner is really not sparing any costs to silence ¡®the weak¡¯!¡± Gaspard could not help but ridicule the Count.

    As one of the patrollingmanders in Fortress Riedon, he was like half a noble, knowing all the major and minor battles that happened in Aouine.

    Everyone smiled a little at Gaspard¡¯s words. The Druids they had right now were more than a hundred, even if they were to put aside the fact the young lord¡¯s attending wizard was a Gold-ranked spellcaster.

    The numbers of the army that Brendel brought with him to Firburh were not high, but the quality that was unbelievable. The soldiers consisted of veteran personnel who fought in the November War, and even the least experienced amongst them were people who had fought against Madara in the past. There were very few ssified lower than Iron-rankers, and there was quite arge amount of people who were above the standards of a typical Iron-ranked warrior.

    Apart from that, he still had a group of Subterrane Dwellers, a force that was definitely close to Silver-rankers.

    The total men from these two armies were close to three thousand. Adding in the Druids on top of the existing spellcasters made the percentage more than ten percent. It was unthinkable in Aouine¡¯s history. If the news of this force spread out, then the outside world would be stunned with plenty of noise made. The strength of Trentheim¡¯s new lord would have to be analyzed one more time.

    Brendel purposely suppressed this information. He knew very well that a surprise was more deeply etched when the truth was revealed. He wanted everyone in Aouine to know his name, and that he was the rightful owner of Trentheim.

    Gaspard¡¯s words made the uneasy darkness shrouding over everyone¡¯s hearts fade quite a bit. It was as if Count Randner¡¯srge army in the forest was not as frightening.

    But Ciel till gave them a word of caution and waved his away:

    ¡°Even though we make fun of the enemies, their army¡¯s strength still beats us by quite a bit. There are three Knight Commanders leading the armies, with twenty thousand men from Count Randner and ten thousand hignd natives. That is to say¡ª¡±

    Ciel pointed at River Gris with a solemn expression: ¡°We might be facing numbers that are thirty times our size right now.¡±

    Everyone sobered up. They knew this point a long time ago.

    ¡°In addition, these Knight Commanders have first-ss knights that number at least a hundred, perhaps even more, and all of them are at least Silver-rankers. Weck such a unit. Even though the Subterrane Dwellers are capable of going up against them, but our Lord has said very quickly. If the Madara undead don¡¯t appear, the Subtterane Dwellers must not appear too. This is why our opponents have an absolute advantage in terms of having Silver-ranked units.¡±

    Ciel paused for a moment before he continued:

    ¡°With the exception of Lord Ps, it seems the other two Knight Commanders are Gold-rankers, and it¡¯s hard to guarantee that there are no hidden trump cards¡ª Supposing that they only did bring in two Gold-rankers to this battle, we are only equal in strength if Medissa and I encounter them. If there¡¯s a third enemy Gold-ranker, then we would be in a disadvantage.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do?¡± One of the Druids looked a little cross-eyed once Ciel revealed this answer.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We only need to follow our Lord¡¯s words.¡±

    ¡°Lord Brendel¡¯s?¡±

    Brendel had asked them to dy Count Randner¡¯s army from making their way across the river for as long as possible, but the enemy vanguard¡¯s numbers were not as terrifying as before. Now the armies of the three Knight Commanders, native hignders, and even Madara¡¯s undead were looking in to get an advantage.

    The youth had promised victory in the past, but that was something in the past. Could they really win now?

    Many people who followed Brendel in the past had almost a blind trust in him. The promises he had made always seemed toe true, and as long as he moved forward, then the sword he was pointing to would always be the path of victory. The young lord was like the legendary heroes found in history, proiming victory proudly and it would be as easy as putting it in his bag.

    But the people in this battlefield could not help fall into a lull.

    These were warriors who could smile in the face of the most desperate battles, but this did not mean they had lost it. Even without understanding Brendel¡¯s ns, they were certain that victory could be achieved if they dyed the advance of Count Randner¡¯s army to the utmost limits, forcing them to retreat after all their food was expended.

    But this was a hefty price for both parties.

    As a warrior, this was not uneptable as they had pledged allegiance to Brendel, and everyone was prepared to shed blood.

    But the youth¡¯s promise was to defeat Count Randner¡¯s armypletely and directly in battle.

    How was that possible?

    The Druids naturally thought that Ciel was merely trying to boost morale. But Jana and Cornelius who had witnessed Brendel¡¯s miracles for themselves were having headaches; both of them were thinking hard but they were simply unable to know what Brendel was relying on to achieve victory.

    Ciel and Medissa merely met each other¡¯s eyes and smiled amidst the various types of stares. Indeed the Loop of Trade Wind¡¯s change would spread throughout the kingdom and even the whole continent.

    The battle at Firburh would be the next event that would be recorded in history as well.

    Ciel once again looked out to the forest.

    Lord Ps did not sense that foreboding gaze. He was currently assessing the casualties from that thunderstorm. The men under Lord Kruss did not suffer many deaths, and the advancing foot soldiers merely had ten-odd bodies lost, but the archers were in no condition to return to battle.

    [This is a little painful. A whole squadron of archers who are out of this battle, without even having the chance to see even one enemy.]

    The army he was controlling directly was around twenty thousand, but there were not many trained soldiers. He only had another thousand-odd archer of the same quality as this squadron, and arge portion of these men came directly from Count Randner¡¯s private soldiers. It was difficult to exin himself if he lost too many here.

    ¡°Is that lightning storm a spell of the Druids? These are Iron-ranked Druids right? How can theymand such frightening magic?¡± He could not help but bark this question at the wizard next to him.

    The wizard nodded.

    ¡°The spell is Call Lightning, but the magnitude of the spell isn¡¯t simply done by one or two Druids. This spell is definitely cast together by at least ten Druids, and if these Druids are truly Iron-rankers, then they would need to rest for a full day. But if these Druids are Arch Druids, it¡¯s a whole different story altogether.....¡±

    The old knight interrupted the wizard, refusing to believe there were high-ranking Druids in the rebel army: ¡°You mean to say that our opponents cannot cast that spell repeatedly?¡±

    ¡°Lord Ps, there is no need to worry even if they are capable of casting it repeatedly. It takes at least ten of them to do so, while we only need three mages to dispel this magic. In addition, dispelling the Call Lightning doesn¡¯t require a lot of Mana. It is much easier for us to use Mana for defense than offense, and I would not use this magic spell again if I were them. This spell is probably used to deter us from advancing.¡± The wizard lowered his head and answered respectfully.

    Lord Ps nodded. He did not need to worry much if thatrge area-of-effect spell could not be used. The difference in military might was too far apart, and he did not need to use any excessive strategies at all. The food expenditure for his army was too high and he did not want to waste time, thus his n was to use straightforward tactics from the beginning to end this war.

    As long as they crossed River Gris, then it would be a matter of days to take Firburh.

    It was within his eptable range to finish the war within a week.

    [Rebels, Aouine......]

    His mind revolved around these two words, and all his other deep thoughts turned into a confident, faint smile. As a general who had won countless victories, he did not have any reason that he would lose under such overwhelming advantage.

    The old knight snorted. It was a sigh that showed his pity for the enemies and this kingdom. There had not been such arge rebellion for the past century in Aouine. Even though Count Randner disyed his strength, it did not change the fact that this kingdom was bing decrepit and corrupted.

    [Even if you extend it another two hundred years, there isn¡¯t a case where a noble is tantly murdered like Graudin was. Brendel, did I get your name right, let this old man be thest watchdog for this kingdom......]

    He threw his dagger on the table¡¯s map, stabbing exactly onto Firburh¡¯s location, as though victory was at hand.

    There was no more hesitation in him. Count Randner¡¯s army would set camp for this evening and rest, beforeunching a full assault and take the enemy¡¯s defense line. He waspletely unafraid that the ¡®rebels¡¯ would try andmit to a night raid, and he would never make an error to defend against such a lousy tactic. If the enemies were that foolish, then he would not mind for the war to finish a little earlier.

    And the enemies¡¯ leader was as sharp like he had thought. There was no disturbance in the night, and the next morning came.

    The real fight was about to begin at the crack of dawn.

    Ciel and Medissa stood on top of a watchtower and saw unclear shadows at the other end of the river. The sky was still dark.

    ¡°They are constructing bridges with wooden nks, taking advantage of the fact that we arecking in numbers,¡± Ciel said.

    Medissa nodded.

    [[It¡¯s going to be a test from now onwards.]]

    Both of them thought of the same thing.

    n to burn once the fire arrows struck them, with the moisture of their wooden bodies evaporating amidst the mes and caused thick sooty smoke. The soldiers wearing dull-green gambesons and the Hignder warriors took the opportunity to move under the cover of the smoke, advancing towards the stronghold in the forest in the blink of an eye.

    The invasion¡¯s progress was incredibly smooth without encountering any enemy resistance. Lord Ps could not help but raise his eyebrow slightly as he observed this oue.

    But there was a sudden peal of thunder that came over from the heart of the forest at that moment. Large dark clouds gathered at a rate that was visible to the eyes, congregating above the trees. The old knight caught a golden sh of lightning and apanied with it were big raindrops that came without warning, almost putting out the strong fire that was created a few moments ago.

    Once the mes were out, the storm continued to spread with several bolts of lightning striking at the edge of the forest,nding coincidentally into the midst of Count Randner¡¯s men. There was a deafening explosion of blood and flesh, with severalrge pits forming because of the destructive force of the golden lightning, and the loose rocks caused by it flew in every direction andnded onto the people near the pits.

    Pained cries could be heard in that instant.

    The morale of Lord Kruss¡¯s soldiers plummeted. Be it the foot soldiers or the archers, everyone wanted to escape, running away at ten times the speedpared to the time when they were advancing. Even though the Hignder warriors were brave and fit, it was unfortunate that this battle did not have any meaning for them. Since the soldiers fled, the Hignder warriors naturally fled as well, though thetter moved orderlypared to the soldiers.

    The two other Knight Commanders who traveled alongside with Lord Ps with were secretly shocked at the Hignders¡¯ discipline, and they remained silent when they thought about Lord Ps gaining victory over these men and even forced them back. Even though they naturally hated to be ced under Lord Ps¡¯smand, they could only keep their silence when they saw their army¡¯s performances.

    ck clouds gathered over the archers, and themander-in-charge screamed:

    ¡°Retreat! Hurry up and run!¡±

    But it waste by step. Arge bolt of lightning¡ª No, it was a of golden electricity that exploded in the midst of the archers. Lord Welkins was also struck by the lightning, but his magic resistant full-te armor saved him. The adjutant beside him did not share the same luck, and he was turned into a charred corpse.

    The muddy Welkins climbed up from the ground, and wept in sorrow.

    [The entirepany of archers wiped out in just a single attack!]

    In truth, only twenty percent of the archers was killed, but the others were so terrified that they would not be able to participate in the uing battle, at least for a short period of time. Not to mention that the dark clouds above them were still active, almost looking like it was about tounch a second series of lightning strikes.

    Screams surrounded everyone¡¯s ears as they realized mortals had no defense against such power from nature. The experienced knights under Lord Ps might fare a little better in this situation, but these soldiers privately hired by nobles definitely would not be able to do anything.

    Suddenly, chanting noises of long passages could be heard echoing in the forest, and there was an invisible energy that seemed to form in the air. Pressure seemed to be lifted off from the surroundings, and the dark clouds faltered, before disappearing bit by bit.

    In the blink of an eye, the sun suddenly shone through and the clouds vanished as though they were never there.

    ¡°Magic Dispel, there are at least three chanting points,¡± a druid covered with a robe made of grass said after listening carefully to the wind.

    ¡°No, there are four points,¡± Ciel was listening in as well and shook his head a while after.

    ¡°Four?¡± The others did not dare to disagree.

    The first batch of Druids sent to Firburh did not have any Grand Druids, and Ciel could be seen as the most powerful wizard in the territory. High-level casters were rare, and someone as powerful as Count Randner only had two Gold-ranked Wizards with him at his sides. It was unlikely that the enemies in Trentheim had brought along one.

    ¡°Even though I said there are four chanting points, that doesn¡¯t mean there are only four wizards. It¡¯s unfortunate to not know the exact numbers. The report stated that there are possibly more than thirty wizards in the enemy¡¯s army, and some of them are Silver-ranked casters. Judging from the battlefield, this possibility is very real.¡± Cornelius who was standing in one corner answered.

    He was themander-in-name for the mercenaries. The more dependable Raban was actually sent out to helpmand the eight hundred Subterrane Dwellers. Leto and part of his men were the recement for Jana at the silver mines. Count Randner was unlikely to know that the silver mines were lost, and Brendel hoped that Leto could make a nasty surprise when the truth was revealed.

    This was a dangerous mission, but Leto and the others were veterans from the November War and were more suited for this missionpared to Jana and her men.

    As for Jana, she was relegated to defend against Count Randner¡¯s army at the forefront. She was immensely satisfied with this arrangement. Currently, this pretty female mercenary leader was standing next to Medissa and she issued her own question:

    ¡°Why would the Ps region have so many mages? Even if that ce is beset with battles all-year long, it¡¯s still not possible.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Lord Kruss and Lord Raleigh are participating in this battle. But I think Count Randner had also pulled some manpower from his personal group of wizards. It¡¯s unlikely the enemies would have Silver-ranked wizards if that was not the case.¡±

    ¡°A squadronposed of thirty wizards. There hasn¡¯t been a battle like this ever since the November War. Count Randner is really not sparing any costs to silence ¡®the weak¡¯!¡± Gaspard could not help but ridicule the Count.

    As one of the patrollingmanders in Fortress Riedon, he was like half a noble, knowing all the major and minor battles that happened in Aouine.

    Everyone smiled a little at Gaspard¡¯s words. The Druids they had right now were more than a hundred, even if they were to put aside the fact the young lord¡¯s attending wizard was a Gold-ranked spellcaster.

    The numbers of the army that Brendel brought with him to Firburh were not high, but the quality that was unbelievable. The soldiers consisted of veteran personnel who fought in the November War, and even the least experienced amongst them were people who had fought against Madara in the past. There were very few ssified lower than Iron-rankers, and there was quite arge amount of people who were above the standards of a typical Iron-ranked warrior.

    Apart from that, he still had a group of Subterrane Dwellers, a force that was definitely close to Silver-rankers.

    The total men from these two armies were close to three thousand. Adding in the Druids on top of the existing spellcasters made the percentage more than ten percent. It was unthinkable in Aouine¡¯s history. If the news of this force spread out, then the outside world would be stunned with plenty of noise made. The strength of Trentheim¡¯s new lord would have to be analyzed one more time.

    Brendel purposely suppressed this information. He knew very well that a surprise was more deeply etched when the truth was revealed. He wanted everyone in Aouine to know his name, and that he was the rightful owner of Trentheim.

    Gaspard¡¯s words made the uneasy darkness shrouding over everyone¡¯s hearts fade quite a bit. It was as if Count Randner¡¯srge army in the forest was not as frightening.

    But Ciel till gave them a word of caution and waved his away:

    ¡°Even though we make fun of the enemies, their army¡¯s strength still beats us by quite a bit. There are three Knight Commanders leading the armies, with twenty thousand men from Count Randner and ten thousand hignd natives. That is to say¡ª¡±

    Ciel pointed at River Gris with a solemn expression: ¡°We might be facing numbers that are thirty times our size right now.¡±

    Everyone sobered up. They knew this point a long time ago.

    ¡°In addition, these Knight Commanders have first-ss knights that number at least a hundred, perhaps even more, and all of them are at least Silver-rankers. Weck such a unit. Even though the Subterrane Dwellers are capable of going up against them, but our Lord has said very quickly. If the Madara undead don¡¯t appear, the Subtterane Dwellers must not appear too. This is why our opponents have an absolute advantage in terms of having Silver-ranked units.¡±

    Ciel paused for a moment before he continued:

    ¡°With the exception of Lord Ps, it seems the other two Knight Commanders are Gold-rankers, and it¡¯s hard to guarantee that there are no hidden trump cards¡ª Supposing that they only did bring in two Gold-rankers to this battle, we are only equal in strength if Medissa and I encounter them. If there¡¯s a third enemy Gold-ranker, then we would be in a disadvantage.¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do?¡± One of the Druids looked a little cross-eyed once Ciel revealed this answer.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We only need to follow our Lord¡¯s words.¡±

    ¡°Lord Brendel¡¯s?¡±

    Brendel had asked them to dy Count Randner¡¯s army from making their way across the river for as long as possible, but the enemy vanguard¡¯s numbers were not as terrifying as before. Now the armies of the three Knight Commanders, native hignders, and even Madara¡¯s undead were looking in to get an advantage.

    The youth had promised victory in the past, but that was something in the past. Could they really win now?

    Many people who followed Brendel in the past had almost a blind trust in him. The promises he had made always seemed toe true, and as long as he moved forward, then the sword he was pointing to would always be the path of victory. The young lord was like the legendary heroes found in history, proiming victory proudly and it would be as easy as putting it in his bag.

    But the people in this battlefield could not help fall into a lull.

    These were warriors who could smile in the face of the most desperate battles, but this did not mean they had lost it. Even without understanding Brendel¡¯s ns, they were certain that victory could be achieved if they dyed the advance of Count Randner¡¯s army to the utmost limits, forcing them to retreat after all their food was expended.

    But this was a hefty price for both parties.

    As a warrior, this was not uneptable as they had pledged allegiance to Brendel, and everyone was prepared to shed blood.

    But the youth¡¯s promise was to defeat Count Randner¡¯s armypletely and directly in battle.

    How was that possible?

    The Druids naturally thought that Ciel was merely trying to boost morale. But Jana and Cornelius who had witnessed Brendel¡¯s miracles for themselves were having headaches; both of them were thinking hard but they were simply unable to know what Brendel was relying on to achieve victory.

    Ciel and Medissa merely met each other¡¯s eyes and smiled amidst the various types of stares. Indeed the Loop of Trade Wind¡¯s change would spread throughout the kingdom and even the whole continent.

    The battle at Firburh would be the next event that would be recorded in history as well.

    Ciel once again looked out to the forest.

    Lord Ps did not sense that foreboding gaze. He was currently assessing the casualties from that thunderstorm. The men under Lord Kruss did not suffer many deaths, and the advancing foot soldiers merely had ten-odd bodies lost, but the archers were in no condition to return to battle.

    [This is a little painful. A whole squadron of archers who are out of this battle, without even having the chance to see even one enemy.]

    The army he was controlling directly was around twenty thousand, but there were not many trained soldiers. He only had another thousand-odd archer of the same quality as this squadron, and arge portion of these men came directly from Count Randner¡¯s private soldiers. It was difficult to exin himself if he lost too many here.

    ¡°Is that lightning storm a spell of the Druids? These are Iron-ranked Druids right? How can theymand such frightening magic?¡± He could not help but bark this question at the wizard next to him.

    The wizard nodded.

    ¡°The spell is Call Lightning, but the magnitude of the spell isn¡¯t simply done by one or two Druids. This spell is definitely cast together by at least ten Druids, and if these Druids are truly Iron-rankers, then they would need to rest for a full day. But if these Druids are Arch Druids, it¡¯s a whole different story altogether.....¡±

    The old knight interrupted the wizard, refusing to believe there were high-ranking Druids in the rebel army: ¡°You mean to say that our opponents cannot cast that spell repeatedly?¡±

    ¡°Lord Ps, there is no need to worry even if they are capable of casting it repeatedly. It takes at least ten of them to do so, while we only need three mages to dispel this magic. In addition, dispelling the Call Lightning doesn¡¯t require a lot of Mana. It is much easier for us to use Mana for defense than offense, and I would not use this magic spell again if I were them. This spell is probably used to deter us from advancing.¡± The wizard lowered his head and answered respectfully.

    Lord Ps nodded. He did not need to worry much if thatrge area-of-effect spell could not be used. The difference in military might was too far apart, and he did not need to use any excessive strategies at all. The food expenditure for his army was too high and he did not want to waste time, thus his n was to use straightforward tactics from the beginning to end this war.

    As long as they crossed River Gris, then it would be a matter of days to take Firburh.

    It was within his eptable range to finish the war within a week.

    [Rebels, Aouine......]

    His mind revolved around these two words, and all his other deep thoughts turned into a confident, faint smile. As a general who had won countless victories, he did not have any reason that he would lose under such overwhelming advantage.

    The old knight snorted. It was a sigh that showed his pity for the enemies and this kingdom. There had not been such arge rebellion for the past century in Aouine. Even though Count Randner disyed his strength, it did not change the fact that this kingdom was bing decrepit and corrupted.

    [Even if you extend it another two hundred years, there isn¡¯t a case where a noble is tantly murdered like Graudin was. Brendel, did I get your name right, let this old man be thest watchdog for this kingdom......]

    He threw his dagger on the table¡¯s map, stabbing exactly onto Firburh¡¯s location, as though victory was at hand.

    There was no more hesitation in him. Count Randner¡¯s army would set camp for this evening and rest, beforeunching a full assault and take the enemy¡¯s defense line. He waspletely unafraid that the ¡®rebels¡¯ would try andmit to a night raid, and he would never make an error to defend against such a lousy tactic. If the enemies were that foolish, then he would not mind for the war to finish a little earlier.

    And the enemies¡¯ leader was as sharp like he had thought. There was no disturbance in the night, and the next morning came.

    The real fight was about to begin at the crack of dawn.

    Ciel and Medissa stood on top of a watchtower and saw unclear shadows at the other end of the river. The sky was still dark.

    ¡°They are constructing bridges with wooden nks, taking advantage of the fact that we arecking in numbers,¡± Ciel said.

    Medissa nodded.

    [[It¡¯s going to be a test from now onwards.]]

    Both of them thought of the same thing.

 volume 3 - 220

    ¨C The sword that resists fate (1)

    Murderous cries flooded the environment.

    The ck stream of arrows shot across the sky and covered the sun with countless undead marching over the scarlet earth. The noises that were transmitted behind Freya¡¯s back could not be discerned clearly. Was it despair, pain, or furious roars?

    The young girl wanted to look behind her, but she could not move at all.

    An undead knight covered with burning white mes sitting on a skeletal horse rode up to her, and it stared down at her from above the mount with its ming eyes. This was a dream that she had to experience every night.

    But the dream was so realistic to her that she could not utter a sound because of her tension. She merely stared back with wide opened eyes.

    ¡°You should not have wakened up. The fate for Valha¡¯s descendant is too heavy,¡± The knight spoke in a hoarse tone, ¡°do not sacrifice yourself for an unrealistic belief.¡±

    The knight raised his longsword: ¡°Back off, or there would not be any road left for you to retreat!¡± The voice was like a strict warning, and it thrust its hand forward, plunging the cold de into her heart.

    ¡°Ahh¡ª¡± Freya screamed in fright and sat up from her bed in cold perspiration. She panted lightly and could not help but clutch her chest. She did not know when this nightmare started happening, and whether it was some kind of omen or that it was the stress from her recent training that caused it.

    She could hear her heart pounding, but the hasty footsteps from the outside corridor quickly drowned out this noise. The dim candlelight in her room gradually brought her back to reality. The footsteps probably belonged to the knights that brought back information¡ª

    Ever since the war broke out in the south, the number of people bringing back reports had increased several times. Factions of all sizes had been attracted by this sudden battle, even forgetting their own civil wars that were on the brink of happening.

    The south of Ampere Seale was only essible after the snow had melted, and Count Randner¡¯s civil battle was something of an ¡®appetizer¡¯, as described by Oberbeck.

    It was quite the insult to be described in that manner, but the other nobles did not mind that description, and merelyughed merrily to see how many fangs the old tiger still had remaining. Of course, the majority was questioning how many fangs were remaining, and not the idea that he had no fangs left.

    Only a few people in the Royal Knight Academy believed that Brendel could win, and Freya anxiously waited for news of the frontlines every day.

    The messenger passed through the long corridor and went into the dormitory¡¯s back courtyard. All news regarding the civil war would be first delivered to Princess Gryphine.

    The half-elven princess studied the few lines on the parchment coldly, then ced it down¡ª

    Lord Ps¡¯s army had engaged the rebels.

    There was no substantial progress in this summary.

    [Things will be settled in a day or two.]

    ¡°Copy the contents of this letter and send it to the other lords.¡±

    ¡°Should I gather the lords toe here?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to do so, but there will be apetition this month and a hunting festival to celebrate the end of winter. Help me prepare for these two events as I want to oversee both of them.¡±

    The messenger bowed and left the room.

    ¡®The cunning fox¡¯, Makarov, looked at the report and shook his head with a slight smile. He then started cing the report down on a bunch of documents that were stacked high on the table, but he thought for a moment and stopped in the middle of his action, then took the report and left his room.

    He went over to Count Barre¡¯s quarters with the report in his hand, but he was intercepted by thetter¡¯s servants and got informed that his good friend had gone to the tournament grounds. It was only then that he recalled there was such apetition, and he hurriedly rented a horse cart to travel to the tournament grounds that was several miles away.

    The Winter Games was a particr tournament that had a long history in southern Aouine. The tournament¡¯s events included horsemanship, swordsmanship, and jousting. It was primarily a chance for the knights in various regions to gain glory, and it was a passionate activity for the youths. The public could also satisfy their thirst for finding heroes.

    This tournament hosted by the Royal Knights Academy had a stronger meaning, and the knights-in-training sought to prove they were the best knights of their batch, vying passionately for the crown that was weaved with evergreen leaves.

    Preparations for the Winter Games started before daybreak, and it was already crowded when dawn broke. However, Makarov was indeed Count Barre¡¯s good friend and knew him well. He did not take long before he managed to find thetter in the crowd.

    Count Barre paid great attention to his attire. He wore a purple robe lined with silver seams with three silver leaves emzoned onto his cuffs to represent his identity. He did not wear a hat, and his hand was holding onto a goblet, standing on the highest position of a hastily made wooden stage and receiving the cold wind there.

    Barre raised his goblet when he spotted his good friend walking over to him with a smile: ¡°Tordor¡¯s wine with a vintage that¡¯s five to seven years. I know you dislike it.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I dislike drinking wine, not the wine itself.¡± Makarov¡¯s exasperated reply came.

    ¡°I know, alcohol affects one¡¯s judgment, but I¡¯m not making one anyways.¡±

    ¡°You received the news about Trentheim?¡± Makarov did not want to waste time on that frivolous matter.

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the joke to see how many fangs that old dog still have left?¡± Barre said in a pleasantly light tone.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you how long the ¡®rebels¡¯ canst.¡±

    ¡°What do you think? Do you think that youth doesn¡¯t have the possibility to win?¡± Barre shook his goblet yfully: ¡°He has the Silver Elves and the Dragon race backing him.¡±

    ¡°The Silver Elves were merely passing by.¡±

    ¡°And the Dragon race?¡±

    ¡°The Dragon race will never participate in human affairs so recklessly. This will definitely attract the opposition from the Holy Cathedral, and no one wants to start a Holy War. Even the mostwless dukes from the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. But that youth isn¡¯t a worthless fool sheltered by a powerful family. Lord Ps¡¯s character might cost him to suffer greatly at that boy¡¯s hands.¡±

    Makarov sneered: ¡°Is that so? I find that boy to be foolish to the point ofughing at him.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Barre asked intentionally.

    ¡°I thought that boy would drag Lord Ps into a stalemate. The expenditure of an army that has the size of thirty thousand is an astronomical number. There is also theck of trust between the humans and the Madara undead, and Lord Ps will definitely lose once the war drags on.¡±

    ¡± But that youth constructed a defense line at River Gris, preparing to fight a direct battle with Lord Ps, and this strategy disappointed our ¡®cunning fox¡¯, right? Indeed, it¡¯s troubling that weck someone who could rein in Count Randner. I did hear that youth ran Trentheim quite well, perhaps he did it to ensure the harvest for the next year. Have you ever thought that he would truly be a dangerous foe to Count Randner if he manages to survive this battle?¡±

    Count Barre raised an eyebrow and asked, only to be met with a stare from his good friend. Heughed without making a sound:

    ¡°Indeed, I also think that he can¡¯t win this battle, but perhaps there¡¯s a miracle. You ought to know that miracles tend to happen when people wish for it, and we need this miracle. So I have prayed sincerely for it, and perhaps Mother Marsha will grant me a miracle for the sake of my prayers.¡±

    It was unreasonable to ce hope onto miracles, and Makarov knew that his good friend was merely joking like his usual self. But their little discussion was unintentionally overheard by a girl who was preparing for thepetition.

    ¡°Freya, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± One of the female students prodded the lost girl, and thetter seemed like she gained back her senses.

    ¡°Yes? Huh?¡±

    ¡°Well now, why do you look like you lost your soul, are you thinking of a boy?¡± That girl giggled.

    ¡°...... Y-you, what nonsense are you talking about?¡± Freya blushed immediately. These girls from nobility were much bolder when it came to affairs between a man and a woman. Even though everyone stopped at an appropriate point, the young girl who came from Be still felt that it was difficult to join in these conversations.

    But she was still interested in that topic she heard earlier, and she could not help but ask: ¡°Tisha, do you know who the man that those two were talking about?¡±

    The girl Freya was talking to was a roommate. Tisha was a girl from a small noble family, and she was chosen to be invited to the academy because of her talent in magic.

    ¡°The tform above us? These people are bigwigs who have a social barrier since they are from a true noble lineage. It¡¯s like the difference between amoner and nobility, and we can¡¯t even go up to them to speak without permission. It¡¯s extremely impolite.¡±

    She suddenly recalled Freya¡¯s background and stopped herself: ¡°Ah, my apologies, Freya, you know I did not mean anything bad. Anyways, we should stop talking about the contents of what they said. You are considered half a noble when you graduate from this ce.¡±

    Freya smiled at the girl¡¯s answer, but her heart was inplete chaos. She did not know what Brendel¡¯s situation was, and even high-ranking personnel who controlled the kingdom¡¯s fate did not think that he would seed. Did it not mean that the situation in Firburh was extremely serious?

    She was still a native from Aouine, and the fear towards authority was not something that she could change easily, or she would have wanted to grow a pair of wings and fly to that youth to ovee this situation, or at least die together with him¡ª

    She did not know what she was thinking anymore. The memories of Brendel and her yed back segment by segment, though they were not entirely made up of good memories.

    [During that event of the Golden Demonic Tree, I went to search for him and Romaine with good intentions, and yet h-h-he intimidated me and even made fun of me and Romaine after that.]

    Freya¡¯s face turned red upon remembering this detail, but she did not know why she felt like she was eating a small piece of candy in her mind. Though that sweetness quickly turned into fear and gloominess, even making her unable to hear the voice that was calling out to her from the tournament grounds.

    ¡°It¡¯s your turn, Freya!¡± Tisha was no longer able to continue watching Freya: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, do you feel ufortable somewhere?¡±

    ¡°N-no......¡± Freya now recalled that she was here to participate in the tournament. She picked up hernce in a slight fluster, only to meet with a pair of rolling eyes.

    ¡°The event right now is a swordsmanshippetition......¡± Came a displeased tone from Tisha.

    ¡°AH!¡± Freya wanted to find a hole to bury her herself in.

    ¡°Never mind, but don¡¯t force yourself.¡± Tisha sighed and looked a little worriedly at Freya with a sigh: ¡°Remember to get a good result. If I didn¡¯t know you well enough, even I would think that you¡¯re obsessed with a boy......¡±

    Freya was already walking out to the stage, until she heard Tisha¡¯s words and nearly slipped onto the ground. She would never admit that she was thinking about Brendel earlier.

    [But for me to get a good result...... How can that be easy? Be it jousting or riding skills, I¡¯m practically unqualified to participate in these events. Even though I¡¯m a little better in swordsmanship, but I¡¯m going up against all the talented youths all over Aouine. It¡¯s not sufficient......]

 volume 3 - 221

    ¨C The sword that resists fate (2)

    Freya took a deep breath and walked up to the tournament stage.

    The 10¡Á10 meters stage made out of rock was specially crafted for the tournament. It was one and a half meters high, and surrendering or getting knocked out from it meant defeat. Freya had won two rounds earlier, but the opponents she facedter were bing stronger and she was uncertain if she had the confidence to continue winning.

    The young girl felt a little upset at herself. Brendel sent her to this ce so that she could be stronger and protect everyone who survived Be¡¯s ordeal. But she could hardly im that she was capable of doing so, and her original confidence was slowly worn down when shepared herself to the monstrous talents in this academy.

    She raised her longsword.

    Her current opponent was a senior academy student. Maynild was at the sideline watching the tournament as usual, but she frowned when she saw Freya¡¯s condition.

    ¡°You cannot achieve victory when your heart isn¡¯t focused.¡± The senior upperssman also saw the same thing and could not help but remind Freya.

    The girl jolted and immediately concentrated, but when she looked at her opponent, her dream and the reality in front of her ovepped. The red soil in her dreams extended endlessly below her feet, and her opponent was once again that knight covered in wildfire.

    She shook her head in a panic, trying to get rid of that illusion, but her opponent had pulled out his longsword and rushed at her. The girl was startled as she remembered that moment where she was stabbed¡ª At that moment, she hadpletely forgotten about swordsmanship and retreated subconsciously to avoid the enemy¡¯s sword.

    A burst ofughter immediately came from the surrounding audience. There were students from the academy joining in the nobles as they had never seen someone fleeing from the tournament stage like a frightened rat.

    ¡°Freya, what are you doing!¡± Maynild could not suppress herself and bellow with furrowed brows.

    But a ray of light suddenly burst forth from Freya¡¯s forehead and a pair of wings extended from her back. There was a metallic ring as something knocked away her opponent¡¯s longsword into the air.

    ¡°What¡¯s that!¡±

    Several high-ranking nobles next to the princess stood up. Though they wereughing earlier, their eyes were still glued onto the girl. A buzzing sound could be heard, almost like there was a resonance from far away. A ray of light pierced through the sky from outside the academy.

    ¡°That light is in the direction of River Pine!¡± Someone from the nobles recognized where it was.

    But before he finished his words, that ray of light suddenly seemed to bend and moved towards the academy.

    ¡°Th...... This is......¡±

    That ray of light crashed into the tournament stage under everyone¡¯s stares,nding right in front of Freya. The glowing light disappeared and revealed a longsword embedded into the ground. At that moment, even the person who caused the phenomenon was confused.

    Freya did not understand what was happening, but she felt like the sword was calling out to her. The voice was friendly and kind, which was just like Brendel¡¯s gentle encouragement.

    But the girl could only feel her heart pounding and she did not know what to do.

    For a moment, the tournament grounds waspletely silent¡ª

    ¡°F-Freya, y-your forehead has a strange pattern¡ª!¡± Tisha eximed a few secondster.

    Freya subconsciously touched her forehead. There was a sharp pain, and when she brought down her hand to look at it, she discovered there was blood all over it.

    [I¡¯m injured? But how?]

    Freya was certain that something like a ray of light had knocked away her opponent¡¯s longsword, and there were no weapons that came close to her, so how did she get injured? She brought up the longsword in her hands to use it as a mirror and looked at her forehead, only to discover that there was a beautiful sky-blue pattern on it.

    ¡°W-what¡¯s this?¡± She did not know that this emblem was particrly famous in the game. It was the representation of the Goddess of War.

    The proof of glory that Marsha had given to her, and the gamers in Aouine had put their faith into, the light-bearer and g of Aouine.

    But she was only confused at this moment. She raised her head a little fearfully, only to meet a pair of ck eyes filled with calm.

    ¡°Pick up this sword, Freya, it belongs to you.¡± Maynild had a hint of an indescribable torrent of emotions in her eyes, but her words were resolute.

    Freya did not move.

    But Maynild nodded to her and that young girl inhaled deeply.

    Thetter looked at her surroundings and discovered that everyone was waiting to see what her actions were. She hesitated for a moment before she gathered her courage and walked towards that sword. Her hand grasped the hilt and a chill invaded her hands.

    She pulled it up gently.

    And a miracle happened¡ª

    The sword that was encased in rock poured out countless rays of golden light as it was pulled out from the ground. Rock fragments fell off from the sword piece by piece and revealed a golden longsword. It was over a meter long, with the sword guard appearing like an extended pair of wings. The emblem of the Lionheart was carved onto the hilt, and the sword was as brilliant as crafted gold.

    =========== Gryphine¡¯s POV ============

    ¡°The Lionheart¡ª!¡± Grandmaster Fleetwood, the princess¡¯s teacher, a figure where all of Aouine¡¯s nobility had to give respect, yelled out in surprise.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the true Lionheart. The appearance of this sword is different from the description in history. I think there are Laws that had been changed.¡± The princess was apparently much calmer, but there was also an inexpressible emotion running through her eyes when she stared at the longsword in Freya¡¯s hands.

    ¡°This appears to be a bloodline awakening from that earlier phenomenon?¡± She asked Oberbeck.

    ¡°It appears so.¡±

    ¡°As expected, the Everton¡¯s bloodline isn¡¯t such a simple thing. Let us pay more attention to her.¡±

    ¡°Just the Lionheart alone is enough to make us do so.¡± Oberbeck replied: ¡°Come to think of it, those northern nobles will be panicking since the Lionheart appeared and recognized its owner.¡±

    ¡°But we should first ensure thatss is standing on our side,¡± One of the nobles interrupted with a little worry, ¡°if the Lionheart ends up in someone else¡¯s hands......¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry. Freya is a simple girl. I believe she will stand on our side.¡± Princess Gryphine gave that noble an impassive look and replied.

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±

    But Oberbeck peered at the princess, his eyes seemingly filled with wisdom as though he had seen through everything.

    [Are you certain that she¡¯s standing with ¡°us¡±, Your Highness?]

    Gryphine¡¯s head slowly cooled and she could only put on a wry smile in her mind. She suddenly recalled the young knight in that particr story. Indeed, she could not see clearly where Aouine¡¯s future fateid exactly in whose hands¡ª

    [The Lionheart ended up in those hands. Is Mother Marsha punishing us for betraying the oath that we made? But how can that youth be free from that punishment?]

    ============= Freya¡¯s POV =============

    ¡°Ser Maynild.......¡±

    The stoic knight turned her head back and looked at Freya who called out to her. She tilted her head as if to ask what the question was.

    ¡°T-this sword.....?¡± Freya felt like she was still dreaming. The sword in her hands was no ordinary weapon, but why did it choose her?

    She was still feeling unsettled.

    ¡°This is yours,¡± Maynild answered simply.

    ¡°But....... This is clearly......¡± Freya started thinking about the legends regarding the Lionheart and her heart started thumping loudly. She was a full-blood citizen of Aouine, and she had grown up listening to those legendary tales. The idea of linking those events with her, be it the Ancestral King Erik or the Lionheart, made her feel that it was too surreal.

    ¡°Freya, I once knew a girl who was simr to you. She was stubborn, determined, and she had her set of ideals,¡± Maynild suddenly blurted as she looked at that young girl, ¡°at that time I was still young. I had always admired her, and I remember that she had a sword that¡¯s almost like the one in your hands.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Freya was confused.

    ¡°Her sword was even sharper than the one in your hands, but it isn¡¯t as resolved. I think this sword suits you far better, and perhaps it could change everything one day.¡±

    ¡°W-what does that mean, I don¡¯t quite understand when you speak like this, Ser Maynild......¡±

    ¡°I say, why not give the sword a name?¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t this the Lionheart?¡±

    ¡°That was King Erik¡¯s Lionheart, but it is no longer that sword.¡±

    ¡°Then what should I call it? I, I don¡¯t have the talent to give names.¡± Freya was a little troubled.

    At that moment, Maynild felt the Lionheart was crying in Freya¡¯s hands. She shook her head and spoke after sighing once: ¡°Then call it Amber.¡±

    ¡°Amber?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Amber, the Amber Sword. There¡¯s a sword in Kirrlutz¡¯s Poem of Skies. It is a legendary sword that allows the user to battle fate, and its previous owner was the legendary knight who split open the heavens, allowing the stars to descend onto earth and created the second era......¡±

    Freya hugged the longsword and nodded with a little conviction: ¡°I understand, Amber, the name is beautiful.¡±

    The stoic female knight suddenly realized that Freya was telling the truth when she said she did not have any talent in giving out names. But she merely shook her head and started leaving after finishing what she had to say.

    ¡°Please wait, Ser Maynild,¡± Freya called out to her once again, ¡°what happened after that.....?¡±

    ¡°After that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I meant the girl that you said resembled me, what happened to her?¡±

    ¡°After that?¡± Maynild nced back and actually put on a little smile: ¡°There is no ¡®after that¡¯¡ª¡±

    ¡°How can that be!¡± Freya¡¯s eyes opened wide.

    But it was true there was no ¡®after that¡¯¡ª

    =========== Brendel¡¯s POV =========

    Brendel was feeling a little anxious as he traveled through the forest. He subconsciously felt the Sage te in his bag, discovering that it was vibrating slightly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The Tree Elf Quinn discovered his odd behavior and asked.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± The youth shook his head.

    [The Lionheart? But why would there be a resonance at this moment? Thest reaction was several months ago, but this feeling makes me feel like it has entered into some kind of contract. I can feel something familiar from the other end, almost as if I know it from somewhere.]

    The feeling was too strange, but he had never felt such a connection like this before, even if he searched his memories in the game.

    However, he could only push down his thoughts, because the centaurs in front of him had cut down the foliage to reveal a stretch of open grasnd¡ª

    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Brendel took in a deep breath and raised his hand.

    All the Tree Elves, as well as the mercenaries, stopped advancing. Thend before them was the youth¡¯s territory, and every pair or eyes stopped on him.

    The farce in Trentheim was about to end, starting from this moment onwards.

 volume 3 - 222

    ¨C Looking at victory in the distance

    Count Randner¡¯s army advanced with difficulty. They were currently engaged with the enemy mercenaries. Even though the soldiers from the Grey Bear and Kruss regions scaled the fortress¡¯s earthen walls, the mercenaries¡¯ will seemed to greatly surpass the imagination of the various Aouine nobles who were observing the battlefield. The huge army was repelled at crucial moments several times, and they did not break past the enemy¡¯s defensive lines for consecutive two days .

    The battle was extremely vicious and the soldiers¡¯ blood stained River Gris red.

    The unmoved Lord Ps gripped his longsword and observed the entire battlefield like a cold Grim Reaper, stubbornly maintaining his army¡¯s current pace. Once the battle had reached this phase, there was no need to care about many lives were lost, because it would be victory when they took one more step forward.

    He sought to find the chance to deal the final blow¡ª The geographical advantage that the rebels had was almost peeled away, while his army still kept their high morale.

    His eyes suddenly glinted.

    ¡°Get Lord Weld to advance in that direction,¡± Lord Ps pointed at an empty stretch of trees, ¡°stop looking at me like you¡¯re questioning my orders, just get him to do it and he will understand where to attack!¡±

    The messenger was momentarily at a loss for words.

    [Is this really an appropriate order?]

    The messenger whose name Lord Ps did not bother to remember suspected for a moment that his superior had be delirious after staying up for the entire night, but when he stared into Lord Ps¡¯s eyes, he saw thetter had determined and bright eyes.

    That was confidence¡ª

    ¡°I understand, my lord,¡± the messenger replied and bowed.

    =========== Nightsong Tiger¡¯s POV ===========

    (TL: Nightsong Tiger = Leader of the Mercenaries of Lopes)

    The Nightsong Tiger whistled and got the surrounding men to gather. He pointed at a nearby area that had a stream:

    ¡°See that area?¡±

    Everyone surveyed and spotted a field of fiery red swallow-tail banners. The men carriednces that were taller than some of the shorter trees, and they wore scarlet armor that covered their whole bodies.

    ¡°The Crimson gbearers, Count Randner¡¯s private army.¡± One of the mercenaries remarked, recognizing their signature appearance from the reports that he read.

    ¡°How generous of Count Randner!¡± Another mercenary spat in hatred, his saliva tinged with blood.

    ¡°How strong is theirbat prowess?¡± The Nightsong Tiger asked.

    ¡°Tier 1 Soldier ss, Light Cavalry, their mounts are specially selected horses that are violent, and their overall strength is the upper end of an Iron-ranker¡ª¡± A tall Elf with slightly dull-green skin and a pair of ears that were longer than the norm answered by rying Brendel¡¯s words. He was different from the other hired mercenaries and was part of the Mercenaries of Lopes.

    ¡°Hmph, ¡®Light Cavalry¡¯ with full body armor!¡± The Nightsong Tiger tutted twice.

    ¡°The horses are not equipped with armor. Based on the burden and mobility they are indeed ssified as Light Cavalry. These men are also equipped with Hazell¡¯s three-barrel hand cannons, which have considerable ranged power in short distance engagements. Count Randner has put in quite the budget in this unit.¡±

    ¡°Their intention is to attack our left nk. The mercenaries under Cornelius are exhausted, and it seems like our opponent has quite the sharp eyes,¡± the Nightsong Tiger pointed at an area that thick foliage, ¡°unfortunately there is no reason to let that old knight have an easy time. I¡¯m going to bring my men to take down the enemies, how about you lot?¡±

    The other mercenaries in the area were elites carefully selected by the various groups of mercenaries to support areas that needed aid, and they had strength close to Silver-rankers. There was a fullpany of one hundred men yesterday but now there were only forty-five of them left. It was clear how dangerous their fights were.

    ¡°Killing one of them is enough to break even.¡± Someone remarked and there was a burst of venomousughter made from everyone.

    The riders that appeared next to the stream increased in numbers, reaching the size of a fullpany.

    Weld was sitting on his mount and looked at his subordinates with satisfaction.

    [Indeed, this is Aouine¡¯s most elite army. They are notckingpared to the royal family¡¯s White Lion Army.]

    He thought in his mind, and even though it was just two hundred-odd men, he was confident that his men would sweep away the enemies that blocked his way.

    The riders crossed over the stream upon hearing an urgent whistle from him.

    Medissa naturally noticed them once they appeared. The Silver-Elf princess had been standing on the highest point of the fortress, and she waved a g towards the direction of the newly arrived enemies, and there was a shower of arrows that struck that location as though she had willed it.

    The arrows made agitated sparks of water across the stream, but they hardly did any fatal damage to the cavalry unit. The triangr arrowheads lost their momentum after piercing through armor, and even if some of the riders had three or four arrows sticking out of their armor, they were still able to maintain their formation.

    It was not surprising to Lord Weld. Equipment was an important quality for an army¡¯s battle strength. The Crimson gbearers were all equipped with armor resistant to projectiles, and greatly reduced the threat of ranged projectiles¡ª

    In his eyes, this resolved the greatest weakness of a light cavalry unit.

    But he did not expect even in his dreams that his enemies were made up of a variety of races. Mercenaries hadplex structures and adventurers had even more varieties. Weld was just feeling a little proud, but he did not know that the nearby Elven archers in the forest were targeting this conspicuous unit.

    ¡°Hanno, you¡¯re left, I¡¯m right.¡± There was an Elven archer covered in leaves on top of a tree approximately a hundred meters away, and he handed a green arrow to the human ranger behind him.

    ¡°The two in front?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Two bowstrings sang at the same time, and the first two riders who crossed the southern section of the forest copsed from their mounts. Lord Weld was greatly surprised, and he turned his head to discover that the arrows were shot in between the gaps of the armor around the neck. Their throats were pierced through and they died instantly.

    ¡°Sharpshooters, be careful!¡± Lord Weld felt his hair raise up and he immediately cried out.

    True sharpshooters were the nightmare of any heavy armor units, and that was because thetter¡¯s armor was no different than someone who did not wear any protective gear. Their arrows were always capable of finding the weakest point and delivering a fatal blow.

    It was rare to find good archers in a typical army unit, let alone sharpshooters. Nobles had to pay a handsome sum of money to hire them, but the best sharpshooters were almost always Elves or rangers, and these people preferred freedom.

    [What the fuck is up with this rebel army? Druids? Rangers and Elves? A fucking alliance between the denizens of the forest? Are we fighting a Holy War?]

    He trembled once he recalled about the November War.

    ¡°Over there!¡±

    The Crimson gbearers rode quickly and maintained their speed in the forest. To move quickly in the range of sharpshooters meant survival, and these experienced troops understood this point clearly. It did not take long for them to discover where their enemies were.

    A shadowy figure moved swiftly across the fortress¡¯s earthen walls that were fortified with vines.

    This tall, lithe Elf had dull-green skin and he moved behind the battlements without giving away his position, closing in the distance to the enemy¡¯s cavalry unit. The Elf stopped to calmly observe with a pair of narrow almond-shaped eyes, then he continued to move, exposed half of his body, then raised his longbow to aim.

    ¡°An Elven archer!¡± One of the riders managed to spot him and shrieked, and the entire cavalry unit unbuckled the shields from their mounts to guard their throats. To a child, the Elven archers were legendary sharpshooters, but for a soldier on the battlefield, they were the definition of a nightmare.

    It was especially so for Elves that had a greyish-green tinge to their skin. They were Windrunner Elves.

    The Nightsong Tiger peeked out from a carefully hidden ditch, nced at the enemy riders¡¯ response, and then tucked his head back.

    ¡°These soldiers are quite the veterans.¡± He gestured.

    ¡°But it¡¯s useless, hehe.¡± The mercenaries¡¯ eyes were somewhat hollow because of the constant battles that they fought, but there was a streak of cruelty in them. They were smirking.

    Indeed, the cavalry¡¯s actions were useless.

    There was a beam of white light. That projectile actually pierced through the center of a rider¡¯s shield and neck. It even broke through the first victimpletely to strike the rider that was behind him, and thetter was sent flying to the ground with a massive thud.

    It was only then that the first rider who got shot fell silently to the ground.

    ¡°A Silver-ranked archer!¡± Lord Weld instantly thought he had fallen into a huge trap as he stared at the Grim Reaper on the fortress.

    It seemed like that elf had turned into a cannon¡ª Each time he raised his longbow, there would be at least one rider amongst the charging cavalry who fell down his mount.

    Lord Weld felt a painful headache assaulting him, but he was at least still a capablemander. He immediately pulled out his longsword and ordered:

    ¡°Move closer and suppress him with the hand cannons!¡±

    A Silver-ranked sharpshooter¡¯s damage was too great. At the rate of two arrows fired in a second, Lord Weld thought that the morale of his men would copse first before they even got to fight anything.

    The whistling in the forest caused by the arrows was like summoning calls for their souls, but the Crimson gbearers disyed their tenacity as elites. They charged forward with high spirits despite the circumstances, and they reached the range to fire their hand cannons quickly.

    Lord Weld secretly exhaled with relief. He raised his hand and the riders responded by aiming with their guns, and it seemed like victory was at hand as the crimson gs flew brilliantly. As long as they entered the enemy¡¯s defensive lines, they would be able to give a decisive blow to the rebels.

    Unfortunately, the victory that they had envisioned could only be seen from afar¡ª

    The Nightsong Tiger snapped his fingers:

    ¡°It¡¯s time for our performance.¡±

    The uneven ground that was covered with dead leaves and snow suddenly parted and rows of ¡®scarecrows¡¯ suddenly stood up.

    Naturally, these were the mercenaries who had camouged themselves superbly.

    Lord Weld felt his heart plummet.

    ¡°Ambush!¡± The Crimson gbearers panicked.

    The Nightsong Tiger licked his lips and threw out his axe that spun quickly.

    The nearest Crimson gbearer felt like time had slowed down, but there was nothing he could do to avoid the projectile. There was a sharp cry as he fell to the ground face-down. The rider next to him prepared hisnce to strike the Nightsong Tiger, but thetter dodged without any excessive movement and struck back with a broadsword on his left hand, cutting a deep wound across that hapless rider across the waist.

    A string of red liquid pearls scattered across the misty air along with a painful cry.

    The impact on that man caused an imbnce on his mount and they both crashed onto the ground with terrifying force. Lord Weld stared at this scene in shock. The enemies in front of them were most likely knights, or at least they were incredibly experienced Silver-ranked mercenaries.

    Hope shattered like a crystal statue thrown onto the floor.

    ¡°You fucking rebels!¡± Lord Weld felt a trace of sorrow in his mind, but he did not retreat and raised his longsword instead. He charged towards the Nightsong Tiger with a resolute expression: ¡°Die!¡±

    An arrow pierced through that noble.

    The Elf on the fortress put away his longbow.

 volume 3 - 223

    ¨C Dusk or dawn

    The Crimson gbearers in the forest had their formation broken. One by one, the crimson swallow-tail banners plunged to the ground.

    Silence filled Lord Ps¡¯s surroundings. The veteran general¡¯s fingertips on his sword hilt whitened a little more¡ª

    [To think this enemy unit kept on waiting patiently even though their allies were in a disadvantage. They must be the Mercenaries of Lopes in the report.]

    He closed his eyes, and there was a strong sign of fatigue that showed on his deeply wrinkled face. Lord Weld was one of the youths he appreciated, but regretting was not permitted on a battlefield. Aouine had shed too much blood.

    There was only cold determination in his unlit face when he opened his eyes.

    [Since the rebels have shown this card, then victory is all but confirmed.]

    ¡°The knights from Randner, go forth and add a victory stroke that¡¯s full of ink on your achievements.¡±

    There was raucous cheering from the crowd of Silver-ranked knights.

    But it did not bring up even a bit of joy in Lord Ps¡¯s heart.

    Aouine was already sleeping just like he was.

    The old man turned around to look at the setting sun¡¯s light. Dusk filled the sky with a deep orange hue, but it was a sign that darkness wasing. Victory did not bring forth the colors of hope, and there was only the vivid color of blood in his eyes.

    Just where did he make a mistake in this battle?

    ============= Jana¡¯s POV =============

    ¡°The knights are moving.¡±

    A cold voice transmitted next to Jana¡¯s ears, causing the mercenary to pivot her eyes to discover Medissa¡¯s stoic expression. The young Elven girl appeared quite adorable when she had bunched up her face, and there was just that little hint of royalty ormander¡¯s authority emitting from her.

    The female mercenarymander nodded.

    Even she could see that victory or defeat was at hand. But she was still unable to see where they could gain the advantage.

    The earlier battle had drained a great amount of her stamina, and she was unable to maintain her dignity in front of Medissa, painting a little. Anyone could see that the defensive lines were shaking and about to be overrun. Her eyes had a little iprehension in them when she peered at Medissa.

    Was it Elven pride or some unknown factor that supported her confidence to remain unfazed under this situation?

    [If it¡¯s confidence, then where does ite from?]

    ¡°How are we going to handle the enemies?¡± She asked earnestly with anxious eyes.

    It was the first time she threw down her pride to get an order from Medissa despite the fact that she did not desire to do so, at least not to a girl who was still a child. Did this Elven princess really know what was happening on the battlefield?

    Jana was very doubtful¡ª

    But Medissa¡¯s mind was crystal clear and she said:

    ¡°Blow the horns.¡±

    Jana¡¯s eyes were full of disbelief. Even if Medissa was encased in a full suit of armor, she still looked like she was a child pretending to be a general.

    ¡°But what about Madara¡¯s undead?¡± Jana asked.

    Blowing the horns was the signal to activate the Subterrane Dwellers, but they were the final force to tie Madara¡¯s forces down. This was not a secret, and both parties were clear of this point. Whoever utilized their final reinforcements first would be the first to lose the war.

    Medissa simply grabbed onto thence next to her and nced once at Jana.

    ¡°Get my mount ready, I¡¯ll lead them personally.¡±

    ¡°I......¡± Jana was suddenly at a loss for words and she clutched Medissa¡¯s shoulders like she wanted to stop her: ¡°My men can¡¯t follow you to go out and die......¡±

    ¡°How about you?¡± Medissa¡¯s head tilted a little.

    ¡°I......¡± Jana took a deep breath and nodded: ¡°I¡¯ll follow you, fair child.¡±

    Medissa smiled.

    The noise of zing horns sounded in the forest like an ancient song. Both allies and enemies felt like they were transported to a boundless ancient forest.

    ¡°The Dragonhorns¡¯ bellow?¡± Lord Ps suddenly experienced vertigo. He felt like time was reversing and he was transported to a period where there was only blood for blood on a sacred battlefield. The past alliances were no longer in effect, and that war was one without glory, but it was also filled with awarded emblems for the veteran soldiers.

    He licked his lips that were a little dry.

    ¡°The Subterrane Dwellers.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Are they trying to fight to the bitter end?¡±

    ¡°These rebels..... are respectable enemies.¡±

    ¡°Where exactly did theye from?¡±

    [Yes, where did these peoplee from?]

    The oldmander felt a little confused upon hearing the mutterings of the surrounding knights. This army was not made up of typical rebels. No, these were the best warriors Aouine had to offer. But why would these gifted people fight so bitterly and shed their blood?

    He had a sudden urge to meet the youth called Brendel.

    [If one day, the citizens of Aouine could rise up and act like one again...... But who is capable of uniting the kingdom? The nobles in the north? That princess who is surrounded by people who are not really aligned with her? But I don¡¯t think I would be able to see that day.]

    He shut his eyes, seemingly wanting to dream of finding the footprints of the Ancestral King Erik.

    ¡°Notify Madara.¡± Lord Ps did not open his eyes again and answered wearily.

    The knights nodded and left him, but there was a sudden cheer in the forest.

    Lord Ps¡¯s eyes fluttered to the source of noise. The elite knights directly under his service also did the same. The cheering came from the wizards in their camps, and those constantly muttering fools seemed to be celebrating something.

    He frowned in displeasure.

    ¡°It seems like the noble wizards have discovered that the much of the forest past the enemy¡¯s stronghold isn¡¯t real and instead an illusion. They had been trying to find a way to dispel the illusion and it seems like they have just created a solution.¡± One of the messengers answered immediately.

    Lord Ps scoffed lightly. This group of thirty wizards hardly did anything in the earlier battles, and there were great losses to the talented youths under him. Even though these robed fools exined that they were facing a wizard who was vastly stronger than them, he did not believe it.

    If that were true, did it not mean that they were facing against a Gold-ranked wizard? How was it possible for one to join the rebels?

    [These unnatural bastards can¡¯t be trusted, but at least they are still working towards a proper solution. Even though it¡¯s possible that they want to act like they achieved something in this war, it¡¯s not convenient for me to say anything more.]

    He merely nodded to show that he understood. But he did not expect that the wizards to act quickly. There was a sudden chorus of synchronized chanting. A powerful ripple of Mana swept past the forest and caused the soldiers in the forest to shudder and feel their hair standing up on end.

    If a normal person could feel this rippling Mana, then it would naturally be clear to the casters.

    In truth, Ciel felt thatmotion when the enemy wizards cast their spell. When one of the acolytes asked for instructions regarding this matter, he merely shook his head.

    ¡°Ignore them. Let them dispel the illusion.¡±

    ¡°Let them dispel it?¡± The acolyte did not understand.

    ¡°Are you wasting my breath? That silly thing is meant to deceive the enemies into believing that we have arge army of spellcasters, but what¡¯s the use of it now that they still fight us head on without holding back? Since those fools want to waste their Mana to dispel something useless, let them do it. How stupid are you to actually stoop down to their levels and go crazy like them?¡±

    Ciel showed a look of disgust and prodded at that acolyte¡¯s head:

    ¡°The head is utilized in a battle between wizards, do you understand?¡±

    The acolyte received a verbal thrashing and he hurriedly nodded.

    Ciel was absolutely not a good choice as a teacher. At least in terms of patience, he was definitely worsepared to his lord.

    He shook his head as he took another long look at the acolyte and the other wizards behind him: ¡°I¡¯m reminding everyone of you to save up Mana and use it for thest battle. I did not bring you here for the reason of letting you die here.¡±

    Ciel shrugged.

    ¡°Of course, if anyone else wants to die a stupid death, then there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    His words were interrupted by sudden cheers. Everyone looked towards River Gris and discovered that it came from all the enemy troops. Even the Hignders were doing the same thing.

    The forest¡¯s illusion was disappearing.

    It seemed like this was a signal for their final victory, and the enemies had lost theirst barrier.

    Tarkas and his ck Knights were standing in a section of the forest. His golden irises that were particr to the vampires glinted coldly. The oue of this war seemed like it had nothing to do with them. Behind them was an armyprised of thousands and thousands of undead units. They did not need to breathe and the entire army was silent, almost appearing like they were a wall made up of iron.

    The one-eyed general¡¯s gazended on the Subterrane Dwellers who were covered in thick battle armor.

    ¡°The Stormtroopers of the Subterrane Dwellers.¡± He remarked as he wore his metal gauntlets, turning around to address his army: ¡°They are the final trump card of the humans. Let¡¯s go, I want a Madaran Victory¡ª For the Emperor!¡±

    The ck Knights pulled out their gleaming sabers and answered with a deep tone: ¡°By the will of the Mercury Staff.¡±

    But there was another st of the Dragonhorns, seemingly different in tonepared to the earlier one. The long, sustained noise echoed in the forest.

    Tarkas paused. He strained his ears to listen.

    ============== Lord Ps¡¯s POV ==============

    [A signal to attack¡ª They still dare to counter attack?]

    Lord Ps¡¯s lips were pursed as the cheering from Randner¡¯s soldiers suddenly cut off. The disappearing forest suddenly disyed something that should not be there.

    ¡°Notify our entire army to pay attention! There¡¯s an unknown group near our left nk!¡±

    ¡°That group is not responding to our g signals, it¡¯s possible they are enemies!¡±

    The shouts of the Lord Ps¡¯s dispatchers kept echoing one after another.

    ==================== Brendel¡¯s POV (some time earlier) ==============

    Brendel saw rows of Elven archers riding on flying horsesing in from the sides when the centaur parted the foliage. He turned around to look at Quinn and asked:

    ¡°So where is their chieftain?¡±

    ¡°The humans¡¯ counterpart for that word is general right? I think he¡¯s on top of that hill.¡±

    Brendel looked at him in surprise and replied: ¡°I was just following your customs.¡±

    ¡°No, we don¡¯t have the usage of chieftain, that¡¯s for the Beastmen.¡± Quinn could not help but disy a look of affront, revealing his teeth as he pulled back his lips.

    ¡°Did I remember wrongly? Well, it¡¯s roughly the same thing anyway.¡± Brendel shrugged.

    He stared at the trees in front of him. River Gris was showing hints of red in it, apparently from the blood from the casualties in this war:

    ¡°I think Lord Ps isn¡¯t foolish enough to reveal his position in such an obvious ce. Hmm, that is probably one of the lords from the other regions......¡±

    He pondered for a while.

    ¡°But I think it should be enough for a surprise.¡±

    He turned his head to a centaur: ¡°Have the scouts cleared off the enemies¡¯ guardposts?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± came the immediate reply, ¡°but......¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°We discovered a hunter¡¯s hut.¡±

    ¡°A hunter¡¯s hut?¡±

 volume 3 - 224

    ¨C Beat them up

    TL: Linguist experts, I have a question. ¡®My Lord¡¯ is only capitalized when it used at the beginning of the sentence right? I.E, ¡°My Lord, the king is here!¡± vs ¡°The king is here, my lord!¡±.

    It wasmon to see poption bing denser the more prosperous a city was. Workers, monks, entertainers, and politicians worked in such a ce to createmerce.

    However, it was different in remote regions like Trentheim and Yusen, as many of their residents were not staying in the city but in the wild. They were like scattered stars in the sky; farms were built near the edge of the forest while hunters stayed in huts on the hills.

    The Centaurs discovered a few houses and huts. A family was staying in one of them. Since the former was afraid thetter were spies, they brought them over to the youth.

    The Centaurian Warriors were imposing with their height and copper-like muscles. White and purple lines were painted over their faces and shoulders to form battle tattoos. They brought over the shivering man and his wife, as well as their children.

    These unknown people wore tattered clothes and had oily dark hair that was forming into clumps, looking more like refugees instead of spies.

    ¡°They are not scouts but refugees,¡± Brendel remarked.

    ¡°My Lord, we......¡± Panic dyed that man¡¯s eyes. Deserters were usually beheaded if the nobles ever managed to catch them. It was no secret that roads sometimes had headless corpses, and the majority of them were deserters, while the minority was made up of bandits.

    ¡°Who¡¯re you!¡± A child managed to loosen himself from his mother¡¯s pale hands and yelled at the youth and his men.

    Brendel looked at the skinny kid in amusement, while the terrified mother ran over to grab hold of her child and looked up with pleading eyes.

    ¡°My Lord, the enemies are moving towards the stronghold.¡±

    The youth nodded and spoke to the refugees:

    ¡°I¡¯m the legitimate lord of this region, and regardless of whether you¡¯re a deserter or my citizens, as long as you live in Trentheim, I will protect you. It¡¯s enough to remember this point.¡±

    He pulled on the horse¡¯s reins and prepared to leave, but that child refuted in a loud voice, surprising everyone: ¡°Liar, you¡¯re all viins!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Brendel stopped and looked back puzzledly.

    ¡°My father said that we wouldn¡¯t be fighting a war if you¡¯re not here.¡±

    ¡°My Lord......¡± The child¡¯s father pulled him over: ¡°He...... He......¡±

    Brendel shook his head. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on him, wondering what he wanted to do next. The youth dismounted and pulled out his sword, surprising them.

    The poor woman immediately screamed in fright. Brendel gently patted her emaciated, bony hand.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to panic or worry,¡± he consoled her.

    The refugee and his wife looked at him anxiously, but the youth had moved onto the boy as he patted thetter¡¯s head.

    ¡°You¡¯re a brave little man. Then let me ask you a question.¡±

    The boy red at Brendel.

    ¡°If someone wants to take away your parents, what will you do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll beat them up if they dare!¡± The boy answered fiercely without any hesitation.

    ¡°Well said,¡± Brendel praised him, ¡°then brave little man, if someone wants to take away your parents and you away from me, even snatching away this kingdom, what do you think I will do?¡±

    The boy looked at him in confusion.

    ¡°I will also beat them up.¡± Brendel had a faint smile as he got up on his horse again.

    He pointed his sword to a nearby location where Lord Ps¡¯s army was fighting Trentheim¡¯s. The final battle was close, and the political battle that took the entire kingdom by storm was about to end. Was he capable of change the kingdom¡¯s fate?

    ¡°You lot heard what I said?¡± He tilted his head slightly to his mercenaries, but his eyes remained on the enemies¡¯ location.

    ¡°Beat them up!¡± Came the reply.

    ¡°Beat them up!¡±

    The Centaurs also joined in with fervent cries. This was what they pursued in life. A battle that granted glory. They would dly participate in one even if they had shed theirst drop of blood. Perhaps this civil war was meaningless to them, but they would forever respect the notion of guarding beliefs and protecting hope.

    Brendel gently urged his steed to move and the mixed army began to follow him. The Tree Elves held their bows before their chests and sang a battle song from the ancient past.

    It was a period when the humans and Elves fought a war to defeat the darkness and allow light to triumph, keeping the embers of hope alive. The grand eagle spreading their wings with bows raised high¡ª

    It was a song in the distant past, describing the moment when all sentient races came together as one to resist the Dragon of Darkness, signing a sacred and solemn oath...... But a thousand years had passed, and did the continent still remember all of these historical moments?

    ¡°How are you going to fight them?¡± Quinn asked.

    Both Brendel and Quinn had smirks on their faces.

    ¡°You can go ahead and lead thebined forces to stall the progress of the enemy¡¯s main forces. Lord Ps is going to send out the soldiers and knights from the Kruss region to poke at our left nk, so I¡¯ll go ahead and smash them. I¡¯m going to teach these nobles a lesson since they seem to be fond of looking down on people.¡±

    Quinn looked at the youth in shock.

    ¡°You¡¯re going alone?¡±

    ¡°Alone?¡± Brendelughed and shook his head.

    ============== Lord Ps¡¯s POV ==============

    Lord Ps felt as though a sword was pointing at his back when he heard that the unknown army started to move towards the center of the battlefield. However, the scouts reported that there were only several hundred men in total, and he sighed with relief and he tapped his index finger on the smooth pommel of his sword:

    ¡°Is there anything else from the scouts?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Lord Ps nodded in acknowledgment. The knights around him started to murmur in relief as well.

    ¡°To think there are only several hundred men.¡±

    ¡°Their leader must be a fool to lead these men into the heart of the battle.¡±

    Even though such proud soldiers would lose someday because of their overconfidence, no general would dislike such men. He was satisfied with the sudden increase of his subordinates¡¯ morale, and the enemy seemed to turn into a joke in a heartbeat.

    A new messenger appeared before Lord Ps and spoke:

    ¡°The sudden reinforcements suddenly stopped moving towards the battlefield! What are your orders, my Lord?¡±

    ¡°Haha, they probably realized the scale of our army and are considering whether to join their allies safely or perhaps even run away.¡±

    ¡°These cowards. If they rushed towards our men the very moment we discovered them, they might be able to cause some damage.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps I should praise their skill for being capable of finding a good position in the fake forest. They are actually in a good position to charge straight to our left nk.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, the scouts from the Kruss region are useless for not discovering them.¡±

    Lord Ps could not help but shake his head. The men under him were mocking their allies and were acting a little too conceited.

    He sighed and spoke to the messenger:

    ¡°Get Lord Kruss to intercept this unknown army right away. He should be ashamed for letting the enemies get so close to us.¡±

    But Lord Ps still made use of Lord Kruss¡¯s mistake to bolster his men¡¯s morale.

    ¡°Let us set off.¡± The old knight pulled down his helmet¡¯s visor and stood up from the rock he was sitting on. An attendant brought over his mount. The knights around him had already equipped themselves and were ready to set off.

    A minor change in the battlefield did not alter Lord Ps¡¯s decision. Even though he was cautious, he possessed the decisiveness of a general. He nodded to his attendant and thetter took the warhorn from his waist and blew it. The clear sound pierced through the forest and the creaks of metallic armor could be heard¡ª

    Countless soldiers started moving towards the forest. Each wore a surcoat that had blue and red colors on it, armed with a shield, longsword, steel helmet, and iron knee-guards. The coordinated movements made a unified melody as twigs broke under their march.

    These men filled the gaps between the trees as more of them continued to pour in. The private armies of the nobles under Count Randner formed into several huge formations, as though they were whirlpools that sucked in even more water. Stray arrows shot onto the clustered men, causing a few to slumber for all eternity, but the armies were immediately replenished.

    The enemies seemed like they had infinite numbers which made the Trentheim¡¯s natives feel helpless.

    Count Randner¡¯s huge army pressed forward. Some of the resisting mercenaries could not help but lower down their bows as they felt the earth tremble before their feet when the enemies marched at the same time.

    Medissa could hear gulps around her when she rode on her mount. Her face waspletely covered by her helmet except for her eyes. She pursed her lips as she wielded hernce, observing the sight before her silently.

    Behind her was Raban, Jana, and an army of nearly one thousand Subterrane Dwellers. These creatures were slightly hunched over because of the ck hefty armor that had protruding spikes. They carriednces that were even longer and heavier than Medissa¡¯s, appearing like monstrous beasts.

    However, they stood where they were without moving a muscle.

    Medissa did the same thing and merely watched Count Randner¡¯s army move.

    Jana did not understand: ¡°Are we not moving out?¡±

    ¡°Count Randner¡¯s men are not our targets. I never said that we¡¯re going to against them. Our target has always been Madara¡¯s army.¡± Medissa nced at a certain distant hill.

    ¡°But...... they can¡¯t defend against them!¡± Jana¡¯s voice had a little tremor to it as she watched the enemies moved closer to the battlefield.

    ¡°Our lord has his own arrangement,¡± Medissa looked back with a faint smile, and her calm eyes hadplete faith in them, ¡°you¡¯re too tense.¡±

    ¡°But he didn¡¯t bring a lot of men with him when he left for the Dark Forest.¡± Jana was puzzled.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯m themander of this army, and the first thing you need to do is obey my ns. Furthermore, if our lord says he¡¯s capable of handling it, then I will believe in him. Our target is Madara.¡±

    ¡°...... I feel like I must have been crazy to follow you.¡± Jana muttered to herself.

    Medissaughed as she overheard the mercenary¡¯s words. ¡°Thank you for apanying me, Jana.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re still a young girl after all,¡± Jana sighed as she recalled her younger sister who died under Graudin¡¯s hands. She gripped her sword, only to notice that her hand was colder than the metal hilt.

    Suddenly a faint wolf¡¯s howl interrupted their conversation, seemingly from a great distance away. A few secondster, countless howls answered the first cry, only to get louder and clearer, almost as if these wolves were close to the humans.

    The earth started to rumble as though hundreds of creatures were running across the ground.

    Lord Ps pulled the reins to his horse, and the expression underneath his steel helmet changed slightly. The knights around him froze and turned their heads towards the source of the noise.

    Wolves, but they were not of the normal kind.

    The natives that resided in the Dark Forest¡ª

    ¡°The abominations from the Dark Forest!¡± The first group of people to panic was the Hignders. They lived close to the Wilderness and knew about the legends within the Dark Forest.

    They could only think of one thing.

    ¡°The Cmity of Wolves!¡±

    A sudden, panicked scream wormed into the old knight¡¯s ears, and he paled in an instant.

    Quinn was sitting rigidly on his mount when he saw the wolves swarming around Brendel. It was like he was a wolf-shepherd.

    ¡°Enough of a force, yes?¡± Brendel queried with a smile.

    Quinn did not reply and raised his longbow and gestured to the Tree Elves to move out. At that moment, it seemed like there was a limitless amount of flying horses that covered the sky.

 volume 3 - 225 â€“ Your sword shall shine for all eternity, Aouine 1

    Chapter 225 ¨C Your sword shall shine for all eternity, Aouine (1)

    A Direwolf was sprinting at the forefront.

    Its fur was ck and sharp as steel, eyes glowing as though there were green mes burning in their sockets, and the wolf looked like a creature that was born from hell. ws gleamed as paws shuffled and dashed madly across the withered leaves on the ground.

    The soldiers¡¯ gazes could not catch up with the wolves¡¯ speed, only to see them darting across the hills and valleys. All their fired arrows did not reach the wolves as they seemingly managed to avoid every one of them.

    The officers could only watch the monsterse closer and closer. They ordered the soldiers to lower and ready their spears, but the rows of nobles¡¯ private soldiers under the Kruss Region instead moved back.

    A wave seemed to oscite across their formation.

    Lord Kruss and his knights wielded their longswords to fight the wolves, but these Wolves of Cmity were ultimately the nightmares that gued these citizens and their ancestors who lived in the forest for generations.

    The shadows that lurked in the forest was the infamous legendary omen that swallowed everything and signified the end of days¡ª

    The knights had pale faces.

    ¡°Why are these damn things here!¡± Lord Kruss cursed aloud.

    His men were still keeping in formation, but the hignders were much more fearful of the legend. Several tribes in the rear secretly retreated, while those in the front fell into confusion. The horrific tales they grew up listening to were going to happen to them, and even their bravest warriors started removing their heavy armor in fright, prepared to run away.

    The men could only watch the wolves sprint towards their formation. The archers continued to shoot their projectiles at them without any effect as they came closer and closer, and the distance was less than a hundred paces. Lord Kruss was a Gold-ranker, and his eyesight was keen enough to see that the seemingly soft fur bounced off the arrows.

    The lord from the Grey Bears region was a cunning opportunist who could not be relied on, therefore he could not be relied on for assistance.

    Lord Kruss could only order his soldiers to advance. He lived in the southern borders long enough to know that humans could not outrun these wolves. Even horses were no different.

    The forest air was chilling to the bone, but what was even colder was the chill within their minds, seemingly freezing the soldiers¡¯ ability to breathe. There were only several hundred ck wolves, but their speed was so fast that they seemed to move in a blur, giving the illusion that there were infinite numbers. The soldiers¡¯ hands had perspiration and their sword hilts felt slippery.

    A figure suddenly dashed out from the trees on horseback.

    At first, Lord Kruss thought it was one of his scouts ahead running away from the wolves, but he quickly dispelled the thought. It was a youth who peered at him from afar, but the exchange of stares only made him feel like he was being seen throughpletely.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Lord Kruss sensed something was amiss, yelling out to the youth.

    ¡°Lord Kruss. Do you still dream of that final moment in the Kantnar battlefield? The glory that you lost there¡ª I¡¯m here to bring it back to you.¡±

    ¡°Silence!¡± Lord Kruss roared, but his face was drained of color as though a vampire had sucked every drop of blood from him and his hands were trembling: ¡°How...... do.......¡±

    The incident when he abandoned his allies and escaped. He thought no one knew what he did, but the youth in front of him spilled out his deepest secret.

    Brendel pursed his lips. In truth, he did not have the intention to mock him as he was simply there to bring back the lost honor he had thrown away.

    The wolves behind him gushed out like a tidal wave, charging past Brendel and sprinted towards the soldiers. It was bizarre that the monsters left Brendel and his mount alone, and that oue made everyone in the vicinity scared.

    The ck ink smashed into the formation of grey and green colors.

    Time seemed to slow down in Lord Kruss¡¯s eyes as he witnessed thences stabbing into the wolves that were the size of horses. However, the metallic spearheads were also unable to go through the steel-like fur.

    Most of these soldiers hired by the nobles were not even close an Iron-ranker. Even if their captains were Iron-rankers, how were they the match for the wolves that had no trouble taking down Silver-rankers? The seemingly impressive defense of an infantry unitprised of a thousand-odd men was prated in an instant and became a pincushion, with cries and screams punctuating the air.

    Lord Kruss finally started waking up from the surreal nightmare, hurriedly ordering his knights to fortify the second defense line. The knights were Silver-rankers trained inmanding, and they quickly immediately tried to stabilize the formation with the soldiers.

    But the wolves had torn out of a huge chunk out of their formation and their fangs were bared at the Lord Kruss. But thetter did not retreat and simply stared at the impending oue of the battle.

    The knights split up the broken formation and turned it into two wings, eventually discovering that the wolves were much fewer than they thought. After a moment of confusion, the soldiers were directed by the knights to advance and encircle Brendel instead.

    [Abandoning your own defense? What a bold decision.]

    Brendel was a few hundred meters away from Lord Kruss. At this distance, it was neither near nor far, and if it were a normal battle, then it would be a test for the twomanders¡¯ bravery and wisdom.

    [But it¡¯s just like what I expected, using yourself as a bet to get to me. All or nothing to silence me.]

    The two hundred ck wolves were aided by another hundred-odd Shadow Rock Beasts, but they were facing enemies many times their number. A retreat was impossible, but it was also a contest to see who would take victory first.

    Brendel raised Halran Gaia.

    The wolves around him parted and sought to make a clear path for him. The youth nudged his mount and it began to elerate. This was not a mere horse; it was a gift from the Tree Elves. It had the blood from a Spirit of Nature, a primordial horse called Kalenir, a legendary creature like the unicorns. This proud steed was even capable of flight by manipting the Nature and Wind Elements, stronger and quicker than the other flying horses the Tree Elves were riding on.

    Right at that moment, two translucent wings carried the white horse forward and painted a white line across the scenery. Due to his low altitude, the archers did not attempt to shoot at him for fear of shooting into theirrades, but Lord Kruss¡¯s men stood in his path with pale faces. The youth responded by drawing his sword. The de moved so swiftly that it seemed like seven swords were moving around him, and dozens of spears and humans were knocked away.

    Brendel brought his left hand forward andid it parallel to the ground:

    ¡°Howling wind, grant me your authority!¡± He roared.

    It was a spell of the Elementalist¡¯s second Circle, Binding Currents.

    An explosive bullet of wind burst out, causing a wall of wind to form and repel the obstacles in from of him. A hurricane was generated behind him, while the soldiers in front of him were mmed so hard that their bodies were forced into a crescent-like shape before they slid off from the invisible wall of wind and hurled away into the air, eventually crushing the men on the ground when they finally dropped from the sky.

    The Direwolf that Brendel got from the Dark Forest was enhanced by the system. An armor of protruding rocks was emerging out from its shoulders, forehead, and back. Its strength and defense were increased, possessing a Gold-ranker¡¯s prowess and none of the soldiers were able to approach it. A single snarl from it sent the nearby men falling to the ground with trembling legs.

    A single human and wolf cut out an empty path reaching fifty meters ahead of them, and their tail was free of people, allowing the wolves to follow behind them. Two personal knights serving under Lord Kruss dashed out from the sides to intercept Brendel, but the youth ced his sword horizontally before swinging it at an unthinkable speed. A sh of light flickered once, and the knights along with their mounts were cleaved in half, tossing their bodies high up into the air.

    He slew two Silver-rankers in an instant.

    The restless soldiers who thought they could try to overwhelm the youth with numbers were now terrified, halting their movements with an unintentional synchronized timing. Average mortals like them were not qualified to participate in a battle with a Gold-ranker.

    Brendel once again urged his horse forward, and his enemies scrambled to get out of his way. It was as though he was a fish parting the waters. Lord Kruss¡¯s expression changed when he realized what he was seeing.

    [Such a young Gold-ranked swordsman in Aouine?! This is obviously a brilliant genius. You can even count the people who can rival him on one hand at his age. Furthermore, his sword is gleaming with Element Power¡ª]

    Lord Kruss felt the hope in his heart turn to ice as he muttered under his breath:

    ¡°What exactly is going on here, these rebels are......¡±

    Brendel raised an eyebrow when he saw Lord Kruss stay at where he was. His mind worked quickly and understood. He watched his surroundings intensely, and he quickly sensed two Gold-rankers releasing their energy.

    [It¡¯s just like I thought initially, Lord Kruss wouldn¡¯t let his defense go down without reason. Are there more Gold-rankers?]

    Brendel did not have any sense of urgency when he saw the two unfamiliar faces rushing at him. They were swordsmen who did not even have signs of an Unsealed Element Power, therefore they were low-grade Gold-rankers.

    [They are either hired or secretly trained. Either way, it certainly shows how rich the high nobles are.]

    The youth raised his sword and swung it at the first charging swordsman, not even bothering to slow down his mount, and instead he timed it so that his de would meet the opponent¡¯s. It was a swing that had no hesitation, resembling aet that simply sped forward regardless of the obstacles.

    The swordsman from under Count Randner nearly jumped out his armor. He had never seen such an insane rider,pletely disregarding his own defense when it was a two versus one scenario.

    It was truly an attacked that screamed ¡®I shall cut you even if I forfeit my life¡¯.

    There was no technique to speak off, but at the same time, it drove Count Randner¡¯s swordsmen crazy with terror. The first swordsman was unwilling to die together with the youth, but the speed at which the horse was charging in was simply too fast and avoiding it was not an option.

    He could only swing up his sword to defend himself. It was extremely frustrating in his mind because he was the one who had the initiative, but was overwhelmed by his crazy opponent. The only hope he had was to rely on his partner to exploit the fact that Brendel had no means to guard himself. Since the two of them worked together for many years, it was unlikely that thetter would miss it.

    But the oue that happened was out of his expectations. He saw Brendel strike at his de and the immense feedback nearly broke his wrist, forcing him to retreat as he shuffled against the ground awkwardly to regain his bnce. He cursed inwardly but when he finally got a chance to peek at Brendel, he found thetter already ready with a new meteoric sh.

    The swordsman felt his soul leaving his body¡ª

 volume 3 - 226 â€“ Your sword shall shine for all eternity, Aouine 2

    Chapter 226 ¨C Your sword shall shine for all eternity, Aouine (2)

    [How is this possible!]

    The first swordsman under Count Randner had his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets. Brendel clearly borrowed the additional speed from his horse to make it a perfect strike of power and speed. The expected oue was that he had to recover from the feedback.

    People in this world called it ¡®stiffness¡¯¡ª

    But Brendel did not seem like he had that problem. No matter how the swordsman looked at it, the youth was exerting his entire force behind the sword again, and it was no different from the earlier attack.

    It was as if he had vited thews of mechanics.

    Almost as if it was two separate people meting two separate strikes......

    The Gold-ranked swordsman under Count Randner could not understand, but there was no need to try and do so. If he did not block the iing attack again, he would be bidding his farewell to this world. And yet he knew that if he tried to block it, he would be smashed to the ground as he had not even regained his bnce.

    But there was no choice and he raised his sword to block the attack as a sheen of perspiration erupted from his face. He only felt the entire world swirl as a massive force mmed down on him, causing him to tumble across the ground as though he had been swatted like a fly.

    The twin strikes from Brendel were aplished in an instant, and to the soldiers¡¯ eyes, he had somehow split into two, striking down that Gold-ranked swordsman as though thetter had been learning how to use the sword for the first time.

    It was only at this moment when that swordsman¡¯s partner was in striking range, who was gritting his teeth with utter bewilderment.

    If it were a normal duel where everyone was in striking range, then Brendel¡¯s feat would not have mattered that much as the swordsman could at least cover for each other.

    The youth¡¯s third move started once again¡ª The second swordsman could still see Brendel¡¯s sword terminating at where it was supposed to end, but the youth¡¯s weapon was already somehow raised above his head.

    Supposing the second swordsman was instead a new yer in the game, then he would have pped the ground with teary eyes: This bastard was cheating!

    That man¡¯s reaction was to frantically deal with the sight before him. If he still did not join in the battle, then his partner would definitely be killed.

    [All three of us are clearly Gold-rankers, but this boy dealt with my partner in less than three moves without even breaking a sweat. How is this possible!]

    He swung his sword.

    Logically speaking, Brendel might have swung his sword consecutively, but he abandoned all notions of defense. Taking advantage of this chance should be enough to rescue the swordsman on the ground, surely the youth had to defend himself, right?

    But the second swordsman found himself in a daze as he was provenpletely wrong.

    Brendel did not care about the iing attack and continued running his sword into the disbelieving swordsman on the ground. Thetter¡¯s expression was asking the youth seemed to be asking whether he hated him that much till he would throw his life away.

    But it simply ended with the fourth sword appearing above Brendel¡¯s head striking at the second swordsman.

    With a perfect force exerted with his entire body.

    ¡°This simply cannot be possible!¡± The second swordsman wanted to fling his sword at Brendel¡¯s head as he roared out.

    Brendel urately struck the iing sword and pushed it away, and the same event that just transpired was repeated again. Six sword strikes and two Gold-ranked swordsmen were stabbed through the heart as the final blow.

    It was all over in a few seconds.

    A normal person trying to kill a dog might not find it as easy what Brendel had aplished.

    The people on the battlefield who saw Brendel¡¯s feat was silent.

    Brendel¡¯s reaction was to wipe Halran Gaia on the second swordman¡¯s clothes. He then observed his surroundings. Wherever his gaze went, the soldiers retreated like a falling tide. This somehow chained an avnche of fear, quickly turning into registered information.

    Several hundred soldiers screamed as Brendel started moving on his horse again. The frontline threw down their weapons and fled, which in turn triggered the majority of the soldiers, obliterating the final shred of confidence that they had, fleeing inrge droves.

    The remaining men left in the battlefield who still faithfully held on their positions were the knights of Lord Kruss. Brendel looked at him once again, their distance between each other less than thirty meters. The youth moved in closer while the wolves swarmed around him, but it seemed like the knights had no intention of fighting. Instead, they separated and allowed a path towards Lord Kruss, who had drawn out his sword.

    In truth, Lord Kruss already knew that he lost, but he did not admit defeat.

    This person had once left hisrades in the Kantnar battlefield, but he was now staying here steadfast on his horse with his hand firmly gripping on to his longsword. Hemanded his knights to stay where they were as he challenged Brendel to a duel.

    The aged swordsman stretched out his left hand, and the youth affirmed his thoughts:

    A duel it was.

    Brendel nodded.

    Lord Kruss raised his longsword and yelled at the top of his lungs: ¡°Your sword shall shine for all eternity, Aouine!¡±

    The wolves also separated.

    Brendel urged his horse forward, his speed at a moderate pace.

    Lord Kruss charged down from the hill, while Brendel leisurely made his way to the summit. Two people crossed each other. The youth passed his longsword from his right to his left, then grabbed onto Lord Kruss¡¯s longsword with Bahamut¡¯s Grasp. There was no fancy technique involved; it was a simple thrust from his longsword to the opponent¡¯s chest.

    There was a loud metallic grind as Brendel¡¯s longsword was forced through steel, and Lord Kruss crashed noisily onto the ground from his horse. The veteran soldier who experienced the November War tumbled a few times before he finally stopped with his dusty face looking up to the sky.

    He then used hisst remaining strength to look at the youth who sat upright on his mount and spoke with a thin voice:

    ¡°Your glory,¡± He coughed a few times, the echo within the metallic helmet slurring his words, ¡°that you bring....... I ept it.¡±

    The youth bowed in return. ¡°The truth is that they never med you. That war was not your fault.¡±

    ¡°...... How could that be? How would you know that?¡± His words were peppered with coughs.

    ¡°That oaktree from Dakota¡¯s hometown. Hisst request was for you to take care of it. That was a tree that his father nted when he was young.¡± Brendel answered in a soft voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s really him......¡± The knight started to cry like a child: ¡°I let them down......¡±

    Brendel remained silent. The Kantnar battlefield was part of the November War, a war that was a mistake. Lord Kruss¡¯s story was a quest in the game and he was full of regrets to what he did in the past. Ten yearster, he would extend this mission to the gamers whom he recognized. It was a famous quest called ¡®atonement¡¯. Brendel admired this old knight considerably because he was at least willing to atone for his actions. In truth, he did notmit something of a heinous crime and merely followed an order.

    Eventually, Lord Kruss¡¯s sobs turned to silence. The youth sighed. The bloodshed on this battlefield was all Aouine¡¯s, but he had to do this act in order to stop the civil wars in the kingdom. Perhaps this kingdom could only be rebirthed after experiencing a baptism of blood and mes.

    He looked up at the remaining knights on the hill. Some of them were running the previous Lord Graudin¡¯s uniform.

    ¡°Leave,¡± he said, ¡°this is no longer your battlefield.¡±

    But the knights shook their heads.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know what you meant, Ser, but our Lord said that you brought glory back to him. It is a noble act, and we thank you. However, this is the ce where we fight to the end.¡±

    There was a chorus of swords drawn from their sheaths.

    Brendel sighed.

    Once he turned his head away, the ck wolves swarmed towards the hill¡¯s peak.

    ============ Lord Ps¡¯s POV ============

    The Hignders were fleeing because of fear. The death of Lord Kruss had broken thebined army of that region. The lord of the Grey Bear region kept hesitating and did not advance his army.

    [There¡¯s still no sign of Madara¡¯s army, but that¡¯s how it is with dead people, they can¡¯t be trusted. The situation of the battlefield seemed to have turned in the blink of an eye. We had such a clear and stable advantage and it¡¯s gone in an instant. Now there is an empty void in that area because of how Lord Kruss¡¯s army fled.]

    Lord Ps who was further back suddenly felt deep fatigue within him. When he looked around him, the knights still had the desire to gain victory in their eyes. However, the dead soldiers on the battlefield were currently stacked across each other with broken spears and shattered armor. Their white gs were split and dyed in blood, resembling the sunset¡¯s hue.

    It was already defeat.

    But he could still retreat to Ps and the rebels could not prevent him from leaving. As long as he still lived, he could make another coalition army. Even though Madara was a snake and a rat, they could still be a force to be relied on if they believed there was victory to be found.

    And yet......

    [Victory is so close that my hands are within reach. But why has it turned into bubbles in the blink of an eye? Or is it an unrealistic dream from the beginning? Oh Aouine, why has this oue happened?]

    The familiar past was long gone, and the only things left were the memories¡¯ taste. A senior knight leading the younger knights to a battle, teaching them the kingdom¡¯s creeds, and these beliefs would be passed down from generation to generation.

    Lord Ps was also young once, and he still could remember the sagas of the senior knights before him.

    But they were no longer sung any longer¡ª

    This rotten kingdom was like walls riddled with holes. The old knight thought he was seeing light shining through the holes, each ray seemingly reflecting hope. He greatly desired to see what was beyond the walls, but it was fated that he would be crushed by the walls that copsed onto him.

    The news from the left and right nks continued to pour in. He was unable to control the coalition army any longer. Most of the soldiers from the other regions had fled, and many smaller lords escaped to the backlines, but there was no use in mocking these cowards.

    The old knight led his three thousand men from his own region and advanced; the colors of the sunlight painted his helmet.

    He was going to put the final punctuation mark on this battle......

 volume 3 - 227 â€“ Your sword shall shine for all eternity, Aouine 3

    Chapter 227 ¨C Your sword shall shine for all eternity, Aouine (3)

    ============= Tarkas¡¯s POV =============

    <!¨C Begin Adversal Code : wolfiehonyaku ¨C>

    <!¨C End Adversal Code : wolfiehonyaku ¨C>

    TL reminder: Tarkas is the general who led Madara¡¯s army in the early chapters to invade Aouine.

    Madara¡¯s haughty army that made people fearful ultimately did not dare to cross the final line to engage Firburh¡¯s army.

    That was because there were two people who constantly stood in front of this undead army.

    A man and a woman.

    The female was an Elf, her proudposure as radiant as the stars in the sky. Her young age seemed to be unable to express the fact that she was themander of Firburh¡¯s army, but it did not interfere with her skills as one.

    Medissa held a silvernce and ced it horizontally while she sat straight up on her horse, quietly blocking Tarkas¡¯s path less than fifty meters away. In her eyes, Madara¡¯s army did not exist.

    The man was a middle-aged swordsman. He did not even look at Madara¡¯s army from the very start, but the tens of thousands of undead did not dare to overlook his presence.

    That was because he was Mephisto, the Sword Saint of Ashes.

    ¡°Lord Ps has started advancing.¡± A ck knight whispered next to Tarkas¡¯s ear.

    Thetter nodded.

    ¡°What does Lord Incirsta say?¡±

    ¡°His Lordship says, Aouine...... nevercks heroes. This is a decision of a military man, and we must respect the glory in a battlefield.¡±

    Tarkas nodded.

    ¡°Then let us retreat. Hopefully, we can stille back to thisnd once again if I still live.¡±

    The vampiremander looked at Medissa and Mephisto as he spoke.

    ¡°We¡¯re already dead, my Lord.¡± The ck knight replied.

    Tarkas paused for a moment before he nodded.

    The presence of the undead left bit by bit.

    =========== Scarlett¡¯s POV ===========

    There were two thousand-odd men on the battlefield, and their encountered resistance was a small army made up of several hundred mercenaries, Tree Elves, and Centaurs.

    But the oue was already decided.

    These two thousand men under Lord Ps were Iron-ranked soldiers, with less than a hundred knights in the Silver-rank. On the opposite end, they faced powerful Silver-rankers with a considerable amount nearing the strength of Gold-rankers, veteran warriors who had survived the Cmity of Wolves.

    The flying horses soared to the sky and the Tree Elves¡¯ arrows never missed their mark. It was a one-sided massacre. Lord Ps¡¯s heart was strangled as he heard the screams of the young soldiers around him. The future for Aouine that he saw......

    [Indeed, it is supposed to be Aouine¡¯s senior knights leading the younger ones, singing the battle songs, gifting them the highest honor they can attain.]

    But the old knight found that he could not do anything.

    Their full-on assault had long been stopped ago. Putting aside the enemy army¡¯s regr soldiers, he saw at least four Gold-rankers fighting on the battlefield.

    A red-haired young girl using a spear, a Tree Elf, a Centaur, and an astonishingly pretty girl wearing male clothes.

    This was the supposed rebel army.

    No one knew when it started. The bright golden gs in the battlefield were dyed with blood. As the old knight continued to watch each youthful face disappear from him, he felt that it was time to end this farce.

    The spear in Scarlett¡¯s hand was no longer her original lightning spear, as it was lost in the Dark Forest. Even after a search was made, it was to no avail.

    Thus she was now wielding an ordinary spear enchanted with some magic. Brendel promised her to find a favorable weapon for her, but she subconsciously did not want to bother him with this matter, afraid of making Brendel feel she was troublesome, and eventually getting to the point where he would abandon her like Makarov.

    But it would not be fine if she did not have a weapon. She was currently the strongest person under Brendel¡¯s retainers and friends after the dragon blood in her awakened, excluding Mephisto. Thetter was much stronger than her, but at the same time he was not really part of Brendel¡¯s force, and at best a business partner.

    Technically speaking, if Brendel were to look at her in terms of levels, she would be even higher than his own. That meant that an ordinary magic spear would limit herbat prowess.

    The anxious girl pursed her lips and used her spear to charge in and out of Randner¡¯s army.

    Count Randner¡¯s coalition army only had Lord Ps¡¯s troops remaining on the battlefield. The other knights and Gold-ranked swordsmen had all ran away, and there was no one who could form a threat to her. She and Morpheus pierced through the enemies¡¯ formation, separating and destroying each section. At that moment, she felt that the opposition was hanging on by a thread that was about to snap.

    However, her spear was suddenly met by another weapon, causing her hands to shake a little. There was resistance and it surprised the young girl for a moment. She looked up to study the men in front of her.

    A group of knights was reflected in her eyes.

    [The core knights of Lord Ps. These knights are the backbone of the enemy army. This battle will end quickly if I take them down.]

    She immediately rushed over as she pondered. But contrary to her expectations of the enemy knights retreating and allowing the soldiers to surround her, they instead charged at her.

    [These fools.]

    These knights should have already known her strength by now and that they were no match for her. But they had no hesitation when they charged in, and she saw nothing but determination in their eyes.

    They were not very much older than her¡ª

    Despite their looks in their eyes, their bodies betrayed them. They were trembling from anxiety and had full of holes in their attacks. At that moment, Scarlett recalled her pastrades who lost their lives after Makarov¡¯s betrayal. Her spear that was originally full of killing intent changed its direction, and she smacked them all down from their horses instead.

    She moved forward, intending to take down more of the knights riding on the horses, but there was one particr knight that stood out.

    ¡°What?¡±

    He was d in full armor and was also a Silver-ranker, but his experience was remarkable. He avoided her attack and even fought back. Scarlett easily defended against the blow and countered, only for her spear to be deflected away with skillful techniques.

    Scarlett was slightly on edge, thinking that her opponent was a Gold-ranker who tried to hide his strength. She pulled back her spear and attacked with a full lunge¡ª which was a feint.

    That knight lurched backward, appearing to be unconfident of deflecting the missile-like spear. Scarlett then moved in to attach her spear to his sword, then forced it away to the side and struck at her opponent¡¯s chest. The three consecutive spears were done one after another without pausing. A loud cracking noise could be heard as the spear was thrust into the armor with rays of light emitting from it.

    ¡°A High-armor!?¡± Scarlett instantly felt something was wrong. Her opponent was wearing something that an ordinary knight would not have, rather, it was more fitting for amander.

    Surely.

    There was only one possible person who would have this in the entire army.

    There was a jolt of electricity running through her veins as she realized there was silence around her. All the soldiers and knights stopped fighting, which eventually spread to the others like a rippling wave. The entire battlefield froze like a miracle.

    ¡°Lord Ps!¡± One of the young knights who was smacked down from his horse immediately got up and rushed to the knight who fell under Scarlett¡¯s spear.

    Lord Ps coughed as blood pooled around his injury, but his first reaction was not to staunch it and instead push up his facete.

    It was a weary face that belonged to an old man, full of wrinkles and a pair of snow-white eyebrows that seemed to hold in all the stormy weathers of the kingdom. His dull grey eyes looked as though they had seen too many things, which had seen a certain war where the senior knights bringing along the younger ones into a battlefield that many of them did not return for all eternity, but also seeing glorious victories amidst the sorrowful ones. Finally, they had seemingly seen the end of the kingdom¡¯s final moment.

    These pair of eyes sparkled for a few seconds before they quickly disappeared as his life was drained away, and the images of his past were forever sealed away.

    Lord Psughed.

    He first shook his hand at the knight beside him, looked up at Scarlett and said:

    ¡°Lass, where exactly are you from? I don¡¯t believe, you are simply...... rebels.....¡±

    Scarlett suddenly found herself at a loss for words. Logically speaking, this old man was their biggest enemy in this war, but she found it hard to reject answering his question at this moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m a citizen of Aouine.¡±

    ¡°Impossible, a peak Gold-ranker...... a peak Gold-ranker...... When did Aouine have such a young prodigy...... a true...... prodigy......¡± The old man shook his head weakly in disbelief.

    ¡°I¡¯m truly a citizen of Aouine, a Hignder within the Randner region, originally a mercenary until I met my lord,¡± Scarlett spoke in an earnest tone.

    ¡°A stubborn person, eh? You certainly demonstrate the kingdom¡¯s stubbornness. I do believe you are one.¡± the old man smiled, but his smile seemed like it had used up of its vitality: ¡°But a prodigy like you, why would you lower yourself by being with the rebels......¡±

    ¡°What? No, I¡¯m not lowering myself, my lord is even stronger than I am. But putting aside that, he¡¯s also a good person, especiallypared to that Graudin. I think he¡¯s the best lord in this continent¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is that so? What is the..... name..... of your lord?¡± He asked between coughs.

    ¡°Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Brendel......Brendel......¡±

    Lord Ps closed his eyes and breathed out a long sigh. He felt his limbs getting colder. He was losing consciousness and breathing was bing hard. But he still had one more question, and his eyes sprang open once more, staring at the blood on the forest ground. All of it was Aouine¡¯s blood.

    ¡°What is......exactly...... your...... goal?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea, but my lord says he is doing this to save Aouine.¡±

    ¡°Save Aouine?¡± Light returned to Lord Ps¡¯s eyes, and he stared at the girl with aplicated expression: ¡°How.....?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Scarlett shook her head to show that she did not know, ¡°but I believe my lord is capable of doing so. Not one of us believes that you nobles are capable of doing that.¡±

    ¡°Us nobles...... us nobles......¡± The old man coughed repeatedly before heughed with all his might, shaking his head: ¡°Listen well, my knights...... This is an order...... Surrender.¡±

    This was a thunderous shock to the young knights around him: ¡°My Lord, it¡¯s not possible, if you die here, we will follow you, this is our glory!¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The old man closed his eyes weakly, his voice lowering to a whisper because of his fading strength, ¡°you must surrender, because...... this is the glory of Aouine.¡±

    For the highest honor of Aouine.

 volume 3 - 228 â€“ Wind sharpshooter 1

    Chapter 228 ¨C Wind sharpshooter (1)

    ¡°Count Randner¡¯s forces lost?¡±

    The parchment from Oberbeck¡¯s hand slid away, but he quickly grabbed and held onto it like a snake. He raised his head, revealing his face that was full of shock.

    Princess Gryphine was listening at the side without making a move.

    The oue of the huge battle in the southern borders was not leaked immediately and it took several days before the information spread.

    Count Randner¡¯s huge army was defeated soundly, and it caused the lords of the surroundingnds to be at a loss for words.

    The damage to the coalition army was not asrge as one would have thought; the majority of the soldiers was incited to escape as the Hignders turned tail and fled. The army from the Grey Bear region waspletely unhurt.

    A few thousand private soldiers were lost, but the true reason why everyone was talking behind the scenes was due to the deaths of Lord Ps, Kruss, and Weld.

    Numerous nobles, two region lords, and one retainer who served directly under Count Randner. This meant that the northern Trentheim¡¯s powers were gone. Even if Count Randner wanted to attack again, he would not be able to gather an army to subjugate Firburh.

    A few nobles spected he would lead the army himself, only to be shot down by dissenting thoughts. Which high-ranking noble did not have enemies? Count Randner had to deal with them all the time, and it was precisely at this moment that he had to stay in his territory to prepare for any changes. Everyone was already thinking that he was now a tiger without fangs, and even his own retainers were starting to worm about behind his back.

    Even though Count Randner hated Brendel to the point of gnashing his teeth, he had to first deal with his own affairs before he could make his move freely. By that time, the youth was certain that he would not fear that old man.

    At the end of January and the start of February, when the earth was about to be unfrozen, there was a discussion about this huge civil war in all of Aouine.

    The only exception was the Trentheim region, and those who participated in the war rarely talked about it.

    Firburh paid a heavy price as well, especially the mercenaries who were tasked to dy Count Randner¡¯s army. Their numbers were reduced by more than half. These were veteran soldiers who experienced the November War and did not submit to the tragic and deadly battles, but they now slumbered beside River Gris. Their graves were now in a pine forest, silent like an unread poem.

    But the shadows of war were quickly washed away as the ice melted. Verdant sprouts sprang out from the farms, a winter had passed, and the continent had once again regained its vitality and energy. The city¡¯s citizens could not believe they won.

    ¡°A victory was attained just like that? I didn¡¯t even get to participate on the battlefield.¡±

    Carglise sat on a stool without showing any signs of a noble¡¯s etiquette, supporting his head with both hands, looking at the dwarf Odum and the royal grandmaster cksmith Bosley constantly moving around a bunch of broken metal pieces¡ª At least to him, these were broken metal pieces¡ª

    To be exact, they were broken weapons.

    Because the training mission for the first batch of officers of the White Lion Army was temporarily over, Carglise was so idle that he almost reced Scarlett as Brendel¡¯s guard by following the youth the entire day.

    The biggest gain from the war was the enormous amount of armor and weapons that the enemies abandoned, and equipment was something that Firburh greatlycked. Bosley estimated that they could arm an army of three thousand to four thousand men after returning the spoils to the forge again.

    [Ah. The Dimension Hole still has a mixed bunch of things from the ruins.]

    Brendel suddenly remembered and dumped everything in the workshop, nearly filling the ce to the brim.

    Bosley naturally became outraged and threw the youth and Carglise out.

    But after a moment, the royal cksmith half-ran and half-jumped like a kid, eyes seemingly burning with fire and demanded an answer while grabbing hold of Brendel¡¯s arms:

    ¡°My Lord, where did you get these weapons? Did you rob the Empire¡¯s warehouse?¡±

    The youth shrugged off the cksmith¡¯s hands in distaste: ¡°Do you think the Empire¡¯s warehouse is akin to a public toilet? Entering and leaving when you want to? Even if it¡¯s a public toilet, going in and out requires payment.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re ¡®the¡¯ lord right? Everyone out there is saying that you¡¯re capable of doing anything that you put your mind to. Listen, everyone else in the other regions is calling you ¡®Brendel the creator of miracles¡¯,¡± the old man was grinning from ear to ear, ¡°although I must say I have never heard of the Empire having public toilets before.¡±

    [Who¡¯s the bastard who gave me such a disgusting nickname? It sounds like a protagonist of a third-ss story in the market. I thought I would get the nickname ¡®Wolf Shepherd¡¯ or something.]

    The nickname to one¡¯s poprity was quite important, like Oberbeck the Wolf Lord, or Crosshand Buga, it was easy to know the personality or rted strength of said person. But if you call someone like ¡®dead maggot¡¯ or ¡®rotten toenail¡¯ or simr bullshit like ¡®Brendel the creator of miracles¡¯...... The youth wanted to find a pir andmit suicide.

    But while he found it disgusting, Carglise had sparkling eyes as he listened on and could not help but grumble:

    ¡°Darn it, if I came together with my Lord I might have a gotten nickname too. Well, if my lord is called ¡®Brendel, the creator of miracles¡¯, I obviously would not be able topare to him, so I should get the nickname of ¡®Carglise the liegeman to Brendel, the creator of miracles¡¯.¡±

    Brendel stumbled and nearly kneeled on the ground. He snapped his head to look at this particr noble¡¯s scion with a despising look.

    [Second son of Lord Macsen. I worry for the future of this kingdom, what the hell is this aesthetic?]

    On ount as future adjutant, and the sake of his White Lion Army, he decided to correct his mindset: ¡°This is just a small battle and there are plenty of opportunities in the future. The only thing I hope is that you don¡¯t grumble you¡¯re tired about it.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Our enemies are not just our own kingdom, there is also Madara. Do you know why this bunch of undead did not bring out their main force?¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t?¡± Carglise¡¯s eyes popped open. Bosley did not understand anything about Madara because he was imprisoned, but Carglise had more or less about the force that invaded Aouine.

    ¡°Madara invaded Aouine because they are on the brink of a civil war as well. A new emperor had just ascended to the throne and the authority of the court is shaking because of the endless quarreling. In order to shift their attention of the dissenting voices, the emperor ordered an expansion. This war is actually a legal plundering, and the only nobles who immediately reacted to it are the ones who got affected by this invasion.¡±

    Brendel exined with a solemn face, paused for a moment before continuing:

    ¡°This expansion is a revolution for their outer appearance¡ª The ck Lord Incirsta who led the invasion at the frontlines was supported by the Tarkas family because of his talent. He chose to lead the attack in order to seek the opportunity to walk on the front stage. Before that, he was just someone young who just inherited a small piece ofnd. And in this war, there are many young undead talents as well. Incirsta isn¡¯t the only one.¡±

    Brendel was conveying Madara¡¯s threat for the first time to his subordinates, though he knew he was probably not heeding his own warning.

    But the two men listened to the youth exhaled coldly: ¡°Then how strong is the true Madara force?¡±

    ¡°The main strength of Madara¡¯s main army isprised of ck Knights, Dark Cross Warriors, vampires, high-level necromancers. Especially the ck Knights and the Dark Cross Warriors. They make up the bulk of the army, but each of them is a Silver-ranker. Let¡¯s call them a ¡®Tier 3 soldier type¡¯; the higher the number, the stronger they are. Stronger battle units include Bone Dragons, Banshees, and Blood Lords. When Aouine was first built, perhaps the Wind Elves might extend their help to us, or if it¡¯s the earliest White Lion Guards and Steel Knights under King Erik might have enough strength to do battle, but if it¡¯s right now......¡±

    [All this talk about Madara, but they aren¡¯t even the strongest force in this world right now. The Kirrlutz Empire, the Wind Elves, or the Wizard Craftsmen from Galbu. All of them are stronger than this newborn dark empire. The truly undisputed force of a territory definitely belongs to Galbu. They have their Gargoyles and Crystal Dragons and would have defeated everything if they went to war, at least for the foreseeable future.]

    Brendel mused to himself, only to be interrupted by Bosley¡¯s sigh:

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the method to train the Steel Knights has been long lost. Even the doctrine to train White Lion Infantry has missing pieces. The White Lion Infantry today is much weakerpared to the past.¡±

    The youth nodded. He knew this point fully. The White Lion Infantry was the army that followed King Erik to conquer the Wilderness, but the current batch of White Lion Infantry could bepared to the Count Randner¡¯s formal soldiers.

    Perhaps one could say that it was fated since the current kingdom deviated from King Erik¡¯s beliefs and they were being punished for it.

    The Sentinels from the Wind Elves, an army that could be traced back all the way to the Silver Elves, made a promise to Aouine toe to the kingdom¡¯s aid if it needed help. However, the descendants of King Erik and his men twisted this sacred alliance and caused it to be broken, and it even incurred Marsha¡¯s wrath.

    [Cause and effect...... There¡¯s aplicated rtionship between Aouine, the Silver Elves, and the Wind Elves. With their aid, the kingdom barely managed to survive till this day. Still, Madara clearly saw how weak Aouine was and thetter slowly began to move towards death after the invasion. All history, though.]

    Brendel patted the two men¡¯s shoulders: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we can still work on it slowly. The kingdom isn¡¯t beyond salvation. Hmm, the doctrine to the White Lion Infantry was mostly lost because of the internal royal war between the Corvado and Seifer dynasties. It¡¯s said that one of the Seifers in the past took a third of the doctrine and hid it in a graveyard in Maanstro. Perhaps if we have the time we can search for it.¡±

    Bosley thought Brendel was trying to console him, but thetter truly meant it. During that civil war, the head of the Seifer dynasty split the doctrine into three parts, then handed them to his two sons and one daughter. One portion was retrieved, with the other hidden in one of Maanstro¡¯s graveyard. The final part¡¯s location was unfortunately unknown even in the game.

    Theplete White Lion Infantry was estimated to be Tier 4 amongst the gamers, and Brendel estimated gathering two portions would at least get these soldiers to Tier 3. The training method for the Steel Knights could be solved by alternative means as well.

    Bosley tapped the youth for a response as thetter seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

    ¡°Ah. Grandmaster Bosley, right. I think the Crimson gbearers¡¯ armor is pretty good. Can you try to think of a way to improve it?¡±

    ¡°Improvement?¡± The old did not understand: ¡°Even though the defense of this armor is very high, the armor is not suited for heavy infantry. There is magic woven into the armor, enhancing its defense against arrows, but it isn¡¯t suited to guard against repeated strikes from a melee weapon. It does have the same idea as the White Lion Infantry¡¯s armor, but thetter uses excessive materials to ward off both melee and ranged weapons.¡±

    ¡°No, what I mean is for you to redesign it and allow archers to wear them.¡±

    ¡°Archers?¡± Bosley stared at the youth with wide eyes. He had never heard of such excessive extravagance, even having archers to wear magic armor.

    It was not that the archers were not valued, but the position of archers are already ced in the backline, and it was a little too wasteful to put magic armor on them: ¡°Isn¡¯t it too much of an expenditure?¡±

    ¡°Not at all, what if these are the ones to wear the armor?¡± Brendel got the old man to turn around, pointed at the young, tall and lithe female Tree Elves wearing longbows on their back and shopping in the ¡®human world¡¯.

    ¡°That¡¯s......¡± Bosley could not find the words to refute him.

    Anyone knew that the Elven archers were sharpshooters that could not be reced. But Bosley could hardly think of a sharpshooter wearing armor. In theory, archers sought for agility.

 volume 3 - 229 â€“ Wind Sharpshooter 2

    Chapter 229 ¨C Wind Sharpshooter (2)

    It was not hard for a grandmaster cksmith who worked in the forge for decades to alter the cavalry¡¯s armor to an archer¡¯s.

    An archer required his abdomen, upper shoulder and back to be free of obstacles, or it would affect the uracy of releasing a bow.

    Bosley removed a portion of the armor and changed it with metal tes,ing up with a sample on the very next day.

    Quinn wore the prototype armor and stretched his upper body and showed a satisfied expression. The Tree Elves¡¯ bodies were long and athletic, but Bosley¡¯s armor was quite fitting. The only demerit about it was that the armor was slightly too small for Quinn. It resembled the Romans¡¯ half armor in Brendel¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little heavy.¡± The Tree Elf remarked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not possible to reduce the weight.¡± Grandmaster Bosley replied in a t tone.

    It was originally heavy armor meant for a cavalry. No matter how much he shifted the bnce, some of the weight would still be on the shoulders. He was uncertain if the Elves found it too cumbersome and affected their uracy, and he looked back at the youth behind it, trying to discern what thetter was thinking.

    Brendel was rubbing his chin with his middle finger and thumb, looking satisfactorily at the artistic-like armor. The old man used gold paint over theyered armor, and the rivets reflected light as Quinn moved about, making the armor look dazzling.

    ¡°It¡¯s easy. Just attach a rune to reduce to the weight. How many samples can you make, Grandmaster Bosley?¡±

    There were different types of runes that reduced weight. Freya¡¯s magic armor utilized the ¡®Wind Dance¡¯ rune, which was one of the best runes avable. The wearer would not be affected by the weight and even feel like a wind was enveloping around the armor, adding agility to them.

    ¡°Numbers are not a problem, but why do you need so many?¡±

    ¡°Uhh...... You will know it very soon.¡±

    It was after this event that Bosley felt that he perhaps did not want to ever learn the answer.

    Brendel took back the armor from Quinn, and this artistic piece of work started to heat up in his hands. Everyone witnessed the reaction of magic, and the armor eventually turned into a torchlight that illuminated the area. Cracking noises could be heard as a giant hole formed into the armor¡¯s center.

    It looked like a candle melting. The liquid eventually turned into solid once again, leaving behind a circle the size of a fist on the armor¡¯s torso.

    Brendel shrugged.

    No matter how one looked at it, this armor was destroyed.

    Alchemy was a job that had a high probability of failure. It was especially so when Brendel had to test out an effective method of applying Wind Runes on dense metal. He was purely learning on how to apply it for the very first time.

    The green mes in the forge over the next few days were not extinguished, and the beating and nking of hammers striking metal did not cease every night. Armor after armor was ruined in Brendel¡¯s hands.

    The youth began to change his methods and used cheap Wind Emeralds to serve as the core of the Magic Formation. These gems were the mostmon and cheapest materials that contained Wind Element. During the highest intion in the game, these gems sold for at most several thousand Tor coins.

    The experiment was not ideal. The best prefix the armor gained from the Wind Emeralds was ¡®Clumsy¡¯, and the weight reduction was never more than 5%. There were even negative effects from time to time.

    Brendel then tried Sky Blue Crystals, Viridian Olives, Azure Quartz, each material more expensive than the next, with the best results increasing up to 15% in weight reduction. It was only on the fifth morning that Bosley and Brendel came up with a ¡®Nimble¡¯ prefix.

    ¡°Nimble archer¡¯s armor: Defense 4, +2 bonus against projectiles, 20% weight reduction.¡±

    But it was still heavier than the target weight reduction. Quinn expressed that only the best Elven sharpshooters would not find it an obstacle to wear it in battle, and the majority of them would not be able to reach this standard.

    By this time the number of spoiled Crimson gbearer¡¯s armor had reached more than 10%.

    This result was not sitting well with Brendel. His goal was to raise the Tree Elves to the Tier 3 standard in the game. The basic data for a soldier wereprised of several stats, Attack, Defense, Mobility, and Special Abilities.

    [It¡¯s not possible to raise their Attack stat unless Tree Elf Longbows can be made. They are a standard weapon for the archers, but that¡¯s from the production fifty yearster and I have no idea how to make bows. So the solution is still raising the Elves¡¯ Defense stats. But the results aren¡¯t favorable. It¡¯s not realistic to make a new blueprint armor for the Tree Elves, and even if I did, there¡¯s still the issue of weight. Not solving this problem means that a suitable armor for them is a pipe dream.]

    The solution Brendel wanted to get was the prefix ¡°Agile¡±, which was a 30% reduction in weight. But the fee for producing the current armor was already thirty thousand Tor coins. If he continued down this path, he was certain that Amandina woulde to him with a resignation letter.

    ¡°There¡¯s no other way.¡± Grandmaster Bosley wasying sprawled on his table, his hair as messy as a bird¡¯s nest while he spoke wearily: ¡°This is the limit. If you want to take away any more of the armor¡¯s metal, it¡¯s going to affect the defensive strength.¡±

    ¡°Let the elites of the Tree Elves wear them first,¡± Tamar suggested.

    He was recruited halfway by Brendel. This future grandmaster alchemist had been helping out Ciel and Amandina with building a Mage Tower and Magicite Lab.

    Magic was an important production resource, and the importance of a Mage Tower within the city was without saying. Furthermore, a Mage Tower could serve as a resource pool for Mana, which not only strengthened the casters but speed up the training of apprentices.

    The Alchemist Lab was situated within the Mage Tower. Evenbs with the lowest standards would provide an additional Alchemy level, while an advanced one would provide different specializations for the profession.

    As long as there was a bit of money, no lord would be unwilling to build a Mage Tower. In fact, it could draw in more wizards, so why would one not build it?

    Brendel did not wish to interrupt Tamar¡¯s progress, but Amandina noticed that the youth was sucking up money like a ck hole and she had no choice but to send Tamar to help out in restraining him, or it might end up with Brendel expending the entire city¡¯s budget to make a super army. In her eyes, her lord seemed like a military nut who did not have any safeguards, always putting military power in the first ce.

    But Brendel shook his head at Tamar¡¯s suggestion in the end. He did not merely want a group of elites, because he did notck them. He had the neswalker and Nest system. If he wanted to, he could create a squadron of elites.

    What he needed was a ¡°main army unit¡±, with numbers like the Subterrane Dwellers, and this force had to stand firm with numbers in the next war.

    He pondered for a while and said: ¡°The two of you continue to experiment with the same materials and see if you can get a better cement for the Runes. I¡¯ll think of alternative solutions in the mean time.¡±

    [If it doesn¡¯t work out with the armor, then it¡¯s time to think about upgrading the basic soldier. Dragonblood potions?]

    It was not as if the Tree Elves were unable to shoot after wearing the armor, perhaps the uracy and strength would be affected, but if he was to get to the root of the problem, it was a matter of strength. Therefore, why not increase the Tree Elves¡¯ strength?

    If he were to add their strength, then drinking the Dragonblood potions was the best way instead of seeking another method.

    [But the first batch of Dragonblood potions was already given to the White Lion Army. If I make the second batch, I would want to give it to the allied forces who apanied me to the frontlines during Firburh¡¯s siege. That¡¯s two hundred potions, but what about the remaining thousand-odd Tree Elvesing in from the Dark Forestter?]

    Brendel thought about raising the Centaurs to Tier 3 as well. The blood from the hunted hydra in the Dark Forest was not going to be enough. He needed to find more materials.

    [Buying the materials? No, I don¡¯t want to create the potions after I go to Ampere Seale. Maybe I can rear hydras on my own?]

    Firburh, or any other ordinary cities for that matter, naturally did not have the capability to sustain a Nest, but how about Valha? It was a natural source of Mana. Brendel nodded to himself.

    [Indeed, it seems about the right time to rebuild this fortress that experienced countless magnificent deeds in the past.]

    Brendel thus left the forge entirely to Tamar and Bosley, while he went to analyze Valha¡¯s core Magic Formation alone in his study. It was not aplicated thing to activate it, but it simply required an obnoxious amount of Magic Crystals.

    The youth would have banged his head on the wall in frustration if he did not find the Magic Crystal cave in the Dark Forest.

    At this point in time, there were already new settlersing in, and they constructed a small quarry in the Dark Forest under the mercenaries¡¯ protection. The first batch of Magic Crystals was not a huge quantity, but it was sufficient for his initial requirements.

    While Brendel concentrated deeply into the calctions necessary to activate the Magic Formation, he did not abstain from worldly affairs. He knew by this moment that Princess Gryphine was prepared to head to Ampere Seale to negotiate with Duke Arreck.

    The princess already decided on a loose arrangement of their contract in January and was to formally sign it in the next month. He was truly a little hesitant whether he wanted to let the princess and Duke Arreck meet. Trentheim was not ready to enter into the center of the whirlpool just yet, but he quickly made a decision.

    Since he was for the princess¡¯s faction, then he could not let history repeat itself.

    He made a decision to y out a fantastic act before the princess headed to Ampere Seale. The stage was naturally the biggest trading harbor in Aouine, Ampere Seale. The date was already fixed and he was simply preparing for that journey.

    Ciel and his wizards were sent out to look for neswalker¡¯s cards. The youth knew that he could not bring out a huge army to Ampere Seale and his ck wolves could not follow him either. The only thing he could rely on was the neswalker¡¯s system and his own strength.

    After the Dark Forest, his neswalker system was basically in a half-useless state. In order to revive the system, he needed to find a new method of picking up cards from his graveyard.

    All his current ns were in preparation for his departure to Ampere Seale.

    He meted out new ranks to the contributing mercenaries and soldiers, piled up materials for materials and the search for new cards was well underway. Trentheim appeared to be abnormally silent, but the internal affairs were moving at a shocking speed.

    This silence continued well after the first week until a piece of news was submitted to his desk.

 volume 3 - 230 â€“ The city of trees 1

    Chapter 230 ¨C The city of trees (1)

    If one were to look Trentheim from above, they would discover that each end of the region was high and the middle section low. The south-west area was a plot of barrennd with the city Firburh built in that location.

    Peering from this city would have ess to the shape of numerous mountains starting from the west. River Gris was in the intersection of these mountains towards Graham¡¯s mountain range, and it was the best hunting spot during the autumn season. This ce was also where the forest trees were most dense.

    To the north of the river was the Macsen region, and traveling further would lead to the Ps region.

    The east of the river was the Schafflund mines which overlooked a particrly important passage towards Firburh, and it was the best position in Brendel¡¯s thoughts to build a fortress.

    Even though thend was uneven, it was not a problem for the dwarves. It was because of theck of funds that this project only started recently. An army was now camping in that area to build a few palisades on the path between Firburh and the Schafflund mines.

    In the middle of a particr mountain near this area, the originally dense foliage and trees were removed and reced with boulders collected from the surroundings, forming a Magic Formation on the uneven, dull-colored ground.

    Repeating circles formed the base pattern of this Magic Formation, written with many mysterious Runic words, and even if the most famous royal schrs in Aouine were toe here and study them, they might not be able to recognize them. Brendel believed the words were much earlier than the era of the Dragon of Darkness, and it probably dated all the way back to the Twilight War.

    Divine energy ran across the Magic Formation, almost as if the forest was whispering; a type of Nature Mana permeated the forest. Vines flushed with a deep verdant green was growing at a perceptible speed over the boulders¡¯ cracks. Even though the Magic Formation was only up for a week, it was as if the surrounding area had been untouched for several centuries and overgrown with vines, seemingly gathering the entire forest¡¯s mana into this spot.

    Thepleted Magic Formation for Valha.

    In the center of the Magic Formation was an indentation, coinciding with the size of the Magic Core in Brendel¡¯s possessions.

    ¡°This Magic Formation doesn¡¯t have any external source of Mana. Instead, it gathers and absorbs the surrounding natural Ether and converts it to Mana. Even us Silver Elves are not capable of invoking such a powerful Law. My Lord, you¡¯re truly a genius. I can¡¯t believe how dense the natural Ether is.¡± Medissa praised as she studied the Magic Formation.

    ¡°It¡¯s not as if I created it,¡± Brendel answered with slight embarrassment.

    ¡°Even though that¡¯s the case, you were the one who deciphered the information on the crystal in Valha. Even the Elder Druids did not manage to read them. But you coincidentally read the ancient texts regarding these runes, my Lord, perhaps it¡¯s destiny.¡±

    The older wild Elf sister, Fern, also agreed with Medissa, to which Brendel expressed a smile.

    [What ancient text? I understand these moon runes because of this strange status as a ¡®yer¡¯. The system in my eyes deciphers the information uponpleting conditions, while any native in this world would have to use artifacts or read the right documents to identify things.]

    ¡°Then when are you going to put the crystal in, Brendel?¡± Romaine asked.

    ¡°Probably right now,¡± he answered.

    He had witnessed implementing a city¡¯s Core Crystal before in the game. It was a lifeform that was halfway to artificial intelligence, nted like a seed with Mana poured in to make it grow. There was also another Magic Formation implemented to fortify it before pouring in the Mana.

    The youth was now performing it for the first time. He took the crystal in his hand and embedded it into the Magic Formation¡¯s center, and immediately felt it vibrating in his hand. After a quick nce, he discovered that there was a faint glow in the center that poured out like golden liquid onto the Magic Formation¡¯s runes.

    He shook his head hurriedly.

    ¨C Unknown request received. Switching to City Mode.

    [Am I seeing things?]

    The system in his eyes activated this mode when he was recognized as Firburh¡¯s lord by the citizens. The windows shown by the system resembled a strategy game¡¯s user interface, and he was able to observe the efficiency of his city.

    Now there were currently two menu options, Trentheim and Loop of Trade Winds. There was a (2/3 cities) icon on the menu, though he was unsure what would happen if he had three cities. There was information on estimated harvest, specialty, poption, resources, and even public safety amongst others.

    There was even data from his appointed men, disying the current leader of the task. As an example, Romaine was in charge of the financial aspects.

    If the youth transferred her to another department, then he could immediately see how the financial aspects were affected. This system existed in the game, but it was far more effective since one could immediately ¡®order and delegate¡¯ the task.

    In this world, the system was more like an observation system.

    Windows continued to pop up and the youth¡¯s eyesnded on Schafflund¡¯s finances. Out of curiosity, he shifted Romaine over to a slot and saw that the ie rose by 33% for the next three months. This result naturally revealed Romaine¡¯s ability that mostly went unnoticed because of her antics.

    [Even though her sense for financial management is not as keen as her business acumen...... In any case, the city has various types of iepared to the silver mines. For this reason alone, it¡¯s far more worth for her to stay there than to go to Schafflund.]

    He still decided to let Romaine continue to be the administrator for Firburh¡¯s finances.

    Brendel¡¯s thoughts went back to the green letterings in his retina. He paused for a moment before he agreed to it.

    [Allow the unknown request to link up.]

    A new sub-system appeared under the City Mode, which was aptly named as Valha. But it was greyed out and when Brendel tried to ess it, he immediately saw a notification.

    ¨C Valha is currently under construction. The first phase requires 132000 Mana units.

    [132000 Mana units!?]

    The youth felt a jolt. It was a significant amount that could not be provided by mortal means. Even Grandmaster Wizards like Tulman and William would probably be drained until they were mummies.

    [Ah, no, I¡¯m supposed to use Magic Crystals here. The weakest type is Moonstone, followed by Fire Agates. I have never tried out the Wizard ss or really looked into being a professional Alchemist in the game, so I don¡¯t know what is the conversion rate. Damn it, if the conversion rate is low, then this ¡®Valha¡¯ thing is really a ck hole.]

    The youth took out a prepared Moonstone from his Dimension Hole. The quality of the Magic Crystals in the Dark Forest was pretty good, or at least this particr crystal was far better than the ones he saw in an ordinary market. He threw rhombus-shaped onto the Magic Formation and it immediately lost its color to be something like ss, with the phenomenon happening in the blink of an eye. There was also a change in the notification in his eyes.

    ¨C Valha is currently under construction. The first phase requires 131900 Mana units.

    [1:100.]

    The youth felt relieved. If the lowest tier of Magic Crystals was 100 units of Mana, then the higher tiers would provide enough. He tossed another Fire Agate, and as expected, it exchanged for 2000 units.

    With that exchange, then it would only take a few hundred crystals to fill up 130000 units. The amount of Magic Crystals mined from the rich Dark Forest was calcted in thousands. The people in the city who required these crystals were Ciel and his wizards, Bosley, and Tamar. Brendel took nearly half of the mined crystals into his own pocket, not worried about the city having an insufficient supply.

    But he quickly realized he was too naive.

    After throwing a few hundred Magic Crystals down on the ground, and Valha¡¯s Crystal Core absorbing enough Mana for the first stage, the ground cracked open with audible sounds andrge fissures. Everyone watched that Crystal Core split open and within it grew a......

    Tiny sprout.

    ¡°This bloody¡ª!¡±

    Brendel could not help but be cross-eyed when he saw this sight. It was ridiculous that he nted the Crystal Core like a seed, but for it to really act like a seed..... After a moment, he regained hisposure and knew that it was not just an ordinary nt. Several hundred Magic Crystals wasted to make an ordinary nt¡ª No one else around him thought that.

    The sprout quickly grew at an astonishing rate in a short period of time, reaching to Brendel¡¯s height before growing even further. Thetter had to look up as it continued to grow and extend upwards with branches forming. It was indeed like a divine tree guarded by the ancient Elves. In one minute, it had grown up to the point that would at least take an ordinary tree a full decade to grow.

    And it showed no signs of stopping.

    Everyone could see a visible concentration of Mana around the leaves, while roots sprang up all over the ground and knocked away the boulders as they grew rapidly and bunched up together.

    Several minutester, that former ¡®tree sprout¡¯ doubled in size.

    It looked like an ancient tree.

    ¡°T-this is......¡± Orthlyss who had been sleeping recently woke up from feeling the intense agitation of Mana around her. She was at a loss for words when she saw the tree.

    Brendel had shut his lips ever since he blurted out his first two words.

    The tree now needed seven or eight people to hug it at its waist, but the height of the tree did not grow and was only ten meters high. At this moment, the youth gradually discovered the shape of the tree¡¯s crown actually formed a natural courtyard.

    [What the heck! Isn¡¯t this courtyard simr to that World Tree we saw in the Loop of Trade Winds?]

    He finally realized this point.

 volume 3 - 231 â€“ The city of trees 2

    Chapter 231 ¨C The city of trees (2)

    The World Tree¡¯s wide tree crown extended in all directions, seemingly unmoving against the wind, while its dense leaves made one think that it was over a hundred years old. Sunlight pierced through the gaps between the branches and leaves like golden swords. The solitary tree was grown in an empty clearing surrounded by the forest¡¯s trees, and it gave a feeling of tranquility.

    Brendel gazed at the leaves and found green Runic patterns on each leaf, as though they were veins spread throughout the tree crown.

    An ancient tree was quietly sitting in the center of a mystical Magic Formation.

    Romaine¡¯s eyes were crossed with her jaws ck. It was as though she was uttering a silent ¡®whoa~~~¡¯. Scarlett opened her eyes sorge that her round irises could be seen clearly, but she less affected whenpared to Romaine. There was indeed surprise in her eyes, but she did not show any other emotions beyond it. After all, the things that she had encountered after following Brendel in the Dark Forest were always unusual

    Medissapletely kept herposure as a citizen of the Silver Lineage, though her eyes glinted once.

    The only person who maintained a true poker face was the older Wild Elf sister, Fern. Rather than say that it was her personality, she was someone who had been part of the newalker¡¯s system and Laws for a far longer timepared to Medissa who only recently became a ¡®Knight¡¯. Compared to a World Tree growing in front of her eyes, perhaps having ¡®immortality¡¯ was something more incredulous.

    ¡°B-Brendel, that thing that you threw down to the hole was a seed!?¡± Romaine was the first to speak out.

    She was showing exuberant curiosity instead of having confusion on her face, perhaps feeling that Brendel had once again done something remarkable.

    ¡°How did this tree pop out, it grew so quickly! Am I dreaming, Brendel, pinch me now!¡± She hit Brendel¡¯s arm.

    The youth came back to his senses and stared at her with narrowed eyes for a few seconds. Her thoughts were not something a normal person could understand. Despite encountering Madara¡¯s undead for a few times in Be, she seemed to be fearless and asked whether the undead was interested in eating them. Expressing her curiosity was added with ¡®wow, this is amazing, Brendel!¡¯.

    ¡°My Lord,¡± Medissa asked with a certain hint of intelligence glinting in her eyes, not directly making a conclusion, ¡°this is the World Tree in the Loop of Trade Winds?¡±

    ¡°No, rather than say it¡¯s that World Tree......¡± Brendel looked up at the tree that could be described as ¡®huge¡¯ and shook his head.

    [Indeed, it resembles that World Tree in Valha, having branches that intersect with each other and a simrlyrge tree crown, and I can say that it¡¯s a mini version. But the shape of this...... fortress. It looks like there¡¯s arge tform formed with branches and covered by the leaves above it,plete with a courtyard surrounded with wall-like offshoot twigs. There are handles to climb up to the top of the walls. If I look at it with military eyes, the walls even have parapets along with guard rails.]

    In other words, it¡¯s a natural fortress.

    ¡°This looks like a small castle, how pretty......¡± Scarlett muttered as she was lost in her thoughts. She thought of fairy tales where a princess was sleeping in a castle within the deep forest. This ce had a lush green color that could only be found in a dream. She went into battle from a young age with her hair tied up like a true Hignder¡¯s daughter, but she would sometimes think back on the stories in her childhood.

    [Instead of going out there to fight, I would rather be an ordinary girl with the right to dream. Though, if my Lord is willing to allow me to have a castle like a princess......]

    The red-haired girl could not help but fall into a lull.

    Romaine, on the other hand, was starting to circle around the tree. It was clear that she wanted to climb it. Suddenly, she eximed adorably as though she had discovered a chest full of treasure: ¡°There¡¯s a staircase here, Brendel!¡±

    Indeed, there was an obscure spiralingdder that seemed to invite guests¡ª or perhaps the owner of the tree. The staircase was formed naturally from the vines hanging from the tree, but they did not look crude and instead made one think that it was formed by human hands. The spacing between each step was made just right and it was pretty and refined. Brendel cast a nce at the steps and knew that it would not require much effort for one to move up the steps. It even gave out a warm and inviting air about it, and it did not make one feel like it was a trap.

    ¡°Can we go up?¡± Romaine blinked her eyes and asked with a tilted head, her alluring fringe falling sideways to reveal her smooth forehead.

    The youth cast his eyes back out to the people behind him of reflex. It was a habit in the game where he would ask for a consensus from the other gamers, though he immediately remembered he was the only ¡®yer¡¯ here. A quiet princess of the Silver Elves, a ¡®very annoying but would not disobey his orders Wild Elf Secretary¡¯ or ¡®maid who shadows him all the time¡¯, and Scarlett who would always follow him. Romaine would also adhere to his orders if he really meant them as well.

    [I definitely need some time to change this habit.]

    He could not help but shake his head with a smile.

    But Medissa misunderstood his intentions and put on a faint smile: ¡°The Silver Elves are very sensitive towards the scent of nature. This tree gives me the feeling of warmth, not one of friendliness but more of a ¡®home. It seems to be inviting us.¡±

    ¡°Yes. To tell the truth, I feel the same.¡± Brendel nodded, but he hid his true feelings about it. The tree was more of a subordinate as the city¡¯s core was bound to him. He was certain like he could control what the tree could do; he even felt he couldmand the spiral staircase.

    [Pull back.]

    There was a light rustling sound as he ordered in his mind. A miracle happened. The hanging vines were pulled back to the branches as though they were alive, and they now appeared to be nts growing on the branches instead.

    ¡°Ack!¡± Romaine got a fright and hurriedly hid behind Brendel¡¯s back.

    ¡°You can order it to move?¡± Medissa asked in surprise.

    The youth nodded. He was also very curious what the tree city had, and this curiosity had prediction mixed into it. If he was right about it, then the entire situation would be outrageous. He quickly responded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look.¡±

    The others were more or less curious about the tree, and even the stoic Fern could not help but observe the vine staircase that was forming again. The steps were sturdy and as predicted, it did not require much effort to climb them. It was almost as if the tree was lifting them up and everyone quickly reached the end of the steps.

    What greeted their eyes was a circr courtyard shrouded under the packed leaves. It was about a hundred paces wide and slightly more spacious than Brendel thought. What surprised the group of people was ayer of gstones in the center. They thought they would only be wood-rted materials, but there was a small fountain erected on top of the gstones and glittering cobblestones in the pool of water. At one side of the courtyard was a hall; its design resembled the Elven architecture. It was made out of only wooden materials with slender beams that supported the high roof to form a structure full of elegance.

    ¡°An Elven Great Hall.¡± Medissa showed a look of disbelief as she recognized the building¡¯s purpose: ¡°This tree is actually a Mana Conflux Town?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you arepletely right......¡± Brendel felt like he was struck by an iron ball.

    At first he was just suspicious, but he was certain when he saw the great hall. Valha was actually a living city growing on a tree, and this city grew naturally on its own and did not require anyone to build on it. The leaves could provide shelter from the weather and the design of the city allowed it to be defended easily.

    [This is too freaking cool!]

    This was a fief that Brendel desired. Even though Valha was still small and probably less than thirty meters wide, it already had the initial shape of a magic city.

    When the youth entered the hall, he quickly discovered a crystal embedded in a pir that was grown out from a branch, and it projected the entire structure of the city. The courtyard was empty, but there were additional steps leading to a hollow section of the tree, distributed into naturally formed rooms where citizens could live in, as well as warehouses.

    The Great Hall also had a passage leading to three rooms below it, and these rooms contained natural Mana Pools. These pools were connected to the ancient tree¡¯s roots, and thus they were creating an endless supply of Mana. They were also called Mana Nests, as Nests could be safely installed there, or these Mana pools could be converted to create Mana Crystals or an alchemist¡¯sboratory.

    ¡°There are three Mana Pools? Surely the size of this Conflux Town should only be an elementary Arcadian Grade fief!?¡± Medissa eximed in shock.

    ¡°Arc-adian Grade?¡± Several of the girls repeated her words and looked at the Elven princess with iprehension: ¡°Mana something town?¡±

 volume 3 - 232 â€“ The city of trees 3

    Chapter 232 ¨C The city of trees (3)

    ¡°My apologies, I lost myself there......¡±

    Medissa drew a breath andposed herself with a hand on her chest and continued her words:

    ¡°The term Arcadian Grade is used in the War of the Holy Saints, and it¡¯s used to describe the strength of the different fiefs. Trentheim is an unfounded Arcadian Gradend. The Mana in the air is typically scattered, but with such close proximity to the Wilderness, it is pulled in and turned into Chaos energy, which gives rise to corrupted creatures. Mana Pools can be constructed in ces of abundant Mana. There are natural Mana Pools as well, but they are actuallyirs and dens of monsters.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how monsters are formed!¡± Romaine tapped her lips with an inquisitive finger: ¡°But what do these Mana Pools have to do with the strength of a fief? Strange...... Isn¡¯t it dangerous to have monsters appearing in the city because you have too many Mana Pools, right?¡±

    Medissaughed and exined:

    ¡°Be it the humans, Elves, or other races, they had fought in the past to vie for such ces abundant with Mana. These creatures raised in the city by sentient races, and they are loyal to them. In addition, Mana Pools are useful for cultivating Mana Crystals. One can even build a Mage Tower on top of such a ce. These structures are used to empower the fiefs¡¯ lords. Extremely powerful cities that have mature Mana Pools are qualified to be called as Elysian Strongholds.

    The concept of a Magic City is different from the definition of a territory. Many older races respect the lords ruling over the Magic cities. A human noble like Graudin receives the fear and reluctant respect of the ordinary citizens in Aouine, but in the eyes of the other races, this man is worthless.

    But if there¡¯s even just one Mana Pool in a city, then it would at least mean that the lord has some repute of power, though I should remind you that the past is different from the current customs.¡±

    Her eyes went over to Brendel.

    Even though the youth remained rtively unknown, his current position had surpassed Graudin by far in her era.

    ¡°Then how big must the city be to have a natural Mana Pool?¡± Romaine asked, keen to know a trivia question.

    ¡°Roughly......¡± The Silver Elf girl thought for a while: ¡°Using the scale of Aouine¡¯s system, the city would be the size of a baron¡¯s entire fiefdom.¡±

    Scarlett was listening in with rapt attention. It was the knowledge that mercenaries and typical nobles did not even know, especially at the rural borders of Aouine. She suddenly blurted out a question:

    ¡°Does Firburh have a Mana Pool?¡±

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right!¡± Romaine¡¯s eyes suddenly shone with understanding. She was always good with things that were not relevant to her: ¡°So that was why Ciel acted mysteriously for a period of time. I heard from the mercenaries that he was frequenting Schafflund for a while, muttering to himself about building a tower. So he was trying to find a ce where Mana gathers?¡±

    ¡°Your little head is moving really quickly, huh,¡± Brendel scoffed with slight sarcasm.

    ¡°I¡¯m always that good, it¡¯s Brendel who¡¯s too stupid, only realizing¡ª ouch!¡± Romaine hugged her head hurriedly.

    Before her nose could point towards the sky, Brendel flicked her forehead once. He did not understand why this self-proimed noble, elegant, great merchant would always put her intelligence in such nonsensical directions.

    ¡°It¡¯s true, Tamar and Amandina calcted that there¡¯s a Mana point near Schafflund,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°To think that Lady Amandina also has the talent of reading the stars,¡± Medissa praised from the bottom of her heart.

    The youth did not expect it either. Amandina had already mentioned this fact before he entered the Dark Forest, but at that time there was not even enough Mana Crystals to forge the White Lion Armor, let alone building an entire Mage Tower.

    ¡°Does a Mage Tower look like the ones in the stories, dumb Brendel? What is it used for, is it a wizard¡¯s home, a ce where Ciel can stay in?¡± Romaine clutched her head as she dodged Brendel¡¯s armed fingers.

    A normal person would find it impossible to answer this question. Even Medissa did not know what was inside a Mage Tower, but Fern was an Elementalist. She bowed slightly and answered the question as though she was reciting from a textbook.

    ¡°A Mage Tower is not only the home of a wizard, Miss Romaine. The highest floor of the Mage Tower is fitted with a Resonating Crystal that¡¯s cut from a gigantic Mana Crystal. It increases the power and distance of many area-of-effect spells¡ª extending their range to several miles, even reaching ten-odd miles. The wizards are able to form a stout defense through this crystal and defeat their enemies from a great distance.

    There are crystal balls ced within the tower to observe the surroundings. A low-grade Mage Tower is enough to observe the entire region around Firburh, and it¡¯s one of the most important defensive structure of the city. In addition, there¡¯s also an Alchemistboratory and a public Mana Supply Storage.¡±

    ¡°Mana Supply Storage?¡±

    ¡°Magic apprentices improve and train by casting spells, but they would have to rest for long periods of time after casting a few spells. A Mana Supply Storage greatly reduces the amount of time required for them to recover, which in turn reduces the time to train these apprentices, Miss Romaine.¡±

    ¡°Please stop addressing me so politely with such a term, Fern, it feels terrifying,¡± Romaine patted her chest and said with a little trepidation: ¡°In any case I understand. The Mage Tower is a very important ce, right?¡±

    Both Brendel and Fern nodded solemnly.

    There were no mistakes in her exnation. Training a farmer into a passable soldier took three weeks in the game, but training a passable apprentice took nearly a year. Having a Mage Tower reduced the time by a factor of ten, and it took slightly more than a month to train an apprentice.

    The apprentice could then continue to train as an Elementalist or Wizard. Basic spells included Magic Arrow and Mana Shield, spells from the First Circle. Having a group of them casting them together had considerable firepower.

    There were even subtypes of what an apprentice could choose to go into. An Anti-magic Swordsman, or an Illusion Knight, though these particr professions required the prerequisite basic training before they could be attained.

    Building a Mage Tower required a Mana Pool, so thetter was an important existence for a fief.

    Once the purity of the Mana in the Mage Tower reached a certain standard, there was the possibility of creating advanced structures.

    Training Tree Elves¡¯ Pegasi Knights required a Pegasus Nest and Celestial Gate, and these two structures required a Mage Tower.

    ¡°It is typical that a naturally urring Mana Pool can be found in Trentheim when one considers its size, but Valha has three...... It¡¯s a little incredulous. It¡¯s as though this ce is a Mana ins,¡± Medissa said.

    [So you also use the term Mana ins?]

    Brendel turned his head towards Medissa who continued speaking:

    ¡°Elysian Strongholds that have at least ten Mana Pools are qualified to be called Mana Domains. There are legendary ces in the Wilderness that have many natural Mana Pools, and we recognize this plot ofnd as a Mana Domain even if there are less than ten Mana Pools, and the Mana ins is one of them.¡±

    ¡°Mana ins is also called as the ¡®Field of four-leaf clovers¡¯. This plot ofnd has a high concentration of Earth Mana, and the magic reagents that grow in this ce would mature faster than any ordinary plot ofnds that have Earth Mana,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Yes, for example, Marsha¡¯s Sentinel is and that¡¯s considerably unique with Earth Mana. The Dark Forest, the Fire ins, and Consecrated Conflict, are plots ofnds that I have only heard and not seen. My Lord¡¯s nted World Tree has a natural type of Earth Mana that¡¯s thicker than any of those I have seen before. These three Mana Pools...... Even our hometown of us Silver Elves, the Silver Valley, does not have such a degree of Mana concentration.

    I read that the fortress in the ancient fables were all built on divine plots ofnds. Our ancestors built them as thest bastion against the Twilight Dragon. But all of them arecking inparison to Valha. I don¡¯t know why the original plot ofnd in the Loop of Trade Winds still hold so much power after all this time, but the World Tree on it must be part of the reason. If I have to name this plot ofnd, I¡¯ll call it ¡®Realm of the Gods¡¯......¡±

    [Halran Gaia, the Golden Apple, Valha. The legendary items in fables are appearing one by one at his side. If this was in the past when I was still alive, I might have attributed to luck and coincidence, but now I wonder if this is destiny telling me to join his side.]

    Medissa finished her monologue, suddenly a little expectant of the future.

    ¡°Realm of the Gods. This name is indeed a fine one,¡± Romaine expressed her acknowledgment.

    Scarlett nodded too. She felt that the things that her lord had were worthy of such names. Brendel would have blushed if he knew what Scarlett was thinking.

    But the youth was actually quite surprised at finding three Mana Pools in the new Valha. It was indeed a windfall.

    A typical gamer would have to make a tough decision. The three essential magic structures that a tier 1 town:

    Mage Tower, Mana Crystal Pond, and a Magic Forge. Only one of them could be chosen.

    But Brendel did not have such a worry. Firburh already had a ce where natural Mana gathered, and now he had three more. He originally nned to make Valha¡¯s Mana Pool to be exclusively used for a Hydra Nest, but it seems that he had more choices.

    But he quickly discovered something else.

    [Huh? The bottom Mana Pool is being used? What¡¯s this ¡®Whirlpool of Light¡¯ structure?]

    After fiddling with the system¡¯s windows in his retina, he discovered it was a type of Nest, able to create creatures called Light Spirits. The words sounded like Heroic Spirits or Light Elemental creatures when he rolled the name with his tongue.

    [A natural Nest in this fortress. It¡¯s definitely a delightful shock. Special Nests in any particr era are unique, unlike themon ones such as ck Wolves and Wyverns. A Nest from Valha would never belong to thetter, and typically creatures from that era are powerful. I really want to find out what these Light Spirits are.]

    He immediately suggested exploring the lower sections. The girls naturally did not object to it, and only Fern stayed behind with the reason of leaving someone behind as contact in case there were messengers bringing information about Firburh. If the mercenaries did not find anyone in the World Tree, they might panic, so it would be good for her to stay behind.

    Brendel could only praise the older Wild Elf sister¡¯s meticulous thinking. Only Fern and Amandina would be particr about such details. Thetter could not follow him on this trip due to the matters in Firburh, and only this eternal poker-faced Fern apanied him with this trifling issues. Even though she looked like she was always unwilling to do it, she constantly performed impressively.

    Brendel and the others eventually discovered the entrance to Valha¡¯s lower section, and they entered the room where the Whirlpool of Light was.

    The lower section of Valha was a hollow section of the tree. The walls and ceiling were made out of wood, appearing as though they had been processed by artificial means to make them smooth, but there were also random vines that decorated the ce that made it feel natural.

    There was a small area with glowing blue crystals scattered all over it, and vines twisted to from an archway over a door. The center of the door was a whirlpool of golden light, reaching over three meters which slowly churned in a clockwise direction. There seemed to be a tunnel in the eye of that whirlpool bridging two worlds. A golden ray was pouring out from it, as though it was a bridge suspended in mid-air.

    There were some other vegetations in the room¡¯s corners. They reflected different colors from the door¡¯s illuminations, making people feel like they were in a dreamlike ce.

    ¡°Brendel, this ce is so pretty!¡± Romaine could not help but exim.

    ¡°This ce is a Nest. It seems the door is some kind of portal that bridges two different worlds?¡± Medissa asked.

    Brendel nodded.

 volume 3 - 233 â€“ The City of Trees

    [A Nest with a portal in it. Looks like it connects to some other dimension. The way how it let us recruit the creatures is probably by summoning and negotiating with them for service.]

    Brendel looked at the gleaming portal and threw in two Moon Crystal. As expected, it did not take long for the whirlpool of light to be even more dazzling than before, and a little head peeked out of the portal.

    It was a tiny humanoid figure three inches tall. To put it more urately, that was a proportionately sized miniature young girl with long curly hair, wearing clothes that were as thin as a cicada¡¯s wings. Her body was emitting light and she easily flew in mid-air without wings.

    She observed the surroundings with her body still in the whirlpool, then flew before Brendel and the others in an instant, greeting the youth politely:

    ¡°Salutations, Milourt.¡± Her voice was thin and her ent was a little strange. It was as if she was a foreigner speaking the Kirrlutz¡¯snguage in a robotic tone.

    The girl studied everyone with curious eyes, not showing signs of fear.

    ¡°The word Milourt sounds simr to ¡®my lord¡¯, but it¡¯s different from the idea of nobility. In the eyes of a magical creature, the person who possesses power is a natural ruler.¡± Medissa said.

    ¡°Hoh,¡± Romaine uttered a noise, though it was unclear where she understood the difference.

    Brendel nodded without skipping a beat, different from the others¡¯ reactions. He was familiar with these magical creatures because of his gaming past.

    ¡°Your name, race, and your abilities?¡±

    ¡°My name is Monika,¡± the girl chirped and introduced herself as she ced a hand over her chest, ¡°we are Light Spirits, and answer to the request of protecting this holynd. We are citizens of the light and our abilities are for nurturing this World Tree Fortress.¡±

    [World Tree Fortress?]

    Brendel suddenly felt a sharp pain in his mind and he frowned. For some reason, this term was very familiar to him. He felt like he recognized it from somewhere, but when he searched through his memories carefully, he was unable to tell if it came from the game or he had heard about the lore in this world.

    ¡°The World Tree Fortress, or based on Milourt¡¯s own words, calling it Valha would be fine. However, Valha is the second World Tree Fortress¡¯s name, while is this is the third World Tree Fortress, and also the final one.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by second and third? What is the exact purpose of this World Tree Fortress?¡±

    ¡°That exact purpose is unknown to us. Milourt, our knowledge is derived from the Legacy of Ether. Our memories are already in ce from the time when we are born and I only know this point. Currently, the World Tree is in its initial stage.¡±

    Brendel nodded again. It was typical for knowledge inherited from Legacies to be images and broken words. But his question was merely out of curiosity, and he was more concerned about Valha¡¯s potential in the future.

    ¡°You say your abilities are used to nurture the tree, how do you do so?¡±

    ¡°The World Tree will grow slowly once it sprouts. Think of us as the gardeners, Milourt.¡±

    ¡°So I can say that you are the workers that this city brought along all by itself?¡±

    Monika nodded: ¡°You can say that as well, but we can build this city ording to your designs, Milourt.¡±

    ¡°What exactly can you build?¡±

    ¡°I cannot do it alone, the Light Spirits are not omnipotent! I need more of my nsmen to work with me. If I have one, two, three more Light Spirits, I can help Milourt to build a Tree Nest.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a Tree Nest?¡± Brendel was very familiar with Aouine¡¯s building structures, including Noble¡¯s Barracks and Smithery, including a few high-end ones as well, but he had never heard of a Tree Nest before.

    ¡°A Tree Nest nurtures Ancient nt Whiskers, and these Treants are the most basic defensive framework of the World Tree. Their strength is close to a Gold-ranker, but they are unable to leave beyond the World Tree¡¯s boundary. You can think of them as a defensive worker, or maybe the guards of this city. In addition, these Treants are actually part of the World Tree, so they don¡¯t need a Mana Pool to provide energy. The Tree Nest can be built on the courtyard, or the top of the tree¡¯s crown without being situated close to the Mana Pools.¡±

    ¡°Part of the World Tree?¡±

    Brendel thought it sounded like the Decaying Beasts produced by the Golden Demon Tree. But he was still interested in the creatures that can be produced without using a Mana Pool. They were essentially free Silver-ranked guards: ¡°How many of these Tree Nests can you currently build?¡±

    ¡°The current size of the World Tree allows, one, two, three, four Tree Nests. Each Tree Nest can create, one, two, three...... ten Whiskers, Milourt.¡± Monika calcted earnestly.

    [Forty of them. That¡¯s quite a low number.]

    The youth was disappointed. If there were one hundred-odd guards, then he could rest peacefully at night without allocating any defensive resources.

    [Well, even if the Tree Nests are capable of producing that many creatures, there¡¯s no room for the tree to hold them.]

    He spoke again when he thought about this point: ¡°Valha...... I mean this particr World Tree, how long will it take before there¡¯s a visible expansion?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s our mission as Light Spirits, we will use Mana to boost it in growing, but if it¡¯s just Monika alone, for the World Tree to grow into the next stage, it will need, one, two, three.......¡±

    ¡°Wait, stop counting, can¡¯t you just give me an approximate number?¡± Brendel was starting to feel a little perspiration on his back when Monika counted to forty.

    ¡°How would I know how many years it will take if I don¡¯t count?¡± Monika looked at Brendel with wide eyes, seriously wondering if her lord was a fool for asking this silly question.

    Brendel was brought onto his knees. After waiting and urging her to count faster, he finally got the answer of two centuries if she nurtured the World Tree by herself.

    ¡°Two hundred years!¡± Scarlett was shocked. That was almost the entire lifespan of a typical human being and it was a barrier that one could not cross.

    ¡°Does that mean that if you have two hundred of your nsmen aiding you, you can reduce it to a single year?¡± Brendel immediately calcted in his mind. Four hundred Moon Crystals were nothing much to him.

    ¡°Let me count......¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you tell me yes or no?¡± Brendel¡¯s lips were jerking. He realized that the Light Spirit was counting one at a time and did not skip to tens. It was as though she liked to do things without skipping a single step.

    ¡°Very well. Yes, we can, but if we are to finish it in a year, we will not be able to help you construct any structures.¡± Monika thought for a while before she answered.

    This was not a problem for Brendel. If these two hundred Light Spirits were tied up with upgrading, then he could pay more Moon Crystals to get them to build structures. However, Monika seemed to see through this thought and instantly shattered Brendel¡¯s delusion.

    ¡°Milourt, the numbers that can go through the portal is limited. Are you thinking of getting thousands upon thousands of Light Spirits to help Monika?¡±

    ¡°Limits?¡± Brendel¡¯s daydream shattered like a mirror falling onto the floor. He did not expect a gate before him: ¡°What¡¯s the limit?¡±

    ¡°Each month the Whirlpool of Light can withstand, one, two, three...... twenty Energy Jumps.¡±

    ¡°Twenty Light Spirits are the limits?¡±

    A limit of twenty Light Spirits. Just summoning twenty Light Spirits required ten long months. If he calcted the time for the World Tree to reach the next tier, it would be at least one-and-a-half years. Brendel immediately felt dejected. He did not have so much time at hand, and he truly thought it would be one of his main force in a short period of time.

    But Monika¡¯s next few sentences gave him hope. The summoning portal can be strengthened, but there was a prerequisite of constructing a Moon Tower.

    The youth was familiar with it. It was a subtype of a Wizard Tower, and the primary usage was to train Star Seers. It was a specialized profession and their specialty was making prophecies as well as channeling Mana.

    Star Seers could focus the channeling Mana and raise the effectiveness of a Nest, or raise the effectiveness of an Alchemist Lab.

    Monika naturally wanted the Star Seers¡¯ first usage. Even though Brendel had doubts about such a ss existing in this world, there were no objections from Medissa and the others. A Moon Tower could raise the effectiveness of three different structures and was the equivalent of splitting the Mana Pool into three different parts. It was not really a niche build for cities, but Brendel thought he was really a rare gamer for building this structure first.

    Any typical city owner in the game would build a Wizard Tower or a Crystal Pool as their first choice. People who built Nests as their priority were few, let alone a Moon Tower.

    [I¡¯m the oddest gamer out there for sure. But with this Moon Tower, the summoning of the Light Spirits doubles to forty. I look forward to Valha¡¯s growth. This city is a legendary city in the game, and it¡¯s my best potential trump card. As long as this fortress can be established, it doesn¡¯t matter what cost I have to invest.]

    Brendel threw in more Moon Crystals to summon neen Light Spirits. The youth¡¯s eyes twitched a little when he saw there were no males amongst them, and each of them was a miniature pretty girl. They chattered noisily like real pixies and he felt like he was traveling through Aouine¡¯s busy markets instead.

    The youth and his followers felt a little headacheing on when they saw a group of rowdy golden balls zipping through the air. He could already imagine the future city having thousands of these Light Spirits creating ¡®a bustling city¡¯ and wondered if the other residents could ever sleep.

    When he asked Monika about the time to construct a Moon Tower, he was surprised to learn that it would only take a week. If he got Ciel and his half-baked apprentices to construct the building, it would probably take two to three months. It was roughly the same amount of time for Ciel to build the Wizard Tower too.

    At the same time, Monika exined that the Light Spirits also knew how to build two structures unique to Valha. A Valkyrie Hall and Wind Sharpshooter Garrison. They were structures that created the core strength of Valha. Brendel realized that they were most likely able to summon Heroic Spirits. Since the two structures did not require Mana Pools as well, he thought of implementing them as early as possible. After all, he wanted Valha because of the powerful units it could produce.

    [The time to construct a Valkryie Hall is a month with ten Light Spirits. The Wind Sharpshooter Garrison requires three weeks. I¡¯ll be having the hall built in the courtyard and the garrison built in the upper section of the tree. The Tree Nest can be built on the tree¡¯s crown. This will use up all the space the World Tree has...... Hmm? Why is he here? Could it be that Bosley and Tamar have made some progress with the armor?]

    When he turned around, he saw Fern bringing along several people in the distance. It was Carglise and two Tree Elves. Carglise walked excitedly with sparkling eyes and spun his head to study the room,pletely without the demeanor of a noble. But the two Tree Elves were just as excited, looking everywhere with surprise and awe in their eyes. They did not expect the World Tree to resemble the Green Tower¡¯s building style.

 volume 3 - 234 â€“ Wind sharpshooter 2

    Chapter 234 ¨C Wind sharpshooter (2)

    Carglise indeed brought the good news from Tamar and Bosley. He had brought an improved armor meant for the sharpshooters. The remodeled equipment was close to perfection. Its surface was polished carefully and carved with Elven emblems, and it appearedrgely different from the earlier prototypes that were hastily made. Magic from the emblems of lily and wild vines had turned the armor¡¯s color to dark green, and it glittered under the chromatic ss lit by the sunlight.

    It resembled more like an art piece made out emerald, but Brendel ignored it and only paid attention to the feathered cloak attached to the armor. It certainly seemed like it was added to the armor for the sake of improving its aesthetics, but it was actually added to reduce the weight and cost of making a lighter armor. Bosley and Tamar had tried various means, but they finally thought of a method to cheat, which was to add a magic cloak.

    The cloak was implemented with magic simr to the First Circle spell, Wings of Wind. Thetter magic could raise the receiver¡¯s speed slightly and even allow them to levitate a little.

    Carglise even brought along two female Elven archers to demonstrate the equipment in action. Their performance exceeded expectations. They were moving a little clumsily because of their armor, but once they activated the cloak, they moved as though there were wings behind them. Two blurry figures sped along the branches and leaped across long distances while they fired arrows at the falling leaves in the forest.

    [What a stroke of genius. Hmm, those Elven hats that they wear are hiding part faces, revealing only their sharp chins when they fire their arrows. Admittedly I lost myself for a moment when I saw those cloaks fluttering behind them. They actually remind me of a legendary unit from the Silver¡ª The Forest Song of des. Silver bows and silver cloaks, but these Elven archers are just as cool as them with emerald color.]

    Brendel was admiring the Elves¡¯ performance when Medissa suddenly spoke:

    ¡°May I...... My Lord, may I lead this unit that you¡¯re forming?¡±

    The youth turned his head and found Medissa to be slightly enthralled. He did not expect her to request for something out of her own initiative.

    ¡°Medissa? ...... But they are archers?¡± He replied.

    ¡°I know...... Erm......¡± Medissa lowered her head and her voice became softer: ¡°I¡¯m sorry...... It¡¯s just that I¡¯m a little bothered by it, my lord.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes turned slightly wide as he thought of a possibility:

    ¡°You were once themander of the ¡®Forest Song of des¡¯?¡±

    The Elven princess¡¯s head snapped up and she looked at him in stunned silence.

    ¡°Medissa, you¡¯re amazing.¡± Brendel praised her.

    The Forest Song of des were the strongest openbat unit in the Silver Elves¡¯ army, even retaining the fame of having the best archers in the continent. How much of an aplishment was it to be theirmander?

    It was truly something to be proud of.

    Without this request to be themander of the Tree Elven archers, he would not even know that Medissa was actually capable of archery.

    ¡°Thank you......¡± There was a tinge of red on Medissa¡¯s face as she replied.

    The Tree Elves suddenly stopped moving. After a short pause, they suddenly started sprinting towards Medissa. Brendel could see their shining eyes dyed with confusion and disbelief.

    ¡°You¡¯re a Silver Elf? Amander? But...... how? The War of the Holy Saints was such a long time ago!¡±

    ¡°Commander Brendel, will you allow her to teach us archery!¡±

    The two Tree Elves spoke so fast their voices ovepped each other, and the stunned youth had to take a few moments to decipher the contents. He was once again pleasantly surprised. It was because it was customary for the instructor for the Tree Elven archers to take up the position of amander too, and it meant that these two Tree Elves wished for Medissa to lead them.

    [Honestly, Medissa¡¯s request is a little difficult to grant. Even though the Tree Elves are under mymand, I still need to seek permission because they are my allies, not my direct subordinates. And while these two Tree Elves are so eager......]

    The youth inquired awkwardly: ¡°Certainly...... But what about Commander Quinn?¡±

    The representative of the Tree Elves had just returned to the Green Tower, leaving behind the Druids and Tree Elven archers in Firburh. While Brendel couldmand them, Quinn was still this army¡¯s truemander.

    ¡°Commander Quinn will have no problem with it,¡± one of the young Elven girl shook her head with a smile and said, ¡°his authority has been transferred to me and I can make this decision.¡±

    ¡°You are?¡± Brendel inquired while he studied her curiously.

    ¡°Finny, I have known of your name and face for a long time ago, but it¡¯s the first time we¡¯re speaking to each other. I¡¯m currently the acting captain of the archers. It is a pleasure, Commander Brendel.¡±

    That Elven girl shed a grin and stuck out her hand, surprising Brendel with this ¡®human behavior¡¯. In his mind, the Tree Elves were cautious and rigid.

    But he still extended his hand and shook Finny¡¯s.

    ¡°If that is the case...... Very well, I¡¯ll lend Medissa to you. She is my best subordinate, and I hope you will work well with each other.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely. I did not even dream that one day a heroine who experienced the War of the Holy Saints will personally lead us.¡±

    ¡°H-heroine?¡± Brendel stuttered. He stole a nce at Medissa. Even though she performed with excellence in regards to many aspects, including decorum and personnel affairs, it was difficult to associate her youthful appearance with the word ¡®heroine¡¯, which made one think of a weathered and aged person.

    No matter how he looked at her, Medissa appeared like a girl who had not even reached adulthood. No matter how she acted like a calm and mature adult, she was a like a younger sister that needed protecting.

    Medissa merely responded to Brendel¡¯s furtive nce with a small smile.

    ¡°Mydy, may I know your true age? Did you participate in the War of the Lilies?¡± Finny chattered.

    Medissa¡¯s eyes went to Finny and Brendel, then back at the former in quick session:

    ¡°I¡¯m currently in a spirit form. I was already taking my eternal slumber in my ancestral hometown before the War of the Lilies. During that time, I was affected by the Darkness. However, my lord called out to me and woke me up, almost as if was destiny calling out to me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I did not think that you¡¯re already......¡± Finny did not expect that Medissa was already dead, and she showed a sympathetic look: ¡°Mydy, you must be a Heroic Spirit, and the legend that a Heroic Spirit wille to the aid of a wise king......¡±

    Finny¡¯s eyes could not help but be drawn to the youth, who coughed loudly.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not something so ridiculous. A fairy tale is just a fairy tale.¡±

    Brendel felt a nagging feeling that he somehow traveled to a parallel world in order to make up for his regrets. His biggest current goal was to assist the Princess Regent to revive Aouine.

    As for Finny¡¯s words, he had never thought about it. It would be an unimaginable temptation for the greedy nobles in Aouine, but it was nothing more than a burden to the youth. After a quick dismissal of Finny¡¯s words, his eyes went back to the armor that Bosley and Tamar made.

    [As expected of the future Grandmaster Alchemist. I¡¯mpletely satisfied with this product. There¡¯s nothing to nitpick from this improved armor.]

    ¨C Winged Sharpshooter Armor

    ¨C Defense: 4.5, additional +2 defense against projectiles, Weight Reduction 20%

    ¨C Wings of Wind: Raises Agility by 10%, Dodging by 5%,sts for 10 seconds.

    [Even though it¡¯s not exactly cheap to add a magic cloak, but it¡¯s much simpler than applying threeyers of Magic Formations onto the armor. With these additional active stats, even if itsts for ten seconds, activating them will reduce casualties even if the infantry or even cavalry closes in on the Elves. The enemies will definitely receive a shock.]

    Brendel turned to Carglise and asked for the cost. Modifying the armor required approximately two thousand Tor coins. Three hundred suits would be six hundred thousand Tor coins, and if the youth relied just on the Schafflund¡¯s silver mines alone, it would take six months to equip all the Tree Elves.

    [But what about weapons? That will significantly add to the investment into the armor..... No, money can be earned but a special unit is as rare as finding a Nest. If there is good metal to be found then it must be used on weaponry. This is something that I firmly believed in the game. The Crystal Mines in the Dark Forest is going to be in full production. Three standard sets of crystals are produced each day, so it¡¯s actually an ultra-rich mine. Although I just spent all the avable crystals away on this tree, I¡¯m going to set aside the produced crystals and sell them. They are always used as currency in any era, so it will certainly be arge windfall.]

    Brendel thought about his long term n and believed that he would not remain poor. There was great wealth to be found once the former Dark Forest was developed, but what he currently needed was a strong army to defend this wealth and keep away unwanted forces like Madara or tribal races.

    Carglise found that his decision to follow Brendel was his wisest one. He realized that he was able to constantly find new things, and he was especially intrigued by the spirits of light flying around him. He even made jokes to Monika, while Brendel rolled his eyes and ignored the former¡¯s actions. If this were any other humorless lord in Aouine or Kirrlutz, they would have kicked him out of their mansion and got him to reflect on what the standards of a noble he should uphold to.

    It was no wonder Carglise recognized Brendel as a wonderful lord who was to his liking.

    ¡°Oh, I nearly forgot, a moment of your time, My Lord?¡± Carglise suddenly stopped what he was doing and called out to Brendel.

    ¡°Is there something else?¡± The youth merely replied.

    ¡°Yes,¡± came the reply, ¡°there¡¯s a letter for you, My Lord.¡±

    ¡°A letter?¡±

    Brendel paused for a moment. His subordinates would not be doing something as silly as writing a letter to him. It meant that it could only be that person who would send a letter. The youth once again ceased his movements when he saw Carglise taking out a letter.

    [What has the princess that I know of in history write this time in her letter?]

 volume 3 - 235 â€“ Gryphineâ€™s letter

    ============== Gryphine¡¯s POV ==============

    ¡°You head towards the Ancestral King Erik¡¯s g, but whether the light is still with Aouine, as the daughter of King Oberg, princess of the royal family, I am unable to answer you; Lord Brendel, you have fulfilled your promise you had made in your previous letter.

    Your resolve is shown through your words as well as your deeds. Currently, the northern rebels are starting to swarm together and for that reason, the kingdom shakes. As a direct descendant of the Corvado lineage, I cannot show any signs of retreating.

    I thank you for your trust with much gratitude, and if hope still resides in Aouine, then it would definitely be found in our hearts.

    This letter is my wish to give you a reply. I promise to change this kingdom even if I have to dedicate everything that I have.¡±

    Gryphine Corvado Orphelia folded the parchment lightly. Her expression was rxed as though her worries and concerns did not exist in the sinking and decaying ship that she was in. But this was the calm before the storm. Dark clouds and raging winds were gathering, and furious storms were about to brew.

    A few knocks came from the door, and it was the attendant who wore a set of red gown asking for the third time in regards to the arranged schedule. The carriage was already waiting outside the pce, with Oberbeck and Makarov as well as other important retainers expecting her presence.

    The meeting with Duke Arreck was pushing right in front of their brows. The Aouine right now had never experienced such a personage who was able to affect the entire bnce of the scales.

    Gryphine did not expect the young men and women from the da region to change the situation of the civil war, and the only army that was prepared to resist the northern nobles now was the Verstein army.

    Gryphine¡¯s half brother had tried of ways to court Duke Arreck into his camp, but he was unfortunately unable to put up a bid high enough to do so.

    The princess knew clearly what that wily old man wanted. He wanted a sessor with royal blood to legitimately steal the Aouine¡¯s throne, and his family had been plotting to do so ever since the Ten Years Commandment.

    But she would rather cause a bloody war than allow that to happen. The people who broke the divine oath made by the Ancestral King would never be able to inherit that bright g. It would be the stain made to the Lionheart, especially when the Arreck family colluded with the Unifying Guild for many years. They thought their secret was safe, but such affairs were never possible to be always kept hidden.

    Gryphine¡¯s pursed lips could not help but curve upwards. It was a mocking smile of seething rage. Who were they fooling?

    The current weather was melting the season¡¯s snow. Dying this meeting would push Duke Arreck to the other side.

    [As a figure of the royal family, I should have made a decision long ago.]

    Gryphine lowered her head, reached out her slender fingers, andbed the soft hair on her young brother¡¯s forehead away.

    ¡°Sister?¡± The future sessor of Aouine raised his head and looked at her sister a little restlessly under the flickering dim candlelight.

    ¡°You will be king, Haruze.¡± Gryphine said.

    ¡°I know, you said that before. I¡¯m Aouine¡¯s king,¡± the young boy said.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll pave this path for you, and no one will be able to change the revival of this kingdom. I have arranged everything,¡± Gryphine¡¯s voice was soft as though she was describing a scenery, ¡°but you must be stronger, Haruze.¡±

    Her eyes went to the window, seemingly gazing into a tempest and past it, finding an ending of darkness where assassinations and hidden schemes scattered around the thorny throne. But what came after the rain of blood would be rebirth.

    ¡°I have be stronger, I¡¯m practicing swordsmanship every day.¡± The boy pointed at the parchment in her sister¡¯s hand and asked: ¡°Who are you writing this letter to?¡±

    ¡°A knight.¡±

    ¡°I want to be a knight too in the future. They say that you¡¯re going to Ampere Seale?¡±

    After a year of a difficult life, the boy had learned the wiles and shrewdness of a noble youth at his age.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But what should I do if you¡¯re gone?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s time for you to learn how to make decisions on your own. Do you still remember the things that I taught you? You¡¯re a man, Haruze, and you need to steer the ship.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± The boy was a little disappointed: ¡°Then you muste back earlier, otherwise there would be no one to test my swordsmanship.¡±

    Gryphine could not help but give a wry chuckle. Her cowardly younger brother was learning how to beat around the bush.

    ¡°That..... He......¡± Haruze suddenly wanted to continue the topic about the parchment, but he held himself back and appeared to stutter.

    ¡°He?¡±

    ¡°That knight. Will he protect you?¡±

    ¡°What exactly are you trying to say?¡± Gryphine red at him.

    Her stern expression was frightening, and the boy could not help but shrink backward:

    ¡°I...... I don¡¯t like the idea of you marrying Duke Arreck.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    She was a little surprised. Her timid younger brother would never speak to her about political affairs, and she immediately suspected that someone was using him as a mouthpiece. However, she immediately rebuffed that idea. Be it Makarov, her wise teacher, or the other retainers on her faction, they wanted to have Arreck¡¯s aid. It was clear that they were able to see the poison behind this inticing trap, but no one spoke of it.

    The princess remained silent without protesting because she understood she still needed the support of these nobles. Aouine was still a kingdom of nobles.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like him.¡± The boy shook his head.

    ¡°But why? You have never seen him.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s....... I just heard......¡± The boy stared back and spoke with faltering words.

    ¡°What did you hear?¡±

    ¡°They said that Duke Arreck already has several wives, but they all died, and that he¡¯s a vampire who specifically drinks the blood of a woman......¡± The boy suddenly lost the aura of a future king, and turned into a normal, meek little boy, looking nervously at her sister.

    ¡°Nonsense.¡±

    Gryphine spoke in a chastising tone, but her voice trailed off. The boy was astute enough to recognize something about it. Given his older sister¡¯s personality, she would have taken a more forceful tone if she really thought it was mere drivel. But he misunderstood her sister¡¯s position. She was merely sixteen years old, and marriage to such a young girl was an unknown subject of fear even if she tried to ept it with all her heart.

    The attendant outside the door made the fourth attempt and knocked on the door. The loud repeated raps seemed to steady her straying thoughts. She took a deep breath and once again regained herposure.

    Gryphine caressed Haruze¡¯s forehead before she stood up and called the attendant in. Her hair wasbed and her dress straightened. Her hands were ced beside her sides carefully, showing that she did not besmirch the Corvado family¡¯s noble upbringing even a little.

    This was her decision.

    Once she left the door, a young knight from the Royal Cavalry Academy who waiting outside lowered his voice and spoke: ¡°My Lady, even if you choose to stay in the academy, we are willing to fight to the death. The brightest star of the royal throne has no need to bend her waist for a treacherous man.¡±

    But Gryphine merely turned back and answered in a collected tone:

    ¡°Aouine has no need to shed blood in advance because we have not reached that moment yet.¡±

    She walked out to the carriage with dignity, raised her skirt as she got into it and there was only a silhouette that could be seen from afar.

    But it was this pair of frail shoulders that would carry the entire revival of the kingdom in the near future.

    =============== Brendel¡¯s POV ===============

    Brendel lightly mouthed the words on the parchment in between his fingers, then sighed noiselessly. It was as if time was turning back, and he was on the road where everything moved exactly in the game. This was the moment to decide Aouine¡¯s future fate, but the pieces were moving exactly how they did in the past in spite of his actions.

    But who could dere that fate was not going to change?

    ¡°...... If hope still resides in Aouine, then it would definitely be found in our hearts.¡±

    He repeated this line several times and found his mind wandering in a fog. Aouine¡¯s hope existed in the people who fought for it, but having a dream did not mean it could change fate. He experienced personally that anguishing truth for himself already.

    This time, he was going to control fate.

    Carglise stared at his lord from the side. He had never seen the youth reveal such an intense solemn look before; the young lord was always putting on a confident and rxed expression. He wanted to see the contents of the letter had, but when he stole a nce at it, he discovered that it was nk and was obviously treated with magic.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the sender?¡± He could not help but ask.

    ¡°Princess Gryphine. She appreciates our deed in Trentheim that has caused Count Randner considerable trouble.¡±

    Brendel recovered his mentality in an instant. After going through so many dangerous and difficult situations, he had be hardened and was less affected to emotions whenpared to he just arrived to this world.

    Carglise¡¯s suspicious eyes were digging holes into his lord.

    ¡°Hah, I¡¯m not falling for this trick. If Her Highness writes a letter to rebels like us, then wouldn¡¯t the people from the Arreck region to Pine Street who are hung to their deaths be honorable loyalists?¡±

    Brendel eyed his retainer whopared him to bandits and tutted: ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that I¡¯m a knight secretly working for Her Highness?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯m the attendant working under the Dragon of Darkness.¡± Carglise snotted derisively.

    The youth¡¯s mouth opened a little and he stared at the insolent fellow in shock.

    ¡°W-what?¡±

    ¡°No, I was thinking if you secretly went to Amandina and learn how to divine the stars.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m working for the Dragon of Darkness? My Lord, hahaha, you can¡¯t keep on fooling me with this old trick!¡± Carglise suddenly discovered that Brendel had a surprising sense of humor. Thetter was insinuating that he was the Dragon of Darkness, and he found that it was an astonishingly clever joke.

    But there was a series of silver bells that rang throughout the vicinity that interrupted them. Brendel turned to Monika with a quizzing look.

    ¡°It¡¯s amunication device, there are unknown people approaching this area, milourt.¡± The spirit of light sat on the youth¡¯s shoulders and said.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t it ring when Carglise came earlier?¡±

    ¡°It was just implemented by us a few moments ago. This World Tree is a home to us Light Spirits. We intend to cemps as well.¡±

    Brendel surveyed the outer areas. A figure wearing long golden-red robes and a staff came into sight. Behind him was a fidgeting and cowering man holding on to a duck. Ciel and his apprentice Mordenkainen walked towards the tree and after several minutes, they finally appeared before Brendel.

    ¡°This ce is quitefortable. Itpares to your hometown Danir,¡± Ciel raised his staff as he leisurely entered the courtyard, his eyes wandering all over the ce.

    [My hometown Danir?]

    Brendel blinked several times before he shook his head vigorously. He was being toyed with. Indeed, the Hignd Knights were entrenched in Danir, and the fact that his squire spoke with such an earnest face made him nearly think the former Brendel stayed in Karsuk¡¯s region or something. He stared at Ciel with considerable exasperation, but thetter appeared like he did not notice it and bowed instead:

    ¡°After a difficult uprising, we finally gained a foothold of our own. Many congrattions, My Lord. I am here to give you another piece of good news.¡±

    ¡°Good news, you say?¡±

    ¡°Please take a look at this, my lord.¡± Ciel took out something from his robes.

    Brendel immediately grabbed hold of the object.

    It was a Card of Fates.

 volume 3 - 236 â€“ The final preparation, tomb and female commander

    The exquisite card was grey, had sigils on its back, and there was gold embossed on its edges. It was as thin as a feather, and on the drawn side was the ck city Ludes with high walls against a volcano as its background.

    Brendel moved the card away from the sunlight and the golden rays once again shone on Ciel¡¯s luxuriant fiery golden-red robes.

    ¨C Echelonius¡¯s Furnace of Adversity

    ¨C Paradise of Adversity III

    ¨C Costs 30 Will

    ¨C [Barrier Nest]

    ¨C Attach Echelonius¡¯s Furnace of Adversity to a Land card when ites into y.

    ¨C Tap, pay 2 Will, sacrifice an Echelonian soldier, Echelonius¡¯s Furnace of Adversity gains two Energy counters.

    ¨C When travelers move across the Great ins, they discover the northern Ludes¡¯s volcano to be shrouded with dark clouds illuminated by mes.

    ¡°This is......?¡± Brendel spoke in his mind.

    ¡°A group of mercenaries found it an underground city near the silver mines. They seemed to have heard that we¡¯re seeking cards, so they sent it over to me. I believe there are more to be found there. I believe the creator of this card is Kelsie, a rtively sessful neswalker in the past three millennia. She created a shadow world called Echelonius ins. The famous deck she created is called Echelonius¡¯s Adversity, and the card in your hands is suitable tobine with other decks.¡±

    ¡°And how exactly do you know so much about her?¡± Brendel raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°I am privy to more knowledge about the Laws when my levels were raised, but there wasn¡¯t really a chance to show it.¡± Ciel gave a shrug.

    ¡°This card is amazing?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely. Kelsie is quite a remarkable neswalker. If we¡¯re able to discover her Legacy, we will be rich,¡± Ciel spoke eagerly.

    But Brendel was not particrly optimistic about it. While it was true that Schafflund was an area meant for newbies, underground cities made by the Rune Dwarves were exceptions. It was also a question if the treasures were still intact.

    ¡°Did they search extensively?¡±

    ¡°No. They only dug through several areas, and they found it in a ce which they believed it was a tomb. The architecture is old enough that they were certain it doesn¡¯t belong to our era.¡±

    [Perhaps a sealed city? That will be interesting, and searching it for the first time should yield quite a good result. Come to think of it, didn¡¯t my first Card of Fatese from a tomb as well? Should I consider switching to a profession like Tomb Raider or something?]

    The conversation between them only took a few seconds, but there was silence in the courtyard as everyone waited for the youth to speak up. Brendel blinked a few times as he looked around before he asked aloud:

    ¡°We should make a trip. How do you travel to this area?¡±

    ¡°Naturally by horse carriage, my Lord.¡± Ciel gave a small smile.

    The youth nodded and his eyes went over to Carglise and spoke with a sharp tone: ¡°Oi!¡±

    ¡°Y, yes?¡± Carglise was distracted as usual and he snapped to attention. Brendel felt the corners of his eyes twitch with pain: ¡°As one of the descendants from a long-standing noble family in Aouine, you should be thankful that your father didn¡¯t kick you out.¡±

    Carglise grinned and scratched his head.

    ¡°Prepare a ship that goes to Ampere Seale,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Ampere Seale, I¡¯m going there? My Lord, is there anything else you need me to do!¡± The eyebrows on Carglise¡¯s face were on the verge of disappearing into his hair.

    ¡°Not you. Me.¡±

    ¡°What, My Lord, you¡¯re leaving Firburh to Ampere Seale, why?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re prattling too much. Are you going to prepare it or not?¡± Brendel snapped.

    Although the attributes on this fellow were considered to be first-rate in the Trentheim region, he waszy enough to cause a headache. Brendel felt a little sympathy to Lord Macsen. Thetter probably lost his temper more than a few times.

    Carglise shrugged:

    ¡°Go, I¡¯ll definitely go, why wouldn¡¯t I go, this is my Lord¡¯s order. A ship that leaves for Ampere Seale, I got it, I¡¯ll tell them that the passengers are a normal bunch of customers.¡±

    [Hmph. That¡¯s better.]

    Brendel threw a dirty nce at him before looking at Finny: ¡°Do you like it here?¡±

    She was having a conversation with Medissa and nodded upon on Brendel¡¯s inquiry. The Tree Elf archers were currently staying together with the Druids at Firburh, but they wanted to find a suitable ce for themselves.

    ¡°But Valha isn¡¯t big enough yet.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. The surroundings are eptable, My Lord,¡± the Tree Elf captain answered generously.

    Her words reminded Brendel. A thought sprang up in his mind to move the Lycanthropes over. The citizens of Firburh were still unable to ept the Senians right now, and having thetter to stay at the lumber mill was not a solution.

    [I should give this task to Medissa. She¡¯s now the instructor for the Tree Elves, and she does have the capability to persuade the Lycanthropes.]

    After assigning the various tasks, Brendel finally set off with Ciel and got onto the horse carriage. Scarlett did not leave his side, seemingly only at ease when she was around him. Little Romaine was naturally the same, though it was more like she was a rock holding on to the youth¡¯s leg.

    The underground city was located in a valley three hours away from Schafflund. The group had to travel for more than half a day in the verdant forest before they saw the emerald valley that ran through the south and north Trentheim. Mountain ridges ran endlessly before their eyes, and a long stream flowed below them.

    There were a few scattered tents in the distant forest made by Ciel¡¯s training apprentices and a group of mercenaries, with the goal of preventing other local adventurers from iming the spot.

    Brendel recognized one of the apprentices.

    [What was his name...... Right, Alistair, the young magician whosepanions were killed by Graudin.]

    ¡°That man Alistair stayed behind? I recall that hees from a noble family.¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°He stayed behind all this time after Graudin¡¯s death. He¡¯s one of my best apprentices.¡± Ciel replied.

    Alistair bowed respectfully when Brendel alighted the horse carriage. His silent pair of burning eyes

    during their first encounter was the reason why Brendel remembered him, but there was only a modest expression on them.

    ¡°My Lord, our destination is underneath the valley. We have dug the area lightly and discovered a passageway approximately fifty meters in length. We suspect it is a catb but the interiors have copsed and filled with soil and rubble. I had ordered the men to cast spells to detect if there¡¯s magic or metal in the area, but there¡¯s no useful result.¡± Alistair reported in a clear tone.

    Brendel was a little delighted to discover Alistair¡¯s talent. It was easy to find veteran mercenaries in Trentheim, but it was rare to find someone who had insight. They were either learned priests working the Holy Cathedral of Fire or nobles who had a good upbringing. If he were to get mercenaries to be in charge of things, he would be thankful if they did not cause trouble instead.

    The youth continued to listen to Alistair¡¯s report while he surveyed the surroundings.

    [That stream...... It can be a river during the raining seasons, which would then flood the underground dungeon. That¡¯s the reason why the interiors copsed and blocked with mud. In regards to the Cards of Fates, however, only a neswalker would be able to sense them.]

    ¡°Have you try to dig away the rubble?¡±

    ¡°We attempted to do so and cleared it partially, but there was some kind of barrier preventing ess to the inner tombs. We tried many ways but we are unable to circumvent it.¡± Alistair answered in a slightly dismayed tone.

    ¡°Magic barrier? Bring me there to inspect it.¡± Brendel¡¯s interest was piqued.

    ¡°As you wish, My Lord.¡± The young magician bowed.

    As the group of people passed through the camp, The mercenaries all looked up in reverence. They knew that the young lord was someone who was unafraid of power and fought against Count Randner all because of a promise made to a little girl.

    The imprisoned nobles who were captured and imprisoned in Firburh¡¯s filled prison were ransomed for gold. Some were eventually released and they brought back the information to Count Randner where he killed two Gold-ranked swordsmen with just four strikes, making it known throughout the entire kingdom.

    This was a true man.

    Everyone who was looking at the youth thought that.

    [How unexpected. Jana¡¯s here too?]

    The red-haired, green-eyedmander was wearing a white shirt and tight pants that fully entuated her lower half¡¯s curvy figure. She wore a loose belt and a pair of long boots, resembling a stereotypical female pirate. She was tying her warhorse to a tree when she happened to look around. Her long hair flowed against the wind like a waterfall, and she widened her eyes slightly when she saw the youth.

    ¡°Ah. Well, the mines are just too boring. I heard that a catb was found and wanted to look at it, but it seems like I was caught cking on my very first attempt. How unlucky,¡± Jana nced at the surrounding mercenaries, ¡°but I must say that you are bing more and more renowned, My Lord.¡±

    The youth coughed awkwardly. This femalemander¡¯s figure was a little too hot. Her shirt was tucked into her pants and a pair of ample white crescents were exposed to the air, even making it seem like her shirt was about to burst. It was not just him, Ciel had great difficulty in tearing his eyes away from that ¡®gulf¡¯.

    ¡°That¡¯s certainly stimting!¡± Ciel blurted out in the telepathic channel.

    Brendel¡¯s lips spasmed, but he quicklyposed himself and studied the uniforms around him. The mercenaries and adventurers were all wearing an assorted mix of clothes,pletely living in their own ways. Now that he was recognized as Firburh¡¯s lord, it was time to unify a set of uniforms. The uniform of Aouine¡¯s armies was navy blue, while the private soldiers typically wore the colors of the House¡¯s emblems.

    But Brendel had a different idea in mind.

    He nodded at Jana:

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Since themander of my mercenaries is interested, how abouting along with me?¡±

    ¡°As youmand,¡± Jana answered with a small smile, ¡°but you¡¯re too polite, My Lord. I am willing to be your knight, please call out my name directly.¡±

    [Knight? Retainer?]

    Brendel felt the subtle meaning behind Jana¡¯s words.

    The femalemander was very cool about it. Ever since Count Randner¡¯s defeat, she had beenpletely won over. It was a dream for a mercenary to find a good lord to work for, and though she did not know what Cornelius and Raban thought, she believed that they had the same thoughts.

 volume 3 - 237 â€“ The catacomb

    The entrance to the catb was located near the lowest point of the valley. Several broken pirs stood in the dense foliage with vines creeping all over them. If one did not observe them carefully, they would have thought the pirs were green boulders.

    Brendel studied the passage that was dug by the mercenaries and gave a faint nod. The youth thought thetter was professionals. He previously dug tunnels in the game as the physical work was left to the warriors and he was quite good at it, so he could tell how the mercenaries performed.

    His eyes turned back to the pirs for a second look.

    [The corrosion of the pir¡¯s rock material is very deep. Are these pattern-like things actually words? No, not Kirrlutz or Elven. Perhaps the native Hignders of the old? They were the ones lording over this ce before the King Erik or even the Silver Elves. If this bit of history can be tracked all the way back to the War of the Holy Saints, then this tomb is really old.]

    Brendel turned on the system in his eyes but the patterns were showing up as question marks. The points in his side profession, Schr, was unfortunately insufficient. He initially wanted to pass himself off as a noble but he now thought it as a waste of skill points.

    The magicians working for Alistair were starting to chant and create magic orbs of light, and everyone moved into the catb. Though the stale air within the catb had been let out for quite some time, there was still the odor of decay. The rays of light were a little dim as they proceeded through the dark catb. Recesses in the wall could be seen with skeletonsid in them. Some of the skeletons¡¯ bones were broken.

    The mercenaries informed Brendel that the card was found in these grave niches. The youth tried sensing if there were anything in them but he did not detect anything, though he felt a mana signature emitting from the front and it caused a tremor in his mind.

    Brendel started walking ahead to where he felt the mana signature. Ciel was behind him, while Scarlett and Jana moved respectively at his sides.

    The female mercenarymander¡¯s hand was ced on her longsword. Her emerald eyes reflected the dim light, making it seemed like there was a green fire burning in them.

    Scarlett gripped her spear and silently watched for any movements in the dark with her amber eyes.

    The stench of decay gradually became stronger, and it slowly made the group restless. Romaine held on to Brendel¡¯s hand tightly, but her gleaming eyes had a slight tinge of excitement as they darted all over the ce.

    The piled sandy soil in the catb hindering their path was quickly dug away, revealing a ghastly assortment of light rays. Upon closer inspection, they found that it was a barrier that had runes on it. Its center was thick while the sides were thin, and a look at it made one certain that it was some kind of magic barrier.

    ¡°You said you encountered a barrier. Is it something like this?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Yes, My Lord, and we tried various means but we are unable to dispel it,¡± Alistair promptly answered.

    [It¡¯s no wonder. It¡¯s a Chaos Crystalline Barrier, a Sixth Circle Spell. The caster is at least a level 40 Law Wizard. It would be weird if Alistair and the others managed to dispel it.]

    ¡°Can you remove it?¡± Brendel turned towards Ciel and asked.

    ¡°Easily,¡± Ciel replied in a rxed manner, ¡°now?¡±

    The youth nodded.

    The young wizard started to chant and stretched his hand to touch the magic barrier lightly. A ck hole on the agate-colored barrier appeared in the center of where his fingers were. The area of the ck hole quickly expanded and the entire barrier was gone in an instant.

    There was a short moment of silence.

    ¡°A simple task. The barrier¡¯s caster should only be at the Sixth Circle,¡± Ciel said.

    He was at the Seventh Circle, and a full Circle was roughly the gap between heaven and earth.

    ¡°This spell doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s meant to protect, but sealing,¡± Brendel remarked.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Ciel did not understand.

    ¡°The Crystalline Chaotic Barrier is a powerful defensive spell. It feels like it¡¯s meant to prevent things from entering it. Typically, barriers meant for guarding tombs or simr things include some kind of attacking nature.¡±

    Ciel clearly did not realize Brendel had seen one too many dungeons in the past.

    ¡°You even know about such spells, My Lord?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m a Hignd Knight from Karsuk,¡± Brendel kept a poker face.

    This time Ciel felt his teeth hurt.

    He obviously knew that his master was clearly not a Hignd Knight or Hignd Wizard.

    But the other people around him believed in his words. Other than a Hignd Knight, who would be able to bring a wizard around as his squire throughout the city and know so much about an unknown magic spell?

    After the barrier was gone, Brendel led the others. He moved cautiouslypared to the initial expedition into the catb. A defensive barrier might be dangerous, but a sealing barrier meant there was an unknown danger in the passageways.

    [Usually sealing barriers tend to mean the area is sort of a mystery until it¡¯s fully explored. There aren¡¯t many ces that seal spirits in Aouine, and the most infamous one is in Ampere Seale...... And it¡¯s also a catb. I feel like we¡¯re going to run into some serious trouble.]

    It was a gigantic burial chamber behind the barrier. Ten-odd solitary pirs stood silently in the dark area, illuminated by the weak light. Numerous coffins wereid in the center and even more recesses could be found on the walls.

    [There¡¯s a lot of dust in this area. Undisturbed cobwebs at every nook and cranny. Clearly, this ce was not sealed from the beginning, but done so after very muchter after this ce was constructed. Hmm. ording to the barbarians¡¯ customs in the game, the status of these buried people should be higher than the ones outside.]

    Brendel tested for signs of mana and discovered four points of blinking light, but there were no Cards of Fate.

    A morsel of meat was still meat, and a low-level dungeon would still have something good most of the time. He pointed to the approximate locations of the objects and the apprentices immediately started searching the chamber. Unfortunately, someone knocked over a vase, and the silent ce suddenly had grinding noise echoing throughout it.

    It did not take long for Brendel to see a few dark figures pushing the cover of the coffins away and climbing out.

    ¡°Zombies!¡± Several of the apprentices yelled with a pale face.

    These zombies were level 27 undead zombie mutations. They were close to Silver-rankers, and those that they killed would also be undead creatures. They could be seen as the top killers of low-level adventurers in a dungeon.

    The youth watched the terrified men huddle together with amusement and recalled his own first adventure. Because the scenes of the underground dungeons were too realistic, a few of his close friends were so scared that they soiled their pants as they ran out.

    He uttered a few chuckles upon remembering them.

    But Ciel who was at his side looking at this sight only felt a loss of pride. These apprentices could be considered to be his direct subordinates, and it reflected how he taught them if they reacted poorly.

    ¡°What are you panicking for!¡± The youthful wizard finally could not resist bellowing at them: ¡°Are you trying to head to your deaths by standing where you are while screaming?¡±

    The apprentices seemed to wake up from their stupor, but the Tomb Ghouls had already climbed up the nearby pirs and reached the ceiling. The dim orbs of light did not reach the creatures and it was hardly possible to see them.

    It was unclear as to who started casting spells, but the Wall of Air, Rock Armor, Water Shield, and Barrier of Reflection were cast almost all at the same time.

    ¡°Set the Orbs of Light on the ceiling!¡± Alistair ordered.

    Several orbs of light were thrown up and immediately attached to the ceiling. The Tomb Ghouls were fond of attacking from dark areas, but there was nowhere for it tounch an ambush at that instant. The hunched monsters were exposed under the light and they uttered angry wails.

    ¡°Six..... Seven, eight, there are eight of them!¡±

    The apprentices started chanting, but the Tomb Ghouls moved in a deceptively quick manner unlike their sluggish climb earlier, and they pounced onto the apprentices¡¯ midst. Several men were pushed down, but the Tomb Ghouls¡¯ sharpened fangs were temporarily unable to pierce through their protective measures.

    Terrified screams filled the chamber.

    Scarlett red at the monsters and tossed her spear at them, nailing three Tomb Ghouls to the wall, while Jana was already rushing in to get the creatures off the apprentices. She was an intermediate Silver-ranker and though she was not particrly outstanding among Brendel¡¯s subordinates, she was more than a match for a mere level 27 Undead. It only took a few seconds for her sword to pierce through the heads of the Tomb Ghouls holding on to the apprentices.

    The final two Tomb Ghouls cowered and retreated deeper into the chamber, but there was no way that Ciel¡¯s apprenticing wizards would allow them to flee. Various colored rays of light lit the burial chamber, and the remaining two monsters were struck by countless magic spells of ice, fire, electricity and Magic Arrows.

    The spectacr fireworks even made Brendel open his mouth a little in surprise.

    Ciel wiped away the perspiration on his forehead.

    The battle started quickly and it did not take long to end. There were a few skeletons that rose slowly after the Tomb Ghouls, but they were eliminated as well.

    Brendel took a moment to sigh, casting his thoughts back on how he had trouble dealing with these skeletons when he arrived in this world for the first time, but now even his worst mercenaries and apprentices could deal with these skeletons in a few strikes.

    After the battle was over, the apprentices found a few magic talismans based on Brendel¡¯s instructed locations, which were nothing fancy and at a level where an ordinary Alchemist could produce. At best these talismans could ward off minor evil things, and they did not interest him at his level. He told the apprentices to distribute the talismans amongst themselves and thetter cheered intermittently.

    The final thing that was shown to Brendel was a magic longsword, and the youth looked at it with a little surprise. The longsword waspletely red in color and gleamed like a cornelian gemstone. The longsword¡¯s guard was a pair of Fire Raven, and there were rune-like patterns on both sides of the de. One look at it and anyone could tell that it was a rare treasure.

    [The Fire Raven¡¯s Tongue? That¡¯s one grade below the ¡®legendary¡¯ grade. It¡¯s not bad in terms of stats and it can cast a spell that resembles a whip on fire. It¡¯s considered rare equipment in the early stages of the game.]

    Brendel¡¯s eyes shifted to Jana¡¯s longsword in its hilt and he told her to take the magic weapon.

    ¡°My Lord?¡±

    Jana replied in a puzzled manner, notprehending the situation until she received the magic weapon with both hands. It wasmon for low-grade magic weapons to appear in the market, but the longsword in her hands was definitely a real treasure. It was true that Brendel had no use for this longsword since he had Halran Gaia, but he could still have kept it for his closer subordinates.

    She truly did not expect that Brendel would give it to her without any hesitation. She caressed the de with loving fingers. There was no swordsman who did not love swords, especially when it was such a good one.

    ¡°Thank you, My Lord. I will definitely treasure it,¡± Jana spoke with a solemn expression that was rarely shown.

    The youth really did not think much of his action. In his eyes, the Fire Raven¡¯s Tongue and other ¡®Brass¡¯ rated weapons were ordinary artifacts. Jana was his subordinate, and even if it was a ¡®legendary¡¯ rated weapon, he would not hesitate to give her one if it was suitable.

    One of the apprentices who went off to scout for any hidden areas came running back and spoke with a pant:

    ¡°M-my Lord. There¡¯s a room ahead of us.¡±

    Ciel clicked his tongue in disapproval and turned his face away to pretend he did not see him. These subordinates of his were actually exhausted with just a single battle, and he wondered if he was toox when he taught them. He decided that he needed to drill them hard when they returned to the city.

    ¡°Room, you say, hmm?¡± Brendel did not really mind the apprentices¡¯ performance.

    The truth was he was in even worse shapepared to them during his first adventure in a tomb, and he instead felt a kinship to them like he was watching the newbies running around in a game, who even appeared in high-level areas as though they were lost rabbits.

    ¡°Yes. We checked the room but we didn¡¯t find any other passages, My Lord!¡±

    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s the end of the catb?¡± Brendel was slightly surprised and he muttered under his breath: ¡°I didn¡¯t think that it would be this small, but there were indeed quite a lot of mini catbs like this in the game......¡±

    It was a catb, not abyrinth. The biggest catb in the kingdom was in Ampere Seale, and it was really more of a dungeon. Any yer who conquered it reached a true milestone in the game.

    ¡°Is there anything in the room?¡± He asked.

    ¡°A grand coffin, and many of the cards that you seek.¡±

 volume 3 - 238 â€“ Boss?

    The deepest part of the catb.

    It was typical for an Elite Boss to be situated in such a ce. Brendel went to the reported room and instinctively sensed something wrong with it.

    The area was very small and its shape was a square, with the distance between each wall ending at ten-odd steps. An immense stone coffin sat in the center of the room, raised on a tform that was also made out of stone. The room¡¯s architecture design was the same as the coffins in the burial chamber, but there was an oppressing feeling in this room that made one feel stifled.

    Under the flickering orbs of light cast by the apprentices, the mercenaries that apanied thetter felt like there was a source of evil in the air which made the ce freezing cold. A few mercenaries lit up torches only to find that the mes were being suppressed, and they realized that both magical light and physical mes were affected.

    [This is a good example of the aura released by an Elite Boss, but it¡¯s much stronger than I expected, it¡¯s definitely not a level 30+ boss.]

    Brendel surveyed his surroundings, but he did not detect any signs of the Boss. The only ce where the Boss could possibly be was in the coffin. He pulled out Halran Gaia, stood in front of his men, and gestured with a flicker of his hand to get them to stay in position.

    ¡°Where are the cards?¡± He turned to the apprentice who had reported to him earlier and asked.

    ¡°Right inside the coffin, My Lord.¡±

    Brendel went closer and peered into the coffin that had its cover slightly ajar, barely able to catch a glimpse of the remains because of the coffin¡¯s height. He immediately discovered the difference between the corpses and bones within the burial chamber¡ª Most of these buried skeletons were probably ves that wore inexpensive clothes that mostly disintegrated with the passage of time.

    But the mostly obscured figure in this grand coffin still wore a perfect robe and his hand was holding on to a ck Ironwood staff. A single nce told Brendel that it used to be a wizard; ck Ironwood was an expensive material that was rarely used to make a simple staff.

    There were five glowing Cards of Fates scattered next to it. It was not strange for wizards to hold onto such cards as they carried some mystical properties and intrigued them. Many would collect such odd items and even got killed because they collected cursed statues or weapons.

    [I can¡¯t use White Raven Sword Arte anymore since I removed the ability from my professions. Should I try getting the cards with an Elementalist Spell? Hmm, no, I should conserve my EP in case I have to do battle¡ª]

    ¡°Can one of you use a wind spell or Magical Grasp to pick up the cards?¡± Brendel asked.

    The more he stared at the figure, the more he felt that the room was dangerous. Elite Bosses had many different types, and the most challenging ones hadplicated skillsets with traps apanying it. While there were only Tomb Ghouls found in the burial chamber, there was no assurance that it was not a high-level Lich resting in this room. He definitely did not want to do battle in this particr ce.

    ¡°I already tried getting them out earlier, My Lord, but there seems to be a force that erased my magic. A few of the other apprentices had the same oue.¡± The apprentice who reported to Brendel answered.

    The youth turned his head towards that man with a raised eyebrow. This room was giving him an inexpressible feeling. The event ¡®Cmity of Wolves¡¯ where he faced swarming wolves that came like a tidal wave did not even make him as nervous as he was right now. The danger that he felt in the air was like needles poking at his skin and made him feel like his heart was contracting. After experiencing thousands upon thousands of dungeons in the game, his instinct had be very sharp in these ces.

    [The entrance to this catb is pretty ordinary, and a dungeon in the rural Aouine usually does not go beyond level 40. It should in theory be at a difficulty of a Gold-ranked mob, but there isn¡¯t any guarantee that it will definitely be that level. If I analyze it by history instead, then this ce would be thousands of years old. The older the history, the more strange and bizarre the creatures would be. Something that disp¡ª]

    ¡°Wait, did you say erased? Your magic wasn¡¯t dispelled or nullified?¡±

    ¡°No, we did not sense our spells being deconstructed, rather...... Our connection to the spell was severed.¡±

    [Mental disruption? Probably rted to Spirit magic. Empath, Holy Words, Witchcraft amongst others are all ssified under it. If it¡¯s an Undead, then Witchcraft is likely to be the answer. Hexing and cursing someone to cause them to hallucinate, twisting one¡¯s emotions so that their fear is magnified a thousand times.]

    The chilling atmosphere in this room fit the answer. The room was not simply cold because of the low temperature, but also because of the eternal darkness setting in one¡¯s mind and making itpletely numb like ice. Brendel pondered for a while and thought a Lich was indeed the best answer to the riddle. He fiddled in his bag and took out the white deer statue he made long ago.

    The mercenaries were initially startled to find a glowing white deer suddenly appearing in the room, but they sighed with relief when the youth held out the statue to indicate that he was the one who summoned it. However, their eyes had another tinge of awe when they looked at the youth.

    Legends in Aouine¡¯s borders depicted white deer to be holy creatures and those who received their blessings tend to be heroes. It was prevalent in these ces because of the white deer with beautiful antlers appearing in the forest.

    But Brendel instead frowned. The White Deer actually retreated a few steps after its manifestation and pawed the ground nervously.

    [The deer is supposed to be the counter to evil and it actually retreated?]

    He looked at Ciel and found him looking back. The two men were fully alert now.

    ¡°Should....... we bring them over, My Lord?¡± One of the apprentices asked with a little stutter as he observed Brendel¡¯s expressions.

    It was clear to everyone that something was wrong in this room. It was originally a risky thing to enter a ce where the dead rested. One might call it an ¡®adventure¡¯ in the dungeons, but it was essentially plundering the dead, and many ¡®adventurers¡¯ were killed by unholy creatures and fatal curses.

    Still, Brendelmanded great respect in Firburh, and if he ordered them to get the cards, most of these apprenticing wizards and mercenaries would still do it.

    The youth shook his head. He might be a lord who possessed territories and even an excellent ¡®noble¡¯ in the princess¡¯s eyes, but he was still a pure gamer at his very core.

    Amandina would have voiced out loud that he should not ce himself in danger as a lord, but he did not want to use any excuse to send someone to their deaths to trigger a deadly trap. Some of the yers in the game did not even have the heart to do these things to the NPCs who were controlled by artificial intelligence.

    He would have saved the kingdom many times over if it was that easy to get the victory spoils from a ce like this. The only option was to cut down the Boss in the coffin before getting the loot here. It wasmon sense that one could only get loot after beating something up and it did not differ very much in this world too.

    ¡°I want you lot to back off, this isn¡¯t a battle you can participate in,¡± he waved his sword back and forth to get his subordinates to retreat. He blinked at Ciel at the same time and looked at his left and right, indicating for the both of them to approach on each side. He was going to cleave the coffin into two halves and at least injure the Boss before the fight really started.

    Hismand made the mercenaries and apprentices confused. They had never seen a noble who would volunteer to throw himself into danger. This action was truly mind-boggling, and they could not think of an exception even if it was a noble from other kingdoms. They knew that only a cold-hearted man would go far in the political battles between nobles, but at the same, no one would be actually willing to serve such a person.

    They did not object to Brendel¡¯s order as they understood the magnanimity behind it.

    Alistair could not help but bite his finger as he contemted deeply. He was born in a small noble family, and his father was busy every day to make connections. There was nock of high nobles who went in and out of his house, people who hid behind facades, spoke few words, or showed any real emotions. The others did not suspect Brendel¡¯s status.

    Indeed, it was true that the youth was incredibly learned, and only a noble of incredible background would be able to afford such an education. Alistair suspected Brendel¡¯s true identity was something else, though his suspicions did not exin thetter¡¯s confidence and knowledge, he was tremendously puzzled over his actions.

    [His actions made me wonder if he¡¯s pretending, and even if he is, it wouldn¡¯t affect my pledge to be loyal. But now I can believe that he¡¯s different. He is a true noble, one who follows the ways of King Erik. It¡¯s almost as though he¡¯s royalty, walking in front of his citizens to lead the citizens out of the darkness, cutting down obstacles to carve out a path towards order and light.]

    In this road of darkness, the blood that was shed belonged to the nobles. It was the road of the ancient sages.

    Alistair subconsciously took a step forward as he watched Brendel and Ciel¡¯s backs. Thetter was already on each side, both ready with their weapons. At that moment, the temperature within the room suddenly decreased at a stunning rate. Ayer of frost grew on the four walls right before everyone¡¯s eyes, and in the blink of an eye, the entire room was white in color.

    Teeth started chattering and bodies shivered.

    ¡°What the funk is this crap!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s strange shriek immediately smashed the noble image within Alistair¡¯s mind, and the exalted figure returned to that lord who nitpicked at odd things.

    Indeed, Alistair would nevere to know Brendel¡¯s image was actually a gamer¡¯s.

 volume 3 - c239

    As Brendel and Ciel got closer to the stone coffin, a slight chill emanated from it. The cold reminded Brendel of his experience in Alkash Mountain Ranges. It was a cold unlike any other, with a de-like aura that sent a chill down anyone¡¯s spine and goosebumps up their skin.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Brendel said in shock as he quickly perceived an evil entity entering his mind.

    ¡°Mortal! Submit to me!¡±

    A majestic voice boomed, crushing his heart down with the might like that of the thunderous skies. Not good! It¡¯s mind control! Brendel¡¯s heart ringed in panic. Debilitating Type Spells like this was a high-level Soul Magic, using the effect of wiping off the enemies¡¯ soul to enve a being that had self-consciousness. It severely opposed Nature¡¯s way, and was then banned from usage and research by the Wizard¡¯s Article 700 years ago. Even now, only a few Demonic Cultists and extreme Necromancers would experiment in secret. And never did Brendel expect that, within the coffin, there would lie someone so dangerous.

    Even if it was 1000 years ago, the deceased Demonic Cultists and Necromancers would not even dare build a tomb for themselves. After all, they would rather spend their time to obtain immortality instead! Thus, their gruesome experiments have led most of them in the past century to have an undying death.

    After all, they were not the type to believe in reincarnation.

    ¡°Despair! Tremble! Weep for your sins and ept heavenly punishment!¡± The rumbling noise continued.

    Brendel had calmed down. The suppression on his mind had taken the form of a giant. He raised his head to see the giant standing on a boundless in the colour of obsidian. As the giant pressed down on him, the skies turned as the palm obscured everything within his sight.

    ¡°Scram!¡±

    Brendel roared. Despite knowing that it was merely an illusion, he could not help but have cold sweat. It felt so real that he could not even catch his own breath.

    In theory, Debilitating Spells targeted the mind. As long as his will was strong enough, the castor could not do anything against him. He had such experiences in the game, albeit without any sesses. Warriors¡¯ did not have a strong will, so nearly every time they faced such situations, they would immediately ckout and sumb to the mind control only to wake up on the Revival Altar.

    These sort of useless information did no help as in this world, there was no such thing as revival.

    Brendel braced himself for the heavenly punch, hoping in his heart that he could ovee the cmity peacefully.

    Am I going to die now?

    Just as he thought about that, the humongous palm began to press down on his head, about to inflict damage to his soul and mind.

    As he had no countermeasures for such a situation, add on to that the weak tolerance of Warriors against Debilitating Spells, never did he expect to find the palm not touching even a single hair on his head. It was as if the palm hit an invisible barrier just above his head and broke apart with a thud.

    The personally saw the hand colliding with an invisible ¡°something¡±, and cracks formed on it before it fell to pieces.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± The thunderous voice quelled.

    As the giant¡¯s palm crumbled, a remains evaporated as smoke. It was as if the horrible incident was just smoothed over like the wind over the water surface, only to cause ripples and nothing more.

    ¡°This? This...¡±

    Brendel was in awe. He never expected the monster from the coffin, whom he thought to be overpowered, could not manage to break his mental defense.

    Was there some sort of problem?

    It did not make sense to him that such a high leveled Necromancer could not manage to bypass his mental defense, it was ranked as the weakest after all! The attack felt so weak that, it did not only fail to destroy his mental barrier, but he did not even notice the effects after all.

    The feeling wasparable to when you are facing a boss and was bracing for a severe attack to befall you when your opponent turned into a harmless rabbit. The difference was indeed that vast!

    Brendel had many questions when a shriek was heard from the center of the pitch dark world, ¡°That¡¯s impossible! You can¡¯t be human! How can a human have such a strong Will! What are you!¡± The loud voice rasped like a paranoid olddy.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Brendel reacted -- Willpower? ¡°Haha!¡± He held back the urge tough. He just remembered that his Will stat has raised a thousandth folds after injecting Andersha¡¯s blood within himself. With that, it seemed that the Debilitating Spell shown just now was just a child¡¯s y.

    If Andersha was here, Brendel would definitely kiss her for her help! But nevertheless, he was slightly scared. He had been a Warrior for as long as he could remember, so he never thought about his gift, and was almost fearful of his death.

    Then, he began tough wickedly and raised his head to look at the dark clouds.

    I really want to make you be worth several hundred Willpower points...To make you immune to any spells below Tenth Circle Levels... Fufufu... Even a fully equipped tinum Ranked Mage won¡¯t necessarily have that high Willpower.

    At the moment, he noticed that the monster from the coffin did not retreat from the mental realm. He gritted his teeth and shot a spike of Willpower at it.

    ¡°Ah!¡± A pained cry resounded from the skies above.

    Supposedly, Brendel who never had training should never be able to aplish such a feat. In truth, this world belonged to him, and everything within it was under his behest. It could be seen as more of a defense method rather than attack: When invading someone¡¯s imaginary ne, the invader must have more Willpower than the victim. Funnily, the monster did not expect Brendel to have such high levels of willpower and was left stunned and unable to react to his counterattack.

    ¡°AHHHH!¡± The monster screamed in agony as he fled from the realm. The endless darkness dissipated and Brendel woke up from the world. He was soaked to the toe in his own cold sweat when some big sister voice rang by his ear, ¡°Earth to Brendel. Are you okay?¡±

    It was Orthlyss. The two of them were connected and was the first one to detect the abnormality in him. But just as she opened her mouth, Brendel had woke up. The battle in the mental realm was just an instant in reality.

    ¡°There was a monster in the coffin. I was nearly killed by it.¡±

    ¡°Was it a Debilitating Spell?¡± Orthlyss was quick to react was questioned sternly.

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°Are you fine?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much.¡± Brendel felt tired. The mental consumption was great, but still, he shook his head to indicate that he was fine. He was sure that the monster in the coffin must have suffered worse. His Willpower was more than 100 points, at level 30 to 40, an attack at this level could beparable to a nuclear strike. Even if he did not finish the monster off with hisst attack, he was sure its life is hanging on a thread.

    ¡°Hmm, That¡¯s true. He was truly unfortunate to have met you after being remodeled with the Blood of God.¡± The knight began tough.

    Brendel gave a bitterugh as well. But Orthylss was correct nevertheless. He cannot be considered human anymore. With the Elite Temte as well as the Blood of God, he cannot be considered a citizen of Aouine anymore.

    ¡°Ciel. You fine?¡± He looked back at his Schr servant, who was within range of the Debilitating Spell just now. While Brendel himself had many points in his Willpower, Ciel did not, so he was surprised to see him unscathed.

    ¡°Are you fine?¡±

    ¡°My Lord, Are you okay?¡± Ciel copied. He seemed rather shocked.

    ¡°Ah...¡± The servant blinked before reacting, ¡°Debilitating Spells have no effect on me. After all, I¡¯m just a summon. I am worried about you, My Lord, on the other hand... Cough... My Lord, you truly are unexpected, to be able to counter such an attack wlessly. Truly magnificent!

    Brendel sighed in relief. In theory, it would be hard for a gold ss warrior to escape the Debilitating Spell of a mage of the same rank. However, the monster was truly unlucky to have faced Ciel and Brendel. One who had an amazingly high Willpower, and the other is totally immune to such attacks.

    If the coffin monster was a BOSS, it would be one of the unluckiest BOSS ever. At that moment, Brendel opened the coffin.

 volume 3 - c240

    Ciel¡¯s Mistake

    Brendel opened the stone coffin.

    At that moment, a sharp drop in the temperature of the tomb could be felt. Ayer of frost had started to gather on the walls of the tomb. From within the shadows, a faint tapping sound could be heard. Jana, who was standing with the others at the entrance, was startled by the noise. She turned around, trying to locate the source of the noise. She noticed that the merchantdy¡¯splexion was pale, body shivering and teeth chattering in the cold.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Curiosity shed across the mercenarymander¡¯s face, wondering why the littledy insisted to remain standing despite the cold. However, Jana knew that amongst the people gathered there, she was the most fragile. ¡°Would you like me to escort you out first?¡± Jana offered. Romane wrapped her arms around her torso, still shivering from the cold, yet she stubbornly shook her head and answered shakily, ¡°N-n-no thanks...... I-I w-would l-like to s-see B-B-Brendel open the c-coffin. I w-want to s-see what¡¯s inside.¡±

    ¡°But are you not cold?¡± Jana could clearly see that Romane was nearly freezing to death.

    ¡°Of c-course I a-am......¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s head out then?¡±

    ¡°N-n-no!¡± Romane¡¯s curiosity had evidently overwhelmed her rationality. She would willingly be a frozen statue if it meant she could find out whatid within the stone coffin. This disy of curiosity, was really alike Brendel.

    ¡°...¡±

    Jana did not understand the lengths Romane was willing to go to sate her curiosity and was struck speechless by the perplexingdy. Little did she know that a year ago, Brendel had wondered how simr he and the girl were when he saw the dauntless expression she had on the face during the night Aouine was attacked.

    While Jana was still at a loss for words, Brendel managed to pry open the coffin lid with Ciel¡¯s help. The huge coffin had a trapezoidal shape, simr to those found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs. This proved that it had different origins from the Kirrlutz people whose coffins were either rectangr or hexagonal, simr to those used by vampires. The Aouine people and Kirrlutz people¡¯s culture were nearly identical. The Hignders usually did not bury themselves in graves, but rather in catbs.

    Therefore, Brendel concluded that the tomb had been built a long time ago, even earlier than the era of the mountain people.

    Prioritising safety, Brendel only pried the lid slightly open, only to be stunned. Light shone through the small crevice to reveal... nothing. There was no trace of the corpse or mummy, but rather a huge sum of treasure.

    ¡°The BOSS is not inside?¡± Suspicion shed through Brendel as he carefully signaled to Ciel. Both of them pushed the heavy lid off to check the contents of the coffin. Between the rusted gold and silver tools, instead of a corpse at the center of the coffin, thereid a pile of shattered crystals.

    Looking at the crystal pieces, Brendel felt a shiver run up his spine.

    The crystal pieces wereid upon a cloth, arranged into the silhouette of a man. Four limbs and a torso, yet the head was missing.

    ¡°Holy... Please don¡¯t scare me senior.¡± Brendel let thement slip out for only himself to hear. However, no matter how he looked at it, he could not make out what race was the corpse.

    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Ciel was shocked as he looked into the coffin. Normally, burial rites in most ces involved mummifying the deceased. Mummification was aplex process. However, turning a body into crystals was unheard of. The absence of a head made it even more perplexing.

    Brendel thoroughly checked the contents of the coffin. Other than the crystals, nothing else bore the slightest resemnce to a corpse. If he guessed correctly, then that was the owner of the tomb. As for the objects in the coffin, Brendel immediately identified them as magical equipment, which would usually be the reward for eliminating the boss.

    Could this be the boss? Brendel couldn¡¯t help but take another nce at the crystal pieces. That can¡¯t be. Even though my Willpower stat was high, I don¡¯t think it was capable of one-shotting the boss.

    It was not only Brendel, but Ciel too who thought that the man-shaped pile of crystals seemed familiar.

    Uncertainly, he sent a mental transmission, ¡°I think...... it¡¯s the same thing as before, My Lord.¡± Brendel nodded his head silently. From within the pile of items, one of them caught his eye. Within the gold and silver objects was a dark grey piece of stone the size of a palm. It was dull and appeared to have broken off from a part of the coffin lid. If Brendel weren¡¯t so vignt and repeatedly scanned the coffin for abnormalities, he might have actually missed this seemingly in stone.

    ¡°Hmm¡±

    Brendel picked up the stone. Suddenly, he was struck with a sense of familiarity. After some slight hesitation, he reached into his pocket and took out something.

    It was another stone piece, dull and grey. Other than the fact that this one was the size of a thumb, it was indistinguishable from the stone he held in his other hand. He had obtained the thumb-sized stone at Xavier Mountain Pass, when he was escaping death with Romane and Freya. It was an inheritance of Viscount Nelson when they were at the Magical Golden Tree in the Forbidden Garden. In other words, it was an inheritance of Amandina¡¯s father.

    He still remembered that among all of Amandina¡¯s father¡¯s inheritance, the stone was the only object he couldn¡¯t recognize. At first, he thought that it was an alchemy material. After all, there were many materials for The Amber Sword, it was normal if he couldn¡¯t recognize a few of them. He was a battle oriented yer and not a sub-ss yer.

    However, ording to the knowledge of the Alchemist Tharma, the stone was not a mineral, nor any kind of alchemy material. It did not react to magic, making it seem even more like an ordinary stone. Brendel had thought of getting rid of it, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. After all, it was obtained under special circumstances, it might be an event-based object, if he threw it away it would nevere back.

    Never could he have imagined that in a nameless tomb in Trentheim, there could be something simr to this stone.

    What exactly is it?

    The appearance of the stone in the pile of battle spoils meant that it had its own value, at least the tomb owner thought so. As for the rest of the spoils, even though they might not be worth a lot, most of them were magic items, and the rest were gold, silver or porcin.

    This stone had appeared in the hands of Amandina¡¯s father, and now it was found in a tomb from centuries ago, hundreds of miles away. Secrets from two different eras intertwined with each other only caused more confusion on Brendel¡¯s part.

    After thinking for a long time, the best conclusion he coulde up with was that the stone was a special type of burial treasure. Perhaps it held a special meaning back in that era, and Amandina¡¯s father was just another collector. However, doing so was slightly disrespectful to the dead, and they had no evidence that Amandina¡¯s father was a grave robber.

    Furthermore, Amandina¡¯s always carried the stone with him, and him sending the stone to Amandina along with his letter meant that it meant a lot to him. Brendel couldn¡¯t understand the value of the stone, and it wasn¡¯t as if it was a flint spear tip from the Stone Age.

    ¡°Oh? There¡¯s also a Card of Fate.¡±

    Brendel heard Ciel exim with awe through the mental transmission. Turning around, he saw his aide pick out something, from within the coffin, with his finger. From theyers of cobwebs a ck object, like a box, with an equteral triangle, within the triangle was a runic circle, both pictures forming a unique symbol, surrounded by carvings of rising mes.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes shed, and he saw a sh of silver from beneath the box, it was a silver string nearly undetectable by the naked eye. Looking at the string, his expression paled, and yelled with a shaky voice, ¡°Put it down, quick!¡± Unfortunately, it was toote, Ciel had already grabbed the box, and turned back to look at his master.

    In that instance, the entire tom started to quake, the tiles started to tremble, dust started to fall from the ceiling, pirs all around started to shake violently, letting out creaking sounds. Everyone knew what was happening, that some sort of trap had activated.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Ciel started, ¡°Master, it was an ident!¡±

    It was an ident to him indeed, his Card of Fate exined that he was like mage who grew up reading books in an ivory tower. Unlike adventurers, NPC mages spent nearly their entire lives in a sea of books, not having any knowledge of adventures, and certainly not knowing about underground traps.

    However, Ciel¡¯s ability had made him and Brendel overlook this fact.

    Furthermore, Brendel had forgotten an even more important fact: Ciel was from the world, and not some gamer Wizard.

    ¡°Oh shit!¡± Brendel panicked slightly, and said, ¡°Who cares if it was an ident, run, the tomb is going to copse!¡± Most tombs in the game had been built with a self-destruct mechanism, only more experienced yers would be able to avoid being tricked. He could tell that Ciel was really nervous.

    Both of them looked at each other, then turned around.

 volume 3 - c241

    Unprecedented Changes

    The two were surprisinglypatible with each other. Ciel ignored all the bugs and spiders that were in the coffin and widened his arms to grab all the treasures in it before dashing for the exit; Brendel lunged to another side, dodging a b of rock that fell onto where he was a moment ago andnded right next to the pile of bones that rested on the coffin.

    He was still coughing sand when he noticed the Cards of Fates next to the skeleton. The sand upon his head began to fall, almost burying the cards. As he swiped his hands towards them, he failed to notice the two gleaming eyes that shone from the sockets of the skull. The skeleton stood up and clenched around his neck.

    Brendel was shocked. Don¡¯t even mention an ordinary skeleton, Brendel did not even pay attention to the lowest-ranked Skeletal Troopers within the ranks of the Madara army. However, if Brendel were to hesitate a moment in this situation, he would be buried under several thousand tons of rock.

    It was right at this moment when a bright Fire Arrow brushed past his face andnded on the ws of the skeleton with a ¡®thud¡¯. Sparks sprayed everywhere and Brendel could feel his hair curling up under the heat. However, the attack crushed the bones and with just a slight tug, Brendel freed his hand and grabbed the Cards. As he ran, he could hear the loud rumbling behind him and when he looked, he saw that a quarter of the cavern had copsed, the sand almost burying the altar in the center.

    Brendel¡¯s back was wet from cold sweat. He looked back to find his savior, the one who shot that arrow in that exact moment. Even back when this was a game, this was not amon sight. Although he recalled that the Elementalists under Ciel were notrge in numbers, he could not figure out the identity of the said person.

    As he turned back to look, he did not expect the sight before him. Right at the entrance of the tomb, Romaine waved an index finger at him. And at the tip was a small ze! She wore a smug expression on her face and was about to say something. Then she was pulled away by the female mercenarymander.

    ¡°When did she learn magic!?!¡±

    She had quite the talent. To have made such an urate shot, not even those high-leveled yers could manage that!

    But he immediately came up with a scarier thought. It might be that she never really aimed, and that her luck enabled her to make that ¡®stray shot¡¯. [T/L Note: Dude, she saved you. Whyin!]

    Brendel shivered. The more he pondered about the girl¡¯s carefree personality, this seemed to be more likely than her being a pro mage. He decided to not let her use magic, or there would be no saying when he will be toasted by a fireball in the future.

    By then, not many people were left at the ce. Most had retreated. Brendel signaled to the remaining people to hurry their exit, while he tailed them from behind as well. The others saw that their lord had escaped peril and retreated as well. But at that unexpected moment, Brendel could hear an odd yet clear noiseing from behind him.

    ¡°Kachak!¡±

    His primate instinct warned like a buzzing rm as he felt the hairs behind his back stood. He leaped to the side on reflex. An iridescent spike flew past the spot he was on a second ago. If he had not leaped just a while ago, the spike would have left a gaping hole within his chest.

    When he turned back to look, he saw a crystalline creature gleaming with various lights climbing out of the coffin. Atop its semi-translucent skin was a long robe. It was about five feet tall and had a muscr torso. However, itcked a brain. Brendel estimated that, if this being had a neck or head, he would be on therger side whenpared to normal Aouine civilians.

    Despite being made entirely of crystal, its movements were not rigid. Brendel estimated that his opponent had about seventy ability points in its Agility stat, and that was half of what he had. However, the spike just now had broken the sonic barrier, which made him fearful for a moment. Its Attack stat and its independence from elements made it on the same level on Veronica. It was a strength attribute monster.

    And it specialised in long-ranged attacks.

    Brendel¡¯s heart sank. The data made him recall something.

    He could clearly recall thetest update that came out right before he came to this world, ¡®Gaia Reawakens¡¯. There was no introduction to it as usual, but after the War for the Sage Tablet, The Extermination of The Chief Warg Hati and the Battle of Madara and Farnezain, everyone¡¯s focus was on the deathmatch between the two camps of yers.

    The battle he had at the Orkash Mountain Ranges then was no more than just the tip of the iceberg whenpared with the scale of the war.

    The battle was basically one to scavenge resources, at an uncharted territory that was found by some adventurers. To this day, Brendel can still remember the rumours of new species of monsters spawning in the area.

    The Crystal Wights.

    It was a living being with several hundred times the health of humans while having powerful Spirit abilities as well.

    But why did it appear here? Wasn¡¯t it going to appear 100 yearster? In the uncharted Trentheim? Not here, within the protection of Mother Marsha!

    Unless it¡¯s not a creature formed from Chaos??!

    Brendel was uncertain whether Vaude had such a creature a hundred years ago, especially at Aouine. But if it did, the game¡¯s developer updated it too slowly. This phase was still part of the first update anyway. Along with that doubt, Brendel pulled out his sword as the Crystalline monster raised its hands to summon another spike.

    In a blink, Brendel saw the trajectory of the projectile and smashed it to smitten. His hands felt numb from the impact. Although not using the Berserk skill of the Dragon of Darkness and the Enhancement Crystal might be the cause, it is no doubt that the monster posed a threat.

    This monster¡¯s Attack power is indeedparable to Veronica¡¯s, meaning it should be around level 40.

    Brendel felt unease. Under normal circumstances, he would be ted. Despite having obtained the battle rewards, BOSS level monsters contain a lot of experience points, plus BOSS monsters usually carry around unique alchemy materials that cannot normally be found. But now, the tomb was shaking violently and could crumble at any moment. Also, it seemed that his opponent was not nning to escape.

    The monster had a high Attack power, and it was agile as well. To spend all his energy to finish it off, Brendel might not have enough strength to escape. Despite him having an overwhelming advantage over Debilitating spells, it would take longer than a few minutes to finish the monster off.

    Especially when the monster looked pretty intelligent as well.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not y now. If you do, we might be crushed here, you know?¡± He spoke to his opponent, while slowly backing off in the meantime. Seeing that the entrance was so close to his eyes, Brendel breathed out a sigh of relief. But never did he expect the monster to leap at him.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Brendel activated the Dash skill and his body morphed into aet that shot for the exit. The monster seemed to have predicted that, stopped and gave a trembling roar. The entire cavern shook. The exit shed in white light, and a wall of thick crystals immediately conjured over it.

    His heart sank. It seemed that if he wanted to leave this ce, he would have to deal with the monster first. He silently cursed and turned to look at it. He did not expect to see the monster staring back at him as well.

    Brendel was sure the monster was looking at him. Although it had no eyes nor a head, his instinct told him that he was being watched. After that, he immediately climbed onto the coffin and leap down it.

    And he was gone entirely.

    Brendel was sure that the depth of the coffin could not contain the entire being, but he gasped after thinking for a moment, ¡°There¡¯s a secret passage!¡±

    Brendel knew the intentions of the monster: It was to bury him in the cavern. But of course, it was not his first time meeting such a cunning BOSS. To mess with him, did it think that Brendel was a newbie?

 volume 3 - c242

    Paradise of Adversity

    Have you ever had the chance to see dirt and sand pouring down like a waterfall? Brendel was having such an experience at the moment. There were no more supports for him to stand on, and there was no road heading back. It was as if he was on his final straw and to be buried under the mud. He cursed when the monster disappeared into the coffin. He raised Halran Gaia and swung it down. Itpressed the air in the form of a crescent that slicing apart the falling sand, forming a path that allowed him to dash for the coffin. Albeit iparable to the White Raven Sword Art that he previously used with its countless des, the skill was really devastating within the span of ten feet.

    ¡°Rise!¡± Brendel roared while the magic in his sword began to activate.

    The ground tore apart with a loud de cut like sound. Pirs of rock protruded from the ground to support the crumbling ceiling as they cleared the sand that fell in his way, allowing him to have more freedom to move.

    Halran Gaia, also known as the Staff of Earth, was known to be able to manipte all of Gaia, Of course, it was not as impressive as that, but in this scenario, it was indeed a spectacr feat.

    The crumbling cavern stabilized for a moment as cracks began to surface on the pirs. Brendel looked back at the colourful crystal wall and hesitated. It was not something he could break in just a few seconds, and thus he continued to run for the coffin in the centre.

    Climbing onto the coffin, he saw a flight of stairs that led down to a passage of gloom. Behind him, the cracking sounds that came from the pir indicated that he did not have much time. He did not hesitate and jumped down while biting his lips.

    The cavern outside had crumbled. The ceiling and the ground collided, forcing the dust into Brendel¡¯s eyes. He shut them down, only to hear a deafening roar and the trembling earth, After that, an eerie silence as if nothing survived.

    ¡°This was why I hated battling monsters.¡± Heined. A Gold-ranked warrior¡¯s perception was ten times better than that of normal people. Even in the gloom, he could precisely pick out the Glow Stone from his pocket. He raised it up, illuminating the surroundings and exposing a narrow space underground.

    The entrance on the coffin was sealed withyers of rocks. He prodded it with his sword and thought, Seems like I¡¯m not getting out through this way.

    Brendel cursed again, ¡°Fuck! Ciel, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    There was a moment of silence before the mage answered. ¡° This bloody hell of a ce... My Lord, are you alright? Where are you?¡±

    Brendel surveyed the room. The craftsmanship for the room¡¯s design was crude. Seems like it was made in haste.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know too. This ce must be underneath the cavern. How¡¯s the condition outside?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still fine. It¡¯s just that some of the pathway is blocked when the rocks fell. Scarlet and the others are trying to dig a way out.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s everyone else?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re alright too. No one is injured. Even Miss Romaine is roasting some mushrooms.¡±

    ¡°Roasting mushrooms?¡± Brendel asked nkly.

    ¡°Cough... She found some near the skeletons.¡±

    ¡°That thing is edible?¡± Brendel said in a gasp. But he soon heaved out a sigh of relief. If the girl had so much vigor, the problem doesn¡¯t seem to be big. ¡°Let her be...¡±

    Ciel did not say that the mushrooms were for him to eat, but instead asked, ¡°Oh yea, the battle spoils are still with me. There¡¯s plenty this time. My Lord, why don¡¯t you try to summon me there. I can help.¡±

    Brendel smiled. He could hear the worryced in his words, and answered, ¡°It¡¯s still noon now. There¡¯s still ten hours until the cooldown ends. Go have a rest while you can. How far away from the surface are you?¡±

    ¡°Hm...I should be close. My Lord, I always had confidence in my own escaping ability.¡±

    That¡¯s not worthy of praise... Brendel thought. ¡°Hurry up and call reinforcements from the surface then.¡±

    ¡°Nice n...¡±

    ¡°Wait, My Lord. How do I escape from here?¡± Ciel cried out immediately.

    ¡°You¡¯re a Wizard. Do I have to teach you that?¡±

    ¡°Even a Wizard is not omnipotent, especially a weak researcher like me... Don¡¯t you know that people within the association calls me the Schr?... Anyways, it¡¯s not a bad nickname. But what can you expect from a powerless man like me? I¡¯m not like those muscle-brained Elementalists...¡±

    That guy actually became paranoid. Brendel was speechless. He raised the Glow Stone, its weak luminance casting shadows on the jagged rock surfaces. He clenched his sword and looked downwards when Ciel¡¯s clear voice resounded once again.

    ¡°Wait, My Lord. Did you have a new discovery just now?¡±

    Brendel paused for a while, ¡°How did you know that?¡±

    ¡°I guessed it. Remember the box that I tookst? The one that triggered the trap....¡± Brendel became furious at the mentioning of the box. He was about toin when his aide continued, ¡°Wait, My Lord. I wanted to say that it was empty.¡±

    ¡°Even an empty box fooled you. Shame on you, Wizard.¡± Brendel said, displeased.

    ¡°Alright, I admit that was my blunder. However, there was something peculiar about this. The box belonged to a newalker. I could recognise the emblem on it: An equteral triangle with a circle inside represented bnce and regtions; The ze outside represented the Echeloniuus¡¯ ck mes. This box must be rted to Kelsie.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, this is his tomb?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about it. I suspect this tomb hid some secrets.¡±

    Even so, it¡¯s just a level 40 city underground. Brendel thought to himself. Even so, he had a hunch that the tomb indeed had some mysteries regarding the newalker. He then raised the Cards to the Glow Stone to have a clearer look at it.

    Five Cards of Fate.

    The first card depicted a spellcaster in the middle of a fog. He had four strong yet slender hands, three of which raised high to weave a spell while thest one pointed forward. There was an army advancing forward.

    - Ekronia Spellweaver (Paradise of Adversity X)

    - 7 Dark EP

    - Creature: Ekronia Citizen/Spellweaver,

    - Lvl 25 Elite

    - Sacrifice 5% HP and gain 1 Light EP

    - ¡°Eye of Ekronia¡±

    That was close to a Gold Ranked Wizard. It had a Land skill and did not require any sort of maintenance. Not too shabby.

    He then picked up another card. The picture abstractly depicted a man in a long robe, hugging his head in his arms, apparent that he was in pain.

    Anxiety (Paradise of Adversity VII)

    - Uses 2 Energy

    - Instantaneous

    - Replicates a spell that consumes less than 30 mana. Will only duplicate the spell used in the previous turn.

    - ¡°Time is like sand, flowing quickly¡±

    What the hell! Although I¡¯m not too sure about this card¡¯s effects, it seems to be really overpowered from the description. But what¡¯s 2 energy counters?

    He hesitated and suddenly remembered something. He scanned through the system window and picked up another card.

    - Ekronia¡¯s Furnace of Adversity( Paradise of Adversity III)

    - Consumes 30 Dark EP

    - Nest

    - Attach to a Land card when ites into y.

    - Consumes 2 Willpower and sacrifice an Ekronian soldier to gain 2 Energy

    - ¡°As the traveler travels across the Great ins, a dark cloud approaches from the north. One that spewed from the Fires of the Ludes volcano.¡±

    Damn, it¡¯s actually a Deck!

    Brendel¡¯s heart rumbled, he had no idea where to find Echelonian soldiers to sacrifice. On that thought, he checked through the remaining cards only to find them to be the same Echelonian Spellweaver.

    He was briefly stunned. It was the first time he collected duplicate cards. Don¡¯t tell me the other cards in the deck can be found here?

    Then, the ground shook slightly.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Brendel waved his sword in the direction as he saw something flicker in the darkness.

 volume 3 - c243

    newalker?

    The silhouette disappeared. Brendel hesitated before he raised Halran Gaia and chased after it. The endless passage was illuminated by the soft glow of the Stone in his hands. The walls were stered with a type of cement that wasmonly seen in most dungeons to waterproof them.

    The youth¡¯s footsteps resonated louder, proving that there was arge cavity ahead. Brendel slowed down just to see the silhouette shed in front of his face and fired two spikes of crystal at him.

    "Fuck!" He shed in the air and shattered the crystal projectiles. He gritted his teeth and brushed his arms. He cursed in Marsha¡¯s name that the monster¡¯s strength was too ridiculous. Seeing that his attack had failed, the monster retreated. Albeit slow, it hid in the shadows and quickly disappeared.

    Brendel swore furiously and chased the monster. But after a few steps, he halted and looked back that the corridor he came from with the Stone in his hands. Apparently, he had made it past the corridor and is not in the chamber he saw earlier.

    The area was an open hall filled with tall pirs. The light from the Stone did not even cover one percent of the entire area. The floor alternated between ck and white bs of rocks. Besides the smears and cracks on the ground, it was evident that the ce was once a majestic ce.

    ¡°...¡±

    He could not help but hold his breath. The ce did not resemble that of a catb, unlike one befitting a king. ¡°Eh?¡± The ground and the lower half of the pirs were filled with strange patterns. At first, he thought it was some kind of artistic murals, but upon a closer look, he discovered that they were grooves with mithril cast into them.

    Brendel¡¯s hand trembled. He nearly used Halran Gaia to dig out the mithril for himself. But he held back. After all, he knew that there was only one thing that it could be used with for- a Magic Formation.

    Stopping to study the room, he found the silent and vast darkness seemed to contain some sort of mystical energy, and he was at a loss of words for a moment: this entire corridor is actually a giant Magical Formation! He recalled his experience in the Everwinter Hall, a sanctuary blessed by the Goddess of the Northern Winds, Jubius. That divine territory was protected by four statues of that Goddess, with several kilometers of golden runes to cast a neverending cold wind. And surprisingly, those runes were simr to the ones he was seeing in the tomb.

    With nothing could be heard, nor seen for miles, the ce resembled a graveyard. And the runes that were carved on the ground felt that they had lost their purpose.

    "Just what kind of ce is this?" Brendel subvocalized. He traced the runes into the deeper parts of the hall, his footsteps echoing darkness, appearing to be a small light moving across a dark world.

    Legends had it that the Everwinter Sanctuary was very far away, secluded from the rest of the world in the Evermist Mountains. And how would that make this ce? Who could build such majestic structures?

    "Orthlyss, you have any idea about it?"

    ¡°Never heard nor known about it.¡± Orthlyss¡¯s voice was riled with curiosity, "but the origins of this ce seems to be pretty important. The runes look like they are even older than me. You lucky brat, to have found such a ce randomly without even trying to.¡±

    Brendel smiled dryly.

    "Be on alert. That thing is approaching." Orthlyss¡¯s voice tautened.

    "That ¡¯thing¡¯?" Brendel quickly understood her meaning. It was the Crystal Wight. He cursed and was about to look back, but was stopped by Orthylss, "Don¡¯t turn around and keep walking forward. Wait for my signal."

    Brendel¡¯s eyes lit up. The monster was really familiar with the ce. It would be troublesome to deal with it if it wanted to y a game of hide and seek with them. However, if he followed Orthylss¡¯s judgment, he might actually manage to finish the guy off.

    He agreed to Orthlyss¡¯s suggestion, leaving his safetypletely in her arms. The two of them had ovee many troubles before, there was no way she would harm him. He walked slowly, his footsteps were rhythmic, like a metronome. He ced his hand on his sword sheath. While he looked as if he was observing the surroundings, he ced his focus behind him, at the monster.

    Not long after, Orthylss¡¯s voice rang in his ears, "Turn to your left. It¡¯s right behind the third pir!"

    Brendel¡¯s reaction speed was superb. Halran Gaia was sent throwing with all his strength. A spear of white light split the pir with a loud explosion and an inhuman scream followed soon after. A figure moved out of the rubble, but it was evident to be injured as he was moving slower.

    "No, you¡¯re not doing it again!" Brendel was about to curse at the thought of the monster fleeing.

    He Dashed to cut off its escape, picking up his sword in the meantime. The monster was limping on three limbs when he came close. No wonder. It must have been caused by the attack just now. Brendel thought. However, he was not the sort of person to pity it and thus stabbed at the monster.

    Although it had a ridiculous amount of strength, its defense and agility were unexpectedly low. Usually, Brendel would have more trouble dealing with BOSSes, but he should have easily bypassed the Wight¡¯s defense. His sword began to glow, an indicator that the Stabbing skill was active.

    There was no way for the Crystal Wight to avoid his attack. But a card suddenly appeared on its chest and a wave of energy burst out and shed with Halran Gaia¡¯s sharp tip.

    "A Card of Fate?!" Brendel startled and created an opening for the Wight to knock the word off his hands.

    Brendel rolled backward, ignoring the numbness on his right hand. He used his left to activate his own Card of Fate, the Sun de, manifesting a physical ming sword that shot through the air to pierce the Crystal Wight¡¯s chest.

    The entire room fell silent.

    Then cracks appeared from the center of the wound and spread outwards. It struggled towards Brendel as if he was out for revenge, but after a few steps, its entire constitution shattered into fragments.

    Both Brendel and Orthlyss were stunned, disbelieving the fact that the battle was over so fast.

    Brendel sighed with relief and checked out the Sun de card. It had dulled in color, but he was not concerned about it, or the fact that he could not reactivate the card until the crisis was over, but rather the fact that it held so much destructive power.

    The Sun de was never a powerful card, but it¡¯s effective in dealing with the undead. And besides that, he was surprised to see the Wight using a Card, thinking that he was fighting against a powerful newalker. After all, there was Ciel¡¯s warning from before as well. But it seemed to be a false rm.

    Why is the contrast between reality and expectation so big?

    Brendel took several more moments topose himself before noticing a notification in the corner of his eyes.

    - Elite Boss "Half-crystallized Leder" killed. yer Brendel receives 72310 XP. [T/L: Leder is a name. And yes, I thought I misread as well.]

    "Half-crystallized Leder? It was actually a Boss NPC?"

    He rushed over to the remains and scavaged for something, stopping only when he found it.

    A silver-colored Card was lying among the crystals, glittering as he picked it up.

    Brendel was troubled. How did the monster know how to use a Card? As Tuman said, only a neswalker can perceive the rtion of the Laws with the Cards. So a normal human or monster should not be able to use it.

    Brendel absentmindedly rubbed his numb arm. He picked up the silver-colored Card that signified its rarity - as well as its cost-efficiency. Silver Elf Medissa was such a case. With only 15 points, it was his strongest card.

    The Card that Brendel picked up was called "Arnold¡¯s Divine Ring". It seemed like an artifact, only to discover that it was a magic spell.

    - Arnold¡¯s Divine Ring (Paradise of Adversity XX)

    - Consumes10 Light EP

    - Instantaneous

    - Effect: Nullifies the next attack you receive

    - "Shelter."

    "Another one from that deck..." Brendel immediately understood why his attack failed. After looking at the card several times, he still could not discover anything unique on the card that would allow the Crystal Wight to use the card.

    It could be a neswalker... But that¡¯s impossible? A neswalker with only one card? He should have more, right?

    Footsteps echoed from behind, shocking both Brendel and Orthlyss: they did not perceive its presence. It was normal for Brendel to not notice it, but Orthylss? The thousand-year being? Although she did not have a physical body, her powers did not regress much.

    The enemy was probably abnormally powerful.

    "Be careful." She reminded the youth in a strict tone.

 volume 3 - c244

    The Pendulum

    The sound of footsteps became louder, apanied by the nging of metals. A towering silhouette appeared from the shadows. It was the height of two grown men, and nearly as wide. A cold metallic face came into view, bearing no expression on its unchanging surface. Its face was adorned with crystals, trailing down its neck to its shoulders, forming tumor-like protrusions. It wore a cloak lined with metal, scraping against the ground. A metallic arm could be seen beneath the cloak, holding a bronze staff as thick as a man¡¯s arm.

    The creature stopped near Brendel. Unfortunately for Brendel, the spot where the creature stood was right beside Halran Gaia. Now that the creature had ceased its movement, Orthylss and Brendel could clearly make out a rhythmic ticking sound, simr to that of a beating heart. It was the sound of clockwork mechanisms. Beneath the cloak was a giant pendulum that seemed to be driving the creature¡¯s movements.

    It was the guardian of the ruins of the Tower of Babel, The level 92 Pendulum Golem. Brendel¡¯s expression changed. The Tower of Babel was so far away, how could a creature such as the Pendulum Golem appear here? Has the world been flipped upside down? Furthermore, the Tower of Babel was introduced in the seventh major patch. The Pendulum Golem¡¯s prowess could be considered the strongest in all of Kirrlutz. Even 3 Veronicas would not be able to defeat it.

    Brendel swallowed.

    Orthylss seemed like she wasn¡¯t familiar with the creature. However, she could sense that the creature¡¯s hostile intentions and could detect the changes in Brendel¡¯s psyche. She asked, ¡°Do you know what this thing is?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a Pendulum Golem.¡± He paused for a moment, trying to describe the creature¡¯s prowess. ¡°Bottom line, it¡¯s extremely powerful, we are no match for it. The only good thing is that it¡¯s a lifeless object, it doesn¡¯t have any Element Powers. Do you have a n to escape?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t treat me as your savior, it does nothing to help you grow,¡± Orthylss replied curtly.

    ¡°Who cares about growth now? We¡¯re dead if we can¡¯t escape from here!¡± Brendel thought.

    However, the Pendulum Golem looked as if it couldn¡¯t see Brendel, or at least chose not to. Instead, it stared coldly at Halran Gaia by its feet and reached towards it. A chain snaked down from its cloak, wrapping around Halran Gaia, then threw it towards Brendel. Halran Gaia nged to the floor at Brendel¡¯s feet, stunning him for a while. What does this mean? Could it be that the Pendulum Golem still believes in chivalry, so it cannot kill an enemy who is unarmed?

    Does this mean that if I don¡¯t pick it up, it won¡¯t attack me? Brendel felt a surge of relief. However, the giant Pendulum Golem wasn¡¯t like any other, especially the crystals on its face and shoulders as normal Clockwork Men did not have any essories on them. However, it still wasn¡¯t good news for Brendel. No matter if it was an Elite or a Boss, meaning he still could not hope to defeat it.

    To be truthful, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to defeat a regr one.

    After tossing Halran Gaia at Brendel¡¯s feet, the Pendulum Golem opened its mouth and said in a cold and mechanical voice, ¡°You¡¯re a neswalker apprentice, yet you still use stuff like this. Truly disappointing.¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡± Brendel started sweating. It had enough confidence to speak lightly of Halran Gaia. Brendel picked up the sword, after all, it was impossible for him to defeat the creature, the enemy had no reason to use any underhanded methods against him. ¡°Are you a neswalker?¡±

    ¡°It seems that you misunderstood me for one. neswalkers are superior beings, they do not need to rely on useless items like these.¡± The Pendulum Golem ignored him, instead of pointed at the sword in his grip. ¡°I am not a neswalker, but the master I am following has a power that you could never have imagined.¡±

    As he spoke, he waved his bronze staff around. A card floated around in midair, before opening a light gate. From within the gate appeared a group of Marite Swordsmen. These soldiers had bodies made of bronze that gleamed. Their limbs and torsos were covered with rivets. They held foils in their hands, on their backs were thin wires. There were 20 of them in total. Once all of them had passed through the gate, the Pendulum Golem brandished its bronze staff, ¡°Attack! Chase the invaders out---¡±

    ¡°It ims that it¡¯s not a neswalker, yet it¡¯s using a Card of Fate! Where¡¯s the logic behind this?¡± Brendel yelled in panic while retreating. Those puppets were called Marite Swordsmen, they were monsters whose levels were higher than 40. However, there were too many of them, and there was the neswalker-like Pendulum Golem at the back to worry about. Brendel could only hope to retreat.

    However, the Pendulum Golem had other ns. ¡°Coliseum of Fate.¡±

    It mmed its bronze staff into the ground, causing a loud thud to reverberate throughout the vicinity. A card fell from the skies and drew a light circle with a radius of 1 mile on the ground. Brendel was going too fast. He ran head-first into the edge of the circle, causing his head to bleed.

    Brendel started to see stars. Thankfully he didn¡¯t faint, but he immediately received a warning:

    -Coliseum of Fate

    -None of thebatants will be allowed to leave the arena before a winner is decided

    Even though he was stunned, he had enough of his wits to yell out, ¡°I surrender!¡±

    To everyone¡¯s surprise, the light circle flickered, then went darkpletely.

    ¡°What just happened?¡± Even the Pendulum Golem was stunned.

    ¡°You...¡± Orthylss, who had been spectating the entire time, was miffed. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare tell anyone that you know me! How embarrassing!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s face was also red with shame. However, he knew that his life was the number one priority. He stumbled out of the light circle, before the Pendulum Golem¡¯s cold voice said, ¡°Idiot, the path to the surface is already blocked, where can you run to?¡± After hearing that, only then did Brendel remember about it. He began to despair. However, he was not a man who gave up easily. He immediately ducked behind a pir to catch his breath.

    ¡°What do you n to do?¡± Orthylss¡¯s asked him calmly.

    ¡°What else can I do? I¡¯m going to y hide-and-seek with him until Ciel and the rest manage to get in here.¡±

    Orthylss rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Don¡¯t you realize that the enemy is familiar with the terrain? What¡¯s more, is that it has nearly the same job as you, aren¡¯t you afraid that he summons more strange creatures? As big as this ce is, you wouldn¡¯t be able to hide if there are a hundred monsters searching for you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Brendel nodded. Brendel tried to think of some jokes to lighten up the tension. After some thinking, he decided, ¡°I¡¯m going to fight.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Orthylss asked.

    ¡°He is a neswalker, so I¡¯ll use my skills to fight too. His body may be strong, but its summons doesn¡¯t seem like much to me. After I defeat its summons, I¡¯ll just continue our game of hide-and-seek.¡± Even though it seemed like an ordinary n, Brendel had actually put a lot of thought into it. Orthylss couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with the n, so she just nodded.

    Brendel immediately picked out his cards, but he was actually panicking inside. In truth, he had only a few cards on hand that he could use. His main Cards£¬Wind Spirit Spiders¡¢Firew Lizardmen were still in the tomb, even Pristine Archangel was also there. He couldn¡¯t help cursing Andersha under his breath.

    He still had Medissa, Ciel, Morpheus and the Mercenaries outside. Because their cooldown was not reset, he couldn¡¯t summon them onto the field, which was basically most of his fighting prowess. Besides these cards, he didn¡¯t have a lot of choices at hand.

    He had six cards left (Sun¡¯s de was already used up), which were Mana Loss£¬Sprint Drive£¬Golden Battle g, Rune Summoner£¬Graveyard Revival, Night Lord, and Vampire Baron. The rest of the cards were either Boundary Cards or were rted to Resources, meaning they were basically useless.

    After some thought, Brendel decided to summon The Night Lord, a level 35 Card, the same as Medissa and it was a rare silver card.

    His Dark EP pool was nearly full, after leveling up in the ck Forest he had 30 points. He spent 15 points to use the card, causing a plume of ck smoke to appear in front of his eyes. After the smoke dissipated, a naked girl appeared. Her beauty was unearthly --- even though she wasn¡¯t human to begin with --- the vampire girl¡¯s skin was as white as snow, ck hair shining like obsidian, tender lips as red as blood, eyes shut lightly as if she were still sleeping. Her figure was perfect, even though one wouldn¡¯t have a nosebleed after seeing her, one could tell that everything was just the right proportion.

    The girl slowly opened her eyes. A pair of crimson orbs stared at Brendel.

    She sped her hands. ck smoke billowed around her body once more, forming a tight, ck gown. Brendel looked on in shock. Is this beautifuldy going to wear that into battle? He almost blurted out.

    Before he could say anything, she interjected, ¡°Speak, where are the enemies?¡±

    The enemy was right behind them. The Pendulum Golem still hadn¡¯t noticed Brendel¡¯s actions, stillmanding its troops to search for him. It even summoned a machine ball made of gears that were floating in midair. Brendel couldn¡¯t recognize what it was, but he knew that it wasn¡¯t good news. He pointed at the troops and said to the vampiress, ¡°Those Marite Swordsmen, I¡¯ll distract them while youunch a sneak attack. Destroy as many as you can. Can you do that?¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± she replied.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Brendel asked suddenly.

    ¡°My name is Andrea, my family name is Thermis. Remember it well, for I will not answer that question again,¡± the girl replied after staring at him coldly.

    ¡°This is one interesting girl, ¡± Orthylss said, amused.

    He smiled bitterly.

 volume 3 - c245

    Brendel and The Vampire Girl

    Before moving onwards, Brendel had a look at Andrea¡¯s status, only to be surprised by how powerful she was. The vampire girl possessed two Elemental Powers. Besides themon Soul Element that all undead has, she also had another called the Sacrificial Element. The odds of meeting someone with two elements were astronomically low, there would not even be one even in ten thousand. And of course, there were no yers having two Elemental Powers.

    Most bloodsuckers used their bloodline abilities to fight, but Andrea was both a Wizard and a Warrior. An Array Caster and a Dual-Wielder at that! What kind of miracle is this? I have never even known of a vampire having a ss by themselves!

    And written at the bottom of the card was Andrea¡¯s skill: ¡°Commands a troupe of dark creatures into the battlefield¡±.

    The Pendulum Golem approached Brendel¡¯s location. But instead of doing anything personally, itmanded the Marite Swordsmen to slowly surround Brendel, which Brendel found strange. He gestured to Andrea before Dashing away.

    He instantly closed the distance between himself and his first target. His opponent could not manage to react before getting its sword knocked away. As Brendel did that, he formed a mirage that stepped forward behind the Marite Swordman¡¯s back to stab it at its nape.

    It was like there were two Brendel¡¯s that formed a pincer attack, instant killing the creature.

    Even so, he was not someone who fought recklessly. He turned to hide behind another pir. But the Golem seemed to have anticipated that, mming his staff onto the ground and roared as Brendel attacked the Marite Swordsman, "He¡¯s trying to run again! Number Seven, eight, Nine, advance ten steps! Number Three and Four, cross over Number One to seal the target¡¯s path!

    Brendel screamed inwards. When did Pendulum Golem¡¯s have such a strongmanding ability? These creatures were the guards for the Towers of Babel, having high defense and attack. Moreover, they were immune to Elemental Spells, and could even manipte time within the range of ten steps! I have lost count of how many Elementalist and closebatants getting beaten up by this massive robot... If anything, it had one w: It was slow.

    Which made archers the best counter for it. But that did not seem to be the case in this situation.

    While Brendel was facing the trouble, Andrea was hiding quietly behind a pir and drawing four Magic Arrays on it. Just as Brendel killed the first opponent, she was done with her drawings. It was also the time the Pendulum Golem ordered his minions to change formations. That action led him to expose himself in the range of her attack.

    But Andrea could not remember Brendel¡¯s order to attack the big one, and hot his minions. She shot a look, and picked out Seventh to be her target.

    A streak of ck lightning shot out from the array at the Seventh. ¡°Patt!¡± It hid on the skull of the Swordman, causing it to form a translucent barrier to protect itself. Even so, its head was knocked sideways by the force.

    Golems had a high magic resistance, but Andrea did not care about that fact. After all, Array Spellcasters also had tremendous firepower. The first lightning was an imprint that locked onto the Swordman¡¯s head. She kept her finger pointed at the Seventh Marite Swordsman. Suddenly, the array emitted an eye-catching ck light before shooting ten bolts of ck lightning on the target.

    The shield glowed brightly, signs that it was being used to its full capacity. But finally, it gave out. Cracks appeared all over it and shattered in a wisp of smoke and dust.

    Queen of Pain¡¯s Nine Tail Whip. A ssic ck Magic.

    With the death of the Seventh, Brendel found the opening he needed. Yet before he even had the time to relief or be delighted, a metallic voice roared in the arena, ¡°Death Sentinels!"

    Behind the Golem, multiple doors of light appeared and humanoid soldiers walked out with their intimidating ck-spiked helmets. They were dual wielders. Besides their shoulder tes, helmets and armored leggings, they exposed their copper-colored skin, toned and lean. Just at a sight, it was obvious that they were agility based warriors.

    Ten Death Sentinels were initially summoned. But atop the bodies of the fallen Marite Swordsmen and the Wight, a door appeared and from it waled out a Death Sentinel. Although Brendel did not recognize who this NPC was, he figured that the Card in the Golem¡¯s hand is not a Creature type, but a spell capable of turning the fallen into one of its own. At that moment, Andrea had taken down another two enemies. It may seem to be beneficial, however, it brought adverse effects in that situation.

    "See that? neswalkers have no need for swords and des. You¡¯re truly the shame of the neswalkers. It must be my duty to eliminate you, disgrace." His tone void of emotion.

    neswalker this... neswalker that... Are you really that powerful? You¡¯re just using your levels to suppress me! Back when I was still level 130, don¡¯t even mention a word, I will chop you up in a second!

    With the mindset and dignity as a Warrior, Brendel would not dodge an attack that he knew he could not. The Marite Swordsmen that surrounded him were early Gold-rankers that would be easy for him to take on with his current strength. However, the remaining thirty or so Gold-ranked creatures will prove to be troublesome.

    The Pendulum Golem seemed unwilling to be personally involved. He pointed his staff forwards, ¡°Engage!¡± And with that, multipleyers of enemies surrounded him.

    "Cover me, Andrea!" Brendel bellowed, his sword slicing apart the Marite Swordsman before him.

    The vampire girl nced at him, speaking in an irritable tone as is she did not want to bother about the entire situation, ¡°Got it.¡±

    With a flick of her wrist, a Magic Array began to light up, as well as arge ck that trapped more than half of all their enemies.

    It was the Abyss Web, a Dark Element spell that inflicts enemies caught in it with slow, blindness, pain, blindness, pain, deafness, weakening and other debuffs. In any case, it was an overpowered skill. But it had to be, if not, who would be willing to use a spell with such a long cast time?

    Immediately, Brendel felt the overwhelmingness lessen. On the other hand, the Pendulum Golem frowned. And that was the first time Brendel had seen the machinery form any sort of emotion. He turned to look at Andrea before raising its staff,manding two Death Sentinels to charge at the girl.

    Normally, a spellcaster would activate a protection spell while slowly retreating in an attempt to counter closebatants.

    But Andrea was clearly not normal. She spliced her thumb with a bite, beads of blood forming like rubies on her hand. And with a swing of her arm, the fresh blood formed a crescent arc that shrank mid-air, turning into two slender swords that fell into her hands.

    She flourished them once, allowing the twin blood-red swords to reflect the light from Brendel¡¯s illuminating crystal; the des were ss-like and could be seen through. Finally, she moved sideways and gave out the first hint of her capability as a warrior. She was weaker than the typical Gold-ranker, but stronger than the typical Silver-ranker. They were glistening like jewels, with a shade of scarlet that came signified the fresh blood.

    She stepped back. Compared to her talent in Array casting, her abilities as a Warrior was between Silver and Gold-rank. But what was miraculous was her ability to still use magic while sword fighting. It was not long until a certain ck mist began to shroud Death Sentinels¡¯ heads. There were multiple shes of green light, evident that they had gotten a lot of debuffs.

    Originally early-stage Gold-rankers, the two were weakened to be the same level as Andrea, if not weaker than her.

    But there was a drawback to spellcasting. With each time she cast a spell, Andrea¡¯s face gotten even paler. It may be that she was sacrificing her lifeforce each time she cast a spell.

    Brendel was keeping an eye on her, and noticing that she was struggling against two Death Sentinels, she telepathically transmitted, "Draw them nearer to me."

    Although he was currently being surrounded byyers of enemies, he could not stand looking at his femalerade getting bullied by outsiders.

    But he did not expect her response, ¡°Hmph!"

    She was displeased for being slighted by Brendel.

    She stopped suddenly and outstretched her right hand. Red lights glowed in her eyes while she rumbled, "Blood evaporation!"

    In a sudden, the two Death Sentinels were grunting in pain, countless beads of blood started to leak out of their bodies and spiral towards Andrea, forming a swirling ball of blood in her palms before evaporating to nothingness. Herplexion also improved, her rosy cheeks regaining its color once more.

    With that attack just now, she became a lot faster and swiftly finished off the two Sentinels. It was just that, with that attack, she could not hold out anymore. She was using both of her swords to support herself on the ground, panting heavily in the meantime.

    It seems that she was no longer fit forbat.

 volume 3 - c246

    Dark Adversity, Pure White Paradise

    After losing Andrea¡¯s assistance, Brendel felt the pressure of the onught increase. The monsters affected by Abyss Web were useless on the battlefield. They were slowed, blinded, and their health was bleeding away. However, Brendel could feel the effects of the spell weakening as it reached its duration.

    Andrea offered to summon her underlings to the battlefield, but Brendel rejected the idea after some thought. Low-leveled underlings had no ce in fights of this scale.

    The rejected vampiress clicked her tongue in annoyance. Seeing that Brendel was still resisting, the Pendulum Golem threw out another card, summoning a four-armed female mage with metallic-grey skin and a tall frame. She was at least two heads taller than the average person, boasting a long and slender neck. Her head waspletely bald, allowing the protruding nerves on her scalp to be seen by all. Her face and shoulders were also decorated with strange patterns.

    Brendel was wondering if this was the Ekronian Spellweaver. Before he couldplete the thought, the Ekronian Spellweaver, with a staff in one hand, started weaving mysterious runes, and invisible bindings wrapped around Brendel.

    However, before the bindings could activate properly, it disappeared without a trace. Brendel couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. You idiot! Didn¡¯t you know that spells below ten circles are ineffective against me! However, the Pendulum Golem threw out another card before Brendel could stopughing.

    ¡°Death Sentinels!¡±

    Another gate of blinding light appeared, and out came ten more ck-armored soldiers. Not only that, every creature that had been defeated was reced by another Death Sentinel. Soon, there were even more Death Sentinels than before.

    ¡°Shit! They just keeping!¡± Brendel was frustrated at the Golem¡¯s seemingly endless hand of cards. Normally, it was the yer who had plethoras of tactics and methods to deal with the Boss, but today he was the one being toyed with.

    Brendel activated his neswalker system, preparing to pull out a card as his final struggle.

    Suddenly, a voice rang out from within the darkness, ¡°You Pendulum monster, when did this be your territory? What gives you the right to act so high and mighty?¡± Brendel turned to the voice and saw a Spear of Light pierce through the darkness, hitting a Death Sentinel square in the chest. The Spear seemed to be specially made to attack Dark creatures, as divine mes scorched the Death Sentinel¡¯s body, reducing him to a pile of smoldering ash.

    What¡¯s going on?

    Momentarily stunned, Brendel saw a tall and slenderdy walk into the light, a warm glow emanating from her body. To be more precise, only her top half was human, her lower half was that of a white doe. Normally, hybrid creatures such as these were known as demons in the game. The doe demoness wore a white feather ornament on her crown and wielded a Spear of Light in her hand. Her bust was covered by a sash, showing off her lithe hips. Her lips were pursed, and the ghost of a smile could be faintly detected. Her golden hair cascaded down her shoulders, giving her the appeal of a goddess.

    The doe demoness was constantly emitting a soft glow, chasing away the shadows within the room. She walked to Brendel¡¯s side, like she was hisrade, and said, ¡°Pendulum monster, isn¡¯t he a neswalker? How dare you treat our guest this rudely?¡±

    The sudden twist of events left Brendel and Orthylss shocked, only Andrea seemed undisturbed by the circumstances. The Pendulum Golem obviously knew who the neer was. His facial expression twitched slightly. ¡°Hmph. Ina, I don¡¯t mind that you¡¯re always butting heads with me. But even in front of an outsider, you want to show me your traitorous back?¡±

    After hearing that, the doe demoness Ina doubled over withughter. ¡°What traitor? You make it sound so serious. When our master enforced the ban, he merely said that normal people are not allowed to enter. But this handsome young man obviously has the right qualifications. Pendulum monster, do you really want our Master¡¯s legacy to be forgotten?¡±

    Brendel felt that there was a deeper meaning to the word ¡°legacy¡± for the people in this world. Even the Pendulum Golem paused to think seriously for a moment. In the end, he shook his head, ¡°As long as our master does not give his permission, no is no.¡±

    The golem started preparing for its next move.

    ¡°So narrow-minded. Fine, I¡¯ll beat you into submission. After all, I didn¡¯t think you would agree anyway.¡± Even though the demoness looked friendly, she actually enjoyed violence. She would use the slightest excuse to start a fight. Brendel was worried by the two¡¯s exchange of words. What is wrong with these two people? What is happening? Brendel thought that it was strange enough that there was an array so big under a nameless tomb.

    He hurriedly grabbed Ina and said, ¡°Wait a second! What is going on here?¡± Unfortunately for Brendel, due to Ina¡¯s height, his hand ended up at an inappropriate spot on her body. Ina was taken aback by Brendel¡¯s actions. She stared at his awkwardly positioned hand and smiled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, young man? Interested in me? Let¡¯s discuss this matter somewhere private after I¡¯m done here.¡±

    ¡°You shameless bastard!¡± Orthylss¡¯s voice echoed in Brendel¡¯s head. ¡°Wait... Brendel, could it be that you¡¯re actually going to ¡®discuss¡¯ with her?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Brendel yelled back and rolled his eyes at her. He said to the doe demoness, ¡°Thisdy, I don¡¯t think we are acquainted yet?¡±

    ¡°So that was the problem. It¡¯s fine since you are that Pendulum Golem¡¯s enemy, which means I¡¯m on your side. Allow this sister to help you to defeat this wooden brain. It¡¯s been here for so long that it has already rusted!¡± Ina said confidently.

    What exactly is going on?! Brendel¡¯s head was spinning at the sudden turn of events. However, he doubted the demoness¡¯s boasting. If she were really able to beat the Golem up whenever she liked, why would she look so cautious? Thisdy was obviously trying to use Brendel to get back at the Pendulum Golem.

    Brendel had seen this a lot of times, so he would not be tricked so easily.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Seeing that she could not convince him, she shrugged, ¡°No matter what, the wooden brain won¡¯t let you go. If we join forces to subdue him, only then will he be willing to converse with you. Can you ept this reason? You sly little fellow?¡±

    That¡¯s reasonable. Brendel saw that the Pendulum Golem was preparing to attack. He replied coolly, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll fight by your side, but don¡¯t expect me to trust you just yet.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s some big talk, but I¡¯ll go along with your wishes,¡± Ina chuckled in reply. She couldn¡¯t resist one more question, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯d get mad and walk away? This metalhead might have a rusted brain, but he is still a formidable opponent you cannot hope to defeat.¡±

    Brendel nced at her. Normally, he would not try to converse with creatures whose backgrounds are unknown. However, he really needed the help right now, and he could detect a familiar aura about the demoness as well as the Golem. It was the aura of a neswalker.

    But he was sure neither of them were neswalkers.

    Brendel suspected that both of them were ties to neswalker Kelsie and his legacy, so he was willing to put up with this chatter for now.

    He thought for a moment before replying, ¡°Even if you leave, I¡¯ll still be fine. After all, I have the most faith in myself, plus I don¡¯t think that I¡¯m not a match for that Pendulum Golem.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Ina raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°I suppose I shall see for myself.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re done with the bullshit, then start your attacks,¡± the Pendulum Golem interrupted them. It snickered coldly, ¡°An ¡®apprentice¡¯ who uses a sword and an immature creature im that they can beat me, what a joke. Ina, once I¡¯m done dealing with this fellow, I¡¯ll let you know the price of betrayal.¡±

    Once the Golem¡¯s deep metallic voice faded, it raised its brass staff, and the ground started trembling. A beetle with a metal carapace broke through the ground¡¯s surface. A closer look from Brendel confirmed that it was actually a beetle-shaped automaton. It was a ball of metal with three pairs of ws attached to it.

    Once the automatons appeared, the cog above the Pendulum Golem started spinning.

    ¡°Be careful,¡± Ina warned Brendel as a friendly neighbor would. ¡°The card it is casting is from the deck known as Adversity of Darkness. That thing above his head is the core of the deck. Using its special ability, it can link all the other cards in the deck.¡±

    Brendel took a look at her. ¡°Your¡¯s is Paradise of Purity, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Ina was slightly taken aback. ¡°So you do know? Indeed it is,¡± She nodded proudly.

    She raised her hand and waved. Three shining cards descended from the skies. Once the white light disappeared, a white-robed, barefooted teen holding a trumpet appeared by her side. On her other side was a pure white grimoire floating in midair. Lastly, a soldier covered in white armor stepped out of the gate wielding a spear in its hands.

    ¡°Glorious Trumpeter, Grimoire of Life, Glorious Sentinels. These are my cards,¡± Ina pointed at each of her summonses, introducing them to Brendel.

 volume 3 - c247

    Battle of Light and Darkness

    Once Ina¡¯s summons appeared, the Pendulum Golem immediately stopped talking andmenced his offense.

    It raised its bronze staff, and a curtain of darkness materialized behind him. Tendrils of shadows drifted within the darkness, emitting an aura of decadence. As it raised its chain-covered ar, a bolt of darkness shot towards Brendel.

    ¡°Careful,¡± Ina gave a quick warning. ¡°That is his ¡®Decay¡¯ ability. It will cause us to lose our Cards quickly. The spell he cast is Assassinate. Can you deal with that spell?¡±

    Before she could even finish her sentence, Brendel had already cast the Mana Loss spell. He obtained that spell, at the same time he saw the Cards¡¯s information.

    - Assassinate (Paradise of Adversity XIII)

    - Consumes 5 Dark EP

    - Spell - Instant

    - Targets one of the opponent¡¯s Creatures or Artifact, and forcefully discards it. Assassinate deals damage equivalent to the spell¡¯s cost.

    This Cards is only useful against neswalkers. Brendel thought to himself. Brendel decided to cast the spell at the cog above the Pendulum Golem¡¯s head, however, a shimmering barrier appeared around the cog, wasting Brendel¡¯s counterattack. That was Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring. The cog must be very important if the Pendulum Golem was willing to use up a Cards to protect it. It stared at Brendel for a moment. It did not think that Brendel had such a Cards up his sleeve, so it dared not use any more simr spells.

    At the same time, Ina expelled a ray of golden light at the curtain of darkness and destroyed it.

    The two of them had the advantage in numbers as well as spellcasting.

    However, the Pendulum Golem did not seem to worry at all, instead, it pointed at Ina and Brendel,manding his Death Sentinels to attack. It was obvious that Ina and the Pendulum Golem were old enemies as neither were surprised at the other¡¯s actions. Ina brandished her spear, and her Glorious Sentinels engaged with the enemy forces.

    The ck Death Sentinels wore the barest of armors, wielding swords that had hooks on it. One could obviously tell that they were tactical soldiers who were offense-oriented. The Glorious Sentinels were the exact opposite as they wore sets of white heavy armor while holding longshields in one hand and halberds in the other, marking them as battle-savvy soldiers who focused on defense.

    The two forces of opposing colors shed against each other, one defending while the other attacked, it was nearly impossible to judge who had the upper hand. Even though there were less Glorious Sentinels, the Grimoire yed the role of a healer, constantly summoning halos of light over allies, allowing the Glorious Sentinels to push back the Death Sentinels through pure endurance. As they advanced slowly, the number of Cards in the Pendulum Golem¡¯s Graveyard started to umte.

    The Pendulum Golem did not seem rmed at all. It pointed its finger, and another spell was cast at the oing Glorious Sentinels.

    The spell was simr to Andrea¡¯s Abyss Web, however, it was manifested in the form of a dark fog, nketing the battlefield, causing the Glorious Sentinels to lose all their buffs, instead, they were now afflicted with Weakness, Slow, Blind and other various ailments.

    ¡°Drowning Sorrow, it reverses all buffs,¡± Ina exined while shooting a beam of cleansing light. The beam hit her soldiers and removed all status effects, both beneficial and detrimental, proving that it was an expelling spell.

    However, Brendel noticed that Ina had never once exined her own Cards. Brendel smiled dryly to himself. What a shrewd woman.

    The exchanging of spells by both sides caused all status effects to be removed. However, this meant that the Glorious Sentinels, who had fewer numbers, were at a disadvantage. Ina couldn¡¯t hold in her nerves and started stomping her hooves. She turned to the teen with the trumpet and ordered, ¡°Reno, sound the horn!¡± The white-robed teen stepped forward. He had beautiful curls on his head and a sweet face, like an angel straight out of the Bible. He puffed out his rosy cheeks and blew the horn. As the horn resonated through the area, the beating of wings could be heard. Soon after, a giant tinum dragon flew out of the darkness andnded on the battlefield.

    ¡°Shit, that horn can summon dragons?!¡± Brendel was startled by the dragon¡¯s appearance. As if reading his mind, Ina looked at him and batted her eyshes, not answering his question, as if she were teasing him. Brendel clenched his teeth. You damn demon!

    After Reno finished blowing his horn, he sat down with a beat red face,pletely exhausted. The summoned tinum Dragon was not as intimidating as the actual dragon race, or perhaps it had yet to fully mature. Brendel guessed that its battle power was around level 60 to 70, which was around the level where it would develop its Elemental Power. Of course, its level was definitely sufficient to overpower the Death Sentinels, and soon enough the ground was littered with corpses of the Death Sentinels.

    Brendel let out a sigh of relief. He had not expected Ina to be so strong, to the point where she could push back the Pendulum Golem. Despite that, he still did not think the battle would be won so easily. It turned out as he thought as Ina recalled her tinum Dragon despite having the edge at the moment.

    Brendel did not question her decision as he believed that both of them knew each other¡¯s moves well enough to not make any dumb mistakes.

    He saw the Pendulum Golem pull out another Death Sentinel Cards, and he saw the scene of the Death Sentinel summoning again. Every unit was reced by a Death Sentinel, but now there were ten more of them. Had Ina not recalled her tinum Dragon, it would have been trapped like Brendel had been before.

    ¡°Damn it,¡± Brendel wiped his brow. This Cards is extremely hard to deal with.

    After the Death Sentinels had been summoned, the Pendulum Golem summoned yet another Cards. This time it was a Devil, who went on to engage in battle with the tinum Dragon. It looked exactly like a Devil from Hell, but it had cyan skin instead of red, and its body exhumed cold mes that were turquoise. Brendel had never seen such a creature before, but it possessed tremendous power as it managed to fight the tinum Dragon to a standstill. The Pendulum Golem started to summon more Ekronian Spellweavers. Soon there were another four more of those four-armed Spellweavers.

    ¡°What is he doing?¡± Brendel was not in a rush to join as he wanted to observe how neswalkers fought. He could not hold in his question after seeing what happened. He possessed the Ekronian Spellweaver Cards as well, but it was only level 25, so he could not think of how it could y a role in this particr battlefield.

    Ina summoned another two more Glorious Trumpeters. All of them looked identical, having the same handsome face that made Brendel feel inferior to his own appearance. Hearing his question, she replied, ¡°He is trying to filter the Light.¡±

    ¡°Filter the Light?¡±

    ¡°It means converting the Dark Element into Light Element. Hmph, without the Paradise of Purity, it has to resort to such crude methods to collect Light EP, the Adversity of Darkness is trulycking.¡± Having its pride wounded, the Pendulum Golem let out a retort, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the same? The Paradise of Purity can only defend, all you are doing is dying your inevitable defeat.¡±

    Even as they fought the battle of words, their hands did not stop summoning creatures. Through the Glorious Trumpeters, Ina summoned another two powerful creatures. One was an Armoured White Elephant, and the other was Gleaming Giant Eagle. Only then did Brendel understand the role of the Glorious Trumpeters. It seemed that they could call upon any Cards from the summoner¡¯s deck, and not that they had some sort of neswalking ability. Even so, it was an extremely valuable ability.

    For example, the tinum Angel in his deck needed nearly 100 EP to summon, which he had no way to obtain.

    But if he had the Glorious Trumpeter, then he could summon the tinum Angel for free. The only problem was that he did not know the cost of the Glorious Trumpeter. If it was too high, then it would rather useless.

    Thanks to the Glorious Trumpeters, Ina¡¯s creatures had the obvious upper hand against the Pendulum Golem. However, the Pendulum Golem still had some tricks up its sleeve. It summoned those beetle-like automatons, after a specific time it would duplicate itself, and these automatons had the ability to create extremely powerful balls of lightning. Every time one of those lightning balls were fired, one of Ina¡¯s summons was finished off.

    It was as the Pendulum Golem said, Ina had the superior defense, but shecked offensive firepower. If this went on, defeat was imminent.

    ¡°What is that lightning ball? Why is it so strong?¡± After some observation, Brendel found out the answer. The beetle-like automatons actually have an extremely weak constitution, it was at most level 20, not even silver rank, it could be considered as trash among the trash. However, its attack power was off the charts, much more than what a monster at the peak of silver rank could attain.

    Even though there are monsters whose attack power is extremely strong, none of them can skip so many ranks.

    Brendel felt that it was simr to his Dragon Knight Battle Technique. The Wind Spirit Spiders were originally extremely weak, yet the Holy Sword Technique could make their offensive ability increase by several ranks.

    ¡°Those lightning balls are that Pendulum monster¡¯s spells. As long as there are Nightmare Forges on the battlefield, then the lightning balls will continue to appear. It is one of the Pendulum monster¡¯s two trump Cards.¡± Brendel wanted to ask what its trump Cards were, but instead, he asked, ¡°Nightmare Forges?¡±

    ¡°They are those metal beetles. Known as Nightmare Forges, they were created using Ekronia¡¯s Furnace of Adversity.¡±

    So it¡¯s like that. Brendel thought that the way these metal beetles worked was simr to his Dragon Knight Battle Technique, it was no wonder that they were so strong. At that moment, Ina had more bad news to share. ¡°Not only that, but they can also create clones by consuming the Light Element. If we drag this out any longer, we are bound to lose.¡±

    Ina let out a sudden cry of surprise as she realized that there were more Nightmare Forges hiding behind the Pendulum Golem.

    ¡°That damn metal head dares to use these underhanded methods against me!¡± Ina eximed with much anger in her voice.

 volume 3 - c248

    Graveyard Reborns, Victory and Loss Both Sides of The Same Coin

    Ina cursed under her breath and sighed with a worried expression on her face.

    ¡°That Pendulum monster is right. The Paradise of Purity has unparalleled defense, but its offense leaves much to be desired for. In fact, I have never won against it before. Boy, you have been watching for quite some time now. Isn¡¯t it time you did something?¡±

    Brendel nodded. A green glow cast upon his face with the Card of Fate¡¯s information floating on it. He ced a certain card in his hand and pressed it lightly.

    ¡°There is something I can do, but you have to buy me some time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to reduce the number of Nightmare Forges, but it wille at a hefty cost,¡± Ina stared at him for a moment before saying. She pointed her finger, and the tinum Dragon abandoned its opponent, instead charging towards the Pendulum Golem. The Devil raised its cold-me greatsword, cleaving down on the dragon¡¯s back. The tinum Dragon let out a thunderous roar of pain, but it continued to thrash on the ground. The Pendulum Golem dared not try to stop it, so it could only look at its Nightmare Forges get destroyed. Due to the difference in size, the Nightmare Forges were annihted within seconds.

    However, a price had to be paid. The Devil, wrathed in blue mes, walked towards the tinum Dragon. The dragon, with its wound gushing golden blood, had its back pierced by the Devil once more, the cold mes engulfing its heart. The magnificent creature raised its head, a look of unwillingness in its eyes, and bit down on the Devil¡¯s muscr neck. However, the dragon had long lost its strength. Its teeth slid off, leaving only light wounds on the Devil¡¯s neck.

    There the dragony unmoving, like a mountain in the middle of ake of gold.

    ¡°Ina, this youngster has made you rash. Now that your tinum Dragon is out of the way, my victory has been assured,¡± the Pendulum Golem sneered.

    Brendel felt strange that the deerdy was so silent. He turned around to look at her, only to see her grinding her teeth.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he apologized.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ina let out a sigh. ¡°That monster¡¯s monotonous look is pissing me off, like it thinks it can represent master. That¡¯s not how master is! I know that neswalkers are supposed have noble beliefs and persistence. So what if it is good at calcting? I¡¯m going to teach that thing a lesson and let him know how wrong he is!¡± Ina clenched her fist, anger shing in her eyes.

    For the first time, Brendel was not annoyed by her.

    He ced his palm once more on the card, staring into its pitch-ck depth, its color like the mes of hell. Its color meant that it was a contract card. Brendel felt a prickly cold feeling emit from the card, and the connection between the neswalker and Law started to build.

    This card was not his only Dark creature. The card depicted a Bone Dragon who was being revived, depicting death and defeat.

    The card was Graveyard Revival. The Dark element flowed around Brendel as he tapped on Rougen¡¯s Swamp, Forest of Death, Water of Forsaken City. A total of 5 Dark EP flowed into his Elemental Pools. The Elemental energy activated the effects of Law, opening a gateway to another world.

    Cards flew out from the Graveyard. His eyes nced past his strongest Firew Chieftain and his favorite Wind Spirit Spiders. Instead, he picked out a white card, Pristine Archangels. ck tendrils of energy was injected into the card by Graveyard Revival, and the Pristine Archangels¡¯ corpse was reanimated by that corrupted energy. Its wings were pitch ck, skin as white as bones, and its eyes blood red. The Archangels, once holy, had been brought back with the ¡®Undead¡¯ status.

    A ball of mercury with orbiting brass tracks appeared from beneath Brendel¡¯s cloak. He inserted three fingers in the ball, and paid 5 Fire EP.

    The Archangels¡¯ silhouette appeared in the Eternal Orb. Both the Archangels stepped into the battlefield, and their summoning effects activated.

    ¡°When Pristine Archangel enters the battlefield, pick a card from the Graveyard and put it into your deck.¡±

    -Firew chieftain has been summoned.

    -Wind Spirit Spiders have been summoned.

    It was a magnificent sight. Green portals appeared all over the room as the Wind Spirit Spiders were summoned. Brendel was the first neswalker to enter that ce in over a thousand years. Both Ina and the Pendulum Golem couldn¡¯t help but stare at the grand army before them.

    ¡°My lord, where are your enemies?¡± Ropar the Firew Lizard Chieftain wielded a ming trident, his eye slits carrying the coldness of a reptile. With only his stare, he managed to freeze the Death Sentinels in ce. Dark creatures are naturally afraid of fire. While the Death Sentinels may not have a consciousness, they still couldn¡¯t ovee their nature.

    ¡°So you still had some strong summons!¡± Ina shouted with glee. ¡°Good! Attack the Nightmare Forges! I¡¯ll defend, you attack, as long as you can break its defense, we still stand a chance of victory!¡±

    ¡°Destroy the Nightmare Forges,¡± Brendelmanded.

    Ropar rushed headfirst into the enemy lines. He was a whirlwind of fire. Even though he was only a few levels above the Death Sentinels, the Fire element gave him a huge advantage. ¡°Petty tricks!¡± The Pendulum Golem snarled, raising its hand and pressing itsst Death Sentinel card on the scales.

    The already crowded battlefield suddenly became a sea of ck bodies. The Pendulum Golem was trying to ovee its weaknesses with sheer numbers, but before he could boast, a purple web appeared from the skies, trapping the Death Sentinels. Andrea had recovered at that moment too, thus she rejoined the battle. Of course, she still wore a bored expression, like this high-level spell was nothing to her.

    The battle raged on, but very quickly, the Devil writhed in green mes came face to face with Ropar. Even though it was injured by the tinum Dragon, its Summoning element was not a good match for Ropar. Before Brendel couldmand his Undead Pristine Archangels to distract it, Ina said, ¡°Leave that one to me.¡±

    She ced her hand on her Grimoire of Life and said, ¡°Sacrifice.¡±

    Brendel was shocked. The Grimoire of Life was the core summon of the Paradise of Purity, it could fully recover all the health and energy of every ally creature on the field. Upon using it, if they could not win the battle quickly, they were bound to fail.

    However, Ina was firm with her decision. She tore apart her Grimoire, while its energy transformed into a ray of light that epassed the entire field, fully healing every friendly creature, including the tinum Dragon. It opened its wings, roaring out loud, proving that it was alive.

    ¡°Holy Shit!¡± Brendel could not suppress his surprise.

    Ina turned around, her expression pinched. ¡°Without the Grimoire, my deck has lost its core power, so I won¡¯t be able tost long. Boy, I have created this opportunity for you, can you defeat the Pendulum Golem quickly? If you can¡¯t, then it¡¯s better if we escaped.¡±

    Brendel looked at Ina, his hand resting on the hilt of Halran Gaia. He was slightly conflicted. There was a chance to win, but he still needed more time.

    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Ina was calmer than Brendel had expected. She managed to discern his thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re waiting for a chance to draw a card, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re setting up for your next move?¡±

    ¡°You have a sure-win card in your deck?¡± Ina bombarded Brendel with questions.

    Smartdy. Brendel nodded his head.

    ¡°What are the chances of drawing it?¡±

    Brendel was waiting for Holy Swords.

    He could tell that the Pendulum Golem really admired a neswalker¡¯s abilities. In truth, the Pendulum Golem¡¯s own true power was much more than what it was showing with its neswalking. But if Brendel was given a chance, if he could destroy the Golem¡¯s core, then both him and Ina stood a chance at victory.

    ¡°I only have a few cards left in my deck. The chances that I will draw that card is extremely high.¡±

    ¡°Your next draw is in 15 minutes, I don¡¯t think we can hold out for that long.¡± Ina clenched her teeth before saying, ¡°Aha! I have an idea! Check out my barrier.¡±

    A glowing curtain of light appeared behind Ina.

    - elerated Thoughts (Paradise of Adversity)

    - 22 Light or Dark EP

    - Barrier

    - Effect: When this card is used, draw 3 cards from the summoner¡¯s deck. Before the next time this Card is reactivated, shuffle 8 cards from the hand into the deck.

    - ¡°Acting fast is the advantage of the battlefield.¡±

 volume 3 - c249

    The Final Adversity; Millenia of Pain

    - elerated Thoughts (Paradise of Adversity)

    - Consumes 22 Light or Dark EP

    - Barrier

    - Effect: When this card is used, draw 3 cards from the summoner¡¯s deck. Before the next time this Card is reactivated, shuffle 8 cards from the hand into the deck.

    - ¡°Acting fast is the advantage of the battlefield.¡±

    Once the card was activated, a faint glimmer appeared on Brendel¡¯s eyelids, revealing to him to Cards. The grey card was Holy Swords, and the white card was Silver Colt. There were only two Cards, because Brendel knew very clearly that there were only two cards left in his deck, so the chances of getting either were the same.

    He tentatively drew the Card.

    This was the first card he received sinceing to this world. The Holy Sword represented a Knight¡¯s firm belief. Its light could be felt by the heart. This sword had been with him throughout his journey: from the time he led the people of Riedon out of the siege, to the time he swore his oath, to when he conquerednds and painting battlefields blood red. As he walked down the road he swore on, with the goal yet to be reached, the sword would not be sheathed.

    Brendel ced two fingers on the card, like a famous knight testing his sword, its de cold like ice, shining with a frosty light.

    He ced the card horizontally and said, ¡°Attach to Wind Spirit Spiders.¡±

    ¡°Lady Ina.¡±

    As Brendel¡¯s voice rang out, the skies seem to light up with small sparks and golden light encasing the Wind Spirit Spiders. Ina looked up, the sight was as if a wall of fire painting the night sky, weaving and intertwining to form a of mes.

    ¡°How are there of Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Such beauty,¡± Ina raised her head and sincerely praised the sight before her eyes. Her eyes were just as pretty as the starry sky, especially when she smiled. ¡°Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring. In the Paradise of Adversity deck, there are four of them. I have two of them, while the Pendulum monster has two as well.¡± The doe demoness seemed to know what Brendel sought to know, providing a detailed exnation for him.

    ¡°Shut up! You dare tell an outsider information about our master¡¯s deck? Ina, your actions clearly betray the master¡¯s expectations! How disappointed I am!¡± The Pendulum Golem interrupted coldly.

    Ina raised her head and red at the Pendulum Golem silently. She used her most condescending gaze to convey her message. Pendulum Golem, you do not represent our master¡¯s ideals. The Paradise of Adversity has been dormant for too long, it is time for a new sessor, lest it be lost under the earth in an evesting slumber.

    The two of them held each other¡¯s gaze for only a moment. For thousands of years, neither of them could convince the other, and today would be no exception.

    Even though Ina said only a few words, Brendel had gotten the message. Communicating with intelligent people truly requires little words. It was the first time Brendel agreed with that logic. He tried to remainposed, but it was hard to suppress the sh of excitement. At longst, the chance he was waiting for would present itself. The Pendulum Golem had two Anrolda¡¯s Divine Rings, but one had already been used against Assassinate, and the other was now in its hands.

    Even though Brendel did not know how the card ended up on Half-crystallized Leder, he was satisfied with knowing the results. The Holy Sword had already been ignited, and he had chosen the Pendulum Golem¡¯s Nightmare Forges as his target. He intended to destroy the floating cog above the monster¡¯s head, but he needed to test its defenses first.

    Despite knowing that the Pendulum Golem would not have another chance at using Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring, Brendel still wanted to y it safe. There were two methods of gambling; one was to act like a loser and charge in recklessly, the other was to set up an intricate strategy and advance step by step.

    He rested Halran Gaia¡¯s de tip on the ground and watched the bright mes pour from above, forming golden streams that flowed onto the dome overhead. The mes were directed by a beam of light that scorched the earth. Whenever the beam touched one of the Nightmare Forges, a sizzling sound could be heard. The automatons¡¯ defenses were rming as a single beam of light could not melt through its exoskeleton, but as more golden beams appeared, the creatures could do naught but shriek as it melted into a puddle.

    The golden mes were reflected on the Pendulum Golem¡¯s face, which looked as if that was its first time being in a pinch. It braced against its staff, the pendulum beneath its cloak ticking away, as if it was desperately trying to figure a way out of this mess. Atst it gave itsmand, and the Death Sentinels left the battlefield, ignoring the onught of Ina¡¯s creatures, instead mbering towards the golden me pir.

    It was a sight to behold.

    They were creatures of the darkness, yet they threw themselves into the golden ze like moths to a me, turning into ash within instants. Even if they could only buy a millisecond of time, they had to prevent the Holy Swords from advancing any further. A blink of an eye was all that was required, and the Pendulum Golem managed to salvage ten of its Nightmare Forges and recall them.

    ¡°Are you mad, you Pendulum monster? That¡¯s not how you use Cards of Fate!¡± Ina couldn¡¯t help furrowing her eyebrows, at the same time turning her head and whispering, ¡°That metal brain is panicking. Little one, keep going, victory is within sight!¡±

    This woman.

    Brendel thought that this woman was always contradicting herself, but he nodded his head, as it was the time for the final push.

    ¡°What do you know?¡± The Pendulum Golem sneered, ¡°This is a game of chess between neswalkers, every move has been well calcted. Just as time flows, everything was calcted down to the very second. This was the art Master showed us since thousands of years ago. Yet you never understood it a single bit. Today I will show you just what is adversity.¡±[T/L: reference to his deck.]

    The Pendulum Golem¡¯s words made Brendel shudder slightly. He took a look at the enemy¡¯s expression. It was not a look of defeat, rather there was a fierce determination branded in its expression. Brendel frowned. This doesn¡¯t seem like the look of someone who is losing. Does he have another finishing move? Brendel dared not dally any longer, he had tested its defenses enough. The enemy was willing to sacrifice its creatures to stop his Holy Sword, signaling that it was time tomence the final attack. He raised his eyes to the ceiling. The Wind Spirit Spiders took aim, hanging onto the Holy Sword, and fired at the cog above the Pendulum Golem.

    With one shot, it broke into pieces.

    ¡°I order my summons to advance.¡± At the same time, Ina too had given the order to press forward with all their might.

    The Pendulum Golem¡¯s expression remained calm, as if it would never admit its loss until the veryst moment. It raised its bronze staff, and the Death Sentinels began to copse, at the same time the Ekronian Spellweavers who had been drained of energy started to stand up again. The Pendulum Golem redeployed the Spellweavers who started filtering the Light Element for it again, allowing the Nightmare Forges to multiply again.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Ina locked her eyebrows together. ¡°It¡¯s using Sacrifice, the power of Ekronia¡¯s Furnace of Adversity! If it continues on, the Pendulum monster is going to die! Quick, stop the Nightmare Forges from multiplying!¡±

    It was already toote for Brendel to stop his attack. The golden pir had already decided on its target and he was determined to destroy that cog. If the core was destroyed, then the Pendulum Golem could summon as many useless Nightmare Forges as it wanted to. The victory was so close that he refused to believe the Pendulum Golem still had a way out.

    The cog dodged in midair, but the cascade of molten metal kept on advancing. Just another hair¡¯s breadth, and the cog would have been destroyed. However, never had Brendel imagined that a wall would suddenly be erected between him and victory.

    That wall was the expressionless Pendulum Golem.

    The Pendulum Golem stood in the middle of the mes, directing a victorious look at Brendel and Ina.

    But what truly made Brendel¡¯s eyes pop out was that it willingly dispelled its magic defenses, relying solely on its own life force to withstand the attack. Its cloak was disintegrated within seconds, and nearly half of its body had been turned into ash, yet his face betrayed not the faintest hint of pain, only gripping the bronze staff tighter in its right hand.

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡±

    Ina was utterly shocked and couldn¡¯t resist crying out. She would never even have dreamt that it would make such a decision. But what perplexed her the most was its decision to deactivate its magic defenses. After being fellow disciples for so long, she understood the enemy¡¯s powers very well. If the Pendulum Golem used its full power to block the attack, it would not even suffer a single scratch.

    Ina¡¯s surprise was replied with a chuckle.

    The Pendulum Golem¡¯s crippled body stood among its summoned creatures and gave a smirk. Despite being wobbly on its feet, its smirk conveyed its utmost disdain towards its enemies. ¡°It seems that you have forgotten Master¡¯s first lesson, Ina. In moments of defeat, a neswalker must sacrifice themselves to protect the most important yet fragile card. If you do not include yourself in the game, then you have already lost a valuable piece.¡±

    ¡°Now, you lose,¡± the Pendulum Golem raised its chin smugly. Behind it was over forty Nightmare Forges, which were his final troops.

    The cog above its head started to spin and fly higher. It started to expand, until it had turned into a steel door whose size was iparable to anything. From the door appeared a gargantuan shadow. A hill had just appeared in midair. Brendel¡¯s unlimited imagination and the strange body on the hillbined to form an ever-changing scenery. The hill seemed as if it had some sort of life to it. It merely floated, yet everyone could feel a chilling gaze from the top of the mount pressing down on all of them.

    Brendel¡¯s face turned white as soon as he saw it. This was the Ancient Devil from the legends, one of the strongest immortals to have ever lived: Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.

    - Emrakul, the Aeons Torn (Paradise of Adversity XXII)

    - 500 Will

    - Creature --- Legendary creature / Elrazi

    - Effect: Emrakul, the Aeons Torn nullifies all physical attacks. When Emrakul is summoned, time flows twice as slowly for the summoner. Flight. Anti-colored spell protection. Immunity against Elemental spells. Annihtion 6. When Emrakul is sent to the Graveyard, the owner shuffles the Graveyard into their deck.

    - Anti-colored spell protection: Nullifies all colored spells (required to sacrifice cards that are Dark, Light, Nature or the other four elements) and their effects, (required to sacrifice summoning cards that are Dark, Light, Nature or the other four elements) creatures also cannot deal any damage.

    - Annihtion 6: Every time Emrakul attacks, the target must sacrifice six cards

 volume 3 - c250

    Unyielding Integrity and The Golden g

    As the Pendulum Golem made itsst stand, Ina was shaking from the boiling rage within her. Her hazel colored eyes seemed to be emanating rage, ¡°You pendulum idiot! There was no need to remove your defenses! You bastard! Don¡¯t you want to live anymore?!¡±

    The Pendulum Golem¡¯s body was creaking, yet he stood tall to speak to hispanion, "My dearrade, all this that is going on is a battle between the neswalkers. It had always been since the beginning of the century. And we can do nothing but to obey it. Master had pursued such a world her entire life, existences like her, who can simply utilize the Laws of the world. As such, we have nothing but revere against the entire system.¡±

    The Pendulum Golem shook its head, "I may be powerful to most, but on the battlefield, we were no different.¡±

    "You paranoid bastard!" Ina stomped the ground, pointed her finger at the Pendulum Golem and shrieked, "Pendulum Beast! you will regret this! I¡¯ll defeat you this time and then I¡¯ll step on your fictional vain on the ground, you stupid fool! Apprentice neswalker, let us defeat that rin brain!"

    Brendel nced back at Ina. He more or less knew the reason she was so pissed.

    The Pendulum Golem, nearing its final moments, stood with pride at its location. The two had been fighting one another for a thousand years, but instead of saying the two as archenemies, they were friends with varying ideals. However, it was beyond Ina¡¯s imagination that it would be willing to give up its life.

    Her heart was cold, some sort of indescribable rage boiling within her. She looked back and met Brendel¡¯s sorry gaze, ¡°neswalker?¡±

    He was looking at the sky, or demise to be exact. The shadow behind the door was a myth, a creature that left its mark in The Amber Sword, The Destroyer of the ins. An unbeatable god that was born since the start of civilization.

    Just the mere presence of Emrakul, the Aeons Torn made the air so suffocating it was hard for Brendel to breathe.

    "We can¡¯t defeat this thing." he understood that his chances were zero in defeating that thing.

    "I still have another Coliseum of Fate. It¡¯s a Colorless Divine Card. It will certainly work on Emrakul. Can you defeat the Pendulum within thirty-no, twenty seconds?¡±

    "You mean those...?" Brendel¡¯s eyes turned to the remaining underlings of the Pendulum Golem. Three Devils, a few Death Sentinels, and the remaining were Nightmare Forges. Even the Devils posed a problem to him, no to mention the other troops.

    It was best to run away in this situation. But looking at ina¡¯s brightened gaze, Brendel found himself choking on his own words, "I don¡¯t know. This will be difficult and I have no confidence in winning." The truth remained stuck in his throat.

    "That¡¯s good enough a promise. I¡¯ll leave it to you I guess. It doesn¡¯t matter if we lose or win, but I hope you¡¯ll give it your all. Count it as me owing you one this time" Ina spoke softly. She arched her head back to look at the Pendulum Golem, her eyes lit up with dancing mes, "I will have to try this time regardless of anything. This may be thest fight between the two of us and I don¡¯t want to leave behind any regrets."

    "I got it," Brendel nodded. To be trusted upon by someone always made him feel pumped.

    He ced his hand on the Cards once more.

    The Pendulum Golem was watching like a bystander. It did not speak, but quietly witnessed the two as they made their final struggle. Under its control, Emrakul had already entered the battlefield. The pressure it emanated paled everyone¡¯splexion- all except for Andrea.

    Ina looked at Pendulum Golem for onest time.

    And then she threw her Card. Golden light enveloped all her summons, including Emrakul and herself. Brendel could not see what was going on beyond the veil. It was as if they got transported to another world, separated from them.

    That might actually be good.

    Brendel was relieved when the pressure was gone.

    He currently had Ropar, two undead Archangels, Andrea, and the Wind Spirit Spiders and Holy Swords. How could he fight? On his deck, he also had Sprint Drive, Golden Battle g, Ekronian Spellweaver, and Vampire Baron. But neither of them were useful in the situation. The bestbination would be summoning the Vampire Baron to give Andrea a buff, but he did not have anymore Dark EP.

    One second passed as his mental circuits fired.

    Brendel looked up to see the Golem staring back at himself --The Archangels could fly and would be able to reach the Golem directly. However, the two of them were only level 20 elites and would not be useful. Even Andrea and Ropar could not best a Devil. His only way was to use the Wind Spirit Spiders and the Holy Swords to overpower the lightning orbs, but it was necessary to deal with the Nightmare Forges first. Even if he ounted for his own participation, he did not see his victory. Despite keeping up a poker face, his thoughts were fired at high speeds.

    He did not manage to find a n that would lead him to victory, but time was already running out.

    "Screw nning. Let¡¯s go all out!." He raised his sword and sucked in arge gulp of air, "Charge!"

    Pirs of light smashed into the group of Nightmare Forges, in which multiple shots of lightning orbs were fired to counter it at the same time. The Nightmare Forges glowed a golden red, and exploded into a pile of metallic liquid. Meanwhile, battle sparks lit up the hall as the Wind Spirit Spiders fell like raindrops.

    Within the ¡®rain¡¯, Ropar and Andrea shed with the Pendulum Golem¡¯s Death Sentinels and Devils. A beam of light shed across the hall-Brendel had used the Sprint Drive card on the two of them. With that power boost, they decapitated their first victim, a Devil, in an instant.

    At the same time, Brendel was facing off against his own opponent as well. It was the Devil with a gigantic sword embedded in green mes, the one who fought against the tinum Dragon from before. The Devil was about as strong as a tinum Angel, his sword swipe sent a sharp pain ringing in Brendel¡¯s ears. He did not dare take the attack head-on and thus stepped back before activating the Nine Luminaries Sword Art. The sword cut through the illusion, pausing momentarily when the attack ended. With that slight opening, Brendel, with all his experience, activated the Dash skill atop the sword and did a flip beforending behind the Devil¡¯s back.

    As he was still mid-air, he swapped positions with one of the three illusions. Inheriting all of the original¡¯s skills, the three illusion dashed at the monster from different directions. However, the Devil was a creature that matched Veronica¡¯s skills with the sword. It shrieked and forcefully pulled back his sword, and then swung it over his head. All the illusions disappeared.

    But Brendel was already directly behind the Devil. He raised Halran Gaia, shouted as he cleaved the Devil¡¯s back. However, the Devil possessed the Steel Element Power that it used to shield his back. The de was repelled upon contact, leaving only a faint mark at the beast¡¯s back.

    But things did not with just that. He used the Art once more to conjure seven illusions that struck a singr spot, and metallic shings echoed throughout the hall. However, thest strike connected, purple colored blood unique to Devil¡¯s oozed out, causing it to scream in agony.

    "Shut up! What are you screaming for?! Never would I have believed that a mob from back then would be so hard to deal with right now!." Brendel cursed because he found his sword embedded into the devil and was impossible to be removed. At this moment, another Devil had rushed to help its subordinate.

    "My Lord!" Ropar warned.

    "En?" Andrea suggested if he needed any help.

    "Don¡¯t mind me! Go and destroy the Pendulum Golem!" Brendel bellowed furiously, attracted the attention of two other Devils. This was his only shot at winning. He held onto his sword and sacrificed his chance to dodge. He took up the full brunt of the attack.

    ¡°Puuh.¡± The sword embedded itself into his torso.

    "Gaaaaah!" Brendel screamed as the fires were burning his insides up. An Elemental Attack was really scary. Just one sword hit almost sent him to meet his maker. The Unyielding Talent activated and his vision began to sh red, full of warnings that his health is hitting the bottom line.

    Between gritted teeth, he sted the Berserk skill and activated the inheritance of the Dragon of Darkness doubling his stats, and his strength increased several times. He roared out loud as he pulled out his sword from the corpse, the sword edge still sticking with purplish goo and muscr structures. Brendel¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he used all his strength to swipe at the Devil behind him. The poor fe probably never expected someone who would fight in such a barbaric manner and did not anticipate the need to dodge. His face took on the brunt of the Piercing Skill that was followed by the Nine Luminaries Sword Art: Triple sh-- and it burst open like a smashed tomato. After all, it did not have the steel element.

    -53460 XP received. It was reallyical for the notification to appear at the moment. Brendel had no more strength to bother with it anyway.

    With one swipe, he resolved one of his biggest issues here. But he did note out unscathed as well. He seemed as if he were on the verge of copsing into the pool of blood that formed around him. With one hand to drag the Halran Gaia, he used the other to gulp down a Health Potion No. 7. His wounds were patched up, but it was clear that he lost too much blood. He was panting heavily, only to see another Devil turning to look at him.

    Despite both of them being gravely injured, they were itching for battle.

    However, Brendel did not lose his sanity and slowly retreated, attempting to have some distance away from it. He could see the tag team of Andrea and Ropar getting close to the Pendulum Golem and was about to strike him down. Victory was soon in their grasp, but none of them expected the sh of darkness that came from the Pendulum Golem¡¯s hand, and the entrance of another Devil into the battlefield after the light show. One that looked exactly like the Devil that Brendel had struck down.

    That bastard can revive the dead!

    Brendel¡¯s fell into despair. He had spent all his Cards, but the enemy was just too much for him to handle. He had given his all and, unregretfully, he had held up to his promise. Truthfully, he did not feel any abhorrence against the Golem. Between the two, he only felt respect for his opponent. His skills were uparable to the monster¡¯s, so there was no one to me for beside Brendel himself.

    All that¡¯s left is the final struggle.

    Wanting to leave behind no regrets, he looked at his hand. He had the Vampire Baron, Ekronian Spellweaver, the Silver Colt, and the Golden Battle g. He could not summon the Vampire Baron, The Ekronian Spellweaver and the Silver Colt were useless as well.

    But he had a tingling feeling about the Golden Battle g. The Card was given to him by the Tumans. While their time together cannot be considered short, he had never used it before. After all, the card was really trash. It required 5 Light EP to activate, and yet it could only increase the level of all his summons by ¡°one¡±.

    The difference between one level did not really matter a lot. And while the card was not too expensive to activate, he did not really have a lot of LIght Land Cards.

    Normally, he never cared to look at the card. But upon studying it, he paused for a few precious seconds.

    Wait a second. The Alliance of City-states I?! How can this card be the core of the deck? How is that possible when it merely raises the levels of my summons by 1!

    Brendel was confused. How can that Card be the core of his deck? The Alliance of City-states had always seemed to be an unorganized deck having Cards like The Mercenaries of Lopes, The Golden Mine, and the Sprint Drive. There just does not seem to be any powerful Cards in the deck and it cannot evenpare to the Paradise of Adversity. Even the me Tribe and the Visionary Artifact decks were better than it.

    He was hesitating, but time was running out. Whether or not it was a core Card or not, it could raise his summons¡¯ levels by one. And that was enough for him. He was trying not to have any regrets in his life as he took out the Card that he had and was about to activate it.

    That was when it happened.

    The normally emotionless Pendulum Golem had a shocked expression on his face.

    He stared at Brendel unbelievably and even dropped the staff in his hands.

    "You..!" It bellowed, sounding defeated somehow.

    ¡°Me?¡± said a shocked Brendel as he continued, ¡°What is it about me?¡±

    The Pendulum Golem pointed to the Card in his hands, apanied with a terrified look, "Legendary! How can you have a Legendary Card?! Impossible! You¡¯re just an apprentice! That¡¯s impossible!"

    If it was not for the seemingly incredible act that he was ying through, Brendel would have thought it was mocking him. The Golem was definitely in a winning position, but now it looked as if he was about to lose the fight. Even when Brendel felt that the odds were all in his favor, the Golem was unfazed. But now...

    He stared at the card in a daze. How can this Card even be strong? But Brendel was a smart person. He noticed the Golem¡¯s odd expression and knew that something was definitely amiss. While he did not know what it was, he raised the card high up in the air.

    It was then.

    A blinding golden light shed across the ce, a rectangr g with the white emblem of the Alliance of the City-States appeared in his hand, shining with golen light. He was standing soaked in blood with Halran Gaia in his right hand, and a golden g in his left. His appearance, under the light of the g, had a striking resemnce to a general.

    Then, a miracle happened.

    Within the radiance, Brendel could see all the change that was happening to his summons andrades. Ropar suddenly grew out a bone armor that covered his entire body, with spikes protruding out of it. The trident in his hand also became a hot red halberd with runes inscribed onto it. His mes rose in temperature, and Brendel knew that he could finally unlock his Elemental Power.

    A high-grade Fire Elemental Power.

    Meanwhile, Andrea¡¯s evening gown had changed into avish dress that seemed to be for a princess. A befitting set of chest armor was matched to it, along with a pair of dark gauntlets. Her shoes had also changed into a pair of high heels made of steel. Her eyes, one with green and the other with red, was burning with mes under her battle-state. It was evident that she unlocked her Elemental Powers as well.

    But the biggest change happened to the Wind Spirit Spiders. When Brendel arched his head up, he did not see any Spiders. There were only Wind Spirit Dragons there, a pseudodragon. Albeit being only level thirty or so, with their numbers, they could make up any weakness they had individually. The Holy Swords, on the other hand, turned into armor befitting the marvelous dragons.

    "This...¡±

    Brendel suddenly went nk. Was there such an epic change when the level was increased by 1? Am I still dreaming after being knocked out by the Devil? Or perhaps there was an error with the neswalker¡¯s system? Just before he was about to check the system¡¯s menu, he could hear a terrible screech.

    "Brightman¡¯s g! The Alliance of the City-states! neswalker Tuman!" The Pendulum Golem seemed like he was about to tear his face apart as he red at Brendel, "You....... You¡¯re Tuman¡¯s apprentice!"

    Brendel was still in a daze. That was because he had opened the neswalker¡¯s menu from his system. In that instant, he understood the true effect of the Golden Battle g.

    The Wind Spirit Spider and Holy Sword Cards had turned into silver, while the Firew Chieftain and Andrea¡¯s card had turned into a gleaming golden. He could hear his heart rumbling, So this what it meant! So misleading!

 volume 3 - c251

    Ina¡¯s Exnation: The Past

    The Golden Battle g fluttered in the hall, its blinding radiance spread out in all directions. Not only did it dispel the darkness, it seemed like dawn had arrived and revealing the details of every runic pattern on the floor. Andrea, Ropar, The Angels, and the Wind Spirit Dragons bathed in the warm rays, the Golem¡¯s final line of defense seemed to crumble away just as the darkness did.

    However, it was not Brendel who dealt the victory strike.

    The Golem still stood a fighting chance, summoning several level 60~70 Devils to take down Ropar and Andrea. But then, the Golem dropped to the ground, like a towering skyscraper that was wiggling and falling apart.

    Bathing under the holy light, the Golem squinted its eyes. It felt as if the world is deviating from the original timeline. And by the time it realised that he had long fallen to the ground.

    Brendel watched every moment of it.

    He soon realised that the Golem had long overexerted itself, relying just on its own stubbornness to keep going. And upon realisation that all hope was naught, it gave up, entirely.

    The Devil with therge sword went up in mes before Brendel¡¯s army, a stalk of mes that sparked out of its center, and it turned into ash in an instant.

    Not far away, a golden circle lit up on the ground and from within it, Ina and her few summons that remained emerged. The Primordial Sin Emrakul was long gone. As she looked back, the first thing she saw was the Pendulum Golem on the ground, and it made her cast an empty gaze.

    Looking at that sight must not have felt good for her. Brendel thought.

    As itid on the ground, the rhythmic ¡®tic, toc¡¯ that came from beneath the hood gradually became softer. The Golem was not speaking, and who knows what it was thinking. Its summons and magic spells vanished. All was just like an illusion, never before existed.

    Ina came over, her eyes red with tears as she knelt down next to the Golem. ¡°You damned tin can! What are your intentions? I really don¡¯t get you!¡±

    "I was trying...to protect...Master¡¯s rules..." it muttered with its metallic voice that seemed to be fading off, "Every single step of Master¡¯s strategy is necessary. If he was unable to defeat me, I would have killed him. I cannot...let down the wishes... Such a huge burden... We cannot handle making a mistake...¡±

    Ina fell silent.

    ¡°Will you only acknowledge him when you pass? Are you satisfied now that you¡¯re going to die?! Obviously you knew that he was the first neswalker to ever step in here in hundreds of years, and he would likely be thest as well. So why must you do such a meaningless act? You retard! Idiot! Fool!" She crumbled onto Pendulum Golem¡¯s body and cried out loud.

    "Precisely... because...he is the final one, we have to... take extra measures. Master is long gone... So why... should I feel... anything for... this world?" His voice was cracking from the wreck of a body he had left, "Ina... you didn¡¯t know... just how much I wished... that I was a neswalker as well..."

    Brendel was silent by their side the entire time, with his summons lined up behind him. Even if he was victorious, it left a bad taste in his mouth and he was not in the slightest delighted about it. The victory was a fluke, an unexpected oue that he did not seeing from the beginning.

    Instead of calling it a victory, it seemed to be closer rted to a loss.

    The Golem, however, did not care about the oue. It looked at Brendel, its face back to the emotionless one it always wore.

    "Boy...I can¡¯t trust you. You have no idea... what a true neswalker is like... but I do wish... you don¡¯t disappoint my hopes..."

    It shook its head and sigh, the voice trailing off in the wide emptiness. An unknown period of time had passed, and she finally began to collect her emotions. She thought for a while before turning to look at Brendel, the frivolous and cheerfuldy gone.

    "You must want to know what is actually going on, do you?" Ina said.

    Brendel first shook his head, and then nodded. It was not like he had never seen such a scene before. Vaunte¡¯s main route was the struggle of civilization against destiny. The history was never riddled withughter, but rather bloody sacrifices. This kind of scene, he had seen too much of it.

    He had many thoughts, but when they reached the mouth, he spoke, ¡°You wanted to save it, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Ina was silent, and answered him half a beatter, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for using you.¡±

    "I am not ming you," Brendel shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s totally fine.¡±

    Hearing that, Ina felt a slight warmth in her heart. She looked at the human and was d to be understood by him. Thepanion she always had on their travels is now gone. Looking at his stoned face, she reminisced the adventures they had together alongside their master, memories that seemed to have happened yesterday. However, even that was slowly fading away.

    Ina choked back her sobs and remained silent. After a while, she spoke with much difficulty, ¡°That was embarrassing...boy.¡±

    ¡°Now may I know what had happened here?¡± Brendel nodded before asking. ¡°And this tomb, and the underground cavern, the formation, and you guys. Are all of you Kelsie¡¯s?¡±

    Ina nodded.

    "The Pendulum Golem and I were Master¡¯s summoned from Master¡¯s Card of Fates. He brought us along his travels across multiple worlds, starting from one called Don DeKas in a kingdom known as Hiarza. The tin can was Master¡¯s first summon and had been by his side for far longer than I am. But I was his most important aide, as, in terms of strategic nning, I was far superior to that guy with only screws and trinkets for brains.¡± As she spoke from memory, she could not help butugh.

    "Our journey was not monotonous, and we had experienced many interesting events: From battles to romance and friendship. As we moved between worlds, Master began to age and traveling through worlds isn¡¯t as easy as it was before. But we knew Master was always searching for something, and did not care to battle enemies that got ever so stronger. But as to what he was looking for, we, his summons, had not a single clue to what it was, except that it had some connection with some fight with another powerful existence. Golem knew more about it.

    And then, we arrived here, Vaunte to witness a battle that shook even the heavens. And after the fight, Master just decided to remain in this world. He spent his time to build this Magical Formation beneath our feet right now. Took all of us ten years toplete it. The tomb outside was nothing but a facade, one to cover up the underground work we were doing down here. A noble, one very interesting human, helped us in the efforts to keep all of it a secret. And after several decades, he passed to an illness and was buried here.¡±

    Brendel listened attentively. He knew that the game, The Amber Sword was set in the Vaunte continent. But never did he expect the world to be so much bigger. After the second era, people began to understand that there lied other realms beyond the fog in the Dark Forest. While he was unsure whether the realms were as big as Vaunte or even if they were protected by Marsha, but Brendel was quite certain that it was only neswalkers who could traverse these realms.

    But they just stayed as rumors, nothing more.

    ¡°After that?¡±

    "And then Master decided to slumber here for eternity. neswalker will not die of old age. In reality, a neswalker¡¯s life is seemingly infinite. But he was gravely injured and had no choice but to rest here. Before passing, he bestowed me and the Pendulum Golem the breath of life and even gave us part of his powers: the abilities to use some of his Cards. But there were limitations as we were not actual neswalkers.

    He also gave us another mission, thest mission: to protect this ce and not let anyone intrude it. He also added that someone with powers simr to his will arrive here one day." Ina stared deep into Brendel. ¡°That¡¯s you.¡±

    "Me?" Brendel was surprised. After all, it was coincidences that led him here.

    There must be some sort of requirement that he met for him to be here. For example, if a yer from the Madara faction were to deliver the message from Amandina¡¯s dad to her, Amandina would definitely not follow the yer.

    That was because some factors decided the operations of an NPC. There were no certainties set in stone.

    "And so, what is the purpose of this hall?"

    ¡°To be honest with you, even we have no idea. Master was just super cautious about this ce. All I could manage was that, besides Master, there were two other powerhouses that sacrificed their lives for its construction.¡±

    "Were these two people neswalkers.?"

    "Nope," Ina shook her head, "I had seen one of them in action before. She was so powerful I was sure she would not lose to Master in a fight.¡±

    Brendel drew in a cold breath. There were individuals who could best a neswalker? If Kelsie was able to conjure a projection of Emrakul, his abilities were already way beyond anyone he knew. Besides, he never believed that there was someone who could rival a neswalker besides the Darkness Dragon since the beginning of the era. At least not in any legends he had ever heard of.

    And he was sure the Darkness Dragon was not a woman.

    Looking bask, this hall took the lives of three people at the level of Kelsie, but for what exactly? He doubted that it was so his predecessor could pass on Paradise of Adversity to him. There must be something else down here. However, looking at Ina¡¯s expression, he doubted that she was hiding anything from him. Maybe she indeed did not know what was here.

    "Do you still remember the era when you arrived here?¡± Brendel asked after some thought.

    Ina was thinking about the matter meticulously. It was such a distant memory that she needed more than just a jog of memory to remember it.

    "Alright. It may not have been the same calendar as it was now, but ording to the ways of locals back then, it should be the 540th Aucas year."

    Brendel drew a nk. The Kirrlutz used ¡®Eras¡¯ to measure time. The recordings began since The Azure Knights broke through the heavens in the Second Era and were widely used since then. It was said that it was the brainchild of the greatest genius of Miirna, neswalker Tuman. However, the recordings only reached until the War of the Holy Saints.

    "I admit, I¡¯m unfamiliar with such a method of recording time," Brendel sighed and his shoulders fell. Upon another thought, he asked, "Were there any famous names that you could remember from back then?"

    "The woman I mentioned before was such a person, It was just that I forgot her name. The other is someone you and I know, like my master, he was a neswalker as well, just way stronger than both of the people mentioned... Dude! You possess his legacy!"

    "Tuman!" Brendel nearly jumped into the air, "Tuman! Dear Marsha! You guys came when Tuman was still alive? How many years has it been? Three thousand? Four thousand years...! Wait... Wait a minute......"

    He pressed his forehead, feeling the ache in his temples, "If I recall correctly, the Darkness Dragon Odin was still alive at the time......"

    "Odin."

    Ina looked at him, "I¡¯ve heard of such a name."

 volume 3 - c252

    The Catb¡¯s Secret and The Other Bloodline

    "Tuman once told me that there was a conqueror in the north, known as Odin, that fought, with the help of his femalepanions, against the evil Devils from the Burning Hells who had invaded the surface, as well as the Evil Cultists that allied with them. As they were Master¡¯s enemies as well, our Master decided to join in the battle thatsted several decades. And it eventually led to the massive war that raged across the world.

    ¡°It should be one of the final battles where he finally defeated the devils and cultists; while the Azure Knights bested the Twilight Dragon, demonstrating an act of good that triumphed over evil. Odin unified the entire continent, the blood of the ancestors bing newborn hope. But never did anyone expect to see the birth of a new age of darkness.¡± Orthylss suddenly whispered in Brendel¡¯s mind, a hint of sorrowced in her words. ¡°If such a thing did not happen, there won¡¯t be the War of the Holy Saints, and there will never be us, the four Holy Saints. Due to one person¡¯s ideology, countless lives were lost. The Darkness Dragon was once a hero; I don¡¯t have the right to hate his actions, but I cannot forgive them either." Brendel gave a silent nod. He knew this bit of history well: The following ten decades after the Azure Knights¡¯ victory, the darkness only grew. It was said that Madara, The Witches, and the Miirna people were the remnants of The Darkness Dragon¡¯s forces, and were also the main opponents he used to facest time. While he may be the sessor of Odin¡¯s legacy, he was not happy to receive it.

    Orthlyss was reading Brendel¡¯s thoughts and was surprised by the youth¡¯s vast knowledge of history. The history that she spoke of were ones that were lost in the passage of time, and no one, maybe with the exception of the Wizards of Silver Alliance who were buried in the books studying them, will have read some records on the ancient books. However, he was unfazed even upon hearing it, making Orthylss question his origins.

    Legend states that the Darkness Dragon is capable of incredible perception and foresight. As the Fortune Teller Witch, she had long noticed the presence of the Darkness Dragon¡¯s Blood flowing in his veins. Was it really just a coincidence that he inherited the Dragon¡¯s Legacy?

    But Brendel had already known all the happenings of this war, so he raised his head to look at the arched ceiling in the dark, the curiosity in his heart growing by the minute.

    Ina seemed to have figured out his intentions. But she hesitated to talk about what she was about to say until she remembered that Brendel was also approved by the Pendulum Golem as well, ¡° Little brat, if you wish to know more about this ce, follow me please.¡±

    "Yes?" Brendel looked back with eager eyes.

    Ina stated that they would have to cross the tomb to the secret chamber behind it. But before they moved, she wanted to collect the remains of the Pendulum Golem. Brendel did not disagree with her decision and waited by the side. The Golem was the most unique enemy he had ever met and he had determined that anyone who held on to their beliefs like he did should be given respect.

    Ina ced whatever was left of the Pendulum Golem on her back, and her actions graceful, as if any unnecessary movement might break the body even further. She stumbled a little due to the imbnce caused by the difference in mass of the two. The action was a little silly but it was clear that no one was in the mood tough.

    As the two began to move, Brendel realized a problem: he could not carry the Golden Battle g away.

    It seemed that the g was stuck to the ground, forming an unmovable barrier that leveled up everything that was within the range. And the range of effect was about one thousand meters.

    Brendel felt a little embarrassed as he tried all sorts of ways to pull the Golden Battle g out.

    "Boundary type Treasures can be activated in both ways: one is to attach it to an object where its effects will only target the user, and the other is to bind it to the ground for it to have some effect in a certain radius. And the Golden Battle g falls in thetter category. And under such situations, you will have to wait until it returns back into your deck to reuse it once again.¡±

    Damn...... But it¡¯s not surprising. The game never had any overpowered equipment. The fact that neswalkers being able to be defeated are proof of that. That must have meant that the Cards abilities are not limitless as well. He noticed this issue quite early, but there is quite a bit of restriction to use the Cards of Fate, like the number of Elemental Points required, or the requirements to meet for their usage--

    Ina had also told him that there were a limited number of ¡®Land¡¯ Cards to be found. The factor was closely tied to the strength of a neswalker. She also added that he would understand once he bes an actual neswalker.

    Brendel heaved a relieved sigh. The limitations set on the Golden Battle g were not that strict. It cannot be considered to be one actually. That was probably the reason it was deemed as a Legendary Card.

    Ina may not be a neswalker, she held a lot of knowledge in that department, ¡° The Golden Battle g will most likely be the core of your deck in the future, so you will have to find ways to efficiently shuffle it into your hands and let you y it earlier on in the fight. Normally, there are two ways for you to shuffle the Card into your hand. One is to obtain a Card that allows you to shuffle more Cards from your deck into your hands and thus increase the probability of getting the desired Card, like the elerated Thought that I tend to use. The other way is pulling a specific Type of Card from the deck into your hand. The Golden Battle g is categorized under the Treasure type." [T/L note: Types include Creature Type, Treasure Type, etc.]

    Ina paused to think for a moment before continuing, "The nucleus of Pendulum Golem¡¯s deck, Desperate Trojan Horse(The Adversity of Darkness), was such a card. It was part of the Creature Types. This method is much more effective than other methods.¡±

    As to how effective, she did not mention it, but stared at Brendel, saying, ¡° Pendulum Golem and I have recognized you as the heir to the deck Adversity of Paradise, that the Card would sooner orter be yours. But please let me keep the card for the time being.¡±

    For her to be able to speak like this, it just meant that she¡¯s slowly recovering from her sadness. Brendel sighed in relief.

    As they conversed, they quickly found themselves inside an unchartered section full of natural stctites. It resembled an underground cavern, with intertwining passages that made it really dangerous as a ce for underground exploration. The Kirrluts called these sorts of ces as the Enor¡¯s Labyrinth. The Enor were a race of monsters with goat shaped ears and they loved to construct mazes to pass time. It was also said that they were the servants of Gaia¡¯s servant. But even the mostplex mazes would lose their sense of mystery after a few thousand years, and that fact was proven by Ina, who was striding in the ce like it was her garden as she led Brendel cut through the underground passages.

    And finally, they reached a section of the tunnels that looked man-made, where there was a spiraling stair leading to the bottom floor at the end of the passage. At the bottom of the flight of stairs appeared a cavern muchrger than the previous one. And the sight that appeared left the youth at a loss for words. In that ce where the walls were made of nothing but crystals, there were three people encased within them.

    Brendel first noticed the newalker Kelsie. He wore a robe, and with the old features he had, he was indistinguishable from the other Wizards. Even if he still looked young, his skin was grey and his muscle cked. His saggy skin seemed like he had lost all energy, like his body was totally spent.

    But even with her haggard description, Brendel still felt the immense power that radiated from the body. At that time, Brendel did not know who he was looking at first, but he felt inferiorpared to the entity encased in the crystals before him. And the respectful gaze Ina gave to the person made all the dots in his mind connect.

    "This was your master?"

    Ina nodded as she ced Pendulum Golem¡¯s broken corpse on the ground near the crystals. But this time, she did not shed any tears.

    At that moment, Brendel discovered some runes on the walls. And as he scrutinized further, he realized that he was looking at mithril. He raised his head to notice the runes had connected to the ceiling, and extended to the halls they just came out from.

    And then he gasped when all the dots connected. The faint glow from the crystals showed that the magical runes were powered by the three figures before him. Dear Marsha, these three must be sealed on their own vocation! Just what was the cause that led these awfully powerful beings to sacrifice their lives?

    He felt his throat go dry, and he touched the walls carefully. He then threw his gaze at the middle-aged man next to Kelsie. He was a swordsman, and with his definite features, he seemed to be one with a lot of dignity. Even with his eyes closed, Brendel could feel his powerful presence emanating from his body, which led l=him to ask curiously,

    "Who is this?"

    ¡°This was the best swordsman I¡¯ve ever seen in my entire life, as well as the leader of the natives ages ago.¡±

    Brendel looked at the final member, only to find that his gaze was stuck and unremovable. He had never witnessed such a beautiful sight in his life before. The girl in the crystal seemed to be a goddess from the legends, wearing a in white silky gown with a design that was rarely seen these days. It had the style that resembled the ancient Greek¡¯s long tunic worn by girls, but with its excessiveyers, it had an air of contemporary to it. The dress was spread out in the crystal, like a white lotus that was spread open when the wind blew.

    Time seemed to stagnate for her. With her eyes closed, she looked around seventeen or eighteen of age. She had pale long hair and snow-whiteshes. And her skin that was void of blood? It looked like it was encased in ice. Her body and her dress up formed a picturesque scene Brendel had never seen before, especially with that elegant air she had.

    ¡°She¡¯s dead?¡± Brendel could not help but ask.

    Ina nodded.

    It was a silly question and Brendel knew it. All three of them originated from the same era and had been staying here for the past millennia or so. But something about her made him feel weird. He had a special -no, familiar feeling about her. He could not exin his feelings, but he was confident that he never saw the woman in both of his life.

    This sort of girl, he was certain that he would recognize her even if he only had one nce before.

    And in the spur of the moment, he thought of Aunt Jenny, then Little Romaine and finally Babasha, the old and ugly female witch. He was shocked as he finally realized the sense of familiarity he had with her,

    "Witch!"

    He recalled who the girl was, The Queen of Ice, best known as the first queen of the witches.

    And in that moment, an echo resounded from within the crystal straight onto the surface as if it was calling for something.

 volume 3 - c253

    The Witch King¡¯s Seal

    The fire was dancing. The asional cracking sounds from the charcoal burning had also dimmed down, as did its me.

    Between the light and the shadows, Romaine sat by the fire, her face red from the heat.

    For a while now, she had been excitedly watching as the sparks float up to the ceiling along with the hot air, the sparkling beads dancing up and down as if in excitement.

    It had been an hour since the copse of the tunnels, and it took the Wizards at least half of that time to make an air channel, allowing her to lit a fire. She sat beside the fire and pierced the Moss with metal skewers. Who knows why she brought such utensils, from flints to a sewing kit. But Brendel knew from the beginning that the tiny leather bag could contain high volumes of stuff, including those that allowed her to sizzle the Moss to such a tasty looking degree.

    The skewered moss was used to make the Witches¡¯ irvoyance potion(+2 perception for 10 minutes). It had the appearance of a grey moss, but Romaine insisted that it was mushroom.

    And if the youngdy said it was, then it would never be anything else besides mushrooms.

    Ciel could not tell his Lord¡¯s fiance that she was burning off two pieces of gold coins and could only act like he did not see a thing. Or else he would be forced to have some of those. I don¡¯t think I have a physical constitution that can resist poison better than my Lord. So thank you very much but I will reject your offer.

    Like many others, Ciel had a question in his mind. He had long announced his rtionship status, and yet the two of them did not have the air of a couple with them. This aroused the curiosity of many as most nobles in Vaunte were married at the age of 15. There was practically no one by the age of twenty who has yet begun his own family. All besides Brendel.

    And of course, Ciel had sometimes wondered if his Lord had a problem with the ¡®thing¡¯ in between his groin. And if there ever was, he should be able to cure it with his knowledge as a Hignd Wizard in the field of ancient medicinal herbs. But Ciel never had the guts to tell that to his Lord¡¯s face. He intuitively felt that if he ever did, his Lord would definitely punish him for it.

    During this period, no matter if he was still a virgin or not, he was already known to be Romaine¡¯s fiance: But the duration of Brendel¡¯s engagement had gone past a full year. He may not see it as a problem, most had raised their eyebrows about it. Maybe I should find a chance to confirm with my Lord whether or not he really had a problem down ¡®there¡¯. Even he would not like it if trouble was aroused because of it.

    The smell of the burnt Graveyard Moss drifted in the air, and it closely resembled that of a burnt shoe. Everyone acted as if they did not find the smell disgustingly awful, as if everything was normal. Ciel held up a piece of map and was staring at the crumbled section of the cave. It seemed like magic was not as effective as he thought. That was because the problem did not lie in digging out a path, but preventing the sand from falling down.

    I don¡¯t think I can support a body nearing 50 meters in size. Thankfully the people outside have already informed Medissa. We should only bid for time until the Silver Princess arrives with the Transgender Vampire.

    It was right at this moment, Romaine felt the ground beneath her tremble.

    She looked around curiously, locking eyes with Ciel and finding that the others did not notice the phenomena. Ciel, on another hand, noticed her gaze and could not help but tremble. He brazenly walked up and ask, ¡°Is something going on?¡±

    Romaine tilted her head, her eyes shining with curiosity as if she was asking, Did you hear the tremors? Ciel was no esper and could obviously not understand what was going through her mind. As he looked at her in a daze, she asked another question, ¡°Is Brendel alright?"

    "He¡¯s still underneath. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll be fine. Nothing is going to happen to him." Ciel replied respectfully, afraid that he caused anything that might have affected her mood and lead to her treat him a meal of Graveyard Moss. But it seemed like she really valued the ¡®mushrooms¡¯ and is probably reserving them for Brendel.

    ¡°Then there is nothing else for me to ask. Thank you very much.¡±

    Ciel wiped away cold sweat, praying silently in his heart that his Lord would have the ability to resist the poison. If not, he doubted that his Lord would have a good night¡¯s sleep today.

    If Romaine offers him these Graveyard Moss, will he eat it? Or will not?

    At that thought, he suppressed a giggle that hurt his insides.

    Unbeknownst to him, after their conversation, Romaine went back and focused on the campfire sparks. She sat in a polite manner and across the mes, there was another girl. That girl seemed to be only several years older than Romaine, but her mellow expression seemed to treat Romaine as a kid. Romaine handed her a skewer of Graveyard Moss, but she politely declined, ¡°I¡¯m sorry kid, but I do not fancy this sort of thing.¡±

    "They don¡¯t seem to be able to see you." Romaine nced at Ciel. She was not an idiot. In fact, she was considerably smart. Ever since she escaped from the refugee camp, Brendel understood this. However, in the eyes of many, she was an odd merchant that was easy to get along with.

    She, like Brendel, held many secrets. Amandina knew that, and she could more or less guess what it was.

    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re the only one capable of seeing me, and even the sessor of Tuman¡¯s legacy can¡¯t.¡±

    "Do you mean Brendel?" Romaine asked.

    "His name is Brendel? Thanks for informing me about it."

    "If you bear ill will towards him, I will not continue to speak with you anymore," Romaine announced sternly.

    The mysterious girl was at a loss of words.

    ¡°I just wanted to give him my thanks as I heard a lot of things from the outside world from hi,. Besides, he brought you here and for that, I cannot thank him enough.¡±

    "So why am I the only one who can see you?" Romaine asked curiously.

    "That¡¯s because the same blood flows between us" The girl answered with her head tilted as she studied Romaine. She really liked this girl before her.

    Romaine furrowed her eyebrows, thinking hard about the words that the mysterious girl said, "The same blood flows in us? You mean that you¡¯re my mother?"

    The young girl cracked a bitter smile.

    "Of course not. I¡¯m your grandmother¡¯s grandmother¡¯s grandmother¡¯s grandmother¡¯s..." The girl paused as she found herself picking up Romaine¡¯s ridiculous behaviors and is speaking gibberish. She shook her head, feeling defeated, "It¡¯s no time for jokes now. Have you figured a little about the power you possess? I believe you¡¯ve mastered it a little."

    "I do," Romaine nodded, " that dwarf told me it¡¯s my innate abilities as a sorceress.¡±

    ¡°?!¡±

    The girl eyed Romaine, ¡° You¡¯re not a sorceress, but a witch. Your birthright is that of one. Your constetion is the daughter of the Harpist, but that would change today. Your constetion will be the Witch King!"

    ¡°Romaine does not understand what you¡¯re talking about, but the dwarf told me that I¡¯m a sorceress,¡± the merchant girl thought for another while, ¡°And it sounds cooler than bing a Witch.¡±

    "..."

    She was called the first Queen of Witches, The Progenitor of The Thirteen Witch¡¯ bloodlines as well as being the spouse of the Darkness Dragon. During her time alive, there were almost none who was her opponent. It was not until today that she felt so defeated.

    If any one of my subordinates were to say whatever you did just now back when I was still alive, I¡¯ll most definitely cast her straight into a maze to make her suffer for all eternity.

    However, her temper is better than how it was back then, and there was no chance that she wouldy a hand on her own descendant in this situation. What was most fortunate was that she got to meet a true sessor before her passing. This was indeed a blessing.

    So the Queen of Witches had no choice but to coax her, ¡°Rx. You¡¯ll still get to keep your powers as a sorceress even if you inherited my Legacy." When she spoke those words, she really wanted to knock herself on the walls. She was obviously a witch, so why was she so adamant that she¡¯s a sorceress? And there was no room to convince her at that...

    Doesn¡¯t she know that the sorceress were the nemesis of the witches? If it weren¡¯t for me trying to keep myposure, I would have cried out loud long time ago!

    It was the dream of thousands to receive the inheritance of the Queen of Witches, but now she had to lie to a young girl to have her do so... That¡¯s truly a shame on her name as the Queen of Witches!

    Romaine thought deeply about the matter at hand.

    As a merchant, she was always the calctive one. Finally, she deemed that there were no losses in the deal and epted it.

    "Good," the Queen of Witches said powerlessly, her excitement upon meeting her descendant after several millennia was gone. She ced a finger upon Romaine¡¯s forehead, and the girl immediately felt a flood of knowledge rush into her brain.

    ¡°I¡¯m nearly spent and I can¡¯t help you any more than that. But the knowledge I gave you would definitelye in handy sometime in the future." She sighed before continuing, " It may be fate that you¡¯re also a Witch of Fate, and this knowledge will surely help you grow in the future. But remember, I also gave you an emblem to open the Witch Kingdom¡¯s treasury. And with that emblem, you will one day rule over all the Thirteen Bloodlines. That emblem is of great importance, got it?¡±

    Romaine was still dizzy from the experience. She held up her head and nodded.

    The girl saw the sight before here and could not help but sigh. Her only descendant left was such an unreliable kid. It may be a disaster to give her the inheritance. But even so, she had made the choice and was unwilling to stay here any longer, fearful that Romaine wille up with something that might choke her to death once more.

    She retracted her finger and vanished from the cavern.

 volume 3 - c254

    Final Moments Underground and The Departure(1)

    ¡°There seems to be something beneath us,¡± Orthylss whispered to Brendel about her findings after surveying the area for a moment. There was some kind of corrosive mana that was surging up from the ground, like water being reflected back upon impact with the floor underground. The Wind Elves were naturally sensitive towards mana. If they were not, they would not have devised all those miraculous Sword Arts. Brendel nodded in agreement. In front of them, Ina was leading the way as they went out of the tunnel as they dwelled deeper into the area.

    Upon walking for some distance, the walls turned a dark red hue. Looking closer, Brendel realized that it was due to some type of red quartz that coated the surface, causing it to gleam under the light. Brendel squeezed a sample in his hands, only to find it crumbling into dust.

    "What¡¯s going on?" He asked.

    "It had always been like this even since the beginning of the construction,¡± Ina picked up some of the debris and continued, ¡°But it seems like the crystallization is picking up in intensity recently. The corruption did not reach here thest time."

    Something is definitely wrong here.

    "Do you recognize what these are?" He bent down to pick up a piece of the rock, and silently asked Orthylss. She stared at it and searched her mind for a while, ¡°It sort of looks like he Magical Quartz found within the Dark Forest. Have you heard about it?¡±

    The magical quartz are usually found in ces corrupted by magic, like the sides of the Dark Forest¡¯s river streams. These types of quartz are usually low in quality, travelers who encounter them can usually earn a small fortune, but it is unprofitable for the big organizations to mine them.

    Brendel had indeed heard of them. He picked up the rock, "We will know if they are the same thing in a second."

    Mana detection was basic homework for all Spellcaster, and it was not a hard task even for an amateur Elementalist like him to do it. He raised the rock with his left hand and directed his right hand¡¯s thumb, index and middle finger on the rock, and read out a Rune Word. And the rock glowed faintly.

    "It was indeed a Magical Quartz.¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± Orthylss nodded. ¡°But it seemed to be of lower quality than the normal ones.¡±

    It was impure and did not even have the value to be mined, totally a hassle for anyone to bring home.

    "The magical corruption in this ce is really severe." The youth surveyed his surroundings.

    "But this ce should still be within Mother Marsha¡¯s sanction."

    "That¡¯s why this ce is suspicious" Brendel tossed the rock away, looking up to see Ina stopped in her tracks.

    She was on all fours and upon confirming her position, she called out, "Brat, we¡¯re reaching our destination. It¡¯s a dead-end at the back. Do you still want to venture further?."

    Brendel moved two steps forward, trying to see just whatid inside the tunnel passage before him. But just as he did so, the space within ten yards rippled in a golden ring. A needle that resembled that of the clock hand was floating in the middle, like the whole thing was an borate Magical Formation. He initially wanted Ina to lead the way deeper inside, but just looking at the brilliant light show made him change his mind.

    "Let¡¯s turn back."

    "What?!"[T/L: wOw]

    Both the people present were surprised at Brendel¡¯s choice. The two had initially thought that he would agree. Ina stiffened a little, as if she thought of something she forgot to add, "This Formation is set by my Master, it doesn¡¯t mean that we cannot venture inside. It¡¯ll be fine so long as Ie with you."

    Brendel shook his head, and said with determination, "No need. There¡¯s probably nothing worth looking inside anyway. To seal something this tightly, it¡¯s best for it to not be opened frequently.¡±

    "That¡¯s a good point." Ina nodded, but she eyed Brendel with dubious eyes. She had traveled with Kelsie for years, and her experience told her that Brendel was hiding the truth about his reluctance to venture further. However, she did not question his choices and went along with it.

    On the other hand, Orthylss was also curious about Brendel¡¯s decision. But unlike Ina, she was more straightforward and asked,

    "What¡¯s going on, Brendel?"

    "Nothing much. My instincts are telling me that it¡¯s dangerous." Brendel shook his head.

    Orthylss knew Brendel was the type that believed in his guts really much. But that judgment of his was rare among the youths of his age- No, he was an exception even from that group. His awareness is so urate that it could even rival a thousand-year-old monster like her.

    On another hand, his reason for not venturing further was simple. The seal was the same as the one he saw earlier, and that stuff indicated the dungeon¡¯s level. The one outside was known as the Murky Walls, and is used to seal a level 30~40 dungeon. When I removed it, a random Crystal Wight appeared, causing the cave to copse and almost took my life! But this seal here, The Indicator of Age, can be seen in dungeons that were above level 300. It will be highly dangerous inside and I would not want to throw this life away!

    (Note: Brendel was a level 130 Warrior, but in reality, most yers back in the game have more than one Jobs that made them stronger than yers with only one Job. That¡¯s why in the game, a level 40 dungeon was meant for yers around level 30, and a level 300 dungeon was for those pros above level 150.)

    Although he was really curious as to what was inside, he deemed his life more important. Brendel immediately stalled his n to check the ce out for now and decide to return sometime in the future when he had the time or strength.

    "So you¡¯re nning on returning to the surface?"Ina¡¯s sudden voice snapped him out of his daze. "However, I could not do it with my abilities and you will have to wait for yourrades back on the surface.

    "That¡¯s fine," Brendel replied with a carefree smile, "Coincidentally, I have some questions regarding the neswalker anyways."

    "Then let us return to the hall.¡± Ina nodded, her eyes gazing into the abyss at the back of the long and deep tunnel they were supposed to go. ¡°Truth is, I didn¡¯t really like being there anyways.¡±

    "Same,¡± Brendel said as he nodded at onest nce at the level 300 Magical Formation.

    Time underground seemed to move like a snail rtive to time on the surface: Romaine had obtained a new ability; Ciel and his men worked like workaholics for what seemed like days. Finally, Medissa and Morpheus came to their aid. They had spent four hours to reconcile, and another four hours to get to where Brendel was.

    And by then, Brendel had already gotten all the answers he needed.

    "Onest question."

    The information he got from Ina was vastly different from what Tuman had said. To be precise, it was more detailed and easy to understand. It was not until then when Brendel learned that neswalker had been in this world since the first natives to battle the Twilight Dragon, bing the leader of thend.

    To Brendel¡¯s surprise, the Dragon of Darkness, Odin was actually a neswalker. It made sense but he never really saw the newsing. And amongst his armies, there was a high chance it included his summons. It was just that, the records must have been lost.

    But what made Brendel puzzled the most was the fact that Odin did not mention anything about his neswalker¡¯s powers, or if it had anything to do with him not obtaining theplete inheritance.

    "Lady Ina, you said before that I was thest neswalker to reach here. So may I know how many of us are left?"

    Ina looked as if she was anticipating this question toe and breathed out a weary sigh, ¡°From the earliest piece of history that regarded them, when the Earth Sage te was still within Tower of Babel, when the traitor of the Gods¡¯ Walter had yet stolen it. There was a council of forty-three neswalkers. And then when Ragnarok descended, most of them fell in battle. Amongst them, only thirteen remain, including my master¡¯s. ording to my knowledge, along the passage of three thousand years, only six remained. None of them seemed to be passed on sessfully. If I¡¯m not wrong, the only new neswalker in this era would be you."

    "So you¡¯re saying I¡¯m the only one left?" Brendel did not believe that the poption of powerful existences like the neswalkers would dwindle to such a degree.

    "Not necessarily. There may still be some undying old geezers still around. But it is the current truth that the sessors of the neswalkers¡¯ Legacies are getting lesser. I don¡¯t know the reason, but the requirements to be an actual neswalker is abnormally difficult. Most can¡¯t even invoke the Laws of the Cards! And amongst the very few who managed to do so, most should have remained as apprentices."

    Apprentice? Brendel tightened his brows. He still had not graduated from being an apprentice yet after all. But just as he was about to speak, Ina put her finger to her lips, ¡°Shh!¡±

    Brendel turned and his gaze matched his gaze with Ina¡¯s onto a single spot. Not far above him, there were digging sounds that reverberated in the cavern.

    "Yourpanions are here," Ina whispered. "So, let¡¯s end our discussion here. I don¡¯t want anyone to see me."

    Brendel was confused at her remark and said, "You¡¯re noting with me, Lady Ina?"

    The deer woman merely gave him a faint smile. She moved two steps backward into the darkness, leaving her eyes to tell the answer to his question.

    Brendel once saw determination in those eyes, but now, the very same eyes tell of hope and warmth. And at that moment, he knew she was hell bend on saying farewell to him.

 volume 3 - c255

    Final Moments Underground and The Departure(2)

    "It¡¯s not that I DON¡¯T wish to, but it¡¯s because I CAN¡¯t leave this ce." Ina smiled as she tossed something to Brendel, "And here, this is my farewell gift to you."

    It was a deck of Cards.

    Brendel held onto the deck, confusion stirring in his heart, "Honestly... I don¡¯t really get what you meant." From his tone, it was evident that he wanted Ina to follow him. It was pitiful that she never got to see the Sun for thousands of years. Plus with her capabilities, she would definitely be a great help to him. Albeit she proimed herself to be slightly weaker than the Pendulum Golem, she was no doubt the strongest existence Brendel had seen since his reincarnation, and was definitely not weaker than Andesha.

    Brendel was ny percent confident that he could recruit her to his team, but Ina just smiled and turned around. Her hair flew against the air, revealing her bare back. Between her smooth shoulder des, there was a frightening red gash. It did not seem to some sort of external injury, but rathering from something deep within her, as if it grew from within her body.

    The crystals split apart her skin, and it resembled the crystals that grew out of the Pendulum Golem and the Crystal Wight.

    "What¡¯s going on?" Brendel asked with a stunned grimace.

    "Didn¡¯t you see the corrupted rock earlier? The quartz in this ce is corrosive. Staying in this ce for too long will lead to the crystallization of tissues." Ina let down her hair, her smile still stered on her face, ¡°I personally witnessed the young man catch the same illness. His entire organs began to crystallize and continued to weaken till his death. Even then, the crystallization did not stop, and he ended up to be the monster you saw earlier.¡±

    Brendel Fell silent once more. This disease was simr to the symptoms of the crystallized monsters in the Dark Forest, just not as serious looking as it did. This process was caused by the infection of magic into the body, growing ayer of crystals over it like a shell. It was simr to a parasite, and would not even let the host go even if he died.

    Brendel suddenly thought of the parasitic wasps that existed back in his old world. He shuddered and tried to cast the idea aside.

    "Is there no cure?" He asked upon pondering for a moment.

    Ina just smiled. Her silence seemed to be self-exnatory.

    ¡°There¡¯s still some time left, let me exin about the deck I just gave you,¡± Ina¡¯s avoided the topic. ¡°There¡¯s a total of thirty-two cards here. One copy of the Furnace of Adversity, Martyr of Radiance, elerated Thoughts, Sacred Ring of Anrolda, Grimoire of Life, and Desperate Trojan horse. Four copies of Glorious Trumpeteers, Pride, Tempest, Nightmare Forges, Breaking Dawn and six copies of Death Sentinels.

    As you might have noticed, this isn¡¯t theplete version of the Paradise of Adversity. Theplete version is inessible. They are sealed here to create the Magic Formation that allows us to use the Cards. Simply put, we can only be neswalkers under the influence of the Formation.¡±

    She continued, ¡°So to answer your question from earlier, we are not neswalkers, and can¡¯t even bepared to you apprentices. We were granted power by the Formation and we each held half of the deck¡¯s authority: I was given the Paradise of Purity while the Golem was given the Adversity of Darkness¡± [T/L: Meaning the Cards are not real. Ina and the Golem were only using their projections..]

    ¡°However, the cards that you have right there, they¡¯re real ones. They¡¯re the Legacy master passed on to you. Albeit iplete, the Cards you have right now will allow you to use the basicbinations. As long as you continue to possess these Cards, I believe that the Paradise of Adversity will see the light of the day again.

    "The cards that I found in the coffin were your intentions?" Brendel asked as he suddenly came up with the question.

    "Not really. The Golem and I could never leave this ce anyways. Some two hundred yearster, a few bandits managed to arrive here. I intentionally let them have some of the Cards in hopes of luring in a neswalker. But the tin can disagreed with my methods and ordered the Wight to finish them off.

    But even if it killed the bandits, it did not order Leder to retrieve the Cards back here, meaning that it was notpletely in objection with my n, just that it had other ns in mind. If not, you would never have reached here anyway.¡±

    As the questions he had in mind were getting resolved one by one, Brendel nodded for Ina to continue her exnation.

    "Every deck will have its own strategies, and even with the same decks, they might vary ordingly to the users. Some neswalkers preferred to utilize short bursts of power. For example, they would immediately cast attack spells and summon cheap butrge armies to suppress their opponents. However, there were also neswalkers who werete-game yers. Their decks are focused on precise controlling, fighting a battle of attrition to gain the advantage in the long term. Their decks are usually more bnced for them to get into an unbreakable position before counterattacking.

    But the Paradise of Adversity had both of their characteristics," Ina was feeling proudful as she talked about her own master. "It was able to attack and defend simultaneously, the Nightmare Forgers and Tempest were especially powerful. The Nightmare Forges were both Artifacts and Undeads, and had the status of being ¡®dead¡¯ upon summoning . Plus, they were cheap to use and can be deployed quickly at the beginning of the battle. They can also be enhanced with the tempest and had the ability to self replicate, and could easily create a formation"

    - Nightmare Forges (Paradise of Aversity IX)

    - Consumes 1 Dark EP

    - Treasure - Artifact/Undead Forge

    - Level 26 Creature

    - Pay 1 Light EP to clone it

    - ¡°Within every vessel, there lies a wailing soul.¡±

    - Tempest (Paradise of Adversity VI)

    - Consumes 4 Energy

    - Effect: Applied onto the Nightmare Forgers. Deals 5 true damage to enemies targeted by the Nightmare Forges.

    - Disposed into the Graveyard upon use

    - "Fire! - Ekronian Commander, Tyrin"

    "You can see its effects usually within minutes and that scene you saw just now, it was merely a fraction of the total power.¡± She seemed kinda happy, ¡°Count yourself lucky that the Golem did not have the other half of the deck. Only the Paradise of Purity¡¯s cards could supply enough Light Element to multiply the Forges. Plus if it had used the Anxiety Card(which can recast the previous Card, as long as it does not surpass a certain threshold) that my master excluded from the Formation you¡¯ll have numerous Nightmare Forges firing lightning orbs repeatedly at you simultaneously. That, is one of the reasons why the deck is so devastating."

    Brendel was sweating cold sweat at the thought of the destruction based on what he heard. He was already astonished at the sight of the Golem shooting Tempest at him. But if it had the Tempest, there was no doubt that he would have fried chicken! After all, with ten or lightning orbs firing at you repeatedly, how can anyone survive that?!

    "And that was just the first killing move in the deck, but like other burst decks, it was heavily wed. To begin with, it was easily countered. Second, the Nightmare Forges have a low HP by themselves. And if this strategy fails, you will have to use the Adversity of Darkness.¡± Ina continued, ¡°The Desperate Trojan Horse Card in it will be the key to overturn the tide.¡±

    ¡°It will select four Creature Cards from your deck and cast it aside. Once forty non-ck Undead Card dies, they will be immediately summoned onto the battlefield for free. You might think that it will not be worth it to do so. But think about it in another way. Don¡¯t you think it would be worth it if you could instantly summon four overpowered Creature Cards like the Emrakul?¡± Ina smiled mysteriously, ¡° That¡¯s why the Paradise of Adversity was considered to be part of both strategies and could effectively deal with various kinds of situations. That was why my master was ranked amongst the top amongst the Thirteen neswalkers, just behind Odin and Tuman.

    - Desperate Trojan Horse (Paradise of Adversity I)

    - Consumes 25 Dark EP

    - Treasure - Legendary Divine Artifact

    - Effect: yed on the battlefield. You can choose any Card from your deck. After that shuffle the Cards in your deck. (It can also be used if 40 of your summons are dered as ¡®dead¡¯)

    - ¡®Even within a storm, there lies opportunity, like there is hope in Adversity¡¯

    Brendel was amused. He had never thought of utilizing the rtionship between each card to form a battle strategy. He always got scattered decks of Cards, and there was not really any form of coordination. There were times he called out the neswalker support system for help, but he never saw such interesting information before.

    At that point, Brendel realized something. "You said that the Desperate Trojan Horse requires the death of more than forty Undead summons to be activated. So, why was it that we were trying to kill off all the Nightmare Forges just now?¡±

    "Are you stupid? The Nightmare Forges were the only non-ck Undead in the Adversity of Darkness deck. They were both Artefacts and Undeads at the same time and is always on the state of being ¡®dead¡¯. As long as there are 40 of them on the battlefield, you can summon the Desperate Trojan Horse. Isn¡¯t that an overpoweredbination? Besides, the Tempest skill will not affect this result.¡±

    "So what if we kill the Forges? Won¡¯t that count them as dying?"

    "Dying is dying, being destroyed is being destroyed. They¡¯re different!. Have you seen a dead person dying once more?"

    Brendel looked surprised at the information, but Ina just rolled her eyes at another corner. Who came up with such rules anyways? It was such a mystery.

    But he had another question in mind now. If the deck Paradise of Adversity was that strong, how could it not defeat Tuman? He could not help but think of his first encounter with Tuman. That man definitely did not look strong. "Was Tuman that powerful?" He could not help but ask.

    Ina just looked at him as if he was someone who failed his maths exam[T/L: like me LOL], "Of course! He was one of the strongest neswalkers at that time, and that list even included other neswalkers across other worlds. I don¡¯t really understand his deck that well. But didn¡¯t you already see the effects of the core Card of his White Series, aka ¡®The Alliance of City-States¡¯? Plus, the remaining of the deck you had were group summons, add to that the various effects of the decks, and finishing up with the Golden Battle g. With all that and yet you still thought he was weak? You have to know that the series you had was just a defensive deck. It waspatible with the other five-colored decks, just like the Paradise of Purity is with the Adversity of Darkness. As far as I know, there were not many in history that could match his power.¡±

    Wow... The Golden Battle g indeed looked like a hack. Plus it was only a defensive deck? I can¡¯t even fathom just how strong his other cards are.

    "Don¡¯t get happy so early. You might have understood the basics of using the Paradise of Adversity, there were still some loopholes in it you have to be aware of."

    "Theck of powerful Creatures besides the Desperate Trojan Horse?" Brendel asked. In the deck given to him, there was no Emrakul. But even if he had the Emrakrul, he doubted his abilities to unseal it.

    "Yep, that¡¯s one part of the reason, but those powerful creatures can be still be slowly obtained, but the second reason was that youcked the method shuffle the Cards from your deck into your hand. There are only two core Legendary Cards in the Paradise of Adversity - the Grimoire of Life and the Desperate Trojan Horse - and it will be based on your luck to obtain them. That is the same for your Golden Battle g. The third reason was that you¡¯re inability to revive your troops from the Graveyard. You have the Pristine Archangels and Graveyard Revival, but that won¡¯t be enough. Both of them can only be used once, and Graveyard Revival will bind the revived target with the ¡®dead¡¯ status.

    ¡°Simply put, you do not have enough Cards to plunder the Graveyard. Most of the Cards in Paradise of Adversity can only be used once, and to use the Desperate Trojan Horse, there must be sacrifices. If you can¡¯t find alternatives to im them from the Graveyard and reuse them, you¡¯ll lose in the battle of attrition.

    Lastly, do you realize that you dock in the number of Land Cards you have, don¡¯t you? The number of Land Cards is the biggest factor to be a powerful neswalker and no one will be handing them over to you. Even my Master¡¯s Land Cards won¡¯t be passed on to you as it is needed to maintain the Magical Formation here. So you have to find ways to expand your mana pool. As far as I can see it, you¡¯ll even have problems trying to use the basic strategy of the Paradise of Adversity, correct?¡±

    Brendel could only nod and agree. Due to the limited amount of time he had with Tuman, they did not go into details of how a neswalker should operate. And with Ina¡¯s exnation, he had a deeper understanding of how to be effective as a neswalker. And that was the first time he felt like he could do so much more with the things he had on hand at that time.

    They continued to converse until the digging noise became so evident that it interrupted their conversation. Brendel realized that it was almost time to bid farewell and asked onest time, "Lady Ina, are you sure about not leaving this ce? This ce is not binding you anyways and I can request someone to stay on a lookout here. And for the injury on your back, I may have an idea how to fix it."

    "Remember this, kid. neswalkers do not believe in God, as they are the ones to decide their own fate..." Ina smiled and smacked the youth¡¯s back.¡±Anyways, I have to say that I am very pleased with your bing, so I should at least thank you foring here. However, for the time being, I will remain here. There¡¯s not much time left but I can still answer one of your final questions. Do you still have anything you wanna know regarding the neswalkers?¡±

    Brendel went quiet. He looked at Ina¡¯s eyes and knew that he was incapable of convincing her.

    And so, after a moment of thought, he asked, "How do I be a true neswalker?"

    ¡°That... will not be an easy feat. You must first have your Laws.," Ina¡¯s expression turned solemn. "You said that your deck¡¯s concept revolves around the idea of ¡®Dominance Over all Professions¡¯¡¯. Although I don¡¯t know what it truly means, I can guess that it heavily emphasizes your personal strength. You might want to have fewer Creature Cards and focus on getting Spells and Enhancements instead. That is, however, just my suggestion.

    It¡¯s not about having the most number of Cards or having the most number of Land Cards that will make you a good neswalker. It is the Laws one has that matters. I have personally witnessed many apprentices that have countless Cards and arge Elemental Pool, but they never got to be a true neswalker. My master became a true neswalker at the age of forty-five, and he was considered as one of the most talented neswalker even to this day. Brat, I do hope you surpass that record... Take it as some sort of wish from me.¡±

    Ina smiled as she said that.

    "Thank you."

    When Brendel whispered those words, there was a noisy rumble that came from above. The two craned their necks upwards to see the Firew Chieftain Ropar climbing down from a small tunnel above with a ming trident in its hand. His movements looked soical Brendel could not help butugh. Andrea was nowhere to be seen.

    With that personality of hers, it was kinda expected.

    Ropar bowed down slightly, softly speaking, ¡°Sir, Ciel has managed to dig out a tunnel outside.¡±

    Brendel cast a nce at Ina and saw the determination in her faint smile. "Go,¡± she added like an encouragement. ¡°Paradise of Adversity will soar to new heights with you as its wielder. Soon, after many lunar cycles, I hope to hear stories of your legendary feats ringing across the worlds like my Master did before. Don¡¯t let me down, brat.¡±

    Brendel pursed his lips.

    ¡°I know of a ce that has creatures with simr problems as you did," he said as he remembered his adventured back when he was ying it like a game. But unsure of the connection between the two cases, he still spoke, ¡°I¡¯ll get there one day and find a solution to your problems. You¡¯re right, Lady Ina, we really have to hold the reigns of our own fate.¡±

    Ina merely smiled. Brendel turned around, nodding to Ropar to signal their departure.

    "Wait."

    He could hear Ina approaching, thinking that she had changed her mind. But as he turned, he was shocked to see Ina rushing towards him at startling speed and kissed him. Before he could react, the icy lips had connected with his.

    Brendel was taken aback and took the attack head-on. He could only smell the slight hint of sweetness that lingered in the air - like that of a goddess.

    Brendel was shocked. But not because he was being kissed in surprise, but that she was forcefully pushing her lips against his, like a wicked female bandit. His dignity as a man surfaced. He would definitely not allow a female to have the upper hand! He hugged her waist to counterattack, but she had slyly backed away andughed at him.

    "I await your good news. That was toplete my side of the promise and so we¡¯re even now. Regardless of how the tin can is right now, you have helped me fulfill my wish. But I will be sure to wait for you to reward me the next time.¡±

    Ina giggled and frolicked her tongue as if she was savoring the moment she had just now.

    "Lady...Ina...you!" Brendel stuttered as he stared at her, his eyes wide with fury but his mind nk. He awoke from his stupor and turned to his aide, his face ck with ire, "You didn¡¯t see anything."

    "Of course, my lord. Ciel will not hear a single word about it," Ropar answered honestly.

    ¡°Fuck! So you were nning to spill the beans if I hadn¡¯t stopped you?" Brendel was sweating buckets.

    And wait, why is Ciel the first thing on this lizard brain?! And isn¡¯t it obvious to hide everything from Romaine about everyone else? Just how much does that bastard like to gossip!

    Brendel suddenly felt the need to punish the Hignd Wizard that had fantasized too much about ro drama. And as he cursed in his head, he could hear Orthylss berating him,

    "You lowly scum! You better go wash your mouth before you ever want to speak with me ever again!¡±

 volume 3 - c256

    The War Without Smoke(1)

    Normally, Ampere Seale will enter its busiest period of the year during March. However, the northern ciers began to thaw early on in February, allowing the merchants to ferry goods from the south to Covardo and Seifer that just recovered from its long winter. There were leather, amber, and tobo from the Radner region and nuts and timber from the Grinoires region. But what about Trentheim? Trentheim did not have any specialty products, and to the merchants, who only cared about profits, would not bother to care about the poor like them.

    Some even thought there were only bandits there.

    But rumor has it that there were ships that delivered food supplies there previous winter. Everyone who heard about it was shocked. Where did this bunch of vige losers get the money to pay for those goods?Of course, not many people knew that one of the three silver mines was in Aouine. But even if that was the case, it belonged to the Count, and the masses in Trentheim did not have any share of the money.

    However, before the news was authenticated, rumors about the southern rebels and the war came to reach their ears. Besides bandits, they even have a rebel army now! Seem like Trentheim is still the unruly ce it is known to be, with only aggressive citizens in there.

    Albeit so, the nobles only cared about entertainment, spices, riches that came in from the trade channels. They did not bother its origins and left all the work to the merchants. However, with the raging battle going on right now, and the civil unrest within Aouine, plus the merchants¡¯ fear, it was no doubt that the economy was disrupted and the nobles could not enjoy the luxury this time around.

    However, The region from Etolin to Ampere Seale was the heart of economic activity, where the free trade there is enforced by the Holy Cathedral. That itself meant that the exchange of currency and goods were still high in activity at the time.

    In Omitos, near the near outpost along the road to Ampere Seale, within the hugs of the mountain ranges and conifer trees that were just thawed off their ice The ciers from Anlek began to melt, forming streams that flowed between the forest. A team of riders was marching in between the trees, alerting the birds and causing them to fly away, leaving only some of their feathers behind.

    Maynild was leading her team to survey the area. The first batch of officially trained officers from the Royal Academy who could finally able to hold their own ground independently now. Behind Maynild was Freya, the mild girl who still had the innocent look was now donning a full armor that may have been part of the reason she started to gain the air of a militant. She still had the scar on her forehead that she got from the previous tournament, though it had mostly faded off.

    The Lionheart sword was strapped firmly to her waist. The Princess had ordered her not to pull out her sword unless it was an emergency. Thus she also carried another steel sword. It was a littleical for a female knight to have two heavy, longswords hung around her, but she did not see it as a problem. To a soldier, a sword was like a treasure. And if possible, she would want to have more of them as they provided her a sense of security.

    It was the same as a poor person finding every chance he could to save money. But even so, she had themon sense to realize that it wasughable to carry that many swords.

    All the recruits in the academy were given a new sword each month. Maybe because the training that they receive was too tiring, there were only a few who bothered to maintain their swords. Most would use a new sword each year. On another hand, Freya would carefully polish her sword each time she got a new one. With all that effort, she managed to stock up six swords in her chest.

    This act made her the joke of her academy.

    Maynild immediately sought her out to scold her. But in response, Freya was shocked and honestly admitted that he wanted to hand these swords to the Be militia when she returned so they have a better chance of defending their homnd.

    Maynild only answered with silence. In the end, she let her go without saying anything, allowing Freya to continue her seemingly ridiculous conduct. During that period of time, Freya became really infamous, and word of her actions even reached Princess Gryphine¡¯s ears. But after she was acknowledged by the Lionheart Sword, no one dared make fun of her anymore.

    Freya was really nervous that morning. At any rate, it was her first time executing a mission that far away from school ground. Despite having battled alongside Brendel, she could not help but shiver each time she thought that a weak individual like her is tasked with the big responsibility to guard the Princess. The future battle goddess was so jumpy that she suspected an enemy to be lurking in every slight movement from her surroundings.

    By her side, Maynild was really focused as well. But unlike Freya, she was collected and astute, her piercing gaze seemed to traverse in the forest like an arrow and noticed something amiss.

    She took a nce at Freya, and then one more time, and she finally could not hold back, ¡°Freya, what are you doing?"

    ¡°Ah! Ah!¡± The young girl came back to her senses and swiftly replied, ¡°Yes! I¡¯m here.¡±

    "Is there a need to be that tense?!" Maynild snapped.

    ¡°I... I...¡± Her voice shuddered.

    The riders snickered, and even Bet was shaking his head inughter. He was someone who escaped Be alongside Brendel and Freya. Although they may not have gone out through the same route, they had carved out a bloody path to escape that ce. Initially, he had an interest in Freya, but upon the realization that she was not into him, the two becamerades from training rather than lovers.

    And even his antagonistic feeling towards Brendel had lightened.

    He finds himself more mature now, and hispetitive behavior from the past seemed so childlike to him. His reckless self is gone too, and reced with it a sense of duty to protect the kingdom¡¯s fate.

    Many of the youths around him had the same thought.

    As theyughed, even Maynild could not suppress the smile she was holding back. Her expression softened, and she thought, Why does Freya always look so scared each time I talk to her? It¡¯s like thinks I¡¯ll eat her up.

    She shook her head, "Freya, you¡¯re a soldier now. You need to stayposed and collected on missions, and this is just a routine patrol. If an actual fight were to break out now, do you even have the chance to be so nervous and tense that you can¡¯t even walk?¡±

    A wave ofughter rang from amongst the group.

    ¡°If that were to indeed happen, I won¡¯t be that nervous.¡± Freya nodded, but her guts were telling her otherwise.

    Unexpectedly, Maynild seemed to see through her and announced, "Right, Bet and you, unlike the others, have had an experience in a real battle. There¡¯s nothing much to worry about anyway. Her highness is in safe hands. This is part of the Holy Cathedral¡¯snd and no one would dare cause a stir here.¡±

    ¡°Then why do we have toe out and patrol around here every day?¡± A rider interrupted curiously.

    ¡°It¡¯s to maintain the awareness of the soldiers. If the soldiers cannot detect the presence of danger, then our Kingdom will be in deep trouble.¡± Maynild turned towards the soldier and answered coldly.

    The entire group fell silent, as if in their deep thought, they realized something.

    Princess Gryphine POV

    She looked back, at the forest that stretched out far beyond. There was no battle here, but another battle had just begun.

    Behind the trees, in a remote valley near Viscount Landin¡¯s manor, Magadal used his connections within the Holy Cathedral to get the people from the Royal Faction here.

    They weed the generous hospitality that they were given by the owner of the ce. This ce was far away from the bustling cities and, despite being rtively close to Ampere Seale, they look as if they came from both worlds. The Nun Princess knew that this sort of environment suited the preference of her best friend, and it was the perfect ce for her to rest as well.

    Princess Gryphine indeed needed a break. She was on the second floor of the mansion when she was quietly stared at Duke Arreck¡¯s carriage pass through the giant gates, slowly moving through the yard in the arms of the trees. It was the first time the two parties had held a meeting to discuss the kingdom¡¯s fate direction in the future. But realistically put it, she did not have the power to decide it or, as it would seem, she simply did not have a choice to change it.

    She bent down her head and let her pale white hair slide past her ears and down the sides of her cheeks. She was still a young kid, and she still had the fine fluffy hair any youngster would have. Yet on her shoulders, thereid a responsibility so heavy that no one could possibly imagine.

    She took out an envelope from within her coat, read it once more before sticking it back into her outerwear.

    I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re fighting against. But it is because of people like you who¡¯re still fighting for Aouine that I am filled with strength and confidence, Sir Knight.¡±

    Duke Arreck¡¯s envoy is runningte. Their arrogance had made her realize just how weak her influence was. But being angry would not change a thing, and wishes would not matter as well in this era. I have to sacrifice some things in order to reach my objectives.

    She turned and ordered her maid, ¡°Tell Duke Arreck I won¡¯t be seeing anyone today.¡±

    "But...?"

    The maid began to panic. In her eyes, Princess Gryphine was never someone who acted based on impulse. She may not know much about the politics of the adult world, she must know that her current actions would at least anger some people...

    She carefully warned, "Grandmaster Fleetwood, Sir Makarov, and the others..."

    But Gryphine just eyed her coldly. In her irises, there was not a hint of impulsiveness or displeasure, just calm andposure.

    "Is it up to Duke Arreck¡¯s messenger to decide the time for the meeting? Can he simply decide toete? Is he looking down on my authority? I don¡¯t mind meeting up with him, but if he were to go on with such an attitude, this meeting will not be held! Pass on the exact same words as I just said to Sir Makarov. From this day onwards, I will not meet Duke Arreck within a week!¡± She paused before continuing, ¡°We¡¯ll meet in a week¡¯s time. At Ampere Seale.¡±

    As her sentence ended, the scent of adolescence seemed to have long faded away from herself. She had fully morphed into the princess that will guide Aouine onto its right path, the one princess that no yer of The Amber Sword would forget to be Aouine¡¯s sole leader.

    The fate of the Kingdom seemed to be going on the right path once more.

 volume 3 - c257

    The War Without Smoke(2)

    There were ominous clouds all above Ampere Seale, the ambiance resembling that of Trentheim. It was the smell of a brewing war.

    Back to his base, Brendel immediately held an emergency meeting.

    The location of the meeting was chosen to be close to the new Valha located in the forest, a clearing with ten ancient trees, nted by the Elves, surrounding it. He was taken aback by the scenery of the ce, and had temporarily used it as an assembly point. He had notified earlier for the core members of the war to gather, including those that had followed his stead since long ago.

    Julian, Taron, Mano, Leto, and Batum were the founding of the Red Bronze Dragon mercenaries. While Julian was once the leader of Fortress Riedon¡¯s patrol guards, he had be part of the mercenaries ever since then. Only Taron was slightly specialpared to the others, as he was originally the captain of White-Mane. And due to special circumstances, he was invited to this group. He must be viewed as a traitor by the Kingdom now.

    Brendel was standing below one of the Mayan trees as he looked at these few men andmenting the past.

    Some of the familiar faces of the group had been lost: some of the elderly had passed due to illness as they migrated, and a big portion of those who remained died in the war with Count Radner. But it seemed like the will was passed onto the survivors, making them even stronger and determined.

    Which led to evident changes that can be seen from the group before him--

    Julian was once the nobles¡¯ henchman that took the role of oppressing the citizens. Brendel¡¯s first impression of him was a weak gangster who wore the facade of being strong. But even that was long gone, and in its ce was a tanned, battle-scarred man that looked vulgar yer mature andposed.

    There were not many refugees who followed Brendel all the way to Trentheim due to their reluctance to leave their homes. But those who did, despite fearing Julian, would stop and pay him some respects. And the number of people who did this was steadily increasing.

    However, in Brendel¡¯s eyes, what was important was only his strength. Within a year, Julian grew from a person who was stuck in the Iron rank to someone close to breaking through. And it was not just him. Most who survived Fortress Riedon had also undergone huge changes as well: Batum, Taron, and Leto are also at the peak of Iron rank as well and are just awaiting breakthrough!

    The mana wave surges are affecting the entire world, but only those who experienced the trials of life and death will truely perceive these changes.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes moved onto another group. The Grey Wolves Mercenaries. Abandoned by Makarov, these bunch did not spend much time with Brendel and co. However, their strength had also increased as well, especially Sanford, who immediately stepped into the Iron rank after consuming the Dragonblood potions.

    Initially, Amandina suggested reserving the potions to the people that came from Fortress Riedon and only distribute to the others once they observed their situations for a while. However, Brendel felt that the people who followed him up till now, after fighting two wars for him, are reliable and loyal subordinates. In this era, it would require massive amounts of courage to oppose the nobles. But if it was not due to Makarov and the others forcing them to their limits, why would they follow Brendel to this point?

    Although there were limited quantities of the potion, the distribution method based on contribution was more widely epted than the method based on their length in serving Brendel. After all, the older ones within the group are already loyal to him and his army, so more effort was needed to convince the younger generation. Using this point as the basis of his argument, he persuaded Amandina and won the favor of the crowd. Even so, the Red Bronze Mercenaries got the mot Dragonblood potions. But at least there is a chance for the youngsters to overtake their predecessors now that this n is enacted.

    As long as you worked hard, you will bepensated ordingly. This was the sole motivation for everyone to work harder.

    Brendel¡¯s motive was to maintain the overall motivation of the entire group. Due to his status as being a party leader within the game for a period of time, and was versatile in handling an organization with modern methods. Compared to the nobles of this world, it was obvious he was more skilled in this department.

    In the eyes of Amandina, her Lord¡¯s methods have a miraculous effect never before seen by her. The mercenaries became more united and coordinated. But beyond that, she felt some subtle change in their souls. They became more motivated now: the neers worked efficiently; the veterans who felt their status being threatened also kept up with their work. Even Amandina was affected by the mood and was working energetically in the morning.

    Firbur was undergoing a subtle change, a cycle of motivation forming amongst the organization. Amandina who had read a little about the Emperor Arts was slightly shocked. The sight she just witnessed was one that most nobles and even kings wanted to achieve but could not. And yet Brendel seemed to havepleted it with rtive ease.

    She pondered for another while and admitted, with a little self dejection, that she could not replicate the effects her Lord had just achieved. I always thought that loyalty is the main factor in governing a group, but why is it that My Lord keeps on overlooking this point? Isn¡¯t he afraid that hisrades will betray him one day? Switching sides is amon sight, and all the nobles struggled to figure out a way to prevent it.

    Brendel may not have noticed it, but his organization is so loyal towards him that it was the most loyal and united body Amandina had ever seen.

    At her question, Brendel only answered that if his men were happy about the entire system, why would they leave? He wanted the reason for his subjects¡¯ loyalty to not be the rewards or benefits he offered but to the sustenance of the entire organization. He was confident that his choice was the best for the organization: He maintains it, and the other pays him loyalty for it. After all, it was exactly because of his belief in this group that led others to trust it as well.

    Amandina was really confused about his exnation. But in the least, she had never witnessed such a calm and dashing look before--

    ¡®If someone were to join me, I would wee them with open arms. If they wanted to leave, I will not stop them as well.¡¯ Maybe it was that open-mindedness that made him so charismatic.

    A group that epts anyone. Even those vulgar bastards like Julian can find a ce in it.

    Amandina was carrying around these thoughts as she walked into the open field. She looked up at Brendel and unexpectedly locked gaze with him.

    The girls around my Lord is increasing. And even that boy Morpheus is cuter than me..

    Unknowingly, she came up with such a thought. She had decided to not fight with Romaine for him, but it seemed like she could not suppress her emotions for long.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the chance.¡±

    Brendel grinned upon seeing his trusted advisor. He thought that she was reminding him to keep aposure that befitted a noble when they locked gazes and imagined her reprimanding him with a serious tone, making him smile.

    Despite having that look all the time, she still sometimes looked cute.

    Brendel unconsciously began to assess any girl she met, but he quickly reacted to it, and shook the notion out of his head. It seemed that ever since that kiss by Ina, there is something else in his heart.

    After all, he was someone who was still in the middle of adolescence, and was really confused about the rtionship between men and women.

    He hit his head to clear his mind and nced once more at his men. The remaining people were pouring in continuously, filling the ce up to its extent. It was then that Brendel had noticed, for once, how big his organization had gotten.

    Scarlett, Morpheus, Medissa, and Andrea were beside him. A bit further away was Ciel, Ropar, and his Firew Lizardmen, plus a group of Wind Elves and Fire Djinn, who were beings that came from the Elemental nes. Although they did not bond that well with the others, it was eptable that they couldmunicate with one another. After that, he noticed Kodan, Carglise, Merial and the young officers of the White Lion Squad forming a circle in the clearing. This group of people hade together and be friends after their experiences in the Dark Forest.

    The two Pristine Archangels were standing by Romaine¡¯s side, as if they had be her official bodyguards. The ¡®undead¡¯ status on their body was also gone as well. Prior to this meeting, Brendel had used l his Grimoire of life to collect his Cards that were in the Graveyard. The Grimoire of Life is currently under cooldown while Graveyard Revival had returned into his deck.

    This is all to prepare for the trip to Ampere Seale. I may have lost the chance to use Grimoire of Life in Ampere Seale, but I believe reviving the Cards that I lost is more important.

    Although the Grimoire of Life is the core of the Paradise of Purity, it was only a defense card and it would never be more important than an offense one. Besides, Brendel had many other ways to revive his troops and a mountain of Holy Potions, in which he got from Amman to supply his army, as a backup.

    Looking further away, he could make out Forn, Jana, and Cornelius - the three mercenarymanders - along with their troops. Then there was Raban and Lucas standing from the Mercenaries of Lopes. On the other corner were the Red Bronze Dragon Mercenaries. Finally, it was the Lycanthropes of the Green Vige, the Druids and the Wind Elves standing together. Francia looked really happy within the circle. She finally got time to spend with her father now. After all, it was Brendel¡¯s decision to not let her duties as a Druid affect her rtionship with her family.

    Brendel looked up, and he saw the Cave Dwellers on the tree branches. Tagiv was living lifefortably under Brendel and sworn to be loyal towards him as his master. They did not get the discrimination they expected to have from the rest of the group, and were even seen as the protectors of it as well. Before the appearance of the Tree Elves, the Cave Dwellers were indeed Brendel¡¯s strongest force anyway.

    It was a rare urrence to see all the people gather around here as they were usually preupied with their own stuff, like Amandina who was managing the fields in Miirna did not have the time to have a meeting. Trentheim is currently going through the process of stocking up food harvest for the winter. Brendel had basically zero knowledge in that matter and had to rely on the expert, Amandina. Vaunte¡¯s agriculture relied on magic and had a really high yield. Although the Wizards and the Priests from the Holy Cathedral could be of help here, the Priests would never aid the rebel army. Thankfully, Brendel had many Druids under him and they were better than the Priests at cultivating nts.

    It was then when Brendel noticed how powerful his forces became.

    I have Scarlet, Morpheus, Medissa, Ropar, Ciel, and Andrea... That would make six Gold-rankers with two Wizards included. Besides, I also have Kodan and the Fire Djinn, who were at the Early Gold rank... So that makes nine... But I also have to include the Tree Elves and the Druids as well... Hmm... Seems like I am just behind Duke Arreck and Seifer in terms of strength. The Royal Family of Aouine has twenty-two Gold rankers serving them, but not all of them serve the main family. Some also serve the First Prince that backs House Seifer. That means that there are only about ten or so Gold-rankers in the Royal Family that also represent the Kingdom¡¯s main attack force. Seems like the number of my Gold rankers areparable to theirs, and if I included the quality of mine, there¡¯s no doubt myrades will outrank them!>

    Besides, I have a lot of Silver and Iron rankers. I can at least see the three mercenarymanders, the Mercenaries of Lopes, the Firew Lizardmen, Carglise, Merial and the Pristine Archangels as well. I must also not forget the mercenaries from the Dark Forest and the Tree Elves as well. Their huge number definitely cannot be overlooked an- Oh! Forn had also stepped into peak Silver stage.

    The hundred or so Silver ranked ¡¯Garurumon-rock-wolves¡¯ are a force that cannot be underestimated as well.

    After that, the Red Bronze Dragon Mercenaries form my main Silver ranked force, and the officers will form the foundation for being the Iron rankers, followed by Julian, Odum, the Wind Spirit Dragons as well as the Cave Dwellers. If I include Tharma and the Illusionary Beasts, the only nonbatants were Romaine and Amandina.

    However, Ick a trump card. Princess Gryphine has Buga and Grandmaster Fleetwood who have awakened their element, and these people must be stronger than the average. In the Noble Faction. Duke Arreck should have two Elemental Awakeners, three with the Northern Duke, Viero has one and Karsuk two, with one of them being a Wizard. Compared to them, my powers are really far behind.

    I may have the Sword Saint of Ashes, but he does not belong to my organization.

    To win in the battle of Elemental Awakeners, my only option is the Golden Battle g. ALbeit the restrictions imposed on it, it would close the gap between our powers.

    At that point, the noisy courtyard had quiet down as everyone gathered. Their gazes fell in the direction of Brendel, awaiting him to say something. It was only then Brendel managed to escape his thoughts. He slowly eyes the entire ce, the words finally connected in his mind.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about recent events.¡± Brendel cast a nce at Amandina.

    The youth continued with the happenings in Ampere Seale. He felt the need to prepare the mental state of his people. It concerned him and his men¡¯s future, and he needed them to understand him. The changes might take some time, but he was awaiting the results.

    How many were willing to follow my stead? How many are willing to save the glory of the Kingdom that once waved its g proudly?

    ¡°My sword shall point forward, as did the first nobles of Aouine fought for glory and the Sages¡¯ wisdom. To King Erik!¡±

 volume 3 - c258

    The War Without Smoke(3)

    Amandina nodded at Brendel, taking a stack of papers as she walked out. In a way, she was still the same person Brendel first met, stone-cold and highly disciplined. But from her cheeks, that seemed to gradually gain its redness, and her forehead that began to form wrinkles, she looked a lot more mature now.

    She looked around and raised her eyebrows. She formed a fist and put it slightly to her lips, coughing, ¡°Ever since our sessful attempt in defeating Count Radner¡¯s ridiculous attack..."

    Several people chuckled, earning her death re. Although she would not give a supercilious gaze, she radiated an air of displeasure throughout the entire ce.

    "Development in Firbur, Port Gris, and the Mirtai region are progressing smoothly. The projects held there are on time as well..." As the entire crowd began to settle down, she ordingly exined the entire situation that surrounded Aouine.

    In summary, Firbur was steadily developing. The crisis of having a food shortage was resolved with the purchase of wheat and other produce from Ampere Seale. The amount of food they had was capable tost them until April next year. What was left was to pray for a bountiful harvest this year. But of course, they could still purchase some food. Amandina took this chance to propose the suggestion of purchasing goods as soon as possible. War seemed like it was about to break out soon in the North and the grain prices would inte exponentially.

    The few people who participated in the internal affairs of the region: Bosley, Romaine, Odum, and Ciel also agreed with her n. Brendel, of course, could only naturally agree. He had originally nned to head for Ampere Seale, and could buy them in the meantime. Ampere Seale was decided to be the permanent central trading hub by the nobles and the Holy Cathedral. As the final talks for war were happening now, while most hoped that a civil war will not arise, the merchants were secretly wishing that it would, leading to the sudden intion of grain prices. There were also a few people who were steadily stocking up produce.

    But it¡¯s guaranteed for a war to break up and there¡¯s no way for both sides to reconcile. While the negotiations right now were made with the purpose to prolong the peace, it was actually the final verbal struggle to obtain the throne. The Princess will definitely let this be the chance for her to be wed to Duke Arreck, who in rumors, had arrived at Ampere Seale along with the Royal Faction¡¯s messengers and was one step ahead of the king¡¯s eldest son and his messengers.

    To the others, the oue may still look undecided, but Brendel, with his memories as a yer, knew that the Princess and Duke Arreck had arrived. It was just kept undercover. This could not be helped, after all, Trentheim was faraway from Ampere Seale, and all the news was ryed by the merchant ships. Despite all that, Brendel had known the truth behind everything.

    In any case, it was history repeating itself. That means I still have some time left....

    Now, Amandina was talking about the agricultural problems in the region. Everyone could see that Brendel ced a huge focus on expanding the farnds in Trentheim, but just tilting thends would require a lot of manpower that they did not have. And it was hard for them to hire people as no one would want to take refuge in such a poor piece of ruralnd. But right before the War Of ck Roses, Master Bosley had messaged his students that were scattered across thend to migrate to Trentheim.

    The problemid in the losses incurred each time during migration. Every time Brendel read the report of the migration process, he could feel his heart sink. It was like he was a ve trader who had lost some goods along the way, and he hated the analogy. But in reality, if he let those people who were chased out of their homes to stay in Viero, Karsuk, and Grinoires and burn in battle mes, they would die a slow death. And among the small number of people who remained, there would definitely not be any elderly and youngsters.

    Wars were unavoidable, and it was a fact that the world had to ept. He thought of the people back in his world. Most of them would only sulk or mourn over it, just like he would. Back when it was just a game, he did not have a chance to witness such a sight. It only praised the glorious battles of the heroes in Vaunte, but what of the despair of the other NPC? No one could sympathize with them.

    "... So this is our current problem: As the nobles are taking in the refugees who could handlebor work or those who were strong enough to bear children, the rest that we had were kids and elderly...." Brendel stopped speaking. She looked at Brendel with irises so ck that could seemingly speak. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. She felt the pain within those homeless people. If not of her encounter with Brendel, she would have the same fate as the people she just mentioned. Though she could empathize with them, her logical deduction made her impossible to make the decision for taking them in.

    "That¡¯s no problem. The elderly possess wisdom that a teenager would never have. And for the children, we will take them in as well. After all, it¡¯s them that will develop thisnd in the future. Only after they experiencing the hardships of war will they understand the value of being alive and the peace we have right now. Thus, we¡¯ll take them in as well." Brendel sucked in a breath uponpleting his sentence.

    He was now the lord of Trentheim, with many subordinates right behind him. He had to make a mature judgment that befitted the title he had. But that did not imply that he had to use the methods like that of the nobles. He believed that, even if there is a day where all of humanity¡¯s wisdom is turned to nothingness, the history that was carved will be a guide to an honorable culture that will not simply fade away. Oppositely, it should lead humanity to a better future, one filled with morals andpassion.

    Of course, this was just a thought he had. However, there was respect in everyone¡¯s eyes who were locked onto him. There was an unexinable,plicated look on Amandina¡¯s face. She was hoping that Brendel would calmly reject her proposal, but if that indeed happened, she was sure she would be really disappointed. His decision to ept them was immature and illogical, but it was one that motivated and inspired the masses.

    Right at the moment, she felt like she was peering into a gloaming abyss. And in it, she saw a young knight holding a banner up high, striving forward against the currents. She wanted to help him push forward, allowing his gentle warmth to bathe all of Aouine before it headed into the age of darkness.

    "It¡¯s not like all of them were experienced, and is there even a need for that many of them?" Amandina grumbled. However, unbeknownst to her, her lip curled into a gentle smile.

    "Never before in my life had I seen a bigger fool than him. Fine, I¡¯ll help you to the end.¡± Amongst the massed, Master Bosly was shaking his head, but in his mind, it was filled with empathy andpassion. His passion to back the Royal family had long died off. Who could resolve the situation now? No one knows. And his decision to support the Princess was merely out of habit.

    It was until he witnessed Brendel making that decision that he felt like Brendel had something the other nobles of Aouine did not have. That led him to make a decision, I will write some letters to my brightest students and old friends to request them to visit this ce.

    After that, Amandina moved onto the next agenda: the condition of Trenteheim. There was nothing much to say besides theck of supplies for the White Lion Squad. Even if the entire forgery were to work overtime, it was impossible for them to supply an entire squad with armors.

    Odum¡¯s "Garguatuan City of Magnificence" was still a blueprint at that point. As he said, he did not have the time toplete it as he was busy fixing channels and other castles and was overworked like a maniac.

    Schafflund¡¯s silver mine operations were stable and was the primary source of ie for the region. But it would soon shift to the Dark Forest. With the help of the Druids, he could easily mine in the outer rims of the Dark Forest. And the main target eas the mountain full of crystals that he just found recently. Albeit low in production, the ie generated there was slowly catching up to the silver mine.

    Comparatively, the sale of other materials like alchemic resources, wood, leather, fur, and other regional specialties were lower. The only person who valued them, was Tharma. He even raised a single level from helping Brendel create the Dragonblood potions.

    The remaining report was about the expansion of Port Gris. What was once a small fishing harbor was now a dock where tworge supply ships would moor. There was even a new bridge and the once peaceful ce was gone. The primary function of the port was now to increasemercial activity. Rebuilding the entire port had usedrge manpower. But Romaine did not force them to build it for free, but used a hiring procedure to request them to build it. This act of generosity had led the citizens in the region to praise their lord.

    Now that his fame is soaring in the skies, the only problem that remained was the possibility of a war breaking out. After all, if that were to happen, it would disrupt their lives. The majority had acknowledged him as a wise, caring lord. Well, at least, he was more caring than Graudin by at least several times.

    On another side, Romaine had given a discount for the people who bought food stock from them. ording to her: Small change left in the hands of hardworking people will grow exponentially. And in time, the money will circte back into her pocket.

    Brendel did not care about her methods. After all, if the region was rich, so will he.

    "....Thus concludes Trentheim¡¯s current situation. Due to the emergency in the North, Count Radner will be involved in the war with Duke Viero. In the meantime, he will not have the time to bother us. Aouine may not be in a favorable state now, but ironically it is now that we can have a breather.¡±

    Amandina paused as her voice fell. She raised an eyebrow at Brendel. Today, it was all thanks to him that Trentheim could finally return to the path of prosperity. It was the hopes of everyone in the field as they walked down this thorny road with him. Thinking back, how did he manage to form an alliance with the Druids, Tree Elves, and Centaurs?

    To them, everything that transpired in the past few months felt like a miracle from a dream.

    And the dreamt actually bore fruit before them.

    And the most important fact that became a reality for them was his bing into the lord of the region. It was due to that they could finally abandon their status as a wandering mercenary, adventurer, ranger or anything else.

    "It was due to the blood, sweat, toils, and tears you all sacrificed for half a month that led this region out of the shadows. Maybe you guys thought that we could finally have a chance to live a stable life finally." Everyone nodded at his words.

    "But what I¡¯m suggesting is that reality will be the opposite of that.¡± Brendel shook his head. ¡°I will now head to Ampere Seale next to investigate some matters. I¡¯m unable to predict what is going to happen in the future, but I can assure you that, by the time I return here, it Trentheim will be rolled into a sea of battle mes.¡±

    ¡°The battles about toe will dwarf all the other ones that you have seen before. It would involve the two most influential parties in the Kingdom and many other nobles. And amidst all the killings, you will see some of the most talented knights you know perish like dust. And all the enemies you shall meet will be someone capable of crushing your past selves like an ant.¡±

    ¡°And these forces might band together to wipe us out. By then, the road ahead of Aouine is one riddled with thorns. One where we will be surrounded by enemies we cannot fathom no matter what option we take."

    Dead silence permeated the area. It was as pin-drop silence. Everyone stared at Brendel, stunned and confused as to what to say.

    "My Lord... Why?" Someone finally asked.

    Brendel took a while before replying, "That¡¯s because I n to stop the first to the throne, the rightful sessor of the nation, and also the one true Princess from falling into a plot.

    And because of that, I may lead all of you into trouble. Whatever they could not get, the dukes will band together, fanning the warring mes across the Aouine. There will be no true alliance, and one can only save himself with his own strength.¡± Everyone was stunned. But only Amandina who knew the truth simplified it to him crashing the wedding of Princess Gryphine. She could not help but twitch her lips when she thought of something. She looked down at the pendant on her chest, the memento of her father.

    "What do the nobles got to do with us?! They had never cared for us, so why do we have to fight for their sakes?!" Someone from the Grey Wolves Mercenaries asked. This group of people who were betrayed by Count Makarov was the one who would never believe the words of the nobility.

    "That¡¯s easy to answer. The reason we¡¯re allowed to be here, was due to the permission of the Princess. Although I imed thisnd from the Madara, do you think the nobles would not bother us once they won the battle against her? NO! We would be their next target! There is no other choice."

    The courtyard fell into silence once more.

    A voice roared out suddenly, "Dear Marsha, my Lord! If we were to help Princess Gryphine defeat her brother and secure the throne, won¡¯t that make us herrgest benefactors? By then, it would be natural for you to be appointed as a duke!¡±

    Brendel looked back to see Carglise with a serious expression hung on his face, " My Lord, if you are a duke, that would make us, your retainers, a baron, wouldn¡¯t it? Ha! I will see how my dad punishes me by then! After all, I will be his superior!¡±

    As he was shouting in a face full of vulgarity, an embarrassed Merial was tugging at his sleeves. She was so ashamed that she did not know where to hide. I have never seen such a rude noble in my life. How did Lord Mirtai educate his son?

    But Brendel was smiling inwardly. He could see that Carglise was trying to support him.

    However, his words did cause somemotion. The people only saw the rewards they could gain, and not the risk that came along as well. Since there was such a great reward promised, the risk seemed to be not worth bothering them.

    Indeed, if they helped the Princess im the throne, Carglise words might actuallye true. Everyone knew that the Princess did not have a supporter as of now and his support would be like sending embers during the winter. [T/L: Chinese saying to mean sending aid in times of need.] Those who followed King Eric to be king, how are their families now?

    House Arreck, House Seifer, House Viero. Which one did not hold arge influence?

    At such a thought, the entire crowd became really enthusiastic.

    Brendel saw their expression and deemed that the problem was no more. His closest aide would definitely follow him, and the Red Bronze Dragon Mercenaries, who were secretly the supporters of the Princess, would definitely do so as well. All that was left was to convince the other mercenaries. They did not have any beliefs and were, at best, a neutral party. They needed to have some gains in it, or else it would have lead to some problems.

    He nodded, replying, ¡°It is as he said. If we prepare well, the rewards ahead of us will definitely be plenty. And it would only be left for those who remained to the end... I believe I did not need to say that.¡±

    "Of course, my Lord!"

    "We understand."

    "No need to worry, my Lord! It is the Princess¡¯s luck to gain your support! "

    It was obvious from their words that they were really confident. They may be bootlicking, but at least it showed their motivation.

    People¡¯s hearts would waver because they could not predict the worst possible situation. But if they saw that the oue was not too bad, the people would be in their best forms when marching into battle. Brendel scratched his jaw. Facing the uing battle, he did not have much confidence in winning.

    It was not because he was not confident, but because the enemies were too powerful.

    If he failed, he would have to foil the wedding. But no matter what the oue was, it would lead to having Duke Arreck¡¯s ire pointing at him. The best oue was being neutral, And if the worstes down to the worst, he would have to take on the full force of the entire Aouine¡¯s might.

    Aouine¡¯s forces were not really powerful, but that was against Madara and the Kirrlutz. The power of six or seven dukes against a single Trentheim. Put it simply, it would be like a 60-pound adult beating up a young kid. By then, the pitiful support he would get would be only from the princess.

    I may not have the best way to defeat the opponent, but there is no more time to strategize. In any case, I will not let history repeat itself. To that end, I will have to go to Ampere Seale.

    He saw Ciel walking slowly towards him to notify that the ship to Ampere Seale was ready to depart.

    From Trentheim to Ampere Seale, the journey will onlyst for one week.

 volume 3 - c259

    To Ampere Seale!(1)

    ¡°How are the negotiations going, Gryphine?¡± The Nun Princess, Margaret asked in her long silver gown as she stepped down the horse carriage, waiting for quite some time in the carriage.

    ¡°It¡¯s not going well. Arreck that sly fox was trying to get his hands on the Haruze. ¡° Gryphine nkly spoke. The weather was slightly chilly, and her servant draped a coat over her shoulders. She continued ¡°I will never allow that to happen. I don¡¯t think Master Fleetwood and Sir Makarov will agree to it as well. ¡°

    ¡°Then what do we have to do?¡± The ever so soft Nun Princess asked with a concerning tone. ¡°I heard that your brother had met up with Arreck.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Gryphine was not in the slightest worried about this matter, ¡°Arreck was just boasting. He knew we would not agree to the terms and is using this as a chance to figure out the limit in which we would offer.¡± At this point, the half elf teenage girl raised her head to look at the sky.

    Despite nearing the year¡¯s Revival month, the entire city was dull and inactive, like the falling snowkes.

    Gryphine sighed, ¡°There¡¯s still room to negotiate in this¡±

    Brendel¡¯s POV

    In Kirrlutz, the adventurers dominated the west of Aouine, and there was an ind sea near the south of the country. Moving west from Port Gris, one would enter the shining and pale blue waters. And if they continue north, they would enter one of the main channels that were headed for Ampere Seale.

    It was sunny that day. A ship was traveling across the waters with high speed. It was moving not far away from the coast, and there were seagulls circling its three masts. On it, there were papyrus and crystal ornaments, allowing it to disguise as a merchant ship that came from the Rubik Nation from the south. That nation was located to the furthest south of the desert region, and was full of wonders. There was a merchant travel route from this country to the Nine Phoenix. However, due to the distance, Brendel had never ventured to that ce.

    Beneath his feet, the ship was known as ¡°Faraway¡±. It was a new boat and was registered in the Ampere Seale to be a legal merchant ship. Carglise was only able to obtain the ship only because the Firbur Group had close ties with the merchants of Ampere Seale. It was a pretty fast boat, thus giving it the nickname ¡°the best brat¡± by the native tongue.

    The captain was around 30 years old. While he was a lot youngerpared to the other captains, it was an indication of his superior ability to lead. The young captain was like a king, and did not bow down to any of the nobles. Brendel hated their influence as well, and this led them to be fast friends.

    The captain was named James. Unlike other sailors, he kept his appearance clean. No matter if it was his beard or his outfit, he would pass as an ordinary civilian anywhere else. However, he did have an odd fashion sense, and liked to wear arge red overcoat and a boat-shaped hat with a sword on his waist as well as a smoking pipe on his lips. Brendel had heard many stories about drunken captains that were horrible atmanding a ship, but that impression was shattered upon seeing James.

    However, the captain exuded an aura that was oddly simr to the militant. Disciplined and strict. Upon asking, Brendel found out that he was the descendant of some navy captain in the past. While the militant operations have now converted to a merchant business, the aura of a soldier stuck.

    The two of them stood on the deck, slowly watching the waters turn to a purplish hue. They had been into the Shining Sea for one day now, and the mast¡¯s shadow. Soon, they will reach the deep waters and by then, even the seagulls will disappear.

    These were the normal sights for James. Albeit being only a young thirty years old, he had been on this route for the past twenty years. From a sailor to an officer, and then recently being promoted to the captain. And in terms of experience, there was no one on the ship who had it more than him! But Brendel was not surprised. He had much more of an exposure, and had probably seen even deeper waters. Even if he was put against the most experienced sailor, Brendel was sure that the young captain would have more to say about the sea myths!

    The noble next to him, Amandina was staring nkly at the seas. As far as she could remember, she had always been living in the mountainous areas in the south of Aouine. She was unfazed by the first time she saw the sea at Port Gris, but that look was really different than what it was back then. She had read her father¡¯s notes before, that the sea as seen from the waters was way more of a sight than seeing it from the shore. She had her doubts at first. But right now, she just realized how wrong she wasst time.

    Upon reaching the sea, one¡¯s fate was ced in the arms of the sea, with a fickle mood that paid no mind to the sailors¡¯ lives. And even in the best times, the waves looked terrifying. Even the strong and sturdy ship looked like a rowboat. Many seafarers were scared to weak knees when seeing the sea for the first time. Comparatively, Amandina was really brave.

    Romaine who was jumping so enthusiastically at first was now dizzy with sea-sickness and was left to rest in her room. She wasining so much about it that she scolded Brendel for bringing her upon this ¡®pirate-ship¡¯.

    ¡°But if you want to be a big merchant, you must have to suit yourselves in such waves. It is unheard of for a merchant to be sick in this situation.¡± Brendel coaxed her and she was left with the only option to bury her head beneath the pillows and cry.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m beginning to understand my father, my lord.¡± Amandina was standing by the side of the ship, her head bent down to see the streaks of white left by the ship as it coursed through the blue waters. In reality, she was feeling sick, but upon seeing Brendel on the deck she thought to herself:

    How can I back down when My Lord is here? How can I be weaker than him!

    And so she gritted her teeth to stay on it.

    ¡°Yep?¡± Brendel looked back at the silentdy. Everyone¡¯s impression of her was a young nobledy with a lot of knowledge, and was studious yet silent. But what they had not seen was a sight of her valor.

    ¡°Before when I had never been to see the outside world with My Lord, I had never expected it to be so beautiful. Although I have seen the sketches left by my father, they were really iparable to the actual thing. If not because I¡¯m looking at it right now, I will never expect myself to long for it so much.¡±

    ¡°...As I am here, looking at the skyline where the waters met the skies, I cannot help but want to see the end of this ocean, cannot help but wonder what lies there.¡± Amandina continued, her voice bing rater soft and innocent. ¡°I believe my father had the exact same thoughts as me.¡±

    Brendel sensed rue in her words. She must be thinking about her dead parents and her rtives back in Grinoires.

    How stupid am I? I still have my family here. Although I may not be the real Brendel, I should probably return someday. But, when...

    Amandina was mourning for not having a home to return to; He, on the other hand, had a ce to return to, but was unwilling to do so. [T/L: The irony.]

    At that moment, he could not help but ask, ¡°Do you me him?¡±

    She shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Despite being a noble, Mother rants sometimes too. But I believe I could understand her thoughts. Just because we¡¯re noble, I had always expected myself to be more mature than those my age. And yet, the hatred still lies there.¡±

    She sighed, a hint of mncholy in it, ¡°Despite how beautiful it looks, can itpare to your own family? I had always admired my neighbors. Even with a family less wealthy than mine was, they felt much happier.¡±

    Brendel was staring onto the side of her face, ¡°Did your father know of your talent in creating Magicites?¡±

    ¡°He must have had his doubts. Although he was rarely home, he always brought me countless ancient scrolls. He may have cared for his daughter, but his methods seem a little...wrong.¡±

    Brendel reached out for the grey rock in his pocket. Ever since he got the rock from the tomb, he felt that the object was part of something important.

    ¡°I agree. He may have cared for you, but his methods were indeed crude.¡± Brendel whispered softly.

    Amandina looked up, her dark eyesced with doubt as she looked at Brendel.

    At this point, Carglise brought over an officer of the White-Mane Squad over. Although this was the young man¡¯s first attempt at going on a boat, he was walking on the decks like that of the most experienced sailors. It was as if he had a talent for picking things up quickly-- even Captain James was shocked.

    James was obviously shocked at Brendel¡¯s maturity, making thetter to embarrassingly exin about having a couple of years of seafaring experience. But -¡°How old are you? Aren¡¯t you¡¯re experiences a little too much?¡± - was the reply he got.

    And Brendel could only lie that he has seen some manuscripts about them. The experiences gained from the books were different from experiencing the actual thing, and that fact would have never escaped James¡¯ eyes. It was just that the belongings of a wizard must be really mystical to a normal human being, plus Ciel was a really high leveled wizard, helping Brendel fabricate the lie perfectly.

    But the soldier did not look good. Brendel had never seen the boy having such a pale face before. In the face of nature, it seems like even the bravest souls will perish.

    ¡°Your retainers are really superb. Despite all my years in Karsuk, I have never met such an outstanding militant before.¡± The captain suddenly turned and pointed to Carglise and the other officer, nodding with approval of their skills.

    It was indeed true. Albeit shaking and shivering, theirposure was excellent for someone who¡¯s going out to the sea for the first time.

    ¡°They¡¯re still far from deserving your praises.¡± Brendel shook his head. This time, most of the people he brought along were the future White-Mane soldiers. A total of 40 of them, they took up two-thirds of his troops. He had high expectations for them, and wished that with time and training, they will be the backbone that supports the Aouine.

    Of course, the soldiers would not understand the motive of their Lord. But no one would doubt his decision. They were young and full of vigor. It was the time for them to bravely push forth and attempt to achieve the impossible.

    ¡°Thanks to you, captain. I brought quite a few men today, and include the goods as well as the food supplies it must have heavily burdened you. Brendel followed quickly.

    The reason he brought over such a huge number of personnel this time was that he would be involved in some business affairs. Thus he would be required to bring Romaine along. But Brendel was worried about her methods, and brought along Amandina as insurance. She was once a noble and the one most familiar with the Aouine customs, plus she had a good brain, thus her existence would definitely be of help to Brendel.

    After that was the Mercenaries of Lopes. Brendel had joked to Amandina about bringing Dia and Frn to Ampere Seale once to gain some experience. Coincidentally this was a good chance for him to bring them there to do so. Plus, The Mercenaries had a lot of experience, and would not perish in battle, making them the perfect mentor for the White-Mane Squad.

    Ciel came along too. As his aide and the facade as the hignder wizard, he had no choice but to go. Besides him, there was Ropar, Morpheus, Andrea, Medissa that followed. Brendel deemed his current n to crash the wedding was one filled with dangers. He knew that there would be others who did not wish for the marriage to happen. But the Royal Faction and House Arreck must have prepared defensive measures to prevent an incursion, thus he could not rely on anyone besides himself.

    Scarlet was also here and was like an extension of Brendel¡¯s shadow. She did not speak much, ad she never left Brendel¡¯s side. Although there should be no more repercussions of the Blood of God after consuming the Golden Apple and the Dragon Bloodline, it seemed that she could not leave his side for the moment. Brendel had said that once she had fully recovered, she could roam freely on her own, but it seemed like she was being so mute that he did not receive a reply.

    The most unexpected guest he brought along was Mephisto. After receiving news of Brendel¡¯s n, he actually appeared on it without notifying anyone. He then exined that he was there to ensure his contractee and his student¡¯s life in Ampere Seale. But even if he said he was there to sightsee Ampere Seale, Brendel was certain no one would say anything about it.

    Nobody dared to offend him due to his strength after all.

    Brendel also requested Kodan toe along, but thetter said that he was not going to participate in any events that were conspicuous. The old knight was still employed by Count Randner, after all.

    Most of the youth¡¯s current summons were sent back to the library, including the Firew Lancers, Wind Spirit Spiders, Fire Dijinn, and Pristine Archangels. Even so, his men hadpletely filled the ship. A typical merchant ship would only require the necessary amount of sailors, and it was unlike a military vessel that was filled with naval soldiers; Faraway had enough manpower to qualify as thetter--- minus the cannons.

    "But thanks to your help, Captain James, I¡¯m able to bring more men along with me. With the increase of food and water necessary to feed them, you¡¯re forced to carry fewer goods." Brendel apologized.

    "You¡¯re being too serious, Lord Brendel, it¡¯s a business transaction after all." Captain James smiled in response. Trentheim did not have any specialty goods at the moment, but Brendel promised to secure a trade route for him, though he did not put too much weight on the youth¡¯s words.

    To them the merchants, it did not matter if they were dealing business with the bandits or the rebels. As long as the other party was honorable to their words, they would always wee them. Plus the impression James had on Brendel was really good. Others may have given him bad remarks, but he could see that Brendel was a courteous noble. Although his methods of handling things may be a little peculiar, he had really attracted the attention of the captain.

    James was also full of praise for Brendel¡¯s subordinates. He had seen private armies from various factions and nobles, and the quality of Brendel¡¯s men were as good as the men working directly for the kingdom, perhaps even surpassing them. There was some kind of trust or belief in Brendel that rivaled the royal knights¡¯ sworn oaths.

    The longer he took to observe Brendel and his men, the more curious he became. In his eyes, Brendel probably had an identity that was moreplicated than a simple noble as he imed.

    Perhaps we could have a better business deal in the future.

    The captain of Faraway knocked out the ashes from his pipe, as Carglise and the apanying officer came by Brendel¡¯s side.

 volume 3 - c260

    To Ampere Seale!(2)

    ¡°My Lord, there seems to be an issue,¡± Carglise said as he, as well as the officer apanying him, walked close to Brendel and whispered to his ear.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Brendel his head to look at the Captain. Carglise and the officer were tasked to make sure the ¡°cargo¡± was safe today. Brendel had brought arge quantity of White Lion Armour, the brainchild of Master Bosley and Tharma. These armors were different from the ones provided by the Kingdom meant for the Royal Faction¡¯s White Lion Swordsmen. It contained the input of Brendel himself, making it superior to the original.

    The White Lion Armors were originally modeled from the Wind Elves¡¯ Half-te Wind Armour, albeit lower in quality as they were made by the humans. King Erik had once improved the Armors and the White Lion Battle Tactics. And in the earlier times, the White-Lion Swordsmen were also known as the White Lion Guards as well. There was a frequent saying in the historical manuscripts, ¡°The King Leads his Knights and Dominated the South¡±. The ¡°King¡± in the phrase meant King Erik, while the ¡°Knights¡± were, of course, the White-Lion Guards. This group, along with the Silver Elves Pantheon Sentinels were the two main forces in thend. It was a myth that they were evenparable to the White Winged Knights. However, they have perished in the past battles, and the improved White-Lion Battle Tactics were lost, along with the manufacturing methods of the White Lion Armors.

    And even Brendel and Orthlyss were unable to replicate this sort of information. There was a saying that every warrior is half a forger. Although the two of them are clueless about the original White Lion Armor, they were really informative about the White Winged Knights armor, the Half-te Wind Armour. It was a reallymon defensive equipment back in the game and Sophie was really lucky to get a set of it. And Orthylss was an original White Winged Knight in the past, and a high officer among the Wind Elves, so it was really natural for her to understand it like the back of her mind.

    The upgraded White Lion Armour was more closely resembling the Half-te Wind Armour rather than the original White Lion Armour. It was also imbued with the Magical Formation of the Wind Elves¡¯ special Wind Formation, making it lighter than usual without losing on durability. The Wind Barrier on it can defend a Piercing Arrow from 100 meters away. In the current world, it would be an easy feat for an experienced warrior to battle ten at once with this armor on.

    Besides, the armor also was also made to be always dry, reducing the chances of the user getting fatigued. But of course, this does note without a price. It was literally worth several ten thousand dors for just a set. And with his wealth right now, it was impossible to supply the entire squad with it. It was ridiculously expensive.

    But after some consideration, he decided to provide it to those with the rank of Officer within his troops. As for the normal troops, they used the simplified version of it. Bosley was currently trying to take off some of the more expensive parts on the set, like the magical crystal that powered the Formation. The old man promised that he will be done with the price once Brendel came back from this trip.

    Brendel knew that the craftsman was just testing him, to check out the decisions that he will make once he reached for Ampere Seale. Will he aid the Princess or will he help Duke Arreck? Does he have the same thoughts as the old man? Only time would tell.

    Brendel was unsure that there would be any problems leaving such a treasure in the storage room of the ship. He believed that it was enough to just ask some people to patrol the area routinely. But hearing Carglise saying in such a tone startled him a little.

    But the young officer continued, ¡° Jordan had heard some strange noises in the ce. And it seemed to being from outside the ship.¡± Brendel was relieved to hear that there was no problem with the Armours. He looked back and eyed James with a questioning look, and thetter replied, ¡°There¡¯s nothing there besides cargo and rats. If anything, the noises must havee from other sources.¡±

    It would not be a problem if it was just some rats, but it was from outside the hull? That might be catastrophic. Sound radiates differently in water than it did in the air. There was ayer of vacuum between the walls as well, so if the source was not from a close ce, it must be from something big.

    ¡°Where did ite from?¡± The young captain asked immediately.

    Brendel cast a nce at his own subordinate and Carglise answered quickly, ¡°It should be on the left hull.¡± The young captain was quick to react. With a wave of his hand, ¡°Crystal Chains to the left!¡± Not far away, a sailor saw his gestures and ran to get a coil of rope, with crystal-like stuff stuck on its ends. He threw it into the left nk of the boat. The crew had always used such a method to check out if there was a sea creature attacking. It was said that the most experienced sailors can guess the type of monster just based on the vibration of the rope.

    But the sailor who threw it this time did not have such a skill. He just threw the chain and could not help but yell, ¡°There are so many creatures down there!¡±

    ¡°Strike the rm! Prepare for battle!¡± James grimaced. It was so calm on the ocean¡¯s surface, and yet they were surrounded by a group of unknown creatures. It seemed like they had some intelligence, and they did note in peace. It was Brendel who reacted the quickest. Before James could say anything, he had gone over to cut down the rope in the sailor¡¯s hand. The sailor was startled, but upon seeing how the rope was tugged with such a tremendous force, he was really thankful for Brendel¡¯s actions.

    His face was pale, and he even forgot to thank his savior. Brendel looked down and said back, ¡°It¡¯s a humanoid lifeform.¡±

    In the Shining Sea, there were only several types of humanoid creatures. Besides the Merfolk, there were only the Nagas and the Lizardmen Bandits. But the Lizardmen Bandits do not stay in the water, while the Merfolk do not attack the humans. For them to sneak in so secretively, it would only be the Nagas.

    James could not believe that Brendel had figured out his enemies in such a short period of time. But the enemies down there, they had already revealed their violent intentions.

    A sailor went to sound the rm, and those down the deck had already rushed out in full battle gear.

    There were forty sailors on board. And add to the numbers the Major Officer, The Vice Officer, and the White-Lion Squad that Brendel led, the entire upper deck was full of people, ready forbat.

    Brendel was much moreposed than the captain at this point. He had full knowledge of his men¡¯s abilities. Plus, The Faraway is at best slightly weaker than the third ss warship that the Kingdom uses, so it would be a bad idea for a bandit troupe to mess with them. He was staring at the water surface, suddenly remembering the submarine-hunting boats back in his old world andpared it to his situation.

    But it was slightly different this time.

    At that moment, a dark shadow appeared just beneath the surface of the water. Its triangle tail broke the water surface, forming a white streak of waves.

    It¡¯s a shark?

    There were about six to seven underwater tribes that tamed the sharks. The situation was simr to how the people onnd taming the wolves to do their biddings. However, it would be hard to determine who their opponent was just based on this information.

    James came to the same conclusion. He stuffed the smokepipe into his bag and pulled out his sword.

    It was at this time that a melodic voice radiated across the ce.

    ¡°It¡¯s the sirens.¡±

    The White Lion Squad was still fine, but the sailors all went mad upon hearing the voices. The sirens were mythical creatures and legend had it that they would charm sailors to go on the wrong route. They were depicted to be a demon with the face of a human and the body of a bird in the Kirrlutz books, but Brendel knew they were unrted to the Eagle Demons from the Jorgendy Ridge.

    The real sirens were truly a mythical creature. Their upper bodies resembled a female, but below the knees, they had bird ws instead. They were said to be more beautiful than any mortal humans, and their songs could easily im the souls of anyone who heard it. It was said that there was a ship crew that was lured in by them, leaving the boat to travel on itself, bing the ghost ship that was very popr amongst the beach folk. That was why, upon hearing these noises, everyone began to panic. Everyone besides Brendel and his subordinates.

    ¡°Plug your ears!¡± James ordered. The sailors were really superstitious. Although the sirens had never made any contact with the humans in the past one thousand years, all the ship¡¯s crew had pulled their earplugs out and prepared to stuff them into their ears.

    The White Lion Squad followed their lead and pulled out their earmuffs as well.

    Brendel had a lot of experience out in the sea and head even ventured into the deep waters before, so he was confident he knew much more of the things out there than James. But at that moment, he did not stop the captain¡¯s actions. He was captivated by the sound. It did not allure him, but rather made him realize that it was not the sea demons that they are facing. He took off his earplugs and handed them to Amandina, who stared at him in doubt, fearing that he was entranced by the siren¡¯s call. She knew her lord was not someone who was superstitious, yet it did not stop worrying her that he was such a reckless guy.

    Everyone there was shocked when they noticed that their leader was not wearing any earplugs, and yet was unfazed by the song. They knew that he was a Hignd Knight, and thought that it was all a magic that he was safe. But they did not know that he had a high level in Willpower. Don¡¯t even mention these callings, not even an actual Siren can lure him.

    He looked back at the captain and said, ¡°They¡¯re not the sirens. They¡¯re the Merfolk.¡±

    ¡°Nani!¡± The captain was holding on to his earplugs, thinking he misunderstood.

    ¡°They¡¯re the Merfolk.¡± He repeated. ¡°It¡¯s the Nagas down there. And they¡¯re working with the Merfolk.¡±

 volume 3 - c261

    To Ampere Seale!(3)

    The Nagas in The Shining Sea was fairly infamous across the region, often attacking the merchant ships that were along the way from Ampere Seale to the Port of Grey Winds, and even at Port Gris! But the Nagas in the deep waters were not united as one, and was split into several different tribes, with the Kou Toas and the Shining Scale Nagas being the most famous amongst them. The Shining Scales did not only appear in the Shining Sea, and can be seen across the Seven Seas of Vaunte, and was the most badass pirate in all of history. It may seem that they closely resembled a Kingdom, with its culture,nguage, and traditions.

    The underwater tribes survive by stealing and robbing, and the Nagas were no exception. Sometimes there would be tens of tribes having infighting. And in all of history, there had never been a case where these sorts of pirate fights did not bring trouble to the merchant ships that passed along the way. If anything, it troubled them.

    To the sailors, the bandits were not as frightening as the Sirens from the legends, and with just Brendel¡¯s warning, everyone regained theirposure. ¡°But it sure is mysterious. The Merfolk barely ever banded up with the Nagas to wreck a ship.¡± Despite all that, James asked doubtfully.

    He pulled out his smokepipe and shook out the tobo within it before stuffing it back into his bag. His longsword in his right arm, the captain ordered the other sailors to pull up the shields on the nk of the ship.

    ¡°Be careful of their javelins!¡± He roared.

    In the game, the Merfolk had close ties to Nagas. They often participate in the internal conflicts of the Nagas, using their melodious voice to aid theirrades. inly speaking, they were the wandering poets of the battlefield, the underwater battlefield. However, they were kind creatures, and had always denied attacking the humans or the dwarves alongside the Nagas. That was why James found it odd when the two species had surfaced to attack them.

    At that moment, the creatures broke the surface of the water. They held an uncanny resemnce to humans - except their blue skin and some other fishlike characteristics. Their skin was made of scales, and had gills under their breasts. They had nostrils and lungs to breathe in air, but with the dry air in the atmosphere, they rarely left the water.

    The Nagas that surfaced did not have a head, and in its ce was a stalk of blue nerves. It may seem odd at the beginning, but in time, it would be quite a pretty sight. Most of those who came out of the water were males. Males had two arms and non-obvious breasts. Their faces were chiseled and sharp, with waterproof battle prints on them. Their muscles were humongous, and had a barbaric aura to them.

    Legends have it that the Nagas were the descendants of the Heavenly Snake, a half-human, half-snake. The female Nagas had one additional pair of arms. ording to the legends, the god of Nagas wanted the females to be more creative than the males, who were only needed on the battlefield.

    But that was only based on the legends. In reality, the Nagas and the Merfolk were good at throwing the javelins. The Nagas had two arms, one to wield the javelin, the other was meant for either a short sword or shield. The seas were rich in natural ores, and the Nagas used the iron and bronze there to erge their weaponry. Plus, they could use the volcanoes to forge them and even a method to preserve the weapons underwater. That exined why their weapons were not too badpared to humans. But the biggest difference were the Nagas¡¯ leaf-shaped shields. They were made for underwaterbat to reduce water resistance.

    Seeing that the Merfolk¡¯s charming voice did not work as it was intended to, the Nagas floated up to the surface. This was theirmon tactic, to rain down javelins on the deck of the ship. Unfortunately for them, the captain James was really experienced and had ordered them to raise their shields. The shields were the ordinary ones seen on the battlefields of Vaunte, and they weremonly hung on the hull of the ship, and they would be pulled up when they were needed.

    The metallic spears fell like raindrops, embedding themselves onto the shields or sliding back down into the water. The crew were safe, after all, the shields were invented as a countermeasure against the pirates. The Faraway was a huge ship, and was meant to take on any sort of situations.

    After a while, Mephisto, Ciel, Andrea, Scarlet, Morpheus, Ropar and Medissa also appeared on the deck. Seeing them, Brendel sighed in relief. Although he was not informed about the strength of Brendel¡¯s forces, he can see that at least Medissa and Ciel were gold-rankers. With the two powerhouses on the ship, it could be said that it was one of the most powerful ships in all of Vaunte.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Mephisto asked upon seeing the monsters when he appeared on the deck. James would not have guessed that the cold middle-aged man was actually Brendel¡¯s most powerful asset, but with his calmposure, he was sure that the man must not be just cannon fodder.

    However, there was a reason behind his calm demeanor. After all, it was the beginning of the year where everyone was really weak. Unlike back then, even a bandit had Elemental powers. Besides, don¡¯t even mention the Aouine, Mephisto was ranked as one of the strongest even back when he served the Kirrlutz Empire. With just being slightly careful, he could eliminate just about anyone without even being figured out.

    Just merely a few Nagas that were nothing but small fries in his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Nagas.¡± Brendel held firmly onto his sword but did not make a move. He eyed the warrior on the surface, sensing a little familiarity. It may seem that all the Nagas looked alike, but there was actually a slight difference between each one of them, like the Shining Scales to have more striking scales. But the ones before them seemed to be the Grey Fined Nagas, with their slightly pale fins.

    He shuddered. It cannot be that coincidental, can it?

    ¡°These are the Nagas?¡± Albeit knowing about them, Mephisto had never been to the sea and had obviously seen them before. He turned over to look at Brendel, ¡° How can you always meet up with trouble?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Brendel had never dreamed of the day he would see this serious fellow diss him in such regard.

    Only he would be that rxed in such a situation anyways.

    However, he did not expect Orthlyss to agree with the Grey Sword, ¡°He is correct. How can you always be involved in trouble wherever you go?¡±

    ¡°Dear Marsha. I am innocent, okay?¡± Brendel muttered. Back when everything was just a game, he prayed so hard to be involved in some scenario, and yet when he came to this world, he could not help but be involved. Just as one ended, another will begin. All that has begun to stress him out, both mentally and physically. [T/L: Dude, you¡¯re the MC of this story, ofc you¡¯ll have drama arcs. HAHA]

    Orthylss was just joking, however. Meeting bandits weremon in the oceans. And not only on the waters, but it would be normal to see bandits in the mountains and ins as well. The feudal lords only cared for the capital of theirnds. And the further one goes from the center, the higher the crime rates will be. And at those ces where there was no government, it was a nd for the unruly.

    The sailors counterattacked. Most of the ships on this route were weaponized merchant ships, so of course, the Faraway was no exception. They fired the arrows. Instead of calling it a counterattack, why not call it an attempt to force the enemy back? James¡¯ crew had suffered a considerable amount of damage. Some of the javelins had pierced through the shields and had injured several of the men. And there were even two really unfortunate ones nailed onto the deck. The doctor on duty took a look at the two and shook his head, apparent that they would not survive.

    Brendel took out several Holy Potions from his Dimension Space and handed them to Medissa. He had pilfered a lot of potions from Amman¡¯s Dimension Space, and they were useless for him anyways. Plus, he could use them to make James owe him. Brendel knew that getting to know the merchants in Ampere Seale would aid him greatly in the future, especially someone like James with a really impressive background.

    Holy Water was the world¡¯s most effective cure. Their purpose being able to clot wounds and repair the body damage, or to heal the injuries from battle. As long as one did not lose too much blood, the Holy Potions would definitely work. But these sorts of things were rarely seen. Back in the Holy War, they were only given to the most elite squads.

    The two sailors who were supposedly not gonna live, were healing at a frightening rate. Don¡¯t even mention the doctor who was responsible for healing them, even James was shocked. Although his sailors¡¯ death was not that important to him, as the people living in the oceans were not fearful of death, but to see the sight of his people reviving was really an impressive sight.

    James was born a noble, and with the impressive knowledge he was entitled to, he could recognize what the healing fluid was. He was shocked, but not at how rich he was, but rather the generosity he disyed. To use such a precious treasure on just a mere sailor, it was either he was really rich and arrogant, or he was just that kind.

    At this sight, James wavered. He began to consider dealing business this new lord of Trentheim. He looked at Brendel and thought to himself,

    Can it be true that the rumors were true, that the man was born a kind-hearted noble? But in that case, why did he relocate to Trentheim, and decided to go against Count Radner for it?

    With his keen instincts, he immediately thought of the infighting that was happening in the north.

    Was he part of the Royal Faction? Or the private knight for the Princess? Or could it be that Karsuk¡¯s Hignd Knights were always part of the Princess Faction all along?

    Multiple thoughts shed through his mind. Comparingly, the two sailors who were saved had nothing but gratitude in their minds. They came from a poor family. If there were any other options, why would they even decide to be sailors? This era proved to be the most perilous era for seafaring. Sailor casualties were really high. ording to his research, Brendel realized that it was only slightly better than the exploration age back in the fifteenth or sixteenth century back of his old world. He may have saved the lives of the two sailors, along with their starving families back home, but he was unwilling to ept the gratitude of the ones he rescued.

    As a modern era civilian, doing that would be really awkward.

    But in the eyes of everyone else, his generosity had made them respect and see him in a much better light. The White Lion Squad pulled out their bows. These were not the ordinary crossbows that most used, but a modified version with magic imbued into it. After all, the normal bows did not manage to fulfill the needs of these Iron rankers. However, each of these weapons was really costly to manufacture. Each one cost one gold bar, and Brendel could only produce fifty or so.

    He had ns for the squad to use Magicite Powered Bows and not the current Magic SIgil Bows. Those only required a small Magicite contraption, which could be easily made by Amandina. It may be moreplex to manufacture, but the price would definitely be multiple times cheaper. But of course, that was just a dream for the far future. But until then, the White Lion Squad would only use the normal nk wood crossbows that were really popr in Aouine. He did not have the money to supply each one of them with the Magic Sigil Bows, or else Romaine would have threw a tantrum.

    Once the White Lion Squad joined in, the tides of battle turned. In this world, or even in all of Aouine¡¯s history, there had never been a lord like Brendel who had invested so much into its military forces. He knew that to strengthen one¡®s fief, the military should be developed. He set harsh training rules, and had a rigorous training regime for his soldiers. And all that training had led to Bosley and Amandinain about the exorbitant costs that came along. The recement cost of arrows and the repairs expenses of armory and weaponry had easily exceeded the normal expenses of other lords in Aouine by folds.

    This made the Grandmaster from the pce state angrily, ¡°If that money can be saved up to develop an army for the Princess, it would definitely be more beneficial.¡±

    However, that integrity Brendel held towards his ns hade to bear fruit today.

    The White Lion Squad fought like any other experienced veterans on the battlefield, theirck of experience made up with their involvement in the Cmity of Wolves. Even in the eyes of the most gant warriors, they are really respectable. The veterans may have more experience, butpared to the teamwork the White Lion Squad, they were really far behind thetter.

    The officers shot arrows that had pinpoint uracy. Each shot the umtion of a million shots in training, as well as tens of thousand Taels worth of arrows. But all this expenditure had bear fruit. Each arrow would one shot one kill, and a dozen Naga corpses sank in just a couple of minutes.

    Even a God of Bow would not be that good.

    Facing the enormous might of the Nagas, the crew would never have dreamt that they could be able to drive those creatures back. With the firepower of the White Lion Squad, they could even outss the firepower of a third-grade battleship of the Kingdom. The only w they had was theck of cannons and harpoons, or else they would have passed as an actual battleship.

    The two factions fought for a while. The casualty on the White Lion Squad being an officer injuring his wrist when pulling back the crossbow, but there had been dozens of deaths on the side of the Nagas. The Nagas¡¯ shocking cries from the beginning had turned to wails of despair. With a loud yelp, they all retreated.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    The captain and Brendel were stunned. Their image of the Nagas being fearless warriors crumbled. The Nagas who would fight to the death even in an adverse position? They retreated?

    Are these really the Nagas? Could they be Merfolk disguised to be them? The two exchanged doubtful looks.

 volume 3 - c262

    ¡¯Familiar Friends¡¯

    The sun painted the sea a golden sheen. What was once the battlefield had turned calm. As thest Naga submerged into the waters, there were only waves of light that remained on the ocean surface. Everything that just happened felt like an illusion. If it was not for the people on board reminding one another about them, everyone might have believed that it was just a nightmare.

    However, the Nagas did not submerge back into the water to retreat.

    ¡°Look!¡± A sailor eximed.

    Brendel looked over the deck. Beneath the far and blue ocean, a ck shadow appeared out of a sudden. The silhouette, being wayrger than that of the Faraway, made it look like a leaf in the vast ocean. The ¡°thing¡± moved passed the ship at a speed so fast, it made the ship shudder terrifyingly. The masts were vibrating vigorously, the bolts struggling to keep themselves in ce. Even the most valorous men were gritting their teeth at the thought of the nks springing apart.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes were moving from one side of the ship to the other. He bit his lip. The dark shadow indicated an unsettling premonition:

    A creature having such arge body mass could only be those terror-inducing sea monsters from the legends!

    Therge mass moved further away and began toe afloat. Seawater fell on both sides of it back. And then a sharp spike broke the surface of the water, forming a trail of white waves.

    ¡°Omygawd!!!¡± [T/L: Oh My God!!!]

    ¡°What is that thing?!¡± The sailors panicked. Anyone who saw a mountain rise from the water would definitely be scared shitless, and they all know, it was not any ¡®mountain¡¯. James clenched his grip on the sword. A terrible thought hovered across his mind that made his face several shades paler.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Demon Whale! A fully matured one!¡± Brendel answered swiftly.

    ¡°Did you get it wrong?¡± James sucked in a breath of cold air.

    ¡°I do hope I¡¯m wrong.¡±

    ¡°Dear Marsha!¡± The supposedly fearless captain muttered under his breath.

    He was not a coward, but he needed much more than courage to even mention the Demon Whale, which was, in the stories passed down through the generation of sailors, the most infamous legend and the most terrifying creature across the Seven Seas.

    Even in the Library of White Port, there were only several ancient manuscripts that recorded the sightings of the beast. In the stories passed down, it was said that only the most fortunate -or the most unfortunate- would have the grace of seeing the Whale¡¯s true form. And to survive even that, it can only be said that he was blessed by the Goddess of Luck.

    The Kirrlutz depicts the Demon Whale to be the descendant of the Sea Dragon Leviathan. They were born to be the conquerors of the sea. They could manipte the sea storms, but were a sign of bountiful harvest in the seas as well. Along the ports of the cities, they were crafted to be jewelry in hopes of bringing in a calm sea along with a good harvest.

    But it was truly unfortunate to meet the real thing in the sea. Even the strongest navy humanity can produce will be a ything in its eyes. An adult Demon Whale was even stronger than a giant dragon. Mortal magic and weapons would not even tickle it, and oppositely, its bloodline inheritance allowed it to use magic that made the strongest human mage look like a toddler ying with fire. And Brendel had known of many cases where its destructive capabilities had utterly demolished several ports.

    But upon seeing the monster, he had another thought.

    ¡°This Demon Whale is working with the Nagas. Our firepower is strong, they will nevere up and attack us.¡± He looked back, ¡°MIster Sword Saint, it¡¯s all up to you now.¡±

    A Sword Saint?!

    James and the other sailors near them clearly heard his words, but were in disbelief. In all of Aouine, there were only five people that had the title of Sword Grandmaster. They were Buga the Cross, Devard the Hawk, and Silver Knight Sylvia. They all originated from the Arreck region. The people within the Mountains of Arreck were sturdy, and had given birth to may of the famous Sword Grandmasters and even Sword Saints, like Gory Keyes from thirty years ago. Among the three Sword Grandmasters, one worked for Duke Anthony, while Devard and Sylvia stayed to serve the Arreck region since the previous generation. Besides the three, House Seifer and House Covardo had one Sword Grandmaster in each of their households. As for Sword Saints, there had not been any since Darius and Gory Keyes.

    But right now, Brendel was iming the ordinary bleak-looking middle-aged man right beside him to be a Sword Saint. The news shocked the sailors that they forgot their demise might arrive in a few more seconds.

    As everyone¡¯s eyes were fixated on Mephisto, the man was still rxed. He only turned back to question Brendel, ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Although they had sent out the Demon Whale, they don¡¯t seem to be willing to suffer huge losses. I just need you to force them to retreat.¡± He looked far across the ocean, calcting how much guarantee he had in his ns. He was very knowledgable in the Nagas, especially the Naga they were facing right now.

    Mephisto was deep in thought, and found that his statements were logical. At this moment, James hurried over, nodding, ¡°It¡¯s true. Pirates are not afraid of death. They would not be willing to suffer huge losses in a robbery.¡±

    He looked at Mephisto with doubt. No matter if it was Darius or Gory Keyes, they would be much older than just a middle-aged man. Inparison, Mephisto looked like one of the younger ones of the previous generation.

    When did Aouine give birth to another Sword Saint?

    At that moment, Mephisto nodded, ¡°Lemme give it a go.¡± With that said, he ced his hand on the sword hilt. In a sudden, everyone felt a terrifying force pressing them down. The aura he exuded seemed to form a wind pressure that affected everyone. Even Gold-rankers like Medissa and Scarlet could not help but shudder. And for the ordinary sailors, they crumbled to their knees.

    ¡°God! It¡¯s actually a real Sword Saint!¡±

    ¡°Dear Marsha! When did Aouine get another Sword Saint?!¡± Besides Brendel and his subordinates, everyone¡¯s shock was maxed out. They were not only shocked by Mephisto¡¯s identity, but also Brendel¡¯s background. Who are these rebels from Trentheim actually?

    Amongst the masses, only Brendel was unaffected by the presence. His Willpower had already surpassed the limits. Do not even mention the aura of Sword Saint, even the natural aura of a mature dragon would be nothing in his sight. He just stared as Mephisto did not hold back in releasing his aura, forming a circle of grey with him in the center. It spread out in all directions, covering the sea in an instant, and the entire ship seemed to be coated in a thinyer of ash.

    World Of Ashes.

    At that instant, everyone kept quiet. Even James who had so much experience did not know what it was, except that it was the legendary Elemental Power.

    Activating Elemental Power--

    Let¡¯s not even go to his swordsmanship. Just based on his brute strength, he was already strong enough to be a true Sword Saint.

    It was not just the people onboard that fell silent, even the Demon Whale stopped not far away in the sea. It was respecting the power of the strong. It may be a monster from the legends, but in the face of someone who activated his or her Elemental Powers, it would be easily bested. It was an ancient creature, its intelligence not worse than that of humans, and it knew what it was looking at.

    It was a strange sight. Between the Demon Whale and Faraway, there was a momentary silence. Neither side attacked. Many of the people there were gawking at the sight. This was a sight they would probably not get to witness once more in their lives and was probably the most marvelous moment of it.

    And that was especially true for the sailors.

    After a while.

    Several figures, both male and female, surfaced from the water. Of course, they were Nagas and their eyes held the same questioning look. They had obviouslye to rob an ordinary merchant ship, but they did not expect it to be armed to such a degree. And they even had a master with mastery in Elemental Powers. If Brendel and the others did not attack them on sight, they would have doubted if they had fallen into a trap.

    But it seemed that they met up with a portable treasury of some unknown nation.

    It may seem to be hrious, but the Naga tribe leaders did have such a thought. Otherwise, it was overkill to have such defenses. The got closer to the Faraway and upon looking at Brendel, they got even more certain about their guesses, leading them to ask, ¡°May we have the grace of knowing the House of your Highness?¡±

    ¡°His Highness? A prince?¡± Before Brendel could react, it was Amandina who started tough.

    Brendel eyed Amandina. He had always thought of the girl to be someone who wasposed in any situation, and that statement was not even funny anyways.

    Is it because I am really far below her standards of her ideal prince?

    Between all the princes and princesses of Vaunte, there may not be many with good looks, but most had the power or wealth. With Brendel¡¯s current financial position, he should be able to pass as some small nation¡¯s prince.

    Feeling Brendel¡¯s gaze fixated on her, Amandina could not help but felt her face burn. She coughed lightly and moved away.

    Brendel did not know what was going on in her mind and did not think much about it. He looked back at the Nagas. Anyone, including the sailors on board, could see that the Nagas are here to beg for mercy. As he suspected previously, even if they were pirates, they would not rob with a big risk of trouble. In the wide sea, there would obviously be people they would not dare anger, and there would be people worth messing with.

    And to have someone with Elemental Powers as a guard. That was definitely someone they would not dare piss off.

    Unbeknownst to everyone, when Brendel saw the Nagas, a thought shed in his mind.

    ¡°It was actually you guys...¡±

 volume 3 - c263

    Meeting Again Once More

    In reality, besides the Shining Scale Nagas, there were also the Grey Fins, Jalo, Sea Serpent, etc, etc who were fairly active on the Shining Seas. And the one Brendel was most familiar with was the Grey Fins. They may look simr, but the differences between each species can bepared to the differences between nations, or, the people in it to be precise. Each originated from a different ancestor, like the Grey Fins were said to be the descendant of the Heavenly Snake Manas. ording to the Kirrlutz legends, The Dragon of Cmity mated with the humans, giving birth to twelve half-snake half-human creatures, in which Manas was one of them. Legends had it that it had a body of ash white, and protected the North Sea, which waster renamed to be the current Farnezain Sea. That was why the creature was viewed as one of the protectors of the ten city-states today.

    The Grey Fins, being Manas¡¯s descendant, inherited its ash white scales, and were said to be riddled with dust. But then again, no one could prove that point. But Brendel recognized these creatures from his experience in The Amber Sword. He stood by the side of the deck, not answering the questions of the Nagas before him. He was awaiting their leader who had yet appear.

    Everyone else, including James, followed his stance and stayed silent as well. The sailors were curious as to what he was going to do. Upon seeing how hemanded Mephisto and the spectacle shown by thetter, they all believed he had the ability to do it as well and left their gazes stuck onto Brendel.

    Seeing how the people onboard did not show any sort of movement, the Grey Fins became agitated. But after a while, the seawater parted, and from the crack emerged two Nagas. One female while the other was a male.

    The male was slightlyrger and fiercer and, unlike others, he had amber colored irised instead of purple ones. He was wearing arge deep blue colored scale armor and in his hand was a long de. It seemed like a kukri, but no one had seen one of that size. The battle tattoos on him were more detailed as well, filling him with an odd, wild allure.

    With just one nce, Brendel had identified the Naga. It was the wandering boss that governed the area around here. His name was ¡®Sani¡¯, meaning rger¡¯ in the Nagas¡¯ tongue, but the other yers preferred to call him ¡®Yellow Eyes¡¯. As for his name, it was said that it was because he was born with arger head than the other Nagas.

    It may sound like a subject tough at among the humans, but in the culture of the Nagas, it was something worth taking pride in. Having arger body meant being stronger, Sani was born to be a warrior. When he grew up, he became themander of the Grey Fins, making him the target boss in everyone¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Human, where do youe from?¡± Sani looked at the boat, a hint of doubt traced in his eyes. But he was a mature person and did not make up any form of conclusions.

    James was about to open his mouth, but Brendel was one step faster and said, ¡°Sani, the Seven Seas is decreed by Marsha to be a free territory. You Nagas epted her grace, yet did not appreciate it, stealing and robbing other ships, killing innocents. Aren¡¯t you all afraid of punishments?¡±

    His words shocked everyone. He may have a Sword Saint backing him up, but there was no need to berate the other guy to that extent, right? After all, he also has a legendary Demon Whale, doesn¡¯t he?

    Even Mephisto did not understand the reason behind his jeering remarks. ¡°Little bastard, just what are you nning?¡± Oppositely, Orthylss knew Brendel better and asked immediately.

    ¡°Watch me,¡± he silently said.

    Sani¡¯s face changed color. He did not mind thements made by Brendel, but was really shocked when Brendel mentioned his name. The Grey Fins had undergone some changestely, and they elected him to rece the recently deceasedmander. Thus, it was impossible for his name to ring across the Seven Seas in just such a short span of time.

    ¡°Who are you? How do you recognize me?¡± Sani could note up with an exnation. His curiosity in the human only grew. But he did not dare provoke the person before him as he knew that the more suspicious one is, the more dangerous it is to approach him. And so, he could only furrow his brows and ask the question.

    ¡°My Lord, you know these people?¡± James could not help but open his mouth and ask.

    ¡°Hehe...¡± Brendel only snickered.

    The maind may be huge, but the flow of information was very slow on it. Although the Nagas had frequently raided the ships, no one bothered to find out more about them. Maybe the famousmanders thatmanded ces like Ampere Seale or Grey Harbor might know some things, but which noble or lord would bother about this kind of stuff?

    And yet Brendel knew.

    Brendel was happilyughing inside. The tension on the boat that was caused by the surprise attack vanished instantly.

    Of course I would know him. I even know that he is a dork, besides battling, his mind is filled with nothing else. Back when I was exploring the Karanjar mountains, we were attacked by the Grey Fins as well. However, my seniors were not amateurs and easily repelled the enemies. However, they did notmand any Demon Whales or allied with any mermaids to raid boats back then. If not, many countries¡¯ navy fleets would have long perished.

    What happened next in the game was the yers in Aouine releasing the hostages of the Grey Fins, and thus gaining their alliance as well. This rtionship was not that strong, but the Grey Fins keep on to it. Even till the end when Aouine was destroyed, Sani, who was the king of the Grey Fins back then, had led his army to assist the Aouine navy.

    And all that was because Brendel¡¯s guild was on Aouine¡¯s side.

    Before Brendel joined the Gretius¡¯ Knight Squad, he spent his time in the Shining Sea. At that time, most yers were there to farm experience and protect the Kingdom as wanderers. But the n failed in the end, but on the plus side, they gained the friendship of the Grey Fins.

    And amongst those who carved the memory to mind, was Brendel.

    Looking at the familiar face, albeit a little weird, he could feel an emotion filling up his heart. It was simr to the feeling he got when he saw Freya back in her vige. Like everything had reset to the beginning, the feeling where history is presenting itself right before his eyes. Brendel sucked in a gulp of air. Only by looking at these familiar faces that he felt truly alive in this world.

    But it was only a misconception. In this world, the two of them should not recognize each other. Faraway had never let go of any hostages from the Grey Fins, and had never made any sort of promise with the Grey Fins. The two were unrted and, if he were to say the wrong words, a war between them would start.

    Everyone was waiting for Brendel to answer.

    Brendel thought seriously for a moment, answering, ¡°I believe your father would recognize the merchant ship that passed by here twenty years ago.¡±

    Sani heard the term ¡°twenty years ago¡± and his furrows jumped. As I thought, this is a personal matter. Some time twenty years ago, my father was rescued by a passing merchant. If not for him, I doubt I would even be alive this day. We value gratitude, and my father once told me that if I ever met the person who saved his life, or any of his descendants, he wanted me to repay him. I have never told anyone this matter, so there is no way this man is bluffing me.

    But sadly, Brendel was indeed lying to him. Sani would never have dreamt that, in the future, he would personally tell this story to several people that he was really close with personally. He had hoped that those people would help him look for the merchant he was looking for. That was, of course, a mission in the game. At that time, Brendel would have never expected to use that crucial information now.

    Coincidentally, the merchant was someone from the south of Sanorso, which was really close to Karsuk. They were separated by only a narrow straight, plus there were also remnants of Hignd Wizards at the ce. If Brendel could lie that he was the descendant of the merchant or he was somehow rted to that guy, he bet the exnation would work.

    ¡°My father died three years ago,¡± Sani said. ¡°But he told me to not forget that incident. You are...¡±

    ¡°I am not the descendant of the person you¡¯re looking for. But we were rted and I heard him mention the incident before. I am the descendant of a Hignd Wizard. You should know that we¡¯re people who like to dig deep into rumors to investigate the authenticity of the story. Now that I know it¡¯s rted to you and your dad, I do hope you will forgive my rude actions.¡±

    Brendel wasughing as he answered. He never wanted forcefully make someone repay the debt. Even with his deep bond with Sani, he could never do such a thing. But he had no choice. He did so to pull the gap between their rtionship and he was confident that, like he did in the game, he could do it again.

    From some perspective, he felt some sort of connection with the Nagas. They, like him and hisrades back in the game, were people who fought brazenly for Aouine.

    Sani fell silent for a moment.

    And then he nodded and raised his head, ¡°I see. That means it was our fault to attack you. Thankfully it did not incur any heavy damage on your side. Since you¡¯re friends with my benefactor, I can assure you that from today onwards, the ships that pass through here will not receive any form of attack. We Grey Fins never go back on our word!¡±

    He was saying with such a straight face that Brendel could barely suppress hisugh. He is still just as dumb as he wasst time. Sani would definitely not do something that would be unfavorable to the entire Grey Fins just due to a personal reason. He will most likely report to the queen, who should be ¡®Winter Dew¡¯ for now. She will die in three years time and then Sani will rise in ranks quickly to be the king of Grey Fins. But for now, it should be the most powerful and beautiful queen in charge of the Grey Fins.¡±

    Although Brendel was sure Sani was able to convince the queen, he was certain he was not able to bypass the process. For him to say it like that, it was either I am way too strongpared to him and it earned his respect, or that he was afraid of fighting with a ship that had a Sword Saint on it and is trying to save his pride bying up with the excuse.

    Brendel had seen such an excuse too many times. But to see one so rigid and unnatural, it would only belong to one person in the entire Shining Sea- Sani.

    He just smiled and asked, ¡°Thanks for your cooperation. But I do have another question.¡±

    Everyone was stunned.

    Originally, when they heard that the Nagas were letting them go, they all breathed out in relief. Anyone who was standing beside a prehistoric beast would never feel good and was obviously d that he could escape the situation. But never did they expect Brendel not leaving the problem, and had even wanted to face it!

    What¡¯s there to bargain with some pirates? Isn¡¯t it better to leave?

    ...was what went through everyone¡¯s mind.

 volume 3 - c264

    The Payable Price

    ¡°I never heard of any incidents where the Merfolk appeared alongside the Nagas. May I know the reason why?¡± Brendel asked as he stood by the side of the boat.

    ¡°That¡¯s unrted to you, Human!¡± Before Sani could speak up, the woman next to him coldly red at him. She had a pair of slim arms, her body slim and looked really simr to a human girl. It was clear that she was not a Naga, but an authentic Merfolk.

    Looks like she¡¯s pissed off now.

    The Merfolk were originally peaceful creatures, and never participated in any cases or robbery. If it was not for them facing a dire situation, they would definitely not break that code and appear here. It made her angry at the fact that the human used a straight face to ask that question. That guy is really dumb! I just hope there won¡¯t be any rumors suggesting that we¡¯re pirates now as well.

    ¡°Seems like you all are facing some troubles,¡± Brendel said with him keen perception.

    ¡°What are you suggesting?¡± Sani said with his brows arched.

    ¡°I was just wondering if I could help with anything.¡± Brendel curiously asked.

    Sani hesitated for a moment, and was a little shocked. But as he did, Brendel realized that just how much trouble they were in to think so deeply about this matter. Normally, they would just decline straight off the bat. Brendel racked his brain to find a big event that happened in the Shining Sea back in the game, and could faintly recall the ¡°West Ocean Battle¡±. But that happened way before the War of the ck Roses and the Battle only had a few forum discussions even till the end of the first volume.

    This was a fight that happened on the borders of Aouine, beyond the involvement of the yers and their battles.

    Brendel thought for a moment and asked before the other got a chance to say anything, ¡°How about this? We¡¯re merchants. Our ship is mostly filled with cargo. If there¡¯s something you all need, we can discuss business. I promise you that it won¡¯t hurt your reputation.¡±

    Even James could see that he was trying to curry the favor of the Grey Fins¡¯mander. However, he had another question in mind. The Grey Fins were an infamous troupe of pirates. It was unclear whether or not they could be trusted and, besides that, they were not even the strongest group in the Shining Sea.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± the mermaid spoke up. Her voice was melodious, like she was singing. However, the words were alsoced with poison, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we¡¯re pirates? So what if we wanted everything on your ship, would you agree?¡±

    She red at Brendel as shepleted her sentence. If he doesn¡¯tply, I will have to mock him till he does. But if he did... Seems like I may have toe up and meet him myself. But merchants are greedy, and they will probablye up with an excuse to decline.

    However, she did not expect Brendel¡¯s reply, ¡°It¡¯s not like that is impossible. We cane down to an agreement. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±

    The mermaid¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Human! Aren¡¯t you trying to make business? Is there anyone that does it like you?¡±

    She was sure Brendel was amused with everything that happened right now, and could not help but ask.

    ¡°I heard that the battle among the Nagas is getting intense as of now. There¡¯s a system in the wars of humans. If I put out money and invest in you to win this war, and if you so coincidentally win, you give us a cut from the spoils. And even if you lose, I will only lose my goods, but I still earned a favor from you. That¡¯s a win-win situation for me, so why won¡¯t I do it?¡±

    Hearing him say that, the mermaid got wary. She arched her eyebrows and asked, ¡°How do you know that we¡¯re fighting a war?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s bluffing,¡± Sani sighed. He may be clumsy, but he was not stupid. The term ¡®dork¡¯ was just something Brendel and his friends from the game nicknamed him for that clumsiness. He pulled the mermaid to his back, afraid that she would expose everything to the human. I¡¯ve never heard of such good terms in business. He must have something else to gain in this.

    The mermaid soon came to her senses, and, between gritted teeth, red at Brendel. I¡¯ve never seen such a cunning human before. As they said, humans are devious creatures. Seems like it¡¯s true!

    The people behind Brendel was trying to suppress theirughter. Especially Carglise who realized at the moment that his Lord is really crafty. I heard that his fiancee is really good at managing finances and was a first-rate merchant. Seems like the two of them are really simr after all!

    Amandina tried to warn, ¡°My Lord...¡±

    Brendel just nodded his head to tell her not to worry. She must be uneasy that we¡¯ll be losing out in this deal. It is not a big matter to lose the cargo on the ship, but it will be a problem for me if I indeed agree to invest in this war.

    Of course, he was just saying all that for fun. He knew that in the future, although they did not manage to unite the sea creatures, they were still alive even tens of yearster. It just meant that they must have either won the war, or did not lose that badly.

    Plus, even if he wanted to invest, Sani and the leader of the Grey Fins would definitely disagree. After all, she should be smart enough to know that nothing is free in this world.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Sani finally thought it through. ¡°Do you have medicine on your ship?¡±

    ¡°Medicine? You have injured men?¡± Brendel received a hint in the sentence. There was no shortage of medicinal materials in the seas, but the Nagascked the alchemists to create them. It must only mean that they have arge number of casualties, and it would exin their use in Demon Whales and Mermaids. He immediately thought of the death of the queen in three years time.Maybe she died of an injury too serious rather than a sickness...

    The queen was someone who awakened her Elemental Powers, and it was totally usible for her to hold out for three years. The more Brendel thought about it, the more he felt his guesses were on point.

    ¡°You¡¯re asking too much,¡± Sani said, displeased.

    ¡°Alright. Let me guess. I heard that the seas are rich in miraculous medicinal materials, and treating normal injuries should not be a problem for you guys. My ship may have some medicine, but it can only cure small wounds and ailments. But I do have something that may be of use to you guys.¡±

    ¡°What is that?¡± Sani asked.

    Brendel took out a small and transparent bottle. It was Amman¡¯s most precious gift to him-- Holy Potion No.1. There was not a lot of these manufactured, as it required the best alchemists and the Pope of the Holy Cathedral spending several months to create it. The two bottles with him now may be the only ones left in this world. Brendel wanted to bet on it, that if the injured person was indeed the queen. If it was, then the investment would pay off. But if it was not...

    But he already took it out and would definitely not pout and keep it back. Sani took the bottle and eyed it curiously. He recognized that it was a Holy Potion. But the Nagas had gotten a lot of these from robbing the merchant ships. They had used it before and it did not have any effect and... looking at this small bottle, he was thinking that the effect would be even worse.

    He was about to raise his head and ask when the Mermaid behind him snatched the bottle out of his hands. She pulled out the cork and sniffed and was startled. Immediately, she sealed it once more and moved towards Sani. Sani stifled as he noticed something was definitely wrong. She may be a little simple-minded, but her knowledge as a witch must have told her something invaluable.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I- If I¡¯m not wrong... This is the Holy Potion No. 1,¡± her voice was trembling as she spoke softly.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Sani asked again.

    ¡°We could say it like this... My Lord, this tiny bottle could easily be used to purchase half of the Shining Sea,¡± the Mermaid replied in an odd tone.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Even Sani was dumbfounded. He immediately felt that he did not just receive a Holy Potion, but a grenade. This was not the first time he raided a ship, but it was the first time he was such a precious treasure. After all, they would pick their targets and will avoid those big merchant ships and Royal boats that may have had priceless treasures like this. After all, they were not easy targets.

    ¡°Can it cure...?¡± He could not help asking.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough! It won¡¯t even require that much! Just a little is enough, ¡°The Mermaid said in a cheerful manner.

    Sani immediately silenced. He raised his head to look at Brendel, ¡°Human, are you really giving this to us? I must have you know that we can¡¯t afford it!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Brendel said as if he did not care. ¡°As I said, I¡¯m investing in your war.¡±

    How can you invest in a war? Sani was really confused He never met someone who did business as Brendel did. But after a while, he asked sternly, ¡°Then...May I know your name?¡±

    ¡°Just call me Brendel. I am currently on a mission, and it isn¡¯t too convenient for me to reveal my family name.¡± Brendel said. It was a half-truth, half-lie.

    ¡°I understand. I will repeat once more. In my name, Sani, as long as any ship bears the g with your insignia on it, they will be under the protection of the Grey Fins. And if anyone were to attack these ships, it will indicate war on us as well. And of course, we will retaliate.¡±

    Sani¡¯s overwhelming voice resounded across the ocean surface, and that paled James¡¯ face. Sani may have only repeated his sentence, but it was held a different meaning. His promise is now more official. If he held true to his promise, it would mean that there is no chance for Brendel to be raided by pirates in the future. And as long as the Grey Fins exist, so will this promisest.

    As someone who lived on the seas for some time now, James obviously knew what that meant. Aside from therge merchant ships and those that came from royal families, the ordinary ones have a 50% chance of being raided and would have to bear huge losses. But as long as the promise holds, Brendel¡¯s subordinates would definitely be on good terms with the big names from Ampere Seale in the future.

    But that was if Brendel was interested in business--

    Sani red at Brendel, ¡°If your goods are really that miraculous as they say, then I promise you that, as long as you don¡¯t harbor any ill intentions against the Grey Fins, you will always be our friend.¡±

    In other words, if Brendel¡¯s words were to be a lie, the previous promise would be nulled as well. Sani did note to a conclusion immediately. He did not believe that someone would just benefit someone to this extent for no reason. Since the Mermaid behind him confirmed that the bottle was worth half the Shining Sea, then it must be worth that much. And he did not think someone would just give up that much wealth away.

    All will be revealed with just some tests. He gestured at the others, and submerged back into the water with the Mermaid, leaving only a trace on the ocean surface.

    The remaining Nagas waited until all of them disappeared from the ocean surface, before notifying Brendel and co, ¡°Human friend, Lord Sani ordered us to protect you on your journey.¡±

    Brendel nodded. Instead of calling it protection, why not call it surveince? But if the Holy Potion No.1 really works, these Nagas would definitely deliver us safely to Ampere Seale. Not like they can do anything anyway. Thinking back, what was the huge scar on Sani¡¯s left shoulder? I don¡¯t remember seeing it thest time I met him. He must¡¯ve gotten it during this battle.

    He initially wanted to point that out to Sani, but he decided not to. After all, a life and death experience was really precious to a warrior.

    Looking back, this favor he bought was not a big one. But bing friends with the Grey Fins was indeed unexpected. He looked up to see the sailors pulling up the sails and prepared to continue their journey while James was standing by the side, saying amusingly, ¡°My Lord is really good at dealing business.¡±

 Chapter 486 - Volume 3

    <h4>Arriving At Ampere Seale</h4>

    Ampere Seale was Aouine¡¯s busiest harbor. From the moment the first light of dawn hits the city, until the moon¡¯s reflection shone on the waves, the harbor was always busy. Merchants and harbor workers were ceaselessly working, which allowed the massive harbor to be as rich as it was. It was only when the storms avoided the Shining Sea did this golden route calm down momentarily, allowing its citizens a short reprieve.

    Archbishop Wood, wearing a white robe with red lining adorning his body, stood under the Marble Lighthouse. This man of stature had been sent over by the Holy Cathedral to be the Archbishop of the Ampere Seale parish. At the same time, he was also the spiritual leader of Aouine¡¯s Holy Cathedral of mes. If one managed to hold this position for fifteen years, then he would have the qualifications to be one of the cores of the Holy Cathedral, the eleven Archbishop. When that timees, even bing the Pope of the Holy Cathedral would be merely one step away.

    Most people couldn¡¯t understand why he would aim higher as his status and position were the dreams of many. Wood¡¯s cheeks were sunken, the skin hanging loosely off his bones. Even though he had yet to reach 80 years of age, he seemed as if he had been weathered by the passages of time. However, his sunken sockets held eyes that burned with youth so majestic that the citizens would part before his very presence. His lips were pursed, exuding an air of calmness about him, yet his heart contained just as much turmoil as all the other tribe members of Aouine.

    ¡°The Lion Beastmen are getting ready to attack, it must have gotten the Holy Cathedral of Earth¡¯s support.¡± Wood stood on top of the hill and looked down into the harbor, where vessels big and small drifted in and out, leaving trails of foam in the azure bay. The scene before him left him breathless. ¡°Aouine is the vanguard of the war against the Holy Cathedral of Earth, we must not allow it to drag out, which leaves us with very little time.

    Icahn nodded in agreement. Both of them had been partners for many years. Despite neither of them hailing from Aouine, their loyalty towards the old king held no bounds. ¡°Even if the Lion Beastmen have already made preparations to attack, they will still wait until next year before it gets serious, especially since this Spring¡¯s harvest has yet tomence. The Holy Cathedral of Earth can¡¯t make their move so easily.¡±

    Wood nced at his partner.

    ¡°Do you know the history of this Marble Lighthouse, Icahn?¡±

    Icahn stared at the lighthouse beside him that was the symbol of Ampere Seale. ¡°When King Erik founded this harbor, Ampere Seale was not the massive trading port it is today. This lighthouse once lit the way for King Erik and his naval troops against the forces of Holy Cathedral on the sea. The Marble Lighthouse has always been the symbol of Aouine, the symbol of the defense against the forces of darkness.

    ¡°Unfortunately, tragedy befell when the lighthouse was destroyed in a fire about 50 years ago, and so did its historical value. The new lighthouse was built in ce, but it can never rece the original.¡± Icahn understood the meaning behind his partner¡¯s words. He admired the king and the princess because they were willing to defend their honor, but the past is in the past. Wood was reminding him to look at the situation from a fair and just perspective.

    ¡°The king is the same. No matter what he did in the past, the honor he had fought so hard to defend has been thrown away by his descendants, all that is left is a husk. Isn¡¯t it better to be given a new meaning, just as the lighthouse had been? Only then can it regain its value.¡±

    ¡°I understand, Archbishop,¡± Icahn replied humbly.

    Wood nodded his head. The Cathedral had always been a just dominion, they would not interfere with the inner workings of a country on a whim. If they did, they would lose all the authority theymanded. Wood and his assistant had worked together for many years, they both admired the opponent¡¯s sense of honor and justice. Now that the situation was as such, he would definitely not allow his assistant to interfere with Aouine¡¯s government and favor the princess.

    Wood could not help looking towards the city. Ampere Seale was one of thergest cities in the south, the expanse of rooftops extended from the harbor to all the way to the horizon, the tallest structure was undoubtedly the temple of Holy Cathedral of me, shrouded in mist, causing it to flicker in and out of sight. He could not help thinking of Magadal¡¯s warning, shaking his head to rid himself of the ominous feeling.

    <i>It¡¯s impossible. No matter what the Holy Cathedral will not favor any parties, the Archbishop can¡¯t be that desperate.</i>

    At that moment, the bell of the Marble Lighthouse tolled once more. The brass bell¡¯s sound made the ground tremble, pebbles were jumping on the ground. The sound traveled tens of miles out, even half of the city could hear it clearly. The bell signified the arrival of a ship. Wood and Icahn raised their heads to see a ship with three massive sails hanging from its masts.

    ¡°It¡¯s the ship from Rubik.¡± Icahn immediately recognized the ship¡¯s g.

    ¡°The storm season is upon us again, the route south will no longer be essible. This should be thest ship from Rubik for the month. Anyter and their bones wouldy at the bottom of the sea.¡± Wood could only sigh.

    ¡°The world is being blinded by gold. Wealth is good to have, but it will never be as valuable as life itself.¡± Icahn too shook his head.

    This time, Archbishop Wood did not agree with him, and instead replying with a famous quote, ¡°Without money, how can life flourish?¡±

    While the two men were discussing worldly matters on the hill, things were not progressing smoothly in Ampere Seale¡¯s harbor office. All of the officials who were already busy enough on normal days were now being worked to the bone.

    Qinoan Oparis was the heir of a medium-ss noble family who managed to obtain the seat of the vice-manager of the harbor through his father¡¯s connections. However, within a week, one piece of news nearly made him throw down his hat and run out the door.

    ¡°What did you say? Palin, you bastard, did I not tell you yesterday if you are caught fooling around again I¡¯d kick you out? I don¡¯t care who your father is! Do you think I¡¯m an idiot?!¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s true!¡± on the other end of the Transmission Crystal was Qinoan¡¯s good friend. Both of them had grown up together as if they were brothers. As they got older, he started to get involved in illicit activities. There wasn¡¯t a crime at the harbor that had yet to bemitted by him. However, Qinoan still kept him around due to their brotherhood wrought in iron. But at that moment, the youngster who always carried himself with swagger seemed as if he had gotten a huge fright, crying out, ¡°Brother, I swear in Marsha¡¯s name, I¡¯m not lying! I actually saw a Demon Whale! Unless that self-proimed female pirate was lying to me, then that creature I saw was exactly the same as the tattoo on her butt... No, that thing in the sea is much scarier...¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Don¡¯t mention that woman!¡± Qinoan dropped the noble act. Of course, their generation did not actually care much for etiquette and such, especially the ones of Ampere Seale who grew up around rascals and scallywags. He viciously grabbed Palin¡¯s cor, but after hearing Marsha¡¯s name, his heart wavered slightly.

    <i>There is a Demon Whale who is going to attack the harbor?</i> Qinoan felt extremely helpless.

    <i>Am I living in some fantasy world?</i> He wrought his brain for any way to get out of this mess, but in the end, all he could think of was to run away.

    Unfortunately, he knew that his father would hunt him down if he abandoned his post. Qinoan, just like his best friend Palin, was awless person who feared none, but in the face of his father he was but a child. He shuddered at the memory of his father¡¯s rage. <i>Brother, it is here that we part ways, take care!</i> However, what came out of his mouth instead was, ¡°Wait right there, I¡¯ming right now!¡±

    The soldiers stationed at the harbor were hectic. Somewhere out in the sea, a certain someone was looking at Ampere Seale, a feeling of futility in his heart.

    ¡°Ampere Seale has a poption of 310 thousand people, there is a system of magic that maintains the city¡¯s operations. Rare magic in other parts of Aouine can be found here in abundance. Merchants would often hire mages to do their bidding, and so some of these mages have been here for decades. They have even formed an association for mages, known as ¡®The Eye of Ampere¡¯.

    ¡°Not only do these mages ensure the city¡¯s daily operations, but they also protect the peace within these walls, including a massive array at the city center that protects against aerial attacks.¡±

    <strong>Brendel¡¯s POV</strong>

    Brendel stood at the stern, stopping his speech before letting out a sigh. He turned around, searching with his helpless gaze, finally spotting the Demon Whale, the legendary beast, king of sea monsters. As intimidating as its titles sounded, the gargantuan beast was like a yful child, waving its tail at the ship before sinking beneath the waves.

    ¡°My old man used to say that a Demon Whale¡¯s intelligence was no lesser than an adult human¡¯s. Well, it certainly does seem so,¡± Captain James chuckled.

    Amandina, curious as ever, looked questioningly towards Brendel. ¡°My Lord, what exactly did you give those Nagas? They looked at you as if you were their king. They even had the Demon Whale apany us into the harbor. How are we supposed to hide our identities now?¡±

    ¡°But I heard that the leader of the Nagas was a female...¡± After a week of grueling training, Romaine could finally stand on the deck. Brendel shuddered to think of what she was implicating.

    Brendel broke out in cold sweat. He too did not expect the Nagas to be so ¡°weing¡±. But being able to let the Demon Whale follow them to the harbor, other than Sani, there weren¡¯t a lot of people who coulde up with such an idea.

    He cleared his throat and replied uncertainly, ¡°I guess we¡¯ll just see how it goes. It¡¯s not like the people in the harbor know that it is following us, we should be fine if we keep silent.¡±

    Brendel looked towards the young captain who merely shrugged his shoulders. ¡°If My Lord doesn¡¯t want to be known, of course I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut. You can rest easy knowing that my men won¡¯t let out a single word.¡± He continued exasperatedly, ¡°To be honest, right now they have much more respect for you than they have towards me. Even if I don¡¯t tell them to shut up, they¡¯d never tell on you.¡± Just as he had just said, Brendel¡¯s Holy Water had taken effect, and now the entire crew looked up to Brendel like a mentor, an elder to be respected.

 Chapter 487 - Volume 3

    <h4>The Meeting</h4>

    As the gargantuan Demon Whale sank beneath the waves, the soldiers of Ampere Seale nearly exploded with joy. As Faraway docked, Brendel and the rest were not questioned as Lord Qinoan was too busy wondering how he should embellish the report with his glorious deeds, chasing the legendary sea monster off. Thankfully there were other vessels entering the harbour too, so no one could have imagined that the Demon Whale was apanying Faraway until the fela entered the harbour safely.

    Faraway docked at pier number 14. Brendel immediately noticed Sue, who hade to receive him. She had travelled to Ampere Seale earlier under her father¡¯s orders. The almond-skinned girl who now wore her hair in a twisted braid was managing Trentheim¡¯s trading with the rest of the world, so she held a tremendous amount of power. She disyed her dedication to her task in Braggs, so Brendel had a lot of faith in her, entrusting important tasks to bepleted by her. Now, Sue controlled nearly the whole of Trentheim¡¯s foreign ie, yet she was still wearing the same checkered skirt as before.

    Sue was slightly dumbfounded. She had been informed of the past year¡¯s happenings through her father¡¯s letters. However, being able to see Brendel in person still left her in awe.

    <i>A familiar face in an unfamiliar ce.</i> He mused to himself as the side of his mouth curled upwards.

    The youngdy wore a stony expression, but she did not forget the rtionship between them. She had heard that Brendel had found a few more females to apany him, thus she decided that she would never let Freya lie in the hands of such a womanizer. The only reason she was willing to work for him was because of her father.

    ¡°Sue!¡± Romaine skipped towards the youngdy and grasped her hand. ¡°Thank you for the past few months! How have you been? I heard from Uncle Leto that you¡¯ve been workingte recently.¡± Romaine was now in charge of Trentheim¡¯s trading and finances, so in a way Sue was one of her underlings. Even though Romaine did not act like her superior, Sue could not get rid of the feeling that the gap between their statuses was toorge.

    The teen stared at Brendel for a moment longer, before nodding her head slightly. ¡°Miss Romaine,¡± she greeted.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that! Are you trying to hide something from me? You know that I¡¯ll sniff it out!¡±

    Sue struggled to maintain her serious demeanor duwe to Romaine¡¯s behaviour. ¡°Is my father still well?¡±

    ¡°He is doing well,¡± Brendel found an opening to say something. ¡°It is as you have received from the letter. The territorial conflict has been resolved, and the war is over. I am saddened to have known this, but your father has given up his post to be a farmer. He has done a lot for Mirtai, but did he really have to throw away his years of training only to pick up a hoe?¡± Brendel sighed dramatically.

    ¡°He has worked on a farm before,¡± Sue replied¡£

    ¡°Good, then he¡¯s returning to his roots,¡± Brendel replied yfully.

    The corner of Sue¡¯s lips quirked upwards into a small smile. However, she disliked Brendel¡¯s tone, ring at him while asking rigidly, ¡°So what does My Lord n to do now?¡±

    ¡°Rest, of course.¡± After being out at sea for so long, Brendel felt that he needed more time to find hisnd legs once more. If that was how he felt, then others were having it worse. The youngsters of White Lion Legion were still doing well on the ship, but once their feet touched the ground, all of them hurled their stomachs out over the pier. Romaine was also slightly wobbly, but she did not seem to be affected otherwise.

    ¡°I have already arranged your lodgings at the Bauhinia Inn. My Lord has certainly brought more people than I expected, so I rented the apartment opposite so that you don¡¯t draw too much attention. I had also bought a farmhouse for emergency purposes...¡± Sue looked at him and replied.

    Brendel was mildly impressed. He had no idea that this girl was so capable. Initially, he noticed only her honesty and reliability whenpleting tasks. He did not anticipate that she would predict he would have been tangled up in some trouble and have several hideouts prepared beforehand.

    ¡°Then let us leave at once.¡± Brendel felt relieved that such a capable person was working for him. ¡°Is there a carriage?¡±

    Sue nodded her head.

    There was not a carriage, instead there were ten. Brendel let his underlings ride the carriages first. It was not his first time in Ampere Seale, and he knew that the young ones from Trentheim must have been excited to see the Aouine¡¯srgest and busiest city for the first time.

    The carriages veered out of the harbor into the city¡¯s gates, onto a wet, slimy road that smelt of fish. The buildings lining the road were all for trading, from pelts to herbs, jewels to metals, goods from all over the world could be found on this street, along with the merchants who peddled their wares. These people hailed from the north, the south, and even from foreign countries. Amandina even saw merchants from Nine Phoenix. The carriage riders were shocked by the diversity within the walls.

    The trading centers were tall and majestic, as intended by their owners to unt their wealth and authority. Amandina and Romaine could not stop marveling the magnificent establishments before their eyes. ¡°Wow! Even the city hall of Braggs can barelypare with these buildings!¡±

    Brendelpletely agreed with Amandina. The fourteenth bishop of the Holy Cathedral in Ampere Seale had once said, ¡°This is thend of golden opportunities.¡± He had perfectly described the glorious city, but at the same time many havee seeking their fortune, only to end up buried in a mountain of crippling debt. People often look at the attractive aspect of something, yet do not realize that every opportunity has its own risks too.

    The carriage passed by the second city gate. It was a magnificent fortress. When Brendel first came here, he could not afford the luxury of a carriage. He could vividly remember the bewilderment of having to traverse through the fortress.

    This was the entrance to Ampere Seale. Ampere Seale¡¯s geography made it the perfect location for a trading port, and King Erik had fortified it into an extremely sturdy naval fortress. The city rested between the valley of two mountains, any attacks onnd would prove to be fruitless. Any attacksunched would have to be conducted on the sea, which was why the fortress protecting the entrance was exceptionally strong. It had a watchtower that permitted a view of up to ten nautical miles, allowing enemy ships to be spotted long before they could reach the harbor. The fortress was already massive, but it became even more so after its second restoration. The Holy Cathedral had built a statue of the me King, thus the temple looked as if it could reach touch the sky.

    Past the fortress was Ampere Seale¡¯s well-known za Avenue. Here,vish hotels gathered like clouds, as well as luxurious lodgings where merchants and visitors would live year-round. The locals called this ce the ¡°Golden za¡±. Even though it was only a small part of a big city, it was the most decadent ce in Ampere Seale.

    Brendel felt nostalgic as he looked at the detailed statues and the diverse botany. Thest time he came, it was the Flower Festival, so it was much more crowded back then. Now, he took the opportunity to take a good look at the view that he had missed thest time.

    ¡°It¡¯s so pretty.¡± Romaine leaned against the carriage door, resting her chin on the windowsill.

    ¡°Valha will be even prettier in the future,¡± Brendelmented.

    ¡°Really?¡± Romaine turned her head around. The littledy was toozy to move her body, instead pivoting her head on her chin. Her eyes pointed diagonally towards Brendel as she could not turn her headpletely. <i>Cute.</i> Brendel thought.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Brendel answered with confidence. He had already seen the World Tree in the Loop of Winds, so he had the utmost confidence in his territory¡¯s future. Furthermore, it was his city after all, how could it possibly be bad? While they were still chatting, the carriage halted unexpectedly, and a few guards appeared outside.

    Brendel was startled. He thought that the soldiers hade to apprehend him. Sue shook her head, signaling for him to calm down.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much. The Holy Cathedral caught wind that the Lion Beastmen of the north have started to make their move, so the guards are being more strict. Ampere Seale is full of people from foreignnds, so they are trying to weed out any spies who have infiltrated Aouine as merchants,¡± Sue said inly.

    Only then did Brendel remember that this was the situation here. Ever since the War of the ck Roses, the Lion Beastmen have been restless. However, there were some problems between the tribes of the Great ins, so they only invaded Aouine in the second year after the civil unrest in Aouine. At the time, Aouine had yet to recover from its internal fighting, but the princess who was proimed the regent managed to stabilize the government, and the yers joined in the war soon after. That war was what led to Her Highness¡¯s prestigious reputation.

    However, it was still early as there was still another year to go. Brendel breathed out a sigh of relief, only to ask hurriedly, ¡°How goes the meeting of the nobles?¡±

    ¡°As I was not involved in the meeting, I am not too sure myself. But some say that negotiations have fallen through, and the next meeting would be next week.¡± Sue nced at Brendel. ¡°However, there has been progress with the talks between Her Highness and Duke Arreck. The ministers have already met with the duke¡¯s envoys three times, but there has yet to be news of an alliance. Now that the noble families of the north and south have gathered here, I suspect that the next time they will meet will be after the meeting of the nobles.¡±

    Brendel nodded, thinking that the situation was going as he had expected. The current timeline was aligning well with history, so he still had some time. But as he looked at Sue, he was still slightly rmed. The little barmaid in the castle had already grown up so fast and had be a fantastic talent. If anyone were to look at Sue now, none of them would think that she was that young girl from before.

    Brendel went silent for a few moments before asking, ¡°Is it possible for me to attend the nobles¡¯ meeting?¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡± The teen shook her head.

 Chapter 488 - Volume 3

    <h4>Holy Knight Ascension (1)</h4>

    <i>It definitely won¡¯t be easy,</i> Brendel thought. This meeting was less of a conference and more of a final bid to gather more support. Everyone present in that meeting was the absolute pinnacle of Aouine¡¯s power.

    The six dukes, Duke Arreck, Duke Seifer, Duke Covardo, Duke Viero, Duke Karsuk and Duke Grinoires; the two lords of Sword Fortress, legate of the White Lion Squad, Marquis Balta, and the king¡¯s cousin Marquis Yoakam; the five earls; two Archbishops of the Holy Cathedral; representative of Ampere Seale¡¯s merchant guild. Without enough influence and power, it would be hard to enter the meeting.

    Luckily for Brendel, the meeting was not happening anytime soon. The nobles would only have their meeting next week, giving Brendel sufficient time. He gave this task to Sue, as he had other pressing matters to attend to. After making sure the youngsters from the White Lion Squad had settled down, he had Amandina and Scarlet apany him into the city.

    The carriage drove towards Ande Cathedral. This cathedral was built in the 227th year of the 1st era, more than 100 years ago from today. Merchants in the city had provided the materials for building the cathedral, and the construction was overseen by the master architect Master Rogning, thus it is known as Ampere Seale¡¯s most treasured piece of art. The cathedral had an oval shape, countless pirs supporting the structure from outside the walls, the arrowhead-shaped doors signifying the power of the divine. They walked on for another hundred and twenty steps and saw a natural geyser in front of them.

    The za in front of the cathedral was restricted for carriages. The three of them were struck speechless by the imposing architecture in front of them. Anyone who came from the south would be amazed by the magnificent structure. This was the only ce in Aouine where one could change sses to Holy Knight. The Holy Cathedral of Fire of Aouine had two ranks of knights. One of them was the Pdin, awarded to those who could be an Elemental Awakener, and the other was Holy Knight, an actual ss.

    In the early days, only the monks of the Holy Cathedral could be Holy Knights, butter on, the children of nobles could also be one. Any yer who wished to advance into this ss had to fulfill two conditions. One was that they had to be pure of heart, and the other was that they had to have the mentality of the me King. The second condition was easy to meet. All that was needed was for Religious Knowledge(Kirrlutz) to reach a certain level. However, the first condition was moreplicated as the letter of rmendation had to be written by the head of a noble family.

    The letter in Brendel¡¯s hand was written by Tuman. After the Cmity of Wolves, trying to get Tuman to write a letter of rmendation was rather easy. Since Brendel already had the intention of bing a Holy Knight, he would not let the opportunity go easily.

    This was actually the second letter of rmendation that Tuman had written for Brendel. The old man grinned at Brendel, iming that the little fox would onlye to see him if something was up, indicating that he did not forget about the incident in which he had been tricked.

    Brendel could onlyugh awkwardly. At that point in time, he really had no other choice, and technically he did not lie. He just felt that it would beplicated trying to exin why he wanted the War of the tes to happen sooner.

    Brendel passed the letter of rmendation to one of the guards at the door of the Holy Cathedral. Anyone who wanted to be a guard at the doors of the Holy Cathedral must havee from a noble background, so the guard immediately recognized the letter as important. He dared not dally, after asking about Brendel¡¯s intentions, he led Brendel into the monastery, where the priests were resting.

    The guard was nomoner, but the three visitors exuded an air of nobility about them. Beside Brendel was the jewellery-adorned Scarlet and the noble Amandina. The former had an aura of a high-ss warrior that could not be suppressed, while thetter obviously had the air of a noble on her. Brendel was feeling well today too, furthermore he had the air of a Gold ranker, thus giving people the impression that he was a person of importance.

    This was the only reason he had Scarlet and Amandina follow him. The guard had mistaken Brendel as some descendant of an important noble family, after seeing the silver letter with the seal on it, he dared not suspect Brendel anymore.

    Ande Cathedral was separated into two sections. Most people would only enter the main cathedral to offer their prayers, at most going up to the hall. In truth, Brendel was also familiar with the back half of the cathedral. Such as the ce he was in now was actually the cathedral¡¯s training grounds for knights. It was separated into the living quarters, the three training halls and the meditation room. He was now in the meditation room, where the ss change would take ce.

    The process of advancing ss to Holy Knight was actually very simple. All that was required was an experienced clergyman to perform the ceremony with holy water. However, depending on the clergyman the new Holy Knight could obtain several ranks of blessings. Normally, the higher the rank of the clergyman, the blessings obtained would be stronger as well. These blessings were actually free levels.

    Many people were tempted by this fact, so many nobles would bribe the Holy Cathedral withrge amounts of money, hoping that their child would be able to get a higher-ranked Bishop to perform the ritual. Of course, they would not dare dream of allowing the two Archbishops here to bless their kids. After all, those people were probably not willing to help out even if they were involved in the briberies.

    The guard had found an old Bishop for Brendel. Brendel looked at the Bishop¡¯s red-rimmed white robes and suddenly his eye started twitching. This old man was a Bishop, his position was only second to Archbishops like Amman and Wood, but he was already sufficiently well-respected. Tuman truly was a powerful influence, even the Holy Cathedral wanted to get on his good side.

    The guard leaned over to the old Bishop¡¯s ear and whispered. Brendel guessed that he was rying information about his identity and background. The Bishop¡¯s expression shifted to one of suspicion. Brendel understood what had to be done, presenting the letter of rmendation into the Bishop¡¯s hands. After the letter¡¯s contents had been verified, all that remained in the Bishop¡¯s eyes was caution.

    Truthfully speaking, not many people knew of Tuman¡¯s history. He had once in the footsteps of Grandmaster Fleetwood. Even though he had long since quit being the head of the Royal Library and the court mage, he rarely appeared amongst the nobles anymore, yet his name still rang loud within the circle.

    Tuman was born in Aouine, but it was a well-known fact that he was actually a person from Buga.

    Back then, the four Sages had received their blessing from the Buga people. And the reason why the mages of Buga had such power right now was not only because of their wealth, but also because they never participated in the power struggle between the four Holy Cathedrals, thus the four Holy Cathedrals had always been wary of this neutral group.

    ¡°Dare I ask what is the rtionship between you and Grandmaster Tuman?¡± The old Bishop was still mildly suspicious. Tuman had not been heard of for many years, yet suddenly there was someone who came with his letter and the intention of advancing to the Holy Knight ss. The Bishop had already checked the contents of the letter, but he still had to obtain the other smaller details.

    ¡°I have no personal connection with Grandmaster, but he has known my family for years.¡± Brendel did not exin further, after all no one would go to Tuman just to prove his statement. Even if they did, Tuman was more likely to help Brendel cover up his lie.

    The old Bishop nodded his head. The rtionship between noble families were oftenplicated, many did not like to borate on such matters, so he did not press any further. Most importantly, the letter had to be real, after all he was merely advancing ss, not trying to join the Holy Cathedral.

    The Bishop put the letter away. ¡°ording to Grandmaster Tuman¡¯s wishes, the Archbishop should be performing the ceremony for you himself. Unfortunately, the Archbishop is not present at the moment. Perhaps you coulde backter?¡±

    Brendel saw the guard¡¯s expression change once the words left the Bishop¡¯s mouth. There were countless famous people in Ampere Seale who would go to the ends of the world so that the Archbishop would perform the ceremony for their heirs, but everyone knew that was impossible. In thest ten years, the Archbishop has only performed the ceremony for one person, and it was to honour Oberg¡¯s dying wish. This was so that the rtionship between Aouine and the Holy Cathedral at the time could be fixed. The person who was given that privilege was the legate of the White Lion Squad.

    The guard stared at Brendel with awe, as if there were something different about Brendel.

    <i>This is bad.</i> Brendel only came here to advance to the Holy Knight ss, he did not want to garner too much attention. He cared not for the free levels, so he felt best if a low-ranked clergyman did the job for him. Brendel was starting to regret asking Tuman to write the letter of rmendation. If Wood truly were to perform the ceremony for him, then he would be the talk of the entire city by tomorrow, and people would soon start to investigate his identity.

    Brendel did not believe that there was anyone in the world who could properly keep a secret. His advantage right now was that the enemy was standing in the light while he was waiting in the darkness, if things continued on like this, then he could just run back to Trentheim by tomorrow. An Archbishop aiding a rebel, not only will he be affected, even the Holy Cathedral of Fire and Tuman¡¯s name would turn into trash. Brendel shuddered at the thought.

    Thankfully Marsha was smiling upon Brendel as Wood was not present. He quickly shook his head, saying, ¡°There is no need for that. I only want to follow the Path of the me, so it doesn¡¯t matter who performs the ceremony for me.¡±

    Upon hearing Brendel¡¯s words, the old Bishop¡¯s eyes sparkled and nodded his head. ¡°Not bad. Youngsters like you are really rare these days, unlike those nobles. If that is the case, then allow me to perform the ceremony for you.¡±

    The old man nced towards Amandina and Scarlet. ¡°However, yourpanions are not allowed to enter with you. Is it okay if they wait out here?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± replied Brendel.

 Chapter 489 - Volume 3

    <h4>Holy Knight Ascension(2)</h4>

    Back on the alley, there was a row of golden-red pirs, the carvings on it like mes. As Magadal walked past them, she felt uneasy and held up the lower part of her dress to walk faster, and she looked like an innocent princess. She walked past the inner passages of the Ande Cathedral and came to a small hall to see Sir Benninger waiting for her.

    She may not admit it, but she had some interest in the young man. As someone who was willing to give up his noble inheritance for love and justice, he could easily garner the favor of anyone. Plus Benninger fitted her image of someone who would fight against their fate.

    She saw the young man, and could not help but feel nervous, so she shyly spoke, ¡°Sir Benninger, may I know why you¡¯re here to see me?¡±

    ¡°Princess Gryphine desires to know the situation in the Holy Cathedral.¡±

    She had foreseen the oue, but she still could not help but feel slightly dejected. ¡°It¡¯s the same. Archbishop Wood wishes the Holy Cathedral to take a neutral stance. Deacon Icahn may like you all, but there¡¯s no doubt he¡¯ll support the Archbishop¡¯s decision.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already good news that the Holy Cathedral is not our enemy,¡± Benninger answered. Only in front of the Nun Princess could he reveal his meek side. To others, he was the same elite noble that they respected.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°There were some disturbances happening with the Lion Beastmen, and the princess is worried that the Holy Cathedral may want to end the war before it began.¡±

    Magadal arched her eyebrows, and answered softly, ¡°I don¡¯t think Archbishop Wood will support that idea. But... I just received news that there were some happenings in the main Holy Cathedral of Fire.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Archbishop Wood¡¯s time as Archbishop is ending soon, and the main Cathedral had already sent a sessor, along with another messenger, to take up his mantle. And those people gave me a bad feeling.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the name of the sessor?¡± Benninger asked. He did not look happy or worried and just spoke out a question.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Sir Benninger. That¡¯s the most confidential information of the Holy Cathedral, and to be honest, I should not be telling you this,¡± She eyed him with worry and said.

    ¡°Princess Gryphine and you are outstanding people in this world. But this world is an unfair ce, and I¡¯m sorry I could not be of help.¡± The Nun Princess who had been running all this while to get here was slightly red from exhaustion, and looked so cute that even Benninger wanted to take one more look at her.

    He smiled and shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I still have to thank you, Princess Magadal. You seem to being here in a rush, did something happen?¡±

    He meant the inner workings of the Cathedral, where only the higher-ups could ess. He may havee from a noble family, but, with his identity as the messenger of Princess Gryphine, he could not ess the ce.

    Magadal heard him, and nodded with a flushed face, ¡°There¡¯s a noble kid who came to be promoted to Holy Knight. And as a priestess of the inner workings, it¡¯s obvious that I should oversee the ceremony.¡±

    ¡°Ohh.¡± Benninger raised his eyebrows. He realized that the Nun Princess had vited thews of the Holy Cathedral just for him. And to the quiet and innocent girl, it must have been a great ordeal to do so. He may have been ted, but he just kept his calm and asked, ¡°At such a time? Who¡¯s this trash?¡±

    ¡°I am not clear of his origins, but I heard that he was someone powerful and even wanted the Archbishop to hold the ceremony!¡±

    ¡°The Archbishop?!¡± His expression changed, and continued, ¡°But did he do it?¡±

    ¡°Nope, he was not around. But this young man was impressive, he did not ept Bishop Zoya¡¯s suggestion to wait for him. He really did not seem to care about the prestige of being blessed by the Archbishop. Only a few nobles would do that, and there would be even lesser in Aouine!¡±

    <i>Or he may not realize that he lost the chance to gain that much of fame.</i> Benninger told himself. He was jealous. After all, how many people were capable of doing such a thing?

    <i>He must have been a country bumpkin, and did not understand just how much of an importance it would be to be blessed by the Archbishop.</i>

    He breathed out, realizing that he lost control of his emotions, and shook his head, ¡°So I¡¯ll take my leave, Princess.¡±

    Magadal did not take it as a bad impression even if he lost control of his emotion. He did seemposed. Plus she liked the man, and could only see his perfections and not his ws.

    Before he left, she was reminded of something, ¡°Sir Benninger, I heard that you came here with the others?¡±

    He was about to leave, but when he heard her say that, she hesitated, ¡°Yep, I came with Marquis Yoakam. I met him by coincidence when I came here, and he unexpectedly recognized me. Plus he was the brother of thete king, so it¡¯s kind of inappropriate for me to reject him.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Magadal nodded and warned him. ¡°Yoakam does not have a good reputation. Plus he has close ties with Prince Luke... So if it¡¯s possible, stay away from him. Or else you will be mocked by the others.¡±

    Marquis Yoakam was the brother of thest king Oberg, and the illegitimate son of the king before him. He never had a good reputation since birth, and was jeered even amongst the nobles. Plus he did not even let his niece away from his perverted grasp. As of recently, he meddled with Prince Luke, the brother of Princess Gryphine and had unspeakable ties with the women of the Seifer family.

    Magadal may be soft and innocent, but she disliked these people the most. It was because she heard Benninger walking together with him that she would even mention his despicable name.

    ¡°I understand,¡± the young man smiled, ¡°Thank you, Princess.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡±

    She shook her head and watch him go back from where he came from. As his shadows faded away, she sighed. She left her post without telling anyone, and she may be scolded for that. After all, she was the meek time who would not do such a thing.

    She was disappointed and slightly excited as well. It was her first time going against her responsibilities, and it was exciting, even if it was just a small step.

    She turned, and walked towards the other end with dignity as if she was facing a trial.

    <strong>Benninger¡¯s POV</strong>

    On the other side, Benninger could not help but ask his aide, ¡°Where¡¯s Marquis Yoakam?¡±

    They just whispered, ¡°I dunno sir. Marquis Yoakam was saying how he never came here before and decided to go take a stroll.¡±

    ¡°That bastard!¡± Benninger¡¯s face darkened as he gritted his teeth.

    ¡°Sir, do you still want to wait for him?¡± They carefully asked.

    ¡°Wait for him for what?¡± He rebutted, ¡°Let him do as he wishes. We can only hope that he does not stir too much of a trouble. We have to return now. Princess still awaits us.¡±

    ¡°Yes Sir!¡± They bowed down to answer.

    <strong>Brendel¡¯s POV</strong>

    Ande¡¯s blessing ceremony was hosted in a ce more in than other¡¯s imaginations. The Four Great Cathedral¡¯s inherited the designs of the me King Gilt¡¯s taste, in but aesthetic.

    Normally, the priest would ask the target some questions, such as asking for his reasons for joining, or some rted subjects. Brendel had long prepared for them, and had memorized the information of Aouine up to level ten. Which exined why he could answer the questions of the Bishop by heart.

    The Bishop was getting more and more pleased. Since the end of the first Holy War, the nobles became less religious. They may respect the religion, but the ancient admiration for it was gone. They valued power and riches more than going for their belief. That was why it was rare to see such a dedicated young man in Aouine, or even in all of Kirrlutz.

    He nodded, ¡°If it was not because of your reluctance, I really do wish for you to join the Holy Cathedral. But I do believe you¡¯ll be a perfect Holy Knight. I had traveled to many ces, but it¡¯s the first time I met a young yet outstanding talent like you.¡±

    Brendel flushed. He did not expect to be viewed that highly by the Bishop. In the Cathedral, the Holy Knights were almost equal in power as an Archbishop. <i>I just need to nod my head, and I will enjoy the privilege of being someone of equal standing with the kings, and even Archbishop Wood himself?! How many ever dreamt of that?</i>

    Brendel did not dare say that he was not a little be convinced by the offer. But he had other concerns. If he were to join the Holy Cathedral, he would have to obey the wishes of the main Holy Cathedral, and he would not have the freedom to interfere with Aouine¡¯s politics. In addition, the organization was not as clean as it looked. And Brendel knew this more than anyone else. Thus, he declined the offer.

    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡± The old Bishop sighed. But he was already d to meet such a fine young man. He held up the pebble rinsed with holy water and ced in on Brendel¡¯s shoulders. He pressed his other hand on the doctrine and was about to begin the ceremony.

    But at the moment, another person appeared. He opened his mouth to stop the old Bishop, ¡°Wait a minute.¡±

    Brendel and the Bishop looked back, and the person who looked back-

    Was Archbishop Wood.

 Chapter 490 - Volume 3

    <h4>Holy Knight Ascension(3)</h4>

    The appearance of the Archbishop startled the Bishop. He immediately ceased his actions and looked at his superior with question.

    ¡°Bishop Zoya, there¡¯s something I would like to ask this boy. Would you mind leaving us alone?¡± the Archbishop¡¯s eyednded on Brendel as he talked to his colleague.

    The old Bishop was still hesitant, but in the end, he bowed to Archbishop Wood, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s as you wish, Lord Archbishop.¡± He looked at Brendel, and then at his superior¡¯s expression, and knew that there was a secret between them. But that did not concern him, and he could only leave the room with his curiosity.

    The Archbishop looked at Brendel, and thetter felt the ring eyes thatnded on him. <i>This is bad. He¡¯s the Ande Cathedral¡¯s Archbishop, I don¡¯t think he would juste and invite me for an afternoon tea.</i>

    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re called Brendel?¡± The Archbishop, who was above all masses in Aouine, spoke.

    Brendel¡¯s eyebrow twitched. He raised his head and looked at the Archbishop with a dubious face, ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I see. You¡¯re alert and your act is wonderful. But Tuman had already told me about you. Didn¡¯t he tell you about his rtionship with me?¡± The stern man suddenly gave a smile, And he shook his head. Brendel was wary, but to the old man who already knew everything about him, his act seemed reallyical.

    Brendel, on the other hand, was petrified by Wood¡¯s words. <i>Shit! How can I forget that the Archbishop of Aouine had already known Tuman since their time in Kirrlutz? Even after Tuman went into hiding, their rtionship remained and they had constantly exchanged letters.</i>

    Brendel was surprised at how Tuman treated himself. Although they met back during the Loop of Trade Winds, and that William and Tuman had a good impression of him, they just remained as acquaintances. <i>Damn, I just asked for a letter of introduction! This is so unexpected of Tuman to call up his friend in Ampere Seale to help me out.</i>

    <i>It would be an easy thing to do with just sending in the letter, but as for calling up his friend to help me? That would just be too nice of him. With Tuman¡¯s position in Aouine, I don¡¯t see just why would he bother to help a small power like me?</i>

    Before Brendel could figure out the rtionship between them, Wood had already figured out the question in his mind, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. My old friend really likes you. It was the first time he looked that enthusiastic since he left this country.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what he told me?¡± He continued.

    Brendel did not, obviously, but he was curious as to why the master of the mysterious owner of the secretive Silver Alliance would help him out. He looked at the Archbishop before him, and shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know, Archbishop.¡±

    It was Wood¡¯s turn to be surprised this time. ¡°Young man, since you already know my identity, do you think that I, as a representative of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, would let a rebel like you go?¡±

    He asked, and leaked out an air of dignity like someone from the higher ranks of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. A normal person would have been scared shitless, but Brendel still continued without fear, ¡°I don¡¯t know that. But I believe there¡¯s a reason you would discuss so much with me.¡±

    ¡°My friend believes that you¡¯re the key to pulling Aouine out of this quicksand.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s hand twitched.

    That was an answer he did not seeing.

    He sucked in a breath, and was at a loss of words. <i>I would be arrogant if I replied him. And I don¡¯t think that, ever since the beginning of my reincarnation, I ever did something that led to a big change different from the original oue in the game. If anything, I would like a selfish brat, only trying to protect the stuff that I find important. And I feel guilty for doing so, for always trying to make up for my mistakes, even if they aren¡¯t.</i>

    <i>I may know a lot, but I am not aplishing anything. All I can, is just to give it my all.</i>

    The reason for his trip this time is to get in touch with Princess Gryphine. But there is an endless fog between them, and whether or not he can pass this trial is still an unknown. He took every step with caution, and only he knew what he was doing, but finally someone confirmed with him. Somone acknowledged his efforts and said with confidence: ¡°I believe you can help Aouine out of this quicksand.¡±

    And this person is not an ordinary one, he was a wise man, the owner of the Silver Alliance, Aouine¡¯s greatest schr, and an esteemed wizard standing on top the peak of others. And Brendel did not think that he was someone who would just say that for a prank.

    Brendel was currently dry with words, but he decided to ept thement. After all, Tuman was a wise predecessor that he respected.

    The old man may have used his sharp re to see something in him, but Brendel felt like he could not live up to their expectations. But if he were to decline the old man¡¯s words, it would seem like he¡¯s disrespecting the elder. In the end, he nodded at him, ¡°I believe any youth that bears hate towards this rotting country will have the same beliefs like me. Besides me, there must be others who¡¯re battling as well. And for me, I¡¯m just doing my part with all that I can.¡±

    ¡°And all your actions in Trentheim are also part of the reason for your actions?¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    Wood walked next to him and indicated for him to kneel, ¡°The problems in the North regarding the Lion Beastmen, do you know of it?¡±

    Brendel realized that the Archbishop was trying to host the Holy Knight Ascension Ceremony and, for a while, could not understand his motives. Wood was known as the ¡°Iron Masked Archbishop¡± back in the game. And the title was associated with many righteous acts that aligned with the goals of the Holy Cathedral. He was respected.

    Brendel fiddled and came back to his senses. He immediately kneeled, like he was preparing for a knighting ceremony.

    He may not like such an asion, but it was a rare opportunity, so he went on with the flow.

    He bobbed his head and whispered, ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°The Holy Cathedral will not allow any form of disruption in Aouine.¡±

    The Archbishop ced his hand on his shoulder and chanted, ¡°In the name of the me King, Gretel, do you swear that you will now bear his name with pride? To wear it not for his past feats, but for his morals and aesthetics that will now be passed onto you? That you swear that you will hold on to that belief and sense of integrity until you pass on?¡±

    ¡°I swear,¡± Brendel swore ordingly. On one hand, he was not that concerned about the disturbances with the Lion Beastmen. It was something that he witnessed before. But on the other hand, he was more stirred up with the Archbishop¡¯s words. After all, he swore the oath that required him to preserve the morals that could only be seen in history books and were discarded and forgotten with time.

    ¡°Then, I demand you to not change your ideals no matter the environment. And even if you do break the oath, I wish you would understand that you will understand that there are some things that should not be discarded not forgotten.¡±

    ¡°I swear.¡±

    In the silence, the room began to shake. Brendel could feel some empirical power building up as he swore his oath, connecting this world to the other side of the unknown dimensions. The system that supported the world of The Amber Sword began to rumble, and the power surged into his body. It was like he obtained some sort of enlightenment, and received the power of the Holy Knight.

    ¡°System notification: yer has obtained a new Job, ¡®Holy Knight¡¯¡±

    ¡°System notification: yer has learned a new Job Specialized Skill, ¡®Colliding Halo¡¯¡±

    ¡°System notification: yer has learned a new Job Specialized Skill, ¡®Blood of Sun¡¯¡±

    ¡°System notification: yer has learned a new Job Specialized Skill, ¡®Crown of Thorns¡¯¡±

    <i>An Archbishop¡¯s blessing is truly amazing. I got fifteen levels on the Holy Knight Job just with his blessing. And with it, I got two other skills. The Colliding Halo is self introductory, but the other two skills are the core of the Holy Knight¡¯s skills as well.</i>

 Chapter 491 - Volume 3

    <h4>Archbishop Wood</h4>

    ¡®Blood of Sun¡¯ is a passive skill. For each time the Holy Knight gets damaged, a golden me will damage nearby enemies. For every level the skill levels up, the reflected damage will increase by 5% of the original damage. So at level 15, the reflected damage was at 75%.

    Although the damage is counted as a magical and me attributed damage and can be defended with various resistances, it was already enough to deal with some enemies. The Holy Knight is a tank Job, and needless to say, the reflected damage will chip off arger margin of his enemies¡¯ healthpared to him!

    The ¡®Crown of Thorns¡¯ was an active assault skill and can be set at the continuous or activated state. In the continuous state, it would require less mana. During this time when this state is used, the Holy Knight will gain resistance to poison and other special damage types. And if he were to activate it, the damage that was umted up till then will turn into damage.

    The defensive period was short, and after that, the Holy Knight will have to endure a period of being defenseless. But if the Holy Knight activated the skill, his damage capabilities will increase by at least 2 folds! This skill was the core reason for the explosive power of the Holy Knight. <i>I don¡¯t really fancy this sort of skill that would require me to damage myself. But I am already really surprised to be able to obtain two of the core skills of the Holy Knight amongst the countless other skills it has.</i>

    In reality, part of the reason was that the Archbishop was hosting the ceremony. Brendel looked at the old man, noticing that he did not have any sort of expression on his face. Wood felt his re and turned to nod at him, ¡°You can stand up now.¡±

    The room that was shaking uncontrobly just now was currently silent, and the divine power that was felt just now disappeared as well, like everything that happened was just a dream.

    ¡°The movements in the north will not be tolerated by the Holy Cathedral for long. And I, who have had the post of the Archbishop for long, may be reced by another in the near future.¡± Wood stood up and continued the topic he was on just now. It was like he did not even care about Brendel¡¯s Ascension and only focused on the matter he had in his mind.

    Brendel suddenly felt concerned about this matter. <i>Wood was always the person who would remain calm no matter the situation, even during the infighting period of Aouine. But for him to suddenly speak up about this matter, does it mean that he does not see eye to eye with the new Archbishop.</i>

    Brendel eyed at the figure.

    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re supporting the Princess?¡± Wood asked.

    Brendel did not say anything and just nodded.

    ¡°Her majesty¡¯s influence is currently weak. And she¡¯s trying to govern this nation during its time of turmoil. Unless she can convince Duke Arreck. That¡¯s the only way to guarantee that Viero and Radner would side her.¡±

    He suddenly turned his eyes on Brendel, ¡°But do you really think this method can save the Kingdom?¡±

    Brendel shook his head. And that was why he was here: to stop the entire incident. He knew just how the future would progress. Once the deal with Arreck is made, the Princess would have to alliance herself with the other nobles as well. And those rotten nobles are like the rotten supports of a house, and it was just a matter of time before it copses. It may have been a short term solution for now, but it would be unable to solve the long term issue.

    Brendel was no overseer. It was all just experience he received from ying the game back then.

    Ande¡¯s Archbishop looked at him once again, ¡°So do you understand me?¡±

    Everything clicked in his mind all of a sudden. <i>So that¡¯s what he was saying. The Holy Cathedral would not allow chaos to drag on for long in Aouine. And if the Princess could not manage to obtain an advantageous foothold in a short span of time, the Holy Cathedral ay step in. Wood may not want it, but he can¡¯t guarantee if the sessor would not as well.</i>

    At that, Brendel could not help look up to the old man once more.

    ¡°Tuman is my old friend, and Aouine was his origin too. He does not wish to see this ce fall to ruin, and I would obviously help him out, even if it doesn¡¯t concern me personally. Young man, he ced a bet on your shoulders, and so I don¡¯t mind staying here longer. But this time is limited. I do not have absolute influence in the main Cathedral, and I can only buy you some time.¡±

    Wood finally spoke the main agenda to his meeting with Brendel today and continued, ¡°There¡¯s not much time left. I see you¡¯re an intelligent man, so I believe you know what I mean.¡±

    Brendel gasped for cold air as he finally understood the rtionship between everything that was happening. But he did not expect for Ampere Seale¡¯s Holy Cathedral to stand on his and Tuman¡¯s side. It may not be the case in the near future, but it was sufficient for now. And this news was more shocking to Brendel than the time he received the Paradise of Adversity deck.

    He agreed with the Archbishop, ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great. Remember, you must not ruin the Holy Cathedral¡¯s reputation. If you were to do it, the revenge incurred in your region is not something you can handle. And Aouine will be tied into it as well.¡±

    Brendel clearly understood this point. Originally, he did not even want to be associated with the Archbishop that early on, but Tuman had already arranged that meeting for him. He remembered the time during the Loop of Winds, he didn¡¯t really talk much with William or Tuman, but it seems like the owner of the Silver Alliance could easily figure out his objectives. But Brendel was more curious about the old sage¡¯s thoughts on him. <i>If that person really wanted to, I could¡¯ve just used his name and influence to easily help the Princess obtain the support of most nobles. But he did not choose this option. Just what is he thinking? Is it because the people of the Silver Alliance is not willing to be involved? But that doesn¡¯t seem the case, or else the Wizards in the future would not have fought over the Sage tes.</i>

    Brendel spent half an hour in the ascension room. Normally, the Ascension ceremony should not take that long of a period, but the Archbishop continued to question him about some matters that it took so long of a time.

    But it was pre-nned by the Archbishop. He wanted to discuss about the situation in Aouine with him. And also to remind him of the situation with the Lion Beastman and the Cathedral¡¯s sessor, which did not really concern Brendel.

    Because Brendel knew everything that was about to happen in the future.

    In the game, it was not until the next year when the Archbishop would lose his position. And the Lion Beastman would not dare do anything for now, unless there are changes in history. And in reality, his influence in the timeline of Aouine was not that significant: he did not cause any changes outside of Aouine, or even affected the Holy Cathedral¡¯s decisions.

    But that was a naive thought.

    After half an hour of interrogation, Brendel told the Archbishop about his departure. He actually did not mind staying longer, but he knew that people would be suspicious if he did. Plus, he just came for the Ascension ceremony to kill time before executing his n to save the Kingdom. After that, he wanted to head for thergest auction house in Ampere Seale to sell off the priceless painting he got from Fortress Riedon. It may be worth millions, but to someone who did not fancy art like himself, it was like any other form of investment.

    If he were to speak out his thoughts, he would definitely be known as the crudest noble in all of Aouine, even worse off than those other sneaky bastards. In any case, he did not see himself as any noble in the first ce, and the identity was just an excuse he is exploiting to hide his dealings.

    But he is currently facing a dilemma. The auction would only be participated by nobles or other important figures. And he would definitely not make the cut with his current identity. <i>I do know that the master of the auction is a member of the Merchant Association. Someone known as Baron Dunner. He was filthy rich and that only made it harder to meet him. Plus, the goods on auction have their own channels to get into the cirction, finding one will not be an easy feat for me.</i>

    He was about to go out and consult Amandina to find a solution. Amongst his subordinates, she was the one who knew the workings of the noble¡¯s best. But before he even stepped out into the hall, he heard a furious voice, ¡°Sir, please do show some respect. This is the Holy Cathedral of me!¡±

    Brendel was stunned. <i>Scarlet and Amandina must be in trouble now.</i>

    But upon closer inspection, he could hear that the voice did not belong to his subordinates. It was someone he was not affiliated with. <i>Who is it? And where are Scarlet and Amandina?</i>

 Chapter 492 - Volume 3

    <h4>As you wish, my Lord</h4>

    ¡°Sir, please do show some respect.¡± Princess Magadal yanked her hand out of the man¡¯s grip, and asked with her eyebrows raised. The middle-aged man had a paleplexion and his saggy eyebags purple. It was evident that he was drunk. He wore some really fancy clothes, and it was obvious that he was nobility. It was just his disheveled looks and empty eyes, plus that awfully white cor bones that were revealed through his unbuttoned clothes, made him look like he was some beggar that had been wandering for days.

    Brendel immediately recognized what happened at first sight. Marquis Yoakam, cousin of Oberg the Seventh, the illegitimate son of thest king was here. He was a lot younger than Oberg who had passed away and, although he hadnd, his position was really smallpared to his cousin. And the social pressure applied by the other nobles led him to develop a wild behavior, in disregard of how others looked at him. It was said that he had spent the night with a lot of married wives of the nobles, which led him to be picked on by the nobles. But he had close ties to the eldest son of the King Orberg, plus he had the support of House Seifer¡¯s matriarch, making him invulnerable from the attacks of the other nobles.

    <i>Why is he here? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s because of that?</i>

    That was when Yoakam spotted him. He turned and hissed, ¡°I believe he must be the owner of the two beauties. Hand them over to me now!¡±

    ¡°What a foul mouth!¡± Magadal was a reallyposed and logical person, but even so in this situation, it can be seen from her chest that was rising and sinking sporadically, that she was really angry as well. ¡°This is the Holy Cathedral! Our ancestors are watching us from above, so please watch your behavior, Sir!¡± She clenched her fist, wondering angrily how this guy managed to sneak into the ce.

    ¡°Princess Magadal, before you care for others, do you know who am I in the first ce?¡± Yoakam smiled slyly. ¡°I will be the uncle of the future king of this Kingdom so I¡¯m sure you must¡¯ve heard of my name before.¡±

    ¡°I have heard of your beauty for some time now, but looking up close, you sure live up to that name. Hehe...he...he... I must have you no matter what, pretty flower.¡±

    Magadal gritted her teeth. She had received education from the Cathedral since young, developing her soft and innocent character. The people she had met were those courteous people, that was until she saw Yoakam.

    She was trembling with rage, but she did not know how to rebut his words. That was when Brendel intercepted, ¡°Forgive me if I didn¡¯t understand, sir. But I want to ask you, do you see any beauties around me right now?¡±

    He looked around but Amandina and Scarlet were not to be seen. <i>His reputation sure is a problem though. I have a bad feeling about this</i>

    ¡°Oh. They dare be rude to me? I will ask my men to punish themter. But don¡¯t worry, I will not hurt their lives. However, that red babe really is really ahead of herself, if not Ketilbern would not have hurt her identally. But that doesn¡¯t matter. You will hand them over to me sooner orter anyway, and it¡¯s normal for a noble to punish his own servants.¡±

    ¡°Dear sir, you don¡¯t have to worry. Yourrade is injured so we have already ordered my men to send her to the medics!¡± Before Magadal managed to convey her message to Brendel, she saw a streak of light fly at Yoakam¡¯s cheeks.

    It was a silver dagger.

    Yoakam did not expect Brendel to be so quick that his guard did not even manage to respond and took a hit to his face, leaving a streak of blood down his cheeks.

    The middle-aged man wailed, and sucked in a breath of cold air at the same time.[T/L: How does he do that? Is he a beatboxer?] He did not burst out in anger, but was shrieking like a loser as he covered the bleeding section of his face, ¡°You dare assail a noble? That¡¯s against thews of the Holy Cathedral!¡±

    Even Magadal was shocked. In the scriptures of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, the nobles are indeed protected. Even though he was in the wrong and needed punishment, if anyone were to attack them unexpectedly, it would be an irredeemable sin. That was why the nobles had toe up with excuses when waging wars. Of course, the wars should not involve any assassinations and poison. Then again, they were only hidden from the Holy Cathedral.

    Magadal opened her mouth initially to warn Brendel to not do something that would lead to serious repercussions. But she did not think she would be one step toote. She was just gawking at him at the moment, but she could feel the mystifying, chilling kill re in his eyes.

    Brendel was not someone who would be angry for no apparent reason, but that was before he met someone who so tantly dered that they would hurt his subordinates. As a man, he dared hurt a woman? As a true gentleman, he could not tolerate such behavior. In Brendel¡¯s eyes, Yoakam is truly the epitome of all human garbage.

    ¡°You are truly good at lying, Sir,¡± He spoke coldly. ¡°Since when did I assault you?¡±

    ¡°You clearly...¡± Yoakam looked back at the pir behind him where the dagger was stuck. But what he saw was a dagger embedded so deeply into the marble that only the hilt was revealed. And nailed onto the pir by the dagger, was a white glove.

    ¡°You!¡±

    Yoakam was stunned now. He just realized that Brendel had taken off one of his gloves. <i>For no one to see him take it off and throw the dagger, just how powerful is he?</i>

    He looked up at Brendel, ¡°You wanna wage a war with me? Do you know who I am?¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Brendel was hell-bent on punishing the guy, and he was just putting on an act of innocence.

    ¡°I¡¯m the brother of the previous king! The current king¡¯s uncle! Go to hell, you country bumkin!¡± Yoakam bellowed. He was favored by his father back when his father was king, and even when his brother took up the throne, he did not really control Yoakam. It was like a special authority bestowed to him, and no noble in Aouine would dare mess with him. But of course, he did not mess with the other dukes who were more powerful than him. That was why in thest few decades, he was living without facing many obstacles.

    He may have been injured, even if it was rare. But that was his first time getting hurt by someone physically.

    Which exined his poisonous stare at Brendel, ¡°You¡¯re dead meat!¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Brendel seemed shocked. ¡°You¡¯re the uncle of the current king? So you must be Marquis Yoakam, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°That is correct. So what, countryside bummer. You still wanna fight with me?¡± He thought that Brendel was scared at that point and let out a devious smile, ¡°But it is toote. I will let you have a taste of hell itself. And for your girls, I will have them beg for mercy before my feet.¡±

    ¡°Marquis Yoakam! Please keep yourself in check!¡± The Nun Princess finally acted. She decided to help Brendel out. She may not know who the mysterious teen was, but she was fed up with Marquis Yoakam¡¯s behavior.

    As the daughter of a duke, and her close ties with the Cathedral, Magadal had a significant amount of influence around the Kingdom.

    Brendel was screaming inwardly. <i>How can he be that stupid? I have already known that he was a messed up person back in the game, but I was really surprised by how bad is his brain damage.</i>

    He looked at the man ranting before him and sighed, wondering if that was the most idiotic person he will ever meet after reincarnation.

    ¡°You¡¯re already tens of years old, can¡¯t you behave in a more mature way? Can you not act so uncivilized?¡± He shook his head, blocking Magadal that was beside him and said bleakly, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to misunderstand, Sir Marquis. This is the reason to why I¡¯m don¡¯t n on fighting you. I heard that you are the trash amongst the nobles, and battling you will just hurt my reputation.¡±

    At that sentence, the entire hall was filled with silence, and the only sound was the creaking caused by the winds of Ampere Seale blowing against the wood.

    Magadal, Yoakm and his men stopped to look at Brendel in shock, as if they heard wrongly. Yoakam took a moment to realize that Brendel was mocking him, driving him so mad he called out, ¡°Ketilbern, go and duel him!¡±

    In Aouine and Kirrlutz, the nobles were corrupted by thevish life they were living, and were not used to the old ways ofbat. However, dueling was still popr amongst their circles, so they had a solution. They had aides to fight for them, against their rivals or opponents. It was already the norm and Yoakam was no wrong in doing things that way as well.

    Brendel did not have an aide by his side, so he could only pull out his sword, raising his head to see the gargantuan swordsman walk towards him. He calmed down and focused. He may have intentionally angered Yoakam for a chance to battle, but he did not underestimate his opponent.

    <i>This must be the man who hurt Scarlet. Scarlet may not be that good in closebat, but she was nevertheless a Gold ranker. For him to be able to take her down, this man must be an Elemental Awakener. And there were not that many people who could do that.</i>

    And indeed, he immediately recognized the person who walked towards him.

    It was Devard the Hawk. The man known to be one of the three greatest Sword Grandmasters alongside Buga the Cross and Silver Knight Silvia. <i>But why was he with Marquis Yoakam?</i>

    And then Brendel froze.

 Chapter 493 - Volume 3

    <h4>Duel</h4>

    Devard who walked out from behind Marquis Yoakam was tall, disying his heritage from the Arreck people. But what was odd were his fingers. They were at least one quarter longer than normal people. There¡¯s a saying where people born with unusual characteristics would be someone special, and he truly fit that description: bing one of Arreck¡¯s three Sword Grandmasters, and was the protege of the famous Swordmaster f, and then surpassing his own teacher after developing his own Striking Eagle Sword Style and bing a master himself.

    He wielded a thin longsword that specializes in stabbing. It attacks like a poisonous snake, integrating well with his own sword art.

    ¡°Just what is he doing here with Yoakam? What is he nning?¡± Brendel sighed, raising his own sword as well. He could feel Magadal tugging him from his back, ¡°Sir, this person is an Elemental Awakener. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re not his opponent.¡±

    Brendel had already known of the girl¡¯s identity since long, but upon hearing her say that, he could not help but be curious. He had heard that she was an easygoing and kind soul, and used her influence in the Holy Cathedral to take in arge number of war refugees. However, in the end, she died a harsh death. <i>I think she was poisoned by her husband,</i>Brendel thought.

    Brendel sighed in his heart, and smiled at her, ¡°How do you know I¡¯m not his opponent then?¡±

    The princess was widened her eyes. <i>What the hell? I¡¯m worrying for you an yet you saying stuff like that. Don¡¯t be so arrogant!</i>

    Devard was swinging his sword, apparently impatient, ¡°Are you done preparing?¡±

    ¡°Hold up,¡± The Nun Princess interrupted. She turned her gaze onto Yoakam who was still clutching the bleeding side of his face. ¡°Marquis Yoakam, you¡¯re sending out an aide to represent you in this duel, but this other gentleman here is fighting for himself. So ording to the rules set by the nobles, you have to stake more against him!¡±

    Yoakam gritted his teeth, and asked a servant to carefully take off one of the rings on his fingers. He nodded, demanding the servant to present the ring, ¡°Alright, this is my side of the bet. Can we begin the battle now?¡± He spoke in a faint tone as he red daggers at Brendel and Magadal.

    <i>There¡¯s such a rule?... But who cares? I¡¯m not gonna let this chance go anyway. And that ring with a coiled snake on it... Having such good stuff, there¡¯s no doubt he¡¯s from the Royal Family. </i>Brendel thought.

    ¡°Only one ring? Aren¡¯t you a little cheapskate?¡± Brendel just acted like he knew nothing andughingly jeered at him.

    Magadal coughed and felt her face burn. The ring was crafted by the dwarf Runemaster Penold who¡¯s known for crafting priceless treasures. There may not be many good rumors about him, but being generous was one of them. There was not any rumors of him being stingy, and from the looks of it, it sure is true.

    He was furious to beughed by Brendel, and scoffed, ¡°This is a Magic ring, and it can help protect you from a fatal hit. You can¡¯t even estimate its price, bumpkin!¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Brendel replied with a ¡®So that¡¯s the case¡¯ look.

    Yoakam sucked in a mouthful of cold air. <i>If I continue talking to this person. No doubt I will die of anger.</i> He threw out a bag of gold coins and scolded, ¡°Then this much will be enough to buy your life, can it, bumpkin?!¡±

    There were at least a hundred thousand Taels there. Brendel only called out in his heart just how generous Yoakam is, and on the surface, he nodded in agreement.

    <i>Hmph! Country bumpkin!</i> Yoakam scolded in his heart.

    Magadal could really feel her face turning red now, but she continued to say, ¡°Now there¡¯s no problem on either side. With me as the oveseer, I announce the battle tomence!¡±

    ¡°Duels are the code of nobility, and I hope the two of you remain gentlemen, swearing that there would be no acts of cheating, not sneak attacks, poisoning. And have mercy in your heart to spare the loser.¡±

    Her voice was soft, and was probably the kindest overseer to ever watch over a battle in all of Aouine. As Brendel and Devard raised their sword to swear, they knew that it was they were just words. There was never a fight where no lives were taken. Upon standing on the battlefield, thebatants will theirposed selves.

    Devard lowered his sword, hinting for Brendel to make the first move. Although he may have donned a different name, he was still a first-rate master and did not want to bully a newbie. If he attacked first, it would bring shame to his title as the Hawk. But Brendel did not concern himself with such things, and would exploit everything he could. He immediately put up a battle stance.

    ¡°Military Swordsmanship,¡± Devard scoffed slightly.

    Brendel thrust his sword at Devard¡¯s heart. His improved Military Swordsmanship emitted a terrifying killing aura, and was meant to take the life of his enemy. Devard parried the sword with his own, shing right in front of his chest in a metallic p. Brendel grabbed the sword hilt with both hands and swiped down against Devard¡¯s sword.

    <i>There¡¯s something off. Military Swordsmanship was never that violent and oppressing. Thanks to my experience in sword fights, I was luckily able to avoid his attack,</i> Devard thought as he pushed aside Brendel¡¯s sword. He stepped back, and slightly furrowed his brows. He unexpectedly forced into a defensive position, plus he underestimated his enemy¡¯s swordsmanship.

    But before he could even make sense of everything that was going on, he felt his heart squeeze. His instinct allowed him to react to the attack Brendel sent flying at him once more. He felt a chill down his spine, and by reflex, pulled out a short sword to defend his throat.

    ¡°Dangg!!!¡±

    A loud metallic pang came resounding once more. His arms were trembling, and he could feel a trace of blood on his neck.

    <i>This is madness! It¡¯s a brawl. Thankfully I was fast enough. But I never fought such a battle in my life, and faced such a lunatic even once!</i>

    After all, Devard was not a soldier and never faced anyone on the battlefield. He did not understand how a battle of life and death was like. It was too much to expect a chivalrous knight like him to understand the desperation of a soldier¡¯s desire to survive.

    Brendel¡¯s swordsmanship was mastered to the extreme. It was like he was part of the sword, releasing a chilling aura that was choking to the others. Aside from Devard, even Yoakam by the side paled. He felt like he was seeing soldiers on both sides of a war battling to death, and not an honorable duel.

    ¡°Your swordsmanship has such a malicious air to it.¡± Hemented as he touched his neck.

    Devard could feel the hairs on his body stand. It was like facing a beast desperate to survive, and as a Swordmaster, he never experienced such a feeling. He felt powerless, like all his battle experiences surmount to nothing in front of Brendel. Like he had to brawl like a maniac to win, and that, was something he had never done in his life.

    It may be a brawl, but Devard was better than the average soldier. His Striking Eagle Sword Styleposed of using one longsword and one short sword, and he swiped down to shorter one to force Brendel back, and the longer one to maintain the distance. Brendel could only back off. Devard let out a breath of relief as Brendel did that, but was immediately put into another dire situation.

    Devard was sweating buckets now. Brendel used his arm to parry Devard¡¯s attack, causing his skin to spilt apart and revealing his bones. Yet, he kept on pushing forward, cleaving down his own sword onto Devard.

    Devard can see that if the sword were to hit, it would swipe through his ribcage and into his lungs. And that was it, the point break.

    Immediately, a silver mirror appeared before Brendel¡¯s sword path. An array of sparks and another thunderous sh followed as Brendel¡¯s sword hit the mirror.

    The mirror rippled like mercury. But beyond that, there was not even a scratch on it.

    Then, a sh of light lit up the entire room. Around Devard was a silvery globe. Upon closer inspection, it was an array of convex mirrors in the shape of a hemisphere that appeared and disappeared, protecting Devard.

    Passive Elemental Power Activation.

    Brendal had long known of Devard¡¯s power, the Silver Wall. Upon activation, it will grant the owner immunity against all physical attacks.

    Again, there were no overpowered items in this world. It was not impregnable. As long as the attack surpassed the owner¡¯s strength, the shield will be broken.

    This ability was really useful against enemies of the same level, and was even more useful against people of lower levels. For him to use it, it was the same as admitting that his swordsmanship was inferior to Brendel¡¯s. If this was only a sword fight, there was no doubt Devard would have lost.

    But it was a duel.

    Devard finally found time to wipe away his sweat. He looked up at Brendel, in disbelief that the youth¡¯s swordsmanship was better than his. It was clearly the Military Swordsmanship, but not at the same time. When Devard was younger, he had seen Sword Saint Darius pointing out the ws of the Military Swordsmanship, and had seen an improved version of it before. But the youth¡¯s Military Swordsmanship even outssed that. Every strike Brendel threw at him was so oppressive that he felt like he was on the battlefield.

    And to be able to do that, Brendel must be in the category of a Sword Saint.

    Devard stared at Brendel and could not help but ask, ¡°Who are you?¡±

 Chapter 494 - Volume 3

    <h4>It Wasn¡¯t On Purpose, Archbishop</h4>

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t concern you,¡± Brendel replied frankly and lowered his sword.

    His aura changed, and his strength as the peak of the Golden rank turned everyone expressionless. Magadal and Yoakam had seen Scarlet¡¯s abilities at the peak of the same rank just now, and they did not expect to see a young boy disying the same power before them right now.

    <i>Just who is this guy? No wonder Archbishop Wood was so courteous towards him.</i>

    Yoakam began to feel uneasy. It was normal for a noble to have an aide at the Gold rank, but for the heir of the family himself to be that powerful as well? That has to be watched out for.

    He gestured to Devard, warning him not to kill the boy. <i>They must be quite powerful to be able to nurture a boy to that level.</i> The evil in his eyes waned, but his expression remained unfazed. It seemed like he wanted to give Brendel an unforgettable punishment.

    A Gold Ranker against an Elemental Power Awakener.

    Actually, Brendel just stepped intote Gold rank after leveling up to level fifteen in the Holy Knight role. And he did not hesitate to strike his next move.

    But it was not the Military Swordsmanship. He Dashed in front of Devard with speed so terrifying that Devard could feel his scalp fall off. He immediately recognized the attack to be the special skill of the Sun Knights, and, by a breath, he defended with his swords.

    <i>It is fast. But to pierce the Silver Wall, which was attributeless, you¡¯re stillcking.</i> Devardforted himself.

    Brendel¡¯s thrust was pointed towards the defense line formed from the two swords, and with one step forward he used the Nine Luminaries Sword Art, forming an illusion.

    He swiped down on the mirror-like shield, ringing out a painful screech as the two metals sh. To conceal his identity, Brendel was not using his Halran Gaia but rather just a normal de. However, upon activating his Passive Elemental Power, Stable, his sword became near-indestructible. If it was not, it would have probably shattered to pieces when it hit the shield.

    <i>That was expected. A Gold ranker¡¯s strength will never bypass my Silver Wall,</i> smirked Devard as he lunged at Brendel.

    But he did not expect that, even before Brendel could retract his sword, another de wasing at him once more. It was as if Brendel¡¯s afterimage was appearing at two spots at a time. In disbelief, another attacknded on Devard¡¯s Silver Wall.

    The Wall may be floating inches away from Devard, but the strikes could still be felt by the Elemental Power user. The two attacks thatnded could be felt by Devard, especially the second attack that surprised him, knocking him away.

    But that was not the end of it. Brendel Dashed to the eight corners of the hall, and each time he did so, he left a mirage formed from Nine Luminaries Sword Art. All of them charged at Devard, focusing on him from nine different directions. Devard may be a Swordmasterm but he had never seen something like the Nine Luminaries Sword Art before in his life. It was a Sword Ast that wasparable to the Kirrlutz¡¯s sh Strike Sword Art, and was definitely way better than his Striking Eagle Sword Style, meaning-

    -he never stood a winning chance in the first ce.

    Devard was immediately knocked into a daze. He obviously had more strength than Brendel, but he could not use it. All nine of the illusions hit him with an attackyered with Brendel¡¯s Passive Elemental Power. There were no ws in the technique, and even people who did not understand sword fights could see that Brendel¡¯s attacks are really fast, like a hurricane. Magadal did not know that it was an effect after using the Nine Luminaries, and was shocked by the fact that it was extremely fast.

    ¡°How can there be such fast swordsmanship?!¡± Yoakam¡¯s expression shed, and unconsciously took away the hand that was on his wound. He was no preupied with being shocked that he did not realize the puddle of blood that began to form on his feet.

    However, none of Brendel¡¯s attacks prated the Silver Wall, but it did brush up all the dust in the room. <i>Not good,</i> he cursed. He did not expect to not be able to break the defense even after using the Nine Luminaries Sword Art. And plus he had enraged Devard.

    <i>If Devard were to use his Active Elemental Power, Silver Surge, this would be a long and tough battle. I need to end this swiftly,</i> Brendel thought.

    He breathed in, and the nine illusions merged into one. He may be seen to have the advantage at the moment, but his left hand was bleeding, and his right had arge wound over it. Devard¡¯s ability was no joke, and just the rebound of Brendel¡¯s attacks made him injured to this extent. But he did not hesitate, and cut down on Devard¡¯s Silver Wall once more.

    Devard was enraged for being suppressed by a junior that was about two times stronger than he was. And in his rage and gritted teeth, he used both of his swords to parry Brendel¡¯s attack.

    There was arge ssh fire upon contact. And ¡®kathak¡¯, his short sword broke apart.<i>Wha-What?! The famous sword, Kaizer¡¯s Teeth, with its threeyers of runes on it, actually broke? Shattered to pieces at that!</i>

    Although that was actually thanks to Brendel¡¯s Passive Elemental Power, Brendel could feel himself not holding up any longer. He used Puncture on Devard, producing a scene akin to a machine gun mowing down its enemies. The pirs behind Devard were cut down one by one, and Magadal heart sank, <i>How can I ask them to battle in the Anderle Cathedral just now?! Are they gonna try to tear this ce down?</i>

    At that time, she was afraid. Even with her high status, the few people ranked higher than her would most likely berate her. She bit her lower lip, determined to use her savings to pay for the repair fees, and she was hoping the two of them would not stir the mess up even more.

    But that hope will not be fulfilled.

    Brendel swiped down, activating the Nine Luminaries Sword Art and another sword swiped down following the first. He also activated 30% of the Spectral Knight Crystal as well as Puncture.

    ¡®Bang!¡±

    The two moved back seven steps as the entire hall crumbled.

    Yoakam did not even think that Brendel could be that powerful, <i>If they tore down the Cathedral, my life will not be peaceful.</i> At that thought, he immediately yelled, ¡°Retard! Quickly stop!¡±

    Brendel did not listen to him. How can he stop right now with his momentum? He was continuously backing, but NIne Luminaries Sword Art was still running and cutting at Devard. Devard was going mad right now. He did not understand just how Brendel was doing it, <i>He¡¯s obviously backing off, but how are the strikes stilling?</i>

    <i>What the FUCKKK is going on!!!</i>

    Devard was utterly pissed, feeling like the swordsmanship he practiced for several decades was a joke to Brendel. Finally, he could not hold back and bellowed, ignoring his master¡¯s orders, ¡°Silver Surge!¡±

    A silver de, without warning, appeared in front of Brendel as he brought the de down. And in that instant, the skin of Brendel and his mirages split, and fresh blood was flowing out of it.

    It was like a de just appeared right in front of his skin, and did not even need time to travel.

    This is the power of Active Elemental Power.

    It was too powerful for a Gold ranker to go up against someone who could use the Active Elemental Power. Like Mephisto¡¯s World of Ashes, it was not a power normal people could even imagine.

    Silver Surge was overpowered too. It did not require any attack time, and the injury would appear immediately. It bypassed any form of defenses, and was a power that surpassed the Laws.

    Brendel had already seen thising. But his expression did not change, his determination unshaken. He could see his skills activating one after the other, and when he activated the skill he inherited by the Darkness Dragon, Berserk, the entire hall shook.

    The Nun Princess¡¯s face paled. It was Elemental Power Resonation, the true form of Elemental Powers.

    At that instant, Brendel had stepped into being an expert in the realm of Elemental Awakeners. Even if it was just an instant, it was enough. He easily surpassed the stage of Awakening, and had reached a new peak. Even if he were to match up with Veronica now, he would only lose to her by a little.

    Devard nearly stopped breathing at that moment. He looked up to see Bredel easily walk pass his Silver Wall.

    But it was not because he was too strong, but that there was nothing stopping him.

    Active Elemental Power: Spatial Chasm

    A spray of blood followed by the yell of Devard. Yoakam and Magadal watched, their eyes wide opened, as the famous swordmaster¡¯s arm was flying in the air. If Brendel was killing people in the Cathedral, it would have been troublesome. But his actions were sort of appropriate in that moment as Brendel was born to be the archenemy of Duke Arreck. <i>It would be better to reduce the powers of my enemies right now. Besides, with his standing in the Cathedral and connection with Arreck, it probably won¡¯t be too much of a problem to heal him. Limb restoration is a reallyplicated procedure, and not many people knew how to do it. But to Duke Arreck, it probably is not much of a big deal. It is just that, even if it¡¯s fixed, Devard will be useless to him for the time being. Meaning, in this period of time, Arreck¡¯s right hand will be trash,</i> he thought.

    Brendel sheathed his sword. The residue of the power moved in all directions, and when they collided with any structures, cracks began to form on them. Before the Cathedral met thergest disaster since its construction, another more powerful force descended from the sky, suppressing all the rogue energies. And at that moment, the entire ce was shrouded with some form of divinity.

    Brendel looked back, his face full of blood, as he saw an angry Archbishop Wood walked towards him.

    <i>Fuck! How can I forget that this guy is still here?</i> Brendel cried out. He was too preupied with finishing off Devard and had forgotten that the leader of the Ande Cathedral was still here. <i>Now we¡¯re screwed. Messing up the Cathedral, and all that, he¡¯s definitely not gonna let us go easily.</i>

    ¡°As you can see, archbishop. I did not intentionally do it,¡± Brendel coughed and answered dryly.

    Archbishop Wood just looked at him, and then at Yoakam.

    ¡°AH! Archbishop,¡± Yoakam saw Wood and his eyes shed. And then he bowed with etiquette as well.

 Chapter 495 - Volume 3

    <h4>The Princess¡¯s Reendation</h4>

    The entire ce was a mess, and the culprit to it all had left long ago. Brendel eyed Archbishop Wood and said, ¡°Archbishop, you shouldn¡¯t havee out.¡±

    His previous mocking tone was now reced with a stern and serious one.

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t, won¡¯t you guys tear this ce down? Do you know just how old this ce is?¡± Archbishop raised his eyebrows and asked.

    Brendel just smiled awkwardly and looked at Magadal, ¡°I still haven¡¯t thanked you yet. May I have your name please?¡±

    ¡°Just call me Magadal. And I¡¯m just a nun here, sir,¡± she sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I really should have stopped the battle and prevent such a mess. This Cathedral was built on the blood and sweat of Master Rogning. And it was my fault to have ruined this ce.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Brendel shook his head. ¡°Even if you stopped me, I would have probably continued to fight him.¡±

    Magadal widened her eyes in slight shock, ¡°Then why? Don¡¯t you feel regretful for your actions?¡±

    ¡°I would only feel regret if I could not manage to protect my subordinates,¡± Brendel answered seriously. ¡°Princess Magadal, that was the reason for my gratitude towards you. That you gave me a chance to fight.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a first. Normally, the servants would work for their masters, and would have sacrificed their lives to protect them. Isn¡¯t that their duty?¡±

    ¡°The subjects should be loyal to their masters, and the masters should reward them with protection and pride. That is a form of mutual contract, simr to the oaths sworn back with our ancestors.¡±

    Wood was looking at the mess everywhere and interrupted, ¡°But for that, you have to pay up to hundreds of thousands of Taels. Isn¡¯t that too hefty of a price?¡±

    Brendel twisted the newly obtained ring, and shrugged, ¡°After all, it won¡¯t be my money. Marquis Yoakam is the one that¡¯s generous. Spending that much just to check whether or not you¡¯re hosting the Holy Knight ceremony, isn¡¯t that more ridiculous?¡±

    If Yoakam were to hear that, there was no doubt he would have fainted from anger.

    Wood just remained silent.

    ¡°I see,¡± Magadal looked at Brendel. ¡°Dear sir, may I have your name?¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s Sophie.¡±

    Brendel looked at Wood as he said that. He half expected the man to be red with embarrassment for keeping the lie. But, to his surprise, Wood just remained unfazed, like he never heard anything.¡±

    ¡°Sophie?¡± The Nun Princess arched her eyebrows. ¡°Why does it sound like a girl¡¯s name?¡±

    Her voice was small, like she was subvocalizing. But Brendel who had stepped into the Gold rank could easily hear it with his superhuman senses. He coughed, making Magadal raise her head towards him.

    ¡°You¡¯re here to be a Holy Knight at this current period?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Brendel thought of something and added. ¡°I also wanted to sightsee the ce, I heard that Ampere Seale is the busiest harbor in all of Vaunte¡¯s southern regions. But it was all just rumors and I will dly take this chance to see it for myself.¡±

    ¡°I see. It is indeed as you said. Ampere Seale is busier than most of Aouine. But the only ce that¡¯s worth visiting would only be this Cathedral right here. Plus you can also go to the Marble Lighthouse and the market here too. Believe me, it will be a different experience than the ces you¡¯ve been to before.¡±

    ¡°I heard that Ampere Seale also has thergest auction house in the south. Do they sell any antiques that are beyond imagination?¡± Brendel acted. In reality, there was no one there who knew more of the auction house than him. It was the auction house with the most yers, and only opened once per season. And all the yers would have flown from all across the ce to Ampere Seale for the asion.

    ¡°Ampere Seale had indeed thergest auction house in all of Aouine... Mr. Sophie, you have something in mind?¡±

    ¡°I am interested. However, I do not have the qualifications to participate in the auction.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re troubling over that matter?¡± she asked in surprise. ¡°That is no problem. I do know the person hosting the event, Baron Dunner. If you don¡¯t mind, I can introduce you to him. He is an honest businessman and would definitely like to have one more customer.¡±

    ¡°Perfect!¡± Brendel knew that Magadal had argework of connections and would definitely have her ways to help him. But he felt bad at exploiting her, so he sincerely thanked her, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I will help myself to see him. Thanks a lot, Princess.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much,¡± Magadal smiled at him, like she was content that she was able to help someone. ¡°However, mister Sophie, please keep in mind that Yoakam, being the sly guy he is, will most likely take revenge on you.¡±

    ¡°That I know,¡± Brendel nodded. Of course, he knew. But he came here with an undercover identity. And Ampere Seale has a poption of about three hundred thousand, and there were hundreds of nobles here. As long as Archbishop Wood did not say anything about him leaving the Cathedral, chances of Yoakam spotting him would be low.

    <strong>Marquis Yoakam¡¯s POV</strong>

    As he came out of the Cathedral, Yoakam immediately went on his carriage. Devard, with his heavy injuries, was pale as he was carried onto it. The carriage was thick with the raw scent of blood. Despite being a clean freak, Yoakam just asked, ¡°How¡¯re your injuries?¡±

    ¡°Not looking good. I¡¯m afraid I would have to rest for at least half a year.¡± Devard said weakly. The bleeding was stopped with magic, but from the haggard way he sat, he was not in good shape.

    ¡°I never expect the brat to be that powerful,¡± Yoakam scratched his face. The chilly pain made him gasp for air, a breath of cold air. Never been hurt by anyone since young, Marquis Yoakam was silent as he contemted. As to what, no one knows.

    ¡°You were too rash this time, my lord,¡± Devard said weakly.

    ¡°That bastard Wood had only performed that ceremony twice in these decades. Obviously I wanted to know why.¡± He put his bloodced fingers by his nose and cursed, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. But that brat... It was only for two women, was there a need to be that cruel? And I don¡¯t even know where he came from¨C¡±

    ¡°What do you think of him?¡±

    ¡°Magadal did not seem familiar with him, so he should not being on my cute niece¡¯s side,¡± HIs face dark as he continued, ¡°He must be the descendant of some of our Kingdom¡¯s ancient nobles. It was said that Erik had the help of themst time. And that they had close ties with the Kirrlutz... I don¡¯t even know why Wood is affiliated with them.¡±

    ¡°Is he trying to prolong his term? My lord, that, to our ns,...¡± Devard suddenly rose up painfully.

    ¡°Keep still. Don¡¯t worry,¡± he had a cold re when he stared at the Sword Grandmaster, who froze in fear. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s that easy to do so? Even the Kirrlutz were not able to disobey the orders from the Cathedral, you idiot. I think he¡¯s trying to struggle for another while. Let him be, it won¡¯t matter to us.¡±

    Yoakam said as he looked out of the window into the dark forest. Sounds of teeth gritting could be heard...

    <strong>Amandina¡¯s POV</strong>

    As she walked out of the Cathedral, Amandina heard that Brendel had gotten into another fight with Yoakam, and she gave him a cold re. But she forgave him. After all, he did all that for her.

    Brendel had gotten used to Amandina¡¯s beratings, who was scolding him despite having a lower status.

    But he did grumble, <i>Just why can¡¯t she be thankful for once?</i>

    <i>Thankfully there¡¯s still Scarlet to give me somefort. I don¡¯t know what she is thinking, though.</i>

    She would asionally look at me with a weird re as they walked, and a jealous Amandina could be seen grumbling on the other side of Brendel.

    Ampere Seale was a bustling city, and the ce was known for its trade. Legends have it that the roads in the ce were tiled with gold and jade. But even if that was a joke, the magnificence of the ce was no joke. Brendel was so mystified by it that he did not realize that he was bringing along two beauties as he strolled the ce.

    <i>It surely is not a bad feeling to bring two cuties as I go shopping. And I don¡¯t even have to wait for them as they shop and carrying their stuff,</i> Brendel smiled as he opened his status panel. There was a new Job on it ¨C The Holy Knight ¨C and disyed with it was the fifteen levels and the skills Blood of Sun, Colliding Halo and Crown of Thorn. <i>There¡¯s nothing much to study about it anyway. After all, I have memorized this Job since this was all just a game. After all, I¡¯m just here for the Job specific skills. Its other skills can only be unlocked once I reach level 30, which I don¡¯t have ns on reaching anytime soon.</i>

    He then opened the skill panel, nced at it and began to upgrade the new skills. He first leveled Colliding Halo to level 10, and then the other two to level five. The Holy Knight Job was an Ascended Job, and it required more XP to level up the skills, and this time, it took Brendel around seven hundred thousand to upgrade the three that he just got.

    All this time, he was receiving XP from Mavicart¡¯s Grimoire and had loaded up to around 4 million of it, and he spent half of it on upgrading his skills. The Grimoire had already shrunk by a quarter of its original size. And ording to Brendel¡¯s calctions, if he consumes the entire Grimoire, he could upgrade his Mercenary Job to level fifty. But levels did not have much of a meaning, unless it was absolute strength.

    Devard was the prime example. Brendel used his Gold ranker status and managed to defeat that guy, proving only one thing ¨C skills were more important in The Amber Sword. Talking about it, he was reminded of Nine Luminaries Sword Art. From level seven, he would require 25 thousand XP to upgrade it to level eight. And even if he used up the entire Grimoire, it would only reach level ten, what a pit hole for XP.

    He breathed out a sigh and woke up from his daze, and he first saw Amandina who looked as if something was off. Oddly though, he had the impulse to have her wear sses at the moment. And being the mover he was, he immediately bought her a pair of magic sses from the Hasel people.

    But it was not only based on impulse. Amandina frequently needed to use her eyes for inspection. And the sses were the perfect tool for her to protect them. Of course, only Brendel knew if he bought it for work purposes or if he had any other ulterior motives. And even though Amandina rejected it, she could not convince Brendel. However, she did look good with the sses on, with that air of an actual ountant to it.

    The three shopped till dusk. As the main streets were dyed a golden red sheen, the three returned back to their hotels. It was almost dinner time when they got back, but he realized that most of his important aides had been there waiting for some time.

    Seems like Sue has got some news for us.

 Chapter 496 - Volume 3

    <h4>Under The Night Sky</h4>

    They say walls have ears. And that was the case for the incident in the Ande Cathedral.

    In just three days, the battle in the Cathedral had spread out amongst the noble circles, and then to themoners. The battle was between a Sword Grandmaster that had made a name for himself for long in Arreck and a kid with unknown origin, with the Sword Grandmaster losing in the end. There were now tales about the incident, and Brendel had be one of the most promising and popr individuals of this age.

    At least in Ampere Seale, his fame wasparable to the other outstanding noble kids of his age. Everyone was trying to figure out his identity, but little did they know that he was blessed by the Archbishop himself. The general consensus was that this kid¡¯s future is promising for sure, and that startled every powerhouse in the Ampere Seale, and even Princess Gryphine assigned someone to seek out his origins after she received reports from her best friend, Magadal.

    House Arreck and House Seifer was no exception and headed to Ampere Seale as well, causing the roads to that ce to be packed with horses and carriages. Thankfully, the people were used to this sort of chaotic situation. Each time some major situation ured, they woulde running in panic. But the people believed that as long as Ande Cathedral stands, so will the port.

    Amidst the chaos, Brendel lived his life as normal. <i>As I expected, as long as the Archbishop doesn¡¯t open his mouth, no one wille looking for me.</i> He had met Baron Dunner through the introduction of Princess Magadal, in which he was very delighted to hear about the painting in Brendel¡¯s possession. However, Romaine, with her skills in marketing, stopped Brendel from immediately pulling out the painting to showcase it, but rather suggested to bring it there again in a few days for confirmation.

    Brendel found it hrious to see the impatient baron talking to the smooth andposed Romaine. But he admitted that his fiance was really a prodigy in trading, being even better than veterans in the field as well.

    And he was surprised by that.

    <i>I always knew that she had a thing for trading, but her words usually made no sense, and she rarely spoke to strangers, so she should becking in experience right? Being good on paper should be different from being practically good, isn¡¯t it? I had originally thought that she would cower in fear when talking to Dunner here.</i>

    ¡°How is it, Brendel?¡± As they walked out of Dunner auction house, Romaine arrogantly lifted her head to ask. Her slender neck and dull brown hair matched the dress Brendel bought for her. It was ck, with lines as white as snow. Besides, she wore a ne with a red gem embedded on it, its color like mes and fresh blood glinted with the pride and confidence she had.

    Brendel totally understood where her arrogance came from. She was proud of being the one loved by him, and that smile of hers could make his heart palpitate.

    ¡°Yep,¡± Brendel nodded subconsciously. ¡°It¡¯s unexpected that you performed so well. Even that old man was praising you! He was quite an important figure around here, so that¡¯s impressive!¡± Brendel was truly shocked. After all, her opponent just now was not simple. He was also a genius in the trade, and was the only person in Ampere Seale to win the noble¡¯s trust with just his abilities alone.

    ¡°The old man was just joking,¡± Romaine lifted her head even further, saying like the fact was bound to happen.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Brendel looked back. It was rare seeing her so humble. Even back in Be, she was so prideful that she never showed anyone her stuttering side and wanted to be in control of everything.

    ¡°If I have a desire, I will get a weakness,¡± Romaine spoke in an inscrutable tone, and her next line made even less sense than her previous one, ¡°Aunt said that one day, if someone were to exploit either you or me in a dealing, I will be really troubled.¡±

    The first half of the sentence was already confusing, but the next half made even less sense. Brendel just pinched her face, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare use such a straight face when talking about using your fiance in a deal.¡±

    ¡°Ouch...ouch...You... Please let go!¡± She said as her cheek was getting red from his pull.

    Magadal looked at them with curious eyes. Somehow, she admired that scene, ¡°Your rtionship is really good...¡±

    Brendel smiled and let Romaine go. He then lifted his head to gaze at the silvery moon above the skies of Ampere Seale.

    Several dayster, news about the war in the north spread. The Kirrlutz people had already moved into the Sword Fortress as the threat of the Lion Beastmen became a reality overnight. The term New Holy War quickly reced Brendel¡¯s fame for besting the Sword Grandmaster. The atmosphere was heavy, and even the Ande Cathedral was busy for the first time since Wood took the position as the Archbishop.

    On the other side, ever since his encounter with Devard, Brendel had smelt a sense of danger. He appointed Sue and Andrea¡¯s servants to investigate. Vampires were a creature that lived in the shadows, and espionage was one of their strong suits. Madara had used them to scout for information from the humans many times, and Brendel was just using a page out of their book.

    Soon, Morpheus and Andrea brought back news that confirmed his doubts: Duke Arreck is now residing in a fortress near Ampere Seale, and it was heavily guarded.

    <i>Duke Arreck is the sly fox. For him to safeguard his ce that well, there must be something going to happen.</i>

    Unfortunately, Morpheus and the other vampires could not manage to infiltrate the castle. This news worried Brendel. He wanted so badly warn Princess Gryphine. And unfortunately enough, she is so well protected that he gave up trying to sneak into her garden.

    The time to the nobles¡¯ meeting drew closer, and Brendel could not help but worry about Arreck¡¯s n. And on the other side, Archbishop Wood will update him with the movements with the nobles. Brendel could have done it himself, but it sure saved him a lot of time just by hearing it from the old man. <i>Maybe he¡¯s just doing it to tell me that everything will be fine in the end? I mean, he¡¯s still going on with his normal routine like there¡¯s nothing to worry about.</i>

    Upon calming down his mind, Brendel could not help but try to think of a way to solve the problem of infiltrating the meeting. He decided not to rely on the Holy Cathedral, after all, it was unreliable to leave the important stuff to others, and Archbishop Wood might disagree with his ns as well.

    And even if he did help Brendel out, Brendel did not want to cause trouble for him.

    <i>Seems like the only useful information is the one Sue brought me a week ago.</i>

    And of course, it was not something he would trustpletely.

    <strong>Two days before the nobles¡¯ meeting</strong>

    Near the ocean surface of Ampere Seale, where Shakti Straits split thend into two, the waters hit the dark, ck granite cliffs, forming a white streak. ording to geography, Ampere Seale was located near the northern end of the Arreck Mountain Range. It was a ce where ocean winds gathered, bringing in humidity that led to the bloom of the forest ecosystem there.

    Silver Elf Princess Medissa was hiding in the bushes, her silver cloak that clung on her tiny shoulders were drenched with water, and could not stop but cough. She looked past the forest and into the fire lit vige in the darkness that surrounds it.

    The vige was tens of kilometers away from Ampere Seale, and in it was a few farms. Near Ampere Seale, there were many such viges that heavily depended on the port.

    ¡°It¡¯s here, Sue.¡±

    She pointed at a location on a map hung on a tree branch and said.

    Sue¡¯s eyes were glinting in the me, but she was expressionless like usual. Her gaze fell in the same direction as the vige. <i>I have already asked my servants to check this ce out, so there¡¯s definitely no error.</i>

    Medissa never doubted her subordinates, and upon hearing that, she said, ¡°But My Lord...¡±

    Then the noise of teeth gritting could be heard from the bushes, ¡°Wait!¡±

 Chapter 497 - Volume 3

    <h4>Witch</h4>

    The female girl¡¯s lips are like feathers as theynded on Brendel¡¯s neck, and his hair began to stand. Her teeth were scratching his skin, and then they prated his skin into his body, and then into his blood vessels. Andrea was like a spineless cat lying on Brendel¡¯s body, tastefully sucking his blood. After that, she licked his neck like a princess, causing him to struggle in pain.

    Brendel sucked in a cold breath. Normally, vampires would release a sort of sex pheromones when they feed, letting their victims fall into a state of ecstasy, so the usual cases of vampire feedings were something of a happy asion.

    But Andrea was not your average vampire. ording to her, that would only be something a shameless vampire would do. So that why every time she feeds, it would be very painful for Brendel.

    The only constion was that each time she feeds, she would be like a lover huddled in his arms, her entire body releasing some sort of charm. Andrea was totally a first-ss seducer, her slim body waspletely stuck on Brendel¡¯s chest, and he could feel two soft fluffy objects touching his own skin. Her curvy long legs extended out of her dress, itsplexions like white jade under the moonlight, and Brendel could not help but fantasize.

    ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± Andrea notified Morpheus like a lord.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Morpheus replied. The vampires had a hierarchal system, and Morpheus had to wait until his mistress finished feeding the best quality stock before he could join in to suck his blood on Brendel¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Oi! Oi!¡± Brendel was powerless against the two Gold ranked vampires, ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree to not bite my neck?!¡±

    ¡°Lord Sister could so why couldn¡¯t I?¡± Morpheus shed his long eyshes. He immediately covered his ears and pretended to not hear his master as he pounced onto Brendel¡¯s neck.

    Brendel rubbed his neck when they are done. From the bushes, a shy looking Medissa walked out to smile at him, ¡°My Lord, will it spell trouble for us to summon the Undead? In any case, they¡¯re not living beings, and would need to possess something to survive.¡±

    Brendel suddenly remembered that Medissa herself was an Undead too, and most likely the most beautiful Undead this world had ever seen. Her silver armor tes lit up slightly, indicating that it was a spiritual object.

    Brendel moved his eyes from her to the vige at the bottom of the mountain, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    The vige was encased in darkness, and from afar, it looked like a small spark. Only Eleves were capable of seeing it that far and that precise. And of course, Romaine could as well.

    ¡°Sue said that the location is here. And Raban had led the other Mercenaries of Lopez to inspect it. The people in the vige had also confirmed that, there was indeed a noble that came here just a few weeks ago. But it was unsure if he¡¯s Duke Yanbao.¡±

    Brendel just nodded.

    This was the n Sue gave him: rece this Duke¡¯s messenger and attend the nobles¡¯ meeting.

    It may sound preposterous to kidnap the messenger or even the Duke himself, but Brendel found it totally logical. The noble¡¯s meeting will be held two dayster in the Sophora Garden, which was a property of the Holy Cathedral of mes, so the Holy Cathedral would naturally maintain the security there and not allow any trespassers. Brendel would obviously not ask Archbishop Wood for help, as it would be too easy to cause trouble. And the Archbishop might not necessarily agree to his n as well.

    The only way to sneak in was to impersonate another noble. It was known that this meeting would be attended by five of the six heads of the biggest noble families, including Viero¡¯s and Karsuk¡¯s messengers, while Duke Seifer and Duke Arreck would attend it personally. House Covardo would obviously send in their representatives as well. Only Duke Grinoires remained an uninterested attitude, and even spared the effort of sending in a representative.

    Of course, Brendel was not stupid enough to impersonate these people.

    This means that, the only people avable were the five Special Authority Counts that were mediocre only to the aforementioned families. Count Radner was naturally excluded from the list, and Count Vitokin, the ck de Squad Leader must be removed too. Themander of the Royal Navy, Count Jansu was also not the option as well. This leaves Brendel with only two choices.

    One was the Grey Mountain Count, Count Cordo, and the other was Count Yanbao. But Count Cordo was always by Duke Covardo¡¯s side, so most people should recognize him. Rtively speaking, Count Yanbao¡¯s region is near the north, and was the weakest Special Authority Counts. He barelymunicated with the other nobles, and even Brendel did not know he existed even with his experiences in the game.

    Looking at how not many people amongst the nobles knew him, Brendel found him to be the best choice to impersonate.

    But even so, the task may sound simple, but he was nevertheless a Special Authority Count, so how can he be not tightly guarded? But Brendel believed in his subordinates¡¯ capabilities and decided to execute the n beforehand.

    Count Yanbao was living in a manor within the forest near the vige. He did not have any friends here, so the manor he was living in was a rented ce. Ampere Seale had many merchants and nobles who woulde by to visit, so they would often rent a ce like this around the port. ording to Sue¡¯s intel, the owner of thisnd was a merchant who did not have much of a background.

    Upon hearing that, Brendel felt more reassured with his entire n.

    It should be easy for a group of people to sneak across the manor that was filled with bushes without being spotted by the guards. But even so, Brendel still ordered Medissa to provide support from a distance away. With her slightly translucent look, she was suitable for infiltration. Even after that, Brendel was still worried and ordered Scarlet and the some Firew Lizardmen to help her. In case anything were to happen to the infiltration group, they can provide the necessary help.

    No matter how he sees it, it was a suicide n and he could not help but be wary.

    By Brendel¡¯s side, there were the Mercenaries of Lopez, two cute Vampires, and Andrea¡¯s servants, the Blood Lineage. They looked like young kids and had the strength around Bronze and Silver rank. However, they were masters of espionage, and their experience did not fall behind the mercenaries from the city-states.

    And there was another uninvitedpany. Romaine had, under no one¡¯s agreement, followed the group sneakily. She walked like a small kitten, and if it was not for her trailing behind Brendel, he would have probably not spotted her.

    It seems like she had superb skills of infiltration despite not having any form of training. Even the Night Swallow amongst the Mercenaries of Lopez was surprised. But in the eyes of Brendel, she was born with the abilities for her tomit petty crimes. In any case, there was nothingdylike about her.

    But Brendel had decided that, it would be better to let her stay by his side rather than allowing her to roam free by herself and causing more trouble. As long as she did not leave five feet away from him, she was allowed to have her freedom.

    And Romaine liked this a lot. After all, she had always dreamed of adventuring with Brendel.

    The matter was dealt, and Brendel let out some Wind Spirit Spiders. He could not share his senses with them, and their potential as scouts were limited, but they were good as rms. Brendel then looked around, ¡°How many guards are there?¡±

    ¡°From the front, I could see one. It was just that we are unsure if there¡¯re any hidden scouts, My Lord,¡± A Blood Lineage answered. Under dark conditions, the vampires had better vision than humans and were, therefore, more reliable.

    Satisfied with the answer, Brendel also deemed it impossible for him to look past the bushes at the condition of the manor several hundred meters away.

    Brendel nodded, and, using the Wind Spirit Spiders, checked if there¡¯re any turrets before ordering his troops to approach the manor. This moment, Romaine spoke out, ¡°I can see some people in the manor. There was someone near the fountain... He seems to be kicking something, and then picking it up to throw into the fountain.¡±

    Everyone looked at Romaine, and Brendel could not help but think, <i>Don¡¯t I have a personal radar next to me?</i>

    At that moment, he had a brilliant idea and asked, ¡°Can you see any hidden scouts?¡±

    ¡°Hidden scouts?¡±

    ¡°It means people who are hidden.¡±

    ¡°Oh... I do see two of them.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± Raban jumped immediately and asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s behind the guard at the front!¡±

    Raban turned to look at Brendel, ¡°Our enemy seems to be really experienced. We can determine how many people are hidden in there. This will be slightly difficult, My Lord.¡±

    As an experienced mercenary, he was really sensitive to the positions of the troop. Just with a little lead, he coulde up with an urate conclusion. And Brendel had always trusted in his deductions, so he nodded and whispered, ¡°Do you have any ns?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s try to get someone to talk,¡± Raban answered.

    Brendel nodded once again, ¡°Morpheus, follow me.¡±

    Uponpleting that sentence, smoke came out of his clothing, veiling his sword and overall appearance. It was the Dark Element used by the followers of the Dark God. Brendel did not want to expose his identity, so this was the best possible way.

    He pulled up his hood and was about to leave when Romaine took out a meticulously crafted silver cage, ¡°Brendel, you¡¯re going to catch people? Let me help!¡±

    Before Brendel could react, she pped her hands and chanted, ¡°Man in the cage... Man in the cage, who is the one who robbed you of your freedom?¡± She pped onest time and a white light shed from within the cage. Instantly, a tiny man appeared in the cage. Andrea and Morpheus and the others looked at her, eyes wide with shock.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Brendel asked, looking at the terrified young man in the cage.

    ¡°My Lord...¡± The Blood Lineage who answered him just now said, ¡°That¡¯s the guard at the front gate.¡±

    ¡°Dark Witchcraft!¡±

 Chapter 498 - Volume 3

    <h4>Sneaking Into The Manor</h4>

    The guard in the cage was scared shitless. He thought he was captured by some evil mages that came out of nowhere, and with the barrage of questions by Brendel and the others, he panicked and spilled the beanspletely. There were more than thirty guards in the manor, and if you included the other upants of the manor, there would be around one hundred people. However, it was uncertain if Lord Yanbao came himself as the orders were passed on to Brendel by three knights.

    Brendel predicted the capabilities of the three knights to be at the Gold rank, and he raised his eyebrows slightly, <i>It¡¯s not hard to deal with three Gold rankers. But I¡¯m unsure about their specialties, and that bes an uncertainty to whether or not we can sneak in quietly.</i>

    Brendel was more concerned about the Dark Witchcraft disyed by Romaine just now. When he interrogated her just now, her pupils were jumping around as she kept on saying ¡°Big sister taught me!¡± But as to who the big sister was, it was unclear.

    She held up the cage and exined its usage. The cage was capable of trapping anyone within the user¡¯s range of sight. As long as the victim¡¯s Willpower is low, the target will be captured. And it was not just limited to one target, but could capture up to ten people at once.

    Brendel understood immediately. Basically, it was an illusion. As long as the victim believes in it, it will be a reality for him. As long as his subconscious believes in the existence of the lie, the spell would work.

    Even so, the spell was not omnipotent. It should be enough to deal with enemies at the Iron rank, but against people more powerful than that it would be difficult.

    To charm someone, to trick someone into believing the void in their heart. That is the true essence of Dark Witchcraft.

    Romaine covered the cage with a ck cloth, shutting away the captive¡¯s perception of the outside world. Everyone could not help but feel amazed at her Witchcraft. Even Ciel gave her words of praise. Wizards were capable of doing things normal people were incapable of, like turning a bridge into a wall, or melting a steel beam with high temperatures. But they were only manipting thews of Vaunte, and they cannot break those rules. They could not turn fireballs into ice, and vice versa. However, Witches were capable of doing that and were therefore more ¡®mystical¡¯ than them.

    That was one of the reasons why witches were rejected by the popce. Their spells were unpredictable and there were some people who thought they had a rtionship with the Twilight Dragon, which Brendel knew was not true. But in any case, Dark Witchcraft by itself was nothing upright.

    He growled, ¡°It seems like we have to visit Aunt Jenny quickly and try to figure out just what is going on with your body. But just where is she? Oh ya! Romaine, aren¡¯t you worried about your aunt?¡±

    Romaine widened her eyes, her pupils shone, ¡°She would normallye back only after a few months!¡±

    Brendel just scratched his jaw, ¡°Alright, before we figured out just what is going on with your body, I forbid you from using those weird Witchcraft, got it?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I believe my cute little Romaine would not want to be burned on a stake would she?¡± Brendel asked sternly.

    Romaine thought for a while, and nodded to his suggestion, ¡°That¡¯s a good n!¡±

    The majority of the people there were used to their conversation, and were waiting for him to execute the next order. Brendel looked at the manor, and told Romaine that he wanted to interrogate the guard in the cage regarding its interior.

    Romaine removed the cloth, revealing a guard who was looking very fearful.

    Brendel asked, ¡°Is there anyone patrolling the ce right now?¡±

    The guard nodded like a chick and stuttered, ¡°There¡¯s a Wizard there...¡±

    Brendel also found out that the guards would change shifts every half an hour. He pulled the ck cloth back over the cage once more and asked Romaine, ¡°If you can catch him, surely you can let him go, can¡¯t you?¡±

    Romaine hurriedly nodded, like she was afraid Brendel was unsatisfied with her abilities.

    Brendel then put on a stern air, intimidating the guard into not leaking to his subordinates about his involvement with them. The guard nodded, knowing that it would be very easy for a Wizard to kill him. They were known to have a multitude of ways to kill a person, and their curses were the most gruesome and infamous amongst them.

    Before he left, Brendel warned him, ¡°If you don¡¯t listen to my warning, you¡¯ll die an insufferable death!¡±

    <i>The key to this n is to not alert the hidden scouts around the ce. The Dark Witchcraft is capable of creating illusions to distract them, but if the person has a high Willpower, it would be easy for them to escape,</i> Brendel thought as he saw the guard, still trembling. He stood at his post, fearful that his life would be consumed if he did something out of line.

    After that was the easy part. Brendel waited until the patrol guards appeared and ordered Romaine to use her Dark Witchcraft to capture all of them. He slowly interrogated them one by one and then made Morpheus knock them out. There were a total of six people in the patrol team and Brendel picked Morpheus, Andrea, Raban, Ciel, and Fern to rece them.

    These people, if not outstanding, were experienced. The only exception was Fern. Who knows why he would let her join them? No idea. Brendel was just used to sending out newbies to apany his experienced subordinates to gain new exposure. But, of course, the others did not know his reasoning, and they thought that there was some sort of implicit and intimate meaning behind it.

    Fern also found the arrangement slightly odd, and looked at Brendel with doubt. She did not say much, and just nodded to tell him that she would do her best.

    Brendel did not think that his decision would cause the others toe up with the idea that he was having a rtionship with her, and even if they did, he would probably just ridicule the idea. ording to the guards that he interrogated just now, they should be able to walk out of this forest, ride on their horses, and move towards the manor. Brendel gazed onto it. <i>Although most manors around Ampere Seale have to follow a code for their defenses, they are still the private properties of merchants. And, with the fact that the security of Ampere Seale was not bad, they should only have to deal asionally with normal thieves.</i>

    The walls outside were only about two or three meters tall. To people with abilities, it was almost nonexistent. And on the inside was the yard, and then behind that would be the main building.

    The six-man team circled the ce, and when they approached the back of the manor as nned. It was then that Ciel warned, ¡°There¡¯s an rm.¡±

    <i>As I expected,</i> Brendel thought. That was the reason why Ciel, despite not an expert in executing operations, was included in the team. They were now shrouded by Andrea¡¯s Face Changing skill. However, it was not one hundred percent foolproof. Ciel himself was one of the people who would see past it.

    <i>I don¡¯t think Count Yanbao would have someone on Ciel¡¯s level. Ciel would probably only be weaker than Grandmaster Fleetwood and Tuman, and if I include the Wizards from the ck Tower in Karsuk, Ciel would still rank among the top five mages alive.</i>

    ¡°Can you get past it?¡± Brendel asked.

    Ciel nodded, ¡°The enemy caster seems to be someone in the Silver rank. I have confidence that we can get past it wlessly.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t remove it. That will be too obvious,¡± Brendel looked at him and said.

    ¡°That I understand, My Lord.¡±

    As the party moved closer, Ciel waved a finger and a blue spike of light flew into the manor. Across the skies above the manor, a blue web flickered and then dimmed. The process happened so quickly that it was hard to perceive with the naked eye. Ciel even reduced the fluctuations in mana caused when casting the spell to the lowest limit so that no one, including the guarding Wizards, could see the changes.

    He pulled his hand back, and notified the others that the rm system had beenpromised, and that they only had ten minutes. To Brendel, it was enough time. They silently walked past the back gate and saw three other guards. To those three people, they only saw the usual patrol guards. Brendel even waved at one of them. This was not his first infiltration mission, and with his experience, he had already identified all the details of the manor, including the secret codes and characteristics of the other guards.

    Passing through the back gate, they arrived at the building. But Brendel had warned them earlier to not act rashly for now. And they slowly walked along the corridor at the side of the manor.

    Their first destination was the horse stables.

 Chapter 499 - Volume 3

    <h4>Mind Control</h4>

    Bern had been working in the Hoarfrost Manor for sixteen years now, and he knows that with his position as a hired guard in this ce, the nobles that lived here would not trust him that much. So, he lived his life honestly and he was satisfied with the horse stables.

    He did not have any major goals and just wanted to sustain himself. And that was not too much to ask for in Ampere Seale. He could rest whenever he liked and would asionally sip from two cups of whiskey from the mist shrouded farms down the Arreck mountains. Besides, there were professionals who would look after the horses, and there was nothing much for him to do anyways.

    Bern¡¯s job was to look after the horse stables and just the stables. Not the horses. After all, it was still the property of a big merchant here.

    While drinking today, he heard the approach of the Count¡¯s knights walking in from the backyard. He quickly wiped whiskey wine off his lips, attempting to remove any trace of his drinking. While Ampere Seale may have been a ce where good money could be found, there were not too many jobs such as this. So obviously, he would bend down to the knights and be courteous towards them.

    However, the knights just ignored him, walking past towards the horses. He silently scolded, <i>These bastards... @#%#^^%$^$</i>

    It was then that he heard one of the knights snort in displeasure. He was startled. With his tens of years of experience here, he had developed some kind of awareness and quickly realized that something was off. But before he could react, he could feel the icy metallic feeling of a de on his neck.

    ¡°Wha?¡± Bern was so shocked his heart stopped momentarily. <i>Is this the end of me?</i>

    Body riddled with sweat, he turned around slowly. But the face he saw was not something that a stern knight would possess. <i>If there¡¯s a princess in this world, she would most likely fit this description,</i> he thought.

    But Brendel quickly stepped in and stopped Andrea¡¯s foolish act on this honest man. <i>Isn¡¯t she prettyme? Despite knowing that the guards here are weak beyondparison, what¡¯s the point in scaring them?</i>

    Andrea just looked at Brendel, and then lifted a finger at the human. Bern¡¯s eyes began to blur.

    Most of the mages amongst the vampires were masters at mind controlling. And Andrea was one of them. She specialized in curses, but that did not mean that she was bad in mind control. At the least, she could easily control the mind of a Bronze ranker.

    But Brendel was displeased. If it was something that could easily be resolved with just a spell, why would she want to y with her prey? He had originally thought that Andrea was, unlike the other vampires, someone who was calm and logical, but never did he expect to see her being just asme as the others. Surprisingly, it was Morpheus who was the exception. Besides his odd sexual preferences, there was nothing wrong with him. In fact, he was really innocent and cute.

    However, he was a <i>cute guy.</i>[T/L: Ship. Ship. Ship. #BrendelxMorpheus.]

    The young lord just sighed, ¡°Let him go knock on the front door of the building and say, ¡®Andeco said that there were some problems with the Beinold war horse and he orders you all toe have a look.¡¯¡± Andeco was the name of one of the patrol guards that he just beat up, now resting outside in the forest.

    Brendel turned. There was indeed a priceless Beinold war horse right there. <i>Freaking tycoon.</i> He swore as he apathetically ordered Andrea.

    Beinold horses were bred near the borders of Kirrlutz and Gretius. A pure breed of Beinold horse was already worth tens of thousands of Taels in the City-States just next to the Gretius kingdom. Not to mention Ampere Seale that was much further away. But, noble¡¯s liked the dignity of horses, and it was not surprising to see many expensive horses in stables.

    Andrea coughed slightly, and with some arrogance, she bent down as she asked Bern, ¡°Did you hear that?¡±

    Bern was still under her control and did not have any means of repelling that order. So, he just nodded.

    Looking at that scene, Brendel asked curiously, ¡°Will he not get exposed looking that silly?¡± The mind controlling skills back in the game were actually Dark Witchcraft here, and to Brendel who was just introduced to Dark Witchcraft, everything was like a new topic to him despite all his experiences.

    ¡°Hmph! He just looks that way to you. But to the others, he would definitely look natural,¡± Andrea put out a ¡®you¡¯re-a-country-bumpkin¡¯ look.

    Brendel had always been mystified with the unknown things he sees in this world. It was something he felt even back when it was a game. That was why he did not care about Andrea¡¯s condescending look over him and just asked, ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t it be too scary if the people are indistinguishable?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. This sort of trick can be easily exposed even to the most basic of Wizards. But, they would have to cast a spell to do so, while the higher leveled Wizards would only need to take a look. Plus the victim¡¯s close friends may be able to detect them acting unnaturally,¡± Andrea replied extensively. ¡°But this is just a trick, a tiny branch of Dark Witchcraft. It is iparable to the really advanced stuff...¡±

    ¡°A trick?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s too weak. Experts Silver ranked and above could use their Willpower to negate its effects, and mind control would practically be useless in front of those people.¡±

    ncing up, Brendel realized that the guard had already headed for the main building. He was not that far off from the stables yet, just about a hundred steps. Anyone Gold rank or above could easily perceive the changes in any movement at such a distance: even the knocking sounds the guard made on the door, which should be the kitchen door at the back of the building.

    Bern knocked thrice before the door finally creaked open. From within, a pair of impatient eyes looked at him, ¡°What do you want?¡±

    Bern knew this knight personally. He was one of the servants of Count Yanbao. But, that was as far as their rtionship went. Bern immediately bowed down and replied, ¡°Andeco said that the Lord¡¯s Beinold horse was having some problems and is requesting for someone toe and check it out.¡±

    In any case, Bern did a magnificent job of imitating Brendel. Every motion and even his tone replicated what Brendel showed him just now. But Brendel, who was listening, almost spit out his saliva. He looked beside himself and saw Andrea have the same reaction.

    ¡°That idiot!¡± Andrea gritted her teeth as she spoke. Her pale white skin began to redden in embarrassment.

    She folded her arms and spoke a weird word, ¡°Foolish!¡±

    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. It just sounds foolish for anyone to believe that lie.¡± She snorted again. ¡°That¡¯s the Dark Witchcraft you mentioned, but that¡¯s the extent of its capabilities. I was just doing my best.¡±

    Brendel looked to his side and noticed that his subordinates had already armed themselves.

    Everyone was nervous, but the knight just became startled before yelling, ¡°What?! What is that retard Andeco doing? Don¡¯t tell me that he killed the horse and is too scared toe himself?¡±

    Apparently, he did not notice anything wrong with Bern.

    Everyone in the manor knew that the Beinold horse was Count Yanbao¡¯s favorite. And, that knight could not help but feel a little worried. He opened the door and stared at Bern ferociously, ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone else for now and wait for my return.¡±

    Bern nodded honestly.

    The knight did not even bring his weapons with him when he went to the stables, not that it would have changed the oue much. Just as he stepped inside, a cold icy hand choked his throat.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?!¡± he spoke in a terrified manner. He was about to continue when Brendel punched him once to shut him up.

    ¡°Who¡¯re you guys?¡± the knight seemed to have understood his position then and spoke quietly, ¡°Andeco? Do you guys know who you¡¯ve just wronged?¡±

    ¡°No trash talk.¡± Brendel did not have the time to waste with him and notified Morpheus to restrain him. Then he said menacingly, ¡°You have two choices. One is to lead us into the main building. And I believe I don¡¯t have to tell you about the other option...¡±

    He knew what Brendel was talking about and his face changed from white, to red, and then back to white again. But he just smiled and said, ¡°I can¡¯t lead you all in just like that. I will need an excuse; otherwise, I would be sending myself to death. If I¡¯m going to die anyway, why not just swiftly kill me off?¡±

    ¡°Seems like your brain is still active,¡± Brendel apuded. ¡°The reason is simple. Did I not just tell you?¡±

    ¡°Just now?¡± the knight blinked and tried to remember what Bern told him a while ago.

    His face changed again and he nodded, ¡°Okay. But can you promise not to kill me?¡±

    Brendel swore to Marsha that he would not. Plus he never had the intention to do so anyways. The best way was to immediately capture the Count. If blood was spilled, things would have gotten real ugly.

    Even the Holy Cathedral restricts the act of attacking nobles. And while his actions so far were along the lines of vition, they weren¡¯t quite there yet either.

    And, because of this, he only told the objective of tonight¡¯s mission to his summons and closest friends. Even the White Lion Squad leader did not know about it. He was unsure if they would be executed for such an act, but these people had already experienced instances such as these and were therefore used to it.

    The knight was relieved after seeing Brendel swear. In this world, swearing to Marsha was a really sacred act, and no one would be able to break that promise. After all, in this world, Marsha would not permit anyone to lie on her own name.

    It was then that the knight decided to guide Brendel and co. Brendel was not scared that he would pull some pranks on him, as Andrea had been using Dark Witchcraft to see if he was lying. Morpheus was also on his side, pointing a dagger at his back. And from the looks of it, he would actually do his job as he was told.

    It was too easy for a Gold ranker to monitor the abilities of a Silver ranker.

    He then led them to the back of the kitchen where the deliveries would normally be sent. Brendel and his party were disguised as Count Yanbao¡¯s men, and the others there thought they were here for an inspection and therefore did not cause any suspicion. They then passed through a long corridor before he knocked on a door, ¡°Lord Lonin.¡±

    Along the way, Brendel had asked many things about the details of the manor, which included the fact that the person inside the room was recognized as a Gold ranked captain..

    ¡°What is it?¡± A scruffy middle aged voice came from behind the door.

    Brendel held his breath and hinted to the knight to answer. The knight hesitated before hurriedly saying, ¡°It¡¯s like this, Lord Lonin. Andeco seems to have found something wrong with Count Yanbao¡¯s horse...¡±

    ¡°Horse? Which one?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Fox me.¡±

    Fox me was the name of the Beinold horse, and the voice from the room resounded once more.

    ¡°Fox me?¡±

    The man behind the door seemed to understand the value of the horse and asked impatiently, ¡°What are you guys doing? Don¡¯t you guys know that it¡¯s the favorite horse of Count Yanbao?¡±

 Chapter 500 - Volume 3

    <h4>A Sudden Explosion</h4>

    The unpleasant tone used by the guy in the room made the knight tense up, and he looked back to ask Brendel for help.

    ¡°Tell him it was the fault of the people managing the stables. They had personally swapped out the ck beans for themon grass as feed.¡± Brendel calmly stated. He knew that the Beinold horses were very expensive, and that their feed would have been high grade as well. The hay was supposed to be mixed with beans from the Suren ins. Feeding them anything besides that would have caused some major problems.

    The knight replied as suggested, his hurrying and panicked tone convinced the person behind the door. He did not suspect anything to be wrong. After all, this is Ampere Seale. What could go wrong? He answered, ¡°So bothersome. Wait for me toe out.¡±

    There were sounds of a shirt rustling from behind the door, and after a while, the door opened. He was about to reprimand his underling for not doing his job well and push the me onto him when Brendel, Andrea, and Morpheus rushed into the room.

    <i>Enemies!</i> It was only then that the captain realized. He had made a name for himself in the Hoarfrost Manor since a long time ago, and became a captain at a young age. With his vast amount of experience, he had gotten used to carrying a sword around him. By the time Brendel and the others rushed in, he had already pulled out his sword.

    Lonin¡¯s reaction speed was so fast that even Brendel was shocked. It was so fast that it would have been able to take care of other enemies... But Brendel and the others were not the normal people you would meet every day.

    On Brendel¡¯s side, they had three people at or above the Gold rank against one Lonin, who was also a Gold ranker. In a one versus one against Andrea or Morpheus, they would have won due to their racial advantage. Brendel on the other hand was on a whole new league by himself; even facing an Elemental Awakener, he would be able to put up a good fight.

    Devard was an example of that.

    When Brendel acted, Lonin was taken aback. <i>This young boy¡¯s swordsmanship is a whole level above me. I have to call for help from the others-</i>

    ¡°World of Silence.¡±

    From the outside, Ciel cast a spell on the room, building a barrier of about 20 feet. Inside the World of Silence, every noise was muted to the outside world. The noise from the sword shes between Brendel and Lonin was canceled. It was a truly mystifying scene, but Lonin had other pressuring matters at hand. When the barrier had been set, all three of them upped their game, forcing Lonin to surrender unconditionally.

    Lonin did not want to do that, but he did not have a choice either or else he would have lost his hand, or even worse, his life. So, he threw away the sword and raised both his hands up in surrender.

    Brendel stopped attacking and pointed, with his sword, at Lonin¡¯s heart. <i>This man seems to uphold the values of nobility. He did not throw away his sword immediately, but only after seeing that he did not have any chance of surviving. This was truly rigid and impractical.</i>

    But that was the reality for the people in this era. No one expected their knights to do much for their lords anyway. It was hard to find someone who was willing to sacrifice their own life for their master. This scene reminded him of the cowardly knights who ran away back in Fortress Riedon andparing them left a bitter taste in Brendel¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Who¡¯re you guys?¡± Lonin asked with a sharp gaze.

    ¡°That does not concern you,¡± Brendel answered. ¡°I need your master¡¯s help toplete something, but I swear that I will not do anything to harm him.¡±

    ¡°Our master will not answer to your request, you hooligans.¡±

    Brendel shifted his shoulders when he heard the word ¡®hooligans¡¯. But he did not have the time to care about it, ¡°I¡¯m in charge of the situation now. In actual fact, we don¡¯t need you guys to do anything besides waiting here.¡±

    Lonin looked at everyone around him.

    ¡°I cannot speak on behalf of my master.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I just need you to lure out another Gold ranker and everything would be fine. Don¡¯t worry, I will only restrain him.¡± Brendel continued, ¡°As I know it, there are three people around your strength in the manor. Besides you and the guard by Count Yanbao¡¯s side, the other one should be on the second floor. With your identity, I presume you can go up there?¡±

    Lonin stayed quiet. He red at the knight behind Brendel. He knew it was that knight that told Brendel everything. But upon some consideration, he shook his head, ¡°Forgive me for not epting your deal, but I cannot go against my own beliefs.¡±

    Brendel could not help but be surprised by the reply. There were only a rare few that would persist in their beliefs within Aouine. Before meeting Kodan, he thought only the Princess, Freya and himself were the only ones who did.

    He sheathed his sword and nodded, ¡°Alright, I respect your decision.¡±

    Lonin was shocked. He did not expect a bandit to just intrude into his house and say such good things. So he raised his eyebrows, ¡°What are you ying at? Just know that without my help, you will never be able to reach the second floor. And from the looks of it, you all are trying to not get any attention.¡±

    ¡°But I do not have a choice,¡± Brendel answered. ¡°I have confidence that I can control the situation in a short period of time. But if possible, it is true that I would prefer not to attract attention from the others.¡±

    The man¡¯s lips began to curl, his eyebrows tightened. Brendel¡¯s words seemed to have met his expectations and so he said, ¡°I believe you understand the consequences of harming a noble in an area managed by the Holy Cathedral, and there has never been a bandit who has done so in the past hundred years.¡±

    Brendel gave an unrelenting look and said, ¡°You¡¯re making two mistakes sir. The first, we¡¯re not some hooligans or bandits. And second, we¡¯re not cowards.¡± With that said, Brendel had made up his mind. <i>The meeting will start in two days, and I will not allow the same disaster that yed out back then to happen again.</i>

    Back in The Amber Sword, he had partnered with the Princess, the War Goddess, and many other outstanding NPCs, but during this run, he would have to handle everything by himself.

    Lonin saw the raging persistence in Brendel¡¯s eyes, and wondered, <i>Where did this young persone from? He does not seem like the usual bandit to me.</i>

    And he just sighed, ¡°Are you from the Lekin family?¡±

    <i>Lekin family? Why do I feel like I have heard of that name before?</i> Brendel thought. But it did not matter to him anyway, for he was sure it was not a prominent family in Kirrlutz or Aouine.

    <i>But when did Count Yoakam have ties with that family? And looking at Lonin¡¯s nervous looks, it seems like it has something to do with that abnormal attitude Count Yoakam had back during the meeting within the game.</i>

    But that had nothing to do with Brendel, so he just denied, ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡°Then are you guys rebels?¡± Lonin¡¯s eyebrows loosened a bit but they were still a little tight, and because he heard the news of the rebels attempting to manipte the nobles, he asked that question. The knight behind Brendel suddenly turned pale. To him, there was only one type of people in Aouine who dared to ignore an oath to Marsha¡¯s name.

    The rebels.

    <i>Does that mean that his promise to not kill me just now is invalid?</i>he started to shiver.

    But Brendel shook his head again, ¡°I still believe in Marsha, and I find the Twilight Dragon to be a source of chaos.¡±

    Finally, Lonin breathed out a sigh of relief, ¡°then you just have to swear in Marsha¡¯s name before us that you¡¯llplete the promises you made just now. And then I will help you to convince Count Yanbao.¡±

    ¡°You agree to our terms?¡±

    The knight captain just smiled. How could he disagree? He realized just how strong Brendel was from their bout just now, and he knew that the three Gold rankers under Count Yanbao were no match for him. Since he himself had beenpromised, Count Yanbao could only mobilize two of his Gold rankers. And if he let Brendel roam free, there was no doubt that this ce might be a bloodbath.

    <i>Seems like this is the only option I have.</i>

    Lonin sighed once more. Yanbao¡¯s family was once the second biggest, if not the biggest powerhouse in Aouine. During its peak, they had two experts who had awakened their Elements and that had made themparable to Duke Arreck. But unexpectedly, in just a couple hundreds years, the family had degraded to this degree. Down to the point that no one would even bother too much toe and bully them.

    What a disgrace.

    The knight captain thought up until there and was about to give his reply, when suddenly, a loud explosion was heard from above, causing the entire building to jolt. Brendel panicked and looked up at the ceiling. <i>That explosion came from the second floor. Don¡¯t tell me that something is happening outside?</i>

    <i>But just what could have happened? Don¡¯t tell me that Romaine is so brave to have cast a fireball at the manor?</i>

    But calling it a fireball would have been an understatement. It was more like someone had summoned a meteor.

    All sorts of thoughts shed through Brendel¡¯s mind, as he turned to look back down the corridor aze. And the guards who were sleeping before now came rushing out.

    Brendel¡¯splexion paled and he shouted, ¡°Quick! Close the door!¡±

 Chapter 501 - Volume 3

    <h4>Devil</h4>

    Brendel just finished his sentence when he saw the knight did not run towards him, but to the outside. He was stunned, <i>Just what is happening?</i> He looked back and felt the entire ce tremble once more, like a beast stomping from the top. The ceiling creaked, and signs or copse began to appear.

    ¡°Not good!¡± Lonin¡¯splexion changed, and by the time he could react to the voice, Brendel had already moved to the stairs. It was unknown when this manor was constructed, but it had the architecture style of Anson the Eleventh. All of the designs were vibrating vigorously, and the priceless art pieces on the walls began to fall one by one.

    Brendel did not even have the time to protect these art pieces when he saw a blinding light from the stairs leading upwards. A golden me engulfed the pieces of art, turning it to ash. The temperature of the corridor began to rise, and a stream of mes came gushing down like a waterfall straight onto the corridor. A few knights who did not make it out of the seas of me could only cry out, wailing in the lonely nights.

    In a second, the whole corridor leading to Lonin¡¯s room turned golden red, the me had reddened Brendel¡¯s face. However, the me did not burn through him and only circled around him.

    ¡°Magic mes!¡±

    Brendel immediately recognized the nature of the me, but there was only one thing that could create a magical me of this scale. He nervously gripped his sword and squinted his eyes.

    Then came a loud crash. And from the mes arose a rampaging monster. It had a head the size of a bullfrog, and on it were horns. The blood flowing underneath the skin was fresh red, and its muscles tightened to support its body. The hind legs it had seemed to be filled with some sort of froglike explosive strength.

    But the most significant feature of the monster was the burning mes on it back and limbs, its two eyes that sprouted fire, and the seemingly never-ending smoke that leaked out of its mouth.

    It was an Abyss Lord. Originating from the Sulfur River in the Burning Hells, it was a monster that was a lot stronger than the lowly devils summoned by the ck Fire cultist. It had a high level of intelligence, and had the strength of a peak Gold ranker.

    <i>How did this thing appear in the capital of the Holy Cathedral¡¯s jurisdiction?</i> Brendel thought curiously. But then, the monster noticed him and croaked in deafening voice. Then it shed its zing ws at Brendel.

    Its ws were the size of a table. Brendel hurriedly dodged, and the palm came smacking down on the floor. A ring of fire began to grow out of its ws, and a charring smell from the wood being burnt could be smelt. The Abyss Lord¡¯s attack did not connect.

    But it did not stop there.

    It lunged at Brendel. It was almost four times the size of Brendel, and it squeezed through the corridor space. Wherever its body touched, the part of the wall would be swallowed in mes, like it integrated into the monster¡¯s self.

    Behind Brendel was Lonin¡¯s room. If he stepped back, he could not guarantee their lives. Under those circumstances, he raised Halran Gaia and stepped forward and shed at the monster.

    In terms of pure strength, Brendel was indeed inferior to the Abyss Lord. But he was empowered by the Crystal, so there should be no problem for him to defeat the monster.

    The front of the Abyss Lord was soft, and with its high intelligence, it immediately raised its ws to clip Brendel¡¯s sword.

    It was moving so fast that Brendel could not even react. Its ws were like metal, and as Brendel tried to pull his sword out of the monster¡¯s grasp, screechings and sparks appeared.

    Brendel¡¯s arms fell numb when his attack was parried. <i>Its strength surpassed me by about 100 points. Thankfully I do have 200 points myself that its force did not blow my sword away.</i>

    Brendel sucked in a breath. The scorching environment began to burn his lungs. Even when it was not exactly burning or was on mes, Brendel still could not help but hold his breath.

    But it can be said that the monster was the most troublesome enemy he fought after facing off Andersha. Devard may be stronger than this monster, but in reality, if Devard hade off on Brendel at full strength from the beginning, Brendel was not sure about his victory chances.

    However, the monster from Sulfur River was not someone who would follow the knight¡¯s code, so they would only fight in a rampaging manner. In this state, they would be able to pull out 200 percent of their normal power.

    At this point, Brendel could feel his eyebrows begin to burn. At that thought, he let go of his sword and grabbed for the monster¡¯s ws, and with his other arm, he struck out, ¡°Berserk of the Fool! Screw off, bastard!¡±

    He roared and used all of his strength, and his right fist seemed to prate ayer of space and connected with the monster¡¯s chest. A fissure began to spread out of the monster¡¯s chest, and the monster raised its head to reveal a horrifying look before flying away.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Raban, Fern, and Morpheus who never seen Brendel using the Berserk skill yelped in surprise. And even Lonin was shocked. He obviously knew what the monster was. He had thought that he would not be able to ovee the adversity this time around. But then, unexpectedly, the monster was smashed to smitten by this youth that was just around peak Gold rank.

    <i>Just who is the monster now?</i>

    But Brendel did note out unscathed. He wiped the blood off his lips. It was no doubt the monster with the highest Defense amongst all of the monsters. The damage inflicted by the Abyss Lord, plus the rebound damage by his own punch immediately pushed his HP down by 300 points into the yellow region. But it was still more than half, and that was only thanks to his berserk skill that increased his vitality.

    ¡°My Lord, your arm,¡± Morpheus covered his mouth. The part of Brendel¡¯s arm that connected onto the Abyss Lord was now on fire, and Brendel looked like he was wearing a gauntlet of fire. If it was a normal person who hit the monster, there was no doubt it would have immediately vaporized. But Brendel had high magical resistance, so the mes on his arm only felt slightly hot. He just waved his arm, and the mes wisped away like a candle me.

    Lonin now looked at Brendel with revere. <i>He was truly a monster. I was just waiting for a chance to get him distracted and flee this ce with Count Yanbao. But it seems like it would be impossible to escape from this man></i>

    He looked at the other end of the corridor. And he saw the monster embedded in the wall itself, and its me had weakened a lot.

    A momentter, smoke rose from its body, and it charred ck to be a dead corpse.

    <i>It actually died with just a punch!</i>

    But Brendel did not find that odd. His one punch had the power of an Activated Elemental Awakener, plus it struck onto the Abyss Lord¡¯s weakness. After all, it was reallymon to one shot a monster that was not some particr Boss like the Abyss Lord. And it was being too careless. It thought that it had the upper hand in a closebat fight with Brendel, and Brendel had taken advantage of that mistake.

    Brendel stared at the body, now a pile of ash, and sighed at Fern, ¡°Monsters are usually hard to be killed outside the Sulfur River. Upon death, they will return to the Burning Hells. However, they might leave behind some spoils. Fern, go and check if it had left anything.¡±

    ¡°Why is it me again?¡± Fern voiced out, displeased.

    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re green.¡±

    Fern just looked at him, confused at his sentence.

    But Brendel was not focusing on her and looked back at Lonin. After the explosion, he became worried. Plus looking at the knights panicking outside, the people in the manor must have known what is going on. But Brendel still could not believe that someone would summon the devil in the middle of the day in a ce protected by the Holy Cathedral. He looked at Lonin, and asked with a serious tone, ¡°I believe there isn¡¯t a tunnel to the Burning Hells here, would there? I believe you do know something, do you?¡±

    But unexpectedly, Lonin was shaking his head adamantly. It was then he heard a pair of soft footsteps heading towards Brendel. Looking back, he realized that it originated from the stairsing down.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir. It was me who summoned the Devil...¡± A weak voice spoke out.

 Chapter 502 - Volume 3

    <h4>Female Knight</h4>

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir. I was the one who summoned the Devil...¡± Brendel looked back to see the origin of the weak and mellow voice to be a handsomed. He was wearing a silky white sleeping gown, and he was holding onto the ck walls. He had a delicate face, ck hair the length of her shoulders, and pupils with a hint of purple. He had a pale whiteplexion, and thin lips the color of roses. He curled his lips and raised his eyebrows, as if questioning the presence of Brendel here.

    He reminded Brendel of the Silver Elf Nemenis from the Emerald Forest. <i>Haiz. I do have to admit that there are some people who are more beautiful than Elves in this world. Why can¡¯t I be one of them? Wait... Are those pointy ears?</i>

    <i>So he¡¯s a Half-Elf. Phew... At least it didn¡¯t ruin my pride as a self-proimed ¡®handsome¡¯ human¡¯.</i>

    ¡°Count Yanbao, are you fine?¡± Lonin bowed towards the boy. The boy looked at the captain and nodded, confirming his identity as Count Yanbao.

    <i>How can this young kid be a Count?</i> Brendel raised his eyebrows, and stared at the ridiculously delicate face of the boy.

    The boy was also assessing Brendel. His eyes shone with curiosity. In this world, most of the illusion spells will be dispelled once the user attacks or use any skill, so in Brendel¡¯s case, his facade was exposed, revealing a man in a long hood and shrouded in ck mist that resembled the people from the Evil Cult.

    But the Evil Cultists were friends with the Devils, so they would not have cut down the Abyss Lord just now.

    The young boy did not reveal any form of fear. Suddenly, there were some nging noisesing down from above the stairs, and a golden armored female knight rushed down at lightning speed. He saw Brendel and the others next to Lonin and revealed a face full of shock. She pulled out her sword and bellowed, ¡°Lonin! Who are these people?¡±

    <i>A Gold ranker.</i> Brendel¡¯s mouth twitched. <i>Seems like this is the other Gold ranker under Count Yanbao... Her chest seems to be rather alluring to the men though. If she were a model, there was no doubt that she would be one of the most beautiful people on the top of the list.</i>

    The girl was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, so reaching Gold rank would mean that she was one of the geniuses of this generation. Her hair was bundled up in a bun, and with the unkempt look she had, she must have just woke up.

    She noticed Brendel¡¯s gaze, and her face began to blush. She covered her the part of her chest that was not buttoned up, and roared, ¡°What are you looking at!¡±

    ¡°Niya,¡± Count Yanbao stopped the knight¡¯s action and looked at Brendel.

    ¡°Count Yanbao?¡± Brendel asked for confirmation

    ¡°My name is Dilferi Odinar, thest sessor of the Yanbao family, and also the current Count Yanbao,¡± he used his mellow voice to make an introduction. Brendel did not see any sort of panic in his eyes, but tiredness. Then, the count ced his hand on his corbone, and thanked Brendel courteously, ¡°Thank you for eliminating the Devil for us.¡±

    ¡°No need to thank me, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s inappropriate for a noble to form a pact with a Devil?¡± Brendel questioned.

    The young boy stiffened, and the knight by his side scolded and leaped at him with her sword raised high. Brendel was unarmed at the moment, but he immediately opened the Dimension Space and pulled out Halran Gaia.

    As he pulled it out, he parried Niya¡¯s attack. However, his strength far surpassed her strength, and she was flung back into the coal-ck stairs behind her, and with a thunderous boom, her fall caused a mess of dust and ashes.

    But Brendel was surprised as well. Upon activating Berserk, his Strength was about 500 points, and yet when their swords shed, his arms trembled in the recoil. <i>If the girl were to y the game, she would have been the yer who purely focused on her strength. What a weirdo.</i>

    The knight climbed out of the pile of ash, and from her gritting teeth, it seems like she wanted another bout. But Count Yanbao stopped her. He seems to think Brendel as an ally instead of an enemy.

    He looked back, at the manor that was now a mess and said, ¡°Mister, I may not know where you came from, but I wish you can help me out with something.¡±

    He was looking at something in the distance. A momentter, Brendel could hear some disturbances beyond the manor. It was the sound of horseshoes and mud sshing. <i>The Patrol Guards.</i>

    Brendel looked at the direction of the noise, and in just a while, the silhouette of a knight appeared.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Patrol Guards from the neighboring town,¡± Lonin squeezed his eyebrows.

    Brendel looked back, and understood what he had to do. He just squeezed his eyes, ¡°I need a promise, Count Yanbao.¡±

    The count bit his lip, ¡°What is it that you need? I¡¯ll promise you anything as long as you don¡¯t interrupt the goals of my family.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re speaking as the sessor of your family?¡±

    The knights passed the front yard, and is closing in on the building. But they were blocked by the guards of the manor. Count Yanbao looked and nodded at Brendel. He can only hope that Brendel was noting for the blood of his family. But he could not help but feel unease around Brendel.

    ¡°Lord Yanbao,¡± Lonin warned.

    But the young boy just shook his head.

    Brendel knew just what the young Count is worried about. The Holy Cathedral forbids the interaction between nobles and Devils. If they were found to break this code, they would be punished, and the family would be erased of their prestige. No noble would want this sort of treatment. Although Brendel did not know why the Count would summon a Devil, but from the trembling feet of the boy, he knew that he was terrified and panicking.

    Brendel looked at the moon hanging just above the peaks of the Arreck Mountains.

    ¡°I hope you will not participate in the meeting in Ampere Seale,¡± Brendel stated his demands.

    ¡°I cannot do that!¡± this time, the young boy sounded really adamant. He arched his eyebrows and red at Brendel, ¡°You all want to rece me for the meeting, don¡¯t you? How can I ensure that you will not damage the benefits of our family then? Just an example, if you were to offend a noble there, it would spell trouble for our family!¡±

    ¡°I can swear in Marsha¡¯s name as well as in my own dignity,¡± Brendel promised.

    ¡°But there¡¯re still loopholes that can be exploited,¡± Count Yanbao gritted his teeth, ¡°Sir, I am already in a predicament. Please don¡¯t force me to my demise.¡±

    Brendel locked gazes with the boy. The young boy¡¯s determination exceeded his expectations. His gleaming eyes did not show any sense of defeat and weakness. Although he was the only sessor of the family, there must be something that was going on that pushed him to this point. Brendel tried to think just what could have happened back in the game, but he could note up with anything.

    The two just looked at each other, and silence permeated the air between them.

    The knights outside had already bypassed the defenses of Count Yanbao. It was clearly because of that explosion that they came. <i>Thank Marsha that there was no fighting outside in the forest just now. Romaine and the others must be fine then.</i>

    It was just that the trouble with the Patrol Guards appeared. If Brendel and Count Yanbao could note to an agreement and make up a story by then, today¡¯s operation would have been a failure for Brendel.

    ¡°You guys want to participate in the meeting?¡± the boy finally gave in when the knights came too close.

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°And can you guys assure me that you will not offend anyone?¡± the boy asked.

    ¡°I cannot guarantee that,¡± Brendel said honestly. He was not confident that he will not drag some other people into this mess. ¡°But I guarantee you that I will not bring you guys into my mess.¡±

    The boy stared at him.

    The knights were finally at the front gate of the building. They saw that there was a big hole there, but the corridor was unlit so Brendel and Count Yanbao was hidden from their sight. Finally, the boy said, ¡°I guess I can bring you all into the meeting as my servant.¡±

    Dilferi said with a worried tone, after all, Brendel did not seem like the kind who would want to be anyone¡¯s follower. However, he breathed out a sigh of relief when Brendel nodded.

    ¡°Alright. It¡¯s a deal,¡± Brendel took out a crystal ball from under the hood, and gestured to the boy. ¡°Everything is recorded here.¡±

    ¡°Bastard,¡± the boy scowled.

    Brendel just smiled.

    ...

    By the time the knights got into the building, Brendel and his subordinates had already worn their disguise of being Dilferi¡¯s guards. The boy was relieved, and he looked at the corridor to see that the mess was about fully cleared away by Fern. Then he stepped down to meet the other guards.

    But Brendel noticed that there were not only Patrol Guards that came. Amongst the people wearing blue, there were some with silver armor and donning a red battle cape. Those people had long swords, and were apparently elite knights.

    <i>Eh?</i> Brendel was stunned. <i>That¡¯s the Royal Cavalry... But why would they be here?</i> He realized something and telepathically asked, ¡°Medissa, ask Sue to confirm just how far is Haze Manor from here?

    ¡°Count Yanbao, may I know is there anything that happened here that requires our assistance?¡± this time, a slightly fit female knight stepped out. The tone she used to address Count Yanbao was soft yetposed. It was clear and crisp like a bell. But Brendel could not help but shiver upon hearing the voice.

    He looked up and saw a face he could not be more familiar with. [T/N: Of course, it was still less than Romaine.]

    Donning the Royal Family crest, and tying her silver hair into a ponytail, she seemed like an innocent young girl. And strapped to her waist were several pairs of swords, which made people misunderstand that she trained in a unique yet weird sword style.

    But Freya was definitely a user of the Military Swordsmanship.

 Chapter 503 - Volume 3

    <h4>The Fated Encounter</h4>

    Freya stepped forward. She was wearing the silver armor of the Secret Army. And the metallic glint reflected the beauty of the night moon. On her back was a red cape, and it had two silver tassels hanging on its side. <i>Seems like she is the leader of this squad of knights.</i>

    She paused and looked at the mess that was once a manor, and noted, ¡°I am a knight of the Princess. I repeat, do you have anything in need of assistance?¡±

    ¡°No... There¡¯s nothing I need...¡± The young count could see the identity of the knight. But he did not want to be affiliated with anyone at this moment, so he shook his head.

    His words made her suspicious, she was clearly not the dumb bumpkin girl from back then. The future War Goddess raised her head, and looked at the people apanying him. The hole in the ceiling opened a pathway of light to shine on the few silhouettes. Freya could not help but shudder at the sight of the young boy. <i>How cute is he!</i>

    But her suspicious expression remained, and her gaze fell onto the people behind Dilferi. <i>Just why do these people feel so suspicious?</i>

    Brendel was sweating buckets then. He immediately lowered his head. <i>It seems like this girl has matured a lot since she studied at the Royal Cavalry Academy. I can feel her eyes piercing through my farce. Not good! If I were to be exposed here, it would all be over.</i>

    Freya was clueless about their nes, and if she knew, there was no doubt he would have been executed for kidnapping a noble. Ciel warned him that if he was caught for doing so, his neck would have to be tied ten times over for it to be able to kill Brendel. But most importantly, Brendel did not want his n to fail!

    <i>My Lord, do you think she could recognize us with this disguise?</i> Ciel was drenched in cold sweat and carefully, he telepathically asked Brendel.

    Brendel cursed, <i>Don¡¯t jinx it!</i> But Count Yanbao managed toe up with an excuse. It seems like he did not want to be in thepany of the knights for long either, ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry. I just made a mistake while experimenting with something. I will ask someone to clean up the messter, so excuse me for showing you this ugly sight.¡±

    Brendel and Ciel breathed out in relief.

    It wasmon for nobles to have one or two mages in their family. But Freya still felt that he was hiding something, and she eyed Brendel and Ciel, <i>What weirdos.</i> During the period in the Academy, Maynild had cramped her with knowledge on the nobles. Although she did not remember much of it, she knew that they had quite a few secrets so she decided to leave before bing someone others hate.

    She just came over after hearing the explosion to check if something was out of ce. But it seems like there was no trouble, so she decided to leave.

    But it was then.

    The guard that informed Dilferi about Freya¡¯s arrival came back once more. It seems like another squad of knights had arrived at the manor¡¯s front gate. And they had a simr outfit as Freya, just that they had more tassels than her. In the Royal Family, these people would be more difficult to deal withpared to the cadet from the Royal Cavalry Academy.

    <i>It must be the Senior Officer of this group of cadets. But I just don¡¯t know which one is it... Is it Dunden or Duss?</i> Brendel calmed his mind and thought. Cadet definitely could not operate by themselves. They would require an official knight to look after them while they patrol. But it seems like Freya is not one of those people yet. <i>I can only imagine those two working for her back when she was still in power back in the game.</i>

    Dunden and Duss were not considered to be some sort of popr NPC, but they had been the supporters of the Royal Faction, and Brendel had once worked with them before. If he did not remember wrongly, they were at best Silver rankers, and were not the core forces in the Royal Family.

    But never did he expect that none of his predictions were false. The knights came close to Brendel and the others, and Brendel heard a female voice, ¡°What is going on?¡±

    A low, calm yet stern voice. It felt like lightning striking down from the sky, freezing Brendel. He was pale when he looked up, and saw the face of the person who just spoke.

    <i>This voice... Just who is she?</i>

    He was looking at Maynild. <i>That golden tassel... She¡¯s a Knight Captain. But I swear that with my past experiences, I don¡¯t think I saw any girl who got a top spot in the Royal Knight Squad... No, not even in the top spots, I don¡¯t even remember any girls in the Squad to begin with...</i>

    But what he was shocked with, was the voice of the girl. It was so clear that he was sure he would never forget it. shback to ten years ago, she would lead him and the others into battle back in The Amber Sword. He closed his eyes, and time started to backflow. That cold face that could bring warmth and calmness whenever she smiled reappeared in front of him once more.

    He was about to yell out the familiar name, but he held back. Maynild was born in Seifer, and had the skin tone of the Seifer people, and her dark obsidian hair was the perfect contrast to her skin color. She was born to be apuded for her beauty, and her name as the ¡®Ice Princess¡¯ was indeed popr amongst the knights.

    In Brendel¡¯s eyes, she exuded the aura that really resembled his senior back in the game, but he just decided that they were both different people.

    He sucked in a breath of cold air, and went back on his thoughts. <i>Just who is this woman?</i> Brendel was sure that he did not remember incorrectly. Unless history indeed had undergone a major change, the Royal Faction would not appear a high ranked female knight. And although he knew of the Butterfly Effect, that his actions would lead to a change in the timeline, he did not expect the change to appear here.

    It was not logical no matter how he saw it.

    When Freya called the girl Maynild, Brendel swore he had never heard of the name in his life. Although he could not know everything in Aouine, he believed that he would not forget some NPC of her rank. And she managed to reach that position at that young age, so that meant she was not someone ordinary. Unfortunately, Brendel still could note up with an answer.

    <i>Now there¡¯s two possibilities. One, she¡¯s under a guise. She may be hiding a really popr name. But at least in memory, I do not remember any famous female knight that looked like her back in the game.</i>

    <i>But there¡¯s the second possibility. It may be that I had changed history. It did not only affect the history after my actions, but the history before I made those changes. [T/N: How does that even make sense?] It would be an unpredictable change that I will never be able to expect what is different. Maybe the princess I¡¯m going to meet in the future will be a guy! Who knows what is going to happen?</i>

    Brendel raised his eyebrow and looked at Maynild, who had just listened to Freya¡¯s exnation. She raised her head, and it looked like she noticed Brendel¡¯s gaze and looked at his direction. She had deep ck eyes, and her face was smooth. When their gazes lock, they felt a stifle in their bodies.

    But she immediately looked away like nothing had happened. She did not even get off her horse to greet Count Yanbao. The Yanbao family was not closely affiliated with the other families, and it seemed like the Royal Faction did not have any intentions to pull the family under their faction. She did not say anything else, but Brendel still noticed her odd re at Dilferi. In the end, she just left.

    <i>Did she look through our guise?</i> Brendel thought.

    When Maynild was at the door of the manor, she looked back. This time, her gaze was captured by Brendel. <i>Ahh... She did find me odd as well. </i>At this point, Brendel only cared if she figured out Brendel¡¯s identity because she was clearly not listening to Count Yanbao just now.

    <i>This will be a hard opponent. But there should no way for her to figure me out. It would be a big thing to disguise as a noble and attend the meeting. I don¡¯t think anyone would expect me to do such a brave act, I hope?</i>

    <strong>Maynild POV</strong>

    It seems like Brendel was not too far off the truth. Maynild indeed looked back at Brendel and thought that his gaze looked odd.

    Even among the Royal Knight Squad, her true strength was hidden. Although she may be known as Princess Gryphine¡¯s close friend and number one knight, she actually reached early Gold rank. And yet, she could feel Brendel returning her gaze when she looked at him just now.

    She looked down, and Freya could feel the trouble in her heart. She could not help but ask, ¡°What¡¯s up, Captain? Did you find the two suspicious as well?¡± It seems that Freya had her doubts about the two¡¯s identity as well. And especially when she left, she could not help but find the two closely resembling Brendel and Ciel.

    <i>But why would they be here anyway?</i>

    That was the conclusion she gave herself.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Maynild looked at the newly appointed cadet, and asked, ¡°Two?¡±

    ¡°Yea. Two of them. Senior sister, weren¡¯t you looked at them just now?¡± Freya asked. ¡°They felt really familiar to me... Were they some fugitive I saw on some posters before? Unfortunately, I could not recognize them. Looking at their dress up, I thought they were the people I met across the border back in Be.¡±

    Those people she was talking about, were the runaways and rebels from Madara.

    ¡°Yep,¡± Maynild just briefly answered. ¡°In any case, one less matter is better than having one more.¡±

    Freya looked at her senior who looked like she was not in the mood to talk and she could only sigh and stay silent.

 Chapter 504 - Volume 3

    <h4>The Time Bomb</h4>

    When the Royal Knights finally left, peace once again filled the manor.

    Dilferi turned his gaze away from them and looked at Brendel. Under the moonlight, he seems to be in deep thought, and he pointed out, ¡°You seem to recognize them.¡±

    Brendel did not want to reveal his identity, and he just took off the mask and revealed a mysterious smiling face.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Dilferi snorted. He looked at the mess beside him, at the remains of the manor. ¡°Anyhow, I do have to thank you all. As a count, I will not go back on my word. But Marsha is looking upon us, so I believe you all will remember your promise as well.¡±

    ¡°I promise I will not bring you all into my troubles. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Brendel reassured the boy count.

    ¡°Who are you guys up against?¡± Dilferi questioned.

    Brendel just smiled.

    ¡°I cannot be at ease if that¡¯s the case, sir,¡± Dilferi was slightly displeased.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll just go separate ways once we get inside.¡±

    ¡°But The Holy Cathedral will know that we went in together.¡±

    <i>That¡¯s truly troublesome,</i> Brendel thought. <i>But this count sure is cautious.</i> He looked back at Ciel, who raised his shoulders to indicate that he did not know what to do as well. After all, the Holy Cathedral was not some manor located on the outskirts. They would definitely be able to see through Ciel¡¯s illusions.

    Brendel fell silent, and replied, ¡°Alright, if that the case, under dire situations, you can say that you were forced into it.¡±

    Dilferi was stunned.

    He looked at them curiously. It appears that he did not expect those words, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that you¡¯ll inflict some trouble upon yourselves for doing so?¡±

    ¡°If I was scared, I wouldn¡¯t havee here in the first ce,¡± Brendel smiled again.

    ¡°But you guys can force me to shut my mouth, can¡¯t you? You could have taken me hostage after all,¡± Dilferi raised his eyebrows, intrigued, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the case?¡±

    ¡°I can understand your point, but would you want us to do that, Count Yanbao?¡± Brendel burst outughing as he asked.

    ¡°No... That¡¯s not it...¡± the boy¡¯s face was beet red, ¡°It¡¯s just that-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that you didn¡¯t understand?¡± Brendel smiled. He never thought that his actions were something that had to be covered up, but he just wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble. If the Holy Cathedral wanted to trace their background, he would have let them do so. He darede to Ampere Seale to cause trouble, so he would have definitely expected that.

    The worst-case scenario would be to oppose the Holy Cathedral. It was a possibility that had happened once before after all. Back then, King Erik had fought many battles with them. He may have had the help of the Wind Elves, but Brendel had that too. And Brendel was sure Orthylss would definitely help him out. And the Holy Cathedral of Wind would obviously like to mess with the Holy Cathedral of me.

    At that thought, Brendelughed. Be it the Holy Cathedral of me, or the Holy Cathedral of Wind, Aouine is Aouine, the ce he swore to protect. And that would not change.

    He waved his hand, ¡°Nothing else matters now. Just remember that I do not have a habit of causing trouble for others.¡±

    ¡°That means...¡± Dilferi looked at Brendel and the others. <i>Are they mad? Don¡¯t they know that the Holy Cathedral will impose a heavy punishment on them if they found out that Brendel had kidnapped me? Ever since birth, I have never heard of something as ridiculous as this in my life!</i>

    ¡°So how? Count Yanbao?¡±

    ¡°Alright... I...¡± his palms were sweating, and unknowingly his heart began to beat sporadically, ¡°Under the supervision of Marsha, I will agree to our deal. Don¡¯t worry... If it¡¯s not serious, I will not snitch you all out... You all are the most gentlemanlike bandits I have ever seen in my life.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Have you seen a lot of bandits before?¡±

    ¡°Ah... No, just a few by the border...¡± DIlferi realized that he had spoken the wrong words and replied with a red face.

    Brendel justughed, ¡°Then, happy cooperating with you.¡±

    ......

    ¡°You really do have a knack at deluding others, My Lord,¡± On the way back home, Ciel said. It was unsure if it was a jeering tone or an honest admiration. He was talking about the story that happened back in the castle when Ciel interrupted.

    ¡°I am good at what?!¡± Brendel was sitting on the horse behind Romaine with his arms around her and he twisted his head, ¡°When did I ever do that? Are you talking about Andrea?¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Not far away, the Andrea snorted. She was riding on a tall ck warhorse, and it was her preference to choose it.

    ¡°Nonono, I didn¡¯t mean that,¡± Ciel, on another yellowish-brown one, hurriedly exined. ¡°I just wanted to say that My Lord made a good move by bringing out the crystal ball andpletely conquered the Count¡¯s final mental defense. He just reminded me of the Norken people who were infamous for being sly merchants in Karsuk.¡±

    ¡°They weren¡¯t just sly in the Karsuk, but everywhere as well. Plus, can you use a better analogy?¡± Brendel said in a pissed tone.

    ¡°Back onto the topic, isn¡¯t the Recording Crystal is in the custody of Amandina?¡± Raban asked, ¡°How did My Lord know that he would require such an item? Don¡¯t tell me My Lord had already known that the Count is researching Summoning Arts?¡±

    ¡°Recording Crystal?¡± Brendel brought out the crystal ball. ¡°You¡¯re talking about this?¡± He smiled and threw it into the bushes.

    ¡°Nani!? My Lord!¡± Raban was confused.

    At that time, Romaine finallyughed. Sheid onto Brendel¡¯s chest, tilting her head, and smiled, ¡°That was not some Recording Crystal Ball. It was just an ordinary one I boughtst night. I¡¯m pissed now that I was reminded of it. That scammer of a merchant! Tricking me with a ss ball! How unprofessional!¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± Ciel was shaking his head. ¡°As a sly merchant, he was quite professional.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true indeed,¡± Raban admitted.

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect the Yanbao family to fall to this point,¡± Ciel shifted his shoulders and said with a serious tone. ¡°They can¡¯t even find an actual sessor. If they can find someone with experience to back her up, I suppose they would not have let here to Ampere Seale alone, would she?¡±

    ¡°Little Princess? She?¡± Amandina was confused.

    ¡°Count Yanbao is a girl,¡± Brendel shook his head. His Willpower was so high that he was not affected by the trick. It may appear that only the count herself did not know that she was a girl. But as Ciel said, for them to send a female sessor to the meeting, the Yanbao family must have been in some sort of trouble. But thinking about Count Yanbao¡¯s actions, that did seem possible. But Brendel did not care about that. As long as the count can bring them into the meeting, there would be no problem.

    He looked at Fern, ¡°What did you manage to scavenge from the remains of the Devil just now?¡±

    Fern looked at him, and brought out arge gold armband. There were some odd me engravings on the surface, but to people who could understand those words, they would see that it was actually a type of Hell Runes. And the entire text of the Devil Pact supposedly on the Sulfur te on the eleventh floor of the Burning Hell was engraved on the armband.

    ¡°Devil Armlet!¡± Brendel yelped upon recognizing the item. It was an object the high ranked Devils used to control their servants. But that usage was only a rumor spread by the witches and was never truly confirmed before. But with it, some people did manage to form a pact with beings from the Underworld. It was a highly valuable and rare tool.

    But the thing is, it was an unwanted good. There were no auctions for it, and even if it was ced for sale in the ck market, who would even buy it? Although Brendel knew that it was a valuable item, but he did not have any ideas on how he would use it or even sell it. <i>I can¡¯t go and sell it to the Evil Cultist, can I?</i> Brendel thought. He was not that mad anyways.

    He flipped the item in his hands. He could not use it after all, unless he switched to being a Summoner. But there would be another problem. The Devil summoned would not be an ordinary one, but one who had an armlet themselves too. And from the lowest ranking Devil Lords to the highest twelve tanked Demon Kings, no one knew which one of them would be summoned.

    If they summoned the King of Greed, Trickster or Enchantress, there may be some room for business. But if they summoned the King of the Burning Hells, Arken, or the Broken de Lord, Lucius, the Summoner would probably be sted into ash. And that might have led to a war between the living and the Devils. Brendel remembered some yers used to make this mistake and caused a series of troubles.

    He looked at it for half a day, and finally suppressed his urges. <i>Curiosity kills the cat.</i> he thought as he put it away into the Dimension Space and decided not to y with it for the time being. After all, with his bad luck, he may actually summon the King of Burning Hells, Arken.

    Fern on the side saw his odd reactions and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    Brendel answered unwillingly, ¡°A time bomb.¡±

 Chapter 505 - Volume 3

    <h4>The Game of the Main yers</h4>

    The dark clouds were like ayer of frost, Marquis Yoakam breathed out white mist as he held onto the railings on the manor, his pale white face seemed to smile.

    ¡°This weather is surely terrible, My Lord,¡± the servant behind him grumbled.

    His master was wearing a leopard coat, and he just rubbed his arms, ¡°Although it may be cold now in the winter, it will not stop our burning passion.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean your ambition?¡±

    Marquis Yoakam justughed and put his hands on the railing. He was looking at the two horse-driven carriages that were traversing through the forest before stopping in front of the manor¡¯s front gate.

    In the building¡¯s hall now, there were many beautifully dressed nobles. Although they were people with a fair amount of influence around these ces, but the meeting going on tonight was one that decided the fate of the Kingdom, so they were merely side characters around the ce.

    And the true yers of this game were the people in those carriages-

    When the carriage stopped before the gates of the hall, the discussions be silent whispers. Everyone could see through the windows that, the carriages had the emblem of a shield, a crescent moon, a set of crossed staves, a crown and also the winged snake on it.

    And they all knew the identity of the people in the carriages just too well.

    They were thest remaining descendant of House Covardo, Princess Gryphine, and her brother.

    But even whenpared to the carriage of the Royal Family, the other carriage only had a simple design: a fierce-looking eagle and nothing else. The emblem itself signified the pressure upon everyone¡¯s hearts.

    If someone were to rank the influence of the six strongest Dukes in Aouine, the answer would definitely be the owner of this carriage-

    Duke Arreck.

    The knights opened the door for the princess. Her mauve gown was like a colored cloud that sprung out of nowhere. Princess Gryphine slowly walked down her carriage and she raised her head. Her silvery round eyes reflected the glow in her eyes, and on her slender shoulders was a thin fur shawl, revealing her weak self.

    A weak but brave and valorous princess.

    And everyone on the scene held their breath. They had heard, from rumors, that the jewel on her crown was the most shining gem in all of Aouine. But it was until they had seen it that they truly believed in it.

    <i>That sly fox Arreck,</i> was what most of them thought as well at the time. Most...except Marquis Yoakam who revealed a wide grin. He lowered his head to sniff the musk perfume on his coat. <i>He is truly a sly bastard. Is this meeting a foothold for him to get closer to the Princess? But I¡¯m truly curious as to how well the Princess would retaliate. He...he...he...</i>

    As the doors of the second carriage opened, everyone sucked in a breath of cold air once more. Even Marquis Yoakam found it odd. The Duke Arreck that stepped out of it was no old man like everyone thought. His glowing white eyebrows amplified that eagle-like eyes of his, and his stern look was one that was filled with dignity. His thin lips and his neat mustache made him look so tidy that it can be said he looked more formal than any of the other nobles that attended the meeting.

    He wore arge ck panther robe, and under it, a silver chest te could be seen shining. <i>But it probably had no protective purposes...</i> was what everyone thought. <i>It¡¯s probably just there to unt his wealth and power.</i>

    But it was not just him. It had be amon sight in these events for the nobles to wear armor or bring some weaponry.

    Under the robe, even Marquis Yoakam could see that he had a heavy de tied there. It was not some weapon just any nobles would have. It was a sword that Arreck had used to cut down hundreds of enemies.

    But Marquis Yoakam just scoffed with a hint of envy. A normal person would not have brought that weapon into the ce, but Arreck was no normal person. Only a Duke like him would have that power.

    However, even if that¡¯s the case, in that ce, he was no more than one of the better-ranked ones and not the <i>best</i> one there.

    Duke Arreck held his staff and slowly walked down, his eyes scanning the vicinity. It was only until he saw the princess that he softened. He tugged at his robe and walked towards the young woman. With a gentlemen demeanor, he extended his hand at Princess Gryphine, ¡°Today, you¡¯re the most beautiful princess in all of Vaunte.¡±

    However, the princess just stayed adamant, and extended hers for him to kiss it, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my honor to marry such a beautiful princess like you.¡±

    ¡°ording to the pact, if Haruz could get the throne, I would naturally be your bride, Duke Arreck,¡± the half-elf princess said inly.

    Duke Arreck justughed in response.

    Behind them, Arreck¡¯s closer subordinates greeted the people from the Royal Faction as if they were friends. But it was clear that they merely did it for the sake of etiquette.

    Amongst them was Devard. His arm was still wrapped in bandages and that was probably the reason why he was the most eye-catching person amongst Arreck¡¯s subordinates. Who would have expected one of the strongest swordsmen in Aouine to be injured to the point that he could not be recovered in a short period of time.

    The whole hall was once filled with whispers once more. News of Devard losing in Ande Cathedral had spread amongst them and it was obviously the hottest topic in the hall at the moment. But unfortunately, it was a shameful thing for Devard and his face was red with embarrassment.

    Marquis Yoakam personally witnessed the fight, and he waved at Arreck from the patio above to thank Arreck for letting Devard be his bodyguard and to apologize for his reckless mistake. And he could not help but think about the incident once more.

    <i>Just who is that young boy? Why wouldn¡¯t the Holy Cathedral leak information about him? It seems like besides Archbishop Wood, no one is affiliated with him. It was like he appeared out of thin air. But is that possible? I would say that I¡¯m fairly familiar with Aouine itself, but seems like there¡¯s still much that I don¡¯t know.</i>

    He rubbed his forehead. <i>Wood was from Kirrlutz, and their members were deeply rooted in Aouine itself. But as to their ns for the future, I really do have some questions. Or is Wood a pawn of them himself? Anyway, it is not my problem,</i> he thought. And then a person shed across his mind.

    At that point, the strongest powerhouses had already arrived in the manor. One by one, the luxurious carriages stopped in front of the woods. At first, it was the Seifer family. Being the brother of the queen, and the uncle of the future King of Aouine, Duke Seifer naturally came himself. After that was the Balta family. They hade from the Sword Fortress and had helped House Covardo managed the White Lion Squad for a long time.

    White Lion Squad¡¯s main enemies were the Kirrlutz, but as to who this family¡¯s enemies are, it would be hard to say. Marquis Yoakam¡¯s blissful demeanor suddenly turned stale as the next carriage arrived. The obsidian carriage was like a ghoul that slipped into the scene and the emblem on it was also really unfamiliar. Within the crimson-colored sides was a broken sword that seems to remind people of its unique design. Marquis Yoakam took a few moments to recognize it.

    The Yanbao family. The heretic family of Aouine has finally arrived.

    Marquis Yoakam shed a look of shock.

    The entire atmosphere fell into a serious mood once more. Many had the belief that this family was one of the most mysterious families amongst the nobles of Aouine. Thest time the family had an audience with the King of Aouine was thirty years ago. However, it seems like the Kingdom has some sort of a rtionship with the old family and did not question their existence on theirnds.

    And there is a reason for it. One that even Brendel did not know of. One that was lost when Aouine fell in the other timeline where it was a game. But that did not affect Brendel¡¯s mood as he sat with the mysterious Count Yanbao -Or Countess, who never had thepany of a man in the same carriage before.

    Normally, herpanion would be Niya. But this time around, Brendel was needed to disguise himself as her subordinate, so it was normal for them to be in the same carriage.

    When the vehicle stopped, Brendel looked out. He immediately saw the most eye-catching carriage of the Royal Family and House Arreck, as well as Freya and Maynild. Looking at how she was snoring, Brendel smiled. But there was a sense of warmth inside of him. As he looked at the familiar sight and realized that Aouine had not fallen to ruin yet, he felt like everything was still alright. There were even times that he worried if everything was just a dream.

    But that was because she still had the face of an innocent girl. If she had donned on the stern look of the war goddess, there was no doubt everything would feel real, as if it was approachable.

    He retracted his gaze. This time, the knight outside opened the carriage door. It was Niya, who looked Brendel in disgust. Brendel paid no attention to it, walked down the carriage and extended a hand to the count. She hesitated for a while and took his hand to get down.

    Everyone¡¯s gaze was onto them as they stepped down. Brendel did not seem to think that those gazes were directed at him, but in reality, he was correct. The people were looking at Dilferi, amazed by her age. And also at her robe, with the three silver linings that proved her identity as the new sessor of the Yanbao family.

    But amongst everyone, there was at least one who was looking at Brendel.

    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Devard who had been silent all along suddenly roared, his voice was so loud it seemed to make people feel like he was using some sort of skill. It reverberated across the hall, and it seems like the floorboards were shaking in response to his rage.

    Everyone jumped in shock.

    Dilferi was no exception. She had expected Brendel to cause some trouble here, but she did not think that just as they reached. The trouble would have begun. <i>It seems like the promise is broken,</i> she looked at Brendel with a curious look.

    Feeling her gaze on himself, Brendel felt a little embarrassed. He shifted his shoulders, <i>Ahh, shit. I didn¡¯t expect him to be here.</i>

 Chapter 506 - v3c285 - Exposed?

    <h4>Exposed?</h4>

    Brendel looked up, and gave a charming smile. Even the harshest Bishop would not even see any problems with that ¡®noble¡¯s smile¡¯. It seemed to be the most urate depiction of how a noble should act.

    This was his response to Devard¡¯s fury. He was not scared that Devard or even Arreck would trouble him here. He beat the person formally, and there were at least three witnesses who saw his victory, including Marquis Yoakam. It was already very kind of him to spare the swordsman¡¯s life.

    And the people who were here were obviously not fools. The crowd instantly reacted, ¡°It¡¯s him! He¡¯s the one who chopped off Devard¡¯s arm!¡±

    ¡°That young? How can that be?¡±

    ¡°Dear Marsha! I had heard some time ago that Devard is an Elemental Awakener, but this young boy actually defeated him!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, wouldn¡¯t it? He¡¯s barely twenty...¡±

    The people started to discuss, and the winds of rumors seem to spread amongst the masses. Arreck raised his eyebrows, and leaked an air of displeasure. On the other hand, Duke Seifer was smiling mockingly.

    Devard was so moody he seemed like a lead te. He hadpletely lost all sense of himself just as he saw the person who defeated him. Just because of the defeat, he had be the joke amongst the nobles, and Duke Arreck would definitely hate that.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I even heard that the Archbishop personally blessed him!¡± Devard bellowed once more as he gripped onto his sword hilt. It was more impactful than the first roar, and the crowd became a silent city once again.

    <i>The Archbishop blessed him personally?! Just how much of an achievement is that? The people who were blessed thest time were already dead, but to think that there¡¯s actually one here...</i> Count Cordo thought. Thest time the Archbishop broke the rule of the Holy Cathedral, but for what is he doing it this time?

    ¡°Blessing... Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s a Pdin,¡± someone shouted aloud.

    Brendel was slightly stunned. He did not dream that the conversation would lead to this development. There were two requirements to be a Pdin: one is to have heavily contributed to the Holy Cathedral, and the other is to be an Elemental Awakener, or to have the ability of one in the least. But Brendel was a Holy Knight and not a Pdin. Although they were simr in terms of names, they were vastly different ranks.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. If he didn¡¯t have the power of a Pdin, how could he defeat Devard?¡±

    ¡°That must be the case.¡±

    That ridiculous assumption seemed to be epted by the masses, and it just spread like a horse out of reins. Even Dilferi was shocked, and looked at him with awe, ¡°Yo-you-you are the mysterious swordsman who defeated Devard in one move?¡±

    <i>Hold on, one move?</i>

    <i>Just where did this preposterous rumor originate from?</i> Brendel witnessed the power of rumors for the first time. The news of him defeating Devard had slowly transformed into one where he managed to pin Devard onto the Cathedral walls in one strike. It was always human nature to exaggerate news, but never did Brendel expect himself to be the main character of the small talks.

    He immediately nced at Dilferi to notify her that his facade might be thrown off. As of now, the people who had their eyes on him were intelligent people. Especially those few clergymen who would definitely be able to see through his disguise easily.

    ¡°What now?¡± Dilferi said with a panicking voice.

    ¡°We should just continue with the y. Just say that I¡¯m your family servant,¡± Brendel whispered.

    ¡°My family would definitely not able to nurture such a powerful servant like you,¡± Dilferi scowled.

    Brendel was crying on the inside as he heard herment. <i>I say mydy, can¡¯t you just tell them that I cultivated by myself and won¡¯t you be free?</i> But he remained silent and just smiled. They walked forward, one in front of the other and seemed to attract the attention of many. Behind them was Niya, Lonin and then a disguised Ciel. They were all Gold rankers, and discussion of Yanbao¡¯s power brew up another discussion amongst the masses.

    But this time, the discussion was on whether or not it would be good news for such a powerful and mysterious family to join the fray-

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to be Yanbao¡¯s men,¡± Marquis Yoakam was deep in thought as Dilferi and Brendel left his sight. <i>No wonder he was so hard to trace.</i> But he suddenly had another thought.

    The Yanbao family may seem like a secret to the other people, but as a member of the Royal family, he had some insights on the matter. Back when Aouine and Kirrluts were in war, King Erik led his men to fight a battle thatsted countless decades. And then the Holy Cathedral of Wind and the Holy Cathedral of Fire came into the picture, turning it into a gargantuan war neither side had ever seen. The oue was unexpected as well, but it was remembered well by generations toe. Upon an agreement with the two Holy Cathedrals, Yanbao had be a neutral zone for both the Kirrlutz and Aouine people.

    And the pact? It was sealed up.

    The Yanbao family were not Aouine people and neither were they Kirrlutz people. They were the mediators for the agreement. As to why that¡¯s the case, not even Marquis Yoakam knew. But that did not stop him from guessing. He quickly remembered that Wood was somewhat rted to Brendel, and came up with a misconception.

    However, he did not think that he was wrong and seriously thought that he had linked all the dots together.

    And then, he suddenly thought of another person and smiled. He knocked the railings, and ordered his servant, ¡°Let¡¯s go meet his Count.¡±

    ¡°My Lord?¡±

    ¡°I clearly remember his subordinates calling him to be their Lord back then. If I¡¯m not wrong, he¡¯s the true sessor of the Yanbao family.¡±

    He gave an evil grin and said, ¡°He would definitely not expect to see me here. I just wanna know how he¡¯ll look like when he sees me.¡±

    Although Marquis Yoakam did not have a good reputation inside the noble¡¯s circles, but he did reveal his true self in front of his servants. Just to see Brendel¡¯s look, he dared to confront that powerful and mysterious family, just how motivated is he?¡±

    But Marquis Yoakam would be disappointed. Brendel was not any shocked to see him. It was like the young boy had expected the marquis toe up to him personally. Before the marquis, Brendel stuck out his hand and said, ¡°No discord, there would be no concord, Marquis.¡±

    Thankfully, Marquis Yoakam was not the normal uneducated hooligan. As an heir of the Covardo family, he was armed with knowledge. But that did not stop him from hesitating beforeughing, ¡°Count Yanbao, you sure are educated.¡±

    Brendel replied with a stern tone, ¡°No, you made a mistake. This is my lord,¡± He pointed to Dilferi, who was slightly flushed when Brendel tugged her. She bit her bottom lip, <i>I will have to punish this bastard.</i> But after thinking it through, she sighed. She could not think of anything to shame this almighty Pdin.

    <i>No wonder he was not afraid of me exposing him back then. After all, he was part of the Holy Cathedral from the beginning,</i> Dilferi thought.

    Marquis Yoakam, on the other hand, did not anticipate the oue. Brendel could not have agreed to his words anyways, after all, he was not even part of the family in the first ce. Not changing his mind, Marquis Yoakam looked at Count Yanbao and smirked, ¡°It¡¯s my honor to meet you, Count Yanbao.¡± He was speaking as if he was two separate persons.

    But Dilferi was thinking about something else and could not even remember what she said. After the marquis left, other nobles began to walk up to them one by one. Of course, they were just here to greet her. But what surprised Brendel was that even Duke Arreck and Seifer came up, <i>Seems like this mysterious family sure is attention-seeking.</i>

    These two Dukes were the cream of the crop amongst the nobles. Normally they would not even bother to talk to the Counts. It was clear that they were interested in Brendel. And there was another person who was as well.

    Princess Gryphine.

    ¡°Dear Marsha,¡± Brendel¡¯s heart was beating so fast that he was nearly out of breath. The princess was once the pir of support for many yers back in the game, and that admiration even surpassed the respect they had for the war goddess. That was because she represented the beginning of the new Aouine. If not for her, the reformation in the Kingdom would not have been done. Although it was history to Brendel, he had engraved the memory to heart.

    In the game, Brendel had just seen the Princess in public asions. He was a yer and would always be a bystander. But he did not forget the waves of cheer they had for her. It could be said that everyone in Aouine back then, yers and NPC alike, bore the same feelings towards her.

    And Brendel was no exception.

    Brendel¡¯s goal this time is to meet the princess. But he did not expect an opportunity to arrive so quickly.

    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m not ready,¡± he wiped off the nonexistent sweat on his forehead.

    Princess Gryphine was already close to him.

    <strong>Freya¡¯s POV</strong>

    The manor had never felt so silent before, and Freya seemed to find something wrong with the atmosphere. She woke up and shook her head.

    ¡°You awake?¡± Maynild looked back. There was something about her that gave Freya some sort of warmth.

    ¡°Ahh...¡± Freya jerked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Maynild replied. ¡°Being too worried would lead to tiredness. You¡¯ll soon get used to it.¡±

    ¡°Well, even if you say that...¡± Freya gave a sad look and raised her eyebrows. With one hand, she tied up her hair into a bun, and then inspected her swords, ¡°I¡¯ll take note, senior.¡±

    Maynild nodded and looked over at the inside of the building.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Freya asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s that Count fromst night.¡±

    ¡°They came?¡± Freya looked at that direction curiously and widened her eyes.

    ¡°Ahh! Bren- Bren- Bren?!¡± She was mouthing his name and could not believe her eyes. She had countlessly dreamed of the face and even at that moment when she was looking at him, she was thinking that she was still stuck in her dreams.

    Maynild found the situation unusual, and nted her head to ask, ¡°You recognize them?¡±

    ¡°Ahh... No...¡± Freya was unsure about what to say. <i>That¡¯s too much! Everywhere he goes, he would cause trouble for me... Back in Be... or even during Fortress Riedon... and then now! How can I answer Sister Maynild? Should I tell her his real identity? But he does look like the person back in Count Yanbao¡¯s manor back then... Don¡¯t¡¯ tell me!</i>

    But before she coulde to her answer, Maynild had caught onto something.

    ¡°You can recognize those people? They¡¯re not from the Yanbao family?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Freya looked at Maynild. <i>I didn¡¯t even say anything.</i>

    The knight captain ignored her as she got her answer and pressed on her sword. She bent down and notified the others, ¡°There¡¯s some trouble with those people. Protect the princess.¡±

    <i>Ah! Wait!</i> Freya was now in a state of panic.

    <i>Why did thingse down to this?</i>

 Chapter 507 - v3c286 - Conflict

    <h4>v3c286</h4>

    <h4>Conflict</h4>

    Maynild and her knight pulled out their sword, and no one in the hall still realized yet. Princess Gryphine was in front of Dilferi then, and smiled at her. Thetter looked at the most beautiful princess in Aouine and nodded. She could feel the hint of loneliness and sadness behind those eyes. Gryphine and DIlferi¡¯s acknowledgment stirred another wave of whispers. House Yanbao and House Covardo were both ancient families, and since the birth of the Kingdom until now, it was normal for the heirs of both families to know each other.

    It was said that there was a secret connecting them both together, and Princess Gryphine¡¯s action seemed to have warranted that rumor today. It alerted the attention of many others, and only Marquis Yoakam was smiling by the side. He raised his ss full of wine, and said, ¡°Viruysatt.¡± [T/L: Eleven tongue for ¡°Now the show begins¡±]

    But then he heard the movement from the people outside the hall. After greeting Brendel, he stood alone by the window side, and was why he was the first person to hear their motions. He turned, only to see the Royal Cavalry¡¯s activity and his face paled.

    <strong>Brendel¡¯s POV</strong>

    Gryphine¡¯s gaze turned towards Brendel, ¡°Seems like House Yanbao will have a chance to reim its former glory once more. You¡¯re so lucky, Dilferi. But then again, are you a knight? Why is it that I¡¯ve never seen you before?¡± Her silver pupils contained a slight bit of admiration and regret, but her tone was mellow and filled with honest blessings.

    And everyone there knew why she would phrase it that way.

    It would have to take a genius to reach the Gold rank, and an extraordinary one at that to be an Elemental Awakener. The Elemental Awakeners could easily leverage the power of a faction, and House Covardo had always had the most number of Elemental Awakeners. But ever since the separation of the North and South, Princess Gryphine was sure that some of the Dukes may have more military power than her. If not for Buga the Cross, her state would be even worse off.

    But in the end Buga the Cross did not serve the throne, and she was clear of that fact. She looked at Brendel and felt jealous and sour, <i>Why can¡¯t the heavens look over House Covardo? Especially a dire time like now? I can sacrifice everything for this Kingdom and my brother, even my soul, and body, but why wouldn¡¯t the heavens help us out?</i>

    Dilferi just nodded, and spoke carefully, ¡°That was because thest time my father did not consider hiring a knight for me, so this is the first time you would have met him.¡±

    Brendel looked at Dilferi, <i>Wow, I didn¡¯t expect her to be so good at lying.</i>

    ¡°I see,¡± Gryphine seems to have realized something and looked at Brendel, ¡°I don¡¯t know why... Although I¡¯ve never seen you before, but you give off a familiar feeling... Truly fascinating.¡±

    Brendel could feel tow sharp gazes on himself, and his body tightened. But soon he realized it was Makarov and Grandmaster Fleetwood who had probably figured him out.

    He did not panic, and just rxed. He did note with a disguise today, and the reason to that is that he hopes the two old geezers would help him create an opportunity to meet up with Princess Gryphine.

    Brendel knew that, no matter it was House Seifer or House Covardo, they would not let go of the whereabouts of the Lionheart Sword. The two of them were back when he activated the artifact, and he was sure, with Fleetwood¡¯s wisdom, he would easily determine that it was rted to the Lionheart Sword. Back when the envoy group had appeared in the Emerald Tower, Oberg the Seventh seems to have some idea. And being his beloved daughter, Brendel did not believe that she would not catch onto his goals.

    And the person involved in the incident is here before them, so he was sure the Royal Faction would definitely make a move.

    But Brendel did not know that the Lionheart Sword is currently in possession of Freya, or else he would not havee up with that idea. It was just that the news of the Lionheart Sword was sealed tightly even among the Royal Faction, plus not many people knew about it in the first ce. That was why Freya¡¯s sword did not attract much attention back in the Knight Convention, and it also exined why Brendel was not informed about the sword itself.

    At her question, Brendel had no intention of answering. He was supposed to be a servant of House Yanbao, so he should not have the qualifications to answer it. He looked at Dilferi, who felt slightly ufortable, ¡°Your Highness...¡±

    Gryphine interjected, ¡°Dilferi, are you worried that I would dig too deep into this?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡±

    But she thought otherwise in her mind. It can be said that the rtionship between House Covardo and House Yanbao was one of the Kingdom¡¯s biggest secrets and it should not be exposed. She had known Gryphine since young, and she clearly understood the princess¡¯spetitive behavior. It was just that Brendel was her ¡®servant¡¯ and that fake identity made her worry.

    At that moment, a silhouette appeared in front of the princess. Brendel could see that he was wearing ck formal attire, and his face oblong. His gaze was sharp, and he must have quite the ability to sneak in here. But he found the man to be fairly familiar, so he could not help but take another look. Oberwei noticed that and turned only to be shocked.

    Brendel did not recognize the stealthy man, but thetter did know him.

    He was the Wolf Baron that Brendel met back in Fortress Riedon. He had told Gryphine of Brendel¡¯s prowess once, but he still could not believe that he would see the man here in this meeting.

    ¡®Why is this bastard here?¡± He still thought that Brendel was a Hignd Knight, and did not think that the person would attend an event meant for the nobles.

    ¡°Oberwei, what is happening?¡± Gryphine noticed his change inplexion and asked.

    The Wolf Baron looked at Brendel with a stare that made Brendel shiver. A wolf would never leave its prey unhunted.

    Brendel did not remember where he saw this person, but since the other person knew him, he continued to scratch his head to find the answer. However, Oberwei was already talking to Princess Gryphine.

    ¡°There¡¯s a situation outside, please ask everyone to take cover,¡± Oberwei¡¯s voice was not loud, but unexpectedly, the chatterings had died down with his sentence.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gryphine¡¯s perfectly shaped eyebrows arched up. <i>This is the territory of the Holy Cathedral. If anything were to happen, it would definitely be serious.</i>

    ¡°There are unorthodox cultists outside,¡± he replied.

    <i>Unorthodox Cultists?</i>

    The entire ce became a rowdy market once more. Besides the five biggest Holy Cathedrals, there were other cults and small religious parties that were active in other countries. But the only unorthodox cultist people would acknowledge are the Evil Cultists that were followers of the Twilight and Darkness Dragons.

    It was unclear how they could appear in the center of a Holy Cathedral¡¯s jurisdiction, but as they were known to be mad heretics, most of the people here began to scream in fear. No one wanted to be affiliated with them nor do they want to die at the ce with them either.

    Even Princess Gryphine and Brendel was shocked. <i>Why would they be here? </i>the princess thought. But Brendel was shocked for another reason.

    <i>This never happened back in the game, so why is it happening now?</i>

    ¡°Just what exactly is happening now?¡± Gryphine saw the priests of the Holy Cathedral began to move and maintain public order. The few of them were stuck in the middle of the crowd and could not see the things happening outside the building.

    But even the Wolf Baron shook his head.

    In reality, even Maynild who was the first to realize the presence of the Evil Cultist did not know what is happening. She deduced from Freya¡¯s words that Brendel and his men were threats to the princess, but she did not expect that just after she dispatched her men, the entire ce would fall into chaos.

    The sudden appearance of the Evil Cultists appeared suddenly, some of them disguised as the followers of some nobles, and some were even guards of the manor. Once they saw Maynild and her men pull out their swords, so did they pull out theirs and began to hack at the Royal Cavalry men and into the building. As the people managing this ce did not expect the Cultist to have infiltrated their ranks, it was a one sided massacre.

    Everyone was stunned at the scene, and the onlyposed person was Maynild amidst the confusion. Thinking that Brendel is the main culprit of this incident, she calmly ordered her men, ¡°Don¡¯t bother yourselves with these men, their targets are the nobles inside. All of you, follow me! Charge!¡±

    At the end of her speech, she punctured a hole into an Evil Cultist¡¯s heart. She immediately retracted her sword and it was so fast there was not even a hint of blood on it. Obviously, no one could see her actions.

    The people on the noble¡¯s side were not few. They were just in a state of shock, but upon listening to Maynild¡¯s cold and hardened order, they immediately reacted to it and began to kill their enemies. But they did not do it just on the orders of Maynild. Each of the nobles that attended this meeting was of superb background, their lives were not something servants like these bodyguards could afford to lose.

    The number of Evil Cultists were small to begin with, and with the gradual increase in guards on the nobles¡¯ side, they managed to get a foothold in the situation and formed a long defensive line that separated the Cultists from the nobles. But that did not make the guards happy. These heretics were willing to fight like a maniac, disregarding their lives. Thinking that there was not a single one of them that actually fled the scene, everyone¡¯s mood fell.

    The Holy Cathedral was a powerful force to reckon with, and that was why the nobles left most of their guards outside the building and decided to trust the security of the organizer. But now that such an incident happened, everyone was dissing the Holy Cathedral for not being thorough.

    <strong>Maynild¡¯s POV</strong>

    Maynild was stressed. Although Fleetwood was next to the princess, a Wizard would definitely be weaker than a Warrior, especially one that was a Gold ranker or worse, an Elemental Awakener. Within close proximity, there was almost no way he could have prevented Brendel if the youth decided to assault the princess.

    Maynild pressed on her sword so hard her fingers were turning white. She was just waiting for an opportunity to arise and then she would have jumped in to rescue the princess.

    The ck haired knight anxiously looked left and right just to see Freya in a daze next to her.

    ¡°Freya!¡± she screamed like she found a ce to release her anger now. She was one of the few amongst the Royal Faction who knew Freya¡¯s identity. The previous wielder of the ¡®Staff of mes¡¯, Everton was the pride of the Royal Family. It was said that if the sword did not exist, so will not the Royal Family. And looking at the clumsiness of the sole descendant of Everton, Maynild was having mixed feelings about her.

    There were aspects of Freya that she did not like. Although she respects Freya for her dedication, thetter was always stuttering and did not have the air of a leader. <i>How can this person bear the pride of ¡®Staff of mes¡¯? And then there¡¯s also that dream...</i>

    Maynild shook her head to throw away her random thought, and looked at Freya sternly, who managed to collect herself and respond.

    ¡°If you were to fall into a daze like that on the battlefield, you¡¯ll most likely die in the future,¡± she scolded coldly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, senior Maynild,¡± Freya swiftly added. ¡°I was being interrupted with other matters...¡±

    ¡°Your exnation better be usible.¡±

    ¡°Arreck¡¯s guards,¡± Freya looked at the carriage by the side and whispered. ¡°Senior Maynild, although we should be in an offensive position... but the guards are located to the side of the carriages. That¡¯s a defensive position. I remember we learned it as the basics of infantry cement. These people were from the military, so shouldn¡¯t they know that as well?¡±

    Maynild¡¯s eyes glowed and surveyed the ce. <i>A ce under the protection of the Holy Cathedral should not have that many Evil Cultists appearing... There must be someone on our side that is helping them out. It is not an easy feat to swap that many noble¡¯s bodyguards for their members... This smells fishy.</i>

    ¡°Look out for them,¡± Maynild said coldly. But she was feeling uneasy, <i>Her Majesty is going to have a parley with Duke Arreck... So what does this action mean? Is this a plot he cooked up?</i>

    At the same time, Freya breathed out in relief. This young girl from Be was currently ted.

    <i>I knew it, Brendel would definitely not harm Princess Gryphine Her Majesty.</i>

 Chapter 508 - v3c287 - The Princess and the Knight

    <h4>v3c287</h4>

    <h4>The Princess and the Knight</h4>

    The ss window shattered, scattering in the air like butterflies. The Evil Cultists swamped the room. Some of them were wearing monks¡¯ habits while others sported uniforms of the nobles¡¯ soldiers. However, one could tell their allegiance by the stony unmoving expression on their faces and the des in their hands that gleamed with a frosty light. Two hundred years ago, the nobles of Aouine who often followed King Erik into battle would have had no problem dealing with these cultists; however most of them now only cared for drinking and enjoying the pleasures of life, against the forces of the Evil Cultists they could only cower in a corner, screaming and stumbling in panic.

    Amongst the nobles, only one person stood firm. The princess was unmoving, like a boulder against the tides. The nobles remembered how fearsome the members of the Royal Family were, and they slowly backed away from Princess Gryphine. Arreck and the other Dukes were also in a pinch, but that was precisely why they were on full alert. The Cultists were like tigers going through a herd of sheep, waving their swords around, leaving a trail of bodies and blood as screams of pain filled the room.

    The half-elf wore an expressionless mask, but her heart was burning with fury. <i>How dare these inhumane creatures to harm my father¡¯s subjects!</i> She was furious at the Holy Cathedral for not doing anything. She held the arm of the wolf knight beside her. ¡°Baron Oberwei.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, I know what your wish is, but please hold your order and get to safety immediately. This area is under the jurisdiction of the Holy Cathedral, you need not interfere.¡±

    ¡°The people of the kingdom are being killed right now. Since when Aouine listen to outsiders from Kirrlutz like you?¡± Princess Gryphine replied angrily. At that moment, her aura was like a sword unsheathed, freezing Makarov in ce just as he was about to speak. The sly fox paused, thinking that the princess truly lived up to her reputation, and he was nearly fooled by her regal appearance.

    ¡°Baron Oberwei, make way!¡± Gryphine¡¯s expression moved not once. She took a de from one of her guard¡¯s hands, her movements graceful and precise.

    The nobles immediately moved out of the way, revealing the horde of Evil Cultists. Makarov could not suppress his yelp. He had just realized that most of the cultists were already at peak Silver Rank, with some of them already in Gold Rank.

    However, retreating now was not a realistic option. Thus, the sly fox yelled out, ¡°Oberwei, get the princess out of here, we¡¯ll handle this ce!¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, the shadow of a broadsword blotted his eyes.

    ¡°Oh, where did you get that de from?¡± Everyone was shocked when they saw Brendel pull out a sword from under his cape. No one was allowed to bring weapons, so Fleetwood, Oberwei, Makarov and the others were unarmed. Yet, this person was able to pull out this massive weapon from nowhere, causing the nobles to wonder if the guards of the Holy Cathedral were even doing their job at all.

    What they did not know was that Brendel possessed the Dimension Space that he had inherited from Amman. With such an artifact, he could even fit a gigantic crossbow into it, needless to say, the Halran Gaia would have fitted into it.

    Brendel paid them no attention, and rightfully so as he felt a presence in the air before him. He stepped in front of the princess and swung his sword. Everyone else was confused at his actions until they heard his sword strike steel. The air distorted and the assassin appeared, wearing grey clothes and wielding a sword.

    The assassin was also shocked, surprised that he had been exposed.

    ¡°Invisibility magic!¡± Makarov¡¯s eyes widened.

    Fleetwood remained silent. He could tell that it was no magic, but it was some other power at work. As a person who had stepped into the realm of Elemental Awakening, he had a plethora of detection magic, a simple invisibility spell would not be able to hide from his eyes. Somehow, the assassin that had managed to elude his detection was exposed by Brendel. <i>How did this person manage to do so?</i> Fleetwood eyed Brendel, a deep sense of distrust welling up in his heart.

    Brendel had actually encountered these assassins before. What bothered him was that the assassin was a member of the Assassins of the Cross, who were not affiliated with the Evil Cultists in any way. Rather, they were special soldiers produced by another duchy in Kirrlutz. <i>They¡¯re probably sent by the Holy Cathedral of Fire.</i>

    As his mind worked, Brendel did not let his hands rest either. After parrying the assassin¡¯s de, he immediately followed up with a downward sh. This style of swordy deviated greatly from the norm. The assassin¡¯s mistake was not realizing Brendel¡¯s ability. The assassin failed to raise his de in time and was cut in half by a stroke of Brendel¡¯s sword.

    Blood and guts sttered everywhere, and the Evil Cultists dropped their swords in fear. Oberwei stared at Brendel with awe, while Makarov and Fleetwood sucked in a rattling breath. They had more or less been exposed to the fighting style of the rebels thanks to Maynild and Freya, but it was the first time they saw such an honest style of swordsmanship.

    ¡°You¡¯re Brendel, Brendel of Trentheim aren¡¯t you?!¡± The insightful princess already had her suspicions when she saw the Halran Gaia, now that she had seen his swordsmanship, she had no doubt that he was Brendel.

    A startled Brendel turned around to look at the future ruler of Aouine. Gryphine¡¯s soft features held a glimmer of hope, when he thought of her future, his heart softened and nodded his head. The half-elf was silent for a while. The knight on her letters had once joked abouting to Ampere Seale just to protect her. At first, she thought it was just a joke, never could she have imagined that her unknown knight would have actuallye.

    ¡°You¡¯re here.. You¡¯re actually here...¡±

    ¡°Of course I am. I take my word seriously.¡± Brendel replied as he turned to face the approaching cultists.

    ¡°Did youe for me?¡± Gryphine asked softly. It was nothing to be ashamed of. The knight riding into battle for the sake of a beautiful princess, such went the romantic tale. This plot was well-known throughout the world in fairytales, furthermore, Gryphine was confident of her appearance. However, Makarov and Fleetwood frowned.

    ¡°Perhaps there is such a reason.¡± Brendel hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell the truth. ¡°But this time, I came for Aouine.¡±

    ¡°For Aouine?¡± confusion was evident on the princess¡¯s face.

    ¡°I do not believe that anyone else can raise the g of King Erik once more,¡± Brendel replied while raising his sword. ¡°The g represents glory, how can I let the hands of the filthy and corrupted taint it?¡±

    The half-elf let out a small smile and nodded her head, her eyes gleaming with hope.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talkter.¡± Brendel looked towards the approaching Evil Cultists with a serious gaze. At that moment, Brendel realized what was happening. There were much lesser cultists attacking Arreck and Seiferpared to the ones who wereing straight for him. Brendel sneered internally. If he were not present, then the princess might have been in real danger.

    In this situation, the court mages were no better than foot soldiers without their preparations, and Makarov and Fleetwood were no match for these ¡®assassins¡¯ while unarmed. Brendel concluded that the enemy must have predicted that the princess would stay behind and nned to strike at that moment. This was not the work of Evil Cultists, this was a coup d¡¯etat that had been nned. The gears in Brendel¡¯s head started turning, trying to figure who was the mastermind. He even started to suspect Archbishop Wood.

    ording to Brendel¡¯s knowledge of history, such an event had never happened during the meeting in Ampere Seale. History had been altered, and Brendel had absolutely no idea why. However, he kept his calm demeanor. The cultists thought that victory was their because they had the numbers, what they did not know was that Brendel excelled at dealing withrge groups of enemies. He looked at Duke Arreck and Duke Seifer from the corner of his eyes. Even though he did not know the full truth of this matter, he knew that the two dukes must have been behind this n among others. He let out a grin. <i>If that¡¯s how you want to y, then I¡¯ll dly reciprocate.</i>

    At that moment, there were already eight cultists who were of Gold Rank, which was very impressive in Aouine. It was equivalent to half the total strength of all the candidates to the throne. No one believed that they could win, including Brendel and Oberwei, after all there were only three Gold Rankers on the princess¡¯s side.

    ¡°Brendel, can you buy me some time? I can summon the... the thing from that night,¡± Dilferi grabbed Brendel¡¯s sleeve and whispered.

    Brendel felt a wave of sympathy as he looked at Dilferi¡¯s paleplexion. ¡°If you summon that thing, the Holy Cathedral wille looking for you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I still can summon other beings,¡± replied Dilferi. ¡°If I don¡¯t summon them now, we will all die here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too bad I don¡¯t have my staff.¡± Fleetwood couldn¡¯t suppress the frustration in his voice. ¡°If I had it, dealing with these people would be no problem at all. But since this is our situation, if you can buy this old man a few minutes, I can get rid of them easily.¡± The old man silently cursed the Holy Cathedral of Fire. If it weren¡¯t for the oath the Holy Cathedral forced him to take, he would only need minimal preparation even if he did not have his staff.

    ¡°Even a few minutes is impossible,¡± Makarov shook his head. ¡°However, we might stand a chance if we had weapons.¡± He gave Brendel a look. Just as Brendel thought that the sly old fox was going to sell him out, he merely sighed and changed the topic. ¡°Brendel, how is Scarlet?¡±

    Brendel was taken aback for a moment. ¡°She¡¯s doing well. She¡¯s also here in the city this time.¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have brought her here,¡± Makarov shook his head. ¡°Ah well, I¡¯m in no position to preach to others. We may have only met once, but please help the princess this time. Get the princess and countess out of here, and you can leave this ce to me.¡±

    Brendel was momentarily stunned before he realized the old man¡¯s n. Makarov must have realized his talent. Brendel had a good rtionship with the Royal Family, furthermore he was a genius who had already attained Gold Rank before the age of 20. The sly fox knew that Brendel still had the potential to grow and that he would be a great ally to the princess, so he was willing to sacrifice himself to help Brendel escape. Brendel had the feeling that if he weren¡¯t a prodigy, Makarov would not hesitate in sacrificing him.

    Even so, the old fox¡¯s actions moved him. Brendel felt that anyone who had perseverance was worthy of his respect. The members of the Royal Faction did not have any cowards. Brendel felt a wave of nostalgia, bringing him back to when he was fighting with his friends for the sake of Aouine.

    Brendel felt his blood start to boil. He smiled, ¡°There is no need to do so, Mr Fox.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Makarov was stunned. He turned around just in time to see Brendel open two doors of light.

    ¡°Andrea, Morpheus, kill them!¡±

    Brendel brandished his Halran Gaia, and Elemental Energy manifested in the form of invisible waves in the air. Everyone else gasped in surprise. Reaching Gold Rank was apletely different matter from oveing the barrier of bing an Elemental Awakener. Only the most talented people could be one, while the others were stuck at the peak of Gold Rank, not being able to understand the core to be one. Brendel was obviously part of the former

    From the doors of light walked out two silver silhouettes, and the tables of the battlefield were turned.

 Chapter 509 - v3c288 - Nine Luminaries Sword Art

    <h4>v3c288</h4>

    <h4>Nine Luminaries Sword Art</h4>

    Caike maneuvered through the remains of the windows, and following him were seven other men who walked past the ss riddled floor of the hall, pulling out their swords at the same time. The entire ce was currently a mess: the blood from the bodies could form streams of crimson, and everywhere you look, there would be Evil Cultists. However, there were a few bodyguards who managed to keep their footings, especially Princess Gryphine and her men. Brendel was wielding hisrge sword as well, bashing away at enemies whenever they came too close.

    Caike¡¯s eyes locked onto that young man. He squinted his remaining eye, and his face twitched. He had long made a name for himself as a mercenary that instilled fear amongst people. His other sevenrades were the same, no matter if it was strength or background, they could potentially be anyone¡¯s worst fears.

    Caike looked back at them, and they all nodded silently. Since they were here already, there was only one path forward. That is victory. Defeat is intolerable.

    The eight Gold-ranked warriors stepped forward, and everyone was stunned at their arrival. The bodyguards next to the nobles palpitated. Although it can be said that each powerhouse in Aouine would have at least twenty Gold rankers, they fought solo and rarely as a group as the region these people would have to protect wererge and required a lot of manpower.

    Precisely at this moment, Gryphine seemed to have realized something. She turned back to see a smiling Duke Seifer ordering his men to stand down, while Duke Arreck was expressionless as he ced his hand habitually on his sword.

    The other nobles were scared shitless. Baron Balta was slightly nervous, and when he locked gazes with Princess Gryphine, he looked away. Princess Gryphine thought, <i>Duke Viero, Duke Karsuk, Count Cordo, Count Vitokin are not here. Don¡¯t tell me...</i>

    She gritted her teeth and lowered her head.

    When she looked up, she could only see two clergymen from the Holy Cathedral. <i>Seems like they did not send any of their powerhouses this time.</i>

    Caike twitched his eyebrows. <i>There¡¯s no time to lose now.</i> Bloodthirst shed in his eyes, and he pointed at Fleetwood, ¡°That old man is a Wizard, don¡¯t let himplete his preparations.¡± His men nodded and rushed to attack the people of the Royal Faction. This time, the nobles seem to realize that the target of these evildoers was Princess Gryphine, and they did not care about the Royal family¡¯s influence as they just moved aside.

    The pride of the Royal Faction seemed to be meeting its end at that moment, and the color of Aouine¡¯s g gradually losing its shade.

    The eight mercenaries moved into an offensive stance, and the entire mood changed, and everyone¡¯s faces fell.

    The princess did not say anything, neither did she move backward. She just looked at the entire thing that was going to happen fearlessly, and there was this innate power that seemed to radiate from within her, giving the people around her strength.

    All of a sudden, the pride of Aouine¡¯s g seemed to gain a sliver of hope.

    Brendel felt it, and breathed out in relief. <i>That¡¯s the power of her belief in Aouine, to the Kingdom and the people in it. It seems like we¡¯re at the step where ites into y once more.</i>

    Like it was back in the game, they were at the point of no return.

    Brendel raised his sword above his head.

    ¡°Haha! The genius!¡± Caike¡¯s eyes lit up. He noticed how Brendel was about to ovee the barrier of bing an Elemental Awakener. <i>That genius... I really like to hunt arrogant people like this!</i>

    Heughed. Although Brendel may be strong, he was still slightly weaker than him. Plus he believed he had thebat experience Brendel did not, so he thought that the boy was no match for him.

    <i>Geniuses take time to nurture. Unfortunately, this young boy will not have that sort of time!</i>

    He licked his lips, as if he had already tasted the fresh and tasty blood of victory he had been craving for. That same taste flowed down his throat, the blissful feeling excited every hair on his skin, causing him to tremble feverishly. That excitement was also the reason why he could execute every attack wlessly.

    He struck down.

    It was a perfect attack. One that not even the greatest swordsmen could find a w in it.

    Princess Gryphine saw the de and paled. She was a famous swordsman of the Royal Family, but she had not seen a real fight on the battlefield. It was then she realized just how naive she was. She may have had a perfect mastery of her swordsmanship, but she was enlightened about the fact that she had to gain experience to actually master the art ofbat that her master told her about.

    And that moment was here. The opportunity for her to break free of her protected shell she was living in.

    Gryphine¡¯s lips moved, but no words came out. It was her distrust in Brendel.

    ¡°Look out, Brendel!¡± it was Count Yanbao. Princess Gryphine turned to look at her ex-roomie and felt a little sad. As royalty, she did not have the freedom to do as she wanted.

    It can be said that it was her responsibility.

    Caike¡¯s sword was already in front of Brendel¡¯s eyes, its shining sh emanated a cold air of death.

    But Brendel was still unfazed. He just raised his sword, and put out the textbook sword stance.

    <i>So dull¨C?!</i>

    The sound of swords shing reverberated in the ears of everyone there. But everyone had the same thought. After all, they were seeing the same thing-

    That Brendel was using the most basic style in Aouine¡¯s Military Swordsmanship.

    Halran Gaia was ced horizontally, forming the first move every soldier was trained to protect their lives with. Precisely because it was the most basic move, everyone thought that it was a bad idea to execute that move. There were some people who even thought that it was not worth receiving the attack! But to the others who knew slightly about swordy, they would think that using that move would spell their deaths.

    And it did not end there.

    Stunned, an alert shed across Caike¡¯s mind. There was a reason these people were known as geniuses. Caike knew that for a fact and was never careless. He did learn that lesson after losing his eye after all. Seeing Brendel rush at him with his crude attack made him anxiously wanting to move back.

    But he was toote.

    An arc formed across his throat, and then blood burst out of the line, spraying out like a geyser shooting out wine. Halran Gaia broke his spinal cord, its momentum causing his head to spin and letting everyone see the unwillingness in his eyes that was probably thest thought in his life.

    ¡°That fast?!¡±

    There were two Brendels in the hall. And one of them disappeared soon after Caike¡¯s death.

    The remaining one raised his sword. The ck sheen of the de, the color of obsidian reflected the light at its tip. The entire hall was silent once again, as if the world became silent. It was all like a dream that just ended, and then the whispers begun once more.

    Devard widened his eyes. He could never forget that swordsmanship that took away his arm.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°What was that swordsmanship?¡±

    Brendel sheathed his sword and looked back. Not a soul dared look at him in the eye. Nine Luminaries Sword Art, one of the three greatest sword arts in Vaunte, revived in the human realm after thousands of years of being lost. Just one look of it was able to remember its greatness.

    <i>Seven more people. This type of scene where Gold rankers die was supposed to only happen in the great war that happened tens of years ago, and the ones centuries or even thousands of years ago. Each one of it shook people¡¯s mental state, the terrible bloodthirst of the Gold rankers directly attacked the hearts of people after all.</i>

    It was fear.

    The seven Gold rankers felt a chill down their spine. It was a feeling they had long forgotten. In their eyes, Brendel was like an ancient wild beast that opened its wide jaws of death. With their years of experience, they raised their swords and rushed forward, ¡°Kill him!¡±

    There were no more bystanders in the hall. They had understood that this was a fight between life and death. Victory and defeat both sides of the same coin.

    No matter how strong one side was, the oue of each fight was never predictable. Three of the people went beside him, two on both of his sides, forming a circle with him in the center. Brendel could not see the person behind him, and Dilferi, who was surprisingly nervous for her captor, shouted, ¡°Look out for your backside!¡±

    But Brendel did not care. After all, he did note to fight alone.

    A light gate opened.

    A slender pale hand grabbed at the sword de, and the sword of the random Gold ranker began to shriek like a wailing person.

    Morpheus¡¯s eyes lit up with blinking lights. He was hyped to fight. ¡°You can¡¯t be rude towards My Lord,¡± he scolded. His usual meek side was gone, and in its ce a hungry beast out for blood.

    The assassin¡¯s face paled as he looked at the scrap metal that was once his sword.

    <i>What Strength...</i>

    On the other side, Andrea did not say a word as she battled. She immediately pulled out her swords when she appeared. Blood spilled and corpses began to fall onto the ground. She pped her hand, and like a rainbow ard, the blood droplets coagted to form a de on both her hands. From the pool of blood, two pairs of wings emerged, and with a roar, two blood dragons emerged from it.

    They looked down with their mighty head, at the three insects before them ¨C the three assassins.

    ¡°Dang!¡±

    Brendel knocked away an assassin¡¯s sword to see that sight. <i>I do pity the enemies that are fighting Andrea. She¡¯s a masterer in blood arts. In this ce where blood could form streams, this would be her best fighting stage. I doubt I could even beat her here, and not to mention those three people. Count of it as punishment for invading this ce I guess?</i>

    But he still turned around, ¡°What are you guys doing? Do you really think I can fight seven of them myself?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    Oberwei, Makarov, and Niya came to their senses. They were overwhelmed by Brendel¡¯s ¡®performance¡¯ just now and for a second forgot that they were on a battlefield. With the addition of five Gold rankers, plus Brendel himself, the entire situation changed.

    Morpheus quickly finished off his opponent. He was fighting a Strength type Swordsman, but unfortunately, his Strength stat was still lower than the Vampire. There would be no chance in ten thousand that he could have beaten Morpheus. After analyzing his opponent¡¯s pattern, he got close and jabbed- right into his heart.

    Brendel moved out of the scene. He had initially wanted to prolong the fight with Caike just now to see their background. However, he did not get that opportunity as he one-shotted the poor man with his Nine Luminaries Sword Art.

    The easiest battle was won by Andrea. She did not need to fight in the first ce. Her dragons that were formed from the essence of tens of people, including several Silver rankers, easily suppress the two assassins. And after casting some ck Witchcraft on them, they met their painful end.

    Among the remaining three people, the Wolf Baron was the fastest at ending his battle. Oberwei was a true Swordsman. Although his opponent was weakerpared to the other assassins, his wless swordsmanship showed just how worthy he was to be called a lone wolf. Its speed, uracy, cruelty was on point. That exined why his opponents always met a painful, bloody end whenever he fought with a sword.

    After his fight ended, Niya and Makarov¡¯s battled marked their end as well. Brendel was surprised that Niya was a Holy Knight like him as well when he saw just how good of a Warrior she was. Heavily armored, she used ¡®Colliding Halo¡¯ to restrict her opponent. When Morpheus came to help her out, the opponent could only admit defeat.

    <i>I can see why she was chosen to be the guard of Count Yanbao. She is the strongest meat shield they have after all,</i> Brendel thought.

    Amongst them, Makarov was the weakest. While he may be skillful, he was a strategist and was not good atbat. He even came close to taking damage at a point. Brendel had sprung to his rescue, locking his enemy and preventing from attacking. It was then the assassin realized just how deep of a shithole he was in when he saw hisrades fallen to the ground. He cursed silently and attempted to retreat.

    It was then Makarov yelled, ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere!¡±

    Ripples appeared in the air, and the assassin was stuck in his ce. It was now that the strengths of a Wizard could be fully utilized against a warrior. Although he may be of a lower rank, once a Wizardpletes his spell, the enemy was bound to face death.

    A fight between a Wizard and Warrior was fundamentally different from one between two Warriors. Those battles were never of attrition and would usually end in the blink of an eye.

    It was not the first time Brendel cooperated with a Wizard, and he perfectly coordinated with a leap that prated his enemy¡¯s heart.

    Brendelnded on his feet. When he got up, he was looking at Arreck who was not far away.

    The Duke shifted in hesitation, and widened his normally squinted eyes, revealing a cold hard re.

 Chapter 510 - v3c289 The Passage of Time

    <h4>v3c289</h4>

    <h4>The Passage of Time</h4>

    Rokshbe Hall¡¯s long corridor was clear like a piece of mirror, and from time to time, there would be a priest in red walking by, their footsteps clicking as they move. Brendel was sitting on a long bench inside, fiddling with the menu sheepishly under the moon. Sometimes, a system window would open up beside him as he checked the time.

    It had been three hours since the incident in the afternoon.

    The massacre in Acacia manor had shaken the Holy Cathedral, and they had started investigations, but it was predicted that results would not be produced in a short period of time. But besides that, Brendel realized that, after he had cut down two Gold rankers and several Silver rankers, he managed to raise one level. And now his Holy Knight ss had reached level 16. As the ss was an Ascended ss, it needed more experience to level up, and that to level up to level 16, it would require as much experience as a normal Warrior leveling up to level 25.

    But for every level up for an Ascended ss, the stats would have a greater increase whenpared to the Basic sses, so it can still be said that being a Holy Knight is stronger than the other Basic sses. It was until two yearster in the game that the first Ascended ss appeared, so in essence, Brendel was faster than the yers by one year. It was all thanks to Mavicart¡¯s Grimoire. However, even it was now a small piece of what it was originally as the Nine Luminaries Sword Art was like a ck hole, sucking in all the experience the Grimoire has to give.

    Brendel was checking on his newly added stats as he sucked on whatever was left of the Mavicart¡¯s Grimoire. He leveled up once more, closing the gap with the peak of Gold rank. If he excluded his other sses, Brendel expected that he would have to reach at least level 60 to reach the Elemental Realm. It would be an arduous and long task, but he did not have the liberty of the time to do that with all his responsibilities as of now.

    ¡°But if I can¡¯t get into the Elemental Realm in time, it would be hard for me to protect myself when the Demonic Wavese,¡± Brendel shook his head. ¡°No, it had already started.¡± The Loop of Winds was just an opening act, and although it had not affected the majority of Vaunte yet, it was bound to happen.

    And it is evident that there had been a higher activity with the Magic Beasts recently. The astrologists in the South even thought that it was a side effect of the Loop of Winds.

    <i>They were only half correct. It was not a side effect, but rather just the beginning of the Demonic Waves. </i>As someone who experienced this once before, Brendel was really knowledgable about all of this.

    He pressed on the ¡®+¡¯ symbol on his system window, and then notifications for confirmation began to pop up.

    -System notification: Holy Knight Skill ¡®Blood of Sun¡¯ leveled up to Level 10.

    -System notification: Holy Knight Skill ¡®Crown of Thorns¡¯ leveled up to Level 10.

    From the Ascended ss onwards, the yer would be required to reach certain levels to unlock Medium tier skills. To get those of the Holy Knight, Brendel had to level up to level 30 in the least.

    Level 5 ¡®Blood of Sun¡¯ could only reflect up to 25% of damage, Level 6 ¡®Colliding Halo¡¯ only added three points to his Defense. It was only until now that his Defense was passable to be considered a true Warrior. Previously, he was more like a Night Swallow or Wanderer ss.

    Brendelughed. Although he may be leveling up really fastpared to his previous life, his equipment was stillcking. He may be equipped with the Crimson Red Blessing, Spectral Knight Crystal, Warrior Ring, and Halran Gaia, he did not have anything else that was of good quality. He even had items like Elemental Bracelet or me Ring that were items about level 20 and could be proved to be insufficient at times.

    The reason for that was because he was always busy with other matters and did not have the time to clear the instance dungeons. Ever since he left Fortress Riedon, due to the Red Bronze Mercenaries, his entire n was ruined. And ever since leaving Trentheim, Brendel felt that his own abilities were lower than he had expected. Fortunately for him, his n was executed smoothly and he managed to partake in the noble¡¯s meeting, or else he would have to question his own worth in this world.

    At the thought of that, Brendel raised his eyebrows. <i>History really did change.</i>

    The meeting was supposed to dy until noon back in the game, but that waspletely different now, and the location had been swapped from the Ande Cathedral to the Sophora Manor. Brendel raised his head and looked down the corridor. It was the first time he felt so lost ever since he came to this world.

    <i>Just what is the reason behind the incident this morning?</i>

    When he had locked gazes with Arreck, he was sure that the old fox was part of it. But that would not make sense. <i>Won¡¯t hurting the Royal Family be detrimental to them? Just what is happening that made Arreck stand on Seifer¡¯s side?</i>

    Besides him, the other nobles also realized the anomaly. Most of the influential nobles did note, which meant that they had probably known about it from the beginning. And he was even suspicious that the Holy Cathedral was part of it too. Ampere Seale was well protected by the Holy Cathedral of me, that if he wanted to assassinate someone here, he would have needed to rely on the Cards of Fate. So how could such a big group of Evil Cultists appear?

    That just seemed impossible.

    From past experience, the Royal Faction won. Although the princess was weak, she had a lot of supporters, and once Duke Arreck sided with her, she will emerge victorious in this civil war. It was just that in this lifetime, the people who backed the princess seemed to have disappeared, and he could note up with an exnation for it.

    He racked his brain toe up with an exnation, and did not leave out any details. Plus, with his knowledge about the future, albeit it would be a little different, the main outline would still remain. And with just a little more time, he was confident that he could perfectly see the oue.

    He pursed his lip, and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened.

    But then, a shadow came before him and into his vision, causing him to momentarily stop breathing. Freya was in her military uniform, her ponytail tucked behind her head, looking really dashing yet soft at the same time. She seemed to realize just how awkward the mood was, and said, in a blushing manner, ¡°Long time no see.¡±

    Brendelughed. Somehow, whenever he saw this girl, all of his troubles would disappear. [T/L: Uh oh, Romaine you seem to be in a precarious position.]

    ¡°Are you only here to say that to me?¡± he said with a smile. The headstrong, unwavering war goddess that was unparalleled seemed to be gone, while the image of her from Be seemed to be getting clearer and more rtable.

    He could still remember she tended his wounds in a panicking state. She was obviously mad, but cute as well. <i>Seems like she¡¯s still Freya and not the stone cold war goddess that I know of from the game.</i>

    ¡°You!¡± Freya pouted. Although she came here under the orders of the princess, she could not say that she did not anticipate meeting Brendel. She could see that the reason she was chosen was due to her rtionship with Bredel. But she did not know just how did they realize that she was affiliated with him.

    ¡°... Brendel, why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Did you forget that I was the one that wanted you to get close to Princess Gryphine?¡±

    ¡°I did not forget,¡± she said, forgetting for a moment the reason she was here due to all the rage in her head. She backed off a little, ¡°You told me that, to help myself and Be, I have to enroll in the Royal Cavalry Academy. But now that Be is conquered by Madara, are you suggesting that we wage war with them?¡±

    Brendel shook his head.

    He raised his head and looked into the darkness at the end of the corridor, ¡°Freya, you¡¯re not the Freya from Be anymore. So what do you think of Princess Gryphine? What do you think of Aouine?¡±

    She fell silent, and sat beside Brendel. Combing her long hair, she said, ¡°To be honest, I never thought that our Kingdom would fall into such peril. Back when I was with Madden, I thought that, despite the problems we have, Aouine was still a big nation. Life was peaceful back then, and wars did not seem like a possibility.¡±

    ¡°Do you still think that there is a chance of redemption for this Kingdom?¡± Brendel turned and looked at the side of Freya.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But if it were to perish, I would go down with it.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you have learned from the Royal Cavalry Academy?¡±

    ¡°Kinda. But this feeling was always within me, just that I did not understand it. Brendel, I do have to thank you. It¡¯s you that led me to join the Academy. And now that I see it, it was the best experience I have ever had this life... And I think it may have changed my life as it is,¡± she thought for a while before replying.

    Brendel just smiled.

    But he felt terrible. <i>Seems like this oue was always meant to be. The future war goddess was sitting next to him, and confessed to him about her ideals. She was that sort of person from the beginning, burning with all its might even till the end. I don¡¯t wish to change her, but now that I think of it, the in cold Freya back in the game might have been her true self.</i>

    This rotten country had changed hearts, and the war will do the same as well.

    Brendel turned off the logical reasoning he used in the game, and could seemingly hear the voice of this world. Fate is an ever-changing thing, and everyone is gambling on it with all their might and glory, hoping to put their lives on a better path.

    ¡°What do you think of the princess?¡± Brendel asked once more.

    She did not reply, but asked with a question of her own, ¡°Brendel, can you tell me? How can the princess free herself from her responsibilities with the nobles and royalty?¡±

    ¡°So I suppose you¡¯re standing on her side then?¡±

    ¡°Sly, but I asked first,¡± she red at Brendel and continued, ¡°Brendel, are you part of the Royal Faction?¡±

    Brendel was stunned. He sighed inwardly, <i>That girl from Be really did grow up.</i> Although she still is Freya, she was not that clueless girl from back then.

    Surprisingly, he shook his head, ¡°You know that I¡¯m a Hignd Warrior. And we never had any ties with the Royal Faction.¡±

    Freya was stunned at first, but then she nodded. She remembered that Brendel told her the same thing back then. Butst time, she did not understand what he meant by ¡®Royal Faction¡¯, or ¡®Hignd Warrior¡¯, or ¡®Hignd Wizard¡¯. Thinking back, her face burned with embarrassment. She had thought that he was some noble with all those terms he was spurting out.

    Even though he was indeed a noble.

    The two of them fell silent as they reminisced the memory of their past.

    About the stars under Be¡¯s night sky; about Josen who nearly died in the hands of the Necromancer; about the Golden Tree; about Fortress Riedon¡¯s prison; about the battle in the night and the burning moat.

    Fate is like a mysterious line, changing people¡¯s directions in unpredictable ways.

    After some time, Freya asked, ¡°Is Romaine still fine? Did you bully her?¡±

    ¡°It would already be kind of her to not bully me,¡± he said sheepishly.

    Freyaughed. <i>That seems usible.</i>

    Then she said, ¡°Princess Gryphine requests to see you, Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Brendelposed himself and nodded.

 Chapter 511 - v3c290 The Meetup

    <h4>v3c290 </h4>

    <h4>The Meetup</h4>

    Marquis Yoakam stood in the corner, watching Brendel and Freya leave the ce. ¡°Who¡¯s that woman?¡±

    ¡°She seems to be a knight that serves the princess, my Lord.¡±

    ¡°That must mean that Count Yanbao is siding with the Royal Faction, doesn¡¯t it? Are they trying to outy us under the tables?¡± he furrowed his brows. It seemed like he still thought of Brendel as the true Count Yanbao, and that this move really threatened him.

    ¡°It¡¯s just Yanbao. Why are you shaking in fear?¡± A hoarse voice came from behind him. He turned back to look at its source, only to see a bearded man. He recognized the person to be Count Vitokin from the ck de Squad, and also Count Seifer¡¯s number one follower.

    ¡°Marquis Yoakam,¡± there was a kid with bright lips and white teeth next to the count, bending down politely to the marquis. Yoakam looked at the boy who was radiating an aura that resembled a soldier, with sharp eyes like a soaring eagle.

    Marquis Yoakam fidgeted, <i>You¡¯re-</i>

    He did not answer Count Vitokin¡¯s question. He may not be afraid of Brendel, but he was fearful of Archbishop Wood who backed the boy. But he smirked in his mind, <i>I¡¯ll never tell this old brute about it.</i> On the contrary, he smiled widely, ¡°Cecil? I had thought that you would note today. I will not forget the days when we hunted together, back in the Grey Mountains. That scenery, that atmosphere...it¡¯s totally better than the Royal Family¡¯s hunting grounds! When can Ie to visit you once again?¡±

    Count Vitokin was puzzled. Cecil was his first name, but most people would call him ¡®Count Vitokin¡¯ and the ones who would call him by that name were his enemies or close friends. But Marquis Yoakam was neither his close friend nor his enemy. He knew of the marquis¡¯s infamous reputation with the other nobles, and when the marquis mentioned the hunt in the Grey Mountains, his face immediately darkened.

    It was an embarrassment to his family. Thest time King Oberg had brought men to his territory for surveys, Marquis Yoakam had unexpectedly had his way with his sister. Of course, it was no big matter, but the thing was that his brother-inw was back in the mansion as well. Of course, Count Vitokin did not dare say anything to the king, and had let his sister bear the responsibility alone. That¡¯s why until now, she was still in the church working as a nun. At that thought, Count Vitokin was boiling in anger.

    But he knew that there was nothing he could do to the marquis. <i>There are no reins on this person, and if I really do anger him, there¡¯s definitely going to be trouble ahead of me. Also, he does have a powerful backing now.</i>

    ¡°You tter me,¡± he forced a smile. ¡°How can my cepare to the Royal Family¡¯s hunting grounds? By the way, that youth must be the person you met just a few days ago, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    Marquis Yoakam¡¯splexion changed. <i>How does this guy know so much?</i>

    ¡°Which one?¡± he asked as if he knew nothing.

    ¡°Marquis, there¡¯s no need to hide. That youth is truly a genius. It¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about even if you lost to him,¡± Count Vitokin stroked his beard. ¡°But it may not be such a good thing to be that strong. There¡¯s a saying among the Elves, ¡®The strongest beasts will usually be the biggest prey¡¯.¡±

    Seeing how kind the Count was at the moment, Marquis Yoakam¡¯s face darkened this time. <i>This fat old fox. He must have something in mind.</i> But then he looked to the side at the young boy, acting pissed, ¡°But I really am unlucky. Just where did that countryside bumpkine from? How can he gain the Archbishop¡¯s favor that easily? I think that in just ten or twenty years, he will be at the peak of Aouine.¡±

    At thest sentence, both the Count and the boy became moody. How could they not know what he was implying? As the ck de Squad leader, the Count was favored by the previous Archbishop. It was also thanks to that favor that he got to be the leader of it. But in reality, he was a lot weaker than Brendel. That was a fact that he knew, and it was not hard to think that the youth would surpass him so soon.

    The Count arched his eyebrows, <i>This guy sure has a sharp tongue.</i> He looked at Marquis Yoakam to see him having a smirk on his face, like everything he said was on purpose. Vitokin hesitated, <i>But thinking back, with him being Marquis Yoakam, he must not have nned anything at all.</i>

    Then, the young boyughed, ¡°That is indeed correct. Just based on personal strength, I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no one in Aouine who¡¯s stronger than him. But in politics, it is never just about personal strength. I don¡¯t think the nobles in the north will gain a lot of strength with just the addition of one person into their ranks. Even a strong entity like a Sword Saint is nothing but a mere pawn on the battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Marquis Yoakam showed a disgusted face. ¡°I do have to disagree with your saying that there is no other talent like him in Aouine. I heard that there¡¯s a youth in Trentheim that stepped into the Gold rank just under twenty. Plus he had shown marvelous talent in leadership. I wonder if you know of him?¡±

    The boy¡¯s face reddened immediately. <i>He darespare me with a bandit in the countryside? How dare him!</i> If it was not for Count Vitokin warning him to not say anything offensive to the marquis or that he did not know of his standing with that person, there was no doubt that a battle would break out even before the one between House Seifer and the Royal Faction.

    That was why, even if he was boiling in rage, he did not say anything. He had nothing to deal with the aftermath of offending the previous King¡¯s brother. But it did cause him to grow some ire for Brendel. He hated the fact that he was beingpared to the ¡®bandit¡¯ that the marquis called a ¡®prodigy¡¯. In his eyes, Brendel was a speck that could not bepared with him.

    It was then, Vitokin realized something was amiss. <i>Damn this marquis.</i> But he immediately changed the topic, ¡°Alright, Trentheim is a problem for Duke Radner to deal with. It should not matter to us, should it?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Marquis Yoakam¡¯s shoulders slouched. ¡°I was just mentioning that as a fact.¡±

    Vitokin bit his lip as he could not bear with the marquis¡¯s horrible childish personality, ¡°Alright, we know you¡¯re rying the message from Duke Radner. Back to the main topic ¡ª my lord is unsatisfied with the scapegoat you prepared. It can be easily exposed. Oberwei and Makarov are really sharp people; aren¡¯t you afraid that it will alert them easily?¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Marquis Yoakam smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t support this method in the first ce anyway. But I don¡¯t think my niece can cause any trouble in the first ce. Can¡¯t you guys just simply overthrow her?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not even coronated yet, so how can she be overthrown? If anything, it should be Haruz¡¯s concern.¡± Count Vitokin scolded in his mind that this person was spouting nonsense, but he continued, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want our people to have the impression that our leader was forced to retire by our enemies, the Kirrlutz?¡±

    ¡°So what of it? Isn¡¯t that the truth in the first ce?¡± Marquis Yoakam smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just supporting your use. Since you want the throne, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to get it so easily.¡±

    Count Vitokin finally spoke aloud, ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Marquis Yoakam¡¯s face turned cold.

    Vitokin suddenly remembered the person he was dealing with, and tried to reim his statement, ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just...madness. If the masses think that the nobles of Aouine can be influenced by the Holy Cathedral of me or Kirrlutz, it would be difficult for the future when House Seifer takes over the authority of the Kingdom. Just think about your niece. Can¡¯t you be more considerate about her future?¡±

    ¡°And what does that have to do with me?¡± Marquis Yoakam smiled coldly. ¡°You guys want to reap the benefits, and yet would not like to put in the effort; does this imply that you guys want to put the me on Duke Arreck and me? It will not be that easy. To be honest, the n this morning was really unexpected, but I don¡¯t think Duke Arreck was surprised about it. Just eight Gold rankers? Did you really think you can capture Makarov and Princess Gryphine with just that? Don¡¯t look down upon my Royal Family. Now you only have two choices. One is to ally with the Kirrlutz and force my niece to back off, and the other is...going to war with the north.¡±

    ¡°I believe Arreck would want for you guys to take the second option,¡± Marquis Yoakam smirked like it had nothing to do with him.

    Count Vitokin¡¯s face flushed red and white. He was exuding cold sweat and after half a beat, he raised his head to look at Marquis Yoakam, ¡°So that¡¯s your n. Don¡¯t worry, I will ry that to Duke Seifer.¡±

    Marquis Yoakam¡¯s shoulders shifted, ¡°Do you guys really think that I¡¯m afraid of the Kirrlutz like you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re correct, Duke Arreck is never afraid of anything,¡± Count Vitokin scolded before leaving in a hurry. Just as he turned, his smirk died down and was reced with a cold look. He rubbed his long arms, his eyes bloodshot.

    ¡°My Lord, do you recognize that young boy?¡± a tiny voice squeaked beside Marquis Yoakam.

    ¡°That should be Vitokin¡¯s heir. Just so coincidentally, I do. He fought well against the Lion Beastmen and is truly a prodigy. If nothing goes wrong, there¡¯s no doubt he will be the next leader of the ck de Squad. Such a lucky boy.¡±

    ¡°If nothing goes wrong...¡±

    <strong>Brendel¡¯s POV</strong>

    The ck tea in the white ceramic cup had long since cooled off, turning into an agate color. There were only a few people left in the study room, and soft light seeped in through the window panes and onto the carpet. It formed a line with Freya and Brendel on one side, facing Princess Gryphine, as well as Maynild, Makarov, Fleetwood, Oberwei and another bald noble whose name Brendel could not recall ever knowing.

    And the future King of Aouine, Haruz, was standing next to this man.

    It was the first time since he came into this world that he had time to assess the princess. The impression of her being mysterious was gone, and the half-elf¡¯s beauty gradually became more evident. He had seen his fill of beauties before, and was rtively resistant to that sort of stuff. Butpared to his memory, he found the princess to be more than just an unwavering, determined image that he had always thought her to be. She had be an icon of beauty.

    And from the sight before him, she seemed even more gentle and kind.

    If Brendel were to evaluate her, she would be that beautiful half-elf girl, with her curly silver hair glistening under the sun, her shoulders seeming to give off a mellow and gentle vibe. But behind those eyes, there was a sort of anxiety that was hard to perceive. <i>She seems to have quite her fill of troubles.</i>

    Brendel, being half a modernized person [T/L: reference to Sophie], could not understand just how a young girl like her could be involved with such dark politics. He read an analysis back in his previous life, and there was a recording about the princess objectifying herself, seeing her own position as the princess to be a burden rather than something to be proud of.

    He had never met the princess back then, but from his senior sister, he learned that she was just a foolish girl. Back in the hall, Brendel looked at the young girl before him that was glowing with intelligence, <i>Is she really as foolish as she was described?</i>

    Brendel was the type who respected and feared people like Princess Gryphine.

    But now, he could feel some sort of pull that was attracting him to her, like a moth to a me. After many such experiences, Brendel felt normal about such things. He looked at the princess and then retracted his gaze.

    In truth, he did not agree with the Royal Faction, with the princess included.

    But there was no one better for the throne beside her now in Aouine. Brendel was azy person himself. He just wanted to help Aouine ovee the cmity and not let the cataclysm back in the game to happen once again. <i>I just hope that this Kingdom can survive for at least one or two hundred years. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, should it?</i>

    For anything beyond that, he had never considered anything of the sort. There would be a rise and fall in everything, and he believed that nothingsts forever. He just wanted to make up for the regret he had back then, and in truth, he wanted to explore the unknown world.

    ¡°To begin with, I want to thank you for your rescue this morning, Mr. Brendel,¡± Princess Gryphine said, breaking the silence in the study room. It was a mellow and reassuring voice, ¡°It is really difficult for me to say that. You¡¯re not affiliated with the Royal Faction, but you¡¯re still giving us so much aid. I never had the chance to thank you, and now that I say it out, I¡¯m truly sorry for that¡ª¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty Princess Royal.¡±

    Brendel opened his mouth by reflex. He noticed how she, as well as the others, were shocked. Brendel realized his mistake: it wasn¡¯t until Haruz became the King of Aouine that she got the title of ¡®Princess Royal¡¯. And that meant it was really inappropriate for him to address her with it right now.

    Although the other members of the Royal Faction seemed to find his choice of words odd, they saw it as though he had agreed with Haruz bing the king, and that he had sided with them. It was a taboo to be affiliated with no faction in politics, and the way he disyed his alignment with the Royal Faction pleased the others, including Makarov and Fleetwood who always seemed to disagree with him.

    <i>This youth is truly wise. To havee up with such an interesting way to dere his standing,</i> they all thought.

    Brendel did not realize that his mistake would lead to that many misunderstandings, but he smiled bitterly and continued, ¡°I did use Princess Royal¡¯s name back in Trentheim. And I hope you can forgive me for that.¡±

    ¡°Is that it?¡± Gryphine¡¯s mood turned better. She smiled, ¡°But thinking back, I don¡¯t really know you well. I did hear that you¡¯re a Hignd Warrior, is that true?¡±

    Brendel nodded.

 Chapter 512 - v3c291 The First Confrontation

    <h4>The First Confrontation</h4>

    <h4>v3c291</h4>

    ¡°He truly is a hero!¡± Fleetwood did not hide his thoughts.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel-¡±

    ¡°Just call me Brendel.¡± Brendel interrupted.

    ¡°Brendel, I¡¯d like to hear your opinion on the current situation, if you would?¡± Princess Gryphine picked up the porcin teacup from her desk. She raised her head, her wide bright eyes a gleaming silver.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes swept through the entire room. The members of the Royal Faction wereposed. The princess, while she seemed naive at times, actually had a very sharp mind. Only the little prince showed an ounce of fear, peeking at Brendel from behind his sister. However, there was one person whose piercing gaze made him feel ufortable. Maynild stood behind Gryphine, her intimidating presence causing Brendel to shift his line of sight away from her.

    ¡°To be honest, things aren¡¯t looking good for the Royal Faction right now,¡± replied Brendel. ¡°The north had long since belonged to Duke Seifer, the empire¡¯s two greatest armies, the White Lion Squad and the ck de Squad, are controlled by the noble families of the north. The southern troops have yet to recover from Madara¡¯s attacks, which is probably why Count Radner still hasn¡¯t signed the treaty with Yinstar Dragon.¡±

    Brendel paused. He wanted to say that the south still had Duke Viero, Duke Karsuk, and Duke Grinoires. However, amongst the true powers in the north and the south, the only one who still raised Covardo¡¯s g was the princess and her followers. Once the winter has ended, the ice would melt and the army in the north would march south, destroying the princess¡¯s hopes.

    But that was precisely why the empire had decided to ally themselves with the Arreck region, so he relented.

    ¡°The situation is dire as the kingdom is surrounded by enemies, and this meeting isn¡¯t going anywhere. The true reason everyone is here at the conference is to convince the Merchant Guild of Ampere Seale and the Holy Cathedral to remain neutral, isn¡¯t it?

    The silence was deafening. Everyone looked at Brendel incredulously. Everyone, even themoners, knew about the Royal Faction¡¯s weakness. However, to be able to discern their true goals just by assessing the current situation, Brendel was truly an anomaly. The average citizen would think that the Royal Faction was trying to win the Ampere Seale conference by borrowing Arreck¡¯s power, but somehow this youngster in front of them was able to recognize their intentions without a shred of doubt in his words.

    Makarov¡¯s and Fleetwood¡¯s blood ran cold, thinking that this youngster would make a dangerous enemy. On the other hand, Oberwei looked at him with admiration. Brendel was picked out by Oberwei when they were escaping the castle, the more outstanding he was, the more it proved that Oberwei¡¯s judgment was correct.

    Gryphine too had nothing but praise in her heart. She really wanted to get closer to Brendel. The others did not know about the secret between them. When both of them were still exchanging letters, the half-elf couldn¡¯t help but think of the princess-knight trope of a ssic romance. Back then the Royal Faction wasn¡¯t doing too well either, so after lots of pondering, she decided to knight him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve met Princess Magadal. I¡¯ve also heard that she is a close friend of the princess,¡± replied Brendel. He actually knew about the Royal Faction¡¯s true purpose. After all, this had already happened before. However, he did not reveal this fact, lest they be more suspicious of him.

    Makarov, Fleetwood, and Oberwei nodded their heads in understanding. The Nun Princess had close ties to the Holy Cathedral, and the Holy Cathedral had great influence within the Merchant¡¯s Guild, so it was quite simple to see the connection. However, while most people were only concerned about the main talk of the conference, Brendel did not let the smaller details slip past him. Thisposure and perceptive nature were enough to cement his ability as on par with some talented nobles.

    ¡°You guessed correctly, Mr. Brendel. As my elder brother¡¯s army marches south, there are only two routes avable to him. If we can get the support of the Holy Cathedral and the Merchant¡¯s Guild, at the least they will remain a neutral party, then the noble families of the north will have no choice but to pass through the mountains of Arreck.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve decided to join houses with Arreck by marriage. The nobles up north know that they are no match for Arreck when battling in that mountainous region. Then, the tables would turn. Viero, Grinoires, and Karsuk would be forced to ally themselves with the Royal Faction. That way, surely the Royal Faction would be the biggest benefactor.¡±

    Brendel raised his head, his eyes were devoid of emotion. ¡°Then I offer my best wishes to Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Why? What did I do that you find uneptable?¡± Gryphine¡¯s face paled. To the rest of the Royal Faction, Brendel¡¯s approval held close to no weight, but to Gryphine it meant the world. She thought that Brendel would be able to understand her plight.

    She thought he would be able to understand her sacrifices.

    Yet at that moment, Princess Gryphine had never felt more lonely. For so long she had been holding on to her belief, believing that Brendel was the light that would rescue her from the dark. She thought that they were kindred souls, as their letters would show, yet the person standing before her was nearly unrecognizable, a cold disapproving look on his face.

    The princess sucked in a breath. ¡°Can you tell me why?¡± Her voice was soft as ever, but the tremble in her eyebrows showed her displeasure. If Brendel could not give her a satisfying answer, the princess¡¯s disappointment would multiply twofold.

    <i>Ah, it¡¯s the pride told in legends.</i> Brendel thought, but without that trait, she would never have made it this far.

    ¡°There are a few problems.¡± He replied.

    Oberwei sat up straighter. Truthfully speaking, he did not like the n at all. However, Fleetwood and Makarov agreed to the n. Fleetwood had a lot of influence in the Royal Faction, and he was the only Elemental Awakener in the Royal Faction. On the other hand, Makarov represented the alliance, so neither of them could be easily swayed.

    ¡°Firstly, the Holy Cathedral of Fire and the Holy Cathedral of Earth are on the brink of war, Kirrlutz would loathe seeing Aouine copse due to political reformation. Aouine has been freed from Kirrlutz¡¯s control ever since independence was achieved, but we cannot deny that we are part of the Holy Cathedral of Fire,¡± replied Brendel. ¡°Right now, the Holy Cathedral cannot directly interfere with Aouine¡¯s political affairs, but what they can do is let the nobles residing in the north pass through theirnd easily. After all, most people think that the north is stronger than the south, so the quickest way to end the war would be to let the north win.¡±

    ¡°We have definitely thought over this problem, young man.¡± Fleetwood decided to speak up. ¡°Once House Arreck and the Royal Faction have joined hands, then the northerners would find it hard-pressed to achieveplete victory too. If the Holy Cathedral interferes without thinking things through, then the current situation would only worsen. Furthermore, the Lion Beastmen still need more time to stockpile their supplies, and the conflict between the Holy Cathedral of Fire and the Holy Cathedral of Earth might not evene true.¡±

    Brendel did not reply immediately. This was exactly how history yed out, but he had another reason for not speaking. <i>Should I say that Arreck is only using them? No, they aren¡¯t stupid, I¡¯m sure they already know that Arreck isn¡¯t doing it out of kindness. The problem is that she is getting used to getting anything in return. She thinks she can seed, but I already know that she won¡¯t.</i>

    However, Brendel could not say it out. He couldn¡¯t let them know that he was from the future.

    The longer he stayed silent, the more disappointed Gryphine appeared. She clenched her fists lightly. She had hoped that Brendel would be able to support her in her decision. For weeks she had been losing sleep over this matter, yet she constantly reminded herself that it was the only way.

    The room was plunged into silence. Freya felt extremely awkward. While her knowledge had expanded a lotpared to back then, she still did not understand the exchange between Brendel and the Royal Faction. The youngdy from Be was miffed at Brendel¡¯s attitude. <i>Why are you stirring up trouble? Even if you do not agree to her methods, the least you could do was not say it in front of her face!</i>

    However, she still leaned towards Brendel¡¯s side more. She was much more concerned about Brendel¡¯s safety than the survival of the Royal Faction.

    Oberwei and Makarov could feel the tension in the air. They were also unhappy with Brendel, thinking that he was exaggerating the situation. However, there was a person amongst the crowd who looked at Brendel with astonishment. Before anyone could detect her emotions, Maynild immediately schooled her expression back to normal.

    During this awkward exchange, someone knocked on the door. Everyone¡¯s eyes looked towards the door, and a servant carried a letter in. The princess opened the letter, furrowing her eyebrows while pouring over the contents of the letter. She paused for a moment, eventually breaking the silence, ¡°The results from the morning have arrived.¡±

    Everyone was surprised at how efficient the Holy Cathedral was as the assassination attempt had just happened in the morning. Only Makarov was frowning, as if he was hiding something.

    Brendel perked up. He was also very interested in the incident as it deviated from the original history.

    ¡°The person who ordered the assassination was a man named Xerves.¡±

    Oberwei frowned. ¡°I know this man. He is from a minor noble family in Ampere Seale.¡± His expression immediately changed after he finished his sentence. If he dared to order such an assassination, then the person backing him must have a lot of power as well. A minor noble would not be able to cause such a hugemotion.

    This unlucky man must be a scapegoat, however such was the results procured by the Holy Cathedral.

    At the same time, everyone¡¯s face turned sour, realizing what the situation meant. Only Brendel¡¯s expression remained neutral, as if he had predicted this.

    Brendel had already met an Assassin of the Cross, so he knew that the Holy Cathedral must be involved in some way.

    ¡°The letter also mentions Mr. Brendel.¡± Gryphine took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°It says that not only did Mr. Brendel bring a weapon into the Holy Cathedral, he also summoned two Vampires. The Holy Cathedral suspects Brendel of working with the Evil Cultists and wants us to hand him over for further investigations.¡± The princess¡¯s face was a mask of stone, her expression unreadable.

    Brendel was furious. He had yet to cause trouble with the Holy Cathedral of Fire, yet they had alreadye knocking on his door. He felt that the situation was unfair for him, but he kept his mouth shut, looking for everyone else¡¯s reaction.

    Oberwei sneered, ¡°Not allowing us to bring weapons eh? What a convenience for the assassins! And when did having Vampire underlings equate to scheming with those Evil Cultists? Aouine is just beside Madara, I¡¯m sure there are some nobles took in some of their men as their underlings, are there not?¡±

    The rest of the Royal Faction red at Oberwei.

    ¡°Princess?¡± The servant¡¯s meek voice called out.

    ¡°Aouine has never handed over a guest to Kirrlutz just because they demanded it, and this will not be the first time.¡± The princess stated. ¡°However, they are trying to test our allegiance right now. Tell them that Mr. Brendel is our guest, and they will not have him as long as it stays that way.

    As he looked at the servant scurry out of the room, Brendel was slightly touched. Although some part of that scene was for appearance¡¯s sake, he saw that the Royal Faction¡¯s ideals were in the right. Looking at Oberwei, Brendel felt any animosity due to their argument just now evaporate.

    ¡°It seems that the Holy Cathedral is not as righteous as it seems.¡± Brendel couldn¡¯t help leaving a snarky remark, then stared at the members of the Royal Faction. After all, he wasn¡¯t a politician, and he still held onto the part of Sophie who wouldugh at others¡¯ misfortunes.

    The half-elf¡¯s expression sank further, her barely audible sigh made Brendel feel slightly guilty, but she did not dwell on the matter. ¡°Mr. Brendel, as you already know our situation truly isughable. That is precisely why we want to seek your help.

    ¡°You are a Hignd Knight, so I ask that you help us obtain the support of other Hignd Knights, is that possible?¡± The princess let go of her status and pleaded sincerely. She knew that Brendel held no grudge against the Royal Faction. What happened was merely a misunderstanding, and she believed that the results would be able to prove it.

    Brendel shook his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure all of you know that Hignd Knights are different from you. I can give you my support, but trying to get the help of the other Hignd Knights is nearly impossible.¡± He wasn¡¯t a true Hignd Knight, but a bit of confidence and some preparations had already brought him so far.

    Even if Ciel were here, he would not be able to find any holes within his story.

    The members of the Royal Faction knew that Brendel spoke of the truth, so they could only nod in silence. Fortunately for Brendel, he was still in possession of Trentheim, which was the only thing stopping Count Radner, or else the rest of the members would have thought twice about going against the Holy Cathedral for this kid.

    Brendel chuckled, ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t any other way. Karsuk has always been threatened by Madara, and the nobles up north have already caused much dissatisfaction among the Hignd Knights. As long as you don¡¯t antagonize them, I believe that they wouldn¡¯t mind supporting the Royal Faction. The only issue is that not everyone would want to join the losing team.¡±

    Gryphine nodded, but she still knew not how to solve the problem. She did not actually take Brendel¡¯s suggestion into consideration. The only reason why the Royal Faction met up with Brendel was to gain the support of the Hignd Knight. Since that hope was gone, she could feel her heart start to waver.

    She looked at the hourss. There was only a little time left until the conference would begin.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, I have one final question to ask. It¡¯s a private question, would you be willing to answer it?¡± Gryphine raised her head and asked.

    Brendel nodded his head.

    ¡°You and Yanbao...?¡± she asked, a hint of concern in her voice. House Yanbao had yet to show support for the Royal Faction. She knew that Brendel was Dilferi¡¯s vassal, yet their actions said that they had long crossed the line of vassal and lord. Furthermore, Brendel was her knight, so she was thinking of trying to convince Dilferi to support their cause.

    If she was able to gain the support of House Yanbao, it would greatly benefit the Royal Faction.

    ¡°Actually, I have no rtionship with Miss Yanbao. On the contrary, I¡¯m only using her so that I can enter this meeting.¡± Brendel let out a slight smile.

    Everyone was shocked.

    ¡°I know it sounds rude, but the invitation was only sent to Duke Karsuk. A mere Hignd Knight like myself has no ce in the Sophora Garden, I hope that my lords can empathize with me.¡± Brendel added on while shaking his head.

    The members of the Royal Faction stared at Brendel. <i>This kid dares to coerce a noble below the nose of the Holy Cathedral? Is this courage or stupidity?</i> If they weren¡¯t so certain that Brendel had nothing to do with the assassins, then he would have been their number one suspect.

    However, the princess chuckled. She knew that Brendel was not speaking the truth. She was close friends with Dilferi, and anyone could see that the duchess was worrying about Brendel in the morning. Would someone who was kidnapped be concerned for her kidnapper? Perhaps there was, but this situation was not one of them. Albeit so, she did not expose Brendel, instead saying, ¡°A desperate person would go through desperate measures. Your actions in Trentheim have already left us a deep impression. Who would¡¯ve thought that you would surprise us once again here in Ampere Seale. I really pity Dilferi, it seems that Mr. Brendel does not know how to treat ady well.¡±

    Brendel broke out in cold sweat, remembering the duchess¡¯s furious gaze.

    <i>It¡¯s not all my fault! How could I have known she was such an innocent young girl?</i>

    At the same time, he breathed out a sigh of relief as Princess Gryphine¡¯s expression returned to a state of calmness. Brendel knew that his n had failed. Even at first, he did not dare to carry too much hope, after all, he was an outsiderpared to the princess¡¯s trusted advisors. If she could be swayed by a few words from him, then the half-elf princess must be a fake.

    Brendel had to prepare for his next move. However, he was rather uneasy with the way things were progressing, especially when the Holy Cathedral announced that they wanted him. Brendel did not think that Archbishop Wood would turn back on his words so quickly.

    There must be something else going on...

 Chapter 513 - v3c292 The Evident Changes

    <h4>v3c292</h4>

    <h4>The Evident Changes</h4>

    Brendel did not reveal his second and third n. Those words were not meant to be spoken in front of the Royal Faction. He knew from the start that the fates of the Royal Faction and Princess Gryphine were different. As he turned to leave, he felt that the entire country was shaking, its foundations destroyed by the greedy and deluded nobles. Even though the Royal Faction wasposed of the brightest talents, the minds of Makarov, Fleetwood and Oberwei were restricted by their traditional mindset. In other words, they were afraid of change.

    The situation was simr to the original history, only bypromising was victory possible. The Royal Faction had a good chance of turning the tables. However, this was not exactly good news for the princess. Brendel had seen her true desire, which unfortunately was one that could not be granted by the nobles of Aouine.

    In Brendel¡¯s eyes, the only way was to raze everything to the ground, only then can new life prosper. <i>If those nobles won¡¯t do it, then I will.</i>

    Brendel knew that there was no need to repeat his words, and he felt that these people were not worth saving. Freya and him then arrived at Rokshbe Hall.

    ¡°Sue!¡± Freya cried out with glee.

    A youngdy with almond skin and braided hair stood outside the pce, wearing expensive-looking clothing and a smile on her face. ¡°Miss Freya, you¡¯ve grown taller,¡± she replied warmly.

    ¡°Sue, I need you to deliver this letter to the Naga tribe.¡± Brendel took out a letter and handed it to Sue. He knew that he could rely on Sue toplete the task sessfully.

    ¡°Naga?¡± Freya turned around, her expression one of shock. ¡° Brendel, I heard that the Naga tribes are pirates that roam the Shining Sea. So you are acquainted with them as well?¡±

    Brendel let out a heartyugh. ¡°I know all kinds of people, but I¡¯m afraid you wouldn¡¯t know half of them.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, damn noble.¡± Freya said through gritted teeth.

    Sue looked at the both of them, shaking her head in mild exasperation. She stashed the letter away safely. As a lowly bartender¡¯s daughter, she did not care about the country¡¯s future. However, while she was apathetic to the situation, the same could not be said for Freya. Freya raised her head and asked, ¡°Brendel, what is your n now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done all that I could. Now I n to return to Trentheim. Once the princess has allied with Arreck¡ª¡±

    He felt Freya¡¯s suspicious gazend on him, prompting him to halt his tongue. <i>Am I really that untrustworthy?</i> A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.

    ¡°The truth, Brendel,¡± Freya said sternly. She knew that he and Romaine were the same type of liars, so she knew he would not let the truth out so easily.

    Brendel had the strength to aplish whatever he wanted to, and he had the determination to see it through. Freya knew all that, and that was probably the reason why he held an irreceable ce in her heart. Furthermore, she also didn¡¯t want the princess to ally with Arreck.

    As amoner who received a noble¡¯s education, she did not trust most of the nobles.

    ¡°Annihtion,¡± Brendel replied with a single word, but it spoke volumes.

    Freya was taken aback, raising her head to look at Brendel.

    Brendel did not borate any further. The Royal Faction had already given him an answer, and now it was his turn to give his. He loathed trying to argue with the likes of Fleetwood and Makarov, for he knew that they would only listen to the hum of his sword. Once Brendel had found out that the Royal Faction was still bent on continuing on their path, he had already decided to execute the second n.

    He had it all nned out from the start.

    He would instigate a war by forcing the subject of military power into the peace talks, which would then lead to the peace talks crumbling, eventually leading to war. mes would burn the whole city to ashes, and only the truly strong ones would survive. Brendel had participated in this battle before, otherwise known as the Aouine Civil War.

    The melodious toll of the bell rang through the city, signaling the start of the meeting. Throughout history, the meeting has alwayssted seven days. Within those seven days, nobles would squabble and argue without rest, eventually settling for the best way to resolve disputes ¡ª war.

    <i>Amusing</i> Brendel mused to himself.

    ¡°Brendel!¡±

    Brendel heard a voice call out his name. At first, he thought it was Orthylss, but when he turned his head, he saw instead Dilferi arriving at Rokshbe Hall. She was ready for the meeting, with her formal attire and the female knight Niya riding behind her.

    She stopped in front of Brendel, ring at him furiously. ¡°The meeting is going to start soon. What are you doing here?¡±

    Brendel hesitated. He had already decided to start a war, whether or not the meeting this time went smoothly did not concern him at all. <i>And didn¡¯t she say for us to go our own ways once they reached the pce?</i>

    Brendel looked at Dilferi in confusion.

    Dilferi said through clenched teeth. ¡°You are a vassal of my family. If you don¡¯t attend the meeting, you¡¯re only causing us to lose face.¡±

    Freya stared at Brendel with suspicion. Her eyes told Brendel a message. <i>Didn¡¯t you say you needed my help getting into the castle?</i> Brendel noticed her innocent gaze. He was troubled by Freya¡¯s persistence. However, he knew that it wasn¡¯t the time to exin things, and now that Dilferi had spoken up, not attending the meeting would only cast more suspicion upon himself. He still had to stay in Ampere Seale for a few more days, so he could not let his cover be blown.

    Brendel shook his head and walked towards Dilferi, He looked at Dilferi in the eye, asking, ¡°Miss, are you insane? Are you not afraid that you might bebeled as an Evil Cultist too?¡±

    Dilferi rolled her eyes, a hint of red appearing on her cheeks. ¡°You¡¯ve already brought me so much trouble already. Now that I managed to get you to the meeting, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re trying to bail out?¡±

    ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re afraid of crowds?¡± Brendel took a look at Dilferi¡¯s flushed face and asked.

    ¡°So what if I am?¡± Dilferi stuck her nose in the air. ¡°You are a Sword Saint, after all. I feel safer with you by my side.¡±

    Brendel took a deep breath, suddenly realizing that this meeting might be worth attending. The attitude of Arreck and the Holy Cathedral towards the Royal Faction had already deviated from the original history, so perhaps there might be some unexpected changes this time.

    The Ampere Seale Meeting was famous throughout the world. Because it was implemented early in the game, only a few yers could attend this meeting. Brendel used to be one of the bystanders, and he did not think that there would be a day when he would actually be attending the meeting.

    The meeting was held in a circr hall. The tables were popted by famous, talented and influential people from the entire country. There was no light source in the hall, only the noon sun illuminated the chamber through a hole in the ceiling. The dust in the air reflected the sun¡¯s shine, making it hard for Brendel to make out the nobles¡¯ faces.

    Brendel and Dilferi sat down together while Niya stood beside them as the bodyguard. After some time, Brendel¡¯s eyes adjusted to the dark and he started to make out the faces of some of the nobles. Princess Gryphine and the Royal Faction sat all the way at the northern edge. When he saw her looking back at him, his heart shook a little.

    On the other side of the room were the stone-faced Duke Arreck and his followers. <i>This old fox sure is experienced, his facial expressions are not telling me anything. And beside him is Marquis Balta... But why is Balta looking so nervous??</i>

    There was another person that caught Brendel¡¯s eye, a stern middle-aged man who looked like someone who would never yield to anyone. Brendel immediately recognized him. <i>He must be Count Jansu,mander of the Royal Fleet and captain of the Furlong gship.</i> Count Jansu was an avid supporter of the old king, yet he was not part of the current Royal Faction.

    <i>He wasn¡¯t here in the morning.</i> Brendel noted. <i>Must¡¯ve been tied up by some other engagements.</i>

    Brendel made a mental note to remember all the important nobles. He saw the bearded face of Count Vitokin and the greying Count Cordo. As his eyes continued to sweep the room, they stopped on a group of knights in green uniform.

    ¡°Shit,¡± muttered Brendel under his breath. Those were not normal knights, they were Hignd Knights.

    To make things worse, when Brendel looked at them, the leader of their group turned around to meet his gaze. The Hignd Knight gave a slight smile. Brendel knew that his cover as a Hignd Knight could trick nearly everyone, but that it wouldn¡¯t work against the Hignd Knights themselves. Brendel¡¯s mind was racing, trying to figure out what the smile meant.

    The Hignd Knights were rarely seen outside of the Karsuk province. Duke Karsuk was a man who disliked politics, to the point where he did not want toe personally to attend the meeting, thus he sent a few knights to represent him. <i>But why did he have to send Hignd Knights? Aren¡¯t the officials in Karsuk who are in charge of rtions mostly mages?</i> Brendel grumbled to himself.

    The guilt in his heart caused him to shift his eyes away, only for them to fall upon Duke Viero¡¯s envoys. The current Duke of Viero¡¯s attitude was the same as Duke Karsuk. Duke Viero currently had a feud with Count Radner, which was actually caused by Brendel. He did not care whether the seat of power belonged to the Holy Cathedral of Fire or the Royal Faction. And even his envoys were a ragtag group of nobodies.

    For the exact same reason, Count Radner was absent too. One could say that because of Brendel, two important people did not attend the meeting. Because of that, the meeting could already be considered a failure. This whole scene made Brendel feel a surge of pride.

    <i>I don¡¯t know how things are like on the Holy Cathedral¡¯s end, but I can say that history has been altered, right?</i>

    Duke Grinoires was present as expected, but Brendel knew he was only here to stir up some trouble. If Brendel did not remember about the object he had stolen from Duke Grinoires, he would have forgotten about the duke¡¯s existence.

    Duke Seifer was also present in person, as for Prince Luke, he was nowhere to be found. Brendel narrowed his eyes in suspicion. <i>If House Seifer has arrived, then House Covardo should let the eldest prince represent their house. If he isn¡¯t here, then that duty is automatically defected to Princess Gryphine. Why would House Seifer make such a mistake? Is it because of this morning¡¯s incident?</i>

    <i>That whole assassination ploy was set up by you guys, stop acting innocent!</i> Brendel thought.

    At that moment, the final three members arrived.

    Brendel first recognized the consul of Ampere Seale, but he wasn¡¯t surprised. It was expected that he would be present considering his job. What Brendel was more interested in was the Holy Cathedral¡¯s chosen representative. First came the bishop who was presiding over the meeting. This person was of no importance, but the person who came after, the representative for the Holy Cathedral of Fire, made Brendel¡¯s eyes go wide.

    <i>He¡¯s finally here.</i>

    Brendel¡¯s heart was thumping in his chest. The figure that walked through the door was the head of Ande Cathedral and the Archbishop of Ampere Seale. But it was not Wood who walked through the door. Instead, Brendel saw a pair of sunken eyes and a hooked nose on a cold expressionless face. He was Archbishop Moros, representing the Holy Cathedral, and the man who would seed Archbishop Wood in two months time.

    <i>How can this be?! How could Moros have reached Ampere Seale so quickly?</i> Brendel had a sudden realization. He now understood why the Holy Cathedral had changed their stance. Since Moros was already part of Ande Cathedral, it meant that Kirrlutz was ready to interfere with Aouine¡¯s politics.

    <i>Wood must have run into some trouble.</i> Brendel¡¯s first thought was of Wood, but he knew that it wasn¡¯t the time to be worrying about other people. The problem now was why did Moros appear so early? In the original history the Meeting of Ampere Seale was presided by Archbishop Wood.

    Brendel could notprehend what was happening. <i>Why are things so different from before? What is causing this to happen?</i>

 Chapter 514 - v3c293

    <h4>v3c293</h4>

    Ampere Seale Meeting

    ¡°The Archbishop will be leaving Ampere Seale after three days. He is currently in the meditation room and won¡¯t entertain any guests Ms. Magadal.¡± The guard soldiers of the Holy Cathedral wore a red robe, their silver chest tes and spears shone brightly under the sunlight. Their stern looks made it clear that their polite smiles was just for formalities sake.

    The Nun Princess sighed lightly.

    She turned her head back, and took onest look at the Holy Cathedral.

    The dome of Holy Cathedral bathed in endless radiance, but even that light seemed to be thest rays of the Kingdom. Bells rang in the background, as if to mark the end of an era. Within Rokshbe Hall, the six Dukes and their envoys sat around the table, discussing the way they should split the Kingdom and the spoils in it.

    The babbling sound of discussions filled the room, even the obsidian pirs that held the dome up for ages began to sigh. Among the many voices, one could be heard with rity, ¡°Since the establishment of Aouine, King Erik had led his men to ovee many challenges, obtaining glory in this piece of wilderness. He made an oath alongside the other people and nobles that followed him to determine the fate of this Kingdom.Today, that very same Kingdom they swore on is on the brink of destruction. To those of us who could not tolerate the lives of the innocent being lost in wars, I urge you to form a new pact, in the name of Aouine!¡±

    Duke Seifer raised his head after reading the plea, looking into a silent crowd. There was a wild, cold glow in his eyes, ¡°My people! If any of you still stand by the decisions made in this old parchment, I urge you all to raise your hand with me! Prove the blood of Aouine¡¯s nobility coursing within you!¡±

    He raised his hand like he was wielding a sword pointing to the skies.

    The monster had begun to bare its fangs.

    The crowd began to stir. Except the two bishops, everyone else had raised their right hand. Just as how their ancestors did it, the nobles crossed their swords together and swore an oath in front of the Lionheart Sword.

    ¡®I pledge to lead my people ¨C¡®

    ¡®- away from fights and murder, away from the arrogant and greedy nobles. I swear I will not redo the mistakes of the past. I will let the nobles of this new Kingdom be reborn with righteous spirits¨C fair and impartial, honest and brave, kind and generous. And I swear to uphold this vow till myst breath!¡±

    Brendel was thest to act.

    He raised his hand just now, but he just silently looked over the entire scene. These people did not only lose the Lionheart Sword, but they¡¯re also about to give away their swords as well. Seems like they had forgotten about the sacred pact made in the past. The pact lost its effect, and the Kingdom would be nothing but a shadow of its former self, disappearing from thends and remaining only as an echo of the past.

    Revolution.

    Brendel closed his eyes slowly, Halran Gaia was vibrating near him, as if feeling its master¡¯s agitation. It was about to burst out of its sheath, but Brendel calmed down. It¡¯s not time yet. He could feel a ball of raging me boiling within him, as if it was magma that wanted to devour everything.

    But now was not the time to act.

    ¡°Two hundred and sixty years ago, my ancestor, thest king of the Seifer Dynasty, handed the throne over to Luxson the First after losing the Lionheart Sword. That was the pioneer for the Covardo dynasty, the reason for Aouine¡¯s current glory. He was no doubt a wise man who created a magnificent century for Aouine.But after two centuries, history is being repeated. The kingdom is facing its downfall once again-¡±

    Duke Seifer continued, ¡°-My niece, Princess Gryphine, descendant of Luxson the First, do you agree with me?¡±

    Just as he finished, the silent crowd became a rowdy mess once again. Everyone knew that he was being sarcastic and mentioned her intentionally, but it still attracted a lot of noise. Undeniably, House Covardo had to bear the responsibility of Aouine¡¯s downfall.

    Everyone looked at Princess Gryphine. She just lifted her head, her face still apathetic like usual, ¡° I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t, Duke Seifer.¡±

    Another uproar.

    Brendel focused his sight on the Princess. She had a noble ambition, but she¡¯s currently in deep trouble now... I do wonder how she¡¯ll ovee this adversity and persist with her ambitions. Compared to the Aouine after the civil strife, there is no doubt that the current situation is really perilous. As it was said, the gloom before the dawn is always the darkest.[T/L: Chinese saying for the glorious future will onlye after the toughest times.]

    Arreck was still emotionless and did not utter a word. Everyone seemed to be on Duke Seifer¡¯s side, while the princess was the sole advocate of the Royal Faction. As for the others from the same faction, they could not even utter a single word.

    ¡°Are you suggesting that you¡¯ll ignore the voices of everyone here and act ording to your will?¡± Seifer¡¯s face was cold, but his voice was powerful like thunder.

    ¡°House Covardo will continue to fulfill our duties, but if there were people who wanted to break the pact first, I will not back off and let them do as they wish,¡± she replied, unfrightened.

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Supposedly, my younger brother should be the legal sessor to the throne, and no matter how you twist the truth, you, as my uncle cannot change this fact. As for my elder brother, we will never let someone who would do anything for the throne, including murdering his own father, as well as his stepmother the Queen. So long as I live, I will not tolerate you all for breaking the sacred pact, and letting Aouine fall into evil hands.¡±

    As her speech ended, it was met with pin-drop silence. The people here knew that there was something fishy behind King Oberg¡¯s death, but they did not expect Princess Gryphine to be so tant and speak aloud the ugly truth behind it. Duke Seifer sucked in a breath of cold air, his face turning snow white.

    ¡°What nonsense!¡± Duke Seifer bellowed, ¡°Princess, please mind your status!¡±

    ¡°Mind my status?¡± Princess Gryphine gritted her teeth, and her hand curling into a fist.

    She was angry.

    ¡°Duke Seifer, you want me to mind my status? Then let me ask you this. When my father passed away, where were you? And when I received his letter for aid and was blocked outside the pce, where were you? As his child, I could only see him slowly die in the hands of sly foxes... And now, you¡¯re asking me to ¡®mind my own status?¡¯¡±

    She was almost whimpering at the end of her sentence. Everyone was silenced by the supposed steel-like princess crying. Her body shaking, and her hands clenched into fists. Yet she still held her chest up high with pride, straight forward as if she was arrogantly facing her enemies. At that moment, she was not the Princess of Aouine, but just a girl crying for the death of her father.That pride was a splitting image of Oberg at his prime, and people saw the illusion of him with his head held high back when he reprimanded thete queen for her wrongdoings.

    Everyone was staring at each other.

    Then they shifted their eyes at Duke Seifer and the Holy Cathedral representatives that backed him up.

    Duke Seifer¡¯s face paled, as if Gryphine was stabbing him with a de with every word. He took a step backwards, and exchanged looks with Moros not too far away from him before holding back his anger. ¡°Princess, I think you are too agitated. Thete King Oberg¡¯s condition has been declining for a while now, so there may be some misunderstandings here...¡± He knew just what his sister did back then, and could not help but speak embarrassingly.

    Gryphine bit her lips and red at him.

    Finally, Moros stepped out to resolve the issue, ¡°Your Royal Highness, I understand how you¡¯re feeling,but we are currently not discussing King Oberg¡¯s death. Could you please consider the lives of the millions of people living here in Aouine? If a war breaks out here, the people who would be sacrificed are your father¡¯s subjects. I believe if King Erik is here, he would not like to witness such a scene. All of you here, do you still remember the oath you made?¡±

    The newly appointed Archbishop may not look the part of a kind soul, but his voice was surprisingly calm and could almost delude the people who heard him. He¡¯s good! I never really noticed him back then, but he¡¯s really smart. He struck the princess¡¯s soft spot with just those few lines. The people at the top of the hierarchy in the Holy Cathedral sure are powerful. Now, how will you react, Princess Gryphine? Brendel thought as he looked at the half-elf.

    Princess turned back her head with the tears,tears glistening on her cheeks as she smiled sadly, ¡°Once our Kingdom falls into war, Aouine will be poor and weak, and yet all of you don¡¯t have a hint of regret for that. If war is to break out here, in hundreds of years, this ce will only be a wastnd. By then, how can we face our ancestors? How can we face King Erik?¡±

    There was an uproar.

    Brendel sprang out of his seat, staring wide-eyed at the girl that was barely 17 years old. She was standing all alone and helpless, but her eyes seemed to prate the fog surrounding Aouine¡¯s history. She can see the oue of Aouine?! She can see it? She can see it!

    All this time, Brendel thought that she was leading Aouine down a wrong path, bringing it to a darker abyss as time progressed. But he did not expect that she had long perceived the endless destruction and mes dancing around the pools of blood the future has to bring...

    Just how is she still moving forward? Is it because of her ambition? Or is it her responsibility as royalty? Brendel looked at the half-elf, amazed.

    ¡°Princess Gryphine, you¡¯re causing distress to the people here,¡± Moros replied. ¡°The Holy Cathedral of Fire will not let Aouine fall under its watch.¡±

    Gryphine looked at him calmly and said, ¡°Sir Archbishop, please continue. I¡¯m all ears.¡±

    ¡°Aouine requires another master now. As all the nobles are here right now, I suggest we let them decide who it will be, just like olden times,¡± Moros replied. ¡°May the voices of the old Kingdom resound in this hall once more. Let them sign the pact, and all will end with fairness and pride.¡±

    Duke Seifer was ted while Duke Arreck still had the stone-cold look. The other nobles nodded to Moros¡¯s suggestion, and only Viero¡¯s envoys did not show any standing. As for Count Jansu, being themander of the navy, she did not show any signs of agreement.

    It was one sided.

    The Royal Faction was depending on Duke Arreck, but that did not elicit any sort of reaction out of him. Brendel saw that scene and was shocked. This is different from the past as well. This will be unfavorable for the Royal Faction! He stared at Duke Arreck coldly and his grip on Halran Gaia in the Dimension Space loosened a little.

    The situation was changed once more, and he had to force his murderous intent in case a problem breaks out.

    Let¡¯s continue to observe the situation longer.

    ¡°Princess?¡±

    ¡°I will not allow this.¡± She seemed to have seen thising and was adamant with her standing.

    ¡°Princess, I would suggest you to not be stubborn,¡± Moros¡¯s expression changed. He did not expect the princess to bring him that much trouble. ¡°Even if you¡¯re royalty, you would need nobles to govern this country. Continuing your act would mean betraying House Covardo, I believe you would not want that, would you?¡±

    Evidently, it was a threat.

    But Princess Gryphine did not show any signs of backing off, and she replied calmly, ¡°When a dayes that no king sits on Aouine¡¯s throne, and one must be chosen from her people, there is another requirement that must be met. I believe all of you had forgotten that line?¡±

    The Lionheart Sword.

    Everyone¡¯s expression changed. ording to the pact made by King Erik: ¡®If therees a day where the nobles in Aouine were to lose themselves, this sword shall return to where it came from and protect this Kingdom no more!¡¯

    That sword was the Lionheart Sword, the same one that had been lost for more than two hundred and sixty years.

    It was due to its disappearance that the Seifer dynasty ended, and also why House Covardo got to be the Royal Family. Unless the sword was to return to House Seifer¡¯s possession one day, they will never have the right to return to the throne.

    Everyone was stunned. The pledge was a shackle that bound the heart of Aouine¡¯s nobles. It was the foundation for Aouine,and none could deny it. Doing so would mean denying the existence of the nobles.

    When she said it, silence resounded through the hall.

    Suddenly, everyone remembered something and looked at Brendel¡¯s direction.

    To be exact, at Dilferi Odinar.

    Brendel shifted, turning to look at the Countess. She was not shocked, like she was already anticipating it. Her eyes were calm, but she seemed to be a little nervous. She looked at Gryphine not too far away, and there was a hidden mix of struggle in her gaze.

    ¡°Dilferi?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, do you think that Marsha will watch over the ones who are righteous and pure?¡± she whispered.

    Brendel hesitated a little.

    Dilferi was currently in the sight of everyone else, the emblem on her chest showing a broken sword. Brendel suddenly remembered one thing. It regarded her family, one of the most mysterious noble families in Aouine, And his face paled.

    But it was toote, Dilferi had already spoken up, ¡°The Holy Sword Guardian Family greets your Royal Highness... Three months ago... The pedestal for the Lionheart Sword shattered...

    It¡¯s time to choose a new ruler.¡±

    Dilferi¡¯s body was shaking when she spoke. Being a close friend of Princess Gryphine, those words may have hurt her friend.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Princess Gryphine. I do not know why that happened either. Now that it¡¯s broken, my family has lost their purpose, your Royal Highness...¡± Dilferi began to tear up just as she finished her sentence.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Dilferi. The Kingdom will help you regain your honor. The Lionheart Sword will never let anyone who was loyal to it down-¡± Gryphine smiled, raising her head with a triumph look as she turned to Duke Seifer and a sulking Moros.

    ¡°Princess Gryphine, the truth is right here in front of you,¡± Duke Seifer gloated. ¡°The pedestal broke. House Covardo is not the rightful person to the throne now. Seems like the Kingdom would have to re-elect a new king.¡±

    ¡°ording to sacred charter, the right to choose falls under the nobles¡¯ discretion,¡± Moros nodded.

    ¡°Is that so? Then who do you guys think should be the new king?¡± she dered.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s ¨C ¡± Duke Seifer opened his mouth, thinking that everyone in the hall was bought over by the Holy Cathedral, with Arreck included as well. Having the Holy Cathedral of Fire backing him up was as if he had the help of the gods, and the sword pedestal shattering further proved that point. He was full of glee, thinking that there was no way he would not be the next king of Aouine.

    It was right at that moment his jaw dropped as if he had seen a ghost. And he gulped down the words he was about to say.

    His pupils reflected the silhouette of a girl.

    Or to be more urate, a probational female knight. That knight was standing next to Princess Gryphine and was looking oddly familiar to Seifer. She has the uncanny resemnce to the wielder of the ¡®Staff of Fire¡¯ Everton. Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s his descendant?

    But then, his focus shifted to the sword she was holding up high above her head. Four feet long, with a guard like widened wings, and a male lion biting onto the sword, as well as an icy cold de like that of silver snow.

    It reflected a ray of sunlight right into the eyes of everyone in the hall.

    The Lionheart Sword.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± someone yelled from amongst the crowd.

    ¡°If therees a day where the nobles in Aouine were to lose themselves, this sword shall return to where it came from and protect his Kingdom no more! But as long as there¡¯s someone who¡¯s still loyal to the sword, it will protect this piece ofnd and everything on it¨C House Covardo had never forgotten this oath. But I wonder, what about all of you right here?¡± Gryphine looked at the sword, and felt a little dizzy. But she kept herself up and spoke with confidence.

    Duke Seifer was confused with everything that was going on in the span of a few minutes, ¡°No! That¡¯s impossible! The Lionheart Sword has been lost for centuries now, and without a single clue, there¡¯s no way you guys could have possibly found it! Archbishop Moros, please believe me. It¡¯s a fake!¡±

    Archbishop turned and looked at Gryphine with sharp eyes, ¡°Your Royal Highness, can you prove that the sword in your arms is truly the same Lionheart Sword that King Erik had?¡±

    ¡°Archbishop Moros, are you suspecting me for lying in this sort of ce?¡± Princess Gryphine said coldly.

    ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m just keeping everything fair and just, your Royal Highness.¡±

    Princess Gryphine frowned. The hall fell silent too. The Lionheart Sword was the embodiment of Aouine, but no one expected Duke Seifer and Archbishop Moros to be that persistent even when the sword is shown. Some of the nobles felt that the two sides would not stop until the other is dead. They just looked at the two, waiting for the oue.

    Even Arreck lifted his eyelids with curiosity.

    But then, a deep, heavy voice echoed across the hall, ¡°I can prove the authenticity of the sword.¡±

    All of them turned back, surprised as the doors of Rokshbe Hall opened gradually while a silhouette stepped out as soon as sunlight filling up the room. His back facing the light, everyone had to squint their eyes because of the light rays that were like sharp knives. But their vision began to clear and they could make out who it was- a knight with an emerald armor.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Dilferi was so shocked she fell back into her chair. ¡°How¡¯s that possible?!¡±

    It¡¯s the Guardian of the Lake! Brendel too was shocked and jumped out of his chair. This timeline is truly too unpredictable!

 Chapter 515 - v3c294 The Brewing Storm

    <h4>v3c294</h4>

    <h4>The Brewing Storm</h4>

    A team of soldiers wearing long red gowns passed downtown in a hurry, causing loud rattles as the metal trim of their gowns hit against their chestte. Amandina looked back at the guards as they disappeared in the distance, the orderly sound of their footsteps going away. She felt that the atmosphere in Ampere Seale had be even tenserpared to two days ago.

    ¡°I do not expect the princess to bear the Lionheart Sword, but will the nobles in the North give up that easily?¡± Amandina asked the other person in the carriage. Perfume permeated throughout the air, making her feel uneasy.

    ¡°That¡¯s why they will postpone the next meeting by two days,¡± Brendel closed his eyes slightly and answered.

    The subtle changes in the noble meeting led him to abandon his original n. <i>Duke Arreck has given up allying with the Royal Faction and is standing neutral as Kirrlutz continues to pressure him. Unless the Holy Cathedral of Fire confirms their standing, my ns will be in ruins.</i>

    No one was expecting the Holy Cathedral to intervene, but it would make sense if they did. They would not hope to see Aouine fall into civil strife, but, what if the war was already inevitable? In the game¡¯s history, the key moments were the months just before the Lion Beastmen hadpleted hoarding their food stock. It was not impossible for the powers to shift within this time period, and if the princess was able to show herpetence, perhaps the Holy Cathedral of Fire would shift their support towards the South.

    <i>But just why is the Holy Cathedral of Fire so interested in the matters of Aouine?</i> Brendel thought. <i>It cannot merely be a coincidence that Archbishop Moros ising here to rece Wood almost one month earlier than he did in the game.</i> As history was changing surreptitiously, Brendel felt like he could not predict things as he did before. Things were bing even moreplicated than he had thought.

    As the atmosphere in Ampere Seale had now be more subtle, Brendel had to suppress his desire to take action, and he chose to observe for a while first. Besides, he had other things to do today.

    ¡°Will they be able to prove that the holy sword Princess Gryphine used was not the Lionheart within two days? ¡± Amandina asked.

    ¡°They should not be able to discredit it. Although that sword is slightly different from the previous Lionheart, the Knight of the Lake was the real deal, and Count Yanbao can prove that.¡± Brendel sighed and decided not to think about it. Archbishop Wood was still within the Holy Cathedral; plus, the person he is meeting with today will exin the entire situation to him.

    ¡°Yanbao?¡± Amandina looked at her lord with curiosity.

    ¡°Hehe, I don¡¯t expect you to know something like this. The first ancestor of the Yanbao Family was King Erik¡¯s guard. Before King Erik died, he ordered the Yanbao Family to guard the Holy Swords. It was an important role which has led them to their current standing. As for the Lionheart Sword, its guardian should still be that first-generation guard...¡± Brendel answered.

    ¡°How is that possible!¡± Amandina opened her eyes wide in shock and eximed, ¡°Isn¡¯t he already hundreds of years old?¡±

    ¡°The Knight of the Lake is no human, his existence is the oue of his consecration with his sword, his sacrifice for it. In a way, he¡¯s more like an Undead.¡± Brendel tried to recall some information that he had back in his previous world and answered. But those were just merely wild guesses on the forums, and in reality he could not really validate them.

    ¡°Then isn¡¯t it terribly strong? The Princess is going to have one more powerful helping hand now.¡±

    How Amandina switched it to politics was so hrious, that Brendel could hardly hold in hisughter as he replied, ¡°it¡¯s not as scary as you think, even though the Knight of the Lake has the capabilities of an Elemental Awakener, he is still slightly weaker than Veronica from Kirrlutz by not possessing a physical body.¡± Or, in gaming terms, the level 57 Knight of the Lake was still slightly weaker than the level 59 Veronica who was in theter stages of her Elemental Activation.

    <i>With his powerful dragon bloodline, Mephisto, at level 60, is definitely at the peak of Elemental Power Activation. Beyond that, he would be at the ultimate peak of the Elemental Realm ¨C Elemental Control. Unfortunately, there are no such existences in Aouine yet. </i>

    <i>From the Gold stage, humans required a long time to get to Elemental Awakening. Then they had to break past the Elemental Barrier to Elemental Activation, also called Elemental Awakening, and finally arrive at Elemental Control. But to the Gold and Silver bloodlines, this task was as simple as eating cake.</i> He continued to sigh.

    ¡°I see, the nobles in the North intend to use this time toe up with a legitimate excuse for war,¡± Amandina responded.

    Brendel was satisfied with her quick response and hence nodded his head. In fact, both the North and the South had no intentions for negotiations and were waiting for the response of the Holy Cathedral. Now that the Holy Cathedral had rified its standpoint, their only option was to fight. However, Princess Gryphine surprised everyone when she took out the Lionheart Sword during the meeting.

    <i>Perhaps even now Duke Seifer is so worried that he is losing some hair.</i> Brendel thought.

    Princess Gryphine was as clever as she was rumored to be. She took out the sword as a testament, dering her rights to the throne, not to the nobles, but to the masses who witnessed the scene. Undoubtedly, she had seeded as the Lionheart had high prestige within the hearts of Aouine¡¯s people. It was really beyond expectation that the princess was able to counterattack even under the suppression of the Holy Cathedral.

    As Amandina said, the nobles in the North would not give up so easily. Therefore, Brendel¡¯s main objective foring here was to inquire more about this. Though, of course, he had other objectives as well.

    ¡°Princess Gryphine really is a smart person,¡± Amandina couldn¡¯t help but praise her.

    Soon the carriage stopped. Brendel raised the curtains and peered out at the carriage next to him. Upon careful inspection, he knocked twice on his window. Shortly after, a woman hopped out of the carriage and got onto Brendel¡¯s immediately.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, I...¡± While holding her skirt to jump into the carriage, Magadal tried to talk to Brendel. The Nun Princess looked really gentle and innocent wearing a long white dress. However, she seemed a little nervous as her chest kept undting sporadically, and she looked around skittishly before closing Brendel¡¯s carriage door.

    However, Brendel interrupted her and shook his head, signaling her to keep quiet.

    Magadal looked at him in confusion.

    ¡°When will the auction start?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°The auction... We would almost be right on time if we head there now.¡± Through Amandina¡¯s hand signs, Magadal knew that Brendel was trying to stop her from mentioning just what ¡®those things¡¯ were in case of eavesdroppers. The Nun Princess quickly caught on and responded quickly, ¡°Mr. Brendel, just set your heart at rest. My friend is a trustworthy person and he will arrange your slot nicely. But unfortunately, there has been a lot of unrest in Ampere Seale recently and there are many who are wanting to auction off their art pieces. Though the manager had originally nned to use your art piece as the highlight of the auction, I don¡¯t think he can do that anymore.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Brendel answered. In fact, it was better this way. The piece he was auctioning was a plundered loot, and it would be better if it went unnoticed.

    Magadal took a deep breath and looked up suddenly. She gestured to Brendel anxiously and tried tomunicate with signnguage. But Brendel panicked a little as he did not understand the gestures.

    <i>Boy is this princess really multi-talented. People had said that she was a linguistic genius, and had served the role of a diplomatic ambassador for the Holy Cathedral in many countries. But I never expected her to know signnguage as well.</i>

    While he was impressed, he felt Amandina clutching his hand tightly. He looked over to see her drawing on her palm with her other hand. It took him a while before he understood that she was tranting for him, ¡°Archbishop Wood has been taken under house arrest...¡±

    Brendel looked up, staring at Magadal with surprise. She nodded seriously to confirm the news, and Brendel¡¯s mind began to spin.

    <i>Wood and Moros are colleagues from the same organization. There is no known bad blood between them. Though they may have differing visions of the Holy Cathedral, it would still be unreasonable for Moros toe over and ce him under house arrest right now, wouldn¡¯t it? I would rather believe her if she said they were in an alliance together...¡±</i>

    <i>Doesn¡¯t this signify a betrayal?</i>

    <i>Is this necessary? Or is the Holy Cathedral left with no other option now? But just what would make them this anxious? </i>Brendel tried to figure out the reasons behind all of this and subconsciously grabbed Amandina¡¯s small hands. Amandina did not expect this from Brendel and her face blushed immediately. Anyway, as a <i>calm</i> person, she only shuddered slightly and managed to not let Brendel know.

    ¡°Any news about the Holy Cathedral?¡± The ignorant Brendel wrote this sentence on Amandina¡¯s palm to let her trante into signnguage.

    He chose to believe in The Nun Princess as she was the best friend of Princess Gryphine. Simrly, The Nun Princess also trusted Brendel, who was her best friend¡¯s knight and because she had heard a lot about him before. In fact, The Nun Princess was being monitored and was banned from meeting Princess Gryphine now. This made her rush to meet Brendel, as she knew that Brendel¡¯s true identity had yet to be revealed to the public.

    Though, even now, she was still secretly observing Brendel.

    <i>Well, this man is not as barbarous as he was rumored to be. Some people may call him a bandit leader, but he did not leave a bad first impression. In fact, he¡¯s more of a gentleman then that hypocritical Marquis Yoakam.</i> Magadal thought, and nodded her head. Just as she lifted her finger to continue, Brendel stopped her and said, ¡°Let¡¯s continue this conversation when we arrive, alright?¡±

    Thus, the carriage became silent as it quickly passed through Ampere Seale¡¯s bustling city areas.

    In fact, Brendel had been to this auction before during his previous life, but he was acting inconspicuously by asking questions as if it was his first time here. While there were no modern tapping devices here, there were still spells which could pick up on sounds through the wind. As the carriage passed the Sanpino Square, they wereing closer to the auction.

    Brendel was holding open the curtains and ncing at the scenery outside in a rxed manner. However, all of a sudden, the driver¡¯s scream and some frantic horse neighs rang out. All at once, the carriage came to an immediate and abrupt halt, almost flinging all of its passengers out onto the sideroad. Thedies in the carriage could not react in time and screamed as well. If it was not for Brendel grabbing them in time, they would have probably kissed the floor. [T/L: meaning hit the ground face first.]

    The carriage shook violently. Brendel hugged both of them with his back against one side of the carriage. But their position was really awkward: Brendel was hugging Amandina with one arm while supporting the carriage¡¯s wall using his elbow. Her body was almost embedded in him, and her breasts were pressing tightly against him.

    Even though she was a calm person, not too shocked by Brendel¡¯s defensive actions, she could not help but blush at her current circumstances.

    On the other hand, Magadal was so stunned and terrified by the sudden crash that she didn¡¯t even realize she was being embraced by Brendel. The princess waspletely incapable of self-protection. Her body was so soft and fluffy that Brendel felt as if he was hugging cotton, making him look down at her pale white face. Her eyes were shut tightly, and the pitiful air around her made his heart beat sporadically.

    Soon, the carriage stabilized and rolled over to one side.

    ¡°Ouch!¡± Magadal shouted ufortably as Brendel fell on top of her. The Nun Princess finally realized the intimate embrace she was in and struggled slightly to make Brendel let go of her. However, Brendel did not release his grip. Although he was not sure about what exactly happened outside, he knew the horses were still frightened. If the horses were to panic and start bolting about like maniacs, while dragging the fallen carriage, his twopanions could be in trouble.

    Brendel quickly responded by taking out Halran Gaia from his Dimensional Space, slicing upwards in an arc.

    ¡°Kar-thak!¡±

    Arge hole was carved out of one side of the carriage. Taking both Amandina and Magadal, he jumped out. Although the whole collision had happened in the span of just a split moment, it was still a piece of cake for Brendel at the peak of the Gold stage.

    The passerby only saw the carriage falling down to one side, followed by a huge crash. And before they could process what was happening, a young man hugging two beauties appeared out of thin air on the streets.

    <i>¡°Wow, this guy is so lucky!</i> Was what everyone thought at that moment.

    But Brendel felt otherwise. He was a ball of rage.

    While both Amandina and Magadal were still in confusion, he looked around and found that not only were the two horses in a pool of blood, but the driver was also severely injured while groaning in pain besides the carriage.

    There were two arrows protruding out of the heads of the horses.

    Brendel looked up, staring at a group of calvary men in ck armor not far away from him. He was at the end of his patience, and with barely suppressed anger asked, ¡°Are you guys the ones who did this?¡±

 Chapter 516 - v3c295 Future Star

    <h4>v3c295</h4>

    <h4>Future Star</h4>

    The cavalry wore ck armor over dark blue shirts. White cors stuck out from their armor, held together by bronze buttons. They wore helmets ¨C ones that reminded Brendel of the Spanish ones back in his old world. This was the standard uniform of the Aouine cavalry, which meant that they were part of the official army, not some random group of mercenaries or private guards. They did not bear any spears or halberds, but instead, longswords hung from the scabbards at their hips and crossbows were slung across their saddles.

    This group of twenty men took up the whole street. Everyone else nearby stood at the side, as they did not dare to cross the soldiers, and even carriages had to stop to let them conclude their business.

    Brendel quickly understood the situation. These soldiers had shot down their horses simply because the carriage did not bear the insignia of a noble, and the driver had not stopped the carriage fast enough. Brendel¡¯s heart burned with frustration. He had refrained himself from insulting the likes of Duke Arreck and Duke Seifer during the conference, yet here he was being trampled on by a few lowly soldiers.

    ¡°They¡¯re the cavalry unit of the ck de Squad.¡± Amandina squeezed his arm, rmed at the situation.

    Brendel had already identified the trash. The ck de Squad was originally the king¡¯s Royal Guard, underneath the lead of Count Vitokin. And although Gryphine¡¯s mother had done the Count lots of favors, the traitor still defected to House Seifer along with the eldest prince. To make matters worse, the ck de Squad had decided to follow him like a bunch of headless chickens. Even though they too had been treated well by House Covardo. Unfortunately for King Oberg the Seventh, he had raised a group of traitorous turncoats.

    When Brendel saw the purple plume on the opposing group¡¯s helmets, he knew that they were The Rangers, the elites of the ck de Squad. In fact, one could already tell by the Earth Drakes that they were riding on, that they were a prestigious Squad. <i>These men must be the personal guard of Count Vitokin.</i> Brendel narrowed his eyes, searching relentlessly for that bastard.

    ¡°You have gone too far!¡± Magadal helped the wounded driver to his feet while staring at the soldiers with rage.

    ¡°Too far?¡± The soldiersughed at Magadal¡¯s response. There were even a few of them who looked at both Magadal and Amandina lecherously. They did not dare to do anything reckless in front of the Holy Cathedral, but Brendel knew that these soldiers might employ any sort of underhanded methods. ¡°Missy, we were just teaching him some manners,¡± replied one of the soldiers.

    ¡°You...! Very well-¡± Magadal¡¯s face was flushed with anger. She was going to announce who she was, but Brendel acted. After determining that Count Vitokin was not present, he did not want to waste any more time talking to the trash in front of him. He rapped Halran Gaia against the ground, and the earth started to ripple. These ripples traveled through the earth towards The Rangers, growingrger with each passing inch.

    Before The Rangers could react, the waves had already reached the ground beneath the Earth Drakes, causing them to lose bnce. The riders soon copsed along with their Earth Drakes. Some of them were even crushed beneath their massive mounts, resulting in broken limbs.

    Earth Drakes were extremely precious to Aouine¡¯s army. There were only three hundred of them in the entire ck de Squad. To The Rangers, the Earth Drakes were undoubtedly their most precious and valuablepanion. Not one among them had imagined that their mounts would have fallen before a battle had started, at the hands of a random stranger no less. The Rangers were extremely enraged, preparing to gang up on Brendel to teach him a lesson.

    Brendel looked on calmly as the soldiers unsheathed their swords. While he did not wish to take a life so easily, he told himself that he would not hesitate if they attacked. Just before the battle erupted, a voice cut through the air, ¡°Everyone stop!¡±

    The soldiers snapped out of their enraged stupor. Their swords were already out of their scabbards and their bodies poised to rush forward, yet that voice managed to make the soldiers sheath their swords. Brendel was surprised at the scene. He could tell that the voice belonged to that of a young man, so he knew it wasn¡¯t Count Vitokin. <i>To be able tomand this group of soldiers so well... I¡¯m afraid even Count Vitokin¡¯s son wouldn¡¯t be able to do it.</i> Brendel thought to himself,mending whoever¡¯s voice it was who held such authority.

    Brendel knew that of the famous war heroes of Aouine in the future, most of them would start appearing at this time. Knowing that this person probably held great power in the army, if Brendel could remember that he would be a threat in the future, then he would get rid of him right this instant.

    Steeling his resolve, Brendel looked up to see the approaching figure. The sea of soldiers parted to reveal, just as Brendel had guessed, a young man. Brendel found that the only way to describe him was beautiful. <i>Since when did this generation¡¯s genes be so superior?</i> Brendel was slightly envious of this person. While he thought that his own looks were still serviceable, just looking at the neer¡¯s features made him feel inferior.

    The young man gave his soldiers a look before approaching Magadal. He bowed and said, ¡°Princess Magadal, please forgive my subordinates¡¯ reckless behavior. They only acted as they did because there was no noble¡¯s insignia on the carriage, so they thought you weremoners. Please ept my apologies.¡±

    Brendel felt even more pissed off at his apology. <i>So you¡¯re telling me that it would have been fine as long as we weremoners?!</i> However, Magadal was not fuming in rage like he was. She replied curtly, ¡°Please tighten the leash on your soldiers. That is your duty. Do not bring shame to the name of Aouine, Viscount Von Dougning.¡±

    After hearing her words, Viscount Von Dougning¡¯s expression immediately darkened. He gave Brendel a hateful stare. ¡°Then how should we deal with this problem right now? This man just injured my troops and my Earth Drakes. To attack the Earth Drakes of the Royal Guards is no light matter, princess. Would you care to exin?¡±

    Magadal frowned, any slight goodwill that she had for this person immediately evaporated. She had thought he was a reasonable person, but apparently he was also a hot-headed and stubborn man. Brendel was her guest, so she would not hand him over. In fact, she was so kind that she would dly do this even for a stranger.

    Before she could form a reply, Brendel had already spoken with his eyes glinting. ¡°Good sir, it seems that you won¡¯t be letting this go easily. So, would you like to settle things privately or publicly?¡±

    He had already identified who the neer was. Viscount Von Dougning was one of the nobles underneath Count Vitokin¡¯s tutge and a well-known genius in history who had found his fame during the war with the Lion Beastmen. He had risen to fame earlier than Brendel, and the Royal Faction had high hopes for him. Even Princess Gryphine had taken an interest in his feats. However, he had followed Vitokin and the eldest prince when they defected to House Seifer. This shining star of the future had instead be a weapon against the Royal Faction.

    Freya had once told Brendel that the three most outstanding youngsters in Princess Gryphine¡¯s Royal Cavalry Academy were Bet, Rouka, and Enrique. Thetter two would have been known as heroes alongside Freya. Freya would be known as the War Goddess, Rouka as Aouine¡¯s Master Strategist, and Enrique, who would be a Sword Saint in the future, would be Gryphine¡¯s personal guard as well. However, Enrique still had a long way to go before iming that title.

    Brendel did not expect for Bet to be among the top talents within the academy. His war tactics were more mediocre than Rouka¡¯s, just like his swordy waspared to Enrique¡¯s, yet his final score was better than the both of them. If Brendel hadn¡¯t changed history, then Bet would have died at Be. <i>Such a talented genius perishing at the hands of Madara, it would have been such a shame.</i>

    However, what was even more pitiful was the rtionship between Brendel and Bet. Brendel knew that Bet had feelings for Freya, but anyone could see that Freya only had eyes for Brendel. This had spurred Bet to look at Brendel as his rival. <i>What a pain in the ass...</i>

    However, those three geniuses would take time to grow, and as of right now, none of them couldpare to Viscount Von Dougning. He already had a few years of battle experience underneath his belt, while Bet and the others were always in the academy. Freya had once heard Maynild say that if there was a real fight, even she herself would barely be able to hold him off.

    Brendel suppressed his killing intent. He knew that soon a mere country bumpkin would defeat ¡®The Kingdom¡¯s Greatest Genius¡¯, and that would be the beginning of The Legend of Aouine¡¯s War Goddess. This person would serve as Freya¡¯s first stepping stone.

    Brendel had no ns to get rid of the ignorant fool today.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Von Dougning paused for a moment. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°It means what it means. Didn¡¯t you just say that I attacked the Royal Family¡¯s Royal Guards? Perhaps I did, but I¡¯d like to ask which of you down there are from that private army? If you can prove your identity, then I will willingly pay for the damages,¡± Brendel smiled as he replied.

    Viscount Von Dougning¡¯s mind went nk. <i>Who <strong>is</strong> the true monarch right now?</i> Unfortunately, this matter is supposed to be settled at the conference, and not by them. Though even if the monarch had been selected, the war would have started, so the ck de Squad¡¯s hands would have been too full to deal with Brendel.

    ¡°... Perhaps we could settle this privately.¡± Viscount Von Dougning replied hastily, not wanting to offend his might-be rulers.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Brendel took off his white gloves calmly, holding it out towards Viscount Von Dougning. ¡°That would not be a problem either. However, your underlings wrecked my carriage, and I injured your Earth Drakes. For both our pride¡¯s sake, let¡¯s duel like most nobles do.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Viscount Von Dougning¡¯s expression turned sour immediately. He was only nning to make Brendel suffer a little bit by using the ck de Squad¡¯s name. He never thought that Brendel would actually challenge him to a duel.

    The Nun Princess could not refrain fromughing at Brendel¡¯s antics. Brendel had already surpassed Gold Rank, and he was an Elemental Awakened swordsman. While other spectators might not have known about his true prowess, his skill with the sword was widely recognized. Viscount Von Dougning had definitely heard of him before. This was also the reason Brendel chose to challenge him to a duel, in order to show that he was not to be messed with.

    Magadal could not think of Brendel as being arrogant, rather she thought that this Hignd Knight¡¯s methods were interesting. She was eagerly waiting for the scene to unfold before her.

    Amandina, on the other hand, shook her head. <i>Are these idiots really trying to pick a fight with Brendel? Brendel has never once taken an insult lying down.</i>

    Viscount Von Dougning¡¯s reaction was as expected by Brendel. While he was considered a genius for his age, it was impossible for him, a Silver Ranker, to defeat Brendel. He would only be courting death if he epted the challenge.

    Yet he could not reject the challenge. To decline a duel in this manner would bring shame upon his name, and to make things worse, Von Dougning had also dragged the ck de Squad¡¯s name into the matter. Viscount Von Dougning started panicking.

    Brendel leaned on the Halran Gaia, looking at the poor fool leisurely. <i>Those are some interesting expressions. The way his face changes color is just like that of a chameleon.</i>

    Magadal decided it was time to intervene. She knew that Brendel merely wanted to toy with Von Dougning, he wasn¡¯t that serious about the duel. She looked at Von Dougning and sighed. <i>You reap what you sow.</i>

    ¡°Let it go, Brendel. This ce is Saint Pino za, the Archbishop of the Ande Cathedral ordered the construction of this za tomemorate the peace between Aouine and Kirrlutz. No fighting is allowed here,¡± she reminded him.

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Von Dougning suddenly thought that the princess¡¯s voice was extremely melodious. ¡°Because of that, our duel cannot take ce.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s such a rule?¡± Brendel looked back at Magadal, only to see her wink at him. Brendel chuckled to himself. <i>So this princess isn¡¯t so dull after all.</i> ¡°So be it. Since we can¡¯t settle our feud now, we should take this matter elsewhere.¡±

    Viscount Von Dougning went pale again, replying hastily, ¡°Then let it be after the conference has ended.¡± He knew that the Conference of Ampere Seale would still take a very long time to conclude, so he could only drag this matter out for as long as possible. Furthermore, once the conference has concluded, the war would begin. He would not have to deal with Brendel once he had been sent to the army.

    Knowing this, he dared not tally any longer. After finishing his sentence, he immediately ran away with his tail between his legs.

    Brendel shook his head. ¡°Youngsters...¡±

    Amandina was rolling her eyes to the side. The auction house manager, who had arrived prior, finally walked up to Brendel. When he saw Brendel and Princess Magadal facing off against the ck de Squad, he did not dare to lightly step in between them. He knew that it was not right of him to stand by idly, after all both Brendel and Magadal were his esteemed guests. Therefore, he walked up to them and said guiltily, ¡°Are the both of you fine? That person has always been arrogant, please don¡¯t mind him too much. The VIP room has been prepared, would both of you like to enter now?¡±

    Magadal understood his situation and didn¡¯t want to burden him, so she looked towards Brendel. He nodded his head.

 Chapter 517 - v3c296 Operation Commences!

    <h4>v3c296</h4>

    <h4>Operation Commences!</h4>

    Brendel, Amandina, and Magadal were led into a suite on the third floor of the auction house. The room had a balcony, allowing a good view of the entire ce. Brendel was quite satisfied with the room, but Amandina on the other hand, was severely underwhelmed. She¡¯d heard of rumors of the grandiose auction house of Ampere Seale. She thought its appearance would beparable to the grand structures of Braggs, but she was met with disappointment as she looked at the in building.

    The walls around her looked to be made of in dull wood. The curtains hanging off the ceiling did not impress in either color or texture. As for the chair she was sitting on, the craftsmanship seemed mediocre, however she did feel strangelyfortable on it.

    Little did she know that the walls were made of ck Ironwood, an expensive material used in crafting staves. The curtains were weaved from fabric imported from the Sand Nation in the south, and were considered to be a priceless treasure. The cushion of her seat was made of camel fur, a single one would cost a normal person¡¯s life savings. A noble¡¯s lifestyle was truly one of extravagance that¡¯s iprehensible to most.

    Even though technically, Amandina was also a noble, her family had long since lost their power and wealth. This luxurious lifestyle was something they could only dream about.

    A silencing spell had been cast over the balcony, rendering their voices undetectable to anyone outside the area of effect. There was also a barrier that prevented anyone outside from looking into the balcony. The auction house had done a great job at protecting their identities, but Brendel cast his own silencing spell just in case. This type of spell was nothing to an Elementalist who had surpassed level twenty, but Magadal was impressed nheless at Brendel¡¯sck of need for any tools to help him.

    ¡°He even knows magic. Not to mention he¡¯s already a Gold Rank Swordsman., how did Mr. Brendel achieve such power while being so young? Is the gap between a normal person and a genius this wide?¡± Princess Magadal raised her eyebrow in surprise. She had thought that her close friend, Princess Gryphine was a generational talent herself, but that talent seemed dull inparison to Brendel. And this was without her knowing that Brendel only took slightly more than a year to reach Gold Rank, or else she would have suspected that Brendel was actually a member of the dragon race.

    There were talks around town saying that Brendel was the most outstanding talent in the past century. However, this rising star had a rather close rtionship with the princess, prompting many to start worrying about his motives. Magadal, on the other hand, was d that her friend had someone like Brendel supporting her.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s safe to talk now. Just what is going on with the Holy Cathedral, Princess? Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but Archbishop Wood supports the motion that Aouine should remain as it is. Are his words not enough to sway the opinions of the leaders of the Holy Cathedral of Fire? I know that there are more archbishops, especially in a city like Ampere Seale, but there can¡¯t be that many. So why did the Holy Cathedral deviate from their original n?¡± Brendel asked once he finished his spell.

    Magadal replied, ¡°Moros must havee back with a letter. Originally, Archbishop Wood was only supposed to hand over his position to Moros one monthter, but Moros had arrived early with his letter. Once Wood looked at the letter, he has not appeared outside ever since. There was also an order preventing us from leaving the cathedral, but I managed to avoid the guards and met up with you, Mr. Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Wood isn¡¯t the kind of person who is easily swayed by emotions, but he is a man of faith. That letter must be from the Holy Cathedral¡¯s inner circle, but what exactly made them change their minds so quickly? The Archbishop typically represents the entire Holy Cathedral, there is rarely any conflict of interests between the archbishop and the Holy Cathedral. Something big must have happened to cause this situation.¡± Brendel frowned.

    Just as he finished his sentence, the auction started. The first item on auction was a magic sword. The Ampere Seale auction house was obviously on another level than Braggs¡¯s underground market. This magic sword¡¯s quality was extremely high, to the point where its starting bid was fifty thousand Taels. Amandina was visibly shocked at the price.

    However, Brendel was not interested in that weapon at all. Halran Gaia, albeit low leveled, was already one of the top grade weapons in the world. It easily dwarfs any other weapon that was not considered a Divine Artifact. In ¡°The Amber Sword¡±, there weren¡¯t many weapons that could be considered Divine Artifacts.

    ¡°If only we could see the contents of that letter.¡± Brendel returned his attention to the topic they were discussing.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, could you help Gryphine? The Holy Cathedral is trying to help the nobles of the north take over Aouine. Duke Arreck might even be pressured into joining their alliance. If that happens, Gryphine would be in grave danger.¡± Magadal eximed worriedly.

    ¡°You think that the Holy Cathedral will make their move here by trapping the Royal Faction in Ampere Seale?¡± Brendel frowned. <i>I don¡¯t think those nobles have enough power to do such a thing, but I cant¡¯ ignore this possibility either.</i> The Holy Cathedral imed that they have never interfered with politics before, but history clearly says otherwise. ¡°Even Arreck is being pressured... The Holy Cathedral is being rather forceful. But what are they doing? Aren¡¯t they afraid that their n will backfire?¡± He could notprehend their actions. The Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s presence extended to other countries as well. If Kirrlutz acts as such, then the other countries would be affected as well. Historically speaking, the Holy Cathedral has only ever interfered in politics under special circumstances, so what was it this time?

    The Nun Princess nodded her head. ¡°Moros is known for being authoritative. It seems that he wants to end this civil war as soon as possible. However, the Royal Faction still holds significant power in the south. This war would require at least a year to end. Furthermore, recovering from the war would take a long time, it seems that Moros does not have the patience to wait for that to happen.¡±

    Themotion in the auction house was getting louder. The magic sword¡¯s was bought by a swordsman for a hundred and twenty thousand Taels. As loud as it was, the noise did nothing to distract Brendel and Magadal. Brendel¡¯s eyebrows were pinched. ¡°How do you want me to help? The nobles will try to buy as much time as possible. If my guess is right, then they may have already begun mobilizing their army. If Gryphine backs out of the conference, then the Holy Cathedral might use this chance to act.

    ¡°By then, if I¡¯m still standing behind the princess, I¡¯d be going against the Holy Cathedral. Is that what you are suggesting?¡± He said cooly.

    ¡°Brendel...¡± Amandina was startled. Only Brendel would dare to speak of such things. <i>Go against the Holy Cathedral?</i> Her blood ran cold with the mere thought of it. The Holy Cathedral of Fire possessed control over many other areas other than Aouine and Kirrlutz. To the Holy Cathedral, Aouine was merely a small insignificant speck.

    Magadal nced at Brendel guiltily. She was a faithful follower of the Holy Cathedral herself, so she knew of the immense power that they possessed. The country she hailed from waspletely under the control of the Holy Cathedral. With her beauty that could rival a goddess, her ability to walk around freely as the Nun Princess was owed to the Holy Cathedral.

    One could say that without the Holy Cathedral, she would not be who she was.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, I know that you are a supporter of the Royal Faction. But how invested are you in helping Gryphine?¡± Magadal blurted out the question, unable to hold it in when she thought of her friend¡¯s situation.

    ¡°You are wrong, princess. I have never professed my support for the Royal Faction, and I do not support their methods, including the princess.¡± Brendel frowned after hearing her words.

    Magadal was shocked. ¡°H-how could this be...? Are you telling me that everything you did in Trentheim was all for your own benefit?¡±

    Brendel shook his head. He did not need to go to such lengths for his own benefit. With his prowess, he could obtain a seat of power in Kirrlutz, Gretius, and even Sanorso. He did not need to start from a ce as barren as Trentheim.

    ¡°I must admit, I do think of Princess Gryphine as someone important. But that is not because of the cause she fights for, nor do I want to restore the country to its former glory or anything of the sort. I merely want to protect the people that I want to protect. I do not want to repeat past tragedies. Do you understand, Princess Magadal?¡± He said calmly.

    Magadal stared at him with a lost expression. ¡°My apologies, Mr. Brendel, I don¡¯t quite understand. Are you trying to say that... that you like Princess Gryphine?¡±

    Brendel nearly choked. <i>This princess is rather sharp isn¡¯t she?</i> He cleared his throat and sighed, ¡°You can think of it however you want to, but I will not y a role in this power struggle. I am not a yer nor a pawn in this game. If you really want me to help, Princess Magadal, then we will do it my way.¡±

    By then, it was Romona Anyao¡¯s painting back in the first century that was on auction ¨C the same item Brendel was auctioning in the hall. It was the fourth item to be auctioned off. Sansorno¡¯s Wind Elf royalties may be good artists, but Princess Anyao was even more of a geniuspared to them. And this painting was one she drew back in her prime, and was, therefore, more expensive. That¡¯s why in mere moments after the auction started, the bid was already at one million Taels. Amandina could not help but be shocked!

    The noise outside was deafening, but it could not drown out Magadal¡¯s tiny voice. ¡°Mr Brendel¡¯s way?¡±

    ¡°Before I answer that question, I need you to answer me. How did you want me to help the princess?¡±

    The Nun Princess hesitated for a moment before replying with furrowed eyebrows, ¡°Of course it would be to bring Gryphine away from here. Ampere Seale is not a safe ce for her, Mr Brendel...¡±

    This was not her original n. She did not think highly of Brendel at first, but hoped that by convincing him to join the Royal Faction, Princess Gryphine would be in a safer position. Somehow, Brendel¡¯s words had swayed her original n.

    Brendel replied, ¡°You have to understand this, if Princess Gryphine chooses to leave Ampere Seale, she would lose the chance to gain the Holy Cathedral¡¯s support. She might even lose all the support she had originally. The Royal Faction would be on the brink of copse, all that they have worked for would have been for nothing.¡±

    Magadal immediately replied, ¡°I don¡¯t care about the Royal Faction. I¡¯m only worried about my friend!¡±

    ¡°So am I.¡± Brendel replied, his eyes closed.

    ¡°I understand.¡± Magadal took a light breath. ¡°But why does Mr. Brendel not support the Royal Faction? Your actions in Trentheim were clearly those of an actual knight. The ideology of the Royal Faction, isn¡¯t that the path you have chosen? Why do you choose not to ally yourself with them? Righteous people like you are hard toe by in Aouine, why do you not band together, and instead choose to let the nobles of the north win? Mr. Brendel, you also wish to protect thisnd, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Brendel shook his head and replied, ¡°The Lionheart Sword that is in Freya¡¯s hands now represents the promise to protect the people, it does not mean that the person in possession is the rightful heir. If the one who is supposed to lead the country cannot safeguard the Lionheart Sword, what right does this person have to lead the country?

    ¡°A country is made of its people. The knights protecting the country are supposed to protect the people, not sacrifice themselves trying to protect the people. Using the im of lineage to try and inherit the throne, the Royal Faction¡¯s ideology is nothing but the stubbornness of the old nobles. Princess, have you been to Be?¡±

    ¡°Be?¡±

    ¡°That means you do not understand what Aouine truly needs. King Erik¡¯s sword was meant to protect the people, but the Royal Faction¡¯s sword? It seems that its only purpose is to strike down the nobles.¡±

    The Nun Princess remained silent. She did not quite understand the ideologies of Brendel, Gryphine and the Royal Faction, but she felt that Brendel did make sense. <i>Brendel¡¯s thoughts are simr to Gryphine¡¯s. It¡¯s just that Gryphine did not have as clear a vision as Brendel. It seems that we¡¯ve all been misled, the Royal Faction was never on the right path.</i> Magadal nodded to herself.

    She raised her head and asked, ¡°How can I help you, Mr. Brendel?¡±

    ¡°I need to see the contents of that letter so I can ascertain where the Holy Cathedral stands. If it truly is as you¡¯ve said, then I have no choice but to steal the princess away from here.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°It can be done. But in exchange, I¡¯d like Mr. Brendel to stop calling me princess, just call me Magadal.¡± The Princess said earnestly.

    ¡°Is that fine?¡± Brendel turned around abruptly. His auctioned item had just been sold off for three billion thirty thousand Taels, Amandina could not help letting out a gasp. Looking at Magadal, Brendel asked, ¡°You¡¯re a follower of the Holy Cathedral aren¡¯t you, Miss Magadal?¡±

    ¡°The teachings of the Holy Cathedral of Fire tell us to act morally and never betray a friend. While I am a believer, I am more faithful so my own heart. I believe that even Lord Wood would support me in this matter,¡± Magadal replied. ¡°For this matter, I am willing to pay the price, so you can rx, Mr. Brendel.¡±

    <i>She really is as kind as the rumors say she is.</i> Normally, Brendel tried his best to avoid any religious fellows, but he could not help admiring her. He suddenly thought of the princess¡¯s fate in the future. With the intention to help her, he asked, ¡°Miss Magadal, have you ever thought of taking control of your own fate?¡±

    The Nun Princess¡¯s eyes went wide. She was sorely tempted by his words. She did not know how Brendel knew her weakness so well, thus she couldn¡¯t help but stare at him in fear.

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to harm you.¡±

    Magadal hesitated, but in the end, she shook her head. The Holy Cathedral had given her so much, she did not dare to resist them. Just like Gryphine, even if she knew she had no way out, she still had to continue on her path. Seeing that Magadal was unwilling to part ways with the Holy Cathedral, Brendel could only sigh. He knew that it was unlikely she would ept, after all the Nun Princess still had an entire country weighing on her soldiers. <i>Humans can never truly be free.</i> He too merely asked her on a whim of his.

    The auctioneer mmed his mallet down thrice, calling for silence.

    ¡°I await your news. Please tread carefully.¡± Brendel said.

    Princess Magadal nodded in reply.

 Chapter 518 - v3c297 A Message From the North

    <h4>v3c297</h4>

    <h4>A Message From the North</h4>

    As the final items were auctioned off, the auction drew its conclusion. During that time, Brendel had bought three hundred thousand Taels worth of adamantite, one of the materials needed to forge the Full Metal Armor. With Abram¡¯s relics and the money he had inherited from Amman, soon he would be able to get his hands on that new armor. Magadal had also bought a brooch from the Wind Elves as a gift to Amandina.

    Thest item of the auction was a round shield that had been passed down since Kirrlutz¡¯s Kanov Dynasty, however both Brendel and Amandina were no longer paying any attention. The only thing that upied their mind was the shaky state of Ampere Seale¡¯s politics. Both of them hurriedly left the room once the auction was concluded.

    Magadal was nning to return to the Holy Cathedral to avoid raising any more suspicion. She wanted to research further on the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s true motives, as well as whether Archbishop Moros had made any under-the-table deals with the nobles.

    As for Brendel, he was rather satisfied with how things had gone. Even though there wasn¡¯t much news, at least he had gained a reliable ally in the Holy Cathedral and understood Kirrlutz¡¯s intentions. Brendel had a lot of confidence in Princess Magadal¡¯s character, after all kindness was her strongest suit. In his original timeline, she was known for her kindness, and brought about the saying ¡®beauty in the heart transcends appearance¡¯. Not that it suggested she was ugly in any way, her beauty was only slightly below Princess Gryphine¡¯s, earning her the title of ¡®Humanity¡¯s Queen Aines¡¯. [T/L: Queen Aines was an Elf Queen known for her beauty back during the Holy War.]

    Brendel had Amandina deal with the transactions while he immediately left the auction house. He entered a carriage and ordered: ¡°74, Scorpion Street¡±. The carriage took off in a blur, twisting and turning in the maze-like Ampere Seale, until it stopped in front of one of the buildings of the suburban district. All of the houses in this area had been bought by Sue. He walked towards a house looking over the bay area of Ampere Seale. The doors immediately opened for him once he arrived.

    A peculiar feminine face appeared from behind the doors. Gills were growing in the underside of her face, and her skin was the color of green jade. Her yellow eyes were wide with rm, staring at Brendel with a cautious look. ¡°Hello, Nendez,¡± Brendel greeted the naga with a smile. Nendez nodded her head, retreating from the door to let Brendel enter.

    ¡°Master.¡± Two other nagas walked out, one of them being Sani, who was sent here to act as an envoy to the lord of Trentheim after being injured in battle a few days ago.. Brendel had be the nagas¡¯ most precious ¡®friend¡¯ after he used Health Potion No. 1 to cure their queen, but the true reason the nagas valued Brendel as their ally was because the queen had her sights on Brendel¡¯s potential. Anyone who possessed a Health Potion No. 1 was definitely someone whose future was bound to be bright.

    Before anyone else could speak another word, Sue eximed: ¡°Master, there has been a problem!¡± While wearing a worried expression.

    <i>Oh? What could have happened in the few hours that I¡¯ve been gone? Did the nobles decide to put Princess Gryphine under house arrest?</i> ¡°What happened? Did something happen to the princess?¡± Brendel furrowed his eyebrows.

    Sue shook her head, and handed over a letter. Brendel scanned through the contents of the letter, and his expression immediately changed.. He had previously asked Sue to gather information from the north so that he could ascertain the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s intentions, and the letter he was holding was the result of his request. The Lion Beastmen had alreadyunched an attack at the borders three days ago, and the Holy Cathedral of Earth had already begun mobilizing for war half a month ago. The Holy Cathedral of Earth had begun preparing for war three months earlier than they previously did, and the reason for that was that they wanted Aouine to return their lost Divine Artifact ¡ª Halran Gaia.

    Brendel was speechless. He had been racking his brain, trying to figure out why the Holy Cathedral of Earth suddenly changed their mind, but he did not expect that this was the reason. They were willing to start a war just to reim their Divine Artifact. In the end, Brendel was the reason for this war.

    ¡°How did you get this news?¡±

    ¡°A contact of mine in the north sent it over here through the nagas. Now that Ampere Seale has closed off the roads out of the city, news hasn¡¯t been easy toe by.¡± Sue replied.

    <i>He must be the one who brought it over.</i> Brendel thought while looking at Sani.

    ¡°Is your contact reliable?¡±

    ¡°Nope. He¡¯s only paid to work, but it should be okay to trust his info.¡±

    Brendel nodded. Everyone in the north must know already that the Lion Beastmen had advanced their ns for war. Only Ampere Seale, who had already sealed their gates, did not receive the news.

    The situation was dire. The war between the Holy Cathedrals of Fire and Earth would not affect Aouine much, but the effects on Kirrlutz would be devastating: it would beparable to the impact of the War of the ck Roses on Aouine. This was a war of religion, and the Holy Cathedral of Fire was bound to use their full strength, which was why they needed the political situation of Aouine to be stable.

    In order to make that happen, they had chosen to employ more forceful methods.

    To the nobles in the north, this was good news, but for the princess it spelled nothing but trouble. ¡°Master, what should we do now?¡± Sue did not know the contents of the letter, but she knew that it wasn¡¯t good news. She suspected that it had something to do with the rumors she had heard of the Holy Cathedral.

    ¡°By now, the princess must already be locked up in the pce. The Holy Cathedral of Fire definitely will not let her leave Ampere Seale. They will force Arreck to take a stand, which will put the Royal Faction in a precarious position.¡± Brendel muttered to himself. <i>The Royal Faction must have already received the news by now. They might not have the help of nagas, but I¡¯m sure that they have their own methods. If Arreck decides to support the nobles now, then the princess will be in grave danger. She might not even be able to leave unscathed...</i>

    Brendel looked up and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Romaine?¡±

    ¡°Miss Romaine went to the market district. She said that we had no connections with the merchants in Ampere Seale, so she wanted to build some connections. This country is on the brink of war, the economic situation will also be affected, so she is worried that it might affect our trading too.¡±

    ¡°She went alone?¡± Brendel asked, worried that the merchants might not be aswful as they seemed.

    ¡°Scarlet went with her too.¡±

    Brendel nodded his head, relieved. Scarlet¡¯s ability was almost that of a peak Gold Rank¡¯s, so he did not feel the need to worry about Romaine anymore. ¡°When theye back, tell them that no one is allowed to set foot outside anymore. Also, tell everyone to gather in this building.¡±

    Sue nodded, but she could not hide the worry in her eyes. <i>Is the situation really that bad?</i> She only knew part of Brendel¡¯s n, which was to gather as much support as he could. The conference did not go as he wanted it to, so the only way was to use his strength to talk. However, it was clear to see that Trentheim¡¯s strength was but a tiny nuisance in the eyes of the superpowers.

    ¡°Do you have a question, Sue?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Sue shook her head, tossing away her feelings of unhappiness.

    Brendel felt a sudden stab of guilt. He felt that it was selfish of him to drag all of hispanions into this war. Sue was just the daughter of an inn owner, Romaine had a dream of bing a sessful merchant, Freya was trying to help the citizens of Be, Scarlet wanted to be epted by everyone, even the Red Bronze Dragon mercenaries, the young people of Trentheim, the Royal Faction and Princess Gryphine, their fates were never meant to intertwine. The only reason that it had be so was because of his own desire.

    <i>Why did they need to worry about who seeded the throne? Why did they have to risk their lives just to change the fate of one person?</i> In Brendel¡¯s eyes, every life was worth the same, even the princess¡¯s life was not any more valuable than a beggar¡¯s.

    Brendel did not care about making Gryphine the ruler of Aouine, the only thing he cared about were the memories he had made with her and hisrades in his past life. But to them, these memories did not exist at all.

    He knew that he was being selfish, but he felt that he had to do something to change the princess¡¯s future.

    ¡°Sue, do you trust me?¡± Brendel asked out of nowhere.

    She looked at him curiously without giving an answer.

    ¡°We may not seed in what we¡¯re doing, but I can assure you that it¡¯s the right thing to do. The nobles cannot save Aouine, and it will cause the innocentmoners to suffer..¡± Brendel suddenly thought of the second ck Rose War in the other timeline. The Kingdom was burning in warring mes, and no peaceful method could have saved it.

    <i>If he chose not to act, then history would definitely repeat itself.</i>

    Sue closed her eyes and replied, ¡°I do not understand, but Miss Freya has chosen to believe in you, my lord. Hiding away from our problems would not solve it, is that what you meant, my lord?¡± She let out a smallugh. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m fine with the way things are now. My father¡¯s opinions are my opinions, and he chose to believe in you. Master, he believes in you just because you have never failed before.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that everything would end if we fail, and we can only strive for sess, correct?¡± she continued. <i>If that¡¯s the case, even if we can¡¯t seed, we have to fail pridefully.</i>

    He nodded with ease.

    He turned to the naga envoy. ¡°Sani, proceed with the n to attack the harbor. I will provide you with the details of the locations and defenses of the Merchant¡¯s Guild and the Navy¡¯s warehouses. Everything within those buildings is free for the nagas to take, but if it¡¯s possible, try not to kill any innocent people.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not like those Evil Cultists, okay?¡± Sani huffed. ¡°Once we know their defensive positions, we will try our best to steer clear of the innocents, but can you get the ns to us? The ns are protected by the Holy Cathedral of Fire, so it won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    Brendel smiled mysteriously. He had no way to get it, but he did not need to. He had nned for it. ¡°You can rx. There won¡¯t be too many guards on duty that day. I will draw out the ns for youter.¡± Other than the navy troops, there were also the monks from the Holy Cathedral to worry about, but Brendel was confident that he could draw them away.

    Furthermore, the season of storms was upon Ampere Seale, no one would expect an attack from the sea.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯d also like you to summon the Demon Whale once more..¡± Brendel wanted to borrow the Demon Whale¡¯s abilities to make an escape. There were still a few battleships docked at the harbor, and the Demon Whale had the ability to calm the storm. After all, he would need to pass through the treacherous straits when escaping by sea, and he had no intention of bing fish fodder after pulling off the escape from Ampere Seale.

    Sani hesitated for a moment, but he still agreed in the end. Brendel had done the nagas a huge favor, it was only expected that they repaid the favor. Furthermore, the nagas had suffered huge casualties in the West Ocean Battle, and Brendel¡¯s n to attack the navy and raid the warehouses would allow them to replenish their resources. Ampere Seale was thergest harbor in the south, if they seeded in raiding the navy¡¯s supplies, then the nagas would be able topensate for their past loss.

    Brendel was overjoyed when Sani agreed with his request. ¡°Thank you!¡± It was merely a coincidence that he met the nagas back then, who would have thought that they would be the key to his ns in Ampere Seale?

    ¡°We are just returning the favor.¡± Sani was as dense as ever, easily writing off Brendel¡¯s debt. If his queen, Winter Dew heard of this, she would surely send Sani to the ocean abyss to reflect on his actions.

    Now, Brendel was going to meet the half-elf once more.

 Chapter 519 - v3c298p1 Vortex(1)

    <strong>v3c298p1 Vortex(1)</strong>

    Slightly different from his prediction, just one hour after reading the secret letter, Gryphine received the same letter on her desk.

    The scenery of Ampere Seale before the storm was outside the window. The storm was gloomy and the haze that covered the entire port made it appear as if the entire morning was skipped. Although it was noon, it seemed like it was approaching dusk.

    Lightning streaked through the clouds asionally, thunder roared. Pale-white lightning projected through the ss panes, making livid and scary shadows on the carpet.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation outside?¡± Princess Gryphine asked.

    The knight that was kneeling on the ground replied, ¡°Your Royal Highness, we have been surrounded. Making it out of here is not likely but if Your Royal Highness decides to leave, I and my fellow knights will definitely make a way out with our blood and sweat.¡± The knight was soaking wet, and the water that flowed down from his red cape soaked the valuable and expensive carpet. But no one could me him for it.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Go and change into something dry, my knight.¡±The half-elf princess replied and nodded her head.

    The knight gave a grateful response, stood up and then left.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with the Staff of Earth?¡± She raised her head and cast her eyes on others. ¡°Has anyone seen its appearance in the Kingdom?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Regarding this.......¡± Oberwei replied, his face was uneasy and peculiar. ¡°Some of our men had seen it before.¡±

    ¡°Our people?¡± Gryphine was a little displeased. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know about this?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I just only got the news too, Your Royal Highness.¡± Oberwei hastily exined, ¡°It¡¯s Rowes.¡±

    ¡°Rowes? Count Audine¡¯s son? House Dine¡¯s youngest sessor?¡± The princess asked and pondered on this for a moment. She then remembered this person and added, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the party that my father sent to the south to search for the whereabouts of the Lionheart Sword......¡± She suddenly became silent. In just half a year the Kingdom changed and the Lionheart Sword was now in her hands. It seemed that the Aouine Kingdom had changed drastically in just a blink of an eye.

    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we allow Audine himself to exin it to us? He is just outside. Outsiders will inevitably change the story and have deviations.¡± Oberwei suggested.

    Gryphine nodded.

    Only after a short moment, the pale Audine entered everyone¡¯s sights. Previously, he almost lost his life in the battle of the Loop of Winds. Archdruid Andrew who passed by saved his life. Although his injuries are almost fully recovered, a scar remained, and he looked even more tired after traveling for some time.

    But even so, he bowed to give his respect to Gryphine.

    ¡°Count Audine, are your injuries severe? Do you need to take a rest first?¡± The half-elf princess couldn¡¯t help but frown at the sight of him. Although she had already heard about the ident that happened in the Loop of Winds, she did not expect it to be so severe.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a minor injury, there¡¯s no need to rest. Besides, Your Royal Highness¡¯ case is more important now.¡± Audine replied. Before the Royal Faction split up, he was more supportive of Prince Luke¡¯s campaign, but in recent months, his motives seemed to have swayed.

    Each time he thought of the young man in the Loop of Winds, he was reminded of the choice he made at that time. So after he learned that the Lionheart Sword was in the hands of the princess, he came here without hesitation.

    ¡°So, please tell us about the situation then.¡± The princess answered.

    Audine nodded and began to describe the details of the battle. He was not a good storyteller, but he was organized, logical and concise. He shortened the months-long adventure of the Loop of Winds within ten minutes. Even so, he exined the details clearly.

    When he finished speaking, the whole room was in silence. Oberwei knew about this for a long time. Princess Gryphine took a soft breath, and asked, ¡°You mean, Halran Gaia is with that man? He is lord of Trentheim? His name is Brendel, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Audine nodded but was surprised that Her Royal Highness knew the young man.

    ¡°Is it possible for him to return the sword to the Lion Beastmen?¡± Fleetwood suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

    Everyone shook their heads instinctively. Although Grandmaster Fleetwood was a first-ss court wizard of Aouine, he stillcked political understanding. Even though the Holy Cathedral of Earth had their eyes on the Staff of Earth, it was not big enough of a reason for them to ignite a war. The war will inevitably ur and continue.

    And when that happens, there would be no turning back.

    Audine looked at the chief wizard with a disdainful look. He was from a different faction and everyone else except Princess Gryphine had a prejudice against him for being a coward. Forming diplomatic rtions with the enemy before the war was even forcefully imposed on the country was a totally absurd idea to Audine.

    ¡°Even if the Holy Cathedral of Earth agrees, the Lion Beastmen will not agree. Setting out the army isn¡¯t a trivial matter, teacher.¡± Her Royal Highness shook her head, and said, ¡°Now that things have already happened, it is better to consider what we should do next.¡±

    ¡°Any ideas?¡± Her eyes swept across everyone in the room.

    ¡°We should mobilize our army, while dering our stand. Duke Viero had always been neutral, but he¡¯s the long time nemesis of Count Radner, so he should be able to give us passage through the Arreck region where the Holy Cathedral doesn¡¯t have much authority there.¡± Makarov replied.

    ¡°Who dares to board a sinking ship?¡± Someone asked.

    ¡°No, there will be space for strategic maneuvers if we still have three leaders with us. The Lion Beastmen have already advanced to the north to ambush them from behind. I believe the Holy Cathedral will not ignore this matter.¡± Makarov rified.

    Everyone in the room was silent. Princess Gryphine took a deep stare at this sly fox. Although this n looked like it was very unrealistic and totally unfeasible, with some consideration, this n might have a chance to seed.

    Makarov might be able to bust this deceptive n with just a nce of his eye. If Brendel¡¯s army were to work together with Duke Viero and take down Count Radner, and thene to an agreement together, the three leaders in the south would be on the princess¡¯s side.

    Apanied by the unknown stands of Duke Karsuk and Duke Grinoires, the Royal Faction had already divided the Kingdom into North and South. Siding with the north may seem like the better decision to make now that Duke Arreck was not siding the south, once Brendel¡¯s men and Duke Viero¡¯s men joined forces, the Holy Cathedral would definitely not touch the Royal Faction.

    Even in the end, the Holy Cathedral would need to discuss peace talks with the Royal Faction. But in that case, the Kingdom of Aouine would only be divided.

    This was a wise choice but Count Audine frowned. Everyone present there was wise, no one could fool anyone. Oberwei and several others held their sword hilts and stared at Makarov. He really had the guts to suggest such a n, what is wrong with him?

    Is he dering his stand?

    This is probably the attitude of Duke Anthony. Once the Kingdom was divided, Duke Arreck who was stuck in the middle would have a difficult life. Everyone knew that Duke Anthony and Arreck had a feud against each other.

    The princess shook her head gently and said, ¡°I will decline this proposal. The Royal Faction can fail but the Kingdom cannot be divided.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s face changed. Only Oberwei frowned slightly. Audine lifted his head and observed this beautiful princess closely as if he had noticed some potential power in her for the first time.

    ¡°Your Royal Highness,¡± Makarov reminded, he could not help himself.

    ¡°After we die, there will still be people who will remember the shining g of our king, King Erik. But if the Kingdom of Aouine splits, we will have zero chance of unification.¡± She sat there and replied lightly. The silver eyes of the half-elf princess seemed like it could see through the hazy future.

    This was the problem with being a small nation, it would always be in the hands of other, bigger powers, in which was the Kirrlutz here. This Kingdom had always been maintained by inner unity. However, once the unity breaks, the Kirrlutz might not give Aouine another chance.

    Everyone knew this fact, but pretended not to.

    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss the current situation now.¡± Oberwei interrupted.

    ¡°No need for that.¡± Gryphine suddenly understood something, then she sighed. ¡°I would like to have some personal time alone, please leave me and don¡¯t forget to take care of tomorrow¡¯s noble meeting and the uing events.¡± She said.

    The room went quiet.

    Everyone nced at each other, then nodded before leaving. Thest person to go out was Audine. He took a good look at the princess, bowed, then closed the door while he exited.

    Footsteps slowly faded away ¨C

    The half-elf princess waited until it waspletely quiet before she stood up. Like her Elven ancestors, she was not tall and looked a little fragile. She walked to the back of the chair and pushed it right next to the windows.

    She took some deep breaths then she sat down against the window and stared at the stormy Ampere Seale.

    The lines between heaven and earth were obscured, it looked like in the next moment, darkness would swallow the whole harbor.

    A long time had passed.

    The door behind her opened, and a voice said, ¡°Your Royal Highness, Sir Makarov and others have gone to see the prince. Only Master Oberwei and Count Audine left.¡±

    Gryphine bit her lips, her face was pale. They were desperate and had taken the risk, but was she willing to stop them herself and let Haruz and herself die cold-bloodedly?Besides, what ability did I have to stop them?

    She had already expected this to happen, for the nobles in the Royal Faction were independent. As for whether their intentions were the same as previously stated, no one knew.

    She looked up and her face became pale with the reflections of lightning. King Erik, will the Kingdom of Aouine end here? She stared at the endless darkness of the east, and she knew that there was a growing empire there.

    Aouine will eventually be consumed by this nation.

    The door was quietly closed again.

    But Princess Gryphine paid no attention to it, she continued to stare at the scenery outside the window as if she wanted to take them all into view. No matter how dark it was, it was still Aouine¡¯s territory, at least for now.

    Her face was pale, without joy nor sorrow, just like an expressionless puppet.

    ¡°It would be better for your body if you cry now,¡± a gentle voice said.

    Gryphine was shocked and she responded to this very quickly, immediately pulling a silver short sword from under her skirt using her backhand. ¡°ng-¡± a sharp noise sounded when the short sword shed with a long dark sword.

    Her Royal Highness took a step back, and she finally got a clear view of the young man wrapped in a wet cloak in front of her.

    At the same time, Brendel also took a sigh of relief, How could she be so fast? I almost lost to her!

    If only the difference in Strength between both of them was not so huge.

    But Brendel did not expect that, not only did she not sheath her de, she even dashed at him! Ah! He felt like he just awoke from a dream as he realized that she wanted him dead

    She wants me dead?! Is she out of her mind? Brendel¡¯s heart sank, even his movements were slowed down for a moment.

 Chapter 520 - v3c298p2

    <h4>Vortex(2)</h4>

    The princess stabbed at Brendel¡¯s chest, the silver glimmer on the tip of her sword seemed to separate the dark rainy night and the lightning outside the window and the whole room seemed to turn ck and void, monotonous and devoid of any color.

    Thunders boomed.

    The sword bypassed Halran Gaia¡¯s line of defense. But the tip of the sword involuntarily slid off to the side. Gryphine felt as if she had hit the surface of a stone, and her sword flew out of her grip because of the rebounded force. It pierced through Marshal Atanya¡¯s portrait, a precious oil painting from the third century.

    Brendel grabbed the right wrist of the princess, her wrist was soft and slightly warm. But he did not have time to savor this moment. Her re made him stood upright, <i>Her left hand! </i>Brendel held the princess¡¯ left hand without hesitation. A bright gleaming dagger flickered on her left hand.

    Brendel had firm control over Princess Gryphine¡¯s two wrists, and their postures were a little awkward. She gritted her teeth and raised her knees to kick Brendel¡¯s lower abdomen.

    Brendel never expected that this elegant princess would be so decisive in her actions. His instincts kicked in and with both hands, he pressed Gryphine against the wall.

    In the background, lightning struck and everything went nk.

    Princess Gryphine groaned ufortably, expressing a painful look in her face. Bowing her head slightly, her silver, curly long hair shook slightly with it.

    Before she even had time to react, Brendel pushed her whole body against the wall. She could not manage to attack him back. But now their posture was ambiguous, as Brendel almost had his entire body pressed on her¡¯s. Aouine¡¯s Princess was still an innocent youngdy, she had never had such close contact with a man ever in her life. Brendel¡¯s strong manliness made her felt slightly hot.

    It was at this point, Princess Gryphine finally yielded, closing her eyes and her whole body softened. Her long eyshes trembled softly, tears falling from her face. As such emotion cannot be concealed and controlled once it erupts, glittering tears flowed out like a broken dam, rolling down the cheek like a river stream.

    Brendel panicked, and thought to himself, <i>My princess, please don¡¯t cry. Stab yourself if you want tomit suicide, not cutting and threatening me with the sword. </i>She almost destroyed his love life, but in the end, he looked more like the culprit rather than her.

    But the pitiful half-elf princess was just so beautiful, Brendel thought her face gleamed like white jade under the reflection of the shes of lightning. He never thought that this was the future powerful princess that would be supporting the entire kingdom of Aouine and felt really moved.

    ¡°Stop crying,¡±

    Princess Gryphine did not seem to hear him, and her tears kept flowing. She was not a fragile person, but the recent events in Ampere Seale had made her despair. No one would even help her out, even the Royal Faction would just watch her fall deeper and deeper into the abyss.

    The only thing that supported her all this while was her belief, but even now, even the only hope she had was destroyed. Even though she was still fighting on, she could not bear it any longer.

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t look like our princess.¡±

    ¡°How can a crybaby princess bring Aouine out of hardships?¡±

    ¡°Princess Gryphine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave if you continue to cry,¡± Brendel awkwardly coaxed her.<i>How do I even talk to her? The only time I had to deal with girls back in my previous life was with my senior. Does this count as an experience?</i>

    But Princess Gryphine was obviously not a child. She just had too much to bear now. Like a spiritless toy doll, the only proof that she was still alive was her tears.

    Brendel could not hold it in any longer after few fruitless negotiations with her. He raised Princess Gryphine¡¯s chin and then lowered his head.

    Bolts of lightning shed through the rainy night and there were sparks of fire in the distant sky.

    The half-elf princess opened her eyes.

    Brendel could not take back that kiss. It was like he opened a door to a world of sincerity

    He always thought that what he had for the princess was just pure admiration and respect, but now he finally realized it came with affection and love. He came all the way here to get her, to keep her alive, and to stop a tragedy in history from happening once again.

    The figure which he had idolized over and over again was now in his arms. Her soft body was like a feather, without weight.

    It¡¯s realistic but also illusory.

    He released Gryphine¡¯s wrist with one hand, then grasped the skinny waist of the young princess, holding it tightly, as if he was afraid that she would disappear again. He felt her soft lips carefully, then further inching closer and closer, pressing his lips against hers harder and harder, gently opening the mouth of the half-elf princess.

    It was at this moment, a loud p could be heard.

    Gryphine was furious, her anger made her face extremely red. She bit her lower lip and red at Brendel with murderous intent. It seemed like she noticed everything that happened and woke up instantly.

    She even forgot about the current situation, only one single thought remained in her mind.

    <i>How dare you? You deserve to die! </i>she seemed to say.

    ¡°You!¡± Princess Gryphine¡¯s face seemed like it was frosty, and she subconsciously reached out for her sword.

    But she only then realized that she had lost her sword. Her sword was stuck in the back of the oil painting.

    ¡®You have crossed the line, Mr.Brendel, I trusted you so much but I never knew you were this type of person!¡± The princess shouted.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Brendel apologized. He was a little dumbfounded too, he never dreamed that he would be so impulsive and actually did something like this. Everything happened naturally. <i>Was this

    </i>

    <i> what I wanted subconsciously?</i>

    He quickly dismissed this outrageous thought but was still a little excited by this as well.

    He had inherited Brendel¡¯s feeling, and that part of him loved Romaine¡¯s brashness and her need for excessive care. But his other half, Sophie, longed for the princess as well as his senior sister back in the game.

    The princess exhaled gently and she seemed rxed. She closed her eyes, trying to return to her calm and innocent self. ¡°How did you manage to bypass the cathedral lockdown?¡± She asked.

    ¡°And what have those guards outside been doing? How could they let you...... It was Freya who let you in, right?¡±

    She looked down and said with a calm tone. Her initial address for him, ¡®Mr. Brendel¡± became ¡®you¡¯ which made him sound like a stranger. Brendel started to feel uneasy.

    ¡°I have met Freya, but this has nothing to do with her.¡± He tapped on the cape he was wearing and continued, ¡°It¡¯s not hard to get into the cathedral with this cape. Though I did meet with some trouble when I was entering the garden, fortunately, I ran into Freya and her men patrolling around.

    ¡°I won¡¯t put this me on anyone. Freya is Duke Everton¡¯s daughter, she has qualities we don¡¯t have.¡± <i>Not to mention that everyone has their own priorities, and they must have treated me like a joke now I suppose...</i>

    The half-elf princess smiled bitterly. She sat down and leaned against the back of the chair, just like she did back in her early years as Oberwei told her stories andbed her silver, wet hair...

    ¡°Princess, your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Mr.Brendel.¡± Gryphine interrupted. She looked at him, with her strange yet charming silver eyes. ¡°Do you want me?¡±

    Brendel took a deep breath.

    He found himself unable to reject this offer, and he was catching feelings.

    He knew what the princess meant, but still, he could not hold himself together to refuse. <i>This is Aouine¡¯s future princess, the girl of everyone¡¯s dream. And now, I just have to say yes and she will be mine.</i>

    The pride of Aouine.

    Brendal shook his head.

    ¡°I can¡¯t refuse, Your Highness, for your beauty has been engraved in my heart. But not now, nor should it be done like this. The princess in my heart is the one who dares to reprimand the nobles. Only her boldness is worthy of Aouine¡¯s hope.¡±

    Brendel said word by word carefully.

    Princess Gryphine was confused. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± She returned to her calm tone and Brendel knew that she felt embarrassed by her reckless act. In fact, he was frustrated too.

    But if he was given a second chance, he would still have done it the same way. Although he felt sorry for the Aouine¡¯s future princess, he was sure that he had done something he normally would not have.

    His personality from back then had started to show its motives.

    Brendel was about to say something when he heard two people walking in from the corridor. Princess Gryphine¡¯s expression changed. <i>If the outsiders were to see Brendel and me alone at this time, my reputation will bepletely gone. </i>

    The princess gave Brendel a death stare. <i>The matter of losing her sword wasn¡¯t settled yet, and now another trouble ising their way. </i>When she turned to him, they met eyes.

    Gryphine blushed. ¡°What are you waiting for? Hide!¡± She said in a low voice.

    ¡°Where can I hide?¡± Brendel was dumbfounded. He had just heard from Freya that the Royal Faction had gone over to Prince Haruz side. <i>Why did they turn back after just a while? </i>

    ¡°The closet!¡±

    The princess pointed to the closet at the side. The footsteps wereing close, and that was when she only realized her hair was still in a mess. She simplybed it with her fingers and subconsciously covered her own lips.

    She lifted her head and looked at Brendel, he was scrambling to hide in her closet. Gryphine said fiercely, ¡°Brendel, this time you have to help me. Just treat it as a charity for Aouine¡¯s princess.¡±

    ¡°Charity?¡±

    Brendel almost fell headfirst into the closet. <i>This entire incident is just so weird...</i>

 Chapter 521 - v3c299

    <h4>Vortex(3)</h4>

    ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡± Footsteps stopped outside the walnut door. A woman¡¯s voice followed behind. She was who Brendel saw that day, a cool female knight. ¡°Maynild?¡± Princess Gryphine asked while trying to fix her dress. It was crumpled up by a previous dispute.

    ¡°And me, Your Royal Highness.¡± A deep but yet sharp voice replied.

    ¡°Sir Oberwei.¡± Gryphine let out a sigh of relief. After a short while, she got back to her senses. ¡°Please wait a moment, I was just getting ready for bed,e in,¡± Gryphine said. The door pushed open. Maynild and Oberwei, the Wolf Baron were standing there cold-faced. Both of them seemed like they had been in the rain, they were soaking wet.

    Maynild closed the door. Oberwei immediately said, ¡°Your Royal Highness, Makarov and hisrades have already gone to see the Prince.¡±

    ¡°I already know everything, Oberwei.¡± Gryphine interrupted him and raised her head to see both her close subjects. Maynild was her childhood friend, to the extent they were like sisters. Maynild once swore that she will be Gryphine¡¯s knight. The Aouine princess held in herughter, unsure whether Maynild still remembers this oath of hers.

    She gazed at Oberwei once again. Although Fleetwood was the teacher of the princess and Gryphine, all her swordsmanship and political knowledge were taught by this lone wolf. ¡°Teacher, Sister Maynild, please get ready. We are leaving Ampere Seale immediately.¡± Gryphine said.

    Oberwei froze slightly and raised his head up. The princess¡¯s endurance and willpower were not expected so he originally had created a lengthy speech to cheer up the princess. He was very well-versed with his student¡¯s personality and immediately knew what was going on recently.

    With this in mind, the main character of the Royal Faction scanned the room suspiciously, and his eyes quickly fell on the opened window.

    ¡°Teacher, you don¡¯t have to guess anymore. I had it all figured out. I can¡¯t give up the future of Aouine nor allow Duke Anthony to divide the kingdom. You told me that the g still remains in Aouine. But do you think that I can pick it up, no matter how arduous the journey ahead is?¡± Gryphine asked.

    ¡°We¡¯ll never know until we try your Royal Highness.¡± Oberwei agreed and looked away from the princess.

    Princess Gryphine nodded and said, ¡°But my main task now is to return to my territory, where I will wage a war against the Seifer family and the cathedral. I believe that our people will support us.The people of Aouine have never forgotten the war with the Kirrlutz. They had only forgotten the vows made by the nobles.¡±

    Oberwei bowed slightly in agreement, he said, ¡°The Holy Cathedral must have known of our disagreement, but they would not know that we¡¯ve already been separated. This is our only chance.¡± He turned to Maynild, ¡°Maynild, how many Royal Cavalry troops can you maneuver?¡±

    Cardell, the Royal Cavalry¡¯smander was Grandmaster Fleetwood¡¯s student, who took sides with the Royal Faction, and would definitely not side with the princess. Oberwei arranged Maynild into the Royal Cavalry to limit thismander¡¯s power. But for now, Maynild only had some prestige among the young knights.

    Maynild lowered her head and groaned, with a sterned face he said, ¡°Only 30 percent of them, and they are all just graduates of the Royal Cavalry Academy and arecking in experience.¡±

    ¡°That is quite less, ¡° the princess frowned even more.

    ¡°We could maybe get some outside help,¡± Oberwei suggested with a slight smile.

    ¡°Outside help?¡± The Aouine princess shed a glimmer of anxiety and looked over to the closet.

    ¡°Count Audine seems to be in great favor of the princess, opposing the separation of the kingdom. When I sent him out the door, he told me that he intended to support us. Hemands a battalion of hired troops from the ck Forest. If he can be persuaded to join us, it would not only help us in our current situation,¡± Oberwei replied, slowly realizing the reason behind his wet clothing.

    ¡°Teacher, can you convince Count Audine?¡± Gryphine shed excitement in her eyes. She was not only excited because of this surprise foreign help, but because her idea was acknowledged by the traditional nobles.

    Although Brendel¡¯s forces were exposed back in the war in Trentheim, the princess did not think that his new force would be powerful.

    Inparison, Gryphine felt that Brendel was of more use as a gold ranking swordsman rather than relying on the return of Count Audine¡¯s soldiers from the ck Forest.

    The battle-hardened mercenaries will be more useful in the stormy situation at Ampere Seale.

    In addition, Count Audine was supported by an ancient family and arge number of nobles with the same political demands. This was a huge support. Being able to obtain the goodwill of this power is precious to the precarious princess.

    Brendel who was hiding in the closet scoffed at this. <i>Oberwei and the Royal Princess still wanted to rely on the nobles. </i>He had to admit, this mentality would be hard to change. After all, the Kingdom needed capable people to govern, and the nobles were definitely much more talented and knowledgeable than most people.

    King Oberg the Seventh established the Youth Police and built a college for searchingmoners with talents in order to disrupt the monopoly power of the nobles. However, the Kingdom had fallen into warring mes before the effect could be seen. But in the long run, the Kingdom would definitely benefit from this solution. If they could select the geniuses from themoners in the Kingdom, there would be no doubt that Aouine would prosper!

    <i>If it was not for the Second and Third War of the ck Roses interrupting this process, maybe Princess Gryphine would be able to slowly bring the Kingdom Of Aouine back on track.</i>

    Brendel pondered on it and sighed.

    He continued to listen to Maynild¡¯s icy cold voice outside. ¡°The secret passage leads out of the city, but the area around the Sixth Road is under control by the Royal Faction. If we head further south, it will be the territory of Duke Arreck. The students of the Royal Cavalry Academy had already nned out the route of escape. The only conclusion was to escape from Ampere Seale through the waters.¡± Maynild said.

    ¡°But we don¡¯t have a boat,¡± Oberwei replied.

    ¡°Even if we had a boat, it wouldn¡¯t work either. We can not head out to sea as the storm during the new moon is approaching.¡± Maynild added.

    ¡°No, we might actually have a boat.¡± Something popped up in Gryphine¡¯s mind. She hesitated. Maynild and Oberwei looked at the princess strangely. <i>The Royals always had secret agents and hidden retreat pathways. In that sense, it was possible if there was a merchant ship prepared beforehand by the Royals. The Aouine folk has a saying ¡°The king has many secrets. Although they may not be entirely true, it surely has some certainty to it.¡±</i>

    After thinking to herself, she unexpectedly said, ¡°Let me introduce you to a guest.¡±

    ¡°A guest?¡±

    Maynild was slightly stunned and even Oberwei was stunned. Princess Gryphine bit her lip and knocked on the wooden table. ¡°Come out, Mr. Brendel. I hope you¡¯ll fulfill your promise and help us leave this ce wholeheartedly.¡±

    Brendel was shocked but he quickly returned to his senses. He did not expect Princess Gryphine to push him out at this moment. Both Maynild and Oberwei were close subjects of Princess Gryphine. If she allowed him to reveal himself now, it at least indicated that the Royal Princess had already identified him as a member of them.

    He took a deep breath, opened the closet door and walked out.

    ¡°It¡¯s you?!¡± Maynild raised an eyebrow slightly.

    Oberwei also raised his eyebrows but he did not rush to speak. It was rather awkward to Brendel. Why would not he? The two of them were in a room alone, and one was even a princess! Who would not make any assumptions about what they did there? While Brendel did not do anything too shady, his face was still blushed red.

    Brendelughed, ¡°Oberwei, we meet again. I heard that you¡¯ve seen me before, but sadly I could not meet up with you previously.¡± He was undoubtedly referring to Oberwei tracking him back then in secret, which was not told to him by the princess, but rather by the dragon. With some other small details revealed unintentionally by the princess in her letters, it was impossible for Brendel to not know.

    In fact, there were only a few people who could be themselves in the presence of the princess. Makarov was still just a mercenary leader in the mountains in the south, it was naturally impossible for him to be in Fortress Riedon.

    Oberwei smiled slightly and said, ¡°Mr. Brendel¡¯s sword skills have progressed a lot unexpectedly. I didn¡¯t believe that you were approaching the Elemental Realm until I saw the truth with my eyes. Now I do believe that prodigies do exist.¡± Oberweiplimented Brendel but he immediately changed the topic and asked, ¡°But I would want an answer regarding why Brendel is here at this moment.¡±

    Princess Gryphine¡¯s cheeks flushed red, not because of feeling shy, but because she was scared of getting exposed. ¡°Mr. Brendel has been my knight for quite some time. He is my secret agent and he is here in Ampere Seale to assist us secretly, which you all have known beforehand. But tonight I allow him to be here because he has a boat, which will be useful.¡± She said.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, Mr. Brendel came here by Trentheim¡¯s boat right?¡± The half-elf princess looked at him.

    ¡°Since when did I have a boat? Have I switched to work in supplying boats?¡± Brendel froze. He dide by boat, but that was a merchant boat. Now that the storm was near, no merchant boat would go to sea, as the rtionship between themerce chambers of Trentheim and Ampere Seale was not as strong. He did not expect the princess to lie with such justification. In fact, he had a way to get a boat. Not by purchasing, borrowing nor renting, but by snatching one. The Nagas were pirates by nature after all.

    He pondered on it for a moment, quickly sorted out his thoughts and nodded. Princess Gryphine¡¯ hypothesis seemed seamless but in actual fact, it was extremely wed. <i>Who could have imagined that the Royal Faction would be divided?</i>

    Besides, the news of the Lion Beastmen going to war in advance was only delivered to her study desk around one or two hours ago. It was easy to break the im she had arranged earlier because of that.

    Oberwei was still thinking about Brendel¡¯s boat. He looked at Brendel and epted what the princess said reluctantly, then he said, ¡°Even though there is a boat, the storm would make it impossible to go out to sea. Is the princess nning on going through the straits of the Ampere Seale into the Wall of Death? But that route involves passing through Arreck¡¯s sea region, which means Duke Arreck will use the navy to stop us.¡±

    ¡°No, we won¡¯t do that,¡± Gryphine answered while shaking her head. ¡°There is a statue in the predecessor of Erik¡¯s era in the collection of the Ande Cathedral. It is a statue of Goddess Marsha that was made out of the tooth of the Demon Whale. ording to legends, if we carry this statue on the ship, it will calm the storms.¡± Gryphine added.

    ¡°It is a good idea.¡± Oberwei¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°But the basement of Anderle Cathedral is not so easy to break into.¡± He added.

    The princess replied, ¡°I will ask Magadal for assistance. As for the person who sneaks into the cathedral-¡± Gryphine set her eyes on Brendel.

    ¡°Me??¡± Brendel was startled. He knew the legend of this statue but was doubtful of whether it was true. <i>Of course, it would be great to have this thing...</i>

    It was not just to deal with this current situation, but could also be the preparation before entering the Home of Storms. Home of Storms is a sea region at the south of the Loop of Winds, out of Marsha¡¯s protection.

    There was an instance dungeon in there where you can get a level 70 equipment and quest items to temper the Bronze Body.

    Sorcery storms reigned outside the Home of Storms throughout the year, and the Nagas were prohibited to go there. Without the Naga¡¯s Demon Whale, the only way to calm the storms was to obtain the objects that could do it like The Potion of Peace, The Statue of Marsha or having spells to calm them.

    Brendel did not want to create more problems at this point so he just silently took mental notes and nodded.

    Gryphine seemed to be very satisfied with Brendel¡¯s attitude. She could not help herself butforted him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Brendel. Although entering the basement as amoner might be difficult, Magadal is able to move freely around the cathedral so it won¡¯t be that difficult. Valuable objects are not important to the saints. Your mission is just to meet her and bring the object back with you.¡±

    Moreover, only you can move around freely and obtain Magadal¡¯s trust.

    Brendel thought for a while and it seemed to him that Princess Gryphine was right after all. He nodded, but he was only thinking about taking the opportunity to meet with Magadal. The Nun Princess should be done gathering information in the cathedral by now.

 Chapter 522 - v3c300

    <h4>Vortex(4)</h4>

    After the knot in her heart was untied, she easily managed everything. Even Brendel was relieved to see her so headstrong and resilient again. He may have liked the helpless looking princess back then, butpared to her now, she was far more alluring.

    <i>That¡¯s most likely because she fits the image I¡¯ve had of her.</i>

    But Brendel didn¡¯t let his guard down. Although the princess might be temporarily uplifted, for now, it did not change the fact that they were still in a very difficult situation. And at least before the preparations were ready, Brendel knew she still had one more problem in mind...

    He did not intend to speak up but he was waiting for someone else to raise the question. Oberwei was attentive and Maynild wasn¡¯t stupid either. There¡¯s no need for him to be a smart aleck.

    And when Brendel looked over, he was fascinated by Maynild. She was just standing there silently, releasing an aura that was familiar to him.

    Familiar but yet unfamiliar.

    The room was quiet for a moment. Maynild naturally felt the gaze of the young man staring at her, but every time she looked at him, she would see him avert his eyes quickly.

    ¡°Hmm,¡± The Maynild frowned slightly. Not far from her, Princess Gryphine was working when she suddenly turned around and looked at Oberwei who was also working silently.

    <i>She wants to speak with me,</i> Maynild thought to herself.

    ¡°Your Royal Highness, how do we deal with Prince Haruz?¡± she asked silently.

    The sentence struck her, and the princess was stunned briefly. Brendel even saw her slender fingers shiver.

    It was unavoidable. Ever since Haruz entered the Royal Cavalry Academy, he was under the guidance of the Royal Faction. It may seem like protection, but as time grew on, it became closer to that of surveince and custody. Finally, he became the Royal Faction¡¯s hostage. Adding the fact that Makarov, Marquis Baal, and the others were not easy to mess with, it would be hard to get the young prince back.

    ¡°Of course we have to get him back, we cannot let my brother be their hostage.¡± the princess replied. <i> But how?</i> the princess frowned. She could onlymand a small team of amateurs who had yet to graduate from the Academy, and their numbers were not even half of the Royal Cavalry.

    Furthermore, the princess had not officially broken up with the Royal Faction. They could not. If they did lose the hostage, there would be a chance that the Royal Faction may side with the Holy Cathedral of Fire. But chances of that happening is slim, so it was not that big of a concern.

    The room fell silent.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we try to negotiate with the other nobles?¡± Oberwei offered. ¡°If we¡¯re really at ourst straw, maybe we can seek help from the Knight of the Lake, who knows ¨C ¡°

    ¡°I will try to convince Freya,¡± Maynild answered softly. She was as calm as a statue and did not show a hint of anxiety.

    The strength shown by the Knight of the Lake was second only to Andesha whom Brendel met in the Loop of Winds. It was not surprising that Oberwei thought of him. As the wielder of the Lionheart Sword, the Knight of Lake protected Freya but she has no control over the powerful entity.

    Oberwei was well aware of this too. But they did not have any better ideas right now.

    Brendel could not hold it any longer. He shook his head and interrupted, ¡° I do not think it will work, Lord Oberwei. To get the princess¡¯ brother back is not a hard task, we just have to modify our schedule.¡±

    ¡°Modify our schedule?¡± everyone repeated in a shocked tone.

    ¡°I rmend that we do not leave too early, it will be best if we waited for the meeting to end,¡± Brendel replied. ¡°In fact, there is no difference if we take action now orter. Even if we take action now, it will be chaotic and destructive outside. It would be easier if we waited for our chance.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention-¡±

    ¡°Not to mention the most dangerous ce is the safest ce, and staying here would be the better option. Who knows? Maybe we¡¯ll have better odds of leaving this ce in the future?¡± It was Princess Gryphine whopleted his sentence.

    ¡°Of course, we can also choose to kill them when they leave or enter the Ande Cathedral. Their guard will be at the lowest then.¡±

    ¡°And the point is, if we attend the meeting, Makarov and the others will let their guards down, thinking that the princess would definitely not split up with them,¡± Brendel exined while Oberwei nodded in agreement.

    <i>They are all intelligent people. I¡¯m just elerating the timeline with my past experiences and giving them the ideas earlier on,</i> Brendel thought.<i>the princess and her people will face challenging situations in the future. Who knows what the Holy Cathedral of Fire will do?</i>

    Upon hearing Brendel¡¯s exnation, everyone was enlightened.

    ¡°It¡¯s decided that the Royal Faction will wage war with Duke Seifer after the meeting, right? There¡¯s gonna be a good show!¡± in an instant, the princess managed to grasp the entire situation that was about to happen andughed sarcastically, ¡°Even if the Holy Cathedral of Fire wanted to attack us, it would definitely not happen in the near future. After all, they have to wait for the northern army to arrive, don¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°Since we are all going to attend the meeting, can Mr. Brendel escort His Royal Highness out of his manor?¡± the princess requested.

    <i>Rather than escorting, why don¡¯t you call it daylight abduction? </i>Brendel shook his head, saying, ¡°I am not suitable for this role. First, I do not know the prince. Secondly, I¡¯m afraid that the size of your army will be insufficient at breaking through the encapstion this time. I have one squad in Ampere Seale too, I will lead them to assist you instead.¡±

    Everyone there who heard Brendel lifted their heads and looked at him. They have never thought that Brendel would have brought an army with him. As the Royal Family¡¯s ¡®secret agent¡¯, the credit would definitely fall upon the princess.

    Oberwei looked at her student, <i>Could it be that she had already anticipated this situation?</i>

    Only Princess Gryphine¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    <strong>Freya¡¯s POV</strong>

    ¡°The princess requested Sir Benninger to escort Prince Haruz£¿¡±

    Storms and lightning were upon the whole city, the clouds were like a canvas smeared with grey and ck paint. Eachyer of the clouds was soaked in both colors, its form changing.

    Water droplets rolled down the brim, making thin trickles flow down the tarpaulin cape. Freya turned, her greyish brown eyes sparkling under the moonlight. She looked at Brendel from her side, her fair skin glowing like a jade.

    Brendel nodded his head.

    The Sir Benninger he knew was the youngest son of Duke Seifer. He came to the camp with the admiration he had towards the princess. There was nothing particrly notable in history, except that he became the head of the Seifer Familyter on.

    Sir Benninger was loyal to the princess, yet at the same time, he was not of the Royal Faction. This made him the perfect candidate for this role. But somehow, Brendel did not feel good about that decision, <i>Is this jealousy?</i>

    ¡° I heard...¡± Freya hesitated.

    ¡°Heard what?¡± Brendel turned to look at her. The childishness was gone, but her tough nature as Be¡¯s female military captain remained.

    ¡°Sir Benninger is Duke Seifer¡¯s youngest son. For him toe here, he must have betrayed his family. I believe she has her reasons for trusting him that much,¡± Freya replied.

    Brendel neither agreed nor objected to that statement.

    While she may be harsh and direct in her words, Brendel did not discard the possibility that she might have a tender heart. Although her status as a member of House Covardo may not let her be together with Benninger¡¯s House Seifer, it may be that Sir Benninger had really won the heart of the princess.

    The rain picked up, with streaks of lightning lighting up the whole ce, blinding the world with whiteness. Ande Cathedral stood silently in the rain, like a silent citadel. And the walls were filled with statues of gargoyles and dragons, each of them a valuable art treasure.

    The two of them were hiding in an alley across a street from the cathedral. It was close to the appointed meetup time with Magadal.

    Although he said that he wasing here to steal a ship¡¯s portrait, in reality, he was just here to meet Magadal. After all, with the Demon Whale in his hands, there was no need for him to go look for trouble.

    Freya felt admiration. After all, most girls were weak towards romantic topics. Not to mention how noble Sir Benninger¡¯s act was for him to willingly betray his family for his love.

    That was a story that only existed in novels.

    Brendel could not help himself observing this War Goddess who had revealed her cute side. For some reason, he felt that he could only be himself and rx in front of Romaine and Freya.

    Freya was also someone who was willing to sacrifice anything for her ideals like Sir Benninger. And now that he was also working to save the Kingdom and everyone in it, it seemed like they were the same too.

    Except that Brendel was working to fix the timeline.

    Freya turned around and was shocked by his expression, ¡° Is there something on my face?¡±

    ¡°No... no.¡± Brendel shook his head immediately.

    ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Princess Magadale out yet?¡± Freya impatiently asked...

    Brendel looked at the time, <i>She should arrive right about now.</i>. He lifted his head to look at the cathedral¡¯s back door... but there was no one there. He frowned. <i>People would normally be on time during meetups like this... Unless a situation arose.</i>

    Plus Princess Magadal was not a careless person.

    He suddenly felt anxious.

    ¡°Is there something wrong, Brendel?¡± Freya asked when she noticed his unease.

    ¡°It is past the appointed time,¡± Brendel answered.

    She frowned slightly, ¡°Could it be... that Princess Magadal is in trouble?¡±

    ¡°It is possible,¡± Brendel said. He could only give it a guess.

    ¡°What should we do now?¡± Freya asked concernedly.

    Brendel frowned. He could have taken the ship¡¯s portrait anytime. But in actual fact, he was here to discuss the contents of the letter that the newly installed Archbishop Moros handed to Wood. Even though he could have easily guessed it, he wanted to have confirmation with Magadal.

    The safest thing to do was to leave now. But Brendel felt uneasy. If he were to leave without a word, it would be like a betrayal to Princess Magadal who might be in trouble in the Ande Cathedral.

    It was just like abandoning his ownrade, which he loathed more than anything else.

    ¡°Brendel, should we go in and look for her?¡± Freya asked with a frail voice. ¡° Magadal is a good friend of the princess...¡±

    ¡°How do you n on going in?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But still, we can give it a try, can¡¯t we? There must be a way to do so.¡±

    <i>Such naivety. It seems like she still hasn¡¯t changed that much </i>Brendel shook his head and said, ¡°Nevermind.¡± But before Freya could re at him, he added, ¡°Ah! I know. Come follow me-¡±.

 Chapter 523 - v3c301

    <h4>Vortex(5)</h4>

    ¡°Miss Magadal.¡±

    Even though the Ande Cathedral was battered brutally by storms, it did not affect the solemn quietness of its halls one bit. Normally, the hall would be used to conduct silent prayers and meditations. But there would be asions where it would be required to hold up to thousands of people, which was why the interior was designed so magnificently. The curved roof of the cathedral was supported by twenty-eight grey stone pirs; long rows of chairs facing the central altar which created a fan-shaped space. It was truly a sight behold.

    Arge number of subordinate workers are responsible for cleaning the cathedral daily. When they saw Princess Magadal walking inside, they rushed to greet her with respect.

    Magadal was a high-level priestess, a princess, not to mention that she was even a student of Archbishop Wood. In addition, after Archbishop Wood¡¯s departure, her status rose and she was recognized to be in charge of the ce temporarily.

    Magadal stopped and nodded her head lightly in return to the workers. Although she was born as a princess, there is little to no glimpses of arrogance and snobbishness in her. Though it may be because of her education, the main factor caused was that she was originally gentle in nature.

    Well known for her social rtions, the Nun Princess was praised both inside and outside of the cathedral.

    ¡°Is the Archbishop in?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Miss Magadal, The Lord Archbishop......is still unwilling to meet outsiders.¡± The minister replied.

    ¡°Is that so...¡± Magadal sighed, although this was expected, she still felt a sense of despair. She contemted on this andter asked again, ¡°How about Lord Moros?¡±

    She referred to Wood as Archbishop Wood but she referred Moros as Lord Moros. And everyone knew why: Moros was a cold, serious ¡®foreigner¡¯ that was not epted by anyone in the cathedral.

    ¡°Lord Moros seems to be meeting a guest,¡± a worker answered.

    ¡°A guest?¡± Magadal replied with a slight shock. <i>How could there still be guests at thiste hour? </i>¡°Who is this guest?¡±

    ¡°His name is Marquis Yoakam apanied by another guest which we don¡¯t recognize.¡± Another worker answered.

    <i>It¡¯s him? </i>Magadal knew that Marquis Yoakam supported Duke Seifer, but he was not closely tied in rtions with the Northern Alliance. <i>What¡¯s the reason for his visit to the cathedral? Is it something urgent?</i>

    Magadal frowned and felt nauseated when she thought of the past. A worker observed her expressions and immediately went forward to attend to her, saying, ¡°Your highness, do you want to go take a look?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Magadal replied, shaking her head decisively. Her face was filled with disgust.

    The workers exchanged nces. <i>The rumor that there was bad blood between The Nun Princess and Marquis Yoakam seems to be true.</i>

    However, little did they know that her face was burning from guilt and her palms nervously sweated. <i>Would Marsha forgive me for lying to the public?</i>

    But no matter what, this was the path she had chosen, a path that she cannot regret.

    ¡°O great Marsha, please grant me sess.¡± Magadal prayed silently in her heart.

    <strong>Marquis Yoakam¡¯s POV</strong>

    There was a flickering candle in the cramped room, shining bright and dim while asionally bursting out small sparks.

    Brendal knew that Ampere Seale¡¯s current Archbishop, Moros, was a famous viin in history. The difference between him and Amman was that although Moros was insidious and cold, he is much disciplined, he lived a simple life and had no materialistic desires ¨C literally like a monk.

    Although this image of him could be a fa?ade, it had been engrained in the minds of people he was involved with. And he was not cold towards the nobles of Aouine either, although his opinions did favor the Kirrlutz a little, he still had a passable rtionship with the Aouine royalty.

    But that was history. Brendel caused a butterfly effect that steered history off course, and even the current Archbishop¡¯s personality was vastly different from the original.

    This small and cramped room was a guest room in the side hall of the grand Ande Cathedral. As the Ande Cathedral rarely receives guests, there were not many guest rooms, and most of them were very simple. It¡¯s been a while since Archbishop Wood handed his power over the cathedral to Archbishop Moros. But the new Archbishop insisted on staying here, showing just howcking his desires were.

    But the two men seemed a little restless, especially Marquis Yoakam. Although he may act like a rascal, his pursuits for avish lifestyle was unlike the others. This room felt like a slum house, and despite how clean the table was, he still felt as if there was ayer of dust on it.

    He only sat there for a brief moment before he had the illusion that an ant was crawling on him. Not to mention that he was still burdened heavily with the ¡®important matter¡¯ in his heart ¨C time was even boringly slow.

    Before the arrival of the master, both of them dared not to make trouble.

    Finally, there were sounds of footsteps approaching, but in less than a moment, Moros¡¯ cold face appeared outside the door, with his prominent hawk-like nose, he was wearing his daily routine red-golden robe. His face was serious and strict.

    He always had this expression on his face, which led to the Aouine yers nicknaming him as ¡®Iron Face¡¯. This was not meant topliment his strictness and selflessness, but it was meant to just tease hisck of expressions.

    Yoakam dare not conceive such a thought. Even if he could disregard this person before him, he could not ignore the person backing this man up. Although the Aouine people had defeated the Kirrlutz centuries ago, the Aouine nobles were one of the groups that feared the Kirrlutz people the most.

    <i>You can¡¯t say that it¡¯s not a type of insult ¨C</i>

    Both of them stood up and greeted Moros, but Moros only nodded his head in return, revealing a slight glimpse of arrogance. Yoakam did not find that peculiar, as if he had expected that. The Kirrlutz people had been prideful people all along, thinking that everyone in Aouine was underneath their feet.

    ¡°Marquis Yoakam, you must have some important matters toe to the Ande Cathedral in such hours,¡± Archbishop Moros spoke up tantly.

    ¡°You are right,¡± Yoakam said with a slight smile and immediately swapped with a stern look. ¡°As expected, due to the letter we had sent back then, there seems to be some trouble in the Royal Faction now,¡± he added.

    Heughed and talked,pletely overwhelmed by his excitement, he then sarcastically added, ¡°Although Sir Makarov and Grandmaster Fleetwood are extremely smart, they were short-sighted and selfish. They only saw the carrot before them whilepletely disregarding the traps up ahead.¡±

    ¡°This disys just how important a noble goal is,¡± Moros replied and nodded in agreement. ¡°As a matter of fact, this n was proposed by the opposing faction. They blocked the news from the north but at the same time was bombarded by the news of the Lion Beastmen, which caused chaos in the Royal Faction.¡± Moros added.

    While it may be a plot, it was expected that Makarov would have taken bait nevertheless, as it was their noblemen nature to do so. Moros could not help but sneer at this.

    ¡°It¡¯s hrious that they still want to divide the kingdom into North and South to rule differently, not knowing whether they could even live till tomorrow¡¯s sunset,¡± Yoakam remarked with a proud smile.

    It was at this precise sentence when Princess Magadal came behind from the dark alley. She was startled when she heard it. At first, she thought that they were discussing the Gryphines, but when she held her ear close to the wall, she realized that they were talking about the Royal Faction.

    <i>The Royal Faction and Princess Gryphine really conflicted! </i>The princess held her breath. <i>When I heard about Brendel¡¯s rebellious act in the auction house, I had my doubts about. To think that it¡¯s actually true. And now that the Royal Faction is breaking up, will Gryphine be okay?</i>

    <i>I really don¡¯t want this to happen...</i>

    She closed her mouth, staying silent as she continued to hear the two men speak. The construction of the Ande Cathedral was done by the Holy Cathedral of Fire, so besides her, Archbishop Moros should know about the secret passages here too. <i>But he should not know that I have the other key to this passage, should he? Or else he wouldn¡¯t have let his guard down.</i>

    Most likely due to this, she dared to brag in front of Brendel. However, she still had to stay cautious in this situation.

    Moros was not exceptional in terms of hisbat capabilities, but as an Archbishop, he was close to that of an Elemental Awakener. Although Yoakam was often perceived to be a debauchee, few knew that he was a Gold ranker. <i>The noble that I can¡¯t recognize is probably not of amon background,</i> Magadal looked silently, not daring to take even a breath.

    Marquis Yoakam expressed his thought and Moros red at him unhappily. Cautious as he was, he disliked arrogant people. After all, even he was uncertain whether or not defeating the Royal Faction, with Buga and Makarov who were both in the Elemental Realm, was an easy task.

    In addition, Fleetwood was an experienced wizard and it wasmon knowledge that, at the same rank, a wizard would be harder to deal withpared to a swordsman.

    He shook his head and replied, ¡°Even if we ignore the Royal Faction, it won¡¯t be easy to deal with the princess too. Maynild and Oberwei are both Gold rankers. Plus, there are really strong characters in the bitch¡¯s Royal Knights too. Now that the Knight of the Lake who was stronger than Fleetwood joined her forces...¡±

    ¡°The key is that she already has the Lionheart Sword, meaning the sword guardian family would definitely side with her. And I heard that Count Yanbao¡¯s three Gold Rankers are here in Ampere Seale too. And let¡¯s not forget the peculiar young man in the Elemental Realm.¡± Moros said, looking at Yoakam.

    Yoakam¡¯s face twitched, saying,¡± Hmm, that¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Although they are not united anymore, we still have to face four experts in the Elemental Realm. Do you have any problem with that??¡± Moros¡¯ freezing cold eyes swept past the two.

    ¡°No problem.¡± The unnamed noble finally spoke.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Magadel couldn¡¯t help but scream discreetly, she finally figured out who the noble was. He was barely public and did not have a high rank too, but coincidentally Magadal recognized him, <i>He¡¯s from Marquis Balta¡¯s family!</i>

    <i>The White Lion Legion!</i>

    <i>Is the White Lion Legion near Ampere Seale? </i>The Legion was once the pride of the Kingdom, but after Marquis Balta was bought over by the prince, their pride had fallen to the nobles. Contrary to the ck de Squad, the White Lion Legion was tasked with protecting the borders, fighting against the Kirrlutz. And unexpectedly when everyone¡¯s focus was on the de de Squad, the White Lion Legion joined the fray.

    <i>But how could they leave the border unattended? Is Duke Seifer out of his mind? </i>Magadal¡¯s mind was spinning, her body drenched in cold sweat. Thankfully, the noise istion of the secret passage was exceptional, and her sound was not detected by the people outside. The Nun Princess sighed softly, her hands and feet were icy cold, but she could not help continue stalking.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Moros nodded, ¡°Has the person been assigned?¡± He then turned to re at Yoakam sharply, ¡°This involves the reputation of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, and is thest step of our n.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry.¡± Marquis Yoakam replied, nodding his head with assurance. He then took out a miniature object from his arms and ced it on the coffee table, ¡°That man can definitely be trusted, and this ring is his offering ¨C ¡°

    Moros was silent, he just took up the ring and coldly nodded his head.

    It was at this moment, the three men in the house heard a slight noise as if as something heavy had fallen to the ground. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± The Archbishop reacted first. He roared and shot a golden-red ray, hitting a bookcase.

    The bookcase burst into mes, sawdust and sparks descended like colorful butterflies. Meanwhile, the sidewall of the house suddenly rumbled loudly and slid open, revealing a secret passage.

    Moros nced towards the secret passage to see Magadal on the ground with a pale face.

    ¡°Miss Magadal!¡± The Archbishop of the Ande Cathedral turned livid with rage, and the words seem to be forced out of his gritted teeth. ¡°I think you have crossed the line this time, not even Wood can help you anymore.¡±

    She was staring dumbfounded at the ring and did not hear him

    ¡°This is impossible......¡± She murmured.

 Chapter 524 - v3c302

    v3c302

    Vortex(6)

    ¡°Seems like we have an unexpected guest! Like a deer falling into a trap, I wee you, Miss Magadal.¡± Marquis Yoakam said in delight.

    The Nun Princess red at him, but her attention was still on Archbishop Moros¡¯ hand. She was visibly shaking, anxiety written all over her face. Yoakam turned to the Archbishop and asked, ¡°Master, how do you want to deal with this prettydy here?¡±

    ¡°You better not have any perverted intentions with her. She is someone with aplicated background, someone you do not want to mess with.¡± Moros said sternly.

    ¡°You must be kidding, Master.¡± Marquis Yoakamughed, ¡°Women- I have loads of them. Butpared to those charming andcent women, I have always been interested in more provoking women, like prickly roses.¡± He added.

    Moros gave him a cold stare.

    ¡°I will send you to Archbishop Wood and he will get to know everything about this matter. He will supervise you in my ce for now. Please uphold your identity, princess.¡± Moros said to Princess Magadal.

    He said with clear aggravation in his voice, ¡°This is for your own safety. There will be no next time, Princess Magadal.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need pity from you despicable people,¡± Magadal said with a pale face, clenching her teeth and rebuked, ¡°If you use the Holy Cathedral to intervene in any foreign political disputes, me King Gatel¡¯s pride will be ruined by you people! Aouine will regard you all as sinners!¡±

    Her eyes were smouldering with anger.

    Moros was left without any expression. Those words from the Princess were as sharp as a knife, but they were nothing to him. The Holy War was just around the corner, and when its punishment arrives, the people will fall into despairing mes.

    ¡°Desperate times call for desperate measures. Princess, your opinion is just of a foolish woman¡¯s,¡± he dismissed Magadal¡¯s words harshly. He turned the tables, holding up the ring on his finger and said, ¡°Moreover, isn¡¯t this all you care about? You and I shall be judged by Mother Marsha without any prejudice one day, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯m more shameful than you are.¡±

    It was a normal ring worn by nobles, smelted with silver, it glistened, showing the olive branches carved onto it. And in the center of the ring, a vermillion ruby the color of ming embers.

    It was the emblem of the Seifer family.

    The Nun Princess froze and her face became a little paler.

    Moros signalled to Marquis Yoakam and said, ¡°Send her to Wood and if he asks, you can tell him the truth.¡±

    ¡°This is not important, and I don¡¯t really want to meet Archbishop Wood. I can see that he doesn¡¯t like me.¡± Marquis Yoakam answered mockingly.

    Moros said nothing but he ridiculed this secretly in his heart. Magadal¡¯s heart grew a little colder, after hearing them say that Wood had already known all this but did not say a word.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s Wood or Moros, they all represented the Holy Cathedral of Fire, they all represented Kirrlutz. They will never be the ally of Aoiune...¡±

    She was looking down and did not realize that Marquis Yoakam hade to her, smiling as he helped her up. Magadal felt disgusted, and she flung his hands aside and said, ¡°I will do it myself.¡±

    Something dark fell from Marquis Yoakam¡¯s hand to the ground.

    It was a ring with a coiled snake on it, indicating the destruction and end of all things.

    The room fell into silence.

    The atmosphere in the room turned ice cold. Magadal looked at Moros and Yoakam in disbelief. Here thoughts that were all over the ce suddenly distilled into one.

    <i> Run! </i>

    The Nun Princess¡¯s mind was fickle like lightning but her mind immediately became clear. She got up immediately and ran.

    ¡°Catch her!¡± The emotionless voice of the Archbishop came from the back. It was like an iced-cold and sharp sword had pierced her back, giving her a shock and destroying thest glimmer of hope in her.

    <i> They really were working together! How could it be?! </i>

    Magadal felt her heart tightening, and she knew if she was slow to take that one step, she might not be spared. After all, she had to ry this crucial information to someone else.

    <i> Archbishop Wood?</i>

    Magadal suddenly realized that she was a little scared. The image of her teacher, the one who made a big impact in her life began to crumble as she fell into disbelief. And then the silhouette of another person surfaced in her mind ¨C

    Brendel.

    <i> But can I make it? </i>

    The Nun Princess¡¯ heart pounded and she could not help looking back. But at this point, time seemed to freeze right in front of her eyes. She first saw Marquis Yoakam close up, looking at her with sympathy, only then she saw the shining sword in his hands.

    ¡°No, please......¡±

    Magadal felt her tears falling uncontrobly, and for the first time, death had never been so fearful for her. She still wanted to live, even if it meant going back to her hometown, living a peaceful life.

    The sword went straight through her back.

    Magadal felt that she had been struck by lightning. She felt the tingling, sharp pain slowly spreading all over her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Gryphine......¡±

    Darkness gradually unfolded before her eyes.

    ......

    In the atrium of the Ande Cathedral on a dark rainy night, rainwater was washing down the trees in the courtyard. But there were chattering voices between two people in the bushes.

    ¡°Hey, Jill. I was saying, wouldn¡¯t it be too risky for us to do this here in the cathedral. Think about it, they can just kill us so easily.¡±

    A piece of ground among the bushes suddenly swayed and then it sank inpletely. It looked like a hole in a ball of mud, filled with the pouring of surrounding water and mud on the ground.

    ¡°Quickly, hide!¡±

    ¡°Lower your voice, ahh-¡±

    ¡°Damn! I already told you that we shouldn¡¯te out on a rainy day, especially tonight. Now my new clothes are all wet and have mud all over. ¡±

    ¡°Bu, you stole that clothing.¡± A voice reminded kindly.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the point. Besides, what¡¯s the difference between buying and stealing? People pay for stolen goods in the end anyway. Anyways, let¡¯s change the subject. The tunnel you found is unreliable, at least the designer of it never thought about the drainage system. In my opinion, he either has a brain problem or the tunnel is just a masterpiece for thieves.¡±

    The voices stopped for a moment, ¡°Just like us.¡±

    ¡°We are no amateur thieves Bu, we are professionals.¡±

    ¡°Oh please, Jill. We¡¯re thieves.¡± The first voice saidzily.

    ¡°When we are done with this, we will be professional robbers! Hold up, someone ising, shut up!¡± A small head emerged from the hole under the bushes. With this heavy rain, it would not take long before one¡¯s hair be soaking wet.

    However, this young man called Jill paid it no heed. Upon closer inspection, one will see that he has a pair of unusual emerald green eyes. Yes, he was a Fairy, thergest of his kind. If one did not pay attention to their eyes, they would have been regarded as demihumans, just less furry.

    In Vaunte¡¯s fairytales, fairies were beautiful creatures. Their distant rtives, the Elves, were the embodiment of beauty and they seemingly inherited that trait as well. They were all very delicate and beautiful, unfortunately their reputation was not so pretty.

    If these homeless andzy demihumans wander around the maind, the tribe of the Fairies was simply just a ce for thieves. Out of ten legends about them, nine would be rted to theft.

    Of course, many still aspire to be a legendary thief, but in reality, thieves never had a good reputation.

    Jill and Bu were glorious members of the Brotherhood of Thieves. Their members were known for their stubbornness and baseless courage. With luck, Jill got a map. It was a blueprint, in fact, a blueprint of the secret underground passages in the cathedral.

    It was no ordinary item.

    If it was anyone else, they will either keep it hidden, burn it, or sell it off for a pretty penny in order to keep themself out of trouble. But Jill was no ordinary Fairy. He wanted to be the model for all thieves. And what heist could be grander than robbing the Cathedral itself?

    Most people would think he had gone insane.

    But of course, it made sense to the Fairy. To them, nothing in this world belonged to anyone, the only thing a person truly owns is their virtues. As to what those ¡®virtues¡¯ were, it would be better for them to keep it to themselves.

    Jill stuck his head out cautiously, with the only glimmer of light on a rainy night. A Fairy has eyesight that is a hundred times superior to humans, which enabled them to see clearly in the dark. But the heavy rain disrupted his observation, and the footsteps on the opposite side were bing louder. It was only after he wiggled his ear he realized the other party wasing towards him.

    ¡°Shh!¡± He turned and signalled for his partner to be quiet. Bu was notorious for being a bbermouth among the Brotherhood of Thieves. There were... a couple of times their attempts failed because of him.

    If it wasn¡¯t for Bu¡¯s bbermouth, Jill reckons that they would have only spent half the time they did in Ampeare Seale¡¯s Prison.

    Fortunately, Bu was quite obedient this time, <i>probably because he was trying to wipe the mud off his ¡®new clothing¡¯. </i>

    Jill¡¯s eyes widened. He saw three people walking out from the darkness. One of them seemed to be carrying something on his back. The three of them came to the other side of the courtyard and opened a lid on the ground. That was another exit of the under tunnel. Jill knew because he had a good memory. Or maybe it was a basic skill of the Night Swallow.

    In the rain, the man carrying the bag quickly put it down the tunnel. ¡°This is very important. Let us put it here first. After Wood leaves, I will find a way to send it out.¡± Another man said.

    ¡°Will Archbishop Wood doubt it?¡± A low voice asked. The voice was so soft that if it wasn¡¯t for Jill¡¯s pointed and long ears, he wouldn¡¯t have heard it clearly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Magadal has been sneaking out of the cathedral these days. Once it bes chaotic tomorrow, everyone will think that she actually went missing in the midst of the chaos.¡±

    Three of them continued to have a few words with each other in the rain, and Jill¡¯s heart was burning, ¡°Dear Marsha, the thing they buried has something to do with the Archbishop!¡± -As one of the people from Ampere Seale, especially as a thief who knew everything about the nobles, undoubtedly knew what the name ¡®Wood¡¯ meant.

    Without even listening to what the three said after, Jill went and shouted to hispanion after they left, ¡°Did you hear it, Bu? We are going to be rich!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Bu said, not as excitedly. ¡°Let¡¯s hope we won¡¯t get into bigger trouble this time.¡±

    ¡°Risks and benefitse together, my partner.¡±

 Chapter 525 - v3c303

    v3c303

    Vortex(7)

    Navigating through the tunnel full of staggering piles of dry grain and food. It did not take long for Jill to find the secret ¡®treasure¡¯ that was buried by the three mysterious people. There was a huge sack lying quietly on the ground in the narrow tunnel.

    Jill and Bu were visibly excited, ¡°Jill, shall we open it?¡± Bu hastily asked.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Jill replied.

    The two of them untied the rope, but the first thing that came into their view was not a dazzling pile of gold, but a young girl with a pale-white face and closed eyes. Both of them screamed at the same time, backing up from it as if they had seen a ghost.

    ¡°Aaaaah!! Jill, this is not a treasure!!¡±

    ¡°Of course I know that! Oh my, this must be a murder victim! Dear Marsha, this happened right under her eyes! The skies can be my witness, I have done nothing at all!¡± Jill eximed.

    ¡°Bu, please give me a hand here, I got scared till my legs became numb.¡±

    ¡°Jill, it¡¯s the same for me. It¡¯s not just my legs, but I can feel my back numbing too.¡± Bu said with a face of distraught, it was the first time he saw a dead body.

    ¡°Seriously Bu? How can your back be numb?¡± Jill was slightly annoyed.

    ¡°It¡¯s true Jill. It got so numb that the wall behind me feels soft.¡± Bu rified.

    ¡°Nonsense, how can the wall be soft?¡± Jill was even more annoyed at Bu.

    ¡°It¡¯s true! I already told you that it is just an illusion!¡± Bu angrily replied seeing that his ownpanion did not trust in him.

    Just before he managed to finish speaking, he heard a warm and soft voice behind him saying, ¡°I don¡¯t think that is an illusion, you¡¯re just leaning on my leg.¡±

    ¡°Ahh!¡± Bu was shocked and screamed loudly. He turned back and saw a man in ck noble clothing, armed with a long sword. He seemed like he was a caring young man.

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!!¡± Bu and Jill jumped up at the same time, meeting a noble in such a haunted ce was like mice encountering a cat, they were both utterly shocked. ¡°Ahh! This..this is none of our business, we were just......unlucky to discover this, please don¡¯t send us to the authorities!¡± Jill pleaded.

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying...I mean, you better not frame us of being guilty of this......¡± Jill added, staring at this stranger who just seemed to be silent. Although he had the guts to plead for mercy, the penalty for murder in Ampere Seale was a serious one. The penalty was to revoke the offender¡¯s citizenship and would confiscate all properties and inheritance from his/her family.

    It was obvious that the most serious penalty was confiscating all properties and inheritance. Well, at least to Jill and Bu.

    It was literally a sentence to hell.

    The young man who abruptly appeared was naturally Brendel himself. As half of him came from the ¡®future¡¯, he would naturally know about this secret tunnel of the cathedral. Rogning designed and built the Ande Cathedral along with the secret tunnel with defensive purposes in mind. Unfortunately, there were more unsightly matters conducted here than he would have expected.

    The tunnel and the entrance were controlled by the Archbishop, and normal civilians were not allowed to enter. But unfortunately, due to a quest back in The Amber Sword, a new visitor had finally reached this ce.

    This unknown entrance was connected to a sewer that was left behind by Rogning as a backup door. During the time when Ampere Seale was at war, the yers who sided with Aouine often used this secret tunnel to repeatedly attack the Ande Cathedral that was under the control of Madara. Therefore, this tunnel was named as ¡®The Cathedral¡¯s Lifeline¡¯.

    But in this era, the descendants of Rogning who used to hand tasks to the yers were still in Grey Harbor right now, so Brendel was sure that there was no one other than him who knew this entrance. Excluding the higher-ups from the Holy Cathedral of Fire of course.

    Therefore he was shocked as well when he saw Jill and Bu.

    He originally thought that Princess Magadal had the keys to this secret tunnel. Considering her rtionship with Wood, she should be able to own at least a duplicate key. And, although this did not match her image, Brendel would have expected it from her brash and determined attitude.

    But he would have never guessed that he would have met a pair of Fairies here. He was quite well-versed with the Fairy tribe. It was a thieves den from where many famous Night Swallows among the yers came from.

    Brendel already knew their motives foring here.

    They sure have guts.

    It was at this moment that Freya walked out from behind Brendel and saw the two talkative Fairies. She froze for a moment and then asked, ¡°Brendel, why are there two Gnomes here?¡±

    ¡°Hey, we are not Gnomes! We are Fairies!¡± Jill got mad. He could withstand the murder penalty, but not the discrimination that he was merely a Gnome. In their eyes, Gnomes were all just unintelligent, uncivilized cavemen.

    Even though in Vaunte, Gnomes and Fairies belong to the same spiritual species, Fairies are absolutely disdainful about working with the dirty Gnomes.

    ¡°Fairies? Aren¡¯t Fairies supposed to be small?¡± She gestured with her hands, indicating a winged figure only one to two inches tall.

    ¡°Those are Forest Fairies! We are Big Fairies!¡± Jill answered indignantly, but his tone of voice had a sense of sadness. Compared to the Forest Fairies, the Big Fairies were indeed lower in terms of hierarchy.

    ¡°I see... ahhh!¡± Freya shrieked, she suddenly saw the sack behind the two Gnomes, and her face paled. ¡°Princess Magadal!¡±

    Brendel¡¯splexion changed. He immediately pressed his fingers against her neck. Although her body was still soft, her body temperature was low, and he couldn¡¯t feel her pulse.

    He had first aid knowledge, so of course he knew what this meant, but he did not want to give up. He summoned the status screen, and his heart suddenly dropped.

    The screen disyed a line of big text:

    Name: Magadal Amanda De Antobroz

    Race: ???

    Gender: Female

    Status: Dead

    There was a wound pierced straight through her heart. If a human were to get hurt in this way, there was no doubt he or she would die. And Princess Magadal was just an ordinary human......

    Brendel¡¯s hands shook slightly, his face turned gloomy. He did not talk to her much, but he had a very good impression of her. She was very gentle, kind, and well-mannered, yet without any snobbishness. She was not conservative nor cold, and sometimes very friendly. Most admirably, she did not have any bad habits despite being in a social circle full of nobles. Even during Aouine¡¯s darkest days, she still remained pure and innocent.

    People who would stand firm in their own beliefs for the sake of friendship had be very rare in a developed and civilized modern society.

    Freya crouched silently beside Brendel. This was not the first person who sacrificed their lives in this political battle, but this time it was someone who was familiar to her- her best friend. That kind and gentle young girl was now lying dead on the cold floor.

    Freya bit her lips hard, it was a big shock to her.

    Brendel sighed. He stretched out his hands and caressed the princess¡¯s messy hair gently, hoping tofort her a little.

    ¡°Brendel......¡± The future War Goddess was trembling. She had seen deaths before, but she did not understand just why people were this brutal to one another.

    Hasn¡¯t The Nun Princess always been the most sincere believer to the cathedral?

    Brendel shook his head, feeling a little confused. He never expected this oue, he thought that even if Magadal exposed herself she would only be locked up at most. How could they have done this to her?

    His mind was spinning, but he could note up with an exnation.

    Brendel was never a rational nor a calm man in the eyes of others. His personality was exactly the opposite of many nobles in this kingdom, who were usually the cold rational thinking kind of people.

    It took quite a while before he pulled himself back together. Looking back at Bu and Jill, he said, ¡°Look at what you two have done. You two murdered the princess of another country in thend of Aouine. Do you know how big of a mistake you guys have made? This could start a war-¡±

    ¡°I must arrest and deport you both. This is the only way to calm our neighboring country¡¯s anger......¡± Brendel said in a calm and stern tone, but in truth, deep inside he was feeling suffocated.

    Jill and Bu who got coldly stared at were terrified, although they did not understand what this young noble said, the terms ¡®war¡¯, ¡®calm¡¯, and ¡®country¡¯s anger¡¯ scared them, and they were trembling in their boots.

    Freya in particr, who was standing aside in an Aouine soldier uniform, made it sound even more threatening. Although what she was wearing was the army¡¯s uniform, the two Fairies could not differentiate between the soldiers of the army and the Coast Guards.

    To them, Brendel seemed like the horrifying death god who would turn them in to justice.

    Freya indeed knew that both of them could not have possibly killed Magadal, but since they were here, they might know some things. She knew that Brendel was just using a tactic to scare them into speaking the truth, but looking at the terrified faces of Jill and Bu, she could only bear it by thinking of Princess Magadal¡¯s death and forcing herself to be strict.

    Bu and Jill were too scared to even say a word. Then Brendel said, ¡°Of course, these punitive measures also include the confiscation of all your properties- including those buried in the forest outside the city.¡±

    ¡°No, how did you know!¡± Jill was shocked. They would normally bury most of their stolen items and would only return a small portion of it to the authorities. Each group would choose a separate hidden spot, and only the Big Fairies would know exactly where the goods are hidden.

    But Brendel was an exception.

    ¡°No...no... Wait, we¡¯ve got nothing to do with this. You can¡¯t do this...¡± Jill and Bu suddenly panicked. From a state of shock, they began to panic.

    Especially when they heard that their assets were gonna be confiscated.

    ¡°Nothing to do with this?¡± Brendel raised his tone, and with a straight face, he asked. ¡°Then what are you doing here? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re here to steal.¡±

    ¡°As a matter of fact, we were here to steal.¡± Bu split the beans without hesitation, Jill who was anxious tried to cover his friend¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Very well.¡± Brendel said without emotion, ¡°ording to Ampere Seale¡¯sw, the court will confiscate half of your assets, and you will be in prison for a year for stealing. You two should be pretty clear with this?¡±

    ¡°Oh no...¡± Bu immediately regretted his decision, although it was not confiscation of his whole assets, confiscating half of it was already devastating enough to him, especially if he was considering the assets he was hiding.

    ¡°But there still is a chance to make up for it.¡± Brendel continued, ¡°Now since you are involved in this murder case if you can provide us with some useful clues, I may consider reducing both of your sentences.¡±

    Brendel seemed to be an officer to the two Fairies when he said that, and they did not know about the legal procedures of actually bing one. From their point of view, a noble was certainly eligible to have authority over them.

    Both of them quickly nodded their heads without hesitation

    ¡°Very well, tell me, how did you find her?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Her? No sir, we just found a sack, but we did not know that this princess was inside.¡± Jill answered.

    ¡°A sack?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Jill hastily exined the whole situation that he witnessed previously, fearing that saying something wrong or leaving anything out might cause this judge to lose his temper and change his mind. For they knew that if he had the ability to reduce sentences, he would also naturally have the power to increase sentences.

    Jill felt proud of his cleverness. He started to recap, and surprisingly, even details he did not pay attention to came to mind.

    ¡°Three people? Can you imitate how they sounded like?¡±

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Freya gave him a strange look. This request was just unnecessary. The tone and way of speaking of the nobles are quite simr, it is almost impossible to find out who the three people were.

    But Brendel shook his head slightly, indicating to her that she should not worry. He raised his eyebrows slightly, his thought process never before so clear. The tragedy of Magadal really triggered his anger, and this time, those who were behind this will have to face his wrath.

    Oral skills were one of the professional skills Night Swallows had, and Jill was definitely a master at it. He imitated the tone and ng of the first person and Brendel was able to distinguish who it was immediately. Moros.

    ¡°Next.¡±

    ¡°Yoakam.¡±

    ¡°Next one.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t seem to recognize this guy, but judging from his speaking tone, he might be from the army. The Coast Guards and the Holy Cathedral should not be working together yet. Furthermore, Moros and Yoakam would not trust them. It should be someone powerful... Count Vitokin¡¯s confidant?¡± Brendel frowned.

    Freya¡¯s concern that he would not be able to recognize the enemy was nothing to be worried about. Normal people probably could not discern from the imitated tone, but Brendel was not ordinary.

    Someone who dares to harm Magadal would definitely be someone with powerful backing. And there are only a few of them in the whole of Aouine. Brendel was very familiar with who they were and their tones were distinctive to him.

    In addition, the murder of Princess Magadal was a major crime. Not even the Holy Cathedral would be able to cover this crime up. So they would reduce the number of people involved in it, and the best way to do that would be to deal with it themselves.

    As soon as he heard Jill¡¯s description, he was even more sure of his prediction.

    Brendel had a sneer on his face. Freya looked at him and asked, ¡°Brendel, have you found out who they are?¡±

    She was a little amazed. Although Brendel once convinced her that there was nothing impossible, she never thought that he was capable of such feats. Are there actually people born omnipotent?

    That thought only lingered for a moment. But as soon as she saw the pale face of Princess Magadal, her heart tightened and she understood the reason for Brendel¡¯s anger.

    ¡°Brendel......¡± she called to him in a sad voice.

    But Brendel patted her hand and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This matter can be solved. However, I must teach the ones who do such evil deeds in secret a memorable lesson this time.¡±

    Thest few words were as if it was squeezed out from his gritted teeth.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Freya froze, she looked at her partner in unbelief, ¡°The princess......she......¡±

    Brendel nodded his head, not tofort her but because he suddenly thought of something.

 Chapter 526 - v3c304

    v3c304

    Vortex(8)

    Looking through the window, silver lightning asionally streaked above the dark ck sea, lighting up the skies like bright embers. Brendel stood quietly by the bed in which Princess Magadal wasid. She was like a sleeping beauty from the fables who fell into a deep sleep.

    After a moment, Orthylss¡¯s words rang in his heart, ¡°Brendel, you are right. This girl isn¡¯t human¨C¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not even a living being,¡± Brendel said calmly.

    ¡°So you¡¯ve guessed it already.¡± Orthylss was slightly surprised.

    In the Scriptures of Creation by the Kirrlutz, the Poem of Cang said: ¡®Life was born from water and it nurtured on earth, it was protected by the wind and was given wisdom by the me. It was also written that in the beginning, kindness roamed upon the surface of the waters, and it gave spirit to the tiny living creatures that floated on the surface of the water, and that was how life started. There was light and darkness, positive and negative, so the gods decided that at the end of life, the dead would gather and be ruled by a deity. But beyond the world of the living and dead, there was a third dimension, in which rocks, metals, and every other soulless being existed.

    (Note: The God of Death, Ruler of the Eternal Realm, The Lord of the Shadow under the Light goes by the name Kou Si)

    ¡°I never thought you knew the Poem of Cang so well, there are very few people left in this era who would actually read the ancient scriptures, and even I have only briefly studied it before. During the War of the Holy Saints, all these scriptures and prophecies were like the bright hopes out of the darkness.¡± She said. Brendel sensed Orthylss looking outside the window, so he turned to look as well-

    A lighthouse stood on the shore next to the raging seas, and a beam of light pierced into the dark sea like a sharp sword, as if it wanted to overthrow the truth thatid in between the heavens and the earth.

    Magical storms were converging at the edge of the world and had affected the world. This year¡¯s storm in Ampere Seale was more ferociouspared to previous ones. But only a few people noticed this anomaly. But still, the number of boats that dwelled out to the sea reduced.

    ¡°Master Orthylss, you should know that I¡¯m half a wizard as well. I have a great interest in history, and not just the Kirrlutz¡¯s works, I also read some excerpts from the ck Prophecy.¡±

    ¡°Although what you said makes sense, I still feel like you¡¯re hiding something from me,¡± Orthylss said with a smile, and Brendel could even feel the re of this wind elf. ¡°Also, I really hope you can call me big sister instead of Master Orthlyss.¡± She added.

    ¡°I can¡¯t possibly call you that,¡± Brendel replied with embarrassment.

    Orthylss chuckled softly.

    ¡°Since you¡¯re my student, it should be alright for you to call me teacher, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Teacher,¡± Brendel said respectfully. Orthylss was not rted to him by blood but nevertheless she helped him out a lot, and she even saved him not just once, but multiple times. She cared for him just like any elder would care for the younger generation. Brendel was thankful to her but he could not express it in words.

    Orthylss smiled and said, ¡°Alright alright, so what do you n to do after this?¡±

    Brendel came to his senses.

    He nced at the others in the room. Sue, Amandina, Ciel, Raban, Fern, Dia and the rest of the Mercenaries of Lopes. Morpheus and Medissa were standing somewhere near the door, plus a red-hair girl alongside. They were basically all the main members of his group.

    ¡°Princess Magadal had a wound pierced through her heart. And as I said, no human could¡¯ve survived that.¡±

    ¡°Ah......¡± Freya went nk, then she pointed at Brendel with her trembling hands and asked, ¡°But......but......you said......¡±

    Brendel could not help but smile, ¡°I said, a human could not have survived such a fatal injury.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so what you¡¯re saying is that this youngdy is not human?¡± Romaine was the first one to answer. Then others began to realize the meaning behind his words and looked at him curiously.

    ¡°Not human? Could she be a half-elf like Princess Gryphine?¡± Freya asked. She went to the Princess, who was lying in bed and looked at her ears- they were no different from a human¡¯s.

    ¡°No. What I mean was, she might not even be a living creature.¡± Brendel said carefully.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Everyone was shocked.

    Brendel was silent for a moment, not even he could ept this truth at the beginning. But when he examined her injury, he realized that there was something wrong. Firstly, when he opened her status window, her name and status were clear at a nce.

    Was that her full name? ¡®Magadal Amanda De Antobroz?¡¯ Amanda was her mother¡¯s family name and Antobro was her feudal name. It was named ording to the local customs of Antobroz. But wait...

    Brendel realised one anomaly on the status screen¨C

    The race.

    This was unusual because theoretically, Magadal should be human. Let alone humans, othermon beings were easy to differentiate from their features. So technically it was impossible for him to be unable to identify her race.

    When he first saw Magadal¡¯s corpse, his thoughts were in a mess so he did not notice this. But when he thought about itter, he realized something was wrong.

    After reexamining her corpse, he realized another problem. From what he had learned from his battlefield first aid skill, he could tell that she died at least two hours ago. The human body would supposedly have hardened by then, muscles would start to loosen and the skin color would have turned dull. All these changes would have been very obvious in the first hour of death, but these symptoms were not evident on her body.

    The main point is that although her body was ice cold, her skin texture was still stic, as if she were in a healthy state. In Vaunte, most illnesses could be cured with herbs and magic, so most people were not familiar with human biology, but even for Brendel with his basic medical knowledge these signs were something new.

    So he took a look at her pupils. They were dull like those of any other deceased, but they were not erged and, most importantly, deep down in her eyes, something was glowing like the remnants of a star.

    In Brendel¡¯s memory, only one type of existence showed signs like these after death.

    Those were the Embers of the Soul, and only one kind of being had it: a puppet.

    He was so shocked that he screamed out loud. The first thing that came to his mind was: Could this be Princess Magadal¡¯s double? But then he eliminated that thought, as he found a silver ornament of the Wind Elves on her dead body, which he had given to her during the auction that very afternoon.

    If this puppet was a substitute for Princess Magadal, there was no need for her to keep the ornament, as it would have been evidence of her meeting up with Brendel.

    Moreover, the doll¡¯s design was too intricate to be a substitute. Except for the pupils, she looked human in any other way. She had blood and flesh, just like ordinary people. And even when it came to wisdom, personality or feelings, it was perfectly modeled after a normal human.

    It was hard for Brendel to believe that the young girl with such strong faith and pure heart, who had discussions with him on how to save her own best friend before, was a puppet. But after Orthylss examined her, they came to the conclusion that the princess was indeed an extraordinary being.

    To be more urate, she was a special type of puppet. At least a very special one unlike the hollow, soulless creatures in Brendel¡¯s memories.

    In fact, the two recognized her existence to be an anomaly. Orthylss had seen such creatures before. They were once ordinary puppets, but after they were granted souls, they became an entirely different being.

    These beings were the Rune Dwarves.

    And it would have exined Magadal¡¯s situation. But Brendel was curious about her identity. Magadal was a princess of a country, unlike a neswalker like him. Did her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Antobrov know about this truth? If they did not know about this, there might be a certain reason behind this...

    At least for now, Magadal was unaware of her own past, and had always thought that she was a human. Brendel had never heard of this rumor even in back in the game. But he remembered one thing, rumor had it that the Nun Princess had a miserable life after her marriage, and she even disappeared in the end...

    He regarded it as normal news back then, but it seemed really mysterious to Brendel now.

    Brendel shook his head, throwing all of these messy thoughts out of his head. He carefully analyzed his thoughts and one by one exined these thoughts of his to the people around him. Of course, except for thest assumption that he made.

    Upon hearing that, everyone else opened their eyes wide in disbelief.

    ¡°Hold it right there Brendel. You are saying that Princess Magadal is just a puppet?¡± It was not just Freya who was shocked, but Amandina as well. ¡°But...but......¡±

    ¡°No, the princess was not literally a puppet, that is just a metaphor.¡± Brendel shook his head and exined, ¡°In simple terms, Princess Magadal¡¯s body and soul are not the same as ours. She has no blood cirction and she is not a carbon-based organism, but rather a constructed being. But she, like us, has her own soul too.¡±

    ¡°What is blood cirction? And what are carbon-based organisms?¡± Are these wizardry terms?¡± Amandina asked.

    ¡°Cough cough,¡± Brendel immediately realized that he made a mistake. His knowledge of the world was vastly different to these people¡¯s. Therefore it was extremely difficult to exin this problem to them, so he replied, ¡°These are just jargon, you just roughly listen to it. In short, it¡¯s just like...¡±

    ¡°Just like the Rune Dwarves right? Brendel, you said that before that Uncle Odum was a puppet too in the past right?¡± Romaine could not help herself asking this question. This girl¡¯s thought process was really abnormal.

    ¡°No,¡± Brendel replied. ¡°That was a million years ago, if anyone was a puppet, it would have been his ancestors from a million years ago.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°But...... Princess Gryphine never knew about this. Could it be that Princess Magadal was lying to her all this time?¡± Although Freya had only spent a short time with the future regent princess, she has started to care for her.

    Brendel¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He immediately gave her a look and shook his head, saying, ¡°No, I believe Princess Magadal was not aware of this herself.¡±

    ¡°She herself, did not know it either?¡± Freya was stunned. She wanted to continue asking, but when she saw Brendel¡¯s serious expression, she refrained.

    She pondered on this for a moment, and asked, ¡°So how can we revive her?¡±

    ¡°As a matter of fact, Princess Magadal is not even dead. But regarding the process of waking her up, I will need to research it. But we still have more important matters to attend to now.¡±

    Brendel looked outside the window.

    No light before dawn could be seen between the lines of the pitch-ck sky and the sea. But time was running up, the most important day in Ampere Seale¡¯s history crept closer.

    Even in such circumstances, Brendel was still unsure about his decisions.

    What exactly made Marquis Yoakam and his fellow mates do such an evil thing? Murdering a princess, a high priestess of the Holy Cathedral? What exactly was it that Princess Magadal saw?

    The history known only to him fogged up, as if a vortex was churning up the future in front of this life.

 Chapter 527 - v3c305

    v3c305

    Raging Torrent(1)

    The stars shone in the night sky. The howling wind blew clouds from afar, yet nothing could blot out the dazzling shine of Marsha¡¯s Star, a symbol of both order and wisdom. In the wee hours of the night, a faint glow seemed to be emanating from the dark depths of the sea.

    Brendel looked up, staring at the horizon, silently counting the time. Three more hours until daybreak...

    It was currently three in the morning.

    Off the shores of Ampere Seale, a long silhouette appeared beneath the inky waves. Fins split the water surface, creating massive waves that rolled over the sea, crashing into each other in explosions of white foam.

    Sani swam close to Brendel. As the naga and his army entered the bay, he flipped his fins, within the salty spray of the sea and the rain.

    ¡°These are the warriors of my tribe.¡± Sani said, turning to look at Brendel.

    Brendel remained silent, but his heart was burning with anticipation. This day has finallye. After half a year of hardships and all of the pain I had to go through, my n will finallye to fruition. He did not know about the future, but at that moment, his conscience was clear.

    If they won, he would be making a ripple in the original timeline where Aouine was bound for doom. Princess Gryphine, the War Goddess, Romaine, and everyone whose fate relied on the people of that boat, would be able to survive with his actions.

    But if we lose... Brendel¡¯s mouth tightened, his eyes staring into the void in front of him. A sh of lightning split the heavens, reminding Brendel of his memory of Aouine wreathed in mes.

    A raging me burned within his pupils.

    Brendel nced at Sani. And Sani, feeling Brendel¡¯s piercing gaze, could not help but to shift ufortably. It was suffocating. Such a strong will and determination. It isparable to my Queen¡¯s. Anyone with a character like this could potentially cause a revolution.

    Under the same night sky, a certain half-elf too removed her gaze from the heavens. The sun rose slowly behind Princess Gryphine, as if Marsha was informing the people that a new day was near.

    It¡¯s going to be daybreak soon.

    She turned around to look at the people standing behind her. Makarov, Fleetwood, Count Baley, Oberwei, and the rest of the nobles from the Royal Faction were here. Standing together, it felt as if they had never been split up before, but that everything was the same as the past.

    She allowed herself to daydream a little, imagining the times when everything was fine. She tried to imagine herself ruling over Aouine, with everyone by her side, but now all she could see was an image of nothingness.

    ¡°Princess, it¡¯s time to get on the carriage.¡±

    Gryphine turned to look at her mentor onest time, but all she saw in Fleetwood¡¯s eyes was guilt. She turned away, disappointment evident in her actions. It would have felt so good if they had held onto their initial goals.

    The carriage stopped in the rain, its door yawning open like the lids of a coffin. The princess walked towards the door and held her head up high, just as a member of Aouine¡¯s Royal Family ought to, and walked into it.

    The ¡°Sly Fox¡± Makarov pulled himself up onto one of the horses. While he was a noble, he too was once a cavalier. He sat up straight on his horse, and drew in everyone¡¯s attention. He brandished his sword and yelled, ¡°Depart!¡±

    Hooves thundered against the ground as the Royal Cavalry surrounded the carriage. Every one of them wore a cape, silently advancing in the rain. d in ck, the escort rode into the woods.

    Freya tilted her head, listening to the hooves pounding against the ground. She had been lying awake all night, so she was visibly tired. She turned around to see the Knight of the Lake trailing behind her.

    ¡°Mr Knight. Today, I might actually have to kill someone... And the enemies I will be facing arerades of the past... This irony... I¡¯m sorry if I bring shame upon the Lionheart Sword.¡±

    ¡°The sword will not be ashamed just because you have killed someone,¡± the Knight of the Lake replied curtly. It was the first time he had spoken in days.

    Freya turned to look at him in shock.

    ¡°The sword is meant for the wise, noble ones, to punish sinners,¡± he continued.

    Then came a period of silence.

    Ampere Seale was finally within their sights.

    Brendel¡¯s POV

    ¡°The princess has set off!¡±

    After he had finished reading the headline, Carglise immediately turned to look back at his Brendel. His voice was steady, but he could not mask the jumpiness in his eyes. ¡°Lord.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Brendel nodded his head.

    Everyone looked at Brendel.

    The first rays of light had just broken through the horizon. Brendel sucked in a shallow breath and yelled, ¡°White Lion Battalion!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    The soldiers thundered out their response. The storms in front of them were far less intimidatingpared to that of their experience in the ck Forest. In fact, they were burning up with adrenaline at the thought of fighting. s, they were youngsters and they did not care about whether fighting this war or not was the right thing to do.

    They put theirplete trust in Brendel and only cared about what they needed to do.

    In the future, this day would definitely leave a mark in history. [T/L: if the future exists that is.]

    ¡°The Royal Faction has begun to move.¡±

    Archbishop Moros¡¯s POV

    At that same moment, the Holy Cathedral also received the news. Once the messenger had left, Archbishop Moros, whose face was as serious as ever, turned around to be greeted by bows from both Marquis Yoakam and Baron Bd, as they stood within the shadows.

    ¡°History is being recorded right now.¡± Moros said quietly.

    ¡°Command the White Lion Legion to enter the city.¡± [Note: There may be a bit of confusion here. The White Lion Legion is the force under Marquis Balta, or you could see it as the old White Lion Army that had degraded over time with Aouine¡¯s corruptness. However, the White Lion Battalion is the newly formed army underneath Brendel. It is his recreation of the gloriously famed White Lion Army of the past.]

    News spread fast within Ampere Seale. And within the storm that had engulfed the shoreline, the tense city slowly awakened, like a beast stretching its ws.

    By five in the morning, the coast guards had been sent out on a patrol. Twenty minutester, the entire city had gone into lockdown. And by five thirty, it was announced that the storm season had arrived.

    Entrance to the harbor was closed.

    Brendel¡¯s POV

    ¡°Ready your armor!¡±

    Sets of shining armor were being carried down from the ships, and the troops immediately started to equip themselves. Rarely had they gotten to wear these armors before, and it felt slightly foreign to them.

    Nevertheless, they knew full well the capabilities of their armor.

    This was the true White Lion Armor. It had been recreated with advice from Brendel and Orthlyss, so its capabilities were as close to the original¡¯s as any replica could ever be. In fact, the soldiers of Trentheim did not understand the significance of their armor, but just the fact that it had magical properties was enough to impress them.

    The price of any such magic armor was atrociously high, a few of them being enough to buy a piece of fertilend. And even Count Graudin would not have been able to prepare magic armor for every one of his knights.

    The new White Lion Armor was simr to Maximilian armor from Earth¡¯s medieval times. However besides being magical, there was no armor for the legs, and the tasset had leaf-shaped tes on them. The helmet was based on the traditional style of the Wind Elf tribe¡¯s, but the most eye-catching piece was the right shoulder pauldron that had been crafted to resemble a white lion. This feature had been removed from the armors of Aouine¡¯s White Lion Legion, but Brendel insisted on recreating them to honor ancient times.

    Brendel was the one who hade up with this new armor¡¯s sketch. It was only thanks to the unique soul residing within him, that came from another world, that he coulde up with a design that exuded such an ethereal charm, a new kind of beauty.

    However, artistry was highly appreciated in this world too. And the new White Lion Armor appealed to the hearts of many. When equipped, an aura of power and majesty emitted from its bearers. Such a direct expression was rarely seen in Aouine at this time.

    Brendel¡¯s design had thoroughly impressed Orthlyss and other master cksmiths. In the end, they could onlybel Brendel and his multi-talentedness as an irregrity.

    Very quickly, the White Lion Battalion was ready. The army gathered in rows behind Brendel, awaiting inspection.

    Both Brendel and Ciel were breathless at the sight before them; Merial and Amandina stared at each other in shock.

    ¡°Dear Marsha! Isn¡¯t this the White Lion Army of the legends?¡± Amandina eximed.

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly like the one recorded in history books.¡± Ciel shook his head in awe. He was present when the armor was being designed, but, at that time, he could not have fathomed how impactful it would be when it was worn by its soldiers.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the White Lion Army, but I really envy the people who lived during King Erik¡¯s reign. To be able to witness an army as majestic as this would is a great privilege.¡± Raban muttered.

    It looked like the White Lion Army had been reborn.

    Only Brendel and Orthlyss knew that the army in front of them was closest to the actual White Lion Army. This elite army that had been lost in history seemed to be back in full force today, as if they hade, ording to King Erik¡¯s will, to save the Kingdom.

    The sword is already here, is it time for the oath to be said once more?

    ¡°Lord, look at this.¡± Carglise said excitedly, his eyes shining with glee.

    Brendel gave a slight smile. In this world, the White Lion Armor was purely meant for light infantry. To be more precise, it was an armor modeled after a cavalry unit¡¯s, but instead modified for foot soldiers. Due to the difference in weight, in general, cavalry¡¯s armor would be better than infantry¡¯s. Simply because it would be inefficient for infantrymen to bear suchrge weights.

    However, the White Lion Armor managed to ovee this difference.

    It¡¯s biggest feature was its magical capabilities inherited from the Half-te Wind Armor, which drastically reduced its weight. While most winds may be calming, it could alsoe as a raging tempest. The Wind Defense Spell applied on the White Lion Armor could not only be used for defense and support, but it could also be used offensively. It was one of the best-designed armors in the world, and would probably be credited for the ancient White Lion Army¡¯s nickname as ¡®Gaia¡¯s Protectors¡¯.

    ¡®The King Led his Knights and Dominated the South¡¯. That was a saying meant for this Battalion.

    It¡¯s almost time. Brendel turned around.

    Facing him, a carriage emerged slowly from the rain. The insignia on its walls were weathered, as if the carriage hade from another time. From within the carriage, a certain countess from the Yanbao family emerged.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, the Yanbao family will never forget their debts or promises. Now, once more, I ask that you walk beside me. Will you grant me this honor?¡±

    A clear voice cut through the cacophony of the rain.

    ¡°I¡¯m willing,¡± Brendel replied with a smile.

    ¡°Carglise, I leave this ce to you. White Lion Battalion, follow the n and cooperate with Sani. Do not disappoint me.¡±

    Carglise nodded his head seriously.

    ¡°Teacher, I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡± Brendel said, turning to Mephisto.

    The Ash Sword Saint nodded his head, epting the reins of his designated warhorse. His gray eyes lingered on Brendel for another moment before he hoisted himself onto his horse.

    Ciel, Scarlet, and Morpheus followed suit.

    ¡°Andrea.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

    ¡°I know that you are not familiar with riding in the rain, so follow me.¡± Brendel beckoned towards the carriage. The vampire royalty let out a tiny ¡®hmph¡¯.

    Just before he closed the door, Brendel heard a tiny voice call out to him from behind.

    ¡°Brendel!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes scanned the crowd, eventually locating the merchant girl who had called out to him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget our promise!¡± Romaine yelled out. ¡°I¡¯ll be cheering you on!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s mind went back to that summer night in Be. The stars then shined as brightly as ever. The sky painted a picture of the gxy, with stars closely clumped together, just like how his, Romaine¡¯s, and Freya¡¯s fates were so intertwined.

    ¡°I won¡¯t. We¡¯ll definitely be great merchants.¡± Brendel smiled back at her.

 Chapter 528 - v3c306p1

    <h4>Raging Torrent(2)</h4>

    The army of thousands marched in the rain, silent except for the crunch beneath their feet. The grey sheen of metal covered a wide expanse of ground, reflected by the soldiers¡¯ armors.

    ¡°Who are they?¡± One of the guards on the wall looked to hisrade. <i>This army looks extremely strong. I can¡¯t believe that there was such a powerful army in Aouine. Are they from Castle Kurco? Or are they from the frosty battlefields of the Northern Hignds?</i>

    A banner rose into the dark skies. That banner bore the insignia of a white lion. The symbol had survived through hundreds of years, and now it zed with the history of the old kingdom in it.

    ¡°Whoever they are, they¡¯re not to be messed with.¡± The captain replied, then shouted from the wall, ¡°It¡¯s the White Lion Legion! The White Lion Legion has arrived! Open the gates!¡±

    ¡°Open the gates!¡±

    ¡°Open the gates!¡±

    The order was passed on from the top of the wall. The massive wooden gates pushed away the grime and mud on the floor, the winch creaking as the gates opened slowly.

    The army waited for the gates to fully open.

    Owen raised his head, looking at the grey, ancient walls of the fortress from within the storm. This was the southern central of the country they had always been protecting, the city was built by King Erik to repel the forces of the Kirrlutz. These walls had withstood the harsh weather and war alike, yet not once had it fallen into the hands of the enemy.

    But this time, it was a different story.

    ¡°White Lion Legion, enter the city!¡±

    <strong>Madelei¡¯s POV</strong>

    The sun had yet to rise when Madelei dragged the neers onto the pier. The harbor stood against the battering waves, the raging sea stirred up by the storm overhead. The sea looked as if it was broiling over, its waves smashing against the cliff on which the lighthouse stood. He had not seen such relentless weather in the past ten years.

    ¡°Damn. Those waves are huge,¡± Madelei paid apliment to the storm. He had been working as a guard at the harbor for twelve years now, yet this was the first time he had seen such a thing.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a storm like this before. The old witch on Seabreeze Cape ims that the Darkness Dragon has been revived. This storm must be one of the omens!¡± One of the now pale-faced neers said while watching a boat being dragged into the sea, vanishing beneath the roaring tides.

    ¡°Stop talking nonsense!¡± Madelei nudged the guard with his foot. ¡°Enough talking, get to work!¡±

    However, he could not resist furthermenting on the weather. ¡°But this year¡¯s storm is rather strong...¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, he heard a yelp from behind him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong now?¡±

    ¡°Captain, there¡¯s something in the ocean!¡±

    ¡°Your eyes must be failing you. It¡¯s probably a sailor who fell overboard. May Marsha be with him, whatever happens to him.¡± Madelei shook his head. <i>What an unfortunated. To fall into the ocean at this time spells death for anyone. Was he from the ship before?</i>

    ¡°N-no, sir! It¡¯s a shark! Why are there so many sharks?!¡± The neer screamed in horror.

    ¡°Sharks?¡± Madelei froze in ce, eventually turning around to verify the ims of his underling. He saw a line of white foam slice through the waves, preceded by a row of fins jutting out of the surface. Then appeared another row, and another, until a gargantuan wave had been formed, like a massive arrow aiming straight for the harbor.

    Soon, two more ¡®arrows¡¯ appeared. In the blink of an eye, the entire harbor would be filled with them, like a wolf pack growing bigger around its prey.

    Madelei¡¯s face dropped.

    ¡°Those aren¡¯t sharks! It¡¯s an enemy attack!¡±

    He could feel his legs turn to jelly. He tried to sound the rm, but as he turned around he mmed against a hard object. He raised his eyes slowly and fearfully.

    What greeted his gaze was a man-snake hybrid whose lizard-like head housed a pair of reptilian eyes that were staring at him coldly.

    <i>Nagas?!</i>

    Madelei managed onest thought before he fainted.

    Sani looked towards the other two guards who had at this point also fallen unconscious. <i>Such a fragile race. But even amongst such a weak race, there are those who are absurdly strong.</i> From within the raging storm, the army of Nagas leapt out of the broiling sea and onto the piers.

    In the blink of an eye, the piers and trestles werepletely overrun by the Nagas.

    The seven main piers of Ampere Seale, a backup jetty, and two docks for military use, were all attacked at the same time. The guards of the harbor were powerless against their element of surprise and the sheer number of Nagas, and they quickly lost control of the situation.

    ¡°Pier Three has been captured!¡±

    ¡°Pier Four has been captured-¡±

    ¡°My lord! They¡¯re burning the ships!¡±

    ¡°How can this be?!¡± Qinoan yelled furiously at the messenger. Even if the report had not arrived, he already knew the state that the harbor was in. The scene outside his window was blurred by the heavy rainfall, but he could see the obvious glow of mes in the direction of the piers. ¡°Are you all useless? Tell me who is attacking us!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Nagas, My lord! The Grey Fin Nagas!¡±

    ¡°Nagas?¡± The harbormaster nearly threw his table across the room. ¡°You¡¯re telling me you can¡¯t even push back those pirates?!¡±

    ¡°B-but sir, their numbers are staggering!¡± The officer tried to exin.

    ¡°Too much?! A hundred?! A thousand?!!¡± Qinoan was relentless against his underlings. The Grey Fin Nagas would often attack merchant ships when they were in the open sea, but they had never attacked the harbor directly before.

    <i>My men must be cking off. They should be able to defeat these so-called pirates after all.</i>

    ¡°No, my lord! It¡¯s over ten thousand!¡± The vice-harbormaster could not believe his own words either, but it was the truth. This time, Qinoan¡¯s temper stilled as his eyes gazed upon the the the restless water.

    ¡°My god...¡±

    Everyone turned to look out the window. From within the tempestuous storm, a colossal shadow emerged from beneath the waves. The beast was iprehensibly huge, it was as if a mountain had suddenly erupted from the sea.

    <i>I-it¡¯s the Demon Whale!</i>

    Qinoan copsed into his chair, his mind trying toprehend the situation. <i>I hate this stupid job! I don¡¯t want to do this anymore, I quit!</i>

    No one could fullyprehend what was going on.

    ...

    ¡°The harbor is under attack. Should we provide more support?¡± The captain of the Patrol Knights, Sir Zinopa Li, looked at the soldier who had spoken. He let out a long sigh. The sky towards the harbor¡¯s direction waspletely red, so he already knew how things were going on at that end.

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    He shook his head, knowing that there was no saving the harbor anymore. His troops gathered around him, awaiting his orders.

    ¡°We have a more important duty,¡± replied the baron.

    ¡°But what about the harbor?¡±

    ¡°Let Qinoan fend for himself! Unless the people of Ampere Seale have been letting some trash guard the harbor, he should be able to fend for himself. If he cannot do so, let him answer to the higher ups on his own!¡± Zinopa said remorselessly. ¡°Those Grey Fin Nagas are taking this opportunity to attack us, we will definitely get our retribution!¡±

    Before his echoes could fadepletely, another soldier stumbled out of the crowd. ¡°My lord, the Nagas have invaded the city!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Zinopa¡¯s was shocked by the news. ¡°How is this possible? Are those pirates crazy? This is not a raid anymore, this is war!¡±

    That was exactly the intention of the Grey Fin Nagas.

    ¡°Advance! Keep moving forward! The storm will not affect children of the Heavenly Snake, Manas!¡±

    On one of the piers, Sani overlooked the battle calmly. He brandished his azure trident,manding his troops to advance. Thunder roared behind him as the oceans itself surged at his sides, as if the sea and sky were supporting him.

    ¡°The queen has spoken, Grey Fin Nagas¡¯ Secret Army, attack the city! Meet with ournd-loving allies, let the sacred oath bind us together, and fight asrades once more!¡±

    ¡°Attack!¡±

    The si of the Heavenly Snake Manas could be seen on the tip of Sani¡¯s trident. If Brendel were here, he would definitely recognize the treasure of the Grey Fin tribe, The Staff of the Sea God.

    Sir Zinopa Li steeled his nerves, as well as his face. He turned to his men and raised his saber.

    ¡°Troops, listen clearly. The enemies are part of a ploy to destroy our kingdom. Follow me, so that we may push back the Grey Fin Tribe!¡±

    ¡°For Aouine!¡±

    ¡°Long live Aouine!¡±

    The sound of hooves joined into the cacophony. From within the howling wind, the cries of men could be heard. In just a few seconds, the square that housed the Patrol Knights waspletely empty, its troops riding out to meet the enemy.

    ¡°The Patrol Knights have begun to move. Apparently they did have a n.¡±

    <strong>Count Audine¡¯s POV</strong>

    Count Audine put down his bronze binocrs. In hispany was a stranger wearing a straw cape. In fact, the fat noble seemed to be deferring to the mysterious stranger. Both of them had experienced the Cmity of Wolves in the ck Forest, so their alliance that had been formed prior was stronger than ever.

    Behind them was a private army of hundreds, owned by the count himself. They stood silently in the rain, waiting to receive their orders.

    ¡°Master Rudeo.¡±

    The mysterious man nodded his head. ¡°I have received news from the Loop of Skies. I do not know what happened at the Loop of Trade Winds, but I can tell you that this is the right course of action.¡±

    ¡°I suppose we shall see for ourselves. Furthermore, I have faith in that man.¡± Audine said as his eyes peered beyond the sheet of rain, gazing at the city below him.

    ¡°This has nothing to do with faith. To me, it¡¯s an order.¡± The straw-caped man shook his head.

    He raised his arm, showing the ring on his finger. The ring shone a brilliant emerald, the gem within taking the shape of a tree.

    A rumble drew everyone¡¯s attention. Surrounding Ampere Seale was the Frada Forest. The forest extended for many more miles, but even that expanse was covered by the massive shadow that had appeared from the sea. A gargantuan beast had emerged from the sea, rising up so high that itpletely blocked out the heavens.

    The ck mass descended upon the harbor of Ampere Seale.

    The guards at the harbor thought that armageddon had arrived to purge thend of all life. Everyone looked at the scene with pale faces and bulging eyes. The harbor of this ancient city had stood for so long, but now it was being consumed by a massive torrent of water. Dear Marsha, just what is going on?!

    The avnche of waves dragged the entire harbor underwater, crushing the structure beneath its pressure.

    Almost immediately, the enormous shadow disappeared beneath the waves once more.

    Up above the clouds, a pair of golden eyes watched the scene with much amusement.

    ¡°Not bad, kid...¡±

 Chapter 529 - v3c306p2

    <h4>Raging Torrent(3)</h4>

    Even in the busiest of worlds, there would be a quiet corner.

    The light in the small room flickered as the merchant girl rested by the bedside with her dainty head gently ced upon her crossed arms. Her eyes were curiously focused on the sleeping Nun Princess as she lightly poked her asionally.

    ¡°Amandina, how could Miss Magadal be a puppet? Look at her skin, it¡¯s soft and it¡¯s very fun to y with......she looks beautiful as well, Brendel must be lying right?¡±

    Amandina sighed. Those who knew Romaine well would know that her focus was on ¡®fun¡¯ instead of the second half of the sentence. Amandina was holding a book of ¡®Rockefeller Poems¡¯, but her focus was not on the book, it was on the rainy battlefield.

    The des that shed in the air, the brutal murders on this day would be recorded in the history of this port. But on the next day, the glorious sun will befall thend once more.

    <i>Can we really win?</i>

    Amandina¡¯s heart was in suspense. She ced her book down and slowly took off her silver-lined spectacles while looking out towards the port. The howling wind and rain sounded like it was weeping, like the ancestors of Aouine were crying.

    It was just the sorrowful cries of the people before their death, and it was not known to her whether it was from her rtives or even her friends.

    ¡°Please be careful. Don¡¯t disrespect Princess Magadal......you...you are so disrespectful,¡± Amandina scolded her, staring at Romaine who was quietly and gently squeezing the Nun Princess¡¯s breasts.

    ¡°I know, I know,¡± she answered naturally.

    Amandina red at her.

    The merchant girl then stopped and asked, ¡°Hmm, do you want to go out?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this room is too stuffy, it makes me restless.¡± Amandina looked at the Nun Princess with slight jealousy, ¡°And, if Princess Magadal suddenly wakes up, don¡¯t tell her anything.¡± She added.

    ¡°But Brendel said it¡¯s most likely that she won¡¯t be able to wake up,¡± Romaine said.

    ¡°I said ¡®if¡¯.¡±

    Romaine escorted Amandina out of the room.

    And when she looked back, the Magadal¡¯s eyelids moved a little. After a few seconds, it moved again.

    This time she was sure it was real.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°Ama...¡± the merchant girl immediately turned around and shouted, but she halted.

    <i>This is all thanks to my effort, so why do I have to tell her? Let¡¯s wait for another moment.</i>

    She thought about this for a moment, then turned around and looked closely at the Nun Princess. <i>she seemed to be trapped in a nightmare. Her eyebrows are tight and she was visibly exhausted. She struggled for a moment and uttered some words.</i>

    Romaine was curious so she approached and carefully positioned her ear next to the princess¡¯s mouth, only then she could hear some words clearly. ¡°How can this happen, be careful...¡±

    ¡°Be careful......¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± The merchant girl stood up, and took the situation seriously for once. Then she ced her finger on the princess¡¯s forehead, and said, ¡°Miss Magadal, are you dreaming? Let little Romaine help you get out of it...¡±

    The room shimmered.

    ...

    The heavy rain conceived a blurry world on the za of Ande Cathedral. A series of ck coaches passed through the rain, stopping quietly in front of the cathedral¡¯s main gate.

    The emblems on the carriages glinted in the light for a moment.

    Vitokin¡¯s pale lone wolf; Arreck¡¯s mountains and eagles; Covardo¡¯s crescent lilies; Seifer¡¯s howling and zing moon; Grinoires¡¯s sword and dark oak; Karsuk¡¯s dark tower.

    Yanbao¡¯s broken de dimmed a little. [TL: They¡¯re talking about the emblems of the Dukes.]

    Arreck walked down the carriage calmly, Devard the Hawk and Silver Knight Sylvia apanied him. He looked up. Duke Seifer smiled and nodded his head in reply not far away. But it was the men apanying Duke Seifer that caught his attention.

    <i>Fiery Nichs, the Sword Grandmaster of Seifer¡¯s royal family. His power should be way above Devard and the Silver Knight,</i>

    Brendel turned his focus to the old man in the purple robe. <i>Prince Luke¡¯s teacher, ¡®The Wonder Chaser¡¯ Garlock, a Kirrlutz native who¡¯s battle power wasparable to Wood¡¯s.</i>

    The old man, a general of the ck de Squad, next to Count Vitokin was Nigel, also known as ¡®The Unshakable Sword¡¯. Although he was not a Sword Grandmaster yet, he was an Elemental Awakener. Apparently, he was so strong some even thought he was already in the Elemental Realm.

    <i>Vitokin was his attendant when Nigel was younger. Besides, Vitokin himself had the potential to ascend to the Gold rank.</i>

    Brendel looked around and saw the head of the White Lion Legion and the admiral Count Jansu. He frowned, <i>seems like all the experts are here.</i>

    Including the leader of the Hignd Knights, the most powerful people in Aouine and most of the Kingdom¡¯s Elemental Awakeners were all almost gathered here, plus many other Gold rankers as well. The power of the country was undoubtedly exhibited here.

    Butpared to the forces in Kirrlutz, this was nothing. Of course, Brendel was the only one who knew that.

    ¡°Do you know all of them?¡± Dilferi who was standing at the side asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve only seen them once before,¡± Brendel answered.

    While he answered, the others walked into the Rokshbe Hall. It was a ce that was often mentioned in history.

    And when the two of them stepped into the hall, Brendel admired the hall¡¯s magnificence.

    Above the arches, the mural of the me King Gretel expelling the Miirna people was painted in bright colors. The famous Holy Sword Oderfeiss was dazzling. <i>The sages were determined to get rid of darkness, but would their descendants have the same determination?</i>

    <i>Afraid not.</i>

    There wasplete silence in the main hall.

    Something was different in the cathedral. Archbishop Moros opened the door and nced around, and he was silent. He walked to the middle of the meeting ce with two high-positioned bishops on each side.

    And everyone present realized it: something has happened!

    Brendel raised his head and squinted his eyes but he saw no expression in Duke Arreck. Duke Seiferdid does not look scared, and he stared at his niece who was directly opposite from him with a smile.

    Princess Gryphine had no expression on her face, and the members of the Royal Faction who were standing beside her had a grim look

    Something must have happened with the Royal Faction.

    Moros paused for a moment, there was no hint of happiness nor anger on his darkened face. He slowly raised his head and prayed, ¡°Dear Marsha, you are definitely pleased with your people¡¯s continuous yearning and pursuit for peace, because it doesn¡¯t matter if they are people of Kirrlutz or Aouine, the descendants of the me King will always uphold on justice-¡±

    ¡°However,¡± He said sharply, with a serious look on his face. ¡°Ampere Seale is now shrouded in darkness. The cathedral¡¯s management was ipetent. Even those acts of our young generation are despicable and outrageous!¡± Moros further condemned.

    ¡°Before I headed here, I received a message iming that some of you here have colluded with the Sheep! But I refuse to believe that. But if you did, I hope you can stand up and confess before the meeting starts.¡±

    After Archbishop Moros said this, everyone started discussing among themselves.

    The hall was inevitably filled with buzzing discussion noises. Everyone was curiously looking around. It seemed like they were trying to find the hidden mole among the nobles.

    Only Brendel looked towards where Duke Seifer, Yoakam and Vitokin were, who all had a smug expression on their faces. Only Arreck was stone faced, like he had nothing to do with it.

    <i>The North sure is good at hiding things.</i>

    Brendel turned his head around. The knights in the south were standing still, as if they were waiting and observing every change.

    Makarov had a disdainful look on his face while Fleetwood was sweating buckets.

    ¡°Despicable!¡± Brendel heard Countess Yanbao scold softly.

    ¡°Mr. Makarov, you know who I am talking about.¡±

    Moros nced at the Royal Faction.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Someone among the crowd yelled, as if they predicted something to happen.

    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Makarov said. He frowned slightly. The Holy Cathedral reacted to the situation quicker than he expected and he felt a little nervous.

    <i>But why would they make their move now? Are they ready for war?</i>

    <i>The ck de Squad was still in the Grey Mountains. Only one assault team arrived. Just why are they so confident?</i>

    ¡°I know this is nonsense too. But since this is nonsense, I hope Mr. Makarov will uncover this lie and reveal the truth.¡±

    ¡°We must know, Aouine¡¯s nobles cannot be tainted.¡±

    Moros said quietly.

    ¡°Fine. Although it is unnecessary, it¡¯s not too difficult of a task anyway.¡± Makarov added, ¡°But before I prove my own innocence, I would like to ask. Do you have proof?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°What I have is not proof, but a witness.¡± Moros added.

    The meeting ce was filled with the crowd¡¯s noises.

    Brendel raised one of his eyebrows- <i>There is a traitor in the Royal Faction!</i>

    Sure enough, Makarov turned to look in shock. Although the Royal Faction and Northern Alliance have been fighting for many years, there has never been a case of having a traitor.

    Makarov was not the only one in shock.

    Everyone here in the hall was utterly shocked as well. Almost all the members in the Royal Faction were elites and nobles. There was even a legend that goes, ¡®There is only defeat through death, but never defeat through surrendering¡¯. When everyone started to make assumptions of who the traitor was, they gradually turned their focus towards the southern side of the hall.

    Somebody walked out from behind Moros.

    <i>It was him.</i>

    Brendel was shocked.

    ¡°Sir Benninger!¡± The half-elf girl stood up and looked at this young man as if he was a stranger.

    She somehow looked calm, but her tightly clenched and trembling fists gave it off.

    ¡°Where is my younger brother?¡±

    The princess took a deep breath, and used all her might to ask this question.

    But Benninger just gave her a stare, and ignored Makarov who was standing at the side. He lifted his head, turned to the crowd and said, ¡°Everyone knows that I have once admired the princess, and even betrayed my family for her. Despite all of it, I still cannot tolerate the Royal Faction colluding with the cults. And I don¡¯t want to see the princess involving herself in this either.¡±

    His words had a huge impact, the entire hall was inplete silence. Everyone who was present at that moment had fully guessed what was going on, but they were silently grateful that they did not mess with Seifer¡¯s family.

    This was too evil.

    Brendel was dumbfounded. History never mentioned that Sir Benninger had betrayed the Royal Faction in any way, but even praised him for his loyal pursuit of love. <i>This man sure is sly.</i>

    He was surprised, but there was a hint of relief. <i>At least the Royal Faction gets backstabbed, it is betterpared to me getting backstabbed right?</i>

    Trouble was inevitable. If he was not mistaken, Prince Haruz was abducted by the opposition side, and this meant big trouble. In fact, an evenrger problem would follow after that.

    He suddenly saw Benninger turning towards him.

    <i>What does this guy want?</i>

    ¡°Count Yanbao, that person next to you, Brendel, is not your servant, right?¡± Just when Brendel was considering the possibility of him outing his identity, the words had already left Benninger¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Err...¡±

    Dilferi was a little frozen, she never thought that she would be involved in the war. ording to Brendel, their mission was to escort the princess away from all this and upholding her responsibilities as the Sword Guardian family.

    And not confronting these messy questions ¨C

    Benninger didn¡¯t need an answer, Dilferi¡¯s shocked expression was all he needed. He continued to say, ¡°Mr. Brendel, my earliest news of you was that you came from Be, and you imed yourself to be a Hignd Knight. Next thing I know, you rebelled in Trentheim, killed the local leader, and stirred up the masses to cause trouble.¡±

    ¡°And the other truth is, your true identity is a Sheep cultist, which means you are associated with All For One. And now you are secretly working with the Royal Faction, plotting to take over the throne of this Kingdom. Am I right?¡±

    The baron raised his chin slightly and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to answer me. Whether it¡¯s the truth or not, we just need to ask the fellow noble knights from Karsuk. The truth of your ims being the descendant of the so-called Hignd Knight and the origin of your noble identity will all be clear soon.¡±

    Brendel frowned immediately.

    <i>So the opposition came prepared......</i>

    He was not really afraid of getting exposed, after all, his identity would be revealed in the future anyway. Still, he could not resist but to turn and look behind, at the real knights who came from the hignds.

    Being an imposter for almost one year, he was definitely nervous when he met the original.

    Benninger smiled confidently, turned to the head of the Hignd Knights and asked, ¡°Dear sir, I¡¯ve heard that you have always kept your promises. I believe you will uphold your creed and not lie. I would let you speak out the truth.¡±

    It was clear that Benninger was extremely good with his words. The leader of the Hignd Knights smiled slightly too, he was indeed an old-fashioned knight. He was a true Hignd Knight to the core, the spirit of the knight was almost already rooted deep in his bones.

    Thismander held his head high. he looked like just a normal middle-aged person. But Brendel knew this man as Bunide Norbert. When his gazended on Brendel, Brendel felt a little intimidated.

    Brunide Norbert may seem like a friendly uncle to the undiscerning eye, however he had another more respected moniker. Around those that remembered, he was called the ¡®Knight of Steel¡¯.

    Bunide Norbert had a fearsome reputation in Karsuk. It was recorded in history that many of Madara¡¯s generals died by his hands.

    It was also because of him, that Madara did not manage to invade much of Karsuk during the second War of Roses.

    Bunide smiled at Brendel, however his gaze shifted to someone behind Brendel. ¡°Ciel, is that you?¡±

    He asked with a serious tone.

    There was an uproar in the hall.

 Chapter 530 - v3c307

    <h4>Raging Torrent(4)</h4>

    <strong>Dallit¡¯s POV</strong>

    It was six in the morning.

    At the ck de Squad¡¯s camp-

    A magical rm filled the whole campsite with distress. Knights d in ck rushed out of the rest area and headed straight for their mounts.

    Rows of dragons started to spread their wings.

    Viscount Kuztal Bolleman lowered his binocrs and gazed at the southern sky which was ck with countless raptors shuttled between clouds and lightning. It was a scene of devastation.

    ¡°It¡¯s the druids.¡±

    ¡°The southerners are at the end of their stick.¡±

    He was silent. He flipped his saddle, then held his five-meter long dragon gun with one hand, while raising his left hand high in the air. A voice exploded from within the camp like roaring seas and waves.

    ¡°ck de Squad, Dragon Knight toon One ¨C ¡°

    ¡°Roll out!¡±

    The beasts flew up into the air one by one, their outstretched wings covered the skies. The ground troops watched the knights lift off as the huge formation wasunched in just a blink of the eye.

    ¡°Dallit, make sure you do not make any mistakes at the critical moment!¡± The ground staff yelled.

    ¡°Oh, fuck you!¡± The knight in the skiesughed and lifted his head. Ahead, thunder and lightning created a golden-red atmosphere under the rain clouds, and tens of thousands of raptors rushed towards them.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Arrow Eagles!¡±

    ¡°-Look out! They¡¯re speeding up!¡±

    Someone from above shouted.

    ¡°Everybody, get into battle formation!¡± A serious voicemanded through the Magic Crystal.

    ¡°Roger.¡±

    ¡°Estimated time of collision: thirty seconds.¡±

    ¡°Twenty seconds.¡±

    Dallit lifted up his head, his eyes were filled with ming war passion.

    The ck de Squad had been on standby for a long time, and it was at this moment, everyone felt that their blood was boiling.

    Viscount Kuztal Bolleman raised his gun firmly, silently counting the seconds.

    ¡°Ten seconds.¡±

    ¡°Eight seconds.¡±

    ¡°Two seconds.¡±

    ¡°Attack! ¡°

    ¡°For Aouine!¡± In a moment, the skies of Ampere Seale seemed to be ignited by ear-splitting shrieks.

    The gigantic ck dragons and countless raptors collided. At that moment, blood rained from the sky, the open wings were like des, cutting through the storm, and the birds¡¯ bodies fell from the sky like raindrops.

    But the dragon knights faced a fierce resistance. Their formation was shattered in an instant. Warnings, roars and the cacophony of ughter and screams mixed together, filling the air with horrifying sounds across the battlefield. The knight in front got thrown off the saddle as his dragon cried and fell after him.

    Dragons fell, crashing into the soil like ck meteors, silent and still.

    The mes of war continued to spread and burn.

    ...

    <strong>Brendel¡¯s POV</strong>

    The buzzing noises from discussions in the hall seemed to be quiet for a moment, the solemn Rokshbe Hall was left with dead silence. It was as if time froze.

    ¡°Ciel, is that you?¡±

    Bunide, the leader of the Hignd Knights stood tall, with an air of confidence. Although he was not loud, his words echoed repeatedly throughout the hall.

    There was chaos.

    Everyone looked at each other.

    ¡°Leader Bunide, you were saying...?¡± someone from Grinoire¡¯s side asked.

    ¡°Squad Leader Bunide, did you get that right?¡± This person was a close friend of Duke Viero, and Brendel had met him in the past.

    Everyone else also started to discuss within themselves, most of the people directed their attention towards Ciel. ¡°Ah!¡± Countess Yanbao suddenly shrieked, she looked at the young wizard as if she had seen a ghost and said, ¡°Ah! How did I not notice? The two really looked alike!¡±

    ¡°Who does it look like? What¡¯s going on?¡± Brendel did not know what was happening however he found amusement in the fact that Benninger who was performing has now be a joke despite being confused at the current situation.

    But he never expected to see the current situation.

    He turned around, his gaze then fell on his own servant. It was as if he was getting to know him for the first time again, ¡°Ciel, it looks like you¡¯re kind of famous, can you exin why?¡±

    ¡°Ha,¡± Ciel smiled forcefully. ¡°My Lord, this must be a misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±

    ¡°Then it will be best if you exin it to them.¡± Brendel suddenly became alert, as he heard the rumbling outside. He immediately stopped and winked at Ciel, telling him, ¡®We¡¯ll talkter.¡¯

    <i>The battle has started,</i>

    Ciel understood what Brendel meant, he turned to the squad leader of the Hignd Knight and said, ¡°Squad Leader Bunide, I think you might have got the wrong person.¡±

    The hall went silent once again.

    The transition was surprisingly natural.

    ¡°Are you sure...?¡± Bunide smiled and raised his eyebrows.

    Before he could continue speaking, a trembling sound shook the entire hall.

    Bunide paused and raised his head in suspicion.

    Everyone subconsciously raised their heads, the sound obviously came from above.

    <i>Has something happened? </i>After a short while, the second tremble came, more violent than the previous one. Most of them fell to the ground because they were caught off guard.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Was it an earthquake?¡±

    It became chaotic inside the hall once again. All of a sudden, a huge hole opened up on the crystal dome of the Rokshbe Hall and small crystal pieces fell all over the ce. Cold wind rushed in, and an enormous mass filled the hole.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°Help......¡±

    Wind and rain were pouring outside, but there was just ash and smoke in the hall. The nobles were horrified, they started to scream immediately.

    Brendel was the only one who managed to see clearly what that thing was. In the middle of the hall was a corpse of a flying dragon, with its neck already broken.

    <i>It was from the ck de Squad.</i>

    Seemingly at the same time, Duke Arreck¡¯s deep and firm voice rang out beside his ear,

    ¡°Charge!¡±

    Everyone was stunned, but they got back to their senses immediately.

    ¡°Pdins, stop Makarov!¡± This was Moros¡¯ voice.

    ¡°Catch Princess Gryphine!¡± Sir Benninger shrieked.

    Brendel also reacted immediately, he protected Dilferi with one hand andmanded, ¡°Ciel, get the princess!¡±

    The hall erupted in utter chaos.

    ...

    <strong>Dallit¡¯s POV</strong>

    Dallit¡¯s face was full of blood.

    He looked out through his torn mask, the whole ce was filled with blood. Countless raptors were flying in circles in the disastrous battlefield.

    In the very middle of it was an Archdruid wearing a cloak of trees like a deity. Every time he cast a spell, wooden spears and spurs appeared andunched at the Dragon Knights. One by one, they fell.

    An Archdruid in the upper gold rank.

    There was a chill in Dallit¡¯s heart, if it was not for the continuous voices from the Magic Crystal, he would have trembled. The deaths were consuming everyone¡¯s will to fight.

    ¡°Team Three, Team Four get into an assault formation!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Viscount Bolleman, he¡¯s making his way in there!¡±

    ¡°Guards, continue the assault!¡±

    There was a loud roar from the Magic Crystal, and the Dragon Knights rearranged their formation in midair, they were about to make theirst shot. The flying dragons could not fight midair for a long period of time, especially when they have to bear the weights of the knights.

    ¡°Those damn southerners!¡± Dallit cursed with his teeth gritted.

    This was their final attempt. Ahead was Viscount Kutzal Bolleman¡¯s flying dragon advancing, revealing his strength as a middle Gold ranker, like aet in the sky. Everyone followed his lead.

    The battle began and came to an end shortly after it began. The Dragon Knights suffered a dramatic loss, but the enemy was defeated.

    The bnce of victory and defeat have been tilted.

    ¡°Look below!¡±

    ¡°Reinforcements are here!¡± A voice full of excitement came from the Magic Crystal.

    Dallit turned and looked, spots of red lights covered Ampere Seale. The knight squad stationed by the Holy Cathedral of Fire in the port joined in the fray!

    He felt like shouting in joy for a moment. <i>What an intensive yet victorious battle!</i>

    <i>Was the enemy apetent opponent? Probably. </i>Dallit¡¯s mind was full with thoughts. He subconsciously nced to the side, and his gaze was fixed towards that direction-

    West of Ampere Seale.

    The direction towards the Arreck Mountains.

    A cluster of ck spots was approaching at full speed.

    ¡°On our left! A big cluster of unidentified flying units has been discovered! I repeat, attention to all squadrons, a big cluster of unidentified flying units has been discovered at the left nk!¡± The Magic Crystal stuttered. ¡°Wait, they¡¯re Dragon Knights!¡±

    ¡°Are those reinforcements?¡±

    Everyone froze. <i>Reinforcements?</i>

    Only Dallit was squinting his eyes- He had excellent eyesight, and he quickly identified the enemy from a distance. <i>That is not the reinforcement army... That is...</i>

    ¡°It¡¯s the enemy, the enemy is attacking!¡± He snapped at the magic crystal: ¡°It¡¯s the Southern Army! The Dragon Knights of the Southern Army! Get ready for an attack!¡±

    He understood at that very moment that the knights of the Holy Cathedral of Fire were not there to reinforce them.

    They were here to face the Southern Army.

    <i>But why would the Southern Army be here? Dear Marsha!</i>

    The weather roared with the ferociousness of the war. Rain soaked and wet the gazed upon the advancing army.

    <strong>Nosidal¡¯s POV</strong>

    Nosidal sat upright like a spear on his saddle, allowing rain and wind to beat against his face, allowing lightning and thunder to brighten his eyes, but he was calm andposed in his heart.

    He subconsciously touched his face, the injury inflicted on him in the Loop of Trade Winds had scarred him, yet he felt relieved. Scars are medals of honor to a soldier.

    At least, he had returned to the Southern Army.

    He turned around to meet the gazes of all in the vicinity. They nodded to him in mutual respect. They were oncerades, and now they are brothers in arms.

    But this was the Cmity of the Wolves no longer.

    The kingdom indeed abandoned them.

    But the Southern Army would never abandon their homnd ¨C

    Nosidal raised his spear, pointed to the front andmanded, ¡°Dragon Knights, listen to mymand ¨C get into attack formation, our target ¨C ck de Squad!¡±

    ¡°For Aouine, charge!¡±

    ......

    Everyone knew the civil war of Aouine had officially started.

    In the midst of smoke and dust, Brendel faced his first opponent, a Pdin. When he saw his opponent, he was fighting Maynild. In fact, the dark-haired knight was losing ground.

    But she could not possibly give in as Princess Gryphine was just behind her.

    When he saw this, Brendel did not give it much thought and he straight away stabbed at the enemy. Brendel¡¯s swordsmanship has always been brutal and fierce, and this stab of his was no exception. It did not have any sort of noble etiquette, it could be ssified as a dirty sneak attack.

    The Pdin of the Holy Cathedral of Fire was an Elemental Awakener as well, but he could only brawl with Brendel.

    ¡°ng!¡±

    The two swords shed against each other, and both of them were knocked back by the impact.

    Maynild finally found the chance to take a breather. Using her hand to cover her mouth, she coughed out some blood. She took a few breaths and then immediately looked at Brendel with a pale face.

    ¡°This swordsmanship......who taught you?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter.¡±

    Maynild gritted her teeth, but she still nodded her head.

    The Pdin noticed Brendel, in fact, he had already recognized him. The eyes under the metal mask shined coldly. The air surrounding Brendel immediately felt like it was stagnant, even his body movements felt slower.

    ¡°Be careful, his Elemental Power might be rted to wind.¡± Maynild immediately reminded him. Although the female knight¡¯s voice might sound quite cold, it still sounded a little caring.

    But this voice made Brendel slightly heated up.

    <i>It sounds so similiar.</i>

    <i>So simr to senior sister.</i>

    <i>If only she was still here...</i>

    <i>Still in this world...</i>

    <i>Senior sister</i>

    Brendel could not help it but close his eyes. At that moment, he felt his senses were flowing out. It was pitch ck in front of him, but it felt as if everything was right in front of his eyes.

    One dot, one line.

    A world created with Laws.

    A towering wall just appeared right in front of him.

    <i>The Elemental Barrier!</i>

    Brendel¡¯s heart trembled. He forced open his eyes, and his vision changed. There was a ball of silver me somewhere deep down in his eyes, countless Laws and definitions of the world, even the fates of all beings, were moving towards in one direction.

    <i>What is going on?</i>

    He raised his sword up.

    ¡°You may have the binding power of the Wind, but a coward who dares to strike at an unarmed woman cannot hold me.¡±

    Brendel raised his sword with one hand, and shed at the Pdin¡¯s sword.

    And the Pdin¡¯s sword was thrown out of his hand. It scattered across the floor like the pdin¡¯s confidence.

    He was shocked. He never thought that there would be such a freak who was able to touch the Elemental Barrier during a battle. That strike just now was not his own strength, but rather the power of the Laws.

    The pdin quickly woke out of his trance and kicked his reflexes into high alert.

    Despite losing his sword, the Pdin, being one of the elites of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, reacted quickly and made a hasty retreat.

    Brendel swiftly sent a horizontal slice at him.

    The tip of the sword missed the enemy by just millimeters.

    But the deed was done.

    ¡°Ah-!¡± The Pdin let out a scream, with one hand pressing against his own chest. There was a deep cut on his breastte, with blood pouring out from it.

    Brendel raised his head, he was overjoyed. His eyes dazzled and he eximed, ¡°I never miss -¡± [TL: ck Panther: I never freeze. ]

 Chapter 531 - v3c308

    <h4>Raging Torrent(5)</h4>

    <strong>Brendel¡¯s POV </strong>

    Smoke and dust stagnated in the air as ayer of golden lines floated in this closed space with Brendel as its center point, while the other end connected to the World of Laws.

    <i>So this is the Elemental Realm. </i>Brendel thought.

    At the same time, at the bottom of the Elemental Power column in Brendel¡¯s status screen, another attribute was added.

    -Guaranteed Hit: As long as the Lines of Laws are stable, the spellcaster¡¯s next attack can appear anywhere within a certain range. Casting it would require 50 EP.

    ¡°We finally meet again, my old pal!¡± Brendel looked at his attribute, the power of the Laws, almost nostalgically. The power gap between an Elemental Awakener and a Gold ranker was massive, so much so that the difference between a Gold and Silver ranker couldn¡¯tpare. The difference between a Bronze ranker and a Silver ranker didn¡¯t even need to be mentioned. Only a few geniuses could manage to obtain this power after reaching The Elemental Barrier.

    But once a person managed to grasp this power and cross the gap, he would be stepping into a whole new world. There was a consensus among previous yers that a yer that reached level 55 and awakened their Elemental Power would flip to a brand new page of The Amber Sword. [Author¡¯s note: The level required to reach the Elemental Realm would vary ording to the Job sses.]

    Just to reach this realm, Sophie once spent three and a half years.

    Even the number one yer at the time took eleven months.

    In this second life, however, he managed it in a year, and that was only because he took a long way around Trentheim and was distracted by other matters. But precisely because of that, Brendel believed that he was far stronger than the world¡¯s number one at the time.

    Brendel slightly raised his sword, its tip pointing at the knight before him. The space around Halran Gaia resonated faintly.

    The attribute ¡°Guaranteed Hit¡± could have a lot of manifestations, but with the distinct Space Elemental Power it was imbued with, it was evidently different from the other attributes.

    Space Elemental Power, one of the strongest Elemental Powers.

    How could Brendel not be pleased? This was stronger than any Elemental Powers his previous life had. <i>Arefacial features a factor on the Elemental Power? </i>Sophie¡¯s soul thought, feeling jealous of Brendel for having such power.

    While it may be weird for him to be jealous of himself, there was a major drawback.

    He only had 100 EP at the stage of Elemental Awakening.

    Casting this spell once would consume half of his EP. He made thatst attack in a drunken state after leaving the World of Laws. Otherwise, he would have killed that Pdin on the spot.

    The next attack would definitely hit.

    With this attribute, even though he could attack at any location in space, though there was a condition before casting this spell. The Lines of Laws had to be stable.

    Brendel looked up. The golden lines which only he could see would definitely not stabilize at an indefinite distance. In fact, they became weaker after fifty meters away.

    At the same time, there were distortions when these golden lines were close to the Pdin, meaning the opponent¡¯s Law was causing interference.

    Brendel¡¯s opponent was also a Pdin, a powerhouse in the Elemental Realm who hadpletely activated his Elemental Powers. If it was not for the fact that his Space Elemental Power was stronger and his opponent was caught off guard, it would be difficult for him to evennd a single blow.

    Of course, mastering ¡°Guaranteed Hit¡± could help him take down his opponents easily. But in order to do any serious damage, Brendel had to consume all of his Elemental Power, and he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to do so.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I can only use Active Elemental Power right now, but if I could use Elemental Control too, I could definitely be his match.¡± Brendel said, ¡°But I have to wait until I fully activate my Elemental Power.¡±

    Brendel sheathed his sword and immediately helped Maynild to her feet beside him.

    The female knight snorted softly while frowning in pain. Blocking that Pdin¡¯s attack must have taken a toll on her.

    Maynild and he were neither friends nor blood rtives, but Brendel always treated Maynild as his senior. When he remembered how his opponent was cruel towards a woman, especially a defenseless one, Brendel could not help but re at the knight opposite him with anger.

    Without a doubt, if it was not for the fact that his opponent was too strong for him, Brendel would have unsheathed his sword and fought him on the spot.

    The Pdin apparently noticed Brendel was not an easy person to mess with too. He stepped back vigntly while covering his wound with one hand. <i>I¡®ve never heard of any freaks who reached the Elemental Barrier in the middle of a fight before, not even in the history of the Holy Cathedral!</i> he thought. Besides, he stepped back not because he was afraid, but because the hall had already fallen to the control of the Holy Cathedral.

    There was a big hole in Rokshbe Hall¡¯s crystal dome, like a soulless eye nkly gazing at the overcast sky. Rainwater flowed down along the dome, looking like a dirty waterfall when viewed from below.

    The water gushed to the ground, flooding the ce with muddy water and scattering the chairs all over the ce.

    On the other hand, the halls were already surrounded by the priests. Nichs, the Sword Grandmaster from House Seifer, and Garlock guarded the side doors. Behind the crowd, there was another Pdin guarding the main entrance.

    Including Archbishop Moros, there were already five powerhouses in the Elemental Realm in this hall alone, not to mention Nigel, a veteran from ck de Squad was here too. He can already be considered half an Elemental Awakener.

    Brendel held Maynild while the princess and Oberwei followed behind him. The Royal Faction, on the other hand, stood with Makarov, Fleetwood, and Buga guarding their side. <i>Too bad Freya is not qualified to enter the Holy Cathedral, or else she would be able to intimidate these people! </i>Brendel thought.

    Brendel looked around, recognizing some of the faces from the crowd. These people were famous and strong NPCs back in the game. Most of them were Gold rankers from the north, even the weakest among them were still Silver Rankers. Brendel always dealt with them in the past,pleting their tasks through their subordinates.

    After all, Gold rankers were mostly nobles with substantial titles. For example, the subordinates of Count Radner, except for Kodan, were high-ranking nobles. yers of The Amber Sword were all inferiorpared to these NPC in the early stages of the game and mainly relied on these NPC to obtain resources.

    What was not expected was the fact that in today¡¯s history of Ampere Seale, these people were mostly cannon fodder or passersby. Brendel could not help but feel a little emotional. Suddenly, the hall became quiet, leaving only the sound of rushing water,

    The nobles who had nothing to do with today, such as Duke Grinoires and Duke Viero¡¯s subordinates, were mostly scared at this moment. They probably expected a change in the situation but did not expect both sides to betray each other so quickly. At this moment, they were forced to stay at the side by the priests and could only silently watch what was happening.

    Only the Hignd Knights and Bunide were standing in the middle of the hall where no priests were visible around them, making Brendel sigh, <i>Awesome people will always stay awesome whenever they are. </i>

    As for Duke Arreck, he had silently left early on, unwilling to stay in the muddy water any longer. With the strength of the Hawk and the Silver Knight, no one outside the Holy Cathedral could actually stop them from escaping.

    Brendel saw how Dilferi Odinar, the Countess Yanbao, was not frightened under the protection of Andrea, not to mention that she had three Gold Ranked Knights around her. But even with Royal Faction, the Sword Guardian, and plenty of Gold rankers, their powers altogether were no match with the powerhouses from the Elemental Realm and Brendel was very well aware of it.

    Everyone present was also aware of the situation, including the newly appointed archbishop of Ande Cathedral, Archbishop Moros. Therefore, he stayed calm and unconcerned about it.

    He stood still in his original position with two high-ranked bishops beside him, then raised his head and looked at the Hignd Knights before directing his attention away. Apparently, the archbishop was also not nning to mess with them.

    In his opinion, Duke Karsuk was nothingpared to them. After all, they were backed by the ck Tower mages. Those people, who built the ten or so floating cities above Buga, were definitely not people to take lightly.

    Obviously, Duke Karsuk invited these Hignd Knights to join the meeting just to intimidate everyone else. The duke always had a neutral stance and did not even join the battle just now.

    Archbishop Moros nced at Duke Seifer at the side, an ufortable expression on his face. He then turned back, his eyes falling on Princess Gryphine.

    ¡°Everything is clear right now, Your Majesty. What else do you have to say ?¡± The archbishop slowly said.

    ¡°Where is Benninger ?¡± Princess Gryphine frowned. She silently counted the people in the hall, realizing that the person she hated most was not in the room.

    The half-elf girl looked cold, she did not hate him for lying to her, but rather for abducting her brother. Her hands unconsciously curled into fists at the thought.

    ¡°He¡¯s in a safe ce right now,¡± Moros replied indifferently. If he was an ordinary person, he would not mind giving him to the princess to force her submission.

    Unfortunately, this person was the youngest son of Duke Seifer and had an extremely high identity and status.

    Moros shook his head and replied, ¡°Your Majesty, I suggest not making any foolish moves.¡±

    ¡°Lord Archbishop, there is an issue here.¡± A sudden voice said, ¡°To be honest, what everyone wanted to discuss is tooplicated, and it¡¯s almost time for breakfast too. I feel like you should send us out for breakfast before continuing this meeting as her Majesty is still young and needs food for growth.¡±

    Everyone was stunned at first ¨C intruding in such a situation was already a substandard thing to do. <i>¡°Who the hell dares to be so rude and speak without noble etiquette!¡± </i>Everyone thought, but when this man finished speaking, they could not help but be shocked.

    Even Duke Grinoires and Duke Viero¡¯s subordinates could tell what the voice was trying to say, <i>Is he crazy? How can he provoke the Lord Archbishop! </i>

    The Hignd Knight Squad Leader could not help raising his eyebrows and looked over in surprise too.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on Countess Yanbao¡¯s subordinate, because it was Brendel who spoke to the archbishop in such manners.

    Moros¡¯s face was ice-cold, almost enough for cold droplets to slide down from his face. He looked nkly at Brendel, ¡°If you think it would be better to provoke me before dying, I actually do not mind for you to provoke me even more.¡±

    Moros shrugged scornfully, ¡°I¡¯ve seen many heretics before. Most of them were empty mouths like you too.¡±

    Brendel smiled slightly, ¡°You misunderstood my meaning, Lord Archbishop. The words I said just now were not directed at you, but what I am going to say next is. Care to listen? ¡±

    ¡°Of course not, ¡± Duke Seifer finally stepped in. He first looked at the Hignd Knights, then sarcastically said, ¡°Our Lord Archbishop here has no time for your gibberish!¡±

    Duke Seifer was just being sarcastic, but he did not expect Brendel to turn back and look at him with a cold smile. Suddenly, the duke felt the air around him was getting thinner, like a thousand sharp des pressing onto his body, gradually suffocating him. Duke Seifer suddenly shrieked, if Marquis Yoakam did not help to hold him, he would have fallen into the muddy water by now.

    Brendel¡¯s next words were dripping with venom, anger was seething from his eyes ¡°I will get revenge for what you clowns did!¡±

    Yoakam was startled too. Even though Brendel did not mention anything, he knew what the man implied.

    He felt perturbed and suddenly remembered what happened with Princess Magadal. <i>I¡¯d better confirm it with Archbishop Moros.</i>

    It was at this time the Lord Archbishop silently snorted, realizing that Brendel had Awakened his Elemental Power too. In fact, he must have used his power on Duke Seifer just now. For an ordinary person like Duke Seifer, a slight disturbance in the Lines of Law would have scared the ever-living shit out of him.

    But if he were facing an opponent like Duke Arreck, what Brendel did would not be as effective, Of course, if Brendel were to use his attribute ¡°Guaranteed Hit¡±, killing any Elemental Awakener within 50 meters would be easier than lifting a finger.

    ¡°Hmph, ¡± Moros snorted, ¡°Let¡¯s see what you can do to me! ¡±

    Brendel spread his arm, ¡°I am not the one who provoked you first, Lord Archbishop. What I am trying to say is that you should think of how to save your own skin before getting rid of us.¡±

    <i>My own skin?</i> Moros could not help butugh, he suspected Brendel was hiding his ability. Otherwise, he could not exin Brendel¡¯s drastic power change. <i>As an archbishop from the Elemental Realm who is protected by four powerhouses, what can this fool actually do? </i>Moros thought. <i>Even the strongest archbishop from the Holy Cathedral of Fire does not have the power to do so. </i>

    As Brendel finished speaking, a chill suddenly rose from behind. Moros had faced danger thousands of times before, but even the most dangerous situation did not stun him. But this time was different. Moros felt as if a beast had set its eyes on him, a feeling that he had not experienced in years.

    His face suddenly paled and he turned around subconsciously. In fact, someone already shouted before him, ¡°What is that!?¡±

    When Brendel stretched out his hand, and a piece of cloth suddenly appeared. To be precise, it was a cloak: ¡°The Giant¡¯s Cloak!¡±

    Moros was quite knowledgeable as well and was able to recognize the cloak immediately. Suddenly, the Lord Archbishop could not help but feel startled, and even the high-ranked bishops from Kirrlutz and Pdin started trembling in fear.

    ¡°This... This.... This is impossible!¡±

    ¡°Mephisto!¡±

    ¡°The Ash Sword Saint!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Moros. Once again, I am bringing a gift to Kirrlutz.¡± The person who walked out of the cloak spoke. In the next moment, he released a terrifying force which affected everyone in the ce.

    Everyone paled, they felt as if the world itself wanted to slowly crush them when...

 Chapter 532 - v3c309

    <h4>Raging Torrent(6)</h4>

    Back in the ck Forest, Mephisto¡¯s power was far from what it is today. He could barely hold his ground in front of Andersha back then.

    However, after his fight with Andersa, he had a deeper understanding of his Elemental Power: World of Ashes. He broke through the peak of Elemental Activation and entered the ultimate level.

    In the history known only to Brendel, the genius Sword Saint would not reach that level until about five yearster. <i>If he progresses at this pace, he should be able to reach the Sage Realm during the Glorious Era.</i>

    The Five Elemental Realms.

    Elemental Activation, Elemental Enlightenment, Peak of Laws, Ultimate Realm, Sage Realm.

    <i>After Awakening, the neswalkers who transcended the Five Elemental Realms, will be in the ¡®Final Realm¡¯ mentioned by Marsha.</i> Since the beginning, this code was listed down on the Laws of Worlds and Magics ¡®Tiamat¡¯.

    The first realm, Juvisto¡¯s Truth. It was only until one broke through this obstacle that they could enter the Elemental Activation phase.

    The second realm, Olivia¡¯s White Tower. It was said that the White Tower supported Vaunte¡¯s Laws. It was the beginning of all the Laws that ever existed and ended. The center where all the Laws revolve around. It recorded all the Laws Marsha wrote on it and was the ce neswalkers climb in their search for the truth.

    Like a guide leading a child, it was known as the realm of Elemental Enlightenment.

    The third realm, Yuktra¡¯s Mountain, also known as the Spiral Peak. Legend has it that all the Laws that ever existed came from here. It was ced exactly on top of the White Tower, coexisting with the White Tower. Known to be a murky ce, it was Marsha¡¯s hometown. It was here that Chaos merged with Order, where the dark coexisted with the light. Littered around the ce were the fragments of worlds that ever was, and nted in the soil was Vaunte, as well as its past, present, and future.

    Grasping the Laws, one would enter the Ultimate Realm.

    The fourth realm, the final world, the Residence of the Gods.

    It was the beginning where Marsha created the world. But all that remained was a bleak white in full of the Primordial Energies and Elements. Up in the skies were a sea of Mana so wide, so deep and flows in one direction, along with all of time and space and energy.

    The lowest level fo Vaunte¡¯s world, also known as Vaunte¡¯s Shadow.

    Finally, the fifth realm, theke of beginning. The birthce of everything. Legends had it that this ce had close ties with Goddess ine of Abyss Lake. A ce that held the answers to all the questions, even if it was about the future. Only by arriving here that mortals relieve their mortal selves and be immortals, entering the true Sage Realm.

    Of course, there was no need to enter these realms. As one¡¯s power grew, they could envision such a ce, just like how Brendel touching the invisible Elemental Barrier. It may be unseen to others, but in his mind, that wall did exist.

    Back when he fought with Andersha, he began to understand the meaning behind the third realm, the Spiral Peak and was about to break through to the Ultimate Realm.

    The ultimate meaning behind his Elemental Power, Ash.

    And now he was standing there, the huge sword strapped to his back yet to be unsheathed. Before he were two high ranked Bishops, two Pdins and Archbishop Moros who was smiling silently, trapped in his Elemental Power, World of Ashes. Here, there was no distinction, no opposites. No dark and light, no such thing as existence nor extinction. Everything was traversing between two pr opposites.

    And there was no such thing as offense or defense here.

    In his boundary, the dead and the living were meaningless and meaningful at the same time. Moros felt fear. Standing before Mephisto, he could imagine the Grey Sword Saint turning him to ash with just a look.

    Moros¡¯s face twisted, ¡°The Ultimate Realm?¡±

    ¡°Moros, I believe you know why I am here,¡± Mephisto asked.

    ¡°I know where you were when my country was being destroyed.¡±

    It was that sentence. The sentence that made Moros want to kill that man.

    ¡°Mephisto, you still have a chance to change your mind,¡± he ordered while gesturing to his subordinate.

    The Pdin received the order and struck Mephisto. The Grey Sword Saint did not defend, but allowed the de to cut into him.

    ¡°Your wits are not going to save you from your doom today!¡± said Moros.

    But all of a sudden, Rokshbe hall that was still in front of them suddenly disappeared. In fact, the whole world nked out before them. Mephisto stood in the center of that circle, and the Pdin¡¯s de seemed to cut at nothing. In fact, it felt like cutting through paper or a phantom.

    Oddly enough, the ¡®phantom¡¯ spoke, ¡°Aidenrant, the Wind Pdin. Your reputation transcends you.¡± And he drew an arc with his sword. It looked so surreal, but the sound of a de cutting rang, and an arm flew across the air.

    Blood spurted and the Pdin screamed awfully, while using his other arm to shield himself. Azure colored lines drew around his body, weaving arge shield protecting himself.

    The wind shield was soft but hard like steel. Yet, it was not enough to save his life. With another slice, his shield crumbled like sand.

    ¡°If time did not flow, nor will the wind move.¡±

    He then stabbed the Pdin. Before two thirds of the sword embedded itself in his body, the tip had already appeared from the back of his body. Aidenrant was like a struggling lobster. He began to froth and then his body went limp. He was dead.

    A Pdin in the Elemental Realm was killed with one hit. Everyone, besides Brendel, gasped.

    ¡°Now¡¯s the time!!¡± Moros shouted suddenly. ¡°I bear the Holy Commandment with me! In the name of Diphis, the King of ze, I shall use this power to cleanse all sins!¡± said Moros.

    He pointed forward and the temperature in the hall began to rise. The floorboards began to crack open, puddles of water turned to steam. The ground shook, and golden light seeped out of the crevices on the ground. The pirs crumbled into the abyss and golden magma began to leak out.

    In an instant, the hall turned into a scene out of hell.

    ¡°The Commandment me!¡±

    Brendel and the Grey Sword Saint cursed silently at the same time. One of them had experienced two lives while the other had been fighting against the Kirrlutz people and the Holy Cathedral of Fire for years. It was natural for them to understand the Divine Art Moros just cast was a tier ten spell, the Commandment me.

    Ande Cathedral was destroyed after the spell was cast. <i>Shit!</i>

    <i>But it was not the time to do so,</i> he thought as he dragged Gryphine and Maynild away. Seeing as the cracks spread across the tiles, engulfing everything into the magma underneath and turning them to dust.

    Brendel was lucky to have responded quickly, but the nobles on the other side were not that fortunate. Most of them fell into the fiery magma, screaming awfully as they melted away.

    The Hignd Wizard, Ciel, immediately put up a defense spell to protect the people around him. However, it did not stop it from inching closer. Sooner orter, they were gonna be fried like the others-

    ¡°Ciel!¡± Brendel shouted, ¡°Destroy the Ande Cathedral!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Ciel stunned and said, ¡°My lord, are you sure? The Ande Cathedral is a priceless treasure. It had been built by masters for a few centuries, it¡¯s invaluable to Aouine!¡±

    ¡°Mr Brendel, you can¡¯t do that!¡± Princess Gryphine rebuked angrily.

    ¡°Shut up! Just do it!¡± said Brendel. <i>At this point of time, even if we don¡¯t destroy, Moros will. We will be killed by him if we don¡¯t do that.</i> Brendel thought.

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Ciel replied.

    Ciel turned serious. Looking at the dome of the Holy Cathedral, Ciel raised his hand and said, ¡°Law of Destruction, War Dragon Tiama¡¯s Special Authority, Dragon Strike!¡±

    A ball of light appeared in his palms and it extended up to the Rokhshe Hall¡¯s dome, connecting from Ciel¡¯s palm to the dark clouds above.

    The next moment.

    The flow of time slowed down. Space shrank by a ridiculous degree in his palms, coagting to a tiny particle before it expanding instantaneously as a ball of white light-

    Then came a powerful shockwave.

    Those who were not affected by the fiery magma raised their head subconsciously. The dome of the cathedral was gone. Every bit of stone, wood, tile, ss, and crystal blew apart and the entire structure copsed.

    ¡°Boom!¡±

    People from miles apart witnessed the explosion and were stunned.

    The Cathedral had turned into a roofless mess. Everyone looked at Brendel, shocked at the oue of his decisions.

    ¡°Brendel, you ...¡± Princess Gryphine nipped her lip and was about to faint.

    Brendel held his forehead and said, ¡°Ciel, I was asking you to destroy Rokshbe Hall, not the whole building of Ande Cathedral...¡±

    ¡°But you said to destroy it just now, my lord,¡± said an innocent Ciel.

    ¡°It¡¯s all a misunderstanding,¡± said Brendel and looked at Princess Gryphine.

    But she just stayed silent in rage.

    Ande Cathedral was built over the King Erik¡¯s pce in the past and was an important cultural heritage to all of Aouine.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, the other half is still there,¡± said Ciel optimistically. But then a thunderous boom rang out, and melted pir gushed out, as well as magma from the spell. In just a blink of an eye, Ande Cathedral turned into a sea of mes.

    The ground shook. <i>It seems like the tier ten spell is still active and is ready to engulf the area around the cathedral</i> Brendel thought as he yelled, ¡°Quick! Leave this ce!¡±

    But there was no need to order them. Everyone scattered away in a hurry.

    ¡°Wait, how about that man?¡± Dilferi asked.

    Brendel looked at the mes. The mes had already engulfed Moros and the Grey Sword Saint¡¯s silhouette. But he shook his head, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Moros will not be his opponent. We should be the ones worrying...¡±

    ¡°We?¡±

    Brendel nodded his head seriously.

 Chapter 533 - /v3c310

    <h4>Raging Torrent(7)</h4>

    ¡°Moros, you¡¯re crazy.¡±

    ¡°You know nothing. Do you think you can stop everything?¡±

    Moros¡¯ robe was fluttering in the hot air. He put on a nasty grin on his face, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t everpare me with those cowards and their worthless ambitions. Haha...my goal is supreme.¡±

    ¡°Moros,¡± said Mephisto with his sword lying on his shoulder.

    He stared fiercely at Moros and red like a beast eyeing prey, ignoring the golden magma that was leaking out from the ground.

    ¡°You got it wrong,¡± he said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your goals at all. I¡¯m only here to kill you. Murderers will not escape punishment. Not you, and not even Kirrlutz¡¯s Emperor¡±

    ¡°So,¡± he raised his sword and pointed at Moros, ¡°Please, go to hell,¡± said Mephisto.

    Grey ripples shot out from the de. In just a blink of an eye, Rokshbe Hall and Ande Cathedral disappeared, and the two were left in a bleak, white in. The magma seemed to have freed itself from its constraints and began to rise quickly up their feet.

    The tier ten spell was finally ready to release its greatest power. The magma gushed out from the ground and exploded miles into the sky, like a de reaching for the heavens.

    A golden red cross was shining in the sky.

    Mephisto¡¯s robe was burned up by the spell, revealing the armor he was wearing inside. Even that was gradually starting to glow, the lines of Law¡¯s carved onto it began to light up, and he seemed like the embodiment of mes.

    But he did not feel the heat and just walked towards Moros like a beast thating out from a fiery pool.

    Then, he raised his ming sword.

    ¡°The mes can¡¯t hurt you ...No, you¡¯re being protected by the boundary...What is this ce!?¡± Moros yelled.

    ¡°Moros, you should have used your strongest single-target spell. If you had done that, with your Elemental Power, you could have stood a chance. But you purposely chose a spell with such arge area of effect. You¡¯re too greedy,¡± Mephisto shook his head and said while walking towards Moros.

    ¡°The final ne, The Grey Wilderness...I see...¡± Moros was enlightened, ¡°So this is the fourth realm!¡±

    In the next moment, Moros let out a terrible scream as the fire sword stabbed into his heart. He could not have dodged it as he was still casting a spell.

    And in an instant, the mes on the de started burning him up.

    Morosughed suddenly, ¡°Haha! I was too greedy? You¡¯re wrong. Oh...Mephisto, why didn¡¯t you go and save them...they¡¯re dead now...¡±

    Mephisto looked at him in pity.

    ¡°What is it with that look?¡± Moros stunned and said.

    ¡°Moros,¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve underestimated him.¡±

    ¡°Him?¡±

    Mephisto nodded his head.

    Moros coughed severely. The color from his eyes seemed to be fading away. But at thest moment, he realized something. <i>It was all a cycle. Everything will be destroyed eventually. Everything will return as one eventually...</i>

    And then he widened his eyes and groaned, ¡°It¡¯s useless... All your efforts are... You¡¯ll never understand.... The essence of the world...¡±

    <strong>Brendel¡¯s POV</strong>

    ¡°Brendel!¡±

    Right after they ran away from Ande Cathedral, a familiar voice called out to him. He turned his head back and saw a knight standing in front of the mes looking at him.

    Brendel smiled and said, ¡°Bet, we meet again.¡±

    A smile was put on that cool face, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a while. ¡°Never did I expect us to meet on the battlefield again.¡±

    ¡°Aouine¡¯s people should be fighting on the same field anyway,¡± said Brendel.

    Bet was a little startled and nodded his head.

    Then, he dismounted from his horse and saluted to Maynild and Princess Gryphine.

    ¡°Greetings to Your Royal Highness and the Knight Captain Maynild.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s the situation?¡± Maynild asked weakly. If it was not Brendel holding her up at the moment, she would probably have fallen down.

    ¡°The Garrison was the first to show up. But they were repelled by Freya and the others and are now hiding in Juggler Street and Four-Seven Street. They must be waiting for reinforcements,¡± Bet answered proudly.

    The sergeants of the Royal Cavalry Academy were chosen among the best youths amongst the nobles and the Youth Police. Added to their rigorous training, they were the best troops that Aouine could mobilize right now.

    And Bet had every right to be proud. In the history known only to Brendel, these sergeants would be Princess Gryphine¡¯s main force in the future.

    ¡°How about the patrol knights and the ck de Squad?¡± Maynild asked with a scowl on her face.

    ¡°They won¡¯t being,¡± Brendel interrupted.

    <i>The port is in mes now. Sani and the others must have made their move,</i> he thought. Their sole purpose was to distract the attention of the force attacking Ampere Seale right now, but never did he expect them to overpower their enemies and counterattack into the city as well.

    Above Ampere Seale, Dragon Knights from both sides began tearing each other apart. At times, bodies of the Dragon Knights fell to the ground, smashed into bits.

    It was easy for Brendel to convince the Southern Legion. After all, he just had to use the fact that they would have been easily abandoned by the Royal Faction with their terrible location and they would have submitted to him. In fact, back in the game, it was due to the Royal Faction turning a blind eye on Count Radner¡¯s allying with the Madara forces that they had led a harsh life.

    And when theirmander died two yearster, the Southern Legion was wiped off from history. During the second invasion from Madara, the south was so weak that they were quickly conquered in one night, and that eventually led to Freya¡¯s death.

    Although it was Count Radner pulling the strings, the people of the south were hurt, thinking that it was the Royal Faction who had condemned them.

    Brendel had always wished to stop this from recurring, but hecked the opportunities to do so.

    However, that changed when Noseda appeared.

    The two of them were meant for one another. The Southern Legion needed an ally, especially one like Brendel who was affiliated to Princess Gryphine. Plus, he liked the fact that Brendel hated Count Radner too, and quickly sided with him.

    And thus, the Southern Legion, known to have the most powerful Dragon Knights in Aouine, came under Princess Gryphine¡¯s banner.

    <i>Soon, Count Radner¡¯s lucky days wille to the end,</i> Brendel thought. But that thoughtsted only for a moment.

    Everyone was looking at him for an answer.

    ¡°My allies are restraining them,¡± answered Brendel.

    ¡°Bet, are there any Garrison troops at the King¡¯s Trail or Forest Avenue?¡± Brendel asked.

    Bet looked at Maynild, who turned over to look at Princess Gryphine.

    With a pale face, Princess Gryphine nodded her head and said, ¡°Just follow Mr Brendel¡¯s order.¡±

    ¡°But hold on,¡± she looked at Brendel and said, ¡°Mr Brendel, Ampere Seale is a city renowned for its history. It is a treasure to Aouine...so if it is possible, I hope you...¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Brendel nodded his head. It seemed like his decision to destroy Ande Cathedral had offended Princess Gryphine. In fact, he was upset about the loss too. Things like that were important to Aouine¡¯s people who were very spiritual. <i>It would probably be bad if all of them were ruined during the war.</i>

    But there are no guarantees in wars. Brendel could only try, ¡°Your Royal Highness, we¡¯d put our best efforts to reduce coteral losses.¡±

    Princess Gryphine nodded her head calmly, agreeing.

    Brendel looked back at Bet.

    Bet nodded his head too. The symbolic bell tower of Braggs had apanied him since he was born. If the bell tower was destroyed during war, all the people of Braggs would be upset too.

    <i>These symbols represent hope to the people of Aouine. As long as they remain, Aouine will never truly fall. This is the power of culture,</i> Bet thought.

    ¡°Brendel, we didn¡¯t discover anyone from the Garrisons at the King¡¯s Trail or Forest Avenue yet. But heading up north, there is a defensive brigade stationed near the North Gate,¡± said Bet.

    Ande Cathedral was actually located eastward, in the center of the old port city.

    There were five streets that reached the holy cathedral: King¡¯s Trail and Forest Avenue at the north; Juggler Street and Four Seven Street at the south and Haiyan Avenue at the east.

    Brendel¡¯s n was for the Nagas to upy the port while he lead the princess away through the north side to the Silver Lighthouse. Then they would ride a boat away from the scene and regroup with the Nagaster to head towards Duke Seifer¡¯s territory.

    The n was risky but not impossible.

    But no one would have expected them to leave through the north side with such a terrible storm guing the seas there. Such a thing was only possible due to the help of the Demon Whale

    After listening to Bet¡¯s exnation, Brendel said, ¡°Ampere Seale has 30000 Coast Guards, so we should expect arge number of them obstructing our way.¡±

    He asked, ¡°How many people do we have?¡±

    ¡°Two hundred sergeants, all were under themandments of Freya and Mok.¡±

    ¡°Two hundred versus one thousand,¡± Brendel looked towards the north.

    <i>These two hundred sergeants of the Royal Cavalry Academy are the backbone of Aouine. They would bleed to theirst drop of blood and perish alongside the War Goddess in the future.</i>

    <i>In Aouine, they are unmatched.</i>

    He lifted his head up, the raindrops pouring on his body.

    ¡°Your Royal Highness, please orders us to break through the north so that we can regroup with my allies.¡±

    <strong>Marquis Yurian¡¯s POV</strong>

    In Haiyan Fort, despite the braziers burning to keep everyone warm, everyone¡¯s expression was grim.

    Marquis Yurian sat beside a long table with a scowl on his face.

    A map of Ampere Seale and its surrounding areas was on the table. The pins on it that symbolized enemies kept increasing. ording to thetest news, the Nagas had conquered themercial street along Haiyan Avenue.

    <i>If Haiyan Fort cannot stop them...</i>

    <i>Then they will easily get into Ampere Seale.</i>

    Marquis Yurian rubbed his temples and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and have a look outside.¡±

    He stood up, his armor nking as he walked. Before his subordinates could stop him, he had opened the doors wide open.

    Storms, lightning, and thunder were raging violently.

    ¡°My lord.¡±

    Marquis Yurian was silent as he looked at the rain. gs indicating the Coast Guards were still waving in the streets. But they had lost many outposts to the Nagas. They were unexpectedly outmatched this time.

    <i>Rather than calling it plunder, why not call it an invasion,</i> he thought.

    Obviously, their enemy was the Grey Fins Nagas¡¯ Secret Army.

    In the game, the Grey Fins Nagas¡¯ Secret Army was a second-tier army. Not to mention the Coast Guards, not even the Aouine Military could defeat them!

    No one in the room was in the mood to speak.

    The port has be a killing machine that culled the lives of everyone on it.

    ¡°Zinopa Li and his patrol knights are barely holding on, but it seems like they won¡¯tst any longer¡± Marquis Yurian turned his head back and said. ¡°Let Eben and Inest bring their troops to support us.¡±

    ¡°My Lord, but Archbishop Moros had ordered us not to adjust the defense at the South Gate.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the one in charge here,¡± Marquis Yurian interrupted him.

    He turned his head back and said, ¡°This is Ampere Seale. The Frada Forest and Arreck Mountain Ranges are in the south. So why are we putting so much effort to defend the South Gate? Don¡¯t tell me the Royal Faction has managed to reach that ce!¡±

    ¡°But Princess Gryphine...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s none of our business,¡± Marquis Yurian replied coldly, ¡°Remember, we are soldiers of Ampere Seale. We have the responsibility to protect it. If the Archbishop has any questions, he cane to me.¡±

    The knights looked at each other and saluted Marquis Yurian, who had been protecting Ampere Seale for ten years.

    After they left, Marquis Yurian heaved a sigh.

    He put his hand on the icy battlements. <i>Just what¡¯s going on with this Kingdom? It¡¯s looking like this port right now, stormy and dark...</i>

    <strong>Carglise¡¯s POV</strong>

    A bright glow rose from the sea.

    Carglise turned and looked as it rose. Behind him, the White Lion Battalion numbered in the hundreds, but they had the might of tens of thousands. People who saw them would not believe that they came from Trentheim. After all, until half a year ago, they were still a bunch of countryside ruffians.

    There was a ball of me burning in his heart.

    He had made the most important decision in his entire life. Although it might have been the wrong decision, he did not regret it.

    ¡°Miss Amandina.¡±

    ¡°I saw it too,¡± Amandina, who was standing in the rain turned her head back, and said, ¡°Time¡¯s up, you should go. Please escort our Lord back safely.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Carglise, remember, it is neither the Royal Faction nor Princess Gryphine that can save Aouine, but our Lord,¡± said Miss Amandina.

    Carglise startled a little and said, ¡°Miss Amandina, do you think it was unwise for our Lord to take such a risk?¡±

    ¡°It sure is unwise,¡± Miss Amandina heaved a sigh.

    ¡°But it¡¯s also because of that that we put our faith in him. Although he may be clumsy, some people were meant to guide others to the light ¨C at least that was what my father said,¡± she continued.

    ¡°And we¡¯ll follow his guidance.¡±

    ¡°I just hope to see a miracle.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s precisely it.¡±

    Carglise was silent and nodded his head seriously. Looking at Amandina walking back to her house, he felt a surge of adrenaline.

    He looked back. Countless eyes fell on him, their hearts pumping as well. They hade here from the Loop of Trade Winds, they had seen miracles happen with their own eyes. It was like a brilliant light was before them, showing them the way out of the darkness and giving them an experience they could not forget.

    And the person that gave them all that, is currently in the city-

    Under the dark raging storm.

    Carglise raised his sword.

    Amandina looked at the White Lion Battalion onest time. Watching their armors disappear into the rain, she thought, <i>Brendel will surely lead these bunch of enthusiasts into a glorious era.</i>

    What will the future be like? Will it bloom like a flower in the river of time?

    Amandina opened the door and saw Romaine on her knees. She was worried that Romaine would treat Princess Magadal as a ything, but she was relieved to see her acting calmly.

    ¡°Romaine?¡±

    ¡°Amandina,¡± Romaine answered seriously.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Amandina was a little startled. She had never seen this side of Romaine.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Amandina,¡± Romaine nodded her head and said, ¡°I am going to meet Brendel.¡±

    ¡°What? Wait, you can¡¯t...¡± Amandina was shocked.

    <i>After the White Lion Battalion set off, all the nonbatants would dock the ship out to the

    </i>

    <i> sea to regroup with Brendel. And I definitely can¡¯t put Romaine in danger during this time.</i>

    But before she finished her words, she found herself unable to move.

    ¡°Romaine, you brat!¡±

    ¡°Listen to me, Amandina,¡± Romaine stared at her and said, ¡°Brendel is in danger. This is a trap, and only I can help him.¡±

    Amandina was shocked. Romaine had never looked like this before.

    ¡°So I am going to leave now, Amandina.¡±

    ¡°Please look after Princess Magadal.¡±

    ¡°This was a task handed to me from Brendel and now I hand it to you.¡±

    Romaine walked out of the room right after she finished her words.

    Amandina could only hear Romaine saying, ¡°Sister, let¡¯s go...Hurry up, Princess Magadal told me that we don¡¯t have much time left...¡±

    And she was so shocked that her face was drained of all color. [T/L: I¡¯ll be honest with you and say that I had goosebumps writing thest two lines at midnight. If you don¡¯t see anymore uploads, you know what did it. >_<]

 Chapter 534 - v3c311

    <h4>Raging Torrent(8)</h4>

    Hundreds of knights stood silently under the torrential downpour. The rain stirring a thinyer of mist that enshrouded their once jet-ck shields. One by one, their metal spears were ced forwards, forming a man-made steel fortress.

    Sir Malocher, captain of the Seventh Swordsman Brigade of Ampere Seale¡¯s coast guards, was to this moment still not relieved; he tried his utter best to not think of all the pale faces under those steel helmets along with their incredibly crooked formation. No matter what happened, they had to be readily armed within the expected time frame.

    He then turned back, bowing down to the young man behind him, ¡°General, it¡¯s done.¡±

    Owen had been staring at the harbor¡¯s gloomy sky. The ck de Squad and the Holy Cathedral¡¯s air force were at a disadvantage. Their opponents were too strong. The southern army always had the strongest Dragon Cavalry in Aouine. But it was also because of that power that they got abandoned by the Kingdom.

    At the skies right now, there were two armies from the same Kingdom battling one another. <i>Will such a thing happen again in the future?</i> It would¡¯ve been better to face other opponents, like the Kirrlutz, or the Madara. <i>Those battles would be more glorifying, wouldn¡¯t they?</i>

    He looked back. <i>Did we just spend 30 minutes to form the defense line?</i> Owen could not help shaking his head.<i> such a line of defense would be useless in front of the White Lion Legion, like a thin sheet of paper, easily blown by the wind.</i>

    But this is, after all, the wealthiest part of the Kingdom, where the soldiers were free from fighting the Kirrlutz, and didn¡¯t have to join the deadly battle with the Madara. They wouldn¡¯t even to fight any barbarians or bandits. <i>They should be able to manage themselves.</i> Owen thought.

    Owen was perfectly aware that this was the Kingdom¡¯s second rated army and he nodded expressionlessly, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Sir Malocher secretly wiped his sweat, relieved that he passed Owen¡¯s test.

    He was a little unsatisfied. <i>The Royal Faction was not foolish, why would they send themselves into the enemy¡¯s den in the North? Especially when their opponents were the White Lion Legion¡¯s officers? </i>It wasmon knowledge that all of the White Lion Legion¡¯s officers are bigshots in the Kingdom. If they were not geniuses, they would be the descendants of one. Definitely not people he would want to mess with.

    Owen noticed his disapproving look, and it only annoyed him. <i>Such narrow-minded people,</i> he thought as he looked towards the other end of the rain, at the final hope of the Royal Faction: the Royal Cavalry Academy graduates. <i>I wonder what sort of army they are?</i>

    <i>I do hope they won¡¯t let the people down,</i> Owen thought to himself.

    <strong>Maynild¡¯s POV</strong>

    Under the rain, Ampere Seale was still gloomy, with dawn just another moment away.

    ¡°Dulock, Melcon, and all the other fourth grade¡¯s knightse forward!¡± The young knights immediately raised their ck gs to the sky. Like a totem standing under the wind and rain.

    The young men from the Royal Academy were quickly divided, disying their training through their uniform movement. Under the rain, the only sounds that could be heard were footsteps and the asional scratch of a scabbard .

    Across the rain on the other side, a knight reported back, ¡°General, there are unidentified enemies straight ahead.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re blocking our way!¡±

    Another knight pointed out, ¡°They¡¯reing from all three directions!¡±

    ¡°Continue to scout, explore on both sides!¡± Maynild ordered coldly, pulling the reins on her horse to a halt.

    Brendel stoped as well, looking forward. Droplets slipped down from his pale forehead like beads on a statue. He raised his hand and said, ¡°The army ising in from Lion¡¯s Street, from the Hawksfin Inn to the Silversmith Bridge. Two teams of over 500 men are in front, and they have no backup. It seems like they¡¯re are not experienced in war.¡±

    Just as his voice faded, someone yelled, ¡°Spotted the ck Spider emblem! It¡¯s the northern bastards! The northern noble¡¯s private armies!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Rodu¡¯s private army. These clowns sure are asking for death!¡± standing behind Maynild, Oberwei couldn¡¯t help but snort.

    Suddenly, all eyes were on Brendel.

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Maynild looked back, wet hairs sticking on her forehead, her posture straight like a sword. Her eyes were cold and full of doubt, but it was all to cover up her trembling from the pain.

    Brendel did not answer her and just stood motionlessly.

    Suddenly, there was a sluggish sound and thousands of azure spiders appeared. They moved past Brendel and the others, their movements silenced by the sounds of hooves trotting.

    ¡°Wind Spirit Spiders! And so many of them!!¡± Amongst them, many are knowledgeable nobles freaked out when they saw the monsters.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Mok, one of the three knights turned back and scolded the crowd. Mok was a young man with short gray hair, and short eyebrows that resembled two caterpirs crawling on his face that looked hrious whenever he frowned.

    Both Freya and Bet couldn¡¯t hold back a smile. The girl in green just stared at Brendel in awe. And behind her, the Knight of the Lake was also staring at Brendel.

    There was a hint of surprise in Maynild¡¯s eyes and she asked, ¡°Are you using them to scout the enemy?¡±

    ¡°I can only give them simplemands to check out the position of our enemies. But...¡± Brendel looked into the rain and shook his head dismissively, ¡°I¡¯m too familiar with their tricks.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they can¡¯tpare to the Madara people.¡±

    Brendel closed his eyes, and he saw Ironhorse cier before his eyes. A huge army of Undead rushed at him, and behind him was an abyss of mes...

    <i>There was no retreat route...</i>

    ¡°Well, what will you do if you are themander?¡± Oberwei he pulled out his sword and asked Brendel like everything was under control.

    Although Princess Gryphine put Brendel in charge here, the power tomand the Royal Cavalry Academy¡¯s knights was still in his hands. He looked at Brendel with such a stern gaze anyone could perceive the power flowing within him.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to get tangled up with these people,¡± Brendel opened his eyes, ¡°There¡¯s plenty of people surrounding us. We have to do something to let them give up.¡±

    <i>Kill the chicken to scare the monkey,</i> Oberwei smiled, ¡°It seems like you have confidence in these young people.¡± [T/L: It¡¯s a Chinese proverb to indicate dealing with something as an example to intimidate others.]

    Brendel looked back at the hundreds of young faces behind him. Their uniforms were drenched in rainwater, their foreheads wet, but their eyes still glistened.

    ¡°I have confidence in people with strong beliefs¡± Brendel replied.

    Of course, he did not really mean it. If it was not proven in history that they won, he would have never dared to say it. But he knew that he had to convince Oberwei. He was the princess¡¯s teacher, and also the pir of the kingdom at the moment.

    Oberwei looked at him with admiration and turned back to nce at the young people behind him. He had handpicked most of these people, such as Freya, Berrett, and some of the families most loyal to the Royal Family.

    Although some of them were the descendants of the small noble families, they were often the best and had the most devout, like Mok.

    <i>These young men were the kingdom¡¯sst hope.</i>

    ¡°First batch students from the Royal Cavalry Academy! Listen to mymand!¡± Oberwei suddenly shouted, his voice traveled with the wind and spread far.

    Brendel smiled.

    ¡°From now on, you will assist Sir Brendel with the siege until Her Majesty sessfully escapes,¡± Oberwei coldly stated, ¡°Understood ?¡±

    Everyone set their eyes on Brendel. In their hearts, Princess Gryphine was the one they admired the most, followed by Maynild, the second inmand. No one dared to object her decision anyways.

    After that, it was Mok and Bet, as well as Freya. After she obtained the Lionheart Sword, her fame and abilities soared, so many still regarded her as the deputy.

    As for Brendel...

    They never knew such a person existed until yesterday. They might have followed Makarov or Oberwei or any other bigshot in the Royal Faction, but not Brendel. He was barely past twenty years old, and looked like a spoiled brat. Just what qualifications did he have tomand them?

    <i>Maybe if I disyed my abilities... Forget it, my strength has nothing to do with mymanding skills.</i>

    Proud and inexperienced as they were, theyplied and waited for hismands.

    Freya suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach; Berrett barely nced at Brendel, while Mok was just staring at him coldly as most other people.

    Brendel swung his horse forward and turned back stating, ¡°The obstacles blocking Her Majesty in front are merely chickens. Your mission right now is to teach them an unforgettable lesson¡±

    ¡°But we don¡¯t have much time, so you have to end your ss quickly!

    <i>End the ss quick?</i>

    Everyone was stunned at first, andter burst into an uproar. The knights from the Royal Cavalry Academy froze for a while before they understood what Brendel meant. <i>This brat wanted to school them! How arrogant! Before he mentions just how he would do it, does he have an army that¡¯s capable of doing that beforehand?</i> they thought.

    Brendel sessfully piqued the knight¡¯s curiosity, they all looked at Brendel with amusement, as if they couldn¡¯t imagine how a narrow-minded knight like him could teach their enemies a lesson.

    But Brendel never talked rubbish.

    He turned back, unsheathing his sword and shouted, ¡°Whoever wants to lead beside me, step forward !¡±

    <i>Silence...</i>

    Freya was the first to step forward. She gripped her sword so tightly her knuckles were turning white. In that instant, she imagined herself back in Fortress Riedon, in a simr situation, fighting alongside the same person. <i>Only he can create such a miracle.</i>

    Two people.

    Bet hesitated before stepping forward, ¡°Brendel, what the hell are you doing!¡± he whispered.

    Brendel took a nce at him without answering.

    Suddenly, the sound of a horse¡¯s neigh arrived from the skies, and white particles coagted together to form a bright light. Inside the light, Medissa could be seen walking alongside her steed towards Brendel.

    Scarlet also came forward. She was holding a halberd, and though it was not the Elemental Power infused weapon she used thest time, her aura was still intimidating. Princess Gryphine and Oberwei just stared at each other in awe.

    Ciel smiled. He patted his horse¡¯s saddle lightly and the war house understood what he meant, slowly moving to Brendel¡¯s side.

    After that, Morpheus and Andrea followed suit. Andrea looking different than usual. Donning a long war cloak, she wasn¡¯t with her normal dual des, but instead was wielding a spear.

    The two stood side by side.

    Soon the Mercenaries of Lopez appeared, and the crowd burst into an uproar. Their reputation did not exist only in Brendel¡¯s memories, but across the cities as well. With their special looking equipment, they caught everyone¡¯s attention in an instant.

    ¡°This is impossible!¡±

    ¡°He summoned the Mercenaries of Lopez!¡±

    ¡°These mercenaries would never leave the Farnezain. Just how did he call them here?¡±

    One Elemental Awakener, five Gold Rankers and multiple Silver Rankers. Although their numbers did not exceed thirty, everyone took a deep breath when all these people gathered by Brendel¡¯s side.

    This was already an army.

    Even the princess was shocked.

    ¡°Although I heard about it before, never did I expect his subordinates to be that powerful,¡± the princess sighed in a low voice.

    ¡°Surprisingly though, he¡¯s on your side,¡± Oberwei answered.

    ¡°It should be his ¡®knight¡¯s dignity¡¯,¡± the princess sighed. ¡°But do I and the House Covardo deserve this?¡±

    Oberwei didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°It¡¯s a Silver Elf!¡±

    People were shocked. Medissa¡¯s grey eyes, snow-white skin, and most importantly her striking armor resembled the ones the Silver Elves used to wear in the legends.

    ¡°The Silver Elves are back?¡±

    ¡°Am I blind?¡± everyone was stunned.

    After the prophecy was announced, the Silver Elves promised to never appear until the day the four Holy Cathedrals fulfill their sacred pact with the Gods once more. On that day, they shall only appear to fight alongside the ck Dwarfs.

    Although the Holy War was imminent, the time in which the four Holy Cathedrals fulfilled the pact still seemed far away.

    Only Oberwei could tell Medissa¡¯s difference, ¡°She¡¯s an Elite Elf.¡±

    The princess simply nodded.

    Brendel¡¯s men gathered beside him.

    No one dared tough anymore. <i>Brendel¡¯s strength was enough for him to take on the Dukes... </i>was what everyone thought at that moment.

    He raised Hairan Gaia, and the de trembled slightly as it cut the rain.

    ¡°Listen carefully,¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone to be left behind,¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid you will have to go to heaven...¡±

    As Brendel lowered his sword, the sound of horses galloping deafened the air.

 Chapter 535 - v3c312

    <h4>v3c312</h4>

    <h4>The Oath and the Sword(1)</h4>

    <b>Rodu¡¯s POV</b>

    Even the smallest droplet could create ripples across an entire pond.

    The same was true onnd.

    Rodu was overseeing his knights as they worked. Although they were an unorganized mess, he was still impressed that they had managed to build the defensive line quicker than anticipated.

    <i>I guess veterans are different from those rookies.</i> Rodu thought, disregarding the fact that these knights only had experience in fighting harmless farmers and rebels.

    Under the torrential downpour, the knights cruelly chased the farmers out from their homes, shattering their windows one by one. They were searching every nook and cranny to find valuable ¡®trophies¡¯.

    That day, the horrible cries of women and children tore across the sky.

    Rodu stood aside, nonchntly observing his knights¡¯ inhumane actions. <i>Acting like a beast is essential for a knight to win a war.</i> Rodu thought. <I>How are you a knight if you don¡¯t win?</i>

    Rodu watched, satisfied at how his knights treated the farmers with fists. Not only did he not stop them, but he even felt proud of them. <i>They dare to disobey us? They¡¯ll submit in the face of punishment.</i>

    ¡°The princess is such a kid, blindly trusting the people around her.¡± A knight beside Rodu eximed, ¡°The Royal Faction must have ill intentions too, giving her two hundred inexperienced knights. She¡¯s bound to fall this time.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, we will show the princess what war really is,¡± the knights roared inughter, guffawing raucously in the stormy weather.

    Rodu happily nodded at the knight¡¯s responses, held up a bag and shouted, ¡°Whoever captures the princess will get this bag of gold from me!¡±

    His voice traveled far and into the ears of many down the river bank.

    <b>Bessie¡¯s POV</b>

    Bessie watched disdainfully at the enemies across the river with a pair of binocrs. When she heard Rodu¡¯s nasty voice, she frowned.

    She was always a tomboy ever since she was young. Not only did she uphold a man¡¯s duty to fight and join the kingdom¡¯s army when she grew up, but she also became one of the most outstanding knights in the Royal Cavalry Academy.

    Bessie lowered her binocrs, her posture straight like a javelin. One horse after another, the knights leaped past her, the sound of galloping soaring to the sky.

    Adrenaline pumped within her veins as she pushed forward, her allies yelling out the names of all the knights who dashed alongside her, ¡°Canmel!¡±

    ¡°Hyman!¡±

    ¡°Kiel, take my shares too!¡±

    ¡°Aiden, for Aouine!¡±

    ¡°For Aouine!¡± Every single knight shouted and under the steel helmets, there were no traces of fear on those young faces, only determination.

    And the morale to win.

    Bessie silently gazed forwards, the enemy gs were being lowered down one by one, falling like a domino.

    She could almost hear themands, ¡°Align your spears!¡±

    ¡°Align your spears!¡±

    ¡°Such dumb luck I have,¡± she sighed.

    Looking back, she saw herpanions grinning, ¡°Are you regretting your decisions right now, Bessie?¡±

    ¡°Regrets? Impossible,¡± Bessie scornfully replied, ¡°They¡¯re only the White Lion Legion, what¡¯s there to be afraid of!¡±

    ¡°Bessie, our duty is to protect Her Royal Highness, not to belittle our enemies. Your thinking is too dangerous!¡±

    ¡°I know that!¡±

    <b> Rodu¡¯s POV </b>

    The rain continued to fall.

    Rodu was still holding up his bag of gold, waiting for his subordinates to cheer. Unfortunately, all he got was silence from the crowd.

    <i>What¡¯s wrong?</i> Rodu turned around.

    Everyone stood still as they listened attentively.

    There were sounds of horses galloping, clear and powerful.

    The sound of metal horseshoes as they lifted and dropped created a thunderous sound capable of piercing a person¡¯s eardrums.

    The Silversmith River was nothing more than a small creek in Ampere Seale. Even a storm could make it overflow. At this moment, everyone¡¯s attention was on the surface of the water.

    The surface was vibrating. The entire Silversmith River shuddered slightly.

    And then they saw it. A rider on a horse, the emblem of a lily on their snow-white cape, shining with the glory they had retained for a millenium.

    ¡°Elves?¡±

    All of his soldiers stood still, their jaws dropping and remaining unhinged in astonishment as spears grewrger andrger in their vision.

    Time stopped.

    With a flutter, the spear prated a soldier¡¯s brain directly through his wide mouth andpletely shattered his skull, distorting his face.

    Blood spurted out, but the spear continued to move, splitting his head in half.

    He twitched before falling to the ground, his blood spilling onto the soldiers beside him.

    Medissa strode past them coldly, unbothered by the blood on her face. By human standards, she was only fifteen this year, but she was far more experienced in war than any normal fifteen-year-old.

    It had been the most tragic war since the War of the Holy Saints. Countless people died, countless lives seemed to have lost their meanings, and every other skill became unimportant in the face ofbat skills.

    Andbat skills were the only battle tactic the Silver Elves possess.

    ¡°We¡¯re being ambushed!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the knights!¡± horrible cries rang across the riverbank, and they were hit by the truth.

    They had underestimated their enemies.

    Rodu felt uneasy about the situation. All the knights looked at each other. <i>Was there such a knight before?</i>

    Medissa held her spear high.

    With a thunderous boom, something broke behind her. The rainy scene shattered like a piece of ss, and from behind it, a massive army rushed out.

    d fully in ck, they rode atop dark horses.

    ¡°Long live Her Royal Highness!¡±

    ¡°Long live Her Royal Highness!¡±

    The knights roared with passion. Although Medissa was only a little girl, she had the aura of a knight, of a female battle goddess.

    ¡°Stop them!¡± the private army finally responded, screaming almost hoarsely. ¡°Grab your spears! Hurry up unless you want to die now!¡±

    They clumsily responded. Maybe it was driven by their will to survive, or by some other mystical reason, but they managed to calm down in their times of crisis.

    A row of spears lined up facing the opposite side of the river.

    Unbothered by it, Medissa raised her spear and shouted,

    ¡°Spirit Wings!!¡±

    A clearmand rang through the battlefield.

    One by one, magic circles unfolded from both of her sides, spinning rapidly until a pair of hundred-foot-long wings appeared. With a powerful p, twelve humongous waves in the shape of hydras drove at Rodu¡¯s army.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Rodu waspletely startled and did not know how to react. His men¡¯s wills wavered with every passing second. Unfortunately, they could only watch as their allies were crushed beneath the waves.

    Soon enough, the giant waves shattered the private army¡¯s formation. In fact, most soldiers were already scrambling away from their positions before the wave even reached them.

    The waves continued to trample on the houses that were further away, carrying the soldiers along with it.

    Rodu¡¯s line of defense instantly copsed. Behind the waves, the princess¡¯s men charged forward, taking the chance to attack while the enemy was still vulnerable.

    One side charged while the other was retreating. Soon after, both sides collided together.

    It was chaos everywhere. The princess¡¯s young knights easily broke their formation, and without much effort, the soldiers¡¯ will gave in.

    They tried to run away, but the young knights did not let them go, applying a military tactic they learned back in the Royal Cavalry Academy.

    Among the entire battlefield, Rodu¡¯s soldiers scattered and fled as if they were ants in andslide.

    <b> Brendel¡¯s POV </b>

    Brendel pursed his lips together while watching the scene in front of him. He tugged at his horse and pointed forwards, ¡°Bet, split the army!¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to do, Brendel? ¡±Bet said in shock. <i> Isn¡¯t this the perfect time to drive the enemy away? </i> he thought.

    But he was speechless immediately when the azure spiders appeared again. But this time, the spiders were not on the ground; they were floating behind Brendel.

    Thousands of azure spiders appeared above the battlefield. Brendel turned back and looked at Bet.

    ¡°Brendel, you..¡± Bet took a deep breath.

    Freya was startled too, as while it wasn¡¯t her first time seeing the Wind Spirit Spiders, it was her first time seeing Brendel controlling so many of them.

    ¡°Listen to mymand!¡± Brendel¡¯s directions echoed across the battlefield, ¡°Knights from the Royal Cavalry Academy, nk the enemy from both sides!¡±

    ¡°Charge!¡±

    ¡°Charge!¡± After a moment of silence, there were sounds of cheering and shouting.

    <b> Rodu¡¯s POV </b>

    Climbing out of the water, Rodu looked at his subordinate. He was shrieking and pointing at one direction, but for some reason, Rodu could not hear him.

    But finally, his hearing came back and he gradually pieced together what the knight was saying. ¡°Sir, they are separating!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by separating?¡±

    ¡°The knights have separated into two groups!¡±

    Rodu froze, his face growing pale, ¡°Those bastards are trying to nk our sides!¡±

    ¡°Sir, they are nning to annihte us all!¡±

    ¡°Sir, the army at the harbor was defeated!¡±

    His subordinates were screaming at him one after another. Staggering, he stuttered to himself, ¡°No, this can¡¯t be happening.¡±

    ¡°Ian, help me onto my horse. We have to find a way to regroup. Otherwise, we will all die-¡± Rodu couldn¡¯t even finish his sentence.

    Suddenly, blood sprayed out as a spear emerged from his chest.

    Rodu looked up and nkly stared at a woman in red before falling into eternal slumber.

    Scarlet wiped the blood off of her cheeks before turning around.

    On the battlefield, Rodu¡¯s soldiers knew that death was imminent. Although some of them tried to resist, in the end, they all faced the same fate. Just as they tried to regroup, a ray of golden light prated them.

    <b> Leider¡¯s POV </b>

    ¡°Rodu¡¯s dead.¡±

    ¡°Owen and Sir Malocher¡¯s armies were all defeated too. Her Royal Highness can not be underestimated after all.¡±

    The old man turned back, smiling. He was wearing Aouine¡¯s most traditional uniform with various badges clipping on his chest, and the most dazzling badge out of them all was the Candlelight Medal.

    His name was Leider Dulo, the White Lion Legion¡¯s vice squad leader as well as the longest-serving and fastest knight in the legion.

    He was a respectable foe to the Kirrlutz and the backbone of the White Lion Legion. When he rose to power, Baron Oberwei was still a child!

    He was once a loyal servant of House Covardo. But to repay Prince Luke¡¯s kindness, he decided to side with the Northern Alliance.

    No one dared to disrespect him, including the yers back in The Amber Sword. He was more experienced in war than almost anyone else in Aouine, and his loyalty to the throne was no less than any other.

    But right now, the old man just shook his head and looked at the other two with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s such a shameful thing for us old geezers to bully a little girl.¡±

    Marquis Balta smiled awkwardly. Of course, he knew what the old man was trying to say, ¡°Rx, Leider. We can guarantee the princess and the prince¡¯s safety.¡±

    Although he himself was a legate, he had always felt inferior to Leider Dulo.

    The old man took a nce at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m more worried about their battle with the Coast Guards .¡± Marquis Balta shifted the subject.

    ¡°I wonder about their chances as well. But I¡¯m sure they didn¡¯t get to scout the area. Rodu had hundreds of his men surrounding them along the Silversmith River,¡± the old knight rubbed his chin, ¡°And they couldn¡¯t possibly have guessed it with the small clues...¡±

    ¡°Her Royal Highness has grown amazingly quickly with the help of the little wolf,¡± the old knight eximed. Only he in the whole of Aouine dared to call Oberwei a ¡®little wolf¡¯.

    Balta was amused at the way he addressed Oberwei. ¡°The prince was amazing too with your teaching.¡±

    This time, the old knight nodded proudly.

    While the two were talking, the other man in the room suddenly stood up from his chair, ¡°Wait, what is that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s... Heaven¡¯s Armament!¡±

    Under the storm, in the direction of the Silversmith River, golden light coalesced into one.....

 Chapter 536 - v3c313 The Oath and the Sword(2)

    v3c313 The Oath and the Sword(2)

    Rodu¡¯s soldiers were breaking down as the soldiers of the Royal Cavalry Academy forced them to retreat. The Seventh Swordsman Brigade at the fort felt intimidated from looking at the scene, but Rodu¡¯s men could funnel into the fort as it was theirst hope for survival.

    And they even fought the Seventh Swordsman Brigade. To them, survival was all that mattered, not some chivalrous code of fighting till death. And that instinct turned them into raging battle machines.

    And chasing after them were spears of light that devastated the army.

    Sir Malocher, Captain of the Seventh Swordsman Brigade, never expected that the princess and her subordinates would have such an overwhelming force.

    Not only did they locate Rodu¡¯s army, but they also eliminated them easily.

    Sir Malocher¡¯s face went pale as the princess¡¯ forces charged at him. What should I do now? He did not have any experience fighting a war, and could only look at his subordinates for help.

    Amidst the heavy rain, a young man wearing the White Lion Armor raised his sword. He stood wordlessly like a statue, the sweat trickling down from his forehead to his cheeks.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been found!¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be thinking about that right now.¡±

    He lifted his head, Let¡¯s change the game then.

    ring trails of thunder shed across the skies...

    Leider Dulo¡¯s POV

    ¡°Balta, you have a good student.¡± Leider Dulo said as he received themand from the messenger.

    Balta shook his head. ¡°The princess is not cunning like her master Oberewei, and Makarov is not as decisive as she is either ¨C meaning there must be an unknownmander amongst them. The Coast Guards have lowbat effectiveness, so it seems like Owen is nning to use his overwhelming numbers to defeat the princess.¡±

    ¡°Just like what we did back in Lohns.¡± the other old man looked towards the direction of the port. He could only see the grey rooftops there. ¡°Like a hunk of meat being ground to smithereens, Auoine¡¯s final drops of blood are being squeezed out..¡±

    ¡°Archbishop, we are not insulting you.¡± Leider looked at the guest beside him.

    The man just smiled. ¡°We made mistakes in the past as well. While tt¡¯s not something we should ignore, the war ising and I don¡¯t wish to create misunderstandings due to our pasts.¡±

    The old man simply looked at him without saying anything.

    ¡°Old Leader...¡± Balta felt restless.

    ¡°Balta, you¡¯re the leader now,¡± Leider said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t punish Owen for this. Victory is the first priority in a war, and he has a good n; overwhelming the enemy is a strategy as well.¡±

    ¡°The princess might have a hard time now... On this battlefield, the people of Aouine are the victims. And they¡¯re so outstanding too. What a pity...¡±

    Brendel¡¯s POV

    The sky was turning bright.

    But the war was still trapped in as many shades of darkness as before.

    Brendel received a message that the Coast Guards would be changing their battle tactics.

    This isn¡¯t a good move from our opponents, especially since their intentions were so obvious. Brendel smirked. The leader of the Coast Guards wants to have a dogfight with me.

    Brendel was on the verge of erupting inughter.

    He remembered the wars he fought back in the game: fighting with the armies of Kirrlutz, the countless battles with Madara, and even his shes with the Miirna.

    Unlike those enemies, the Coast Guards were nothing but trash.

    And he looked back at his allies.

    The Big Three of Aouine: Rouka, Enrique, and Freya ¨C a future Sword Saint, the future Master Strategist, and the future War Goddess. Not only that, there was Bet, someone who led the Youth Police to fight and win against the One-Eyed Dragon Tagus, andstly, Mok, the future leader of the Royal Cavalry.

    Aouine¡¯s future heroes and rising stars were surrounding him, the same stars who had struggled to save Aouine from its dark history. Although Aouine fell in the end, they were still heroes of great valor.

    This time, the enemy was asking for trouble.

    The enemies would never have thought that in theing century when the yers joined in the fray, the wars would undergo a drastic change. That would be a dark time where the mes of battle scorched thends, but also one driven by hopes, geniuses, and innumerable crazy ideas.

    And the tactics and stereotypes had changed drastically since then.

    ¡°Rouka, Enrique, Freya, Bet, Mok, they are trying to dy us by fighting us in the streets.¡± Brendel looked towards the battlefield andughed. ¡°They want to turn this into a bloody mill. I believe all of you didn¡¯t ck off during the strategy ss?¡±

    Mok looked at him with a cold expression. Brendel¡¯s words were urate, but weren¡¯t particrly impressive. I could have done much better than him. [TL: what a loser LOL.]

    Bet was the only one quiet. Brendel¡¯s change is really too drastic. He¡¯s changed so much since escaping Be. Although I hate to admit this, but he¡¯s no longer the son of the miller that I should look down on anymore.

    Even though they were not on bad terms anymore, it did not mean that Bet liked him.

    Among the four of them, only Rouka Van Elvis smiled without a care. He had blonde hair neatly kept in a pony-tail and was wearing the Royal Cavalry Academy¡¯s ck uniform. He had the look of a timid newbie on the battlefield. At the same time, he was calm and collected amidst the chaos.

    Rouka was the eldest child of the Elvis family, his father being the noble governing the fief of Elvis. The family had never produced any geniuses before, but Rouka was the one who finally broke the mold.

    Back in the game¡¯s history, when Rouka managed to y Duke Seifer like a fiddle, his tactics and gentle personality earned him the nickname ¡®the sheathed de¡¯. Once the de was unsheathed, it was unstoppable.

    However, Rouka died of sickness during the war with the north and could not join the second War of the ck Roses.

    His death was considered one of the most unfortunate incidents of Aouine.

    Certainly, Brendel would not let this incident happen again. He gathered all these youngsters to his side to prevent tragic idents in this war, just like Enrique¡¯s death to a stray arrow.

    But without going through hell, how could they be fine warriors?

    Brendel knew this well, and all he could do was to protect them.

    ¡°My Lord, this is not good news. There are more Coast Guards than us, and they have geographical advantage. If they are adamant about fighting us in the streets, I don¡¯t think it will be easy to handle.¡± Enrique said as he rode on his ck horse.

    He sounds just like Carglise. I remember that the two were so close they could have be sworn brothers. But why did Carglise sound so dull and quiet in the future? The decline of the Kingdom and Rouka¡¯s death must have impacted him greatly. Brendel thought with a bit of pity.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± He smiled. ¡°I forgot that I¡¯m here to teach you guys. Hah. In reality, it¡¯s easy to break the Coast Guards just like we did to Rodu.¡±

    ¡°You lie,¡± Mok concluded immediately.

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m not too sure about that.¡± Brendelughed. ¡°Mok, let¡¯s make a bet. If I seed, you owe me a favor. How does it sound?¡°

    Mok looked at him. ¡°What¡¯s the favor?¡±

    ¡°Be my direct subordinate. How¡¯s that?¡± Brendel snickered in his mind. Having the Iron Faced leader be my direct subordinate? What a joke. I still remember the troubles he caused me back in the game.

    Brendel was a vengeful person indeed.

    Failure? I never even considered that an option.

    Mok fell silent. He knew that Brendel would not bet without confidence in his victory. But as they say, youth were the boldest, so he epted the wager. ¡°What if you lose?¡°

    ¡°I¡¯ll be your adjutant general.¡±

    ¡°Mok.¡± Freya could not help but warn him, as she knew Brendel too well.

    However, he only looked at her and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Freya, I won¡¯t trouble him too much.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m scared it will be the other way round...¡± The future War Goddess was speechless.

    ¡°Okay then, the bet has been made.¡± Brendel smiled. ¡°Come here, I¡¯ll tell you how to fight this war.¡±

    Freya¡¯s worries turned into reality as Brendel started to speak.

    In the next moment, the soldiers of the Royal Cavalry Academy moved in the direction of his sword. Looking down from above, they seemed like an endless number of swords flying along the streets.

    It all happened in an instant.

    In the darkness, the White Lion Legion¡¯s officers were sweating buckets.

    Countless scouts were moving in the alleys and streets all around them. The information they collected quickly dissolved the ambiguity of the situation.

    The White Lion Legion¡¯s militarymand panicked.

    ¡°How did they do it?¡±

    ¡°They are crazy!¡±

    ¡°Dear Marsha, this is impossible!¡±

    Everyone was shocked.

    In front of the Evergreen za was a dense business area. The panicked soldiers under Rodu were running in all directions at their allies¡¯ camps.

    But unknown to the Rodu¡¯s soldiers and White Lion Legion, the young knights of the Royal Cavalry Academy were carrying out their operations behind them. They formed small squads to hunt enemy soldiers down and then disassembled before forming groups and nking the Coast Guards.

    The result could only be described as a nightmare for the Coast Guards. It was something they had never encountered before. Enemies could appear anywhere and ambush them anytime.

    The Coast Guards hurriedly formed their defensive line. It was based on the manual provided by the White Lion Legion. But to Brendel, it might as well have been nothing.

    The princess¡¯s attack was like flowing water: constantly changing and unpredictable.

    The free-flowing assaultpletely reversed the tides of war.

    ¡°Just how do theymand their troops?¡±

    ¡°Transmission Crystals?? Impossible! Any form of magicmunication should be disrupted in thisrge battlefield. Listen carefully for theirmunications! Even Buga¡¯s personal mage couldn¡¯t do something like this!¡± Forst growled at his adjutant general.

    The man looked pale, not able to give an exact reply.

    Forst knew that his anger would not change the situation and he looked up stiffly towards the map hung in the center of the tent.

    The red lines indicated the Coast Guards¡¯ defensive lines. They were so bulky most would find themughable.

    But they formed an absolute defense.

    Even an army as powerful as Kirrlutz¡¯s would not find any better defensive formation. Sure, it looked stupid, but-

    It was impable.

    Every piece of the defense was so wlessly ced, as it was the product of generations of refinements. Like facing a titan, going up against it would only lead to two oues: kill it, or be utterly destroyed.

    It was just like a perfectly engineered meat grinder, a self-destructing bomb that attacked not only the enemies but their allies as well.

    The White Lion Legion had nned this bloody battle meticulously, all in order to defeat the princess.

    But they did not expect the enemy¡¯s next move.

    They had scattered like sand and prated into the titan¡¯s body.

    In just a split second, the humongous and unwieldy formation had be its own worst enemy.

    Their supposedly imprable defense was broken in the blink of the eye, and they still didn¡¯t know how the enemy had done it.

    They would never understand the reasoning behind the enemy¡¯s actions. Logically, splitting up was suicidal for any army.

    However, Brendel refuted thatmon knowledge.

    They did not understand, just like how people did not understand the importance of information in wars when the radio was invented back in his previous world.

    But it was not Brendel¡¯s own efforts.

    This battle model had been revised and implemented by other yers. They were far more experienced at executing it than him.

    But it was more than enough for Brendel.

    A young man raised his hands and looked at the Wind Spirit Spider on it. He then tied a note onto it and let it vanish into the rain.

    He turned his head to look at the man. His heart was pounding heavily.

    No one here, besides ¡°him¡±, understood just how important this battle was.

    It was so important that, despite how brief it was, it left a mark in history.

    Forst retracted his gaze as he realized his mistake. He looked at his attendees, the youngsters of the White Lion Legion, their faces covered in disbelief.

    ¡°Sir, how did they do that?¡± Someone asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s not important.¡± Forst was disappointed and stopped their discussion. He secretly wished that the future White Lion Legion could be calmer and more flexible than he was. ¡°The reality is that the Coast Guards are losing, just like Rodu did¡±

    The youngsters shifted nervously.

    ¡°Well, seems that you guys understand the situation now.¡± Forst nodded. ¡°ording to the n, it¡¯s time for the Kingdom¡¯s main army to bare their fangs.¡±

    Everyone looked solemn.

    ¡°Send this to Owen. Ask him to return to his own position.¡±

    ¡°Franz, I want to see your soldiers at the stated position in time.¡±

    ¡°Kaien, wear your cloak and get yourself ready.¡±

    ¡°For Aouine!¡± All of them shouted in sync. Everyone stood upright and left after bowing towards their leader.

    A young man crossed their paths and walked in after they left.

    ¡°Sir, an army is approaching our nk.¡±

    There was silence

    ¡°That should be Callun¡¯s position. Who is it?¡±

    The young man hesitated awkwardly.

    ¡°Answer me,¡± Forst asked him solemnly.

    ¡°It¡¯s the White Lion¡¯s battle g sir.¡±

    Forst expression changed.

    ¡°Which squad¡¯s?!¡± He quickly asked in an angry tone. ¡°Who took action without

    mymand?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s... the White Lion Battalion.¡±

    ¡°The Battalion?¡± Forst froze. Was there such a squad in the White Lion Legion?

    Wait... There was. But after King Erik passed away, this squad dissolved as well to honor his death. But...

    Forst¡¯s expression changed.

 Chapter 537 - v3c314

    <h4>The Oath and the Sword(3)</h4>

    A sword was stabbed into the grass between the sky and wastnds. The de was as bright and clear as autumn water. The ribbon emzoned with the emblem of a crescent moon attached to the sword handle was swaying with the wind, just as it had once stood in his memories.

    The man squinted his abstruse eyes, looking at the wide and vast world underneath the heavens. He wore a white cloak, and underneath it was a pair of strong arms holding onto a ck and dull scabbard. The man stood upright like a proud lion.

    ¡°Your Majesty, It¡¯s gettingte.¡±

    ¡°Krentel, guess what I am looking at.¡± The old man smiled and turned his head.

    ¡°Thend beyond the ins, at Aouine, Your Majesty.¡±

    ¡°Aouine, thend that we vowed to protect... But you¡¯re wrong this time. I¡¯m looking at my sword, Krentel.¡± The old man retracted his gaze. The sword seemed uniquely slender, but it was powerful enough to hold up the skies.

    ¡°Your sword?¡±

    ¡°Will there be anyone who picks up this sword, wipes off the dust and remember our oath after hundreds and thousands of years? Can the people of the future stand the test of time? Tell me, my friend. How long do you think Aouine willst?¡±

    ¡°Aouine will continue until the end of time, Your Majesty.¡±

    ¡°What if they forget their promises one day? Kirrlutz was once glorious, but they too fell. This could happen to the people of Aouine as well.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±

    ¡°Krentel, Aouine is not what I want.¡±

    As the clouds reflected in his steel-blue irises, ash settled down on his wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. The passage of time had taken a heavy toll on him, and he could feel the dying me in his heart. But at that moment, it was rekindled.

    He had seen too many wars and too much suffering far too many good men and women had been sacrificed for thisnd.

    He closed his eyes. The images of the past were coated in a golden sheen, like the warm glow of the evening sun when they first left Kirrlutz.

    He thought back to the moment when it all began.

    ¡°What I want is not Aouine, Krentel. It¡¯s devotion to this piece ofnd that I was inspired to build. What I want is for this culture to continue spreading into the future. I wish that its heart ¨C these aspirations ¨C will not be forgotten. I want the nobles to always remember their duties, for them to be the light that guides Aouine in the dark.¡±

    ¡°Krentel.¡±

    ¡°Remember, if one day, the people of Aouine forget their duties... Return this sword to where it came from and stop protecting this country.¡±

    ...

    <i>Return this sword to where it came from. </i>

    ¡°Your Majesty, the people of Aouine have forgotten everything.¡±

    ¡°Although it has only been 200 years.¡±

    ¡°This piece ofnd no longer upholds your wishes from back then.¡±

    But today, the sword had returned to Aouine.

    The de filled Krentel¡¯s vision with golden rays. It shuddered in the girl¡¯s hands as if it had been reborn. Its vibrations were so strong that it could break out from its shell anytime.

    Krentel could feel his tears streaming down uncontrobly, even though his eyes could longer cry.

    These were tears from his heart.

    <i>Your Majesty, can you see? Someone picked up your sword, wiped away the dust, and remembered our promise. The beliefs you had, your vision of Aouine, has returned once again. After two centuries, the g of Aouine finally shines..</i>

    Brendel nced at the Lionheart Sword in Freya¡¯s hand.

    Suddenly, he heard the voice of the sword. It was like a reverberating echo, narrating the ancient stories of its former glory. He saw it: two stalwart figures and their long, drawn-out shadows, alone in the wilderness.

    The sword was answering to ancient oaths upheld¨C

    <i>How long do you think Aouine wouldst?</i>

    <i>Aouine will continue till the end of time, Your Majesty.</i>

    ¡°What happened, Freya?¡± Maynild asked loudly.

    Everyone was shocked by the strong rays emitted by the sword.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Freya looked at the vibrating sword in her hands, dumbfounded. It was as if it came to life, resonating with something. ¡°It¡¯s sensing something...¡±

    ...

    All of Ampere Seale began to shake.

    Forst rushed out from the tent in a panic. The White Lion Legion¡¯smand post was surrounded by a loud buzzing sound. Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked towards a certain direction.

    The center of the camp.

    The White Lion battle g shone brilliantly, standing proudly in the rain. It was as if the White Lion on it had sprung to life, baring its fangs and flexing its ws.

    ¡°The Glorious g...¡± Forst said with a stunned tone.

    He seemed to understand something and looked eastwards.

    Callun of the White Lion Legion was also looking in the same direction. Amidst the rain, an unknown army marched towards him, only to stop right before his soldiers.

    ¡°I vow upon my sword-¡±

    ¡°I vow to lead my people away from war and ughter, from the greed and arrogance of the nobility.¡±

    ¡°I vow to never repeat these bloody mistakes. The nobles of this newborn kingdom shall follow the spirit of chivalry ¨C fairness and discipline, righteousness and courage,passion and kindness.¡±

    ¡°I vow to uphold this oath today, and every day in the future.¡±

    ¡°I vow for today, and for every day in the future.¡±

    Their helmets bathed in the rain, the lions on their armors having only appeaed in legends. They wielded five-foot-long swords and wore handguards marked with the emblem of the White Lion. They donned heavy armors and scalemail skirts, chanting as they marched.

    At that moment, legend ovepped with reality.

    The scene struck a chord within the hearts of the White Lion Legion. It was a scene that came from their glorious history, the air around them taking on a mystical, magical quality. The army which they thought only existed in fairy tales appeared before them.

    They were their predecessors.

    Their history.

    Their pride.

    The White Lion Legion¡¯s Secret Army.

    Yet they had be the enemy.

    All because they betrayed their oaths. They once swore to inherit King Erik¡¯s glory, but they did not uphold their vows. And now they faced retribution, delivered by none other than the legendary army before them.

    The soldiers of the White Lion Legion all took a step back.

    Even though the squad before them was only half of the Secret Army¡¯s full manpower, the battalion before them was their inspiration ¨C the legacy they had wished to inherit as they grew up.

    The White Lion Legion veterans could easily count the number of their enemies.

    <i>There are forty-five of them.</i>

    <i>But so what?</i>

    Callun¡¯s palms were sweating profusely. In all his time since bing a knight, he had never faced an enemy that so quashed his battle spirit with only one look. Even so, as a soldier, he could not surrender. <i>It¡¯s all just my fears.</i>

    He shouted, ¡°Do you have no shame?! Who gave you the courage to disguise as the White Lion Legion?¡±

    His voice echoed out in the rain.

    ¡°White Lion Legion?¡± The army stopped moving, theirmander also shocked.

    <i>Now!</i> Callun grabbed the chance and raised his sword, ¡°White Lion Legion, listen to mymand and charge forward! Eliminate those disrespectful imposters!¡±

    The soldiers of the White Lion Legion growled, the doubt in their hearts erased. Thousands of years ago, the White Lion Legion fought against their own kin the Kirrlutz, and thousands of yearster the White Lion Legion fought against their kin once more. But this time, it was the people of Aouine.

    The White Lion Legion¡¯s horn echoed, the melody singing about the long, glorious history of the army. They advanced forward without fear.

    They were unafraid of defeat not because of their unrivalled strength, but because of their indomitable spirit.

    They feared no man.

    This was the courage of a lion.

    This was the belief that King Erik had passed on.

    The soldiers pulled out their swords. Even though there were only two hundred men, they had the air of a million. The White Lion battle g moved forwards in the rain, the army¡¯s formation was akin to a de forged by a grandmaster. Dense. Unbreakable. It was impossible for mere discipline to give them the ability to do that.

    It was a sword crafted from their beliefs.

    However, for the first time, the swords they held felt heavy in their hands.

    <strong>Carglise¡¯s POV</strong>

    ¡°It¡¯s really the White Lion Legion,¡± Carglise said. <i>Is this fate¡¯s arrangement for us to meet?</i>

    However, he was prepared for any kind of unexpected situation on the battlefield.

    ¡°The situation has changed.¡± The youngmander initially wanted to regroup with Brendel, but unfortunately met the other White Lion Legion.

    Carglise drew his sword.

    Callun clenched his sword tightly as well.

    ¡°Heed mymand!¡±

    ¡°White Lion Battle Tactics!¡± Amidst the rain, both of them shouted out the samemand. Carglise had expected this, but Callun panicked as if his heart was shot with an arrow.

    And suddenly, he could feel the other side strengthening.

    They all wore heavy armors and wieldedrge swords, yet they emitted the aura of galloping horses, their hooves shaking the ground underneath them.

    ¡°Swift Infantry!¡±

    Callun¡¯s palms turned ice-cold. <i>That¡¯s the legendary Swift Infantry! Their White Lion Armor is shrouded by a wind defense spell. But that technique should be lost to time. How...!?</i>

    They were all Magic Armors.

    The soldiers of the White Lion Legion were intimidated. For two centuries, Aouine had not seen an army like this.

    However, those veterans did not lose to them in terms of their imposing demeanor.

    However, they felt something in the army that had suddenly appeared that they did not have. Something other than pride and glory. Something could be seen from the glowing eyes under their helmets.

    Tenacity.

    Aspiration.

    Heart.

    As the two armies moved closer to each other, the veterans of the White Lion Legion felt nor fear, but rather shame for bullying the enemies with theirrger number. It was a disgraceful act.

    But this did not stop them from raising their swords to fight.

    The experiences they gained from fighting hundreds no, thousands of wars gave them hearts of steel, and they could calmly handle any situation.

    But an ident happened.

    Ten meters until contact.

    The heavily armored White Lion Battalion raised their huge swords. They had the White Lion symbol carved into the hilt and three w marks engraved on the de. It was the legendary Sword of Lions.

    However, unlike in the stories, the swords glowed.

    ¡°No...¡± A bad premonition crept up from the back of Callun¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Quick! Move away!¡± He tried to salvage everything at thest moment, but it was toote. Carglise and his army swung their swords as one.

    The rainwater on their des was thrown out as a ripple formed before them.

    And in the veil formed by water flicked off their swords, white light shed in a perfect arc. Instantly, it closed in on its enemies.

    The White Lion Legion¡¯s front line crashed into an invisible wall and fell to the ground.

    Miserable shrieks resounded through the streets. Puddles of blood mixed with the rain, flowing downstream and dyeing the streets a deep, crimson red.

    ¡°White Raven Sword Art... this is impossible...¡±

    ¡°No... it¡¯s more ancient than that. this should be...¡±

    ¡°The Wind Empress Sword Art, White Lion¡¯s Fang...¡± Callun was shocked.

    The White Lion Battalion sheathed their des in unison, as if they were of one body. in that instant, recollections of the White Lion Legion¡¯s history surfaced in their minds.

    The past, the present; the legends, the tales; glory, the victories, and the losses. All of it flowed soothingly through their hearts like clear river water.

    <i>So that was the White Lion Legion,</i> they thought.

    But this name did not belong to them anymore.

    Suddenly a loud voice proimed, ¡°Today, I take away your crown as the White Lion Legion, for you have strayed away from the glorious paths-¡±

    It was King Erik¡¯s voice.

    At the same time.

    Carglise lifted his head and was dumbfounded by the scene before him. Everyone else¡¯s actions ground to a halt. Tension filled the air, and even the flow of water and wind slowed.

    They all felt the pressure.

    The resonance.

    The Sword and the Oath.

    A loud thud was heard, Forst saw a golden pir shot up from the White Lion Battalion¡¯s battle g. And in that instant, as if in concert with one other, another beam of light rose from the east.

    The two light pirs reflected each other in the morning sky.

    Forst was without words to speak, because he knew...

    That was the Lionheart Sword.

    King Erik¡¯s Sword.

 Chapter 538 - v3c315

    <h4>v3c315</h4>

    <h4>The Oath and the Sword(4)</h4>

    Pirs of light reflected off of one another in the rain. Looking from afar, it was as if the drizzle that struck through them had turned to gold. Everyone looked up at a crack of light splitting the gloomy skies as rays of angelic white light dawned, gently caressing the faces of the people beneath. The brilliant rays stabbed through the clouds and settled down on the port.

    Leider Dulo stood before a windowpane. His body seemed to be infused with inexhaustible energy, his posture upright and his fist clenched.

    ¡°Centuries have passed since King Erik parted with this world. But do the nobles of Aouine still remember the oath they made upon the sword?¡±

    None could answer.

    Marquis Balta felt restless. He was agitated, but he was more afraid of the person before him changing his mind and switching sides. Even though he was the leader of White Lion Legion, could not match Leider Dulo¡¯s ability to call upon Aouine¡¯s various armies.

    The old militant slowly turned his body with a stern look affixed on his face, and a fierce light could be seen within his ashen eyes as if they held an unquenchable fire of determination. He lifted his head and said slowly, ¡°Balta, the White Lion Legion has lost the ¡®g¡¯ in their hearts for a long time, but even so, they cannot lose their pride¨C.¡±

    ¡°We have long ago strayed from the glorious path King Erik sought. And now, we can only use this Legion to redeem our honor. White Lion Legion ¨C Death shall be our only surrender!!¡±

    Balta froze. Lightning seemed to strike behind the old man¡¯s back, and a thought shed across his mind. He had once been young and passionate, but all the fights and conspiracies cast shadows over his worn-out hopes. He wasn¡¯t even sure how much he had lost for what he currently held.

    He suddenly saw a young man with a spear, riding on a horse as it galloped proudly on the fields. <i>Who knew that I was so close to achieving my dreams.</i>

    Balta¡¯s eyes moistened. He then bowed deeply towards his teacher. He hadpleted hisst lesson as a knight ¨C ¡°We all have our own pride¡±.

    With a soft voice, he spoke, ¡°I have learned topromise between our ideals and reality, and have realized we cannot force ourselves onto a strict path. Those who would sacrifice themselves for the ideals of another, however, deserve respect as well.¡±

    He then bowed slightly towards Leider Dulo once more. Leider shook his head, his eyes reddening. He swallowed hard and said, ¡°Old Wood, the people of Aouine are bleeding.¡±

    ¡°I know... I understand.¡± Archbishop Wood was on the other side of the room. He closed his eyes, his expression filled with emotion and he sighed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for Aouine and the people in it...¡±

    Suddenly, a servant d in a sacrificial robe crashed into the room screaming in panic. ¡°Lord Archbishop, the resonance is getting stronger and is almost out of control now!¡±

    Archbishop Wood did not react and merely looked at Ampere Seale ruefully through the window. <i>There are still people willing to fight for their nation and its citizens in its final moments. Despite how wrong or right they are, their courage is apudable. Compared to the cowards hiding behind them, it¡¯s admirable that there are still people willing to defy fate. If Kirrlutz were to fall one day, how would it look like?</i>

    ¡°Lord Archbishop?¡±

    ¡°Just do your best; they, no... he will notice, anyway.¡± Wood answered without turning his head. He recalled the young man he saw that day and shook his head, ¡°No matter if it¡¯s right or wrong, there¡¯s always something for us to do.¡±

    ¡°As for the rest, we¡¯ll let the future decide...¡±

    <strong>Callun¡¯s POV</strong>

    The light that poured from the sky was like a gigantic hand, its weight pressing everyone to the ground.

    ¡°It¡¯s ending.¡± Callun stood in the heavy rain with a spear clenched in his hand, wanting to cry his heart out. Maybe his tears were dry, leaving only rainwater to fall from his cheeks.

    Golden rays seemed to bisect the skies, falling onto the opposing army, and he knew that it signified the White Lion Legion¡¯s curtain call.

    That man ¨C the man who once handed the Legion¡¯s g to them, who hungurels atop their heads, who was once their pride and glory now stood before them,manding their surrender. Callun raised his head, his actions resembling those of a stubborn child. His gaze seemed to stab through theyers of grey clouds. ¡°A child must grow up, father...¡±

    ¡°This might be our ¡®answer¡¯.¡±

    He grit his teeth tightly as tears streamed from his eyes. ¡°Myrades and brothers, we, the White Lion¡¯s ws and teeth, were once the glory of our Kingdom, fighting with our lives on the line,¡± the youngmander howled in the rain. ¡°But no matter where we are, we must never forget our code.¡±

    ¡°White Lion Legion ¨C Death is our only surrender!¡±

    ¡°White Lion Legion ¨C Death is our only surrender!¡± Many soldiers shed tears, knowing whaty ahead. Nevertheless, they still charged forward, unfaltering despite knowing their inevitable defeat. It was their choice. It was their honor to fight with their brothers until the end, and Callun lifted his sword ¨C as if he was lifting the weight of the entire world ¨C and growled loudly, his body shaking uncontrobly, ¡°CHARGE!!!!.¡±

    Apanied by light, a massive pressure repressed the movements of all in the area. However, the White Lion Legion was still crawling forwards. Determination and courage could be seen on their faces as they advanced inch by inch, charging towards Brendel with an indomitable will.

    As Carglise looked up, he saw them in this undignified state. He was always proud of the hardships he went through: the harsh training in the ck Forest, Brendel¡¯s teachings, learning the most systematic of Elven sword techniques, inheriting the ancient White Lion¡¯s Tactics, and wearing the most delicately carved White Lion armor.

    He was proud. Proud to receive these legacies, and proud to represent the most glorious squad in all of Aouine¡¯s history. He thought they were undefeatable.

    It was not until today that his squad knew what a soldier¡¯s resolve meant.

    Everyone was looking at Callun and his soldiers as they pressed forward in the slowest way possible. However, Carglise and his men were notughing. Their faces were engraved with the most serious of expressions.

    ¡°My Lord,¡± Carglise lifted his head, raised his arms and shouted loudly at the skies, ¡°Let us fight these enemies fair and square.¡±

    ¡°This is not a matter of right or wrong,¡±

    ¡°This is our respect for them!¡±

    In but a split second, the light vanished. Suddenly, Carglise and his men¡¯s White Lion Armor was coated with ayer of golden shimmering light that gradually merged with the te mail, embedding newly formed runes into its surface. If Brendel had been there, he would have immediately recognized the White Lion Armor as the final product modified by King Erik.

    The very same White Lion Armor that appeared in history.

    It was the acknowledgment King Erik had for the righteous. Carglise had but one thought: <i>We¡¯re being acknowledged. This is our recognition as the true White Lions.</i>

    He raised his sword. There was no need to issuemands. As the light and pressure disappeared, the two armies transcending time shed. A conversation between the past and present erupted, the direct confrontation between the two filling the streets of Ampere Seale.

    The Kingdom¡¯s White Lion Legion heaved and shed their swords at Carglise and his army¡¯s armor, but they could not prate the White Lion Armor¡¯s magic defense. The mail just glowed slightly, and the swords were deflected.

    The White Lion Armour was made by Brendel and based on Maximillion¡¯s designs. Its thickness was less than 3mm but bore a Defense value of 6 which was almost the same as a doubleyered te armor more than 5mm thick. Furthermore, even if an Iron ranker were to wear the armor, he would still retain great mobility. This sort of treasure was unseen in Vaunte.

    Usually, foot soldiers would not wear this sort of armor, as they were often taken by cavalry.

    Another thing to note was that the armor had an additional 5 Magic Defense Points with the Wind Defense Spell on it. Therefore, it would be hard for the Iron rankers making up most of the White Lion Legion to prate the armor unless they had magical weapons.

    However, ever since decline of the Royal Family, the White Lion Legion had suffered from decay as well. Back during its glory days, everyone in the Legion had magic armors and magic weapons. But now, only the sparse few elites had magic armor. As for magic weapons? They were totally out of the discussion.

    Even when they were the same size and weight as armor, it would be harder to embed magic onto weapons, making enchanted arms more precious. Including the Royal Cavalry, no squad in the Kingdom was fully equipped with magic weapons.

    Callun¡¯s fourth toon of the White Lion Legion was definitely not apany of elites. Amongst the two hundred of them, only a few had magic weapons. And even those were private assets. Callun wielded a magic sword that was his family heirloom. The glow it emitted was weak and faint, but nevertheless, it was still a magic sword. And yet, when he shed at the enemy, it left barely a scratch on their armor.

    Of course, he did not know that only a few members of the White Lion Battalion had specially reinforced armor. Thinking that all of them had such superior defenses, he felt despair. As a Silver ranker, he could not even break the enemy¡¯s armor; how could he expect his men to even touch them?

    Carglise was shocked too.

    He never knew how powerful the Kingdom¡¯s White Lion Legion was. After going through the ck Forest, rising to the Silver tier¡¯s mid-rank, and mastering the White Raven Sword Art, he was surprised when his opponent nearly killed him with a simple attack.

    <i>Fast! That was too fast. It was like he predicted my moves and was waiting to strike my throat the moment the chance presented itself. If not for the White Lion Armor, I would have died where I stood.</i>

    He finally knew how painful the confrontation between Buga, the White Knight Abram, and Brendel was back then.

    Carglise was sweating profusely, as were the youngsters of Trentheim. Although his men had the upper hand ¨C though they did not suffer a single casualty while their enemies were falling like logs ¨C they knew their skill was not the reason for their advantage.

    It was due to the armor they wore.

    In reality, they were being beaten by the old knights of the White Lion Legion to the point that it was difficult to lift their arms. But those attacks were rendered useless due to their armor. And when they attacked even once, the enemy would suffer brutal damage.

    The kingdom¡¯s White Lion Legion only had simple tactics, and they depended solely on the standard ¡°White Lion Armour¡° which provided few abilities and limited their own skills. Even so, Carglise and his army had a hard time dealing with them. However, as time went on, Carglise grew sharper and sharper while his enemies gradually became more fatigued.

    Because the White Lion Legion knew, despite their overwhelming advantage in numbers, that they could not win.

    Callun knew that his enemies were no weaklings. <i>They merelyck experience, that¡¯s all.</i>

    Even so, Carglise and his men were getting better. Their defenses and counterattacks were constantly improving. In a way, Callun was like a teacher to Carglise¡¯s battalion ¨C teaching the students how to kill their teachers.

    Callun closed his eyes in agony.

    Carglise was not a fool. He too felt unbearable pain. If they continued, they would utterly kill the White Lion Legion¡¯s morale. Although having too much pride would be the cause of one¡¯s downfall, an army should never lose its pride.

    And he could not help but admire his enemies¡¯ pride.

    Hemanded, ¡°Charge forward with full force! Forget about defense!¡± There was no need to waste effort to defend themselves; after all, their armors could do the job just fine.

    Even though thismand may have sounded dubious and inconceivable, it was the most effective idea Carglise could think of.

    Once the youngsters from Trentheim stopped defending, they regained theirposure. It was as if they had returned to the boundless ck Forest, and instead of panicking when they faced their opponents, they stood up courageously as they did back then.

    And that was all they needed.

    Carglise and his subordinates howled loudly, raising their swords and charging forward as their training in the ck Forest showed its results, and finally they thrust at their enemies.

    At that moment, Callun knew that defeat was around the corner.

    The strike was a dazzling sight.

    The de auras from the White Raven Sword Art converged like waves sieving through the rain, bringing about a hazy white mist ¨C a perfect disy of the name, White Raven.

    The air coagted and formed a flurry of greyish-white birds flying through the crowd.

    Following it was a crimson rain, their enemies falling one after the other.

    Callun howled in pain. He did not know why he was here. <i>Weren¡¯t my enemies the armies of Kirrlutz? Why am I here, leading my men to their deaths? Why am I making them lose their pride?</i>

    However, to theirst moments, his men cried out with valor. They were not retreating and defending anymore. They united, throwing themselves at Carglise¡¯s army. It wasn¡¯t a battle anymore; they were just pleading for their demise.

    Carglise couldn¡¯t bear it and finally said, ¡°Enough!¡±

    ¡°Stop!¡± He stood amidst the heavy rain and growled like an angry lion. ¡°Everyone, stop!¡±

    But they did, even before he even spoke. And then, the White Lion Legion¡¯s men did too. Most of them were stained with blood as they stared breathlessly at their enemies with their weapons still in hand.

    The street was dyed crimson.

    The armies stood at both ends of the street. Silence. There were no longer screams of pain, nor the screech of metal shing against metal. Only silence.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are,¡± Carglise panted heavily as his voice echoed out in the rain, ¡°Themander on the other side, I wish you would give us a way out...This ughter should not continue anymore.¡±

    ¡°The White Lion Legion will not retreat no matter what, even if thest of us dies,¡± Callun looked at Carglise. He was also puffing deeply, and though he was disheartened, his determination did not waver.

    Carglise hissed lightly and said, ¡°This is not about retreating,¡± as he closed his eyes, ¡°Will you all still march onwards even if it¡¯s Aouine¡¯s people you¡¯re facing? Is this your image of glory? Is this the reason you stand here? Answer me! Is this just for the position and power!?¡±

    ¡°No, this shouldn¡¯t be what the White Lion Legion wants.¡±

    ¡°Then is that your path? Is that what you were marching towards when you swore your oath back under the White Lion g? Open your damn eyes!¡± Carglise clenched his fists tightly as he shouted in rage,

    ¡°Look at your battle g, dyed crimson with blood. Look at the port, where water once flowed ¨C blood has taken its ce!!¡±

    ¡°Blood of none other than Aouine herself!¡±

    ¡°Listen to the raging ze, it¡¯s the dying cries of the Kingdom, can¡¯t you hear it?¡±

    ¡°So this is what you vowed to protect? Did you not vow toy down your life for thisnd should the need arise?¡±

    He red at them, each word heavier than thest.

    ¡°The Kingdom is dying, by our own hands,¡± Carglise said.

    ¡°So I plead to you once more... step aside.¡±

    Callun¡¯s sword fell to the ground with a thud. He saw the blood-stained g, the white lion emblem on it bathed in his countrymen¡¯s blood.

    <i>Was that what I wished for?</i>

    In the midst of rain, he knelt to the ground. And with every fiber of his being, with all of his heart and soul...

    He wept.

 Chapter 539 - v3c316

    <h4>The Oath and the Sword(5)</h4>

    Amidst the rain, a golden pir appeared. An unknown voice echoed out to everyone, saying, ¡°Your Majesty, Aouine has not been destroyed yet. And it will never be. The battle g, too, will always be waving both gloriously and proudly on this piece ofnd.¡±

    It was the voice of the sword.

    Freya watched while the sword in her hands burned with a raging ze. Meanwhile, another light pir appeared in the distance. Forst, White Lion Legion¡¯s head of guards, was watching as the battle g burned and emitted a beam of light into the heavens.

    It shot up into the sky, disappearing among theyers of clouds.

    Forst was dumbfounded. The White Lion Legion¡¯s centuries-old battle g had crumbled to ash in front of his eyes.

    ¡°Brendel.....¡± Freya¡¯s voice was faint, she could not believe what had happened, ¡°What is happening? The sword is summoning you...¡±

    Brendel was wordless because he felt it as well.

    The sword was summoning him.

    But it was not the Lionheart Sword.

    He calmed his heart down and looked back to the Knight of Lake who was standing beside Freya. His eyes were burning with an azure light as he stared at Brendel.

    ¡°You know what¡¯s happening, right?¡± Brendel growled, ¡°Grey Knight Krentel!¡±

    The Knight of Lake was right behind Freya. He looked at Brendel and did not say anything.

    There was only pain in Krentel¡¯s memories. But in the depths of despair, there were also gleaming images filled with people and incidents that were familiar, yet foreign at the same time.

    As if everything was meaningless.

    ......

    ¡°Krentel, do you vow to protect this sword? If you do, you will never have peace, and your soul will forever wander thend.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, we¡¯ve already given up everything for this belief.¡± A blonde young man answered with a smile.

    An old man sighed and looked at him, ¡°Krentel, I¡¯ve separated the sword from the soul and I¡¯ve given one to you and the other to Lucan. You¡¯ll use it to protect the Royal Family, while Lucan will be the next leader of the White Lion Legion. If everything turns out to be as I expect, head to Radner¡¯s region.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s someone who can pick up this sword one day, the soul of the Lionheart Sword will definitely acknowledge him. When that timees, remember our promise.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty.¡±

    ¡°Krentel, you once asked for the reason I brought the Lionheart Sword out of Kirrlutz,¡± the old man stopped a while and said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t I who chose the sword, but the Lionheart Sword who chose me.¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty?¡±

    ¡°The Holy Sword Odefeiss inherited the will of the me King, but its soul remained within the Lionheart Sword. Its beliefs, its ideals, and everything the people of Aouine had forgotten about...¡±

    ¡°Krentel, always remember that the people of Aouine are the descendants of the me King.¡±

    ......

    Amidst the rain, another light pir disappeared as King Erik¡¯s battle g vanished. However, Brendel felt as if a mighty entity was looking down at him from beyond the clouds.

    A massive, powerful, sublime being.

    He couldn¡¯t resist lifting up his head.

    It wasn¡¯t King Erik¡¯s will, but rather something more passionate, more steadfast...

    The ashen clouds were converging. Suddenly, a light pir fell, striking the space between Brendel¡¯s eyebrows. Brendel shouted in agony. It was as if a ming arrow was stabbed into his mind, burning his thoughts.

    ¡°Brendel!¡± Freya was shocked, as was everyone else. All of them felt it. The source of the energy that was surging around Ampere Seale originated from the light pir in the sky.

    Any pain he had felt before paled inparison to this one. Even though his Willpower stat had reached 100, it was still unbearable for him.

    But Freya was the one who had resonated with the Lionheart Sword; why did the effect ur on Brendel?

    Was there a bug?

    At that moment, Brendel learned just what was going on. The mental shocksted only for a moment, but unfamiliar memories and knowledge filled up his mind.

    He was too used to that feeling.

    <i>It was someone¡¯s legacy.</i>

    ¡°Brendel, this...¡± Orthylss¡¯s voice could be heard from the depths of his heart, startled awake by the shock Brendel went through.

    Brendel felt surprised as well.

    He did not answer Orthylss. Instead, he immediately opened his status screen. He checked his inventory and saw a line of golden-red words at the bottom.

    ming de Odefeiss¡¯ fragment (soul), Divine Artifact

    <i>Dear Marsha!</i>

    Brendel looked up into the gloomy sky without saying anything.

    The cold sweat on his forehead dissolved in the rain. He finally understood just what happened that day.

    He finally understood why the Sage tes caused that huge resonance with the Lionheart Sword that day. It was so great it was befitted a Divine Artifact¡¯s resonance, something impossible for the Lionheart Sword that was merely a Mythical Artifact.

    He did not believe it when Master Bosley stated that the Lionheart Sword was just a fragment of the Odefeiss. After all, there was just no way a Mythical Artifact could have been aponent of another weapon.

    At least, that was what he learned back in the game.

    However, he just realized that Odefeiss¡¯s soul had been residing in the Lionheart Sword all this time!

    Both of them had fused into one.

    Oderfeiss¡¯s soul called out to him, while the Lionheart Sword itself acknowledged Freya.

    And today, they had been separated again once more!

    Brendel turned his head to look at Freya. The Lionheart Sword¡¯s me was dimming out, the beams of light around her dissolving into light particles in the air.

    The Lionheart Sword in her hand turned back to normal ¨C back to the way Brendel remembered it.

    The real King Erik¡¯s Lionheart Sword.

    ¡°Congrattions, Freya. You¡¯ve been acknowledged by the Lionheart Sword and King Erik.¡± Brendel smiled gently and said, ¡°You¡¯re finally Aouine¡¯s War Goddess.¡±

    ¡°Me? A War Goddess? What are you talking about, Brendel?¡± Freya looked at the sword in her hands in confusion. She then looked at Brendel worriedly, ¡°Brendel, what happened to you? Do you have another Lionheart Sword?¡±

    Brendel turned his gaze to her. The light that had struck him just now was still there. The magic power in the air hadn¡¯t weakened either, but unexpectedly grew stronger instead.

    It was much stronger than the Lionheart Sword¡¯s resonance back then.

    People who were sensitive towards the movement of magic energy could hear the air crackle as if massive amounts of power were flowing and converging into a huge magic whirlpool.

    ¡°This is what a Divine Artifact¡¯s Resonance looks like.¡±

    A voice echoed behind both of them. Brendel turned his head over and saw Maynild rushing over with a cold expression. She looked at Brendel and solemnly asked,

    ¡°You know what¡¯s happening right?¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    He had always thought that there would only be Coast Guards at the north gate, but it was only when the resonance caused by the Lionheart Sword happened that he realized how wrong he had been. Everything that was going on right now was proof of that.

    Someone leaked the message.

    He had trusted the wrong person from the beginning.

    ¡°The White Lion Battalion...¡± Brendel looked at the north and silently whispered, ¡°and...¡±

    Suddenly, an even brighter pir of light appeared on the northern skies, shimmering as a small dot far far away.

    In a fraction of a second, the ashen clouds in the sky above Ampere Seale vanished, revealing a cerulean skyline...

    Arge Magic Array was ced in the sky, churning like gigantic gears. And upon it, several Laws of the world were engraved.

    Regr and irregr patterns all converged above Ampere Seale, forming aplex, mysterious magic array that no one could understand.

    It spanned the entirety of Ampere Seale.

    Shortly afterwards, a second and third light pir shot up, the fourth light pir on Brendel . All of them connected together with the magic array in the sky.

    Everyone was stunned; they could only raise their heads and look up.

    Brendel lifted his head, but his mind was clear as he came to an understanding

    The ming de Oderfeiss was descending.

    The people of Kirrlutz were here as well.

    They were waiting for the ming de to descend once more for them to retrieve it. hat day had finally arrived.

    They had nned this from the start. <i>So this was what Archbishop Moros wrote to Wood in the letter. </i>

    <i>And this was the secret Princess Magadal found out.</i>

 Chapter 540 - v3c317 The Holy War(1)

    <h4>v3c317</h4>

    <h4>The Holy War(1)</h4>

    The Elemental Laws resonated with the divine artifact as four beams of light rose into the sky. The sky and seas reverberated and flocks of birds surrounded the beams, forming a grandiose scene which had never before been witnessed.

    On that day, countless people, from Ampere Seale to Suale, from the Grey Harbor to Kanaki, saw that miracle.

    However, not everyone was enraptured by this beautiful sight. Near the north side of Ampere Seale¡¯s harbor, the knights from the Royal Cavalry Academy were orderly defeating thest defense line of the coast guards.

    But the situation was silently changing...

    As one of the rare first batch graduates from the Royal Cavalry Academy, Hond had led a few officer knights to break the temporary barricade formed by the coast guards. All he had to do now was to continue charging forward before the enemy could rebuild their defense line.

    Right behind him were Canmel and Aiden, from the 13th and 14th squads respectively. Their roles were to get behind enemy lines and form a pincer attack at other areas of the enemy¡¯s defenses. The Wind Spirit Spiders on their shoulders were rying information from across the battlefield and giving them orders. Everything was extremely well coordinated, with each of the groups executing their roles to perfection.

    Hond had never fought in battles like this, nor did he learn the tactics for them. But undoubtedly, this was what he always dreamed of. He could clearly see his opponents in a state of shock and panic as their defenses fell.

    <i>We only need to keep moving forward and victory will belong to us. Hmph! Piece of cake.</i>

    Hond had always thought that such strongmanding and execution was just a fantasy, but now that he was witnessing it personally, he could not help but gawk. The knights on the battlefield came together as a sharp sword, and the wielder of that sword could be none other than the greatest swordsman.

    <i>It¡¯s incredible!</i>

    But all of a sudden, he saw the bodies of a few Wind Spirit Spiders around him and quickly realized they were the partners of the troops that went up ahead of him just now.

    <i>A problem has surfaced...</i>

    <strong>Brendel¡¯s POV</strong>

    ¡°Kirrlutz¡¯s forces have begun moving,¡± Brendel replied solemnly, as if he could see them with his own eyes. ¡°There are at least three squadsing at us from the northeast and northwest directions at high speeds. They have already passed the Golden Wool Street, the Twelfth Street...¡±

    He suddenly looked up, ¡°Ah, I think I have recognized them, they should be the White Lion Legion. This pincer attack is one of their old tricks.¡±

    Brendel was amused. <i>So it really is them.</i>

    ¡°They want to encroach on us,¡± Maynild replied coldly. ¡°This is a trap.¡±

    ¡°The northern bastards sure have guts, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to the ck de¡¯s Squad but secretly mobilizing the White Lion Legion.¡± Brendel sneered and looked up, watching the strange resonance in the sky. ¡°He¡¯s doing all this just to satisfy the Kirrlutz... How can this not be saddening?¡±

    Everyone¡¯s face sunk. The situation was clear now. The eldest prince managed to get the Holy Cathedral of Fire on his side by promising them the Lionheart Sword. Otherwise, the White Lion Legion would never have been able to sneak into Ampere Seale.

    Moreover, Duke Seifer had announced that Kirrlutz was going to make their appearance here. <i>Seems like it doesn¡¯t matter if the Lionheart Sword was in Ampere Seale or not, the Holy Cathedral of Fire would make sure to get their hands on it. With their influence, it would not be difficult to find the sword anyways.</i>

    <i>Not to mention that the enemy had several other objects that could resonate with the Lionheart Sword as well. The only silver lining was that they did not realize Odefeiss was actually with the White Lion Legion all this time.</i>

    Then, all of a sudden, another resonation happened, alerting Brendel.

    <i>Wood...</i>Brendel sighed. <i>I seem to have been over reliant on the memories from my past life.</i>Wood may have been a good friend of Tuman and a righteous person, but he forgot that, at Wood¡¯s core, the ex-Archbishop was from Kirrlutz.

    It did not matter how highly the Holy Cathedral of Fire regarded Oderfeiss, but rather how important the Holy War was to Brendel and Moros.

    <i>These northern bastards sure are sneaky.</i>

    Unfortunately for them, however, they gave Brendel an opportunity. Although the resonance exposed his position to his enemies, it also revealed their intentions. Brendel snickered once more, <i>They really don¡¯t know that I¡¯m controlling everything that¡¯s happening on the battlefield. The enemies are gonna regret this soon.</i>

    ¡°Maynild, call everyone to fall back. This is ourst chance.¡±.

    Maynild lifted her head to look at him and nodded.

    Howls began to ring across the battlefield.

    <strong>Hond POV</strong>

    Hond was startled by the howls. <i>This is not a sign to attack, but a retreat signal.</i> But he did not have the liberty to do disengage and do as he wished, as soldiers in white armor began to pour from both directions of the alley.

    <i>It was the White Lion Legion!</i>

    Hond panicked for a moment, but he quickly reacted. ¡°It¡¯s a trap! Get inside that alley!¡± Himself included, five knights disyed marvelous coordination, quickly turning into the alley next to the one they were in.

    ¡°Faster! Faster! Don¡¯t stop!¡± But then, Hond saw another group of White Lion Legion soldiers pouring into the alley opposite of them as well. They were heavy footmen, walking in two rows of ten per row. He immediately yelled again, ¡°Those are infantrymen. elerate and push them aside!¡±

    But the White Lion Legion soldiers quickly reacted and lifted their spears and shields. Their spears were special in that they were modified from the Wind Elves¡¯ Dragon ying Spears and were best used in dealing with knights. Pale white in color, it was one of the White Lion Legion¡¯s specialty equipment.

    Hond¡¯s heart sunk, <i>The enemy¡¯s tactics are too good. How I wish I were riding one of those Kirrlutz Battle Dragons. Only those beasts, with their thick armor, can defend against these spears...</i>

    He turned around and saw the White Lion Legion troops behind him starting to advance, led by a soldier wielding a strong shield and a battleaxe. The allies behind him raised their bows, and that was when Hond realized that the rain had already stopped, meaning long-ranged weapons could be used now.

    <i>Why are such unfortunate events happening one after another?</i>

    He turned back and squinted his eyes. The first row of footmen were creeping in, and the carvings on their spears were differentpared to thest time he saw them.

    <i>Did they upgrade their weapons and armors?</i> Hond wondered.

    <i>They are truly the elite of the Kingdom. But, we¡¯re not that much worse off ourselves, anyway. It¡¯s just that our conditions were too bad to begin with.</i>

    <i>Time for onest brawl.</i>

    Gripping the sword in his hands tightly, he heard the White Lion Legion firing off their arrows. As the sharp whistling sounds died off somewhere behind him, he could feel the back of his armor getting struck.

    But fortunately, the arrows didn¡¯t prate through his body. <i>Thankfully, the enemies¡¯ marksmanship is bad.</i>

    Although he was always disappointed in the fact that they were weak in that field before, now that he was standing against them, he was d that they were <i>miserable shots.</i>

    But the spears were still inching closer.

    ¡°Brothers! It¡¯s time for onest strike!¡± Hond lifted up his sword and screamed.

    ¡°For Aouine!¡± The warriors screamed along.

    It was then that he heard the soft echo of someone yelling, ¡°Open Up! Make way!¡±

    <i>Open what up?!</i> He wondered.

    But before he could understand what was happening, the White Lion Legion¡¯s footmen stepped aside, forming a crevice among their ranks.

    <i>Now¡¯s the chance!</i>

    To Hond, it was like an opportunity of a lifetime, and he scrambled forward like the knights rushing at enemy camps back in Trentheim did. ¡°Rush forward! GO! GO! GO!¡±

    Everyone fears death, and knights like him were no exception. Although he did not understand the intentions of his enemies¡¯ actions, this was his only choice.

    Five horses passed through the tiny space that the White Lion Legion had opened up for them, and Hond looked behind him to see their group merging back into their original formation.

    And then he saw it.

    On the other side of the alley, the White Lion Legion soldiers pulled back their bowstrings once more. As the arrows flew, he came to a realization.

    It was not due to theirck of skill. They were not targeting him in the first ce!

    <i>What¡¯s going on? Did the White Lion Legion split up?</i>

    His mind was a mess, but then he heard someone calling his name. ¡°Hond!¡± He looked forward, seeing the group of Royal Cavalry Academy students gathering in the space in front of him as they moved together in a torrent.

    A female rider red at him and yelled, ¡°Hond, fall back! There¡¯s not much time now. We¡¯re going to break this encirclement from the south!!¡±

    ¡°Bessie? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Behind him, the two parties of the White Lion Legion soldiers were still locked inbat. But he was surprised to see that the group that had helped him just now was easily suppressing the opposition.

    He was shocked to see the way they fought. White Raven Sword Art? Are they one of the Royal Family¡¯s Secret Armies?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either!¡± Bessie shook her head. ¡°But they¡¯re here to help us. Even I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on!¡±

    She tilted her head, ¡°Maybe you should try asking themander?¡±

    ¡°Commander?¡±

    Hond turned his head[T/L: for the how-many-times-he-did-that-today]. In his line of sight, there was a slender person on a warhorse, ¡°Those were themander¡¯s men?¡±

    ¡°Most likely, yes,¡± Bessie replied.

    ¡°Just how is hemanding the White Lion Legion?¡± Hond was so confused.

    ¡°No, Hond. They aren¡¯t the White Lion Legion. They are..¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°The White Lion Battalion!¡±

    <strong>Gryphine¡¯s POV</strong>

    The Half-Elf princess stood frozen, watching the White Lion Battalion pass by her army and onto the frontlines.

    Her fingertips were pale and devoid of blood, and she was trembling too.

    Countless times had she heard her father narrate bedtime stories about such a group. They wore shining white armor and battled alongside King Erik in the ins, valleys, and forests for Aouine. They defeated countless enemies and had conquered thend to make up what was now Aouine. ounting their morals and valor, they were no doubt the strongest army in the kingdom.

    The White Lion Battalion.

    Countless times had she dreamt of that shining g inching closer towards her under the guidance of her knights. That dream seemed to have finally be reality: the legendary army had returned to Aouine.

    Countless times had she believed that her father would still be alive in this world to witness this scene with her.

    Countless times had she believed that she would seed.

    And she had held onto that belief until now, even after the passing of her father, even after going on separate paths from the Royal Faction. And finally, it had be reality.

    The g was right in front of her.

    In front of it, Brendel stood tall.

    And beneath that g stood the White Lion Battalion, their shining white armor riddled with runes. When they easily defeated the White Lion Legion, she could not help but look at the sky.

    At that moment, she seemed to have seen a wise gaze that transcended time.

    Brendel had never thought that the army he built would have had that much of an impact on Princess Gryphine. <i>But didn¡¯t I feel the same back then? It was one of my dreams to rebuild this army. And when I saw its rebirth, I knew it had been the right choice for me to do so.</i>

    The ancient army had returned, and it felt like it was being handed down by King Erik. And the weight of the meaning behind that was something no one besides the Aouine people could understand.

    But Brendel knew that it was not the time to be amazed. The White Lion Legion was still surrounding them, and he only had one chance to break through.

    <i>Bring everyone to break through one single point.</i>

    He turned around and saw the knights from the Royal Cavalry Academy gathering. <i>They didn¡¯t seem to have suffered any damage when fighting the coast guards. But after the White Lion Legion was sent out, not even one-tenth of the people were left amongst their ranks.</i>

    <i>They were still too naive, </i>Brendel cried in his heart.

    Thankfully, the geniuses from history did not suffer any major damage. Only a few of them were injured. Funnily enough, Enrique had jumped down from his horse to stomp on a White Lion Legion member. If it was not for his teammates saving him in a hurry, then there was no doubt that he would have be a hostage.

    That was truly fortunate.

    Brendel gave Carglise a look. The newbie immediately understood what he meant and nodded.

    Brendel wanted the White Lion Battalion nking the Academy students, on both sides, to protect them. He did not think that he was sending them out to their deaths, nor did he even consider the possibility of them getting hurt.

    No doubt the White Lion Battalion and the knights from the Academy were the most impressive soldiers around, and within seconds, they had managed to chop off the heads of a few enemies.

    Brendel lifted up his sword.

    He looked with confidence afar to the White Lion Battalion. <i>Finally, I can execute the battle tactic that I have always fantasized of. White Lion Legion... Why don¡¯t you be myb rat!</i>

    It may not have been aplete strategy, but it was enough for many people to tremble in fear.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were drawn to Halran Gaia, its tip pointing at the skies. Then, a golden ring began to spread around Brendel.

    Colliding Halo.

    He lowered his sword and pointed forward.

    ¡°Charge!!¡±

 Chapter 541 - v3c318

    <h4>The Holy War(2)</h4>

    Franz¡¯s POV

    The sun reflected off the ivory-white tiles of Lion¡¯s Street in Ampere Seale. Charles Mann, a former archbishop of Ampere Seale, once described it as: ¡° A street that shines as bright as the snow and is like adder leading to the clouds.¡±

    Four hundred and sixty-five years ago, the White Lion Legion was assembled by King Erik on this street ¨C and now they once again had appeared here.

    Their spears shone, and their armor was covered with snow.

    ¡°Never rest until the enemy is dead.¡±

    Sir Franz stood at their temporary base, gazing at the rows of silver spears visible on the other end of Lion¡¯s Street. The corners of his mouth dropped slightly and a cold stare appeared in his eyes.

    <i>Why do we need to fight the White Lion Battalion? </i>he thought, suddenly remembering Callun¡¯s failure. He slowly raised his right hand, and formed a fist.

    <i>Callun was nothing more than a useless prick. </i>

    ¡°Never rest until the enemy is dead¡±; this was always the White Lion¡¯s motto in war. ¡°No matter who your opponents are, victory shall be ours! ¡±

    Sir Franz looked up at the White Lion¡¯s battle g. This was a fortress built upon the blood of their enemies as well as their own. <i>How could any young man understand this?</i>

    <i>There will never be an army in this Kingdom that¡¯s strong enough to take on the White Lion Legion. And not just this kingdom; no other kingdom¡¯s armies are strong enough either. Nor were the armies of our predecessors. To deny that is to betray our history.</i> Sir Franz thought, remembering about the faces of hisrades who died back in the November War.

    Their deaths must not have been in vain.

    He wanted to prove that the White Lion Legion would always stand up against any enemy for thisnd. That people¡¯s fates would not be decided by the past.

    <i>Not everyone has to live a life for their beliefs. It¡¯s a proud thing to be alive. And in history, only those who were strong enough could speak for themselves, </i>he thought.

    ¡°On your mark...¡± The wind brought along a northern ent.

    The White Lion Legion¡¯s infantry took a step forward. One by one, they raised their longbows that gleamed brightly under the sun, forming a blinding panel of light.

    Themander squinted his eyes to estimate the distance of their enemies.

    The archers of the White Lion Legion controlled their breathing, adjusting their heartbeats to a specific rhythm.

    Finally, themander nodded his head.

    ¡°A hundred steps. No wind-¡±

    Sir Franz raised his hand high like a g, and swiped down fiercely. ¡°Fire!¡±

    Three hundred archers of the White Lion Legion released their arrows at the same time. Then, they slowly turned sideways, pulling out another arrow from their quiver.

    Just an instantter,

    Arrows flew like locusts in the sky.

    Brendel¡¯s POV

    The young knights from Royal Cavalry Academy tracked the arrows as they flew, and began to shift their positions in the formation.

    Brendel stood at the sidelines, and with his experience, he knew that such an attack would not cause many casualties but could definitely test the capabilities of the army.

    In many instances, when an army was faced with arge-scale long-ranged attack, their morale would drop. They would try to escape, shiver in fear, or even break down. Such actions would cause disruptions in their formations.

    But war was the process to ovee such situations.

    ¡°Keep it up!¡±

    ¡°Maintain your speed!¡±

    Mok, Bet, and Rouka were screaming hoarsely while the knights raised their shields.

    Canmel took a deep breath, staring at the arrows that rose higher and higher into the sky.

    Although he had experienced several battles before, this was his first time being at the frontlines. All those previous times, there had been no need to deploy any tactics; just relying on battle spirit was enough.

    This time, their enemy was no longer the weak Coast Guards. It was the White Lion Legion they were facing ¨C the one with greyish-white armor, solemn looks, and uniform movements.

    They were the best legion in the kingdom.

    ¡®Swish¨C¡¯

    The knights leaned back slightly when the hail of arrows came raining down upon them. Surprisingly, the arrows deformed before they even reached the targets.

    Ayer of golden light extended in the direction of the arrows. When they passed through theyer of light, their force was greatly diminished.

    <strong>White Lion Legion¡¯s POV</strong>

    ¡°It¡¯s Magic!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Colliding Halo! They have a Holy Knight with them!¡± the knights from the White Lion Legion shouted.

    Canmel¡¯s mind went nk the moment he was hit by an arrow. Still, he shook his head and looked up before realizing that the rain of arrows was still pouring down. And then he looked forwards, seeing the White Lion Legion¡¯s soldiers in front of him detaching from their posts.

    <i>They sucked up all the damage they could. </i>Canmel swallowed hard, and his throat felt dry.

    <strong>Brendel¡¯s POV</strong>

    Brendel fixed his eyes firmly on the northern noble¡¯s base. He was waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

    Suddenly, he raised his sword, using all his strength to issue amand. ¡°White Lion Battalion! Listen to my orders! Crush your enemy with no mercy!¡±

    ¡°You were born in glory, so spread your wings now and fight for victory!¡±

    ¡°No matter who your opponents are, victory shall be ours!¡±

    His sword, thrust skywards, was like a g waving proudly in the wind.. As the White Lion Battalion roared in response, thend trembled and the color on their enemy¡¯s faces was drained away.

    Franz¡¯s POV

    Within ten seconds, the archers from White Lion Legion had fired four rounds of arrows towards their enemy, and like a storm their bombardment swept over every inch ofnd within 100 meters. Slowly, however, they realized that their long-distance attacks weren¡¯t dealing any damage.

    Sir Franz could only watch with shock as the enemy¡¯s knights kept charging at them, unhurt, along with their White Lion battle g as it continued moving forward under the hail of fire.

    Even with all of their firepower concentrated on the enemy, not even the sharpest and swiftest of their arrows made contact as a cyan barrier bounced them away before they could evene close.

    Their archers even changed their arrow¡¯s type several times to no avail, as the knights remained unharmed.

    Instead, the knights from the Royal Cavalry Academy were gradually elerating.

    Sir Franz froze on the spot, dreadful memories of the war in Kirrlutz and Sanorso suddenly flooding his mind.

    The amount of bloodshed during that war was so ridiculous that it could have dyed the whole world red.

    ¡°Call the mages!¡± Sir Franz grittily shouted, as ayer of cold sweat formed on his forehead.

    ¡°Sir, the mages are still at the back!¡±

    Franz was leading Jude¡¯s first swordsman squad, and their mission was to cut off the princess¡¯s retreat route from behind.

    He had led the archer and infantry teams to their designated locations and built their base without rest. <i>I thought it would be easy to defeat their 200 men with 500 of mine! </i>.

    He could only regret having underestimated their enemy now. He closed his eyes, ¡°Order Nicoloma toe forward to assist us. Ask the Holy Cathedral to support us too!¡±

    ¡°Damn it, how did they manage to find a Holy Knight?! Those bastards from Kirrlutz... How dare they betray us!¡±

    He turned around, thinking, <i>I have to stop them, or at least buy some time for reinforcements to arrive. No matter what! </i>

    ¡°Archers, fall back and switch to your swords! infantry teams, move forward!¡±

    Suddenly, the ce where his soldiers stood looked like a forest of spears. But it was toote, as the White Lion Battalion had already arrived at their base.

    As if spreading their wings to embrace victory, the cyan lines surrounding their armor seemed toe alive, extending out from behind them.

    In an instant, pairs of wings ten meters long stretched out of every knight in the White Lion Battalion.

    ¡° Ah!¡±

    The infantry who had just set up their spears could only watch when the knights lifted off the ground. They were not flying- in fact,it was more terrifying than that.

    The knights leaped high with their horses, jumping almost 20 meters from the ground, before zeroing in on the White Lion Legion knights.

    <i>Isn¡¯t this the battle technique of Wind Elves¡¯ Secret Army ?</i> Sir Franz looked up, his mindpletely nk.

    From the skies, spears dropped like rain. And just so happened that one of the spears prated Sir Franz¡¯s heart. To his veryst moments he still wore a face of shock and disbelief.

    Unwillingness.

    Ignorance.

    The White Lion Legion abandoned their fallenrades and retreated to rebuild their formation. A lower rank knight took themanding position. Although their morale had been greatly damaged, they still had toplete their mission.

    ¡°The White Lion Legion will never rest until the enemy is dead!¡±

    Carglise was having a headache. <i>The White Lion Legion may not be the strongest army in the kingdom, but it was definitely a difficult opponent to beat.</i>

    The White Lion Legion¡¯s pride did not allow them to retreat, but Carglise was desperate too ¨C and he only had one shot at removing all his enemies.

    They were trapped between 3 of Jude¡¯s swordsman squads, and one wrong move would throw them down from heaven straight to hell.

    As soon as Carglise and his knightsnded, they immediately charged forward, trying to break their enemy¡¯s formation.

    The young men from Trentheim charged mercilessly after all they were fighting against dauntless opponents with incredible swordsmanship. Slowly, they realized that the speed they were charging at was not fast enough.

    Carglise drew out his de angrily, ¡°Push them away! Knock them off their mounts if you can! Listen carefully, we only have one way, and that is forward ¨C never retreat!¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± everyone shouted.

    The White Lion Battalionpletely gave up on defending, focused only on charging forward at their opponents. Although the White Lion Legion could hardly cause any harm to them, they were more than good enough at hindering their movements.

    Carglise was exhausted from pushing back ten knights by himself. He gasped heavily, ayer of fog forming underneath his helmet.

    Finally, the White Lion Battalion began to have casualties. Someone was stabbed to the ground with a sword after his helmet was forcibly ripped away.

    But they had not died in vain.

    Their enemies began to crumble.

    Canmel suddenly heard cheering and when he looked around, he realized that the Royal Cavalry Academy¡¯s knights had extended forth on two sides, forming a thinner and wider formation.

    <i>They¡¯re preparing their assault!</i> he suddenly thought. And sure enough, they raised their banner and charged at the White Lion Legion.

    <strong>Canmel¡¯s POV </strong>

    Canmel managed to recognize a few of the knights from the White Lion Battalion, such as the Silver Elf Knight, Medissa, and the red-haired demon, Scarlet. Locals believed that red-haired people had the blood of demons, and Canmel agreed with the statement too. Her fighting style looked fairly gresome and was notably brutal inbat.

    After that, there were the three knights from Count Yanbao. Canmel could not help but look at the female knight a little longer before looking at Bet, Braggs, Rouka, and Mok.

    The knights formed a crescent-shaped formation and gradually elerated on their horses. The ground shook with the thundering hooves.

    Canmel could hear someone screaming in his ears, ¡°Speed up! Speed up!¡±

    ¡°We have entered the opponents shooting range!¡±

    ¡°Do not stop if you want to stay alive!¡±

    ¡°Speed up and stay in formation!¡±

    Before Canmel could even react, his head was hit by someone. He turned his head and saw a ck figure run past him.

    And then he saw it: a rider d in a ck cape on a horse, the sword in his hands held high.

    Halran Gaia.

    Canmel suddenly realized,<i> He is the Commander!</i>

    At least, that was what the soldiers called him.

    Canmel could not help but stare, <i>Is he joining in on the offense?</i> From what he could remember, Brendel was only amander, not a knight who charged on the frontlines.

    But he opened his mouth in shock when he spotted another slender figure riding alongside themander. It was Oberwei, the Wolf Baron.

    <i>Why is he fighting alongside the Commander?</i> Canmel thought.

    <i>What a honor, for the Commander to have an opportunity to fight alongside Oberwei!</i> Canmel thought.

    But it was unsure who truly held the glory.

    Before Canmel had time to make a sound, other knights rode past him to Brendel¡¯s side. The Mercenaries of Lopez gathered around the Commander, and he looked like a true king.

    Actions spoke louder than words and Brendel¡¯s answer satisfied Canmel¡¯s questions.

    Finally, the White Lion Legion fell.

    Brendel nced from left to right. On his left were Oberwei and Maynild, while Ciel, Raban, Andrea, and Morpheus were to his right.

    <i>These people are my allies right now!</i> Brendelt thought.

    Some of them experienced the same suffering he did in another world, while others were hisrades back then.

    Two different timelines, but the goals were the same.

    The whistling wind passed through his ears. <i>It sounds like a flute...</i>

    Back in that world, when they faced Madara¡¯s army, theyunched a final strike at their enemies just as they were doing now.

    What awaited them back then was countless cold and pitiless deaths. In the present, in this pivotal moment ¨C history and reality ovepped.

    <i>Charge! </i>Brendel cried out mentally.

    He raised his sword high,and his cape fluttered like a ck me. <i>What happened in Be, Fortress Riedon, and Madara is in the past. The future ahead is endless. We can change history!</i>

    The knights roared behind him, and formed a triangr formation

    They were the students from Royal Cavalry Academy, they were the Kingdom¡¯s White Lion Battalion, and they... were Aouine¡¯s future.

    The moment they charged at the enemy¡¯s formation, the so-called indestructible legion finally copsed. The roars of the academy¡¯s knights and the battalion¡¯s soldiers grew louder as victory drew closer and closer.

    The White Lion Legion¡¯s formation broke apart just as the Great Knight, Nicoloma, and his reinforcements arrived. He paled at the sight. It was something he had never seen before in his lifetime.

    Suddenly, he saw a ck me sweeping out from the crowds. Beneath the zey the eyes of a young man and the sword he was holding. Nicoloma unsheathed his sword, and ayer of yellow light spread over him.

    He was a Holy Knight just like Brendel.

    Canmel saw how themander and the Holy Cathedral¡¯s knight crossed paths and recognized Nicoloma, a Gold ranked knight from Ampere Seale¡¯s Holy Cathedral.

    Before he could warn them about the Holy Knight, Nicoloma¡¯s head was sent flying in the air.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    He could not even make a sound, all of the knights from Royal Cavalry Academy werepletely shocked. <i>What kind of swordsmanship is that? </i>

    The White Lion Legion copsed. Nicoloma¡¯s subordinates were crushed by the knights too.

    Brendel was still charging forward, wiping out the remaining enemies still lingering on the field. In the end, Conn was killed and Owen was seriously injured.

    <strong>Balta¡¯s POV</strong>

    Marquis Balta looked nkly at the message in his report, ¡°Her Majesty and her knights from Royal Cavalry Academy won the battle.¡±

    He looked up stiffly at the two old men beside him.

    Archbishop Wood coldly stated, ¡°We underestimated the young ones. It seems like we old geezers will have to make our own move.¡±

    Leider nodded at him and left the room.

 Chapter 542 - v3c319

    <h4>The Holy War(3)</h4>

    Originally one of thergest wool markets in Ampere Seale¡¯s eastern harbor, the areay in ruins from the aftermath of several battles.. The defeated soldiers gathered in the ruined market and argued bitterly. Only the White Lion Legion was left out of it.

    ¡°Count Vitokin, the Holy Cathedral will not intervene in any other domestic affairs. They aren¡¯t feigning ignorance; rather, they¡¯re not willing to be manipted by other powers. I believe you understand this fact, as it is stated in the Covenant of the Gods.¡±

    Count Vitokin straightened his helmet and adjusted his armor, but his burn mustache and hair damaged his majesty and made him look somewhat ridiculous. Back when he escaped from the Ande Cathedral with Duke Seifer, he was injured, and those wounds stung with his every move.

    ¡°But, Honorable Bishop, isn¡¯t punishing evil is one of your duties? Not to mention the enemies are evildoers who propagate the demise of humanity.¡±

    ¡°Of course. The Holy Cathedral will not sit back and watch the Kingdom fall into the lurch.¡± The voice replied.

    The pain afflicting his body could notpare to the injury his spirit had suffered. He was still trembling after seeing the might of someone in the ¡®Ulitmate Realm¡¯. When Mephisto summoned the Grey Wilderness to reduce the Commandment me¡¯s damage, it carved a mark into Count Vitokin¡¯s heart.

    Kingship and knighthood were nothing in front of real power, and even the almighty Holy Cathedral had to obey the ultimatew of strength. Count Vitokin nced at his pale palm that still slightly shook.

    He raised his head and nced at a ce not far away. The famous Sword Grandmaster Nichs, a subordinate of Duke Seifer, was negotiating under his master¡¯smand with the Holy Cathedral.

    ¡°On behalf of my master, I ask, what does the Holy Cathedral n to do?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s phrase it like this. We epted Aouine¡¯s new Royal Family¡¯s invitation to arrest the Ash Sword Saint. That atrocious man murdered high-ranking members of the Holy Cathedral. Besides, we intend to reim the holy relic of His Majesty the me King, the fragment of Holy Sword Oderfeiss...¡±

    The Bishop spoke rubbish, but to summarize it: the Holy Cathedral of me would help Aouine¡¯s new Royal Family deal with the Ash Sword Saint and fight against ¡®evil cultists¡¯, but would not interfere with internal politics.

    <i>That¡¯s typical of the Kirrlutz people, looking down on the others.</i> But Duke Seifer didn¡¯t say anything. Though he looked imposing, he dared not do anything.

    As early as King Oberg the Sixth¡¯s reign, the nobles of Aouine gradually degraded in quality. People soon forgot that Aouine had once been a powerhouse with experts in the Ultimate Realm. King Erik himself had been one, and there was even a time when they had two Sword Saints in that realm. After that, they had Tuman as their court mage. That, however, was the end of their glorious times.

    Nichs¡¯s face was cold, ¡°What about the evil cultists by Her Majesty¡¯s side??¡±

    The Bishop simply replied, ¡°Master Wood said that we¡¯ll help you build a temporary Teleportation Array for you to summon your ck de Squad onto the battlefield ... But that¡¯s it. If we build one here, we¡¯ll have one less for our men. Just so you know, even in Kirrlutz, the Teleportation Arrays are only meant to transport our best troops. As for those third rate trash like the ck de Squad, we¡¯re just doing it to uphold the alliance-¡±

    Nichs¡¯s face turned ck and he interrupted: ¡°I see. I thank the Holy Cathedral for the support. But I wonder when will the assistance arrive?¡±

    ¡°Soon. Our methods are beyond an ordinary person¡¯s imagination...¡± The Bishop replied with open arms and a look of reverence. ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the show to begin... Oh, it¡¯s here. ¡±

    Suddenly, the bickering around them stopped. The priests of the Holy Cathedral of Fire raised their heads up high to see the space above them rippling.

    In the center of those ripples, a door opened.

    The winds stopped.

    A total of twelve gates of light hung in the air, and from inside them, white runes appeared. Following behind those archaic writings were twenty men in golden red robes and mysterious masks.

    Each person held a long sword in the shape of a me.

    If Brendel were here, he would recognize them to be the Pdins of the Central Holy Cathedral, the special ops of the Holy Cathedral of me. Each one of them was personally trained by the Compassion me Knight and was far stronger than other fighters of the same rank.

    And they only had one task: judging heretics.

    Count Vitokin looked up at these Pdins.

    <i>Spacial Spells...These are listed as one of the most forbidden spells of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. These spells were discovered back in the War of The Holy Saints and remained being the most ssified secrets of the four Holy Cathedrals. They were so rare that there are only a handful in Vaunte.</i>

    It was his first time seeing such a miracle like transporting twenty Pdins thousands of miles away. His mind shuddered in fear.

    As a soldier, he knew exactly what that meant¡ªit was a truly unrivaled force.

    He forgot that Aouine once faced such power and even came out on top. Back then, the Holy Cathedral was even stronger than it was right now ¨C and yet, they lost to the newly founded Aouine!

    Vitokin shivered. <i>If these Pdins wanted to seize hold of this country, can we nobles stop them from taking Aouine as their own?</i>

    He heard ttering from the stone floor behind him and was stirred from his daze.

    Vitokin turned around only to see an old, white-haired knight apanied by two other knights. Wearing a well-worn, slightly faded dark blue cavalry uniform, the man was Leider Dulo, leader of the White Lion Legion.

    The old man was also looking up at the sky. Count Vitokin hurriedly greeted him, only to be ignored.

    Vitokin¡¯s face flushed red while turning pale at the same time, <i>Even this man is looking down on me.</i>

    And he cursed.<i> So what if they¡¯re the number one squad in the Kingdom? They can¡¯t even protect the Lionheart Sword.</i>

    <i>Such arrogance even though he had lost! What¡¯s so good about him?!</i> He cursed again,pletely disregarding his honor as a noble.

    But on the surface, he only pouted slightly. Not even Leider noticed his resentment.

    The old man seemed to be thinking. He pressed the ivy pattern on his sword handle slightly. It had been his sword for thirty-two years and the mark seemed to have slightly faded. The sword had been with him since thest war, and each time he took it out, he would be reminded of the days when he carried it on the hignds. But all that faded with time.

    The White Lion Legion¡¯s youngsters were still fighting, and Callun even begged him to bring everyone away from thisnd. But ¨C as a soldier ¨C they had to have the courage to face sadness and agony. And <i>those</i> youngsters did it,pletely embodying the true spirit of the White Lion Legion.

    However, would the old White Lion Legion lose its faith? The old man had no energy to care about its pride anymore. In his eyes, the mes of determination red, like if it were all that was left of his frail body.

    He stared up at the sky for a long time.

    <i>For Aouine? Or for the Sword?</i>

    <i>Oh King Erik, there isn¡¯t much time left for Aouine¡¯s people. The Holy War is imminent, and Madara is eyeing ournds. There must not be a civil war now, or else we shall perish...</i>

    Thisnd where the ancestors spilled their blood was thend that bore the dreams of Aouine¡¯s people. As long as thisnd existed, Aouine would have a chance to redeem its glory.

    <i>I am too old, and the White Lion Legion is just like me; we are getting older by the day. The legoin is so old that it cannot even raise its banner anymore. But in any case, we should give it onest shot.</i>

    <i>As for hope, let¡¯s leave it for future generations.

    Someday or another, someone else would bear this task.

    Your Majesty, seems like this is the extent of my capabilities...</i>

    ...

    The Royal Cavalry Academy¡¯s young sergeants and the White Lion Battalion finally found a way out from the siege, but their crisis had not yet been averted.

    There was still the group of Coast Guards.

    There was no guarantee of survival. Brendel ordered everyone to get off their horses and move slowly to conserve energy.

    They were crossing Torfs Square, located on the same axis as the Ande Cathedral and the auction house and aligned with Ampere Seale¡¯s Harbor to the west.

    Maynild was worried about the speed of the army and was anxious whether the White Lion Legion would catch up to them from behind. But Brendel just shook his head when she asked Brendel that question.

    ¡°No. Do you know how many White Lion Legion soldiers were mobilized to kill us?¡± He asked.

    The female knight froze slightly and she lowered her head to estimate. In the first battle they encountered and defeated almost four columns of the enemy. Each column had almost two to three hundred men, but they were not all eliminated.

    If she included the enemies in front of them, there was a chance that they could be nked on both sides.

    Brendel saw the hesitation on her face and exined, ¡°The White Lion Legion has three infantry squads: Jude, Sharp w, and Lion¡¯s Mane; a knight squad; the White Lion de Squad; and a secret squad that was removed,¡± Brendel said as he nced at his White Lion Battalion. He continued, ¡°It is unlikely for them to mobilize the entire Legion, so only a select few elites were sent to kill us.¡±

    ¡°In the previous battle, we encountered Franz¡¯s two teams, which should belong to Jude¡¯s archers and footmen. After that, the light cavalry that came to support were likely the knights of the Holy Cathedral as well as their Patrol Knights. The scumbag that you killed should have been theirmander Kaien...¡±

    It was surprising to see the female knight stunned, but she did not make it obvious from her cold expression.

    Brendel just shook his head, <i>Kaien was a little popr back then, and it¡¯s truly a pity for him to die so quickly. However, since when was there a way forward without casualties?</i>

    ¡°And thest line of defense that we broke through just now was obviously the other infantry squad. Considering that the Jude Squad consisted of four swordsmen teams and two heavy footmen teams, we have probably faced two of the swordsmen teams and one heavy footman team.¡±

    ¡°Am I right, Baron Oberwei?¡± Brendel asked back.

    The lone wolf of the Kingdom nodded. He was slightly shocked. Before Princess Gryphine reimed her right to the throne, there were no single organized formation for the Kingdom¡¯s military forces, and each noble had their own method to organize his army. [TL: Is it organized right now?]

    Despite being soldiers, they did not know how the divisions operated. So whatever Brendel said just now was something he never expected anyone to remember.

    Besides anomalies like Brendel, most people in Aouine did not know how the divisions operated.

    During wars,manders would determine the identity of their enemies with the gs they had and their battle tactics. There were countless misunderstandings caused by that and there were alsomanders who took that chance to formte ssical battle tactics.

    It was just that history was constantly changing. Madara and Kirrlutz had already restructured their militaries in preparation for the war that would dawn after the Great Demonic Wave, but Aouine was stillgging behind them.

    <i>Which was probably one of the reasons for the downfall of this Kingdom.</i>

    Brendel looked beside him. Most of these people are soldiers. Well, they were junior sergeants, but they knew just how impressive Brendel¡¯s exnation was.

    Everyone else thought that he was only making assumptions. There was nomander in history as arrogant as Brendel to state he could determine the enemy divisions with just one look.

    But seeing Oberwei agreeing with Brendel¡¯s answer, they felt really troubled.<i>He sounds confident, so he was definitely not putting out random guesses. But how could he know?</i>

    ¡°How do you know?¡± Maynild asked on their behalf.

    Brendel smiled, ¡°Because I¡¯m familiar with each of Aouine¡¯s military divisions, their tactics, and execution.¡±

    He did not answer to be regarded as a genius. He wanted to disy his confidence and boost the morale of his soldiers. To kill out a bloody path from here, confidence yed a huge factor.

    ¡°You said you are familiar with every division in Aouine?¡± A soft but calm voice asked.

    Brendel looked up and saw Princess Gryphine. His eyes shined.

    She was no spoon-fed princess. She was a formidable opponent for someone her age, and it was her idea to join this frontier raid group with Brendel.

    He could even see the bloodstains caked on her de and her cheeks.

    She turned to stare at him with silver eyes. Her wavy silver hairid over the dark blue woolen military uniform that fit perfectly the curves on her body.

    <i>That¡¯s a refreshing look.</i> And then Brendel realized that she had been wearing that outfit all this time, but with a thick coat over it. <i>No wonder she looked really fat that time.</i>

    Brendel thought for a moment. <i>I can¡¯t guarantee for EVERY division. Even so, I ¡®lived¡¯ in Aouine for a century, during which time I fought alongside many armies ¨C including private armies owned by the nobles. </i>

    But no one would have believed him if he said that.

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say ALL of them,¡± Brendel thought and replied deliberately. ¡°But I should be familiar with themon ones.¡±

    But then her expression changed, and she looked over to Oberwei with an odd expression.

    <i>Oops, I might have exaggerated the facts.</i> But Brendel could only continue, ¡°Anyway, the conclusion is obvious ...¡±

    ¡°ording to the White Lion Legion¡¯s divisions, a swordsman team should have three light infantry columns and one archer column. With an additional mage subgroup and scout subgroup, it would reach a total of 1,100 soldiers. The heavy infantry squad would be half that size, so I assume that there should be less than 3000 White Lion Legion soldiers on this battlefield.¡±

    And he stopped there.

    <i>So there are less than 3000 of them here.</i> Maynild thought. <i>In the previous battle, they must have lost more than 30% of their total force. That¡¯s impressive.</i>

    For an army to keep on fighting despite losing one-third of their forces was an impressive feat in and of itself.

    Not to mention that Brendel had tens of Gold rankers under it. Even if more of them were here, the oue would not be too different either.

    ¡°But will they just let us leave?¡± Maynild raised her long eyshes and nced at Brandel silently.

    ¡°Exactly, they won¡¯t. We must develop a new n now.¡±

    ¡°New n?¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    The enemy had only deployed 3000 men, but that was illogical for a battle on this scale.

    The missing piece was the men from Kirrlutz.

    Then the princess¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Do the Kirrlutz intend to get something out of this?¡±

    ¡°The Kirrlutz and the Holy Cathedral of Fire should not intervene personally due to the Covenant of Gods and the Divine Bible, but they should be able to help our enemies indirectly.¡± Brendel silently recalled the underhanded methods of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, and replied, ¡°Kirrlutz is here, and they certainly not to have tea with us!¡±

    ¡°Plus, we are the owners of this ce. If anything, we should be the ones weing them.¡± He also joked leisurely, and the soldiersughed in response.

    Brendel¡¯sid-back yet confident attitude made a deep impression on his army. They would not tolerate a weakling leading them, especially one that was as young as Brendel.

    ¡°So how can they be involved,mander?¡± someone asked right after Brendel¡¯s words ended.

    When they heard that the Kirrlutz would not involve themselves directly, everyone sighed in relief. Brendel was possibly the only freak in all of Aouine that viewed the mighty Kirrlutz forces as a nonentity. After all, they were a nation that had been developing their powers and amassing resources for centuries now.

    ¡°Well, our enemies can deploy troops onto the field quicker. There¡¯s the Coast Guards in front of us, and the main army behind us. And don¡¯t think that everything will be any easier after defeating the White Lion Legion.¡¯

    Brendel looked at the others and reminded them, ¡°We only defeated a small part of the White Lion Legion. The true elites are still behind us.¡±

    ¡°The Door of me!¡± Princess Gryphine¡¯s silver eyes lit up slightly, ¡°You mean, the Holy Cathedral will build a temporary Teleportation Array in Ampere Seale like the Door of me back in thest Holy War?¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°But the array would cost a lot of money, and even the Holy Cathedral would not waste that many resources. I heard that they only built several of those back in that war; do you think they would spend that much over a mere skirmish?¡± Maynild asked.

    Brendel shook his head, <i>Such naivety!</i>

    However, Princess Gryphine nodded calmly, ¡°The Holy War ising, and a stable Aouine would mean much more to the Holy Cathedral than a Teleportation Array. Not to mention that Aouine is at the frontlines too, so a Teleportation Array is a must... ¡±

    ¡°So this means that both the ck de Squad and the remaining White Lion Legion may appear on Ampere Seale¡¯s battlefield anytime,¡± Rouka stated.

    ¡°But our main army is still in Frada.¡± Enrique could not help but change his expression.

    Finally, he caught up the situation, ¡°Which means we¡¯re doomed.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, all of these are merely guesses. The Door of me the Holy Cathedral¡¯s trump card and they would not use it so simply, especially since it has a usage limit. But we still need a backup n.¡±

    He then continued, ¡°I n everything out before I execute an operation. I wish for you all to do the same too, as there may be some changes to the n depending on what we encounter.¡±

    ¡°So what are you nning to do?¡± Maynild asked.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t figured it out yet, but we can exclude the unrealistic options one by one.¡±

    ¡°The most straightforward way is to kill a path to the harbor. There will be enemies there, but I have allies to assist us there too. ¡±

    ¡°But then again, the Holy Cathedral knows our intentions of using the sea route, it is not wise to make this choice. Besides, experts in the Elemental Realms could easily destroy our boats and we might drown...¡±

    ¡°Meaning we can only go bynd...¡± Maynild replied calmly, like everything was a piece of cake. Brendel was slightly taken aback by her apathetic expression, which look just like that of a friend he knew a long time ago yet felt unfamiliar at the same time.

    The senior in Brendel¡¯s memory was full of confidence and had an infectious smile on her face. However, she was still majestic and determined, like a natural-born leader.

    There seemed to be something going on with the female knight. She frowned and had a distant look on her face, as if she was immersed in thought.

    Every time Brendelpared her to his senior, he would be struck by a weird feeling. <i>Those two are obviously different people, but why do I alwayspare them</i>

    Maynild noticed his gaze on her and raised her eyebrows too.

    ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± Brendel stumbled out of his daze.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, but if we execute your n, we would have to pass through the Frada Forest and across the Arreck Mountain Ranges. It will not be easy. In fact, it will be extremely difficult, and there¡¯s a chance we¡¯ll meet Duke Arreck¡¯s forces. The Northern Alliance will definitely not let us go so readily!¡±

    ¡°It is slim, but we do have a chance,¡± Brendel shook his head.

    With a bitter smile, he added, ¡°Besides, we have no other choice.¡±

    ¡°We will move as Maynild suggested and regroup with our other allies in the south. Your Majesty, you must have had a n to break through from the south as well right? With the Lone Wolf¡¯s wisdom, he must have made arrangements for this.¡±

    He looked at Princess Gryphine.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the half-elf girl nodded calmly.

    She replied in Oberwei¡¯s ce, ¡°But we still don¡¯t have many options. The best method we came to was to deploy my army along the border of the Arreck region and head north, but it would take at least three days to reach the Frada Forest.¡±

    ¡°If they encountered Duke Arreck¡¯s forces, it will be dyed even further..¡±

    Brendel nodded. He knew that the princess and Oberwei were hiding their trump cards. From her tone, her army was so strong that not even Duke Arreck¡¯s army could defeat it, only being able to <i>dy</i> it at most.

    As far as he knew, Princess Gryphine¡¯s troops did not have such capabilities. Even the Royal Cavalry Academy sergeants weren¡¯t that capable. If fact, the only capable ones amongst the junior sergeants were the graduates plus a few better students like Freya and Bet.

    In other words, there must be nobles who were supporting Princess Gryphine secretly. <i>It would seem that her connections are pretty vast.</i> If he added Duke Anthony¡¯s forces backing the princess as well, they could potentially rival the north in terms of military powers.

    But that was not what Princess Gryphine wanted.

    Brendel knew her character better than anyone else. She may seem calm and collected, but she was actually terribly stubborn. She would definitely not let anyone assist her.

    There should still be something else.

    <i>She must have more than one trump card. If she only had this one, she would have lost right away on this ying field. Did I overlook anything?</i>

    Watching his gaze, Princess Gryphine sighed, ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean we do not have any opportunities to escape. If we can leave Ampere Seale and retreat back to St. White Bay, my allies should be able to pick us up.¡±

    <i>St. White Bay?</i>

    His mind spun. He knew that ce. It was located to the south of Ampere Seale, beyond the Frada Forest. There were no docks or harbor there, so it could at most be a temporary anchorage ground.

    <i>But that¡¯s the habitat of the Storm Hermit Crabs that are rank 12 aquatic monsters. There were only a few fisherman¡¯s missions or missions from Ampere Seale were rted to that ce.

    How can there be allies there?</i>

    Hold on!

    ¡°Anchorage ground,¡± Brendel suddenly responded. ¡°Aouine¡¯s Imperial Navy¡¯s anchorage ground!¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Princess Gryphine let out a gasp.

    As soon as his wordse out, Brendel raised his head to look at Princess Gryphine who was looking at him with a shocked look, ¡°Mr. Brendel ... you ... how did you ... ¡±

    <i>Ah... I¡¯ve spoken too much again.</i> He was embarrassed. It was not a good thing to have information on future events after all.

    The anchorage ground in St. White Bay was a secret hiding spot for the Imperial Navy that no one besides the Royal Family knew...

    He tried to exin himself, but as if she hade to a realization, the half-elf princess looked at him with aplicated expression, ¡°So Bunide¡¯s words were true... Mr. Ciel is still alive... You and Mr. Ciel are really ... ¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Brendel paused. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s so special about my rtionship with Ciel? Isn¡¯t it a normal rtionship between a knight and his servant?¡±

    He turned around, baffled.

    Only to see Ciel smiling bitterly.

 Chapter 543 - v3c320

    <h4>v3c320</h4>

    <h4>The Holy War(4)</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    Romaine squatted amongst the ruins, hugging her knees to her chest. asionally, she would crane her slender neck, her brown eyes scanning the area. Only when she found that there were no soldiers outside did she make her move. She stood up, brushing off the dust on her skirt.

    She let out a long sigh before asking, ¡°Big sister, this is the Holy Cathedral I was talking about, but Brendel doesn¡¯t seem to be here.¡±

    The aforementioned ¡®big sister¡¯ was actually a female spirit. Her upper body was that of a charming woman, with her most eye-catching feature being her pair of pointed ears. Her true nature as a spirit, however, was exposed by her lower half, which was an opaque swirl of dust and wind.

    In the leather pages of the Book of Witchcraft, she was known as a Contract Spirit. The Queen of Witches had the power to form contracts with any Contract Spirits, but she took pity on White Mist, ¡®the Queen of the North Wind¡¯. White Mist was the keeper of knowledge at a cier, so the Queen of Ice decided to leave her to Romaine, hoping that she would guide the young merchant.

    White Mist was a beautiful girl; however, her eyes were like those of a dead fish, purposeless and dull. She nced at Romaine, then answered lifelessly, ¡°Fate is everywhere around you. Normal people can detect its direction, but they cannot perceive its shape or form.¡±

    ¡°I feel that Brendel should be there. Are the results of divination reliable, big sister?¡± Romaine could not contain her curiosity.

    ¡°Divination is the same as rhetoric. It¡¯s real if you believe it is, and it¡¯s not if you decide to think otherwise.¡±

    Romaine cocked her head to one side, not revealing whether she understood the spirit¡¯s reply. She picked a random direction and walked with a confident. Two stepster, she turned back promptly, picking up a mace from the ruins.

    This was a sacred tool used by the priests to exorcise evil spirits. The hilt of the mace was engraved with delicately carved patterns. There was a Light Bomb imnted within the core of the mace. Normally, priests would be very cautious when wielding the weapon, but Romaine did not know about the bomb so she recklessly swung it about, testing its grip and weight. She nodded her head, satisfied with how it felt in her hands.

    ¡°You want to use this thing for protection? Wisdom and knowledge would serve you better.¡± White Mist shook her head with disapproval.

    ¡°Indeed I do. I used to have one when I was in Be, but Brendel lost it.¡± Romaine wondered who had picked up that mace after it was left behind. <i>I¡¯m always careful. If it¡¯s not for Brendel, it wouldn¡¯t have been lost!</i>

    Elsewhere, Brendel suddenly sneezed.

    The two of them were walking through the ruins of Ande Cathedral when pebbles rolled down from one of the copsed walls. Out came a person wearing a noble¡¯s clothes, a sword at his hip. His entire body was caked with ayer of dust.

    Viscount Benninger narrowed his eyes, waiting for them to get used to the sunlight again. Back then, he left through a secret passage when the ground suddenly split open, spewing out hot magma everywhere. The people who were following him were swallowed up by theva, but he managed to escape with his life due to the talisman passed down in his family. He relied on his memory of the secret passages to find a safe route out of the tunnels.

    He shoved aside the stone b in his way, spotting a familiar face not far from where he was. Benninger had near-photographic memory, he could recognize that face despite only seeing her once when she was with Magadal.

    ¡°Miss Romaine!¡±

    Romaine was mildly surprised. ¡°Oh, do I know you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Viscount Benninger! Does Miss Romaine still remember? I¡¯m with the princess, we¡¯ve met before. Remember?¡± Benninger wasughing with glee in his heart, ecstatic that Romaine was so gullible. He did not know what was happening outside the Cathedral, but he guessed that the war had already started. The girl in front of him had a close rtionship with Brendel, if he could get his hands on her, that would mean that the princess would have one less ally.

    Romaine nodded grimly. ¡°I see. It¡¯s too bad that you recognized me. Guess I have no choice!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Benninger was taken aback, confused at the sudden turn of events. ¡°W-wait a second, I¡¯m the princess¡¯-¡±

    Never could he have known that Romaine would do what she did. She had hidden the mace behind her back. When he came closer, she bashed the mace into his temple.

    Benninger was already at the peak of Iron rank, so regr a blow dealt by a normal person would have done little to no damage, but the mace Romaine was using was a sacred tool. There was a sh of golden light when the mace collided with his skull.

    Viscount Benninger let out a cry of pain before he fainted.

    ¡°And he calls himself a man?¡± Romaine scoffed. She had picked up Brendel¡¯s habit of scorning his enemies. White Mist just looked on silently.

    ¡°Even so, he isn¡¯t that weak either, seeing as your blow did not manage to kill him. He will wake up soon, so I advise that you tie him up first.¡± The Contract Spirit spoke, not out of kindness but out of duty. After all, it was her job to ensure the safety of her master, the one who had formed a contract with her, not to advise her on ethics.

    Romaine agreed with White Mist, quickly taking out a coil of white silk string to restrain him. Still unsatisfied, Romaine took out another purple silk string to further reinforce the bindings. Both of these strings were given to her by the Queen of Ice. One of them could connect the world of the living and the afterlife, ¡®Ormis¡¯s String¡¯, anyone who followed the string would be able to go to the realm of the dead. The other string was a relic of the Witch Queen, ¡®Tyvo¡¯s Hair¡¯, Tyvo was the titan king of Vaunte. Legends imed that he was unparalleled in strength, and even his hair was extremely tough. His hair also had the ability to amplify strength. It was a bit of a waste for Romaine to use them for tying someone up.

    However, their durability was unquestionable. Just as White Mist said, being a peak Iron ranker, his strength was far above a normal person¡¯s and he woke up merely minutes after being knocked out by Romaine. However, he had been restrained while he was out cold. He thought that he was bound by normal ropes and tried to break out of them, only to find out that they would not budge a single inch.

    ¡°What is the meaning of this, Miss Romaine?¡± Benninger could feel his temper rising. Red splotches were now blooming on his chalk-white forehead. A few beads of blood appeared, like cherry blossom petals on a field of snow.

    ¡°I¡¯m holding you captive,¡± replied Romaine nonchntly.

    ¡°But I¡¯m with the Princess, Mrs. Romaine, I¡¯m Brendel¡¯s friend! The princess and Brendel have fallen into the trap set by the Holy Cathedral of Fire and the nobles of the north. They¡¯re in trouble right now, we have to help them!¡± Benninger yelled frantically, his face conveying true urgency.

    Romaine quirked her eyebrow and asked, ¡°Oh, you know about Brendel. Who are you again?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Benninger! Does Mrs. Romaine not remember me?¡± He let out a sigh. He was getting angrier by the second, but he held it in as he was at a disadvantage.

    ¡°Oh~ I remember now! You¡¯re <strong>that</strong> Viscount Benninger!¡± Romaine¡¯s eyes brightened in recognition, at the same time raising her mace and mming it into him again.

    ¡°Ouch!¡±

    The Light Bomb had been used up already, so Benninger did not faint this time, but the pain still managed to wring a few tears out of him. <i>What is wrong with her? What was it that I said this time?!</i> Through the ringing in his ears, the voices he heard were only echoes.

    ¡°This guy has been trying to trick you all this time. But how did you find out?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t. I hate Benninger because he¡¯s more handsome than Brendel. Anyone who looks this good is definitely evil.¡± Romaine replied earnestly.

    <i>Wha...?</i> Benninger was riled up by her words, miffed that he was beaten up just because of her twisted logic. His words werepletely negated by his opponent¡¯sck ofmon sense.

    White Mist was speechless too, but her wisdom allowed her to think deeper than Benninger. ¡°Your instincts are rather sharp. Perhaps this was why she chose you as her sessor. The Queen of Witches needs to look past the fog at the Strings of Fate. The eyes of the soul will forever be superior to the physical eyes.¡±

    ¡°So how should we deal with him?¡± Romaine said cheerfully.

    ¡°He must have a reason for trying to trick you. You should ask him about his true motives. The lips can lie, but the soul can never hide its true intent.¡± White Mist replied.

    Benninger¡¯s flushed face went pale. He heard the conversation loud and clear. While the little merchant girl was naive, the one beside her was full of wisdom.

    For a self-proimed intellectual like him, he liked to solve problems with his brains. He was not like those barbaric militants, but when he fell into a difficult situation, his body began to shiver and he started to panic.

    ¡°Why did you lie to me?¡± Romaine knelt beside him, cocking her head to one side.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m not lying, Miss Romaine. I¡¯m speaking the truth.¡± Benninger clenched his teeth. He knew that it was impossible to resist, but he held on to that one tiny speck of hope.

    ¡°The truth, please.¡±

    ¡°I am speaking the...¡± Benninger tried to stop his mouth, but he could no longer control it, spewing out his ns.

    The Truth Curse. The revtion that Romaine was a witch left Benninger¡¯s jaw on the ground. He would have fled immediately if he knew that she was a witch.

    Unfortunately for him, it was already toote for regrets.

    ¡°So you were a bad guy!¡± Romaine knocked his head with the mace once more after hearing his n to use her as a hostage against Brendel. Benninger was reduced to a tear-stained mess after being smashed repeatedly in the face. ¡°That thing that you said about Brendel being a count, what was that about?¡±

    Benninger had already been tortured until he looked inhuman, but the curse was still active, so his mouth continued to bber on. ¡°Miss Romaine... *sniff*... Marquis Yoakam told me that Mr. Brendel might be the true Count Yanbao. He is mostly known for being a Hignd Knight or as the bandit from Trentheim. Yet our sources find that these two cases are rather unlikely. The first time we saw Brendel was at Fortress Riedon, and he wasn¡¯t a Hignd Knight then; rather, his actions were clearly those of a noble. This demeanor cannot be faked, he didn¡¯t exist amongst the noble circles...¡±

    ¡°So we concluded that he was one of the king¡¯s unknown descendants, or maybe he changed his name. With the way things are right now, it seems that Marquis Yoakam¡¯s guess might be right...¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. Big sister, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°This man wants to harm that man, while you want to protect him. Evil plots are like chains, and he would definitely harm him if he even gets another chance. So why don¡¯t you ask about his greatest fears?¡± White Mist expressionlessly looked at the sniveling heap that was Benninger.

    Romaine¡¯s face blossomed into a sweet smile. In contrast, Benninger¡¯s expression immediately changed into one of pure, unadulterated terror.

    ¡°I-I...¡±

    ¡°Oh? Won¡¯t you satisfy little Romaine¡¯s curiosity, pretty please~?¡±

 Chapter 544 - v3c321

    <h4>The Holy War(5)</h4>

    d in cyan as he galloped along a steep slope, Bunide¡¯s gauntlet-d hands clung tightly to the reins as he turned around. To the north of Ampere Seale, several massive light gates were opening over the horizon. Countless soldiers were pouring out of them, densely packed like ants.

    ¡°In half an hour, the entirety of the ck de Squad will appear on the battlefield in Ampere Seale, and the Kirrlutz will also be involved.¡±

    ¡°Master, what do you think we should do?¡±

    The leader of the Hignd Knights watched the tiny dots over the horizon rise up ¨C those were the Dragon Knights of the ck de Squad. In an instant, it seemed like the whole sky was covered as they advanced straight towards Ampere Seale.

    The sheer scale...... it was not just the ck de Squad anymore. It looked like the Holy Cathedral hadpletely deviated from their neutrality. The nobles of the north and the cathedral that had hidden their powers in Aouine had colluded with Duke Seifer.

    The Kirrlutz people wanted to end the problem once and for all.

    He turned around and looked at his subordinates, ¡°What do all of you think?¡± He asked.

    ¡°The Hignd Knights have waited for this day for a long time, Master.¡±

    ¡°Everything was fulfilled by that prophecy, Master. We trust in your judgment.¡±

    ¡°The Kingdom had tried to forget the war we fought, but us soldiers had never forgotten.¡±

    ¡°This is because it was a promise.¡±

    ......

    ¡°This is because it was a promise,¡± the Leto told Kodan softly and looked over at the dark waters of the Trentheim sea. The situation in Ampere Seale was getting worse by the day. <i>My Lord must have started his operation by now.</i> He turned his head around.

    ¡°On the hignds, the knights will never forget their promises.¡±

    ¡°So, you knew all along?¡± Kodan asked.

    ¡°That brocade is special,¡± Leto replied, ¡°Besides, the veterans also have their own pride, how could they listen to a child or even the nobles -¡±

    ¡°Again, didn¡¯t you already recognize this from the beginning?¡±

    ¡°A warsting half a century,¡± Kodan replied, ¡°it brought cmity that caused Aouine to fall to her knees... Truly a nightmare of an event...¡±

    ¡°Even a person like Leider became afraid, ¡° Leto sighed. ¡°His prestige back then could be said to be inferior only to My Lord¡¯s. But, I don¡¯t agree with him. Wanting to save the corrupted Aouine as it is is a downright betrayal to this Kingdom and her people.¡± Leto added.

    ¡®Why does Aouine even exist?¡±

    ¡°Because of the longing for glory.¡±

    ¡®So what was the story during that time?¡± Kodan asked.

    ¡°No one knows,¡± Leto shook his head, ¡°those who knew have already left this world. Maybe Master Tuman knows something, but he has already left the Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I have a theory.¡±

    Leto turned around and looked at his warpanion curiously.

    ¡°Before the trial, My Lord asked me a question once,¡± Kodan took a deep breath and said, ¡°What was history¡¯s truth?¡±

    <i>What was history¡¯s truth?</i>

    ......

    ¡°With that being said,¡± Brendel scanned the surroundings and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I thought you would ask this question a littleter, My Lord,¡± Ciel answered,ughing awkwardly. Brendel stared at him coldly, not giving him a chance to fool him.

    ¡°Actually, the answer is very simple,¡± Ciel looked at the princess and answered, ¡°Maybe you had already guessed part of the answer, our rtionship ¨C is just like the rtionship between the Hignd Knight and his wizard attendant.¡±

    ¡°Ciel.¡±

    ¡°No, Master. I am not joking.¡±

    Brendel shook slightly, the darkness in his mind got struck by a bolt of lightning, as if there was something that got lighted up. He raised his head and saw Ciel looking at him with a serious face.

    ¡°That¡¯s the truth. Master, you are a true Hignd Knight.¡± Ciel grinned, ¡°I never lied to you. Everything was destined to happen.¡±

    ¡°This is impossible, Ciel. You¡¯re joking.¡± Brendel realized suddenly that something must be messed up, ¡°We are not...¡±

    He slightly wanted to say neswalker, but when the time came, he found it difficult to say it.

    ¡°Looks like you got it, Master. I remembered you asking me once, what are the Cards of Fate. I answered you like this ¨C ¡®The cards are a regted representation, a collection of concepts, just like how you could summon Ciel with this Hignd Servant card and summon Medissa using this Silver Elf Knight card. This is because we all have close ties with you.¡¯¡±

    ¡°The neswalker world is the reflection of the Laws of the world. History, cause, and effect are also a type of Law.¡± Ciel replied.

    ¡°So what? I am definitely not a Hignd Knight......¡± Brendel found this impossible to ept. It was just like someone told him that a repeatedly used lie could eventually be turned into truth. This questioned his values because he knew himself better than anyone else.

    He was Sophie and he was Brendel. He was definitely not a noble, he was even a game addict. All he had now was just his absurd dream about bing a hero. His past life was not rted to this world at all, even in this current life, he was just a miller¡¯s son.

    The only rtion he had with the nobles was probably his mother from the Cardiligals.

    He suddenly froze.

    <i>Why did the Cardiligals leave the Karsuk Hignds? They were generations of nobles on the hignds that were normally married off to the Hignd Knights. But why was my mother married to the Cardiligals£¿</i> All this while he had been refraining from thinking about his own family, with the most impactful memories he had of them being about his grandfather who had been part of the ¡®Eleven Months¡¯ War.¡¯

    Ever since the Golden Tree incident, he had deliberately tried to forget and not bother Brendel¡¯s life.

    But today, everything seemed toe together again, forming something he could not ignore.

    Ciel looked at him, ¡°-You have be a Hignd Knight, Master. You should be able to understand this.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Brendel shook his head and said, ¡°I still don¡¯t understand. Although I might be rted to the Hignd Knights, from what I know the inheritance of the Hignd Knights doesn¡¯t work this way......¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Ciel smiled mysteriously. ¡°Master, why don¡¯t you think carefully about how you were able to summon me? What is the heritage of the Hignd Knights really like?¡±

    Brendel could do that easily. The tagline of the Hignd Knights was engraved on a stone at the ancient Karsuk Hignds and was eulogized by all generations. Even tourists and poets spoke and sung of them. As a yer, he would definitely be aware of it- ¡°The blood of the Hignd Knights is passed from generation to generation, and he who embarks on the Knight¡¯s path begins upon taking up his ancestor¡¯s sword.¡±

    Before he could even finish saying the sentence, he froze.

    Brendel¡¯s face turned pale.

    His sword fell onto the ground with a ng.

    Ciel smiled without saying a word.

    ¡®My brocade is quite good in fact. Even the old sergeant praised me, and said that my brocade was the best among all the other students.¡¯

    ¡®My bedroom¡¯s door wasn¡¯t far from me. Thank Marsha, I could barge out of the room with just a few steps and I would be able to see my sword lying right there.¡¯

    ¡®That sword was one of my heirlooms. My grandfather used to use it on the battlefield. I heard that he used to be a knight¡¯s servant for a period of time, and the sword was given to him by that old knight-¡¯

    ¡®That sword was a 32nd-year edition. It was engraved with patterns of the ivy nts, in honor of the victorious battle on the Grinoires Hignds.¡¯

    ¡®I remember His Majesty changed the design of the cavalry sword that year. The sword became half an arm¡¯s length shorter, and the copper ornaments on the guards were reced with ordinary iron flowers. It was to save costs as there was an ongoing prolonged war- the Eleven Months¡¯ War.¡¯

    Brendel could not hear clearly, he felt his brain ringing loudly as if something was about to explode. He shut his eyes tight, thinking that he was aplete fool.

    <i>A 32nd-year edition sword? Warmemoration?</i>

    <i>I am such a fool.</i>

    <i>Didn¡¯t the Hignds Knights take part in the battle on the Grinoires Hignds? I clearly should have remembered all these facts, but remained ignorant and misled due to Brendel¡¯s memories. How could I have forgotten such an important thing?</i>

    Brendel pulled himself back together after a while. Fortunately, his soul did not leave his body entirely so he was able to ept the truth. He managed to calm down- <i>Brendel, you fool. If you had looked at this whole matter from Sophie¡¯s perspective, everything would have been much clearer. </i>

    He lifted his head and looked at Ciel, Oberwei, Maynild and the princess. It seemed like only the four of them understood what was happening.

    <i>But why did it have to be these four people? </i>Brendel sorted out his thoughts a little before asking, ¡°So, obviously my grandfather was not just an old veteran that nobody knew, right?¡±

    Brendel was not dumb enough to think that the princess knew each and every one of the veterans who served in the Eleven Months¡¯ War. Besides, based on the reactions of the princess and Oberwei earlier, it seemed like his grandfather had been quite the figure in the past. Rting to Bunide¡¯s words, Ciel¡¯s identity was suspicious as well.

    Brendel felt annoyed, as he was the only one who knew nothing about this. <i>I know this cute face is dumb, but not remembering such an important thing sure is too much!</i>

    And now he needs an answer.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Princess Gryphine continued, ¡° The Marshal trulyplied with the agreement and never disclosed a word to outsiders.¡±

    She looked at Ciel who was standing at the side, ¡°Mr.Ciel?¡±

    Ciel could not help butugh bitterly and said, ¡°This is actually a misunderstanding. In truth, back when I returned to this world, I already realized that it was Goddess Alice that is weaving the fates of this world-¡±

    ¡°Like what I said, nothing can escape fate.¡±

    ¡°Marshal?¡± Brendel looked like he heard an inexplicable word. From what he knew, Aouine never had such a rank, position or title like this. ¡°What is going on?¡±

    ¡°Master, like what you have guessed, your grandfather was never someone unknown,¡± Ciel said after a sigh.

    Brendel did not say anything. He had guessed it earlier, that his grandfather¡¯s brocade was beyond ¡®perfect¡¯ in terms of quality, it is impossible for a normal veteran to have that. Even Leto who was an old veteran too was iparable to his grandfather.

    The funny thing is that Brendel had always thought his grandfather¡¯s brocade was just ¡®a little better¡¯ than other people for the past neen years, and his face blushed in embarrassment.

    The most ironic thing was that Brendel never knew his grandfather¡¯s name. When he was still alive, people used to call him ¡®Old Charles¡¯, which was obviously a nickname. From what Brendel could recall, there had been no other names simr to this one.

    As if confirming his thoughts, Ciel continued, ¡°Actually, we should start our exnation from the Hignd Knights. Just as My Lord expected, when your grandfather was young, he was a true Hignd Knight, which is why you inherited the blood of the Hignd Knights.¡±

    ¡°At some point in time, he had a wizard servant called Ciel Peloche.¡±

    ¡°Ah-¡± The surrounding youngsters sounded like they had heard a strange story, and they turned to look at the young wizard who told the story in shock. Although Brendel had guessed it, he could not help but take a breath. ¡°Ciel Peloche......Ciel Peloche, Ciel, you were the wizard of the Peloche family?¡±

    Ciel nodded his head.

    ¡®Peloche was the most prominent title among the Hignd Wizards. They had the closest bloodline to the Silver Race. Are you trying to tell me that to have you as a servant, my grandfather or I was named after Kadiloso?¡±

    Princess Gryphine interrupted, ¡°Mr. Ciel did not lie. Brendel, your grandfather is the descendant of the most prominent family of the Hignd Knights. His real name should be Darius, and people often referred him as Earth Sword Saint Darius...¡±

    Brendel felt that he was listening to a mythical story at that moment, except he was somewhat rted to it. In his fading memory, when the Kingdom was in its second period of glory,Aouine had three powerful men who had reached the top of the Elemental Realm: Earth Sword Saint Darius, Saint of the Silver Sword, Gory Keyes, Schr of the Silver Fortress, Tulman¡£

    Brendel could not believe that his grandfather was the most famous among the three.

    He looked at the princess and Ciel nkly.

    Cielughed bitterly once again, ¡°My Lord, actually your grandfather does have another name- One that was his glory but also brought about his downfall- Harrasgue Dragon, the marshal of the Holy Cathedral of Fire in first Holy War......¡±

    ......

    ¡°So,¡± Atst, Kodan asked, ¡°Have you written to Bunide? What did you tell him in the letter?¡±

    Leto nodded and looked at the sea for a moment, then he answered, ¡°I only asked him if he still remembered Harrasgue Dragon.¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Kodan broke intoughter. ¡°Of course he does.¡±

    ¡°How could he forget?¡±

 Chapter 545 - v3c322

    <h4>The Holy War(6)</h4>

    The streets were silent. Brendel, who was in the midst of the crowd, was still mulling over his memories of history and lore from the game.

    The Sword Saint named Darius was both unfamiliar and familiar to him at the same time. Since the Second Revival, this name belonged to one of the three important ministers of Aouine. He was most active one century before the rise of Aouine. To a yer of The Amber Sword, that era was just an insignificant part of the game.

    ording to history, the kingdom was no longer in its glorious stateter on. It was said that Gory Keyes left and Tuman had also returned to his secret Silver Fortress and lived in seclusion ever since. There were rumors of him being both alive and dead, but Brendel clearly remembered the moment of his grandfather holding his hand.

    That was just an old man who resembled a wilted nt. Although he had still been burning with determination, he was nheless walking towards the end of his life. In another part of Brendel and Sophie¡¯s memory, there was an old soldier from the Eleven Months War standing next to the Golden Tree holding a long sword and smiling.

    It was just a scene made up of Brendel¡¯s memories which would not make any difference in reality. He could even feel that expectation. But it was only on this day that he realized the old man had expectations for him which were far removed from the usual expectations the elderly ced upon the young.

    However, in the real history, Brendel would have died in an old house in Be at that time.

    If such was the case, why did he not tell Brendel the secret about the Wind Ring? What was the Sword Saint trying to hide?

    ¡°My grandfather was the Marshal of the Holy Cathedral of Fire during the first Holy War?¡± Brendel lifted his head and asked after a while.

    ¡°Ah, I thought you would be more surprised upon knowing your grandfather¡¯s identity.¡± Ciel continued, ¡°Indeed, he was once the Marshal of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.¡±

    <i>No, no.</i> In Brendel¡¯s memory, in the history of the other world, the Sword Saint Darius was never once the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s Marshal. Either the history or Ciel was lying. Brendel looked at Ciel and the princess. And Gryphine was also looking at Ciel, but with an expression of agreement.

    Darius, the Sword Saint, was also a part of the Royal Faction. Not of the new one, but of the true Royal Family in the past. <i>But why did he give up his authority, leaving behind a life of decadence and the Royal Family of Corvado? </i>

    The look in Ciel and the princess¡¯ eyes told him that they were not lying ¨C or their ability to lie was too good to tell truth from falsehood. Gryphine, however, had always been trustworthy, never the cunning type.

    ¡°This was because the Holy Cathedral of Fire would keep every file of the Holy Wars confidential.¡±

    ¡°That is incorrect.¡± Brendel mercilessly exposed Ciel¡¯s lie. <i>Even if the files of the Holy Wars in the past were confidential, there were always a few details being leaked out. It would be impossible for the nobles to forget someone with as prominent a status as a Marshal.</i>

    What more was that in another history, Brendel managed to look through the confidential file of the Cathedral once when he was investigating the princess¡¯ death. Aouine had not even existed when the Eleven Months War urred. Unless some changes were made in history, or all the information rted to Darius the Sword Saint was abridged or archived...

    There was definitely something else to the story.

    The part of Brendel that participated in the game awoke, it was as if all his memories were revived. Like a river ofnguage and words, all his thoughts became clear as flowing water.

    The year Darius the Sword Saint lived in seclusion was the 325th of the first century, the year of Castor. Numbers shed through his mind like lightning.

    At that point in time......

    During the year of the Star Festival, the Earl of Albania led the White Lion Legion towards the west of Hagan, supporting Kirrlutz¡¯s nks andunching an attack on Lion Beastmen¡¯s ckfang division.

    Ever since that incident, the Holy Cathedral of Earth was suppressed, and the four Cathedrals concluded agreements for reconciliation over the course of four years. The Holy War ended four years after the Star Festival.

    Brendel could clearly remember that the Star Festival was in the year 321, during the first century. The timing between these two events was far too coincidental, which was very interesting as it signified an abnormality in the situation.

    He closed his eyes and immersed himself in his memories.

    The Battle of the Long River.

    The death of Kinins.

    The Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s eastern invasion.

    Right into the Alfalfa Fields...

    Then came the start of the bloody and long Eleven Months War, a sanguine bloodbath even more gruesome than the Holy War. Brendel suddenly realized what caused the war to be so brutal. Those veterans who had experienced more than ten years of war were expended in less than a year of the war.

    They were battling......

    A series of conflicts around the region of the Alkash Mountains.

    The historical record was......

    The four Holy Cathedrals entered this region at the same time. Then, there was a year-long ughter on the battlefield. It looked like all the blood of the Kingdom was sucked dry by these four Holy Cathedrals.

    The horrors of that war still continued to impact Aouine to this day; the country lost a whole generation, or even two generations, of its people.

    Brendel was slightly shocked, as this history was so recent. In another battle one hundred yearster, Gretius¡¯ Knight Squad, Great Priest Farnezain, Eleranta, the Holy Cathedral of Wind, and Madara entered this battlefield once again.

    And it was the same brutal war.

    He still remembered the overwhelming army of the undead, everything seemed to be thrown into darkness.

    But Alkash Mountains did not seem to have such a crucial strategic battle position. Why would the Holy Cathedrals fight here again and again? It was recorded that the Alkash Mountains was a traditional territory that belonged to Farnezain, but until theter generations, the wind elves and Madara¡¯s undead army were all stationed here.

    Brendel¡¯s heart pounded as he realized that he might have caught on to the crucial point of the whole story. He clearly remembered that after the Eleven Months War, the Holy War officially ended. His grandfather secretly took refuge somewhere during that time. It seemed like Brendel¡¯s yer-exclusive senses gave him the idea that if there was something wrong in this plot, it had to happen during the Eleven Months War.

    The brutal war was deeply etched into the minds of the veterans. Brendel even remembered that the Cathedral gave out a precious ¡®Candlelight Medal¡¯ to many outstanding veterans during that war.

    <i>This was unprecedented.</i>

    He opened his eyes. His eyes shone with breathtaking light.

    ¡°Are you ok, Mr. Brendel?¡± Princess Gyphine asked.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡± Brendel asked and shook his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ciel sighed, ¡°If there was a choice, I would rather keep this secret to myself forever. Being able to silently guard my Lord who is the descendant of Marshall Darius was already my greatest wish.¡±

    Brendel nced at him, like he wanted to see through his lies, but Ciel remained as himself. The young man who wore a wizard¡¯s robe was filled with confidence.

    Ciel responded with a smile.

    <i>This sly bastard. </i>Brendel thought to himself for a while and then asked, ¡°Let me ask another question. Why did my grandfather end up hiding in Braggs? You know, I didn¡¯t even know myself that he was a Hignd Knight. Was my father kept in the dark too?¡±

    ¡°No, your father definitely knew some details, Brendel.¡± Her Highness replied, ¡°As a matter of fact, I don¡¯t really know much too. What I do know is that your father became an adult when Master Darius left the army. He arranged for marriage ording to the tradition of the Hignd Knights on that day too. Furthermore, the other party was the nobles of Cardiligals.¡±

    ¡°That was my mother, but my grandfather never taught me anything rted to noble traditions. Before I grew up, I never thought nor knew there was a rtionship between the Cardiligals and the Hignd Knights.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Ah, Master Darius was like that......then did he teach you any sword skills?¡± Princess Gryphine asked. She was slightly surprised.

    ¡°Grandfather indeed taught me some swordsmanship, but it was all basics that were used in the military,¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Ah......¡± The half-elf princess was really surprised this time, she could not help herself but looked at Brendel curiously with her long eyshes and asked, ¡°Mr. Brendel, so your swordsmanship...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s another secret.¡± Brendel replied, ¡°Including the knowledge I have now, it was from another experience when I once studied under a wizard.¡±

    Brendel was sure that he was not lying. His swordsmanship did have a different origin. It was from a yer who modified and improved the skills from the sword of Darius. He also studied under a wizard, but that was in a past game.

    ¡°That must have been a torturous experience.¡± Gryphine was amazed.

    ¡®Yeah, there were many twists and turns......¡± Brendel sighed. Although Brendel expressed this in an obscure way, intentionally avoiding theplete truth, it was nheless vastly removed from the princess¡¯ expectations. He had never heard of this, let alone experienced this story in person. Since the escape from Be, the two worlds have coincided in his life.

    ¡°So, what is actually going on?¡± Brendel sighed and continued to ask. He pretended to be anxious for the answer but the it was already looming in his mind. He just needed a confirmation. ¡°I believe there is a bigger story behind this.¡±

    ¡°My Lord, I said, I will keep this a secret.¡± Ciel replied, ¡°Actually, there is no meaning in the past, we just need to know that there are still some people who are touched by destiny. My Lord, your very presence here proves that this is right ¨C ¡°

    No, perhaps only Brendel understood that all of this was not connected by destiny because history had changed long ago. Only he knew the real future and his presence here proved that this consistent and constant world had already plunged into uncertainty.

    This was because Brendel was supposed to die in Be.

    Destiny handed the ¡®present¡¯ over to Alice, but the ¡®past¡¯ and the ¡®future¡¯ were given over to Goddess ine. The ¡®present¡¯ was tied by a coil of string, and that was ¡®Causality¡¯. But ¡®future¡¯ and ¡®past¡¯ was an entire world of uncertain possibilities.

    It was only because of this infinitely possible future-

    Mortals could dominate their own destiny.

    Brendel firmly believed in this. But even if destiny had changed, a timeline still existed. Except it was a timeline where Brendel had not died, a timeline which he had not crossed. In a different world, this line would produce a different result.

    <i>What a useless piece of shit. </i>Brendel cursed in his heart. After bing a Sword Saint, he died to a worthless opponent. This was probably the biggest insult in the history of Aouine. But it had been buriedpletely in the game, leaving no trace of it.

    But it did not matter to him as he had already guessed a part of the answer. Brendel nced at Ciel and asked, ¡°If I am not mistaken, in November during the Star Festival, the allied forces of the Holy Cathedral of Fire must have ambushed Aouine¡¯s army in the Alkash Mountains, right?¡±

    ¡°Let me guess, the Holy Cathedral of Fire did not expect that Darius the Sword Saint would lead the whole of Aouine¡¯s army to kill their way out.¡±

    ¡°Am I right?¡±

    His voice was not loud but had a firm tone. Brendel looked calm while the princess bit her lip hard, while everyone else was shocked by what they just heard.

    Brendel suddenly began chuckling, but the shine in his eyes made him look wise and confident.

    ¡°Ha......¡±

    Brendel almost wanted to break into full-onuhgter, ¡°So that was what happened. That was how Madara¡¯s undead army who attacked us from behind came about. Those poor bastards from the Fire of Thorny Flowers, hahaha, we have wrongly ced the me on you......¡±

    ¡°Holy Cathedral of Fire, a glorious and holy ce, is really interesting.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s such a pity......¡±

    ¡°I turned out to be just a yer, a yer who came from another world.¡±

    <i>What a surprise. </i>Brendel thought while gritting his teeth.

 Chapter 546 - v3c323

    <h4>The Holy War(7)</h4>

    Below verdant green leaves, a thinyer of mist drifted about, painting a picturesque scene of the serene Frada Forest. However, some people broke the tranquility. A knight lifted a bunch of shrubs and leaves with his sword to let his horse out from behind the bushes. Then, he saw a group of people sitting on the forest ground not far away.

    Makarov raised his head and inspected the person behind the knight closely. His once tensed face rxed. He shook off the leaves on his shoulders then stood up and said, ¡°You all are finally here.¡±

    The young man was not sitting upright on the horse¡¯s back. He looked at them with an uptight face and said nothing.

    Makarov instantly knew that something was not right.

    Within his scope of vision, many knights in ck and red robes appeared in the forest and surrounded the Royal Faction.

    Dozens of drawn longbows with razor-sharp arrowheads aimed directly at everyone near the campfire.

    It was the army of Duke Anthony.

    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, Eikkel?!¡± Makarov questioned loudly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Makarov,¡± Eikkel looked at them and dered arrogantly, ¡°You understand that if I am still a knight, I will never take another oath!¡±

    Makarov immediately knew what Eikkel wanted, but he did not believe that he would be so erratic at this moment. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, Eikkel. You know what¡¯s right. We should immediately rescue Prince Haruz and escort him to the Archbishop. This is ourst chance.¡± Makarov pleaded.

    ¡°No.¡± Eikkel interrupted. ¡°I know what is right ¨C justice and ideals! You told me before about where the Royal Faction ced their faith in, but we still questioned ourselves. Are we still on the right side then?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that the many defeats have caused us to lose our courage to reform. The Royal Faction once promised to take action ording to the oath, but what happened after that? Was it all just talk?¡±

    The young man lifted his head and looked towards the direction of the port of Ampere Seale. Under the blue sky, it looked like a pure white city.

    It was so white it looked as if it was shining, making it hard to gaze directly at it.

    ¡°No, what we need is to pick up the spirit that the people of Aouine havepletely abandoned. This should be the onemon desire that everyone should have ¨C the Royal Faction, Her Highness, and all of Aouine.¡± He looked back at the now stunned people and added, ¡°The battle is far from over. Are the members of the Royal Faction leaving the battlefield now?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a lunatic, Eikkel.¡± Makarov could not believe that his student said such a thing, he quietly signaled to Buga who was at the side, asking him to stop this crazy young man.

    But Eikkel seemed to be unusually somber. He turned to Buga and said, ¡°Teacher Buga, as the new Count of Carn and the only heir as themander to Duke Anthony¡¯s army, I order you to ally with me. I won¡¯t order you to kill your ownpanions and the princess that¡¯s still in the city. I only need you to swear felty to Duke Anthony¡¯s army. I shall have my glory now, but I don¡¯t want to enjoy it all alone.¡±

    ¡°You can have both the order and glory, Teacher Buga. Please don¡¯t disappoint me.¡±

    The young man said sincerely.

    Buga and Makarov looked at each other, feeling bitter. They have been preparing for this moment all along, but they never expected the oue.

    ¡°Eikkel with a mindset of a knight could not have said such things. I know you¡¯re there, Yo.¡± The sly fox of the Kingdom shook his head and shouted into the forest.

    There was a sound of a horse galloping, and the blind girl appeared from behind Eikkel. She looked gentle and quiet. Although she was blind, it was as if she could see everything with her heart.

    ¡°Yo, you could differentiate between what¡¯s right and wrong.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, this is because I only consult the heart.¡± Yo said with a smile, ¡°A covenant from the phoenix, an oath from the prince; all these are precious promises that could not be broken. ¡°

    Makarov and Fleetwood sighed at the same time. They could not help but lifted their heads to look at the sky above the branches- the blue sky looked as if it was reflecting the past. <i>When was it that the Royal Faction could try their best with ample determination?</i>

    Makarov still remembered the toughest time he went through, his fame and aplishments ignored as he was forced to remain incognito and remain a mercenary captain in a remote area. Maybe it was because the Royal Faction had failed too many times and waited for too long ¨C so many times and so long that they could not afford to face another failure anymore.

    Aouine¡¯s future was too far away for people like them to reach for.

    ......

    Duke Anthony¡¯s army finally made their entrance, with a g no one would have imagined. In the port of Ampere Seale, the students of the Royal Cavalry Academy were passing through the entire south city but did not meet with the enemies they were expecting.

    Their enemy, the Coast Guards of Ampere Seale, were now experiencing their worst defeat in decades.

    Sani and his men were patrolling the defeated positions of the Coast Guards. His yellow, cold, and narrow pupils watched as the Coast Guards of Marquis Yurian finally copsed. The soldiers walked out of their camps with their hands high in the air, holding their weapons with them. Their numbers were surprising.

    It was a short period of four hours.

    Although the Coast Guards of Ampere Seale imed to have a formation of 35,000 people, Sani estimated that they could only have defeated less than half of that amount. In a wealthy area like Ampere Seale, the Coast Guards were simr to mercenaries. The situation of not getting paid had always been unwillingly epted, and most nobles were well aware of the Coast Guards¡¯cking wages.

    But the question was, who dared to attack the territory of the Holy Cathedral?

    The Grey Fins Nagas¡¯ Secret Army gave this query a loud and clear answer. The fifteen thousand veterans were utterly defeated in less than a day. They did not even manage to escape and they ended up being held captive.

    This was literally a joke.

    Marquis Yurian was either stunned or he had not anticipated this in his heart. The only thing he did not understand was the insanity and absurdity of the Nagas.

    Sani saw its advisor with darker scales reporting to him, asking if he wanted to move on. He raised his head, and his yellow pupils reflected the inner city of the harbor of Ampere Seale.

    This was Aouine¡¯s most sturdy fortress in the North.

    To what extent would the Nagas still support the humans?

    As he gazed down at the trident clutched in his hands, the gems and jewels iid on the polearm filled with an uncertain radiance, he realized it was a gamble. He nodded his head.

    <i>I¡¯ll keep advancing.</i>

    <i>Time to meet up with Brendel.</i>

    ......

    The situation on the battlefield gradually bing more and more one sided.

    The elite troops of Kirrlutz had entered, and the ck de Squad was assembling their final formations.

    The Dragon Knights hovering in the skyunched assaults over Ampere Seale¡¯s port. Somewhere further on the horizon, teams of monsters with open wings seemed to be in a crescent-shaped formation, and the sky was filled with screams and howls.

    That scene looked like it was taken straight out of an apocalypse.

    Danos saw a wall on his mount, a wall of flying dragons barreling straight towards him. It was not just the Dragon Knights of the ck de Squad; he saw all kinds of emblems on the shields, almost all the northern Dragon Knights having united in the field.

    In the face of thousands of foes, Danos¡¯ mind went nk. <i>When had he evere across the same situation in other battlefields? </i>All that remained was despair. He even thought that they were the only ones left defending Aouine.

    But he felt a burning fire in him today.

    <i>This Kingdom has such a strong army. But why was this army allowed to be the Kingdom¡¯s own enemy? Where were they when we were fighting against Madara? Killing each other in the skies of Aouine? </i>

    His heart weighed down by the hopelessness and the prospect of defeat, Danos tightly shut his eyes.

    In the dark, rainy night, a ray of light shot skyward.

    The North Gate was closed.

    ...

    Brendel also stopped the discussion about his own life. He knew better than anyone that arge and unpredictable army was crossing the straits of Ampere Seale at this exact moment and might appear right in front of them anytime. All the armies would be gathering in Ampere Seale, making it a dangerous ce.

    Whether it was just his hypothesis or not, he had the same idea as Danos.

    The Southern Dragon Knights were forced to retreat.

    Brendel had already ordered them to withdraw in the direction of St. White¡¯s Bay. It was the key to determine their chances at victory.

    They were left with very little time.

    He was already leading the students of the Royal Cavalry Academy across the whole North City of Ampere Seale. Yet not even a shadow of their enemy was seen, all the way from Old Fisherman¡¯s Avenue to Veliky Square.

    Although Brendel was confused, he dared not waste any time. The huge fortress at Ampere Seale¡¯s Port¡¯s south gate seemed to appear in his sight in an instant.

    The fortress looked like an abandoned building.

    <i>Where are the Coast Guards?</i>

    Brendel and everyone else looked up, and saw a familiar figure.

    In that moment, the street, lit by the sun¡¯s golden rays, seemed to ze a pure white.

    That person on the fortress¡¯ ramparts smiled slightly and waved his hands. Amidst heavy rumbling, Ampere Seale¡¯s huge southern gate slowly opened.

    Everyone¡¯s jaw dropped.

    Count Audine stood proudly on the top of the fortress, a sword in his hands he looked at the army on the street as it gradually showed itself. To be precise, he was actually looking at the youngmander who was upfront of the army.

    A beacon of hope had arrived, emerging after a long night of darkness.

    He believed that a miracle woulde upon Aouine once again. But it was not until he saw Princess Gryphine behind Brendel that he realized Marsha had never left her people.

    Brendel smiled too.

    It seemed like he returned to history again, surrounded by hisrades who were fighting towards a shared goal. The people of Aouine had never given up, so he and hispatriots refused to yield as well.

    Even if they had to face an army of thousands, what was the big deal?

    ¡°In the Loop of Trade Winds, I heard that you would save this Kingdom.¡± Count Audine shouted from the top of the fortress. ¡°But I didn¡¯t believe it!¡±

    ¡°So you came?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Count Audine said with augh. ¡°So I came.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to bear witness in the princess¡¯ ce,¡±

    ¡°All of this.¡±

    The half-elf girl behind Brendel bit her lip, silver eyes beginning to tear. Although the Kingdom had crumbled, there were ¨C in defiance of the odds ¨C new shoots sprouting from its ashes.

    Like life, it regenerated.

    And the cycle of life never stops.

 Chapter 547 - v3c324

    <h4>The Holy War(8)</h4>

    Outside of Ampere Seale¡¯s South Gate, a gentle slope extended towards the foothills of the Marchenko Mountains. The ck forests slowly approached in Brendel¡¯s sights. The young men and women of the Royal Cavalry Academy could not resist cheering out loud. Although the crisis had not been fully resolved yet, everyone¡¯s moods were uplifted and excited from being one step closer to freedom.

    ¡°We¡¯re finally out.¡± Brendel breathed a sigh of relief. After all, hiding in the mountains was much easier than fighting on the streets Especially in Aouine, as the port of Ampere Seale was considered one of the ces most vulnerable to infiltration from the Holy Cathedral of Fire. Fighting on foreign ground always gave people a sense of pressure.

    The participation of Count Audine gave Brendel a big surprise, and he only knew after asking that Count Audine had met with Oberwei toe up with this n long in advance. At that time, if the princess decided to head north, he would have led his soldiers to the northern port of da-Pez to coordinate. But if they chose to head south like in the current situation, the soldiers stationed here would be a powerful hidden force.

    Count Audine also brought in an Archdruid named Wochik. Brendel recognized this person. This Archdruid was a herbalist master living in seclusion within the Marchenko Mountains near Ampere Seale. He specialized in teaching his knowledge on herbalism to yers. But Brendel was not interested in herbalism; rather, he was interested in the information itself. This Archdruid was not a friend of Audine, but he hade out anyway at the request of Master Anderson from the Loop of Trade Winds. The druid had been steadfastly neutral in ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯ and he rarely intervened in worldly affairs. Just like the Grand Elder back then who promised to only defend Valha.

    Now, Anderson had taken the initiative to intervene with Aouine¡¯s civil strife. nobody knew if it was his personal idea or the elder¡¯s. However, it was more likely to be thetter¡¯s, which meant that the Loop of the World might have already acknowledged Brendel¡¯s existence, and approved his actions to a certain extent.

    This was great news. Brendel was different from the norm. Most people thought that the druids were scattered in the forest at the borders, rying messages and information between each other through the Loop of Trade Winds. A powerful force, one that operated solely in the peripheries¨Cas long as you do not mess with them, that is. But Brendel knew about the existence of the Loop of the World and the Druid Loops¡¯ Council, and he knew that if he received approval from both of them, his exploits would be more convenient in the future.

    But all that was meant for the future; there were still present adversities to ovee. After a few words of greeting, Brendel did not want to waste any more time. He immediately ordered the young knights of Royal Cavalry Academy to scatter themselves throughout the Frada Forest. He lifted his head and saw the Dragon Cavalry of the Southern Legion leaving the sky of Ampere Seale in orderly squadrons, while the ck de Squad was beginning to take the initiative. The circling Dragon Cavalry apparently discovered their existence, as part of the team retreated from the battlefield and swooped down towards this direction.

    The pressure from the overhead attack was so immense that the private army under themand of Count Audine immediately panicked, the archers readying their longbows. But it made Brendel doubt very much whether these soldiers had distance-judging skills at all; the best tactic against flying units in ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯ was to wait until the opponent began diving at them before counterattacking. If not, attempts to retaliate would only be just a waste of energy.

    ¡°Stop them from attacking!¡± without dy, Brendel yelled at Count Audine. ¡°Bring them into the forest!¡±

    Count Audine too knew his soldiers were inexperienced. If the Dragon Cavalry attacked, his army would probably fall apart immediately. He nodded, and immediately drove his soldiers into the Frada Forest.

    Carlo, Bet, and Mok were leading the team in front when they noticed the situation behind them. Aouine¡¯s Three Elites tightened the reins to stop the horse and immediately turned back, shouting, ¡°Mr. Brendel, the Royal Cavalry Academy also had training in archery! Let Count Audine hand us the bows and arrows, we can stay behind and cover the retreat!¡±

    ¡°No need for that, just protect the princess,¡± Brendel answered before looking up at the flies above his head, and, without mercy, immediately taking control of the hidden Wind Spirit Spiders and pointing them in that direction. When he had used the Holy Sword Technique to kill Baron Rodu¡¯s knight at the port of Ampere Seale before, it consumed 20~30 Holy Swords. Half of the Holy Swords were still unused, which meant that they could be put to good use now.

    Everyone watched as Brendel stood tall, and a dazzling web of death appeared suddenly in midair. A few Dragon Cavalry had no time to react at all and dove into it headfirst , perishing and turned to ashes midair. The remaining Dragon Cavalry were frightened and hurried to higher altitudes. However, the rays of reddish-golden light, like raindrops made of steel, shed apart their wings and tails, and the dragons fell to the ground.

    Brendel ordered the Wind Spirit Spiders to increase their shooting range, then activated another twenty to thirty Holy Swords, aiming even more urately this time with the help of the experience from the first time. They flew like a long streak of reddish-gold that pierced straight through the Dragon Cavalry¡¯s formation. Six to seven Dragon Cavalry vanished into burning ember before they even knew it.

    With this, the Dragon Cavalry of the ck de Squad¡¯s morale fell apart. They dared note any closer anymore, and after making a loop through the air, retreated hastily. But Brendel did not n to let them go, ordering the Wind Spirit Spiders to chase after and kill them. There were only three to four left when ck de Squad escaped the Wind Spirit Spiders¡¯ attacking range.

    <i>Fools. </i>Brendel shook his head. Honestly, even if he did not have the ¡®Holy Sword Technique¡¯ he would not be afraid of these puny little ¡®flies¡¯ either. Aouine¡¯s Dragon Cavalry were always considered a basic level air cavalry unit amongst Vaunte¡¯s air force and were generally used for reconnaissance. Even among reconnaissance units, there were many restrictions on the Dragon Cavalry; their ground attack ability was wanting, and theycked the ability to fly under tree canopies. In truth, they could be ssified as one of the most useless air forces in Vaunte, only second to the gnomes¡¯ Inferior Demons.

    <i>Where did they even get the guts to attack? Could it be that they really thought the army below them was actually just some private army of the nobility? Did they not stop to think about who it was exactly that defeated the White Lion Legion just moments ago</i>

    He looked back, the private soldiers and the officers who were entering the Frada Forest silent. The earlier scene was just far too exhrating. Just like the young and brave wizard challenging the armies of the Demon King alone, that was a scene that would only happen in bedtime stories. The Aouine soldiers, who were naturally quiet people, could not resist cheering abruptly at that moment.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Mr. Brendel a descendant of Lord Darius? How could he know magic?¡± Princess Gryphine asked curiously.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen him cast magic though,¡± the Wolf Baron shrugged, ¡°and he seems to have knowledge on alchemy. He is quite the all-rounder. I wonder what sort of life he experienced in thest two decades, when Lord Darius disappeared and went incognito. His life should be no different than any normal civilian¡¯s life. Well, it¡¯s not like we could do anything about it.¡± He added.

    Everyone could not help themselves turning their attention to the young wizard on the side. Ciel quickly shook his head and said, ¡°Ah, don¡¯t look at me! In fact, I knew my Lord only a littleter. At least after Miss Freya. But my Lord told me that he was once an apprentice of a wizard, so it¡¯s no surprise...¡±

    Everyone now looked like they understood. But they didn¡¯t notice that Maynild, who was standing at the side, frowned slightly, ncing at Ciel as if the exnation seemed fishy to her.

    Although they repelled the Dragon Cavalry¡¯s attack, their botched offensive had confirmed Brendel¡¯s previous concerns. He allowed his men to break up into the forest. In fact, he had considered this action from the very beginning. The Dragon Cavalry was terrible at fighting ground units, as its low-altitude flight capabilities were atrocious. It would also be extremely difficult to find the dispersed and hidden units just by using the naked eye. Although it would not make the enemypletely lose their trail, it was much better than getting harrassed and not being able to travel anywhere.

    Sure enough, the Dragon Cavalry who drew circles in the air searching for them lost their targets when the young men of the Royal Cavalry Academy and the private soldiers under Count Audine dispersed into the forest. They wanted to move in closer to take a better look, but Brendel showed them his wrath using his Holy Sword. Without any other choice, they had to follow them from a far distance in order not to lose sight of the princess.

    This game of cat and mouse went on for three or four hours. When Brendel finally repelled thest low-altitude attack from the Dragon Cavalry, he stood beside a ck pine tree. He observed the enemy through stacks of pine needles and made sure the enemy was outside his attack range before turning around. Almost everyone was looking at him. While the princess was doing fine¨Cshe hugged her knees and sat silently on a piece of t rock, a little distracted¨Cthe other young men were filled with admiration after witnessing Brendel¡¯s fight with the Dragon Cavalry. He had established his prestige among them, impressive even in the eyes of those noble private soldiers.

    However, Brendel knew clearly that the reason he could be recognized and respected by all of these arrogant young graduates of the Royal Cavalry Academy was probablyrgely because of his identity as a descendant of the Sword Saint ¨C Darius. In all honesty, Brendel would rather not bear such an identity. It was not that he wanted to be a civilian, but that he already knew the Sword Saint Darius might have undergone a trial by the Holy Cathedral for some reason in the past.

    Brendel also knew of the trials of the Holy Cathedral. Ordinary people who were judged would have to go through incredibly brutal punishments, and if they somehow managed to avoid death they woulde out half alive at best. But his grandfather had no punishment imposed on him. The Holy Cathedral might have struck a deal with his grandfather, probably because the Holy Cathedral wanted to bury some past secret. Of course, this did not matter much to Brendel; the more important thing to him was that, since was so brazenly announcing his existence and iming his identity as a descendent of Darius, the Holy Cathedral woulde after him after discovering the truth.

    Brendel felt an oing headache when he thought about this. He finally had a prominent identity, so he did not have to cheat and spread rumors to live a good life. Unfortunately, he had to deal with many troubles before he got to reap the benefits of this ¡®title¡¯. To add another source of stress to his already-encumbered shoulders, the inheritance of the Darkness Dragon was even more outrageous. Not everyone in this world was like Orthylss who had lived for thousands of years and could judge things without prejudice and see them for only their true worth. Due to the inheritance, he was likely to be abhorred by all.

    <i>But this is not the time to worry about all of these things. </i>Brendel raised his head and sighed. ¡°Our enemy is very smart.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Enrique, the one out of Aouine¡¯s three future Sword Saints who had the best ending in ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯ replied with a smile, ¡°I saw that my Lord had no difficulty in defeating them. Even the great ck de Squad¡¯s Dragon Cavalry has no way of dealing with us. As soon as we enter the southern area, we will be as free as birds ¨C ¡°

    Brendel looked at this guy as if he was looking at an idiot, wondering if this guy was really one of the three heroes. <i>Did I make a mistake? Or is it just that the Gods were jealous of smart people, so idiots were allowed live longer?</i>

    Before he could finish that thought, Rouka hit the back of Enrique¡¯s head. He quietly said, ¡°That was why you were told to pay attention in ss, the Lord is saying the Dragon Cavalry have other ns. Don¡¯t forget the ck de Squad is stilling for us.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I understand now!¡± Enrique caught on immediately and said, ¡°These guys were so cunning, sacrificing their best men to dy us.¡±

    ¡°If they were not elites then they wouldn¡¯t be able to dy us,¡± Mok said with confidence. But when he saw Brendel¡¯s amused gaze, he immediately became shy, turning his reddening face away.

    Enrique noticed this small detail, and heughed immediately, ¡°What a brilliant idea, Sir Chambein. I¡¯m very impressed.¡±

    The white-haired Mr. Mok, who had once been the future leader of the Royal Cavalry. The man who lost the bet he made with Brendel and became his vassal was for a moment speechless.

    Brendel looked at Enrique, who lived by causing trouble, and shook his head. <i>This man could not possibly be the long lost brother of Carglise, right?</i>

    ¡°So what should we do?¡± Freya was the only one who took this matter more seriously. She looked at the mapid on the floor and frowned. ¡°Brendel, I assume you have an idea?¡±

    He indeed had a n.

    They could not escape forever; the key point was to find a suitable battlefield to confront their pursuers. The ck de Squad used to be a ck ops group after all, and even if they were weakened during Brendel¡¯s generation they still had nearly fifty thousand men, greater in number and stronger than most private armies. They were superior even whenpared to Aouine¡¯s Southern army. If the Southern Army had brought seven thousand men, the ck de Squad would probably have brought ten thousand.

    So it would not be a problem to mobilize a few tens of thousands of men for Ampere Seale¡¯s battlefield. In addition to the remnants of the White Lion Legion and some other local armies, their opponent¡¯s military strength was in all likelihood overwhelming.

    Brendel, on the other hand, after counting Audine¡¯s team and the remaining members of Danos¡¯ Southern Army¡¯s Dragon Cavalry, would amount to no more than four thousand. The disparity between the enemy¡¯s numbers and their army was outrageous. So Brendel had to choose a special battlefield that was good for facilitating defense, not allowing the enemy to attack them at full force.

    Fortunately, they were in the Marchenko Mountains, with the Farma Mountains lying further in advance. These two mountains were the northern branches of the Arreck Mountain Ranges, which were areas meant for the level 25-30s in the game. Brendel was quite familiar with this area, so a specific ce quickly came to mind.

    He was about to say something when he felt something heat up in his pocket. Brendel scooped the thing out immediately. It was a ck pearl.

    Brendel raised his eyebrows. <i>We have a guest. What a pleasant surprise. </i>

 Chapter 548 - v3c325

    <h4>The Holy War(9)</h4>

    The guests were obviously Brendel¡¯s acquaintances ¨C the Grey Fins Nagas. The pearl, delivered from Sani, was a gift from Winter Dew, Queen of the Nagas. It was some sort of magical tool used formunication between Nagas. Unfortunately, the production of this tool was limited, preventing all the important people around him from posessing one as well.

    As soon as the ck pearl glowed, Brendel immediately realized that Sani had arrived. The ones who reacted, however, first were the White Lion Battalion soldiers stationed as lookouts. The young soldiers from Trentheim naturally recognized the Nagas and led them directly over to Brendel¡¯s party.

    The first thing that Brendel saw was the sturdy, taller-than-average Sani the female Naga beside him. While female Nagas could be alluring by human standards ¨C as was the one next to Sani ¨C they were still far from actually being human. Female Nagas all had sharp, pointy ears, smooth skin, and three thin gills above the corbone, and, just like male Nagas, their lower halves were those of snakes.

    Brendel was a little confused in the beginning about the reason why Sani did not meet up with Amandina and sail together to Trentheim. But once he saw the female Naga, he immediately understood the reason. He recognized the female Naga too ¨C she was Bridget, the giant sea monster. She was also one of the main priestesses of Queen Winter Dew.

    In the Naga n, those who conducted rituals and those in charge of wars were all women. Although Sani was a warrior, he was only a front-line soldier. Even though Saniter obtained the power to lead the tribe of the Grey Fins Nagas from a series of coincidences, he was an exception. The Nagas were still usually a matriarchal tribe society.

    Noble female Nagas like Bridget typically appeared in the army under the identity of being priestesses, but were in fact probably there to supervise the army.

    Brendel now understood the other party hade to form an alliance with him. Her appearance also exined where the Coast Guards in the ports of Ampere Seale had gone. It seemed like the Naga tribe had already decided right from the beginning that they wanted to participate in this war.

    It confirmed Brendel¡¯s prediction when the other party opened his mouth to speak. ¡°My Lord, we came under the orders of the queen and in ordance with the sacredws of the alliance made with the Holy Cathedral. We are here to fight side by side with our human allies.¡± Bridget spoke Kirrlutz¡¯snguage very well, with barely a hint of the typical Naga¡¯s ent or the coarse and deep notes of Sani¡¯s Kirrlutz..

    When she brought up the name of the queen, she bowed slightly to Brendel. That bow was not for Brendel but instead was in respect for her own queen.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes sparkled. As a yer, he was very sensitive to small details and he was familiar with the customs of the Naga. It looked like Winder Dew, Queen of the Nagas, wanted an equal rtionship with him, or else their aid would have just ended there. But he would pass on believing anything about the Covenant of the Gods anything else of the sort; if such things really were effective, the Holy War between the four Holy Cathedrals would not have happened.

    It was a bold move; there was obviously some kind of political investment behind such grandiose excuses.<i> But what exactly does the Queen see in me? As far as the rest of the world is concerned, I¡¯m just the little lord of Trentheim.</i>

    Bridget kept silent after she finished speaking, obviously not giving Brendel the chance to satisfy his curiosity. He did not bother to ask Sani either, taking into consideration the male Naga¡¯s current lower status.

    Brendel, however, was never someone who would refuse to let things go. It was better to have reinforcements than not, so all he simply epted the alliance with peace of mind. He now owed a favor to the queen, which might have been her motive from the start. But Brendel was not worried, as he could afford it.

    The arrival of the Grey Fins Nagas had caused amotion. After hearing that they were allies, amotion quickly spread among the surrounding youths. Oberwei could not resist poking fun at Brendel for being a lord of robbers, as the people under him were all bandits and pirates. But of course, it was just a joke, as only admirationy in the Wolf Baron¡¯s gaze.

    Someone who only raised private armies versus someone who made friends with all parties ¨C the difference between these two types of people was huge. Many nobles in Aouine, especially that worthless Count Graudin, raised their own private armies. They seem to be capable of doing so from birth without need to be taught. On the other hand, in order to make friends with other strong parties, one not only needed to be strong, but to possess a certain amount of charisma.

    The problem was that Brendel had <i>too </i>many powerful acquaintances. The Nagas and the Druids were forces that ordinary people could never hope to ever interact with. Humans were worthless in the eyes of these powerful races. To the druids, nobles and civilians were no different. To the Nagas, the nobles were like fat sheep waiting to be ughtered.

    But Brendel had earned their recognition. And there was only one word that could describe him-

    A ¡®freak¡¯.

    But there was one person who gave him aplicated look. Brendel could even clearly sense that, aside from recognition, there was also vignce in the eyes of this half-elf princess, and he knew the reason for this vignce all too well.

    With the addition of the Grey Fin Nagas, Princess Gryphine¡¯s¡¯ army had grown to six thousand people. Everyone seemed to have a little hope now, especially Count Audine¡¯s private army, who no longer looked so panicked. At first, Brendel had been genuinely afraid that these soldiers would desert at the drop of a hat.

    After asking, Brendel found out that Sani and his Grey Fin Nagas followed the coastline of Ampere Seale¡¯s harbor to catch up with Brendel. ording to Sani¡¯s description, when they had defeated the Coast Guards, they found out that Brendel had already evacuated out of Ampere Seale. At that time, the ck de Squad hadpletely assembled in the south of Ampere Seale. Sani took the initiative and ordered all the Nagas to evacuate along the river channel in the city, moving into the offshore bay of Ampere Seale. Then they were able to move ontond at Denggan Bay before finally intercepting Brendel¡¯s group.

    The terrain of Ampere Seale was very special. Thends to the north and south converged to form a crescent-shaped bay. The center of this was the strait of Ampere Seale. The northern terrain was t, but the southern terrain was riddled with many steep cliffs. This uniquendscape could be seen when taking a boat out to sea. The south of Ampere Seale¡¯s port was basically just a knife-sharp line of sea cliffs. The bottom of the sea was densely covered by obscure reefs and rocks and it was difficult for boats to get close to the shoreline.

    There were two disembarking points to the south. One of them, Denggan Bay, was too shallow a shore for boats to dock, and basically only the Nagas who could disembark onto the bay. Adding to that, there were underwater currents and hidden reefs at the bottom of the bay. Brendel knew this very well, so he dismissed the idea of heading out into the sea from Denggan Bay. Further south was St. White Bay. This was further away from the port of Ampere Seale and was the only anchorage in this area.

    <i>Looking at the current situation, it seems unlikely for us to avoid the ck de Squad if we move out now.</i>

    But then, the addition of the Grey Fin Nagas into his troops gave him another idea.

    Brendel immediately rolled out the parchment map. The surrounding officers of the Royal Calvary Academy knew that their mander¡¯ was strategizing and forming a n so they all gathered around him. Oberwei and Count Audine also stood beside him, one on his left and the other on his right.

    ¡°You got an idea?¡± Oberwei asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Brendel nodded, ¡°I have a vague concept, but it needs to be tested.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that Master has some tricks up his sleeves to get rid of those nasty flying guys in the sky?¡± Enrique asked while giggling.

    ¡°Brendel, can we wait till night to take advantage of the darkness and get rid of the Dragon Cavalry?¡± Freya also asked.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Count Audine replied. He had served in the ck de Squad and in the Southern army before, making him the person who knew the most about the Dragon Cavalry, ¡°The real name of the Dragon Cavalry¡¯s mount is Eruya Dragon. They mainly live on the northern teau. They are nocturnal creatures, trained Dragon Cavalry have no difficulties tracking their targets at night.¡±

    <i>They are so annoying, they can chase us all day long. </i>Brendel ranted in his heart, but this fact was already known to him. In the game, he also served as a Dragon Cavalry and had a pretty clear understanding of the Eruya Dragon. Therefore, he had no such delusional ideas right from the start, ¡°Well, unless knives rain down from the skies, we won¡¯t get rid of the other party. After all, they fly and we can only walk.¡± Brendel said.

    He said it yfully and everyone could not help but smile.

    ¡°We are also dead if the skies rain knives, Brendel.¡± Only Freya gave him an unamused stare.

    ¡°So we have to face the ck de Squad sooner orter. At our current rate, they will tach up as early as tomorrow afternoon.¡± Rouka, the head of the three heroes responded quickly, then said calmly, ¡°No, it won¡¯t even take that long. The ck de Squad will catch up to us even earlier.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re weak in the mountains, maybe we can get back at them?¡± Bet murmured.

    ¡°Then we will lose time,¡± Maynild said quietly, then she nced at Brendel. Despite having always been the army¡¯smander, she showed no dissatisfaction towards Brendel at the moment

    Brendel also found a quality in this female knight that he appreciated very much. This quality was her obedience. She was calm, serious, and was absolutely obeyed to orders. Even he could not do so. She was a truly outstanding soldier.

    But since she was a girl and looked exactly like his senior, it was a little hard for him to ept.

    Oberwei did not speak, seemingly waiting for these young men to speak up. Brendel also thought the same way; he wanted to take this opportunity to witness the true strength of these three heroes of Aouine.

    Rouka thought for a moment, then replied, ¡°Our time advantage will be lost sooner orter. At least before that, we can decide on where and how to fight the ck de Squad.¡±

    <i>Exactly.</i>

    <i>Taking our advantage in time and turning it into a geographical advantage. </i>Brendel secretly praised him. This leader of the three Aouine heroes deserved his fame; his ideas actually coincided with Brendel¡¯s. Even Brendel took a long time toe up with this idea, andpared to Rouka¡¯s instantaneous judgment, he was still a littlecking.

    Fortunately, he had never considered himself a geniusmander. The only reason why he was here was that he had far more knowledge than everyone else in this timeline. But it was enough.

    ¡°What¡¯s the goal of this battle?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious, we have to stay vignt and await reinforcements,¡± Enrique replied.

    ¡°So where will the battlefield be?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to the rolled-out map, including Brendel. They were moving eastwards to leave the port of Ampere Seale, into the Marchenko Mountains, and now they were slightly to the south of Landin¡¯s foothill manor.

    Landin¡¯s foothill manor was a famousndmark near Ampere Seale. It was called a manor, but it was actually a mountain inn built like a fortress. The manor was located in the des approximately a dozen miles east of the port of Ampere Seale and was surrounded by mountains. It was also located on the mountain pass connecting Ampere Seale to the Arreck province, a pass anyone traveling from one ce to the other had to go through.

    This was because it was the only avenue near here. There were a few ways to go about this avenue. In fact, they were in the southeast part of Ampere Seale near the mountains. There was another avenue south of Ampere Seale which led to Frada-Pesilin. They were in between both of thosendmarks.

    This area was also a 25-30 level adventuring area known to Brendel. There was a defensive fort further south of Ampere Seale and beside it was a sawmill nearby which supplied charcoal to Aouine daily. Brendel had done countless missions in that area.

    There was also a small iron ore mine nearby. Because of the huge charcoal supply, arge number of cksmith viges had emerged in that area around the Year of Harvest (Year 360). With the defensive fort as the center, to the easty mountains, and to the west was a gentle coastal area with a dense poption.

    Brendel¡¯s gaze fell on this area, and he drew a line with a premeditated n in mind.

    The young people were arguing.

    Carglise believes that they should take advantage of their small-numbered yet elite troops to block the ck de Squad in the Farma Valley. This valley prated into the northern part of Arreck. The terrain was dangerous, but made it perfect for an ambush.

    Enrique, however, believed they should enter the Farma Mountains through the northern main branch of the Arreck Mountains. The would use the advantage of having fewer but individually stronger soldiers circle the enemies as they retreated. This was an unusual but great idea.

    Brendel heard and he realized, <i>This is gueri warfare! We can use that as the alternative.</i>

    His mind had wandered for but a minute, the dispute over there bingfierce. Enrique mocked the rigidity of Carglise¡¯s mindset and his Military Dogmatism. Carglise returned by saying how crude his methods were, uncivilized as banditry.

    The argument between both parties did note to a conclusion; Bet supported Carglise¡¯s point of view, while Mok thought that Enrique¡¯s was better. Only Freya, Rouka, and Maynild looked at Brendel.

    Brendel smiled slightly and pointed somewhere on the map. ¡°Let us hold a grand banquet for the ck de Squad right here.¡±

    Everyone directed their attention to the location under Brendel¡¯s fingertip and saw the location he was pointing to was not far from their current position. He drew a line directed towards a ce called the Mar Hignds.

    <i>What kind of ce was that? </i>

    Everyone saw that the ce on the map was obviously not the most defensible ce. The Mar Hignds was a teau, and although it was also the intersection of three mountains, the open area was a t alluvial in, making it suitable for an army to spread out. Battling here would be a problem. If Brendel had not taken the lead earlier andmnaded them to kill their way out, everyone present ¨C including Carglise ¨C would have suspected him to be a spy of the Northern Army.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel......?¡±

    ¡°Believe me, this is the best option.¡± Brendelughed slightly and said, ¡°I would not joke about my own life, right?¡±

    ¡°But why?¡± Freya asked.

    <i>The reason is very simple. </i>Brendel grinned to himself secretly. <i>This ce, the Mar Hignds, was the nightmare of countless yers. </i>There was an instance dungeon known as the ¡°Ruins of the Afiga Cathedral¡± in Mar Hignds. Afiga was a famous demon king in Vaunte, apparently rumored to be an actual devil. In truth, this cathedral had little to do with him, but it was upied by a group of Wind Elemental monsters from the Mountain of Quelled Storms. But the dungeon was buried deep down in the ground, and might not have even been discovered during this century yet.

    This cathedral was released in ater release of the game. There was also a small prerequisite quest for it. Brendel could totally imagine how big of a trouble the ck de Squad would be in if he were to dig out the entire thing. All the yers who challenged it at that time were defeated, and it was not until five years after the release that someone finally managed toplete this dungeon.

    Not to mention that in front of the Mar Hignds were the gathering grounds of the Redback Boar monsters. Without knowing the correct route, these herd creatures of level twenty and above would be enough entertainment for their enemies.

    Brendel felt like bursting intoughter just from the thought.

    Besides, it would lower the enemies¡¯ vignce by choosing that ce.

    But he decided not to say anything. Although the students of the Royal Cavalry Academy were trustworthy, it was hard to say when it came down to the private soldiers under Audine.

    He waved his hand to signal everyone else to stop discussing among themselves. Brendel had already built up his prestige as amander, and although the young people still had some doubts about him, they still believed theirmander would be a great leader.

    ¡°This ce is actually an upside-down triangle. If we guard two of the hills, we might be able to defend ourselves. I think our Lord has his own considerations... But isn¡¯t this ce too close to the fort of Ampere Seale?¡± Rouka frowned and asked.

    ¡°Exactly the opposite; we are going to attack along this line,¡± Brendel said while pointing to the manor.

    ¡°Ah, What? Seriously?¡± Enrique immediately stood up. ¡°Lord, this seems to be unnecessary. If you are just wanting to show off our military prestige and put those northern people in shock...... Okay, I admit that we are already very powerful.¡±

    ¡°No, it is necessary.¡± Brendel gave him a smile. Then he turned around and said to Sani, ¡°Sani, can you and your men sense your Demon Whales?¡±

    Sani was stunned for a moment, then nodded his head.

    ¡°Then please bring them along with you and go immediately. You must bring Miss Amandina to me by tonight.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    Brendel rolled up the parchment and said to the others, ¡°All of you, go prepare for battle. And don¡¯t forget to beat the shit out of our enemies!¡±

    Everyone exchanged doubtful looks, but all they could do was to stand up and bow.

 Chapter 549 - v3c326

    <h4>The Holy War(10)</h4>

    The mountain range was covered with the radiant glow of the sun as it set by the sea, basking the ocean surface with a golden light. The skies began to darken, and the moon slowly became visible.

    Just as the sergeants expected, a line of troops appeared behind them.

    Brendel received news that it was the patrol party on the outer perimeter that met the enemies first. They were the same light cavalry which had appeared earlier, and ording to the reports made by a girl named Bessie, after a little skirmish, the enemies left behind their allies and fallen teammates as they scrambled to escape and notify their superiors.

    Upon further interrogation, Brendel realized that they belonged to the Finn division of the ck de Squad. The ck de Squad¡¯sposition was fairly different from the White Lion Legion from back in King Erik¡¯s days, and they closely resembled the Roman armies back in his previous life exceptrger in scale.

    The ck de Squad wasposed of divisions of 4500 men per column which were then divided into teams of hundreds and tens. Supposedly, there were about twenty divisions in the ck de Squad, each named after themander they were affiliated under.

    Finn¡¯s division naturally meant themander belonged to the Finn family from Narik.

    Brendel¡¯s knowledge about these divisions was nothing to scoff at. Although the ck de Squad was a secret army of the Royal Family, the Royal Family only took directmand of one or twomanders. Even the princess could not exin in as much detail as Brendel in regard to theposition of the ck de Squad.

    With such knowledge, Brendel knew that their enemies camped in Narik, which was to the south of Covardo¡¯s region but to the north of Seifer¡¯s region. The armies were usually poor natives that lived in the mountains. The Finn division was the best Hignd Light Infantry division there was.

    <i>They might actually be the ones who are chasing us.</i> Brendel thought. Normally, the best troops at pursuing the enemies were knights or the Dragon Cavalry. But due to the terrain, Finn division¡¯s Hignd Infantry would have a better chance of navigating through the mountains.

    In The Amber Sword, soldiers usually had a certain set of characteristics to them; for example, the White Lion Legion¡¯s loyalty and pride were their most obvious characteristics. With loyalty, they could respond to their leaders quicker, and with pride, they would never falter in any situation.

    The Hignd Infantry had only one characteristic: Adaptability in the mountains and the forests.

    This was something very easy to exin. It meant that they would not be affected by the harsh terrain of the mountains. In fact, they even made use of it as an advantage. Against normal soldiers who were less useful in the mountains, these Hignd Infantry were far stronger than their normal states.

    Plus, they were up against the rookies that just graduated from the Royal Cavalry Academy. Although these graduates were close to their destination, it was still one day¡¯s worth of journey.

    <i>It doesn¡¯t matter who it is, we still have to execute this n. But we do not have much time left.</i> Brendel thought.

    The bronze watch¡¯s hand crossed the 7 o¡¯clock mark, and the Dragon Cavalry disappeared from their sight. Although those dragons had night vision and could battle in the dark, their riders had to be prepared for more drawn-outbat.

    Count Audine had pointed that out beforehand, and he also said that they only had an hour¡¯s worth of time until the Dragon Cavalry came back. Brendel had to utilize that time wisely and prepare an ambush point, so he gave orders the patrol knights, sending them into designated positions.

    Although it sounded easy to execute, the process was arduous. But it was no trouble to the scouts from the Royal Cavalry Academy. They had learned all of it back in the Academy. Plus, after their training with Makarov who was known far and wide as a trickster, they gained a lot of experience in setting traps and luring their enemies into them.

    And so, Brendel¡¯s scouts always acted as if they coincidentally met the enemy¡¯s scouts. Even if those enemies were beaten every time they met them, the ck de Squad could grasp the princess¡¯s position and be lured towards her.

    These skirmishes confirmed Brendel¡¯s musings that the people chasing them were the Hignd Infantry from the Finn division and were led by Baron Wallen who was still oblivious that he was falling into a trap. Moreover, he was charging towards Brendel at full speed.

    Usually, Baron Wallen was a cautious man. He knew that his duty was just to dy Brendel¡¯s troops and not annihte the enemy. In fact, he did not have such an intention. With the information from the scouts, he knew that his enemy outnumbered his men.

    But for some reason, he did not know that his opponent defeated even the White Lion Legion. Even Duke Seifer and Count Yoakam did not know how much the White Lion Legion had suffered in Brendel¡¯s hands. They believed Brendel and his men only managed to break through the encirclement by chance.

    After all, who would believe that the White Lion Legion lost terribly to merely 200 newbies? If Baron Wallen knew about it, he would have been more careful about entering Brendel¡¯s perimeter.

    But there were no ¡®ifs¡¯ in war. And in days toe, Baron Wallen would be reminded of the terror he felt on the day when he came face to face with demonized boars.

    The Redback Boars were one of the specialties on the Silver Sea Cliff. Although they were not considered a cmity yet, once the Demonic Waves arrived, they would have an appalling series of battles with the Coast Guards. Back then, Brendel had experienced through the pain of going up against them, but right now, it was Baron Wallen¡¯s turn.

    An infant Redback Boar had the power of a high-tier Iron-ranker while an adult could reach level 25, the peak of Iron rank. And the most troublesome part was that they attacked in groups. tThey were known to attack in swarms at the very least.

    Unlike Brendel who remained wary of his surroundings, Baron Wallen and hisrge troop of soldiers immediately enraged the hordes of demonized boars. In the end, their casualties due to the boars exceeded even the attacks by the scouts.

    And. in an attempt to get away from the precarious situation, they could only hope to escape past the mountains and onto the ins. Though he could not do that as he needed to keep a certain distance from the princess¡¯s army to stay out of range of their perception magic, he did not care anymore.

    As expected, he traveled into Brendel¡¯s vision.

    Baron Wallen ordered his men to stay in formation and walk in a line down the valley. Meanwhile, Brendel was hiding in bushes a hundred or so meters away. Behind him were the longbow archers from the Royal Cavalry Academy.

    All of them unnoticed by Baron Wallen.

    Bridget and her team of Nagas began to chant. Ampere Seale had only just experienced a heavy storm, and the air was still humid, which made their water-based magics more efficient. Arge illusion nketed the entire valley, making the trees and as the bushes around Baron Wallen seemed a little more abundant some noise cancetion effects also began to take ce. [TL: Can I hire you to improve my earbuds?]

    It had a simple spell, and the effect was stronger when cast on Wallen¡¯s entire troop. He and his men walked in circles, even after they realized they had somehow been trapped.

    Outside of the illusion¡¯s range, Brendel and his men could onlyugh.

    But the sergeants realized just how terrifying the effects of magic were. It was truly scary. Their enemies werepletely immobilized. Although they had known of magic¡¯s potency from books, seeing it with their own eyes was a different matter.

    Brendel noticed their expressions and nodded to himself. <i>These people will face far stronger enemies in the future. Vaunte doesn¡¯t only have weak troops like those in Aouine. In the future when we face Madara or even the Kirrlutz, we have to prepare ourselves.</i>

    Baron Wallen had his own mages too. Amongst them, the most experienced one was a high leveled mage at the Silver rank. In The Amber Sword, those at mid Silver rank were about level 29 ~ 32 and had mastered tier four magic. Although he was still not a master, he was at least a high leveled mage.

    But unfortunately, he was no match for Ciel, a grandmaster in the Gold rank. Brendel let the Nagas handle the illusion spells while letting his mage attendant deal with the countermeasures their enemies might take. As a mage who specialized in the study and application of Laws, he was quite talented at canceling magics. Once he made a move, the mages on Baron Wallen¡¯s side were soon disabled like their allies. They did not even realize their magic had been nullified, only vageuly feeling that something was out of ce..

    Finn¡¯s division¡¯s Hignd Infantry had about 1500 men in it, and Baron Wallen was a passablemander. The coordination he and his men had previously disyed when navigating the forests was, quite frankly, fairly impressive.

    Brendel waited until more than half of the enemy passed by them, up until their troops were closest to his own, before he raised the Shale Longbow in his hands.

    The bow glowed emitted a weak grey glow that wrapped the arrow, turning it into a stone encased Shale Arrow. It was the the Shale Longbow. For most situations Brendel found himself in, the bow was too low leveled, and was not effective at dealing with high leveled enemies.

    But here, its potential was brought outpletely.

    Brendel targeted Baron Wallen and the men closest to him.

    They did not even realize they were being watched by a sniper.

    He estimated the distance and humidity in the air, and he let go of the bowstring.

    There was no wind.

    Besides nting a little downwards, the arrow flew in a straight line at the baron¡¯s horse.

    ¡°I¡¯ve lost my touch,¡± he shook his head.

    Warriors in The Amber Sword were not merely musclemen. Warrior was a ss, and it had Mercenary as one of its subtypes. These people were versatile in using all kinds of weapons and defensive equipment in battle. Brendel was once a level 130 grandmaster and was skilled in using all manner of arms, but it had been far too long since hest held a bow.

    Barron Wallen heard the whistling sound. It was a sound he knew all too well, and the mages around him reacted quickly by raising a Wind Shield. They were, however, still toote, as the arrow was shot from too close a distance.

    An arrow shot from 100 meters away was practically no different from an arrow shot at point-nk range. Its flight was so quick that it made it past the shield before it fully manifested.

    ¡°Watch out, my lord!¡± the knight next to Baron Wallen, a Silver ranker shrieked as he yanked out his sword to cut the arrow. But before he could bring his de down, it exploded with a ¡®bang¡¯.

    A sh of white light surrounded everyone close by, shocking them all. There were loud screams, and when it was over, the people closest to it had been turned to stone, including the knight who had attempted to cut the arrow down and his steed.

    Seven knights and two mages as well as Baron Wallen.

    Only one mage managed to escape. But even he wasn¡¯t unscathed, having had one of his arms turned to stone, the rock continuing to grow onto his neck as he stumbled away. He immediately ced his right palm onto his left arm, and with a sh, the petrified area shattered.

    ¡°Enemy attack!¡± he yelled as he scrambled for the staff next to him.

    But it was toote. In an instant, the forest was filled with sounds of arrows flying through the air.

    Brendel stowed away his bow. It was a Bronze leveled magic weapon. Although incapable of dealing with Elemental Awakeners, or even some Gold rankers, it was overkill to use it against these pawns.

    ¡°Ah! A magic bow?!¡± Someone¡¯s shocked whisper could be heard from behind him.

    Brendel looked back to see the girl names Bessie looking at his bow. ¡°You want it?¡± he asked. A good bow important to any scout, and Brendel did not need it. To him, a weapon at that grade was trash.

    ¡°Ah! I- It¡¯s No- Nothing.¡± Bessie blushed a little. Although she was born a tomboy and was often a little rude, she could not just ask for something that belonged to hermander. Her squeal just now was no more than an ident.

    ¡°Haha. My lord, of course she wants it. She¡¯s just embarrassed to say so.¡± A sergeant nearby chuckled. Brendel did not have amanding air to him. They acted respectfully towards him, but they did not fear him.

    Brendel looked at the person who spoke and was surprised to recognize him.

    <i>I believe he was called Hond. Back when Carglise rescued him from the White Lion Legion, he seemed to be interested in this girl, Bessie. Hmmm... I think they might have been married back in the game.</i>

    Brendel smirked with amusement and tossed the bow to him, ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you then. As to how you want to pass it on to thisdy here, it¡¯ll depend on your abilities.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± he looked away with a blush decorating his cheeks. He did not expect his intentions to be exposed. When he looked back, he realized that Bessie had turned to join the fight without even looking at him.

    ¡°My lord, this...¡± Hond revealed a downcast face.

    ¡°Aiyaya...¡± Brendel thought in his heart, <i>I can only help you this much, my friend. It¡¯s a Bronze tier magic weapon, you know! It was worth around 200 Taels back in the game!</i>

    The only reason he couldugh in this situation was because he did not care about this ambush¡¯s oue from the beginning. As long as Maynild and Count Audine were in charge of the situation here, there was no way they could lose.

    In reality, although Finn¡¯s Hignd Infantry was a subdivision known for their mobility, their fame came mainly from their efforts back when Anson the Sixth rebelled and during the previous Holy War. But after the Eleven Months War, there were less courageous additions from the ck de Squad into their ranks. Although they were persistent people, they did not have the undying bravery the White Lion Legion had in the face of a sneak attack.

    ording to their system, which was even older than the White Lion Legion¡¯s, there were three main groups under the subdivision, with ten smaller groups under each of those three. Each of those smaller groups was led by amander. And many of those powerful people were turned to stone with that arrow just now!

    Without their leaders, they were a mess.

    Due to the effectiveness of the surprise attack, the twenty Naga mages did not need to maintain their illusion spells anymore. They summoned hail and ice struck their enemies at high speeds. The hailstones were not pebbles that could be blocked with mere shields. They were fist-sized, magically reinforced icebergs and each could prate normal armors.

    Obviously the Hignd Infantry could not withstand the attack any longer. After one round of bombardment, all that was left was a pile of corpses and fleeing soldiers.

    Lacking theirmanders, everyone capable of running fled, and those that couldn¡¯t did their best to hide.

    And how could a separated army have anybat power?

    All that awaited the Hignd Infantry were the private armies and the Royal Cavalry who allied with the princess, whose soldiers already outmatched the infantry individually. Even if they wanted to regroup, they would be assaulted by hailstones again. They had nowhere to go.

    In ten minutes, they broke downletely. Some surrendered while others ran away.

    Brendel did not want to chase those who ran as it was too much of a hassle for him.

    From the beginning till the end, it took less than half an hour to annihte them. The skies were not even dark yet!

    Brendel was looking at his watch while they battled. <i>We still have a quarter of an hour before the Dragon Cavalry returns. Everything is turning out surprisingly smoothly this time!</i>

    He looked at the enemy soldiers who were running away and heaved a sigh of relief. His worries were gone and all uncertainties regarding his n had been dealt with. As for the enemies who were running away-

    They were bait for a bigger fish.

 Chapter 550 - v3c327

    <h4>The Holy War(11)</h4>

    Viscount Finn from Narik, apanied by several knights in dark blue tabards climbed up a hignd near the Acropolis of Bueno. He held up the telescope and observed the zed northern Acropolis of Ampere Seale.

    In the narrow field of view of the telescope, he saw a corner of the Acropolis of Bueno that hadpletely copsed. Some remnants of the rocks were melted and crystalized, and thick smoke rose into the air. Based on his experience, the opponent had used a type of fireball spell to first destroy the city wall and then charged into the city. More than a hundred Coast Guards had deserted before even trying to defend.

    Viscount Finn did not say a word. <i>So is this the defense wall of Ampere Seale¡¯s Coast Guards told me about, which he bragged could not be destroyed? </i>The wall was old and its defensive ability was lesser than half of some fortresses in the north, and some of the forts were covered with moss. If it was not for the wretched g with the anchor, he would have thought of this ce as an abandoned ancient fortress. Not to mention its soldiers¡¯ incapability to battle.

    Very quickly, the news the scouting knights had returned testified to his hypothesis. The princess¡¯ army should have passed through this area sometime between eight to nine at night. The news from the Dragon Cavalry supported this evidence too, but the scouting knights still found some injured Coast Guards. ording to some soldier witnesses, a small unit of the princess¡¯ sneaked into the vicinity of the castle, two women ¡ª to be precise, two powerful sorceresses blew the wall down with their fireball skill, then the light cavalry barged in and ¡®defended with their lives¡¯ but eventually failed.

    But Viscount Finn obtained news from a more reliable source that said that in truth, the small unit which took action was not any powerful sorceress, but a tall and a short female fairy, both of young age. They seemed like they wanted to use their fireball skill to test the strength of the defense wall. But due tock of maintenance and umtion of moisture during the storm, it was destroyed uponing into contact with heat. More than ten Coast Guards died, which was the only loss for the Coast Guards during the battle.

    Then the light cavalry of the Royal Cavalry Academy swarmed in through the notch. The Coast Guards immediately put down their weapons and surrendered, and only a few of them managed to escape into the wild.

    ¡°The kingdom is full of useless bastards.¡± Viscount Finn said in anger.

    But he did not raise his voice too loud as the ck de Squad¡¯s performance was not in any way better. And this was the core reason why he was angry. In the afternoon, Baron Wallen who promised to contain the princess¡¯ army brought the Hignd Infantry divison along with him to ¡®visit¡¯ their enemy. Not only did he lose his life, but less than three hundred of the entire army returned. Viscount Finn did not know how he was going to exin this to Count Vitokin.

    And those gangsters who were usually arrogant were ruthlessly beaten up, they couldn¡¯t even port speak clearly anymore. Viscount Finn hated this. More importantly, Baron Wallen¡¯s miscalction indirectly affected his judgment and those nonsensical mountain gangsters made him miss his opportunity. Of course, Viscount Finn was too embarrassed to admit that he was terrified at the thought of the princess turning back to engulf his entire army, which wasn¡¯t impossible. As a result, he panicked and transferred back to the Dragon Cavalry unit. The consequences of it were obvious.

    At this moment, everything could be seen clearly. The princess¡¯ army had cunningly turned to attack the Acropolis of Bueno and managed to take all the food stored. What put him even more on the spot was that they even set all the nearby noble¡¯s manors on fire.

    The noblemen were in a rage and looking for his superior, Count Vitokin. The local nobility spread out all around in Aouine yed a big role, so even a man with authority like Vitokin would not dare to offend them. <i>Count Vitokin might not let this matter slide this time.</i>

    Fortunately, he was not left totally empty-handed. He put the copper telescope down with one hand, with a parchment report clutched in the other. This report was delivered by the Dragon Cavalry, and with the certification of the Acropolis officer, it was confirmed that the princess had another unit with her: the Mercenaries of Lopez.

    And this was aligned with the previous information.

    Viscount Finn kept the information and observed the wrecked Bueno area in detail, then he wiped his sleeve and walked down the high ground. Apanied by several knights, he got on his horse and headed to the nearby pine forest.

    Count Vitokin was waiting for him.

    Vitokin was standing at a clearing in the forest. In front of him was Yoakam, Duke Seifer, Leider Dulo and a few seniors from the Northern Army of Marquis Balta. If they got caught together right here, the Northern Army near Ampere Seale¡¯s copse would only be a matter of time.

    Unfortunately, there were ten Pdins in robes with golden-red embroidery and me Swords were surrounding the forest area, who would never let that happen.

    Vitokin took a look at the paper report and flicked his pale finger gently, with no expression on his face. It was not that he was heartless, but losing a whole unit of Hignd Infantry as not a big deal. They were not his core forces after all. Although the Grey Mountains area was his territory, the hignd people were untamed and had never been submissive.

    <i>It is good for the barbarians to suffer a little bit. </i>What did make his heart ache was the death of a loyal member, Baron Wallen.

    He handed the parchment to the others, then he lifted his head and looked at the middle-aged man in a red robe with a silver gothic te armor who was standing in the middle, obviously in a respected position. This person had a unique look, his face was sharp and long, but the two bunches of curly beard gave him a unique sense of prestige. He also had a pair of thick golden eyebrows and sky blue eyes, and the look in his eye was as sharp as a sword.

    ¡°Master Williams, it seems that the White Lion Legion¡¯s judgment was right. The princess indeed has something we could not have expected.¡± Count Vitokin showed an expression of respect without even the slightest pretense. Even when he encountered Archbishop Moros he was just respectful, but in front of this middle-aged man, he was like a mouse encountering a cat.

    This man was the reserved instructor of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, the Deputy Head of the Pdins, Duke Drenc (1) of the Kirrlutz Empire: Williams.

    If Brendel was here, he would have recognized this person in one nce, this person¡¯s status in the Kirrlutz Empire was no different to that of Veronica and it could be considered to be high above the archbishop of Ampere Seale. His own strength also surpassed Veronica¡¯s by a hair¡¯s width. It was said he was at the final stage of the Peak of Laws and was just one step from reaching the Ultimate Realm.

    However, this person was an outright country chauvinist and a pure Kirrlutz nobleman. It was assumed that he did not care about Aouine at all. Although he knew that the country of Aouine was differentpared to other smaller countries and had a special significance to the kingdom of Kirrlutz, he came here this time just to clean up some mess. He also came to, obviously, reim Oderfeiss, the ming de back.

    Williams nodded proudly, but did not answer.

    ¡°But we have almost finished investigating. The princess¡¯ army is not her private soldiers nor from the Royal Faction. The Royal Faction has clearly parted ways with her, so it is most likely that the soldiers she has are from a young man named Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Williams raised his eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard that there was such a noble from your kingdom. Is he from the Holy Cathedral of Wind?¡±

    ¡°There are some connections.¡± Count Vitokin smiled coldly, ¡°This man is about twenty years old, the first time he appeared was in Be......¡±

    The deputy leader of the Pdins frowned when he heard the name ¡°Be¡±.

    ¡°......Then he gathered a group of criminals and stirred upmotions in Trentheim. At first, we mistakenly judged that this man was just an ordinary spy for the princess, but we realized we were totally wrong afterwards.¡±

    Count Vitokin looked at Marquis Yoakam, then Yoakam hurriedly replied, ¡°The first time I saw this person was in the cathedral. He was at least a Gold ranker¡±

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re saying this person is just twenty years old but he has gold-ranked powers?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, when I first saw him, he was honored by Archbishop Wood to be a Holy Knight. My subordinate shook hands with him once, the Archbishop can be my witness.¡± The marquis continued.

    ¡°Okay, I believe you. But since this person is willing to be devoted to the Holy Cathedral, he has potential.¡± Williams replied calmly.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case then it¡¯s fine. But I didn¡¯t expect it to be a ploy to break into the Holy Knight¡¯s rank. Later, there was evidence that indicates that he was secretly supporting the princess to inspire a rebellion and organized a religious purging assault and the killing of noblemen.

    ¡°You¡¯re implying that this person was actually a spy of the All for One cult or the Shepherd Cult?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not only that, Master.¡± Marquis Yoakam replied respectfully, ¡°When I saw him for the second time, he was with Count Yanbao. But at that time, I suspected that he was the real Count Yanbao.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that Sword Guardian family?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, but it proved that I guessed the wrong direction. Later, ording to our informant on the side of the princess, we found out that this person¡¯s origin was suspicious. He had secret dealings with the cultists but he also had a hidden alliance with the Nagas. From thetest news that we just received, it seems that the Mercenaries of Lopez were also working for him......¡±

    ¡°It was also the same person who used Heaven¡¯s Armament earlier in the city.¡± Marquis Yoakam replied with a cold smile, every word filled with murderous intent.

    Everyone knew that the Mercenaries of Lopez came from White Port and the city-state Lopez. Both White Port and Lopes belonged to the Alliance of City-States which was under the influence and power of the Great Priest Farnezain. The meaning of Brendel having both the Mercenaries of Lopes and Heaven¡¯s Armory was a little thought-provoking.

    Williams¡¯plexion darkened, ¡°Well, the Holy Cathedral has bothered things that are beyond their business.¡± Then he looked at the others and Count Vitokin and said with a tone of reproach, ¡°But I guess it was just to hinder some people of the cathedral. This is just an enve to them, don¡¯t you all forget who¡¯s closer to the kingdom.¡±

    The few of them did not say a word, but Leider¡¯s face darkened. <i>Speaking about experience, I was not lesser in any way than this so-called deputy leader of the Pdins. </i>Both of them had fought side by side in the Eleven Months War, their duties were simr. It was just that Williams had better luck being born in a big kingdom like Kirrlutz. If the old knight had such strong financial support, his achievements may not be limited to the elements.

    Moreover, being the representative of the White Lion Legion was naturally a nemesis of the Kirrlutz people. The old man snorted and did not want to look at him.

    Marquis Yoakam did not expect his words to invoke dispute within his own party so he changed the subject immediately, ¡°Actually there is more than that, my Lord. A piece of more important news is being missed out.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s enough.¡± Williams gave this person a slightly disgusted look. ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to say, but colluding with the Holy Cathedral is a serious crime that is sufficient for him to get killed. I know that you all want to ask the Holy Cathedral to take action, but if you want me to take action, I have one condition, which is to have your princess sent back to the kingdom.¡±

    He did not mention the cultist but this deputy leader of the Pdins was not a fool. He knew that there was something wrong about this from the very start. However, the nobles had many rtionships that were in grey areas, so as long as they weren¡¯tpletely in favor of one side, it could be tolerated.

    Either way, he knew that these guys were just using each other.

    Marquis Yoakam was slightly stunned, he did not expect the other party to suggest such an opinion. Princess Gryphine was a member of the royal family, after all, the most they would dare to do was to assassinate her with poison. But to send her back to the kingdom, it would leave the Aouine¡¯s nobles in embarrassment.

    But the deputy leader of the Pdins was obviously not here to negotiate so he just replied calmly, ¡°Since the pdins had been involved, it is necessary for the Holy Cathedral to have a sinner with sufficient value to settle this ount.¡±

    ¡°But that man has sufficient value too,¡± Grand Duke Seifer who had not spoken suddenly replied.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Williams said in dissatisfaction.

    ¡°The previous conversation about the Hignd Knights have already revealed the identity of the other party. If I am not mistaken, the person who was by the side of the young man is called Ciel from the Palos family. So, the identity of the young man who has been hiding in the dark is finally made known to us. Anyone left who still has this influence in the kingdom could only be his descendant.¡±

    ¡°Darius Kardiloso?¡±

    Williams¡¯plexion changed when this name was brought up. He turned and stared at Duke Seifer coldly; as if he was not the duke, but his subordinate.

    At that moment, Duke Seifer had the illusion of Brendel staring at him simrly, chills went up to his back and he froze.

    ¡°You all better not joke around, even if you do not know how serious this matter is, you should be aware of the Holy Cathedral¡¯s bottom line.¡±

    ¡°No, Master, we are dead serious......¡± Marquis Yoakam stuttered, he too also felt the sudden cold killing intent.

    ¡°No, this is just your hypothesis.¡± The old knight Leider frowned and interrupted, ¡°Just as what Duke Drenc said, you all should know how serious this matter is. We should not make guesses before getting confirmation!¡±

    ¡°Commander Leider Dulo, you know best! That guy Benninger once said that the wielder of the Lionheart Sword is the descendant of Gaia¡¯s Knight. That girl is Freya? Everyone clearly knew the one who took Everton, the descendant of Gaia¡¯s Knight away. So now since she appeared, why can¡¯t he appear?¡±

    ¡°All the clues are pointing right to the truth!¡± Marquis Yoakam yelled with all his might. ¡°Mr. Leider, I know how you feel. You should understand what kind of choice is beneficial to the kingdom!¡±

    The old knight was stunned at first, then he sighed and shook his head.

    Williams¡¯ expression constantly changed, he stared at them and nodded his head atst, ¡°Very good, it better be true. I cannot decide on this matter, but I will notify the Holy Cathedral immediately.¡±

    He closed his eyes slightly. After a few moments, he opened them again. Those sky blue eyes of his were full of murderous intent. ¡°Darrius is dead, but he indeed had some descendants. Even if that¡¯s not the truth, I would rather mistakenly kill hundreds of innocents then to let one descendant go.¡±

    This deputy leader of the Pdin looked at them coldly and said, ¡°You all better be responsible for your words, and you all should be responsible for all the dead souls who died here today. All those who have followed him before can only die.¡±

    ¡°The Holy Cathedral will never repeat mistakes from the past and reenact it today. I will do it myself, but you all better keep your mouths shut.¡±

    Marquis Yoakam and the others felt their bodies turn cold and could not say a word. Only Leider felt as if he became a weak old man, he shook his head and let out a sigh.

    Williams turned and shouted at his subordinate, ¡°I need manpower, ask Archbishop Wood if he had found any traces of Mephisto there.¡±

    ¡°Master,¡± that Pdin immediately replied, ¡°there should be some news now, but it won¡¯te in a while. These were the original words of Archbishop Wood.¡±

    ¡°That cunning old man.¡± Williams could not help but raise his eyebrows.

    But he raised his head, his eyes were filled with cold determination and asked, ¡°Where is the princess now?¡±

    ¡°They have headed towards the Mar Hignds, Master.¡±

    ¡°Trying to enter the Arreck Mountains?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be that easy.¡°

    Additional Notes:

    Drenc, the Archduke in the northern part of the Kirrlutz Empire. Archduke Drenc was also one of the powerful dukes preparing to seed in the throne of the Kirrlutz Empire.

 Chapter 551 - v3c328

    <h4>The Holy War(12)</h4>

    ¡°All For One?¡± Romaine raised her chin and thought for a moment when she heard this answer. ¡°I once heard it from Brendel. That is a cult organization, right?¡±

    White Mist looked at Viscount Benninger on the ground and said, ¡°The Philosopher of Nihility believes all is meaningless, as the World-Devouring Serpent, Ouroboros, lies underneath. After every period of Order, an epoch of Chaos shall reign...an ideology predating even the War of the Holy Saints...¡±

    Viscount Benninger was stunned after listening to her exnation. Subject to the brainwashing of the four Holy Cathedrals, everyone believed that ¡®All For One¡¯ was the name of an evil cult, yet few truly understood their history and doctrine.

    He looked at White Mist with his eyes wide open and loudly demanded, ¡°If you understand the truth of the world, why don¡¯t you join us? You know, our goal is majestic!¡±

    White Mist refuted him and said, ¡°All For One, the concept that everything is merely cycles of Order and Chaos, that everything shall disappear into nothingness...I cannot believe people nowadays still believe in this kind of antiquated nonsense. The ignorance of humans is truly astounding.¡±

    ¡°No, this is not nonsense!¡± Viscount Benninger said angrily.

    ¡°Romaine, please smack him.¡± After thousands of years, White Mist had no interest in reasoning with mortals, especially if the other party had nothing to do with her. <i>The best way to deal with such fools is brute force!</i>

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t, no!¡± Viscount Benninger screamed, tears and snot running down his face. He stared at the two female demons with fear. At that point, it was unclear who the true evil cultist was.

    ¡°Answer the following questions.¡±

    The merchantdy waved her hammer and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys third-party forces in this situation? Yet you are still hard at work manipting the situation. Every decision made by mortals is for a certain purpose. It¡¯s like a businessman working for profit. What are the purposes of your actions?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Viscount Benninger went silent for a moment. He looked at the hammer but he could not help and tremble ¡°Well, of course, it is to overthrow Aouine.¡±

    Romaine turned around, and Miss White Mist yawned and said, ¡°Half-truths. Only seven parts of a mortal¡¯s words are true while the other three are lies. Truth intertwines with falsehood to mislead others.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re lying. All For One must be hiding its true intentions behind the veil of defeating Aouine, no?¡± The businessdy nodded while continuing the interrogation.

    Viscount Benninger stared at Romaine as if he had seen a ghost and said, ¡°Are you acting stu¡ª¡±

    He was smacked square in the face hard before he could evenplete his sentence. She corrected Viscount Benninger seriously and said, ¡°Romaine will be a world-ss businessman in the future. It¡¯s said that a smart man acts dumb, okay? Stupid idiot.¡±

    White Mist looked at the poor guy, shook her head, and thought, <i>This time you actually guessed right. She is stupid, but she has a pair of eyes that can look through the human heart.</i>

    The essence of witch-hood itself was to manipte people¡¯s hearts. None could resist her.

    Romaine pped her hands and looked at Viscount Benninger and asked, ¡°What do you want to do? Out with it.¡±

    Viscount Benninger seemed simultaneously dejected and indignant. He desperately wanted to control his words, but he could not go against his heart. After a brief struggle, he finally caved in.

    ¡°Jorgendy Ridge.¡±

    ...

    Before nightfall, Sani managed to bring Amandina down from the boat and regroup with Brendel. But she came with bad news¡ª

    Romaine had gone missing.

    Again!

    Brendel was extremely annoyed.

    She was doing well recently and Brendel thought she had finally been cured of idiocy. But no one would have thought that the female merchant would disappear yet again!

    <i>I really want to spank her hard this time.</i> He thought. But there was nothing he could do right now. Besides, Amandina had other news about what Romaine had said at the time she left.

    Brendel knew very well that although Romaine always had fleeting moments of pure lunacy, her predictions were always urate. In Be, Long Song Forest, and the other adventures she had with Brendel, she disyed amazing observation skills.

    Not to mention that she still had another identity: The sessor to the Witch Queen!

    Brendel calmed down quickly. He did not know if Romaine was still in Ampere Seale at this time, but could only hope that the Witch Queen would protect her. And ording to Amandina, there should be a Contract Spirit with her.

    In The Amber Sword, a Contract Spirit was simr to a witch¡¯s familiar, except it was far stronger. A Contract Spirit was said to be an existence just below the lower-ranked Gods. Most of them had existed in this world for thousands of years, bearing rich knowledge and experience, and the Contract Spirit left behind by the Witch Queen would definitely be something outstanding.

    Although the businessdy looked a fool, Brendel knew that she was actually extremely clever. <i>With a Contract Spirit, she should be able to cope with most emergencies.</i> Brendel tried tofort himself.

    There was a moment of silence between Amandina and Brendel.

    ¡°My Lord, I¡¯m sorry, I...¡± Amandina was biting her lower lips in fear. She felt a twang of jealousy when she saw how Brendel was worrying about Romaine. However, besides Freya, no one knew better than her how important Romaine was to Brendel.

    The merchantss had always behaved carefree about everything, as if nothing in this world concerned her. Brendel was seemingly the only bond that connected her to this world. She liked Brendel. Everyone knew this fact, but only Amandina knew that this kind of love was free from all restrictions.

    The businessdy could even abandon the world for Brendel. She saw it behind those dark eyes of hers, that Brendel was worth more than anything she had.

    Far more important than any justice, kindness, or morals.

    Amandina looked down and said to herself that she might sacrifice her life for Brendel, but there were some principles that she could not change. If one day Brendel chose to fight against the world, could she kill all those who go against him?

    If he became a tyrant and abandoned all his promises, would she still follow him without hesitation?

    Although this was just an assumption, Amandina knew that she would not be able to do that. She might choose to live with the guilt of going against him until the end of her life. But Romaine...she would choose to be the wife of a tyrant without hesitation.

    She knew this deeply.

    Amandina looked at her Lord. She saw that Brendel shook his head and said to her, ¡°It does not matter, just let her suffer a little bit.¡±

    Amandina was pulled back to reality once she heard what Brendel had said. She exhaled heavily and realized her current identity as Brendel¡¯s helper and asked, ¡°But, how about the things that Miss Romaine had predicted?¡±

    ¡°A trap?¡± Brendel smiled. ¡°I had once encountered it when the Holy Cathedral set us up to a big game. But unfortunately, it ended in failure.

    Amandina wore an expression of reliefwas relieved. Brendel realized Sshe was still wearing the same dress that she wore when she was on the boat. She did not have time to change and was embarrassed about her wet outfit.

    He Brendel nced at her and saw a few strands of wet hair attached to her forehead. This must be awkward for a prettydy, not to mention a noble. He was touched and asked, ¡°Do you want to change your clothes first?¡±

    Amandina¡¯s face reddened slightly. She shook her head and said, ¡°Since My Lord requested Ie so urgently, you must have some important cases to handle with. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    <i>Indeed.</i>

    Brendel nodded and nced at the forest. The sky waspletely dark at this moment. Below the hills behind him, Fort Bunuo zed in a reddish-orange congration¡ªall ording to the prediction of the sergeants. The ck de Squad had just passed by that area.

    They didn¡¯t have much time left.

    He made a gesture, and several young men carrying some dark objects immediately came over. They were the parts for something else. Amandina nced at the things and frowned; they had been disassembled in a very crude manner, as if it smashed apart.

    They were the parts for a Magic Furnace.

    To be precise, they were the coreponents for a Magic Furnace¡¯s Magic Conductor. This was her expertise. She could analyze the parts at a nce and realized that they were old things.

    <i>From one of the earliest models, in fact. But if I want to be more specific, I have to check thoroughly.</i>

    Amandina remembered that these models of Magic Furnace were brought into Aouine from the Kirrlutz Empire and distributed across the Kingdom. Local lords generally used them to smelt iron and steel. But their worth, near-invaluable tens of years ago, had dropped so low it could literally be considered trash.

    Of course,pared to Trentheim¡¯s old furnace, these were much better.

    She raised her head and looked at Brendel curiously. She did not know the reasons her Lord was showing these things to her. She recalled Ciel saying that Brendel was once a poord and he used to rob the rich to help the poor. The oil painting auctioned in Ampere Seale was one of his treasured thefts.

    She did not believe him at first, but she was beginning to trust his words. Most of the parts were broken due to the wrong method of disassembly. She shook her head and sighed. Things would have been a lot easier if she had arrived earlier.

    ¡°Lord, it is hard to fix these things. Even if they are fixed, the cost of doing so will be much higher than buying a new one.¡± She observed Brendel¡¯s expression and said carefully.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Brendel was stunned for a moment and said, ¡°No, you misunderstand. I do not want you to fix them. If these things are fixed, it would create problems. It took me a long time to disassemble these.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Amandina was stunned. She stared at Brendel and said, ¡°My Lord, these things were disassembled by you?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, and I need you to disassemble them further.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°As you can see, it is too heavy. There are dozens of them. The nobles are really rich after all. But do you think we can bring all of this along with us.¡± Brendel answered.

    ¡°Ah ...¡± Amandina seemed to understand and said, ¡°Lord, are you going to....¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Brendel nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a lot ofponents turned to waste in these devices... Well, I admit that I did turn them into junk. But I need them to build Disintegration Crystals.¡±

    He looked at Amandina intently as he answered. This was the reason he was so fixated on attacking Bunuo in the first ce.

    Amandina stared at her lord with an odd expression. Her Lord¡¯s acts were nothing short of an aberration to her.

 Chapter 552 - v3c329p1

    v3c329p1

    The Holy War(13)

    It was alreadyte into the night when they arrived at the Mar Hignds; the silver moon hung high in the skies, reflecting moonlight into the mountains. The forest was silent and trees covered the mountains and rivers on both sides, but at the intersection of the foothills, the river opened wider, forming a valley.

    The officers of the Royal Calvary Academy nned to investigate the terrain throughout the night, but they were stopped by Brendel. Brendel told everyone to rest where they were, and get up in the early morning instead to prepare their defenses. The noble private army was alright with this. After a long night of walking, they were already exhausted and praised Brendel¡¯s orders. But the young officers whispered among each other ¨C how could theyy defenses without exploring the terrain first? Even the most rudimentary line of defense needed to be adapted to the local terrain. This was basic military practice written clearly on the Infantry Handbook. What was themander thinking? But sincemands were absolute, no one could challenge Brendel. They could only fall asleep, full of doubts.

    In the early spring, when the snow and ice had just begun melting, the mountain des were particrly cold at night. Due to theck of preparation, the officers only had a thin nket with them; naturally, in this temperature, the consequences of this were as could be expected. Brendel many of the young people¡¯s faces turn blue from the cold, neither they nor Audine¡¯s private army had tents with them, so it could not be helped. As for Brendel himself, all he could do was just to patrol around the campsite, looking for any other things that he could help with.

    Count Audine¡¯s private army, the Nagas, the officers of the Royal Calvary Academy, and the Dragon Calvary of the Southern Army did not bond well. The military discipline of the private army was not as good as expected. Considering many of the Royal Cavalry Academy¡¯s officers were girls, Count Audine was afraid something might happen and therefore personally ced restraints on his army. The Dragon Cavalry needed to take care of their mounts too, so of course, they wouldn¡¯t allow outsiders near them. The Grey Fin Nagas from the Shining Sea, on the other hand, could get used to the cold climate, but the drynd made them ufortable. Thus, they all rested under the river bed, curling up their body.

    For Brendel, once his physical fitness reached the Gold-rank, sleep was no longer an absolute necessity. His metabolic system was constantly self-improving, so it was fine to not sleep for several days and nights. He walked slowly along the edge of the ck pine forest. The sky was littered with stars; such a sight was rare in the other world. Brendel could not help but stop and enjoy the beauty of this scenery.

    However, cold winds blew from the south pass, and the storms outside Ampere Seale were gathering again, inevitably bringing a dark and dreary air to the impending battle before them. Brendel suddenly heard the crunching noises of feet stepping on dried wood behind him. He pulled out his long sword and turned around. A bright outfit entered his vision, the half-elf Aouine princess now d in a set of silver armor and a modified skirt. Standing in the woods, she looked elegant and heart-stopping.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Your Royal Highness,¡± Brendel was slightly taken aback, not having expected he princess to forgo sleep and look for him instead. He did not think this was a coincidence; the princess would normally note for a walk in the forest at this time of night. He smiled awkwardly, ¡°Howe Your Royal Highness would be here?¡±

    Loneliness shed past in Princess Gryphine¡¯s eyes. She too knew that she was not supposed to be here, but after she left Ampere Seale, she had trouble falling asleep. Brendel had done such rude, uncouth things to her that day, and she was so disgusted by him at the time she wanted nothing more than to strike him with her sword and have him in on the spot.

    But for the sake of Aouine, she finally forced herself to calm down and madepromises for the greater good. She told herself that there were even more hideous people in this kingdom , even suppressing her emotions after Benninger¡¯s betrayal. But the scene at that time had be a nightmare, leaving a dark scar on her mind she could never forget.

    <i> It would be nice if this person had a worse track record, but he just had to be so aplished in so many areas. </i>

    Princess Gryphine¡¯s silver eyes reflected Brendel¡¯s figure. Her heart was full of mixed andplex feelings. She had never seen unjust love and hatred in her life, and everything which had transpired that night made her believe there was no such thing as unconditional help in this world. But if so, why was he pretending he did not want payment for his efforts? His real intentions had long been exposed already, had they not?

    And the identity of Brendel of being a descendant of Darius made her feel deeply worried; what should she do if he had bigger ns? But Brendel¡¯s ns were herst chance. She hoped to hear an answer from him. She would continue persevering this battle even if it meant giving up even more, only for the sake of Aouine and the sake of rescuing Haruz.

    Brendel felt Princess Gryphine staring at him fixedly, and could not help blushing a little. He did not know howplicated her thoughts were, but he probably could guess why. His thoughts had been such a mess that night, and before he knew it......

    One wrong step could causesting hatred, and his actions were too shameful to even think about.

    There was no need for the princess to lift her hands and personally end his life. Even one sentence from her was enough to make him kill himself from shame. But the mental strength of the modern person was much tougher after all. Brendel could act as nothing had happened just after a day.

    Except, now that he was being stared at so intently by the half-elf princess, he still felt a little embarrassed. He coughed and turned his back.

    This subtle movement caused Princess Gryphine to be surprised. She was born in the royal family, and she was intelligent and brilliant. Not only had she witnessed plenty of deception and conflict, but she had also inherited the elves¡¯ sensitivity towards shifts in emotion, instantly detecting the meaning behind Brendel¡¯s action.

    ¡°So, it seems like Mr. Brendel is capable of feeling embarrassed after all.¡± Princess Gryphine¡¯s voice was gentle and soft, but as crisp as a nightingale¡¯s song amongst the trees.

    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, that ......¡± Brendel was on the verge of breaking into sweat and thought to himself ¨C <i> Your Royal Highness, you¡¯re making me feel ashamed. Although I did something wrong that day, you shouldn¡¯t go overboard either. </i> This soul of his in this world was only neen years old, and even in hisst life, he was just a hapless otaku unpracticed and unfamiliar with the intricacies of expressing his feelings. Though some of his personality had shifted and matured over time, he was unable to avoid feeling a little helpless right now. [TL: Do you guys prefer to use the word otaku? Or NEET? Comment down below!]

    <i> This guy actually blushed? </i> Princess Gryphine thought to herself and could not believe her own eyes. She suddenly became curious and asked, ¡°Since Mr. Brendel also knew that it was ...... it was something rude to do, then why did you still do it?¡±

    She could not help but grit her teeth a little, ¡°It¡¯s...unforgivable! I¡¯ve always thought that Mr. Brendel was a real knight, clearly, I was wrong.¡±

    Brendel was suddenly at a loss for words; how could he answer this? ¡®The pursuit of romance is the destiny of a real knight¡¯? No, that was too absurd. How about ¡®I will take responsibility¡¯? It did not seem to be a good idea either. Putting the question of whether the princess even wanted his ¡®responsibility¡¯ aside, what about little Romaine? It was his senior who had influenced him the most in his past life, but it was not good to chase after the past, and he couldn¡¯t just sit and just let things happen. Brendel knew very well what he felt.

    Princess Gryphine stared at him for a moment.

    She could practically see the stress oozing out of Brendel.

    Atst, the half-elf princess gave out a soft sigh and said, ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. Now I understand.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What do you understand?¡± Brendel froze, looking back at the princess in confusion. He took a closer look at this noble and elegant princess, the future queen of Aouine; she was still just a girl who had only just turned sixteen. She inherited the unique slenderness of the elven bloodline, which made her appear more fragile.

    Princess Gryphine seemed to have untied the knot in her heart now. She looked up into the dark skies. Her silver hair gleamed slightly, bathing in a river of moonlight. With a slight smile, she lifted her skirt and walked out of the woods and came to a stop next to Brendel, watching the glimmering stars in the dark sky as well.

    ¡°Is Mr. Brendel watching the stars as well?¡±

    ¡°I guess,¡± Brendel answered half-heartedly. He did not understand what the princess was trying to imply.

    ¡°The Star Warlocks say that people will turn into stars after death, so our ancestors and my father are probably watching us from heaven.¡±

    This story sounded romantic, but Brendel knew that stars were just massive balls of ming gas. Of course, he would not ruin the mood by saying that out loud. Besides, the Star Warlocks were a legitimate group of mages in this world.

    ¡°Maybe.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe in fate, Mr. Brendel?¡±

    ¡°No, I do believe in fate.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± The princess was slightly shocked and turned to look at him. She was not tall, so all she could see was Brendel¡¯s broad shoulders.

    ¡°I believe in the fate created by the poets of Kirrlutz; fate is a struggle.¡± Brendel quietly recounted the words that his senior had told him.

    ¡°Fate...is a struggle......¡± Princess Gryphine mulled over this sentence carefully.

    Brendel saw Maynild¡¯s figure in the distance. She was giving out some of her own nkets to a few female officers. This small gesture surprised Brendel a little; he did not expect this cold-faced knight would have such a gentle side to her.

    Brendel was still a little baffled as he escorted the princess out of Aouine. The half-elf princess said nothing at all throughout the escort mission; she merely sat next to him and watched the stars. He still had not figured out what this attitude was yet.

    But all in all, it seemed that her Royal Highness was not going to inquire about that matter anymore, which was a good thing atst. With her silence ensured, Brendel breathed out a sigh of relief. if it was not for her willingness to keep secrets, he would have lost his reputation.

 Chapter 553 - v3c329p2

    <h4>The Holy War(14)</h4>

    It was three o¡¯clock in the morning when Brendel finally met with the Archdruid named Wochik, who looked exactly how Brendel remembered him to be. The first impression Brendel had of him was that he was just like a blend between man and crow. His face was long and sharp, and was covered in dark, lined patterns. He wore a raincoat made of straw which resembled the feathers of a crow. His arms and fingers were withered and slender, simr to ws.

    Had this person been a character in one of those television shows that Brendel was oh-so-familiar with, he would be the typical ssic antagonist in the show. In spite of his looks, though, he was theplete opposite. In history, he was cold, but strictly neutral, just like a non-yer character. Of course, this was a virtue that most druids possessed.

    Wochik had rushed back from Ampere Seale, exhaustion clearly visible on his face. Even if he imed to be capable of fighting one or two more low-intensity battles. Brendel quickly had him rest. With the addition of this Archdruid, he soon realized that the group of mages under him had an unparalleled lineup.

    There were at least four Gold-ranked sorcerers: Archdruid Wochik, Conjurer Ciel, Sea Monster Bridget, and Andrea the Lord of Night. Then there were the twenty mages of the Nagas, a few wandering wizards of Count Audine, Fern, and the Tia sisters. While theycked a person who could act as an Elemental user , this group of thirty mages ¨C whose weakest link was still a silver rank ¨C could still crush basically all of Aouine¡¯s forces.

    It was such a pity that in Brendel¡¯s opinion, the group was still a little too small. Thirty-plus mages were only just enough to be scattered among an army of thousands. It was not like the War of the Great Demonic Wave in the future, in which one army could mobilize a group of magesprising over a hundred people. Excluding those scattered around the army ced in charge of defense, they could also mobilize specialized mage groups consisting of dozens of people to act as long-range support.

    Of course, this was just a pipe dream for now. A wizard without a Silver rank had extremely low survival rates inrge-scale battlefields, but Silver-ranked wizards or higher were pitifully scarce due to the current situation in Vaunte.

    It was four-thirty in the morning.

    The break for the Royal Cavalry Academy¡¯s students¡¯ was over. Following that, the Nagas, as well as the nobles¡¯ private soldiers, woke up one after another. Brendel took out the map that he had been strategizing with overnight and had them put up the defense lines as required. This caught everyone by surprise as they did not know Brendel had long since familiarized himself with the terrain here. They had thought theirmander had personally surveyed thend himself at night in order to let them rest well.

    Although the young students did not say anything, they were internally grateful. Only Princess Gryphine vaguely knew the truth, but she kept it to herself.

    The terrain of the Mar Hignds was a surprise to the defenders. The surrounding three mountain ranges intersected to form a huge valley. A dense fog hung over the valley, a river of rushing water flowing through it noisily.

    There was a high mountain ridge right across from the northern part of the valley which looked almost grey from such a distance. It was hazy and dark before the break of dawn. This was the foothills of the Farma Mountains that extended towards the south. The locals called it the Anker Mountain, which meant ¡®wall¡¯ in their ancientnguage.

    Two streams intersected at the foot of Anker Mountain, converging into a shallow creek. The creek flowed down along the banks, and after years and years, arge open in had formed here. The in was angled downwards like a gigantic slope. It was sandwiched between the Mount Marchenko and Mount Leviko, which were both wreathed in vegetation.

    However, the Mount Marchenko and Mount Leviko were rtively t and lowpared to the height of the Mount Anker. This meant if they were to im a foothold on top of Mount Anker, the archers would be able to attack the two other mountain tops to the south from their position.

    If the Northern Coalition Army¡¯s infantry attacked them through the valley, the first battle would have been a disaster for Brendel¡¯s side. But if they did not upy the mountain peaks to the south, then it would be an even bigger nightmare to fight their way up from their lower vantage point.

    This was practically a natural line of defense.

    The defensive line wouldst unless the ck de Corps found a way to cross the Farma Mountains and attack from behind the Anker Mountains. But that would take a long time ¨C at least half a month, so they did not have to worry about enemies that might have snuck up to them from behind.

    So the remaining matters were simple. Although there were still a few people who thought that going deep into the Arreck Mountains was a better idea, that was just one of the other possibilities, and most were already setting up the defense lines enthusiastically. The students very quickly proposed a typical yet realistic n.

    This proposal was immediately delivered to Brendel, the princess, and Oberwei. It was simple; if everything went their way, their main camp would be set at the northern part of the intersection of the creeks, under the foothills of Arreck Mountains, followed by the archery troop, as well as their main camp. But their main defense would be forced forwards until both the East side of the Marchenko Mountains and Leviko Mountains were included within their territory.

    Brendel saw the core of this proposal immediately, which was to set up a battlefield on each of the two mountain tops in the south. The young students were nning to use their terrain advantage to consume the Southern Army¡¯s energy.

    Such battle tactics were very ssical, like ayout that could be found in a textbook. In Brendel¡¯s opinion, however, it was stillcking and too conservative. He nced at the others, the princess did not say anything and Oberwei just shook his head.

    <i>Can¡¯t be helped if I¡¯m a lone wolf, I guess.</i>

    So Brendel shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s generally feasible, but some corrections have to be made on the details.¡±

    ¡°Oh, how?¡± Carglise, who submitted the proposal confidently, was a little surprised. This proposal had been made by him, actually, and was approved by all the other students. He thought it would be epted immediately, but now it seemed as if he had thought of Brendel too lightly.

    ¡°This will do.¡± Brendel gestured twice on the temporary map with his fingers and said.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Carglise almost wanted to throw the proposal right into his Lord¡¯s face. <i>How is this even a n? Isn¡¯t this the same as giving up our main campsite? What¡¯s the difference between that and just surrendering? </i>

    He looked at Brendel pitifully, as if he wanted to make sure his Lord is not talking nonsense due to hisck of sleep. But he did not expect Brendel to re at him and say harshly, ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±

    So this young noble from Trentheim epted his fate and walked out, feeling disappointed.

    ¡°This is a little......¡± Oberwei could not help but shake his head too. <i>Brendel¡¯s n was a little too risky and daring, a bit out of my expectations. </i>

    <i>No, it wasn¡¯t just daring. </i>If he had not known this young man beforehand, he would have doubted if he was a traitor. <i>He looks down on the Northrnn Coalition Army¡¯s intelligence.</i>

    ¡°This move is very risky. And you are indeed quite simr to Makarov, but it¡¯s a pity......¡± The kingdom¡¯s lone wolf sighed. The kingdom had seen so much glory in the past, but could only rely on these young people now.

    He could only hope his choice was the right one.

    Only Brendel was confident in his ns.

    The sky turned bright, and an army started to stealthily gather in the forest. Nosidal and his Dragon Cavalry squad departed up into the sky in the morning breeze, and with the cooperation of the Wind Spirit Spiders controlled by Brendel, they began to drive out the Northern Coalition Army¡¯s scouts in the sky.

    This was clearance work before the great battle.

    By now, neither party could hide their tactics and intentions anymore. The Northern Coalition Army¡¯smanders understood immediately that Brendel was prepared to fight against them to death.

    ¡°Now you know you can¡¯t run away?¡±

    Williams reached out to catch a parchment delivered by a Dragon Calvary unit. After looking at it for a moment, a disdainful smile spread across his face.

    He lifted his head- The Mar Hignds was just right in front.

    It was twenty minutes past eight.

    Brendel closed the pocket watch¡¯s brass cover and looked towards the other side of the valley. His vision was set somewhere faraway; his strong senses enabled him to see things miles away with his naked eyes. On the other side of the valley, the first unit of the Northern Coalition Army had appeared, but he was not sure which unit it was yet.

    ¡°It should be Viscount Finn. There¡¯s arge number of men; I¡¯m afraid there are thousands of them.¡± Oberwei put down his telescope and muttered to himself, ¡°They stopped. They should be waiting for back-up.¡±

    Brendel nodded. Oberwei lived up to his reputation as an old noble who had served in both the ck de Corps and the Southern Army, as his judgment was very urate. Brendel had guessed it was Viscount Finn¡¯s unit too.

    Surprisingly, it was Enrique who was standing at the side who remained unbothered by the enemy¡¯s numbers. The young man shrugged and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many people they have. They¡¯d be lucky if the valley allows fifteen hundred men to attack together. But they sure are taking their time to prepare.¡±

    ¡°But they could conquer the two southern mountain tops, Marchenko and Leviko, first.¡± Freya frowned in worry, standing beside Brendel fully-armored with a sword in her hands.

    ¡°Then there will be a good show to watch.¡± Brendel chuckled.

 Chapter 554 - v3c330

    v3c330

    The Holy War(15)

    The sunlight was like a sharp sword, piercing through the mist. On the hignds, the flowers wereid out like beds and the flowing river sparkled silver, but spears lined up between the forests broke the serenity. The Hignd Infantry marched together, and countless coats of arms and banners could be seen. Each was painted with various emblems, from lions and thorns to pelicans and gands.

    Finn¡¯s Division, Constantine¡¯s Division, Beale¡¯s Division, and the Northern Coalition Army were rallying. The forest was dominated by thousands of spears, tips of these spears gleaming white as snow, shifting with the breath of the infantry. It created a scene of rippling silver and shing light for miles around.

    Looking into the distance, from the Anker Mountains, the southern area seemed to have turned a depressing ck. The gs above the water waved around, an asional sh of weaponry breaking through. Brendel pursed his lips, This is a real battle. It was only at this moment that he felt the illusion of returning to the past.

    Everyone was gripping their swords so tightly that their knuckles turned white. Even the nobles¡¯ private soldiers had forgotten to breathe, only looking at the huge army with their mouths wide open.

    More soldiers appeared continuously from behind the army, their number already surpassing tens of thousands. If all these people were to breathe together, the sound of it might even be stronger than the rushing of the wind.

    The gentle breeze blowing across the Mar Hignds was quickly calming down.

    The air became humid and stifling, a sign of theing storm. Across the green meadow, a knight left the main array of the Northern Coalition Army. He raised his spear and trotted towards the north.

    ¡°Quick, look! That is the genius knight of the port. Master intended to make him themander, and I heard he was here to rece his father.¡±

    ¡°A twenty-year-oldmander?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s a genius. I heard that the young Lord has fought many victorious battles against the Lion Beastmen. It was miraculous. The veterans who fought with him call him ¡®Wagner¡¯. Did you know that ¡®Wagner¡¯ is a hero in the legends of the mountain people?¡±

    ¡°Veterans?¡±

    ¡°The veterans are those who joined the Eleven Months War! He could actuallymand them. And only he couldmand them. I heard that Master is interested in nurturing and training him to be the next legionmander.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s absurd.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible,rade. There¡¯s a rumor going around saying the young Lord is a direct disciple of Earth Sword Saint Darius. Think about it, before the Sword Saint became famous, people also called him ¡®Wagner¡¯, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible, but I did hear that Master Darius had descendants, right? Nobody knew where he went, so maybe that descendant of his is the Lord Viscount. After all, Master Darius couldn¡¯t bear looking at a divided Aouine.¡±

    The soldiers were all discussing with each other. In the end, paying respect to him was inevitable. During the kingdom¡¯s restoration period, Sword Saint Darius had a legendary reputation in Aouine, and his mysterious disappearance left a powerful ending to his legend. Manymoners believed that the Earth Sword Saint was the kingdom¡¯s guardian and that one day, when the kingdom was in grave danger, he would reappear and fight for the kingdom again.

    In ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯, such a statement was widely circted among some of the yers. Aouine¡¯s yers even reconfigured the military swordsmanship left behind by Darius. But no one, Brendel included, had expected that even the kingdom¡¯s guardian was unable to escape the judgment of time.

    Thatst glimmer of hope was also buried under the ashes of Be.

    Brendel held his longsword, his heart filled with sorrow.

    Viscount Von Dougning raised his head high, filled with energy. If you looked closely, you would find that the rider covered in silver armor was the young man who stood next to Vitokin a few days ago. This young man was also the leader of the ck de Corps who had shed with Brendel before the auction. He was a genius knight of the Nayo people, and even the veterans who had fought in the Eleven Months War admired him very much. All of them believed that he might be the next Earth Sword Saint.

    Viscount Von Dougning also believed that this young man would be the next Sword Saint.

    He raised his spear and rode his heavy Earth Drake a few times around the Northern Coalition¡¯s campsite. His cloak ran like a golden me, and the cheers of the Northern Coalition Army came rumbling down the mountains and over the seas. They cheered and shouted together:

    ¡°Wagner! Wagner!¡±

    ¡°Wagner! Wagner!¡±

    There was a gleam from the sweat on the young man¡¯s forehead when he came to Count Vitokin with his head held high. The Count nodded with satisfaction. Although the White Lion Legion had a lot of talented men, the ck de Corps also had sessors, especially the one that was praised by the veterans of the November War. It was said the battles this young man had gone through against the Lion Beastmen were perfect and that he was just like the young Sword Saint Darius.

    Although Count Vitokin dismissed the rumors that were circting amongst the soldiers, he figured that if one day Viscount Von Dougning was to be another Earth Sword Saint, the ck de Corps might surpass the White Lion Legion. He took the spear from the young man. ¡°Themander must take lead.¡± This was an important belief in the ck de Corps, but now only this ceremony was left. Count Vitokin asked calmly, ¡°Have you gotten a clear view of the Princess¡¯s location?¡±

    ¡°I saw it, Lord Vitokin!¡±

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely presumptuous.¡±

    There were three huge phnxes under the shadow of the foothills at the Anker Mountains. Thousands of the nobles¡¯ private soldiers lined up north of the creek bank. The men in the first three rows had four to five-meter long spears apanied by oval shields which reflected the sunlight. These strangely shaped shields did not look anything like what human soldiers usually used; instead, they looked more like what Silver Elf field troops wielded.

    A heavy silver barrier wasid down in front of the Northern Coalition Army.

    ¡°It¡¯s that genius of the Nayo,¡± said Oberwei.

    Brendel had put on a full set of knight¡¯s armor for the first time and climbed onto the back of a battle horse in the center of the phnx. After hearing what Oberwei said, he lifted his head and looked at the confident knight standing in front of the Northern Coalition Army.

    ¡°When the ck de Corps fought against the Lion Beastmen in the north, Viscount Von Dougning used less than a quarter of his military force to deal with the enemy. He attacked them from behind and burned their supplies, forcing the Holy Cathedral of Earth to retreat. Makarov said that this person would be a future star of Aouine. Mr. Brendel, you have to be careful of him,¡± Princess Gryphine whispered from behind him.

    Brendel lifted his faceguard and smiled slightly.

    Who do I need to be careful of? He should be the one who needs to be careful. This man was killed by Freya previously, and now this heroine of Aouine is on this very battlefield. Seems like this Viscount is going to be unlucky.

    Oberwei, the Wolf Baron, noticed the look on Brendel¡¯s face. He smiled slightly and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It seems like you have history with this person?¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    It¡¯s more than just mere history, he still owes me a battle.

    ¡°Princess Gryphine didn¡¯t allow the officers to set up a central camp.¡±

    The old knight Leider moved his telescope away from his eye. His crow¡¯s feet shifted as he frowned and asked, ¡°Which army is that?¡± [T/N Crow¡¯s feet are wrinkles around your eye that usually ur as you get older]

    ¡°Looking at the g, it looks like Audine¡¯s private army.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re really arrogant, aren¡¯t they?¡± Marquis Balta also sighed. ¡°It seems the Princess¡¯s winning streak has caused her to underestimate her enemies. I guess we will win this war with just one battle.¡±

    These words were what most of the front-linemanders were thinking. This one battle will decide victory. It seemed like Lady Marsha was on the North¡¯s side. Although the Seifer Royal Family had once lost their glory, the same was now urring for the Covardo Royal Family. Count Vitokin closed his eyes and was grateful that he did not choose the wrong side to stand on.

    We are surely going to win.

    On the battlefield.

    Both the right and left nks of the Princess¡¯s army extended backward up into the Anker Mountains, giving up the Marchenko and Leviko Mountain peaks to the south and forming a huge battlefield reliant solely upon their central force.

    Their main camp was in the center of the entire battlefield. Princess Gryphine intended to use the area to stabilize andmand her forces across the battlefield.

    Everyone could not help but sigh, ¡°What a bold move.¡±

    But unfortunately...

    ¡°As soon as the central force is defeated, the Princess¡¯s army will lose its support.¡± Viscount Von Dougning pointed his finger toward the shadow of the Anker Mountain and analyzed, ¡°The entire battlefield will be divided by us, and they will only be able to fight on their own. Defeat is just a matter of time.¡±

    ¡°How could Oberwei make this kind of mistake? He is the Lone Wolf of the kingdom!¡± A noble officer said in a loud voice.

    ¡°It is the Lone Wolf¡¯s personality to want to take a stronger initiative. He has great forbearance and wants to win in one fell swoop!¡± The Viscount said with confidence.

    ¡°Where are the Nagas and the students of the Royal Calvary Academy, then?¡±

    ¡°They must be in both the right and left nks!¡± Viscount Von Dougning answered.

    Everyone came to that realization. Count Vitokin looked up and stared at the shadow under the Anker Mountains. After a while, his eyes stopped upon the young man on the Earth Drake¡¯s back. ¡°Viscount Von Dougning, are you willing to be the herald for the new king?¡±

    Viscount Von Dougning was delighted, as he knew that this was his best opportunity to be a legend in history. He lifted his head high, ¡°Of course.¡±

    The soldiers who were dispatching orders went back and forth, and mor of nobles givingmands rose across the wilderness. gs of the Northern Coalition Army waved back and forth. The army slowly started to take action.

    Everyone held their breath and Brendel felt a chill down his spine.

    The wind blew.

    ¡°Raise your spears!¡±

    ¡°Forward! Stay in line!¡± The first to move was the Beale army from Bursas. The Beale infantry each had a breastte, war halberd, wide-brimmed helmet, and iron gloves. They had strict discipline, and their unified blue and white tabards made them look like blue and white ribbons spreading out from the Northern Coalition Army from above.

    Viscount Von Dougning rode on a huge Earth Drake, followed by his Rangers behind the infantry.

    In total, two thin lines of infantry stood across the entire valley. Although not everyone could be clearly seen due to the uneven terrain, there were hundreds of thousands of gs waving in the air.

    Even knowing the first attack would just be a test, it was inevitable for the men to feel their blood rushing.

    Now, this was a real battle. How many people could see such a sight with their own eyes, not to mention actually participating in it? Moreover, Von Doughning understood that this battle would make his name resound even further.

    Viscount Von Dougning will be a glorious name written in history from now on.

    He raised his spear high into the air and shouted with all his might, ¡°I will take the first step, and you shall find victory in me! Long live Aouine! Long live the King!¡± His voice rang out and the Northern Coalition Army cheered in response.

    Their cheering voices rose like a tsunami.

    The roars worried Count Audine¡¯s private soldiers. They gripped tightly onto their spears and sweat ran down their faces and backs like rivers. Count Audine looked at his uneasy soldiers and could not help but sigh. This n is really too bold. How will my soldiers win in such a battle?

    He turned and looked at Brendel.

    Brendel showed no signs of worry, listening to the Princess at the side.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of Mr. Brendel¡¯s brave actions in Fortress Riedon from Oberwei, but what was it like when you made your move to attack?¡± Princess Gryphine looked at the Northern Coalition Army with a passive expression.

    ¡°That time?¡± Brendelughed, ¡°I didn¡¯t think too much. A person has to survive. The same goes for both nobles and ordinary people. There aren¡¯t any differences when we¡¯re talking about life.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to warn me about something?¡± The Princess asked shrewdly.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just a thought.¡±

    Princess Gryphine nced at him.

    Brendel was silently counting in his heart, then he suddenly turned around and asked, ¡°Amandina, how much further?¡±

    ¡°Less than ten meters, my Lord.¡± Amandina, who was yawning behind him with blood-shot eyes, answered.

    The well-dressed Beale infantry brigade moved forward along the river valley. The Princess¡¯s camp, up on the north bank at the intersection of the creeks, was still unclear to them and none of them knew what kind of ambush they might encounter.

    The priests of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, who followed the army, started chanting prayers, their hymns echoing in the sky above the wilderness. Rays of golden light shone down from the sky on the infantry, strengthening them.

    This was a me protection spell. It gave the beneficiaries an additional one point of protection and one point of retaliation against fire. However, this spell did not syngergize well with their armor, so those who were more lightly armored benefited from a moreplete protection.

    Suddenly, everyone on the battlefield saw a ray of light appear among the Beale infantry, throwing a few of them up into the air in an instant. Their dead bodies fell onto the meadow like wooden puppets, apanied by an ear-deafening explosion which shook the wilderness.

 Chapter 555 - v3c331

    v3c331

    The Holy War(16)

    What is this? Magic? All of themanders of the Northern Coalition Army were so shocked they stopped all action. Before anyone, even Viscount Von Dougning, could react, bursts of light ceaselessly exploded within Beale¡¯s infantry.

    Rumbling booms followed, and storm-like explosions instantly enveloped the entire frontline. Beale¡¯s infantry had the ¡®luck¡¯ of encounteringndmines for the very first time on the battlefield of Vaunte. Detonation Crystals, shallowly buried underneath the path, immediately released all of their contained energy when the weight of the infantry walking over it was applied. The horrifying explosive force not only tore open the ground, but also directly assaulted the infantry above.

    The iron sabatons of Beale¡¯s infantry were first deformed by the colossal force before they were shot upwards along with the limbs of their owners into the air. Their breasttes dented inward in the process, bones and guts directly crushed to smithereens.

    Five or six infantry were sent skyward, most had be dead, cold bodies by the time they fell back to the ground.

    In an instant, Beale¡¯s infantry forces were reduced by one-fifth, but the most severe blow was upon the soldiers¡¯ morale. The Northern Coalition Army was already in trouble before they had even engaged with the enemy. The cheers of the men behind them who witnessed this horrific scene abruptly came to a stop as if choked.

    ¡°This......this is what you made out of disassembling those Magic Furnaces?¡± Princess Gryphine said.

    She looked at the scene from afar but was silently contemting in her heart. The value of the Magic Conductor¡¯s core is very expensive, and those crystals don¡¯t seem to be very cost-effective in terms of lethality. But in a critical battle like this, where we¡¯re willing to do anything, they have produced wonders. She thought.

    Brendel nodded in reply to Gryphine¡¯s question. The truth was that both Amandina and Brendel had not slept all night in order to make this. And in the end, because Amandina could not possiblyplete such arge amount of alchemical work alone, Brendel was forced to use a Blood Alchemy Array to help.

    In the process, he had sacrificed a lot of his blood.

    Brendel noticed the half-elf princess¡¯splexion and correctly surmised most of her thoughts; even so, he did not really care. This was not the full power of the Detonation Crystals, and a good show was still yet toe. Having made so many Detonation Crystals, they were not limited solely tondmines. Landmines were merely child¡¯s y.

    He turned back and looked at the other side of the battlefield.

    Explosions rang continuously, and one of the Earth Drake Cavalrymen directly died in the series of sts. The Detonation Crystals had blown off the Drake¡¯s right foot, and the dazed mount threw its rider directly off its back. The poor helpless knight broke his spine in the process and died on the spot.

    ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± Viscount Von Dougning was shocked too, and he immediately tightened his reins and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s a trap!¡±

    But, as a Viscount who rose to fame in wartime versus the Lion Beastmen, , he quickly came up with a solution. He ordered the Beale infantry to stop theirpacted forward march and spread out, continuing to advance in a more dispersed formation. This scattered formation had existed as early as the Star Festival, when Duke Albania led the White Lion Legion to fight against the arrow ambushes of the Lion Beastmen, and even earlier than that when the Kirrlutz had also used simr tactics. This was not a new invention. Still, the way he had put his learnings into practical use stunned themanders of the Northern Coalition Army.

    ¡°It was no mistake that he is titled as The Genius of Nayo,¡± Viscount Finn praised him while standing beside Vitokin. The Count was also very satisfied; at least this did not prove his choice was wrong. Wisdom was one of the virtues of a great noble.

    Before he could even finish speaking, the battlefield was once again lit up with an even brighter sh of light. It was as if it was perfectly timed to refute him. The simultaneous violent explosion shook the whole valley.

    Viscount Von Dougning was dumbfounded at the sights these violent explosions brought. Detonations tore the ground asunder, causing newly blood-soaked soil to fall all around him like muddied rain. He wiped his face. He was sticky and ufortable. From his deductions, the princess had merely half a night of preparation. Where did she find time to set up camp, scout the terrain, and bury traps? He figured they were just bluffing by putting on a loud show and wanting to dy for time.

    But he did not expect to be wrong. Brendel¡¯s ¡®trap¡¯ was not asplicated as he had thought. In fact, the trap was pretty easy to assemble, Brendel and Amandina had just used some leftovers to make it before throwing said traps into the grass.

    But this product, made out of little effort, was causing major trouble for the Northern Coalition Army.

    When Brendel saw the Beale Infantry stop once again, he felt delighted. There were no international conventions in this world, so he could use whatever kind ofndmine he wanted without feeling the slightest bit of pressure. And this weapon making its first appearance on the battlefield had indeed brought them unexpected benefits.

    The Northern Coalition Army would have to pay a big price if they wanted to move forward. The real purpose of thendmines was to weaken the enemy¡¯s morale as they would lose one or two divisions before even reaching their opponent. This was unheard of before in Vaunte.

    Of course, the other party could always stop and slowly clear thendmines as Brendel and Amandina had not buried the Detonation Crystals deeply. They could find them one-by-one if they were careful, but that was exactly what Brendel wanted. He was not short of time anyways. It was best to drag out the battle for a week or half a month, as by then, the northern nobles would no longer be able to take control of the battlefield.

    However, the Northern Coalition Army clearly understood this and did not intend to give Brendel and his allies any time. Viscount Von Dougning paused for a moment before ordering Beale¡¯s infantry to move on again, remaining in their scattered formation.

    It was purely using human lives as tiles of blood and flesh to pave a path forward.

    Beale¡¯s infantry immediately made amotion, but it was instantly suppressed. After Viscount Von Dougning coldly ordered his Rangers to kill several disobedient soldiers, the infantry began to move forward reluctantly.

    But the battle cries that were shouted out so bravely before ¨C ¡®I will take the lead! Victory is ours! Long live Aouine! Long live the king!¡¯ ¨C had turned into a joke by now. Their morale had plummeted.

    Viscount Von Dougning red hatefully at the northern side, his face as dark as a storm.

    But, regardless of their protests, the Northern Coalition Army finally started to move forward again. Under the loud noises of explosions, the disciplined Beale Infantry was reduced bit by bit, and finally, they could not bear it any longer and copsed. The low-ss soldiers cried out loud as they wanted to retreat, but the long sharp spears behind them kept forcing them to move forward.

    This scene reminded Brendel of when the Kirrlutz kingdom drove their ve soldiers out to attack, but what the Kirrlutz were driving out were enemies and ves, today Aouine was driving out its own people.

    He coldly looked at this scene.

    Behind him, Princess Gryphine was also biting on her lip.

    The first infantry brigade of the Beale finally broke downpletely. Or rather, they werepletely doomed. This division not only lost its formation but also its spirit. Everyone knew that the Beale would no longer hold the title of the ¡®First Infantry Brigade¡¯ in the future anymore.

    This was a nightmare everyone would remember.

    But this nightmare was still continuing; Viscount Von Dougning reced Beale¡¯s first infantry brigade with the second brigade. At this moment, it was as if this young man had turned into a cold-blooded grim reaper whose only purpose was to win. He was so merciless that he was building a bridge to victory out of human bodies, only caring about the end result.

    The men¡¯s sacrifice was just a number to him.

    The advance of the Northern Coalition Army finally showed some results, the second brigade now only one mile away from Brendel¡¯s main campsite. The Northern Coalition Army¡¯s main force was bolstering them from behind, and Brendel could even see the knights¡¯ movements at the back.

    But it was at this time that the second brigade of Beale Infantry, at the front, got hit by something.

    Everyone heard a ¡®swoosh¡¯ sound as if all the air had been sucked away, and suddenly the sky turned dark. Viscount Von Dougning subconsciously lifted his head, and he saw from above that both the Marchenko and Leviko Mountains had a rain of ck arrowsing down from them. The second brigade seemed like they had run into an invisible wall, and their formation was disintegrating from the front.

    ¡°We¡¯ve finally met with the enemy!¡± Viscount Von Dougning felt a sudden adrenaline rush, he turned and shouted, ¡°I order the hignd infantry to attack Leviko Mountain, take the mountaintop down first! Beale Infantry, continue forward!¡±

    The retinue of knights behind him immediately raised their g.

    That same g was raised on the other side of the river valley. Viscount Finn looked at it from afar and rode out from among the knights immediately. A knight behind him raised his horn and blew.

    The sound of the horn surrounded the whole river valley.

    Finn¡¯s hignd infantry began to break away from the main formation, and thousands of infantry in grey tabards rushed across the river bed like a torrent. In front of them was a safe passage that had been ¡®paved¡¯ by the Beale¡¯s men, which enabled them to make a direct assault towards Leviko Mountain.

    Unfortunately, their charge was not as easy as they had imagined it to be.

    The second brigade of Finn¡¯s Hignd Infantry had just stepped into the ck pine forest when they heard a gravelly voice scream, ¡°Sako-!¡± If they had understood the Naganguage, they would¡¯ve known what it meant.

    ¡°Fire-!¡±

    Sani¡¯s mouth was wide open, and the long note of his voice could be heard piercing through the entire forest. The enemy¡¯s human silhouettes were reflected in the caramel-colored eyes of the Naga soldiers, as they lifted the javelins in their hands in sync, throwing them out.

    Screams echoed out from among the forest.

    The seventh division of Finn¡¯s second hignd infantry brigade was almost totally drowned in the projectiles, Centurion Sir Raphael died on the spot, and only one-third of a hundred and fifty infantrymen survived.

    ¡°Ai!¡± Sani immediately ordered his people to form a spear wall, and the foremost three rows of the secret Naga Army held up their spears, forming a jungle of steel.

    The third, fourth, and ninth division of the hignd infantry had already passed theirrades at this moment. Centurion Brod, who was overseeing the battle together with his colleagues, knew things were not going to be good when he saw the secret Naga army in the forest holding their distinct weapons. Moon-shaped spears, the Grey Fin Nagas! But it was toote to retreat, and everyone could only stand and watch as the two armies of different races collided.

    There was a muffled, yet unified sound, when the Nagas¡¯ spears tore armor apart. Brod instinctively raised his head and saw the first row of the ck de Corps being thrown up and back, smashing into rocks or finding themselves hung on trees.

    The Nagas¡¯ secret army was still advancing, the formation of the hignd infantry¡¯s three divisions were as fragile as a thin piece of paper in front of it. The third level army faced against the first level army with overwhelming might. Brod saw most of the Nagas wiping out the human soldiers before them in almost an instant, and the Nagas in the back rows were still reaching out for their second javelin off their backs in perfect synchronization.

    This was thest scene he saw in his life.

    ......

    It was a mess inside the forest. There were corpses of human soldiers nailed to the ground everywhere.

    Sani lifted his head and looked around. Brendel had exined, roughly to him before, about the ck de Corps¡¯ formations. Currently, they had defeated about half of human¡¯s brigade, but it was enough yet.

    ¡°Retrieve our people¡¯s corpses and clear the battlefield. Retreat!¡± He used the Naganguage to give orders. Brendel did not n to tangle with the ck de Corps on these two mountaintops for too long. Originally, the students of the Royal Cavalry Academy had nned to turn this ce into a fresh battlefield of flesh and blood, but he thought that n was not worth it.

    But, how can we defend our central campsite if we give up these two mountaintops?

    A sliver of doubt could be seen in Sani¡¯s caramel-colored eyes.

    When Viscount Finn hurried up Leviko Mountain, he saw this sight of hell. In a mere fifteen minutes, the second brigade of the hignd infantry had lost a total of five divisions, and four Centurions. He had not even experienced such losses when he was surrounded by the Lion Beastmen in Toas.

    And although the leader of the cavalry had sworn that they had gone through massive challenges to obtain the mountaintop and defeat their enemies, The Grey Fin Nagas, Finn was no fool and he could tell that it was the Nagas themselves that had retreated. Otherwise, how would his subordinates not even manage to retrieve a single dead body?

    Whatever.

    The Viscount gritted his teeth, he just wanted toplete the task. He would not bother the Count over such an insignificant matter. ¡°Clean up the battlefield immediately, and return to Count Vitokin telling him of our victory!¡± Finnmanded aggressively.

    He could not help raising his head to look at the center of the battlefield, and he felt a sense of nervousness in his heart. This battle was too peculiar. Why did those Nagas take the initiative to abandon their high ground?

    On the other side of the battlefield, almost the same exact scene was happening on the Marchenko Mountains. Baron Constantine couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, seeing the young soldiers of the ¡®fake White Lion Legion¡¯ swagger away after almost destroying all of his infantry.

    ¡°They retreated..?¡±

    ¡°Dear Marsha, are you protecting us from heaven?¡±

    ¡°Thank Marsha......!¡± Baron Constantineid prone on the ground and almost cried.

    Viscount Von Dougning immediately got the news that the Marchenko and Leviko mountaintops were fully captured. At that moment, he let out a huge sigh. Despite facing many troubles on the way, victory was finally in sight.

    ¡°Is the Princess really nning to abandon the high ground in the South? Is she nning to lure the main force to attack the central camp? Does she want to cover her left and right nks? No. This is more like she¡¯s trying to lure us in deeper......she¡¯s really arrogant.¡±

    Countless thoughts shed through his mind but his eyes gradually became more and more fanatical and passionate. Since the Princess dared to expose their weaknesses to them, how could they easily let them go? They foolishly believed that their Central Camp was indestructible, but Viscount Von Dougning did not believe that Count Audine¡¯s private army could be relied upon.

    ¡°Let¡¯s destroy their arrogance with a single strike.¡±

    He raised his spear up.

    A horn sounded.

    ......

    The wailing of a horn sounded once again. The Northern Coalition Army did not advance slowly anymore, instead, they seemed to move all together. Since the Marchenko Mountains and Leviko Mountains fell into their hands, they were finally able to fully focus all of their forces in one charge.

    Advancing from three sides, Count Vitokin finally invested more than four infantries at once. The intimidating army was like a flood overflowing the mountains, but this flood was going upstream from the river banks, the streams, the forests, and the mountains. From all of these locations theyunched their assault.

    Banner after banner sailed against the wind, and the sporadic detonations of the Detonation Crystals were practically drowned out in the sea of people.

    At this moment, everyone on Princess Gryphine¡¯s side could not help themselves from turning pale; there were too many enemies after all. By losing the Marchenko and Leviko Mountains, it was obvious to them that they would probably not be capable of defending their Central Camp.

    Just relying on the private army?

    Brendel¡¯s expression too finally revealed hints of nervousness. He was not worried about whether his n would fail, instead, he was more concerned about the psychological pressure imposing itself onto the officers. If they copsed with just a touch, it would be over. But he only had this one opportunity, he needed to lure the main forces of the enemy to this point.

    ¡°Hang in there!¡±

    Brendel shouted it in his heart, but he subconsciously pulled out his sword too. Although they had not made contact with the enemy yet, he could already feel the wavering morale of the private army. There was no time to lose, he had to calm them down. He raised Halran Gaia high up into the air, and the ¡®Bahamut¡¯s Grip¡¯ on his arm blended perfectly with his sky blue armor, having the same ability to self-transform as in the game. The metal gauntlet resembled a Blue Dragon¡¯s ws, looking majestic.

    And then, from behind him¨C

    The longbowmen stationed on the hillside got their long-awaited orders atst. At the same time as Brendel drew his sword, they withdrew their arrows from their holsters behind them and nocked them on their longbows. However, the arrow tips had been removed and reced with shiny gray crystals.

    Bessie looked at the longbowmen and could not help shaking her head. Their movements were slow and non-uniform. These private noble soldiers really were useless, and their numbers were too small. Among the thousand longbowmen, even a small half of them were temporarily employed. Could these people really be of use?

    She had no trust in them.

    But themander had told her personally, that as long as they could draw their bows and shoot arrows into the enemy formation, they were of good use. Bessie looked at the coalition army underneath the mountain. She thought to herself that this was not a difficult thing to do, there was no need to aim at all.

    ¡°Ready -¡±

    She also drew her shale longbow.

    ¡°Fire ¨C !¡±

 Chapter 556 - 3c332p1

    3c332p1

    The Holy War(17)

    Brendel watched the sky and earth grow distant. The spearmen in front were lowering the grip on their spears, the shiny helmets lowered one after another and the spears rose among an ocean of helmets. He vaguely heard Bessie¡¯s voice as sharp as a sea monster, a hissing sound, then arrows shot over their heads andnded somewhere further.

    The queue of the Northern Coalition Army was like blue and white waves which produced a series of explosions. The continuous res merged with screams, the force of the air ripples seemed to have crossed tens of meters in just seconds, bringing shrapnels of metal to hit his armor.

    The zes were blinding, Brendel could not help but squint his eyes. The Beale Infantry began their final charge before him. Their formation had turned into a curved line and they were crossing the shallow waters of the creek. Disintegration Crystals exploded beneath their feet, forming pirs of water. Countless youngsters fell amidst the misting water and theirrades continued on, hurdling over their corpses. About fifty meters from both sides of the Marchenko and Leviko Mountains was the forest where. Finn and Constantine¡¯s infantries hid. Their archers did not have to worry about idental injuries so they shot all their arrows towards the two mountain tops, causing countless explosions. The deafening explosions were so powerful they practically gouged out the ground. ck pine tree branches broke and flew all over the ce and the gs of both Northern Coalition Armies fell one after another.

    Suddenly, a few shes broke out in a distance.

    Brendel knew what it was right away, Magical attacks! The mages of the Northern Coalition Army have finally joined the battle. The dots of fire crossed thousands of meters instantly and turned into fireballs as big as a skull. But a light blue water curtain opened up right above the noble private soldiers and the fireballs crashed into them, scattering the red mes.

    But the roaring of the explosions still caused somemotion among Count Audine¡¯s private soldiers and the formation was beginning to get messed up. Brendel realized it and was about to boost their morale when a clear and calm voice was heard.

    ¡°Don¡¯t retreat, I¡¯m here! I¡¯m fighting alongside all of you!¡± The princess¡¯ voice was firm and steady but the way she gripped so tightly onto her sword until her hand turned white gave away her real feelings.

    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Brendel turned and saw Princess Gryphine standing not far away from him.

    Princess Gryphince nced at him with uncertainty in her silver eyes before she turned away and shouted solemnly, ¡°I am the princess of Aouine! I will be here, and let us let our blood flow across this ce together today!¡± The majesty of royalty was extremely infectious to ordinary people. Seeing the princess standing behind them, the noble private soldiers miraculously calmed down.

    Freya stepped forward to join the first row and she pulled out her sword to stand side by side with the noble private soldiers. Although this girl from the countryside of Be was not good with words and could not say anything to motivate and inspire passion in people, as long as she held tightly to her Lionheart Sword and did not step back, no man would be willing to abandon her to face the army alone.

    The few students of the Royal Cavalry Academy that stayed in the central position who were behind her decided to set an example. They moved to the forefront of the lineup. Nobody talked but it was as if they were glowing with an indescribable spirit. Brendel¡¯s heart was thumping and he felt his blood boil with excitement.

    He put down the Halran Gaia across his chest and raised his head to look ahead. A line of blue and white waves was crossing through the smoke of the explosion area. The Northern Coalition Army¡¯s light infantry had crossed the river beach and were getting close.

    Viscount Von Dougning crossed the explosion area with hardship and spat out the sand that got into his mouth. He lifted his head and looked past the mes, seeing Count Audine¡¯s noble private soldiers that had just steadied. So they have a capable officer too... He thought to himself.

    The two armies collided.

    The noble private soldiers held out their spears. The Beale light infantry vanguard was stabbed before they could even reach out with their halberds, the sharp spears piercing through their side breastte and they all fell to the ground. From a distance, it looked like the Beale Infantry¡¯s swallow-tailed gs were falling like dominos.

    The noble private soldiers took a step back but the second row of the Beale infantry had reached through the spears with their halberds. But the halberds were stopped by the shields and the noble private soldiers in the back rows pierced them with spears through the gaps.

    The light infantry in the back rows kepting, stepping past the bodies of theirrades. The noble private soldiers had to keep stepping back. But the attacks came unevenly and even as those leading the front rows kept yelling ¡°Move backward! Move backward!¡± the front line still lost their formation.

    Brendel knew this was not good but then he realized that the Beale¡¯s light infantry did not take advantage of these broken off sections, they were just pushing forward blindly. He suddenly came to his senses, What I¡¯m leading is a noble private army, but the other party is nothing more than a second-line army made up of human light infantries that were not even of the first ss.

    He let out a sigh of relief. I¡¯m being too nervous. This is just the Year of the Sword, the soldiers here aren¡¯t the famous units of theter generations. He calmed down and lifted his head to look at the sea of helmets, shields, spears, and swords. There were a group of Earth Drake Rangers cruising around outside the formation.

    ¡°It¡¯s that guy......¡±

    Brendel realized that the opponent rangers were just waiting for an opportunity to seize.

    He unwittingly looked towards the north side of Marchenko and Leviko Mountain. Viscount Von Dougning was making the same moves. The young viscount who was riding on the Earth Drake saw that Finn and Constantine¡¯s Army had appeared at the edge of the forest and the three phnxes of the noble private soldiers were right at both the right and left nks.

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s moving forward faster than expected.¡± Viscount Von Dougning was startled. He knew exactly what standards Finn and Constantine¡¯s Armies were at so he did not expect them to cross through at the explosions at such a critical moment.

    The gods are on Seifer¡¯s side.

    But what shed through Brendel¡¯s mind when seeing the same scene was Bessie did a good job.

    The noble private soldier¡¯s phnx moved backward step by step with their backs facing the Anker Mountain. The Grey Fins Nagas and Royal Cavalry Academy¡¯s students who had previously retreated appeared at both sides of the south of Anker Mountain.

    Viscount Von Dougning suddenly understood what Brendel wanted to do. He wanted to concentrate the superior forces on the right and left nks and lure and defeat the Northern Coalition Army at the Marchenko and Leviko Mountains. Viscount Von Dougning immediately ordered, ¡°Let Viscount Finn and Baron Constantine hold on, tell them victory is just a step away and not to worry and to use in all the military forces.¡±

    He paused, ¡°Pass my orders to Count Vitokin, the best is to have him give out the same orders.¡±

    The messenger cavalry immediately went.

    The battle gradually started to intensify.

    Because of the repeated attacks, the formation of the noble private soldiers had nted to one side. It was like a huge piece of melting butter with a corner almost melted away. Viscount Von Doughnin was observant and seized this opportunity. He pointed his spear towards that side of the noble private soldiers and shouted, ¡°Focus all attacks on the left nk of the phnx. Take down their main formation and victory will be ours!¡¯

    Brendel heard Count Audine screaming in anger behind him, ¡°Be careful of those rangers, don¡¯t expose our side to them!¡± He felt a sense of crisis for the first time. The other side is indeed a well-knownmander in history. If it¡¯s just aboutmanding armies, I probably wouldn¡¯t win against him.

    ¡°Mr.Brendel.¡± There was a ssh of red on Princess¡¯ Gryphine¡¯s fair face, her hand was trembling slightly from gripping her sword too tightly. She looked around from atop her horse and saw that they were surrounded by an ocean of endless enemies. ¡°The left nk can¡¯t take it any longer!¡¯

    Brendel just nodded at her.

    ¡°Maynild!¡± He turned around and shouted.

    ¡°Here!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m handing themander role to you.¡±

    Maynild turned her head, Brendel saw the strange look in her eyes under her flowing ck hair. The female knight did not ask any further and just nodded.

    ¡°Mr.Brendel, you...?¡± The princess was stunned, ¡°What are you nning to do?¡±

    Brendel was turning his horse. The princess¡¯s startled voice caught the lower ss officers¡¯ and knights¡¯ attention. They were stunned to see theirmander leave and headed directly to the left nk by himself.

    What is he trying to do?

 Chapter 557 - v3c332p2

    v3c332p2

    The Holy War(18)

    Under the pressure of the Coalition Army, the left nk of the noble private soldiers was stepping back and the formation gradually loosened up until it was eventually squeezed into a small triangr shape. If Viscount Von Dougning¡¯s Earth Drake Rangers turned to this side, failure was just a matter of time.

    It was already toote.

    Has themander gone crazy?

    That was what Viscount Von Dougning thought, too. Although he had not seen Brendel, his opponents have not given up the left nk yet to protect the central formation instead. Their reaction is too slow. He could not help but sneer, Or maybe they were too arrogant.

    No matter how capable themander was, it still required a qualified army to work. Those students from the royal family do not know what a real battle is like.

    He could already see the noble private soldiers¡¯ nk as well as their panicking infantries. The panic on their faces was exactly like the wild beasts of Toquinen, it was the natural look of despair.

    The rangers leveled their spears and advanced.

    The ground started to tremble. Every time the giant ws of the Earth Drake came in contact with the ground, the pebbles on the river beach would be as if they were infused with magic and started to dance and roll around and dusty haze arose. But their shining spears pierced through the haze. Viscount Von Dougning lowered his body and stabbed his spear right into the opponent¡¯s formation while letting out a beast-like roar.

    The huge force directly prated through the elliptical shield and the rangers continued to add pressure while the Earth Drake broke through the shields with its humongous body. The noble private soldiers¡¯ phnx could not take it anymore and started to retreat one by one.

    It was at this moment Viscount Von Dougning realized victory was in his hands. The defeat of Count Audine¡¯s left nk would lead to sweeping the entire main camp of the princess, then the Beale¡¯s light infantry and his Rangers would divide the battlefield, like what they did to the foolish Lion Beastmen in the East battlefield.

    But it was at this moment that he heard a distant howl.

    The howl came from the dense forest, the endless wilderness. The young Viscount thought he saw a hallucination in the next second. He saw the ground covered in darkness under a silver moon with a giant wolf running.

    The long howl made the mountains shake. The howl of the wolf echoed throughout the forest as if it had ovee time and distance, near and far. It surrounded the whole battlefield.

    ¡°A wolf?¡±

    A ck shadow covered the sunlight over Viscount Von Dougning. He raised his head and saw a huge object jump high into the sky, its ck fur shining under the sunlight. Its bloody red eyes were cold and murderous. It was still the afternoon, when the sun shone the brightest, but the young Viscount could not feel even a slight sense of warmth as chills ran down his spine.

    He subconsciously raised his spear and pierced it into the giant wolf¡¯s ck fur but it was as hard as a rock. Sparks flew from the spear at the collision. It was not a hallucination, it was real.

    Viscount Von Dougning clearly saw the ck wolf turn its body in the air to barely avoid the spear andnded near the Earth Drake.

    ¡°What strength...¡± Viscount Von Dougning felt his hand trembling due to excessive output of force. He lifted his head and saw a few hundred pairs of red eyes emerging under the shadow of the Anker mountain. A pack of wolves was running through the forest and was obviously charging towards them.

    ¡°Wolves!¡±

    ¡°A lot of wolves!¡± The Beale Infantry behind him also saw their new enemy. In fact, everyone in the battlefield saw the ck pack of wolves barging in from the side, it was as if there were ck doors at the edge of the forest with huge beasts charging out one after another.

    ¡°All sorts of crazy things are here.¡± Viscount Von Dougning finally came to his senses and spoke to himself. He did not have time to think further as the cavalries charged forward. He turned to look at the ck wolf that came at him just now. It was flung back by the Earth Drake and seemed like it did not intend to chase after them, instead turning and charging towards the infantries behind.

    Countless ck wolves were doing the same thing on the battlefield. It was as if they were a synchronised and disciplined army. No, in fact a real army could not reach such standards.

    Viscount Von Dougning felt his heart tightened and he realised that these wolves were probably not as simple as magical beasts from the forest. Druids? No, Druids can¡¯t control magical beasts?

    The Beale Infantry suddenly cried out.

    The Viscount lifted his head and he could not believe what he saw at that moment. The sea of ck wolves separated into two as if to give way and opened a path in the middle. A person riding on a horse made his way through the pack of wolves.

    That person was Brendel.

    Brendel lifted his head to look at him too.

    A ck crystal gradually appeared on his forehead and it shone strangely.

    Brendel positioned his main camp here not because he trusted in Audine¡¯s private soldiers but because he trusted in himself. It was not impossible to fight against thousands of soldiers alone.

    And now he was proving his point to the Viscount.

    I am the left nk.

    The sky started to turn bright, countless shining green Wind Spirit Spiders instantly rose into the sky from the forest and formed a huge light formation behind Brendel. All the Beale infantries¡¯ gaped. Their Dragon Knights had an encounter with the power of these small things a day ago and now it was their turn.

    Brendel stood on his horse¡¯s back and pointed his sword forward.

    A rain of golden red rain poured down towards the direction his sword pointed at. The Earth Drake Rangers¡¯ at the forefront had their heads pierced through by the lights and hundreds of knights turned into ash just in a blink of an eye. What disappointed him was that Viscount Von Dougning, who was cautious, had led a few of his soldiers to flee before the Wind Spirit Spiders even rose into the air and managed to escape.

    The Wind Spirit Spiders¡¯ attack still had some ws. By the time Brendel went to look for him, he had already mixed into the Beale light infantry, even giving up his mount. This man is such a coward! How did Freya even defeat him?

    But this was not beyond Brendel¡¯s expectation. This person did not even have the courage to fight against him during their time in Ampere Seale so it was even less likely now. It was known that there were plenty of nobles who were willing to fight to the death for their honor.

    Brendel shook his head and did not order the Wind Spirit Spiders to continue to attack the Beale infantry yet. He knew that the war was not over and he should save up as much Element as possible. Moreover, the enemy in front of him was no longer a threat.

    Right in front of him, the ¡°army¡± of ck wolves and stone leopards were colliding with the Beale infantry. However, these few hundred peak Silver and Iron ranked wolves and leopards could only resist an army of a few thousands.

    Brendel was waiting for an opportunity.

    Themanders of the Beale Army were waiting for Finn and Constantine¡¯s Armies toplete the siege.

    Brendel could not help but lift his head.

    The peaks of the Marchenko and Leviko Mountains where massive explosions were happening came into his sight.

    Viscount Finn stared at Count Vitokin¡¯s subordinate before him while the explosion noises continued. He shouted as loud as he could, hoping to suppress the explosion noises with his own voice, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying the Viscount is asking me to attack? And to use all of the military forces?¡±

    That knight nodded.

    ¡°Yes. Viscount Von Dougning had reported the fact that you and your men had put the vanguards into the battle while risking your lives to the Count. The Count also praised your army for its courage and determination. Both of them hope that you will invest more forces into the front line for support as victory is near.¡±

    Both of them were shouting loudly as it was the only way to make themselves heard by the other party. The mountain top was trembling as if it was about topletely blow up.

    Viscount Finn showed a strange expression on his face. Since when did I put the vanguards into the battle? Didn¡¯t my vanguards all die during the first attack? The enemies¡¯ ¡®spell¡¯ was horrifying, I¡¯ve never seen such a ¡®spell¡¯ that could go on continuously without stopping.

    ¡°Lord Viscount?¡±

    ¡°This...¡±

    Viscount Finn did not know what to say at that moment. What should I say?

 Chapter 558 - v3c333

    v3c333

    The Holy War(19)

    Just as Viscount Finn went silent, the Beale infantry at the valley¡¯s battlefield met with trouble. The light cavalry formed by the Nagas¡¯ Secret Army and Royal Cavalry Academy suddenly appeared beside them. The two armies, Finn Division and Constantine Division, which were initially blocking in front of them, had disappeared all of a sudden. Viscount Von Dougning came to realize that it was a trap.

    It was illusion magic.

    Finn Division and Constantine Division were caught on the Machenko and Villeko mountains/hills/slopes, their armies didn¡¯t have the guts to cross through the explosion and fire. Brendel had taken this chance to order the Naga mages to create an illusion that these two armies had arrived at the valley¡¯s battlefield by using magic. The illusion was created by using the water molecules in the air to change the light¡¯s reflection. This was already the basics of water elemental magic and the hydrophilic Naga Priesthood were experts in creating illusions using water element. More importantly, Brendel was familiar with the formation of these two armies and he perfectly counterfeited their battle g and the knight coat of arms, which caused Viscount Von Dougning to be caught in the trap.

    Beale¡¯s infantry division were attacking Count Audine¡¯s noble private armies under Viscount Von Dougning¡¯s orders, forming the only protrusion of the Northern Coalition Army. Meanwhile, the Nagas¡¯ Secret Army and Royal Cavalry Academy circled around them,pletely surrounding them.

    Viscount Von Dougning could only hope that the Finn and Constantine Divisions could appear at the moment to block those two armies. However, the explosion and fire-burning at Machenko and Villeko peaks hadsted for almost five minutes as though the explosive arrows shooted by the archers were free of charge. It formed into a barrier of barrage. He did not even expect the archers to stop shooting due to exhaustion of physical strength. One look and he knew that the opponent had divided the archers into several teams and they rotated in shooting. ording to the abilities of the useless two, they were unlikely to appear on the battlefield before the archers ran out of arrows.

    The final oue of the battle was already hard to change.

    It was the light infantry of Beale Division¡¯s turn to be attacked. Originally, they had delusions of bypassing the princess to take center stage, but that was shattered because of Brendel¡¯s appearance. The light infantry members were shaken in this moment., Although they still resisted, in such a besieged situation, it was just a matter of time until they eventually copsed.

    The battle in the front line was affecting the entire battlefield. Count Vitokin realized that he had been set up. He could either invest in more troops to rescue the light infantry on the battlefield, but who knew if it was another trap; or to give up on the light infantry andunch a new attack.

    But his generals might not support his decision as all themanders of the Northern Coalition Army were of the same noble origins. He looked uncertain of his decision and could only curse at Finn and Constantine for being useless. But he still had to quickly make a decision.

    Because the light infantry of the Beale Division was followed by the Fiet Division¡¯s fortress-like fully equipped heavy cavalry and heavy infantry, they prepared to speed up and start attacking. The valley was at a steep slope so it took the heavy cavalry a huge amount of effort to speed forward. There was only one chance for them to defeat their opponent.

    ¡®¡®Master Count Vitokin, please make your decision!¡¯¡¯ Around Vitokin¡¯s were his veteran subordinates who knew that their lord was making a difficult decision. They spoke in union, ¡®¡®No matter what decision you make, we will always support you.¡¯¡¯

    Vitokin smiled bitterly, ¡°Now, the only way we left is to rescue the Finn Division and Constantine Division. As long as they can reach here in time, we probably can still turn things around.¡¯¡¯

    Their eyes all brightened, yes this was a good solution. ¡°We canmand the Dragon Cavalry to rescue them. We can rescue the Finn Division and Constantine Division by attacking the archers from above.¡±

    It is not that easy. Count Vitokin shook his head but he was helpless. He knew that that was the only way now. Although the Northern Coalition Army was powerful, they couldn¡¯t show their strengths in this valley. If they didn¡¯t take their enemies down now, this battle would only drag on.

    Too many things could happen if it dragged on.

    Thus, the Dragon Cavalry of the ck de Corps who were mobilized all night started rising to the sky again. What awaited them was the Dragon Cavalry of the Southern Legion along with Brendel¡¯s Heaven¡¯s Armament ¡ª at least all the noblemanders of the Northern Coalition Army thought so.

    The sky and ground instantly went dark. The quantity of the Dragon Cavalry of the ck de Corps and the local forces were at least three times that of the Southern Legion. But their battle prowess were equally matched. Thebat strength of the Dragon Cavalry of the ck de was reduced by more than half due to insufficient rest and ended up heavily suppressed by the Southern Legion¡¯s Dragon Cavalry whose quantities were far less.

    The Northern Coalition Army knew the situation was not looking good. The Finn Division and Constantine Division have yet to be rescued and the battlefield was not optimistic. At the same time, the Feit Division¡¯s heavy cavalry was speeding up towards the battlefield, which was almost uncontroble.

    This was what Brendel had been waiting for.

    The heavy cavalry of the Northern Coalition Army was riding past the flowering canyon. The wind and clouds gathered above them. Another storm was forming at the sea of Ampere Seale and the sky began to darken. If someone stuck out a hand at this time, they would be able to tell that It had started drizzling.

    The ground began to shake when the Earth Drake started moving. This time was different from the slight tremor from when the Rangers elerated towards the battlefield. It was as if the battlefield itself was roaring, simr to rumbling of thunder.

    At the same time, real thunder boomed across the sky.

    ¡°Lord Sea Monster, please attack the heavy cavalry with your soldiers!¡± Brendel shouted. [TL: this sounds a little inappropriate to address a female but... it¡¯s the most urate trantion from the raws. Any suggestions?]

    Bridget looked at the heavy cavalry in a leisurely manner. This was the first time that the Grey Fins Nagas fought against humans onnd. This could be considered a precious experience. She raised up her hand. Her four long and slim fingers were connected by colourful webbing. They looked strange to humans, but they held a feminine charm.

    The Nagas¡¯ Secret Army bagan to cast their spells again. Ice des once again appeared in the air above the battlefield. Their human opponents were not ready for this. As a high levelled Silver rank Elementalist, plus the blessings from the sea god, these sea demons were much more powerful than their counterparts in the Northern Coalition Army. They were able to support them in regaining the strength to reenter the battle again.

    But out of their expectations, space seemed to freeze and numerous silver threads appeared from the clouds before Bridget could direct the fall of the ice des. The threads covered the entire battlefield in an instant, forming a huge barrier.

    In that instant, all the spells disappeared.

    ¡°Dismantling of Spells!¡± Bridget frowned.

    Dismantling of Spells was the expertise of a Mage.

    However, for such a wide range spell with such powerful effects, the opponent must be at least an Elemental Mage. Bridget was not familiar with the power of humans, but Brendel knew who did it.

    The top Mage under Duke Seifer named Garlock the Wanderer, one of the Mages from Aouine.

    The opponent finally ran out of patience. That guy finally made a move.

    That is more than enough.

    She immediately turned and shouted, ¡°Amandina!¡±

    ¡°I am over here, my lord!¡± the nobledy shouted from the crowd.

    ¡°Now!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    ¡°Everyone,¡± Brendel suddenly raised his head and roared, ¡°Cover your ears.¡±

    ¡°Ah...?¡±

    The situation on the battlefield kept changing, everyone including the princess were stunned by the wolvesmanded by Brendel. The Royal Princess and Oberwei recognized them as ck wolves at a nce. They couldn¡¯t be considered high-level monsters in the ck Forest.

    But ording to the folklore of the mountain people, ck wolves would only gather during disasters, which was known as the Cmity of Wolves.

    ¡°Brendel, he...?¡± Princess Gryphine dumbly stared at the shining ck crystal on Brendel¡¯s forehead. Her face turned pale as she asked, ¡°Is that a...¡±

    Oberwei also wore a tense expression.

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Count Audineughed and said, ¡°¡®The Monarch of Darkness shepherds wolves; before the end of the world, disaster is right behind.¡¯ Saying that ck wolves are the disasters is just a rumor amongst witches. Only the uneducated mountain people believe in this kind of rumor. I had once encountered the real Cmity of Wolves in the Loop of Trade Winds. Even if it¡¯s a cmity, it can still be conquered by people.¡±

    ¡°It was Brendel who made me believe in that.¡± Count Audineughed and said, ¡°I witnessed firsthand someone actually bringing light into darkness.¡±

    Princess Gryphine recalled her experience, and gave a light nod. She could not help but nce at Brendel.

    But what no one knew was that there was an old man voiceing from the forest of Anker Mountain, chanting the same words, ¡°The Monarch of Darkness shepherds wolves; before the end of the world, disaster is right behind. The world has no secrets before his eyes.¡±

    ¡°The prophecies are being fulfilled one by one.¡±

    ¡°My King, you are finally back...¡±

    Brendel¡¯s long roar passed through the entire forest, even the ck wolves beside him had stopped. At the next moment, everyone felt the ground shake. It was not the shaking caused by the heavy cavalry, the entire valley had shook.

    Arge number of soldiers had fallen to the ground and the heavy cavalry of the Feit Division was even more of a mess. They had just elerated towards the battlefield and fell backwards row by row. Many soldiers broke their neck before they could even get to the battlefield.

    But no one cared about the battlefield anymore.

    A terrible roar came from underground. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but look at the ground as it shifted. A kind of strange and terrible power was hidden below, the sound seeming to be the roar of a giant beast.

    And it was approaching.

    The origin of the huge sound was approaching the surface of the ground. Everyone looked up. Suddenly, lightning shed between the earth and the gloomy sky. But that lightning was not struck from the sky, but from the ground.

    A hole opened at the peak of Machenko Mountain and a dazzling white light shone from within.

    ¡°It¡¯s over for Viscount Finn...¡±That was the only thing Count Vitokin could think of when he saw the scene. He seemed to realize something and immediately turned to his soldiers and shouted.

    However, in the white light, a huge sound drowned out everything. After the piercing loud noise, everything went silent. Everyone saw the people around them yelling in horror, but they could only see their mouths moving but could not make any sound.

    The high-pitched sound wave engulfed every sound, but strangely it made the world silent and people could no longer hear anything.

    Then the sound of a loud explosion swept over them like a fierce gale. The strong sound wave rippled out in a ring over the battlefield. All the light and heavy infantry and the Dragon Cavalry were blown back more than ten meters before falling on the ground.

    The entire valley shook as if the Arreck Mountain Ranges were about to copse.

    The white light had split the link between the Machenko and Villeko mountains.

    A long time passed.

    By the time Vitokin recovered his wits and stood up to look over the battlefield, the heavy cavalry of the Feit Division, half of the heavy infantry and one third of the Stevenson Division had disappeared.

    Machenko Mountain had almost leveled while Villeko Mountain was left with only the bottom half.

    Only a deep rift was left between the two mountains. The rift was too deep to be seen and was covered by white mist. The white mist rose and formed into a huge tornado. Count Vitokin¡¯s mind was still a mess and he couldn¡¯te up with a singlemand suitable for this situation when the white mist began to rise to form a tornado.

    All the people that were still alive raised their heads and looked at the tornado which grew and spun rapidly to tens of meters above the ground. It was obviously more than just wind as everyone felt a huge pressure on the battlefield.

    Then a majestic voice immediately covered the entire battlefield.

    ¡°Humble mortals, thank you for breaking the seal for me.¡± A thunderous voice came from the wind. The stormy clouds gathered above it and the rain suddenly became heavy. Lightning shed between the clouds and they gathered on the whirlwind. ¡°But I hate people who disturb the grace of serenity.¡±

    Within the rain, all the people around Brendel were stunned. Only Brendel looked at the tornado and felt amazed.

    Even the entrance lines are the same.

    Then that guy¡¯s temper should still be the same.

    At the other side of the battlefield, Garlock the Wanderer who was casting his spell paled and quickly turned around and shouted at Count Vitokin, ¡°Command your subordinates to prepare for the battle. Hurry, before it¡¯s toote!¡±

    But in fact, it was already toote.

    The tornado suddenly snorted with extreme dissatisfaction, ¡°What is this...¡± A silver Lines of Laws from the cloud striked in the air and then exploded into a bright arc of lightning, ¡°Dismantling of Spells?¡±

    ¡°How dare you intend to attack me with the Dismantling of Spells?¡±

    ¡°You worms are seeking death!¡±

    Garlock raised his pale face and saw numerous vortexes of thunder and lightning above him. Then they all struck.

    In that moment, a storm of lightning covered the battlefield.

 Chapter 559 - v3c334

    v3c334

    The Holy War(20)

    Count Vitokin had never dreamed that an arrogant giant thing would appear on the battlefield among the two armies. Such a strange thing doesn¡¯t happen even in legends. He certainly did not think it was actually a masterpiece of Brendel. As early as the night before, Brendel had already nted arge number of Disintegration Crystals on several seal nodes in the underground temple site. As soon as the time came, the seal would explode automatically. And Adega the Rager, which was the huge storm that was on the battlefield, would naturallye out.

    Adega the Rager, was level 71 in the game. ording to the power recognition in Vaunte universal, he was at thete stage of Peak of Laws and had reached the peak. It was just that his power had weakened after being sealed. Since this guy was called the ¡°Rager¡±, his temper was naturally not good. Due to the contract (Tiamat code) made by Lord Marsha and the four elven kings, Elemental Beings were naturally sensitive to the change ofw. So Adega even more so hated when someone disyed thew and magic in front of him.

    That was why Ciel had never fought back until now. As a veteran yer, Brendel would never make such a low-level mistake. But, the Northern Coalition Army was not so lucky. Garlock the Wanderer felt something off the moment he made a move. He was at level 65 at the beginning of the game, which was considered as powerful under Elemental Enlightenment. Strong yers at his level were very sensitive to danger and hostility. He immediately sensed the hostility that Adega had towards him.

    Adega was like a huge cloud hovering over the battlefield with a diameter of more than several hundred meters. Grey clouds were rolling nonstop around his body, releasing a couple of shes of lightning from time to time. Everyone had to look up to see his full appearance. There were two huge whirlpools of lightning where his eyes were supposed to be, looking just like balls of electricity.

    As soon as the giant thing appeared, the soldiers of the Northern Coalition Army immediately cried out, ¡°Heavens, it¡¯s a monster!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. That is an Elemental Being! ¡±

    ¡°So big!¡±

    There were more than a few people who turned around and ran. Adega did not care much about them. A soft sound was heard and a golden arc of thunder flew towards Garlock the Wanderer on the battlefield.

    The old Mage was frightened pale. Even the weakest Elemental Beings are much stronger than the average human. Not to mention this being had been sleeping for many years yet was still stronger than him. He quickly raised his right hand and shouted, ¡°Thew, block it!¡±

    A transparent hexagon shield appeared above him, each side of it just colliding with and blocking an electric arc. The arc immediately scattered into several electric snakes.

    Adega did not expect that the human below would actually have some abilities. Of course it was also because of the decline of his strength. He could not help but be a little annoyed. He took a deep breath. The clouds that formed his body suddenly inted and a storm was forming at the sea of Aouine.

    The rain became heavy again and Adega seemed to draw energy from the storm. Whoosh! An arm made from dark clouds suddenly grew out of its body and swung half the distance of the battlefield and hit Garlock.

    Although the wind element storm was huge, it was not cumbersome and was actually quite fast. Those soldiers on the battlefield had just seen the changes of the clouds in the sky but in an instant, a huge fist, nearly 20 to 30 meters wide, made up of dark clouds and lightning was right in front of them.

    There was a loud bang.

    The lightning sparks seemed to gather at one point but was blocked by something. Once again, it scattered, forming into a spider-like shape and was thrown backwards, shooting out countless electric sparks. The scene was like rushing water hitting a rock in the middle of the river and separating to the two sides. It was just that the water was made up of golden red lines.

    The arc was thrown backwards. Behind Garlock was a group of archers at their post. These ordinary human soldiers were immediately hit. The electric current rushed over their positions like a flood. Dozens of archers were burned alive, unable to even scream. Even the luckiest ones had lost at least an arm.

    An old Mage was revealed below after the arc passed. Garlock was paled and his right hand was trembling. He had to thank The Amber Sword for auto-directing most of its defending spells, otherwise, he would have been frothing and half paralyzed by this p alone.

    Elemental Beings were naturally born Elementalists, but that did not mean their strength was weak. In fact, unlike the weak races such as ck Dwarfs, most of the high-level beings were capable of double cultivation of magic and martial arts. For example, the powerful Elemental Lord of the Elemental Storm, once they reached the Peak of Laws, their physical strength would not be inferior to that of an Elemental Activation¡¯s warrior.

    Adega attacked again. This temperamental elemental master suddenly became furious. Countless lightning shot from his body onto the battlefield attacking the ordinary soldiers. It could be said that he was the most shameless boss in the history of Aouine.

    There were a lot of casualties on the battlefield. Count Vitokin almost fainted after he saw this scene. At this time, Duke Seifer, who had been supervising the war at the back, could no longer sit still. Since the appearance of the Ash Sword Saint, everything that happened in the past two days was out of his expectation. He finally felt that things were going out of control. Even the Royal Highness Princess no longer seemed easy to catch to him.

    While he was cursing the Royal Highness Princess, hoping that Adega had smited her, Duke Seifer quicklymanded his subordinates to attack it.

    Before Adega could close his palm, a dazzling golden me burst out of the sky in the torrential rain. A long sword chopped down with the burning me right on Adega¡¯s hand.

    Elemental Beings were not incorporeal beings like ghosts. Moreover, even incorporeal beings in The Amber Sword would still suffer from half of the damage from this kind of attack. An Elemental Storm has 25% physical damage reduction. But still, its hand had beenpletely chopped off by the sword. Laymen might think that the Elemental Storm was just a whirlwind, even if it broke its hand, it still could be joined back together. But actually, Elemental Beings were still beings. Every part of its body was directly created of its energy. It could absorb the power of the storm but it did not mean that it was the storm itself. That meant the sword of Fiery Nichs had really cut into its body, which made Adega utter a scream that sounded through the entire forest.

    Adega was truly angry this time. It shouldn¡¯t be forgotten that it was not only at the top of the Peak of Laws, it was also a BOSS. Brendel knew, even in the real world of Vaunte, the settings fromThe Amber Sword were obeyed most of the time. Unfortunately, Fiery Nichs and Garlock the Wanderer did not understand this point. Suddenly, there was a circle of golden lightning surrounding their two bodies.

    Lightning cage.

    This was the second stage.

    Adega the Rager had divided the battlefield into two the moment he appeared. Because he knew the breaking point of the seal in advance, other than a few guys who were injured by the debris, Brendel¡¯s explosion harmed none of his own troops. Among them was the idiot named Carglise. The Northern Coalition Army had suffered from heavy losses. The Finn and Constantine Divisions, who had been trapped at the two mountains by Brendel, and theirmander werepletely annihted. The heavy cavalry and heavy infantry of the Feit Division were almost wiped out. Viscount Feit was lucky to be alive, but he was caught by the Royal Cavalry Academy.

    Three divisions, nearly 12,000 people, hadpletely disappeared from the battlefield. The casualties from the battle between the Northern Coalition Army and Brendel were not even half of this. This loss could be considered one of the heaviest losses for the Kingdom through its history.

    The Beale¡¯s light infantry on this battlefield was either killed or captured. Adega¡¯s attention waspletely caught by the unlucky Mage beside Duke Seifer so Brendel was able to take this chance tomand his subordinates to clean up the battlefield. Hence, Beale¡¯s light infantry were sacrificed on the battlefield. After losing hope, there was only disarm and surrender.

    As a result, the Northern Coalition Army lost four divisions on the battlefield, which was a third of the opponent¡¯s troops. Moreover, Adega was still in the Northern Coalition Army, their troubles were far from over.

    Brendel looked up. There were two huge lightning cages on the battlefield. He could not help but chuckle. Fiery Nichs and Garlock the Wanderer are going to suffer a lot.

    As expected, Fiery Nichs and Garlock the Wanderer were surprised by the lightning cage surrounding them. It should be said that every one of these people had true strengths. As long as they stepped into the Elemental realm, all of them would gain their own Lines of Law. It should have been very difficult for externalws to be directed near them without conflicting with their own Lines of Laws.

    It was just like how Brendel found it difficult to control the Pdin by using the ¡®must¡¯ skills of the Line of Laws.

    Fiery Nichs and Garlock the Wanderer never had thought of this possibility and they ended up bumping into the lightning cage as soon as it encircled them.

    Brendel could imagine their screams. Both of these people had high prestige and strength, able to stay silent even under such circumstances. But, that did not mean they were not injured. The truth was, when the two bright lights that exploded over the battlefield faded, Garlock the Wanderer was still okay because he was a Mage and had many magic tools to protect him from the attack. But Fiery Nichs became a little embarrassing. His beautiful long me colour hair was burned away, showing a big and shiny bald head, wisps of white smoke steaming around his body.

    It seemed that the name ¡°Fiery Nichs¡± was no longer a suitable name. In fact, Brendel had even thought of a new nickname for him, ¡°Bareheaded Nichs¡±.

    Of course Brendel, or actually Sophie, was ck-hearted, but they held back here. In fact, he had long anticipated the misfortune of Fiery Nichs and Garlock the Wanderer. The lightning cage marked the second stage of the battle of Adega the Rager and it was the same in this world. This was actually a BOSS skill, so it was not strange. One of the biggest characteristics of it was that it could ignore the conflict of the Line of Laws.

    It was probably only Elemental Beings, who were naturally sensitive to thews, that could create such an incredible skill. The effect of this skill was that unless you stayed still and did not move out of the range of the lightning cage, you would lose half of your life.

    Although the damage of this skill could be negated by some magic equipment, such as a shield or a life-saving talisman, it ignored all defense and magic damage reduction. In other words, even if Brendel had a hundred points in willpower, he would still take full damage.

    Originally, yers had suffered quite a lot from this skill. The cage wouldst for ten seconds and it targeted anyone on the battlefield that Adega hated. This meant that you could not dodge for ten seconds. You could only stand still and defend against all the attacks from Adega the Rager. It was a nightmare for the yers.

    What made Brendel feel a little funny was that this skill was not very threatening to Fiery Nichs and Garlock the Wanderer. When the boss was originally released, its level was not as outrageous as these two. One was level 70, the other was level 71. At that time, the yer¡¯s highest level seemed to only be 55.

    It could be said that Fiery Nichs and Garlock had the ability to fight against Adega the Rager for ten seconds. It was just that they suffered due tocking information. Most of these Elemental Beings were from ancient times, their skill systems were totally different from those of today.

    Before Brendel could finish thinking about it, he heard a thunderous roar on the battlefield. ¡°Hahaha, stupid mortals.¡± Adega¡¯sughter was endlessly arrogant and he seemed to be very proud of his catches. ¡°Under my lightning cage, you¡¯d better wait for the Judgement of Lightning. If you act rashly, you will only lose!¡±

    The loud voice echoed over the battlefield.

    Shit.

    Luckily Brendel did not spit a mouthful of blood. Although this guy was named Adega the Rager, yers actually all called him Adega the Brainless. This arrogant guy had a weakness. He would show off his skills as if he was afraid that others would not defeat him. Who knew that he would still behave the same here.

    Fiery Nichs and Garlock the Wanderer were both famous masters in Aouine. They nced at each other and saw simr intentions. As expected, as soon as the lightning cage appeared, they both stayed still. Garlock then casted defense magic and Adega could not deal with them.

    At the moment, the war was in a stalemate but it was obviously advantageous for Brendel. From the perspective of the princess¡¯ side, this was the best time to retreat. If Adega could stall the Northern Coalition Army here for a day, they might be able to escape from Ampere Seale.

    Unexpectedly, Brendel had no intentions to retreat. He stood in the rain to observe the fight. What is going on now! The princess was too embarrassed tomand Brendel. She had no choice but to call upon Freya and asked her what was going on.

    Unexpectedly, the kingdom¡¯s future War Goddess replied naturally, ¡°Brendel always behaves in such a way, as if he can¡¯t distinguish the priorities. There was a time he was escaping for his life at Be. And, at that time he was almost dead but he still insisted on learning first aid on the battlefield from me. I was almost angered to death.¡±

    I¡¯m not asking you about his character!

    The half elf Princess sighed and directly asked, ¡°Freya, can you ask Mr. Brendel if we should retreat first?¡±

    Freya realized her intentions and nodded. She led her horse over there to ask.

    ¡°Retreat?¡±

    Brendel was dumbfounded. At this time, the Ruins of the Mar Hignds Cathedral were already in abat state. Based on his experience in the game, yers who chose to leave this area at this moment would be Adega¡¯s targeted hated. Although it was not known if this outrageous setting was applied in the real Aouine, Brendel did not intend to offend this crazy Elemental master.

    ¡°No, we can¡¯t retreat now. Instead, let us take a rest and be ready for the next battle.¡± Brendel raised his head and said. The Kirrlutz had not appeared on the battlefield yet. He did not believe that the Holy Cathedral of Fire would willingly give up.

    Even if it was a step back to say that the Kirrlutz did not want to interfere in the civil war of Aouine, but it was reasonable to help them in defeating the Elemental Storm.

    It was only halfway through the war, after all.

 Chapter 560 - v3c335p1

    v3c335p1

    The Holy War(21)

    The creationalism poem of the Kirrlutz people, ¡°Poetry of the God¡± imed that the four elven kings and their subordinate elements were the guardians of this world. However, this agreement was only between them and Marsha. These elements were violent and ferocious and human beings rarely got along with them peacefully, just as the situation now.

    After the lightning cage failed to work, Adega the Rager directly moved to the third stage. Brendel immediately became alert and lost interest in observing the fight, instantly turning around toshout, ¡°Your Royal Highness Princess, please immediately order all divisions to return to the south of Anker Mountain.¡±

    Before anyone could process the words, there was a muffled noiseing from underground. It was like the sound of a building copsing. They looked up and saw countless furious Elemental Storms bursting out from beneath the ruins of the holy cathedral where the slit where Adega was at. At the same time, the purple ck thunderclouds surged in the sky and began to crash down lightning storms.

    The scene was like ¡°The Final Judgement¡± described in the ck Prophecy that went:¡±Between heaven and earth is the scene of the end of the world, electricity and fire descends from the clouds, the Twilight Knights ride across the fire rain, finally burning everything.¡± Everyone turned pale. The private soldiers of Count Audine were frightened to the point where their limbs went weak. Her Royal Highness the Princess also paled but she remained calm. She immediately ced an order, ¡°Count Audine! The sergeant of Royal Cavalry Academy requested to retreat immediately to the direction of Anker mountain. Mr. Brendel, please lead our Naga team to retreat.¡±

    Brendel looked back at the scene of disaster. He was probably the only one among them who did not feel afraid, instead feeling familiar with the scene. His blood boiled with a yer¡¯s eagerness to explore and take risks. He turned again and added, ¡°And remember not to leave beyond the area of this valley!¡±

    Princess Gryphine looked at him and nodded.

    In fact, there was no need for an order as the Dragon Cavalry of Southern Legion had already started to retreat. Thest to leave was Grey Fins after everyone had entered the forest. Bridget the Sea Demon nced at him with beautiful bright yellow eyes as she passed Brendel and said in a rustling voice, ¡°You may not be a goodmander but you are a good prophet.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s heart was pounded and looked at her with uncertainty.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be surprised. The water tells me everything.¡± Bridget the Sea Demon, saluted him, then slid into the forest with her ritual long de, her long tail like a snake.

    ¡°What did she say to you?¡± Sani came up and asked curiously. Bridget the Sea Demon, was considered high leveled among the Grey Fins Nagas. It had never seen her tempted by a male creature regardless of if it was a Naga or a human.

    ¡°She said I am like a prophet. Do you think I look like that?¡± Brendel looked back and smiled.

    Sani thought for a moment and replied earnestly, ¡°I think you are a bit simr.¡±

    He was very simr. To the point that Princess Gryphine waited until everyone went up the mountain and then waited for Brendel to finallye up. She looked at the man with her silver eyes and asked, ¡°Mr. Brendel, have you known for a long time that that monster was sealed below the Ruins of Mar Hignd Cathedral?¡±

    She asked what everyone wanted to know. If that was not true, it would not exin why he insisted on fighting against the Northern Coalition Army here. Moreover, he was also the one whomanded the production of the Disintegrated Crystals. The fact that he had ordered a group of Lizardmen to shiprge amounts of crystals underground could not be hidden from others.

    Additionally, the underground tunnel was also found by Brendel.

    Too many coincidences meant that they were not coincidences.

    Brendel knew that he could no longer hide it, so he nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± A ck wolf the size of a pony passed by him and intimately rubbed his shoulder with its head and Brendel touched its furry forehead. A group of wolves were passing by the two people. Her Royal Highness thePrincess had only heard of such miraculous scenery in legends. Now that she was experiencing it firsthand, she could not help holding her breath.

    ¡°Arreck teau used to be the holynd of the Silver Elves and hides many secrets there. This cathedral is one of them and the other is just by Frao where the ruins are muchrger. The ancient war buried a lot of history underground but these histories are still recorded in the Book of Witchcraft.¡± Brendel replied.

    The Royal Highness Princess went silent for a while. She already knew that Brendel knew many secrets, but no one knew how he learned this knowledge. It was as if he was born with all knowledge and was omnipotent.

    She thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Mr. Brendel... No, descendant of the Sword Saint, you said that you know nothing about your grandfather¡¯s deeds, but your experience seems miraculous to us. You have ovee the difficulties that ordinary people can¡¯t imagine before you came to this step. Your future is unlimited. If you want it, status, power, and even bedwarming women, all of it can be easily gotten. So why did you choose to help me? ¡±

    There was one thing she didn¡¯t ask. Looking back today, it was not hard to realize that Brendel¡¯s every action since he left Fortress Riedon was prepared for today. He had confessed without hesitation of his favorable impression to her, Her Royal Highness the Princess of Aouine, and gave unconditional help when the Royal Family was in dire need.

    If Brendel came upon Darius the Sword Saint¡¯s legacy, she might not have found it strange. But it was not so. The legend of Brendel was his own epic. He did not even know that his grandfather was the famous Sword Saint of Aouine.

    Princess Gryphine didn¡¯t believe that there would be love without a reason in the world, just like there would not be hate without reason.

    This question has finally been asked. Brendel scratched his head. It was not that he had never thought of this question but this question was really hard to answer for him. It¡¯s not like he could say that it was feelings he carried over with his soul from hisst life, right?

    ¡°Er... It¡¯s probably because some people are naturally worth being helped. Besides, You Royal Highness the Princess is so beautiful, aren¡¯t you worth helping?¡±

    ¡°Is Mr. Brendel going to use this answer to put off everyone? I think even your subordinates need a reason, right?¡± Gryphine asked calmly.

    This really hit Brendel¡¯s blind spot. He turned around and saw that Carglise and Amandina were silently observing them. It was true that what he had done in the past would not cause those who gathered around him to question him because they believe that he could lead them to create miracles.

    But saving an aging kingdom required more than miracles. One day, they would need a goal to fight together.

    ¡°...Actually I also don¡¯t understand, Your Royal Highness, Princess. But I think kingdoms can be revived, even it it is fleeting. A couple of strong people can¡¯t change history. What the Kingdom needs is not only a strong power but also a purpose for the power to serve. ¡±

    ¡°Is it being determined to eradicate all the mistakes of this kingdom or is it just to maintain its decaying rule. Your Royal Highness, Princess, don¡¯t you already know the answer? And your answer is the same as mine.¡± Brendel replied slowly.

    He closed his eyes. Those who were listening thought he was talking about the second rejuvenation of the kingdom but what Brendel was talking about was actually thest greatness of Aouine. It was thest battle of the Kingdom, yet it ended with a regrettable oue.

    Princess Gryphine stared at Brendel and clenched her fist. She actually had thought of the answer. She closed her eyes and held back her tears of agitation.

    She wanted to maintain the rule of the kingdom.

    It was not that the Royal Family had to continue on forever. It was to inherit the formor king and her ideals to recreate the most glorious era in the history of Aouine. Her glory did not belong to the nobility but to the whole kingdom and all the people. Even if the Royal Family no longer reigned, she wanted to leave behind its glory.

    And then, Aouine would be remembered as a glorious nation in the history of Vaunte instead of being a servile stage for nobility, just like the promise made by founding King Erik on thisnd. The Lionheart Sword was not to prove that the rule of thisnd wouldst forever but that the glory belonged to the people of Aouine.

    Only then would this ancient country be strong in every aspect, able to create new life and vitality.

 Chapter 561 - v3c335p2

    v3c335p2

    The Holy War(22)

    Brendel silently looked at the weak girl who never had apanion in history. Except for a few yers, no one knew the real ideals of the Royal Princess. Even the nobles who supported her did not understand what she persisted after.

    In order to win the support of the Royal Faction and Duke Arreck, she had topromise again and again. Some yers even stigmatized her as a political prostitute, but she had to retain the aristocratic rule in order to maintain the most basic requirements to achieve her ultimate goal.

    But the development of history was hard to predict. This was the tragedy of the Royal Princess.

    She had to go against her ideals again and again. Although she had tried to offset it, it eventually became impossible to turn back. When she finally decided to give up the past and move forward, those new aristocrats who once supported her immediately abandoned her.

    Maybe she should have left behind this decadent thinking right from the start and win the help of the people who would have supported her. But she was a princess born in the Royal Family, thus deeply afraid of the power of the aristocracy.

    But atst, someone had stood up to support her.

    Brendel thought quietly that maybe this was a change. Let her know that the aristocracy of the kingdom were not the only ones that she could rely on. In this ancient kingdom, there were many who hoped for change such as Freya, Amandina, and even the descendants of Carglise¡¯s aristocracy. It was just that they could not express themselves and could not see past the fog of history.

    But he could see through everything. He did not even need to guess, history and the future were all within his reach. Brendel understood what was right and what was wrong.

    The northern nobles were addicted to the authority of the past. All their efforts were to continue the current situation. However, there were some people determined to get rid of the malpractice of the past and understood that this ancient kingdom could only be reborn on its ruins.

    He looked back and saw Carglise was lying on a simple stretcher, winking at him from not far away. Whereas Amandina smiled and nodded to him, as if she felt a sense of relief.

    Princess Gryphine took a deep breath.

    She looked over Brendel¡¯s shoulder. The scene of Adega plundering the Northern Coalition Army in the valley was reflected in her silver eyes. She sighed gently.

    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Aouine¡¯s people still inevitably fought against each other but having lost half of the ck de Squad¡¯s armies, the northern nobles will reconsider their positions. If the Holy Cathedral of Fire doesn¡¯t want Aouine to be trapped in a longsting civil war, they may turn topromise with us. ¡±

    ¡°The kingdom must experience the pain of rebirth. It is better to do it all in one battle at the Ampere Seale than to bleed slowly. Mr. Brendel has changed the future of Aouine and saved many from the war alone. I represent this ancient kingdom to thank you.¡±

    Her words were sincere. Aouine was in a precarious situation bit it was also a situation full of opportunities. The Royal Faction, the northern nobles, and herself were all looking for the catalyst to break the situation. The northern nobles had taken the lead as the participation of the Holy Cathedral of Fire was unexpected to her and the Royal Fraction. It seemed that the situation was irreversible.

    But at this time, Brendel had changed the whole situation by himself.

    She had met many people, but this young man was different. He had power and strength, but there was not a sense of tactful cunningness that a noble would have. Even she had that kind of personality. That was why she would treat herself and others as political pawns.

    But Brendel was not like that. Although she only knew him for a short time, she was clear about this. She could not understand that kind of natural, unrestrained yet firm temperament. It might seem ridiculous and childish to the aristocrats, but perhaps only such a person could change history.

    The Royal Princess seemed much more rxed.

    Brendel shook his head and could not help to refute her, ¡°Your Royal Highness, Princess, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that easy. The Holy Cathedral of Fire is not as simple as you think. ¡±

    He was not speaking hearsay, he had personally witnessed the greed and arrogance of those people. The people of Aouine had lost their honor. Was it not the same as the descendants of the King of Holy Cathedral of Fire? It was just that the Kirrluz Empire had a lot of money while Aouine was just so-so.

    Princess Gryphine frowned a little and said, ¡°Mr. Brendel, are you saying that the Holy Cathedral of Fire will go against the Covenant of the Gods and interfere in the civil war of Aouine? This... is impossible, isn¡¯t it? ¡±

    Indeed, this was something that had not happened in thousands of years.

    But now was different from before.

    Brendel knew that the Great Demonic Wave wasing soon. Many prophecies had mentioned this great upheaval. The Holy Cathedral of Fire had been inherited for countless generations, it was impossible that they were unprepared for this. In fact, the next holy war was just one of a series of chain reactions brought about by this change.

    This was why the Holy Cathedral was so serious about this holy war. They would neverpromise with the vassal state at this time. Not to mention that the fragments of the ming de were still attached to his body.

    Although the ming de was not a necessary thing, of course it was fascinating to get a divine artifact. But there was not only one divine artifact in the world, it was not worth losing their lives for it.

    But the choice was out of his hands.

    Orthylss had told him that it was bound to him. In short, unless he was killed, the ming de belonged to him.

    It sounded wonderful, but in fact, it was really dangerous.

    Brendel looked at the princess and nodded. The Royal Princess did not know that they were at a crucial and revolutionary moment in history. It was excusable to misjudge the situation. Moreover, Aouine had been ruled by the Holy Cathedral for centuries, no one would dare to belittle the sanctities of the Holy Cathedral.

    Princess Gryphine was silent for a moment. She did not know how she would resist if the Holy Cathedral intervened. Although there was also a Holy Cathedral of Wind, Sanorso¡¯s Wind Elves would never make a move as long as the Kirrlutz did not intend to annex Aouine.

    She bit down on her lip so hard that her lower lip bled.

    Brendel looked up.

    The sky was gloomy. Adega was fighting hard with the Northern Coalition Army in the valley below. At this moment, Brendel felt an unusual aura from the sky.

    It was as if a stone had been dropped into a calmke, rippling all over the battlefield.

    ¡°Brendel, that¡¯s a reaction from the Teleportation Gate.¡± Suddenly Orthylss¡¯ voice sounded in his heart.

    ¡°I know.¡± Brendel nodded.

    He was very familiar with this. In the future battlefields in Vaunte, mass teleportation was one of the mostmonly used battle tactics. When therge-scale Teleportation Gate opened, it would cause everyone on the battlefield to feel shaken.

    Brendel felt worried about teleportation above the sky.

    That was... the Door of me.

    At this moment, above the sea of Ampere Seale was a world full of water.

    A navy quietly docked over the sea outside St. White Bay. On the first-ss battleship of Royal Aouine named Victory, the sergeants of the Royal Navy lined up under the heavy rain, as if waiting to be spot checked.

    A clear bird cry came through the rain from a distance. An Eruya Dragon shook its wings and was revealed under the rain. It approached the battleship andnded on the deck of Victory.

    The dragon pped its wings twice and a person jumped off from its back.

    ¡°Captain!¡± The sergeants shouted in unison.

    ¡°Well done.¡± Count Jansu, themander of the Royal Navy looked at his subordinates and said solemnly,¡± Bring me my coat. ¡±

    ¡°Captain?¡±

    ¡°Ampere Seale has entered a state of war. The Royal Princess ordered the first fleet to be prepared.¡±

    There was a burst of excited cheers on the deck.

    Count Jansu raised his head. The battleship became a busy scene and the magicite began to charge and spin. Several magicians in silver robes were on standby at the magic rudder located at the top of the Victory.

    ¡°The coordinates, Count Jansu.¡± The first helmsman of the Victory, the leader of silver robe mages, David the Silver me calmly asked after confirming that his apprentices hadpleted all the procedures.

    Count Jansu looked back and stared at the rain.

    ¡°Fixed coordinates: 128, 22. Have the full fleet in ce, first priority. Activate the secret anchorage of St. White Bay, codename The Battle of St. White Bay. Prepare to jump on my order.¡±

 Chapter 562 - v3c336

    v3c336

    The Holy War (23)

    There was a lightning winding in the purple ck sky, and the clouds were boiling like porridge. Suddenly, a red dot appeared in the center like a stone hitting water, a red circle rippled out half a mile in diameter.

    A soft bzzt sounded.

    ¡°Brendel, this is...¡± Orthylss carefully spoke.

    ¡°I know.¡± Brendel expressionlessly observed the scene.

    The soldiers beside the princess in the forest had finally noticed the change above their heads. They stiffly raised their heads and saw a huge shadow appearing under the red circle.

    It was a battleship.

    A huge ship with a fouryered gun-deck and a towering stern was slowly revealing itself from the shadow. On its side, three smaller red circles spread out in turn and three miniature frigates appeared in the storm.

    The twelve red dots shed in the sky. Knights in golden red attire holding long ming swords formed a circle around the fleet.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Holy Cathedral of Fire!¡±

    ¡°The fleet of the Holy Cathedral of Fire!¡±

    The sudden appearance of the unknown army had affected the whole battlefield. Even Adega could not help but raise its huge head and look at the unexpected guests who suddenly broke into the air. Then the soldiers of the Northern Coalition Army also lowered their weapons one after another and looked up.

    More and more red dots shed in the storm like dancing red butterflies. Every time a red light shed, a fully armored knight riding on a silver Pegasus appeared.

    Then a wider red dot spread out miles away in the sky. The light spread out and a huge group of warrior monks appeared halfway up the sky. Each warrior monk had ming wings on their back just like golden angels.

    There was a moment of silence on the battlefield.

    ¡°The ship¡¯s figurehead is in the shape of the me Goddess. It has thirteen wind sails, fouryer gun-decks, 110 artillery.¡± Brendel could not help but shake his head when he saw the scene before of him.

    Ash ss¡¯s first-ss battleship, Pn.

    Pdin Squad.

    The subordinates of the Holy Cathedral of Fire were armed and were called the ¡°Staff of mes¡±.

    The thirteen teal coloured sails spread out like a pile of teal clouds in the rainstorm. The giant ship in the middle of the sky was slowly turning.

    The half naked goddess was glittering in the storm. It was the ship¡¯s figurehead of the me Goddess.

    The four battleships turned round in sequence with one side of the shipboard aimed at the Elemental Storm, Adega.

    Adega had been sleeping for nearly a thousand years. It had never seen such a thing a thousand years ago and it was at this moment that it became keenly aware of the great danger that surrounded itself.

    The wind carried the call of the Kirrlutz.

    ¡°Mages, standby!¡±

    ¡°Open the gun port!¡±

    in the next moment, the four battleships shook vigorously at once. Then one side suddenly shot out several shes of fire. ¡°Ah!¡± Before anyone could react, Adega the Rager uttered a scream that shook the whole world.

    A bright explosion suddenly lit up the night sky.

    The Kirrlutz used up all their firepower against this huge monster. The more advanced Magic Power and Disintegrated Crystal in this era had yet to be used and the power of the old-fashioned magic canons designed by the Hazel people was far from enough to pose a real threat towards the Elemental Storm. But the intense pain had caused Adega the Rager to subconsciously raise his head.

    It was at that moment.

    Eleven Pdins raised their swords at the same time, aiming at Adega¡¯s throat. Eleven golden mes extended from the me swords in their hands. Instantly, Adega was pierced through. The monster was pinned to the ground by those eleven golden swords.

    Compared to the shy firepower of the previous four warships, this was practically fatal for Adega. It would not dare to fight against eleven Element Activation masters even during normal times, much less during a critical moment.

    Adega let out a miserable howling. The lightning in its body was shing and its body became so bright that it was frightening. It seemed like it could copse at any time. But this monster was the number one BOSS in the previous version of The Amber Sword. Even if it was seriously injured, it would not die immediately. Instead, it¡¯s ferocity was raised and it fought back by sweeping its huge palm in the air.

    The Elemental Storm was huge. Its palm attack almost covered half of the aerial battlefield. The eleven Pdins did not dare to go against it and quickly scattered. But the three frigates behind them were not so lucky.

    One of them was directly swept away by Adega. The teal colour protective cover had turned into white light just after it managed to light up. It was shattered and swept away from midair into the distant hills by Adega¡¯s p.

    After a few seconds, a bright fireball rose from that direction.

    Just right at this moment.

    The thick clouds in the sky shifted. The clouds seemed to move towards the same direction and converge in a whirlpool. In the middle of the whirlpool, a golden red light shone brightly. Bang! A red beam of light dropped down from the sky. It was like a red sword stabbing towards the top of Adega¡¯s head. In an instant, it was pierced through and nailed to the ground.

    The storm in the middle of the battlefield suddenly froze.

    There was a faint sigh from within the wind and rain. Then in the blink of an eye, countless lightning bolts spread out from Adega¡¯s body and it scattered along with its body, turning into clouds and dispersing into the storm.

    Only then did everyone on the battlefield see a tall knight in a long cloak appear in the clouds. The tall knight then pulled out his sword in a sh of lightning.

    That was Williams the Golden me Sword, the deputy head of the Pdin Squad.

    The Northern Coalition Army abruptly gave a shout of joy.

    Everyone was shocked.

    The deputy head of the Pdin Squad, Williams the Golden Sword, calmly looked at the ant-sized people on the ground. There was no extra expression on his face, only a few Gold Lines of Laws surrounding his long cloak, turning his eyes gold.

    He held a longsword and looked down. The rain didn¡¯t enter within three feet of him before turning into white smoke and then merging back into the rain around him.

    He did not speak a word.

    The ground also soon fell silent. After the Elemental Storm Adega had dissipated, there was only a patch of embers left on the ground from the explosion. Those small Elemental Winds also scattered and escaped, no one would try to retain them.

    Williams quickly saw the youngdy in a silver dress in the forest.

    Princess Gryphine also saw him. The young woman stood in the middle of rain, her face was pale and her silver eyes reflected the rain. But inside a zing fire burned brighter.

    At that moment, Williams felt as if he had seen those bright eyes again. He shook his head andughed at himself.

    ¡°Little Princess, I will give you a chance to lead your men out and surrender. I can spare you all from death.¡± Williams spoke softly but his voice seemed to spread throughout the entire battlefield and everyone was able to hear it clearly.

    ¡°How could you do this?¡± Princess Gryphine clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. ¡°The oath you made in front of the Covenant of the Gods, what was it? You said you will treat every country under the Holy Cathedral equally. But today, all I can see is the Holy Cathedral of Fire that belongs to the Kirrlutz...¡±

    ¡°On the day the Holy Cathedral of Fire betrays everyone, aren¡¯t you afraid of being betrayed by everyone too?¡±

    Brendel saw her hands were shaking.

    Williams did not speak and he did not even bother to find excuses. He replied lightly, ¡°Is this your reply, your Royal Highness, Princess? It¡¯s a pity. No matter what you say, you can¡¯t change the fact and consequence of belonging to the losing side today.¡±

    ¡°Because this is the determination of the Holy Cathedral.¡±

    Princess Gryphine was froze as if she was struck by the lightning. Her silver eyes were filled with anger.

    Williams took a look at her and shook his head in disdain. ¡°Your Royal Highness, Princess, you can either surrender or to let them all be buried with you. You have only half a minute to think about it.¡±

    A sound shook the mountains.

    Mephisto the Ash Sword Saint who was carrying a longsword stopped suddenly. He looked up and saw a golden red gate was opening not far from him. An old man wearing a priest¡¯s robe stepped out from it.

    Then nine doors of light opened beside him. Nine Pdins came out one by one.

    The group of people instantly surrounded him.

    Mephisto found this funny. ¡°I just killed a priest and herees another one. The number of high-level priests of the Holy Cathedral of Fire is even more than the number of dogs. ¡±

    This obvious provocation did not seem to annoy Wood. Instead, the old man smiled and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to show off to me that you killed Archbishop Moros. Rather, aren¡¯t you afraid that the little guy will be killed by Williams if you travel so slowly?¡±

    Mephisto gave him a dirty look. ¡°If I said I was worried, would you make way for me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that won¡¯t happen.¡±

    ¡°There you go, then.¡±

    The two both stopped, looked at each other, and smiled at the same time.

    ¡°Thank you for giving me a way out when I was in Kirrlutz. But today, I¡¯m not who I was. It¡¯s not impossible for me to kill you, Wood,¡± said the Ash Sword Saint.

    ¡°That¡¯s mean you really n to fight me?¡± Wood asked.

    ¡°Not necessarily. You have your dreams to realize and I have my homnd to revive. As long as you don¡¯t block my way, I won¡¯t do anything to you. Besides, you already understand that. Otherwise, if you were just delivering heads to me, there would be no need to bring so many people. ¡±

    Mephisto took a look at the Pdins and spoke without care, ¡°Just dealing with you alone is already difficult. Adding on so many dogs would make it even more troublesome.¡±

    The Pdins became angry at his words but no one dared to do anything. Maybe they were under some kind of orders or they were afraid of his power.

    ¡°So it¡¯s better to stop and have a look at the scenery, then you go your way and I go my way. Not being able to catch me isn¡¯t just a recent thing, the Holy Cathedral probably will not bother you for that.¡± Mephisto mocked, ¡°They¡¯ve just lost a priest, they wouldn¡¯t want to lose another,¡±

    Wood shook his head and looked in the direction of the cliff. In the distance, ck clouds were above the sea. In the storm, waves formed into white crests which were broken when it hit the reef.

    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what rtionship is between you and him, it seems that you really don¡¯t worry about that little guy.¡±

    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t believe it at first, but I believed it when you appeared.¡± Mephisto shook his head andughed, ¡°I¡¯m here, which means his goal has been achieved. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Wood was surprised. ¡°He knew that I was in the back? Is that guy Tuman also in Ampere Seale? Did he tell him?¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± the Ash Sword Saintughed. ¡°He just guessed from the beginning that the Holy Cathedral of Fire was involved in secret. It¡¯s not because of you, it¡¯s because of Archbishop Moros.¡±

    Wood frowned and looked at the guy with suspicion. For certain reasons, he once let this opponent off in Kirrlutz. But he also understood that this opponent would never appreciate it. The other man seemed to be very pleased that the Holy Cathedral of Fire was suffering.

    ¡°Archbishop Moros killed Princess Magadal. He thought he could hide this from the world but nothing can conceal the truth. He must have never dreamed that his identity had been revealed.¡± Mephisto smiled and said it word by word.

    ¡°That young man is really perceptive. ¡±

    Wood raised his eyebrow and his expression suddenly changed.

    ¡°Time is up, Royal Princess. What is your answer?¡±

    There was silence on the battlefield. It seemed that after the noise of fighting faded away, there was only the sound of the rain. After a moment, Williams¡¯s voice rang again.

    Arrogant and contemptuous.

    Brendel saw Princess Gryphine was standing in the rain. He was just about to walk over there. Unexpectedly, the Royal Princess turned around first.

    In the heavy rain, a trace of determination was reflected in the silver eyes of the half-elf girl. ¡°Mr. Brendel, I decided to surrender to the northern nobles.¡±

    Brendel could hardly believe what he heard. He looked stunned at the Royal Princess. But Princess Gryphine said softly, ¡°After I die, there is another person in Aouine who can strive for this ideal. I believe in that person. I believe he did not lie to me. ¡±

    She looked up at everyone in the forest and said, ¡°If these people manage to survive today, they will one day be the hopes of Aouine in the future.¡±

    ¡°Royal Princess.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, I only have one request.¡±

    She looked at Brendel with her startlingly bright eyes, ¡°Please, you must save my brother. Even if he may not be a king one day, I hope he can at least live a good life. This is my only wish, Mr. Brendel. ¡±

    She took out a crystal and put it on Brendel¡¯s hand, ¡°This is the Anchor Key. Only it can provide the anchor for the Royal Fleet. Father built this fleet by himself and personally gave it to me. Now I entrust it to you. ¡±

    Princess Gryphine suddenly smiled. Drops that could be either tears or rain flowed down her cheeks. ¡°Mr. Brendel, I hope you remember that there was once a princess of Aouine who had fought with you... Hoping that the kingdom willst longer... Hoping that one day our dreams wille true.¡±

    I wish your sword would shine forever, Aouine.

    Brendel looked at the princess who was in tears before him. This was the second time he saw her crying. She no longer had that strong image of history. This was the real Royal Princess.

    He covered her mouth with his hand.

    There is no need to say anything.

    Time seemed to pause in that moment. Brendel drew out his longsword and took a step past the startled princess. He raised his head and replied softly, ¡°There is no need to say anything, your Royal Highness, Princess.¡±

    ¡°Please carry on with hope.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t give up on your ideals.¡±

    ¡°Because today, history will not repeat itself.¡±

    ¡°I will change the future of this kingdom by myself and let you witness it.¡±

    ¡°From this moment onwards, all of history will disappear. There will be no more Tears of Be and no more Crimson Grief. This kingdom has not left the path of glory. There is still hope to turn things around. ¡±

    Not far away from him, the female knight, Maynild, who heard his words, raised her head like she had been shocked. Brendel raised the Halran Gaia in his hand and pointed to the man in the air.

    ¡°Williams,¡± Brendel shouted. ¡°Forty years of debt, I¡¯m going to collect it today by representing the people of that day. Are you ready? ¡±

    There was silence in the forest. It seemed that there was only a single man in the air of the battlefield.

    And in front of him was Kirrlutz¡¯s huge fleet.

 Chapter 563 - v3c337

    v3c337

    Glory(1)

    ¡°William! This debt after forty years-¡±

    ¡°I shall collect it from you in their ce!¡±

    The voice of the young man echoed solely across the battlefield. He stood in the mountains and faced everyone, as if a boundary existed between himself and the others.

    In front of the entire army of The Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    And that scene was engraved in everyone¡¯s mind for the rest of their lives. Even as time wasted away or whether they had be enemies or alliances with one another after years, everyone would still remember what happened at this very moment.

    It opened up the door of memory in the minds of many, and time began to flow once more. It was a quiet force that touched their hearts.

    And then they remembered¨C

    That their ancestors had stood together against theirmon enemy ages ago.

    Ever since, they had lost not only their pride, but their valor too. Finally, Brendel came and picked up the sword, just like that great man who did back then.

    That man was standing on a pure white rock, with his eyes smiling he looked at this kingdom. But his gaze set somewhere so far away, where the sky andnd merged into one upon the horizon.

    In the eyes of Princess Gryphine, it was history repeating itself, like caramel-colored frames shing before her. But even that quickly faded, and all that remained was the silhouette in front.

    Everything went silent.

    ¡°They really do seek death!¡± the light in William¡¯s light dimmed a little.

    He was raising his sword and was about tomence the attack when a violent swirling airflow hit him. He smashed that gust of wind with his left hand only to realize it was just a Wind Bullet.

    They dare attack me?!

    His blood began to boil as he realized Brendel was ahead of him and he said ¡°Attack.¡±

    How dare he look down upon the majesty of the Holy Cathedral? Even the craziest cultists don¡¯t dare to act so frivolously. The Holy Cathedral¡¯s authority was tied to the prestige it had over the world. As the deputy head of the Pdin squad¡¯s deputy head, he would not allow these ¡®rats¡¯ of Aouine to threaten the Holy Cathedral.

    ¡°Kill all these pagans. Do not spare even one!¡±

    He ordered coldly.

    The war was on the verge of breaking out.

    The army in the sky immediately spread out. Like meteors falling down from the dark grey skies, the soldiers of the Holy Cathedral glided down in their ming wings. Like molten iron pouring down from the skies too, everything turned crimson red.

    Amongst them, eleven Pdins glided down towards the Anker Mountains.

    They were in the Elemental Activation realm, making up a force that, even if the whole of Aouine came together, they would still not best these men. It made sense for these knights to think that they would be unstoppable once they decided to take action.

    But a g that seemed to be burning with golden mes suddenly appeared in their sights.

    The Golden Battle g.

    Meanwhile, in the river valley, Andrea¡¯s dress ignited in mes. And when the fires subsided, a smooth, obsidian dark armor was attached to her battledress.

    And when their enemies moved, she liquified into a blood-red ooze seeping into the ground. And in the next instant, a drop of blood manifested in the air which quickly expanded to a red ball. Andrea stepped out from the blood ball, in the way of the Pdins.

    One of her pupils was green; the other red. With a burning will, she swung her de of blood, the blood droplets coagting into a crescent.

    The red crescent flew at its first target: the unfortunate one. He was a me Elementalist and had an Elemental Power rted to the Law of Purification. On instinct, he tried to block the crescent with his hand embedded in white mes.

    But at the next moment, he let out a terrible scream. His Law of Purification, a power specifically used to eliminate the undead,pletely removed the spiritual attack. But Andrea was a rare dual Elemental Power user. In an instant, her Blood Elemental Power sucked out the flesh from her opponent¡¯s arms.

    ¡°This is impossible!¡± The Pdin pulled his arm back like he was electrocuted and quickly backed away. All that was left of his arm were bones. Initially, they thought Andrea was only an ordinary Elemental Awakener and had slight contempt.

    But they soon realized just how wrong they were. The gap between using dual Elemental Power users is way stronger than a single Elemental Power user. It did not just increase theirbat power by one fold, but rather way more than that.

    As an Elemental Activator, he was at a higher level than Andrea who¡¯s an Elemental Awakener, but it did not mean hisbat power was above her. It was the same for Brendel who relied on the neswalker system to defeat people levels above him.

    And just as they retreated, a silvery silhouette entered their vision.

    What the fuck?!

    The silver elf princess who appeared in front of them was riding a white One-horned Dragon, in her pure white dazzling robe with a spear that looked more like a sword instead. The chainmail could be seen underneath her robe too.

    The Silver Elf Royal Dragon Cavalry.

    ording to the legends, Medissa¡¯s mount was a descendant of the Silver Dragon King, Luo Di¡¯an. It was the closest blood rtive to the pure-blooded dragons. A Silver bloodline by themselves, they had extremely high intelligence. They coexisted with the silver elves and could be said to be one of their closest allies.

    Her spear was even more significant. Known as the ¡®Ir¡¯, or ¡®Evesting¡¯ in the ancient elven tongue, legends have it it that this spear was an imitation of the spears that the Azure Knight pierced the dome with. And there were 130 of them produced. No more, no less.

    Therefore, the Silver Elf Royal Dragon Cavalry only had 130 units since the beginning.

    And they one of the fourteen strongest divisions. [T/L: of where though? Vaunte? Aouine? Kirrlutz?]

    In that instance, the eleven Pdins almost wanted to turn and make a run for it. The Silver Elf Royal Dragon Cavalry had always been just a legend. In ancient times they participated in thest war with the Twilight Dragon, even though they were just cannon fodder. But that was a legendary era in itself. Later, this legendary division had disappeared, even during the war against the Darkness Dragon. But today a unit from that division appeared in front of the Pdins again, arousing suspicion that the Twilight Dragon was reborn once more.

    But fortunately, someone finally came to their senses and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s just an Elite Elf!¡±

    ¡°She just an Elemental Awakener!¡±

    But how did all these Elemental Awakenerse from?

    Experts like these were renowned people, but in the minds of the Pdins, they never remembered such people.

    In the next blink-

    Ciel and Ropar had appeared on the battlefield. With the silver tabard on him, he looked more like a Crafting Mage from Buga than a hignd wizard, and he had a mature look on him. With the thick book he had with him, everyone could figure out his upation.

    Buga¡¯s Scroll Mage.

    But to Brendel¡¯s surprise, Ciel had the time Elemental Power, one of the highest sses of Elemental Powers. And he was disgusted that the ugly fellow had such a powerful Elemental Power that could bepared to his own Space Elemental Power.

    Ropar had the slightest changes among all. This Lord of the Lizardmen just had some extra war marks and his Elemental Power was obviously rted to fire.

    Brendel gave his orders once the four of them appeared, ¡°Hold these Pdins back. I need some time to prepare.¡±

    And at the same time, the eleven Pdins knew that they could not break through their enemies¡¯ defense line right away. Although Andrea, Medissa, Ciel, and the Lord of the Firew Lizardmen Ropar were only Elemental Awakeners and should be far weaker than themselves. But they were really quirky.

    It was needless to talk about the dual Elemental Power Andrea was needless to be said, they even had a Silver Elf Royal Dragon Cavalry. Although the Elite Elves¡¯bat prowess was declining in recent years, their battle tactics were not to be underestimated.

    The Scroll Mages on the other side was also a tough opponent, these Scroll Mages were experienced, schrly administrators. Except they were not schrs hired by the nobles, they managed the magic items in the Buga, and they knew all sorts of knowledge and even rare, unseen magics.

    However these Scroll Mages only indulged in the world of literature. They were rarely seen anywhere else other than the galleries. Only God knows why they woulde and participate in this battle.

    The Lord of the Firew Lizardmen seemed to be the hardest to deal with. Beings from the Elemental realm were hard to deal with, no matter if he was an Elemental Being or Half Elemental Being.

    Upon seeing these few people, even William who was observing the battle frowned. Ciel¡¯s appearance made him uneasy, as things could be troublesome if someone from the Silver Citizens came.

    But the Buga should not be that reckless.

    He could only hope that Ciel¡¯s joined the fray as a personal matter.

    William pressed hard on his sword and managed to calm down. Although there were still uncertainties in this match, he was confident in his victory. Since the princess is so confident, why not let me teach her a lesson!

    Exactly.

    Brendel¡¯s summoned beings could only hold the strongest forces of the Holy Cathedral of Fire temporarily, but it would not change the oue of the battle.

    In cooperation with the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s attack, the Northern Coalition Army sounded the horn, and the whole army began to gather and move forward. But the soldiers¡¯ morale was low, their hearts guilty of the fact that they were facing their own kin.

    The nobles cursed while forcing their men to forwards, and a spectacle conjured on the battlefield. The nobles and the knights had to form rows of overwatching teams and push their men forward¨C It was an exact scene of the Kirrlutz driving their ve army.

    But even so, the pressure made the atmosphere suffocating. The noble private soldiers of Audine watched golden meteors shoot across the sky, down towards the Anker Mountain; while the army moving forwards onnd made it look like it was the end of the world.

    The confidence to fight against the Northern Coalition Army back then was gone.

    Could this battle still be fought?

    On the other side was the Holy Cathedral of Fire and the Northern Coalition Army. It seemed impossible to fight either one of them, but now that they joined hands, that was even more of a pipe dream now.

    Count Audine tried to reinvigorate his soldiers¡¯ morale. But there was nothing much he could do.

    He sighed, looking at the Northern Coalition Army as they crossed the stream that had started to overflow after the storm. Those men were getting ready to enter the forest.

    Everyone could not help but feel a little hopeless.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel.¡± Princess Gryphine said gently, ¡°Should we step back a little?¡±

    Brendel moved his sight away from the sky and looked at the main battlefield¨C

    The enemies were in suchrge numbers that they could fill an ocean, but he shook his head, ¡°Give me a little more time.¡±

    He was waiting for an opportunity.

    Then the bellowing of a horn reverberated inside everyone¡¯s eardrums.

    But it had a deeper pitchpared to the Northern Coalition Army.

    Are there new enemies? Or are they reinforcements?

    Everyone was startled slightly when they lifted their heads and looked up. The south unit of the Northern Coalition Army began to stir in the rain, and almost immediately their ranks broke!

    It is reinforcement!

    Everyone felt their hearts jump.

    Where did all these reinforcementse from? Could it be that the Princess¡¯ private army has arrived? Impossible. Even the Imperial Navy has not made it yet, how could the princess¡¯ army arrive first?

    ¡°It¡¯s Anthony¡¯s army!¡±

    Count Audine said with a slightly trembling voice while putting his telescope down.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Royal Faction!¡± The students of the Royal Cavalry Academy started amotion. ¡°This is impossible! Didn¡¯t they leave?¡±

    It was the Royal Faction¡¯s forces.

    Duke Anthony¡¯s emblem, as well as Makarov¡¯s and Count Violet¡¯s gs, were glinting on the battlefield like sharp des cutting into the Northern Coalition army.

    Princess Gryphine bit her lower lip and held her fist tightly.

    Why did they return? How could it be?

    No one knew those people as clearly as she did.

    Cavalries in ck and red appeared on the battlefield. They swooped into the battlefield from the Anker Mountains, barging through the battlefront of the advancing Northern Coalition Infantry. They then stopped before the main formation of the princess, shielding them against the northern nobles¡¯ armies.

    A knight rushed out of the formation, pausing in the rain before turning his horse back to face his men.

    He lifted his mask,

    and revealed a young face.

    It was Eikkel.

    The young man pointed his sword at Brendel and shouted loudly, ¡°Noble knight! I am here as promised!¡±

    Back in the Long Song Forest, your valiant words about the knight¡¯s code convinced me. I¡¯m here to help you pursue the wishes of our ancestors!¡±

    ¡°For Aouine!¡±

    The soldiers¡¯ voices filled the entire battlefield.

    Brendel did not expect Eikkel to appear right now under such circumstances. This guy¨C

    But he could not help himself smiling. I can totally see Makarov¡¯s pissed face right now.

    But he turned back to look at the princess. At this moment, he attained calmness. It turned out that he was not fighting alone.

    And the princess was not alone too.

    There were many more other people fighting side by side with them.

    Just like it did back in the game, he shut his eyes, feeling hisrades fighting alongside him. Except for this time, they had grasped their destiny.

    And how can he feel bad about it?

    He smiled slightly and at the same time, he drew out the card from the deck that he had prepared for a long time.

    ......

    William finally frowned. The sudden appearance of Anthony¡¯s army was beyond his expectation. In fact, their Aouine allies had guaranteed him that there was no one else opposing them beside the princess¡¯ tiny army.

    ¡°These damn pest.¡± He could not help himself from scowling. But fortunately, these were just meager forces of the nobles. They would not affect the final oue.

    But allowing the Northern Coalition Army to be broken up was also a problem. He raised the sword in his hand and issued an order to the Kirrlutz Air Force, requesting them to hold back Anthony¡¯s ground troops.

    The Kirrlutz¡¯s gships immediately began to reorient the direction of their hull. Their cannons were aimed at the wing of the Northern Coalition, right at Duke Anthony¡¯s soldiers.

    But just before the mages of the three warships could even test out their weapons, the space in front of the fleet rippled just like fish scales out of a sudden.

    Spacial distortions!

    The chief mage of the warship, ¡®Taylor¡¯ screamed, ¡°There is a reaction in the portal. It¡¯s an enemy! Fire! Fire quickly!¡±

    The three Kirrlutz warships opened fire, as bright sparks rained down along with rain droplets.

    However, they were a little toote, as four cyan circles suddenly ripped the space apart and the shadows of the towers behind the portals cast down.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Floating Towers!¡±

    ¡°The Tower Wizards!¡±

    ¡°Why would they possiblye?¡±

 Chapter 564 - v3c338p1

    v3c338p1

    Glory(2)

    A ck tower on the teau with schrs with scrolls in their hands standing in the midst of the wilderness and a melodious wind blowing. That was the world¡¯s impression of Karsuk. The ck Tower Mage originated from the Silver Race when the first generation of mages in grey robes began to build the tower in the north of Danir, Aouine was not even established yet.

    The ruins of the famous ck Tower could still be found near the Silver Horse City up to this day. But the mages had gradually moved north to ces like Nalle and Chaen to establish huge libraries and cities. The ck Tower Mages were closely rted to the Hignd Knights of Dellinger, both of them abided by an ancient agreement that was documented on a ck sheepskin and was now kept in the big library of Chaen.

    William¡¯splexion darkened when he saw the appearance of these troublemakers.

    He lifted his head up and saw a few Gold rank mages in grey robes on the roofs of the four square towers. Each ck tower built with much effort was aplete magical phnx for each of the ck Tower Mages. Their spells could be exerted to its maximum on their own towers and it was not any weaker than someone with strong elemental power.

    ¡°ck Tower Mages, how dare you guys vite the Taftaka Agreement-¡±

    But the mages ignored him and as soon as the ck towers appeared, the chant of magic rang loudly in the rain. ¡°King of Disasters, please give me the authority over the elements, the Deep Ice Spear-¡±

    A white light array appeared on top of each of the four towers, mysterious patterns and curses converged into one point and shot a ray of translucent greenish-blue light directly at the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s Navy. Ear-deafening rms sounded from the three floating warships of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. Immediately, themanders onboard began screamingmands and Perran and Taylor immediately began to carry out abnormal maneuvers. Their magical floating core made humming noises and lines of blue arcs projecting out from its outer shell.

    William gritted his teeth and shed his sword in that direction. The golden-red light of the sword looked like a long pole of me in the night sky that traveled as far as a hundred miles away.

    But in reality, that was actually on an irregr Line of Law. The gliding line advanced into a zigzag golden line which cut off three blue stripes in an instant, the remaining one still hit the bottom keel of the ship. A crunch could only be heard and a thickyer of ice immediately formed on the silver ship hull. Rainwater flowed down along the solid ice, instantly solidifying into a field of icicles.

    The mighty force even caused the Taylor Frigate to begin to sink.

    William¡¯s men disappeared from the sky in one moment and reappeared in front of the four square towers at the next. It was not teleportation, it was simply movement too fast for a normal person¡¯s eye to see.

    ¡°Tower Mages, you all better give an exnation.¡±

    ¡°Haha, the Kirrlutz are really arrogant. We have parted from the Silver Alliance long ago. So please address us as the ck Tower Mages, Lord William.¡±

    William stared coldly at the mages on the towers.

    ¡°We are here because this is Aouine¡¯s civil war, we chose to be on the Royal Family of Covardo¡¯s side and this doesn¡¯t seem to have anything to do with you Kirrlutz.¡±

    Princess Gryphine who had heard this from the forest below could not help but press her hand against her chest, clenching her fist. She knew that these mages who did not mind the world¡¯s businesses would not support her for no reason. The only one who would have rtions with them could only be the genius from the Peloche family, Ciel. And the one who had rtions with him was the descendant of the Earth Sword Saint Darius.

    She nced at Brendel.

    ¡°ording to the Holy Cathedral of Fire, the Royal Family of Covardo who have be tainted by the heretics is unqualified to inherit the throne. Tower Mages, the Holy War is right around the corner, I suggest you not to get involved in this battle.¡±

    William raised his hand and the whole battlefield seemed to stop moving. The warrior monks of the Holy Cathedral of Fire and two hundred flying knights paused in the air and the Northern Coalition Army stepped backward like a tide and distanced themselves from Anthony¡¯s knights.

    The Tower Mages were troublesome, he really did not want to get them involved in this worsening matter.

    ¡°What a joke-,¡± an angry voice said.

    Brendel who was holding that golden card in his hands paused. He lifted his head and coldly interrupted William, ¡°Who are you to say that the Royal Family of Covardo have been tainted by the heretics?¡±

    William turned pale after being interrupted, but he still managed to collect himself, ¡°I can represent the Holy Cathedral right here. There¡¯s no need for me to exin to a convict like yourself. You just need to understand that there¡¯s no way we could have made a mistake.¡±

    Brendel smiled contemptuously as if it was not for the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s authority he would not have even bothered to look at this person. The William in history was just a brainless child to him. ¡°It¡¯s up to you to judge whether it¡¯s right or wrong and you¡¯ll never make a mistake. Unfortunately, Sanorso, Farnezain, and even Eleranta would not agree with your bullshit. The Holy Cathedral will not make mistakes? During the year of separation, could it be that the priests of Rus didn¡¯t buy out all evidence and mentions of the region?¡±

    ¡°What priest of Rus?¡± William¡¯splexion changed as he pressed hard onto the sword¡¯s hilt.

    ¡°Archbishop Hanfukke of Rus was sensitive to the people¡¯s needs and was expected to be a powerful candidate for the Central Priest butter disappeared. The Holy Cathedral dered that he died of an illness. What a joke to say that a hallowed priest would die from illness. Could your healing magics and cures have been only developed after the year of separation? Why do I remember that such a cure already existed way before the Year of the Saint?¡±

    William¡¯splexion turned from pale to dark, but Brendel did not stop there. In fact, the Holy Cathedral of Fire was a huge organization and had countless regional priests, just like how Aouine seemed to be sieved into small marginal areas. Amman who he had met at the Loop of Trade Winds would not be the first lurker nor thest of All for One.

    ¡°What¡¯s funny was that the excuse given by the Holy Cathedral of Fire was so weak. Maybe it was because of the overly rigid structure, but thanks to your authority which has the hearts of people, no one doubted such an excuse. But you don¡¯t actually think that other than the Kirrlutz, everyone else is also fools?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s words made the atmosphere on the battlefield turn cold. Such words were absolutely sphemous during normal times as no ordinary civilians had ever dared to doubt the four Cathedrals¡¯ authority. But this was like a thin piece of paper that most people would begin doubting the moment the first hole was poked through.

    Also, it was not like the nobles had never doubted, they just kept it to themselves.

    Brendel continued, ¡°Do you really think that no one knew about all the secrets? Don¡¯t forget that there are so many pairs of eyes in this world. The mages recorded the histories and the astrologists foretell the future. Only you would think that you can keep these secrets secret. The religious issue in Rus had been hidden from the world for almost three generations but there are lots of documentaries in Buga and the White City. Even if the Holy Cathedral of Fire is in charge, there are still quite a number of records and descendants who know the truths in Gaka and Ydebu.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m lying? Then let me tell you this, in the first century, year 101, in Sichfran-¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± William looked as if he had seen a ghost, he stared at Brendel. What Brendel was saying was the most forbidden secret of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. The upper level of the Holy Cathedral of Fire actually knew about this but it was something that could not be helped. They could not disclose it as prestige was everything to the Holy Cathedral. But the problem was, how did Brendel know?

    When Brendel talked about the first century, William felt as if he got stabbed in the chest as it was the most critical point of the religious case. He did not know how Brendel was informed of these details but what was certain was that Brendel was his biggest nightmare.

    If William got involved in such a serious matter, he would be in trouble. Although he was the deputy head of the Royal Cavalry, it should not be forgotten that while the Royal Cavalry had only one head, it had seven deputy heads.

    ¡°This was originally the difference between saints and mortals. The hearts of the people were easily swayed and he could only be med for his own demise when he got bought over by cultists. The Holy Cathedral had nothing to do with this. The handling for such scum still clearly reflects the innocence and purity of the Holy Cathedral.¡± William forced himself to be calm and replied solemnly with uneasiness.

    ¡°Such a smooth talker, Lord William. If that was true, then it¡¯s justified. But as far as I know, the Holy Cathedral is not as kind and good as they seem, for example-¡° Brendel replied aggressively.

    ¡°Cut your crap!¡± William did not dare to let him speak again. If this continued on, his position as the Deputy Leader would lead to the religious court sooner orter. ¡°It is the same with you, you are the descendants of the Kardiloso family. The Holy Cathedral made a huge mistake sixty years ago but it will not happen again.¡± He turned back, looking coldly at the ck Tower Mages in the sky. ¡°You all should still remember what happened in Pfeiffer Valley. If you don¡¯t want to be involved with this issue, turn around and leave immediately. I can pretend that you all did not appear today.¡±

 Chapter 565 - v3c338p2

    v3c338p2

    Glory(2)

    Pfeiffer Valley? Brendel felt shaken. He remembered hearing this name before somewhere. He immediately took a mental note of this name and was ready to go to the library in Chaen to look it up when he had the time. Or maybe it would be best if he went to read the history from the ¡®The Silver Wall¡¯ in Buga.

    It seemed that the Holy Cathedral of Fire was indeed envious of the ck Tower Mages. Unfortunately, the Covardo Royal Family did not catch them. It appears that the HIgnd Mages had no negative feelings towards Princess Gryphine so why did they be so estrangedter on?

    William thought he would be able to scare off these sudden troublemakers but a group of people came out behind the grey robe mages. As soon as he saw these knights dressed in azure armor, he knew it was bad news. He then saw that the head of the knights was the leader of the Hignd Knights, Bunide.

    This handsome middle-aged uncle replied with a slight smile, ¡°William, it seems that your memory is deteriorating quickly. There are signs of old age before you¡¯re even old. How did I answer youst time? The decision that we made half a century ago is still the decision now. When did the Hignd Knights ever break their promise?¡±

    ¡°If you want to fight, I will apany you. The Holy Cathedral of Fire is powerful, but the blood of the Danir people has not been drained dry.¡± Bunide pulled out his longsword and winked at Brendel who was in the forest below. ¡°The descendant of Darius, I heard that you are a resourceful person and you would not start a decisive battle with these Northerners without a n, so I will help you block these broken ships of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. I hope you can teach these unforgivable Kirrlutz people the lesson of their lifetime.¡±

    Brendel raised his head and smiled inside. The sudden appearance of Eikkel and the Hignd Knights warmed his heart. The Aouine people were not dead yet and at least some of them still had the prideful blood of their ancestors flowing in them.

    ¡°Naturally.¡±

    ¡°But these are the vanguard fleets of the Kirrlutz people, uncle. You have to be careful.¡±

    ¡°Uncle?¡± Bunide chuckled, ¡°Thank you for your concern.¡±

    These two totally disregarded the enemy. William¡¯s anger could practically disintegrate the entire Aouine. ¡°Since both of you don¡¯t want to ept my good intentions and are determined to keep walking down that dead end, there¡¯s no need for us to talk any longer.¡± He clearly knew the remarks he had made. If Brendel could not be killed today, he would be sent to the inquisition tomorrow. He nced at Bunide and his Hignd Knights onest time and did not speak again.

    The negotiations were broken and the offense resumed.

    The Northern Coalition Army was regrouping and in fact, Anthony¡¯s army also required some time to adjust themselves. But the battle could happen anytime. Brendel lowered his head, butter he then shouted to nearby Eikkel, ¡°Eikkel, can you block the Northerners?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little tricky,¡± Eikkel waved his sword in the air, ¡°I did not expect them to have suchrge numbers.¡±

    Brendel almost fell, You came even though you don¡¯t know how many enemies are there? Does such amander even exist? He suddenly saw Makarov who was nearby, his face was as ck as the bottom of a burnt pot. He suddenly understood the other party¡¯s mood.

    But Eikkel just smiled slightly, ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter. The knights are just seeking death in order to pursue their own ideals!¡±

    Brendel shook his head. This guy is really a lunatic. But he did not want to be buried here with a dumb knight. The situation below must be stabilized before he has the time to deal with the Pdins above. He flung a card in front of him and said, ¡°No worries, if that is the case, let me help you.¡±

    ¡°Ah, how?¡±

    There was no need for Brendel to answer.

    This was because the Grimoire of Life was entering the battlefield.

    A pure white light rose from the horizon of the Anker Mountains. It was described in the Kirrltuz poetic history, ¡®The first ray of light amidst the darkness, the light that grants life and spirit¡¯.

    Suddenly, a gigantic book exuding the purest life force appeared right in front of Brendel. He discarded the Sea Wave Gem at that exact moment along with the card, then he chose another card randomly, using its ¡®free entry¡¯ characteristic to insert the Grimoire of Life without need to pay twenty-five Willpower.

    Life was Marsha¡¯s realm.

    The majestic power swept the whole battlefield in an instant. Everyone turned their heads subconsciously to look towards where the white light was arising and felt their hearts throbbing. It was another divine artifact. William felt the ming de fragments on his body trembling with the resonance between the divine artifacts. But that divine artifact¡¯s power was way stronger than the ming de Oderfeiss¡¯ because he could deeply feel the fear and sense of respect in the ming de fragments.

    He lifted his head and saw Brendel making actions for a spell. A white halo unfolded from the young man¡¯s hands. Isn¡¯t this man a swordsman? That was what he thought but actually Brendel was carrying out the Eternal Orb¡¯s Willpower. The Eternal Orb had to be tapped and required five Willpower to enable a perfect clone for the next uing card.

    Brendel paid five Willpower and made a copy of the Grimoire of Life.

    When both Grimoire of Lives floated into the battelfield¡¯s sky, everyone¡¯s mind went nk. Dual Holy Objects!

    William had a gut feeling that things had be even worse. Although Brendel had not attacked yet, he could roughly guess the other party¡¯s upation. A summoner, he clearly noticed the two divine artifact books were summoned into the battlefield by Brendel. Although he did not know what Brendel was nning to do, How terrible could his tactics be if the initial summons were already divine artifacts?

    This Deputy Head of the Royal Cavalry felt like the battlefield¡¯s situation was out of his control for the first time. He would never have thought a young man at only Elemental Awakening had such capability.

    A not even twenty years old swordsman with the power of Elemental Awakening is actually a summoner?

    How is this possible? Would anyone even believe this?

    Brendel lifted his head at that very second.

    He was looking at William as a neswalker. This Deputy Head of the Royal Cavalry had a taste of fear for the first time as he sensed the imposing manner from Brendel¡¯s strong gaze.

    It was as if it was saying,¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Stop him!¡± William was overwhelmed with fear, he raised his sword high and shed with all his might.

    That one sh was like a light in the sky. The golden red line divided the rain and Line of Laws surrounded the tip of the sword. It was like a deity¡¯s hand crossing the darkness as the sword shed half the sky shined golden by the power of the Peak of Laws.

    At that moment, William felt a if he was standing at the borderline of life and death. Spiral spikes suddenly appeared over his head and the Law of Lines extended in each direction.

    Then.

    He saw the Extreme ins.

    It was a pure white scene.

    The ck Tower Mages and Bunide immediately realised the abnormality of that sh. Although they could not experience the afterpowers of the Elemental Activation, Bunide could feel the chill in the air. Did William advance at this critical moment?

    Is this logical?

    ¡°Master Ashhu! Teleport over! He wants to kill Brendel!¡± He suddenly grabbed the edge of the ck Tower and yelled towards the tower on the left.

    That mage in the grey robe hesitated for only a moment before pping. That ck tower disappeared and reappeared instantly before the path of the golden red sword.

    A sizzling sound was heard and like a hot knife cutting into butter, the golden red me cut diagonally across the centre of the giant tower. In an instant, the so-called indestructible ck giant tower copsed and the grey-robed mage rose into the sky and flew towards the other towers.

    William¡¯s sword me was still moving forward without any dy.

    ¡°Ah, the Ultimate Realm!¡± Bunide finally realised what was happening and the remaining words got stuck in his throat.

    William suddenly opened his eyes with a sense of calmness then he let out a light sigh. What a pity, it would¡¯ve taken just a little more, but this is up to the standard of the Ultimate Realm. He looked at a golden line sweeping across the rainy sky, approaching the canopy. It was about to hit Brendel.

    This was the power of the Ultimate Realm.

    But at this moment.

    Countless pure white light shields appeared right in front of Brendel and every one of them were able to block and refract the Deputy Head of the Royal Cavalry¡¯s golden lines just like a gentle hand wiping out those burning golden lines one by one.

    The golden mes that turned half of the sky golden were swallowed by darkness.

    Brendel was left unhurt.

    Brendel still had his head held high looking at William and mouthed the answer to the questions of this high positioned man of the Holy Cathedral, ¡°Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring, ten Willpower.¡±

    Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring (Paradise of Adversity XX), ten Light EP; Spell ¨C Instant; Effect: The next attack you receive is nullified. ¡°Divine protection. ¡°

    William¡¯s hand froze in the air.

    Almost everyone on the battlefield was stunned.

 Chapter 566 - v3c339p1

    <strong>v3c339p1</strong>

    <strong>Glory(3)</strong>

    That sh was an oue of the Ultimate Realm¡¯s power, the golden mes all over the sky were as if it brought the hot Elemental Realm to the battlefield¡¯s sky. There were not even 10 people in Ultimate Realm under the entire jurisdiction of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. Each had their own legendary experiences just like the Earth Sword Saint Darius. And no one would proim that they were strong enough to bear one strike from them.

    Not even Brendel.

    But out of a sudden, it stopped midway. Countless Lines of Laws split the raindrops apart, only to be blocked by a white screen that conjured out of nowhere, too fast for any human to perceive it. To them, it was mere fireworks that spread open like a golden chrysanthemum blooming in the rain.

    Then the mes dissipated.

    For the Laws of me and Sublimation to disappear like that, there could only be one reason: it overcame by someone of a higher realm or by a stronger Elemental Power. However, that was thew of the Ultimate Realm, the final realm for the Fire Elemental Power.

    Is it the Power of Belief?

    Everyone was stunned. But only Brendel knew what was going on.

    Amongst all the Laws in Vaunte, the neswalker¡¯s system was ranked one of the strongest. No matter how bizarre the descriptions on the Cards of Fates were, those effects would be administered.

    The Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring could render and attack useless once. It does not matter how powerful the attacks are, even if they are powerful enough to destroy the world, Brendel would be unharmed as long as the Card was activated.

    It was the strongest shield. And before we mention the others, even Brendel himself was surprised by that power.

    But Brendel did not stop, he took the opportunity to summon four Nightmare Forges onto the field when William¡¯s guards were down. These Nightmare Forges broke out of the ground like metallic beetles the size of a human head. These beings at the peak of Iron Rank were not significant beings. However, they had the overpowered ability to replicate themselves by absorbing Light Elements.

    With the Light Elements bursting out of Brendel¡¯s hands and injecting into the Nightmare Forges, their numbers quickly grew to thirty two of them.

    Brendel¡¯s Element Pool had increased along with his levels: Fire Element 78 Points; Wind Element 51 Points; Earth Element 55 Points; Water Element 48 Points; Light Element 50 Points; Dark Element 30 Points. However, his Nature Element Pool still remained unopened. In the previous battle, he was cautious about using his newalker¡¯s ability; he only used a little over 40 Earth Element Points and 1 Wind Element Point to summon the Holy Sword and the Wind Spirit Spiders. He summoned the Grimoire of Life for free by disCarding the Sea Wave Gem. This gem and the Eternal Orb had always been on the battlefield, meaning Brendel¡¯s other Element Pools were still full.

    He used up 4 Dark Element Points to summon the four Nightmare Forges. And he emptied his Light Element Pool to multiply their numbers.

    For the next round of multiplication, he needed 32 Light Elemental Points.

    The multiplication from four to eight, then to sixteen, and finally to thirty-two, finally caught William¡¯s attention.How can that weird colony of the metal beetles had expanded so quickly! He had mistaken Brendel for a summoner and paid attention to the strengths of his summons. But as he observed carefully he realized that these Nightmare Forges were just at peak Iron rank. He let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention back onto the two huge Grimoires of Life next to Brendel.

    The two glowing Grimoires of Life floated silently looking purposeless. But as Brendel released the Nightmare Forges onto the battlefield, the Grimoires of Life started flipping their pages. They did it until the fourth page. Each time a page was flipped, some sort of divine power would be exuded and diffused across the battlefield.

    It was a gentle wave, and it healed any of Brendel¡¯s men that passed through it. By the time the light wave covered the entire battlefield, even the lost limbs were regenerated!

    Ciel used a magical shield to rescue Medissa from a Pdin in the air, but in the next moment Andrea got stabbed in her stomach by a female Pdin so hard it almost broke her waist. The Vampire Princess released a shriek in pain as she fell from the skies, cked out. But it was at this second the gentle white light phased through her body and the wound was healed. A few more pulses of lightter, she managed to open her eyes.

    She halted in the air.

    But surprisingly, the fatigue from those battles were gone and in fact, she was full of vigor, as if she had slept for couple of hours before.

    What a miracle!

    At that moment, everyone had one thought. Even the noble¡¯s men thought an envoy was under the God of Life was fighting alongside them. Just imaging how much their morale was boosted as they did not have to worry about their injuries anymore. Their cheers broke out like a tsunami in the princess¡¯s army.

    In rtion to the Northern Coalition Army¡¯s low morale, the morale of the princess¡¯s army was greatly boosted. If it was not for the powerful soldiers of the Holy Cathedral of Fire above them, the nobles¡¯ armies might have already retreated.

    William frowned and ordered his men, ¡°Stop that summoner! Don¡¯t let him summon those two artifacts anymore!¡± It was a little embarrassing for him to admit it, but when William broke his own limit with that sh just now, he was very drained. Although he did not have any trouble with protecting himself, breaking through ck Tower Mage¡¯s defense and attacking Brendel seemed impossible.

    He only could order the remaining eleven Pdins to attack Brendel simultaneously.

    Ciel, Medissa, Ropar, and Andrea immediately sensed danger. The eleven Pdins of the Holy Cathedral of Fire were powerful experts in the Elemental Activation realm after all. However, in reality, they were really exhausted and there was no way they could have managed to strike Brendel.

    ¡°Brendel,¡± Ciel reminded Brendel while forming a Time Dtion Wall with his Time Elemental Power.

    ¡°I know,¡± Brendel replied.

    He when he threw out another Card, his hand gleamed with a sh of red light and a bright me burst from the forest. ¡°Infernal Hell Djinn!¡± William looked at the monster from the mes and immediately gave a silent prayer to Martha. Actually, Brendel only summoned a Fire Djinn. However, under the effects of the Golden Battle g, it was buffed to a more hellish looking Djinn. It looked simr to the Fire Djinn but it was much bigger with dark scorching hellfire hovering under the usual golden mes.

    The main point was that it was able to self-destruct.

    As a higher-up of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, the Pdins were obviously no strangers to the Fire Element. They were also familiar with the special characteristics of the creatures in the other ne. And because of that, as soon as this huge me monster appeared in their field of vision, everyone¡¯s faces turned white.

    It was a cmity at peak Gold rank.

    But it was obviously toote to retreat.

    Everyone could feel the sky seemed to turn slightly dark. But it was just an optical illusion due to the contraction of the pupils against the bright light of the mes.[TL: ..... So we¡¯re talking biology now?] Everything dimmed as a small speck of bright me arose from the forest.

    Then the scorching heat of the explosion swept across the ground. The heatwave was so hot it evaporated all the rain that came in contact with it.

    The eleven Pdins who were at that scene were definitely affected. Two of them sustained injuries when that happened where one of them even had his breastte and shoulder guards melted in the heat while his face was inflicted with burns. This forced the others to retreat, and their formation finally broke down.

    What irritated them more was that right after the Infernal Hell Djinn was gone Grimoire of Life resonated again and healed the injuries on Ciel, Medissa, Ropar, and Andrea.

    How are we supposed to fight this battle? they thought.

    Brendel summoned the Furnace of Adversity at this moment. Echelonius¡¯s Furnace of Adversity was the Paradise of Adversity¡¯s third Card with the cost of 30 EP. He used 30 of his Wind Element Points. Including the cost for summoning the Fire Djinn, Brendel¡¯s Element Pool of Fire and Wind had decreased respectively to 63/78 and 20/51.

    The Echelonius Furnace of Adversity had to be attached to a Land Card when ites to ys, and Brendel happened to have the Ember Volcano Card on him. When he attached this Card to the Furnace, a metallic building with a construction look to it appeared on top of the Ember Volcano. Of course, everything only happened in the newalker¡¯s realm.

    The Furnace of Adversity can be said as the generator of the Paradise of Adversity deck. Its main function was to sacrifice the Echelonius creatures to obtain a special resource¨C energy.

    But Brendel did not have any Echelonius Soldiers at the moment, and he needed more time. Upon returning to reality, he threw out the thirdst Card.

    The situation of the battlefield intensified; soldiers of the Northern Coalition Army and the Holy Cathedral of Fire could be seen at every corner of the valley. Duke Anthony¡¯s army only took up a small part of the battlefield while the Nagas, students of the Royal Cavalry Academy, and the White Lion Battalion stood alongside one another to block the opponents from the main camp.

    While the situation still remained precarious for Princess Gryphine and her allies, with the mighty power from the Grimoires of Life, they could still manage themselves. Eikkel whose mind was full of knighthood finally understood Brendel¡¯s way of helping him.

    He could not help himself shouting excitedly, ¡°Mr. Knight, I didn¡¯t know you were such an epic summoner!¡± It appeared that he misunderstood.

    And Brendel¡¯s next action made him regret his words instantly.

 Chapter 567 - v3c339p2

    <strong>v3c339p2</strong>

    <strong>Glory(3)</strong>

    The Card that he just threw out was the Death Sentinels of the Paradise of Adversity. The cost of using this Card was 15 Dark EP and the speciality of it was that it could be used an unlimited number of times on the battlefield. Each Card will deploy ten Death Sentinels while every dead corpse on the battlefield will turn into a Death Sentinel too.

    Brendel had considered this for a long time. The only ce this Card can truly shine is on the battlefield.

    It was meant to take the spotlight here.

    He used 15 Dark EP, draining his Element Pool down to 11/30. But in that instant, a magnificent disy was shown on the battlefield.

    At this moment on the Mar Hignds, there were thousands of corpses on the battlefield. When the Death Sentinels entered the battlefield, countless dark arms broke out of the slippery mud.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°Mar-¡±

    ¡°Madara?¡±

    Soldiers from both the Northern Coalition and princess¡¯s side screamed. Some of them were even veterans from the First War of the ck Roses and were very familiar with Madara¡¯s ruthlessbat style. It was a nightmare for them to see their deadrades rise from the dead against them.

    Didn¡¯t the two countries sign a peace agreement? Why are those horrible guysing again?

    It was only at the next moment they realized that this was not their old enemy. Upon their sudden appearance, they quickly attacked the Northern Coalition Forces with their wrinkled skin, their bodies d in heavy armor, and double-handed swords.

    They¡¯re our allies? After being frozen for a while, Princess Gryphine realized something. Her silver eyes hovered across to Brendel, and she said, ¡°Bren...Mr. Brendel, this...these all are...¡±

    ¡°You...you are a Necromancer?¡±

    Brendel smiled bitterly. As a matter of fact, he had always ced this Card at the back of his deck for this reason. This summoning effect was too simr to that of a Necromancer.

    He shook his head and asked, ¡°Your Highness, have you ever seen a living Necromancer?¡±

    She seemed to think about something subconsciously due to that sentence; she blushed immediately and touched her lower lips. Everybody knows that Necromancers have no body temperature. ¡°Sorry...I¡¯m overthinking,¡± Princess Gryphine hummed.

    Brendel instantly rolled his eyes.

    It seems like the Necromancers have a bad reputation in this world, so I should try to limit its use. In order to avoid further misunderstanding, he exined, ¡°It was actually their work.¡±

    ¡°Their?¡±

    Both Princess Gryphine and Count Audine had seen the beetles around Brendel. Of course, they did not know it was a Nightmare Forge. There were no sightings of them in Vaunte ever before, and even Brendel who knew a lot about magical creatures could not recognize it at first, not to mention these two natives.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Brendel said, ¡°This is called an Undead Beetle, and they¡¯re invented by a high leveled Runemaster. Although it¡¯s a Structural Creature, it could cast simple Necromantic Spells.¡±

    Princess Gryphine and Count Audine looked at the horrifying Nightmare Forges, their ugly appearances along with their necromantic feature really resemble a Structural creature and they nodded with agreement.

    After all, humans would always believe in theories that made sense to them.

    ¡°Brendel...... You are lying way too well......¡± Only Orthylss could not help but let out a sigh and said to herself. She then asked with doubt, ¡°Have you ever lied to me?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Brendel shook his head immediately, ¡°You saw it, Master Orthylss, I had no other choice.¡±

    The Wind Elf nodded slightly and epted the exnation reluctantly.

    While Brendel was exining, misfortune befell the Northern Coalition Army. The Death Sentinels summoned by Brendel were different from the norm. Their levels were associated with the number of ck Land Cards summoned (x5 of it). he had the Rougen¡¯s Swamp, Water of Forsaken City, and Forest of Death ck Land Cards, so the Death Sentinels he summoned automatically had a level 15 ranking which was almost as capable as low leveled Iron ranker. But with the buff from the Golden Battle g, they were leveled up to level 25 Peak Iron rank beings.

    The summoning range of one Death Sentinel Card covers a few thousand meters and could summon almost a thousand and five hundred ck derivative beings.

    Meaning Brendel just summoned an army of 1500 Peak Iron rank creatures.

    Moreover, the misunderstanding of it being Madara¡¯s Undead troops had a positive effect on the battle. At the moment, the Northern Coalition Forces would dare not move a step forward.

    But Brendel was surprised, especially that the problem of the human soldiers¡¯ decrease in morale while fighting alongside with the Undead Army did not happen at all. Even the noble private soldiers epted their ¡®newrades¡¯. It was totally unbelievable! But after he thought about it. Back when I was appointed as the Chosen One in the Loop of Trade Winds, I received the Talent that maintains my men¡¯s morale during battles, no matter what they were. I almost forgot I had it.

    I would have never thought that this would happen either way.

    But with it, the next step is obvious.

    The Death Sentinels who were sacrificed entered the Echelorius¡¯s Furnace of Adversity ordingly, its energy count quickly raised to two digit values. At the same time, while eleven Pdins were reforming their encirclement in the air and were ready to attack Medissa, Brendel lifted his head and raised the sword in his hand.

    The Halran Gaia was pointed directly at one of the Pdins. A ck halo appeared at the sword tip: Tempest.

    Tempest, 4 Energy; Instant Spell; Effect: Select a target and deal 5 True Damage Points to it for every Nightmare Forge on the battlefield. ¡°Volley Strike!¡± -Echelonian Commander, Tyrin¡¯.

    Everyone heard a sizzling sharp noise, all thirty-two Nightmare Forges released a bolt of ck lightning at the same time and shot at that Pdin. The ck lightning gathered in the air and formed a huge sharp w, but the Pdin reacted quickly to raise a golden defense wall riddled with Laws.

    Unfortunately, the description for Cards of Fates were obeyed before any other Laws. And everyone saw the ck lightning struck the Pdin¡¯s chest directly.

    It was as if he had no defense at all.

    ¡°This is impossible!¡±

    He could feel his body being torn apart. He was already wounded intensively during the Infernal Hell Djinn¡¯s explosion, and the damage he received from Tempestpletely swept him off his feet as he fell down from the skies.

    ¡°Raphael!¡± That female Pdin shouted in shock. She never thought that a Pdin would get defeated in this manner on a battlefield.

    ¡°Be careful.¡± William was indeed an expert in the Ultimate Realm, his perception of thews was extremely sharp. He immediately distinguished Brendel¡¯s lightning right away and he reminded his subordinates, ¡°Do not fight head-on with that lightning. Give it your all to avoid it!¡±

    But this deputy head of the Royal Cavalry finally sensed the danger when he saw the vast number of the Nightmare Forges in front of him. He only expected them to be mere pawns at peak Iron rank and did not see them as such terrifying creatures.

    He underestimated the neswalkers.

    William did not know how Brendel had that many unorthodox means of attack, but he wanted to experience them no more.

    ¡°White Winged Knights!¡± He shouted, ¡°Prepare to regroup!!¡±

    The White Winged Knights. A tier five formation of the Kirrlutz, they were the predecessors for the White Lion Battalion. But the difference was that their riders rode on real Pegasi, and every single one of them was at least Gold-ranked.

    And on this battlefield, a hundred of those Gold-ranked White Winged Knights came down.

    Countless silver wings shined in the rain as if they were responding to the leader¡¯s orders and gathered together. The battlefield was filled with their yells as they flew at a lower altitude and dived at Brendel.

    They rendered the defense line of the wall of arrows useless. Although the Kirrlutz Kingdom was filled with talents, only a handful of them could shine like these men. And in that era, only four nations could nurture forces like those men.

    The White Winged Knights were honored to be listed as one of the strongest legions.

    The Pegasi knight in the forefront raised his spear. Their armors were shining, indicating the effect of the Wind Wings being activated. They flew with perfect coordination in a line down at Brendel.

    But Brendel paid no attention to them, which made them tremble a little. Is he too shocked? But how can a summoner that could summon Divine Artifacts be frightened by us?

    This was all exined when a ponytail suddenly shed in their vision. Then, a red-haired girl with a pair of ming golden eyes appearedter. Scarlet was barehanded and unarmed, yet she looked like a beast that was ready to charge at them. She pounced onto the charging knights.

    Her speed was terrifying.

    The charging White Winged Knight only had time to see a clenched white fist growing bigger and bigger in his field of vision before-

    ¡®Bang!¡¯

    He was thrown off the horse like a cannon. Scarlet spun around in the air, stomping heavily on the back of his pegasus, mmed this creature down into the forest below. She leaped from the falling pegasus andnded in front of another knight.

    This unlucky guy who had just seen hispanion die in front of him thought that he had smacked into arge flying dragon, and tried to veer away in terror. But he only witnessed two sets of shadows before his neck was chocked tightly in the next moment.

    ¡°Peak Gold rank...... How could she be so fast....?¡±

    He looked into the swirling golden eyes of the red-haired girl and murmured hisst words. Scarlet lifted him up like a little chick and threw him out of his mount. His body struck another knight and the two of them crashed down, falling likeets into the valley.

    Scarlet halted and jumped back onto the ground after killing three White Winged Knights in a row. She looked up at the hundred knights that got intimidated by her; all of them stopped in their tracks. They panicked and dispersed while the red-haired girl gnarled at them.

    On her body, her arm, and her exposed thighs a scaly texture undted faintly.

    She was a Dragon¡¯s descendant¨C

    A hint of psychological fear began to grow in William¡¯s heart.

    At the same time, Brendel cast the spell ¡®Tempest¡¯ once more and was able to redraw three more Cards.

    ¡®eleration of Thoughts¡¯ cost 22 Light/Dark EPs. If a spell is cast, the yer gets to redraw three Cards from his deck. And before ¡®eleration of Thoughts ¡®es into y once more, the yer gets to reshuffle his hand once more.

    This was the ability of Paradise of Adversity¡¯s first Card. Brendel had already prepared this as his final card, and it was also the reason he asked the princess to wait for a while.

    Then he drew three Cards from the top of his deck.

    ¡®Desperate Trojan Horse¡¯; ¡®Glory¡¯; ¡®Sun¡¯s de¡¯.

    A smile appeared on Brendel¡¯s face. He did not expect himself to obtain the power to fight back so quickly.

    He was only one line away to overturn Adversity into Paradise.

 Chapter 568 - v3c340

    <strong>v3c340</strong>

    <strong>Glory(4)</strong>

    Hello, I¡¯m collecting some feedback for my trantions. It¡¯s been some months since I¡¯ve started and I would like to know if I did a good job and if there¡¯s still some room for improvement. It¡¯ll take less than 5 minutes of your time so I thank you in advance for filling it up!

    Link¡¯s here: <https://forms.gle/pUWHEpUkhJicxX9KA>

    Enjoy your chapter!

    [The battle was already reaching its climax as the Echelonius were building their tinum wooden horse, but it was as if redemption came at thest moment that the Echelonius regained hope under such desperation.

    It was just one step from hell to heaven.] ¨CKelsie Newmanksi.

    Desperate Trojan Horse, 25 Dark EPs; Treasure ¨C Divine Artifact; Effect: This card enters the battlefield tapped. Pay 40 Willpower to search your deck for four Creature cards and ce them into the battlefield. If there are 40 non-ck Undead creatures on the battlefield when this card enters into y, you can search your deck for four Creature cards and ce them into the battlefield.

    ¡®There are opportunities hidden within a storm; hope lies within adversity.¡¯

    The Desperate Trojan Horse entered the battlefield.

    A gear ball floated above Brendel¡¯s head and his dark Elemental Pool decreased to 1660. Then the deck in front of him unfoldedyer byyer and dozens of Cards of Fates circled around him, but only the Creature cards were lit up.

    These cards were: the Vampire Baron, Rune Summoner, Glorious Martyr, the remaining five Death Sentinels, four Glorious Trumpeter, four Echelonius Spellweaver, one Pristine Archangel, and one Silver Colt.

    Brendel stretched out his arm and chose the Glorious Martyr, Vampire Baron, and two Death Sentinels, then he ced the others out of the battlefield.

    Above the battlefield, the Kirrlutz¡¯s White Winged Knight had started to gather.

    The White Winged Knight that hovered in the sky attacked again, but this time they were about to fight against the Mercenaries of Lopez and Ropar¡¯s two troops of Firew spearmen that were already on stand-by.

    With a cold expression, Fern stretched out her fingers and ice cones shot out from behind her while the icy cold wind with crystals formed cyclones and swept across the White Winged Knight¡¯s formation, covering their armors with a thickyer of frost. The low temperature slowed the Pegasuses¡¯ wings as well as their advancing speed.

    Fern shot a bolt of lightning from her fingertip, but her objective wasn¡¯t the gold-ranked knights on the pegasuses. Although the Elemental could suppress the knights, it was too powerful and time-consuming to kill them. Her goal was the pegasuses. Those heavily armored knights were built for group assaults, but they would be nothing without their mounts.

    Although Fern was young, she was a qualified Mercenary of Lopez after all and was known by the yers as an existence who lived to battle. ording to herself, she had participated in many White City and gentile battles, and looking at the current situation, it seemed that she had been telling the truth. Her strategy worked; the pegasuses were paralyzed and the White Winged Cavalries fell from the sky one after another.

    But just falling a dozen meters from the sky wouldn¡¯t kill these gold-ranked knights. Although they hit their heads, they were still back on their feet in no time. They shouted and regrouped in the forest, picked up their spears and started the attack from the ground.

    There were approximately thirty Firew Lizardmen, as well as Raban, waiting in formation. They formed a huge horizontal line-up together with the young students of the Royal Cavalry Academy, waiting for the White Winged Knight to approach. Behind them was Master Wochik of the Druids who was there for back-up. It was clear they wanted to wipe out the Kirrlutz there and then.

    They were using time wisely.

    Brendel seized this opportunity to go through the cards, he was sacrificing the Death Sentinels to obtain energy from the Furnace of Adversity on the battlefield for the Card, Glory.

    Glory. 4 EP; Spell- Instant; Effect: Rearranges all tapped Encheloniuus cards. Enters the grave after use. ¡®Move forward gloriously with high morale, the soldiers will never step back.¡¯

    The Nightmare Forges that were trapped, overloaded, and releasing smoke because of the Tempest were now functioning normally, and the gear ball above his head ¡®Desperate Trojan Horse¡¯ had also returned to normal from a trapped state and started spinning again.

    At the same time-

    As the Glory was a spell, it could activate the elerated Thought condition, so Brendel obtained the chance to pick another card. Three Cards of Fate flew out in front of him-

    Tempest, Glory, and Mana Loss.

    There was no Daybreak. Brendel looked up and saw two Pdins attacking Ciel, while Ropar the Master of Firew, who was in front of the young wizard to protect him, was shed in the shoulder, white smoke billowing out together with the hot blood.

    He looked out once again: Anthony¡¯s army and the Northern Coalition Army collided together at the other side of the battlefield, while Fleetwood, Buga, and Garlock were fighting each other. Buga the Cross was now slightly weakerpared to Nichs, but Fleetwood, the kingdom¡¯s number one wizard, had an advantage over Garlock.

    It was at this moment that Garlock suddenly released the spell ¡®Sword of Disintegration¡¯. Brendel raised his hand without a second thought to use the Mana Loss, which immediately took the Sword of Disintegration from Garlock and threw it at the Pdin in the air.

    That Pdin reacted in time and managed to avoid the Sword of Disintegration. Unfortunately, Brendel had anticipated that so he activated the Tempest, tapped the Nightmare Forges again, and ck lightning struck the poor fellow.

    He yelled in pain and almost fell from the air,his body fuming with smoke.

    Brendel gathered his attention and put thest card in his hands onto the battlefield: The Enchelonius Spellweaver.

    The Enchelonius Spellweaver (Paradise of Adversity X), 7 Dark EP [Creature: Echelonius Citizen/Spellweaver, level 25 Elite]; Effect: Tap and pay 5% HP, add one Light EP. ¡®Eye of Echelonius.¡¯

    A four-hand spellweaver appeared right beside Brendel, but he had no time to even look and see what the other party had advanced into at the Golden Battle g, he tapped the card, paid 5% of life right away, and showed the second Glory.

    The spellweaver and Nightmare Forges entered the cooling state again.

    At that moment, Brendel sessively casted Mana Loss, Tempest, and summoned the Enchelonius Spellweaver; four incantations of Glory and three spells. His Elemental Pool instantly showed Elemental Fire 6378, Elemental Wind 1751, Elemental Earth 1155, Elemental Water 48, Elemental Light 050, Elemental Dark 3460.

    At the same time, four white halos spread out from the Grimoire of Life. The life Brendel just lost was replenished again and Ropar and the other men above him returned back to normal.

    The faces of the ten Pdins opposite them turned pale. They finally realized that if they could not kill one out of the four opponents, death would be waiting ahead for them.

    But Brendel did not care about what his opponents were thinking, recovering was just an extra benefit to him. The main point was his elerated Thought was activated three times.

    This time he had nine Cards of Fates in his hands.

    Three Daybreaks, two Enchelonius Spellweavers, one Death Sentinel, one Glory, and two Tempests.

    ¡°Now this is what I call a lucky draw!¡± Brendel smiled.

    As the number of draws increased, the chances of getting his desired cards increased as well. He lifted his head and looked across the whole battlefield, then reached out and put in three Daybreaks.

    Daybreak, 1 Light, and Dark EP; Instant spell; Effect: Adds 6 Light EP into your Elemental Pool. There will be one Daybreak in your grave and 3 Dark EP will be added into your Elemental Pool. Enter the grave after use. ¡®The light appears at dawn.¡¯

    There were 6 Light EPs in the first attempt.

    There were 6 Light EPs and 3 Dark EPs in the second attempt.

    There were 6 Light EPs and 6 Dark EPs in the third attempt.

    The Elemental Pool of Light and Dark were increased to 1850 and 4060 respectively.

    In the air, William finally seemed to have caught his breath, and the deputy leader pulled out his me-shaped sword once again. Brendel noticed this and softly shouted, ¡°Morpheus.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m beside you, Lord.¡±

    ¡°Protect me.¡±

    The Transgender Vampire nodded her head slightly.

    Brendel proceeded to put two Enchelonius Spellweaver into the battlefield and tapped the three spell weavers. Then, three Elemental Light was inserted into his Elemental Pool.

    2150.

    It was at that moment William disappeared from his sight. Brendel felt his stomach tightened and knew that William was probablying for him, he sent out orders through the spiritual connection:

    ¡°Ropar, Ciel, Medissa!¡±

    ¡°Here. Lord!¡±

    ¡°Offer the sacrifice!¡± Brendel hesitated briefly before ordering.

    Ciel, Ropar, and Medissa, who were fighting with ten Pdins in the air, turned into a sh of red and instantly gathered at Brendel¡¯s side.

    Morpheus already had the power of Elemental Awakening with the addition of the Golden Battle g. When Ciel¡¯s blood fused into her body for the first time, she advanced into the stage of Elemental Activation and mysterious ck patterns appeared on her body. When Ropar¡¯s blood fused into her body the second time, she could touch the edge of the Elemental Enlightenment. The third time, as Medissa¡¯s blood fused into her body, she broke through the borderline of the Elemental Enlightenment, and it was as if the mysterious ck patterns were activated as they started dancing around the Transgender Vampire like ck moths.

    It seemed as if Morpheus had sensed something; she took a step forward and stretched out her palm, colliding with something in the air before she flew backward with a bang. And in the next moment, William appeared in front of Brendel, having evidently fought with the vampire and was pushed back many steps.

    ¡°Vampire Baron?¡± William stared at Morpheus as if he had to force these words through his teeth. What surprised him was that he had only sensed one existence of Elemental Awakening beside Brendel earlier, but it seemed like it had advanced directly into the middle phase of the Elemental Enlightenment.

    Even if they were keeping their strengths hidden, it was absolutely ridiculous.

    The Transgender Vampire didn¡¯t bother with him, she turned into ck smoke and flew to Brendel, extending her arm to keep her Lord behind her before she vigntly red at that man.

 Chapter 569 - v3c341

    v3c341

    Glory(5)

    ¡°You think she can stop me?¡± William asked coldly.

    Brendelughed in his mind as he heard William use the pronoun ¡®she¡¯ instead of ¡®he¡¯ in the Kirrlutz tongue. He sure is a clueless fellow who can¡¯t differentiate men with women. He looked up at William and he replied, ¡°You can try~¡±

    With that, Brendel raised his hand and one of the Grimoires disappeared from the battlefield.

    He removed it.

    And reshuffled all the cards from the Graveyard back into his deck.

    In that same instance, Brendel once again unleashed Tempest, and the Nightmare Furnaces immediately shot a bolt of ck lightning at William; however, William seemed to have been preparing for this moment, and snorted, ¡°Petty tricks!¡± He shed to the right, dodging the lightning storm and appeared next to Brendel with a sword on his neck.

    ¡°Brendel! Look out!¡± Orthylss warned.

    Brendel¡¯s heart chilled. The sh was so fast Orthylss¡¯s voice barely ended, Brendel could feel the cold edge on his neck.

    So fast!

    William moved twice for his sword to reach Brendel¡¯s neck, but it had surpassed the limit of a normal person¡¯s perception. Everyone present, including Princess Gryphine behind Brendel, only saw the moment he pulled out the de.

    It was as if he had been standing there all along, like the de was meant to cut down Brendel¡¯s neck without any mistake.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Princess Gryphine¡¯s face turned pale.

    But to William¡¯s pity, the head that was supposed to be chopped off did not exist. On the contrary, all he saw was the fading shadow of Brendel in front of him. And then, Brendel suddenly appeared behind him, Halran Gaia cutting down right at his shoulder.

    ng!

    William did not nce back, but as if he knew Brendel was right behind him, he threw the longsword in his hand backward, parrying Brendel¡¯s attack.

    The two swords shed and sparks sshed in all directions.

    ¡°This....Nine Luminaries Sword Art¡± Although he blocked the attack easily, his expression was morphedpletely. Stunned faintly, He shouted, ¡°How could you¨C!¡±

    But before the words could even be heard, The ground below him began to rumble. William¡¯s face changed once more. Anticipating the danger, he hurriedly leapt upwards, only to see a sharp spear of rock breaking out from under his feet. As if following suit, countless spikes ¡®ttered¡¯ together to form a forest of sharp rocks underneath him. If William had not reacted in time, he would have been ripped to shreds.

    ¡°The Sword of Earth!¡±

    Even without William shouting it out, everyone knew what they were looking at. Oberwei, Princess Gryphine, and even the cadets of the Royal Cavalry Academy, who mostly came from noble families, had more or less heard of the legend of the Sword of the Earth a long time ago.

    As long as the Holy Sword remains connected to Gaia; as long as it is above the surface of the earth, it can unleash the endless power of Gaia...

    That Holy Sword was Halran Gaia.

    It was William¡¯s turn to feel his heart freeze. Previously, he only knew that Brendel was a descendant of Sword Saint Darius, but never did he expect this frail man to contain that many secrets. Alliances with Nagas and Druids; overwhelming strength; summoning abilities. And now, even the Dragon¡¯s Descendant and the Sword of Earth was on his side!

    This man is only getting more troublesome to deal with. I have to get rid of him quickly!

    But just as the thought shed through his mind, he saw Brendel, who was not far away, hurried back as soon as he picked up the princess of Aouine. And of course, not forgetting to lift his head and snicker at William.

    Are you mocking me?

    Fuck!

    With the uneasiness in his mind, he looked down. Sure enough, he saw something glittering on the topmost rock spike¨C it was a crystal.

    Bam!

    With a loud bang, the entire ground in the forest shook, and a blinding light rose from the canopy of the ck pine forest. Then a powerful shockwave split the upright pines in the blink of an eye, forming a huge deep pit in the middle of the fallen pine trees at the woond of Anker Mountain¡¯s foot.

    From the smoldering smoke in the middle of the pit, William stood at the bottom of the pit. While he was not blown to death, he was not unscathed: his armor was scorched ck and the golden-red cloak was also blown to bits. And he totally fitted the description of a beggar!

    What puzzled him, though, was how Brendel predicted his own attacks.

    Even Orthylss was bewildered.

    Finally, she could not hold her doubt much longer and asked, ¡° You were not bad just now. Back then... when Her Majesty the Wind Empress fought the me King Gretel, she also used the Nine Luminaries Sword Art to evade his sh Strike Sword Art. But how did you guess that he would attack from your left side?¡±

    ¡°Because he¡¯s left-handed,¡± Brendel replied. While others were not familiar with William, how could he be? For Her Royal Highness¡¯s, he had fought for her countless times against that bastard.

    ¡°You...you¡¯re very cunning, Brendel.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the teacher that taught me well.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t teach you that.¡±

    ¡°There is an old saying in Nine Phoenix: A master is only a guide, but the person¡¯s cultivation depends on himself¡± Brendel smiled slightly.

    ¡°.......¡± Orthylss was speechless.

    Although Brendel was bickering in a frisky manner with Orthlyss, he was still aware of William¡¯s presence. In fact, right after the explosion, he then immediately put down her Royal Highness and pulled himself out of the masses. ¡°Mr. Brendel!¡± Princess Gryphine called out. And just as soon as she saw Brendel leaving, the Pdins¡¯ deputy head soon caught up with him.

    But this time, Morpheus was in his way.

    Meanwhile, Brendel used Glory once more.

    The Echelonius Weaver with the Nightmare Furnace¡¯s cooldown was reset once more. Meanwhile, using Tempest and Glory twice got him another two Breaking Dawn Cards, as well as something that excited him even more¨C

    Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring.

    Here we go.

    Brendel raised his head.

    William had already swept Morpheus away with his sword, and the Transgender Vampire crashed into the forest like aet, ending with fumes of smoke sprouting from his body.

    One at Elemental Enlightenment.

    The other who was at the Peak of Laws.

    The difference between the two was too wide.

    William withdrew his sword and looked at Brendel. There was no longer a hindrance between the two.

    At the same moment, Andrea finally met her end in the skies under the hands of the ten Pdins. Three sharp swords stabbed into her chest simultaneously yet consecutively. [T/L:......] And with thest of her strength, she stabbed into one of the distracted female Pdin¡¯s neck, shocking everyone.

    It was raining blood.

    Blood from both the female Pdin as well as Andrea¡¯s floated down.

    ¡°Two.¡± The Vampire Princess replied calmly. As the me in her eyes died down, she shut her eyelids.

    Her skin, white as frost and graceful like a true princess.

    The nine Pdins just moved over her body that was falling from mid-air.

    Somewhere even higher up, the Holy Cathedral¡¯s air fleet was engaged in a fierce battle with the ck Tower Mages.

    Between the ck Tower and the three warships, arrows, explosions and even magic flew in both directions. The magical defenses on both sides bloomed with the most bright and dazzling light as countless attacks bombarded them

    The Dragon Cavalry from the Southern Army joined the battle again.

    Nosidal gripped the spear on his saddle. Wind and rain apanying him, there were also other Dragon Cavalry units flying in the sky. He could not identify clearly the faces of the riders, and could only vaguely remember the person beside him belonged to another regiment from the Southern¡¯s air force. He had no fame, but Nosidal hoped that the boy would be remembered in history after today.

    The Kirrlutz¡¯s fleet immediately repositioned themselves, opening fire at both the Dragon Cavalry.

    One by one, they fell.

    But as more Dragon Cavalry units passed through the dense barrage, Nosidal screamed for his men to climb up to a higher altitude, forcing the Kirrlutz to strengthen the defenses above them as they Dragon Cavalry flew past them from above. As they flew past their enemies, the Dragon Cavalries dropped down fist-sized Detonation Crystals.

    The bright explosion drew a thick blinding ring over the shields. The shields above ¡®Taylor¡¯ twinkled about ten times before shattering like ss; another explosion burst open the top of the airship, and then it began to incline to one side at once. This caused the Magical Systems inside it to malfunction and explode! This led to a chain reaction that exploded the ammunition rooms as well. The airship spewed out fires and lost altitude and crashed into the Northern Coalition Forces.

    The other airship, ¡®Gijiu¡¯ was in slightly better shape. However, it was also on mes.

    Only ¡®Pen¡¯, was still standing strong in the wind and rain. The magic shields of the airship were almost unaffected by the impact of the Detonation Crystals. However, if the ck Tower Mages were to join in the fray and attack them, they would be in a perilous situation.

    But at this moment¡ª¡ª

    Suddenly there was a throbbing roar in the clouds, like a giant beast¡¯s thundering hooves through the clouds. Bunide who was in the ck Towers looked up in that direction.

    Then he saw a red dot.

    More red dots quickly appeared on the sky as well. One... two... three.... And more than twenty dots hovered under the clouds, and the silhouette of a golden red airship began to form in the rain.

    A huge fleet was entering the battlefield.

    Finally, the main fleet of the Holy Cathedral finally arrived on the battlefield.

    All the Mages of the ck Tower stopped their actions at that moment. The Dragon Caries were also panicking and fleeing the scene.

    Kirrlutz¡¯s Second Konolia Fleet entered.

    ...

    Before Brendel noticed what was happening in the skies, nine Pdinsnded beside him. In front of him, William held his swordterally the golden Lines of Laws extending from behind him. He moved forward across the sea of fire

    ¡°Darius¡¯s descendant, what else do you want to say before you die?¡±

    ¡°William,¡± said Brendel, suddenly and seriously, ¡°if the Holy Cathedral follow their promises, the oue would not be such. If you had the chance to redo your life, I wonder if you would still walk down this path? ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a littlete to ask for mercy,¡± William replied coldly.

    ¡°No,¡± Brendel smiled. ¡°I just want to wish you good luck.¡±

    what does he mean?

    William was stunned.

    At that moment¡ª¡ª

    Brendel pulled out two Breaking Dawn Cards.

    Light element pool: 33 / 50

    Dark element pool: 43 / 60

    For the fourth time, the Nightmare Furnaces were multiplied. And in the same moment, Desperate Trojan Horse reached its minimum count of forty Undeads.

    Brendel ced the Desperate Trojan Horse Card horizontally to activate the special effect of the card: ¡®When the requirements are met, ce this card to release the 3 reserved Cards onto the battlefield.¡¯

    And the cards he prepared beforehand were: Vampire Baron, Glorious Matyr, two Death Sentinels as well as¨C

    The Grimoire of Life.

    The overpowered sh came down on Brendel again. But just like it did before, Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring began to light up. Brendel smiled again, ¡°Good luck, William.¡±

    Thought eleration activated once again and he began to fill up his hand.

 Chapter 570 - v3c342p1

    v3c342p1

    Glory(6)

    Two Glory Cards, Fire Djinn, Two Glorious Trumpeter, Unicorn Knights, Mana Loss, the Sea Wave Gem, and a Breaking Dawn Card.

    Adding onto the Sun¡¯s de Card in his hand, the Death Sentinels, an Echelonius Spellweaver, and two Tempest Cards.

    Once the cycle ended, the process of Paradise of Adversity began to elerate ¨C

    The ming longsword in William¡¯s hand waspletely blocked by Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring, producing fiery red sparks. A figure then appeared beside Brendel, holding a golden staff in its hands and a sun crown ornament atop its head. The level 62 Martyr of Radiance has entered the battlefield .

    The deputy leader of the Pdins had to back away, but not before killing the vampire baron who just entered the battlefield. At the same time, the Death Sentinels began to appear inrge swarms above the battlefield, and for the first time in this battle, the Northern Coalition Army actually faltered and retreated.

    ......

    Brendel yed his first Glory Card.

    The Desperate Trojan Horse, the Echelonius Spellweaver, and the Nightmare Forges¡¯ cooldowns were reset.

    He then yed two Breaking Dawn Cards and one Echelonius Spellweaver all at once.

    Light Elemental Pool: 24/50 (after replicating 8 Nightmare Forges, 10 Light EPs used for Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring.)

    Dark Elemental Pool: 49/60 (2 Breaking Dawn Cards were sent to the Graveyard.) [T/L: for the record, Breaking Dawn was not exined untilter in the chapters but it¡¯s essentially a one-time use Card that replenishes 6 Light EP and 3 Dark EP)

    The Sea Wave Gem was summoned using 10 Water EPs. It then used its special characteristics and sacrificed itself to bring the Glorious Trumpeters onto the battlefield.

    Holding a golden horn and wearing a Greek-style white linen gown with aurel wreath on her head, a young maiden appeared on the battlefield. This was the seventh Card of Paradise of Adversity, which itself only had the power of a Level 49 (Gold Rank) even under the Golden Battle g. However, by paying 1 Dark EP, she could use her ability and summon any Creature Card from the yer¡¯s hand to enter the battlefield.

    Brendel ordered her to blow the horn, and then a second Glorious Trumpeter appeared on the battlefield.

    Blowing the horn once more, Medissa, the Unicorn Knight appeared on the battlefield.

    ¡°My Lord!¡± The Silver Elf Princess eximed happily as soon as she saw Brendel, for she understood that her return to the battlefield meant that the cycle of Paradise of Adversity had been reached.

    Brendel smiled at her slightly.

    The actions earlier happened in an instant, as soon as William retreated. The nine Pdins immediately came up to attack Brendel. But with a sh of fire, the Infernal Hell Djinn appeared between them and Brendel.

    Before anyone had time to even realize what was going on, the Infernal Hell Djinn exploded in their faces once again. A discontented grumble could be heard from the Djinn before it detonated itself.

    But Brendel had no other choice.

    He did not have any overpowered creatures amongst his Cards. Even if it did, it would not matter too much anyway. Once the Desperate Trojan Horse is reset, he would graciously kick these people out of the kingdom.

    Sounds of explosion boomed through the forest.

    Three of the nine Pdins were blown apart while fear was written across the faces of the remaining six. Brendel sacrificed the Firew Trumpeter and Firew Spearman. Since Ropar was not on the battlefield, they dropped at least one rank and were unsuited for this battlefield.

    Bang, bang, bang.

    A loud crash broke out and the two Pdins were sent flying. Both Morpheus and William were thrown backward upon receiving each other¡¯s attacks. But while William only took three steps back, Morpheus took ten. Embarrassed that he lost, Morpheus¡¯ face was flushed red.

    But when William looked up, he found himself at least thirty meters away from Brendel. A bad premonition crept into the back of his mind, he knew he could no longer afford to retreat.

    In fact, if he did, he would have lost all his opportunities.

    Brendel ced the Tempest Card, then the Glory Card, followed by the Tempest Card again.

    He no longer cared if the spells hit their targets or not, he just needed them to be added to the filter sequence. Once again he used the Energy Drain to strip a protective spell from Garlock the Curious and threw it smoothly to Morpheus.

    Two Glory Cards, two Tempest Cards, Energy Drain, Breaking Dawn Card. Six spells.

    Adding on to the list was the Echelonius Spellweaver, two Death Sentinels, Martyr of Radiance, Vampire Baron, Sea Wave Gem, two Trumpeters, Unicorn Knight, Fire Djinns, and fifteen more spells.

    The pure white light that flickered on the two Grimoires of Life which reappeared on top of the battlefield. No matter how terrible the attacks were, all the wounds on the Princess¡¯ men would be healed instantly- even severe cases where the weapons were stuck in the flesh were resolved.

    The morale of the Northern Coalition Army was almost destroyed and they slowly began to retreat.

    Brendel moved the Grimoire of Life out of the battlefield and discarded his remaining Cards into the Graveyard.

    Then he started to draw Cards.

    Three Glory Cards, four Tempest Cards, Vampire Baron, Sea Wave Gem, Martyr of Radiance, Fire Djinn, Hignd Squire, Wolves¡¯ Den, Firew Spearman, four Breaking Dawn Cards.

    Brendel raised his head, an unusually bright glint shone in his eyes. He bared his white teeth and smiled at William, and at that moment it was as if he was a fierce beast that was eyeing his next meal.

    Ten Cards, eleven spells. He will be able to refill his deck with thirty-three Cards the next time.

    This was the core strategy of the Paradise of Adversity. As long as Thought eleration remains in effect, the neswalker¡¯s deck cycle would refresh faster and faster without limit.

    It was so quick that the only thing hindering himself from refreshing his deck was his summoning speed.

    First, Tempest.

    Second, Desperate Trojan Horse.

    Summon the Grimoire of Life.

    Repeat endlessly until the enemies are all defeated.

    It was the true nature of the Paradise of Adversity.

    William also finally found where the problemy. He killed the Vampire Baron, killed Andrea, and killed Ropar, while his men took out the Firew Spearmen and eliminated the Rune Summoners.

    But it was all pointless as these were merely pawns to distract them from getting closer to Brendel.

    They kept taking out their opponents on the battlefield as fast as they could but less than a secondter their opponents reappeared again continuously. And there were many types of enemies too.

    The people there were dumbfounded He can summon creatures without consuming Mental Power?

    But there was also another possibility. Historically, Sanorso, the Wind Empress was known for her dual cultivation of the Demon Martial Arts. With it, she had endless Magic Power which led to her creation of the Nine Luminaries Sword Art.

    Coincidentally, Brendel also knew the Nine Luminaries Sword Art.

    Did he really possess her full legacy?

    Ever since William yelled out the name of the Sword Art, everyone probably had the same thoughts. But they were still dubious about it. However, when Brendel stood there alone against the ten experts, they changed their minds.

    Nine Pdins and one of them was even a godly expert in the Peak of Laws.

    Yet Brendel managed to defeat all of them so badly to the point that they were sticking their tails between their legs.

    Every part of this scene was a miracle by itself. It would be permanently etched in the hearts of everyone present. As the nightmare of his enemies; and the fable of his people.

    William knew this well. Not only did he find it impossible to get close to Brendel, but the white veil of Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring would not let him strike Brendel too.

    He almost wanted to cry.

    In fact, Morpheus whom he was fighting with was gradually bing more and more powerful. Previously, he could have easily defeated her with a casual wave of his sword; now, he had to wrestle his way through her. Not only that, he vaguely felt her breaking through the Elemental Enlightenment and crossing into the Peak of Laws.

    How does this all make sense?

    He had witnessed her transformation from Elemental Awakening to Elemental Enlightenment just a while ago, how could she step into the Peak of Laws right now? He finally understood that Morpheus was not hiding her true strength all along; rather, she was bing more and more powerful with each battle.

    If he knew the existence of the Combat Tribes, he would have thought that she was one of those people who only got stronger the harder the fight was!

    Of course, that was only a facade.

    It was Brendel sacrificing the non-ck Creatures continuously. The three Combat Indicators worked simrly to the Wolf¡¯s Den Cards attached to Ciel. Each indicator would add a certain amount of experience to the designated target. Even when Morpheus¡¯ leveling was slowed as he reached higher levels, it could not match Brendel refreshing his deck with Thought eleration.

    Finally, Morpheus entered the realm of the Peak of Laws.

    His powerful aura spread out across the entire battlefield.

    It was so strong that everyone¡¯s attention locked onto his direction.

    Did someone actually just make a breakthrough on the battlefield?

 Chapter 571 - v3c342p2

    v3c342p2

    Glory(6)

    Morpheus let out a long howl. As much as it was music to Brendel¡¯s ears, it was a daunting sound to the Northern Coalition Army. Suddenly, a pair of demonic wings sprouted out from behind Morpheus, and silver lines of blood were etched on his forehead as well ¡ª The ns¡¯ Seal.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±

    William could not stand it anymore. He roared. He had tried to eliminate Morpheus in one hit many times, but when Brendel just simply sacrificed the Martyrs of Radiance, all his efforts go to waste. That was not mentioning the difficulty to kill a being who has achieved Peak of Laws while being constantly being healed by the Grimoires of Life.

    This deputy head of the Pdins finally understood the fact that he was on a doomed path.

    Seeing the fearless look in Brendel¡¯s face, he shivered.

    His heart went cold.

    No, there¡¯s still one more chance.

    At that moment, William¡¯s aura suddenly changed; the golden threads that encircled him turned silver all at once, and a white me zed above him.

    In front of him, Morpheus raised his head to look at Pdin¡¯s deputymander in surprise. To him, William¡¯s existence waspletely erased.

    He had entered another realm.

    The Ultimate Realm.

    ¡°Brendel, look out!¡± Orthylss suddenly shouted in his mind, ¡°It¡¯s the sh Strike Sword Art!¡±

    sh Strike Sword Art.

    Among the three great sword arts, the Nine Luminaries Sword Art was known to be the best Magic Sword Art amongst them as it uses magic to produce mirages. Although people tend to confuse it for a quick sword art; in fact, the fastest sword art among the three fast swords was me King Gretel¡¯s sh Strike Sword Art.

    The mystery that sh Strike Sword Art was faster than the Nine Luminaries Sword Art was one of the questions Brendel had relentlessly bombarded Orthylss with.

    And today, he finally got the answer he wanted.

    At that moment, he felt his own Lines of Laws tremble.

    The Laws of Space were influenced.

    Despite being a physical sword, the technique managed to surpass the boundaries of space and attack any point. Almost like Brendel¡¯s Space Elemental Power.

    The next moment, Brendel saw William appear beside himself with his eyes shining coldly. Like metallic silver.

    He looked back at them.

    He had an Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring ready and was not afraid of any attack from William.

    However, William did not attack him. Out of the blue, a majestic aura spread out between the heavens and the earth, as if infinite power extended along in all directions at an instant, and the boundaries between heaven and earth ceased to exist.

    Everything turned bleak white.

    The Ultimate Realm.

    For the first time, Brendel was surprised by this man¡¯s actions. He had finally used the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s secret technique to sacrifice his own lifeforce for a chance to step into the Ultimate Realm. With that, he would lose his chance to improve his own sword skills.

    He was undoubtedly an expert at the Peak of the Law as he could easily make such a decision. He must have been really determined to eliminate Brendel.

    Brendel could not help but sigh. When William pulled him into the Extreme ins, he would be isted from his own summons except for the Cards that were still in his hand.

    Which was a real pain in the ass.

    He only had a third of his deck and Cards left; the real problem, however, was the Desperate Trojan Horse and Grimoires of Life being left outside of the realm and thus breaking the cycle. Although temporary, it could spell the Brendel¡¯s death.

    He could only apud William for being a seasoned swordsman. He may have been a little retarded, his battle instincts were first-rate. In just one strike, he managed to expose Brendel¡¯s weakness.

    Which was him being a neswalker.

    William shed at him. Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring flickered once more. Expecting that, he shed once more, shattering Brendel¡¯s figure into countless pieces like a mirror.

    But that was not caused by his attack.

    It was an afterimage created by the Nine Luminaries Sword Art.

    William was not surprised but was rather delighted. He could not help butugh like a madman, ¡°Hahaha, you really can¡¯t keep casting that spell. I¡¯d like to see how many times the Nine Luminaries Sword Art can save you!¡±

    He was talking precisely about Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring.

    But Brendel looked at the guy with some pity.

    If Brendel were to fight William one on one outside of this realm, he would have been beaten up like a helpless dog. However, out of desperation, he pulled Brendel into the Extreme ins.

    But rather than being the true Extreme ins, it was his own personal dimension. That being said, in this world, his control over the Laws was near omnipotent.

    This was his home turf, a world woven by William¡¯s Lines of Laws.

    ¡°William,¡± Brendel could not help but sigh.

    This Pdin¡¯s deputymander was faintly struck.

    Then he saw roaring ck me burning in Brendel¡¯s eyes, burning his hair and his hands. In a sh, a pair of wings burning with abyssal fire spread out from behind Brendel.

    And Brendel¡¯s voice became hoarse and low, ¡°You¡¯re really a fool.¡±

    William¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, ¡°This...can¡¯t be possible! The Fool... The Fool! The Legacy of the Darkness Dragon!¡±

    He pointed his sword at Brendel and shrilled, ¡°You...you¡¯re actually the Darkness Dragon.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Brendel shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Go to hell!¡± William¡¯s face turned white and roared, ¡°Heresy!¡± He raised the longsword in his hand and was about to charge at Brendel.

    But his movements suddenly froze.

    For he saw Brendel pulling out a short staff, about three inches long and made of glittering gold.

    This was the relic that Brendel got from Amman ¨C the God-ying Cone, a Divine Artifact that negated the effects of all magics, unnatural powers and of course-

    Elemental Power.

    Now, he was going to return it to the Holy Cathedral of Fire again. But not in the way they wanted.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible.¡± William could hardly believe what he was seeing. How in the world could something so coincidental happen?

    Legend had it that the Godyer Cone made by Farnezain was the nemesis of all spells under one condition¨C it had to sessfully strike the enemy for it to be effective. In the hands of an enemy of the same rank, it was like a nuclear bomb back in his world. However, if Brendel really met an expert, it would not be a problem for them to deal with it.

    But it was different for William, though.

    This guy¡¯s face was ashen, and cold sweat uncontrobly dripped down his forehead. This was his home turf¨C he should have had absolute dominance over Brendel. But now, it looked as if he was just a miserable piece of fish waiting to be ughtered.

    This was his Extreme ins. A world that was woven little by little from the Lines of his Laws.

    But for the same reason.

    He had no way to escape Brendel¡¯s attack.

    ¡°This choice¡± replied Brendel, ¡°was made by you.¡± With that, he casually thrust the cone into the greyish-white ground ¨C

    The Godyer Cone hit William¡¯s Lines of Law.

    ¡°Ah!¡± William let out a startled cry in dismay. The whole world seemed to shake in dismay as and Brendel stood up and drew the Halran Gaia from behind him.

    He felt the world crumbling and William¡¯s Elemental Power slowly draining away.

    ¡°You have onest chance to live, William,¡± Brendel asked coldly as he raised his sword which burned with the same dark me, ¡°What was the real reason behind the Eleventh Months War?¡±

    Even so, he looked at Brendel with his bloodshot eyes and snarled between gritted teeth, ¡°You want to know? Dream on.......¡±

    ¡°I....would never tell you!¡±

    ¡°Then please go to hell.¡±

    ¡°This...¡±

    As the world¡¯s boundaries receded, thendscape amidst the forest of the Anker Mountains quickly reappeared.

    ¡°...is for Her Royal Highness.¡±

    Brandel stepped forward, and the sharp de of the Halran Gaia shed through William¡¯s body, incinerating it with ck mes. This Sword Saint of the Holy Cathedral of Fire raised his head with a miserable cry, the silver light in his eyes faded away, leaving an expression of anger and disbelief on his face.

    At that moment, the dimension copsedpletely...

 Chapter 572 - v3c343

    v3c343

    The Abyss(1)

    The grey sky overhead was dispersing, like oats dissolving in milk. Brendel was standing in the middle of the ins, looking at the dead body of the Holy Cathedral¡¯s of Fire¡¯s deputy leader, the ck me on his body was gradually fading away like ck butterflies dancing gracefully.

    ¡°How was it?¡± Orthylss asked all of a sudden.

    ¡°Dangerous.¡± Brendel gasped slightly. Thest fight with William made him acknowledge the gap between his strength and the capabilities of someone who is truly strong. Even if William did not fight back at thest moment, he would not have been able to break through this deputy leader¡¯s defense if he did not use his Berserk talent.

    It could be said that apart from his own capability, luck also had a part in this oue. However, the fortunate thing was that he won, and that was enough.

    He paused for a second.

    Brendel suddenly asked, ¡°Master Orthlyss, you already knew that Kelsie¡¯s Cards had ws, right?¡±

    Orthlyss smiled gently, ¡°Some things will only leave a deep impression if experienced personally. Years of battling taught me this, a new soldier would never be an experienced veteran without facing challenges and setbacks, little fellow.¡±

    It was a piece of heartfelt advice to Brendel, the moment when William dragged him into the Extreme ins, even the neswalker¡¯s system was disrupted. Medissa, Ciel, and other summoned objects were isted from the world, breaking the cycle and thus proving one thing: Kelsie¡¯s Cards still had ws.

    The final oue showed that this battle was a lucky win for him. The fortunate thing was that it was William who discovered this w. Had it been someone stronger, it might have been Brendel that was lying on the ground now.

    This made it clear that he still had the chance to improve himself.

    But the reason behind his sudden question to Orthylss was because he suddenly thought about the enemy of the four Saints in the past ¨C the Darkness Dragon, Odin. Ina had once told him that Odin was a powerful neswalker. Yet, the four Saints could defeat Odin, indicating that the neswalkers were not at the top of all existence.

    Orthylss seemed to know what was going on in his head and replied softly, ¡°It was said that all neswalkers pursue perfection. And with the Laws, the world is built to near perfection. It was also those Laws that made them almost indomitable.

    Unfortunately, no one has managed to truly attain perfection......¡±

    Brendel knew she was trying to say: Even Odin did not manage to achieve that feat. Otherwise, he would have definitely defeated the four Saints.

    ¡°Odin¡¯s deck is called Darkest Nights. His deck is much more offensive than the deck in your hand. The special characteristic of this deck is transforming all elements into Dark EPs, the primary element of his deck. Can you imagine the power disparity you would have when you fight against the Darkness Dragon? The feeling of you getting weaker and weaker while he gradually bes stronger.¡± [T/L: not sure why the author is alternating Odin between a female and a male. Could he be transgender?] [ED: It¡¯s a trap!]

    ¡°This sounds a little simr to Madara.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t miss the point here, Madara¡¯s Undeads were once his subordinates and admirers.¡± Orthlyss replied, ¡°Odin does not have many Creature Cardspared to Tuman and Kelsie. All his cards are artifacts, abilities, spells, and enchantments. Moreover, his own strength is extremely powerful, so strong you¡¯re nothingpared to him. It was mere luck that we defeated him in the end.¡±

    ¡°How did you all do it?¡± Brendel curiously asked.

    She got a little excited and replied, ¡°Because his core strength was transformation, he must still transform our strength through artifacts and spells on the battlefield. He could cycle his cards extremely fast, much faster than you can. When he starts, he could form a cycle immediately, and all he had to do was to continuously filter his Cards to counter our attacks. Every time he counters, he could extract Dark EP from it to continue his cycle again.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you mean he has no Land cards?¡±

    ¡°Land cards are a weakness to a neswalker. How could he leave this w in him? Young one, do you really think you won¡¯t be attacked by just having a Land Card in your world? Did you already forget how you were pulled into William¡¯s world? He was only an amateur who just stepped into that realm, but the true Extreme ins are way stronger than that. That is a world formed from one¡¯s own Law; each of the Land Cards is a piece of the Extreme ins...¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Brendel was speechless.

    ¡°In conclusion, having a Land Card is a weakness in itself. Though we cannot directly counter your Land Cards like a real neswalker, we can deliberately destroy them.¡± Orthlyss continued, ¡°Odin is a genius, he designed this deck so that it does not require any Land Cards. But unfortunately, it still has hidden dangers. In thest battle, Farnezain continued to dismantle his core spells, causing his cycle to break and giving us the chance to strike back.¡±

    ¡°You guys could counter a Card of Fate?¡±

    ¡°No. Even though we could actually do it, things were not that simple. A spell that counters his spell will also be counterattacked by another one of his own.¡± Orthlyss said with a t tone. ¡°We used a clumsy but effective way to counter him. We dismantled our own attack before he could counter our spell. As there were no Land Cards, the elements Odin used to activate his deck were very limited. Once his counterattacks were not supplemented, his Elemental Power will be exhausted. Because of this tactic, we finally won after paying a great price.¡±

    Brendel was dumbfounded, he did not expect it to be so simple. But he knew it only sounded easy, the real story might be different in reality. The Darkness Dragon itself was more powerful than the four Saints. They had to take turns dismantling his spells andunching attacks on their own when they were under attack. The horrors of the battle could hardly be imagined.

    Brendel only knew that the United Army lost nearly four-fifths of troops in thest battle. Those who survivedter became heroes.

    He was shocked when he heard this, but he could not help but sigh with disappointment. He did not expect that even with such great power, the Darkness Dragon would eventually meet his demise, and he thought that the neswalker was invincible.

    But he was secretly excited, Tuman once told him that neswalkers aimed for perfection, and Orthlyss told him the same thing again. Does an undefeatable deck of Cards exist?

    Orthlyssughed when she saw his expression, ¡°Little fellow, you should have realized by now. How would you be able to be a real neswalker when you¡¯re using someone else¡¯s deck of cards? Be it a neswalker or a Holy Saint, the ultimate goal of a strong person is to establish their own Ultimate Realm.¡±

    Brendel nodded his head.

    He lifted his head and saw William¡¯s Extreme in has almostpletely copsed. He stretched out his hand and a few drops of cold rainwater dripped onto his palm. As the rain and wind of Anker Mountain were making its way into this world, the sound of two armies battling became clear.

    Indeed, he should walk his own path now.

    He had hesitated before, but it was due to the situation¡¯s demand. Rain fell and the wind blew in Aouine. Choosing his own deck of Cards meant he had to start from scratch. And by the time he truly became a neswalker, the Kingdom may have already ceased to exist.

    But things were different now.

    Ampere Seale already had another history. One where the princess was notpromised. One where Aouine would have some hopes in surviving the trials thaty ahead. He felt capable of taking on anything right now.

    William¡¯s world had fully copsed and the sound of the rain and wind sounded real now. He also fully reappeared in the original world.

    Everyone in the forest saw the deputy head of the Pdins lying on the floor, as well as Brendel who was holding the Halran Gaia and was standing at the side.

    Silence. No sounds of metal upon metal. No cries of pain. It was as if for that one single moment the whole world stood still.

    For the outside world, it had only been a few moments when William dragged Brendel to the Extreme ins, to Brendel reappearing beside William¡¯s dead body. Princess Gryphine, Amandina, Medissa, Ciel, and everyone else outside felt as if their hearts stopped.

    ¡°Lord......¡± Amandina was as if she lost all her strength and slowly leaned her back against the ck pine tree.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel!¡± Medissa said in dness and excitement.

    ¡°Ha.¡± Ciel was standing in the rain with a smile on his face. It was just like during the time in Fortress Riedon when he and Brendel went to steal the treasures of Duke Grinoires. He was wearing the same sincere smile he had at that time.

    Andrea snorted softly. The worried face on Morpheus the Trap Vampire disappeared and was reced with a warm smile, ¡°Lord!¡±

    Ropar did not say anything; there was only determination in the Firew Chieftain¡¯s eyes. He believed in his Lord like he was the mightiest hero in their n. A hero that would never let others down.

    The Mercenaries of Lopez cheered together; the red-hair girl sighed with her hand pressing against her chest.

    Among the people-

    Only Princess Gryphine closed her eyes, the longshes of the Silver Elf princess quivered gently in the rain.

    She clenched her fists tightly. The moment has arrived, Mother Marsha has not given up on this kingdom. She is a mother who gently looks after her children, and witnesses each generation¡¯s determination in adhering to the noble¡¯s glory and faith.

    It was still raining.

    The Pdins only had seven people left whose hands and feet were cold. They did not know how to ept the reality in front of their eyes; they had lost theirrades and even their deputy head had lost his life.

    The noblest blood of the Kirrlutz flowed across this unknown wilderness silently.

    Above the clouds.

    mes could be seen in the sky, and a tower of the ck Tower Mages exploded vertically before copsing down into the Arreck Mountains.

    The Dragon Cavalry of the Southern Army was organizing for its final charge in the rain, with golden mes all around due to the explosions. The kingdom¡¯s knights finally put in all their courage into this battle.

    Even though they were not this kingdom¡¯s frontline army, they still showed rtive determination and strong will.

    Taylor withdrew from the battle; Iris withdrew from the battle; Rorbo¡¯s cabin caught fire and exploded; Vaugli crashed.

    Nosidal felt as if the wound under the armor was about to tear apart. He sat down on a dragon which had one side of its wings cut by shrapnel, and both its tail and wings were burnt. The excruciating pain was tormenting him, but he could not take even one step back, the Pdins were fighting with Brendel¡¯s men on both sides. Before that, they must prevent the Kirrlutz¡¯s fleet from firing towards the central camp of the princess¡¯ army.

    The Southern army had given in their best.

    Without any reinforcements, the battle seemed never-ending. Although the Northern Coalition Army on the ground was gradually retreating, the Holy Cathedral of Fire soldiers in the sky was about to face a disaster.

    Loud crisp sounds rang beside his ears.

    It came from the artillery deck of the Pern ss warships. Nosidal felt a huge force striking his chest but he continued holding on to the reins. Severalrades fell to the ground on one side.

    ¡°We tried our best.¡±

    He looked up as if he wanted to see the bright light of the Loop of Trade Winds. But the storm obscured the entire shore of Ampere Seale. The sky and earthbined into one, darkness covered the entire ce as sunlight could hardly prate through the dark clouds.

    There was no light in the darkness.

    Nosidal squinted his eyes.

    Suddenly ¨C

    There seemed to be a sh of light in the dark distance. For a moment, it seemed that the magic shield of the Pern ss warships had been ripped open and was weakened. Then, a burst of fire lighted upon this Kirrltuz gship.

    Explosions, mes, and cracked wooden floors rose from the deck.

    ¡°It¡¯s artillery fire!¡±

    Nosidal appeared to be struck with spirit and immediately woke up. How can there be shelling? Is it a misfire from the Kirrlutz people? No. He suddenly remembered that sh of light.

    He slightly turned back stiffly.

    ......

    The Kirrlutz people did not seem to have believed that they had been attacked.

    But the second fleet of Konolia was indeed being bombarded with unexpected artillery fire from the nks. Brint sparks and explosions erupted in the clear sky.

    The first round of artillerynded on the nks of the seven warships. The most far edged Bsuo was badly hit in particr, due to theck of preparations. The artillery fire was almost absorbed fully by the side armor and the entire warship disintegrated in mid-air, turning into colorful fireworks.

    The artillery fire continued.

    An unfamiliar fleet has directly entered into the battlefield from the direction of St. White Bay and fierce artillery fire roared out from this fleet, covering the entire nk of Konolia¡¯s Second Fleet like a hurricane.

    The Kirrlutz lost almost one-tenth of their ships in an instant.

    The huge fleet tried to turn around awkwardly, and they seemed to finally understand who their opponent was. It was indeed a fleet not inferior to them.

    Aouine had bought these battleships from the Wind Elves and spent countless manpower and financial resources to build this fleet in twenty years.

    This fleet was the only army from Aouine that could bebeled as magnificent. Advancing slowly between the clouds and destroying everything in its wake.

    The Royal Fleet of Aouine has entered the scene.

 Chapter 573 - v3c344p1

    v3c344p1

    The Abyss(2)

    In the sky, the royal fleet of Aouine was targeting the Kirrlutz¡¯s battleships. They purchased a first-ss Ptolemy ss battleship from the Wind Elves which had higher maneuverabilitypared to the Pen ss of the Konolia fleet twenty years ago. But the Kirrlutz had a stronger determination and better personnel quality. Although they were just a fleet of one ce, they were undoubtedly the spirit of the kingdom.

    Both parties opened fire towards each other in the sky and warships fell from the sky like fireballs from time to time. But as soon as Brendel¡¯s Wind Spirit Dragons joined the battle the Kirrlutz were put at a disadvantage, and the Pen ss ¡®Yasha¡¯ battleship pulled out from thebat. The Wind Spirit Dragonsunched a suicide attack at its magic shields, then used the burning power to consume the energy source of the first-ss battleship, Yasha which ran out of power collided onto the Northern Coalition Army, causing a huge amount of casualties.

    Soon, Aouine¡¯s battleship ¡®Kolin¡¯ released a bomb that went right through the magic shield and hit the stern of another Pen gship, which killed both the captain and chief officer on the spot. The Kirrlutz¡¯s fleet formation fell apart and they started to flee.

    The Northern Coalition Army on the ground started escaping when the fleets retreated, they were like ants running all over the wilderness with sounds of the horns echoing across the area.

    And on the other side ¨C

    Brendel saw seven Pdins put down their weapons and battled to death with his own eyes, it was impossible for them to seed which meant their defense would be useless.

    The whole battlefield quieted down very quickly and only the sound of rain falling to the ground and moaning noises of the injured was left.

    Brendel let out a sigh of relief, he felt as if all his body strength were drained. He sat right down on a boulder behind him.

    Maynild was ordering the survivors to build a simple shelter so that the injured could be moved there.

    The injured were mostly soldiers of the Northern Coalition Army while a small number of them were the Kirrlutz. Because of the Grimoire of Life, almost none of the princess¡¯ men were injured.

    Princess Gryphine managed to find him right away.

    ¡°Mr.Brendel, should we continue to chase after the Kirrlutz¡¯s fleet?¡± The half-elf princess asked hesitantly. The Kirrlutz had twelve main fleets, and Konolia was just one of the local fleets which were simr to Ampere Seale¡¯s navy. Chasing after them seemed unnecessary to her as it might provoke the Kirrlutz too.

    ¡°We have to continue chasing after them, Your Highness, or else it would be troublesome if they joined forces with the Northern Coalition Army again.¡± Brendel knew exactly why the princess hesitated so he proceeded to exin immediately, ¡°It¡¯s better to order Count Jansu to chase them out of Ampere Seale.

    His words revealed his intention of using this opportunity to seize Ampere Seale, even Princess Gryphine was startled. In fact, she did not discuss this issue with Oberwei and Audine. With the defeat of the Northern Coalition Army and the severe damage to the Ampere Seale¡¯s coast guards, taking the opportunity to capture Ampere Seale was also a reasonable judgment.

    Besides, if they had the two fortresses that connected to the North and South of Ampere Seale, they could attack the north again. They were in a safe position in the battle between the two parties. The only problem was the Kirlutz.

    Destroying a Kirrlutz fleet and defeating them were two different concepts. If the entire Empire of Kirrlutz was to bepletely involved in this war for Ampere Seale, it might not be worth it.

    Thinking about it, she could not stop looking at Brendel with her beautiful silver eyes as if she wanted to see through his thoughts. He never seemed to consider the Kirrlutz empire to be a threat. It was unexpected that he destroyed the entire Konolia fleet without hesitation. This was really too bold, even the lone wolf of the kingdom was unavoidably cautious of the Kirrltuz people. They were like a lion, being a little disrespectful in front of them would surely bring disaster.

    Brendel certainly knew the princess¡¯s concerns, but he found the concerns to be a little funny, ¡°Your Highness, be rest assured. The Kirrlutz dare not trouble us.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Princess Gryphine frowned at this. She felt this was too blindly optimistic.

    ¡°Because of the Wind Elves.¡±

    I see. But she shook her head and said, ¡°Mr.Brendel, the support of the Wind Elves was not as great as we expected. If the Kirrlutz people just wanted to give us a warning using the Northern Coalition Army instead of really intending to conquer Aouine, I¡¯m afraid it is hard for Sanorso¡¯s elves to take action.¡±

    ¡°That is because they don¡¯t get the benefits they desire,¡± Brendel replied, shaking his head and sighed. ¡°After all, Aouine is still a country under the Holy Cathedral of Fire and this civil strife is also under the jurisdiction of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. How can the Holy Cathedral of Wind be involved in this? The four Holy Cathedrals seemed to understand this quite well.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± the princess nodded.

    ¡°In this case, all will be well when we dere that the newly established Aouine kingdom will join the Holy Cathedral of Wind,¡± Brendel replied with confidence.

    ¡°This......but......¡± Princess Gryphine immediately froze, she looked at Brendel as if he was a monster, she did not expect him to have such a thought. After all, the Aouine people were all descendants of the me King, and they were also a countryposed mainly of humans. From a psychological point of view, all the Aouine people were more willing to side the Holy Cathedral of Fire rather than the Holy Cathedral of Wind, so the nobles have not thought of relying on the Holy Cathedral of Wind. But their biggest limitation was that they wanted to rely on the Holy Cathedral of Wind to contain the power of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    It was like bargaining, but in the end, they still have to be embraced by the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    However, no one would think that Brendel was a freak. Him being half an Otherworlder, he had no sense of belonging to the so-called four Holy Cathedrals. In his previous life, he had lived under the jurisdictions of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, the Holy Cathedral of Wind, and the Holy Cathedral of Light. In a yer¡¯s point of view, he preferred Farnezain¡¯s Holy Cathedral of Light. At least until they were stabbed in the back.

    And in this life, Orthylss of the Holy Cathedral of Wind had always apanied him in his risky adventures growing up. Speaking of it, if hepared the Holy Cathedrals which he had stronger feelings for, it would definitely be the Holy Cathedral of WInd.

    Brendel quietly looked at the princess¡¯s hesitant face.

    Princess Gryphine quickly became clear with her thoughts and looked up at Brendel with a serious look, saying, ¡°I admit that this is an option. But we will only consider this at the veryst moment, is that okay, Mr.Brendel?¡±

    Brendel nodded, he knew it was not only the princess who was concerned. The Aouine nobles would hardly ept this proposal in an instant. This takes time and requires a chance to change, and he probably understood that Her Highness wanted to use this bargaining chip to negotiate with the Kirrlutz people for thest time.

    And there was a chance her n would seed.

    Aouine¡¯s geographical location was way too important. To the south was the endless wilderness and the ck Forest. It was also the only way to scout or Madara¡¯s movement. To the Kirrlutz Empire, Aouine was both a source of resources and a natural buffer zone. The Kirrlutz¡¯s emphasis on Aouine was not without reason.

    But this applied to the Wind Elves as well. Otherwise, they would not support the kingdom of Aouine hundreds of years ago. They secretly supported King Oberg the Seventh in establishing an emerging fleet and helped to train navy soldiers. Although the Ptolemy ss battleship was not the main battleship type of the Wind Elves, it was still a first-ss battleship ten years ago. Technically speaking, it was still considered a top-notch battleship.

    The Kirrlutz people knew the importance of this fleet. If the princess announces to join the Holy Cathedral of Wind, it was likely that a Holy War would happen between the Holy Cathedral of Fire and the Holy Cathedral of Wind.

    However, the princess might be worried that there will be a misunderstanding between both of them so she added, ¡°Mr.Brendel, you have to trust me, I am not nning on doing this alone. Rather, the people of the kingdom themselves are descendants of the me King. Faith in the Holy Cathedral of Fire had already surpassed generation after generation, wanting to change such perceptions is not a momentary thing.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, you don¡¯t have to exin this.¡± Brendel was a little touched, in fact, she actually didn¡¯t have to exin it to him at all. After all, she was the princess. Theoretically, he was her knight, her vassal. Of course, Brendel himself might not have had the notion that all men are created equal in his opinion, but he understood that Her Highness, who grew up in the royal family, would never think so. She was willing to confide her thoughts to him so carefully, saying that at least it proved that she valued herself enough.

    Humans were born to need each other, and Brendel enjoys that satisfaction.

    ¡°But the Konolia fleet must be wiped out, and we must take Ampere Seale as a chance to negotiate.¡± Brendel still reminded them although, in fact, he was slightly at a loss in his mind. The Holy Cathedral of Fire would not pay attention to the annihtion of the Konolia fleet, but they would take action upon Brendel for killing William. After all, he was still the deputy head of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    To put it simply, the Empire could be disgraced, but the Holy Cathedral of Fire had to maintain its reputation; they would most likely ask Her Highness to hand him over.

 Chapter 574 - v3c344p2 The Abyss(2)

    <strong>v3c344p2</strong>

    <strong>The Abyss(2)</strong>

    Princess Gryphine nodded firmly, ¡±I understand, I will send the order for Count Jansu to continue the pursuit, wipe out the Konolia fleet, and take the port of Ampere in one fell swoop. Mr. Brendel, I will fight for the best interests of both Aouine and its subjects, and I will seriously consider your proposals...¡±

    ¡°I will not allow the tragedy of Lord Darius to happen ever again.¡±

    Knowing that this was a promise, Brendel gave the princess a serious bow. Her Highness turned to leave when Brendel heard Orthylss say in his mind gently, ¡°This princess is really good at this, you little fool must have been really touched by her.¡±

    ¡°No, but I felt some warmth,¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°So you are really a little fool, you have shown enough power in the previous battles to prove that you are the only one she can rely on and is her biggest helper. You know very well that this is not your full power, but she does not think so. Her serious consideration for you is just more than a means for the Royal Family to win hearts and minds.¡± Orthylss said to him seriously.

    Brendelughed lightly, but his heart was touched. He knew that Orthylss was just reminding himself to prevent him from losing out. ¡°Thank you, Miss Orthylss.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, good that you know.¡± Orthylss said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of fights, and I¡¯ll admit that the little girl is still pure-hearted. But the future still remains unknown to anyone; you¡¯ve got to keep an eye out.¡±

    ¡°Certainly,¡± Orthylss felt more and more like his own sister to Brendel, and that only a close rtive would be so patient in teaching him.

    From time to time the sky shed with explosive fire, which was the gunfire of the pursing First Fleet of Aouine¡¯s Imperial Navy.

    The battle was over.

    Brendel was gradually gaining insight on his deck, the Paradise of Adversity. This cycle was powerful in his opinion, but it was very energy-consuming to maintain the cycle and the constant reshuffling that it requires cost even more of his energy. Contrary to the greatest neswalkers in history, whether it was Tuman or Kelsie, or even Odin the Darkness Dragon, he was quickly exhausted from the constant strain on his EP. To them, maintaining such a cycle was as easy as breathing. But it was a different case for him. After all, he was only at the strength of a Gold Rank Elemental Awakener.

    However, he was still cautious and did not let the Transgender Vampire, Morpheus return to his own deck. He had reached the realm of Law¡¯s Peak. With William dead, he would basically be the strongest fighting force on this battlefield.

    And he did not take back the Nightmare Forges either, leaving seventy of those metal beetles behind. Brendel left an Anxiety Card in his hand to replicate the Tempest Card, one of his strongest single target Cards.

    With these two killer moves, Brendel also put away the Grimoire of Life and the Desperate Trojan Horse with ease, then dissolved the Death Sentinels. After all, summoning Undead Creatures would give him a negative reputation, and Brendel did not want to have prefixes like ¡®Undead¡¯ and ¡®Dark¡¯ on his title in the future.

    Truth be told, he had not even nned on using this Card if this fight was not too dire.

    He looked up at the explosion beyond the rain for a moment and quickly thought of something else. He had someone call Fern to him, and then he whispered in her ear.

    A look of discontent immediately appeared on Fen¡¯s face.

    This time she firmly refused. ¡°I refuse. It is too much, my Lord.¡±

    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t it just dissecting up the body?¡± Brendel did not understand why Fen overreacted every time.

    ¡°I refuse anyway!¡± Fern red at him then turned around and walked away. She would have preferred if her Lord saw her as an Elementalist instead of a mere tool used for looting.

    Brendel stood there in embarrassment. It was hard to find a person who had great luck in looting like her. But just so unfortunately, she did not like dissecting corpses. This left him very helpless. He sighed and when he was about to find some other way to convince thisdy, he suddenly stared wide-eyed.

    ¡°Stop!¡± He almost screamed miserably, but it was a little toote, Maynild had already moved several Pdin corpses to the side, and then her gruesome ck hands had yanked William¡¯s body up as well.

    At that moment, it seemed like ten thousand horses galloped wildly through his mind.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The female knight came to a screeching halt when he heard his scream and faintly nced back at him.

    ¡°......What loot do those knights have on them?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I checked. The magic dissipated so much that they only left a few of the Holy Cathedral¡¯s ming swords,¡± Maynild replied with an unchanged face, ¡°But these swords are not bad; our kingdom does not have this type of forging technology.¡±

    Darkness covered Brendel¡¯s eyes.

    In fact, Brendel had a bad feeling about it when she went to touch the body. The woman looked too much like his senior, and he instinctively remembered just how bad her luck was at looting items.

    But Maynild¡¯s answer immediately eliminated thest strand of hope he had left. Even if the corpse belonged to a Pdin from the Holy Cathedral of Fire, how could she just pick up some ornamental swords that are so useless? Brendel instantly realized just how bad this woman¡¯s luck in looting was.

    ¡°Will......How about William?¡±

    ¡°I Haven¡¯t seen it yet,¡± replied Maynild, unaware that the man in front of her wanted her to stop checking the bodies out for loot. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out now.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Brendel wanted to smack himself in the face. But before he had time to cry out, he saw Maynild remove a ring from William¡¯s hand.

    Brendel instantly froze.

    It was a silver ring with a very special pattern on it.

    ¡°The ring doesn¡¯t seem to be magically disintegrated yet.¡± The female knight examined it and replied seriously.

    ¡°Brendel!¡± Orthylss suddenly called out.

    Brendel nodded immediately, ¡°I know.¡±

    Both of them had seen the pattern on that ring before. It was divided into nine branches; each one so familiar to him. This was because it was exactly the holy sigil of Sanorso from the Holy Cathedral of Wind.

    The second Wing Ring.

    Brendel finally understood at that moment why William instantly recognized his swordsmanship when they met. ¡°Show it to me!¡± He said to Maynild as he immediately walked over to her.

    The female knight who resembled his senior looked at him, nodded, and then ced the ring on his palm without hesitation.

    ¡°How do I use it?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Inject your Power of Law into it.¡± Orthylss also looked a little excited. After all, there was an Elite Soul in every ring, herpanions from earlier years.

    Brendel did as he was told.

    Suddenly, there was a faint sh of white light between him and Maynild. Then the next moment, a translucent, somewhat ghost-like elite Elven maiden appeared between them.

    The maiden was short and looked only a little taller than Princess Gryphine.

    Her skin was very white, with the crystalline glowmon to Wind Elves. Her ears were pointed, her long purple-blue hair was tied in a loose ponytail behind her head, and she wore a tight set of leather armor, though most conspicuously, she also carried a long elf bow almost as tall as a human behind her.

    She yawned as she appeared, it was as if she had just woken up.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Maynild was slightly startled, and with one hand, she immediately pressed on the hilt of her sword. However, she probably also guessed that this Elf maiden¡¯s origin was rted to the ring on Brendel¡¯s hand, and therefore she did not pull out her sword.

    But Brendel heard a low cry from Orthylss in his heart at that moment.

    Then Orthlyss manifested directly beside him and appeared on the other side.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    It was now the Elf maiden¡¯s turn to stare incredulously at Orthylss.

    ¡°Ma......¡±

    Orthylss gave her a hard re.

    The Elf maiden was immediately startled and shouted, ¡°Ma- Madam!¡±

    ¡°Madam?¡±

    Brendel froze. I¡¯ve never heard of a master-servant rtionship between the Wind Empress¡¯s subordinates. He did not see the look in Orthylss¡¯ eyes, he just looked at the both of them curiously.

    Only then did Orthylss smile in satisfaction at the elf maiden.

    Brendel interestingly looked at the elf maiden and said, ¡°Hi, I am Brendel. May I ask the name of this beautiful youngdy?¡±

    The Elf maiden looked at Brendel and Orthylss and roughly guessed their rtionship. With respect, she immediately replied loudly without hesitation, ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr.Brendel. I am de Knight Orthylss, Chief Bowman under the Wind Empress! Looking forward to knowing you better! Ouch, that hurts.......¡±

    After a loud smack to her head, she clutched it painfully.

 Chapter 575 - v3c345p1

    v3c345p1

    The Abyss(3)

    Brendel reacted as soon as the elf maiden squatted down with her head in her arms. He immediately looked back at ¡®Orthylss¡¯ and asked, ¡°She is Orthylss, and you?¡±

    ¡°She just likes pranking, I¡¯m the real Orthylss.¡± The elf consort replied contentiously.

    The elf maiden was brought to tears. She felt so aggrieved that she only wanted to cry out, When did I ever like pranks, and how did I even lose my name? But she did not dare to utter a single word and could only hold her head and shed tears in silence.

    ¡°Then who is she?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s...uh...Sonya.¡±

    Brendel actually already had the answer in mind.

    He had long suspected the elf consort because she tended to speak on equal terms with important people like me King Gretel, the Great Sage Farnezain, and even Eleranta, which was very unusual for a knight of the Queen of the Winds. Not only so, would the de Knight Orthylss master the legacy of the Nine Luminaries Sword Art of the Wind? Afraid not.

    It was just that Brendel could not believe that this legendary character was someone who spent countless nights with him, teaching and supporting him to the best of her ability, someone who even asionally threw childish tantrums. Orthylss felt more like the girl next door rather than the cold hero of the legend.

    This answer really shocked him.

    He kept a calmposure and pretended to be suspicious, Sonya? Isn¡¯t that the ¡®Wind Whisperer¡¯? If I remember correctly, Lady Sonya has rare long ck hair, and wouldn¡¯t be so young.

    ¡®Orthylss¡¯ red at him viciously with her indigo eyes.

    Brendel pretended he didn¡¯t see that.¡±And I thought you sacrificed your own life in the grey swamp! I didn¡¯t think about this earlier, but how did you know what happened in thest battle with the Darkness Dragon?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I told her!¡± She replied viciously.

    ¡°You told her?¡±

    ¡°You...¡± The elf consort finally realized that she slipped, but this was a habit that she wasn¡¯t able to correct even after thousands of years.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you again today, Brendel! Piss off, and get away from me as far as possible!¡±

    The elf consort threw down this sentence and disappeared in front of him. She looked genuinely angry. Brendel sighed. The answer was exactly what he thought. ¡®Orthylss¡¯ was ¡®Sanorso¡¯.

    Sanorso was the sage of the Wind Elves, one of the four Holy Cathedrals in the battle of the Holy War¨CThe Wind Empress.

    Maynild watched all of this up till the elf consort disappeared after scolding Brendel viciously. She was stunned for a moment and then calmly asked, ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡±

    Since most of themunication between Brendel and the Wind Empress Sanorso was done through telepathy, Maynild was not sure of what happened. Brendel shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s none of your concern, Lord Maynild.¡±

    It is just that someone got angry from embarrassment.

    ......

    The real Orthylss in history sat obediently, looking at Brendel with tears in her eyes.

    Brendel helplessly reassured her for a moment. The Wind Empress actually made her cry even though she was the most glorious elite soul in the battle of the Holy War. What a dreadful personality she has.

    Only then did he turn back to Maynild to exin about the Ring of the Sealed Soul¨C without mentioning the part about the Wind Empress, of course. After all, since Maynild had already seen the previous scene, hiding the entire story would only arouse more suspicion, so he decidedly told the true story mixed in with lies here and there. It was mainly just that the identity of the wind spirit was too sensitive, and Brendel doesn¡¯t fancy being chased down and murdered.

    ¡°So this is the legacy of the Wind Elves?¡± Maynild appeared calm after listening and did not bother to pursue the issue of her identity. ¡°But why did it stray into the human world.¡±

    ¡°The legacy of the Mist Elves to be exact.¡± Brendel replied, ¡±After the Silver Fire was extinguished, the present-day Wind Elves are no longer the same n as those saints in the battle. The divergence of the holy seal was not without reason.¡±

    Maynild¡¯s eyshes flickered.

    ¡°Say, it¡¯s impossible for a person to wear two rings right?¡± She asked again.

    ¡°Mainly because there is no point in wearing two rings, after all, just one legacy contains an infinite amount of knowledge that most people might not fully understand even after a lifetime. Having more Rings of the Holy Seal is not better and being too greedy will only warrant danger.¡± Brendel replied using the original words from the Wind Empress.

    ¡°So you won¡¯t want it anymore.¡± Maynild asked, ¡°Can I have this ring?¡±

    Brendel stared at her nkly for a moment¨C he actually meant to give this to Freya. However, after thinking about it, although Orthylss was a Knight of the de, her teacher Sonya was a renowned archer of the Mist Elves, and it seemed that she also used a bow which was not necessarily suitable for a future war goddess.

    But Maynild did not seem to be an archer either.

    ¡°You want it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Maynild shook her head, and didn¡¯t conceal the truth from him, ¡°it¡¯s not for me. Rather, it¡¯s for Her Highness.¡±

    ¡°Her Highness?¡± Does Princess Gryphine even use a bow? There did not seem to be much need to give it to her. But Brendel realized immediately that Maynild was indeed thinking of Her Highness ¨C as Princess Gryphine was sure to give the ring to her brother in the hopes that the inheritance of the Wind Elf would change the cowardly character of that little prince.

    But can an inheritance really change a person¡¯s character? Afraid not. Brendel was unimpressed by this, and he replied, ¡°I can give it to her, but the Ring of the Sealed Soul is very special, in that passing on an inheritance also requires the approval of the Elite Soul.¡±

    Maynild immediately turned her gaze to the tearful Orthylss.

    The elf maiden was still sobbing, and only when she noticed their stares did she stop crying. Then with red eyes, she shook her head seriously at Maynild and said, ¡°No way, I¡¯ve already picked my candidate.¡±

    ¡°Picked a candidate?¡±

    Brendel froze. This chick had only seen him and Maynild since she had been summoned. Could it be that she chose William? It was unlikely as she had never seen William use a bow.

    ¡°I chose you, sister Maynild.¡± The elf maiden unexpectedly said, pointing to Maynild.

    Brendel¡¯s ufortable, not because Orthylss chose Maynild as her legacy, but because she actually called Maynild ¡®older sister¡¯. In all seriousness, if he sat down and calcted, she would be about a thousand years old, but then again, Orthylss sacrificed herself when her mental age was only 16 years old. From this angle, her calling Maynild as her older sister was not wrong.

    ¡°Me?¡± Maynild jolted. ¡°But I don¡¯t use a bow.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t use a bow either,¡± said Orthylss, wide-eyed, and then, as if she had just noticed the longbow behind herself, ¡°Oh. you meant this. I only equip myself with a bow because I think my mentor looked cool with a bow. I am actually a mage.¡±

    ¡°You........! Brendel facepalmed. Her title was the Knight of the de, her teacher was a Holy Archer, she carried a longbow and wore leather armor, and then she dered herself to be a magician, the wind elf ¨C no, this mist elf was such a fraud.

    ¡°But...I¡¯m not a witch either.¡± Maynild was also a bit bewildered by her.

    ¡°A witch? You guys call mages ¡®witches¡¯ now in your era? But never mind that!¡± Orthylss seemed to be serious all of a sudden, ¡°Sister Maynild. I feel that you possess an outstanding magical talent and you are still young. I believe that one day you will be a great mage.¡±

    Maynild fell silent.

    Brendel looked at her curiously, wondering why there was a faint flicker in his mind when Orthylss said that female knights had outstanding magical gifts. Perhaps for reasons that are too coincidental, she was indeed an excellent mage.

    But she shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a mage.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Orthylss froze, ¡°Why? Mages are powerful, and magic is also pretty.¡±

    Brendel frowned slightly, not knowing why. He thought he just saw a flicker of conflict between the female knight¡¯s brows.

    ¡°Let me think about it,¡± Maynild replied.

    ¡°Good then.¡± The Elf Maiden was clearly confident. Evidently, she was confident in her magic, the previously pathetic look had run off to nowhere. She pressed one hand against her chest and said, ¡°By the way, the magic I¡¯m good at is String Magic, ancient String Magic.¡±

    ¡°Dragon magic.¡±

    Brendel was terrified.

    Maynild also could not help but raise her head slightly. String magic was divided by the burning down of the great library of Ebabel Tower into two stages. After that, the Dragon n¡¯s exclusive magic developed a subordinate ss, known as modern String Magic, which had continued to evolve to this day, and as long as it did not have a special article, String Magic usually referred to modern String Magic.

    But ancient String Magic will always mean only one thing, Dragon Magic.

    Even Brendel didn¡¯t expect there to be someone proficient in Dragon Magic that among the twenty-four knights of the Mist Elves, as expected the heroes of the ancient times were all legendary monsters. Even the mages in Buga have not learned Dragon Magic before.

    No wonder she was so confident, indeed it was the backbone of her confidence.

    Brendel thought that if this was directed at himself, he might¡¯ve actually agreed. After all, it was Dragon Magic, and Dragon Magic was apletely different system from modern magic. In fact, all of the spells in modern spellcasting that requested permission from the War Dragon Tiama were born from Dragon Magic ¨C like the Dragon Strike that Ciel used earlier that blew up half of the Ande Cathedral.

    And Dragon Magic takes this a step further, as Dragon Magic itself was a spell that had obtained the permission of Tiama and was said to be the most destructive spell.

    Inparison, Elemental Magic was as meek as a kitten.

    But what he did not expect was that Maynild was still unmoved, she thought for a moment and said calmly, ¡°Let¡¯s keep examining loot.¡±

    At that moment Brendel just wanted to say, ¡°No, you¡¯re better off studying magic. Leave this glorious yet arduous task of exploiting the corpse to me.¡±

    But naturally, the thoughts in his head would not be heard by Maynild. The female knight removed another bracelet from William¡¯s body¨C specifically the one that looked like a wristguard, made from flowing silver, and shaped as part of a w that was extending forward.

    ¡°Huh....this bracelet?¡± Maynild was slightly startled, probably because she had never seen a flowing metal that was able to stabilize into a set shape.

    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ hell!¡±

    All that was left in Brendel¡¯s mind at that moment was shock, if he was not mistaken. This bracelet was one of the top pieces of equipment that the Wind Elf yers of the Holy Cathedral of Wind could get when they kill William in the future.

    Glow Wave.

    Also called the Torch of Knowledge, one of the sacred relics of the Dragon Crystal of the Sky.

    ¡°This......¡± At this moment, Brendel did not know what to think of his ¡®senior¡¯ anymore.

 Chapter 576 - v3c345p2

    v3c345p2

    The Abyss(4)

    For one to say that Maynild was cold-blooded was naturally because of the results of her previous battle. Magic disintegration was not umon in Vaunte. Magical items are closely tied to their owner¡¯s powers. When a magical item¡¯s owner dies, most items lose their magic while some even disintegrate.

    However, this kind of disintegration does not happen all the time Some specially treated equipment¨C such as the Wind Empress¡¯s Ring¨C would not exhibit magic disintegration, while for regr equipment, losing about two-thirds of its magic was considered normal. Simr to the existence of Elemental Activation, Vaunte in this era was definitely a big-time hotshot. The magical equipment they possessed was definitely not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill goods. However, under Maynild¡¯s inspection, there was only a standard longsword left.

    Luck is sometimes an abstract concept, yet still at times an undeniable presence. At least that was what Brendel thought before Maynild removed the bracelet from William¡¯s dead body.

    He froze for a moment before saying to the female knight, ¡°Can I have a look?¡±

    Maynild passed the bracelet directly into his hands without even thinking about it. Brendel did not need to look at it to know what its properties were, but even so, due to the yer instincts he built up throughout the years, he eagerly opened the window.

    A pale green, translucent light screen that only he could see appeared, and on it, there were a few lines of Elvish text. Because this equipment has a very close rtionship with the wild elves:

    Glow Wave (Bracelet).

    A Silver ranked ancient magic item. (Equipment requirements: 225Oz).

    Strength +27, Physique +22, Perception +6.

    Special effect: 5% Experience Increase.

    Special effect: Darkness Perception +3.

    Sure enough, it was exactly the same. Brendel held the bracelet and feltpletely relieved. Although it was only ancient grade equipment, the Glow Wave was well-known in the game. First of all, its owner William was no cker, and secondly, the bracelet itself had extremely powerful attributes with power +27, physique +22, and perception +6. Inparison, a gold peak warrior¡¯s main attribute was only around five hundred levels. And right now, although his realm has reached the Elemental Awakening, his attributes were still stuck in the upper reaches of gold, and his main attribute has yet to exceed three hundred.

    To put it simply, a piece of normal equipment that can improve its attributes by more than a tenth was already quite good. But Glow Wave was much more powerful than that because other than the attributes, Experience Increase and Darkness Perception were the most importantponents of this ancient bracelet.

    As for Experience Increase, needless to say, was an extremely rare attribute and even more so, Darkness Perception was a crucial attribute in the game. The most important function of Darkness Perception was that it allowed one to perceive the flow of dark magic. Due to the erosion of the twelve magical moons reflected in the sky by the Sea of Magic, the entirety of Vaunte, including the Blessed Land, was constantly under the pervasion of dark magic.

    Possessing Dark Perception means being able to foresee threats. For Brendel, one of its simplest uses is its ability to sense the movement of magical objects. Though this attribute seemed irrelevant for now, it would be practical when the Demonic Waves arrive in the future. This was because under the Demonic Waves, not only would the number of magical items increase, but the number of dark treasures would rise as well. In order to enhance their abilities and get ahead of the others, one had to have a sufficiently high level of Dark Perception attributes.

    This was a consensuster in the game. However, except for characters like witches or blind prophets, most ordinary people had zero Dark Perception. Therefore it was crucial to have equipment that increased Dark Perception attributes.

    Even if he did not get this bracelet today, Brendel would still go and collect simr gears as a preparation for the future. If Aouine is to survive in the future, its enemies are going to be more than just those northern nobles.

    But he never thought that Maynild would give him this surprise.

    ¡°Do you recognize this bracelet?¡± Maynild asked sharply, staring at him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors about it,¡± Brendel answered, remembering that the bracelet was rumored to be made by the Dragon Crystal of Sky and Knowledge for the Council of the Watching Eye. But in the game, the Council of the Watching Eye had vanished long ago together with the destruction of the final stronghold ¡®Babel¡¯, so the real reason as to why the crystal would make such a bracelet for the Council of the Watching Eye remained unknown.

    ¡°I¡¯m interested in this bracelet,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°It is rightfully yours, Mr.Brendel,¡± Maynild replied.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Brendel immediately put on the bracelet, and the Glow Wave blended into the Crimson Red Blessings and the Bahamut¡¯s grip armor like mercury, as if it had be a part of the set. But since most magical items had the ability to change shape,Maynild was not surprised.

    As soon as he put on Glow Wave, he immediately felt a new force merge into his body. Then, a strange yet familiar feeling spread out from him in all directions, and the surroundings seemingly darkened slightly in the rain, then instantly clearing up.

    At that moment, he suddenly felt the flow of magic between heaven and earth, and though it was hidden, it was everywhere. The storms of the outer seas contained a hint of magic too, and this magic was actually the purest form of power, or in other words ¨C Experience Value.

    It was just that no one was able to collect them.

    Brendel nced at the female knight Maynild beside him; A hints of magic also flowed through her body, but not obviously, converging in the muscles of her limbs and shoulders that bred explosive energy. This was the power of the upper reaches of Silver, though impressive among mortals it was still too scarce.

    ¡°Ms. Maynild, can you teach me?¡±

    The female knight raised her head, understanding right away that he wanted to experiment with his new magical outfit. She nodded, and stepping back, she drew her long sword, ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I offend you.¡±

    She thrust her sword at him.

    In Bredel¡¯s eys, he saw Maynild¡¯s sword split into three and grew three red extensions. This was the effect produced by the ¡®Deep Analysis¡¯ skill imparted to him by the Silver Elf. But he did not need the hint at all as he was familiar with Maynild¡¯s sword art- Aouine¡¯s Improved Battle Formation Sword Art.

    Brendel naturally thought she had learned this from Freya, after all this sword art improved by the Sword Saint would be invaluable to someone who took it seriously, and he never thought of keeping it to himself when he passed it on to Freya. Without thinking, he held out his left hand with the Bahamut¡¯s grip and grabbed right onto Maynild¡¯s iing sword.

    At that moment, it was as if the female knight sent the sword straight into his hands for him to grab, Maynild stiffened slightly, disoriented for a bit.

    ¡°Use your techniques, Miss Knight.¡± Brendel immediately gave a reminder, he was not here to practice sword art with Maynild. Maynild gritted her teeth. The sword jolted, and a streak of white light shot out from the de.

    At that moment, Brendel immediately sensed the convergence of magic within Maynild¡¯s body. He instantly twisted his body aside and avoided the sword wind.

    This was the power of Darkness Perception, exactly as it was in the game. Unlike the Silver Elf¡¯s analysis, Darkness Perception could not judge the direction of an enemy¡¯s attack but instead could sense the convergence of magic before the casting of all special skills; these twoplimented each other perfectly, making them the best warning rms in battle.

    Brendel had finished experimenting, but Maynild eyes narrowed, and another strike headed for his shoulder.

    Good. Brendel knew the female knight was serious this time. Clearly his act of grabbing her sword just now had embarrassed her, and naturally, as the best student of the Royal Cavalry Academy, she would not ept defeat so easily.

    They have a simr personality......

    But Brendel was not afraid of the current Maynild as he could easily pulverize her not only in strength but also in terms of her sword art. Without even drawing his sword, he blocked with his left hand and with his right hand he grabbed the hand holding the sword.

    He expected this move to disable the opponent from further attacks. However he did not think Maynild would be so resolute; she immediately dropped the sword in her right hand and caught the falling sword in her left simultaneously, then aimed to stab Brendel¡¯s stomach.

    Left-handed sword!

    Brendel quickly let go of the female knight¡¯s right hand but he did not back away. He held down Maynild¡¯s sword-wielding left hand. But it was at this moment that the Bahamut¡¯s grip in his left hand judged it to be an semi-defense semi-attack move, and the unexpected urred.

    Crimson Red Blessing, the special effect of the Bahamut¡¯s grip, the Fire Shield was activated.

    A cloud of me burst between the two; Brendel got lucky, only the armor on his chest was ckened, Brendel was fine. But Maynild who was wearing Aouine¡¯s military uniform was not so lucky, as the front part of her uniform waspletely burnt, exposing the pale white skin underneath. Under the charred holes of her undergarment, an elusive firm and round curve could be seen.

    Both of them froze.

    She¡¯s at least a D. This was the only thought Brendel had in mind at that moment.

    ¡°Turn away,¡± Maynild said coldly.

    Brendel, rubbing his nose, quickly turned his head, feeling a little dry in the mouth.

    ¡°Let go.¡±

    ¡°Give me your cloak,¡± Maynild said calmly. She did not turn around because there were quite a few other people over there, although Count Audine¡¯s noble private soldiers and the students of the Royal Cavalry Academy had yet to notice what happened.

    Brendel did as he was told, he took off his cloak and handed it to her with his eyes closed. Maynild calmly wrapped herself up in the cloak, then she looked at Brendel and asked, ¡°Mr. Brendel, are you really the descendant of Master Darius?¡±

    ¡°This......¡± Brendel did not know why the female knight suddenly asked about this. But it was better that she wasn¡¯t fixated on the previous incident, ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, but I don¡¯t think Ciel would lie to me.¡±

    ¡°Did your grandfather teach you your sword arts?¡±

    ¡°No, of course not. I learned it from other yers.¡± But of course, Brendel would not answer like this, otherwise, it would be hard to exin himself. He thought about it and nodded.

    Maynild gave him a stare and nodded, then she picked up her sword and turned to leave.

    Brendel was left alone in the rain,pletely relieved.

    ¡°Mr.Brendel, you¡¯re so lustful.¡± Orthylss who was watching at the side asked curiously, ¡°Oh right, did you do the same thing to the Wind Empress? Why else would she be she so angry with you?¡±

    It was only then that Brendel remembered there was a peeping kid beside him, but this was quite the question. If he had dared to do anything to the Elfdy, he would¡¯ve been obliterated by her. So he red at her fiercely, ¡°Stand aside, kid.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m over a thousand years old.¡± The elf girl instantly became smug, ¡°Mr.Brendel is the kid here.¡±

    Dammit, so now you remember this. Brendel immediately felt like this brat was invincible so he simply ignored her and went to inspect William¡¯s body himself.

    He didn¡¯t think he would be more ruthless than Maynild, but he found two more pieces of magical equipment that has yet to disy magic dissipation. A cloak, the Cloak of me, +15 bloodline, +3 defense, he bet William did not even know that this cloak could add to one¡¯s bloodline, so it was definitely the cloak¡¯s defending ability that interested William.

    This was actually a verymon phenomenon in the world of Vaunte, as NPC ¡®could not see¡¯ the attributes of equipment, so they tend to make judgments based on the superficial qualities of magic equipment, and only a few great Tuman schrs could analyze all the functions of the equipment.

    This process was called identification in the game. However, yers usually did not need to identify equipment other than a few special ones, which was probably a benefit for the yers.

    The other piece of equipment was also a wizard¡¯s tool, a gold-ranked cane with a +32 physique that could summon a two-headed gargoyle ghost and increase magic powers. This cane¡¯s usage was limited to golden realm conjurers, and unfortunately, the only one under Brendel who could equip it was Ciel. But Ciel was a card creature which meant he could not equip items of the real world.

    Brendel did not know William would keep this on him, he could only guess that it was loot from a battle.

    Obtaining two pieces of wizard-use items was not surprising at all to Brendel as he had always been unable to obtain things he wanted in the game. His female senior who was named the Friend of Witches always said, ¡°Sophie is my best friend.¡±

    But such praise was better off unsaid.

    Brendel felt ufortable thinking about the tragic experiences of the past.

    Finally finished with sorting the loot, there were eleven Sword of mes, a Wind Ring (Orthylss edition), a Glow Wave, a Cloak of me, a Golden cane and an item that was expected yet also unexpected by Brendel: He immediately recognized a fragment of the ming de Oderfeiss.

    It was probably the middle part of the broken de, its fragment was as shiny as a mirror, but with dark red me patterns on it. As Brendel recovered this fragment from William¡¯s dead body, the spirit of the ming de started vibrating.

    Brendel was not at all excited by obtaining a fragment of a divine artifact, he only felt like it was a pain in the ass. The Kirrlutz people would never leave the ming de in Aouine, and if he doesn¡¯t manage this properly, this might turn into a deadly conflict.

    He frowned and saw Freya running towards him in the rain.

    ¡°Brendel!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Brendel put away the fragment of the ming de and asked. He saw a nervous look on Freya¡¯s face, and could not help but question. Aouine¡¯s Royal fleet could not have eliminated the Kirrlutz so quickly at this hour, could it be that they had met with some new enemy?

    That¡¯s impossible. Brendel did not think that the Kirrlutz would dare to increase the number of their soldiers, just like how he didn¡¯t believe that the Northern Coalition army could regather in a short time.

    ¡°A person is here.¡± Freya ran up to him and replied, panting, he did not know how far she hade from.

    ¡°One person?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The girl from Buga nodded.

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Archbishop Wood, he said he wanted to see you.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Brendel trembled slightly, he didn¡¯t think that trouble would arrive at his doorstep so quickly. Why is Wood looking for me at this hour? Because of the ming de? He should know that the princess¡¯s side will no longer allow forpromisations

 Chapter 577 - v3c346

    v3c346

    The Abyss(5)

    Across the rain-soaked woond, Brendel met Archbishop Wood while apanied by Freya. This was the second time he had seen this Archbishop of the Holy Cathedral of Fire since Ampere Seale. When he saw Mephisto standing beside Archbishop Wood, Brendel hurriedly curtsied, ¡°Teacher.¡±

    Although Sanorso passed down the Nine Luminaries Sword Art to him, Mephisto had also taught him quite a few practicalbat skills. Nominally they also had the status of teacher and student, and the Wind Empress didn¡¯t object to this.

    Archbishop Wood looked slightly surprised at Mephisto, ¡°So that¡¯s how it is, you have admitted a good student.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Brendel raised his head and saw several Pdins in red robes, and couldn¡¯t help but squint, guessing what Archbishop Wood wasing for. But Archbishop Wood had incurred him a big loss using the name of Tulman, a lesson Brendel would never forget.

    Seeing Brendel¡¯s expression, the Archbishop of the Holy Cathedral of Fire smiled awkwardly, ¡°It seems that Mr. Brendel has be prejudiced against me.¡± He held back the shock in his heart. Williams had brought ten Pdins and even if the Konolia fleet was stopped by Aouine¡¯s royal fleet, they wouldn¡¯t have been wiped out instantly, not to mention they had the White Winged Knights¡¯ assistance. Even so, all he had seen were the Kirrlutz people who were tied up and looked dejected, and the White Winged Knights¡¯ banner that was thrown into the muddy water.

    Not knowing whether the Holy Cathedral had long been too covetous for an easy life or whether its enemies were too powerful, Archbishop Wood looked at the young man in front of him and a deep unease welled up in his heart.

    ¡°The proverb that elves ¡®each do his own¡¯ is clear in the Lord Archbishop¡¯s mind,¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Haha,¡± Archbishop Woodughed bitterly. ¡°So today, I¡¯m here to taste the bitter fruit that I ntedst time. But Mr. Brendel knows it in his heart that it is not a preconceived notion that the Holy Cathedral always needs a stable Aouine.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve chosen the northern aristocracy?¡± Brendel said in an aggressive tone. Even his eyebrows were raised. In the position of a Kirrlutzan, what Archbishop Wood said was right, but Brendel didn¡¯t have to put himself in the position of an enemy. He didn¡¯t have that kind of a heart. ¡°Kirrlutz or Aouine citizens, they are all descendants of the me King and have to maintain the glory. The Seifer royal family lost their throne long ago. After the O¡¯Casey siblings lost the Lionheart Sword, the nobles made a vow to abdicate Hessian the First and promised that his heirs would no longer covet the throne. Therefore Aouine today has no heir other than Prince Haruz.¡±

    ¡°I admit that the Holy Cathedral could have put more consideration into this matter and that Archbishop Moros was a little too bent on the matter for me to stop him.¡± Archbishop Wood replied with a sigh.

    Brendel watched as Archbishop Wood sullied the name of the already dead Archbishop Moros. Archbishop Wood and Williams were not the same. It was the move of a typical pragmatist, but the other side had backed down in a way by saying so. This made him feel somewhat rmed, as the Holy Cathedral of Fire hadpromised almost unnecessarily.

    He stared warily at Archbishop Wood.

    The Archbishop of the Holy Cathedral of Fire smiled again bitterly, ¡°You do not have to be so suspicious. It is in ce of the Holy Cathedral of Fire that I havee to ask for peace from Her Highness Princess Gryphine.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Behind Brendel, Freya couldn¡¯t help but let out a soft whimper.

    It was really Brendel¡¯s turn to be surprised, Is it just for the Konolian fleet? But isn¡¯t the reputation of the Empire more important than a local fleet? They would make for a formidable opponent if the Kirrlutz really thought so. But another possibility urred to Brendel.

    ¡°Williams is dead.¡±

    ¡°Did he die by your hand?¡± Wood was stunned.

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Brendel nodded, it was a secret he couldn¡¯t hide, and besides, Mephisto was on the sidelines, and he wasn¡¯t worried about the Kirrlutz turning their backs against him.

    The Archbishop of the Holy Cathedral of Fire went silent, ¡°It is indeed a problem,¡± he muttered, ¡°But it is not out of the question that Williams was short-tempered, arrogant, and never listened to other people which ended up causing his own death.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Brendel almost thought he had misheard.

    ¡°Brendel, the Kirrlutz people just don¡¯t have the skills to go around biting people, like the dog that fell into the pond for a bone, and they can¡¯t even protect themselves. However we also have a problem, but now you can tell them the terms.¡± Mephisto finally spoke, and as soon as he did, the knight behind Wood red at him.

    ¡°Can¡¯t even protect themselves?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, I wish for the Princess to give up the pursuit of the Konolian fleet.¡± Wood said.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Brendel refused forcefully, though he paused and asked again, ¡°What about the terms?¡±

    Wood smiled, and sure enough, as he had expected, the real mastermind on the Princess¡¯ side was this young man. But what made him feel uneasy was that he and they were the same human beings, and only the Holy Cathedral was going to bleed greatly this time. ¡°We can get the nobles of the north to cede Ampere Seale.¡±

    ¡°You mean we also have to make peace with these attempted usurpers? If we wipe out the Konolian fleet, we can ride north just as well.¡±

    Wood was already well aware of the way people like Brendel ran things; they must have considered the oue before giving such an order, so he would not use the retaliation of the Holy Cathedral of Fire as vain intimidation, it would be pointless. He thought about it for a while and said, ¡°As you said, the Covardo royal family should continue to hold the throne, but there are many aristocrats in the north and it will take time to eliminate their suspicions. It is better for Erik to be able to unite the country peacefully than to confront.¡±

    Brendel looked at the Archbishop of the Holy Cathedral of Fire in a surprised manner as he heard his underlying meaning. Wood meant to acknowledge the rule of the Covardo royal family so that the north would have no de facto basis and the civil unrest in the kingdom would disappear.

    But this is a bit too easy, and the Holy Cathedral willpromise so thoroughly? If the remaining troops in the north are not strong enough to fight the princess, it will be a failure, since the Kirrlutz people would still be stubborn. Is this another trap? He couldn¡¯t help but heavily doubt it.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, you have no need to suspect that this is another deception. I¡¯ll tell you the reason why and once you listen you¡¯ll understand that the reason lies upon Archbishop Moros.¡±

    ¡°Archbishop Moros?¡±

    ¡°You should know that he killed Princess Magadal.¡±

    ¡°No, wait,¡± Brendel suddenly reacted, and a very frightening possibility urred to him. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it because Princess Magadal saw through your secrets that led to her being silenced?¡±

    Wood gave off a ghastly expression. ¡°How could the Holy Cathedral do such a thing, not to mention she never knew about the Holy Cathedral¡¯s ns. Williams was transferred from the Main Cathedral along with a request for Imperial reinforcements. But it was a spur of the moment decision ording to Moros¡¯s letter, no outsider knew it except Moros himself.¡±

    ¡°That is to say, what if what the Princess saw through was another secret?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s exactly what¡¯s going on,¡± said Wood with a full gaze, ¡°Mr. Brendel, I¡¯m afraid that Moros is an undercover agent for the All for One organization.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Brendel couldn¡¯t help but exim. ¡°So you¡¯re saying you guys opened the Door of me of the Holy Cathedral within Ampere Seale¡¯s Port?¡± Seeing that Wood was looking at him with a serious expression, he understood that he didn¡¯t need to continue.

    At that moment, Brendel felt as if his head had been doused with cold water.

    Things are getting serious.

    He finally understood why Wood hade to him to negotiate for peace. Turns out the whole thing was a huge conspiracy. If Moros had been a spy for the All for One organization, then he had known for a long time that the Holy Cathedral of Fire would ce the Door of me in Ampere Seale, and perhaps he might even be the one who guided it to this oue, as All for One¡¯s targets were those Doors of me.

    The Door of me was a giant teleportation array. The core of the teleportation array specifies the target of the teleportation, but the array itself has no intelligence and can be used to connect to other ces with a few modifications to it.

    For example, the Devil¡¯s Lair at Sulfur River.

    Brendel felt shivers down his spine.

    ¡°Romaine said she discovered a trap and that she wanted toe to help you.¡± At the time, it was what Amadina first said when meeting him. He thought she was talking about the Holy Cathedral¡¯s ploy. He was angry at her childishness, but at this moment he suddenly realized that Miss Merchant probably knew what she was up against¡ªshe knew about the plot that he was not aware of.

    For the first time, Brendel felt extremely uneasy. A certain kind of thought even arose that he was in danger of forever losing that lovely person who stood unwavering by his side.

    This thought, once thought of, could not be suppressed, making him feel colder every moment he stood in the rain. Starting with Be, Brendel knew there was at least one person in the world who would be with him forever, and he could unabashedly pinch her cheeks and call her a fool, and she would give him an angry look and raise a cheeky temper.

    But he would never forget that promise that she had said to him that night.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go over there?¡± It had looked as if Miss Merchant was still sitting on the rock with her hands clutching her bag sitting on her leather-skirted knees, a pair of round-toed leather shoes swinging back and forth.

    ¡°They don¡¯t even like me.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Auntie and I are both strange people in their eyes. Besides, when have you seen ordinary girls who want to be businessmen? So it¡¯s normal to be unappealing.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen them, my aunt has been by my side for as long as I can remember. Auntie said, ¡®Little Romaine, when you grow up, you must repay me well!¡¯¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why you want to be a businesswoman?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a weird way of thinking.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡ª¡±

    From that moment on, Brendel understood that he was deeply in love with that entric maiden. Because they shared a certain quality, even though he was not an entric person in the eyes of people around him, they both shared amon goal.

    She¡¯s going to be a big businessman, and he¡¯s going to save Aouine. These are all weird goals that regr people can¡¯t imagine, but it¡¯s okay¡ª

    It¡¯s fine as long as the promise has been made.

    ¡°Brendel, Romaine is...¡± echoed Freya, the simple-minded girl from the Be country worried about her best partner even before Brendel did.

    But Brendel gave her a reassuring look, though he was feeling shivers all over his body,

    ¡°Archbishop Wood, are you able to control those Doors of me?¡± He asked with the hope of getting lucky.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, there¡¯s no need to specte, we lost them just before rushing here. All for One will connect them to the area under Jorgendy Ridge. You should know where that ce is.¡±

    ¡°The Sulfur River,¡± Brendel replied through gritted teeth. ¡°So what do I do? Order a halt to the pursuit of the Konolian fleet, and then turn around again to engage the demons of Jorgendy Ridge, here, in thend of Aouine?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but blurt out, ¡°Look what you did, Kirrlutzan bastards! What kind of bullshit is the Holy Cathedral of Fire?¡±

    It was the first time Freya had seen Brendel so angry and she was so scared that her face went pale. Thest time he had gotten so mad was in Riedon Fortress (glossary was the other way around), but she hadn¡¯t been there.

    ¡°That¡¯s a proper scolding,¡± replied Mephisto, ¡°You¡¯re finally showing signs of manliness.¡±

    Wood was speechless, and it was an indisputable fact that the Holy Cathedral of me and even the Four Holy Cathedrals had been infiltrated by the cultists. It was just that the state of affairs had never exceeded their anticipation as it had today, and this time the Holy Cathedral of Fire was truly a disgrace to the heavens, even bigger of a disgrace than the Kirrlutzan fleet being defeated by Brendel. ¡°We will fight alongside you.¡± That was all he could say.

    Brendel let out a suppressedugh, he didn¡¯t trust these Kirrlutz people at all. If he had known earlier that Moros was the undercover spy of All for One, he might have guessed the other¡¯s intentions the first moment he saw those portals. It¡¯s just a shame that throughout history Moros missed out on this opportunity so no war took ce in Ampere Seale and that the Kirrlutz didn¡¯t build the Doors of me in Aouine until after his tenure.

    Later, Moros had returned to Kirrlutz, and Brendel also went north to Sanorso and the Great Priest Farnezian. Then news of the Holy Cathedral of Fire gradually faded from his memory.

    And he had also forever missed the opportunity to identify Moros.

    ¡°Alright¡± Brendel concluded, ¡°I will convince Her Royal Highness to call off the pursuit of the Kirrultzan fleet, but you must also convince the Northern Coalition Army to join our camp. If the situation is allowed to develop in this manner, you know better than me what kind of situation will arise near Ampere Seale.¡±

    Pointing to Wood again, he said, ¡°I hope you will remember what was discussed today, otherwise you will regret the words that came out of your mouth today.¡±

    Wrath zed in Brendel¡¯s heart, but right now he was only worried about Miss Merchant¡¯s safety, and if Romaine had the slightest injury in Ampere Seale, he would definitely make the Holy Cathedral of Fire pay for it.

    This was far from being an empty threat.

    As he turned around, Wood vaguely heard Brendel muttering, ¡±I hope the number of demons teleported over by All for One is not toorge.¡± The Archbishop of the Holy Cathedral of Fire froze for a moment before reacting.

    This young man seems to know too much?

 Chapter 578 - v3c347

    v3c347

    The Abyss(6)

    The demonic invasion quickly became the most urgent problem at hand. Everyone understood the weight of this report.

    Wood hoped that the princess could release the captives of the Holy Cathedral of Fire and allow Konolia¡¯s fleet to at least recover some fighting capacity in order to cope with the following war with the demons. However, Brendel did not immediately respond to this request. Time was tight, but it did not mean that he needed to hand over his previous victories in battle.

    The war took a break and both sides needed a rest. It was impossible that the demons would immediately appear in front of them. These creatures from the Sulfur River would be hindered from moving under the heavy rain. Even in the worst-case scenario, he would still have more than ten hours to negotiate with Kirrlutz.

    Brendel¡¯s request was very simple but it was also very demanding.

    The Northern Army Coalition should return all the captives belonging to the princess, including His Royal Highness the Little Prince.

    After that, the Holy Cathedral of Fire had to bear all the losses from the war, because Brendel determined that the northern nobles had initiated the war under their instigation. He did not care if it was true or not.

    This included cash and tradepensation agreements.

    Of course, thepensation would be paid privately, to preserve the faces of Kirrlutz people. Brendel could still meet this little request, as he only paid attention to the practical benefits.

    The tradepensation agreement was thepensation method proposed by Brendel. On the surface, it was a preferential policy for the Kingdom of Aouine given by the Kirrlutz Empire. But in fact, there were many detailed conditions, including two important technology deals.

    The drawings of the magic conductor and the manufacturing technology of the imperial ¡°fearless¡± first-ss battleship.

    This was certainly a scam.

    Seeing these two conditions, at that moment Wood¡¯s face expression was as dark as the storm clouds over Ampere¡¯s sea, flicking his sleeves, he left without saying a word.

    He then sent an envoy to negotiate with Brendel.

    The envoy had just imed that if Brendel did not cooperate, the holy cathedral would give up Aouine, in which case the Kirrlutz would only lose some of their pride. On the other hand, if this were to happen, the best ending for Aouine would be severe carnage and the worst ending would be the annihtion of the country.

    If these words were to be heard by Aouine¡¯s nobles, it would undoubtedly be a huge shock to them. Even her highness would be swayed by the threat. But after listening to this, Brendel just smiled and told Morpheus to throw this guy out of the campsite.

    What a joke.

    He knew the holy cathedral¡¯s weakness well. The Kirrlutz people probably did not just want to save their face. What was more important was that the secret of the Door of me must not fall into the hands of All for One. He knew that there were several permanent Doors of me in the Kirrlutz empire. If the secret leaked out, the empire would probably be another gate that connected the Sulfur River to the surface world.

    Having grasped this secret, Brendel would not easilypromise. But he was worried that if Wood, that old fox, really dared to stay put, then eventually Brendel would have to take the initiative topromise with the other party.

    Because only he, Amandina, and Freya knew that Romaine was still at Ampere Seale Port.

    However, once the Kirrlutz people took power in this conversation, Aouine would probably have to shed a coupleyers of skin. Brendel gritted his teeth and waited for an hour and a half. Finally, Wood gave in and contacted him. After all, this master priest did not have any news to reassure him.

    After seeing Wood, Brendel feltpletely relieved.

    Kirrlutz conceded.

    In just half an hour, Brendel signed a temporary peace treaty with Wood, utilizing the concessions of Kirrlutz people. Brendel did not relent. Apart from the superficial agreement, the two sides also signed a secret agreement.

    The Holy Cathedral of Fire had privately permitted the right for the Covardo Royal Family to investigate the crimes of several major leaders of the northern nobles. This included the disposal rights of Duke Seifer, Marquis Balta, Count Vitokin, and Marquis Yoakam.

    However, the second provision had not been brought to the surface. First of all, this was not the time to shake the confidence of the northern nobles. Second, the master priest had long found out that Duke Seifer, Marquis Balta, Count Vitokin, and Marquis Yoakam had disappeared. Haruz, His Royal Highness Prince, must have also fallen into the hands of All for One.

    Therefore, even if the side of the holy cathedral wanted to fulfill this provision, they would not be able to for the time being.

    After meeting all the requirements, Brendel would naturally agree to return all the captives from the Holy Cathedral of Fire including seven Pdins, White Winged Knights, and other prisoners of the Konolia¡¯s fleet.

    After all, these people also had to y their role in the next war. They were Brendel¡¯sborers, but the Kirrlutz people might not think so.

    Meanwhile, in exchange for the second and more important agreement, Brendel eased a little off of the original technology transfer agreement. He had changed the condition from thetest type of magic conductor to a blueprint that was no more than ten years behind and the battleship manufacturing technology was also changed to frigate manufacturing technology.

    But even so, Brendel still left a trap. His original target was actually the blueprint of the Kirrlutz Empire¡¯s newest frigate because the firepower and armor of Kirrlutz¡¯s battleships were cumbersome. He actually preferred the new battleship of the Wind Elves. But even though, Kirrlutz¡¯s new frigate was a design stolen from their old enemy, the Hazel, it was extremely high ss. After all, the Hazel people were one of the world¡¯s leading magic masters.

    It was a pity that although Wood was a highly respected priest and the most talented high-level of Holy Cathedral of Fire, he was not a technocrat. Most of the nobles apanying the Holy Cathedral of Fire also were unlikely to bring along people of the level of master craftsmen. In the situation where nobody understood the trap in it, of course, Brendel could set them up smooth and clean.

    Finally, the two sides exchanged prisoners and reached an initial agreement. Brendel did not n to make the two armies that just fought against each other a few hours ago merge and fight demons together. That would be impossible. So he simply let the Northern Coalition Army stay at the Bunuo area, while the Princess¡¯s troops and Anthony¡¯s troops were stationed directly in the Mar Hignds.

    This proposal also gained everyone¡¯s approval, since the northern nobles were unwilling to stand in the same trench with her Highness.

    Brendel blocked news of the demons from invasion from spreading among the ordinary soldiers. They were only told that a foreign army from Jorgendy Ridge might have invaded Ampere Seale. Though it was frustrating that they had barely just won a big war and had to prepare for a new war without even time to celebrate, it was better than having arge number of deserters.

    He had seen simr scenes, such as in the second and third war of The ck Roses. Both Audine and the nobles of the Royal Faction agreed with this as they were well aware of what their subordinates were like.

    Although the Royal Faction had parted ways with her Royal Highness Princess in the past, the princess had let bygones be bygones and both parties were now temporarily back on the same boat. Due to the existence of Brendel and Eikkel, Princess Gryphine¡¯s status had improved a lot.

    But the morale of the soldiers was still a problem. Brendel left the problem to the Kirrlutz and asked Wood to persuade the nobles of the Northern Coalition Army to assemble supplies nearby Bunuo, at least to let Anthony and Audine¡¯s troops celebrate their victory.

    ¡°As long as there is hot broth, even under this bad weather, ordinary soldiers would still be satisfied with it.¡± Before the evening, Brendel had already begun to send scouts to the periphery to obtain information on the situation around the port and whether the port had fallen into the hands of demons, as well as the number of demons present.

    However, considering that the residents on the surface world knew little about the situation of the underground world, Brendel decided to personally go and find out what had happened around Ampere. His adventurous action had naturally received strong opposition from Amandina, and even Princess Gryphine did not agree with it. However, he still decided to proceed regardless of the others¡¯ opinions.

    Unexpectedly, Her Royal Highness Princess did not stop him from venturing, instead insisting on joining him. She ordered Oberwei to stay and appease the soldiers, then suited up in knight attire and mounted her horse. Joining the team, Count Audine rode alongside her.

    Brendel would naturally be unable to stop Her Royal Highness from doing what she wanted to, but fortunately, he did not n on fighting demons, only investigating the situation in the front line. So he just let her be.

    Brendel naturally would not tter himself by assuming that her Highness the Princess was particrly concerned about him. Perhaps it might be part of the reason, but there were several times when he saw the bright silver eyes of the half-elven girl reflected under the rain and thought that she must be unsatisfied with her position as a woman.

    Indeed, she was actually far more suitable for the throne than her brother.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t know if those cavemen will give us a night of rest.¡± Count Audine replied anxiously.

    Brendel could understand Audine¡¯s worries. Incidents like the demon invasion could berge or small and were happening every single second in the surface world. Whether it was an evil warlock summoning a demon and signing a contract with it, or an asional fierce beast from the Sulfur River escaping to the surface, these events were not significant.

    But once a situation like the one right now happened, where the demons controlled one or more Teleportation Gates, then it would be a severe incident. The demons themselves had also mastered the production technology of the Teleportation Gates, so if the local lords did not react to extinguish and destroy the Teleportation Array, the number of creatures from the underworld would grow like a rolling snowball.

    There had been several incidents of a country¡¯s destruction in history. The earliest incident was in The Year of Golden Hooves. Then, in The Year of Glory, there was another incident. The unlucky principality was very close to Aouine, just beside Antoburo Park.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Brendel replied. The demons were not like Aouine¡¯s Dragon Cavalry, they could march even in the night, though the heavy rain would also hinder their movement.

    The mountain in the ck Pine Forest became slippery and difficult to walk on under heavy rain. The world at the end of his vision became a blurry line. Fortunately, Brendel was very familiar with the terrain in this area. The line of people bypassed several low hills until a majestic mountain appeared in their view.

    This was Brendel¡¯s goal.

    Under the protection of the knights, the princess, and Count Audine, Brendel climbed up through the rain to the highest peak which was closest to Ampere Seale and then looked down from the top of the mountain. The port waspletely dark, which was one of the worst signs. He raised his head and saw some dark cloudsing from the north. He then realized that they were all Eagle Demons. They were close rtives of Sirens, but were expelled during the Kno War andter hid in the underground world.

    Brendel put down his binocrs and could not help but gasp. He looked back and Her Royal Highness Princess was paid. Indeed, as Wood had expected, Ampere Seale¡¯s port already had an army from Jorgendy Ridge.

    The three people were silent.

    ¡°Those don¡¯t seem to be demons?¡± Asked Her Royal Highness Princess.

    Brendel nodded. He nced at the two and found that they did not seem to realize what was happening over there. There were demons mixed in with Jorgendy Ridge¡¯s army. This was not a good sign.

    Cavemen were not the only residents of the underground world. However, most surface residents referred to all of them as cavemen. Few of them could actually distinguish the rtionship between the demons and other forces of Jorgendy Ridge. So it was reasonable that they would refer to it in such a way.

    Brendel knew that Jorgendy Ridge was actually a general name. The underground wasplicated and it was where many ces were connected. For instance, The Wild Mushroom, The Eternal Dark Abyss, and the demon¡¯s habitat of the Sulfur River were actually at the bottom-mostyer in the inner world, isted by the Vaunte¡¯s Elemental Boundaries. They were first discovered by the Dark Elves, who built a city on theva field, called the Tip of Scorching Heat. Due to the impact of the Darkness Magic, the city¡¯s high-ranking aristocrats soon became corrupted, breaking the seal of the Elemental Boundaries. The demons broke out from the seal, and hence the dark elves¡¯ empire disappeared.

    Since then, the dark elves retreated to The Eternal Dark Abyss to defend themselves. The demons immediately conquered thend and became one of the aborigines in the underground world. However, the underground residents were hostile to each other. It was impossible for the Jorgendy Ridge Empire which was controlled by the ck Dragon to yield to the demons. So, how could the two races get along?

    Brendel remembered that in Jorgendy Ridge¡¯s first invasion to the surface world in history, it hadsted until the beginning of the second century, which was after the second War of The ck Roses. That was the third chapter of the game, Eternal Darkness.

    Is it some unknown changes that took ce in the underground world? It isn¡¯t possible though. Brendel did not think that the history he had changed had affected Jorgendy Ridge so quickly. Halran Gaia was already enough of a coincidence.

    No matter what, the real problems still needed to be solved.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, what should we do now?¡± Princess Gryphine asked. The Eagle Demons in the sky were numbered as many as the dark clouds. She never had thought that such arge army would gather around Ampere within just a day. The number of demons on the ground was so overwhelming that even Anthony¡¯s army together with the Northern Coalition Army could not withstand it.

    Brendel looked at the scene, silent for a moment.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a good idea either.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, even you have no solution...?¡± Princess Gryphine could hardly speak.

    Brendel nodded his head. All For One¡¯s skill was really out of his expectations. The demon army was almost bigger than the army of Holy Cathedral of Fire and the Northern Coalition Armybined. And he was unable tounch another cycle of Paradise of Adversity any time soon.

    To call out the Grimoire of Life, Adversity Wooden Horse, and all the preceding cycles, he had to umte elements for a considerable amount of time. It couldn¡¯t even be considered for at least a week.

    He pursed his lips, his head full of mixed thoughts about the current situation.

 Chapter 579 - v3c348p1

    v3c348p1

    The Abyss(7)

    Dark clouds converged in the north, plunging Ampere Seale¡¯s Port in dreary darkness. However, beyond the port was a starburst of fire, likeva flowing across the ground, which was the trademark of the scorchednd of demons. The portals connected the Sulfur River to Aouine, ovepping and appearing on both sides.

    On the scorched ground, the transformed portal emitted a scarlet hue that was clearly visible from every direction, like onyx scattered across a shaggy ck carpet.

    That scene was like the end of days, everyone could not help but hold their breath. Brendel was thinking of a countermeasure with his head lowered after hearing the princess¡¯ question. It was at this moment when the ¡®dark clouds¡¯ in the sky suddenly changed direction. The princess slightly trembled and felt something had gone wrong, the knights exchanged looks and then subconsciously cast their gaze on Brendel.

    After all, none of them had actually seen the creatures of Jorgendy Ridge, and the one who seemed to be most knowledgeable here was undoubtedly the lord who came from Trentheim.

    It was only then Brendel came back to his senses, as he raised his head and noticed the changes in the sky, his expression suddenly changed and he shouted, ¡°Quick, cover all the reflective things on your body with your cloak!¡±

    The Eagle Demons had extremely wide visions and were sensitive to light. They have a simrity with their winged counterparts which was collecting trinkets to decorate their nests. And for the same reason, they were able to detect faint reflections from dozens of miles away easily, which made them excellent scouts. Apparently someone¡¯s armor had caught their attention by reflecting the lightning bolts. It was also his mistake that he forgot to mention it to the others.

    It seemed like the reason for the momentarypse of his mind was because of Jorgendy Ridge¡¯srge army.

    The crowd scrambled to wrap their cloaks around their armor, then bolted theces of their cors. But it seemed a littlete as they raised their heads and saw the few ¡®dark clouds¡¯ in the northern sky moved southward, and the swarms of strange creatures with pairs of wings scattered, the sky was filled with them in a blink of an eye.

    Brendel turned back to see the crowds¡¯ faces drain of all color. Princess Gryphine was with no exception. There were only seventeen of them altogether, while there thousands of Eagle Demons.

    Even a knight subconsciously tried to draw his longsword, Brendel was startled and rushed over to press his hands. ¡°Nobody move!¡± They haven¡¯t discovered us yet!¡± He shouted as he was in fear that someone might pull their sword out in panic. At that point it would be toote as the de would reflect light, revealing their positions.

    ¡°Quick. Find a ce to hide!¡±

    Brendel was well aware of the habits of the Eagle Demons, these cautious creatures must havee to inspect after they caught their attention, they liked to move in clusters but did not necessarily spot them. After all, this ce was still a good ten miles away and it was not as if the Eagle Demons would definitely be able to spot the slightest movement underneath the forest.

    But the knights had long lost their minds, and Brendel¡¯s words became their only hope. They retreated behind the ck pine forest to hide. Brendel pulled the princess along with him to hide under a huge boulder, this grayish-white boulder was sprawled across the summit and was covered with damp moss.

    Brendel settled the princess down first then only proceeded to guard the entrance of the cave. He raised his head and found Count Audine, who happened to be hiding behind a rock opposite himself, and was shouting at him, ¡°Horse!¡±

    It was only then that Brendel remembered that the group¡¯s horses were still at the foot of the hill, he did not know what to do at that moment but he knew it was not practical to rush down the hill now. He could only hope that Marsha would keep the Eagle Demons from discovering the horses.

    However, in just a few minutes, the Eagle Demons had already arrived.

    The sound of fluttering wings passed overhead, making it clear that the feathered creatures were close at hand. Brendel¡¯s heart was pounding but he did not dare reach out to look, he turned and saw Princess Gryphine who was sitting at the side looking at him. Although there was some tension in her expression, there was a sense of calmness in her eyes when she looked at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Brendel gestured to her with his lips.

    Princess Gryphine nodded slightly with one of her hands pressing against the hilt of her sword.

    He lifted his head again, Count Audine who was on the opposite side was also pale, the two men could not help butugh bitterly at each other. He dared to deal with William because he had a Kelsie deck, but now it was seventeen men facing thousands of Eagle Demons, and ten times that number somewhere in the distance which could drown him to death easily.

    But it was a good thing that although the Eagle Demons were extremely sensitive to light, their own eyesight was just average. Not to mention that they are very cautious creatures and would certainly not descend below the canopy to inspect.

    Brendel who knew this was slightly more relieved.

    However, it was at this moment that he felt his heart tremble, as if someone had found out his secret.

    The others were fine, but the experienced Brendel realized at once what it was. Magic! Discovery Magic! He was sure that a pair of malicious eyes were examining the ce through a crystal ball, and the demon in a blood-red robe beneath the Sulfur River was the best at it.

    The princess¡¯s face turned pale and her tender body started to tremble, as if she had sensed something. Brendel sensed that something was wrong and immediately reminded her, ¡°Quick, don¡¯t think about anything that worries you! Think of what you want to have for dinner tonight, that pesky carrot stew or oatmeal porridge!¡±

    The silver eyes of the elf girl looked at him with bewilderment.

    ¡°It¡¯s a demonic spell, the ck Magic Spell which affects your mind by seeing through your soul to get the answer it wants. The more you fear and the more negative emotions you have, the more it can see what you fear most right now. And that would expose our location!¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t hate eating carrot stew.¡± Princess Gryphine replied.

    ¡°This is impossible.¡± Brendel was dumbfounded.

    But whether it was possible or not, a scream was heard from a distance in the rain just as the two were slightly rxed. Someone had been spotted, Brendel¡¯s heart sank. I should have hidden everyone together, as I¡¯m the only one here with experience in circumventing the Discovery Magic.

    ¡°Mr.Brendel.¡± The princess shouted in a low voice.

    Brendel¡¯s hand clenched tightly to the hilt of the Halran Gaia. Should we charge out now? The Eagle Demons were just magical creatures of the upper reaches of silver, and the knights he brought with him were all at the level of Silver Peak, so it might not be toote to rush out now to save someone¡¯s life.

    But what about the princess? If I take action now, will I be able to lead these people to kill their ways out through thousands of Eagle Demons?

    Brendel was unsure.

    But he instantly felt cold fingers pressing against the back of his hand. ¡°Mr.Brendel, I see where you¡¯reing from. Thank you.¡± Princess Gryphine said softly, ¡°But anyhow, please don¡¯t go against our ideals and pursuits. They are what make our existence valuable.¡±

    She nodded at him.

    Brendel¡¯s heart shook slightly.

    He suddenly understood why when Orthlyss told him to be careful of the princess he would not have thought so. Princess Gryphine had never changed, and if she had chosen topromise, she would not have broken off with the Royal Faction in the first ce. Whether it was idealistic or in reality, she had always been that pure princess to him. Brendel had never seen a person who had abination of both wisdom and conviction.

    The yers in Aouine had never seen it before either.

    He made up his mind at once. He raised his sword and charged out, an Eagle Demon immediately lunged at him from above. Her blood-red eyes on her beautiful face were glowing with resentful aura, she spread out her sharp ws like knives to scrap at him.

    Brendel did not panic, he pressed his lips together hard and took a step back, he pulled out his Halran Gaia and shed it at her, cutting off one pair of her ws. The Eagle Demon who had lost her bnce screamed and fell backwards, crashing headfirst into the trunk of a ck pine tree, her head bursting in the resulting crash.

    Brendel then saw the knight who had been taken out was in an unpromising situation, he was being besieged by the Seven-Headed Demon Eagle. Without even thinking about it, he sted a Wind Bomb in that direction, the Wind Bomb swirled and grazed past the treetops and hit two Eagle Demons which shredded their wings, and blood spilled everywhere.

    The sudden attack startled the Eagle Demons, who all scattered in all directions with strange cries. That knight finally found a chance to respite, he turned back and looked gratefully at Brendel.

    ¡°You should not havee out, my Lord.¡± Heughed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be like those timid Northern people. Are you from the Royal Faction?¡± Brendel could tell that the other guy was one of Anthony¡¯s men.

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    Brendel nodded and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Royal Faction never leaves anyrades behind. And with that being the case, everyone, why don¡¯t you all take my orders and face the enemy? Today we shall carve a path out in blood, and these monsters can¡¯t stop us!¡±

    His rallying cry roused the knights who replied with mighty roars. They drew their longswords and gathered quickly.

    This time everyone was exposed in the Eagle Demons¡¯ sight, who croaked and screamed overhead. But the power of Brendel¡¯s Wind Bomb made these cautious creatures afraid to make a second attempt.

    It was only then Brendel reached out to help the princess, he thought that this strong princess would have stood up by herself, but this time Princess Gryphine put her hand in his and gave him a polite smile before she stood up with his help.

    ¡°Thank you, Mr.Brendel.¡± She said gently.

    Brendel sensed the unreserved trust she had towards him in these words.

 Chapter 580 - The Abyss(7)

    <h4>The Abyss(7)</h4>

    The Eagle Demons began their second attack, and they swooped down like raindrops. Brendel hurried to lead the knights back, behind them was a dense woond and its canopies of ck pines would work as a natural protection against the Eagle Demons¡¯ attack.

    But sooner orter they would be able to make through the cascading branches and attack them, Brendel knew that he would have to find a way to get down the hill and back on his horse. The Eagle Demons were good at fighting in the sky as their specialty was flexibility, but they were not great at speed and endurance. <i>We have to find a way to get rid of them. </i>

    It was at this moment when several Eagle Demons descended from the canopies, Brendel looked up and saw the sharp ws of these monsters, they clung to the tree branches and were jumping forward, to Brendel¡¯s surprise they were not much slower than flying and it only took a short while for them to reach somewhere above their heads.

    This scene was exactly like the scene when he first fought these t-haired beasts in the wend forest near the Grey Harbor. Subconsciously, he shouted, ¡°Shoot them down, try to aim for their backs!¡±

    The knights immediately removed their short bows or four-armed crossbows from their waists and aimed at those monsters. The Eagle Demons were terrifyingly nimble. They hovered from side to side between the tree branches, avoiding almost all the crossbows.

    However, the knights managed to discover the trick very quickly, they found out that the Eagle Demons tend to swing back when dodging. Along with Brendel¡¯s reminder, the knights calcted the distance the monsters would swing back in advance, and this time more than half of the Eagle Demons were shot immediately.

    The knights were excited, ¡°Lord, how did you know that?¡±

    ¡°Knowledge is power. All the answers in the world are in books.¡± Brendel answered.

    These words simply made him sound like an inexplicable sorcerer, and the knights immediately showed a sense of respect. But this sentence reminded the princess who was at the side of what Fleetwood taught her, ¡®All wisdom that is sharper than a sword is hidden in books.¡¯, it was an old proverb of the Kirrlutz. It was said that all the mages promoted the same idea.

    Although she was running forward with all her might with her hands held tightly by Brendel, her mind was calm. <i>Mr.Knight was indeed a Danir, as he had such high regard for the knowledge of Hignd Wizards.</i>

    Brendel however noticed that the Experience Points of the Eagle Demons killed by the knights had to be counted into his ount, and one Demon equaled 60 EXP. This was obviously a number after calcting the group penalty and rank penalty value, but the Eagle Demons he killed alone had only around 90 EXP.

    These Experience Points were nothing to him, but the point was that it further proved his earlier hypothesis about the team. It looked like as long as it was an alliance it would be counted as the same team as him, but the limit of the distance was unknown.

    A row of people had already passed through half of the forest at this point, and the number of Eagle Demons climbing down from the tree trunks were increasing. So much so that they did not dare to stop for a moment to rest, as just a little slower and they would be encircled. Two knights had already been dragged out by a moment¡¯s negligence. What awaited them was hard to imagine.

    The end of the woods was near, and there was an open space which was a hundred meters wide. The Eagle Demons would obviously siege them furiously when they passed by that area, and in fact a few Eagle Demons were already hovering in the sky over there waiting for Brendel.

    ¡°Brendel, what¡¯s next?¡± Apparently Count Audine had also noticed the awful situation that awaited them. But Brendel looked around and was at a loss of ideas. The cards in his hands were barely applicable, there was also ack of Elements. The ck Wolf had already been summoned once, and so Buni the King of the Giant¡¯s Concealment Cloak was the only one he had that could help him escape.

    But the Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak could only hold ten people, not to mention it could onlyst for less than five minutes.

    ¡°Everyone, hold hands and charge! Be careful not to get dragged out!¡± Brendel activated the Colliding Halo, and a pale yellow aura phnx spread out from around his body. Most of the knights recognized this signature skill of the Holy Knight and knew immediately what he was up to.

    <i>Looks like we have no choice but to charge out. </i>

    Brendel looked beyond the forest and decided to cast a Mist Spell or something simr first. He was an Elementalist anyway, and the Mist Spell was just a tier two spell which was not hard for him. The only trouble was that he was still wearing armor while running which made the failure percentage extremely high. Brendel tried three times in a row before finally releasing that spell.

    The Mist Spell was actually nothing more than a water mist that created confusion, which was extremely effective in preventing the enemy¡¯s precise long-range strikes, and Brendel wanted to use this spell to suppress the Eagle Demons¡¯ quantitative advantage. But the moment he cast the spell, an unexpected scene urred.

    There was no mist, but instead there was a dark cloud that blocked the entire hillside in a blink of an eye, and the ce was in total darkness.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The knights suddenly started to panic, even Brendel was startled. <i>This is no Mist Spell. </i>The good thing was that it was not his first time battling in the dark, he had been fighting with Madara¡¯s necromancers for a long time in the game, he had to prepare to deal with all sorts of ck Magics.

    Brendel was rtively calm, he subconsciously grasped the princess¡¯ hand to ensure that the Wizard was noting for the most important target beside him while holding his breath to listen to the ringing noises in the surroundings.

    The sound of rain falling rumbled in the distance, but within the rain, the same panicking croaking noises of the Eagle Demons could still be heard.

    <i>It seems like the neer is not an enemy. </i>

    <i>At least it¡¯s not the Devil Warlocks.</i>

    He was slightly relieved, but it was at this moment when he heard an old voice from within his soul, ¡°Pleasee with me. My King. Don¡¯t mind the dangers around you, head north and I¡¯ll be waiting for you there.¡±

    Brendel was shocked, ¡°Who are you and how can I trust you?¡± He asked subconsciously in his mind.

    ¡°Sense with your heart, darkness has no secrets before you, you should be able to sense that I mean no harm.¡±

    Brendel breathed in softly. Indeed, he did not sense any danger. The other party had clearly struck out in such a situation to offer him help, but he hesitated as everything should be done cautiously. He then said to all who was around him, ¡°Everyone, listen to me, hold hands and follow me.¡±

    He then reached out to pull Count Audine who was at the side. Everyone held hands, Brendel was not sure which way was north but he vaguely felt that a certain direction was safer, so he walked towards that direction step by step.

    Sure enough, after a few minutes, the screams of the Eagle Demons in the darkness were getting further and further away.

    Everyone let out a sigh of relief at this moment. After all, no one would want to die if they could live. It was for this reason that the knights could not help but be grateful to Brendel, who had led them out of danger.

    ¡°Mr.Brendel.¡± Princess Gryphine¡¯s voice came from behind him. ¡°Is this your spell?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know either.¡± Brendel replied. Because the truth was he did not know the answer too, he had activated the Psychic Connection in his mind and had started to contact Ciel who was on the other side. Only God would know if this was another trap, he had to be on the safe side.

    ¡°Ciel, do you hear me......¡±

    ......

    In the pine forest, the students had set up a makeshift camp for shelter from the rain, the simple tent was made by pine trees with a wooden wall and a waterproof canvas. In the tent, Makarov of the Royal Faction, his men, and Oberwei were in a cold war.

    It seemed like the Royal Faction was about to break off the princess once again, but those who had been here all along knew that it was nothing more than just a disagreement over the next battle n.

    Oberwei supported Brendel¡¯s opinion that it would be better to divide the defensive zone with the Northern Coalition Army respectively for the time being. On the other hand, Makarov did not trust those northern nobles, his thought that the Northern Coalition Army was perfectly capable of acting as a frontal mainstay to defend the Devil¡¯s attack together with the Kirrlutz.

    That parchment map that had been drawn on countless times was now on a wooden table. A campfire was burning not far away, Amandina was whispering to Count Yanbao, the two were not interested in the nobles¡¯ battle ns; Oberwei despised the Royal Faction, while Amandina only had absolute trust in Brendel and was naturally unimpressed by the nobles¡¯ proposals.

    However, the tired look on the nobledy¡¯s face was obvious, she just forcefully held back from yawning.

    Makarov seemed to be destined as Oberwei¡¯s opponent, the two had disagreed on the Royal Faction¡¯s future previously and now they disagreed on how to work with the Northern Coalition Army. But fortunately, they were still aware of the current situation and at least did not fight, otherwise, the kingdom¡¯s Sly Fox and Lone Wolf might have to fight against each other right then and there.

    Some of the older courtiers of the kingdom might remember the previous battle when they were both young. But that battle was due to their beloved girl, this time it was a matter of ideals.

    Just as they were about to open their mouths again, Ciel came in from outside. He took a look at everyone inside the tent and said, ¡°The Lord is in trouble.¡±

    Everyone froze.

    ¡°Well, actually the princess and the Lord had been spotted by the Eagle Demons and are currently under the Devil Army¡¯s siege.¡± Ciel had to exin it again.

    ¡°What did you say?!¡±

 Chapter 581 - v3c349

    v3c349

    The Abyss(8)

    At the same moment when Brendel and his men were being attacked, the defense line which the Kirrlutz were in charge of was pelted with rain and darkness, Sir Hawthorne was riding through the woonds on his Battle Dragon with the monk soldiers. ¡°Damn it.¡± He cursed quietly. ¡°How can these Aouine people even stand this weather, experiencing it once is already enough for us!¡± The monk soldiersughed softly, Hawthorne who was from the warm northern foothills of the Kirrlutz Manoran Mountains found the damp and coldness of this time of the year in Ampere Seale very ufortable.

    The Battle Drake beneath the saddle stood upright at over three meters tall and the iron armor on its body weighed half a ton. It was the mostmon mount for heavy cavalrymen of this era. The ground seemed to tremble slightly with each step it took, leaving a mud print that was several inches deep in the muddy woond.

    (Missing sentences, should double check) After the fleet stopped attacking, it was attacked by strange creatures on its way back. But the Dragon Cavalry of Aouine¡¯s Northern Coalition Army did not find a trace of this frigate in the relevant air route, so they sent out their ground troops.

    Hawthorne would bet that the frigate had crashed, and the wreckage of a burning battleship did appear before the line of men who were walking through the forest. The once formidable war machine was now only a wreckage with broken masts and wind sails scattered all over the ce, a number of ropes hanging on the nearby tree branches.

    This is the frigate that was reported to have been attacked and had crashed. What a massive thing. Hawthorne could not help but think.

    ¡°Oh my god, it¡¯s the Bull Shark!¡± Someone recognized the frigate and shouted in surprise, ¡°Who on earth damaged it like this.¡±

    ¡°I think we¡¯ll find out real soon.¡± Sir Hawthorne suddenly raised his head and drew his longsword, ¡°There are enemies, let¡¯s prepare for battle.¡±

    Following his roar, everyone saw a pink monster crawling out of the wreckage of the battleship. The creature climbed up the fallen mast and soon reached the broken area. It was a giant monster that looked like both a bat and a humanoid creature. It was about two to three meters tall, had more developed forelimbs than hindlimbs, and muscr gnarled upper arms. A bull-like head grew out of its neck and it even had a nose ring.

    ¡°It¡¯s a Devil, a Brute Devil!¡± Someone with a sharp eyesight called out the name of this monster at a nce. The Devils were one of the sworn enemies of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, the monk soldiers had seen images of this Devil in various scriptures and canonical texts before.

    ¡°Spread out!¡± Sir Hawthorne reacted quicker than the others.

    The Brute Devils were the main air force of the Sulfur River, juvenile Brute Devils had the strength of the Silver Peak rank and adults had the strength of the early Gold rank. Long horns grew out of the Brute Devils before Sir Hawthorne¡¯s eyes, it was obviously a real adult Brute Devil Lord. The Brute Devil Lord had the gift of controlling mes just like many other Devils and had multiple me spellcasting abilities.

    The Fireball Spell was one of them.

    With a flicker of light, a ball of me exploded in the midst of the Kirrlutz¡¯s Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s monk soldier formation. A few young monk soldiers were set on fire. After releasing the fireballs, the Brute Devil Lord let out a roar on the broken mast as if it was enjoying the thrill of killing.

    ¡°These goddamn Devils!¡± Sir Hawthorne could not help but rage, he immediately ordered the seated Battle Drake to charge forward. The Brute Devil Lord pped its wings and flew up from the ship and threw fireballs at him one after another.

    But Sir Hawthorne was undaunted, as if he was just strolling through the mes until he got close enough to draw the short spear from behind him, throwing it.

    The monk soldiers saw a straight line of gold released from Sir Hawthorne¡¯s hand and it hit the Lord of the Brute Devil in the sky. It was a magic throwing spear specially made by the Holy Cathedral. The spear tip had been blessed and was the Devil¡¯s natural enemy. The short spear struck the Devil Lord¡¯s wings and zing white mes crackled like a drop of water dropped into boiling oil.

    The Devil Lord fell down from the sky with a scream. It mmed its head on the broken mast of the battleship and its head immediately separated from its body, ripping meters of its spine out of its muscles. The Devil Lord died on the spot.

    The monk soldiers froze for a long time before breaking out into cheers.

    Hawthorne was also relieved. He looked back, feeling like he already knew what had attacked the Bull Shark and caused it to crash. It seemed that Archbishop Wood¡¯s guess was urate, arge number of the Devils had already invaded Aouine. The Devilscked a high-ranked air force and the Devil Lord was one of the most elite flying troops under the Sulfur River.

    It was at this moment that he heard someone scream, ¡°What was that?¡±

    Sir Hawthorne was startled and subconsciously turned to look at where the scream wasing from. He felt as if the sky lit up for a moment and theyers of dark clouds in that direction parted at once, a ming meteorite fell from the sky and it was falling towards a certain direction.

    Then, as if it was a replication of this scene, the ck clouds rolled and countless fiery red spots of light appeared behind theyer of clouds. Meteorites made their way through the clouds and fell from the sky, turning half of the sky blood-red.

    Sir Hawthorne was stunned. He had estimated that the meteorites wouldnd right on the main campsite of the Northern Coalition Army. It¡¯s over. He felt a chill down his spine as he saw a meteorite strike the Pen in the distance with his own eyes and the Kirrlutz¡¯s gship burned into ashes in a dazzling burst of light.

    In that moment Sir Hawthorne had forgotten that the captain of the Konolia fleet was still aboard this gship. In fact he had lost the ability to even think straight. No Magic Arrays appeared in the sky, it was a spell of the Devils which might be the tier fourteen spell: Doomsday.

    There was a sovereign-ranked Devil that had crossed the portal and that was all he could think of.

    ¡°What did you say?!¡±

    ¡°Where are they now?¡± Makarov and Oberwei asked at the same time, but before they could say anything else, a bright light shed from outside the camp and exmation sounds were heard from outside the tent.

    Half of the sky was lit up outside the tent.

    Something big has happened. Everyone felt their hearts drop. Ciel, who was the first to react, turned around to open the tent. Then the red-haired girl who had been silent the entire time rushed out followed by Amandina. Makarov and Oberwei exchanged looks and followed them.

    Everyone became speechless as soon as they walked out of the tent. They saw that the sky to the northwest was aze with fire and countless meteors were falling like rain from the sky.

    Makarov made a quick estimation and calcted that that direction was exactly where Bunuo was.

    ¡°The Devils have decided to attack the Northern Coalition Army!¡± He immediately concluded.

    ¡°That¡¯s the Doomsday Spell, they have an Ultimate Realm mage.¡± Oberwei said, ¡°It¡¯s the Devil Lord. Marsha above all, I¡¯m afraid it will be an entire demon armying this time, the amount will be more than the one recorded in history!¡±

    Everyone knew about thest time he was referring to. A kingdom the size of Aouine waspletely scorched and destroyed. Millions of lives were wiped out under the ravages of the Devils and it was in fact no longer a battle but a cmity of massacre.

    This was a scar marked in Vaunte¡¯s history that could not be erased.

    But this time it seemed as if it was about to be the ancient country of Aouine¡¯s turn.

    The thought that the people of Aouine had done something wrong enough to deserve such a punishment rose in the hearts of all. The Lone Wolf of the Kingdom was the first to react, ¡°Makarov!¡± He shouted.

    ¡°I know, Oberwei. I made a mistake.¡± Makarov was suddenly aware of the mistake he had made. Although he had intended to sacrifice the Northern Coalition Army, he realized that he had misjudged the Devils¡¯ capability. It was clear that if the two sides did not join forces, neither of them could fight against the army of the Devils. The truth was that even if they joined forces, there would only be a faint hope of sess.

    ¡°We must look for a way to support the Northerners immediately.¡± Makarov gritted his teeth, ¡°After the spell, the Devils will definitelyunch a ground attack. Those Northern men and the Kirrlutz would certainly not be able to withstand it. As soon as they retreat, the whole of Aouine would be doomed.¡±

    Oberwei nodded but there was anger in his heart at the same time. It¡¯s all because of the Kirrlutz and Holy Cathedral of Fire. Now he finally understood why Brendel was originally so angry to the point that he did notpromise or give way to the Holy Cathedral.

    Thinking about it now, he thought that what Brendel did was totally eptable.

    ¡°What about the Lord and the Princess?¡± Amandina asked suddenly, ¡°They are still surrounded by the Devils.¡±

    Oberwei and Makarov instantly froze as if they had forgotten about this matter. ¡°Where are they now, and did Brendel say anything?¡± Oberwei asked.

    ¡°ording to the Lord, they should be in the midst of the mountains around the west of the Marchenko Mountains. The Eagle Demons had blocked their retreat so they were forced to retreat towards the north. The Lord told us to send a royal fleet to meet the Princess and open a path for them,¡± Ciel answered.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said long ago that they shouldn¡¯t risk their lives.¡± Makarov grunted, ¡°The Princess has been doing things her own way and she should have predicted the current situation long ago. Great, we can¡¯t even withstand the Devils that are about to attack us now and yet we still have to figure out how to rescue them?¡±

    ¡°But except for Brendel, who else do we have here who is familiar with Jorgendy Ridge? The Princess was willing to risk her life as a noble act. Makarov, I thought that you were just brainless, but it turns out you¡¯ve also given up the honor of nobility.¡± The kingdom¡¯s Lone Wolf sneered.

    ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    ¡°Enough, stop arguing!¡± Amandina frowned, standing up to interrupt them. ¡°What else did the Lord say?¡± She asked Ciel as Brendel was not someone who would give out orders hastily.

    ¡°Actually, the Lord has another n. He wants us to inform Archbishop Wood to have the Kirrlutz cooperate with us,¡± Ciel said.

    ¡°What is he trying to do?¡± Makarov raised his eyebrows, looking sharply at the young wizard.

    What is he trying to do.

    Wood wanted to know too. The Devils had alreadyunched an attack at the Bunuo area. To put it nicely, the Northern Coalition was retreating, but it was actually nothing more than a precursor to defeat. This was an army that had been defeated in the first ce and had long lost its morale. It was the Holy Cathedral of Fire that was holding their ground, but they were also suffering greatly under the attack of the Doomsday Spell.

    The Konolia fleet was nearly wiped out almost immediately and Naval Admiral Sir Robbins had sunk along with Pen while the White Winged Cavalry suffered a loss of half their men. Arge number of high-ranking Devils had appeared in the camp, and what was even worse was that the army of Jorgendy Ridge had joined forces with the Devils.

    The earliest discovery of this information was a stone statue of a group of the Northern Coalition Army mountain infantry recovered by a scout cavalry from the battlefield. It was clearly not a sculpture but a masterpiece of Medusa.

    ¡°The Kirrlutz canst three hours at most. After a while, we will lose ourst fighter. And you should know what the Northern Coalition Army is like.¡± A Pdin said to the young wizard in front of him, ¡°We need back up.¡±

    Wood actually knew that the other party was Ciel, the genius young wizard of the Peloche family.

    ¡°We can back you up, in fact our army is already on its way. But even with that, we still would not be able to withstand the Devils¡¯ attack. You know our situation,¡± Ciel answered.

    The Pdin fell silent.

    ¡°So how much longer can we hold on?¡± Wood asked.

    ¡°A day at most.¡±

    ¡°Can we still open another Door of me and ask the Holy Cathedral of Fire for support?¡± Ciel asked.

    ¡°It is impossible, we don¡¯t have enough materials.¡± A Pdin rebutted, ¡°Constructing a portal is not an easy thing to do.¡±

    Wood was silent for a moment, ¡°So what does your Lord have to say about that?¡±

    Ciel nodded, ¡°In that case, we may have one more opportunity.¡±

    ¡°An opportunity?¡±

    ......

    Brendel struggled and finally led the remaining twelve knights of Anthony out of the dark fog. By the time they got a better view of their surroundings, they found themselves in a valley in the north. The valley was foggy and rain drizzled. Ahead was a forest clearing where a group of Arreck horses grazed. If they were not mistaken, these were the battle horses they had previously lost.

    Count Audine and the Princess who were beside him were surprised by this strange scene.

    ¡°Heavens, what is going on here?¡± The knights marveled.

    Although the princess did not ask, she looked at Brendel, puzzled. Since Brendel was able to lead them in getting rid of those Eagle Demons and out of the dark fog, she felt that he should know the answers to every mystery.

    Brendel was actually also looking around carefully. The entire valley was shrouded with the sound of falling rain, and the surroundings did not look a lot different from the rest of the Arreck Mountains, but a feeling rose in his heart.

    ¡°May I ask who was the one who offered to help?¡± He asked.

    Everyone saw a crooked olddy in ck robes walking out of the forest. She saw Brendel and bowed respectfully, her trembling movement made everyone think that she might fall at any second.

    Brendel however was shocked. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you!¡± He recognized this old woman with wrinkles as the same old witch he had ckmailed in Fortress Riedon before, Babasha. He had never thought that they would run into each other here.

 Chapter 582 - v3c350p1

    v3c350p1

    The Abyss(9)

    As the demons were fighting with the northern allies of Aouine and the armies of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, Jorgendy Ridge¡¯s army quickly captured the entire harbor of Ampere Seale. The Coast Guards were thoroughly defeated by Brendel. However, the beings from down below were spared. With All for One¡¯s guidance, they easily opened the gates and dispersed the remaining port guards. By nightfall, there was scarcely any resistance remaining in the port.

    Amidst the pouring rain, a beautiful figure was slowly making its way up the hovering staircase of the city building.

    Medusa Lysemeka wore a clean white linen gown, revealing bronze scaly skin underneath, her legs were far more slender than those of a human woman. She liked to wrap her bronze-speckled python tail around her shoulders, like a shawl.

    She ascended the balcony at the top of the city building, separating the twittering eagle demons and saw the dying Viscount Benninger. She took his wrist and recited a byte, a faint ck pattern emerged above the third joint of his left hand index finger. She brought it to her beautiful eyes and examined it for a moment before raising her head and asking, ¡°Where did you find him?¡±

    The Eagle Demons replied in a shrill voice and anguage unique to the underground, ¡°Nearby, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t the messenger wake up?¡±

    ¡°The messenger has been knocked unconscious, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°Humans are still so fragile.¡± Lysmeka was full of disdain. However, she didn¡¯t dare to reveal this kind of emotion, as this person was an important figure from All for One; All for One was a follower of the Twilight Dragon and worked closely with demons. This was not someone that a lower ss like her could judge. She lowered her head and flicked out her forked tongue, creating a ck mark on Viscount Benninger¡¯s forehead. Then with a gentle stroke of her hand, she created a cover for him to protect him from the rain.

    ¡°Wait until Lord Broca arrives, you guys take good care of him. Our enemy this time is the dreaded Holy Cathedral of Fire, and the Lords need All for One to unearth that instrument for them. As long as we stand firm, ¡®we¡¯ shall obtain massive pieces ofnd.¡± Lysmeka looked eager, her beautiful serpentine hair rising up in excitement.

    She looked at the Arreck Mountain Ranges in the distance and saw the rolling shadows of the mountains shrouded beneath gloomy dark clouds, the color of lightning reflected in her beautiful eyes as if lighting a spark.

    But not far from her, two women were discussing in earnest. ¡°White Mist, we were right to leave Viscount Benninger there: now we caught the big fish. Turns out they were plotting some sort of conspiracy.¡±

    Scheming was a certainty, or else All for One would not even be here. ¡°So what, are you going to follow her?¡± White Mist nced at her. ¡°Of course.¡± Romaine nodded as if it was obvious

    ¡°With your inconsistent tracking skills, it won¡¯t take more than a minute for us to be discovered and then you¡¯ll be caught and killed, in which case I¡¯ll have to die too.¡± White Mist coolly knowcked her down. Romaine couldn¡¯t help but reveal a disgruntled face and raised her eyebrow, ¡°Is it really that bad?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s worse than that.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to abandon the n. White mist, white mist. What do we do next?¡± The merchant girl very liberally dismissed her long thought out n as if it wasn¡¯t even hers.

    ¡°Think for yourself.¡± White Mist repliedzily.

    ¡°I know, Brendel won¡¯t be scared by the enemies in the in sight, but hidden plots are much harder to guard against, it¡¯s always written like that in those chivalric novels. Besides, Brendel looks dumb and gullible, we have to dig up what they¡¯re digging for before them.¡± Romaine immediately came to a new conclusion.

    ¡°How do you n to do it?¡± White Mist felt that using a chivalric novel as a model for action is the perfect example of what not to do. But since she was on the right trail of thought, she didn¡¯t bother to pick on it. To be honest, if she could, she wouldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Let¡¯s go find that sneaky guy first,¡± Romaine replied confidently.

    ¡°Sneaky guy?¡±

    ¡°I just saw Duke Arreck. Didn¡¯t viscount ¡®what¡¯s-his-name¡¯ say they were members of the ¡°what¡¯s-its-name organization as well?¡±

    ¡°Say stuff like this earlier next time,¡± White Mist finally barely rolled her eyes, which was the first move she made today that could be called an expression.

    ........

    ¡°Is that you? Babasha?¡± Brendel already recognized the wrinkle faced old woman as the old witch Babasha he ckmailed in Riedon Fortress.

    ¡°A witch? Brendel, who is she?¡± Princess Gryphine was the first to react. Because they once followed the Darkness Dragon, witches didn¡¯t have a good reputation in the human world. As a result, most of them lived a reclusive life. With an aura of evil, mystery, and mischief, many of Vaunte¡¯s bedtime stories used them as the typical anti-human.

    Princess Gryphine, who grew up in this kind of culture, was naturally no exception. The fact that she only frowned already showed that she was well-mannered, though of course, also because they had stepped up to help them once. Count Audine also raised his eyebrows slightly, but as a mature nobleman he was obviously much moreposed and did not express his shock.

    ¡°It is I, my lord,¡± wearing a long ck robe, an old woman that hid her wrinkled face beneath her witch hat bowed respectfully to Brendel, ¡°You all need not worry, my lord has helped this old woman once in the past, and I made a vow before the Darkness Dragon that I will repay it. This is the day that I shall repay your kindness so please don¡¯t be bothered my lord.¡± Babasha sized them up with her tiny eyes and replied.

    This is clearly a lie. Helpedher, more like ckmailed her. But Brendel was more or less able to guess why she would help him, and soon a voice in his head confirmed this hypothesis.

    ¡°O my king, there is no need to be suspicious. We were always your faithful followers, and at this turning point of history, it is time for the witches of the Winter Kingdom to fulfill their promises.¡±

    Just as he thought. When Babasha prophesied in Riedon Fortress that he would bring the return of the Darkness Dragon, he only felt that it was nonsense. However, the world is unpredictable; he really did be the heir to the Odin legacy though he only got a fraction of this legacy. In fact, it¡¯s not really the Darkness Dragon, so heck knows how this old witch found him.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Another voice grumbled. ¡°Brendel, where did you get these filthy allies. Could it be that you really want to be the Darkness Dragon?¡± It was the Wind Empress.

    Brendel was startled, he did not expect the Wind Empress to chime in at this time, she and Odin were archenemies, in other words, one of the great enemies of these witches. He hurriedly looked up and found that there were no strange expressions on Babasha¡¯s face, and only then did he settle down. It seemed that Barbara¡¯s voice was only a magical effect, she wasn¡¯t able to peer into his mind.

    ¡°She came here herself, it wasn¡¯t me.¡± Brendel couldn¡¯t help but whine.

    ¡°Hmph, do yourself a favor and don¡¯t get too cocky.¡± The Wind Empress coldly dropped this sentence and went silent again. Brendel thought of something, ¡±Wind Empress, I thought you really wouldn¡¯t see me all day today.¡±

    ¡°You....¡±

    The Wind Empress gritted her teeth, mentally cursing the pig-headed Brendel for the tenth time, then made up her mind that she wouldn¡¯t acknowledge this guy until the verst moment..

    Brendel didn¡¯t know that he just pissed offthe Wind Elf¡¯s Sage once again and that if it was possible, he would be burning at the stake in the Holy Cathedral of Windby now. ¡°Babasha, how did you know all this?¡± He asked.

    The old witch smiled mysteriously. ¡°Master, you need not hide it. As long as the covenants on the dark prophecy are not gone, we witches will be able to read all of its secrets. The dark prophecy has already foretold everything that happened today; the Darkness Dragon will return to the earth.¡±

    ¡°The Dark Prophecy also said that Madara will rule the earth and the Twelve Branches of the Witch organization would eventually merge into one, which ended up being a hoax.¡± Brendel thought in his head. But he didn¡¯t want to get involved with these people, witches didn¡¯t have a good reputation in the mortal world. To be associated with them is to admit to an identity of a Darkness Dragon follower. Under the rule of the four Holy Cathedrals, the followers of the Darkness Dragon were treated like cultists in Vaunte, sewer rats for anyone to trample on. ¡°Could you have messed up?¡± He asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Babasha responded. She humbly replied, ¡±Is My Lord worried about his identity? That¡¯s no problem, we will help you in the shadows but never to the point of revealing your identity ¡ª at least until the second Judgement Day.¡±

    ¡°What is the second Judgement Day?¡± Brendel felt that he would go crazy sooner orter talking to these god-awful witches. But if Babasha was really what she said, the witches would be good support for him.

    Witches and prophets were the first mortals in the world to master the power of magic.Ancient mages achieved what we perceive as modern magic by exploiting the magic in words andnguages; the source of their power was actually the twelve phases of the moon reflected by the dark magic of the sky, therefore there were twelve different types of witches who walked on earth. For example, Romaine¡¯s aunt is the Eternal Witch of the Enchanted Moon in the astrological region of Lyra. And the strongest witch, Bunosong, is the Winter Witch of the Witch Throne.

    Witches have been subjected to the erosion of Dark Magic for a long time and which caused them to be entric as a result. Most of them were vicious and brutal but there were some that were kind and rational, though all of them, without exception, were steadfast followers of order. No matter how different the world may be, it cannot be denied that they are at odds with the majority, just like the pagans are.

    This is exactly why though Brendel would never be in the same boat as All for One, he was able to ept the Darkness Dragon¡¯s legacy. Hence for the same reason, he didn¡¯t mind Babasha¡¯s help as long as it didn¡¯t bring any trouble.

    He mused for a moment, ¡°Babasha, you said that the Winter Kingdom was fulfilling their promise, so you didn¡¯t aplish that Dark Canopy on your own?¡±

    ¡°Master, there were several other sisters with me,¡± Babasha replied.

    The same dry and wrinkled face appeared in Brendel¡¯s mind. Since they specialized in dark magic, witches liked to hide in barren areas. Small kingdoms like Aouine on the borders of civilization were their paradise, and he knew many more witches just like Babasha in Aouine.

    Actually, Romaine¡¯s aunt, Aunt Jenny is a prime example. ¡°How strong are they?¡±

    ¡°Basically the same as me, Master.¡± Brendel raised his head and looked at Babasha with eagle eyes. ¡°Babasha, you say that the Kingdom of Winter will respond to the Witch King¡¯s vow to the Darkness Dragon, don¡¯t tell me there are only a few of you in the Witch¡¯s Kingdom of Bunosong?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, they are just confined by their own constraints and were not able toe. My lord, please do not doubt our loyalty.¡± Babasha spoke most respectfully, but she was stammering.

    Brendel understood now. He knew that the twelve witches were scattered all over the earth, and figured that it was unlikely for them to agree with each other. Although he was heir to the Darkness Dragon, he wasn¡¯t necessarily the only heir, and Babasha had clearlye to him as a long-term investment.

    The old witch was quite shrewd, but Brendel did not think highly of the few Silver-ranked witches, and could not help but be a little disappointed. ¡°Babasha, don¡¯t tell me that you think this feeble strength of yours will help me?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± said Babasha in a hurriedly, ¡°but my lord, the witch¡¯s power has always resided more in wisdom than strength. Difficulties that cannot be solved by strength can be solved by wisdom.¡±

    For thest two sentences, Brendel and Babasha had stopped using Whispering Magic, and Count Audine after hearing this immediately opened his mouth, ¡°In that case, old witch, what wisdom do you bring forth?¡± His tone was hardly polite, for witches were the definition of treachery and deceit.

    ¡°My lord, we can take you through this area while avoiding the Eagle Demon¡¯s watch,¡± Babasha replied.

    ¡°Really?¡± Brendel asked carefully with a faint glint in his eyes. ¡°You say you can take us through the area without being discovered by Jorgendy Ridge¡¯s army?¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    ¡°No matter if it¡¯s to the south or north?¡± Brendel continued asking.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, what do you n to do?¡± Princess Gryphine was shocked. She turned her head and looked at Brendel with wide silver eyes. It was as if she was getting to know him all over again.

    ¡°Ye......Yes.¡± A few more wrinkles seemed to appear on Babasha¡¯s face. She was thinking about something, but she was not lying.

    ¡°Babasha, how many people can you guarantee will cross this blockade undetected?¡± Brendel didn¡¯t acknowledge the others as the path in his mind was bing clearer.

    ¡°No more than twenty people.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Brendel nodded, ¡°Your Highness, the Anchor Key you gave me can be used to determine an anchor point for the First Royal Fleet of Aouine, right? How much magic do you need to activate it?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Brendel......¡±

    Gryphine looked at him and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s too risky....¡±

 Chapter 583 - v3c350p2

    v3c350p2

    The Abyss(10)

    ¡°I am fully aware of this, Your Highness, but please listen to me. I would not joke with my life. But I have a n, maybe we can give it a try.¡± Brendel said in a tone unique to yers eager to try anything. Princess Gryphine looked at him with a frown, ¡°Really?¡±

    The half-elf princess¡¯s suspicious expression was adorable in Brendel¡¯s eyes, it was a girly behavior she rarely disyed. He nodded, ¡°Of course, if we can sneak around right under the nose of Jorgendy Ridge, why don¡¯t we find a way to tear down the Door of me?¡±

    ¡°But first let¡¯s not decide whether or not we can destroy the Door of me. How are you so convinced that they can really lead us to evade detection from Jorgendy Ridge¡¯s armies? Mr. Brendel, they are witches, best at deceiving people with their words.¡± The princess did not hide her wariness in the slightest, only this time she was on Brendel¡¯s side, her bright silver eyes saying that she did not want Brendel to be in danger.

    ¡°Your Highness the Princess of Covardo, I became a witch when your grandfather Old Oberg was still on the throne. The witches know that their words will be overheard by the ravens, so they are careful with their words,pared to the nobles who have their mouths full of honeyed daggers, and yet you still trust them so.¡± Babasha chortled,ughing like an old crow, and replied in a husky voice.

    ¡°Bold citizen of darkness, who allowed you to utter the name of the former king so casually!¡± Her Highness coldly reproached, and with a soft ng, the narrow and bright de of her sword trembled faintly in the darkness.

    Brendel hurried to stop her hand, ¡°Babasha.¡±

    ¡°It was a slip of the tongue, my lord.¡± The old witch nced at Princess Gryphine with eyes so grim that they lost their luster like wooden beads.

    ¡°Babasha, the princess is not wrong. You witches are the best at trickery, and while you never lie, you always leave the back door open. I want you to swear to the Goddess of the Pir of Hell, not to betray me, can you do that?¡± Brendel, with one hand suppressing Princess Gryphine¡¯s hand turned back and asked coldly.

    Babasa bowed deeply and said, somewhat reverently, ¡°The Lord really does know everything. We will swear to the Goddess of the Pir of Hell that we shall not betray our lord, Lord of Trentheim, Brendel, our master, and if we do, let Dias drag us into the abyss.¡±

    Princess Gryphine watched as Babasha put her hand to her heart; she had heard of the witch¡¯s vow vaguely. However, she realized that this vow seemed extremely frightening to the witch, and at thest sentence, the old witch even trembled slightly. She knew very little about witches, and found it hard to believe that these cunning women would take an oath so seriously, for which she looked at Brendel inexplicably.

    The silvery eyes appeared to be looking for an answer.

    ¡°Rest assured, Your Highness, now they won¡¯t cheat on us.¡± Brendel took advantage of her inattention to remove the sword from her hand and gently put it back into her scabbard while replying, ¡°The goddess of the pir, Modesti, is part of their faith, and legend has it that Modesti was the first witch to steal ck Magic from the Sea of Magic. She passed on such spells to the first generation of prophets and the twelve witches, though she waster seized by the demons and pinned naked to a pir with nails as eternal punishment. The blind andme Dias was her first student, so obsessed with darkness she degenerated into a monster. A witch who breaks her vow to break Modesti¡¯s oath would be dragged into eternal darkness by Dias, crawling out of the abyss. This is not just a legend, but a real thing; falling into utter darkness and losing her senses was the worst punishment for a witch. Since Babasha made such an oath, she would never cheat.¡±

    Seeing the princess¡¯ still puzzled expression, Brendel added, ¡°This is secret knowledge about the witches, which is rarely known by outsiders.¡±

    ¡°Then how do you know?¡±

    Good question, Brendel did not expect that at such a time Her Highness the Princess would still be able to keep a clear head, and quickly found an excuse, ¡°Because as Your Highness knows, I have read about wizards before, who are ancient entities like witches, and although they are not enemies, they arepetitors and know more or less some of each other¡¯s secrets.¡±

    Princess Griffin believed it. She turned around, ¡°So how sure is she that we won¡¯t be found out? If we only rely on the spells of the witches, I don¡¯t think themanders of Jorgendy Ridge would be unguarded against such things, and I have also heard that there are more witches in the underground of Jorgendy Ridge. So regardless of whether the witches are enemies or allies, wouldn¡¯t they be aware of the witches¡¯ methods?

    Brendel once again felt theposure of the half-elf princess. This question actually urred to him, but on one hand, it was the princess who did not even have themon knowledge that there was only a lord and nomander in the underground world, and on the other hand, it was him who knew Jorgendy Ridge very well. She was able to make a judgment on the basis of only a small amount of knowledge, and inparison he was nowhere as good.

    He also looked back at Babasha, hoping for an answer. His n was still just an idea, but whether it could be implemented reliably still required further thought, no war is theorization alone, and he knew that very well.

    ¡°Compared to your dim-witted grandfather, Her Highness is obviously much wiser, and the truth is about as good as your guess,¡± Babasha once again mentioned King Oberg the Sixth; the half-elf maiden pursed her lips to suppress her anger, the witches were so dismissive of mundane authority, which in fact was one of the reasons why they were rejected by society. What puzzled her was why the old witch treats Brendel with such respect and she wondered what Brendel helped them with. She continued listening to Babasha speak, ¡°But other than magic, we also have some secret knowledge that the witches have passed down from generation to generation, and one of these secrets mentions a hall that has been abandoned since ancient times that leads to the northern side of the harbor beneath Ampere Seale hidden between the crevices of the hills .¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± she couldn¡¯t help but interject, ¡°it¡¯s been nearly seven centuries since thete King Erik built Ampere Seale Harbor here. For seven centuries, in order to re-survey whether the foundations of the Ande Cathedral beneath the harbor were loosened, the people of Ampere have explored the terrain around and beneath the harbor, and there have never been any rumors of ancient ruins.¡±

    ¡°But Your Highness also has to admit that this ce was upied long before the Aouines built the port. Other civilizations have long since flourished here besides the Silver Elves, and the reason the secret is a secret is because it is not known by anyone else.¡± Babashaughed.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, are you talking about the ancient passageway that seeps water?¡± Brendel remembered that there was an ancient relic like such near Ampere Seale, but had long since weathered away, leaving behind little more than a passageway that ran between underground cliffs. A level 57 Mother of Spider lived there for who knows how many years.

    To be honest, he didn¡¯t want to mess with that thing at all if he could. In that narrow terrain, a giant Mother of Spider that had reached Elemental Enlightenment, coupled with her countless hatchlings and the ubiquitous cobwebs, creep Brendel out.

    The point was that he had never heard that the ancient passage could lead to the hills north of Ampere Seale, only that one side of the ancient passage went deep into the mountains of Arreck.

    ¡°My lord, actually we don¡¯t know what the situation is like down there in that hall either.¡± Hearing Brendel say so, Babasha was even more certain of his identity. Everything was as prophesied, and the witch¡¯s secrets were like a big open book in his eyes, to be read at will. ¡°But since he knows about this passage as well, it means that it must exist.¡±

    This time Princess Gryphine was convinced too, beacuse Brendel certainly would never lie to her. She turned around and asked, ¡°Brendel, is she telling the truth?¡±

    ¡°I did hear of an ancient passage as such,¡± Brendel said with some sweat on his forehead; he almost exposed himself again. He couldn¡¯t help but curse Babasha for using a so-called witch¡¯s secret to fool him. ¡°But does this passage really lead to the hills north of Ampere Seale? Well, there were no mentions of that in the wizards¡¯ literature.¡± Brendel felt that if he spoke any longer, the materials from the forum were going to turn into a wizard¡¯s repository of literature.

    ¡°It¡¯s a secret we¡¯ve passed down from generation to generation, so naturally nothing can go wrong. This tunnel connects to the mountains on one side and leads to the hills to the north on the other side.¡±

    ¡°That should be right, and it basically matches what I know.¡± Brendel was sure this time that there might be a secret passage underneath that ancient passage. Thinking about this, he couldn¡¯t help but be curious. In the past, because of its proximity to Ampere Seale, there were many yers who explored this ancient passageway, but none of them had discovered this other secret passage for decades.

    It is impossible that a secret passage exists in the game for no reason, so there must be some sort of purpose to it. The thought of this lit a fire of anticipation in Brendel¡¯s heart, there were simply too few secrets that had yet to be uncovered in thend of order in The Amber Sword.

    He never thought he¡¯d find one today.

    He lifted his head and asked, ¡°Babasha, if I remember correctly. The entrance to that underground passage should be quite some distance away?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Babasha replied respectfully, ¡°That entrance should be to the east of Landin¡¯s Foothill Manor.¡±

    ¡°Who has a map?¡±

    ¡°I have it,¡± Count Audine immediately removed a wooden cylinder from his waist, uncorked it, and took out a waterproof roll of parchment maps. The apanying knight then spread it out, the parchment map spread out on the ground was almost half the size of a person. It was the full map of the area around Ampere Seale.

    This kind of high-precision map was notmon in this era, and even in the military it wass the most important highly confidential information and also worth no less than ten gold on the ck market. Back then, the yers did not have such impressive items in their hands. Brendel did not expect Audine to carry this with him, and could not help but praise: ¡°I did not expect Count Audine to carry this kind of item with him, how well prepared.¡±

    However, Count Audine nced at Princess Gryphine with some embarrassment and said ¡°It was Her Royal Highness who told me to bring it.¡±

    Brendel nced at the half-elf maiden, but she did not have much of an expression on her face and even frowned slightly. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh and look towards the map. On the map, there is a ce east of Landin¡¯s Foothills Manor called the Silver Spire Mound, and if he¡¯s not mistaken, the secret entrance to that ancient passage should be near there.¡±

    But before that, there¡¯s a problem.

    ¡°If I remember correctly, the secret entrance to that ancient passage has been sealed by ancient magic. Can you guys find a way to open that seal?¡± Brendel asked Babasha.

    ¡°Naturally, it was actually a witch who sealed that ancient passage, my Lord,¡± Babasa replied smugly. She does have the right to be proud of her heritage, and witches have a long history in Vaunte, having once followed the Darkness Dragon and held plenty of dark secrets and history unknown to others. ¡°Opening that secret door requires a ritual, and only twenty people can pass through it at a time. But once we go through that passage, it is is up to yourselves whether to head north to the hills north of Ampere Seale, or south into the mountains of Arrek.¡±

    ¡°Basically, we must enter that ancient passage no matter what?¡± Princess Gryphine asked.

    ¡°Pretty much, unless we¡¯re willing to draw a lot of blood, but the chances are slim,¡± said Brendel. Still, Princess Gryphine frowned, ¡°But they don¡¯t know exactly what¡¯s going on in that ancient tunnel either, and it¡¯s uncertain whether there will be any danger down there.¡±

    ¡°No matter what, it¡¯s better than sitting back and waiting,¡± Brendel added stiffly. ¡°Not to mention the fact that I know what¡¯s down there with a certainty of at least eighty percent. Please believe me, Your Highness.¡±

    The princess looked at him and finally nodded, ¡°Fine, I will believe you.¡±

    ¡°One more thing.¡± Count Audine, who was standing on the side, suddenly said. Under the gazes of the crowd, he pointed at the parchment map. In just a little while, the map was filled with stters of rain and said, ¡°We have ways to go from here to there, just now we saw at the top of the hill that there were at least more than one of Jorgendy Ridge¡¯s armies are entering the forest, will we run head-on into them if we go in this way.¡±

    Brendel looked at the map and frowned deeply. He knew that what Count Audine said was true, having seen with his own eyes a starburst of fire on the outskirts of Ampere Seale¡¯s harbor from the top of the mountain before, which might¡¯ve been the glow ofva and torches. There was a big chance that they would run into them if they continued northward like this, not to mention the countless Eagle Demons still flying overhead.

    He pursed his lips and frowned as he exchanged nces with the Princess. They both saw the same thing in each other¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°We need to call for backup.¡±

 Chapter 584 - v3c351 Requiem(1)

    <strong>v3c351</strong>

    <strong>Requiem(1)</strong>

    ¡°Daddy...Daddy...save me....¡±

    The little girl sobbed as she crawled, snot mingling with tears on her little face, and her white dress had long since gone ck from mud and blood.

    The viges outside Fort Bunuo were covered in blood as demons from the Sulfur River strung the inhabitants who were toote to escape on hooks, dragged them out of their houses, brutally murdered, and hung them from the trees in the vige. The little girl screamed and cried out for her father, not knowing if her father has long been one of those unfortunate souls.

    The demons seemed to be ying with this little prey, taking great pleasure from the little girl¡¯s panic. They left her to struggle in a pool of blood and mud, but every time she tried to climb out, a hellhoundes up to bite her calf and drag her back.

    The little girl screamed and struggled, and not far away the little devils let out a sharpugh in unison. It was like a feast for them, they pulled out a dying maiden from the pile of corpses, grabbed her long xen hair with their ws, then cut open her chest with a sharp knife, ripped out her heart and swallowed it in one gulp.

    The little girl waspletely stunned when she saw this scene. The hellhound who was waiting beside her seemed to have run out of patience and bit her then swung it¡¯s head around with the little girl¡¯s lifeless body shaking like a broken doll.

    But it was at this time that this hellish creature, which was taller than a person and looked like a giant wolf with dark fur, suddenly raised its head, twitched its ears, and stood in a guarded stance. Suddenly, a sharp arrow whistled through the night sky, separating the wind and rain, and hit its smoky snout. The creature who stunk of sulfur immediately let out a cry and its whole body tumbled backward.

    A female knight rushed out of the pouring rain with a sword in her hand and eyes that showed a gleam of hatred. She lifted the entire hellhound by its jaw using one hand. mes spit out from under the hellhound¡¯s fur and burned her fingers, but she gritted her teeth and thrust her sword upward, sending it straight into its body.

    ¡°Die, devil, go back to hell!¡±

    The hellhound let out a wail and a scorching lump of blood that came from the wound on its throat sttered on Freya¡¯s face.

    More knights rushed to the scene afterward and Bessie brought down the distant Imps one arrow at a time with a longbow. These red-skinned viins were nothingpared to the true strength of the ck Dwarves, not even as strong as the Hellhounds that Freya had killed.

    The knights passed by Freya, calling out the female knight¡¯s name. However, Freya looks as she has lost all her strength while repeatedly pummeling the Hellhound¡¯s body. Then she bent down and carefully picked up the little girl, who was a bloody mess from neck to chest, her eyes half-closed and her small mouth spitting out blood and bits of her guts as she mustered up the strength to speak.

    ¡°Sister....it hurts....¡±

    Freya bit her lower lip and couldn¡¯t stop the tears from flowing. This scene was familiar to her, having happened to her in many ces such as Be and Eruin. She had experienced the same pain herself. The mes of war scorched the earth, but it is not the nobles of the kingdom who are tormented in the mes, but its people.

    For the past year, the kingdom seemed to return to peace, but the same painful memory was repeated once again, this time it was the Kirrultz people and the nobles of the north who brought such misery. Who will it be next time?

    Aouine was powerless, just as she was powerless to save the little girl in her arms. Freya felt she could only watch as the little girl died, slowly going cold in her arms.

    ¡°Brendel, what am I going to do...¡± muttered Freya as she gently put her down.

    As she looked back, Bessie who had somehowe up behind her patted her on the back. ¡°Freya, this is war, you have to learn to get used to it.¡± She replied with a sigh.

    ¡°But when will Aouine end the war?¡±

    ¡°We will have to wait for it to get stronger, so strong that no one can manipte our fate.¡±

    ¡°One day,¡± replied Bessie firmly, ¡°Her Royal Highness will make it, and without the need to rely on those rotten nobles of the north.¡±

    Really? Freya couldn¡¯t help but think of what Brendel had once told her, but isn¡¯t the King¡¯s faction the same? Can those nobles really feel such pain? The more she knew, the darker and deeper history seemed in her eyes, as if a giant mouth was trying to swallow her up. But then she thought of those determined eyes in the midst of Be¡¯s sea of fire, how can Brendel always be so confident?

    The fear of uncertainty that shrouds everyone and causes fear and unease doesn¡¯t seem to exist in Brendel. Has he seen the other end of history? Has he seen the inevitable end?

    The young girl¡¯s mind slowly drifted away the more she thought about it.

    Bunuo¡¯s battlefield looks like the charred bottom of a pot, and all across the scorched earth stood a number of sticks, some with tattered gs remaining. The scorching scraps of armor were scattered all over the ce, with mutted human bodies, hands, feet, or some other body part.

    The demon¡¯s attack finally came to an end, but it brought an unparalleled shock to the hearts of the people. The remnants of the army fell back one after another, finally rebuilding a line of defense after retreating four to five miles. The genius of the port people Viscount Von Dougning looked into the distance and saw crater after crater which fills him with anger and hatred. When the gang of northern coalition lords cried for a retreat, he really should have ughtered them all, simply a bunch of cowards.

    He was fortunate enough to survive the battle of Mar Hignd, and although he was taken prisoner, he was quickly traded back, which made him look very bad, so he desperately needed a victory to prove himself. The glory of a soldier is to move forward, especially in the midst of such a war. Killing a few more demons is the basis for future promotion.

    But the demon attack was so daunting, Viscount Von Dougning did not know whether he stood a chance or not. Bright mes burned across the horizon, making it look as if it was raining grease and making the mes burn even brighter. Fort Bunuo was sort of finished, he didn¡¯t care how many people died there, who died there, none of that mattered to him, but he at least understood that this line of defense had be precarious.

    He saw a few knights in White Lion Legion battle robes walking past him and those White Lions seemed to be organizing a counterattack. He couldn¡¯t help but spit at them as such a battle was impossible to fight. Themanders were a bunch of fools that don¡¯t even know the enemy¡¯s fighting style.

    Viscount Von Dougning couldn¡¯t help but look up into the sky, he couldn¡¯t see through the heavy rain, but he could still see the shadow of the Royal First Fleet of Aouine hanging in mid-air. He always has fruitful insights but for a moment he didn¡¯t even know what to think.

    Count Jansu corrected the time on her pocket watch for thest time, and by that time, the fleet had fully unfurled in the direction of the northern demon army¡¯s garrison, all the gun doors on the ship¡¯s side had already opened. It looks as if the ship opened countless ck eyes. The sun hadpletely set, and it was pitch ck amongst the heavy rain.

    But there was still a string of residual light in the sky coupled with the flickering light emitted by the mes.

    This light fell on the count¡¯s rigid face, tracing several straight lines. The middle-aged man nced back at the Kirrultz people and said ¡°Fifteen minutes to go.¡±

    Nearly all of the upper echelons of the coalition army were gathered above the deck at this moment. Under the watchful eye of Archbishop Wood, Ciel ced a crystal ball in the center, and on the crystal ball was the image of Brendel.

    At the same moment, Brendel was also looking at Wood on the crystal ball that Babasha had ced on the parchment map.

    ¡°Brendel, in fifteen minutes, the Kirrultz people will join the Aouine people in a general attack on the demonic hordes from the Sulfur River that are several timesrger than they are, and we will draw attention away from you,¡± Wood in his officiating robe looked serious, ¡°but can you really find a way to tear down those Doors of mes?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t promise.¡± Brendel replied seriously, ¡°But you and I both understand what will happen if I don¡¯t seed, so we have to go for it.¡±

    ¡°Both you and I know, archbishop.¡± He smiled faintly.

    Wood looked deeply at Brendel.

    This is one the faces that he least wanted to see right now, this time Ampere Seale¡¯s n was close to being a nightmare for him. The situation in the harbor hadpletely deteriorated, and if the northern coalition forces were unable to defeat the demons, then the Kirrultz Empire and the Holy Cathedral of Fire were likely to pay dearly for it together.

    Those were the three Doors of mes, and no one knew the situation better than he did. No, there was one person who probably knew at least as much as he did. Wood stared dead at him, wondering how the young man could possibly know so much about the inside workings.

    As soon as Brendel opened his mouth, the northern nobility exploded.

    ¡°Is this guy passing the buck?¡±

    ¡°Lord Archbishop, if he can¡¯t give a certain answer, what¡¯s the point of us making a death-like charge at the demons, it¡¯s almost foolish.¡±

    ¡°Is Her Royal Highness trying to find a way to deplete her allies¡¯ strength?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to stand firm and wait for help, the Holy Cathedral of Fire won¡¯t abandon us.¡±

    And on the other side of the crystal ball, Princess Gryphine tugged at Brendel¡¯s sleeve as well. She looked at him somewhat angrily and asked, ¡°Mr. Brendel, you said we were going to act ording to the opportunities that show up.¡±

    ¡°They are demons, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°I know, but there is no need for you to take unnecessary risks,¡± said Her Royal Highness, trying to suppress her anger, ¡°Mr. Brendel, we can ovee them sooner orter! I don¡¯t support your personal heroism. Although romantic, it¡¯s not the right thing to do!¡±

    Brendel sighed and reached out his hand to gently straighten the tangled strands of hair on the Princess¡¯ forehead, a move that stunned everyone around him. Even the princess herself froze, but Brendel didn¡¯t care. To be honest, he didn¡¯t even know if he¡¯d make it back alive.

    He understood what kind of battle he was going to face the moment he made this decision.

    ¡°Have you ever seen a real army of demons, Your Highness?¡± He asked softly.

    ... ¡°Have you ever seen a real army of demons, you bunch of fools.¡± Wood slowly turned his head back, and everyone could hear the anger bred in the High Priest¡¯s tone. The northern nobles were unbeatable, but they had to bow their heads in front of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, and all of them went silent for a moment.

    ¡°Demons are the mortal enemies of order and civilization, Your Highness. They are rebellious and untamed, and although they are not under the Twilight Dragon, they are born from chaos. Born to tear everything down, everything that is good and cherished is their enemy. Their pleasures are built on mortal pain and despair.¡±

    ¡°The reason the Holy Cathedral fought against cults was not to silence the voices of opposition. Those who obey Twilight are believers of chaos whose faith is to tear the world apart and cause our world to cease to exist. Yet some of the people here today, some of the nobles who should be taking on the responsibility of guiding the people, have foolishly ignored this.¡±

    ¡°The demonic scourge of the Wilderness of Four Realms is still well remembered, the demons that gushed out from the portal destroyed everything, an entire kingdom, and almost all living beings werepletely exterminated. Who will save them? No one. Not even the Holy Cathedral could do it. Your Highness, have you seen the scene where demons walk over the earth and the mes of sulfur burn everything behind them?¡±

    ¡°I have seen it, and at the time I was not a high ranking bishop of the cathedral. Millions of demons descended upon this world, and it took the Holy Cathedral ten whole years of hard work topletely drive them back to the Sulfur River.¡±

    ¡°Today, Aouine is going to face the same fate.¡±

    ¡°Back then, the opening was just a crack on the border of Antoburo. And today, it¡¯s three whole portals.¡± Wood said quietly that he would not hesitate to divulge the secrets of the temple, for if today¡¯s issue could not be solved, his political life would alsoe to aplete end and he would be a sinner.

    More importantly, the reputation of the Holy Cathedral of Fire would take an unimaginable blow.

    On the other side, Brendel was silent for a moment and decided to get the truth out, ¡°Your Highness, Aouine will turn into hell on earth. But there should be a silver lining in this oue, isn¡¯t there?¡±

    There are millions of lives here, and they probably have nothing to do with him. He would not see them roast in the mes, he would not see them die in agony, and he would not even hear their wails before they died.

    Everything seemed so irrelevant to him, and yet he could still methodically carry out his n to recreate this ancient kingdom on top of the wastnd.

    At least Valha is still around, isn¡¯t she?

    Maybe. But Brendel couldn¡¯t convince himself to just ignore it. He could tell himself he didn¡¯t see it all, but couldn¡¯t fool the truest emotion in his heart.

    Everyone tries to run away all the time, but there is the truest version of themselves in everyone¡¯s heart, which tells them what is right and what is wrong.

    No one is born a hero but for now, at least there¡¯s a chance to try their absolute best. As he who has been through it all understands, there is only one thing in this world that cannot be made up.

    That¡¯s regret.

    Her Royal Highness looked at him in bewilderment.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, you....¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, you said you¡¯d trust me.¡±

    ¡°You.......¡± Princess Gryphine was slightly angry and struggled for a bit but in the end, she let go. ¡°Alright, I understand......¡±

    Brendel nodded at her, then he looked back at Archbishop Wood on the crystal ball. ¡°It seems that we have reached an agreement. Congrattions, archbishop.¡±

    Wood nodded but sighed faintly in his mind. The archbishop couldn¡¯t help but slightly lower his eyelids: The way things went has been too rash, and he probably shouldn¡¯t have condoned it in the first ce.

    ¡°May Mother Marsha in heaven bless us, and may Aouine¡¯s luck persist through this disaster.¡± There had never been a moment when he had so much hope for Aouine to continue existing as a Kirrultz, and Archbishop of the cathedral. Today is the day he had hoped the hardest for this country¡¯s survival.

    Brendel alsoughed, ¡°Yeah, I hope the Holy Cathedral of Fire didn¡¯t go against the will of its predecessor, Gretel too much, otherwise wouldn¡¯t it be unjust for me to be involved in this?¡±

    Wood grunted muffledly.

 Chapter 585 - v3c352

    v3c352

    Requiem(2)

    The devils seemed to have spotted the human¡¯s movements ahead of time as countless eagle devils took flight into the starless sky. The gship of the Royal Aouine Fleet, HMS Victory, kicked off the battle with its cannonade and a test shot upon an eagle devil. The shell exploded in a shower of light when it hit the eagle devil. The crossbowmen on the side of the ship watched as the flurry of wings and feathers practically blocked out the intense light from the explosion. Those shells were like stones thrown into the sea.

    There were endless enemies.

    The wizard watched the effects of the shelling through the porthole in the door, the light from the mes of the explosion turning his face pale. He took a sheet of paper filled with tables to record the charge as well as the amount of infused magic on it. The messenger took the paper from him and spread the orders.

    A momentter, the entire fleet let out a roar, and countless shells whistled towards the dense group of eagle devils. A sh of light from another explosion blossomed between these monsters, the shockwave of the explosion virtually forming a tidal wave of blood, pushing countless feathers and limbs forward. Mutted chunks of corpses fell as though they were rain.

    The dormant earth was awakened by the roar of the rainy night. The rumbling sounded as though it surged from the forests that stretch from Bunuo to the Silver Sheath Cliffs, the imaginary blood flowing through huge veins beneath the surface. Each and every soldier felt the ground beneath his feet shuddering slightly, like a living thing. The sh of the explosions overhead shone a clear light between the sky and the earth, giving a panoramic view of the pitted battlefield near Fort Bunuo. gs were being raised one by one on the edge of the battlefield, when an army of humans appeared.

    The Allied Forces of Mankind went on the offensive.

    The goal of the Aouine and the Kirrultz people was to capture several viges near Fort Bunuo in order to entice the devils to put more troops into the frontal battlefield. However the fireballs of the Devil Warlocks at the top of Fort Bunuo caused great trouble for the entire battlefield, and the battle progressed slower than expected.

    Freya, along with the sergeants under her and the Lantonn knights, moved briskly along a patch of woods in the middle of the battlefield, and they soon arrived near Fort Bunuo. Their goal was to capture this ancient fortress. Freya immediately ordered an attack after observing the terrain, and hundreds of Lantonn knights immediately attacked the gaping hole in the crumbling walls of the fortress.

    The Imps guarding the hole were not their match; these scrawny inferior devils were notoriously timid and cowardly in the Sulfur River. They had neither magic nor any fighting skills and the higher devils didn¡¯t even acknowledge them as devils. The higher devils merely treated them as things to be exchanged, like food or coin. After a few of theirpanions had been killed, these ostensibly cruel and terrifying monsters revealed their true nature and escaped. The knights quickly killed their way to the top of the fort. The maiden from the countryside of Be, who led them, was delighted to see the rapid progress of the offensive on her side. At this rate, it would take them less than fifteen minutes to conquer Fort Bunuo.

    But it was right then that a Devil Warlock appeared and unlike the human wizards. These Devil Warlocks were muscr and gnarled and had huge horns protruding their heads. They wore very little ornaments like the lower level devils. This Devil Warlock held a burning ball of fire in its hands, and as soon as it threw the fireball, it exploded among the knights who had rushed to the forefront.

    The st waves from the explosion sent the knights of Lantonn tumbling, and a flying stone even cut Freya¡¯s face, leaving the maiden¡¯s face bloody. However, she didn¡¯t care about the fiery pain and immediately shouted, ¡°Everyone, follow me and charge up there with all your might, don¡¯t give it another chance to cast its spell!¡±

    Upon saying that, she took the lead and climbed the shattered rocks and gravel to rush up towards the gap. Two lesser devils summoned by the Devil Warlock lunged at her left and right, but Freya raised her shield and threw them backward. Her heroic act greatly boosted the morale of the Lantonn knights, who shouted the female knight¡¯s name as they forged on ahead to the top.

    Freya immediately caught the attention of the Devil Warlocks, and soon more Imps surrounded her, forcing her to slow down. The surrounding knights quickly overtook her and rushed up to the top of the wall. However, another huge figure appeared on top of the wall.

    It was a Minotaur.

    The monster from Jorgendy Ridge had appeared without warning. It was apparent that it had already been lying in ambush behind the fortress walls since the start, and merely waited for the human knights to throw themselves at it. The creature was at least as tall as three people, holding an axerger than itself. When it stood, it was like a massive windmill. It also swept the huge axe forward like the des of a windmill, the Lantonn knights in front of it let out a scream right before they were sliced in half.

    The Minotaur roared and rushed down the copsed wall, sweeping all the humans and devils in front of him off the wall. The human knights were no match for it at all. The creature quickly arrived in front of Freya, raising its axe and swinging it brutally at her.

    ¡°Look out, Freya!¡±

    Bessie shouted at Freya to warn her but at that moment, she was tensed up. She had never seen such a huge monster except for that terrifying wind elemental in Mar Hignds, but the feeling of watching from a distance was different from the feeling of a close physical fight. Furthermore, the dark and heavy surface of the huge axe put immense psychological pressure on her.

    If the axe hits, I¡¯m dead. No, I can¡¯t die here. Brendel is still out in front and I have to help him take this fort, only then would the devils turn their attention to the main battle.

    Everything she learned in the Royal Cavalry Academy suddenly came to her all at once. Even at the veryst moment, her heart was calm. It was as if there was some special power flowing through her body, a feeling exactly like the moment she got the Lionheart Sword.

    When the Minotaur¡¯s axe came down on her, Freya dodged the attack by ducking down, then she leaped forward, instinctively grabbing the axe¡¯s hilt where it connected with the axe¡¯s head.

    The Minotaur didn¡¯t even have time to think and just raised the axe as high as it could. Freya let go and leapt upwards tond on the axe¡¯s head, which was over a meter in width ¨Crge enough for her to stand on. Then, she took another leap andnded on the back of the Minotaur¡¯s neck.

    This series of movements waspleted in a sh, and everyone hadn¡¯t had time to react, but the Minotaur finally realized that the prey before him had somehow gotten onto its back. It let out an angry moo and reached out to grab Freya, who was behind it.

    However, Freya angled herself to the side and side-stepped the monster¡¯s mat-sized hands. At the same time, she gritted her teeth and raised her Lionheart Sword. A bright light radiated from the sword, so brilliant that it was like an ice-blue me, illuminating the entire fort and the bright eyes of this maiden from the countryside of Be.

    It was like a recreation of the scene from that day. A pair of silver wings of light unfurled behind Freya¡¯s back and the War Goddess¡¯ pattern reappeared as the female knight clenched her legs around the Minotaur¡¯s neck. With her hands gripping the sword, she thrusted it down the spine of the monster.

    With a thud, the shing Lionheart Sword plunged into the Minotaur¡¯s neck like a knife slicing through tofu.

    The Minotaur then let out a loud wail. It dropped its axe as though it had gone mad, and started pping its neck. This time, Freya could not dodge it. She heard a loud crack from her back and sharp pain soon followed. Her organs almost shifted. Darkness consumed her vision. Her body fell backwards, but her hand still gripped the hilt of the Lionheart Sword tightly and she took advantage of the situation to pull the sword out. The ck blood of the Minotaur started gushing out.

    Freya coughed up a mouthful of blood, but she still raised her Lionheart Sword and drove it into the back of the Minotaur¡¯s head. This time, the monster could not withstand such a heavy injury and fell forward, making a loud thud as it fell on top of the copsed fortress walls.

    Everyone was in shock.

    ¡°Freya!¡± Bessie, who had charged forward with Freya, ran towards the body of the Minotaur like a madman. The nonmissioned officers of the Royal Cavalry Academy already had ayer ofradeship with each other. In addition to that, she and Freya were one of the few women there, so they were even closer.

    However right now the maiden from the Be countryside was dizzy. Despite it all, there was one thing on her mind.

    Can¡¯t stop yet.

    She had learned everything from Ciel long ago. Even when Brendel was ahead, she knew what he was going to do, and she knew what she herself was going to do.

    Absolutely no more being that useless Freya that was Be¡¯s Militia Captain.

    She wanted to change Be along with everyone¡¯s fate.

    Brendel could help her.

    But she was no longer that same ignorant country girl; she had learned so much. She even had a vague feeling that she might have seen what Brendel had seen and that¡¯s exactly what Her Royal Highness was after. Not just an ideal, but a wonderful vision.

    When will Aouine be able to escape its predetermined fate? Bessie had said that until the kingdom became twice as strong, these tragedies would happen over and over again. However, Brendel had told her it wasn¡¯t just a nobleman¡¯s task. Her Royal Highness had told her that everyone must defend their dignity with their own sword.

    ¡°Freya!¡± Bessie came to the maiden¡¯s side and helped her up.

    The knights of Lantonn couldn¡¯t help but let out a cheer when they saw the blood-covered female knight. Freya gritted her teeth and raised the Lionheart Sword in her hand high.

    The sword¡¯s shining de was more like a banner, and this banner was reflected in everyone¡¯s eyes. It was the Lionheart Sword, a banner of victory, as if to symbolize Aouine¡¯s rectitude and unyieldingness.

    ¡°Freya!¡±

    ¡°Freya! Freya!¡± With a fever in everyone¡¯s hearts, the knights shouted the name of their temporarymander and charged the walls.

    There were no more Minotaurs on the fortress walls. Even an army of devils couldn¡¯t possibly use such a high-ranked creature like this as cannon fodder. After all, this was not the battlefield of the War of the Holy Saints that took ce thousands of years ago.

    Freya watched as the ck and red torrent rushed into Fort Bunuo. However, there was merely calmness within her.

    ¡°Bessie, help me up.¡±

    ¡°What the hell, you¡¯re all hurt like that,¡± The short-haired maidenined. ¡°I promised the Lord Commander to take care of you, now I might not even get to keep my precious magic.¡±

    Freya couldn¡¯t help but cough up augh, knowing that Brendel would never hold it against her for that reason. She felt herself ache so much, but never for a moment was she so rxed. Something in her heart had left her, but her maturity doubled.

    ¡°I seem to have suddenly understood something, Bessie.¡±

    ¡°What did you understand?¡±

    In another time and space, Aouine¡¯s future war goddess smiled faintly. At that moment it finally dawned on her that those words weren¡¯t being said to her; it was just Brendel talking to himself.

    War will always happen, and we only have the choice to ept it.

    We were born in a very awful generation and we cannot choose our generation. But we can try to change it.

    Maybe it won¡¯t change anything, but at least the memory of the many people we have fought alongside to make it happen is precious enough.

    Do you know the word panion¡±? No matter how far you go, there are plenty of people with you. You will never be alone.

    She, he, and everyone will move forward with Aouine.

    Till the end of time.

    The situation on the battlefield changed, and the devils finally began to notice that the human attack on the front was fierce beyond their expectations. Although losing Fort Bunuo wasn¡¯t something too terrific, it showed that the weak opponent on the other side still had the ability to fight back.

    They began to devote the army behind Jorgendy Ridge to the frontal battlefield, seeking to crush thest hopes of these wretches in one fell swoop.

    And far away in the mountains near Ampere Seale, the knights looked up at the shes in the sky ¨C which resembled fireworks. However they had nothing to say. Everyone understood what they saw. The shessted for around fifteen minutes. Babasha finally brought herpanions back.

    Just as Brendel had expected, those were the witches who had secluded themselves all over Aouine, whose strength was around Babasha¡¯s level.

    They all showed their respective loyalties to Brendel and even took an oath, while avoiding the attention of the others.

    Time was running out and Brendel had no time to cate these new subordinates. Under his orders, everyone packed up and headed north. The knights were forced to go through the forest in dark and rainy conditions. They even waded through a couple of overflowing mountain streams. Fortunately, other than the princess, everyone in the pack had the abilities that surpass a silver-ranker, so the bad weather was but a minor issue.

    They crossed a few low altitude hills and marched north for more than twenty minutes. They arrived at the location in rtively little to no time. The secret gate was located in a valley surrounded by twelve hazelnut trees, just as Brendel remembered it. But as they emerged from the woond, they saw an empty stretch ofnd with neither gates nor anything that could be considered man-made.

    Everyone stopped and couldn¡¯t help but cast a puzzled look at Brendel.

    Brendel didn¡¯t speak, but internally, he knew what was going on. However, he was quite cautious and only waited as Babasha exined, ¡°This is an illusion that only a witch can undo.¡±

    And so it was.

 Chapter 586 - v3c353

    v3c353

    Requiem(3)

    Each of the twelve witches stood under a hazelnut tree and began to chant an ancient song. Seven stone pirs broke out silently from the ground. A great white rock with a crack then rose up from the dirt in the middle of the stone pirs. The crack resembled a ck hole leading to the gate of hell.

    The stone gates and pirs were obviously artificially carved out of natural rocks. There were some curved scripts on them, but they were so eroded that Brendel could barely make out what was supposed to be the writings of the ancient dwarfs.

    ¡°Lord, this door will onlyst for a quarter of an hour, please decide who you want to take with you quickly,¡± Babasha said immediately in a hoarse voice as soon as the white rock appeared.

    Brendel had long since decided which people would apany him. ¡°Babasha, please choose five dependable people toe with me. Count Audine, take the knights and enter after us. The rest of you shall protect the princess. I want you to swear upon the Goddess of The Burning Pirs of Hell.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Brendel,¡± replied Count Audine as he bowed to the knight. His rtionship with Brendel seemed to naturally be one of superiority and inferiority, but the Count was not narrow-minded; he understood that Brendel was far more qualified to give orders here because he did not feel that anything was wrong with this arrangement.

    The witches obediently did as they were told. Count Audine was stunned as he watched them. While the witches asionally made deals with worldly authorities, they would have never behaved so respectfully. He did not really believe the old witch who imed that it was because Brendel had helped them before, but he doubted part of Brendel¡¯s history. He already knew that Brendel was a descendant of the Sword Saint Darius, and that Brendel had learnt the the path of a wizard from a powerful, cloistered wizard ¨C whom Count Audine suspected to be Tulman. Thus, he subconsciously attributed the witches¡¯ rtionship with Brendel to the possibility that they might have once benefited from the mysterious Silver Fortress¡¯ master before.

    ¡°Mr.Brendel-¡± Just as the half-elf girl opened her mouth, she was interrupted by Brendel. ¡°Your Highness, please stay here and don¡¯t let me worry. Because whether it is you or me, Aouine will always need someone who will lead the way into the future. I may be a little arrogant for saying so, but I don¡¯t want my efforts to go to waste.¡±

    Princess Gryphine looked at him carefully. ¡°Then, my order to you is toe back. Can you do that?¡±

    Brendel did not reply. How could I answer this? He did not even have the answer to this question; perhaps whoever came from Jorgendy Ridge were a bunch of brainless cavemen who did not expect a secret passage that led into the hills north of Ampere Seale. And so they went all out, perhaps leaving only one reserve team, which allowed him to easily demolish the Door or me.

    Of course that was what he hoped for too. However, he knew in his heart that an oue that was the total opposite was more likely to happen, with the Devils heavily manning the portal. They had only a slight chance to seed. He did not know what he was going to face. Even when they had been ughtering their way through the siege at Be, he had never felt so uncertain.

    History hadpletely changed, and for the first time ever he could not make out the inevitable oue that was behind all these. But surprisingly, there was no fear in him; his mind was clear and he knew exactly what he was about to do.

    ¡°So this is the deal.¡± Brendel smiled faintly. ¡°If I am unlucky and end up dying, I will have Count Audine send my dead body back.¡±

    This was not a joke told in good taste. The princess frowned at him and said only two words, ¡°Stay alive.¡±

    ¡°I will try my best. No one wishes to die, Your Highness.¡±

    Princess Gryphine just looked at him in silence, which made Brendel feel weird. He thought that his ambiguous answer was bound to be reprimanded, but anyhow, he had made up his mind.

    Babasha had already chosen the people to follow him, and she brought those five witches to meet him. One of the witches was said to be Babasha¡¯s niece, a skinny middle-aged woman in her sixties, and the other three were also closely rted to Babasha. Thest person, however, surprised Brendel slightly. She was a little girl less than half his height, who held a honey pot in her arms. She had faint freckles on the tip of her nose and a pair of amber eyes that were looking at him curiously. Babasha introduced her as her adopted daughter. Although she was only fourteen years old she had already possessed Silver-ranked power.

    Brendel asked what her name was and the little girl replied brightly, ¡°Sugar Jar.¡±

    What a nice name. Brendel could not help but nce at the honey jar she was holding, thinking that the little girl must really like sweet things. Do witches get cavities? Probably not.

    After bidding goodbye to the princess, he led the witches into the cave and the twelve knights followed behind. In the crevice of the rock was a small space which could only allow three people to walk side by side at one time. The traces of artificially carved steps on the floor could clearly be felt. Someone at the rear lit a torch with a flint, and the smell of pine oil filled the cave at once, but the crowd could see their surroundings now.

    The rocks on both sides were as sharp as knives, in between the rocks was a staircase that led to the underground, it was not much different from what Brendel remembered, except that the dust was so thick that he could draw a line on the wall. The first yer who discovered this might have felt the same way.

    However, a surprised shout came from the back right then. Brendel turned his head hurriedly and saw a familiar slender figure walking in. The cracks of the wall closed behind her, naturally merging with the appearance of the surrounding rock walls without leaving a trace.

    It was Princess Gryphine.

    ¡°Your Highness, you...¡± Fortunately, Brendel did not pass out. He finally understood what thatst nce from the princess meant; it turned out to be a ploy to let his guard down, but tragically, he actually fell right into the trap.

    ¡°Mr.Brendel, you are not rather smart.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I admit that I am stupid. But, I will order Babasha to take you out through another secret passage, Your Highness, you cannot best me,¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Unless you kill me,¡± Princess Gryphine replied coldly. ¡°Otherwise, no one can take me. You may as well give it a try, Mr. Brendel. I dare to carry out every word of mine with actions.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t be so...¡± Brendel wanted to say stubborn, but he suddenly remembered that this princess was well known for being stubborn in history and she might really do as she said.

    Brendel could feel a headacheing on. He suddenly missed Amandina who always obeyed him, or Scarlet and Medissa. They were at least less stubborn than this princess.

    ¡°Mr.Brendel, I said that you¡¯re dumb not because I managed to deceived you.¡± The princess softened her tone when she saw the hesitant look on his face. ¡°Have you ever thought that Aouine would no longer exist if you failed? The Devils would destroy it all, didn¡¯t you already tell me that? I want to be with you and see you save this ancient kingdom with your own hands.¡±

    ¡°If you fail...¡± The princess looked at him quietly. ¡°I will join you in martyrdom for this kingdom. I wish to at least get to bury our ideals in the dirt with my own hands. I want to die by my knight¡¯s side.¡±

    Brendel felt his heart skip a beat.

    He did not know if the princess meant what she said. He saw the half-elf girl¡¯s serious gaze and felt as if she had seen through him.

    But he had to admit that he had never thought of that. If he failed, Aouine would be wiped out by the invasion of the Devils, and after losing him and Valha, whether Aouine¡¯s people would be able to rebuild a kingdom on top of the ruins and whether the rebuilt kingdom would carry the people¡¯s faith was still an unknown.

    Even the question of whether the people of Aouine would survive this tragedy remained. After losing those familiar names of thend, would this kingdom still be the Aouine he had known?

    It may not be.

    The princess had thought further and foreseen the future more clearly than he did; perhaps this was the difference between them both. She was a native of this kingdom after all, and as much as he knew about the history of this ancient kingdom, it only carried half of Brendel¡¯s feelings.

    He sighed. ¡°Your Highness, you are with me, and since you recognised me as your knight, I will then take responsibility for protecting you. From this moment onwards, you must not only do things ording to your will,¡± he said with a halfining and half-deliberating remark.

    Princess Gryphine¡¯s gaze softened a little.

    ¡°Babasha, you lead the way,¡± Brendel said impatiently.

    ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± Babasha looked at the princess and smiled mysteriously. She picked up the torch and walked forward.

    The torch¡¯s glow stretched along the downward canal, and the air quickly broke away from the humidity outside and became dry. The turpentine fire spat out a spark or two asionally, whichnded on Babasha¡¯s witch hat. Other than that it was hard to hear any other sounds in this silent underground space.

    Of course, except for the rustling footsteps of the crowd.

    Brendel could sense that the princess beside him was a little nervous, which was not surprising. Although she had a varied noble education which taught her to remain calm at all times, she was still a noble girl born into a royal family after all. She had never experienced exploring the wilnds, let alone the underground of this ancient fortress. Anyone would have had some strange hallucinations, and the princess was no exception.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, for whom exactly were these tunnels builts for?¡± Princess Gryphine was intrigued as she saw these mysterious tunnels beneath Ampere Seale with her own eyes. Again, it was as though to get rid of that unease that she asked in a small voice.

    ¡°It should be the dwarves, but I don¡¯t know which dwarves,¡± Brendel replied casually.

    ¡°It should be the Rune Dwarves, Lord, ¡± replied the old witch Babasha from the front.

    It turned out that Brendel did not expect this to be another relic of the Rune Dwarves, but there was hardly any detail in the Amber Sword about the tunnels here, and it seemed like the keypoint was still in that secret tunnel that the yers could not find.

    After a short conversation, the surroundings quickly fell into silence again. The canal began to get narrower, allowing only two people to walk side by side. Brendel and the princess had to move closer together. The knights also noticed that water was beginning to seep and cover the underground steps. The artificially carved marks had already be unclear by this point; the surrounding stone walls were being washed back to their original state by the groundwater that seeped down from above.

    After a quarter of an hour or so, the artificial tunnelpletely disappeared and a cliff appeared in front of it. A nting crack cut off the tunnel. When the torch was held up, a smooth mirror-like natural stone wall could be seen.

    Brendel gestured for Babasha to extinguish the torch, then he took out a crystal used for light. This crystal was basically an ubiquitous, cheap good that one could find anywhere, which emitted a very dim light.

    It was not that Brendel did not have a better choice; he had done so deliberately. He had not forgotten that below the cliff was the female spider¡¯sir. Going down with a light source that radiated heat would be just suicidal.

    It was only after changing the light source that Brendel added the Wind Wings spell to each of them. The Wind Wings of a Level 20 Elementalist would not be enough to enable flight, but it was sufficient for slowndings. The entire row of people slowly drifted from the cliff, taking merely a few minutes to descend to the bottom.

    There was a totally different view below the cliffs, and the knights soon discovered that there was an underground river below. The pebbles on both sides of the riverbank were covered withyers uponyers of white spider webs. Countless spider eggs could be seen beneath the webs and fist-sized spiders could be seen crawling among them.

    Brendel subconsciously looked up and saw that the sloping cliffs were filled with spiders that looked like dense ck balls of flesh, stacked upyer byyer. Gooseflesh prickled intensely on his head. He could not help but curse at himself, just like when he was in the game.

    When they first ventured here, he had subconsciously nced over his head and ended up screaming in shock, which drew the female spider out, resulting in the team being destroyed. He was scolded severely once by his senior because of this, and was still embarrassed at the thought of it.

    But a wall of crawling bugs overhead that felt like they would fall at any moment was a little too disgusting. Even if he was mentally prepared, he still had goosebumps.

    ¡°Listen up everyone, don¡¯t look over your heads.¡± He retracted his gaze immediately as he gave the order.

    The knights did as they were told, but Princess Gryphine was very sharp and seemed to have guessed what might be overhead. Brendel saw her face turn pale, so he touched her hand multiple times, but he immediately retracted his hand each time.

    He did not expect the princess to be so afraid of spiders. Had he known that, perhaps he should have let her look up. Princess Gryphine would be so scared that she might hug him straight away. Brendel had this mischievous thought in mind, but of course, it was just a thought.

    ¡°Mr.Brendel, these spiders must havee from somewhere,¡± Princess Gryphine said with a pale face. She knew it was unlikely for so many spiders to cluster together inexplicably, and the only possibility was that there might be air of magical creatures here.

    Brendel nodded. ¡°It was said that the owner of this ce is Anarons, the Mother of Spiders. That magical creature already had a terrifying strength of the Elemental Activation or even the Elemental Enlightenment as early as one or two hundred years ago. It was said that its Elemental Power is the web. The web means both bondage and linkage; it could control every single thread here.

    ¡°By the way, don¡¯t ever touch thoses, not even one thread,¡± Brendel reminded them. It was best to avoid messing with the dreaded female spider as much as they could.

    Everyone shivered as they heard him say that. However, it was at this moment that Brendel heard a rustling noiseing from a direction.

    It did not sound like a spider.

    ¡°Huh?¡± He trembled slightly. He could not help but turn to look towards that direction.

 Chapter 587 - v3c354

    v3c354

    ==

    Requiem(4)

    Whether it is Vaunte or our world, there will always be some aspects of the battlefield which go unnoticed throughout the ages. It was like a dead end forgotten by the gaze of the gods. No matter how fierce the fighting was there, or what odd things were going on, it was like a vacuum within the minds of themanders on both sides of the war, and no one would look much into it. Constructed around the chaotic age of 1400 at the East Gate of Ampere Seal was an elfin-style fortress called Hafermeri Fortress. Ever since its birth, it seemed to either be blessed or cursed; every battle was far from it. When Erik faced the barbarians, Razor Sihad, the lord of the mountain folk, spared the wide-open east side and took the long way to attack Ampere Seale¡¯s southern gate. Later, in the fight against Madara¡¯s first invasion in the Tide of Darkness, the Skeleton Lords once again spared the ancient fortress. So much so that to this day, the princess¡¯ party and the northern nobles seem to have agreed that there is not much use for Hafermeli Fortress. After the demon invasion, the whole city was turned into rubble but the northeast corner was still as silent as ever. For a fortress built to deal with the war, it was really hard to say whether this is a good or bad thing.

    But after seven hundred years of erosion, the fortress, which had hardly ever seen war, showed its age. The battlements had moss growing all over them, and the walls had turned dark green ¨C which represented its history. The only difference between it and other fortresses was that there was not a single scratch on the 300-meter-long section of the fortress. There were no signs of old and new sections blending with each other haphazardly. No human soldiers were in the fortress at the moment, however, hordes of eagle demons huddled on top of the battlements, chattering, or hovered over them in the heavy rain. The Harbor Guards had withdrawn on their own, so Fort Hafermeri was lucky to have missed another battle.

    The eagle demons watched from the sky as arge pit that was hundreds of meters in diameter took shape below. Hundreds of cavemen dug in this worksite ¨C or more urately, muddy puddle. Doing anything in such stormy weather was not the wisest thing, which included digging holes and fighting a war. Although the cavemen under themand of the warlocks of the Jorgendigan Underground erected scaffolding to stabilize the four walls, copses still urred from time to time. The good thing was that the cavemen¡¯s lives were insignificant, and Lord Stark didn¡¯t care if one, a hundred, or a thousand more cavemen died, it didn¡¯t make any difference to him. The only thing that mattered was how much gold was spent. The cavemen bred so fast that it only takes a small piece ofnd to get a whole army of them. All he had to do was dig that thing up within the deadline, and any losses would be repaidter on.

    A throbbing sensation came from the ground from time to time. Ordinary people often thought this was a premonition of an impending bad omen, but the wizards could tell in a sh that it was a ripple of dark magic flowing underneath the earth, eroding the threads of order in the world. Of course, to ordinary people, this was not a good thing, but to Stark it was like a box of gold that gave off the lovely smell of valuable wine in the ground. No, not one box, but hundreds of boxes ¨C there was even a description ording to thenguage of those demons thate from the Sulfur River: a hundred boxes of gold is no more valuable than that thing, which is an existence that cannot be measured by mortal and folly of values. However, the demons rejected the short-sightedness of mortals, and Stark was just as contemptuous of demonic values.

    A treasure that can¡¯t be measured in gold? Wouldn¡¯t that be worthless? He waved his huge bullhead and turned his nose up at it, as he didn¡¯t look highly upon worthless things

    But this time, it should be the right ce. Stark couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief as he could sniff out the stench of that dark magic with his nose. The cavemen under him gave him a lot of trouble as the pit kept on copsing. The cavemen had to take their time to move the corpses out, or else they would be part of the newndfill underneath, as they were now. Suddenly, there was another cacophony of noise that came from below. What is it now? Another copse? Can¡¯t they just do their job? The minotaur lord Stark didn¡¯t give the least bit of thought to the fact that it never rained in Jorgendy Ridge. He simply hardened his resolve ¨C the cavemen must be taught a profound lesson if they gave him any more trouble. He nned to throw them into that favoritebyrinth of his. Not even the smart and pretty Medusa Lysemeka could find an exit.

    But immediately after she got out that time, Lysemeka turned him into stone for two hours. She said he was cheating and that he hadn¡¯t made a door for the maze. However, this was also a cunning tactic of the Minotaur. Stark was deeply distressed because he was unable to gain the favor of the beautifuldy warrior. How could no one appreciate his wit? When he thought of Lysemeka, that cold and beautiful face came to his mind, distinctly as if it were real, but then Stark immediately realized that it was indeed real, as he saw the beautiful Lady Medusaing out of the rain.

    ¡°So, what happened again. I was up there and heard the mess below,¡± Lysemeka asked with a little displeasure. ¡°Did you grow a head this big just to bnce your body, Stark?¡±

    Minotaur Lord Stark let out a silly grin upon hearing Lysemeka say that, which could basically be seen as a giggle,pletely destroying his vicious expression. Can you imagine what a giggling Minotaur looks like? This was the distinguished face that Lysemeka was able to see. Lysemeka frowned. She seemed to have guessed that he couldn¡¯t say a word even if she asked him, so she simply pushed him away with her hand and looked towards the bottom of the pit herself. Immediately, she saw a spectacle happening at the bottom of the pit: arge group of cavemen screaming and scrambling like rats in a pot, running up the ramp at the bottom of the pit. It felt like there was a cat in the bottom of the pit alongside the rats.

    ¡°What are you doing!¡± Lysmeka was almost out of her mind from fury, and if she hadn¡¯t still had an ounce of sanity left, she would have turned around and red hard at that bastard Stark, turning him into a stone statue forever. That stone statue would have been as majestic as Minotaur¡¯s legendary lord, and no one would ever know how idiotic this guy really was, which was the most important thing.

    Most unfortunately, the cavemen could not answer her.

    ........

    ¡°What are you doing!¡±

    When they heard this scream that was no less shrill than the shriek of a siren piercing through the rain, our merchantdy transformed into a ck cat with the help of White Mist. A dense ck cloud of smoke rose up, and a kitten with ck and shiny fur appeared. The cat with golden pupils stepped out of the smoke with tiny kitten steps. She seemed curious about this form, but changing into a magical animal was actually a specialized spell for a witch. She got used to it very quickly even though White Mist didn¡¯t tell her anything

    White Mist watched as Romaine curiously licked her left paw, before looking at her right paw and then stretching out said paw to scratch her ear. Romaine then wagged her tail. White Mist really couldn¡¯t bear to watch anymore, so she turned into a ring of white fog around her and transformed into a white bow tied around the back of Miss Merchant¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly, it seems to be a mess down there, now would be a good time,¡± said White Mist in that usual helpless tone of hers.

    Only then did Romaine step out of the grass and quietly go to the pit.

    The bottom of the pit was inplete disarray, and there was no telling whether arger copse or something had happened. The cavemen escaped upwards while screaming. There was no brotherhood between these creatures from the Jorgendy Ridge Underground, who fought each other just to get a head start and left their mates behind if they could. Lysemeka¡¯s fury turned several cavemen who rushed up the pit into stone. She did not even ask why they were running. No one had been paying attention to the movements inside the pit at this moment ¨C or to be more exact, no one saw the cat by the edge of the pit. Of course, the only people present who actually had eyes to see were Stark and Lysmeka.

    Romaine carefully stepped on the scaffolding and made her way to the bottom of the pit, just like a real kitten. White Mist sighed at the sight of it, thinking that Miss Merchant was better off as a cat. However, she suddenly felt that,pared to Romaine¡¯s curiosity, perhaps the cat with nine lives was her true form. If Vaunte had a cycle of birth and reincarnation, White Mist thought that Romaine might have been born in the wrong form. However, within a fraction of a second of her distraction, the Merchant Miss had already avoided several groups of cavemen by dodging left and right. She deftlynded on a reinforced b and greatly widened her golden prismatic pupils to look towards the bottom of the pit. ¡°White Mist, White Mist, look, what is that!¡±

    White Mist looked down and immediately saw a dozen or so strange creatures hunting down the cavemen in front of them. It was a strange creature because it looked a bit like a spider, but to her extensive knowledge, there was absolutely no spider that was covered in sharp crystals. If she hadn¡¯t seen its exposed limbs, she would have thought it was a bunch of giant crystals chasing them down there. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s the Crystal Wights!¡± she burst out.

    ¡°Crystal Wights? What is that?¡± Romaine asked curiously.

    By this time, a few Crystal Wights had approached the surface, and they were acting fierce and bloodthirsty. Several cavemen had already perished under their hands, but the eerie thing was that they clearly hadn¡¯t killed the cavemen for the sake of hunting: these wights simply ughtered them and then tossed their bodies aside, as though they had been professionally trained or were experienced after practicing this action repeatedly.

    Up on the surface, Lady Medusa Lysmeka finally noticed the uninvited guests. ¡°Are they guards?¡± she muttered, casually dropping the lucky crypt dweller in her hand back into the pit.

    She removed the short bow from her waist and aimed at those Crystal Wights, shooting the front two with an arrow each so that they toppled back into the pit. These few Crystal Wights showed very strongbat prowess, around the level of Gold Rankers. The cavemen were no match for them at all, and as soon as Lysmeka fired those test shots, she realized that she had met a challenging opponent.

    ¡°A Crystal Wight is a Crystal Wight, let¡¯s go on down and take a look.¡± Inside the pit, White Mist was answering Roman¡¯s queries in her own peculiar way.

    ¡°Will they kill Romaine?¡± Romaine asked with a little nervousness.

    ¡°They won¡¯t, I am here,¡± White Mist replied simply.

    Only then that Miss Merchant nodded and plunged downward,nding steadily on the bottom of the pit. It was then that the two realized that this deep pit had already been dug through, because they could see artificial traces begin to appear. This was probably a historical site, with many openings that led to the ck cavernous underground.

    The two randomly picked an opening and entered it. There were no cavemen in the ruins now, nor could they see new Crystal Wights appearing. Except for the sound of rain and water, the ce was lonely and deste. In fact, the sound of the rain had gradually diminished after they had entered that opening, and the outline of a certain huge presence gradually emerged in the darkness.

    ¡°Ah!¡± White Mist gasped again.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Romaine hurriedly leapt forward and looked up curiously. She watched as the huge silhouette gradually became clearer in her vision and then slowly coalesced to form a head. To be exact, it looked like a part of a huge stone statue. Or, as Romaine saw it, it resembled the marble statues used to decorate Coldwood Castle erged a thousand times.

    But the stone statue¡¯s facial lines were very sharp. It didn¡¯t look like a statue of a modern human. It looked more like it was sculpted by another race instead. Romaine looked at it and realized it had neither a beard nor pointed ears. ¡°Not a dwarf, not an elf,¡± shemented thoughtfully.

    ¡°What is this, White Mist?¡±

    ¡°...Titan Statue, I didn¡¯t expect it to be here... I didn¡¯t expect it to be here...¡± muttered White Mist. If she could widen her eyes, this listless woman would have widened her eyes as much as she could at this moment.

    ........

    Brendel listened carefully. The rustling of voices in the dark was already getting closer and closer. But that certainly couldn¡¯t be the rattle that the spidermother made; it would not make such a loud noise. The spidermother, though a behemoth in itself, moved very delicately and was a hunter who lurked before striking..

    Brendel could still remember that adventure vividly to this day when he recalled those memories.

    Everyone stopped. The knights all pressed their hands to their swords though they did not draw them, a skill they had learned from Brendel. Sometimes, drawing your sword first would not allow you to seize the initial upper hand in a fight. On the contrary, you would end up exposing your position to the opponent, especially when you were facing an unknown enemy.

    Brendel was pleased with the others¡¯ actions. He was the first to notice the uninvited guests who had suddenly appeared.

    The first thing that appeared in the darkness was a floating, shimmering light that seemed to refract the dull light of the illuminating crystal in his hand. It was only afterwards that he could see that it was some kind of creature made up of crystals. From its shape, there should have been no doubt that this creature was a spider.

    But these weren¡¯t spiders anymore.

    ¡°Crystal Wights?¡± Brendel was a little taken aback. How could there be such a thing here? There shouldn¡¯t be any such monsters in this area, not to mention the fact that monsters in Amber always appeared for a reason, just like the wind elementals below the Mar Hignds. They would never pop up for nothing.

    Crystal Wights were such a special type of monster that Brendel had only ever seen them in a handful of ces, and in small numbers every time.

    Thought upon thought rushed through his mind for a moment. However, his reaction was quick; he lowered his center of gravity and the Halran Gaia appeared in the hand.

    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± the princess shouted in a low voice behind him. The knights drew their long swords in unison.

 Chapter 588 - v3c355p1

    v3c355p1

    Requiem (5)

    At the princess¡¯smand, the knights drew their long swords and lined up to face the enemy. The witches, on the other hand, stood with Brendel. Therge saber-toothed Crystal Wight swooped in front of them but to everyone¡¯s surprise, the monsters were moving towards the darkness on the other end as if they hadn¡¯t seen them.

    What¡¯s going on? Everyone turned their heads in shock when they saw the Crystal Wights rush forward without stopping, disappearing into the darkness. Soon, only a faint rustling sound remained.

    This scenario confused not just the group of knights; even Brendel and the witches around him were a little confused. Most monsters were vicious and kill people. There must be a reason for their strange behavior.

    ¡°They... seem to be running away?¡± Princess Gryphine, who stood behind Brendel, whispered in a somewhat confused manner.

    Yes, they are running away! As though a lightning bolt had crossed his mind, Brendel reacted. His expression changed immediately. Each of thoserge Crystalized Saber-toothed Spiders were no less than a Gold Ranker, what else was there that could make them run for their lives?

    The answer to that was fairly obvious.

    ¡°Put your swords away and run, something is chasing them!¡± Brendel¡¯s hair stood on end when he thought of the Mother of Spiders. Suddenly he wondered if he was at odds with the ce, encountering all sorts of situations every time he came.

    The knights were shaken, but they reacted to Brendel¡¯s warning immediately. They all turned pale, put away their long swords, turned around and retreated. Fearing that they would panic and run headfirst into the cobwebs of Anarons, Brendel quickly spoke up to remind everyone the way out.

    The underground was littered withyers andyers of spider silk; it looked as if the safest way was to advance along the riverbank. Only Brendel knew that it was actually a trap. The actual safe route was instead on the side of the cliff, and he knew that there was only a single narrow opening to cross that cliff safely.

    There was actually another treasure there, but Brendel wasn¡¯t in the mood to think about it at that moment. He led everyone through the strange rocky stctites, avoiding the huge cobwebs that connected almost the entire underground passage. It wasn¡¯t long before everyone heard a rustling sounding from behind, like arge hand rubbing against yarn.

    Princess Gryphine subconsciously nced back and saw four pairs of blood-red eyes in the darkness, each one the size of a fist. She couldn¡¯t help but let out a yelp in fright. Her legs weakened, almost causing her to fall.

    Brendel was quick-eyed and hurried to catch her. ¡°Don¡¯t look back, she¡¯s looking for us too.¡±

    ¡°Is that the Mother of Spiders?¡± It was only after the princess had calmed the fear in her heart that she asked in a quiet voice. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s her,¡± Brendel replied with a calm nod.

    He didn¡¯t even need to look back to know that the female spider was trailing behind them. Darkness Perception was an impressive attribute in The Amber Sword and now that it was working once again, Brendel could clearly feel the chill behind him. That feeling wasn¡¯t really the mostfortable one.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t see us?¡±

    ¡°It is trying to pinpoint our location.¡± He was tempted to tell Her Highness that the eyes of the Mother of Spiders were ornaments used to scare people; its real eyes were the silk under her feet. It sensed the location of its prey through vibrations and its silk was spread throughout the subterranean tunnels. The slightest vibration would draw its attention, which led to the group of people and the spider ying cat and mouse, very quickly passing through arge cavern of dense spider webs. Brendel had chosen the narrower burrows to escape in order to limit the speed of the Mother of Spiders. But even so, the huge creature stayed close behind them.

    The knights were doing fine. The high-intensity training allowed them to handle such scenarios with rtive ease, keeping up with Brendel even in their heavy armor. On the other hand, the witches, who rarely exercised, couldn¡¯t handle it much longer. With a few old witches panting and falling behind, Brendel had to slow down to make sure no one fell behind.

    But by doing so, the Mother of Spiders was one step closer to them and Brendel could almost already sense her footsteps. He couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious on the inside, but they were already very close to the slit he remembered. They just needed to hold on for a little longer.

    Unfortunately, that was not the case.

    The Mother of Spiders Anarons also seemed to realize something was wrong. It suddenly let out a hiss and caught up, raising its chelicerae and sweeping towards Brendel¡¯s direction.

    ¡°It¡¯s just ahead!¡± Brendel shouted. He hugged Her Royal Highness and rolled forward. The princess let out a muffled grunt and the Mother of Spiders Anarons¡¯ giant chelicerae swept over their heads. Two knights and a witch didn¡¯t manage to dodge the attack and were mmed in the waist.

    The broken bodies fell to the ground like two pieces of wood. Blood then gushed out like a fountain and spilled all over the ce.

    Brendel vaguely heard the little witch called Sugar Jar scream in terror. He dazedly grabbed the Halran Gaia and stood up, only to see another broken cliff ahead. Luckily, there was a crack, which was as wide as half a man, in the rock wall on the side of the break, a crack in which the rocks were crisscrossed and ckened. Exactly as he remembered.

    That was exactly the ce he was looking for.

    ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t stop, get in there!¡± Brendel didn¡¯t dare rx and immediately shouted to the others. The knights and witches heard him and ran in that direction. He looked back, only to see the Mother of Spiders Anarons in the darkness once again raising its chelicerae, its four pairs of blood-red eyes staring at him condescendingly.

    ¡°Who would be afraid of you, monster!¡±

    There was no more room for Brendel to retreat at that moment. He simply stood up straight, picked up the Halran Gaia and prepared to face the spider. The ck de of the sword swung around mid-air and shed towards the Mother of Spiders Anarons¡¯ chelicerae, which was swinging towards them. The sh let out a loud ng. Brendel felt as if he had hit a steel pir or a rock. Dazzling sparks bloomed in the darkness.

    Half of his body went numb as he only felt a huge force that sent him flying, before he crashed into the rock wall on the side. The Halran Gaia also flew out of his hand. It spun, scraped a few stctite pirs and bounced off, making a series of nking noises in the darkness andnding on a spider web.

    Ouch!

    It was only then that Brendel realized how far he was from the truth. The battle with Williams had left him a little too hot-headed, and the after-effects had only decided to make themselves known right this moment. The neswalker¡¯s power was not his own after all.

    He felt his airway contracting and his mouth was filled with a metallic, salty taste. However, this was not the time to ponder about what was right or wrong. He shook his head to shake off the dizziness, but his head had already been cracked open. He could barely lift his blood-covered eyelids to see the Mother of Spiders Anarons¡¯ swinging limbs getting closer to him by the moment.

    Brendel felt his heart clench at that moment.

    By this time, the knights and witches had gotten closer to the crack, only to discover that Brendel had been knocked out. It seemed toote for them to turn around and rescue Brendel.

    It was at this moment that Princess Gryphine, who was not far away, suddenly reacted and rushed towards the knight who had been killed earlier. She picked up what was left of his longsword and threw it at the Mother of Spiders with all her strength. The de spun and struck the Mother of Spiders in the head, knocking her small head so that it turned to the side.

    The half-elf princess then drew her own saber and shouted with a pale face at the giant spider, ¡°Monster, I¡¯m here!¡±

    ¡°No, Your Highness!¡±

 Chapter 589 - v3c355p2

    <strong>v3c355p2</strong>

    <strong>Requiem(5)</strong>

    Brendel coughed and called out anxiously. However, Her Royal Highness had already moved closer to the Mother of Spiders with her sword in her hands. Although the Mother of Spiders Anarons had already gone through Elemental Activation and entered Elemental Enlightenment, it was still not a sapient creature; the Enlightenment was just a natural process.

    The spider felt threatened by the princess¡¯ approach. It turned somewhat confusedly towards the half-elf princess then raised its chelicerae high, ready to teach the insignificant little thing that had dared to challenge itself a lesson.

    Brendel¡¯s blood soon clotted. He immediately took out a bottle of holy water and poured it on himself, before rolling forward to the pile of cobwebs and yanking out the Halran Gaia.

    By this time, the Mother of Spiders had already begun her assault Princess Gryphine. The half-elf maiden cautiously took a step back while shivering in the face of this terrifying monster and clenching her longsword with both hands. However, she still gritted her teeth and stood in the Aouine Army¡¯s sword fighting stance.

    If Brendel were to judge her pose, it would be perfectly up to snuff, near-perfect but meaningless. The princess¡¯s sword grip showed that she had put a lot of effort into her swordy and this meticulous starting position alone was enough to score three points in the Knight¡¯s Tournament. Unfortunately, this was not the Knight¡¯s Tournament.

    Rather, it was a battlefield wherebatants killed each other.

    No one would speak of the rules of knighthood in the face of monsters. Monsters don¡¯t, and neither does a swordsman.

    Princess Gryphine did her best, gritting her teeth as she snapped her sword against the Mother of Spiders Anarons¡¯ chelicerae. The immense force sent her whimpering to the ground. The second chelicerae then plunged down towards Her Royal Highness¡¯ head.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Brendel¡¯s hands and feet were cold, fearful of seeing Princess Gryphine killed in front of his own eyes. It was at this moment that a white light lit up from Her Royal Highness, causing the Mother of Spiders¡¯s huge chelicerae to stab the maiden¡¯s left shoulder instead.

    Although the half-elf maiden gritted her teeth, she still let out a suppressed, miserable scream. She had never felt such intense pain before in life, and couldn¡¯t stop the tears that came to her eyes.

    Luckily there was defensive equipment!

    Brendel¡¯s heart was beating like a drum; he was fortunate that he had no heart conditions, or he would have been literally scared to death. However, he couldn¡¯t help but secretly let out a sigh of relief. He should have thought that as a member of the royal family, Princess Gryphine would definitely have one or two pieces of magical equipment to save her life.

    In that instant, it was the difference between life and death. Brendel finally arrived and with a roar, he raised his sword and shed at the Mother of Spiders¡¯s neck. However, the scene of his sword rising and its head falling was just an imaginary one. All he saw was the Halran Gaia letting out a thunderous roar, the indestructible de only managing to cause a stream of bright sparks to fly on the hard shell of Anarons. Brendel could not help but despair. Is this thing really that hard?

    Brendel¡¯s attack still caught the attention of the Mother of Spiders, who drew out the chelicerae on Princess Gryphine¡¯s left shoulder. It turned its head, and with a swing of its right w, struck Brendel square in the chest. The attack was so fast that Brendel was swept to the ground before he could react. Instantly, he became lightheaded.

    He shook his head and was about to get back up, but he felt Anarons raise its front feet, pinning him by his shoulders. The giant spider then lowered its body and spread its chelicerae, revealing eight pairs of blood-red eyes with sharp fangs underneath.

    Holy shit, don¡¯t tell me this guy is hungry!

    Brendel¡¯s eyes were wide open. He was so terrified that his heart almost popped out of his chest. After all, anyone who was going to be a behemoth¡¯s next meal probably wouldn¡¯t feel too good about it. His mind was spinning fast. As he was thinking of a way to get out of the situation, Her Highness repressed the pain and rushed up while pressing a hand to her shoulder. She raised her sword and mmed it into Anarons¡¯ head.

    The Mother of Spiders was about to bite Brendel, but it crashed into a rock and its mouth chomped on that instead. The wound on Princess Gryphine¡¯s shoulder was ripped open once more by the blow. Anarons bit out arge chunk of the granite floor, leaving a pit and a pool of extremely corrosive venom. The princess let out a pained groan as the Mother of Spiders let out a roar of fury.

    It immediately turned its head and spat a series of ink-green poison arrows at Princess Gryphine. Her Highness had been pressing her longsword against the Mother of Spiders¡¯s chelicerae so she could not dodge it, and the magic equipment on her body had already lost its effectiveness. She could only close her eyes as if she was resigning herself to her fate.

    However, the poisonous arrows did not descend on her as she had imagined. Princess Gryphine craned her neck for a moment before opening her eyes slightly and looked back. She was surprised to see a pale blue shield floating beside her, the poisonous arrows long since dissipated.

    It was the Water Shield spell, a spell that even Elemental Apprentices could perform, but it was the biggest nemesis of Anarons¡¯ Poison Arrow spell. This was a valuable experience for the yers and Brendel¡¯s greatest asset.

    After spraying poisonous arrows twice in a row, the Mother of Spiders couldn¡¯t help but fall into a state of discouragement. Brendel, who had struggled to get a chance to catch his breath shouted, ¡°Babasha, do something!¡±

    In fact, he wanted to break free by himself but unfortunately, he and the Mother of Spiders were really not on the same level. It wasn¡¯t something he could handle even if the Mother of Spiders was in a dispirited state.

    Previously when he was fighting Williams, it was luck that allowed him to break the opponent¡¯s Lines of Law using a Magic Cone, causing the opponent¡¯s Law to backfire which killed him. However, it was also the guy¡¯s own brainlessness that pulled him into the Ultimate Realm which caused thetter result. On the other hand, the Mother of Spiders waspletely different. Even if he could bring out the Godyer Cone, it still required the enemy to have their Line of Law exposed for him to nail it. It was important to know that most Magic Monsters were very keen and would not simply reveal their Lines of Law.

    Babasha finally thought of a solution. The wrinkled old witch immediately turned to her adopted daughter and shouted, ¡°Sugar Jar! Hurry and use your spells!¡±

    The maiden holding a jar of honey crawled out of the crack. Once she got out, Brendel saw a number of oddly shaped creatures emerge behind her. Some looked like cows or horses, others looked like magical or legendary creatures, and some were beings without specific names. Every living being had its own name and Brendel could tell at a nce that those were real names, names which were written on the codex that actually possessed power.

    Most of those names were very unusual and were written in a variety ofnguages. Some were just a string of letters or words of unknown meaning. There was only one type of existence in this world that would use such a name.

    Those were the Spirits of the Contract.

    Contract Spirits.

    It turned out that this little girl was a Spiritualist, a type of witch who specialized in psychics. Brendel vaguely remembered that it should be the knowledge passed down from the Witches of Life and Death from the Silent Land, the witches that guarded the entrance to the Kingdom of the Dead.

    So it turned out that she was one of them.

    He stared wide-eyed as he watched Sugar Jar open her mouth and say, ¡°Beings in this world who formed the Pure Contract with Sugar Jar, please bestow upon me your power.¡±

    A pure ck creature then flew out from behind her and descended upon the Mother of Spiders. The next thing Brendel knew, he felt the forelimbs of the Mother of Spiders which were pressing against his bodye loose. He looked back to find that the scary creature had actually fallen asleep.

    ¡°Thoreau the Sleeping God!¡± Only then did Brendel identify the Contract Spirit that was summoned by Sugar Jar. Although Thoreau was a Contract Spirit, he was actually a Second Tier God.

    There were not many witches who could summon such a powerful spirit, especially when Sugar Jar only had the abilities of a Silver Ranker. He immediately doubted her identity. Could this maiden be a direct descendant of the Witch of Life and Death?

    ¡°Be quick, my lord.¡± Babasha rushed over to help Sugar Jar as the maiden had passed out from exhaustion after casting the spell. ¡°Sugar Jar¡¯s spell has a big w, I don¡¯t even know how long this thing will stay asleep.¡±

    Startled, Brendel hurriedly crawled out from under the sleeping Mother of Spiders and picked up the equally listless princess. He then quickly ran towards the knights. Unfortunately, a roar came from behind him before he even managed to take two steps.

    Then, a strong gust struck him.

    Holy shit, this spellsts way too short! There was a sudden wail in Brendel¡¯s heart. He hadn¡¯t realized what Babasha meant when she said that Sugar Jar¡¯s spell was wed, but now he finally knew what it meant.

    Isn¡¯t that w a bit too extreme!

 Chapter 590 - v3c356

    v3c356

    Requiem(6)

    The Mother of Spiders sprung her forelimbs out and swept at Brendel¡¯s back like a sharp machete, the air vibrated as it swung past, creating a transparent band of light in the dark underground.

    Brendel heard a shrill sound that resembled an explosion, it was as if the shriek that was just heard had already moved behind him. This was the power of the most powerful creatures; at that moment Brendel remembered the several attack patterns of Anarons¡¯ forelimbs, he pushed the princess forward at thest second andid the Halran Gaia on his back with a backhand.

    A teeth-aching loud ¡®bang¡¯ was heard. Although Brendel could not see it, he could feel the moment the Halran Gaia bent due to excessive force, and the power that could not be filtered out passed through his body; he felt a massive force from behind, and he was sent flying.

    The distance between the cliff and himself seemed to suddenly be much closer.

    But Brendel knew it was an illusion, instead, he was flying over the crag and over the abyss. Luckily, the Willpower attribute had strengthened his nerves¡¯ tolerance, otherwise, his body¡¯s self protection system would have been triggered and caused him to pass out from pain. Brendel did not want to fall into the abyss while unconscious.

    He was shot forward like a cannonball and his body was flopping in mid-air. Despite the sharp pain rubbing against his nerves like fire he gritted his teeth and thrusted the Halran Gaia towards the ground of the cave.

    With the Elemental Awakening power exerting full force, the Halran Gaia pierced directly into the rocks for more than a foot, and a trail of golden sparks appeared in the darkness.

    Brendel¡¯s momentum immediately decreased, but the Halran Gaia in his hand still sliced through the cliff as if it was cutting tofu; as his sword carved a deep line into the ground, he neared the cliff¡¯s edge .

    All of this happened in less than a blink of an eye, and, as if he hadn¡¯t even drawn another breath, Brendel had already flown off the cliff. He finally stopped his momentum, his action causing a mass of rocks to tumble down.

    Brendel flipped in mid-air, he raised his right hand with the Wind Ring and fired a wind bomb at the cliff on the other side. The air currents converged on top of his ring in a sh then mmed down on top of the rocks on the other side. The huge grey rocks shattered and debris flew everywhere, the intense reaction finally brought Brendel to a momentary halt in the air.

    He lifted his head.

    The sound of the wind overhead brought about another sharp whine which was the right forelimb of the Mother of Spiders. After she swept out her left limb, with the remaining six limbs supporting her massive frame, she raised her right limb and stabbed at Brendel in mid-air.

    To the outsiders and even the Silver-ranked knights, both attacks seemed to have happened at the same time. But only Brendel knew that it was actually staggered, this was the mostmon attack of this cunning creature.

    If it couldn¡¯t kill the first move, then the second move would have made up for it perfectly. But this time there was no one to help him distract the creature again. Brendel stared wide-eyed at the scythe-like hooked wing closer and closer to him.

    But he knew very clearly that it was actually futile, it was too fast, it had even surpassed the level of his in-depth analysis.

    What really took effect was the Darkness Perception attribute he got from the Glow Wave, the magic that flowed through Anarons¡¯ body was like a spark in the dark. It came close to him in an instant.

    This was just the moment.

    Brendel only had this one chance. He reached out and grabbed the sharp tip of the Mother of Spiders¡¯ right forelimb, his entire body getting dragged back by it.

    At that moment time seemed to have slowed down in his perception as he saw himself gripping onto the receding forelimb and being drawn back into the cliff, then approaching the side of the cliff in a beautiful arc. He could almost see the crack that was getting closer, as well as the faces of the knights.

    They seemed to have juste back to their senses but were yet to even let out a gasp, Brendel only saw some of them opening their mouths.

    He calcted the distance, and as soon as he let go, the crack was already right in front of him.

    Perfectnding. He tensed his nerves, then like a cannonball, he mmed into the rock wall with a loud thud.

    ¡°Holy shit, ah......¡± Brendel let out a cry of extreme pain. He never thought that he would make a mistake at thest minute, and in any case, this mistake was enough for him to remember for a long time. It¡¯s scary how hard the rocks underground are.

    But he had no time to be chagrined. At once, he cried out desperately, ¡°Pull me in!¡± Fortunately, the others did not notice this minor mistake of the young Lord, after all, it was already very impressive to be able to escape from that terrible monster.

    Anthony¡¯s knights were as if they were just woken up from a dream, the three knights who were standing in front of the rift immediately rushed out and dragged him back. Brendel was not far away at that time, he was only a meter or two off so the knights managed to drag him back easily.

    On the other hand, the princess had been pushed toward Babasha¡¯s feet by Brendel. The old witch hurriedly helped her and Sugar Jar inside, although the witch looked skinny and weak, she did have quite a bit of strength. ¡°Thanks,¡± Gryphine replied weakly, there was a patch of blood on her shoulder and therge blood loss was making her pale face even paler, but she still managed to hold herself together to show her pride as a noble. It might be difficult for Brendel or other people to understand the nobles who valued pride more than their own lives, but it felt natural to the princess who grew up with such education.

    But as for the princess, perhaps there was one more thing that could be added on, which was her stubbornness.

    The princess saw Brendel lying on the floor covered in blood and was startled. She asked in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Brendel?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Brendel was not lying, in fact, most of the injuries on his body were scrapes from thest full-face hit against the rock wall. He just looked wretched,pared to him, the princess¡¯ injuries were actually much more serious. But Brendel did not have time for nonsense, because the Mother of Spiders has poked her head in from the crack again and was trying to reach her ws in to drag them out.

    Everyone was startled and retreated further into the crack. The Mother of Spiders was so close to reaching the knight outside, she could not help but let out a screech of anger that was so high-pitched it sounded like a sharp object slicing across ss, and it was extremely creepy. Only Brendel knew that the Mother of Spiders could never enter here, though it was not safe here either. He ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t stop, keep retreating further back, there are still many of her offsprings here and she will find a way to have them get in and kill us.¡±

    Everyone was already frightened by Anarons and upon hearing that there were also small spiders, they would not dare to stop , they all hurried to progress into the depths of the rift. Brendel moved forward with help from a knight, and after resting for a while, he finally let out a sigh of relief, then he took out the Health Potion and distributed it to several injured knights and the princess. Of course, there was no need to borate on the Health Potion¡¯s power as it only took a moment before all of them were looking at him with curiosity and respect.

    In their eyes, Brendel was capable of anything. A Lord at such a young age could defeat the Holy Cathedral of Fire and escape from terrifying demons, and also had what seemed to be countless treasures with him, it was as if no situation could ever baffle him. Such a person might not even have existed in long poems or legends.

    Even the knights could not help but think that if today¡¯s story leaked out, it might be a legendary folk song that would spread throughout the pubs of Aouine or even all of Vaunte.

    After the princess drank the Health Potion No.7, she held the bottle and entered a daze. She looked at Brendel with puzzled eyes, the Health Potion was different from ordinary magic items because it often could only be made by a high ranking divine officer of the Holy Cathedral of Fire who knew alchemy, and Brendel had a surprising amount of Health Potions. Not to mention the fact that Brendel had distributed these Health Potions to the knights without any reserve.

    This meant that he must have more Health Potions in store. Although Gryphine did not covet these Health Potions, it did not stop her from bing increasingly curious about what Brendel had gone through.

    She wanted to know more about what other secrets this man was hiding, just like in her mind she had always wanted to confirm his identity and purpose. The half-elf girl acquiesced to Brendel bing her knight, but it was known that this title was a bit of a sham, and even the princess herself felt that there were too many unknown things about him. It was less of a knight and princess rtionship between them, but more like an equal rtionship where she needed his help.

    Such a rtionship had once made her feel uneasy, and she had always vaguely wanted to rectify it. But it was all in vain, she did not know if Brendel could understand her kindness and her intention to change this rtionship, but the moment Brendel was in danger, she suddenly understood that she would never allow Brendel to die just like that.

    She has been feeling the taste of loneliness for too long already.

    Even someone as outstanding as the Wolf could not fullyprehend her thoughts, and no matter how perfectly Sir Beninnger disguised himself, he was just someone who could provide her with help.

    The princess realized that she had developed feelings for Brendel. She felt her heart tighten and frowned, she hurriedly recollected her thoughts and returned to her original calm state.

    She understood that it was impossible, so she had to be careful.

    This was the limit.

    After entering the rift, the line of men had delved deeper into the ground of Ampere Seale. The temperature had risen a little, initially just offsetting the cold outside but gradually bing hot. Especially since there was no wind circting in the undergrounds, the air was filled with a stale smell.

    Brendel was talking to Babasha, ¡°Babasha, do you know where that secret passage leads to?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s somewhere not far north from here, I know where there should be a secret gate.¡±

    ¡°So that means we can pass by itt on the way?¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes sparkled when he heard the good news. He was afraid that the secret passage would be in the Hall of Ancient Ruins in the east or the ancient underground tunnels even further east, because even without mentioning the problem of whether he would remember the maze-like terrain since it¡¯s been so long, there was the big issue that it was also the territory of Anarons, the Mother of Spiders, and he absolutely did not want to mess with her.

    She¡¯s an enormous female bug after all.

    Babasha looked at him mysteriously, not speaking. Just like how the rumors of the Darkness Dragon were deeply etched into everyone¡¯s heart, she undoubtedly believed that lord Brenel already knew all of this, the prophecy of the Dark Word was absolutely right without question, thisfeudal superstition was deeply nted in her mind.

    But it was at this moment, Brendel£¬ who was leading the way in the front stopped in his tracks.

    He stopped and stretched out his arm to prevent anyone from moving forward. Everyone was slightly stunned because they did not feel anything abnormal at all. But they have all went through a few battles already and had a certain level of tacit understanding, so no one opened their mouths to question Brendel. After a moment, they saw several ck shadows emerging from a crack not far away.

    The knights exchanged nces as encountering other human-like creatures in this crisis-ridden underground was obviously a little beyond their expectations. But only Brendel could see that they were cavemen.

    He made a silent gesture as cavemen had surprisingly good hearing, especially in the silent underground where sound mostly traveled only in one direction. Fortunately, Brendel¡¯s senses were also a hundred times keener than normal people after he had obtained the Elemental Awakening, or else they would have been discovered by the other party first.

    There were very few cavemen who stray beyond the Underground Lord except for ns like the Firbur who had left the underground and fled to the surface. One n was already really rare, and Brendel did not think that he was so lucky to encounter such things one after another, the only possibility was that these were part of the Jorgendy Ridge Underground Army.

    But how did they get here? Did the other party discover this secret passage too?

    Brendel thought that this was unlikely, unless there was a passage around here that connected to the undergrounds of Jorgendy Ridge? This was quite possible, and he could not help but frown as he watched the cavemen slowly and leisurely burrow their way through another crack.

    The underground world was connected by pathways everywhere, but most of the naturally urring passages were dead ends. Some of them also led to theirs of magical items or to traps. But Brendel remembered that that path was supposed to lead towards the Hall of Ancient Ruins.

    The other party seemed like they were yet to discover the secret gate mentioned by Babasha.

    He was slightly relieved. After the cavemen walked away, the knights asked, ¡°Lord, they?¡± These knights of Anthony used to address Brendel as ¡°mister¡± but now they¡¯re just addressing him as ¡°Lord¡±.

    But Brendel did not realize that the change in this appetion was not just due to the fact that they respected his capabilities, but more due to the fact that Eikkel had been speaking of his deeds in the Long Song Forest among his knights for years. These knights might have originally scoffed at their Lord who was full of knightly thoughts, but now it seemed that even Eikkel¡¯s ce in their hearts had risen quite a bit.

    Unfortunately, Brendel did not know these details, or he would have felt ashamed. He waited a moment before answering in a small voice, ¡°The cavemen know way more about the underground world than we do, so it¡¯s not surprising that they could discover this ce. This doesn¡¯t mean anything, let¡¯s just move on.¡±

    Everyone nodded their heads, with a feeling of ¡°whatever-Brendel-says-must-be-right.¡±. But in fact, Brendel was uncertain too, he just hoped that the old witch Babasha was not lying to him.

    The secret passage better be as secretive as she described, or it¡¯ll be a waste of effort. And finding the way out would be another problem.

    He could not help but nce at Babasha. Unfortunately, the old witch¡¯s face was hidden under her hood so he could not tell, but she did not seem nervous.

 Chapter 591 - v3c357p1

    v3c357p1

    Requiem(7)

    Although he was curious why the cavemen would appear in the underground relics, Brendel calmly buried his curiosity. He subtly looked in the direction the cavemen had left, unable to help the malicious spection whether or not they would be torn to shreds by the raging Mother of Spiders, but did not think any further. He calmed himself down and turned back to the others£¬ gesturing for the group to move on.

    Nobody spoke as they considered the possibility of encountering another enemy, they even muffled the sound of their footsteps, and the surroundings of the dark underground returned to a peaceful and eerie calm with only the rustling of their footsteps. But everyone understood that there was danger lurking beneath the cover of silence, and though the knights were unfamiliar with creatures from the dark underground, they had at least heard of their abnormally good hearing.

    No one wanted to get in trouble at this moment.

    The path in the rock wall began to narrow until man-made tunnels gradually emerged. Ancient relics appeared so frequently throughout this journey that it seemed like these broken walls were interspersed with the natural rock walls. These were usually caused by the sinkage of seismic fault subsidence, though in the magical world, powerful magical forces could create the same scenario. Brendel looked closely at the sight immersed in the mute darkness; he did not have to theorize by himself as past yers have long discussed it.

    In fact, it doesn¡¯t matter where, there were always yers who were obsessed with exploring the history and context of the game, they would tirelessly dig for whatid beyond the rules of the game and look for details the game producers fabricated.

    They really did have a lot of aplishments, The Amber Sword was undoubtedly an excellent game, with countless historical contexts and details so borate one might not even believe it was only a game. The historical contexts followed each other so closely that they linked together perfectly, and yers could rarely find loopholes, just like the real world.

    Brendel himself used to read a lot of literature like this, though he was not a so-called ¡°plot lover¡± nor a ¡°setting fan¡±. It was simply because he felt that in the game, the quests rted to the ancient times were so relevant to the context that knowing more about them would help him to better achieve his goal in the game.

    He considered himself a neutral party, but it was also because of that, he was not able to be counted as a top tier yer, despite having put in far more time than other yers.

    But since he had crossed over to this world, the experiences and knowledge of both the game and the background setting of the game has provided him with an amazing advantage. He led the group through the fragmented tunnels for a good ten minutes before Babasha stopped in one ce.

    Before that, Brendel had already felt them walk into the middle of a smaller hall, the whole of which was made entirely of cyan granite. This feature was very distinctive in the game, which was why he managed to conjure up the name from his fuzzy memory- the Temple of Rosom Meditation.

    His memory was fuzzy because, in the game, this ce did not upy a very prominent ce in this particr dungeon. This was originally supposed to be a temple among the remains of the underground, a ce of meditation and prayer for its inhabitants, and in fact, the granite hall had a fountain on one wall with a statue of a deity on top of it, but it had unfortunately long copsed to the point no one could tell what it was anymore.

    Brendel subconsciously looked in that direction and saw the fountain of his memory, but the water had dried up. All that was left were water bowlsyered like stairs. In The Amber Sword, this should probably be a temporary ce to rest for yers, asrge-scale dungeons like this were usually rtively big underground cities, where yers might have to stay for a couple of days or even longer, so the game designers had to design a ce for them to rest and get offline.

    The underground relics of Ampere Seale were divided into two parts, the upper level was the ancient sanctuary while the lower level was their of the Mother of Spiders. This was not thergest kind of dungeon Brendel had ever seen, so it had only two resting ces, one towards the north deep in the Arreck Mountains, and the other one was this.

    It was because of this that Brendel could barely remember the name of this resting spot. Compared to thoserge, super-sized ancient relics fromter in the game, with dozens to hundreds of resting spots in one dungeon, it would be strange for him to remember the names of such mundane resting spots.

    But this hall had long been studied by the forerunners and every inch of its floor had been imprinted with the yers¡¯ footprints. Witches, ck Tower Wizards, Star Mages, and even the Rune Mages of the dwarves; all professions rted to the setting had been experimented with repeatedly here, so it could not possibly hold any more secrets here.

    Therefore Brendel could not help but look curiously at the old witch, waiting to see what she had up her sleeve. A secret in the Land of Order that yers had yet to discover. In my world, this would¡¯ve been breaking news even with just a headline......

    Then he saw Babasha walking towards the fountain, and couldn¡¯t help but frown. As the only conspicuous and iconic decoration in this meditation temple, it had naturally received the most attention from yers. yers had even demolished the fountain before and took down the wall behind, but to no avail.

    ¡°There¡¯s something here?¡± He asked out of curiosity. ¡°But there should be nothing here, it¡¯s just an ordinary wall, right?¡±

    ¡°My Lord you have a deep insight.¡± If he did not know what Babasha meant, he would have thought it was disgusting ttery. However, most of Anthony¡¯s knights inevitably showed displeasure on their faces, and the princess also frowned, although she was more doubtful than anything else.

    Babasha had already gone to the fountain upon saying so. She respectfully exined, ¡°My Lord you were correct, there is indeed no mechanism nor secret passage behind the walls here. But for us witches, the pool itself already records something.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°My Lord you must be well aware that before it was damaged, the statue on that pool was a holy sculpture of Odin the Darkness Dragon. Thisnd holds great relevance to us witches, but not every witch has the ability to unlock the secrets here.¡± Babasha replied mysteriously.

    Brendel frowned upon hearing the old witch mention the Darkness Dragon. But there had already been discussions on the forum, one of which discussed the possibility that this statue might havee before the Holy War, and while there was little history recorded about that, the Darkness Dragon once ruled thend so it was not surprising that its statue was there.

    He nodded when he heard Babasha mentioned ¡°not every witch has the ability to unlock the secrets here¡±, and he subconsciously turned his gaze to the fatigued Sugar Jar- the little witch girl who had been floppy as if she did not even the strength to move a finger ever since she cast the spell. Apparently, she would be like that for a while longer, and she could only perform a Contract Spirit spell like that once a day, but the reason why Brendel looked at her was because of a suspicion he always had.

    He had a strong suspicion that Sugar Jar was the purest heir to the bloodline of the Witch of Life and Death.

    It was well known that each of the twelve witches had only one heir with the purest bloodline. As the legacy of the Witch Queen was currently on Romaine, he had previously suspected that Romaine¡¯s Aunt Jenny was the heir to the legacy of the Eternal Witch.

    Babasha saw the look in his eyes and had even more admiration towards him. ¡°That¡¯s the Darkness Dragon for you.¡± Brendel heard such a voiceing from his heart, and the old witch smiled with satisfaction. ¡°Indeed, Sugar Jar is needed here.¡±

    Brendel nodded in his mind, but asked again, ¡°Is she okay with that?¡±

    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± Princess Gryphine couldn¡¯t help but ask upon seeing them ¡®ying charades¡¯ again, her tone was slightly displeased, there was no doubt that the princess did not like the feeling of Brendel putting her aside, and she told herself that she should take more initiative as the eldest princess of Aouine.

    But in truth, the half-elf girl had a hard time admitting that she just did not want Brendel to think of her as an outsider. She had vaguely felt the difference between Brendel and other noblemen, and the people around him had formed a force that was very different from the ancient nobles of the kingdom, a force that was slightly simr to, but not identical to the students of the Royal Cavalry Academy whom she had cultivated on her own.

    The youths of the Royal Cavalry Academy inherited her confusion, together with her they seemed to be able to only take uncertain steps in a huge invisible web, and she could feel that despair. But she saw people like Carglise and Amandina, who were confident in the future and seemed to have had a definite goal since long ago.

    Either way, it was enough for the princess to perceive the difference between the people beside Brendelpared to a traditional nobleman¡¯s. That seemed to be what she had been longing for, and because of it all, she had slowly begun to reject the kingdom¡¯s original pattern of power¨C like Makarov, Fleetwood, or Duke Arreck, and instead turned in favor of joining Brendel¡¯s side, even if not as a princess.

    Gryphine had this kind of urge but she would never admit it. She was ashamed of her internal conflict.

    Therefore, the princess coldly locked the secret in her heart and did not reveal a single word. She looked at Brendel and Babasha with her silver eyes, as if wanting to get an exnation.

    Brendel felt a faint movement in his heart, and he looked at the old witch. Babasha was not impressed and smiled dryly, ¡°It¡¯s actually quite simple, Your Highness, this pool is actually a Teleportation Array.¡±

 Chapter 592 - v3c357p2

    <strong>v3c357p2</strong>

    <strong>Requiem(7)</strong>

    ¡°Teleportation Array, that¡¯s impossible!¡± Brendel replied immediately. He had a million reasons to believe that it was nonsense, and the reason was that the yers had explored this possibility long ago and came up empty-handed. He blindly believed that thetter days¡¯ information was ahead of the ones in this world. Those guys would never make a mistake on such a childish issue.

    ¡°The Lord is right, it is indeed impossible for this to be a Teleportation Array. But it did, in fact, leave some sort of message that would allow us to have a Teleportation Array immediately.¡± Instead of panicking, Babasha replied with appreciation.

    Brendel was slightly stunned, then his eyes lit up. ¡°Are you saying that this fountain is actually the blueprint of a Teleportation Array?¡± He immediately inquired.

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    ¡°This teleportation array doesn¡¯t require the witches to draw it in a special way, does it? Wait, that¡¯s not enough, Blood Refining, I get it!¡± Brendel suddenly reacted and it dawned on him, ¡°It takes the blood of Sugar Jar to draw this Teleportation Array, right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly what you said.¡± Babasha looked impressed. But Brendel was already toozy to bother with her. He screamed in his mind, Holy shit, these people are out of their minds, the designers of The Amber Sword are a bunch of scums. He was not sure if he shouldugh or cry, this was clearly a series of quests: in order to open the third part of this ancient remain underneath Ampere Seale, it was necessary to unlock the witch¡¯s reputation as well.

    But the problem was that though there were people of Kirrlutz in the game, as well as Wind Elves and people of Aouine, there were no people of Miirna. Even Madara, who was originally a follower of the Darkness Dragon, shared a rivalry against the Witches. The only ce where the Witches had the best reputation was the underground of Jorgendy Ridge, but unfortunately, the yers had no power there.

    This meant that in order to open the witch¡¯s reputation, one had to risk going against the ¡®government¡¯. Although it was slightly better than joining a cult, like All For One, it was still unfavorable.

    There were yers who had chosen such a path, but the question was, how many of them had actually seeded? And how many of them had met the Witch of Life and Death?

    Among those, it was even rarer to find someone who went into a dungeon that required entering the undergrounds of Ampere Seale, which was just an early dungeon in Aouine. It waster even upied by Madara, keeping in mind that though she was once on the same side as the Witches, because of the Darkness Dragon, they became the archenemies.

    The fact that hardly a single well-known witch existed within Madara proved that there were indeed a lot of problems.

    Because of this, no one ying the game in his previous life had discovered the secrets here. Everything seemed to make sense, but Brendel thought the designers were twisted sadists, the game was designed to allow yers to solve puzzles, but as far as he was concerned, the puzzle in this ancient relic was clearly unsolvable.

    If only he hadn¡¯t transmigrated...

    Though now this unanswered question finally had an answer. It did not take much blood to paint a Teleportation Array, and definitely no need to ughter Sugar Jar for a blood sacrifice. If saving a kingdom required killing a little girl, Brendel would rather look for another way, even if it was bound to fail.

    And he was sure that the princess would support him.

    In fact, the look the princess had sent him mirrored his thoughts. However, she showed even greater curiosity about whether such a Teleportation Array could be used elsewhere. This idea aroused Brendel¡¯s interest greatly, indeed, if Teleportation Array that could be drawn and used on the spot, even if it could only teleport a couple of people, would be more practical than the Door of me of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    After all, it was cheaper and easier to build. Despite the Door of me looking like it was built in just minutes, it was a product that required the manpower of twenty-odd Elementals from the Holy Cathedral working together, not to mention the money spent was simply an astronomical figure.

    If it was not for the Holy War, Brendel figured that no matter what, the Holy Cathedral of Fire would not have been willing to invest in the Door of me for a mere civil war within Aouine.

    There was no shame in that, no matter how important the geographical location of Aouine was, its presence was insignificant. The only difference was how much money it took to appease its noblemen, and that was it.

    But to their dismay, Babasha informed them that the Teleportation Array had a fixed coordinate array. Its designers in the past might have had the ability to design simr Teleportation Arrays going to other ces, but that did not mean that they themselves could too.

    The technology of the relic¡¯s inhabitants had been long lost under the quicksand of history, and the Witches merely inherited one-tenth of it.

    Such an oue was expected, and Brendel was not too regretful about it. He reassured the princess, silently keeping this Teleportation Array in mind. This thing was also a Magic Array and a work of alchemy, maybe the alchemists under me could improve it in the future.

    Not to forget that he had the alchemist that would likely be the most famous alchemist in all of Vaunte, Tharma. And ording to him, Amandina was also gifted with talent no less than his own, albeit in the design and manufacture of magic-guided machinery. But with the presence of these two powerhouses, Brendel felt that anything was possible.

    He silently jotted down the Magic Array, while Babasha had already drawn a huge Magic Array on the ground together with Sugar Jar. Although the Magic Array needed Sugar Jar¡¯s blood, it was notpletely drawn with blood, otherwise, the little witch girl would have been drained out of blood before the Magic array could even bepleted.

    The Witches did not allow outsiders to watch their process of creating the Magic Array, except for Brendel of course. However, Brendel already vaguely guessed the princess¡¯ thoughts, so he did not bother to look at the few olddies drawing maps as he knew what was going on anyway, and though he was not as good as Babasha when it came to alchemy, no one here could surpass him when it came to the technique of Blood Refining.

    Tharma¡¯s Blood Refining technique was handed down from him after all.

    As soon as the array waspleted, everyone stood in the array. Then the Witches stood in their predetermined ces and began to chant, identical to what they chanted before in the forest. It seemed to be the designated ancient rune here, much like a code for opening doors, which was also a part of the Witches¡¯ heritage.

    The chant had just begun when Brendel felt the scene around him be a blur. He felt the princess gently grab his sleeve, but immediately let go again. His vision blurred and then he was in apletely unfamiliar ce.

    He lifted his head.

    At that moment, he held his breath.

    He suddenly realized that he had forgotten something very important. That was to ask beforeing here if Babasha had ever been here before.

    These words almost seemed like they were being squeezed out from between Brendel¡¯s teeth.

    Everyone including the Witches looked up in shock.

    They all stared at the hall with wide eyes. ¡°No......Lord.¡± Babasha gulped, and it was perhaps the only time she had shown any other expressions than that dry smile since they entered this underground relic.

    It was a huge hall.

    The center of the hall, above the dome.

    Ance that radiated lightning in all directions hovered in mid-air. The de was painted with stars falling to the ground, and the squiggly text on thence¡¯s body was exactly that of the Miirna writings, and on it stated the most famous motto of the Kirrlutz¡¯s epics from the ever since ancient times.

    ¡°Thence cuts through the sky, the stars fall upon the earth-¡±

 Chapter 593 - v3c358

    v3c358

    Requiem(8)

    There were definitely a few events in Vaunte¡¯s long history that were destined to shine like bright stars in the night sky, but the most glorious of these was undoubtedly the legend in the Pale Poem about the Azure Knight who started the age of mortals with hisnce.

    The Kirrultz people wrote about the beginning of the world in a historical poem, a world that was born from imagination.

    At the beginning of everything, the world was in a state of chaos, surrounded by water and wind, fire and lightning. The first creatures were born in the water and multiplied onnd. They were then blessed by the wind and given wisdom by the fire.

    From her mouth, Marsha uttered the name Nainta. The six elements that surrounded the world were light, darkness, wind, water, fire, and earth. Fourteen thousand gods were also formed in the original rules to govern everything.

    Everything was a sess.

    In the first epoch before the glory, the gods built kingdoms above the clouded earth, and giant towers through the heavens connected the kingdoms of mortals and gods.

    But then, all hell broke loose.

    This was an ount that began with the Pale Poem. yers had repeatedly spected that this war was the war between the Gods, the Golden Race, and the Twilight Dragon.

    It was a history that Vaunte had long since been far removed from, and the rivalry between all Wise Beings and the Twilight Dragon seemed to have existed since before the beginning of the Era. After the first epoch copsed, subsequent ounts of the Azure Knights appeared for the first time in history.

    The historical poem read:

    The Azure Knight shouted out to the mountains, ¡°Mountains, I challenge you!¡±, and the mountains answered him, ¡°Let the ice and snow be added to his shoulders, let the wind make it impossible for him to move forward, let the fog cloud his vision, let the cold rob him of his right hand and eyes.¡±

    However, the Azure knight was destined to be the owner of thatnce.

    The hero stood above the lofty mountain, firm and unshaken, one year after another.

    The mountains whispered, ¡°Behold, this is the master of thence.¡± They bowed down and called him king.

    Thatnce was the Holy Lance that shattered the heavens and pierced the heart of the Twilight Dragon, causing the stars to fall to the earth, leading to the beginning of the Second Mortal Age.

    The Holy Lance, the Vault of the Heavens. Everyone present was familiar with this ount. Whether they be human or elf, knight or princess, or even a witch, it was as if they had been told all this at birth. This was a piece of history known to everyone who lived on the continent, whether it was a farmer in the middle of nowhere or an educated nobleman, no one was ignorant about it.

    That history was from so long ago that it seemed like a legend. However, it was a truthful ount, and the stars in the sky could bear witness to this.

    Legend mentioned that the Holy Lance is nine feet long with a tip like a pike, and its entire body is like an emerald, hence the name Azure Lance. After the Azure Knight fell alongside the Twilight Dragon, the Min¡¯er people retrieved the weapon from the Great ins east of Sansoro in present-day Kirrultz and carved thence into the de that cut through the heavens and caused the stars to fall to the earth with a motto in honor of the hero who saved Vaunte.

    That Lance was exactly the same as the one that Brendel¡¯s men were seeing now, no less.

    ¡°This...this is?¡± The knights could not help but be dumbfounded.

    All of them were reluctant to believe that the legendary weapon would suddenly appear in front of them, which caught them off guard. One widely circted legend mentioned that when the Twilight Dragon died, the Min¡¯er people who followed the dragon carried the Azure Lance into the depths of the cier and buried it.

    But what is this in front of our eyes?

    Brendel only felt his mind buzzing.The most famous weapon of Amber Sword was undoubtedly the Amber Sword that was said to be able to fight against the fate of all things and the world, but the Holy Lance of Heaven and the Amber Sword were both weapons that belonged to the Azure Knight and had likewise left an illustrious name in history.

    As a matter of fact, when it came to the extent to which the legend has spread, the Azure Lance¡¯s fame was more far-reaching than the Amber Sword. Even in Aouine and Kirrultz, there were very few people who knew of the existence of the Amber Sword and these were either home-schooled nobles or knowledgeable schrs.

    But, the crux of the matter was...

    Somehow, it was here.

    Brendel knew that the Holy Lance of Heaven had also been counterfeited more than once throughout Vaunte¡¯s history and there were even several huge hoaxes that revolved around this famousnce. The reason was simple: because it had never appeared throughout history. Since the fall of the Azure Knight till the copse of the Darkness Dragon Odin¡¯s Dark Reign, it was as though it had disappeared from history and had never appeared again.

    For a weapon with such a lofty reputation to be buried in history so silently, no matter how you look at it, it was abnormal. Because of this, it attracted the interests of many yers. Brendel also knew that many guilds were privately searching for the whereabouts of the Azure Lance.

    And yet, surprisingly, it was here.

    ¡°...Might... might it be a fake?¡± Her Royal Highness the Princess of Aouine held the highest title among them, and was the most knowledgeable. She was the first to react, questioning with an uncertain tone.

    That was also Brendel¡¯s initial reaction, but that wave of oppression reverberating in the hall made it difficult to dismiss it as a fake. Crucially, his first thought was whether the Witch Queen who had long been sleeping under Trentheim could have been the one who had brought the Azure Lance here.

    But why didn¡¯t she tell Romaine?

    However, he immediately dismissed the conjecture, as this relic of the Ampere Seale Underground was clearly a lot older. That is to say, the Azure Lance had probably been resting in this ce long before then.

    But how could the witches¡¯ heritage have anything to do with this ce? Brendel couldn¡¯t help but look back at Babasha. Even the old witch herself had a look of disbelief. ¡°Perhaps...perhaps it was the Lord Darkness Dragon who hid it here?¡± Babasha replied telepathically.

    That statement didn¡¯t convince Brendel. He felt that there was something wrong with it. Soon enough, the majestic power outside awakened Sanorso, The Wind Empress, who couldn¡¯t help but let out a low cry when she looked at thence in the hall. ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve found the Azure Lance!¡±

    But then, she immediately caught herself and rebuked. ¡°Brendel, what this witch said is absolutely impossible.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Brendel couldn¡¯t help but be relieved to see that the elfin mistress hadn¡¯t yed petty at this crucial moment. The Wind Empress grunted coldly. ¡±If Odin had the Amber Sword or the Azure Lance, how could we have won? Brendel, you severely underestimate the power of a divine weapon.¡±

    Right. It was only then that Brendel came to a realization. It turned out that this was what he felt was out of ce. Whether it was the Azure Lance or the Amber Sword, both of them were real weapons that existed.

    The power possessed by the divine weapons in Vaunte was transcendent and had long since left the realm of mortal imagination. In a war such as the Battle of the Saints, where hundreds of races were involved, the most powerful forces in the world came together, but the only divine weapon that appeared was the ming de.

    The power of the artifacts could change history and they would only appear when history is at a major turning point. It was like what was written in the Pale Poem.

    The first kings were given swords and they forged the Covenant of the Gods with the Wise Beings to rebel against the reign of the Darkness Dragon.

    That was yet another saga for another time.

    ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m just afraid we¡¯ll have to retrieve it to be able to see whether it is the genuine article.¡± Brendel heard one of the Lantonn Knights suggest this.

    He looked back and saw Her Highness frowning. ¡°Retrieve it? How are we going to retrieve it?¡± she asked rhetorically.

    The question made everyone go quiet. Hanging in this hall was potentially the most powerful holy artifact since the first epoch. Its power could not only change the fate of a kingdom, but even an entire continent. The question was, wouldn¡¯t there be any traps set next to such a powerful divine weapon?

    Assuming that it wasn¡¯t a trap, on its own, it was powerful enough to turn people that harbor evil intent into dust. Furthermore, who did not have a selfish agenda and was brave enough to go up and bring this Holy Lance of Heaven down? Or rather, who in the room thought that they wereparable to the Azure Knight?

    The knights couldn¡¯t help but stare at each other and Brendel soon found all eyes falling on himself. The witches, the knights, and even Her Highness Gryphine looked at him without saying a word. The meaning of those gazes was obvious.

    If it was fate that brought everyone here, then the most qualified person here to pick up thence was undoubtedly Brendel.

    However, Brendel internally swore. How could it be so easy to be fated to hold a divine weapon? While it may seem awesome for a divine weapon to recognize its owner, most people who thought this way suffer a miserable fate. If he really was Brendel, he might have his heart set on it, but half the soul in his body was that of a yer, and he knew exactly what that was.

    An actual divine weapon.

    The Eternal Holy Lance.

    He hesitated and asked cautiously, ¡±Your Highness, I get what you¡¯re trying to say but how long do you think it would take if we were to take this holynce down?¡±

    The princess looked at him, puzzled. ¡°Can¡¯t we just take it?¡±

    Brendel suddenly realized that the princess seemed to know nothing about it. But then again, how could a mortal have many opportunities to learn about divine weapons? Those things seem to be some illusory, unattainable existence.

    He had no choice but to exin it to her. ¡°More or less. First of all, the divine weapon has its own will. Secondly, this hall is definitely filled with traps, and collecting the divine weapon is an extremely dangerous and time-consuming thing unless someone can resonate with it and make it automatically recognize its master.¡±

    ¡°Do we have that much time to waste?¡± Princess Gryphine couldn¡¯t help but frown. Hearing Brendel¡¯s reasoning, she also seemed to realize that the problem was that they didn¡¯t have that much time to waste on this ce.

    ¡°I¡¯m just afraid not.¡± Brendel shook his head as expected.

    The crux of the matter wasn¡¯t this; acquiring the divine weapon was a very dangerous job. If they were sessful in this gamble, all their problems would naturally be solved. With a divine weapon such as the Azure Lance, once its power was mastered, it would be effortless to drive those demons and cavemen on the surface back to their homnd.

    But the problem was that if they fail, there would be no chance for Aouine to start again.

    The wise princess obviously thought of this as well and she immediately thought of another question. ¡°Brendel, how about the cavemen outside?¡±

    Brendel knew she meant to ask if the cavemen out there hade for this too. Suddenly it seemed usible to him, but where did the demons get the news from?

    ¡°So is it safe to put it here?¡± After thinking about it for a moment, Her Royal Highness still gritted her teeth and somewhat reluctantly asked.

    Brendel could only look to Babasha when it came to this question.

    The old witch also felt uneasy as she was unsure as well. It was the Holy Lance of Heaven, a weapon that existed countless centuries ago and was mythical enough to defeat the Darkness Dragon. In that era, the Silver Race was only cannon fodder. It might have been even earlier in time, when the gods still roamed the earth.

    Still, she steadied herself and nodded. ¡°My lord, no one but us cane in here.¡±

    That was enough. Of all the people present, Brendel was certainly the most qualified one. The yer in him could only see the Holy Lance of Heaven as a mere weapon with great power. So what if it was a divine weapon? In the end, it was just a piece of equipment.

    Of course with that being said, Brendel still wasn¡¯t fully confident in his decision. He could only turn back and try not to look at the thing. ¡°In that case, everyone just forget about it for now,¡± he told everyone,

    He nced sternly at those present, especially the knights of Lantonn. He wasn¡¯t afraid of the Azure Lance falling into the hands of the cavemen of Jorgendy Ridge. But if this news were to get out, Aouine could be in hot water.

    The knights understood Brendel¡¯s decision and vowed never to spread the word. Brendel didn¡¯t really pay attention to their vows since he already knew how to handle it when everything finally calmed down.

    A yer¡¯s means was not something these guys could imagine.

    Brendel then led the crowd out of the hall but everyone looked distracted. The shock of seeing the Azure Lance was beyond words. Even Brendel had a hard time understanding the special feelings the first settlers held for that piece of history.

    It was as though figures from those myths suddenly appeared before his very eyes and told him that everything in the past had truly happened.

    He could faintly see the same implication from the thoughtful eyes of the Princess.

    As he was about to leave the hall, Brendel suddenly remembered something else. To his knowledge, the power of divine artifacts were capable of changing history and they would only appear when history was at a major turning point.

    In recent history, the me King acquired the ming de Oderfeiss at the Great ins and subsequently forged a Holy Covenant with the Wise Beings to rebel against the Darkness Dragon¡¯s rule.

    So what did the appearance of the Azure Lance in Aouine indicate? At least he knew that the fate carried by the Azure Lance would never be to save this ancient kingdom.

    However, Brendel was terrified.

    Just as Lady Medusa Lysemeka was unaware of the great change that had been birthed in the underground of this vast harbor, Brendel was equally unaware of the situation above ground.

    The beautifuldy raised her head and looked into the rainy sky to see a golden-red glow float up before the bull-headed Minotaur and her.

    Her beautifully prismatic pupils reflected a magnificent red color. A huge light gate cut across half the sky, forming a giant Door of me tens of meters in diameter in the pouring rain.

    Then, a demon with three heads, a pair of huge fleshy wings and a ming red body slowly stepped out from behind the door. Even though the portal was huge, the demon had to hunch its back and squeeze through the portal. In fact, its massive horns could barely even get through.

    Lysmeka looked cautiously at the behemoth then respectfully greeted it. ¡°Honorable Lord Mesika, you have finally arrived. Lord Varab has been waiting for a long time.¡±

    The massive demon looked at her, revealing an expression that could hardly be described as a smile and replied gruffly. ¡°What about the preparations by that bunch of bugbears?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, it is ready my lord.¡±

    The Min¡¯ernguage. Vaunte did not refer to the first and second epoch of the Kirrultz calendar. The first era, which ording to the yers testimony, should precede the Chaotic Ages. And the beginning of the second era was the beginning of the Chaotic Ages.

    But a different name was adopted by the other races, one that seemed far more tranquil than humanity¡¯s definition.

    Pale Sky.

 Chapter 594 - v3c359

    v3c359

    Requiem(9)

    The hills to the north of Ampere Seale connected the gently sloping terrain around the bay withrge pine forests on rolling hillsides and densely packed woond. The woond edged downward and the view from the slope was extremely wide. If you looked towards the huge and dusky harbor today, you would see a scorched piece ofnd, with three huge portals standing on it like three great golden rings of fire.

    Peering through the portals, you could see a world of flowingva. To be precise, that was the Sulfur River beneath Jorgendy Ridge, in which some legends believed that it was connected to the Scorched Prison of the Fire Elemental ne.

    Numerous devils swarmed around the portal, including red-skinned imps and the more fearsome Longhorn Devils. These low-level devils of lesser status and intelligence fought each other by the portal while tearing at the human limbs in a sickening fashion.

    Then Brendel also saw hundreds of Hellhounds resting on the side of the hill, led by a couple of Hellhound leaders with three heads. There were also several Devil Warlocks by the portal with reddish-purple skin that looked almost like humans except for the long horns on their heads. These more cunning and higher-ranked devils were watching with interest as the lower-ranked devils fought each other.

    Such a fight would often turn into a bloodbath and sometimes, one side would brutally kill the other. However, that wasn¡¯t something umon among the devils. On the contrary, it was a sight that they were used to.

    They were a bunch of chaotic and twisted devils after all.

    Brendel, wearing the cloak handed to him by the princess, hid in the bushes and calmly observed it all. He was the only one who didn¡¯t need Brass Binocrs to see the whole port of Ampere Seale very clearly turning into hell.

    He sighed quietly, not having too much attention to pray for the souls of the departed even though those who died at the hands of devils also had family, friends and even romantic partners. But to be honest, one would be more or less indifferent to the suffering of others if they were not the ones experiencing them. It was not human nature, but a creature¡¯s instinct to protect itself. To be honest, Brendel himself was not someone who overflowed withpassion, but he was here to try to protect the things he cared about.

    He¡¯d told himself that history had brought him back here and that his goal was to save the old kingdom from that tragedy. If he gave up on this goal, Brendel feared that he would bepletely swallowed up by this huge world.

    All his confidence came from the half-elf princess who was looking towards the port with her silver eyes, a hint of sadness tingeing them. ¡°What exactly have we done wrong?¡± Gryphine couldn¡¯t help but mumble.

    Brendel couldn¡¯t rte to that kind of confusion because this kingdom didn¡¯t have any historical meaning to him, only a future. Just as the princess would prefer to put herself in danger in order to protect the Ande Cathedral, he would tear it down just to ensure her safety.

    However, he could fully understand it. To him, there was no right or wrong choice between himself and the princess, justpletely different views.

    ¡°The Aouine people have done nothing wrong, but it is the Kirrultz people who have. Little Princess, the justice that Mother Marsha represents is nothing more than wishful thinking on your part,¡± Babasha cackled as she spoke. ¡°the Supreme being will not punish someone for being evil, only provide a result based on the cause, and that is justice.¡±

    For anyone living under the rule of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, this was simply heresy.

    The Princess¡¯s lips opened and closed as she softly mumbled, but in a rare urrence, she did not retort. Her heart was soft as water yet hard as iron at the same time. Her hatred for the Kirrultz people had already made her doubt the teachings of the Holy Cathedral of Fire since the beginning, but she knew that she could not take sides.

    Brendel actually agreed with Babasha¡¯s statement. Marsha represented absolute order. The Holy Cathedral of Fire understood it as narrow fairness. The Sanctuary of Light understood it as serious self-discipline. The Wind Elves thought that things should be left unchanged as they respected the rule ofw. The Eleranta people believe that going with the flow was the true way.

    The truth was that Marsha herself was relevant to everyone yet also irrelevant to everyone, and the witches understood this the most. They had never worshipped Marsha as a true god. They simply did so out of respect.

    However, Babasha¡¯s use of the opportunity to undermine the princess¡¯s self-confidence made him feel rather disdainful. Furthermore, witches themselves were also trouble. Who in this world could really break free of their destiny? Babasha was merely leaning on the fact that she was older and more experienced. ¡°Babasha, put the crystal ball on,¡± he gave a faint reminder. ¡°If you have anything to say, you can wait until you survive this.¡±

    The old witch smiled awkwardly. She knew that her thoughts had been seen through by the Lord Darkness Dragon, but it was not unexpected. She took out a crystal ball from under her robe then ced it on the ground. Brendel was really suspicious of where she had kept the crystal ball previously.

    The crystal ball quickly lit up.

    Wood¡¯s unpleasant old face appeared on it. Brendel didn¡¯t really have a good impression of the Archbishop who had yed a trick on him.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, Your Highness, how far have you progressed?¡± This Archbishop of the Cathedral of Fire didn¡¯t look like he was in the mood to beat around the bush so he just got straight to the point.

    Brendel felt that the question was very ambiguous. What did this old man want by asking this question in front of him and Her Highness?

    But the sh of light from the explosions in the crystal ball periodically illuminated Wood¡¯s wrinkled face. His wrinkles seemed especially deep due to what was happening. Although a spell had blocked out the murmurs from outside, it wasn¡¯t hard for Brendel to imagine how intense the battle there must be, and he couldn¡¯t help but worry about Freya, Carglise and the others. When he thought of Freya, he also thought of the merchantdy whom he hadn¡¯t heard from so far. His thoughts of lighthearted jesting dissipated at that.

    ¡°We have arrived,¡± Brendel replied sinctly. ¡°We are no more than two kilometers from the portal. But there are a lot of devils over there. I¡¯ll drop the anchor point down. You guys try to think of a way to teleport the men I need.¡±

    At this point, he suddenly remembered to ask. ¡°I might need a few Pdins. What¡¯s the situation over there? Can you spare any men?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, as long as you don¡¯t teleport the entire First Fleet,¡± Wood said with a grin. ¡°We¡¯ll probablyst a while.¡±

    When he said that, Brendel knew that the battle there must be very hard. With the pride of the Kirrultz, they would never admit to being so dependent on the Aouine fleet, so you can imagine the battle on the other side is on its ropes.

    Brendel knew that Wood didn¡¯t want to put any more pressure on him, but he still had a heavy feeling that time was running out.

    ¡°So Mr Brendel, what kind of men do you need?¡± Wood got serious and asked.

    ¡°I need men who have no fear of death, Lord Archbishop.¡±

    Garlock stood on the side of HMS Victory, watching the battle weave through the ground without saying a word. Amidst the nting rain, the Dragon Cavalry, Kirrultz¡¯s Pegasus Cavalry and Eagle Demons fought each other. The fire from the explosions lit up nearly half the sky. The old wizard stood in the very center of the battlefield. Every time the light of a spell shed in his hand, it was as if an invisible ripple swept across half the battlefield as countless Eagle Demons were smashed to pieces.

    Soon, someone called out behind him. ¡°Mr. Garlock is it?¡±

    Garlock turned back, alert. As the chief sorcerer beside Duke Seifer, the Duke¡¯s disappearance had given him a whiff of danger, so he volunteered to take part in the battle to avoid being implicated in that huge whirlpool of trouble.

    ¡°Exactly.¡± He nodded.

    ¡°Can youe with me?¡± asked a beautiful female officer. Garlock had an amazing memory. He remembered seeing her once by Count Jansu¡¯s side. Now themander of the fleet should be with the Kirrultz people, so what did they want him to do?

    He hesitated for a bit then nodded his head.

    On top of the different ships, the same scene was repeating itself. A fully armored knight appeared next to Sword Grandmaster Fiery Nichs. ¡°May I ask if this is Master Nichs? ¡± he asked in a respectful tone.

    ¡°Are you Count Yanbao? Pleasee with me.¡±

    ¡°Miss Amandina, your lord has asked for you to see him.¡±

    Soon, the seven candidates were already within the gshipmand room of HMS Victory. Other than Amandina, Ciel and Dilferi, the other four were all strong Elementalists, with Nichs and Garlock being experts of Elemental Enlightenment.

    Brendel did his best to choose the Aouine people because with the exception of a clear-headed cleric like Wood, it was hard for the Kirrultz to really put themselves in the kingdom¡¯s shoes. On the other hand, Nichs and Garlock had been enemies not long ago, but they were more reliable.

    Besides, Brendel knew that they were not members of All for One, and would do their best even if it was to prove their innocence. Of course, he was bound to have shadier ns because if he failed, the nobles of the north would lose at least two of their true powers. If so, Freya and the rest of the southern Trentheim forces might be a little better off.

    Of course, this was just him consoling himself. At least it was better than nothing.

    ¡°Brendel, you want me?¡± Hearing Brendel¡¯s request, Amandina was still able to maintain herposure. She had actually known that Brendel might borrow her knowledge in alchemy and magic, but the Countess of Yanbao just couldn¡¯t help but be stunned.

    ¡°What do you mean, I want you?¡± Brendel couldn¡¯t help but sweat profusely, but he didn¡¯t expect the Countess to look as if she was delighted. ¡°No, no, I, I¡¯m not trying to refuse but... but I¡¯m asking, can I really help with something like this?¡±

    ¡°Of course, teleporting takes magic, does this look like a moment where you can just waste magic?¡± Brendel retorted, somewhat at a loss for words. ¡°You were asked toe because you are better than the others and can y a role that no one else can y at this time.¡±

    There were some things that Brendel didn¡¯t say because everyone understood the danger of this mission, and there was a good chance that the people going with him might not survive. He did not hold back his praise for those who could face death head-on.

    In fact, anypliment would pale inparison to their actions.

    ¡°So, are you willing?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I would very much like to. Lord Archbishop, Mr. Brendel, thank you very much for choosing me!¡± The expression on Dilferi¡¯s face was not fake in the slightest and Brendel knew that the youngdy was so naive that she would be able to fake it either.

    Still, is this something to be happy about? Brendel couldn¡¯t help but be slightly puzzled, wondering if thedy had been brainwashed with the idea of chivalry, like Eikkel.

    Looking at the Countess¡¯ wistful blush, he was too embarrassed to continue undermining her self-confidence. He turned his gaze to see Garlock and Ciel talking at the side.

    ¡°You¡¯re Ciel of the Peloche family?¡± Garlock didn¡¯t seem the least bit worried about what was going to happen next. Rather, he looked nonchnt as he asked this.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Ciel replied nonchntly as well.

    ¡°Genius of the Hignders, I¡¯ve heard of you, but it is a pity that you¡¯re a Hignd Wizard. I would have had you as my apprentice otherwise. Unfortunately, Aouine people don¡¯t get to choose their own destiny.¡± Garlock said softly.

    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past now, and I¡¯m no longer that Ciel. I am dead, but I now have a new life,¡± Ciel replied and smiled slightly. ¡°Besides, the Aoine people may not necessarily be unable to choose their own destiny.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I heard that you did end up back in the mountains of Alkash, what did you see there? What exactly did the Lord Marshal end up seeing back then?¡±

    Ciel smiled. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, does it?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Garlock seemed to have thought of something. He froze for a moment, before nodding slowly. Hearing their conversation, Wood frowned slightly as he turned back to Brendel.

    ¡°Brendel, I¡¯ve gathered all the men you asked for, except for Mr. Nigel, who unfortunately has been killed in battle,¡± Wood replied.

    Really? Brendel was slightly startled. He didn¡¯t expect the famous Unshakeable Sword to die here. History said that the old general would only fall after the Second War of The ck Roses.

    It was only at this moment that he deeply felt the change in history. He looked at the two remaining Pdins and was about to nod, but it was at this time that a voice came from the other side of the crystal.

    ¡°Since the Unshakeable Sword is dead, then as a soldier from the same era as him, I will be the one to take over his task, right?¡±

    It was a loud, old voice that said that, and then a tall figure pushed open the door. ¡°What do you think, Archbishop?¡±

    Wood looked up, surprised to see the former leader of the White Lion Legion, but the old man had removed the White Lion¡¯s armor and was merely wearing an ordinary uniform.

    ¡°Captain Leider?¡±

    ¡°As I said, I¡¯m no longer the head of the army, Archbishop.¡±

 Chapter 595 - v3c360

    v3c360

    =

    Requiem(10)

    ¡°Our goal is simple. There are three portals in total. If we even leave just one behind, the mission will be a failure.

    ¡°The task of finding the Analyzing Portal will be left to Amandina, while the others, including myself, are to cover her as she approaches the portal, and to protect her until she¡¯s done.

    ¡°Do you have any more questions?¡±

    Brendel looked at all of them. They would have to face thousands of Devilster and no one expected sess except him. Most of those present only saw the action as a noble act. First of all, they had less than forty people and secondly, their opponent was an army of Devils. Short of a miracle, they were unable to see how they could secure victory.

    Some of Anthony¡¯s knights looked nervous. Some frowned deeply, while some others joked around as if they did not care. Garlock, the usually silent and quiet Seeker of Wonders, was demonstrating a spell model to Ciel. Nichs, the Sword Grandmaster of Seifer, was polishing his longsword over and over again, and the Princess was staring at the darkness of Ampere Seale in the rain alone, daydreaming about something. All these actions seemed meaningless, however, it showed a certain extent of uneasiness among them.

    Who could face death with equanimity when the final moment was so close?

    But even so, everyone nodded silently. They did not know that there was still a trace of hope ¨C that there was a chance ¨C in the young man¡¯s heart. They merely thought that it was a kind of chivalrous persistence and steadfastness, to still wish to initiate a challenge despite knowing that failure would be the oue. In this day and age, such determination would be considered naive in the eyes of most nobles, and yet at the same time, it was rare and worthy of admiration, because no one could spheme the pursuit of ideals and honor itself.

    That was exactly why the crowd had admiration for Brendel.

    Brendel could more or less sense the meaning of this, but he was not going to exin the misunderstanding. ¡°Well, too much time has been wasted. We only have five minutes to prepare, then we will leave immediately, so please hurry up or leave a will. You and I both understand that death is inevitable this time.¡±

    Everyone was silent.

    Only Ciel smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a pity, there should have been a chance for our descendants to build us a monument to record the events and heroic acts that will happen here today, with inscriptions that read ¡®The great Trentheim and his entourages¡¯, but it seems like that there¡¯s no chance of that now. It¡¯s still a question of whether anyone will remember us in the future,¡± the young wizard described in detail.

    ¡°Why would no one remember?¡± Dilferi on the other hand could not help but wonder.

    ¡°It¡¯s simple, because some righteous Holy Cathedral will hide the truth, but can we stand up and go against it?¡± Ciel replied, and the wizard could not help but give a lightugh as well.

    The joke was interesting, but the point was that it fit with the malicious suspicion in the minds of the people at the moment regarding the Kirrlutz people. Wasn¡¯t all of this now the work of the Kirrlutz and the Holy Cathedral of Fire? Although everyone was now united in cooperation against the Devils, there was not a hint of difort in their hearts, especially the Lantonn knights who all let out a loudugh with impunity.

    Brendel could not help but chuckle as well. It seemed that this fellow Ciel had a lot of opinions about the Holy Cathedral of Fire, but it was agreed that what he said would probablye to pass in the future if they actually died here.

    In fact, even the one and only Pdin among the crowd shook his head with a casual smile at Ciel¡¯s words. As a high-running member of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, he would naturally be aware of how the Holy Cathedral acted, but it was nothing uneptable to him as he was loyal to his faith instead of the Holy Cathedral¡¯s ways of doing things.

    Brendel emerged from the crowd and walked to the edge of the woond to take a look at the gentle sloping belt to the north, and he sighed. Some things were easier said than done. A gently sloping meadow connected the hills to the north of Ampere Seale with the bay. This terrain was terribly unsuitable for a raid. The little Devils¡¯ vision may be limited, but the Hellhounds were the best scouts, so if they left the forest they might get discovered immediately.

    Brendel could not help but be in despair at the thought of being discovered and the ever-increasing number of Devils by the portals.

    He could not help but think that it would have been better if the battle had been fought in the middle of the hills, but unfortunately, the Devils were not stupid. Moreover, they had run out of options.

    A rustle of footsteps came from behind him, and Brendel did not have to look back to know that it was the Countess of Yanbao, as she was the only one here who could be that clumsy and make such a ruckus.

    ¡°Mr.Brendel.¡±

    ¡°You wanted to ask what you could do?¡± Brendel replied without turning his head.

    ¡°You... you must not be at all liked by girls, Mr.Brendel.¡± Dilferi stopped for a moment and continued. ¡°I was indeed wondering what I could do, Mr.Brendel, were you impressed by my ability to summon Devils?¡±

    ¡°Ha,¡± Brendelughed. ¡°You figured it out?¡±

    ¡°There are no other possibilities.¡± Dilferi looked a little sad. ¡°But I¡¯m about to disappoint you; although I¡¯m secretly learning the psychic arts, in truth, I can actually only summon very weak low-level Devils.¡±

    Brendel could not help but look at her. ¡°Really? But I do have one question, Countess. Aren¡¯t you afraid at all? You know what it means to be here, don¡¯t you?¡±

    He looked at his watch. There were three minutes left. There was still more time, so he asked the question that he had been curious about since before. The head of the White Lion Legion, Leider, had chosen to join for reasons he could more or less have guessed. That major figure was historically a tragic character. One could say that he was arguably a tragic hero. He was one of the few people who was distinct from the other nobles of Aouine, but he chose a wrong path.

    To be honest, Brendel did not agree with Leider¡¯s choice, and as an individual, it might be admirable. However, from the old man¡¯s position, it was far too short-sighted. To cut off the future of the kingdom because of one man¡¯s misjudgment was not a mistake that could be overlooked for the sake of a righteous purpose.

    But if Leider was trying to make up for his mistake, Brendel wondered about Count Yanbao¡¯s actions. Although she was his chosen candidate, her reactions were a little too outstanding, as if her chivalry was overflowing.

    It was not quite the same as Brendel¡¯s impression of her.

    Dilferi hesitated, but finally nodded seriously. ¡°I know I might die here, Mr. Brendel.¡±

    Brendel listened as she continued. ¡°But I¡¯m not the only heir to the Yanbao family, and if I die here today, the House of the Sword Guardian will only glorify me and wash away the shame brought on by the shattering of the Sword Throne. If I live, my family will not be reborn as a result, but if I die, I won¡¯t be able to decide my own fate and that of my family.

    ¡°So I thought, perhaps I could at least decide the value of my own life.¡± Dilferi looked at Brendel seriously. ¡°And besides, I¡¯d rather die bravely and honorably. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to die beside a true knight who could shed hisst drop of blood for this kingdom? Isn¡¯t it romantic?¡±

    Romantic my ass.

    Brendel was unable toprehend this inexplicable sacrifice of hers, just as he had never been able to fetter personal freedom for the sake of his family. Je looked at the Countess and for the first time, he felt an invisible gulf between them.

    ¡°Is it worth it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s worth it.¡± Dilferi nodded affirmatively.

    Alright. Brendel shrugged and decided to change the subject to something with lesser weight. ¡°But then again, is the shattering of the Sword Throne that bad for you guys?¡±

    ¡°Of course, Yanbao had made an oath to guard the Sword Throne, and the shattering of the Sword Throne means that the Lionheart Sword will have to choose a new master, which was a disaster to us. Our family had to face the criticism and usations of the covetous.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± It finally dawned on Brendel, who had guessed it earlier. If Yanbao did not meet with any trouble, the little girl Dilferi would not have been out on the run.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t the Lionheart Sword back in the princess¡¯ hands?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, back then we had sworn an oath to the Seifer royal family. Later on the Lionheart Sword went missing, but fortunately, Covardo the Sword Throne still existed. So the ancestors of Covardo swore an oath to the throne before the Sword Throne, and the House of Yanbao¡¯s allegiance today is actually to the royal family, not to the princess,¡± The Countess exined in detail.

    Brendel understoodpletely after she exined. But honestly, even though he understood the original reason, he could not understand the other party¡¯s choice.

    He fell silent and took out a circr object from the dimensional cave. ¡°Your family will be honored by you, but to be honest, I regret it,¡± Brendel replied quietly.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, you don¡¯t have to, ah...¡± Dilferi stared at the object as soon as she saw it. ¡°It¡¯s... the Devil Armlet?¡±

    Brendel nodded slowly.

    Five minutes was not a long time, and by the time Brendel and Dilferi walked back from the edge of the forest, everyone was already prepared to set out.

    He did not say much, and in fact, was not in the mood to, so he just nodded and led everyone off. They passed through the forest and were soon following the slope into the gently sloping belt to the north. Before this, Brendel had told himself more than once that this action this time was not much different from his experience in the game in the past, whether it was the experience of killing his way out of the Lizardmen¡¯s siege, or the risky raid on Madara¡¯s Undead during the second War of The ck Roses, or the delivery of a message during the Cloverleaf Operation under the noses of the Kirrlutz.

    It worked every time, didn¡¯t it?

    But it was not until the silence of the crowd at the moment before he took action that he felt something. There seemed to be tension in the air and unease that reminded him more than once of that night in Be.

    Through the gaps in the cascading branches and leaves of the canopy, the portals of the Door of me stood like three huge golden rings in the rain. These things alone were enough to cause tremendous stress to people. Fortunately, in order to ensure the surroundings near the portals were clear, not a single flying creature could be seen in the entire northern sky of Ampere Seale.

    Whether it was a Barbarian Devil or an Eagle Demon.

    That was the onlyforting thing to Brendel.

    The Devils were rather confident of the troops¡¯ strength near the portals, and there were no patrols set up in the surrounding hilly areas. Of course, the Devils did not have any patrols in the first ce, and their fighting style was always straightforward, violent, and direct. That was it.

    Instead, Brendel had been expecting to run into Jorgendy Ridge, but it looked like he was having good luck. He carefully led the others through the overgrown area while keeping a sharp eye on the hill where the Hellhounds were perched, but the other party was seemingly unaware that there was a troop to the north of Ampere Seale. They soon made their way into a meadow close to the gentle slope and to the ground that was between sparse woond areas.

    Brendel was the first to roll sideways behind a tree at the outermost edge of the woond and took a look outside. The nearest portal was just less than a kilometer away from him, and because it was so huge, it almost seemed within reach.

    Brendel took a breath and turned back immediately to signal to the others. Everyone lowered their bodies and crept closer to the edge on the forest floor.

    To be honest, this action was not anything new. Scouts often approached enemy troops in this manner and even taught their horses to do so, but if there was an airborne scouting unit, doing so in an endless meadow would be like seeking death.

    But Brendel just had his eyes on the clear area near the portal.

    They slowly crawled out of the edge of the woond and slowly entered the meadow belt. Brendel would raise his head slightly from time to time to take a look at the reaction of the Hellhounds that was among all the Devils. The Hellhounds were number one when it came to their perception ability. Even those higher-ranked Longhorn Devils were no match for them in this regard.

    But Marsha was clearly on their side this time. They managed to advance three to four hundred meters all the way, and although it took a full ten minutes, the Hellhounds showed no reaction

    even when they were almost half the distance away.

    But their fortune apparently ended here.

    Suddenly, Brendel could see the three-headed Hellhound stand up alertly at once. If he had been lucky up to this point, he might as well wait until the creature looked over in this direction, and that was when he immediately realized that his troop had been spotted.

    At this distance, it was unlikely for the other party to have discovered them by sight. It would have been by their human scent instead. Brendel was prepared for their incredible sense of smell, but he could not help but still feel frightened. Moreover, they were in the middle of torrential rain. Had it been a sunny day, they probably would not have been able to hide in the forest.

    The two major scouting soldiers of the Devils, the Barbarian Devil in the sky and the Hellhound on the ground, had famed reputations that were not exaggerated by the yers. Brendel only saw those six pairs of blood-red eyes sweep in this direction when he immediately felt a numbness in his scalp. He subconsciously shouted.

    ¡°Amandina!¡±

    The nobledy understood tacitly and immediately approached him, Brendel immediately got up from the ground and in one swoop, he scooped her up by the waist and carried her. He took off running right away, heading straight for the portal directly in front of them. ¡°Quick! Destroy the nearest portal first!¡±

    As soon as he moved, the Hellhounds on the hill all stood up in unison. The Longhorn Devils by the portal were slower to react, these tall Devils immediately kicking away the brawling little Devils. While cursing at them, they ordered the little Devils to prepare for battle.

    And then, the Devil Warlocks appeared by the portals. Those monsters that originally seemed to be hidden among therge masses of little Devils stood up and immediately lit up blood-red mes in their hands, then they hurled them at Brendel and the others as though those were mere raindrops.

    Brendel had one hand around Amandina while the other drew out the Halran Gaia. He was incredibly familiar with these monsters and naturally knew their usual tricks. He was about to fight them head-on when the Pdin and Nichs had arrived in front of him, one to his left and one to his right. They stretched out their hands and countless golden-red Lines of Laws stretched forward and devoured all the fireballs.

    In front of these two masters who yed with fire, the Devil Warlocks¡¯ fireball technique was just not enough.

    Brendel was momentarily relieved. This was the reason he asked Nichs in particr to join him. Devils were experts at ying with fire, but their skills would be considered child¡¯s y ifpared to Nichs, who was of Elemental Enlightenment.

 Chapter 596 - v3c361

    v3c361

    Requiem(11)

    After the fireballs, hordes of Imps began to move out from the side of the portal. These monsters, which were no taller than human children and whose bodies were as crimson as fire, could not be considered an army at all, but they were already able to swarm the ce through their sheer numbers. Brendel hugged Amandina while he looked up and saw a densely horrifying ocean of dark red. It was as though all the red on a painter¡¯s palette had spilled. But this time, the red was surging up.

    Countless Imps with fleshy wings stumbled as they flew dozens of meters high, and the entire battlefield elevated into the air like a sudden tsunami. The Imps were like locusts as they blocked out the sun and sky while continuing their surge forward.

    The noble¡¯s daughter was so frightened that she almost stopped breathing, her fingertips whitened as she gripped Brendel¡¯s shoulder. In the blink of an eye, the roaming Imps swooped down like a giant wave. She was so frightened that she immediately closed her eyes and turned her head towards Brendel¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Prepare for battle!¡± Brendel roared.

    The knights raised their heads and prepared for the first attack. ¡®Long live the kingdom!¡± ¡°Long live Aouine!¡± Nobody knew who was the first to shout that out, but the few weak voices were drained out by the overwhelming screaming in the area.

    Everyone¡¯s heart stirred immensely.

    This was a hero¡¯s dream that everyone had. Reality had stopped the pace of the men and women, but until that moment really came, everyone couldugh, cry and shout to their heart¡¯s content as if life and death meant nothing anymore. Worries would turn into sincere feelings that would be vented out. The knights were going to sacrifice their lives for their country; even if they had only a second to shine, it would be a moment for them to cherish for eternity.

    Life and death had already been disregarded, and the only thing left in everyone¡¯s mind was to use their swords to determine victory. The wave crashed down head-on on them and everyone subconsciously held their breath, but just then, a thunderous roar arose from behind them.

    ¡°I im the Power of the Laws!¡±

    The old wizard Garlock took a step forward with his five fingers spread wide open and thrust them into the void. ¡°Back off!¡± he roared as a transparent aura spread out in all directions with him at its center, but upon closer inspection, it was not an aura but water instead.

    As soon as the ssh of water came close enough, the Imps that had been in mid-air moving forward, their wings fluttering, were swept away by an enormous invisible hand. They screamed as they flew back. Some even got swept across hundreds of meters in distance and hit their heads on the metal tform of the portal, their heads cracking open to reveal the brains inside.

    It was as if a giant dragon exhaled and the entire sky instantly became peaceful.

    ¡°Charge onward!¡± Brendel swung his sword and charged forward with a roar to seize the opportunity. The sword he raised brought about an arc of water in the rain, and the mere pressure of the sword drained the rain to the sides, which created a bout of wind pressure that swept forward, right into the Imps¡¯ dense formation.

    The first row of Imps that bore the brunt of the attack looked as though they had been crushed by a hammer. Their advancing momentum came to a halt. Their skulls and thoracic cavities were warping at a noticeable rate. They ttened and folded backward in an uncanny matter, before they exploded like a pink mist of crushed flesh in just a moment. With a loud ¡®bang¡¯, the three rows of Imps that formed an arc in front of Brendel turned into a mist of blood at once, while more of them were blown away by the pressure from the sword.

    Then, the sword pressure reached its limit and exploded. Countless invisible des exploded in all directions like a tempest, and for a moment, countless limbs were thrown into the sky with continuous screaming apanying them.

    This sword¡¯s strength was actually effective in a perfect circle within a thirty-meter radius. At least twenty Imps were torn into pieces by the sword and the number of broken limbs was nigh uncountable.

    The knights did not have time to cheer as they immediately surged forward to upy the open space, but right at the same moment, the entire team was surrounded by an ocean of Imps.

    Dozens of Imps swarmed around a Lantonn knight and used their ws and teeth to grab and bite the knight¡¯s shoulder and arm armor. The knight fought back with all his might and stabbed the throat of the Imp that had tried to climb up from behind him on horseback. However, more and more Imps grabbed his arms securely, making movement even more difficult for him. Atst, the knight killed three or four Imps before one Imp managed to lift the knight¡¯s face armor and wed his face off.

    The knight let out an awful scream and toppled off his horse. In just a second, countless hands dragged him down and he was torn to shreds by the Devils on the ground. Even the poor war horse was ripped into pieces by these Imps.

    Brendel could not help but feel sickened at the sight of those Imps grabbing the knight¡¯s limbs before they turned towards him with blood all over their faces. Although it was not like he had not seen such a scene before in the game, those prior scenes were far less gruesome, unlike how the scene was disyed in all its bloody glory before him now.

    However, he was experienced in battle, and the ze of anger in his heart outweighed the feeling of being sick to his stomach. With one hand he shielded the pale Amandina. He then raised his right hand, and with a sh from his sword, three Imps that were lunging at him with their limbs and bodies were suddenly cut into seven or eight chunks of flesh.

    The stench of blood blended into the rain and poured back down on the two of them. Beads of blood and fleshnded on Amandina, which disgusted her so much she nearly vomited, but she hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you alright?¡± Brendel took the time to ask.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Amandina shook her head weakly. ¡°Lord, take care of yourself.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Look over there!¡± someone screamed.

    Brendel lifted his head and saw several huge beasts making their way through the red sea of Imps, their huge bodies simply like tightly muscled mounds of flesh. Three huge heads bobbed up and down as they galloped, and each of the heads had a scarlet tongue hanging out. These monsters rushed down from the hills not far away and crashed into the dense formation of Imps, directly knocking those low-level Devils into the air or trampling over them as if they did not even consider slowing down.

    The three-headed Hellhounds.

    There were more Hellhounds behind them, literally like a pack of sharks that had merged into the crimson ocean. Their towering backs that stood out among the Devils were like fins that separated their waves.

    Brendel¡¯s mind was racing. The Devils reacted a little faster than he had expected. He suddenly realized that he had underestimated these monsters, that he had measured the Devils¡¯bat prowess with the standards of his own time, but soon it became apparent that these Devils seemed to be a tad more powerful than in the game.

    ¡°Form a tighter line, and watch out for their spit!¡± Brendel shouted to remind the others. ¡°Ciel!¡±

    ¡°I understand, my Lord!¡±

    Under the protection of several knights, the young wizard held his staff in his left hand and pointed his right towards the distant Magic Triangle in front. ¡°Dragon Strike!¡± With a loud ¡®bang¡¯, the web of light expanded in front of Ciel, and the zing white center shot a beam of blue light, cutting through the rain and forming a clean line with a slight curve along the horizon.

    The beam of light hit one of the three-headed Hellhounds¡¯ heads squarely and pierced through into the cerebellum from the back,pletely vaporizing part of the spine and brain. The spear of light exited straight out the other end, and the tremendous force of the spear inevitably lifted the hill-like Devil backward. Its corpse fell a great distance into a pile of Imps, crushing countless numbers of them at once.

    The two lower-ranked Hellhounds were unable to dodge as well and were burned to ashes.

    The unstoppable green beam of light moved forward.

    Flickering, glowing green numbers appeared on Brendel¡¯s retinas. The numbers were a little more than he had expected, but that was not a good thing; it meant that the three-headed Hellhound had a higher rank than he had expected. In truth, the yers¡¯ encounter with the Devils happened veryte in the game when the three-headed Hellhound¡¯s existence was insignificant, so he had never really thought how powerful the other was.

    But now, it seemed that it had at least a mid to upper Gold level of power.

    It was worthy of being a sixth-ranked soldier in this era.

    Ciel changed his trajectory and let out another Dragon Strike. This time, it did not have a big effect on the Devils as they had learned their lesson, so only one three-headed Hellhound was killed. In just a duration of two spells, those huge Hellhounds had approached the crowd.

    The first to bear the brunt was Brendel, who had rushed to the front. A three-headed Hellhound crashed through the Imps like a madman and jumped at him, all three bloodied giant maws biting down on his shoulder. Had Brendel been a second slower, he would have ended up with his head separated from his body.

    Unfortunately for the Hellhound, before it had a chance to open its mouths, Brendel bent down nimbly, as if he had managed to dodge them before they even attacked. It was a moment of life and death; the monster did not react in time and lunged at empty air.

    It bit into the air. Brendel had already crawled underneath its head. He released Amandina¡¯s shoulder from his left hand and struck upwards, which hit the three-headed Hellhound¡¯s neck with a blow.

    Unlike the Hellhounds, the three-headed Hellhounds themselves had taken much longer to be the leader of the Hellhounds. They had experienced countless battles and were far more experienced than their lower-ss counterparts. As soon as Brendel got under its belly, it immediately came back to its senses and opened its mouth to spit.

    An ordinary knight would have been spat on already. Unfortunately, the one the three-headed Hellhound was facing was Brendel. The young lord knew it even better than the creature itself, and with an upward elbow strike, he suddenly sent the three-headed Hellhound¡¯s spit back that it went back into its stomach, and the monster whImpered. The pain made the three-headed Hellhound unable to fight back at all. Brendel then took the opportunity to stand up and directly lift the huge creature upwards. At the same moment, with a sh of the Halran Gaia in his right hand, he sliced the three-headed Hellhound clean into two from its torso.

 Chapter 597 - v3c362

    <strong>v3c362</strong>

    Requiem(12)

    The second and third Cerberus arrived at the scene just after Brendel killed the first Cerberus. The way Brendel killed theirrade so easily obviously scared them, although the Cerberi were not very intelligent, they were still smarter than the average devil. Upon seeing Brendel sprinting towards them with his bloody sword, both of them immediately retreated.

    Unfortunately, Brendel was not nning to give them any opportunity to retreat. He jumped forward with his sword high up on his head and shed at its forehead. With this attack, Brendel had already activated his Dash: the Cerberus had no room to escape. With its urge to back down and the fact that the current situation did not allow for advance nor retreat, finally, in this two-way dead end, it was shed straight on the forehead by Brendel¡¯s sword.

    With a loud sound, Brendel¡¯s sword immediately shed Cerberus¡¯s body into half. The terrifying power of the Golden Peak Elemental Power (»Æ½ðáÛ·åÒªËØÏÔ»¯) instantly crushed its body, and a powerful explode blew its body into pieces of meat and bones.

    And just like that, the Cerberus was killed by its own pathetess. Brendelnded on the floor, breathing heavily. Although his Golden Peak Elemental Power could easily deal with a Cerberus, monsters were monsters after all, and it wasn¡¯t easy to deal with monsters while saving energy and without using any Elemental Point.

    He could only take advantage with his broad experiences.

    Brendel looked back, Nichs and the Pdin of the Holy Cathedral of Fire had just each killed a Cerberus. The amount of the Cerberi was already low from the start, and with that, half of them were dead. But that did not mean that the pressure had been reduced, the rest of the knights were already having a hard time dealing with the Hellhounds, much less the Cerberi.

    In fact, they were already struggling when they were surrounded by imps, and as soon as the Hellhounds joined in the fight, the Lantonn Knights immediately suffered heavy casualties.

    There were four or five knights who were suddenly attacked by the Hellhounds and dragged from their horses. The others had no room to save theirrades as they were in a difficult situation too, and it was clear what fate was awaiting them.

    The remaining knights had no choice but to gather around Dilferi and her Royal Highness. If Leider was not there with them, they would have already been overwhelmed by the imps.

    There was no way to advance.

    Brendel could not help but frown. The current situation was beyond his expectations. How did the Devils react so quickly ? This waspletely different from the Jorgendy Ridge¡¯s monsters in his memory. He looked at the portal in the distance, and it was around two hundred meters away.

    But these two hundred metres felt like the milky way to them.

    ¡° Mr Brendel, we have to find an opening to escape.¡± Nichs noticed the problem too and could not help saying it out loud.

    Yeah, but what can we do now? Brendel looked around the battlefield, enemies wereing from every direction, hustle and bustle of terrifying screams shrouded each of them and their eyes were bloodshot. Brendel never felt his heart beating so fast before, but the adrenaline managed to make him think clearly.

    To better find a way out.

    He first thought of Garlock, but then shook his head. Although a high-ranking mage like him could find a way to connect the Law of Space, a huge amount of power was required to maintain the stability of the space. There was only one chance left, and Brendel would rather leave it as ast resort.

    ¡° Wind Empress! ¡±

    ¡° Huh? ¡± Sanorso could sense the panic in Brendel and immediately responded to his call. Although she said that she would not talk to him today, as the situation became dire, she could not help but worry. This was already the second time.

    ¡° Are there any skills that can teleport people? ¡±

    ¡° Skills? Teleportation? ¡±

    Brendel realised he slipped up and quickly added, ¡° I mean, are there any Sword Arts that can teleport me to that portal? I know there¡¯s a few Sword Arts that are simr to the Knight¡¯s Dash. ¡±

    ¡° That would be a future generation¡¯s Sword Art.¡± The Wind Empress said, ¡° I have never heard of such Sword Art. ¡±

    ¡° Nothing with simr effects? ¡±

    ¡° Nothing with simr effects. ¡±

    ¡° Then are there any simr spells that can do that? ¡±

    ¡° All the simr spells are Spacial Spells, don¡¯t even think about that with your pathetic Elementalists level. ¡± Sanorso sighed.

    I¡¯m done for! Brendel could not help but groan. But suddenly, he remembered something and could not help but shout, ¡° No, I remember there¡¯s such Sword Art! ¡±

    ¡° Huh? ¡±

    ¡° The me King Gretel¡¯s sh Strike Sword Art! Isn¡¯t it? ¡±

    ¡° You¡¯re crazy! ¡± The Wind Empress was shocked, ¡° Don¡¯t tell me you want to learn that guy¡¯s Sword Art? I have to warn you first, I don¡¯t know how to use this either! ¡±

    ¡° I¡¯m aware of that. ¡± His gaze fell onto the Pdin of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, ¡° I know someone who might know. ¡± After that, he could not help but bow his head, ¡° But is this okay? Can I learn the sh Strike Sword Art at the same time? ¡±

    ¡° I¡¯m not a stubborn person. ¡± The Wind Empress sighed, ¡° But I want to remind you in advance that other than my Nine Luminaries Sword Art, both Gretel¡¯s sh Strike Sword Art and Eleranta¡¯s Cry of the Mountains and the Earth originate from the Dragon n and the Golden Giants respectively, these two are both true ancient Sword Arts and no one has ever learned these three Sword Arts at the same time before. ¡±

    ¡° Rx, I just want to learn a little bit of it. ¡±

    ¡° Getting started is the hardest part, ¡± But the Wind Elf suddenly recalled the scene of Brendel learning the Nine Luminaries Sword Art, and suddenly stopped talking. ¡° Don¡¯t tell me you want to learn that Sword Art now? ¡± she asked incredulously.

    ¡° I want to use it now! ¡±

    Brendel had no time for exnation, he shed the Hellhound in front of him with his sword and pulled Amandina with him towards the Pdin of the Holy Cathedral of Fire shouting, ¡° Mr Stephen! ¡±

    The Pdin has not talked much ever since he joined the team, nor did he say anything when Ciel was joking about the Holy Cathedral of Fire before. Overall, he left a good impression on Brendel. Most importantly, as a Kirrlutz, the fact that he was willing to fight for Aoine was really admirable, even if it¡¯s because he wanted to redeem the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s mistakes.

    Brendel also knew that this Pdin, unlike himself, was truly the kind of person who pursued faith and ideals.

    So his tone was unconsciously polite, even if he despised the Kirrlutz.

    The Pdin was also dealing with a Hellhound and he looked back at Brendel with mild surprise. He did not have a bad impression of the young lord, at least Brendel¡¯s knightly behaviour was enough to make him harbor a slightly more favorable impression of him. Mainly, it was because he, along with Wood, did not participate in Williams¡¯s attack on the princess, as it would be hard to not feel displeased if he was captured by Brendel.

    He could not help but look at the young man curiously, and even without speaking, his pale blue eyes expressed a clear meaning:

    What is it?

    ¡° You saw it too, we are nning to find an opening leading to the portal, but it¡¯s very difficult to do so now. Mr Garlock must save his magic until thest attempt, therefore I need your help. ¡± Brendel did not beat around the bush.

    The Pdin nodded his head, Go ahead.

    At this time, more devils rushed at them and Brendel had to fight and retreat with the Pdin. At the same time, he asked loudly, trying to ovee the screams of the damn imps, ¡° I remember that any member who bes a Pdin of the Holy Cathedral of Fire would be taught the most basic sh Strike Sword Art right? I mean the me King Gretel¡¯s Sword Art. ¡±

    The Pdin stopped and almost got hurt, but he took a step back and stared at Brendel warily.

    ¡° Don¡¯t get me wrong, I hope you can teach me this Sword Art. ¡±

    Amandina, who was originally holding Brendel¡¯s hand tightly and leaning on his side, couldn¡¯t help but let out a surprised gasp when she heard what Brendel just said. Of course she knew what the sh Strike Sword Art was, but Brendel was making this request so suddenly and even wanted the other party not to misunderstand him.

    At that moment, even she could not help but stare at Brendel weirdly. If Brendel was not her lord but an outsider, she would be the first to ask what he was trying to do.

    But the Pdin was not surprised at all, he pierced the heart of an imp rushing towards him. At the same time, he took another step back and said for the first time in a somewhat t voice, ¡° It appears that the Lord already understands the secret of the sh Strike Sword Art, so you want to use it to teleport to the portal? ¡±

    Brendel nodded his head.

    The Pdin was finally shook, and he looked at Brendel as if he was a lunatic, ¡° Master Lord, have you thought about how the sh Strike Sword Art is not easily learnt? Besides, there is no time to relearn a new Sword Art now. ¡±

    Normally, this was indeed the case.

    Brendel could not help but scratch his head too. If he could, he would never behave like an omnipotent person in front of normal people. But the problem was, there was no other choice. Compared to this, being an omnipotent person was always better than bing a dead body.

    ¡° It doesn¡¯t matter, Mr Stephen. This... you know, I¡¯ve been talented in swordsmanship since I was young. Why don¡¯t you tell me the fundamentals of the sh Strike Sword Art, as myst wish to satisfy my curiosity. ¡± Brendel sighed.

    This was absolutely ridiculous, but somehow the Pdin believed it. He suddenly remembered Brendel¡¯s identity: Earth Sword Saint Darius¡¯s grandson. The name Earth Sword Saint Darius was not only famous in the small kingdom of Aouine, when he was a marshall in the Holy Cathedral of Fire, there were plenty of admirers of the Earth Sword Saint in Kirrlutz.

    However, that was thest honeymoon period between Kirrlutz and Aouine. After that, the rtionship between two kingdoms became cold, and eventually the Earth Sword Saint also retreated to a reclusive life for unknown reasons. In a normal person¡¯s perspective, this was merely a shift in national politics. But as a high-ranking figure in the Holy Cathedral, he knew some of the backstory.

    But since Brendel was the descendant of the Earth Sword Saint, it was understandable that he was curious about the sh Strike Sword Art. As a swordsman, he understood this feeling very well. In his opinion, Brendel¡¯s request could indeed be counted as his final request.

    However, he did not believe in the bullshit about ¡®Brendel¡¯s superior swordsmanship¡¯ at all. Perhaps it was not surprising that the descendant of the Earth Sword Saint had certain talents in swordsmanship, but for Brendel to immediately learn sh Strike Sword Art? Stephen felt that this joke was more ridiculous than Brendel iming that he was the me King.

    ¡° So, you agree?¡± Brendel quickly asked after seeing the Pdin¡¯s hesitation.

    To be honest Stephen did not know that Brendel did not even need him to tell him anything about the Sword Art. All he needed for him to say was that he agreed to teach him the sh Strike Sword Art.

    Oh well, he also thought that this thing was a bug.

    Pdin Stephen finally nodded, ¡° Alright. ¡±

    At that moment, Brendel could hear the prompt as if it came from god.

 Chapter 598 - v3c363

    v3c363

    Requiem(13)

    ¡°Detected that the skill can be obtained ¡ª¡±

    ¡°Skill type, general category. Sword Art ssification, Law: Dragon n, Space.¡±

    ¡°sh Strike Sword Art Level 0 [Basic] (Dragon n/Ancient): Your sword tip can now deflect dimensions. Each attack can ignore a certain distance in space (5m).¡±

    ¡°Added attribute: (Basic:None), (Ancient Trait: Unable to use as a basic skill, experience requirements increase.)¡±

    In the eyes of the Pdin and Amandina, Brendel was just standing there stunned after listening to his description. But they could not see what was happening in Brendel¡¯s mind, Brendel was rapidlymunicating with Sanorso with his mind.

    ¡°This Sword Art is a little moreplicated than the Nine Luminaries Sword Art.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Why do you say that, my Sword Art is definitely not inferior to Gretel¡¯s. If I¡¯m not satisfied with your answer, I¡¯ll give you a piece of my mind right here right now.¡± The Wind Empress smiled dangerously.

    Brendel smiled bitterly, Didn¡¯t you already give the answer to that question? He nced at the 4120 EP, clearly remembering that the EP of Nine Luminaries Sword Art was only 3550, but he still replied, ¡°Complexity is not necessarily better,pared to that, yourdy¡¯s Sword Art is much more refined.¡±

    ¡°Your words have gotten a little sweeter from hanging around with the princess. But as the elder sister, I definitely like the sweet talking more.¡± The Wind Empressughed ambiguously, giving him the feeling that the other three legends who fought alongside her at the beginning must have been subjected to all kinds of suffering too. The reason why the me King was able to be the hero that saved the world was closely connected to the the Wind Empress too, ¡°I won¡¯t be mad even if you state the obvious, Gretel¡¯s sword art is the inheritance of the Dragon n after all, my Nine Luminaries Sword Art was also not tempered yet at that time.¡±

    This perhaps was one of the reasons, and although Sanorso did not admit it, she insinuated that the sh Strike Sword Art was better than the Nine Luminaries Sword Art. However, like she said, it was an honor to improve a Sword Art that wasparable to a Sword Art given by the Dragon King.

    But Brendel would never believe what the elf consort just said about ¡°I won¡¯t be mad even if you state it directly.¡± He could guarantee that if he did say that directly, the Wind Empress would definitely give him a piece of her mind. This was proved by history, you could never trust what a woman said.

    ¡°But based on your talents, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem right?¡± Sanorso was still bothered by Brendel¡¯s rapid progress when he was learning her Sword Art.

    She had been hailed as the most outstanding genius among the Mist Elves ever since she was a child. She began to learn this ancient technique at the age of thirty-five, and she had fully mastered it by the age of adulthood. During the middle period of the War of the Holy Saint, she modified the Lunar Sword into a magical Sword Art, whichter became known by the world as the Nine Luminaries Sword Art.

    But she became frustrated to find that, as someone who used to be called a beast, she seemed like an average personpared to Brendel.

    ¡°Maybe I can try.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Maybe you can try....¡±The elf snorted softly. Although she was happy that her inheritor was excellent, his overachievements induced jealousy.

    As for Brendel, the experience from Mavicart¡¯s Grimoire has basically been used up, though the remaining tid bits were enough to learn the basics of the sh Strike Sword Art. Telepathy escaped the limits of time, the two¡¯s conversation waspleted in an instant.

    He recovered from his trance, and a light green panel appeared in front of him. Time seemed to slow down, and the demons behind the transparent interface were rushing at him, but Brendel easily blocked them with his sword.

    Thest prompt on the interface had just revealed : Skills detected could be obtained, is it confirmed ¡ª¡ª?

    ¡°Confirm!¡±

    Brendel blocked the imp¡¯s w with his sword, causing it to lose its bnce and fall to the ground. He turned his sword and stabbed it into the back of the devil, ckish-purple blood sshing all over his arm.

    ¡°Beginning to copy the information on the sh Strike Sword Art¡ª¨C¡±

    ¡°Warning, simr skills have been detected. Skill Name : Aoinue¡¯s Military Swordsmanship, skill type, general category, Sword Art ssification, Laws : Peak Iron¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    As soon as the prompt appeared, Brendel almost threw his Halran Gaia away. How can the sh Strike Sword Art conflict with Aouine¡¯s Military Swordsmanship? The Military Swordsmanship is a basic Sword Art, and only one skill would conflict with it, which was another more advanced and powerful basic Sword Art.

    It was well known that Aouine¡¯s Military Swordsmanship was created from thebination of the Kirrlutz¡¯s Military Swordsmanship and the Wind Elves¡¯s Swordsmanship. At that moment, Brendel suddenly thought of a seemingly far fetched possibility.

    The sh Strike Sword Art was a basic sword technique, and the Aouine¡¯s Military Swordsmanship reflects a bit of it.

    ¡°Wait a minute, the sh Strike Sword Art is only a sword technique, not a skill?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you know that?¡± Sanorso, The Wind Empress replied, ¡°The sh Strike Sword Art is originally a sword technique, along with the Lunar Sword from the Mist Elves, don¡¯t tell me you thought it was a special skill like the Nine Luminaries Sword Art?¡±

    The fuck? Brendel screamed inside, How would I know that? This was an ancient skill, not a rotten cabbage you can pick off the street. Even in another world, he had only heard of this before, who would learn this ancient skill just to show off.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, right?¡± Sanorso also realized the problem and frowned, suddenly realizing that she seemed to be too optimistic about Brendel. Basic sword art was different from special sword art, for example the Nine Luminaries Sword Art could definitely be learned in a short amount of time by talented people.

    But the sh Strike Sword Art was different, a basic sword art was the way of using swords. Without decades of hard practice, it would be difficult to achieve anything from it. And mastering it right away was impossible.

    The problem now was that Brendel had no choice.

    ¡°Mr Brendel, the sh Strike Sword Art was the first king¡¯s technique after all. In the millenias of history of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, no one was able to really master it. You don¡¯t have to force yourself.¡± Stephen saw the change in Brendel¡¯s face, and thought he would give up and said, ¡°You should just let Mr Garlock prepare for it, we¡¯re going tounch the final assault. In this case, destroying even one portal is good enough for us.¡±

    Before he even finished speaking, he suddenly saw Brendel shing his sword forward, and as part of this attack sequence, both him and Amandina disappeared.

    Stephen realized what happened in an instant.

    He raised his head in disbelief, but in just a matter of seconds, he had missed the most important scene. He only saw Brendel¡¯s sword lowering, and the head of a Hellhound flying upwards.

    But the Hellhound was clearly far away from them only moments ago.

    This is impossible.

    Stephen knew how to use the sh Strike Sword Art too, although it was only at a surface level. But he was able to let his de pass over the limit of space at a very short distance. In fact, most Pdins can do this trick, though it is often only used at the end of a swing.

    From the other people¡¯s perspective, it seemed that the attack speed of a Pdin from the Holy Cathedral of Fire was always a little faster than those of the level.

    Butpared to the skill Brendel has shown, Stephen felt like he could just go end himself.

    He had to confirm that ten seconds ago, he only said two simple sentences to Brendel. If he could, Stephen really wanted to p himself and tell himself it was all just a dream.

    But someone else was more surprised than he was.

    ¡°Brendel, what are you doing.¡± The Wind Empress screamed, abandoning herposure.

    ¡°Testing.¡±

    Brendel replied, looking up. That sh just now teleported him five meters, and the portal was about three hundred meters away from him. The imps looked like a group of ants from afar.

    Indeed, whether it was a basic sword art or a special sword art would make a huge difference for any ordinary person. But not to Brendel, it was only about how much experience he was going to spend.

    Brendel tried a few more times, the previous sh did not cost him much physical energy, but it consumed a part of his mana. It seemed that ancient sword arts were the same, they all required a certain amount of mana, though the mana consumption of sh Strike Sword Art was much less than Nine Luminaries Sword Art. Inparison, the former¡¯s mana usage was only one tenth of thetter¡¯s.

    After all, thetter was a genuine magic sword art.

    But to say that there were no differences between a basic sword art and a special sword art for Brendel, would not be true. Brendel was not the only one who noticed the difference, the Wind Empress immediately noticed it too.

    ¡°What was that image you left behind just now?¡± The Wind Empress asked excitedly, ¡°That was no illusion.¡±

    At this moment, Brendel was excited too, as the previous shed proved his theory from the beginning. As everyone knew, a basic sword art in The Amber Sword could enhance a special sword art.

    Could the sh Strike Sword Art, a basic sword art, provide a bonus to the Nine Luminaries Sword Art?

    He got his answer right away.

    Brendel hugged Amandina tightly while swinging his sword. Their figures disappeared and reappeared again and again, and after every disappearance, they would advance forward, twenty meters, fifty meters, one-hundred meters. Everytime they appeared, the battlefield would be left with a shadow of Brendel attacking the enemies nearby.

    Two sword arts famous throughout history at this moment finally perfectly merged into one.

    ¡°Wait for my good news!¡± Brendel roared in the middle of the battlefield. He rose from the ground and quickly passed through the imps in a blur.

    Almost everyone on the battlefield saw such a scene¨C

    The young lord began to elerate, and the monsters from Jorgendy Ridge soon realized that they could not block himl. And in fact, their attacks all missed, only falling upon the blur left by their opponent.

    But the problem was that it was not the actual blur.

    The imps, stunned, watched every blur on the battlefield begin to do the same thing. They raised their swords and shed forward with all their might.

    Puncture blow.

    The huge sword instantly prated a range of more than thirty meters, eradicating every obstacle, no matter if it was a devil or a Hellhound, the terrifying storm tore them into shreds.

    Everywhere Brendel passed through, looked as if a hurricane had just left; it was a huge mess.

    As if in an instant, a pathway to the portal was made.

 Chapter 599 - v3c364 Requiem(14)

    v3c364

    Requiem(14)

    *Due to simr terminologies used in the raws, Devils and Demons will be defined in a standardized manner which will lead to changes of some terms. Affected terms: (Old term ¨C New term)

    Demon King ¨C Devil King

    Demon Lord ¨C Devil Lord

    Demon Whale ¨C Devil Whale

    Demon Warlock ¨C Devil Warlock

    Demon Martial Arts- Devil Martial Arts

    Demons will be redefined as Devils in most cases with a few exceptions: Demonic Waves, Eagle Demons etc.

    Brendel understood that his goal was to use the effects of the sh Strike Sword Art to produce a discement effect, not to kill the enemy. Therefore, he set his sights to aim at opponents who had littlebat power, locking down the imps of the devil army from 20-30 meters away, and slicing their heads off in one fell swoop. At the same time, he used the phantom left behind by the Nine Luminaries Sword Art to perform Puncturing Blows.

    The devils quickly went haywire.

    Not all the devils were inferior andcking in intelligence; the higher-ranked devils had anticipated Brendel¡¯s path of advance without even needing a sense of judgment. They could think with their knees and would still be able to figure out that the damn human was headed straight for the portal.

    They absolutely could not let him get what he wanted. The Longhorn Devils in the back were the first to scream, using the harshnguage of the Abyss to call for theirpanions to stop Brendel.

    Unfortunately, it was very much limited in effectiveness. In the words of the Lord of Hell, Lomoka, the inferior devils and Imps were worse than a piece of dog shit. It was vulgar, but quite apt. If they could be so confused by themands of one of their own kind, there was no way they could take on a teleporting swordsman.

    As soon as the devils pulled back, the Lantonn knights felt the pressure lift.

    It was then that most of them had the time to see what was happening on the battlefield. The knights soon saw Brendel¡¯s feat and couldn¡¯t help but let out a cheer in unison.

    Babasha was unsurprised by Brendel¡¯s performance, but it was hard not to be proud. Not proud of the Darkness Dragon. but of her own foresight. Though there were plenty of capable witches in the Winter Kingdom, the twelve pure-blooded ones were not even rted to her. Who could have had the foresight that she had?

    The old witch never even considered that the Darkness Dragon would fail; after all, they were just a bunch ofme and sheep-hoofed devils only. She let out a sharpugh and reached out to grab an imp, before blinding and deafening it. The knights then took the opportunity to pin it to the ground. In general, humans wouldn¡¯t speak of chivalry when in a fight with devils.

    However, Babasha hadn¡¯t expected Brendel to struggle at this moment.

    Although the portal was near, he could feel his Stamina and Elemental Points dropping fast. Using Puncturing Blows, Nine Luminaries Sword Art, and sh Strike Sword Art consecutively ced tremendous burdens on the body. After progressing quickly for about two-thirds of the distance, Brendel realized that his muscles were gradually bing stiff along with his movements. There was an unstable fluctuation in his spirit as well.

    He had to shake his head in an attempt to shake off this dizzy feeling.

    shing for the tenth time above the devil army, Brendel shed the Halran Gaia in his hand downwards. The poor wretch below was still grabbing onto a bloody human shin, the pale skin of the limb covered in bite marks. Looking at it made Brendel sick.

    But that was merely a sh of a thought. The Halran Gaia had already shed its way towards the devil¡¯s shoulder. The thick and heavy de cut into the rough, purple-red skin and muscle, getting wedged in its spine for a while. The de pushed the poor wretch right down to the ground while slicing it into two pieces. Its broken bones jutted out from its skin, turning the wretched creature into a gooey lump of flesh.

    The scene looked spectacr, but it made Brendel¡¯s heart clench. This sword theoretically should have sliced through the opponent¡¯s muscle and bone, decapitating it in one swing cleanly and sharply, just like before. It wasn¡¯t a coincidence that this happened, nor did these Imps be stronger; it was his strength that was beginning to wane.

    ¡°Amandina, are you injured?¡± he gasped.

    ¡°No...¡± Held in one of Brendel¡¯s arms, Amandina was unsure if she was scared or nervous at that moment. When she finally calmed, it wasn¡¯t like she had never imagined something like this happening. However, she certainly never imagined that it would be when she was in the midst of an army of devils. The young nobledy couldn¡¯t spare a moment to think about this. She did not even dare to look at the situation outside.

    She was so afraid to see Brendel slipping up that she closed her eyes tightly. If she were to die while being held, then she should die together with him. No, she would be relieved if she were to at least die in front of him. That was her mindset as she curled up in Brendel¡¯s arm.

    When Brendel asked her about it, she shook her head, her mind muddled.

    That¡¯s good. Brendel was also relieved. It felt great and heroic, imagining being unstoppable and unbeatable in the midst of an army. However, he soon realized it wasn¡¯t like that at all when reality reared its head. There was no thrill when looking at the enemy, only the cold sweat of tension.

    His palms were already long since drenched, and the pressure of impending death was like an approaching jungle of swords and thorns. Any mistake would cause an irreversible situation.

    Whates after death? Brendel had considered this kind of question when he was still a teenager in the other world, but most people could onlye up with an empty conclusion.

    It was only when the grim reaper was close that he truly felt that piercing coldness from the other world. It was pointless for life itself to discuss the subject of death, for after it there is only nothingness.

    Brendel was not sure if he would have time to regret it during the moment right before he died.

    But at the very least, he knew he wanted to live.

    His survival instinct sharpened his senses a thousandfold. He flung the corpse ¨C which was akin to a piece of rotting flesh ¨C away with his sword. Then, the attack patterns of the devils pouncing towards him became clear as day. Brendel looked up, his gaze falling upon a point dozens of meters away, whereupon he noticed the retreating figure.

    It¡¯s you.

    ¡°Brendel, watch out.¡± With her eyes shut, Amandina waspletely unable to judge the situation around her. So the one who opened her mouth was Sanorso the Wind Empress. ¡°Watch out for the Devil Warlock over there!¡± the Wind Empress warned,

    Brendel looked back. He saw them too; he saw the devil warlocks standing by the portal casting spells at him.

    To be honest, he wasn¡¯t a mage and his knowledge about the world of mages was scant. But the good thing was that he was at least a yer. There was a joke that if yers represented one world, then sorcerers were at least half a world. Brendel as an enemy of half the world wasn¡¯t able to distinguish every spell¡¯s gestures and incantations, but his survival instinct seemed to have sharpened his memories at that moment.

    The Dimensional Anchor.

    Brendel felt the hairs on his back stand up, like a cat that had arched its body. His eyes were scarily bright at that moment.

    Brendel didn¡¯t have time to investigate whether the sh Strike Sword Art¡¯s ability to distort dimensions could actually bypass the Dimensional Anchor blocking all spatial transfer effects. He wasn¡¯t a maniac who liked to research everything, and reality wouldn¡¯t allow him a second chance. He immediately activated his Dash without a hint of hesitation. As those shing white circr magic arrays appeared above him, head already stepped on a few Imps and rose up from the midst of the army of devils.

    Like a beautifully twisting line, it pierced through all spell effects.

    The devil warlock¡¯s attempt waspletely foiled.

    The eyes of the witches ¨C who were fortunate enough to witness this scene ¨C lit up with fear. Besides the rebirth of the Darkness Dragon, what other twenty-year-old young man possessed such terrifyingbat experience? This wasn¡¯t a battle between swordsmen, but a perfect example of breaking spells with sword arts.

    Not everyone had such an experience.

    The witches weren¡¯t alone in this as even the entric Garlock¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but light up in an odd manner. At least Brendel¡¯s actions had proven that he was fully aware of his opponent¡¯s spells and attempts. Even this great mage from Seifer couldn¡¯t tell how he did it, and breaking down spells was Garlock¡¯s specialty. He didn¡¯t dare say that he knew every single curse although he spent half of his life practicing it. In addition to that, attempting to find the spell hidden behind the secretive spell gestures required incredibly difficult and specialized knowledge

    Right then, Garlock had a feeling that perhaps this young man had a better future as a mage than a swordsman. He hadpletely forgotten that Brendel was also a genius even in terms of his proficiency in swordsmanship.

    After prating the Dimensional Anchor¡¯s area of effect with a Dash, Brendel once again cast sh Strike Sword Art mid-air. sh Strike Sword Art had already fully absorbed the experience of Aouine¡¯s military swordy and rose to Level 4.

    sh Strike Sword Art Level 41 Introductory Ancient Dragon: A special technique allows your de to deflect dimensionality. Each attack can ignore a set distance of 60 spaces.

    At this level, it was already a realm that was out of reach for the average Pdin. Stephen seemed to onlye back to his senses just then as he realized what he was seeing. If someone had told him that one could reach a higher level after understanding the secret of a sword art, he would have thought the man was a madman, or taken him for a fool.

    But now, he felt that he might as well really be a fool.

    He even stood there, dumbstruck. If the Imps in front of him hadn¡¯t been foolish enough to follow the orders of the Longhorn Devils to turn around and go after Brendel, he would probably be swarmed and chopped into minced meat by now. Fortunately, a knight in the back realized something was wrong with this lord and pulled him back, saving the Holy Cathedral of Fire from another tragic loss of a high-ranking member.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±

    Stephen suddenly reacted and shouted. ¡°Lord Marsha, the fragment of the ming de must be on him. So that¡¯s it! He is the chosen one!¡±

    The poor knight yelled gibberish as if he had suddenly woken up.

    Brendel, having turned in mid-air, had locked onto his next target and raised his Halran Gaia, its de giving out a white sh. ¡°Wait,¡± the Wind Empress called out to him. ¡°Brendel, you can now sh about sixty meters with one swing, and to get to the door you¡¯ll need to cast it at least twice. Have you thought about it?¡±

    Brendel was shocked.

    He had actually been staring at the status interface. Both his Elemental Points and Stamina were at their limit, but he could still manage to cast sh Strike Sword Art twice. However, the Wind Empress¡¯ words made himpletely dispel that thought. ¡°If I can judge your shing distance, then they can do it as well.¡±

    He had actually thought about it. If he was locked in by the Dimensional Anchor again, he could still get away with the Nine Luminaries Sword Art, but what happens after that? Would he have the strength to use sh Strike Sword Art again?

    It was clearly written on the status interface. Brendel couldn¡¯t conjure Stamina and Elemental Points out of thin air unless he could catch his breath. But how could he get the chance to on the battlefield?

    Luckily, he hadn¡¯t made a move yet.

    Brendel couldn¡¯t help but be d that the Wind Empress was with him. Being the Holy Saint from the War of The Holy Saints, she took every aspect into consideration in no time.

    His Dash skill was at its highest point right now. Brendel felt his body begin to weaken, but it was really simple for him to find a solution. He brought up the skill bar as fast as he could and threw in all of Mavicart¡¯s remaining experience.

    sh Strike Sword Art upgraded again in a sh.

    sh Strike Sword Art Level 51 Introductory Ancient Dragon: A special technique allows your de to deflect dimensionality. Each attack can ignore a set distance of 100 spaces.

    sh Strike Sword Art¡¯s name immediately went gray after reaching level 5. It was the same as his previous White Raven Sword Art, which Brendel knew because the sh Strike Sword Art that the cathedral revealed was iplete. Therefore, he didn¡¯t think much about it and just thrust forward.

    With a single thrust, he appeared next to the huge portal.

    There were no Imps near the portal, only three tall Longhorn Devils. Brendel suddenly shed over to the middle Longhorn Devil and tried to cut it down with a sh.

    But the Longhorn Devil seemed to have foreseen this as it suddenly raised itsrge jackal-like head and then raised its hand into the air. With a ¡®ng¡¯, a sharp sound like the sh of gold and iron, Brendel felt as if he had hacked a steel pipe.

    However, he didn¡¯t dare to stop even for a moment. He immediately rolled backward using the momentum andnded steadily not far from the three Longhorn Devils.

    He subconsciously raised his head.

    Standing by the huge portal of the Cathedral of Fire, he and those devils were practically as small as ants. It hadn¡¯t felt like this when they were further away, but after getting closer to it, the great oppressive feeling of the Door of me immediately crashed upon him.

    What was even more suffocating was the Sulfur River that was bing more and more real behind the Door of me.

    Brendel couldn¡¯t help but take a gulp. The shock from earlier had hit him so hard that his gums were bleeding. However, he wiped the edges of his mouth and immediately let go of the nobledy. ¡°Amandina, is everything alright?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°How much time do you need? I¡¯ll try to distract them.¡±

    ¡°I... I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Amandina frowned as she stared at the massive portal, which was itself a semi-magical guidance mechanism. It wasn¡¯t a full magical guidance device, so the best way was to have a mage work with her, but right now, that clearly wasn¡¯t possible now.

    ¡°You have five minutes.¡±

    Brendel looked back and saw the Imps pulling back. Although the fools were making a mess of themselves, a few minutes was enough time for them to turn around. Apparently, the Lantonn Knights were not enough to stop the army.

    Amandina went pale and nodded.

 Chapter 600 - v3c365

    <strong>v3c365</strong>

    Requiem(15)

    Brendel raised his longsword. Longhorn Devils were one of the few highly intelligent devils who fought within melee range in the Sulfur River. Their appearance bore a slight resemnce to that of a naked Werejackal (TL: Werewolves,but instead of wolves,jackals.). However, their size was vastly more massive than the Werejackals. No one knew the exact origin of the Longhorn Devils. The first Longhorn Devils appeared in the Bloodfire Lands of the lower Sulfur River. It was said that Imps which had experienced hundreds of battles were promoted to their current appearance.

    Some of the Longhorn Devils¡¯ features did retain the Imp¡¯s characteristics, be it the identical purple-red skin or the sharp teeth and ws. In fact, when viewed from the back, it itself looked like an Imp that was several timesrger, apart for the devolution of its fleshy wings and the fact that its tail had be a little stiffer in order to maintain its bnce.

    Even more importantly, every Longhorn Devil had proven to have a wealth ofbat experience. There were practically no juvenile Longhorn Devils. Every Longhorn Devil discovered by the Holy Cathedral of Fire was an adult, and adult Longhorn Devils had strength that was almost equivalent to Elemental Activation¡¯s true powers.

    In other words, Brendel had to deal with three Elemental Activated monsters at the same time. Before he had time to think about it, the three Longhorn Devils were already charging withrge strides.

    Brendel pulled out the King Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak from the Dimensional Space and handed it to Amandina, who was beside him. The Concealment Cloak onlysted for about four minutes a day, so the most appropriate use right now would be giving it to Amandina to allow her to find the portal¡¯s node as quickly as possible without any worries.

    As she took the cloak, Amandina bit her lip and looked at Brendel. Since she already understood how to use the cloak, she didn¡¯t need Brendel to exin anything. After a brief pause as she slipped it on, she already covered herself with it and disappeared out of sight the next moment.

    Brendel was then the only one left by the portal.

    ¡°Amandina, hurry up!¡± Brendel shouted into the air.

    He didn¡¯t know if Amandina heard him, but hopefully, she did. It was like Amandina hadpletely disappeared while under the effects of the Concealment Cloak, which made Brendel less confident, but at this point, he had no choice but to trust the noble maiden from Braggs.

    A w swinging towards him interrupted his thoughts. The three Longhorn Devils had arrived. To be more precise, the first to arrive was their merciless attacks. At least one of the three Longhorn Devils was a Fire-rted Elemental, as Brendel had seen its snow-white ws dragging three long me marks in air.

    This was the power of the Elementals.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes even reflected the golden Lines of Law that stretched after its w, and heat assaulted his face. He didn¡¯t dare to take it face on. His body dodged backward and the scorching air swept past his forehead. The brown hair on his forehead immediately dried and curled.

    After the w.

    Came the tail.

    Brendel subconsciously attempted to catch the movement of the Longhorn Devil¡¯s tail. The moment he saw them turn sideways, a whiptail already swept towards him. He was ready to roll underneath its tail with a sideways roll, and then rising up in a smooth and fluid movement to stab the Longhorn Devil in the back.

    Most unfortunately, the sword only left a shallow wound on the Longhorn Devil¡¯s body.

    Both their defense and attack were high, but their movement was a little on the slow side, exactly as Brendel remembered it. Of course, the slow movement was rtive and for ordinary people, the Longhorn Devils¡¯ movement was still within a spectrum they were unable to see clearly.

    The two rounds of attacks fell short. The three Longhorn Devils were also taken aback. Although they had never battled a human before, Brendel¡¯s reaction was clearly faster than the typical expectation of what was considered quick. With their level of intellect, they faintly sensed that something was wrong. It was as if they were facing a familiar old enemy, even though they were obviously fighting for the first time.

    The Longhorn Devil turned around.

    Brendel rolled to the other side that was out of their melee range and immediatelyunched an offense. As he did so, he looked in the direction of the portal and wondered where Amandina was; he would never dare let these devils go there.

    The Concealment Cloak was just a cover at the end of the day; it was still in the Principal Material ne. He¡¯d have to find a way to catch the attention of these monsters. That wasn¡¯t an easy job, but Brendel immediately found a way.

    He focused on one of the Longhorn Devils on the left and charged from the side. That way, it would take some time before the other two devils could surround him. He tightly gripped the Halran Gaia in his hand and sliced at the devil¡¯s horns, which were the source of the Longhorn Devil¡¯s power.

    The Longhorn Devil quickly dodged Brendel¡¯s sword by shifting its head while its hand simultaneously reached up to parry the attack. Brendel let out a roar, the Halran Gaia in his hand that was shaped like a ck light suddenly disappearing from in front of the Longhorn Devil¡¯s arm. The next moment, it hit the Longhorn Devil squarely in the shoulder.

    There was a loud thud. The devil was knocked flying and it collided with the other devils.

    Brendel immediately saw it crawl back up with a bone-deep gash on its shoulder, but other than that, it seemed to be okay. Devils had three hearts and four lungs. Their body functions were not on the same level as humans. It was a serious injury, but it was not even considered a minor one for the devil.

    Brendel frowned and hurriedly backed up. The remaining devils had already swiped at him with their ws. He tilted his head back at thest moment to avoid it, but his cheek was still inevitably hit by the st of wind created by the sharp ws. It cut a gash that was hot and raw with pain.

    He wiped it lightly. Blood was smeared all over his face.

    The smell of blood seemed to pervade, making the three Longhorned devils a little agitated. Brendel pursed his lips. He knew that the taste of blood excited devils uncontrobly. Even high-ranking Longhorn Devils could not resist.

    Devils in a manic state were much more difficult to deal with than when they were normal, but at least it was guaranteed that their way of thinking would not be dominated by reason again. This meant they wouldn¡¯t cause trouble for Amandina.

    Brendel carefully calcted the situation as he stepped back. Everything was still under control now, but there was still an element of uncertainty. He gritted his teeth and decided to wreak more havoc for the enemies, once and for all.

    ¡°Is that all there is to a bunch of skinless giant lizards?¡± he taunted with a contemptuous tone.

    This was in fact a line often used by the Dark Elves of the Underworld to taunt the Longhorn Devils. Ever since the loss of the Point of Ashes, the Dark Elves and devils had long been inseparable enemies. Naturally, their conversations weren¡¯t any friendlier.

    If you were to rank the ten most hated taunts of Longhorn Devils, then they hated it the most

    when anyone called them big, skinless lizards, even though they do look a bit like a certain sort of food for Dark Elves.

    As soon as Brendel said this, the three Longhorn Devils let out a vicious stream of curses. They already wanted to kill Brendel, but now, they were even more relentless.

    As soon as the three devils rushed up, Brendel naturally wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to face them head on. Rather, he used the terrain near the portal to retreat. The Longhorn Devils were, in truth, even faster than him but unfortunately, sometimes you can¡¯t catch up using speed alone.

    Especially for Brendel who knew exactly which direction they wereing from to intercept him. If it had been in Amber Sword, his disy of superior kiting skills at this moment would have been enough to draw most people¡¯s attention. Of course, that was lost long before the game¡¯s fourth update, because after that, the yer had long since learned to defeat the devils. For a high-level infantry like the Longhorn Devil, there was no difficulty at all. Brendelter even watched a video of a yer ¨C whose level was within the 10s ¨C kiting Longhorn Devils. He wasn¡¯t sure which pro the alt belonged to, but in fact, everything that he did was the result of the wisdom of countless yers.

    Even so, reality was still slightly different from the game after all. Every one of those differences manifested itself in the form of bloody wounds upon Brendel¡¯s body. If he hadn¡¯t reacted in time, he probably would have been torn apart several times over.

    To be honest, if he had any one of Berserk, Nine Luminaries Sword Art or sh Strike Sword Art, let alone the Card of Fates, he was confident that he could effortlessly take on one of them alone. It would not be too much trouble even against the three of them.

    Unfortunately for him, he had nothing at that moment, and his physical strength was quickly getting exhausted. Luckily, he still had the Unyielding Talent, otherwise the negative effects from the fatigued state alone would be enough to defeat him.

    Brendel circled the portal three times while getting wed on his left arm and taking a hit in the back, his entire body covered in blood. He tried to return the favor a few times, but unfortunately the Longhorn Devils¡¯ hide was too thick. He estimated that using the game¡¯s calction method, he at most chipped away less than one-third of the enemy¡¯s health.

    Besides, the devils¡¯ self-healing was extremely strong, so they might have recovered quite a bit by now.

    After a minute of fighting that got nowhere, Brendel began to feel the pressure increase. There was still no news from Amandina. On the other side, Nichs didn¡¯t seem to be able to hold it any longer. He estimated that he would have to hold out for at least another minute.

    But that minute was enough to kill him.

    This would not do.

    Brendel suddenly turned back and stood by the portal. The Longhorn Devils pouncing from behind rushed to a halt. Having high intelligence had its disadvantages; they knew what they shouldn¡¯t hit. Although the portal was not something that could be destroyed that easily, who could guarantee it?

    Had it been an intellectually inferior hellhound, it would have jumped head-on and mmed Brendel right into the portal, but s, the Longhorn Devils didn¡¯t have the courage.

    If they hadn¡¯t been by this portal, Brendel probably would have been cut up dozens of times.

    He stepped backward and subconsciously felt around his arms and body to see if he could find something to save the day. However, that action only led him to a dagger.

    He was slightly startled before remembering that he made this when he had been practicing alchemy. Honestly, it wouldn¡¯t be all that useful on a battlefield like this.

    However, Brendel still took it out and hurled it at the devil.

    The Longhorn Devil was shocked when it saw Brendel¡¯s attack and hurriedly dodged to the side, but then it realized that it was just an ordinary dagger. It couldn¡¯t help but scream in anger, while Brendelughed from the other side; he hadn¡¯t expected this stroke of genius to do him a small favor.

    The devils pounced yet again.

    Brendel retreated again and rolled backward. Another dagger was thrown at the Longhorn Devil, but this time, the devil didn¡¯t fall for it and blocked it with its hand, knocking the dagger away. It didn¡¯t even break the devil¡¯s skin.

    Brendel immediately threw out a third dagger.

    He had made many such daggers during his practice earlier, so theter ones were made of ordinary materials, which made them even less powerful than the first one. The dagger he threw was no threat to the devils and was simply pure mockery.

    It only took a few moments for the Longhorn Devils to almost go mad. They were also within striking distance of Brendel. Two of the Longhorn Devils had even circled around to block Brendel¡¯s retreat, while the remaining one pounced with a roar.

    Once again, Brendel flung another dagger.

    That dagger hit the devil squarely in the chest.

    Without even looking at it, it was ready to knock the thing away. To the devil, it actually felt like a child grabbing a handful of sand and tossing it at the devil. It was no use throwing things at the devil if you didn¡¯t hit its eyes.

    However, this time, it could tell that something was wrong right after touching the dagger.

    The moment it sensed something was slightly different, it lowered its head, unbidden. It was surprised to see that Brendel had thrown some sort of monstrous cone instead of a dagger. The Longhorn Devil couldn¡¯t figure out what it was despite its extreme intelligence.

    But it didn¡¯t really need to figure it out.

    Because at the very next moment, a terrifying pain was alreadying from its chest. The Longhorn Devil saw magic disintegrating on its body. Its massive body was shattering as if it had crumbled. Dark magic power surged forth and formed a ck hole, pulling the devil back in a blink of an eye.

    It was pulled back into the ground of the Sulfur River.

    After a while, only the final screams of that devil were left in the heavy rain.

    Even Brendel was shocked. What he threw was naturally the terrifying Godyer Cone. However, he didn¡¯t expect for it to not only disintegrate the devil¡¯s power, nor did he expect it to deny the very existence of a being like the devil that was projected onto the Principal Material ne.

    Having witnessed it with his own eyes, Brendel raised his head, dumbstruck. He now understood why yers called it a nuclear weapon back in the day.

    Whoever held it had the potential to be a terrorist.

    There were two more Longhorn Devils. Brendel subconsciously tried to get up. However, the bones in his body hurt like they were falling apart. Even he didn¡¯t know if the devils would ever give him a chance. Presumably not, as the Longhorn Devils were not fools.

 Chapter 601 - v3c366 Requiem(16)

    v3c366

    Requiem(16)

    As the rain poured down, the ck hole dragged the Longhorn Devil that had pounced on Brendel back into the Sulfur River, before it closedpletely. The two remaining Longhorn Devils struggled to get up from the ground. Brendel too got up from the mud. Suddenly, a shout came from Amandina.

    ¡°My lord, the first node is directly above the portal, and the other two are on the pedestal!¡± The nobledy was a little excited.

    Brendel¡¯s mind was certain that Amandina¡¯s speed vastly surpassed his expectations ¨C she was way faster than he thought she would be. He immediately ordered Ciel through Psychic Connection. ¡°Ciel, the connection points between the portal and the Laws of Space are directly above the portal and both sides of the pedestal!¡±

    ¡°I got it.¡±

    Ciel turned back and ryed the order to Garlock. The Lantonn knights immediately surrounded them. Two mages, one old and one young, raised their hands at the same time and two beams of blue light pierced through the rain. It crossed the entire battlefield and hit the portal.

    Those two beams were like two dazzling spears. The spears hit the portal¡¯s aperture and it immediately radiated the most dazzling light. The light was like rippling water, spreading out in circles. The golden-red portal trembled, and then the light immediately dimmed.

    A little bit more.

    The two Longhorn Devils were shocked. If the portal was destroyed by even one of these humans, the subsequent army arriving at this port would be heavily dyed. They could clearly picture themselves being tormented for eternity for failing in their duties by having their souls extracted from them by their lord.

    Demons took pleasure in inflicting pain, but that pain was not enjoyable when it inflicted on them. The Longhorn Devils came to their sensespletely. They immediately turned back and pounced on the Lantonn knights, as though the smell of Brendel¡¯s blood wasn¡¯t appealing to them anymore

    Three or four hundred meters on the battlefield was a mere blink of an eye for these Elementally Enlightened monsters, and there were no imps and Hellhounds in front to block them. If they wanted to, they could certainly do something to stop them before Ciel and Garlock cast their next spell.

    But how could Brendel let them have their way? He had been trembling here for half a day just to buy time, hadn¡¯t he?

    He immediately used his Dash, shooting like an arrow at one of the Longhorn Devils. Brendel aimed at its back and struck it with his sword. The demon didn¡¯t dare to directly intercept it, so it had to turn and swipe the de away with its ws.

    But as soon as it stopped, the demonpletely fell into Brendel¡¯s machinations.

    Brendel¡¯s long sword was knocked off to the side, but he took a step forward and dealt the demon a hard blow on its abdomen with the hilt. The Longhorn Devil took a step back with a grunt, but Brendel did not relent and continued to press forward. He retracted his de while doing a backhand slice across his opponent¡¯s abdomen.

    The Longhorn Devil didn¡¯t flinch or dodge; it simply allowed the de to sink into its abdomen. However,it wed back at Brendel as if it felt no pain. It aimed its ws right at Brendel¡¯s heart. To the demon, if Brendel did not retreat, then he would wind up dead, and the demon would have sustained a serious wound at most.

    Despite this, it felt that Brendel probably wouldn¡¯t be such a fool. After fighting this human over a dozen times, Brendel gave the demon the impression that although he was weak, he was cunning as well. What the demon feared the most was its opponent¡¯s secret weapon, the one that could banish them back to the Sulfur River. Although demons would not die, being banished was notpletely devoid of disadvantages. They would fall into a long period of weakness. They would certainly be devoured by other demons if they were discovered.

    So, to the demon, being injured and banished was actually no different than perishing.

    It didn¡¯t want to fight Brendel; it only wanted to push the other party back. However, this Longhorn Devil never would have imagined that Brendel would not retreat, and would actually strike it so devastatingly.

    It clearly felt the sensation of its ws piercing into his body, separating the being¡¯¡¯s flesh from its body. This would have been a wonderful feeling for the demon, but the Longhorn Devil felt only apprehension at this moment.

    It was because Brendel had clearly taken the initiative in this sh, and he even managed to avoid the attack towards his heart, allowing its ws to only pierce through the lobe of his lung. With its intelligence, it would never think that Brendel had slipped up by ident.

    It was obvious that its opponent had foreseen and nned for this.

    And indeed it was, except that the payback came faster than it had expected. It felt that its w had at least severely injured the human, but the next moment, a cloud of golden mes burst out of Brendel¡¯s body.

    In the midst of the pouring rain, the mes looked rather like sttered blood.

    Blood of Sun.

    This Holy Knight¡¯s Anti-wound skill immediately showed the Longhorn Devil that it was facing someone remarkable. The golden blood sttered on its face, instantly burning up brightly. Even its retracted ws were ted with ayer of golden fire. The mes were clearly not there just for appearances, as the intense, drilling pain immediately made the demon scream.

    Brendel likewise felt a sharp pain as if he had been pierced. He gritted his teeth and took a step forward, taking advantage of the presented opportunity as the Longhorn Devil held its face while it screamed. He pounced on it like a beast, raising the Halran Gaia and stabbing into its throat.

    The demon¡¯s screams abruptly ceased.

    Then, another ck hole appeared in front of Brendel, this one also dragging the demon¡¯s corpse back before turning into a thin line and closingpletely.

    Brendel fell to his knees, weak, as if the pain had just gotten to him. The rain washed over his open wound. It was so painful that he drew a cold breath, only then did Amandina rush to his side and hurriedly put the Concealment Cloak on him.

    ¡°My lord!¡±

    ¡°Well done, Amandina,¡± Brendel replied, his mouth twitching, but even so, his hand kept feeling around, trying to get the relic left behind by the Longhorn Devil that was in the rain.

    It was a silver cylindrical object, and Brendel didn¡¯t recognize what it was for a moment. However, it was a demon¡¯s relic, and if the Pdins of the Cathedral of Fire were to see this, he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep the relic for himself.

    After all, carrying a demonic item would affect his reputation in a negative manner, and Brendel didn¡¯t want to draw attention to this little detail. Honestly, he had quite a few eyes on him already. Wood had even previously asked him specifically about the Heaven¡¯s Armament. Actually, the Wind Spirit Spider was never a Heaven¡¯s Armament, but the Holy Sword Technique itself was just as ambiguous.

    However, he didn¡¯t expect that he would agitate the wound when he tried to grab the relic. He almost screamed in pain, and didn¡¯t even take the relic. Amandina was the one who picked it up instead. ¡°Let me help you with this kind of thing. You should at least pay attention to your body,¡± thedy said somewhat angrily.

    Brendel looked at her and suddenly realized something. He was somewhat moved.

    ........

    On the other side, the only surviving Longhorn Devil wasn¡¯t exactly lucky either. It had only taken two steps before a gust of me suddenly spun up in front of him.

    Even though its own element was me, it couldn¡¯t help but scream at the sight of the golden mes that rushed towards it.

    One was the fire of thews of Elemental Activation, and the other was the golden mes of Elemental Enlightenment. There wasn¡¯t all that much difference between these two different mes. The mes separated countless Imps, engulfing thempletely. In an instant, the mes were upon the demon. It suddenly wanted to turn tail and run, but it was already toote.

    A longsword came out of the mes, stabbing straight at its throat. The Longhorn Devil tried desperately to mobilize the Lines of Law around him to stop it, but in the elemental world, the strongest shes were among the elements of the same type but with different levels.

    A demon¡¯s element of fire was usually magma, while Nichs¡¯ element, unfortunately, happened to be an elemental fire that closely resembled the me King Gretel¡¯s. As soon as the two mes made contact, the Longhorn Devil¡¯s ws were burned to ashes.

    Then, the golden longsword burned a hole in its throat again in a blink of an eye.

    A third ck hole appeared in the heavy rain.

    By this time, Ciel and Garlock were ready to cast their next spell, and another pir of light pierced the long night. This time, the pir of light struck right above the dark portal. A blinding golden aura instantly exploded by the portal.

    Almost every creature within the vicinity witnessed it.

    In the hills close to the coast, the animals hiding in the forest bushes stared in horror at the golden aura in the sky. It seemed to spread for a moment, sweeping halfway across the sky and then disappearing again.

    It wasn¡¯t just the area around Ampere Seale.

    Even on the battlefield near Fort Bunuo, where a fierce battle was raging, there were people who noticed the explosion. It was difficult not to notice the golden light that lit up half the sky.

    The soldiers on the battlefield were only slightly stunned before they realized what had happened, as everyone knew what they were fighting for this time. Even in the midst of such a fierce engagement, their cheers could be heard even up in the heavens.

    Medusa Lysemeka and the Minotaur Lord Stark beside her both turned their heads towards the north of Ampere Seale.

    The light from the explosion made their faces appear stark white. Behind them, the three huge heads of the King of Chaos, Mesika, showed discontent as well. The leftmost head ¨C which resembled a goat¡¯s head ¨C sniffed the air. The rainwater had a foul stench of blood.

    ¡°Space is shaking violently.¡±

    ¡°One portal to the north has been lost.¡±

    ¡°Humans are sneaking up behind us. Is this how Varab treats the Lord¡¯s trust?¡± the three heads spoke at the same time.

    The head that looked like a lizard was calmer, while the goat head looked very smart. Only the human head had a tyrannical expression. Mesika, the King of Chaos, was a famous lord of hell, but his biggest enemy was the dark elves because Varab, the King of Deceit studied more about humans. Nearly all the demons that were sent to deal with human sorcerers belonged to him.

    Very few demons liked a lord who was as weak as a wizard. It was said that he was a human in his previous life, unlike Mesika, who was born tens of thousands of years ago in the Sulfur River, with chaos flowing through his body.

    Lady Medusa Lysemeka didn¡¯t dare to answer.

    Mesika didn¡¯t have the heart to listen to their conversation. The huge creature suddenly moved, it¡¯s entire body bing translucent. The next moment, it hadpletely disappeared.

    ¡°He went there... ¡± Lysemeka was relieved.

    ¡°Shall we check it out as well?¡± The Minotaur lord still looked frightened.

    Lysemeka gave him a cold look.

    ¡°You fool, our mission is over here.¡±

 Chapter 602 - v3c367

    <strong>v3c367</strong>

    Requiem(17)

    Once the Longhorn Devil died, the little devils ¨C having lost their restraints ¨C scattered in front of Nichs. This wasn¡¯t really surprising to Brendel; the devils from under the Sulfur River were not a proper army to begin with. They were chaotic, selfish, bloodthirsty, cruel, and not necessarily willing to go to war to fight for the benefit of the masses, especially for the Imps, who preferred to ughter unarmed civilians.

    The Lantonn knights finally ughtered a bloody path up to meet with Brendel. The knights suffered heavy casualties; almost everyone was wounded and their numbers were reduced by more than half. They haven¡¯t given in purely because Brendel¡¯s god-like attack injected a powerful dose of confidence into everyone.

    Casualties were to be expected, but what was really inspiring was the Door of me that had turned into thousands of sparks floating in the rain ¨C no one dared to believe that they had done it.

    But, in truth, Brendel actually did it.

    Nichs stepped forward and pulled Brendel up from the ground. By then, Brendel had almost fully recovered from his injuries with the help of holy water. However, the holy water didn¡¯t help with the weakness that came after the blood loss. He helped Amandina up and looked at everyone to see the trust written on their faces.

    ¡°Master Garlock, teleport us to that portal near the beach now,¡± Brendel said.

    Garlock peered at him. Not everyone had such fearlessness in the face of danger. He had seen many children of nobles who had never been in battle boasting, but then they were terrified out of their minds the moment they enteredbat. Those battles of the past were very differentpared to today¡¯s battle.

    He nodded and picked up his staff. Then, he began to chant the spell. The Laws of Space and Time, as the power second only to the power of existence, had the highest authority among all the Laws. Even though he was an Elementally Enlightened mage, he still could not make contact with the highest tiered Laws so easily.

    In fact, there were teleportation spells starting from the ninth tier. The Elementalists called it the Bridge of the Four Realms and the Conjurers called it Partial Teleportation, but that was just them being witty. The Elementalists reached their destinations through four corresponding Elemental nes, while the Conjurers casted themselves into the sea of magic, before turning to the Principal Material ne to teleport.

    However, both were iplete teleportations. The former could only reach a specific location and thetter had no fixed teleportation point. It was a random teleportation and was also dangerous, so it often was used for escape.

    True Spatial Magic only existed from the tenth tier and above, where the magic of Laws existed. A Conjurer needed to request the highest authority from the Code of Order to open the gates of space, a process that had a great cost. To a Conjurer, it meant high Elemental Point and stamina drain.

    All spells above the tenth tier had one characteristic, and that was they wouldn¡¯t only consume Elemental Points, but also reduce the maximum Elemental Points. The reduced Elemental Points could only be regained slowly through limited means, and usually, the best way was time. It was not possible for a high-ranking wizard to repeatedly cast tenth tier spells by using EP potions.

    This was a disciplinary measure by the Higher-Order Laws to go against mortals requesting more power than they could handle.

    But it was only for mortals. And as far as Brendel knew, the Silver Races could ignore the penalties for spells below the thirteenth tier, just as the wizards of Buga could cast thirteenth tier spells like how mortals cast spells below the tenth tier. However, the Golden Races had no such limitations.

    Therefore, the me King¡¯s sh Strike Sword Art could only be inherited from the Golden Race such as the Dragons, and could never have been created by the Iron or Silver Races.

    Aside from these romantic fantasies and legends, there was a well-known rumor in The Amber Sword. It was said that the Golden Races died out due to excessive spell abuse. Therefore, it was thought that these disciplinary measures by the Higher-Order Laws might in fact be a protective measure for the Iron Races.

    Of course, there was no way for Brendel to know the truth.

    However, he knew that once Garlock was done casting this spell, he was basically no different from an invalid. After losing the powerful wizard¡¯s support, their situation might be more difficult, which was why he insisted that the old wizard save the ability for when they were going to destroy the second portal.

    Destroying two portals and destroying one portal were very different feelings. If there was only one portal left, then people might still have some confidence left in them, but if there was one more, it would leave them in despair.

    The knights surrounded him as Garlock sonorously chanted each spell. In the distance, the scattered Imps were being driven back to the battlefield by the Brute Devils flying in from afar. Each of the three portals were actually guarded by arge number of devils, especially the one near Port Ampere Seale, where many Brute Devils were fanning their wings preparing to fly. Brendel knew that there must be many high-ranking devils directing them.

    When the first portal was destroyed, the devils reacted as if they had received a blow to the head. They probably didn¡¯t expect that dozens of humans would be able to defeat their own kind. Not even the Lantonn knights thought it would happen.

    However, the devils were quick to react as well.

    Countless Hellhounds and Brute Devils swept in from the south. There was about two kilometers between each of the three portals. Between these two points was a t, grassy in, and everyone could see the scene of their attack in full view.

    This was much stronger than the rabble formed by those little devils from before. The point was that no matter if it¡¯s the Hell Hounds or the Barbarian Devils, they were far superiorpared to the Lantonn Knights and witches in terms of their individual strength, not to mention their number was stillrger than theirs thousands of times over.

    It was practically like an apocalyptic scene.

    ¡°We¡¯ll teleport about twenty to thirty meters to the left of the portal, but no closer. I¡¯m afraid of causing an abnormal reaction from the portal!¡± Garlock suddenly roared, and a circle of white light spread out from the staff in his hand.

    Brendel immediately felt a tremor in space.

    This was the feeling before the arrival of the true Supreme Law, and he had experienced such an oppressive sensation more than once before. It waspletely different from the usual portal, and the way his sh Strike Sword Art worked. It felt like Marsha had personallye and opened a door for them.

    ¡°The power of teleportation will crush the devils in that location. But don¡¯t expect too much, they¡¯re not stupid!¡± Garlock continued to remind them. ¡°Pay attention to the enemies that suddenly appear around you.¡±

    Most of the knights were experiencing this for the first time, and they couldn¡¯t help but be in shock. Before they could react, the surrounding scenery had already distorted. The next moment, the huge golden-red portal appeared in front of them.

    That tremendous visual impact made everyone choke a little.

    However, they immediately paid the price for that brief pause. Almost all the devils by the portal were high-ranking Longhorn Devils and Devil Warlocks. They had already noticed the spatial tremors on the other side of the battlefield, but the Devil Warlocks were unable to cast Dimensional Anchors even at a distance of just several thousand meters to lock down the battlefield. However, as soon as the Lantonn knights appeared, the devils ¨C who were already prepared ¨C immediately attacked.

    These devils were more familiar with Spatial Spells than humans. Only a lone Longhorn Devil took the shocking Laws of Space head-on, and was crushed to smithereens in an instant. The remaining Longhorn Devils managed to get through the magic arrays. They grabbed the knights, and dragged them right out with a sweep of their ws.

    In an instant, three knights and a witch were dragged out and killed. If it wasn¡¯t for Nichs and the old knight of the White Lion Legion, Leider¡¯s fast reaction, there would have been twice as many casualties.

    It was only then that the knights reacted in shock and anger, but it wasn¡¯t really their fault. After all, Brendel hadn¡¯t even had the chance to let them rehearse this once. The knights who reacted immediately found themselves trapped in a siege, with all sorts of devils pouncing on them from all sides. Most of them were Hellhounds and Longhorn Devils, along with some existences that even Brendel couldn¡¯t name.

    However, the ones that were actually threatening were just the Longhorn Devils and Devil Warlocks.

    The good thing was that the situation this time was slightly different from the previous one. Brendel wasn¡¯t alone anymore; the Great Swordsman, the old knight Leider of the White Lion Legion, and the Pdins of the Cathedral of Fire were tackling those Longhorn Devils as well, so Brendel could focus his attacks on those Devil Warlocks.

    Although he was still a little weak and powerless, he was the only one there who was capable of dealing with those Devil Warlocks, so he had no choice. Besides, he didn¡¯t see those Devil Warlocks as a threat at all, so he simply handed Amandina over to Her Highness for protection and then started charging towards the rear of the devil army.

    Two Longhorn Devils tried to stop him, but Brendel didn¡¯t even look at them; he just shed right through them using his sh Strike Sword Art. ¡°Cover me!¡± he shouted. Behind him, Nichs and Leider reached a tacit understanding with him right at that moment, and they each stabbed a sword directly to the left and to the right.

    Leider¡¯s strength was equal to that of the Longhorn Devil, but Nichs wasn¡¯t far off. The Longhorn Devil never had a chance to fight back as it was swiftly shed to death by the two swords. Then, the swordsman turned back to help the White Lion Legion¡¯s former leader deal with the remaining Longhorn Devil. The two of them together ughtered this high-ranking devil in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°Nichs, I never thought I¡¯d need your help one day. I¡¯ve really grown old.¡± The old knight couldn¡¯t help but let out a long sigh as the two men swept their long swords in an arc, making all the Brute Devils around them fall.

    Nichs gave him a nce. ¡°I can¡¯t help but say, a battle like this reminds me of the past.¡±

    The old man was slightly startled, knowing that he was talking about the Holy War. He couldn¡¯t help but look slightly glum. ¡°True, who would want to kill each other if they had the choice?¡±

    They looked at each other and shook their heads. They knew that although the princess was in control of the situation now, the nobles in the north might not be willing topromise. Right now, they were only united in order to fight these devils.

    To be frank, the princess¡¯s power was still too weak. Otherwise, Ryder wouldn¡¯t have chosen the Seifer family in the first ce. He was favored by the Covardo family, but he only wanted the kingdom to suffer less from war, and he was willing to do so even if it meant bringing dishonor to his name. However, the old man never dreamt that the situation he orchestrated would be what it is right now.

    He had a vague feeling that he might have been wrong since the beginning, but he didn¡¯t understand what he was wrong about. The truth was, Brendel guessed correctly; the reason Leider had been involved in the operation was simply to confirm some thoughts that he had.

    However, these weren¡¯t things that Brendel needed to think about. In fact, it was already a luxury for him to think about about how to survive.

    When he killed the Devil Warlocks, those who were supporting them with spells were immediately dumbfounded. In fact, these devils were just relying on their instinct to cast spells, as they didn¡¯t really possess any knowledge of magic. As soon as Brendel was among them, they immediately went haywire and started flinging fireballs around due to their immunity to fire spells. This resulted in nothing but a few Imps getting blown up. Brendel waspletely unharmed.

    Brendel was well aware of the habits of these monsters. As soon as he charged into the horde, he immediately pulled back again. From an outsider¡¯s point of view, this was a strange move, but the Devil Warlocks¡¯ next move immediately proved his wisdom. As soon as these monsters finished throwing the fireballs in their hands, he immediately went back in and started killing them. In an instant, the Devil Warlocks were scrambling for escape.

    These were the lessons the yers learned back in the day in exchange for their blood, sweat, and tears, but now Brendel had the advantage, and the unlucky ones this time were the devils. They probably never dreamed why any human would be so familiar with their fighting style ¨C in fact, these devils who were already in such chaos were probably not even sure what to do next.

    Yet Brendel knew.

    That was the difference.

    Garlock¡¯s teleportation spell was soon a huge sess. The Longhorn Devils had organized a counterattack, but the Elementally Enlightened swordsman and the two great masters who were Elementally Activated on the scene rendered their efforts futile. Other than killing a few knights, the devils failed to achieve anything. The humans soon approached the portal. Once again, Amandina outperformed expectations and identified all the nodes in barely a minute.

    Such an ability impressed everyone. It was important to know that although Wood had exined the characteristics of the me Door to them clearly, the connection points to the Laws of Space on the portal were not fixed. To find it, it required not only knowledge of Magicite, but also a certain sensitivity to the flow of magic.

    In fact, sensitivity to the flow of magic was the most important talent a mage could have. From this point of view, Brendel realized that thedy beside him seemed to possess a magical talent that was far beyond that of any normal person.

    Bute to think of it, people who possessed talent in Magical Weaponry were more or less gifted in magic. And as a genius in this area, it was reasonable to have excellent talent in magic.

    Brendel¡¯s thoughts were soon validated, and Garlock immediately saw the talent that Amandina possessed. In fact, he could not stop praising her. While searching for the third node, the old wizard only gave minor tips beside her, but Amandina was able to find the correct location immediately by relying on vague feelings.

    Such an ability ¨C ording to the words of this Seeker of Wonders ¨C was a mark of a prodigy.

    Brendel could tell that this old man was tempted to take on an apprentice. That was a good thing, but only if they could get back alive.

    The second portal finally came crashing down.

    Everyone couldn¡¯t help but cheer, but only Brendel felt the pressure increasing. He had exhausted almost everything, but there was still one more portal.

    Two thousand meters away.

    Countless devils were surging in.

    Brendel looked at the distance. It wasn¡¯t a huge distance, but it wasn¡¯t close either, and for the first time, the word rift surfaced in his mind. Honestly, if he were asked how was he going to tear down thest portal, Brendel probably could only say, ¡°With perseverance!¡±

    ¡°Or, just wait for a miracle.¡±

 Chapter 603 - Requiem(18)

    <h4>v3c36 Requiem(18)</h4>

    The overwhelming number of Brute Devils that were circling mid-air flew towards the humans near the second Door of me, like a devil¡¯s w sweeping across the sky. Brendel could not help himself thinking about the Great Locust gue of Snnd that took ce in the Year of the Second Trade Wind, when the locusts covering the sky was a scene simr to today¡¯s.

    The second Door of me crumbledpletely into fragments, blending with the rain as they fell like thousands of golden butterflies, dissipating as they do so. As Gryphine stood in the rain looking up at those falling sparks, a glimmer of hope lit up in her eyes, and she pursed her lips and clenched her fists.

    The remaining knights remained to be excited, their vanity and morale made it possible for them to seemingly forget about the situation they were in. Only Nichs and Leider grew doubtful. They looked back at Brendel, knowing full well that Garlock had lost the majority of his troops on his way to the third portal. If they wanted to get to the third portal now, they could only hope for another miracle from Brendel.

    The rain was so heavy that it even masked the shrieks of the devils in it.

    Brendel stood in the rain and tried to keep an apathetic face. Although he wasn¡¯t confident in his own ability to escape the predicament, he knew he should not look pessimistic and desperate. At least he could not show that side of him to his men.

    ¡°We have to ughter a path out of here,¡± He gently spoke.

    ¡°H-how are we going to kill our way there?¡± Nichs and the knights asked in unison. But unlike the knights, Nichs¡¯ voice wavered. Although the two of them were still going for each other¡¯s throats just a few hours ago, he knew nothing about Brendel. Instead, he could only rely on the seemingly calm look Brendel had on his face as he faced the devils.

    <i>There aren¡¯t many young swordsmen like Brendel in Aouine anymore... He¡¯s just like me back when I was just learning how to spar with swords, although he may have aplished more than me. </i>He did not harbor any jealous thoughts to the young swordsman before him. Instead, he felt relieved at how dependable the boy was.

    <i>How shall we get out of this?</i> Brendel thought.

    It was a core issue for him. He looked at the red tide sweeping across the green meadows under the rain, and he could even feel a slight tremble from the ground. Even with the others beside him, their forces surmounted to a small number of twenty to thirty people at best. Besides, there were also many wounded and personnel incapable ofbat, as well as nonbatants like Amandina and Dilfieri.

    Even Brendel himself wouldn¡¯t believe if someone told him that a group of his size managed to get past the devils. It would be a joke to attempt at defeating these monsters with pure perseverance.

    There was only one chance now.

    Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak could onlyst another 30 breaths worth of time. Or less than a minute. It was no problem for the Giant King¡¯s Cloak to amodate a few people, the problem was that one minute was definitely not enough for them to reach the other portal from this one.

    Although the distance to said destination was not far, walking through the devil army would have been suicide.

    ¡°We¡¯ll split into two groups.¡± Brendel silently considered for a moment before he replied. His goal was simple: to use one group as cannon fodder to draw the devils¡¯ attention while the other group would use Buni¡¯s Cloak to escort Amandina and Ciel to the third portal.

    Although he only exined his thoughts briefly, Nichs and Leider understood instantly. The ex-leader of the White Lion Legion gave his own opinions as well, ¡°This is indeed the only solution now, but I wonder how does Mr. Brendel n to split them?¡±

    Brendel went silent, but he already had a n in mind.

    His idea was really simple. First of all, Amandina and Ciel were included in the ¡®demolition¡¯ team while having another person to deal with the Longhorn Devils by the portal.

    Amandina and Ciel included, he nned to have Dilferi, Princess Gryphine, as well as Garlock and the Sugar Jar to be part of the escort group. Of course, Brendel didn¡¯t deny that he chose Her Highness for his own selfish reasons.

    However, if Her Highness died here, everything he had done up till this point would be meaningless.

    History would follow its previous path and there would be no devil invasion at all, just like it did when he had not meddled with history.

    However, to make up for those who died here today, he had no choice but to continue with his n.

    His reason to include Sugar Jar and Garlock¡¯s in this group was even simpler: he wouldn¡¯t let a young and unconscious girl who die in battle. Besides, she had saved his and the princess¡¯ lives before. The same could be said for the old¡¯s witch¡¯s case as well.

    As soon as Brendel exined his thoughts, silence fell around him.

    He expected as much. After all, who would be willing to charge towards their death? Even Brendel himself wouldn¡¯t be so willing to do so.

    Unlike the other times, their mission this day was to die.

    He looked up at the soulless expressions on all the people around him. It was as if he was looking at the faces of every like-mindedrade who was sacrificed in the middle of Crimson Canyon back in The Amber Sword.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but there is no turning back,¡± Brendel said. ¡°And I want all of you to help me onest time. I will not outwit you all. Today, while I hope to emerge victorious and leave, I can only be d to die with you all by my side.

    Brendel believed that he had no right to demand anyone to die for a purpose, no matter how noble that purpose might be. Half of him, Sophie, came from a cultured civilization, and the morals of that world were passed onto Brendel, and he could only see the people in the same light.

    At that moment he felt, for the first time, that his values as a yer did not fit the situation. He could not treat them as NPCs, but rather living beings. To this day he was living his life just like how he did back as a yer. But today, he had to bear the lives of everyone here.

    He did not possess Princess Gryphine, and neither was Aouine. So how could he decide other people¡¯s livelihood?

    For these people who had lived on thisnd for generations, surviving was perhaps their most important concern. At that moment, he felt enlightened.

    To demand from others, one must at least learn to take responsibility first.

    In the face of death, Brendel finally understood this.

    It was only now that he suddenly somewhat understood Leider¡¯s thoughts. He couldn¡¯t help but take a look at that old man.

    Leider was looking at him as well.

    There was only admiration in the old man¡¯s eyes.

    Leider¡¯s was also silent as this old man suddenly realized where he had gone wrong. <i>If it was just to ensure the people¡¯s survival, then what was the need for this ancient kingdom to survive? The Aouine people also descended from the me King, and they left Kirrultz to fight against the tyranny of the nobility.</i>

    <i>If such ideals cannot be maintained. Then what is the meaning of Aouine¡¯s existence?</i>

    <i>Whether it¡¯s Brendel in front of him or the young men of the White Lion Legion, they are the brightest souls this kingdom has to offer and there was no reason for them to fight each other.</i>

    <strong>Brendel¡¯s POV</strong>

    In fact, Brendel had made a miscalction. He made his n based on his values in his past world, and those values were not upholded here in Vaunte.

    The knights stared at the young lord in stunned silence. And there was only one thought that went through their minds: ¡®why did he apologize?¡¯

    To them, his noble act of raising that g for Aouine was something to be proud about., and it was Brendel who had brought all of this. And that g that he held up still shone brightly in their minds.

    <i>So how was he at fault?</i>

    Everyone tangibly felt the same respect towards him. They chose their own paths, and in their eyes, Brendel was a person who chose to share his glory with them to be heroes for the future generation.

    What did they have toin about?

    They felt nothing but endless reverence in every one of their hearts. After all, there was nothing more noble than the act of sacrificing.

    ¡°My lord, there is no need for you to apologize,¡± the knights replied. ¡°If we didin, what would the ancestors of Aouine think of us?¡±

    ¡°The noblest deeds are all here, and I will only be honored by my choice.¡± The old mage also eximed, ¡°Please remove me from the other list, as you, my lord, have no right to deprive my old bones of glory! Even though I am a mage, I have my burning passion as an Aouine citizen.¡±

    ¡°Are the Aouine people the only ones who have glory?¡± Stephen the Pdin looked deeply at Brendel, ¡°The ancestors made an oath on the Holy White ins, and we descendants can only seed that legacy of glory with blood.¡± He replied with a slight bow to Brendel.

    There was both obedience and respect in his salute.

    It was the reverence of a fanatic following in the footsteps of the me King. Only the same people could understand one another, and it didn¡¯t matter if they were Aouine people or Kirrultz people.There were those among them who pursued the same goals and Brendel wanted to prove it.

    Babasha didn¡¯t answer as she stood on the sidelines and just smiled mysteriously. The Darkness Dragon was once called The Fool. Then just who are these fools in front of her who did not mind sacrificing themselves?

    Brendel was stunned.

    The words of the knights echoed in his ears, like the oaths that echoed in his heart night after night. Those like-minded people had such a trait. It did not matter if they were men or women, old or children, powerful or ordinary, ideals were not judged to be noble or lowly based on one¡¯s opinion.

    Brendel had always thought of those simple ideals as games, but he found out that he was wrong.

    And he encountered those ring ideals once more.

    Right here, beside him.

    He remembered that drive that he had seen in his fellow teammates back in The Amber Sword. Setbacks, failures, and death couldn¡¯t stop them. The othersughed at them for being fools, fighting for a virtual number that didn¡¯t matter in real life. But the world itself was no different. No one was born special.

    The only thing that everyone strived for was the persistence of the heart, and this kind of persistence is neither noble nor lowly. Brendel had no intention of refuting others, but if he couldn¡¯t stand up for himself in the virtual world, how could he not lose himself in the bigger world?

    Retreat was just a cowardly expression.

    Princess Gryphine¡¯s clear voice suddenly interrupted Brendel¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°It¡¯s a noble idea, but it¡¯s not perfect.¡±

    The half-elf maiden gently inhaled and spoke, ¡°The predicament is now before all of us, and there is no room for even a single mistake. Therefore we must do our best out of every little detail.¡±

    ¡°There is nothing wrong with Mr. Brendel¡¯s arrangements, but you¡¯re the one who¡¯s the most familiar with the cloak of the King of Giants, and in the battles toe, that cloak wille in handy. All it takes is one tiny and everything will turn into a disaster.¡±

    ¡°Aouine can¡¯t afford to fail like that.¡±

    ¡°So I suggest that Mr. Brendel trade ces with me asmander of this battle. you, on the other hand, will escort Miss Amandina until the mission ispleted.¡±

    Her Highness said calmly. Indeed, the crowd gasped as if they had just realized this, but despite the fact that Brendel was the one to propose this n, the core of the n was not to attract the monsters with a group of people packed with firepower, but rather how to flexibly apply the Giant King¡¯s cloak to reach the other end of the battlefield.

    It was definitely not an easy job.

    While Brendel imed that the cloak was easy to work with, anyone could see that it was only because of his selfish desire to keep Her Highness safe.

    Such selfishness would only be respectful, but not necessarily applicable.

    Brendel felt Her Highness¡¯s incredibly calm eyes on him and suddenly realized what the other was going to say, ¡°Wait, but-¡±

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re going to say, Mr. Brendel.¡±

    They had already spent a fair amount of time leaving her with little time to debate with Brendel. Princess Gryphine lowered her eyelids and continued, ¡°Although I never asked what you were up to, I could feel that sincerity. I thank you very much for that, Mr. Brendel.¡±

    ¡°However feelings are not the first factor to be considered at a time like this. If it were to be a choice between Aouine and myself, I would prefer for Aouine to survive. I do not represent Aouine, Brendel. The only people who can represent it are its people.¡±

    Her Highness¡¯s words caused everyone to gasp, especially Nichs and Leider who felt like they were getting to know the princess for the first time today. Amandina tightened her grip on Brendel¡¯s sleeve, as if it was only at this moment that she understood why Brendel chose to let the princess follow her along.

    But she did not understand one thing.

    <i>Why does it seem like he had anticipated this? And that he is so afraid of it?</i>

    Brendel looked at Her Highness, and Her Highness continued, ¡°So please promise me that the operation will be sessful.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness.¡± Brendel couldn¡¯t help but speak up.

    However, Princess Gryphine turned back. The rain fell on the young woman, causing her long silver hair to be stered on her shoulders. She looked up at the others,

    ¡°The future king of Aouine is too young to lead you into battle for now. So today, as the Princess Regent, I will lead you to ovee the difficulties ahead.¡±

    ¡°This is an honor that belongs to me, a duty that no one can take away from me.¡±

    ¡°If I die in battle today, then at least let me say onest time -¡±

    ¡°The blood of Covardo is shed for the sake of Aouine.¡±

    In the midst of the silence, the knights suddenly shouted out.

    ¡°Long live the princess!¡±

    ¡°Long live the regent!¡±

    ¡°Long live the Kingdom of Aouine!¡±

    The voice echoed through the downpour, and Brendel found himself speechless. The five words of the Princess Regent fell upon his heart like thunder and lightning. History was miraculously coincidental. He could still remember the same downpour of rain and the same attitude she bore.

    The deration remained the same. word for word. Her persistence and stubbornness was always so distinct and shining.

    As if it had never once faded from his heart.

    <i>Perhaps this was fate.</i> Brendel thought.

 Chapter 604 - v3c369 Requiem(19)

    v3c369

    Requiem(19)

    There was no more time to argue. In the end, the two groups were quickly decided. Brendel knew that he was unable to convince the princess anymore. He could only cast onest nce into the rain, before pulling on his cloak.

    The princess took thence from the knight by the side. With a back-handed grip, she cut a piece from her cloak with her sword and tied it to the tip. The patterns of the crescent moon and the lily fluttered high in the storm.

    The knights gazed at the banner that represented Aouine. It was already drenched in rain.

    The thin formation began to move forward.

    They had indeed attracted the devil army. Like a rolling wave, the Hellhounds galloped in a line and devoured everything in their path as they faced off against the army of less than thirty men in the middle of the battlefield.

    Thie gave Brendel valuable time to take a breather. The line formation held up Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak and grazed the edge of the battlefield, slowly inching their way toward thest remaining Door of me.

    But even this route was not secure.

    Although the hill-like Hellhounds couldn¡¯t see them, there were times when there was no way to avoid them when they lunged from the front. During such times, Brendel could only lift his cloak and pierce the throat of these devils with his sword from below and let their reeking blood gush freely. This caused these huge devils to twist and turn, crashing into several more of their kind and toppling them.

    However, the fallen Hellhounds didn¡¯t attract too much attention from its own kind; devils were already fond of fighting each other, and a stampede like this when they were charging in a group was so trivial. No one would notice this corner of the battlefield.

    The devils were cloistering together even more, forming a denser mass. Everyone felt the ground trembling beneath their feet.

    The Brute Devils in the sky were the first to approach the humans in the center of the battlefield. Leider Dulo raised his head, his graying eyes reflecting those hideous and horrifying faces. The monsters in the sky spread their wings and charged down at them like arrows.

    Several Brute Devils crashed into the knights¡¯ formation, sending several knights flying. Their strength was far greater than the hellhounds. Leider witnessed the knights being sttered apart, their armor shattering like ss. The flesh underneath exploded from the tremendous pressure, blood vessels bursting open and turning into a flying mass of sma.

    A few spots of blood were even sprayed on the princess¡¯s snow-white face. Gryphine remained still, her hand gripping thence. Her knuckles were white from theck of blood, but thence remained still in her hand.

    The Brute Devils swept past. Behind them, their fellow devils swooped back down. A Brute Devil crashed into the princess, who was among the crowd. When the few remaining knights finally reacted, the Brute Devil¡¯¡¯s sharp ws had nearly reached the half-elf girl¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    A silver light pierced through the curtain of rain and nailed the Brute Devil¡¯s head, causing it to crash to the ground. The old knight, sword in hand, was already standing in front of Her Highness. Gryphine looked at the lion of the kingdom standing in front of her, who had betrayed the Royal Family of Covardo, but she knew that this old man would never betray Aouine.

    ¡°Thank you, Leider Dulo.¡±

    ¡°As long as the princess does not condemn me for my act of rebellion. Everything I do is because it is my duty. I already owed thete king my life, and now, it is no loss to me to use these old creaking bones to repay him.¡± Leider sighed. ¡°However, I may not be able to pay for my sin even with my life.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± The princess¡¯s eyes were cold. ¡°Someone will pay for this. Brendel will not let them go.¡±

    Leider knew in his heart that Her Highness was talking about her powerful uncle, and he couldn¡¯t help but sigh again. He hadn¡¯t expected Duke Seifer¡¯s sickness to have caused him to go so far as to herald the devils into the world. No wonder Nichs and Garlock turned to the princess immediately without hesitation.

    He was left with nothing but regret in his heart. If he had known this would happen earlier, he would never have let the White Lion Battalion be an aplice, but it was already toote for that. Even the Holy Cathedral would never let Duke Seifer go, never mind that young man.

    In addition to that, the White Lion Battalion was destined to lose their past glory.

    In truth, none of that mattered anymore. What mattered was whether Aouine could still exist from here on out ,and whether the fight they¡¯d risked their lives for today would end in their victory.

    A silver ssh of light flew out from the old man¡¯s sword. The silvery light was shaped like a curved moon. It flew forward and swept right across the Brute Devils¡¯ formation. The devils flying in the sky still continued their trajectory onward, but their bodies had already split apart. Chunks of their corpses crashed to the ground, bringing with it a shower of blood and gore.

    Such beautiful White Raven Sword Art, representing Aouine¡¯s most glorious past. Princess Gryphine watched in stunned silence as the dazzling light disappeared into the rain, but that light was eventually swallowed up by the raging army of devils.

    The Brute Devils were already taking to the sky once more, but the ground was already covered with the towering figures of the Hellhounds. Duke Anthony¡¯s knights were nearly all annihted, and the remaining witches were inadequate to defend themselves. Leider and the Kirrlutz Pdins stood a little closer, ready to protect thest banner on this battlefield.

    When Brendel looked back, he saw that the g was still standing erect in the distance amidst the rain. A blue and white battle g ¨C it was like the only symbol left on this battlefield.

    Lightning sliced through the darkened sky of Ampere Seale¡¯s bay, casting everything in white.

    Brendel looked back with a heavy heart. He understood that all hope now rested upon him. If he could tear down that portal quickly, there might be a chance for everything to be salvaged.

    Brendel couldn¡¯t help but clench his teeth. They had already made it past the first wave of devils. There was less than half the distance left, and the devils on the battlefield had thinned out tremendously. Their intermittent use of Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak had taken less than a third of its effect duration so far.

    It seemed as if victory was close at hand.

    Everyone couldn¡¯t help but subconsciously pick up the pace.

    The remaining third of the distance was crossed in a single pass. After passing through the second wave, the defensive line formed by the Longhorn Devils behind could be clearly seen.

    Nichs drew his longsword. Without waiting for Brendel¡¯smand, he rushed towards those devils above like a golden-red blur. The twelve Longhorn Devils were apparently stunned by the sudden appearance of a powerful enemy before them. The two closest devils to Brendel¡¯s formation did not have the time to even utter a shriek of surprise before they were already caught in Nichs¡¯ sea of fire.

    There was only one natural oue that awaited them.

    Brendel held up Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak and continued on, with nine seconds of effect left. At this point, there was no need for him to save time anymore, as there was still onest stretch of road left in front of him.

    With Amandina close behind him, Ciel holding the unconscious Sugar Jar, and Dilferi following at the end, the four never felt so nervous and uneasy before. Even Brendel¡¯s experience at the time of the Wolf Tide was far less than the present; back then, he could at least see the periods of history, but now, the future was hidden in a fog.

    He must break through the fog himself, but he was unsure of what the judgment behind the fog actually represented.

    Thirty meters.

    Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak had finally reached its time limit. However, there were only a few measly small fry by the portal at this moment. All of them were Devil Warlocks, and as soon as Ciel and Brendel appeared, they finished off each Warlock one by one.

    As fast as she could, Amandina threw away Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak as if it wasn¡¯t a legendary item, but a piece of trash instead. Then. she made a mad dash towards thest Door of me on the battlefield.

    Ciel, Brendel, Dilferi, Nichs, and the people who were trapped far away in the middle of the battlefield ¨C Garlock, Leider, and the princess ¨C all saw this scene at the same time.

    Only onest push would do the trick! This was probably the only thought everyone had in mind.

    But unfortunately, just as everything seemed to be on track towards the best ending, a sudden terrifying aura abruptly descended out of nowhere and draped itself over everyone on the battlefield.

    The Devil ¡¯s Lord oppressive aura!

    Brendel¡¯s hairs stood on end immediately. The oppressive feeling he felt was simply like a deity suddenly descending into this realm, but that wasn¡¯t possible. Let us not mention the fact that there was no such thing as an existing god in Vaunte, even a god would never be able to exude such a cruel and tyrannical aura.

    That kind of aura could only exist in one creature in all of Vaunte.

    A devil.

    He raised his head and watched as space by the portal trembled. Then, a huge, golden-red door of light suddenly opened without warning beside Amandina. Before anyone had time to react, a huge, three-headed monster that seemed to be stacked with reddish, thick flesh had squeezed through the door.

    That unique figure could only make Brendel think of one name ¨C Mesika, King of Chaos.

    Brendel¡¯s heart constricted in that instant.

    ¡°Watch out! Amandina!!¡± he shouted with all the strength he could muster.

    But, it was toote. Amandina didn¡¯t even realize that disaster hade, and she even looked back in surprise when she heard Brendel calling for her. However, the next moment, the Devil King¡¯s ws were already digging right through her body.

    With a sharp sound, blood-red ws pierced through Amandina like three swords. Her entire body twisted and arched from the pain.

    Amandina opened her mouth wide. It seemed that even at thest moment, she had been surprised, but blood immediately poured out of her mouth and nose. The noblewoman¡¯s daughter still ended up reaching out to Brendel.

    ¡°Bren... Bre... Brendel...¡±

    Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but atst, her head fell limp.

    ¡°No-¡± Brendel could hardly believe what he was seeing before his eyes. Although he still held some delusional thoughts, hoping that it was all just an illusion, a delusion was still just a delusion.

    His heart couldn¡¯t stop sinking.

    As an ordinary human, was there any chance of Amandina surviving a blow from the Devil King of the Extreme Realm, Mesika? Any sane and normal person would give a rational answer without hesitation of course.

    But that answer was uneptable to Brendel.

    Amandina is dead?

    Brendel saw the King of Chaos shake his ws and fling Amandina away. Her limp body hit the grass head-on, her face looking as if she had lost all trace of life. At that moment, his mind was just nk as he stood with the Halran Gaia in his hand in the pouring rain, but for a moment, it felt like the whole world had gone dark.

    The noblewoman who stood by me in silence, who was willing to stand with me against the entire kingdom, is dead?

    Brendel¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t sure what thoughts were running through it at the moment.

    And that was when Mesika, the King of Chaos, finally noticed the young man at its feet. Its three huge heads looked back at the portal and then at Brendel, and it instantly guessed the intentions of these humans. Its faces couldn¡¯t help but show a hint of hideous anger.

    ¡°Vermin scum, what have you done?!¡± Mesika¡¯s voice sounded like it wasing from an abyss. It raised its ws and immediately swung down at Brendel.

    ¡°Brendel,e to your senses, you bastard! Do you want to die here?! You still have the Cards of Fates! Miss Amandina is not dead!¡± Sanorso was about to go crazy.

    However, only thest sentence sent a bolt of lightning cutting through the darkness in Brendel¡¯s head. He responded with a jolt. Yes, he still had Cards, and as long as he had the Fate card, there was at least a chance of saving Miss Amandina¡¯s life.

    It was but a slim chance in a desperate situation.

    But he would never give up as long as he had a chance.

    Brendel came back to his senses at once, but when he looked up, a shadow hadpletely enveloped him.

 Chapter 605 - v3c370 Requiem(20)

    v3c370

    Requiem(20)

    Each of the three-meter-long ws were made of gray cuticles with honeb-like holes. Brendel knew that the holes were filled with devilized worms, and every time Mesika, the King of Chaos, attacked, the worms would try to infect the wounds.

    He remembered that when Guild R killed the Devil King, they specifically sent heretic judges and witch doctors to purify the parasites. But unfortunately, he did not have that kind of resources. The Devil King used his sword-like ws and struck at him, and Brendel, just in the nick of time, took a few steps backward. The ws had nearly hit him.

    The green turf was left with three deep w marks. After that, the power of chaos left a dull, gray me burning on top of the gouges.

    Brendelnded on the ground with a backflip. The adrenaline flowing through his blood hadpletely snapped him awake, and his dangerous encounter made his forehead break out in a thinyer of cold sweat.

    Luckily, Brendel was reminded by the elf at thest second, or else the consequences would have been devastating. Unlike the usual upper-ranked devils that possessed the me of Elemental Power, a higher-ranked devil usually was not recognized by the Power of the Laws. On the contrary, they used the Power of Chaos and the Violent Dark Magic of the Sea Of Magic.

    These two powers in the hands of the devilscked the ability to create, but its destructive powers were far more enough. It was even more destructive than most elemental powers on the same level; the Power of Chaos could assimte everything, and the burning me was proof.

    The gray me had nothing to do with the Elemental Fire in Vaunte¡¯s world. It was something called Embers. Everything it burned would return to Chaos. Legends said that if the Land of Order turned barren, the whole world would fill with such me.

    Brendel regained his bnce just when he heard the Wind Empress¡¯s voice, ¡°Brendel, when this devil attacked, his right hind foot was slightly slower than its other three feet. It looks like it was injured, can you take advantage of this?.¡±

    Brendel nodded, in folk tales, Mesika, the King of Chaos, was often portrayed as a three-winged giant. Its belly, full of fat, dipped to the ground. It looked peculiar, though it still had a humanoid form with two feet and two hands. And what Mesika pointed out was actually Mesika¡¯s right ankle.

    When Mesika was conquering the Hell of Torture, he got bitten by a Lord¡¯s pet devil snake, and that injury nevery healed properly. At the time, Guild R had aptly prepared to take down the devil and would not have missed such an obvious weakness.

    Mesika did have a blind spot when turning to the right.

    Unfortunately, this information was meaningless to him, as Mesika¡¯s strength was equivalent to the peak of the Ultimate Realm, and would not be easilypromised by such a small weakness. But just in case, Brendel still subconsciously leaned to the right.

    Mesika raged when he missed Brendel, it couldn¡¯t believe that it did not kill the pesky bastard in one blow. It gave a roar and swung at Brendel again with its left w.

    There was an explosive scream in the air.

    But by now, Ciel¡¯s spell was working, ¡°Imand you to block everything, Law of Wall.¡± The young mage finished the spell and pointed his staff ahead; A wall formed with transparent force field blocks appeared between Brendel and Mesika.

    Crack, Mesika¡¯s ws swept across the wall, and cracks formed a spider web pattern on the transparent wall. In an instant, the force field shattered like ss.

    If Brendel was really a yer who lived in the first chapter of the game, he probably would have been scared to death. A mage¡¯s Law of Wall was known as an invincible spell, and the only drawback of this spell was that neither parties couldmunicate or attack each other, which rendered this a purely protective spell.

    But the ability of breaking the force field with brute force was only made avable after several versions of the game.

    This was only the year 376. Brendel could feel his scalp tingling, but Ciel¡¯s spell ultimately earned him some time to react. He hurriedly put aside all his distractions and seized the opportunity to roll to the side. He barely dodged the attack.

    ¡°Damn bug!¡±

    Mesika gave a roar. He suddenly felt like a fool. The mouse escaped from its hand again and again. If he could not handle this little creature, he would be theughing stock of the other Devil Kings. Mesika lost all its patience and dark magic surged from its body without any spells or rituals.

    Brendel and Ciel immediately felt their body freeze.

    Devil Spell : Binding!

    This was a spell that could restrict the movement of any opponent of the same rank for one second much less two noobs like they. If it wanted, Brendel and Ciel would be standing there for more than half an hour.

    Obviously, the King of Chaos thought so too, and with a wave of his hand, Brendel and Ciel were dragged towards him. Mesika put on a haughty face, and, as if he wanted to see a look of terror from Brendel¡¯s face, he said,¡°You bit off quite a bit more than you can chew, and now I will have you suffer a fate worse than death, so you stupid humans will know not to mess with me.¡±

    Messing with minds and inducing terror was the nature of devils and the source of their happiness. Mesika could almost foresee the person in front of him shivering in fear.

    But he was quickly disappointed.

    Only anger burned in Brendel¡¯s eyes; fear was nowhere to be found. Amandina¡¯s death had already pushed him to the brink of rage, and he felt the dark magic in his body riling up.

    Mania scorched his heart like a deadly viper.

    He stared coldly at this foolish Devil King and replied, ¡°The one who will be suffering a fate worse than death is you, Mesika.¡±

    By this time, Dilferi was already behind the Devil King.

    In fact, Mesika had long noticed this little human girl, but it felt that Dilferi had no powers and was merely an ordinary person, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered with her.

    Although it did not look back, it could still see the little girl pulling out a Devil Armlet nervously. Mesika could not help butugh. This pathetic bug actually nning to use this thing to restrain me? Mesika was a true Devil King after all, so not only would it not be constrained by this low-level gadget, it could actually affect the holder of this gadget instead.

    Mesika decided to stop what he was doing and wait for the human girl to make this lowly mistake. It nned to turn the girl into its ve and war trophy.

    Thinking of the cruelty, this Devil King started tough hideously.

    It saw Dilferi raising the Devil Armlet. Although its back was facing the countess, it had a sly smile on its face.

    But soon he could smile no more.

    Brendel sneered at this idiot, knowing exactly what the Devil King was nning to do. He had already figured, this was the evil nature of devils, they derived pleasure from the misfortune of others. No matter how they appear on the surface, their inherent nature doesn¡¯t change, nor would they easily give up these corrupt habits.

    In Mesika¡¯s point of view, there was really nothing to worry about.

    As everyone knew, in the Sulphur River, other than the low-tier devils, high tier devils were divided into many different departments, with the Devil Lords near the top, and Devil Kings such as Mesika on top of that.

    The rtionship between the upper-tiered devils and the Devil Lord was somewhat simr to the rtionship between a knight and his lord, and the rtionship between the Devil Lord and the Devil King was simr to a lord and the king. Of course, devils did not have as strict a hierarchy as humans do, nheless, bing a Devil King was no easy feat.

    Everyone who became a Devil King had fought their way through seas of bloody corpses after thousands of years. Although the strength of the Devil Kings were uneven, even the weakest of them have reached the Ultimate Realm.

    Someone with that kind of power would hardly be afraid of a few useless human beings.

    Mesika never expected Brendel¡¯s next move. Although Brendel was restrained, he could still talk and shout. When Dilferi raised the Devil Armlet, Brendel suddenly shouted.

    ¡°Dilferi, listen carefully, the real name of this idiot is 403157. You can find his imprint in the Borderless Purgatory! Hurry, curse him!¡±

    The sly smile froze on Mesika¡¯s face. One of the secrets known by warlocks who dealt with devils was:

    All devils born within the abyss could not be killed. They were Chaos in a different form. Each time they were killed, they temporarily returned to chaos, leaving an imprint, and would eventually be reborn from this imprint.

    And this imprint was the real name of a devil, the source of their power.

    No matter how powerful or weak the devils were, every devil had a unique name. Their names were secrets and no one knew it other than themselves. There had been some devils throughout history who had identally lost their names and these devils often ended up in miserable situations and were enved forever.

    Knowing the real name of a devil could allow them tomand the devil to do everything. Although these ims circting among the evil mages were exaggerated, they still hold a morsel of truth.

    Mesika, the terrible Devil King, was so shocked that if felt like the world just did a backflip and whacked him in the head. The real name of a devil was a devil¡¯s top secret, and even in a dream, they would never reveal this secret to anyone, but the problem was.

    Brendel actually said his real name.

    How did he know?

    If it could change its faith, at this moment, Mesika would definitely seek refuge in Lord Martha. And then sob at her feet and bef for her to delete Brendel from this world.

    It was a pity that Mesika¡¯s boss, Chaos and the Twilight Dragon did not care about these things.

    The King of Chaos snapped back to the situation, and roared, turning back to stop Dilferi. But it was toote, perhaps because it had been too arrogant. Mesika had just turned back when Dilferi already found Mesika¡¯s imprint from the Borderless Purgatory.

    Then she uttered the simplest incantation in the world, ¡°403157, withdraw authority!¡±

    The enormous Devil King and the delicate countess groaned at the same time. Brendel could feel the restraining spell on him loosening, but he also saw a trace of blood at the corner of Dilferi¡¯s mouth.

    Bacsh.

    He knew that Dilferi¡¯s powers were too weak. If she only relied on the Devil Armlet to control Mesika, she would get devoured. Even if she knew its real name, Mesika¡¯s immense power was not something she could bear alone.

    Pity.

    He had no time right now to find a gold ss summoner who was good at Psychic Arts, and even the countess herself was an unexpected blessing.

    Brendel and Ciel fell to the ground. At the same time, Dilferi¡¯s good-looking face had almostpletely distorted as she was struggling to control the King of Chaos. Only now did she understand what Brendel meant when he told her it was a dangerous task.

    She could not suppress Mesika¡¯s power.

    Even with the devil¡¯s real name and the Devil Armlet, the powerful Devil King was not something that an ordinary person like her could easily manipte. The violent power of Hell invaded her body, quickly corroding her internal organs and blood vessels.

    ¡°Miss Countess, you should know the consequences.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Dilferi raised her head, her face was bleeding and she looked terrifying. But she continued to hold up the Devil Armlet, shouting.

    ¡°Imand you to cut off any magical connection with the underworld!¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    The Devil King screamed. It never expected in its wildest dreams that this little girl in front of him was so cunning; Compared to her, it felt like an inferior devil. Wielding its real name, Dilferi could order it to do anything she wanted. In other words, she could order it to die, though she would be torn apart by the bacsh first. But Mesika didn¡¯t think she would give such a simple order.

    Cut off any magical connection with the underworld.

    It was unable to resist, and the dark magic dispersed from its body in an instant. Mesika was visibly and rapidly losing weight. In fact, the fat on its body deted like a balloon, and it quickly became a piece of dry skin hanging on bones.

    Mesika¡¯s power was also declining rapidly, almost instantaneously going from the peak of the Ultimate Realm, to the middle-level of Elemental Awakening. In just a few seconds, it had dropped down more than two realms, unprecedented in The Amber Sword.

    ¡°Ah! Asshole, you can¡¯t do this!¡± Mesika was so embarrassed it was like a little girl who was stripped naked. It never expected itself to end up in such a situation.

    To be honest, if Brendel could just make this guy die, he would never have chosen such a troublesome method. However, this was the result of his careful consideration, because this was the only way to ensure the Dilferi¡¯s safety.

    Of course, the countess was not afraid of death. But the problem was, if she died, Mesika would be run loose again.

    So Brendel chose thispromise. However, even thepromised solution would cause irreparable damage to Dilferi, but there was no other way.

    The binds on Brendel and Ciel disappeared. He immediately picked up Halran Gaia and at the same time, Mesika¡¯s power dissipation came to a temporary pause. In theory, this effect wouldpletely turn it into an ordinary person, but the withering effect was not something that could happen in such a short time.

    The King of Chaos, though it was probably at most a Devil Lord right now, must have lost all of its confidence. It took a horn out from its waist and blew it.

    The sound of the horn prated the entire battlefield, and Brendel knew instantly that this guy was calling for backup. He turned around, and saw that after a slight pause from the devil army in the middle of the battlefield, they turned around chaotically..

    ¡°Stop them!¡±

    He shouted immediately.

    Amandina was nowhere to be found, and no one could find where the portal was. If the devil army united, all they had done earlier would be meaningless.

    Ciel quickly reacted and grabbed the staff that had fallen to the ground.

    Meanwhile, the princess and knights surrounded by devils hadpletely opposite feelings. There were several asions when they were nearly wiped out. Both Leider and the Pdin from Kirrlutz were wounded and Garlock¡¯s arm was covered with blood. The Royal Highness Princess had a gouge on the shoulder and half of her coat was stained with blood. But just when everyone was pumping up to fight again, the devils surrounding them retreated, and they were instantly relieved.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The lucky survivors were stunned. The devils clearly had an advantage, why are they retreating?

    They raised their head subconsciously but the portal was clearly still there.

 Chapter 606 - v3c371 Requiem(21)

    <strong>v3c371</strong>

    <strong>Requiem(21)</strong>

    Mesika¡¯s shriveled skin wrapped around its thick bones, its rib cage protruded, and its eye socket was sunken deeply into its three skulls; He looked like a huge skeleton. From time to time, a deep blue me exploded from its body, which was the light emitted due to a devil¡¯s magic loss. Even its armour hadpletely disintegrated; he looked like a brutal tyrant who suddenly fell from his throne and turned into a beggar without a single penny to his name. The huge psychological gap also brought about an immense feeling of insecurity, and although it still had an advantage against Brendel and Ciel, Mesika quickly used its remaining power to cast a me Shield for itself.

    As if doing so would help make it feel more at ease.

    However, Ciel was not slow at reacting either, when Brendel told him to attack, he immediately picked his magic staff off of the ground, loudly reciting an incantation, ¡°Imand this sharp de, it shall separate all things, in the Law of Tiamat, Demeter¡¯s de!¡±

    Waving his hand in a chopping motion, the air in front of him formed a bright wind de, which promptly sought to cut the Devil King Mesika.

    Mesika¡¯s me Shield was much stronger than Brendel¡¯s Crimson Red Blessing, the red and orange light emitted by the magic shield was like ayer of orange-red grease, thick and sturdy. Ciel¡¯s Dragon de shed at the shield, and as if violently stirring a boiling pot of oil, the red grease on the hemispherical magic shield started vibrating intensely.

    But it did not budge.

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Mesika took a step back at first but soonughed when it realized that Ciel could not prate its shield. Its three heads also started cackling inughter; It seemed to havepletely forgotten that it was still a Devil King of Hell. Normally, it was an insult for it to even receive this kind of attack, much less getting its shield pierced by a mere Golden Leveled mage.

    ¡°You can¡¯t kill me, just wait for it¡± it shouted haughtily.

    But he did notugh for long, for immediately after the transparent attack of the Dragon de, a ck heavy sword appeared behind the spell. The glowing sword was like a silver thread, parting the rain, and the orange-red me Shield had no effect on the sword as it flickered through space and shed its chest.

    A sh.

    Brendel leaped up through the rain, and opened up a two-meter long wound on the monster¡¯s chest with his sword. With any expressions on his face, he dragged the sword downward skillfully, as he had done the same moves in The Amber Sword thousands of times in the past, and immediately, blood sttered everywhere like purplish-red blood rain

    .

    Mesika¡¯sughter came to an abrupt end, now reced by a terrified scream.

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±

    The screams then turned into howling, and the huge body of the Hell Devil King fell back. Brendelnded steadily on the ground, as the huge body of the Hell Devil King fell to the ground.

    But Mesika has clearly yet to kick the bucket. Despite the wound on his chest that extended from his shoulder all the way to his lower abdomen, which was so deep that its bones were visible, it remained alive. Its torn flesh revealed an obsidian-like gem within him. It was the devil¡¯s Dark Stone of Magic, the source of its power, though this gem had lost its connection to the Sulfur River and appeared dim and gray.

    It was still waving its paws in the rain, trying to get up. The powerful vitality of the devil was undoubtedly witnessed at this moment, the damaged muscle and blood vessels were healing at a rate visible to the naked eye and some small cuts instantly turned into new scars.

    But Brendel would not give the Hell Devil King a chance to fully recover. He immediately jumped on the Hell Devil King¡¯s stomach, stepping on its chest and raising the Halran Gaia high up, ready to stab it.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡± Mesika finally panicked, as all three skulls showed fear, he shouted ¡°You can¡¯t kill me! I¡¯ll agree to bing a ve of that woman, what do you want, I can give you strength and power, and everything you want!¡±

    Brendel was unimpressed.

    ¡°Ahhhh, I know.¡± It screeched like a pig, ¡°I can help you resurrect that little girl!¡±

    At that moment, the Wind Empress could sense Brendel¡¯s hesitation, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to its nonsense, Brendel.¡± She quickly reminded him.

    Brendel was not affected for long beforeing back to his senses, ¡°Resurrect?¡± He sneered, ¡°More like she will be transformed into a devil right? Amandina doesn¡¯t need that!¡±

    His sword pierced downward.

    It was at this moment, a ray of cold light came flying through the rain.

    A silver light hit Brendel¡¯s sword and with a ng, and the Halran Gaia missed Mesika¡¯s magic gem by a hair and pierced into flesh right beside it..

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±

    The Hell Devil King screamed again. Today was probably the most unfortunate day it has had since its birth. This mighty Devil King was getting ruthlessly trampled on, not unlike a carpet.

    But he got really unlucky. Brendel knew all the true names of the seven Devil Lords of the Underworld that had visited the human world before. This knowledge was meaningless in thest world, because the seven Devil Lords were killed by the Twenty-five Footed Man.

    But here, it had undoubtedly be another nail in his coffin.

    With his sword having been blocked, Brendel took a step back subconsciously. It was a dagger that had blocked his sword, and was now embedded in the grass beside him. The dagger contained a shocking amount of power. One needed to be at least at the Elemental Activation level to pull that off; this was not by some half-assed devil like Mesika, this was the work of a true Elemental Activationer.

    Is it a high-tier devil?

    He shook his numb wrist and raised his head, but instead saw an old acquaintance standing in the rainy night.

    Devard the Hawk.

    ¡°This guy.....¡± This guy obviously did note to him for revenge. Brendel immediately thought of the man supporting him, Duke Arreck. He almost forgot about this guy, who seemed to have disappeared after leaving the Ande Cathedral.

    But now the old fox finally appeared.

    After he showed his trump cards.

    In the middle of the battlefield, the devils¡¯ attacks were getting weaker.

    In fact, most of the devils were already retreating towards the portal, leaving only a few blood-thirsty Hellhounds and rogue devils who defied orders and were still attacking the princess.

    But they no longer posed a threat. Leider and the Pdin were sufficient to stop this kind of weak attack, using their actions to teach these chaotic creatures battlefield courtesy.

    The spears on the bodies of the dead devils originally belonged to another group of small devils which they probably robbed from the Coast Guards, because the spears still had the emblem of Ampere Seale and the manufacturing number.

    These spears formed a circle around the team.

    ¡°They are going towards Brendel.¡± The Royal Highness Princess looked in a distance nervously, ¡°We can¡¯t let them escape!¡±

    ¡°But what can we do, your Royal Highness Princess?¡±

    Stephen, the Pdin answered with a bitter smile.

    Everyone was wounded and exhausted. Only a few knights remained, all suffering injuries, along with the few mages who had been supporting from the backline, though they were hardly useful in this situation.

    The witch named Babasha was nowhere to be found too.

    ¡°Leave it to me!¡± A voice replied weakly, as though he had to roll out those words from his throat, Garlock, who was lying on the ground panting, had his lungs pierced by a spear in the previous battle, and his hand was also seriously injured, ¡°It may still be possible for me to cast a teleportation spell, although the spell won¡¯t teleport you as far asst time, but I still can find a way to teleport you to in front of them.¡±

    ¡°But are you okay, Master Garlock.¡± Royal Highness Princess asked worriedly, anyone could tell that the old mage was not in a good condition.

    ¡°Fortunately... Cough, I have recovered some of my energy, and I can cast it again.¡± Garlock replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your highness.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave it to you, Master Garlock.¡± Princess Gryphine nodded,

    Leider suddenly walked over and patted the shoulder of the old mage lying on the ground, Garlock nced at the kingdom¡¯s ¡°old lion¡±. He then shook his head and helped himself back on his feet while the knights beside him tried to lend him a hand.

    Garlock pushed away the people around him with a slight wave of his hand. He picked up his staff, nced at everyone and directed his gaze at the portal.

    Then he began to recite the mantra, which was a bit difficult at first, but gradually smoothened.

    The space began to shake again.

    The familiar white halo spread across the battlefield. But this time, there were no devils to stop this spell from forming, because they had already turned into rotting corpses.

    The halo suddenly spread out in front of the devil army, like a gate. In the next moment, the figure of Princess Gryphine appeared on the grass. They were at the back of the devil army only a moment ago, and were thrown backwards by these chaotic creatures, but now, they were blocking the pathway of the army.

    Everyone had already developed a resistance to the side effects from the teleportation, most of them only felt a slight dizziness and quickly recovered. They prepared themselves as soon as they saw the approaching devil army.

    But it was at this time when the princess realized that Garlock and the two seriously injured Lantonn Knights were gone.

    ¡°Where is Master Garlock and the others?¡± Princess Gryphine asked immediately.

    ¡°They stayed back, your Royal Highness Princess. He did not have enough strength to teleport everyone, and the three chose to stay back after a discussion.¡± Leider sighed.

    The princess was stunned, she understood what that meant.

    ¡°But why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°Everyone has the right to choose to be a hero, your Royal Highness Princess. He is waiting for us in another world, and we will follow soon after stopping these monsters.¡±

    The half-elf girl bited her lips.

    ¡°I understand.¡± she nodded.

    The old White Lion bowed slightly. It was a gesture shown by a veteran to the young princess, and then the old knight turned around with his long sword. At that moment, thunder and lightning shed throughout the battlefield, shining across the sky, piercing the dark clouds.

    The devil army found the praying mantis in front of them.

    And they did not intend to stop.

    The advantages of the devils on the battlefield had been stripped away, and it was now an entanglement with equals . It was as if both sides were like dying men, just waiting to see who would suffocate first.

    Brendel stood under the heavy rain and stared at Devard the Hawk and Sword Grandmaster Arreck, the two did not seem to be wet but no one paid attention to this.

    What is Arreck trying to do?

    In The Amber Sword, most yers were suspicious of Arreck.

    Because of the bizarre death of the eldest princess, all the fingers were pointed at the Duke and the Kirrlutz. But the conspiracy behind it was clearly far moreplicated. yers had also found traces of Evil Cultists, though this series of investigations eventually dissipated due to the destruction of Aouine.

    Brendel would rather believe that the Duke Arreck was suspicious, and the appearance of Devard confirmed his guess.

    And it was not what he wished to see.

    Devard the Hawk drew his sword out in front of him, dropping Brendel into a dilemma. Should I let the King of Chaos go? The problem was that Ciel definitely could not defeat Devard.

    He didn¡¯t know how this guy was able to recover in just a few days from losing an arm. This was probably thanks to the devil. At least when Brendel saw him in the cathedral previously, this guy was not fully healed yet from the way he held his sword with only one hand.

    This thought shed through Brendel¡¯s mind.

    Devard was already sprinting towards him, ¡°Ciel!¡± Brendel shouted.

    Ciel immediately started casting a protective spell. He raised his staff, but without warning, the wooden staff shattered like ss.

    The broken pieces of wood seemed to have been hit by something, they ignited spontaneously, then turned into ashes. The young mage could not help but scream, as arge portion of his hand was burned.

    ¡°What the hell is this!¡± He raised his head.

    A visible ripple in the air swept across the battlefield.

    The wave crackled across thend, instantly charring the grass it passed on top of. Even human hair stuck straight up as if it was swept by static electricity, emitting a burning smell.

    ¡°Ring of Lightning!¡± Ciel groaned.

    This was not an advanced spell, nor was it a high tier spell. But no one had ever heard that the range of a tier two spell could cover a battlefield as wide as several kilometers.

    Without Ciel¡¯s spell as a cover, Devard headed towards Brendel like a lightning bolt. Brendel had no choice but to give up Mesika, removing Halran Gaia from its chest and rolling back.

    Mesika let out yet another painful howl from the ground, but it finally found an opening to escape, and without even waiting for its chest to recover, it immediately got up from the ground.

    ¡°Ciel, what the hell happened, where is your spell?¡± Brendel asked without looking back. He was in a hurry, because he did not know how long Amandina couldst. If her soulpletely dissipated, even Marsha could not bring her back.

    The problem was, time was running out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Ciel was looking in the direction of the Ring of Lightning.

    He then screamed weirdly.

    Brendel had never heard Ciel make such a disturbed noise before. He heard the mage shouting his name, ¡°My lord, look behind!¡±

    There was a hugemotion.

    Brendel turned back automatically, and then he saw that in the direction of Ampere Seale, a huge ck shadow was breaking out from the ground and slowly standing up.

    At that moment, his mind turnedpletely nk, ¡°This is impossible!¡±

    How could there be a Titan Statue here.

    Did he teleport to the end period of the te War?

 Chapter 607 - v3c372 Requiem(22)

    v3c372

    Requiem(22)

    In thest golden age, the Buga people created the statue and named it after a titan from an ancient legend of Traminer. This sacred weapon used to be an important tool for the people of Order in the fight against the Twilight, But ever since the fall of the final fort, everything rted to it had disappeared into history.

    However, rted legends still remain. Its power and ability were still praised by the world, after all, it was one of the rare mortal weapons that could fight against the Twilight.

    Until today, when it reappeared in this world. After the first titan stood up, a second titan followd suit. As soon as Brendel saw this scene, he immediately turned around and dahsed towards Amandina. Mesika, the King of Chaos seemed to have just reacted to Brendel¡¯s movement, ¡°The portal! Stop him!¡± It screamed with anger.

    That was exactly what Brendel was nning to do. As soon as he saw the two Titans, he knew that their chance for victory was close to zero. If so, he might as well find a way to blow up the portal before their enemies arrived.

    Of course, the first thing he had to do was to revive Amandina.

    Devard the Hawk instantly caught up, but Ciel blocked him, chanting ¡°Imand you to stop all that passes through, Law of Wall!¡± He casted a spell with his uninjured left hand, and soon after, there was a force field separating the two.

    The wall appeared so abruptly that Devard almost ran face first into it, but his agile reflexes made him stop at thest minute. He turned around and shed at the wall. After a loud bang, the sword on the transparent force field did no damage.

    Devard had no choice but to take a few steps backward and try to find a way around the wall. But this dy had destroyed his best chance. At that moment, Nichs finally killed thest Longhorn Devil and noticed what was happening here. The Sword Grandmaster turned around and swept his ming sword hundreds of meters, and sprinted towards Devard the Hawk.

    Although Devard the Hawk was known as a swordmaster in Arreck, he has yet to have the guts to take on Nichs. As he saw a fiery line rushing towards himself, his face paled and he immediately rolled aside in the most un-great-swordsman-y manner to avoid the sword.

    And though he had dodged the sword, his clothes had be dirty from rolling around in the muddy water, and when he stood up, he looked pathetic. Devard, being hot-tempered and grumpy, exploded with anger, ¡°Nichs, are you trying to betray Duke Seifer!¡± He shouted angrily.

    Nichs waszy to acknowledge this idiot, and at the next moment, he appeared next to Ciel, using his sword to stop Mesika, the King of Chaos. Mesika screamed angrily, but it realized that he could not beat the Fiery Nichs with his strength right now, and that no matter how annoyed and angry it was, it could only watch as Brendel rushed towards the portal.

    Brendel was running like his life depended on it, the Titan Statue was a top-level creation of the Buga Mage, and legend said that it had the power of lightning like the ancient giants. Although they were lifeless stones, they could transform into lightning and traverse across the battlefield instantly. Needless to say, the speed of lightning was no joke, which was why Brendel must destroy the portal before the enemies arrived.

    After a few steps, he found the body of Amandina. She was motionless and her skirt was stained with blood. Although he had already prepared himself for this scene, he still could not help but feel a pang of pain in his chest when he saw Amandina¡¯s cold and pale face.

    She could have lived peacefully in Braggs, although she lived in poverty, but at least she wouldn¡¯t have died from unnatural causes. He knew that Amandina would one day create her own Magicite Power Core and be the brightest star of Aouine.

    Instead, she chose to follow him.

    Even though she had to give up the job she loved, she neverined. She would always quietly stand beside him, and inform him about what a qualified nobel should do. Although it was a bit old-fashioned, her intention was full of goodwill.

    Brendel used to think that Amandina was too rigid, but only when he lost her did he realize how much he owed this girl.

    He silently stared at Amandina¡¯s sleeping face while turning on the neswalker System, praying that Master Masha had left him a ray of hope. But when he gently turned Amandina¡¯s corpse over, he was stunned.

    There were holes all over Amandina¡¯s blood-stained dress, as if to show how ruthless Mesika¡¯s ws were. But that was all, Bredel soon could not find any wounds on Amandina¡¯s body, and except for the three long and narrow openings on her dress that proved that the ws of the Hell King had indeed struck there, the skin under the dress was as white as snow. There were no traces of scars or wounds.

    Brendel blinked, almost believing that he was delusional. He smacked his face subconsciously and then tentatively touched Amandina to feel her temperature and the wounds under her clothes. He was shocked to find that Amandina¡¯s body was still warm.

    He frozed.

    At this time, the nobledy groaned and frowned, her long eyshes twitched slightly before opening her eyes. Her dark pupils stared at Brendel and his movements in surprise.

    As for Brendel, he was half-squatting next to Amandina, with the palm of his hand pressed against the softness of her chest through her thin and tattered clothing.

    The two stared at each other.

    Amandina¡¯s face was so red it was indescribable. She could only reply in a barely audible voice, ¡°Lord, my lord.... Please uphold you status. How can you touch such a ce.¡±

    But Brendel, as if not listening to Amandina, gawked. ¡°Amandina, are you not hurt?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Amandina seemed to have just realized her situation and recalled what happened before. She instantly forgot about Brendel¡¯s actions and a look of disbelief shed across her face.

    ¡°Ahhh....Im...I¡¯m not dead?¡± The usually shrewd Amandina short circuited, ¡°How could this be....?¡±

    ¡°Master Lord, am I dreaming? Is this thend of the dead, or Master Masha¡¯s Garden of Eden?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not, Amandina. You¡¯re not hurt... No, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either.¡± Brendel¡¯s mind was a huge mess of random thoughts, but none of which were reliable. He was convinced that what he saw was no hallucination. Amandina had definitely been killed by Mesika, and the blood and cuts of her dress was proof.

    But what is going on here?

    While he was still puzzled, he suddenly saw Amandina shed a trail of tears, The tears mixed with the rain, sliding down her fair face.

    ¡°Amandina?¡± Brendel felt like he was stabbed in the chest. He understood the message in her eyes.

    Those were not tears from shock, nor from excitement or sadness, but tears of joy that could not be suppressed, Because she could finally be with him again, she did not have to travel alone to thend of the dead.

    At that moment, Brendel felt that one of the softest ces in his heart was touched.

    Amandina hugged him tightly.

    Tears rolled out from her eyes like broken beads. She did not say anything, but expressed more than a thousand words. At that moment, Brendel understood her choice.

    Brendel quietly felt the warmth of the nobledy. If he could, he would be happy to give her more time. But now was not the time to do such things, he stopped for a moment before calmly pushing Amandina off from his shoulder.

    ¡°Amandina, now is not the time to talk about these things. We need your help.¡±

    Amandina nodded gently, she had calmed down now, and the shock of her revival made her lose herposure shortly. After all, she was ady staff. She wiped her eyes with her hand, ¡°I know, the portal. There¡¯s another portal too, Master Lord, can you help me up please?¡±

    Brendel quickly helped her up, and the two quickly ran towards the portal. At the same time, Nichs had just blocked Mesika and Devard the Hawk.

    The portal was still hundreds of meters away.

    It was at this time that a sh of lightning pierced through the night sky, making everyone freeze. The lightning crossed the entire battlefield and abruptly fell in front of Brendel and Amandina, blocking them from the portal.

    After the lightning had disappeared, amidst the white smoke, a huge figure appeared. It stood under the rain, its towering body was more than 100 meters. There was dirt covering parts of its body, and as rain washed the dirt off, the bronze-like skin beneath was revealed.

    It looked like a bronze creation, but it was actually a product of granite after it was strengthened by magic.

    In this world, other than the Buga mage, no one knew the giants better than Brendel. It was a titan, the supreme creation of artisans and mages.

    Its body was made of stone, but after it was strengthened by magic, it was harder than the strongest adamantite. The ancient Alchemy Array had been long lost after the war and every Titan Statue that survived until now was a gift from that era.

    But most rumors about these gifts described its terrible power.

    When the Buga Mages captured Arles who possessed tes, he only used one Titan Statue to obliterate the thirdrgest city of the Jorgendy Ridge underground. It was said that Arles turned into ashes after the war, and some of the yers saw it with their own eyes.

    Brendel stopped subconsciously.

    The Titan was like a mountain in front of them, lying between him and the portal. Although it was merely inches away, it seemed to be at the end of the world.

    Brendel could not help but clench his sword, and the youngdy beside him nced at him carefully. Is this the time to give up?

    Obviously not.

 Chapter 608 - v3c373 Requiem(23)

    v3c373

    Requiem(23)

    ¡°Amandina, get away from here, I¡¯ll attract it¡¯s attention....¡± Brendel let go of her hand and said softly without looking back.

    ¡°Master Lord, please be careful.¡± Amandina replied, and obediently took a few steps backward.

    She had countless things to say to Brendel aftering back from the dead. But she knew that at this time, everyone must try their best to fight against Aouine¡¯s fate.

    Brendel raised the Halran Gaia and let out an angry roar. Like a lion, he charged at the Titan Statue. It was an unprecedented battle, he was facing the Titan Statue¡¯s fist which was asrge as a mountain.

    It was a war between ants and giants.

    The Titan¡¯s arm had turned into a bundle of electricity in mid-air, he smashed his fist to where Brendel was, but Brendel did not dodge it and instead faced it head-on.

    Amandina let out a cry of surprise and covered her mouth.

    ¡°Brendel, are you crazy?¡± The elf consort could not believe her eyes.

    Electric sparks instantly flew out from Brendel, and then bloomed in all directions.

    Brendel was certainly not crazy.

    But he understood that avoiding that attack was meaningless. This was the supreme creation of the Buga Mage, and the attack of the Titan who held the power of lightning could not be avoided. Rather than struggling in vain, it was better to decide the winner in one go.

    Either win or lose.

    There was no other way.

    Countless streaks of lightning struck his skin like a sharp de, and then prated himpletely. Brendel¡¯s skin was scorched, and his hair caught fire and started to burn. He continued forward, like a giant moving forward within a storm, nothing could stop him in his path.

    His health bar instantly fell to its lowest state, and his condition changed from healthy to dying. There were one big word in front of him: ¡°Death¡±

    But Brendel continued forward.

    Unyielding Talent was burning like it was thest fire, and the powerfulw from space was injected into his body, supporting his body and spirit to stand.

    The lightning storm finally passed.

    But Brendel still held his sword high, and he looked at the Titan. Only one word could express the wildness in his heart at the moment.

    ¡°Come at me again.....Bastard!¡±

    He raised his head and roared, his voice pierced through the entire battlefield. The Titan Statue was shocked, or the man inside controlling the weapon was shocked.

    It probably didn¡¯t think in his wildest dreams that the young man who was merely at Golden Peak Elemental Awakening would be alive after it attacked with all its strength.

    But it epted Brendel¡¯s provocation.

    The Titan raised his left hand, and a lightning bolt, as if responding to its summoning, came down from the sky onto its hand. The surging thunderbolt converged into a thunder ball in its palm, and at that moment it was like the God of Lightning, the Storm Giant, Tramire.

    The Titan grabbed the thunder ball and stretched it into a spear oflightning.

    Since you wish for death, I shall give you death. Thunder had brought fire to countless civilizations, and also decreed destruction. The Titan threw the spear forward, and the lightning converged together and struck at Brendel.

    ¡°Dodge it!¡± Sanorso did not understand what Brendel wanted to do. She thought that this young man was crazy, she had never seen such a wild side of him before, having the power to face death head on without fear.

    At that moment, she could only remember the day she met the young man for the first time in Be. It was because of this same power that she decided to choose him as her inheritor.

    But the same scene reappeared.

    The young man was like a fearsome lion, charging at his enemies, or his own death. For him, this was the only chance for survival.

    A boom shook the world.

    The lightning once again burst apart, and the densely converging lightning distorted into a zing, white gold colored gaseous substance. They meandered through, turning everything they passed into ashes.

    But then, an unbelievable sight happened.

    Brende, as if Thor himself, was surrounded by lightning, his hand parted the white gas cloud and passed through the thunderstorm. Everyone saw the ck mes in his eyes, the same power charging his body; the power of the Darkness Dragon dominated Brendel at the moment.

    His eyes were on the Titan.

    He leapt up.

    This leap contained an unimaginable amount of force, he flew off the ground like a missile and hit the Titan¡¯s chest.

    That was where the thunder core was located.

    The Halran Gaia separated the water mist, and struck the hard rock right in the middle. Unfortunately in a cloud of sparks, the indestructible Halran Gaia could do no damage to the hard surface. The sword bounced off of the countless magic circles on the bronze surface and waspletely pushed away.

    Immediately, the lightning on the magic arrays began to counterattack.

    Countless arcs of electricity flew out from the chest of the giant, and hit Brendel like a whip. But its attack was meaningless. Brendel could not possibly be more ¡°dead¡± than before, so as long as his head and heart were present, then within these ten minutes.

    He would continue to live.

    Ten minutes was enough for Brendel to do many things .

    The lightning also triggered some unawakened forces in Brendel¡¯s body, which was The Blood of Sun. Every time the lightning struck him, the Blood of Sun would strike back with the same reddish gold lightning. The Thorns skill began to show its terrifying power under the support of Unyielding Talent.

    Even if it could only return 50% of the damage, it was still damage dealt by the Titan itself.

    The Titan was attacking himself.

    The person controlling the Titan realized something was wrong. For the lightnings¡¯ countless attacks on Brendel, the same amount was being returned by the Blood of Sunand. At the same time however, every counterattack by the Blood of Sun incited another round of attack by lightning. The vicious circle could not be stopped once it started.

    The Titan was instantly surrounded by a ball of dazzling lights, so bright it was like the birth of a new star.

    In an instant, the Titan could no longer withstand the thousands of counterattacks. Countless fine cracks appeared on its chest.

    The Titan trembled violently within the bright light.

    Brendel was roaring at the sky, or rather, he was screeching in pain. The pain overwhelmed his perception ability, and with all the strength left in him, he uttered a cry, ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhh!¡±

    Brendel used hisst bit of sanity to stick out his left hand with the Crimson Red Blessing and stabbed it into the cracks in the Titan¡¯s chest.

    Then he raised his Halran Gaia and started furiously attacking the Titan¡¯s exposed Lightning core.

    Now.

    Both sides could only meet one end, to kill or be killed. Even the maniptor inside the Titan still held a wisp of hope, Brendel knew better than. At least within ten minutes, this huge thing could not kill him.

    Could the Titan withstand full blown attacks from itself for nearly ten minutes?

    The answer was obviously no.

    The Titan would be killed by its own attacks, which would make it the most pathetic death in the history of Titans.

    Yet it could not turn back.

    Brendel had lost the ability to think,pletely sinking into a crazed state. He was like a beast that was only relying on his instincts to attack this giant beast. The pain he was suffering right now gave no room for thinking, hisst bit of rity could only let him shout, ¡°Amandina, run! Right now, run ! The portal!¡±

    His voice spread far away.

    ......

    Amandina pressed her hand on her chest. She watched the ball of light be as bright as the sun. She knew that Brendel was fighting a precarious battle with that terrifying enemy.

    She was powerless to change anything and could only silently pray.

    Until she heard Brendel shouting.

    ¡°Amandina, run! Right now, run! The portal!¡±

    Amandina shook, that roar was not like the voice of her Master Lord, it was like a beast howling in pain. She felt a pang in her chest but she immediately turned and dashed towards the portal.

    A hundred of meters was merely a blink of an eye away.

    But she never expected that the moment she took a step, dazzling light suddenly burst out from the Titan Statue. The light shed violently ,and suddenly, all the lightning was extinguished one by one.

    Amandina turned back subconsciously and saw Brendel who had lost all his power, fall from the sky and crash into the ground.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    She screamed with worry and then noticed that the terrifying Titan Statue had cracks all over it and was shaking unsteadily.

    Did he win?

    Amandina could not help but widen his eyes, but her heart sank immediately because she saw the Titan Statue stand up shakily, as if it could fall and shatter at any time. However, it was notpletely destroyed.

    On the other hand, Master Lord held no traces of life.

    Master Lord lost....

    Amandina felt an uncontroble pain in her heart, and when she finally realized something, tears started bursting out. Amandina had thought many times that she would die in this war, that Aouine would fall, but she had never thought that Brendel would die.

    Master Lord was omnipotent, he was like the hope that guided everyone to move forward. But she never thought that even thest candle would be extinguished.

    Brendel also didn¡¯t think so¡ª-

    Halran Gaia was indestructible because of the attributes of his elemental power, so he may not have ever considered a chance of Halran Gaia breaking. And indeed, it wouldn¡¯t. Even under the attack of the Titan, Han Gaia remained intact.

    But this made him forget one thing.

    Not every piece of equipment he had on him was called Halran Gaia.

    When he saw his Crimson Red Blessing turning red, melting and then finally breaking into pieces, he finally realized that.

    ¡°I¡¯m done for.¡± At that moment, he had only one thought.

    Then he was blown away by lightning andnded on the ground with a heavy thud. He felt like he had been embedded into the ground, and his Unyielding Talent was burning thest me in his body, but it would extinguish soon.

    He had no energy to move, his eyelids became heavy, and exhaustion haunted him.

    Is it all over...

    He wanted to take another look at Amandina, but all he saw was darkness. Because his blood vessels were ruptured, his field of vision waspletely red, like a scene before the apocalypse.

    Everything seemed to be muted.

    Suddenly, he saw another bolt of lightninge down from the sky and turn into another Titan. Well, I guess disasters don¡¯te in ones. It¡¯s over. He thought

    Until a familiar and loud voice pierced through his dark thoughts.

    ¡°Brendel!¡±

 Chapter 609 - v3c374 Requiem(24)

    <strong>v3c374</strong>

    <strong>Requiem(24)</strong>

    Medusa Lysemeka stood in awe at the side of the pit, looking at the supreme creation of the Buga Mage. The bronze giant stood under the heavy rain, and then it turned into a lightning bolt, shooting straight to the sky. It disappeared into the sky in the blink of an eye.

    This is a masterpiece, she thought.

    It was a pity that the one who controlled them was not from Jorgendy Ridge, but from the All For One society¡¯s cultists. No one liked the evil cultists, as did Lysemeka, but for certain reasons, she could only endure the hatred she had for them.

    The beautifuldy could not help but shiver when she thought of the Devil Lord, whose body gave off the smell of sulfur.

    She then diverted her own attention to the pit. The first Titan Statue was heading towards the battlefield. and the remaining statue was in the middle of activating itself too.

    She saw the human dressed in noble clothing walk towards the Titan Statue. Adder had been set up and there were many cultists d in robes from the All For One society. This was like a festival for them. Lysemeka suddenly remembered that this guy was a marquis.

    Too bad that she always held disdain for human nobles.

    She looked away subconsciously, but immediately saw thest thing she wanted to see.

    ......

    ¡°White Mist, did you hear that? They are heading towards Brendel, what should we do? Such a big statue... Brendel surely can¡¯t beat it,¡± the merchant girl said nervously after assessing the situation.

    ¡°Oh, then what are you nning to do?¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know..¡±

    ¡°Can we get in by cutting a path through?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Then what should we do!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way, Romaine. Some things cannot be stopped by manpower. But when you be stronger in the future, you can avenge him,¡± White Mist replied ndly.

    The merchant girl fell into dead silence.

    ¡°White Mist. Do you think Brendel can beat them?¡± She asked.

    ¡°No, he can¡¯t. That¡¯s a Titan Statue. None of us are capable of facing it. There are two Titan Statues too. Admit your fate, Romaine. A witch must learn how to see fate and not change it. No one can change fate,¡± White Mist replied. As a contract spirit, human¡¯s emotions were unnecessary for her.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Romaine shook her head. ¡°My fellow witch said it too. I¡¯m a sorceress, not a witch, and I¡¯m going to save Brendel.¡±

    ¡°So how are you nning to save him?¡± White Mist asked Romaine, obviously not taking Romaine¡¯s words seriously as she stared at Romaine with nk, dead eyes.

    ¡°I... I... ¡± The merchant girl looked outside nervously, but then it seemed like she had made up her mind when she spoke again. ¡°I know, I¡¯m going to snatch that stone statue here!¡±

    ¡°If you are slightly stronger, it might be possible,¡± White Mist replied calmly, ¡°Every time I told you to practice your witch arts, you always found various excuses to avoid it. At your current level of skill, you will only get killed out there.¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡± Romaine shook her head. When she spoke, it was as though she was encouraging herself. ¡°Brendel said it too. Romaine will be a great merchant. Brendel will never lie to me.¡±

    ¡°Romaine.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re such a fool.¡±

    The merchant girl giggled. ¡°Brendel said so too, but Romaine is actually really smart.¡±

    Some people were smart because they could see through everything. When the mist of the future covered a mortal¡¯s eyes, only a wise man would be able to reach the final result. However, some people were smart because they could see through people¡¯s hearts from the beginning.

    Only a few people would understand what kind of ideals and beliefs they were tirelessly pursuing.

    For Medusa Lysemeka, she probably had not thought about what she wanted to pursue. As a resident of the underground of Jorgendy Ridge, it was already a precious feat for her to survive until now. She merely wanted to maintain her status as much as possible, to prevent her lord from abandoning her during a mission like she was just dust.

    She had seen too many simr tragedies.

    Therefore, she was ustomed to being well-organized and careful when nning her moves. She must go forward step by step in order to prevent herself from falling into the abyss of unresolved disasters because of those unexpected changes. Until now, her ns had always paid off most handsomely, until she saw a little girl in a merchant¡¯s dress rush out from the ruins and run towards the Titan Statue.

    Somehow or other...

    For the first time, she sensed that there might be a serious w buried in her delicate n. Right at that moment, she suddenly thought of the times where Sir Benninger was suddenly spotted by the Eagle Demons.

    It was perhaps intuition, or a moment of fortune which made her let out a roar. ¡°Stop that little girl! Don¡¯t let her get closer to the Titan Statue!¡±

    The evil cultists on the outermost perimeter were the first to react.

    These lunatics and bastards looked back nervously, only to see a beautiful merchantdy who was running, her hand lifting up her skirt. Everyone could not help but feel relieved. and they even started to me Lysemeka for making a huge fuss.

    It¡¯s just a little kitten who lost her way.

    The cultists near her stopped subconsciously. They watched, calm andposed, as theirpanion walked alone in front of them and stopped the little girl. All of their faces showed the same look of amusement and anticipation.

    But they would soon regret it.

    ¡°Romaine, deal with the man on the left first,¡± White Mist calmly ordered her like a machine. She had no ability to fight, therefore she transformed into a bow tie and tied herself around the neck of the merchant girl. Even though she turned into a bow tie, she could still observe the surroundings as a contract spirit.

    The merchant girl took out a small cage and pointed it at the evil cultist who stopped her. ¡°Bird in the cage, who gave you wings of freedom?¡±

    A light shed, and the cultist who intended to stop her disappeared. Everyone could now see the unlucky guy¡¯s figure in the girl¡¯s cage.

    ¡°Witch!¡± someone immediately screamed.

    ¡°Be careful, she¡¯s a witch!¡± The evil cultists finally reacted, but it was toote. Romaine had already stepped past where the unfortunate cultist had been. Since the others were not prepared for the attack at all, the merchant girl passed through their defense easily and quickly.

    ¡°Romaine, the noble next to the statue.¡±

    The evil cultists finally turned back and chased her, but the merchant girl had raised her head and took out a small wax figure.

    ¡°Castling Translocation!¡±

    The next moment, she teleported to where the noble was, while the noble swapped positions with her. Right then, the evil cultists rushed forward and immediately mobbed the fat, screaming noble beneath them.

    The merchant girl was already close to the Titan Statue, and then, she saw thedder. The bad guy she knew, Marquis Yoakam, was climbing up thedder quickly.

    Romaine immediately lifted up her skirt and chased him.

    ¡°Too slow, use your magic!¡± White Mist stared over calmly while calcting the distance between the two.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any spells anymore, White Mist,¡± the merchant girl replied, somewhat exasperated. She chased after Yoakam, who was in front of her. The cultists behind her had stood back up and began to chase her again. The three circled up thedder, and soon, they approached the Titan Statue¡¯s chest.

    At this time, Lysemeka and the Tauren Lord finally arrived at the foot of the Titan Statue.

    ¡°Sketa, go up!¡± Lysemeka shouted.

    The Tauren Lord, Sketa gave a loud roar and thumped his chest. With a sprint forward, he jumped onto the ledge, and with yet another leap, hended right in front of Romaine and White Mist.

    ¡°Be careful above,¡± White Mist reminded calmly.

    ¡°Ah, what should I do?¡± Romaine saw Sketa descend before her. She was startled, as if she never thought that the enemies would catch up to her.

    ¡°Use the Embrittlement Potion.¡±

    ¡°But we will fall too.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t think of them anymore.¡±

    The Tauren Lordnded on the scaffold in front with a crash, and the wholedder shook. Romaine quickly held on to the Titan Statue. At the same time, she drew out a bottle from the bag and dropped it on the nks

    After the bottle broke, the liquid immediately flowed out and quickly merged into the nks along with the rain. The nk turned white and gray. Unfortunately, the naturally unintelligent Tauren Lord did not notice this detail at all. He stretched out his big hand and tried to grab the merchantdy, but all of a sudden, he fell right through the nks and tumbled down.

    The potion¡¯s effect was extremely powerful. The entiredder shook in a blink of an eye, as if it would copse the next moment.

    ¡°Romaine, use the Magic Rope!¡±

    The merchant girl wobbled in mid-air as she took out the rope used to bind Sir Benninger from her bag. With a mighty swing, she threw it up in the air, and the rope came to life like a snake. It tied itself around the neck of the Titan Statue.

    At the same time, thedder copsed all of a sudden. Romaine was left grabbing the rope while suspended in mid-air.

    ¡°Rope! Rope! Be shorter! Hurry!¡± she shouted.

    The shortened rope pulled her closer to the neck of the Titan Statue, but at the same moment, Marquis Yoakam, who was at the front, was already climbing into the ears of the Titan Statue from the top of thedder. Before he went inside, he looked down mockingly at Romaine.

    He probably recognized who the merchant girl was.

    Medusa Lysemeka watched, none too pleased, as Sketa fell from the sky. She had no time to check on herpanion as she quickly took her longbow from her back and shot at the rope in Romaine¡¯s hand. She was nning to break the rope, but did not expect for the rope to remain intact after an arrow was shot at it. She instantly realized that the rope might be an unusual item. Immediately, she shifted her target and aimed for Romaine.

    This arrow was aimed at Romaine¡¯s heart, but unexpectedly, the merchant girl nearly slipped off the rope due to a loosened grip, causing the arrow to pierce her shoulder instead.

    ¡°Ah! It hurts...¡±

    Tears began to build up in the corner of her eyes due to the pain. Her grip ckened, and she nearly fell right off the rope. Fortunately, White Mist turned into a ribbon and tied her hand and the rope together, just barely saving this youngdy from tumbling down.

    ¡°Be careful,¡± White Mist scolded.

    Lysemeka frowned. As she raised her bow to shoot again, the Titan Statue seemingly activated and morphed into a bolt of blue light, which streaked across the sky. Medusa was merely stunned for a moment, and then she darted her eyes around in search of the Titan Statue and the little witch.

    She froze for a brief moment, before she sighed and lowered her bow.

    ¡°Are you alright, Sketa?¡±

    She turned back to look at the Tauren Lord lying on the ground. Sketa shook his head quickly. This creature was alright due to his thick hide and fleshy body. However, he crushed several cultists when he fell.

    This guy is such an idiot. I hope the cult will note kicking up a fuss.

    Suddenly, she felt exhausted, as though she was tired of living. She could help but shake her head and sigh once again.

 Chapter 610 - v3c375 Requiem(25)

    v3c375

    Requiem(25)

    ¡°Brendel!¡±

    In his daze, Brendel heard a scream, yanking him back from the world of endless darkness. If there was one voice that he would never forget, then perhaps it would be the voice he heard that night he escaped from Be. It was a simple promise to each other.

    ¡°Will you protect me, Brendel?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will.¡±

    Brendel opened his eyes incredulously and saw that familiar figure. The merchantdy was hanging from a rope around the neck of the emerging Titan Statue. Although she was scratched everywhere from swinging around and rubbing against the granite, she still looked happy to see Brendel.

    What are you doing?!

    The only thing Brendel wanted to do right now was re at the merchantdy, just as he would every time she had gotten into trouble in the past. But unfortunately, he did not even have the strength to blink, so he could only lie still and watch, waiting for the unyielding gift to go away.

    Roman......

    The portals behind the two Titans were a blindingly bright red, as if all chances have been lost. Amandina¡¯s whereabouts and whether she had found the node on the portal remain unknown.

    There might be another chance.

    Brendel stared at the merchantdy, Roman was now climbing onto the giant statue¡¯s shoulder. Earhole, he said to himself. He knew that it was the only way into the Titan Statue¡¯s maniption core.

    As if she had heard his voice, the merchantdy started to crawl in that direction.

    But at that moment, a spark of electricity suddenly appeared on the Titan Statue¡¯s shoulder, immediately wrapping around the merchantdy. Brendel¡¯s eyes widened, as he saw Roman twitching in the electricity and then copsing in a cloud of smoke.

    Brendel¡¯s heart went cold.

    He was breathing heavily. Remorse injected itself into his heart like poison. He thought that perhaps if none of this happened, the merchantdy, Amandina, and the others would have had their own destinies.

    But because of his one wish.

    Everyone came here.

    Though in the end, nothing could be changed.

    Did I really make the wrong choice when I was at Coldwood Castle? He could not help but close his eyes. Francia¡¯s clear eyes surfaced to his mind. If I could choose again, what choice would I make?

    Brendel did not know.

    He opened his eyes onest time as if saying a final goodbye to the world that had brought him this brief yet unforgettable experience. He wanted to look at Roman for onest time, to look at that merchantdy, whom he had promised to be the greatest merchant with together..

    But he had broken his word.

    But what he saw made his heart constrict; he saw the merchantdy crawling towards the Titan¡¯s earhole. She was merely inches away.

    Roman is not dead!

    The maniptor of the Titan Statue seemed to have realized the threat, and the giant statue actually raised its left hand to p its shoulder. At that moment, Brendel¡¯s heart lifted, fearing to see the scene he had imagined, but instead, the giant statue pped its own face.

    ¡°Ha!¡±

    Brendel was ecstatic. The person manipting the Titan was a rookie! He felt like a death row criminal who had just been told that his execution was suspended. The drastic change of emotions made him feel suffocated.

    By this time, Roman was whimpering as she crawled to the earhole. Marquis Yoakam tried several times to reach her, while the Titan on the other side was still slowly recovering from the fatal wound in its chest. He had toe out from the earhole with his sword, preparing to kill the merchantdy himself.

    He figured, what could an electrocuted, half-dead witch do to me? If she still had the strength to cast spells, she would have rushed in by now.

    He came out with his sword just in time to see Roman crawl into the earhole. The Titan¡¯s earhole was like a small cave, and the merchantdy was currently at the mouth of the cave. Marquis Yoakam shook his head in disdain.

    Victory was within reach, and he was not attached to the status he possessed in Aouine. Only All for One could bring him true glory.

    The divine work had been going on in Aouine for quite some time now, and today was the day to reap the benefits.

    He walked over to Roman with these messy thoughts and tried to stab her.

    But at this moment, the merchantdy suddenly looked up.

    Marquis Yoakam could not believe his eyes. He saw a pair of pure ck eyes with no white parts or pupils; they were like two ck holes that seemed to devour his heart and soul.

    He was so startled that he subconsciously tried to back away, but it was toote. The merchantdy reached out and grabbed his neck with frightening strength. Then she said in a different voice, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Marquis Yoakam would swear with his life and his honor¨C if he had any left¨C that he had never heard such a terrible sound. It was like the wind that blew through the strange rocky valley, and made him freeze.

    He shuddered subconsciously.

    ¡°You¡¯re not her, who...are you?¡±

    He heard a snicker.

    And then... There was no ¡®and then¡¯. The brother of Aouine¡¯sst king, Marquis Yoakam¡¯s head tilted and lost his soulpletely.

    The cave seemed to be quiet for a moment, then Roman got up from the ground.

    ¡°It hurts......¡±

    ¡°Are you there, White Mist?¡±

    ¡°What just happened?¡± She was a little baffled as she looked at the lifeless body of Marquis Yoakam lying on the ground.

    White Mist was silent for a moment.

    ¡°There seems to be something inside of you.¡± She replied icily, ¡°Though now is not the time for that. If you don¡¯t hurry up, I¡¯m afraid that little boyfriend of yours is going to die soon.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Roman jumped and hurriedly got up and limped to the maneuvering room.

    ......

    Barely anything could be heard from the battlefield anymore.

    It was hard for Brendel to look up and see what was happening on the princess¡¯ side; all he could see were countless Devils crossing the battlefield, rushing past the two Titans like a crimson ocean, and finally approaching the portal below. Amandina stood, petrified, beside the door as if waiting for the final moment to arrive.

    The presence of sound had grown weak in his perception. He stared silently at the Titan Statue which had already stopped working for some time. Beside it, another TItan was getting up to its feet, covered in wounds that Brendel inflicted. If one had not seen it with their own eyes, they would hardly believe that a constructed creature broken to this degree could continue to work.

    This was the supreme work of the Be Witch.

    But Brendel was still waiting for a final answer.

    The answer came quickly.

    Suddenly, the Titan Statue that was previously stagnant by the portal suddenly moved. Under everyone¡¯s attention, it made its first move. It raised its fist high up and directed a bolt of lightning at itspanion.

    The crumbling Titan had already lost almost all of its power, and this strike was undoubtedly thest straw. After a zing white glow, lightning passed through its skull, and the terrifying creation¡¯s enormous head exploded like a watermelon.

    Of course, the unfortunate maniptor inside was instantly crushed.

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    The merchantdy who was holding the crystal ball with both hands let out a cheer almost immediately.

    She grimaced as her movement agitated the wounds on her body, and tears streamed down her face. But with a smug look, she proimed loudly, ¡°White Mist, White Mist, look, I told you that Brendel would make me the greatest merchant!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to settle things here first.¡± White Mist replied, irritated.

    Roman pressed her hands against the crystal ball excitedly as she observed the situation outside. The other Titan Statue¡¯s core was damaged, the maneuvering room had been crushed, and was renderedpletely unusable. But there were still many Devils on the battlefield. She frowned as she considered how to finish off these monsters.

    It was at this time that she heard a small voice shouting at her from below.

    ¡°Miss Roman, attack the portal! All three nodes are directly above you!¡±

    Roman looked down curiously and immediately saw the tiny, ant-like Amandina below. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Amandina!¡± She immediately stuck her tongue out and licked her lips, ¡°Okay, I got it, watch me!¡±

    She held up the crystal ball, which instantly radiated bright light.

    ¡°A super-powerful strike from Lord Roman!¡±

    With a loud rumble, everyone saw the two arms of the remaining Titan Statue suddenly fall off andnd on top of the Devil Army that was approaching the portal below.

    ¡°Oh fck!¡± Brendel could not help but scream in his head upon seeing this scene. In this crucial moment, this merchantdy had screwed up again!

    And to top it off, this girl was actually able to take off the arm of her own Titan! He had wondered if the Titan he took down would have had the most pathetic death in history, but now someone had reached new lows.

    And unfortunately, this person was his fianc¨¦e.

    ¡°Ah......¡± Actually, not only was Brendel shocked, but Roman herself was shocked too. She looked left and right before frowning. ¡°This thing is so fragile, it even broke down on its own.¡±

    Even someone with the temperament of the Contract Spirit could not help but roll his eyes at her.

    ¡°But it¡¯s okay, I can still attack!¡± The merchantdy waved her hands dismissively, and the crystal ball in her hands lit up again. The Titan she was maneuvering leaned back and charged headfirst at the portal; the entire movement was so smooth it was as if this was rehearsed.

    Headbutt!

    It was right on target.

    Because the range of the Titan¡¯s attack was so broad, the three nodes of the portal crumbled almost simultaneously.

    In the next moment, a bright and radiant light emitted from the golden-red halo, and the entire thing disintegrated after a violent tremor. And then there was a terrifying explosion apanied with blinding light, exploding like a firework.

    Of course, the one who bore the brunt of it was the merchantdy¡¯s Titan, which had its head against the portal. Under the impact of the terrifying explosion, the giant was sted away as if it was a piece of paper, andnded heavily in the middle of the Devil Army.

    The inertia caused it to keep rolling, and it grinded through the Devils like a siege chariot. The Devils on the ground were doomed. They were originally heading for the portal, but now it was clear that there was no need to teleport anymore, as Lord Roman¡¯s Titan would return them to the Sulfur River, whether they wanted it or not.

    Wherever the Titan passed through, blood and flesh sttered.

    Ever since it had been created, no one had ever used it to kill an enemy in such a way. But he had got to admit, this method was very efficient.

    Brendel could not help but smile bitterly.

    His body felt more rxed than ever as he looked at thest portal dissipate like a firework in the rainy night. He gently closed his eyelids and waited for the final moment to arrive.

    At least it had not been aplete failure, had it?

    It was at this moment.

    A gold light pierced down from the clouds.

    Thest image Brendel remembered seeing was a pair of golden eyes......

 Chapter 611 - v3c376 Maynildâ€™s Journey(1)

    <strong>v3c376</strong>

    Maynild¡¯s Journey(1)

    Fort Bunuo stood high on a destend, its looming silhouette outlined every time lightning strikes down from the clouds.

    It looked down upon the grim battlefield and the approaching curtain call of the gruesome war that took ce in it. The human armies kept on retreating from all directions. Incapacitated soldiers could only wait for death amongst piles of corpses, the red-hot fireworks in the sky served as the final shine in their eyes before growing lifeless.

    The sky and earth were arched, not a single ce in the battlefield was not in ruins Broken weapons, armor, and tattered gs ovepped with the cold corpses of the guards and soldiers that died namelessly. It painted a wretched, apocalyptic scene.

    Even the clouds turned scarlet, and the lightning was like a coiled thorn in its path, asionally lighting up the world, presenting it in its truest and most horrific form to the eyes of the allied human forces.

    From the vicinity of the vige of Medao to the very edge of the forest, there were fleeing defenders everywhere, the scene of people in the gray background looked like a true portrait of a lost war, thest moment of despair. The female knight guarded behind a virgin wall, observing the situation outside through a gap in the battlements, the Devils¡¯ onught seeminglyunched from the horizon. Red fireballs trailed long-tail mes across the battlefield, searing the image of those ugly creatures in her eyes.

    She pressed one hand to the ck walls, which were covered with cracks and blood that spread from the watermarks. The bodies of the Royal Cavalry Academy¡¯s students were neatly arranged in rows as if to maintain whatever was left of their decency, but it could not change the fact that all that was left were their lifeless bodies.

    No one had ever experienced such a terrible war, and the men on the battlefield, whether they were the sons of farmers, the sons of craftsmen, or the descendants of nobles or knights and missionaries, they all came to an agreement of equality as they faced imminent death.

    Freya even heard someone sobbing quietly. It was the civilians. Both women, and children, who were hiding in the basement beneath the castle. All the men who were capable had picked up their weapons and went for battle. But unfortunately, perseverance alone could not change the oue, and everyone felt the sense of defeat in the chill air.

    The building would tip over.

    The female knight clenched her fists so tightly that her metal armor dented. She had only one name in mind, and she was sure that he would lead everyone out of the desperate situation just like how he fulfilled the promise he gave to the hopeless refugees, which was nothing short of a miracle when they were fleeing from Fortress Riedon.

    .

    Brendel was so confident then that everyone was convinced, including her.

    ¡°Could it not havested a little longer?¡±

    ¡°But......the princess and everyone else is still ahead, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    From behind him came Bessie¡¯s voice. The girl screamed with sadness and anger. The Royal Cavalry have paid a heavy price, and all who passed away here were familiar faces from the past, they could ept the sacrifice but not if it was in vain.

    They would rather die in battle.

    They did not want to experience this suffocating despair.

    The princess was dead, and Aouine was on the brink of destruction. All of them felt the despair and helplessness in their hearts as if their hopes and dreams in life had just been established and was cruelly shattered immediately, right before their eyes.

    It was a feeling of disillusionment.

    The tears that ran down Bessie¡¯s face were evidence, she almost shouted at Maynild, hermander, as if she wanted to tell the female knight to wake up. The princess was still ahead, how could she not realize it?

    The female knight¡¯s face turned pale and she looked away, looking as if she had been stabbed and was in pain. Beside her stood Marquis Balta, themander of the White Lion Legion, he was covered in blood as if he had just returned from the depths of hell.

    Across the battlefield, Fort Bunuo had formed a narrow protrusion. It was like a sharp de, the two armies guarding the vicinity of the ce were undoubtedly the most dazzling existence on the battlefield that day. The students of the Royal Cavalry Academy and the young men from Trentheim stood firm and honorable, the White Lion Legion held fast to its identity as soldiers.

    Two of the most glorious armies in Aouine¡¯s history were here today, fighting alongside each other.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a gamble, Bessie.¡± Marquis Balta stiffened, ¡°Nor are we gamblers, we¡¯ve made thest attempt but we cannot use up all our chips at one go.¡±

    ¡°Are you using the princess as a bargaining chip?¡± The red-haired girl stared incredulously and hatefully at the Marquis. If it weren¡¯t for them, where would the kingdom be?

    ¡°Bessie, watch your words.¡± Maynild rebuked her.

    ¡°Senior Maynild, but the princess is still ahead.¡±

    ¡°Address me as a knightmander, soldier. That was the princess¡¯ choice, but it was not her intention to have the kingdom buried with her, and that was her order.¡± Maynild replied coldly without a hint of emotion, ¡°The final hour has passed, and I must meticulously carry out the princess¡¯ order.¡±

    Bessie shivered and lowered her head.

    Maynild looked up at the female knight¡¯s figure who was standing on the city¡¯s wall. She remembered the future valkyrie of Aouine as gentle and even a little timid, in keeping with a maiden from the countryside. But today, she suddenly found herself not being able to fully understand the other party anymore.

    ¡°Freya?¡±

    ¡°We have one more chance, Lord Knight, and if we counterattack in the vige of Medao and cut off the Devils¡¯ retreat route, then perhaps we can still stall for time, right?¡± Freya¡¯s eyes nced across the entire battlefield, and the famous battles of history came to her mind one by one.

    It was only at this moment, that she was no longer that young and innocent girl from Be, but the Valkyrie of Aouine. Her thoughts were clearer than ever as she recalled her days in the Royal Cavalry Academy.

    While everyone was taking a break, she was the only one who was painstakingly practicing her swordsmanship, in order to catch up with everyone else¡¯s progress. When everyone was asleep, she was the only one reading the famous tactical battles of history. She did all this because of the ideals Brendel had promised her.

    The young girl was not smart, let alone a genius, but she had the strongest conviction in her heart. She would give up everything just for Be, for thisnd she loved so much.

    Such a pure heart was not to be sphemed.

    She looked back at Maynild as if she wanted to get assurance from her senior. The protruding city of Fort Bunuo was surrounded by razor-sharp, treacherous terrain as if everything here could be destroyed at any moment, the same for the persistent Devils.

    That was where their only opportunity lied.

    At a moment when everyone thought the momentum was gone, the young girl stubbornly brought this up. Theoretically, it was possible, but the chances of sess was less than slim. It was a clumsy approach and everyone understood that.

    But Maynild knew.

    Regardless of the sess of this n, it would at least convince Wood and the northern nobles to postpone their retreat. It was like the difference between having failed and still having a chance, which in itself was meaningless, but it would mean a lot of difference for the ones in crisis.

    She and the Marquis looked at each other, that nce was enough to convey their intent to the other. It was a bold n, rather than saying it was against the enemy, they might as well say that it was against their own people.

    Both of them fell silent and looked at Freya with a serious look on their faces.

    ¡°Do you know what you are talking about, Freya?¡± Maynild asked calmly.

    Freya nodded.

    Maynild looked at her strangely, as if she was trying to find out what had given her such confidence and made her mature so quickly. War was often a gamble, and the more stubborn you were, the more you could hold on to victory, and now the girl¡¯s potential was in full disy.

    ¡°You understand what the consequences will be, what awaits this kingdom if the allied forces are wiped out here. Do you really understand the consequences of this?¡±

    Marquis Balta also stared at Freya.

    The young girl from Be was slightly startled as if she was out of her mind. But eventually, she nodded firmly.

    Maynild sighed and she looked over at Bessie. The red-haired girl listened to the three of them somehow, but a smile finally appeared on the dark-haired female knight¡¯s face, ¡°I understand, the n is approved by me, and I am solely responsible for the entire n, whether it seeds or fails.¡±

    Freya let out a soft ¡®ah¡¯ as she stared at the cold Maynild. The sense of maturity seemed to suddenly disintegrate and she was back to being the goofy young girl from the countryside of Be.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? Why don¡¯t you hurry up and get ready?¡± Maynild frowned and asked impatiently.

    ¡°B-b-but......¡± Freya asked incredulously as she thought she must have misheard her.

    ¡°Do you really want to be responsible for this?¡± Maynild could not help but find it funny, ¡°Soldier, you don¡¯t have that right yet. Who do you think you are? Will Archbishop Wood obey you?¡±

    ¡°But...Lord Marquis?¡± She could not help but look at Marquis Balta on the side.

    The current head of the White Lion Legion did not answer, he just wiped his bloody forehead with his hand and shook his head. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s not happy, little girl?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for giving me the opportunity.¡±

    He stared at the sky, with his eyes reflecting the crimson mes, and he murmured a reply. At that moment Marquis Balta seemed to see that g and he smiled slightly.

    Aouine may need to do more than just ensuring their survival.

    There was something more important.

    Something worth guarding.

    And there maye a time where the White Lions made their own mistakes...

 Chapter 612 - v3c377 Maynildâ€™s Journey(2)

    v3c377

    Maynild¡¯s Journey(2)

    The final counter-n was quickly adopted.

    Freya wondered how Senior Maynild and Balta had convinced the nobles. Perhaps Archbishop Wood just thought of it as an opportunity. In any case, she had finally managed to maintain the army¡¯s retreating pace for the time being.

    This was thest chance.

    The next 20 minutes would determine whether or not the coalition of human armies would be able to fight the Devils to confront them for an hour, which sounded unimaginable. However, that was what the people of Aouine were hoping for.

    There was a refreshing coldness in the heavy rain as if a steel de was affixed to it.

    Marquis Balta split the garrison of the Fort Bunio in two and merged the main force of the White Lion Legion with the students of the Royal Cavalry Academy. Then, he ced this army under Maynild.

    This was something that would never have happened in Aouine in the past. The nobles never gave up their armies and power, as their greed made them cling to what they had like eerie spirits.

    However, as Balta handed over themander¡¯s role, the captain of this army told the female knight, ¡°I will leave the White Lion Legion in your hands, Lady.¡±

    These simple words softened the stiff female knight, who pondered a little before taking the White Lion¡¯s battle g.

    It was raining heavily. The future of those who stayed behind and those who were about to go to the front was equally uncertain, but such a dangerous situation was really unremarkable.

    Themands echoed loudly, and the gates slowly opened.

    At that moment, the battlefield of blood and fire seemed especially real and close in Freya¡¯s eyes. The bright mes that cut through the night seemed to draw the battlefield closer, while the tremors from the explosions swept over the entire area from time to time. She also saw the city gates creaking and shaking with her own eyes.

    The back view of Maynild on her warhorse was not far ahead of her. She was just a few steps ahead, in fact. There were a few familiar faces lined up on the side, including Owen, Bessie, and the future Aouine trio, Carlo, Enrique, and Carglise. The three of them, who were older, were leading his White Lion Battalion.

    As the groups came out one by one, the Devils soon spotted the humans and an army of Hellhounds appeared on the battlefield. However, Freya¡¯s extreme vision spotted the Barbarian Devils in the sky again, while the Devils were more likely to be heading for Fort Bunuo. Just as expected, they wanted to take advantage of the human division to attack this extension of the battlefield.

    Everyone held their breath.

    Maynild halted the horses onest time before she ordered the army to march on. The cold female knight took onest look at Fort Bunuo. A g on its low walls was really prominent in the heavy rain.

    The crescent moon in Aouine¡¯s sky seemed like it had just risen.

    Her usually emotionless face looked softer than ever.

    ¡°Senior?¡± Freya noticed the antics of the female knight.

    Maynild looked at her without correcting the way she addressed her. ¡°Freya, someone is demonstrating their objection against us.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Let someone raise the White Lion¡¯s battle g, and I¡¯ll show them. Seven hundred years ago, the White Lion Legion crushed thest of the Kirrlutz armies here with the help of the mountain men. Seven hundred yearster, we are also capable of doing so,¡± Maynild replied coldly.

    When Marquis Balta saw the familiar g waving in the rain, even though he had been a soldier for almost 50 years, he still felt his eyes burning. He suddenly remembered the first time he had seen this g, when the old army chief himself had taught him the glory of the White Lion.

    That past glory was really dim at this moment but it was still shining slightly.

    It was like a spark bursting from the residual heat beneath the ashes.

    The Marquis stood in the rain and thought a lot about the first time he had put on the armor of a White Lion, his first knight¡¯s duel, the first time he had ridden on horseback, the first time he had inhaled the chilly air of the battlefield into his lungs, and all the intrigue and struggle that had followed. Unfortunately, each subsequent victory was never as purely pleasurable as his first victory over an enemy on the battlefield.

    For the first time in nearly two centuries, the White Lion Legion was not glorified for winning but for guarding something. It felt like a return to what it had been founded for.

    He smelled the slightly bloody, mingled earthy scent of the wind on the frontal battlefield of Bunuo, as if he was back on top of that magnificent battlefield, facing the army of the Holy Cathedral of Wind.

    Back then, Lord Sword Saint had still been around, Lord Leider had still been inmand of the White Lion Legion, and he had still been just an insignificant knight.

    Unfortunately, everything had changed.

    Everything was now different, including the fluttering gs, the knights¡¯ coat of arms on the battlefield, and the faces around them.

    ¡°Commander, the Devils have begun to attack.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to be notified of such things. I can see them.¡±

    Balta replied, ¡°The wilderness is like a red tide of Devils, and as far as the eye can see, it is densely popted with those ugly creatures. Fort Bunuo had a few minutes of respite after thest attack, but now the Devils have discovered the humans¡¯ intentions and are preparing to turn the tables.¡±

    The Fort military had be even weaker after the division, but the soldiers who had chosen to stay behind had noints. Most of them were among the oldest and most seasoned groups of the White Lion Legion, and these men carried their determination to battle and gathered at the head of the city, their silver-gray armor forming a thin wall.

    ¡°Caveman ve soldiers spotted. Expect to be in range in one minute.¡±

    ¡°Watch out for Barbarian Devils in the air and lift the waterproof cloth off the crossbow¡ª¡±

    ¡°Those at the head of the city, gather together and block the gaps.¡±

    Themands were passed down one by one, and the orderlies roared hoarsely as if they were trying to scream out theirst bit of courage with all their strength.

    ......

    A tsunami of arrows flew over Freya¡¯s head, causing her and everyone around her to feel a chill down their spines.

    There was an avenue for the wagons and carriages near Fort Bunuo that led to Medao, but that road had long been blown up by demonic spells, and the soldiers had to proceed along the riverbed. After passing under a stone bridge, they would see the vige of Medao¡¯s wall.

    The Cave Lizardmen Archer could be seen at the back. It was an underground creature that looked somewhat like a ground lizardman. However, it had tawny skin and pale eyes, so it was better adapted to fighting in the dark. Unfortunately, most of these creatures were Imps, and Freya could see their disgusting reddish skin from this distance.

    ¡°Knight Commander, there¡¯s a pack of Hellhounds behind us!¡± someone shouted amid the storm.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind them. Tell me if the g is still there.¡±

    Someone turned back to look in the direction of Fort Bunuo. ¡°Knight Commander, the g is still there!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, keep moving.¡±

    Another tsunami of arrows came, and the row of White Lion soldiers in front of them fell in unison. Three crossbow bolts whizzed through the crowd, and one of them flew past Freya and hit Bessie behind her. The girl was dragged away from her horse with a scream and disappeared in a sh into the darkness.

    ¡°Bessie!¡± Freya let out a miserable scream.

    Maynild shouted coldly, ¡°Leave her alone! Any of us could die here. Let¡¯s carry on with the will of the dead. Stop looking back.¡±

    The White Lion¡¯s battle g was crossing the entire battlefield.

    ........

    Marquis Balta, who was covered in blood, watched as the holy white army got smaller and smaller in the rainy night. An old man of the White Lion Legion had once told him that the White Lion had a soul of its own when it had promised to be the guardian of the White Lion Legion along with thete ruler, Erik. Thus, the soul of the Legion was resting on this lion.

    Of course, this was just a legend.

    Marquis Balta never believed such absurd rumors, but he also had to admit that such a soul did exist in the White Lion Legion. Not in the lion, but in every man of this legion.

    The cavemen, who had been repulsed, had left a trail of corpses between the broken walls. They were meant to be sacrifices, but unfortunately, most of the White Lion Legion¡¯s men had lost their lives during the attack.

    The soldiers in the city watched as the cavemen spread over the ruins like receding seawater while many huge figures appeared behind them.

    Hellhounds and Barbarian Devils appeared on the battlefield.

    The second wave of the attack was imminent...

    ¡°Watch out from above.¡±

    ¡°Lord Marsha, this is endless.¡± Someone looked at the ugly creatures in the darkness and muttered, ¡°Do you think those nobles back there wille to support us?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re daydreaming.¡±

    A burst of lowughter permeated the city. Marquis Balta wiped his face while thisughter echoed and asked back, ¡°How are we doing over there?¡±

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve reached the intended attack site, my Lord.¡±

    Ten minutes to go. Balta nodded.

    What could happen in ten minutes?

    There was not a single person in the entire battlefield who could answer. Hundreds of Cave Lizardmen Archers on the makeshift barricade of the vige of Medao were skillfully firing, a reddish-orange light over their heads providing magical protection and preventing rain from dampening the longbows.

    Honestly, this seemed a bit redundant to Maynild¡ªthey simply did not have the ability to strike at long range anymore. The humans were running out of ammunition, the top brass had lost everything, and Mephisto the Ash Sword Saint and the powerful vampire had lured the head of the Devils away from the battlefield. Unfortunately, the remaining Pdins were dwindling.

    Grandmaster Fleetwood was in the sky, limiting the Devils¡¯ air force, but his ability to dy them had diminished significantly. More and more Barbarian Devils were being liberated to join the battlefield.

    Maynild took out her pocket watch and looked at it.

    Meanwhile, the siegedder had been erected.

    The soldiers of the White Lion Legion in the silver-gray armor at the front were the first to attack, climbing the siegedder orderly and tackling their way up the makeshift wall. Unexpectedly, the frontal attack was blocked twice. There were plenty of Minotaurs behind the city wall, and the human soldiers were merely sending themselves to hell.

    She quickly realized this.

    Time was running out. Maynild drew her sword as the soldiers of the White Lion Legion were hindered from returning for the third time. She looked back and saw that Aouine¡¯s g was still above the city wall of Fort Bunuo.

    Perhaps only Lord Marsha knew how long it wouldst.

    ¡°Freya,e with me. I will lead the charge myself this time. If we don¡¯t seed, let us die attacking.¡±

    ¡°Knight Commander...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re running out of time.¡±

 Chapter 613 - v3c378p1 Maynildâ€™s Journey(3)

    v3c378p1

    Maynild¡¯s Journey(3)

    The White Lion¡¯s battle g once again began to move slowly on the battlefield.

    It was Maynild who took the lead in the front. The female knight held the battle g in one hand and a longsword in the other. She was like the striker of the entire White Lion Legion. Imps often fought her for no more than a single sh before she threw them off the fort wall with her sword.

    It was Freya¡¯s first time witnessing such actual vicious swordy, and she could not help but be surprised as it was simr to Brendel¡¯s. It was as if Maynild herself was the embodiment of the White Lion at that moment, tearing apart her enemies with sharp teeth and ws, leading everyone forward.

    Behind her were the soldiers of the White Lion Legion. The students of the Royal Cavalry Academy maximized their greatest potential at this moment, and the assault finally turned in their favor. They stormed and attacked their way up the fort wall, their forces unresisting.

    ¡°Minotaurs!¡±

    It was a desperate shout.

    Freya saw it too. She climbed over the fort wall to see that there was actually another wall behind the wall. Behind it was a thicket of minotaurs with giant axes, and there were more than a hundred of them. Before she could even widen her eyes, the soldiers at the front flew up into the air together.

    Behind the Minotaurs, a group ofdies with snakes for hair and longbows in their hands appeared. It was a group of Medusas. Although the girl from Be did not have a lot of experiences, she still knew about these legendary creatures.

    ¡°Ah...¡± Freya could not help but subconsciously cry out in a low voice.

    This is a trap.

    Everyone suddenly realized it. Maynild¡¯s face was frighteningly emotionless, and Freya even saw that the hand which gripped the g had lost all color. It even began to tremble slightly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look over there, let¡¯s keep moving,¡± she shouted with all her might.

    However, a volley of arrows already rocketed over the wall. It was the Medusas¡¯ shots; no armor could resist the phosphorescent green arrows, and the soldiers in front turned into stone statues before they could even struggle.

    In just one round of firing, a third of the men at the front were lost. The Medusas moved swiftly and began tounch their arrows again.

    ......

    The White Lion¡¯s battle g suddenly disappeared.

    Marquis Balta witnessed this scene with his own eyes. He saw the White Lion¡¯s battle g fall and disappear in the rain. A feeling of utter dismay surfaced in his heart, and he suddenly felt a little dazed. It was as if only one voice echoed in his heart.

    Aouine had lost itsst chance.

    ¡°Lord Marquis, look out!¡±

    A Brute Devil swept over the fort wall and brushed past Balta. The Marquis was slightly absent-minded, but his hands were already empty before he realized that his longsword had been ripped away by the Brute Devil. With a jolt, he turned back just in time to see monsters with horns on their head suddenly jump in front of him.

    What a terrifying aura.

    That was Balta¡¯sst thought. The horned Devil was already mercilessly choking him, yanking him up from the ground. The Marquis, who had a wide gulf between himself and the Devil in terms of power, had no room to resist at all.

    ¡°Lord Marquis!¡±

    ¡°Captain!¡±

    Amidst the screams of the soldiers of the White Lion Legion. Balta finished thest journey of his life. At that moment, it was as if he saw a light in the darkness. A tall, familiar figure stood at the other end, just like that time on the battlefield then.

    Lord Marshal.

    The Longhorn Devil effortlessly snapped the neck of Marquis Balta, who was the leader of the White Lion Legion, tossing the lifeless body aside. Then, it kicked Aouine¡¯s g on the fort wall, making it fall.

    It looked at all the human soldiers in the fort with contempt. In its opinion, the soldiers here were simply like garbage; even the most inferior of creatures in hell were stronger than them. This ce would have been wiped out more than ten times over if the portal had been able to transfer more high-end troops at that moment.

    Dealing with these little insects really bored it.

    But anyway, the damn fort was finally captured.

    Fort Bunuo had fallen.

    The g that Wood saw in the crystal ball had disappeared into the rain, and he finally realized the fate of this defeat. Aouine would fall as a result, and its path woulde to an end here. No one knew more than him what this event would mean to the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    He could almost imagine that he would lose everything he had in the past, but more importantly, the Holy Cathedral of Fire would be in disgrace for it. The old man could not help but cover his face and sigh deeply.

    It is all my fault.

    ¡°Prepare to retreat and grant those nobles their wish. I believe they will regret this,¡± this once illustrious Archbishop could not help but reply somewhat helplessly at this moment.

    ¡°Please wait for a moment, Lord Archbishop.¡± Yo, who was sitting on the side, suddenly spoke.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Everyone turned their heads to look at the blind young woman.

    ......

    A longnce appeared in Freya¡¯s vision. The arc of lightning on thence¡¯s de struck at the Minotaur in just a split second. Thence shot forward and pierced the creature¡¯s chest with a single thrust. Blood sprayed out before the girl with the long ponytail withdrew thence, allowing the head of the monster to tter to the ground.

    She looked at her. There was some curiosity in her golden eyes, and then she reached out to her. ¡°You are...... Freya?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Freya knew this girl. ¡°Are you Scarlet?¡±

    The young girl smiled slightly, revealing her snaggleteeth. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Have you seen Medissa, Freya?¡±

    Freya shook her head, one hand covering the wound on her shoulder. She looked around somewhat hastily. She soon saw Maynild, who had fallen in the rubble.

    ¡°Senior.¡±

    Her heart raced as she rushed over. The dark-haired female knight¡¯s eyes were screwed shut, her breath shallow. A feathered arrow was stuck in her chest, but even so, she still clutched the White Lion¡¯s battle g tightly in her hand.

    As if she heard Freya¡¯s call, Maynild struggled to open her eyes. She narrowed her pretty eyes at Freya. ¡°Freya, listen well......¡±

    ¡°Senior.......¡±

    ¡°Take this battle g. You¡¯re themander now.¡±

    ¡°How can I......¡±

    Have we failed?

    Freya looked at the face that looked a little stern because of the cold expression Maynild had. However, she had always felt Maynild cared for her like one of her own family members, or rather like a sister; she did not have a sister, nor a brother, so she especially cherished the feeling.

    Maynild faintly smiled at her, a most unpleasant-looking smile.

    ¡°Go on, Freya.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t die yet...¡± Maynild shed a smile that looked uglier than a sobbing face. ¡°Go, that¡¯s an order, you fool. I trust you...¡±

    Why do you believe in me? Freya did not understand. Why did Maynild or Brendel trust me unconditionally? She obviously knew nothing and had a hard time learning things. She was clumsy like an ugly ducklingpared to the others.

    Everyone was down. Her senior, Carlo, Enrique, and Mok... Only Bet and Carglise were still putting up ast stand. She looked back at the battle happening around the vige of Medao, and with the loss ofmand, defeat seemed imminent.

    What else could she do?

    Maynild seemed to realize the young girl¡¯s confusion. She smiled at her slightly and mouthed something to her. Freya did not understand what it meant, but Scarlet the mercenary did.

    ¡°Because you¡¯re the War Goddess, silly child.¡±

    ¡°Because that¡¯s my request to you, Freya, okay?¡± Maynild asked weakly.

    That made the girl from Be clench her fists at once. Across the battlefield, the soldiers of the White Lion Legion had begun to retreat.

    But Freya turned back. ¡°Scarlet.¡±

    The girl who often wore a ponytail looked at her questioningly.

    ¡°Can you help me?¡±

    Scarlet did not answer. She knew Brendel trusted the young girl. Since she had followed Brendel for the longest time, Brendel did not shy away from sharing about the people and things around him with her. The youngdy was content with this life, even though she only listened quietly.

    Then she nodded.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Freya took the battle g of the White Lion Legion and took a deep breath. Although the tension still hadn¡¯t left her body, she took onest look at Maynild.

    She propped the female knight against the wall and replied solemnly, ¡°Senior, I will let this battle g shine on the battlefield, as long as I am still alive.¡±

    Aouine would not perish. Marquis Balta¡¯s death was like the final death knell of Fort Bunuo. It was as if the entire battlefield copsed at that moment, but in every one of the fort¡¯s nooks and crannies, the knights of the White Lion Legion were still defending till the bitter end.

    ¡°Owen, do you remember the book called Vine Summer?¡±

    The young officer of the White Lion Legion ¨C who wore silvery-grey armor ¨C stood in the heavy rain as if he had not recovered from his defeat. Marquis Balta was dead, and the White Lion Legion seemed to have trulye to an end in a series of defeats.

    Countless Devils lunged at the wall. They brought with them an air of despair.

    ¡°We have failed, Sherlock. Let¡¯s not talk about that book of yours.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I think too, Owen, so, order the soldiers to open the south gate of the fort. How about we retreat from there?¡±

    Owen whipped his head back and red at hispanion with bloodshot eyes. ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡± he shouted through gritted teeth. ¡°We absolutely cannot retreat, our teammates are still ahead of us!¡±

    Sherlockughed.

    ¡°Then remember to buy that book for me, the one with the gold edges on the cover. The collector¡¯s edition published in the year of the stringed moon, you know. ¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Go pick up the g, Owen.¡±

 Chapter 614 - v3c378p2 Maynildâ€™s Journey(3)

    v3c378p2

    Maynild¡¯s Journey(3)

    A few minutester, the southern gate of Fort Bunuo opened.

    The remaining White Lion soldiers in the city began to retreat. The Devils¡¯mander, the Longhorn Devil, immediately noticed this. It certainly could not tolerate these people who had caused it great trouble to escape.

    It let out a long cry and the Devil Army immediately surged towards the south gate. It led the army itself, ready to crush these little insects.

    However, it rushed down the city wall and went through a few winding alleys,ing to the only square in the city. Here, it saw humans in battle array. It was not just the knights of the White Lion Legion; there were ragged men and even children.

    The Longhorn Devil suddenly realized something was wrong.

    Sherlock stood among the crowd and raised his sword defiantly.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re listening. Fire at me, Victory... Fire at me, Victory!¡±

    The voice that came out of the Magic Crystal seemed a little distorted, but the determination it contained could not be hidden. The mage who passed the order was silent for a moment, before looking back at the count behind him.

    He was dressed in a long coat and was somewhat pale. Tiredness was written across his face. Count Jansu closed his eyes. He rubbed his forehead as if he had hardened his resolve before replying.

    ¡°The Devils¡¯mander is there. Fire at him.¡±

    ¡°But Count...... ¡°

    ¡°I will take all the responsibility,¡± the count replied calmly.

    If people dared to give up their lives, what excuse do I have for not giving up my own reputation?

    The earth trembled, and blinding golden light had covered the entire Fort Bunuo. It was like a sea of fire. Owen watched as the lower-ranked Devils, which had lost theirmand, fled in the midst of the fire. He watched his fellow men turn into ashes in the midst of explosions. He watched all of these as tears brimmed in his eyes.

    He straightened Marquis Balta¡¯s corpse and then raised the tattered g of Aouine above his head.

    That action of his was seemingly sacred.

    ......

    The two gs reappeared on the battlefield.

    It was a glimpse of hope that had been exchanged for the blood of countless people. It ignited a fire in everyone¡¯s hearts and gave them faith. Even those on The Victory and Aouine¡¯s naval cadets could not help but close their eyes.

    Archbishop Wood watched the scene in silence.

    Yo could not see it, but the cheers of the crowd outside had reached her ears. She was not from Aouine, but a smile appeared on her face nheless.

    ¡°Come on, Aouine.¡±

    But Carglise ,who was fighting on the frontal battlefield of the vige of Medao, suddenly stopped.

    What was going on?

    He and all the young men of Trentheim felt something strange. They were not the only ones; the entire White Lion Legion felt their hearts throbbing in terror.

    In front of them were unstoppable Minotaurs. The White Lion Legion was crumbling in a series of retreats under the simultaneous attacks of Medusa and the Cave Lizardmen Archers. They had in fact lost most of their previous gains.

    Everything was going down the drain.

    However, a g came into their vision.Iit was a g that seemed to be woven not of fabric but of gold. The g unfurled amidst the heavy rain and the White Lion came back to life.

    It was Freya.

    The female knight made her way past everyone with the g in one hand and the Lionheart Sword in another, ready to face the fearsome monsters of Jorgendy Ridge.

    At that moment, Scarlet was just beside her while the White Lion Legion was behind her.

    On her left were the Hignder, while on her right was the White Lion.

    She seemed unstoppable as she moved forward.

    It was as if history had been rewritten at that moment.

    Scenes from seven centuries ago were recreated here seven centuriester.

    The only difference was that their enemies had changed from the Kirrlutz to the Devils. The subtle coincidence of history was so shocking it seemed to make the air vibrate slightly. Everyone sensed this feeling that seemingly felt like it was from fate.

    Freya raised her longsword.

    ¡°White Lion Legion, at mymand,mence assault forward. Even if we die, we¡¯ll die on this path of attack. Perhaps, one day in the future, the White Lion will be reborn from the ashes instead of being extinguished forever.¡±

    The female knight¡¯s voice could be heard clearly in the rain. Her promise was as if it were an oath, just as thete ruler, Erik, had made before the Lionheart Sword. At that moment, a miracle happened, and the Royal Cavalry Academy¡¯s students were surprised to see the White Lion Legion¡¯s armor light up slightly.

    Then, ayer of faint golden light seemed to descend from the sky. It then surrounded every soldier of the White Lion Legion and finally formed a golden mark.

    If Brendel was here, he would probably recognize that this was the finalyer of marks on the White Lion¡¯s armor.

    It was also the source of that legendary ability of the White Lion Legion that he and Master Bosley had been unable to research.

    The Mark of the Lion would give the wearer the effect of valor. The army that wore it will no longer be afraid, would always be in high spirits, and would not fall into panic in any situation.

    It was as if the Lion¡¯s spirit hade to life.

    Carglise raised his head, and he suddenly felt that the numerous eyes in the sky that were always watching over this ce seemed to have disappeared. It was as if the ancient ruler had departed. However, Aouine already had its own new sessor.

    All the remaining soldiers of the White Lion Legion roared and attacked the enemy that vastly outnumbered them. Fear and uncertainty were currently not a hindrance in their minds, but rather, they were the motivation to move forward to ovee all of this.

    While they might eventually be defeated, the legend of Aouine and the White Lion would live on.

    It would never be erased.

    It was a pity that the Minotaurs from Jorgendy Ridge did not have the ability to think, or they would have been trembling as they faced such an army that had nothing to lose, but the only thing they could do in the face of these unrelenting humans was to raise their giant axes.

    They might not quite understand how these humans could ept defeat so readily, for survival was the only glory to the creatures of the dark underworld.

    The Medusas behind the Minotaurs raised their bows as well.

    The two armies collided into each other with a bang.

    It was a matter of courage, honor, and simply the desire to survive. The stalemate with the Minotaurs was briefly achieved at great sacrifice, but at the cost of palpable loss.

    Freya was at the forefront, her sword was as solid as if it could break through all the obstacles.

    Scarlet watched the female knight from the back with some admiration, but it was not this unyielding courage that made her heart beat wildly; it was the unyielding conviction. It was the first time she realized that one could be so determined to the point where they could fight independently without relying on others.

    It was something that touched her heart, as she had thought that only the lord was capable of doing so.

    But it turned out that even a girl could do it too.

    The sight of Freya¡¯s back at that moment felt like a deeply-engraved memory. It was just a mere moment, but it was already enough to deeply imprint itself in her heart.

    She was suddenly somewhat willing to pick up her sword for Freya, and to help her open up a path by her side.

    ......

    ¡°Can you win?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡±

    Wood, Makarov the cunning fox, and Oberwei were speaking briefly. The Archbishop of the Kirrlutz stood up and the servants immediately pulled his robes on.

    ¡°Lord Archbishop?¡±

    ¡°The Aouines are fighting for their fate, and to be blunt, I¡¯ll have to gamble for my fate and my faith,¡± Wood sighed and replied. ¡°It shames me and disgraces the King of the Holy Cathedral of Fire just to be here watching.¡±

    ¡°But my Lord, the Devils should have kept a hand in the game, and if you make your move now...¡±

    ¡°Now is not the time to think about that,¡± Wood replied bluntly.

    Right at that moment, the door to the cabin suddenly opened. Everyone could not help but frown, Had the people below been so panicked that they had forgotten even basic etiquette?

    They looked back, but they saw the somewhat odd face of Count Violet.

    ¡°They¡¯re here!¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    Scarlet shot down a Minotaur, before suddenly turning back. She grabbed Freya in front of her and furrowed her pretty eyebrows a little.

    ¡°Scarlet?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something.¡±

    The ground was trembling slightly, and soon, everyone felt such a subtle change. The White Lion Legion soldiers at the back were the first to turn back.

    It was still a long time before dawn.

    But there was a line of silver light on the southern horizon.

    It was not dawn.

    Rather, it was a line of undting, continuous silver armor. Countless horsemen were galloping over the hills, holding their gs high and whirling like the ocean, singing a hymn from the time of the Holy War.

    ¡°It¡¯s the cavalry?!¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s this cavalry from?¡±

    ¡°There are still armies like this in the South?¡±

    Freya frowned. She saw a g leading this army as they marched forward, singing songs she had never heard before as if they were an army that had just marched out of a myth.

    ¡®The trumpet sounds again, may the ns still not forget the sacred covenant.¡¯

    ¡®Dark plumes cover the sky, but the silvery dawn still rises.¡¯

    ¡®Ancient oaths reverberate through thend, armor still new, swords still ringing.¡¯

    ¡®The Holy One came in response to the oracle, the mes of battle zing again.¡¯

    A sacred lily emblem that was pure as silver shone brightly on the battle g.

    Silver Elves.

    They had returned to thend once again......

 Chapter 615 - v4c1 Awaken

    v4c1

    Awaken

    A snowy war horse carrying a messenger was galloping through the rebuilt harbor of Ampere Seale, and it passed through the St. White Square where a war memorial was being built nearby. The vicinity of this war memorial caused quite amotion.

    A flock of white doves took flight in the square; workers by the scaffolding could not help but look back in awe, monks in robes stopped by the fountain to watch, and the ribbon embroidered with the crescent emblem on the messenger shone slightly under the sunlight.

    The Royal Messenger.

    This was the first time in half a month.

    Something big had happened, and everyone¡¯s mind was clouded with suspicion. But only those who knew the truth will understand what has happened.

    That person has woken up.

    The whole harbor had been in a state of chaos for half a month, but everything has finallye to a stop.

    ......

    ¡°Really?¡± Her Highness came to her senses even when thedy officer was still talking. She looked at her attendant who brought her the news; her pretty silver eyes showed her uncontainable excitement, ¡°You wait, I¡¯m going to see him.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, your appearance needs some fixing first,¡± thedy officer beside her immediately reminded the princess.

    ¡°No need for that¡±. Without looking back, Gryphine had already hurried out the door with her skirts held up. ¡°Triniyss, prepare the carriage.¡±

    As if in the midst of darkness, Brendel remembered having a long dream. Everything in the dream was both real and vague. He remembered the sawmill where he practiced as a child, but there were many people in the sawmill that he knew and did not know. His grandfather taught him sword art while everyone watched.

    At a sudden point, there were scenes of towering buildings and endless streams of cars. His senior was wearing a gray jacket and a thick scarf around her neck. She was reading something in a bookstore on the other side of the pedestrian crossing. He desperately called out her name, but she waspletely oblivious.

    He dashed across the road, but the scene changed again.

    Everything turned dark and the scene transformed into a tranquil shore by theke. A tower stood on the shore, and a ck moon was reflected in the water. Dots of starlight floated in the canopy of the sky. It was as if the lights and the strange dream were signaling something to him.

    As Brendel waded alone towards the tower, he saw a chilling shadow of a wolf walking through the forest.

    But suddenly, the whole world was shaking again, as if the dream had been removed from his mind. The scenery around him started to copse. Beams of light broke through the darkness and his eyelids moved slightly. He could sense the faint light outside through the blood vessels under his eyelids.

    At that moment, it seemed that his five senses that had been unused for so long resumed their work. He first heard the chirping of birds. It seemed to be a delightful morning, but after contemting in his warm bed for a moment, he remembered everything that happened previously. His memories were like bits and pieces in his head, slowly converging into forming aplete line.

    His eyes instantly opened.

    The piercing light behind the thin curtains made him squint immediately.

    He then took a good look at Romaine who was fast asleep. The merchantdy was sleeping on half of his body, her little face pressed against his chest, with her mouth wide opened. Her drool hung in a silver line on the nket.

    Looking at this, Brendel finally calmed down. He was still alive. What is this ce? How did the battle turn out? Where is Her Highness?

    He quickly realized he was lying on arge, soft bed that seemed like a work of art. With columns covered in gold foil supporting a vaulted ceiling of unimaginable luxury, with countless light veils draped down from all around, such a scene immediately made him think of the word ¡®pce¡¯.

    He looked up and found Amandina looking at him nervously. She was embarrassed as it was a little unpresentable for the lord¡¯s fiancee to look like this, and she did not have a way to convince Romaine to leave Brendel. The merchantdy held Brendel tightly as if she was holding on to a treasure.

    She only sighed, ¡°My Lord...... you¡¯re finally awake¡±. Although she had words that were left unsaid, Brendel could already see the joy and celebration in her eyes.

    He clearly knew the reason behind Amandina¡¯s sighing, but he couldn¡¯t do anything but to ept the merchantdy¡¯s behavior. As he nodded gently to Amandina, his eyes caught sight of Medissa who was behind her. The silver elf princess was apanied by two long haired and handsome elven warriors in their silver-d armor.

    The silver elves dide after all. Brendel thought to himself.

    ¡°Lord.¡±

    ¡°Lord.¡±

    ¡°Lord!¡± When Medissa cried out for her lord, everyone followed suit. Morpheus looked like she was on the verge of tears, and if Andrea had not been ring at them, Ciel and Carglise would have given him a thumbs up. Lastly, Brendel saw Scarlet on the couch behind everyone else.

    The seemingly introverted young girl just gave Brendel a look from a distance, and then heaved a sigh of relief.

    ¡°How did the battle turn out? Where is the princess?¡± Since everyone was present, it seemed like the oue was obvious. But Brendel was still uncertain and needed rification.

    An old but bright voice answered in Amandina¡¯s ce, ¡°Because of the noble deeds of some gant young man, Ampere Seale ¨C No, the whole of Aouine was kept safe. You don¡¯t need to worry, little one.¡±

    This unexpected voice caught Brendel¡¯s attention. Only then did he discover that there was a silver-haired, white-robed, and kind-looking old man sitting by the window perch. Ah, if it isn¡¯t the Schr of the Silver Fortress, Tulman, who else can it be?

    ¡°Master Tulman, even you came.¡± This time Brendel was truly surprised. The silver elves came on behalf of his request, but Tulman was truly an unexpected guest.

    But he already knew the true purpose of his visit.

    True enough, Tulman smiled and replied, ¡°It was an invitation from an old friend, but I shoulde to visit here anyways since a demon appeared here. Regarding Wood, I suppose I would need to apologize, I keep forgetting how stubborn he is.¡±

    Brendel was silent. Not that he med Wood, but he tried to think of a time when the nobles weren¡¯t being stubborn. If there was still an opportunity to redeem this whole situation, it would not havee to this day. Moreover, it would not reach this point where countless lives and endless streams of blood were poured out to pay for this indifference.

    Tulman continued, ¡°As you know, the Archbishop himself is very regretful and he had already resigned his post as Archbishop and every position in the Holy Cathedral as well. He is willing to spend the rest of his life atoning for his sins.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Brendel was slightly startled by this. Wood had actually taken such a step in order to rebuild the reputation of the Holy Cathedral of Fire to its greatest extent. People of their status usually don¡¯t make oaths regrly, and once they do, they would not break the oath so easily.

    By giving up the chance of getting promoted to be part of the core of the Holy Cathedral, Wood was cutting his own retreat path. Originally, that promotion was just one step away.

    Although he felt that this old man was a little redundant, Brendel regained the respect he had for the Archbishop. If a person had such principles and pursuits, at least they would not be a shameless person, right?

    Everything previously could only be attributed to everybody¡¯s own personal pursuits. Brendel sighed and asked, ¡°So...the Archbishop is nning to stay in Aouine?¡±

    Tulman looked at him with approval.

    ¡°That old friend of mine was going to live in seclusion in Aouine, and then be a district priest, to see if he could give a little help toward the rebuilding of Ampere Seale. But the Holy Cathedral had given him another job position.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Once Brendel heard the two words ¡®Holy Cathedral¡¯, he instinctively perked up his ears.

    ¡°My Lord, the Holy Cathedral of Fire had asked Archbishop Wood to act as a liaison between the princess and the northern nobles, and Archbishop Wood had already epted,¡± Amandina replied.

    ¡°A liaison?¡±

    Brendel was a bit surprised. This was interesting as he had not heard of the existence of this position in the Holy Cathedral. But what is the Holy Cathedral up to... are they giving Wood the chance of redemption, or is it something else?

    To be honest, reaching a reconciliation with the Holy Cathedral through this event was the best option. After all, the Holy Cathedral of Fire was a huge organization, and even if it was inevitable that they would have to sh with the Kirrlutz Empire someday in the future, Brendel hoped that the time was not now.

    Yet by the looks of it, the Holy Cathedral would not give up.

    He frowned, ¡°So does this mean that the Holy Cathedral still wants to mediate between North and South?¡± The stubbornness of the Kirrlutz people was really unexpected. He thought that the opposition should have already learned their lesson.

    ¡°Then what would you do, little one? Banish all the nobles in the north, or do you n to just kill them all?¡± Tulman looked at Brendel with eyes full of wisdom.

    Tulman¡¯s simple question suddenly awakened Brendel, and he realized that he might have thought of the problem too simply. True enough, he could not kill all the nobles nor expel them. No matter how bad their reputation was, he at least did not want that to cause the separation of Aouine.

    He glowered.

    Besides, he had to admit that there were many talented people among the nobles due to the differences in the education program. The chances of creating talent were much greater than among themon people. He could certainly find a way to let themon people obtain the right to good education as well, but this was not an overnight thing. The kingdom could not be unmanaged even for a single day.

    Her Highness had actually started doing the same thing, but it will take at least a generation of people to see the result. And until then, he still required the nobles to help build the future of Aouine.

    But the key to the problem was that most of the nobles only cared about their respective interests, and there were too few people like Count Audine.

    ¡°But we can¡¯t just let them off the hook here. Besides, the cultists have already infiltrated among these nobles. The Holy Cathedral of Fire might be worried about this themselves, right?¡± Brendel pondered on this for a bit and decided to tackle this problem from the simple aspects first.

    ¡°But again, they have no reason to believe you,¡± Tulman slowly replied, ¡°Besides, you must believe that people will notmit the same mistakes again and again. My old friend is also a shrewd man. You think that a man of his character will just blindly follow the orders of the Holy Cathedral?¡±

    Brendel thought about it again. Wood, being a solid member of the Holy Cathedral did seem to be a blind believer. He hesitated for a while, then asked, ¡°Even if he did want to stay and help Aouine out, what can he do? And what is his purpose?¡±

    ¡°Hey, you seem to know my old friend well,¡± Tulman raised his eyebrows in surprise. ¡°Actually, the reason is simple. I can see that my friend has a good impression of you, otherwise, he would not have invited me here.¡±

    ¡°Archbishop Wood he.......¡± Brendel heard an unbelievable message in Tulman¡¯s words. Wood actually made peace with him, and Brendel immediately figured that Wood must have realized some of the drawbacks of the Holy Cathedral of Fire from this disaster.

    Could it be that this guy is trying to change the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s way of handling things?

    He shook his head to dissolve this dreadful thought in his mind. ¡°So, what¡¯s he going to do about the nobles in the north?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about this, but you¡¯ll understand everything when you meet the man himself,¡± Tulman replied.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    Brendel shivered.

    He suddenly remembered that he had seemingly gone head-to-head with a Titan that day. At that time, his hitpoints decreased down to less than a few thousand ¨C negative, of course. It could be said that even if there were ten priests surrounding him to heal him after he was unconscious, it might not even be enough to bring his hitpoints back to positive numbers.

    Because after all, the Unyielding Talent that he had at that time would onlyst for half a minute at most.

    And now he was alive and well, and he did not seem to be in any physical difort. Tulman asked him how he had survived, which, to be honest, was a mystery to himself as well.

    He suddenly thought of a possibility.

    ¡°Thank you for saving me, Master Tulman.¡±

    Tulmanughed out loud instead, saying, ¡°It was not me who saved you, you have to thank thisdy right here.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Brendel was stunned, and he heard a discontented grunt instantly. ¡°Hmph!¡± He turned around, and a pair of golden eyes stared at him.

    There was a hint of discontent in the golden eyes.

    It was like the color of crystal, with a bright me burning within it. It looked like it was moving, yet filled with confidence and full of character. These clear, transparent eyes belonged to a young girl. The owner was short, and her long, curly hair hung down on both her shoulders.

    She was still in the same leather armor outfit asst time, but with different colored eyes. The sword was nowhere to be seen, but instead, she was holding a book.

    Brendel saw that the book was called ¨C ¡®Best Culinary Collections of Aouine¡¯, written with the dragonnguage, and thankfully he could read it.

    If an ordinary person were to see this, they would definitely think that it was a young girl full of energy and has a passion for cooking. But it would be a big mistake to think that way.

    This was because the little girl staring viciously at Brando was actually a dragon.

    And it was a very angry, very discontented little female dragon.

    mes were literally about to be spewed out from her mouth.....

 Chapter 616 - v4c2p1

    v4c2p1

    Is It Really Okay to Cheat?

    ¡°Aloz?¡±

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Brendel asked, feeling a little guilty. ¡°Didn¡¯t you go back to the tribe?¡±

    Thankfully, the girl named Aloz just grunted coldly and didn¡¯t rage and burn the ce down. She replied with a frown, ¡°I got the business done. I heard you did something amazing, so I came back to check on you, though I hardly expected to see such an obscene sight.¡±

    ¡°What obscene sight?¡± Brendel nked.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± Amandina coughed violently behind him as if trying to hack her lungs out.

    The little female dragon looked back and saw everyone staring at her in silence. She was very displeased. ¡°What are you guys doing here? Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m talking to this guy? I don¡¯t like to be watched like an animal, especially by humans. And the Buga Mage right there¨C what are youughing at, are you not human?¡±

    She humphed, ¡°Get out, all of you!¡±

    Though she looked like a loli, there was no dissonance between her tone and her appearance. Her arrogance felt natural, and especially when paired with her imposing golden eyes, she was intimidating.

    She possessed a natural authority, and her aura made her seem even more entitled than a king.

    ¡°Since when did you have this habit?¡± Brendel was slightly startled; he remembered that the little female dragon didn¡¯t use to have so many problems back in the forest.

    But his idiotic question was only met with a vicious re.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave this in your hands, Lord.¡± Amandina looked at her lord with some sympathy. She could not help but shake her head, and took her leave, leading the others out. And after her was Tulman, this great schr was smiling oddly and unfazed by the little female dragon¡¯s arrogance- probably because it was not the first time the Silver Folk had dealt with the Golden Folk, and he could bear with it.

    Finally, the two SIlver Elves and Medissa bowed respectfully to Aloz and left the room.

    Soon there was only Brendel and the little female dragon left in the room, and of course, Romaine who was deep asleep. The little female dragon poked her finger in the merchantdy¡¯s soft face in an attempt to wake this creature up. But she was quickly defeated.

    ¡°Ugh, Brendel get your ws off me and let me sleep for a while,¡± Romaine mumbled in her sleep as she casually pushed Aloz¡¯s hand away as if it was a mosquito.

    Aloz however kept, poking Romaine¡¯s face as if she had found a new toy and said, ¡°You have such an interesting fiancee, just let her stay here.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t treat people like toys without permission.¡± Brendel replied. Even though Aloz was a fellow female- no, a female dragon, he still got jealous. Little Romaine¡¯s face is only for me to touch.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were so protective, you¡¯re obviously a pervert.¡±

    The little female dragon let go of Romaine and sat down beside Brendel. She gently picked up a grape from a crystal te and peeled it carefully. Then she tossed it into Brandel¡¯s mouth, ¡°Is it good?¡±

    ¡°Since when did I get an extra title?¡± Brendel chewed as he suspiciously stared at the little female dragon. She was treating him abnormally well, which gave him an ominous feeling. While it was unlikely that Aloz had anything to ask of him, he just felt like this was the calm before the storm.

    Have I offended her in any way?

    He wondered to himself.

    ¡°Exposing yourself naked to the opposite sex is considered perverted for humans, right?¡± The little female dragon replied without hesitation.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Brendel could not believe what he had just heard.

    He instantly knew what the female dragon was talking about. He quickly looked to the equipment panel, and saw that except for the Elemental Bracelet, me Ring, Serpent Ring, me Star, Blood Shin Armor and The Witch¡¯s Tear, all of the amulets got an additional tag behind their names: Completely Broken, Unrepairable.

    The rest of the equipment that was gold-ranked or higher were also in a simr condition: Broken, Repairable. Among them, only the Godyer Cone, Han Gaia, and the Dimension Space were safe and sound.

    At that moment Brendel understood what had happened. He had survived the Titan¡¯s attack, but unfortunately, his equipment was gone. It was an enormous loss since the cultists hadn¡¯t given him enoughpensation.

    A bunch of equipment waspletely destroyed. All the equipment he had was the best equipment of the first chapter, and there were even a few pieces that could be considered super-versions. He hadn¡¯t even used some materials and the Rock Mercenaries¡¯ Ne and it had already turned to dust. It was a good thing that the Five-headed Lizard¡¯s Egg and the Stone of Order, which could upgrade the territory, had been left in Valha, or else he would¡¯ve hung himself.

    Though if these magical equipment were not spared, he did not expect his clothes to be intact from a lightning bolt of that intensity. Brendel could not help but ask, somewhat shakily, ¡°Who was the first one to get to me?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°You did not see anything, did you?¡±

    ¡°I did not see much of it.¡± The little female dragon smiled sweetly, yet it made his hairs stand on end. ¡°Except for a burnt ck body with its hair and eyebrows all burnt off, it was hrious! Oh yeah, and someone else¡¯s disgusting thing.¡±

    Brendel was so embarrassed that he wanted to hide in a hole. ¡°You-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know to turn away, you¡¯re a girl.¡±

    ¡°If I turned away, a certain somebody would be at thend of the dead by now. As someone so weak, you really don¡¯t know what can save your life.¡± Aloz mocked, ¡°And, do you avoid monkeys without fur?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯tpare me with that, I¡¯m human.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look any different to me.¡± The little female dragon replied casually. Brendel then remembered that the other party was a dragon, and could not help but feel a little traumatized. She¡¯s not necessarily wrong, either. At least the Golden Folk viewed the ck Dwarves much more favorably than humans viewed monkeys.

    So Aloz was being kind to his ego by saying that. Though of course, Brendel did not want this kind of kindness.

    But what bothered him was that the little female dragon said that all his hair and brows were burned off. He didn¡¯t want to be bald. Although he did not care much about his image, that was a little much.

    But the little female dragon seemed to have read his mind, and snorted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got it back for you. I don¡¯t want a pervert as a toy, I¡¯m not like Vessia.¡±

    Brendel did not know who Vessia was but figured she must be a hardcore fellow. Brendel finally let out a sigh of relief when he heard that he did not turn bald. That was probably the only blessing within a curse. He sighed, ¡°Thank you, Aloz, this is the second time you saved me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can be my ve to repay me.¡±

    Don¡¯t even think about it. Brendel thought. At the same time he asked, ¡°Speaking of which, how did you save me? If I remember correctly, dragons don¡¯t have healing spells, right?¡±

    He was under the impression that dragons were proficient in ancient string magic and were known for their destructive powers, but he had never heard of one that excelled in Sosei Spells.

    Unless she¡¯s a freak.

    ¡°It¡¯s really not that difficult.¡± Aloz sat on the edge of the bed, peeled another grape, and tossed it into her mouth. She replied with a smile.¡±Though it was a bit tedious to open someone else¡¯s Dimensional Space.¡±

    ¡°Dimensional Space?¡±

    ¡°Wait, what are you saying?¡±

    Brendel immediately had an uncanny thought. He immediately opened his Dimensional Space to check, and sure enough, he found that the remaining bottle of Health Potion No.1 was gone.

    ¡°You......¡± Brendel was speechless. After all this time, she was using his own stuff to save him. But how did she know I had a Health Potion? He could not help but stare at Aloz suspiciously.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so stingy, it¡¯s more important to save you life, right?¡± The little female dragonforted him. ¡°Besides, it wasn¡¯t easy saving you. I don¡¯t know what ability you used, but somehow you were still alive despite that your body functions were a mess. Though, saving you was difficult.¡±

    ¡°Especially since your heart function waspletely failing.¡± Aloz said proudly, ¡°So I changed it for you.¡±

    ¡°What did you change?¡± Brendel had a bad feeling about this instantly.

    ¡°Well, the best option was undoubtedly to rece it with the Golden Heart.¡±

 Chapter 617 - v4c2p2

    v4c2p2

    Is It Really Okay to Cheat?

    The bad feeling turned into a sudden burst of ecstasy, and Brendel wondered aloud, ¡°Wait, do you mean the legendary, indestructible Golden Heart? The legendary heart of the Golden Dwarves that promised immortality?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s voice was almost shaking. The Golden Heart had actually appeared in the game before. Its attributes include doubling the maximum HP cap and defensive power cap and increasing life recovery abilities by 300%. In addition, the heart would no longer be a vital spot.

    While the first three did not entice him too much, the final perk did a blow. With that weakness gone and taking his Unyielding Talent into ount, he can be practically unkible to most run-of-the-mill enemies.

    At that moment, he wanted to jump up from the bed and hug the little female dragon and give her a kiss.

    ¡°Hey, seems like you know it quite well. That¡¯s the one I was talking about.¡±

    ¡°You nted that one on me?¡± Brendel had conflicted feelings about having a heart transnt, regardless that it was only in a game. He was a living, breathing human being within this game, and he always felt like he might be some freak if any parts of him were reced.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Aloz shook her head, ¡°Do you think that I just have something like that in my pockets? Who would know that you would just damage your heart out of the blue. I had no choice but to stuff the Titan¡¯s Lightning Core into you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that it is fully energized, if not I would not have been able to stuff that thing into your little body.¡±

    ¡°I......¡± Brendel could not believe what he had just heard. Dammit, you shouldn¡¯t mess around like that. He felt bitter; it sounded like she used him for an experiment. What human uses a Titan¡¯s Lightning Core as his heart? Wouldn¡¯t that require changing the blood in his veins into electricity?

    He could already see the picture of him spewing electricity from his wounds the next time he got hurt. He shuddered at the thought.

    ¡°Why do you look so gloomy, you look like you¡¯re about to die.¡± Aloz immediately noticed Brandel¡¯s abnormality: ¡°Are you doubting my skills?¡±

    Brendel looked at Aloz; his gaze was screaming ¡°heck yes I doubt you.¡±

    ¡°Ugh. You should just check for yourself then.¡±

    Brendel was mildly surprised. Aloz wanted him to test out his own body¡¯s condition, which was an ability that people have once they enter the Elemental Realm, but Brendel opened his attributes panel instead.

    He found out that all his attributes were normal and that his health was in a good state. His eyes swept across the EP and Recovery EP columns and found that they had been doubled. Moreover, his Willpower, which was already extremely high, had gone up another notch.

    And they all had an extrabel behind their names: Energy Strengthening. It was clearly due to the Lightning Core.

    But theoretically, the Lightning Core should belong in the equipment category, and Brendel was a little confused as to why he had not seen such a thing in the equipment catalogue before. He subconsciously opened the panel of the Enhancement Crystals, and was stunned.

    He saw that the Spectral Knight Crystal was still lying soundly in the arm reinforcement slot, and in addition, there was also a shiny thing in the torso reinforcement slot.

    Lightning Core: EP, Recovery EP: Doubled. Willpower +20, Elemental Wind Pool: Doubled.

    There was a shiny goldenbel behind the description.

    An Enhanced Crystal Core from the Mythical ss.

    Brendel was a bit speechless. He wondered if this was the blessing within a disaster. Purely weighing the gains and the losses, this one crystal alonepletely outweighs the price of all the equipment he had lost. However, what would he do with the expanded Elemental Wind Pool?

    He only had one or two cards on him that needed to use Elemental Wind.

    Brendel was still in a daze when the little female dragon suddenly came up to him. When he came back to his senses, his eyes met the glittering golden eyes right by his face.

    Aloz¡¯s action startled him, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got quite a few secrets. I just saw the elements fluctuate, you were checking your Elemental Pool, right? That¡¯s strange, you haven¡¯t reached Elemental Activation. How did you do that?¡± The little female dragon stared at him intensely, ¡°And before that, you were so badly injured, you should have died seconds.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to exin?¡±

    ¡°Exin what?¡± Brendel asked, feeling guilty. How do I exin? I can¡¯t say it was talent due to my bloodline, NPC¡¯s don¡¯t even have that. Or do I say that I¡¯m a yer?

    The female dragon would w him to death if he said that.

    What was more was that these were his biggest secrets. Buga¡¯s Silver Mages¡¯ loved to study freaks like him.

    He did not answer. Aloz wiggled her nose and started sniffing him. She scrunched her nose and whispered, ¡°Sure enough......¡±

    ¡°Sure enough?¡±

    Brendel suddenly felt strange because the little female dragon crawled onto his bed and buried her head into his cor to sniff him. Her hair was brushing against his face, and his heart fluttered.

    The scent of the young girl was all he could smell. And as if the scent had magic, he soon felt body temperature rise.

    ¡°What are you doing, stop it right now.¡± Brendel was troubled, but he knew what was happening: he was getting an erection.

    She was just a loli with a bad attitude; she had no chest, no ass, could not evenpare to the half elf princess. But at this moment, he felt his heart pumping faster and his blood flow faster, and he started to wonder if he was a pervert.

    He was dying inside, he hastily moved to one side, because certain parts of his body were obviously not under his control anymore, and although a nket was covering him, there was an obvious protrusion. He was terrified that she might notice it.

    The little female dragon suddenly turned back and stared at him warily, ¡°Are you thinking of something naughty, perverted human?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Brendel looked straight ahead and replied. He would not dare to let this terrifying female dragon find out the truth; she might just spit fire at him and make the merchantdy into a widow in anything but name for the rest of her life.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    The little female dragon grinned. She suddenly flipped onto him, although she did not sit on that crucial spot, it excited Brendel. But the worst was yet toe, and she lowered her head and exhaled, biting the tip of Brendel¡¯s nose, ¡°Brendel, you¡¯re a perverted human.¡±

    Brendel shuddered.

    The little female dragon¡¯s hot breath pervaded his sense of smell; it was sweet and seductive. He even found her arrogant mannerisms adorable.

    There was definitely something wrong here.

    Brendel had a vague feeling that this was some sort of conspiracy, but his body still reacted like how a man would. The little female dragon looked down at him, then suddenly grabbed that important thing, making Brendel grunt.

    The veins on his forehead were popping.

    ¡°You......you devil.¡± Brendel finally realized that she was here to tease him.

    ¡°Humph, you¡¯re clearly full of naughty thoughts.¡± The little female dragon whispered, ¡°And you still deny it. You¡¯re obviously in heat.¡±

    ¡°You wish!¡± Brendel was sweating, ¡°What is that scent on you¡± He gritted his teeth and asked this question. He finally found out what the problem was.

    ¡°Top grade psychedelic drug, a Dragon n specialty, how is it?¡±

    ¡°How, my ass. You¡¯d better not cross the line- Ooh!¡± Before Brendel could even finish his sentence he felt a blow in the groin. If he could move, he would have curled up like a shrimp.

    The cute little female dragon seemed to have instantly turned into a demon.

    ¡°What do you want to do, perverted human?¡±

    Brendel was in a cold sweat. He really couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Though the little female dragon looked like a loli, but with one hand pressed on his chest, he was unable to move a finger.

    ¡°Hmmm, isn¡¯t it exciting to cheat on your fiance in front of her?¡±

    Brendel had no tears left to cry. All he could do was watch as the little female dragon smirked and showed off her adorable canines. As a dragon, her canines were like a vampire¡¯s, tiny but sharp.

    But it was at this time that they both heard a quiet cough from outside the door.

    It was as if lightning struck him on a sunny day.

    Sweating profusely, he turned around, and saw the princess standing outside the door. Her face was dark, and there was a female official with an equally odd expression standing behind her.

    ¡°How awful. You¡¯re a princess, how could you peep on people having sex?¡± Alozined loudly, then jumped off the bed with a soft grunt, ¡°What a killjoy!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, Brendel!¡±

    And with that, she flicked her hands and disappeared from the room.

    But Brendel understood a very different message from what she had just said. ¡°This is your punishment for giving my golden apples to someone else without permission. There will be no next time.¡±

    No next time, huh. Brendel felt like he lost ten years of his life, every time he met with the little female dragon. He swore he never wanted to see that little female dragon a third time. He didn¡¯t even know why she started picking on him. This was all bloody murder caused by one earring; Brendel felt like he couldn¡¯t even cry anymore.

    Then he heard a cold voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I disturbed you, Mr.Brendel, but remember to close the door next time.¡±

    The princess turned around and walked away.

 Chapter 618 - v4c3

    v4c3

    Aouine¡¯s Future

    With the little female dragon gone, Brendel regained his freedom. He hurriedly created a water orb and threw it in his own face. The cold water calmed him a little, and he put on a jacket and rushed out.

    When he stepped outside, he saw Amandina sitting on a stone chair in the courtyard reading a geography book, but her mind was clearly not on the book.

    ¡°The princess seems very angry,¡± Amandinamented worriedly while greeting Brendel as he stepped out. She then lowered her scroll. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Brendel sighed, ¡°Where¡¯s Aloz?¡±

    ¡°My Lord, you¡¯re talking about that youngdy from the dragon tribe? I didn¡¯t see her. Did she leave?¡±

    ¡°No, forget about it,¡± Brendel turned to chase after her. ¡°Wait,¡± Amandina stood up and grabbed him, and when she saw her lord turning back with a face of confusion, she thoughtfully reminded him, ¡°Tidy yourself up, my Lord.¡±

    Brendel didn¡¯t usually put much thought into what he wore, so he had casually put on a jacket and ran out. Amandina blushed at the sight of his disheveled appearance, and reached out to fix his cor.

    Brendel didn¡¯t put effort into his appearance either in Trentheim. If it hadn¡¯t been for his demeanour, his status as a noble would have been in doubt, although amoner would not be so knowledgeable and well-rounded as he was. In fact, it had always been Fern who had helped him tend to the finer details of his daily life¡ªthe loud and brash youngdy merchant couldn¡¯t even take care of herself, let alone bear the responsibilities of the lord¡¯s fiancee¡ªwhich was why the elder of the two Wild Elves sisters was dubbed by the mercenaries as the ¡®The Lord¡¯s Head Maid.¡¯

    But if Fern was the head maid, then Amandina¡¯s role was simr to that of a butler. She helped Brendel straighten out the corners of his clothes, lightly dusting off the ck velvet cloth. She said with slight annoyance, ¡°If only my Lord would notice the majesty of his own appearance.¡±

    Brendel had never believed in things such as innate majestic auras, nor did he care about them. It wasn¡¯t the first time Amandina had helped him tidied up his appearance, and honestly, he himself could not see the difference. He felt that it was a pointless endeavour, but he did not refuse her. Instead, he asked, ¡°Amandina, how long have I been unconscious?¡±

    ¡°We have been staying in Ampere Seale for half a month now, my Lord,¡± Amandina replied, fastening the buttons in front of his chest. She examined him for a moment, before nodding her head in satisfaction.

    ¡°That long?!¡± Brendel was shocked. He thought he had only been unconscious for two or three days. ¡°Well, what happened that day after I was unconscious? Where¡¯s Duke Seifer and all his minions?¡±

    ¡°The Duke is dead.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± This news waspletely unexpected, and Brendel had never dreamt that one of the most important figures in Aouine¡¯s history was dead.

    He froze for a moment before asking, ¡°Amandina, what exactly happened after I fell unconscious that day? How did the battle turn out? Tell me more about it.¡±

    ......

    The endless demons seemed to surge from the darkness. It was like being caught in an endless nightmare with no way to wake up. The rain poured down in torrents, lightning running along the droplets and sketching brilliant silver chains along the horizon.

    Princess Gryphine¡¯s face was ghastly pale.

    ¡°Mr. Stephen...¡± Leider coughed, ¡°...... Her Highness is in your hands now.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Leider, I promise you, in the name of the knights.¡±

    ¡°No, Sir Leider! I order you not to do this. I¡¯m staying here!¡± In the midst of the nightmare, she screamed. But the stern old knight grabbed her shoulders and threw her into the air. She flew up lightly, over the demon¡¯s head. Thest thing she fixed her gaze on was the lion of the kingdom, facing the north, proud and undaunted in the rain.

    Those great mossy ins, now covered with ice and snow, was where the White Lions¡¯ honor trulyy.

    It was the battlefield in which countless White Lions have fallen into eternal slumber, the resting ce of the souls of generations of heroes. Perhaps those knights¡¯ spirits would return to their homnds in death, but the White Lion will protect this battlefield forever.

    This was the legend passed down by their predecessors since ancient times. The knights made their oaths by their swords, and lived by their words.

    The great lion armor of her kingdom was now covered in scars, but the rain quickly washed away the blood on it. Tears poured down Princess Gryphine¡¯s face. Stephen, the Pdin, grabbed her hand and cut a bloody path through the demonic army, leading her to safety.

    ¡°Why won¡¯t you let me die there, my people are there!¡± She remembered shouting like she had lost her mind.

    But Stephen looked back at her, ¡°I am not Aouinen, your Highness. But if everyone falls on this battlefield, then your kingdom will one day repeat the same mistake as it has now.¡±

    ¡°Please value your life. You are not living on for yourself anymore.¡±

    He was right.

    Princess Gryphine walked quickly out of the sanctuary, briskly for a few steps before slowing again. She suddenly stopped and stood still at the marble staircase, as white as if it were made of snow, before sighing quietly, He¡¯s right. Gryphine, what kind of tantrum is this? You¡¯ve even lost all your usual calmness and self-possession.

    ¡°Your Highness, please watch your step,¡± The female officer who caught up behind her warned breathlessly. ¡°Triniyss, let us wait here for the Count toe out.¡± Princess Gryphine turned around and replied, sighing.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    The princess did not answer. The Holy Cathedral¡¯s courtyard was as white as snow, the light reflecting off of it almost piercing. She squinted, her pretty eyes looking like a silver thread. Triniyss soon noticed that her Highness seemed to be a little lost in thought.

    It was a rare thing for the princess.

    Gryphine was indeed lost in thought. Her gaze crossed the distant horizon, as if she had returned to the battlefield that day through this same blue sky. The shing of des and swords, and the stench of iron and blood together, weaved a long and solemn poem.

    Perhaps dying on the battlefield at that time would have been a relief instead. Those who survived would carry an even heavier burden than they did before, inheriting the grief from their deadrades too.

    The living had no right to choose. Gryphine bit her lip¡ªtoo many people have died already.

    Thest leader of the White Lion Battalion, the alpha lion of the kingdom, the hignder¡¯s greatest swordsman, Leider, was dead. His death was in the midst of a battlefield created by the civil war.

    Duke Seifer, the man she had so bitterly hated, had died too. He was the maniptor of the first Titan. He died at the hands of the merchantdy, and not even his corpse was left. Gryphine had thought she would be happy when she heard the news, but she had lost even the feeling of excitement.

    Marquis Balta, Marquis Yoakam, Count Vitokin, the great swordsmen of the Arreck, Devard, and the chief sorcerer of the kingdom, Grandmaster Fleetwood too. It didn¡¯t matter what faction they had belonged to in life, they were all Aouinens.

    There were even countless students of the Royal Cavalry Academy there, who didn¡¯t even get the chance to make a name for themselves yet. No one knew the stories of these dead students¡¯ lives. No one knew how much their friends and family would grieve at their deaths.

    It was only when she saw Freya holding up Bessie¡¯s corpse, crying in agony¡ªonly then, did she feel that cold stab of pain.

    It was enough.

    It was time for the civil war to end.

    But the nobles up in the north were still waiting to pounce, having lost the appeasement from House Seifer. The future situation was even more chaotic and unstable; Duke Arreck¡¯s whereabouts are unknown, but he definitely would not go down without a fight, Count Radner had an ambiguous attitude, and there were two more Dukes who were probably just waiting for things to settle down before trying to wring something out of the situation for themselves.

    Although it looked as if Aouine was getting a new lease on life after the war,, it was actually already at the edge of a cliff. Princess Gryphine helplessly realized that perhaps even the situation before was better than this.

    At the very least, the kingdom had not been in danger of disintegration.

    She didn¡¯t even know how they had managed to get through this half month. There was the army of Silver Elves stationed in Ampere Seale, the dragon tribe, whose illustrious name had deterred all forces from attacking again and scared them into inaction, and also the Tulmans, whose arrival in Ampere Seale had shown them the next step to take. She understood that the link behind all these seemingly unrted forces was one man.

    The man crowned with the title, ¡¯Miracle¡¯.

    She suddenly realized that the fate of the entire Aouine was in the hands of one person. However, that person was neither her nor her brother.

    ......

    ¡°Are you telling me that Duke Seifer was killed by Romaine with a single punch? Hmph, he reaped the seeds he sowed.¡± Satisfaction filled Brendel¡¯s heart. Half of the me for Aouine¡¯s demise in the future was on this guy. It would have been understandable if he was doing it for his own power, but he hadn¡¯t expected the guy to be a cultist.

    The very thought that the future princess¡¯ and the Valkyrie¡¯s tragic fate was all because of a cult¡¯s insane n made Brendel fume with rage.

    But he quickly fell silent. What really worried him was Amandina¡¯s physical condition. During the detailed conversation earlier he had carefully asked Amandina about her ¡®return from the dead¡¯ on the battlefield, but everyone, including AMandina herself, was in the dark about what exactly happened.

    He was beginning to suspect that the demonic item he had gotten on the battlefield was responsible for it, but Amandina quickly ruled that out after she brought that item out. Although it was still unclear what the thing was, Brendel could tell at a nce that it seemed sealed up. There was no way it could have done anything.

    And Amandina herself had proven that she had no self-regeneration abilities. Her blood was a normal, human red, proving that she wasn¡¯t a part of the bloodlines with gold or silver blood. The time it took for her wounds to heal was no different from ordinary people either.

    But this situation made Brendel felt uneasy. He did know of some special abilities that could resurrect someone, but those weren¡¯t anything safe. Some of them even burned lifespans to operate.

    But Brendel did not reveal this information to Amandina. It was, in a sense, a white lie. He nade up his mind to investigate it himself.

    ¡°He reaped the seeds he sowed?¡± Amandina raised her head at Brendel¡¯s words.

    ¡°It means that he deserved it,¡± Brendel exined. Amandina gave him a re, ¡°My Lord, stop using weird phrases, you¡¯ll beughed at. You¡¯re so educated, but despite that you still like to use such rudimentary phrases.¡±

    ¡°Only a civilian would say that.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t invent that,¡± Brendel couldn¡¯t help butugh. It had been over a year since crossing into this world like a dream, but some of his vocabry were hard to change. Especially those idioms with historical background¡ªexcept for the small portion that ovepped with the history of Nine Phoenixes, which most of them interpret as ng from some rural area.

    But there was no way around it. While one could adapt quickly to a new environment, it was hard to change ingrained habits. He had lived in this world for one year, spent seventeen in-game years, and a full thirty years in the other world.

    However, Duke Seifer was dead and such a historically prominent family had disintegrated just like that. Without the restraint of this powerful force in the north, the nobles there have be ambitious, right? No wonder Her Highness hade to find me in such a hurry.

    He hadn¡¯t expected such a famous figure in history to die just like that, There was also Marquis Yoakam and Count Vitokin; even Marquis Balta and Grandmaster Fleetwood were all dead. Grandmaster Fleetwood had died from the surprise attack of another demon king, but had managed to save the shipload of men from the First Fleet¡¯s gship of the Imperial Navy, HMS Victory.

    Enrok, one of the Aouine¡¯s Three Elites, was also dead. Brendel sighed as he remembered the young man who loved smiling andughing as much as Carglise did. He had been determined to protect them, the future of this kingdom.

    ¡°That guy Benninger even gave the little prince back,¡± replied Brendel, gritting his teeth, ¡°DId he think he¡¯d be forgiven by doing that?¡±

    ¡°No, it was not him who sent Prince Haruz back,¡± Amandina helped him straighten the buttons on his sleeves and took a step back after, looking relieved. ¡°It¡¯s done, my Lord.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Amandina,¡± Brendel asked, ¡°So what is actually going on?¡±

    ¡°I heard that it seemed to be a Medusa who sent him back. I¡¯m not sure what happened myself, perhaps you can ask Her Highness,¡± Seeing that Brendel still wanted to speak, Amandina quickly interrupted him, ¡°Well, don¡¯t keep Her Highness waiting too long. My Lord, you are now a Count of the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°What? Count? Then which fiefdom am I getting?¡± Brendel was slightly startled, this was something he had not expected at all. He didn¡¯t actually care much about it, he only asked from hearing it so out of the blue.

    ¡°Count of Trentheim, my Lord.¡±

    ¡°So nothing¡¯s changed,¡± Brendel quipped.

    He got a re for that.

    ......

    The rebuilding of the Holy Cathedral of Ampere Seale was only halfplete. He had seen crumbling walls and scaffolding in many of the cloisters he passed, the handiwork of the Ciel, although Brendel would never admit that.

    Brendel had only just stepped out of the cathedral, when he saw her highness waiting outside.

    ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    Princess Gryphine turned to him and nodded in satisfaction at his attire, ¡°How is the Count¡¯s health?

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.....Your Highness......¡± Even before Brendel could finish his sentence, Princess Gryphine interrupted, ¡°Mr. Brendel, the nobles of the north intend to support my brother¡¯s ascension to the throne. The Holy Cathedral of Fire also intends to facilitate peace talks between us and the North, what do you think of this?¡±

    Brendel was surprised. Isn¡¯t this a good thing? But then his thoughts caught up. ¡°They have conditions, right?¡±

    ¡°No, they have no conditions, they just want us to promise that the kingdom can maintain the status quo,¡± Princess Gryphine replied quietly. Brendel fell silent. The kingdom maintained the status quo? Which status quo? This half-dead status quo?

    This was uneptable to him and to the princess.

    The nobles in the north were still trying to maintain the semi-independent status quo that had been in ce since Ain VII. In Brendel¡¯s opinion, these guys were dreaming.

    He put away his previously easy going attitude and asked coldly, ¡°What if we don¡¯t agree? Are they about to start a rebellion again? Will the Holy Cathedral of Fire support these people?¡±

    Her Highness shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, but even if so it is still uneptable. The North is facing the threat of war......Leider...... the old captain handed the White Lion Legion to you. You know that, right?¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Brendel almost jumped up, ¡°He gave me the White Lion Legion? Did the others agree?¡±

    But he suddenly stopped talking. Marquis Balta was dead, and Leider had died on the battlefield, and if this was truly the will of that old lion, the White Lion Legion might actually end up in his hands.

    This was good news.

 Chapter 619 - v4c4

    v4c4

    Belonging of the White Lions

    The White Lion Legion was still considered a formidable force even in current-day Aouine. Marquis Batta had once used this legion to crush the Lion Beastmen in the year of the dawn of spring to prove it. However, if he wished to satisfy aristocrats¡¯cency, he wanted a lion with fresh ws, sharp teeth, and an impressive mane.

    He pondered it for a short moment before he replied. ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not the right person for this position right now.¡±

    The princess looked back at him in surprise. Brendel¡¯s forehead ¨C which was knit in a tight frown ¨C seemed to be slowly rxing and slowly turning into a look of determination.

    ¡°Why?¡± she asked in confusion.

    ¡°Well... would Your Highness like to hear the truth or a lie?¡± Brendel looked up. The sky over the distant sea of Ampere Seale had a breathtaking blue tint to it; such beauty, however, was merely a sign for the next round of storms. The air was dense with the dampness from the sea as he and the princess walked to the pure white square. The half-elf princess was just slightly above his shoulder in height. She wore a long silver dress, its thin satin clinging to her porcin-like skin. Her skirt¡¯s folds fell in ce like enormous flower petals, emphasizing the elf¡¯s slimness perfectly.

    ¡°The truth, Mr. Brendel.¡± The princess sounded unhappy.

    ¡°Alright. The truth is, for centuries since thete King bestowed the sword to Krentel, the White Lion Legion has always been the sharpest sword in the kingdom. It would certainly be a good thing for us to legally obtain the right to inherit this army. However, Your Highness also understands that Sir Nevander, Valen Lleida, and that ¡®left-handed¡¯ general may not ept a stranger bing the new head of the White Lion Legion, right?¡± Brendel was referring to the two remaining leaders of the White Lion Legion, Sharp ws and Lion¡¯s Mane, and the leader of the White Lion de Squad.

    The only difference between today¡¯s White Lion Legion and that of the Echeolonian period was the absence of the Secret Army. A new Secret Army reced it, whichter became the forerunner of the ck de Legion of today. The White Lion Legion was still left with three squads ¨C Sharp ws, Lion¡¯s Mane, and Jude, along with the White Lion de Squad. The Jude Squad was formally led by Marquis Batta, and the remaining three men were actually eligible to seed the head of the legion after Marquis Batta¡¯s death.

    The princess disagreed. ¡°This is thest will of Sir Leider¡¯ both Nichs and the knight of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, Stephen, can attest to this. They have no right to object.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that the White Lion which Your Highness wants? A sword that is only respectful and obedient on the surface. How is it different from the scheming ones in the north? There is no point inpromising with anyone, no matter who they are; we want a White Lion that is truly loyal to the ideals of the kingdom.¡± Brendel replied, and Her Highness fell silent.

    Brendel could read the half-elf princess¡¯s uneasiness at the moment. The bickering northern nobles could break the peace at any moment, turning the situation in the north into a mess; the key was how much time Aouine actually had left under the pressure of strong enemies and the threat of war. The consequences of the harsh Ampere Seale war had also certainly amplified this concern.

    It would be nice if we could still buy two or three years of peace. No, just two years would be enough. From what Brendel could recall, it was five years before the Second ck Rose War, five years before the long night fell and seventeen years before the wolves ran across thend. After that, Vaunte was never at peace.

    But before that, there was still a war waiting for Aouine in the north. If he couldn¡¯t appease the nobles in the north quickly, Brendel would still have a hard time thinking of a way to face the Lion Beastmen. Apromise was absolutely uneptable; the history of the other world was still fresh in his mind. How he wished to kill all these damned guys with just a sh of his sword. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh in frustration.

    ¡°So does Mr. Brendel have a better candidate in mind?¡± the princess stopped and asked as they reached the carriage,

    ¡°Yes, the descendant of Duke Everton.¡±

    ¡°Freya?¡± The princess sounded slightly surprised.

    ¡°Yes, Freya, Your Highness. She is very suitable both by birth and her background. She was also involved in this war, having fought alongside Marquis Batta and won the favor of many of the White Lion Legion members. The more important thing is, the Lionheart Sword approves of her. It seems more than obvious that thete King Erik favors her. Perhaps we should respect the sacred Lionheart Sword¡¯s choice,¡± Brendel said slowly. Some of the things he mentioned here were news that he had heard from Amandina.

    Her Highness listened in silence before finally saying, ¡°Mr. Brendel, I do not wish to conceal anything from you. Your thoughts coincide with someone I know well, and she has also rmended Freya to me to take the ce of Marquis Batta.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Brendel was curious. In fact, he already had a n in mind to have Freya lead the White Lion Legion, for who else could be better suited for the position than the historical student of Leider, the leader of the White Lion Legionter, and who was also the Valkyrie of Aouine?

    Even so, this would not be enough reason to convince anyone. The current Freya was simply a nameless country girl from the vige of Be. She may be the descendant of Duke Everton, but this a secret that wasn¡¯t known to many. Furthermore, she was not the most outstanding pupil in the current batch of students at the Royal Cavalry Academy when it came to talent.

    So, who was the one who nominated this future Valkyrie?

    ¡°Maynild,¡± the princess told him. ¡°You should have seen her before. She is the most trustworthy person I know, and one that I can call my best friend.¡±

    It¡¯s her.

    The curiosity in Brendel¡¯s heart grew; the position of the leader of the White Lion Legion¡¯s army was never an inconspicuous position, so how did that knight named Maynild set her sights on Freya?

    After all, not everyone in the world had eyes like his, which could see into the future.

    For a moment, he couldn¡¯t help but recall his encounter with that female knight under the rain. That cold woman, whose name he had never heard of in history, had an appearance almost identical to his senior¡¯s, but her personality was different.

    He couldn¡¯t help but frown, and with a hint of suspicion, he spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t know how Lady Maynild thinks, but it is true that no one could be found better suited for this position than Freya, Your Highness. The heart of the matter is still the Lionheart Sword. The White Lion Legion is also bent on retrieving this holy sword in order to once again realize the value of the White Lion. Coupled with the will of Knight Leider, it¡¯s unlikely that their higher-ups will have any objections.

    ¡°On the other hand, the descendant of Duke Everton, might be less likely to make those three feel threatened. In any case, I¡¯m still a knight by Her Highness¡¯s side.¡±

    The princess nodded gently as if she had epted this idea. ¡°And then what?¡± she asked softly.

    ¡°I intend to let Freya and Carlo lead the team. Let the Royal Cavalry Academy be the base for supplying the White Lion Legion with new blood. The White Lion Legion also needs a group of outstanding young people to hold up its future, which is in line with the philosophy of the Royal Cavalry Academy. Besides, for these young people, being in the White Lion Legion is better than being in the guard. Isn¡¯t it better?¡± Brendel continued to answer. His goal was simple; if he wanted a brand new White Lion Legion, then infiltration and transformation were inevitable. He didn¡¯t have the manpower on hand, but the Royal Calvary Academy was a good choice.

    The half-elf princess frowned as if she had detected Brendel¡¯s implications between the lines. ¡°But will this really work, and will it cause a bacsh from the White Lion Legion?¡± she asked in a nice, soft voice.

    ¡°Of course it will,¡± Brendel was direct, but at least being direct had the advantage of not intensifying the conflict in the first ce. Now it was actually a mutualpromise, and the other party had no reason to reject thempletely, but there was no way he and Her Highness couldpletely get a grip on the White Lion Legion in an instant.

    Neither side would want to push the other to the brink, and if the other side were to think he and the Princess were trying to control the future, they might justugh at their naivety.

    But mockery was just mockery.

    Brendel continued to exin, ¡°But if we canplete the reunification of the South in a short time, then the White Lion Legion will be even more arrogant. What else can we do then?¡±

    The half-elf princess took a soft breath. ¡°Mr. Brendel, what you are saying is quite different from what I have heard, but for some reason, I¡¯m more inclined to trust your opinion. However, can weplete the unification of the south in a short period of time?¡±

    Brendel saw confusion in the half-elf princess¡¯s silver eyes, and it wasn¡¯t directed at him. Rather, it was directed at the statement. He answered truthfully, ¡°If the nobles in the north don¡¯t give us additional trouble, we will have a chance.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t lying. The Hignd Knights seemed to have an obvious affection for the princess¡¯s side because of his status. Duke Viero and Duke Grinories, on the other hand, were clearly not keen on the struggle for power. They were forces that could be fought for. In fact, their only enemies in the south were actually Count Radner and the missing Duke Arreck, not to mention that Count Radner himself also had a deep grudge against Duke Viero.

    Even so, the question was back to square one. ¡°Does Mr. Brendel think the nobles in the north will give us that chance?¡± Her Highness asked again. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t understand, but everything until now seemed like a dead end.

    Will the nobles of the North give them that chance? The answer to that question sounded obvious, but of course, it wasn¡¯t. Those schemers would love to make a mess of the situation.

    However, after some thought, Brendel came up with apletely opposite answer. ¡°I think there will be a chance.¡±

    The princess looked at him, curious.

    Brendel was thinking of what the Kirrlutz people and Tulman had said to him earlier. Maybe Wood really would surprise him. In any case, the key to breaking the ice in the North was the attitude of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    ¡°The Holy Cathedral of Fire may not want Aouine to get caught up in the mess, Your Highness. We¡¯ll just have to wait and see. This time, the Kirrltuz people will give us a satisfactory answer.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to give in to them. You understand that, Mr. Brendel..¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯tpromise with anyone, Your Highness.¡±

    Unlike Princess Gryphine, Brendel didn¡¯t actually have much tension and anxiety because to him, the most difficult and arduous times seemed like yesterday. The darkest part of history was now over, and the future would only get better.

    He just needed to identify that goal and persevere through it.

    The princess froze slightly, but she seemed to have understood and she looked at Brendel brightly. Brendel gave her a slight nod ¨C some things were as simple as that, but they were still trapped in this situation. Even in the princess¡¯s most vulnerable moments, the Holy Cathedral of Fire hadn¡¯t taken the slightest advantage of her. Did the Kirrlutz people presume that they will bow to them now?

    The tables had turned.

    A faint smile came to Princess Gryphine¡¯s face and she let out a soft breath. She turned around and extended an invite in that energetic, bright and clear voice that was characteristic of elves, ¡°It¡¯s a nice day, Mr. Brendel. Would you like to walk with me? I¡¯d like to see the rebuilt Ampere Seale Port.¡±

    Brendel gave a little shudder.

    He felt those beautiful silver eyes looking at him, and the fondness contained within them was self-evident. However, he was in a dilemma; on one hand, it was an invitation from Her Highness, and on the other hand, it was an arrangement of equal importance to him.

    Beforeing out, Brendel checked his gained EXP from his spoils of war. The reward could be described as very handsome, especially in the final battle, where nearly all the EXP gained from the defeated Titan that Romaine took out was granted to him. The only problem here was that the gained EXP was now turning a bleak grey.

    This represented only one situation.

    And that was when the EXPs arrived at the upper limit of the Elemental Activation. What followed was a process he was exceptionally familiar with, the task of the Elemental Activation.

    In fact, the timing was just right. The Ampere Seale War was like an important point for Brendel. After the war, everything was all on the right track, and as long as the situation in the north was pacified, he would have time toplete this series of tasks.

    But there was a problem.

    Now that all of his equipment was damaged, he couldn¡¯t possibly go on a missionpletely unequipped. However, repairing equipment ¨C especially magic equipment ¨C was a time-consuming and lengthy task in the game. He had to prepare for it as early as possible.

    Princess Gryphine seemed to see his hesitation and asked, ¡°Any problems?¡±

    ¡°Well, I was thinking of going to the workshop area first,¡± Brendel replied somewhat awkwardly.

    ¡°I see.¡± The princess seemed to understand, and she thought for a moment. ¡°Does Mr. Brendel know the most famous cksmith in Ampere Seale?¡±

    Lucretia¡¯s Armory.

    The name immediately came to Brendel¡¯s mind. Ampere Seale¡¯s most famous armory was neither run by the dwarves who were best at forging steel, nor did it belong to those elves who were skilled in magic.

    Instead, it was a shop ran by a demon.

    This shop was very famous in the game, but it wasn¡¯t specifically open to yers. Rather. it only catered to nobles. Only a few prominent yers with enough prestige could enter it, but Brendel, who dealt with skeletons all day long, was apparently not one of them.

    He looked up. Her Highness can¡¯t be thinking ofing with me to the nking, smoke-filled armory for the whole day, right?

    However, he heard Princess Gryphine reply in a pleasant voice, ¡°Please get in the carriage, Mr. Brendel. Triniyss, send the carriage to Lucretia¡¯s Armory.¡±

    Before Brendel could react, he saw the female officer in front of him personally open the carriage door for him...

 Chapter 620 - v4c5

    v4c5

    Hello, I¡¯m Your Debt Collector

    Brendel had not actually been to Ampere Seale¡¯s workshop district that often. The one ce he recalled the most was the rusted sign that wobbled in the sea breeze at the edge of Grey Harbor, the messy room along with the stove inside it that looked like it had not been lit for a long time, and the boozy old dwarf.

    It¡¯s not like O¡¯Dork, The Red Nose¡¯s handiworks were that impressive. But for just a small barrel of strong liquor, the old dwarf would take good care of your equipment; that is, as long as he did not drink himself unconscious.

    Ampere Seale was now different.

    After the carriage passed a fortress, the road became narrow and ustrophobic, as houses lined up on both sides of the road, squished tightly together. The salty sea smell that Brendel remembered was reced by the heavier scent of smoke. The glistening red signs were made of brass, and the text on it was unabashedly mboyant, showing off the culture and style unique to harbor cities.

    The carriage passed by old dwarves smoking at the doorway with hammers in their hands, their beards strung together by shiny iron rings. Wind elves in long and ornate robes, either from Deerzik or from the woods north of the Misty Forest, with board, intricately designed cage rings on their middle fingers to signify that they were mages.

    Most of these people were the creams of the crop in their respective fields. A hint of arrogance was in their eyes, and their personal worths was quite high. The workshop district in Ampere Seale represented extravagance and wealth, and the high quality of services befitting that reputation.

    As if nobility was carved into the very bones of this harbor city.

    The history of the workshop district in Ampere Seale was way older than even that of the harbor. It originated from the time where the people from Aouine traded with the Southern Hignders. The marketce then became a military base for the Erik, and then a deep water anchorage ground, before gradually growing to its present size. Today, there were still moss-covered pirs on both sides of the road in the workshop district, standing tall in the sea breeze, telling stories from the past.

    As the carriage went into the alley, the sounds of pottery and spinning wheels behind them became distant. Soon after, the ck wooden sign reading ¡°Lucretia¡± came into view, the magic ck wood hanging from a gold-ted bracket, carved with flowers. The sign was not physically connected to it, floating and rotating in mid-air with magic.

    Although magic wasmon in Vaunte¡¯s world. However, to be able to cast a longsting spell to make the sign float was an indirect indication of the standards of the shop. This was not even a shop selling magical items, but a shop that sold perfectly ordinary weapons and defence items.

    The carriage slowly came to a stop at the main entrance of Lucretia¡¯s Armory shop. However, no one came out to greet them. Any normal person would not open a shop in such a secluded ce anyway. ording to the princess, it¡¯s because the shopkeeper prefers a quiet ce. Faeries were known to be a strange species..

    Brendel and the Royal Highness Princess entered the shop. The inside of the shop was decorated elegantly. Dark wood counters emanating a special fragrance were arranged nicely around the shop. Every counter had a shiny weapon disyed on it, covered with ss, with the name on the weapon written on the brass name te attached to its velvet cushion, ranging from the mostmon swords to spears and armour.

    To Brendel¡¯s surprise, what was on disy in the shop were mostly magical equipment. Not the crudely-made type from an Alchemist, but real magical equipment. There were even a few antiques. Brendel recognized the goat-headed axe, the ¡®Cutter Cesareus¡¯. This giant axe could ignore ten percent of armour per attack and could at most prate near half of it.

    A Divine Artifact with Elemental Power, this is amazing.

    Brendel originally wanted to buy it for the red-bearded Batum of the Red Bronze Dragon mercenaries. He was the only guy under him who used an axe as a weapon, and was a rugged hunk too. But as soon as he saw the price, Brendel pretended the thought had never even crossed his mind.

    The Cutter Cesareus costed 550,000 taels.

    Brendel instantly changed his mind; the yers acting like unscrupulous businessmen in the game were not so bad after all. No wonder this shop is only open to the nobles. Other than those who spent money like spilling water, who would evere here to buy something?

    He shifted his gaze and saw that Her Royal Highness was on the other side, curiously checking out the disys in the shop as well. Her eyes were mostly on the booths that disyed a wide variety of long swords, and Brendel followed her gaze to see a Thorn of Azure Light.

    ¡°Hasn¡¯t her Royal Highness Princess been here before?¡± He was a bit surprised, and asked curiously.

    Princess Gryphine raised her finger to her lips and replied quietly, ¡°No, Mr Brendel. This is my first timeing here too. But I¡¯m familiar with the owner of this shop. Aunt Tania met me once when I was very young.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Tania.¡± That is probably the shopowner¡¯s name Brendel thought. The name did sound like a Faerie¡¯s. The Faeries in Vaunte liked to give themselves a human name, although most of them were simple, and quite unusual.

    He looked around and noticed that there was not even a single person in therge shop. No, there¡¯s one. As the three walked past the hall, they alerted the only employee in the shop. It was only then when Brendel realized that there was someone here when he saw a head emerging from a pile of boxes.

    It was a young girl with short brown hair and big curious eyes looking at them, ¡°What have you guyse here for?¡±

    This question was quite loaded. A thief generally would not visit at this hour, unless he was desperate to register himself to go to jail. The options left to her were thus that the people in front of her were either a customer, or a creditor.

    Cleverly, the young girl did not reveal her rtionship to the shop, so that she could find an excuse to avoid trouble and say that she was only temporary staff or something, if they identified themselves as creditors. While Brendel¡¯s thought drifted, the young girl had her eyes wide open.

    ¡°Ahhh, customer?¡±

    Brendel saw her rushing out from her position, leaving her work behind. Before he and the Royal Highness Princess could scream ¡®watch out¡¯, the young girl hit the cupboard door with a scream and bounced back.

    The neatly stacked of weapons, armour and cans scattered all over the floor with a series of loud ngs.

    Holy shit, Brendel thought at the moment, This shop doesn¡¯t seem to be as reliable as I¡¯ve been told.

    .....

    ¡°I apologize for startling you both. This young girl¡¯s name is Carol, she¡¯s here to help me temporarily, as her father owes me money that he can¡¯t pay off.¡±

    Brendel and Princess Gryphine were seated, while the Faeriedy, dressed a bit like a loan shark in a gray and purple gown, sat on top of the counter. With a pair of silver-rimmed sses, she looked like a jeweler from Perina too. She imed to be the manager and shareholder of the Silver Cross Merchant¡¯s Guild though, and this weapon and fence shop was just a side business of hers.

    The Silver Cross Merchant¡¯s Guild was from the Naios Deepwater Harbor. It was said that this business organization was under the name of a Buga Crafting Mage, which was why Brendel was very skeptical of this self-introduction of hers.

    It was a good thing that mages from Silvercked any real influence over the people on earth, ever since they practiced istionism, so Brendel didn¡¯t bother interrogating her reply.. He took one look at Carol, who was pressing on her reddened forehead with tears in her eyes, and thought to himself, Isn¡¯t this childbor?

    Brendel silently expressed his sympathies.

    ¡°This child is too young. Aunt Tania, how can you let her work like that.¡± Princess Gryphine spoke up andined, ¡°How much does her father owe you, Aunt Tania. I¡¯ll pay it back for her.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± The Faeriedy took a sip from her white porcin teacup, so tiny it looked like part of a doll set. ¡°Thest time I saw you, you were just a little kid, Gryphine. But her father owes me a total of two million taels, are you sure you want to pay it back on her behalf?¡±

    ¡°Huh!¡± Gryphine was shocked, ¡°Why that much!¡± Two million taels was a huge sum of money for most of the nobles in Aouine, not to mention themoners. Even to the royal family and those powerful dukes, it was not exactly a small amount of money.

    Brendel could not help but look at the young girl curiously, wondering what on earth her father did exactly to owe so much money.

    Tania replied, ¡°Her father used to be a good friend of mine when I was exploring with him. I agreed to lend him the money to open this shop. In fact, Carol will be the owner of this shop in the future. The reason I assigned those jobs to her is to make sure she will know what to do as the future owner.¡±

    ¡°Of course, she can use it as a way to pay off the debt too.¡±

    ¡°I see, what about Carol¡¯s father?¡± Gryphine asked curiously.

    ¡°Her father died in this war.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± The Royal Highness Princess reacted, Brendel was surprised too. It was obvious that she was just taking the responsibility of supporting her friend¡¯s daughter and was not really trying to get the money back despite what she said. What an odd personality this Faeriedy had.

    You are amazing, Aunt Tania.¡± The Royal Highness Princess eximed, somewhat glumly, ¡°All of this happened because the descendants of the House Covardo failed to fulfill their duty. It let the war spread in the kingdom. Many civilians are affected by this war in Ampere Seale.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault, Gryphine.¡± Tania replied, ¡°You were just a silly little kid thest time I saw you. In a blink of an eye, you¡¯ve already be a worthy princess. But I heard you haven¡¯t chosen a partner yet. Is this the knight you fancied?¡±

    ¡°No, no.¡± The princess blushed and shook her head immediately, ¡°Although Brendel is indeed..... My knight, but not in the way you think, Aunt Tania.¡±

    The Faeriedyughed without saying anything. Brendel suspected that she was teasing them. Faeries were always up to mischief, and they had a ¡°good reputation¡± for fooling around. Also, it was obvious that this Aunt Tania was enjoying herself.

    But soon, she got serious.

    ¡°Oh?¡± The Faeriedy turned around and looked at him curiously, ¡°You are Brendel?¡±

    Brendel felt chills on his back but he nodded anyway. Tania asked again, ¡°I heard you saved Ampere Seale, that makes you the hero of this harbour, huh?¡±

    ¡°Not.... exactly.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not aware of the fact that your grandfather owes me a Holy Sword.¡±

    ¡°Does he?¡± Brendel was stunned, ¡°Wait, what!?¡± He shouted, Why did I suddenly have a creditor now. If things kept going down this road, the plot would demand the son to pay back his father¡¯s debt, right?.

    ¡°You know it too, the weapon of the Earth Sword Saint.¡±

    ¡°My grandfather¡¯s weapon....¡± Brendel was startled, and suddenly remembered the Earth Sword Saint¡¯s walking rapier. It was called the ¡°Falling Star¡±, a legendary weapon, said to be a replica of Sisyphus¡¯s Tooth, which had the ability to split apart the very earth itself.

    Sisyphus¡¯s Tooth sword of K, the hero of the hignders. The mythology of the hignders strayed from the one of the Kirrlutz, but K did indeed exist in history, and he once even adventured with the Azure Knights. Although the history was not widely known, the Sisyphus¡¯s Tooth was quite famous. It was said that the Alkash Mountains were carved into existence by a sh of this sword.

    Sisyphus¡¯s Tooth was called Siri, Andrida, as well as ¡°the sword that separates the earth¡±, in thenguage of the hignders. This sword was technically more famous than K himself, and it was part of the reason why the Earth Sword Saint Darius was given his title.

    Brendel could not help but stared at the Royal Highness Princess. Unexpectedly, Princess Gryphine nodded to him with an embarrassed face, ¡°Mr Brendel, I¡¯m sorry I forgot to mention it to you...... Your grandfather¡¯s sword was given by Aunt Tania when he was young.¡±

    ¡°The guy even promised me that he¡¯d one day bring me an actually Holy Sword in exchange for it, but he failed to keep his promise.¡± Taniained, like a little child. ¡°But that¡¯s okay, his grandson has now grown up¡ª¡±

    Damn, the plot really is going in that son-pays-off-father¡¯s-debt direction!

    ¡°Wait, what do you want!¡± Brendel shouted. He suddenly felt that one of the worst decisions he made today was toe here. He¡¯de to get his equipment fixed, he hadn¡¯t expected to meet a creditor! There was definitely something wrong with his script!

    ¡°Rx, I won¡¯t really ask you to go look for a Holy Sword. That is just a wish I had when I was young; my desire for adventure has faded already.¡± The Faeriedy replied generously.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do it even if you want me to look for it.¡± Brendel replied crossly. He did have a genuine Halran Gaia, which was technically considered as a Holy Sword too, but it was a sword that he had spent a lot of time and effort finding, and not one he would ever give to someone else to pay off debt. He could not help butin,

    When other people find out they have powerful rtives they have all sorts of good things happen to them, but why is it that when ites to me, it¡¯s either an enemy or a creditor? Just what awful things did Sword Saint Darius while he had been alive?

    The Faeriedy was not affected by Brendel¡¯s bad attitude. Instead, she said to Carol, who was nearby, ¡°Carol, can you go inside and help me to get that box out?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°The one with the ring of jewels embedded on the lock.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± The still teary-eyed girl replied, before running to the back. But Brendel felt like the evil merchant of a Faeriedy was just trying to send away the outsider. Sure enough, in the next moment, she turned around and said, ¡°Gryphine, Mr Brendel. Can you do me a favor?¡±

    ¡°Aunt Tania, what do you need?¡± Before Brendel could answer, Princess Gryphine next to him spoke up.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you to help me find something.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Tania.... Those Holy Swords from the legends have long since disappeared. This is no longer the age of the War of The Holy Saints.¡± Princess Gryphine smiled helplessly at her request, obviously aware of this ¡®aunt¡¯ of hers¡¯ weird personality.

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true.¡± The Faeriedy looked unconcerned, and she put down her teacup, ¡°The true era of glory is only just beginning, but let¡¯s not get into that. I¡¯m not asking you to go find me a Holy Sword or anything.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Princess Gryphine paused in surprise, ¡°What do you want to find then, Aunt Tania?¡±

    ¡°This is actually the reason I came to Ampere Seale, and it¡¯s not like I have to own the thing. I just want to take a look at it, and my lifelong wish will be fulfilled.¡±

    Brendel saw the Royal Highness Princess¡¯s unconcerned face, he knew that the elder Faeriedy had a lot of lifelong wishes. Maybe that¡¯s what she said when she gave the sword to my grandfather.

    ¡°Aunt Tania, what are you looking for actually.¡±

    ¡°The Azure Lance, I heard it¡¯s hidden somewhere in Ampere Seale.¡±

    ¡°What¡ª¡±

 Chapter 621 - v4c6

    v4c6

    The Secret Within The Rock

    ¡°The Azure Lance..... Aunt Tania, where did you get that information?¡± Brendel saw Princess Gryphine tense up like a bowstring as she asked cautiously.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess.¡± Tania pushed the rims of her sses, ¡°I stumbled upon something that inspired me.¡±

    Her Highness let out a sigh of relief and sat back down, ¡°I see....¡±

    ¡°I see?¡± The Faerie was displeased, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you ask me what exactly inspired me?¡±

    ¡°No.... I¡¯m sorry, I was just too shocked.¡± Princess Gryphine said as she was forced to change her words. She honestly did not care about it at all. She only cared about whether the news of everything that happened underneath Ampere Seale that time had leaked out. But Princess Gryphine knew the temper of a goblin, and she knew that if she did not go along with the woman, she might not be able to leave today. Thus, she pretended to be interested in what she said, ¡°So, Aunt Tania, what exactly was it? Could it be books that were lost in the age of The Deprived Radiance?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Tania was startled, ¡°The books from before the Towers of Babel copsed are long gone. Countless mages have spent their life searching for them, how could I possibly find them.¡± She ced a finger to her lips and chided with a stern look, ¡°You must not joke about this. Have you witnessed the wrath of the People of Silver?¡±

    ¡°I understand, Aunt Tania. So what exactly did you discover?¡± Princess Gryphine asked helplessly.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see in a minute.¡±

    Brendel caught the Princess¡¯ gaze. He mostly understood how Her Highness felt at the moment. However, unlike her, he didn¡¯t feel stressed at all. ON the contrary, he too wanted to know why the Faerie was so confident. He had a feeling that this might be a quest in the original game for finding the Azure Lance.

    Tania pped her hands. The young girl had already brought the chest out from the back of the hall. Brendel initially thought that the ¡°jewel-encrusted chest¡± would be about the size of a mini jewelry box, but reality proved him wrong. He realized that the chest was indeed that¡ªa chest, and was two-thirds as tall as Carol. The young girl spent all of her energy carrying the box out, and was now blushing from exhaustion.

    Tania stood up. She was only as tall as Brendel¡¯s shoulder, even when she stood on the counter. She then spread out her gossamer-thin wings and flew onto the chest. Brendel saw that the encrusted jewels were actually protective spells, and when the Faerie put her fingers on those crystals, the spells lit up one by one and unlocked themselves.

    Only then did she tug at the box and open it.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± After the lid opened, Her Highness¡¯ gaze was drawn to the items within the chest; two small ck metal discs.

    Brendel eyes fixated on the objects, and he would have jumped up from his chair, had he not bitten his tongue to calm himself. The sting immediately wakened him from his stupor.

    This is the Earth Sage te

    It was an ancient poem that recorded the history of the Kirrlutz, a holy relic from the Pale Poems. Legend has it that there was a text on it that exined all the secrets in the mortal world. In the future, a war between the mages will happen because of it. It was the source of the world¡¯s strife, and now it appeared before him once again.

    Although the Earth Sage te was called a te, it was actually a metal disk that had an unique texture. One of the tes, the lesser one, was as ck as a ck iron, while the higher level ones were gold and tinum tes. But no matter what kind it was, those were definitely Earth Sage tes in the box.

    It suddenly hit him. No wonder this god-knows-how-old Faerie would so confidently say that she had found something that could confirm the whereabouts of the Azure Lance. The legendary te recorded all the mysteries of the world, and if the part that she had found was the part that had to do with the Azure Lance, then it wouldn¡¯t have been hard for her to draw those conclusions.

    ¡°I have no idea what these are either.¡± Tania patted the metal discs and looked up to exin to Gryphine, ¡°A group of adventurers and I found this in the ruins of Goldfinch teau. I traded my other antiques for these because I thought they were interesting.¡±

    ¡°Interesting?¡± Her Highness asked with a frown.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but there¡¯s something written on it. After I did some research, I discovered that the letters are simr to some of the ancient Kirrlutzs¡¯ letters.¡± The Faerie¡¯s right hand twitched and a sudden gust of wind blew into the hall. The world believed that the Faeries were natural

    Elementalists, and they were indeed extremely gifted in the area. Just like now, the wind rolled up pages of paper from the desk near them, and whirled them towards Gryphine before dropping them in her hands.

    Princess Gryphine looked down at the papers, filled with notes. Though she could not understand it very well, she could tell that the information inside had to do with the borations and interpretations of some form of text.

    She could not help but look up at Brendel with a questioning look.

    ¡°It¡¯s the ancientnguage of the Carongians.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Tania, who was across the room looked up at Brendel and observed him, ¡°Darius is an idiot. I had not expected his descendant to be so extraordinary. You¡¯re a lot smarter than your grandfather, little one.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not smart, I just know a lot, madam.¡± Brendel replied, quite snappily.

    ¡°Same difference. Knowledge is also a part of wisdom. The reason why most mortals are so muddled going about their daily lives is because they just can¡¯t see their own fate. Only those who possess true wisdom can grasp their own destiny. Don¡¯t you agree, little one?¡± Tania asked with her head held high. She wasn¡¯t even as tall as Brendel¡¯s shoulder when she stood on the box, but the confidence in her tone was undeniable.

    Such confidence was something mortals would only see in a proud and arrogant mage. Although the mages had magic power, they were also revered for the power of wisdom.

    Knowledge changes destiny¡ªthis was the motto from the Tower of Silver

    Brendel was now more or less sure of her identity.

    Her Highness was still looking through the notes. Although she could not fully understand it, she was still able to use her brains to work out what it said, roughly. She asked, ¡° Do these letters have some kind of connection to the Azure Lance; did the Kirrlutz once have custody of it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Brendel shook his head, ¡°The Carongian had nothing to do with the Azure Lance, but the literature with simrnguage that was used to write the records on these tes, however, does have something to do with the Azure Lance.¡±

    ¡°These aren¡¯t tes.¡± The Faerie reminded. To prove her words, she flicked at the metal discs, and they rang loudly.

    Brendel ignored her and mumbled at himself, ¡°This is a poem that records the history of the Kirrlutz, thenguage of the Pale Poem.¡±

    With a tter, all the papers in the hands of Her Highness slipped and fell to the floor.

    Tania froze on the spot.

    In the long history of the greatnds of Vaunte, legends about the holy relic of the Kirrlutz had spread far and wide. No one had ever seen the contents of this magnificent holy relic, which was said to be recorded on a te andter scattered to Tad, St. White¡¯s Meadow, and all over Homan. Later, only tiny bits and pieces of the history remained.

    In the dark ages, the ancestors sorted out these messy histories and carried them through the wilderness. That was the beginning of the history of cultured civilisation, and the one after that was stored in the library of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, but it was said that a third of itnded in the hands of the Silver Mages of Buga.

    But these were actually forgeries that were tranted by the Seers.

    The real Pale Poem had neither beginning nor end. It began when the universe began and will end when the world ends. The secret of the mortal world was recorded on it, and the ck Dwarfs and the People of Silver and Gold could only read parts of it.

    ¡°Are you saying that this is the original text of the Pale Poem?¡± The Faerie bounced off the box like she¡¯d been jabbed with a needle. But she immediately calmed down and looked at Brendel suspiciously, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°Of course I know.¡± Brendel replied, ¡°In the earliest epoch, runes would contain magic power within them. and the earliest writings were born out of them. The witches still believe in the existence of magic innguage to this day, which they call the Spirits of Speech.¡±

    ¡°The ancient Carongiannguage is just one of the primitive writings, and the earliest books have records of this too.¡±

    In the mortal world, the number of people who could say what Brendel was saying couldn¡¯t be more than ten. Especially the writing at the beginning; those were true primitive runes. Brendel did not read it with magical vibrations because he was not a wizard, but Tania understood it all.

    She had no doubts anymore now, and her eyes lit up like a cat found its mouse. She flew over and grabbed Brendel by the cor and shouted, ¡°How dis you know? Which book did you read this from? Did you find the historical records from before the age of The Deprived Radiance!?¡±

    Brendel was almost choked to death, and he hurriedly pushed the Faerie away. He knew that he would meet such an oue the moment he opened his mouth; not just this Faerie, even Tulman would be jumping with joy at this.

    He had merely told Tulman a primitive rune that time in Braggs, and he was already excited about it, let alone aplete sentence now.

    But he did this with a n in mind.

    He straightened his cor and gave a reassuring nce at Her Highness. The princess was already stunned; although she did not understand much the world of the mages, she knew that Brendel held some amazing secrets. Moreover, even just talking about the Pale Poem was already astonishing.

    Seeing Brendel nod at her, she felt relieved, and picked up the papers from the floor.

    Brendel turned back, ¡°Aunt Tania, I certainly haven¡¯t found any historical records before the age of The Deprived Radiance. You know it¡¯s impossible. I just happen to know a little bit about primitive runes, that¡¯s all.

    ¡°Just a little bit.¡± Tania scoffed, ¡°In the entire Silver Alliance, I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no more than 10 people who are qualified to say that. You¡¯re telling me so much about it because you want to make a deal with me right?|

    The shrewdness of mages shone through her words.

    Brendel nodded, ¡°Aunt Tania, can I know where did you find these bs? Is it among the Ruins of Huss in the Goldfinch teau?¡±

    ¡°Ruins of Huss? No, there¡¯s no name for that ce yet. But we¡¯ve found out some antiques from the age of the War of the Holy Saints there, There was a huge pce.¡±

    It really was the Ruins of Huss.

    Brendel thought, Then these tes in Tania¡¯s hands must be the first Earth Sage tes to be found in history. But how could they have been found so much earlier than what was recorded in history? Or was it that it took a long period of time for their value to be realised?

    Brendel was felt thetter hypothesis was more likely.

    But this was not important.

 Chapter 622 - v4c7 Deal(1)

    v4c7

    Deal(1)

    ¡°You got some clue right?! Right, right?!¡± Tania flew up, looking down at the two. The Faerie looked thrilled and spun around several times in the sky, ¡°I should¡¯ve thought of that. Ever since thete King Erik built the city here thousands of years ago, Aouine¡¯s noble families have been holding onto the secrets of this harbor. How can you not know of Ampere Seale¡¯s secrets?¡±

    ¡°Gryphine, why didn¡¯t you tell me beforehand?¡± Tania¡¯s head snapped back, and her sses nearly flew off her nose.

    ¡°Aunt Tania. Hah... Mr Brendel, you.....¡± The princess was speechless. She really didn¡¯t want to monopolize the Azure Lance, but the legend of the Holy Lance was too influential. No one could imagine how much turmoil the legendary Holy Lance would cause when it reappears in this world.

    No one would give up the fight for a holy artifact from the legends, whether it be the Holy Cathedral of Fire, the Holy Cathedral of Wind, or the Dwarves¡¯ and the Golden Mane n¡¯s Holy Cathedral of Earth.

    When that timees, what would happen to the kingdom of Aouine?

    Brendel thought otherwise. He shook his head, ¡°Your highness, no secret in this world can be kept forever. Aunt Tania has given me an idea, leave this to me.¡±

    The princess looked at him and nodded with a sigh.

    Brendel raised his head and looked at the Faerie flying in the sky. ¡°Aunt Tania, you haven¡¯t answered my question yet.¡±

    ¡°Of course I want to find it, it¡¯s my lifelong wish.¡± The Faerie flew to the counter next to Brendel. She sat on the edge of the counter with one leg crossed over the other and her hands resting on her knees. She then looked at Brendel, ¡°What do you want, little fellow from Kardiloso, son of the Earth Sword Saint Darius. What do you want from me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my grandfather.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Same thing. I don¡¯t even know your father, I couldn¡¯t possibly say ¡®Hey, random guy¡¯s son,¡¯ Right?¡±

    Brendel felt like he was out of his mind for trying to argue with a Faerie. So he ignored it. He took a page of the manuscript from the princess and asked, ¡°Will the Silver Folk know about this deal?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why do you ask that?¡± Tania was slightly surprised.

    ¡°You know why, Aunt Tania.¡± Brendel had long suspected that this Faerie was the Buga¡¯s spokesperson in the mortal world. Besides, other than Buga¡¯s schrs, who would actually study ancient writings? He reached out and tapped the manuscript, ¡°This is important, because it¡¯s the precondition of our deal.¡±

    ¡°Precondition? I see.¡± Tania pushed her sses up and her eyes shone with excitement, ¡°Of course they will know, I intend to bring it back to the Great Library of the Gods. The Silver Society will be so proud of me. Just think about iit, the Silver Alliance hasn¡¯t been this boisterous in at least sixty years.¡±

    On the side, Gryphine wanted to interject several times but just frowned and held back.

    Brendel could sense Her Highness¡¯s concerns. He figured he should quickly get to the main point or the half-elf maiden would be worried sick. He said, ¡°One more thing. What if thence already hs an owner?¡±

    ¡°Of course it has an owner, isn¡¯t the owner from the legends...... Wait.¡± Frowning, Tania turned around. Her gray blue eyes were glowing like sapphires. ¡°Did Aouine¡¯s royal family already obtain the Azure Lance? Or does it already have a new owner?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know, Madam Tania. The Holy Relics that appeared in ancient legends, when they reappear in this world, will eache with its own destiny. They all symbolize the beginning or the end of an era, therefore if the Azure Lance appears in Ampere Seale or Aouine, it means that the Holy Lance had already chosen someone.¡± Brendel looked at the little Faeriedy. There¡¯s no way she wouldn¡¯t know of this legend.

    Of course, Tania knew, but she just forgot about it. She stretched out her fingers and tapped her tiny chin, ¡°I see, does this mean that the Azure Lance was not discovered by Aouine¡¯s former royal family?¡±

    ¡°It was Mr Brendel who discovered it, Aunt Tania, in that war not too long ago.¡± Princess Gryphine spoke up.

    ¡°Oh, I knew that. Those awful devils, I heard that they unearthed the Titan Statue without nning to return it to the Silver Society.¡± Tania nodded, ¡°But I didn¡¯t realize that the discovery was so recent... This is good news. Just like you said, Holy Relics have a will of their own; if Kardiloso¡¯s little fellow was the first to discover it, it means that the chosen one must be someone around you. If it¡¯s not, then it must have foreseen your meeting with me today. You understand me right?¡±

    Of course Brendel could understand what the Faerie was trying to say, if the people around Brendel could not im ownership over it, then the Holy Lance must have foreseen that Tania was going to bring it back to the Silver Alliance. He thought about it for a moment and figured that it was a good idea. If the Holy Lance did not belong to Aoine, leaving it in this small kingdom would only bring disaster to Aouine.

    But it would be a different story if the Holy Lance was handed over to the Silver Alliance. Who would dare to attack the Buga Mages? Even more so, the Buga Mages would owe Aouine a favour because of this.

    It was definitely a win-win solution.

    Even Her highness could discern the hidden meaning within this, though she was still a little skeptical about what Brendel and Tania said.

    ¡°No matter if the Holy Lance stays in Aouine or not, the Silver Society will get word of it through you, right?¡± Brendel asked again.

    Tania thought for a moment and nodded, ¡°Well, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m not going to report something so important.¡± She looked at Brendel again and frowned, ¡°Why are you so familiar with our ways of handling things?¡±

    Brendel smiled, ¡°Have you forgotten that I studied ancient writings too?¡±

    It suddenly dawned on the Faerie. Mortals can¡¯t have ess to the knowledge of the Silver Society. If Brendel had studied under those mortal mages, the best thing he could learn was some crude magic. This was why Tania assumed that Brendel was taught directly by a Buga Mage, and could not help but ask, ¡°Little one, who is your mentor?¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten that I¡¯m a Hignd Knight? ording to the rules,, this is not something we can speak of.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°You¡¯re a Hignd Knight?¡± Tania waspletely befuddled by Brendel. Her tiny eyebrows straightened then furrowed again, ¡°Oh yeah, that idiot Darius was a Hignd Knight too. I almost forgot about that. Never mind, let¡¯s just skip this topic.¡±

    Brendel muffled a giggle. The split between the ck Tower Mage and Silver Society was a stain on the Silver Alliance¡¯s history, although it happened such a long time ago, that both sides had long forgotten their former feud and each formed their own legacies. Though, customarily, in order to prevent disputes, neither side would mention each other¡¯s histories. Tania, who had epted Buga¡¯s legacy, was no exception.

    This allowed him to avoid that topic, and so he continued, ¡°Madam Tania, you should admit what would happen if news of the Azure Lance being in Aouine is leaked.¡±

    Hearing this, Gryphine pricked up her pointy ears. It was obvious that this was the part the princess was most concerned about.

    Tania put one leg down and stood up on the counter, She sank into deep thought, with her arms crossed and her fingers propping up her chin. Obviously, she knew what Brendel was about to say. Once news of the Azure Lance being in Aouine was leaked, it would definitely attract greedy attention.

    Of course, if it was just some inconsequential challengers, she could easily take care of them. But their enemies would be far more than that; it was unlikely that the Holy Cathedral of Fire and the Holy Cathedral of Wind would let go of this opportunity.

    She red at Brendel and asked calmly, ¡°You must have a well thought-out n, right?¡±

    ¡°This is exactly what our deal will be about.¡± Indeed, Brendel had been nning this ever since he discovered the identity of the Faerie. Otherwise he would not have revealed this information to anyone.

    ¡°Tell me about it.¡±

    ¡°In the first scenario, where the Azure Lance is sent to Buga, there will be no problems. But you must dere that the Azure Lance is indeed under your possession; you can not cause trouble for Aouine. Is that okay?¡± Brendel asked.

    He looked at the princess and she nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Definitely, that¡¯s quite fair.¡± Tania thought for a moment, ¡°As your senior, I will not take advantage of you; I¡¯ll even give you somepensation.¡±

    Brendel smiled and did not refute her. ¡°As for the second scenario, how about I lease you the Azure Lance?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± He immediately heard Her Highness cry out softly.

    But Tania¡¯s eyes lit up.

    ¡°You¡¯re so cunning!¡± The Faerie could not help but exim, then turned towards the half-elf girl. ¡°Gryphine, where did you find this guy? You better hurry up and tie him to you.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Tania....¡± Princess Gryphine was a little exasperated, but also a little curious, ¡°What exactly did he do to deserve such praise from you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not praising him.¡± Tania replied, ¡°The Silver Society¡¯s interest in the Azure Lance is limited to research. As you all know, throughout their long lives, the Silver Folk have slowly lost interest in mortal secrets; Only secrets of ancient origin can capture our interests. That¡¯s why we won¡¯t ever consider taking thence for ourselves. This guy must have known about this, which is why he chose to lease it to us. Lease, so it¡¯s called, but in truth, this is just a facade to take attention off of Aouine.¡±

    ¡°And speaking of leasing.¡± Tania stared at Brendel, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t try to charge us a leasing fee, would you?¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be right to do so?¡± Brendel asked, ¡°And that¡¯s just part of the deal. Before this, we agreed to take you to the Azure Lance; shouldn¡¯t you pay for that too, Aunt Tania?¡±

    The Faerie felt like she was talking with the shadiest merchant ever. Of course, she did not know that such merchants were called yers. She red at Brendel, but heard Princess Gryphineugh, ¡°Brendel has a point, doesn¡¯t he, Aunt Tania.¡±

    ¡°Of course you think he has a point.¡± The Faerie snorted, ¡°But it¡¯s fine, I¡¯m still at an advantage overall. Tell me, what do you want?¡±

 Chapter 623 - v4c8 Deal(2)

    v4c8

    Deal(2)

    ¡°Alright, speak. What do you want?¡± The Faerie snapped, and Brendel smiled in satisfaction because it meant that at least he was halfway to his goal now.

    ¡°First thing we need is a ce for us to close the deal.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?¡± Tania asked warily. She stared at Brendel suspiciously, ¡°I keep hearing all these new terms pop out of you, but it feels always like you¡¯re plotting something, little fellow from Kardiloso.¡±

    Of course he was plotting something. Brendel would never admit it though, so he shrugged, ¡°That¡¯s not true. You must understand, Aunt Tania, that Ampere Seale after the war is now a crucible of all kinds of people. Especially with the Holy Cathedral of Fire and the northern nobles¡¯ spies in the city closely watching our every move. You know who the forces are behind the northern nobles....¡±

    The Faerie flew up quickly; Brendel¡¯s words had tread upon one of her biggest concerns. She irritatedly flew in a small circle and muttered, ¡°The Holy Cathedral of Fire and Evil Cultists are indeed a problem. Especially the Holy Cathedral of Fire. Although they¡¯re weak, they sure are annoying. Like the buzzing of flies.¡±

    Brendel blushed with shame at her words. The People of Silver were probably the only ones who would darepare the Holy Cathedral of Fire to flies, but at least the two of them were in agreement with the dislike for the Holy Cathedral of Fire, ¡°Of course, we want to clear them outpletely, and give them no reason to stay at Ampere Seale....¡±

    Tania interrupted him before he could finish speaking, ¡°Wait a minute, you want us to help reim Ampere Seale?¡±

    It wasmon knowledge that Ampere Seale was a promised autonomousnd to the Holy Cathedral from Aouine¡¯s royal family. In this era, where the rule of religion was growing ever the more powerful, The Holy Cathedral had multiplends like Ampere Seale under their govern, across the various different kingdoms the Cathedral ruled over. Aouine¡¯s nobles too had been eyeing the richnd of Ampere Seale for quite a while now; it was just that none had been brave enough to make a move, unlike Brendel.

    Brendel looked back at Princess Gryphine and saw her staring at him in surprise, her mouth agape. As if she was only now really seeing him for the first time. This is nothing. Brendel thought. It¡¯s just the beginning.

    What he wanted was a brand new Aouine, and that was not at the mercy of anyone¡ªan Aouine that could be the master of its own destiny.

    He already had a n in mind, and he spoke more confidently, ¡°Is that not so? Do you really think that the Azure Lance can leave Aouine easily? Although the Holy Cathedral of Fire doesn¡¯t have the guts to snatch anything away from the Buga Mages, they can still assert that the Azure Lance was unearthed in Aouine. As you know, the Kirrlutz have influence over Aouine too.¡±

    He was not wrong. Because the people of Aouine were also descendants of the me King, the rtionship between Aouine and the Holy Cathedral of Fire was recognized across the nations. Even the people of Aouine themselves agreed that they should be under the jurisdiction of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    Everyone except for Brendel, of course.

    The Faerie frowned, ¡°You¡¯re naive to think like that, little fellow of Kardiloso. Do you really think that those greedy devotees will give up this harbor just because the Silver Alliance puts pressure on the Holy Cathedral of Fire?¡±

    Brendel was now a little excited¡ªthis was a problem that he had already considered, and so he had long since had a solution in mind.

    This was the first time an opportunity like this was so close to Aouine.

    ¡°In the past, of course not. But right now the Holy Cathedral of Fire has made a huge mistake. They lured the devils into this world. Have you forgotten the Covenant of the Gods? Now that the Silver Elves and the Buga Mages are all here, what if you force them into giving up the jurisdiction of the harbor with the terms in the Covenant?¡±

    ¡°You guys are qualified for that, right?¡± Brendel asked, smiling like a fox.

    There was a sharp intake of breath from Her Highness behind him.

    Tania inhaled as well, ¡°You had it all nned out didn¡¯t you?¡± The Faerie suddenly realized that things might really go as Brendel predicted, and, if so, the Holy Cathedral of Fire might really have to give up on Ampere Seale.

    Especially with the Holy War so imminent.

    This fellow is changing history.

    Having suddenly realized this, she couldn¡¯t help scrutinizing Brendel. Brendel was wholly unbothered, however, and replied, ¡°It¡¯s just a guarantee for the closure of the deal, and if the Buga have the power to do it, why not do it well?¡±

    ¡°Even you must admit, Aunt Tania, that we have to find a quiet environment to ensure the transaction urs safely, right? Besides, the Silver Mage is going to get the Azure Lance anyway, so you¡¯re profiting from this deal no matter how you look at it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, you little fox.¡± The Faerie looked at him snootily. She didn¡¯t actually care whether Aouine could retake Ampere Seale, she just thought the whole thing troublesome. Truth to be told, she knew very well that the Library¡¯s Scroll Mages would resort to any means to get their hands on the Azure Lance.

    Not to mention helping Aouine reim a harbor, they wouldn¡¯t mind even if they needed to involve themselves in the mortals¡¯ Holy War.

    The long lifespans of the People of Silver have long since shaped their characters with hubris and apathy for the world,

    ¡°Good.¡± Brendel nodded with satisfaction. Chasing the Holy Cathedral of Fire and northern nobles away from Ampere Seale, and thus letting Aouine reimed the harbor was only part of the deal. The crux of the matter was that this would make it difficult for them to infiltrate the south through this; Her Highness would have a much easier time uniting the southernnds this way.

    Of course, he would never borate on these implications and waste a few of his terms of the contract for nothing. He then continued, ¡°Then, the next thing is the personalpensation that I need.¡±

    ¡°And what do you need this time?¡± Tania asked grumpily.

    ¡°Something simple, I want to learn the interpretation of ancient writings from you and study the three tes with you during your stay in his harbor.¡± Brendel replied.

    This was actually the main point of the deal for him.

    Right now, no one was aware of what bloodshed the Earth Sage tes would cause in the future, the reason being that the knowledge on the tes was far too precious. It not only recorded ancient history, but also recorded the long lost secret techniques and knowledge from before the age of the Deprived Radiance.

    Everything about the past history and the vanished Gods¡¯ People was in there.

    Deciphering tes was a specialized skill that even the Buga Mages knew little about, and right now was an opportunity to get started on learning it. How could Brendel possibly let this chance slip away? Aouine had missed the first War of the Holy Saints, and thus failed to take its ce amongst the most powerful empires in Vaunte.

    But right now, with him, how could the Aouine miss this second opportunity?

    To Tania however, the deal sounded a little too trivial. She was shocked, probably not having expected Brendel¡¯s request to be so simple. The look on the Faerie¡¯s face softened a little as she observed Brendel, ¡°Looks like you¡¯re not really a greedy person after all. Things must have been hard on you.¡±

    She flew to Gryphine¡¯s side and sighed, ¡°You have a wonderful knight, Gryphine.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The half-elf princess nodded solemnly.

    Brendel felt embarrassed. It was obvious that, because of this seemingly simple request, the twodies thought his previous outrageous demand had only been made for the sake of the kingdom. In reality however, they were putting the cart before the horse by assuming that.

    ¡°Very well, I will grant you your request. Searching for knowledge is a noble thing to do. This won¡¯t count as part of the deal. What more do you want, little one?¡± Tania suddenly spoke up.

    ¡°Uh, how about fixing my gear for me?¡± That was actually his initial purpose ofing here today. But he thought about it and added, ¡°By the way, can you help me find some magic equipment? It wouldn¡¯t be too hard for a Buga Mage, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, the lesser magic equipment have mostly been broken by those old fellows, and I can¡¯t find you any better ones.¡± Tania remarked offhandedly, ¡°Let¡¯s look at the equipment you want to be fixed first, which, speaking of, is probably what you came here for in the first ce.¡±

    Brendel nodded and took out the equipment from the Dimension Space one by one. When the Faerie took a look at it, she shrieked in aghast, ¡°Glow Wave? How did it break so badly?¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute, isn¡¯t that the Crimson Red Blessing? Did you throw this into the Magic Furnace or something? Almighty Marsha, the dragon god will surely curse you...¡±

    Tania¡¯s eyes widened more with each piece of Mythical Artifact Brendel took out. Eventually, she had to hold her sses into ce, her stunned gaze fixed on Brendel, ¡°Did you rob a dragon¡¯s treasure trove or something? What¡¯s with all these Mythical Artifacts, and, don¡¯t tell me you want me to find one this level for you?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like a big fat sheep to you?¡± She could not help but scream.

    ¡°No no, you¡¯ve misunderstood me.¡± Brendel was sweating, he did have more gold-tier equipment than was normal for someone living in the era before the War of the Great Demonic Wave, but they had been ones he had obtained by risking his life, not robbing some dragon¡¯s treasure trove. While he did have a dragon by his side, he didn¡¯t have the guts.

    ¡°I just want some amulets, any ss will do.¡±

    ¡®Amulets?¡± Tania was startled, ¡°Why do you need those things?¡±

    ¡°I need more than just amulets.¡± Brendel replied, ¡°Aunt Tania, I need an amulet that will increase one¡¯s physical and mental strength.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± The Faerie understood now, ¡°Aren¡¯t those the amulets used by magical apprentices during their spell practicing? Little fellow of Kardiloso, weren¡¯t you the son of a Sword Saint?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my grandfather.¡± Brendel exined tirelessly, ¡°Also, I¡¯m an Elementalist too. But I don¡¯t want them for spell practice. I¡¯m not interested in bing a mage at the moment either, but it¡¯s important to me, Aunt Tania.¡±

    The Faerie raised her eyebrow, ¡°I see, do you need it now?¡±

    ¡°No hurry, let¡¯s wait until things tie up over here first.¡±

    Brendel thought to himself, It¡¯s about time to cause some trouble for the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

 Chapter 624 - v4c9 Flow of Darkness

    v4c9

    Flow of Darkness

    The window was draped with dreamy green vines, gentle sunlight was streaming across the windowsill, and the house was quiet.

    Niya the female knight sat on the edge of the bed, peeling the oranges one by one and putting them into a crystal te on the bed. She then looked closely at the exquisite sleeping face on the bed. In her opinion, thedy was probably the most beautiful person in the world, and the words ¡°noble¡± and ¡°kind¡± seemed to suit her too.

    Only a few outsiders knew what was going on inside House Yanbao. The fights for power between the counts never stopped ever since the Sword Throne was shattered. [TL: Not much is described about this for now, but I believe it is the throne holding the most important sword Count Yanbao has to protect] While the responsibility did noty on the head of House Yanbao, they wanted a scapegoat to take up the me of their fights. After all, it was Count Yanbao¡¯s brother, known to the outside world as ¡°Dearest Baron Dahl¡±, fault that the whole mess yed out.

    Around January, the Count¡¯s youngest son was poisoned to death at the Sosei Ceremony, which proved afterwards that he was just a stand-in victim for others. That gluttonous little fellow sneaked into the kitchen, and his body was found with a little maid by his side. There were things that Niya dared not to tell Dilferi, but she felt that the cold and smartdy could more or less guess what was going on. She would not have rushed to the south had she not seen her old master grow more tired and haggard by each passing day.

    She was startled to see that pale face, thick eyshes dangling gently and cherry-like lips dotting her snowy skin. For several days, Miss Dilferi stayed awake for a limited time, but whenever she asked if there had been any news from the family, the female knight nearly stifled tears as she watched her frail form.

    Thedy could no longer stand on her feet, losing the ability to use magic for the rest of her life. She was the genius of Yanbao as a child, what kind of power was it that made her ept this news with ease? The female knight looked at her sword, she was granted the privilege of a knight because her ancestors had always been favored by the Count, but perhaps thedy had her own choice.

    There was a soft knock on the door.

    ¡°Miss Niya.¡±

    It¡¯s the voice of the maid, the female knight realized it and replied embarrassingly, ¡°Please keep your voice down ande in. Miss is still resting.¡±

    The door was pushed open, and the maid was not looking good. But she still bowed down and greeted, ¡°Miss Niya, there is someone outside asking to meet you. It¡¯s.....¡±

    Niya did not notice her face because her attention was on herdy. Without turning her head, she asked, ¡°Is it Her Highness or Miss Amandina?¡±

    ¡°No, Miss Niya....¡± Before the maid could finish her sentence, a voice rudely interrupted her. That voice was a mixture of excitement and pride, so high-pitched that it sounded like the quacking of a duck, ¡°Haha, Ampere Seale is not that small, I wonder how the kingdom¡¯s capital is again? What¡¯s the matter, little Niya, can¡¯t even recognize me after a few days?¡±

    ¡°Akel....¡± The female knight¡¯s body trembled, as if she called a name that just came out from hell. With a disgusted look on her face, she stood up all of a sudden and her hand subconsciously grabbed her sword. A few seconds after she grabbed her sword, the man who spoke outside had pushed his way in.

    A teenage boy to be exact, with a beautiful head of curly dark brown hair and pale skin underneath with his lips that were almost inhumanly thin. He had a pair of ck-like textured ss eyes, surrounded by deep bags and wrinkles that made him look like an alcoholic.

    The young man, with a mysterious smile, stood by the door wearing a woolen purple coat trimmed with silver edges, his two hands were ced in his purse while a cane was hung on the crook of his arm with a lion¡¯s eye stone embedded on it.

    No matter how you looked at him, the young man was handsome, just a little flippant on his feet. But the female knight saw him as if she just saw a demon, even when she was fighting an actual demon, she had never shown such a look of fear mixed with disgust.

    When the young man saw the female knight, he grinned and said, ¡°Miss Niya, have you considereding to be my knight? I¡¯ll give you the best horse avable in the north, but you¡¯re exactly the one that I fancy the most too.¡±

    ¡°In your dreams!¡± The female knight was trembling with anger, ¡°Get the hell out of here right now!¡±

    ¡°Hehe, why are you so nervous?¡± The young man yanked the maid¡¯s hair closer to him and he sniffed at her face as the young girl squealed. He turned back and smiled, ¡°Miss Niya, I¡¯vee to visit my dearest sister, I don¡¯t think you have the rights to ask me to get out yet.¡±

    ¡°This is Miss Dilferi¡¯s private room.... You¡¯re crazy! Let her go, she¡¯s her Highness¡¯s maid.¡± The hand of the female knight that was gripping on the hilt was slightly white, but she managed to restrain herself from unsheathing her sword.

    Thest Count Yanbao had four sons, whom the third son died and the youngest son disappeared after bing an apprentice to a mage. The eldest son is today¡¯s Count Yanbao, father of Dilferi. Dilferi went to Ampere Seale as a Countess, but she had yet to inherit the realm. The second son, known as ¡°Dearest Baron Dahl¡± is the father of the young man before her.

    As the saying goes, like father, like son. The integrous Count Yanbao had a daughter like Miss Dilferi. In Niya¡¯s opinion, it was normal that Baron Dahl had a son like Akel. Both he and his father were the greatest scums among scums.

    Only then did the young man release the maid, and the poor little girl let out a frightened scream and stumbled out. Akelughed, letting out a series ofughter that was hard to decipher, ¡°Miss Niya, don¡¯t think that I can¡¯t do anything to you just because you have Her Highness as your shield. You are my woman, and you can¡¯t escape this identity for the rest of your life.¡±

    ¡°Bastard!¡± The female knight gnashed her teeth and cursed. She was quite oblivious the first day she became a knight and had believed his sweet and delicate words. She could never forget that hellish night, the devilish young man drugged and forced himself on her body, he was only fourteen years old, and she was only eighteen.

    She was shaking with anger at the thought of the memory, ¡°Akel, I¡¯m going to count to three. Don¡¯t me me for making a move if you still don¡¯t disappear from my sight!¡± She unsheathed her sword with a tter.

    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t use this on me, Miss Niya. If you wanted to kill me you would have killed me already.¡± Akel smiled, ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not here to catch up with you today. You are surely aware of what my dearest sister had done, I¡¯m here today to stop you from disgracing the family any longer.¡±

    ¡°No ivoryes from the mouth of a dog, Akel. What the hell are you talking about.¡± Niya frowned and pointed her sword at the demon¡¯s throat. She always felt that Akel was up to no good, perhaps he might not even know what good intention meant.

    ¡°You¡¯re so good at pretending, Miss Niya. My dear sister had been used of practicing demonic magic, and the Holy Cathedral has officially begun investigating this matter, and even Count Yanbao knows about it. As her knight, it¡¯s impossible for you to not know it right?¡±

    ¡°How is this possible....¡± Niya¡¯s mind went nk when she heard the news so suddenly. Although she knew it was impossible to hide the fact that Dilferi briefly controlled the Devil King on the battlefield, she was at least preparing for the oues. It was the sake of winning the war, wasn¡¯t it? Her Highness and the Count can testify to it.

    The female knight shook her head vigorously as if it was the only way for her to calm down, ¡°It was the Holy Cathedral that attracted the demons, how could they do that. Thedy sacrificed herself to fight the devils, and Her Highness surely will not ignore it.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, Her Highness is in trouble too, she has no time to worry about your lives.¡± The young man sneered, he took a step forward so that the cold de of the female knight was pointed at his throat and he replied indifferently, ¡°Niya, my feelings for you are genuine. Trust me, I¡¯m the only one who can protect you and yourdy, so don¡¯t fight me anymore.¡±

    The female knight turned pale, ¡°You.... How dare you try to hit on Miss Dilferi? She¡¯s your sister!¡±

    ¡°Cousin.¡± The young man corrected and coldly replied, ¡°Miss Niya, don¡¯t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯te closer any further, demon!¡± The female knight¡¯s body shivered.

    The young man, however, snorted coldly. The door was opened once again and a tall man whose entire body was shrouded under a grey cloak entered. The man wore a hood and the shadows beneath the hoodpletely covered his face, like a ck hole. And the voice he spoke felt like it came out of the void.

    ¡°It took a while to deal with that knight.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s an expert in the Golden ss after all. Be careful, my dear sister has brought the three most powerful knights with her this time. You take care of the woman first and be careful not to hurt her.¡± The young manmanded as he tilted his head slightly, his voice was cold without a trace of emotion.

    ¡°Understood.¡± The man replied buzzingly and he turned back to face the female knight. Niya drew a breath of cold air as she saw that there was no shadow at all underneath the hood, there was nothing in it, aplete nk.

    ¡°What did you guys did to Lonin!¡±

    She roared and struck at the mysterious man with her sword. As far as she could remember, other than her, Lonin and Eyevut, there were no other experts in Golden ss from Yanbao. But this person in front of her gave her a chilly vibe, it didn¡¯t feel like he had Elemental Powers, it felt like a cold air of death from him.

    To be more precise, it felt lifeless, a field of emptiness.

    Before she could strike with her sword, she suddenly felt a terrifying shock explode in her mind. Niya had never experienced such terrifying power in her life, as if a sharp nail was hammered into her brain, causing her to fall down with her head in her hands.

    The female knight¡¯s miserable screams caused the young man to frown, and he saw Niya¡¯s beautiful face contorted and blood started oozing out of her nostrils and eyes, looking extremely terrifying.

    The tall man then walked towards her and smacked her at her nape, causing the female knight to pass out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have anypassion for women?¡± The young man asked in a bad mood.

    ¡°There is no third human of the Golden ss in this house anymore, so I need not be concerned to strike.¡± The man buzzed in reply.

    ¡°Alright.¡± The young man waved his hand impatiently, ¡°Drag her out, I have something to say to my sister alone.¡±

    The tall man bowed down in respect, before carrying the unconscious female knight out of the house. Akel looked back and sneered, before closing the door and approaching Dilferi.

 Chapter 625 - v4c10 Devil

    v4c10

    Devil

    ¡°How long are you going to pretend to be asleep, dear sister?¡±

    The young man stood at the edge of his cousin¡¯s bed, tilting his head. He had stared at her for quite some time beforementing. His soft voice was sweet as honey, but the sarcasm in his tone was chilling.

    Dilferi coughed softly and a sickly blush bloomed beneath her white cheeks. Her lushshes fluttered open, revealing a pair of bright, clear eyes staring at her cousin. Her eyes revealed her feeble state, but a burning hatred resided in the depth of her eyes.

    ¡°What do you want, Akel.¡±

    ¡°You heard what I said earlier. You know what I want, don¡¯t you?¡± The young man leaned down and peered into his cousin¡¯s eyes, ¡°If you hand over the Ring of the Broken Sword from Yanbao, I¡¯ll let you off the hook today.¡±

    ¡°And if I say no?¡± Dilferi averted her eyes fearfully.

    The young man smirked and grabbed her by the chin, wrenching her face back. He leered at the face in front of him, a face that belonged to his cousin, ¡°Do you think I wouldn¡¯t touch you, dear sister?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Dilferi detected the fervent possessiveness in her cousin¡¯s eyes. She didn¡¯t know whether to tremble in fear or in anger. All the blood seemed to drain out of the young girl¡¯s pale face. Her face had almost be transparent, like a beautiful piece of jade.

    ¡°You¡¯re truly a masterpiece. It¡¯s a miracle that old, blind uncle of mine was able to give birth to a daughter like you.¡±

    The young man smiled sardonically, moving one hand to press against her chest. ¡°On the count of three, tell me where the Ring of the Broken Sword of Yanbao is. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being rude.¡±

    ¡°One.¡±

    ¡°Two.¡±

    The Countess trembled slightly, but she stubbornly closed her eyes. She knew very well that her cousin was by no means the kind of gentleman who kept his word, and if she opened her mouth here, a miserable end would be waiting for her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch me, Akel, or you¡¯ll never touch that ring for the rest of your life.¡± Dilferi replied icily, forcing herself to calm down. Yanbao¡¯s Ring of the Broken Sword was a token of the Count of Yanbao that had been passed down from generation to generation since the Seifer Dynasty. This ring was to the House Yanbao as the Sacred Lionheart Sword was to Aouine and the ming de Oderfeiss was to the Kirrultz Empire. Without this ring, the Count of Yanbao cannot be legitimized.

    ¡°Wrong answer. Three.¡± The young man smirked, ¡°My dear sister, you¡¯ve got one thing wrong. Do you really think this ring is so important to me? Sooner orter, the position of the Count of Yanbao will be mine. It doesn¡¯t matter whether I have these superficial tokens or not. Inparison, I¡¯m more interested in you!¡±

    With that, he popped open the first brass button on Dilferi¡¯s shirt.

    ¡°Ah-!¡± Dilferi felt a breeze on her chest; A patch of her snow-white skin was exposed. She couldn¡¯t help but scream, ¡°Akel, you¡¯re mad!¡±

    Fear finally settled into the Countess and she started struggling violently. Her reaction only incited a maniacal response from the young man. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m mad. However, my dear sister, you have brought this upon yourself!¡±

    He pressed the limp and weak Dilferi onto the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll give you onest chance, Dilferi, the ring of Yanbao,¡± Akel growled.

    ¡°I won¡¯t give it to you even if I die, Akel.¡± The Countess wept weakly.

    ¡°Then you shall die.¡±

    But just when he finished that sentence, an icy voice replied, ¡°Yes, I too think a certain beast should just die.¡±

    ¡°Who is it!¡±

    The sudden sound made Akel turn back in trepidation, but all he saw was the door being shredded like a piece of paper and the ck longsword that stabbed through it being retracted. In the next second, the longsword had already arrived in front of his nose.

    ¡°No!¡± The handsome boy let out a wretched scream, ¡°Anurek, where the heck are you!¡±

    ........

    Niya immediately recovered after a brief period of unconsciousness. She felt like she was slowly waking up from a long dream. All she could remember was a vague nightmare of the devil she didn¡¯t want to see.

    Her head seemed to clear up, and she could hear a conversation near her.

    ¡°Brandel, after we deal with this stuff in the Ampere Seale, I¡¯m going with you to Trentheim.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness...¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, am I not wee?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just a little confused. Why would Your Highness want to go to that remote vige in the middle of nowhere all of a sudden? To be honest, I¡¯d rather stay in Ampere Seale if I could.¡±

    ¡°Because I have a best friend there who got kidnapped by a certain lord. She¡¯s my best friend and was injured because of me. I must go see her.¡±

    The man coughed awkwardly.

    The two voices came from afar and the female knight was shocked to find that it was Her Highness and the Count. So the Count had already awoken? She subconsciously tried to get up and go greet them ¨C she was a little confused as to why she had suddenly fallen asleep.

    However, as she tried to shift her position, she realized that her hands were tied behind her back. In fact, her whole body was tied to a post. Niya suddenly remembered the events that happened earlier.

    ¡°Miss Dilferi!¡± The female knight couldn¡¯t help but let out a low cry. She opened her eyes abruptly and saw Brendel and the Princess opening the door to the front hall.

    She immediately noticed the maid beside them.

    Brendel, on the other hand, immediately noticed the female knight tied to the post, who he remembered as the big-boobed girl. He even fought her before when he first met Dilferi. He recalled that her name was Niya and was Dilferi¡¯s personal knight.

    ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± His expression instantly changed.

    ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± Her Highness also turned back to question the maid.

    They had seen the maid standing outside with a pale face before they even entered the courtyard, but when they asked her what happened, she could only stutter and stare. They rushed over when they realized something was wrong and opened the door without even knocking. He didn¡¯t expect to see such a scene opening the door.

    Brendel rushed to Niya¡¯s side, untied the female knight, and then removed the ball of cloth in her mouth. Once Niya felt that her mouth was empty, she immediately shouted: ¡°Mr. Brendel, save Miss Dilferi¡± before she could even catch her breath.

    ¡°Where is she? What¡¯s happened?¡± Brendel¡¯s expression changed.

    After leaving the ¡®Recettear¡¯ weapons and defense shop, he and the princess decided to visit the countess on a whim. Her Highness had mentioned that Dilferi wasn¡¯t fairing very well, because she had forced herself to use the Demon Armlet which greatly drained her life. Although she was able to survive in the end, she would probably have to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.

    Brendel wanted toe andfort the Countess. He expected this oue, after all, the Devil King wasn¡¯t something that just anyone could control. At that time, everyone thought they were going to die, so they rashly let Dilferi use this method. However, he didn¡¯t expect the one who left with the most severe trauma to be the young woman from Yanbao.

    However, her injuries weren¡¯t irreparable in Brendel¡¯s opinion. The legendary Fountain of Life in the ck Forest would be the perfect solution to this problem. The Fountain of Life may just be an ethereal legend to the average person, but it wasn¡¯t so to him. Brendel felt that if he waited for a few days, entering the ck Forest to search for the Fountain of Life was not out of the question.

    Of course, he felt the need to settle Dilferi down before that.

    However, he didn¡¯t expect to encounter a problem as soon as he arrived.

    In fact, before Niya had even opened her mouth, Brendel had more or less guessed who the enemy was. There were only three forces that coulde and trouble this countess. For one, devils, though he doubted they woulde again so soon. Besides, even if the King of Chaos wanted revenge, he would look for Brendel first, not this countess.

    The other one would be the Holy Cathedral of Fire. However, because the use of demonic spells could be a serious issue, the Holy Cathedral of Fire wouldn¡¯t p itself in the face at this point in time. Besides, they wouldn¡¯t use such a shameless method of kidnapping a noble. If word of this ever got out, the Holy Cathedral of Fire might as well close down.

    Then all that would be left would be the people within the Yanbao family struggling for power. In fact, back when he first encountered Dilferi by sneaking into the manor, Brendel realized that something probably happened in Yanbao, otherwise they wouldn¡¯t have let a girl like Dilferie to such a ce representing the Count of Yanbao. They even brought along some of the strongest warriors within Yanbao.

    However, he hadn¡¯t expected that those ungrateful nobles hade to cause him trouble right after the Ampere Seale War. Furthermore, they even dealt a direct attack on Dilferi.

    The anger in Brendel¡¯s heart red.

    ¡°Thedy is in her room on the second floor, and someone is trying to harm her-!¡±

    ¡°Which one is her room?¡± Before the female knight could finish her words, Brendel interrupted her. The young lord¡¯s icy tone startled Niya slightly as she did not understand why he was so angry.

    In her opinion, Brendel was one of the culprits that caused Dilferi to be in the state she is now. She hadn¡¯t thought very highly of Brendel. However, this time, she replied meekly, ¡°On the second floor, third room down on the left. Please, Count, help thedy...¡±

    Before the female knight could finish her words, Brendel¡¯s Halran Gaia had alreadye out of its sheath. Its dark, heavy de reflected the slight chill in her heart. She fully felt the killing intent emanating from the young lord, and in the next moment, Brendel disappeared before her.

    The Kirrultz people¡¯s sh Strike Sword Art.

    Brendel used that very same sh Strike Sword Art. He swung a backhanded swing at a pir on the overhanging cloister of the second floor, severing it with his sword and then passing through it, andnded steadily on the cloister.

    The door to Dilferi¡¯s room was already in front of him.

    It was at this time that Brendel¡¯s keen sense of hearing allowed him to hear thest exchange between Akel and Dilferi. He would¡¯ve been better off not hearing it, as this almost made him go mad.

    Is he even human?

    He knew about the unpleasant rumors among some of the nobles in Aouine, but it disgusted him seeing that an older brother would do this to his own sister. It was absolutely uneptable in Brendel¡¯s mind, contradicting both in his modern beliefs and his world view as a simple young man from Be.

    His heart turned cold; The only other time he had felt such rage was when he witnessed what Graudin had done at Coldwood Castle. The Space Elemental Power solidified along with the fury of its master, and before Brendel even struck out with his sword, a white frost centered exploded outwards from him with ¡®boom.¡¯

    Brendel thrust his sword forward.

    The door splintered, and he saw a startled and bewildered face. Though the young man was physically handsome, his actions made him uglier than a devil.

 Chapter 626 - v4c11 Crystallization

    v4c11

    Crystallization

    Brendel¡¯s sword broke through the door, and the solid oak door was smashed to bits. His ck coat was like a blooming rose among the flying wood scraps. The rose petals opened, from which came an icy sword. The de of the sword pointed directly at the noble boy on the bed with one hand on the Countess¡¯ neck.

    Akel probably never thought that someone would suddenly break the door. Startled, he shrieked in a rush of rage, ¡°Damn you Anurek, where are you!¡±

    The next moment, Brendel saw a shadowing at him, but he had guessed that there was someone else in the house even before the boy shouted. He reflexively retracted his sword, and with a sharp ¡®nk,¡¯ Brendel felt the Halran Gaia blocking something. He narrowed his eyes and saw a transparent sword that shone like an icy crystal.

    ¡°Get out of here!¡±

    With that roar, the sharp crystal de pressed harder against the Halran Gaia, trying to sh Brendel¡¯s wrist. But the Halran Gaia projected forward, and its majestic power was like a tsunami that sent the thin crystal de flying.

    Brendel felt the gray shadow retreat and then saw the gray cloak of the sword-wielding man slip down to the floor. The person underneath the hood was like a monster from a nightmare, covered in dark smoke, its face could not be clearly seen.

    The ghostly figure hissed, there was both shock and anger in his voice. He did not think that this young man would have such terrifying power, unaware that it was because of Brendel¡¯s Spectral Knight Crystal. His strength was naturally much higher than others in the same realm, not to mention, achieving the Golden Peak at twenty years old was a miracle in itself.

    And Brendel was the creator of this miracle. He was not going to give the other party any chance to recover. His long ck coat closed in as wood shards continued to fall and another ck light struck at the strange man.

    ¡°sh......Sword!¡±

    The ghost hissed eerily as if it recognized Brendel¡¯s swordy. It had already been swept back towards the bed by Brendel¡¯s sword. It had no choice but to raise its crystal longsword in defense. However, as the two swords met, only a shattering sound was heard, and waves emitted from the crystal.

    Without saying a word, Brendel continued to move forward with the Halran Gaia in his hand, and in the next moment, the shining de in the gray-robed monster¡¯s hand exploded into countless pieces.

    The creature let out a scream, realizing the insurmountable gap in capability between him and the young man. At thest moment, it raised its head and sent a Debilitating Wave straight to Brendel¡¯s head.

    Debilitating Shock.

    The Debilitating Wave was moved extremely quickly, and with a very short distance between the two of them. It left no time or space for Brendel to dodge. The Debilitating Shock had pierced straight into his head before he could even react.

    Unfortunately, this time, the ghostly figure had clearly chosen the wrong target.

    Brendel¡¯s Willpower attribute¡¯s value had reached an outrageous number after being strengthened by the Blood of God and had be more invincible after receiving the Lightning Core imnt, resulting in a Willpower Barrier that was immune to most spells, including the Debilitating Shock.

    The ghostly figure¡¯s Debilitating Shock hit Brendel¡¯s Willpower Barrier: it was like a snowball smashing into a 1000 millimeter thick steel te. Brendel felt someone spying on him in his Willpower field. He smirked in his head as he coldly watched the Debilitating Wave scatter as if it had hit an invisible wall. Then, resulting bacsh swept back at ten times the speed.

    Brendel stared at the other party coldly.

    The ghost shrieked wretchedly; it hugged its head and started shaking wildly, but it was to no avail. Everyone present heard a cracking sound, and then they saw the monster¡¯s head exploded like how a ss ball would.

    Brendel panicked a little. He thought he would see the brains exploding and blood sttering everywhere. Of course, he did not mind, but there were a fewdies present here, and he didn¡¯t fancy being known as the head-busting maniac in Ampere Seale.

    To his surprise, the monster¡¯s head exploded as if it was a crystal ball. Pieces of crystals flew all over the ce, and they pierced the house like sharp des.l

    Brendel hurriedly activated the Colliding Halo. The crystal fragments only collided against the magic shield so he did not end up getting impaled by those crystals.

    On the other hand, the young nobleman named Akel was not so lucky. As he was watching the fight going on in the room, he did not expect the shadow¡¯s attack to be a suicidal attack. He was astonished, standing in front of Dilferi and blocking her from the exploding crystal shards.

    And so the result of it was obvious.

    The instant the crystal exploded, hundreds of shards as sharp as needles pierced into half of his body, slicing up that handsome face and even piercing through an eyeball, causing his eyeball to fall out of the socket like a chuck of rotten flesh.

    Akel, who had turned into a bloody lump, froze for a moment before he could react. He held his face and started screaming on the bed; his miserable scream was like that of a dying animal.

    Dilfer, who was still held down on the bed, used all her strength to push him away and struggled to jump off the bed. But she had forgotten that she was unable to walk, and fell off the edge of the bed andnded on the floor with a loud thud. The thud was followed by the Countess¡¯ cry in pain.

    Brendel felt a twist in his heart and he hurried over to Dilferi, pulling her up onto his back. The Countess was shivering and pale, she didn¡¯t even notice that her corset buttons were all opened. She did not even have the strength to hold onto Brendel¡¯s sleeve; the girl would have fallen to the floor if Brendel had not been holding her up.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, I......¡± It was as if Dilferi had been through a nightmare, the tears stains on her cheeks were still wet, and she could not say anything.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here for you.¡± Brendel saidfortingly.

    He looked at the bloody man wailing on the bed. Akel hadpletely stained the sheets red, cloth was sticking to his wounds and his actions ripped open new wounds causing more blood loss. Soon, he lost the strength to scream, and started shivering on his bed as if he was afraid of ripping open any more wounds.

    The wails gradually turned into whimpers of pain.

    It was obvious that this man was not going to survive. But Brendel had no sympathy for him, especially when he had seen Dilferi in her current state. Brendel was furious; he wanted to go up to this man and cast more spells at him, so the man could get a taste of pain again before he died.

    At this time, Princess Gryphine came up to the second floor. Her face changed as she saw the situation in the room. She nced at Dilferi; She instantly understood what had happened. ¡°Monster.¡± The princess spat out the word coldly.

    ¡°Who is he?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to say this guy¡¯s name, he¡¯s nothing more than a monster. He¡¯s the only heir to Baron Dahl, he¡¯s not Dilferi¡¯s biological brother. You should know who he is.¡±

    Princess Gryphine looked coldly at the bloody man who was sobbing on the bed, then she spoke to DIlferifortingly, ¡°Are you alright, Dilferi?¡±

    The Countess was able to present her strong side in front of Brendel, but she could not help but burst out in tears when she saw her ymate since childhood. The princess hastily helped her up andforted her warmly as she shot a re at Brendel.

    ¡°How long do you want to hold her in your arms?¡±

    That look meant......

    Brendel was startled.

    ¡°Let me take her to change, you made too much of a scene here. The Coast Guards will be here soon, do you want other people to see Dilferi like this?¡± The princess whispered.

    Only then did Brendele back to his senses and rush to help the crying Countess into the princess¡¯ arms. He then took a look at the nobleman on the bed, who was almost out of energy. Previously he had struck out of anger without much consideration, but now he realized that this situation was a little difficult to deal with. But it was this guy himself who had iting, otherwise, Brendel would have given him a chance to exin.

    Great, I somehow killed a noble without even knowing what he is here for.

    But what really puzzled Brendel was something else. He could not help but take one more look around the room. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Noticing his gaze, the Princess asked sharply.

    But Brendel shook his head: he had a vague suspicion but he was not entirely sure yet. He pointed to the bloody man on the bed and asked, ¡°Nothing. What should we do with this guy?¡±

    ¡°Please leave it to me, Count, Your Highness.¡±

    A cold voice was heard. Brendel and the princess looked back, startled, only to see Niya and the female knight looking at them with pleading gazes. Startled by the sight of those hate-filled eyes, Brendel hesitated, but eventually nodded.

    Five minutester, a final wail came from Dilferi¡¯s room, then it was quiet.

    The Coast Guards came slower than the princess had expected, and the Countess had already changed her clothes when they arrived. Brendel saw Dilferi appear in a wheelchair along with Princess Gryphine. the Countess was clearly still traumatized, clutching her shawl with both of her hands as if she could get somefort from it.

    But at least she was able to speak normally, the pale Countless looked up and saw Brendel. ¡°Mr.Brendel, thank you.¡± She said gratefully.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. So what is going on here?¡± Brendel asked. He did not believe the bastard hade from Yanbao Castle just to rape his sister. Besides, he had heard Akel asking Dilferi for something. He had a suspicion but wasn¡¯t sure of it yet.

    ¡°You heard it too.¡± The Countess¡¯ face was a little red, she never thought that Brendel would see such a humiliating scene, it was simply a disgrace to the family. ¡°My brother......he came to ask me for the Ring of the Sword Guardian.

    ¡°That¡¯s not your brother, he¡¯s just a monster.¡± Princess Gryphine was still angry. ¡°The Ring of the Sword Guardian was an honor bestowed upon the Sword Guardian¡¯s family by the royal family, and that guy wanted to obtain it in such a shameless way. Simply outrageous.¡±

    Brendel nodded. He was not surprised that this kind of bullshit was all there was left among the nobles of Aouine. The tactic¡¯s Dilferi¡¯s brother used was absolutely disgraceful. People who do such things towards a woman, especially one¡¯s own sister, do not deserve to be alive in this world.

    ¡°How is Yanbao so messed up?¡± He asked.

    This time it was Princess Gryphine who answered on her behalf, ¡°This is normal. With the Sword Throne shattered, some demons and monsters that were hiding will definitely seize the opportunity to create chaos. It would be rather suspicious if they did not.¡±

    The half-elf girl replied coldly as if she was used to seeing such things. Not only was she used to seeing it, she had experienced it herself once before. In front of absolute power, kinship was merely a thin veil that could easily be torn apart.

    ¡°No,¡± Brendel shook his head. ¡°I mean, did Count Yanbao, Miss Dilferi¡¯s father lost the ability to be in control? If I remember correctly, Dilferi, you took the three strongest swordsmen from Yanbao, but your father should still have a private army, right?¡±

    ¡°If Count Yanbao still had the slightest bit of control over his territory and subordinates, that guy wouldn¡¯t have been so arrogant.¡± Brandel did not finish the rest of his words, but his meaning was clear to both the princess and Dilferi. If Count Yanbao still had power, Akel would not have dared to openlye to Ampere Seale and take a shot at Dilferi.

    Although both Dilferi and Princess Gryphine were girls, they were both born into noble families, and hence were deeply aware of the rules and struggles of nobility. The Countess was the first to react: her expression changed as she asked urgently, ¡°Mr.Brendel, do you mean something might have happened to my father?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so uptight, Dilferi. Those guys are probably incapable of doing anything.¡± The princess shook her head whileforting her, ¡°The Holy Cathedral is making a big deal out of the fact that you can carry out demonic spells, and I actually knew about this. I originally thought that they couldn¡¯t do anything about it, but in my oversight...¡±

    ¡°The Holy Cathedral is condemning Dilferi for her ability to cast demonic spells?¡± It was the first time Brendel had heard this news and he was furious. The Holy Cathedral was the one that summoned the Devils, he was the one who gave the Devil Armlet to Dilferi, and Dilferi, daughter of a count, could not even walk on her own anymore because she cast demonic spells, sacrificing herself to save the entire port.

    And now the Holy Cathedral wants to bother her?

    Brendel took a deep breath and frowned, he held himself back with great difficulty from immediately going to the Holy Cathedral. He believed that Princess Gryphine was not the kind of person who would sacrifice others just to ensure the greater good.

    He looked at the princess.

    The half-elf princess sighed, ¡°This was not the intention of Archbishop Wood, it¡¯s the traitors who are allied with the Northern noblemen that did this. Besides, it¡¯s the Kirrlutz¡¯s fault for what has happened. I thought it was just a little trick they pulled to disgust us, I didn¡¯t think it would be misinterpreted by certain people.¡±

    The ¡®certain people¡¯ she was talking about were obviously Akel and Baron Dahl. But Brendel frowned.

    Is that so?

    ¡°Dilferi,¡± Brendel asked suddenly, ¡°Are you familiar with that uncle of yours?¡±

    ¡°Well, kind of. He¡¯s......not very well regarded, but he¡¯s said to be a very capable man. He¡¯s always been at odds with my father, but ording to the family traditions of Yanbao, extended families were not allowed to own private armies, only the Count could do that. So the conflict between him and my father was just a matter of not wanting to see each other.¡± Dilferi replied with a frown, she was obviously thinking about certain things as well.

    ¡°Do you know what kind of retainers he had before?¡±

    Brendel asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Dilfer shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the one Akel brought either. Niya might know something; she knows more about the people in the territory than I do.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked her.¡±

    Brendel replied. But this time he put on a serious look, ¡°Let me ask you onest question, Dilferi.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Did anything strange happen in the Yanbao region recently, or did anything like the Crystal Forest appear? ¡°

 Chapter 627 - v4c12 Siblings (1)

    v4c12

    Siblings (1)

    ¡°This is the Crystal Wight?¡±

    Princess Gryphine witnessed Brendel turning the gray man¡¯s body over to reveal a patch of amethyst-colored skin beneath the robe that had been cut apart. She looked up silently to see that the break at the corpse¡¯s neck was like broken ss; the whole part was crystallized, with nary a trace of blood oozing out.

    ¡°This is the Crystal Wight.¡± Brendel stayed by the corpse for a moment before replying. ¡°The living beings in certain magical crystals are affected by the Magic of the Moon. They be distorted and twisted into monsters. This Magic Beast is notmon and is only asionally found in magical crystal veins and crystal forests.¡±

    ¡°But it looks like a humanoid creature.¡± Princess Gryphine looked at the corpse quietly. ¡°And what in the world does that have to do with anything? Mr. Brendel, are you aware of what¡¯s happening at Yanbao?¡± She stood outside the door, not wanting to soil her hands with the blood that was everywhere in the house. Even though the beast¡¯s body had already been hauled out and disposed of, the countess told the Coast Guards that a devil ¨C which had fled during the Ampere Seale War ¨C attacked her brother, before proceeding to let these guards see the body, which was d in gray robes. All of those present couldn¡¯t help but feel an anxious chill upon seeing the tragic state Akel was in; since such cases have been happening recently in the port of Ampere Seale from time to time, no one suspected anything then.

    ¡°He was a human when he had still been alive,¡± Brendel replied without hesitation, and he picked up a shard of crystal. ¡°But it was the Crystallization that turned him into this.¡±

    ¡°Crystallization Disease?¡± Princess Gryphine lifted her head slightly and looked at Brendel with her beautiful silver eyes.

    ¡°I saw a case like this when I was learning about the scrolls. Some creatures living in the crystal veins gradually went mad and got the disease. Crystals grew on them and they became insane, then they began attacking humans.¡± Brendel stared at the crystal shard, the flowing light casting a narrow, glowing line on his face. ¡°This was the earliest case of Crystallization, which happens in the Wilderness of the Four Realms.¡±

    ¡°This sounds like Demonization,¡± the princess replied with a frown.

    ¡°This is demonization.¡± Brendel nodded, but then sighed. ¡°It¡¯s because of the denseness of the magic gathered in the crystal veins. It is easier to trigger a Magic Erosion like this. However, crystallization is very specific. No one is sure why creatures such as the Crystal Wights exist, Theoretically, the existence of any species in Vaunte has a continuing history, but only the history of the Crystal Wights is nk. There has been some research on them, but so far we still have no clue about their past.¡±

    The princess naturally assumed that the ¡®we¡¯ was referring to the ck Tower Mage, but in fact, Brendel had subconsciously used the yer¡¯s pronouns. In ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯, the Drama Party did investigate the Crystal Wights in-depth, but like Brendel said, all investigations led to the year before all glory was lost, then everything came to a dead end.

    Some believe there was a great secret hidden behind the Crystal Wights, but more experienced yers asserted that prior to the official further release of the history before the Lost Era of Glory, the origin of the Crystal Wights could only be a mystery. However, it was not easy to trace the history of the Crystal Wights before the Lost Era of Glory, and one of the yers¡¯ main sources of information was actually the library of Buga. Despite this, knowledge of the Crystal Wights prior to the Lost Era of Glory was still an unattainable thing, even to the wizards of Buga.

    Where exactly do these Crystal Wightse from?

    Brendel didn¡¯t really care about that. He only cared about the reason behind their sudden appearance in Aouine. There was no record of this in history at all, and it seemed that something was changing in the north, slowly deviating from the familiar course of history which Brendel knew.

    After listening to Brendel¡¯s reply. Princess Gryphine also fell silent, but after a while, she asked again, ¡°But Dilferi also said that there is no Crystal Forest in the vicinity of Yanbao.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where I¡¯m curious about,¡± Brendel replied.

    Princess Gryphine frowned in unease. She looked at Brendel. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°Because I found simr marks on Akel¡¯s body. Some crystals were growing on the back of his neck. Nobody noticed this because of the bloodstains.¡± Brendel turned back to meet her eyes. He replied with great certainty, ¡°That would exin why this guy suddenly became so deranged, Dark Magic amplifies the evil in the human heart. It¡¯s not an isted case; the crystallized disease is definitely spreading around Yanbao. Baron Dahl might already have decayed as well.¡±

    The princess¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°How did this happen? What do you think will happen to Yanbao? What should we do?¡±

    ¡°It is definitely not a good thing and for the time being, there¡¯s nothing we can do but keep it a secret from Lady Dilferi, at least until we¡¯re done with the mess in the north. Your Highness, you also understand the distance from Yanbao to Ampere Seale. We cannot and do not have the ability to meddle with Yanbao¡¯s business.¡± Brendel did not choose to reveal all of his worries, because some things were just a prediction to him, not to mention that he had no way to exin his vision of the future.

    He paused, only to remind her again, ¡°Besides, I¡¯m sure that Your Highness doesn¡¯t want anything to happen to Dilferi.¡±

    Princess Gryphine sighed quietly. ¡°When I was a child, Dilferi was my best friend. She didn¡¯t treat me like everyone else did, with their hidden motives and such, and I always thought of her as my sister. However, when she needed help, I couldn¡¯t do anything to help her. If anything happened to the Count, she would be devastated. I met the Count of Yanbao once when I was a child. He was a good father. Dilferi must have loved him dearly.¡±

    The half-elf maiden¡¯s tone was weak, and Brendel knew it was because she was reminded of her father, the historical King Oberg the Seventh, who had terribly spoiled his daughter. It could be said that Princess Gryphine once had a family that could be considered happy. But before he could think of any words to console the princess, she had already hardened her resolve.

    Princess Gryphine drew in a breath and replied. ¡°We have to resolve the mess in the North quickly, Mr. Brendel.¡±

    Brendel was slightly startled. He hadn¡¯t expected the princess to recover so quickly. In truth, he wasn¡¯t exactly good at politics, but the good news was that it was a ¡®historical problem¡¯. He thought for a moment before he spoke. ¡°Your Highness, the key to solving the mess in the North isn¡¯t us, but rather the Holy Cathedral of Fire. The Holy Cathedral of Fire was hoping to pressure us through the northern nobles, but it must be obvious that the Kirrlutz people are not happy tounch another war in recent times. It¡¯s just another game between the two sides.¡±

    Princess Gryphine narrowed her eyes. She looked particrly mesmerizing this way, but the cold glint in her slitted eyes showed a certain rity in the princess¡¯s mind. She understood this of course, but what annoyed her was that the Holy Cathedral of Fire was clearly ying with fire. The northern nobles were not one of Kirrlutz¡¯s dogs. On the contrary, they were a pack of wolves. These short-sighted beasts could disrupt the bnce of power at any moment for the slightest benefit. The people of Kirrlutz arrogantly thought they could control everything, but in reality, none of them could really control anyone.

    Even so, she had to be concerned about that.

    An endless stream ofpromisations was out of the question. Brendel assured her that this time no concessions would ever be made to the northern nobles, which was actually what the princess had been thinking as well. First, consolidate the forces in the south close to the royal family of Covardo, and then hold the entire north hostage to make them all bow down.

    But what price would she need to pay to make the Holy Cathedral support her? Those wretched Kirrlutz people, the stability of Aouine is what they truly need, yet they still wish to obtain even greater rewards.

    Ever since the Ampere Seale War, she had been working on ways to limit the Holy Cathedral¡¯s influence in Aouine, which was actually one of Brendel¡¯s ideas. However, the Holy Cathedral of Fire was clearly aware of this.

    She didn¡¯t want to make any concessions on that.

    However, Princess Gryphine suddenly thought of something. She looked up to Brendel. ¡°Mr. Brendel, will you wait here for a moment?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Help me with the matter here,¡± replied the princess. ¡°I want Count Jansu to look into this matter. Yanbao is on the edge of his territory. He¡¯ll be able to think of something.¡±

    That was one way to look at it, but Brendel had a feeling that the princess was hiding something. Before he could ask her about it, the princess had already walked down the stairs. Brendel looked at the corpse at his feet. Exasperated, he had no choice but to examine the gray-robed man¡¯s belongings. There were some bits and bobs, but he didn¡¯t find anything that could prove the man¡¯s identity.

    He straightened up and heard a familiar sound in the back ¨C it should be the sound of Dilferi¡¯s wheelchair. He looked back, and indeed saw a maid pushing the countess through the doorway.

    ¡°Have you gotten rid of those guys?¡± Brendel put down the odds and ends in his hands and looked at her withpassion. He couldn¡¯t imagine how big of an impact this incident was to the countess, but he was sure that it would cast a dark shadow upon the days toe.

    Dilferi nodded. The Coast Guards were pretty easy to get rid of. After all, those present were all nobles and there was even a princess as well. Her story was solid; the evidence was all there, and with the devils being active in the port of Ampere Seale recently, no one had any questions.

    After all, no one could tell if there was a crystal-like being among the devils, and that certainly wouldn¡¯t be human anyway.

    ¡°I already knew that Akel was notorious, but I didn¡¯t know that he was so insane. And Niya just told me something before it happened... I me myself for not protecting her.¡± Dilferi sighed in guilt.

    Brendel had more or less figured things out. When the female knight made that request earlier, he had already guessed the possibilities that might happen.

    However this was, after all, someone else¡¯s family matters, so he could only nod along awkwardly.

    ¡°But Mr. Brendel, I know Akel and Baron Dahl very well. I¡¯m worried about my Father, though the Princess said...¡± Dilferi was somewhat worried again. It was apparent that she was most concerned about this question.

    Although Princess Gryphine had consoled her with the Holy Cathedral¡¯s attitude, the countess was no fool; after much contemtion, she still thought that Brendel¡¯s predictions were more urate; otherwise, her brother wouldn¡¯t have been in Ampere Seale. After all, Yanbao was still some distance from this port, and after factoring the time from her brother¡¯s departure, the war in Ampere Seale should not have happened by then, let alone these rumors right now.

    Brendel looked at her and sighed. ¡°Dilfe-¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to lie to me again, aren¡¯t you?¡± Dilferi stared at Brendel and whispered, ¡°Mr. Brendel.¡±

    ¡°I...¡± Brendel was embarrassed. What do you mean I¡¯m going to lie to you again? However, he wasn¡¯t really sure if he¡¯d lied before when he thought about it. After all, his own past was one hell of a lie. Besides, it seemed unlikely that he would tell the truth when he had previously invaded thedy¡¯s estate.

    He thought about it and replied, ¡°Dilferi- may I call you that? I actually have some analyses of your father¡¯s situation that I don¡¯t know if you¡¯d like to hear.¡±

    ¡°Certainly.¡± The countess meekly, not knowing which question it was to which she was answering. ¡°You can just say it, Mr. Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Your father is most likely already in trouble,¡± Brendel replied.

    Dilferi gave a soft whimper. Brendel saw her grip the armrests of the wheelchair tightly, her hands white with exertion.

    ¡°You want to return to the territory immediately?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°Of course,¡± replied Dilferi, breathing softly. ¡°Mr. Brendel, if it were your family and your father is in danger, would you be unbothered by it?¡±

    Brendel shook his head. ¡°Of course not, but I don¡¯t suggest you go back.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. One of the possible situations your father could be in right now is that he is imprisoned, or that he has already been killed.¡± Brendel saw Dilferi¡¯splexion paling, but he continued. ¡°In the first case, once you return to the territory, your father will also lose his value.

    ¡°And in the second case, do you think you can avenge your father¡¯s death by returning to the territory in your present physical condition? It will be nothing more than an additional trophy for your uncle.¡±

    After Brendel had finished speaking, he stared at the countess closely, afraid that she would not be able to ept it and suddenly faint. However, Dilferi showed an unusual strength and resolve, and only after a while did she reply. ¡°If I die, will you, Mr. Brendel, avenge my death?¡±

    ¡°Of course I will.¡± But Brendel shook his head again. ¡°However, what would be the point? If you really think that vengeance could solve the problem, why don¡¯t you avenge him yourself instead?¡±

    ¡°Avenge him myself?¡± Dilferi was slightly startled, but then she got emotional. ¡°Can I? Can I even get revenge with my own hands, even in my present condition? Mr. Brendel, do you have any ideas up your sleeve?¡±

    Brendel nodded. ¡°Dilferi, you¡¯re just tired of life. Your current physical condition isn¡¯t irreversible. Besides, it¡¯s not like the count was necessarily killed, but as long as you live for a day more, he has a chance of being saved.¡±

    The countess fell silent.

    Brendel saw her take a soft breath. ¡°I see. Can I have some time to think about it, Mr. Brendel?¡±

    ¡°Take your time,¡± replied Brendel. ¡°But I also have to tell you that whether you agree with me or not, I am not going to allow you to go back to Yanbao alone. Please believe me. I am responsible for taking care of the hero of the port of Ampere Seale.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, you...¡± Dilferi had tears in her eyes, but she still couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Brendel. You are so obnoxious.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been like that,¡± Brendel replied without blushing.

    At this moment, he saw Princess Gryphine walking back from outside. The princess, who seemed to have finished her announcements, looked at the two of them, and though she had heard their previous conversation, she made noment. Rather, she only posed a question to Brendel.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, would you apany me to meet someone?¡±

    ¡°Meet someone? Now?¡±

    The princess nodded.

    Brendel was slightly stunned. He had vaguely guessed that the person Her Highness wanted him to meet might be rted to the peace talks with the north. Right now, it was the only thing that could change the princess¡¯s decisions, and only by solving the mess in the north could both Yanbao and this kingdom¡¯s future be saved.

    ¡°Who?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Archbishop Wood.¡±

 Chapter 628 - v4c13 Siblings(2)

    v4c13

    Siblings(2)

    Edessa the maid looked out the terrace, concerned. The sky was blue but a light veil of clouds invoked a sense of unease hidden in the rising harbor. Red-tiled roofs stretched far into the distance, the magnificent buildings outlining the peculiarndscape of the Pasha Road district.

    It showcased the mboyance of the nobles, refined andforting in every way. But the marks left by the storm were still there, and the broken tree branches strewn about in the uncleaned courtyard seemed to belie a bad omen.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have them cleaned up, the people downstairs are really stubborn.¡± Edessa sighed softly.

    She looked towards the man on the terrace. His long, dark brown hair was almost ck as it flowed like a waterfall over his red cloak edged with snow-white fur.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, Edessa. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll notice anyways, you know that. You don¡¯t really need to be so particr about things.¡± The man opened his mouth, his voice was as gentle as flowing water. He looked up as if he was taking in a deep breath, ¡°Well...do you smell it? It¡¯s the smell after a storm. Only now the air at its cleanest, like the world has been reborn.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s actually dirty outside this time of year, with broken branches and debris scraped off the roofs,¡± replied Edessa.¡± It¡¯s also a dangerous thing for ordinary people to be on the streets right now.¡±

    ¡°O Edessa, if you do not tell me, how shall I know? You are always like this ¨C is the world so useless in your eyes?¡± The man couldn¡¯t help butugh bitterly. Edessa was a little disturbed to hear his words, but she still replied, ¡°My task is to tell you what I see, Your Highness.¡±

    The man smiled slightly and did not reply.

    Suddenly she saw a flock of white pigeons towards the Nussock Street square. The attendant was startled to see the birds fly. She could only gaze at their freedom with amazement while her heart remained shackled and grounded. She turned back, looked to her master, and asked somewhat worriedly, ¡°Your Highness. Many days have passed.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± The man replied. Edessa could tell that he didn¡¯t sound very confident, but she knew her master¡¯s temper well enough to stop talking. Instead, she buried her anxiety deep in her heart.

    She had already gotten used to this.

    The house was silent for a time, and Edessa watched quietly as the flock of pigeons flew away. She suddenly remembered a story she had heard from an elder when she was a child. The birds from the north will migrate south through the storm, fighting their destiny day by day amidst thunder and lightning ¨C but was it really possible? She couldn¡¯t help but look at the silhoutte.

    ......

    Outside the carriage, bustling shops formed a unique atmosphere in the port. Although the smell of war seemed to have only faded just slightly, merchants once again filled Ampere Seale with prosperity and vitality.

    Brendel opened the carriage door and then carefully helped Amandina down from the carriage. Amandina was slightly embarrassed, as ¨C being his follower ¨C the situation should have been flipped around.

    The merchantdy was next. Romaine jumped perfectly from the carriage into Brendel¡¯s waiting arms. The merchantdy giggled out loud, causing Brendel to pinch her cheeks mischievously.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Romaine¡¯s little eyebrows immediately shot up.

    Brendel looked up, ncing toward the carriage on the other side of the square. The curtain of another carriage was lifted slightly as the half-elf girl watched them from behind and gave him a slight nod.

    Although Her Highness was anxious to find a way to quell the chaos in the north as fast as possible, the meeting with Archbishop Wood eventually was dragged on to the next day.

    The current Ampere Seale was created by the sh of forces from all sides. But in the end, it was the Princess¡¯s side which prevailed, triumphing over the Holy Cathedral and the northern nobles. After everyone learned of the once-great Holy Cathedral¡¯s catastrophic blunder, the organization was forced to keep a low profile.

    And as the person ultimately responsible for this incident, Wood was no longer the most important person from the Holy Cathedral of Fire in Ampere Seale. After he left his position as Archbishop, the Holy Cathedral had decided on a new candidate. The new Chief Archbishop, dys, was quite inconspicuous within the Holy Cathedral, but Brendel was familiar with this consistently neutral character. He was an old man who hadter served as Archbishop in the Kingdom of Antoburo. He had always pleaded for the Holy Cathedral to remain impartial and neutral, and his delegation to Ampere Seale also showed how Kirrlutz had changed their way of handling the rtions between the North and South. However, the newly inducted Chief Archbishop would not arrive until at least mid-year, so Wood still took care of some of the Chief Archbishop¡¯s daily routines.

    When the princess had taken him to meet with Wood ¨C who had been the acting Chief Archbishop yesterday ¨C she had not expected he would happen to be out of town on an appointment to pacify the people of themunity. The Chief Archbishop¡¯¡¯s invitation was only delivered to her by a servant the next morning.

    This time Brendel took Amandina with him, but the merchantdy mored to go along for some reason. It was mostly because after a series of discussions about the ownership of the Titan¡¯s wreckage, and as thedy who blew everyone¡¯s minds with her performance during the previous war, Romaine was considered to have yed a very important role. The greatdy¡¯s name was now well known throughout the port, so it wasn¡¯t a big surprise Brendel brought her along. Of course, the most important thing was that Brendel knew that he would never be able to defeat the mischievous merchantdy no matter what.

    Princess Gryphine, on the other hand, had brought her brother with her. The four carriages soon met in the central square, and at the invitation of Her Highness, Brendel, Romaine, and Amandina exchanged carriages. The three of them squeezed into the carriage painted with lilies and a crescent emblem. Brendel immediately saw little Prince Haruz who sat besides next to the princess.

    The historical Prince Haruz sat quietly beside his sister, and just as Brendel remembered a few years ago, he was still a meek teenager ¨C or rather, a child. Both of his hands rested somewhat sharply on his knees, his head drooped downwards. The soft hair on his forehead almost fell to the cor of his chest, and if he was not wearing a white shirt with the royal coat of arms and a sword with the lion¡¯s crest, it was hard to believe at first nce he would be the future king of Aouine.

    Seeing her brother in this state, Gryphine couldn¡¯t help but sigh. In her opinion, Brendel was bound to eventually upy an significant position in the kingdom, and she had wanted her brother to first form good connections with the kingdom¡¯s important ministers. n fact, she even wanted Brendel to be Haruz¡¯s teacher. This was certainly not only a fantasy! Brendel was now fully qualified to take on the position. If Brendel was still unwilling, then no one in all of Aouine except for an old monster like Tulman from the Medieval Era would be qualified to teach the prince.

    But Gryphine also knew her brother¡¯s capability. Official knighthood was difficult to obtain, and a poor student would adversely affect the reputation of his or her teacher. She knew Brendel did not need a royal pupil to boost his reputation, but he definitely wouldn¡¯t be happy to take on an unworthy pupil and destroy it.

    Of course, some people might covet the position to show favor to the crown. Gryphine was used to seeing instances like this. It was part of the reason why Oberwei was willing to teach her the Sword Art after all; the world knew how much King Oberg the Seventh favored his daughter.

    But unfortunately not everyone is like the Wolf Baron or Brendel. Princess Gryphine thought to herself, and sighed begrudgingly.

    But what she didn¡¯t expect was that while she was feeling a little hopeless about things, Brendel would have a big interest in the prince. Her Highness did not speak for a moment. He sat next to Amandina; the merchantdy was curiously opening a drawer on one side of the carriage to look for snacks. It obviously wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d been in Princess Gryphine¡¯s carriage. No one started a conversation in the carriage for a moment either, and in this brief silence, Brendel took a closer look at the future king of Aouine.

    Honestly speaking...

    It was the first time he had met the young prince in this life, and even in hisst life, he and the prince only had a handful of encounters. Although he had been in contact with the upper echelons of the kingdom during thest period of the Aouine¡¯s rise to power at that time, he was never familiar with the prince.

    Of course.

    Nominally, Haruz should have been considered the king of Aouine at that time.

    But for well-known reasons, such as the obstruction of the Duke of Arreck, the future king was robbed of independence. Besides the fact that hecked the ability to secure his freedom, the Prince Haruz in Brendel¡¯s memory was just as introverted as the present prince sitting before him. Cowardice was the most fatal w of a royal ¨C or even a noble.

    The Lord of the Kirrlutz londs, Hordn, had a famous line in the game: ¡°Nobles can be vicious, sinister, and greedy. They can even be ineffective. But they must never becking in determination!¡±

    Unfortunately, Prince Haruz happened to be one such person.

    This nature of his was said to be closely connected with the new queen of King Oberg the Seventh. This was only a rumor, but the court struggle in the pce had more or less bred the prince¡¯s timid temperament. Although Princess Gryphine had much favor with the old king, Brendel knew that it had actually been Seifer and the queen¡¯s side that had prevailed in the royal court.

    Prince Haruz in history finally came to his senses when his sister, Princess Gryphine, fell into dire straits. But it was all toote. And when Madara invaded Aouine for the third time, Aouine fell.

    After that, Brendel left this depressingnd. It waster rumored that Eikkel and Yo¡¯s daughter Era re-formed the rebellion. Some said that Prince Haruz was in the King¡¯s Capitol when the fire broke out, but he did not die. He was allegedly rescued by Buga the Cross andter married to Era.

    Despite that, all these were all just rumors, and no one had ever seen them together with their own eyes, much less Brendel who was already far away in Sanorso by then.

    But history didn¡¯t make Brendel despise the prince. Rather, it deepened his curiosity. He had read an article on the Inte by some Aouine blogger about the prince, and it was said that Prince Haruz, though shy and introverted, was actually outstanding in many ways, and especially gifted in learning magic and Sword Art.

    That article even hinted that the prince might be a Chosen One.

    Of course, this was only a one-sided, propagandistic story to Brendel. But it didn¡¯t prevent him from discovering the truth, and as far as he knew, Prince Haruz had tried to start learning Sword Arts as a child under the guidance of Princess Gryphine. It was said nothing had been working. His apparent ineptitude caused even Her Highness to despair, so where did the argument for that articlee from?

    Or was it just clickbait?

    Brendel looked at the hands of the young prince. They were white and slender, like a woman¡¯s. He couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. These were not the hands of a man who used a sword all the time, much less one who was gifted in Sword Art.

    It was well known that any talent came from painstaking training. Even a Sword Art genius like Buga was the fruit of countless hours of training; there was no such thing as getting results withoutbor! Of course, Brendel knew his situation was an exception, but he didn¡¯t think Prince Haruz was like himself ¨C an otherworld transmigrator.

    But did the young prince in history hate swordsmanship, or was he simplycking in talent? Exactly which side of the story was right? As Brendel sat in the carriage, Haruz seemed to notice his gaze and shrank his hands back in fright.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Her Highness immediately realized her brother¡¯s abnormality and asked with some displeasure. The royal family¡¯s education required their descendants to maintain a minimum level of decorum under all circumstances, and today Haruz¡¯s indecency was clearly a little too much.

    She knew her brother had always been introverted and fearful, but it was too much to be so sensitive. Especially since she didn¡¯t want Haruz to leave a bad impression in front of Brendel.

    Seeing his sister¡¯s sudden seriousposure, Haruz was shocked and stammered a reply, ¡°No...nothing, sister.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, the young prince is only ten years old this year, right? At this age, it seems a little too early to be practicing magic.¡± Brendel suddenly narrowed his eyes and spoke.

    The nobles often had their children study magic and knowledge with famous court sorcerers, such as Grandmaster Fleetwood, who had been Princess Gryphine¡¯s teacher before his death at the battle of Ampere Seale, and the mystic Garlock, the mentor of the first prince and his sister.

    But the fact remained that all Vaunte¡¯s magic ultimately involved drawing power from the sea of magic. While intended to weave thews, dark magic would affect the caster¡¯s body, so most wizards were physically weaker byparison.

    For this reason, while most started learning about magic theory at the age of four or five, actual lessons usually took ce after adulthood. At very least, magic lessons were in most cases dyed until after the age of thirteen.

    But Brendel had found something interesting about Haruz.

    He was almost certain that the young prince had practiced ck magic.

 Chapter 629 - v4c14 Siblings(3)

    v4c14

    Siblings(3)

    The carriage shook slightly as the wheels ran over the gap between the stone bs, the slight vibration made continuous rattling sounds, then it was quiet.

    Princess Gryphine seemed to have understood Brendel¡¯s question, and her silver-gray eyes showed a hint of confusion, ¡°Magic? Mr. Brendel, Haruz has yet to begin his training in magic. I intend to let him mature a bit more before considering it, especially since Haruz is royalty...... I don¡¯t really intend for him to get too close to the wizards.¡±

    It was a tradition in the world of Vaunte. Nobles often made their children practice magic, but the royal family rarely did so. Magic was rted to mysterious and unknown forces, and an heir to the throne had to be as far away from unpredictable dangers as possible. Even among more powerful noble families, eldest sons rarely became wizards. Even for Princess Gryphine herself, Fleetwood was no more than a teacher of the ult practices, witchcraft etiquette, and history.

    ¡°Is that so......¡± Brendel stared at the sides of the Magic Triangle between Haruz¡¯s thumb and forefinger, which was glossy and almost transparent, a phenomenon that was caused by at least one magical induced reaction, but it did not form a solidw like when he had put on the Wing Ring for the first time. There was only one spell Brendel remembered that would cause such a change, and that was ck Magic.

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem, Mr.Brendel?¡± Princess Gryphine frowned at her brother, and Haruz lowered his head in fear and put his hands between his knees.

    But Brendel spoke somewhat in a t tone, ¡°No, it¡¯s just that Your Highness¡¯ hands are more like those of a wizard¡¯s than a swordsman¡¯s. The average nobleman¡¯s children would have been already practicing swordsmanship by his age, right?¡± As he said this, he saw Haruz look up at him in surprise. Brendel noticed that Princess Gryphine was not paying attention, so he winked at the young Prince, which frightened the young prince to quickly lower his head for fear that his sister might notice.

    But the princess did not notice this, she felt her face turn warm. It was true that Haruz had started practicing swordsmanship a long time ago, but she couldn¡¯t just say that her brother was a useless boy. He did not even have the courage to hold up a sword, much less practice swordsmanship.

    ¡°Haruz, he......because I haven¡¯t had much time to take care of him since I left......¡± She finally sighed and took the me on herself.

    ¡°Sister......¡± Haruz said weakly.

    ¡°You shut up.¡± Princess Gryphine said sternly. ¡°You¡¯re part of the me too, and you should reflect on it.¡± Brendel chuckled, but looking at the brother and sister. He thought that perhaps the young prince¡¯s cowardly side had something to do with this eldest princess, as Princess Gryphine had a stronger personality than that of a regr older sister.

    After Haruz was reprimanded by his sister, he buried his head and kept quiet again, like a trembling animal.

    But then Brendel asked despite knowing the answer, ¡°There¡¯s still Sir Oberwei and Sir Makarov isn¡¯t there, and if I remember correctly, both of them are famous swordsmen of the kingdom.¡±

    He suddenly noticed Romaine who was standing at the side of the room feeding a biscuit to the white catying on herp, he did not even notice when the little thing appeared. The cat held her head up and narrowed her eyes at him. On the other side of the room, Amandina noticed her lord¡¯s gaze and she looked back curiously, reaching out to pet the cat¡¯s head.

    Brendel turned back after he saw the cat closing its eyesfortably. The Princess noticed it as well, but she had yet to grasp the purpose of Brendel¡¯s question. Instead, she replied, ¡°They have all taught Haruz before. But Haruz¡¯s talent in swordsmanship......¡± The half-elf girl looked disappointed and somewhat helpless.

    A long time ago, nobles had to lead their people into battle to fight against demonic invasions and the strength of the nobles showed their capability of protecting their people. Though as civilization became widespread and peace settled in, a nobleman¡¯s swordsmanship nowadays holds more symbolic meanings than practical usage, but as an heir to the throne, if he was incapable of swordsmanship, it would more or less affect his authority in the eyes of his people.

    ¡°The talent in swordsmanship is only one aspect of the problem. A normal person enters the golden age of learning at the age of twelve, so it¡¯s too early to make assertions. But for a qualified swordsman, the first thing he must have is the courage to ovee himself.¡± Brendel looked at Haruz as he said this. He did not know if this prince actually possessed natural talent, but he understood that the crux of the problem was not about talent.

    Rather, it was about courage.

    Princess Gryphine looked at him in surprise. The princess could tell that Brendel had more to say. ¡°Mr.Brendel, what do you mean?¡±

    She had started to feel a little hopeless. Oberwei had taught Haruz the art of swordsmanship for a period of time, and although the Wolf Baron was patient, he was unable to help Haruz build up the courage to face his own sword.

    Brendel nodded. This was what he had originally thought. In his vision, a kingdom like Aouine would eventually move towards a polity simr to the oligarchy the Kirrlutz had around the second century. It seemed that the princess was aware of this as well. However, he did not want thest monarch of Aouine to be seen as weak and easily manipted.

    Moreover, if those yers on the forum were right, Haruz had supposedly be an outstanding monarch.

    ¡°Do you also wish for me to be Prince Haruz¡¯s teacher, Your Highness?¡± He thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Though I don¡¯t have much experience, so I can¡¯t guarantee that I¡¯ll be able to teach the prince anything.¡±

    Brendel was not being humble, he was being precautious. Oberwei and Fleetwood had served as the young prince¡¯s teachers before him, and he considered himself to be nothing more than a man with good foresight and was evencking in some areaspared to other outstanding figures in this era.

    In addition, he really did not have much experience either. However, he was inclined to use this young prince as an experiment, because even the worst possible oue would not bring any negative consequences, and the oue would be extremely rewarding if it was a sess.

    Besides, a good rtionship with the future king would help him gain a higher reputation, among both the princess and Haruz. Brendel knew very well how much the princess cared for her brother.

    Princess Gryphine¡¯s thoughts werepletely different from Brendel¡¯s. The legacy of Sword Saint Darius alone was enough for Brendel to be the prince¡¯s teacher and she was aware of the massive connections that came with the fact, not to mention that Brendel himself was an excellent and knowledgeable swordsman.

    She took a soft breath. It had really deepened her fondness for Brendel, and with great difficulty, she quickly restrained her feelings of surprise. She said to her brother beside her, ¡°Haruz, greet your teacher.¡±

    But Haruz lifted his head and looked at Brendel a little fearfully and mumbled, ¡°Sister......¡± he was still worried about Brendel uncovering his secret earlier.

    Princess Gryphine was unaware of the her brother¡¯s thoughts and she frowned like a strict mother, ¡°Haruz, Mr.Brendel is the descendant of the Sword Saint Darius, and his swordsmanship is even better Mr. Bug¡¯sa, not to mention Mr. Brendel is profoundly knowledgeable, and even Grandmaster Fleetwood and Garlock had praised him for that. Whatints do you have about having him as your teacher?¡±

    Her tone grew harsher, startling Haruz. Only then did the young prince reluctantly bow his head to Brendel and whispered, ¡°Teacher.¡± The voice was faint and soft like amb¡¯s, Brendel did not know what to feel about it. He could clearly tell though that the prince was respectful, but anyone would have greeted him under such pressure.

    The good thing was that he was not in a hurry, Haruz was just a weak child after all. If he could not even handle a child after living twice, he should just go home farm potatoes.

    Besides, Brendel had leverage over this prince.

    Brendel could not help but smile and shake his head at the thought.

    And then the two exchanged swords ording to the customs of the Vaunte world, but of course, it was just ritualistic. Haruz first took his own sword and handed it to Brendel, then Brendel would turn around and give his sword back to the prince. In ancient times, this ritual symbolized the teacher¡¯s gift of knowledge to the student. But nowadays this ritual has be a ceremonial formality.

    And afterpleting this ritual, Brendel and Prince Haruz had be teacher-and-student. In fact, Brendel had heard of this ritual as a yer, though he did not know the details of it. Generally, a teacher would teach his students for an observation period, and the ceremony would only be officially performed when the teacher was satisfied, so of course, he was not aware that the princess had taken advantage of this and rushed him to perform this ceremonial ritual.

    In Vaunte, once the teacher-student status was established, it could not be easily removed.

    But the good news was that Brendel did not actually care about that. Rather, if Princess Gryphine found out that this knight only intended to use her brother as an experiment, she might stab him to death in this carriage with a sword.

    Unfortunately, both of them were plotting their own schemes, and neither of them realized what the others¡¯ were nning.

    The carriage soon arrived at its destination- the entrance to a manor located in the Pasha Road District. The rebuilding of the Ande Cathedral was far fromplete, so Archbishop Wood was staying here for a while. Both Princess Gryphine and Brendel had heard that thisnd was supposed to be a property of House Seifer in Ampere Seale, but neither of them were narrow-minded people, so they didn¡¯t mind.

    The carriage stopped in front of the courtyard, and it was obvious that Wood had prepared for the princess¡¯ visit. A servant led everyone into the courtyard. As soon as they got off the car, Amandina quickly dragged Romaine to the front along with the princess, leaving Brendel and Prince Haruz at the back.

    This was actually a tradition, the princess understood that as a teacher, Brendel might have something to say to his student. But she admired Amandina for being so smart and capable that she was even one step ahead of her.

    These manners of the upper nobilities were not well known and even many noble families didn¡¯t pay attention to such thins.

    She could not help but look at Amandina again as she thought of that.

    On the other side, Brendel did have something to say to Haruz. But as soon as he got out of the car, he saw Prince Haruz walking alone for at least two or three meters away from him. The young prince was quite aware of basic etiquette and did not dare to walk ahead of him and instead walked side by side with him.

    Brendel looked at the prince walking with his head down amusingly, he certainly knew what the other was afraid of, ¡°Your Highness Haruz......¡±

    Haruz was shocked and looked up at him, ¡°Ye-yes....teacher?¡±

    ¡°Does the princess not know yet?¡± Brendel asked.

    Haruz¡¯s face went pale, ¡°Tea-teacher, I......¡±

    ¡°Who taught you that?¡± Brendel asked. He was, of course, talking about this young prince¡¯s practice of ck Magic. He had not brought it up in front of the princess at the time, partly because he wanted to keep it as leverage, and partly because he did not want to cause amotion over this.

    A prince practicing ck Magic was natural in Madara. But in Aouine, a kingdom ruled by the Holy Cathedral of Fire, it was a big deal. Brendel¡¯s first thought was that it was a conspiracy, but he did not rule out other possibilities.

    First, he would need to get answers from Haruz.

    But Haruz shook his head vigorously, ¡°No, no one taught me......¡±

    It certainly did not sound like the truth. But Brendel was puzzled to see the young prince¡¯s face all red, and it did not seem like he was lying, Brendel was slightly surprised. Could it be what I thought?

    He asked curiously, ¡°What is going on Haruz? Now that I¡¯m your teacher, you must answer my questions truthfully. I promise to not tell your sister.¡±

    This statement was obviously effective on Haruz. The young man looked up at Brendel doubtfully, but finally, he found the courage to say, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°I keep my words. Even the princess trusts me, will you trust me too?¡± Brendel replied a little sheepishly. He could not help but feel like scratching his face, feeling a little embarassed at his own words. It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m just cating a young kid. I¡¯ll pretend this never happened.

    Haruz considered it for a while and then nodded honestly, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know why, teacher.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Brendel was stunned, his answer was the same as if there was no answer. But he caught on and continued to ask, ¡°You don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just... I don¡¯t know if that counts as magic...¡±

    ¡°Have you been secretly visiting the royal library?¡± Brendel immediately pursued the question.

    Haruz was slightly startled and a little scared, he looked at him and nodded. Sure enough, Brendel knew what was happening and asked, ¡°Did you read the book inside?¡±

    He nodded again.

    ¡°You mimicked what¡¯s in there?¡±

    ¡°Well......¡± He replied subtly.

    ¡°How many times?¡±

    ¡°Only once..you must not tell my sister, Count.¡± Haruz pleaded in a small voice. In his eyes, Brendel was like a mind reading monster, he could not tell how this Count had guessed everything.

    It was the only time that he had inadvertently entered the forbidden zone before leaving the capital. And he thought no one else would know about it.

    He could not help but look at Brendel with some fear.

    Brendel was looking at his new student as well. He was sure that some of the things said on the forum might be true.

 Chapter 630 - v4c15 Siblings(4)

    v4c15

    Siblings(4)

    ¡°Master Archbishop.¡±

    Edessa walked through a corridor and immediately saw the former Chief Archbishop of Ampere Seale pruning the flowers in the courtyard with a pair of clippers in hand. The old man was dressed in a long robe. His back faced her while he bent his head close to the lush green branches, looking absorbed in his work.

    Wood shuddered slightly when Edessa called him. He turned around with a slight smile. ¡°Edessa, you¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Chief Archbishop. May I ask why you were looking for us?¡± Edessa bowed and asked.

    Wood put away the clippers and turned around, casually cing a cut branch on the stone table in the courtyard. Edessa saw his silver-gray eyebrows rx as he spoke to her. ¡°Go fetch your master and tell him that if he wishes to meet me, then the day to do so is today.¡±

    The attendant stood there dumbfounded. It seemed as though she wasn¡¯t able to respond for a moment, but after a brief pause, a glimmer of surprise appeared in her eyes. ¡°Master Archbishop- ¡±

    ¡°There is no need to thank me on behalf of your master, Edessa,¡± Wood said, but then he waved his hand. ¡°I have promised you nothing; he earned this opportunity, but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s ultimately up to you all to convince Her Highness and that man.¡±

    ¡°Only you would give us a chance, Master Archbishop.¡±

    ¡°Then hurry up and get ready,¡± Wood replied.

    Edessa hurriedly nodded. She bowed to this former Chief Archbishop of Ampere Seale with her utmost sincerity and then backed away. The old man sighed as he watched her leave the courtyard, watching her figure disappear down the corridor. He picked up the clipper again, but right then, the sound of rustling footsteps came from the other side of the corridor.

    He was slightly startled and stopped what he was doing again.

    ......

    The squire led Brendel, the princess, and her party through the corridor. The sunlight seeped in between the neatly trimmed walls of flowers and other nts outside, leaving a streak of light which resembled the stripes of a zebra on the floor of the corridor.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, Haruz will be in your hands,¡± the princess said softly after she casted a nce at Haruz, who was silent, upon seeing them noticing them walking at the back.

    Brendel also looked at the young prince.

    In fact, Haruz was also discreetly looking at his gaze. The prince¡¯s eyes ¨C which were not quite the same as his sister¡¯s somewhat dark gray eyes ¨C were full of anxiety, and there was even a tinge of pleading in his gaze. Brendel couldn¡¯t help but be a little amused. He didn¡¯t really say much; he simply promised to keep the young prince¡¯s secret.

    He was, of course, capable of keeping a secret, but not this one. He knew that the true secret was that this young prince of Aouine might have some kind of unusual talent in him, like the one which was described in the article in a previous forum: with just a nce at those obscure ck magic books, one could master all the spells. Even the talented Buga Wizards of the People of SIlver could only regret their inferiority for not possessing such a talent.

    However, now was not the time to reveal this secret to the public. On one hand, he did not want Haruz to be arrogant because of it, and on the other hand, he wanted to protect His Highness, the tiny Crown Prince of Aouine.

    He gave a light nod at the princess¡¯s request.

    Light began to fill their vision; the hedge of holly trees hade to an end. The squire led them around the corner of the corridor, and then Brendel saw the former Chief Archbishop of Ampere Seale.

    To him, Wood looked thinner than he had been half a month ago, but also much more rxed, as if the old man had been waiting for them for a long time. He smiled immediately when he saw them. ¡°Princess Gryphine, Mr. Brendel, the two of you have arrived.¡±

    Then, he looked further behind them. ¡°Miss Amandina, Miss Romaine, and His Highness, it¡¯s good to see you all.¡± Amandina nodded politely, while little Romaine beside her waved vigorously at the Chief Archbishop. Only Prince Haruz stood behind everyone timidly.

    Princess Gryohine sighed at the sight of her brother. She bowed slightly to Wood. ¡°Master Archbishop,¡± the princess looked up and directly said. ¡°We are here regarding the negotiations with the north.¡±

    Wood froze before heposed himself again. The princess of Aouine was so direct, her poise indicating that she had no qualms about the price. It was clear that she was telling him that she wasn¡¯t about topromise on the issue.

    Princess Gryphine¡¯s attitude wasn¡¯t quite what he expected, but that was precisely why he couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He understood the princess¡¯s determination from the start. The Holy Cathedral of Fire thought it had a victory in hand, but it had ended up causing a huge problem.

    Although the Holy Cathedral had alreadypromised countless times with Aouine¡¯s problems, it was clear that today was the final major event. If this princess could solve the problem in the north with a single move, then Aouine¡¯s unification and even revival would only be a matter of time.

    The Kirrlutz would not be happy to see a revived Aouine, but there was no core conflict between the two yet after all. Compared to the Hawk¡¯s empire, Aouine was nothing more than a small kingdom that was content to live on borrowed peace. The same was true for Wood, who was a more faithful believer in the way of the Holy Cathedral of Fire than the Kirrlutz, and thus at one time advocated the neutral attitude of the Holy Cathedral.

    Even though this attitude couldn¡¯t continue to be maintained, he still supported every one of the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s actions. Those actions taken had proven to be wrong, but the former Chief Archbishop of Ampere Seale needed to consider solutions in repairing the damage caused by those mistakes, rather than questioning the actions of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    He pondered for a moment, but he still didn¡¯t speak. Brendel, who was on the other side, replied, ¡°Master Archbishop, Aouine, after all, believes in the doctrine of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. The Holy War is imminent, and I¡¯m sure the Holy Cathedral doesn¡¯t want to see its allies fall into civil strife. But if there¡¯s Aouine, then neither the foolish Holy Cathedral of Earth nor Madara will be an issue for the KIrrlutz.¡±

    Wood flinched.

    His gaze flitted over to Brendel. This was the fourth time he had seen this young man, and it was this young man that gave the Holy Cathedral of Fire a great deal of trouble, but Wood had no animosity towards Brendel. Instead, he had some appreciation for the man.

    ¡°Did you say the Holy Cathedral of Earth and Madara?¡± he asked, his eyebrows raising. ¡°Mr. Brendel, I heard you were one of the first people to escape from Be and went through that war, and yet you speak those words. Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s because of the stigma against the ck Rose of Bramando?¡±

    Brendel was amused. It is impossible for Madara¡¯s change to be hidden from everyone, especially Sanorso and Kirrlutz, the two empires bordering it. The Holy Cathedral of Fire must have already had information about Madara¡¯s stirring. Why else could they have reacted so quickly in the First ck Rose War and immediately ordered their retreat?

    But the worst thing was that the Kirrlutz clearly intended to let these fools run free. Aouine was simply more of an important chess piece to them, but it was not impossible to give them up. Based on everything that urred in the other history, he judged that the bottom line for the Kirrlutz people was when Aouine at least kept the northern part of Ampere Seale. That was why Madara had made such smooth progress in the Second ck Rose War.

    The Kirrlutz people had a wishful n of using Madara to hold the attention of Sanorso, and it was only after the Third War of the ck Rose when Madara finally came back to their senses. But by then, everything was toote, and that was the reason why a prolonged war followed.

    Brendel shook his head as he recalled the memories of the war that had taken ce in the Alkash Mountains. He shook his head. However, he could still see through Wood¡¯s facade. ¡°If it were only a prejudice, I would not have mentioned the ck Rose of Bramando. Unless I missed out on some of Aouine¡¯s enemies?¡± he replied.

    He paused, and then spoke in a veiled manner. ¡°If Aouine blocks Madara¡¯s path north to the west, those douchebags will have to head east to look for an exit now.¡±

    Wood immediately fell silent.

    The old man clearly understood that the young man in front of him had seen through everything, including Madara¡¯s and the Kirrlutz¡¯s ns. He looked deeply at Brendel. ¡°Madara has recovered the Mercury Staff. The rise is inevitable. As far as I know, their emperor has already gained great prestige in this war. The time to consolidate this ancient kingdom is imminent. I fear that it will be a few years at most for the time when the undead march north and west.

    ¡°And will Aouine be able toplete its unification and have the ability to resist the Madara invasion by then?¡± He looked over at Brendel. Wood did not make a false im this time, for he knew it would be nothing more than a waste of their time.

    But before Brendel spoke, he reminded, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that there¡¯s another war in northern Aouine. The Holy Cathedral of the Earth has started on the Holy Sword early because of the sword you have, Mr. Brendel.¡±

    Princess Gryphine was listening quietly. Amandina frowned as well. They had actually all heard Brendel speak about the threatening nature of Madara, and the princess herself recognized it as well, but they didn¡¯t think that time would be so pressing.

    When the half-elf princess heard the rumors about the Mercury Staff, she couldn¡¯t help but gently inhale a breath and ask, ¡°Mercury Staff? Are the rumors actually true? That it was Loki¡¯s Mercury Staff?¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Wood nodded.

    ¡°How is this possible? Why didn¡¯t the Holy Cathedral of Fire tell us about these things at all beforehand?¡± Princess Gryphine couldn¡¯t help but feel some frustration. ¡°Isn¡¯t Aouine also under the rule of the Holy Cathedral of Fire? Whether it be the royal family of Covardo or House Seifer, they had been faithful to the doctrines of the Holy Cathedral of Fire for generations because we believe in the me King¡¯s righteousness and integrity. But Archbishop Wood, what do you take us for!¡±

    ¡°It is because the Kirrlutz people never believed that Aouine could withstand the invasion of Madara, and they were powerless to fight simultaneously with the Holy Cathedral of Earth, Sanorso and Madara¡¯s mediators. Thus, they had to give up a portion of their interest in Aouine so that the undead of Madara could stir trouble with the Wind Elves, Your Highness.¡± Brendel replied.

    Princess Gryphine stared angrily at Archbishop Wood, and Archbishop Wood was embarrassed. He wondered why the young man always seemed to be able to catch a glimpse of what they were nning. He coughed and replied, ¡°It¡¯s not exactly like that, but Mr. Brendel is right; the Holy Cathedral is not omnipotent in the end, and the Kirrlutz also have many enemies. Aouine must still save themselves even if they could resist Madara¡¯s invasion, and we may not necessarily give up our interests here, as I¡¯m sure you can understand.¡±

    The princess took a breath and then calmly nodded. ¡°I understand, but Archbishop Wood, you should understand this now. Aouine has such a wish, but will the Holy Cathedral of Fire support this?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Wood shook his head. ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m sure you understand. There are also many factions within the Holy Cathedral, and not everyone supports you. It is really up to you to gain the support of others and n on how to solve this problem. There are many entrenched noble forces in Northern Aouine, and you can¡¯t expect them to sit still and await their death.¡±

    ¡°But the problem now is not that I expect them to sit still and resign themselves to fate, but that they want me to do so instead,¡± the princess bit her lip and replied coldly. ¡°The nobles in the north are stirring, each wanting independence. I will neverpromise with them on this issue, and if they want war, I can only give them war, but I would like to know, which side will the Holy Cathedral be on?¡±

    She looked up at Wood, knowing clearly in her heart that arge portion of the northern nobles might, in fact, choose topromise if the Holy Cathedral did not stand with them.

    But Wood shook his head. ¡°Your Highness, I can stand by you, but that doesn¡¯t mean anything, as you should well understand. Especially now that I¡¯m not considered the Chief Archbishop of Ampere Seale anymore. There is no way the Holy Cathedral will give up its influence in the north.¡±

    This was like a dead end, but there was always a solution to a problem. Brendel looked at Wood and suddenly spoke. ¡°So you have a solution to this problem, right, Archbishop Wood? Why don¡¯t you tell us about it?¡±

    Wood was slightly taken aback and he looked at Brendel. Brendel, however, continued. ¡°I remember that you told Amandina, who is my assistant, that you might be able to fix the chaos in the north.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Wood shook his head. ¡°Mr. Brendel, it is not me, but someone else.¡±

    ¡°Someone else?¡±

    Both Brendel and Princess Gryphine were stunned. They couldn¡¯t help but stop and look at each other.

    ¡°Who?¡± The princess asked. She couldn¡¯t think of anyone who could resolve the chaos in the north. The bishops in the Holy Cathedral of Fire? Or the Emperor of the Kirrlutz Empire, or the Buga people? The Silver Elves?

    She even thought of the dragons for a moment.

    But Archbishop Wood said, ¡°That man also wants to see you. However, he needs your permission before doing so. You all may not wish to see him due to certain reasons, especially you, Princess Gryphine.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Princess Gryphine pointed to herself in confusion. ¡°Why? And who in the world is that, Archbishop Wood?¡±

    Instead, Archbishop Wood asked, ¡°Princess Gryphine, are you acquainted with your brother?¡±

    ¡°My brother?¡±

    The princess suddenly let out a light gasp.

 Chapter 631 - v4c16 Siblings(5)

    v4c16

    Siblings(5)

    Levin Ornassen Seifer, historically the titr brother of Princess Gryphine.

    Compared to his fame before the Aouine¡¯s Civil war, after the war, the name of the king¡¯s eldest son disappeared into obscurity. Some said that he died in the chaos, some said that he became a puppet of Duke Seifer and the Queen, while others said that the princess spared his life and set him free. The historical truths behind the romanticized folk tales felt obvious, yet also surprising..

    After Wood¡¯s introduction, Brendel and the princess waited in the vestibule for about a quarter of an hour, during which no one spoke, and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of the Archbishop pruning trees. No one could fathom why the Ampere Seale¡¯s Archbishop would let a man with such a sensitive identity, the king¡¯s eldest son, appear to the public. It did not seem like a wise thing to do.

    The princess did not necessarily want to see her brother, nor was it certain that a man who was their enemy not so long ago would want to help them either. Although it might be possible, it would certainlye with conditions.

    Brendel could not guarantee that the princess would be willing topromise with her enemy. But a momentter, he heard soft footstepsing from behind the green wall, and everyone turned around and saw a maid leading a noble youth through the wall foliage towards him and the princess.

    Although they have never met before, Brendel could tell immediately that this might be that prince from history. The man was not dressedvishly: a in military uniform,vender-colored, with a long cloak that spilled onto the green meadow. Blended into the afternoon sun, he looked like a wealthy knight in ces like Braggs, Magitan, or Castle Kurco, and not so much an undefeated crowned prince.

    The youth had a sword hanging from his waist, not a fragile unusable sword, but a cavalry sword. The leather on the hilt was so worn out that it didn¡¯t even look like it belonged to the royal family. But this could not be used to determine whether the owner of the sword was an expert swordsman. On that calm and rxed face was a pair of tightly closed eyes with longshes hanging softly over his eyelids as if he was asleep ¨C or blind.

    The prince was extremely handsome, but he was blind. Clearly, a blind person could not practice swordsmanship and could hardly even be involved inplex conspiracies, let alone bing Aouine¡¯s king.

    Brendel could not help but nce at the princess beside him. The princess looked surprised too. There was a slight hesitation in her eyes, but she still asked, ¡°Brother Levin......your eyes?¡±

    She sounded hesitant and appalled.

    ¡°It was just a small incident, it¡¯s no big deal, Gryphine.¡± Prince Levin looked unconcerned. With a smile on his face, he continued, ¡°But rather, having lost my eyes, I am able to see more clearly, as men are often deceived by what they see.¡±

    He added, ¡° Gryphine, we have not seen each other for nearly ten years since we bid farewell at Winter Castle. Now to think about it, you should be seventeen this year. You must be taller and more beautiful now, I¡¯ve heard a lot about youtely.¡±

    He spoke in a casual tone as if he was really talking to his sister and not his enemy. Though in a way, his sister was the one responsible for his awkward status today.

    After a short moment of silence, Princess Gryphine spoke, ¡°That¡¯s all in the past, brother, and this time you¡¯vemitted many wrongdoings. The kingdom, father, the people; no one will forgive you, and everything will turn onto the right track.¡±

    ¡°I will not shirk my responsibility, but my position as the prince makes it necessary for me to support my mother. Despite that she has failed, despite that Duke Seifer has died along with his defeated army, and even despite that I¡¯ve be a prisoner. Gryphine, you must think that I hold a grudge, but it is not so, and I have note here today to seek forgiveness. I hope you understand this. No matter how things change, I am still a member of Aouine¡¯s royal family.¡± Levin smiled with drooping eyelids.

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is......¡± Princess Gryphine was startled, and she looked at Brendel, who was also slightly confused.

    Brendel frowned as well, wondering where the prince wasing from. He pondered the history of Levin Ornassen Seifer. What kind of man was Seifer? There were countless rumors of him, and few described the prince positively. At least before now, he never knew that the prince was blind, and did not appear to be newly blind.

    What kind of character does such a prince have? Is he headstrong or ambitious? No rumor could not answer these questions, but at least from his current appearance, it was clear that the prince was aplicated man. And it¡¯s hard to tell whether he was involved in the conspiracy between Duke Seifer and the queen.

    But in any case, his identity was very sensitive at present. Being the only son of the queen and King Oberg the Seventh, he was the only eligible heir of the Seifer Family. And he was certainly aware of it.

    What else would he be after, other than a deal? What could this prince possibly want?

    It would be too naive of him to try re-inheriting the Seifer family. Since the king¡¯s eldest son had said that he was not expecting forgiveness, presumably, he would not make such a childish request.

    Brendel lifted his head. The maid beside Levin whispered something to this prince, and he saw the king¡¯s eldest son turn back to him and smile:¡± This is Mr. Brendel? I have heard of your deeds. Your performance in the first battle of Ampere Seale was indeed heroic. Even thete King Erik could barelypare.¡±

    Brendel looked at Princess Gryphine and saw no displeasure on the half-elf girl¡¯s face, but instead one of agreement. He turned back and replied with ease, ¡°Your Highness is speaking too highly of me, the hero of Ampere Seale was not just one person. And your highness speaks too kindly, everyone just wanted to save themselves.¡±

    ¡°I agree, it is because people know to save themselves and struggle for their life that civilization continues to this day. The history of mankind and other intelligent races is an epic in itself. Thousands of heroes have emerged, not by chance, but by necessity.¡± Levin smiled and nodded, causing Brendel to notice the prince¡¯s long, shimmering, dark ck hair. His long hair draped over his shoulders and fell like a waterfall. Such hair color was rare in Aouine, and his hair had a deep purple tint.

    ¡°Brother.¡± Princess Gryphine interrupted, that was not what she wanted to hear, ¡°Archbishop Wood says that you have a solution to the chaos in the north. Are you going to make a deal with me with this?¡±

    The king¡¯s eldest son stopped, then nodded seriously.

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    ¡°You should understand that it¡¯s impossible-¡± Princess Gryphine frowned but she was immediately interrupted. Prince Levin smiled, ¡°I understand, Gryphine, but you guessed wrong. I¡¯m not trying to offer this as a condition for anything, how about you two listen to I¡¯m thinking?¡±

    ¡°What you¡¯re thinking, brother?¡± The Princess was slightly startled.

    Levin nodded, then said to Wood beside him, ¡°Lord, may I have a moment alone with the Princess and Mr. Brendel?¡±

    Wood, who was holding a pair of scissors, stopped. He looked at the king¡¯s eldest son and nodded, then casually put the scissors away. He said to Gryphine and Brendel, ¡°Your Highness, I more or less know what your brother is thinking, and although it¡¯s a bit radical, it¡¯s not a bad idea. At least in the current situation, please consider it.¡±

    After saying that, this former archbishop of Ampere Seale gently straightened his robes and walked out to the courtyard.

    The princess frowned as she watched Wood leave.

    ¡°So, brother, what exactly do you have in mind?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Gryphine, as your former enemy, you must be suspicious of my intentions, right?¡± Levin did not answer her directly but asked this instead. He sounded casual, as if he was joking with a friend.

    However, the question sounded a bit silly, it was natural to be suspicious of strangers, not to mention enemies. Brendel knew that the prince was not a fool, and he clearly had a purpose saying so, so he just waited quietly for the answer.

    The princess understood this as well, but she still nodded, ¡°On a personal level, I know what you are like, and I would like to believe you, Brother Levin. But you should understand that politics have no ce for personal feelings and weakness.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but you may be mistaken about something. There is no conflict between us, and perhaps from some perspectives, we should even be standing together, Gryphine and Mr. Brendel.¡± The king¡¯s eldest son said suddenly.

    The courtyard went silent.

    The princess was silent, and she looked deeply into the eyes of the man who¡¯s technically her brother, ¡°Brother Levin, do you think you can gain our trust by saying that?¡±

    That was actually what Brendel was thinking, but Princess Gryphine¡¯s use of ¡®we¡¯ instead of ¡®I¡¯ surprised him slightly.

    ¡°No, that was not a lie.¡± The prince¡¯s eldest son smiled slightly, ¡°Gryphine, your desire to resolve the chaos in the north is ultimately a desire to end civil strife in this kingdom so that the country can unify.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the current situation of the kingdom precisely caused by you?¡± Gryphine replied coldly.

    ¡°Is it?¡± Levin asked rhetorically, ¡°Was Aouine a unified and stable kingdom even before the Seifer family had their troubles?¡±

    The king¡¯s eldest son suddenly raised his head, and although he could not see, he could make people feel like they were being watched. That gaze seemed to be tangible, and his ¡®sight¡¯ swept over everyone present, ¡°Gryphine, you know this very well. Do you remember the words I once said to you?¡±

    The princess pursed her lips.

    Brendel saw that her eyebrows were almost twisting together. He knew that Gryphine had had with her titr brother in infancy when Duke Arreck forced King Oberg the Sixth to revise a policy concerning the change of defense in the Year of Astrologer. At that time, the princess was staying at the Winter Castle with her father, and met her brother.

    But the records of history only briefly mentioned this meeting, and it was obviously impossible for the conversation between the two children to be recorded. But Brendel knew that the eldest son of the king was right.

    Was Aouine ever united?

    Maybe it was.

    Aouine had been a united kingdom ever since Erik consolidated the South. But from the death of the first king until the end of the Seifer Dynasty and the loss of the Lionheart Sword, the authority of the royal family had been declining, and even during the revival era when the sword saint Darius and Tulman lived, the central government¡¯s sovereignty over local areas was still very weak.

    And after Duke Arreck forced King Oberg the Sixth to revise thew concerning the change of defense, central authority shattered, existing in name alone.

    How was Aouine ever united?

    As the kingdom slowly fell apart, the monarch was no longer able to govern its disintegrating states. And that was exactly what the princess wanted to change.

    ¡°Gryphine, Mr.Brendel, do you only want to change the kingdom back to what it was when father was still alive?¡± The king¡¯s eldest son went on, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, what¡¯s the point of changing names, Seifer, Covardo? That¡¯s not what you have in mind, is it?¡±

    Brendel and the princess both fell silent, for that was exactly what they were after.

    ¡°The source of the disagreement between you and the northern nobles, and even the source of Duke Arreck¡¯s betrayal, Gryphine, stems from them understanding your ambitions. You want to carry out reforms like those of the Kirrlutz and Sanorso, and turn Aouine into a truly centralized kingdom. So if you ever seed, it will undoubtedly be a nightmare for those in power right now.¡±

    Levin replied, ¡°No one will surrender their profits, so there¡¯s no way they¡¯ll support you.¡±

    ¡°No... there will always be those who will support me, such as the Hignd Knights and those who still believe in the ideals of thete king.¡± Princess Gryphine replied.

    ¡°And then what? Perhaps with the bankrupted knights and homeless people, you might be able to make it. But Gryphine, don¡¯t forget, there¡¯s not much time left for you.¡± The king¡¯s eldest son calmly analyzed, ¡°Aouine¡¯s enemies don¡¯t juste from within.¡±

    The words pierced into Brendel¡¯s heart like a spike, and he could not help but narrow his eyes. Yes, reform might be inevitable for Aouine, but again, Aouine¡¯s enemies were not just the feeble nobles.

    The fight for time was also something that he had been doing all along.

    The princess looked up, ¡°And what can you, brother, do about it?¡±

    The king¡¯s eldest son fell silent.

    After a short moment,

    He answered quietly, ¡°It¡¯s simple, make me The King of Aouine, Gryphine.¡±

 Chapter 632 - v4c17 Siblings(6)

    v4c17

    Siblings(6)

    The courtyard was eerily quiet for a moment, except for Amandina who softly eximed short in short bursts and the merchantdy who was looking around.

    Princess Gryphine was staring at her brother as if she was staring at an object, the look on her face so cold that people dared not to intervene. One of Brendel¡¯s hands had even quietly tightened its grip on the hilt of the sword under his coat, his eyes fixated on the two siblings¡¯ every move. He had a slight suspicion that this king might have a few screws loose due to such a huge mental shock, but regardless, Brendel could guarantee that if he dared to make the slightest mischief, he would have the courage to send the ck de of the Halran Gaia straight into the other¡¯s heart before then.

    As for the identity of the king¡¯s eldest son... Did such a thing still hold any meaning in Brendel¡¯s eyes?

    However, the king¡¯s eldest son didn¡¯t make any move. He merely stood at the center of everyone¡¯s gazes, not the slightest bit bothered at all. His long hair hung down naturally and his eyes were closed. Brendel couldn¡¯t find a hint of nervousness in his appearance. It was as if he had just given an absolutely normal greeting like ¡®good afternoon¡¯, instead of saying ¡®please let me have the throne¡¯.

    ¡°Give me a reason, Brother.¡± In the end, the princess used her charming voice to break the silence. It was like the ethereal sound of water droplets falling into a well.

    And yet, her face seemed to be sealed with ayer of ice.

    ¡°The reason is simple, Gryphine.¡± The king¡¯s eldest son was calm. ¡°Because you need time to unify the Southern border. You can find many supporters South of Ampere Seale. Mr. Brendel, the Count of Trentheim, may soon rece Count Radner¡¯s position. The less power-hungry Duke Anthony and Duke Viero, the Hignd Knights, will also stand with you because of Mr. Brendel. When we have a unified South, the Northern region will no longer be a hindrance to you.¡±

    ¡°Then what about you?¡± asked Princess Gryphine. ¡°Do you be the King of the North?¡±

    ¡°You need someone to help you go back on your word without harming the dignity of the royal family. That¡¯s not all; the nobles in the North are more receptive to me than they are to you, because the Seifer Family has natural authority over them. Besides that, there is a war waiting in the North, and I can serve as a natural barrier for you. It¡¯s already clear to you which one will win or lose: a unified South or a war-torn North?¡±

    Brendel was slightly taken aback.

    He couldn¡¯t help but look up, as if trying to re-evaluate this eldest son of Aouine¡¯s king. The princess did the same thing; she looked up as well. ¡°If this is a lie... it is perhaps one that is poorly put together, Brother,¡± she ventured, her demeanor serious.

    ¡°There will be a war between the North and the South, but you and I both clearly know when it will happen, Gryphine. Even now the North only has a crippled ck de Legion and the White Lion Legion that is not all that obedient. It is already impossible to defeat the South anyway¡± Levin replied calmly. Then, he listened closely as if to confirm that Archbishop Wood had already walked away. ¡°Would the Holy Cathedral of Fire allow Aouine to have a civil war under such circumstances?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°They want you topromise with the North. It will be best for Aouine to maintain the status quo, just like everything that happened after the Year of the Astrologer.¡±

    ¡°But-¡±

    ¡°What if you had the absolute power to purge the North? Before they had time to rebel-¡±

    The dead silence was like dust settling in the courtyard, leaving every other sound under it, unmoving.

    ¡°With all due respect,¡± Brendel finally managed to speak up, as if he had thought long and hard about it. ¡°Your Highness, while the Queen and Duke Seifer have you as a puppet, I understand that you are actually involved in this ¡®game¡¯ behind the scenes?¡±

    Levin turned back suddenly, facing the direction of the voice. His eyebrows immediately shot up, and his whole person seemed to change. ¡°You¡¯re even smarter than I imagined, Mr. Brendel. I¡¯m d that I¡¯m not your enemy. Can you tell me how you came to that conclusion ¨C was it a guess, or a hunch?¡±

    Neither.

    He was relying on the hard work of those before him. The history in his previous life had only a few words about this prince, and no one even had any idea as to his whereabouts. However, the naturally inquisitive yers were very good at making baseless spections when it came to analyzing Levin Ornassen. There were quite a number of articles that analyzed the character and his life¡¯s history.

    Some of it was created out of thin air, some of it was spection, and some of it came from rumors, but as long as one connected this information with His Royal Highness, the eldest son of the king himself ¨C a very real existence ¨C it was very easy toe to a conclusion.

    ¡°Due to ambition. And a man of ambition will not willingly be a mere pawn.¡± Brendel felt that he had never for a moment been so wise, as if he was blessed with it. All the spections he had seen in the past about this royal eldest son had be the foundation of his speech at this moment.

    It was as if he was standing on the shoulders of giants as he raised his head and calmly spoke. ¡°Since you were able to find a single lifeline in Archbishop Wood in the midst of such a desperate situation, how could you allow others to easily manipte and use you before?¡±

    ¡°Wonderful words, but that is indeed true.¡± The prince sighed. ¡°I have prevented some things within my capability. While I wish for my mother¡¯s actions to seed, I don¡¯t necessarily agree with her methods.

    ¡°Besides, there is selfishness in anyone¡¯s heart, and I do not consider it a sin,¡± he replied.

    The princess tried to speak, but she suddenly stopped. She looked at Brendel and motioned for him to continue. Brendel understood the implicit trust that she ced in him, so he opened his mouth. ¡°Then, what exactly do you really want? Which side are you on?¡±

    ¡°I said this before: we stand on the same side. I wish to be the King of the North, and you need me to be your barrier in the North.¡± The king¡¯s eldest son¡¯s eyes were filled with calmness.

    But Brendel carefully observed for a change in the man¡¯s expression. He had an instinctive feeling that the prince was not revealing everything. He looked to the side subconsciously just in time to see the maid beside Levin frown slightly.

    She looked as though she was about to speak, but the king¡¯s eldest son held out his hand to stop her.

    ¡°Everything is but a bubble. You know very well about your final oue. Is being king of the North for a mere year and a half worth giving your own life?¡±

    ¡°Brother.¡± Princess Gryphine finally managed to speak up.

    The prince chuckled and replied, ¡°Gryphine, have you ever experienced what it is like to be unable to control your own destiny? I promised that I¡¯ll walk my own path someday, if only for a minute, or a second. Remember the words I told you during the winter hunt?¡±

    ¡°...Aouine is a ck forest, and you said that if you were that wolf, you would make the same choice as it did...¡± Princess Gryphine remembered he trap that had plunged into the snow and the bloodstains which stained her vision red.

    In the Year of the Astrologer, the scenery where the bitterly cold wind blew across the teau still sent a chill down the body.

    ¡°Even if it means biting off my own leg, I¡¯ll do it for freedom, because the wilderness is where I belong,¡± replied Levin, revealing his pearly white teeth. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not certain that I¡¯ll surely fail. The North may be difficult, but there is always a chance of survival. Seeking a chance to survive in the midst of desperation is exactly what I¡¯m best at.

    ¡°Gryphine, if you cannot defeat me, I will fell you without mercy. Like you, I will not allow Ampere Seale to remain divided for long. Not even for a day.¡± His cold voice echoed through the vestibule.

    Even the merchantdy was shocked. She stared back at the madman with widened eyes.

    The prince was indeed deranged, but at least he was a madman with elegance. He bowed to his sister, making it impossible for others to find something wrong with this.

    The princess thought coldly for a moment before shouting at him. ¡°Did you think that I wouldn¡¯t dare to kill you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°...However, I won¡¯t agree to your request.¡±

    ¡°What then?¡± The king¡¯s eldest son wasn¡¯t surprised. He asked this with a smile.

    The princess looked at him quietly.

    ......

    Two carriages emerged in a single file out of the manor. Many people waited in the courtyard to board them.

    ¡°He was not telling the truth,¡± Amandina reminded her lord in a whisper as she got into the carriage. ¡°At least, he wasn¡¯tpletely telling the truth.¡±

    ¡°I know. Which part exactly?¡± As always, Brendel helped Amandina into the carriage, an action that made him different from the norm, but he was oblivious to the strange looks cast by the servants. Instead, he looked up and asked Amandina.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I think he¡¯s hiding something. It¡¯s just my intuition..¡±

    ¡°Intuition?¡±

    ¡°Intuition is also an experience, my Lord,¡± Amandina replied in all seriousness.

    Brendel contemted this and thought it made some sense. He turned back and looked at the other carriage. The carriage¡¯s emblem was so dark to the point that you couldn¡¯t make out its true color. He had the same doubt in his mind. The king¡¯s eldest son was definitely the most sedate person he had ever seen. Such a person was unlikely to tell the whole truth.

    But the point is, what is he hiding?

    He turned back again to see Romaine poking her head out. He proceeded to pinch the tip of Romaine¡¯s nose, causing her to fall back with a grunt. He then boarded the carriage and greeted the young prince and the cold-faced princess before sitting down next to Romaine.

    Princess Gryphine was frowning as if she was thinking about something.

    Brendel was perhaps the only one here who understood what was going through her mind, but he didn¡¯t say much. He just lifted the curtain and looked out the window. The view of Ampere Seale outside the window was slipping into twilight.

    As of today, Levin Ornassen of House Seifer, that brother of hers, would no longer be the Crown Prince of House Covardo. Under the joint appointment of the princess and the Holy Cathedral, he would have a legitimate, brand new title as part of the Seifer family.

    This new Archduke was appointed to reorganize the North for the war with the Lion¡¯s Mane, but in truth, he was promised to be the King of the North. Everyone was well aware of this.

    Although everything had yet to be finalized, Brendel could already guess how the princess would respond.

    This looked like apromisation by the king¡¯s party.

    But only a handful of people understood the truth of it.

    Some might argue that the princess should have been more assertive, but some might also argue that this was the more mature political tactic. However, what really puzzled Gryphine was that her own brother looked utterly confident.

    No one knew if that was the wrong choice to make.

    But in Brendel¡¯s case, it actually turned out pretty well. Aouine didn¡¯t need the name of the greater good; they needed the right amount of time, and with a little more time, he would be able to save the kingdom.

    And now, the king¡¯s eldest son was giving them exactly what he had dreamed of. As long as the nobles in the North were no longer stirring, the princess would be able to free up her hands to clean up the mess in the South.

    The more important point was that after three years of peace, the enemies Aouine could face would no longer be limited to these pathetic beings at hand.

    The king¡¯s eldest son had his own ns. Was Brendel any different from him?

    Valha was the cornerstone of everything here, and he was incredibly sure of this in his mind.

    He took onest look out of the window at the golden sunset. There was a glittering beachfront in that direction/ It was as if he could see the spectacr view of the Loop of Trade Winds through the golden clouds. Then, he dropped the draping curtain and stopped thinking about it.

    As for the king¡¯s eldest son¡¯s true motives, such history was left to the future to judge.

    At least, that was how it was to Brendel.

 Chapter 633 - v4c18 May: History & Visitation

    <strong>v4c18</strong>

    <strong>May: History & Visitation</strong>

    Most of what had happened after Princess Gryphine and Brendel left Wood¡¯s residence had actually be predictable.

    The king¡¯s eldest son resumed his position as Duke Seifer, as if symbolizing yet another royalpromise to the localities. It was apromise that had been repeated throughout the history of this kingdom, and that eventually formed a vicious cycle ¨C one that started since the increasing power of the localities that began from the Year of Thunder.

    It seemed like history was repeating itself, but regardless, at least the tide of unrest in the North had calmed down again with the intervention of the Holy Cathedral of Fire and the cation of the king¡¯s eldest son himself. The storm had stopped.

    Privately, it was said that some nobles were celebrating the hard-won victory from the Battle of Ampere Seale, and the kingdom ¨C which had been in a state of mess and disarray ¨C seemed as if it had returned to the period during the Year of the Astrologer. Merchants grumbled as there seemed to be a resurgence of local thieves and plunderers, but beneath the surface, changes were being made secretly and quietly in secrecy.

    Brendel understood that the princess could not sit back and allow Prince Levin to gain influence in the North, even if they had a secret agreement, and even if the other was her brother in name. However, there was no room for personal feelings in politics, not to mention that the Holy Cathedral of Fire didn¡¯t wish to see signs of a renewed division between the North and South in Aoine. The people of the Kirrltuz hoped that the ancient kingdom would maintain its apparent stability, at least until the end of the Holy War.

    It was only a stability that was apparent on the surface..

    In addition to these publicly-known reasons, there were more immediate conflicts of interest that determined this. This was because in the North, there were the domains of the royal family of Covardo itself in addition to the inherent domains of House Seifer. Yanbao and Jansu also had many areas, and the princess¡¯s party was unlikely to surrender to theseplex spheres of influence.

    Hence, as part of the exchange, the princess regained control of the White Lion Legion as expected. However, it was probably because the prince himself was unwilling to take control of an army that was not loyal to his cause; ever since the Lionheart Sword reappeared, there were many people in the White Lion Legion who vocally sided with the princess.

    This was slightly different from the known history. In the other history, the White Lion Legion did not truly support the Royal Faction until Freya took full control of the former.

    But this time, they continuously lost two of their veteran leaders. They had clearly lost their original verve.

    Bet, Jocko, and Enrique ¨C who had survived the First Battle of Ampere Seale ¨C were ordered to the North to receive this legion. The new head of the army was the eldest grandson of the one of the leaders that had died in the Battle of Ampere Seale, but Brendel knew that the unlucky man would only retain that position for a short time.

    Everyone knew that there was only one person who could lead this legion. That person was Freya, who held the Lionheart Sword in her hand.

    But now was not the time. Maynild also crossed Freya¡¯s name off that original list on the grounds that the young woman from the countryside of Be needed more grueling training.

    Brendel shared this opinion. In the future, she might have the skills to run an army, but that time was far from now. To him, the White Lion Legion would be dormant for a long time again until the army under Carglise was formed, only then he would be able to build a White Lion Infantry that would truly recreate the glory of that era.

    That was the moment when the war goddess woulde into y.

    Until then, there were more important tasks waiting for this future war goddess toplete.

    Butpared to these things, there were certain major events that caught the attention of the normal folk, particrly the Silver Folk that were intervening in the investigation of Ampere Seale¡¯s first battle. Upon the request of the Bugas and the Silver Elves, the Holy Cathedral of Fire had to give up their control over Ampere Seale.

    The culprit behind all these was undoubtedly Brendel and a certain Faeriedy.

    A human and a Faerie were the driving force for what the general public saw as the most important event that happened between Aouine and Kirrlutz in the Year of the Sword. After this particr day in the middle of the month of the New Moon, the port city would no longer be titled as autonomous. It would instead exist as a trading port of Aouine.

    This news shook the entire southern region of Vaunte as soon as it was released.

    But no matter how the news circted, there was only one truth that would never change; after the passage of several centuries, this sacred port had finally returned to the bosom of its ancient mother.

    That evening, the princess made an exception for Brendel to take her for a walk around the outer walls of the harbor.

    Beneath the golden clouds of the setting sun, the half-elf princess looked out over the distant edge of the forest and the bay. She just watched quietly without saying a word, her eyes staring into the distant horizon, where the sun was forming golden rays.

    She was in the same position as her ancestor, Erik, had been a thousand years ago.

    On her way down to the citadel, the princess whispered a ¡®thank you¡¯ to Brendel. Her voice was so soft, so gentle that it even made Brendel suspect that he was hallucinating himself.

    But no matter what, at least he remembered the Princess¡¯s shining eyes as she looked away. She must have been proud, or those eyes that shone like gold reflecting the shadows of the clouds would not have a hidden look of excitement.

    It was not the king of Aouine who loved thend the most, but the princess,

    The tumultuous events surrounded the port like waves, so much so that for a month, all life was merely a fleeting mirage adorning it.

    And interspersed among these big events were trivial things that became interludes of mediation.

    Take, for example, the recovery of Garlock the Trendsetter. At one point, shock swept through the city when the kingdom¡¯s chief Conjurer ¨C who was Ampere Seale¡¯s hero of the day ¨C reappeared in the public eye. After all, Garlock was already a legend in the kingdompared to the unknown Brendel.

    That day, Ampere Seale held a day-long revelry, so much so that the princess came to joke about Brendel and asked if he was jealous.

    But Brendel was not the tiniest bit jealous at all.

    He was more concerned with another matter, that Garlock had taken Amandina as his apprentice as he had said he would. ording to the words of Garlock himself, it would be a pity for a person with such great talent to willingly be a mere ordinary person.

    Brendel deeply agreed with this.

    But more than that, he respected Amandina¡¯s own opinion. On the contrary, she had wanted to learn magic for a long time, but she just did not have the opportunity nor the time after her family went bankrupt.

    And that was how Amandina nominally became the only heir to Garlock.

    ording to the princess¡¯ words, it was likely that she would be a future Court Mage.

    The third widely circted incident of the month was also rted to Garlock. The incident originated from a group of young people¡¯s curiosity about the legend of how the great mage escaped from the battlefield. However, the party in question refused to say a word, which instead piqued everyone¡¯s curiosity.

    Soon, an absurd rumor spread among the city folk. It was said that Garlock had escaped that day because he was hiding among a pile of devil corpses.

    Indeed, it was an embarrassing experience for a Court Mage. Thus out of some goodwill, the port quickly banned the cirction of simr rumors.

    Only once did Brendel encounter this Master as he passed through the vestibule of the rebuilt Ande Cathedral. He overheard thetter muttering as he walked along, lost in thought. ¡°Damned dung, damned dung!¡±

    Time seemed to have flown by.

    At least, to Brendel and everyone around him, the time spent inside the port of Ampere Seale seemed to pass by a blink of an eye in the midst of all these events.

    The gentle New Moon faded from view, like wood shavings drifting through a river which then swirled through one¡¯s fingers. The weather began to grow hotter by the day. The storms off the coast of Ampere Seale were subsiding, and the greenery of the mountains and forests were taking on a more palpable color with each passing day. As if the people in the harbor had not noticed the subtle changes around them, the mountains and forests were already in full bloom and ushering in summer.

    The Naga and the Silver Elves left Ampere Seale. The port seemed to be deserted in a moment. Brendel asked the Naga to bring back the kingdom of Aouine¡¯s gratitude. It was certain that the Winter Dew, whose name left a great impact on history, could understand what he meant.

    Aouine needed an ally, and so did the Nagas under the glittering sea.

    However, there was another thing that Brendel was concerned about. Just as promised, the Silver Elves had taken their token, the precious ginkgo leaf. This loss was about the most heartbreaking thing to Brendel throughout this war, and he would not have wasted this precious opportunity were it not for the princess¡¯ rescue.

    In the other world, a yer had traded it for an entire Dragon¡¯s nest. The value of the treasure therein was enough to buy up the entire Radner region and rebuild it again after destroying it. And Brendel had traded it back for a mere nondescript title of Count Trentheim.

    While the princess acquiesced to his attack on the Radner region, but again, it was only a matter of time before Aouine¡¯s power could be concentrated in the center. As such, his power as a lord would have been taken back sooner orter as well.

    Brendel thought hard about it, but he felt like he was asking for trouble.

    But the good news was that the Silver Elves did not give him too much trouble for Medissa¡¯s sake. Instead, it was only by standing firmly on his side from the start that the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s authority waspletely driven away from Ampere Seale¡¯s port in the shortest amount of time possible. In that regard, it was worth it.

    However, along with the Silver Elves¡¯ departure, officials of all levels within the Port of Ampere Seale still inevitably felt as if everything had be easier all of a sudden. Most importantly, those disputes which often arose due to the difference in habits between humans and Silver Elves seemed to have disappeared without a trace in a mere blink.

    All things seemed to havee to an end at once after entering the Month of the Hazy Summer, and so Brendel soon understood that there was only one thing left unfinished at this port.

    The date was moving forward in an orderly fashion.

    Just like the dates marked on an urate timetable, the expected guest arrived on schedule one sunny afternoon.

    It was an envelope with a silver feather. On the cover were words written in a flighty, floating manner.

    ¡®To: Mr.Brendel.¡¯

    The same envelope was delivered to the princess¡¯ desk.

    The ambassador of Buga had arrived.

    ......

    ¡°Brendel, Brendel, look at me!¡±

    A soft voice which was as happy as a child¡¯s drifted through the forest. As Brendel looked up, he saw a few beams of sunlight descending from the shade, falling in staggered patches on the dead leaves and moss. Between these jagged rocksid a fallen log. The merchantdy stretched out her arms and walked on it shakily, as if she was very proud of her bnce.

    Then, she jumped down from the log at once. Landing in front of Brendel and Amandina, she preened. ¡°How about that? Was it awesome?¡±

    ¡°Super awesome.¡± Brendel sighed helplessly. ¡°Romaine, aren¡¯t you tired of this?¡± The forest outside the harbor was stiflingly hot with the humidity. It was like mist from a steamer. Everyone was sweating profusely, except for a certain energetic person.

    What irritated him somewhat was that the Faeriedy had inly told him that the mages of Buga had specifically picked a cool, cloudy day. Now, it seemed that either the Silver Folk had some problems regarding their understanding of cloudy weather, or the craft mages simply could not be trusted with astrology.

    Brendel turned and looked back. He had called Ciel, Freya, Carglise, and even the Countess of Yanbao to gather here. The countess was whispering something to the princess at the back. Carglise was with the young men of Trentheim as usual. Ciel and the Raban¡¯s mercenaries were on guard. Only Scarlet sat under a por tree reading a book ¨C which had a red cover ¨C intently, her long ponytail trailing down to the floor of moss.

    In fact, Scarlet had originally been unable to read much, only a little more than the average mountain folk. Of course, most mountain folk werepletely illiterate, but ever since Amandina acted as her teacher, it seemed that the quiet mountain girl who did not like to talk much had now found some quiet pleasure in reading.

    However, Brendel worried that she would end up bing like Romaine, what with reading those novels about knights and chivalry all day long.

    He turned and nced at the merchantdy again.

    The merchantdy had taken his arm and sat down next to him, having finally calmed down for a moment. It was a relief to Brendel, but not long after, there was a sudden rustling sound from a shrub in front of them. Everyone raised their heads to see the neatly dressed Makarov, Oberwei, Count Audine, and a few othersing out from behind the aforementioned shrub.

    They had obviously just arrived here.

    The first thing Makarov saw was Princess Gryphine, who was beside Dilferi. He was mildly startled as he turned back to Brendel. ¡°Mr. Brendel, who exactly are we meeting today, and why is the princess here?...¡±

    They had in fact just gotten the news the day before. The first thing that came to Makarov¡¯s mind was the Dragons behind Brendel. It was precisely because these Golden Folk might stand with the princess that the Royal Faction leaned ever closer to the princess after the war.

    Of course, the death of Fleetwood had also dissolved the misunderstandings between the two sides to a certain extent.

    Regardless, that kingdom¡¯s chief Court Mage was still considered Princess Gryphine¡¯s teacher.

    To Makarov, however, thest thing he knew was that the female Dragon called Aloz had disappeared without leaving a trace after making a big scene in the harbor one day by simting a Fire Dragon attack on the city. Everyone assumed that the fearsome Dragon was gone, but he did not think so, and had stubbornly insisted that the Dragon had hidden herself.

    The young man called Brendel, who had an extraordinary rtionship with the Dragons, was clearly the greatest support to the princess.

    He just did not know that the answer to the question he had been holding on to was actually a simple one for Brendel. After listening to his story about the Loop of Trade Winds, that ill-tempered Dragon had supposedly gone back to Trentheim to take a look at her ¡®Hall of Heroic Spirits¡¯.

    And it was a different group of people they were going to see today.

    Just before Brendel could answer, the shrubs parted once more.

    This time it was an old man in silver robes who appeared. The old man was startled when he saw Brendel, and then a familiar smile appeared.

    ¡°I came to see the Aoine of today for my old friend. I hadn¡¯t thought we would meet again, my young friend, Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Brendel almost jumped right out of his skin. He thought that the Buga people who woulde would be Tania and Tulman. After all, the two of them had a much deeper connection to this kingdom. Never in his dreams did he imagine that such a person woulde.

    William Pist.

    The Silver Storm, as the world called him, the chief mage of the Silver League.

    He subconsciously looked back, and indeed he saw the princess, Makarov, and Oberwei looking at him in a very odd way. It felt as if they were looking at some monster right out of legend.

    The meaning in their eyes was clear.

    ¡°Brendel, who in the world are you?¡±

 Chapter 634 - v4c19 -The Holy Lance of Heaven(1)

    <strong>The Holy Lance of Heaven(1)</strong>

    The world called him the Silver Storm.

    One of the twelve leaders of the male mages of Deroura, his fame had spread across thend even before Aouine had been established, and his legend was even older than the bards¡¯ songs.

    All the kings of the world trembled before him, and even the four Holy Cathedrals would retreat in the face of this pale old man. He was the pinnacle of the Silver Mountains, before whose pride even the dragons bowed.

    There was only one person who was capable of all this, and his name was William Pist.

    The folk prints depicted that image of the Archmage. Frozen in those prints, he wore the silver-colored Robe of Skies with wavy edges, holding the ¡®Draka¡¯. The staff that symbolised ¡®Ruler of the Skies¡¯ in runguage, and the figure who had once read the Twelve Articles of the Buga to the monks in the Sacred Shrine of Lionheart, appeared in flesh and blood today before everyone.

    Makarov, as well as everyone else, froze. The Emperor of the Kirrlutz was already considered of insurmountable status to the nobles of Aouine. But William Pist was on another level; he was someone that only existed in storybooks, in legends.

    In the Year of Chaos (1517), the Sanctuary of Light threatened the male mages so they would not participate in the Holy War, and though Buga practiced istionism anyway, the mortals¡¯ threats sparked their anger. Three monthster, in the midst of the War of the Moon of Flowing Fire, the Bugas returned the favor with three Floating Cities.

    The result of that war was what the folk prints depicted, when the Silver Storm had swept through the White Book Cavalry, the highest fighting force of the sanctuary. He had killed his way into the Sacred Shrine of the Lionheart alone, read the Twelve Articles of the Buga to the Seventh Pope, and forced Farnezain to bow down and confess his sins.

    That awe-inspiring battle remained in everyone¡¯s hearts, to this day.

    ¡°I never thought it would be you who came. Master William.¡± Brendel got up and smiled weakly. It was as if he was the only one left in the room who could still speak. He joked, ¡°What a surprise, I thought the Silver Candle had been monitoring the movements in the wilderness south of Madara, I didn¡¯t think the male mages would be so idle.¡±

    William paused and looked at him deeply. Then with a small smile, he said, ¡°Little friend Brendel, it seems as if you know a great deal about what is going on in the skies above Vaunte. And here my mulish men still believe that mortals know little about them, they think they can keep that ridiculous mysteriousness of theirs alive.¡±

    It was the Buga mages¡¯ pride made them boast of being the overseers and controllers of the skies of Vaunte. The runic staff in William¡¯s hand was the Draka, the staff of mystery, whose existence signified the authority to rule the skies; it was one of the most powerful authorities of the Silver League.

    Mortals could not reach the skies, and so naturally, they would not offend these Silver Folks. The Dragons might be a bit vocal about this, but the naturallyzy race would not necessarily be spurred into action for a mere street.

    Besides, the Silver Folks did not fear them.

    ¡°To the mortals, you are very mysterious indeed,¡± Brendel replied smilingly, ¡°It¡¯s just that I happen to know the world of mages quite well, I had heard long before that the Silver Candle would build a fortress south of Aouine for surveince, it¡¯s called Naioch right? Are you going to make a move on Madara?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to beat around the bush to fish for information, you little imp. The Silver Folks don¡¯t get involved in mortal wars. We¡¯re spying on something else. Besides, surely those skeletons would not be able to stop you.¡± William was not actually angry at Brendel¡¯s probing. Instead, he replied straightforwardly with a slight smile, ¡°The reason I came this time was because you uncovered something remarkable.¡±

    Speaking of the Azure Lance, Brendel quieted down as well. That¡¯s a majestic thing. The Holy Lance of Heaven was indeed considered a piece of artifact that the Azure Knights used to shatter the very skies. Mortals, and even yers, had always thought that it was just a legend, but who would have thought that it actually existed in the world.

    But Brendel knew better than the others present that this leader of the Deroura Male Mages was not here because he was interested in the Azure Lance.

    Indeed, William continued, ¡°But I¡¯m more interested in the reason for its appearance. The Mercury Staff......we¡¯ll put that aside for now, and the reaction you caused. The fact that ancient artifacts have appeared on the earth piece by piece has drawn the attention of many.¡±

    Brendel listened in silence, for he understood that a time of future turmoil wasing, beginning with the rise of Madara. Vaunte would be plunged into a time of prolonged warfare.

    Everything that he had done at the Loop of Trade Winds was to prepare for theing war. Many, including the princess¡¯ followers, had been quite vocal about thepromise they had made to the king¡¯s eldest son this time, but Brendel quite admired it.

    Like him, the princess could see the violent clouds of war breaching the horizon.

    If they only looked at the civil war at hand, Aouine would bepletely toppled in the stormy turmoil that would follow. This was the lesson learnt from history, and Brendel certainly would repeat those mistakes.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± William seemed to sense what Brendel was thinking and asked, somewhat surprised, ¡°Do you know something, little one?¡±

    Brendel gave William a nce. This was his second meeting with the silver-robed Archmage leader, and in his past impressions, as the leader of the Deroura Mages, the Silver Storm was the very image of an NPC with immense authority. But seeing him in the flesh, William Pist gave an impression of an extremely kind elderly man.

    Although they did not know each other, the Archmage had been of no small help to him. Thest time he fought Ande, as well as this time when he had won the war of Ampere Seale, it was also thanks to the help of Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak that the other party had given him.

    Of course, Brendel knew it was because of William¡¯s affection for his past friends and Aouine, but he had always been a man who returned the favor, and he wasn¡¯t used to owing people. In the future the Bugas would be involved in that long war as well; the te War involved so many forces that even the Silver Folk would suffer from it. With that in mind, he raised his head and uttered a warning to William.,

    ¡°The Holy War ising, and thend are destined to be caught in the clouds of war. In the meantime, I¡¯m sure the mages of Buga have already observed the uing Great Demonic Wave. Master William, the rise and fall of the magic tides have influenced the history of Vaunte for thousands of years, and this time will be no exception. There will always be omens of chaos before the times of turmoile. I believe history has already sounded that rm to all of us.¡±

    William had not cared when Brendel spoke of the Holy War of the mortals. Mortals and the Silver Folks were of two worlds, with the exception of that one arrogant provocator in the Year of Chaos. The Holy War between the Four Holy Cathedrals and the Holy Cathedral of Earth had never affected Buga. But when Brendel mentioned the Great Demonic Wave, the mage leader frowned.

    ¡°Brendel, do you think Vaunte will see a repeat of the War of the Holy Saints?¡± He turned back and asked solemnly. Brendel had also been upgraded from ¡®little one¡¯ to his real name, which meant that at this moment, the mage leader saw him as at least in some sense an equal to himself for discussion.

    The reason was simple, actually¡ªthe oing Great Demonic Wave. Buga¡¯s astrologer had only recently be aware of the extraordinary nature of this magical Great Demonic Wave, and, just like what Brendel had said, the rise and fall of the magic tides have influenced the historical changes of the continent for thousands of years. Any sudden attack by magical creatures couldpletely change the course of Vaunte¡¯s history.

    Even William had to consider this carefully.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be a repetition of history, it could also be a new danger.¡± Brendel described it euphemistically after some thought.

    ¡°Haha,¡± William suddenlyughed, ¡°You sound like a witch of Bunosong,¡± He suddenly caught sight of Romaine beside Brendel, and after being startled at first, said absent-mindedly, ¡°You¡¯ve been studying astrologytely, little one?¡±

    William¡¯s joke left Brendel with no idea how to react. The old mage probably thought that Brendel was joking with him. But his ambiguous descriptions of what was going to happen in the future really did sound like one of the rambling prophecies of the witches. If he were to say it outright however, he would probably be treated like a scammer.

    ¡°The Darkness Dragon has already perished, but the chaos on the borders of civilization could be a problem.¡± William finally continued.

    Brendel¡¯s heart raced a little when he heard this. So this was what the mages of Buga were concerned about, and what the Silver Candle had built the fortress in the air on the Sea of Eternal Dull to monitor.

    Unfortunately, they were looking in the wrong direction.

    Brendel hade across the history after the two Wars of the ck Roses. In the Year of Silver, the Pale Poem said that three days and three nights would be followed by the Eternal Night, the Law of Tiamat would be changedpletely in the midst of the Great Demonic Wave, the te War floated to the water¡¯s surface, and that the war and chaos would scourge thendpletely, bringing forth the epoch of war.

    But he could not say any of these things. He could only hope that his previous words would arouse enough attention for it in William.

    This conversation was definitely confusing to the onlookers, and only the princess and Amandina¡¯s group, who knew the inside story beforehand, understood a little part of it. But the predictions about the future of the continent was really not something they could fathom; in fact, with Brendel¡¯s status, this insight itself was already somewhat extraordinary.

    The nobles were only concerned about the benefits thaty before them, and even Princess Gryphine was only concerned about the rise and fall of the kingdom of the Aouine. The survival of the continent and the changes of history did not seem to be things that mortals should worry of.

    But the good news was that William didn¡¯t seem to be delving into this issue.

    At this time, Makarov finally got over his surprise. He barely understood from William¡¯s words that this prestigious Master Archmage was here for something important. And yet he had never heard from any party before the words mentioned about this important thing

    He looked at the princess with great dissatisfaction.

    Princess Gryphine seemed to have been prepared for this and replied calmly, ¡°Oberwei, Makarov, I was the one who asked you toe here today, so I won¡¯t hide anything from you. However, this matter is of great import, and you must be careful. I ask you to please understand.¡±

    Upon hearing this reply, Makarov frowned slightly.

    ¡°Mortal, put away your discontent. She is right. Compared to the miracle that you are about to witness, your selfishness is nothing more than the dust covering a jewel.¡± William suddenly swept a nce their way, and he coldly warned them.

    His words immediately silenced everyone.

    The majesty of the Silver League Mage Leader was disyed fully in this moment.

    Only then did Brendel order Babasha and her party to teleport everyone into that underground ruin, and they passed through the long tunnels. This time, that Spider hidden in the darkness seemed to sense William¡¯s presence, as an animal would instinctively sense danger. In response, it actually allowed these uninvited guests to walk around in its tunnels without ever emerging, which made Brendel quite depressed.

    It was the same annoyance he felt when a yer with a high-level NPC tried to drop by to swipe a boss, but the boss slyly hid away instead.

    The team did not move very fast in the darkness.

    Since they weren¡¯t running away from something likest time, everyone could leisurely take a closer look at the surrounding scenery. The underground tunnels were formed in a convoluted web of cracks, some artificial, and some of which were the work of nature, spreading out in all directions, making the entire underground ruins themselves look like a giant spider¡¯s web.

    With this in mind, it was a perfect match for the owner of this ce.

    Half an hourter, the crowd finally arrived at the prayer room from that day. The prayer room remained as it had before, immersed in darkness, and even the formation was left intact on the ground.

    William Pist took took just one look at the phnx and made a soft sound of question, ¡°It¡¯s the heritage of the witches. As I expected, they have something to do with that thing. Legend has it that the Miirna brought it to the cier, but the witches actually predate the Miirna by a lot.¡±

    Of all of them, probably only Brendel and Tania, understood the statement, while the eyes of the cat in Romaine¡¯s arms twinkled. The Archmage was talking about the history before the fall of the Babel Tower, and it involved the question of which bloodline the Azure Knights had actually descended.

    The Archmage put his hand on the teleportation array and frowned, before taking his hand back, ¡°This array is also a bloodline inheritance, almost the strongest precautionary measure they can take.¡± He looked back at Brendel and asked, ¡°But you¡¯ve already prepared something for that, right?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Brendel turned around, calling out, ¡°Sugar Jar.¡±

 Chapter 635 - v4c20 The Holy Lance of Heaven(2)

    <h4>v4c20</h4>

    <h4>The Holy Lance of Heaven(2)</h4>

    There are indescribable miracles in this world.

    The same thought cut across Brendel¡¯s mind every time he looked up to see thence glinting among the intertwining shes of lightning.

    Thence was suspended in the air above the middle of the great hall.

    It was surrounded byyers of storm clouds and arcs of pale golden lightning shot out from the clouds, struck the de, and then bounced back, dissipating into the darkness.

    But it was dead quiet in the center of the storm clouds, devoid of any noise of rolling thunder. Everyone stared in a trance at the sight of heaven and earth tumbling over each other and the stars plummeting from the skies.

    Azure light flowed on top of the Great Hall¡¯s floor and outlined every pebble¡¯s shadow. The light shimmered like water and the floor looked like it was covered by a gently flowing stream.

    Having been faced with such a scene, even William¡¯s expression cracked. Furthermore, Sir Makarov and Oberwei had been stunned into silence since they entered the hall.

    Tania the Elf¡¯s tiny staff fell from her grasp and hit the ground with a nk, and she didn¡¯t even notice.

    Romaine tilted her head and stared at the sight with rounded eyes, not even noticing herck of proper etiquette. Freya, who had been standing beside her, adopted the same face of shock. The Knights of the Lake stood behind her and stared dumbly at thence, and Maynild¡¯s eyes glinted with captivated fascination.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the Azure Lance...¡±

    Brendel heard the female knight mutter behind him and couldn¡¯t help but turn around and look at her thoughtfully. That was the same reaction he had before. But he didn¡¯t think much more of this and waited for William to finish admiring thence.

    After all, aside from these erudite Buga Craft Mages, there was probably no one who could say they have the qualifications to identify this as the real Azure Lance.

    They didn¡¯t have to wait long.

    After just a few minutes, Brendel heard William sigh deeply. The old mage breathed out slowly and then proimed, ¡°This is the real Azure Lance.¡±

    Those words were met with silence.

    Sir Makarov acted like an Ensnarer that was sealed underground for a long time by the Hazaiers. He turned around stiffly and stuttered out a question, ¡°... Grandmaster... you¡¯re saying this is...¡±

    ¡°Be quiet, nobody asked for your opinion.¡± William interrupted him firmly. Makarov may be known as the King¡¯s Fox, but even he dared not cause trouble in front of this important person. He jerked in surprise and then shut his mouth forcibly, but the look on his face was as ugly as can be.

    Only then did the old mage nod in satisfaction.

    He looked back at Brendel and asked, ¡°The Azure Lance revealing itself to the world may not be a good thing. How do you n on handling this?¡±

    Brendel and Tania had alreadye up with a n, but he could understand why the Great Mage would ask this. ording to Buga tradition, in order to avoid causing further trouble, they wouldpletely seal this ce after having studied this ce adequately.

    It sounded a bit illogical. The Buga Craft Mages who were at the top of civilization were, in fact, the group of people most afraid of trouble. This is why they adhered to the istion philosophy, hiding themselves away from the world and, if necessary, destroying any possible catalysts that would pull them into a messy situation.

    This mindset was not exclusive to the Bugas, who were part of the Silver Folk. In fact, most of the Silver Folk had this tendency. The Silver Elves had also hidden themselves away because of a prophecy, and the Dragons, who were Golden Folks, took it one step further and sealed themselves into the Realm of the Dragons with only a few young Dragons venturing out of it.

    yers had a hard time understanding the motivation behind this design. Some yers believed this was a setting meant to bnce the game. After all, for the humans and Wind Elves, who were both ck Dwarves, the Silver Folk possessed insurmountable powers.

    For example, the most powerful enemy Brendel had encountered since his transmigration would undoubtedly be Andersha, one of the Twelve Tree Herding Chiefs he had met in the Loop of Trade Winds. Andersha had been at the height of her Elemental Powers and her realm made her body near perfect. But even at that level, when faced with William, a Silver Folk, she could only be considered a little girl.

    This applied to both her age and her abilities.

    And William was only one of the twelve leaders of the Mages of Derroura. The Silver Alliance still had the Great Library, the Tower of Purity, the League of Rainbow Infernal Craft, as well as the Craft Mage Association and the disbanded Twelve Ring Magic Committee [4].

    It was precisely because of these terrifying powers that the Buga¡¯s dared to call themselves the ruler of the skies and consider themselves equals to the Dragons.

    Even if the Holy Cathedral of Fire, the Holy Cathedral of Wind, and the Sanctuary of Lightbined forces and even had help from the Sanctuary of Nature, the All for One Society and all the Tree Herding Folks, they might not even stand a chance against the Buga¡¯s.

    If the Buga¡¯s abandoned their istion philosophy and the Silver Elves from the Silver Folks no longer kept themselves away, then Vaunte wouldn¡¯t have so many kingdoms. It would be split between two evenly matched forces.

    That¡¯s why yers assumed that Buga¡¯s and the Silver Elves behaved the way they do in order to bnce the game.

    But Brendel didn¡¯t think so.

    He thought there was a deeper reason behind the silence from the Silver Folks and the Golden Race, a reason sparsely recorded in history books. Brendel would rather believe that something happened in the past to make the Silver Folks so cautious.

    Of course he had no evidence and this was just his best guess, supported by nothing more than an instinctive belief. The reason behind his belief wasughably simple. He believed that the Torrential Rain design team would never change the in-game history for something as superficial as bncing the game y experience.

    So Brendel didn¡¯t immediately reply after hearing William¡¯s question but thought quietly for a few moments. Just as the Great Mage said, it wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing that the Azure Lance had revealed itself. It might end up bing a huge problem.

    If he was just a yer, he¡¯d do anything to possess it. Any yer would go crazy for a divine artifact, not to mention the Azure Lance, an object that had only existed in legends.

    But he wasn¡¯t just a yer anymore.

    Everything that happens in this world will affect him and those around him.

    After a brief moment of silence, Brendel answered, ¡°Let¡¯s proceed with our previous ns.¡±

    The Great Mage stared at him, as if needing to make sure he wouldn¡¯t change his mind. Brendel could guess what the King of the Mages was thinking, so he rified, ¡°Mage William, if this is the course of history, then I think we won¡¯t be able to change anything.¡±

    William sighed and acquiesced, ¡°You still don¡¯t understand. Fine, I¡¯ll let it go. You¡¯re not wrong. This is just like Nine Pheonix¡¯s slogan ¨C ¡®you can¡¯t escape misery¡¯.¡±

    Brendel was familiar with the slogan, though it was because Nine Phoenix¡¯s character design had included elements of a culture he was very familiar with. He nodded and responded, ¡°Everyone I have invited here was an irrecable participant in the Battle of the Ampere Seale. Let¡¯s have everyone try, starting with Royal Princess. Maybe someone here will be the master of the Azure Lance, so let us bear witness to this great moment in history.¡±

    ¡°Brendel,¡± Instead, Princess Gryphine turned around and dered, ¡°I would like for you to go first.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Brendel asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yes, you are my knight. In my opinion, you are the only one whoes close to the Azure Knight. I hope the Azure Lance will choose you,¡± the Royal Princess answered, ¡°so I want you to try first.¡±

    Brendel hesitated. He hadn¡¯t realized that the Royal Princess had such high expectations for him. He thought it over and then nodded at everyone before walking towards the Azure Lance with his head held high.

    He had only taken a few steps when amanding force met him straight on.

    Brendel had no time to see what was happening before a figure appeared in front of him. Only a few members in the hall had time to see that the figure was born from the intertwining lightning in the sky above them and then in a sh of lightning, appeared in front of Brendel.

    At the moment, the only word Brendel could think of was, ¡°fast.¡±

    Being a swordsman was part of his blood now, and at his current sword skill level, there was almost nobody who could get close to him so quickly that he couldn¡¯t react. Even for someone at William¡¯s level, he should be able to at least react a little bit before the surprise attack.

    But clearly this attack was beyond his calctions.

    Even counting his previous experience in-game as a master yer who reached level 130 in knighthood, he had never seen an attack with this speed.

    But he did manage to see that the opponent¡¯s attack stance was the ssce wielder pose.

    Butnce wielders usually didn¡¯t have this level of dexterity.

    Before he could even blink, the lightningnce pierced through his chest.

    Brendel didn¡¯t even register that he had been injured before his body flew through the air. At that moment, he clearly saw the face of the figure made of lightning.

    But when he saw the face, Brendel almost cried out.

    The elemental figure surrounded by lightning clearly had the shape of a female. That by itself wouldn¡¯t have caused him any surprise. But her face was almost identical to Romaine¡¯s. Though of course, Miss Merchant would never furrow her beautiful brows so ferociously or adopt such a murderous pose.

    He mmed into the ground with these questions racing through his head.

    ¡°Leader!¡±

    ¡°Leader!¡± Ciel and Medissa were the first to react. A protective spell surrounded Brendel and the Silver Elf Princess immediately summoned her ownnce, putting herself squarely between Brendel and the lightning girl.

    But the lightning girl stopped and looked at Medissa. She tossed her ownnce into the sky, which scattered into sparks of lightning and disappeared into the darkness.

    As she looked coldly around at everyone in the hall, Medissa finally got a clear look at her face. She cried out, ¡°Ah, Miss Romaine!¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    As if in a chain reaction, Romaine also stared in shock at the lightning girl.

    The lightning girl paused in surprise and turned around. As if noticing her movement, Medissa immediately raised her ownnce in response. Just then, Brendel caught his breath and yelled, ¡°Don¡¯t engage with her, Medissa!¡±.

    Brendel moved his hand away from his chest. Though the Baron¡¯s shirt was burned, there was no sign of blood. He took a breath and said, ¡°She¡¯s not out to kill. She¡¯s probably the Elite Elf protecting thence.¡±

    ¡°Elite Elf?¡±

    Medissa turned around and asked, ¡°But leader, who, whose elite elf is she? Why would she look... identical to Miss Romaine?¡±

    Before Brendel could answer, a deep and maic female voice rang out in the great hall. ¡°I am Ovina. Who are you? Human? Elf? And Silver Folk? What are your intentions?¡±

 Chapter 636 - v4c21 The Holy Lance of Heaven(3)

    <h4>The Holy Lance of Heaven(3)</h4>

    ¡°Ovina?¡±

    If even Brendel failed to find anything associated with this name after digging through his memories, the rest of the crowd were certainly unable to recall that name as well. Only Romaine stuttered out a question. ¡°Y-you, why are you pretending to be me?¡±

    Ovina looked at Romaine and paused in surprise. ¡°So that is how it is.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡± the merchant girl asked.

    The other girl turned around and frowned at Brendel, who was still on the ground. ¡°You seem to have inherited the privileges of the Commision of Truth, but it is apparent that you have privileges that are even higher than that. This is odd... let me take a look. How strange, you have the feel of Gaia about you.¡±

    She turned around to examine everyone else in the room, but then paused briefly when she got to William. The Great Mage from the Silver Alliance frowned in silence, as if in deep thought, but when Ovina¡¯s gazended on Freya, her eyes lit up.

    ¡°A descendant of the Defender of the War Goddess... I had not thought that this bloodline still existed in this world,¡± she sighed admiringly.

    Brendel caught every word the girl of lightning said, but he understood none of it. Every word that came out of Ovina¡¯s mouth was foreign to him. Even with his previous experience with the game, he hadn¡¯t heard of this.

    He frowned and asked, ¡°Madam, who are you? You¡¯re an Elite Elf, but who do you represent?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± The girl strode forward and tilted her chin up. ¡°Human, ording to your lore, you should address me as the Azure Knight.¡±

    <i>The Azure Knight.</i>

    Those words resonated in Brendel¡¯s mind. He opened his mouth, but he seemed to have momentarily lost the ability to speak.

    The others didn¡¯t seem to be faring any better and were probably doing worse. Medissa¡¯snce nearly fell to the ground while Sir Makarov and the others standing behind her Royal Highness Princess kept muttering to themselves. ¡°Impossible... This can¡¯t be...¡±

    Standing before them was the Azure Knight who shattered the skies, made the stars fall, and brought about the Era of the Mortals.

    If you asked what the most famous epic poem in the history of Amber Sword was, it would be the Pale Poem. And the most well-known stanza from the Pale Poem was the one about the legend of the Azure Knight.

    That was the archetype for every subsequent knightly epic poem. Countless stories have been adapted from that stanza. Almost every knight¡¯s fantasies included this legendary figure.

    But, she was a woman?

    Everyone struggled for a moment toe to grips with this. Only Romaine, after figuring out that Ovina was not impersonating her, asked in curiosity, ¡°But why do you look exactly like me?¡±

    ¡°The course of history is quiet and deep like a river. Amongst the millions of stars, it is inevitable that two will be alike. It is all mere coincidence,¡± the other girl answered in a low voice.

    Brendel, however, thought thedy was making things up. ¡°Lady Knight, may I ask what you meant by what you just said?¡± he asked her.

    Ovina looked at him and answered, ¡°You heard what I said. I would not so easily tell you what I did not say then. In this world, every secret has its price.¡±

    ¡°Then what price must we pay?¡± Brendel asked with a frown. In the game, the yers kept trying to unravel a puzzle ¨C the final path towards The Power of Existence. Even though nobody has seeded so far, Brendel vaguely felt that what Ovina said was rted to that final door.

    Ever since the Ebabel Tower fell, knowledge of those ancient times became lost, and The Power of Existence was no longer mentioned in written history. Since then, no member of either the Golden Race or the Silver Folk had been able to truly open that door.

    Even the Dragons, powerful as they were, got no further than the peak of the golden body.

    Brendel looked at Ovina carefully, but the female knight made of lightning shook her head. ¡°You cannot afford their price, human. Now, tell me: what do you hope to aplish bying here?¡±

    ¡°Aplish?¡± Brendel suddenly remembered the purpose of their journey. ¡°Lady Knight, we have identally found the Azure Lance, which you wielded before. We were hoping to gain its acknowledgement.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± The girl of lightning nodded. She raised her head and looked around the Great Hall. ¡°This must be the ruins of the Ebabel Tower. You must have not heard of this name before. So, what is this ce to you? And what year is it in the outside world?¡±

    ¡°Right now, thisnd belongs to the Aouine Kingdom. It is currently under themercial port Ampere Seale, Lady Knight,¡± Princess Gryphine answered. ¡°And we are now in the 376th year of the First Era.¡±

    ¡°So the Era of Chaos has ended,¡± the girl of lightning murmured. ¡°Are there any Divine Folk who still remain in thisnd?¡±

    ¡°Divine Folk?¡±

    The rest of the party looked at each other in confusion. What was that term? Even for the yers, that had simply been a term left in the background of the legends.

    Ovina took one look at their expressions and understood what happened, but her face showed neither sadness or joy; she merely answered her own question, ¡°Of course, I understand.¡±

    She raised her head. ¡°If you wish to win the Azure Lance¡¯s acknowledgement, then it is simple. You just have to defeat me,¡± she replied to Brendel.

    <i>Defeat you?</i>

    Brendel thought it fortunate that he hadn¡¯t choked on his own saliva. Their opponent was the legendary hero who shattered the azure skies and brought about the beginning of a new era. Legend has it that the Azure Knight existed before the destruction of the Ebale Fortress, and most certainly possessed the Power of Existence. Even during those terrible times, she had been a force to be reckoned with.

    Therefore, it was easy to see how terrifyingly powerful this girl of lightning was.

    Even though he knew getting the Azure Lance was no easy matter ¨C after all, the Amber Sword was first and foremost a game, and since it was a game, there would be no free lunches ¨C Brendel had no idea this ¡®side quest¡¯ would have such a simple yet challenging condition.

    You just have to beat the Elite Elf of the Azure Lance.

    But the question was: was that even doable?

    Just from that single attack, Brendel could gauge that even at the height of his in-game powers and with the help of all the elite yers in the Gretius¡¯ Knight Squad, they might not even be a match against this girl.

    ¡°Lady Knight, may I ask how much of your actual powers do you still possess as an Elite Elf?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    Ovina smiled. ¡°You are smart, human, to ask about your opponent¡¯s strength. However, I am afraid my answer will disappoint you. As long as I am still within these halls, my power is as it was during my peak.¡±

    Everyone felt like they had taken a punch right there and then.

    Sir Makarov and the others looked over at the legendary mage from the Silver League, but even William could only smile with a grimace. While his strength was close to the peak of power that a mortal could attain, his powers were nothingpared to the Power of Existence.

    He shook his head to indicate there was no possibility for victory.

    ¡°This is unfair,¡± Princess Gryphine couldn¡¯t help butin with a frown. ¡°Mdy, how could anyone defeat you?¡±

    ¡°Little half elf, if nobody can defeat me, then what rights do they have to my weapon?¡± the girl of lightning smiled slightly as she answered.

    However, Brendel furrowed his brow in thought. Unlike the others, his first thought was that there was something off with this condition.

    A game would not have criteria that was impossible to fulfill.

    The princess had asked a good question. Who could defeat the Azure Knight? Forget about the ones present right here; even in his time, which yer could say they could defeat the Azure Knight?

    Or, going even further back, unless you possessed the Power of Existence, then you had no chance of victory.

    He immediately thought of the hidden implications.

    He lifted his head, only to see a pair of eyes looking at him. Those eyes were ck with a tinge of light purple. They were set on a stunning face, framed by elegant eyebrows and a head of glorious ck hair.

    The female knight stared back at him, her intentions clear in those eyes.

    But she still mouthed a hint at him.

    ¡°Word games.¡±

    Brendel immediately understood. He hadn¡¯t had the time to think about why Maynild would consider such a question, but he still looked up at Ovina and asked, ¡°Lady Knight, you said that your powers are at its peak while you are in the Great Hall,?¡±

    The girl of lightning looked at him in confusion.

    Brendel came to a realization. ¡°Lady Knight, whoever defeats you can win the recognition of the Azure Lance?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Ovina nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine then.¡± Brendel suddenly leaped backwards and shouted at Ciel, ¡°Ciel, Dragon Strike!¡±

    The young Assistant Mage instinctively understood what his leader wanted the moment Brendel opened his mouth. Since Ovina was unconquerable in the Great Hall, they would have to choose a different battlefield. He extended his hand towards the ground, and the ring of light from the Magic of Law gathered in the center of his palm, lighting up the hall.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing!¡±

    Ovina¡¯s eyebrows ¨C which were formed out of lightning ¨C curved up, and then a wave of anger shed across her face. ¡°I hate people who attempt to cheat!¡±

    As she finished speaking, her figure vanished from everyone¡¯s sight. Then, Romaine called out in surprise, ¡°Brendel, behind you!¡±

    A shiver ran up Brendel¡¯s spine. Most people, under the same circumstances, would attack Ciel first in order to cancel his attack, but Ovina clearly had figured out the rtionship between him and Ciel. In other words, she knew he was a neswalker.

    Brendel felt a chill on his back. He didn¡¯t have time to resist before a cold ¨C as if it hadn¡¯t been made of lightning ¨C hand grasped his back.

    ¡°Make him stop.¡± The lightning girl¡¯s voice was frigid.

    ¡°No, Ciel, cast the spell! There is somew governing this ce and she can¡¯t hurt us!¡± Brendel shouted instead.

    Ovina paused in surprise. ¡°...How did you know?¡±

    Brendel beamed at her. ¡°You just stabbed at me with ance, did you forget that?¡±

    ¡°You noticed?¡± Surprise welled up in the girl¡¯s tinum eyes. ¡°You do have some wits about you, but did you really think this would stop me?¡±

    Brendel knew something bad was going to happen when he saw the cold satisfaction on Ovina¡¯s face. He followed her gaze to see that the beam of light from Dragon Strike, which had been gathering in Ciel¡¯s palm, had already shot out to strike at the ground. This hall had been made fragile by the passing of time, and this single strike caused the floor underneath them to shatter. Everything was about to copse.

    Right at that moment, Ovina said coldly, ¡°Destiny¡¯s power, History Reversal.¡±

    It was just four words.

    And then a miracle happened.

 Chapter 637 - v4c22 The Holy Lance of Heaven(4)

    v4c22

    The Holy Lance of Heaven(4)

    ¡°Destiny¡¯s power, Reverse History.¡±

    In the Great Hall, Ovina¡¯s deep voice echoed in a low hum. A strange scene appeared in front of Brendel ¨C time and space seemed to be a set of reverse montages, and the floor, which gradually fractured under the power of the white light beam, was being put back together. The colorful light formation came back, the broken stone panels, the rocks, and theyers of earth knitted back together and returned to order.

    Dragon Strike was like a sheathed tinum sword, it reversed its course and flew from the bottom of the earth back to the Law Formation in a shocked Ciel¡¯s palm. A cast spell had broken back down into its most basic magic elements and the entire spellcasting process reversed. This was a sight never seen before.

    Anyone who even barely understood the principles of magic knew how much power this represented. The two first-ss Mages, Tania and William, adopted identical looks of amazement and admiration. Time, space, and energy were the most fundamentalws of the world.That was a demonstration of the Power of Existence.

    ¡°You can¡¯t fight this, leader!¡± Ciel shouted in a strangled voice.

    ¡°There is no way you can defeat me!¡± The lightning girl dered proudly. In an instant, thousands of electric arcs rose up from her body and spread throughout the Great Hall, urately striking each and every one standing there. Among them, Brendel, who was being held hostage by Ovina, suffered the most damage and flew through the air due to the force of the strike.

    The nobatant females such as Dilferi, Amandina, and Romaine let out a shriek. The widening electric arcs formed a shining in the Great Hall, securely casting everyone under its influence and tethering them against the wall on one side of the Great Hall.

    A light shed in William¡¯s eyes. He raised his Draka, the Staff of the Sky, and a transparent half sphere of protection encircled him. Hundreds of golden arcs skimmed across the surface of the magical shield, only to explode into ions like fireworks against the night sky.

    Brendel was the only other still standing. From the moment he climbed up he activated the Fool¡¯s Talent and the Blood of God came to life within him. A barely visible barrier made of willpower enveloped his body and all the lightning dissipated before they got close to him.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Ovina¡¯s eyes showed a sign of curiosity upon seeing this. ¡°This... feels like Odin¡¯s aura. There are many strange things about you.¡±

    ¡°This kind of magic is useless against me!¡± Brendel unsheathed Halran Gaia. He lifted his head and stared at Ovina, who was standing in the center of the lightning, and shed at her with the sword.

    ¡°What a fool, even Odin himself was no match against me.¡± The lightning girl snorted. All the lightning and thunder immediately disappeared from the underground hall. The only one that remained was the lightning staff in her hands. As if Ovina had already figured out Brendel¡¯s n of attack, the moment the ghost-like de split through space and appeared in front of her, hernce blocked the broad side of the sword with a ng.

    Lightning became solid in her hands. The ability to change the properties of energy was a lost art in this age.

    ¡°You even know some Dragon sword skills. Would you like for me to teach you a few more?¡± Ovina seemed to spare Brendel¡¯s sh Strike Sword Art no thought. She single handedly disarmed Brendel¡¯s attack and took a single step back to maintain the distance between them.

    Brendel really wanted to say ¡°yes please¡±. Anything the Azure Knight taught him would probably shake even the yers of the game in his past life. But unfortunately he didn¡¯t get a chance to say anything, since Ovina¡¯snce was already thrusting at him like the tooth of a dragon.

    He nearly died from fear right there and then. The lightning girl¡¯s staff split into four, and every one of them was like shadows of the moon. This was the Star Knight¡¯s most advancednce attack: Silent Night. Such a fanciful name clearly indicated that this was the legacy of the Wind Elf royalty, and was in fact, also one of the principles of the Star Legacies.

    But where did the prerequisite skill go? What about the channelling time for the attack? Howe this woman didn¡¯t do any of it? How is this not a bug?

    The fournce shadows simultaneously struck Brendel¡¯s body and sword. Silent Night¡¯s defining feature is its endless darkness. The more the victim dodges, the more attacks woulde. But once a hitnds, the rest of the attack disappears.

    Though it was just fournce strikes, four strikes from someone of Ovina¡¯s skill level was enough to make Brendel suffer. Even Ovina herself was sure Brendel would be defeated. She didn¡¯t expect that the lightning staff would prate through an illusion ¡ª

    Illusion? Something cold shed across the lightning girl¡¯s tinum eyes. She saw the illusion of Brendel still moving forward in midair and preparing for another strike against her.

    ¡°Eh? This wasn¡¯t an illusion! It was a magical doppelganger!¡± Incredulity colored Ovina¡¯s voice. She took another step back to avoid the hit and asked in surprise, ¡°This is such a genius move. Did youe up with it yourself?¡±

    Brendel didn¡¯t answer. The Nine Luminaries Sword Art suddenly produced four or five more doppelgangers, and every doppelganger was an attack, almost as if Brendel¡¯s sword skills createdyers of shadows around the lightning girl.

    ¡°Tch, you think you¡¯ll win by doing this?¡±

    The lightning girl scoffed. She countered every attack and never once used her right hand. Then she held hernce horizontally and her figure wheeled through the air like a crescent.

    ¡°This stance... Iron Scale¡¯s Dragon Tooth Severance!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s body reacted before his brain did. His knees hit the ground and he leaned his upper body backwards so that the lightningnce grazed his chin as it moved past.

    Dragon Tooth Severance was known as the attack with the highest damage and with Ovina being the one to deploy it, its destruction was even greater. Thence moved through the air with a shrill sound, and even the space continuum looked like it was quivering. But Brendel knew very clearly that this attack had a fatal weakness in its attack range. Since he was very familiar with the attack himself, he instinctively reacted before Ovina evenunched her attack.

    The lightningnce whisked by like a sh of light. At the same time, Brendel pushed himself off the ground with his left hand and his right hand swept out the Staff of Earth towards the lightning girl holding the lightningnce.

    This was the most simple yet most effective counter against Dragon Tooth Severance.

    Of course, this was also something that yers have figured out after thousands of battles.

    Every time Brendel used this attack, it had been effective.

    But Ovina reached out with her right hand and, with a crunch, firmly grabbed the de of Brendel¡¯s sword. She pushed against the ck ridge of the Staff of Earth with just three fingers and that was enough to make Brendel unable to move his de as if it was stuck in iron.

    The lightning girl smiled and said, ¡°You have good reflexes. For someone your age, you also have impressivebat experience.¡±

    As she finished her sentence, she lifted hernce and stabbed it towards Brendel. That single stab made Brendel¡¯s world go ck. Even though it looked like a straight forward jab, her stance was that of Earth Sword Saint¡¯s Rock Resonance Attack. As expected, as Ovina struck out, the ground beneath the lightningnce shattered and pieces of rock jumped into the air and sted outwards.

    Ovina had only attacked three times, but every attack was the most powerful of its kind. She also made the attacks seem ordinary, and they sprung out of her as if they cost her nothing.

    Now this was someone who had cheat codes! That was the only thought shing through Brendel¡¯s mind as he watched, frozen, as thence jabbed through the air straight at his throat. Rock Resonance was the defining move of the Earth Sword Saint and it was defined by its ability to take advantage of the shocks to the space continuum and lock down the enemy¡¯s evading range. In the game, this meant reducing the yer¡¯s dexterity. Ovina¡¯s move straight up cut his dexterity down to zero.

    Was this someone a human could do?

    But just then, a boom sounded behind him and the earth underneath Brendel¡¯s feet separated. He sunk downwards, which meant the lightningnce lost its original target and merely grazed his scalp as it whizzed past.

    The lightning girl immediately whipped her head back and looked in the direction of the Great Mage William. She bit out, ¡°Earthquake?¡±

    William lowered the Staff of the Sky in his hands until the butt of it rested against the ground. He nodded politely at Ovina, ¡°Yes, mdy Azure Knight.¡±

    ¡°You want to team up against me? Not a problem!¡±

    Ovina turned around so that she no longer faced Brendel. She snapped her fingers and dered, ¡°¡°Destiny¡¯s power, Miracle of Time!¡±

    Something weird immediately started happening in the Great Hall. Seven colored lights pierced through the darkness as if going through a prism and turned into distinctyers of colors. It was enchanting, but Brendel, who was stuck between them, didn¡¯t see their beauty. All he could feel was a headache forming.

    Because those flowingyers of light wereyers of time, which meant the flow of time in this Great Hall was being turned into chaos.

    He realized that both himself and William were slowing down.

    Brendel was frustrated. Even if the key feature of the Azure Knight was destiny, how could she control time and space so naturally? When did proficiency in destinye with this ability?

    As if Ovina understood his confusion, she answered with a low voice. ¡°Those fractured times and experiences are part of the memory of history. The destiny of people form the backbone of this world, so there is nothing that rules cannot control.¡±

    ¡°Your understanding of Elemental Powers is still shallow.¡±

    ¡°Now it is my turn to attack.¡±

    The lightning girl raised hernce and limitless space seemed to gather at the tips of hernce. In an instant, they formed into a singr point that mortal eyes could not look upon. That singr point had no color and lightning appeared to sh along the borders of that deep darkness. Though Brendel had never seen such an attack, he understood that this was nothing to sneeze at.

    Because this was the first time he had ever seen Ovina take the time for channeling.

    How did they ever meet someone this outrageously powerful? Brendel had no words to describe the bitterness he felt. He looked back towards William and believed their only shot at winning was to force Ovina out of this Great Hall. Going up against the Azure Knight would be like a joke. Clearly the Silver League¡¯s Great Mage also realized this because he nodded at Brendel.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep her distracted!¡± Brendel shouted.

    Though truth to be told, he had no idea if he would seed. But fortunately he realized that all of Ovina¡¯s previous attacks dealt no damage, which meant that ording to the restrictions of some rule, the Elite Elf stationed here as a guardian could not kill any challenger.

    As long as he didn¡¯t die, Brendel could figure something out.

    The gathering force has already created a twister in the middle of the hall. Brendel raised his eyes to look at Ovina in the center of the twister, picked up his Staff of Earth, and ¡®slowly¡¯ moved towards the twister.

    It¡¯s not that he wanted to move slowly but Ovina¡¯s Miracle of Time was really too perverted. Not only did it create a slow down effect on everyone around the caster, but it also simultaneously sped up the caster¡¯s movements. This was so much stronger than the Conjurer¡¯s self-proimed strongest Twelve Ring spell ¡°Prison of Time¡±.

    But Brendel knew he still had a shot.

    He still had the sh Strike Sword Art, which ignored both time and space. If he could just get closer, he could strike. He raised his head and stared at Ovina¡¯s every move, hoping that she would concentrate on her final strike, which would leave him the opportunity to attack.

    Of course, he would never count on his single strike to do much damage. All he hoped for was a distraction.

    As one of the Twelve Leaders of the Deroura Mages, William¡¯s casting speed was impressive even when time had been slowed down.

    Brendel silently calcted the distance

 Chapter 638 - v4c23 The Holy Lance of Heaven(5)

    v4c23

    The Holy Lance of Heaven(5)

    Ten meters.

    Seven meters.

    The room was now filled with pebbles and sand that had been whipped around by the twister. The entire underground hall boomed and roared with the sounds of it. This entire space was being drawn by an inexplicable force towards a single point. Brendel squinted, enduring the sharp rocks and stones cutting across his face, but atst, he determined the predicted position.

    The de shed quickly. The next second, Brendel vanished from where he had stood and appeared next to Ovina. The girl of lightning didn¡¯t seem to notice. She looked up in surprise, but mockery shed across her tinum eyes.

    Brendel observed her carefully and immediately realized something was wrong.

    ¡°How shallow.¡±

    Before he had a chance to use the Halran Gaia, he heard Ovina¡¯s chilly words of judgment. The next moment, Brendel felt the sword in his hand ng against an indestructible wall. Since the wall was transparent, it looked as if the de of the Halran Gaia was stopped about a meter away from the girl of lightning, unable to move any closer.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Brendel stood in awe. He had never heard of anyone being able to cast a magical shield around themselves while they were still in the middle of channeling. Did that leave anyone room for sess?

    ¡°This is not a magical shield, human.¡± Ovina raised the tip of hernce and pointed it at his chin. ¡°That is because your inability to defeat me is destined. It is like a predetermined fate. That is why you hesitate,¡± she answered calmly.

    Brendel understood immediately. This was part of Ovina¡¯s Elemental Powers. This was another manifestation of the Power of Destiny; it nted a subconscious thought in every one of her opponents, making them think that they couldn¡¯t defeat her.

    In other words, there weren¡¯t any magical shields around her, but since he believed he could not defeat her, his sword halted right there.

    Everything was merely an illusion.

    And yet, the illusion felt so real that he was powerless to fight against it. No matter how much effort Brendel exerted, his sword always stopped a meter from the girl of lightning, as if he was fighting against himself.

    This power was unbelievable and bizarre. Brendel had never heard of anything like it, be it in this world that he transmigrated into, or from the game in his previous world,

    He had heard other yers hypothesize over how terrifying the Power of Existence was. Now that he had encountered it, it was even more formidable and frightening than they had thought!

    ¡°Understand now?¡± Ovina asked.

    Brendel smiled bitterly. This was indeed a power that he couldn¡¯t triumph over, because he saw the girl lightning begin to gather up thest bit of energy needed to unleash her attack.

    Only then did the Mage from the Silver League begin chanting his spell.

    Brendel turned around and caught sight of William¡¯s grave expression.

    But right then, a figure entered Brendel¡¯s vision from behind the endless storm. It was someone he had never dreamt of seeing here.

    A ponytail the color of fiery mes billowed and fanned out, following after its owner. Thedy spun the spear in her hands. It was merely a standard spear from the White Lion Legion. It couldn¡¯t even be counted as a magical weapon. However, the tip of the spear pressed against Ovina¡¯s back in just a moment.

    It was Scarlet.

    The girl of lightning quickly detected the sneak attack. She whipped her hand back and directly sliced off half of the spear. When she turned around, she looked at Scarlet in puzzlement. ¡°How odd; you¡¯re so weak. How did you escape my lightning cage?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m lightning too!¡± The girl with the ponytail shouted in anger. ¡°Let go of the Lord!¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ovina had already seen the electricity floating and arcing around Scarlet. She raised her eyebrows slightly. ¡°What pure electrical power. You too have Divine Blood in you, and it is even from Kesu...

    ¡°But unfortunately, this is far from being sufficient.¡± Her palm was already flying towards Scarlet¡¯s neck even as herst word fell. This Elite Elf from the Azure Knights had probably realized that Scarlet was weak and decided to finish off this pest first.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Brendel was still next to Ovina. He already knew that it was futile to attack this self-proimed Elite Elf of the Azure Knight. As long as they were under the influence of the Element of Destiny, even if she offered her own neck, he wouldn¡¯t be able to cut through it. Even so, he still had many ways of interfering with Ovina¡¯s actions.

    Brendel dodged around the girl of lightning and thrust the Halran Gaia downwards. He shouted, ¡°Rise up, Power of the Earth!¡± The power in the Halran Gaia exploded in an instant and the ground of the great hall shattered upwards in multipleyers. The floor underneath Ovina looked like it would bepletely pulverized the next second.

    Ovina¡¯s fury reached new heights, but she had to stay her attack. She pushed her hand downwards and another Time¡¯s Reversal flew out. This hall was her greatest weakness. She certainly would not allow Brendel to destroy it.

    But as she turned around, she left herself open for the ponytail girl to attack again. Scarlet did not care that her abilities were worth less than that of an ant¡¯s to the girl of lightning; she just kept using the blunt end of the spear that the Ovina destroyed to stab at Ovina¡¯s back.

    ¡°Scarlet, move aside!¡± Brendel called out in dismay. He knew that Ovina¡¯s Elemental Power was very special. Nevermind Scarlet, he himself was momentarily powerless against Ovina. Scarlet would just be more burdensome by remaining here.

    However, clearly it was toote. Scarlet and Brendel¡¯s relentless attacks infuriated even the normally good-natured Ovina. More importantly, the Archmage William¡¯s gathered magical energy was slowly bing a threat as well. Of course, William was far from being able to hurt her, but if he was set on damaging the great hall, she would have to expend time and effort to repair it.

    ¡°Waste of energy, waste of time!¡± the girl made out of lightningmented coldly. At the same moment, she adjusted hernce¡¯s trajectory and thrusted her weapon towards Brendel.

    Ovina could be said to be rather logical. Scarlet was clearly not a threat to her. On the other hand, Brendel, who possessed the Halran Gaia, was a pain.

    But as soon as she followed through with the stab, she realized she had made a huge mistake.

    Because she felt Scarlet¡¯s staff connect solidly with her back. Ovina¡¯s eyes betrayed her incredulity ¨C how could a mortal who hadn¡¯t even reached the Golden Peak manage to strike her?

    What happened to her Destiny¡¯s Privilege?

    Scarlet¡¯s attack took all of her effort and while she did strike Ovina¡¯s back, it did not damage the Elite Elf in the slightest. On the other hand, Scarlet herself flew through the air due to the rebound, but ording to the Power of the Law, this hit, regardless of whether it dealt damage, haspletely interrupted Ovina¡¯s channeling attempt.

    With a ¡®bang¡¯, the ck singr point that had been gathering at the tip of thence belonging to the Elite Elf of the Azure Knightpletely dissipated.

    An opportunity!

    Brendel didn¡¯t know why Scarlet could pierce through Ovina¡¯s Elemental Power, but he knew without a doubt that this was the best opportunity they had. Taking advantage of Ovina¡¯s momentary surprise, he lifted the Halran Gaia and mmed it down violently.

    A cacophonous crash sounded. The sword had been gathering Earth¡¯s Power and, in a single moment, that power spread throughout the great hall. Cracks appeared on the stone floor and theyers of earth underneath the stone made crisp cracking sounds as they broke. The entire underground hall crackled and boomed as it started tilting to one side. It seemed it was about topletely copse.

    ¡°Preposterous!¡±

    Ovina finally responded. While she had dered that she possessed the Azure Knight¡¯s powers at her peak, Brendel could tell that this Elite Elf had only inherited that legendary hero¡¯s powers. However, when it came to herbat experience and her ability to control the battleground, she was way too far below the Azure Knight¡¯s level.

    The great hall was visibly copsing. It was only then that the girl of lightning started to panic. She spread her arms and immense Elemental Power covered the entire ground. The copsing great hall immediately repaired itself, but soon started cracking again. Cold sweat dripped down Ovina¡¯s brow. She slowly came to the realization that she was reaching her limit.

    Because William the Silver Storm had joined the battle.

    He injected an erged Earthquake magic spell into the ground, making the entire great hall shake once again. The columns in the hall fractured and pieces of the shattered ground lifted into the air. Canine-like cracks criss-crossed along the ground. The ground then sank, sliding into the unseen depths underneath the ruin along with the earth and rocks.

    The girl of lightning seemed to have finally realized that her defeat was imminent, but she still lifted her head and bit out through gritted teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t think this means you have won!¡± she dered in fury.

    As the entire great hall was breaking into innumerable pieces and crumbling down around them, Ovina stood on thergest rock and looked down at Brendel and Scarlet condescendingly. She reached out a hand and gathered up the Elemental Power that spread throughout the hall before calling out, ¡°Destiny, Fountain of Sparkling Light!¡±

    History unfolded itself like a screen behind her. Countless heroes and legendary shining moments in history became reality, and then appeared before Brendel.

    Brendel couldn¡¯t even ce a name for some of them, but there were even some who came after the Azure Knight¡¯s time. Brendel did recognize the Four Wise Men, mainly because he was far too familiar with Sanorso. These summoned beings were formed by fragments of history, but Brendel couldn¡¯t exactly name what kind of existence they were. Rather than Elite Elfs, he thought they were closer to physical representations of some sort of Law.

    But clearly, whatever Ovina had summoned wasn¡¯t here to host a tea party.

    The girl of lightning pointed downwards with hernce. Her deep and prating voice almost overpowered the booming sound of the great hall copsing. ¡°Heroes are but beings bound by destiny and desire. Their very existence is to ensure that the world follows the predetermined trajectory of destiny. Human, ept their challenge!¡±

    Ten heroes who looked like they walked out of legends rushed towards Brendel. Brendel paled in fright. While he didn¡¯t know how much of the originals¡¯ powers these summoned caricatures possessed, Ovina wouldn¡¯t have let them out if they were too weak.

    Destiny¡¯s Elemental Power was a bug. Brendel re-examined the order of the Elemental Powers. In the past, there were actually quite a few yers who possessed Destiny¡¯s Privilege, but he had no idea that this Elemental Power would morph into this when it reached the highest limit of the Power of Being.

    This was practically having your every heart¡¯s desire brought into existence.

    The first to arrive in front of him was the illusion of Sanorso. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but the Wind Empress clearly exhibited her true powers. Just as Brendel raised his word in preparation to counter the powerful elf¡¯s attack, Sanorso took a step back and pulled out a series of illusions in front of Brendel.

    Nine Luminaries Sword Art!

    Brendel instantly realized that his version of Nine Luminaries Sword Art was all but useless in front of the real one. First of all, the magic power wasn¡¯t even on the same level. The ¡®Wind Empress¡¯ in front of him seemed capable of producing endless Nine Luminaries Sword Arts and every illusionsted for a long time so that you couldn¡¯t tell what was real and what was an illusion.

    And that wasn¡¯t all, because there was the me King Gretel who looked like he was ready to attack at a moment¡¯s notice on the other side. Brendel recalled this king¡¯s sh Strike Sword Art very well.

    Luckily, Brendel had onest trick up his sleeve.

    The great hall was disappearing under everyone, but he took a step back. He held onto the arm of the girl with the ponytail with one hand. Scarlet paused momentarily and subconsciously withdrew her hand. ¡°Lord.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t win, withdraw!¡± Brendel answered. He never figured himself as an elite. He lifted his head and took onest look at Ovina above them. All he saw were more and more heroes surging out from the screen of light behind her. His scalp crawled at the sight.

    This was a battle that was impossible to win. He didn¡¯t know which game designer came up with this scenario, but what made him more upset was that this scenario actually existed in this world as well.

    How was this reasonable?

    Brendel shook his head and called out in the direction he remembered William was standing in. ¡°Sir William, we¡¯ll take our leave first!¡±

    Having said that, he held Scarlet¡¯s hand and jumped into the darkness below.

 Chapter 639 - v4c24

    <h4>v4c24 The Holy Lance of Heaven(6)</h4>

    Brendel swore that if he had known what being buried under sand and dirt felt like, he would have rather surrendered than chosen to run.

    He first felt his body plunge downwards, apanied by the sound of countless other things rolling down alongside him, and the only light was a dim raying from the direction of the quickly copsing underground great hall.

    After a second or two, he felt a violent impact.

    A normal person probably would have been crushed to death by the impact, but for someone whose body has reached Golden Peak, it wasn¡¯t too bad. Brendel only felt his body hit a sloped ground and roll off several sharp rocks. He tried in vain to grab onto something in the dark, but the momentum of the mudslide pushed him along until he mmed into a t rock.

    Brendel felt the first impact and then another one when a soft body mmed into him. He immediately realized that it was Scarlet. As more rocks and mud came their way, he hurriedly pulled the girl towards him and then flipped their bodies so that he shielded her with his own body.

    Just a momentter, he heard a boom and felt the weight of several boulders crash heavily into him. Brendel wasn¡¯t too worried about it since it just felt like he got hit with a stick, but the huge amount of dirt and sand was what made him suffer.

    He had only coughed once and already, he tasted a mouth full of dirt.

    And that wasn¡¯t the worst of it. The most important thing was that when he lowered his head instinctively to spit out the dirt in his mouth, he ended up looking into a pair of shining eyes. They looked demure, curious, but also shy. Clearly they belonged to a certain Hignder girl who liked to tie her hair in a long ponytail. Shielded by Brendel, Scarlet was staring up at her Leader with thosepliant eyes.

    For both Brendel and Scarlet, seeing in the dark wasn¡¯t a problem, so they could both easily see what the other was doing.

    Fortunately, this wasn¡¯t the first time they had experienced this. Thest time they went through something practically identical to this was in the Loop of Trade Winds when the Fog Nightmare had chased after them. After experiencing it once, the second time was at least less awkward.

    ¡°Leader,¡± Scarlet whispered as she blinked, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Brendel mumbled something with a mouthful of sand. He couldn¡¯t describe the dilemma he was in. He and Scarlet were practically cheek-to-cheek, he couldn¡¯t very well spit the sand onto her face. And booming outside, it was obvious that the great hall was still copsing.

    But Brendel didn¡¯t answer. The Hignder girl examined him closely for a while, then Brendel thought he felt Scarlet shift and lightly rest her forehead against his chest.

    This seemed to subconsciously touch something in Brendel¡¯s heart. He instinctively looked down and saw Scarlet curled up in his arms like a child.

    ¡°Mmmmm... Scarlet?¡±

    ¡°Sorry...,¡± Scarlet seemed to jerk awake at his voice. She seemed surprised and quickly let go. Brendel watched as she carefully backed off and couldn¡¯t help but feel pity. ¡°It¡¯s really okay... are you scared?¡±

    Scarlet furrowed her brow but lightly shook her head.

    Brendel fell silent. In all honesty, he couldn¡¯t tell what the girl was thinking. In fact, ever since the Battle of Ampere Seale, Sir Makarov had gone to see her several times, but she always refused him. Scarlet was usually a quiet person and only asionally kept Romainepany. But ording to the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, she wasn¡¯t like this before.

    He thought about it but decided he wasn¡¯t one to try to guess what girls were thinking. After all, he had been crap at it in his previous life. He tossed his head and decided to change the topic, ¡°Scarlet, how did you get through Ovina¡¯s Elemental Power?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± The Hignder girl looked up at him in shocked surprise.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± It was Brendel¡¯s turn to be surprised as he didn¡¯t see a hint of pretense in her eyes.

    Scarlet shook her head in confusion.

    ¡°That¡¯s weird...¡± Brendel was even more confused than Scarlet. He understood very well what Ovina¡¯s Destiny Elemental Powers meant. Ovina¡¯s Destiny Elemental Power was akin to a prophecy but more powerful. If you can¡¯t break through your own destiny, then you won¡¯t be able to strike her, much less defeat her.

    But the problem was that, for someone who existed in the Golden Realm to escape the legendary heroic Elemental Powers of someone who mastered the Power of Being was clearly an impossible task.

    Forget about either him or Scarlet. This was probably impossible even for Mage William the Silver Storm.

    Was this because of the Dragon blood? He had never heard that those with Golden Folk blood were able to challenge those with higher ranks in power, just that they have better talent.

    Brendel frowned but remained clueless. Just then, he sensed something and raised his head. He discovered that it seemed like the rocks were falling at a slower rate, which was the best news he could hope for right now. He immediately tossed aside those useless thoughts in his mind, reached out his hand, and easily lifted the boulder on top of him. With a shove, rock fragments tumbled off in the same direction as the rest of the mud and dirt.

    In a blink of the eye, Brendel mbered out of the debris and pulled Scarlet out after him. With some effort, the two found their way to the top of a t rock, where they looked around. They realized that the great hall had copsed into a giant shaft and that they were located about halfway through it. All traces of human activity above them were gone without a trace.

    Brendel looked all around. Theoretically, when the great hall copsed, Ovina and William, who had been there along with him and Scarlet, should have also been caught in the resulting mudslide. The others had been bound by the lightning against the wall, so they probably weren¡¯t in much danger. But despite Brendel¡¯s efforts to find signs of William and Ovina in the dark, he could see any trace of them.

    ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡± He paused momentarily. Judging by Ovina and Wiliam¡¯s skill, they should have freed themselves before he could. Though the copse had looked dangerous, for someone of their skill and power, it couldn¡¯t even be considered troublesome.

    ¡°Leader, look there!¡± Scarlet had remained quietly standing next to him ever since Brendel dug her out of the debris. But as a half-Dragon, she definitely had the better eyesight.

    Only then did Brendel turn towards the direction she was describing. After staring for quite a while, he saw a light point fly out from the dark. But he didn¡¯t realize that it wasn¡¯t a point of light until it got closer. It was William, flying in the air with his glowing staff in his hands.

    And when they got even closer, Brendel suddenly realized the Great Mage was grasping someone else in his hands ¡ª based on the tinum body constructed of lightning, who else could it be but Ovina?

    William¡¯s aviation spell moved quickly and he appeared in front of Brendel in the next second. He descended, robes fluttering, beforending steadily in front of Brendel. With a toss of his hand, Ovinanded in front of Brendel.

    ¡°She passed out?¡± Brendel stared, dumbfounded, at Ovina, whose eyes were closed. He refused to believe that this was the same egotistical Elite Elf. Normally, once a body has been perfected, one wouldn¡¯t even pass out from falling down several thousand meters. This was just pitiful.

    ¡°You guessed it, little mortal. Her powers weakened rapidly as soon as we left the great hall.¡± The Great Mage answered instead. ¡°When I found her, she was probably Upper Silver rank at best and her magic was still leaking out. I think that if this continues, she would probably have a hard time even maintaining her physical body.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Brendel hesitated, unsure what to do next. He couldn¡¯t help but look at the girl on the ground and ask, ¡°So what does this mean? Does this mean we¡¯ve won or lost? She won¡¯t try to get out of this, will she?¡±

    ¡°Who do you think I am!¡± As Brendel finished asking the question, Ovina spluttered awake from her prone position on the floor. Though she looked fragile, she still red at Brendel. ¡°Even though I hate people who use tricks, but winning is winning and I won¡¯t deny it!¡±

    The girl sighed, and then the color came back into her face. William and Brendel frowned slightly because they detected that Ovina¡¯s powers seem to be gradually increasing.

    ¡°Your powers cane back?¡± Brendel blurted out impulsively. ¡°Wasn¡¯t the great hall destroyed? Wait, you...¡±

    He squinted his eyes as if suddenly realizing something.

    Clearly, the leader of the Silver Mages thought of the same thing a split second faster, for a look of realization dawned upon his face.

    ¡°Looks like you have got some smarts after all.¡± Ovina scoffed unpleasantly. ¡°As you might have guessed, my powers aren¡¯t greater when I¡¯m closer to the great hall. But rather, the closer I am to the Holy Lance of Heaven, the more powerful I am. You must have guessed by now, I¡¯m not the Azure Knight ¡ª I am the Holy Lance of Heaven itself.¡±

    Brendel felt like he had just been punched in the gut. ¡°So everything was just an act you put up?¡±

    ¡°Not really. As a Divine Artifact, I have the right to choose my own master.¡± Ovina lifted her chin and dered proudly.

    ¡°Fine. It doesn¡¯t really matter to me.¡± Brendel shrugged. This wasn¡¯t the first time he encountered a magical object with a soul. The Wind Ring on his fingers had an Elite Elf from the War of the Holy Saints sealed inside, and a lot of the famous magical objects in the Amber Sword had a simr mechanism. But this was the first time he encountered a sealed Elite Elf of this power magnitude.

    But this only made the Holy Lance of Heaven worth more. He thought about it and then continued, ¡°Regardless, you admit that we have defeated you, right? So now you can choose who your new master is, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ovina gritted her death and concurred. ¡°But before then, I have a question.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I want to know how she got through my Elemental Powers!¡± The lightning girl stared at Scarlet and incredulity once again appeared on her features. She, like Brendel, couldn¡¯t figure out how a Golden Being managed to escape the influence of her Destiny Elemental Powers.

    Brendel looked at Scarlet, thought about it, and then asked, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because of her Dragon blood?¡±

    ¡°Not possible!¡± Ovina firmly denied that. ¡°As a mere Golden Folk, when would its bloodline possess such power? Unless some mutation happed during thest ten thousand years, but that would be rare.¡±

    ¡°Mutation?¡± Brandon mulled it over. Did the Amber Sword have such a feature?

    But the lightning girl merely snorted again and refused to answer.

    In the dark, silence once again settled upon the party. Until the Great Mage William asked after several minutes of contemtion, ¡°Maybe I know why?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± Everyone turned to look at him.

    ¡°In our history, there are some things that can change destiny and help someone escape the bindings of their fate.¡± The Great Mage answered slowly. ¡°Brendel, you know the little girl Aloz, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Brendel called out in understanding, ¡°That¡¯s it! I know why!¡±

 Chapter 640 - v4c25 The Holy Lance of Heaven(7)

    <h4>v4c25</h4>

    The Holy Lance of Heaven(7)

    ¡°So, what exactly is going on?¡± Ovina was still half-kneeling on the ground, with one hand rubbing her arm. She asked the question with a frown. The girl¡¯s energy-made body looked like it was made of tinum and there was a half-transparent ring around her irises. Only when they contracted slightly did you know what she was thinking ¡ª and she was very angry right now.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple, really .¡± Brendel said while sporting a toothy smile. His voice echoed in the dark and sounded a bit mischievous. He suddenly raised his hand and put it behind Scarlet, pushing the girl who had been standing in the shadows with her head hanging to stand in front of him. ¡°Lady Ovina, you must have heard the legend of the Elf¡¯s Golden Apple?¡±

    Scarlet seemed ill at ease. She looked back in surprise at her leader, but Brendel shook his head and indicated that she needn¡¯t be so nervous. He did this in the hopes of leaving Ovina with a stronger impression of Scarlet. Because Ovina must choose the Azure Lance¡¯s next master from the three of them. He was much better at using the sword and Williman¡¯s identity and profession also rendered him unsuitable as the heir to the Azure Lance. Therefore, he would much rather Ovina choose Scarlet as the heir to the Azure Lance.

    Scarlet had always stood behind him, as silent as a shadow. Even though Scarlet filled his heart with tenderness, but that was precisely why Brendel wanted the young girl to understand that in this world, there were humble origins. Even a country girl from Be could be many people¡¯s hope and protector at some time.

    Only confidence and hard work were the driving forces behind the advancement of civilization andw.

    Ovina looked Scarlet over carefully. Ovina¡¯s pupils were like burning tinum embers and her eyebrows were like mes. She frowned slightly, ¡°The Matter of Admiration?¡± She closed her eyes and lightly sniffed, ¡°So that¡¯s it. That is indeed the residue unique to elves. Valuerian Elves have been studying for so long how to change destiny. I didn¡¯t realize they had made ite true. But they can only interrupt the rule. It¡¯s still ineffective against chaos... I was too rash.¡±

    Ovina quietly said a string of senseless words, and then opened her eyes again to look at Scarlet and then back at Brendel. ¡°I heard her call you leader, is she your subordinate?¡±

    ¡°Crap.¡± Brendel thought Ovina was out for revenge so he hurriedly exined, ¡°I guess so.¡±

    ¡°Guess so?¡± Ovina looked suspiciously at Brendel and her voice dragged out slightly.

    Brendel mused for a bit and then quickly organized his thoughts. ¡°Probably because I helped Scarlet when was in a tough spot. So theoretically, Scarlet is with me as a guard. Of course, you can see this as me holding something over her to get her to obey me. But no matter how you cut it, the contract between us willst until she believes she¡¯s returned the favor ¨C¡±

    ¡°Leader,¡± Scarlet turned around and called out quietly. Brendel¡¯s self-deprecation clearly made her nervous.

    Brendel tried tomunicate with her only using his eyes.

    Ovina looked at them both in disdain, ¡°How crude. But I didn¡¯t figure you as the kind-hearted type. Even if you want me to acknowledge her, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit unsuitable? It¡¯s not just a matter of her being weak ¡ª because that¡¯s not the point. The point is that she has no desire to be strong. Without confidence and self-awareness, how will she fulfill her own belief? Or maybe she doesn¡¯t even have a clear understanding of what belief is. Giving her the Azure Lance will just ruin me.¡±

    She stared at Scarlet, who silently lowered her head.

    And then Ovina turned around and looked at Brendel with a hint of admiration. ¡°But you, though you¡¯re still wrong, you have some potential. Otherwise... that guy wouldn¡¯t have chosen you, right? So don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t figured out that there¡¯s something about you that sets you apart from the rest of the world... and it¡¯s because of that ¡®something¡¯ that we can now change history. How about it? Do you want to form a pact with me and be the Azure Lance¡¯s new master, human?

    Brendel blinked in surprise. He didn¡¯t think Ovina would choose him. But he sighed and shook his head.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Lady Ovina. Nobody is born strong and nobody is destined to change the world. But at every moment, everyone is trying to change themselves because of something. As long as there¡¯s something important they need to protect, anyone can be strong. In this world, power has never been an unchanging element of this world.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen Scarlet furious at the passing of herpanions. And it¡¯s because of that anger that I know she can do it ¨C Scarlet, raise your head. You defeated Lady Ovina and you have the same right to be acknowledged by the Azure Lance.¡± Brendelmanded firmly.

    Scarlet shivered and bit her lips while she looked up at Brendel. She knew that was the legendary Azure Lance, the brightest of items in legends. Her Royal Highness, Leader, and even Count Yanbao... there were so many others here who were more qualified than her to pick up thence that had once shattered the very heavens.

    Her Royal Highness was brave, Leader was justice personified, Lady Dilferi was steady and idealistic. Everyone here seemed to be better than she was. The Azure Lance could belong to any of them, but not her.

    But even son, there was gratitude in her eyes. That gratitude came from being acknowledged.

    Silence spread out in the darkness.

    William stood by the three of them. Underneath his silver brows, those wisdom-filled eyes glinted with interest. It was as if none of this mattered to him. He merely brushed the dust away from his sleeves from time to time. As a Mage, he didn¡¯t have much interest in owning the Azure Lance to begin with.

    Ovina let out an involuntary groan and muttered something like how she couldn¡¯t believe she had been defeated by such a little girl. She nced at Brendel with a hint of frustration in her eyes, ¡°You really want her to take the Azure Lance?¡±

    ¡°Is that not allowed?¡±

    ¡°There are many others in the great hall above us that would be more suitable than she is. That half-elf girl, she¡¯s calm and collected under pressure. And the merchant looking little girl that was with you, she has noble blood. And the others, though they¡¯re not as good as them, they¡¯d be much better than her.¡± Ovina frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t understand your reasoning.¡±

    ¡°I know all of that. But I still think Scarlet is better.¡±

    ¡°You...¡± the lightning girl spluttered, ¡°The reason?¡±

    ¡°Because she¡¯s ordinary, so she can turn the ordinary into extraordinariness. Long ago, the Azure Knight once used the Holy Lance to shatter the heavens and let the stars fall down. That brought about the age of mortals, Lady Ovina. In the Kirrlutz epic poems, the Azure Lance represents an endless struggle. No matter how humble your existence, there will be a moment when you reach the highest glory.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why there¡¯s excitement in the mortal age.¡± Brendel slowly answered.

    Ovina was momentarily lost for words. She red at Brendel.

    The sound of pping finally rang. William gently pped his hands and answered, ¡°Nicely said. The Silver and Golden ages have gone by. In the end, mortals must control their own destiny. Lady Ovina, honestly speaking none of us present have the right to inherit the Azure Lance. But inparison, maybe coincidence is Marsha¡¯s will in destiny?¡±

    ¡°This... fine. I understand.¡±

    Ovina sighed and then stopped up from the ground. She looked at Scarlet and reached out her hand. ¡°You¡¯re lucky, little girl. Come, reach out your hand and let me see what you¡¯re thinking.¡±

    Scarlet hesitated and turned around to look at Brendel. But Brendel only gave her a slight nod.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The Hignder girl finally gathered up all her courage. She bit her lip and then reached out to put her hand in the middle of Ovina¡¯s palm.

    Ovina closed her eyes and her dagger-like brows finally rxed. For the first time, a peaceful expression came over her face.

    ¡°So that¡¯s your past. It¡¯s a lot better than I thought.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a momentary stumble, not an excuse to be weak. The Azure Lance is a de to protect the world, Scarlet ¡ª piercing the heavens and letting the stars tumble, that¡¯s the history of mortals conquering destiny. Can you sense the amount of courage it took to do that?¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡±

    ¡°You want to protect?¡± Ovina suddenly asked.

    And then there was a brief silence.

    Scarlet didn¡¯t answer. But after a while, Ovina suddenly opened her eyes. She turned around to look at Brendel without an exnation. Those tinum eyes contained something special that gave Brendel a pause.

    But when he looked over again, Ovina had once again closed her eyes.

    ¡°Open your heart and ept me, Scarlet ¨C¡± Ovina chanted.

    ¡°From this day forward, till the end of time.¡± Scarlet repeated.

    ¡°So may it be!¡±

    A column of white light and a ring of azure light scattered from the darkness. As if there was an invisible breeze, the Hignder girl¡¯s hair floated in midair. Scarlet suddenly let out a sound of surprise as she was Ovina turn into the purest white light in front of her and float into her chest.

    Everyone saw this ¡ª

    Out of everyone, only Sir Makarov who was still bound to the wall by the lightning cage had aplicated look on his face. He would probably never understand why Brendel would give up the chance to form a pact with the Azure Lance and instead, hand this legendary divine artifact to his not-so-outstanding adoptive daughter.

    The Royal Highness Princess frowned but then quickly came to terms with herself.

    Dilferi was curious and the merchant girl, still trapped in the web of lightning, was probably the happiest out of them all. It¡¯s not that Ovina gave her special treatment, it¡¯s that the merchant girl was too naughty and her bag full of the Mage Queen¡¯s inheritance was nothing to sneeze at.

    Even so, Romaine still said cheerfully said to White Mist, who was by her shoulders, ¡°I knew Scarlet would be the most suited for it! I even had a bet with Brendelst night. Scarlet is the only one of us to use ance, right? That ¡®me¡¯ is really stubborn, not smart like me. I guessed the oue immediately.¡±

    ¡°Scarlet is so suited to thatnce! It¡¯s so pretty! When I have time, I¡¯m definitely going to have to borrow it to y with!¡±

    White Mist yawned and didn¡¯t have the motivation to answer her or to remind the merchant girl that Lady Medissa was also ance user. While Medissa was an Elite Elf, White Mist doubted Romaine had even thought that far.

    On the other side, in the darkness, after the countless light beams faded, Ovina has turned into a thousand bolts of lightning before unifying into one. When the light faded, there was just a brightnce left.

    Upon closer examination, it was the Holy Lance of Heaven.

    Scarlet stood in a daze, holding thence the color of faded green jade. She hadn¡¯t finished processing, ¡°Lady... Ovina?¡±

    The Holy Lance in her hand buzzed.

    ¡°This is...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s her.¡± Brendel walked up and examined the legendary holynce closely. ¡°Ovina is the manifestation of the Holy Lance. But your powers are still a bit weak, so you probably have a hard time sensing her existence right now.¡±

    As he was saying this, he looked up. Without Ovina¡¯s powers, the lightning cages keeping every trapped in the great hall dissipated one by one. The remaining magic helped everyone descend slowly to the ground until theynded not far from Brendel, Scarlet, and William.

    The merchant girl was the first tond and she immediately called out happily, ¡°Brendel!¡± and ran to meet them.

    ¡°Leader.¡±

    ¡°Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Brendel.¡± Gradually Medissa, Ciel, Freya, and Princess Gryphine all gathered around the three of them. Of course, without exception, everyone¡¯s ncended immediately upon the Holy Lance in Scarlet¡¯s hands.

    That was the weapon in the ancient myths that had pierced the heavens.

    Romane couldn¡¯t help but blink and ask curiously, ¡°Brendel, is thisnce really that powerful?¡±

    Is thisnce really that powerful?

    Without a doubt, that¡¯s the question on everyone¡¯s mind, including Brendel. He thought momentarily and then walked up to put his hand on the de of the Azure Lance in Scarlet¡¯s hand. Scarlet stopped for a moment and then looked at him in confusion, ¡°Leader...?¡±

    Brendel didn¡¯t immediately respond. He already saw a pale green screen extend outwards from the de.

    Holy Lance of Heaven

    [Divine Artifact]

    Attack: 112-147

    +45 Power, +45 Dexterity, +45 Stamina, +45 Bloodline, + 45 Perception

    Special Abilities:

    Destiny: Legend that has immersed itself on the de through the passage of time. A curse upon its opponent like an unchanging destiny. Any target struck by the holynce will continue bleeding through the wound due to an endless curse. Does 11 damage per second. Damage is stackable.

    Heaven: Pure wind elemental surrounding the de. The wielder of the de can summon the power of thunder and lightning. With every attack, the wielder can mimic the power of thunder and lightning and cause equivalent damage to enemies in any direction. The number of lightning depends on the magical abilities of the user.

    Divine Artifact Power:

    Indefeasible Destiny: A formless power protecting the holynce. Any enemy with powers less than the wielder of thence will have their attacks reduced by 90%. (The power to change destiny can negate this effect.)

    Brendel squinted his eyes as he scanned these lines of abilities.

 Chapter 641 - v4c26

    <h4>v4c26</h4>

    The Alliance of Evil

    The changing of seasons was uneventful around the Ampere Seale Port and the gradually thickening first began to cover the hills in the verdant forest. Even the excavation around the port couldn¡¯tpletely overshadow the news. Ever since the Craft Mages from Buga left, the rumors about the Azure Lance spread.

    ¡°What a turbulent time.¡±

    Wood rubbed at his eyes and stared at the single-paged letter on the redwood table. The page was nk and was a special item from the northern part of Kirrlutz, which bordered the Wild Four-Leaf Clover Forest. A faint scent of something burning still clung to a corner of the letter, that¡¯s the special mark unique to me magic. The mark, before it was covered out, should have been four pairs of eagles with their wings spread out, representing the Holy Cathedral of Fire ¡ª more specifically, this was a document of the highest ssification from the Kirrlutz Empire.

    He lifted his head and sat by the redwood table for a while longer. Under his bushy eyebrows, the eyes staring at the opposite wall seemed to turn ethereal for just a moment. And then a ball of golden me lit up the previous Archbishop of the Holy Cathedral¡¯s palm. He gently shook his hand and the burnt letter immediately turned to ash.

    Wood carefully cleaned up the remaining ash on the table before standing up and straightening his golden sacrificial robes. The information on the ssified letter proved the rumor floating around the port in thest several days. Actually, he had already gotten all the relevant information from the young Count of Trentheim before this.

    The Aouinian hadn¡¯t intended on hiding anything, or at least he hadn¡¯t intended on covering up anything so obvious ¡ª the Azure Lance was indeed within Ampere Seale. But it was meaningful because the Bugas had already transported it away.

    Wood¡¯s expression shifted as his mind went over all the information about this event. He didn¡¯t know whether this happened because the little Aouinian princess had been decisive, or whether the young Count had been clever. But they had already received many clear favors from the Bugas in return for the Azure Lance.

    The couldn¡¯t help but cast his gaze out of the window. Out there he could see the pale waves of roofs from the Ampere Seale port and the green vines draping down cut the sunlight spilling over the redwood table into weird and interesting shapes.

    This was such a lively city, but it no longer belonged to the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    Wood didn¡¯t have any feelings on this matter. The Holy Cathedral had made a mistake and therefore, had to pay the price. More importantly, at least this kingdom was still following the Way of the Golden mes. The people haven¡¯t deviated from their respect and awe towards the Holy Cathedral of Fire. As for the vulgar concerns of the material world, Wood never thought much about them.

    What really worried him was how the people of the Holy Cathedral ¨C or rather, how the upper echelons of the Empire coveted the Azure Lance. Greed will deceive a person¡¯s soul, and this was especially true for those nobles. Even he himself suffered because of greed.

    But from the words on the letter, even the Emperor himself had designs on it. After all, it was the Azure Lance, the most famous weapon in the entire Pale Poem. At this stage, it wasn¡¯t something he could change. Previously, as the Archbishop he might have been able toe up with something, but this was no longer any of his worries. He could only hope that those in power within the Holy Cathedral of Fire would have the sense to really understand the true meaning of the me King¡¯s teachings.

    He sighed, took down the cap of the Archbishop, and ced it on his head. Then he opened the door. The knights loyal to the Holy Cathedral were already waiting outside. His second-inmand was no longer Monk Gyuey. Ever since he became the messenger between the Holy Cathedral of Fire and the Aouinian royal family, his second-inmand had been reced by a sharper-lookingmander. That person must havee from the key diplomatic agency from the core of the Empire. Wood only had to look at the details in his habits to understand that ¨C this person was named Peter, and he was extremely slick. As soon as he saw Wood, he lowered his head and revealed his shy bald head. He said with clear deference, ¡°Archbishop, is this about the ming de Oderfeiss?¡±

    Wood nced at him as if wanting to see through the guy, then he said calmly, ¡°That is the secret of the Holy Cathedral. If you need to know, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Peter replied with a smile.

    Wood turned around. The shard of the ming de Oderfeiss that William lost during the Battle for Ampere Seale wasn¡¯t important by itself. The Holy Cathedral had agreed to use a new protective ship to trade it back from Brendel; what was important was the ming de¡¯s will and soul.

    That Trentheim Count identity was special and there seemed to be hints of the Silver Elf and the Dragons supporting him. That made thingsplicated for those in power in the Holy Cathedral. Additionally, the Count didn¡¯t seem to have an inclination of joining the Empire and so there was no consensus among the upper echelons. One side wanted to follow the choice of the me King, but the other side was much more forceful.

    Another trouble.

    Too many years in power have turned the Holy Cathedral of Fire prideful and perhaps distant when ites to things beyond it. Some of the elders have even suggested assassination. Putting aside the ridiculous matter of assassinating a noble under the rule of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, what really made Wood furious was the fact these people seem to have forgotten the teachings of all the previous wise men.

    A hundred years ago, the Empire and the church¡¯s teachings weren¡¯t in conflict. But ever since the revolt of Kirrlutz, though the Empire¡¯s unity was increasing, the authority of the crown was also increasing bit by bit, and it¡¯s starting to threaten the very existence of Kirrlutz.

    Laughably, some people haven¡¯t even realized this problem.

    Today, Wood was once again out to meet with the representative of the northern nobles still within the Port of Ampere Seale. Though matters behind-the-scenes were bing more and moreplicated, those were tasks that still needed to get done while they were in Aouine.

    As for the war against the Golden Mane Lion Beastsmen, Wood didn¡¯t know whether the Crown Prince had prepared for every scenario. Though he had sworn an oath, House Seifer had suffered greatly in this war. Besides, he was a puppet himself and how much authority he still had was unknown.

    The Holy Cathedral would never expend much energy on a bet it was guaranteed to lose. Wood only hoped that the Crown Prince would understand this. Fortunately, he was an intelligent person and therefore, would not be too naive.

    As he walked out with his second-inmand, a servant bowed in front of him and said, ¡°Sir Archbishop, there¡¯s a special visitor.¡±

    ¡°A special visitor?¡±

    Wood stopped.

    Balding Peter has already walked forward in order to chase him off. ¡°You, can¡¯t you see that the Archbishop is busy? What visitor, as long as it¡¯s not a guest from the Empire, then let them wait ¨C¡±

    Wood interrupted him and held up a band to stop the guy, ¡°Is this a guest from the Empire?¡±

    Peter immediately froze.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the servant answered dutifully.

    ¡°Please have him wait a moment, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Wood thought for a moment and then replied with a frown.

    But before he finished his sentence, a stern female voice sounded, ¡°No need, Archbishop Wood. You know my habit. We are already here.¡±

    Wood paused momentarily when he heard the voice. He lifted his head and saw, as he had expected, that woman famous throughout the Empire ¡ª

    She had actuallye.

    ...

    Differently from the sunny weather around Ampere Seale, once you cross the vast stretch of the Frada Forest to the north and enter into Pedalsson, the country weather became rainy and dark. Days of continuous rainstorms have caused the Maji River to overflow and flood the roads around Majidan, turning them into mires of mud.

    In the torrential rain, a pitch ck horse carriage jolted its way through the forest. A corner of its curtains lifted to reveal an eye as white as dead fish eyes staring out from the pitch-ck interior at the shadowy scenery outside.

    The dark clouds twisted in the skies above the forest likeyers of corpse shrouds. Even though it was only noon, the sky was already depressingly dark.

    ¡°What is the Azure Skies Squad Leader doing going to Ampere Seale? Dering war on the Aouinians?¡± A hoarse voice asked. And then itughed coldly as if this was an interesting joke.

    The coldughter from the carriage made one shiver even though it wasn¡¯t cold. After a long moment, another voice responded with, ¡°Probably has to do with the war to the north.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s what you think, then you¡¯re not far from being executed. Kirrlutz has no need to be distracted by something as tiny as the Lion Beastmen. They suffered during the Battle for Ampere Seale and would never risk giving the Buga¡¯s something to lord over them.¡± A third voice stated. That voice was deep and serious, filled with authority.

    Once he opened his mouth, the rest of the carriage fell silent.

    ¡°The Holy Cathedral of Fire lost everything at Ampere Seale. On the surface, they didn¡¯t get anything from us, but in reality, thest victor was neither them nor us.¡± The voice paused and then continued, ¡°Aouine has a wise royal princess.¡±

    ¡°Sir Duke,¡± only now did someone dare to ask, ¡°Are you saying that we¡¯ve gotten the attention of the Holy Cathedral of Fire?¡±

    ¡°Very possible. It¡¯s impossible that Kirrlutz didn¡¯t realize anything. Did you really think you could leave no trace?¡± The authoritative voice answered.

    ¡°Then what should we do?¡±

    Nobody answered and silence fell in the carriage, broken only by the squeaking noise of the carriage being jolted. After a long time, the first hoarse voice spoke up, ¡°If only we could dy ¨C¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why we¡¯re here.¡±

    Now the carriage finally stopped on its journey. A ck castle appeared in the rain and though the soldiers on top of the city wall called out for them to stop, the voice couldn¡¯t get through the downpour. Finally, the carriage door opened and a caped swordsman jumped down from it.

    The swordsman lifted his head. The bearded face underneath the hood looked as if it belonged to a wandering knight from Arreck or from the north, but if Brendel was here he¡¯d know the swordsman¡¯s name.

    Devard the Hawk.

    ¡°Open the city doors, this is an honored guest of your Baron.¡± He called out.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± The soldiers from the top of the castle wall questioned.

    ¡°We are the allies he most wants to see. Go tell him that if he does not wish to hang by the wishes of Her Royal Highness, he needs to immediately open the doors and let us in!¡± Devard answered proudly.

    This answer and call could be considered extremely rude. But just as the soldier was about to make a fuss, Devard the hawk tossed a thing from afar onto the city wall. He watched as the item cut a beautiful arc through the rain as it fell into the city and then he called out:

    ¡°Give this to Radner and he¡¯ll understand!¡±

    ¡°Go, you fool!¡±

 Chapter 642 - v4c27 The Princess and the Princess (1)

    <h4>v4c27 The Princess and the Princess (1)</h4>

    ¡°Brendel, do you want me to let Romaine...¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for that Freya. I¡¯m used to it. Let her do whatever she wants; she knows the limit. By the way, just make sure that she doesn¡¯te back crying to me again.¡±

    This conversation took ce against the backdrop of the verdant avenues of the dys Forest. The long convoy made its way through scattered patches of light. The knights, dressed in gold and red robes, proceeded in an orderly fashion ¨C all except for one. The merchantdy, d in snowy armor and armed with the Azure Lance, ran around the convoy shouting without shame.

    This was already the second time she had done so this week, and it was a good thing that the knights were already familiar with this ¡®lovely countess¡¯. At any rate, as long as they got out of the way, they would at least be able to avoid being bowled over. Even if the merchantdy was clumsy, at least she wouldn¡¯t hit the carriage, right?

    Freya looked back and couldn¡¯t help but gently sigh. She had thought that Brendel would be able to at least restrain Romaine a little after she went to the Royal Cavalry Academy. However, it was apparent that it was nothing more than just wishful thinking now.

    At least, so far no one could sessfully rein in thisdy.

    She looked at Brendel and nodded to him, before lowering the curtain. She then directed her horse over to Scarlet, who was at the front. The mercenarydy looked around at her surroundings with familiarity. Unlike Freya, the South was as close to home to her.

    ¡°Scarlet.¡±

    ¡°Lady Freya.¡± Scarlet turned back and acknowledged her respectfully.

    ¡°Scarlet, I¡¯ve told you many times already that you can just call me Freya. I¡¯m not a noble, and before I became a knight, I was just like you, from the southern countryside.¡± Freya frowned.

    Scarlet was slightly sheepish. ¡°Freya, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have given Miss Romaine the Azure Lance... I didn¡¯t think she was so...¡±

    She suddenly felt that she was being a little rude, but she couldn¡¯t find a better adjective to describe Romaine¡¯s current state. Freya saw her struggle andforted her. ¡°It¡¯s alright. She¡¯s not exactly a pampereddy, so it¡¯s fine... She¡¯s just the way she is.¡± She sighed somewhat weakly. ¡°I grew up with her as a child. I really admire myself for surviving to this day... but Romaine is actually a very nice person. She¡¯s just a bit childish.¡±

    Scarlet looked over at that spot again and couldn¡¯t help but feel a deep understanding.

    But when she turned back, her gaze still inevitably directed itself to the carriage.

    Brendel lowered the curtains. After nearly a month of observation, he could basically confirm the state of the Holy Lance of Heaven. The Holy Lance in Scarlet¡¯s hand was clearly not the full physical form of the legendary star-striking Holy Lance, and the fact that the Holy Lance had multiple seals on it was one of the possibilities he had already thought of.

    It was just that Brendel didn¡¯t know if these seals were deliberately put in ce by Ovina so that Scarlet could sessfully handle the Holy Lance, or if these seals had originally been on the Holy Lance.

    But without a doubt, even under the heavy seals, the Holy Lance of Heaven was worthy of being a divine artifact.

    Its own attack was more than double of Halran Gaia¡¯s. Its apanying skills were even more frightening. The key point here was that as a divine weapon, the Holy Lance also had a special divine characteristic; the terrifying ¡®Undefeated Destiny¡¯ was so powerful that even Brendel had rarely seen it in his life.

    But Brendel did not reveal this secret. On one hand, he could not really find a good way to exin the fact that he could directly see the properties of the equipment in Vaunte. This was the job of high-level Astrologers and Alchemists, and they also had to go through many trials before they could finally determine the purpose and usage of magic equipment.

    On the other hand, the weaker the Azure Lance was, the better. The lower its profile the safer it was for the current Aouine.

    The merchantdy was fooling around with the Azure Lance, but it was actually something that he had intended. Everyone knew her temperament anyway. Waving the weapon around tantly like this wouldn¡¯t draw much suspicion as to whether it was the genuine thing.

    Who would use the Azure Lance as a toy?

    Even William would not dare to be so brazen. However, Brendel had been feeling a little unsettledtely, and he had a sneaking suspicion that Ovina¡¯s reappearanceter would just kill him.

    He fretted and turned back to the siblings across the room. To be exact, the heir to the first throne of the Aouine Kingdom at the moment and his sister, the half-elf princess.

    It had been nearly another month or so since the Holy Lance of Heaven had imed Scarlet as its master, and the climate south of Ampere Seale had be hotter by the day. Ever since the first battle of Ampere Seale, every overt or covert activity carried out by the princess¡¯s forces in the port had been going quite smoothly, but the final whereabouts of the Azure Lance was a bit unexpected.

    The Bugas suddenly decided not to take the Lance with them. ording to William¡¯s words, they thought that might be better for the legendary relic to remain in Aouine, but Tania had also mentioned that the Bugas would probably send one or two mages to the kingdom to study the Azure Lance¡¯s power.

    It was unclear what the Bugas were thinking, but all of that was an afterthought for Brendel; time was running short, and it was unlikely that he would be able to wait out the arrival of the new ambassadors on the mages¡¯ side of Ampere Seale and the like, so after seeing William off, he left the port with the princess, passing through the Royal Cavalry Academy and heading straight for the Trentheim region.

    The princess was eager to see her dear friend Magadal, while she herself must now set about preparing for the future of Aouine.

    After a week¡¯s journey, the carriage was now finally approaching the s Banks.

    Arriving here meant essentially the same thing to Brendel asing home. In the past half-day, he had already met several of the old members of the Red Bronze Dragon Mercenaries. Sue had finally been able to meet her father, Red Bronze Dragon Leto, and it was the first time Brendel had ever seen the daughter of that tough barkeeper tear up.

    The meeting between Carglise and his father was, naturally, another story, and since Brendel was officially recognized, Sir Mirtai was spared the embarrassment of imprisonment. However, the old-fashioned nobleman apparently did not necessarily approve of his precious son¡¯s actions and scolded the firstmander of the White Lion Legion who was under Brendel.

    This naturally became the butt of jokes for the group of young people from Trentheim.

    Regardless, it was still an uplifting thing for everyone to return home. However, no one would ever forget those souls who would remain in Ampere Seale forever.

    Brendel silently thought about these trivial matters until the princess in front of him gently opened her mouth. The half-elf maiden looked up at the young man across from her, the dappled sunlight from the curtains falling on her face. Scattered golden spots of light cut straight lines of uneven lengths down her beautiful face as if she was wearing a natural veil, adding a bit more mystery to her out of thin air.

    But Princess Gryphine¡¯s appearance was very calm. She considered her thoughts for a moment before quietly asking, ¡°Mr. Brendel, the royal spies have news that Radner seems to have met with Arreck, just as you suspected. In order to fight us, they will, by contrast, form an alliance. Although Duke Anthony and the Hignd Knights have both agreed to fight in the war, I¡¯m still a little worried...¡±

    ¡°Worried about what?¡±

    ¡°I fear for Arreck, Mr. Brendel. My father knows him well as a man. The Arreck family has been operating on the teau where they have ruled firmly for generations to subvert the kingdom, and the Duke Arreck of today is undoubtedly the most cunning of their family¡¯s session,¡± the princess replied softly. ¡°Archbishop Wood told me that he had proof that Arreck was also in cahoots with All For One, but throughout the war, he only sent Devard the Hawk to show up at the end-

    ¡°As soon as the war was over, he hastened away from Ampere Seale before the Holy Cathedral had gotten hold of him, but did not return to his own dominions. Instead, he went to Magitan to make an alliance with Count Radner.

    ¡°He never fights battles that he is uncertain about, so I suspect he must be up to something.¡±

    Brendel nodded, but that was actually what bothered him. Wood had written to tell of the events leading up to the day of Arreck¡¯s escape before the princess was tipped off, but he had a keen sense that the Holy Cathedral seemed to be withholding some crucial information, not the least of which was, Brendel knew that an order of knights from Kirrlutz had secretly entered Aouine. However, he did not know which legion it specifically belonged to.

    This order of knights could not be here to deal with him, and naturally, they would not be here to oppose the eldest son of the king in the North, so the rest of the possibilities pointed only to this fellow Arreck.

    <i>But what value does Arreck have to be so important to the Holy Cathedral? Even if they were colluding with the cultists, it would be nothing more than a joke, and honestly, how many of Aouine¡¯s nobles did not collude with the cultists? </i>

    Although there weren¡¯t many who acquiesced to All For One¡¯s views like Duke Arreck, there were some noble families which harbored shady, suspicious fellows within their ranks.

    If the Holy Cathedral was going to use this as an excuse, Brendel would not even feel like listening.

    There must be some kind of conspiracy on Arreck¡¯s part, but the question was what the conspiracy actually was. Radner¡¯s primary target must be him and the princess. A war between the two sides was inevitable, and while the Holy Cathedral of Fire was looking for trouble with Arreck, it might not necessarily be him and the princess.

    The Kirrlutz had suffered a big loss in Ampere Seale and might retaliate. The crux of the problem was that the situation in the North and South was already stabilizing, so the Holy Cathedral of Fire might not be happy to see the princess unify the South so quickly.

    Moreover, Wood¡¯s letter also mentioned that the high-ranking imperials coveted the Azure Lance, and if it was confirmed that this holy relic was still in Aouine, it could be a huge problem.

    That was the true troubling matter.

    After giving it some thought, he felt that the priority should still be to take out the alliance between Arreck and Radner first. However, it was obviously not realistic to uproot the power of the Arreck family on the Arreck teau in a short period of time. On the contrary, Count Radner himself was the weak link in this evil alliance.

    However, he and the princess alone were not enough to aplish such a thing.

 Chapter 643 - v4c28 The Princess and the Princess (2)

    <h4>v4c28</h4>

    <h4>The Princess and the Princess (2)</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    The sound of the brass doorknob seemed to pierce through emptiness and loneliness in the dark; Princess Gryphine opened the wooden door and came out of the room, her silver curls resting against her beautiful face. Although there were still faint red circles around her eyes, she had mostly returned to her usual cold look.

    ¡°Magadal... has she been sleeping like this all these days?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I heard she appears no different than the dead. She¡¯s maintained basic physiological functions, though that¡¯s only superficial.¡± An overly conscious girl¡¯s voice replied before Brendel could answer. Looking to the direction of the voice, Princess Aloz¡¯s curls shone like gold in the darkness as she took a red, wild fruit and took a bite, juice running down her mouth and chin; But the little female Dragon did not care, she just stared at Brendel and Gryphine with her golden pupils, ¡°In fact, one can almost say that what¡¯s lying on that bed is nothing more than a body with no soul ¨C ording to you humans, that description should be quite fitting, right? If she were a human, she should have already died.¡±

    ¡°The princess is asking me, Aloz,¡± Brendel replied with a stern face. Ever since this little female Dragon came to his territory, she had been using his name and the power of the Dragons to scam people for food, and the onlymendable thing she had ever done was checking up on Magdal ¨C but that too was driven by her curiosity. It was obvious that, despite her long travels in human society, she had not learned how to talk to people more tactfully and less bluntly.

    ¡°If she was asking me, I wouldn¡¯t have answered. What do you take me for, Brendel?¡± Aloz narrowed her eyes ferociously, though the thirteen-year-old girl¡¯s height was hardly intimidating.

    ¡°No need to argue, it¡¯s nothing.¡± The Princess spoke up to interrupt them, she didn¡¯t want Brendel to annoy the Dragons because of her. She asked quietly, ¡°Countess. Do you have any thoughts on the alliance between Arreck and Radner?¡±

    Aloz snorted.

    Brendel was startled; he had expected Princess Gryphine to ask him about the Nun Princess first and not bring up this old matter. He had already figured out this issue in the carriage and decided that the most suitable tactic to deal with Count Radner was decapitation.

    It was different now, no longer like the time he had first arrived in Trentheim when Count Radner hadpletely overpowered him. Right now, power-wise, Duke Arreck and Count Radner together might not even be a match for him. Duke Arreck had the famous Hawks and Silver Knights under him, as well as several well-known swordsmen, plus some retainers, while under Radner, there were only seven or eight Golden-rankedckeys left, and even if Devard had not died in Ampere Seale that day, Brendel could have easily finished them off.

    This was Vaunte after all, where personal strength ounted for a considerable portion of the war, such as some higher upmanders in several of the Holy Wars in Vaunte¡¯s history. The majority of them were also people of outstanding strength, many of whom were equally matched with his grandfather Darius.

    The only problem was that trickery and conspiracy in the war were mutual. As he was plotting against the other side, Duke Arreck might also be nning retaliation. Brendel¡¯s show of strength in the first battle of Ampere Seale was already astounding. While most of the world believed that Williams had died under the fire of Aouine¡¯s First Navy, the subsequent encounter with Devard the Hawk, as well as his achievements concerning the Titans, was enough for people to notice this rising star of Aouine.

    The name of Count Trentheim had already spread throughout Aouine, and his name had be familiar even among the higher-ups of the Kirrlutz. Whether it be the northern tundra or the southern countryside, no one was unaware of Aouine¡¯s newly risen Sword Saint.

    Furthermore, he¡¯s a descendant of Darius.

    Naturally, such news could not escape the ears of Duke Arreck, not to mention that the old fox was present in the battle that day. If he dared to appear despite knowing the gap in strength, he was either too arrogant or had other ns, and as far as Brendel was concerned, he would rather believe thetter.

    Therefore, in addition to decapitation tactics, it was best to prepare for conventional warfare. It was just that the fighting in the vast territory of the province of Arreck and the mountainous territory of Radner would take a lot of time, not counting help from the Kirrlutz. Count Radner had been fighting against Duke Viero for many years and had maintained a private army in his territory. Even more so, Duke Arreck, who had been nning for a long time, had arge gathering of elite soldiers.

    On the other side, the Princess¡¯s side, besides the Imperial Navy which was still resting in Ampere Seale, the only forces she could rely on was da¡¯s army and the Southern Legion, in addition to the support promised by Duke Anthony and the Hignd Knights. But the Southern Legion had long been unsupplied and the establishment was mostly iplete, while Duke Anthony¡¯s army had also been badly wounded in the First Battle of Ampere Seale. So, the only ones who could even fight were da¡¯s noble army and the Hignd Knights¡¯ reinforcements, plus Trentheim¡¯s pitifully small army.

    These misceneous armies together could not form an absolute advantage over the troops under Duke Arreck and Radner, and even without ounting for Arreck¡¯s conspiracies, conquering both Radner and Arreck was probably a task that wouldst for years and years. The problem was that Brendel knew very well Aouine could not spare the time to conduct such a protracted war.

    The only way to do so was to find help.

    The best choice, of course, was Duke Viero, who had a personal grudge against Count Radner.

    Princess Gryphine listened to Brendel¡¯s thoughts in silence, and as the sunlight passing through the courtyard shone on her face, the half-elf girl stopped and turned back, ¡°I see... I will give you the sole charge of the war with Radner, Brendel. Merge da¡¯s army into Trentheim¡¯s andmand them together.¡±

    Brendel suddenly stiffened, ¡°Your Highness?¡±

    Of course, he understood what that meant, but he seemed yet to process it, and unconsciously stopped in his tracks to look at the Princess.

    The post-noon sun had just spread over the wild grape arbor in the courtyard, bringing a lush green color across thest stretch of the corridor in front of the archway and onto the princess¡¯s long skirt.

    Time seemed to stop for a moment, it was dead silent.

    Princess Gryphine looked at him, her silver eyes calm, ¡°Say no more. I trust you, Mr.Brendel.¡±

    ¡°But-¡± Brendel¡¯s mouth went a little dry. Although the princess had also handed the Keystone to him that day in Ampere Seale, this was different from that time of crisis. Now, when Princess Gryphine handed over almost all the power she had to him, it felt like she was indulging him.

    It was not the behavior a sober-minded politician should have had.

    But it seemed as if the princess didn¡¯t want to give him the chance to open his mouth. She lowered her eyelids with her thickshes and blinked slightly, ¡°There¡¯s one more thing.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Brendel let out a soft sigh of relief, it was a good thing that the little female Dragon, Aloz, had already walked away uninterested. Otherwise, she would have been the first tough at how he had just made a fool of himself.

    ¡°Magadal... is my best friend, and I know that her current state was my fault. In any case, if there¡¯s even the smallest glimmer of hope, I hope you can save her.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the only one on my side that possesses that kind of power.¡±

    ¡°So, can you promise me that?¡±

    Brendel did not look at the princess¡¯s expression, but he heard a rare hint of weakness in the tone of her voice. He did not say much and just nodded. Even if Princess Gryphine had not asked him, he would¡¯ve looked for a way to wake Magadal up.

    Having fought side by side, two can be consideredpanions. Those were the words of the senior herself.

    ¡°I see.¡± He replied.

    The princess lifted her head and looked at him closely, then took two steps towards him. Reaching out her hand and pressing it to his nobleman¡¯s neckerchief, she smiled somewhat reassuringly, ¡°Thank you, my knight, you have never disappointed me.¡±

    Then she backed away, gave him onest look, and went down the stairs holding her skirt. She disappeared into the courtyard in a sh, leaving Brendel standing somewhat dazed under the archway.

    ¡°Her Highness seems to have taken a liking to you, Brendel.¡± A brittle voice inserted itself into his thoughts.

    Brendel¡¯s eyebrows jumped slightly and he looked back, and he saw a certain familiar face. Romaine, dressed in her thick merchant¡¯s outfit, stood behind him with her arms folded, watching Gryphine¡¯s disappearance with as much curiosity as he did.

    <i>There was no telling when this fellow will arrive.</i>

    As soon as Brendel saw her lost little face, he could not help but ask somewhat unkindly, ¡°So, you¡¯re not at all jealous?¡±

    ¡°A little bit.¡±

    Brendel red at her.

    ¡°Was that the wrong answer, Brendel?¡± Romaine looked at him and tried to sink her head into her neck.

    Brendel sighed and held out his hand, ¡°Give me your hand.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an order.¡±

    ¡°Oh-¡±

    The merchantdy thought for a moment and wiped her hand aggressively on her leather jacket before cing her hand onto his. Brendel felt the slight coolness of her palm and couldn¡¯t help but look at thedy, his heart softening, ¡°Have you been out on the streets?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. Fern won¡¯t let me out again. If I¡¯d known, I wouldn¡¯t have borrowed that gun or whatever it is from Scarlet. It¡¯s outrageous, I¡¯ve already given it back to her.¡± Romaine was full of displeasure.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go out with you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± The Merchant Lady asked in surprise.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Then... Brendel, can you save Princess What¡¯s-Her-Name? Sounds like a knight¡¯s tale to me, Prince and Princess. Will she marry you when she wakes up, Brendel?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not something you need to be concerned about,¡±

    Brendel replied in a bad mood.

 Chapter 644 - v4c29p1 The Princess and Princess(3)

    <h4>Chapter 644 - v4c29p1 The Princess and Princess(3)</h4>

    v4c29p1

    The Princess and Princess(3)

    Once the war was on the agenda, the preparations raced forward like a wild horse free from its reins. Trentheim had long begun preparations for battle, the White Lion Infantry began to fill out its ranks, and since Medissa¡¯s return to the territory, the training of the Wind Archers also made it onto the schedule.

    At the princess¡¯s behest, the various lords adjoining Trentheim had also begun to expand their noble private armies, most of whom were originally hostile to the Firburs. However, ever since Count Radner suddenly stood as the opposing side to the kingdom, the amount of people kissing up to them increased.

    Although Brendel did not think highly of these people, he was not going to turn them away.

    As soon as the hazy moon of summer passed by, before the Moon of the Scrolls came, there was the smell of flowing fire on thend. The rising temperatures burned the leaves and the zing sun licked the ground of the South day after day.

    da and the armies of the Southern Legion had finally arrived on schedule, although before thest festival of summer, Brendel had allowed his people to calm down from all the nervous and restless energy. Before thest few weeks came upon them, he had the Firbur hold its Championships Contest for the Festival of Fire as scheduled.

    This tournament was slightly less formal than the winter hunting rituals, but it attracted lords and knights of all levels from the nearby area due to the open serving of alcohol.

    The tournament was set up just outside of Coldwood Castle, and for a couple of days, the din of the tournament had set the entire territory aze.

    But certain quiet locations remained rtively independent.

    A thin wooden wall separated the noisy sea from the quietness of the bar, except for the asional mercenary whistling loudly and impeding upon this rtively private space. A distinctive smell of boiled meat and spices permeated the hall.

    There were several wooden tables with unique names written on maple cards: Brendel,

    Romaine, Amandina, etc. These seats belonged exclusively to the owner or a close friend.

    The sign outside the hotel seemed to be brand new. It had a three-masted sailing ship on it that read ¡®Lord Romaine¡¯s Smuggling Anchorage¡¯, such a vulgar name clearly indicated who it belonged to.

    However, the interior of the bar was rtively cozy. Scarlet sat at a wooden table against the southwest corner and saw more and more people gather outside ¨C mostly young men from the White Lion Legion, or local lords, farmers ¨C ever since the refugees started pouring into Trentheim. The re-expanded White Lion Legion was far more than the thirty or forty people that had been in the area when Carglise first joined. On top of that, as more and more settlers came into the territory, tenant farmers, merchants, and craftsmen had also begun to popte the countryside of the Firbur territory.

    The open field outside the bar had be the ce of the Championships Contest of the Summer Festival. Right now it was archery, and with many beautiful Tree Elves maidens on the field, the crowd of onlookers was unprecedented in size.

    She looked back, seeing a girl in silver armor cing a bunch of daisies next to a wooden tray and then sping her hands together and closing her eyes in silent prayer. Scarlet¡¯s eyes reflected this image. She watched quietly, then asked, ¡°Is her name Bessie?¡±

    Freya opened her eyes, sadness clouding her brown eyes. Nodding silently, ¡°Bessie loved a good time. An archery tournament like this would¡¯ve been her favorite, and topete against the legendary Tree Elves...¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t be sad. Miss Freya, the living always have to move on. In the past... veterans have often warned us that death is just a monolith without a name, but the living has to cross over it and bear even more as they continue their journey, which is why we have to be strong.¡± Scarlet consoled.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, and I understand, but I can¡¯t stop thinking about the past, especially at times like this.¡± The young girl from the countryside of Be blinked softly as she sighed, ¡°Sometimes I wish I could go back to that time and have start over, without the war...¡±

    ¡°I, understand...¡± replied, Scarlet cautiously.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Scarlet looked at Freya¡¯s face, thought for a moment, and said, ¡°Because I¡¯ve been in many battles since I was a kid. In every battle, almost all of mypanions died, some of them were new people who I¡¯ve only known for a short time, while some of them were close friends who I¡¯ve been with for a long time. When I was a child, I would bawl my eyes out every time, embarrassing myself. But little by little, I became familiar with life and death.¡±

    ¡°How did...?¡± Freya was slightly startled and looked back at the girl next to her with some incredulity ¨C Scarlet looked even younger than herself, but she was much more mature in her experience.

    ¡°I¡¯m a mercenary, working tirelessly for money and survival; people like us will all die in a battle sooner orter. To us, this is justmon sense, and I didn¡¯t have anyints originally.¡± Recalling her past, she held the wooden cup and shook the golden liquid inside, and said quietly, ¡°But because of an ident, the Lord took me from this life and showed me that there was another way.¡±

    ¡°I... don¡¯t know if I should thank the Lord. I can more or less understand the Lord¡¯s mind, what he wants me to pursue. ...But what else can I do but fight?¡±

    ¡°So then I¡¯d rather be the one to die than someone else.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Freya said abruptly.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Scarlet stopped.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Scarlet, I never knew your life previously. I think my desire to go back in time was perhaps a little too selfish. Brendel was right, no one can give us the peace and tranquility we want unless we earn it ourselves.¡± Freya replied quietly, ¡°The people of Aouine are far from being able to enjoy peace and quiet.¡±

    The mercenary girl looked at her dumbly.

    Freya had gradually begun to understand some things that were still confusing for her.

    That was when cheering sounds burst out from outside the house again, and the door to the bar mmed open. Romaine flew in with arge tub in her arms, yelling, ¡°Medissa¡¯s got first ce again! The malt liquor is sold out, so you guys need to help!¡±

    ¡°You be careful!¡± Freya hastened to remind her.

    ¡°I know I know,¡± and then there was a scream from the kitchen, ¡°Ah, my roast meat!¡±

    Brendel came in from outside with an exasperated shake of his head, although he seemed to be in a good mood. He looked over at Freya and Scarlet and smiled, ¡°These two beautifuldies, won¡¯t you go out and celebrate with us? Our little princess has won first ce in archery, after all.¡±

    The future Valkyrie red at him with wide eyes. ¡°Brendel, what are you wearing!¡±

    ¡°A uniform, Aouine¡¯s cavalry uniform. How is it, looks legit, huh?¡± Brendel raised the kebab in his hand, revealing several obvious grease marks on the dark blue uniform ¨C it looked like someone had wiped their hands on it.

    ¡°You...how can you wipe your hands on a uniform! The uniform represents the dignity of the kingdom and it is the greatest honor a soldier can have. Brendel you...you¡¯ve gone too far!¡± Freya was seething with anger and even forgot her sadness for a moment.

    ¡°Oh, that...it was so convenient I didn¡¯t even notice.¡± Brendel replied somewhat innocently.

    ¡°Convenient!¡±

    ¡°Ha, Freya, you get busy, I¡¯ll go out again.¡± Brendel saw the future Valkyrie about to have a seizure and hastily retreated. Apparently, what thedy had learned at the Royal Cavalry Academy had left her with a bit too much honor.

    ¡°You stop right there, Brendel!¡±

    Only idiots would stand still in that situation. Brendel hade to show off this cavalry uniform to Freya and Scarlet, and although he achieved his purpose, the end result was a bit unexpected.

    Fortunately, this little interlude did not ruin his good mood.

    The cavalry uniforms he was wearing came from Firbur¡¯s own cotton and dye workshops. Aside from the cotton, which was shipped by sea through Ampere Seale, the uniform came almost entirely from Trentheim.

    A territory that had once been barren, empty, and had produced almost nothing but silver.

    The roots of the change came from an increase in poption. Because they were well-prepared before the war, refugees poured into or were shipped to Trentheim, and the food reserves from Ampere Seale quickly converted the increased poption into a usable workforce.

    Two months earlier, under the auspices of Bosley, cotton workshops, dyeing workshops, cksmithing workshops, copper shops, y and pottery, and even a weapons and armor bureau had been established. After nearly half a year of careful tending, Trentheim was no longer its former barrenness, instead, it had gradually begun to produce some necessary products on its own.

    Firstly, food and weapons, as well as a small amount of luxury goods.

    After the season of storms,merce with the north gradually became more frequent. Sailboats with snow-white sails from Grey Harbor and Ampere Seale Port moored in the newly constructed deep-water docks of Port Gris, and keen merchants began to discover the potential of this ce, and more and more merchants stayed in the harbor on a monthly basis since the beginning of the New Moon.

    Along with the merchants, there were also arge number of craftsmen. Just a few days ago, Brendel had met with a group of Dwarf Apparatchiks from the ck Mountain region, most of whom were also refugees from the war, apparently the war in the north with the Lion Beastmen had begun to affect normalmerce, and it seemed that the king¡¯s eldest son had been forced by the temple to go to war with the Lions head-on.

    Yet, this was the perfect opportunity for the south to grow and expand.

    As Brendel looked out, wagons carrying goods traversed the avenues near Coldwood Castle. The fields on the border of the forest were no longer barren, and were instead popted with working farmers. A year, or even half a year earlier, none of this would have been a possible sight to see in Trentheim.

    And this all had been brought about by his, and everyone¡¯s,bined efforts.

    He looked up, looking into the distance as a tall knight holding the victor¡¯s triangr g ran around the crowd. The silver, lily-embroidered g fluttered high in the wind, as it had a thousand years ago, and a thousand yearster, it flew once more over thisnd.

    The people gave a deafening cheer.

    Brendel saw the Silver Elf Princess being held up by the Tree Elf maidens, and she too watched the g from afar, something shining in her eyes.

    ¡°Medissa!¡±

    ¡°Medissa!¡¯

    The leaders of the people shouted and raised their sses of wine high. The streets were no longer lined with the straw huts of Graudin¡¯s time; with the assistance of the Red Bronze Dragon mercenaries and the workers under Odum, paved streets had been built along Coldwood Castle, nked by neatly built huts, and right now, standing by them were adults and children, all sporting satisfied smiles on their faces.

    As he passed through the streets, many people recognized him and bowed to him with genuine respect. Brendel returned the salute casually as well. Honestly, he had grown ustomed to this life and no longer felt ufortable about being saluted.

    Those perceptions from modern times seemed to be fading away. Although in the depths of his soul, the pride of being from an advanced civilization still supported his every word and action, at least he would never think that this respect and pride was innate.

    He ced a copper coin in the hand of a little girl beside him, which meant a blessing from the Lord before the summer. The little girl, flushed with excitement, ran to a woman, perhaps her mother, with the coin in both hands. The woman took the money in the little girl¡¯s hands and saluted him.

    ¡°My Lord!¡±

    ¡°My Lord!¡±

    The shouts were quickly overtaken by another voice, and the inhabitants of Firbur paid heartfelt tribute to the new Lord who had brought them all of this prosperity.

    Brendel narrowed his eyes, understanding that such contentment was illusory and temporary for all, just a little earlier the people were on edge, inquiring about the uing war.

    Everyone during these troubled times were trying to treasure the temporary peace around them.

    There was nothing wrong with that, it was just that Aouine was far from being safe yet. Some were bound to bleed and even give their lives to defend others. But at least, this was the Aouine that he wished to guard.

    He walked through the crowd to the princess¡¯ side. Gryphine was watching all of it. Her knightess was right beside her, one hand on her sword. But Brendel felt that she was watching him, although the feeling Maynild gave him was far less tense than what he had felt in Ampere Seale, which had made him tense every nerve in his body.

    How could one be nervous in such an atmosphere?

    ¡°They like you very much, Mr. Brendel. If there is anyone else in Aouine who can im to be an example of the ancient nobles, it would be you.¡± With sparkling eyes, Princess Gryphine¡¯s said, slightly emotional.

    ¡°This is your highness¡¯ dream. None of Aouine shall be trapped by poverty, war, and disaster any longer, and the tragedy of Buche will not be repeated.¡± Brendel replied.

    Princess Gryphine blinked, ¡° Mr. Brendel, I understand that this is a bit too idealistic, but I at least wish to change this kingdom from its current situation . ...In the north, such as in Radner, Viero, and many other ces, the wars and cmities caused by the nobles themselves continue, while the sons and grandsons of thete king, Erik, do nothing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, so Trentheim will not be stable for long. Every man, for the sake of his own future, must fight and make sacrifices.¡±

    ¡°Is Mr. Brendel ready for this?¡±

    ¡°All we need to do now is to wait to convince Duke Viero.¡±

 Chapter 645 - v4c29p2 The Princess and Princess(3)

    v4c29p2

    The Princess and Princess(3)

    Medissa was tossed around by the enthusiastic Elf girls for a while before she was put down. The little Silver Elf princess had never experienced such a scene even in her two lifetimes, and was very disheveled, her little face as red as ripe tomatoes.

    As soon as shended on the ground, afraid of retaliation, the Tree Elves whistled and immediately scattered, and the archery tournament winner nearly fell on her butt. Luckily, Amandina quickly rushed to help her, ¡°Those stupid girls.¡± Amandina shook her head and handed over Medissa¡¯s silver bow on her way.

    ¡°Thank you, sister Amandina.¡± Medissa said with a palpable sense of relief.

    As she looked up at the g belonging to the Silver Elf royal family flying high in the distance, the glow of satisfaction appeared in her eyes again. Countless years have passed since this g had appeared so gloriously.

    The moment she held the bow, her body and mind seemed to have returned to the past, when the wilderness was filled with galloping silver horses, and a horn sounded long and loud, as if resonating with the vastnd.

    Seeing the little Silver Elf princess distracted for a little moment, Amandina could roughly guess what she was thinking, and with a sigh, she gently put a cloak onto her. Although it was the middle of summer, one could still easily fall ill from sweating in the cool breeze. She was so used to paying attention to these details for Brendel, that she momentarily forgot that Medissais was just an Elite Elf.

    Medissa was slightly startled and somewhat touched as she looked at Amandina, ¡°Thank you so much, sister Amandina.¡±

    ¡°This is the second time.¡± Amandina shook her head, unconcerned.

    ¡°No, it is because I was thinking of you, sister..¡± Medissa, however, replied seriously.

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Well, one would be a little more gentle. Just like how I imagined my sister to be, hmm. That¡¯s it...¡± the little Silver Elf princess smiled sweetly.

    Amandina gave her a closer look. She had also heard some of Medissa¡¯s stories and knew that the rtionship between her and her sister was not hardly amicable. She reached up and tidied the hair on the girl¡¯s forehead and replied, ¡°That¡¯s how it is in the royal family, I guess...¡±

    ¡°Royalty?¡± Medissa thought about it and looked at Amandina, ¡°Right, sister Amandina. Has the Lord still not found the reason?¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Amandina also remembered the incident and shook her head, ¡°Miss Aloz checked me as well, but I don¡¯t have the Golden Folk¡¯s bloodline either. I guess it was Lord Marsha¡¯s blessing at work that time.¡±

    ¡°Lord Marsha¡¯s blessing?¡±

    Medissa looked at Amandina and suddenly asked, ¡°Sister Amandina, where is your ne?¡±

    ¡°The ne...¡± Amandina was slightly startled, subconsciously pressing her chest, ¡°The ne?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The ne that you always kept with you. Weren¡¯t you wearing it before you left for Ampere Seale? I remember seeing it once in the Shining Sea.¡± Medissa replied in a small voice.

    ¡°That... I lost it. What happened?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± The Silver Elf Princess smiled slightly, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the ever-so careful Sister Amanndina to also lose things sometimes. If I told the Lord, I bet he wouldn¡¯t even believe it.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Amandina hurriedly replied, ¡°He is busy preparing for the war with Count Radner, so it¡¯s better not to disturb him with these trivial matters.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Amandina nodded slightly.

    Medissa thought for a moment, as if wanting to say something more. But then a noise suddenly sounded from a corner of the arena. The crowd there seemed to stir, and it drew their attention away quickly.

    Unlike Medissa, Amandina was just an ordinary person. The Silver Elf Princess quickly discerned what was happening over there.

    ¡°Huh,¡± she softly whispered.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Amandina looked futilely in that direction as she turned back and asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s some strange fellows there,¡±

    Medissa muttered.

    ........

    In the Tusankard Forest, the rainy weather that hadsted for many days seemed to have returned and revisit the Magitan and the surrounding areas after a brief period of clear weather.

    To the inhabitants of Misty Forest, it seemed that they¡¯ve barely had any good weather since Duke Arreck¡¯s visit. The gloomy skies that brought rain always hovered overhead, although the rainy season began in April and May in the Tusankard region.

    But this year seemed a little too much.

    The wooden fence gate creaked and swayed as it was raised in the pouring rain, and a pair of cold eyes watched silently as the rain slid down the fence gate like a broken post, falling from the tip and then mixing into the mud again.

    Two squires held up a cloak to shield Count Radner from the incessant rain, and the privileged count of the kingdom watched in silence as the carriage on the drawbridge was led by the guards out of the city, and then he turned back and quickly disappeared into the city.

    Propping up the curtain of the carriage window with one hand, Duke Arreck withdrew his gaze from that direction and snickered softly. The carriage was plunged back into darkness: ¡°This old fox is careful yet greedy, and his indecision and stubbornness are precisely his greatest weaknesses.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s a typical weakness of nobles as well, Duke.¡± A woman¡¯s voice replied, ¡°But atst, I¡¯ve convinced this fellow that it wasn¡¯t a wasted trip.¡±

    ¡°There will be times when he will regret it.¡± The husky voice smiled coldly.

    ¡°He just doesn¡¯t have a choice; he may not sincerely join our cause. Then again, how can an unaplished and unsessful noble like this understand anything more profound.¡± Duke Arreck shook his head.

    ¡°Though, Duke Cohen, this fellow is not trustworthy; you had better be prepared.¡± He warned again.

    ¡°I¡¯ve long been prepared.¡± The hoarse voice replied gloomily, ¡°He¡¯s nothing more than a scapegoat.¡±

    Arreck nodded and took onest nce in that direction with inexplicable eyes ¨C the towering walls of the Magitan had already be only a faint shadow amidst the rain. Then he lowered the curtain, and the carriage reverted into darkness.

    In a direction he could not see, Count Radner was being escorted down the castle¡¯s spiral staircase by a knight, the dim light in the cyclorama reflecting on his face. The once irrepressible and powerful count of the kingdom now seemed to have doubt written in his every wrinkle.

    ¡°Father, do you really intend to ally yourself with those things.¡± A figure was already waiting below, and the noble youth raised his head and asked somewhat impatiently, ¡°Once we agree, there will be no turning back.¡±

    Radner looked at his second son, ¡°Do we have a way out now, it seems like you still don¡¯t understand your current situation.¡±

    ¡°No, I mean...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Jean Denel interrupted him impatiently, ¡°I know what you¡¯re going to say, and of course I¡¯d have prepared for it. Madara...at least with the Madara¡¯s...¡±

    He sighed, ¡°Never mind, go contact the Kirrlutz.¡±

    ¡°The Kirrlutz?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something they have to know,¡±

    The count was silent for a moment before replying grudgingly.

 Chapter 646 - v4c30 Another Chance(1

    <h4> v4c30</h4>

    <h4>Another Chance(1</h4>

    For an unusually long time, Medissa¡¯s attention was drawn to a group of queerly-dressed knights. The knights had halted at the roadside, taking in the surrounding scenery from atop their horses. While their facial expressions varied from person to person, most were merely curious.

    In Trentheim, it was rare to see such colorfully dressed knights besides the White Lion Battalion or Brendel¡¯s subordinates. But even members of the White Lion Battalion wouldn¡¯t have a fire shaped badge on their chest armor. Additionally, the design of their armor made it clear that they weren¡¯t native to Aouine.

    In contrast to Aouine¡¯s typical suits of te mail, the knights¡¯ armor was almost entirely dark red and covered in many decorative elements made from fur, leather, and horns. This was ssic Kirrlutzian armor style. The armor¡¯s hue stemmed from the fact that Kirrlutzian iron contained a high concentration of the fire element.

    ¡°We have some strange visitors.¡± Medissa thought for a second before realizing who they were.

    Why else would diplomats from Kirrlutz appear in Trentheim at this time of year?

    ...

    Laurenna lowered the iron wristguard she was using to block out the sun and looked over a vast expanse of farnd, a windmill slowly spinning in the distance. But when her gazended on the ramshackle Coldwood Castle, a trace of disdain appeared on her expression ¨C Coldwood Castle had been in need of repair ever since Gaudin¡¯s rule and Brendel only used it as a temporary resting ce, so he never considered renovating it. Therefore, the young female knight from Kirrlutz could all too easily easily notice every one of the thousand-plus holes in the dpidated castle.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that there¡¯d be a ce like this so far south in Trentheim¡¯s countryside. Compared to Trentheim, some of the ces we visited in the north of this country were nowhere as prosperous as this ce ¨C far from it. Didn¡¯t the books say the southern regions were all abandoned and barren fields?¡± She muttered to herself.

    Her attention was drawn to a nearby tournament. The crowd surrounding Coldwood City milled about, and she turned around to carefully examine the knights which happened to be entering the ring.

    ¡°The records you read were from years ago. It is not out of the ordinary for things to have changed.¡± A female voice answered her.

    Laurenna didn¡¯t have to turn her head to know who that voice belonged to. It was, without a question, a very unique voice and memorable in every way. The calm and steady tone seemednguid and elegant. It was a voice you heard once and never forgot.

    As if the owner of such a voice only spoke once she had considered matters from every possible angle.

    If Brendel were here, he¡¯d recognize the owner of the voice. The woman, protected by a ring of Kirrlutz¡¯s knights, looked only to be eighteen or neen, but there was something transcendentally mysterious and alluring about her. She was Delphine, the daughter of Kirrlutz¡¯s prime minister, whom he had met by chance in the ck Forest.

    The daughter of the Prime Minister observed her surroundings with aposed gaze . Her ck hair draped down like a bolt of the finest silk, and her eyes seemed to bear within them endless mystery. Everything about Delphine gave her an imprable sense of serenity.

    Sitting on top of her horse, she naturally drew people¡¯s gazes towards her. After all, a beauty of her caliber was rare not only in Trentheim; you would rarelye across someone with her beauty even in the most prosperous towns of either Aouine or Kirrlutz. This meant even the locals couldn¡¯t help but sneak nces at her. Their curiosity mainly came from the realization that there was a woman more beautiful than their leader¡¯s fiancee or Her Royal Highness.

    But Delphine was wearing the long robes of a noble Kirrlutz official and seemed more like a diplomat than the usual nobledy. Her robe was dyed deep purple, the vibrant golds and reds of those who worshipped Holy Cathedral of Fire wholly absent.. Her outfit made it even clearer who she was.

    ¡°Lady Delphine, do you know something?¡± Laurenna turned around and asked.

    Delphine nodded and exined, ¡°As far as I know, the Count only became the leader of this region recently. So the changes around here could very well be because of him.¡±

    She answered in a steady voice, only hesitating slightly when she mentioned Brendel.

    Laurenna nced at the daughter of the Prime Minister and remained silent after a period of thought. She knew the person Laurenna loved had died in the ck Forest, indirectly because of this leader they were about to meet. It was very likely that the diplomat¡¯s request toe here was not just to deliver a simple letter.

    The female knight changed the topic and pretended to ask, ¡°It¡¯s him? I didn¡¯t think this leader had such talent for politics. Is it true that he¡¯s very young?¡±

    ¡°Yes, very young. I had the opportunity to meet the Count.¡± Delphine answered nonchntly. ¡°But it would be too hasty to call him with political talent. The Count has possession of the silver mines in Trentheim, and there are rumors he recently discovered a crystal mine. Everything you see now is but a temporary illusion crafted out of riches.¡±

    ¡°I thought so. This is just a third-rate tournament, but at least it¡¯s exciting.¡± The young knight sitting behind Laurenna yawned and looked at everything with boredom in his eyes. Then he forced himself awake and said, ¡°Looks like we¡¯re lucky to have arrived just in time to join the festivities of these hillbillies. Maybe the leader will have the courtesy to treat us to a rich meal. Ever since we left Ampere Seale, the taste of wild weeds has be a constantpanion to my taste buds.¡±

    ¡°Those weren¡¯t weeds, they were wild vegetables.¡± Laurenna red at him in frustration.

    Any other knight in their group would never dare to be this disrespectful in front of their captain. But the one who just spoke was the younger brother of the emperor, the first-born heir of Prince Barrano, and also her fiance.

    His name hadn¡¯t been on the original list of personnel assigned to this mission, but Prince Barrano used protecting her as an excuse to tag along. Marsha above, but heavens knew she didn¡¯t need his protection. As an official captain of the Azure Skies Squad, she was worth two of him.

    But in the end, Laurenna had sighed and given in. It was a political marriage arrangement, and though she didn¡¯t really think well of him, she wasn¡¯tpletely opposed to him either. Even though he was somewhat tedious, he at least was tolerablepared to some of the other noble sons in the capital.

    The young knight shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Fine, your call.¡± He looked around and stated, ¡°I wonder if there¡¯ll be the rumored bonfire party tonight. I¡¯d love to see it and maybe a passionate Hignder girl will fall in love with me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be exciting,¡± He turned around and said in a louder voice, ¡°Don¡¯t you think so, Laurenna?¡±

    The female knight answered coldy, ¡°Enough, Fs. Don¡¯t cause any trouble. Nobody here cares whose heir you are. You should remember whose territory you are in.¡±

    Her tone wasn¡¯t friendly to say the least; clearly, the rascal had already caused her lots of trouble on the way here. But Laurenna also knew very well that her words had no deterring power for him. Luckily, this was just Aouine and not within Kirrlutz¡¯s borders. In this tiny country, the most the leader could do was verbally protest about their behavior.

    ¡°Of course I know. The Count is now famous thanks to Ampere Seale. He took so much from us. Didn¡¯t Duke Flowerleaf and Duke Norske both say that Kirrlutz has never lost so badly before? Kirrlutz will never forget such a ¡®gift¡¯...¡±

    Fs¡¯ thoughtless remarks were suddenly cut off as Laurenna shot him a cold stare in warning. He shivered and quickly said, ¡°Okay, I get it... on behalf of Lady Veronica, I won¡¯t go cause trouble with them. Even though I promised little Vahina... fine, fine, fine, I get it, I¡¯ll listen to you, my dear Lady Laurenna.¡±

    ¡°Fs, if it weren¡¯t for your father, I would never marry you.¡± The female knight answered derisively.

    ¡°I know. I know! I¡¯ll be quiet, okay?¡± The young knight hurriedly tried to appease his fiancee¡¯s anger. At the very least, he knew very well that it was an honor to marry the genius daughter of a duke from the capital.

    The female knight thought the troublemaker in the group would give it a rest for a bit. She turned around to try and find the leader of the territory, but before she even had the chance to take a breath, she heard the troublemaker give a long whistle from behind her.

    ¡°Laurenna, look over there!¡± Fs whistled and suddenly shouted in excitement.

    Usually when the young master was this excited, nothing good was going to happen. True to form, when Laurenna turned around, she saw a crowd of people escorting a young girl down the road.

    She had to respect her fiance¡¯s eye for beauty, because that girl was indeed a rare beauty. The young girl was about sixteen or seventeen; and just like many of the girls in the countryside, she tied her hair up to make working easier, and it revealed her smooth and pale forehead. But she wore a thick merchant¡¯s leather outfit that wasmonly seen in the southern parts of Aouine, which made her stand out among the crowd and drew people¡¯s eyes to her.

    ¡°Fs, don¡¯t bother others.¡± Laurenna knew that her fiance really did care about her, but his impulsive nature often made him unable to resist flirting with other girls. At least it was all just verbally.

    The guy had once suffered greatly because of a certain youngdy, but he didn¡¯t seem to have learned his lesson.

    But clearly her words had no effect because Fs was now in the mood. He whistled loudly. Since leaving the Empire and passing through so many regions, he¡¯d never seen a girl this remarkable ¡ª of course, his fiancee and the untouchable prime minister¡¯s daughter were the exception.

    The son of the prince from Kirrlutz had, of course, caught sight of Romaine. The merchant girl had finally managed to rescue a few pieces of roast meat from the kitchen, but she ran out only to discover Brendel was nowhere to be found so she started to just sell beer along the streets by herself.

    Because she¡¯s always shown her face in public, most residents of Coldwood knew the personable fiancee of their leader, and nobody dared to take advantage of her. Instead, they cheerfully paid up for some of her beer ¡ª after all, it was a kind of honor to drink beer personally made by the leader¡¯s wife.

    But Romaine held an empty bowl in one hand and held the standard of the Silver Elf Princess, which she had tricked out of someone¡¯s hands, in the other. She was chatting happily with the people around her and clearly did not perceive the Kirrlutz knights.

    Of course, she wasn¡¯t to me. After all, it was such a lively time of year and there were knights and guards of honor dressed in their finest holiday wear everywhere. Not manymoners knew the difference between armor from Kirrtluz and armor from Aouine.

    As for the merchant girl, she was even more clueless.

    They all looked like a tin can and none of them had the pointed ears of the elves, so they all looked more or less the same. Who would have thought Kirrlutzian knights would appear in such a remote ce?

    It wasn¡¯t until a shadow fell across her, as if blocking the sun that Romaine lifted her head slightly and saw the stocky Kirrlutzian knight blocking her way.

    Fs urged his horse forward to halt in front of Romaine. He held the reins tightly with one hand and turned his horse around. Since this was a beautiful demonstration of skill, the knights from other regions cheered. Fs, of course, was also very satisfied. In his recollection, this was enough to shock any of the hillbillies from Aouine.

    ¡°My beautifuldy, may I have the honor of knowing your name?¡±

    He looked up and wanted to see the look of admiration he imagined he deserved. He was in the middle of nowhere, and he had done this trick so many times along the way it was as familiar as breathing. Every time, he had sessfully won cheers and apuse. But this time, Fs discovered he was about to be disappointed.

    Because, as he squinted his eyes, herealized the Aouinian hillbilly in front of him wasn¡¯t looking at him in admiration ¡ª but rather it was as if she was looking at an idiot.

    Her eyes seemed to say ¡ª where did a country bumpkin like youe from?

 Chapter 647 - v4c31 Another Chance(2)

    <h4>Another Chance(2)</h4>

    The young knight couldn¡¯t help but stare at Romaine, stunned. He almost thought he had misheard her response. He had encountered many peasants and travelers from rural farnds, and even the most courageous merchants among them had cowered in front of nobles like him. Never had he been on the receiving end of such disrespect.

    In reality, Romaine was also staring dazedly at the man in front of her with a wide-open mouth. Since the merchant girl reacted to things slower than most people, she was still trying to think about what had happened and how the man had appeared in front of her.

    If she didn¡¯tck allmon sense, she would have thought he had dropped from the sky.

    It was only after she turned this ridiculous supposition around in her mind that she asked seriously, ¡°Ah, who are you? Are you looking for Brendel?¡±

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Fs finally recovered his wits. Unfortunately, as a noble he¡¯s only ever heard of the title Count Trentheim and has no idea who ¡°Brendel¡± is. He thought for a moment and believed the farm girl had probably been scared stupid by his appearance. So he put on a gentle smile and continued, ¡°No, I am here for you, my beautifuldy. I am Fs, the future heir to the house of Barrano.¡±

    Romaine thought hard for a moment, ¡°Do you know me?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Fs¡¯ face darkened when he heard his fiancee let out a burst of involuntaryughter behind him. Ever since he left the Empire, he had never failed to win awe and admiration, but it seemed like he¡¯s met his match today. ¡°... This should be our first encounter, beautifuldy.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I get it.¡± The merchant girl finally seemed to have figured things out. ¡°You want to buy my wine, right? You know your wine. Romaine has the best wheat wine in all of Trentheim. No, in all of Aouine.¡± She realized for the first time that this big and stocky knight in front of her was a potential customer, and began her long-winded sales pitch.

    ¡°No, please stop.¡± Even though Fs finally learned the young girl¡¯s name, he had to hurriedly interrupt, ¡°I don¡¯t want to buy your wheat wine.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to buy the wine¨C?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Romaine narrowed her eyes slightly and finally understood the man wasn¡¯t trying to negotiate the price. So she thought for a moment and decided to demonstrate a merchant¡¯s ruthlessness. Without saying another word, she directly walked around the man and continued on her way.

    Fs heard the onlookers burst intoughter. Not just the hillbillies, but even the Kirrlutzian knights and Laurenna couldn¡¯t resistughing. Our young knight felt self-conscious, and he subconsciously wanted to grab at the standard in Romaine¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Hold, I tell you!¡±

    Unfortunately, before he could touch the pole of the standard, a beam of silver light shot through the crowd. Despite it all, Fs was still an official knight and recovered at thest second. In a sh, he pulled out the longsword hanging by his waist. With a ng, two glinting longwords shed against each other.

    The powerful force made Fs lean slightly backward. He realized then that the opponent who countered his strike was an outstanding female knight. Freya was adorned in a silver suit of White Lion Armor and her Sacred Lionheart Sword was pointed at the sky. She looked coldly at the Kirrlutzian on the horse and barely moved. She had blocked Fs¡¯ attack with just one hand while standing on the ground.

    She was at least at level silver.

    Fs stared at the female knight in front of him and had to admit he was startled. With just that one strike, he estimated they were evenly matched, but she looked to be much younger than him. Freya looked to be barely older than twenty but he knew very well that he had wielded a sword for longer than twenty years.

    There was such a genius in this backwater ce. With a slight frown, Fs calcted that her potential was about the same as his fiancee¡¯s. Of course, he didn¡¯t know that Freya¡¯s abilities skyrocketed after the battle of Ampere Seale. Before going to the port city, her abilities probably weren¡¯t even a match for his.

    Inbination with earlier rumors, this was enough to make him frown. He knew the local leader was a famous genius in Aouine, but he hadn¡¯t thought that person would have such talent under hismand. Fs might be flighty, but he was no fool.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Fs and Freya both demanded at the same time.

    ¡°We are the diplomatic delegation from Kirrlutz.¡± Just then, a voice sounded from behind him. Itmanded, ¡°Fs, confiscate her sword.¡±

    Stunned, Fs turned around to find that it was Delphine, daughter to the prime minister, who gave the order. He saw the woman give him a chilly look and demand unemotionally, ¡°Fs, you now represent the Empire. If she dares to resist, kill her!¡±

    ¡°Lady Delphine?¡± Naturally, Laurenna heard Delphine¡¯s order. She was shocked. She originally thought Delphine would cause trouble for the leader, but she had never thought Lady Delphine would be as ruthless as to have someone killed.

    Of course, Laurenna didn¡¯t need to consider whether to kill someone or not. But if it was Fs who did the killing, she knew very well that her fiance would be in big trouble here.

    But Delphine had clearly made a decision. She gave the female knight an unconcerned look and said, ¡°Laurenna, you should know the pride of the Empire cannot be defiled. To draw a de unprovoked at diplomats of the Empire is akin to dering war.¡±

    ¡°But she didn¡¯t mean it. We can use this as a leverage and demand the leader apologize.¡± Laurenna panicked. She never dreamt in a million years that Delphine would elevate this to such a huge crime.

    ¡°No need!¡±

    ¡°No need!¡± Before the female knight finished speaking, both Delphine and Freya dered simultaneously. Freya blocked Romaine with one hand and stared coldly at the others. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you Kirrlutzians, Bessie wouldn¡¯t have died. But you never learned from the tragedies of others. Brendel will never apologize to the likes of you. You may think that you are born better than others, but one day you¡¯ll understand what it means to pay the price for making the choice between right and wrong ¡ª ¡°

    The future War Goddess of Aouine rebuked angrily. The mark of the War Goddess on her forehead suddenly shone with brilliant colors and a pair of wings made of light unfurled behind her. Bright white mes burst into existence in the middle of her right palm and turned her Sacred Lionheart Sword into a de burning with sacred fire.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Laurenna wanted to try and persuade Delphine but she suddenly felt the female knight¡¯s energy increase exponentially. In a moment, it broke through the barrier between Upper Silver and Peak Silver and approached the Golden Realm.

    Another twenty-year-old Golden Realm Being.

    Her expression changed and she immediately warned, ¡°Fs, be careful!¡±

    But it was toote. Freya,pletely angered by the daughter of the Prime Minister, immediately swung out with her sword. The terrifying power was more than Fs could handle and he flew straight off the back of his horse. And then the War Goddess took a single step forward and with a single p of the light-wings on her back, she lifted off the ground and shot towards Delphine.

    ¡°Heavens, Seraphine!¡± The knights of Kirrlutz couldn¡¯t help but let out yells of surprise.

    But clearly their yells didn¡¯t draw the onlookers¡¯ attention. The local residents probably hadn¡¯t thought that both sides would devolve into fighting immediately and scattered to the four winds. Some ran towards the contest grounds and those with more foresight ran straight towards where their leader was.

    ¡°Dammit, Fs!¡±

    Laurenna saw her fiance being knocked away and had to stop debating with herself. She immediately pulled out her own longsword and met Freya straight on. As soon as she joined the fight, the various knights from regions surrounding Trenthem, who had rushed over from the nearby contest grounds, felt the expression on their faces change.

    If Freya was only approaching the Golden Realm, the terrifying energy around the female knight had all the pressure of a bona fide Golden Peak.

    A cold smile bloomed on Delphine¡¯s stunning features as she watched from behind all the knights of Kirrlutz. Fs may not have known about Romaine or Freya, but that didn¡¯t mean she herself knew nothing about Count Trentheim. Now Freya attacked just as she expected, but the question was how long could she survive under the assault of Rusta¡¯s most talented girl?

    She probably already had her answer.

    Even in Kirrlutz, very few people were aware of a secret. The calm female knight was actually the personally appointed heir to the Grand Captain of the Pdin Knights.

    For a very simple reason.

    Because Laurenna was the only one to master the entire sh Strike Sword Art in four hundred years of Kirrlutz history.

    Freya quickly realized this. Though she had demanded to teach the Kirrlutz delegation a lesson, it didn¡¯t mean that the future War Goddess hadpletely lost her mind. Once she sent Fs flying, her first target had actually been Delphine, who was under the protection of the Kirrlutzian knights.

    Freya had clearly seen that the woman with out-of-the-world beauty was the one stirring up trouble between the Aouinians and the Kirrlutzians. Even though she didn¡¯t know why the woman was doing this, subduing her was clearly the most straightforward solution.

    She had thought of one possibility, but not of how the story would develop.

    As soon as she drew her sword, the female knight she had ignored previously seemed to simply shift astride her horse. In the next moment, a de appeared in front of Freya.

    sh Strike Sword Art!

    Because Brendel also used a simr type of sword art, Freya had definitely seen this attack before. She had even experienced it personally. But in her recollections, Brendel¡¯s sh Strike Sword Art was nowhere as magnificent as this single strike.

    That sharpened de appeared in front of her forehead without any warning, as if she had mmed her forehead against it instead of having it directed at her.

    Freya jumped back in surprise and tried to dodge the attack by leaning her head back, but she was just a second toote. The de of the knife drew a bloody line on her forehead.

    The War Goddess gritted her teeth and almost cked out from the stinging pain on her forehead. Thankfully it was not a fatal wound. She frantically pped her light-wings in midair and turned around. But before she could let out a breath, scarlet blood welled up from her arms, shoulder, and abdomen.

    Freya cried out in pain and couldn¡¯t believe that she had been struck. This felt like Laurenna¡¯s sword simultaneously struck her from countless angles.

    So this was the real sh Strike Sword Art.

 Chapter 648 - v4c32Another Chance(3)

    <h4>v4c32</h4>

    <h4>Another Chance(3)</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    Freya stared wide-eyed as she tumbled down from midair. She could only watch as the female knight made another swing at her, but her heavily injured body could not dodge the attack. She closed her eyes helplessly and felt chilled to the core.

    But a surprised shout reced the bloody scene that should have been unavoidable.

    Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, an azurence firmly blocked Laurenna¡¯s sword with a ng. The female knight immediately realized that her opponent had reinforcements and subconsciously wanted to draw her de back and retreat. In the next moment, she realized with amazement that ¡ª she was stuck.

    ¡°How could this be?¡±

    Laurenna was bbergasted. Ever since she had learned the sh Strike Sword Art, this had never happened. She realized that she wasn¡¯t rooted to the ground because of any magic. Instead, space, which had been under her control, had be distorted and she had lost her grasp on it. Her de, which had previously moved ording to her will, now felt like it was stuck inyers of ice.

    She looked up in stunned amazement at the ponytailed girl standing in front of her.

    Scarlet remained silent, simply staring back at her with the azurence in her hands.

    Another girl at Golden Peak. Even though Laurenna had long known about Brendel¡¯s powers, she had never dreamt that an area like Trentheim would have so many geniuses hidden among its people, as if all the freaks of Aouine had gathered here.

    Just then, an emotionless voice rang out, ¡°sh Strike Sword Art relies on manipting space to cause direct damage. Under Undefeatable Destiny¡¯s influence, the movement between space has been reduced to not even 10% of its original abilities. There really is a counter to every attack.¡±

    That voice caused Delphine, standing behind the knights, to lose all the color in her face.

    ¡°Count Trentheim.¡± The woman said the name as if through gritted teeth.

    She subconsciously took a step back, but the voice called out first, ¡°Ciel.¡±

    As thest syble fell, invisible prisons descended from the sky upon every Kirrlutzian. And then a chilly voice reached the knights¡¯ ears: ¡°Law of Space: Freeze.¡±

    Along with the voice, Brendel appeared from amongst the crowd. Before he parted the crowd, he caught Freya tumbling in mid-air and stared coldly at the daughter of the Kirrlutzian Prime Minister.

    ¡°Mydy, I believe we¡¯ve met before at the Loop of Trade Winds, haven¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Did Veronica send you here to let me know that Kirrlutz is prepared to dere war upon Aouine? If so, I am ready to meet you anytime.¡±

    As soon as Brendel made the deration, noise erupted around him.

    ...

    The Holy Pce of Eloideniel was surrounded year-round by dense mist. The deathly silent hall made of ck sunstone reflected a dark blue light and was as fathomless ck as the surface of a mirror. Reflected on the ck surface was a Corpse¡¯s Pir made of 120 white bones, which supported a gothic dome made ofyers of skeletons.

    Here, legend says the breath of the living would be immediately frozen into crystals like shards of ss. So the air was always bone-chillingly frigid in the great hall, and the ¡°Howl of Hunger¡± circled around the dome, like a constant murmur.

    The residents around the Silent Port [1] believed the ¡°How of Hunger¡± was made up of the shrieks of the hungry ghosts who climbed out from the depths. The people of Vuante believed that the breath of the dying would turn into wind and circle around them. In reality, this natural phenomenon had been here long before Madara formed his nation.

    [1] Note: the port between today¡¯s Northern Aouine and Sanorso

    In this barely detectable howling of the wind, ck knights covered with ck cloaks walked among the columns. The ends of their cloaks were decorated with golden hook-like decorations, which nged as they dragged across the floor. These followers of the darkness kept walking until they crossed the enormous Female Spiders of the Spirit Realm, whichy hidden along the two sides of the Corpse¡¯s Pir. Under the watchful gaze of the four pairs ofntern-like eyes, they separated into two columns in the center of the hall. They remained quiet, as silent as if they were of one mind.

    The Yinstar Dragon stood alongside Tagus at the end of the great hall and watched the proceedings with amusement. Like most of his conservative and decaying ¡ª as if themps of their lives were sputtering out¨C Undead brethrens, he had a broad knowledge base. He knew about thend of the ancient country opposite of the ck Bramante Rose and of its people, knew about the brilliant cultures of Kirrlutz and even knew that the ck Knightsmonly recorded in Aouine and Kirrlutz literature were mistakenly depicted as a type of Undead known as armored skeletons ¡ª in contrast to the most widely circted rumor, Hull¡¯s ck Knights were a special type of Undead, even in Madara. Their territories mostly bordered the inner seas of the Dying Moon and they kept up the chillingly elegant traditions of the times during which they had been alive. The living carved their oaths onto their armor before dying and the fires of their souls surrounded those obsessive thoughts and they were animated by the fires of vengeance. That is how the ck Knights came to be.

    Their obsession was famous, even in Madara. Even though humans will often say someone is as stubborn as the decaying skeletons of Madara, ck Knights were extra obsessive. When they were alive, these knights followed rules obsessively. When they died, these knights remained forever trapped by their oath and curse.

    The Yinstar Dragon felt like they could be called the ¡°Madara of Madaras¡±. He watched the scene unfold with an amused expression, which was in great contrast to the seriousness that Tagus, who stood beside him, portrayed.

    A buzzing voice sounded in the great hall: ¡°In the name of the ever darkened moon and the ck blossom, the highest ruler of the dark country, the wielder of the staff of Loki, please ept the loyalty and admiration from the northern vassals.¡±

    It was as if the voice further stretched out the empty great hall. It passed to the other far end of the hall, but did not receive a response for quite a while. At the head of the great hall, the overlord sat waiting on the throne for a few moments before acquiescing with a quiet, ¡°Hmm.¡±

    The ck knights all lowered their heads.

    ¡°We apud our majesty¡¯s authority. Now that the territories in the Seas of the Dying Moon have also returned to our fold, we are close to finishing the unification of the Darkened Kingdoms, which began a thousand years ago. With the exception of that woman Alvitr, who is nning who-knows-what, we only have the Kingdom of the Spiders to worry about. Tagus, the dying moon has risen again. To be able to participate in such a historical moment gives me such an anticipation.¡± The Yinstar Dragon looked at the kneeling ck Knights and couldn¡¯t help but discuss this quietly with hispanion.

    ¡°Anticipation is not a feeling the dead should have.¡± Tagus said calmly, without any changes to his expression. As the most noble of the Meiyn vampires, he was allowed to wear the gold embroidered ck robes of nobles and looked ridiculous next to the non-titled Yinstar Dragon. ¡°Madara has begun to operate ording to the will of the Mercury Staff. It is like a curse and not a goal. The world of the living takes but a moment to decay in the eyes of the Undead. To me, only time, truth, and dust have value.¡±

    ¡°That is why the mortals outside call us the stubborn skeletons.¡±

    ¡°But the show is just beginning, Tagus. The arrival of the ck Knights today is just an appetizer.¡± The Yinstar Dragon never felt self-conscious because of his humble stations. Instead, he continued eagerly, ¡°Look, his majesty has recalled the Bloodstaff. Something good must have happened.¡±

    Tagus remained silent. In fact, he already knew what happened. A week before, two nobles of the dark were attacked, one after the other, in Madara¡¯s southern territory that was close to Aouine. The castle of one of the vampires was practically burned to ash and all that remained were the signs of a huge ¡°cleansing¡± by fire. Almost none of the Undead survived.

    This meant that at least one group of the knights of the Holy Cathedral of Fire have snuck into the borders of Madara.

    For this to happen at this time of year, Tagus smelled the scent of conspiracy even though this was not a rare urrence along the borders of Aouine and Madara. The humans answered the call of the Holy Cathedral and the Undead fought to upy their territory. They both often sent private groups of knights or formed armies to invade each other¡¯s territory.

    Except that ever since the coronation of Aouine¡¯s Oberg the Sixth, Madara has shifted its strategy from defensive to offensive and gradually gained the initiative in this war.

    But the present was no longer the past. The contract between Aouine and Madara has just passed its first anniversary and rumor has it that the human kingdom was mired in a civil war; they clearly would not think lightly of dering war right now.

    So now it became a question of who was trying to muddy up the waters and sneak away with benefits.

    The indifferent vampire squinted his only remaining eye. He lifted his head and saw the Dark Leader, who had taught Aouine a painful lesson at Karsuk just as the Yinstar Dragon predicted, slowly walk to the middle of the hall, adorned in a bloody robe. This was Cheque, the King of the Necromancers and the Bloodstaff.

    ¡°My honored majesty, I have brought you a piece of unhappy news today.¡±

    ¡°Those humble humans have once again challenged your honor on Madara¡¯s territory.¡±

    ¡°Those stubborn human nobles seem to have forgotten the pain of the wounds from the battle a year ago.¡±

    ¡°Today, I am asking your permission to bring them new terrors.¡±

    The hoarse voice of the Bloodstaff echoed under the dome of the Holy Pce of Eloideniel, but Tagus and the Yinstar Dragon both narrowed their eyes at those words.

    ...

    Brendel lightly tossed the letter from Delphine¡¯s hands back at her. He examined the woman closely. In fact, he¡¯s already encountered her before at the Loop of Trade Winds, but he¡¯d only seen her from afar and was nowhere as detailed an examination as today.

    He had to admit that her beauty was enough to bend anyone¡¯s heart to her will. Of all the women he¡¯s met, only the Princess Gryphine could give her a run for the money.

    Butpared to Delphine¡¯s scheming and evil ways, the Royal Princess was as naive as a child.

    ¡°Lady Delphine, I do not know how I have offended you. But I do not think you need to risk it all to take revenge upon me... Lady Veronica asked you to deliver this message to me. Come to think of it, it doesn¡¯t seem like Kirrlutz is nning on dering war with Aouine and instead, have a favor to ask of me ¨C¡±

    He paused and then couldn¡¯t resist giving a slightly sarcastic twist to his words, ¡°If she knew this is how you presented the terms to me, she would probably be dissatisfied.¡±

    The daughter of the Prime Minister remained silent and stared at him codly. The hatred in her eyes was like a hissing poisonous snake, which made Brendel frown. For the life of him, he cannot figure out what he has done to offend her so that she would look at him as if they were mortal enemies.

    Luckily he did not need the woman to speak. He looked at the letter, the content of which he was already aware of. He lifted his head and silently ran through the course of history in his mind and figured out which event was happening.

    The Bloodstaff had staged a show, which had also happened before in the course of history. He had thought that the course of history had been sopletely altered that this would not happen, but he hadn¡¯t counted on the unfortunate King of Necromancer still bringing the trouble to his doorsteps.

    But Brendel squinted his eyes and wasn¡¯t too worried.

    This was an excellent chance. It was rare to encounter a historical event he was familiar with, and he doubted he¡¯ll get many such chances in the future.

 Chapter 649 - v4c33 Another Chance(4)

    v4c33

    Another Chance(4)

    A second invasion of the Bloodstaff did ur in history at the end of the Year of the Sword.

    This untameable, uncontroble King of the Corpse Mage colluded with Radner to stir up trouble in an attempt to create an excuse to invade Grinoires. The more underlying intent was to get rid of Madara¡¯s supreme emperor¡¯s control, or at least to weaken the other side¡¯s prestige.

    That was why this was apletely self-directed show by the Bloodstaff, except that certain people had nned the opening of the great show, but did not expect the final ending. The once unstoppable Bloodstaff that swept across the eastern border of Karsuk hadpletely fallen in this war. The Bloodstaff was first defeated by the allied forces of Eikkel, Yo and Duke Viero, before dying in defeat after being ambushed on its way back to the Land of the Spiders by the army of Alvitr, the Queen of the Demons, who imed to be unwilling to submit to the Mercury Staff.

    Shortly after its death, the territory it had ruled over, the Bloodwoods, was divided. Yinstar Dragon inherited thergest chunk of it. Then, the Queen of the Demons, Alvitr, also surrendered to that supreme being of Madara after a token resistance. No matter how you looked at it, this whole process looked as if the King of the Corpse Mage had dug a hole and then buried himself in it.

    Yinstar Dragon had a secret deal with Radner before he left Aouine, and then the lovely Count went to the Bloodstaff to conspire together. Only the Bloodstaff¡¯s empty corpse brain ¨C which had been eroded by darkness ¨C would think that there was odd with this.

    The Queen of the Demons, Alvitr, was also a strong suspect, but that was not what Brendel needed to be concerned about. What made his heart skip a beat was the realization that this historical ¡®September Conflict¡¯ would bring him a huge opportunity, and might even allow him to solve the troubles in the South once and for all.

    If the idea seeded, then the princess would have at least one to two years of development after the unification of the South. If Aouine prepared in advance to deal with the war before that emperor of Madara was ready, perhaps the newborn ck Rose would carefully consider the westward route.

    Brendel pondered and ended up distracted from all his thinking. He tapped his finger lightly on the envelope. The opportunity in it was clear only to him ¨C he clearly remembered this point in history ¨C the Month of Autumn of the Year of the Sword. The Bloodstaff would choose to travel east from modern-day Be ¨C in other words, the Bloodstaff would move from the Sillman region into Grinoires ¨C and then meet with Count Radner at the border of the North Tusankard Forest.

    The armies of the Bloodstaff would then attack Grinoires¡¯s capital from the north in an attempt to open the avenue leading west of Lake Vallendaren to Viero.

    However, Madara¡¯s Army was ambushed by the allied forces of Eikkel, Yo, and Duke Viero near Shallow Water Town and was subsequently routed. The Bloodstaff was killed by Alvitr on her return to the Land of the Spiders, and the forces of the princess and Duke Arreck then invaded Magitan, the capital of Radner.

    The September Conflict began in the Month of Harvest. Itsted for more than a month until the middle of the Month of Autumn. Neither Madara nor Aouine recognized it as war after the fact, and the written consensus identified it as a border conflict between lords who had privately looted and retaliated. Brendel had been personally involved in the war as a yer at that time.

    Shortly after that, Count Radner was banished and fled to Madara to join the Yinstar Dragon¡¯s forces, but that was no longer Brendel¡¯s concern. He stared up at the huge map of Aouine¡¯s southern border that hung on the wall of one side of the Coldwood Castle hall, his eyes always straying to one of the lines on it.

    That line stretched from Sillman in the south to Castle Kurco in the north. Historically, the Bloodstaff had taken Kurkel, but this time, Brendel was not going to give the Corpse Mage this many advantages. The South was like a crown jewel to the princess now, and Brendel was not so generous as to give away what he had.

    The point was, this was exactly the perfect opportunity to bring in Archduke Grinoires, and Duke Viero was bound to join in. He hoped that the old man Arreck would join in on this endeavor as too; if their allied forces werepletely wiped out, then the war in the South would be quelled.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes rested on the warring Sillman region, and he suddenly thought of a few people.

    Those guys should have gotten a firm foothold by now.

    Then the n was set.

    He flexed his fingers and tapped the table. This action made Amandina ¨C who was off by the side ¨C perk up. The young aide, who was familiar with him, knew very well that he had already decided on his next n.

    Brendel looked up in surety, and he first nced at Delphine, whom Scarlet had pressed onto a chair. The woman baffled him a little, but the fact that she had instructed her men to injure Freya angered him even more, the valkyrie had run in bandages earlier to tell him not to be impulsive, but that was exactly what made Brendel¡¯s heart even colder.

    He gave a slight hum. A murderer should realize what it¡¯s like to be killed; this woman had evil intentions, and although she did not seed in the end, it was at least an attempted murder. Besides, she hadn¡¯t stayed her hand because she suddenly rediscovered her conscience. If Scarlet had not been there, both Freya and Romaine might have been in danger.

    But the two armies were still fighting without beheading the messenger, and while the messenger had done something disgraceful, Brendel was not petty enough to be bothered by a woman. Besides, if he killed Delphine just like that, he was afraid that Freya would mostly feel guilty about it. He did not want to leave any grudges against the future valkyrie of this kingdom because of this small matter.

    A death sentence could be avoided, but a punishment for the living could not. Furthermore, to Brendel, sometimes death meant freedom instead. This evil, crueldy who was ring at him might just rather die. She was the daughter of the Kirrlutzian prime minister and seemed to not be amon person, so if she were to be killed, a real war might break out between Aouine and Kirrlutz.

    Brendel stared at her and felt that her dark purple eyes were filled with spite.

    ¡°Lord?¡± Amandina seemed to have seen through his thoughts and opened her mouth to ask in a whisper.

    ¡°For the time being, I do not wish to see this one. She was born with such a beautiful face, and yet that face is wasted on someone who is so disgustingly hideous on the inside. Take her to the water dungeon beneath Coldwood Castle. I¡¯m sure Lord Veronica will give me a satisfactory answer,¡± Brendel replied coldly.

    ¡°The water dungeon?¡± Amandina asked, a little in disbelief. She could not help but give Delphine a somewhat sympathetic nce. Inparison, perhaps being executed would have been a little better. Those dark cells below Coldwood Castle were all constructed during the Graudin era, and the few lowest levels were water cells covered with an iron cage, with waist-deep, foul-smelling water. There was no way anyone could have changed the water in there. There was no telling how many human or rat corpses, or whatever were in there. There was also something else that was just too much for her to even talk about ¨C no one could not stop the prisoners from defecating, could they?

    It was difficult for her to imagine what would happen to this prime minister¡¯s daughter after a few days of being locked up inside. There was no way that a beautiful woman like her would not care about her image. Besides, Brendel would have to wait until Veronica replied, which meant that as long as Veronica did not give him an answer, Delphine would have to be locked in there for the rest of her life.

    Amandina was getting chills by just thinking about it.

    But then she took one look at Delphine and could not help but sigh. This woman was to me. When she had ordered someone to hurt Freya, the entire territory had nearly been riled up.

    ¡°Alright,¡± she replied softly and nodded, before preparing to order her soldiers to drag the prime minister¡¯s daughter away.

    But right then, Laurenna ¨C who was restrained in a chair with a spell cast by Ciel ¨C could not help but speak up and plead when she saw the scene. ¡°Lord...¡±

    While she was the one who actually hurt Freya, she and her fianc¨¦ were treated the best instead. The other Kirrlutzian knights were simply left tied up on the ground, while she and Fs were merely confined to chairs with spells. From this, the female knight could vaguely sense that the earl in front of her didn¡¯t seem to be that unreasonable.

    Moreover, as a knight from the army, she knew very well what the ck Cauldron was. It was impossible for Delphine, who had been born into a noble family and raised as a noble since childhood, to stay in a ce like that for more than a day.

    It just didn¡¯t ur to her that Brendel would interrupt her as soon as she opened her mouth. ¡°Ms. Laurenna, I know you are a good and honest knight. You know very well what would have happened if I hadn¡¯t been able to stop that scene. If Freya had died as a result, or if she had been seriously injured, I would have dered war on Kirrlutz immediately.¡±

    He gave the female knight a look. He had Laurenna and Fs in the chairs not because he could see that they were innocent, but because they had some fame in history. They were two of the rare Kirrlutzianmanders that Brendel looked up to. The title of Righteous Laurenna had been passed down through thend until after the Holy War. He was sure that she would not take a shot at Freya for no reason.

    ¡°Don¡¯t doubt whether I am capable of doing so.¡± He paused and then continued, ¡°Lady Laurenna, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re already well aware of my rtionship with the Ash Sword Saint. If Aouine were to cross paths with the Kirrlutz over this, then the end that awaits both kingdoms will surely be a bloodbath, except that because of this woman¡¯s selfishness, hundreds of people will die. Compared to my heartlessness now, the prime minister¡¯s daughter in front of you seems even more like a cold-blooded murderer.

    ¡°Moreover, I¡¯m afraid she didn¡¯t consider your safety when she ordered you and Mr. Fs to fight. You should know this very well; had you made a move then, you would be in a precarious situation. It¡¯s not hard to imagine what you would have faced if you had failed. If you hadn¡¯t met me, I¡¯m afraid you would have met with an ident by now,¡± Brendel continued.

    Laurenna was taken aback, and could not help but remain silent.

    ¡°What facious logic. Kirrlutz¡¯s fight with Aouine is simply your own decision, Lord. However, you can just pin everything on me and make me the executioner, Lord,¡± Delphine, who was pressed into a chair, sneered out of the blue.

    Brendel gave the woman a somewhatpassionate nce and slowly replied, ¡°Compared to a woman like you, who has no normal human emotions, it is indeed difficult for you to understand the bonds of affection and bonds between people. After all, these things are tooplicated and profound for you. The blood within you is cold and heartless, while I am capable of dering war on the Kirrlutz for Freya. That¡¯s the biggest difference between me and you-¡±

    ¡°You-¡± Delphine seemed to have been suddenly stabbed in her weak spot. She could not resist biting her lower lip and staring at him viciously.

    ¡°Miss Delphine, I can vouch for Count Trentheim¡¯s words. I can assure you he is not an rmist.¡± Princess Gryphine, who was silently watching from the side, suddenly stepped in to speak at this time.

    She quietly replied, ¡°Mr. Brendel is right. This has nothing to do with reason or profit; he who kills pays, and Aouine is capable of guarding its people.¡±

    Brendel turned back.

    He looked at the princess somewhat gratefully. While he knew that part of it was because she was trying to buy his favor, at least this time she had stood up in front of an outsider and chosen to stand with him. It meant that she would always be on his side in this matter.

    Bendel wasn¡¯t the only one. Even Laurenna and Fs could not help but look at the eldest princess of Aouine in surprise, both of them showing a look of amazement as they subconsciously re-evaluated this count¡¯s importance to the princess.

    Apparently, it was a bit more intimate than what was rumored out there.

    As Delphine stared coldly at Princess Gyphine, she shuddered slightly and replied in a grumbling tone, ¡°I understand. But you¡¯d better kill me, or I swear that as long as you don¡¯t, I will strike down the people close to you!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t stand a chance, Miss Delphine,¡± Brendel replied coldly. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but I have more brains than you think.¡±

    With that said, he was toozy to deal with this evil woman any longer, so he turned back to Amandina again. ¡°Amandina, take her down. Everyone must be held ountable for their actions.¡± She gave a slight nod, and only then did she take the soldier apanying her to escort the Kirrlutzian prime minister¡¯s daughter down to the dungeon.

 Chapter 650 - v4c34 Another Chance(5)

    v4c34

    Another Chance(5)

    Delphine was abnormally quiet as she was escorted away, although she red at Brendel like a poisonous viper. It made Brendel shudder a little. Honestly, if he wasn¡¯t so concerned about his rtionship with Veronica, he would have executed this woman. Bad blood with the chancellor was inevitable anyways, and he did not think the Kirrlutzians would dare dere war on Aouine over a woman.

    Laurenna watched as Delphine was taken away, the knight wanted to say something but was unable to speak at the moment, it would naturally be somewhat displeasing to be treated in such a manner as the imperial messenger, but the problem was that she did not seem to have the right to be displeased.

    She thought for a while before saying somewhat weakly, ¡°My Lord, I hope you will carefully consider the way you deal with the empire.¡±

    ¡°I understand, but that also depends on who it is. I know the difference between an enemy and a friend, and I can only say that Lord Veronica chose the wrong person for the wrong mission this time.¡± Brendel replied.

    He gestured to Ciel, and then Laurenna and Fs, who were spellbound in their chairs, felt their bonds loosen. The knight was fine and managed to maintain herposure, but her fianc¨¦ could not help but let out a long sigh and stare at Brendel a little fearfully.

    He had suffered a lot at the hands of the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter along the way because of his sweet-talking, but he did not expect such a terrifying woman to be locked up into the ck dungeon by this inhumane guy. If it were himself, he would not have that, Delphine¡¯s beauty was famous throughout the empire.

    Thinking of this, Fs could not help but look at Brendel again with some trepidation. In his eyes, he had already decided that he was one of those legendary barbarians from the barbaric wilderness ¨C no, not just a barbarian, perhaps even a chieftain. No matter how beautiful a woman was, she meant nothing to a rude man like him, and in some of the knight¡¯s novels, these barbarians were even depicted as preferring men.

    The young knight¡¯s thoughts filled his mind and he could not help but take one more look at Ciel who had been controlling him and Laurenna with spells; a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

    Of course, Brendel did not know this man in front of him, famous for his stupidity and luck, was spinning with weird thoughts. He was not named ¡®famous idiot¡¯ by Brendel. Rather, it was the real title of the man known in history as Kirrlutz¡¯s first shitty knight.

    First of all, he had defeated many of the best sons and daughters of the major noble families from within Kirrlutz. Married to Laurenna, the most talented and beautiful girl in Kirrlutz ¨C Laurenna¡¯s future achievements in Kirrlutz could even bepared to that of Freya in Aouine, or even higher, as she had achieved much more than that. If he remembered correctly, Laurenna hadter seeded as the Azure Skies¡¯ main and second-inmand together with Faina.

    That would have been shocking enough, but Fs¡¯ good fortune did not end there. Unlike all the other noble children who grew up amid intrigue, this man¡¯s session to his title was a smooth ride. As the only heir of Prince Barrano, he had nopetition or pressure. Such an uneventful path would be enough to make all those around him filled with jealousy.

    Later on, he was called by the emperor to participate in the Holy War, and then after spending a long period in the front line in the ¡®No War on the Eastern Front¡¯ experience, he somehow had a series of victories, and finally, his umted war merits earned him the throne of Imperial Army head.

    He was known as the army leader picked off the side of a road.

    And then, with the passing of time, Mr. Fs became a powerful figure. And his story had already be the most legendary story among the bards.

    Now, the couple from the legends sat before him. Laurenna was no more than a small knight in Veronica¡¯s service, and Fs was even more of an idle dude. The two of them had not even begun on their journey, and currently, Brendel seemed more like a legend to them. At least after the first battle of Ampere Seale, Brendel¡¯s reputation in Kirrlutz had be far more than just a swordsman.

    Brendel scrutinized the two of them, and only after a while did he pick up the envelope on the table, take a look at it, and ask the female knight a question.

    ¡°Ms. Laurenna, may I ask when the Kirrlutzians be aware of this?¡±

    Laurenna looked at him and reacted with a slight startle. She frowned a bit and replied, ¡°Two months ago, my Lord.¡±

    This conversation was about the second thing in Veronica¡¯s letter to Brendel. Compared to the feathery weight of the first matter, this second matter was much trickier in Brendel¡¯s opinion.

    It began with the Battle of Ampere Seale. During that battle, the Aouines eventually shattered three of the Door of mes and sent the Devils rolling back home down the Sulfur River ¨C a part of the story that Brendel, of course, experienced firsthand. The Devil armies were routed and scattered, then dispersedpletely by the Silver Elves and Hignd Knights, and the Craft Mages who arrived.

    But a small portion survived, fleeing into the mountains and wilderness of Aouine. This small portion, however, caused a huge problem for the Kirrlutzian.

    The whole matter should havee to an end after the Kirrlutzians were forced to retreat from the port of Ampere Seale as a matter of honor.

    But no one could have imagined that history would unfold as it has since.

    Around the new moon, monks from the Holy Cathedral of Fire, after thoroughly cleaning up the battlefield, discovered that all three Door of mes were missing in various degrees. These missing Door of mes were quickly sent back to Kirrlutz for the high-level bishops to identify, but half a monthter, it was confirmed that the entire Holy Cathedral of Fire was in a nightmare.

    The missing parts of the three Door of mes were almost exactly enough to form a new portal.

    So it became obvious. It meant that at least one or more gangs of Devils, Cavedwellers, Evil Cultists, or something simr from underneath Jorgendy Ridge was taking these fragments and preparing to do something not-so-subtle in Aouine¡¯s territory.

    For the Holy Cathedral of Fire, this was a ridiculous joke.

    Or rather it was simply a resounding p on the face of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. Even Brendel did not know exactly how to react when he saw this news, not to mention the others, although it was nearly an open secret that the Holy Cathedral of Fire had been infiltrated by All for One, he did not expect the other party to tolerate it to this extent.

    It was no wonder that the power core of the Kirrlutz Empire was bing more and more biased towards royal power day by day. Faced with such an enemy, it was a bit difficult for the Silver Queen to not win.

    Brendel silently thought for a moment, then shook the letter in his hand. Now, in his heart, he was almost certain that Veronica must be having trouble sleeping and eating at this moment. If it was possible, he was afraid that the army chief would rather not have this letter delivered to him, as the Kirrlutzian had never lost so much pride continuously in centuries.

    But the problem was, there was a group of people running around with pieces of these Portals right now, ready to find an energy core to build them back up. Veronica could not just ignore it.

    It was not a serious problem for Aouine. After all, if they could take care of three Portals, they could obviously take out one of the broken temporary Portals. But it was a big problem for the Holy Cathedral of Fire, no matter when or where these cultists had built this Portal up.

    Even if it was built in a pigsty in a random countryside in Aouine, the Holy Cathedral of Fire would not be able to hold its head up in front of the other major cathedrals for half a century. As for the Holy War, don¡¯t even think of continuing that. Might as well take a break, hang up the exemption card and hand over all the benefits.

    Moreover, the issue of pride was second to none, such an event for the reputation of the Holy Cathedral of Fire was the biggest blow, it will inevitably shake many people¡¯s faith. Brendel didn¡¯t think that the majority that make up the followers of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, peasants and craftsmen, was strongly rooted in their faith, and once faith was copsed, it would be difficult to rebuild.

    But that was not the biggest disaster. The worst possibility for the Kirrlutzians was undoubtedly these Evil Cultists bringing the Portal shards back to the Kirrlutz Empire, and with Marsha high above, just imagining that scenario could probably give the Holy Cathedral of Fire nightmares.

    Not to mention the Devils might get these fragments to study and replicate ¨C although this was highly unlikely, if it seeds, it was likely that the top brass of the Holy Cathedral of Fire would have to die to cleanse away their sins.

    If it was not for such a severe state of affairs, the proud Lady of the Sword Saint of Youth would not have inadvertently requested for him to help hold down the Holy Cathedral of Fire. Honestly speaking, Brendel ,as a citizen of Aouine, was delighted at seeing the Kirrlutzians humiliated. But Veronica¡¯s meant that she wanted him to help out of past friendship.

    If one were to say who was the most powerful person in the Aouine South today, it would naturally be him and the princess, who had the support of the Hignd Knights, Duke Anthony, and the many Southern Legions. That was why this letter was sent to him and Princess Gryphine.

    Thinking of Veronica, Brendel could not help but sigh.

    To be honest, that female army leader of the Kirrlutz Empire had left him with a pretty good impression. Besides, there was Faina, and he knew privately that brashdy considered him a friend.

    ¡°Did the Azure Skies enter Aouine right after you found out, ?¡± He thought for a moment and then asked.

    ¡°No, in fact, it was a great person from the Holy Cathedral of Fire whomissioned Lord Veronica to help. I¡¯m not too sure who exactly it was. Because this matter is so important, not many people within the empire even knew about it.¡± Laurenna replied.

    Brendel could not help but shake his head, ¡°You too, know that it is an important matter, but the person sent to act as a messenger seems to becking in consideration.¡±

    The female knight was slightly startled and immediately wanted to stop talking.

 Chapter 651 - v4c35 Another Chance(6)

    v4c35

    Another Chance(6)

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Brendel saw the look on her face. ¡°You may as well say what you have to say, Lady Knight. I have heard of your reputation and therefore do not equate you with certain people.¡±

    ¡°Miss Delphine went there of her own ord. Lord Veronica was unaware of what was going on between you and her, and I only noticed itter by ident. I just didn¡¯t expect her to be so determined. I¡¯m to me for this; I shouldn¡¯t have taken any chances with something so important in the first ce,¡± Laurenna replied with a sigh, a little self-conscious.

    Brendel became curious. ¡°How so? You know what¡¯s going on?¡± He really could not help but wonder how creepy it would be for anyone to be stalked by a woman who seemed to be crazy for no reason at all. In fact, even now, he still felt rather ufortable when he recalled that resentful look in Delphine¡¯s eyes.

    It felt like he had done something unforgivable to her, but Marsha was his superior; there was nothing between the both of them. Brendel remembered vividly that he had only met the other from a distance when he was on the front lines of the ck Forest¡¯s fight against the Cmity of Wolves.

    ¡°Actually...¡± Laurenna was also a little embarrassed as she brought this up. She gathered her thoughts, before she bagan to borate on Delphine¡¯s incident.

    ¡°...Count Elman lost his life at Andersha¡¯s hands, but Miss Delphine has always believed that you deliberately dropped them. Coupled with the fact that she had been devoted to Count Elman, which is well-known in the Empire, the Count¡¯s death hit Miss Delphine hard...¡±

    ¡°That was an unexpected disaster, Ms. Laurenna.¡± Brendelughed bitterly. He was suddenly a little at a loss of words after hearing this outrageous story. This was an unexpected disaster that no one foresaw. If he had known that he would offend such a mulishdy, he would have been careful to send Count Elmanout of the country. He would never let Andersha have an opportunity to strike.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My Lord... Miss Delphine, she...¡± It seemed that Laurenna wanted to further exin on behalf of the prime minister¡¯s daughter. However, Brendel had already interrupted her first. ¡°I understand what you mean, Lady Laurenna, but even so, she shouldn¡¯t strike out at innocent people. This is not revenge. It¡¯s just venting anger.¡±

    He thought for a moment, and then added, ¡°I will consider your words, but not now. It¡¯s better to let thatdy calm down for now. You don¡¯t want to let her run around and ruin Lord Veronica¡¯s ns, do you?¡±

    Laurenna was startled, and then thought that it seemed as if there was indeed such a possibility.

    With Delphine¡¯s current mindset, even if the empire were to get involved, the sacrifices would be worth it as long as she was able to carry out her revenge. Laurenna could not help but sigh even after thinking about it. ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s continue,¡± Brendel replied. ¡°Since there aren¡¯t many people within the empire who know about your operation, there shouldn¡¯t be many people from the Azure Skies. Can I know the size of your forces?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s... Sorry, it¡¯s confidential, Count.¡± Laurenna was a little sheepish, but she declined Brendel¡¯s question.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m just asking casually.¡± Brendel narrowed his eyes. He was certain that the Azure Skies that had infiltrated Aouine¡¯s territory was probably just a small elite team. Just like what was mentioned in the information he got, it could be an elite knight group under the Azure Skies, but there was no need to delve into this matter. He asked again, ¡°The letter says that the Holy Cathedral of Fire suspects that the shard might be with Duke Arreck. Is this true?¡±

    The female knight nodded. ¡°Yes. Lord Veronica has been receiving information that also matches with this spection ever since entering Aouine. It might have been Duke Arreck who colluded with the Evil Cultists and Devils to smuggle the Portal¡¯s fragments away on that day.¡±

    ¡°I heard that Duke Arreck has recently allied with Count Radner, which means that the shards might have been transported to Magitan?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Laurenna frowned. ¡°However, the news from the Holy Cathedral of Fire suggests that those shards may not have stopped at Magitan, but have moved north instead.¡±

    ¡°Do you have a way to track the location of those shards?¡± Brendel froze. He stared back at the knight and thought to himself. These Kirrlutzians are not just here to entertain themselves. If they¡¯re capable of locating those shards themselves, why do they still need us?

    But Laurenna¡¯s reply immediately answered the question in his mind. ¡°No, just some trivial divination and prophecy, my Lord.¡±

    It was only then that it dawned on Brendel. ¡°North! Then, which way in the north?¡± he asked abruptly.

    ¡°This...¡± the female knight was tongue-tied. How would I know such a thing? But her natural serious self still led her to reply, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know.¡±

    However, she didn¡¯t expect Brendel to interrupt her. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Maybe I know.¡±

    He turned back, his eyes falling on the point on the huge map marked with the name Magitan. From here till northward was the vast Misty Forest. Further northward would be Lantonn territory. His gaze shifted sharply upward. The Anserra Forest, the Goldfinch Mountains, the mountains on the northern shore of Lake Vallendaren-

    Something shed through his mind, like a bolt from the blue. Suddenly, he looked up and realized what these Devils, or Evil Cultists, or Duke Arreck wanted.

    To rebuild a Portal, a great deal of magical power was definitely required.

    Preferably an energy core.

    The Kirrlutzian had the me Gem.

    What about Duke Arreck?

    Brendel¡¯s eyes finally stopped, and there, on the map was a line of fine text marked in rough script: the Falling Needle Hills Avenue.

    Falling Needles Hills Avenue, Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth, Dragon¡¯s Heart.

    ........

    ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    As soon as Brendel stepped out of the hall, he found Princess Gryphine standing outside the porch. The half-elf girl stood by a window with a stone frame, looking out at the hills in the direction of the Gers Beach. He immediately bowed his head after a brief pause.

    The princess turned back. She seemed as if she had been waiting for him here for a long time. She looked at him quietly before asking slowly, ¡°Count, may I ask what we should do with the Kirrlutzians? Are we going to help them this time?¡±

    ¡°We must help this time, Your Highness,¡± Brendel replied truthfully.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Princess Gryphine looked back in surprise. ¡°Why? I remember you didn¡¯t like them very much.¡±

    ¡°In truth, I¡¯ve got some ideas.¡± Fern followed Brendel out into the hall, letting him take the jacket and cloak from her. Brendel took a nce out the window. The undting ridgeline was covered by a verdant forest. Above it was the deep blue sky filled with clouds that were like tufts of snow. As he watched a flock of migrating birds fly away, he said, ¡°Now is a good time. Let¡¯s convince Duke Viero to join our front.¡±

    ¡°With any luck,¡± he added, ¡°maybe we might be able to get Grinoire as well.¡±

    Gryphine was no fool. On the contrary, her intelligence was among the best in Aouine¡¯s recent generations of royalty. She could certainly understand what Brendel meant, but the young girl looked at the cloak in Brendel¡¯s hand and asked curiously, ¡°Where are you nning to go, Count?¡±

    As far as she could remember, the young man in front of her was not one to be interested in fashion even though he had be a count. Rarely would he wear a coat, let alone bring a cloak or shawl of some sort, if he was not going on a trip.

    Thus, she keenly picked up on this detail from Brendel¡¯s subtle movements.

    Brendel hadn¡¯t thought of hiding this. He nodded. ¡°I suddenly have an idea.¡±

    ¡°An idea?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Brendel. ¡°It seems that Lord Marsha is still on our side this time. If everything goes well, Princess Magadal will be able to be awakened.¡±

    Princess Gryphine stunned at first, and then her silver eyes showed extreme joy. Not even caring about maintaining her manners, she asked, ¡°Really?!¡±

    ¡°When have I ever lied to you, Your Highness?¡± Brendel was also relieved, as if the problems that had been guing him for days were all solved at once. It had to be said that both Duke Arreck and Radner had given him a big gift this time .

    He had already discussed it with Bosley and Amandina. Saving Magadal wasn¡¯t easy, but neither was it difficult. The Nun Princess was not human, and the injury she sustained should be the result of the source of magic within her body ¨C the magic that drove and kept her bodily functions running ¨C being destroyed by that sword. Aloz herself had indirectly confirmed this.

    The easiest way to recover her magic source was nothing more than recing it with a new one.

    There was one in the territory right now who had mastered this technique. Brendel hadn¡¯t forgotten about the Titan Core that Aloz had put into his body. However, finding a new magical core was a problem.

    But Duke Arreck¡¯s current movements immediately gave him an answer.

    Because he had been so busy participating in and nning the matters of the Aouine civil war, he had almost forgotten that he had once been a yer. The Fallen Needle Hills Avenue, a replica of the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth, had just that most appropriate magical core.

    The Heart of the Dragon.

    Duke Arreck was there for this very thing, even though Brendel didn¡¯t know where he had learned of the existence of The Heart of the Dragon. But now, he obviously had to find this treasure before the other party did.

    Besides, if those unsuspecting fellows did build a Portal there, he certainly did not mind sabotaging it in passing so that he couldplete Veronica¡¯s mission and clear up a whole bunch of things on this side. To Brendel, there was nothing more valuable than this great gift.

    Seeing the confident look on his face, Princess Gryphine gently took a breath and asked somewhat cautiously, ¡°Do you want to go now?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Brendel, however, shook his head. ¡°I need to take care of one more thing before I do that.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Brendel smiled and replied, ¡°A private matter.¡±

 Chapter 652 - v4c36 Gateway Elements?(1)

    <h4>v4c36 Gateway Elements?(1)</h4>

    ¡°Brendel, where the hell are we going?¡±

    The metalponents of the two horses¡¯ cloaks ttered as they travelled through the forest, one ahead and one behind. Freya, on horseback, held the reins in one hand and turned her head somewhat worriedly to look at the surrounding scenery. The still forest was like a painting, with a refreshing greenness seeping out from the background, sunlight passing through the canopy of trees and scattering like a curtain of light on the dead leaves.

    The forest was silent, save for the rustle of horses¡¯ hooves on dead leaves and the sound of metal shing against metal.

    Freya¡¯s face was a little pale, though after having been treated by Merial for the minor injury she¡¯d suffered from Laurenna she was no worse for wear. Still, the long trek on horseback and blood loss had taken its toll on her slightly.

    ¡°Tired?¡± Brendel looked back at her, concerned.

    ¡°No, but...but it¡¯s getting dark, and if we go any further, we won¡¯t make it back to Schafflund..¡± Freya said with a tone full of concern, wondering why Brendel had suddenly called her along to Schafflund and deep into the Grahar Mountains.

    A little further on was the ck Forest.

    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± On his horse, Brendel smiled, appearing unconcerned. ¡°We can camp out in the field when it gets dark. I¡¯m here, are you worried?¡±

    But Freya¡¯s face reddened at once, ¡°But, but, but we only have one tent.¡±

    Brendel enjoyed the future valkyrie¡¯s flustered expression, so he did not rush to answer, waiting for a moment until she red at him fiercely beforeughing, ¡°Actually, that was a lie; we¡¯re almost there.¡±

    Freya let out a sigh of relief, then realized she had been teased. She took a deep breath and had a hard time resisting the urge to punch his smirking face, but then saw he had pulled back his reins and exhaled quietly. The horse he was sitting on stopped. Brendel carefully scrutinized his surroundings as if to confirm something. Then he dismounted with a ¡®wow¡¯ sound, his cloak being dragged forward as he advanced with one hand on the hilt of his sword.

    Seeing Brendel like this, Freya was forced to smooth out her enraged look as she was somewhat unsure what Brendel was doing. Dead leaves rustled as she watched him walk to a nearby tree. Naturally, she did not recognize the trees by their scientific names ¨C those convoluted denominations were buried amongst the exhaustive and cumbersome literature of schrs ¨C , but she knew of what Aouine¡¯s mountain folkmonly referred to these trees with dark, sunken trunks as: Ghost Trees. ¡°Brendel, what are you... looking at?¡±

    Brendel looked up at the ebony branches. These trees were very familiar to him, and as if he was seeing them again after many long years of separation, there was a faint sense of affection. He thought about some things in silence. Some events of the past he could no longer remember, but his memories were still like shimmering fragments, asionally shing in his thoughts as if he were picking up shells in a sea of sand.

    He averted his eyes. He found a giant grayish-white rock not far from where he remembered it. This rock was like a giant egg, nted and buried halfway in the ground. His gaze inched upward along the pitted surface of the rock, stopping once with each upward movement. After the third time, he saw acrack that looked like a bifurcated star.

    Only then did he reply, ¡°Nothing, we¡¯re here, Freya.¡±

    ¡°Here?¡± Freya could not help but look up and around. Half the afternoon had passed; the light in the mountain forest grew greyer and greyer, and all she could see was a canopy of dark green and sunken trees. An empty space of twisted tree trunks and intertwined, tangled roots ¨C the forest looked more like a semi-enclosed cave from this angle, with interlocking tunnels leading in every direction.

    Unlike in the rest of Trentheim, the ck coniferous forestsmon to Grinoire and Radner were lessmon in the Grahar Mountains, but the Grahar Mountains were still covered with vast expanses of evergreen broadleaf forest as if a mysterious magic was nourishing the ancient groves from deep within the earth.

    ¡°What is this ce?¡±

    ¡°This should be on the border of the ck Forest in this direction,¡± Brendel stepped forward a few paces and cleared arge shrub. He found that they were almost at the top of the mountain, then looked eastward. ck ridges pierced the clouds, mist drifting from north to south. The mountains like the backs of looming dragons. Stretching his hands, he pointed in that direction and said, ¡°To the east is the Long Song Forest. Right there ¨C you should have heard of it, right?¡±

    ¡°The Mountains of Chablis?¡± Freya asked curiously. The Mountains of Chablis were a famousndmark in the southern part of Aouine, and the scenic Long Song Forest had always been a ce travelers wanted to visit, so even in Be she had heard about it.

    ¡°Well, yes,¡± Brendel confirmed as he nodded, ¡°but more precisely, it should be the exact junction of the Tursankard Forest and the Long Song Forest. The Fortress of the Fangs is located in that direction; it is the southern border of Aouine.¡±

    After saying that, he stared towards that direction in silence. Amid the clouds and mist was avast, mountainousnd, the ck Forest scattered amongst its rocky slopes. Triumphing over such terrain was the rarest victory for explorers ¨C any yer would be struck with a million ambitions in front of such a sight. It was like a sailor conquering the treacherous sea.

    ¡°But why do we need toe here? ......Brendel, what are you up to?¡± The female knight did not understand why Brendel would bring her to such a deserted area. But as she saw Brendel taking off his cloak and coat and walked towards her, she jumped and subconsciously pressed her hands against her sword, staring at him anxiously.

    Brendel stopped, and looked at her somewhat baffled, ¡°What are you thinking?¡±

    ¡°Y-You, why are you taking off your clothes?¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s because I¡¯m preparing to climb down from here, what have you been thinking,¡± Brendel replied. ¡°Am I so unreliable for you to not trust me? Come here and help me hold my clothes ¨C and wait for me here, idiot.¡±

    Freya¡¯s face turned red as she tried to brush off her embarassment and she lowered her head as if to find a crack in the floor to hide in. But upon hearing Brendel¡¯s request, the valkyrie hesitated for a moment before she unbuckled various leather straps and climbed down from her horse. If she were to dismount at such speed in a knight¡¯s academy, she would probably get a negative score on her riding test. Only then did she take the jacket from Brendel¡¯s hand, still trembling slightly from humiliation.

    ¡°...Where are you, where are you going down to?¡± She froze with his garments in her hands and asked as carefully as a clumsy maid.

    ¡°You¡¯ll know in a moment.¡±

    Brendel replied. She looked up to see him walking to one side of the mountain path, dragging a rope from his horse¡¯s pack and tying it to the ¡®Ghost Tree¡¯ from before. He let go of the rope little by little and slowly walked towards the edge of the cliff wall, looked down for a second or two, and dropped the second half of the rope in one hand.

    ¡°Brendel, what¡¯s down there?¡± The valkyrie froze slightly, finally realizing what Brendel was up to.

    Brendel looked up at her. Putting a finger to his lips he shook his head at the young woman from the countryside of Be, then he grabbed the rope with one hand and plunged downward ¨C

    ¡°Careful!¡±

    Freya could not help but cry out in a low voice.

    The cold wind above the cliff caused him to squint his eyes, and ¨C after his eyes adjusted and he became able to distinguish the scene in front of him ¨C he felt that the clouds below the cliff were getting closer to him, just like the illusion of being close to the water¡¯s surface when diving.

    Then, with a cry, he felt himself falling into the clouds and mist. Brendel hurriedly grasped some rope, pulling with his strength of the Golden Rank. Naturally, he did not need to climb down the rope bit by bit, but thest time he came to this ce was at least ten years ago. Going by the game¡¯s timeline, he hadn¡¯t been here for nearly a hundred years, so he was afraid he might have misremembered the location and brought the rope as insurance.

    After all, without Elemental Activation, he was unable to soar through the skies yet.

    Brendel stared at the mountain wall. In mere seconds, a tform protruded outward, emerging from a shrub to seep past his line of sight. He reacted quickly, and the rope in his hand immediately went taut tight with a ¡®snap¡¯. The powerful counter-force yanked him around in mid-air, and the rope carried a burnt smell, but Brendel didn¡¯t feel a single difference from his hands.

    His Golden Rank physique was already beyond what a normal person could imagine.

    He lifted his head to look up. The tform was not much different from his memories, just over ten meters away from him. Brendel gently swung close to the mountain wall, then grabbed the sharp edges of the rock face began climbing up it like a monkey.

    The overgrown tform was almost exactly as he remembered it. Brendel ncedaround; the rock jutting out from halfway up the mountain looked to be about the size of half a basketball court. But it was actually much wider, except that the dense trees and vines obscured most of the view. He pinpointed the correct direction and carefully followed the path in his memory, then ripped apart the thick, intertwined vines.

    Brendel didn¡¯t use much strength to rip away the dead branches and leaves. With a tter, apanied by the sound of earth rustling and rolling down the cliffside, a conical b of stone was revealed. This stone b was almost as tall as him. It was about two people wide, somewhat like the Wisdom Statues that weremon in forests everywhere. But instead of the image of Misokai, the weaver of magic and storms, a ck moon, was drawn on it.

    The Moon of Silence: the seventh moon of Aouine. The lightless moon could not be observed when studying the night sky, but was recorded in historical records.

    Wordlessly, Brendel cleared the tform of vines and in turnrevealed eleven other simr monoliths buried underneath soil and decaying leaves. On each monolith, there was a moon representing the source of ever-flowing destiny and magic above Aouine¡¯s skies.

    This ce was the Hall of Fate.

    yers knew it by another name: the transit station.

    Brendel had done his research, and these monoliths were all built by people even older than the Miirna. Their purpose seemed to be to stabilize the original Marsha¡¯s Law of Tiamat. Across the entirety Vaunte, these monoliths existed in manyces but were built in mysterious spots.

    For example, the one in Trentheim was built on the border of the ck Forest of the Grahar Mountains and had been buried for an unknown number of years. However, when Brendel went to these ces in the middle of the game, these monoliths had already been cleared by the yers in front of them, so there was no need to waste so much time on them like he did today.

    He carefully examined the thin veins on the ground in the center of the monoliths, then raised his head and followed them to the center of the tform. These metallic, glowing runic lines and veins felt extremely simr to him, closely resembling the Energy Transfer Array he had seen underneath Valha. The array, formed by intricate runic markers, seemed to be from an ancient civilization..

    For a split second, such a doubt passed through Brendel¡¯s mind. Only then did he gather his thoughts and walk towards the center of the tform, although these monoliths held all sorts of secrets in Vaunte, in the game they only had one function.

    In the game known as ¡°The Amber Sword¡±, these lunar monoliths had allowed yers to receive their personal quests to unlock Elemental Activation.

 Chapter 653 - 4c37 Gateway Elements?(2)

    <h4>v4c37 Gateway Elements?(2)</h4>

    In fact, after leaving Ampere Seale, the task of achieving Elemental Activation had moved up on Brendel¡¯s agenda.

    This was because all of his Experience bars had been locked to grey since he entered the Elemental Awakening phase. Such a state in Amber Sword meant the yer had to unlock the Elemental Activation quest before he could level up further.

    But that was just one reason.

    In reality, he had been led here primarily because of information received from Laurenna. The Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth was extremely famous in Aouine in the past, both for the Labyrinth itself and the famous Winter Dragon within it.

    This copy was one of the rare legendary copies in Aouine, and the legendary copies themselves were those that allowed guild-level teams of a hundred people to enter. Such a copy was the only one that every civilized region outside of the ck Forest had until the third major update was released, and clearing it represented almost the highest level honor and challenge a team could win in the early era that Brendel remembered ¨C the difficulty of the copy was therefore obvious.

    While Brendel had anticipated going to meet the ¡®Young Dragon of the Falling Needle Hills Avenue¡¯, he had not expected the opportunity to descend upon him so soon. To be honest, if it was not for the fear that Arreck would get the Heart of the Dragon before he did, he would not have wanted to enter the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth so early.

    The Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth itself was a ck Forest, one located insidends imed by civilization, and it was close to the highest-ranked kind ¨C the Land of the Tilting Law, or the ¡®Twilight Scars¡¯, simr to the opposed order of existence like the Holy Saint¡¯s Legacy and Goblin¡¯s Country.

    As an Aouine yer, Brendel was naturally incredibly familiar with this copy. The Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth was created in the era of the Twilight War. After the fall of the Ebabel Tower, Milos the Frostweaver fled south with the Miirna, and after seven days and seven nights of pursuit, Chief Warg Hati caught up with the God of the Giants on the border of the Winter Kingdom. A terrifying battle erupted ensued.

    It was written in the Pale Poem that when Warg Hati bit down on Milos¡¯ neck, the God of the Giants was torn apart. His body blew up in a star-filled explosion, his remnants falling to the ground in three directions: east, north, and south. The ce where the giant ¡®stars¡¯ fell immediately burst into mes, but the mes were not zing hot like most fires. Instead, they were ice mes.

    Legend has it that a fragment of the God of the Giants, Milos, fell southward andnded in present-day Viero, creating the ever-frozen ck Forest. Even in the heart of Marsha¡¯s Blessed Land, it had not been assimted despite centuries passing. In the game, the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth was the source of almost all the monsters and yer quests in Viero.

    Although Brendel had many friends in hisst life, he had not joined anyrge guilds before the fall of Aouine ¨C he had been in nothing more than a small group with a few people and his senior. A group like theirs naturally had no connection to a legendary copy like the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth. But even so, they had still experienced the hellishness of this copy on its periphery.

    Back when rhe copy had only just opened, yers all across Aouine were scrambling to experience something new, and their team was naturally no exception. But just like most yers, teams like theirs had met with a huge obstacle before they even entered the copy¡¯s entrance.

    A young Dragon.

    The gatekeeper with the bloodline of the Golden Folk. It was entrenched near the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth because it liked the cold climate, obstructing the yers who were trying to enter this forest with everything they could.

    Honestly, it was hard for the average yer to imagine the power of a true Dragon before that. The game designers did a good job of giving all yers a chance to gain ¡®experience¡¯ in this event.

    The so-called infant Dragons.

    Brendel understood that Aloz was a ready-made example. To have the yers of that era and even most of the yers who had not yet activated their Elemental Powers face a young female Dragon ¨C the result could be imagined. Brendel did not even want to think back to the details of that battle because there were no real details to be covered. Simply put ¨C they came, they saw, they were conquered.

    And that was just the ¡®boss¡¯ who was guarding the door.

    It was for this reason that Brendel desperately needed to activate the Elemental Powers of he and his subordinates first. After all, while the legendary copy represented the peak of difficulty of a team copy in an era, it had its level own limitation. Once the Elemental Powers were activated, the difficulty of the copy would have to drop exponentially.

    After all, it was a copy made for yers before Elemental Activation, and design ideas also had its limitations.

    As he thought about all these things, Brendel walked towards the center of the stone formation. Theoretically, once a yer reached the center of the stone formation in the game, the quest system would immediately be triggered. Just like when he was in the Long Song Forest and the Forbidden Garden, he thought he would immediately receive a system prompt.

    But what made Brendel slightly startled was that after he waited for a small moment, aside from the whistling wind from the mountains, the surroundings were considered silent.

    ¡°What...what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s mind burst into panic. Theoretically, he had already touched the Elemental Barrier, and if he was an native, he should have already activated the Elements without even needing a quest. For an native, Awakening Elemental Powers was almost synonymous with Activating Elemental Powers, and the rest was nothing more than the umtion of Attributes and Experience Points.

    But his Attributes should have already been sufficient, possibly even exceeding the requirement. And his Experience had also been locked down, which should have been a signal to prepare for the unlocking of Elemental Activation.

    But the problem was:

    He had never heard of a yer who would fail to receive a quest on the stone formation after fulfilling all the conditions. Besides, there was not a second way to obtain Elemental Activation quests in the game.

    The cold breeze from the mountain blew through, it only took a moment for Brendel¡¯s forehead to be covered in a cold sweat. Multiple possibilities shed through his mind for a moment, the most frightening of which was undoubtedly that he was not from this world and might not have the means to Activate his Elemental Powers at all.

    At the thought of this, even Brendel could not help but pale. If he could not Activate his Elemental Powers and continue to level up, his goal of saving this kingdom and setting history on a different path would be nothing more than a dream.

    In this world, no matter what the situation was, strength was first and foremost in importance.

    But he closed his eyes and gently took a breath to calm himself down. Although it was not ruled out as a possibility, being unable to reach Elemental Activation seemed unlikely. If a soul from another world was ipatible with thews of this world, then he might not have been able to touch any Elemental Powers at all.

    <i>But I already possessed a portion of elemental power, don¡¯t I?</i>

    Brendel stood dumbly for a moment before suddenly remembering something. He hurriedly opened his Character Panel, but that all the Attributes on his character panel were the same as always. He frowned. He was switching from page by page when suddenly his eyes lit up slightly.

    His eyes suddenly stopped on the Character Log.

    On the bottom line of the Log, there was this line of tiny green text written: the permission to unlock condition has not been reached.

    <i>Permission to unlock condition not reached? </i>

    Brendel froze at the sight of the rows of text, <i>What kind of a hint was that? Permission to unlock condition not met? </i>He knew very well that all of his conditions should have already met the standard of the Elemental Activation; this kind of statement did not make any sense.

    ¡°What the hell is going on here...¡±

    Brendel couldn¡¯t help but frown. <i>Could this be the legendary bug? But this problem seems a bit outrageous, not to mention the fact that the chances of being struck by lightning were almost smaller than encountering a bug in Amber Sword. And even if I¡¯m encountering a bug now, where would I go to find a game manager to solve the problem? </i>

    Brendel had a headache when he thought about it.

    He couldn¡¯t help but knock on his head and began to calcte the differences between himself and the average yer one item at a time. The biggest difference numbered no more than two. One was his own Elite Temte and the other was the neswalker System. But the Elite Temte had a simr existence in the game, and it did not seem to have much to do with the Elements or the Laws themselves.

    He ruled out that possibility first, but the rest of the neswalker System gave him a headache. To be honest, while the neswalker System had always been his greatest source of support, the system itself was something he had never been able to figure out.

    <i>How did ite about? Does it also exist in the game? How does it work? </i>Although Brendel had obtained some information from the Deer Demons and Tuman and Sanorso partially exined the history and origins of the neswalker, to be honest, he was afraid even the three of them were not sure where the neswalkers truly originated from. Additionally, the principle of their existence was.a whole different issue.

    He thought about it for a while and did note up with anything, but when he thought of the name Sanorso, he finally remembered there was an existence who also knew something of the neswalker like he did. Hurriedly, he called out in his heart:

    ¡°Lord Sanorso!¡±

    ¡°...ooh hmm?¡± A confused voice was heard. The voice seemed to hesitate for a moment, then suddenly became clear: ¡°Brendel? ...Didn¡¯t I say I was going to catch up on my sleep at this time of day!¡±

    There was a sense of sternness in the voice.

    Brendel coughed, the legendary sage Lord was not good-tempered, especially since the Elf had repeatedly instructed him to never disturb her to catch up on her sleep ¨C ording to her own words,ck of sleep was beauty¡¯s number one enemy.

    But with Marsha high above, the Elf did not seem to need to care about that at all.

    Of course, he would never unwisely say this out, but could only smile and say, ¡°Lord Sanorso, I¡¯ve run into a little trouble.¡±

    ¡°A little trouble?¡± The voice of the Wind Empress was startled. She had not spent much time with Brendel. It had been rare to hear him speak voluntarily about the trouble he was in. After a slight pause, she asked, ¡°Is it about the neswalkers?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Brendel was surprised this time by the Elf, ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± The Wind Empress snorted softly, ¡°You¡¯re a freak of nature, and much of the knowledge you possess isn¡¯t even known to me. The only thing that can confuse you at the moment seems to be about the legacy of the neswalker.¡±

    She paused and continued, ¡°Tell me, what kind of trouble have you run into.¡±

    Brendel hurried to tell the story of the predicament he had encountered. Of course, he skipped the part about the Elemental Activation task as it was really hard to exin. After all, it would be as if he was trying to exin what a non-existent cabbage in this world was like to Ciel.

    So instead, he switched to a more euphemistic way of saying it, telling this Wind Empress that he was having a little trouble on his way to Activating his Elemental Powers.

    ¡°You mean to say that your inability to touch The Elemental Barrier might be because you are a neswalker?¡± The Wind Empress quickly listened to Brendel¡¯s exnation, but immediately asked again, ¡°Howe I¡¯ve never heard of the Darkness Dragon, Odin having this problem?...¡±

    ¡°How am I supposed to know that.¡± Brendel spread his hands helplessly.

    ¡°Wait.¡± The Elf seemed to grab the focus at once, ¡°Do you have your deck of cards?¡±

    ¡°That...¡± thought Brendel, and replied seriously, ¡°I think there¡¯s one.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re a real fool!¡±

    Sanorso suddenly asked viciously, ¡°Brendel, you woke me up for such a stupid thing?! In vain, I thought you were a smart guy!¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Brendel responded now, ¡°What do you mean, Lord Wind Empress?¡± Are you saying that I have to have my deck if I want to Activate the Elemental Powers?¡±

    ¡°What else?¡±

    The Elf ended her discussion with Brendel in her charismatic voice clearly and concisely.

 Chapter 654 - v4c38 Dominance Over all Professions(1)

    <h4>v4c38 Dominance Over all Professions(1)</h4>

    ¡°The Elements are Laws. How can you touch The Elemental Barrier when you cannot control your own power yet? Simply put, you have to be at least a full-fledged neswalker to continue on this path. I have been wondering how you could reach the level of Elemental Activation, Brendel, when you have been using nothing more than other people¡¯s decks and are an apprentice at best.¡± Sanorso looked at him with doubt.

    A possibility shed through Brendel¡¯s mind: it might be because he had two souls. As one half, Sophie inherited the neswalker¡¯s heritage and as another half, Brendel inherited the Darkness Dragon¡¯s bloodline. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was a possibility, and he raised his thick eyebrows.

    ¡°So, what should I do?¡± he asked, ¡°Lord Sanorso.¡±

    ¡°How should I know? I¡¯m not a neswalker.¡± The Elfdy shrugged and red at Brendel. ¡°But you, as a neswalker¡¯s apprentice, howe you act like a half-wit in every way? Is this how all neswalkers teach their apprentices? No wonder there are fewer and fewer heirs to this legacy.¡±

    Brendel did not know how to respond. When he first activated the Elemental Pool, Tuman only told him the history of this legacy with how the Matatanias used this ability. Now that he thought about it, Tuman was just teaching him an introductory technique as time was running out so that he could deal with Count Teste¡¯s pursuit.

    After all, one had to live to learn future knowledge.

    Later, in Kelsie¡¯s tomb, the Deer Demon taught him advancedbat techniques, and although she also talked about the importance of pursuing one¡¯s power, she did not go into that much detail. All that said, it seemed as if there was nothing wrong with what the Wind Empress had mentioned, and how he looked like a half-wit on the path of the neswalker.

    Still, Brendel gave it some thought and said, ¡°Well, actually, I¡¯m notpletely clueless...¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    ¡°Tuman once told me that perfecting the rules of the world begins with constructing your base deck,¡± he said. ¡°He said, ¡®In fact, from the moment you touched the first Card of Fates, you have revealed your deck of Cards of Fates.¡¯ My deck was ¡®Dominance Over all Professions¡¯...¡± Brendel was a little embarrassed to say this term, but fortunately, the Wind Empress had not noticed this at all. She just looked at Brendel with a deep gaze. ¡°So your heritage came from that guy-¡±

    Brendel nodded, ¡°It seems I misinterpreted his meaning. I started the path of knighthood in the beginning, but did not continue on that path after that. Instead, I blindly enriched the ¡®world¡¯.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re able to recognize that now?¡± The Wind Empress raised her eyebrows slightly. ¡°It seems that after bringing forth that woman to speak to you, you should have noticed something, right?¡±

    Brendel sweated profusely.

    He certainly knew that the shameless woman Sanorso was talking about was ine, the Deer Demon. He coughed. ¡°Pretty much, so I probably understand how I should be a full-fledged neswalker.¡±

    ¡°How do you n to do that?¡± Sanorso asked.

    Brendel was silent for a moment.

    Although this was a decision that had already been made during the first battle of Ampere Seale, he was still a bit reluctant when it came down to it. After all, it was a painful thing to give up the power that was already at hand.

    But one path could lead to the pinnacle of supremacy, and one path had already reached the summit. Brendel understood how he should choose. ¡°I guess now I¡¯ll go back to the original path. Be an apprentice again, and then form my Law.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± the Wind Empress gave a slightly appreciative look. ¡°It seems you¡¯re still the same Brendel I know who isn¡¯t blinded by power.¡±

    She paused for a moment and asked, ¡°What about it? You n to do it now?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Freya¡¯s still up there waiting for me,¡± Brendel replied, and then he waved his hand.

    At that moment, it seemed as if a world as deep and profound as the cosmos formed behind him. This scene was the same as when Brendel saw Tuman that day, except that his world was far less solid and vast than that Elemental Emperor¡¯s, as if it could wrap the entire world in it.

    Countless colorful lights flew out of this world.

    The silver deck of cards, Unicorn Knight ¨C Medissa.

    The Hignd Mage, Ciel.

    The Pristine Archangels.

    The Sun¡¯s de.

    The Golden Battle g.

    The cards that belonged to him floated before him side by side in order like the stars in the gxy. And farther away, in Coldwood Castle, on Gers Beach. Amid the forests of Port Gris and the Mirtai region.

    The apprentices in the Archmages¡¯ towers suddenly noticed Ciel, who was at the podium, had disappeared without a trace in a blink. The Tree Elves who were talking to theirmander lost sight of the Silver Elf Princess in the next instant. Morpheus found Andrea, who was before him, was dissolving into nothingness. As soon as he rose to his feet, he disappeared along with the Vampire¡¯s daughter in front of everyone.

    And all over the city of Coldwood, one by one, the Mercenaries of Lopes became transparent. They looked at each other before seemingly melting in the sunlight.

    The Echelonius Spellweaver, the Glorious Trumpeter, the Firew Lizardmen...

    The Covenants who had responded to Brendel¡¯s call were converging to where Brendel was at the same moment. One by one, Brendel examined them. While Ciel and Medissa were on the cards, they were so lifelike that it was as if they were right in front of him.

    Behind Brendel, a small world made up of the Sacred Tree Secret ce, Roshar¡¯s Bazaar, Rougen¡¯s Swamp, Ember¡¯s Volcano, Nest of Storms, and other locations emerged from a void.

    This tiny little world seemed to represent all of Brendel¡¯s power.

    Sanorso the Wind Empress watched this scene in silence, and she could not help but marvel internally. This was the power of the neswalker, but a mere apprentice had already mastered the world¡¯s most central rule ¨C owning their world.

    Furthermore, they would truly be the rulers of the world.

    Sometimes she did not understand why there would be neswalkers in this world. They seemed to be outside of Marsha¡¯s rules, but they had not been attacked by Marsha¡¯s Law of Tiamat. Their origin was a mystery that had stumped people for thousands of years. What was the meaning of their existence?

    She narrowed her eyes as she watched everything unfold.

    However, Brendel had already made his final preparations. With a wave of his hand, that small world crumbled apart. He frowned slightly as if he could see his Elemental Pool copse into nothingness, the power of countless Elements mixing and converging into a single point. It was as though it was the center of the universe.

    But in the darkest depths, energy, time, and space converged into a single point, giving birth to infinite power.

    All the cards were scattered to the wind.

    ¡°Lord, hurry up and stabilize your power. You¡¯re about to lose control over us!¡± Medissa¡¯s voice was heard echoing in the air.

    ¡°Remain calm, my Lord,¡± Ciel said. ¡°I trust you.¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    He stretched his arms out before himself. The deep space behind him seemed to expand infinitely, forming a universe that was being re-birthed. He said calmly, ¡°I stipte that this Law is born from it.¡±

    ¡°The glorious knight with his trumpet g trudges through the wilderness of Libusa, the wind and dust do not encroach upon his steadfast face, his will is as strong as a de.¡±

    ¡°This is the Fand Knight, glorifying him and his followers with the power of holiness.¡±

    ¡°He shall, first of all, have the territory,¡±

    Brendel proimed. Roshar¡¯s bazaar fell into his hands as if gold had fallen from the sky. It fell into that dark universe and immediately formednd of prosperity, where nts grew in profusion on the golden soil, first meadows grew from the soil, then trees bore boughs, and in the blink of an eye, green trees.

    Then migrating travelers arrived, and humans felled trees to build cities in a sh. A town of carriages and horses appeared before Brendel and Sanorso.

    The ins of Gem then preceded the town forming richnds with flowing waters that seem to bring wealth from the distant heavens. The Nest of Storm formed the backdrop, with the distant mountains stretching out.

    The scene was familiar, but for Brendel, it was especially different. With the power gifted to him by Tuman, he must have meditatively finally caught up with the call of the Law.

    It was not the neswalker¡¯s creation of the world.

    Rather, it was Marsha¡¯s approval.

    Brendel¡¯s heart trembled.

    What he was talking about was the Fand Knight. His favorite knight in the Amber Sword, unlike the other knights who were either long on sturdiness or long on offense. The Fand Knight itself had bnced abilities. Offensive and defensive, and also possessing divine abilities, he was not as swift and fierce as a warrior. He was not as fast as a warrior, not as strong as a priest, not as able to forge a shield, but he was a perfect example of a knight.

    The Fand Knight shared glory with his followers.

    He made the Roshar¡¯s Bazaar, the ins of Gem, and the Nest of Storms as the source of strength for his profession as a knight, then continued, ¡°He shall have followers.¡±

    Followers were the core ability of the Fand Knight.

    The Fand Knight gained the summoning ability at the fifteenth level, allowing him to summon a group of followers above the battlefield, and whenever the Fand Knight leveled up, these followers leveled up as well. The Fand Knight is not long on offense, but are very good at teamwork as a standard aura andmand role.

    Brendel looked upwards.

    A card fell from above.

    The Mercenaries of Lopes.

    But this familiar card hadpletely changed in Brendel¡¯s eyes, first, it had be a silver rare quality card, its attributes had changed drastically, and apart from the still familiar pattern, even the name had beenpletely changed:

    White City Pioneer

    Long Song II

    Wind 5

    [Spell ¨C Instant]

    Pay 20 EP (Knights), the Fand Knight made a call to ce a squad of twelve Mercenaries of Lopes into y.

    Sustained, the Mercenaries of Lopes (white derivatives equivalent to the Fand Knight¡¯s level -10) will be maintained until the next day¡¯s reset moment.

    ¡°Since the 172nd year of the first age, the Mercenaries of Lopes have been known for their valor as well as their outstanding loyalty.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± even though the card was chosen by Brendel himself, he could not help but gasp. when he saw it. He stared at the card, the prints of the Raban and Fern were very distinct, but this card was no longer the same Mercenaries of Lopes from before.

    <i>What is going on here? </i>

    Brendel could not believe that a card that originally belonged to The Alliance of City-states would somehow be added to the Long Song. And it had drastically reduced the payment cost, yet it had turned into a summoning spell card.

    He was slightly startled and was puzzled, but at the same time, he suddenly heard Sanorso whispering a ¡®huh¡¯ to herself. At that moment Brendel also felt a fluctuation of energy.

    They both raised their heads at the same time.

    A seven-colored curtain of light suddenly vibrated in front of Brendel, opening a door of light from it. The scene was d¨¦j¨¤ vu, and Brendel was about to call out the name, but a man in a silver robe had already walked out from behind the door.

    ¡°I told you we¡¯d meet again.¡±

    ¡°When you officially be a neswalker.¡±

    ¡°Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Tuman!¡± Before Brendel could even open his mouth, the Wind Empress had already screamed out in one breath.

 Chapter 655 - v4c39 Dominance Over all Profession(2)

    <strong>v4c39</strong>

    <strong>Dominance Over all Profession(2)</strong>

    Before Brendel could stop her, Sanorso the Wind Empress had left the ring in his hand, as if a shadow had materialized around him. As soon as shended, the dashing Elf stared intently at the dark-haired, blood-eyed young man who stepped out from behind the light door and called out the other man¡¯s name in a tone of certainty.

    ¡°Tuman!¡±

    Tuman stopped at once, ¡°Sanorso?¡± The bloodshot eyes of the young man d in a silver robe suddenly lit up, ¡°Elite Elf? Legacy of the Moon? You¡¯ve chosen this little one as well, so it seems I have good taste.¡±

    Sanorso¡¯s slender brow furrowed slightly as he stared suspiciously at the image before him, ¡°Tuman, you¡¯re not dead?¡±

    Tuman smiled slightly and spread his hands, ¡°My student, a thousand years have passed and we meet again in a thousand years, is this still the first thing you care about?¡±

    Brendel stood by and watched the scene ¨C historically Tuman, as a follower of the Darkness Dragon, had a predictable rtionship with the four Holy Saints. But ording to the historical record, Sanorso was indeed considered as his student.

    Before the War of the Holy Saints, Tuman had taught the secrets of magic to all intelligent creatures and left behind such valuable knowledge like the Holy Mark. Thinking about it, among the Four Wise Men, Gretel, Sanorso, and Farnezain had all been his students.

    But Sanorso did not necessarily recognize this teacher, she looked at the other coldly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem boring to me at all, Tuman, all that we went through to achieve all this a thousand years ago, we don¡¯t want to start all over again.¡±

    Tumanughed unconcernedly, ¡°My student, it has been a thousand years since Gretel built the Kirrlutz empire on the great ins, how is his Holy Cathedral of Fire today? How are the Kirrlutzians of today different from the Miirnas of that day as far as the Aouines are concerned?¡±

    ¡°You founded the Holy Cathedral of Winds, but your subordinates turned against you. Where are the once glorious Mist Elves today?¡±

    ¡°Of all of you, the one I admire most is Farnezain. But how many of his doctrines still hold today, the glory of the White City is long gone, and your descendants are now fighting each other for superficial gain. It is no more than that on the earth today.¡±

    The Elfdy¡¯s face sank slightly, ¡°Everyone has a dark side in their hearts, Gretel and I did not build these kingdoms tost a thousand years, and what you could foresee, we have already foreseen.¡±

    ¡°Only as you have discovered, there must be a centralized state on thisnd to solve certain troubles. Your original decision to divide it into four did not seem like a sensible choice now.¡±

    Faced with the Wind Empress¡¯ refutation, Tuman¡¯s face did not look angry. Instead, he just replied softly.

    ¡°You won¡¯t get anywhere by not trying, Tuman.¡±

    Tuman raised an eyebrow and asked rhetorically, ¡°So what answer did you get? Your soul still haunts and lingers bitterly over a ring to this day, and why? History has long since moved on, so why do you remain stationary in the same ce?¡±

    Sanorso held her breath and fell slightly silent.

    ¡°Is he the one you chose. Sanorso?¡± But Tuman did not seem to want to press on. Instead, he turned to look at Brendel and asked.

    ¡°Is he not also your chosen one?¡± The Wind Empress did not reply in a friendly tone. He had only ever seen the wise Lord in a dashing and strong manner, but he had never seen her in such a childish manner.

    ¡°Nheless,¡± but Sanorso quickly recovered, snorting coldly, ¡°that old boss of yours, Odin, the Darkness Dragon ¨C and Kelsie, have taken a fancy to him. This little fellow is not a simple one, and Gretel¡¯s me Scepter seems to have decided to choose him as his master.¡±

    ¡°Before the Glorious Era. It¡¯s not surprising that heroes should be born. One can only see the future if one has lived through an era.¡± Tuman replied.

    ¡°You think highly of him,¡± the Elfdy said, ¡°I don¡¯t have as manyplicated ideas as you do, I¡¯m just looking for a sessor.¡±

    Tuman looked at her and smiled without saying anything. But he wasn¡¯t going to expose her, instead, he looked behind Brendel at the newly born, thinly veiled World of Laws.

    Beside Brendel, were the Cards of Fates that belonged to him floating in the air, circling. Since the ¡®knight¡¯ profession had been established, the world behind him had tended to stabilize again, and those Cards of Fates that were flying around no longer showed signs of being out of control.

    ¡°Brendel, you got to this point a little faster than I expected, I would have thought it would be at least some time before you understood the true meaning of power.¡± Tuman could not help but exim after watching for a while.

    Hearing Tuman say that Brendel could not help but blush even though he was not someone who would get embarrassed easily. If it was not for the Deer Demon who informed him of the true meaning of the neswalker¡¯s power, he would still be indulging in powers that were not his own.

    Sanorso who knew all about it snorted lightly.

    ¡°You faciously praise me, Lord Tuman, I have only recentlye to understand these truths.¡± Brendel sighed, the fact that he had truly understood the unreliability of forces that were not his own was still amid the first battle of Ampere Seale. The experience of being pulled into the very Ultimate Realm and was nearly overturned during the battle with Williams was still fresh in his mind.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve encountered quite a bit.¡± Tuman smiled gently, ¡°But these aren¡¯t bad things, and experience is valuable to anyone regardless of the oue, not to mention that it doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯ve suffered much from these incidents.¡±

    This was a real fluke, Brendel thought with fondness.

    But those were not his primary concerns right now, his primary concern was about the neswalker¡¯s transfer. After all, it was concerned whether or not he would be able to Activate his Elemental Powers, so he briefly intoned and asked, ¡°Lord Tuman, are you here for me to reorganize my cards?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Tuman nodded, ¡°You should understand by now that the blueprint for the deck I set up for you that day was based on nothing more than an understanding of your world. But it is, after all, not your code, and to be a true neswalker, you must turn what I have gifted you into a knowledge that is truly your own.¡±

    ¡°As in these cards?¡± Brendel said, looking at the ¡®White City Pioneer¡¯ in the card bank.

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Tuman praised.

    ¡°So what should I do next?¡± He asked again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you already have an idea in your mind, just follow your ideas and do it. I am only here to inform you of some of thews a true neswalker must follow when you be a full-fledged neswalker.¡± Tuman replied, ¡°As an apprentice, thews are far more lenient on him because he uses the power of others, but he can never reach the ultimate level. And once you be a full-fledged neswalker, you will soon understand the true meaning of this legacy-¡±

    ¡°The neswalker¡¯s true meaning?¡±

    Brendel looked up. As Tuman had said, he had envisioned his deck of cards a thousand times since the first battle of Ampere Seale, and to this day, he did have a rough framework in ce.

    Although it did not have to be extremely detailed, creating a deck was no longer a problem.

    So Brendel nodded his head and read aloud, ¡°What belongs to the knight, belongs to the knight.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, silver light shed in mid-air and cards fell.

    As soon as the Sun de fell, it immediately turned into a silver ¡®Holy Song¡¯. In Amber Sword, the Holy Song was a basic skill of the Fand Knight, a special gaining skill ¨C it allowed the Fand Knight to sing the Holy Song to destroy Undead creatures and magical creatures on the battlefield while generating a shield against ck Magic damage on friendly troops.

    This brand new card looked like this to Brendel:

    Holy Song

    Long Song III

    Light EP 2

    [Spell]

    Pay X EP (Knights, below level), when the Fand Knight sings a chant, it causes X points of damage to non-white creatures (Magical creatures, Undead).

    Also, ce X on each ally creature, removing one counter for each point of damage dealt from the ck Curse.

    ¡®O glorious Holy Cathedral, look at the white mes descending from heaven, like wings over an army-¡®

    Then a Sprint Drive that turned into a ¡®Group Sprint¡¯ for the Fand Knights:

    Group Sprint

    Long Song IV

    Earth EP 2

    [Spell]

    Pay 1 Glory, the Fand Knight can make his followers gain the ¡®Group¡¯ ability.

    Sustained, the Group Sprint willst until the next day¡¯s reset moment.

    ¡®I saw with my own eyes the Sabris screeching into a charge, tens of thousands of troops crumbling before them ¨C Baron Vassaran Cardin ¡®

    (Group ability, when a creature with this ability also gets 1% more damage within a certain range, the damage increases by one for each additional creature with this ability)

    Next was the Golden Battle g, the Silver Colt, and the Holy Sword. They became ¡®Encouragement¡¯, ¡®Cavalry Readiness¡¯, and ¡®Heaven¡¯s Armament¡¯ respectively.

    Encouragement

    Long Song IV

    Light EP 5

    [Spell]

    Pay half EP (Knight), the Fand Knight inspires all ally troops to get a boost (existing level +5).

    Sustained, the Encouragement will remain until the next day¡¯s reset moment.

    ¡®My glory is both your glory-¡®

    Cavalry Readiness

    Long Song VI

    Earth EP 1

    [Spell]

    Pay X wealth, the Fand Knight orders X followers to be cavalry, and if they are already cavalry, they gain the ability to fly.

    Sustained, Cavalry Readiness will remain until the next day¡¯s reset moment.

    ¡®gs like the sea, spears victorious in the forest, cavalry ready to go-¡®

    Heaven¡¯s Armament

    Long Song VII

    Light EP VII

    [Spell]

    Pay X EP, the Fand Knight summons a number of X Holy Swords to attack the enemy from the sky, dealing 5 points of damage.

    ¡®As the Light of Judgment plows through the battlefield, the undead army is destroyed in ashes-¡®

 Chapter 656 - Dominance Over all Profession(3)

    <h4>Dominance Over all Profession(3)</h4>

    White City Pioneer, Holy Song, Group Sprint, Encouragement, Cavalry Readiness, and Heaven¡¯s Armament. The six cards fell into Brendel¡¯s hand in a stack. As Brendel clenched his hand, all the cards transformed into countless white mystical characters and Lines of Laws which merged into his chest.

    When Tuman saw this scene, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t six cards be a bit too few as a separate deck?¡±

    Brendel smiled, then shook his head.

    ¡°Kinda funny, I can probably see where you¡¯reing from.¡± The Elemental Emperor from the War of the Holy Saints reacted with a slight sigh, ¡°You¡¯re trying to draw the abilities of every profession in the world into your deck,bine them into one, and use the Cards of Fates to simte very different power systems. Great idea! But there are so many different kinds of professions above Vaunte, can you perform them all with cards?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± These questions Brendel had already considered, and he replied confidently, ¡°The World of Vaunte has gone through thousands or even tens of thousands of years of history. In that time, thousands of professions have evolved, and even different inheritances from different organizations can evolve into two very different professions. For example, the Star Knight and the Iron Scale of the Wind Elves were both inherited from the Star Legacy, but possess very different skills.¡±

    ¡°However-¡± he changed his tone, ¡°Everything changes, and when ites to the root cause, the power systems in Vaunte can only be divided into twelve. Among them, the warrior professions that seek the limits ofbat skills and explore one¡¯s potential are divided into two, the power-based warriors ¨C mercenaries, swordsmen, and even noble knights can all be ssified into one. The archers and assassins who pursue lightness and agility are on the other side of the scale. Then there are also the mages who explore the mysteries of the Laws, which include all of the Conjurers, String Mages, and Spellcasters. There is also the ruler of the elements, the Elemental Messenger ¨C a profession you will be familiar with, Emperor.¡±

    ¡°Next are the sorcerers who manipte chaos and ck Magic. Witches, Necromancers, and Adherents of Chaos are the best of the lot. And then there are the forces that control the bnce of nature. Though the Archdruids and the Tree Shepherds are enemies, they both lie off the grid. Next is the favorite of the Goddesses Alice and ine. Those who interpret fate, Astrologers, are represented here.¡±

    Tuman¡¯s eyes could not help but light up slightly as he listened to Brendel interpret the professions. It was the first time in a thousand years that he had heard someone divide the continent¡¯s power systems in this way. And the more he listened, the more he felt Brendel was very reasonable. Not only Tuman, but even Sanorso on the side paid close attention to what Brendel was saying.

    Legend had it that a generation ago, Fort Ebabel stood tall. When the Great Library still contained intact materials from the civilization of the Era of the Gods, people divided the powers of the world into several systems. But after the catastrophe, all knowledge was lost in scattered fragments, and naturally, these valuable documents were nowhere to be found.

    Tuman listened carefully to Brendel¡¯s exnation, and as he listened, the more he felt that this might have been the truth from those times. He could not help but narrow his eyes, wondering why this young man in front of him could see the nature of power so clearly.

    Of course, this Elemental Emperor did not know that what Brendel was talking about was the introduction to the Amber Sword¡¯s power systems on the official website back then. If there was anyone who was unsure about this introduction, it would probably be someone who had never yed the game.

    Brendel continued, ¡°However, in addition to the power of nature, Law, and the chaos of magic, the Law of Tiamat also has control over divine power in the world. The mundane Thelma lineage holds the power of creation. The priests of the Holy Cathedral of Fire and the rituals of the Holy Cathedral of Wind revere this lineage, and thus hold power to heal. The proud Aynka lineage holds the Sword of Destruction, Lightning, and Holy me, and the knights of the Holy Cathedral who wield these powers believe in the ways of arbitration and judgment.¡±

    ¡°After thates to the Power of the Mind, which is borne through spirit, speech, and voice. Bards and mind sorcerers, though rare, do not exist only in legend. In addition, among the magical powers, some extended their studies of magic to magical technology, bringing forth Alchemists and Mechanics.¡±

    ¡°Andstly, there is a rather special power system,¡± Brendel said suddenly.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Before Tuman even spoke, the Wind Empress could not help but start in curiosity. But she seemed to then feel a bit embarrassed so she snorted coldly.

    Brendel had gotten along with this Elf for a long time, so how could he not understand what the other party was thinking? Hastily, he exined, ¡°People say this one power system is special, but it¡¯s not that it¡¯s weaker. It should be said that it had once existed but has now gone extinct, or only existed in fantasy.¡±

    ¡°What profession?¡± Sanorso finally managed to open her mouth, ¡°Damn it, Brendel, don¡¯t you leave us hanging.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re in a hurry, Wind Empress-¡± Brendel was about to say that, but she red back at him. He had no choice but to reply, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know, I just heard about it.¡±

    ¡°Heard?¡± The Wind Empress stared at him suspiciously.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Brendel nodded, but he kept to himself that he had actually seen such a profession once. it wasn¡¯t that he had never witnessed such a profession; however, he was unable to exin the profession¡¯s existence. The te Interpreter, a gift from the Age of the Gods. A profession that a yer could never touch; how could he exin it in this era?

    The Elf seemed to trust Brendel quite a bit, she looked at him silently and finally nodded her head. ¡°In other words, the power system of the entire Vaunte is divided into these twelve? It¡¯s actually only eleven categories, right? And while swordsmen and archers in an army may lookpletely different, there¡¯s actually no difference in the nature of their power.¡±

    Sanorso was quite urate, and Tuman immediately nodded in agreement. Brendel nodded as well. ¡°You could say that all in all, though there are thousands of professions in the Vaunte world, they are nothing more than these twelve power systems intertwined to form each unique ss.¡±

    ¡°For example, the rangers of the Loop of Skies and the Loop of Raptors are nothing more than warriors who practice both archery and the Way of Nature. But time is fair to everyone, and most people who bnce multiple systems of power tend to go less far than those who pursue one path. Though, there are a few of the best among these sses that are exceptions.¡± Brendel further exined, ¡°And all I have to do to perfect my deck is to pick the professions that I need and are representative of those professions. For example, a Fand Knight, or a Silver Mage of Buga.¡±

    Tuman frowned in thought after hearing that, before sighing, ¡°That¡¯s a good core concept; although there may be some omissions in the details, that¡¯s the general idea. Whether it be the Silver or Golden Folk, or the ck Dwarfs, all are in fact nothing more than operating under these systems of power.¡±

    ¡°But even so... Have you ever considered that there¡¯s another problem?¡± he looked at Brendel sternly. ¡°although your deck is capable of epassing all the power systems,bining them into one, have you considered that due to the restrictions on switching decks imposed by the existing Law, you can in fact only use one or two of them at will at any one time!¡±

    ¡°And since the neswalkers themselves are at a higher level of power than these power systems, wouldn¡¯t it be a bit too wasteful of you to squander cards on simting these lower-end power systems? Secondly, since most of your cards are spells, it would be easily countered. That¡¯s one of the big weaknesses neswalkers tend to look for and exploit.¡±

    Tuman, worthy of his reputation as a long-established and experienced neswalker, saw the weakness of Brendel¡¯s deck ¨C at least as far as he was concerned.

    Because for any neswalker, the lifelong pursuit was a perfect deck cycle. The more a deck was restrained, the less likely it would be to survive in their eyes.

    The system of the solstice, in and of itself, was the first lesson to be learned by a traveling mage apprentice.

    But Brendel shook his head lightly after hearing Tuman¡¯s words, ¡°No, Lord Tuman. I don¡¯t think so. Traveling mages seek perfection, the ultimate pinnacle of excellence. But in the past thousand years, have any of them seeded?¡±

    ¡°This...¡± Tuman choked, and he could not help but look up at the gloomy sky of the Grahal Mountains. Many histories had yed out beneath them for thousands of years, over and over again, as empires and kingdoms rose and fell. But despite the many long cycles of history, no one had ever broken through to that perfect end result.

    <i>Had a neswalker ever seeded?</i>

    <i>Of course not. Otherwise, why would they spend their lives searching for perfection?</i>

    Brendelughed, ¡°I¡¯ve been in a fight before.¡± He remembered his battle with Williams, that final thrilling moment forever etched in his mind. He replied, ¡°The experience of that fight made me understand. No matter how perfect the cycle is, it¡¯s impossible to be prepared for every situation.¡±

    ¡°Therefore I believe that perfection is only a rtive state,¡± he rambled, ¡°How to reach a more perfect state rtive to the enemy in the middle of a battle is something we¡¯ve all thought about wrong because the answer is simple ¨C to be stronger than him.¡±

    ¡°To aplish this, power can be borrowed from everywhere. Just focus on your strengths for a moment and all trickery will vanish.¡±

    Tuman looked at Brendel.

    This Elemental Emperor from the era of the War of the Holy Saints took a deep breath, ¡°I know a few old friends who think like you. They pursued the ultimate violence, and as long as they destroyed their enemies, all was meaningless. But they all failed. Do you know why?¡±

    ¡°Because there¡¯s always someone stronger than them, and the notion of being the strongest is nothing more than an idea,¡± Brendel said without even thinking about it.

    ¡°You know?¡± Tuman was slightly startled and looked at the young man curiously.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Brendel smiled, ¡°but I¡¯m not like them. Because I also know the saying that one person can never be stronger than a team.¡±

    He uttered the words almost word for word: One man is never stronger than a team!

    These words repeatedly brought up his memory after a certain period of time. That person with a distinct and endearing face, hands crossed at the waist and long ck hair falling over the shoulders said to them.

    ¡°Always remember, one person is never stronger than a team! It¡¯s a division ofbor game and I don¡¯t wee individual heroism! Especially you, Sophie!¡±

    Brendel couldn¡¯t help but smile a little at the thought.

    But Tuman had frowned deeply in front of him. He suddenly thought of something and looked up a little shocked, ¡°Wait, that guy Kelsie... are you trying to do that?¡±

    As soon as Brendel took a look at this Elemental Emperor¡¯s appearance, he understood that the other party had understoodpletely. He nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, Emperor, in fact, I had already made up my mind before this trip. The most valuable inheritance I received when I epted Lord Trishman¡¯s legacy at the time was not his cards, but his knowledge.¡±

    Tuman let out a sigh out of relief, the neswalkers each had their own characteristics, but when it came to Kelsie¡¯s specialities, it was not his Paradise of Adversity.

    Rather, it was the theory he had created at the end of his life.

    The neswalkers.

 Chapter 657 - v4c41 Dominance Over All Profession(4)

    <h4>Dominance Over All Profession(4)</h4>

    In reality, the Deer Demon ine and the Pendulum Golem drew Brendel¡¯s curiosity as soon as they appeared. After the battle in the catbs, he finally realized that creatures summoned by cards could also use cards.

    Though ine had said that she and the Pendulum Golem had only used Kelsie¡¯s cards under a simtion, at the very least this proved that while the great neswalker had been alive, he had entertained simr thoughts.

    It was indeed so.

    Kelsie only left behind some scattered records. He had entertained this thought during thest years of his life ¨C to build a new Law upon the creature cards; if a neswalker could summon certain creatures, then why couldn¡¯t neswalkers summon other neswalkers?

    This was, without a doubt, a preposterous thought that nearly approached genius. It wouldn¡¯t be too much of a stretch to praise the hypothesis as imaginative. What was even crazier was that Kelsie seeded. Or rather, he achieved some kind of sess.

    First, he reconfigured the Deer Demon ine and the Pendulum Golem, two of his strongest cards and the ones to which he was most emotionally attached to. You could say that ine and the Pendulum Golem were the product of his first experiments. Though the experiment hadn¡¯t been perfectly sessful, it did let Kelsie find his direction.

    Unfortunately, this great genius, or madman, could not perfect his hypothesis. Before he could create a perfect summoned creature, the danger from underneath Trentheim exploded. In the end, he and the Queen of Witches chose to sacrifice their lives to seal the entire catbs.

    He also sealed his entire life¡¯s work in the catbs.

    This record was finally given to Brendel by the Deer Demon. In truth, what Brendel got wasn¡¯t the full hypothesis either, since Kelsie never got the chance to perform further experiments and refine it. All he left to Brendel was just a record with gaps.

    But that was enough.

    Just as Brendel thought, the hypothesis didn¡¯t need to be perfect. He simply needed to use it to its fullest capabilities. Combining that with the experiences of his past life, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to create a set of the strongest cards that belonged to him alone.

    ¡°You want to summon a neswalker?¡± Tuman looked at him and asked nervously.

    Brendel nodded.

    Tuman immediately looked serious and asked, ¡°But do you know that Kelsie¡¯s method wasn¡¯t perfect? neswalker themselves have special privileges. His powers are greater than anything you¡¯ve mentioned. The way he summons neswalkers is more like apromise.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Brendel answered. ¡°What Master Kelsie really did was spread his neswalker privileges among his summoned creatures so that they could have the same powers of the Law as he did.¡±

    ¡°This meant he had to face two problems. First, dividing privileges naturally meant decreasing the upper limits to how many cards a neswalker could have. Second, because the summoned beings would have the same privileges as the neswalker himself, they could, at any given moment, turn on the neswalker.¡±

    Brendel was actually someone who loved winning despite the deck being stacked against him. He waspletely different from those who calcted and nned before acting. That was why the senior female student paid him the most attention when he previously yed the Amber Sword. It was obvious what happened when an individual had both a sense of individual heroism and a desire for adventure.

    But after all the adventures and his gaming experience, he was no longer the same impulsive young man as before. He now understood that even on an adventure, you needed to calcte the risk. Most importantly, you needed to know your enemies.

    Therefore, even without Tuman pointing it out, he had already investigated all the possible consequences. ¡°Besides,¡± he continued, ¡°a neswalker¡¯s privilege cannot be divided infinitely. Someone with Kelsie¡¯s powers could, at most, produce four extra subdivisions. Considering my powers, I can do two at best.¡±

    ¡°So you know.¡± Tuman fell silent. The size of the card pool that Brendel talked about was a problem that a neswalker needed to face. In contrast to journeymen, who could use other people¡¯s card pools without worrying, every card a true neswalker had was a representation of his own Laws. It was tied to his world, so he had to put aside a certain amount of energy to maintain each and every card.

    This rtionship was usually proportional to the pool of Elemental Powers, typically in a ratio of one to ten, though there were some whose pool was smaller or bigger.

    Tuman thought about it and said, ¡°Kelsie almost stood at the apex of the neswalkers. His powers could be said to be equivalent to mine. Further up would be Master Odin¡¯s level, and that has only been aplished by two or three people throughout history. That is to say, if you are thinking of walking this path, you can at most have four or five neswalker creatures. Plus, you have to carefully consider that these neswalker creatures themselves would have huge weaknesses ¡ª ¡°

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought it through, Master Tuman. But thank you for those reminders.¡± Brendel smiled. ¡°Still, I think this is my best choice.¡±

    ¡°Oh... you.¡± The Elemental Emperor had to shake his head. Then he nced involuntarily at Sanorso, who stood off to the side and watched all of this detachedly. He said, ¡°This is also your precious student and you won¡¯t even try to convince him?¡±

    The Wind Empress held out her hands. ¡°This is between you neswalkers. Besides, I believe in the little guy. So far, he hasn¡¯t made a single misstep. Can you believe that? That, in itself, is a miracle.¡±

    Tuman blinked in astonishment and then fell silent for a while.

    Then he looked up and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve thought it through? Then what¡¯s your n?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Brendel was confident. From the moment he left the catbs, he had been thinking about what to do at this moment. After experiencing the Battle for Ampere Seale, he was even more certain of what he wanted to do.

    Furthermore, he had a secret he couldn¡¯t tell. He only hoped to validate his hypothesis. If it were true, then he could walk a path that nobody dared even consider as a neswalker.

    ¡°First, I need to confirm the core cards in the knight card set; beginning with the construction of my Elemental Pool and card pool ¨C¡±

    Tuman nodded as he listened. ¡°Very good. Unknown Laws are dangerous for anyone, and being cautious is a good idea. Then go ahead, I¡¯ll be right here watching.

    Brendel also nodded and then pulled out a card from the air.

    The pattern on the card was so familiar. Under the starlit sky, a female knight holding ance walked in the forest alongside her unicorn. It was such a peaceful image, as if it told a story that¡¯s never changed throughout the thousands of years of history. Medissa in the painting was just as she had been during their first encounter in the Long Song Forest.

    ¡°Medissa, are you sure?¡± Brendel asked. ¡°This may not be a good thing for you. It might even take away your eternal life.¡±

    The girl¡¯s voice sounded like she was smiling. It came from somewhere in the air, ¡°Leader, Medissa has said this before ¨C it is my honor to follow you, Leader. Besides, have you forgotten that Medissa¡¯s very existence is built upon your cards?¡±

    Brendel understood.

    He was slightly touched. Normally, when a neswalker divided his privileges, they would have to consider, to a certain extent, the possibility of retaliation by the summoned creatures. But he could be sure that Medissa would never do anything that was not in his favor.

    He reached out a hand and pointed at the card. Then he followed the method outlined in Kelsie¡¯s records and extended his Law onto the card. Tuman and Sanorso, present at the scene, saw in that instant a bright silver line of Law extending outwards from Brendel¡¯s body and then surrounding the card with the unicorn knight.

    The silver line of Law seemed to be more stable than Brendel¡¯s Law of space. It slightly vibrated amongst the stone formations and within a second, it seemed as if all the Laws in the same space vibrated along with it, as if paying tribute to the highest Law.

    And a few secondster, a dark gold card slid out from the envelope made of the lines of Law andnded in Brendel¡¯s palm ¡ª

    Fand Knight

    Long Song I

    Light: 30

    [Creature ¨C Fand Knight/ Silver Elf (Level 1) ]

    When the Fand Knight is yed, it has 60 Elemental Points. Enchantments: neswalker.

    Regain 10 Elemental Points.

    The Fand Knight will be a permanent object on the field.

    ¡®Her loyalty is like the truest de, it would rather shatter than bend ¨C¡¯

    (neswalker Enchantment: any summoned creature with a neswalker enchantment may, like any true neswalker, use its summoner¡¯s Elemental Pool to summon cards of fate

    . It can gain experience and use equipment as usual. But once a summoned creature with neswalker enchantment has burned through all its Elemental Points or life points, it will bepletely destroyed.)

    Time seemed to stand still for several seconds.

    Tuman, Brendel, and Sanorso just kept watching the dark gold card. A long momentter, the Elemental Emperor from the age of the War of the Saints couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°Though I didn¡¯t support you doing so, I have to admit that Kelsie was truly a genius. In the exploration of the world of the power of Law, I am nowhere as powerful as him.¡±

    ¡°... This card has already changed the course of neswalker history.¡±

    Tuman looked at the card as if looking at a piece of art, a trace of fascination in his eyes. But after several moments, Tuman had to shake his head and say, ¡°But... this Law maynot be the best for you. Brendel, do you understand? You might have to put in a hundred or a thousand times more effort than anyone else. You and I have both forgotten this...¡±

    He continued, ¡°Though they are neswalker creatures, the cards and Elemental Pool they use would still be yours. Suppose you have four neswalker creatures, the proportion of cards in your deck that they upy would probably destroy your entire card deck¡¯s fighting abilities ¨C¡±

    Then the Elemental Emperor raised his head and looked as if he wanted to offer Brendel words offort. But he discovered that the young man he had always admired seemed to be standing there in a daze.

    ¡°Brendel?¡±

    Not just Tuman, but Sanorso standing to the side had also discovered the strangeness. They saw Brendel¡¯s eyes light up, as if illuminated by a me within, as a strange smile spread across his face.

    Soon, thetter raised his head stiffly, as if he was a puppet on a string. He nced at Sanorso and then at Tuman. Then he said dryly, ¡°You¡¯d better look at this.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°My Elemental Pool...¡± Brendel faced Tuman and the Wind Empress before suddenly closing his eyes and putting his left and right hand together. The magic and Elemental Powers immediately began to gather in the triangr zone of his magic.

    Just a secondter, the Elemental Emperor stared wide-eyed.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±

    Vaunte¡¯s history was long andplex. Throughout the long course of its history, those that could be called an Elemental Emperor were few, and Tuman was among the best of them. Nobody in the past or the future could match his talent for using the Elemental Powers. After he died, the legend that spread amongst themoners was that when he created his Elemental Pool, the astrologers dered that a future Elemental Emperor had been born.

    Because Tuman had been, in the thousands of years of Vaunte history, the only one to have 100 slots for every element as soon as he gained an Elemental Pool.

    But even Tuman himself had never seen and never heard of, or perhaps he had never even considered the possibility of the existence of ¡ª

    Two Elemental Pools!

    Brendel had two Elemental Pools!

    In that instant, Tuman and Sanorso thought their eyes had been mistaken. They both did something that was extremely unfitting for their station in life; they rubbed their eyes subconsciously.

    But they immediately saw what the other did and realized the problem.

    This was actually real!

    There was actually someone who had two Elemental Pools ¨C

    Tuman looked at Brendel and, in that instant, could no longer keep his usual calm andposure. He couldn¡¯t help but grab Brendel¡¯s shoulders ¡ª of course, his subconscious move only made his hand pass through Brendel¡¯s body like it was an illusion.

    This Elemental Emperor from the War of the Holy Saints grasped empty air before he realized he was just an impression of himself. But that didn¡¯t ease his shock. He couldn¡¯t help but ask in shocked amazement, ¡°Brendel, what exactly is going on?¡±

    Brendel gave the two people standing in front of him a strange look.

    Of course, he knew what was going on. Atst, after such a long period of waiting, after crossing that invisible barrier and officially bing a neswalker, Sophie, as the other half of Brendel¡¯s soul, finally had his own Elemental Pool.

    And things didn¡¯t stop there.

    He realized that both of his souls had the same privileges when it came to the powers of a neswalker. What did that mean? Brendelughed wildly in his heart. It was as he had expected, he hadn¡¯t guessed wrong.

    He could partition out twice as many privileges as an average person!

 Chapter 658 - v4c42 Dominance Over All Profession(5)

    <h4> v4c42</h4>

    <h4>Dominance Over All Profession(5)</h4>

    <h4></h4>

    What did double the privileges mean?

    It meant that at his peak, he could even summon eight or more neswalker creatures to fight for him. Each of these neswalker creatures could, like him, level up and be equipped with strong magical items. They could even use Cards of Fates; so you could imagine that the two elemental pools would support drawing multiple cards each round. What an astounding scene it would be to watch nine maxed-out neswalker mages attack simultaneously!

    In the light of such a huge advantage, what most neswalker mages considered as weaknesses, along with Tuman¡¯s concerns, vanished without a trace.

    When he thought of this, Brendel had to close his eyes as he shook slightly. If he had any doubts before formally choosing this path, in this moment, as he truly confirmed his thoughts ¡ª

    He finally understood that a neswalker path that only belonged to him had already been carved into this world¡¯s history.

    This was the true path to perfection and to the limits. It was unique and unreproducible. For others, it would be as hard as reaching the skies. But for Brendel, this seemed as if it was made for him. He had double elemental pools and double privileges. The only things he needed to worry about for this pool of cards ¨C the massive amount of equipment, the experience, and the size of the elemental pool ¨C as a reborn and highly experienced warrior, these were coincidentally the things Brendel excelled at.

    Because Brendel could believe that in this world, aside from the gods and the Pale Poem that recorded everything, it would probably be challenging to find anyone who knew more about the world¡¯s secrets than he did, whether they were in the past, future, or present.

    But for Brendel, all of this was not a coincidence or luck, because nobody knew him better than he knew himself. Before he stepped onto this path, or rather at the moment Brendel received Kelsie¡¯s handwritten notes, he had understood that this was the path best suited for him.

    And now, every detail supported his hypothesis.

    He closed his eyes momentarily and opened them again. He took in the mountain ranges and the rise and fall of the peaks and valleys made him think, for just a moment, that the entire worldy beneath his feet.

    This was the power unique to neswalkers. Everything became a weapon and the world was their battlefield.

    Brendel let out a long sigh, as if releasing this emotion from his heart. He slowly let go of his hands and the elemental powers dispersed from the center of his palm. In that instant, Tuman and Sanorso watched the scene with some regret. The Elemental Emperor and King of Mages, two individuals from the War the Holy Saints, had the mistaken sensation that a miracle was vanishing in front of their eyes, never to be seen again.

    It was truly a miracle.

    Differently from what Tuman and Sanorso detected, Brendel had a more direct view of this miracle. The two elemental pools, one on the right and one on the left, vibrated in the air like two light screens and clearly disyed theplete statistics in front of his eyes.

    [Fire] (20/20)

    [Wind] (20/20)

    [Earth] (20/20)

    [Water] (20/20)

    [Light] (40/40)

    [Dark] (10/10)

    [Elemental] (One)

    [Fire] (60/60)

    [Wind] (60/60)

    [Earth] (60/60)

    [Water] (60/60)

    [Light] (60/60)

    [Dark] (120/120)

    [Nature] (60/60)

    There was a big and a small elemental pool. The smaller one clearly belonged to Brendel¡¯s soul. After every element had been reset, the nature element pool was still zero; this meant that Brendel himself really had no affinity for the druidic power system. But due to being blessed by Marsha, his affinity for light elementals was ahead of the pack and it was even twice as much as the other elementals.

    The other was more bizarre.

    As a reset elemental pool, every attribute¡¯s maximum statistic was as high as 60 and the dark elemental pool was even as high as an unbelievable 120. Though this was far from what Tuman the Elemental Emperor¡¯s had been back then, this was an inconceivable number whenpared to those who had some talent for the use of elements or the prospective students who were chosen among hundreds and rmended to attend Sanorso Tholim Elemental Academy or the Howling Halls of Eleranta.

    The truth was that Brendel himself had a hard time believing that Sophie¡¯s half of the soul would have such a strong affinity for the elements.

    ¡°Look at your card pool!¡± Tuman suddenly cried out.

    Brendel had actually realized the same thing. He opened up his interface and the two sets of numbers immediately dazzled him.

    6£¨10£©£¬13£¨20£©

    Two elemental pools meant there were two separately counted card pools. Though he had already guessed it, Brendel still choked at the sight. He silently looked at the interface and then raised his head to look at Tuman. Even if he didn¡¯t say a word, the look in his eyes gave it away.

    ¡°Two card pools?¡± Tuman inhaled sharply. He was about to lose all rational thought.

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°Marsha above¨C¡±

    Only a few seconds had passed, or maybe in an eternity since the bizarre scene on the tform made it hard for the three of them to detect the passing of time. The wind howling angrily between the peaks seemed to be an urate representation of this particr moment in time.

    After what felt like a century, Sanorso seemed to finally recover her wits after the shock. ¡°Brendel, you... Odin certainly did know how to pick them... w-what exactly is going on?¡±

    Before Brendel had the chance to answer, Tuman interrupted them. The young man stared intently at Brendel with his blood-red eyes and asked, ¡°Brendel, did you know this was going to happen?¡±

    Brendel briefly paused in surprise.

    He hadn¡¯t thought the Elemental Emperor would be so sharp as to figure this out. He hesitated for a moment; this was, after all, his greatest secret. If he could, he¡¯d rather continue keeping it a secret. But in the next second, he changed his mind and gave a small nod of his head. ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t know how to exin it. Master Tuman ¨C¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t exin,¡± Tuman answered in all seriousness. He nced earnestly at Brendel and sighed, ¡°... maybe one day you will be a legend amongst the neswalkers, Brendel.¡±

    Brendel inhaled slightly.

    The reason he said anything was so he wouldn¡¯t lose the other¡¯s trust. After all, the lineage of neswalkers he joined originated from this Elemental Emperor. Besides, the man¡¯s soul has already turned into one of the many stars hovering above them in the Warndt sky and Brendel needn¡¯t worry about the man finding out the truth.

    Tuman didn¡¯t disappoint.

    The Elemental Emperor stopped for a minute and then continued asking, ¡°So, now that you are sure of your path, what will you do about the cards in your hands?¡±

    Brendel knew this was the biggest challenge he faced. In the two card pool numbers, 4(10) and 12(20), the one before the parenthesis represented the upper limit to his card pool and the one after represented the number of cards he could temporarily possess without adding them to his pool.

    As soon as he officially entered the field of the neswalkers, the rules of the Law clearly dictated that he could no longer walk about with anyone¡¯s cards like he did as an apprentice. After all, cardsing from different Laws were destined to be in conflict with the Laws of the neswalker himself. Once the conflict surpasses a certain threshold, severe retaliation was inevitable.

    The consequences of retaliation ranged from the destruction of the cards to having the neswalker suffer or even to the destruction of the neswalkers themselves. Such a thing has been known to happen before in history. Before Brendel officially became a neswalker, his mind seemed to have automatically inherited memories on these topics.

    But he has already considered these questions and answered unhesitantly, ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about it. But before then I¡¯d like to dere the second privilege.¡±

    ¡°The second privilege?¡± Tuman lifted his head and looked at Brendel¡¯s cards. He asked, ¡°Which one of the twelve systems are you choosing?¡±

    ¡°This time, I¡¯d like to use someone close to me.¡± Brendel smiled and lifted his head as well. His gazended on another card hovering in midair. He asked, ¡°Ciel, are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I am ready anytime to level up, my leader.¡± Ciel¡¯s voice sounded confident in Brendel, just as usual.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid there will be no leveling up. Instead you¡¯ll have to be reset. From now on, you won¡¯t be able to die and revive yourself and then die again. Are you sure?¡± Brendel demanded seriously.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like dying, reviving, and then dying again is a fun thing, my leader.¡± Ciel¡¯s voice couldn¡¯t help but protest. ¡°Besides, once I leave the card, I¡¯ll be more like a normal person. That already is a great boon to your humble servant.¡±

    ¡°Then I understand,¡± Brendel nodded and said, ¡°this will be the opposite ofst time. I¡¯ll make you the center first and then dere the rest of the group of cards ¨C¡±

    As he exined, he reached out his hand.

    ¡°I dere this rule to be born from this.¡±

    ¡°The Holy White Tower shes among the floating clouds. The mage holding a scroll wanders up its twisting holy steps.¡±

    His voice resonated on the tform. The Sacred Tree Secret ce fell into his hands, just like the clouds gathering in the sky. It fell between the clouds, and immediately a white tower sprung up. The tower glinted under sunlight and then pure white skies, hallways, and bridges all turned solid among the colorful light beams. A mage, holding a long scroll in his hands, walked out of the tower. In a sh, he used a mysterious magic and created a shining city.

    In the middle of that city, a humongous tree rose from the ground. It¡¯s ivory trunks supported the emerald dome of its leaves and it reached out to shield the entire city underneath its canopy.

    Underneath the city floating above the clouds, the azure ocean became the palette for the entire world. Brendel then put in the Ember¡¯s Volcano, and the distant line of the mountain ranges smoked on the horizon.

    The two cards melded into the new world, and the chaotic world immediately stabilized.

    Brendel finally had the time to look at this cerulean underwater world and its neighboring nes. Both worlds hovered in the air, like two little dioramas.

    Then he said, ¡°This is your world, Ciel.¡±

    ¡°I am beyond grateful, my leader.¡± Ciel¡¯sughter rang out.

    Brendel pointed and exined, ¡°I gave the name ¡®Fahreinen¡± to Medissa¡¯s world to symbolize the honor on the nes. Your world shall be named Belinca. This aquamarine sea will be the source of your power. It represents the Silver Mages ¡ª noble, mysterious, elegant, and ever-changing.¡±

    ¡°Silver Mages have stood at the apex of the Law for centuries. Their poweres from their astounding wisdom and their desire for knowledge.¡±

    He reached out a hand and Ciel¡¯s cardnded in his palm. Silver mes seemed to burn on the card and once the mes faded, the dark gold color of the card was revealed ¡ª

    Silver Mage

    Law I

    Water: 30

    [Creature ¨C Silver Mage/ Human (Level 1)]

    When the Silver Mage is yed, it has 100 Elemental Points. Enchantment: neswalker.

    Recovers 20 Elemental Points.

    Silver Mage shall be a permanent object in the field.

    ¡®The words that flow between the pages shall be the keys to opening the doors of power ¨C¡±

 Chapter 659 - v4c43 Dominance Over all Profession (6)

    <strong>v4c43</strong>

    <strong>Dominance Over all Profession (6)</strong>

    Magic Refraction

    Law II

    3 Water EP

    [Spell]

    Pay X EP (Mage) to change the target of a spell, making it select X new targets.

    This card is to be shuffled into the card pool after used.

    ¡®Your magic, run by me ¨C Spire Guard, Odu¡¯

    Ether Dragons

    Law III

    25 Water EP

    [Creature ¨C Elemental Beings/ Pseudodragon ( Level 35)]

    Pay X EP (Mage, X must be an integer of 10) to ce X Ether Dragons into y.

    Pay 3 Water EP to move the Ether Dragons out of the match. ce 3 counters on each Ether Dragon removed, and remove one counter every ten minutes to restore one EP for all allied units. When all counters are removed, ce the Ether Dragon back into y.

    Duration: Ether Dragons are maintained until the reset moment.

    ¡®At every moment, the energy is always switching forms.¡¯

    Mirror Image Spell

    Law IV

    20 Water EP

    [Spell]

    Pay 10X EP (mage) and choose X blue (Water) or cyan (Wind) creatures. If you do so, the Mirror Image Spell copies the same number of that creature.

    Duration: the Mirror Image Spellsts for one hour.

    ¡®You are me, I am you-¡®

    Brendel looked up at the cards in the sky. Energy Loss, Wind Spirit Spiders, and Rune Summoner turned into Magic Refraction, Ether Dragons, and the Mirror Image Spell respectively. The new cards fell into his hand, and all the cards were automatically upgraded by one level to Silver.

    Putting away these cards, Brendel only had three empty slots left in his card pool ¨C barely enough to build another deck of cards. He looked at the floating cards in mid-air, a n already in his mind. In addition to knights and mages, a sound team would naturally need a Healer.

    He pulled out a card from mid-air.

    The most suitable neswalker card for the Priest Deck was undoubtedly the Pristine Archangels, but to have the representative card ¨C a permanent fixture on the field ¨C as a winged bird pping around was a little too mboyant. After some consideration, Brendel chose the Glorious Trumpeter from Pure Heaven instead.

    He was not quite familiar with this deck of cards. He hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°My name is Hipam, Lord.¡± A somewhat soft girl¡¯s voice replied.

    ¡°Well then, Hipam. Are you willing to give up your immortal body to be a brigand mage?¡± Brendel asked.

    The voice in the card paused slightly before asking, somewhat happily, ¡°May I?¡±

    ¡°If you are willing to.¡±

    ¡°Of course I do, my Lord.¡± Hipam replied almost without hesitation.

    ¡°Well then, ept myw-¡± Brendel gently removed the card and pointed to a Land Card, ¡°I take the name of the Holy Mountain Paragon. Establish the Holy Kingdom, it will be the ce where faith is born, the source of a sacred fire-¡±

    The mountains of Anjou then fell to the ground, and a grayish-white wilderness and teau rose between Belinca and Fahreinen. Though remote and uninhabited, the view above the pure white teau was filled with a divine, majestic atmosphere.

    Immediately, the Glorious Trumpeter¡¯s card slipped out from the silver cocoon of the Lines of Laws and fell into his hand. When Brendel looked down, the surface of the Glorious Trumpeter had indeed turned an ancient, dark gold color. The name had also changed to ¡®Priest Himilude¡¯.

    The Priest Himilude was a famous priest-like profession in Eleranta. It was the opposite of the highly offensive scepter rituals of the Holy Cathedral of Fire; instead, the priests who believed in the eldest daughter of the Earth Goddess Gaia and the Tundra Goddess Himilude were fixated on defense. They lived an almost ascetic-like life under the holy mountain, so much so that they were called the Shepherdesses of Himilude.

    And the deck was described thus:

    Priest Himilude

    Faith I

    Earth EP 30

    [Creature ¨C Priest Himilude/ Human (Rank 1)]

    Priest Himilude enters the game with 100 EP, Enchantments, neswalker.

    Tapped, restores 20 EP.

    Maintain, Priest Himilude is on the field as a permanent object.

    ¡®Perseverance of faith. Never waver as a rock. You will be able to obtain the blessing of the Spirit of the Mountains ¨C Bratt Silver Fire¡¯

    Then Brendel read, ¡°Spirit of the Mountains, bless your people.¡±

    A card was seen falling from the air. Anrolda¡¯s Divine Ring was painted on the card. But silver fire zed from the card, and in the blink of an eye it became the ¡®Song of Blessing¡¯.

    The Song of Blessing was a signature skill learned Priest Himilude reached the conditions for her first transfer at rank 40, and simply put, it was invincibility in groups. This skill inherently changed the weak position of Priest Himilude, and it was from this skill that Priest Himilude became a legendary surviving existence of the Priest system.

    And now, the card in front of Brendel was described thus:

    ¡®Song of Blessing¡¯

    Faith II

    10 Light EP, 10 Earth EP

    [Spell]

    Pay 25X EP and select X targets to nullify the next attack against them.

    Maintain, the effect of Song of Blessingsts for ten minutes.

    ¡®The ethereal hymn breaks the longsword-¡®

    The three cards, Anjou Mountains, the Priest Himilude, and the Song of Blessing fell into Brendel¡¯s hand in turn, automatically stacking into a deck. Then the white mes ignited, and they all transformed into countless mysterious characters that were integrated into Brendel¡¯s body.

    Brendel closed his eyes slightly, and the third deck of cards was also formed. At this moment, there were a total of neen Cards of Fates from the two decks that he had already finished selecting. But there were still arge number of cards suspended in mid-air, from which Brendel had to choose thirty to keep, while the rest could only be left to dissipate into the void.

    It was certainly impossible not to be distressed by such things, but he had little choice. He turned back, Tuman and Sanorso both staring at him, and while the Wind Empress did not seem to understand what all this represented, she could tell that Brendel was about to make a difficult choice.

    They nodded at him in unison.

    Brendel let out a sigh of relief, in fact, he already had a n in mind. First of all, he would not give up those cards that he had been deeply attached to, although it might sound unbelievable, just like Kelsie, the Deer Demon and Pendulum Demon, that great neswalker would also not give up those two lieutenants that had been with him for many years.

    Even if they were nothing more than cards.

    Brendel lifted his head. First, he selected the Firew Chieftain, the Firew Lizardmen, the Firew Trumpeter, the Vampire Morpheus, Andrea Thermis the Lord of Night, the ever-unlucky Fire Djinn, and the Pristine Archangel. All of these cards had been with him for some time, and he would rather waste a slot for them than for the more powerful ones.

    Although Brendel was after power, it did not mean that he was going to be a cold-blooded person.

    Then it was the Cards of Resources, the Water of the Forsaken City, Forest of Death, Gold Mine, Sea Wave Gem, Silver Swallowtail Banner, Grey Harbor Tax Collector, D¡¯s Wild, and Rougen¡¯s Swamp. Originally he did not have many Resource Cards, and now even more so to support the huge consumption of several neswalkers, these cards could not be given up lightly.

    Lastly, were the powerful cards, such as the Grimoire of Life. The Desperate Trojan Horse, two elerated Thoughts, two Anxieties, and The Tempest. Secondly, Breaking Dawn, Echelonious¡¯s Furnace of Adversity, Echelonious Spellweaver, two Glories, Martyr of Radiance, and Graveyard Revival.

    Finally, he also used the card wealth he had umted over the days to unlock the tinum Angel on top of the card book that had followed him for who knew how long.

    Thus, all thirty cards were selected.

    After returning all of these cards to his spare card pool, Brendel looked up. He watched the emptiness around him fade away, as if a vortex had drawn the unselected cards into it. Honestly, he was a little sorry, but it did not help.

    Brendel stared at the vortex silently for a moment, and with a yer¡¯s characteristic open-mindedness, he threw the card book in his hand forward, and the card book was suddenly torn into countless pieces in the storm of energy, and then waspletely drawn into the center of the vortex along with the flying cards.

    It seemed as if it was only a moment before it disappeared without a trace.

    In the next instant, even that vortex itself shrank into a ck dot. Then it disappeared.

    ¡°This is a step that a young neswalker must go through. There is always a trade-off,¡± Tuman stood behind Brendel. Watching him finish all these, he spoke out infort, ¡°But congrattions, join us as a true neswalker.¡±

    Brendel raised his head and felt a sense of relief. He could not help but take a deep breath, after everything he had experienced since leaving the Braggs underground auction, he had finally made it to this point.

    From being ignorant of the neswalkers to officially being a part of them today. It was almost as if it was a lifetime ago when he looked back on it.

    ¡°Thank you, Lord Tuman.¡± He stared at the distant mountains and replied softly.

    ¡°There is no need to thank me, passing on the legacy of the neswalkers from one generation to the next is a sacred duty, one that I, and you, must fulfill.¡± Tuman sternly replied, ¡°Although you have reached this point today, I am very pleased as your guide. But the fact remains that up until this moment, I still feel very uneasy about you, and you should understand that your deck still has a w, and even though you have a double elemental pool, you can hardly support the consumption of many neswalker creatures-¡±

    Tuman reminded him seriously, ¡°I hope you¡¯ve given this some thought.¡±

    Brendel looked at the Elemental Emperor who had guided him into the world of the neswalker, and he smiled slightly, ¡°I¡¯ve already considered it, Emperor.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure ?¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    Tuman was startled, but then he fell silent. In terms of his experience and insight, he naturally sensed that Brendel was not lying, and since he said he had the ability to solve this problem, it meant that he must be sure of it.

    This Elemental Emperor from the War of the Holy Saints era considered a little and replied, ¡°Alright then, since you¡¯ve already met my requirements, I¡¯ve actuallye this time to give you a gift.¡±

    ¡°A gift?¡± Brendel froze.

    But before he had time to react, Tuman had extended a finger and flicked a ball of light into his brow. He stared at it slightly, as if his thoughts were filled with pages of continuous images like a movie, and finally, these images were frozen on a page.

    It was an old page, with undting lines and various diagrams drawn on it. After observing it for a moment, Brendel realized that it was a map.

    He could not help but frown and ask, ¡°A map? What map is this?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll naturally understandter.¡± Tuman, however, smiled slightly and merely gave a vague response, ¡°But I can tell you that this is a treasure map, and as for what the treasure is, you need to explore it yourself-¡°

 Chapter 660 - Dominance Over All Profession (7)

    <h4>Dominance Over All Profession (7)</h4>

    Without waiting for Brendel to ask further questions, he suddenly waved his hand and said, ¡°Well, what I have to do is already done. Brendel, I¡¯m d to see that you¡¯ve officially joined us as one of us. After this farewell, I¡¯m afraid it will be difficult to see you again in the future, and you are in charge of your future.¡±

    Brendel was suddenly stunned.

    It was not that he did not know that this Elemental Emperor would eventually leave, but it was only when they had to say goodbye forever that he realized he was dealing with a legend from thousands of years ago.

    ¡°Lord Tuman...¡±

    ¡°Hey, no need to be cheesy. We¡¯re all grown men, and besides, with Sanorso teaching you, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t have too many problems.¡± Tuman smiled slightly, ¡°A bit of a deadbeat, but one of my best students.¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    The Wind Empress snorted. But when she looked up at Tuman, who was bing transparent, she could not help but frown, ¡°I have a question too, old man.¡±

    Tuman turned his head and smiled, ¡°Do ask, my student.¡±

    ¡°After the first battle of Osopao, did you or did you not die?¡± Sanorso asked with hesitation.

    There seemed to be a moment of silence on the tform.

    But Tuman spread his hands, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have a hard time answering that question. For you know more about history after the first battle of Osopao than I do. Thete king should still have been in Elka when I left this image.¡±

    ¡°That was before the march into the Great Swamp.¡± Sanorso frowned at him. Brendel listened as ËûºÍWind Empress talked to herself, but his mind was recalling the history of this part of their conversation. During the War of the Holy Saints, the Four Wise Men did not in fact start out with an army that fought against the Darkness Dragon.

    In fact, before marching into the Great Swamp, the Darkness Dragon was far from taking these ¡®low-ss people¡¯ from other races seriously. Before the Battle of Osopao, this historical ¡®tyrant¡¯ and ¡®dictator¡¯ had remained in Elka, near the Permafrost cier. About this history, even the yers never got it right.

    For example, what exactly he was plotting in the Permafrost cier. There was not a single record of it in history. Brendel could only guess that the other party¡¯s whereabouts might have something to do with it, based on the fact that the Deer Demon had said that Odin had once invited Kelsie to join him in his fight against the mysterious enemy.

    The Battle of Osopao then broke out and the Resistance invaded Demia. The victory in this battle was a turning point in history. Since then, the Resistance began to grow, the Buga and the Dragons joined the war, and shortly thereafter there was news that the Elemental Emperor Tuman had been killed.

    Thinking about this, he could not help but take a look at Tuman.

    ¡°The Buga say they killed you, but some of the Silver Elves saw you with their own eyes, but you were only wounded and fled, and disappeared into the Alfalfa Wilderness shortly thereafter.¡± Sanorso continued, ¡°In the end, we didn¡¯t confirm that you were actually dead, but it was only to boost morale that Farnezain announced the news that you were dead-¡±

    Tumanughed at Sanorso¡¯s words, ¡°My student, does it really matter if I¡¯m actually dead or not? Besides, if you use the news of my death to boost morale, in my temper, I would never remain hidden. You know very well what I would do. So you already have an answer, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The Elemental Emperor¡¯s entire lower body had almost disappeared by the time he finished saying this, looking like a ghost floating in midair.

    Seeing him like this, the Elf could not help as her fists trembled. SIlently, she replied, ¡°I just wanted to make sure...¡±

    ¡°You have confirmed it,¡± Tuman replied. The voice faded, ¡°Remember to give my greetings to Eleranta for me.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll be sure to split your greeting in half!¡±

    Sanorso watched as Tuman¡¯s figure disappearedpletely, and it was a long while before such a vicious phrase came out of her mouth. Then she turned back to Brendel, who was watching her in stunned silence, she could not help but ask with a sense of irritation, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    Brendel hurriedly shrugged his shoulders, the feuding in the era of the War of the Holy Saints really had nothing to do with him, but it was for sure that Tuman, as the teacher of Sanorso, Gretel and Farnezain, must have had a hard time in his heart when these three fought against him.

    <i>Just when did the copse of the Miirnas begin?</i>

    Of course, Brendel knew of those times, when the Miirnas were as proud as the Kirrlutzians were today. No, even more proud, because the boundaries of their empire were once so vast that they included the entire Vaunte today, and today¡¯s Kirrlutz, Farnezain, Sanorso, and Eleranta were only a small part of the empire in those days.

    But even such a powerful empire eventually crumbled in an instant. And to this day, there was no longer any survival of the Miirnas on the continent.

    Brendel thought about these things in silence, but he did not want the Wind Empress at the side to suddenly ask him, ¡°By the way, what are you doing here?¡±

    The Elf looked around suspiciously, ¡°This ce should be at the edge of the ck Forest, what are you doing here alone in the middle of nowhere? Is it just to see this old immortal... old man?¡±

    She probably realized that the other man was dead, so her own words seemed a bit contradictory, therefore she changed them halfway through.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Brendel shook his head, which reminded him of why he was here. But it was hard to exin, so he could only reply ambiguously, ¡°Of course I came to seek treasure, and you saw it when I met Lord Tuman, simply because it was an ident.¡±

    ¡°Treasure hunting?¡±

    Sanorso stared at him suspiciously, ¡°Can you show me what treasure?¡±

    As a former heroic Holy Saint who had experienced the War of the Holy Saints, she instinctively sniffed out the untruth in Brendel¡¯s words. But s, although the Wind Empress was knowledgeable, she could not help Brendel. Only a few steps back as if he was silently counting his steps, Brendel counted a few steps and then walked towards the mountain wall.

    Sanorso subconsciously thought the guy was ying tricks on her, and she narrowed her eyes, but she did not realize that it was only a small moment before Brendel pulled something out of the vines that were coiled around the mountain wall with a ttering sound.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± The Elf could not help but look at the object in Brendel¡¯s hand before she realized that it was something like a te.

    In response to the Wind Empress¡¯ question, Brendel just smiled mysteriously.

    ¡°It¡¯s naturally good stuff.¡±

    He gave an ambiguous reply, but this time he did not lie. For in another history, this te was indeed an item that had changed Aouine¡¯s history.

    And that was the real reason why he had asked Freya toe along with him.

    In an alternated history, this was the private property that belonged to that Valkyrie. And in the midst of this history, Brendel naturally wanted it to be returned to its rightful owner.

    ........

    Tick-tock, tick-tock.

    It seems that the only sound left in therge room was the tedious sound of the taut winding of the autonomic clock. This sound echoed in the empty room as if it had been infinitely amplified . The shadows of the sunlight fell through the shade of the trees in this study, imprintingyers of shadows on the carpet. It was like a strange picture.

    A pair of pale feet in wooden clogs stepped on the carpet, asionally destroying the mood of the whole picture.

    She walked quietly around the room, asionally turning back to face her husband with a mysterious smile on her face.

    Those servants who knew her well were aware of that special ability that this future Lord¡¯s wife possessed ¨C it was called Foreknowledge.

    Outsiders had no idea how terrifying this Lord¡¯s wife¡¯s abilities were. It was only living in this castle for two months, and not a single servant had dared to belittle her authority.

    The young man sitting behind the desk, or the future owner of this territory, the knight-mad man in Brendel¡¯s eyes, of course. The young man whose real name was actually as Eikkel had one hand on his cheek and was staring at his wife with some boredom.

    In fact, ever since the first battle of Ampere Seale, the whole world seemed to have calmed down. It made him start to feel out of touch with himself. The kind of life he said he pursued. It should be hot-blooded and hoovering up the weak.

    But s. Aouine ¨C or at least the South of Aouine had been more and more peaceful these days.

    The only news that was slightly encouraging was about the tension that was making the southern part of Radner¡¯s territory tenser by the day. But s, Count Radner would probably not march arge army into Lantonn¡¯s territory as long as his brain has not burned out.

    And Duke Lantonn had already grounded him after the first battle of Ampere Seale.

    He could not help but sigh deeply and muttered, ¡°My dear, you said something would happen today, but unfortunately we waited until now, so it seems you were wrong in your prediction again this time.¡±

    Yo was not annoyed to hear her husband say that. She turned back to face Eikkel and gave a reassuring smile. Wearing the traditional clothing of the Nine Phoenix made her entire body appear to be filled with a kind of elegant and intellectual beauty that made Eikkel look dumbfounded.

    He coughed lightly and asked, ¡°By the way, are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°Much better, thank you for your concern,¡± replied Yo, ¡°Please be patient, Husband. In Nine Phoenix, self-regting is an important ritual for a noble.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s been hours of waiting.¡±

    As soon as Eikkel finished speaking, the door suddenly opened. He looked up with a slight startle and found grim-faced Makarov standing outside the door.

    ¡°Lord Makarov, what are you doing here?¡± He was stunned. But Makarov interrupted him first, ¡°No need to ask so many questions, Eikkel, there¡¯s a letter from Firbur, and one is for you.¡±

    ¡°Her Highness?¡± Yura asked.

    ¡°Hah, it¡¯s Count Trentheim!¡± Eikkel had already jumped up in excitement before anyone else. ¡°Great, I knew he would never forget me!¡±

    ¡°Quickly give me the letter, Lord Makarov. By the way, what does it say?¡± He had at least some sense and finally knew enough to stop and ask what the letter said.

    Makarov looked at him and shook his head, the future Duke Lantonn had grown up in the mountains and wilderness, and although he had barely received some noble education now, he was in fact still a mercenary at heart, and full of messed up knightly thoughts.

    What gave him a bit of a headache was that he could not understand how he had brought up such an heir. He silenced for a while before replying calmly, ¡°The letter said for us to meet at Vallendaren-¡±

    ¡°Vallendareh?¡± Eikkel was stunned, as if he just came back to his senses, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the home of Duke Viero, wait, what are the Count and the others doing in the Viero region? Isn¡¯t Radner still at war?¡±

    Makarov stared at him silently.

    The young man seemed to have finally realized that he had said the wrong thing, and coughed, ¡°That,... the message that made Radner, was... it was Yo who told me. I definitely didn¡¯t go out!¡±

    ¡°Husband...¡± Yo could not help but sigh. This act of betraying teammates was also a little too decisive.

    ......

 Chapter 661 - The Growth of Valhalla (1)

    <h4>The Growth of Valha (1)</h4>

    Another half month had passed since the princess¡¯ messenger had returned from Lantonn with the news. The month of the Moon of the Scrolls was an important one to the Buga people of the silver city-state when the White Tower rang its bells to announce the arrival of the month that belonged to knowledge and wisdom, and the mages would publicly test their students in the White Marble Square of the Gata or Nechidi, lulling the entire silver city-state into a tense but orderly atmosphere.

    But to the Aouine countrymen far away in Trentheim, it was merely a month that was bing hotter and hotter; the crops in the fields were beginning to draw their leaves, and the hues across Firbur seemed to rotate to a pleasing shade of blue ¨C even as the Astrologers and schrs of ces like Braggs and Ampere Seale argued that July in whether or not there should be a connection to the human capacity for logic within the system of this world of Vaunte, its proponents and opponents argued on their own, but the fact was that the millicenters for production and life for the majority of the poption of this kingdom were built three months ago.

    ¡°So how many of these arrow towers do you think we need? Monica?¡±

    ¡°If built on the za here on the top floor, only eight would be enough to cover the entire area at present. On the second ring, 20 would be needed. And if it is built on the bottom of the Rootstalk, I¡¯m afraid it will require seventy or more, and besides, if the Lord chooses thest option since Lord Odum is building a wall somewhere, it will take a lot of time-¡±

    The outer ring road that Monica was speaking of was actually ayer area on the outside of the trunk of the World Tree, and the entire World Tree formed three zones after it had fully matured, with the central five hundred meter diameter za being the highest and most central area, with almost all of the functional buildings surrounding this huge za.

    There were two levels of such a ring around the World Tree from top to bottom, with the lower level leading to the upper level, and the upper level connecting to the hollow inner hall of the World Tree against the tree wall.

    This area was undting, about two to three thousand meters in diameter, with many t spaces formed on top, connected by roots as wide as an avenue.

    However, there was nothing in the lower city, but a certain descendant of the Rune Dwarves had a sudden idea to build an artificial fortress in this area.

    This was the first time Brendel had heard of this idea, and he couldn¡¯t help but straighten up and ask, ¡°Odum ns to build another wall in the lower city? Wait, is he crazy? What if Valha expands further?¡±

    ¡°My lord, the core area of Valha will be stable for a while after it reaches its current diameter. After all, the World Tree Fortress isn¡¯t going to grow endlessly.¡± Monica replied.

    ¡°What about the future?¡± Brendel still found it somewhat mind-boggling. Thest time that guyter said that he was going to build an ¡®invincible city¡¯ without a gate he thought he should have sensed the problem, but he did not expect Odum to be even morewless this time.

    But Monica obviously had a different view from him: ¡°My Lord, the World Tree Fortress is a magic territory. Perhaps you haven¡¯t seen its magic yet, but you don¡¯t need to worry, even if it will continue to expand in the future, it won¡¯t affect the old city in the slightest, and in the worst case, you can just expand the lower city then.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Brendel frowned. Speaking of territories, not to mention Valha¡¯s level of territory, he had never seen a yer¡¯s mass magic territory before, and he was still aplete novice in this area.

    ¡°Of course, if every time Valha expands, the entire territory overturns and starts over. How can such a World Tree Fortress be called the strongest fortress from before thest era.¡± Monica replied proudly.

    ¡°The strongest fortress?¡± Brendel caught the qualifier keenly. He had thought the somewhat naturally dull light spirit was boasting, but Monica nodded seriously at his question, ¡°My Lord you must not know the history of this territory, once you know why it was built, you will understand that what Monica said is true.¡±

    ¡°What is its history?¡± Brendel narrowed his eyes and asked curiously.

    Monica was slightly stunned, and suddenly changed her appearance and replied in a mechanical tone: ¡°Valha, Pce of Gold Asgard, Ideal Town Avalon and the five fortresses of Ultras were originally replicas of Ebabel Tower. They were activated in turn after the Twilight War, but as far as I know Pce of Gold Asgard, Ideal Town Avalon have all beenpletely destroyed, and Valha has only one backup left, with Ultras nowhere to be found.¡±

    ¡°But as a replica of the final battlefield Ebabel, even though it is only a backup, the surviving Valha already symbolizes the highest masterpiece of a civilization of that era.¡±

 Chapter 662 - v4c46p1 The Growth of Valhalla (2)

    <h4>v4c46p1 The Growth of Valha (2)</h4>

    Hearing Monica finish this speech in a mechanical tone, Brendel was almost dumbfounded. He could not help but blurt out, ¡°Valha is a copy of Ebabel! Monica, do you know the legends of the time of the Divine Folk?¡±

    Monica came back to her senses with a jolt and hurriedly shook her head, her tone returning to normal at once. ¡°No, my Lord, I don¡¯t know.

    ¡°Wait, so how do you know all this?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know either, but ever since the World Tree Fortress was upgraded, this knowledge seems to automatically appear in my mind as one of its chief directors,¡± the light sprite maiden hurriedly replied. ¡°But I myself am unable to tell you anymore than that.¡±

    Brendel was a little taken aback, but he calmed down. ¡°In other words, Valha is most likely a creation from the era of the Divine Folk?¡±

    ¡°I am not sure about that, my Lord.¡±

    ¡°Never mind, at least we know that it is something of ours, and that is enough. ¡± Brendel waved his hand, deciding not to dwell on this nonsense. ¡°Let¡¯s return to the original topic. In that case, I only n to build the Elf Arrow Towers on the looped road, so that means I only need to build twenty Arrow Towers, Monica.¡±

    ¡°I understand, my Lord, but the territory needs more magic power and supplies to ration nowadays, and I¡¯m afraid the resources you allocated to us earlier are not quite enough,¡± Monica replied respectfully. ¡°Thanks to your Lordship¡¯s blessing, Valha is growing fast.¡±

    Brendel bared his teeth. It would have been fine had Monica not brought this up, but now that she did, he remembered the piles of transparent crystals he had seen under the World Tree earlier. These things were proof of the wealth this World Tree Fortress had consumed over the past six months.

    But that was just the beginning; each of the Arrow Towers on the list required the consumption of nearly two hundred thousand magical powers, as well as a colossal amount of supplies. Magic could be converted with crystals, while supplies would have to be transferred over from the territory one by one.

    He could not help but mentally groan. ¡°From now on, the percentage of magic crystals produced by the ck Forest for your use will be doubled from twenty percent. As for supplies, I¡¯ll let Jana and Amandina fulfill your requests first...¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much, my Lord.¡± Monica the light sprite flew around excitedly in the sky.

    It was apparent that she had spoken so much earlier all so she could hear those words from Brendel.

    But Brendel actually knew better than she did that a higher level magic territory was a money-burningmodity, and the Elf Arrow Towers were just the beginning. With the Elf Arrow Towers, there was the need for archers and crossbows, followed by mages and magical apprentices.

    Each of these required money. Brendel rubbed his forehead and asked, ¡°How¡¯s the Wind Archers¡¯ training going, Monica?¡±

    ¡°Just about to report this, my Lord,¡± Monica immediately replied. ¡°The Hall of the Wind Archers has been constructed, and the first batch of trained soldiers were mainly Tree Elves from the Loop of the Trade Winds. After that, they took in some Elves from other ces, such as some Wind Elf mercenaries and Wild Elf refugees from the north. However, humans have been the main source of soldiers from the third batch onwards, but judging by thepletion of their training, Elves are still potentially the best Wind Archers-¡±

    This was as Brendel had expected; there weren¡¯t many Elves in the human world, let alone a ce like Trentheim. As for the Elves surpassing the humans with their talent in archery, it was also still within reasonable expectations.

    But when he heard Monica say that there were now four hundred and sixty-five Tree Elf Wind Archers in the army, and one hundred and eighty-seven other Elf Wind Archers, while there were only one hundred and sixty human Wind Archers, he still could not help but be slightly startled. He asked back, ¡°Why are there so few humans? Is the elimination rate too high?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a factor, my Lord.¡±

    A voice suddenly cut in. Brendel turned back at the familiar voice, and indeed saw a stern-faced Fern walking over. The wild Elf maiden came to him with several rolls of parchment. She replied, ¡°But the key reason is the strange rule you haveid down, lusty Lord ¨C only women can be Wind Archers. Most of the humans of Trentheim are refugees, and there are few women to begin with. Those who fit the physical and age requirements are even fewer. Factor in the elimination rate, and it is unsurprising that only a handful would remain.¡±

    The wild Elf took a look at her Lord. Her outfit nowadays was very different from before. Ever since the card group had be the White City Pioneer, her attire had changed from the original mercenary uniform to a more formal elemental messenger robe. However, the robe was still monochromatic due to the significant drop in rank. She then said in a nd tone, ¡°And now everyone in the entire territory has been made aware of your special preference. Though it is normal for a normal man to have such fantasies, I hope that you can be more mindful of your reputation, my Lord.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Brendel just froze. ¡°When did I set such a rule?¡±

    A thought suddenly struck him and he ran to the tree wall to take a look. Sure enough, he saw arge group of elven and human archers training in the circuit in the direction of the Hall of the Wind Archers, and all of them were females. In addition to that, they were women with certain better qualities. He almost could not believe his eyes.

    Brendel hurriedly took a deep breath and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    He would have never dreamed of it. A few months without asking about Valha¡¯s development and the damned World Tree Fortress had built him a real army of women. Not that it was bad, of course; Brendel certainly wanted his subordinates to be more pleasing to the eye, but as a soldier, men were indeed much more effective than women in many ways.

    ¡°It¡¯s...¡± Monica hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°The Wind Archers of Valha were originally from the Silver Elf¡¯s Princess Guard, so...¡±

    Brendel shut up for a moment.

    He of course knew what the Silver Elf¡¯s Princess Guard was. The name Princess Guard did not actually mean that the army was the Silver Elf Princess¡¯s Guard; the name was actually a metaphor, as all warriors in this army of archers were the absolute elite of the Silver Elven women.

    ording to the setting of The Amber Sword, it could even be said that this army was the Amazon female warriors of Vaunte¡¯s history.

    He could not help but be slightly stunned at Monica¡¯s words. He had never dreamed that he would inherit such an army.

    ¡°The Princess Guard,¡± he blurted out. ¡°Are the Wind Archers of Valha as strong as the historical Princess Guard?¡±

    <i>That was an army on the same level as the Silver Elves and the Dragon Cavalry...</i>

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Monica immediately dismissed his expectations. ¡°The Wind Archers are, after all, only Valha¡¯s earliest arm of services. It is formally only a simplification of the Princess Guard.¡±

    ¡°Then what abilities do they have?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°My Lord, see for yourself.¡±

    Actually, Monica did not need to remind him not; Brendel was already looking in that direction. On the lower part of the ring, behind the Hall of the Wind Archers was a huge training ground. The earliest group of Tree Elf Wind Archers were currently splitting up into a few teams to spar. Brendel immediately saw how the bodies of these Elven women faded in and out of focus. As far as he knew, only one kind of magic had such a characteristic.

    ¡°Invisibility?¡±

 Chapter 663 - v4c46p2 The Growth of Valhalla (3)

    <h4>Chapter 663 - v4c46p2 The Growth of Valha (3)</h4>

    v4c46p2

    The Growth of Valha (3)

    ¡°Yes. Wind Archers are a typical field force. Their greatest strength is their ability to be continuously invisible for short periods of time during a battle, or to stealthily move for long periods of time before a battle,¡± Monica replied. ¡°However, the current Valha Wind Archers are also equipped with the Wind Archer armor that you designed yourself, my Lord. That is why they also have the ability to fly and glide for short periods of time-¡±

    Lord Marsha!

    Brendel could not help but feel pleasantly surprised after hearing this. It was easy to imagine how useful an archer who excelled at stealth would be on the battlefield. One of the major ws of archers while they were out in battle was theirck of closebat ability, as well as how easily they could be discovered. Normally, an archer formation would copse as soon as they were approached by cavalry.

    But Wind Archers were obviouslypletely different, as they did not even need protection. Once approached, they could immediately use the flight ability provided by the Wind Archer¡¯s cloak to pull away, then use their invisibility to re-enter stealth and wait for the next shot.

    God! Brendel could well imagine how terrifying that was, but the only problem right now was that there were still too few of them. Otherwise, they coulde in very handy in this war.

    At that train of thought, he suddenly thought of something else and turned back to ask, ¡°Fern, did you get another new message from Radner?¡±

    ¡°Not this time, my Lord.¡± Fern¡¯s expression remained the same as she replied, ¡°This time it¡¯s about a certain Madara Lord; a certain fellow over in Sillman who had been favored by Your Lordship had our messenger bring back the news. As Your Lordship had predicted, Madara¡¯s Army has begun to converge on the Yulsong region.¡±

    ¡°Bloodstaff.¡± Brendel turned off the Lord¡¯s interface with a ¡®pop¡¯ and stood up at once. ¡°The Madara have already begun to move. The time to get Count Radner to depart should be soon too. It¡¯s slightly earlier than I expected, but it seems that there must be some pressuring new development on Duke Arreck¡¯s side.

    ¡°Her Highness asked when you were leaving, my Lord.¡±

    ¡°Her Highness?¡±

    Brendel was startled, but then a suddenmotion broke out from one side of the square. He looked up just in time to see the princess and her party approaching from the side of the Moon Tower. Presumably, they hade to the za through the circr path in the hall in the center of the World Tree.

    The princess passed through the center of the za with a couple of female officers, and took a look at her own brother, who was bound solidly by the roots of the ancient tree. It was only then that Brendel realized that he had not warned her; the young prince seemed to havepletely sumbed to the mighty power of the tentacles, his sword already separated. He kept ¡®panting¡¯ in a suggestive manner from where he was.

    Princess Gryphine could not help but frown at this scene and shook her head gently.

    She walked up to Brendel and inhaled before greeting him softly, ¡°Mr.Brendel, you are still as spry as ever even though I have not seen you for a few days.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness... ¡± Brendel was a little embarrassed. After all, he had tortured someone else¡¯s brother ¨C the future king of the kingdom ¨C into this state. It would have been fine if the princess had not seen this, but he had not expected to cross paths with her abruptly without warning.

    ¡°I did note here to say that, Count.¡± The princess shook her head. ¡°I¡¯vee to say goodbye to you. By the way, I¡¯d like to ask when you n to leave for Viero?¡±

    ¡°Say goodbye?¡± Brendel was startled.

    ¡°I intend to return to Frada first. Oberwei and Lantonn¡¯s ambassadors are still waiting for me there, and besides, Mr. Eikkel and his fianc¨¦e have sent word that they left yesterday for Vallendaren. Duke Lantonn has given him full authority to act on Lantonn¡¯s behalf this time-¡± She paused. ¡°So there¡¯s not much time left for me.¡±

    That was when it dawned on Brendel, and he fell silent. In fact, he already knew that the time was right when he received the news about the Madara¡¯s movements from Fern. Still, he did not expect the princess toe so quickly.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, are you going to leave with me for Frada?¡± the princess asked again after pausing for a moment.

    Brendel naturally wouldn¡¯t refuse to travel with the eldest princess, but he hesitated and finally shook his head. ¡°No, I will not be apanying you, Your Highness. I have something else to do, so you can go ahead. I shall meet with you and the others at Vallendaren Castleter.¡±

    Princess Gryphine peered at him. There was no surprise in her silver eyes; in fact, she already knew where Brendel was preparing to go, and she chimed in, ¡°Are you going to take those Kirrlutzians with you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Brendel nodded. In a sense, the trip to the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth was actually supposed to help the Kirrlutzians, so of course he had to take them with him. However, most of those Kirrlutzian Knights were draggers. He thought about it and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll just take Laurenna and her fianc¨¦ with me. Veronica would probably head there to meet me as well.¡±

    ¡°Will you make it in time?¡± the princess asked.

    ¡°I should be able to.¡± Brandao nodded.

    Although the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth was a legendary dungeon, it was not all that big inside. Besides, he did not necessarily have to fight hard against the monsters inside; the best scenario would be that Arreck had already gotten the Heart of the Dragon. Then all he would need to do was snatch the items from the cultists.

    And there would not be any mental stress.

    ¡°It¡¯s in your hands then.¡± Princess Gryphine looked at him, the trust evident in her eyes. She whispered, ¡°I¡¯m leaving Magadal to you-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Your Highness, Princess Magadal is my friend too.¡±

    ¡°I see, Mr. Brendel, then I am relieved..¡±

    ¡°Still, I have one more favor to ask, Your Highness.¡± Brendel suddenly said again. He looked at the princess of Aouine with some hesitation, and to be honest, he was not sure if she would grant him this request.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s two favors. First, I¡¯d like Freya to be inmand of Frada¡¯s army this time. Secondly, I would like to request Prince Haruz to travel with me to the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth.¡±

    As soon as Brendel spoke, the surroundings immediately quieted down.

    The princess fell silent for a moment. ¡°For the first request, I have already said that militarymand of both territories are now your full responsibility, Mr. Brendel. It is also up to you to decide who shall be theirmander-in-chief.

    ¡°As for the second request...¡± The half-elf girl fell silent for a moment. After all, this was her only brother. She had put all her hope in him, wishing that he would be able to support the kingdom. Of course, she wished Haruz would be stronger, but that did not mean she would easily let her brother be put in danger.

    Although Brendel did not say anything, she was well aware of the dangers of the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth. After all, it was still within the Aouine Kingdom, and most of the cmities in the Viero region came from the direction of the Falling Needle Hills Avenue. It was impossible for her not to have heard of those rumors as a princess of a country.

    ¡°May I know the reason?¡± she asked softly atst.

    Brendel hesitated for a moment. He certainly could not explicitly say that he wanted to take this little prince to run a dungeon for equipment and gain experience. It would also be best if he could be more independent at the same time. He thought for a moment and finally replied.

    ¡°I think Haruz... The prince, he... needs a bit of training.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you do it somewhere else?¡± Princess Gryphine frowned.

    ¡°Of course I can, but we¡¯re running out of time. Now that we have this opportunity, I think it might be time to let him walk his own path,¡± Brendel replied seriously as he looked back at the young prince, who was tied up firmly. He asked, ¡°Are you afraid, Prince Haruz?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± The little prince had been tied up for so long that he was about to cry, but he looked at his sister and then at this terrible teacher. Atst, he said pitifully, ¡°I-I¡¯m not afraid...¡±

    Gryphine could not help but sigh as she watched her brother in this state. Of course, she knew that her brother was not actually willing, but it was precisely because of his reluctance that she steeled herself. She nodded.

    ¡°I understand, Mr. Brendel. Haruz is in your hands.¡±

    Haruz looked at his sister with tears in his eyes. His pitiful expression made Brendel think that the princess had abandoned her brother, instead of just gracefully leaving him in Brendel¡¯s care.

    But the princess was clearly more stone-hearted than Brendel had imagined, and without even looking at her brother, she said to Brendel, ¡°Then I will take my leave, Mr. Brendel.¡±

    Brendel nodded, slightly touched. There was no doubt that Haruz was currently one of the most important people to the princess. The fact that she had handed this young prince over to him was even more significant than when she handed the Keystone to him that time.

    If anything happened to Haruz, she would lose her persistence and hope.

    Brendel turned back. ¡°Fern, go and get Miss Freya to prepare herself. We¡¯re about to leave.¡± He ordered sinctly.

 Chapter 664 - Long Road, Fragments of the Past (1)

    <h4>Long Road, Fragments of the Past (1)</h4>

    Past the province of Grinoires and to the north of its capital, Kurkle Castle, was the intersection between it, Lantonn, and Viero. Since its construction for Count Harding during the Year of Chaos, Shallow Water Town has quietly sat next to the western shores of Lake Vallendaren for centuries .

    The Needleleaf Forest that extended southward from Grinoires looked quite different here. Groves of cedar trees were scattered throughout the forest and though it was almost summer, frost still fell down from the crown of the trees as the caravan passed through the main path of the forest.

    The closer they got to Shallow Water Town, the more obvious the signs of what the folks to the north of Viero called te spring¡¯ were. The stifling hot summer was nowhere to be seen here; rather, the signs of the earth awakening never seemed to arrive.

    The forest air still held the brittle chilliness found at the end of the winter months. The skies were so gray, as if the Hignder god in charge of the skies, Gyst, was stirring up ayer of limestone above the dark clouds. The dark skies made everyone¡¯s chest feel stuffy. On horseback, Brendel looked up and saw the barren branches of the trees. Between the tree trunks, skinny twigs criss-crossed, looking like a dense spide reaching for the skies. The shootsing in for the new year were still covered with a thinyer of fuzz. There were still a few withered leaves drooping under these new leaves. From a distance, they looked like dried up cocoons waving in the bitterly cold wind.

    But this was not the Month of Rejuvenation. This was a scene they saw in the middle of August, a month in the middle of hot summers.

    Everyone oohed and ahhed at the strange sight. The calendar clearly indicated this was the Month of Flowing Fire, but the ce looked like it was still in the middle of turning from winter to spring. Fs rode at the front of the team and said in admiration, ¡°Is such a scene due to that so-called Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth?¡±

    His loud voice repeatedly echoed throughout the forest and startled a gray deer. This upset the guides walking ahead of them. Legend has it that if you angered the holy spirits in the forest who enjoyed peace and quiet, misfortunes would befall you. But these sons and daughters of noblemen were always so reckless.

    However, these local hunters wouldn¡¯t bother arguing with the nobles over something like this. so the entire journey passed more or less peacefully.

    Fs had finally shaken free from his status as a prisoner of war. This lucky Kirlutzzian knight had just about died from boredom during his ten odd days in the prison, but he didn¡¯t mind the experience and considered it all a misunderstanding. His magnanimous personality won over everyone and therefore, he was considered an honored guest as soon he was let out of prison.

    On the other hand, Lady Delphine was more stubborn though she didn¡¯t end up in the water prisons. Persuaded by Freya, or perhaps trying to avoid making enemies of everyone, Amandina quietly locked the daughter of the Prime Minister in the dark prisons, a few levels above the water prisons, keeping her separate from the other prisoners.

    A weekter, emissaries from Lady Veronica took her away. But before she left, not only did Lady Delphine exhibit no signs of regret, she actually cursed at Brendel.

    Brendel really had nothing to say to a stubborn fool like her. He could only let Veronica deal with her. If thatdy of the battalions was smart enough, he reckoned she¡¯d send Delphine back to Kirrlutz as soon as possible.

    Fs scanned his surroundings and tightened his grip on the reins to stop his horse. He turned around and saked, ¡°Count, how far is it from here to the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth ?¡±

    Laurenna frowned and answered before Brendel did, ¡°Pretty far. I checked the map and we still have at least a week left.¡±

    ¡°That far!¡± Fs dered in surprise. ¡°So in terms of our travels, it¡¯s about the distance between the Flowerleaf Ranges and the Alfalfa Wilderness, right? So this is like the weird changes happening in the Four Leaf Clover Forests having the ability to influence that guy Faina?¡± He made an awkwardparison and then sighed. ¡°To have an influence on the weather at this distance... Does that mean the trees in the middle of the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth have all turned to ice crystals?¡±

    ¡°More or less,¡± Brendel answered. Though he¡¯s only been to Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth once, the visit had left a deep impression on him. Adding the extensive walkthroughs he read meant that he could just barely call himself knowledgeable about the ce.

    Though the name of the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth Maze contained the word ¡°Forest¡±, it was actually a cier inside. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call it an ice cave. The ice monsters that came out of there were more numerous than what he had seen in Sanorso or Fernezainbined.

    ¡°That¡¯s frightening.¡± Fs couldn¡¯t help but shiver. ¡°Does that mean we have to dive head-first into that frozen forest? Are we not stopping by along the way to buy some garments to ward off the cold?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got those, Mister Fs.¡± Medissa rode on the unicorn behind Brendel, smiling as she answered. She used her gaze to indicate the only loaded carriage in their procession, which was piled with supplies.

    The little prince was directed to escort that cart of supplies and he ran around the carriage, helping the hired cart drivers work on keeping the horse cart steady along the pothole-riddled path. Everyone listened as he fretted over the four thick-furred dwarf horses with his clear voice, but the four beasts couldn¡¯t care less about him and simply stared at him with disdain in their eyes.

    The scene made everyoneugh but also feel sympathetic.

    Luckily, Haruz was getting used to this. He lifted his head and wiped at the sweat on his reddened face. He wore a brand new set of leather armor and carried his longsword on his back, looking just like a young knight doing his apprenticeship with a noble family. There was no trace of the young prince dressed in silken gowns before.

    ¡°Oh, now I remember.¡± Fs came to a realization and nodded while he murmured to himself.

    ¡°Fs.¡± Brendel turned around then and asked, ¡°Does your hometown participate in winter hunts? I heard that the area around Barrano is the best developed region of the Empire and that Pesa and Flourir are keymerce towns. Forests like this must be rare on thend under your father¡¯s rule, yes?¡±

    ¡°Count Trentheim, you are certainly knowledgeable.¡± Count Trentheim immediately scored a few points with Fs when he heard the count bring up his hometown ¨C even more so when Brendel got things right and clearly understood the geography and culture of his hometown. Fs warmed up to the topic and dered, ¡°That¡¯s right, but it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t participated in winter hunts before. There were a few times when my father and I visited Flowerleaf Range on invitation and participated in some of the winter hunts that Duke Flowerleaf organized. After all, winter hunts are important for nobles. They¡¯re part of tradition and also an important social event. It was during one of them that I met Laurenna-¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened.¡± Brendel looked at the blushing female knight next to him and knew that Fs spoke the truth. He sighed mentally ¨C childhood sweethearts. No wonder Fs beat every other challenger and brought home the girl. Plus, the guy didn¡¯t have too bad of a personality. You could even say he had some personal charm, at leastpared to the other noble sons. No wonder Laurenna chose him.

    He nodded, still astride his horse, and then pretended to say nonchntly, ¡°Then, Mister Fs, you can just pretend this is a hunt. We¡¯re just after more dangerous prey.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Fs perked up. ¡°Now that Your Lordship has said so, I seem to be more eager to give this a shot.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Brendel smiled slightly. Beside him, Ciel saw the smile on his Lord¡¯s face and knew someone was about to be screwed over. He couldn¡¯t help but look over at the young man in sympathy. ¡°Then may I impose upon you? If Mister Fs doesn¡¯t object, I would love to have you take the task of cleaning up after the battle and organizing the spoils.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Fs looked hit over the head by good fortune. In noblemen etiquette, only the most respected guest had the first right to go after and divide up the prey. He never dreamed that the legendary leader held him in such high esteem ¨C it probably wasn¡¯t likely that the other feared his title since just half a month ago, Brendel hadn¡¯t hesitated to throw him and the daughter of the Empire¡¯s Prime Minister into jail. It was obvious that Count Trentheim didn¡¯t feel the name of the Kirrlutz Empire was worth very much. However, it was precisely because of this difference in treatment that Fs answered, somewhat humbly, ¡°Since Your Lordship is so kind, I would love nothing more than to fulfill the request.¡±

    The young man was clearly still trying to wrap around the praise Brendel heaped upon him. He hadn¡¯t even realized that he changed the term of address.

    Laurenna looked at her fiance and couldn¡¯t help but shake her head. She then looked up and thanked Brendel, ¡°We very much appreciate your trust, Count Trentheim.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Brendel responded back politely. He looked nonplussed on the surface, but he shook withughter on the inside. He hadn¡¯t brought this couple along because he wanted to meet up with Veronica or anything like that. At the root of it all, he was interested in their luck, which seemed to have been blessed by Marsha herself. In the face of the luckiest knight in Kirrlutz history, even Fem¡¯s Red Palm seemed like no big deal. Besides, it seemed like his Wild Elf older sister wasn¡¯t keen on helping him out now.

    He could almost imagine a future where the riches woulde rolling in. If Fs hadn¡¯t been the true heir to a prince of Kirrlutz, Brendel almost had a mind to keep him around forever.

    That¡¯s not to say he didn¡¯t entertain such a possibility right now.

    The dialogue between Brendel and Fs livened up the atmosphere of the procession and the people talked more freely afterwards, but Brendel took note of an exception. He turned around. The caravan traveled along the path with nking sounds and the bustling of people. The noon sun painted the entire forest in a dreamlike color. But among the people, Freya rode on a horse by herself at the edge of the procession, as if in a world by herself. She looked down and turned the stone tablet in her hands over and over.

    It was a stone tablet that had been through some rough times. The dark yellow surface was pebbled, a little like the wind-blown granite found on the Kelimar ins. On either side of the stone table was a mysterious symbol drawn in white paint. The paint itself looked like limestone dust, which faded easily, but wiping at the painting with hands proved otherwise. Aside from this, Freya didn¡¯t find anything odd after examining the table for several days.

    She didn¡¯t know why Brendel gave her this stone table and said those weird things about this being hers or that she¡¯d one day discover its secrets. However, it had been days and the stone tablet remained a mere stone tablet, without any changes at all. The young girl involuntarily furrowed her brow. She did contemte whether this was another one of Brendel¡¯s tricks ¨C he seemed to like ying tricks on her.

    The young girl from Be hesitated, but in the end she couldn¡¯t bear to throw the stone tablet away. What if this was real? This was something Brendel personally gave to her and they had gone so far for it ¡ª just the two of them.

    Because of that, she awkwardly held the stone in her hands, lost in her thoughts to the point where she didn¡¯t realize someone had approached her. Brendel lightly tapped the future War Goddess on her elbow and called out, ¡°Freya?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± The familiar voice jolted the young girl awake. She jumped. ¡°Bre-Brendel! What is it?¡±

    Brendel frowned and looked at the future War Goddess. Her panicked attitude didn¡¯t fool anyone. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°I... I¡¯m just trying to find out the secret of this stone. Brendel, just what is this?¡± Freya blushed faintly. She was too embarrassed to admit that her mind had gone where it shouldn¡¯t, but luckily the former country girl could think on her feet. She hurriedly lifted the stone tablet in her hand and asked the question.

    Brendel nced at the tablet she was holding. This stone tablet was sometimes called the ¡°Key¡± in certain scenarios in The Amber Sword. In truth, it was just a replica of the War Stone Tablet. These stone tablets had circted since the times of the Miirna people, or even before then, and had been used to record information about the true War Stone Tablet.

    However, some of them recorded ancient mysteries and some recorded history from before the War of the Holy Saints, or information about war or human culture. yers had discovered many such stone tablet fragments and a lot of the information about Tumen, Darkness Dragon, or the War of the Holy Saints had been decoded by the yers through the words on those fragments.

    The one he handed to Freya was just special.

    In the game, this particr table had a deep connection to Freya.

    In that turbulent time, the War Goddess, a title that represented an acknowledgement and praise of Freya¡¯s power was not just something that the yers awarded this to War Goddess. It wasn¡¯t even a title bestowed upon her by the king. In fact, people from Kirlutzz to Sanorso to even Madara ¨C her enemies ¨C jointly gave her that title.

    Of course this wasn¡¯t entirely due to her personal charm; arge part of the reason was due to Freya¡¯s mark of the War Goddess.

    There was a seal in the shape of the holy fire upon her forehead. Every time the War Goddess was in danger or strained herself to her limits, it would appear along with the gigantic wings of light. In such a form, the War Goddess¡¯s abilities would often increase exponentially.

    The earliest urence of this supposedly happened during a match at the Royal Calvary Academy. That was also one of the main reasons he insisted that Freya go to the Royal Calvary Academy. Since then, the mark of the War Goddess appeared more and more frequently. It clearly was an impossible task to keep that hidden after the battle that involved thousands, or even tens of thousands, of people.

    In the original history, yers announced that Freya first tapped into this power in the first battle against the north. After that battle, the title of the War Goddess followed her like a shadow. In addition, more yers began to look for the secret hidden by the title.

    The person to finally decode the mystery was the yer who discovered this stone tablet. Brendel had now forgotten the yer¡¯s ID, but he clearly remembered the whole thing from beginning to end.

    That happened sometime after the second War of the ck Roses. More and more replicas of the War Stone Tablet had been discovered and yers voluntarily began to decrypt the words on the stone tablets. At the same time, the history of the War of the Holy Saints became clearer and clearer to everyone.

    But the yer who discovered this tablet in Trentheim decoded a wholly different record. It neither recorded a piece of history about the War of Holy Saints nor a description of a battle or a legend. Instead, it repeatedly mentioned the existence of a mark of the War Goddess.

    At the end, the stone tablet subtly referenced the way to activate the lineage of the War Goddess.

    At first, the yer who discovered the stone table assumed it was an item for some mission to get a noble lineage. However, he tried everything he could think of and still couldn¡¯t figure out the next step of the mission. Then, he finally recalled that Aouinian War Goddess. so he posted about his experience and the contents of the stone table on the forum. Soon after, someone bought the stone tablet with a lot of money and then it passed through several owners before it ended up with Freya.

    Brendel remembered that it should have been the Year of Silver in the first century. Soon after, this Aouinian War Goddess mastered the ability to freely call forth her War Goddess mode.

    Until she died in battle,

    Though to be honest, Brendel himself didn¡¯t know how to use this stone tablet. He only knew about its location and part of itster whereabouts from the rumors floating around on the inte.

    But at least he was certain that this was it, and it would help Freya. He thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Do you trust me, Freya?¡±

    ¡°I... Of course I trust you, Brendel.¡± Freya paused and then seemed to understand what Brendel was asking. She looked down at the stone tablet in her hands and then nodded in resignation. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll put it somewhere safe.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. Maybe you¡¯ll naturally discover its secrets at ater point in time.¡± Brendel grabbed the reins and rode side by side with the War Goddess. When it came to Freya¡¯s troubles, that was all he could offer infort.

    ¡°Brendel... you¡¯re sounding more and more like Romaine¡¯s aunt.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just say that I¡¯m starting to sound more and more like a chatan? I can ept that,¡± Brendel answered wearily.

    Freya looked over at that and smiled lightly at him. ¡°But this is great. You haven¡¯t changed a bit since then. Sometimes I am so afraid that you¡¯ll no longer be that Brendel, now that you¡¯re a noble,¡± the young woman from the countryside turned around and said quietly.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t change, but you did.¡± Brendel nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve matured.¡±

    ¡°H-how?¡± The War Goddess blushed.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have said something like this before. Back then you probably would have said something like, ¡®Brendel, howe you¡¯ve be so strange!¡¯¡±

    ¡°Brendel... you... you¡¯re being too much...¡±

 Chapter 665 - v4c48p1 Long Road, Fragments of the Past (2)

    <h4>Chapter 665 - v4c48p1 Long Road, Fragments of the Past (2)</h4>

    v4c48p1

    Long Road, Fragments of the Past (2)

    In fact, the caravan spent the entire morning battling the path along the southern side of Lake Vallendaren, right outside the Anserra Forest, which had long since fallen into disrepair. This path, which had been amercial path bustling with activity thirty years ago, became a mess as soon as King Oberg the Seventh ascended to the throne. In recent days it¡¯s be better; since there were no signs ofmercial caravans, there also weren¡¯t things like bandit groups.

    In short, the entire caravan had a morning so busy that nobody had time for lunch and held on until they arrived at Shallow Water Town in the afternoon.

    Around three, Brendel could see the outlines of akeside town reflected onto the surface of theke. It glinted in the sunlight ¡ª

    That was Shallow Water Town.

    Shallow Water Town had a deep history in Aouine. Ever since Duke Harding bought thend from the Hignders in thest century, the immigrants chose that location to set up permanent residence. At the beginning, it provided a ce of rest for thoseing to seek gold at Falling Needle Hills, and then it gradually developed into a main location that connected Viero, Grinoires, and Lantolinan.

    Therefore, for thousands of years the town kept many of its historical inns. Niss¡¯ Pansies and The Trout Pool were two such inns that Brendel was familiar with.

    But in the game, the location of the Shallow Water Town wasn¡¯t important. It was important because it was the gateway to Lantonn, and Lantonn was rarely opened up to yers. Second, in order to get to the only high rank region nearby was the Falling Needle Hills from here, you had to pass through the south part of the Anserra Forest. The mountain roads were tough and yers would rather take the longer route and go from Castle Vallendaren instead of this direction.

    After all, distance wasn¡¯t a big problem since yers could use a teleportation array.

    This state of affairs remained until the side quest to the ancient castle at Weiston was released and me of Golden Ice, the Nine Phoenix Holy de, was revealed to the world. Then a massive amount of yers congregated upon the ce. But the good times didn¡¯tst long. Very soon after, the third War of the ck Roses broke out, and what happened after that wasmon knowledge.

    When he thought about that, Brendel couldn¡¯t help but look up at somewhere between the mountain ranges. The Goldfinch Mountain and Anserra¡¯s Sapphire Mountain Ranges intersected here, and the tworgest peaks east from here were theirrgest peaks, respectively. Underneath those peaks was the Nietchenil Gap and the ancient Weiston Castle was hidden in the woods northward from there.

    The legendary holy sword me of Golden Ice was hidden in the grounds below the castle.

    That was one of Brendel¡¯s targets, but for now, he wasn¡¯t nning on touching that item. Come to think of it, the area around Fallen Needle Hills were filled with high rank regions, as many as there were hairs on a dog. He didn¡¯t know what the design team had been thinking. But he knew that guarding the me of Golden Ice underneath the Weiston Castle was a bona fide adult dragon.

    Cadina, that Deepwinter Dragon, had some sort of connection to the one at Fallen Needle Hills. But her abilities were several levels above that young dragon¡¯s. If Brendel were to cause trouble for her now, it would be an almost certain death for him.

    Brendel then looked toward Shallow Water Town. For a long time, this ce would be the frontline against Madara and memories of this ce were carved deeply into him. He and his upperssman¡¯s guild had fought and bled here. So many ces bore fragments of his memory fighting with those familiarrades.

    As they passed every street and alleyway, he could see the familiar scenes and ces. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh inside with reminiscence.

    The carriage entered the town from the main road closest to Shallow Water Town. Since the nearby areas were rtively peaceful, they didn¡¯t have to go through a strict interrogation. Shallow Water Town was under the rule of Duke Latonn. This Duke was very strict and, in contrast to ces like Grinoires, it was hard to see private armies acting viciously even in somewhere as out-of-the-way as Shallow Water Town as a result.

    In the end, the caravan stopped in the middle of themercial district in the northern sector of the town. Brendel intentionally chose an inn far away from the piers. This inn didn¡¯t have a memorable name: Caravan Home. In Aouine, and elsewhere throughout Wardt, you could find many inns with the same unimaginative name. There was no connection between them, but if you had to think of one, it would probably be that every single one of the innkeepers werezy when it came to naming their inn.

    This inn was also quite unknown in the game. At least, Brendel had never heard of it. But he chose this ce for two reasons. One, to avoid the ruckus at the piers. Two, to avoid having his memories brought up by somewhere more familiar. Every memory was like a jagged fragment of a shattered mirror; as they were revealed one by one, it felt like another wound being exposed to the world.

    After they settled their carriages and walked into the inn, they found business at the inn just like Brendel expected it to be ¡ª nonexistent.

    Even the innkeeper seemed like he hadn¡¯t expected such a big client. He had been focused on keeping his head down and using a dirty rag to carefully wipe a te. When the bald middle-aged man sensed the lighting in from the door slightly dim, he had to pause before realizing what was happening.

    He raised his head, squinted and saw Brendel as he entered the inn first. Next to him were Fs and the female knight Laurenna. Following them were Medissa and Ciel; Freya held her stone tablet and came after. Next to her was Hipam, dressed in a xen robe ¡ª the female priest¡¯s arms were bare but it didn¡¯t seem to bother her at all in these frigid temperatures. They didn¡¯t know whether this was the result of being protected by the Spirit of the Himiludesson mountains or whether it was because she was used to harsh conditions as an austere bhante.

    Bringing up the rear were Scarlet and the little prince, who just came out from the stables. After a morning¡¯s worth of hard work, Harruz¡¯s head drooped wearily as he followed behind the mercenary girl. He looked like a mistreated childborer.

    For this journey, Brendel didn¡¯t bring along a lot of people because they were heading into a very dangerous territory. This would be a fruitless trip for the unskilled. Therefore, aside from those who had toe, Brendel only brought along his cards. In addition, they were nning on meeting up with Mephisto the Ash Sword Saint, Babasha and her with underling, as well as Aloz. All in all, their party wouldn¡¯t be greater than ten people.

    But among the team was someone who had invited themselves along.

 Chapter 666 - v4c48p2 Long Road, Fragments of the Past (3)

    v4c48p2

    Long Road, Fragments of the Past (3)

    As the innkeeper squinted his eyes and examined the crowd, Brendel himself couldn¡¯t help but turn around and nce at the person who had quietly followed along their team this entire time. Until now, she had not spoken one single sentence with him and just kept following along silently.

    But in deference to Her Royal Highness, he couldn¡¯t just ask the woman anything.

    When everyone walked into the inn, the bald innkeeper finally seemed to react and confirm that this crowd of people wasn¡¯t here to collect debts. He nked for a second before asking, ¡°Do you all require rooms?¡±

    ¡°Unless you have other services aside from rooms? Isn¡¯t this an inn?¡± Before Brendel could respond, Fs asked in confusion.

    ¡°Ahh, no. Of course... no, wee!¡± The bald innkeeper jumped up as if someone held his feet over an open me. ¡°You need rooms? My inn has many avable rooms and I guarantee your satisfaction.¡±

    ¡°Not just rooms.¡± Brendel finally said. ¡°We also need food. We just arrived from Kurkel and we¡¯re cold and hungry. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the grounds of this godforsaken ce are so cold and hard, not even tents and sleeping bags helped! I can finally get a good night¡¯s sleep tonight and eat something decent ¨C¡± Fs interrupted excitedly, ¡°I want roast deer meat, preferably roasted with charcoal from the Alfafa Wilderness and so rich you could see the oil dripping from it. Combine that with spices ¡ª best use spices shipped from the Luka Sea, if that¡¯s not possible then I can also ept salt and vani from Sanorso ¡ª then give me a pot of honey, butter cake, and baked herrings. A cup of ck tea straight from Lusitar¡¯s Golden House would be appreciated. Also ¨C¡±

    The Kirrllutzian knight was just getting in the swing of things, as if he could already taste the meal, but Brendel hurriedly interrupted him before Fs could demand anything even more outrageous. He said to the wide-eyed bald innkeeper, ¡°Listen to him and get us roast deer meat ¨C if you don¡¯t have it, there should be some in season at the Trout Pool. You can go buy some there. Head out from here, and turn left twice. Then walk all the way to the end of the street. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of the ce.¡±

    ¡°As for the other things, pretend you didn¡¯t hear anything. But you can buy some of the aquatic products from Lake Vallendaren ¡ª such as mackerel or salmon, which are both in season. Then you can make us some passable dishes. We¡¯ll pay you double the money for them and, if you can get your hands on honey, I¡¯ll give you an extra reward.¡±

    ¡°In addition, thedies could do with some fruit wine to warm them up.¡± Brendel looked at the little prince. ¡°And a cup of goat¡¯s milk. I don¡¯t care what you do, but don¡¯t y tricks with me. I know the rules here better than you, understand?¡±

    The bald headed innkeeper jerked slightly and realized that he was up against someone very experienced and also more familiar with the town than he was. He couldn¡¯t resist giving Brendel an extra nce. Brendel¡¯s northern nobleman outfit gave him slight pause. By all means, someone who could say things like that shouldn¡¯t be a nobleman, but rather someone who spent many years on the road, like a mercenary or an adventure seeker.

    But the bald innkeeper didn¡¯t dare make a fuss and hurriedly made his goodbyes before instructing the waiters to carry out Brandel¡¯s orders.

    Only then did Brendel turn around to find everyone watching him in astonishment. Medissa, Ciel, Freya, Scarlett, and even the newly joined Pahim knew, to some extent, that this Leader was very knowledgeable. In addition, Brendel was a master swordsman and also knew some of the secrets of magecraft and elemental magic. He even understood some of the secrets of the witches. From astronomy to geography and even rumors among the noblemen, Brendel seemed to know it all.

    In private, Brendel also seemed to be an alchemist, a cksmith, and an academic. Despite all this, they never imagined that the Leader would have this side to him.

    This was not something you could exin away using just by them being knowledgeable ¡ª

    At least in the eyes of the others, this count acted like a mercenary or adventure-seeker with all the experience in the world. Scarlett felt this the most. In the past, she had only felt something simr from mercenaries who had traveled throughout all of Aouine or even to Kirrlutz.

    She couldn¡¯t help but pause and stare in confusion at her Leader. But this caused the little prince, who was hanging his head in defeat, to walk into the case on her back containing the Azure Lance. He let out a grunt.

    Haruz¡¯s grunt of pain seemed to break the silence.

    Brendel coughed once and seemed to realize that he had behaved a bit exaggeratedly. He couldn¡¯t help but re at Fs. If it hadn¡¯t been because of this impulsive guy, he wouldn¡¯t have subconsciously shown a side of him from his previous time in the game.

    But he sighed quietly inside. It wasn¡¯t all the man¡¯s fault. He couldn¡¯t resist looking at the scenery outside the window; this ce was just too familiar to him.

    ¡°You all know that in my early years, I spent some time seeking enlightenment away from home.¡± He smiled awkwardly and exined, ¡°during those years, I crossed paths with adventure-seekers and mercenaries. I even traveled on the seas ¨C¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s it.¡± Fs came to a realization. ¡°Count Trentheim, you looked a bit like Lady Veronica just now. ording to what I know, the leader of the battalion had a simr experience as you did in her younger years. I heard she even joined a mercenary group by herself.¡±

    This Kirrlutzian knight seemed to easily believe Brendel¡¯s exnation. But that didn¡¯t mean everyone else was this easy to fool. When Brendel detected various levels of doubt in the other people¡¯s eyes, he understood. Not everyone would believe his exnation.

    First, there was an obvious point of suspicion: he was too young.

    But right now wasn¡¯t the time to discuss this, so Brendel could only force himself to ask everyone to sit down. Luckily, with the exception of Laurenna, Scarlett, Medissa, and Freya all trusted him blindly. They didn¡¯t want to press when they realized Brendel wasn¡¯t going to tell them more. Each of them fell into their seats.

    Just when Brendel thought he had sessfully cleared this hurdle, a cold voice interrupted. ¡°Brendel, you said you traveled the seas?¡±

    Brendel sat up straighter, looked up, and saw the female knight seated beside the little prince Haruz.

    She seemed to belong to a race from the north. The bridge of her nose was taller and straighter, like those of Hignder blood. Her lips were slightly thick but that didn¡¯t destroy her delicate beauty. Instead, it added a slight trace of sexiness to her.

    This sexiness, however, did not turn her into a vixen. In contrast, she looked at him calmly with those purple-tinted eyes, as if she were a she-wolf looking at her prey.

    She had one hand on her sword and used the other to tuck away the ck hair across her forehead.

    Brendel stared at her. This woman was the only self-invited guest to their party. At first, he thought she was someone the princess sent because the princess was worried about the little prince. But he had cautiously asked Haruz to do some of the more dangerous guard duties, and she had never seemed to stop him.

    Just this alone made him suspicious. Beside, ording to the princess¡¯ personality, since she had already demonstratedplete trust in him, it didn¡¯t seem like her to do something extra as a precaution.

    In fact, after prodding at her for thest several days, Brendel could almost be certain that this female knight seemed to be here for him.

    But for the moment, he had a hard time figuring out what her goal was.

    So when Maynild opened her mouth, Brendel could almost hear the thump of his heart.

    ¡°Here ites!¡± he cried out in his heart.

    Then he hesitated and answered, ¡°What about it?¡±

    ¡°I just want to know which port you left from.¡± Maynild answered quietly. Her tone of voice became gentle again. This caused Brendel to pause, because he didn¡¯t hear any antagonism in her voice.

    Instead, because of that familiar face, he even felt a sense of warmness.

    ¡°Is there a meaning to the question?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the female knight shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just curious all of a sudden. Brendel, could you answer me?¡±

    Brendel suddenly felt awkward. He didn¡¯t know why Maynilkd didn¡¯t call him Mr. Brendel like the princess did and instead used his personal name. This move shortened the gap between them and caused him to feel like he was under someone¡¯s watchful gaze.

    But he looked at her serious expression and didn¡¯t know how to refuse it ¡ª could he refuse the female upperssman? In his heart, Brendel shook his head immediately. Clearly not. In this moment, he suddenly realized the root to his anxiousness. Right then, Maynild was too like the impression he carried in his heart.

    ¡°I used to study on the Karsuk teau under a ck Tower Mage. I was even an apprentice. Then I left for the sea with someone from what¡¯s known today as Sebons, passed through Sanorso and some ces further east...¡±

    He hesitated and carefully crafted his story. Luckily, he was experienced so that even though these were lies, he didn¡¯t think they¡¯d cause problems. Besides, in another line of history, he had been to all of these ces. If she asked, he was confident he could handle himself.

    He didn¡¯t think the female knight merely nced at him, as if wondering something about him but also a little bit regretfully. She let out a sigh and said, ¡°Is that so? I thought you had been to the Shining Seas. If you leave from Port Gris by boat, it¡¯ll only take you a couple of days before you can see the light of the Knga mountain ranges shining on the sparkling seas...¡±

    ¡°Such a scene must be very beautiful, right?.¡±

    When Brendel heard that sentence, his heart thumped and then froze in one ce.

    At that moment, he couldn¡¯t hear anything else. The only thing that echoed in his mind was that one sentence: If you leave from Port Gris by boat, it¡¯ll only take you a couple of days before you can see the light of the Knga mountain ranges shining on the sparkling seas...

    Such a scene must be very beautiful, right?

    Yes, beautiful, majestic, and breathtaking.

 Chapter 667 - v4c49 Long Road, Fragments of the Past (4)

    <strong>v4c49</strong>

    <strong>Long Road, Fragments of the Past (4)</strong>

    The others nearby seemed to have noticed something unusual between the two and stopped to look at them. Maynild felt Brendel¡¯s gaze and quietly replied, ¡°I have heard people speak of the beauty beyond the Shining Sea-¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve heard of it?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Maynild nodded and did not seem like she wanted to pursue the topic. She took off her cloak and hung it on the back of the chair, then returned to sit with her knightly demeanor.

    Brendel looked at her, deciding to stop asking questions. But he knew in his heart that that was impossible! He had seen that view before; he had seen the blue waves, the sunlight casting a white-golden section in the sea, and the white-brown peaks of the Knga Mountains reaching through the clouds where the sea and sky met.

    But the memory of that time was like an old faded and charred photograph, he still vaguely remembered the faces in the photo, one of which was bing more and more vivid, ovepping with the face of the female knight in front of him, as if it had been given color again.

    Brendel frowned slightly, his mind was a jumbled mess of trivial details that had happened years, months, even days ago, and they intertwined and formed some spections.

    A thought that made him shudder slightly suddenly emerged.

    Bai Jia, was it really her? Did she recognize him? Or did she only recognize that he was a yer? Is this supposed to be a test? Brendel¡¯s fingers trembled nervously. His fingertips touched the smooth edges of the wooden te a little at a time, and he felt his throat dry and his heart pounding.

    The people at the edge of the round table was quiet as well, the whispering of Laurenna and Fs.

    Brendel quietly nced towards Maynild¡¯s direction. There was something paradoxical about this feeling. Is this female knight who I think she is? That was what he was hoping for. Because there was a feeling about the other person that was familiar to him, but she also felt like a stranger at the same time.

    Besides, Brendel knew very well that if the other party was Bai Jia, she would have been more powerful than this. In the game, she had yed for a shorter period of time than him, but her achievements were far greater than his. Her experience would never let her be a silent bystander after crossing over, and if it was her who was by the princess¡¯s side, then there would be no need for him to deal with Arreck and Seifer.

    But what was going on in the current situation?

    Brendel was all too familiar with the Knga Mountains of the Shining Sea.

    It was their first time at sea, and everyone was struck by the magnificentndscape of the Shining Sea, which was so intimate and so deeply burned into their memories that they simply could not forget it. It was as if it was the beginning of a story because, from that day, days of bloodshed followed.

    All for the sake of that Aouine who had left them a memory-.

    He looked at Maynild in stunned silence, but the female knight was at peace, ¡°Jia ......¡± Brendel opened his mouth and uttered this short syble.

    The abrupt voice was as if a string snapped in a quiet room, piercing the brief silence and making everyone turn their heads. Laurenna stopped talking to Fs, subconsciously looking back.

    But Brendel did not care about what the others might think.

    He just needed an answer.

    He stared at the shoulder-length dark hair, calm-faced female knight, Maynild¡¯s¡¯ slender fingers shivering slightly, ¡°Senior?¡±

    It was just with the slightest movement.

    But it was as if a dagger had been thrust into Brendel¡¯s heart, causing his veins to constrict all over his body. At that moment he felt a tingling sensation like suffocation, and then the blood flowed back in, giving him a short period of tinnitus.

    Two lifetimes had passed and he never thought he would re-encounter the one person who had changed him the most, who had taught him whatpanionship, passion, and love were from his cold, selfish nature.

    He stared into Maynild¡¯s purple eyes, waiting for just one answer.

    But Maynild raised her head and looked at him calmly, looking a little confused.

    There was nothing but dead silence.

    There were at least ten seconds of confusion before Fs broke the silence and asked, somewhat curiously, ¡°Gar ...... alfalfa festival? What does that mean, Count? Is it a dialect of Aouine?¡±

    The bright light in Brendel¡¯s eyes faded for a moment, ¡°No.¡± He replied somewhat bitterly, he took a small breath and looked back with great difficulty to manage a smile, ¡°Gashuj ¨C a city in the Kingdom of Rubik, I mean just as good to see thereafter leaving the Shining Sea.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Fs looked interested, ¡°The Kingdom of Rubik, I¡¯ve heard of that ce, it¡¯s a silvery desert, you can see crescent-shaped sand dunes from passing by the sea, one after the other. There are also mountains there that reach straight into the clouds?¡±

    ¡°...... Where there isnd there are mountains, and a little further south you can see them ......¡± replied Brendel with a t tone.

    Suddenly he felt something keenly and looked back, it was Maynild looking at him in some surprise. Their eyes met for only a moment, but she quickly turned back, no longer paying attention to this side.

    Brendel was slightly startled and confused. As he dealt with Fs¡¯ exuberant curiosity, he paid some attention to Maynild, but s, she had not looked back the entire time.

    It was as if everything before was nothing more than an illusion.

    Brendel¡¯s heart was somewhat despondent and he could not help but feel low.

    The past was indeed the past, and the rest was nothing more than a one-sided wishful thought. Medisha and Laurenna were aware of the change, and they immediately steered the conversation at the table to something else, each of them thinking that Brendel was so familiar with this ce and perhaps had such an unforgettable memory here. After all, everyone had their own secrets, and the two wisedies tacitly kept silent.

    In the meantime, only Freya saw something wrong with Brendel¡¯s clumsy word of concern, but he brushed it off. The female mercenary leaned against the Azure Lance, sitting in a corner and took in the scene, but consistently just watched in silence.

    Only Fs reacted, trying to make small talk with Brendel. This prince from Kirrlutz seemed to view Brendel as his closest friend after Brendel had given him the right to be the first to touch his prey. Cielughed at this, only subtly deflecting the conversation when Brendel was starting to feel annoyed.

    Laurenna at the side looked at this scene and nearly facepalmed. How dumb can Fs be.

    The sand in the magic hourss ced in the center of the hotel hall had flowed about a third of the way. That is, it was almost a dreary hourter when the sun was off over theke, casting shade through the windows onto the maple studded floor. Lunch was nearly fourte when it was finally served

    The overly fat venison was overcooked, with crumpled bread, salt-baked salmon that was so dark it looked like smoked meat, fish soup stirred with red beans, and the potato custard, which was the most decent thing on the table.

    Although Brendel had known that there could not possibly be anything good in such a notorious inn, he could not help but frown at the sight of the food on wooden tes that seemed to have been long past their shelf life. How long had it been since he had eaten such food after he broke away from his solo hunting career in the Amber Sword?

    He looked up at the sweaty, balding owner, good thing the man was not useless, he had actually gotten a jar of honey in addition to fruit wine and goat¡¯s milk. Honey was notmon in this day and age, rather it was the nobles¡¯ luxurious items. In addition, Brendel knew that there were no beekeepers in the upper Shallow Water Town area, so Brendel guessed that this jar of honey was most likely wild honey from the hunter¡¯s home.

    he owner nodded at him ¨C so respectfully of course not just because of who he was, Brendel was well aware of the other man¡¯s intentions, which was understandable, and of course, he was true to his word. He gathered his previously jumbled thoughts and gestured to the Silver Elf princess on the other side.

    Medisha immediately took out her money bag and had Brendel grab a handful of gold coins from it. Brendel looked up, stared at the balding innkeeper, and then threw the gold coins in front of him, making ttering sounds. He was not trying to put up a scene, it was just that Brendel knew that in order to deter these mercenary people who had been drilling in the marketce for so long, taking out a nobleman¡¯s way of doing things was the most effective method.

    The yellow gold coins reflected even more brightly on the boss¡¯s head, he was shocked by Brendel¡¯s gesture. It was not that he had not seen so much money before, it was just that a customer as generous as Brendel was a rare urrence in his life.

    A thousand Taels was almost half a month¡¯s worth of his business ie.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do as I say, I¡¯ll never be stingy as long as you meet my orders.¡± Brendel replied bluntly, ¡°We¡¯re here to hunt a special group of prey this time, do you have any news of the town¡¯s hunters?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes¡± the balding innkeeper grew more and more respectful, Brendel had already risen to the level of a great nobleman from Ampere Seale and Kurkel in his eyes, and he was afraid of annoying these great men in front of him, he respectfully replied, ¡°Of course, my lord, the Shallow Water Town is just this size.¡± There¡¯s nobody in town that I do not know, except for, of course, outsiders.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You mean you would know when outsiders appear in town?¡±

    The innkeeper did not even dare to raise his head: ¡°Pretty much, my Lord. I wouldn¡¯t dare to say all of them, but I know a good amount. Merchants, adventurers, and those entering the town will always need to find a ce to rest, and in a ce like an inn where news flows quickly, it¡¯s hard to hide any secrets, my Lord.¡±

    Brendel knew that without saying but he was purposefully luring the information from him; The things people speak unconsciously are often the most truthful and trustworthy: ¡°Since you know the surrounding area so well, tell me, is this time of the year a good time for us toe hunting?¡±

    ¡°My Lord, the timing you have chosen is wonderful. Only after the middle of the month of Flowing Fire will this forest in the north warm up a bit, and then two months after that, it will quickly enter winter again. The only time to hunt is these two months, my Lord.¡± The innkeeper looked as if he knew everything.

    ......

 Chapter 668 - v4c50 Long Road, Fragments of the Past (5)

    <strong>v4c50</strong>

    <strong>Long Road, Fragments of the Past (5)</strong>

    This is the same information that Brendel has learned: ¡°What about the others, will they bother us? I can¡¯t trust those mercenaries out there.¡±This is the same information that Brendel has learned: ¡°What about the others, will they bother us? I can¡¯t trust those mercenaries out there.¡±

    ¡°My Lord, you can be rest assured of that, there are very few people heading north to the forest, most of the mercenaries passing through here are actually heading to Lantonn.¡±

    Brendel nodded, at least the guy had not lied so far, he narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°What about merchants, shouldn¡¯t there be fur traders going into the forest this time of the year to collect goods from the hunters? Wouldn¡¯t they hire mercenaries to get in?¡±

    ¡°Your Lordship knows in such detail.¡± The innkeeper had a few more fine beads of sweat on his balding head: ¡°But there are only a few people at this time of year, which is not worth worrying about. Besides, most of them arew-abiding merchants.¡±

    Merchants who keep their duty. If there were still anyw-abiding merchants right now, Brendel reckoned that the only one besides himself was Romaine. Most of the people walking around Aouine¡¯s territory were armed merchants, and these merchants would have more or less dirty hands.

    But he did not mention it, instead, he just replied, ¡°I know, but I don¡¯t want to listen to your estimations. Just tell me what merchants have entered the forest recently and how I¡¯m going to avoid them.¡±

    He paused for a moment: ¡°And get me a record of the merchant ships that have recently entered and left the port. I know there will be records of these at your inn.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± the innkeeper wiped the oil on his balding head and replied in a sweaty manner, ¡°I understand my Lord, I¡¯ll bring them to you right away.¡±

    ........

    Brendel had apparently seeded in convincing the innkeeper that they were a group of aristocratic children out hunting rare prey, ¡®white stags¡¯. With this kind of knowledge, there was naturally nothing to lose when doing things. But in less than half an hour, he had asked him about most of the things that had happened in Shallow Water Town, and the surrounding area, in the recent past.

    Their matters ranged from trivial matters like a neighborhood conflict, to what ships had left the port in the recent past, and he was asked about everything.

    And unsurprisingly in an inn where the poption density was high and information flow was abundant, the unattractive looking innkeeper had information that made both Fs and Laurenna widen their eyes; but Brendel just found it humorous. Seems like only newbies can fall for baseless rumors like these.

    He asked for the notebook coated in ayer of oil and grime. In this era, the literacy rate was not high, so each innkeeper used their own respective methods to keep note of important details. While he may not be familiar with the methods used in ces like Farnezain or Sanorso or Kirrlutz, he had no trouble interpreting the nguage¡¯ used by the innkeepers of Aouine.

    In the eyes of others, he easily swept past the entire notebook, and then pulled out a map from his backpack onto the table. In reality, he did not bother to look at the ships leaving the port. After all, if Duke Arreck was really on one of them, there was no way to distinguish which ship he was on.

    What he really cared about was the merchant ships leaving the Shallow Water Town.

    And news about the recent appearance of the group of monsters.

    ¡°Were the things he said really true?¡±Fs asked in a seemingly confused manner. ¡°He said that someone saw a cat turn into a fish. Is that really possible?¡±

    Brendel retracted his gaze from the map¡ªwhere markings of recent monster appearances could be seen¡ª¡ªand looked at Fs as if he was an idiot. ¡°Of course not. The information of inns around here is mostly false rumors. You gotta use your own brain to discern between the useful news from the rest.¡±

    ¡°I see. I never knew about such knowledge.¡± Fs said, enlightened.

    But his fiance seemed to understand more than him, as she raised her head and asked, ¡°So which of the information is useful though, My lord?¡±

    How can there be such a gem among all that trash? She is truly a genius, to have picked all that up so quickly. He put the map aside and flipped the forked fish on this te. ¡°The pretty we¡¯re looking for will not reveal his tracks, but there will be traces, like the hunters who went into the mountains...¡±

    ¡°My lord, are you suggesting that they were hired by Duke Arreck as a guide?¡± The Elf Princess put her fork down and asked softly.

    ¡°I¡¯m just suspecting that to be the case,¡± Brendel replied. ¡°But we¡¯ll find out the truth soon enough.¡± He cut out a piece of the fish, its hard texture made him feel like he was cutting a piece of dragon meat, and put it in his mouth. The intense stench made him raise his eyebrows and he almost puked due to it.

    After getting used to the delicacies in his fief, he could not tolerate the taste of these terribly cooked meals. But he still munched on them like biting a piece of rock before swallowing them down. It¡¯s natural to suffer when traveling, and I have to restore my energy before we continue.

    Back when it was a game, I treated them as if they were healing potions and didn¡¯t mind anything else. But now that it became my reality, it¡¯s truly hard to survive off these kinds of bad meals.

    Maybe this is a type of change of heart.

    At this point, he could not help but look at the other that came from rural areas like this. The meals Freya had back in Be was definitely not better than this. As for Scarlet, it was hard for her to even find food in the wild, so she did not have any trouble eating all this food.

    But as expected, Laurenna and Fs could not tolerate this kind of food. While they tried to suppress their disgusted looks, they quickly dropped their forks after having a small bite. On the other hand, Medissa was a little more ethical and took a bite of everything as a form of respect for her owner. Nheless, the portion she tried was gradually decreasing. Finally, she gracefully put her fork down. On the other hand, Brendel thought to himself, there¡¯s no need for an Elite Elf to consume food though.

    Ciel sat on his staff, sipping a few gulps of fruit beer. By his side, Hipam cupped her hands to thank the gods for the food while the little price had a sour expression as he looked at the grilled meat that reeked of a sour stench. Brendel swore he saw tears forming at the corner of his eyes.

    Only Maynild truly took Brendel¡¯s breath away. She separated the red beans from the fish soup ording to the traditional methods and then ate everything with an indifferent expression, without wasting anything.

    Shepleted her meallike an intricate autonomous machine that even Brendel could not help looking a few more times. Finally, she wiped her mouth with her white handkerchief and thanked the waiter as she put her fork down.

    The scene was so beautiful Brendel¡¯s could feel his tears falling down.

    Just as everyone was battling this terrible lunch, a sneaky sound interrupted them in an unexpected situation.

    Brendel was looking at the map while it happened; and when he heard the voice, she quickly pulled his gaze away and looked back.

    He saw a young girl.

    She had mauve colored hair and a tiny face. Her natural crystal-like big eyes gave off a doll-like appearance. She was wearing a very gorgeous dress, just a little old, but she did not look like amoner¡¯s child either. Especially the jewels on those round-head leather shoes, Brendel could tell right away that they were real jewels.

    Standing there, she was like one of those little fairies in fairy tales, which made it impossible to take one¡¯s eyes off her.

    The little girl yed with both of her hands and asked politely, ¡°May I sit here for a moment?¡±

    She pointed to the empty seat beside Haruz.

    Laurenna could not help but overflow with motherly love at the sight of this little girl, but suffering from the fact that the owner of the ce was still Brendel, she could stay where was. Good thing Freya seemed to sense her thoughts and she asked in a somewhat softer tone, ¡°Are you lost, little sister? Do you want something to eat?¡±

    ¡°No, thank you,¡± replied the little girl politely, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for someone here, but I¡¯m a little scared to be alone, can I sit with you?¡±

    Freya nced at Brendel.

    Brendel, however, looked ahead at the young prince with some amusement. It turned out that he had been looking dumbfounded at the little girl from the moment she had appeared.

    ¡°Haruz, this littledy is going to sit next to you, are you okay with that?¡± When Brendel said this, he had already carefully examined the little girl once, and had already detected that the other party did not have any sense of power in her body, but was just an ordinary person.

    As if he did not hear, Brendel had to call the young prince twice before he reacted, it was only then he replied with his face reddening. ¡°Ah, sure......¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± The little girl childishly bowed to all of them, and as soon as Brendel saw the salute, he understood that the other was of nobility, and it not just any kind of nobility. He looked at Maynild, and the knightess seemed to be checking out the little girl, but like him, she did not say anything.

 Chapter 669 - v4c51 Long Road, Fragments of the Past (6)

    <h4>v4c51 Long Road, Fragments of the Past (6)</h4>

    ¡°O-of course,¡± Haruz stuttered.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The little girl thanked him, lifted her dress gracefully, and sat down beside the future King of Aouine.

    But Haruz had little self-consciousness as the crown prince, his face was blushing almost as red as a ripe apple, not knowing what to do. He wanted to sit closer to the little girl, but he was afraid that it might upset her.

    Brendel shook his head at the sight of it, the young prince was not behaving like a member of the royal family, he probably could not even bepared to an ordinary nobleman¡¯s son. <i>How exactly did Oberwei and his sister educate him......¡± </i>

    But then he thought of an interesting question, <i>if Haruz happens to like this little girl, what about the future of Eikkel and Yo¡¯s daughter, Era? <.i></i>

    <i>Will that change history?</i>

    <i>Thinking of this he could not help but narrow his eyes to stare at that little girl, and to be honest, he had a good impression of her. In this era of Aouine, mostmoner¡¯s daughters would not be as elegant and poised, while most children of noble families were domineering and had long forgotten the manners of their ancestors.</i>

    <i>In Brendel¡¯s mind, Faina was a typical example. But it was good that the girl was not bad in nature and did not cause him too much trouble. Instead, it was the other ......</i>

    <i>He felt a headache when he thought of that prime minister¡¯s daughter.</i>

    <i>But while he was thinking nonsensically, he suddenly heard Laurenna ask with some concern, ¡°Little girl, what¡¯s your name?¡±</i>

    <i>The little girl looked up at the female knight and replied in a soft voice, ¡°Originally mother said that names are not to be told to random strangers. But I know you¡¯re a good person, so I can tell you in secret-¡°</i>

    <i>Then she leaned over and whispered into Laurenna¡¯s ear, ¡°My name is Mika.¡±</i>

    <i>Although she was whispering, at least half of the people present heard them clearly. Apart from the young prince and Ciel who had his strength reduced greatly, Medissa, Hipam, Brendel, Freya, Scarlet, Maynild, and Fs all heard it clearly. After all, as existences with strength above silver, their perceptions were sharp enough to hear the whispered words of a little girl, in fact, very easily. </i>

    <i>But of course, the mountain girl and Freya would not say anything, and Fs¡¯ did not care much that he was salivating at the jar of honey next to Brendel. </i>

    <i>Out of the four, only Brendel raised his eyebrows slightly.</i>

    <i>Mika...</i>

    <i>The name sounded so familiar to him.</i>

    <i>It alerted him instantly, and now he was extremely keen on such a feeling. </i>

    <i>Because in the past, there were so many records about backgrounds, histories, and information in the game that everyone couldn¡¯t be omniscient, but most of the names and events with a certain level of poprity would more or less leave a trace in the yer¡¯s heart.</i>

    <i>The more profound such a trace was, the more important that event was. Whereas meeting an event like the ck Rose War, which was so ingrained in Brendel¡¯s heart, was an event that he would never forget.</i>

    <i>A name he knew but could not remember meant two possibilities.</i>

    <i>One possibility was that the name itself represented a less than ster meaning, but held a ce in history. The other possibility was that the owner of the name might be very famous, but had little interaction with him.</i>

    <i>An example of the first possibility would be the recements of some small local lords, and the second would be a master of a minor seat in the Buga¡¯s Council of Twelve. Although the Silver Folks in the Council of Twelve were all terrifying, Brendel could not name all of them except for William and Tuman.</i>

    <i>Surely by just seeing the names might be enough to remember who the others were, but it would not be so easy to remember every detail. </i>

    <i>With that in mind, he could not help but straighten up his posture a bit. And at the same time, he saw that the female knight opposite him, Maynild, also turned her somewhat serious gaze to that little girl.</i>

    <i>But the little girl was more alert than he thought, and she seemed to notice Brendel¡¯s antics and looked up at him with some fear, ¡°Uncle, what¡¯s wrong?¡±</i>

    <i>Uncle ...... Uncle?</i>

    <i>Brendel almost spat out a mouthful of blood, as he would only be twenty-one by next month! I¡¯m only twenty-one! How am I an uncle?

    </i>

    <i> He took a deep breath and had a hard time calming down. Thinking to himself that he should forget it, being called an uncle wasn¡¯t a big deal anyway, given his other soul¡¯s age. He stopped for a moment and spoke in what he thought was the gentlest voice he could muster, ¡°Little sister, did you say your name was Mika? What¡¯s your full name?¡±</i>

    <i>Brendel was sure that his expression at that moment must have been the softest, never to be mistaken for a strange uncle that would abduct children. But he immediately realized that it was nothing more than his delusion.</i>

    <i>Mika looked at him with some trepidation, suddenly sliding off her chair and carefully replying, ¡°My name¡¯s just Mika, Uncle. My mother and father will be here soon, so I¡¯ll be off, thank you-¡°</i>

    <i>Then she bowed to everyone and ran out the door.</i>

    <i> ¡°Wait ......¡± Brendel was slightly startled and was about to reach out and call out to the little girl. But it was at that moment that he saw a man running in from outside the door of the inn.</i>

    <i>As soon as the man entered the inn, he shouted, ¡°Got it, my lord!¡±</i>

    <i>It was only then that Brendel noticed the man¡¯s bright balding head, it was the innkeeper who had been sent out to get information for him, and at the sight of this guy, Brendel swallowed back the words that had reached his throat. He took a distant nce at the little girl called Mika, who had already run near to the counter.</i>

    <i>Nevermind. Brendel sighed. There would be plenty of opportunitiester anyway, and besides, his most urgent task was not to investigate the identity of a little girl. Instead, what mattered most to him right now was the news the balding boss had brought back.</i>

    <i>There was no telling if he had investigated any useful information.</i>

    <i>When he looked in that direction, the balding innkeeper was already panting and running to their side. He looked at Brendel with a look of utmost admiration and replied breathlessly, ¡°You are so predictable, my lord-¡°</i>

    <i>¡°Straight to the results.¡± Brendel tossed a gold coin over, knowing full well the guy¡¯s trick.</i>

    <i>¡°I went to ask, those hunters did indeed go straight into the forest without any preparation, that¡¯s strange, I haven¡¯t heard of anyone so daring in all these years.¡± The innkeeper smiled foolishly as he put away the gold coins and replied naggingly, ¡°They didn¡¯t prepare their tools, they didn¡¯t even bring their supplies, they must have lost their minds.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°They¡¯re not insane,¡± Laurenna¡¯s voice cut in, interrupting him, ¡°It¡¯s because someone has prepared supplies for them.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Who?¡± The innkeeper was stunned.</i>

    <i>Apart from him, everyone who was seated looked at each other, even Fs, who had been slow to react. </i>

    <i>Who would prepare supplies for those hunters?</i>

    <i>Naturally, it would be that cunning fox, Arreck.</i>

    <i>Because there were almost no records of caravans entering or leaving the country in recent times. So Brendel was almost certain that Arreck must not have entered Shallow Water Town at all, except that they still needed a local guide. After all, everyone could not know the forest as well as he did.</i>

    <i>He could therefore deduce that Arreck must have bypassed the Shallow Water Town and had just sent someone to hire some local hunters, and then went straight into the forest.</i>

    <i>As long as he had this clue, the next tracking would be much easier. Brendel¡¯s eyes showed a sense of calmness as he put down the map and asked, ¡°When did those hunters enter the forest?¡±</i>

    <i> ¡°A week ago, my Lord.¡± The innkeeper took the money, and, naturally doing his best, replied without hesitation.</i>

    <i>A week. Brendel chimed in slightly. That was not a long time, and it was likely that Arreck hadn¡¯t crossed the northern part of the Anserra Forest by now.</i>

    <i>He could not wait any longer, and they had to leave immediately. </i>

    <i>Of course, he would have to grasp more advantages before that could happen. He looked up, while the knights Laurenna and her fianc¨¦ Fs both looked at the lord somewhat admiringly, although filtering out useful information from useless rumors was just a basic but necessary lesson for most senior adventurers and mercenaries. In their case, to the novices¡¯ who had only left home for the first time, Brendel seemed like a man of wisdom.</i>

    <i>At that moment Brendel pulled out a roll of parchment from under his cloak and threw it in front of that innkeeper: ¡°You, read this.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Me?¡± The innkeeper was slightly stunned by this sudden action of Brendel, in his previous impression, this noble young man was verypetent, but the difference between him and those dandies wasn¡¯t too big. But it seemed as if all of a sudden, this noble lord opposite himself had changed as if he was as stern as a sword.</i>

    <i>Brendel nodded at him while pointing at the parchment scroll.</i>

    <i>Only then did the innkeeper fearfully pick up the parchment scroll, then slowly opened it. But he had only just finished reading the first row when he almost threw the thing out as he shivered.</i>

    <i>¡°Ro-Royal Cavalry ...My Lord you, you are a knight of the Royal Cavalry ?¡± The innkeeper looked pale and could not help but shiver a bit as he asked, wiping the sweat off his forehead as he did so. </i>

    <i>Brendel nodded. This was one of the roles Princess Gryphine had appointed him to, and in fact after the battle of Ampere Seale, because of the support of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, the princess¡¯ forces could be considered the rightful power of Aouine. And apart from the northern nobles, Arreck who colluded with the All for One had already been dered by the Holy Cathedral as a wanted criminal.</i>

    <i>As such, of course, he had to take advantage of this obvious identity reversal to his advantage. Brendel pushed the piece of parchment in front of the innkeeper and said seriously, ¡°So now you are aware of our identities?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Lo-Lord...¡± The bald innkeeper replied as he sweated furiously.</i>

    <i>¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not here to trouble you,¡± Brendel was a bit speechless as he saw how close the guy was to losing his mind. Having to go out of his way to reassure him, he said, ¡°But I can tell you now that the guys who entered the forest that you were asked to investigate earlier were a bunch of vicious cultists-¡°</i>

    <i>¡°My lord, are you saying those hunters are cultists?¡± With sudden courage, the innkeeper interrupted Brendel in surprise.</i>

    <i>Brendel was momentarily speechless, ¡°No, I mean the guys who hired them to go in.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Oh no!¡± Hearing this, the innkeeper suddenly jumped up as if his feet were on fire: ¡°So, those hunters who went into the mountains are in danger?¡±</i>

    <i>Brendel let out a sigh of relief, he did not expect this greedy guy to worry about others, and could not help but show a sense of his. He nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, so you should find the families of the hunters ¨C their wives, daughters, parents, and those who are familiar with them. They must know the path into the forest that those hunters are used to taking this time of the year.¡±</i>

    <i>He paused and continued, ¡°We must catch up with those cultists before they do.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°You understand?¡±</i>

    <i>The bald innkeeper was slightly startled, and immediately nodded his head and patted his chest to assure Brendel that he would immediately bring in those relevant people. Brendel did not bother to pay attention to this guy and managed to dispatch him, but when he turned back, he saw Freya somewhat worriedly asking him: ¡°Are those hunters really in danger, Brendel?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°It is for sure that there is danger, but it¡¯s not a big problem for now.¡± Brendel replied thoughtfully, ¡°At least Arreck won¡¯t be able to do anything to them until they leave the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Count, so you said that to get him to hurry and make use of time?¡± Laurenna asked, puzzled, ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that worry the hunters¡¯ families for nothing?¡±</i>

    <i>Brendel shook his head, ¡°The sooner we can catch up with Arreck, naturally, the better. I¡¯m afraid that guy will be too careful and waste unnecessary time, and besides, it¡¯s better to worry than for them to be dead.¡±</i>

    <i> ¡°I see, you are right.¡± The knights nodded.</i>

    <i>Brendel turned to watch the innkeeper climb out of the doorway, his bald head stood out among the crowds in the street. He took a soft breath and looked down at the map spread out on the table again, his eyes subconsciously shifting to the area around Lantonn, but suddenly he saw a familiar name of a ce:</i>

    <i>Alucher.</i>

    <i>Alucher Mika...... </i>

    <i>Something shed through Brendel¡¯s mind at that moment. He screamed in his mind, Fuck Alucher Mika- </i>

    <i>¡°That little girl is the future Queen of the Witches!¡± </i>

 Chapter 670 - v4c52 == Long Road, Fragments of the Past (7)

    <strong>v4c52</strong>

    <strong>==</strong>

    <strong>Long Road, Fragments of the Past (7)</strong>

    Before evening, Brendel had a map of the hidden routes the hunters had taken into the forest. Thanks to the bald innkeeper selling publicity, or better yet, intimidation. Knowing that each of these secret trails in the forest, known only to the hunters, had been handed down from generation by generation by the hunters of the region, it would have been almost impossible to hand them over to outsiders if it was not for the safety of his family.

    Of course, the identity of Count Brendel and the Royal Cavalry also yed a big role. Themon people always had a subconscious understanding that a nobleman did not need their secrets.

    On the contrary, hearing that another knight from the royalty was going to rescue their loved ones, these people were so grateful that they even offered to be Brendel¡¯s guide, but Brendel declined. It was not that he thought he would know the northern forest better than the locals, it was just that it was not worth it taking a burden with him for the sake of this little convenience.

    On the contrary, hearing that another knight from the royal family was going to rescue their loved ones, these people were so grateful that they even offered to be Brendel¡¯s guide, but Brendel declined ¨C it wasn¡¯t that he thought he could know the northern forest better than the locals, it was just that ¨C it was more than worth taking a burden with him for the sake of this little convenience.

    It was fast approaching sunset.

    The red sun was dipping into the mountains on the western shore of Lake Vallendaren, and the setting sun was tinting the world in a golden red haze. In the twilight, a mere caravan of wagons was leaving the north gate of Shallow Water Town. Brendel was riding his horse at the front of the procession along the crescent shaped beach of theke, his shadow stretched out by the setting sun as if it were a silhouette of the eerie north Anserra forest ahead.

    Brendel looked up at the forest buried beneath the shadows of the mountains, like a thousand nails arranged upward in a dark canopyyer that stretched all the way down to the gray background of Goldfinch Mountain, a vast forest of cedars.

    A series of hoofs galloping sounded behind their ears.

    Brendel turned sideways and back to see a bright purple. Ciel¡¯s robes fluttered slightly in the evening breeze, straddling a chestnut-colored horse that hade up from behind. Hignd Mages werepared to other schools of wizardry because of a period of apprenticeship as a knight. Therefore, they had more or less mastered the art of horsemanship. This young mage was undoubtedly the best of them.

    ¡°Hey, Lord.¡± Ciel¡¯s fair hand gripped the reins with one hand and held his staff with another. Giving his characteristic greeting, ¡°I just got something interesting that you¡¯ll want to see.¡±

    Brendel did not bother to look at the grinning fellow. The eastern sky was fading slightly in thete afternoon, surging to a transparent light blue. A few white stars dotted the tile-blue night sky, faintly visible, and a cool breeze blew across theke, floating golden shreds of light that rippled above the waves like a few ribbons of light.

    He was indulging in the evening breze and said softly, ¡°What is it?¡±

    He was well aware of the nature of this guy who had been following him for a while, and if he showed too much interest, this guy might try to pull tricks.

    Ciel let out augh, ¡®That inn bill......¡±

    Brendel thought the bald man had ended up tampering with the bill again on the sly.

    He could not help but sigh. It was disappointing that the trickster had been caught out and it was disappointing. ¡°He¡¯s justmoner, there¡¯s no need to get on his bad side.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no.¡± Cie; shook her head right away, ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s that stupid. Did any of us replenish supplies at that inn?¡±

    Brendel was slightly startled, ¡°Replenishment of supplies? Of course not, but you can ask the Laurenna couple, maybe they¡¯ve bought something.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked, and they have no idea, my lord.¡±

    Brendel turned back, a a suspicious look in his eyes. The convoy had made itsst supply stop at Kurkel Castle, and there was no need to add supplies after that.¡± He started to be alert, ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±

    ¡°I questioned the waiter-¡±

    ¡°Ciel, get to the point. I¡¯ll kick you in theke if you try to pull tricks again.¡± Brendel replied, impatiently.

    ¡°All right, all right,¡± Ciel threw up his hands in surrender, ¡°My lord, that¡¯s what the waiter said, and that the little girl with us told him to set it up.¡±

    ¡°And then he put the responsibility on us?¡± Brendel was slightly puzzled by what he heard, ¡°Does he think we¡¯re in cahoots with that little girl?¡±

    ¡°You and her are indeed a gang, but that¡¯s what the little girl said herself, it the waiter wasn¡¯t lying.¡± Ciel spread his hands on his horse.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Brendel responded in a sh, ¡°You said she left us the bill?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s exactly what happened, my lord,¡±ughed Char, ¡°Sessfully plotted to seize the lordship of Graudin and force the righteous nobles to recognize it. Guarding all faith and hope, saving the Loop of Trade Winds, going to Ampere Seale only to thwart Duke Sifah and the Holy Cathedral of Fire, and Count Trentheim who has never suffered any loss, it was never expected that today he would finally capsize at the hands of a little girl. I¡¯m sure no one will believe that if you tell them.¡±

    Brendel looked up, straightening up and facing towards the forest, urging his horse to run faster. He narrowed his eyes in the wind and turned back to reply, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a terrible thing to say.¡±

    Ciel was startled to see his lord¡¯s smug look, but naturally, he could not catch up with Brendel as he was zoning out, so he could only shout after him, ¡°My lord, why do I feel like you¡¯re celebrating the sess of your plot?¡±

    Brendel smiled slightly but did not reply. He was in not just a good mood, but an extremely good one. Mika Everett was a famous name in history, the witch of Alucher, the Rebel, the Witch of Gold, the Merchantress of Equality and Sophistry, but one of the most famous was-

    Undoubtedly the ruler of Bunosong, lord of the Winter Kingdom, and Queen of the Witches.

    She is the ruler of time and space, the heir to Euphoria, the Witch of the Void, and is regarded as one of the most unique of the twelve lineages of Witches. For being both a Witch and yet pursuing a rebellious path to break free from a Witch¡¯s established destiny, she was once called ¡®The Rebel¡¯ by the Witches.

    However, it was this rebel who was finally recognized by the Winter Crown and became the first Queen of the Witches to unify the twelve lineages of Witches in a thousand years.

    Mika is from Aouine, but she left Aouine for Kirrlutz with her teacher before the third War of the ck Roses. Until then, the Queen of the Witches had resided in Alucher, Lantonn, and was therefore also known as the Witch of Alucher.

    Mika had been disced for nearly thirty years when she became Queen of the Witches. Aouine had long since ceased to exist. Thus, Brendel had little interaction with her. The name was like one of the many stars floating in the bright starry sky of Vaunte, brilliant as it was, it was like a temporary wave in a long river of history.

    But the current meaning was slightly different.

    Mika was still a little girl, but her talent was unquestionable. Brendel now wondered if the ¡®parents¡¯ they were talking about really existed, as she was acting more like an orphan. It was a bit rude to think so, but this was truly great news for Brendel.

    Compared to convincing a noble couple to give him their child to teach, it was obviously much simpler to lure an isted little girl with a stable and privileged environment. It was clear that from Mika¡¯s behavior, she must be poorly clothed and perhaps lost.

    But Brendel did not turn his horse around, however, as he remembered that Mika was to officially be a Witch around March of next year, he realized he had plenty of time before then, anyway, and he had instructed the innkeeper at to keep an eye out for him. Though he did not think the little girl, with the ease and intelligence she had shown, would remain in Shallow Water Town after her crime.

    But that did not matte as there was still time.

    Brendel galloped along with his own horse in the wind, and exhaled a soft sigh of relief. The Aouine Three Elites, Valkyrie, Amandina, Bosley, Tharma, and outstanding young people like Carglise, if you added the Queen of the Witches among the history on the other end, more and more outstanding talented people were gathering on this great ship that sailed out of the storm.

    The history of Aouine might really be changing as a result.

    Fromte afternoon to early evening, everyone in the convoy saw the young lord galloping under the moon. He ran arge circle along the edge of the forest and back around to his original point. He seemed to be in an exceptionally vigorous mood.

    But few people knew what was in the Count¡¯s mind, and only a one person was always silently watching that silhouette under the moon with a cold gaze.

    Nightfall in summer was always exceptionallyte. Although a round full moon has already been running on the greenish-gray lofty mountains, the sunset was still zing in the sky. But the fire-like sunset was unwilling to withdraw thest remnants of light, and it was not until after eight o¡¯clock that the forest beside theke waspletely darkened. If it was in the area around Trentheim, the insects in the forest would have been chirping by now, but the cedar forest was exceptionally cold and quiet.

    The dropping temperature, as well as the white frost solidifying on the pine trees, seemed out of ce with this time of the year.

    But Brendel did not slow down the caravan, but returned to the side of the wagon, urging the men to keep moving at the same speed. From here on into the Foy Turnpike, they enteredpletely into the North Anserra Forest. This ce was still far from the Falling Needle Hills Avenue, and the cedar forest was inhabited by frost demons, a level 20 or more demon that could easily be subdued even by seasoned hunters.

    Of course, with the reliance on traps and cooperation.

    But Brendel was looking for a more beautiful creature, and the first night into the forest was especially important to him.

    He pulled on the reins and slowed the horses down, going around the wagons filled with supplies and carefully checking the condition of the shaft and wheels. Advancing on the undting roads of the forest in the cold weather was particrly wear and tear on the heavy wagons, hence the need to be more cautious.

    Brendel had been through many adventures, so he naturally had the relevant experience.

    But when he reached the other end, he saw a familiar face. The female knight was seated on a dark horse, her hands gripping the reins, calmly watching him as if she had been waiting for him here for many hours.

    ¡°The first night is important, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Her voice was calm and cold.

    As the night fell, the wind began to take on a hint of coldness, it seemed to sweep through the forest, and Brendel shivered. He gripped the reins with one hand and looked at the female knight.

    ¡°Who the hell are you exactly?¡±

    ¡°It matters not, let the others bivouac.¡± Maynild swept her ebony hair behind her ear and gave him a quick nce from the corner of her eye on the horse¡¯s back, ¡°Youe with me and take your three squires with you.¡±

    She turned her horse around and left him with a dashing backward nce as she said that.

    ¡°Wait...¡± Brendel paused.

    ¡°Idiot.¡± Replied Maynild with her back turned, ¡°Don¡¯t ask so many meaningless questions, isn¡¯t it your mission to capture the Crystal Stag, I know where it is.¡±

    It was as if a bolt of lightning had stretched across the sky andnded directly on Brendel, leaving himpletely frozen there.

 Chapter 671 - Long Road, Fragments of the Past (8)

    <h4>Long Road, Fragments of the Past (8)</h4>

    As if being driven forward by unseen spirits, Brendel listened to Maynild¡¯s orders and directed the gang to set up camp on the spot. But he didn¡¯t bother taking Ciel, Medissa, or Hipam with him; he simply chased after Maynild into the Anserra Forest by himself. The two warhorses crossed the forest grounds in the night and passed through an even patch of ground ¡ª these were the Vielle Hills to the north of Shallow Water Town that Brendel that Brendel was familiar with ¨C but very quickly, the trees began to thin out. A small path, cutting across the forest like a silver line, appeared in Brendel¡¯s field of view. In actuality, that was reflection from the moonlight. The silver moon hung in the skies and its light traced the cedar trees of varying heights. The withered leaves piled up beneath the trees.

    The willowy figure of the female knight remained constantly ahead of Brendel, keeping up a tempo that was neither too fast nor too slowly. She remained quiet and kept riding ahead in silence. In the end, Brendel couldn¡¯t push away the questions in his mind. He sped up, shortened the distance between them, and asked, ¡°What is it that you really want, Lady Maynild ¨C¡±

    The female knight slowed down and answered without turning back, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that I knew where the Crystal Stag was?¡± Her voice flowed like the clear stream in the mountains.

    This was not the answer that Brendel wanted. He wanted another one, ¡°But how did you know..?¡±

    This ce was getting very close to a valley called the Holy Silver Valley in his memory. There, many Moonlight Blossoms bloomed. But more important, that was the habitat for a creature that was even more beautiful and enchanting.

    There was a local Anserra legend about an enchanting Crystal Stag that lived in the forest. During each night of the full moon, it would wander between the forests and nourish itself on moonlight. Very few people have seen its figure, but every hunter who encountered it, without fail, would have good fortune in the next month.

    But a legend was just a legend. In Amber Sword, the Crystal Stag was just an elemental being made from water. There were a few of them in Warndt. In Anouine, they mostly resided in the southern part of the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth Forest, which epassed the Anserra Forest and the Falling Needle Hills. Their food was pure magic, so when the Magic of the Moon was at its fullest, these enchanting creatures would migrate, following the flow of the magic in the forest.

    They were a level 55 elemental being and had simple ¡°healing¡± elements. Worth mentioning was the fact that they weren¡¯t as peaceful as the legends made them out to be. In fact, Crystal Stags were extremely territorial and would often attack invaders. In addition, they would also work together with the Frost Demons in the forest and therefore, they were not a type of prey suitable to being captured.

    But activating the elementals in regions northward of Manoweir usually involved just one single task, which was to get possession of the crystalized blood from a Crystal Stag.

    The key to the question was: how did she know all of this?

    The female knight looked sideways at him and the milk-like moonlight traced the contours of her face; she looked at him and there was a glint of light in her eyes, but she was still calm when she answered, ¡°I also know that you need the crystalized blood.¡±

    Brendel grabbed the reins so hard the tips of his fingers turned white. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Give and take. Before I answer your question, I¡¯d like to ask you a question.¡± Maynild turned around while her horse continued moving forward. Her voice was steady, as if she was discussing something trivial.

    Brendel fell silent for a moment, his thoughts all tangled up with each other. He tried to make sense of everything, but all the questions surrounded a single point. He hesitantly opened his mouth and said, ¡°... ask.¡±

    ¡°Some people are racing. Just then, a rider passed the original second ce. What ce is he now?¡±

    Brendel didn¡¯t expect such a baffling question. Without thinking about it, he blurted out, ¡°First?¡±

    Maynild stifled augh and said. ¡°I got it. You¡¯re Sophie, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Brendel froze on top of his horse like a statue. He stared, stunned, at the female knight and his teeth cked against each other. He forced a name out from the deepest part of his throat, ¡°Bai Jia... uppperssman?¡±

    Maynild stopped and looked at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Brendel was frustrated. He almost recognized her ¡ª why else would Maynild not exist in history, why else would she look exactly like Bai Jia, and why would she know who he was?

    But why wouldn¡¯t she admit it?

    ¡°But I know her ¨C¡± Maynild answered calmly.

    Brendel hesitated. Maynild¡¯s tone was very quiet and it seemed to calm his agitated heart. He looked at the woman with slight confusion ¡ª that familiar figure. He asked, ¡°What is going on?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± Maynild let out a deep sigh. ¡°But I¡¯m d that I didn¡¯t guess wrong. If you don¡¯t think it¡¯s boring, I can tell you about myself ¨C¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡± Brendel tried hard to suppress his emotions. He felt like he was about to go crazy.

    ¡°From the time I could remember things, I started having dreams. Weird, unbelievable dreams. Sometimes in the dreams, the empire would copse and everything would be devoured by mes. Sometimes, I dreamt that I was somebody else ¡ª in those dreams, I was like an observer, but I still struggled against this impossible to understand destiny. In the end, history returned to the same path...¡± Maynild slowly described her experience. Her tone became sad, ¡°... it was in that history that I learned about your upperssman.¡±

    Brendel felt like he just woke up from a dream. The first thing he said was, ¡°That¡¯s not possible!¡±

    ¡°Out of all her teammates, you were the stupidest. You¡¯d always get every single trivia question wrong. But she liked you the best because you were naive and idealistic, just like a piece of nk paper.¡± Maynild answered. ¡°I more or less guessed who you were, but I only became sure today of who you were ¡ª Sophie.¡±

    Brendel tightened his hold on the reins and stared at the woman.

    ¡°If you aren¡¯t her, then why tell me this?¡± His voice sounded like his soul had been sucked away...

    ¡°Because I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    ¡°Afraid?¡±

    ¡°In my dream, I saw many weird and unbelievable things happen. I don¡¯t know which ones are real and which ones are fake. Until what I dreamt slowly became real, one by real. I started being afraid of the final end. I gave myself a name ¡ª Maynild. In the few memory fragments of the dream, this word meant ¡®revenge.¡¯ I hope to fight against my own destiny.¡±

    ¡°Wait...¡± Brendel felt like he was listening to a far-fetched story. He found himself understanding what Maynild was talking about. They matched up with what happened in the previous world. But just as he was about to say something, he was interrupted by the female knight, ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me.¡±

    The female knight continued, ¡°Because of this wish, I went to find the princess. But I realized that this was a bit of wishful thinking. I joined the royalists, but just like in my dreams, the royalists couldn¡¯t stop this from happening. Aouine is like a boat, about to sink from the storm. Everyone on the boat can only watch helplessly as the boat gets dragged into the eye of the vortex.¡±

    Here, she stopped. ¡°Do you believe what I am saying/¡±

    Right now, Brendel felt exactly like he did the day he crossed over. His mind was the same mess it had been then. He vaguely felt that these two events were connected, but he had no clue how. He stiffly nodded in response to the female knight¡¯s question. ¡°This is a bizarre story, but...¡±

    ¡°But you believe it, right? Because you have personally experienced part of it.¡± Maynild calmly continued. This question made Brendel shiver.

    He stared at her.

    ¡°Because I had the same kind of catalyst.¡± Maynild didn¡¯t avoid Brendel¡¯s gaze. ¡°There was a day when I realized that everything started detouring from the original tracks of history.¡±

    ¡°... From what day?¡± Actually, Brendel could guess but he still asked the question in a faint, ghostlike voice. His voice shook.

    ¡°From the day Graudin died.¡±

    Brendel shivered slightly.

    The female knight sighed quietly, as if she had never spoken for so long in her life. ¡°Do you understand, Mr. Brendel? I know that you¡¯re the only catalyst that could have changed it all. Only you can stop the ending in which Anouine sinks into destruction, because I know that you and I have experienced the same history ¨C¡±

    ¡°Even though I don¡¯t know where youe from and maybe you had the same dream I did, but at the very least, I understand your motivation.¡± She turned around and looked at him with clear and bright eyes. ¡°You won¡¯t let it happen again, right?¡±

    Brendel rode quietly on his horse and didn¡¯t answer.

    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± After a long moment of silence, he asked the same question he did before.

    ¡°Because I want to help you¨C¡±

    Maynild answered.

    ¡°Help me?¡±

    That dream was clear but also vague. It let me know some fragments of things even though I can¡¯t remember when the war between Aouine and Madara urred, or who is my enemy and who is my friend. It feels like there¡¯s a veil between history and myself ¨C¡± she paused briefly, ¡°But, you know, she knows more than you do. I can help you, Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Just like now?¡± Brendel quietly took a breath. He knows Maynild wasn¡¯t wrong. Bai Jia knew more than he did. Before Lin Mao, he had just been a novice. And all the information he had about the years before then came from the records on the forum.

    But before the first War of the ck Roses happened, Bai Jia had already been an experienced battalion leader.

    He just never thought that even in another world, she¡¯d be standing beside him, just like she did before.

    Brendel suddenly felt stinging at the corners of his eyes. He blinked and asked, ¡°Can you remember everything, Lady Maynild?¡±

    ¡°I cannot.¡± The female knight answered calmly, ¡°But I can at least remember some of it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Brendel smiled slightly. His mood waspletely calm now. He stopped his horse and reached out a hand, ¡°As Marsha is our witness, let¡¯s have a great time working with each other.¡±

    Maynild also stopped. This was the way yers formed teams in the game. She hesitated and felt like a lifetime had passed.

    But she merely reached out a hand and gently touched Brendel¡¯s fingertip. ¡°Same, but don¡¯t try and take advantage of me ¡ª ¡°

    Brendel fell silent.

 Chapter 672 - v4c54 The Crystal Stag

    <h4>v4c54 The Crystal Stag</h4>

    The two of them stood on the cliff and gazed at the deathly silent valleys.

    ¡°Down there is the Holy Seal Valley. Do you remember the exact steps to capturing the Crystal Stag?¡± Brendel observed thendscape beneath them. The lower parts of the valley were also covered in dense forests of cedar, but on the grounds between the forests he could see sparkles of light, like stars scattered on the ground. That was the light from the Moonlight Grass.

    ¡°Get down.¡±

    ¡°Capture it.¡±

    Brendel turned around and looked at the unperturbed female knight. That answer was exactly like something Bai Jia would give: simple, straightforward, and leaving no room for doubt.

    ¡°What are you looking at me for? With your current skills, it shouldn¡¯t be hard for you to capture it. All I remember is that this valley is a concentric circle. The outer ring is where the frost demons live, and then there¡¯s a shallowke, so shallow that you can directly wade across in some parts.¡± Maynild looked calm as she breathed in the night breeze.

    ¡°You can get all of that from the Empire¡¯s geographic magazines...¡±

    ¡°You guessed correctly, Mr. Brendel. I did get this information from the Manoweir Geographics published in Year 355. My dreams are fragmented and sometimes I have to verify everything using literature.¡± Maynild answered calmly.

    ¡°But you told me you can find the Crystal Stags! They only appear tonight at full moon around 3 or 4 in the morning. They walk along the River of Magic but I don¡¯t have any experience finding the River of Magic...¡±

    ¡°I do, but you have to take me down first.¡±

    Brendel sighed in relief and looked back at the pitch ck forest. He nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s not a problem.¡±

    The region between the outer ring of the valley and theke in the center was a slope that nted towards theke. There were big patches of cedar trees scattered loosely in the area, and Moonlight Grass dotted the ground between the cedar trees. They glinted in the moonlight and, from a distance, they looked like a field caught on fire. That was also where the frost demons resided. Frost demons were a type of Secondary Elemental Beings. They looked a bit like ttened paper figurines, except made of ice. Their powers were equivalent to about three skeletal troopers and they had more HP than those creatures as well. But they didn¡¯t have any special attacks aside from a magic spell called ¡°Blizzard de.¡±

    As a low-level monster, frost demons alsocked intelligence and operated purely on beastly instincts. Therefore, hunters could set out traps and capture them. The magic core in their body, the Frost Core, could be used as a poor quality substitute for magic crystals and was sold for a pretty penny on the market.

    But Brendel had no intentions of dealing with these creatures ¡ª most frost demons liked to travel in packs, especially in areas near their nests. He did not want to have these monsters attack him as a group.

    This was the first challenge of the mission.

    For your average yer, this would be a source of some trouble. Brendel can imagine that, with the exception of master yers, most average yers would choose to summon their friends and fight their way in toplete this part of the mission.

    But this mission was ridiculously simple for him. He took out King Bunil¡¯s Concealment Cloak and shook it out. After he stood underneath it, he looked up at the female knight next to him and said, ¡°Come on in.¡±

    Maynild hesitated for a fraction of a second and then dove under the cloak, squeezing in with Brendel.

    ¡°I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t use this as an opportunity to mess with me.¡± She breathed out, her breath smelling fresh as a daisy.

    Brendel nodded slightly awkwardly, then closed the cloak around them with his hands. Unavoidably, the two of them got even closer. Maynild snorted quietly but understood that Brendel wasn¡¯t trying to take advantage of her so she didn¡¯t say anything.

    With the Concealment Cloak, it became very easy to cross thend inhabited by frost demons. They didn¡¯t even have to entertain the thought of looping around them. Bredenl walked in a straight line across the first half of the valley. Very quickly, he detected spots of silver light in the forest. That was ake; it sparkled with silver light because its ss-like surface reflected an endless area of Moonlight Grass.

    Brendel got nearer to theke and the Concealment Cloak he held up with his arms began to gradually lose its magic. It shed twice and then turned back into an old rag.

    Just then, Brendel heard a high pitched chitter from behind him. He cursed inwardly and hurriedly packed away the cloak so he could draw Halran Gaia. He turned around and, just as he had expected, he saw a creature, clear as ice, standing in the shadow of a tree not far away from them. The creature was looking at them.

    That thing looked exactly like a ttened ice person and was about half of an average human¡¯s height. You could barely make out the bright red glob of light that glinted roughly where its head would be, which looked like an eyeball. But Brendel knew that was just the creature¡¯s magical core.

    This was a frost demon.

    ¡°Looks like your cloak has a shorter effect time than you expected. You¡¯ve slipped, Brendel.¡± Maynild turned around and drew her longsword with a ringing sound. She stood back to back with Brendel.

    Brendel immediately felt self-conscious. It¡¯s true that since transmigrating into this world, his attention has been taken up by other matters, and his reflexes as a yer have slowed down quite a bit.

    A piercing scream made twenty to thirty simr looking monsters immediately rush out from the cedar forest and surround the two humans.

    ¡°How do you want to fight them?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°I can take care of seven or eight without a problem.¡± Maynild answered calmly.

    ¡°Then you protect yourself and leave the rest to me.¡±

    Maynild nodded. She was very aware of Brendel¡¯s skills. With her abilities, she¡¯d only cause trouble for him right now. All she needed to do in this case was to protect herself so she didn¡¯t distract Brendel.

    The moment Brendel finished speaking, he made a light shing motion with Han Gaia. With a rumbling sound, as if something was rising up from underneath the ground, two sharpened pirs of earth pierced through the ground and flew at two frost demons. Before thetter could react, they were pinned to the trunk of the cedar tree behind them.

    With a crack, the cedar tree broke in half and the two frost demons shattered entirely into a pile of crystal shards.

    All of this happened in just a blink of the eye, so fast that before the crowd of frost demons realized it, their numbers were cut down by two. But as everyone knew, the Staff of Earth only activated once it¡¯s been swung. So this swing hadn¡¯t missed its target; Brendel just hasn¡¯t gotten there yet.

    Brendel¡¯s figure was slowly turning translucent.

    But on the other side of the battlefield ¡ª

    A ck de appeared right in front of a frost demon ¡ª the demon raised its head and watched as Han Gaia bisected its body and its body fragmented into tiny pieces as ss would when struck by something.

    Brendel¡¯s attack seemed to sh space open. The de swung around in a wide arc and three frost demons disappeared into countless tiny shards.

    The frost demon began to shatter in the middle of the air and started to melt at a visible rate. Before its body could hit the ground, it turned into a chunk of blue crystal and fell onto the ground.

    That thing was the Frost Core, which was a very poor quality substitute for magic crystals but could barely qualify as a renewable resource. If Brendel had just arrived at Trentheim, this type of substitute would have been a valuable treasure. But now they were just extra baggage ¨C he didn¡¯t even nce at the loot. Instead, he rushed into the middle of the pack of frost demons as if he was a whirlwind. In a second, it seemed as though four or five Brendels simultaneously appeared on the battlefield.

    Maynild quickly joined the fight and their victory could only be described as overwhelmingly one-sided. It was only towards the end when a couple frost demons used their dying strength to scratch the female knight with their Frost des. It was practically impossible for these monsters to pose any kind of threat against Brendel.

    Thest frost demon turned into shards of ice under Brendel¡¯s sword attacks. The battle only took a few minutes and Brendel didn¡¯t even feel his body warm up. But Maynild spent quite a bit of effort and she used thest of her strength to push away the final frost demon she killed. Its body nged against the ground as it broke into a thousand pieces. Then she used her sword as a crutch and appeared to be barely standing.

    Brendel turned around and looked at the red-faced female knight captain. He teased, ¡°You seem to have lost quite a lot of your skills too.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯tpare me to her. I¡¯m not her.¡± Maynild let out an inaudible sigh and then raised her head to give Brendel a furious stare.

    Brendel smiled slightly. He knew that Maynild wasn¡¯t Bai Jia, but they seemed to be influencing each other. He could see hints of Bai Jia in the details of Maynild¡¯s behavior. Now he finally knew why, aside from her looks, Maynild had always seemed so familiar to him.

    Maybe it was precisely because of this feeling, but he had a hard time being antagonistic toward her. Quite the opposite, he felt naturally close to her.

    Thest frost demon that Manyild killed was melting. Its body seeped into the meadow-like melted snow, leaving behind a dark blue hexagonal crystal. Brendel¡¯s smile immediately froze on his face.

    ¡°Hmmm...¡± Maynild also discovered the thing at her feet. She gently lifted it and remarked, ¡°This is...¡±

    ¡°Heart of Frost!¡± Brendel almost yelled out.

    ¡°Marsha above, how¡¯d your luck get better?¡± He stared dumbfoundedly at the female knight and blurted out, ¡°The drop rate for this thing is a mere 0.003%!¡±

    Maynild paused and then red at him with hatred. She enunciated clearly. ¡°I said, I¡¯m not her ¨C¡±

    ¡°But you have the same rotten luck.¡± Brendel couldn¡¯t help but tease. His heart shuddered upon recollecting the knight captain¡¯s previous experiences looting vanquished monsters.

    ¡°What did you say?¡¯

    ¡°Nothing, just remarking...¡± Brendel shrugged.

    Maynild looked at the gem in her hand with a slightly puzzled gaze, though she clearly knew what the thing was. She lifted the Heart of Frost and asked, ¡°You want this? Does it help you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯d be a very big help.¡± Brendel inhaled deeply and answered truthfully.

    ¡°But you¡¯re not an Elementalist, are you?¡±

    ¡°I know, but it¡¯s more useful for me than it would be for an Elementalist ¨C¡± Brendel answered.

    When she heard his answer, Maynild didn¡¯t hesitate at all. She looked at the gem in her hand as if it was a piece of trash and tossed it over casually.

    ¡°Remember, don¡¯tpare me to her. I am me and my name is Maynild.¡± The female knightmanded coldly as she did so.

    Brendel paused and then he suddenly seemed to think of something, ¡°Is that why you don¡¯t want to study magic...?¡±

    But before he could finish saying so, Maynild¡¯s cold re made him swallow his words. ¡°I am going to take care of my wounds now.¡± With that being said, the female knight disappeared into the forest.

    Brendel already knew the answer in his heart but he paused slightly before bending down to pick up the Heart of Frost. He opened the interface and a familiar attribute appeared in his field of vision:

    Heart of Frost

    Wind, Water Element Pool Reserve + 5%

 Chapter 673 - v4c55 Spells of the Ice Fairies

    <h4>v4c55 Spells of the Ice Fairies</h4>

    The Heart of Frost was not an equipment, neither was it an Enhancement Crystal or any type of material or a decorative gem. It was just a consumable item whose only use was to increase the user¡¯s wind and water element pool by 5%, but it could only be used once in a user¡¯s life.

    Something like this was, undoubtedly, the type of loot that Brendel needed right now.

    In fact, it could be the most critical part of his path as a neswalker, something that Tuman didn¡¯t imagine ¡ª equipment, special items, consumable things that could help users level up, or enhancement crystals. Warndt had many equipment and enhancers like the Heart of Frost or Star of mes that could expand an element pool ¡ª of course, in order to bnce things out, with the exception of a few divine artifacts or ancient relics, any of the simr magical items or fantasy items wouldn¡¯t raise the element pool by much.

    But don¡¯t forget, Brendel himself was special.

    Because he had two element pools, the effect of these items on him was doubled. For example, though the Heart of Frost expanded wind and water element pools by 5%, the effect for him would actually be an 10% increase.

    Twice the increase was enough to shift the original bnce.

    Brendel even thought that Marsha was exceptionally good to him. Since the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth was the most well known side quest in Aouine centered around frost beings, Brendel had been fairly certain even before starting the quest that he¡¯d pick up something to expand his wind and water element pools. Still, he hadn¡¯t expected the surprise toe this quickly.

    The Heart of Frost only had a dropping rate of 0.003% in the game. That meant the region produced, on average, a single Heart of Frost every one to two months. But this time they only vanquished 20-30 frost demons and got one. ording to the rules of the game, this could be considered unnaturally lucky.

    More importantly, Maynild was the one who had gotten it. In Brendel¡¯s heart, he considered Maynild to be just as unlucky as Bai Jia had been.

    After enjoying the sense of extreme happiness, Brendel immediately used the Heart of Frost. The two element pool¡¯s wind and water stats immediately showed:

    [Wind... wind... water... water...]

    Brendel knew that the algorithm for expanding element pools in game calcted equipment, enhancement crystals, and levelling up independently. In addition to directly increasing the basic stats, everything else would be modified by a multiplier. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t that concerned about the order of application.

    But due to the element pool expanding, the system signaled that his card pool also increased to... something that was a wee surprise.

    Because this indirectly proved his hypothesis ¡ª

    The neswalker path he nned for himself had been formed on the basis of using eight or more neswalker creatures to quickly build up an advantage on the battlefield. Every one of them would be a neswalker; in other words, a channel to drawing and ying more cards. Every round, he could draw 10 cards and y 10 cards. At the very start, he could have 80 cards. What would that look like?

    Even a newly minted neswalker apprentice would surely understand how terrifying that would be.

    But the only drawback to his card pool was the limit ced upon his deck and the size of his element pools. Kelsie¡¯s hypothesis had its weaknesses too. neswalker creatures themselves couldn¡¯t provide an element pool and card deck pool. This meant that at least eight neswalkers would need to draw power from his element pool and share just two card decks.

    A regr neswalker¡¯s element pool and card deck might not be able to sustain repeated use, which meant that it could result in it being exhausted immediately.

    What¡¯s more, Brendel wasn¡¯t interested in creating a loop in the traditional sense. If he wanted a loop, then why would he go to the trouble of making this current deck? It¡¯s not that he hadn¡¯t considered these problems, but he only knew how to solve the problem.

    His solution was actually pretty simple. Using the natural advantage that came with being a high level yer, he would go after equipment that expanded his element pool and then use arge number of those items to support a huge element pool. In return, the huge element pool would bring about a huge card deck.

    He could use this trick to get around the so-called ¡®bottleneck¡¯ issue of his neswalker deck.

    Of course, this n may look simple but was, in fact, near impossible for anyone else except for Brendel. Warndt¡¯s world was so huge and a limited number of ruins and underground cities were scattered throughout its vastnd. The process of trying to find equipment that matched his desired attributes from the millions and tens of millions of magical equipment would, undoubtedly, take a lifetime.

    Naturally you could also make your own, but those skills came from when the power of magic had been at its peak in the ancient times. Ever since Ebabel Fort fell, those skills had been lost. Most of the highest ranking equipment in Warndt were gifts from the past.

    How could the skills of the ck Dwarves possibly surpass those of the gold and tinum bloodlines, which had been blessed?

    This was to say nothing of the divine artifacts, which belonged to the gods, that were now lost to history. Those were not things that could be created in the time of mortals.

    But these problems weren¡¯t really problems for Brendel because these were the things he was good at. What equipment came from which side quest, what treasure box hid what he wanted... finding this information was as easy for him as eating or drinking.

    The only unfortunate thing was he had been a warrior in his past life, so he knew very little about the top equipment for mages.

    Though unexpectedly, this problem was halfway to being solved right now.

    ¡ª because Bai Jia had been a mage, an elemental mage.

    The Heart of Frost vanished from his hands once it had been used, as if it was being eroded. Brendel looked at the newly opened up card pool and drew out a card from his back-up card pool ¡ª Pristine Archangel ¡ª and put it within Pahim¡¯s belief deck.

    The silver mes immediately ignited on the surface of the card. After the mes extinguished, the Pristine Archangel immediately looked differently:

    Avenging Angel

    Faith Belief III

    Light: 15

    [Spells]

    Spend 50 EP and put the Avenging Angel (the same level as Priest Himilude) into the field. He will perform an attack on every enemy that has done damage to the summoner.

    Redemption: When the Avenging Angel enters the field, select the top three cards from the graveyard and reshuffle them into their respective card decks.

    Maintain: The Avenging Angel can be maintained till it sessfully attacks once.

    ¡°¨C the music of mass sounds as if from above the clouds; the holy light descends from the heavens and those who have passed shall be revived¡±

    Brendel jumped when he saw the card. Even though since bing an official neswalker, every card that joined the deck made from hisw would level up, this was the first time he had seen such levelling up to this extent.

    He couldn¡¯t help but stare at it in a daze, momentarily uncertain about what the key to all of this was. But just then, the sound of footsteps came from the forest behind him. Maynild was clearly on her way back. He hurriedly put away the card and turned around to see the female knight¡¯s hand wrapped in bandage.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± He asked with some concern.

    ¡°No need to concern yourself, it¡¯s just a small wound,¡± Maynild answered calmly. The female knight came to stand next to Brendel by the shores of the shiningke. He looked at the huge ind in the center of theke. On theke was a forest of broadleaves that was different from elsewhere.

    Those trees seemed to be deciduous trees like oaks or mangroves, but their trunks and leaves were a silvery gray like they were carved from ice. The frosted forest stood on the opposite bank of theke and, from a distance, it looked like a snow white castle.

    ¡°The Crystal Stag is within that forest,¡± Maynid exined. ¡°Do you n on crossing over directly?¡±

    Brendel looked at the surface of theke, still as a mirror, and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that simple. The forest across theke should be the Foggy Ice Bloom Forest. I hear the Crystal Stags live in symbiosis with some ice fairies and those fairies normally reside near the shores of theke. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll let us get through that easily.¡±

    ¡°From the sound of it, you came prepared?¡± Maynild turned around to look at him.

    Brendel nodded. Though his naturally sharp instincts as a yer have regressed quite a bit, he wouldn¡¯t forget some of the basics. For example, doing a thorough investigation and preparation before undertaking any mission. That was something he absolutely would not forget.

    Even if he couldn¡¯t find the River of Magic, he had prepared some substitute props before Maynild came along. Some magical items like the White Deer Statue could mimic probing the darkness, but its effect wasn¡¯t as good as someone with experience.

    ¡°But we can try it first,¡± he answered after a brief moment of contemtion.

    Maynild drew out her sword and asked, ¡°You or me first?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Brendel answered. Ice fairies were level 32 creatures and though they were a little bit weaker than Maynild, they clearly wouldn¡¯t be by themselves. Furthermore, their home turf was near theke.

    With those words, he lifted Han Gaia and slowly waded into theke. Just as Maynild said, theke waters were shallow; in most cases the water barely reached his knees. Theke was a decent size, but it seemed like it was just a thinyer of water.

    In real life, this kind of scenario could only be seen near swamps or wends. But Warndt itself was a world governed by Law, so Brendel didn¡¯t find such a scene remarkable at all.

    If you¡¯ve seen things like a river made of burning mes, then you wouldn¡¯t be surprised merely by a shallowke.

    But Brendel had only walked about 20 to 30 meters and was still two-thirds of the way away from the other shore when he suddenly realized that something wasn¡¯t right.

    He looked down and saw the surface of the water around him rippling even though there was no breeze.

    ¡°Such a warm way to wee guests,¡± Brendel couldn¡¯t help but mutter. He immediately recognized this as a prelude to the spell ¡ª summoning water elementals. The facts proved him right when the riples started moving violently and, in a blink of the eye, a watery hill jutted out from the surface of the water.

    Then, with a booming crash, the gatheredke water seemed to copse. A humongous giant, purely made ofke water, rose up from the surface of theke. That creature seemed to have inherited none of the gentleness of water and was violent and easily agitated. It immediately threw a water ball at Brendel.

    Brendel took one look at the diameter of the water and cursed in his mind.

    That water ball was at least 30 meters in diameter.

    Of course, that thing wouldn¡¯t do any damage to him. But Brendel knew all too well what the damned ice fairies will do next. As soon as he gets hit by the water ball, the enemy will definitely use their ice magic and freeze him inside it.

    It would be akin to a fly being frozen in amber.

    Brendel had seen this kind of shameless tactic in the game with his own eyes.

    What happened next made him even more frustrated. The originally calm surface of theke rose and fell, and multiple water element beasts rose up from underneath the surface. Looking around, Brendel counted over a hundred of them.

    ¡°Dammit!¡± Brendel knew with absolute certainty that at least half of the damned water elementals were mirror images since that was also a ssic water spell. But right now he didn¡¯t have the time to distinguish the real from the fake because he had no desire to be turned into a b of frozen pork meat.

    He took onest nce at theke and forgot all about his desire to cross. Marsha above, who knew how many ice fairies were gathered on the ind. A spell spread out over such arge area was not something that just a couple hundred of ice fairies could aplish.

    Brendel didn¡¯t think twice. He turned his head around and yelled at Maynild, ¡°Run!¡±

 Chapter 674 - Elemental Activation (1)

    <h4>Elemental Activation (1)</h4>

    The water elementals moved the entire surface of theke to the middle of the air and threw it at Brendel and Maynild, who was still on the shore. The translucent wall of water poured down from mid-air and turned into a waterfall. When the body of water mmed against the ground, it fractured into white gaseous clouds and countless sharp arrows shot out from the cloud.

    Brendel leaped onto the shores of theke with a single step and turned around to flee alongside Maynild. A wave, taller than a human, dogged their footsteps and then flooded the cedar forest. With crashing sounds, the ice trees were uprooted and swirled into the whirlpool.

    The white tidal wave rapidly pushed forward along with the driftwood, but it was always just a step behind Brendel and Maynild. Instead, many of the frost demons who couldn¡¯t escape were pulled into it. The wall of water pushed forward several hundreds of meters before calming down. It started to retreat but was instead absorbed into the ground.

    Brendel and Maynild ran until they reached a small hill. They breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to see that thendscape of the forest hadpletely changed. There was a pool of receding muddy water, upon which floated countless shards of ice. They were gobsmacked at the sight. These ice fairies really were merciless towards their own brethren.

    ¡°Just how many ice fairies were there in the forest?¡± Maynild looked at theke, which had turned shallow again. Gloating water elementals hovered over the surface of theke.

    Brendel was a tad bit speechless. Summoning water elementals is a six ring spell and every summoned water elemental was a level 37 top-rank tinum elemental being. Its powers would be roughly on par with Maynild¡¯s and because it was an elemental being, its fighting ability might even be stronger than Maynild¡¯s.

    As mid-level tinum beings, ice fairies should not be able to use this spell by themselves. The only way they aplished this would have been to use a ring formation to finish the spell. Summoning a water elemental would take the powers of about ten ice fairies. Add in the mirror image spell and the number of ice fairies in the Foggy Ice Bloom Forest would probably be in the hundreds, if not the thousands.

    ¡°Should we force our way through?¡± Maynild turned around to look at him.

    ¡°No need.¡± They could force their way across, but at a great cost. They were facing hundreds of ice fairies. Between him and Maynild, they had someone who needed to undergo elemental activation and another person who had just stepped foot inside the golden realm; more importantly, they were both swordmasters. They didn¡¯t have a teammate capable of casting spells.

    Brendel was starting to regret not bringing Ciel or Pahim with him.

    At the same time as he answered Maynild, he took out a little pot from his Dimension Space.

    ¡°Honey?¡± Maynild asked when she spotted the y jar. She immediately recognized it as the honey that Brendel had asked the innkeeper to buy before.

    ¡°Fairies especially love pollen and honey. This has been recorded in many works.¡± Brendel answered as he pulled out the stopper of the jar and ced the jar onto the ground.

    Maynild looked at him dubiously, ¡°You think doing this will solve the problem?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Brendel answered, ¡°we¡¯re still here. They¡¯re not that stupid.¡±

    ¡°And yet you¡¯re still doing this meaningless task...¡±

    ¡°I said it won¡¯t work if we¡¯re here. We just have to go hide behind a tree.¡± Brendel smiled at her.

    Maynild turned around and gave him a silent stare. ¡°Mr. Brendel, now is not the time for jokes.¡±

    ¡°You really forgot all about this?¡± Brendel stopped and asked with a slight surprise.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Follow me ¨C¡± Brendel turned around and found a cedar tree not far behind them. He gestured at Maynild and ducked behind the cedar.

    The female knight watched this all happening with some confusion, but still followed him after a moment¡¯s hesitation.

    The two stared out from behind the cedar tree. Maynild frowned and refused to believe that Brendel¡¯s crude trick would work ¡ª anything with a bit of intelligence could tell that it was a trap. But they didn¡¯t have to wait too long before a small dot of light appeared on the surface of theke. It was a bit like the light sprites she¡¯d seen in Trenthem, but smaller and with two thinly translucent fairy wings on its back.

    She slowly flew over andnded next to the jar of honey. With both hands on the rim of the jar, she lifted her head and sniffed with her tiny nose. Her face quickly showed her surprise.

    Next, Maynild watched as a light ball floated up from her palm. The fairy spread out her palm and moved forward so she could toss the ball of light into the jar.

    ¡°What is she doing?¡± Maynild asked with a frown.

    ¡°That¡¯s fairy magic. She¡¯s testing for poison,¡± Brendel answered quietly. Then he turned around to look at Maynild. ¡°You really did forget a lot of things.¡±

    ¡°... My dreams were already fractured. I can only remember the main points and sometimes I can¡¯t even tell the sequence of events. Some of the details get lost before I even wake up,¡± The female knight answered calmly. ¡°Sometimes I have to use my waking moments to read up on things in order to fill in the gaps from my dreams ¨C¡±

    She continued after a moment of silence, ¡°But really, I don¡¯t like it when you ask me questions like this... because this is not what I want to do. They make me feel like a puppet controlled by unseen forces, someone that can only live ording to my dreams.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s gaze paused on her. The female knight was conflicted and so was he. On one hand, he hoped the person in front of him was Bai Jia, but on the other hand, he knew that this assumption caused Maynild pain.

    If she couldn¡¯t ept Bai Jia¡¯s existence in her dreams, she would always feel like she¡¯s being trapped by another soul.

    But he suddenly thought of a question, ¡°Do you hate Madara?¡±

    This question caused Maynild to shake lightly. She raised her head and Brendel saw the pupils of those beautiful eyes shrinking in terror. She looked at him in fear and peeled back her lips to reveal white teeth that looked like they wanted to bite this topic in half.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare ask me that question!¡±

    Brendel paused in confusion because he saw Maynild¡¯s hand start to shake.

    What was going on?

    He frowned, but what he saw next in his field of vision interrupted his thoughts. When the little fairy threw the ball of light into the jar of honey, a golden light immediately shone out from the jar. The little fairy looked pleasantly surprised and she stood on tiptoes so she could stick her hand into the jar and scoop out a thread of sticky honey. Then she licked at it with her tongue before sticking her entire hand into her mouth. A silver thread of saliva trailed out when she drew out her hand.

    The little fairy smacked her lips and she squinted her eyes into a line. Then she settled herself down against the jar and sucked at her fingers, one by one.

    Maynild looked on dumbfounded. ¡°She... don¡¯t they have any sense of danger?¡±

    ¡°Probably a little bit, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t have used a spell to test for poison. But that¡¯s about it. Fairies love to eat and to y and they¡¯re very curious...¡± Brendel didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry at the sight. In the game, fairies were known for being cute but he hadn¡¯t thought it would be the same in this world.

    ¡°Lady Tania acts nothing like this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because Aunt Tania has gone through a strict education and possesses a lot of human knowledge. But she does still have a hard time resisting her own curiosity. A race¡¯s instinct is just one part of them. Besides, there are even differences between different fairies.¡±

    ¡°Which branch of fairies does Lady Taniae from?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s descended from the n of Light. She¡¯s from the light fairies, which are rtives to light sprites. The rtionship to the Holy Saints is the equivalent of being servants to a Buga Mage, but their current status is higher than it was before.¡± Brendel added on, ¡°But ice fairies are the most foolish of all the fairy races ¨C¡±

    ¡°They¡¯reing.¡±

    Following Brendel¡¯s announcement, countless balls of light of varying sizes rose in the Frost Forest on top of theke. There were at least several hundreds of them. When Maynild caught a glimpse of this sight, she couldn¡¯t help but remark that it was miraculous that this race has not died out yet.

    Though the truth of the matter was that fairies had their own way of survival. For example, the fairy from before was the scout they sent out. As a scout, it had the benefit of eating the honey first. But the fairies, big and small, would swarm out as soon as they sensed the coast was clear..

    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry, this will turn into a battlefield soon.¡± Brendel suggested.

    ¡°Battlefield?¡± The female knight questioned.

    As if to prove Brendel right, the hundreds of fairies very quickly devolved in an all-out brawl over the honey. But their battles with each other looked a lot like children fooling around. The female knight even saw some fairies grab mud from the ground and toss it at theirpanions¡¯ faces.

    What an unbelievable sight.

    Since the fairies were busy fighting with each other, nobody spared Brendel and Maynild, still hidden behind the tree, any attention. The two quickly walked around the little guys fighting over the honey and toward theke. Since the fairies have all swarmed out, the water elementals on theke have all dissipated. The two waded across theke without any trouble and quickly arrived at the other side of theke shore where the Foggy Ice Bloom Forest was.

    This entire process went so smoothly that Maynuld had a hard time believing it.

    After they waded out from the water with sshing sounds, Maynild frowned and wrung her pant legs dry. Then she looked up and asked, ¡°If you knew honey had this effect, why didn¡¯t you use it sooner?¡±

    ¡°Honey is a rare treat here. If I don¡¯t use it, I can make honey candy. Traveling through the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth is a tedious and boring experience. Sweets will cheer thedies up and Scarlet likes honey.¡± Brendel let out a breath of air.

    She nced at him, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were this considerate.¡±

    ¡°I just have experience when ites to going on adventures.¡±

    On the topic of experiences from past lives, Maynild fell into silence. But after a while, Brendel heard her calmly say, ¡°I like honey too ¨C¡±

    He turned around. The female knight had already sheathed her de and moved past him towards the forest.

 Chapter 675 - v4c57 Elemental Activation (2)

    <strong>v4c57</strong>

    <strong>Elemental Activation (2)</strong>

    Crunch, crunch.

    Brendel and Maynild slowly walked through this crystalline forest. The frozen branches turned to dustings of snow under the weight of their boots. The two of them looked up and examined this bizarre forest. The snow-white world seemed like a pce of ice. Darkness seeped out from the gaps between the trees and swallowed all sound until only the deathly silence remained.

    ¡°Something seems off.¡± Brendel stared at the withered forest and watched his exhtion turn into white fog that quickly disappeared in the air.

    ¡°You can¡¯t feel any signs of life. This is a forest that has died, maybe due to being frozen?¡± Maynild pressed a hand against her sword and watched her surroundings with her usual alertness.

    This is the legendary Tree of Fog and the Forest of Imagination that co-exists with the Crystal Stags. How could it be frozen to death?¡± Brendel raised both his hands and exhaled into the center of his palms before rubbing them together. ¡°This mission isn¡¯t going to be easy, so let¡¯s best be careful.¡±

    Maynild¡¯s face chilled and she drew her de a tiny bit, the sound of her sword scraping against the sheath ringing in the air. But Brendel turned around and stilled her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry to disy your antagonism. In a ce like this, it¡¯s best to be careful before we invite the dark magic forces to attack ¨C¡±

    But the female knight gently moved his hand away and continued to draw her de slowly. She reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can feel the flowing of the dark magic.¡±

    Brendel watched as she drew her long de.

    ¡°You can feel the flow of dark magic?¡±

    Maynild remained expressionless. ¡°Everyone has some sort of special ability. Magic forces, in my eyes, are solid. They are scattered throughout the world and restrained by unseen forces.¡±

    ¡°Those are Laws.¡± Brendel inhaled quietly. ¡°You¡¯re a Child of the Moon and you have greater talent than Bai Jia did. It¡¯s such a shame that you didn¡¯t choose the path of the Mages. The Dragon¡¯s Magic, which molds magic forces, was practically made for you ¨C¡±

    The female knight swung her de back with a whoosh and pointed the icy cold de at Brendel¡¯s neck. ¡°I said, I am myself and she is herself. I don¡¯t wish to talk of this topic with you again. I hope you learn to give others a bit of respect.¡±

    With that, she slowly drew her de back. With a quiet buzz, the air above her de vibrated very slightly, as if a shapeless air current was wrapping itself around the de.

    Brendel took the scene in with his eyes and was momentarily stunned. The air twisting around the de was clearly the airflow caused by dark magic moving ¡ª Dark Swordsmaster ¡ª he couldn¡¯t help but give Maynild a thoughtful look.

    ¡°Apologies ¡ª ¡° He started to say.

    But Maynild had already turned around and was walking ahead of it.

    Brendel looked at the female knight walking in the snow with her back upright. Her unique sense of stubbornness and pride were her defining characteristics, so much that they must be part of her bones.

    He thought it over for a moment and then quickly hurried to catch up. He had never considered that Maynild had the ability to see the flow of dark magic. Child of the Moon, the mage bloodline talent that was second only to the Azure Tribtions. No wonder she said she could help him find the Crystal Stag.

    The flow of dark magic probably had shape in her eyes. The River of Magic within the forest would be like an actual river to her.

    The two slowly walked through the forest for a while. They crossed deadly silent paths ¡ª this Foggy Ice Bloom Forest wasn¡¯t exactly big, but Brendel felt very weird about it. Because he had Glow Wave, he also had the attribute to probe the darkness. But for some reason, he always thought the magic in this forest seemed to fluctuate in strength and appear on and off randomly.

    He finally asked, ¡°You can sense which way the magic is flowing?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Maynild¡¯s answer was very simple.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Brendel thought the female knight was joking. But he turned around to see Maynild looking all serious. ¡°The magic in this forest seems to havepletely died away, but this is not the kind of silence thates with death. They seemed to have once flowed across these withered paths ¨C¡±

    The female knight pointed to the paths in the forest. ¡°But now, all that remains are dried up traces.¡±

    ¡°What... are you saying that the magic in this forest is drying up ¡ª or has already dried up?¡± Brendel looked stupefied at Maynild.

    Warndt was a world of magic. In this world, it wasn¡¯t atoms or something smaller but physical that made up the very grass and trees of this world. The four major elements were the basic building blocks of this rule, which was ruled by Marsha¡¯s Tiamat Law.

    Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth. As for light and dark, they weren¡¯t really elements themselves but rather the representation of energy.

    The four fairy kings, in ordance with the promise they made with Marsha, continued to construct the world at its borders. The entire world was built upon these foundations.

    But underneath the elements, the world of Warndt had another source of energy ¡ª dark magic. Elements and Laws were all just bricks and blueprints of this world.

    But the foundation of the world was magic.

    Without magic, this world wouldn¡¯t exist. Or rather, it would be deathly silent just like this forest. It would wither and fall into silence until it finally turned to dust.

    But in reality, this supposition doesn¡¯t exist because the entire world floated upon the Sea of Magic and magic filled the entire world to the brim. There was no reason for a natural ck hole to exist.

    Unless it was man-made.

    When Brendel had this thought, he suddenly figured things out. ¡°Wait, are you saying there¡¯s something in the center of the forest?¡±

    He squinted his eyes and picked up the sheath of Han Gaia with a ng.Then he drew out the heavy ck de.

    But just now, a bunch of ice debris tumbled down from the tree trunk above them.

    Brendel nked for a second and then looked up in rm. That was when he saw an ice fairy about two or three inches tall with two pairs of ice crystal wings standing there, looking at them with the same sense of alertness as they looked at it.

    ¡°Who are you, halt immediately!¡± The fairy girl stood on top of the tree trunk and called out at them sternly.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Brendel paused. He didn¡¯t think there would still be fairies in the forest; this was different from what the walkthroughs had said. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go fight for the honey?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± The fairy girl looked clearly tempted but she hurriedly wiped at her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m different from those silly fools. I¡¯m the guard for the forbiddennd and that¡¯s a duty I promised Master Malourcha I¡¯d do.... I ¨C I will definitely not be tempted by such a tiny thing!¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Brendel couldn¡¯t help but be interested. He had never seen such a special fairy. ¡°Are you saying that you won¡¯t let us in?¡±

    ¡°Naturally.¡±

    The fairy girl jumped down from the tree and hovered in the air not very far from them. She patted her tiny chest and answered in all seriousness, ¡°Listen up. Unless you step over my dead body, I¡¯ll definitely not let you go through.¡±

    ¡°Everyone has to be responsible for what they say.¡± Before Brendel could say anything, Maynild drew her long sword with a ng. She took one step back and shifted her center of gravity downward, moving into a military sword attack position. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then talk with your sword ¨C¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Brendel did not want to start a fight immediately. Since something different from the walkthroughs happened, it could only mean that this mission might have a hidden scenario. But just as he was about to grab Maynild¡¯s shoulder, the female knight moved more determinedly than he thought. She shot towards the little fairy like an arrow and Brendel grasped empty air.

    ¡°Maynild!¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± The fairy girl was also scared by Maynild¡¯s unyielding attack. But she immediately raised both hands and chanted in a high pitched voice, ¡°Azure Dragon, bless me with the de to vanquish enemies!¡±

    She pointed in front of her and three circle formations, each with a 2-meter diameter, appeared behind her. The runes of ¡°Vir¡±, ¡°Oar¡±, and ¡°Meem¡± appeared in order upon the formations. These were advanced curses. Brendel jumped ¡ª this was no ordinary ice fairy, this was a fairy ambassador.

    A field of densely packed indigo ice shards, glinting like knife des, appeared suspended in mid-air behind the little fairy.

    ¡°Attack, blizzard!¡±

    ¡°Maynild,e back!¡±

    A storm whipped out from behind the fairy girl and formed a terrifying crystal hurricane in the direction she pointed in. Millions of de-like ice shards whirled there and wrecked countless trees with a ¡°whoosh.¡±

    In a second, Maynild was drawn into the storm. Anyone else would have chosen to withdraw and protect themselves in such a scenario. But the female knight had her own stubbornness. She gritted her teeth and crossed both arms in front of her. With a ck, the dancing snowkes immediately formed a thickyer of ice there. At the same time, the ice crystals shed across her arm in a second and continued on their way, trailing blood behind them.

    The Aouine military outfit on Maynild¡¯s arms turned into a million strips with a tearing sound. But she continued moving forward, pressing each step against the snow that was building up. Then she jumped up with a leap. The fairy girl¡¯s eyes widened unconsciously as she saw Maynild appear in front of her in the same second¨C the female knight¡¯s teeth were clenched and the desire for battle in her eyes almost turned into mes.

    Her ck hair dancing wildly, Maynild separated her almost frozen arms andnded a single blow on the fairy girl with all her might. The punch made the fairy girl fly out like aet.

    Brendel stared in amazement as the little fairy mmed against the piled up snow on the ground, bounced around a few times like a ball of yarn, then stopped.

    ¡°Ooooohhh, it hurts, mommy...¡±

    The fairy young girl moaned and cried from the pain. She sat up on the ground and burst into tears.

    Her cries were so pitiful that Brendel, watching the fight from the sidelines, felt embarrassed. But when he turned around to look at Maynild, he saw the woman who looked simr to Bai Jia cidly wipe her hand against her arm. The ice crystals and blood-stained snowkes that were frozen to her skin fell off with clinking sounds.

    Brendel hissed in his heart. He didn¡¯t know whether the woman could feel any pain, but he felt pain just looking at it.

    ¡°Good, let¡¯s continue.¡± Maynild looked up and said to Brendel.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t take out your anger at me on her, did you?¡± Brendel asked with some pity in his voice.

    The female knight stopped and nced at him. She answered calmly, ¡°I¡¯m not as bored as you.¡±

    With that said, she put away her sword and continued walking forward. Just then, the fairy girl who had been crying as if her heart had been broken stumbled off from the ground. She wept but raised her head despite her swollen and bruised face.

    ¡°I... I said you are not allowed there!¡±

    She whined out an answer.

    Brendel and Maynild both halted their footsteps and stared at this strange little fairy.

 Chapter 676 - Elemental Activation (3)

    <h4>Elemental Activation (3)</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Brendel pursed his lips and grabbed at Maynild, who wanted to step forward. He suddenly calmed down and a thought crossed his mind. He said in a quiet voice, ¡°Hold on. Ice fairies are notorious cowards and are known for avoiding battle. At the most, they¡¯d use spells to y tricks on adventurers from afar... something strange is happening.¡±

    The female knight twisted herself slightly and took a step forward just as Brendel was saying so. As her foot crunched the snow, she had to stop. She raised her head and looked suspiciously at the young fairy girl on the ground.

    ¡°Li-li-liar!¡± The fairy girl grimaced in pain but used her tiny hand to cover her swollen cheek. She jumped up as she muttered, ¡°We¡¯re not cowards! We¡¯d fight to the death to protect our home too!¡±

    ¡°Protect your home?¡± Brendel sensed something in the air and squinted. He lightly tapped Halran Gaia in his hand against the ground. ¡°Little one, you seem to be hiding some secret ¨C¡±

    ¡°I will never tell you!¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t say no but said you won¡¯t tell me. This means that there must be ¨C¡±

    ¡°You...¡± The little fairy was furious. She put her hands forward and shouted, ¡°I am the daughter of the north wind, the Slumbering Dragon Carellis!¡± Seven giant circr arrays radiated out from the center of her palm. An ice pir jabbed out from the middle of the array, apanied by a low roar like that of a beast¡¯s. It turned directions in the middle of the air and aimed itself at Brendel.

    Seven ring ice elemental spell.

    The Slumbering Dragon Carellis was the famous king of the ice dragons. A spell named after it was, clearly, not going to be simple, but Brendel didn¡¯t bat an eysh. He stood still until the second before the ice dragon stuck him. Then he raised his left hand, grabbed the head of the dragon, and then yanked until the spell fractured.

    ¡°Ah¨C¡± The fairy girl watched dumbfounded at the ice shards dancing through the air. Her jaw dropped involuntarily; she probably never imagined that someone could, with just their bare hands, break a spell down to its most basic state. This practically went against everything she knew.

    ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°Your spell has no effect on me, little guy.¡± Brendel rubbed his left hand so that the ice particles turned into snow and fell down.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve let you attack once. As a courtesy, now it¡¯s your turn to answer my questions ¡ª let me ask you, what¡¯s happening with the magic falling silent in this forest?¡±

    But the fairy girl¡¯s face immediately paled. She stared at Brendel as if scared dumb, ¡°You... how did you know?¡±

    Her expression made Maynild shake her head from her position beside Brendel. What an idiot.

    ¡°Alright, I also know that the Master Malourcha you speak of is the guardian of the forest. He¡¯s the Crystal Stag of the Holy Seal Valley, right?¡± Brendel asked as he stared at the fair girl. Then he suddenly frowned and nced around.

    Right at that second, he thought he felt something surveying him.

    ¡°You... are you the devil who¡¯ll eat someone if you guess what they¡¯re thinking? The one from the Dark Prophecy?¡± The fair girl asked with a trembling voice.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± The answer was truly hrious, but Brendel couldn¡¯tugh. He didn¡¯t know why, but suddenly something seemed toe alive in the air. However, it wasn¡¯t waves of magic. Instead, it was the Blood of God from within him. He felt faintly anxious and asked, ¡°I just want to know what happened to this forest.¡±

    ¡°I will not tell you!¡± She answered with dead-set certainty.

    ¡°No problem. Let me guess, your so-called Master Malourcha ¡ª careful!¡± Brendel suddenly whirled around and pushed Maynild out. A ck shadow flew past both of them and struck the Tree of Fog on the other side of the path. Amidst the crisp sounds of cracking, countless crystalized trees broke off in their middle. That thing actually created a path in the middle of a densely packed forest.

    ¡°This speed ¨C!¡± Brendel inhaled sharply. He realized that his perception was actually not able to capture the other¡¯s movements. If it hadn¡¯t been for his Blood of God suddenly stirring to life so that he reacted at the veryst second and pushed Maynild aside, Maynild would have been gravely injured by now.

    But what was that thing? The Crystal Stag would definitely not have this kind of speed. Before this, he had only seen this kind of speed on beings at the rank of Nichs and Veronica or above.

    By now, Maynild crawled up from the ground and shook off the ice particles on her body. She looked with the same guarded expression over at the thing¡¯s direction.

    From the pitch-ck forest came the sound of rustling. Then Brendel saw a pair of snow-white hooves, followed by a set of long horns, and then a pair of blood-red eyes...

    That was definitely not the Crystal Stag.

    In Brendel¡¯s recollection, the Crystal Stag was elegant and sophisticated. It was the most beautiful creature in the Frost Stained Forest Labyrinth. It was called the Crystal Stag because its entire body was white and the crystalized bone tes on its shoulder, leg, horns, and back made it look like a beautiful creature carefully carved from ice.

    But Brendel couldn¡¯t believe his eyes now. The creature in front of his eyes definitely looked like a reindeer, but ck liquid dripped from half of its head, its back, and legs. The crystal bone tes were damaged beyond repair and ck smoke rose up from its wound-covered body.

    Most frightening were those blood-red eyes. He couldn¡¯t detect any signs of a normal beast inside them, just pure anger.

    The monster faced Brendel and stared at him. It panted out air from its nostrils. Brendel frowned because at the very same second, he heard a deep voice say in his mind:

    ¡°Get out!¡±

    ¡°Get out, human!¡±

    ¡°This is demonization... how could it get invaded so badly by demon magic?¡± Brendel paused. This was no longer the Crystal Stag; this was a monsterpletely under the control of dark magic. The disgusting ck smoke flowing out from its body was actually the physical essence of dark magic.

    ¡°Human, get out!¡±

    ¡°Master Malourcha! ¡° Just then, the young fairy girl shrieked from beside them. She anxiously flew towards the monster but, just as she got off the ground, she got knocked down by Brendel who hurried to her side.

    Brendel put down the broad de to block her and coldly said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, stay here.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you human!¡± The young fairy girl shouted. Then she crawled up and pped her wings. This time, Brendel didn¡¯t have the energy to waste time on her. He turned around and knocked her into the snow with the spine of his sword. Then he turned around and told Maynild, ¡°You hold her, and I¡¯ll deal with the monster.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± The young fairy girl shrieked, but her protests were destined to be futile because Manild had already grabbed her from the ground.

    ¡°Ahhhh, you evil woman. Let go of me!¡±

    ¡°I will not let you hurt Master Malourcha!¡± The little fairy immediately shrieked.

    Maynild looked in Brendel¡¯s direction and then turned around, ¡°Brendel wouldn¡¯t hurt your Master Malourcha. Rx.¡±

    The fairy girl demanded loudly in dissatisfaction, ¡°I don¡¯t trust you humans.¡±

    The female knight nced down toward the little thing, thought about it, and then took out a piece of candy the size of a pea from her pocket. She stuffed the candy into the fairy girl¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°You and us... mmmrhmmmmm, what is this.... Mmmrhmmmmm.¡± The little fairies chattering shrieks immediately fell silent.

    At the same time, Brendel turned around and saw that the monster was gearing up for another attack. It circled half a loop around him and then lowered its head. Its hooves lightly scraped against the ground and it blew out white fog from its nostrils.

    Brendel became a bit more serious and also raised Halran Gaia.

    ¡°Human, get out!¡±

    ¡°Do you only know this one setence ¡ª omph!¡± Before Brendel could finish saying the sentence, he felt a huge forcee from the sword. He heard a ng and didn¡¯t even have time to see the stag Malourcha¡¯s movements before the stag¡¯s horns pushed against the Halran Gaia¡¯s de.

    As if it had been there this entire time.

    ¡°Is that... time and space elemental?¡± Brendel shook slightly. He hurriedly used both hands to support the Staff of Hearth. Halran Gaia¡¯s de bent toward the center under the immense pressure and creaked in protest at the weight. ¡°No...¡±

    He rejected that thought.

    Because the stag Malourcha suddenly raised its head high and mmed its horn down, hard, upon the sword. The sword sunk slightly and Brendel almost lost his grip on it.

    This was Stabilizing Earth ¡ª

    Brendel squinted his eyes shut slightly and already thought of the source of his opponent¡¯s power. The powers of chaos. This crystal stag actually possessed a huge amount of powers of chaos. He couldn¡¯t help but remark to himself that this wasplete demonization. What had this guy done to anger the heavens in order to get suchplete demonization?

    But just then, Malourcha suddenly tilted its head. Halran Gaia made another series of creaking sounds in Brendel¡¯s hand. Thank goodness for his immortality elemental powers; else he¡¯d have to worry whether his sword can even take another hit.

    In front of him, the blood red eyes on the monster shed and a deep voice rang out in Brendel¡¯s mind, ¡°Let go of her, human!¡±

    Let go of her?

    Brendel paused and then realized that the monster was talking about the little fairy in Maynild¡¯s grasp. ¡°You still have some rationale left ¨C¡±

    He struggled to get the words out. This damned Crystal Stag was physically strong beyond belief. ¡°Right, guardian of the Holy Seal Valley...¡±

    There came a high-pitched ng sound.

    The stag Malourcha twisted its head and actually blocked Brendel¡¯s sword. Then it took a step back and dashed forward. His giant figure simultaneously appeared around Brendel.

    ng, ng, ng, ng. Four strikes.

    Brendel continued to block all four of the stag Malourcha¡¯s attacks. Four Brendels appeared and then disappeared among the dancing snowkes.

    ¡°Human, let go of her and then get out of here!¡± The voice in his head turned even sterner, sounding more and more like a warning.

    ¡°Dammit!¡± Brendel shook his hand out vigorously. Though he managed, barely, to block those four strikes with the Nine Luminaries Sword Art, but Malourcha the stag¡¯s strength was terrifying.

    Malourcha immediately backed down when its attack failed. Then it raised its head and looked cautiously at Brendel.

    ¡°Looks like your rationalees intermittently ¨C¡± Brendel gritted his teeth but couldn¡¯t help ask, ¡°Guardian of the Holy Seal Valley, hurry and tell me what happened here. The magic dying in the Frost Stained Forest Labyrinth has something to do with you, right?¡±

    But before he could finish asking, Malourcha the stag¡¯s figure vanished.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Brendel jumped and hurriedly whisked his sword back in an attempt to block that horn attack.

    But he never dreamt that this monster could speed up.

    A teeth-rattling high pitched shrieking sound, enough to make ss shatter, pierced the deathly quiet in the forest like a whistle. Brendel looked up dazedly and watched as his Staff of Earth slipped out of his grasp and whirled in the air.

    A Sword Saint.

    Who couldn¡¯t even hold his sword.

    Brendel couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. Fires of fury shot up in his heart. He turned around and looked once again at the monster backing away from him.

    ¡°Fine, if that¡¯s how you want to y ¨C¡±

    Count Trenthetim clenched his hand. ¡°I am here for all of it ¡ª ¡° With a poof, ck mes spread out from the middle of his palm.

    ¡°Alphonse, the Dragon of Fury. Wild heat!¡±

    With that angry shout, countless ice shards were blown away by the gust of air that radiated out from Brendel.

 Chapter 677 - v4c59 Elemental Activation (4)

    <h4>v4c59 Elemental Activation (4)</h4>

    The power of the Dragon of War!

    Malourcha seemed to sense the change in Brendel. Some instinctive sense for danger made it more cautious and it struck an attack pose again. It lowered its head and pawed at the ground with its hooves. A cloud of white steam came out of its nose. Then its back hooves kicked at the ground hard and it darted forward like a loosened arrow. Suddenly, it vanished from everyone¡¯s sight, as if disappearing into thin air.

    But Brendel was an exception. He reached both hands forward ¡ª bang! The world seemed to freeze and Malourcha crashed head-first into Brendel¡¯s hands. It stopped as if it hit a wall. With a loud bursting sound, its explosive gusts expanded the air and whipped up Brendel¡¯s clothes as well as his fringe as it blew past him.

    Brendel had to slide backwards a few steps before the energy fully released, but at least it wasn¡¯t a one-sided beating anymore. He can fight this! His hands went from blocking to grasping and grabbed the other¡¯s horn.

    ¡°Did you think I could only swing a sword?¡± Brendel bared his white teeth and twisted his hands. With a loud yell, he threw Malourcha into the ground.

    Crash!

    The seemingly undefeatable demonized Crystal Stag crashed onto the snow-covered ground like a meteorite, apanied by the fairy girl¡¯s screams. Snow flew into the air as its figure dragged a deep gash into the ground, revealing the ashen dirt of and exhausted of its magic.

    It let out a shout of pain and paddled its four hooves as it struggled to right itself. Its neck turned in Brendel¡¯s direction and it shed its long horns. Three ovepping half-transparent waves flew across the dozen meters of space between them towards Brendel.

    Horn Scythe, one of the Crystal Stag¡¯s basic attacks. But the default was a single air de made ofpressed air; after demonization, the attack has evolved to a triple strike. This kind of attack was the nemesis of shield knights and only the best knight yers could counter it. But to Brendel, the attack wasn¡¯t even worth mentioning.

    He backflipped and let the three air de attacks fall upon the ground, leaving behind three gashes each about a meter long and half a meter deep. Brendel fell next to Halran Gaia embedded in the snow. He grabbed the Staff of Earth and yanked it from the ground.

    As its first strike hadn¡¯t hit, Malourcha the stag reared the front half of its body so that its front hooves left the ground.

    Earthquake!

    Brendel saw the strike and wanted to kill something. This was one of the must-have attacks for a heavyweight ungte monster. But the Crystal Stag didn¡¯t count as a heavyweight ungte on Warndt; at the most it would be considered big. This should not be one of its attacks but clearly, it got added on because of the demonization process.

    Regardless of what Brendel felt, Malourcha stomped both of its front hooves down. With a loud rumble, Brendel saw the ground underneath Malourcha¡¯s hooves sink down and then a wave, visible to the naked eye, rippled out in all directions. Then another one, and then a third one .

    Since Brendel hadn¡¯t prepared himself for this, he had to rely only on his own reflexes to dodge this seismic wave. He pushed his body off with one hand and tried to get close to Malourcha from the air. But just as his body left the ground, he saw the Crystal Stag toss its head.

    Triple air des instantaneously appeared in front of him.

    ¡°Dammit to hell!¡± Brendel knew this guy was gonna y it like this. He hurriedly pulled out the Staff of Earth and blocked the attack. He was immediately knocked backwards by the force of the blow.

    Like a meteor, he hit a Tree of Fog not far from him and the impact turned the crystalized tree into dust.

    Then the three shockwaves from Earthquake arrived and tossed him into the air and mmed him into the ground three times. Brendel could have puked up blood out of frustration. It should have been a simple matter for someone with his skill and experience to deal with a Crystal Stag; he hadn¡¯t counted on meeting a demonized one.

    Demonized monsters were variable and could be considered the nemesis of yers like him, who relied on experience.

    He spat out mouthfuls of snow and dirt as he righted himself, but Malourcha clearly had no ns to let him go. Since the Crystal Stag didn¡¯t have the advantage in closebat, it seemed to develop a liking to long distance attacks. It swung its long horns again and another three air des shot perpendicr to the ground toward Brendel.

    The three air des dragged across the ground like a plough and as it moved forward, the dirt and snow in its path were blown into the air until three deep scratch-like marks were left in the ground. Maynild, holding down the fairy girl in the not-so-far distance, had to frown upon seeing this. But as she looked down at the little captive in her hands, she discovered that thetter was fretting.

    ¡°You seem to be worried about something?¡± She asked.

    The fairy girl shuddered and then hurriedly adopted a poker face, ¡°Ab-absolutely not ¨C¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, it looks like the Crystal Stag has to pay some price for its state right now. It must be using its life force, right?¡± Maynild only had to think for a moment to understand the connection between the two.

    ¡°You... no, no!¡±

    ¡°No need for you to answer, little one.¡± She looked up and told Brendel, ¡°Brendel, drag this out. It can¡¯tst much longer!¡±

    ¡°How vile!¡± The little fairy shrieked.

    But Brendel didn¡¯t want to drag the fight out at all, though he also saw that something was wrong with his opponent ¡ª the dark fog surrounding it seemed to be denser and denser. He suddenly realized that the stag was suppressing the demonization process. If that was the case, then things would be easy to solve.

    As the three air des rushed forward, Brendel swung the Staff of Earth upward from the ground. ¡°Rise up for me, Resonance of the Earth!¡±

    A row of sharpened rocks, like fangs, extended from under the ground and rose up in front of the horn scythe. The half-transparent wave rushed across the forest path but it struck the rock and shattered alongside the hardened rock.

    A cloud of dust and fragments of stone exploded outwards.

    The demonized Crystal Stag Malourcha looked up, a little confused since it realized that it lost track of its opponent. Until a shout came from above it, ¡°Where are you looking, little deer!¡±

    Malourcha raised its head instinctively, but all it saw was a white light descend from the skies and strike the center of its head.

    sh Strike Sword Art ¡ª ¡°No!¡± The fairy girl called out in wretched agony.

    She had to shut her eyes in fear of seeing the bloody scene. But what she imagined didn¡¯te to pass because a ck shield of light suddenly appeared on Malourcha¡¯s head. Brendel¡¯s Staff of Earth struck the ck light shield and then bounced away. Brendel paused and took a step back, then he saw that only a light bloody scratch appeared on the demonized Crystal Stag¡¯s forehead.

    Shield of Chaos. That was a techniquemonly found among many powerful demonized creatures. It used dark magic as a means to counter various types of attack.

    Except for holy attacks.

    ¡°This damned demonization!¡± Brendel cursed inside his brain. Then he immediately saw the wound on Malourcha¡¯s forehead closing up and healing until all that was left was a fait mark. This was a power the Crystal Stags had ¡ª the healing ability that originated from water elementals.

    But when Malourcha used this power, the dull color on its body darkened another shade.

    Brendel stopped when he saw this.

    ¡°If you keep fighting with me, you won¡¯t be able to suppress the dark magic in you. You want to protect this forest, right? Protect those silly fairies. But if you keep doing this, you¡¯ll turn into a milicrystal stag.¡±

    This was when Malourcha finally realized what it meant to have a hack.

    With a loud crash, the Staff of Earth delivered a heavy blow to the side of its neck. Though the ck light appeared, it was still knocked into the air by the blow. The skin on its neck turned outwards and blue blood spilled out.

    The blood dripped onto the ground and immediately turned into crystallized blood, as beautiful as sapphires.

    The fairy girl¡¯s sobs cut off suddenly. Her mouth was opened and her face pale as she watched the scene unfold. It seemed as if she was about to die herself.

    Malourcha¡¯s four feet struggled vainly on the ground but the effort it took to simultaneously keep battling and suppressing the dark magic was too much. It cried out angrily but couldn¡¯t stand up.

 Chapter 678 - Elemental Activation (5)

    <h4>Elemental Activation (5)</h4>

    The crystalized blood gave off a dark blue glint as it shone on the snow-covered ground.

    The fairy girl in Maynild¡¯s hand drooped her head as if she had died. Her slender shoulders trembled slightly.

    The mission to gather crystalized blood could be considered as beingpleted. But there was one problem; Brendel couldn¡¯t be sure that demonized crystallized blood counted. Plus the strangeness of the forest had caught his attention. He knew that in the past the Amber Sword had some hidden mission settings.

    Whether the current one counted was hard to tell. But it couldn¡¯t hurt to give it a shot.

    He looked at the demonized Crystal Stag struggling on the ground and was a little confused. What happened to it to turn it like this? As a creature that cohabited with magic, the Crystal Stag would rarely sink into an obsession with dark magic.

    But strangely, it seemed to be fighting against the taint of the dark magic, which meant that it hadn¡¯t voluntarily turned. But how could such a sensitive magical creature be invaded by dark magic ¡ª

    And that strange little fairy.

    Brendel took a step closer and said, ¡°Anger and nervousness will only increase the influence of the dark. If you keep going on like this, you¡¯ll just sink lower and lower. I can feel your struggle. Can you hear me?¡±

    The stag blew out a breath of white air from its nostrils and stared at Brendel with blood-red eyes.

    Brendel paused. He wasn¡¯t a druid and didn¡¯t know how to soothe animals. In fact, he had no such experience in his past life, which troubled him. This Crystal Stag seemed to have some rationale left, yet it acted frustrated and uneasy.

    He didn¡¯t understand why it was so frustrated and uneasy. It didn¡¯t make any sense. Demonized creatures, even in their demonized state, would only act like the ck wolves in the ck Forest and be filled with anger and a desire to destroy civilization. This kind of hatred was ice cold instead of red hot; what he felt on Malourcha was a sense of restlessness and anxiousness. It seemed to be in a hurry to chase them away.

    ¡£

    He hesitated and tried to put his hand against Malourcha¡¯s neck.

    But in that very moment, a trace of killing intent shed across the demonized Crystal Stag¡¯s eyes. It was as it was waiting for this precise moment. It had seemed too weak to move before, but now it suddenly swung its head.

    Three half-transparent waves seemed to appear in front of Brendel in the blink of an eye.

    His pupils constricted slightly ¡ª the fatal weak point of Crystal Stags located on their necks right below their horns seemed ineffective against the demonized Crystal Stags! He had calcted the amount of blood the stag should have, so he wasn¡¯t at all suspicious when the Malourcha copsed. He hadn¡¯t imagined the other wasying a trap for him.

    Brendel¡¯s heart thumped. The threat of death made his brain whirl at a crazy speed a thousand times faster than its usual rate. In that second he suddenly realized that this demonized Crystal Stag might very well know the difference between its powers and that of its kindreds.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Brendel cursed in his mind as he swung his sword toward Malourcha. At the same time, he activated the Nine Luminaries Sword Art spell in the opposite direction alongside sh and the demonized Crystal Stag flew out with a pained yell. It crashed through three crystalized Tree of Fog and broke them ¡ª but Brendel wasn¡¯t much better off. His figure faded as the Horn Scythe¡¯s waves reached him, but when he reappeared there was a bloody wound on his cheek.

    That strike had been too close.

    ¡°You... Don¡¯t think that my patience is infinite...¡± Brendel muttered angrily in his heart. Hidden missions aren¡¯t worth dying for and the attack from before already made him feel threatened.

    But his sentence broke off halfway through.

    He saw Malourcha rising on unsteady legs. The wound on the stag¡¯s neck hasn¡¯t healed and one of its legs was broken. It looked like all of its elemental powers were being used to suppress the invasion of the dark magic; in other words, it couldn¡¯t really use healing powers anymore.

    But even so ¡ª

    The Crystal Stag still walked shakily toward Brendel and Maynild with magic twining around its long horns, gathering energy for the next attack.

    It lowered its head and anger shone in its reddened eyes. The long horns were pointed at Brendel.

    Brendel was dazed. After being transmigrated into the Amber Sword, he had experienced quite a few battles but this was a first for him. The closest he came to this would be in the wilderness outside of Riedon Fortress.

    He was just facing a beast, but he thought he saw that half-kneeling figure of Abram the White Knight still holding onto his sword and his pride ¡ª it was just a beast and yet it gave him such a misconception.

    The demonized creatures were not capable of thought and only understood killing. Pain, death, and fear could not stop them from attacking as if they were Madara¡¯s Undead.

    But Brendel knew that he wasn¡¯t facing such a beast. It was struggling but it wasn¡¯t to kill. Something Brendel didn¡¯t understand was pushing it onwards in battle.

    But what was it ¡ª

    ¡°You want to protect this forest?¡±

    The magic on Malourcha¡¯s horn sparkled.

    ¡°But we are not your enemy ¨C¡±

    The demonized Crystal Stag lowered its head as if it didn¡¯t hear. The magic gathered on its long horn and a point already lit up. In the next second, it could unleash Horn Scythe.

    But that meant nothing to Brendel.

    In its current state, Brendel only needed one single strike to end the battle. Then he and Maynild couldplete the mission and leave here. The only regret would just be notpleting the hidden mission.

    But as Brendel put one hand on his sword, he realized he couldn¡¯t bear to make that strike.

    Did he finish missions just for the reward?

    Maybe, but also maybe no.

    ¡°Say something, you bastard!¡±

    ¡°No...¡± He heard the young fairy girl plead. That usually optimistic creature was crying and shouting at him, ¡°Please spare Master Malourcha...¡±

    Brendel hesitated. The magic gathering on Malourcha¡¯s horn was bing more and more obvious. If it attacked, Brendel had to volley back. The arrow was notched and there was no way back. If he didn¡¯t strike back how would he walk away with the crystalized blood?

    ¡°But dammit, it¡¯s not me who wants to kill this cursed thing.¡±

    The Crystal Stag hadpletely lost its mind.

    But could it withstand another attack?

    ¡°Answer me!¡±

    ¡°Dammit, what¡¯s going on!¡± Brendel shouted involuntarily. ¡°Fine, if this is your choice ¨C¡±

    He took a breath and raised his sword.

    It happened in just a second. Malourcha¡¯s eyes were blood-red, as if it could no longer feel anything around it. But it raised its head and moved its neck to the side.

    That was the warning sign for the attack.

    ¡°Master Malourcha!¡±

    ¡°Brendel!¡± The fairy girl and Maynild both shouted at the same time. But in contrast to thetter, the female knight¡¯s gaze was calm and collected and had been so this entire time. She looked at the Crystal Stag and warned Brendel loudly, ¡°The magic of the forest is gathered on a single point ¨C¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Listen to me. The magic that disappeared from the forest is all gathered upon that Crystal Stag!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Brendel¡¯s jaw dropped in that second. He saw the demonized Crystal Stag unleash his attack. The triple wave rippled out, as if on a calmke surface, and the circles passed through half the forest ground.

    Before he could react, three bloody wounds appeared on his body. On his character panel, the pale green status bar indicating health immediately dropped by half and turned into a warning shade of bright yellow.

    But Brendel didn¡¯t pay attention to the crisscrossing wounds on his chest. He gritted his teeth and pushed the immense pain aside. Finally the fog of confusion in his brain showed signs of dissipating.

    The answer to the puzzle was here ¡ª

    So this was the key to the mission!

    His figure instantaneously disappeared and when it appeared next to Malourcha, the demonized Crystal Stag hadpletely lost its ability to attack or to defend. Brendel raised the Staff of Earth ¡ª

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± The young fairy girl struggled violently. Right then, she didn¡¯t act at all like her race.

    But no matter how much she struggled, she was no match for Maynild. The female knight just coldly and easily squashed her against the ground with two fingers.

    Brendel turned the de around.

    He swung the de downward and the spine of the sword came down hard against the back of the Crystal Stag¡¯s head. He didn¡¯t show any mercy with this strike. This damned beast had caused him so much trouble already.

    Malourcha crashed against the ground with a muffled sound.

    But the demonized creature was indeed as hard to kill as Brendel expected. Though ity against the ground, it still stared heatedly at Brendel with its blood-red eyes full of anger. Those eyes, however, started to show signs of a chilling killing intent. This killing intent was quickly reced by confusion ¡ª this meant that the invasion of the dark magic was at thest critical step.

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you if you are the one who sucked out all of the magic in the forest ¨C¡± Brendel ced his sword against Malourcha¡¯s neck and asked.

    Honestly, this entire scene was hrious. You¡¯d rarely see a knight force a stag to answer a question by sword point.

    But Brendel¡¯s expression was dead serious.

    ¡°Get out, human!¡±

    The furious answer that resounded in his mind was just as Brendel expected.

    At this time, Malourcha¡¯s entire body was covered by ck smoke. Clearly the battle before had used up too much of its energy and it no longer had any resources left to suppress the invasion of the darkness. The Dark Magic was increasing the rate at which it tainted the stag and Brendel could see the constant change in its eyes.

    He didn¡¯t actually need the answer anymore.

    ¡°Since you won¡¯t respond then it¡¯s up to me to find the answer.¡± Brendel suddenly leaned down and pressed against Malourcha¡¯s neck. Then his sword pointed at a spot just beneath its horns at the center of the back of its head.

    Below that spot was the magical core of the Crystal Stag.

    He pressed down with a bit of force and Halran Gaia¡¯s de tore the skin. Blue blood spilled out. At the same time, Malourcha let out the anticipated shouts of anger and then started to struggle furiously.

    But Brendel was absolutely sure that it was not because of pain.

 Chapter 679 - v4c61p1 Elemental Activation (6)

    <h4>Chapter 679 - v4c61p1 Elemental Activation (6)</h4>

    v4c61p1 Elemental Activation (6)

    Life and death, ever cycling ¡ª

    ¡ª Observations Across Centuries, Shallow Seas, Volume One

    There was a wide field of wilderness in its long memory. All that it remembered of its youth was wandering and traveling. When it traveled across the borders of the ¡®Shallow Seas¡¯, the sight of the storm falling silent and the green hills in the background remained carved into its memories to this day. At the border between water and wind, the two worlds ovepped in a bizarre fashion in its view.

    That was the deepest memory it had of its childhood.

    But all those distant sights were gone. After long periods of traveling, traveling, and then traveling some more, it finally arrived at this world ¡ª

    This was a strange new beginning. nspeople passed memories down from generation to generation, as if by blood, and nurtured magic. They formed the holy forest. In the distant years of darkness, the gentle magic attracted creatures from the darkness such as Frost Demons, Weeping Demons, and the Undead. In order to protect the forest, it fought a constant battle against them.

    Many years seemed to pass while it constantly battled like this.

    Until one day, it saw that ball of light fly to him.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Luoluo. It¡¯s so pretty here. May I make my home here?¡±

    ¡°You cannot.¡± It answered seriously.

    ¡°Why?¡± The little ball of light stared wide-eyed, its blue eyes opened wide and filled with curiosity as if not allowing her to stay in the forest was a very strange thing.

    ¡°Because you¡¯re like them and want to possess the holy magic.¡±

    ¡°No, no, no. I just think it¡¯s cooler here.¡±

    ¡°Cooler?¡±

    ¡°Mmhmm. Besides, you can¡¯t always be fighting against them by yourself. You needrades, right? Let me help you.¡±

    After that, it seemed like it had apanion. The wordpanion, spoke in thenguage of the elementals, was much longer than in the human tongue but also more meaningful.

    ¡°Malourcha, let¡¯s build ake. Then they wouldn¡¯t be able toe over here.¡±

    ¡°Lake?¡±

    ¡°Mmhmm,ke. You haven¡¯t seen one, right? It¡¯s a scene like the shallow seas ¡ª of course, not as magnificent as my homnd, but still very beautiful.¡±

    Thinking of its homnd, it nodded.

    ¡°Malourcha, is theke very beautiful?¡±

    ¡°Not like the shallow seas.¡± It answered seriously after a long while of contemtion.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s make it bigger. So big that it has no end.¡± She said excitedly. ¡°Oh right, after I die, please bury me under the biggest Tree of Fog. Then I can go back home.¡±

    ¡°Die?¡±

    It squinted its eyes slightly. In some distant part of its brain, there was some information hidden about this. It was about elemental creatures. A sentence that seemed burned into its soul shed across its memory ¡°Life and death, elementals ever cycling ¨C¡±

    ¡°Mmhmm,¡± the little fairy answered with its eyes squinted. ¡°Life and death, elementals ever cycling. Without death, there will not be new life.¡±

    It stared at the ck night sky. A shooting star streaked across the sky and disappeared. In the vibrant starry sky, this meant the civilized world outside, rife with conflict, just lost another of its heroes. The war between mortals started 137 years ago and wouldst a total of 300 years, ending 12 years after that ording to the prophecy.

    Lulu was buried in the ground in the middle of the forest. The next year it grew sprouts that lit up, and then it slowly bore fruit. From the fruit, two new lives arrived.

    They were the continuation of Lulu¡¯s life. Their names were Miya and Tisha.

    Fairies were born with names, which was strange.

    Then there were more and more fairies and the forest became more and more lively and prosperous. But every night thereafter, it would look at the vibrant night sky and think of that sentence:

    ¡°Malourcha, let¡¯s build ake. Then they wouldn¡¯t be able to cross.¡±

    On the shores of the silveryke, the frost demons hidden in the dark really didn¡¯t dare cross theke ¡ª

    The war in the human world finally ended 130 years ago. Malourcha looked up at the night sky as another falling star streaked across. Sanorso, thest hero of the civilized world, has just finished thest leg of her journey in the world.

    The world suddenly became foreign.

    ......

    Magical core was the life source of a demonized creature. But for creatures like Crystal Stag, which lived in harmony with magic, this was just a core of energy. After losing the magical core, a demonized creature should immediately turn to ashes but for Marloucha, it would probably just revert back to its youth.

    Very quickly, Brendel saw the crystal prism. It was embedded along Malourcha¡¯s spine and as soon as Brendel saw it, he couldn¡¯t help but squint his eyes.

    The healthy magical core of a Crystal Stag should be blue of an ocean, just like the Shallow Seas of their homnd. That was the most beautiful ce in the world of water elementals. But what he saw was an ink-ck crystal.

    The magic had been tainted this badly.

    Brendel held his breath involuntarily.

    Warndt¡¯s world was built upon the Sea of Magic, but what mortals could touch were mostly magic from the darkness. But Marsha had set down the rule of Tiamat and used the power of order to constrain the wild forces of darkness ¡ª so that they turned calm and docile.

    This was the boon from a mother.

    But there were those who didn¡¯t ept such a boon.

    Astrologers chased after the footsteps of the Divine Folk and could be said to be the mages that cut a path through thorns in the dark. Like the deity they worshipped, ine of the Abyss Lake, they turned the dark magic into a mirror and found the sacrifice of their sight a price worth paying for the ability to see through the fog into the future. Darkness ate away at their body and soul but they remained steady.

    Female mages took things one step further than astrologers. The original twelve female mages swore that they would conquer the powers of darkness ¨C though their descendants followed the oath, obsession, coldness, perverseness, and moodiness apanied them through their lives ¡ª because of this and their identity as followers of the Darkness Dragon, they were cast aside by everyone.

    And those that walked in the shadows; the believers of evil, the worshippers of devils, the insane and the murderers. They worshipped dark magic and didn¡¯t bat an eye at pleasing those dark and evil beings through sacrifice. They walked the crooked path in the shadow of civilization, but nobody denied their existence.

    Dark magic was like a shot of extreme poison. Its damage to anyone was irreversible. Bredel thought he knew the answer to the puzzle and, with that feeling in mind, he gently reached toward the magical core.

    His entire body tingled, as if being electrocuted.

    ¡°Human, stop ¨C¡±

    A calm voice,pletely different from the frustrated and angry one from before, sounded in Brendel¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Guardian of the Holy Seal Forest, do you know what I¡¯m doing?¡± Brendel stilled the movement of his hand and then asked quietly, ¡°Can you see what has be of the forest?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t solve anything by chasing the dark magic out.¡± The voice didn¡¯t answer him directly but instead said this, ¡°Actually, you¡¯lle to regret your actions.¡±

    ¡°I need to know the reason.¡± Brendel asked. ¡°If you don¡¯t give up this magical core, you¡¯ll be turned into a monster by the dark magic. This forest has already started to wilt. Dark magic will consume everything, including your fairyrades ¨C¡±

    The voice fell silent.

    After a while, it said again, ¡°No, the forest will not stay wilted. What you said will note to pass. Human, you have not seen the Shallow Seas so you won¡¯t understand how great nature is ¨C¡±

    ¡°Shallow Seas?¡±

    Malourcha paused. It was gravely wounded and its body was dying. The blood-red eyes showed a trace of weariness, but the mes within them still burned brightly.

    ¡°Human, I know what you desire. You may take the crystallized blood, but please leave this forest. This forest does not belong to anyone. It only belongs to history, to the fairies that have borne witness to all of this ¨C¡±

    Brendel didn¡¯t understand what it said but it looked at the crystallized blood dotting the ground and then at Maynild standing not so far from him. The female knight was looking at the little fairy in her hands, who was sobbing uncontrobly.

    ¡°Thank you for your generosity, guardian.¡± Brendel answered. ¡°But I am curious about your choice.¡±

    A breeze seemed to pass through the forest. Amidst the sound of rustling, the brittle branches broke and fell off.

    The forest was almost dead.

    ck mes lit up around Malourcha¡¯s body. The Crystal Stagy quietly there as if remembering something. Brendel saw its gaze move past his shoulder and look at the glorious and stunning Vaunte night sky.

    There were many constetions there, recording many of humankind¡¯s epic poems.

    ¡°Why did you actively take away the forest¡¯s magic? Is it because the Holy Seal Valley was being taken over by dark magic?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more or less as you guessed, human.¡± The gradually weakened voice answered, ¡°The forest was bing unsettled. Not only so, but dark magic was pushing out from underneath the entire world. The magic moon is already brighter than it was before, human ¨C¡±

    Brendel didn¡¯t say anything. He knew Malourcha was referring to the Great Demonic Wave.

    ¡°So you took it upon yourself to guide the dark magic into your body so that it wouldn¡¯t taint the entire forest.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t this a meaningless action? In the end, you¡¯ll be a puppet to the dark magic. And as thest guardian of this forest dies, it too will wilt and wither, just like what you see before you now.¡± Brendel answered slowly, his mindbing through all the clues to this mission.

    But he was interrupted.

    ¡°That¡¯s because you have not seen the Shallow Seas, human.¡± Malourcha answered peacefully. ¡°In that bordend between wind and water is a beautiful and stunning sea. The waves rise and fall upon that sea in an endless cycle, just like our lives ¨C¡±

    ¡°Your life?¡±

    ¡°Life and death, ever cycling ¨C¡±

    ¡°Such is the fate of an elemental.¡±

    Realization suddenly struck Brendel ¡ª

    He looked stunned at the Crystal Stag on the ground. The old elemental life will die and the new elemental creature will be born from its body. Generation after generation, that is how ancient knowledge was passed down.

    This was like a poem passed down from ancient times. It would always resound in the bloodline that counted as heritage. Quiet but also majestic.

    ¡°When the old order leaves, it¡¯ll take with it a lot of memories. New life will be born from the dying ashes. The dark magic will be burnt away alongside me. In that instant, pure magic will fill thisnd again and nurture the root of every Tree of Fog so that life springs forth again.¡±

    Brendel stood there, unmoving. For a while, he felt that his concern for the mission faded. He asked, ¡°This is your choice?¡±

    Malourcha didn¡¯t answer.

    The voice just kept on muttering. ¡°I should have left a long time ago. When I saw that shooting star fall across the sky, I knew this was no longer my time.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been so long.¡±

    ¡°But theke is still nothing like the shallow seas.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just so beautiful ¨C¡±

    Brendel lowered his gaze slightly.

    He was a bit touched, but more than that, he was confused. Why did the system design such a scenario? Was there a hidden mission in this? Or was he here just to bear witness?

    No, there must be something that he could change.

    He saw the Crystal Stag, lying on the ground, gradually close its eyes. The dark magic tried to struggle free from it, but was kept tightly locked up within the magical core.

    In that instant, Brendel seemed to sense thest scene this guardian of the Holy Seal Forest transmitted:

    A wide sea, so broad that you couldn¡¯t see the end. Cliffs that crisscrossed each other. The waves crashing upon the rocks. In the distance, the Holy Mountain, where no storms raged, stood as still as an ink painting.

    The clouds gently floated in the sky.

    He saw that young stag. It crossed the sea, the shores, and the wilderness along with its kin. It was an endless journey and nobody seemed to know where their destination was.

    That long time shed across Brendel¡¯s mind in just an instant. As if a thousand years vanished in the blink of an eye. He saw so many things, including the fairy called Luoluo.

    ¡°I see my homnd.¡±

    ¡°So beautiful, just like when I left it. It hasn¡¯t changed and is waiting for me to go back.¡±

 Chapter 680 - v4c61p2 Elemental Activation (7)

    <h4>Elemental Activation (7)</h4>

    Brendel blinked hard, the corners of his eyes stinging a bit.

    When he opened his eyes, Malourcha¡¯s body was radiating a burning white light and turning transparent and ethereal. The magic floating above it seemed to be undergoing a rebirth. In that light, as bright as a newborn star, the dark magic was being guided by a force beyond life and death. An unseen rule descended from the skies.

    In that instant, he and Maynild both looked up, their souls experiencing the same kind of shock. They experienced the power that came from Marsha.

    Gentle, but insistently seeping through every pore.

    Everynguage and sound seemed to lose its meaning.

    The fairies looked up at this scene. They were amazed to feel the forest shattering, but a friendly power was struggling to free itself.

    Brendel saw the little fairy in Maynild¡¯s eyes run towards the Crystal Stag¡¯s body, her face streaked with tears. She cried and shouted, her mouth opening and closing, but Brendel couldn¡¯t hear anything.

    There was just rule and power between heaven and earth.

    Brendel saw the golden magic blossom from Malourcha¡¯s body. It seeped into the ground and spread out along the path in the forest like a spider. Then he saw a faintyer of fog rise from the Crystal Stag¡¯s body, already turning into ash, and forming into what Malourcha looked like while it was alive ¡ª that majestic and beautiful creature looked up at the night sky with its head raised.

    And then thatyer of fog began to dissipate.

    But in that instant, Brendel seemed to realize something. He raised his head and shouted at the fog-like soul, ¡°Malourcha, wait! Your magical core won¡¯t bepletely turned to ash. A part of it will be inherited by the new elemental!¡±

    The Crystal Stag clearly seemed to realize something as well.

    It stood there, slightly stunned, and then turned around to look at Brendel. Because its physical form was already starting to fray, Brendel couldn¡¯t clearly see its expression. But Brendel could read thest thing Malourcha wanted to convey through its gaze ¡ª

    Help it.

    The magical core was alreadypletely tainted. Even if only a part was given to the newborn Crystal Stag, it will be assimted by that Crystal Stag. The newborn elemental life will only be a monster out for blood.

    And this forest will only be a wilderness, filled with gloom and horror.

    So this is the mission.

    Brendel finally figured things out but he wasn¡¯t rxed at all. He could only watch as Malourcha¡¯s body gradually faded into nothing. It looked at him anxiously but there was nothing he could do either.

    No.

    Wait.

    There was a way. Brendel suddenly raised his head. He looked at the Crystal Stag and his entire mind was filled with the scene he saw earlier. The wide and never-ending sea, the crisscrossing fang-like cliffs, the waves crashing against the rocks ¡ª that was the Shallow Seas, the never-ceasing origin of elementals.

    ¡°I can help you Malourcha.¡±

    He suddenly called out, ¡°Will you ept?¡±

    In the middle of Brendel¡¯s palm, a nk card was already floating. Malourcha looked at the card and seemed to understand. Its life was long and it umted knowledge bit by bit through the centuries.

    ¡°Are you willing!¡± Brendel demanded angrily.

    The golden magic filled the entire forest, but the ck me reignited from the center of the golden light. For the human and the stag, only one chance remained.

    ¡°What¡¯s your n, human.¡± Malourcha¡¯s gaze held this question.

    ¡°Use the dark magic as a source of energy and seal you alongside it. I¡¯ll use the rules of the Cards of Fate and separate it from the magical core. It might just work!¡±

    ¡°How sure are you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know ¨C¡±

    Malourcha nodded slightly, a wispy existence except for what remained below its neck. Its body hadpletely vanished but its four hooves still remained firmly on the ground.

    Brendel took out the Cards of Fate and turned them to face Malourcha¡¯s soul. ¡°Ciel, help me calcte how much I need to seal a card this time.¡±

    ¡°My lord, can¡¯t you do this simple calction yourself?¡± Ciel¡¯s drowsy voice sounded in Brendel¡¯s mind. Ciel yawned, clearly having no idea what was going on.

    ¡°Stop wasting time and just tell me¨C¡± Brendel scolded through gritted teeth.

    Ciel shivered and then realized, ¡°Ah, then please give me some ess to the privilege of sealing so that I can tell what kind of card you¡¯re about to seal ¨C¡±

    Brendel immediately did so.

    ¡°Crystal Stag.¡± Ciel paused. ¡°This thing is much stronger than the little princess. Though its soul has agreed to it, which will reduce the cost of sealing, we¡¯re still looking at close to a thousand.¡±

    ¡°Ah, wait ¡ª what¡¯s this?¡± Ciel¡¯s voice turned frantic. ¡°Dark magic? Is Leader thinking of separating that out from here ¡ª but that¡¯s chaoticw. From the point of view of privileges, that¡¯s no lesser than neswalker privilege. Are you sure you want to do this? I don¡¯t quite understand..¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to understand!¡± Brendel was going crazy. Malourcha¡¯s head had all but fainted. ¡°You just need to tell me how much!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s too much dark magic...¡±

    ¡°This is a small amount already!¡± Brendel didn¡¯t shout thest part. The majority of the dark magic had already been cleansed by Malourcha and turned into forces of order.

    ¡°Okay, okay ¡ª I got it. You need a total of 2720 points.¡±

    ¡°This much!?¡±

    ¡°I said...¡± Ciel answered but was interrupted rudely by Brendel. ¡°Enough, just tell me if I have enough points right now.¡±

    ¡°... Barely, but weren¡¯t you nning on saving some? Didn¡¯t you say that you might encounter some nicer raw materials in the Frost Stained Labyrinth? We¡¯re still in the Anserra Forest right now aren¡¯t we?¡± Ciel asked with some curiosity. He didn¡¯t know whether his leader had run into some kind of trouble.

    But Brendel didn¡¯t have time to spend on him anymore.

    He pressed his thumb and forefinger on the card and shouted at Malourcha¡¯s soul: ¡°Seal!¡±

    But things didn¡¯t go as he expected. Inplete contrast to what happened thest time he sealed Medissa, the Card of Destiny just floated quietly in mid-air,pletely unmoving.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Brendel¡¯s right hand, the hand holding the card, slightly stiffened.

    ¡°Leader... the soul you¡¯re trying to seal is too weak. Even dark magic isn¡¯t enough to make up for theck of rule... you need more points to create a virtual rule.¡± Ciel¡¯s voice cried out anxiously.

    ¡°How much more?¡± Brendel asked with gritted teeth. He was about to lose thest chance.

    ¡°Not enough...¡±

    Brendel¡¯s heart chilled. But just then, Ciel suddenly yelped, ¡°Ah... a new force ising in. What¡¯s happening?¡±

    The young mage attendant clearly had no idea what¡¯s going on and Brendel didn¡¯t know either because all he saw was that the nk card suddenly glinted with silver light and then exploded like a sh bomb.

    A white and piercing light spread out in all directions.

    Brendel squinted his eyes slightly. When the light faded he saw a card drop gently through the air.

    ¡°Though you are in darkness, your heart turns towards the light. That is the eternal song¨C¡±

    The card fell into his hands:

    Song of Reincarnation

    Eternal Song VIII

    Light 4/ Dark 4

    [Spells]

    Spend 40 Elemental Points (Knight) and summon the white stag Malourcha (level the same as Fand Knight level -10) into the ying field. When the white stag departs, choose two cards and reshuffle them into the yer¡¯s deck.

    Sustain: white stag Malourcha will be sustained until the resetting time the next day

    ¡°Life and death, ever cycling ¨C¡±

    Brendel looked at the white stag depicted on the card along with the fairy riding on its back. He was confused for just a second before he understood what happened just then.

    He looked up and saw the golden forest envelop the entire forest. The decayed patches of Tree of Fog copsed onto the ground, but new branches sprouted from the ashes and a little patch of the dense forest quickly grew up.

    A young Crystal Stagy with its eyes half-closed among the trees.

    The forest seemed to stand guard around it.

    With a quiet buzzing sound, Brendel saw a pale green status board pop up in front of him:

    ¡®Mission: Elemental Activation,plete, perfectpletion.¡¯

    ¡®Mission: Song of the Shallow Seas,plete, excellentpletion.¡¯

 Chapter 681 - v4c62 Payment for the Mission(1)

    <h4>Payment for the Mission(1)</h4>

    Elemental Activation.

    In that second, Brendel felt as if a me had been lit in his soul, lighting up something that had been pitch-ck previously. Simultaneously, the golden mes ignited in his pupils. The world had changed in his eyes. The crystallized trees that were falling apart at this moment, the paths in the forest, rock, and even the piled-up snow seemed to be covered by a silver line. The line sloped downwards and constrained the energy and material; the Lines of Laws crisscrossed and at the nk and weak spots, the material was so fragile it seemed as if it could break down at a single touch.

    He picked up a pebble and gently pressed it against a spot. The stone crumbled into powder like it was molded bread.

    This was a world governed by Laws.

    He already knew this secret, but without activating elementals a mortal had a really hard time understanding what this sentence really meant. This was just like how a mortal could not understand the truth of the world. Only when they step foot across the threshold ¡ª Time, Space, Law, Energy, Randomness ¡ª and be reborn in mes and see what¡¯s in front of them could they understand that this world was, at its core, made of magic constrained by the Law of Tiamat. Theplex multitudes really didn¡¯t have as many secrets as mortals thought they did.

    Everything they saw was formed by magic, which was constrained by Law. This was the most basic of Warndt¡¯s rules.

    Brendel squinted. The power flowing quietly through him felt exactly like it did in his previous life. He raised his hands and his hands were also covered with a thinyer of Lines of Laws. But all the strange sights were gradually disappearing in front of his eyes and the world seemed to return to its original state in a sh.

    Next, Brendel saw his own status interface begin to change:

    Human who suffers, 20 years old.

    Power System: Element Realm (Self Determination),upper threshold.

    After elemental activation, the power system was no longer simply divided into physics, curses, elements, and closebat. In addition to Self Determination, which was in pursuit of the ultimate power, there were only Mage and Element Ambassador, two types of systems that routinely investigated the mysteries of the Laws of the world.

    But Brendel saw the extra ¡°upper threshold¡± that appeared after his designation and paused in confusion. After elemental activation, the power system description exined the most basic source of his powers. He immediately thought that this must be the power of the neswalkers.

    Then he continued reading .

    The column for absolute power had already disappeared. After entering the element realm, power andw became tied together and the previous method for calction was no longer suitable. Next came the description about the element itself. The previously simplistic description of its nature now expanded to an entire column:

    Time and Space¨C (In the eyes of the gods and people of Haseir, time and space are ideas used to describe the world¡¯s existence. If material and energy do not exist, then time and space would also copse. But the principle often extends to the power of definition and imagination. It is the origin of Law and the key to Existence) ¡ª Brendel looked stunned at the phrase. Whether it was time or space, both were the manifestation of the top rank of elements. Inbination of Sanorso¡¯s wind element, Farnezain¡¯s light element, Gretel¡¯s fire element, and Eleranta¡¯s earth powers were together considered to be the top elements.

    People often thought that above the top elements was the power of existence.

    They didn¡¯t know that further up were mixed elements, also called principle elements. Brendel always thought that his space element was a state of constraining and defining space, which is why it had these effects.

    But now that he thought about it, in the four dimensional world time and space existed as one unit.

    Element Power (4/4) Certain Strike ¡ª ¡®Space is under your control and management¡±

    As long as the Lines of Laws are trending towards stability, the user may have their next strike appear at any location in the space.

    Expend: 50 PO (Power of Order) Stabilize ¡ª ¡®space is the furthest distance between humans. If you can¡¯t surpass it, how can you hurt me? ¡ª Sadin, King of the Law Mages¡¯

    The Lines of Law protected the user¡¯s armor and weapons. As long as the attack cannot prate Law, then the armor and weapons are treated as undamageable. In addition. Stabilize gives the user an extra +2 in defense.

    Expend: Passive elemental power pse¡ª ¡®time is my ally and your enemy¡¯

    As long as the Lines of Law are trending towards stability, the user¡¯s attack can affect the enemy and cause them to age.

    Expend: 100 PO/sec Gap ¡ª ¡®You seem to be between the gaps of time. To you, time always seems to pass extremely slowly.¡¯

    The user ages at half the speed, and therefore doubles their life expectancy.

    Expend: Passive Elemental Power, the Power of Order. 400/400 four element powers. When undergoing elemental activation, the user gains an extra active elemental power and passive elemental power instead of the normal two active and one passive elemental powers. Aside from Certain Strike being unchanged, Stabilize gains two two additional attributes that can protect armor and increase defense. And pse¡ª and ¡®gap¡¯ are new additions because of the element of time.

    pse, as an element, had been practically useless for yers in the game but it worked wonderfully against NPCs. In the words of the experienced yers, this was the god-given strategy for PVE. Gap was also the same. A normal human¡¯s lifespan in Warndt was maybe about two hundred years. That increased by another half after elemental activation but the oldest human being¡¯s lifespan would usually not exceed 400 years.

    Doubling the life expectancy meant extending it to 800 years, which was almost approaching the level of the Silver Elves. This attribute was practically worthless in the game and Brendel had doubted if it even existed. But right now, this was, without a question, the best element there was.

    Finally, the Power of Order also went from 100/100 to 400/400, which was 50 points more than the average yer. Brendel thought this was probably the so-called bonus reward from the principle elements.

    He continued reading and realized his talents have also undergone aplete 180.

    Bloodline talent, Unyielding ¡ª (level 3). Stubbornness: can ignore all damage within 15 minutes of receiving a critical hit.

    (Element bonus): At the end of the effect, revert the yer¡¯s status to 15 minutes before. This skill can be used once a day.

    Self-healing, the ability to repair the yer¡¯s body is increased 6x.

    (Element bonus): Decrease the time it takes to achieve optimum status by half.

    Unyielding, resist elements + 10 , avoiding physical damage + 10%.

    (Element bonus): Gains extra 2 defense.

    Sturdy: during the first two stages (active, tired), physical strength can perform all abilities as if in extended stage.

    (Element bonus): reduce stamina usagethe use of physical strength by half.

    Destiny talent, fool ¡ª (level 1). Beserk: sometimes dedication to the point of forgetting oneself is not a good thing. For the next 30 minutes, double all attribute bonuses.In the 30 minutes after activating Beserk, the user can double their bonuses in all attributes. This skill can be activated twice a day.

    Ancient people: learn ancient attribute skills like you would learn a regr skill.

    Destiny talent, the chosen one ¡ª (level 1). King of the ancients: your followers will gather underneath your banners because of respect. Regardless of race, followers will not have reduced moraleTherefore, no matter what race theye from, they will not be punished because of morale.

    From this, it was easy to tell the magnitude of the bonus an element gave to bloodline talents. In fact, this was one of the main reasons a yer¡¯s attribute changed so drastically after they entered the element realm.

    After entering the element realm, the element began to enhance the skills on the status interface, one by one. Elemental activation had the following stages: bloodline talent, first professional skills, and main attribute. Elemental Enlightenment did bloodline talent first, then professional skills and then secondary attribute. Peak of Law impacted the second destiny talent, third professional skills, and the third attribute. Ultimate Realm was the realm the yers would possess and again enhance the bloodline attributes, first professional skills, and two attributes.

    At the Sage Realm stage, the elements will enhance all the attributes and talents, the three professional skills, and also grant the yers onestw talent.

    After a yer has reached that stage, looking at any being below the golden realm was like a god looking at the inconsequential bugs of the world. The perfect body, which was a higher stage, was a whole new world.

    Though he had been prepared for it, Brendel still silently moaned in his heart when he realized how the time and space element had enhanced the bloodline talent. Amber Sword has never been a game known for its fair and bnced standards.

    But it did try to take fairness into consideration. In the game, yers only had one chance to be treated fairly ¡ª and that was at the starting line, which is why bloodline talent was also called the fairest talent.

    But the game did not restrain the yer¡¯s growth after that. The more effort you put into it, the higher the reward you reaped. Attributes, skills, destiny talents, and even professions themselves are separated into strong and weak ones. This game was cruel in how realistic it was. If it hadn¡¯t been for the game being too well done, so good that it blew every other game out of the water, it probably would have been drowned by curses.

    The time and space element was an obvious example. Just like what Brendel was seeing right now, the element itself had powerful attributes and it also granted bonuses that exceeded those of regr bonuses by at least 20-30%.

    Of course, such an element ¡ª¨C Brendel hadn¡¯t encountered it before, not even in the game.

    Principle element.

    The most he had ever seen before had been the top elements of the major elements in addition to time and space, the powers that were said to be closest to the Power of Existence.

    Then he continued reading about the attributes. Because this was the first elemental activation, he naturally assumed that time and space element, as his main attribute, was the most enhanced. Instead, Brendel gaped wide-eyed at his status indicators.

    [Power] 310+49 £¨Equipment) + 107 (Elite Temte)

    [Dexterity] 240+ 17 (Equipment) + 80 (Elite Temte)

    [Strength] 670 + 43 (Equipment) + 240 (Elite Temte) [Element Enhancement)

    [Wisdom] 1.5 + 0.5 (Elite Temte)

    [Willpower] 140+26 (Equipment) + 32 (Elite Temte)

    [Perception] 36 + 13 (Elite Temte)

    [Bloodline] 44 + 17 (Elite Temte)

    Brendel was stunned upon seeing these attributes. Theoretically, as a warrior his main attribute should be power. But obviously, for some unknown reason, the time and space element actually chose to enhance his strength.

    No wonder he had been feeling so much more energetic. He had thought it was because of elemental activation, but now it seemed like that was not the case at all. His strengths had doubled and then some ¡ª no wonder he felt full of energy.

    Brendel felt like tearing his hair out in frustration. What would he, as a warrior, do with all the strength? He wasn¡¯t a tank in the game but a DPS yer! Did the damned element enhance his strength because he looked more like a knight or because it thought he had hidden masochistic tendencies?

    If he was still in the game, he¡¯d definitely be stomping his feet and calling for the GM. But now, he could only sigh resignedly after cycling through all the emotions.

    What else could he do?

    Call upon Marsha to give him a different oue? Setting aside the fact that Marshas departed Warndt after the Azure Knight shattered the heavens, even if she were still around she¡¯d probably strike him with lightning in response to him pleading for something so unimportant.

    In light of this, Brendel could only resign himself to his fate. He was terrified that this damned element enhanced other things for him, especially if it¡¯s a technique. Even though Amber Sword didn¡¯t have this precedent, what if this thing was crazy enough to enhance his skill as a schr? Then he just might have to bash his head against something.

    He continued looking down and immediately sighed in relief.

    The list of techniques were not enhanced at all. There was just a neon green system notification:

    ¡®Higher privileges gained. Do you wish to enhance skills?¡¯

    This was exactly the same as it had been in the game, though it was a bit strange. But Amber Sword had always referred to power as privileges, so while yers had discussed that for a while, they never came to a conclusion about it. Brendel had seen too many strange things to care at that point.

    He pressed on the screen with his finger and confirmed ¡°Enhance.¡±

    ¡®Enhance which skill?¡¯

    Right now, the professional skills that Brendel could choose were limited to the following four sses: mercenary, Elementalists, schr, or Holy Knight. But as long as he hadn¡¯tpletely lost his marbles, he wouldn¡¯t choose Elementalist or schr. So in reality, he was choosing between two options.

    Mercenary?

    Or Holy Knight?

    Brendel fell silent.

    Nine Luminaries Sword Art, sh Strike Sword Art, Deep Analysis, Dash, and Piercing Strike; his core techniques could all belong to a mercenary. Before, he would have chosen that profession as his main profession without any hesitation.

    But now there was a problem.

    And that was the fact that the time and space element had chosen to enhance his strength. In the Amber Sword, every technique was linked to the basic attributes. While he could still choose to enhance his secondary and tertiary attribute after he reached stages of Elemental Enlightenment or Law Peak, but after reaching Sage Realm, every attribute except for his main attribute lost an opportunity to be enhanced.

    The difference between post and pre-enhancement became more obviouster on. Right now it was just a one-fold difference. After he attained the Silver Ranker¡¯s body, the difference would be two- or three-fold and by then, two or three folds were enough to decide many things.

    So should he focus on the offence or the defence?

 Chapter 682 - Payment for the Mission (2)

    <h4>Payment for the Mission (2)</h4>

    <i>Prioritize offense or defense?</i>

    Brendel gritted his teeth. Something felt off to him. Though he was a bit frustrated at the involuntary enhancement of his time and space attribute this time around, it hadn¡¯t done irreparable damage ¡ª it just meant that he might have to give up the road he had nned out previously.

    He hesitated, but in the end, he put his hand on the Holy Knight profession.

    Previously in the game, it wasmon for a yer to change their profession simply because of a powerful weapon. For him to change his nned profession because of a powerful elemental seemed a more reliable reason. After all, an elemental would apany you for the rest of your life. Especially since the time and space elemental was too powerful; a regr elemental¡¯s enhancement wouldn¡¯t normally go beyond 50% but a principle element can double that.

    Of course, he couldn¡¯t just casually disregard such a powerful advantage.

    Besides, it wasn¡¯t as if he hadn¡¯t considered bing a more battle-aggressive knight. This might mean his attack would be slightly weaker than what he had nned, but it shouldn¡¯t be that big of a difference since he had the Colliding Halo from the Holy Knight as well as the Crown of Thorns.

    In a sh, Brendel had decided on his future path.

    Then he looked over his skills as a Holy Knight. As expected, the skill interface hadpletely changed. After the elemental enhancement, skills received their ownws.

    Blood of the Burning Sun

    (Level 10)

    [Master] (Elemental Powers/Normal)

    Whenever you receive closebat damage, deal damage equal to 50% of the damage received.

    (Element Enhancement) Now, Blood of the Burning Sun can disregard the limits of space and rebound long-distance attacks.

    Crown of Thorns

    (Level 10)

    [Master] (Elemental Powers/Normal)

    Continued deployment. Increases stamina and resistance by 20.

    Active: Gain attack equal to Defense, Resistance, and Stamina. Lasts 30 minutes. After the effect ends, the Holy Knight will lose all defense, resistance, and stamina for the next 30 minutes. This ability can be activated once a day.

    (Element Enhancement) The duration after self-activation will double and the side effect will be swallowed by the cracks of time.

    Colliding Halo

    (Level 10+1)

    [Master] (Elemental Powers/Normal)

    Increase the defense of all allies, including the yer, by 7 points.

    (Element Enhancement): The area of coverage doubles and an extra 2 points of defense is awarded.

    Enhancement seemed to have ended in a second. Brendel finally let out a sigh of relief when he read through these enhancements. It looked like different elemental powers had enhanced skillspletely differently. For example, if you used the healing elemental powers of the Crystal Stag to enhance the Blood of the Burning Sun, then you¡¯d probably gain a slight self-healing ability while the Blood of the Burning Sun rebound attacks.

    But clearly, time and space worked really well to enhance these techniques. Brendel was so happy he could haveughed out loud when he saw the part on Crown of Thorns that said, ¡°side effects will be swallowed by the cracks of time.¡±

    In truth, he now had 952 points of strength, which was approximately the bonus he gained from having an extra 500 life points and 4 points in natural defense. After he put on Glow Wave and Bahamut¡¯s Grip andbined that with the effect of his talent and the effect of his skills ¡ª he had almost 40 resistance, 30 stamina, and 17 defense points. If these were changed to attack, they would be worth 87 points in attack.

    In the Amber Sword, attack was a basic attribute. The final damage was calcted using it as a base and then adding in power and skills, etc. Even as a Fantastical Holy Sword, the Staff of Earth only dealt 42 points of attack and the raw attack power of the Lionheart Sword was probably even lower than that. As for the Azure Lance that had been priority sealed? It only had 122 attack points.

    The meaning represented by the 87 points of attack was obvious.

    In other words, by activating Crown of Thorns and then Beserk, Brendel¡¯s fury mode pretty much turned him into a rabid dog. How could he not be satisfied with an hour¡¯s worth of triple the attack power without any side effects?

    If he wanted defense, he had it. If he wanted attack power, he had that too. Brendel suddenly realized that the time and space elemental chose to give him a perfect answer.

    But this was far from thest of the boons granted by elemental activation, because Brendel finally saw, after all the attributes, a status list that made his heart pound.

    Elite Skills ¡ª¡ª

    Demonize

    (Level 1)

    [Basic] (Elite/Regr)

    Rapidly disguise the yer¡¯s scent as that of a demon¡¯s. Monsters under the rank of lorddy will not voluntarily attack. The effectsts for 60 seconds or until the user initiates an attack.

    Elite temte, the attribute that he had gained after rescuing Frenia in Trentheim has finallye to fruition after he underwent elemental activation. When the first row of the Elite Temte unlocked, it brought Brendel an unexpected, but very wee, surprise.

    Demonize.

    Only now did Brendel finally realize how this technique came to be.

    Back then in the Amber Sword there had been a yer that was referred to as the Leader of Night Swallows. That guy could be said to be the idol of all Night Swallows. They were a lone wolf and subscribed to the philosophy of the lone hero. He never teamed up with anyone and roamed between the various underground cities or side quests by himself. Aside from the big-scale side quests that had special limitations, the legendary side quests, or the regional battles, there was almost nothing that he couldn¡¯t steal.

    Later yers confirmed that the guy back then depended on demonization ¨C the amazing technique that could disguise a yer¡¯s scent so that the monsters in the top-level regions wouldn¡¯t initiate attacks.

    But unfortunately, nobody knew how that technique came to be. Because most people knew that it was truly a monster¡¯s technique. At that time, only the gods knew how he learned that technique.

    But now, Brendel finally understood.

    It turned out that this was a bonus skill from the monster temte. No wonder the yers practically turned over every stone in the world and still couldn¡¯t find the NPC that taught it. But Brendel was a little puzzled as to why he, as a fighter, would be allocated such a technique that screamed ¡®thief.¡¯

    Of course, it¡¯s not that he wasn¡¯t satisfied with it. In fact, he was too satisfied. This technique was extremely useful for him, especially in the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth.

    If he had only wanted to cause some trouble for Duke Arreck before he gained this technique, now he had the ability to teach the guy a lesson he¡¯ll never forget.

    <i> Consider it him taking revenge for her royal highness in the past life.</i>

    Brendel thought.

    She couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh. When he came to, he discovered that Maynild stood not far from him, looking at him with a puzzled gaze. Clearly, he had been standing there, just holding the card.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Nothing...¡± Brendel put the Song of Reincarnation into his back-up deck and took onest look at the white deer and fairy on the card. Then the card shed and disappeared. Luckily, because he had expanded the elemental pool before, there was an additional card space. Otherwise, he¡¯d be in trouble right now.

    He looked at Maynild again and exined, ¡°You should have felt ¡ª ¡°

    ¡°Congrattions on entering the realm of the elementals ¨C¡± The female knight¡¯s face softened. ¡°Count, you¡¯re only 21 this year, right? Your aplishments today surpass those of King Gretel.¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡± This was a hard question to answer. Brendel made some perfunctory sounds and then turned around to nce behind them ¡ª the newborn Crystal Stag was still lying among the grasses. Because it was too weak, it couldn¡¯t even open its eyes andy there, shivering.

    Maynild¡¯s look turned confused. ¡°You know, it¡¯s strange. You should have dreamt the same dream as I did. Howe you can remember things so clearly? Are you really Brendel... or Sophie?¡±

    Brendel turned around to look at her. ¡°Of course I¡¯m Brendel, but I¡¯m also Sophie. I¡¯m not against the memory of another world. Just like everything you saw in your dream ¡ª it¡¯s still a part of you.¡±

    He seemed to realize that Maynild assumed they had the same dream. This assumption felt a little weird to him. Did she not realize that the other world actually existed? But he shook his head and decided to follow her train of thought.

    Sadly, the female knight was very defensive about this. As soon as they started talking about memories and dreams, she immediately mmed up.

    Brendel examined her closely. Maynild shifted her head slightly. Brendel only turned back around when he was certain she would not continue discussing this topic.

    He walked over to the shivering Crystal Stag, leaned down, and stroked its forehead. He asked, ¡°Little one, what¡¯s your name?¡±

    The newborn fawn shivered slightly but didn¡¯t answer. In truth, it couldn¡¯t answer. Before maturation, Crystal Stags could only speak some simple water elementalnguage.

    Obviously Brendel knew this. He looked beside it. The Crystal Stagyy among the ashes of Malourcha¡¯s body. Brendel quickly discovered three shining items among them.

    These didn¡¯t happen to be there by chance.

    He knew very well that this is the reward for the in-game mission.

    Normally, a creature like the Crystal Stag who lived in harmony with magic would rarely have any dropped items. They were attuned to magic and it was easy for them to make sure that anything they carried disappeared with its magic. But in thest second, he chose to help Malourcha which sessfully unlocked that mission.

    Because of that, the guardian of the Holy Seal Forest left him three presents.

    But Brendel did have a few regrets. The highestpletion rank for a mission was perfect, then excellent, and then great. He figured the problem came from the fairydy; this mission could only be solved perfectly if she wasn¡¯t sacrificed.

    With a perfect finish, there¡¯d be more than these items.

    Of course, this was better than nothing.

    He picked up the three shining magical items from the ashes. There were two sky blue crystals that looked like magical cores and another item that looked like a golden circlet. Brendel recalled that this thing had originally been on Malourcha¡¯s long horns.

    ¡°This is...¡± When he saw the two things clearly, he had to pause for a moment.

    ¡°These are raw energy stones and the Circlet of Convenience... it actually left these items to you. Looks like it was very grateful to you ...¡° Maynild said quietly from behind him.

 Chapter 683 - v4c63p2 Payment for the Mission (2)

    <h4>v4c63p2 Payment for the Mission (2)</h4>

    Raw energy stones were also called experience crystals in the Amber Sword. Mages ssified them as a type of material that was formed by the gathering of arge amount of purified holy magic. Because it was pure, it could be absorbed by the majority of creatures ¨C and even demons ¨C that resided in Vante. Therefore, you could say that this crystal in Brendel¡¯s hands was something that the frost demons outside of the Holy Seal Forest had been coveting for thousands of years.

    But Brendel gently held this crystal and felt its weight in his heart. Malourcha had guarded this holy magic for thousands of years but ended up giving it to a stranger like him.

    ¡°Yeah... this a raw energy stone. I¡¯ve only read about them in story books from the old times. Legend has it that before the War of the Holy saints, the mages could craft these things.¡± Brendel answered.

    ¡°You said you¡¯ve seen it in a story book. Are you talking about Sophie or Brendel.¡± Maynild asked from behind him. He could tell that the difference mattered to her.

    ¡°Both.¡± Brendel lied in order to avoid talking too much about this topic. He thought he needed to avoid talking with the female knight about the past; otherwise she¡¯ll point a sword at his head again.

    That wasn¡¯t a good feeling.

    He just thought it was weird that Maynild seemed to care about the dream but simultaneously also avoided it. This was certainly contradictory.

    ¡°You should know its effect, right?¡± Brendel turned around and asked.

    ¡°Me?¡± Maynild considered it and answered, ¡°The literature says that raw energy stones could elevate someone¡¯s strength. Sometimes, it can even help those who have no hopes of finding the entrance to the next realm. But I think this is all fool¡¯s talk. There is no gain withoutbor in this world.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s notpletely true.¡± Brendel looked at the crystal in his hand. He knew what Maynild said was technically true. This experience crystal really only had one effect ¡ª and that was to give its pure magic to the someone who absorbed it, in the form of experience.

    In the entire Amber Sword, there were very few things that could directly increase experience. Fragments of divine instruments, raw energy stones, the Pool of Blessings and a Golden Apple.

    But because of that, they seemed extra precious.

    Brendel tossed one of the raw energy stones at the female knight and asked, ¡°Regardless of the legends, don¡¯t you want to give it a try?¡±

    ¡°Me...?¡±

    The female knight caught the crystal and held it with both hands. She asked with some surprise, ¡°Why give it to me?¡±

    Brendel smiled. Truth was, he didn¡¯t know either. Probably because this thing no longer had any effect on him. As an item that could increase experience, raw energy stones were pretty low in rank. It had the most effect on someone who was transitioning between tinum and golden level and could transfer experience almost without fail. But for someone like him, who had already undergone elemental activation, the effect was naturally reduced by a lot.

    Of course he could have considered Medissa, Ciel, or Pahim.

    He didn¡¯t know why, but when he saw Maynild he made the decision subconsciously. ¡°The stuff in legends isn¡¯t always real so I¡¯m nning on using you as a test subject.¡± He answered.

    The female knight gave him a deep look.

    She suddenly lowered hershes and asked quietly, ¡°Are you nning on giving the other one to Freya?¡±

    Brendel paused. ¡°You know?¡±

    ¡°Because I had the same dream you did.¡± She answered quietly. Then her voice softened, ¡°But no matter what, thank you.¡±

    The female knight carefully examined the crystal in her hands and then carefully put it away. She raised her head and looked seriously at Brendel. ¡°I really like this gift.¡±

    ¡°Because you want to be stronger?¡± Brendel seemed to have realized something. He squinted.

    Maynild nodded slightly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s look at the other item.¡± she answered.

    Brendel was actually a bit impatient himself. He took up the golden circlet in his hands ¡ª though the name Circle of Convenience made it pretty clear that this thing was used for. This thing was of the same type as Dimension Space, Dimension Bag, or Ring of Drawers ¡ª a magical item that is used to store things in space .

    But slightly differently from the Dimension Space, the Circlet of Convenience only had two slots so it could only store two items. But it had a special characteristic that no other storage item had ¡ª the user only had to think about it and the stored item would appear instantly in the user¡¯s hands without any extra action from the user.

    It was called the Circlet of Convenience because of this characteristic. In the game, this circlet itself was a very precious piece of equipment. yers who possessed it would often use it to store weapons so that they could instantaneously switch weapons and catch their enemies off-guard.

    Just this characteristic itself meant that Brendel had won something just by having this item, even if there was nothing inside. But he still hoped that something would be inside. After all, the Circlet of Convenience usually contained weapons.

    And weapons were one of the most valuable kind of magical items.

    But when he took up this golden circlet, a thought shed in his mind and he had to pause for a second.

    The circlet had two items inside.

    One of them was practically worthless. It was just a stone fragment. But the stone fragment seemed so familiar to Brendel because he had seen something exactly like this in another dead person¡¯s belongings.

    He immediately remembered the dark gray stone fragment he had taken from the belongings of the deceased Sir Bokenelson, Amadina¡¯s father. Because he had never figured out what the stone fragment was used for, he had kept it on him this entire time. As soon as he saw the item inside the Circlet of Convenience, his heart jumped and he hurriedly took out that stone fragment from the pockets of his jacket.

    He was immediately stunned uponparing them.

    Identical.

    Aside from the shape and size, every characteristic was almost identical. The color, pattern, and even the fact that it had no trace of magic were the exact same.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Maynild couldn¡¯t help but ask when she saw the stone in Brendel¡¯s hand.

    But Brendel shook his head and answered truthfully for the first time, ¡°I have no idea...¡±

    The female knight looked at him dubiously but refrained frommenting. Naturally, Brendel noticed her look. He felt a bit like someone who swallowed a bitter pill and couldn¡¯tin about it ¡ª nobody believed him when he told the truth. He didn¡¯t know whether this was a ssical case of the boy who cried wolf.

    But after some consideration, he put away the two stone fragments. Good thing that Malourka had been sealed into a card. There will be a chance to ask it about the secrets of this stone fragment. As a Crystal Stag that existed for thousands of years, Brendel thought it would not collect a worthless stone fragment like Sir Bokenelson would.

    After putting away the stone fragment, Brendel then took out the other item in the Circlet of Convenience.

    It was a piece of parchment.

    Actually, he¡¯d seen something simr the first time he¡¯d met Babasha. The Amber Sword only had one name for things like this.

    Technique scroll.

    But the techniques recorded on a technique scroll varied.

    Destruction of the newborn

    (Supernatural/Ancient)

    Burn life and convert it to elemental power.

    Prerequisite for studying: Sage Realm, Bloodline attribute 300+

    Brendel¡¯s gaze slowly traveled across this blood-red parchment. All of the font on it became blurry and all he could see were just the two words.

    Supernatural. Ancient.

    Marsha above, Brendel groaned inside.

 Chapter 684 - v4c64 Before Departure

    <h4>Before Departure</h4>

    By the time Brendel and Maynild returned to their campground, it was early morning. The dawn was breaking and the stars were fading. The horizon line turned a pale shade of whtie. A line of gold appeared on the surface of theke and the first strand of morning light emerged from under theke.

    As the two walked out from the forest, they heard a cry of joy. ¡°Maynild, Brendel!¡±

    Brendel raised his head when he heard the voice. Freya sat on a tall rock, bathed in the morning light. She saw them first. She had both hands around her knees and only rubbed her reddened eyes when she caught sight of them. She looked like she hadn¡¯t slept a wink the night before, but her worried face finally rxed.

    He smiled slightly though his mind was clearly still trying to process everything that happened the night before. But he felt a sense of warm familiarity when he caught sight of the girl from Be.

    ¡°Your turn to stand guard again?¡±

    Freya jumped down from the rock with an unnatural expression on her face. She was too embarrassed to say it was because she was worried. She nodded and made a sound of agreement, but that didn¡¯t fool Maynild who gave her a look.

    The young girl¡¯s face reddened and she looked around Brendel. ¡°Were you sessful?

    Everyone knew that Brendel and Maynild went into the forest to hunt the Crystal Stag. Though the majority of them hadn¡¯t even heard of the existence of the Crystal Stag, she was still curious about the fact that he had returned empty-handed.

    To Freya, there was nothing that Brendel couldn¡¯t do. In her mind, he was the one who randomly set up a back-up militia in Be and also the nobleman who led everyone to victory despite all the hardships. After that, he became the leader of Trentheim and helped her royal highness defeat Duke Arrak and Duke Seifer.

    Now he stood before her as Count Trentheim. He had already be someone with power in Aouine. Even Sir Makarov or Baron Oberwei, the men who had seemed so unapproachable to her before, didn¡¯t dare call themselves superior in front of him.

    The princess trusted him and there were rumors swirling about outside that he was a new noble in the kingdom, a future force of power. But Brendel never acted pretentiously in front of her and made her feel like the distance between them wasn¡¯t so great.

    But she still wasn¡¯t satisfied ¡ª didn¡¯t this guy know he was already a count? In her mind, a count should be serious and unsmiling. So when she saw him act so casually, she couldn¡¯t help but get angry. But she immediately softened andforted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I think there¡¯s still a chance ¡ª I, I looked at the map and it¡¯ll take us a couple more days to get through Anserra Forest.¡±

    Brendel saw the future Lady War Goddess lose her ability to speak in front of and couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°What are you thinking? Did I tell you that we weren¡¯t sessful?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Freya was immediately stunned into silence.

    Brendel especially enjoyed seeing the future War Goddess stare at him nkly with her mouth open in shock. He continued with a smile, ¡°Do you know why I went to hunt the Crystal Stag?¡±

    Freya shook her head. How would she know? Nobles liked to hunt, though she thought it was a wasteful hobby. But activities like the winter hunt near Grinoires did have practically nothing to do with the regr citizens of Be.

    Brendel smiled slightly. He had a mind to surprise this foolish youngdy. So he stretched out his hands, palm up. A strand of silver me rose along the lines on his palm and wove upwards. The silver mes were like thin strands of thread that wove themselves together into a beautiful spiral.

    Freya couldn¡¯t help but stare wide-eyed at the sight. She was no longer the country bumpkin who didn¡¯t know anything. Before the War of the ck Roses happened, the most powerful person in her mind were the cavalry scouts. In those stories, the cavalry scouts could be on equal footing with Madara¡¯s Pale Cavalry. The stories of fascinating battles and roundabout battle strategy stirred the audience up every time.

    But she realizedter that the best soldiers in that group only had the skills of a Peak Iron Rank. Even Leader¡¯s knight guards were only at the tinum Rank, which was about her level right now. In just a half a year, she was already one step closer to the people she had admired back then.

    She heard that at the end of this fall, her royal highness will personally knight her cohort of squires. Before this, Freya never even dreamed that one day she¡¯d live to be a noble.

    But all of that didn¡¯t give her as much shock as this moment did.

    Because the silver me burning on Brendel¡¯s palm wasn¡¯t a random thing; it was the ember of Law, the Lines of Laws. In the world of Warndt, anyone who could get through elemental activation was seen as having crossed the boundaries of mortals and stepped onto the path towards the saints and truth.

    Without exception, these people left their mark on history.

    But Brendel is only 21.

    ¡°Brendel, this...¡± Freya frowned slightly. Her expression contained joy for Brendel but also worried. She was worried that Brendel seemed to have taken a step forward while she remained where she was. She worried that one day she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with him and would be left behind.

    Though Brendel had said before that he would wait for her, how long would he wait? She also remembered that he said he couldn¡¯t wait for her to move forward forever. In that moment, Freya¡¯s emotions turned into a jumbled mess.

    Brendel didn¡¯t seem to realize the hesitation in the young girl from Be. He merely nodded encouragingly at her.

    ¡°You really did go through elemental activation.. But you... I remember those heroes in A History of Aouine... Duke Urano, Leader of the Thorns ...¡± Freya looked at him in a daze, as if someone who surpassed the heroes in history appeared in front of him. She couldn¡¯t seem to wrap her head around it. ¡°Even, even your grandfather Darius wasn¡¯t so young when he went through elemental activation...¡±

    ¡°Even if you go further back there won¡¯t be anyone, Freya ¨C¡± Brendel interrupted her.

    The young man¡¯s confident, and even somewhat arrogant, words made Freya pause. In the young girl¡¯s memory, the Brendel she knew had never acted this haughty.

    In the not-so-far distance, Laurenna and her fiance Fs walked out from the campground. They halted their footsteps when they saw the scene in front of him. Both of their gazesnded on Brendel.

    Out of everyone, only Maynild nced calmly at Brendel.

    Brendel looked at Freya and didn¡¯t answer. But the words in his heart seemed like they had been there forever. ¡°King Erik built Aouine. At that time, he needed to protect this kingdom. His enemy was Kirrlutz or maybe the Wind Elves from Sanorso ¨C¡±

    Everyone who gathered under that glorious banner became a part of that battle. Everything that the ancient nobles won was underneath their feet.

    But now, Aouine had suffered too much. Maybe he, like Maynild, had a strange dream ¡ª he saw the decaying kingdom fall into the abyss. He saw her citizens fight to the death and were still left standing empty-handed.

    As if touched by his gaze, Maynild shifted her body uneasily. She furrowed her slender eyebrows.

    But Brendel¡¯s gaze moved past her and past Lake Vallendaren. He looked toward the distant south, where an empire born of ckness was slowly rising. This war would be a catalyst. Once the ruthless emperor cleared away thest of the stumbling blocks, its staff would be pointed towards Aouine next.

    The great demonic wave would be unstoppable. What the Crystal Stag Maloucha saw was just the tip of the iceberg. All the darkness in the world was biding their time and the real chaos would descend upon the world after Eternal Night.

    What Aouine would do at that time is something the history books didn¡¯t record. But just this once, he wanted a more worthwhile sacrifice for those who fought against destiny. If history would forget those anonymous heroes, he would change history.

    He suddenly realized that this was his calling. He hade to this world not to live anonymously, or to be a spectator once again. It was enough to experience some regrets just once. He drew his gaze back and suddenly realized what Marsha meant. There is value to sacrifice, which came from someone¡¯s aspirations and ideals. They might fail but they would influence and change the world.

    Turns out that kind of influence had stuck around in his heart.

    King Erik hadn¡¯t wanted to change the arrogance of the nobles; what he wanted to change ¡ª was history itself.

    Brendel smiled at Freya. ¡°You¡¯ll understand. Go wake the others, we should head out.¡± He kept thest sentence to himself ¡ª Lady War Goddess.

    Freya looked at him dubiously. As she turned around she seemed to have an epiphany. She looked back and gave Brendel another nce. ¡°Brendel... can I, can I keep up with you?¡±

    Brendel looked at the experience crystal in the Circlet of Convenience and nodded at her.

    ¡°Someone who believes will not fall behind.¡±

    Freya paused and then nodded firmly. She suddenly remembered that her belief was like the wild flowers that bloomed in the Be countryside ¡ª ordinary but stubborn, unable to be killed even by the summer wildfires. These flowers bloomed among the mountains of Yulsong and left a deep impression on anyone.

    The girl¡¯s desire was just as ordinary. She wanted to protect everyone and make sure the memories of the peaceful and beautiful times were not tainted by the mes of war.

    Brendel watched the girl from the Be turn around and leave. He looked back to see Laurenna and Fs standing to the side. The female knight watched him with an admiring gaze.

    ¡°Mister Brendel, ¡®someone who believes will not fall behind¡¯ ¨C do you mean that?¡± Her eyes shone and she asked loudly.

    ¡°If you are firm, why would you back off?¡± Brendel asked casually.

    ¡°But reality is not perfect.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why some people will be called heroes.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re a hero, Mister Brendel?¡± Brendel¡¯s meaning was so straightforward it startled the female knight.

    ¡°If that¡¯s a wonderful thing to be, why not aspire to be it?¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why ¨C¡± Laurenna frowned slightly.

    ¡°But I¡¯d rather be the devil king ¡ª ¡°Brendel continued answering.

    The female knight hesitated and looked at him.

    ¡°Because sometimes you have to fight against the whole world.¡±

    Laurenna inhaled deeply and nodded at him respectfully. ¡°I hope you never change, Count Trentheim.¡± Then she murmured quietly, as if to herself, ¡°I hope I also don¡¯t change ¨C¡±

    ...

    The news that Brendel had finished elemental activation finally spread throughout the caravan. Before, Brendel¡¯s talent with the sword could be said to have Sword Saint potential, but now he could finally be called a true Sword Saint.

    Aouine finally had a second Sword Saint a hundred years after Darius, thest Sword Saint, retreated into seclusion. A young Sword Saint. Brendel¡¯s authority, especially among the guards, seemed to reach the top immediately.

    Brendel once jokingly mentioned his appetion. Just like ¡°Trendsetter¡± Garlock or Fiery Nichs, a Sword Saint with elemental activation had the right to an appetion of respect.

    But Maynild simply reminded him that after the battle at Ampere Seale, he already had a well-known title.

    ¡°Wolfherder¡±

    Wolfherder Brendel.

    On Duke Arrek¡¯s gaunt face, his deep-set eyes were tired but still sharp. They quietly examined the parchment map in his hands, but his mind kept turning that name over and over.

    The information he got over thest few months were enough for him to learn about the key person behind the failure of the entire Ampere Seale n. This head of bandits from Trentheim had been a nobody until Fortress Riedon; then his star seemed to be on a meteoric rise.

    His opponent¡¯s tactics seemed vulgar and brutish, as if he was your average bandit. The nobles wouldn¡¯t deign to give them a single nce. The northern nobles even jokingly called the new leader of Trentheim a crass nouveau riche.

    In private, many envied him for his luck.

    But Duke Arreck didn¡¯t think so. How naive could the grandson of Sword Saint Darius be? He had once met the Sword Saint himself and to this day, his heart still chilled when thinking about the impression the Sword Saint left him.

    Plus he has already noticed some details. That Count Trentheim seemed to

    A ssic example would be ¡ª

    This time, he was right behind them again.

    Duke Arrek frowned. The sounds of an argument came from the distance. He looked up and the shapely female knight seemed to sense the displeasure of the person who had once been a bigshot among the upper ranks of Aouine nobles. She hurriedly murmured an exnation, ¡°The hunters don¡¯t seem willing to go further ¨C¡±

    ¡°They still believe the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth has a wicked curse. Such fools.¡± The female knight added.

    Arrek frowned and answered dismissively, ¡°Devard disappoints me. We just need one person to show the way.¡±

    Sylvia paused and then realization hit her. She lowered her head and answered obediently, ¡°I understand, sir.¡±

    The Silver Knight looked towards the forest and had to shake her head ¡ª some people don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for them.

 Chapter 685 - v4c65 The Hunter Siblings(1)

    <h4>The Hunter Siblings(1)</h4>

    When you chew on meat jerky that¡¯s been stored for months after they¡¯ve been dehydrated, it has the consistency of wood. It tasted salty and dry. But to Yaruta, it was a rare delicacy in the forest. In the Anserra Forest, the further north you went, the colder it became. In the forest at the northernmost edge of the forest known as ¡°Fogweaving Woond¡±, you asionally got snow at night. Even during the daytime, the frost could turn itself into a thinyer of fog, weaving among the trees.

    Here, animals in the forest became few and far between. Except for the asional thick-furred rodents, even experienced hunters had a hard time replenishing their food supply in the forest.

    Yaruta cut a small piece of the meat jerky and put it in the bubbling pot. The soup in the ck iron pot was made up of wild nts. The steam rose up as if to melt the snow on the branches.

    The old noblemen certainly wouldn¡¯t eat something like this, but this was a regr meal for hunters.

    ¡°We¡¯re about to run out of rations...¡± In his mind, the young man turned over the furry pouch and only found some stale bread crumbs. He let out a small sigh in his heart, though he had expected this. They were already running out of food before they headed into the mountains this time ¡ª his older sister said that after this expedition, they would have saved enough money to travel to Karsuk and join their rtives there. He sniffed at the delicious smells wafting out from the pot while his stomach grumbled.

    He looked up at the row of neat and beautiful tents pitched on the other side of thending. The sounds of argument kepting from over there. He knew that the hunters from the town and the noblemen were having a difference in opinions, mainly because the hunters didn¡¯t want to cross the river to the north and keep going.

    Yaruta had shivered when he thought about the river to the north.

    Across the Fogweaving Woond, the Nugan River was the border to the Falling Needle Hills to the north. This river was connected to Lake Vallendaren and downstream to Lantonn¡¯s Azure Lake. Ice floated on top of the surface of the river year round, but there were even more terrifying rumors. When night falls, ¡°things¡± woulde out in the Frost Stained Forest Labyrinth and anyone who saw them never came back from the forest.

    Legends like these have been passed down from generation to generation. Gradually, the region north of the Nugan River became known as the forbidden zone.

    Even if Yaruta had heard these stories, such as ¡°Treetop People¡± or ¡°Knight Who Lost his Mind¡±, a million times, he couldn¡¯t help but shiver in fear when he recollected the stories older hunters told around the campfires.

    He nced back in the direction of the hills. Every night for thest couple of nights, he had seen something blue, like a spirit, in the forest. He only told his sister but his sister said he had just been seeing things.

    ¡°Even if they¡¯re ¡®things that wander at night¡¯, they didn¡¯t look like what you said. You must have mistaken the Crystal Stag for something else. If that¡¯s the case, maybe we¡¯ll have good luck.¡± That¡¯s what she had said.

    But he knew that after that night, the number of hunters from the town standing guard at night doubled. The closer they got to the north, the suppressed tension in the air became more obvious. Conversation between people dwindled.

    But Yaruta didn¡¯t understand why his sister insisted on telling everything to the townspeople, even though it was clear the townspeople didn¡¯t like them. Even if the motto of the hunters was ¡®united we stand¡¯, it shouldn¡¯t be a one-sided unity.

    He never liked the people from the town and especially didn¡¯t like their looks of disgust.

    Suddenly, he heard the sound of horse hoofsing from outside the camp. Only the noblemen had horses ¡ª he looked up and saw a few strong and burly knightse into their campground along with a team of the noblemen¡¯s private militia.

    What¡¯s happening? Are they done talking already?

    With these suspicions, Yaruta¡¯s gaze traveled through the white steam rising from the iron pot. In the fog created by the stea, he saw a hunter walk towards the knight as if to ask them something. But one of the noble¡¯s private militia came up and pushed the hunter to the ground.

    Yaruta hurriedly stood up.

    The noblemen¡¯s militia spread out on both sides and surrounded the campground. He didn¡¯t know what was going on. He turned around and saw soldiers with longbows walking out of the forest. He saw the nobles¡¯ armored longbowmen, with their facepletely covered, draw their bow and arrow in unison.

    An instinct for danger rose from his heart.

    A hunter stumbled out from behind the campground, his face ashen. Yaruta recognized him; he had two daughters. Once, his daughters had tossed sand at his face ¡ª for the rest of his life, he¡¯ll remember the look of disdain the guy gave him that time. But the guy¡¯s expression then wasn¡¯t as twisted as it was now.

    ¡°Those damned nobles are going back on their word!¡± The hunter shouted hoarsely, ¡°Run ¨C¡±

    A sharp whistling sound came from the forest. As a hunter, Yaruta knew this drawn-out sound very well. The arrows pierced through the air and shot through the hunter¡¯s throat.

    His voice stopped abruptly. The sharp tip of the arrow broke through skin and flesh until it stuck out from under his chin. Blood spilled out in a line. The short feathered fletchings stayed on the other side of the guy¡¯s neck, still quivering.

    The man looked at him, opening and closing his mouth. His expression was a mixture of fear and disbelief. He struggled to w at his throat with his hands, but his hands only made it past his chest before he toppled down onto the ground.

    Yaruta swallowed his own spit.

    He had seen hunters shoot an arrow straight through their prey¡¯s neck. He had even done so himself. But when the targets of humans became humans, he realized how horrifying such a scene could be.

    A person who had just been jumping around before turned into a cold body in just a second.

    His heart thumped as if just realizing what had happened. He had never experienced such a thing. He had never thought that nobles would dare to do this ¡ª Yaruta could only feel his hands and legs going numb, but his first thought was for his sister, his only family left.

    ¡°Sister...¡±

    The longbowmen loosened their arrows in unison from the edge of the forest. The arrows into the campground like raindrops and Yaruta felt a pain on his shin before he lost his bnce and fell, his knees hitting the ground. He copsed close to a fur-lined tent and watched everything happening around him helpless.

    Familiar people, even the most experienced of hunters from the town, copsed in their own pools of blood one by one, like a pile of logs falling down. Finally, some of them started resisting. He struggled to stare at the leader of the hunters from the town stayed behind a horse cart and shot two of the noble militia.

    Though he despised that guy, he couldn¡¯t help but cheer him on. But just as the leader drew his bow for the third time, a figure descended from the skies. Yuruta watched with his own eyes as the long sword swiped across the hunter¡¯s neck. Flesh and skin separated, the head fell onto the ground, and a column of blood spewed out towards the sky.

    That memorable face smashed and rolled onto the ground, then became covered in ashes and snow. In a second, it turned unrecognizable.

    The noble knights also rushed into the campground.

    In the campground, sounds of cursing and cries of pain melted into one. Yaruta¡¯s head became dizzy. He shook as he crawled backwards, but horse hoofs thundered past him and then he felt a pain on his back, as if his entire body was hammered into the ground.

    He couldn¡¯t hold back his cry of pain.

    Shrieks ofughter came from behind him. He knew that came from the noblemen¡¯s militia. The knights took out theirnces and Yaruta felt all the strength in his body leave him, turning his body as light as air.

    He took big gulps of air and, with thest of his strength, he nced towards the noblemen¡¯s camp ¡ª he saw their faces twisted inughter, in disdain, in cruelty, or even in hrity at their suffering. The screams of pain came from the campground in the distance.

    ¡°Sister... sister...¡±

    His vision seemed to be blurring. Through the shadowy figures, he saw a hint of blue turning around and leaving from afar.

    ... This was their fifth day in the Anserra Forest.

    Brendel stood on top of the hill and looked around the forest that had turned gray. In the distance, the Nugan River wove in and out of the forest like a slender thread of light. The area was known in the game as the ¡°Zone of Death¡± because no animal or monsters lived in the forest. You could say that aside from the snow-covered pines, there were no other living creatures in the forest.

    For the most part, this was because of the Frost Stained Forest Labyrinth. Due to a special reason, demons were not allowed outside the forestbyrinth and living creatures refused to get near this bizarrend. Naturally, the outer perimeter of the Frost Stained Forest Labyrinth turned into a dead zone.

    Brendel stared at the other side of the Nugan River. The side quest area for the Frost Stained Forest Labyrinth was just past that not-so-wide woonds by the riverbank.

    Past that forest should be Milos¡¯ Dying Breath, he thought.

    In the forest, the four side quests ¨C ¡°Milos¡¯ dying breath¡±, ¡°The ce where gods fell¡±, ¡°Forest of Tears¡±, and ¡°Wolfblood Grounds¡± ¨C surrounded thebyrinth. Only by crossing any of them could you reach the ring of ciers, which was actually a nickname from the yers. Its name in the Amber Sword was River of Milos¡¯ Despair; legend says that the shock of magic scattering when the titan god Milos fell to the ground created the strange geography in the area. In the game, the young dragon that circled around Falling Needle Hills rested in that area.

    He shook his head and thought he might be thinking too far ahead. Entering the forest from the direction of the Castle Vallendaren, they would first have to pass the challenge of the Forest of Tears. But that was the hardest of the four side quests. In theory, going through the Wolfblood Grounds from the north would be the easiest, but he didn¡¯t have the time to take a detour. Therefore, Milos¡¯ Final Breath, as the second easiest after Wolfblood Grounds, became his top choice.

    Besides, it seemed Arreck had also chosen this route.

    Despite it being one of the easier side quests, it still wasn¡¯t a piece of cake. It would probably be hard to keep up the leisurely pace they had in the Anserra Forests. Brendel thought as he looked at the caravan making its way down the mountain.

    ¡°Brendel,e and look at this!¡±

    Freya suddenly called out from the foot of the mountain.

    ¡°What did you find?¡± Brendel paused for a second and then followed the path the guards cleared downwards. Scarlett, as usual, kept pace beside him. The two of them walked unhurriedly down the hill only to see a crowd gathered where the caravan was. He even saw Laurenna and Fs among the crowd. Brendel immediately realized what had happened.

    He parted the crowds and frowned when he saw what he expected.

    Another body.

 Chapter 686 - v4c66 The Hunter Siblings (2)

    <h4>v4c66 The Hunter Siblings (2)</h4>

    The corpse lying in the pile of snow had almost been frozen into a popsicle, but its physical features could still be vaguely seen. The corpse should be of someone about forty or fifty years old who looked fit and strong; He had good facial features, and his eyes gave it off that he was a local. He was wearing thickyers of fur clothing, holding a short bow in his hand, and it was obvious that he was a hunter from Lantonn.

    Brendel could actually identify the other party, but before he could reply, Freya, who was squatting next to the corpse, said in a somewhat sad tone, ¡°The fatal wound is an arrow wound in the back, just like the corpse we found before, but this one should have died on the spot.¡±

    ¡°All the corpses we encountered before should have been wounded around here, but that hunter¡¯s wound was less severe, he must have escaped from here and got attacked by a frost demon before he ended up dying.¡± Laurenna looked at the corpse in the snow pile and said somewhat angrily, ¡°You nobles of Aouine are really too much.¡±

    ¡°The nobles of Kirrlutz are almost as bad, not to mention the fact that our enemy¡¯s identity is a cultist in the first ce, and there¡¯s your share of me in that.¡± The dark-haired knight replied coldly from the side of her horse.

    Laurenna gave her a look and held herself back from saying anything in return.

    ¡°That¡¯s not really a bad way to put it,¡± Brendel thought to himself, but he did not strike up a conversation. Instead, he raised his head to everyone and said, ¡°If the battle took ce around here, then this should have been Arreck¡¯s camp in the first ce, everyone spread out left and right to search the area and see if you can find any clues.¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, as if to echo his words, a whistle sounded in the forest. It was the signal for his guards to contact each other.

    Everyone turned that way and saw the young girl on the white horse trotting all the way out of the forest. Hpam, still wearing her linen robe in this cold weather, turned around and pointed in a certain direction in the forest with her wooden staff, ¡°My lord, many bodies have been found over here.¡±

    ¡°Arreck has really done it.¡± Maynild shook her head lightly.

    Freya who was standing beside Brendel felt her heart sink, she could not help but clench her teeth. She had a slight expectation that they would still be able to save those hunters, but she did not expect the other party to be so determined.

    Laurenna, who was standing beside her, turned pale.

    ¡°Take us there.¡± Brendel replied with a sigh. He still remembered the worried and winged looks of those hunters¡¯ families when they left Shallow Water Town, for these families, their husbands and fathers might be the only pirs of a family. There were even some single-parent families, where all that was left were helpless children who were waiting at home for their father¡¯s return, but might never hear from him again.

    He could not help but feel a slight chill in his heart at the thought of it.

    It was as if Hipam could hear what was in his lord¡¯s head, as the priest of Himilude was meant to exist in this world to protect the world. The young woman was not one of those maidens in the Holy Cathedral of me who know nothing, she was well aware of the suffering of the people and thus could not help but lower her eyelids slightly.

    She tugged on the reins, turning her horse¡¯s head and leading the crowd towards the forest.

    After passing through a small patch of sparse cedar forest, the view became clear and a clearing that was thought to have been felled appeared before everyone. But everyone slightly choked when they saw the scene in front of them, the copsed animal skin tents that sprawled across the forest seemed to remain as they were that day, and in this camp that seemed to have been trampled on once, the scene of the brutal battlefield was restored before everyone¡¯s eyes.

    Over twenty corpses were piled up in the center of the camp, with bits and pieces scattered around, dried blood everywhere in the snow, and broken arrows stuck everywhere in the camp.

    Brendel saw Medissa¡¯s unicorn standing right next to the pile of corpses while the little Silver Elf princess scooped up snow from the ground with both hands, which turned to glistening ice flowers in her hands. She ced these bouquets next to each corpse, looking very calm.

    ¡°My lord.¡± she saw Brendel before she patted the snow on her knees and stood up, ¡°I remember in thest war the Silver Elves would send a bouquet of lilies to all their valiant warriorpanions, and the next time they went to war, the warriors would wear these bouquets on their chests to avenge their fallenpanions.¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Arreck will pay for this, certain people see the lives of others as ants, these people have long since been abandoned by Marsha.¡± He replied coldly, ¡°Chaos cannot shelter them either, let¡¯s watch, as the bloodshed will be paid for with bloodshed.¡±

    ¡°Are there any left alive?¡± Laurenna could not help but take in a breath of cold air at the sight and whispered a question. But anyone could hear that the good and honestdy from Kirrlutz was merely suppressing her anger.

    Medissa shook her head, ¡°At least in this camp, they¡¯re all dead.¡±

    The camp was slightly quiet.

    Although Brendel, Freya, Maynild and even Scarlet included had all been in many battles, and life and death on the battlefield were alreadymon to them, but it was a fight in which both sides had gambled their lives, and there was a ughter in front of them. These hunters from the area around Lantonn each had their own families, they were fathers, husbands, or sons of their families, and they may have entered this forest with hope for the future, wishing to make a better life for their loved ones.

    But all hope for the future is ruthlessly snuffed out here. But just for the sake of some people¡¯s inexplicable pursuit, those people have no respect for life at all.

    As Freya watched this scene, she seemed to think of Be that was burnt in the fire. The kingdom¡¯s people were struggling in the midst of disaster, while his nobles merely watched indifferently and even fueled the fire.

    How simr everything that happened at different times and different ces was.

    She gritted her teeth, her clenched fists almost turning white.

    Laurenna at the side seemed to have noticed the future Valkyrie¡¯s mood swings, and with a slight fondness for Freya in her heart, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s sort out the bodies of the hunters, preferably find a way to bury them and take them out when we leave here. At least to let their family know what¡¯s going on here, they have the right to.¡±

    The words of this female knight from Kirrlutz impressed Brendel. Although he had known that Laurenna was known for her integrity and kindness, the other party was, after all, the daughter of a great noble family, and he did not expect that she could consider things so carefully.

    He was looking at her with great surprise. But seemingly noticing his gaze, Laurenna turned back and exined to everyone, ¡°Knights will respect their fallenpanions, at least they wouldn¡¯t leave their deadrades in the wilderness. Though these men were not ourpanions, we promised to bring them back, dead or alive, at least to their families.¡±

    With one hand pressed to her chest, she faced everyone and replied somewhat seriously, ¡°I hope I can keep my promise.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m with sister Laurenna on this one.¡± Medissa nodded her head slightly in support of such words.

    ¡°Me too.¡± Freya let out a soft breath and replied.

    Brendel looked over at the other bank of the Nugan River, but there was not much time left for them. The princess was on her way to Castle Vallendaren, and Eikkel and Makarov¡¯s party had apparently arrived first. In the south, Count Radner was meeting up with the Bloodstaff¡¯s army. The timeline from convincing Count Viero to form an allied army to heading south and ambushing Count Radner, as in history, left him with only a month.

    That meant he could be in the forest for two weeks at most.

    The zing summer sun which had be very faint in the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth was now overhead. With some further dy and he might have to spend the night here.

    He looked at Maynild at the side, and the knight neither expressed her approval nor her opposition. But having grown familiar with each other¡¯s personalities over these days, he knew that this was a sign of acquiescence.

    Brendel eventually nodded his head.

    It was good that everyone present understood that they were pressed for time, and with a nod from Brendel, they each consciously began to clean up the battlefield. Due to the abundance of manpower, digging out some holes in the snow to bury the bodies was actually not a difficult task. And since the remains of these hunters were expected to be retrieved and taken away sooner orter, the guards under Laurenna¡¯smand only dug out a fewrge, hassle-free pits, which were covered with snow and marked prominently afterward.

    The others, Medissa and Freya, searched farther afield for any possible survivors. Although Brendel thought it was unlikely, he had seen earlier from the arrow wounds of the hunters this time Arreck had brought with him were veterans who had fought with him for many years and it was unlikely to make such a cheap mistake.

    Just as Brendel was thinking this, the voice of Ciel suddenly came to him.

    ¡°My lord, guess what have I found out?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Brendel asked, startled.

    ¡°A woman.¡±

    ¡°Ciel, although it¡¯s still cold here, it¡¯s summer now, and spring is long gone.¡± Brendel froze for a moment, then replied somewhat unenthusiastically.

    ¡°No, no, you¡¯ve mistaken my meaning. My lord, I mean I have found a woman alive.¡± Ciel hurriedly yelled.

    ......

    Peja was found in the Nugan River, and Ciel happened to see her washed downstream with the drift ice, hanging from a branch that poked into the middle of the river.

    In this weather, with the river¡¯s temperature near zero Celcius, Ciel found the woman nearly drenched and submerged in the icy water, with a long knife wound on her back. The knife wound seemed to be blistering white from the loss of blood and the rolled flesh.

    The young wizard¡¯s first judgment would have been that the woman was dead in such a state, but that was not the truth. When he fished the woman out of the middle of the river with a spell, he found that she still had a heartbeat.

    Then what happened after that was known to Peya.

    But for the young girl herself, she could not remember anything about what happened before she jumped into the river. She only remembered the day the nobles had turned on against each other, and the oldest hunter in the group had been stabbed right through with a sword by that middle-aged swordsman.

    Then there was a scuffle and the swords-

    It was as if it was a terrifying scene that could only happen in a nightmare. The most powerful hunter in the group, the leader with silver strength who was said to have once served as the army¡¯s sword instructor in the Manoweir region, was no match for that middle-aged swordsman by a single round.

    She would never forget that scene, the noble knightsughing as they closed in on them, and then the screams of familiar men rising up.

    She remembered one knight trying to hold her down, holding her hands back. She remembered the vulgar, angry voice of the other while running his hands over her body.

    If it had not been for that ring, she had no idea what horrible things would have happened after that.

    What happened after that seemed to be faint in memory, the wounds on her back hurt so much and her body was getting weaker and weaker. But instead, her heart grew more and more worried about her brother, the pursuers were getting closer and closer, and after that, it was dark before her eyes.

    ¡®I cannot die......¡±

    ¡°Yaruta ......¡±

    It was like a long nightmare in which every face was distorted. The faces of the townspeople who had loathed their sister and brother were covered in blood. Then the faces of the caracalughing knights. Finally, she saw her brother stabbed by a bullet and pinned to the snow, red blood spreading out from under him like a thousand tiny red snakes.

    ¡°No-!¡±

    The young woman opened her eyes abruptly.

    She was sweating before she could see a female face through the faint light of the fire outside the tent. She immediately recognized the other mountain folk, only a mountain folk could have such long fiery red hair, and the young girl was hugging her knees and leaning on a spear.

    ¡°You, who are you ......¡± Peya seemed to want to ask the question, but she immediately felt her throat as if it was on fire. Finally, only some meaningless hissing sybles came out, but instead, the pain was so intense that she groaned.

    ¡°My lord said that it would be best for you to be quiet and get some rest. You¡¯re badly hurt, but the point is that you were unconscious in the icy river for I don¡¯t know how long, and now you¡¯re running a fever, but we don¡¯t have any herbs on hand.¡±

    Scarlet had rarely opened her mouth in front of strangers since leaving the Grey Wolf Mercenaries, but when she did, she finished her sentence in one breath as if she were reciting a boring report.

    After she finished, she quietly looked at the woman in bed, her eyes shining from the firelight outside.

    Peya was slightly startled but felt the kindness of the other woman. Shey back down, her mind a mess, but finally calmed down a bit.

    She frowned slightly as if trying to remember what had happened.

    ......

 Chapter 687 - v4c67 The Hunter Siblings(3)

    <h4>v4c67 The Hunter Siblings(3)</h4>

    ¡°...... The legends of the Green Folk of the forest have a long history, and the mountain folk of Manoweirl and the Lantonn region refer to them as the Treetop People. Some say they are descended from the Miirnas, and after the War of the Holy Saints, a portion of the Miirnas did travel the route we pass through today to avoid the middle of the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth. They went over the Falling Needle Hills Avenue, out to sea from the area of today¡¯s Silver Pine Coast, and headed north, never to be seen again.¡±

    ¡°No one knows where they ended up, but some say that the Miirnas of the forest split in two back then and that the leader of the group who led them was unwilling to give up his worldly power and coaxed a group of them to stay. These descendants came with predictable results, and the horses that remained became the Green Folk that followed. But they had assimted into the forest ¨C cheeks like the grain of the wood, dull eyes sunk deep in, and bodies covered in roots. And they always wandered the forest, regretting the decisions they had made day after day. ¡±

    ¡°The dark magic turns this regret into resentment, and they are like heartless ghosts lost in this forest, killing all the creatures they meet. Most of these Mirrnas who remain are noble among the Mirrnas, and they are adept at usingnguage to confuse people, especially when thatnguage contains the magic of the forest. Many who have seen them go on to never return.¡±

    The young prince was the only one who huddled in a corner, shivering from what he had heard. He intended on going away and not listening, but he could not resist his curiosity.

    ¡°Where are the Miirnas who left?¡± Medissa was a little curious. She put a dead branch into the campfire, the brightening up of the fire reflected the redness of her face.

    Brendel picked up the roasted fish from the campfire and tossed it over to the side of Haruz, and the young prince froze, unconsciously reaching out to catch it and throwing it away with an ¡®ouch¡¯. Then he reacted and hurriedly grabbed the wooden stick to pick it up, but was somewhat at a loss for words as he stared at the mud and snow dust that was smeared all over the grilled fish.

    Brendel sighed and shook his head. He handed the other grilled fish to Maynild beside him, who reached out to take the grilled fish from the young prince¡¯s hand before recing it with the one she received.

    ¡°Thank you ......¡± Haruz muttered quietly, with his face blushing like an apple.

    ¡°To take on responsibility, Your Highness, you must first learn to ovee your fears.¡± Maynild reminded him, ¡°The world is full of legends, but Your Highness you are long past the age of believing in bedtime stories.¡±

    ¡°I am... I am not afraid.¡± Haruz stared at the grilled fish in his hand, a little aggrieved, ¡°Because my sister said that Lord Marsha would shelter every one of her people ......¡±

    This reason tofort himself made Laurenna on the other side of the room giggle, ¡°Prince, you¡¯re so cute.¡± She replied with some amusement.

    Brendel shook his head, he really could not expect much more from this prince, at least these days he had be much more independent than before. He would not have dared to say what he was thinking in front of so many people if it was before, so this was at least an improvement. So he went on to answer Medissa¡¯s question, ¡°Those Mirrnas went over the Falling Needle Hill Avenue, and some were seen going out to sea from the area around today¡¯s Silver Pine Coast, but it was just too long ago. Instead, the souls of those dead Mirrna ancestors still linger in the Gorge of the Ancient Days, north of the Falling Needle Hills Avenue, and pieces of shipwrecks are often recovered from the ocean floor in that area.¡±

    ¡°What about the knights who have lost heart?¡± I¡¯ve heard simr legends like that.¡± Laurenna asked, every day these days Brendel had told them many tales of this forest. It seemed to her that there was nothing that this Count Trentheim would have not known.

    ¡°The knights who have lost heart? That¡¯s another story-¡± Brendel was about to open his mouth when an almost mournful wail from the distant forest interrupted him, a sound that rose and fell beneath the forest beneath the silver moon, almost like a wolf howling. But Brendel heard it, it was a human voice, a woman¡¯s voice.

    The young prince shuddered with fear, while everyone turned back in that direction at the same time, the sounding from the south of the camp, in the direction of the hunters¡¯ original camp.

    With a ¡®tter¡¯, someone suddenly rushed out of the bushes, and it was Scarlet, who was carrying a spear. She looked at Brendel somewhat at a loss for words, but thetter already understood, ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡±

    ¡°She ran out ......¡± the young mountain woman replied in a whisper.

    ¡°Ran out?¡± Brendel was slightly startled, ¡°You didn¡¯t stop her?¡±

    ¡°But she said she was going to find her brother.¡±

    ¡°Her brother? Is her brother among those hunters?¡±

    Scarlet shook her head slightly, indicating she wasn¡¯t sure.

    ......

    The second time Brendel had seen the female hunter was when he was in that hunter¡¯s camp during the day, when she was kneeling in the snow, sobbing quietly. The young girl had long, thick, dark brown hair that fell over her shoulders, slightly curled, and was gorgeous. She was wearing a thick hunter¡¯s leather outfit, but the longbow and quiver of arrows on hernyard had been nowhere to be found long before she was found, and the bare skin around her hands and neck was somewhat dark, somewhat like Sue, who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, but was much more mature than Maynild or even Freya.

    The young female hunter was lying on the edge of a hole that had been dug in the snow, her hands gripping the frozen earth, making an almost beastly whimpering sound, which gradually turned into a low wail. Freya, who was beside Brendel, was somewhat unbearable at this sight and walked over to help the other girl up, but Brendel stopped her. He looked at the body of the hunter that had been re-excavated from the pit and asked back, ¡°Is her brother in there?¡±

    Maynild shook her head gently, ¡°The bodies buried earlier were identified by her, there were no remains of her brother in them. The surrounding woods have been searched as well, and no trace has been found.¡±

    ¡°Which means her brother might still be alive?¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily, or maybe the corpse was taken by a wild animal in the forest. Or maybe like the corpse we encountered earlier, it fled further away to die.¡± The female knight was not optimistic.

    Brendel nodded slightly, acknowledging the spection. But also added, ¡°We can¡¯t rule out the possibility of him being taken away, as Arreck will always need a guide.¡±

    Maynild did not reply.

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Freya, however, looked at the girl kneeling in the snow with some concern, she was worried about the other girl¡¯s wounds, not to mention that she still had a high fever. Although there was Hippam, the sacrifice of the mountain, in the team, only the Great Priest Farnezain was good at dispelling diseases, and it was a very dangerous thing for a wound to be inmed in such an environment.

    But Brendel took a look at the young girl and replied softly, ¡°Let her let it out for a while, her brother may not be dead, but a normal person would not be able to handle such a big shock. At least let her calm herself down first.¡±

    Freya pursed her lips lightly, she had arge part of her sympathy for the other woman stemming from her own experiences. The humiliation and powerlessness of that night in Be as she watched her loved ones fall deep into the fire and her former home burnt to the ground. It was hard for a normal person who had not been through it to rte.

    But she thought of her own experience at the Royal Cavalry Academy ¨C one has to rely on their own in order to ovee certain difficulties, and it was Brendel who had taught her that. So she stopped and looked at the other in silence.

    Fortunately, the female hunter was much stronger than anyone thought, she suppressed her voice for a while as she wept in the snow. Then silence fell upon her. It was only after a while that she got up and wiped her tears. The appearance of the female hunter who had collected her out-of-control emotions startled everyone. She did not have that admirable beauty about her, but her dark eyes were like those of a female beast, filled with the light of untamed wildness.

    ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡± Her voice was a little hoarse, it was not hoarse from crying but it was how her natural voice was. But just like what Brendel said, she had calmed down slightly after saying that, and she asked softly in a raspy voice, ¡°May I ask you, knight lords, are you going into the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth?¡±

    All eyes turned to Brendel.

    Brendel, on the other hand, retorted, ¡°I would like to know what kind of thinking led you to ask that question.¡±

    ¡°If I say that I can act as a guide for your lordships, may I ask if you will bring me along, Sir?¡± The female hunter immediately stared at him closely in question, her eyes full of hope, and though she tried to remain calm, her unavoidable hint of nervousness was present as she was afraid of Brendel¡¯s refusal.

    Brendel was slightly startled, although he had expected this. But he had heard Maynild and the others ry this female hunter¡¯s exact words before, saying that it was the reluctance of the hunters to enter the Stained Frost Forest that caused Arreck to kill them that day, and he had not expected her to take the initiative to make this request at this moment.

    ¡°That said, but you want to run into the forest to find your brother right?¡± He asked.

    The female hunter hesitated, but finally nodded, ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t want to hide anything from you, my lord. Dead or alive, at least I want to see my brother¡¯s body.¡± Brendel was pleased with her honesty, but still asked, ¡°But we are in a hurry, and you are wounded, will you be able to keep up with us?¡±

    ¡°I can! This little wound is nothing to us hunters!¡± The female hunger immediately answered aloud but induced a cough.

    ¡°Have you ever entered the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth?¡±

    ¡°No, Lord Knight, but my father had entered the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth three times in his lifetime. He was the only one of the hunters around the Shallow Water Town to return alive from the forest, but hispanion who entered the forest with him stayed there.¡± The female hunter paused here as if remembering something unpleasant from the past. ¡°For that reason, he was secretly called the cursed one by those people, and after my father¡¯s death, Yaruta and I were ostracized by the hunters of the town.¡±

    She sighed grudgingly, ¡°Before this entry into the forest, the nobles offered great prices, and many hunters were tempted. But the patron needed someone who knew the north side of the Anserra Forest well enough, and in the Shallow Water Town, such people would be my brother and I-¡±

    ¡°I had thought that with this money, I would be able to leave here with my brother and head to Karsuk. But I didn¡¯t expect ......¡± the female hunter¡¯s eyes became red and she hurriedly wiped them with her hand.

    ¡°Your brother may not be dead, so don¡¯t feel overly sad yet, it¡¯s unlikely that Arreck killed everyone. By the way, you should be familiar with the hunters in the town, have you counted the bodies, less those people?¡±

    ¡°Arreck?¡± The young woman was slightly startled before she realized what Brendel meant, ¡°I counted three people missing.¡±

    ¡°Two, plus your brother.¡± Brendel hesitated, that was a bit too many. If Arreck needed a guide, in fact, two people would be perfectly sufficient. He did not say those words though, he looked at the female hunter, ¡°What is your name?¡±

    ¡°My name is Peya, my lord. My father¡¯s name is Tycho, he¡¯s a slightly well-known hunter in the Shallow Water Town, and my brother¡¯s name is Yaruta, he¡¯s only fifteen.¡± The female hunter immediately introduced herself humbly.

    But Brendel did not really care about her self-introduction, he asked seriously, ¡°You think about it, Peya. You¡¯re with us, and even though you might run into your brother, I may not allow you to move freely when that timees.¡± To the others, it seemed like a different person to Brendel at the moment, but they did not know that this was due to Brendel¡¯s habits as the head. The Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth was not an entry-level quest in the game, not to mention that in the game, yers could start over, and here they would not have the chance to do it again. And so he would never allow an unsettling element in the team. ¡°Remember, you are joining us as a guide, not for us to take you to save your brother.¡±

    Peya looked like she was struggling, but the fact that Brendel was saying this backfired on her, at least there was no need for her to make such a promise if she was just being tricked into being a guide. Eventually, she nodded a bit and raised her hand to swear, ¡°I know, Sir. I swear on my dead father¡¯s honor that I will keep my promise at this moment.¡±

    With that, Brendel nodded.

    As if showing a look of relief, Freya on the side rushed over to help the female hunter up from among the snow. Brendel turned around, he did not actually need a guide, but he did not want to break Freya¡¯s heart.

    Besides, if he left the female hunter alone, he might have been overwhelmed as well.

 Chapter 688 - v4c68 Milos Breath

    <h4>v4c68 Milos¡¯ Breath</h4>

    Despite saying that time was running out, Brendel¡¯s team ended up being dyed for another day at the Nugan River. Luckily, female hunter Peya¡¯s health was outstanding, and the fever quickly subsided and the wounds recovered incredibly quickly.

    Brendel did not know if this was a special gift for hunters, but on the third morning, the team had to leave anyway at his request. He summoned a ck wolf to serve as a mount for the greatly ailing female hunter, and as for everyone else, they had to go down to the ground on foot. The wagons and horses were left among the makeshift camps on the banks of the Nugan River, for the journey below was no longer fit for these to join.

    A day into the forest, the coniferous forest soon became dense, the snow-covered boughs cascading at times even blocking the sunlight and making the forest floor eerily cold. The team creaked on the snow and broken dead branches, some minaret-shaped white rocks soon appeared on the forest floor, and then a light blue curtain of light reflected in everyone¡¯s vision, it was like a thin wall of light, this translucent wall of light towering into the clouds, covering the entire forest, and connected with white rock minarets not far away.

    Everyone could not help but stop and watch this spectacle. But only Brendel knew that this light blue curtain of light was the entrance to this pre-quest, Milos¡¯s Dying Breath. In the game, this curtain of light was called the ¡®EP Binding¡¯ and was the symbol of the 80th level quest (character level).

    After this curtain of light, there was that famous giant quest cluster.

    Aside from the time of the Magical Golden Tree, this was the first time Brendel had ever challenged this quest in Vaunte. In Amber Sword, the quests worked quite differently than most games of the same period, and it was nothing more than a convention for yers to use the term.

    A quest in Amber Sword is better called a scene area than a quest. For that is the only word that urately defines it.

    The quests that Brendel was familiar with operated in several ways, the first being a one-time quest where only the first yer to challenge it would have the opportunity to obtain the quest. The Forbidden Garden of the Magical Golden Tree, for example, theter yer could kill the boss repeatedly through pieces of time, but they are doomed to be untouched by the scenario.

    The second one was a typical scenario area with this giant quest group they were now facing. Such a giant quest group operated in a very ssic manner and could be said to have set a precedent in the gaming industry at the time, where the quest still only had one or a few fixed main lines, but in other front areas, it was not the ¡®monster-in-the-doors boss¡¯ one-way advancement mode that the average yer was familiar with.

    Instead, copies like Milos¡¯s Dying Breath are divided into two areas. Each area consisted of a point and a surface. The points were where the monsterirs were, and the surfaces were where the special areas were in the quest. In these areas, their will bring one or more fixedbinations of monsters, plus a randomly generated leader monster and some random special events. The yer¡¯s task was to challenge these monsters in the specific terrain of the different areas.

    This way, as long as the main story in the center of the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth was not activated, yers will be dealing with apletely real area every time they enter the pre-quest. The difficulties they would encounter in this area were entirely dependent on the system¡¯s calctions and the changes their actions would bring to the area.

    This gamey mode could be said to have started an era and is the real reason why Amber Sword beat other games. A world that is infinitely closer to reality. In fact, since the first version of Level 70, every quest of the game that had appeared since then had used a simr concept, and Amber Sword has been steadily moving from that time to its peak.

    Naturally, Brendel himself was also impressed with this era-creating quest.

    But the good thing was that the existence within the copy, although it changed from time to time, was at least still traceable. Especially before entering it for the first time, the monster¡¯sir would not disappear into thin air, the terrain within the quest would not have changed too much, and there were little secrets that only he knew that would be just as helpful.

    That was why he could be confident.

    The only variables were the only people who had entered the quest first, Arreck¡¯s men and horses. Brendel looked back and saw that most of the people following him were stunned. The EP Binding was indeed spectacr. It was said that most of the reasons for generating such a curtain of light came from the ancient seals, just like The Indicator of Age.

    This magical wall on the outskirts of the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth was said to be a self-sealid by the Giant God in hisst moments to protect his remains from the Divine Fire. But over the millennia, it had already been riddled with dark magic.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, what the hell is that!¡± Firas looked up at the curtain of light that reached into the sky and could not help but exim.

    ¡°It seems like a magic boundary.¡± Laurenna murmured.

    ¡°Not as if, but exactly.¡± Ciel tilted his head as well and slurred, ¡°This must be from an ancient creation, there hasn¡¯t been such spectacr magic since the War of the Holy Saints.¡±

    But Brendel listened to a few of them without replying, and instead looked back at Peya, who was sitting on the ck wolf¡¯s back. The female hunter was in better spirits this day, but her voice was still weak: ¡°Father¡¯s notes mentioned this wall, but it¡¯s supposed to be harmless, and they went through this wall of light at the time. But beware, the forest behind it is the real dangerous area. ¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s back there?¡±

    ¡°My father mentioned that the forest is immersed in darkness all day long and that there are some glowing pale people under the night that lurk in the trunks of the trees who attack travelers who pass through it. My father said they were the ghosts of those who were lost, and spent their days looking for victims who could rece them.¡± Peya replied in a small voice.

    Everything she said was almost urate and Brendel was surprised. It seemed like the female hunter¡¯s father had entered the forest. The first area of Milos¡¯ Dying Breath was the Forest of Night, which was as she had described it, there was the only night, never day, and there were all sorts of dangers lurking in the night.

    But it was the easiest piece of area of this pre-quest. There was not any specific plot to this area, there were quite a few monsterirs and some special random events, and it all depended on the yer¡¯s luck as to what he could encounter.

    He was familiar with this forest from the walkthrough. But Peya¡¯s father¡¯s notes could help him understand the forest from another perspective, and Brendel suddenly realized that his decision was beneficial.

    ¡°Would we be able to spot them?¡± The young prince, who seemed tock natural resistance to these mysteries, gripped his sword and asked with a bit of a pale face. ¡°I have a jewel, it can detect the Undead in advance.¡±

    ¡°The Psychic Gem.¡± Laurenna seemed to know quite a bit about magic items and instantly reacted to what Haruz was talking about. ¡°Young prince, it would be great if you had that item. Ghosts and spirits are unpredictable and dangerous, and the Psychic Gem can keep them at bay.¡±

    ¡°I have a different opinion, you¡¯d better put that thing away.¡± Brendel, however, interrupted their conversation and turned back to Peya, ¡°What your father saw wasn¡¯t a ghost, although it looked like one. It was demonic spirits, they are very sensitive to magical items and are used to killing travelers who carry them and stealing their equipment.¡±

    ¡°Demonic spirits?¡± Firas was a little puzzled.

    ¡°They are a cruel kind of spirit. You¡¯ve heard of the mages who became mad in pursuit of the mysteries of magic, some of whom turned to delve into how to control the dark magic, but most of them failed. The Dark Magic that rushes in will tear their bodies apart in an instant, but their purest souls remain, one with the magic they loved most in life. But of course, these mages can no longer be called human at this point, their minds are reduced to nothing more than a hint for magic, and beyond that, they are more akin to beasts. ¡±

    Brendel exined calmly.

    His words sent chills down the spine of most of the people present.

    Only Ciel nodded, ¡°My lord is not talking about the bedtime stories you have heard, as I can testify to that. There are indeed many of them in the history of mages, but why are there so many magical spirits here, how strange is that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple, you¡¯ll understand when you get in,¡± Brendel replied.

    The party was now close to the wall of light, and it was only when they got closer that they could see the wall of light for what it was. It looked like a flowing wall of water, with the water elements bound to a thin surface and waves of light. As everyone approached it, the smooth surface mirrored the grotesque image of them being stretched.

    Brendel reached out and touched the wall of light. This was to gain the approval of the EP Binding. The seal was, after all, a seal, and only the People of Order could pass through it safely and without fear, while the demons would be bound within forever.

    The ripples on the wall of light flickered, and then the water receded to the sides, the scene was exactly as Brendel had seen it in hisst life. Soon, a cavernous area about two people high and five people wide appeared on the blue wall of light. The hollow area revealed a corner of the Forest of Night behind it, and when Brendel squinted his eyes to look inside, the dark forest was exactly like the one he had seen.

    But even amid the dark forest, there were stars floating around. Only that it was not a good thing, because Brendel knew that nine times out of ten, the living things in this forest would not have good intentions.

    He stepped inward, one step into the forest that was forever shrouded in the silent night, then turned around and said to the people outside.

    ¡°Pleasee in, and wee to the forest of eternal night-¡±

    ......

 Chapter 689 - v4c69p1 The Mage Tower

    <strong>v4c69p1</strong>

    <strong>The Mage Tower</strong>

    After the group entered the forest, the blue curtain of light slowly closed behind the group, as if it was alive. Outside it was still afternoon, but inside the curtain was already twilight, with a blue curtain hanging from the sky and a few stars in the distance, like the scenery after dusk.

    And a hundred steps away, the forest floor was a gloom.

    The huge contrast caused everyone to be on guard, and Maynild and Freya gently drew their swords and looked around. There seemed to be some sort of uneasiness lurking in the air, making people feel a chill down their spines.

    Brendel looked at the strange shadows of the woond, they were already in a valley, the distant ovepping hills immersed in the night. In the north, the sky was as deep purple as the silent night. This hilly area was called the ¡®Twilight Mound¡¯¡¯ in the Amber Sword, and in his memory, it should be at the southwest corner of Milos¡¯s Breath.

    At the entrance to this area, there should be air of the Dusk Hound, an ancient subspecies of canine dreads. It had long been extinct in Vaunte but was still found in small numbers in certain ck Forests.

    ¡°Lord, as you said, which direction should we head now?¡± Laurenna interrupted his thoughts and asked.

    ¡°The Raider mentioned that there should be a path leading to the ¡®Atrium¡¯ here,¡± Brendel¡¯s mind recalled the Raider¡¯s text: ¡®The Dusk Mound is the most excellent entrance into the direction of Milos, and the gatekeeper¡¯sir is the dreaded The beasts of the Dusk Hounds, the passage through the Dusk Hounds¡¯ir extends northward, leading to the ¡®Atrium¡¯, with a treasure site at points A and B, which in the year 385 and 387 respectively were the ¡®Crimson Wing Brigade¡¯ and the ¡® Crystal¡¯s Apple¡¯ exploration.¡¯ If this quest was still the first time it had been explored by people, then the location of the hidden treasure mentioned in the walkthrough might still exist as well. His eyes searched the forest, suddenly realizing that this sprawling valley was a passage. Brendel¡¯s gaze stretched forward, the dark green hills that stretched on both sides meandered to the north, which also matched the description on the Raider.

    After confirming this, Brendel had a n: ¡°Let¡¯s proceed along this valley, watch out for wandering spirits on the way, and try not to use magic or activate magic items. Use open mes for lighting, and lighting crystals are banned at all times.¡±

    Demons are not difficult creatures to deal with, but once a battle starts, the magic power that escapes will attract more demons. Some yers had said that the demonic spirits were rms within the copy of Milos¡¯s Breath, and this was not an empty im.

    ¡°Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Everyone nodded.

    Brendel was somewhat satisfied, though his knowledge of the copy was only in the strategy. But he knew that in the midst of the unknown, people were always willing to favor the person who seemed to have a good idea of what to do. And as the most experienced person in the team, he was obliged to take up this responsibility.

    He continued: ¡°Scarlet, Medissa, you two go ahead. Lady Laurenna, please take care of the back.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Medissa nodded instead of Scarlet.

    ¡°No problem.¡± Laurenna also raised her sheathed sword to her chest, a Kirrlutzian knightly salute ¨C a sign of willingness to take orders.

    With no objections from anyone, the team was quickly divided up. Scarlet and Medissa walked in front as the eyes of the group, both holding spears as they made their way through the dense coniferous forest, and they soon noticed that the sky was growing darker as the group progressed through the gaps between the cascading boughs.

    It started as a light red in the evening, turned to a light blue, then a deep blue, and gradually became filled with stars, bing andscape of silent night. It was as if the sky had changed from evening to night after only ten minutes of walking in the forest.

    The fact was that this was exactly the Cicteristic of the Twilight Mound, this was the transition area of the Eternal Night Forest, and until one went deeper into this area, one could be considered to have truly entered the center of the forest. The surroundings gradually became pitch ck, but Scarlet lit a torch and the firelight stretched in all directions, dragging the surrounding dense cedar trunks in long shadows across the forest floor, but where the light could not shine, the darkness instead seemed more prominent than ever.

    The group had advanced for about half an hour when Medissa suddenly noticed that stars began to appear in the deep darkness, and she immediately recognized them as the demonic spirits floating among the woonds.

    She grabbed Scarlet and held up her finger as a ¡®careful¡¯ gesture to her.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Scarlet also noticed the spots of light in the woods and whispered.

    ¡°It could be demonic spirits.¡±

    ¡°So many!¡± Scarlet was shocked. It did seem to her that the number was a little toorge, and there were at least hundreds when she counted them down. She looked at the floating spirits and looked a little nervous for a moment.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Medissa, however, said softly, ¡°Although the demonic spirits are terrifying, they are notoriously blind. As long as we don¡¯t use magic, light is invisible to them. As long as we pay some attention, we should be fine.¡±

    Scarlet nodded her head in confidence. The fact that Brendel had asked Medissa to serve as the team¡¯s eyes was to make use of her richbat experience and the Elf¡¯s natural acumen, while Brendel¡¯s intention in arranging Scarlet as a partner was actually to protect Medissa; Medissa¡¯s level had been shuffled to level one along with Ciel after he had advanced to the official position of a neswalker, and although they could now be upgraded by gaining EXP just like him, it had only been less than a month of practice, and right now, his strength had only just returned to the beginning of the Silver rank.

    Due to the neswalker creature having the defect of not being resurrectable, Brendel had to be careful.

    Scarlet took another look in that direction and looked back with some confusion in her eyes, which seemed to mean: ¡°What now, Medissa?¡±

    The little Silver Elf Princess understood and reminded in a low voice, ¡°Scarlet, see if you can go around the left and right side.¡±

    Scarlet was slightly startled and looked at her with some suspicion. Theoretically, although Medissa only had a fraction of her strength, it was not so bad that she could not even see clearly from such a distance. But as if sensing this suspicion, Medissa hastened to exin, ¡°This ce seems to have some sort of restriction for us Elite Elves-¡±

    She blushed after saying that, if it was not for the fact that it was too hard to exin her ¡®rank¡¯ being washed away, she really would not be good at lying. But to be honest, she still did not understand what this rank was, and why it was closely rted to her own strength.

    It was fortunate that a little blush was not visible in the firelight. Only then did she nod her head and turned back, but her eyes swept across the entire valley and noticed that the demonic spirits in the forest seemed to have blocked all paths ahead.

    After a moment¡¯s scrutiny, she shook her head slightly.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we?¡± Medissa chimed in, and she immediately activated her Psychic Connection, sending a message to Brendel behind her. Soon after, the bushes behind the two young girls parted with a ¡®tter¡¯ and Brendel¡¯s group had emerged from there.

    ¡°Medissa, Scarlet.¡±

    Brendel probably figured out what was going on after he got the news from Medissa. He parted the shrubs from the back of the forest and looked up, and sure enough, he saw those stars in the darkness.

    The Eternal Night Forest was a huge area where the distribution of monsters was very random, but after the yer¡¯s exploration, he had just as well found out quite a few of the patterns. Before that, the path he guided for Medissa and Scarlet was actually a very remote path, which, ording to the strategy, could avoid most of the unnecessary battles.

    Since there had been a lot of dy in the Anserra Forest, Brendel had to choose this path. But this path was not safe and secure, there were two monster nodes that could not be bypassed. One of them was a ce known as the Demons¡¯ Pool, and the other was stuck at thest gate before leading to the atrium, where they had to face the Dusk Hound and the Hick Demons.

    Brendel took one look at the astonishing number of demonic spirits in the forest and roughly identified the location ¨C the Demons Pool. Although it was not their of the demonic spirits, it was somehow like one.

    Demonic spirits in Amber Sword were genuine gold-ranked demons, and normally to kill this many of them, at least two groups of people are required. But Brendel just happened to know an unusual way to deal with these demons, and in a copy like this that had been thoroughly figured out by the yerter in the game, there should not be too many oddball strategies.

    But he took a nce over there and then withdrew his gaze. He had two more things to do before he was ready to pass through here.

    Brendel nced at a direction and took a look somewhere in the darkness, where he did see a huge cedar that required two or three people to surround its trunk.

    ¡°Medissa, how tall are you?¡± He whispered.

    The Silver Elf Princess was slightly stunned, not expecting her lord to ask such a strange question, and she hesitated before she answered Brendel using the Psychic Connection as she was embarrassed.

    Even so, she still heard the Ciel at the side who was uttering andughing. Brendel stared towards that direction, then he said, ¡°Almost there, youe next to me.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Medissa was a little puzzled but did as she was told. Everyone waspletely confused as to what Brendel was doing and could only watch as the little Silver Elf Princess approached Brendel with some curiosity, ¡°Is there anything you wish to order, my lord?¡±

    ¡°Face me.¡± Brendel said looking at the cedar.

    ¡°Brendel, what are you doing?¡± Freya felt a little strange, in fact everyone felt as strange as she was. If she had not asked, Fs, who was leaping behind her, would have been ready to ask.

    ¡°You wait and see.¡± Brendel replied.

    Medissa hesitated slightly before continuing to take a step closer, she was almost face to face with Brendel now and could even feel his faint scent. She blushed as she had not been this close to her lord at such a close distance since she had been summoned by Brendel.

    But Brendel was not satisfied, and he put a hand on her shoulder to reorient her. Medissa was so startled that several times as the tip of her nose touched Brendel¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Brendel!¡± Freya red at Brendel, and if she had not considered the situation they were in, she would have stabbed him with her sword.

    But Brendel was oblivious, and only for this moment did he feel as if he was back in the middle of a game, in the days of pioneering quests with trustedpanions. He stared at the huge cedar and whispered to Medissa.

    ¡°Now, starting from my side, take ten steps back, and tell me what you feel.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s words sounded a bit like a riddle, but Medissa had already trusted him enough to do everything without having to ask why. She nodded and backed away slowly with only a slight startle.

    Everyone saw her step ten steps back, then she stopped.

    ¡°Tell me what you¡¯re feeling under your feet.¡± Brendel asked.

 Chapter 690 - v4c69p2 The Mage Tower

    <h4>v4c69p2 The Mage Tower</h4>

    Medissa¡¯s eyes lit up slightly, looking very strange, ¡°I feel faint magic, like a magical mark. How did you know there was something here, Lord?¡±

    But apparently, Brendel was not going to answer her question for the time being, so he took the torch from the side of Scarlet and shone it at Medissa. The fire immediately imprinted the Silver Elf Princess¡¯ shadow to the ground, and the others were stunned as they followed Brendel¡¯s gaze.

    Because they saw that the shadow behind Medissa had distinctly extra pairs of what seemed like translucent wings.

    ¡°Is this ......?¡± Fs could not help but gape a little.

    <i>I knew it. </i>Brendel thought to himself. Out of all of them, only Laurenna was keenly aware of the change in his expression, and she immediately asked, ¡°Mister, did you realize something?¡±

    Brendel let out a sigh of relief before nodding and answering, ¡°Demonic spirits don¡¯t gather somewhere for no reason, and the origin of this ce actually has a bit of a connection to the ck Tower Mage of Karsuk.¡±

    ¡°The ck Tower Mage?¡± Now even Ciel was slightly stunned, knowing that, by the way, he was once considered a member of the ck Tower Mage.

    Brendel smiled slightly, this time he was not lying, this could only be a coincidence. The background of this ce within the game dide from the ck Tower Mages, ¡°The ck Tower Mages are the most powerful mage organization within Aouine, and just like many other ces, their curiosity for secrets and knowledge is unparalleled. Like the Buga Mages, the ck Tower Mages have traveled to every ruin in the kingdom in search of those lost secrets. This mysterious forest is naturally no exception.¡±

    ¡°My lord, you¡¯re saying that the ck Tower Mages once sent an investigation team into this forest, and here ......¡± Laurenna reacted.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty much as you guessed, but slightly different.¡± Brendel replied as he recalled what the Raiders had written about this area, ¡°The ck Tower Mages have entered this forest more than once in their centuries of history, and with the exception of the dangerous area in the center, they can be said to have known this area for a long time.¡±

    He looked at Laurenna and added, ¡°You don¡¯t think that guy Arreck would simply rush into this forest, he must be surrounded by people who know this forest as well as I do, maybe that guy is also a ck Tower Mage.¡±

    ¡°But aren¡¯t the ck Tower Mages and the Hignd Knight allies, Brendel you ......¡± asked Freya with some confusion.

    ¡°There are all kinds of birds in the woods, and not all ck Tower Mages abide by the Tower agreement.¡± Ciel exined immediately.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± continued Brendel, ¡°but that¡¯s not what we¡¯re discussing here. Back then, the ck Tower Mages were supposed to havee here in order to destroy a certain very powerful demonic item, and they hoped to use one of the formations here topletely destroy that demonic item from Jorgendy Ridge-¡±

    He paused, ¡°But there were traitors in the team at the time, and some mages were tempted by the demonic power, and the entire operation was ultimately a failure. It is said that the demonic item exploded violently on the phnx, sting the nearly one hundred ck Tower mages and apprentices apanying them into flying ash, and the souls of these people were eroded by the dark magic, gradually forming the demonic spirits wandering the ce.¡±

    ¡°Nearly a hundred mages?¡± Laurenna sucked in a breath of cold air somewhat incredulously, she could well imagine how tragic the scene was.

    The others each had a somewhat serious look on their faces as well.

    But Brendel justughed, the whole incident was actually not as terrifying as they imagined, if the ck Tower Wizard hung nearly a hundred official mages at once, the organization would have been close to falling apart. There was actually only twelve official mages including the traitor, and most of the others were apprentices.

    But what the demonic spirit left behind was indeed the truth, he continued, ¡°Of course the demonic item was said to have gone up in smoke in the explosion as well, but the ck Tower Wizard still set up an observation post in the area for insurance purposes. This outpost was said to have been in use for nearly a hundred years, and was abandoned only in thest century.¡±

    ¡°Observation post?¡± Fs froze and couldn¡¯t help but look around, ¡°Howe I didn¡¯t see it, has it been removed?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, the mages¡¯ observation posts will not be themon fortress outposts you¡¯d normally see¡± At this time Maynild, who had not spoken up, suddenly said, ¡°Brendel, you were looking for the location of that outpost earlier, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°That magical bit-marker is a guide point, and the Mages¡¯ literature says the outpost should be next to that cedar, in the direction the shadow of the wings behind Medissa is pointing.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t see anything.¡± Fs looked over there, ¡°Could that thing be in the sky?¡±

    Brendel stared at the guy a little speechlessly, now that he was starting to believe a little of this guy¡¯s luck. He did not expect it to be exactly what he had said.

    He looked up and replied, ¡°Yes, the post is exactly in the sky. We need to find a way to summon it down.¡±

    ¡°Summon it down?¡± Laurenna frowned, ¡°I see, it will help us deal with these demons right? Since the Mages have built such a Sentinel Tower, its own purpose is to guard against these demonic spirits.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Brendel was slightly impressed. But he understood that actually, the female knight from Kirrlutz was not entirely right and that there was often more than one way to pass through many plot areas in the Amber Sword. There was still a way he could sneak through the valley without attracting the attention of the spirits, but Brendel was not about to give up such arge amount of experience, not to mention that if the records on the walkthrough were not false, the Sentinel Tower was supposed to be one of the treasure locations in this replica.

    This mission would have been an extra bonus.

    But naturally, these words could not be said, so he turned back and said, ¡°Ciel, you should know the spell used by the ck Tower Mages to summon the Mage Tower.¡±

    Ciel immediately nodded and replied in his mind, ¡°I forgot quite a few after the transfer, but at least I remember one or two. After all, the ck Tower Mages were originally part of the Buga people.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Brendel looked at the spirits in the distance and began to give orders, ¡°It takes some time to summon the Sentinel Tower, however, once the spell begins to be cast, the spirits there will find us. Therefore, while Ciel summons the Sentinel, the others¡¯ task is to protect him when he ispleting the task.¡±

    As soon as Brendel spoke, it was like a battle signal, Maynild, Freya, Laurenna, and Fs, as well as the guards, immediately drew their swords, and Scarlet and Medissa also picked up theirnces. All of them subconsciously arranged themselves in a semi-circle around the Silver Elf Princess¡¯ current position.

    With a look of satisfaction, Brendel also drew his Halran Gaia and warned, ¡°Demons have a simple way of attacking, they rarely fight physically, but be aware that their attacks can prate solid armor. Also beware of their spells, Medissa and Scarlet, you stay behind to protect the caster and Haruz, while the others try to approach them quickly. ¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Ciel, you begin.¡±

    The young mage squire nodded, he stood behind Medissa and felt the location of the magical mark, then raised his staff and began to chant the spell to summon the wizard tower. And the not-so-high pitched incantation seemed to be a striking signal in the darkness, and suddenly, everyone saw the stars in the forest stop slightly.

    Then they rose abruptly into the air, as if searching for the source of this spell, hovered over the forest, turned around, and came this way.

    ¡°The literature says that although most demonic spirits were brilliant sorcerers in their lifetime, they have long forgotten that profound knowledge. The spells they specialize in are nothing more than the use of pure dark magic. This out-of-order power doesn¡¯tst too far away, and they usuallyunch their first spell attack from a hundred feet away.¡± Medissa was the first to voice a warning as she looked at the clusters of light.

    The demonic spirits floating in the darkness were extremely fast and had now arrived close by. It was only when everyone could see their image, these glowing clusters of light in the darkness looked like the image of a half-human, half-elf creature, they still retained their appearance in life, but their faces and chests were covered with patterns of dark magical erosion, there were no eyeballs in their eyes, only ckness.

    This terrifying appearance left a deep impression on everyone, and Haruz was so frightened to the point that he let out a low cry.

    ¡°One hundred and forty-one feet to be exact.¡± Brendel looked in that direction and raised his sword, ¡°Estimate the distance yourself.¡±

    The demonic spirits had stopped at the edge of the forest, not far from what Brendel remembered, which also happened to be the farthest range of their spells. These ugly creatures raised their hands, ugly and pointy and long from the magical distortion, and from these slender fingertips, a jet of ck me suddenly burst forth.

    These ck mes that were like tentacles intertwined together, and at that moment it was like a ck covering down from the sky, and it looked like it would envelop everyone.

    ......

 Chapter 691 - v4c70p1

    <strong>v4c70p1</strong>

    A New Member Enters The Fray!

    The interwoven me feelers burned through the treetops in a second and covered everyone under its. But because Brendel had warned everyone beforehand, they were all prepared for it. The second the of ck mes appeared in the air, they ran either left or right to escape the spell¡¯s area of influence. The ck mes formed by dark magic descended and burned the branches until the patch of pines became burning sticks. It looked incredible ¡ª but didn¡¯t hurt anyone.

    Even the weakest of the guards was able to escape the of mes, though barely.

    Everything happened in just a second. But for a warrior above the Silver Rank, a blink of an eye was like an eternity, long enough to have his speed be faster than a hundred yards per second.

    Scarlet, Maynild, and Laurenna broke through the air at a terrifying speed, as if they formed a physical cone of air. The sharp arrows whistled through the forest grounds and the pale humanoid forms opened the ck holes they had for a mouth into silent screams, as if this was how theymunicated with each other. The demonic spirits turned around and their bony fingers pointed in unison at the three girls at the head of the pack.

    As if they sensed each other¡¯s thoughts, the three figures simultaneously changed directions. The trail they zed through the forest changed and each of the ck mes only hit the tree trunk behind them. All three figures worked themselves into a long arc of the same speed, but it was Laurenna who attacked first.

    The moment the young female knightnded, her longsword The Pride of Arwe was already in attack mode. She pinched her lips and her blue eyes sharpened like an eagle¡¯s. Her agile body tensed in midair like a taut string. The second shended ¡ª the arc of her movement through the forest straightened as if it was a string and then released like a bullet from the pistol. In a sh, a line of light shot towards the gathering of demonic spirits.

    But this bright trajectory was destined to go nowhere. Its start and end point seemed to ovep into one and Laurenna simultaneously on both points. Then the Laurenna at the start faded away while the Laurenna at the end point held her sharpened de which pierced right through the demonic spirit¡¯s heart with its glinting silver de.

    In the forest, the glowing pale figure still had its ck mouth open when a silver line shed from the center of its chest to its back.

    The attack was like a meteor passing through, but the ckened gap on the white humanoid figure proved that it had existed. Half of the demonic spirit¡¯s body draped down unnaturally and the dark magic geysered out from the wound. The center of the wound appeared to be a small neb that never stopped expanding and spewing out countless dark matter until it formed into a giant ring of light.

    The ring of light swept through and something like an explosion sted through the entire forest.

    Everyone felt their chest tighten. ¡°Dark magic,¡± the female knight said in a muffled voice, ¡°Be careful. Looks like they release a burst of dark magic when they die. This magic will weaken us ¨C¡±

    Maynild and Scarlet halted at her words.

    The other demonic spirits swept the ck mes in their hands around and every pine tree that blocked their way burst into mes. Maynild could only back off and ask cautiously, ¡°Howrge is the area? Can we find a way to dodge it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about a thousand yards. There¡¯s no way you can avoid it. Try to dy the time between killing them; magic erosion willst about 6 to 7 minutes.¡± Brendel¡¯s voice came from afar.

    ¡°How do we dy the time it takes to kill them?¡±

    Fs approached the demonic spirits right behind the three girls. He raised his head and looked up at the dense cloud of light rising through the treetop and inhaled sharply.

    ¡°Scarlet, you have to interrupt their spell first ¨C¡± Brendel stared at the demonic spirits, as numerous as the stars in the summer night sky. Hemanded calmly as he stood next to Ciel and the little prince, making no move to join the battle.

    Because he knew he couldn¡¯t always be on the frontline of every battle. This was a side quest. First, he needed a dependable team. And the first step to creating that team was to understand the level at which every member could perform during a battle.

    So he forced himself to calm down and observe how everyone behaved during a battle.

    Laurenna attacked too fast ¡ª he didn¡¯t even have a chance to warn her. Thankfully it was just a demonic spirit and the effect of dark magic rebound was just temporary weakness. If she had struck a self-exploding creature like the bone demons or the star gatherers, thisdy knight from Kirrlutz would either be dead or, at a minimum, have her looks destroyed.

    Going up against an unknown monster required caution upon caution. Some monsters have abilities that will not give you a chance to regret your actions.

    The sh Strike Sword Art was a double-edged sword. Its astonishing speed had certain unexpected results in certain situations, but if the wielder was too impulsive, it would be easy for them to mire themselves in danger.

    Once Scarlet received the order, her agate-like eyes looked around as she contemted how to aplish it. But when she looked up at the demonic spirits weaving around in the sky, her instinct for battle gave her a sh of insight and she immediately figured out what to do. Countless ck mes chased her from the skies to the torn-apart ground, but the hignder girl¡¯s body shifted and her fiery ponytail swung in an arc. She nted her feet on the ground and with a repeated biu sound,yers of snow started attacking.

    But her right hand moved behind her and the strips of clothes that wrapped around the Azure Lance peeled away.

    With a tiny sound, like that of a bubble bursting, all of the demonic spirits¡¯ ck me feelers struck the snow. The high temperature turned the ice crystals into steam. A cloud of white steam rose in the air, but behind the steam, the hignder girl was already in her attacking pose.

    An arc of lightning sprung out from thence in her hands.

    The mes swept across the crown of the trees and their branches immediately burst into mes. The air above Scarlet¡¯s head seemed to turn itself into ayer of ming clouds. But Scarlet let out an angry yell and shoved hernce towards the sky. The de shook violently and the space around it seemed to be pushed aside ¡ª ¡°Strike of a Thousand Armies!¡±

    That was Medissa¡¯s signature move and the skill the Silver Sky Knight knew the best. Thencepressed the air into a single point and then shot it forward like a cannon. With a booming sound, a hole appeared in the burning treetops, as if an air wave had exploded there. The burning mes immediately scattered into countless embers.

    Scarlet had just learned this technique and its powers were far less than the Focused Strike that Medissa had once used. But her attack was apanied by the Azure Lance¡¯s special effect.

    Lightning, too numerous to count, pierced the night sky like a blooming chrysanthemum. But every arc of electricity was one of its curved petals. They packed the sky so densely that it was impossible to count them all.

    Scarlet¡¯s gaze cut between them so fast that she almost couldn¡¯t get them all. Every arc of electricity hit a demonic spirit head on. Though the force of a single arc of electricity was feeble, it was enough to beat back these incorporeal monsters.

    The demonic spirits pressing up against her were swept away in a moment and the skies emptied.

    The demonic spirits¡¯ spells paused for just a second.

    ¡°Pahim, Shield of Rock, as close to the demonic spirits as possible.¡± Brendel frowned slightly. Scarlet had been with him the longest and was pretty used to his battle style. But this was still a bit too wasteful. Thoughpared to the others her age, her fighting abilities were very high.

    But it was not even anywhere close to his.

 Chapter 692 - v4c70p2 A New Member Enters The Fray!

    <h4>v4c70p2 A New Member Enters The Fray!</h4>

    The female priest, adorned in a white xen priest robe, took two steps forward in her bare feet. She picked up the oak staff in her hands and lightly tapped twice on the ground. A green-gray tinted wall of light whooshed up between the demonic spirits and everyone else.

    ¡°Master neswalker, I can only maintain this wall for 5 seconds.¡± Pahim reminded him, ¡°I wish I had more of my powers, but I can only maintain it as a three ring level spell.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, but it¡¯s too far away.¡± Brendel answered and then immediately said to the others, ¡°Shield of Rock can block any non-physical attack, But creatures of order can pass freely through this wall ¨C everyone cross through it immediately and attack the outermost circle of demonic spirits. Just do some damage, no killing. Pahi, prepare for the next round of walls. Keep it between us and the demonic spirits again.¡±

    The moment he fell silent, the demonic spirits¡¯ next round of spells struck the Shield of Rock, as if to prove him right. The ck mes exploded against the wall of light and turned into balls of dazzling light.

    Maynild, Laurenna, and the others already understood Brendel¡¯s tactic. As soon as their opponents¡¯ spells ended, they immediately crossed through the green wall of light and cut into the demonic spirits formation. But this time the female knight from Kirrlutz learned her lesson. Most of the time, she would slice off a demonic spirits¡¯ arm with a single swing of her sword and then use a wind de to blow it away.

    The guards followed closely behind and copied her actions. Technically, the demonic spirits were more powerful than these knights. But since Pahim¡¯s Shield of Rock was practically pressed up against these demonic spirits, as soon as the knights burst through the wall of light, they were within striking range of the demonic spirits.

    Without the ability to strike from afar, the demonic spirits¡¯ closebat abilities wereughably weak and didn¡¯t stand a chance against expert fighters of the tinum Rank. Oftentimes the knights Brendel brought along would force them back with a single strike; what frustrated Brendel was that the knights weren¡¯t as precise as Laurenna or Maynild. The asional ring of ck light exploded in the forest and everyone¡¯s power decreased again and again.

    ¡°Unfortunately geniuses like Laurenna or Maynild are too few and too far in between. Had I known, I would have kept Bet.¡± Brendel had to shake his head. He had one hand on the pommel of his sword and was prepared to enter the fray the moment the frontline couldn¡¯t sustain itself.

    But miraculously, once the guards¡¯ powers decreased drastically, the demonic spirits became harder to kill. All of a sudden, the fight became easier.

    Upon seeing this, Brendel let out a small sigh of relief.

    The pale white humanoid figures let out silent screams of vexation while they retreated. But oftentimes they would retreat a distance and prepare to strike again, only to find another green wall of light descending in front of them.

    The knights cheered at this sight. They couldn¡¯t believe how their leader had thought of this strange tactic in such a short time, but nobody disliked a one-sided victory.

    Out of everyone, only Brendel and Pahim frowned.

    ¡°How much magic have you used?¡± Brendel asked in his mind.

    ¡°I have already cast Shield of Stone a total of seven times and used up 161 elemental points.¡± The young female priest answered.

    Brendel pursed his lips. The number more or less aligned with what he calcted. In the Amber Sword, first ring order spells took 5 EPs, a second ring spell took 10 EP, and third ring spells increased to 20 EP, so on and so forth. In actuality, the real expenditure was calcted based on the caster¡¯s actual stats. So non-yers could roughly estimate how much a spell would cost.

    In truth, when Ciel, Medissa, and Pahim became neswalker creatures, he could see an interface just like a yer¡¯s when he examined the detailed stats of their cards. Pahim¡¯s base stats were: 1.5 power, 2.5 dexterity, 1.5 strength, 2.1 wisdom, 4.2 willpower, 2.2 perception, 4.0 bloodline, with a base EP of 100. When she became level 30, willpower and bloodline increased to 47.7 and 102.4, respectively. Her EP pool was likewise expanded to 300 points.

    This meant that, bar any idents, she could cast the spell another six times, give or take.

    Even if she timed the gap between the demonic spirits¡¯ attacks perfectly, this would win them another minute at most. Frankly, Brendel thought Pahim was far from being able to calcte the timing with such precision.

    This team was very far from what he wanted. In the game, the ¡°Crystal Apple¡± guild had figured out this tactic. But the actual technique wasn¡¯t quite like this; instead, it required the team members to simultaneously kill multiple demonic spirits and then have the Mountain Priest or Holy Priest cast

    Clearly neither the knights nor Pahim could calcte with such precision, so he was forced to think of apromise.

    But a minute was enough.

    Brendel took onest look at the frontline, where a fierce battle was waging, and then he turned around. Some of the scattered demonic spirits have circled around the defense line to arrive at their nk. But Freya and Medissa were over there and Brendel didn¡¯t feel the need to worry right then.

    But he nced over and suddenly grabbed the air with his hands. The time and space elemental immediately activated and swallowed a wandering ball of demonic spirit in the distance without giving them time to react. In a second, it appeared not far from him.

    That had been a spirit of a female elf mage. When she was alive, she could have been called beautiful. But now she had been turned into a mindless shell of herself. This demonic spirit had been forcefully captured and moved to its current location by Brendel¡¯s elemental powers. It still looked puzzled at the development, but Brendel had already taken out a magic crystal from his pocket. The strong scent of magic wafting out from the crystal immediately attracted this monster and she turned around.

    In that second, the hunter girl Peja and the little prince screamed from where they were sitting on top of the wolf.

    The female elf mage stared wide-eyed at them, but there was no white in her eyes, just a pitch ck darkness like a ghost¡¯s eyes. Her mouth, opening and closing, was also filled with ck smoke. Her entire body was like a puppet filled with dark magic. Her horrifying looks looked peculiarly beautiful coupled with the near perfect curves of her naked top half.

    ¡°Haruz.¡±

    ¡°Tea-teacher?¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s a present for you.¡± Brendel suddenly yanked open the cor at the little prince Haruz¡¯s back and tossed the magic crystal inside. The ice cold crystal made the beautiful youth shiver and his face turned even whiter.

    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª!¡± He screamed.

    But before his brief scream coulde to a natural end, it ended in abrupt silence because that pair of ck eyes staring intently at him.

    The future king of Aouine froze in fear ¡ª ¡°Brendel, what are you doing?¡± Freya turned around just in time to see this.

    ¡°Te-teacher?¡± Haruz asked shakily.

    Brendel didn¡¯t answer them. He smiled slightly and took out a Shimmering Magic Sword that he had already prepared from the Dimension Space. Then he tossed it besides the prince and said, ¡°This sword is called ¡®Hilke¡¯s Loyalty I¡¯. Take it up and go vanquish that demonic spirit.¡±

    The little prince waspletely stunned and looked at him pitifully.

    ¡°Go!¡± Brendelmanded him sternly. ¡°If you don¡¯t kill her, she will kill you.¡±

    The little prince shook at Brendel¡¯s scolding. Only then did he shakily pick up the sword on the ground ¡ª though it was clearly a bit too heavy for him. He had to use both hands to barely grasp the sword; the de dragged onto the ground unbingly. His face turned red and he looked about to cry.

    But he sniffled hard and turned shakily in the direction of the demonic spirit.

    Brendel looked at how delicate and weak the prince was acting and thought he was like a damsel in distress.

    He looked up and found the demonic spirit about to be within the 140 yard range. In fact, Brendel could already see it raise its stick-thin arms.

    He shook his head and decided to give Haruz some help.

    In the next second, the little prince suddenly vanished. When he reappeared, it was in front of the demonic spirit. At that moment, both Harzu and the demonic spirit jumped in fear. The prince did so because of the shock of seeing the demonic spirit suddenly appear in front of him. The demonic spirit froze in fear at the unexpected appearance of its prey within closebat range.

    They both stood open-mouthed and stared at each other wide-eyed.

    ¡°Haruz,¡± Brendel reminded him, ¡°if you don¡¯t take care of it in the next five minutes, the next time we see Mikasio, I¡¯ll make you change into girl¡¯s clothing ¨C¡±

    ¡°Girl¡¯s clothing?¡± Peja, who had been watching in stunned silence off to the side, seemed to react to this. ¡°Wait, who¡¯s Hilke?¡± She seemed to be very interested in the magic sword.

    ¡°A knight. ording to the legends, a dragon-riding mage killed his fiancee and his entire family. In order to take revenge, he developed an entire series of tactics specifically against mages. Though the set of battle craft has been lost, his sword remained. This is the famous Enemy of the Mages.¡± Brendel answered.

    ¡°I think I heard my father tell this story...¡± Peja blinked her dark eyes. ¡°But why is the word called Hilke¡¯s Loyalty I?¡±

    ¡°Because I made 10 of them.¡±

    Brendel answered simply.

 Chapter 693 - v4c71 Haruzs Battle

    <h4>v4c71 Haruz¡¯s Battle</h4>

    ¡°Haruz, hold tightly onto your sword and think of your sister. You¡¯re fighting not just as a warrior, but also as a man.¡±

    The little prince stood there in utter confusion. It was the female elf mage who reacted first. She looked down at her little prey and her beastly instincts lifted the corner of her mouth into a cold smile. Like a cat ying with a mouse, she slowly approached him, bent down, and wound her arms around his neck. She reached inside his shirt for the magic crystal.

    Haruz was scared stiff. His beautiful eyes opened wide and there were tears welling up in them. His delicate elven nose took stato breaths. His reason told him to take the sword and stab his opponent in her soft abdomen, but the sword seemed to weigh a thousand kilograms in his hands. His arms froze in that position and all the sword-fighting skills he had learned fled from his mind, leaving it nk. Sweat seemed to pool in his palms.

    Moreover, the demonic spirit¡¯s ck eyes looked at his. Dark magic was the best at invading someone¡¯s mind and the female elf mage could easily sense the little prince¡¯s terror. Her pale and beautiful face cracked into a pitch-ck smile. She smiled disdainfully down at him. Half of the demonic spirit¡¯s body was pressed up against Haruz and she intentionally rubbed her soft globes against his cheek. Her slender arms draped themselves across Haruz¡¯s neck like spider legs and her sharpened fingers almost touched the magic crystal.

    But her desire for magic wasn¡¯t just for that tiny magic crystal. To her, the little prince with the potential to be a mage was like a feast.

    Haruz shook like a leaf. He turned around stiffly and begged Brendel with his eyes.

    ¡°Sir knight, he¡¯s really not suited for battle.¡± Peja the huntress couldn¡¯t stand to watch anymore.

    ¡°He has to fight. He chose this path and now¡¯s the time to face it with courage.¡± Brendel answered seriously,pletely ignoring Haruz¡¯s pleading gaze.

    Peja opened and closed her mouth. She wanted to say something but ultimately kept quiet.

    ¡°Everyone must fight for various reasons, miss hunter. But Haruz has a unique reason. It¡¯s not just for glory, or for belief, or for ideals. It¡¯s because he has to be stronger so that he can answer to many people¡¯s expectations.¡±

    ¡°But you can¡¯t just live for someone¡¯s expectations ¨C¡± Though she knew her station in life was humble, the hunter girl couldn¡¯t help but protest. She thought the knight would scold her severely, but Brendel merely asked her gently, ¡°Would you live because your brother wanted you to, miss Peja?¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°Those who truly expect something of you are the ones who are closest to you. It¡¯s not pleasant to hear because there¡¯s nothing that¡¯s perfect in this world.¡±

    ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize to a nobleman like me. Though your words are sharp like a knife, they¡¯ll only correct my mistakes. Besides, you¡¯re not wrong. As I said, everyone has their own path to walk.¡±

    Peja looked dubiously at the count; she couldn¡¯t quite understand everything he said, but she could vaguely sense that Brendel waspletely different from all the noblemen she had seen in Shallow Water Town. He was even different from the courteous knights like Manoweir.

    Brendel raised his voice, ¡°Haruz, everyone has their first lessons in life. Your sister must have told you what the basic quality of a warrior is ¨C¡±

    The little prince¡¯s mind was such a jumbled mess that he couldn¡¯t hear the words clearly. But thest few words pierced through the mess and seemed to resonate in his mind ¡ª

    The basic quality of a warrior?

    The snow at Winterw Castle always fell in light patches but piled into thickyers. His sister stood behind the veil of snow and that stern fear-inducing voice pierced through the snow to say,

    ¡°In battle, the most important thing a swordsmaster needs to do is to remain calm, analyze your situation, and understand what it is that you have to do ¡ª ¡°

    But his heart galloped and he couldn¡¯t calm down at all.

    ¡°Use your willpower and not your sword to fight against the enemy. Everyone in the world will make a mistake, but only cowards will refuse to draw their sword because they fear making a mistake. You need to answer everyone that relies upon you: do you want to be a coward, or fight till thest moment like a true man?¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±

    The little prince sensed the cold air from the demonic spirit around him. Her ice-cold fingers trailed down his spine as in the next moment she would yank him into the endless abyss. He instinctively closed his eyes and tears fell, but an unnatural shade of red rushed into his pale white face.

    He panted heavily.

    ¡°Have you seen the trainee exam at the Royal Academy? If you don¡¯t hand in your exam, you¡¯ll get a score ¨C¡±

    ¡°Even if I hand in the answer I¡¯ll probably end up with zero! I ¨C I can¡¯t do it! I won¡¯t learn how to use the sword! I just want to be with you, sister. I don¡¯t know how to fight, I don¡¯t want to die!¡± He had sobbed then.

    ck. It was quiet, but that was the sound of the tip springing upwards as he drew his sword.

    The little prince¡¯s shout still had a trace of tears in them, but it was also apanied by the ringing of metal. The ck eyes of the demonic spirit wrapped around Haruz widened and she took a giant step back suddenly as the cold de swung across and narrowly missed her abdomen.

    Haruz windmilled about with his word and because he put too much force into the swing, he turned himself around along with the sword.

    This trainwreck of a scene could havee from someone who¡¯s never swung a sword in his life. Or maybe it was like a trainee at the Royal Academy picking up a quill pen during an exam, only for a drop of ink to spill down and stain the pristine exam paper.

    But at least he had picked up the pen ¡ª

    Haruz dragged the sword behind him and panted with his eyes wide open, as if in disbelief at having drawn his sword. That second still seemed like a dream.

    He looked up and saw the puzzlement on the demonic spirit who had backed off. It probably still hasn¡¯t figured out how its tiny prey suddenly grew fangs. But it reacted very straightforwardly; it raised its slender hand and pointed all five fingers at Haruz.

    ¡°Be careful!¡± Peja couldn¡¯t resist calling out a warning as she watched it happen.

    ¡°Sister!¡±

    The little prince felt his mind go nk. He immediately raised the longsword in front of him and then turned his face side, squeezing his eyes shut.

    This battle was too horrifying to watch. Brendel didn¡¯t know how he could keep watching. Even he had been a hundred times better when he first started fighting, but that might be a yer¡¯s so-called ¡°natural talent¡±.

    Five streams of ck me shot out from the demonic spirit¡¯s fingertips and arrived in Haruz¡¯s face in just a second. But just then, Hilde¡¯s Loyalty shed an azure light in his hands and a light cyan-colored shield appeared. The ck mes instantaneously shattered.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    The young female hunter watched in awe.

    The little prince seemed to just realize what happened. He looked dazedly at the sword in his hands. Just when he seemed to be turning around to ask Brendel, Brendel¡¯s forceful instructions turned him back, ¡°What are you standing around for? Volley back!¡±

    Haruz came to attention like someone waking up from a dream. He seemed to rediscover some of the instincts he had gained from training and immediately whirled around to sh at the demonic spirit. But his movements were just a bit less awkward than a newbie. He struck the empty air even without the demonic spirit dodging.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move so stiffly. Make sure you keep some strength in reserve.¡±

    ¡°I ¨C I got it...¡±

    Haruz found his bnce precariously. He straightened up and looked again for the demonic spirit. But the surprise on the female elf¡¯s face had turned itself back to disdain. She cracked open her mouth in silent ridicule and lightly circled around to his back.

    ¡°Watch your back.¡± It was Peya. She looked at Haruz and subconsciously treated him as she would her younger brother.

    The demonic spirit¡¯s skinny w was about tond on Haruz¡¯s head. But at that precise moment, Haruz shifted his right foot and ttened his upper body. He adopted the well-known defense stance of the Kirrlutz nobles.

    Knight¡¯s defense sword art.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes lit up.

    The young boy¡¯s eyes were clear and his mind seemed to have settled. All the ssical battles the Empire¡¯s Wolf, his sister, or Maynild had taught him that dealt with sneak attacks from the back floated in front of his mind¡¯s eye ¡ª he lowered his head and simultaneously tightened his grip on the sword in his hands as he swung it backward. The demonic spirit¡¯s unreasonably skinny ws just barely missed his head as it swung past. Clearly, she hadn¡¯t expected Haruz to thrust the sword upwards so when the glinting tip of the de appeared within its range of perception, it jumped back in terror.

    The demonic spirit swung backward but the sword still cut across its chest and left behind a thin ck line. Compared to the demonic spirit¡¯s defense, Haruz¡¯s attack was really pitifully weak.

    But this retaliation still put it on guard. It floated backwards to put some distance between them and shot another set of five mes at the little prince.

    But the future king of Aouine was now in the zone. He closed his eyes and took himself back to the perpetually snow-covered dueling fields of Winterw Castle. Actually, he was better than he had been then. He raised Hilde¡¯s Loyalty with both arms and the ck mes struck the shield that shed up. They exploded again, and the embers that fell down onto the grounds burned holes into the snow that covered it.

    Haruz took a breath.

    Aouine¡¯s military sword art.

    This skill came from the wind fairies and was considered the light battle tactic that is most suited for humans to learn. After Darius improved it, this set of sword skills has shown high potential for aggressive attacks.

    With a giant step, Haruz leaped in front of the demonic spirit.

    Naturally, this clumsy attack was a waste of an effort to Brendel, but he had to admit that he was surprised at how fast Haruz switched from defense to offense ¡ª Brendel pursed his lips slightly.

    Haruz¡¯s frontal assault appeared clumsy to the demonic spirit as well. Before he steadied himself, the demonic spirit took one swipe at him and he tumbled head-first into the snow. But he hurriedly mbered up and raised his sword in preparation to block the demonic spirit¡¯s mes of darkness.

    But this time, Hilde¡¯s Loyalty didn¡¯tpletely block the spell like he wanted it to. The second the dark magic struck the shield, the longsword broke with an audible snap. The broken parts turned into silver dust and scattered on the winds. Haruz himself flew backwards due to the force of the spell and mmed into a thick pile of snow.

    Brendel smacked his lips at the sight. Having blocked three rounds of a three-ring spell, Hilde¡¯s Loyalty performed better than he had anticipated. He reached out a hand and, with a sh of white light, an identical sword appeared in his hand.

    ¡°Hilde¡¯s Loyalty II.¡±

    ¡°Continue.¡±

    He intentionally threw the second sword farther away. The little prince had to leap and roll in the snow before he could grab the sword. Right then, though the little prince looked like a miniature snowman, at least he was able to draw his sword the correct way. With a metallic ng, the sharp de left the sword sheath and drew a perfect arc through the air along with the falling snow.

    As soon as the de left its sheath, it was greeted by the frontal assault of five streaks of ck me. With a huge bang, the mes made of dark magic exploded like fireworks.

    Among the embers dancing on the wind, a figure shot out.

    Haruz seemed to have finally discovered the demonic spirit¡¯s weak point. He angled his attack with the long sword so that it was aimed at the female elf mage¡¯s skinny ws. The demonic spirit¡¯s pitch-ck pupils widened and reached out a w in an attempt to avoid this little creature who had suddenly grown wild.

    But to Peja and the demonic spirit¡¯s surprise, the little prince seemed to have turned himself into a young wolf. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to move forward. The demonic spirit¡¯s ws dug into his shoulders and rendered the entire area a bloody mess. The little prince from Aouine cried out in pain, but his right hand kept moving despite the pain and his sword struck the demonic spirit¡¯s left w.

    Unfortunately there wasn¡¯t enough force behind it and the attack only left behind a deep gash.

    The demonic spirit shrieked soundlessly. It opened its ck mouth wide and raised a palm to whack the little prince away from it.

    Haruz¡¯s body rolled around the snow-covered ground several times beforending. ck mes again shot at him. His pupils reflected what was happening, which was beyond anything that he had ever learned on the dueling fields. But in that second, his instinct for survival seemed to kick in and he mmed his sword downwards while he was still in mid-air. The ck mes again stuck the shield that immediately shed up around him.

    The mes exploded and the huge momentum behind that explosion caused him to lose his grip on the sword and fly through the air. He only stopped when his body struck a snow-pine tree.

    Brendel looked at the demonic spirit. He knew Haruz¡¯s opponent had no more elemental points left. For a demonic spirit, elemental points were their lifeforce. It wouldn¡¯t risk its life and cast more spells.

    He took out a third sword and again tossed it far away.

    ¡°Hilde¡¯s Loyalty III.¡±

    This time Haruz caught the sword the first time, despite his body being covered with wounds. His entire body trembled but he drew his sword unwaveringly. He looked up. The demonic spirit was no longer casting long-distance attacks and instead stood in the distance, torn over whether to retreat or not.

    But clearly, the fragrant scent of magicing from Haruz made her indecisive.

    But Haruz couldn¡¯t think too much. His entire mind was a chaotic mess though his spirit was in a highly excitatory state. He never dreamt that he would battle a monster such as this. While he didn¡¯t know how strong a demonic spirit was, he knew how skilled the knights chosen from his sister¡¯s guards were.

    He took a deep breath and sped the hilt of the long sword with both hands.

    ¡°This stance...¡± Brendel paused.

    Beside him, Peja also let out a small sound of surprise.

    A white sh of light, like a crescent, rose from the snow-covered ground. In the next second, it winged across half thending toward the demonic spirit, apanied by Haruz¡¯s youthful scream of anger, ¡°Ahhhhhhh ¡ª !¡±

 Chapter 694 - v4c72 Farming Mobs?

    <h4>v4c72 Farming Mobs?</h4>

    When Brendel saw the White Raven Sword Art of the Aouine royal family, he knew there was no need to watch any longer. He was certain that at this age it was impossible for someone in the pce to teach the young prince this art of swordsmanship. Haruz must have secretly seen the sword technique from there without knowing, and with his jerky stance, Brendel could tell at once that he was attempting to use it for the first time.

    That pure, silvery moonlight had said it all.

    Other than the Chosen One, Brendel could not really find a second possible exnation for the scene before him. What had been stated in that article on the forum was true, not only an Apocalypse existed, but an Apocalypse with both magical powers and swordsmanship.

    He did not say anything and let out a sigh. It was only then he realized that the future enemy of the prince was probably just himself. If only Haruz could ovee his fear, and step out from behind the princess one day......

    Then he could very well be an even greater hero than thete King Erik.

    But for now, he was his student. No teacher would be dissatisfied with seeing his student excel, and Brendel could not help but smile a little as well.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, I don¡¯t have much power left.¡± Hipam said at that moment.

    When Brendel turned around, she was already sweating. He immediately asked Ciel, ¡°How much longer?¡±

    Ciel looked at him with a serious face, as if he was hesitating to say something.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there enough time?¡± Brendel frowned.

    ¡°No, no, no, it¡¯s been ready for a long time.¡± The young mage looked odd. ¡°It¡¯s just that I see your interest in disciplining that little guy, my lord, so I can¡¯t bear to interrupt your fun.¡±

    Brendeln looked at this guy a bit unkindly, although each of the creatures he summoned had their own personalities, I¡¯m afraid the only one who dared to torment him was Ciel. Even if it was Fern, at most, he would just not give him a good look.

    As if Ciel had expected to encounter bad luck, he hurriedly diverted his attention and pped his hands, shouting loudly, ¡°Come out, tower in the mist.¡±

    The trick did work, and six silver lines descended from the sky and plunged straight into the earth, then more silver lines stretched horizontally from it, countless lines connected to each other, forming a hexagonal column in the blink of an eye, a scene that immediately caught everyone¡¯s attention.

    As soon as the cylinder was formed, it could be seen to be over thirty meters high and ten meters wide, and already had the shape of a mage tower. But Ciel¡¯s summoning spell was clearly far from over, the thicker lines were still being subdivided into numerous finer lines, and silver lines began to expand across the six faces of the tower, gradually outlining windows, masonry, beams, doors, and steps.

    The bright silver color of the earlier lines gradually dulled as it was subdivided step by step, finally settling back to its original color. Like red-hot steel fading a little as the temperature decreased, then thest ck tower made of granite appeared before everyone¡¯s eyes.

    Apart from Brendel, even Laurenna and Fs, and Maynild could not help but be slightly surprised when they saw this scene.

    This was a miracle of magic.

    ¡°Everyone,¡± Brendel¡¯s voice echoed across the forest, ¡°Immediately retreat in an orderly manner and enter the tower.¡±

    Because of the loss of Pahim¡¯s spell support, the knights were already exhausted. At this moment, having received Brendel¡¯s order, they were the first to retreat into the tower, finding that the inside of the tower was far bigger than what they saw outside, but a vast space, like a square, which could at least amodate hundreds of people.

    Then Freya, Medissa, Ciel and Peya retreated into the tower as well. And the little prince was still tangling with the half crippled demon spirit, both of them were wounded, but no one could do anything about it. The demonic spirit was a high-level infantry after losing its power, and the little prince¡¯s attacks were not enough to kill it.

    Brendel took one look at the battle over there and reached out his arm to grab Haruz back. Haruz seemed to have gotten a bit hot-headed and struggled for a bit in his grip, but was calmed down when Brendel said: ¡°A swordsman should know when to retreat, and a good swordsman should first have a calm heart.¡±

    The young prince quieted down at once, but he was still breathing heavily. Brendel nodded encouragingly at him, ¡°Well done, and if your sister had seen you fight before, I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t have been so worried about you in the future.¡±

    Haruz looked at him in a slight daze. There was some confusion in his silver eyes, like a child who did not know any better.

    Brendel reached out and nudged him in the chest, ¡°You must fight with your heart, not with a temporary passion. You must understand why you are fighting, and fight not just to ovee fear, but to dominate yourself.¡±

    Haruz held his sword in his hands and nodded.

    After Brendel dragged the young prince back into the Mage Tower, Pahim, Maynild, the Laurenna couple and Scarlet, who werest in line, retreated back as well. As soon as they entered the tower, the demonic spirits outside naturally followed, and Maynild and Scarlet guarded the entrance of the Mage Tower, preparing to rely on the terrain to defend against the enemy, but it was at this time that something happened that surprised everyone.

    The demonic spirits rushed to the entrance of the Mage Tower, but it was as if they had run headlong into an invisible wall, blocking them from the outside. Those terrifying demons were growling outside the wall, but could not advance, not even an inch.

    ¡°Ha,¡± Ciel recognized what this was at this time, ¡°Advanced Exorcism Formation, there¡¯s even this here. Lord, did you know about it?¡±

    Brendel gave him a nce, not giving ament.

    But the young mage servant was ready to put himself out there, and did not care if his lord was ignoring him and said, ¡°If we could move this tower, we¡¯d be able to walk across this forest.¡±

    ¡°But you can¡¯t.¡± Laurenna interrupted him, ¡°If those demons don¡¯t retreat for a while, we¡¯re going to be trapped here.¡±

    She looked back at Brendel and asked, ¡°Do you have any ideas, Mr. Brendel?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the solution just before us.¡± Brendel replied, ¡°If those demonic spirits don¡¯t retreat for a while, can¡¯t we just wipe them out?¡±

    ¡°Wipe them out?¡± The female knight was a bit puzzled. If we could wipe out the demons, why are we hiding in this ce?

    ¡°Sure,¡± nodded Brendel, ¡°Not before, but now.¡±

    ¡°Now ...... ¡± Laurenna was confused at first, but suddenly her eyes lit up. To put it in terms of intelligence, she was actually much higher than Brendel, but as an aboriginal, she was often influenced by the mindset, and could not think beyond the game like a yer could.

    Natives tend to include the premise of ¡®is it reasonable¡¯ when considering problem, while the first thing the yer considers when considering a problem was ¡®can we take out the enemy¡¯. As for logic, that was something only the game designers needed to consider.

    And right now, there was a very unorthodox way to fight.

    Brendel could tell by her expression that she had understood, but the so-called terrain jamming method ofbat was actuallymonce for yers, only that it was more difficult in Amber Sword. And some of the terrains was actually just a trick set up for the yers in the game.

    This was exactly the case right now.

    He gave the order, ¡°The rest of you rest and prepare, Ciel, Medissa. You go attack those demons, you chase them out when they retreat, you retreat back when they catch up, when the weakness is stacked above twentyyers, go back to the tower for Shipamira and Freya on, the third group is Maynild and Miss Laurenna, you three groups rotate, do you understand?¡±

    He looked at the dense mass of demons outside the Mage Tower as if it were arge pile of EXP, and if the two groups were not enough, he would not have even nned to put Maynild and Laurenna on it. After all, the EXPs only worked for Ciel, Medissa and Hipam, giving it to everyone else would be a waste.

    ¡°Understood, watch me, my lord!¡± Ciel seemed to understand this as well, and he immediately sort of leapt towards the door.

    Medissa, who had always been much quieter, merely bowed respectfully to Brendel, then turned to follow him as well.

    But she was a little curious, though as a Silver Elf Princess she had heard of such things as exorcism formations, but after all, she did not know as much as Ciel who was born as a mage. She could not help but look somewhat incredulously at the demonic spirits outside and asked softly, ¡°Can we attack them from inside the Mage Tower?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± replied Ciel, ¡± The Advanced Exorcism Formation is a two-way formation that prevents both enemies outside from entering and enemies inside from leaving. But it only works against demons, or humans with a pure scent of Dark Magic on them ¨C astrologers and witches of the sort who use Dark Magic with the help of the Law don¡¯t count, but it can deal with certain cults.¡±

    ¡°So powerful? But I seem to have only heard of the Exorcism Formation from my father before, and it¡¯s nowhere near as powerful.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because the spell was only unearthed from among the ruins almost a thousand years ago, I guess. The Bugas just love to dig around, and we ck Tower Mages get in on the action.¡± Ciel shrugged, ¡°But this spell is indeed that powerful, it is said to be a technology from within the Ebabel Tower, and the Exorcism Formation is just a simplified version of it. As long as it¡¯s not a superior demon, it can keep them away ¨C it¡¯s an absolute effect, not discounted or weakened by an increase in the number of demons.¡±

    ¡°But the Advanced Exorcism Formation requires a huge source of magic power to maintain it, and the ck Tower Mages must have had this Mage Tower extracting the magic power that escapes nearby, which is why so many demons are converging here.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Medissa nodded lightly, she turned back, ¡°You first or I?¡±

    Ciel smiled heedlessly and rolled up his sleeves, ¡°Doing the work for a nobledy is not a courtesy reserved for the Silver Elf society, let me be the first.¡±

    He raised his hand, and white light had gathered in his palm, forming a huge array. A white pir of light then shot out, sweeping like a sword de among the densely packed demonic spirits outside the Mage Tower, and in that instant, the dozen or so demonic spirits blocking the front were turned into ashes.

    A dozen consecutive Dark Magic explosions followed, but the shockwaves were blocked by the Advanced Exorcism Formation and did not affect the people inside in the slightest.

    After being attacked, the demonic spirits thatcked intelligence seemed to subconsciously be furious, and instead of fleeing, they surged up even further. But their actions were doomed to be futile, the Advanced Exorcism Formation was always like an invisible wall blocking them out.

    Ciel was relived at this sigh, after all, the Advanced Exorcism Formation was only a written term to Ciel, Who knows if the book was lying? As a wizard and schr, the first thing they learned to do while learning knowledge was to question dogma and authority, which they saw as the difference between them and their followers as a congregation.

    But the power of the Advanced Exorcism Array was reassuring, and he thought nothing of releasing two or three more Dragon Strikes.

    Once the four spells had passed, Ciel found that his EXP had gone a level up. He could not help but feel both surprised and a little embarrassed. He was surprised that it was so easy to kill the enemy this way, it was like he had found the EXP he had saved up with great difficulty in his daily life, but he was embarrassed that the EXP came so quickly that he did not hold back even a little when knocking the demonic spirits out.

    Now he and Medissa would have to chase after those spirits if they wanted to continue killing them.

    He was fine, but he felt a little sorry for the little Silver Elf Princess. He could not help but look at Medissa a little awkwardly.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The little Silver Elf Princess smiled sensibly, and she raised her spear, ¡°Ciel, you cover me, and I¡¯ll go kill them to get within close range.¡±

    Ciel nodded in relief at her words.

    When Brendel saw the White Raven Sword Art of the Aouine royal family, he knew there was no need to watch any longer. He was certain that at this age it was impossible for someone in the pce to teach the young prince this art of swordsmanship. Haruz must have secretly seen the sword technique from there without knowing, and with his jerky stance, Brendel could tell at once that he was attempting to use it for the first time.

    That pure, silvery moonlight had said it all.

    Other than the Chosen One, Brendel could not really find a second possible exnation for the scene before him. What had been stated in that article on the forum was true, not only an Apocalypse existed, but an Apocalypse with both magical powers and swordsmanship.

    He did not say anything and let out a sigh. It was only then he realized that the future enemy of the prince was probably just himself. <i>If only Haruz could ovee his fear, and step out from behind the princess one day......</i>

    Then he could very well be an even greater hero than thete King Erik.

    But for now, he was his student. No teacher would be dissatisfied with seeing his student excel, and Brendel could not help but smile a little as well.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel, I don¡¯t have much power left.¡± Hipam said at that moment.

    When Brendel turned around, she was already sweating. He immediately asked Ciel, ¡°How much longer?¡±

    Ciel looked at him with a serious face, as if he was hesitating to say something.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there enough time?¡± Brendel frowned.

    ¡°No, no, no, it¡¯s been ready for a long time.¡± The young mage looked odd. ¡°It¡¯s just that I see your interest in disciplining that little guy, my lord, so I can¡¯t bear to interrupt your fun.¡±

    Brendeln looked at this guy a bit unkindly, although each of the creatures he summoned had their own personalities, I¡¯m afraid the only one who dared to torment him was Ciel. Even if it was Fern, at most, he would just not give him a good look.

    As if Ciel had expected to encounter bad luck, he hurriedly diverted his attention and pped his hands, shouting loudly, ¡°Come out, tower in the mist.¡±

    The trick did work, and six silver lines descended from the sky and plunged straight into the earth, then more silver lines stretched horizontally from it, countless lines connected to each other, forming a hexagonal column in the blink of an eye, a scene that immediately caught everyone¡¯s attention.

    As soon as the cylinder was formed, it could be seen to be over thirty meters high and ten meters wide, and already had the shape of a mage tower. But Ciel¡¯s summoning spell was clearly far from over, the thicker lines were still being subdivided into numerous finer lines, and silver lines began to expand across the six faces of the tower, gradually outlining windows, masonry, beams, doors, and steps.

    The bright silver color of the earlier lines gradually dulled as it was subdivided step by step, finally settling back to its original color. Like red-hot steel fading a little as the temperature decreased, then thest ck tower made of granite appeared before everyone¡¯s eyes.

    Apart from Brendel, even Laurenna and Fs, and Maynild could not help but be slightly surprised when they saw this scene.

    This was a miracle of magic.

    ¡°Everyone,¡± Brendel¡¯s voice echoed across the forest, ¡°Immediately retreat in an orderly manner and enter the tower.¡±

    Because of the loss of Pahim¡¯s spell support, the knights were already exhausted. At this moment, having received Brendel¡¯s order, they were the first to retreat into the tower, finding that the inside of the tower was far bigger than what they saw outside, but a vast space, like a square, which could at least amodate hundreds of people.

    Then Freya, Medissa, Ciel and Peya retreated into the tower as well. And the little prince was still tangling with the half crippled demon spirit, both of them were wounded, but no one could do anything about it. The demonic spirit was a high-level infantry after losing its power, and the little prince¡¯s attacks were not enough to kill it.

    Brendel took one look at the battle over there and reached out his arm to grab Haruz back. Haruz seemed to have gotten a bit hot-headed and struggled for a bit in his grip, but was calmed down when Brendel said: ¡°A swordsman should know when to retreat, and a good swordsman should first have a calm heart.¡±

    The young prince quieted down at once, but he was still breathing heavily. Brendel nodded encouragingly at him, ¡°Well done, and if your sister had seen you fight before, I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t have been so worried about you in the future.¡±

    Haruz looked at him in a slight daze. There was some confusion in his silver eyes, like a child who did not know any better.

    Brendel reached out and nudged him in the chest, ¡°You must fight with your heart, not with a temporary passion. You must understand why you are fighting, and fight not just to ovee fear, but to dominate yourself.¡±

    Haruz held his sword in his hands and nodded.

    After Brendel dragged the young prince back into the Mage Tower, Pahim, Maynild, the Laurenna couple and Scarlet, who werest in line, retreated back as well. As soon as they entered the tower, the demonic spirits outside naturally followed, and Maynild and Scarlet guarded the entrance of the Mage Tower, preparing to rely on the terrain to defend against the enemy, but it was at this time that something happened that surprised everyone.

    The demonic spirits rushed to the entrance of the Mage Tower, but it was as if they had run headlong into an invisible wall, blocking them from the outside. Those terrifying demons were growling outside the wall, but could not advance, not even an inch.

    ¡°Ha,¡± Ciel recognized what this was at this time, ¡°Advanced Exorcism Formation, there¡¯s even this here. Lord, did you know about it?¡±

    Brendel gave him a nce, not giving ament.

    But the young mage servant was ready to put himself out there, and did not care if his lord was ignoring him and said, ¡°If we could move this tower, we¡¯d be able to walk across this forest.¡±

    ¡°But you can¡¯t.¡± Laurenna interrupted him, ¡°If those demons don¡¯t retreat for a while, we¡¯re going to be trapped here.¡±

    She looked back at Brendel and asked, ¡°Do you have any ideas, Mr. Brendel?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the solution just before us.¡± Brendel replied, ¡°If those demonic spirits don¡¯t retreat for a while, can¡¯t we just wipe them out?¡±

    ¡°Wipe them out?¡± The female knight was a bit puzzled. <i>If we could wipe out the demons, why are we hiding in this ce?</i>

    ¡°Sure,¡± nodded Brendel, ¡°Not before, but now.¡±

    ¡°Now ...... ¡± Laurenna was confused at first, but suddenly her eyes lit up. To put it in terms of intelligence, she was actually much higher than Brendel, but as an aboriginal, she was often influenced by the mindset, and could not think beyond the game like a yer could.

    Natives tend to include the premise of ¡®is it reasonable¡¯ when considering a problem, while the first thing the yer considers when considering a problem was ¡®can we take out the enemy¡¯. As for logic, that was something only the game designers needed to consider.

    And right now, there was a very unorthodox way to fight.

    Brendel could tell by her expression that she had understood, but the so-called terrain jamming method ofbat was actuallymonce for yers, only that it was more difficult in Amber Sword. And some of the terrains was actually just a trick set up for the yers in the game.

    This was exactly the case right now.

    He gave the order, ¡°The rest of you rest and prepare, Ciel, Medissa. You go attack those demons, you chase them out when they retreat, you retreat back when they catch up, when the weakness is stacked above twentyyers, go back to the tower for Shipamira and Freya on, the third group is Maynild and Miss Laurenna, you three groups rotate, do you understand?¡±

    He looked at the dense mass of demons outside the Mage Tower as if it were arge pile of EXP, and if the two groups were not enough, he would not have even nned to put Maynild and Laurenna on it. After all, the EXPs only worked for Ciel, Medissa and Hipam, giving it to everyone else would be a waste.

    ¡°Understood, watch me, my lord!¡± Ciel seemed to understand this as well, and he immediately sort of leapt towards the door.

    Medissa, who had always been much quieter, merely bowed respectfully to Brendel, then turned to follow him as well.

    But she was a little curious, though as a Silver Elf Princess she had heard of such things as exorcism formations, but after all, she did not know as much as Ciel who was born as a mage. She could not help but look somewhat incredulously at the demonic spirits outside and asked softly, ¡°Can we attack them from inside the Mage Tower?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± replied Ciel, ¡± The Advanced Exorcism Formation is a two-way formation that prevents both enemies outside from entering and enemies inside from leaving. But it only works against demons, or humans with a pure scent of Dark Magic on them ¨C astrologers and witches of the sort who use Dark Magic with the help of the Law don¡¯t count, but it can deal with certain cults.¡±

    ¡°So powerful? But I seem to have only heard of the Exorcism Formation from my father before, and it¡¯s nowhere near as powerful.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because the spell was only unearthed from among the ruins almost a thousand years ago, I guess. The Bugas just love to dig around, and we ck Tower Mages get in on the action.¡± Ciel shrugged, ¡°But this spell is indeed that powerful, it is said to be a technology from within the Ebabel Tower, and the Exorcism Formation is just a simplified version of it. As long as it¡¯s not a superior demon, it can keep them away ¨C it¡¯s an absolute effect, not discounted or weakened by an increase in the number of demons.¡±

    ¡°But the Advanced Exorcism Formation requires a huge source of magic power to maintain it, and the ck Tower Mages must have had this Mage Tower extracting the magic power that escapes nearby, which is why so many demons are converging here.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Medissa nodded lightly, she turned back, ¡°You first or I?¡±

    Ciel smiled heedlessly and rolled up his sleeves, ¡°Doing the work for a nobledy is not a courtesy reserved for the Silver Elf society, let me be the first.¡±

    He raised his hand, and white light had gathered in his palm, forming a huge array. A white pir of light then shot out, sweeping like a sword de among the densely packed demonic spirits outside the Mage Tower, and in that instant, the dozen or so demonic spirits blocking the front were turned into ashes.

    A dozen consecutive Dark Magic explosions followed, but the shockwaves were blocked by the Advanced Exorcism Formation and did not affect the people inside in the slightest.

    After being attacked, the demonic spirits thatcked intelligence seemed to subconsciously be furious, and instead of fleeing, they surged up even further. But their actions were doomed to be futile, the Advanced Exorcism Formation was always like an invisible wall blocking them out.

    Ciel was relived at this sigh, after all, the Advanced Exorcism Formation was only a written term to Ciel, <i>Who knows if the book was lying? </i>As a wizard and schr, the first thing they learned to do while learning knowledge was to question dogma and authority, which they saw as the difference between them and their followers as a congregation.

    But the power of the Advanced Exorcism Array was reassuring, and he thought nothing of releasing two or three more Dragon Strikes.

    Once the four spells had passed, Ciel found that his EXP had gone a level up. He could not help but feel both surprised and a little embarrassed. He was surprised that it was so easy to kill the enemy this way, it was like he had found the EXP he had saved up with great difficulty in his daily life, but he was embarrassed that the EXP came so quickly that he did not hold back even a little when knocking the demonic spirits out.

    Now he and Medissa would have to chase after those spirits if they wanted to continue killing them.

    He was fine, but he felt a little sorry for the little Silver Elf Princess. He could not help but look at Medissa a little awkwardly.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The little Silver Elf Princess smiled sensibly, and she raised her spear, ¡°Ciel, you cover me, and I¡¯ll go kill them to get within close range.¡±

    Ciel nodded in relief at her words.

 Chapter 695 - v4c73 The Mage Tower

    <h4>v4c73 The Mage Tower</h4>

    After the demonic spirits withdrew from the periphery of the Mage Tower, the progress of the battle outside became slow. It was Maynild and Laurenna¡¯s group¡¯s turn to battle, but Brendel expected this to take at least three to four more rounds before the demonic spirits could bepletely cleared out.

    It was a bit of a long time, but the good news was that he was not idle. The first floor inside the Mage Tower was asrge as a small square against the outer wall of the za, with spiral stairs leading upwards to a tform on the second floor. The tform was actually suspended between the za and the third level of space above it, the tform was a circr structure with a chest wall and battlements built around it, which looked like a fortification no matter how Brendel looked at it. Its function was self-exnatory, naturally, it was used to attack the enemies above the first level za after someone broke through the entrance of the Mage Tower.

    It must have been filled with guards and young apprentices of mages when the Mage Tower was still functioning, but now it was already empty, leaving only the deadly fortifications behind.

    But even so, the Mage Tower was still full of danger. ¡®Mages¡¯ things must not be touched¡¯ was amon saying among the Karsuk people, and the Mage Tower, which was the most valuable property of a mage, was itself a forbidden area for ordinary people.

    Especially inside such an abandoned Mage Tower, the wandering magic, the still-operating magic traps, the magic puppets and dangerous creatures and nts that had lost their master¡¯s restraint, and even the books on the shelves were all full of mystery and unknown. As far as a normal person was concerned, the best way to enter the Mage Tower to ensure safety and peace of mind was to stay down there and not move.

    But this constraint only applied to ordinary people.

    Brendel knew another secret of this tower. He ordered everyone to stay where they were, and then he took Scarlet, the young prince, and Firas into the third level of the Mage Tower.

    Especially in this ce, there was no physical connection between the third and second floors of the Mage Tower, but twelve Teleportation Arrays were used to transport manpower and supplies. These twelve Teleportation Arrays were marked by different colors, and Brendel chose the red one without even thinking about it.

    Setting traps on the Teleportation Array was the most vicious and the mostmon way for mages to guard against their enemies.

    Red was a warning color to most people, but Brendel knew that the twelve Teleportation Arrays were colored for more than just a warning. The mages of the ck Tower associated them with the twelve months of Aouine, as well as the twelve rounds of the moons, and only one of the Teleportation Arrays could be the true one in different months, with different moons.

    Most of the other Teleportation Array will transport you to the Mountain of Quelled Storms, or the Lava Lands, or the shallow seas of Malourcha¡¯s homnd, or some corner of the world one could not even name.

    While Teleportation Arrays are mostly not deadly, the effects it produces are dangerous although not deadly, especially to the yer. It was said that an unlucky man in Amber Sword was sent to a kingdom called Hilma when he wandered into the array, and it took him a year of real-life and countless forum posts to find his way back to Vaunte.

    It was said that the actions involved in rescuing this yer could have been made into a sad story, with the yersing up with all sorts of ideas to do so. For a long time after that, there was even a craze among yers to travel to the otherworld.

    Because of Aouine¡¯s war, Brendel was not personally involved in the pomp of that event, but he knew that the yers did not really end up finding out how many ¡®otherworlds¡¯ there really were outside of Vaunte.

    Except that these otherworlds apparently had existed early on, and Kelsie was from one of them. yers preferred to be fragments of Marsha¡¯s order scattered throughout the vast dark world. Vaunte was just one of therger pieces of it.

    ......

    Activating the array took Brendel some effort, as he discovered that the Elemental Pool of the facility inside this Mage Tower was not even the same as the Elemental Pool of the Advanced Exorcism Formation outside. The Elemental Pool inside had apparently dried up long ago, and he had to use the magic crystal he had with him to finally activate the Teleportation Array.

    There was a sh of light before the four of them, and the next moment they found that the scenery in front of them had changed. The original fortification was still quite spectacr. But now it had turned into a narrow, dark aisle ¨C the Elemental Pool in the Mage Tower had long since dried up, and the Magical Illumination that had been used was naturally gone, and if it were not for the strange glowing nts in the aisle, what they would have seen now would have been pitch ck.

    But Brendel had been prepared, he took out his magic crystal, and the bright light immediately reflected the corridor in front of him. As if it was the first time in a century that light had returned to this ce. Then, Brendel heard a rustling sound, and they all saw arge vine that seemed to shyly brush away from the corridor that disappeared in the blink of an eye.

    They had seen a lot of things, but they had never seen a nt that could grow legs and run around by itself.

    Besides, the shape of the tunnel was a bit of an eyesore, this was supposed to be a walkway with marble or obsidian like stone paving, and the walls on either side were covered in masonry with torch holders at regr intervals on top. A simr walkway like this could be seen in many castles or shrines.

    But the one in front of them was like this: many sturdy vines grew out of the broken masonry, the floor bbed long since it was cracked, and the corners of the walls filled with all kinds of nts as if they were in a tropical jungle. They were mostly ferns or some glowing fungus. If one had not seen it with their own eyes, it was hard to imagine that a ce like this would be a paradise for nts.

    But such was the case with the mages¡¯nd, which wasmonly referred to as a ¡®miracle of magic¡¯. Except that this miracle was not necessarily friendly, and folklore had no shortage of examples of people who touched things and were permanently turned into frogs.

    ¡°What is this ce?¡± Firas opened his mouth in surprise and could not help but ask.

    ¡°This is supposed to be the uppermost floor of the mage¡¯s Tower, where the mages lived,¡± Brendel replied. The red array, during the Moon of Flowing Fire, when the harp¡¯s magic overflows, was the only way to the upper level of the Mage Tower.

    ¡°Ah ......¡± Haruz suddenly gave a low cry ¨C the wound on his shoulder had been bandaged, but the tug on the wound still made him frown. Then this young prince said somewhat curiously, ¡°So those down there are the Twelve Moons Teleportation Array!¡±

    ¡°Twelve Moons?¡±

    Haruz seemed to have just realized that he was a little too rude to make a fuss, he started to blush and exined in a small voice, ¡°...... My sister and I had heard some rumors about the mages from our father. The ck Tower Mages have some unique means of defense, the Twelve Moons Teleportation Array is one of the most famous, the mages designed thisplex system of formations based on the seasons and the changes of the moon¡¯s surplus and deficit on Vaunde, it is said that after the blueprint of this array was destroyed in an ident, no one has been able to unlock it.¡±

    ¡°Even the mages of Buga have felt sorry for it, and it is said that while the proud Silver Folks despise this crude phnx technology, they frankly im that it contains the most subtle astronomical and calendar calctions.¡±

    Haruz¡¯s tone was agitated, ¡°To even receive praise from the Silver Folk, it is undoubtedly the pride of Aouine.¡±

    Firas trailed off, ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr. Brendel unlock it?¡±

    It took the young prince so long to remember this, he then looked at Brendel with some admiration, ¡°That¡¯s because the teacher is so knowledgeable, even my sister holds the Count in high esteem. My sister has always been a proud person, and Grandmaster Fleetwood himself said that she is no less knowledgeable than him.¡±

    As he said this, he could not help but look a little cautiously at Brendel.

    It was a bit awkward for Brendel to say, and he clearly heard the tone of the young prince praising him. Besides, theplex calctions of these teleportation ¡®codes¡¯ certainly were not made up by him, and it was not that the yers were that wise, in fact, the way the yers had deciphered this set of ¡®codes¡¯ could simply be considered an example of violent cracking, he remembered arge association deciphering it with the sacrifice of human lives.

    He did not remember the name of that association, but the other person had paid a price in return. They sold the riddle along with the array itself to the ck Tower mages who reportedly bought it for the price of a city.

    mages had always been the least in need of money ss of people on Vaunde, though they were rarely seen spending money in a big way.

    ¡°But then again, this was where the mages live, so there must be something of great value left in here, right?¡± Firas seemed to have suddenly remembered the legend as well, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that every single one of the mages¡¯ items is a rare treasure.¡±

    He was about to rush inside, but Brendel hurriedly grabbed him and reminded him in a bad manner, ¡°No that¡¯s not true, mages are nothing more than having more magical items on hand. Believe me, you have quite a few on you too, Mr. Firas. Not every magic item is worth a fortune, and even if they were, it would be to themon man, not to you.¡±

    Firas was stunned, and that was when he responded, ¡°That¡¯s right. So what are we doing here?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see in a minute,¡± Brendel said, relieved, but warned, ¡°Be careful, it¡¯s a big maze in here. It¡¯s not the kind in your garden, the mage¡¯s maze is a ce where some people walk into and never get out of, not to mention there are Minotaurs in there, and you¡¯ve never seen the monsters the mages have codified, they can eat you to the bone.¡±

    Firas was about to walk forward but was shocked to hear him say that and hurried back, ¡°This tower has been here for at least a few centuries. Won¡¯t they starve to death?¡±

    ¡°Have you ever seen a demon starved to death?¡±

    Firas blinked as he could not recall seeing any before.

    Only then did Brendel raise the Lighting Crystal and walked forward, the nts around him were oddly shaped, but he saw that they were mostly harmless nts. The highly aggressive Devouring Hogweed and Snake Vine that mages liked to grow were nowhere to be seen here but he figured it was because they were both carnivorous vegetation that probably would not live long without someone to feed them.

    He followed the directions on his memory of the walkthrough, turning left after passing through five closed doors, and then moving forward about a hundred paces. At his reminder, Firas, Scarlet, and the young prince tried not to look at the doors, in fact, they had heard simr stories even if Brendel did not tell them. The door was a mysterious word to mages, most of their doors led to mysterious alternate dimensions, and once a mortal entered they were never to return. It was hard to tell if these stories were true or not, but it was best not to take them as jokes.

    After walking almost a hundred steps, Brendel came to a halt. He did indeed see a skeleton in the grass ahead of him.

    It was not the skeleton of a mage, as the skeleton was still wearing conspicuous armor. It was in this location when the first yer in the game found it, and that yer thought that this skeleton should be the adventurers who entered hereter, as to how they found this Mage Tower was unknown, but ording to his analysis the owner of this skeleton should be a warrior type of Cicter in this group of adventurers.

    As for the cause of his death?

    Brendel turned back and took a closer look at the grass. That was when he noticed Haruz beside him looked strangely pale and stopped to ask, ¡°Did you find anything?¡±

    ¡°Who is he?¡± The young prince asked curiously.

    ¡°A warrior, or a knight, but certainly not a mage anyway.¡±

    ¡°He was one of the mages¡¯ guards, so why did he die here?¡± Firas asked as well.

    ¡°Because of this-¡± Brendel finally found what he was looking for in the grass, the Halran Gaia already in his hand. He stabbed down with the sword, pinning the thing to the ground at once.

    There was a sharp squeak and a ck mass of something struggled under Brendel¡¯s sword and stopped breathing. The others set their eyes on it and realized it was a skunk-like creature.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Firas was slightly startled.

    ¡°That¡¯s a skunk.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that a skunk killed this guy?¡± Firas stared with widened eyes, ¡°Would I be bitten to death by my dogs one day then?¡±

    Brendel was a little speechless at the analogy, and besides, he thought that with the guy¡¯s intelligence, he might have been killed by a dog if he had not been so lucky. It was not like getting bitten to death by a dog in Vaunde was anything strange anyway, even if it was the Dusk Hound they would be dealing withter which were legitimate canines.

    ¡°It¡¯s a magic pet.¡± This was his reply.

    ¡°A magic pet?¡± It was only then that Firas responded, ¡°You mean it was a mage who killed him, and there are other mages in this tower?¡± He got a little creeped out.

    The little prince also immediately looked around.

    Scarlet did not answer, but just silently held the Azure Lance.

 Chapter 696 - v4c74 Legacy of the Skeleton (1)

    <h4>v4c74 Legacy of the Skeleton (1)</h4>

    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous.¡± Brendel sighed, ¡°Even if it did, it¡¯s already dead. This magic pet is ownerless, and what killed the warrior was the spell attached to this pet, I think this guy should be the party that invaded that day. The mage left behind in the Mage Tower should be dead himself after killing hispanion, but he passed thest spell to his magic pet and killed this guy.¡±

    He was actually talking about the analysis of the yer who discovered all of this, but he looked back at Haruz and asked, ¡°You know this guy?¡±

    Although he asked this, he felt somewhat unlikely in his heart. <i>Haruz is so young, and this skeleton should be at least a century old.</i>

    But he did not expect the little prince to frown, shaking his head and nodding again, ¡°I don¡¯t know, I think I¡¯ve seen this armor there before.¡±

    <i>Armor?</i>

    Brendel looked towards the armor and found no obvious markings on the armor, and the style was very ordinary, except that it looked like it should be magic armor. But after taking a second look, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

    All along, he and the yer had been preconceived that this skeleton was a human, but he suddenly realized a problem, <i>What if this guy didn¡¯t be this way after death, but is just as he is?</i>

    For example-

    It was a skeleton.

    The ck Rose of Bromantonu.

    Brendel knew at once why the young prince was familiar with this skeleton¡¯s armor. It was because this armor was a very ordinary Aouine military armor, such armor was almost everywhere within this kingdom¡¯s army, but there was one problem: all armors should have the emblem of the army it belonged to carved on it.

    But there was only one kind of exception. Most of the skeleton soldiers after being transformed by the Undead, would wear their armor that rusted away in life until they were promoted to the rank of the Bone Knight or even higher. The Corpse Mage would then have the crypt craftsman smooth out the emblems on their armor and enchant them.

    That kind of armor would look exactly like what was in front of them.

    But it could not be fully confirmed yet.

    He looked back at the young prince and said, ¡°Madara?¡±

    He saw the young prince creep out and nodded vigorously, ¡°Right, that one! I¡¯ve seen simr armors on their envoys at Winterw Castle, and I¡¯ve asked my sister why Madara¡¯s armor is the same as ours-¡±

    <i>Then it surely is.</i>

    Brendel himself could not be sure, as his memories on certain things would not be as clear as an native¡¯s. If the young prince remembered it that way, then it was highly likely.

    He took a step back and said, ¡°Whether or not it is, just check it out and we¡¯ll see. Lord Marsha said that grace is scattered across the earth and that a warrior should return to his homnd, but the gift he left behind in life is a reward for those whoe after him.¡±

    ¡°If it is a warrior-¡± he added.

    Then Brendel looked to Firas, and the young man¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Oh, meaning this armor is our reward?¡±

    ¡°There are other things as well, and as I agreed with you, you will be the one to sort them out.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Ha!¡± Firas looked excited, ¡°Yeah, I almost forgot if you didn¡¯t tell me. So I¡¯ll go now?¡± He pointed at the skeleton.

    Brendel nodded, the scene was supposed to be a reward for the yer. However, he took the trouble to exin, ¡°Out of courtesy, you should start with the examination of his bags, as the priority is to prove the identity of the dead so that the dead may rest in peace. Then only the weapons, andstly the armor and other equipment.¡±

    This was the etiquette for sorting through the belongings of the dead on the continent, but yers never had this to do. Except for those who yed as extremely spiritual yers, but that was a minority after all. And for the natives, that was the rule that had to be followed, especially the nobles, who had considerable respect for the dead, so Madara, while also believing in Marsha, was unpopr in the wider civilization for the same reason.

    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Firas nodded excitedly as he crouched down and indeed found a nearly rotted leather pocket beside the skeleton. He picked up that pocket but immediately let out a soft giggle.

    ¡°What?¡± Brendel was immediately concerned as he had been looking forward to having this luckiest knight of Kirrlutz to examine the corpse for him for a long time.

    ¡°What do you see here, Count?¡± Firas jiggled the pockets, from which he took out a ghastly white object that first looked somewhat like a te, but when Brendel took a closer look he realized it was a bone.

    As soon as he saw it, he was sure of the other¡¯s identity. Only the Undead of Madara would use a possessed bone te to record words, this was a piece of information he only learned after traveling to the Kingdom of the Gretius¡¯ Knight Squad.

    He took the bone te over. The text on the bone te was recorded with Madara¡¯s secret text, even though he did not know it, that did not prevent him from using the light screen that came with it to check the properties of the thing.

    All he could see was a line of phosphorescent green text.

    Unknown Bone te (Quest Item).

    Brendel¡¯s heart was racing out of excitement, there was no such category as a specific quest item in Amber Sword. Generally speaking, most of the quests issued by NPC for one to prepare are for other purposes. For example, a cksmith will ask you to prepare iron ingots, coal, or even tools for him, but these things were also materials in the game itself and can be used by the yer as well.

    And in general writing quest items, there is only one thing.

    That was the hidden quest initiation item.

    Brendel¡¯s heart was pounding, none of the rewards for hidden quests in the game were any worse. Just like before when he saved the Holy Seal Valley, although the missionpletion was still a long way to perfection, the reward Malourcha gave him was a huge surprise.

    He took a look at Firas in front of him, <i>He sure is abnormally lucky. </i>But seeing that the other party was still looking at him with a puzzled face, Brendel only then regted his emotions and replied, ¡°This should be something from Madara¡¯s side, Undead knights often use simr bone tes to record words.¡±

    ¡°No wonder I saw some strange writing on it, I can¡¯t believe this is the first reward,what bad luck!¡± Firas cursed and felt a little embarrassed, ¡°Looks like I¡¯m having a bad day, why don¡¯t you do it?¡±

    ¡°No, no, no.¡± Brendel hurriedly shook his head. <i>What a joke! If I were to do it, I might as well have called Maynild to do it. </i>The female knight was not always lucky, but it was better than having him to do it as he was forever unlucky.

    Firas was actually just saying that casually, and then he simply emptied the pockets of all the contents in one go. Brendel almost passed out when he saw what was inside.

    First, there were two rings.

    Two dark silvered, as if several silver snakes were twined together around a cat¡¯s eye stone ring. And Brendel happened to know these two rings.

    The Pupil of the Double Ringed Serpent.

    [Fantasy]

    Defense +1

    Light Resistance +5

    Light Element Pool +20%

    The Tooth of the Double Ringed Serpent.

    [Fantasy]

    Defense +1

    Dark Resistance +5

    Dark Elemental Pool +20%

    (All For One)

    (When equipped with one piece) Preception +100, Bloodline +100

    (When equipped with two pieces) Dark Discovery +5

    Brendel could not help but grind his teeth when he saw these two items, this pair of rings was a rare set of rings in Fantasy equipment. The attribute of the pair of rings itself was actually not outstanding among Fantasy equipment, but the set attribute was too rare, and the increase in Dark Discovery by five itself was an extremely valuable and precious attribute, not to mention the terrifying Perception and Bloodline both increasing by a hundred.

    Bloodline was actually fine, but Perception was a very special attribute in the game. Since Perception was not the main attribute of any spell casting or attack, its only function was to increase one¡¯s Perception of the world ¨C basically, every point of Perception in the game could increase one¡¯s Perception by two feet, except that this attribute, like Intelligence, was extremely difficult to obtain.

    Even today, with Brendel¡¯s Elemental Activation, his Perception attribute was still less than 50. With his Perception, he could clearly hear whispers within about a hundred meters, and the sounds of normal speech within almost five hundred meters, or perceive an excellent level lurker within a couple of hundred meters.

    But as long as he would wear these rings, within two hundred meters, even the top Night Swallows which might be ten levels higher than him in the game would not be able to hide themselves. As long as he deliberately captured it, the sounds of normal conversations within a kilometer would no¡¯t escape his ears.

    In addition to his hearing, sight. After Perception exceeded one hundred, vision would be a magical vision that could ignore the darkness, including the darkness created by magic. And as for over a hundred and fifty, no one seemed to have reached it in the game.

    It was too hard for this set of rings of All For One to appear because only the Undead would drop it, but the Pupil Of The Double Ringed Serpent was a rare light item, so the drop rate was ridiculously low. At least Brendel had never heard of anyone ever seeing it in the game.

    He could not help but stare at the two rings, almost immediately wanting to pick them up and bring them with him. But of course, he could not do that, first of all not to mention that it was very rude and secondly he would not be able to.

    Because the Double Ringed Serpent Ring required Willpower that was at least at the peak level of the Law.

    Brendel¡¯s eyes could only ignore the pair of rings and stop on the following three items. A scepter, a silver-handled mirror, and a tooth.

    He almost made a gurgling sound in his throat when he saw the scepter.

    That thing also had a popr name.

    Francisco¡¯s Hold.

    [Curse]

    Attacks: 45-51

    Strength +200

    Physique ¨C 100

    Additional Skills:

    Fade- Francisco¡¯s de does not exist in the normal world, so it is difficult for a mortal to describe its existence. Unless actually hit by Francisco¡¯s Hold, it willl distort human perception, making it impossible to tell how long the de is by sight, sound, experience, or memory.

    Rose¡¯s Thanks ¨C ¡®Remorse devours the heart¡¯ When using Francisco¡¯s Hold, whenever the wielder is in doubt while fighting, he ages faster for every enemy he kills.

    In The Amber Sword, this sword started an era. It made yers understand the existence of ¡®cursed items¡¯ within the equipment category. But more to the point, this weapon was the only one that causes the user to almost delete themselves.

    No one knew what the true requirement of Rose¡¯s Thanks was, but most people only knew one thing. That you could not easily put away the sword if you had taken it, and that you would lose a level if you kill someone with it.

    Cursed items in the game should be legendary level equipment that corresponded to normal items, while demonic items were Fantasy level equipment that corresponded to normal items. The sword was an artifact but Brendel would never want to use it.

    ......

 Chapter 697 - v4c75 Legacy of the Skeleton (2)

    <h4>v4c75 Legacy of the Skeleton (2)</h4>

    Brendel¡¯s gaze moved past Francisco¡¯s Hold and stopped on the fourth item. It was a little mirror with a silver handle. Delicate waves were carved into the frame of the mirror. It seemed like something ady would use. There were millions of equipment in Amber Sword. Aside from some of the most famous ones or those that he had used before, he wouldn¡¯t recognize all of them. He picked up the mirror and a pale green light screen unfurled along its surface. Brendel raised his eyebrow slightly at the text that appeared on there.

    ¡°So it¡¯s this thing...¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Just as Brendel¡¯s gazended on that tiny mirror, Fs also noticed this item since it was the most delicate among all the things. As a noble, he was instinctively drawn to those with a gorgeous exterior.

    Brendel raised the mirror ¡ª

    Valora¡¯s Mirror

    [Fantasy]

    Life + 20

    Triple Cut Level + 1

    Bonus skills:

    The Shadow of Reality ¨C Valora¡¯s Mirror replicates all lies. Users of Valora¡¯s Mirror can choose a target and replicate one of the target¡¯s skills. That skill will be stored in the mirror as a real illusion. The user can expend 1/10th of its energy cost and cast the spell once. (Cooldown period: 1 day).

    The mirror of the Night Goddess. This mirror was a very interesting tool in the Amber Sword. It can replicate abilities but it unleashes the skill as an illusion. But this illusion was a real illusion ¡ª as long as the target believed that this illusion was real, then they would experience all of the resulting consequences.

    But if he didn¡¯t believe, then this spell would just be a simple illusion.

    Therefore, there was a trick to using this mirror. If you replicated a skill that was too oundish, most people wouldn¡¯t believe it. But there were some who were contrary and intentionally learned very bizarre skills ¨C for example, knights learnt elementalists skills. Often when you didn¡¯t believe, controlling skills such as ws of Ice would befall you.

    At most, Brendel had heard of the mirror in the past. He had never actually seen it. He held the mirror and described it to Fs. Of course, he didn¡¯t mention the specifics and just said that it was something a female knight left behind after she died and that the mirror had the power to replicate illusions. He hadn¡¯t counted on Fs¡¯ eyes glinting when he heard this and asking, ¡°Wait, I have a favor to ask. Count Trentheim, would you consider gifting this mirror to me?¡±

    Though Fs may appear careless on the surface, he had received a nobleman¡¯s education. Fs knew very well that, though they may have found the remains together, in ordance with the rules of nobility, Brendel would be doing him a favor.

    For the nobility, inviting someone to preview the spoils of a winter hunt was considered the highest honor. Fs wasn¡¯t naive enough to consider that he had the right to share the spoils. He could tell that Brendel hadn¡¯t needed him to find this ce; of course he also didn¡¯t mention the word ¡°buy¡± either. In their circles, that question would be considered rude and even insulting.

    Especially since Brendel¡¯s current position could be said to be higher than his.

    By saying so, Fs was implying that he owed Brendel a future favor. Brendel understood the implied sentiment behind the sentence and looked at Fs in surprise. He didn¡¯t understand why this mirror meant so much to Fs, enough to pay him back with a favor. The higher someone¡¯s station in life, the less they liked owing people favors. Though Fs was just a squire, he could be one of Kirrlutz princes in the future.

    Fs realized Brendel was a bit confused and exined, ¡°Count Trentheim, you mentioned that this used to belong to a beautifuldy. I think it would suit Laurenna very well. I¡¯ve always wanted to give her a present.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why.¡± Brendel understood. He hadn¡¯t expected Fs to be so romantic. Brendel looked at the silver mirror in his hands ¡ª truth to be told, this thing was an excellent magical item. If he used it himself, it could be quite effective. But on the other hand, it would also be an excellent choice to win Laurenna and Fs over.

    He had angered many people in Kirrlutz. Even if Wood covered up Williams¡¯ death by saying the vice squad leader had died in a surprise attack from the devils, that exnation was only enough to fool themoners. Williams was the heir to a noble family in Kirrlutz and his family and friends were all people with the highest authority. Even if they didn¡¯t cause trouble for him now, he couldn¡¯t discount the possibility that they meant him ill.

    Not to mention that, for some random reason, the daughter of the Prime Minister has now appeared on the cklist. Brendel hadn¡¯t encountered her in Amber Sword before but the famous Prime Minister of the Kirrlutz Empire was well-known in the game for having the ability to change destinies with the flick of his wrist. Furthermore, his lineage of influence differed from Williams¡¯ Holy Cathedral supporters, which meant that Brendel had, for all intents and purposes, gotten on the bad side of two major powers in the Empire.

    Therefore, he had no choice but to consider winning the favor of the less ambitious forces in the Empire. After all, one of the previous holy saints in Aouine had once said that the politics of Aouine could not be separated from the Empire and the Wind Elves. Though that had been said in resignation, it was a true depiction of the state of things when it came to this ancient kingdom. The Princess and her supporters had not united Aouine yet, but even when they grew into their wings, Aouine¡¯s geography meant Brendel could notpletely remove it from the influences of Kirrlutz or the Wind Elves.

    While he imed at every opportunity that he wanted to break away from the Holy Cathedral of Fire, Brendel knew very well in his heart that the best choice before Aouine became a true Empire would be to remain neutral between the Holy Cathedral of Wind and Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    His approach to the problem came from the same previous holy saint.

    The previous holy saint was named Vtiran and he had been Tulman¡¯s teacher when Tulman had walked among the mortals. He had been there when the Corvardo empire was established and was an important political figure in the hundred years spanning when Edward the White King ascended to the throne until the early years of Anson the Eleventh. He was the creator of the Era of Expansion. Frankly, both Tulman and Brendel¡¯s own grandfather Darius were just following in this previous holy saint¡¯s footsteps.

    Brendel had taken this into consideration when he agreed to help Veronica. Both Laurenna and Fs both had families with some influence in Kirrlutz. More importantly, their two families were very close. If he could win the favor of both of these major families, then he had a way of countering the enemy forces hidden within the Empire.

    Of course, the most important part was that Brendel thought Fs and Laurenna were decent people. Though they were the heirs to two noble families, they didn¡¯t act arrogantly or spoiled. In contrast to these two, he had to doubt the way the so-called Prime Minister of the Empire and Duke Flowerleaf raised their children.

    At least Feina, rude and arrogant though she might be, wasn¡¯t a bad person at heart. But he wanted to stay away from the daughter of the Prime Minister.

    Brendel believed that the inherent qualities of someone could determine a lot of things. If Fs and Laurenna were exactly like those heirs of noble families that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to look at, Brendel wouldn¡¯t look at them twice no matter how much influence their families had in Kirrlutz. Though he had already made peace with everything in his past, Brendel still retained thest traces of pride and belief in honor from his gaming days. If he could force himself topromise his honor, he wouldn¡¯t be in this much trouble.

    After all, Aouine itself had nothing to do with him.

    He looked over at Fs and tossed him the mirror. ¡°You¡¯re the guest and I¡¯m the host. It¡¯s only right for the host to give the guest a present. No need to stand on formalities. Besides, these items don¡¯t have an owner, so perhaps Miss Laurenna is its destined owner?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Fs¡¯ eyes brightened. ¡°But Count Trentheim, you¡¯re the most generous gentleman I have ever met. When you have the chance, pleasee visit us in Kirrlutz. I will absolutely treat you like my most honored guest.¡±

    Brendel smiled slightly. If the guy said this, it meant that he considered Brendel someone worth knowing. But he only nodded casually. This was just a catalyst; a truly tight bond had to be forged by taking someone¡¯s interests into ount.

    But he had plenty of chances so he didn¡¯t rush now. Brendel had the thought of developing the ck Forest, which had some of the rarest goods in Vaunte. He refused to believe that the nobles of Kirrlutz would be able to hold themselves back when it came to these priceless specialized items. Even nobles of the Empire had to earn money and eat. Therger the family, the more astounding its expenses. What noble family of the Empire didn¡¯t have their own business? Especially those in the upper echelons of the Kirrlutz society who chased after a life of luxury; he knew he¡¯d get their attention with what he had.

    Fs truly did have the air of the heir to a noble family. As a nobleman, he definitely knew the value of the Night Goddess¡¯ mirror. But when he put it away, he treated it like any other ordinary mirror. Then he looked at the things on the ground and asked, ¡°What about these? Count Trentheim, I¡¯m sure you know them.¡±

    Brendel gave a slight nod and exined about the Double Snake Ring and Francisco¡¯s Hold. But he didn¡¯t go into detail, just briefly outlined their approximate value and some of their history. In reality, he knew that for a nobleman like Fs, the practical use of these items wasn¡¯t as interesting as the backstory to these magical items.

    After recounting the story of the ¡°Anti-Righteous Knight¡± associated with Francisco¡¯s Hold, Brendel¡¯s gazended on thest item. This was the fang that he had seen before. It looked a bit like a wolf¡¯s fang, but when Brendel examined it closely, he realized it was a Skeletal Dragon¡¯s tooth.

    This was an amazing item to have. Skeletal Dragon¡¯s teeth were one of the rarest materials in Amber Sword. If you use it to fashion armor, you¡¯d have the special ability to withstand curses that speed up aging. Embed those into weapons, and the weapon would have the ability to speed up aging.

    In hisst life, a Skeletal Dragon¡¯s tooth could be worth several hundred thousand Taels. Brendel had once tried all the channels and obtained one. But at that time, weapons made from it hadn¡¯t been as effective for him because, in Amber Sword, it was public knowledge that yers with time elementals were most suited for it.

    The reason for that was simple. The chances of a Skeletal Dragon¡¯steeth triggering the rapid aging curse ranged from 1% to 2.5%, dependent on the manufacturing process. The trigger rate could be considered extremely low. For most yers, the rate could be considered a bit worthless. But for a yer who had time elementals, it was different because possessing time elementals meant they had Flowing, which was an active elemental power.

    The active elemental power of Flowing was described as follows: ¡°As long as the Lines of Laws trended towards stability, the user¡¯s attack can affect enemies and rapidly age them.¡± This basically meant that it actively triggered the curse of rapid aging, and this effect could be doubled up with that of the Skeletal Dragon¡¯s inherent ability. Essentially, if someone had a Skeletal Dragon¡¯s tooth, the rapid aging effect of Flowing would be doubled.

    As one of the few luxury items that Brendel got to experience in his past life, Brendel remembered the effect of this item quite well. And here, he had the time and space elemental that was one step above the time elemental. This thing was practically made for him.

 Chapter 698 - v4c76 Legacy of the Skeleton (3)

    <strong>v4c76</strong>

    <strong>Legacy of the Skeleton (3)</strong>

    As Brendel picked up the tooth, he nced warmly at Fs beside him. This guy was a wealth-bringer. If he brought Fs along every time they went on a side-quest, it probably wouldn¡¯t take him too long to be outfitted with all the god-tier equipments?

    Of course he knew that was just wishful thinking. Fs and Laurenna couldn¡¯t stay in Aouine forever. As soon as Arreck died, they would return to Kirrlutz along with Veronica.

    ¡°Ohh, this is Skeletal Dragon¡¯s tooth?¡± Fs seemed to have recognized the item in Brendel¡¯s hand.

    Brendel paused and asked in surprise, ¡°You know it?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I think I¡¯ve heard of it.¡± Fs answered, a little proud of himself. ¡°I heard that this is the tooth that was taken from Madara¡¯s Giant Skeletal Dragon, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not right.¡± Before Brendel could say anything, Haruz interrupted from beside them. He answered in his still childish voice, ¡°Madara¡¯s Giant Skeletal Dragon was just a monster pieced together from the Eruya Dragon. The real Giant Spirit Dragon is a mature dragon who has died. Only a few giant dragons have be spirits in all of Vaunte. Their powers didn¡¯t differ that much from when they were alive. Even the Emperor with the Mercury Staff pays them the utmost respect ¨C¡±

    ¡°Hmmm.¡± Brendel shifted his gaze toward the little prince. Thetter blushed and his soft curlsy obediently t against his forehead. Apanied by the glinting of the crystals in the darkness, his eyes shone and looked effeminate. But Haruz insisted, ¡°My sister told me all of this.¡±

    ¡°Your sister, Princess Gryphine?¡± Fs asked.

    ¡°My sister said that Marada was the true enemy of Aouine. Kirrlutz might have always tried to control the Kingdom, but you wouldn¡¯t destroy the Kingdom in a sea of fire. But for the Undead, the boundary between life and death can be easily broken...¡±

    Haruz looked at Fs, as if these sentiments had been stuck on his mind for a while, and asked, ¡°But I¡¯ve always wondered. If we¡¯re all human, why can¡¯t we band together against the monsters from the dark?¡±

    ¡°Well...¡± Fs felt self-conscious at the chiding and scratched his hair.

    Brendel looked at the guy with slight sympathy. He couldn¡¯t exin to Haruz that actually, Madara¡¯s skeletal frame couldn¡¯t exactly be counted as a monster since the dead were also part of the world. They weren¡¯t really immortal, they just existed in a different manner.

    Actually in Vaunte, Marada¡¯s Undead, Kirrlutz¡¯s humans, Sanorsor¡¯s Wild Elves all believed in Marsha, who represented order. It¡¯s just that one worshipped the order of darkness and one believed in the light.

    But he couldn¡¯t say that Princess Gryphine was wrong. The boundary between life and death was fragile, but the two represented different ways of existing. The Undead have invaded the eastern borders of Aouine for centuries and there were countless examples like Be. As a human, it was hard to consider the problem from the Undead¡¯s angle.

    He sighed and ruffled the young prince¡¯s hair. ¡°Did your sister tell you all this?¡±

    ¡°Lady Maynild said some too...¡±

    Brendel had pretty much guessed this, but he had no desire to continue the conversation. He patted the young prince¡¯s shoulders and then turned to yank the armor off the skeleton. The already decaying skeleton separated under the force of his actions.

    ¡°Sir Brendel, you...¡± Fs jumped. Scarlet, who had been behind them this entire time, stared at her leader in astonishment. Hignders, like nobles, were extremely respectful of the dead.

    But Brendel looked at the armor and exined. ¡°You can probably figure out that an average human wouldn¡¯t be walking around with a bone te with words or a cursed sword. Only one type of creature would use them.¡±

    Fs hesitated and then realization struck. ¡°Wait, Count Trenthem, are you saying that...¡±

    Brendel nodded. He could basically be sure that this thing had been a skeleton while it was ¡°alive¡±. Very likely it had been a Bone Knight. He had been influenced by the walkthrough earlier, but now that he thought about it ¨C the walkthrough had been made very early on. Things like Cryptic Bone tes had only be known as yers leveled upter on in the game, so it waspletely possible that the walkthroughs missed them.

    This thing served as a reminder that because of the difference in time, some of the walkthroughs had limitations. He had to make decisions based on his own experience.

    Brendel handed the armor to Fs. ¡°This is a set of Demonic Armor. Bone Knights and their armor didn¡¯t have any special powers, but the defense on these things is extraordinary. Change into this in a bit because from here on out, we won¡¯t be just encountering demonic spirits.¡±

    Fs frowned as he looked at the dirty and grimy armor in Brendel¡¯s hands. Magical armor was rare and valuable, even in Amber Sword. Of course he knew it but for him to wear something that just came off a dead body was really...

    Fs swallowed and then said tentatively, ¡°Okay. I will try to wash it.¡± He certainly understood that he was the weakest link in the current team. Brendel gave him this set of armor so that he wouldn¡¯t drag the rest of the team down as much in the future.

    But no matter what, he gave Brendel a grateful look and then took the armor, still covered with the stink of decay.

    Brendel then turned around. He guessed that they were about done outside so he hurried up. This time, he pulled out the weapon the Bone Knight had used previously ¡ª a sword in the shape of a me.

    As soon as he pulled the sword out, Haruz let out a gasp from behind them.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Fs was now familiar with this little prince and asked immediately.

    ¡°This is...¡±

    ¡°This is a Lion¡¯s Fang.¡± Brendel looked admiringly at the sword in his hand. He continued with slight surprise, ¡°this is the sword guards of King Erik used to wear. Its method of creation has been lost for centuries. I guess we now know a bit of this knight¡¯s history ¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Haruz nodded heavily.

    ¡°Is there something wrong with the sword?¡± Fs looked at the way Haruz¡¯s eyes glinted and asked curiously.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s very good.¡± Brendel raised the sword in the weak light of the shining crystal and smiled. ¡°King Erik had 11 knights around him, each of them a legend in their own right. Oh, that¡¯s right. You¡¯ve seen the knight beside Freya that never says anything or does anything, right?¡±

    Fs nodded uprehendingly. Of course he had seen the Knight of the Lake that always kept his distance from everyone else.

    ¡°They¡¯re all legends...¡±

    Brendel remarked as he turned the de over and handed the sword, hilt first, to Haruz. He smiled at the little prince from Aouine and asked, ¡°How is it?¡±

    Haruz looked on, stunned by the Count¡¯s gesture.

    ¡°Count-Count Trentheim... you¡¯re giving it to me?¡± He almost couldn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°The historical texts say that The Lion¡¯s Fang belongs to someone who¡¯s truly courageous. The way you fought before, I wouldn¡¯t call you an excellent fighter. But only someone who conquered themselves could be considered a true warrior ¨C¡±

    Brendel answered and then continued. ¡°Unless you don¡¯t think it¡¯s worthy of you? Prince Haruz?¡±

    ¡°No... I ¨C I just think...¡± Haruz was both surprised and excited. His eyes glinted beautifully like a silver jewel and his small face turned red as he struggled to say, ¡°But this is the sword of a hero. I- I just think that...¡±

    ¡°You just think that you¡¯re not worthy of it?¡± Brendel shook his head. ¡°If you think you need to be braver, then you definitely need to pick up this sword and prove yourself.¡±

    ¡°Besides, you don¡¯t need to prove yourself for a sword ¨C¡±

    Brendel handed Harzu the sword. ¡°You won this. Legend says that Hignder men dere themselves of age when they get their own weapon. From now on, this sword is your responsibility.¡±

    Brendel looked up as he said so and saw Scarlet nodding slightly at him from a distance.

    ¡°I- I understand, Count Trenthetim...¡±

    That was Haruz¡¯s barely audible voice.

 Chapter 699 - v4c77 The Lost Name (1)

    <h4>v4c77 The Lost Name (1)</h4>

    After making sure there was nothing valuable in the remains of the Bone Knight, Brendel packed away the equipment and decided to stop here. There had been a greenhouse garden here previously; the mage had destroyed the portal, which caused the time and space to turn chaotic. Further ahead would be thebyrinth and while there was equipment scattered here and there, they weren¡¯t worth it.

    They returned the way they came, back to the second floor and then to the hall, just in time to meet up with Ciel and Medissa, who wereing back from their third trip to the outsides of the Mage Tower. At this time, there were only a few demonic spirits that remained in the forest. ncing out from the tower

    ¡°Leader.¡±

    ¡°Sir.¡± The two of them saw Brendel and greeted him politely.

    Brendel didn¡¯t answer. With his hand, he shed through the air between himself and Medissa. Two transparent blue screens appeared. Before Ciel and Medissa entered the tower, they had both been at level 27. Now they were close to level 32. This was like jumping from an unstable silver beginner all the way to a silver intermediate rank; that was a pretty fast rate.

    Only then did Brendel smile. ¡°Well done.¡±

    ¡°It was fortunate that Leader discovered this tower.¡± Medissa answered softly, the polite smile stilled affixed to her face.

    ¡°Heh,¡± Ciel let out a breath and asked curiously, ¡°But Leader must have already known that there was a high level exorcism magic array here, right? Otherwise you wouldn¡¯t have acted so confident.¡±

    This guy¡¯s curiosity practically overflowed and more important, he was clever and always noticed details that others didn¡¯t. Brendel put on a stern face as he answered, ¡°ck Tower Mages wouldn¡¯t build a pavilion for their viewing pleasure here.¡±

    ¡°When you put it that way, you¡¯re right. I just thought that there doesn¡¯t seem to be defense mechanisms that are more appropriate than a high-level exorcism magic array. It¡¯s almost as if... this was created for us.¡±

    ¡°That kind of feeling is really too good. How about it Medissa? Do you have the same feeling?¡± Ciel asked as he turned around. At the same time, he snuck nces at Brendel from the corner of his eye.

    ¡°Yeah, a little.¡± Medissa nodded slightly.

    But the sneaky way at which the young mage approached the problem made Brendel want tough and cry. Not only Brendel, but even the little prince looked at Ciel in confusion and contemted whether the chief Mage serving his teacher woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Ciel¡¯s tricks didn¡¯t fool Brendel, or maybe he never wanted to fool Brendel. Brendel stared at him and tapped Ciel¡¯s forehead with his finger as he said, ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re also a part of the ck Tower Mages. This proves that outstanding defenders think the same ¡ª unless you think you¡¯re a stupid idiot?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why.¡± Ciel agreed wholeheartedly with what his Leader said. But then he immediately thought of a new question, ¡°But wait, I thought that I wasn¡¯t ¨C¡±

    Before he could say anything, Medissa stomped hard on his foot. Both Brendel and the Silver Elf Princess understood that this guy was about to blurt out that he was a Silver Robe Mage now. But how could that be something you just blurt out? After all, this wasn¡¯t the game where you could change professions at will. If rumors got out about how close a Silver Robe Mage and someone from Be was, who knows what trouble that would cause?

    Brendel red at Ciel, who understood that he was in the wrong. Ciel smiled awkwardly, scratched his head, and then fell silent.

    Out of the remaining three, the little prince might not have understood everything and still had questions, but he wouldn¡¯t say anything, even in front of his own sister. Fs paid these details absolutely no attention; he had been admiring the Night Goddess¡¯ mirror this entire time. As for Scarlet, she might have seen something or she might have not. Sometimes even Brendel had a hard time figuring out what this Hignder girl was thinking.

    ¡°Sir, there aren¡¯t that many demonic spirits left outside. It might be good to have everyone fight their way outside. After we clean up the battlefield, we can still travel a bit further. Didn¡¯t we spend quite a bit of time in the Anserra Forest?¡± Medissa spoke up at this opportunity and changed the topic.

    Brendel nodded. He thought that out of everyone he had with him, with the exception of Amandina, this Silver Elf Princess was probably the most reliable. But Medissa was right; it was time to move on and they had spent too much time in the Anserra Forest. Now they have to use every minute and second to its fullest.

    So he immediatelymanded Ciel and Medissa to gather up everyone ¡ª mostly the guard knights and the original crew of the caravan. These people were mostly the elites around Her Royal Highness and, after they¡¯ve gotten some time to rest in the great hall, they had long ago prepared themselves for departure. Therefore, they immediately got themselves moving as soon as they received themand.

    Before they left, Brendel asked Ciel to return the mage tower to where it had been. Though they couldn¡¯t bring the tower with them, they could trade it as a favor to the ck Tower Mages in the future. Everyone knew that mages didn¡¯tck money.

    The battle in the forest could be considered as done. The team outside, consisting of Freya and Pahim, was just searching for any missed enemies among the grounds. Everyone else had the job of cleaning up the battlefield. Demonic spirits were an extremely disgusting type of monster in Amber Sword ¡ª for a yer, a persistent monster wasn¡¯t always disgusting, but one who was both persistent and stingy would definitely be considered absolutely disgusting. This was an undisputed point and demonic spirits ranked high on the list of disgusting monsters.

    The facts proved them right. Several hundred demonic spirits only yielded two Fragments of Chaos. Though they sounded powerful and terrifying, they were nothing more than the condensed matter of dark magic and a type of alchemical material that, while rare, was pretty useless.

    But that was better than nothing. Brendel thought about the fact that Maynild was in charge of clearing up the battlefield and felt at peace with what happened. What did terrify him was the fact that Laurenna seemed to have worse luck than Maynild. Looks like history wasn¡¯t entirely trustworthy. All of the knight couple¡¯s luck definitely was because of Fs.

    He looked at Laurenna and then at Maynild. In his heart, he drew a ck mark next to all female knights. Finally, he nced at Freya, who was resting in the distance, and made up his mind that he will never let the War Goddess loot bodies.

    After clearing the demonic spirits from the Abyss Lake, the team could finally move on. By then, deep night had befallen the forest. But in reality, Brendel¡¯s bronze watch told him it was just a bit in the afternoon. He decided to camp in the middle of the night and finish crossing the middle courtyard before today.

    After crossing the forest, the geography on either side opened up. Based on the description from the walkthrough, Brendel recognized this as the first half of the ¡°middle courtyard.¡± There were the expected signs of the Dusk Hounds in the forest. This was a type of creature that was a cross between a wolf and a fox. It was physically bigger than a ck wolf and had five fingers on their ws. Legend says they are the ancestors to the wolf-shaped monsters. The demon wolf Fenir who came before Hati had been a Dusk Hound.

    In the Amber Sword, Dusk Hounds were ssical pack monsters. Their special abilities included teleportation and sh and they also had the ability to spew out an attack, Breath of Dusk. Anyone struck by Breath of Dusk would be permanently turned to stone, which made this a terrifying ability.

    But the Dusk Hounds weren¡¯t without a weakness. In the Amber Sword, monsters that excelled at attack and agility were weak in defense. Dusk Hounds weren¡¯t an exception. Their sh and teleportation became meaningless against a conjurer¡¯s dimension anchor spell. The only thing you needed was to know where it would first appear ¨C and where the dimension anchor was.

    That wasn¡¯t hard for Brendel.

    In the first half of the ¡°middle courtyard¡±, they were already attacked by a small pack of Dusk Hounds. That ¡°pack¡± had about seven or eight adult hounds, twice that number of mother beasts and young beats. The life cycle of monsters was weird. They had some of the characteristics of beats but reproduced inpletely different ways ¡ª regardless, the nest was very important for monsters.

    As soon as the Dusk Hounds appeared, Brendel noticed them before anyone else did, including the monsters themselves. Dusk Hounds had very well defined zones. He had encountered them before in the Knga Mountains and not for a brief period either; for about half a year, he and Bai Jia crossed paths with these monsters. So he could detect their presence just by the traces left behind from the way the magic flowed in the forest.

    Maynild was the second to discover these beasts. By then the Dusk Hounds had already started tracking them. The female knight reacted, as if out of instinct. Brendel noticed that she looked behind them ¡ª that was where the monsters were.

    Then Brendelmanded for the team to halt and for Ciel to prepare the dimension anchor. As everyone watched on in confusion, the pack of beasts arrived and barged right into the trap that Ciel set, as if on a schedule.

    As for the battle that followed ¡ª

    The battle that followed could be described as a one-sided victory. Without the ability to cut across dimensions and avoid attack by using sh or the ability to flee battle using teleportation, Dusk Hounds were so thin-skinned they made the perfect target. Though they could still spew, that clumsy form of attack really wasn¡¯t the best way to go up against a warrior-ss opponent. After a few rounds, the entire pack was ughtered and these near golden beginner level beasts turned into experience points for Brendel, Ciel, and the others.

    After that experience, everyone else quickly got into the zone. They slowly crossed the valley under Brendel¡¯smand. Throughout their journey, they experienced multiple attacks by Dusk Hounds. But Brendel adopted the same strategy every time and the battles became easier.

    This kept up until Ciel exhausted all of his spells. Then Brendel had him quietly summon the Ether Dragon and recover his spells as the entire team stopped and waited.

    Because he continuously fought against higher-level monsters, Ciel¡¯s Silver Robe Mage status was already at level 35 at that point. Medissa and Pahim were both at level 33. Since those three had toned down their powers in front of other people, the others hadn¡¯t discovered that they were slowly but surely growing more powerful. After all, Ciel and Medissa were beings around Brendel who had already stepped foot inside the golden realm. Nobody would think much of them keeping their true powers a secret.

    But Brendel had the team stop because in front of them was the mountain pass for thest section of the middle courtyard. This meant that the boss-level Dusk Hound was probably close by.

 Chapter 700 - v4c78 The Lost Name (2)

    <h4>v4c78 </h4>

    <h4>The Lost Name (2)</h4>

    The ruins immersed in darkness took on a peculiar blue-gray color under the light emanating from the gems, a color unique to basalt. Of the many peoples of Vaunte, only the Miirnas preferred this particr igneous rock for their majestic structures. The ruins stood still in the woonds, guard knights passing through the forest of basalt pirs and dragging the carcasses of huge pine bears with ropes pierced through its ribs to the center of the camp located right in the middle of the ruins.

    A pile of carcasses piled up like a hill.

    The team had encountered these uninvited guests half an hour before. Pine bears belonged to a ss of dinosaurs, which the Kirrlutzians called violent animals. They belonged to the category of creatures between demons and animals, unlike demons whose magic power would vanish after death, leaving only crystals, they became the best food reserves for Brendel¡¯s party.

    They had pretty good luck, and after entering the Eternal Night Forest, there were hardly any live animals to be seen, except for asionally lost critters. This group of pine bears should be from the northern part of Lantonn. They had wandered into the forest and attacked Brendel and his group because of the dark magic.

    Brendel knew that the pine bears were gentle carnivorous beasts, and usually, they only huntedrge herbivorous animals. Usually, they would only huntrge herbivores, such as the deer on the north shore of Crystal Lake, or a hippo-sized herbivore called a ve cow. But they rarely attacked humans.

    The pine bear¡¯s fur is rolled up and tossed aside, and Peya took it upon herself to do the work, a task the young hunter girl knew all too well. Peya made a slit in the spine with the skinning knife and turned it over, the hunter¡¯s skinning knife that had been handed down from generation to generation had a curved edge and a long, thin de like a silver ruler. She made the incision up to the tailbone and then spread it out to the sides, and in ten minutes she had aplete skin off.

    Brendel looked back after a while, and in his hand, he held a clear, bright yellow amber-like crystal, which was the magic crystal left behind by the Dusk Hound. It wasrger than the ck wolves¡¯ and contained more magical power, but there was no satisfaction on Brendel¡¯s face as he stared at a messyir not far in front of him where several sharp white rocks were intertwined.

    This was supposed to be the Dusk Hound¡¯sir, but now all that was left were the ruins after it had been destroyed.

    Someone had gotten to it first, not sure if it was Arreck or the KIrrlutzians. In the distance, Maynild came over with Freya stepping on scattered rocks one foot at a time, and the female knight shook her head at him as she approached, ¡°I didn¡¯t find any valuable clues, they didn¡¯t camp here but have left to the north after destroying thisir. There are signs of a battle nearby, but not on arge scale......There is perhaps another possibility that the Dusk Hounds were destroyed by the other party before they had a chance to react.¡±

    ¡°The Dusk Hounds are wary-¡±

    ¡°...... But it looks like they came from the other direction?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very possible, there¡¯s no way I didn¡¯t notice any traces before, these people aren¡¯t likely to be on the same path as us,¡± Maynild said thoughtfully.

    ¡°I trust your judgment. But do you think it¡¯s the Arreck or the Kirrlutzians?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s ¡®I trust your judgment¡¯ made Maynild look up at him slightly, somewhat unexpectedly, ¡°It¡¯s likely to be Arreck, the Kirrlutzians should not have deviated into the forest from Vallendaren¡¯s side toe in this direction. But don¡¯t rule out other possibilities, Count, could there be adventurers in this forest?¡±

    ¡°asionally.¡±

    Maynild looked up in the direction of the forest, with thoughts in her mind. Next to her, Freya whispered, ¡°Brendel, do you want to keep going?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Arreck is only a week¡¯s travel ahead of us in the Anserra Forest. He won¡¯t know the forest any better than we do, and if they didn¡¯t take the same route as us, then we¡¯re already made up to a day.¡± Brendel did not want to meet up with Arreck too early, as by now Arreck would have yet to know that they were behind, and it would be good to give them an unexpected surprise.

    Besides, Maynild¡¯s earlier words had reminded him that if the forest did not show signs of arge-scale battle, he suspected that the leader of the Dusk Hounds might still be wandering through the forest.

    ¡°Let¡¯s camp.¡± He said, ¡°The vastness of the ck Forest is hard for normal people toprehend. Let everyone get some rest, as this time I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be for a day or two.¡±

    Freya looked at him and nodded obediently.

    The dinner was a sumptuous pine bear feast, and the cooks who did the work were Ciel and Peya. By Ciel¡¯s own ount, he had been a gourmet in his past life, traveling through many regions simply to learn and record the local food culture; While Peya had all the qualities expected of a poor child, hardworking, tough, soulful, and handled her prey with aplomb.

    Bear broth, roasted bear meat, and a warm campfire brought a touch of warmth to the still, cold night, and Brendel had Hipam set up a boundary to keep out the sounds and smells to prevent attracting more demons to the forest.

    Ciel called it the ¡®Dinner in the Forest¡¯, and it was said that Mglin, the King of the Faries of the Eleranta¡¯s Chinoise Penins, would often entertain guests in the forest, and it was the Night Faries who would light up all kinds of magicalmps in the forest to resemble an open-air pce, hence the name of the feast in the forest. The analogy of the young mage squire was agreed upon by everyone, and even though they could not drink freely, everyone still praised the ¡®sumptuous¡¯ food.

    The dinner in the forest drew to a close after about eight or nine o¡¯clock, and the relics quickly faded into silence. The knights from the Royal Cavalry were Aouine¡¯s most distinguished soldiers, so naturally, they could not be as undisciplined as the ordinary noble privateers. The only thing left in the camp was the red fire and the beating shadows and the knights on night duty.

    Brendel especially liked campfires in the dark.

    The bright light of the fire seemed to dispel the darkness and coldness from one¡¯s heart, and whenever he sat by the campfire, watching the ground outlined by the flickering mes, he could not help but think of his days in the game. Compared to the adventurers, the yers always had no taboos, and his senior would sometimes suggest small events. These interludes were always apanied byughter, and Brendel could not help but smile every time he thought back to a few interesting experiences.

    Medissa ced her hand on the title page of a red-covered book and quietly watched her lord, sometimes she could often see a look of reminiscence on Brendel¡¯s face. But she never asked too many questions, and could only think to herself that it must be a rather warm memory.

    Medissa had some warm memories as well, and since her soul had returned to this world, she often remembered the past. But remembering was a painful process for the Undead. She remembered her sister, her mother, her father, and her soul as if it had been stripped away. The dark magic always tempted her to think about that which she had never wanted to face.

    It was as if a voice in the darkness was murmuring in her ear: ¡°Why was it you who was sacrificed? You were supposed to have better memories, do you remember everything that happened after the Battle of the Holy Saints? No, you can¡¯t remember, because you never had a memory after that.¡±

    ¡°How can you understand the happiness of mortals when you were live and die for war, and when you have never experienced peace in your life?¡±

    But the little Silver Elf Princess simply buried those negative feelings in her mind, then looked up and faced her future with a smile. She looked at Brendel, her eyes shining with both yearning and admiration. It was as if she could find her ordinariness in this lord.

    Brendel seemed to have finally noticed the princess¡¯s gaze, and he was startled slightly. Then he saw the book in Medissa¡¯s hand, which was folklore and geography of the area around Kirrlutz and Silent Bay. Since her reintegration into human society, Medissa had always shown interest in the present-day culture, but Brendel knew that she was learning how to fit in with others.

    She always prioritized thinking about things from the other¡¯s perspective.

    ¡°Is there anything you can¡¯t understand?¡± Brendel asked softly. Even if it was a thousand years ago or now, the Silver Elves thought quite differently than humans. Sometimes Medissa could not even understand some of the human vocabries, so she had to ask him for advice.

    ¡°Well-¡±

    Medissa suddenly thought her lord was a little cute, and she then said softly, ¡°I¡¯m a little confused as to why the people there at Silent Bay send lilies to their sweethearts on the day of the Summer Festival. Is there any symbolism to that?¡±

    Brendel was stunned, not expecting the question. Medissa, despite being a princess and an important Silver Elf general, still had a feminine side, and he thought for a moment before answering, ¡°Because, in the lore of the mountain folk, the midsummer is a symbol of zing exuberance, just as love is in full bloom. It has been thought since the long dark ages that the Summer Festival belonged to the Trade Winds, and the seafarers believe that the Trade Winds represent the passing of thoughts, so I think there may be some connection to that.¡±

    ¡°Elves are different from that,¡± Medissa replied in a small voice, ¡°The Elves think it is a mutual watchfulness that can¡¯t be prated by letting time stretch on. It¡¯s like a long, distant song in a dark forest, lingering delicately in the heart.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because human life is so short that they cannotprehend the meaning of the word time. For mortals to shine with glory for a short period of time, even if it was just for a blink of an eye, is enough to draw respect. Elves understand the meaning of waiting because of their long lives, but mortals also clumsily go back and forth through the cycles of history, and time runs parallel in two ways, and as a summertime bug cannot understand winter, how can eternity understand the beauty of the impermanent?¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    Medissa closed the book and she inclined her head, ¡°My lord, may I lean on you for a moment?¡±

    Brendel hesitated, he saw a bit of a calm look from Medissa and finally nodded. The tone of the little Silver Elf princess was like a feather, so soft that it was impossible to refuse her request. Besides, she never asked for much, leaving only her best impressions to others.

    Then he felt a soft body next to his own. Medissa smiled as if remembering the time when she was next to her mother.

    ¡°Back then my mother would tell me stories of heroes, and my greatest wish was to be like them.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°But I just want to be a normal person now. Thank you, my lord.¡±

    Medissa said in a faintly inaudible voice.

    ......

 Chapter 701 - v4c79 The Lost Name (3)

    <h4>v4c79 The Lost Name (3)</h4>

    It was as if a wind had risen in the forest in thetter half of the night, like the mythical wolves running at dusk, whistling through the canopy of trees, rattling, and attracting wind and rain. Peya had long been used to huddling alone in the shadows of her tent, and after the dramatic change, she could not fall asleep easily.

    She saw her brother, covered in blood, walking ahead of her, followed by an indistinct shadow...

    Half asleep, the glow of the flickering candles suddenly died out. Only a nobleman could afford the luxury of lighting expensive tallow candles in every tent. But the light suddenly disappeared and the darkness seemed to stretch further.

    The four walls of the tent were engulfed in thick ckness, and there seemed to be light again in the distance. The female hunter blinked her somewhat heavy eyelids and saw that she was in the midst of a forest of shadows. When she heard the distant singing, she could not help but look up and see a line of fluorescent ghosts in white robes walking slowly through the forest.

    Some of those ghosts were dressed in long robes, some rode horses, some held spears, and some carried swallowtail gs, each with a clearly visible face. Some seemed as if she recognized them, but felt unfamiliar at the same time, and suddenly she saw a short figure walking in the middle of the group, his head bowed, and it was her brother Yaruta.

    ¡°Yaruta!¡± Peya could not help but scream.

    Her mind was no longer concerned with anything else and she immediately ran in that direction. But the forest grew thicker and thicker, and the giant roots seemed to grow, tripping her up at once. She looked up, desperate to see her brother¡¯s back moving further and further away.

    ¡°Yaruta!¡±

    ¡°Peya.¡± A firm voice came from beyond the dreamscape.

    The female hunter felt as if someone had grabbed her hand, and thendscape around her receded rapidly, warm light seeping into this darkness from all sides. She snapped her eyes open and found herself standing in the middle of the camp, covered in cold sweat and her face as pale as a sheet.

    Brendel was standing right in front of her, grabbing her arm, with the campfire in front of her. Peya leaned forward slightly as if she was about to run headlong into the fire.

    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Brendel frowned as he and Medissa saw the hunter maiden look zoned out as she burst out of the tent and dashed headfirst into the campfire without a second thought. If it had not been for his quick hands and eyes, she would have been badly burned by now.

    But he realized now that she seemed to be sleepwalking.

    ¡°Another nightmare?¡± The hunter maiden woke up every night, clearly known by Brendel, who had to keep a short period of night watch every day.

    Peya stared at him dumbfounded as if she had not realized it yet. Her hair was scattered against herpletely soaked forehead, and her dark brown eyes were glistening with tears as if she had not recovered from her nightmare.

    ¡°Sir Knight?¡± Peya was stunned and hurriedly pulled back her hand, lowering her head with some trepidation, ¡°Right, sorry.¡±

    In the midst of a strict hierarchy, how could the daughter of a vulgar hunter like her touch the body of a noble easily?Nobles were the descendants of the former sages, glorious and noble, who did not want to be around untouchables. In some ces, normal civilians were punished for approaching a noble without permission, and in Lob, those who came within ten feet of a nobleman¡¯s carriage were flogged.

    In earlier times, this was a means to guard against assassins. But in the modern era, it gradually evolved into a unique privilege.

    Brendel was slightly startled before responding with a shake of his head, ¡°As I said, if it¡¯s because of my noble status, you don¡¯t need to apologize for it. Some people value it, and that¡¯s because they have nothing but it. They are proud of the title society gives them, while I have ideals and aspirations that I am proud of. Lady Peya, I have asked you to remain with this group only because you are our guide, and if it is possible, I will help you find your brother¡¯s whereabouts-¡±

    He said so many words to appease the other party. Peya calmed down and she looked at this lord somewhat carefully, she heard Firas, Laurenna, and the other knights call him ¡®Count¡¯. She could not imagine that this mighty existence of Shallow Water Town was just an aged Count.

    But Brendel was undoubtedly an oddity, she had never seen such an unassuming nobleman before.

    ¡°Thank you, Sir Knight, I¡¯ve had another nightmare.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you just had a nightmare, what exactly did you just see?¡±

    Peya was confused but told him about the dream anyway.

    ¡°White ghosts?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Medissa asked softly as she stood up. She saw the serious look on Brendel¡¯s face and felt that something might be strange.

    ¡°Interesting-¡± Brendel looked up at the pointed canopy of the pine forest that was shaking in the wind. He was beginning to think that it was the sea breeze blowing from the direction of the Seas of the Dying Moon, but it did not seem that way now.

    ¡°Thest time I told you guys about the Knight Who Lost his Mind, Peya, you¡¯re from the Manoweir area, have you heard about the legend of the Lost Names?¡±

    ¡°The Lost Names?¡±

    ¡°Ah, um-¡±

    ¡°A lost name is a name, and a name is like a codename, which is really meaningless in itself, but a mark of other people to you; the Miirna have some dark tales that if someone loses their name, they be a wandering lonely ghost. Simply put, abandoned by the civilized world.¡±

    ¡°The Elves have a simr story, I suppose, for humans need each other, and if a man loses his proper reputation, his existence is of very weak value.¡±

    ¡°The legend of the ghosts of the forest has a long history ......¡±

    A knight who had lost his honor, is abandoned by the people, they are plunged into darkness, lost to themselves, murmuring all day long. They are in fact long dead, but their memories haunt the forest and remain there all day long, and if there is confusion in anyone¡¯s heart, they will be tempted by them.

    Hunters often saw Knights Who Lost their Minds in the forest, but that was just the fear of the unknown in their hearts.

    Brendel looked at the wind surging over the forest, it seemed to be strong enough to move the clouds. But there was still a dimness behind the clouds, which did not make sense, because it was not the wind, but a huge uneasiness that hung over everyone.

    This uneasiness came from the turmoil of the entire world.

    Brendel saw a hint of a pale blue arc of light in the sky, which he had thought was a faint gathering of light forming beyond the line of sight, but now there was only one logical exnation.

    The second Demonic Wave wasing.

    <i>What an unfortunate coincidence.</i>

    ¡°Medissa, go get the others up, I¡¯m afraid this forest won¡¯t be so safe afterward. We need to find a way to get through the Wall of Sighs before then. The things in the forest might give us some trouble-¡±

    ¡°My lord?¡±

    The camp seemed toe to life. Within ten minutes, the pale blue sky grew w-like shapes in this direction, and the wind seemed toe to life, raging and swirling countless branches and leaves, gathering into a ck river. Stars floated in the forest, a signal that the magic that had strayed into the main material world was skyrocketing.

    It was chaotic before everyone was finally assembled. Brendel counted everyone, making sure no one was left behind, and turned back to Maynild who was staring at the sky, ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen this somewhere before.....¡± She muttered to herself.

    Brendel knew that she had indeed experienced it. <i>But those memories might have already fallen apart into fragments.</i> He wondered how many memories of that time she still held. But Maynild seemed to think of something and she looked back at Brendel, ¡°Brendel, do you know anything about it......?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thatter.¡± Brendel looked at the forest that seemed to have suddenly be earth-shaking, this Demonic Wave was the second wave of tides recorded in history. Astrologers from the Tower of Moon and Stars had recorded the wave, and it was ahead of history, by about three months.

    It was unclear what this meant, but the world out there must have been in a state of extreme panic. The second Demonic Wave had crossed the borders of the Land of Order, affecting Aouine, the southern part of Kirrlutz, Eleranta, and some areas around the Great cier, and it was documented that eclipses, the day turned to night, Demonic Waves, or simr phenomena had been observed in many ces at the time.

    Brendel was a little worried about Amandina and Romaine, but he believed that they should be able to handle the situation in their territory. Fortunately, the Kirrlutzians should obviously be on their side, otherwise, it would not be easy to deal with the Holy Cathedral of Fire if they came to their door at this juncture.

    ¡°My lord, what should we do now?¡± A knight leaned up and asked respectfully.

    Brendel took a look in the direction of the forest.

    The pitch-ck forest was like a living creature, the magic of the forest¡¯s stars was its countless eyes, and the swaying canopy of trees seemed like wildly dancing hair. It was as if it opened its bloody mouth, waiting for the intrusion of an intruder.

    But after a slight dy, the group made its way to the forest. Across this ruin was the Wall of Sighs, and Brendel knew in his heart that there was something there.

    But the Demonic Wave hade too soon.

    Most of the tents were abandoned, as there was no time to pack them. But no one dared to look back, and everyone rushed into the forest against the wind direction. At this time someone in the group suddenly let out a shout.

    ¡°Oh my God, what is that!¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Brendel heard Peya¡¯s scream of fear, and he looked back to see a team of knights covered in a glowing ember moving slowly through the forest not far away.

    It was as if he had seen that team there before.

    ......

 Chapter 702 v4c80 A Ball In The Past(1)

    <h4>Chapter 702 v4c80 A Ball In The Past(1)</h4>

    Clothed in white robes and silver armor, each holding ance and a war halberd. Thences were decorated with a beautiful cathedral cross, and the halberds were like a sharpnce with spread wings beneath it. Further down each mace was a dovetailed g with a cross, a sun, angels, and saints painted on it.

    The g read ¡®Tuienn sior chumree¡¯ in floral script, which meant the holy sword beneath the glory.

    There were also Elves in the team, with pointed ears and long blonde hair braided into braids. Their horses were also dressed in white robes, painted with the patterns of sun thorns.

    The entire group was shrouded in fluorescent white light, moving slowly but quietly through the forest, making the image seem bizarre.

    ¡°My lord, my lord!¡± Medissa tugged at him twice to bring him back to his senses. Brendel took a breath, this was the Holy Order Knight Squad of the Gretius¡¯ Knight Squad, exactly like the one he had seen in Amber Sword. No, it might be it.

    ¡°Rosa!¡± Someone in the group let out a scream and a knight stumbled out of the group. ¡°Rosa, Rosa? Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Stop him!¡± Brendel suddenly reacted, but the man next to him was a little slower and the knight quickly disappeared into the dark forest. The group was flustered and Brendel quickly shouted, ¡°Do not look over there, it is an imagination of the mind, it exists only in your memories. Those are the enchanted dreams of the Lost Names, entwined with your dreams, and if you are tempted, you will be with and for ¡®them¡¯- ¡±

    Brendel had already established his authority in the previous battle, and his words had left everyone in awe, so he was able to settle the group down. But Brendel still saw people slowing down, just a little confusion in their hearts and they would be swallowed up by this forest.

    Brendel secretly asked Maynild to do a headcount, and in just a few minutes, the entire team had lost seven people. He knew those people would nevere back, they would spend their days wandering in a dreand of the living and would never find their way out, then their souls would haunt the ce after they die.

    He sighed.

    ¡°These undetermined people.¡± Maynild¡¯s face was cold, and she pursed her lips, the side of her face all distinct under her long dark hair.

    Brendel looked back at the female knight with some displeasure, ¡°No one dares to say they can never falter, everyone has someone or something important in their hearts-¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why they faltered when they should have been determined. Hank¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Rosa, is waiting for him to return, and Collins has two sons and a daughter, but they can¡¯t hold on to their determination when ites to their loved ones-¡± Maynild¡¯s voice trailed off, ¡°I picked them because I thought they were the best of the best, I thought they would survive and go back.¡±

    Brendel was stunned, and he suddenly saw that Maynild looked very down, ¡°You¡¯re angry because of that?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I was wrong about the people and hurt them instead.¡± She replied softly as she gave Brendel a cold look and turned to walk away.

    Brendel stood stunned for a moment until someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned back to see the handsome but unorthodox face of Firas. ¡°Count, you are amazing. You even dare to mess with Lady Maynild. Legend has it that a powerful woman is a rose with thorns, but Lady Maynild must only have thorns, not the fragrance of a rose.¡± The young knight said mysteriously.

    Brendel gave the guy an uninterested look, ¡°But I saw that you were hitting on her the other day?¡±

    Firas shrugged, not embarrassed at all at being demolished, and replied with a solemn face, ¡°That¡¯s why I understand this so deeply.¡±

    Brendel stared at the guy.

    ¡°Because she beat the shit out of him.¡± Laurenna¡¯s voice came from behind. She stepped forward and poked her fianc¨¦ in the ribs with the hilt of her sword, then turned back and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you see anything wrong, Mr. Brendel?¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Brendel lifted his head and looked around. Of course, he had spotted it or already knew it ¨C the knights were trudging through the forest, parting the dense shrubs. But the light around them was darkening at an elerated rate as if shrouded in ayer of ck mist. At first, he could at least make out the outline from a dozen meters away, but now it seemed so dark that he could only see a handful of people around him.

    ¡°Ha, what¡¯s going on?¡± Firas seemed to notice what was going on around him just then, grabbing his arm with a chill went down his spine as he asked this question.

    ¡°I was about to talk to you guys about that, it¡¯s a lost dream.¡±

    ¡°A lost dream?¡± Laurenna was puzzled.

    ¡°To put it simply, we are in a dream. This dream is the dream of a Lost Name, and ¡®they¡¯ often dream of what happened in their life. But this dream is overshadowed by the real world and is connected to the world we remember. The Lost Names often rely on such means to lure travelers and get them lost in the forest.¡±

    ¡°No wonder earlier I just saw the little woman I saw in Lenore, Marsha high above, she was just as charming and sexy as she was then-¡± before Firas could finish his sentence, Laurenna gave him a fierce re.

    ¡°Do you mean this is an illusion, Count?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    Brendel replied as they walked. The woond seemed to thin out after the group had passed through thick undergrowth. He saw a t area appear and darkness seemed to close in from all sides. Not far away the knights seemed to notice something was wrong and began to be unsettled.

    ¡°Everyone, lean in close.¡± From the front came Maynild¡¯s voice. The female knight¡¯s voice was as assertive and calm as ever, as if she were a sturdy g in the darkness. Brendel did not like her character much at times, but he had to admit that Maynild was an excellent knight.

    Even better than his senior.

    The open terrain reminded him of a ce, and after a while of walking, the ground was uneven with pebbles and gravel. It was a riverbank, but only at the bottom of the valley would there be simr terrain.

    But he could not be sure if this was already the Wall of Sighs.

    ¡°You know about dreams, Miss Laurenna,¡± Brendel replied, ¡°Everything in a dream is uncertain, and the passage of time in a dream depends on how active your mind is while you sleep, so now we can neither be sure that we have reached that ce, nor how long we have been walking through the forest, and all we have seen through the darkness of this forest is a dream. ¡±

    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m a little confused.¡± Laurenna held her forehead, ¡°Are you saying that this is a dream now and you are in my dream, Count?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not very good-¡± replied Firas jealously.

    ¡°Of course not, you can understand it as being half asleep.¡± Brendel red at the guy.

    ¡°You mean arge group of us walking around in the forest, collectively sleepwalking?¡±

    Brendel thought the guy had a reallyme analogy. But he had to say that it was the most appropriate one for the situation at hand, so he just nodded to the two.

    ¡°That¡¯s great-I mean for the beasts inside the forest; Brendel, you can imagine how it feels to have foode to you on its own. I¡¯ll bet that Lusitar¡¯s Unicorn and Maiden Inn don¡¯t have such an excellent service either.¡±

    ¡°If I wander through this forest until I die, do you think they¡¯ll put up a tombstone with ¡®Friend of the Forest¡¯ on it, and maybe even give me a two thousand pound medallion? The medallion must have the emblem of the Unicorn and Maiden Inn engraved on it, to prove that I have given selflessly to this forest as a good waiter-¡±

    ¡°You shut up!¡± Laurenna interrupted Firas¡¯ long speech, ¡°Is there any danger in this dreand, Count?¡±

    ¡°This dreand is linked to the dreams of the Lost Names¡¯ life, and if one is confused by them, one¡¯s soul will remain in this forest forever and never wake up.¡±

    ¡°What should be done then?¡±

    ¡°Be determined.¡± Brendel replied, he raised his voice and shouted, ¡°All of you move closer to each other, this forest is a lost dream woven by the Lost Names, be careful or they will pull you into the dreams of the past. If you don¡¯t want to sleep in this forest forever, you only need to remember two words: Determination and Calmness.¡±

    His voice could be heard from afar.

    The dream of the Lost Names was somewhat like the battle of the Magical Golden Tree. But this dream was very different from that of Forbidden Garden, as it was real in this world, and the dreams of the Lost Names in their lifetime would consume everyone, like a giant whirlpool, pulling them towards the center.

    And the only thing to do to escape these dreams was to redeem the entire world of dreams.

    The darkness had grown so close that Brendel gradually could not even see Laurenna and Firas clearly beside him. From time to time in the darkness, someone would ask for direction.

    ¡°Forward.¡±

    That was Maynild¡¯s answer.

    But actually, direction was all meaningless. As Brendel walked on for a while, it became quieter and quieter, as if even the whistling wind had gone silent. After a while, there seemed to be a rhythmic chirping of insects again, and there was melodious musicing from the distance.

    Not the ethereal singing of the legendary Elves or Fairies, but a human instrument, a trumpet-like wind instrument that yed a joyful tune. Only the sound was faint as if it came from some direction outside the forest.

    Brendel blinked, feeling the light around him grow brighter again. The woond had thinned outpletely, and there was an open clearing in front of him, with light in the distance, like a town.

    He stood alone beside the riverbank, the stars above him, the forest full of beautiful ck pines, the moonlight against the gurgling water, like a night after summer in Be or some other part of Chablis.

    Maynild, Laurenna, Firas, Freya, and the knights, all of them were gone. He froze for a moment, then tried the Psychic Connection, but there was no response.

    Brendel then realized.

    He had ¡®fallen asleep¡¯.

    This was the dream that belonged to him now.

 Chapter 703 A Ball in the Past (2)

    <h4>Chapter 703 A Ball in the Past (2)</h4>

    Brendel felt like he had seen this forest somewhere before. But it was not surprising to think that the dream of the Lost Names had merged with the fragments of his memory, and the dream itself was filled with his personal imprint.

    He stayed by the river for a while and suddenly remembered. He remembered that when he was a child, there was a park near his home, and the pine trees in the park grew as tall.

    Brendel¡¯s heart was suddenly pounding.

    He remembered his childhood and his parents. They had been young then and was proud of him. When he was young, he was like any little kid, confident that he could carry his parents¡¯ expectations.

    But he had let them down after all.

    Brendel had thought such disappointments were because of his own failures. In order to escape, he was thus addicted to the game. But it was not until he met that swordsman of Aouine- ¡®his¡¯ grandfather ¨C in the dream of the Magical Golden Tree that he realized that he was so wrong.

    But was there any chance for him to ask for forgiveness?

    Was Lord Marsha actually willing to give him this chance?

    Brendel could not help but pressed his fist against his chest as he watched the glow of the forest beyond. He remembered the days when there were festivals in the park and his parents would bring him along to participate in the park activities.

    He knew it was just a dream.

    But standing by the river, his body seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. The evening breeze was blowing and the woods were rustling. At this time there was a sudden sound of tiny footsteps in the forest, and Brendel looked slightly over his shoulder, his heart pounding.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone else?¡±

    Brendel looked back and saw an unexpected person stumbling out of the forest- Prince Haruz. The young prince gasped sharply and also looked up at his teacher in amazement and bewilderment, but his eyes quickly turned red and were glimmering with tears: ¡°Teacher Brendel...... I-I thought I would never find you again.¡±

    Brendel was stunned.

    Never in his wildest dreams did he think that this little guy would wander into his dream. Although the Raider said that the dreams of the Lost Names themselves reflected only fragmentation of their memories and that the dream world was filled with the memories of others, in The Amber Sword it was based on the yer¡¯s experiences, and sometimes other yers would mess with another yer¡¯s dreams!

    But the thing was that it was now in modern times! Modern times! Modern times!

    Brendel¡¯s head was a mess. What do we do? It would be a disaster if the young prince saw my dream. Although his family had not lived in a prosperous urban area when he was a kid, this small county was not exactly some shady area, and how was he supposed to exin it if Haruz saw all those reinforced concrete high-rise buildings, cars and other random stuff?

    How about knocking Haruz out?

    He immediately shook his head, that would be unlikely unless he wanted to murder the little prince here. Since Haruz had entered his dream, it meant that the two of them were on the same mission, and if the little prince could not redeem himself, then he would have to remain in the dream forever.

    Brendel thought of this, but for a moment he was frozen.

    What to do......?

    That was the only question left inside his head.

    ¡°Teacher?¡± Haruz could not help but feel a little scared when he saw Brendel standing motionlessly by the river, looking directly at him, and stepped back slightly. He had never seen this Count look like this before as Brendel was always very gentle on a regr basis.

    Although Brendel¡¯s demands were a bit harsh, Haruz was required of more by his sister, so instead most of the time he was very fond of this gentle countess.

    ¡°Uh ...... Haruz.¡± Brendel whispered, deciding to distract the young prince first. After all, Haruz was young, so he might be able to muddle through.

    ¡°Yes?¡± Haruz, red-faced and thinly breathing, whispered in response.

    ¡°You know, we¡¯re in a dream world-¡±

    ¡°I know, Teacher. I heard what you said just now, and you said that we were in the dreams of the Lost Names and that these dreams are filled with our own memories.¡± The young prince replied as earnestly as a well-behaved student.

    He had been terrified to be alone in the darkness, but the sight of his teacher settled his mind. Brendel was the hero who had saved Ampere Seale, but to him, Brendel was the hero who had saved his sister.

    That, more than any reason, was enough to make him trustworthy.

    No, please, please forget thatst sentence- Brendel¡¯s mind groaned.

    He smiled slightly and said warmly, ¡°Yes, Haruz, but you know that dreams are very grotesque, so don¡¯t make a fuss about whatever you seeter. Don¡¯t forget that we are still in a dangerous situation.¡±

    Brendelughed bitterly in his mind, literally wanting to pull out the Halran Gaia and stab himself to death.

    Haruz blinked, his pointed ears moved ever so slightly. His silver eyes sparkled under the moonlight and nodded seriously, ¡°I see Teacher. In fact, I used to have strange dreams when I was little.¡±

    As if there was no one else around, the young prince was not as shy as he usually was. He had been spending time with Brendel for several months now, and he naturally did not speak as unnaturally as he did at the beginning.

    This was a relief to Brendel.

    ¡°Youe with me.¡±

    He nodded and turned around, crossing the riverbank and heading towards the light source in the far woond. Haruz, holding the Lion¡¯s Fang and followed. The light source ahead of them had grown brighter as they passed through arge ck pine forest, but it was then that Brendel suddenly narrowed his eyes and gave a little sniff.

    He stopped and saw a wagon with its doors opened in the woonds not far away.

    He looked back at Haruz, thinking that somehow it might a projection of the young prince¡¯s dream. But the young prince was also staring in that direction in a daze as if he did not understand what was happening.

    But Brendel did not expect the posh man to see anything suspicious, and he artistically walked over to the carriage alone and found it empty. But there was an obvious puddle of blood on the seat, and the smell of blood permeated the forest, making it pungent.

    ¡°Teacher?¡± The young prince soon noticed something unusual about the carriage as well.

    Brendel held up his hand to ask Haruz to be silent. Every detail of the dream had not been created out of thin air, this scene was either some memory of him, or the young prince, or was part of the lost dream of the Lost Names.

    It looked like an assassination scene, and the young prince would certainly remember such a scene well enough at his age without failing to recognize it. Brendel himself did not seem to have any simr memories of his own, and he figured that the only thing left might be part of the lost dreams of the Lost Names.

    Brendel could not help but bring attention to the fact that in this dreamscape, the task was redemption. So the lost dreams of the Lost Names were a very important clue ¨C the legendary Lost Names wandered the ck Forest in order to recover their lost selves. Most of them were motivated by remorse, and thus most of the tasks in the dreamscape were to make up for it.

    He lowered his head and soon spotted spots of blood around the wagon.

    Brendel immediately tracked these bloodstains and walked on, and had not gone far before he found his target by a ck pine tree. It was a dead young man with a dagger in his back, rickety with his head hanging low, almost all of his body¡¯s weight resting on his knees, and was long dead.

    Haruz could not help but let out a soft ¡®ah¡¯ sound when he saw this scene.

    ¡°Do you know him?¡± Brendel asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The young prince shook his head.

    ¡°Then let me have the authority to examine the body.¡± Brendel walked over to the body and he picked up the young man. The young man looked decent, and the clothing he wore showed his noble status, presumably a son of one of the noble families.

    He picked up the other man¡¯s money bag first, but as soon as the bag was in his hand, it disintegrated into sand and dust. Brendel was slightly startled, the Raider had spoken of this phenomenon, and since everything in the dream was a residual memory, most of the details did not exist except for the most profound parts, so it dissolved into nothingness upon contact with him.

    But it was at this moment that a thin piece of paper fell from the dissolved money bag.

    Brendel picked up the piece of paper but found it nk.

    With a brief pause, he realized why. In this scene, this piece of paper might be the most vividly remembered by the Lost Names, who had firmly remembered the piece of paper but not what was written on it.

    Brendel checked the young man¡¯s body again and found that there was really nothing else of greater value. But he took a look at the seal ring on the young man¡¯s hand and made a note of what the thing looked like.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel?¡± The young prince stared at the piece of paper in his hand, a little puzzled.

    ¡°This is the clue. But not enough to make it remember more, we need to move on to the next scene, where we¡¯ll help it trace everything back to who it really is in this dream.¡± Brendel looked at the piece of paper in his hand as well and then replied.

    Haruz realized something, ¡°We¡¯re going to help it find its name, aren¡¯t we, Teacher?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Brendel was pleased with his student¡¯sprehension.

    ¡°But since it has forgotten everything, how can we help it remember? It must have been wandering this forest for many ages, and even that history is lost under the dust, can we really find the memories it wants from nothing?¡± Haruz frowned his thin eyebrows, looking a little curious.

    ¡°You remember, it¡¯s not exactly a memory here, right. There are memories of you and me in this world too-¡± Brendel stopped suddenly, wishing he could p himself. But the words were out of his mouth, and he only continued with immense chagrin, ¡°We¡¯re examining its dreams, and it¡¯s examining ours, and people¡¯s experiences are always simr, and the same scenes might evoke its memories-¡±

    With that Haruz nodded and looked at his teacher with some respect.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Brendel felt a little awkward facing a young man who was blushing and still looking at him with big, bright eyes.

    ¡°Grandmaster Fleetwood used to tell me stories before he died, too. I, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a bit disrespectful to think this way about the dead, but I don¡¯t think he knows as much as you do as a teacher.¡±

    Now this is good ttery. Brendel felt a little light, especially since he knew that the young prince was too innocent to lie. He patted Haruz¡¯s head, ¡°Everyone has their own specialty.¡±

    Then he straightened up and let out a sigh of relief. Once he was in mission mode, those random thoughts from before faded a lot, and his whole body calmed down.

    ¡°That brightly lit ce over there looks like a small town, I think we should be able to find some clues, let¡¯s go over there together.¡± He looked over at the edge of the woond and said knowingly.

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    Haruz, unaware of what was going on, nodded as he held the Lion¡¯s Fang.

    Brendel put the young man¡¯s body away, knowing it was nothing more than a dream, but he did so out of respect for the dead. It was said that most of those who had lost their names wandered the woods out of remorse, that most of them had been spurned in life. But Brendel believed that if a man was remorseful, there would at least be a ce in his heart that was pure.

    Just for the sake of this self-sacrificing heart, it was worthy of reciprocal respect.

    Then they moved on. There was only a short distance from the edge of the woond, if it was in the real world, the young man¡¯s corpse and the wagon would not have been discovered in such a short time, but this was a dream, and as Brendel had said, in dreams, only the existence of memory itself was pursued, and reasonableness did not exist here.

    Light flowed into the forest, sketching the edges of the forest in long, nted shadows. Brendel followed the light in the opposite direction from the shadow, and he crossed the edge of the woods, and suddenly it opened up before him.

    But he froze slightly.

    Beyond the woods was not the park he had imagined, nor the expected reinforced concrete buildings, no cars, no high-rises.

    A ssical cityy beyond the forest, with a moat and scattered towns outside. Stars were brightly lit, and a towering wall cut across the city, encircling it.

    A little closer, an avenue led through the forest to the distant gates of the city. Many tents were set up on either side of the avenue, brightly lit and filled with fruits and vegetables and wine barrels outside. There was even a stage set up not far away, and he saw clowns performing on it, with performers singing and dancing merrily.

    It looked like some sort of festive celebration in the countryside of any part of Aouine.

    But the contrast was so great that for a moment Brendel could not help but stay still. Until Haruz stepped out from behind him and cried out in stunned silence at the sight of the city in the distance, ¡°Ah!¡±

    Brendel knew exactly why.

    It was as if he recognized the city.

    Monsterros.

    The royal capital of Aouine.

 Chapter 704 v4c82 A Ball In the Past(3)

    <h4>Chapter 704 v4c82 A Ball In the Past(3)</h4>

    What was going on? Whose memory was this? Brendel didn¡¯t have clear memories of the Aouine capital. In his memory of the capital, the grand pce was burning in the mes, the city walls had copsed, and all the creatures were swallowed by an ocean of fire.

    He could still recall the screams of pain and the pleas for mercy that surrounded him then.

    But it hadn¡¯t been this happy.

    Brendel nced over at the little prince beside him. This must be Haruz¡¯s memory. Princess Gryphine and her brother lived at Monsterros for a long time in history. Haruz was familiar with it and this might be some summertime celebration in his memories.

    Brendel looked up and saw the Lyra constetion in the southern hemisphere, which confirmed that it was a summer night.

    But he was puzzled as to why the little prince¡¯s memory could be tied to the memory of the person without a name. How did the assassination in that copsing dream connect withthis happy dream?

    Without letting his thoughts show, Brendel continued walking forward. A crowd was gathering along the boulevard. There were all kinds of people there, but everyone mostly ignored Brendel and the little prince. That was normal. Everyone¡¯s memory of details was vague. These people existed in the memory, but their existence was fleeting and Haruz probably didn¡¯t remember any of them clearly.

    He led Haruz past the crowd and paid attention to the details of the celebration. Just then, a horse carriage drove by in the dark. It was a pitch-ck four-wheeled horse carriage, the kind that glided past as soundlessly as a ghost; the kind that nobles used. Brendel saw the insignia on the walls of the carriage and shuddered.

    ¡°Teacher, that¡¯s Viscount Benniger ¨C¡± The little prince recognized it as well. It seemed like he remembered the person who betrayed his sister quite well. He gripped a corner of Brendel¡¯s shirt in worry and warned in a quiet voice.

    Brendel nodded.

    Haruz was still a bit confused. His tiny brows furrowed and he muttered to himself, puzzled. ¡°That¡¯s strange, Viscount Benniger¡¯s insignia shouldn¡¯t have holly leaves. I ¨C I thought that was a pattern only counts could have...¡±

    ¡°Oh... this is a dream. I ¨C I forgot again. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    His unintentional words made Brende¡¯s heart leap.

    His brow suddenly furrowed. He clearly remembered a detail. Count Brenninger ¨C there had indeed been such a title in history. After Her Royal Highness triumphed over the North, Anouine saw a glimmer of hope for peace. Then there were five years of development. Though there were asional conflicts with madara, the years progressed peacefully in that other timeline.

    Then the second War of the ck Roses arrived.

    Brendel felt a sharp pain in his heart. The War Goddess died in battle after the Battle of the Crimson Valley and the situation turned against Her Royal Highness. In order to support her own forces against Duke Arreck, very soon after that she summoned Bernninger back to Monsterros.

    ¡°That¡¯s right...¡±

    ¡°This celebration.¡±

    Brendel felt a chill rise up from his spine. All of a sudden, he remembered the reason for this celebration. Yo and Eikkel defeated Madara¡¯s army at Manoweir, and the allied troops of Aouine and the yers seemed to catch a breath. Princess Gryphine had invited the representatives of the Holy Cathedral of Fire to a celebration in the hopes that Kirrlutz would lend them a helping hand.

    Midsummer Festival.

    The Feast of Books.

    The time had be fixed at this point in history. Brendel suddenly figured out that this was not Haruz¡¯s memory but his own. He had been there when Princess Gryphine had been assassinated.

    Brendel suddenly gritted his teeth.

    History was repeating itself in front of him.

    ¡°Teacher?¡± Haruz looked at Brendel¡¯s face, which alternated between pale and flushed, and was puzzled.

    Brendel took a deep inhale and answered, ¡°Nothing, Haruz ¨C¡± He was about to say that they needed to find a way into the city when, all of a sudden, he felt the piece of paper heat up in his hand.

    He hurriedly took out that piece of paper.

    The paper had now transformed itself. He discovered that it was a letter, about the size of his palm. He opened the letter and an invitation fell out. The words on the invitation were blurred, but one sentence stood out: ¡°We invite Viscount Cauldell and his fiancee Miss Bessidine to join us in celebration ¨C¡±

    The clouds in Brendel¡¯s heart cleared away. So that is how the nameless person¡¯s memory connected with his. That guy had been on his way to the party when he was assassinated. But he was still confused as to what this had to do with the rest of his memory, why the guy was assassinated, and what he regretted?

    Plus there was another question. Viscount Cauldell had been the only person in the carriage but the invitation had been extended for him and his fiancee to attend the celebration. So where was his fiancee?

    ¡°Wait, fiancee?¡±

    Brendel suddenly froze in ce.

    ¡°Teacher?¡± The little prince had clearly noticed Brendel¡¯s behavior. He saw the paper in Brendel¡¯s hand turn into a letter and naturally connected that back to what Brendel had said before. ¡°Teacher, did it remember something new again?¡±

    ¡±

    Brendel remained silent and handed the letter to his student. Haruz picked up the feather-light paper, examined it closely, and then asked dazedly, ¡°Teacher, are we going to attend the party in Viscount Cauldell¡¯s stead?¡±

    Theoretically, that was what the mission wanted. Brendel thought back carefully to the details on the walkthrough and arrived at basically the same conclusion.

    ¡°But what about the viscount¡¯s fiancee? Should we find her first?¡± The little prince asked.

    That was a possibility, Brendel mused. But he thought that wasn¡¯t the likely oue. As the viscount¡¯s fiancee, he suspected that she was one of the core persons to this mission. But the important thing was, ording to the characteristics of the nameless person¡¯s copsing dream, the most memorable things should appear first.

    Like the piece of paper in his hand.

    But until now, there was no trace of the fiancee. Either this so-called fiancee was unimportant, or she was dead, just like the viscount.

    But regardless of whether it was the former or thetter, it would be basically impossible to find this so-called Miss Bessidine in the dream.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have a hard time tracking her down.¡± Brendel answered.

    ¡°Ah? Then we¡¯re going to the party like this? But ¨C but the ceremonial officials told me that for Longriver nobles to arrive without a female partner would invite ridicule ¨C¡± Harzu paused and then said worryingly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of ridicule.¡± Brendel shook his head. What did ridicule in a dream matter? He had to admire the little prince for worrying about something like that at this time. The more important thing was that this invitation was clearly important to this damned Viscount. Otherwise he wouldn¡¯t remember it so clearly.

    He forgot all the other words on the letter except for the ¡°invite Viscount Cauldell and his fiancee Miss Bessidine to join us in celebration¡± sentence. That meant this matter was extremely important to him.

    Which meant that, ording to the setups in Amber Sword, if he didn¡¯t fulfill this criteria, he could forget about the rest of the mission.

    Brendel did not want to be trapped within the dream for the rest of his life.

    But what frustrated him to the point of cursing was: where in the damned hell could he find someone to pretend to be the cursed fiancee Miss Bessidine?

    Then he suddenly stopped.

    Brendel¡¯s gazended on Haruz ¡ª

    Aouine¡¯s little prince, the future king, Haruz just turned twelve this year. Because of his many years practicing the swordcraft, he was already starting to shoot up in height and just about reached his waist. Haruz looked a bit like his older sister ¡ª Princess Gryphine ¡ª with a naturally cute face that was always a healthy shade of red. His silver eyes were always doe-like and his soft hairy obediently across his forehead. Most times, he appeared like a tender little girl.

    Most importantly, because of his half-elf blood, his figure was not as stocky as human boys but rather slender.

    He stood there, looking weak and fragile as if in desperate need of protection. His temperament even appeared to be more docile and calm than his older sister¡¯s.

    Brendel hesitated and an evil thought sprouted in his mind. The little prince seemed to sense something bad happening and looked at him carefully as he asked, ¡°Teacher Brendel?¡±

    Brendel raised a finger and, with a single thought, Viscount Cauldell¡¯s insignia ring appeared unharmed in his hand. That was the beauty of the dream. As long as the item existed in either his, Haruz¡¯s, or Viscount Cauldell¡¯s memory, it could be easily copied to another location.

    Then he lowered down and said seriously to the little prince, ¡°Haruz.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm?¡±

    ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you¡¯re very pretty?¡±

    The little prince immediately turned bright right. He held the Lion¡¯s Fang and stared dumbly at his teacher, not knowing how to react in that moment. ¡°Tea-teacher?¡±

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem for you to wear girls¡¯ clothing, right?¡±

    There would be a lot of problems. Haruz hugged the sword to his chest and shook his head frantically. Then he lowered his head and his entire face, almost to the bottom of his neck, turned bright red in embarrassment. Upon seeing this, Brendel couldn¡¯t help but think that truthfully, the little prince acted more like a girl than his older sister did.

    He sighed. Truth to be told, Brendel himself thought this n was ridiculous. But there was also a trace of joy at having yed this prank. Besides, this was practically the only way forward.

    ¡°Haruz¨C¡±

    He said.

 Chapter 705 A Ball In the Past(4)

    <h4>Chapter 705 A Ball In the Past(4)</h4>

    The moonlight cast a silvery sheen on the floor.

    The little prince stood self-consciously at the border between light and dark. In the darkness, all that was visible was only the pointed chin ¨C like that of a young girl¡¯s ¨C and the vague outline of a slender top half encased in a long gown. His silver eyes glinted in the darkness like jewels. They were filled with an awkward shyness and both his hands grabbed the two sides of the dress.

    Though it was just an outline in the dark, Brendel was very satisfied.

    Haruz hesitated for a moment and then slowly walked out. A pair of silver shoes, tied with a ribbon, appeared first. Then came thece edge of a silver dress and then the tiny upper-body ¡ª he dressed like an elegant princess. The silver gown and the giant bow on the chest did nothing to hide the slender corbone and the rounded shoulders of a young girl; his hair had also gotten longer. The long hair was tied up in a ponytail with a curled tendril of hair framing each side of his face. The ponytail was likewise made up of many puffy silver curls, which looked very elegant.

    The moonlight shone upon him and both his snow-white skin and the silver outfit reflected the pale light. He looked like a holy mountain elf. Haruz stared at the ground and the blush spread all the way to his neck. His pointed ears trembled out of embarrassment and he slowly blinked those dewy big eyes.

    Brendel stared dumbly in amazement.

    It wasn¡¯t the shy little prince Haruz who stood in front of him but a miniature Princess Gryphine. Actually, no, Her Royal Highness never had this air of fragility about her. That air only served topliment the little prince¡¯s female clothing. Brendel never dreamt that he would ever be able to see such a gentle and calm Princess Gryphine.

    He couldn¡¯t back the cough. ¡°This... should I call you Prince Haruz or her highness?¡±

    Though he had been the one to suggest this n, he regretted it a bit now. Brendel had never thought that Haruz would look like this after changing into women¡¯s clothing.

    Hopefully there wouldn¡¯t be any lingering side effects.

    ¡°Sir Brendel... teacher. If you keep saying this I¡¯ll get angry.¡± Haruz frowned and answered a bit angrily. He examined his outfit and the blush remained on his face. ¡°Thi- this is just a choice I have to make to get out of the dream. It¡¯s not an opportunity for teacher tough at me ¨C¡±

    Brendel was slightly surprised. He didn¡¯t think that for someone as shy as his little student, he coulde out with a speech like that. Even in their regr days together, the little prince rarely talked back to him.

    For a second, he thought he was seeing things. He couldn¡¯t help but stare at Haruz.

    The little prince lowered his head and asked quietly, ¡°Ladies aren¡¯t allowed to wear swords when attending a party, right?¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°Then would you please pack away the Lion¡¯s Fang for me?¡± Haruz handed his sword to Brendel. Then Brendel seemed to realize that his student did change. He took the sword and put it into his Dimension Space while asking, ¡°Harzu, you look a bit like your sister just now ¨C¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know why I thought of my sister.¡± The little prince nodded red-faced. ¡°But you¡¯re right, one can¡¯t always be dependent on other people for survival. I have to work hard in order to leave this dream. There are so many people suffering in Aouine. Inparison, this is just a small difficulty.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes glinted.

    Before, he hadn¡¯t really spent a lot of effort to persuade Haruz. He had merely told his student about one possibility. They could, of course, spend a lot more time and try to discover that nebulous fiancee. But a descender¡¯s dream itself is a copsing world. Every second they spend here increases its ability to threaten them.

    The depresser let Harzu enter the dream, maybe for the same reason. Though they didn¡¯t know what it nned on doing, the mission in the dream had to be closely tied to every person in the dream. It won¡¯t be a single-person mission. So Brendelid the danger out for Haruz and let him choose. He also reassured Haruz that he would share in all the dangers with him.

    In the end, Haruz chose this simple approach.

    He had originally assumed the little princepromised out of his weak nature; he hadn¡¯t considered that this would be his train of thought.

    Brendel felt proud. This little prince had always been quick to back down, so much that it was almost disappointing. He hadn¡¯t thought there¡¯d be a day when the little prince became enlightened, though the process was a bitughable. When the future Aouine king talked about what changed his life, would he mention that it was all because of a dress?

    Though personality was hard to change, as long as there was the will to do so, at least they¡¯ll gradually grow stronger. Historically, Haruz had be independent once and even took Era as his wife. Then in this world, he might even be a real king. All he needed was a catalyst.

    Brendel smiled, ¡°It¡¯s surprising that you would say so, but your sister would be happy. At least now you seem like a suitable king.¡±

    But would a king wear a dress? As a yer, Brendel¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t help but go down weird alleys.

    ¡°That- that was because teacher made me realize that I can use my own sword to battle and win...¡± Haruz answered quietly. ¡°Actually I¡¯m grateful. I don¡¯t know whether I ¨C I¡¯m doing the right or wrong thing. But I think, I need to choose to face this first.¡±

    ¡°Well said. It¡¯s gratifying to have a student like you. Since you have these thoughts, then let¡¯s take on this mission together.¡±

    Brendel reached out a hand. ¡°Actually, I have this vague feeling that this mission might have something to do with you Haruz.¡± Brendel frowned slightly. He thought about Her Royal Highness in Castle Monsterros and a strange feeling welled up in his heart. ¡°How would this scene y out in this timeline?¡±

    ¡°Does it have something to do with me?¡±

    Brendel nodded. ¡°I think Viscount Cauldell wanted you to dress up like this for a certain reason. Though everything in the dream is bizarre, there are connections between things and events.¡±

    The little prince didn¡¯t dare argue against that. He only murmured a quiet agreement.

    ¡£

    Brendel reached out his hand and looked at Haruz.

    Haruz paused and looked at his teacher. Brendel sighed, ¡°Rest your hand in mine. You wouldn¡¯t want people to think that Viscount Caudell is someone without manners who behaved in an ungentleman¡¯s manner?

    ¡°But... but...¡± The little prince stared wide-eyed.

    ¡°You¡¯re wearing gloves. What¡¯s there to be afraid of? Besides, this is a dream. What are you thinking? Practice now so that we don¡¯t slip up in a bit.¡± Brendel said as he stared at his student. This wasn¡¯t said in jest. In previous missions, they had all dressed up as various kinds of people; yers used to have a self-deprecating saying amongst each other ¡ª to be a yer, you had to have the qualities of a thespian.

    Of course, this was especially true for those who yed as night swallows.

    Men dressing up as women, women dressing as men... those weremon urrences.

    Only then did the little prince make a sound of agreement and then force himself to ce his hands in Brendel¡¯s. Brendel didn¡¯t behave any strangely. He waspletely in mission mode. He carefully checked over the prince¡¯s outfit and then asked, ¡°Do you know how noblewomen in the upper echelons behave?¡±

    ¡°Yeah... a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Walk a couple steps for me.¡±

    Haruz blushed and awkwardly walked forward a few steps. But Brendel immediately stopped him, ¡°Stop ¡ª¡±

    Haruz looked up in confusion and Brendel shook his head. ¡°Forget it. Walk as you normally would. Actually, you looked more like a girl like that...¡±

    The little prince paused briefly and then red at his teacher with gritted teeth.

    But Brendel didn¡¯t notice at all. His thoughts were already on its way to the pce within the capital. In his previous life, Prince Haruz should have been at the festivities as well. What had he seen? Brendel had the vague thought that his memories, the prince¡¯s memories, and Cauldell¡¯s memories were all twined together. There must be a connection hidden somewhere.

    But in order to solve this puzzle, they had to go to the epicenter of the event.

    So after they practiced for a bit at Garments for Saintly Ladies, Brendel took the young prince out among the crowd. Because they were in the dream, he directly copied Viscount Cauldell¡¯s carriage, hitched up four snow-white stallions, and headed straight for the center of the capital.

    The carriage drove on the main street of the capital, Aouine¡¯s old capital. Every street of Monsterros seemed so familiar to Brendel, as if the deeper he went into this memory, everything that had been forgotten became alive again.

    It was as if during the process of recovering Viscount Cauldell¡¯s memory, he was retouching his own. Brendel scanned the familiar shops, fountain and za. This route was just like the path he took with Bai Jia that day to head towards the celebration. The blurred details gradually came into focus.

    As if he was back in that part of history again.

    Brendel¡¯s breathing became rapid and shallow. He frowned and looked at the lights shining in the night. He felt like he was back on that day in Aouine. The War Goddess had been in in battle and the entire kingdom was enveloped by grief.

    But the nobles were so deep into their life of luxury and mor, as if the magnificent pce and the bright lights made up the elegy of the kingdom.

    ¡°Teacher?¡± Haruz turned around. He noticed that something wasn¡¯t quite right with Brendel¡¯s expression.

    Brendel came back to reality and shook his head at his student ¡ª honestly, the little prince really did look like a mini Princess Gryphine. He hesitated and then said, ¡°Haruz, in a little bit you might see some things beyond your imagination.¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯re in a dream?¡±

    ¡°More or less ¡ª¡±

    ¡°No matter what happens, you cannot be impulsive. A dream, at its core, is a weird but also logical world. Its logic is tightly interwoven with memory. It would be meaningless to change the dream ¡ª our mission is to make up for the regret in Viscount Cauldell¡¯s heart.¡± Brendel paused. ¡°Do you understand?¡±

    He said this more to remind himself than anything. Of course, he knew what happened during the festivities, but he also understood that he had to control his emotions.

    Because this was a dream, just a world made of memory.

    Haruz nodded, not quite understanding everything.

    Only then did the carriage finallye to a stop.

    Brendel opened the carriage door and his hand immediately froze. He stood looking at the person outside the door in stunned surprise, as if he saw a horrifying nightmare.

    Maynild ¡ª no, a woman who looked exactly like the female knight ¡ª stood underneath the carriage and looked at him. She examined the paper in her hand and then

    ¡°Viscount Cauldell, is it?¡±

    Brendel thought a tsunami was sweeping through his heart.

 Chapter 706 v4c84 A Ball In the Past(5)

    <h4>Chapter 706 v4c84 A Ball In the Past(5)</h4>

    ¡°Maynild...¡± The rest of the sentence was swallowed up by Brendel unobtrusively putting his hand over the little prince¡¯s mouth. Brendel turned around to look at the woman standing below the carriage: hair the color of ebony against skin as fair as snow made her ruby red lips stand out on that face. There was a smile on the corners of her mouth and her ink-ck eyes were clear. Her mage¡¯s outfit, which enveloped her amazing figure, was red as fire.

    That uniquely warm smile was so familiar to Brendel, as if a sealed memory is now resurfacing and causing ripples to spread out in his mind. That familiar face once again stood in front of him.

    Brendel almost wept.

    ¡°What¡¯s your ID? Is this your first time ying?¡±

    ¡°Join my team, Sophie.¡±

    ¡°How cute. Who uses their real name in the game?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Bai Jia, I¡¯m a couple grades above you. Haha, I never thought that our college had such cute little boys.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s heart turned into a gigantic whirlpool and the waves crashed about. But he inhaled quietly and forced himself to calm down.

    ¡°I am Viscount Cauldell, and you are?¡± He could almost feel his hand trembling. He knew that this was the memory of the past and everything has long since turned to dust, but he couldn¡¯t suppress the desire to ask how the other has been.

    Just being able to talk, even if it¡¯s a simple exchange, would be amazing. He could longer see the Bai Jia from his world.

    ¡°Hello Viscount, we are the mercenary group ¡®Scarlet Travelers¡¯. Perhaps you¡¯ve heard of us? For today, we are responsible for the security outside of the Kinten Pce. You could call me Bai Jia.¡± Bai Jia gave a small smile as she introduced herself.

    But the past has already vanished into history. Everything that he saw now has already happened. Bai Jia back then had been so optimistic. Scarlet Travelers had originally represented those who would always march in the direction of the setting sun. Everyone promised each other to cross the ck Forest and discover what was hidden on the other end of the world.

    But in the end, everyone¡¯s destiny was tied up with this kingdom¡¯s tragedy.

    That night, the lights of Monsterrors shone just as brightly and warmly as today. Back then, he had stood by the door with Bai Jia. But now, only Bai Jia remained in his memory. In a little bit, all that was left of the Monsterros of his memory would be a pce in mes and the team, which had been a home to him, splintering and fracturing.

    Brendel nodded at Bai Jia. ¡°I know you. You¡¯re travelers.¡±

    Even though there were adventurers in the original inhabitants of the world, but NPCs often referred to yers as travelers. This nickname was very urate as yers were just passerbys in the world of Vaunte. Though they may participate in events, what happened in this world had nothing much to do with them.

    ¡°Oho, this NPC is kind of interesting, Bai Jia.¡± A voice interrupted them. A girl ran over to them from somewhere. She had the skin of caramel, short hair, and wearing dragon scale armor while carrying a huge sword on her shoulder. She looked at Brendel and said curiously.

    yers could be this careless, but Brendel had tough wearily at the fact that, at some point, he had be an NPC.

    ¡°Oh dear ¨C I¡¯m sorry. I know I¡¯m being rude. Bai Jia, let me apologize to him first. Sir Viscount, I am really sorry.¡± The girl said nonchntly. ¡°But I might still say it again the next time we meet. I can never remember not to. I am so sorry.¡±

    ¡°Not to worry. I know your personality, Lady ck Tea.¡± Brendel smiled slightly ¡ª it was very interesting to talk to his oldrades in his memory.

    ck Tea paused and then her beautiful eyes widened. ¡°Wow, am I that famous?¡± She turned around and grabbed Bai Jia, saying with some surprise, ¡°Bai Jia, did you see? I¡¯m famous too! It really wasn¡¯t a waste to spend two months to increase my reputation!¡±

    Brendel shook his head. ck Tea was the second-inmand in the group, but she was a go-getter through and through. Obviously that was the nice way of saying it. A more direct way of describing her would be someone who did things without thinking them over first.

    Bai Jia smiled. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Her Royal Highness has been waiting for you, Viscount.¡±

    ¡°Her Royal Highness?¡±

    ¡°And Miss Bessidine. Her Royal Highness has prepared a private party for you two. I¡¯ll have ck Tea take you straight there.¡± Bai JIa answered.

    Brendel knew that Princess Gryphine had no way of knowing Viscount Cauldell and Bessidine since Viscount Cauldell should have died already as the nameless person. Princess Gryphine being assassinated didn¡¯t happen until the end of the first era. At that time, Her Royal Highness naturally would not have interacted with this Viscount. The only possible exnation is that his and the Viscount¡¯s memory ovepped again. History was filled with coincidences, which meant the Viscount had probably experienced something simr.

    Maybe he had been the confidante of some princess in a dynasty that preceded the Aouine Kingdom, or maybe he had been the confidante of a princess in a neighboring country. He might have been assassinated on his way to deliver a message that had to do with the Princess¡¯s life. Maybe his regret came from the failure of the mission.

    Brendel thought further: but what did that have to do with the Viscount¡¯s fiancee? Why did the Viscount choose Haruz as the person to patch up the dream? There were better choices in the team.

    Brendel anticipated the private party as he followed ck Tea through the Kinten Pce in Monsterros. Princess Gryphine resided near one of the gardens deep within the walls of the Kinten Pce. Ever since the Arrack returned to Corvado, she had lived there by herself.

    The Kinten Pce seemed destitute after the civil war. There were barely any people moving about in the sprawling pce, just the rare glimpse ofdies-in-waiting hurrying by. ck Tea chatted while they walked, with Brendel responding asionally so things didn¡¯t seem too lonely. In his previous life, Brendel had a pretty good rtionship with ck Tea. He made a point of following ck Tea¡¯s lead in the conversation and thetter eximed that there actually were NPCs who really understood the yers.

    The private party was held in the gardens. The three of them quickly arrived on scene. Naturally ck Tea didn¡¯t have the privilege of attending such a secret gathering of NPCs, so she departed. Brendel believed that she had been assigned the mission and received her experience points. He had to exim that once upon a time, that had been him.

    But this dream was so real that every little detail came from his mind¡¯s eye.

    Only then did Brendel walk with the little prince towards the garden. He detoured around a small hedge made of roses and saw a figure in the pavilion, not too far in the distance.

    His heart trembled when he saw the figure.

    This was the 22nd year of Princess Gryphine¡¯s reign. During this year, the Crown Princess had lost a lot of the shyness about her and gained the elegance and sophistication of someone in charge. Princess Gryphine stood there like a rose carved out of ice. Her slightly raised chin represented the pride of royalty. Her clear eyes now turned slender and the determination in them turned into a sense of mystery and wisdom. What hadn¡¯t changed were her long silver locks, which still fell on her favored silver gown.

    She was taller than the little princess Brendel had seen before. Her forehead almost reached the tip of his nose and she no longer had to look up to meet his gaze.

    If Princess Gryphine had been an adolescent during the first War of the ck Roses, she was now a mature and charismatic woman. She had the beauty of authority about her; she was above every in her station of life and she epted it.

    Before she noticed Brendel and Haruz, the Crown Princess ¡ª more urately speaking, the female ruler-to-be of Aouine ¡ª was thinking about something by herself. Her closestdy-in-waiting, her confidante, stood beside her and indicated with her eyes for Brendel and Haruz to stop.

    What hadn¡¯t changed on her was the sharp and clear gaze from those eyes. It represented her stoutness, or what others called her stubborn determination. She never changed, not even in thest moments of her life.

    As the gaze swept over them, Haruz¡¯s hand tightened in its position on Brendel¡¯s hand. The ¡®little princess¡¯ lowered his head out of fear and mumbled subconsciously, ¡°Sis-sister...¡±

    Maybe this was an instinct borne from blood, but though Princess Gryphine had changed so much, Haruz still recognized this strange yet familiar person as his sister at first nce. Though he didn¡¯t understand why his sister was like this, as if many years have gone by and he was now even more afraid to meet her gaze.

    Brendel sweat chilled as soon as he heard Haruz¡¯s voice. He thought the prince had be slightly braver, but he reverted as soon as he encountered his older sister.

    ¡°Sister, Viscount, you¡¯re here.¡± But Brendel hadn¡¯t expected for Her Royal Highness to nod slightly at them and speak those words. Her voice was soft, as if in an elven song.

    Brendel blinked and then recovered himself. The nameless one depended on the dreams of others to recover, bit by bit, the past that he was afraid to face. In this dream, Bessidine was Gryphine¡¯s sister, which meant that Viscount Caudell¡¯s fiancee could really have been the sister of a princess ¡ª the Viscount had recovered another piece of his memory.

    No wonder he chose Haruz. ording to Haruz¡¯s rtionship to Princess Gryphine in the dream, he was the choice that best matched Viscount Cauldell¡¯s memory.

    ¡°But did the guy not have a sense of male and female?¡± Brendel opined sarcastically in his mind.

    ¡°Viscount Caudell, I have asked you and Bessidine toe today despite the dangers. You should know what I mean, right?¡± Princess Gryphine was speaking again.

    ¡°Hmmm?¡±

    Brendel looked at the Crown Princess weirdly. Her words made no sense to him, but it was fortunate that he knew this wasn¡¯t entirely just his memory. The one directing the dream was Viscount Cauldell, which meant this dream might be both familiar and foreign to Brendel.

    Now that he was mentally prepared, Brendel calmed down.

    ¡°Tonight, Duke Arrek will be attending as well ¨C¡±

 Chapter 707 v4c85

    <h4>Chapter 707 v4c85</h4>

    A Ball from the Past(6)

    Brendel stayed quiet. Of course Duke Arrek would being; this was his show after all. He was going to assassinate Princess Gryphine because she was moving away from his influence and then get control over Prince Haruz so that he can control the court ¡ª no, it should be Princess Bessidine here.

    Brendel turned around to look at Haruz next to him. The little prince looked up at his sister from another dimension with a confused expression.

    The princess¡¯s expression was cold and distant. She looked at Haruz with aplicated gaze. ¡°Bessidine, ever since you and I fled to Kinten Pnce in the Year of Summer Blossoms and Leaves, you, me, and Aouine ¡ª we¡¯ve all been through so much. You¡¯re a grown up now Bessidine, it¡¯s time for you to take responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Sister, I...¡±

    Princess Gryphine lifted her hand to interrupt him. She turned around and instructed Brendel, ¡°Viscount Cauldell, please give me a moment of privacy with Bessidine.¡±

    Brendel thought for a moment. This was just a corner of the dream world and he wouldn¡¯t be very effective staying here. The only way to leave this ce would be to remedy Viscount Cauldell¡¯s regret. He had to find more clues from the dreams. So he nodded and told Haruz, ¡°Bessidine, you stay here. Her Royal Highness hasn¡¯t seen you for a very long time. I¡¯ll wait for you in the great hall outside.¡±

    ¡°Cauldell...¡± Haruz turned around to look at his teacher. His naive gaze was filled with panic and uneasiness, but Princess Gryphine interpreted that as an unwillingness to part with her lover. She shook her head almost imperceptibly and sighed quietly, ¡°Let the Viscount be for a bit. You¡¯ll have many years together, Bessidine.¡±

    Haruz¡¯s face turned red because of the misunderstanding. He was a boy after all! But he had no way of exining that so he could only look pleadingly at Brendel while trying to say something coherent. Brendel sneakily gestured at him in the signnguage of the Tree Elves ¡ª Brendel knew thatnguage in his past life and naturally taught it to his only student ¡ª to remain here, collect information, and then meet up with him.

    The little prince still looked uneasy, but he suddenly remembered the reason they were here when he saw Brendel¡¯s gestures. He inhaled and finally calmed down. ¡°She¡± nodded at him.

    Brendel¡¯s gazended on Princess Gryphine again, or rather the representation of her in his memory. He knew very well how much she meant to him. She had absolutely changed many people¡¯s worldviews. The princess, already so capable of leading the kingdom, had a special kind of charisma about her. It reminded Brendel of the calm underneath the surface of ake but with the power and resilience of the ocean. She stood there but was also distant from the world. She looked at the Kingdom with those calm and wise eyes. She had once spent her entire time reviving it from the dead but in the end, she could do nothing but watch as it was destroyed.

    In thest moments of her life, the Crown Princess often contemted things by herself. What was she thinking?

    Regret? Nostalgia? Or was she logically trying to arrange everything that would happen afterwards?

    The nobles that had once swarmed around her stood against her in the end. The only ones supporting here were like the yers. It was the most ironic thing: the passersby in history would feel sentimental about a fake character.

    But Her Royal Highness merely watched calmly as everything happened and quietly fulfilled her destiny. From the very beginning, she understood her fate as if she was simply reading a book with words. But she left a seed behind for Aouine. The weak and incapable princess grew up under the wings and fulfilled his responsibilities in the end.

    This was thend that nutrued her. But she had grown up under the cold education of the nobility. What had caused her to try and unselfishly change everything? Was it just for an honorable ideal?

    Brendel pursed his lips. Like the other yers, he had no such ideals ¡ª though King Erik¡¯s dream had once inspired every yer in Aouine.

    The oath was passed from lip to lip. But did they really fight for those on the bottom of society? How many of them had the ideals of a revolutionary?

    If it was impossible in reality, it wouldn¡¯t be possible in the game either. The yers were just tracing the outline of a romantic knight in their minds.

    He was the same way. He had onlye this far because of his admiration for the heroic arc and because of his special feelings towards Her Royal Highness and the War Goddess. He had never forgotten his intentions and was so careful so that he never mired himself in the sense of self-righteousness.

    In the end, all he chased after was the promise he made with Bai Jia to explore the ends of the world. It was a tiny and maybe foolish wish.

    But it was precisely because of that that those who could truly sacrifice themselves were so holy and worthy of respect. Brendel bowed deeply towards Her Royal Highness, a move that had nothing to do with his station in life or the role he was ying. It was just a gesture of respect for the person who believed that everything was good and innocent.

    Then he turned around. He felt his past dissipate. That was a special kind of feeling, as if he had finally put down a weight he was carrying. The past was in the past; only the bright new future remained.

    Brendel walked out to the garden, feeling both calm and solemn, only to find ck Tea waiting for him out there.

    ck Tea straightened up from the column she leaned against when she spotted him. ¡°I knew you¡¯d step out, Viscount Cauldell.¡±

    ¡°You were waiting for me?¡±

    ¡°I thought the princess might want to talk to her sister. They haven¡¯t seen each other for so long. Her Royal Highness didn¡¯t tell anyone that Princess Bessdine would be here. Nobody except for us knows!¡± ck Tea giggled and answered with a tiny bit of gloating in her voice. She acted just as Brendel remembered.

    ¡°Her Royal Highness trusts you very much.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯re worthy of that trust ¡ª almost all the nobles are siding with Duke Arrek. They hope Her Royal HIghness will stop her reforms because, at the bottom of it, those reforms are damaging their privileges.¡± ck Tea let out a dissatisfied snort.

    This part of the history was so simr, almost identical with what Brendel remembered. But he was more concerned about another answer. He asked, ¡°But no matter what kind of reform, it would benefit those at the very bottom of society. There must be people who support Her Royal Highness.¡±

    ¡°Them?¡± The young girl gritted her teeth. ¡°If those people were really dependable, why would Her Royal Highness be stuck in this situation? Her Royal Highness is willing to sacrifice herself for them, but would anyone give up their life for her?¡±

    That was a familiar tune. Hadn¡¯t he thought so too, once upon a time? No, maybe this was his subconscious thought, just spoken through ck Tea¡¯s mouth. But why was it like this? Was it really because people were inherently selfish, just like what ck Tea proimed so angrily? He had been disappointed because of that and left the still smoldering Aouine. He had traveled northward, but that had just been wandering around in the game-world like a lost ghost.

    But this time, Brendel hesitated before answering, ¡°Maybe they have their reasons.¡±

    ck Tea heard his answer and looked up to examine him closely. She squinted her eyes and looked like a feline about to pounce on prey. ¡°But you don¡¯t really think that, do you?¡±

    ¡°Hmmm?¡±

    The young girl smiled slightly and said, a bit mysteriously, ¡°Because I see how lost you are by the look in your eyes. Also, you are just like us. You might be an NPC, but I can smell the same scent on you as I do on us.¡±

    ¡°You are just like us. You might be an NPC, but I can smell the same scent on you as I do on us.¡±

    That didn¡¯te from ck Tea. She wasn¡¯t that smart. That was from his own mind. No, not only that. That was also part of Caudell¡¯s self-questioning. Brendel thought he vaguely grasped something ¡ª what was the knight, who had lost his name and memory, truly asking of him?

    The two walked into the great hall, where the ball was being held. As part of the security detail in charge of the Kinten Pce and as someone trusted absolutely by the reigning princess, Scarlet Travelers could walk among the attendees without any trouble. As for Brendel, he was on the list of invited guests.

    In the center of the ball was a giant dance floor. Countless nobles gathered along the dance floor and chatted in groups of two or three. They only socialized with their own circles, though they asionally ventured to greet guesses they knew or have met only once before. Balls were an important way for the nobles tomunicate with each other. Many enemies and friends were made during balls such as these.

    A humongous and glorious chandelier lit up the great hall. Everything Brendel saw spoke of opulence, as if you could not see a hint of the dying empire in these lights. But he had seen all of this before and this was just revisiting the same grounds.

    He wandered aimlessly through the crowd, subconsciously trying to find Arrek and the hidden assassin under hismand. In reality, Arrek had caused him a great deal of headache. He had never thought that Arrek would continue to be his enemy in the dream world. To Brendel, this guy was the embodiment of evil.

    But Brendel also paid attention to every detail around him. Cauldell¡¯s memory was scattered within this dream world and any tiny detail could inspire him to remember something about his past and thereby change the scenery in the dream. His efforts were not wasted. Very quickly, he found some differences.

    The clock in the middle of the great hall indicated that it was around 8 in the evening. That meant there was a two hour difference between the ball in his memories and the one in the dream; looking out from the French windows on the northside of the Kinten Pce, Brendel should be seeing groups of buildings and patches of the garden. Instead, Brendel stood there and saw only a dense forest and pitch-ck skies.

    There seemed to be traces of blood in the air and the vague stink of something bing burnt.

    The time on the clock, the forest outside the window that didn¡¯t match what he remembered, and the weirdness in the air. Brendel guessed that these could all be memories from Viscount Cauldell from when he was alive. He could find these fragments of memory, which meant these were important to him and left a deep impression on him. So Brendel silently remembered these points.

    Then he took a step back but bumped into someone unexpectedly.

    ¡°Ow.¡± A childish voice sounded. Brendel felt the person¡¯s head strike his waist. That sounded like a child. He determined that the other person was carrying a te of food since he heard the sound of cutlery falling onto the ground.

 Chapter 708 Salvation (1)

    <h4>Chapter 708 Salvation (1)</h4>

    When the crown princess of Aouine walked onto the second floor of the great hall, she seemed to be following in the footsteps of Elsa or Rorina, the two ice queens. A wintry hush fell over the great hall and also seemed to pass by everyone like a phantom. The sound drifted down, frozen into a powder, and just like the Miirna people of the ice said, ¡°Phantoms can swallow a person¡¯s voice.¡±

    Brendel withdrew his gaze from the ostentatious balcony and met Gryphine¡¯s. The elven princess leaned her hands against the banister and looked down at Brendel with dagger-like eyes. His heart jumped.

    Brendel vaguely sensed something different about the look Princess Gryphine gave him. It was ice-cold, like the kind an executioner would give to a prisoner sentenced to death.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Whether it was his previous life or this life, he¡¯d never seen Her Royal Highness look at him with that look.

    The abnormal stillness seemed tost only a moment. Princess Gryphine withdrew her gaze and then announced from the second floor that the ball has officially begun. Only then did the musicians seem toe awake and the melodious sounds of the xylophone rang out in the hall.

    Everything that happened before seemed to just be a hallucination, but Brendel still felt uneasy as he watched Her Royal Highness turn around and walk down the stairs. He turned around and asked the little prince disguised as Princess Bessidine, ¡°Haruz, what else did your sister tell you?¡±

    ¡°Teacher...¡± Haruz looked like he wanted to speak but couldn¡¯t. His pale slender neck shone under the lights, but they were covered with tiny beads of sweat, making him seem a bit nervous.

    Just then, a gloomy voice from behind them interrupted Haruz, ¡°Viscount.¡±

    Brendel turned around to see an elderly handmaiden standing behind him and Haruz. The handmaiden wore a light blue ritual robe. Her hair was white and every wrinkle on her face added a trace of authority to her. Her face softened slightly only when she looked at them and she let out a polite smile, ¡°Viscount Cauldell, Lady Bessidine. Her Royal Highness wishes to see you.¡±

    ¡°Her Royal Highness? Wants to see us?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Her Royal Highness is waiting for you and Lady Bessidine over there.¡± The handmaiden answered.

    ¡°What does Her Royal Highness want with us?¡± Questions arose in Brendel¡¯s mind. He still thought the cold look Princess Gryphine gave him meant something. Beside, Haruz had juste from his sister¡¯s and now Her Royal Highness was asking them toe back. Clearly, it had nothing to do with her ¡°sister.¡±

    Everything happening now was drastically different from what happened in history. Brendel knew that Cauldell¡¯s memories yed a role in this, but it was no easy task to separate them from the dream and then to discover the goal they represented.

    Brendel suddenly thought of a possibility, ¡°What would it be like if, in this dream, Viscount Cauldell was the Princess¡¯ enemy?¡± If Viscount Cauldell opposed Princess Gryphine, then perhaps there was an easy exnation for the look the princess gave him.

    ¡°But if Viscount Cauldell opposed the Crown Princess, then who could he possibly be?¡±

    Dreams might be myths, but these myths didn¡¯te out of nowhere. Just like how humans couldn¡¯t imagine something they hadn¡¯t seen before ¡ª even legendary creatures such as dragons or ghosts were based on something they had seen in real life before. For example, horses with horns or vicious monsters with lion heads and eagle bodies. This meant that for Viscount Cauldell to appear in this ball, he had to have taken someone¡¯s ce.

    ¡°Who would it be? Cauldell¡¯s fragmented memory would definitely pick someone with a simr experience as him. That person wouldn¡¯t be anonymous, because he had to have some connection to Haruz, who was representing Princess Bessidine.¡±

    Brendel suddenly remembered that before Haruz married Era, he actually had a previous marriage contract. The person he was promised to was the adoptive daughter of Duke Arreck, someone named Essa. Though the woman had left no trace in history, Brendel knew that she was actually a mage who had sessfully activated her elementals. Her real identity was an assassin and spy for Arreck.

    Which meant that if Haruz was now Bessidine, the younger sister to Princess Gryphine in this dream, then his identity was very likely the ¡°Essa¡± in this dream, a spy and assassin for Duke Arreck.

    Brendel suddenly felt inexplicably chilled to the bone. He wondered what Viscount Cauldell¡¯s true wish was. Was it the regret for having failed the assassination? Or regret at havingpleted the assassination?

    If it was the former...

    He shivered and then turned around to look at the second floor again. That tightly shut door seemed to lodge in his heart like an omen of misfortune. Brendel turned around to look at Haruz ¡ª if they had to kill Princess Gryphine to leave his dream, would the little prince be able to ept that?

    He shook his head inwardly.

    ¡°Viscount?¡± The elder handmaiden realized Brendel was lost in thought and asked again.

    Brendel then came back to himself and nodded at her, indicating that she should bring them over to the princess. Just as the handmaiden had said, Princess Gryphine was indeed waiting for them at one side of the great hall. She stood under the oil painting of Anson the Eleventh. This ancestor had once brought about a brief period of rejuvenation for Aouine, just like her.

    The two also seemed to suffer a simr fate.

    The princess was looking up at the oil painting and only turned around when she realized the two getting closer. Brendel noticed that her silver eyes were no longer cold, as if everything he had seen before was just a misperception.

    The Crown Princess let out a warm smile when she saw Brendel and Haruz. ¡°I¡¯ve kept you waiting, Viscount Cauldell. But the situation is dire now and Bessidine is so young. I had to instruct her on some things beforehand.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Brendel answered even as he thought about his hypothesis before this. If Cauldell really was an assassin, then it was likely his identity had been discovered before this or else Her Royal Highness wouldn¡¯t adopt that kind of expression.

    But he was curious what the Crown Princess wanted to see him for. If she wanted to have him killed, then the best opportunity would be to do it while he and Haruz were separated and not let her sister return to his side.

    Princess Gryphine gave them a nce and asked quietly, ¡°Viscount Cauldell, do you still remember what I said to you before?¡±

    ¡°... Which sentence is your highness referring to?¡± Brendel was slightly stunned. As the interloper in the dream, he didn¡¯t have any memories of what happened before. If things progressed as in history, then he could guess. But now the entire ball was outside of his control.

    Princess Gryphine gave him a look filled with sarcasm, ¡°Duke Arreck is about to arrive. I know he has ns for tonight. But I n on publicizing your rtionship with Bessidine before then. I once told you ¡ª if something happens to me, you and Bessidine can inherit the right to the throne and publicly oppose Arreck.¡±

    ¡°Though the nobles might not stand with us, they are also not likely to be truly aligned with Arreck. Ever since the battle at Amper Seale, Arreck has gained many enemies, even mortal ones. Once I die, they won¡¯t stand by and watch him ascend to the throne. The house of Seifer has grievances with him; I did show mercy to my older brother once. After I die, he may not be your ally, but he will definitely be Arreck¡¯s enemy. Aside from that, old friends at Lantonn would stand firmly behind you...¡±

    ¡°Sister...¡± Haruz couldn¡¯t resist saying.

    ¡°Bessidine, do not interrupt.¡± Gryphine looked at her ¡°sister¡± and said seriously, ¡°From today onwards, you must learn to endure silently.¡±

    Then she sighed wearily. ¡°I didn¡¯t want it toe to this. Madarra is watching us, ever ready to pounce. Aouine has already lost itsst chance, but Kirrlutz might not want to directly face up against the Undead. So maybe they¡¯ll turn around and support you. That is thest chance for Aouine ¨C¡±

    Brendel stood by and listened quietly to what the princess was saying. He thought things were odd. In his mind, he had practically identified Viscount Cauldell as the assassin in history. He knew that Princess Gryphine very likely knew Viscount Cauldell¡¯s identity. But it was strange for her to say all of this in front of him.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t she worried about him spilling the secrets?¡±

    ¡°Or maybe she already considered him a dead man?¡±

    In that instant, Brendel couldn¡¯t guess at what the princess was thinking. But the dream had already progressed past his knowledge. Viscount Cauldell¡¯s dream, his dream, and Haruz¡¯s dream ovepped each other. He could even smell the thick scent of blood in the air.

    He looked back at Haruz. The ¡°little princess¡± had the same worried look on his face.

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    As if she had finished dering her dying wish, Princess Gryphine smiled and lifted her wine ss to Brendel and Haruz ¡ª Brendel knew that in the course of history, the Crown Princess hadn¡¯t been wholly unaware of her impending death or she wouldn¡¯t have moved Haruz to safety before then. What she said today she had also said to the core members of the Scarlet Travelers, just not as directly.

    As he thought back, the Crown Princess had made her meaning clear but, unfortunately, only Bai Jia had sensed that something was wrong.

    For an instant, Brendel couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit depressed. He watched the Princess¡¯ movements and also took up the wine ss from a silver tray beside him ¡ª though he never paid it much attention, but after months of training from Amandina, he was able to grasp some of the rudimentary formalities between nobles.

    ¡°Viscount Cauldell, for you and for Bessidine as well for Aouine. Cheers.¡± The Crown Princess looked at her with those silvery eyes as she raised her ss. When she said ¡°for Aouine,¡± she briefly lost control of her emotions but she still raised her ss very naturally to her lips and sipped once.

    Brendel was about to raise his ss when Haruz suddenly reached out and knocked the ss out of his hands. The ss tumbled against the carpet.

    ¡°Don¡¯t drink, teacher. The wine is poisoned.¡± The little princess cautioned in an excited voice.

    Brendel paused briefly but his face didn¡¯t show many signs of surprise. He looked up to watch the princess in front of him. Since he had guessed Viscount Cauldell¡¯s role, he had guessed the wine would be problematic. He had never intended to drink the wine but he hadn¡¯t counted on Haruz going against his own sister¡¯s wishes. s

    Though they were in a myth, this was a rare moveing from the little prince.

    ¡°Bessidine!¡± Her Royal Highness waspletely stunned by her sister¡¯s actions. Brendel saw her clench her fist and those slender eyebrows furrow until they were almost twisted together. She took a deep breath and then asked coldly, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Sister, Sir Brendel wouldn¡¯t hurt you... You-you¡¯ve got it wrong. He¡¯s not that kind of person!¡± Haruz didn¡¯t dare rebuke his sister, so he could only lower his head and exin quietly.

    ¡°Brendel?¡±

    Princess Gryphine paused briefly and looked at her own ¡°sister¡± and then at Brendel. ¡°Who is that? Bessidine, what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°No-No...¡± Haruz realized then that he had misspoken and hurriedly corrected himself, ¡°Viscount Cauldell, he-he¡¯s a good person.¡±

    Brendel was randomly dered a ¡°good person¡± and, more importantly, it was a boy who named him a ¡°good person.¡± This made him feel slightly awkward but he didn¡¯t exin himself. He merely stood by and watched the scene unfold because in that instant, he could feel something shaking itself loose in the depth of his heart.

    That was the impulseing from the dream.

    Which meant that Viscount Cauldell personally experienced everything happening in front of him once, at some point in time, during some kind of ball.

    Bessidine was arguing with her sister.

    This scene awoke a memory in Viscount Cauldell. Brendel could almost feel the honorless knight return to the time he belonged.

    He looked up and saw the entire great hall changing. It gradually changed from the architectural style popr after Aouine¡¯s rejuvenation back to a more ancient time. The glorious relief sculptures from Anson the Eleventh disappeared and the bannisters along the stairs transformed into a more simple and unadorned wooden bannister. All the decorations and the clothing on the crowd around them reverted back to a style that Brendel ¡ª no, more urately, the elvendy inside Brendel¡¯s body ¡ª was intimately familiar with.

    The time when Wind Elves made a return to glory.

    It was Elves ¡ª

    Brendel had heard Sanorso talk multiple times about the era she lived in. Now everything he saw was so familiar, almost exactly like what he had heard about.

    When he looked back, Haruz was blocking Princess Gryphine.

    ¡°Bessidine, he¡¯s an assassin from Arreck! He¡¯s no longer the Cauldell you know. He¡¯s long betrayed you.¡±

    ¡°Sister, no. Absolutely no because Brendel... Sir Caudell he ¨C¡±

    Haruz tried to exin quietly but all of a sudden he thought of a terrifying possibility. That beautiful face instantly paled and he turned around, looking at Brendel in fear, ¡°Sir Brendel, you...¡±

    At the same time, the impulse in Brendel¡¯s heart grew stronger.

    He seemed to hear a voice repeatedly cry out in his mind, ¡°Kill her!¡±

    ¡°Kill her!¡±

    ¡°Kill them!¡±

    In that instant he understood. That was Viscount Cauldell¡¯s role. Brendel put his hand on the scabbard of the Staff of Earth and looked down slightly. Cold sweat gathered in his palm.

    ¡°What to do?¡±

 Chapter 709 Salvation(2)

    <h4>Chapter 709 Salvation(2)</h4>

    Brendel lowered his head and his brown eyes constricted, bit by bit. His gaze was as still as ake, but they glinted with some light. One hand was hidden underneath his jacket and the exposed left hand drooped naturally. Those pale and slender fingers were like daggers. The knuckles were thin, like bones, but there was power in them as they curled up.

    That was the hand of an excellent swordsman.

    He stared intently at Princess Gryphine standing nearby. The look in his eyes wasplicated.

    ¡°... Tea-teacher?¡± Haruz looked up, his face pale. He reached out a hand and made a weak grabbing motion as if he wanted to grab the Brendel¡¯s hand that held the sword. Instead, he grabbed onto Brendel¡¯s left wrist; Haruz knew that underneath Brendel¡¯s jacket, Brendel¡¯s hand probably already grasped the unadorned cross-like hilt ¡ª the ck de of the Staff of Earth is fast asleep, sheathed in the scabbard decorated in the style of the Dwarves. It was controlled by a calming influence.

    Haruz looked up and those gentle eyes opened wide. A thinyer of sweat covered his forehead as he looked in shock at his teacher. He shook his head violently and his features were almost pleading as he said, ¡°No-no, that¡¯s...¡±

    He had seen, with his own eyes, how Brendel killed. Their opponents had been a group of cult members they encountered during their journey. The Count he knew, his teacher, had drastically changed from his usual gentle and calm demeanor into this persona, cold as a drawn de, just like right now.

    He saw how his teacher turned into an emotionless executioner during battle. Every sword strike would take away a life, as easily as cutting the stumps of grass on a practice field. In the little prince¡¯s memory, only one other person came close to that during battle. Maynild. But the female knight was nowhere near as skilled when it came to sword-wielding. Brendel could easily have it slit someone¡¯s throat so that red, the color of roses, flooded across the tinum of the metal.

    The air that got sucked into the exposed windpipe mingled with the clots of blood that kept welling out from the throat, the sight of the lifeless body falling onto the ground, and the muffled sound of something heavy copsing against the earth. Brendel¡¯s eyes were as cold then as they were now, like metal. That was the sword art of a soldier, Brendel had once said. Haruz shivered in his heart.

    He looked back at his sister ¡ª though she had many differences than the sister in his memory, she was more mature and more beautiful but also more authoritative. But that was her sister after all and Haruz would never mistake her for someone else. He suddenly remembered all the things that Brendel had cautioned him before and the fear grew stronger and stronger in his heart, quietly creeping in through the crevices like a vine along the wall.

    No matter what, he refused to see his sister dying by the hands of his teacher.

    Brendel let Haruz grab his left hand.

    He could feel the anxiousness in the little prince¡¯s heart and this anxiousness seemed infectious so that his hand holding the sword was filled with sweat, soaking through the gray wolf leather on the hilt of the Staff of Earth.

    This was Viscount Cauldell¡¯s dream, just like the Eternal Sleep the Witches talked about. Only the owner of the dream could decide when this prolonged dream would begin or end. But unfortunately, Viscount Cauldell has long lost himself. His world only existed in this fragmented world of fog. In order to wake him up, they had to make him recover the memory he kept running away from.

    The only way to escape this was to wake up. But the owner of the dream had lost himself and his world only existed in this fragmented world of fog. The only way to wake him up was to make him rediscover himself.

    Should he finish the iplete mission?

    The voice in his mind seemed to be howling at him to draw his sword. During the long wait, Viscount Caudell¡¯s regret has turned into a monster filled with anger, regret, jealousy, and other negative emotions. It roared in Brendel¡¯s heart like a ghoul.

    ¡°Kill her!¡±

    ¡°Kill them!¡±

    ¡°No regrets!¡±

    ¡°No hesitation!¡±

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s hand rested his hand on the sword hilt, took it off, and then put it back on. He knew this was a dream maze, and the pale phantom in the dream was clever enough to take advantage of a human¡¯s desires. If he hesitated, he¡¯d be trapped eternally in this fog-filled dream.

    What about the opposite?

    Brendel remained unmoving.

    The Princess Gryphine in front of him might be an illusion, but the emotions in his heart were real. If he drew his sword against her here it was akin to drawing his sword against something that he had always protected ¡ª

    Being lost in a dream could confuse and fracture someone¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go over there, Bessidine!¡± Princess Grpyhine saw her ¡°sister¡± grab Brendel and hurried forward to yank her backward. As soon as she took a step back with Haruz, two knights immediately surrounded them in protection.

    The Crown Princess raised her head and looked coldly at Brendel.¡±Cauldell, I know very well who you are. You had sworn sincerely that you¡¯d leave everything behind. You should know what your uncle did. I am not even asking that you be his enemy, just that you protect Bessidine as her fiance ¡ª but you have disappointed me thoroughly.¡±

    She took out a letter and continued in that same cold voice, ¡°Your true intents have been exposed ¨C¡±

    ¡°Sister, it¡¯s not like that...¡± Haruz wanted to exin but swallowed his words under Brendel¡¯s cold look. The little prince still hasn¡¯t realized that in this dream they were Cauldell and Bessidine.

    And not Brendel or Haruz.

    Just as the Crown Princess finished her words, Brendel suddenly heard a huge sounde from above the pce. Almost immediately after, the great hall started shaking. The relief-covered walls and the faux Doric-order pirs started shaking as if the pce was going through a terrifying earthquake.

    The nobles in the great hall lost their footing and screams rang out. The scene immediately turned chaotic. The crowd pressed against each other, trying to escape from their various exits. The sounds of tables and chairs getting knocked over and the arched windows shattering filled the great hall.

    But the quiet corner in the great hall was in great contrast to the chaos. Brendel, Haruz, Her Royal HIghness, and the knights seemed unbothered by the shaking ground.

    Brendel looked at the nobles throwing themselves out of the broken window. He knew this wasn¡¯t an earthquake that Cauldell had experienced, but a turmoil in his heart. His fear probably originated from the letter in Princess Gryphine¡¯s hands. Viscount Cauldell must have gone through something simr and it left an impression on him.

    The Princess¡¯ words stabbed through his heart like a sharp de.

    Brendel remained quiet. The voice in his mind did indeed start shrieking, ¡°Hurry, hurry and kill everyone!¡±

    But Brendel held onto the hilt and didn¡¯t pay him any attention.

    At that precise moment, cries of fear came from outside the Pce. He turned around and saw the crowd that rushed out nowe running back in. Countless numbers of soldiers dressed in the dual-colored red and white battle robes appeared outside the Kinten Pce. These soldiers were dressed from head to toe in armor and even their faces were covered under a metal helmet. They held sharpened swords in their hands and killed anyone within sight. In the blink of an eye, Kinten Pce was flooded by a river of blood.

    ¡°How could this be!¡± The little prince watched this happen from beside Princess Gryphine. His face turned pale and he cried out instinctively, ¡°Who are they?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Duke Arreck!¡± Princess Gryphine inhaled lightly. She raised her head and stared at Brendel as shemanded, ¡°Capture Viscount Cauldell before Duke Arreck arrives!¡±

    How could these soldiers be under themand of Duke Arreck.

    In the previous world or this one, the noblemen¡¯s army under Duke Arreck¡¯smand would never wear the red-and-white battle robes. Besides, this never happened during the ball in Brendel¡¯s memory. The scent of blood that floated in the air around him seemed to be real in this scene and be more pungent. In addition, the scent of something burning gradually took over his smell.

    Brendel looked up and saw that mes were indeed burning through the ceiling. As if in an instant, the entire great hall turned into a sea of mes.

    This was Viscount Cauldell¡¯s dream. Everything that happened in the dream is now being reenacted in Brendel and Haruz¡¯s dream because of their efforts at repairing the Viscount¡¯s dream.

    From next to Princess Gryphine, two knights rushed at Brendel. Haruz ran forward and tried to stop one of them, but the dress on the ¡®little princess¡¯ almost tripped him.

    Brendel pulled out Han Gaia. The ck longsword left its scabbard like a sh of ck light. But he felt the sword was heavier than usual because here, his powers were only 10% of what they were in actuality. He was maybe at an Upper Silver level.

    Luckily Brendel had expected this. Abilities in the dream were determined by the owner of the dream, which meant that he represented the Viscount Caudell currently. However, an Upper Silver level was practically useless at a time when the Wind Elves had returned to glory.

    The two knights attacking him were both Middle Gold level. No wonder Princess Gryphine didn¡¯t bother hiding the chilliness in her eyes. No matter what era, the gulf between Peak Silver and Middle Gold was uncrossable. Of course, geniuses of geniuses were an exception.

    Brendel wasn¡¯t a genius but his wisdom and experience came from millions of people. For example, his sword art. Though he could only fight with the strength of Viscount Cauldell, that didn¡¯t mean he had lost all advantages.

    The two knights got close and before they could draw their swords, Brendel¡¯s de was there. The heavy ck de sliced through the air and the side that reflected the light glinted with cold light. In an instant, it cut into their field of vision.

    The two knights looked surprised. They didn¡¯t even see when Brendel drew his sword. Before the second Holy War, Wind Elf knights ced equal value on both attack and defense. Because most of the underlings for the Darkness Dragon were monsters made of dark magic. Exchanging their lives for cannon-fodder was clearly not worth it; besides, the war hadn¡¯t even gotten as cruel or violent as it would get in itster years.

    Therefore, Brendel¡¯s sword skills looked insane to them. But this crazy guy clearly had a better grasp on the art of the sword than they did. The two knights were forced into taking a step back but Brendel had already keenly grasped the opportunity.

    He followed closely behind and with one strike, he hit the elven sword of one of the knights. With a clear ringing sound, the upper half of the sword directly shattered in half and then flew out and pierced into a table. When has the knight ever seen such a brutal move? With his heavy armor, he kept retreating but Brendel kept pushing forwardly until the other knight took the opportunity to stab his sword forward.

    But Brendel didn¡¯t even turn around. That snow-silver elven sword pierced through his body like it was just an illusion.

    The illusion didn¡¯t stop at all. Instead, it whirled around and swept its sword horizontally. With a ng, the elven knight¡¯s helmet instantaneously flew into the air.

    Underneath was an elven face that Brendel didn¡¯t recognize at all.

    But Viscount Cauldell would have a clear memory.

    ¡°Nine Luminaries Sword Art!?¡± Princess Gryphine was slightly surprised. ¡°Cauldell, when did you...¡±

    Princess Gryphine would not recognize Nine Luminaries Sword Art. Brendel thought for a moment and realized that this was the influence of Cauldell¡¯s memories. This was not the Crown Princess being surprised; this was that guy being surprised. Right then, he had already broken through the defenses of two knights. He took a step forward and arrived by Her Royal Highness¡¯ side and grabbed her wrist.

    The Crown Princess struggled slightly but couldn¡¯t free herself. She looked up, bit her lip, and stared coldly at him. Her silver eyes almost seemed to spit fire, ¡°Cauldell... kill me right now if you dare.¡±

    ¡°Kill you so that Duke Arreck will forever bear the sin of havingmitted regicide, right?¡± Brendel looked at her. In that instant, he seemed to understand many things.

    Princess Gryphine trembled imperceptibly and looked up at him.

    ¡°Arreck is a member of the All for One Society. Princess, your n is right in line with his. He doesn¡¯t care about the throne at all. He just wants to turn the kingdom upside down.¡± Brendel answered quietly.

    He looked at Bessidine, ¡°You think there¡¯s still your sister, right?¡±

    Her Royal Highness looked at Bessidine beside her. Those silvery eyes shone withplicated emotions but her tone had already softened. ¡°Kill me and let Bessidine go. She¡¯s really in love with you...¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Brendel heard the voice cry in anger, ¡°She¡¯s lying. She and her evil sister are in this together!¡±

    ¡°This pitiful guy.¡±

    Brendelughed in his heart. He looked at the Crown Princess, who couldn¡¯t hide her vulnerabilities for an instant under his gaze, but she immediately became calm again. Then he looked at Haruz and then took in the soldiers rushing into the great hall, dressed in white and red battle robes.

    Though he hadn¡¯t experienced this, it was so simr to the scene in his memory. The nobles have long died. He just didn¡¯t know where Bai Jia and the others were. Even if he knew this was a dream, Brendel couldn¡¯t help but worry.

    ¡°Teacher, what are you saying?¡± Haruz didn¡¯t quite understand.

    Brendel smiled at him instead of answering. But in that instant, he already had a n.

 Chapter 710 v4c88p1 Salvation(3)

    <h4>Chapter 710 v4c88p1 Salvation(3)</h4>

    The great hall had been turned into a hellish scene filled with red blood that stung the eyes looking at it. The soldiers in white and red robes slowly walked over the piled-up corpses and the small rivulets of blood. Those cold metal boots stomped in unison across the carpet, turned sticky by the amount of blood it soaked up, and attempted to surround the corner where Brendel stood.

    The half-elf Princess still attempted to struggle free from Brendel¡¯s vice-like grip. She struggled but to no avail. So she quickly calmed down and demanded in a cold voice, ¡°Viscount Cauldell, what exactly do you want?¡±

    Among the panicked looking from Haruz, Brendel ced the ck sunstone-like de of Halran Gaia against Princess Gryphine¡¯s neck. He waited until the two approaching knights stopped their footsteps before answering, ¡°Of course it¡¯s to fight my way out.¡±

    ¡°Fight your way out?¡± Princess Gryphine looked dubiously at those soldiers. To her, they belonged to the same gang as Viscount Cauldell.

    Brendel didn¡¯t exin anymore. He used the sword to quiet the princess¡¯ knights and the handmaiden around her. Then he said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want your Crown Princess toe to harm, then do as I say. You follow me. We¡¯re going to retreat towards the stairs and go up to the second floor.¡±

    Because Princess Gryphine didn¡¯t know what ¡°Viscount Cauldell¡± was up to, she let out a light snort.

    ¡°Princess, if Bessidine has a chance of survival, that¡¯s what you want too, right? So I want you to work with me. I believe that you are smart and calm enough to calcte the odds right now. For all of us to die right here would benefit only your enemies...¡±

    ¡°Teacher...¡±

    Haruz looked at him, conflicted, but Brendel red back at him.

    The expression on the Crown Princess¡¯ face said clearly that she would not trust ¡®Cauldell¡¯ to change camp suddenly. She¡¯d rather believe it was a trick. But Brendel got at least one thing right. Ever since Princess Gryphine left the Kinten Pce for the first time at the age of sixteen, she had always possessed the qualities of the very best politicians. She could calmly analyze the situation and ept any choice, as long as it wasn¡¯t the worst choice.

    She had always considered personal emotions as a rare luxury. Sometimes her logic was like a well-oiled machine; she was stubborn and coldhearted toward herself and yet she carefully guarded the hope in her heart. She had once sacrificed everything; that had created the Crown Princess in history that every yer in Aouine empathized with.

    Therefore for Brendel, it was enough that she neither rejected or epted his n. Brendel knew that Princess Gryphine did not abandon her guardedness when it came to him, but she also knew that at the very least, she would not intentionally work against him.

    There was a bloody battleing up. He didn¡¯t want there to be someone who was always trying to find ways to stab him in the back.

    He immediately walked with Princess Gryphine toward the staircase. As expected, the Crown Princess didn¡¯t struggle but she only breathed a sigh of relief when the two disheveled knights surrounded ¡®Bessidine¡¯ in protection. Right now, as long as Bessidine could leave this ce, nothing else mattered to the Crown Princess.

    In her n, the loss of the monarchy would cause Arreck to be the biggest threat to the nobles. This kind of threat would, over time, evolve into opposition and be the prelude to war. But the leader from the ins would not be as easily cowed as the Covardo Royal Family. The battle between royals would inevitably lead to losses on both sides and apromise. Madara, ever restless, would not let such a valuable opportunity pass by and the Undead army would sweep through the scorched earth.

    After that, Kirrlutz would not want to directly face the Emperor with the Mercury Staff. Therefore, they would most certainly choose to support the oppositional forces within Aouine.

    As long as Bessidine was alive, the Kingdom could hope to be reborn from the scorched earth.

    Though her homnd was destined to be swept up in a sea of me, she couldn¡¯t worry about that anymore. She could only see the brightly burning mes. Whether it was her, Duke Arreck, or even those greedy nobles, they would end up dragging this kingdom into the depth of hell.

    She could only choose the better oue.

    Gryphine quietly experienced the cold de of the sword pressing against her neck. She calmly lowered her head, but her heart was weeping. She reflected on her life and realized that she always seemed to be making the lesser of evils.

    Everypromise seemed to nt a seed for the next failure.

    For an instant, she suddenly wanted to go back. Go back to the year when she was sixteen. Maybe she should have chosen a different path and the kingdom¡¯s future would not be like this.

    Brendel could sort of sense what the princess he was holding hostage was feeling since this was part of his memory. Or maybe it was because he had the same wish. It was because of this wish that he wilfully changed Aouine¡¯s original destiny, which had been to decline.

    It was also because of this same wish that made him firmly believe he could leave his dream. In his heart, he already had his own answer.

    With one hand, he controlled the Crown Princess. With his right hand, he swung his sword and swept away the sword of the soldiers warming them. Then, he simply shed a straight line in front of him with his sword.

    As the de passed, the soldiers didn¡¯t have time to block or withdraw. They could only watch helplessly as the sharp de, dark as ck sunstone, cut open their battle robes, cut through the metal rings on the chainmail underneath, and cut at the flesh and bone underneath it all. Blood sttered out, as eye-catching as red roses, apanied by a crackling sound and the sight of metal chainmail being flung through the air.

    The blood was the same color as red wine, just murkier.

    Just one strike but seven or eight soldiers flew through the air. They fell into the crowd and knocked even more people into the air. Brendel took one step and blocked the ess to the staircase, but he didn¡¯t hurry up the stairs. Instead, he dragged Harzu over and then waited for the two knights and the handmaiden rushed over before falling behind and covering their retreat.

    Princess Gryphine seemed to recover her wits. She looked in surprise at the scene, ¡°What exactly do you want to do, Viscount Caudell?¡±

    This is the second time she has asked this question, but it was with apletely different tone. Though she still had doubts, at least she believed that Viscount Cauldell was not colluding with Arreck.

    ¡°I told you.¡± Brendel stood at the to pof the stairs and sliced downward, knocking a soldier and his sword down the steps with a single strike. The de cut through the guy¡¯s helmet like it was tofu. Blood spewed out from the gaps between the metal pieces like a waterfall.

    He yanked out his sword and the corpse down. Then he walked up a few steps and answered, ¡°Fight my way out.¡±

    ¡°But you and Arreck ¨C¡± The Crown Princess frowned. Brendel did understand the doubt in her eyes. The sentence could be tranted as: I don¡¯t think you¡¯d betray Arreck for Bessidine ¡ª

    Some people will do anything for love, but Viscount Cauldell was not one of them.

    Since he was now Viscount Cauldell, Brendel had no choice but to ept the question though the difference between his current identity and experience gave him trouble that he couldn¡¯t voice. He understood very well that his choice could make him get stuck in the dream forever but he still did it. Right now he wanted tough bitterly:

    ¡°Your brother might be charming dressed-up as a girl, but he was still in fact a man.¡±

    But Brendel vaguely guessed there was another possibility. It was this possibility that made him unhesitatingly take the princess and her followers and fight his way up to the second floor. He was very familiar with the Kinten Pce. The great hall on the second floor connected to the vi behind it. There was a secret path that led to the forest outside the pce grounds.

    That forest, if he wasn¡¯t wrong, would be the forest where Viscount Cauldell was assassinated, which is also the forest where they found the carriage.

    The directions didn¡¯t match up, but dreams were weird like this.

    So the entire conclusion to the dream should be yed out there. Brendel didn¡¯t have the capacity to care whether he died or lived. Sometimes, in the face of your own confusion, you had to gamble. His confusion, Viscount Cauldell¡¯s confusion, and Haruz¡¯s confusion were all tangled up together. Brendel still didn¡¯t have a clear-cut answer.

    No matter what, they just had to move forward to reach the conclusion.

    The two knights kicked open the tightly-shut wooden door on the second floor. The door made of ck wood was of supremely good quality. As the two Golden Rank experts sent the door flying, it pretty much retained its shape. Brendel escorted the little prince inside, followed by the two knights protecting him and the elderly handmaiden. Then Brendel hesitated but finally decided to no longer hold Princess Gryphine as hostage. He released the Crown Princess of Aouine and let her walk in by herself.

    Princess Gryphine paused briefly and looked up at him in slight disbelief.

    ¡°Viscount Cauldell?¡±

    ¡°We can talkter.¡± Brendel turned around. He raised his right hand and aimed the Wind Ring on his index finger at the staircase in the middle of the great hall. As the gang of soldiers swarmed up, he started chanting... an explosive hurricane shot out from the ring and struck the arched staircase. First, the wooden nks that made up the staircase bent inwards and then split open from the middle, creating a giant hole in the middle. The wood turned into sawdust and fell down to the floor beneath.

    But at the same time, blood also seemed to rain down in the great hall.

 Chapter 711 v4c88p2 Salvation(3)

    <h4>Chapter 711 v4c88p2 Salvation(3)</h4>

    Brendel and Her Royal Highness were still standing by the door and blood sttered against their faces to various degrees. The princess looked at Brendel¡¯s blood-covered features and asked, ¡°Viscount Cauldell, are you really willing to give up everything for Bessidine?¡±

    No, everything else could be a reason, but Brendel swore that this had nothing to do with that. He turned around and saw that, in the nearby distance, Haruz was blushing to the tips of his ears because of what his sister said. Brendel sighed and answered, ¡°Princess, I don¡¯t think this is the time to dere my intentions... if I can, I will naturally take care of her highness. But the priority right now is to get out of here.¡±

    But Princess Gryphine looked at him and shook her head. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. I am the knot that must be snipped off. If I don¡¯t die, the conflict between the nobles and Arreck will nevere to light and the kingdom will just fall further into decay, day by day, until one day it is consumed by fire ¡ª

    ¡°I tied the knot and I must be the one to release it. I am only worried about whether Bessidine can distinguish the people around her. I hope you can give me a clear answer, Viscount Cauldell.¡±

    Brendel stopped.

    In history, there had been a rumor that Princess Gryphine had secretly reached out to the Wind Elves in order to counter Arreck. She sent a secret missive with the Elven emissaries, but the news leaked and stirred up the powerful duke¡¯s wish for murder. Very soon after, on a ball very much like tonight¡¯s ball, Arreck ordered an assassin to kill Her Royal Highness and then med the murder on Madara.

    But afterwards nobody could find any evidence ¡ª except for that empty letter.

    The secret missive the princess sent with the emissaries was nk. Some suspected that this was a trick from Kirrlutz and it was true that, after the assassination, investigations revealed that Kirrlutz was invovled. Even the Holy Cathedral of Fire wasn¡¯tpletely innocent.

    But Brendel suddenly thought of another version of the truth.

    ¡°The nk letter that the Wind Elf emissaries brought back to elven courts was your n to force Arreck¡¯s hand, wasn¡¯t it Princess?¡±

    Princess Gryphine looked at him in slight surprise, ¡°How did you know? Arreck already knows? No, no way. If he knew he wouldn¡¯t choose to act ¨C¡±

    Brendel remained silent.

    Arreck had been yed.

    The Acting Monarch, Her Royal Highness, used her death to set a trap for the sly old fox. Everything did happen exactly as she had predicted: Aouine broke out into civil war, the third War of the ck Roses, Haruz marrying Era, and the formation of the resistance forces in Aouine.

    But he didn¡¯t feel relieved, just furious. The Princess didn¡¯t just y Arrek, she also fooled every yer who supported her. He will never forget the night Monsterros sank into a sea of fire.

    Or the dejected look on Bai Jia¡¯s face as she left.

    He stared at the princess and had a hard time figuring out whether what she was was true. Because this was actually his memory.

    But Brendel calmly suppressed all the negative feelings in his heart, because negative emotions in dreams would lead to getting lost. The pale ghosts hiding in the darkness controlled people¡¯s emotions so that they would get lost in the thing that made them feel out of control.

    Nobody knew this better than Brendel.

    He asked this in order to test Viscount Cauldell¡¯s feelings. Just like he understood that everything being reenacted in the dream meant Cauldell must have gone through the same situation. In other words, Viscount Cauldell must have just been as confused as he was.

    The information on the walkthrough is nowpletely useless.

    Brendel tossed it aside. It¡¯s not like he was stuck without the walkthrough. First of all, he was an excellent yer. Second of all, he had firmer passions. If he couldn¡¯t defend then he would start attacking.

    First, he needed to answer one of his own questions: How did Viscount Cauldell respond to his confusion back then?

    And how would he respond?

    Brendel thought deeply for a while and then told Princess Gryphine, ¡°Sometimes the correct choice isn¡¯t always the really correct one, Princess.¡±

    ¡°Then what counts as correct?¡± The Crown Princess raised her head and looked at him quizzically. She seemed to understand there was a hiddenyer of meaning to the Viscount¡¯s words.

    The same question rang out in Brendel¡¯s heart. That was Viscount Cauldell¡¯s repeated demands: Which choice exactly counts as the correct one?

    Brendel raised his head and looked downwards. The red and white robed soldiers were struggling to climb up from the great hall filled with smoke and dust. He backed into the room and also pulled the princess back a bit.

    Then he sighed lightly, as if confirming his own beliefs, and answered:

    ¡°One cannot always be selfish, but some selfishness can be forgiven ¨C¡±

    When he answered, he felt his emotions move slightly.

    That was the motion belonging to Viscount Cauldell.

    This pale phantom, who had always kept himself hidden in the dark, the knight who had lost his name to the fog of history, finally couldn¡¯t hold himself back any longer.

    And his move allowed Brendel to finally confirm the answer to his own question.

    Found it ¡ª

    The answer to the puzzle.

    ...

    A person¡¯s dream is actually just a subconscious hint to themselves. In a short period of time, Brendel remembered, more than once, his parents attending the ball, and his childhood self. These hinted that his past surrounded him like a nightmare. But it wasn¡¯t until a certain point when he suddenly realized that those were actually not the mysterious beings in the fog that were tempting him into losing his sanity.

    In contrast, what was hidden the deepest inside a person¡¯s heart, is the catalyst for their own self-salvation.

    It was the same for Viscount Cauldell.

    Time and time again, he remembered the dreams he had about Brendel¡¯s grandfather¡¯s illusions at the Magical Golden Tree. Time and time again, he remembered his parents looking at him with disappointment. Though he broke out in cold sweat, he finally realized this:

    That disappointment didn¡¯te from his failure.

    Selfishness can be forgiven.

    But running away and bing afraid of yourself cannot be. In fact, losing one¡¯s courage to challenge again because of one defeat was like a weak person grasping a sword tightly in their hands yet refusing to step forward and piercing the illusion.

    He was the conflicted one with the sword.

    That person had also been Viscount Cauldell.

    Also Haruz.

    He could have stabbed Princess Gryphine. That might have been Viscount Cauldell¡¯s wish, but Brendel finally realized it was not his.

    If he had chosen that, chosen topromise, it¡¯d be like a person losing their courage and losing their determination to break the illusion. Someone who has lost the determination to break the illusion could only remain forever in the dreams.

    Only at this moment did Brendel¡¯s heart confirm that, just like when he felt his Viscount Cauldell¡¯s emotions move in his heart.

    He could finally experience that emotion, which was fear and terror, the feeling of being lost and the feeling of jealousy. Because he had done theplete opposite of what Brendel did.

    Cauldell had chosen topromise and so was stuck in his own fragmented dream.

    But Brendel¡¯s choice was to selfishly change everything, selfishly follow his own heart, selfishly follow his ideals and beliefs.

    If giving up is defeat ¡ª

    Brendel seemed to see a pitiful figure sh before his eyes. He grasped his sword and the belief in his heart had never been firmer than at that moment. In front of him, the corridor started copsingyer byyer and the scenery seemed to melt into heavy fog. When the fog parted, Kinten Pce was like a copsing sand dune, vanishing on the wind along with the bodies of the soldiers and nobles. Brendel even saw his own parents and his childhood self among the sand-dunes. The faces of Bai Jia and everyone in the Scarlet Travelers melted into the fog as they backed into it and gradually faded away.

    But thest nce remained forever in his memory.

    There were only Princess Gryphine, Haruz, the two knights and that elderly handmaiden next to him. Her Royal Highness didn¡¯t seem to sense the changes around her. She walked steadily forward, holding Haruz¡¯s hand.

    The little prince seemed to nowpletely understand what his sister was thinking. Though he couldn¡¯t understand what that kind of sacrifice meant, the history that happened in the dream became a heavy nightmare for him. Haruz bit his lip and tears welled up in his eyes, though he didn¡¯t cry.

    Many many years ago, when he still remembered the starry summer skies at Kinten Pce and his father the king had been alive, he remembered his sister telling him: boys shouldn¡¯t cry.

    But he only remembered that he had cried because his knees were bruised and red from all the ¡°teaching¡± in his sword lessons.

    The fog parted bit by bit.

    Behind the fog was a patch of forest.

    The stars shone against the night sky, the pine forest rustled, and the stream tinkled. In the distance, mes shone gently as in a dream.

    Brendel remembered that in his childhood, the summer night air had also been this fresh.

    He inhaled deeply and then looked up. Then he saw the carriage, parked quietly in the middle of the forest.

    The carriage door was wide open and revealed a corner of a silver gown.

    The beautiful young girly in the carriage, a ck dagger pierced through her chest. She was very beautiful and her pointed ears dered her identity. But differently than Haruz, she was a true elf.

    Brendel didn¡¯t say anything.

    But he already knew who she was.

 Chapter 712 v4c89 Salvation(4)

    <h4>Chapter 712 v4c89 Salvation(4)</h4>

    History silently reflected upon the stary night sky. Legends said those brilliant new stars were the heroes of the past. They looked down upon the earth from the heavens and watched the current world through the gaze of history. The wind never once stopped as it whistled through the forest, but it wasn¡¯t a strong wind. It simply caressed the pine needles with a gentle hand so that they moved in unison and produced a rustling sound. The sound was like a sleepy murmur, describing the history of this forest.

    The borders of the world copsed as the dream progressed. The areas surrounding the forest seemed like they were being swallowed by endless fog, leaving behind only this little patch of solid ground and heavens among the void ¡ª the wind from the mountains passing through the forest, the grasnd, the carriage, and the assassinated elven girl in it, as well as Brendel and the others apanying him. Together, they made up this still painting.

    The moonlight traveled across the ins, time passed as the stars and the silvery moon rose from the west and sank in the east.

    For everyone else, this was the end of the dream. But it wasn¡¯t linear. Brendel looked up at this entire forest and his gaze passed through the various trunks andded upon the pitch-ck carriage. He called out loudly, ¡°Cauldell, I know you¡¯re here. Come out and let me see the tricks up your sleeve.¡±

    Silence fell, so quiet that you could near a needle drop ¡ª

    A pale figure revealed itself in the carriage and slightly shook. It glowed like a phantom, as it if was covered in phosphorescence. He wore sharply pressed noblemen¡¯s clothes and an elven longsword hung at his hips, but he didn¡¯t have a face. Only a pair of shining eyes were left on his face, as smooth as a b of stone.

    Without a mouth, he couldn¡¯tmunicate. The Min¡¯ers believed thatnguage was the bridge connecting people to people, but the person without a name had long ago escaped into his own dream and be lost. So aside from having his eyes to ¡°doubt¡±, he needed neither ears nor his mouth.

    The pale ghost appeared by the carriage door and stared silently at Brendel. It didn¡¯t say anything and Brendel didn¡¯t say anything either.

    As if a long time had passed, the phantom then slowly opened his mouth to ask, ¡°Why are you challenging me?¡±

    Though it didn¡¯t have a mouth, his voice resonated throughout the forest like a p of thundering in from the distance. Haruz¡¯s face paled in fright and he instinctively ducked behind his sister. But the princess and her attendants didn¡¯t seem to hear. They looked in the direction Brendel was talking in,pletely lost as if there was nothing there.

    ¡°You know what you should do. What you¡¯re trying to protect here is just a fake, an illusion that doesn¡¯t exist. You should return to the world you belong in and not waste any more time here. Otherwise, you¡¯ll abandon yourself in this fantastical dream maze and never wake up.¡± Viscount Cauldell said slowly, ¡°But you came here and let me see the choice you made out of weakness. You choose to stay here forever and immerse yourself in the illusion of the past?¡±

    Since threats don¡¯t work, it¡¯s trying to entice me? Brendelughed coldly and drew his sword to point it at the pale figure.

    ¡°What¡¯s even weaker than weakness? You¡¯re just an iplete persona. Hatred and jealousy has long ago destroyed your intelligence. After your experience of wandering in the forest for so long, obsession has swallowed your personality. How could a thing like you understand what salvation is?¡±

    He let out a breath of air and bared his white teeth. He answered, ¡°What you have forgotten is not just your honor. You forgot something even more important, and it was lost a long time ago on your road to growing up. Viscount Cauldell, the starting point to all of this, the root of all your hatred is covered by all the wounds. But I will find it and show it to you ¨C¡±

    ¡°Humans learned to cry to protect against hurt. But you probably forgot this a long time ago because you can no longer be considered a human.¡±

    ran Gain¡¯s de, as ck as the dream, pointed straight ahead at the chest of the pale shadow. But it also seemed to be a boundary in this forest, separating this and that world.

    The phantom¡¯s face showed signs of anger.

    In the next second, Haruz¡¯s silver eyes reflected a me. The fire ignited from the carriage behind Viscount Cauldell and then spread out.

    In the blink of the eye, the forest turned into a sea of fire. Viscount Cauldell¡¯s eyes glinted. He waved a hand indifferently and then shrieked out the words, ¡°Fine, then let¡¯s see how long you can be stubborn for ¨C¡±

    ¡°What you think of as persistence in your heart is actually just fragility.¡±

    ¡°Human hearts are all fakes.¡±

    The pale phantom reached out his left hand where the fingers turned into sharp ws. A crack suddenly appeared on his featureless face like a mouth, letting out mockingughter directed at everyone.

    Then the sea of fire swallowed the entire forest. A dense fog rose amidst the mes and the surrounding scenery changed once again. Brendel still felt the raging fire around him, but when he nced around the pine forest was no more. What appeared in his field of vision was a straight hallway. One one side of the hallway was an arched French window, outside the window the manor and the pce rose and fell and stretched out into the distant lights.

    But this resplendent pearl upon the ins was now covered with dust. This entire city was going up in mes. Fires shot up everywhere. Brendel and the little prince next to him saw the me spread out alongside the pce grounds until it reached them. Everywhere they could see was a sea of fire.

    The ss on the arched window shattered in the high heat and countless skeleton troopers rushed in from all sides. These skeletons shakily raised their swords made ofherworld iron, and the phosphorescence in their eyes flickered as they tried to surround them.

    On those ck long swords, devil¡¯s snares and ck roses bloomed. They were like a thorn in Brendel¡¯s eyes, causing his pupils to constrict again and again.

    What a familiar scene. The Undead appeared in the sea of fires, the pce was burning, the city was copsing. The Undead army swept in from their homnd, leaving nothing but ashes where they had passed.

    Aouine¡¯s radiant g turned into ash after this night. The veryst night, the elegy in the hearts of yers of Aouine, was now being recreated in his memory.

    Thest battle of Monsterros ¡ª

    Viscount Cauldell¡¯s high-pitchedughter echoed in mid-air. But theughter had traces of hatred in it, ¡°You think it¡¯s so easy to make a choice? But reality will always force you. You¡¯ll be in desperate situations and have to choose between life or death. What can mortals do in the face of destiny?¡±

    But Brendel paid him no attention. He felt for his powers which were still at the peak of Silver Rank. He immediately turned around and said to Haruz next to him, ¡°Retreat with your sister into Kinten Pce and try to find a way towards White Rose Castle. You should know there¡¯s a secret passage there that leads to the underground river.¡±

    ¡°What about you, teacher?¡± One of Harzu¡¯s hands was being gripped tightly by Princess Gryphine. He couldn¡¯t help but look up in worry.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m retreating with you two. What are you thinking?¡± Brendel answered in exasperation. ¡°But I have to beat off these skeletons. I can¡¯t very well hold onto your sister the entire way, right?¡±

    Princess Gryphine paused slightly and just realized that Brendel had a grip on her wrist this entire time. She hurriedly struggled free with her face turning red.

    ¡°I know that secret passage. It¡¯s under the bed in the room the Queen had lived in. You all follow me.¡± She pretended to be calm as she answered.

    Haruz stuck out his tongue and hurriedly covered his sister as she retreated in the hallway behind Brendel. Brendel turned around. Those skeletons may be slow, but they were getting close. He knew that getting involved with these low-level undead creatures would be an endless fight. He looked up at the structure of the hallway and swung his sword, one on each side. The columns on either side of the hallway copsed and the hallway, having lost its support, instantly copsed and buried the unsteady undeads underneath it.

    Brendel kicked everyst one of the few that escaped so theynded back amongst the ruins. Then he put away his sword, turned around and ran.

    Kinten Pce was nowpletely engulfed by mes, but at least this was more or less the same as what he remembered. The hallway leading to the inside courtyard was mostly made up of stone, so they survived the fire. They took the road to the White Rose Castle. They didn¡¯t walk too far before they saw the vague outlines of the castle, built in the Kirrlutz style, surface in the night air.

    White Rose Castle was first built before the Year of the Golden Hoof. Its earliest owner was actually from Kirrlutz, but afterward, thend and everything on it was given to the previous king and his subjects. After the Year of Chaos, the castle was ruined in a fire and then rebuilt along with Kinten Pce. What Brendel saw now was the rebuilt castle.

    History silently reflected upon the stary night sky. Legends said those brilliant new stars were the heroes of the past. They looked down upon the earth from the heavens and watched the current world through the gaze of history. The wind never once stopped as it whistled through the forest, but it wasn¡¯t a strong wind. It simply caressed the pine needles with a gentle hand so that they moved in unison and produced a rustling sound. The sound was like a sleepy murmur, describing the history of this forest.

    The borders of the world copsed as the dream progressed. The areas surrounding the forest seemed like they were being swallowed by endless fog, leaving behind only this little patch of solid ground and heavens among the void ¡ª the wind from the mountains passing through the forest, the grasnd, the carriage, and the assassinated elven girl in it, as well as Brendel and the others apanying him. Together, they made up this still painting.

    The moonlight traveled across the ins, time passed as the stars and the silvery moon rose from the west and sank in the east.

    For everyone else, this was the end of the dream. But it wasn¡¯t linear. Brendel looked up at this entire forest and his gaze passed through the various trunks andded upon the pitch-ck carriage. He called out loudly, ¡°Cauldell, I know you¡¯re here. Come out and let me see the tricks up your sleeve.¡±

    Silence fell, so quiet that you could near a needle drop ¡ª

    A pale figure revealed itself in the carriage and slightly shook. It glowed like a phantom, as it if was covered in phosphorescence. He wore sharply pressed noblemen¡¯s clothes and an elven longsword hung at his hips, but he didn¡¯t have a face. Only a pair of shining eyes were left on his face, as smooth as a b of stone.

    Without a mouth, he couldn¡¯tmunicate. The Min¡¯ers believed thatnguage was the bridge connecting people to people, but the person without a name had long ago escaped into his own dream and be lost. So aside from having his eyes to ¡°doubt¡±, he needed neither ears nor his mouth.

    The pale ghost appeared by the carriage door and stared silently at Brendel. It didn¡¯t say anything and Brendel didn¡¯t say anything either.

    As if a long time had passed, the phantom then slowly opened his mouth to ask, ¡°Why are you challenging me?¡±

    Though it didn¡¯t have a mouth, his voice resonated throughout the forest like a p of thundering in from the distance. Haruz¡¯s face paled in fright and he instinctively ducked behind his sister. But the princess and her attendants didn¡¯t seem to hear. They looked in the direction Brendel was talking in,pletely lost as if there was nothing there.

    ¡°You know what you should do. What you¡¯re trying to protect here is just a fake, an illusion that doesn¡¯t exist. You should return to the world you belong in and not waste any more time here. Otherwise, you¡¯ll abandon yourself in this fantastical dream maze and never wake up.¡± Viscount Cauldell said slowly, ¡°But you came here and let me see the choice you made out of weakness. You choose to stay here forever and immerse yourself in the illusion of the past?¡±

    Since threats don¡¯t work, it¡¯s trying to entice me? Brendelughed coldly and drew his sword to point it at the pale figure.

    ¡°What¡¯s even weaker than weakness? You¡¯re just an iplete persona. Hatred and jealousy has long ago destroyed your intelligence. After your experience of wandering in the forest for so long, obsession has swallowed your personality. How could a thing like you understand what salvation is?¡±

    He let out a breath of air and bared his white teeth. He answered, ¡°What you have forgotten is not just your honor. You forgot something even more important, and it was lost a long time ago on your road to growing up. Viscount Cauldell, the starting point to all of this, the root of all your hatred is covered by all the wounds. But I will find it and show it to you ¨C¡±

    ¡°Humans learned to cry to protect against hurt. But you probably forgot this a long time ago because you can no longer be considered a human.¡±

    ran Gain¡¯s de, as ck as the dream, pointed straight ahead at the chest of the pale shadow. But it also seemed to be a boundary in this forest, separating this and that world.

    The phantom¡¯s face showed signs of anger.

    In the next second, Haruz¡¯s silver eyes reflected a me. The fire ignited from the carriage behind Viscount Cauldell and then spread out.

    In the blink of the eye, the forest turned into a sea of fire. Viscount Cauldell¡¯s eyes glinted. He waved a hand indifferently and then shrieked out the words, ¡°Fine, then let¡¯s see how long you can be stubborn for ¨C¡±

    ¡°What you think of as persistence in your heart is actually just fragility.¡±

    ¡°Human hearts are all fakes.¡±

    The pale phantom reached out his left hand where the fingers turned into sharp ws. A crack suddenly appeared on his featureless face like a mouth, letting out mockingughter directed at everyone.

    Then the sea of fire swallowed the entire forest. A dense fog rose amidst the mes and the surrounding scenery changed once again. Brendel still felt the raging fire around him, but when he nced around the pine forest was no more. What appeared in his field of vision was a straight hallway. One one side of the hallway was an arched French window, outside the window the manor and the pce rose and fell and stretched out into the distant lights.

    But this resplendent pearl upon the ins was now covered with dust. This entire city was going up in mes. Fires shot up everywhere. Brendel and the little prince next to him saw the me spread out alongside the pce grounds until it reached them. Everywhere they could see was a sea of fire.

    The ss on the arched window shattered in the high heat and countless skeleton troopers rushed in from all sides. These skeletons shakily raised their swords made ofherworld iron, and the phosphorescence in their eyes flickered as they tried to surround them.

    On those ck long swords, devil¡¯s snares and ck roses bloomed. They were like a thorn in Brendel¡¯s eyes, causing his pupils to constrict again and again.

    What a familiar scene. The Undead appeared in the sea of fires, the pce was burning, the city was copsing. The Undead army swept in from their homnd, leaving nothing but ashes where they had passed.

    Aouine¡¯s radiant g turned into ash after this night. The veryst night, the elegy in the hearts of yers of Aouine, was now being recreated in his memory.

    Thest battle of Monsterros ¡ª

    Viscount Cauldell¡¯s high-pitchedughter echoed in mid-air. But theughter had traces of hatred in it, ¡°You think it¡¯s so easy to make a choice? But reality will always force you. You¡¯ll be in desperate situations and have to choose between life or death. What can mortals do in the face of destiny?¡±

    But Brendel paid him no attention. He felt for his powers which were still at the peak of Silver Rank. He immediately turned around and said to Haruz next to him, ¡°Retreat with your sister into Kinten Pce and try to find a way towards White Rose Castle. You should know there¡¯s a secret passage there that leads to the underground river.¡±

    ¡°What about you, teacher?¡± One of Harzu¡¯s hands was being gripped tightly by Princess Gryphine. He couldn¡¯t help but look up in worry.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m retreating with you two. What are you thinking?¡± Brendel answered in exasperation. ¡°But I have to beat off these skeletons. I can¡¯t very well hold onto your sister the entire way, right?¡±

    Princess Gryphine paused slightly and just realized that Brendel had a grip on her wrist this entire time. She hurriedly struggled free with her face turning red.

    ¡°I know that secret passage. It¡¯s under the bed in the room the Queen had lived in. You all follow me.¡± She pretended to be calm as she answered.

    Haruz stuck out his tongue and hurriedly covered his sister as she retreated in the hallway behind Brendel. Brendel turned around. Those skeletons may be slow, but they were getting close. He knew that getting involved with these low-level undead creatures would be an endless fight. He looked up at the structure of the hallway and swung his sword, one on each side. The columns on either side of the hallway copsed and the hallway, having lost its support, instantly copsed and buried the unsteady undeads underneath it.

    Brendel kicked everyst one of the few that escaped so theynded back amongst the ruins. Then he put away his sword, turned around and ran.

    Kinten Pce was nowpletely engulfed by mes, but at least this was more or less the same as what he remembered. The hallway leading to the inside courtyard was mostly made up of stone, so they survived the fire. They took the road to the White Rose Castle. They didn¡¯t walk too far before they saw the vague outlines of the castle, built in the Kirrlutz style, surface in the night air.

    White Rose Castle was first built before the Year of the Golden Hoof. Its earliest owner was actually from Kirrlutz, but afterward, thend and everything on it was given to the previous king and his subjects. After the Year of Chaos, the castle was ruined in a fire and then rebuilt along with Kinten Pce. What Brendel saw now was the rebuilt castle.

    This castle was thest defense of the pce in Monsterros, as well as thest castle to fall in the battle during the Third War of the ck Roses where the capital was finally lost to the enemy.

    ¡°The drawbridge to the castle must already be drawn up. We can only use the backdoor by the kitchen.¡± The princess reminded everyone as she ran.

    Brendel nodded. This was about what he expected. There was nowhere to go from the kitchen, but there was a path to deliver food. As long as they can get inside the castle, they could find a way to escape Kinten Pce. As for where they would go after they leave the castle, he hadn¡¯t thought much about it.

    Now was the time to put all the eggs in the basket.

    Just as they rushed into the tiny patch of forest in the courtyard before the castle, a team of knights with ck armor and ck clothing fought their way in. Brendel saw the azure phosphorescent knights with their entire body covered by armor and their iron helmets and couldn¡¯t stop his eyebrows from twitching.

    ck Knights.

    He almost moaned. At this time and age, these would be the elites from the Upper Gold ranked knights from Madara¡¯s Undead army. If he had his actual powers, it¡¯d be a piece of cake to go up against them. But to get past their defense right now was undoubtedly a battle to the death.

    Because they were controlled by Viscount Cauldell, the ck Knights discovered the Princess and everyone almost instantly. They turned the Skeletal War Horses they were riding around and fought their way over. As they advanced, they raised their long ck cusses high into the air.

    This castle was thest defense of the pce in Monsterros, as well as thest castle to fall in the battle during the Third War of the ck Roses where the capital was finally lost to the enemy.

    ¡°The drawbridge to the castle must already be drawn up. We can only use the backdoor by the kitchen.¡± The princess reminded everyone as she ran.

    Brendel nodded. This was about what he expected. There was nowhere to go from the kitchen, but there was a path to deliver food. As long as they can get inside the castle, they could find a way to escape Kinten Pce. As for where they would go after they leave the castle, he hadn¡¯t thought much about it.

    Now was the time to put all the eggs in the basket.

    Just as they rushed into the tiny patch of forest in the courtyard before the castle, a team of knights with ck armor and ck clothing fought their way in. Brendel saw the azure phosphorescent knights with their entire body covered by armor and their iron helmets and couldn¡¯t stop his eyebrows from twitching.

    ck Knights.

    He almost moaned. At this time and age, these would be the elites from the Upper Gold ranked knights from Madara¡¯s Undead army. If he had his actual powers, it¡¯d be a piece of cake to go up against them. But to get past their defense right now was undoubtedly a battle to the death.

    Because they were controlled by Viscount Cauldell, the ck Knights discovered the Princess and everyone almost instantly. They turned the Skeletal War Horses they were riding around and fought their way over. As they advanced, they raised their long ck cusses high into the air.

 Chapter 713 v4c90 Salvation(5)

    <h4>Chapter 713 v4c90 Salvation(5)</h4>

    When the ck Knights galloped through the forest they seemed like a ck whirlwind, just strangely silent. The Skeletal War Horses¡¯ hooves fell against the grass as lightly as if they were floating in mid-air. All that was visible was the green Soul Fire that floated up and down along with their bodies.

    Brendel stared intently at the des in their hands.

    ¡°You cannot escape,¡± Brendel heard Viscount Cauldell quack out hysterically. ¡°You should know what choice to make. You¡¯re a smart one. Are you going to abandon everyone you love and everyone who loves in reality, just so you can remain in this illusion of a dream?¡±

    ¡°I know you understand what is real. You¡¯re a strong one and definitely not weak. You need to learn how to let go.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a selfish boy anymore. You understand your duties.¡±

    ¡°You shut up. Someone who¡¯s lost has no right to lecture me about responsibilities.¡± Brendel¡¯s figure shed and the activating Dash allowed him to smash into one of the ck Knights like a rhinoceros. The ck Knight didn¡¯t realize at all that this weak human would attack first. The Soul Fire in its eyes immediately lit up, but it was toote. Brendel already pressed a hand against its iron helmet and dragged it off the war horse.

    With a loud bang, the ck Knight was yanked off the horse and fell onto the ground.

    Brendel used sh to appear right behind them. The ck Knights were startled and once again turned their ride around to surround Brendel. Brendel raised his head to examine the situation around him. He looked regretful when the ck Knight he had yanked off the horse fixed his helmet and then climbed up again. Peak Silver Ranker was too weak; he could only catch them off guard. If he had the elemental powers, that strike should have turned the ck Knight into a ttened metal pancake.

    Brendel immediately raised Halran Gaia and shouted to Haruz standing nearby. ¡°Haruz, take your sister and go. You should know where to go.¡±

    Haruz froze in shock for a moment and then looked astounded at Brendel. He shook his head vigorously, ¡°Teacher, what about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there,¡± Brendel answered confidently.

    ¡°But.¡±

    ¡°No talking back. This is an order. Now scram!¡± Brendel shouted angrily.

    The little prince jumped in fear. Before he could say anything, the princess grabbed his hand. Princess Gryphine looked in Brendel¡¯s direction and ordered the knights around her, ¡°Go help him. Whatever you do, he has to live.¡±

    The two knights immediately nodded and rushed in with their swords drawn.

    But Brendel looked at the two knights and shook his head. They wouldn¡¯t make a difference. He raised his head and gestured at the ck Knights, shouting, ¡°Fools, let me see if that Mercury Staff of your Emperor is really that powerful.¡±

    High level Undead had intelligence, so they naturally couldn¡¯t ept this insult to their Emperor. Some of the ck Knights¡¯ eyes lit up and immediately fought their way over to Brendel. Brendel saw that he sessfully managed to draw their attention and immediately turned around and ran. Who was he kidding, though he acted confident, to challenge seven or eight ck Knights as a Silver Rank was crazy and he wasn¡¯t that crazy.

    He rushed into the forest in the courtyard because he remembered there was a path there that led to the main pce. Maybe he could outrun these terrible creatures there.

    Provided he could get into the forest.

    Princess Gryphine pulled her ¡°sister¡± along as they ran. Haruz gripped his skirt with one hand and asionally turned around to look worriedly in the direction Brendel left in. He still remembered that he was in a dream maze. Since Teacher was the one who brought him in, they should leave together. How could he leave him behind?

    He thought in a panic.

    Just then, Princess Gryphine suddenly stopped up ahead. The Crown Princess frowned and looked at the kitchen that led to the castle side door in the nearby distance. But it was different from what he remembered. The kitchen door was mmed shut. That made her pause and then drew a dagger from under her dress. She mmed it against the lock a couple of times, but the magical lock from inside the pce was not something brute force could defeat. Except for leaving behind two light scratches, it did absolutely nothing.

    ¡°Sister, let me try.¡± Only then did Haruz notice what his sister was doing. He nced at the door and then hiked up his skirt with both hands. Then he mmed against the wooden door.

    But what he had never expected was for the door to creak open by itself moments before he mmed into it. He mmed into empty air and almost flew into the room. Luckily, a pair of hands reached out from behind the door and caught him. He looked up to see a familiar face.

    ¡°May-, no, no Bai, Miss Bai Jia.¡± Haruz paused slightly and thought for moments before he remembered the name of the female mage he met outside the Kinten Pce doors.

    But Bai Jia raised a finger to her lips and made a shushing gesture. She suggested, her face intense, ¡°You and Her Highness hide out here. Just wait for me here.¡±

    Haruz was surprised and then stared at her in disbelief, ¡°No, you-you¡¯re Maynild!¡±

    Maynild gave him a look, shook her head at him, and then drew her sword and rushed out of the door. That left Haruz standing by the door in a daze, watching the female knight¡¯s figure disappear into the night.

    Brendel just yed out a scene of victorious fleeing.

    Unfortunately, his luck didn¡¯tst long. He had barely managed to throw off the ck Knights, but the scene didn¡¯t y out the way he wanted it to. He had just stepped onto the path that led to the side pce when he ran into a nging suit of armor walking toward him.

    That¡¯s correct. It was a suit of armor, ck from head to toe, simple and undecorated just like the style during the War of the Holy Saints. But there was nobody wearing the armor, just a burning ball of blue me.

    Cursed Amor was actually also a spirit and one kind of the Undead. This kind of terrible Undead appeared for the first time on the battlefields during the Second War of the ck Roses. Of course, it appeared in this dream. It was more powerful than ck Knights and not limited at all by the narrow space.

    The truth was that it was more agile than Brendel imagined. He didn¡¯t know whether it was because Viscount Cauldell was the cause, but Brendel could see it dashing back and forth on the ceiling, chasing him as quickly, or maybe even faster, as he could run.

    When he looked up again, he discovered in despair that up ahead of him was a dead end with a tightly shut door.

    ¡°Do you know?¡± As if sensing Brendel¡¯s predicament, Cauldell¡¯s voice held a trace of ridicule. Cauldell nattered on in Brendel¡¯s heart, ¡°Sometimes you won¡¯t be sessful despite all your efforts. What you¡¯ll get is nothing but endless despair.

    ¡°Someone like you will single-mindedly believe that solving a problem is simple. How can you deny someone¡¯s effort with a simple choice?

    ¡°I once tried too, but I got nothing but defeat.

    ¡°And you will be the same.¡±

    ¡°Cauldell,¡± Brendel answered. The sound of the Cursed Armor nging as it ran became closer and closer. He could almost smell the unique scent of rot from Soul Elemental. ¡°This has nothing to do with sess or failure.¡±

    ¡°Then what is rted to? Your powers cannot change anything.¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s something I have that you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Viscount Cauldell paused slightly.

    As if the entire world paused with his thoughts.

    Brendel raised his head. He was no more than ten meters away from the door.

    ¡°Courage.¡±

    Brendel raised the Staff of Earth and mmed against the door. With a ng, the wooden door immediately splintered into pieces. Brendel rolled into the room behind it headfirst. Countless splinters pierced into his arms and he gritted his teeth in pain.

    ¡°Also...¡±

    Brendel saw a hand appear in front of him. He paused slightly; there was surprise but also wasn¡¯t that surprised. He reached out and grabbed it. The hand responded with such a familiar strength. Thousand times of battling together turned into one word:

    Comrade.

    Brendel looked up and saw the face, graduallying into focus. The young girl smiled beautifully, revealing pearl-white teeth. She carried a huge sword on her shoulders and looked at him teasingly, ¡°You¡¯re quitete, Sophie.¡±

    ¡°ck Tea.¡±

    ¡°You came from the Kinten Pce, right? Howe you¡¯re sote?¡±

    ¡°Too many Undead.¡±

    Brendel practically blurted it out. This dialogue was too familiar, almost identical to what he remembered. He closed his eyes and felt like crying. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that figure after figure appeared behind ck Tea. Mage, Warrior, Night Swallow, those yers¡¯ faces were so familiar, each and every one of them. They smiled at him with thefort ofrades.

    ¡°I thought so. Everyone is heading towards the side pce to defend against thest wave of the Undead. Every one from the Scarlet Travelers and Leidos¡¯ guild is here too.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of the rear guard here. Sophie, Bai Jai is waiting for you in the pce.¡±

    Brendel listened to these familiar words and felt like he was back at that battle. He saw that figure after figure appeared behind ck Tea. Mage, Warrior, Night Swallow, those yers¡¯ faces were so familiar, each and every one of them. They smiled at him with thefort ofrades.

    ¡°Leave this to us.¡±

    ¡°Keep moving forward, Sophie.¡±

    Brendel stopped. He could feel the emotions in his heart that belonged to Viscount Cauldell shivering. He knew what the guy was afraid of. He passed through ck Tea, passed through everyone and walked forward. In unison, everyone stepped sideways to open a path for him.

    ¡°There will be no Aouine after this battle, but at least we¡¯ll let its sword shine brightly for thest time!¡± Someone shouted.

    ¡°For Aouine!¡± The yers lifted their sword and responded in unison.

    Brendel passed by everyone until a voice said:

    ¡°Sophie¡±

    Brendel paused. He turned around and everything behind him seemed to have disappeared, leaving behind just the scene of yers battling. ck Tea looked at him and lifted her sword to gesture at him, ¡°Forget about us, Sophie.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she suddenly stopped and corrected herself, ¡°Brendel.¡±

    Brendel stayed silent. He knew that this was his own emotions. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because you need to go so much further. If you keep looking back, you¡¯ll slow down.¡±

    This time Brendel didn¡¯t answer. He turned back around and the hallway in front of him seemed to stretch out to infinity. He didn¡¯t answer ck Tea¡¯s question because it was like asking a question. He already had his answer.

    ¡°This is your answer!¡± Viscount Cauldell¡¯s voice shouted exasperatedly at him, ¡°You¡¯re so stubborn. You know very well that you¡¯ve chosen the wrong path. You think you¡¯re fighting against fate, but you¡¯re just running away from reality.¡±

    Brendel walked forward and, at the same time, answered in his heart, ¡°Viscount Cauldell, anyone will experience defeat. But you¡¯ll never understand courage and trust because you abandoned them from the very start.¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    Viscount Cauldell shrieked ear-piercingly.

    Its figure turned solid in front of Brendel. The white phantom turned humongous in an instant. Its lower half was falling apart and its upper half covered with chains and locks. He had neither mouth nor ear and all that was left was a pair of coldly glinting eyes.

    ¡°You can¡¯t save him, you can¡¯t save yourself, you can¡¯t save anyone!¡± The monster that was Viscount Cauldell¡¯s phantom howled and pped at Brendel with his w.

    But Brendel took a step back as if he expected that and the long and sharp w passed by his chest.

    He immediately felt power returning to his body so that he once again possessed an Elemental Rank¡¯s skills. He looked up and saw the gigantic version of Viscount Cauldell¡¯s phantom. He knew in his heart that he had found the key to this entire mission.

    This terrifying monster in front of him was the representation of all of Viscount Cauldell¡¯s negative emotions. ording to the walkthrough, it was also the final boss in this dream.

    Inparison to this entire dream, this so-called monster was actually the easiest part to deal with.

    Merely an elite creature at the level of a Peak Golden rank.

    Brendel could even look up nonchntly and look at the deformed monster as he let out a cold chuckle, ¡°Is this the jealousy and regret you¡¯ve kept locked up in your heart? You¡¯ve been running away from yourself for so long that it¡¯s turned into nothing but a weak monster.

    ¡°You cannot stop me because nobody can stop determination.¡±

    As his words finished, he already disappeared. All that was left in Cauldell¡¯s twisted field of vision was an icy-cold de. That de was so fast that it moved faster than the lightning speed of thought.

    The monster only had time to raise his head before his movement froze and turned into a long anguished howl.

    Then a loud ng and the twisted soul of Viscount Cauldell seemed to vanish into the wind. All of the chains around him fell to the ground.

    Brendel put away his sword. He turned around to look and saw a silver item glinting amongst the chains. That should be the dropped item from this mission. Brendel reached a hand in that direction and the item immediately went into his Dimension Space.

    He didn¡¯t have time to examine it closely because the entire dream was shaking violently due to Viscount Cauldell¡¯s death. The dream world was about to copse.

 Chapter 714 4c91 The End of the Dream

    <h4>Chapter 714 4c91 The End of the Dream</h4>

    The dream world was copsing, but Brendel knew there was onest stretch to go. He put his things away, turned off the Experience prompt, and looked up to see a long corridor appear ahead.

    It was like a deep walkway stretching forward in a circr space, surrounded by flickering fragments of the past in the mist.

    He knew that this was no longer the dream of Viscount Cauldell, but truly his own.

    Self-salvation was often an opportunity hidden in the deepest parts of the human heart.

    Brendel moved forward slowly, through the darkness, and then the light came from all directions and draped over him. Finally, he saw a door, which was immersed in darkness and silence, the pattern on the door was a bronze lock and key, as well as a silver crescent moon, this memory was as new as if it were just from yesterday. Brendel did not stop, but walked forward and pushed the door open.

    The heavy wooden door creaked open.

    Behind the door was the center of the pce.

    The Kinten Pce, the Hall of the Seers.

    A dim light hung down from the dome, the hall was silent, with the fetid red throne in the center of the pce, and on it rested a silver crown. The crown had a slender, elfin style, and it was painted with the mountains of the southern realm and the clouds of the north, and many in Brendel¡¯s memory had worn it, for it had been the symbol of Aouine.

    An unknown craftsman made the crown, and thete King Erik was crowned with it at Grey, and in the long years that followed, dozens of kings bore it, but they had faded into dust.

    As history progressed, it had weed itsst owner, a beautiful half-Elf maiden.

    Brendel saw the pale silver light reflected in that crown, almost the same color as Princess Gryphine¡¯s silver hair, but the moment seemed so dull after the luster had dissipated.

    Does it know where its former owner is now?

    Has it ever gaze upon the beautiful Princess who will be resting forever in this pce?

    It might not have cared for the blood that stained it, for it was a dead object that was only a deposit of mortal greed.

    Brendel walked to the center of the hall, but the pce was empty. He knew that many kings had sat here at one time or another, even the eldest princess, who had walked gracefully down the red carpet to the main hall, where the knights bowed down to her.

    In another time period, he stood here with his senior, in the same wretched hall, the dim light, the sound of wind and fire mingling outside, the noises of battlinging closer and closer.

    It was thest cry of the dying Aouine, as if it were a symbol of the groaning before the pce copsed.

    But now, he was all that was left.

    Everything was as it had been.

    Brendel saw mes burn in from outside the pce, turning the pce into a zing inferno in the blink of an eye. The porticoes copsed, the gaudy artworks turned to dust, and he stood alone in the middle of these mes.

    ¡°Why are you not afraid of failure?¡± A feeble voice asked.

    It was the voice of Viscount Cauldell.

    ¡°I do fear failure,¡± replied Brendel, seeing the pale figure emerge from the mes, as he picked up the crown andid it aside, then sat down on the throne, ¡°but I fear not knowing what my heart wants more.¡±

    ¡°Death is not to be feared, what is to be feared is to lose oneself.¡±

    Viscount Cauldell stood silently opposite Brendel without saying a word.

    He did not let out a sigh until a long time had passed.

    Brendel saw him turn towards the fire, his back disappearing into the mes, and he heard that ghostly sigh, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Bessidine. I¡¯m sorry, Lord Sanorso.¡±

    Brendel closed his eyes.

    It was as if he was dreaming another long dream, in which Viscount Cauldell was not called Viscount Cauldell, but had another identity. They all called him the King of the Sun, Cauldefred, and he had once had a fianc¨¦e, a woman named Bessidine Ramona Moonleaf, for only such a noble name could bear the surname of the Wind Elf royal family.

    But Viscount Cauldell and his fiancee in the memory were long gone in the middle of those woods.

    Brendel opened his eyes, the fire had reached beneath the throne, but the dream was still fresh, so he sat on the throne, wondering if it was wrong or right, but it was indeed his choice. There was a loud crash amidst the mes, and Brendel thought the pirs on the side of the hall had copsed, but suddenly a figure burst out of the fire and grabbed him by the hand.

    ¡°Come with me¨C¡±

    Startled slightly, Brendel looked up and saw the familiar figure of the one advancing through the mes, her flowing ck hair standing out in the burning mes.

    ¡°Senior?¡±

    The pce copsed on both of their sides, and it was almost impossible to tell which way to go amidst the smoke, the temperature seemed to be getting hotter and hotter, and the smoke gradually covered all sight.

    After a few moments, Brendel felt that he was walkingpletely in the ck fog, and he could not tell whether he was still in the Kinten Pce or not. But the smoke suddenly parted to both sides, and the cold moonlight seemed to fall from above and descend down on him.

    Brendel was slightly startled, and he raised his head.

    The pce and seas of fire were nowhere to be seen around him, only the shadowed cedar forest remained, and he noticed that the cold light before was no moonlight at all, but an arc of light blue light in the sky.

    It was the Demonic Wave.

    The swirling shadows of the clouds reflected this light on Brendel¡¯s face, and the female knight in front of him pulled him two more steps forward before letting go and turning back.

    They were both sweating profusely.

    Brendel looked at the pale face of the female knight and was startled before he blurted out, ¡°Maynild?¡±

    The female knight did not answer, instead, she turned around and headed into the forest. Brendel saw Haruz curled up under a tree, sleeping soundly, with a shiny line hanging from the corner of his mouth- the guy was actually drooling in his sleep.

    It was a little hard for Brendel to imagine the little prince in his dreams.

    Maynild did not wake him, but went over to the prince, took the cloak off her body, and put it on him. Brendel saw how she was taking care of people, and more than once he was reminded of his senior, Bai Jia.

    ¡°Is there something you are not telling me, Lady Maynild?¡± He asked abruptly.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t ask, thank you,¡± Maynild replied back, softly, ¡°Just this once, give me some time-¡±

    Brendel was slightly startled.

    He just looked at Maynild and they were both silent for a moment, but soon there was a soft noise in the woods and Brendel looked back to see Laurenna and Firasing out of the bushes holding hands.

    The female knight from the Kirrlutz Empire also gave them a somewhat odd look when she saw Brendel and Maynild together.

    ¡°Ha, Count, I didn¡¯t expect you guys to be a bit faster than us.¡± Firas was much more direct and mumbled, ¡°I just had a weird dream, I¡¯m really pissed off.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± It was expected for the lucky couple to be the first out of the dream, but he was curious about what could have pissed the guy off like that.

    Before Laurenna could stop him, Firas blurted out, ¡°I dreamt that that shitty prince was going to marry Laurenna, hmph, how delusional.¡±

    ¡°So how did you fix it?¡± When Brendel saw the female knight blush at Firas¡¯ words, he understood that the dream must have been very exciting, then he calmed his nerves and continued to ask curiously.

    ¡°Crap, kill him of course.¡± Firas replied hatefully.

    Brendel was sweating profusely at the thought that this guy was being a little too tough. The grand prince of Kirlutz was the first heir to the empire and Firas was just given the chance to finish him off just like that. You know, dreams were so real, maybe Firas had not even considered whether he was in a dream or reality when he did that.

    But he took one look at the guy, and it suddenly kind of dawned on him that maybe only people like this would never be confused by his own mind.

    ¡°You¡¯re a lucky woman, Miss Laurenna.¡± Brendel said.

    The female knight¡¯s cheeks flushed and she punched Firas hard, ¡°This guy acts upon impulsivity, he scared me to death.¡±

    Firas smiled heedlessly, and Brendel also smiled slightly, he felt happy for Firas and Laurenna in his heart, as not everything in this world could go smoothly, and very few people possessed would stick to one¡¯s guns in the face of adversity.

    He lifted his head and saw no moonlight in the sky. The swirling clouds had only just spread over the forest, while the Demonic Wave was already at its fiercest.

    ......

    The hours seemed to pass by, Freya and Scarlet stepped out of the dreamscape one after the other. Medissa, Ciel and Hipam themselves had stopped dreaming a while ago, they were merely lost because Brendel was lost, and had recovered not long after Brendel had left the dreamscape.

    It was only then that the scattered knights and the rest of the team¡¯s entourages were found, and once Maynild did a headcount afterward, she discovered that half the team had actually scattered, and all the missing people would be lost forever in the forest, never to be found again.

    Everyone shuddered at the thought of this and had a whole new understanding of the horrors of this forest.

    Brendel asked Freya privately about her experience with Scarlet, and Freya did, as he expected, re-experienced the nightmare of escaping from Be. But she said that Brendel was nonexistent in her dreams, which caused Brendel to break out in a cold sweat.

    Freya also told him that she had experienced apletely different night in Be, which the future Valkyrie did not go into too much detail about, but ended with thanking her softly.

    Brendel could probably guess what had happened to her, just as he had guessed that she would return to Be that night. Perhaps for the Valkyrie, that was the most important memory of her life.

    A memory that had changed her life.

    As for Scarlet, the maiden did not say much, but just looked at him quietly for a moment, then followed him and never left again. Brendel could not figure out what she had dreamt about.

    But like everyone else, everyone seemed to be especially quiet after they left their dreams.

    Most of them sat leaning on each other, clustered in the forest as if they were reminiscing their dreams.

    The morning that was never seen in the Forest of Eternal Night thus, brought a new day about in the sense of time.

    ......

 Chapter 715 v4c92 Wave of a Thousand Years

    <h4>Chapter 715 v4c92 Wave of a Thousand Years</h4>

    ¡°Gong...Gong...Gong...¡± The Sacred Shrine of the Lionheart¡¯s bell chimed, the monks swarmed out, with their barefoot on white marble they came to the top of the Iron Heart Square. Layers of dark clouds gathered over the sky of this city.

    The Great Demonic Wave was just as Brando had expected, from the Lion City to the Shining Sea, from the Mechanic Realm of the Hazaiers to the Drooping Cloud Mountains in the far east, the surge of the Demonic Wave rmed everyone.

    Everyone stopped their business at hand and looked up in amazement, and an obscure, indistinct blue was crossing the darkened sky, shining as if it were morning light, or piercing through the clouds like a curved arc, halfway across the sky and stabbing at the canopy overhead.

    The Astrologers throughout Vaunte were on tenterhooks at this moment, the Sea of Magic was roaring furiously, and every saint who hid in the prayer room prayed devoutly to their God was having trouble calming the turmoil within.

    Dark clouds obscured the light of the moon and stars, and darkness hovered over the mountains and ins, the shiningkes and rolling forests, from west to east, the Pirs of Order lit up in each of the cathedrals on the vast expanse of Vaunte.

    Marsha¡¯s Tiamat Law had warned all, heralding theing age of chaos.

    Above the Iron Heart Square, bishops of lofty status looked up at the dramatic change in the sky with an indescribable expression on their faces. Some were whispering, but more had begun to turn back.

    ¡°Go to the Sublime Hall, light the Crystal of Order, and make an announcement to the other cathedrals-¡±

    The loud voice spread across the square, the first wisps of rain drifted down from the sky, and in the blink of an eye, the temperature had plummeted. Everyone looked back, and behind them, the city bells were ringing loudly.

    Across the sea, the Bugas and dozens of cities in the sky were flying slowly above the clouds in the sky. In the pitch ckness, lightning would asionally reflect the silver spires of those towers.

    In Onais, Astrologers stepped out of their white towers in turn, while the great mages, dressed in white robes and carrying scrolls, could still feel the change in the world order even though they could not see.

    Tiamat¡¯s great Magic Array was changing course.

    The entire world was rumbling.

    Far away in the heavens, deep in the sea of clouds, lightning asionally draped down like a sinuous me, lighting up the dark sea. The stark white of the lightning passed through the lofty windows with their otherworldly style, reflecting the shadows of craft patterns on the long thin face of William, holding the mage¡¯s chess piece as if in meditation, his face pale.

    He sat atop the throne of the Twelve, the throne behind him like an elongated shadow, the spiked backrest symbolizing supreme knowledge extending infinitely toward the vault in such a setting, full of mysterious majesty.

    The old mage remained motionless, like a statue, his profound gaze gazing at the vaulted hall beneath the handrail, the restless Sea of Magic was as if it could be seen in the endless depth of his eyes. The silver-robed mages crossed the empty corridor one after another, passing through the heavy curtain hanging down from the arches, crossing the hall anding under the gaze of three hundred and twenty gazes.

    They looked up, and above them, for a change from their usual drowsy spectacle, the councillors of the Silver League frowned.

    There was no whispering nor talking, but an ominous presence in the air.

    ¡°Citizens of Buga, great mages, salute to knowledge, salute to truth!¡±

    A roaring voice echoed across the hall. The mage in white robes, with one hand holding a sheepskin scroll, raised his head like a lion and challenged everyone.

    ¡°Who foresaw all of this today, and yet hid the truth?¡±

    ¡°We demand an answer.¡±

    ¡°Is this a sign of that ¡®destruction and new life¡¯ from the prophecy, or is it a once-in-a-decade disy of the Demonic Wave¡¯s own wrath? Tiamat¡¯s edges have long since been unable to contain the rising and violent power, and the scroll schrs and silver candles will be at every tiny sign of the fourteen hundred nodes sensing theing drastic change!¡±

    ¡°But what about our senate? The patriarchs are still drowsy, where is the Eye of the Revtor? Where are the scepters of the Ten Realms?¡±

    The mage waved his fist forcefully, as if it were a challenge: ¡°Since the War of the Holy Saints, the response of the Bugas of the Silver Folk has been slowing down day by day,as if they were proud of themselves, this alliance is bing droopy, and only a new spirit can revive it!¡±

    ¡°Change ising, are we going to miss the boat again? The Silver Elves hvae now appeared in the world, and ording to that ancientnguage, we should also demand self-purification and cleansing!¡±

    ¡°I request-¡±

    ¡°To initiate the Arbitration Proceedings!¡± More voices roared, and the hall was buzzing for a moment.

    It was as if his face had contorted in excessive anger, the silver-haired, benevolent old man withdrew his gaze from the over-exaggerated kind of face below, and with a nce at the facetious councillors, he could not help but toss his queen chess onto the chessboard in disinterest.

    With a bang, the board seemed toe to life, turning into a swamp between the ck and white squares, plunging and slowly engulfing William¡¯s bishop into it.

    ¡°Those guys are really getting out of hand, Isaac¡¯s pupils.¡± The old man¡¯s face was full of uninteresting disdain, but if he did not speak, and if he did not sit on this throne of the Twelve, as well as not wear this characteristic purple robe with lightning markings, who would have guessed that this old mage who looked no more than an old man, would be Solomon, the King of Knowledge, head of the twelve Mage leaders of the Silver.

    In his most glorious years, his words were truth, his actions were thew, and he was the ultimate symbol of power and knowledge on the earth. Mortals thought he had long since be a god, but in fact, he was still Solomon, a Silver Folk, the one with the ultimate power on the pirs of Buga.

    And for the rest of his life, Solomon thought of himself only as a mage.

    ¡°He has a way with his words, isn¡¯t that what that guy always does, haha. Let them make a scene, the Frostites want to influence the course of the world more. As it is well said ¡®the more power, the more responsibility¡¯, isn¡¯t that their usual mantra?¡± William had a smile on his face and the chess piece in his hand, ¡°Of course they¡¯re not wrong, it¡¯s their responsibility, leave it to them, as they¡¯re just a bunch of juniors-¡±

    The old mage tapped his chess piece on the table, and the board and pieces suddenly turned into a puddle of silvery liquid, which shifted on the table as if it was afraid of William. It shivered, and flew off the table and down to the ground, escaping into the darkness.

    Only then did the old man raise his untrimmed eyebrows andugh, ¡°But Silver Elves aren¡¯t vegetarians, we just have to mind our own business.¡±

    But in the meantime, he raised his brows then frowned, and his old, wise-looking eyes took on a sense of coldness; pursing his lips, he added sternly, ¡°But enemies and friends must be distinguished, and if certain opportunists think they can take advantage of the opportunity to hold the senate hostage, they will get what they deserve. The League of Nethas was founded by mages who swore an oath with their hands on the Book of Knowledge. Knowledge and power are never separated, thew on one hand was to maintain order, but ultimately it was a sanction of the few against the many, and no one can question its authority above the charter of the Silver League.¡±

    The old man with the silver hair and shawl was indifferent to this speech, he frowned and stared at the few remaining pieces on the table. Lightning were leaping on the clouds outside the window, and it reflected his face and the fine wrinkles on his forehead. Finally, Solomon raised the snow white tip of his brow, looked up, and said angrily, ¡°No, you should lose this game, William.¡±

    ¡°No, how!¡± William innocently raised his eyebrows as if he were still a child and denied, ¡°I still have a trick up my sleeve.¡±

    Solomon stared vacantly at his old friend.

    ¡°Come on, old friend, you see, chess is just a way for mortals to pass the time, and we¡¯ve wasted too much time on it already. You and I are past the age of arguing over who is the winner or loser. Everything is orderly and chaotic, but in the end it alles down to one, in some ways the guys who say that everything wille back to one are not wrong, it¡¯s just that they don¡¯t understand that everything has a purpose, the course of the world is set in stone, any change in the hands of others will upset the original bnce. There is no wrong or right, everything just goes with the flow. ¡± The old mage hurriedlyughed and diverted the topic.

    ¡°Hmph,¡± Solomon saw his old friend showing a submissive side, and no longer dwelled on this topic: ¡°But thanks to you and Tuman, you promptly discovered the movement of the Sea of Magic in theLoop of Trade Winds, or else those guys would really get a hold of it this time. The senate, while not shaken in the slightest, is inevitably embarrassed. The Law of Tiamat has its imperfections, and mortals look to Marsha, while we inevitably have to count on ourselves.¡±

    But then he lifted his head and asked, ¡°But what I really want to ask is, what exactly is the master of that secret silver castle nning to do now?¡±

    ¡°Tuman?¡± William suddenly had the face of a young man in his mind, ¡°He still remains in Aouine. You know human emotions are a wonderful thing, homnd, country, family and friendship, Tuman¡¯s life in the mortal world has more or less changed him, he probably ns to help that little country.¡±

    William said as he turned around, and a bolt of lightning struck down, his eyes reflecting the lightning.

    ¡°It¡¯s no good talking about it too easily, old chap. Even the Silver Folks have emotions, they just don¡¯t show them as explicitly.¡± Solomon crossed his arms and replied, ¡°But your motives should not be so simple, did you discover something else besides the Azure Lance.¡±

    ¡°Not quite a discovery, a discovery is a very serious word. I should say it was an encounter with an interesting little fellow that reminded me of someone, ah ¨C you are right, the Silver Folks have feelings too.¡± William smiled slightly, ¡°I knew that person in my early days when I passed through Aouine, but unfortunately human life is too short.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, no matter if one was as ambitious as a lion or as firm and enduring as a white oak tree, they will eventually be forgotten as time passes in the human world. Only thew is different, for what rests on emotion is fragile, and only truth remains constant.¡± Solomon replied matter-of-factly, but with the unhideable pride of a Silver Folk.

    ¡°Somewhat in line with your style, but we are less likely to be swayed by emotion, like this thing I asked you to do. It¡¯s best not to let the radicals gain too much support while I¡¯m gone, I doubt there will be a war, but the Buga or the Silver Elves, they¡¯re not ready yet.¡±

    Solomon did not answer, but he just put away the pieces on the table. William sat up straight beside him.

    In the midst of the storm outside the window, William straightened his hand and the staff immediately flew from the corner andnded firmly in his hand.

    It was only then that Solomon asked, ¡°I haven¡¯t asked yet, but where do you n to go at this time?¡±

    The old mage put on his hat, the shadow of the mage¡¯s hat obscuring his face, revealing only the long silver beard beneath, ¡°I felt a little shift in one of the monitoring nodes, and if I¡¯m right, something exciting might happen.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±

    Solomon raised an eyebrow.

    The following speech was getting to its climax, but unfortunately the listener was distracted.

    ......

    ck clouds filled the sky, rain was pouring from the Grey Bay to the Roshar Avenue, it was good that the Roshar people had already taken this into consideration when they founded the city, and had built perfect drainage facilities on both sides of the Avenue. The rain clouds came from the Eternal Death Sea after the summer every year, and were blocked by the Drooping Cloud Mountains, water vapour gathered into rain and fell upon. But this year the rain was particrly abundant, sh floods have washed away many bridges. A line up of riders dashed out into the rain, trying hard to move forward on the muddy path.

    In the midst of the heavy rain, both men and horses were dressed in sky blue robes. The emblem on the robes was the pattern of the Wind Empress¡¯ nine-head snake, and most of the knights wore Elven-style armor, with pointed ears and long, pale blue hair showing beneath their helmets, which also proved their identity.

    ¡°Lord Marquis, it¡¯s just ahead.¡± A loud voice that could be barely heard in the rain shouted.

    ¡°Did any of you get a good look at what the hell that was?¡± The only tall Elf in the group turned around while on his horse. His chains on the armor ttered loudly but he did not care about these details and proceeded to ask in a serious tone. The style of his armor was extraordinarily precise, and pale blue magic seemed to flow through the texture of the armor¡¯s surface, keeping the armor dry from the rain.

    ¡°A ball of fire, my lord, it was probably Sarah¡¯s Tears.¡±

    The knights stood in the rain and looked at each other, they did not know what this lord from the Central Province was worried about. Wasn¡¯t it just a meteorite? The mortals of the earth considered meteorites and meteors to be the tears of the dragons in the sky, and only a few witches considered them to be signs of the unknown.

    But crystallized meteorites mostly came from the Sea of Magic, and burning meteorites which passed over the forest would sometimes cause mountain fires, but the meteorites themselves containedrge amounts of magical crystals, a great fortune, and every knight¡¯s heart was on fire.

    The tall Elf did not answer. The world paid attention to these side events, but only a few noticed that Sarah¡¯s Tears hade by more often since the Year of Summer Blossoms and Leaves.

    There had been over thirty sightings in Roshar alone.

    He remembered again the figures disyed in the scrolls. Those numbers meant nothing to a mere man, but to one of his stature, they looked like a de stuck in a map, glinting with an intimidating cold light.

    The Law of Tiamat is weakening.

    But how could that be?

    Marquis Steffen stared back at the windswept clouds of the Demonic Wave in the sky, the cyan arc of light reflected in his eyes, which made it seem dimmer. These knights around him were not at all clear about his true identity, those country people only thought that nobles like him from the Central were greedy and afraid of death. Little did they know that he was the Night Song Knight of the Holy Cathedral of Wind, what a joke.

    The borders of Sanorso had be increasingly unstable, and unfortunately most of the nobles of the Elven Court still stubbornly believed it was nothing more than a disturbance of the Undead, thinking that Madara was incapable of starting two wars at once.

    He had a nudging feeling that it was not that simple.

    The seven months¡¯ report clearly marked that the number of Demons on the border was increasing, or rather, they were multiplying at an rming rate. Dozens of attacks were reported by lords from all over, but they were deliberately hidden from the guys down there who were whitewashing the peace.

    These tricks were hidden from the Elven Court, but not from the secret knights of the Holy Cathedral. The rituals had mentioned more than once that the Demonic Wave might just be a manifestation, and he, like the King of the Summer, Xan Griffin, suspected another possibility.

    ¡°I hope Farnezain will bring back good news, the Holy Cathedral of Fire is really getting corrupted, in such a smallnd like Aouine.¡±

    Steffen silently hid these thoughts from his mind as he took one look at his makeshift followers who had unconcerned looks on their faces. He turned and drew his sword, with the de glowing brightly in the rain he said, ¡°Beware of the ghosts in the forest, let¡¯s move on.¡±

    In unison, the knights turned to face forward in unison.

    But only Marquis Steffen knew that something was not right. He looked up front, and the ck hole of the forest was like a giant mouth that would swallow everything.

    Amidst the heavy rain, a chill went down his spine.

    ......

 Chapter 716 v4c94

    <h4>Chapter 716 v4c94</h4>

    Resting in the Forest

    Compared to the turmoil of the entire world, the silence of the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth was more like a pool of stagnant water, the world inside and outside seemed to be separated by an invisible wall, leaving only the sky light that spread across the dark night sky.

    The knights passed through the forest, the pine forest rattling in the night breeze, and it was not until the early hours of the morning that they were able to retrieve some of the missing men again. But what was most surprising to Brendel was that Freya and Laurena found the sleeping female hunter in a small forest.

    Peya was thest to return to the team, and her return was arguably unexpected by Brendel. The more confusion there was in the dream, the greater the power to seduce the mind. And it was well known that the nightmare in the female hunter¡¯s mind should have made it impossible for her to break free of her own terrible dream.

    She was found sleeping quietly in the middle of a mossy field, as if she was a sleeping princess and had no sense of hunter¡¯s wildness. But there were tear marks on her face.

    Brendel asked Nemesis to check the other party¡¯s condition and asked the others not to disturb her after confirming that she was fine. Peya¡¯s dream was in its final stages, all they had to do was to be quiet and wait for her to wake up, because as long as she had appeared outside of the Misty Forest, it meant that she would wake up.

    There was no need to worry too much about the rest.

    The knights scattered themselves among the woonds for a short rest in obedience to Brendel¡¯s orders. Brendel sat down against a cedar, and the young prince came over blushing to ask for his sword back, then ran off.

    Not far away Nemesis gave him an odd look that made Brendel feel a little guilty, and though he did not know why Nemesis was in his and Haruz¡¯s dream, he assumed she had seen Haruz in the female costume.

    Let¡¯s hope she doesn¡¯t tell the princess. But I don¡¯t think she will, Nemesis doesn¡¯t seem to be the gossipy type of woman. Brendel thought. He doubted that Princess Gryphine would spare his life if she knew what he had done.

    Thinking about all this nonsense, he appraised the equipment that had fallen from Viscount Cauldell as he took it out of the Dimension Space.

    He twisted the shiny thing out of it, to find that it was a ne. He ced the ne in his left hand, its chain shimmered faintly, like silver, and the pendant was an encircling heart shape. He had a vague feeling that he had seen it somewhere before.

    He thought for a moment, and he thought of a possibility, ¡°Is it actually that thing?¡± Brendel¡¯s heart outbursted with joy and he hurriedly opened the attributes panel.

    Atoa¡¯s Determination.

    [Magic]

    Strength +20

    Physique +20

    Wind resistance +5

    Fire Resistance +5

    Water resistance +5

    Earth resistance +5

    ¡°It really is this thing.¡± Feeling oddly surprised, Brendel subconsciously lifted the ne and flipped it, indeed, he found this quaint phrase engraved on the back of the pendant.

    ¡®T¡¯ya Oss Eaam me¨C¡®

    It meant ¡®All Elements are for my use.¡¯ This ancient text is a magical rune that existed before the birth of Vaunte and is even older than the Witch¡¯s text, but it has lost its magical power and has be a mere tool for storing information.

    The literal meaning actually referred to the Azure Dragon, the ruler of the Elements. Atoa was the name that belonged to her, it was just that after the fall of Ebabel Tower, mortals preferred to consider it as a cmity.

    The ne could only be considered average at this level, but it held a bit of special meaning for Brendel as it was actually a quest item just like the Wing Ring.

    ¡®The end of the beginning of the cmity, the Jewel of the Dragonborn¡¯s Crown¡¯, this inter-legendary item was the final reward for this series of quests. It could expand the four Element Pools at the same time and was one of the divine nes of the Elementalists. It was also something that Brendel was now imperative to acquire, and Brendel had nned to find a way to acquire this quest ne, but he had not expected to have gotten it so easily.

    Except that Atoa¡¯s Determination itself was not a rare object, and the difficulty of the quest was the process, not the means of triggering it.

    Brendel removed the Star of mes from his neck, a ne that had followed him since the Long Song Forest. But the ruby on the pendant had long since been broken and damaged in thest battle of Ampere Seale. He ced the Star of mes at his side somewhat cherishingly, and then took Atoa¡¯s Determination, which was not a superb piece. But something is always better than nothing.

    Then Brendel took another look at the Dimension Space that had separated into two lines. The Dimension Space was filled with piles of loots from the Loop of Trade Winds, such as armors, yer Cones, Health Potions. Brendel had never thought of sorting them out. Between the mess, there was an object about an arm¡¯s length in the shape of a cylinder that glowed dimly.

    He was slightly startled before remembering that it was a reward from a battle with Demons. At first, Amandina was the one who had it but she then passed it to him, and he still had not figured out exactly what it was used for.

    But there was really nothing interesting to know about demonic possessions, as they were not meant to be held by mortals. Plus they had side effects of one type or another, and using them without permission would usually not end well. For example, Count Dilferi, who is still unable to get out of bed and walk for too long. The Holy Cathedral¡¯s priests said that she also had a hidden illness, which Brendel had always been feeling guilty about.

    However, this was a rtively minor one, and it was not umon for people to lose their lives or even have their souls imprisoned for eternity because of the use of demonic items.

    Brendel lost interest in the item when he thought of Dilferi, though the Witches in the Cynthia region were good at examining demonic items, he did not feel the need to make a special trip there.

    After examining the item in hand, his heart somehow stilled along with the forest as well, and the morning breeze began to ruffle through the canopy of trees, making sounds so soft that they sounded almost like lubies.

    But no one could fall asleep, for as soon as they closed their eyes the thought of the nightmare they had been having woulde to mind.

    Brendel felt someone sit down next to him, it was Scarlet. She did not even need to ask permission from her lord to sit next to him. She turned back and watched Brendel¡¯s movements quietly with her beautiful amber eyes.

    ¡°Something¡¯s up?¡± Brendel asked.

    Scarlet took out a ring and handed it to Brendel.

    Brendel saw the ring in her hand ¨C it looked extremely odd from the surface, sort of like a pierced and polished pebble, very smooth and pristine. But he froze for a moment before realizing that it was a magical ring.

    ¡°Is this your loot?¡±

    Scarlet nodded.

    That was the relic of the Lost Name¡¯s life, and it looked like Scarlet was pretty lucky. He took the ring, and found that the stone ring was smooth to the touch, the surface seemed to be satin, but nothing could be seen of it.

    But Brendel did not rush to guess its attributes, as this kind of stone product was very rare in Vaunte, and some of them might be old enough to even witnessed the first era of the world. He rubbed the inside of the ring with his hand and felt a line of indentions.

    It was the writing of the Marrs.

    ¡°This is an ancient object!¡± Brendel could not help but exim, ¡°Scarlet, you¡¯re so lucky!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Scarlet looked at him puzzled.

    ¡°Most of the magical items that came after the destruction of Ebabel Tower came from after Tuman¡¯s discovery of the magical pattern, but there were actually all sorts of magical items before that,¡± Brendel exined, ¡°These magic items weren¡¯t necessarily more powerful than what we see now, but they were very strange-¡±

    He held the ring up as he spoke, and the greenish ember of the sky cast its light through the leafy boughs and down through the hole in the middle of the ring, creating a speck of light, and the ring¡¯s attributes appeared before his eyes at the same time.

    The Ring of Stone.

    [Fantasy]

    Strength +75

    Additional Skills:

    Eternal Family ¨C The Ring bearer is on the ground, and the Ring of Stone doubles its increased attributes.

    A ring of around level 40 would add 150 strength, and although it is only on the ground, such extreme attributes are very rare among magical items from the Magickal Age. Its additional skills also aptly illustrated the fact that ancient magical items generally focused on one aspect, but possessed a variety of limitations.

    In the game, yers said that they belonged to a special ss of cursed items, and Brendel found that to be understandable.

    The Ring was nothing too special in terms of skills, but the mere increase in properties itself was amazing at this level. In particr, it suddenly urred to Brendel that the Ring was simply tailor-made for Scarlet, who did not need to focus too much on defense due to the attributes of the Azure Lance and the Dragonbow¡¯s strong recovery. The Ring of Stones was certainly the bestmentary on an all-attack stream fighter like her.

    ¡°This is a ring blessed by Gaia,¡± Brendel put down the ring and said to Scarlet, ¡°You¡¯re lucky it belongs to you.¡±

    Scarlet was a little quiet at Brendel¡¯s statement, she could roughly guess the Ring¡¯s value, but she replied, ¡°I don¡¯t need it, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, it suits you better than me.¡± Brendel smiled at the girl, ¡°Give me your hand and I¡¯ll put it on you-¡±

    Scarlet stayed still for a moment.

    Brendel waspletely immersed in his own vision, offensive stream warriors were rare in the game because of the waybat dictated that close quarters physical professions had to be inherently more survivable than other professions, as close quarters meant that it was harder to avoid some wide-ranged spells and attacks, and the necessary living skills and protection were required to survive these battles.

    Professions like Night Swallows can make up for this with high-speed movement and dexterity, but what does a warrior have? Warriors could rely on nothing more than sturdy armors and strong physiques.

    But there were no absolutes, and Brendel yearned for that kind of forward momentum in his heart. Because by focusing on strength, the warrior would be like an extremely sharp de but easily broken at the same time.

    Brendel felt that such a trait suited Scarlet¡¯s fighting style perfectly. The young woman had inherited some of the mountain folk¡¯s traits, strong and unyielding in battle, preferring to bend rather than break. So much so that when you watched such a woman fight, you could rarely imagine her usual temperament.

    But when Brendel thought of it that way, he gave no thought to what his request meant to the mountain maiden, and ording to mountain folk custom, only the closest of lovers would give each other rings.

    Of course, their rings were not powerful, sometimes it might even just be a gand. But after all, they were a symbol of mutual restraint and admiration.

    Scarlet was so startled that she let Brendel put the ring on for her, and for a moment it felt as if time had stopped.

    ¡°How is it?¡± Brendel took her hand and carefully put the Ring of Stone on her before looking up and asking.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Scarlet seemed to just gain back her senses. She tried to put aside those unrted thoughts and then said, ¡°It¡¯s amazing, my power has increased by 20-30% in no time, ording to Miss Aloz, I should have the power of an infant Dragon- ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s close to the Elemental Power already, but only power alone has this level of power, you can feel it carefully, it will be good for your Elemental Activation in the future. But remember, you only have this level of power when you are on the ground, and if you fight, you should try to avoid being led to other battlefields by others.¡± Brendel reminded.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Scarlet fell silent and nodded, but then asked softly, ¡°Can I too Activate my Elemental Powers?¡±

    ¡°You have seen more than others, and The Elemental Barrier will not be your threshold. Besides you have the blood of Gold flowing through your body, you should be prouder than anyone else, you never have to delude yourself, Scarlet.¡±

    Brendel looked at Scarlet and whispered encouragement.

    The mountain maiden did not reply but gripped the Azure Lance tightly. Brendel noticed the it and could probably guessed what was on her mind.

    He looked back- the entire dream quest was aplete duplicated quest, with plenty of both tasks and experiences. He opened the panel and found that with the rest of the previous part, it was almost enough to raise the Pdins to the next level. It had not been the best choice in Brendel¡¯s n to continue to raise the Pdin¡¯s level, but he had changed his mind after discovering his physique had been further strengthened after the Elemental Activation.

    Since it was the physique that had been strengthened, it did not seem uneptable for a Pdin to go with the tank flow route. After a little consideration, he chose to raise the level.

    The attribute additions of high-level professions had be extremely high in theter stages, and after surpassing ten levels, with each level up, Brendel could almost feel his overall strength rise by a level, which was almost a third of his original level.

    In fact, the fastest time to upgrade was during the period after crossing the Elemental Barrier, which he had experienced in the game. But after passing through the Elemental Enlightenment, the speed of gaining Experience would slow down a thousand times.

    After that, it would be up to him to slowly umte.

    The good thing was that no matter what, yers with the system were multiple times faster than the aborigines.

    It was not long before the news of the hunter maiden¡¯s awakening reached him, who was brought to him by Freya. While Brendel and Scarlet went over to check up on her, they were just in time to see the her thick eyshes move slightly and then open her eyes.

 Chapter 717 - v4c95 The Lost Food (1)

    <h4>Chapter 717 - v4c95 The Lost Food (1)</h4>

    v4c95 The Lost Food (1)

    At this time, almost half an hour had passed since she was found, and Brendel saw the newly awakened Peya look nkly at her surroundings, and there seemed to be a hint of confusion in her eyes. and the confusion in her dark eyes turned into intense vignce.

    Suddenly, like a beast, she rolled over and bounced off the ground, her hand subconsciously reaching for the short bow behind her back.

    But she was bounded to grab nothing.

    Then Peya came to her senses, and she saw Brendel, stunned: ¡°Ah! Sorry, Lord Knight......I thought-¡±

    But Peya¡¯s words suddenly stopped.

    When Brendel saw the horrified look on her face, she turned around at once and looked into the surrounding forest, as if she had seen a ghost.

    ¡°How......exactly......the same......¡±

    Peya suddenly took a few steps back, ignoring everyone around her as she retreated and observed the woods around her. She retreated faster and faster, and then she took off running, disappearing into the forest in a sh.

    Everyone was stunned by Peya¡¯s action. Brendel was also startled before noticing that the hunter maiden had disappeared in the exact direction that led to the exit of Milos¡¯ Breath.

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Freya asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Peya, should we catch up with her?¡±

    Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what was going on, and Brendel himself was confused. Peya¡¯s did not seem like a reckless person. On the contrary, she was an outstanding hunter.

    Most outstanding hunters, however, had one trait inmon.

    Calmness andposure.

    Brendel only hesitated a little and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s follow her.¡±

    A faint starlight began to appear in the forest, indicating that they were leaving the range of the Eternal Night Forest. Under the dim light, Brendel saw the hunter maiden ahead like a sturdy female panther moving between the forest¡¯ trees.

    She did not go deeper into the forest blindly, it was more like she was finding a path, asionally stopping to wait for them. This put Brendel¡¯s mind at ease, for there was nothing he hated more than someone leaving the team and putting others in danger, which was both selfish and stupid.

    But it did not look like Peya had lost her mind, as Brendel saw her asionally stopping and looking around, with a puzzled look on her face. This confirmed the suspicion in his mind that the hunter maiden must have discovered something in her dream. Sometimes dreams revealed the future, and the chances of this happening are slim to none, but it would not be impossible if Peya¡¯s dream was entangled with her brother¡¯s.

    Brendel realized that Peya might have seen the direction in which Duke Arreck and the others were headed in the dream.

    This was the only possibility that could have made the young hunter maiden so disoriented. But it meant that her brother was not dead, at least not while passing through the forest.

    In this way, the group moved forward for about two or three hours under the leadership of Peya, during which she never deviated from the direction leading to the ciers. It further showed that Brendel¡¯s hunch was correct, and that if Arreck and the others had passed through here, they would not have easily left the correct route.

    And it was at this time that Peya finally stopped.

    Brendel parted the bushes with a rustling sound, and caught up with her from behind with everyone else. He saw Peya standing dumbly under a cedar tree. He walked closer and saw that Peya was holding a dagger.

    The dagger could never have belonged to her, for her short sword was still pinned to her boots. Other that that, Peya would have been unarmed.

    ¡°Is this your brother¡¯s stuff?¡± Brendel took a look at the dagger, and saw that it was just an ordinary animal skin knife. Nobles would not use such a vulgar device, but only hunters in this area.

    The hunter maiden turned back, and Brendel was surprised to see her red-eyed. Peia rubbed the corners of her eyes, took a calming breath and replied, ¡°Could the dream be real, my lord?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I was alone in a dream and I dreamt of what happened that day. I dreamt that I was dead, frozen in the river, but my soul was muddled, as if I heard a voice calling me.¡±

    ¡°I saw those pale knights and I followed them dazedly. I saw my brother, and I saw those men from that day, as they moved slowly forward through this forest, and I saw my brother following them, behind a much taller figure ......¡±

    ¡°I saw him pass here and fall. I called out to him, but he didn¡¯t answer me, and I saw his dagger fall here ......¡±

    Peya looked down at the dagger in her hand with some fear, ¡°It¡¯s right here.¡±

    ¡°What else did you see?¡± Brendel immediately realized that this should be her brother¡¯s dream, and that her brother should have experienced the dream of the Lost Names and left part of his memory here. But he was curious, her brother¡¯s dream was so badly damaged that it was incredible for him to pass through here. He could not help but ask further questions.

    ¡°I saw them go into an icend with the snow and wind obscuring them, and I stayed there forever.¡±

    The hunter maiden looked up with an odd kind of panic in her eyes and she shivered, ¡°Am I dead, Sir Knight?¡±

    She looked at Brendel somewhat nkly, almost shivering, and asked, ¡°...... Am I, am I now a ghost?¡±

    Brendel felt the hunter maiden¡¯s question was a bit absurd, but he could probably understand Peya¡¯s panic. Not everyone knew about the mysterious legends like him, and most country people would attribute the iprehensible to ghosts and spirits.

    He coughed, ¡°You are not dead. The dream was absurd, but part of what you saw may have been real. Your brother may have survived, just like what you saw, but that part is actually his memory of what he left here.¡±

    Peya trembled when she heard this, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course, you understand that I don¡¯t have to lie to you,¡± Brendel replied.

    Peya was so excited that she clenched her fists, her chest rose and fell obviously. She turned around and thought about it, then turned back and said to Brendel with some embarrassment, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir Knight, I was a little too reckless before.¡±

    Brendel sighed, what else could he say? One can ask a soldier to obey military discipline, but Peya was certainly not a soldier, nor an adventurer, nor a mercenary, but a hunter. He still lectured: ¡°Just remember in the future, what you did was very dangerous, not only for you, but also for others.¡±

    ¡°Those knights behind you, some of them, like you, have brothers, sisters, or are parents, can you bear seeing their families lose them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry......¡± Peya hung her head low in shame this time. She knew that nobles had many rules, and that people of her status did not need to ask why. They just needed to obey. But Brendel¡¯s exnation made her embarrassed instead.

    Although she was in awe of those high and mighty noblets, deep down she did not necessarily share their values. But Brendel¡¯s words made her realize that people were actually the same, and that the rules in a team were meant to protect everyone in it.

    For the first time, Brendel epted the hunter maiden¡¯s apology, not for who he was, but for such behavior.

    ¡°Can you determine the route of Duke Arreck and the others?¡± He asked again.

    The hunter maiden was startled, then nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Brendel replied.

    ......

    The cier of Despair-

    Not a day had gone by without Aloz throwing a fit since entering this vast expanse of ice. She thought it would have been better to have gone with Brendel in the first ce, instead of listening to him and going with that boring Ash Sword Saint to meet up with Veronica.

    Of course, there were many things that made her dissatisfied. The cold climate, for example, was making her skin rougher and rougher, and her patience had been stretched to the limit by that chattering ambassador of the Kirrlutz army. How did this guy know that I am from Aouine, and how dare he speak to me with such an attitude!

    If she had not wanted to reveal her identity, she would have swallowed him as a dragon, so that her ears would not be bombarded all day.

    The same goes for the offspring of the arrogant Kirrlutzian nobles. Sometimes she secretly squinted at those obnoxious people with her golden eyes, thinking with hatred whether to rip them all apart after all this was over.

    But this was merely a thought.

    The Dragons were arrogant, but not stupid. The Holy Cathedral of Fire of the Kirrlutzians would not let the Dragons reign the human territory. Of course, the four Holy Cathedrals were not the main point, but instead, it was those annoying, self-righteous people from Buga.

    Every time she thought of the Silver Folks¡¯ existence in this world, Aloz could no¡¯t help but hate them full-heartedly. If it were not for the Bugas, those Craft Mages who always thought of themselves as saviors, the humans and Elves would have be toys of the Dragons.

    ¡°What a nuisance.¡±

    Aloz cursed in her heart, cursing the smiling old man to bang headfirst into a wall and for Onais and the other Floating Cities to fall into the sea as soon as possible. She twirled her tinum curls around her ears and walked out of her tent muttering.

    She would not have bothered to show up if Brendel¡¯s party had not arrived, as it was so cold outside. The Silver Folks who were unkind to the Dragons called them big lizards, which of course was uneptable to Aloz. But Dragons were indeed cold-blooded creatures, and there was no doubt that most other kinds of dragons, except for white Dragons, were ufortable in the cold weather.

    Aloz sneezed in the snow and rubbed the tip of her little red nose, looking like a soft and weak loli. She did not look like a scary little female dragon at all.

 Chapter 718 - v4c96

    v4c96

    The Lost Food (2)

    At this time, almost half an hour had passed since she was found, and Brendel saw the newly awakened Peya look nkly at her surroundings, and there seemed to be a hint of confusion in her eyes. and the confusion in her dark eyes turned into intense vignce.

    Suddenly, like a beast, she rolled over and bounced off the ground, her hand subconsciously reaching for the short bow behind her back.

    But she was bounded to grab nothing.

    Then Peya came to her senses, and she saw Brendel, stunned: ¡°Ah! Sorry, Lord Knight......I thought-¡±

    But Peya¡¯s words suddenly stopped.

    When Brendel saw the horrified look on her face, she turned around at once and looked into the surrounding forest, as if she had seen a ghost.

    ¡°How......exactly......the same......¡±

    Peya suddenly took a few steps back, ignoring everyone around her as she retreated and observed the woods around her. She retreated faster and faster, and then she took off running, disappearing into the forest in a sh.

    Everyone was stunned by Peya¡¯s action. Brendel was also startled before noticing that the hunter maiden had disappeared in the exact direction that led to the exit of Milos¡¯ Breath.

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Freya asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Peya, should we catch up with her?¡±

    Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what was going on, and Brendel himself was confused. Peya¡¯s did not seem like a reckless person. On the contrary, she was an outstanding hunter.

    Most outstanding hunters, however, had one trait inmon.

    Calmness andposure.

    Brendel only hesitated a little and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s follow her.¡±

    A faint starlight began to appear in the forest, indicating that they were leaving the range of the Eternal Night Forest. Under the dim light, Brendel saw the hunter maiden ahead like a sturdy female panther moving between the forest¡¯ trees.

    She did not go deeper into the forest blindly, it was more like she was finding a path, asionally stopping to wait for them. This put Brendel¡¯s mind at ease, for there was nothing he hated more than someone leaving the team and putting others in danger, which was both selfish and stupid.

    But it did not look like Peya had lost her mind, as Brendel saw her asionally stopping and looking around, with a puzzled look on her face. This confirmed the suspicion in his mind that the hunter maiden must have discovered something in her dream. Sometimes dreams revealed the future, and the chances of this happening are slim to none, but it would not be impossible if Peya¡¯s dream was entangled with her brother¡¯s.

    Brendel realized that Peya might have seen the direction in which Duke Arreck and the others were headed in the dream.

    This was the only possibility that could have made the young hunter maiden so disoriented. But it meant that her brother was not dead, at least not while passing through the forest.

    In this way, the group moved forward for about two or three hours under the leadership of Peya, during which she never deviated from the direction leading to the ciers. It further showed that Brendel¡¯s hunch was correct, and that if Arreck and the others had passed through here, they would not have easily left the correct route.

    And it was at this time that Peya finally stopped.

    Brendel parted the bushes with a rustling sound, and caught up with her from behind with everyone else. He saw Peya standing dumbly under a cedar tree. He walked closer and saw that Peya was holding a dagger.

    The dagger could never have belonged to her, for her short sword was still pinned to her boots. Other that that, Peya would have been unarmed.

    ¡°Is this your brother¡¯s stuff?¡± Brendel took a look at the dagger, and saw that it was just an ordinary animal skin knife. Nobles would not use such a vulgar device, but only hunters in this area.

    The hunter maiden turned back, and Brendel was surprised to see her red-eyed. Peia rubbed the corners of her eyes, took a calming breath and replied, ¡°Could the dream be real, my lord?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I was alone in a dream and I dreamt of what happened that day. I dreamt that I was dead, frozen in the river, but my soul was muddled, as if I heard a voice calling me.¡±

    ¡°I saw those pale knights and I followed them dazedly. I saw my brother, and I saw those men from that day, as they moved slowly forward through this forest, and I saw my brother following them, behind a much taller figure ......¡±

    ¡°I saw him pass here and fall. I called out to him, but he didn¡¯t answer me, and I saw his dagger fall here ......¡±

    Peya looked down at the dagger in her hand with some fear, ¡°It¡¯s right here.¡±

    ¡°What else did you see?¡± Brendel immediately realized that this should be her brother¡¯s dream, and that her brother should have experienced the dream of the Lost Names and left part of his memory here. But he was curious, her brother¡¯s dream was so badly damaged that it was incredible for him to pass through here. He could not help but ask further questions.

    ¡°I saw them go into an icend with the snow and wind obscuring them, and I stayed there forever.¡±

    The hunter maiden looked up with an odd kind of panic in her eyes and she shivered, ¡°Am I dead, Sir Knight?¡±

    She looked at Brendel somewhat nkly, almost shivering, and asked, ¡°...... Am I, am I now a ghost?¡±

    Brendel felt the hunter maiden¡¯s question was a bit absurd, but he could probably understand Peya¡¯s panic. Not everyone knew about the mysterious legends like him, and most country people would attribute the iprehensible to ghosts and spirits.

    He coughed, ¡°You are not dead. The dream was absurd, but part of what you saw may have been real. Your brother may have survived, just like what you saw, but that part is actually his memory of what he left here.¡±

    Peya trembled when she heard this, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course, you understand that I don¡¯t have to lie to you,¡± Brendel replied.

    Peya was so excited that she clenched her fists, her chest rose and fell obviously. She turned around and thought about it, then turned back and said to Brendel with some embarrassment, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir Knight, I was a little too reckless before.¡±

    Brendel sighed, what else could he say? One can ask a soldier to obey military discipline, but Peya was certainly not a soldier, nor an adventurer, nor a mercenary, but a hunter. He still lectured: ¡°Just remember in the future, what you did was very dangerous, not only for you, but also for others.¡±

    ¡°Those knights behind you, some of them, like you, have brothers, sisters, or are parents, can you bear seeing their families lose them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry......¡± Peya hung her head low in shame this time. She knew that nobles had many rules, and that people of her status did not need to ask why. They just needed to obey. But Brendel¡¯s exnation made her embarrassed instead.

    Although she was in awe of those high and mighty noblets, deep down she did not necessarily share their values. But Brendel¡¯s words made her realize that people were actually the same, and that the rules in a team were meant to protect everyone in it.

    For the first time, Brendel epted the hunter maiden¡¯s apology, not for who he was, but for such behavior.

    ¡°Can you determine the route of Duke Arreck and the others?¡± He asked again.

    The hunter maiden was startled, then nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Brendel replied.

    ......

    The cier of Despair-

    Not a day had gone by without Aloz throwing a fit since entering this vast expanse of ice. She thought it would have been better to have gone with Brendel in the first ce, instead of listening to him and going with that boring Ash Sword Saint to meet up with Veronica.

    Of course, there were many things that made her dissatisfied. The cold climate, for example, was making her skin rougher and rougher, and her patience had been stretched to the limit by that chattering ambassador of the Kirrlutz army. How did this guy know that I am from Aouine, and how dare he speak to me with such an attitude!

    If she had not wanted to reveal her identity, she would have swallowed him as a dragon, so that her ears would not be bombarded all day.

    The same goes for the offspring of the arrogant Kirrlutzian nobles. Sometimes she secretly squinted at those obnoxious people with her golden eyes, thinking with hatred whether to rip them all apart after all this was over.

    But this was merely a thought.

    The Dragons were arrogant, but not stupid. The Holy Cathedral of Fire of the Kirrlutzians would not let the Dragons reign the human territory. Of course, the four Holy Cathedrals were not the main point, but instead, it was those annoying, self-righteous people from Buga.

    Every time she thought of the Silver Folks¡¯ existence in this world, Aloz could no¡¯t help but hate them full-heartedly. If it were not for the Bugas, those Craft Mages who always thought of themselves as saviors, the humans and Elves would have be toys of the Dragons.

    ¡°What a nuisance.¡±

    Aloz cursed in her heart, cursing the smiling old man to bang headfirst into a wall and for Onais and the other Floating Cities to fall into the sea as soon as possible. She twirled her tinum curls around her ears and walked out of her tent muttering.

    She would not have bothered to show up if Brendel¡¯s party had not arrived, as it was so cold outside. The Silver Folks who were unkind to the Dragons called them big lizards, which of course was uneptable to Aloz. But Dragons were indeed cold-blooded creatures, and there was no doubt that most other kinds of dragons, except for white Dragons, were ufortable in the cold weather.

    Aloz sneezed in the snow and rubbed the tip of her little red nose, looking like a soft and weak loli. She did not look like a scary little female dragon at all.

    If Aloz¡¯s curse was toe true, it would be enough to destroy all the Buga Craft Mages and their Floating Cities ten times over, including their bones. Even Brendel would have been implicated, for example, the little Dragon would have cursed Brendel to be barren more than twenty times.

    Fortunately, Brendel knew nothing of these vicious curses at the moment, and he and Veronica agreed to meet in the valley near the Despair. Veronica and the Ash Sword Saint were both famous and powerful, and the Forest of Tears ahead was unlikely to stop them. Even if Aloz did not make an effort, a fifty-level quest could be easily dealt with by the Kirrlutzians.

    In the meantime, Veronica was in the thick leather tent, looking at the map in her hand with one hand on her forehead, worrying when Brendel stepped into the Azure Skies¡¯ camp. The map was actually provided by Duke Viero, who was convinced to hand it out by Eikkel. The Lantonns made a move earlier and had arrived at Vallendaren. And even the princess who left after had also reached Manoweir.

    But seriously speaking, Duke Lantonn had no connection with the Holy Cathedral, especially the Kirrlutzians, but in fact, had many grudges against them. Therefore, the female army leader of Azure Skies understood very well that the young man named Eikkel probably helped them because of Brendel.

    And when she thought of the young Aouine man she had seen at the Loop of Trade Winds, she could not help but smile slightly, then sighed. Of course, she had been aware of what had been happening in Ampere Seale all this time. She was a general of the Empire, of course, she understood what was beneficial to the Empire. She had known that the young man might be a formidable opponent for the Empire, but she had not expected this day toe so soon.

    She raised her head and looked at Mephisto, who was not far away, his hands crossed and his eyes looking into the distance. The Ash Sword Saint was not fond of the Kirrlutzians, so he rarely went anywhere except to confer with Veronica.

    The truth was that even if he was delighted to go, Veronica might not feel at ease, as he was a great demon to the Kirrlutzians.

    ¡°That good student of yours is here, aren¡¯t you going to do something?¡± She asked.

    Mephisto looked at her without answering, as he had nothing to say to the Kirrlutzians. If Veronica had not promised to go to bat for him, he would probably be in a worse mood.

    But there was inevitably some pride in the Ash Sword Saint¡¯s eyes when Veronica mentioned Brendel. This time Brendel had taught the Kirrlutzians a lesson in Ampere Seale, and even the Ash Sword Saint himself had never done such a thing.

    The point was to use the Buga¡¯s rtionship with the Silver Elvester, to force the Kirrlutzians to suffer a loss. What a perfect n.

    Mephisto could not be dissatisfied, but he would have been even more satisfied if he could make the Kirrlutzians lose more.

    Veronica did not mind seeing him like this, as she was used to it. At this time, she heard footstepsing from outside the tent. She raised her eyebrows, and her eyes trembled slightly.

    She could tell that it was the sound of Brendel¡¯s group. But to her surprise, Brendel¡¯s footsteps were more steady than then.

    There were rumors that Count Tremtheim had broken through the Elemental Barrier, but she had her doubts about that. Outsiders might not be familiar with this situation but she was pretty aware of it. He¡¯s not even that old yet.

    But at this moment Veronica looked up in amazement and murmured, ¡°Aouine has since had another Elemental Activated Pdin, O Marsha, he¡¯s so young!¡±

    Hearing Veronica¡¯s exmation, Mephisto¡¯s tightly pursed lips rxed a bit. The world knew him as the Ash Sword Saint, and his fame was not only praised in the Kirrlutz Empire, but also among other parts of the world, where one man challenged the descendant of one of the Four Men with one sword. In such arge Empire, even if a mighty beast who made the humans shiver would look like nothing in front of him.

    The Empire was not something that a mere mortal like him couldpare with. It was often said that dynasties rose and fell, but instead, dynastiese and go, and the cycle is longer than the life of one man.

    After his death, who would still remember the name of the Ash Sword Saint?

    But now he had a student who was destined to achieve more than he did. A twenty-year-old Pdin with the Elemental Activation was no more than the Chosen One, and Brendel was definitely Marsha¡¯s favorites whose fate was predetermined from birth.

    The young man from Be was a descendant of an insignificant Pdin, and his ancestral patronage had no effect on his life¡¯s trajectory. If there was an ancient noble in Aouine who plowed his ownnd with his own sword, it would be Brendel.

    Then it must have been Brendel.

    And so it was with thete king, Erik, and Gretel the me King, Gildor. Some names were destined to shine in history, and Mephisto knew that his student was one of them.

    The Kirrlutzians may be above the fray now, but what about decades from now? History always gives room for heroes, and Brendel did not even realize it yet, but someone as knowledgeable as the Ash Sword Saint had already seen the cause and effect.

    He was always arrogant, but he also had to admit that the best decision in his life was to choose Brendel as his student. Any teacher would be honored to have such a student.

    The snow was howling outside the tent, and the canopy had been dark since the beginning of the Demonic Wave, which was a sign of turmoil in any era. Heroes were born, and even Mephisto himself could not help but marvel.

    Brendel had already lifted the tent p and walked in, followed by Freya, Scarlet, Medissa, and Ciel. He saw Mephisto first and nodded to the Ash Sword Saint in respect. He was already lord, but he was his nominal teacher after all, who had taught him a lot.

    To the Grey Sword Saint, Brendel had only respect.

    Only then did his gaze stopped at Veronica, and in fact, he had already noticed that the Azure Skies femalemander already had her eyes on him.

    ¡°Lord I didn¡¯t expect to see you again so soon.¡± Brendel smiled slightly and exchanged pleasantries.

    ¡°Hmph, you should have been taken back to the Empire along with Andersha in the first ce, but I didn¡¯t expect you to find such trouble for me so quickly.¡± Veronica red at Brendel and snorted in a half-angry manner, ¡°Little one, little do you about what you did have almost turned the Imperial Senate of Nobles around-¡±

    Brendel knew, of course. But he took off his cloak and handed it to the knight-servant behind him. Then he raised his head, looked at themander of Azure Skies with bright eyes, and replied, ¡°Lord Veronica, you know that you will not gain anything by putting all the me on me. I am not like theme nobles of Aouine, and you are not like the arrogant nobles of Kirrlutz, so let¡¯s not use the word ¡°me¡±, okay?¡±

    ¡°And the Emperor didn¡¯t give me any reward for helping you catch Andersha,¡± Brendel added.

    Veronica could not help but look at him with a mixed feeling of amusement and anger, me Aouine noble¡¯ was actually a proverb used by the Kirrlutzians to ridicule the Aouines, meaning that Aouine nobles were inferior to the Kirrlutzians, or even worse, a me dog¡¯.

    In his opinion, the Aouine nobility of this era was itself a pejorative term, at leastpared to the ancient nobles, who today are nothing more than wriggling parasites.

    ¡°You still want a reward, do you know who you have killed? That¡¯s Williams! You don¡¯t think he really became one of the seven deputy heads of the Pdins on his own merit, right? Do you not know that every imperial noble has at arge family background?¡± Veronica replied impatiently.

    Brendel spread his hands: ¡°I¡¯m not going to the Empire anyway, so it¡¯s unlikely that they wille to Aouine to trouble me. As long as Raphazen or Duke Bilson don¡¯t send their troops to the Aouine border, would I need to be afraid that they will find someone to assassinate me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not impossible,¡± Veronica snapped, but she was relieved that Brendel had mentioned Raphazen and Duke Bilson. She admired the young man and was afraid that he would kill Williams because he was young and reckless, but since he knew what kind of power was behind that guy, it meant he must have been prepared.

    She took a closer look at Brendel and sighed, ¡°Well, to put it so lightly, if that¡¯s the case, why did youe here to help me?¡±

    When Veronica knew his intentions, Brendel did not feel embarrassed. After all, to be the head of the imperial army, she would naturally not be a simple-minded person. Furthermore, Veronica¡¯s family did not have any connection with Duke Bilson. Big families that did not have connections with each other would for sure to have misunderstandings. Brendel thought that this was a win-win situation, and he needed Veronica to help him maintain a minimum reputation in the Empire, at least not to be branded as a heretic. Veronica also needed his help now, and in the future, Brendel believed that the connection between them would only get stronger.

    He just had to wait until he developed the ck Forest.

    But he did not intend to talk about these ns yet, so he just smiled and sincerely thanked Veronica, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Although Brendel maintained the arrogance of a soul from the modern era in his heart, he was actually aware that Veronica¡¯s status was actually unequal to his own. She was a woman who could almost be described as a Grand Duchess of the Empire, while he was still not entirely a Count in Aouine, because Count Trentheim was never a Count title.

    He could well feel that the other party appreciated him and was happy to help him. Even though he knew that their positions might be fundamentally opposed, Brendel was determined to at least not embarrass the femalemander too much in the future.

    That did not seem too hard to do. Although the Kirrlutzians were arrogant, at least they were not a total disaster.

    He paused and decided to bring the conversation back to the point and asked, ¡°Back to business, we¡¯ve juste out of the ck Forest and you¡¯ve been waiting here for some time, haven¡¯t you, Lord?¡±

    Speaking of which, Veronica suddenly sighed.

    ¡°Yeah, we ran into a bit of trouble, Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Trouble?¡±

 Chapter 719 - v4c97p1

    <h4>Chapter 719 - v4c97p1</h4>

    v4c97p1

    The Lost Food(3)

    ¡°Trouble?¡±

    Veronica tightened her fur coat, revealing her slender curves beneath it, in the same light brown shade as Cruz¡¯s winter uniform- the same shade of brownstone for which Kirrlutzwas famous. She walked past Brendel, lifted the nket, and looked out with a wary nce. The icy wind was whipping in, sending shivers down the spine of everyone in the tent. Thedy put down the nket, turned back, and said gravely, ¡°What I am about to tell you, you will hear with your ears only, and keep your mouths shut, every one of you.¡±

    ¡°There are three hundred soldiers in this camp, but as of today, the food supply is only enough tost until next week.¡±

    Brendel suddenly understood why Veronica was being so solemn, and if this news were to spread, it would only cause amotion. The army Veronica had brought with her was the best of the Kirrlutzians, and if it was the private army of the nobles, it might be possible to even cause a riot. The Cruzan tactics called the amount of food needed to sustain an army for a week a basic reserve. Normally, an army engaged in battle would consume two basic units of food a week, while those stationed would consume rtively little. Food supply of less than four basic units would mean that one capable army had to consider retreating. Less than two units and that would be a situation near to death. Less than one unit and if a riot had not arisen, it would be either because themander had suppressed the news too well, or because the army was extremely elite, or both.

    But Veronica, who had fought in thest War of the Holy Saints and was a long-established Cruzan general, would never make such an unepted mistake in such a matter. Brendel, on the other hand, seemed to immediately guess why the Kirrlutzians were in the predicament they were in, and asked, ¡°Is part of your food missing?¡±

    ¡°How do you know!?¡± Veronica snapped, her brows, which had been furrowed, rxed, but immediately knitted back together again. ¡°Do you know anything, Brendel?¡± She asked suspiciously.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know what lives in this snowfield? Didn¡¯t I ask Aloz to remind you?¡± Brendel was equally puzzled.

    This snowfield was their of that damned Frost baby Dragon, and this little friend happened to be a food lover, and a coward, stealing food from travelers on the sly. This was a business he had done for years in these woods and on the shores of Lake Vallendaren, a business he was so skilled at that the average person could easily get caught if one was not careful. Of course, in addition to being proficient in this business, this Frost Dragon itself was also an expert in the art of baiting and sabotage, but in short, it will nevere face to face with you.

    If there was an insidious and despicable adjective for it, then they must have been designed for it.

    ¡°Aloz?¡± It took Veronica a moment to remember the exquisite, doll-like little girl who apanied Mephisto, but the only impression left on her was probably a little bitchy face all day long. She wondered why Brendel asked a little girl to deliver such an important message to him, ¡°Her?¡±

    When Brendel saw the look on Veronica¡¯s face, he realized that Aloz had done something, and she probably had forgotten about it. ¡°That guy......¡± He suddenly realized that he had made a mistake, he should have let someone more reliablee in a long time ago, such as Amandina.

    Brendel only had to retell the rumor about the Dragon on theke¡¯s shore.

    Veronica walked back to her ce, took one look at the parchment map, and tossed the hare skin she was holding onto the table, which was stacked with several boxes. ¡°Are you saying that the young dragon was the one who stole our food? But that¡¯s nearly two months¡¯ worth of food, enough for three hundred men, and three whole wagons.¡±

    ¡°The Dragons always have some mysterious spells, and if it is intent on hiding its tracks, it won¡¯t be difficult for you not to find it.¡± Brendel was also a bit helpless. If a Dragon intended on stealing from you, it would never be easy to deal with.

    ¡°Surprisingly, Dragons would use their prestigious spells for stealing, it¡¯s...... a little different from what I¡¯ve read in books.¡± The girl in the corner had a lovely baby face, a white schr¡¯s hat, ocean blue eyes, a long robe with two blood-red crosses on the shawl, a pair of gray squirrel skin gloves, a thick book, and a small brass cross ornament hanging from the bottom of a bookmark stuck in the pages.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not questioning your words, I¡¯m just curious-¡± the girl hurriedly exined with a smile when she saw Brendel shifting his gaze onto her.

    ¡°And you are?¡± Brendel saw confidence in the other party¡¯s bright eyes. The young girl was not good at hiding her thoughts, although she tried to appear approachable, she still gave the Aouines present a feeling of being treated like barbarians.

    It was typical of the superiority of the Cruzan nobility, but the superiority had not yet turned into arrogance. She must have been a child leaving home for the first time.

    ¡°Shido, who is a descendant of Marquis Thun, is now studying at St. Ebony. She is a clever child, with great talent. Brendel, you will like her. There are Witches of the Silver Society who are also impressed by her talent and want her to enter the White Tower for further studies.¡± Veronica did not reprimand the young girl for her interruption, but looked at the other with pleasing eyes and introduced her without hiding her favoritism.

    ¡°St. Ebony¡¯s Academy? Bugas?¡± Brendel thought about it, one must indeed have an amazing talent to be favored by the Silver Folks, and of course, lucky enough. He asked, ¡°Marquis Thun? Is it the same Thun the conqueror who crossed the sea to conquer Xeverian on a dragon¡¯s head warship?¡±

    ¡°It is that ancestor.¡± The young woman¡¯s eyes lit up, not expecting there to be someone among the Aouine who could tell her family¡¯s history in one breath, especially since the legend of her ancestor¡¯s conquest of the Xeverian region had always been her aspiration and the family¡¯s pride.

    ¡°That¡¯s just viewing Aouine as an uncivilized region, isn¡¯t it.¡± Brendel saw the look in Shido¡¯s eyes and knew what she was thinking. He took a look at her attire- the cross on her white coat was the typical emblem of the Blood Cross- a prestigious organization of schrs within Cruz, somewhat simr in status to the Royal Academy of Geography in Aouine. But the Blood Cross would not have such a young member, presumably an honorary apprentice by name.

    ¡°What about that person?¡± Brendel looked toward the corner of the tent, having noticed that the man, who had been quiet and had not spoken, was wearing a coat made of mink fur, under which he was dressed in military attire. But the silvery breastte had no family crest, only an eagle emblem, a costume that looked somewhat like that of a mercenary, except that the brand-new deerskin boots beneath the id pants and the jewels on the hilt of the sword testified to his status.

    But unlike the frivolous curiosity of the other schrly teenager, the older youth had never spoken, only surveying them with sharp eyes from the shadows. His silence gave Brendel the impression of a military man of few words.

    But it was just before this moment-

    ¡°Lenorette Aurelius.¡± Before Veronica could open her mouth, the young man replied in a cold, loud tone, as if he was proud of his family name. After he answered, he resumed his previous silence.

    So it is you! When Brendel heard this name, he thought that the other could be proud of it, for it once belonged to a man with a name like an eagle, and the word associated with it was an empire and supreme power, the emperor.

    But Brendel was inevitably and oddly reminded of Laurenna and Fs, for no other reason than that the other was the eldest grandson of Grandottius the Great, the tormentor who had been so recklessly killed in Fs¡¯ dream.

    He was the future emperor.

 Chapter 720 - v4c97p2

    v4c97p2

    The Lost Food(3)

    Brendel did not expect the future legend to appear before his eyes, who was so young. Brendel could not help but take a second look at the other man. As if noticing his look, Veronica smiled, ¡°Now there¡¯s no need for me to introduce him, right, little one?¡±

    Brendelughed bitterly. Of course, it was unnecessary. The Crucian nobility had an ancient tradition of sending their heirs out on a journey, but this tradition had long since been disobeyed by most families, as assassinations and idents had killed too many good offspring, but the Kirrlutzian royal family had a lot of gumption.

    ¡°Dragons are seen by us mortals as superior, but they also have many peculiarities, as if they had an almost paranoid greed for wealth. As far as I know, this time we are dealing with a timid young dragon. It¡¯s not in the Dragon¡¯s nature to choose to be sneaky, but rather in its personality,¡± Brendel continued.

    ¡°It¡¯s interesting that a Dragon can be cowardly. Teacher, you were right, one can only understand the world by exploring it.¡± Shido eximed in amazement.

    ¡°Don¡¯t despise it just because it is a coward. No matter what, Dragons are a formidable opponent, the same goes for young dragons. Even a coward would dare to crush an ant.¡± Brendel warned.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Shido nodded politely to him.

    ¡°This guy......¡± Brendel was a little speechless.

    Veronica, however, heard what he was saying, narrowed her eyes, and asked, ¡°Brendel, from what you¡¯re saying, you can find it out?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the skills to track a dragon, that¡¯s the job of the Elven Dragon hunters in Esothuk, except I happen to know where it¡¯s hiding.¡± Brendel smiled a little.

    ¡°You know where it¡¯s hiding?¡± Veronica¡¯s green eyes lit up and she looked back, unable to help but praise, ¡°You sure didn¡¯t disappoint me, little one, it¡¯s as if nothing could be too difficult for you!¡±

    ¡°You are ttered, I was just a fluke. Don¡¯t forget, I am on good terms with Duke Lantonn, and Duke Viero is not averse to an alliance with me. They are the masters of this ce, and this young dragon has lived in this area for quite some time, so the locals can¡¯t know nothing about it.¡± Brendel replied modestly.

    But Veronica seemed to be distracted by this, and she still looked at Brendel admiringly, ¡°Brendel, you make me regret- I mean at your age, hey, it would be nice if you would join the Kirrlutz Empire.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t I also standing with the armymander now?¡± The armymander¡¯s hospitality was a bit overwhelming to Brendel, but he could not choose to be a Kirrlutznoble anyway. Heughed lightly, subtly changing the subject.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Veronica snorted softly, expressing her displeasure at Brendel¡¯s perfunctory answer. She picked up the map on the table, shook the dust off it, and asked, ¡°Where is that dragon? It seems like we have to catch it before it eats all of our food.¡±

    ¡°Are you nning to leave now, Commander?¡± Butpared to Veronica¡¯s gusto, Brendel was calmer.

    ¡°Well?¡± Veronica looked back at him puzzled, ¡°Of course, we can¡¯t dy any longer, and I don¡¯t even know how much longer we can keep this a secret. I¡¯ve already ordered a reduction in food rations, but it¡¯s only a temporary measure, and sooner orter we¡¯ll have to call it quits.¡±

    She suddenly stopped and asked, ¡°Brendel, do you have any other ideas?¡±

    Brendel nodded, ¡°Actually, I have news for you.¡±

    ¡°News? Good or bad? If it¡¯s good news, tell me; If it¡¯s bad news, forget it, there¡¯s enough bad news already, let it be put aside for now.¡± Veronica froze for a moment, capriciously replying as a militarymander. Then she went behind the table and took her longsword off the shelf.

    Brendel looked at the woman somewhat helplessly, ¡°We found Arreck¡¯s trail before we came here.¡±

    Veronica¡¯s hand froze. She lowered her sword and looked back at Brendel with a glint in her emerald green eyes and asked somewhat oddly, ¡°Have youe to bring me good news today, little one?¡±

    ¡°It does seem that the Holy Cathedral of Fire is getting antsy about these portal fragments.¡± Brendel looked at her as he murmured.

    ¡°You guys...... them, no, of course, we¡¯re anxious, do you know how much the Empire has been embarrassed this time? You¡¯re partly to me for this, so don¡¯t get too cocky, someone wille after you.¡± Veronica saw Brendel smile and knew what he was thinking.

    When Brendel looked at the other two, Lenore sat there like a statue, silent and unmoved by his and Veronica¡¯s words, while Shido looked at him with curiosity, holding a book with both hands. Brendel was now a household name in Cruz.

    Have the Kirrlutzians suffered a defeat since thest Holy War?

    ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on.¡± Veronica asked.

    When she heard what happened to Peya, Veronica didn¡¯t show much sympathy on her face, but just said icily, ¡°Arreck was seeking his death.¡±

    In the end, she turned back and asked carefully, ¡°You said that the girl had followed the trail all the way to this neighborhood, which means that her brother is still alive, and had left markers along the way, telling you that Arreck had passed through this area.¡± She looked puzzled: ¡°But what is the connection between the two? Are you trying to tell me that Arreck is also heading for that young dragon¡¯sir?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, Lord Veronica, there is one thing that I did not tell you beforeing here, as to not leak the news.¡± Brendel replied, ¡°You already knew that Arreck¡¯s trip was for the Heart of the Dragon, but you didn¡¯t know that the Heart of the Dragon was in the middle of the cier of Despair, guarded by the young dragon.¡±

    Veronica was startled for a moment.

    ¡°So you¡¯re up to some more scheming, aren¡¯t you?¡± She stared at Brendel and asks.

    What scheming! Still, Brendel nodded, ¡°Neither adult nor juvenile dragons are that easy to deal with, even Arreck may not be capable, so I think they¡¯ll go to a ce first.¡±

    ¡°What ce?¡±

    ¡°The Holy Cathedral of the Hibernators.¡±

    Veronica froze at the name, her narrowed emerald green eyes were with a dangerous glow, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of this ce, you¡¯re not going to tell me those ¡®things¡¯ are still alive, are you?¡±

    Of course, they were still alive.

    The chief wolf, Warg Hati, was only temporarily sealed and half asleep, not to mention her heirs. The Twilight Scars chased after the Father of the Giants, Milos the Frostweaver, to this ce. After a battle, the god of the frost Giants fell, and the blood of Warg Hati flowed in the snow, from which the foul creatures were born, and the heirs of darkness were sealed but were still asleep in the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernators.

    Arreck would not be capable of dealing with the young dragon, and his only chance was to free the heirs of Warg Hati. Brendel had guessed the Duke¡¯s thoughts almost immediately.

    But he must not have known what he was about to release, and it was not one of those misceneous bloodlines of the wolf scourge, but pure-blooded demon wolves born from the blood of Warg Hati, a true creature of chaos.

    Opening the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernators would also open the path to the most central team quest of the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth.

    But fortunately, Brendel knew that it was a seal ruled by time, and unless it was opened from within, Arreck was doomed to disappointment. He had an idea, however, and it was an idea that would not only leave Arreck empty-handed but also at a huge disadvantage.

    To say that this idea was a conspiracy, it did not seem entirely imusible.

    Seeing his look, Veronica knew that the young man had a n. But now was not the time to discuss a n of action, so she chose to trust him, but she said, ¡°It seems that you have already figured out what to do, but I have one more question-¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°What exactly is this heart of the Dragon you speak of that I once thought was the heart of a giant dragon?¡±

    ¡°Well......¡± Brendel was a little innocent, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Veronica immediately looked like she wanted to kill someone.

    ¡°As you know, Lord Veronica,¡± Brendel looked at therge book in Shido¡¯s hand, ¡°much of a mage¡¯s knowledgees from books, and you can rarely know what it is until you have seen what it looks like. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, sly answer.¡± Veronica red at him, ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re hiding from me, go ahead and recuperate while I gather the others.¡±

    Brendel broke out in a cold sweat as the armymander stared at him. He did not think Veronica could tell that he was lying. But actually, he did not lie about the origin of the Heart of the Dragon, it was just that he did not tell the armymander that he knew it all, not from books, but a game with the same name as this world.

    This is something that can¡¯t be exined, isn¡¯t it?

    Brendel was not going to dwell on the issue. He simply saluted the female army leader, turned around, and was ready to leave with the others.

    But at that moment, Shido, who was right behind him, followed, and before Brendel could lift the felt of the tent she called out to him, ¡°Mr. Brendel.¡±

    Brendel turned back.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a little curious, Mr. Brendel. You are the most knowledgeable Aouine I have ever met, do you know the habits of the Dragons?¡± Shido asked in a curious whisper.

    Brendel always felt some suspicion in the other¡¯s pure, innocent eyes.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not sure.¡± He simply shook his head, as there were some things he can never exin to such an inexperienced little girl, especially when the other party was a stubborn schr, a female schr to be specific. ¡°I also heard that Dragons are particrly fond of human maidens, and will swipe beautiful maidens back to theirir-¡± he said. ¡°Did you know about that?¡±

    Shido stared at Brendel with her wide, turquoise sapphire blue eyes, ¡°Mr. Brendel, you¡¯re such a joker, I, I¡¯ve never even heard of these......¡±

    How smart. Brendel thought to himself.

    The young woman hesitated before asking again, ¡°Mr. Brendel, I hear you are a descendant of a Hignd Knight? I have heard that the Cartians still maintain their tradition of marrying stepmothers and daughters-inw, and I have heard that your souls are not purified in the mes when you die, but that your bones are collected, put in a jar, and buried along the road? Is all of this true?¡±

    Brendel looked at her oddly and stared at her for a moment before he turned pale and replied, ¡°Yes, but more than that, we also keep the habit of eating our food raw, fresh with blood and murder with swords up in disagreement. In our ce, women can have many men, and men can have many women, so what do you think?

    Shido was dumbfounded, with her face all incredulous, the girl just stared at Brendel open-mouthed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Brendel looked at her and added, ¡°What I said before were all lies-¡°

 Chapter 721 - v4c98 Two Dragons?(1)

    <h4>Chapter 721 v4c98 Two Dragons?(1)</h4>

    The snow and ice were like a knife¡¯s tip, flickering under light and freezing to the bones. The forest trees on both sides of the cier were shaped like ice crystals, and the wind was blowing through the forest floor, carrying with it the sound of tiny breaths. Freya sped her hands, staring at the white cier below. ck spots were scattered around, a group of about a few hundred people was struggling to move forward, the scene looming in her vision, sometimes obscured by the swirling snowstorm. The future Valkyrie frowned, her eyebrows covered with snowkes. She was wearing a thick cloak, which almostpletely hid the furred armor underneath. The armor looked simr to that of a forest hunter.

    Extending to a wider vision, hundreds of soldiers in the same silvery cloaks were hidden in the bushes, motionless and nearly the same color as the snowdrifts from afar. Maynildlooked at the time, her pocket watch was nearly cackling from the cold, but the hands were still urate.She handed it to Freya. ¡°Is that them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s them.¡± Freya nodded in confirmation, seeing that those people were almost the same as what Brendel had described and that there should not be a third force in the area.

    ¡°What great luck, that smatterer lord of theirs guessed it.¡± Not far behind Freya, several Kirrlutznobles were squatting down, whispering to each other. Beneath the white cloak was a pale, blonde young man, no more than twenty-one or twenty-two years old, but the insignia on his cor indicated that he was an official knight leader. He said, with a mixture of unconcern and amusement, and a low chuckle ensued. Anotherughed, ¡°But I can¡¯t believe that Veronica took that guy¡¯s advice and gave that little girl fullmand.

    The others then shrugged their shoulders. ¡°Just watch, she doesn¡¯t know how to givemands, how can we charge from this distance, this is cial terrain, not hills or ins.¡± The blonde young man shook his head.

    ¡°Browder, I¡¯ve heard they are cadets who graduated from Aouine¡¯s Royal Cavalry Academy.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Browder raised his brows. The distance here was the same as the fixed distance on the handbook, but the Aouine soldiers must havecked experience in fighting on the snowy ins, as tactics should be adapted to their local conditions. <i>This woman is just stuck to that inflexible Dogmatism.</i>

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the show.¡± He took a look over there, seeing that they were good soldiers, he did not think they would disobey orders. But he assumed that the other side would fail and could not help but take a somewhat unconcerned nce in that direction. ¡°Be prepared. The other side may discover us first, but they are nothing more than private soldiers of the Aouine nobles, just some dirty dogs. That lord has some sense, it¡¯s probably just a cannon fodder troop down there, we shouldn¡¯t run into any trouble.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s probably trying to train hismanders, just to bring us down.¡± Behind Browder, a tall, but a little too skinny female knight said.

    ¡°And he¡¯s still trying to put it up in an imposing manner ¡± one teased, putting his hands to his cheeks and mimicked a dragon¡¯s roar, ¡°hahahaha......¡± causing lowughter all around.

    The lowughter finally caught Freya¡¯s attention and she took a soft breath, looking back with some displeasure, and frowned. ¡°Let them be.¡± Maynild reminded her. ¡°I know.¡± Freya nodded.This was truly the first battle she had evermanded and she would never take it lightly. She lifted her head, her light brown eyes reflecting the shadows of those noble privateers, and her mind could not help but recalled the question Brendel had asked her.

    ......

    ¡°Please stopughing, Lord Commander.¡± Shido looked embarrassed with her small red face in the snowstorm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Shido, but you really shouldn¡¯t think of Aouineians as barbarians...... hahahahah.....¡± Veronica narrowed her eyes, but could not hide the lifted corners of her mouth. She saw the schr girl turn away somewhat embarrassed before she uttered an exnation, ¡°Theirte ruler, Erik, was also a noble of us Kirrlutzians, and actually, the Aouines and Kirrlutzians have always been of the same origin, but they also have their own culture. What you learned from following those guys in the capital...... is biased.¡±

    ¡°So the only way to see the real world is to experience it.¡± With the book in her arms, Shido stood amidst the pure snowkes and looked in the direction where Brendel was, ¡°Is he, the Count, going to be angry?¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s not that petty. Let¡¯s go over there, he¡¯s probably the only one who would recognize that thing up ahead.¡± Veronica replied, pressing the furs wrapped tightly around her neck and gripping the hilt of her sword with one hand as she walked over.

    ¡°Even you don¡¯t recognize it, Lord?¡± Shido was surprised.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be curious, that little guy is a wonder, he said he learned these things from the scrolls of the ck Tower Wizard. Hmm, I have talked to William and it seems that there is some knowledge that even he doesn¡¯t understand. There must be some secret about this little fellow.¡± Veronica replied.

    The schr was slightly startled by this and looked in that direction with curiosity.

    As Brendel walked carefully across a thick cier, he looked up and saw something that seemed to stand in the distance on the edges of the sky. It was something that was naturally eye-catching, as if it were the corner of a huge construct, ck as ink, tilted into the cier, with only a tiny part of it exposed. The entire edge had a metallic luster, and the surface of the metal was covered with geometric patterns and its blueish texture was glittering. The patterns hung down from the top of the edge and densely covered the entire ¡®body¡¯ of the thing. From a distance, it looked more like a temple plunged into the ground, but with a closer look, Brendel felt a very familiar feeling, somewhat like a Haizaiers¡¯ creation, full of constructs and industrial style.

    He looked up and could almost imagine the object flying over the ce. It fell from mid-air, hitting the ground with an instantaneous burst of energy that tore through the earth, leaving deep marks on the ground, and then slid away until it lost all momentum, only toe to a slow stop, followed by a thousand years of freezing until they rediscovered it today. He walked slowly through the ravine-like valleys that had been created by the impact thousands of years ago, where Milos, the father of the Frost Giants, had been buried, as the snow and ice of a thousand years could testify.

    He was distracted.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel?¡± A voice sounded behind him and he turned around to see Shido with a serious look on her face: ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±

    She looked up at the great creation in amusement.

    ¡°You mean that thing?¡± Brendel was a little distracted, and he took a look at the ck square pir in the distant sky that seemed to plunge straight into the clouds. But his mind was not really on it. It was not something important, as the views that could be seen from many ces in this cier, was like a background to a yer and did not have much of an existence, but it was certainly imposing. Brendel looked up at the ck pir, ¡°That¡¯s Milos¡¯ remains.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    Shido was so stunned that she stopped for a moment, ¡°Is that the remains of God?¡± Inevitably, the schr girl was skeptical. She was well aware of her beauty, and some people disguised themselves as being knowledgeable to get close to her, and she knew from her time at the academy that many of the legends she had heard were fabricated stories. She now felt the same about the Count, for she felt that he could not possibly look like a schr, and even if he were, he might not dare to say such a thing.

    She looked at the huge ruins and could not ept such an exnation.

    ¡°You think I¡¯m lying?¡± Brendel looked back at her finding it funny. <i>Well, at least I¡¯ve always found her amusing.</i>

    ¡°No......¡± Shido hurriedly shook her head, ¡°But as a schr, one must take responsibility for one¡¯s own words, have you confirmed your words, my lord?¡±

    <i>Isn¡¯t this being suspicious...</i>Brendel replied, ¡°It is not my words, but it is written in the Dark Prophecy of the Witches that in this battle, ¡®Milos disintegrated in mid-air, and the wreckage was scattered over the earth, most of which fell into this cier, but one fell into the Seas of the Dying Moon. The Bugas built a city on it, called Onais. You have heard of it, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°The ruins on the Seas of the Dying Moon is...is......¡± Shido stared at the ck ¡®building¡¯ in the sky.

    ¡°Pretty much, and in fact, both the Bugas and the ck Tower Wizards have confirmed this. The thing that we are seeing right now is the remains of Milos. In the future, you may have the opportunity to enter the White Tower to study the scrolls of the Silver Mages, and you will be exposed to this valuable knowledge, Miss Shido.¡± When Brendel himself said so, he also took a look at the ck tower in the sky. ¡°Thank you...¡± replied Shido softly, ¡°I am sorry, I should not have doubted your words.¡±

    ¡°No need to apologize, there is a saying among schrs, ¡®Doubt is the doorway to truth¡¯, you have heard of it, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, you know that too, Mr. Brendel, are you a schr?¡± Shido asked in surprise, holding the book.

    ¡°Ahem...... I¡¯ve only read the literature on the subject, but I¡¯m not really a schr.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a pity.¡±

    But Brendel was a little distracted at the moment, thinking of the action on the other side. He heard creaking footstepsing from behind him, and by the sound of them, he knew it was Veronica.

    ¡°How about that, are you confident, little one?¡± She obviously heard the conversation between Brendel and Shido, but at the moment, like Brendel, it was impossible to focus her attention on these legends and myths.

    Brendel did not turn around but he just nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°What makes you so sure that Arreck will go along with this n?¡± Veronica frowned. It was not that she did not trust Brendel, because if she did not, she would have never agreed to Brendel¡¯s n.

    ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± Brendel replied.

    He turned back.

    ......

 Chapter 722 - v4c99p1 Two Dragons?(2)

    <strong>Chapter 722 v4c99p1</strong>

    <strong>Two Dragons?(2)</strong>

    The Frost Dragon Shitah is the gatekeeper of the Holy Cathedral of Hibernators. I think Arreck knows this as well, that any stranger who approaches the Holy Cathedral of Hibernators will trigger the gatekeeper.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°You mean Enrico will surely take advantage of this. I¡¯ve heard of this old sly fox, cautious and deep, who ns precisely before taking action, exactly like the Duke of thest generation.¡± Veronica raised her head, her emerald green eyes glittering, and although her hands covered her long hair, the green strands were ruffled by the bitterly cold north wind under the sunlight. Her gaze swept across the ice as if she had seen the oue that Brendel had expected, but still asked, ¡°While I agree with that, how do you n to confirm it?¡±

    Brendel saw the snowkes swept up by the wind, like ayer of powder floating on the cier, then in his vision behind the snow suddenly appeared a few shadowy figures, he replied: ¡°We will know soon.¡± Behind the icy mist came Babasha and a few others, the old hag was rickety, with the icy wind tugging at a corner of her tattered robe, and her silver hair was blowing like a ghost. She limped to Brendel¡¯s side and spoke with deep reverence, ¡°My lord, it is ready.¡± With trembling hands, she lifted the crystal ball and held it up to Brendel.

    Veronica frowned at the sight, as she did not like witches.

    Brendel took a look at the few people behind Babasha. Besides the young girl in wooden shoes who stood with her toes together holding a jar of honey, there were two other important people, the inherited witch of the Moon of Swords (killing), Kurul, and the inherited witch of the Moon of Cups (jealousy), and Anvi. Both of who were important people, and whose status was far more revered than Babasha¡¯s in Bunosong, the Land of Witches.

    Kuru was a tall woman with a beautiful body wrapped in a gray Witch¡¯s robe. She wore a hood, her skin as white as ice and snow, her eyebrows were long and slender, her cheekbones were defined, and she looked cold, giving people an impression of cold-bloodedness; while Anvi was a woman in her forties. She wore a thick fur robe, and her plump figure wrapped in the robe can be seen even through a thickyer of wool. The little woman smiled, but could not hide the shrewdness in her eyes.

    They said they hade to join Brendel, but he realized that their attitude was far less respectful than that of Babasha and that the joining was more of an investigation than a submission. The Darkness Dragon¡¯s legacy was divided into seven. He was not the only one, but Brendel was unconcerned, confident that he could make these unpleasant people work for him.

    Brendel received the crystal ball, and immediately a circr image appeared on it, and he saw that behind the snowstorm, there was a vast expanse of snow-coverednd. He let his vision expand to the north, and the image immediately showed a crisscrossed cial ravine, a crystal-like forest, and then a t tundra where the wind blew across the icy surface formed ribbon-like objects that rolled forward.

    Shido, Veronica, and a few other Kirrlutzian nobles paid close attention to what was happening. The Discovery Magic was the specialty of the Witches, and even the Astrologers who were proficient in the art of prophecy were no match for them. Such power came from the blind maiden ine, whose past and future were all reflected in the waters of the abyss.

    It was also said that the most powerful of the Witches can indeed see a part of the future.

    The spell of the crystal ball was controlled by Anvi. And when Brendel looked carefully at the scene above, he also noticed the young woman frowning a little, but did not look tired yet. The vision on the crystal ball had opened up to several miles away, which meant that the other party¡¯s strength was already at Peak Golden.

    Suddenly the scene flickered, and the shadow of a line of people appeared on top of the snowy ins. This group of people each wore a thick bearskin coat, holding a variety of weapons, some leading a dwarf horse. Brendel looked at their attire and managed to identify them as the Enkhor people on top of the Anrreck teau, who the Lantonnians called bigfoot dwarves. But they are not actually dwarves, but Halflingsor a type of gnomes. It was said that Arreck had an Enkhor dwarf cavalry that was loyal to him, and it looked like this should be the one right now.

    ¡°Halfling cavalry, Arreck¡¯s people,¡± Veronica also recognized it at once: ¡°Brendel, it seems you guessed right again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not by luck.¡± Brendel replied, ¡°But to use his own elite as cannon fodder, this guy sure is something else.¡±

    At this time, footsteps were hearding from the snow behind the three. Shido looked back and found that it was their officer corps.

    ¡°Lord Veronica, has Brund and the others arrived yet?¡± Before the officer corps could get close, the nobleman in the lead busted out a question. This guy was called Grid, a core member of the Silver Leaf Arbitration Group from the Kirrlutz Senate Council, who imed the status of an envoy to the outside world but existed just to keep Veronica¡¯s power in check.

    This man was not of a military background, but he had a fit physique, mightier than the surrounding knights from the army. He wore this gray deerskin coat, with a hat with a tilted top. The brim of the hat had three white feathers which showed the identity of the marquis. It was just that he did not look like an elegant nobleman, but a butcher instead.

    ¡°I¡¯m not in charge ofmand here, Grid, you can ask this Count next to me any questions.¡± Veronica narrowed her eyes at this guy and replied coldly.

    Her tone was very stiff, but this army chief was not actually at odds with the loathsome guy in front of her, it was a tradition for soldiers not to befriend the nobles of the senate.

    But to her surprise, Grid got his way and replied with a condescending face, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lord Veronica, I don¡¯t trust these Aouines.¡±

    Veronica¡¯s expression immediately turned stern.

    Brendel also coldly muttered, ¡°How shameless.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°I said you are aplete idiot,¡± Brendel did not have a good feeling about the Kirrlutzians, and Veronica was probably an exception. But he was never a nice gentleman to the others, he directly spoke up and reprimanded: ¡°When Freya arrived at the intended attack location, and when the attack will beunched is only up to me here. From now on, I am the suprememander here, neither Lord Veronica, nor you-¡±

    ¡°Even if you have questions, there is no need for me to answer them. If you¡¯re not satisfied, you can remove your gloves made of squirrel skin and throw them at me, I don¡¯t mind pinning a punk like you to the ice here with my sword, and I bet your blood will be frozen under your veins before it evenes out when the de goes through your bby skin.¡±

    Brendel let out a hint of elemental aura and stunted the group of officers, directly causing Grid to turn pale. ¡°You......¡± he grinded his teeth, but finally did not dare to say the next half of the sentence: ¡°I hope you bet right!¡±

    Grid suddenly remembered that the guy in front of him had killed Williams, he acknowledged himself not as respected as the deputy head of the Holy Cathedral oF Fire¡¯s Pdins. If Brendel were to get serious, killing him would seem to be as easy as killing an ant.

    Especially when he thought of the Holy Cathedral in Aouine perished a genius swordsman, but did not even talk about revenge, Brendel¡¯s background full of depth crept him out a little.

    Veronica looked coldly at the two. As she saw Grid retreat, she frowned disappointedly. Although she also did not want Brendel to be defeated, the courage and quality of imperial nobles were unbearable. ¡°Brendel, are you confident?¡± Veronica withdrew her gaze from Grid with some disgust and asked, ¡°Although the Folded Sword Squad is the elite of the Azure Skies, there are only a hundred or so of my men under that little girl of yours, look at this Halfling cavalry, the number is at least a column (Kirrlutz establishment, five hundred men) or more, it is really difficult to wipe them all out. ¡±

    To such a question, Brendel only smiled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, leave it to me.¡±

    He turned back. He asked Ciel to go find Aloz and it has been quite a while, looking at the time it should be almost time. The crowd stirred up, the Kirrlutzians made a way as if an invisible force parted them. Cielwith Aloz appeared in the view of all, the little female Dragon with an impatient look on her face, looking at the surrounding people with her golden eyes like a ferocious beast.

    ¡°Brendel, you wanted to see me?¡± Aloz grinned broadly as she passed through the crowd.

    ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been in a bad moodtely, I found some opponents for you to vent, what do you think?¡± Brendel replied with a smile.

    ¡°Hmph, if you want my help just say so, if it¡¯s you, I¡¯m not out of consideration.¡± The little female Dragon slowly walked through the crowd. Wherever she passed, the surrounding war horses suddenly let out a wail. These big-sized herbivores had fallen to their knees, while the outer ones were paralyzed on the ground, with a few having tics on the ground, and died after foaming at the mouth.

    ¡°What have you done to our horses!¡±

    The Kirrlutzians nobles immediately called quits. Excellent war horses were a luxury worth showing off among the nobles in Aouine, Kirrlutz, and Sanorso. A horse of noble blood was more expensive than gold of equal weight in the noblemunity, and they were invaluable because no one would easily sell their beloved things.

    These horses died from Aloz¡¯s re.

    Aloz gave those guys a cold look and replied, ¡°Your horses are in my way, besides, I hate these stinky things, keep them away from me.¡±

    ¡°You!¡± The nobleman almost passed out from anger.

    Everyone turned their eyes to Brendel while Grid excitedly questioned Brendel: ¡°Lord Count, you¡¯d better exin.¡±

    ¡°You want me to exin?¡± Brendel felt amused.

    ¡°Enough-¡± Veronica interrupted out of the blue, frowning as she felt the situation was getting out of hand. It was only then that she vaguely felt that there was something wrong with the young girl brought by the Grey Sword Saint; it was not sorcery that overwhelmed those war horses in Aloz, but aura.

    She was the only one in the room who sensed it.

    ¡°Lord Veronica, please do not be biased to outsiders,except for me, everyone here can are your subordinates. I think you know better than me what a warhorse means to a soldier.¡± Grid coldly snorted and replied with some smugness.

    Veronica looked at this guy as if she was looking at an idiot: ¡°If you want to kill yourself,just do it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Grid froze. In his impression, this military leader of the Azure Skies did not look like a person who loved to joke. He suddenly felt some vague uneasiness, but it was a little toote. He suddenly heard a voice say, ¡°Meaning, a fool like you really shouldn¡¯t live in this world-¡± The voice had only just sounded before it reached his ears.

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    He heard the sound of knights drawing their swords and could not help but look back in horror. But it was a little toote, a tail as thick as a bucket stretched out from there and heavily smacked him.

    Grid shouted miserably, blood immediately spurted out and sshed across the ice, leaving a striking blood trail.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°This......¡± Veronica and Shido looked at the sudden change with surprise.

    They could not help but be surprised, because what appeared under the sunlight was an elegant creature with shining scales, a slender neck, and wings covering its body. To be precise, it was a Dragon.

    A golden Dragon.

    Aloz was perched on the ice field, looking down at everyone, her massive body almost the size of a three-story building. Her long neck was slightly bent, supporting a head with four horns. The clothes were reced by white-golden, smooth, mirror-like scales, one next to the other, ted with a light purple metallic glow, a special color that only adult Dragons had.

    Aloise lowered her head, with mes zing in her golden eyes as she looked at everyone present, all of whom cried out in their hearts: O Marsha above, a Dragon! We can¡¯t believe we have been living with a Dragon for so long!

    And Grid who was struggling to get up from the ground was full of despair, now he finally understood what Veronica¡¯s words meant, he felt really stupid, hopelessly stupid.

    He wanted to beg for mercy, but everyone was in a terrifying shock.

    Most of the people present felt themselves plunged into a world of infinite ckness, a world without any sense of touch, smell, or even any sense of time and direction, leaving only a horrible scream in the skying from far to near, vibrating the eardrums.

    Grid who just got up from the ground, felt his legs weakened and fell on his knees once again.

    Only Veronica was slightly able to hold on among everyone present. She held on to Shido, who had a pale face. Brendel and Ciel on the other hand werepletely unaffected. But despite this, they saw how the others behaved and understood what this was.

    This was the power that Dragons are born with.

    Dragon power.

 Chapter 723 - v4c99p2 Two Dragons?(2)

    <strong>Chapter 723 v4c99p2</strong>

    <strong>Two Dragons?(2)</strong>

    ¡°Originally, for your arrogance, I should have gouged out your eyes and eaten your heart, to warn other humble creatures to maintain the necessary respect for a Dragon. But you are lucky, I do not want toy my ws on your dirty body, so this time I will spare your life. You better not appear in front of me again, or I do not guarantee a mouthful of fire to burn you to ashes-¡±

    A majestic voice rang at the ears of all,pletely different from Aloz¡¯s tender and childish voice. Her voice now was as if it was of a queen, with a vague sense of the little female Dragon¡¯s original vibe. She was on the ground as she spoke these words, but in the end, she opened her wings and leaped up, hovering in mid-air. The sound rumbled through the wild.

    All the warhorses fell to their knees at the same time.

    ¡°Brendel, you owe me another favor.¡± These words came from the clouds.

    Brendel looked up, only to see a shadow sweeping across the snowy ins, covering the sky. Aloz opened her wings and a terrifying aura spread far beyond the entire cier.

    It was the aura of a giant Dragon.

    ......

    With a click, Arreck watched as a crack appeared on the crystal in his mages¡¯ hand. Pieces broke off and it turned into dust in a blink of an eye. In not even two weeks, this Duke had tremendous changes. He was not glowing with aura anymore, but instead, he hid under a fur cape, leaving the outsiders with an impression of a thin and wretched side profile.

    Arreck was so thin that he looked like a skeleton, his face was covered with crumpled skin, and his eyes remained motionless in their dry sockets, staring at the crystal with barely a glimmer in them.

    ¡°My Lord.¡± The mage looked back at him with a questioning look.

    ¡°This is the Dragon¡¯s power, that stupid Dragon has taken action.¡± Arreck grabbed his cane and said with some fervor, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I know that old woman Veronica is following us, let them follow us in more circles. Bunch of fools.¡±

    ¡°Your body, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Arreck coldly red at Devard. Although he was increasingly thin, but the majesty and aura were bing increasingly prominent.

    Devard shivered and shut his mouth.

    ¡°I am not one of those mortals, to get the power, sacrifice is inevitable. Remember our goal, chaos is the only thing that matters, everything else is a liability.¡± Arreck replied coldly, ¡°The pursuit of weakness for feelings, the ignorant grasping for money and power, and the empty delusion of justice, mortals pursue these worthless things, how can they ovee us?¡±

    ¡°Come, the master defeated them at Babel, and so do we now.¡± He coughed, then slowly stood up.

    In the forest, knights in ck robes stood up and followed. These knights looked extremely strange, they were far taller than the average person and looked somewhat like the orcs of theins. But orcs do not build armor, and their intelligence was only enough for them to use simple weapons.

    Even more striking was the fact that each knight had a mark of an armiry snake on their cloaks.

    ......

    ¡°Freya?¡±

    ¡°Freya?¡±

    The young girl from Be countryside wandered a bit, recalling the scene when Brendel stood in the tent and asked her the question seriously: ¡®Freya, how will you see the war? Thest time Brendel was so serious was when Braggs told her how she should save the Be.

    How should I feel about the war? Freya asked herself, she should hate the war as it took away everything she was supposed to have, her peaceful life, her family, her homnd, everything she once knew was lost in the burning mes, looking back on that memory, there seemed to be only deep pain left.

    ¡±But Aouine can only be saved through wars, and in those wars, you will be the murderers of those you once hated.¡±

    ¡±Freya, you have more enemies than just Madara, and you should understand that. You will kill, and more people will die in the battle, or lose their homes and loved ones, and if you were just a soldier, you could leave it alone.¡±

    ¡±But I know exactly what your ideals are, Freya, do you know your goals?¡±

    Freya gripped her sword.

    In a trance, she saw blood flowing everywhere, and the battlefield was nothing but an endless stream of corpses, and among these corpses was Bessie¡¯s pure, innocent face, who looked at her with vacant eyes, as if questioning her.

    Then she saw the little girl who had died in the hands of the demons.

    Then there were her people in Be.

    Freya felt like there was a missing answer. She closed her eyes, then opened them again, and her voice and five senses seemed toe together again. It was then she only realized Maynild had been calling her a few times.

    ¡°Freya.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± The future Valkyrie turned back to her.

    ¡°Why were you staring into the nk?¡± Maynild was a bit displeased. ¡°I don¡¯t know......¡± Freya shook her head in a blur, ¡°I think I saw a blue shadow and then......then I don¡¯t know what happened.¡±

    from?¡± Maynild was a bit displeased. ¡°I don¡¯t know ......,¡± Freya shook her head nkly, ¡°I think I just saw a blue shadow and then ...... then I don¡¯t know what happened.¡±

    ¡°A blue shadow?¡± Maynild reached out and touched her forehead, ¡°Have you been too tiredtely?¡±

    ¡°No...... I don¡¯t think so, what time is it?¡± She asked, looking up.

    ¡°See for yourself.¡± Maynild handed her the pocket watch. Freya nced at it and then at the line of Enkhor Halflingsin the distance, ¡°Has there been any word from Brendel?¡±

    ¡°He has confirmed with Medissa that it is who we are looking for.¡±

    ¡°Then......¡±

    ¡°Miss Aloz is already on her way.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Freya threw her pocket watch into the snow. Brendel asked her how she nned to fight toplete the n, and she knew in her mind that she had to leave no one alive to make that old fox Arreck fall into the trap. She pulled out part of the Lionheart Sword and pressed the cold de with her fingertips, feeling a chill in her heart, she was no longer the little girl who did not understand the difference between a knight and a soldier.

    Although she did not have a clear answer in her mind yet, she had understood that killing cannot bring peace, but at least it could solve disputes. So her answer was simple, just one sentence: ¡°I understand, Brendel.¡± She looked at Brendel then with no hesitation in her eyes, for thest trace of her hesitation had long been buried with Bessie in Ampere Seale¡¯s port.

    She pulled out the Lionheart sword entirely, the de glinting coldly. Everyone saw the action of this temporary mander¡¯ before they reacted and one by one, they followed and stood up. The knights untied their cloaks and threw them to the ground. Next, the noble officers of Kirrlutz had their eyes on Freya, while Freya nced at the sword in her hand, pointed downward with it, and ordered: ¡°Descend from both sides of the hill, do not enter the opponent¡¯s view, and listen to my order to cut off the retreat route of the Enkhor Halflingson the snowy ins. No one is allowed to go into battle until they see the signal.¡±

    The Kirrlutzians flinched, and the air felt like falling snow, getting heavier as it fell in silence.

    ¡°Wait, that doesn¡¯t match our orders.¡± Brund immediately questioned, ¡°Are you nning to hold the fort, Lord Commander, if you let those Halfling cavalry enter the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernators, you will attract that damned thief. Lord Commander, please allow me to doubt your motives.¡±

    ¡°I can understand your doubts.¡± Freya nced at Maynild beside herself as she calmed her breathing in her mind and replied, ¡°But the main attack is not us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not us?¡±

    ¡°Then who could it be?¡±

    Freya lifted her head to look at the sky. Her gaze crossed the crystal-like treetops of the pine forest, and the quiet Kirrlutzian officer noticed this behavior of hers and lifted his head along with her. The clouds in the sky seemed to have a strange movement, the forest that was filled with all kinds of sound went silent at that moment, as if it was strangled by an invisible hand. The clouds converged together then suddenly parted, and a huge shadow emerged out of the clouds.

    Brund¡¯s jaw dropped as he stared at the scene. The knights of the Kirrlutz stood in the forest as if their feet were stuck to the ground like stone statues. Their thoughts were like a tsunami. This was not an illusion, the Dragon descended from mid-air, a horrible scream arose from within. Only Freya had seen such a sight long ago, on the battlefield of Ampere Seale, the day when dark clouds covered the sun and a line of gold descended from above the clouds to bring final victory in the war.

    She turned back, ¡°Medissa.¡±

    ¡°Sister Freya, I¡¯m here.¡± The Silver Elf Princess lifted her cloak and asked aloud, ¡°Shall I summon?¡±

    Freya turned back to the ice field, the Enkhor Halflingshad spotted the Dragon in the sky, the men and horses panicked, with the slightly smarter ones had begun to scatter and flee. Freya turned back again and nodded to Medissa.

    ¡°Knight of Fahreinen, listen to my trumpet!¡±

    Medissa¡¯s silver threads in her hands intertwined, weaving a silver horn, she immediately blew the horn and chanted: ¡°The blue g of the ins of Mrd flutters like the sea, the spears of the Fahreinen shines in cold light, O knights, listen to the long sound of my horn, the ancient spirits are calling the courage of your hearts. O knights, follow me on horseback, get ready to charge-¡± The Silver Elf¡¯s voice was so melodious that it sounded like a tune from the old times. The Kirrlutzian knights looked at each other in disbelief at the incantation, not yet knowing what Medissa was calling for, but Brund was the first to respond. ¡°Oh my god, this is the Silver King¡¯s knight army!¡±

    No sooner had he said it than Medissa had puffed out her cheeks and blown the trumpet a second time.

    The sound of the trumpet was loud and clear.

    And Aloz swept over the forest at that moment, the wind pressure sweeping through the canopy and swooped down over the distant ice fields. But the knights looked back and were shook to see glowing white, heavily armored warhorses emerge from the forest. These horses, as if from the heavens, converged into a silvery tide and came to them in a blink of an eye. A unicorn came to Medissa¡¯s side and rubbed the little princess¡¯ cheek affectionately, Medissa stroked its longhorn and got onto her horse. Freya was the second to get onto her horse, her warhorse was taller than the others, with silver mes burning on its hooves. This one was the legendary mount of the Silver King ¨C the Holy Spirit.

    ¡°Everyone get on the horses.¡± Freya ordered, ¡°Remember your mission clearly-¡±

    She looked back at the in and sighed slightly: ¡°They have the Transmission Crystal with them, they can¡¯t be given any chance. Leave no prisoners, kill everyone.¡±

    When this order was given, Maynild looked back at the young girl from Be countryside.

    Freya frowned tightly, but her gaze remained firm.

    ......

    Kuwu was once Arreck¡¯s most trusted, a halfling with a surprisingly small head and extraordinarilyrge ears who knew exactly what he had earned this trust on, not because he possessed outstanding abilities, but because of his loyalty. His father, an equally proud halfling, also served the previous generation of Arreck Dukes. Their family had such a tradition of loyalty, which is what Kuwu was most proud of. He could get through all his previous predicaments, but this time might be hisst time in battle.

    He tightened his bearskin robe, still bearing the task given to him by the Duke- to challenge a Dragon. A warrior should die on the battlefield, which was a rare honor for Kuwu. The Enkhors were the toughest people and the bravest warriors on the high grounds. Today they would challenge the Dragon, and their courage will be engraved on the stone throne of their homnd. The wind was bitterly cold, and it almost blew their robes off. The cold was like a knife cutting through their bodies. These Halflingswho were used to the dry and cold climate of the hignds found it just as unbearable. Kuwu had a bad feeling from this morning, the old man of their n used to say that if a day starts badly, everything would be bad, and he broke his kettle this morning, which was an extremely disturbing bad omen.

    The team struggled to move forward on the ice field, and they had not moved more than a few miles throughout the whole morning. Kuwu frowned. He was the most experienced warrior among his people, and he kept listening to the sounds carried in the wind.

    Suddenly, he heard an eerie sound.

    It was like rolling thunder through the clouds, it was not as pronounced, but still booming. This low-frequency boom soon became clear, and Kuwu turned back to the sky and stared somewhat wildly. He finally heard it, it was the sound of something flying in the sky, and it must be something huge. If they really had attracted that huge Dragon, then they would die here, but their blood would be honored.

    In just a few moments, the expected giant shadow did appear in the skyline. It parted the clouds and tore through the sky, leaping into Kuwu¡¯s view in a sh. At that moment all the Enkhor Halflingsspotted the enemy. They screamed, and the timid ones were already distraught and began to scatter in panic. But Kuwu could forgive them, after all when he first heard about the mission, he was just as frightened as they were.

    He was still a little embarrassed when he remembered that time, how could I be considered a qualified warrior like that? He took out the hignd alcohol, tilted his head backward, and poured it down his throat. He felt a fiery sensation, then wiped his mouth with a wild smile on his face. Enough already , he never expected his men to take on a giant Dragon, as that was an impossible task. But at least they had aplished their mission which was already enough. The stupid Dragon had been drawn to this ice field, which meant the Lord¡¯s n could be carried out.

    Kuwu almostughed out loud, but before he couldugh, a blurry thought shed through his mind.

    He saw the gleaming golden scales of the Dragon.

    It was a golden Dragon.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be!¡± Kuwu¡¯s eyes widened, his face turned pale, his big ears almost stood erect. This is another Dragon, there are two Dragons in this snowy in! No way! He could not help but look around in a panic, with onest glimmer of hope in his heart. He hoped that Duke Arreck had misinformed and that perhaps it was a golden Dragon that lived and inhabited here, not a Frost Dragon. Although this thought was so great of irreverence, the halfling leader at this moment could no longer care so much.

    Immediately, a more odd sound interrupted all his delusions.

    It was a prolonged sound more distant than the Dragon¡¯s roar, which seemed to be ringing from the horizon. Only once in Kuwu¡¯s life had he heard such a sound, and that was the long Dragon horn of the Farnezain army when he had gone out with Arreck during the War of the Holy Saints.

    ¡°There is an ambush......¡±

    Kuwu immediately understood what was happening, they had fallen into a trap. He shivered and grabbed out the Transmission Crystal, but it was unresponsive: ¡°No ......the World of Laws.¡± He almost groaned as the enemy was well prepared. He immediately grabbed his weapon and screamed, ¡°Quick, get out of this area. Spread out and spread the message!¡±

    He looked up, his green pupils reflecting the approaching massive figure of the golden Dragon. Its shadow of which seemed to represent despair.

    A golden me descended from the sky.

    ......

 Chapter 724 - v4c100 Eternity (1)

    <h4>Chapter 724 v4c100 Eternity (1)</h4>

    The moment the Dragon roared, the mountains shook. The Miirnas said that the shadow of the Dragon swept across the ins, the wind from its beating wings would blow for a day and a night, Aloz opened her wings a few miles away, and the wind had already ravaged the mountains. The triangr g on the tip of the Halflings¡¯ guns on the ice field rattled in the wind, but what filled their minds was boundless fear.

    ¡°Dragon!¡± Nobody knew who let out a scream, and the neatly organized group scattered in all directions on the snowy in. Seeing that he could no longer control the procession, Kuwu had to flee to the northwest with the escorting knights by his side. In the blink of an eye, Aloz had flown above these tiny creatures, she hung her head low, a huge shadow hovered over the group of hundreds of people, her golden eyes reflected the scattered fleeing Halflings. Based on her interest, she first selected the small group of people to the south, about 20 or 30 Halflings who were riding dwarf stallions fleeing to the hillside among the crystal woods. But Aloz would never give them this opportunity, she directly lowered her head and spewed out a mouthful of golden mes.

    Arge ball of fire fell from the sky andnded on the cier, instantly engulfing the Halflings who were still running away, turning them into ashes. The mes continued to burn on the ice, even the ice made sizzling noises. The ice meltedyer byyer, revealing the ck igneous rock below, which had been melted thousands of years ago once again in the mes turned intova, with white water vapor rising up more than ten meters into the air.

    The searing mes seemed to excite the little female Dragon. She let out a scream while her beating wings stretched up high, and she spitted out of her mouth mes like a golden sword that plowed through the cier, has been burned into the forest and into the crystal forest. But that was not all, her golden gaze was now locked on another team, but this time she did not intend to continue to spit fire as Dragons can not endlessly spew mes like in the fairy tales of mortals. Aloz stood up high and straight like an arrow and then swooped down towards a team of Halflings. She swept past their heads and brought up a strong wind like a sharp de, which scattered those Halflings all around, while some of the riders were thrown off their horses by the huge wind pressure and crashed into the hard ice, rolling dozens of meters before stopping and cracked their brains.

    Aloz looked at these unlucky guys, and she felt more and more pleased with herself as if her anger waspletely vented. She let out a cheekyugh in mid-air that sounded like a deafening thunder to outsiders. The little female Dragon in mid-air spun around andnded heavily on the cier, she stretched out sharp ws to grab the ice to steady herself. The huge impact ripped out flying ice chips from the iceyer, leaving more than a dozen deep w marks.

    Aloz turned around and swept the front Halfling riders out of the way with a tail swing. She turned around and stopped in front of the little things, then stretched out her ws and pped a rider who could not stop in time. Her sharp ws were like four sharp steel swords that could easily rip those little things into pieces. She lowered her head, and immediately swallowed the little thing along with his horse.

    The Dragon was not the embodiment of justice in any legend.

    Those who belonged to Arreck¡¯s Enknor Halflings seemed to finally realize that there was no hope in escaping, so they angrily grabbed their spears and attacked. Although they looked as vulnerable as kids in front of the mighty Dragon, these Halflings were not gentle people- they were Arreck¡¯s private soldiers and veterans who had killed others during battles. Once they got onto the battlefield, they were just people who did not value life anymore. Despite that, they might not have the courage to fight the Dragon.

    Aloz looked at these tiny creatures and could not help but yawn, she casually cut off a few thrown spears, and then raised her ws, ripping each Halfling into meat paste. It was as if she was killing rats. When she mmed her ws for the seventh time, those Halflings finally broke down and turned to flee.

    When Kuwu turned around and saw such a scene, his heart ached as if being cut by a knife as those were his people, but he knew that those people could not escape. The Dragon was like a cat ying with rats. The wind whistled in his ears as he clutched the reins, his body crouched on his horse¡¯s back, the scenery around him was blurry, but he had no intention of retreating into the woonds. He kept retreating along the snowy ins to the north. The two previous teams, both of which were rushing to retreat into the forest, would be aimed first by the terrifying Dragon. Dragons were very shrewd creatures, most mortals only remembered their savage side, but Kuwu knew this very well, so he led his escorting knights to escape this disaster.

    He no longer expected to live through the battle, but in the mind of Kuwu, at least before dying, he had to first find the Holy Cathedral of Hibernators. At least to let the Frost Dragon out, which was thest thing he could do for the Duke Arreck. But it was not that simple. This big-eared Halfling turned his head back, and a line of silver light shone on the horizon reflected in his vision.

    The gant maiden on horseback wasmanding hundreds of knights to chase them forward along the cier, the Valkyrie wearing Aouine¡¯s knightly battle armor, two cloaks fluttering like feathers behind her. And behind her, after experiencing two incidents with the Dragon and the Elite warhorse, the knights of Kirrlutz finally reluctantly epted the fact that the maiden had be their temporarymander. This had nothing to do with Freya¡¯s leadership ability, but capability on the battlefield could indeed determine many things. The military advocate¡¯s force and whoever that was capable would qualify as the boss.

    The knights of the Folded Sword Squad rode fluorescent warhorses, they were like icy waves sweeping across the snowy ins, different from the Halfling dwarf stallions. These Elite horses¡¯ hoofs did not sink into the snow, as if they were flying on the snowy surface, incredibly fast. Freya divided the knights into echelons, from left to right in a diagonal line, she thenmanded them to rush down the mountain forest, then advanced north along the west side of the snow in, and they soon caught up with the first fleeing Halfling cavalry.

    ¡°Roji-! Others, keep going, don¡¯t slow down!¡± The young girl shouted, her voice traveled far with the strength of the Silver rank, echoing across the battlefield.

    Freya was shouting for the female knight with the slender face, and this name made Roji frown. The female knight even raised her head to look ahead but did not answer, as she felt awkward beingmanded by an Aouinemander. But as a soldier¡¯s obedient nature, she still nked her longsword and shouted: ¡°The tenth echelon, prepare to attack! ¡± The knights behind her responded in unison, and the sound of swords being drawn rang out in unison as the Kirrlutzian knights raised their longswords high, their brightly shining des reflecting an undting line of shing light across the snowy ins.

    Looking down from above over the snowy ins, a diagonal ck line was advancing rapidly, and it passed a scattered fleeing party, engulfing that party into the left nk. The tenth echelon of Kirrlutzian knights slowed down, but the other nine echelons continued to advance. Freya nced back nervously from her horse, but she was satisfied with what was happening ¨C the Knights of the Folded Sword were very tactically astute and had executed her tactics almost perfectly.

    Freya seemed to finally put her mind at ease, she looked up, the future Valkyrie at this moment seemed to finally showed the aura of a young girl from the countryside of Be. Her eyes glittered as she turned to draw a long sword and pointed it forward. She firmly ordered: ¡°Third, fourth, fifth echelon to the east to disengage, the second, sixth, seventh echelon tounch a free attack! The eighth and ninth echelons are responsible for closing up!¡±

    ¡°Others, follow me!¡±

    At Freya¡¯smand, the battlefield immediately changed, and the Kirrlutzian knights suddenly spread out like a wolf pack, running towards their respective targets, forming a faint momentum to surround them. Although the enemy they wanted to surround was several timesrger in number than them, there was a Dragon that was also chasing these Halflings, so no one has a trace of fear in their hearts. What was more was that they were the proud Kirrlutz elites, how could they possibly bow down to the hicks of Aouine? Even without Aloz on the field, they could just as proudly charge these Halfling cavalries to their death.

    Freya¡¯s tactics showed results almost immediately, as the Halflings under Anrek finally came to their knees. These Kirrlutzian riders were much more purposeful than the more yful Aloz. They performed what was supposed to be wolf pack tactics, driving their prey forward like a pack of winter wolves forming a squad, and constantly killing those who fell out of the group. If any Halfling cavalry tried to break out of this, the eight or nine echelons of Kirrlutzian knights following behind would immediately kill them.

    The battlefield was littered with corpses, and some Halflings who were seeing no hope of escape, had to turn around andunch a dueling charge, all of them were tough mountain folk, but unfortunately, their opponents were also the best academics from Kirrlut. And even though they were slightly less experienced in battle, their average Gold downstream strength was enough to make up any difference.

    Almost all of the Kirrlutz knights made gains, and from the second echelon to the tenth echelon were soon in a melee, but only Freya was still advancing. She was locked on the group that was fleeing far from the front. She didn¡¯t know that it was none other than Khufu with his escorting knights, but she knew very well that the other side must be a goodmander. Freya had been watching this group almost from the beginning, from the time Aloz entered the battlefield until now, and every choice thatmander made was almost always the right one.

    The other side hadn¡¯t made a single mistake.

    The dwarf stallions are taking full advantage of this terrain. The wild dwarf stallions are born in the cold and windy hignds and often have to cross the ice gaps between the valleys to feed further away, finding the cracks in the ciers seems to have be instinctive in their bones, but on the other hand, Freya¡¯s side, although the spirit war horses can float on top of the ice, they cannot really fly after all, and sometimes a break in the ice can kill everyone, so the future Valkyrie has to be cautious.

    Both sides chased and fled, and in the blink of an eye, a distance of one or two miles wavered, and the undting ridgeline appeared on the ice in. Freya frowned, some anxiety in his heart, further forward, will be out of the interference zone of the ban onmunication magic, but her heart anxiety, Kuwu as well as bad, in his look behind those guys behind the warhorse as if they do not need physical strength, while he and his escort knights sitting on the mounts have been overwhelmed.

    Must be decided in a short time.

    Such thoughts shed through the minds of both men almost simultaneously.

    Almost all of the Kirrlutz knights made gains, and the second echelon to the tenth echelon was soon in a melee, but only Freya was still advancing. She locked her eyes on the group that was fleeing far from the front. She did not know that it was no other than Kuwu and his escorting knights, but she knew very well that they must have a goodmander. Freya had been watching this group almost from the beginning, from the time Aloz entered the battlefield until now, and almost every choice of thatmander had been the right one.

    They had not made a single mistake.

    Kuwu was escaping along the edges of the ciers, the dwarf stallions had full advantage of this terrain. The wild dwarf stallions were born in the cold and windy hignds and often had to cross the cier gaps between the valleys to feed further away, finding cracks in the ciers in seemed to have be instinctive. But on the other hand, although Freya¡¯s Elite horses could float on top of ice while advancing, they could not fly after all, and sometimes a breakage in the iceyers could kill all of them, so Freya had to be cautious.

    They chased and fled, and in the blink of an eye, in a distance of one or two miles, an undting ridgeline appeared on the snowy in. Freya frowned with some anxiety in her heart. If they moved further forward, they would be out of the interference zone of the ban of Transmission magic. Although Freya was anxious, Kuwu would not be well off either. Those guys¡¯ warhorses behind were as if they did not need physical strength, while he and his escort knights who were sitting on the mounts were overwhelmed.

    <i>The battle must end in a short period of time.</i>

    Such a thought shed through both of their minds almost at the same time.

    Freya gritted her teeth and gripped the reins, but Brund at her side was already pressing on. Although in all seriousness, he now had no prejudice against themander, as in such a battlemand was difficult to talk about what was outstanding. But Freya from the beginning to the end maintained the necessary decisiveness as amander, and so far she had not made a mistake, which showed that she was at least calm enough and knew how to analyze, which is the bare minimum as a goodmander. However, like Freya, Brund also realized that if they continued to chase after them, their mission would fail.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got to find a way to drive them to the brink.¡± He shouted intermittently against the wind.

    Freya was slightly stunned, then nodded. This was actually exactly her own idea, but the changing terrain of the ice field, she was not sure what would be the right choice. It was a difficult situation.

    ¡°Little Pero, we should go that way!¡± Brund, however, turned back to one of the men besides himself and shouted. Freya knew the young man, a senior graduate of St. Ebony. Thenky young man might not have been cut out to be a soldier, but it was said that the man¡¯s graduation grades were high enough to make all those who graduated with him at the same time jealous.

    Freya, being an academy student herself, knew exactly what that meant.

    But little Pero shook his head: ¡°The terrain of the snowy ins is soplex that a great deal of luck needs to be involved, and if you want me to tell the truth, I can only say that even I can¡¯t tell. We can only bet on luck and see if Lord Marsha favors us.¡±

    He said so in the wind while shrugging his shoulders.

    Everyone¡¯s heart sank, but they knew it was reasonable. ¡°Knight Maynild,¡± Brund turned his head to the other side again. He knew that the knight beside the Aouine princess,pared to Freya, Maynild was from the first batch of the Royal Cavalry Academy¡¯s most outstanding graduates: ¡°What do you think?¡±

    But Maynild did not have a change in her expression, she did not even turn her head back, like a javelin standing up in the wind and snow, she just faintly replied: ¡°I will obey themander¡¯smands.¡±

    Brund choked for a moment.

    But everyone¡¯s eyes had fallen on Freya. The young girl from the countryside of Be froze and subconsciously gripped the reins, she bit her lips, but did not say any words of refusal.

    She lifted her head and nced at the northeast-

    ......

 Chapter 725 - v4c101 Eternity (2)

    <h4>Chapter 725 v4c101 Eternity (2)</h4>

    ¡°Knight Brund, do you see that crack to the west, you lead the eighth echelon to go around and behind that and close in on that cavalry from the side.¡± Freya suddenly looked back at a broken cier to the west and said to Brund beside her. The shattered cier undted across the entire snowfield, refracting the afternoon sunlight, glittering beneath the ice. Brund looked in that direction, finding it somewhat iprehensible: ¡°Why it¡¯s impossible to catch up from that direction.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Knight Brund, your task is to make force them to change direction and make those Halflings flee to the north, preferably to the northeast.¡± Freya replied.

    ¡°What¡¯s to the east?¡± Brund mentally froze and subconsciously looked in that direction, but in his field of vision, the east was the same endless cier as the north ¨C the edge of the cier shone under the clear sky as if it were the edge of a mirror, blinding his eyes. He could not help but squint his eyes, with a little suspicion.

    ¡°Brund, it¡¯s the wind.¡± Little Pero on his horse seemed toe back to his sense, ¡°The wind, the wind is blowing from the northwest.¡±

    No one present was a fool. Brund immediately understood, he watched the ice and dust blown by the wind on the cier slowly traveled in their direction. He could not help but was extremely amazed for a moment: the wind was blowing from the northwest, meaning that direction could be a mountain pass, while the north and east were highly likely to be the direction of the mountain pass. These things were not learned in the tactics ss of the nobles, and could only be consideredmon sense. But to be able to keenly perceive and use this to make a judgment at this time was not something that everyone can think of.

    ¡°The guy in front probably sensed this early on, I don¡¯t think the opposingmander fled in this direction to put his fate into the hands of Lord Marsha,¡± Little Pero further analyzed, and he looked at Freya with some admiration, his voice getting interrupted by the wind: ¡± We sealed his retreat, and they will not sit still. Lady Freya, you are trying to force them to turn back and fight us to death, right?¡±

    The youngdy was slightly stunned as she had yet to think about that, but she had a vague intuition that if she did so the other party may turn back. But as amander, she had at least learned how to maintain her majesty and nodded gently.

    ¡°I understand.¡± Brund nodded his head with some excitement. No one wanted to follow themand of a loser, especially for them, mere mediocrity was intolerable. But with the thought of a perfect victorying soon, these young men from Kirrlutz could not help but feel excited. To be precise, this was their first-ever battle.

    Across the cier, the Kirrlutzian knights and Aloz managed to suppress the Halflings together. The Enkhor cavalry under Arreck was stranded on the ice with hardly being able to show any signs of resistance. Blood flowed from the bodies of the Halfling cavalry, which instantly froze into a pool of red ice. The tenth echelon led by Roji and the other seven echelons were fighting the final closing battle, which meant that this final wasing to an end.

    When Kuwu saw a cavalry with a swallowtail g splitting from the chasing soldiers behind him and entering the shadow of the broken cier, he realized the intentions of the othermander. He was waiting for this opportunity in fact. He had thirty-four escorting knights with him, all of them goodds among the Enkhor, the most elite soldiers among the Halfling cavalry of Duke Arreck. On the other side, the other party¡¯s cavalry echelon had only ten or so men. He did not believe that four times the number was not enough to settle these cavalrymen of unknown origin.

    Seeing the opponent¡¯smander who still dared to split her troops, the Halfling knight could not help but sneer. In his opinion, Freya made the right choice, but it was also a wrong choice in a sense- their opponent was too arrogant, or their own initial frantic fleeing seeded in creating an illusion for the opponent to think that they were weak and bullyable. Kuwu was satisfied with the situation he had created, but he did not rush to order his men to turn back. These Halfling knights who were willing to fight alongside him and did not scatter were his most trusted subordinates. Good steel was used on the edge of the sword, and so, Kuwu waited. He waited for Brund¡¯s cavalry to get far away enough from Freya.

    He cunningly pretended to continue fleeing and redirected to the north as Freya had hoped, and it looked like the Kirrlutz knight had fallen for it. He saw Brund¡¯s cavalry get around the broken cier and finally realized he had waited for his chance of a lifetime.

    In fact, he knew very well that at this moment the Halfling cavalry¡¯s dwarf stallions were almost near the end of their physical capacity. They could only support one more charge at most, but that would be enough. Kuwu blew a whistle, only to see the Halfling cavalry apanying him turn a corner in the ice field to face Freya and her first echelon in unison.

    ¡°Sure enough, here theye!¡± Seeing the scene in front of him, little Pero shouted. Freya was relieved to see the Halfling cavalry turn their horses around. Her opponent only had to run forward a short distance to approach the limit of interference magic, but fortunately, it looked like Lord Marsha was still on their side. She raised her longsword high: ¡°Prepare for battle!¡±

    The Halfling cavalry was one of the most special cavalries in Vaunte. They were not a heavy cavalry that was good at shocking formations, these cavalry on dwarf stallions and even war dogs were best at medium to close range battles, to be precise, they were a spear-throwing cavalry.

    The two partiesunched a dueling charge on the ice field, the distance gradually shortened to the point where they could see each other¡¯s tensed expression. Both human and Halfling knights, at a sudden whistle from the cavalry of Kuwu, altogether they threw their spears forward and rain of short spears poured into the thin line of Kirrlutzian knights more than ten meters away. But the expected scene of people and horses falling over did not appear, the human knights held out colorful light shields suddenly one after another. The short spears hit those light shields and immediately broke into two wood chips flying.

    Kuwu¡¯s heart sank when he saw this scene. He did not make a mistake, it was just that as a noble private soldier¡¯s leader, he had probably never imagined the big difference between his men and the continent¡¯s strongest Empire¡¯s most elite knights. Such ignorance sometimes had to be made up of one¡¯s life.

    After a round of spear throwing, the Kirrlutzians were unharmed. On the t snowy ins, there was no second chance for anyone once the two cavalriesunched their first charges against each other. Probably having seen the end, the morale of the elite Enkhor escort knights fell, but the pride they had umted in the past made them gave them the determination to raise their weapons still.

    Looking from above, the Kirrlutzian knights led by Freya looked like a single silver de, stabbing into the heart of the Halfling cavalry.

    ¡°This is the end of them!¡±

    Brund saw this scene before he tightened the reins and stopped. The battle had only just begun, but he already knew the oue. The blonde knight said with some regret, ¡°It¡¯s a pity I can¡¯t join the battle myself.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, isn¡¯t that guy, Arreck, still alive? If you clean up the battlefield faster, you might still have a chance.¡± One of the knights behind said excitedly. The me King once said that cavalries were unstoppable, ambition and fervor were their hallmarks, and just seeing the battlefield would be enough to excite these young men.

    ¡°Ha, well said!¡±

    The knights were discussing among themselves. Brund looked back and seemed to see a sh of light on the horizon. He rubbed his eyes, almost thinking he was hallucinating as sunlight reflected on the ice often caused snow blindness, so sometimes the refraction of light was possible in causing illusions.

    But Brund¡¯s heart was uneasy, he turned to the others and said, ¡°Did you see anything?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Just in that direction, do you not see? There seems to be a blue light......¡± Brund asked with some doubt.

    ¡°Blue light?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You probably saw it wrong, Brund.¡±

    Brend shrugged, ¡°Probably.¡± But as soon as he said that, someone in the group screamed: ¡°Oh my God, look over there!¡± Brund was stunned and he immediately turned back alertly. but At the moment he turned to look, hisplexion changed.

    <i>Marsha above, what the hell is this......</i>

    ......

    The silent cave was covered with ice and snow, ten thousand years of unbroken ice formed the eerie blue walls with ciers sinking downward, forming strips of patterns and texture. In the dark caves, the natural formation of holes crisscrossed, however, among this work of nature, there were piles of many artificial things.

    If one looked closely, one will find many boxes of goods from Kirrlutz, with eagle emblems on the top that indicated they were once military supplies. On the other side, there were many barrels from Vallendaren, Lantonn, and even ces further away. These barrels and crates were filled with all kinds of food, and if someone came here, they would think they had mistakenly entered the underground storeroom of some frost giant.

    But this was a real Dragon¡¯sir.

    In here, one would not see glittering gold coins, bejeweled ornaments, valuable art, gold and silver vessels, or even the Dragons¡¯ favorite dazzling gems, except for food. There were corned beef, smi, frozen fish, sour cheese, bread, fruits, jars of honey, and candies that piled on top of each other.

    But this cave, which seemed like a witch¡¯s candy house, was indeed the very hiding ce of the young Frost Dragon Shitah.

 Chapter 726 - v4c102 Eternity(3)

    <h4>Chapter 726 v4c102 Eternity(3)</h4>

    Now, right at this moment.

    A ball of flesh was running between the food, and if one looked more closely, it could be seen that it was carrying the goods one by one deeper into the hole. It was a ball of flesh with a pair of wings ¨C wings that remind people of a roast turkey at a New Year¡¯s festival, and a pair of fat paws. The pair of ws were short and small, but at least they could grab the boxes and drag them backward. The thick hind limbs, obviously a little overdeveloped, made it wiggle as it walked. Every step this ball of flesh took, the bucket-thick tail wiggled a little, while making puffing noises.

    If it was not covered with dense, considerable beautiful pale scales, and had two pairs of horns, the average person might have thought it was a hippopotamus, instead of a Dragon.

    Even though Shitah was a real Dragon, a very rare young Frost Dragon even in the Dragon n, of course, he was driven back during childhood by the Dragon n because Shitah was keen of collecting food instead of hoarding wealth. Shitah¡¯s parents considered it a disgrace, and then on the first day after he was able to live independently, they kicked him out. It was this experience that created Shitah¡¯s timid character. But he was satisfied with his personality and his life, as the humans always ¡®sent¡¯ him a lot of good food, and this ce was also veryfortable to live in. Of course, except for one thing. After all, Shitah was still a Dragon, he felt that it was simply an insult to his intelligence for those humans to actually think that he did not notice them. In fact, whether it was Veronica or Arreck, since the first moment they entered this cier, Shitah had found out about them. If a person¡¯s intelligence was proportional to the capacity of the brain, then Shitah¡¯s intelligence would be hidden in all his fat.

    Shitah scratched his gills as he started to think and suddenly remembered that he had tasks to finish- he was getting ready to move since two weeks ago, as the humans did not seem to have good intentions, and Shitah had never cared to fight with these insignificant creatures. Although the Dragons all thought that he was a cowardly Dragon and a disgrace to the Dragon race, but Shitah thought otherwise. <i>Why fight? What good is there to fight? It only consumes energy. </i>He had collected so many delicious things to feed himself, he found it unnecessary to go and deal with those poor and cheap adventurers. The Nine Phoenix had an old saying which Shitah had always held as a motto: The barefooted would be afraid of those who wear shoes. He felt like he was the party that possessed everything, how could he get involved with the beggars?

    All in all, it took about two weeks for the Frost Dragon to move all the things that would have taken about two days to empty; he even used magic in the meantime to make up for the time he wasted by falling asleep. The magic of Shitah was also unique, he called it the magic of Wisdom, which specific principle was: Anything that was troublesome, lengthy, required casting actions, and tiring were unwanted.

    And what was left was exclusive to Lord Shitah.

    After the cave was emptied, it also became spacious, except for one ce, which was the center of the cave. A frosty pir stood between the dark blue ground and the roof of the cave. This pir was not like those ice prisms frozen by water, it looked more like a trapezoidal ice wall from a distance, and in the front of the wall, it was iid with a ¡®sun ¡®. To be precise, it was a source of light and heat to the outside world, with four silver rings around this ball of light, slowly rotating in four directions. A little further away from the ball of light, some small, mercury-shaped spheres also followed the same track of rotation. If one counted carefully, there was a total of thirty-six groups ofrge and small mercury spheres around the ball of light.

    This was the energy of Eternity. The witches gave it a name- Heart of the Dragon, because the legend said that it was a magical object brought out from the ancient relics of the Dragon King Bahamut. Such a thing had a total of twelve in Vaunte, but three were destroyed in the fire, and the remaining six was with the Dragons, leaving three unknown. Obviously, this was one of the three missing Heart of the Dragons. Shitah looked at this thing, hesitated, and then squirmed his meatball body as he climbed up the pir to grab the silver ring to remove this thing from the icicle. Then he looked at an empty recess left on the icicle, thought about it, and took out another gray gem the size of a washbasin and set it in, which, it must be said, was just the right size.

    The meaty Dragon then nodded in satisfaction and went deep into the cave,, holding the Heart of the Dragon.

    ......

    ¡°My lord, this is the ce.¡± The mage looked at a narrow crack between two ciers not far away, turned back, bowed respectfully to Duke Arreck, and replied. Arreck was hunched over at the moment, as if even a deerskin coat was enough to weigh him down. He was like a man of old age, but as he stood in front of everyone, the mere aura he had made the others look at him with nothing else but fear and respect.

    He looked at the crack, which led to a few hundreds of meters down thick ice. Inward was a in sight of dark blue, which extended endlessly until it was shrouded by the darkness. Before Arreck said anything, his men had already lit a torch. Although magic was widely used to illuminate the world of Vaunte, it was an unstable presence in most unknown areas ¨C it can both be noticed by unknown beings and cause unpleasant trouble, especially in the ck Forest.

    The fire soon lit up the cavern, a long, narrow chasm that seemed to stretch into the underworld, and naturally, Arreck would not take the risk himself. He had one troop of knights to enter first, and the inside was better than imagined, the knights came back out quickly and reported that it was safe.

    ¡°The Dragon is really gone, my lord,¡± the apanying magician immediately replied tteringly, ¡°The Dragon is very proud, and would usually not set any traps in their ownir, in that case, we might as well go in immediately to find the Heart of the Dragon, my lord.¡±

    ¡°What about the two hunters?¡± Devard suddenly asked.

    Arreck looked back at him impatiently. Since the battle of Ampere Seale, this guy had lost to that young man and seemed to be greatly frustrated. His ability to do things had greatly decreased, which dissatisfied Arreck a lot.

    Devard felt a chill down his spine and immediately understood what Arreck meant, he turned around with a gloomy face and gestured to the knights behind himself.

    ¡°Kill them.¡±

    When the hunter maiden who was hiding on the ice field saw this scene, she almost immediately wanted to rush forward, but her hands sank tightly into the snow to hold herself back. Brund looked back at the other party¡¯s frozen red knuckles and could not help but askfortingly, ¡°Is your brother in there?¡±

    Peya froze and slowly shook her head.

    ¡°Even if he¡¯s in there, we can¡¯t save him. Do you see those knights?¡± Brund pointed to the ck knights guarding the periphery of the cave, and he himself could not help but narrow his eyes, ¡°Those should be the Order of the Dead Knights of All for One; Arreck is not of low status in this organization.¡±

    ¡°Brund, do you know something?¡± Veronica who was lying on the other side, also frowned and stared at those ck knights. However, unlike Brund¡¯s, she could not help feel scared in secret. She found out that those ck knights actually had vague fluctuations of elements on each of them, which meant that these knights were at the very least at a Peak Golden or Elemental Activation level. But the point was that she knew that she was actually conservatively estimating because she found that some of those knights have already appeared the signs of Elemental Activation. She narrowed her eyes. The Lines of Laws of those who just entered the Elemental stage was hard to hide.

    There was more than a hundred ck knights, Veronica suddenly realized that she had never heard about these ck knights¡¯ history. In fact, she suddenly noticed that even All for One was not clearly understood by mortals. The four Holy Cathedrals and All for One were cults, but the world, including the nobility in general, knew very little about the inner workings of the organization.

    Brund heard Veronica¡¯s question. He smiled slightly, ¡°It¡¯s very normal for you to not know, Lord Veronica. We often hear about the cultists and how the world abhorred, but when ites to how many people really understand them is unknown, after all, the ban of the Holy Cathedral of Fire is there. Who would dare to go to the depths of understanding these cultists. Even for the Kirrlutz nobles, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s about the same.¡±

    ¡°From what you said, you seem to know them well, little one?¡± Veronica asked with some interest as she turned back to him.

    ¡°Mages naturally know more; the four most famous branches among the cultists, the Silver Sky Serpent, the Sheepheads, the All for One, and the Tree Shepherds, of which the Sheepheads are partisans of the demons, reeking of sulfur but not really worth mentioning. Silver Sky Serpents believe in their agnosticism, that the exploration of knowledge and order of the mortals, is contrary to the majesty of the mystery of the world itself. They are mainly aimed at mages, and the general poption has little to do with it. The main enemies of the four Holy Cathedrals, in fact, is All for One and the Tree Shepherds.¡±

    Brund paused for a moment before continuing to answer, ¡°But there is actually a big difference between the two, the Tree Shepherds...... Tree Shepherds are said to have once belonged to the Druids¡¯ Loop of Skies, after the fall of Ebabel, one of the fallen ones drew lines with the original Druids. This tribeter followed the Darkness Dragon, which is the terrifying Tree Shepherds, and this is how they got their name.¡±

    ¡°Tree...Tree Shepherds,¡± Veronica murmured.

    Brund nodded, ¡°But the Darkness Dragon was defeated by the Four Wise Men, and the Tree Shepherds fled in all directions, not knowing where they were. When they reappeared, they were already as crazy as they are now, but unlike All for One, who are keen on subverting the order of civilization, the Shepherds have been obsessed with stealing the ¡®bloodline of the gods¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Stealing the bloodline of the gods?¡± When the schr maiden heard this, she finally voiced out.

    Brund, however, looked back at Scarlet. This mountain maiden was once a victim of the Tree Shepherds, and he himself also suffered from it. But even he did not know what the root cause of the Shepherds¡¯ madness was, and it was an unsolved mystery that the yers had been searching for. He shook his head and said, ¡°That¡¯s a question that no one knows for sure, and it¡¯s not something we want to discuss right now. What we need to know is that these enemies at the moment, All for One.¡±

    He interrupted Shido and continued, ¡°The Tree Shepherds is only a loose organization, although there are twelve patriarchs, in fact, each of them is working on their own. The ck Fire cultists, who are dependent on them, are a typical example, and it is well known that the ck Fires split off from the former Sheepshead, while All for One is apletely different organization. ¡± Merging and leaving the other three major Holy Cathedrals, they rarely showed initiative during the War of the Holy Saints. This country was a mystery to most people throughout Vaunte.

    ¡°It is not even an exaggeration to say that half, or even arge part, of the wars and intrigues on the continent of Vaunte, are associated with All for One. But it is such a huge organization, and inextricably linked to the nobles. It seems to be an invisible monster, everyone knows it, but everyone can not fullyprehend it.¡± Brund frowned. In thest life, he had worked to find out the organization behind All for One, but his hard work was in vain. He finally came to the Gretius, and found that the All for One had awork all over the world as if they were undefeatable.

    ¡°All nations?¡± Shido seemed taken aback by this statement.

    But Brund hesitated for a moment and replied, ¡°Perhaps with one exception.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± Veronica looked back at him, she hoped it was Kirrlutz, but she also knew it was unlikely, as the Holy Cathedral of Fire alone was heavily infiltrated by All for One, not to mention the Empire itself. It was a fact that could not be changed not to mention the fact that most of the nobles also thought that the All for One was a rtively mild cult.

    All for One preached that all things are one, and this doctrine had in fact confused many people. Only Brund was clear that this one, in fact, is not the truth itself, but the twilight.

    ¡°Eleranta......,¡± Brund replied, ¡°the kingdom where the only sage still exists in the human world.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Shido could not help but let out a shout. Nature¡¯s favor Eleranta, the only kingdom that waspletely neutral from the world and not involved in the affairs of the continent, the Sanctuary of Nature.

    ¡°I should have thought of that.¡± She murmured.

    ¡°After all you¡¯ve said, you still haven¡¯t talked about where these knights came from, Brund,¡± Veronica asked so instead.

    ¡°When you eat rice, you have to eat one bite at a time, don¡¯t you?¡± Brund smiled faintly.

    He looked at the ck knights.

    ......

 Chapter 727 - Etermity (4)

    <h4>Chapter 727 Etermity (4)</h4>

    ¡°All For One is made up of a senate, a privy council, and a secondary parliament. The members of the parliament are well connected with nobles from many countries. In fact, some of them are nobles too, such as Arreck, Seifer, and Yoakam. There are countless lower-ranking members in All For One, but they are not as involved with the society aspared to the higher-ranking members. Most of them only view All For One as a quick means of benefitting without risking too much. However, this is actually how All For One recruits its members. Their services include the utilization of ck Magic, bartering in information, assassination, as well as the transporting and trading of illegal goods. A good example would be ve trading in Kirrlutz, Sanorso, and Aouine. Even though these activities have been banned, they are still happening in abundance due to the support from the organization. Regrettably, many nobles are keen on having ves. Through these methods, the Evil Cultists would seduce the corrupt nobles into further depravity, eventually leading to the nobles working closely with the organization. This is how some of the nobles came to be the core members of All For One, which I suspect Arreck to be one of them.¡±

    Shido found it hard to digest Brendel¡¯s words. She found it difficult to believe that some of her friends were part of that evil organization. ¡°Mr Brendel, is what you said really true? How could this be...¡±

    ¡°Shido, you haven¡¯t been involved in these matters for long, so you wouldn¡¯t know about the corruption that is happening. Unfortunately, what Brendel spoke of is the truth. Our kingdom¡¯s nobles are...¡± Veronica heaved out a sigh.

    Brendel waited silently for the two to finish their conversation. He understood Veronica¡¯s sigh. She too was a noble, so her disappointment at the corruption of her fellow nobles was well within reason. Brendel, on the other hand, showed no emotion regarding the situation. The world knew him as the son of Holy Sword Darius, having taken up the glorious mantle of a Hignd Knight. Only Brendel knew that within his body resided a much nobler soul.

    ¡°The Privy Council is a group of 113 councilmen led by its president. These people can be recognized by a silver snake ring worn by every member. Each one of them calls the other by ¡®lord¡¯. All of them have united with the same goal, which is to return the world back under the rule of the Twilight Dragon. There are two requirements for one to join the Privy Council: first is to have absolute faith in the religion of All For One; second is to have reached the stage of Elemental Activation. Remember Amman? He was part of the Privy Council too. I found this in his Dimension Space.¡± Brendel pulled out a silver ring. A pair of snakes formed the loop of the ring, entwined at their tails.

    Veronica scoffed. <i>All For One only has 131 Elemental Activators? The Holy Cathedral of Fire has so much more Holy Knights! Even the number of Compassion me Knights are higher than that. I must have overestimated the strength of All For One.</i>

    Brendel could tell what she was thinking, but he did not immediately interrupt her thoughts. Instead, he said, ¡°As for the Senate and the Privy Council¡¯s President, they are aplete mystery. No one even knows how many members of the Senate there are. We only know of their existence because of vague reports. I think that these people are as influential as the twelve leaders of the Tree Shepherds, and their strength should reflect that too.¡±

    Veronica had already guessed as much. She lifted her emerald gaze to Brendel¡¯s face. ¡°Did you get this information from the ck Tower Mages?¡±

    ¡°No, this is the results of Ciel¡¯s investigation,¡± Brendel said with a slight smile.

    Veronica stared at him. She had already known about Brendel¡¯s identity from the Holy Cathedral, as well as Ciel by extent. She knew that before Ciel disappeared, he was deep into investigating All For One. Even the well-informed nobles had thought that the Hignd Mage had perished at the hands of the organization. Veronica still had some questions, but she let them go unanswered, not wishing to linger on the subject any longer.

    ¡°The Senate rarely intervene with worldly matters, so no one really knows the extent of their influence. However, One For All¡¯s secr forces are under the control of the Privy Council¡¯ President. One of them is the Order of Chaos, while the other is the group of ck-armored knights before us, who are known as the Order of Dead Knights. Only by the order of the President can these two groups be dispatched, so we can concur that Arreck might soon be promoted to a council member¡¯s position. He might have been chosen as Amman¡¯s recement-¡±

    ¡°So, the job falls back into our hands,¡± Veronica interrupted with a smile.

    ¡°Exactly. Our objective is to make sure that the vacant seat remains empty.¡± Brendel quipped, ¡°Aouine¡¯s nobles are alwaysining about how the Parliament of Nobles have been spending too much. I¡¯m sure that All For One also has the same troubles, so let¡¯s give them a hand.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s words conjured a wave ofughter among the group, excluding the Kirrlutz nobles, after all the joke was made at their expense. ¡°You¡¯re funny, Mr Brendel,¡± whispered the schr.

    But behind the schr, Scarlet didn¡¯t seem to be paying attention. She nced unnervingly at Shido, rubbing the ring on her finger nervously.

    ¡°On a serious note, I¡¯d like to remind you of how dangerous they are. Being a follower of their fatih is a requirement to be a member of the Privy Council, but it does not mean that the rest aren¡¯t as fanatical as the higher-ranking members. In fact, they are so strong because they have so many fanatics on their side,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Veronica.

    ¡°ording to my knowledge, there are more than thirty thousand members in the Order of Dead Knights, almost all of them have the same level of strength as the ones that we saw. However, the battle prowess of the Order of Dead Knights cannot hold a candlelight to the inferno that is the Order of Chaos,¡± Brendel exined.

    The tension in the air increased tenfold as everyone sucked in their breaths. They understood that Brendel¡¯s ominous warning was to tell them to be more careful in front of such a formidable foe.

    ¡°Even so, Arreck must die. Not only because of the portal fragments that he possesses, not only because he is a member of All For One, but also because of the need for revenge.¡± Brendel looked towards Peja. The huntress balled her fists, her entire being shaking with emotion. After some time, she opened her eyes, directing her ck orbs to meet Brendel¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°Thank you, my lord.¡±

    The rest of the group understood Brendel¡¯s intentions. Truthfully, the moment they saw the dragon flying in the sky, they had already guessed that Arreck was waiting for the Frost Dragon to leave its nest. However, Arreck had no idea that he had just made a fatal mistake.

    In the distance, the corpses of two huntersid silently in a pool of their own frozen blood.

    In the further distance, Arreck and his underlings had finally entered the narrow crevice. First went in the private soldiers, followed by the Order of Dead Knights who split into three groups when entering the opening. Last came Arreck and and his personal guards.

    Brendel rubbed his hands warm as he looked at the scene. He dared not venture closer in fear of being discovered. He had confidence that he would be able to conceal himself, but it was a gamble to think that the others would be able to do the same. Beside Arreck was Silver Knight Sylvia, who was an Elemental Rank expert, and a few mages. Brendel did not trust the Kirrlutz nobles who had followed Veronica. A spell of silence had been cast upon the group. Other than Brendel who was using his neswalker abilities tomunicate with Medissa, everyone else waspletely cut off from the outside world.

    After all, no one could promise that there wasn¡¯t a spy among their group.

    ¡°Have you already scouted the people around Arreck?¡±

    ¡°There are a few mages who I am unfamiliar with, so they are probably from All For One. Devard is also among their group. I thought he was already dead, no wonder we couldn¡¯t find his body after the battle at Ampere Seale,¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Will we be waiting here for them toe out?¡± asked Shido.

    ¡°No, there is a sprawlingwork of caves and tunnels beneath Frost Fang . We¡¯ll try to follow them and take them by surprise.¡±

    ¡°Now?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer.¡±

    ¡°Mr Brendel, didn¡¯t you say that there¡¯s an adolescent Frost Dragon in there?¡± Shido asked curiously.

    ¡°I also did say that it was a coward.¡±

    ... ...

    Shitaht was indeed a coward, but he would never admit to it. He had chosen to live in that spider web of caves because it allowed him to easily hide from danger. He could easily hide in the shadows and observe the movements of his enemies, just like he was doing right now.

    However, he did realize that it was getting harder to maneuver himself between the cracks in the ice.

    Arreck¡¯s group was actually moving close to Shitaht, but no one had detected his presence. He moved his pale blue body behind a translucent wall of ice, the interweaving icicles helping him camouge even better. As he gave his orders to his followers ¨C a group of furry, smelly cavemen with white hair ¨C to attack, he prepared to make the cavern copse.

 Chapter 728 - v4c104 Eternity(5)

    Chapter 728 v4c104

    Eternity(5)

    The cavemen were extremely weak, but the sudden copse of the cavern was Arreck¡¯s true problem. Without anyone noticing, a massive crack appeared in the sheet of ice overhead, and the roof caved in with a thunderous rumble. Numerous soldiers were crushed by the falling chunks of ice.

    The mages around Arreck conjured a green protective barrier around them. Several tons of ice pressed down against the barrier, causing the shield to crack. The ghastly faces of the mages turned even paler than usual. Fortunately for them, Shitaht had no desire topletely wreck his home, or else they would have been buried by the snowfall. Shitaht weaved through the erratic ice formations with ease. Frost dragons could easily blend in with their icy recesses, an innate ability passed down by their ancestors. As long as they were in snowy regions, it was nearly impossible for humans to detect them.

    He stalked silently towards Arreck, fully intending on ripping the duke to shreds. At that moment, two ck Knights turned around, red eyes shing as they saw Shitaht.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there!¡± Both ck Knights shouted in unison.

    Startled, Shitaht lunged forward, ramming into the pair with his wings. Their armor tes caved inwards from the pressure as the knights were sent flying into a wall. Shitaht grabbed both knights before scurrying away into hiding once more. Due to the rain of giant ice chunks, no one noticed the two ck Knights being taken out.

    Arreck¡¯s mages expended a lot of energy to halt the copse of the cavern, and they began working on clearing a path immediately after. The former duke scanned his troops, realizing that he had lost at least three hundred men,as well as some of the Dead Knights. His heart sank as the realization sunk in.

    ¡°Ptui!¡± Devard spat out a mouthful of snow. He walked towards Arreck, cautiously eyeing the walls as he did. Despite possessing superhuman strength and Elemental Powers, he knew that he would be powerless to prevent his fate should the walls of ice decide to swallow them.

    ¡°This must be the work of those cavemen.¡± The female knight beside Arreck gritted her teeth. Sylvia¡¯s face had been sliced by an icicle when protecting her lord. Blood ran down her face, giving her a terrifying visage.

    Devard nodded. Everyone had not considered if the true masters of that ce had never left at all. They had undeniably felt the dragon¡¯s mighty pressure even though they were miles away. No one else could imitate that brand of aura .

    ¡°At least they¡¯ve retreated.¡± Devard¡¯s voice was full of uncertainty.

    Arreck turned to look at the newly-formed tunnel. The cavemen were nowhere to be seen. It was normal for dragons tomand a band of underlings, just like ck Dragons and gnomes. Red Dragons and Kobolds(¹·Í·ÈË) could often be found together, Silver Dragons often epted the servitude of elves, and Gold Dragons preferred thepany of faeries. Thus, it was not unusual for the Frost Dragon to have a few cavemen as its underlings.

    Arreck remained silent for a few more moments. After confirming that there were no irregrities, he said, ¡°March on.¡±

    What the duke did not know was that Shitaht too had been startled by them. He could not have imagined that the ck Knights were so perceptive, almost causing him to reveal himself. After that scare, Shitaht decided to give up on ambushing the enemy, instead he would hide away in a safe location and find out what Arreck was doing here.

    Shitaht felt like this was a game between him and the humans, but he knew that safety was still his priority. This has nothing to do with courage, it¡¯s about wisdom. He tried to reassure himself.

    For the rest of the trip, he silently followed the humans as they traversed deeper into the ice hallway. Despite the lengthy trip, Shitaht felt not the slightest of boredom. On the contrary, his interest in the trespassers only grew.

    Soon, Arreck arrived at Shitaht¡¯s nest.

    He cautiously stepped into the icy cavern. The room was very spacious, popted by ice structures that formed naturally through the course of many centuries. The thin sheet of ice fog around was made apparent by the blue glow of the ice. Arreck rested his eyes upon a pir of ice in the middle of the cavern. At the heart of the ice pirid a glowing gemstone ¡ª the Ash Gem(»Ò±¦Ê¯). Even in the absence of light, it emitted a mystical shine, as if it were a sun resting in a womb.

    Arreck looked on in silence, the light from the gemstone casting long shadows over his face. Despite his grim expression, he was thoroughly impressed by the size of the gem. It was as tall as a human. He surmised that this gem must be artificially created, as it was impossible for a gem of this size to form naturally.

    The duke looked towards his mages. Even though no one had ever seen the Heart of the Dragon, the mages could clearly feel the flow of pure magical energy from the gem. One of the mages, his voice trembling, said, ¡°M-my lord, that might actually be the Heart of the Dragon.¡±

    Arreck nodded, but he had already suspected that much. He had already entered the Peak Golden Realm for quite some time, thus his senses had also improved. He could feel the power emitting from the gem, a destructive wave of energy being held back that could explode outwards at any time.

    Historical records stated that the Heart of the Dragon was a bottomless source of energy, which was exactly what Arreck and his men were staring at.

    Seeing that their lord had already nodded, the mages set out to work. They immediately used their magic to scan the cavern for any traps. While it was unlikely for the proud Dragon tribe to set up traps, it was still better to y it safe than make assumptions. After all, there were always exceptions to every rule.

    Just as expected, the mages reported that there were no signs of any traps, even on the ice pir in which the gemstoneid.

    Arreck¡¯s face rxed slightly, but it did not seem any less intimidating. He turned to issue an order to his ck Knights. ¡°Go and retrieve the Heart. Be careful not to damage it. I¡¯m sure all of you know how important it is to me.¡±

    The ck Knights nodded their heads. Led by a captain, a dozen ck Knights walked towards the ice pir, only for the unthinkable to happen. In front of everyone¡¯s eyes, each and every ck Knight who ventured forward disappeared without a trace, even the captain, who had already gone through Elemental Activation.

    Everyone was shocked silent, to the point where a single needle hitting the floor could be heard.

    A squadron of Elemetal Awakeners, including an expert with Elemental Activation, had been wiped out without any struggle. The mages could not help rubbing their eyes, wondering if their eyes were ying tricks on them.

    Arreck red at his mages furiously, and asked, ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±

    The mages looked towards each other. It was obvious that this was a trap, but they had already scanned the entire area, and their magic showed that the vicinity waspletely safe. They could do naught but stare at their lord, tongue-tied.

    A look of disappointment on his face, Arreck turned to a group of his soldiers andmanded, ¡°You lot, go there.¡±

    The group of soldiers went pale, but they could not betray their lord, so they nervously walked over to the pir, all the while muttering under their breaths. The soldiers shuffled forward as slowly as they could, while Arreck looked on anxiously.

    However, nothing happened to the soldiers when they reached the ice pir. The soldiers stood perfectly fine, as if the previous incident with the ck Knights never happened.

    Arreck frowned. He turned to another group of ck Knights andmanded them to go towards the ice pir again.

    The ck Knights were much more disciplined than the soldiers. They gave a small bow, and immediately marched to where the soldiers stood. However, thirty feet away from the Heart, the same thing happened once more. The ck Knights, as well as the soldiers from before, vanished without a trace.

    Everyone was stunned. While it was understandable for the soldiers to be treated as sacrificial pawns, it was a different matter with the ck Knights. With the maneuver that Arreck had just pulled, as well as the copse just now, nearly a third of the ck Knights had been incapacitated. If the Privy Council(ÊàÃÜÔº) were to ask of this incident, not even the duke would be able to escape unharmed.

    Nearly a hundred Elemental Awakeners gone just like that. It was a hard loss to ept, even for Arreck. Stone-faced, he scanned the surroundings carefully, as if realizing something. He shouted, ¡°Who is it! Come out right now!¡±

    The duke¡¯s voice reverberated throughout the cavern, but it received no response. Shitaht, who was watching from beneath the iceyer, could not stop rolling on the ground inughter. A muffled hissing that was hisughter escaped from his mouth. If anyone were toe across him right now, they would only see a white mass rolling around on the ground, unable to recognize the dragon before them.

 Chapter 729 - v4c105 Eternity(6)

    <h4>Chapter 729 v4c105 Eternity(6)</h4>

    Demonic Waves ¨C Magic Tides

    Arreck¡¯s only response was a deafening silence. The duke¡¯s expression was still as fierce as ever, but there was a subtle furrow of his brows, as well as the flighty look in his eyes. He was starting to fear if the dragon was still here.

    However, seeing that he received no response to his provocation, Arreck internally breathed out a sigh of relief. Unlike Brendel, he did not know of any dragons infamous for their cowardice. He had actually seen a dragon when he was younger, on the battlefield of the Holy War. He had seen with his own two eyes the draconian steed of His Majesty Granddotius the Great. Ever since me King Gretel, the royal family of Kirrlutz followed the tradition of forming an alliance with the dragons, which became part of the reason most countries feared this kingdom.

    The dragon¡¯s evident pride had left asting impression on Arreck, thus he did not suspect that there was a cowardly yet cunning dragon trying to get rid of them sneakily. Noticing that their lord¡¯s expression had slightly rxed, one of the mages spoke, ¡°My lord, the dragon might have outsmarted us this time. It might have ced the trap on the ceiling instead of the ground. Please allow us more time to check the area again.¡±

    Arreck nodded his head and added on, ¡°Make haste, we don¡¯t know when that bastard of a lizard ising back.¡±

    The mages nodded their head in acknowledgment. It did not take them long to discover a Magic Array on the cavern ceiling. After looking more into the array, the mages found out that it was a Teleportation Array.

    This meant that the poor souls who had stumbled into the array had been sent to some forsaken corner of the world.

    ¡°How can this be? Transportation Arrays must receive the consent of the person before they can be transported! This is going against the basicws of magic!¡± The mages were fervently wondering about this phenomenon.

    In theyer of ice above their heads, Shitaht wasughing his head off. Due to the thickness of the ice, the people in the hall below still had no idea of his presence.

    The reason the magic could be activated was that the array¡¯s area of effect was a sphere. As long as Shitaht was within the sphere, the magic could be activated if he continued saying, ¡°Yes! I agree! Activate!¡± Just like that, he could sit around idly while the pestering ck Knights were teleported away.

    As for why Shitaht was not affected by the magic, this was because the Transportation Array had its limits. For example, if the array could only affect objects up to four pounds, something weighing six pounds would not be affected by the array. Within its vicinity, the array would only affect objects that were within its limitations.

    A dragon-sized mass of meat and bones was definitely well beyond the range of a Transportation Array.

    Shitaht could not quite remember where the array led to, but he knew that it was somewhere far and dangerous, definitely a ce that he would not want to go to.

    After a prolonged period of time, Arreck¡¯s mages still could not figure out the truth behind the Magic Array. In the end, they came to the conclusion that it was the ancient magic of the Dragon tribe, calling it a mystery to the minds of normal humans. Despite the obviously modern runes inscribed in the array, they decided to ignore it. After all, their goal right now was not to research the Magic Array, but to cate their lord lest they incur his wrath.

    The duke had long since known that the mages in hispany were worthless. These mages were help that he had enlisted from the Privy Council. However, not even the president could mobilize the Order of Chaos on his own. Other than the ck Knights, Arreck could only recruit the lower-ranking members. Even by looking at their demeanor, he could tell that they were not experts.

    Letting out a scoff, Arreck stopped the ongoing discussion among the mages. ¡°Your job right now is not to find out how this array operates, but to find a way to destroy it. We are running out of time, so stop wasting time. That Frost Dragon may not be the smartest, but it is definitely enough to finish off you lot.¡±

    ¡°My lord,¡± a mage quickly interjected, ¡°While it is a mystery how the array works, destroying it will be very easy. Magic Arrays are very fragile, so they are normally well-hidden. However, this array is right on top of the iceyer, a few simple spells will be able to render it useless.¡±

    ¡°Exactly! This dragon really must be as stupid as they say. If it had ced the array behind the iceyer, we might have been in deep trouble,¡± another magemented.

    Arreck nodded his head, but he still harbored some doubt in his heart. <i>As stupid as the enemy is, I find it hard to believe that this crowd in front of me is any better.</i> Impatiently, he waved his hand, allowing the mages to deal with the array.

    ......

    The rumble of the first avnche still echoed in the otherwise silent passage. Brendel¡¯s party walked through the narrow passage. They could almost feel the buzz of the copse below from the deep blue walls of ice surrounding them. The prince, walking at the front of the group, clutched the Lion¡¯s Fang in his arms, his expression as rmed as a deer caught in headlights.

    ¡°Teacher and Madam, did any of you hear something?¡± Haruz turned and asked.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything. Are you talking about the avnche from before?¡± The schr said.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t just an avnche. It was the sound of a cier breaking. It must be the work of that cowardly dragon. Frost Dragons have the innate ability to control ice.¡± A cold voice that belonged to Aloz interrupted. Rumors were that she found the battlefield boring, so she hurried back here to find some entertainment.

    Brendel had already asked her about the situation at the battlefield. Everything was going just as he had predicted, Freya¡¯s performance was even more ster than expected. The only other surprise was the snowstorm, but Maynild and Freya had managed to respond in time and found shelter for everyone. Brendel suspected that the dragon must have flown in this direction to escape from the cold.

    Gold Dragons and Red Dragons were the same. Both preferred how environments and were not built to survive in cold conditions, even more so in the subzero temperatures that followed the arrival of snowstorms. However, snowstorms were not amon urrence on this cier, which Brendel suspected had something to do with the Magic Tides.

    The moment Aloz spoke, everyone else fell silent. Now that everyone knew that thedy in front of them was a dragon, nobody wanted to risk angering her. To this day, Ambassador Grid was stillying on his stretcher because of her.

    Aloz¡¯s eyes shone a brilliant gold. Among the group, Haruz was the only one who was slightly ustomed to her habits. He said timidly, ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that! Mr Brendel, did you hear anything?¡±

    Brendel nodded his head. He had heard it more clearly than anyone else. Amidst the roar of the avnche was another muted sound. He turned to look at Veronica, who was holding her breath. ¡°It might have been a Magic Array,¡± she said after a few moments.

    ¡°It was,¡± Brendel confirmed. ¡°Maniption Spells will produce a noise when they are activated. I think I heard the sound of mes of Darkness rising from the Sea of Magic. And this can only mean one thing ¡ª the presence of the Evil Cultists who are well versed in ck Magic.

    ¡°ck Magic? Are Arreck and his men battling the dragon?¡± asked Veronica.

    Brendel looked ahead and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t feel any String Magic being cast ahead. The ancient String Magic of the Dragon tribe is one of the most feared spells ever. Theplete opposite of ck Magic, it directly maniptes the Lines of Law to attack the enemy. Whenever String Magic is activated, it causes quakes that can be felt from miles away, all of us will definitely be able to feel its effects.¡±

    Aloz said, ¡°You sure know a lot about our magic, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Brendel answered naturally, ¡°Every mage has tried to research your magic. Ancient String Magic and Ancient Rune Magic are the origins of all magic today.¡±

    ¡°Well, they must be idiots then. The source of our tribe¡¯s magic is our bloodline, anyone who doesn¡¯t possess it will never be able to learn it,¡± replied Aloz.

    Brendel did not bother to exin any further. The magic system created by the people of Miirna was not as simple as Aloz made it out to be. The proof was that it was the Era of Humans, not even the dragons could deny that fact. Instead, he turned to Veronica and said, ¡°I think that Arreck is fighting those cavemen.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s press on and find out,¡± replied Veronica.

    The group continued forward, walking the same path that Arreck had taken before, encountering no resistance at all. After half an hour, they arrived at Shitaht¡¯s nest, but it waspletely different from before. Brendel saw a scene of cracked walls and floors that were littered with corpses.

    Taking a closer look, he found that there was no sign of either the body of a dragon or Arreck. It seemed as if a massive battle had ensued, but neither party could gain the upper hand.

    While everyone was still stunned by the scene, Aloz had already started to move. Her golden eyes darted around the room, looking for something. She approached one of the bodies and checked its belongings. She furrowed her brows.

    Suddenly, she disappeared from the cavern.

    While everyone was still wondering what she was doing, a scream echoed throughout the cave.

    ¡°Ow-ow! Sister Aloz, I-I¡¯m sorry! Please let go!¡±

 Chapter 730 - v4c106 Eternity(7)

    <h4>Chapter 730 v4c106 Eternity(7)</h4>

    ¡°Ah ah ah ah, sister Aloz, I was wrong, ple-please let go of me quickly......¡±

    There was a loud boom, and suddenly the whole top of the cold hall crumbled away, only to see a huge thing with tons of snow falling from the sky which fell heavily onto the ground. Then Brendel saw Aloz leap from above and slowly walked to the pile of snow. She reached into the pile of snow and grabbed a tail from it, and then with a ttering sound, a ball of flesh was dragged out.

    Then everyone saw clearly that it was a Dragon ¨C a round Dragon, huge, almost two stories tall, but had nothing like the beautiful streamlined shape that Aloz had when she turned into a Dragon. Instead, he was like a huge spindle, with two pairs of wings like the kind Brendel had seen in the supermarket freezer in hisst life. The only difference was that there were scales on them. Aloz dragged him out by the tail, his short and fat limbs flopped onto the ground, and he squealed as if it was a pig being ughtered.

    Brendel swore he could not forget such a scene in his life, because it was too stupid, in fact, in his previous life he had never seen the true side of this Dragon. After all, this guy was too sinister, yers were knocked out even before seeing him, just like Arreck¡¯s noble private soldiers buried under the ice.

    The others, Shido and Haruz, had their eyes wide open. They could hardly believe what they saw and felt their worldview turn upside down.

    Laying a tiny paw on his head, Shitah cried out tearfully, ¡°Let go of me, Sister Aloz, it¡¯s so humiliating.¡±

    His voice rumbled through the cave, but it was hard for onlookers to believe that such an imposing roar was a plea for mercy.

    ¡°You know shame too, Dragon God above, look what you¡¯ve done to yourir! You ced traps in yourir! the Dragon¡¯s face is disgraced by you!¡± Aloz coldly grunted, raised her small fist, and smashed it on Shitah. Her pink fist looked weak, but her one punch sent Shitah flying across the room like a meteorite. The loud ¡®boom¡¯ made the imperfect wall in the middle of the hall crumble into pieces.

    All the Kirrlutzian nobles who saw this scene felt their hearts palpitating tremendously while those who had offended Aloz before felt a chill down their spine, and almost everyone was thinking: <i>Oh my God, this little girl is extremely violent.</i>

    Aloz was indeed super violent. She was so mad she seemed to have gone crazy as she beat up this fleshy ball of Dragon. Of course, this beating was scaled to a Dragon¡¯s level. If anyone were to receive this amount of beating, even Veronica would have been smashed into meat juice.

    The beatingsted for half an hour before Aloz came to meet Brendel with a bruised and battered Shitah. As Brendel had expected, Shitah was a fat little man in human form, but in an elven figure. Elves who were keen on the pursuit of beautiful things would probably want to stab him with their swords if they ever saw him.

    ¡°I know you, human, my sister and I have talked about you and she said thedy boss has a crush on you-¡± Shitahsaid in a jarring voice, but before he could finish his sentence, Aloz grabbed him by the wrist and mmed him onto the ice surface. She threw the little fat man onto the ground then brushed her hands as if she had dropped a bag of flour. She looked up and replied, ¡°His sister is Frofa, that is, my life partner. You should have seen her, you stole her earrings, you should remember.¡±

    Brendel knew that the Golden Folks were asexual and that Dragon mates were in fact allies in some sense, <i>but what the hell was this bbermouth talking about, and what did she mean by stealing Frofa¡¯s earrings? </i>He looked back and saw Veronica and her group looking at him oddly. <i>A man stealing ady¡¯s earrings? What kind of behavior is that? </i>Especially when thedy was a Dragon.

    The men¡¯s eyes were full of admiration, while the women present, well, they looked at him with some confusion. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Mr. Brendel.¡± Shido eximed heartily, ¡°Earrings are very important things for Dragons. Legend has it that Tiamat and Bahamut were once a pair of twins, and Marsha gave them two earrings each, one called Order and one called Destruction, but since the chronicles of Chaos, the separated earrings have been given as a symbol of love, and I don¡¯t know if this saying is only passed down in human time, but I didn¡¯t expect that the Lord has personally taken action to verify it, for schrs, the unity of knowledge and action is very important.¡±

    Brendel who was listening wanted to just shut her mouth up, but Aloz had a yful smile on her face. She reached out and caressed Shido¡¯s cheek and praised, ¡°Little girl, you said it very well.¡±

    ¡°Is this, a praise ......?¡± Shido was slightly stunned and blushed a little, she knew the custom among the Dragons that it was a sign of approval for the older one to ce their hands on the younger one¡¯s face. Of course, in a sense, Aloz was indeed much older than her.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, you¡¯re smart.¡± Aloz nodded, ¡°This is the friendship I offer you.¡±

    All the Kirrlutzian nobles present were jealous when they heard this, and Brendel could not help but feel a little envious too. The friendship of the Dragons was just like the friendship of the Silver Elves, it had a statute of limitations, generally for a mortal¡¯s lifetime, and a limit on the number of times it could be given, generally once.

    But it meant that the Dragon will help a mortal fulfill a wish as long as it was within its ability and preference to do so.

    Shido was still staring into nk space when Veronica tapped her shoulder. Shido was brought out to be trained, and Veronica liked this young girl. The Empire was also unanimous in its opinion of her as the next heir to the royal library and an important core figure in the future Blood Cross. Of course, the main reason was because of the importance the Bugas ced on her.

    Veronica, however, liked her out of simple affection for her junior. Faina was too willful and the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter was too paranoid, especially thetter, who she had felt stifled ever since she learned what the other had done in Brendel¡¯s domain, but had to send thetter back to the Empire. No one knew better than Veronica about Brendel¡¯s status in Aouine at this moment. Among the nobles of the Empire, she was the only one who understood Brendel¡¯s other identity in the Loop of Trade Winds and his rtionship with the Silver Folk.

    Aouine was no longer the original Aouine. After having Valha, it had been destined to rise as a new empire, and sometimes Veronica felt that Brendel could vaguely see the me King Gretel, or Erik, the Aouines¡¯ Lionheart King.

    Therefore she was very optimistic about Shido. Shido was innocent and kind, who was far more suitable than Faina and the other Prime Minister¡¯s daughter to act as a link between Kirrlutz and Aouine.

    It was a pity that no one else thought as far ahead as she did, and most people probably could not understand her thoughts, so Veronica could only hide some of her arrangements for the time being.

    However, at least everything that had happened up until now had proven her choice to be correct, and it seemed to her that everyone around this interesting little guy was really something, not only did he maintain close ties with the Silver Folks, but he also had the Dragons¡¯ favor.

    And Shido benefited from it almost immediately, at least whether she had a wish to fulfill or not, the friendship of the Dragons would have a profound effect on her life. As long as this news spread back to the Empire, her qualifications as a future important member in the Blood Cross might make her eligible for the next president of the Blood Cross.

    But Brendel interrupted the conversation between the two, as he knew that he must not let this discussion continue. This little female Dragon was intended to see him make fun of himself, as she knew that he obtained the earring unintentionally. He suddenly remembered something and asked, ¡°Wait, Frofa is his sister, thedy boss he was referring to was......¡±

    Brendel was halfway through his words when he suddenly saw Aloz¡¯s golden eyes zing. His heart shivered and the little female Dragon bared her white teeth. Brendel realized that he better not continue the question.

    But he had some subtle feelings in his mind and could not help but give Aloz an odd look.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Aloz red at him and grunted coldly, ¡°Do I have flowers on my face?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Brendel hastily shook his head jokingly. Annoying this little female Dragon would not be ideal. Shitah was still lying on the ground with a bruised face. Aloz was a Dragon, after all, born with the strength of Gold. And in fact, the pure muscle strength after the Elemental Activation was close to the level of the perfect physique. If the little female Dragon intended to deal with him seriously, it was estimated that he would be torn into pieces in just minutes.

    ¡°Hm, you don¡¯t have to be surprised, as I said, I still have a good feeling about you. Even as a backup mating candidate, it¡¯s not out of the question.¡± Aloz blushed and continued.

    But these words were a little too pugnacious, Shido who heard it was dumbfounded, while Scarlet was not sure of what to do, Veronica smilingly looked at the ¡®young couple¡¯. As for the other Kirrlutzian nobles, looking into Brendel¡¯s eyes had been equivalent to looking at a Dragon.

    They may not be so surprised to see a Dragon at this time. Some of the bolder knights of the Folded Sword Squad had even given a thumbs up to Brendel.

    ¡°No one will think you¡¯re dumb if you shut up.¡± Brendel could not help but grit his teeth and replied.

    Aloz nced at him and said, ¡°Who allowed you to talk to me in such a tone? But forget it, I don¡¯t wanna get stuck on this matter with you-¡±

    After saying that she turned around and left, and disappeared outside the hall in a blink of an eye.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel......¡± Shido was stunned, she managed to utter a word, ¡°You......¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything, it¡¯s all a misunderstanding.¡± Brendel knew in his heart that he had been yed by this little female Dragon again.

 Chapter 731 - v4c107 Eternity (8)

    Chapter 731 v4c107

    Eternity (8)

    Aloz had not left for long when she was called back by Brendel for no other reason than they still had to get information from that fat Dragon, Shitah. But unfortunately, this timid young Dragon would only agree to meet Aloz and no one else, so Brendel had to ask a little female Dragon to drag Shitah out of his storage room.

    But after this guy was dragged out, the first question asked immediately caught Brendel by surprise.

    ¡°What?! You¡¯re telling me that you swapped the Heart of the Dragon with a star-shaped stone and let Arreck take it?! Brendel looked dumbfoundedly at the nosebleeding fatty in front of him, and he felt lost.

    The little fat Dragon nodded with an innocent look as if what they gave away was not a star-shaped stone but a random pebble fished up from the riverbank.

    ¡°Despicable and cunning.¡± He put a definite word in his mind, but still felt that it was not enough and he added, ¡°It was so insidious and shameless.¡±

    ¡°What is the star-shaped stone?¡± Both Veronica and Brendel had the oddest expressions on their faces, they knew there must be something wrong with this so-called star-shaped stone, so she tried recalling but could not think of any semnce of relevant information.

    She thought that it must be a type of gemstone. It was true that among the variety of gemstones, there was a type called the star-shaped sapphires, but that was just a general luxury item that did not seem to have much connection to the current situation. Besides, Veronica did not think Arreck would recognize a star-shaped sapphire as a Heart of the Dragon, even if his brain had been swept by a Dragon¡¯s tail.

    ¡°Have you heard of the Elemental Frontier?¡± Brendel asked with an odd look on his face.

    ¡°I know that the Elemental Frontier is the frontier of Vaunte, and Lord Marsha descended the Code on the Sea of Magic to form a solid world. The four Elemental Worlds hold down the four directions of Vaunte, but schrs generally believe that these four directions are not in the spatial sense and that the part of the Elemental Frontier visible to the naked eye should be above the sky, right?¡± Shido replied in a little voice.

    ¡°Good answer. The world generally believes that the elemental frontier is an abstract, or theological concept, but in fact, it is real, and there are special creatures living. It is said that the giant whales of the heavenly realm as huge as mountains swim on the Elemental Frontier, but they can only be seen on the day of March Common Yao.¡±

    Brendel paused for a moment as if he wasgging, he felt that this matter was too outrageous or simply unbelievable, ¡°And the star-shaped stone, is actually a more euphemistic name for it, its scientific name, formally speaking, I think it should be called the excrement of the Heavenly Whale.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The Kirrlutz noble officers present felt that they simply saw or heard all the bizarre and odd things in their lives today. Some could not help but ask, ¡°Lord, you mean this......giant Dragon ...... used a piece of Heavenly Whale excrement to trick Arreck?¡±

    This was really a yful statement. The crowd could not help but roar withughter.

    But Brendel looked at Shitah who was sitting at the side. If it was that simple, then, of course, it would be counted as a fairly funny anecdote, but he knew more. He coughed and continued, ¡°In fact, there is much more than that, the star-shaped stone...... although excrement, however, it is safe to say that it is worth a lot of money, but ......mon people can not use it. ¡±

    ¡°So, Brendel, what exactly is going on?¡± Veronica frowned suspiciously and asked with caution.

    ¡°The Heavenly Whale feeds on energy on the Elemental Frontier, and its excrement is actually a residue of refuted energy ...... it¡¯s just that the heavenly whale eats a lot, to the extent that the amount it eats every day is enough magic power to sustain the Buga¡¯s floating city for a hundred years. Because it is at the edge of the Sea of Magic, that¡¯s why there is an endless supply of magic power for it to draw from ......¡± Brendel stopped and asked rhetorically, ¡°Do you know what it means the more mottled the magic power is?¡±

    On the side, Ciel¡¯splexion suddenly changed, ¡°Wait, it can¡¯t be?¡± He muttered a reply.

    ¡°You guessed it right, the star-shaped stone...... is an unstable, super-sized bomb that can explode at any time. Most star-shaped stones crash when they enter the Law of Tiamat. I don¡¯t know where Shitah got this stuff from, but I do know that Arreck is probably about to have some serious bad luck if he¡¯s nning to put that thing on that precious portal of his......¡± Brendel baffled.

    Veronica was also slightly stunned, ¡°How powerful is it?¡±

    Brendel looked back at her. He was tempted to ask the female chief if she knew of a weapon called a thermonuclear weapon, but obviously, she would have never heard of it. He thought for a moment and described, ¡°Might be enough to move Lusitar from this end to that end, making it apletely t ground.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding right?¡± Veronica blurted out. Behind her, the noble officers of Kirrlutz sat frozen as if they had seen a ghost and were petrified for a moment.

    ¡°No, what I said is true. I don¡¯t know how this thing appeared in Vaunte. Theoretically, it should have ceased to exist before entering this world.¡± Brendel muttered. Speaking of which he suddenly thought of something. He subconsciously turned back to see the hunter girl Peya¡¯s face immediately turned pale, ¡°My brother ......¡±

    ¡°We have to find a way to stop them.¡± Veronica also immediately reacted, ¡°Marsha high above, this thing willpletely wipe out the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth...... Brendel, the seal in the center of the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth......¡±

    Brendel nodded. In fact, he had already thought of this. He could not help but re harshly at Shitah, Does this guy not get the situation? Once this thing explodes, not only them but even this damn Dragon himself will turn into ashes.

    They could not escape from this ce in such a short time.

    ¡°Those guys who snooped around my treasures certainly deserve this.¡± Shitah pouted and replied with a defiant face. Of course, those treasures he mentioned were the several caves of food he had stored. Lord Marsha, this frost young Dragon was not lying. Whoever dared to touch his food, he would rather destroy the world in revenge.

    Blowing up a frosty forest, what about that?

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the guardian here?¡± Shido asked, staring at the little fatty with some incredulity.

    Shitah, with a disdainful face, replied, ¡°Hmph. If it was not for him promising me good food every day I would not have agreed, but the food he gave was not good at all. Don¡¯t he dare think that I didn¡¯t know he created the food by magic. The food... so annoying, I didn¡¯t want them since long ago already. The funny thing is that those idiots actually thought they could lure me out by going to the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator. What a bunch of idiots, I might as well take a nap if I had that time... Ow!¡±

    Before he could finish his sentence, he received a heavy blow to the head. Aloz red at him and pped him on the back of the head, almost sending the little fat boy under the ice, ¡°You idiot, have you got no shame? You sold yourself for a little food and became a watchdog for others?¡± She was so disappointed that she could not help but loudly rebuked, ¡°Also, you actually handed over such a fun thing casually, what¡¯s wrong with throwing out that crappy Heart of the Dragon then?¡±

    ¡°Fun stuff?¡±

    ¡°Fun stuff......¡±

    ¡°Fun stuff......?¡±

    Brendel, Shido, Veronica had the same emerging thought, How is this fun stuff? This was something that would kill, okay, you two have not figured out what the problem is. Brendel suddenly felt his legs weakened. He felt that giving the leadership of the topic to this little female Dragon was a wrong choice, he hurriedly interrupted the conversation, ¡°Wait, let¡¯s not talk about this first.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Shitah answered cleanly, so much so that one could tell at a nce that the fat guy was lying.

    But this time Brendel was not going to let Aloze, he called instead, ¡°Haruz, youe here.¡±

    The young prince, with a bewildered face, walked over holding the Lion¡¯s Fang and asked with some confusion, ¡°Teacher, what are your orders?¡±

    ¡°You go over and convince him to tell us where Arreck is going.¡± Brendel pointed at Shitah and said. ¡°Me?¡± The young prince did not understand, ¡°I...can I?¡±

    ¡°Of course, rest assured, in just a moment he will listen to you like a dog, but you remember, don¡¯t give him all you have, don¡¯t sell yourself.¡± Brendel replied coldly.

    Give him? Give him what? The little prince blushed, but the teacher¡¯s words could not be disobeyed so he walked over stiffly. When Shitah saw Haruz, his eyes lit up slightly, but soon showed a disappointed look and said loudly, ¡°What is this? This is a man, I will not be interested in such a guy. Quickly, find me a little girl to this big master, maybe I will promise to tell you the news you want to know-¡±

    It was lucky for him that Brendel did not immediately pull out the Halran Gaia and cut the perverted and damned Dragon. He took a soft breath, told himself to calm down. After all, the other party was a Dragon, and even it was a young Dragon, it was not someone he could deal with.

    But this guy was really bad to a certain level. What on earth was he thinking about?

    Brendel finally managed to calm down when he saw Shitah¡¯s gaze suddenly became motionless, to be exact, his eyes were fixed on Haruz.

    Then everyone as if this guy¡¯s vision started to blur and from the corners of his mouth, saliva was dripping like a line of crystals.

    At that moment, everyone seemed to have been petrified except for Brendel. Whether it was the Kirrlutz nobles, Brendel¡¯s entourage of knights, Shido, and even Veronica was frozen for a while.

    What is this situation?

    The young prince, who was the one involved, was startled and shouted, ¡°You... what are you trying to do?¡±

    And as if Shitah heard nothing, he lunged at Haruz at once.

    At that moment, Aloz could not help but look back intolerantly, Brendelughing in his mind. Exactly as how those guys mentioned.

    ¡°Obviously still a child.¡± He heard Haruz scream, but that was what he thought.

 Chapter 732 - Eternity (9)

    <h4>Chapter 732 Eternity (9)</h4>

    Shitah licked every one of his fat fingers, lifted his head, and looked at Haruz with a weird look. It terrified the prince that he tightly held onto the honey jar at his waist. The honey was bought by Brendel from the hunters before they entered the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth, although it had been used a lot on the goblins, there were still some left.

    ¡°You still want it?¡± Brendel stared at that guy while asking to get his attention back. Shitah turned back and nodded, ¡°Mmhmm!¡± Aloz was filled with dissatisfaction when she saw this scene as this guy had embarrassed the entire Dragon race. She could not believe that such a mighty Dragon would sell himself for half a jar of honey. <i>It would have been better if it was half a jar of treasures. </i>The female Dragon turned around and left, as she was not willing to stay there for even a minute. She would rather not know this guy if she could.

    Shitah was unaware of anything and only stared nkly at Brendel. Brendel knew that he was faking the expression but could not help but find it funny, ¡°You don¡¯t have to look at me like that, you know what we want to know.¡±

    ¡°Mm...... Those guys escaped towards the other end, that tunnel leads to an exit out there that I can point it out to you.¡± Shitah acted like he was thinking at first, then it was as if the honey had restored his memory as he replied slowly.

    Brendel nced at the direction he pointed and did not react. ¡°You must be very familiar with this ce down here, after all, you¡¯ve lived here since the Year of the Poisonous Spider. All these hundreds of years are enough time for you to be familiar with every passage down here.¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡± The fat Dragon¡¯s jaw dropped as he stared at Brendel.

    ¡°Because of literature, you fool!¡± Aloz who had reached the cave¡¯s entrance, turned around again when she heard this. ¡°Humans like to write down whatever strange and bizarre things on perishable paper regardless of the size of the events. You do not think they would be okay with you snatching their food right?¡±

    Brendel nodded and also replied, ¡°Beforeing here, I read the history of Manoweir region from the Kurkel¡¯s archives. You first appeared in the Year of the Poisonous Snake when you plundered a caravan transporting flour.¡±

    ¡°Wait, why would plunder a caravan transporting flour?¡± The little female Dragon asked with widened golden eys and gritted teeth in disbelief, ¡°Are you going to bake your own bread? Why have I not heard you talk about it?¡±

    Shitah lowered his head and blushed for a moment, ¡°......I thought it was white sugar.¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡± Aloz shouted, ¡°Get lost, don¡¯t talk to me again, I want the patriach to expel you from the n!¡± After saying that she ran out in anger. Brendel looked at her terrifying look, afraid that this little female Dragon would take Shitah down if she stayed any longer.

    He was relieved as he saw Aloz run out, he turned to ask, ¡°So was I right?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Shitah replied weakly.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Brendel looked at him like this and could not help but was a little curious, ¡°The Dragons don¡¯t restrain you much, do they?¡±

    ¡°Not much,¡± Shitah suddenly became a little wary and looked at Brendel with his small but bright blue eyes on his chubby face, ¡°Hmph, you cunning human, you can¡¯t get any useful information out of me even if you talk to me about these things, what is it exactly do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Not as cunning as you.¡± Brendel thought to himself, this guy¡¯s simple appearance was definitely a wonderful disguise, but in fact, only those who have dealt with him know the messy things inside his head. He replied, ¡°Since you know every passage under this cier, you must know if there is a shortcut that will allow us to catch up with Arreck, right?¡±

    ¡°Why should I tell you?¡± Shitah asked as he rolled his eyes.

    Brendel had expected this reaction, and was not surprised so he turned back to the young prince and said, ¡°Haruze, give it to me.¡± He stretched out his arm as he said it. Haruz looked a little unwillingly at Brendel as the forest life was far more ufortable than the life in the pce. The honey was his favorite, he only ate a little bit every day. <i>If I hand it over, the honey will certainly not have leftovers.</i>

    The young prince was not a fool, his gaze did not stop on Brendel, but instead on Shitah along with some discontentment.

    ¡°Give it to me.¡± Brendel blinked at him and insisted on themand. ¡°Teacher......¡± The little prince did not dare to disobey the order, but could only dawdle up, untie the jar that was tied around his waist, and put it into Brendel¡¯s hand with a pout.

    Brendel patted his shoulder and put a candy into his hand, Thisctose was a new product of Trentheim, and in this world of food scarcity, candy was a luxury that only nobles could afford to enjoy. However, it was very popr among the Aouine nobles, and Miss Romaine took aim at this business early on, and Brendel helped her out a lot. After all,pared to Vaunte, the materialistic life of modern society was too rich.

    Haruze held the round ball ofctose, and can not help but be surprised. He had tasted this candy in Trentheim before. Although usually he would only be rewarded on the day he practiced his sword particrly well, he could not forget that taste for the rest of his life.

    He carefully put the candy in his bag, and only then was he satisfied to hold his Lion¡¯s Fang and sit down.

    Shitah, of course, who also saw this scene, looked at the honey jar in Brendel¡¯s hand, and then looked at the young prince¡¯s actions. There was a strong light of curiosity in his eyes, but he held back from speaking.

    Brendel saw this childish action and could not help but smile, ¡°What about this? A news for half a jar of honey is not a loss for you, right?¡± He was slightly stunned, as he felt like one of those weird uncles who abducted lollies with lollipops ¨C but he had neither lollipops, nor was the little fat man in front of him looked like a lolly.

    Shitah was a Dragon, and was a Dragon of such a bad nature that it was not even treated well within the Dragon race.

    ¡°There is such a passage......¡± Shitah could not resist slobbering as soon as he heard Brendel¡¯s condition. He was indeed slobbering, with his bared mouth, silver threads of saliva could be seen at the corners of his mouth, dripping onto the ground.

    This scene really called into question how this guy¡¯s salivary nds could be so developed.

    ¡°Can you point it out to me?¡±

    Shitah nodded vigorously as Brendel lifted the honey jar up and down. Brendel smiled slightly and handed over the honey, ¡°As I promised, here¡¯s your-¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Shitah quickly clutched the jar and replied with a smug look on his face, ¡°You keep your word much better than that blue guy, but I heard that you humans are cunning beyond belief, why are you so stupid?¡±

    Brendel could not catch his breath and coughed twice before he hurriedly repeated in his mind, ¡°He¡¯s a child, he¡¯s a child.¡± But even so, he almost wanted to turn on his frenzy talent to beat this damn little fat Dragon again.

    ¡°That has nothing to do with you, besides it¡¯s not called stupidity, it¡¯s called honesty. I don¡¯t have to lie to a kid like you,¡± he replied through gritted teeth, ¡°Shitah, can you show us the way?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Shitah tly refused, as if he did not even process the words before saying it out loud. Brendel looked at him as if he wanted to hear this guy¡¯s reasoning, ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Of course! It¡¯s too much trouble, that passage is long, and it¡¯s a long way to go, think about it, walking that far and having toe backter, even if you offer me seven or eight jars of honey, I won¡¯t agree. Besides-¡± Shitah added rightfully, ¡°It¡¯s so cold out there.¡±

    <i>It¡¯s so cold outside!</i>

    <i>You¡¯re a Frost Dragon, hello? </i>Brendel had never heard of a frost Dragon that was scared of the cold before. Frost Dragons even had the ability to manipte the cier as they themselves were born in the cier. Legend said that the coldness was their breath, and every piece of frozen ice and mist on the ice field was their warm andfortable home.

    But this huge Dragon right here actually told him that it was too cold outside!

    Brendel had a hard time calming hismelf down. After he managed to do so, he replied, ¡°It is cold outside, but it¡¯s not any better than in here right?¡±

    ¡°No, I have food here.¡± Shitah answered proudly.

    <i>To hell with all your food! </i>Brendel screamed in his mind but still managed to remain a m look, ¡°How much food do you have? You¡¯ve been plundering those humans every once in a while, but they¡¯re getting savvy too. What can you grab next? Dried meat? Cured fish? Or hardened ck moldy bread? Shitah, your collection is not even called food anymore, in their eyes, it¡¯s just garbage-¡±

    ¡°You can ask them if you don¡¯t believe me.¡± Brendel said as he pointed to thos eKirrlutz nobles not far away and Shitah turned back curiously. Those nobles took Veronica¡¯s sign, not to mention that even if it was Brendel, they would not dare to offend. Besides, what Brendel said was not a lie, dried peat, cured fish, and hardened ck moldy bread, were things that only the poor would be pursuing. The nobles, even the most insignificant ones, would not touch those.

    And so they all nodded their heads together.

    Shitah¡¯s eyes widened, and there was something bright in her turquoise blue eyes, ¡°Really? There are things that are even better than these things...... hoho.¡±

    As he said this, his mouth watered. Brendel simply could not describe this Dragon, because this guy¡¯s saliva actually dripped onto his ck noble coat. Brendel resisted the urge to sh this damn Dragon and send him flying with a sword, then he nodded, ¡°Of course, you can¡¯t just hit home here for the rest of your life, right? The Dragons can¡¯t share your values, that¡¯s because they don¡¯t know the true meaning of deliciousness. I¡¯ll take you to Nine Phoenix if we have the chance, it¡¯s said to have the most exquisite food in the world.¡±

    Shitah¡¯s eyes shone, as if he had been immersed in that future moment. But he quickly wiped his mouth and came back to his senses. Brendel saw that Shitah was regaining his right mind, and he had to praise that the Dragons are worthy of the most intelligent high-ranking creatures, as he hadpletely calmed down in such a short time.

    He just did not expect Shitah to rub his nose and ask, ¡°Great, when are we going?¡±

    Veronica choked on her saliva upon hearing this.

    Brendel took a deep breath, opened his mouth, but swallowed the swear words he was intended to say, and then spoke as if it was scripted, ¡°Anytime, but you have to consider leaving here with me, and I promise to provide you with enough fine food. Guaranteed to be something you¡¯ve never even heard of before this.¡±

    ¡°Wait, huh, you really are scheming again, human!¡± The little fat Dragon suddenly raised his head and looked at Brendel somewhat warily, ¡°But I¡¯m eating a ton of candy every day, though?¡±

    ¡°Are you a pig!¡± Brendel almost blurted out, but he gritted his teeth and held back, ¡°No problem, you know, I have a big territory, I have a lot of sugar workshops, I can guarantee to meet your requirements-¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Shitah looked skeptical, but the look of yearning was clearly written all over his fat face.

    ¡°Pfft.¡± Shido who was at the side could not help butugh out loud. In her opinion, this Count of Trentheim had turned into a director of a sugar factory in the eyes of this Dragon, which was too mind-boggling. Until this moment, the schr girl profoundly realized the saying, ¡®if you do not go out of the door, you can never get to know the world.¡¯

    At least until now, the majesty of the Dragons of this world had basically fallen apart in Shido¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true.¡± Brendel replied without a smile, ¡°But do you understand what I¡¯m asking? You take my benefits, but you have to help me carry out tasks, you do not want me to feed you for free, right?¡±

    He had to remind so, because this guy in front of him was not reliable at all. Of course, if one can be an ally with a Dragon- even a young Dragon, it would have a profound impact on the situation in Aouine. Brendel raised his head to look at the Kirrlutz nobles not far away. Those guys were obviously stunned and did not think this far yet, only Veronica exchanged nces with him.

    That army chiefdy gave him a slight smile.

    But to his surprise, Shitah frowned impatiently and replied, ¡°You guys are stupid. Of course I understand, it¡¯s like signing a contract. Hmph, I also signed a contract with that damn guy, but since that guy can¡¯t fulfill the requirements on the contract, I have now decided to unterally cancel the contract with him.¡±

    He looked up at Brendel, ¡°So, have you written the contract?¡±

    Brendel looked at this guy dumbfoundedly, he felt that this fat guy was acting dumb all this while. Even he was not as clear as Romaine about Vaunte¡¯s contracts.

    ¡°Right now...not yet.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s okay, we can set a verbal contract first.¡± Once the mention of food and contract, Shitah seemed to be shrewd all of a sudden and replied, ¡°I swear in the name of the Dragon God, you can in the name of Marsha-¡±

    But Brendel waspletely confused, he stared at this little fatty who suddenly seemed to got to his senses, <i>Is there some conspiracy? Or should I say how was this game set up? Did those yers try to abduct this guy back then? </i>He was thinking about all this nonsense in his head, while he blurted out a sentence that he almost regretted for the rest of his life.

    ¡°Verbal contract? Then should we do a pinky swear or something?¡±

    Shitah looked at Brendel as if he was an idiot, the little fat guy blinked his eyes, as if he thought he had heard wrong.

    ¡°What are you talking about, I didn¡¯t think that thedy boss¡¯ crush was a retarded child.¡±

    ¡°Pfft hahahaha!¡±

    At this moment, Ciel¡¯s burst ofughter was heard by everyone present.

    ......

 Chapter 733 - Eternity (10)

    <h4>Chapter 733 Eternity (10)</h4>

    ¡°Commander, we have gone forward for almost two miles, and the mountain used as andmark has long been out of sight behind us, with such a heavy blizzard, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll get lost ourselves if we go on ......¡± the knight of Kirrlutz patted the snow on his breastte and looked with some concern at the nket of snow drifting across the sky. The bitter cold wind was pushing the snowkes, driving them across the sky, this blizzard came out of nowhere and gave no one time to prepare. The knight looked at the bad weather with some concern and offered his opinion to thedy knight in front of him.

    Freya stopped and released a puff of air into her hand. Her face was frozen red and her eyebrows were covered in frost. But Freya blinked and replied, ¡°No, let¡¯s go forward another five hundred meters, they must not run far with their wounds.¡±

    ¡°Freya, if they were wounded, we would have caught up to them long ago, no one can run too far in this weather.¡± Maynild¡¯s voice sounded from behind. Everyone looked back, thedy knight was as calm as ever, while reminding in a calm tone, ¡°There is something fishy here, did you forget what Brendel and the others said?¡±

    ¡°But that could be an illusion above the ice field, the sunlight refraction, or the snowy shadow of the crystal forest, all of those could produce a simr illusion-¡±

    ¡°He said he saw wolves, do you understand what that means?¡± Maynild interrupted her, ¡°This storm was brought on by wolves, which is not a good sign, the Miirnas fear and respect wolves because they are part of the twilight and represent doom and the destruction of the world.¡±

    ¡°But ...... didn¡¯t everyone else see it?¡± Freya was not so sure either, she looked at the depths of the white snow, always feeling that there was a pair of pale eyes behind the shadow of snow watching them. The others felt the same, they always felt that this cier was malicious to people, a feeling that someone mighte up behind you without a sound. A chill went down everyone¡¯s spine.

    The whistling sound of the wind is like an endless mournful wail.

    Maynild paused for a moment, her voice dropped as if it was frozen into ice. She looked coldly at the others, ¡°There is no impossibility in the ck Forest, everything is possible, and if you have a feeling that something bad is going to happen, then it is bound to get worse.¡±

    The Knights of Kirrlutz had certainly heard of this proverb and certainly felt their scalps tingle. Freya also hesitated. It was at this moment that a man suddenly stumbled out of the wind and snow in the distance. That man was the second group of scouts sent out not long ago, and their mission was to find the first group of scouts sent out half an hour earlier, but Freya¡¯s heart sank slightly when she saw the look on this man¡¯s face.

    ¡°Little Pero, Alea, Lord Commander...... Emerald, Anika, and the others......¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°You shut up, Alea, let the Commander ask the questions.¡± Before Freya could speak, the knight behind her interrupted, but little Pero who was at Freya¡¯s side cut the man off harshly.

    The thin, dark-haired knight exhaled softly and forced hispanion back with a cold re.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter...... what the hell is going on?¡± Freya had no time to be distracted as she looked to the scout and asked, ¡°What happened to them?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore...... when we found them...... they had...... already......¡± that scout¡¯s shoulders were almost trembling, and seeing him like this, the others¡¯ hearts instantly sank. They wererades in arms, and even more so, they graduated from the same ss. They vowed to make a name for themselves in the ensuing Holy War, but today, they were stranded in this tiny ce, where everything that happened will not even be remembered by anyone.

    ¡°How, how could something kill them in this damn poor countryside?!¡± The knight could not help but curse in anger.

    ¡°You shut up, Alea!¡± Little Pero remained coldly furious. But he turned back to Freya and his gaze fell on her.

    Freya¡¯s heart also sank as this was the first time that there were casualties in her ministry, and for a moment she even remembered Bessie¡¯s face. But the future Valkyrie blinked and shook her head, ¡°Who killed them? Was it those Halflings?¡±

    ¡°Lord Commander ..... Emerald and Anika and the girls .....¡± A fearful look appeared on the scout¡¯s face, ¡°They died in some odd way......¡±

    ¡°Odd?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say, we can¡¯t tell exactly what killed them. There were no visible wounds on their bodies, but it was as if they had been drained of blood, but there were no vampire bite marks found on them either......¡±

    He took a deep breath and said with wide eyes, ¡°That guy Lolo said they were frozen to death and that there were ghosts in the ice and snow that would extract human essence, but I think that guy is full of bullshit......¡±

    ¡°Who is Lolo?¡± Freya turned back to him.

    ¡°He¡¯s of mountain folk and is of the Miirnas, he¡¯s a weird guy.¡± Little Pero replied.

    Freya was slightly surprised that the Empire did not discriminate the mountain folk and Miirnas, but her mind lingered on the matter for only a short moment before she replied, ¡°Show us.¡±

    ¡°Freya, have you made up your mind?¡± But at the side, Maynild frowned at this decision.

    ¡°Sister,¡± Freya looked up, ¡°Brendel is cynical, and the Aouines are by no means people who take revenge, whether they are Kirrlutzians or not, they died in my hands. I do not ask for immediate revenge for them, but at least to find out who killed them. ¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Maynild replied in a t tone as she gripped the reins of the Elite warhorse. It was as if she had expected Freya to answer this way, and simply said, ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you to think it through.¡±

    ¡°I have thought it through-¡±

    Freya replied firmly, her words piercing through the wind and snow, causing everyone to flinch. But the way the Kirrlutzians looked at her, it could be said that that was a sign of approval.

    ......

    Lenarette Aurelius looked at the silhouette of the figure that was bing more and more visible in the snow and wind. His slightly tanned face that was unlike that of a royalty had an unchanging expression, but that did not mean he was not paying attention to what was going on around him. At least the young man on his horse slowly approaching him came into his vision.

    ¡°Your Highness Lenarette.¡± Haruz looked at this tall young man with some envy. The other party was the first in line to the throne, like him, but much more calm and mature. For so long, apart from giving his name, the other party had hardly said a word. The sense of steadiness made Haruz eager to know exactly how he could do a better job at his own identity and how to act so confidently.

    Lenarette Aurelius looked back at the teenager and replied, ¡°Your Highness haruz, under the rule of Holy Cathedral of Fire, you and I are equal. There is no need for you to be a shoulder behind me, it is against the etiquette of the interaction between two nations.¡±

    Haruze blushed, not expecting that he had gotten the etiquette wrong all of a sudden which he did not mean to. He was just used to following behind his sister, or teacher, and being reminded of this, he hurriedly loosened the reins and moved forward.

    ¡°Your Highness Lenarette, have you considered to inherit a huge empire in the future? Millions of people, their future depends on you, have you ever thought about what would happen if...... if you did it wrong? I¡¯m sorry, although it¡¯s very rude to say this...... but I¡¯ve been thinking about this from time to time.¡± Haruz asked in a small voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s not rude.¡± Lenarette replied, ¡°Of course I have thought about it, that in itself is part of my power and responsibility. As for the millions of my people, whose futures are in my hands, you are right, if I do right, they have to sing praises, and if I am wrong, they have to take responsibility.¡±

    Haruze could not help but widen his eyes at this statement, ¡°How can this be?¡±

    ¡°Because at that time, I am the supreme emperor, and in this capacity, it is only right that I should maintain the majesty of the imperial power. This is the same for you, and when you grow up to a certain age, you will understand this. God has granted us this power, and it is all the more reason why we should be careful to preserve it in the region.¡±

    Lenarette Aurelius lifted his head and replied proudly.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it the duty of a member of the royal family to fulfill the contract of the nobles and bring happiness and stability to his people?¡± Haruz¡¯s jaw dropped.

    ¡°Who told you this?¡± Lenarette asked, turning back.

    ¡°It was the teacher, and my sister......,¡± the young prince replied in a small voice.

    ¡°What they said is wrong, your sister is just a woman, and that Count must have other ns.¡± The eldest son of the emperor returned indifferently.

    Haruze felt that there was something wrong with this statement, but for a moment he did not know where to refute it, so he just mumbled, ¡°But, but the teacher is a very upright and knowledgeable person, if you discuss this with him, Your Highness Lenarette, you will definitely understand this.¡±

    ¡°No need.¡± Lenarette Aurelius replied, ¡°Haruze, you are the only one here who is qualified to talk to me on an equal footing, as for the others, I have no need to listen to their opinions. Even in your country, Your Highness, that Count has not been considered an important minister so far, and you should learn to choose your own power.¡±

    Haruze was slightly stunned. He nodded his head as if he understood.

    And at the same moment, Brendel saw a Silver Elf Princessing through the snow and wind. He tossed a candy to Shitah, who was not far behind him, and sent the fat Dragon running happily to the back, before looking up and asking Medissa a question.

    ¡°Has Freya not returned yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lord, I couldn¡¯t persuade her.¡± Medissa frowned and shook her head with some concern.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±

    Brendel looked up at the ever-changing sky and replied softly, ¡°I know Freya¡¯s character well, this weather is a bit odd, but maybe we have to move forward against the wind.¡±

    ......

 Chapter 734 - Eternity (11)

    <h4>Chapter 734 Eternity (11)</h4>

    Several ice sculptures were either sitting or lying in the snow, men and women, their faces were stiff and hollow, their almost frozen gaze looked straight into the sky, showing no signs of life from within. Freya passed by these ice sculptures with some sadness, silently stroking their cold eyelids with her hand.

    As the scout had said before, Emerald and Anika had no visible wounds, their skin was gray and white, lost moisture and was tightened. The bodies of the war horses kneeling beneath them were covered with ice and snow as well. Just by looking at it, it seemed like they were frozen to death normally, but it was impossible for five or six people to be coincidentally frozen to death together. Not to mention that Anika and Emerald were both Gold-ranked warriors, this low temperature should have no effect on them at all.

    Freya noticed the empty-looking eyes of Emerald and Anika. In her memory, there was one type of death that the dead would have such looking eyes, that is, getting one¡¯s temperature taken away by the ghost; thinking of this, she suddenly remembered the night escaping from Riedon, when B used the white stag to lead the way for them.

    That humid night, when the majestic creature emitting a fluorescent white light opened the way through the woonds. But what she remembered most vividly were those who died at the hands of the ghosts, pale and sweated profusely, who were also with such an empty look, as if they had lost their souls.

    Freya looked up, somewhat alertly. She and the team were already in the middle of a silver-gray forest, with the whistling snowy wind blowing through the bare branches, making eerie sounds, like monsters whistling between the woonds.

    ¡°It¡¯s the ghosts, the spirits in the forests consume people¡¯s souls. This forest must be their territory, we have to get out of here as soon as possible.¡± One of Kirrlutzian knights, a dark-skinned young man said somewhat nervously, ¡°I used to hear the legends of them from the old man when I was a kid, that no one can kill them, and once we get caught up in them, we¡¯re dead.¡±

    ¡°Enough, Rollo, you are a Gold-ranked warrior, not many of those ghosts are your opponent. If theye, we can avenge for Emerald and Anika!¡± The knight called Alea replied with some impatience, he turned back to Freya and asked, ¡°Miss Freya, do you think there could really be ghosts in this forest?¡± ¡®Lord Commander¡¯ was changed to ¡®Miss Freya¡¯, as Freya had won the trust of every Kirrlutzian present, and trust was the basis of cooperation.

    ¡°Anika and you are simr, they died without any signs, so what can you do?¡± Rollo asked, unrelentingly, staring at him.

    ¡°So we should just tuck our tails and run away? That¡¯s enough, don¡¯t mention Anika to me, it only makes me angry. Rollo, don¡¯t make me look down on you!¡± Alea replied extremely angrily.

    ¡°Alea, shut up, is this how you speak to yourpanion?¡± Little Pero finally could not help himself, he pulled the soft gray rat skin hood, reprimanded, and turned back to Rollo and said, ¡°Rollo, the knight folds his sword and makes a vow to never leave hispanion behind, I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear what you said before, but don¡¯t let me hear it a second time.¡±

    The dark-skinned young man seemed a little afraid of him, was warned, but did not dare to return the word, can only silently stare at this side. Alea also grunted coldly and looked back, he grabbed his sword and looked in the direction of the forest, it looked like he didn¡¯t believe Rollo¡¯s words, but at least he was on guard.

    Little Pero looked back at Freya and asked, ¡°Miss Freya, what do you think? Lolo is right in at least one statement, Anika and the girls died without any signs, even if it was a sneak attack, it was a little too peaceful. Anika is a veteran scout, she¡¯s no less weaker than I am.¡±

    Freya frowned. The corpses of Anika and Emerald did not look like they had experienced a fight before they died. Rather, they looked like they died after falling down from just walking. But they were four Gold-ranked warriors. She looked in that direction and suddenly noticed an insignificant detail.

    ¡°Senior, have you noticed their gaze?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Maynild raised an eyebrow slightly.

    ¡°Anika and the girls should have been looking ahead when they were alive, it is that forest, there might be something in the forest that attracted their attention.¡± Freya replied.

    ¡°What exactly did they find in the forest?¡± Alea asked.

    ¡°It surely can¡¯t be the attacker, if the attacker came from the direction of the forest, there¡¯s no way Anika and the girls would not have reacted at all.¡± Little Pero replied.

    The others looked at each other and could not think of anything in the forest that would make Anika and the others let their guard down. They were the best Night Swallows, the best of the best, who would never let down their guard down so easily.

    The wind and snow seemed to have subsided a bit. The crowd felt an eerie silence rise and could not help but look towards the silvery gray forest. They all felt a chill down their spines.

    ¡°Did you hear something?¡± Someone suddenly asked. The man was wearing a leather armor with a dark brown robe underneath, and he was the only Bishop among the Kirrlutzian Knights.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Alea asked inexplicably.

    ¡°Hush-, listen, there is a sound in the wind.¡± Little Pero looked a little serious and put a finger to his lips and gave a wink to the others.

    Everyone closed their mouths, and a low but high-pitched sound came with the wind, sounding like a whistle. The sound seemed to be far away and then close, and suddenly a ttering sound came from above the forest. Everyone subconsciously pressed hard against the hilt of their swords and looked up, and then they saw an extremely spectacr scene:

    Gray, crystal-carved birds flew up from the canopy, densely packed into the sky. The crystal-clear bodies of these birds reflected the blue of the Demonic Wave in mid-air, shimmering. They flew high with their wings amidst the wind and snow, emitting a twittering and crisp chirping sound, and in a blink of an eye, they flew across the heads of the crowd.

    Everyone present was stunned, as they did not expect such beautiful creatures to lurk in this seemingly lifeless ce. ¡°They¡¯re Crystal Swans, oh my god, these are elemental creatures that are rare to see even in the Mountain of Quelled Storms, there are so many of them! Shidou will go crazy if she sees them!¡± A knight suddenly shouted.

    It was indeed spectacle, but little Pero and Maynild reacted much more directly. The two directly drew their longswords and shouted to the others, ¡°Watch out, there¡¯s something in the forest!¡±

    More than ten Kirrlutzian knights instantly froze.

    After the crystal swans passed, the sound of falling trees came from the forest. Obviously, those crystal swans were startled by the things behind. Everyone looked at the forest with wide eyes, trying to see what attacked Anika and her group.

    But very quickly, they held their breath.

    A huge ck shadow gradually appeared behind the snow, and it quickly moved forward and became clear.

    Then they saw a wolf. A huge wolf as tall as a mountain, its silver mane fluttering in the wind and snow, its ears pointed and long. It was different from themon winter wolf in some form, but its eyes were a golden nce, shining with a hint of wisdom and coldness.

    It looked at everyone from above, the forest was like a meadow under its feet, and the Cruzian knights present were like the ants in the meadow.

    ¡°This...... this is......¡± Little Pero tilted his head and looked at this scene dumbfoundedly.

    ¡°It¡¯s Chief Warg Hati......¡± Maynild¡¯plexion changed as well, ¡°Impossible, shouldn¡¯t it be sealed in......¡±

    She suddenly realized something and subconsciously shut her mouth. ¡°What should we do?¡± Everyone subconsciously turned their attention to their onlymander ¨C Freya. But that was when everyone noticed something odd.

    Freya had disappeared.

    It was as if she had disappeared into thin air.

    Maynild¡¯ heart suddenly sank.

    But at this moment when everyone did not understand, Freya was standing in the same ce, and she was more surprised than everyone present.

    Because what she saw was very different from the others.

    The moment the wind picked up, Freya first heard the wolf howl in the forest, but there was no crystal swan, nor the Chief Warg Hati. She only saw a lot of pale eyes amidst the darkness that suddenly appeared. Those eyes gradually came out of the gray woond shadows, and then formed a huge wolf with snow-white fur.

    Freya did not recognize these strange wolf-type creatures, but B may be able to call them by name:

    Pale Sons.

    The Chief Warg Hati was one of the most favored Dusk breed, and legend has it that they ran on the snowy ins, bringing storms wherever they pass. But their leader, Lepeser, died in the hands of the Sky Dragon ze, and they perished in a battle with Milos, the King of the Frost Giants.

    Freya¡¯s gaze froze and she immediately drew her longsword. But it was at this time that she noticed something odd. She discovered that the future Valkyrie found herself surrounded by the Knights of Kirrlutz ¨C little Pero, Alea, Lolo and even Maynild were on their horses with a dull look on their faces, as if they had not noticed the scene around them.

    Freya was instantly startled, her mind instantly recalled the appearance of the death of Anika and Emerald. She could not help but break out in a cold sweat.

    ¡°Maynild senior!?¡± She hurriedly used her hand to push Maynild beside her, who was lost in thought and slightly swayed, as if waking up from a confusing dream.

    She first saw Freya, slightly stunned, then frowned a little. She confusingly asked, ¡°Freya, where have you been? Run, little Pero and the others are dead, I¡¯ll help you block Warg Hati......¡±

    ¡°Wait, what are you talking about! Everyone is still alive and well!¡± Freya hurriedly interrupted her, ¡°We have fallen into the siege, quickly prepare to fight, Maynild senior!¡±

    ¡°Fight?¡± Maynild was stunned before she noticed the scene around her, and she blurted out, ¡°The Pale Sons? How can it be them? Where¡¯s Warg Hati?¡±

    As soon as she said that, a scream suddenly came from the forest.

    ¡°The War Goddess! This can¡¯t be! Why does the bloodline of the War Goddess still exist in this era!¡± The voice was so sharp that it did no¡¯t sound like any kind of intelligent creature on the continent of Vaunte. It was as if it was a metallic noise like two files intersecting together.

    Freya and Maynild were horrified and subconsciously looked in that direction, and they then saw a silvery figure over there.

    That thing looked somewhat like a human, because it had four limbs, with two feet standing on the ground and fairly long hands, which reached all the way down to below the knees. It was covered with silvery white skin, but the most horrifying thing was that this thing did not have eyes, nose, and ears, but only a smooth face with a ck hole like a mouth.

    And at the side of the human-like monster, stood an old acquaintance of Freya and Maynild.

    ¡°Marquis Yoakam?!¡± Freya looked at the man with some disbelief and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you dead?¡±

    Marquis Yoakam smiled faintly, ¡°Before dedicating my life to the True God, how could I die so easily? Freya, you and your Lord should have both arrived already. In fact, we have been waiting for him here for a long time.¡±

    Freya¡¯s heart thumped.

    ......

 Chapter 735 - Eternity (12)

    <h4>Chapter 735 - Eternity (12)</h4>

    v4c111

    Eternity (12)

    Along with a thud in Freya¡¯s heart, there was a sharp swishing sound, a bitter cold wind brushed against her cheek, cutting off a few strands of hair around her ear and leaving a bloodstain on her cheek. ¡°What the hell?¡± The future Valkyrie¡¯s eyes widened and she subconsciously looked back just in time to see the object pierce Alea¡¯s neck behind her- a sharp ice pick. Its thin ice de pierced the knight¡¯s neck, going from the left and out from the right.

    ¡°Alea!¡± Freya could not believe what she was seeing, she looked back and saw the Pale Sons, densely packed in the forest howling lowly. The cold air converged as their silvery fur curled, forming a swirling mass of air in which a sharp ice pick emerged from each of them.

    And each ice pick was moving-

    Freya drew a cold breath and immediately realized the danger she was in. She did not even have time to wipe the blood from her cheeks and immediately said to Maynild behind her, ¡°Senior, find a way to wake up the others, we have to find a way to break out!¡±

    ¡°What are you nning to do?!¡± Maynild saw Freya grabbed the reins with one hand and rushed out her position as her heart dropped.

    ¡°...... that thing seems to know me, Brendel also told me about something simr, I don¡¯t know exactly what the bloodline of the War Goddess is, but perhaps I can try to attract their attention.¡±

    Freya had already drawn her Lionheart Sword, and as soon as she let go of the reins, she mped her legs and charged righteously with the warhorse she was sitting on.

    Herst few words were breaking up amidst the wind.

    Maynild looked as the sight of Freya¡¯s back faded in the wind and snow. She froze for a moment, then immediately turned back with a cold face and dragged the dazed Kirrlutz Bishop beside her.

    Yoakami stood at the edge of the forest, rubbing his hands together as he narrowed his eyes and saw Freya charging down the hill alone. His eyes sparkled. The thick snow-white cloak behind the young girl fluttered in the wind, like a pair of white wings, the scene resembled the scene of the War Goddess charging described in the war poem. He smiled slightly,y, ¡°It is really courageous, I can not expect to see such a scene in Aouine nowadays, Her Highness is really remarkable.¡±

    But before he could finish his sentence, he was coldly interrupted by the monster on the side, ¡°What¡¯s the point of wasting time with them, take advantage of the fact that they are unaware and kill them!¡± The monster raised its head, and although it had no eyes, one could tell that it had always been watching the direction of Freya, ¡°I order you to kill that woman!¡±

    ¡°No, we should strike at those knights, take advantage of the fact that they are still unaware.¡± Marquis Yoakam faintly froze, and then immediately retorted.

    ¡°On mymand, I order you to kill that woman!¡± The monster replied stubbornly.

    ¡°But ......¡± Marquis Yoakam wanted to say something else, but had been swept off his feet and was sent flying by the silvery monster. He crashed hardly into a cedar tree, covering his face with snow that had puffed down from the pine needles. He looked up and already saw the monster giving orders to the wolves.

    ¡°Quick, kill that woman!¡±

    Marquis Yoakam could help but have a spiteful glint in his eyes, ¡°This damn fool!¡±

    The white wolves let out a long howl, and all of a sudden countless ice picks flew directly towards Freya. The young girl from the Be countryside hurriedly turned her horse around and changed direction to run wildly to the side of the forest, so that most of the ice picks would fall behind her. Only a few hit her cloak, which turned the beautiful cloak into a rag.

    ¡°Keep going! Go on!¡± The silvery monster could not help but scream in anger at the sight.

    Another ocean of ice picks fell from the sky. This time Freya finally could no longer find her way out, she looked up and saw the glittering ice picksing at her, she could not help but tremble. Although she had seen simr scenes in Ampere Seale, this time the attack was aimed at her alone, ¡°So this is what Bando felt that time when he was fighting alone.....¡± Such a thought shed through her mind, which calmed her down at thest moment. She gritted her teeth and struggled as she swung the Lionheart Sword forward, bringing up the sword with a hush of wind, and crushed the ocean of ice picks into powder.

    Still, there were a dozen of ice picks that passed through her defense, piercing the young girl¡¯s shoulders and waist, knocking her off the horse. Freya rolled in the middle of the snow, leaving a trail of blood all the way, but she immediately gritted her teeth and got up, raising her head as a white line was reflected in her eyes. At the monster¡¯smand, those white wolves in the forest charged out. They seemed to have abandoned those Kirrlutzians and wereing straight for her instead.

    ¡°Lord Marsha, what the hell is going on here......¡± Freya could not help but be a little puzzled for a moment as she could not recognize the monster at all, but it seemed to recognize her. A surge of Pale Sons like a line of white waves rushed towards her, and she who had fallen from the horse simply could not afford to escape, looking to fall into the encirclement, she felt her hands and feet turn cold at that moment, ¡°Brendel ......¡±

    But it was at this moment that Maynild finally woke the Bishop, ¡°Create a protection spell!¡± She ordered coldly at that guy.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The Bishop¡¯s looked lost, as if he had just woken up from a dream.

    But Maynild did not talk to him, and pushed him back, ¡°See for yourself!¡± She dropped these words coldly.

    The Bishop looked up and noticed his current situation, ¡°Marsha above, the Pale Sons, if this is not the Descendants of Twilight!¡± He breathe a cold breath as he said that, but after he saw Freya¡¯s situation he was taken aback, he shouted out loud, ¡°Hold on, Miss Freya!¡± At this moment, there was not enough time for him to recite the incantation. The Bishop hesitated a little, before he pulled off the me Emblem from his robe, and threw it in the direction of Freya.

    As everyone knew, the sacred emblems worn by the Bishops of the Holy Cathedral of Fire all had powerful spells attached to them.

    As soon as it was said, a crimson light descended from the sky, forming a protective shield to envelop the Freya. The head of the snow wolf hit the shield head on, and its huge head broke with a click. The light red shield shook violently, and the brains of the pale son were smeared on the light red wall of light.

    Freya was stunned, but then released a sigh of relief as she turned back to the Bishop and gave him a grateful look.

    At this point Maynild woke up the others one by one, and the Knights of Kirrlutz seemed to realize be aware of their situation, and were naturally grateful to Freya for saving their lives. But unfortunately theirmander, although momentarily saved by a protective spell, was still trapped in a heavy siege.

    Everyone understood this.

    ¡°We have to find a way to cut into the wolves, split them from Miss Freya, and get her out!¡± Little Pero saw this scene and replied so. But he frowned again, showing a worried look, ¡°But the wolves are too densely packed together, I don¡¯t know if we could do it!¡±

    ¡°We can only try, Miss Maynild, can you take wounded Alea away from here, so we can execute our full potential?¡± Other knights agreed.

    But then the Kirrlutzian Bishop, who had been responded to by Freya with gratitude, turned back and said, ¡°I suggest you don¡¯t do that, I have a better n.¡±

    ¡°What is your n, Mr. Bishop?¡± Little Pero looked at him, slightly startled.

    ¡°Just leave it to me from here.¡± The Bishop looked at everyone and replied, ¡°I will split the wolves from Miss Freya, we only have a few minutes, you have to seize the opportunity.¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do?!¡±

    ¡°I will devoutly pray to the Way of the Golden me, as the me burns all evil, and the King of Inferno will surely be with me.¡± The Bishop smiled slightly at all of them, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the Pale Sons were destroyed by the Gods of Order in the legends, and today will be the same-¡±

    ¡°Lord Bishop......¡±

    The cleric waved his hand, ¡°Go, remember that you are the pride of the Kirrlutzians, do not keep thedy waiting too long.¡±

    After saying that, he turned over and dismounted from his horse,nding while holding onto his robe, and then walked in the direction of the wolves. Maynild looked back at this guy and shouted, ¡°Wait.¡±

    ¡°What does thedy want?¡±

    ¡°What is your name?¡± Maynild asked with a frown.

    ¡°I am a servant of the Golden me, my name is not important to me, but you can call me Milian.¡± The Bishop replied with a smile.

    Maynild nodded silently, ¡°I will remember you, Milian.¡± With that, she turned her horse around, and all the other Crucian knights looked at her. But thedy knight did not say a word. The cold wind was bitterly cold, but the cold wind was filled with a strange feeling.

    The knights formed a charging line.

    Milian faced in the direction of the wolves, took a light breath and raised his hands. A golden me parted the gloomy clouds in the sky and descended from the sky, engulfing his body in a sh. At that moment, the Kirrlutzian Bishop shouted, ¡°Sages, today I fulfill to you the promise engraved in the Golden me, the descendants of the eagle will never bow to injustice and evil.

    The pir of fire became bright in an instant, almostpletely enveloping the Bishop while the entire forest was lit up. The reflection of the light made the eyes of Maynild and the Kirrlutzian knights sparkle, and made Freya, who was resisting the white wolves, turn back in shock.

    Everyone saw this scene.

    Milian raised his hand high, his body was almostpletely burnt, and he turned into me entirely. This was because the unbearable divine powerpletely destroyed the mortal body. But even in thest moment of his existence in the world, his right hand remained highly raised.

    At that moment in the dark night sky, a huge golden ming sword which was a few hundreds meters long appeared above the forest. The de fell from the sky, like a meteor falling onto the wolves.

    At the moment the sword touched the ground, a bright explosion instantly enguled countless white wolves, and the brilliant sparks were the judgment of Milian to the ground.

    Millian raised his hand high, his body had almostpletely burned out, the whole person turned into a me ¨C this is because the unbearable divine powerpletely destroyed the mortal body, but in thest moment of his existence in this world, his right hand raised high from the top to the bottom of a chop.

    At that moment in the dark night sky, a huge golden ming sword hundreds of meters long appeared above the forest, and the de fell from the sky, like a meteor falling heavily on the wolves.

    The moment the sword dended on the ground, a bright explosion instantly engulfed countless white wolves, and the brilliant sparks were the judgment of Myron who pretended to cast on the ground by the authority of the golden me.

    The mes were burning, and the wolves had been split in two packs.

    Maynild looked back as the golden fire was still making her cheeks shine. But the female knight did not say a word and just let go of the reins.

    ¡°Little Pero, you take Alea away. The rest of you, follow me.¡±

 Chapter 736 - v4c112 Eternity (13)

    Chapter 736 v4c112

    Eternity (13)

    Golden mes exploded in the sky and spread out in all directions across the gloomy sky, like a ring, the gale rolled with snow. In such bad weather, it was like the end of the world was happening as predicted by the Miirnas, but the blinding sh still lightened up the sky for dozens of miles across, it was white all over under theyers of clouds.

    ¡°Lord?¡± Medissa looked back from that direction, the light reflected on her cheeks, making her face look white.

    ¡°Let¡¯s split the troops, this is the high level divine magic of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, it looks like Freya has run into trouble.¡± Brendel replied to her with his head held high.

    Veronica nodded her head and agreed.

    ¡°Let Brund take everyone else over, we, Lord Commander, stay here, as well as Teacher. I have my three attendants, Scarlet, Aloz and Shitah, these top battle power should be enough to deal with that sly fox Arreck.¡±

    ¡°As for Prince Lenarette......¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s with us.¡± Veronica gave him a look.

    Brendel understood that no matter how determine they were, the Kirrlutzians would never let their future inheritor take unnecessary risks. However, obviously, Freya must have ran into trouble, but the Valkyrie would eventually have to go her own way; he could not always pamper her, because that would be harming her. The world was not as peaceful as the young girl expected, she had to pay for whatever she wanted, or otherwise, it would be unfair to others.

    Brendel gently lowered his eyelids. Nemesis was also with her, there should not be any problem. He could only think so.

    ¡°Then it is decided, Haruz, you are also with us,¡± Brendel regained his grip on the reins, and the young prince, who was beside Prince Lenarette, nodded to him in a hurry, and he turned back, ¡°Miss Shido ......¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll join you.¡± The schrdy looked at Veronica and then at the Lord Count and replied to them.

    ¡°Well, then, Mr. Brende, do you have any questions?¡±

    Brendel understood that no matter how determine they were, the Kirrlutzians would never let their future inheritor take unnecessary risks. However, obviously, Freya must have ran into trouble, but the Valkyrie would eventually have to go her own way; he could not always pamper her, because that would be harming her. The world was not as peaceful as the young girl expected, she had to pay for whatever she wanted, or otherwise, it would be unfair to others.

    Brendel gently lowered his eyelids. Nemesis was also with her, there should not be any problem. He could only think so.

    ¡°Then it is decided, Haruz, you are also with us,¡± Brendel regained his grip on the reins, and the young prince, who was beside Prince Lenarette, nodded to him in a hurry, and he turned back, ¡°Miss Shido ......¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll join you.¡± The schrdy looked at Veronica and then at the Lord Count and replied to them.

    ¡°Well, then, Mr. Brende, do you have any questions?¡±

    ¡°As long as there is a horse-¡± the young blond knight rode on his sky horse and replied proudly. He checked his paired sword and strapped a dagger to his shoulder armor like all Folded Sword Knights (a tradition said toe from the legend that Gretel once fought the King of Ghosts in the ck Tomb, using his dagger to fight to death after his longsword was broken), with the cold wind tugging at his cloak.

    ¡°These summoned celestial horses willst until the early hours of tomorrow morning, so you must be careful.¡± Metisha replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±

    Brund bowed to Veronica and nodded to Brendel, then he turned his horse around and blew a whistle. The whistle travelled far out in the wind and snow, like a finch that chirped crisply through the canopy, bringing the whole forest to life. The troop turned in the heavy snow, the Kirrlutzian Knights departed the avenue swiftly, and many started to move towards the direction of the forest a few miles away.

    As far as the eye could see, there were dense ck dots in the snowy white, but after a while they joined into a small patch with only a thin line faraway. Brund turned back onest time, gesturing to them with his shining sword.

    He raised his sword to indicate a good sign of certain sess.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re all good kids.¡± Veronica said, ¡°Nothing much will happen to Miss Freya.¡±

    ¡°I hope so, I trust her.¡±

    ¡°Now it¡¯s our turn, that Dragon told us there was a shortcut, are we already on it?¡±

    ¡°That path is not smooth, it passes through the ice gap below this cier, and only that Dragon has walked that path. The path the Dragon has taken may not be able to be traveled by man, as there are dangers lurking beneath the ice with many creatures from the mythic age. It¡¯s just that Duke Arreck is headed for the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator, and we must catch up with him before that happens.¡±

    ¡°...... Brendel, what do you think Arreck wants exactly? He already has the Heart of the Dragon, so why doesn¡¯t he choose to leave here but continue on to the depths of the cier?¡± Veronica narrowed her eyes.

    Brendel did not immediately answer. He would rather believe that Arreck may be trying to kill two birds with one stone, using the power of the Demons to open the ancient seal in the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator, releasing those Descendants of Twilight who are sealed underground.

    But he always felt that things were not so simple. Arreck would not be unaware that he would do so to anger the guardian of this ce ¨C Shitah, intuition told him Arreck may have already arranged a series of ns for this trip, but to unravel the other party¡¯s tricks, Brendel thought that they first had to find what was really hidden in the heart of the maze of this frosty forest.

    In response to Veronica¡¯s question, he simply shook his head, ¡°Soon we¡¯ll know.¡±

    ¡°Brendel, Shido is very familiar with such a cier, she has great geographical knowledge, she may be able to help you.¡±

    ¡°No need, I am also very familiar with this ce. What I need is a guide with extensive survival skills, not a schr.¡±

    Peya was the excellent guide he was looking for, but the hunter maiden had be somewhat depressed since she witnessed herpanions being killed by Arreck. She did not know how to ride a horse and could only share a ride with Scarlet. She put her stiff hands around the waist of the mountain maiden and did not say a word.

    It soon became dark, which was probably darker than before; the night in the snowy ins was pitch ck, without a ray of light, without an object in sight, and no party could continue to travel in such conditions. So everyone had to stop and camp in the leeward, the forest was quiet. No news came, and so the night passed.

    In the early morning, Brendel finally found the ¡®shortcut¡¯ to the ice gap from Shitah¡¯s words. He finally knew why this road was called the shortcut; it crossed the entire cier that was blocking the north side, and Brendel remembered that there was also such a passage in the game, which was called ¡®de mouth¡¯ by the yers.

    Because crossing it was as dangerous as crossing a sharp de, if one was not in a hurry, no one would choose this path.

    The next few hours were spent in darkness and cold. The team sometimes moved along a narrow cier, and then appeared over the abyss, and the intricate terrain under the cier was an eye-opener for everyone, but who found it most rewarding was obviously Miss Schr. Whenever there was time to stop, Brendel would see her jotting down on a small notebook she took out from her backpack.

    The whole morning was peaceful¡¯ there were two ice demons who did not know any better lurking in the ice gaps and wanted to attack the team, but Mephisto discovered them in advance and killed them with a sword. They should be the BOSS in the vicinity. Brendel found that he himself benefited from the Ash Sword Saint¡¯s killing of the monsters, but unfortunately there were no good drops.

    There was no concept of time in the dark underground, and almost two or three hours after Mephisto killed the ice demons, the team came to a natural open space. At this time, Shido and Haruz who were physically weaker were exhausted. Brendel put the torch between the two ice prisms, and then let everyone stop to rest and replenish their strength.

    Aloz approached him at that moment.

    The little female Dragon dragged Brendel out of the crowd and pulled him aside, her golden eyes shining with danger, she reached her ws out to Brendel and whispered a reminder, ¡°Brendel, someone is following us, have you noticed?¡±

    Brendel was slightly stunned, his face then showed a serious look, ¡°I vaguely feel something, I thought it was an illusion. What, can you feel it?¡± Brendel did not lie, because of certain experiences in the game, he trusted his intuition very much, which was also the reason why he asked the team to stop.

    These ciers and the cracks below were all created during that war thousands of years ago, who knew what could be under the ice? ording to the intensity in the game, it was not impossible for the BOSS of highest level 60 or more to appear, ording to thebat power, that was equivalent to the Law Peak.

    Although in the team his teacher had one foot in the Ultimate Realm, but fighting in such an environment, strength sometimes did not mean anything. Brendel did not forget how Andersha capsized in the gutter.

    ¡°Huh? You can even detect it? I asked that Ash Sword Saint teacher of yours, he didn¡¯t seem to feel anything at all, how did you feel it?¡± Aloz was a little curious.

    ¡°This is just my intuition, it has nothing to do with strength.¡± But Brendel frowned, his heart faintly felt that it might be rted to Darkness Perception, and it was a pity that he could not wear the Twin Ring yet, otherwise he must be able to sense the lurker more clearly.

    ¡°Hm, your intuition is quite odd, to be honest, I also just have some intuition to sense that something is following us. Haven¡¯t you noticed that there are so few monsters down here in the cier? It¡¯s far less than the number of times we¡¯ve encountered monsters in Shitah¡¯sir.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re judging from that?¡± Brendel took a closer look at the little female Dragon, somewhat surprised at the other party¡¯s attentiveness.

    ¡°Pretty much.¡±

    ¡°What about Star? He¡¯s the local here, who have supposedly crossed this ice gap several times, what did he say? What exactly is down here?¡±

    ¡°He said he doesn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°You think he wouldn¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Are you saying he¡¯s lying to me?¡± Aloz was a little annoyed, ¡°He wouldn¡¯t dare lie to me.¡±

    ¡°But have you ever wondered who made him guard here? He had never mention that someone¡¯s name. Aloz, Shitah just looks like a fool on the surface.¡±

    The little female Dragon stopped talking for a moment, and she showed a look of surprise, which then turned into anger. ¡°Damn it, how dare he lie to me, I¡¯ll go find him.¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t go!¡± Brendel grabbed her arm to drag the little female Dragon back, but he did not expect Aloz to be so strong that it almost made him fly out. Brendel managed to stabilize himself and shouted, ¡°Aloz, wait a minute, I think Shitah did not lie to you¨C ¡±

    ¡°What exactly do you mean, Brendel, howe I can¡¯t understand more and more of what you¡¯re saying?¡± Aloz turned back to him and replied with frustration.

    ¡°I mean, Shitah probably doesn¡¯t know the other guy¡¯s name herself.¡±

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Aloz immediately retorted, ¡°you also said that Shitah is not really a fool, I know him very well, he is sometimes a little stupid, but is quite a bright guy.¡±

    ¡°I mean, do you know those exist?¡± Brendel lowered his voice and replied, ¡°The Guardians.¡±

    ¡°Ah......¡±

    Aloz suddenly could not speak, and she stared at Brendel with dumbfounded eyes. ¡°How do you know this......¡±

    ¡°No, wait.¡±

 Chapter 737 - Eternity (14)

    <h4>Chapter 737 Eternity (14)</h4>

    The intertwining ice gaps were deep and winding, like the veins of a giant beast intricately distributed under the cier, but there was no blood pulsing inside, only darkness and silence. Drops of water dripped down from the icicles that were a few feet long, asionally emitting a tinkling sound that broke the silence.

    Sudden footsteps intruded into the dream-like silence, stumbling as if being chased, as if it were chasing something. It passed through ice caves one by one, and then a young man came into view, a young man with dark skin, tattered clothing, still with blood smeared all over. But under the long messy hair was a pair of shining eyes.

    Yaruta was panting heavily, since entering the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth, the sword wound on his body had never been healing, the fever persisted, the surrounding scenery was sometimes clear and sometimes blurred in his view. When he fell sicker, the ice-blue pirs even had double shadows in his eyes, but in the midst, he could always see a figure that was sometimes far away and sometimes close.

    It seemed to be a person, but it was always only its back view. For two weeks, it had been floating indefinitely in front of him as if there was a magic force urging him to cross the forest and the cier. He kept following behind it and arrived here.

    But Yaruta was having a throbbing headache, his mind was foggy, and could not remember much, but he at least remembered his father, his sister, the hunter who died that day outside the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth. That hunter was huddled under the wagon, blood flowing from the wound on his chest and abdomen, his body getting weaker and weaker, lighter and lighter as if he was about to lose all consciousness anytime.

    A voice entered his mind, and all he could remember was a neutral, emotionless voice,

    ¡°Do you want to live, mortal? Stand up if you want to live.¡±

    ¡°Help me...... Please help me ......,¡± Yaruta remembered groaning in his daze, but got no answer. He coughed as hard as he could, ¡°You want to save me?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t save you, but someone can.¡±

    ¡°......¡± Yaruta opened his mouth wide, feeling almost out of breath, let alone speaking. But then a cold breath from his chest spread out, restoring some of his sanity.

    ¡°You muste to me, fine me, and you can only save yourself if you do as I say.¡±

    ¡°I will give you shelter for the time being, but you do not have much time.¡±

    A sliver of power was injected into Yaruta¡¯s body; he barely opened his eyes for a moment to see a huge, pale blue, imaginary image standing in front of him which was like a ghost. But he did not have the strength to lift his head to look at its face, he only managed to see the loose robes.

    ¡°Why did you save me, where are the others?¡±

    ¡°You and your sister, perhaps, have some connection with The Twelfth inheritance. But that¡¯s not the point, you need my help, and I need yours.¡±

    ¡°Sister?¡± Yaruta got unsettled when he heard the word, ¡°Sister...she is still alive......?¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t die, someone will save her.¡±

    ¡°What about me, can I still see her?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will reunite with your sister, just do as I tell you-¡±

    ¡°But who are you really?¡±

    ¡°I am Crystal, as you mortals like to call me, but I prefer my original name, Luxis. But what you¡¯re seeing is not me, but merely a message; it is hard for me to exin to you, but you just need to understand that you need my help, and I need yours. ¡±

    ¡°You need my help?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I need you toe to my side.¡±

    ¡°Your side? Aren¡¯t you right in front of me?¡±

    The blue figure did not answer but looked down at him, and then slowly turned around. Yaruta felt as if his body was speeding up its recovery, and a voice in his mind kept on calling him, which made him follow so dazedly.

    They went into the forest, one in the front and one at the back. It was as if no one had noticed them at all, he passed by the ck Knights of Arreck, who were unaware of them. Then they went through the forest, the valley, the snow, and ciers, without encountering a single demon. And every night thereafter, the blue figure would reappear, walking unhurriedly in front of him, at an unpredictable distance.

    So day after day, Yaruta had forgotten about his surroundings, he had even forgotten about hunger, cold, and time. But gradually the figure moved on faster and faster, leaving him less and less time.

    ¡°Yaruta, you have to elerate quickly.¡±

    ¡°The time left for you is running out.¡±

    The teenager also gradually found out.

    His body had been getting heavier and heavier, the sword wound that had not been healed was like a painful mark constantly pulling on his nerves. His steps were no longer as light as when he first stepped into the forest, his mind was sometimes muddy and sometimes blur. Most of the day Yaruta could only maintain calm for a limited amount of time, his vision became narrower and narrower, the surrounding scenery gradually grew a little darker, and finally, there was this moment.

    He saw the blue figure in front of him disappeared.

    His feet went weak, and he suddenly slid down the side of the ice.

    There was a sound of crushed ice rolling down in the darkness, then it quickly reverted to silence.

    ......

    ¡°Wake up, wake up, there¡¯s not much time left for you.¡±

    ¡°Wake up¨C¡±

    ¡°I need your help.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyes snapped open, his pale forehead covered in tiny beads of sweat. ¡®What time is it-¡® He looked up in some confusion, the ice above his head was still a magnificent shadowy blue, and in the distance, a sound that was called ¡®the ramblings of Jubius¡¯ echoed in his eardrums. The whistling sound was the sound of the cold current passing through an isthmus in the north, one end of the canyon was just a huge cier connected to the underground.

    The sound had been around for years, but it was still so far away that it often made people think there was a screaming beast locked in the abyss underground.

    Brendel suspiciously stared deep into the cave for a while, his eyes confused like a puzzle that could not be solved. He grasped the nket that did not seem tightly fit and then realized that he was dreaming just now.

    He had an odd dream in which he saw many people walking through a glittering snowfield, dressed in odd clothes, ck and white robes, riding wingless dragons, and were gradually getting surrounded by those ck, huge, obelisk-like buildings with a strange metallic sheen, covered with a cobweb-like crystal grid. Brendel recognized it as the debris of Milos. It was said that the further one went into the center of the cier, the more such debris there would be.

    Brendel saw this very scene in his dream, he saw those people passing through these ancient relics, to the edge of a huge chasm, where they held a grand ritual, pushing ves down the valley, and then a huge shiny box into the abyss.

    Time passed slowly in the cier, he saw those people settle down after, next to the cavemen on the ice field. But suddenly there was a dispute among them, then a split, a conquest, and a division into two factions from within.

    The losing side continued north, while the rest stayed. The good times were no more, and many of the old men froze to death on top of the cier, while the young men tried to leave the cier for the forest, but they fell in turn on their way to the migration.

    Only a few people remained-

    The man he dreamed of watched over the cier day after day, seeing his people fall one by one. The deaths were like a gue, which finally fell on himself.

    Brendel vaguely remembered thest sunrise he saw in his dream- the sun rose from the west, it was red and huge; the sky and earth became blood red as if it was signifying something.

    Brendel looked away ¨C

    The cave was quiet and everyone had fallen asleep. There was a bright light at the far end of Brendel¡¯s field of vision, which was the campfire. <i>It should be thetter part of the night now. He could even hear the asional low chattering from there.</i>

    <i>But Brendel did not intend to get up, he leaned quietly in the darkness alone, not understanding what his strange dream represented. When he hadpletely calmed down, he realized that the scene he saw in his dream could be everything the Miirnas had seen with their own eyes back then, and the people he saw were probably the Miirnas who had crossed this cier.</i>

    <i>The Miirnas were driven out by Gretel at the end of the War of the Holy Saints, around the year of Chaos. Around the year 1024, that was, before the Year of the Golden Hoof, earlier than the age of runes and swords, and not long after that there was thest Demonic Wave, and ording to the scriptures, the whole continent¡¯s poption was cut by almost a third in that one disaster.</i>

    <i>That was the deepest disaster Vaunte had experienced after the War of the Holy Saints.</i>

    <i>He suddenly remembered that he saw the red and huge sun in his dream and remembered a passage on the Dark Prophecy: Blood descended from the sky and the disaster stopped from west to east.</i>

    <i>Wasn¡¯t that the description of thest Great Demonic Wave?</i>

    <i>But why would he suddenly dream of an event from a thousand years ago? Brendel himself did not understand, he only felt indescribably strangeness. He remembered the dream of the Miirnas throwing a golden ark-like box into the abyss, and he vaguely felt that this dream may be rted to this box. But he knew nothing about what was in the box, nor it was recorded in history.

    </i>

    <i> </i>

    <i>Brendel exhaled gently. The feeling of being spied on rose again, so he subconsciously looked back, but the surrounding was filled with only silence. The ice cave was like inside the body of a sleeping beast, the quietness could make one anxious. But Brendel alertly patrolled around, as he clearly felt a pair of eyes had been lurking in the darkness.</i>

    <i>¡®Brendel, that would never be the Guardians-¡®</i>

    <i>He could not help but nce sideways in the direction where Aloz was sleeping, remembering again the conversation between them in the afternoon.</i>

 Chapter 738 - Eternity (15)

    <h4>Chapter 738 Eternity (15)</h4>

    Since the war at Ebabel Fort, the story of the Guardians has spread. Legend has it that the Guardians have always been in some hidden and unknown ce, guarding the knowledge of the gods from ancient times. They were special Golden Folk, created by Alphonse, the Dragon of Fury, but the day the dispute was restarted, they would return to the earth.

    ¡°But in fact, there is no such thing,¡± Arreck sneered: ¡°That is just a legend made up by mortals to relieve themselves, the Guardians never existed. Once the knowledge of mortals is lost it is forever gone, scattered among the earth, they¡¯re only left with pieces of pathetic knowledge of magic and Order.¡±

    With those words, he looked up. The towering, frozen staircase that led to a massive stone door, unadorned, somewhat like one of those ancient fortresses.

    Arreck stood for a moment at the bottom of the steps, then slowly went upward with the entourage around him.

    The icy wind blew, and the entrance to the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator stood in front of him.

    ¡°Looks like we have confused the Dragon .¡± Devard could not help but crack a yful joke. Arreck then gave him a look that sent chills down his spine, ¡°The Golden Folk created ¡®Dragon s¡¯ that acted as their agents to run the world in order to fight the Twilight, Bahamut the tinum Dragon, Tiama the War Dragon, Alphonse the Dragon of Fury, Crystal the Knowledge Dragon, ze the Elemental Dragon and Azure the Tribtion Dragon. The ¡®Dragon s¡¯ then created the first generation of warriors again.¡±

    ¡°The Blood and Fire Folk were both the generation of the Golden Folk. Legend says that the Golden Folk¡¯s generation each had its own role- the Dragon s mastered thews, the Miirnas mastered the power, the Witches mastered the magic, while the creations of the Knowledge Dragon and the Dragon of Fury have never appeared on earth.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where this legendes from-¡±

    ¡°But in fact it was nothing more than a pact left by Alphonse, the Dragon of Fury, with Odin, the Azure Knight.¡±

    ¡°Odin?¡± Devard was slightly stunned, ¡°You mean the Darkness Darkness, my lord, what did they agree to?¡±

    Arreck nodded, ¡°It is that our greatest enemy, but the ridiculous thing is that those mortals gave him an incestuous name. Odin was never a Dragon, and he does not need to exist as a Dragon .¡±

    ¡°Nobody knows what they agreed on, but it is certain that it had something to do with the Silver Folk¡¯s generation that emergedter. Odin was always waiting for an opportunity, especially since there have been voices within the Gods questioning the creation of the Golden Folk as a mistake ever since the Loop of the World¡®s split-¡±

    ¡°And after that, the subsequent part of the legend was that they were released by the Bugas, but the authenticity is still doubtful, and this im is most likely just an excuse made up by the Bugas¡¯ Mages in order to maintain the legitimacy of the sacred covenant.¡±

    After Arreck said this, he suddenly fell silent, ¡°What really remains in this cier is not a Guardian n at all, but most likely just a remnant of Milos¡¯ will.¡±

    ¡°The will of a God?¡±

    Arreck lifted his head and saw the heavy stone door slowly open in front of him, the gray in his eyes remained the same. He smiled somewhat disdainfully, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just putting up a show, a God who has lost his throne in the sky is nothing to fear about. The will of Milos is here, it is all the more reason why that legend is true, and we will soon have the privilege of witnessing it-¡±

    He turned back, his face filled with a messed-up frenzy expression, ¡°......The Twilight Dragon may have never been defeated.¡±

    ......

    Brendel suddenly heard a rustling sounding from the darkness, that sound seemed to be far and near at the same time, like something crawling on the ground. Alertly, he grabbed the hilt of the Halran Gaia by his side with his backhand and squinted in that direction in the darkness.

    After only a short while, he saw the outline of a person over there.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Brendel was slightly stunned because what he saw was none other than the hunter maiden. ¡°What is she doing at this time?¡± A thought shed through his mind, thinking that this maiden could be a spy left behind by Arreck, but then he shook his head, hoping to shake that thought out of his head. <i>There seemed to be no point for Arreck to leave a spy behind.</i>

    At the moment he froze, and Peya hade to his side. The hunter maiden seemed to have not realized that Brendel had woken up, she quietly came to the Count¡¯s side, gently exhaling her breath, as if she was nervous. She then looked at Brendel cautiously.

    But it was this nce that made her freeze. She saw Brendel¡¯s gleaming eyes in the darkness and was looking at her.

    ¡°Ah......¡± Peyia almost shivered with fear and froze in ce for a moment.

    ¡°Peya? What are you doing?¡± Brendel asked calmly, he had a reason to be calm as the hunter maiden could not pose any threat to him.

    ¡°I......¡± Her eyes showed aplicated look. She bit her lower lip, it was hard to see her face in the darkness, but a pair of dark eyes showed wildness and determination. She suddenly lowered her head, with dark eyes she stared into Brendel¡¯s eyes, and then with some fear she moved closer to Brendel and snuggled down, resting her head gently on his neck.

    Brendel was frozen for a moment, he felt Peya¡¯s body trembling slightly in his arms with his heart pounding. But he did not understand what she meant by this action, ¡°What are you doing, Peya......¡± Brendel waspletely taken aback by her action, he hurriedly pressed her shoulder and pushed her away a little, then carefully stared into her eyes.

    He thought Peya was possessed, after all, in the dark underground there were often some ghosts that could take control of one¡¯s heart. But the hunter girl¡¯s eyes were clear and bright, containing a sense of embarrassment and shyness lurking within.

    Brendel suddenly understood something, he pushed her back a little more and then sat up straight, ¡°Peya, are you trying to beg me to save your brother?¡±

    The hunter maiden clutched her cor with one hand, and the sincere eyes under her long and thick eyshes looked down for a moment, she shivered slightly and said hoarsely, ¡°Lord, I dreamed about Yaruta.¡±

    ¡°Nightmare?¡±

    Peya nodded fearfully, ¡°I dreamed that he passed out, in the ice cave, with so many corpses around him.¡± She looked up with a frightened look in her eyes.

    Brendel breathed a sigh of relief as he spoke boldly and reassured, ¡°It was just a dream, Peya, Arreck didn¡¯t kill your brother, as you can see.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the hunter girl shook her head vigorously: ¡°I saw that he was not far from here. I also heard that voice, he told us to hurry up and save him...... Lord, I ......¡±

    Brendel was slightly stunned as he suddenly remembered that dream of his own. He then could not help but frown, ¡°You also heard that voice?¡±

    He saw the hunter maiden looking at him in confusion before exining, ¡°The voice in your dream, what kind of voice was it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the hunter maiden shook her head vigorously, ¡°It was like it was in my heart, filled with warmth and it makes you want to believe in it.¡±

    Brendel had by this time confirmed that it was the same voice that had appeared in his dream, and he frowned, feeling that something was unusual about the situation. Apparently, there was something under this cier that wanted to let him know something or take him somewhere, and it was perhaps not as powerful as it thought, so it had to resort to such means.

    It was not that he had not encountered such a trope in the game before, it was just that he did not feel as strongly as he did in the real world now. He thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Peya, do you remember where was the ce in your dream?¡±

    ¡°I remember, it was in the middle of a deep valley, not far from here.¡± The hunter maiden hurriedly replied as she looked up at him pitifully and hopefully.

    ¡°I see, you go and wake the others up.¡± Brendel nodded as he took out his pocket watch and looked at the time, although it was not yet time for dawn, their lives were at stake, not to mention that Yaruta¡¯s appearance here made him wonder. Brendel already had a vague guess.

    Peya¡¯s dark eyes seemed to lit up for a moment, she looked up with great gratitude, but then immediately felt that it was inappropriate. She humbly lowered her head, kneeling in front of Brendel, cupped Brendel¡¯s right hand, and gave him a kiss on the finger.

    This kiss had nothing to do with love between a male and female, but instead, it was the servant¡¯s way of showing gratitude towards the master. The hunter girl raised her head to look at him somewhat cautiously, and asked: ¡°Lord Knight, is your estate short of a hunter? My father was once the most outstanding hunter in this area, and I have been learning to be an excellent hunter with my father since I was a child, and I believe that evenpared to the most seasoned hunters I am not any less ipetent-¡±

    ¡°Peya......¡± Brendel was a little awkward, ¡°I¡¯m not helping you because of this.¡±

    ¡°No, no! I, I will make you satisfied, as long as you give me amand, Peya will be willing to do anything for you.¡± The hunter maiden knelt down in front of him and pleaded in a low voice.

    It must be said that the hunter maiden could indeed afford to say such things, except for her slightly rough skin and stained long dark hair, her beauty was not inferior to that of any woman Brendel had seen in any region. Not to mention that Peya had a beauty of wildness that seemed to lurk in her strong body, tensed and ready to burst out with her movements.

    To let such a stubborn woman say such pleading words, seeing the hunter maiden kneeling in front of him made his heart twitch a little, it was in fact impossible for him to not feel touched at all. He took a breath and finally managed to calm himself down, then he shook his head, ¡°Peya, you are our guide, I¡¯ve said that if I can save your brother, I will; this is my promise, do not let me make a mistake, okay?¡±

    Peya was slightly stunned, she backed away a little in some confusion, but looked at Brendel in bewilderment as if she did not understand why Brendel would say that. Brendel would have a hard time exining how he was different from the other nobles, and could only smile at her awkwardly, a smile, unlike anything Peyia had seen on any other noble, that were either contemptuous or greedy and disturbing.

    ¡°Go,¡± Brendel replied, the previous scene was just a little too much for him as he was a normal man, too. He suddenly felt envious of those damn nobles, this envy turned into a kind of indignation, and finally into a tone ofmand, ¡°Go and get the others up and get the group ready to go, your brother is still unconscious, have you forgotten?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Lord Knight.¡±

    Brendel watched Peya back away, then he released a sigh of relief. But he had another problem to solve, he turned his head to the darkness and said, ¡°Have you seen enough, Miss Shido? If you have rested enough, we can prepare to leave now.¡±

    He had thought that these words must have scared off the schrdy who had been quietly peeping, but instead, she was much more confident than he thought, she smiled politely at him from where she was standing, ¡°Mr. Brendel, they say you are the model of the ancient nobility, but when ites to romance, you are nowhere there yet. In the face of a noble, willing to self-sacrifice beautifuldy, you actually chose rejection, how disappointing.¡±

    Brendel would have spat a mouthful of water out if he was drinking.

    Shido added, ¡°But I look up to you, Count, that you have shown me the noble character, which is refusing to take advantage of others.¡± Miss Schr smiled faintly and gave Brendel a nod before going back into her tent.

 Chapter 739 - Eternity (16)

    <h4>Chapter 739 Eternity (16)</h4>

    Just as Brendel¡¯s group began to move, on the other hand, Freya was struggling to move through the silvery gray forest. They have reunited with Brund¡¯s men for a day and a half, but this did not change their situation in any way, the forest had endlessly increasing numbers of Pale Sons. In order to deal with these terrible beasts, they had to flee along the forest to the northwest.

    After hastily eating some unptable dry food in the early morning, the scouts found the traces of white wolves on the outskirts of the forest again, and the team had to pull out once again. Marquis Yoakam and that monster seemed to have a great interest in them and kept chasing after them.

    But the most frightening thing was still the monster.

    Freya checked up on Alea who was having a fever and the other knight on the stretcher. The wound on Alea¡¯s neck had started to cken ¨C the ice pick from those white wolves seemed to have some kind of curse on it that slowed down the healing time and elerated the decay. Freya herself had many such wounds so she knew it too well, but she did not show that unrelenting pain on the face.

    The other knight, who lookedpletely dehydrated, did nothing more than block the silver monster, and his entire body seemed as if it had been drained of flesh and blood.

    Freya saw with her own eyes that the human-like silver monster was surrounded by seven or eight Gold-ranked Kirrlutz knights who were covered in wounds, but the monster suddenly pounced on one of them, and after sucking up the man¡¯s flesh and blood, the wounds all over the monster¡¯s body recovered as if they were never there in the first ce.

    She had never heard of such a terrifying ability, not even from a vampire.

    At that time, almost all the knights of that battle did not make their way back, leaving only this one who managed to escape. Afterward, in order to hold off that monster, the whole team left behind more than ten knights, and even Roji, the female knight also died in that battle.

    She could not help but nce at little Pero. She did not learn that the female knight was his fianc¨¦e untilter.

    ¡°The wind has stopped.¡± Little Pero¡¯s face was almost emotionless as he said so while looking at the canopy of trees that gradually stopped swaying. It was the only good news for hours. But the bad news was when there was no wind or snow, the visibility in the woonds was much better and smells could linger longer.

    ¡°But which way should we go exactly, rendezvousing with the Lord Count and Lord Commander of the Army is already impossible, and the other party obviously does not intend to give way to us.¡± Brund said staring at the rudimentary map drawn on the groundst night. In just two days, his cheeks had be skinnier and deep dark circles had appeared under his eyes.

    ¡°Keep moving north,¡± Maynild replied, ¡°they don¡¯t want us to rendezvous, so we¡¯ll do as they wish.¡±

    The others all nodded. Yoakam should be hoping to weaken Veronica and Brendel¡¯s force, but all those present at the moment knew how strong Brendel¡¯s force was, so strong to the point that the ones here were insignificant. It seemed as if the main force of the knights of the Folded Sword were here already, but there was more potential over there. Freya, Brund, Maynild and little Pero knew that very clearly.

    Brendel let Brund lead the Folded Sword knights to leave, not necessarily to go with the other side¡¯s n, but in that case, it seemed that they might be able to take advantage of that n.

    ¡°Marquis Yoakam is okay, but that monster seems to be crazy, I don¡¯t know what it is trying to do with such a poor pursuit.¡± Brund took a look at Alea, who was holding on to dear life on a stretcher and could not help but say with some annoyance.

    But everyone in the room turned their attention to Freya and she herself frowned. Brund was not sure, but it was clear in the minds of those who were with her since early on that the silver monster was obviouslying for theirmander.

    But no one knew what exactly was the bloodline of that so-called War Goddess that it was talking about.

    ¡°Senior Maynild, do you happen to know something?¡± Freya, however, turned back to the female knight beside her and asked in a soft voice. Maynild shook her head, ¡°I have not heard the legend about the War Goddess, I only know that this bloodline does seem to be rted to you. Brendel should have mentioned it to you, but Brendel and I do not know why that monster knows all this, nor do I know exactly what it has to do with you......¡±

    This is not the first time Maynild has answered this way, Freya could not help but sigh a little anxiously as she opened her backpack and nced at the b of stone lying quietly inside.

    Brendel had said that this tablet would answer her questions, but so far she had found nothing.

    Maynild saw Freya in deep thought, she turned back to the others and said,: ¡°It¡¯s almost dawn, since movement of those white beasts are found in the periphery, it means that they will soon appear in this area. We will just continue to travel in circles along the forest to the northwest to buy time for our Lord and your lord Commander, do you have any other opinions?¡±

    The others did not say anything. During the previous two days of battle, Maynild had demonstrated a remarkable capability of amander that had not won the respect of these proud young men yet, but had at least won their approval.

    ¡°I have a question,¡± only little Pero thought for a moment and replied, ¡± What do we do if the silver monster catches up again?¡±

    This question lowered the spirit in the camp to rock bottom, as all of them still remembered the battlest night, in which nearly one-fifth of the knights of the Folded Sword died just to hold off that terrible monster.

    Maynild also looked a little hesitant, as sometimes ns were not convincing in front of absolute strength. That silver monster had at least the strength of Elemental Activation, they who were Gold-ranked were no match for it.¡± Let¡¯s take a step at a time and see what happens.¡± That¡¯s all she could say.

    But it was at that moment that amotion was hearding from outside the camp.

    ¡°Stag!¡±

    ¡°Stag!¡±

    Everyone was screaming. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The young knights present stood up at the same time, pressing one hand on their swords as they looked out, and they saw Freya standing up as if she had been touched by electricity.

    The future Valkyrie looked up and saw a ghostly blue stag standing proudly in the middle of the forest, not far outside the camp.

    This scene seemed to instantly pull her mind back to the night of the Year of Summer Blossoms and Leaves.

    The blue stag looked at the knights in the camp and swung its graceful neck, as if gesturing to everyone, then it turned around and then slowly walked towards the forest.

    ¡°Quick, follow it!¡± Freya seemed as if she just woke up from a dream and hurriedly said to everyone.

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Little Pero took a look at that forest and frowned, ¡°Lord Commander, over there is the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator.¡±

    ......

    After the heavy stone door slowly opened, revealing the dark and deep space behind. It looked like an obsidian passage, the whole cross-section of which was trapezoidal in shape, and the surface was covered with a bright red folding line. The ground was deposited with ayer of mist, but with the opening of the stone door from outside to inside blew a surge of cold wind, the mist disappeared, revealing the ck ground below.

    Arreck moved up the frosty steps, and his eyes first stopped at the sight of those sprawling bones on both sides of the passage. These skeletons were clearly divided into two categories, one side was of tall humanoid creatures, still wearing their pre-life armors with antique designs, covered with patterns that are ipatible with the aesthetic style of this era.

    Most of the weapons used by this type of skeleton were either heavy broadswords or battle axes.These dusty weapons still had the aura from a previous era, heavy and thick, as if each one was a divine weapon, but the magic on them has long since fallen apart along with the death of their owners.

    But there were still some lucky weapons intact. Arreck passed by these skeletons, picked up a sword and slightly injected magic as he chanted a strange byte, only to see the sword became bright, surrounded by lightning. The Duke threw the sword and it shot out like a beam of lightning, it hit the wall on the side of the passage with a loud noise, and then bounced to the side, leaving a beautiful blue-white line, and hit the floor, igniting sparks, and then flew out of sight.

    Devard came closer to see, only to find that not even the slightest scratch was found on the wall where the sword hit it. His facial expression changed and he asked, ¡°What exactly is this Holy Cathedral built with, that previous strike with the increase of that weapon is almost equal to my full power, this wall......¡±

    ¡°This is not a building, Devard.¡± Arreck replied, ¡°Milos perished here, who built these structures? The Miirnas, or the Kirrlutzians? Neither of them could build them, no, Milos was the subordinate god of Alphonse, the Dragon of Fury, and this is his body......¡±

    ¡°Ah......?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t find it strange. As to why the gods would shape them as humans imagine, the legends of the Miirnas are barely reliable, while the Kirrlutzians have never even experienced those gruesome wars of the past, what do they know?¡±

    ¡°They can im orthodoxy even before the return of All For One? They are just clowns who have stolen the throne, Odin does not bother to deal with them, but we are not such fools.¡±

    Arreck¡¯s words echoed lowly in the passage, and he slowly passed the skeletons of another ss of creatures, which were obviously wolves. But their skeletons were much more massive than their current descendants living on the earth. Each of these wolf skeletons looked like the skeleton of a Dragon, with thick forelimbs, two extraordinarily sharp long teeth, and oddly shaped bony tes with long horns on their skulls, these were the so-called ancient species, the first descendants of Warg Hati.

    Arreck admired the skeletons as if they were works of art, but he did not have other intentions, he just walked through them. The group moved slowly along the passage, followed by the All For One¡¯s Order of Dead Knights. After watching for a while, Arreck turned back to the Mage of All For One around him and asked.

    ¡°Is this where you unearthed those things at the outskirts?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The Mage replied respectfully, ¡°This is exactly the same as what is written on the Dark Prophecy, and it also matches some of our canonical texts that said Milos fought a long and drawn-out battle with Warg Hati here, along with the Lord¡¯s second legion.¡±

    ¡°The second legion? Was it the Crystal Wights?¡±

    ¡°No, the Crystal Wights came from the seventh legion, who attacked the Earth Wing at the Ultimate Realm, and could not have appeared in the inner world on arge scale at all.¡±

    ¡°The one who is here should be the Nohs.¡±

    ¡°The Nohs, Warg Hati, that name from the bottom of the abyss, I¡¯m getting curious.¡± Arreck narrowed his eyes, and a faint wrinkle had begun to appear on his pale face.

    ¡°You will soon see one of them.¡±

    As soon as the Mage said that, a hall appeared in Arreck¡¯s field of vision. The empty hall appeared with more skeletons, but in the center of these skeletons was a corpse that attracted everyone¡¯s attention. It looked like a fox, with amazingly beautiful silver fur all over her body, she floated in the center of the hall, eyes closed, if not already lifeless, people might have thought she was just asleep.

    ¡°Ember Kovac, this is the eldest daughter of Warg Hati......¡± Arreck could not help but murmur, ¡°I did not expect her to end up here.¡±

    ......

    ¡°Lord, you¡¯d bettere and see this.¡±

    After Brendel slowly slid down the ice from above along ayer of gray-white solid ice, he heard Medissa, who had gone down first, shouting from below. He walked around a dense cone of ice and saw Medissa half-kneeling at the entrance to a dark ice path in front of him, with a figure lying beside the Silver Elf Princess, which he first thought was Peya¡¯s brother, but got a little closer to find out otherwise.

    It was a skeleton, at least six or seven meters tall, wearing heavy armor, a lowered head, sitting on the ground against the ice wall. Its fatal wound should be on the chest, Brendel noticed that the skeleton¡¯s breastte had a fist-sized hole in the area of the heart, which was obviously pierced by something.

    ¡°This is the skeleton of a Frost Giant.¡± Brendel took one look at the skeleton¡¯s physique and made a judgment, ¡°It seems that Shitah didn¡¯t lie to us, this path does lead to the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator.¡±

    ¡°Are they the defenders of this Holy Cathedral?¡± Medissa asked in a small voice.

    ¡°Were.¡± Brendel replied, ¡°Is that what you want me to see?¡±

    ¡°No, there are more skeletons like it ahead. But not all of them are of Frost Giants, there are some strange corpses that even Miss Shido can¡¯t identify.¡± The little Silver Elf Princess replied.

    ¡°What kind, wolves?¡±

    Seeing Medissa shake her head, Brendel could not help but be curious. It was known that Milos had fought with Warg Hati here, but what other corpses would there be here besides those of Frost Giants and Warg Hati¡¯s children? Humans? It was unlikely as Brendel knew that the schrdy would never make a mistake in such a matter.

    He gestured to Medissa to lead the way, then followed, and soon he found Miss Schr puzzled among the skeletons.

    Shido= was staring at a peculiar corpse in disbelief.

    To be precise, it was not a corpse, nor a skeleton, but a puddle of silvery, human-shaped liquid. This puddle of liquid was lying between the corpses of seven or eight Frost Giants, with a frost-blue war sword stuck in it. If it was not for this sword, onlookers might have missed this ¡®corpse¡¯ and just thought it was just a puddle of ice water.

    ¡°What is this thing......¡± Brendel saw this thing and he froze.

 Chapter 740 - Eternity (17)

    <h4>Chapter 740 Eternity (17)</h4>

    The silvery liquid looked a bit like mercury to Brendel, but from the distribution of the Frost Giant¡¯s corpse around and the sword stuck on top of it, it was almost certain that this should be the corpse of some kind of creature, a magical creature.

    ¡°Some kind of metallic subspecies of mud monster?¡±

    ¡°No, the corpse of a mud monster obviously can not be preserved for tens of thousands of years or even longer, and besides, there is no mud monster among the Twilight species.¡± Brendel subconsciously shook his head, in the long experience of the game, he had seen most of the monster species of Vaunte, alive and dead. Beasts and humanoid-type magic creatures usually leave corpses after death, Elemental-types would fall apart and return to their original form, and demon-types¡¯ existence would be expelled back to the original before death. The only ones that turn into a puddle of water after death are the recently dead mud monsters or water elementals (including their ice subspecies).

    But the situation at hand was clearly not within any kind ofmon sense, as Brendel slid down the ice wall to Medissa¡¯s side, where he crouched down next to the puddle of silvery liquid and extended his index finger to dip in it.

    But the moment his fingertips touched the liquid, he withdrew it as if he had been electrocuted. The ¡®mercury¡¯ was not sticky, nor did it feel like a biological fluid, it was more like an inorganic substance. But what made Brendel wary was not this. He felt a subtle sense of power loss at the moment his hand reached into the liquid.

    Brendel¡¯s hair stood on end, he clearly felt the liquid sucking his power as if it was conscious. ¡°Be careful, this thing is weird, stay away from it.¡± Brendel immediately pulled Medissa to her feet and alertly warned.

    ¡°Ah...!¡±

    It was at this moment, suddenly a scream came from the ice cave to the left of the two, Brendel looked back ¨C it was the voice of Miss Schr. ¡°Shido?¡± Hisplexion changed.

    ¡°Oh no, Miss Shido said she was a little curious and took Scarlet over with her to check the other corpses.¡± Medissa replied anxiously.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Brendel immediately heard the sound of exchanging blows, then a muffled sound of a human body hitting the ice wall; it was not known whether it was Scarlet or Miss Schr who had been hit. But Brendel heard three consecutive footsteps on the ice that was heavy and sounded more like the stride of a physically tall male creature, which was definitely not Scarlet¡¯s or Shido¡¯s.

    Brendel frowned, even before Medissa reacted, he turned in that direction and drew his longsword. The dark and heavy Halran Gaia was just out of the sheath when a sh was seen in the direction of the ice cave, and an odd creature appeared in the sight of the two.

    If Freya is here, she would have screamed, because the humanoid monster which appeared in front of Brendel and Medissawas streamlined, silver-white, had an oval head without eyes, nostrils nor ears, leaving only a huge split-mouth that seemed to beughing silently all the time.

    The monster stopped at the mouth of the cave, looking a little surprised as if it did not expect the presence of others in this direction. However, it suddenly opened its mouth and waved its right hand forward, extending five or six meters like flowing liquid metal, forming a silver de towards Brendel and Medissa.

    The silver de was like a shing band of light that arrived right in front of Medissa in the blink of an eye. The Silver Elf Princess was taken aback and subconsciously hold up her spear to try to block. But Brendel pulled her back with one hand as he shouted, ¡°Be careful!¡± He held the Halran Gaia up, and the Resonance power summoned a rock that shot out from beneath the ice, which crushed the silver de into pieces.

    Brendel saw the monster¡¯s silver de hit the rock, and both the hard rock and silver de shattered into countless tiny silver droplets and debris. But the liquid droplets which fell onto the ground did not infiltrate and prate but converged onto the monster like mercury. In the blink of an eye, the silvery monster immediately grew a new arm.

    ¡°Careful, this thing is not so easy to deal with.¡± Brendel protected the little Silver Elf Princess with one hand, and only then had time to finish the second half of his sentence, ¡°Do not have any kind of contact with it, it may absorb energy to maintain its regeneration ability.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Medissa had never heard of such ecology and could not help but open her small mouth slightly. The monster heard Brendel¡¯s words and turned its head back; although it had no eyes, Brendel unexpectedly realized that the other party was looking at him.

    He felt a sudden surge of resentful killing intent from the monster.

    The silver-white humanoid creature paused slightly and pounced once again, moving incredibly fast, like a silver light when it moved. Not to mention Medissa, even Brendel almost lost the target.

    ¡°...... It has to at least have Elemental Rank muscle quality.¡± Brendel¡¯s heart tightened, the thing had in fact gotten out of his field of vision, but he did not even look around before throwing his sword out- There was an angry scream and Brendel felt his de pierce something. He looked back to see the creature almost split in two from its rib cage to its chest, but it had one hand over the wound as it continued to charge forward, looking like it was about to rush up the ice slope on the other side.

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    Brendel did not expect this thing to be able to escape despite the severe injury. The good thing was that Vaunte had simr magical creatures, that he could react instantly. He braked with his right and raised the Halran Gaia with his right hand, mming it into the ground. A dull booming sound was heard, only to see a stone dragon appear at where the sword tip was, extending a straight rumbling line that stabbed into the back of the monster.

    The silvery humanoid monster was incredibly fast, but the stone dragon from the ground was a step ahead, one after the other, and in the blink of an eye it was at the monster¡¯s feet. The Resonance of the Halran Gaia delivered full damage equal to that of the attacker, meaning that the blow was exactly the same as Brendel¡¯s full force, and with a loud bang, the terrifying impact from beneath the ground blew it straight up into the air. The monster¡¯s right leg, which had taken the full brunt of the damage, turned into countless silver sshes.

    While the monster was still flipping in mid-air, Brendel immediately let go of the Halran Gaia, raised his right hand, and the Wing Ring immediately began to store energy. The Lord bared his teeth like a beast, he raised his right hand high and let out a low rune hiss from deep in his throat.

    The next moment.

    The wind bomb spun and shot out, instantly hitting the monster that was in mid-air. The wind bomb prated through the center of the silvery liquid, knocking it through the heart and forming a bright ring.

    From the time the creature passed by Brendel and flew, to the time Brendel released the wind bomb, the whole process waspleted in just a blink of an eye. The battle that erupted made Medissafroze, as this was the first time she saw Brendel fully disy the game¡¯sbat talent. The little Silver Elf Princess¡¯s reaction was slower but still, she witnessed the entire battle process, and her eyes were shining at what she saw.

    Brendel was a human, if one ignored the Count¡¯s title, he was only a young man in his twenties, and yet his reflexes at this moment, in Medissa¡¯s eyes, were fully in line with the level of an ordinary Silver Elf warrior.

    But if the young Silver Elf princess realized that in fact, at this moment Brendel was still far from the level of his heyday, and was even with slight regression, who knew what Medissawould think.

    In fact, since the battle with Alberton, Brendel had been encountering enemies that were either too weak or too strong, and he had long been somewhat rusty in the old game.

    The monster hadpletely fallen apart, like a mess of mud on the ground. Brendel was hopeful that these few blows would kill the thing, but it was not to be. The silvery liquid flew and squirmed, reverting to human form in almost the blink of an eye, while sliding towards the ice slope.

    It moved simply beyond the speed of normality, its speed was three times as quick as the rushing river below the cier even when it was smashed. And when it reverted to human form, it was already nearly a hundred meters away from Brendel and Medissa. Even if Brendel had the intention to chase after it again at this moment, it was toote, not to mention that the thing¡¯s body quality may not be worse than his, and their speed was about the same level as well.

    Brendel saw the thing getting close to the top of the ice slope, he could not help but cry out in regret. Because he saw the silver monster¡¯s skin be gray, like the color of the puddle of silver liquid he saw before, no longer so shiny, which meant that the magic power to maintain its vitality might be on the verge of depletion.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity, a little more would have been nice!¡± He was chagrined, but it was at this time that he saw a figure appear at the top of the ice slope.

    Brendel was slightly stunned to realize that it was the eldest son of the Kirrlutz King ¨C that young man who proudly proimed to him that his name was Lenarette Aurelius. Apparently, at the same time, Lenarette also found the monster running towards himself, he reacted quite quickly and immediately pulled out his sword from his waist.

    ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t touch it!¡± Brendel, however, was clear that the King¡¯s eldest son was only at the mid-Gold level, and his actualbat power might not even be as good as the lower Gold. The royal family was always used to using some extraordinary means to train their descendants, but their actualbat experience might not be as good as it should be, so he hurriedly reminded.

    But the reaction of the eldest son of the Kirrlutzian King was frighteningly calm, he took a step back almost at the same time when he heard Brendel¡¯s reminder and shed downward with his longsword. The power from the Gold rank was injected downward into the ground, which immediately cut the iceyer in front of him that was nearly fifty meters wide, and after the iceyer came off, it caused a terriblendslide.

    The disintegrating ice and snow fell onto the monster head-on, and the monster had no choice but to smash a huge ice pick with one fist, which consumed a lot of its strength, resulting in its skin bing duller in color. It had no choice but to leap upward, trying to jump over the ice that was rolling down.

    But Lenarette seemed to have expected it to do so, he lifted his head, stretching out his left hand, a white light shined from the ring on his left index finger and a ball of wind shot out to just hit a piece of ice cone above the cave.

    ¡®Boom¡¯, a loud sound was heard. Those ice cones, along with almost half a meter thick of ice came downward smashing. This time the silver monster could no longer avoid and was covered in the ice, falling into the urringndslide, and rolled down to Brendel¡¯s feet.

    Brendel was dumbfounded at what he just saw, he could not help but look at Lenarette. <i>How¡¯s this guy¡¯sbat techniques exactly the same as mine? If something could be done with the help of the environment, we would never do it ourselves, he is abnormally calm too...... </i>

    If this was the other party¡¯s first battle, it was definitely frightening.

    ¡°Lord, his ring can release wind bombs too.¡± Medissa sighed in a small voice.

    Brendel nodded, and he gave Lenarette a thumbs up as he had to admit that the battle was on point. If it was not for Lenarette¡¯s quick reaction, that thing would have escaped.

    But the eldest son of the Kirrlutzian King looked at him and had no reaction to his appreciation. The man remained his stern face, checked the solidity of the ice slope, turned around, and walked back.

    ¡°What the......¡± Brendel was so angry that he dropped his hand and turned back to Medissaand sighed, ¡°That¡¯s why I hate the Kirrlutzians, these guys seem to have arrogance written on their faces, Marsha above, I just don¡¯t know how their self-esteem grows?¡±

    ¡°Actually, the Silver Elves are simr, Lord.¡± Medissa replied with a smirk, ¡°The Kirrlutzians are not worth anything in our eyes either.¡±

    ¡°Really, why don¡¯t I feel that at all?¡±

    ¡°Because we have to maintain the necessary grace. You see the Silver Elves smiling and being courteous to the humans, but in fact they are saying in their hearts, ¡®Foolish fellow, arrogant bastards.¡¯¡±

    Brendel suddenly turned his head.

    He stared at Medissa, ¡°That¡¯s enough, Medissa, I get it...... stop smiling at me.¡±

    The Silver Elf princess could not help but cover her mouth and giggled as she bent her back inughter.

    ......

 Chapter 741 - Eternity (18)

    <h4>Chapter 741 Eternity (18)</h4>

    Medissaughed so hard she could not get up, and Brendel could only shake his head helplessly. But he was more worried about the situation of Scarlet and Shido, so he turned back to the little princess and said, ¡°Forget about this side first, let¡¯s go over to check, Shido and Scarlet are still over there.¡±

    Only then did the little Silver Elf Princess nod her head and put away her smile.

    The sudden encounter took everyone by surprise, and Brendel was a little worried that more simr Chaos creatures (Twilight species) might be lurking beneath these crisscrossing iceyers, but he immediately dispelled that fear.

    Scarlet was sitting down leaning against the ice wall with her face slightly red, because the Lord was very close to her, so she did not dare to let out heavy breaths. In fact, the bruise on the shoulder itself was not a big deal, but Brendel¡¯s actions made her heart race.

    Brendel checked the injury on the red-haired girl¡¯s shoulder and let out a slight sigh of relief, ¡°Okay, no big deal.¡±

    The mountain maiden lowered her head as she et out a soft breath, but the relief she felt was obviously not the same thing as Brendel¡¯s.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Scarlet, I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Count......¡± Shido apologized as she stood beside the two, her arms crossed over her thick notebook, and looked at them somewhat apologetically.

    ¡°So what exactly is going on?¡± Veronica asked, interrupting her. She and Mephisto each stood left and right next to the slippery slope. A little further away, Haruz, Fs, Ciel and His Royal Highness, the eldest son of the Kirrlutzians, had cleared out the crushed ice, and as the huge chunks of ice were removed by Ciel¡¯s spell, the silvery white corpse under the snow was gradually revealed.

    Brendel took a look at the monster. The cause of its death was obviously not because of the fallen ice, as the corpse¡¯s skin was far less shiny than it was before, it was dull and gray, as if the surface of a metal covered with ayer of frost.

    He suddenly felt his heart throb.

    <i>This thing died because the magic power in its body was depleted.</i>

    No, it was inurate to say it was dead, rather, it just fell into some kind of dormant state; once it absorbs new magic, this thing maye back to life once again.

    Brendel frowned as he looked back not far away from the puddle of silvery liquid. He had never heard of a simr magical creature in the game, nothing close with such terrifying ability. Brendel could not help but feel a chill down his spine.

    At this moment, Fs whistled from not far away. The lucky young man looked at the corpse and could not help but be a little surprised, ¡°Haruz, Your Royal Highness, have you noticed that this thing is a little like the Lost Names?¡±

    ¡°The Lost Names?¡± Lenarette Aurelius looked at him in disbelief.

    ¡°Ah, I forgot, Your Majesty, you entered the forest from the direction of Castle Vallendaren, you may not have encountered these things. All in all, it¡¯s just some nightmare, but it¡¯s really surprisingly simr to this monster.¡± Fs was slightly stunned, and then replied.

    Laurenna agreed while nodding aside, ¡°Yes a little.¡± But she gave her fianc¨¦ a somewhat odd look. Since she had experienced that kind of scene in the dream world, she did not know how Fs could face the royal eldest son who had been ¡®taken out¡¯ by himself so calmly.

    ¡°It seems that the Lost Names wandering in the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth is rted to these things.¡± Brendel who was also surprised replied. In The Amber Sword, the Bugas¡¯ canon had only discussed the causes of the creation of the Lost Names, but what hadpelled them to fall was still an unsolved mystery.

    However right now, it seemed that the answer to this may be close at hand.

    The thing¡¯s body was melting, as if it were melting ice under the hot summer sun; silvery liquid flowing down like a stream, converging into a silvery puddle under its body in a sh, a scene that made Brendelpletely sure of his previous guess.

    He looked up as if he had finally finished thinking and asked Shido, ¡°Where did you meet this thing, Miss Shido?¡±

    ¡°Sorry .....¡± Miss Schr blushed a little and replied embarrassedly, ¡°I didn¡¯t meet it somewhere, and I don¡¯t know how I should describe it... seriously speaking, it should have been dead.¡±

    ¡°Dead?¡± Fs looked back with some surprise at the corpse of the monster that was turning into a pool of mercury at his feet, and he pointed at the thing and asked, ¡°Are you saying that this thing wille back to life?¡±

    But Brendel interrupted him and skipped right over the question, ¡°How did ite back to life?¡±

    ¡°I was a little curious...... so I put a Magic Moonstone in it ......,¡± replied Shido with a red face, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s all my fault, and caused Scarlet to get hurt for me.¡±

    She said while giving a grateful nce at Scarlet. If it was not for this half-Dragon girl¡¯s timely reaction, it was estimated that the monster¡¯s first counterattack could have killed her.

    She was a schr, not a warrior.

    Brendel then started to understand the origin of this thing, <i>No wonder a living Twilight species popped out from a pile of corpses from ten thousand years ago, no wonder this thing was so weak...... </i>All of it was due to the monster absorbing a Magic Moonstone.

    The Magic Moonstone was a medium-quality magic crystal, but the magic power it provided was only the level of a mage who had entered the Gold-rank in his prime.

    He was a little helpless, although he did not know how the schrdy was aware that this thing could extract magic to self-regenerate, but this it was too reckless of her. In the ck Forest, especially in this kind of ce, any single careless action could lead to death.

    ¡°Miss Shido, now you should understand, this is the outer edge of the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator, the monster you met before is most likely the Twilight species that once invaded this world with the Twilight Dragon tens thousands years ago; it is an upper Chaos creature, of which their power you and I cannot specte, so please be careful.¡± Brendel sighed and warned.

    ¡°Sorry, Lord Count, I already know that......¡±

    Brendel looked at her, and was too awkward to continue to reprimand, she was still a child on her first adventure, after all. During his first adventure back then, the things he had done was much more dumber than this.

    ¡°Brendel, what exactly are these things?¡± Veronica was listening to the conversation between these young people, and she finally spoke up and asked.

    ¡°I do not know,¡± Brendel shook his head: ¡°I have never heard of simr creatures, but they are Twilight species for sure. These things are a bit odd, they don¡¯t seem to actually die, but rather go into dormancy, they draw magic from the outside world and slowly regenerate......¡±

    ¡°Immortality?¡± Everyone in the room drew a cold breath.

    The Undead of Madara pursued eternity, but the eternity they pursued was nothing more than the so-called transient immortality. There was only one thing in this world that was eternal, and that was Chaos.

    The followers of All For One were fanatically superstitious about this, believing that belief in Chaos and bing one with the Twilight Dragon was the only way to return to immortality.

    The Four Holy Cathedrals had always considered this to be nothing more than absurd nonsense, but right now it seemed to be a ready-made example.

    The immortal Twilight species.

    The ice cave was drop-dead quiet for a moment.

    ¡°This goes against......¡± Veronica was all a bit speechless.

    ¡°No need to be superstitious, it¡¯s just a guess.¡± Brendel stared at the monsters, himself finding it a little unbelievable as well. These Twilight creatures which fought head-on with the Frost Giants, were just in a state of dormancy after ¡®death¡¯. Frost Giants were the most valiant and warlike Golden Folk and even they were unable to kill these monsters. Brendel found it hard to imagine if there could possibly be people who couldpletely destroy these monsters in this current era.

    He shook his head and also asked in the world of spirits, ¡°Lord Sanorso, I know you are there, have you seen something like this?¡±

    ¡°Never seen it, but I always feel as if I¡¯ve heard something simr there.¡± The voice of the elven imperial sister immediately came.

    ¡°Can you be sure?¡±

    ¡°If I could be sure, I wouldn¡¯t call it ¡®as if¡¯, are you an idiot?¡±

    Brendel shrugged his shoulders.

    He had to speak to the others tofort them, ¡°But we at least have good news, it looks like they are not lurking under this cier, but have perished in that tragic battle ten thousand years ago. As long as we don¡¯t provoke them, it looks like it shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem.¡±

    ¡°Tens thousands of years ago, Mr. Brendel, are you sure they won¡¯t slowly collect the free magic in the air ande back to life?¡± Laurenna questioned with some confusion.

    ¡°Have you ever felt magic in the air?¡± Brendel asked rhetorically.

    Everyone was slightly stunned, and then realized that the space in this ice cave seemed to be terrifyingly clean. The magic power that strayed in the ubiquitous world of Vaunte was surprisingly absent here, Veronica and Mephisto¡¯s expressions changed in an instant, and only Brendel was slightly bemused as he had learned this from Ciel long ago.

    A Mage¡¯s sensitivity to magic was much more outstanding than a warrior¡¯s.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Fs was the first to ask.

    ¡°The seal.¡± Veronica nced at Brendel, her expression somewhat graved, ¡°This is the seal of the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator, it turns out that these things are sealed under this Holy Cathedral, and after isting the magic power, they can never be resurrected-¡±

    ¡°How is that possible!¡± Shido could not help but widened her eyes at these words, ¡°Lord Coomander, this is Milos¡¯ Holy Cathedral, does it mean that even the gods can¡¯t eradicate these monsters?¡±

    As she said this, herplexion suddenly changed and she subconsciously closed her mouth, feeling some shivers.

    The others¡¯pleScarleton was simr.

    Brendel nced at Fs and Laurenna, both of whom had a grave expression, so did Veronica, the Kirrlutzian War Goddess who suddenly thought of a possibility.

    ¡°Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Yes......¡±

    ¡°Do you think that Arreck will want to open a portal here, so that the lower part of the Sulfur River that connects to the Sea of Magic will be connected to this ce......¡±

    ¡°If that happens......¡± Ms. Schr¡¯s face turned pale at once.

    If then, when these terrible monsters were once fully released and re-entered the world of Vaunte, they would forever break free from the shackles imposed on them by the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator.

    Brendel could not help but gulp when he thought of the scene.

    He could only think of one phrase.

    Return of the Twilight Legion-

 Chapter 742 - Eternity (19)

    Chapter 742

    v4c118

    Eternity (19)

    The wavering light of the torch illuminated theyer of ice that sloped into a chasm. The low temperature had caused a thickyer of fog to form that seemed to muffle all noise.

    ¡°Brendel.¡± Veronica¡¯s voice carried a small buzz in the air. She turned around, her piercing emerald gaze locking onto Brendel. ¡°How long do you think Arreck needs to arrive at the heart of this temple?¡±

    ¡°Half a day, or maybe forever. It depends on how well Arreck knows this area.¡± Brendel held his torch over the chasm, trying to gauge its depth as he added, ¡°Arreck¡¯s cunning is so well known that even bards sing of it. He was perfectly fine ruling the hignds with his iron fist. Do you really think a man like this would blindly walk to his death?

    ¡°His blind faith in All For One might have influenced his actions, but it does not mean that he is a mindless fool incapable of thinking for himself. I¡¯ve fought with him before, so I know this very well.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that we have half a day?¡± asked Veronica.

    ¡°That¡¯s the worst-case scenario. However, it won¡¯t do us any good to assume otherwise,¡± answered Brendel.

    ¡°Can we make it in time?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s answer to the question was to stare at a certain dragon. Shitah wiped the edge of his lips as he said through a mouthful of honey, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that! This route is definitely faster, I swear -¡±

    ¡°On what?¡± Brendel countered. ¡°Perhaps, for example, on the third golden scale of Bahamut¡¯s neck?¡±

    ¡°Hey, watch it!¡± yelled Shitah. In the second Twilight War, the Midgard Snake Jormungandr had bitten onto Bahamut¡¯s neck, and thus the third golden scale was lost. Ever since then, the wound was treated like the scars of a soldier, and the missing scale was revered by the dragons as a symbol of courage and honor.

    To swear upon this golden scale was the most sacred oath that could be taken by a dragon. Even someone as cynical as Shitah would never swear on it on a whim.

    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re talking about? How dare you make me take the sacred oath!¡± the fat dragon screeched angrily.

    ¡°How unfortunate this is. You are now working for me, yet I need to make you swear an oath just so I can believe your words. Is there an employer who has worst luck than me? I¡¯m sure that Marsha has seen all kinds of things from the heavens, but definitely nothing as absurd as this!¡± Brendel drawled. ¡°Shitah, I¡¯m sure you too understand why I¡¯m reluctant to believe you.¡±

    Shitah¡¯s jaws opened and closed like a gaping fish. ¡°B-but, that was because they were enemies! I¡¯m not lying...¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re not lying, it wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone¡¯s honor if you were to take the oath now, would it?¡± Brendel smiled. Looking at the duke¡¯s smile, Shido and Scarlet felt as if they were in the presence of a true and worthy leader.

    This self-absorbed, conniving ¨C

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it!¡± Shitah said defeatedly. ¡°I swear on the third scale of the Dragon God, everything I say is true. This path is the fastest way to get there, I can say for sure that we will definitely be able to reach before the old humans, as long as -¡±

    ¡°As long as?¡±

    ¡°... As long as we don¡¯t take the wrong way...¡± Shitah muttered softly.

    ¡°You won¡¯t take us the wrong way, will you?¡± Brendel looked at her.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough already!¡± The fat dragon yelled out as she was getting nervous from all of Brendel¡¯s questioning.

    Brendel turned to look at Veronica, signifying that there was her answer. Meanwhile, thedy gave a reprimanding look to Brendel. She felt sorry for the dragon for being bullied by Brendel for such a small matter.

    Although the dragon was still an adolescent, and her behavior was rather bizarre.

    ¡°We have to stop Arreck,¡± she reiterated. Her words prompted nods from both Shido and Laurenna.

    A question suddenly popped into Brendel¡¯s mind. He asked Shido, ¡°Miss Schr, what was the reason for you to use your Magic Moonstone on those liquid monsters?¡±

    Shido was unsettled by Brendel¡¯s gaze. Her eyebrows quivered lightly like the hairs of a moth, before she managed to calm herself down. ¡°I-I was only trying to activate them.¡±

    ¡°Duke of Trentheim,¡± Lenarette interrupted. He gave Brendel a look and said, ¡°Miss Shido is the heiress of House Thun. Do you need me to remind you how us people of Kirrultz protect our honor?¡±

    Brendel turned around to meet the prince¡¯s condescending stare. ¡°It used to be blood and steel, but right now it¡¯s arrogance and discrimination, no?¡±

    ¡°Please stop arguing,¡± said Shido. ¡°Mr Brendel?¡±

    Brendel shook his head in response. ¡°Please understand, Ms Shido, I am not using you of anything. I was just wondering what gave you the idea to use your Magic Moonstone.¡±

    Shido¡¯s eyes sparkled as she said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s because I noticed something.¡±

    ¡°What was it?¡±

    ¡°It was... it was something strange. I¡¯m sure you would want to take a look at it.¡± Shido paused. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not speaking up before. I was getting flustered, so it must have slipped my mind.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± It was just as Brendel expected. He turned back to stare ahead, his eyes scouting the darkness in front of him as the light of the torch chased it away.

    It seemed that he had obtained his answer.

    ... ...

    At the other side of the cave ¡ª

    The young leader swept his gaze over the skeleton that was partially concealed by the shadows. The skeleton was slightly taller than five feet, and the others were no taller than six feet either. These were not the remains of Frost Giants.

    He lowered the torch so the flickering light allowed them to see the corpse in its entirety. The first skeleton wore a robe. It was frozen to the ground like a sheet of paper. Brendel knelt down to tear off a piece. The fabric felt strange in his grasp, as if it were not made of cotton.

    ¡°This is Lunsha linen,¡± Shido¡¯s voice echoed. She too had been studying the corpse with much attention. ¡°It is well known for its nted patterns -¡±

    ¡°You are familiar with these?¡± asked Brendel as he continued to study the cloth.

    ¡°No, embroidery is not within the limits of my knowledge, but they -¡±

    ¡°They are very famous products,¡± Brendel smoothly interjected.

    Shido looked at him in shock.

    ¡°These are the remains of humans?¡± Veronica asked.

    ¡°But why would humans appear here?¡± Laurenna asked with great curiosity.

    ¡°Maybe they were adventurers,¡± imed Fs. ¡°Famous adventurers are often drawn to mysterious ces such as this like moths to a me. More often than not, they too perish like those moths. I¡¯ve heard of many stories like this.¡±

    Laurenna said exasperatedly, ¡°This isn¡¯t exactly a story.¡±

    ¡°But -¡±

    ¡°Ms Laurenna is right. Adventurers are only lured by the prospect of riches, not because of some whimsical dream,¡± Medissa said coldly, her usual smile present on her face. ¡°In our generation, adventurers were no different from grave robbers, naturally their reputation would bad too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still the same now.¡± Laurenna stared at her fiance.

    Fs kept her mouth shut, shrugging in defeat.

    ¡°These people are not adventurers, are they?¡± Instead of arguing with the youths, Veronica asked Brendel softly.

    ¡°Their attire has already told us that.¡± Brendel looked at her amusingly. ¡°I¡¯m sure that you can make out their armor?¡±

    ¡°They are soldiers, but whose soldiers? Aouine, or the Hignd Knights?¡±

    ¡°Neither.¡±

    ¡°Neither?¡±

    ¡°Do you see this?¡± Brendel held up the piece of fabric in his hand and shook it.

    ¡°The linen?¡± Veronica furrowed her brows as she wondered about the significance of the cloth. But to no avail, she could note to a conclusion.

    Not wanting to waste too much time, Brendel exined, ¡°The Lunsha linen nt can only be found on the northern bend of the Silver Lagoon. Even though this type of fabric is no longer in fashion, the nt is still very well known.¡±

    He ced the cloth on the book in Shido¡¯s hands. ¡°Ms Shido, how about you exin the rest?¡±

    ¡°Oh, er I-I...¡± Shido spluttered for a moment beforeposing herself. ¡°Lunsha linen is famous because the people of Miirna used to nt them a lot. It was often used to make the clothes of their royal family.¡±

    ¡°Miirna?¡± Veronica¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°Brendel, didn¡¯t you say you were from Miirna?¡±

    ¡°The people of Miirna were humans too. The humans now are all their descendants. Kirrlutz, Aouine, or even the mountain tribes, all of their appearances and height are the same as the Miirnans, even more so when they are skeletons,¡± said Brendel.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the legend of the Miirnans passing through the cier is true?¡±

    ¡°Who knows...¡±

    Brendel suddenly remembered the dream that he had. The image of the massive gorge floated in his mind. A group of ck-robed Miirnans was gathering at the gorge while conducting a strange dance, followed by a group of priests carrying a golden box.

    The Miirnans were chanting at the top of their lungs, but the sound was unable to pierce through the dream. They continued their murky chanting until, with a final shout, they tossed the box into the mouth of the gorge.

    Brendel shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the dream.

    He had a feeling that the Miirnans who died here had some sort of connection to his dream. However, he did not want to spend too much time thinking about it. ¡°Shido, did you notice anything else on their bodies?¡±

    ¡°I found out that their armor and weapons arepletely devoid of any magical energy, and also this...¡± The schr walked towards one of the corpses and picked up a small pouch. She shook the bag, pouring out its contents.

    It was a bunch of gemstones. However, they were all dull and looked as if they were made of ss.

    ¡°Miirnans used Magic Crystals as a form of currency, but the magical energy have long since dissipated from these gems.¡±

    Brendel took a look at the crystals and immediately understood. ¡°No, the magical energy must have been sucked out. So you think that -¡±

    He raised his head, looking at the puddles of silver liquid on the ground.

    Shido nodded her head.

 Chapter 743 - v4c119 Eternity (20)

    Chapter 743 v4c119

    Eternity (20)

    Brendel heard Shido and he pressed his right hand on the Halran Gaia¡¯s slightly smooth, cold hilt, silently retrieving the Halran Gaia from the tough leather scabbard again. The dark and heavy de was pulled out of the sheath, filling the atmosphere with a sense of faint heaviness.

    He lifted his head, the entire cier under the crisscrossed underground world was in his field of vision. Veronica, Mephisto, including the little female Dragon who were around him did the same.

    The ice cave was shrouded in a mist, and the sound of weapons nging out of their sheaths was what remained for a while.

    These Miirnas apparently came here after the Twilight years; the ancient people died here, and it was known to all about what could have killed them.

    The equipment and crystals on the Mirrnas¡¯ corpse that had lost their magic power had proved so.

    ¡°Shido, that thing before you resurrected it, are you sure it was in a dormant state?¡± Brendel did not turn around, but only mentioned in a t voice that was so emotionless.

    Shido nodded behind him.

    The emperor¡¯s eldest son, Lenarette, drew his longsword with his right hand ¨C the golden eagle¡¯s emblem on the calyx glittered as it reflected the light of the torch, and his somewhat tanned face did not have much expression, his brows lowered as if he was stating amon matter. ¡°That means there may be other such monsters under this cier-¡±

    Brendel looked back, ¡°Shitah?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, I haven¡¯t encountered these things before ......¡± Shitah¡¯s chubby face frowned, ¡°I¡¯ve only walked this path once, when I was taking the form of a Dragon and passed under the ice, driven by mere curiosity. I have seen these corpses, they are almost everywhere under the cier, but thest time I did not encounter anything like that thing from previously-¡±

    ¡°Lord Count, I think there¡¯s a problem here.¡± Shido suddenly interrupted. She had been lowering her head to think about something, and it was only now that she raised her head to look at Brendel and Veronica.

    Brendel also looked at her, ¡°Say it.¡± He replied as he had the same doubt in his mind. For whatever reason, the Mirrnas must have had a fierce battle with those monsters here, but the result is this... The answer seen before my eyes may not be true.

    There was one more crucial question. He looked at the young girl from St. Ebony Academy, which represented the highest academic level in the Kirrlutz Empire, wanting to draw that answer from her. The schrdy, although somewhat unworldly, was convincing in her field of expertise, at least as far as her previous performance was concerned, and her wisdom was without the need for more proof from other people.

    ¡°I disagree with Your Highness, if there are other such monsters here, then I have some doubts, why don¡¯t they resurrect their own kind, but have to wait for Arreck instead? I checked the corpses beforehand, the Mirrnas¡¯s corpses had been drained of magic from almost all magical items, but there were still many Frost Giants with armor and weapons that had not lost their magic, if they were still alive, why didn¡¯t they use the magic from these magic equipment to revive their own kind?¡±

    Shido was facing everyone but she did not panic, her turquoise eyes were shining with rationality, carefully putting forward her analysis.

    Brendel pursed his lips, as this was exactly what he was doubting.

    But he did not proceed to say anything as this was only one of their guesses, it was the same aspleting a task, which needed to be unraveledyer byyer. Brendel still remembered how to unravel a series of plot tasks. In The Amber Sword, no hints were provided and so all the clues needed to be repeatedly deduced by the yers themselves.

    The process of this was what he was most familiar with.

    He nced at the eldest son of the Kirrlutzian King. He needed someone to help him disprove it, but the young man from House Aurelius¡¯ tanned face was ascking in expression as ever, neither rebuking nor approving, as if it was not him that Shido objected to.

    Lenarette Aurelius is not an ordinary person. Brendel thought to himself. But at this moment, someone finally spoke up.

    The question was raised by Laurenna, ¡°They are not unable to absorb the magic on the weapons and armor of the Frost Giants? I mean, these are existences from the Twilight era, right, and Frost Giants are their mortal enemies, so maybe there¡¯s some way to restrain them?¡±

    ¡°Impossible, sister Laurenna,¡± Shido shook her head, she suddenly smiled slightly and looked at Brendel, ¡°Lord Count also noticed this, right, I noticed you just shook your head gently, can you help me exin to them, after all, my words alone are not very convincing. ¡±

    Brendel saw Miss Schr wink at him, along with that good-natured, yful smile, and he understood what thetter meant. Miss Schr wanted to make good use of Veronica¡¯s good impression towards him, but Brendel was not bothered, he looked at everyone and asked, ¡°Have you all noticed those weapons stuck in the mercury?¡±

    ¡°What about those tattered and broken weapons?¡± Fs froze.

    But not everyone¡¯s brain was as slow, especially Laurenna, who looked back at those Frost Giants and Mirrnas¡¯s des, and then herplexion changed.

    All the weapons inserted in the mercury werepletely devoid of magic power.

    ¡°Lord Count¡¯s observation is meticulous, in fact, I have also done experiments, the results of the experiment is that those mercury could also react with the Frost Giants¡¯ weapons, it¡¯s just that these magic equipment from the ancient era doesn¡¯t have much residual magic left, I¡¯m afraid that with just one or two of them may not be able to make theme back to life- ¡± Shido continued to answer, ¡°Unfortunately, I was too reckless after, I should not use the entire Magic Moonstone at once to do the next test, otherwise, we would not have met with those troubles.¡±

    ¡°If we hadn¡¯t run into those troubles, we might not be on guard now,¡± Brendel replied, ¡°Let¡¯s put this aside first, do you all have any thoughts about what we have just heard?¡±

    Veronica had been listening to this very moment, such a Kirrlutzian soldier like her seemed to have a gift ofposure, just like that Royal Highness. Thedy tapped the silver hilt and asked, ¡°One or two pieces of magical equipment are not enough to make theme back to life, meaning that more would; if there are more simr creatures under this cier, then today we wouldn¡¯t have seen any magical equipment that still has magic left, is that what you mean, Shido?¡±

    Shido nodded.

    She continued to reply, ¡°In fact, I think we have encountered a misunderstanding, Lord Veronica, Lord Count, we saw the bodies of these Mirrnas and assumed that the monster that killed them must still be alive. But when you think about it, that assumption isn¡¯t necessarily valid; it¡¯s entirely possible that they were also killed here, and their corpses bodies are a certain puddle of silvery liquid in the middle of this ice cave.¡±

    ¡°Wait, I see what you mean, you are saying that these Mirrnas were the final victors, and the corpses we see are just the warriors who died along with these monsters, and all these monsters are left here as well... But how is this possible?¡± Laurenna frowned as she refuted.

    ¡°It is possible, Sister Laurenna, we have always had a preconceived notion that these silver monsters are terrifying and imposed an impression of invincibility in our minds, but it may not be the case. Didn¡¯t Your Highness kill one of them? The Mirrnas are descended from the Golden Folk, so why can¡¯t they be defeated?¡± Shido looked back at the female knight and exined in an articted manner.

    Laurenna¡¯s mouth was left opened and she could not help but be dumbfounded, ¡°But......¡± she paused for a moment, feeling that something was wrong here, but after considering it for a while, she reluctantly said, ¡°But I don¡¯t understand something, if there are still Miirnas who are alive, why would they not clean up the bodies of their ownpanions and leave them exposed in the wilderness?¡±

    Brendel shook his head, ¡°This is normal because they are Mirrnas, not Kirrlutzians, or Aouines. Mirrnass respect the brave warriors, leaving the bodies of theirpanions on the battlefield is a kind of respect for them.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s true that the ones left behind are the Mirrnass, did they stay here? We will meet them?¡±

    Brendel shook his head once again, while the vision of the dream suddenly shed across his mind- the image of the Mirrnas¡¯s procession winding on the glittering cier lingered before his eyes. He closed his eyes as if resting silently for a while, before he spoke and replied, ¡°No, although the Mirrnass are called the descendants of the Golden Folk, they are not the ancient Mirrnass after all, and they do not have the same longevity as the Dragons.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Fs finally said something upon hearing that, and he loudly replied, ¡°Whether it¡¯s the Mirrnass or these monsters, since they¡¯re all dead, it might be a good thing.¡±

    Brendel looked at this guy, Reckless ignorance is sometimes a blessing, at least he will not feel nervous and fear. But things were often not as simple. Shido¡¯s reasoning made sense, but he had never forgotten what kind of a ce this was.

    It was a quest-

    ¡°Fs, what we said is just spection, no one knows what dangers are hidden under this ice, if you let your guard down on this, you could be very wrong.¡± Shido sighed, apparently it was not her first day knowing this lucky Mr. Knight.

    ¡°Little Shido, you¡¯re scaring me again aren¡¯t you.¡± Fs snorted.

    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Brendel¡¯s hand never left his sword from the beginning, he looked up at those dark shadowy ces between the intersecting ciers, ¡°Have you ever considered the question, why did Mirrnasse here?¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t they escaping? Thete King Gretel, he......¡± Shido answered in a whisper. But her voice grew softer and softer as she saw Brendel shake his head gently.

    Brendel did not answer this time, but in his mind, the scene of the Mirrnas throwing the golden box into the rift valley scene was reying repeatedly, over and over, like old movie clips.

    The dancing Mirrnas¡¯s Mage doctor.

    The sacrificer.

    The golden box.

    The valley.

    The bottomless abyss-

    He pressed his lips together as an inexplicable aura pervaded from him, and everyone around him seemed to be afraid to speak again, except Veronica who asked in a low voice, ¡°Brendel, which direction should we go next?¡±

    ¡°Go get Peya and ask her where her brother is.¡± Brendel did not turn his head as he replied.

 Chapter 744 - Eternity (21)

    <h4>Chapter 744 Eternity (21)</h4>

    ¡°Brendel, do you sense it?¡±

    The hunter maiden was struggling to move along the cliff in front of her. Swaying, she said she saw her brother in a dream passing through a steep, knife-like ice wall, in the cold wind. His surrounding environment was like a hall of maze constituted by hundreds and thousands of ice prisms.

    The crowd passed through the ice cave tunnel covered with ancient corpses, and this was what appeared in front of their eyes: an underground cier that seemed to have been abruptly sliced.

    The underground cier seemed to be cut off by a knife, the entire section appeared in front of them, and the section from the bottom of the ground had been extended to nearly a thousand feet above the surface, forming an abyss like a wall; standing on the edge of the ice section, looking upward was a gray and cold wind whistling sky, downward was the bottomless abyss. The north wind wrapping the disordered magic from hundreds of feet away blew, and everywhere was white as if the ce was filled with thousands of ghosts.

    It was like Jubius the Goddess of the North Winds was riding her winter pony, or an icy blue river, rushing endlessly.

    This scene was exactly how Pea described it before, and everyone was stunned upon their arrival here.

    Using dreams to seek answers sounded unbelievable. Although the Witches firmly believed that dreams foretold reality, most of them thought it was absurd, even Veronica, who supported Brendel, could not help but think that the young Lord¡¯s idea was a little too fanciful. Laurenna and Shido doubted it a little too.

    The Empire¡¯s eldest son was nomittal about it, as if that cold scowl was his trademark.

    And the only ones who were supporting Brendel, including those who first followed him such as Scarlet and Medissa, who were convinced of his decision, were only the Witch and Fs.

    As for Firas, there was no need to ask why, our knight here was willing to believe in everything that looked decent to him, no matter how ridiculous the reason for this belief.

    But Brendel himself had a vague feeling in his mind, in fact, he had been under the illusion since this whole day ¨C that something was guiding them.

    More than once he remembered the strange dream he had, with the eyes behind him that could not see/

    ¡°You mean that voice on the ice?¡±

    A long-lost familiar voice suddenly sounded in his head. Brendel was slightly stunned and immediately responded, ¡°Lord Sanorso, you¡¯re awake?¡±

    The voice on the ice had followed them from the time they crossed the long, interlocking chasm beneath the ice, the low rustling sound was imperceptible from hundreds of feet away, and if it were not for the flow of Dark Magic, Brendel would have asionally thought it was just an illusion.

    But he was apparently not the only one in the group to notice this, Aloz and the Ash Sword Saint were both on alert.

    Those that could live under the ice, in addition to the cier worms, could only be some indefinable things. But the cier worms would rarely travel between the faults, and Brendel knew this very well.

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about this. Part of your body is bing restless, do you not notice this, little one?¡± Sanorso¡¯s voice was a littlezy, but soon she sounded serious, with her characteristic ¡®serious but slightly mocking tone¡¯ she said, ¡°You are not in a good state of mind, you expect me to sleep in such a situation?¡±

    ¡°Not in a good state of mind? What do you mean?¡±

    Brendel was a little confused. Since entering the ck Forest, this imperial Elf sister had very little time to talk with him, only asionally discussing the era of the War of the Holy Saints with him, and more often urging him to learn swordy and the Lost Knowledge of the Mist Elves. For her to wake up suddenly today, she must have sensed something special.

    ¡°Confusion, you are affected by that dream, something here is calling you, it is trying to influence your mind.¡± Sanorso replied sternly.

    Brendel remembered the golden box all of a sudden. He calmed himself down and then asked, ¡°Lord Sanorso, have you sensed something?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s that thing, I don¡¯t know whether to call you lucky or unlucky.¡± The imperial Elf sister sighed.

    Brendel was slightly stunned.

    ¡°Back then we drove a group of Miirnass south, chasing them from the ins north of Aouine all the way into the southern realm, which was still covered by the ck Forest at the time. After the Darkness Dragon was sealed, they stole one of the seals from Yasu and wanted to enter the Loop of Trade Winds to gather the other seal, and we and the Silver Elves chased them here, thinking they¡¯d escape from the direction of Be into Madara, forming the Miirnas descendants who are there today. Little did we know that they split in two, one went through the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth and one went eastward out to sea-¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Brendel was shocked as he suddenly recalled these words of the Holy Mist Elf Saint and asked, ¡°You said they stole one of the seals from Yasu and wanted to enter the Loop of Trade Winds to gather the other seal. You¡¯re not talking about the Ash Gem, are you? ¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Sanorso¡¯s tone of voice became a little unpleasant, it seemed that that chase was not very smooth.

    Brendel understood something in an instant, and the golden box that was left behind by the Miirnas in the great valley came to his mind once again. He raised his head to look at the cliff with the broken surface that was as smooth as a mirror with an odd expression on his face.

    ¡°Understand?¡±

    <i>Understood, but I don¡¯t understand why they didn¡¯t take that seal and bring it on board, why did they leave it here? </i>Brendel asked in his mind.

    Some anticipation vaguely rose within him. If the first seal of the Darkness Dragon had already brought him endless benefits, the power of frenzy brought by the Fool¡¯s Talent was now almost one of his biggest killers, not to mention the Witch¡¯s allegiance.

    Although Sanorso did not sound so happy, Brendel could understand her feelings. No matter what she said, she was probably worried that the Darkness Dragon woulde back to life again.

    Brendel was not without such worries, but he saw this power more as a kind of data in the game, written in ck and white on the character panel was really hard to make people feel any danger; at least so far, this world for Brendel where the game part is concerned, almost nothing had happened out of his expectation, so he had a reason to believe that this inexplicable character panel would not screw him over on this issue.

    Unless this living hell ¡®system¡¯ itself was a ghostly thing created by the Darkness Dragon.

    But this was unlikely because Odin was just a neswalker. Brendel actually had a vague feeling in his heart that the authority of this ¡®system¡¯ in his body was much higher than that of a neswalker because this ¡®system¡¯ could perfectly amodate one. As a modern man, he had never heard of any low-level system that couldpletely amodate a high-level system, it would be illogical.

    Sanorso ¡®looked¡¯ at him in his mind. Brendel felt like he could almost see the imperial Elf sister with her arms crossed right in front of him- she obviously knew what Brendel was thinking at once, but as always, she did not use Brendel¡¯s thoughts but instead, she replied with a proud look, ¡°Who knows, maybe they couldn¡¯t take it away. You should know that they have our Forest Brigade Legion and Silver Elf Royal Dragon Cavalry backing them up, and with the seal of the Darkness Dragon, it would be impossible for them to leave thisnd unnoticed.¡±

    Brendel was skeptical about Sanorso¡¯s words. If the Mist Elves and Silver Elves were really that powerful, the Miirnas might not have been able to cross the Lion Pass on the border between Aouine and Kirrluz. Of course, there was no Aouine at that time, but the Lion Pass had been established since the first battle.

    But he wisely did not dwell on this issue, as rashly offending an Elvendy was very rude, and offending ady of great strength and age was not wise. He decisively skipped this question and asked, ¡°Lord, are you saying that the Ash Gem is not far from us and we can find a way to get it back?¡±

    ¡°You really want to get it back?¡± Sanorso gave him another look.

    ¡°Of course, I need the power now, Lord Sanorso, you understand. I will handle it with care, rest assured.¡± Brendel replied.

    The imperial Elf sister blurted out withughter, ¡°What are you worried about, little one? I didn¡¯t say you can¡¯t go and get it back, letting you the get sea would be better than letting it fall into the hands of those with ulterior motives. Besides, Odin has approved of you, right? There are not many people who can make that high-minded guy look at them, and I still don¡¯t understand what he sees in you.¡±

    Sanorso thought for a moment and nodded with her chin in her hand, ¡°It seems that I have high requirements.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Brendel got a little excited as if the depression of being watched throughout the day was now swept away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you rejoice too early, little one,¡± Sanorso grunted, ¡°you want to know the location of that thing? Actually, you don¡¯t have to. It¡¯s not far from you, and it¡¯s getting closer.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s getting closer?¡± Brendel was stunned.

    ¡°The leader of the Miirnas is called Seibers Ansu, you may not have heard of him, but in our time, he was a famous guy. The Kirrlutzians called him thest Guardian of the Frost Earth, meaning that after him there was no more excellent Frost Knight than he-¡±

    Sanorso suddenly mentioned casually, ¡°If he had not been murdered or usurped, the Ash Gem would have been in his custody. Frost Knights make oaths, and once they make an oath, they guard their promises forever, from life to death-¡±

    ¡°You understand what I mean, right?¡±

    Brendel stared dumbfoundedly at the elegant Elvendy ¡®in front ¡® of him, the Lord Saint¡¯s deep eyes were like a starry sky, shinning and glimmering, like the eyes of a little girl waiting for a good show.

    <i>How funny, how could I not recognize Seibers? </i>The leader of the ck Crows of the Miirnas, thest Frost Knight Lord, the man who held the Winter Whistle Pass in the final battle and made the entire White Wolf Legion in Kirrlutz afraid to advance, had since be aughing stock.

    The Hignders were still recounting his figure on the mountain pass that one person and one mount as if independent of the world, painted on the red stone b of the lone wolf, which was his personal glory.

    Such a hero only appeared in the legends and epics, now look at what Sanorso had said, was she asking for trouble?

    What a joke! This guy¡¯s list of opponents back then included me King Gretel, the Wind Empress Sanorso, the Great Priest Farnezain, and Eleranta, the Crown of the Mountains.

    Who was Brendel inparison?

    But Brendel suddenly looked back oddly, as soon as Sanorso spoke, a creaking sound was heard from above. The Ash Sword Saint Mephisto, Aloz, and Veronica looked up at the same time, and all they could see was a crack visible to the naked eye in the center of the ice above their heads extending forward at a rapid pace.

    ¡°Watch out, Peya!¡±

    Laurenna suddenly shouted out loud.

 Chapter 745 - v4c121 Eternity (22)

    Chapter 745 v4c121

    Eternity (22)

    In less than a minute before Laurenna spoke, the hunter maiden seemed to have lost her soul as she rushed forward, her thin body was stumbling in the bitterly cold wind, as if like a kite with a broken string that would fall into the crag at any time.

    If Medissa had not been instructed by Brendel to follow thisdy, it might actually happen.

    But Peya did not care about these anymore, she finally found her brother¡¯s figure under the ice wall in front of her, the exact same ce she saw in her dream. She saw her brother lying in crushed ice as if he was asleep.

    The hunter maiden let out a low roar almost beast-like, a few days worth of repressed feelings finally exploded at this moment, she rushed forward as if she had gone crazy. She did not care about the steep ice and difficult terrain at that moment, her palms were soon cut by sharp ice picks, and striking red blood was smeared across the walls of ice in a straight line. What was moving forward was Peya, who was climbing upward as if she were a female leopard.

    Not to mention whispering to warn Peya to be careful, Medissa was surprised to find herself unable to keep up with the other party. She only saw Peya madly rushing over to where her brother was lying, her ck hair flying in the wind as if it were a ck rose in bloom.

    And it was at this time that the little Silver Elf Princess suddenly felt the ice beneath her feet begin to tremble slightly-

    She subconsciously looked up as a conspicuous crack spread over her head, heading straight for Peya in front of her.

    ¡°Watch out, Peya!¡±

    Laurenna¡¯s shout traveled, and then a loud click was heard, the ice above Peya¡¯s head crumbled down, copsing. Almost everyone saw a sh of white shadow, and the next thing they saw was the hunter maiden falling into the hands of someone else.

    It was a knight.

    Seibers Ansu was holding a longsword in his left hand with finger guards, the cold de of the longsword resting on Peya¡¯s neck. As for the hunter maiden, she seemed to be enchanted as she was frozen there, without a single movement in her eyes.

    ¡°Who are you guys?¡±

    Brendel was yet to see Seibers speak, but the rumbling voice had been like rolling thunder that swept through the crowd. Even the Ash Sword Saint, Veronica, and the two Dragons felt as if they were facing a real giant at that moment, so they looked up.

    ¡°......Who are you again?¡± Among all of them, only Aloz made it to ask a question.

    But the little female Dragon frowned, with an extremely unpleasant expression. Ever since Brendel had known her, he had never seen her disy such seriousness.

    ¡°Who am I?¡±

    The knight standing beside Peya repeated the question, his tone seemed a little uncertain, but his voice still swept unmercifully across the crowd. His thundering voice made everyone present go pale.

    Seibers frowned. The Miirnas and humans do not look very different from the outside, but as a former Golden Folk, the pair of Dragon-like golden eyes was their most conspicuous sign, not to mention the pure-blooded Miirnas also had hair of the deepest ck that was as ck as the night. He was a little confused when someone recognized his identity.

    ¡°A Miirna!¡± Shido let out a shriek.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s a ghost......¡± Laurenna¡¯s judgment was only a step behind Miss Schr¡¯s, but what she noticed was Seibers¡¯ translucent form shrouded in fluorescence.

    Seibers¡¯ long hair dropped down to his shoulders, from his appearance he looked no more than forty or fifty years old; He had a high nose, t cheekbones, which were a trait of the legendary Miirnas, thin lips, and he did not look intimidating. He was wearing a silver-gray armor, with a thick gray fur robe over it, and a clock that almost touched the ground. His dressing looked like a typical lord from a remote area.

    A lord who had been fighting demons for years and was a bit out of date.

    But there was noughter at this moment, and all eyes fell on Seibers¡¯ sword. The longsword in his left hand was a one-handed sword almost double the length and width of an ordinary longsword, which had a bard at the guard which was cross-shaped rarely seen in this era. The de was a little gray, but the top had a frosty color flowing as if it were alive.

    And the sword in his right hand was slightly shorter, but it was the length of the current era¡¯s long sword. Instead, it was thinner and looked like an Elven sword. The sword was forged with blood-red metal. Brendel only needed a nce to recognize the origin of the sword.

    The magic sword, Fingus the Soul Detainer.

    In Vaunte, only a few could be described as a holy sword, but there were even lesser swords that could be described as a magic sword, even the Cursed Sword Brendel had just gotten was nowhere near this level.

    But Fingus the Soul Detainer was definitely one of the magic swords.

    This sword was forged by one of the most famous forging masters who was under Odin, the Fire Dwarf Gogul. This guy was not only one of the Earth Wing Legion¡¯s seven generals but was also the most difficult enemy of the Wind Express Sanorso and Eleranta when she was alive.

    Legend had it that Gogul was thest person to have half of the blood of the Gods after the opening of the first era, that was, a true demigod. He had a son during his life who died in the war, so he picked his son¡¯s heart from the battlefield to create this magic sword.

    Fingus the Soul Detainer was detaining his son¡¯s soul, a descendant of the demigods.

    The legend of this sword had many versions, it would take Brendel forever to tell of them. But for him, this sword had a simple attribute which was enough to rece a thousand words.

    This sword had in fact appeared in The Amber Sword, the first to achieve it was the fastest progressed guild to open the Stained Frost Forest Labyrinth, and as long as a yer got it, then a weapon¡¯s attributes were most likely to eventually be known to all.

    This sword¡¯s attributes were excellent in all aspects and it was only one reach away from being Divine Artifact, but its only curse attribute was what really makes it a magic sword:

    Soul detaining: when the yer holding the magic sword dies, the magic sword was bound to be destroyed, and the yer¡¯s character level and Experience Points would return to the initial state; when the yer holding the magic sword hits another yer with the Fingus, the other yer would lose Experience equal to the damage they could cause; when the yer holding the magic sword Fingus kills other yers, the killed character would lose double the ranking and Experience, and the holder would absorb half of it when the above happens.

    This sword was once named by the yers as the sword beyond the system.

    How could Brendel not know? At that time, the president of that guild held this sword and used his own guild members to level up, once upying the top ranking of The Amber Sword for three months. But unfortunately, the good times did notst long, and it did not take long for this person to disappear into the history of Vaunte together with this sword. Brendel did not even need to think to find out what happened to the other party, but in any case, the horrible reputation of this sword was passed down in The Amber Sword for a long time, even until a few versionster there were still yers who called it the first magic sword.

    Brendel¡¯s face turned pale when he saw the sword. <i> Getting struck by this thing would result in a loss of rank, dealing with the guy with Fingus the Soul Detainer would just make us weaker and weaker and make our enemy stronger and stronger... </i>

    ¡°Brendel, be careful of the sword in that guy¡¯s hand, that¡¯s the Soul Detainer Fingus, it will extract your power when attacking, to strengthen the holder¡¯s power.¡± Sanorso although anticipating a good show, reminded Brendel at this moment.

    ¡°I know.¡± Brendel replied. He already knew the terror of Fingus, but he was more concerned about the other sword in Seiber¡¯s hand, as the sword in the hands of a swordsman like Seibers would definitely not be a generic sword. Although he did not recognize the other longsword that was shaped like the Ice Crystal de, he knew that that sword would definitely not be inferior to the Soul Detainer Fingus.

    ¡°You know? How did you know?¡± Sanorso was slightly stunned, ¡°Fingus the Soul Detainer was the most notorious weapon of our time, in order to prevent someone from coveting it and cause unnecessary trouble, we have blocked the relevant news after the victory of the battle-¡±

    Brendel did not know what to say so he quickly changed his words, ¡°I mean I have heard about it. Tell me about his other sword.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that sword, but Gretel seems to know it, he said it was Cynna the Frost Chant, but to be honest, I¡¯ve never seen Seibers disy the potential of that sword on the battlefield.¡± Sanorso replied.

    <i> I see...... </i> Brendel groaned in his mind.

    He already knew the origin of that other sword. Cynna the Frost Chant, the legendary ultimate weapon of the Frost and Earth Guard, not a divine weapon per se, but better than a divine weapon. He fully understood why Seibers rarely used the power of that sword on the battlefield, as Frost Chant Cynna was a legendary artifact used against the army, and its only w was its inability to distinguish the enemy, and so it was once called the sword of AOE by yers.

    This sword only appeared on the official website of Torrential rain, the Guardian of the Lost Earth was a wounded upation,cking AOE, and this sword perfectlypensated for the only drawback of this upation. It was said that the official n was to release this sword as the professional artifact of the Guardian of the Lost Earth, but in the end, it did not work out.

    Brendel had heard people say that because this sword was too buggy, the official once put this sword into the game but eventually removed it again. Everything about this sword was actually a mystery.

    But this mystery was now in front of Brendel.

    The Soul Detainer Fingus and the Frost Chant Cynna, Frost Knights with either one of these two swords could be called one of the top yers at the time, and to be like Seibers with both, Brendel could think of how sick that was.

    It was no wonder that Seibers was able to scare an entire legion of the Kirrlutz Empire, and Brendel now felt that the Kirrlutzians were not stupid.

    The Frost Chant Cynna that was used to clear the stragglers was simply on par with a nuclear bomb.

    But the problem now was that the terrifying dual-wielding of such a pair of divine weapons was right in front of them. And looking at it, the situation was not in their favor.

    In fact, the moment Seibers appeared, Brendel already knew the identity of the other party.

    The hidden ss BOSS that was not mandatory to be killed in the middle of the quest.

    ¡°Frost Knight......¡±

    Veronica¡¯s voice was finally heard. She looked at the swords in Seibers¡¯ hand and froze for a moment before recognizing the identity of Seibers, ¡°Marsha high above, this profession has not appeared before the people¡¯s eyes for nearly three hundred years ......¡±

    ¡°Who the hell is this guy?¡±

 Chapter 746 - Eternity (23)

    <h4>Chapter 746 Eternity (23)</h4>

    On the steep ice cliff, both parties stood still for a moment. It was so still that it seemed as if time had frozen, and the king of the Frost Knights from the era of the War of the Holy Saints quietly whispered: ¡°I, who am I?¡± The voice was like an aria, echoing in the wind, he slowly raised the blood-red stabbing sword in his right hand. His movement was as gentle as a dream, but the moment he raised his hand, an invisible wave of air shot out from the de; the wind de parted the ice and powdered snow, with a slight tilt angle, it headed straight to the Medissa who was at the front. Wherever the de passed, the air formed a cyclone after because of the turbulence.

    ¡°Spiritual Shield!¡± The little Silver Elf princess frowned as she shouted, then a translucent spherical grid-like shield instantly appeared in front of her. As if in an instant, the wind de had already reached her, with a loud bang, the air de hit the shield head-on causing the translucent grid-like to sh chaotically, the air de was squeezed on top of the shield, deformed and separated to the sides. The de hit the ground behind her, leaving two deep scratches nearly ten meters long on the cier.

    When a warrior reaches the Elemental level, their basic swordy would have an additional extension option ¨C using skill and power topress the air to form a wind de to attack the enemy within a range of 100 feet, and from then on the warrior¡¯s melee attack would be extended to a long range. Generally speaking, swordsmen who just entered the Elemental Activation would be capable of shooting the wind de up to about 100 feet; but at the peak of the Elemental Activation stage, the range would not exceed two hundred feet.

    The distance between Medissa and Seibers was a full hundred meters.

    ¡°You are Seibers! How did you get here!?¡± Medissa raised her head and asked somewhat incredulously.

    ¡°Heh, I recognize you, little princess-¡± Seibers raised his head slightly and smiled faintly, ¡°Time passes by like light, what is the meaning of past memories, history, dust? Worthless. Who am I, little princess? I am a wandering spirit of the dead. What a feast, there are ramblings sent among the north wind.¡±

    ¡°Seibers, how dare you transform yourself into an Undead!?¡± Medissa gritted her teeth and stared with her silver eyes at the lord of the Frost Knights, one of the supremes among the Miirnas, ¡°How dare you degenerate like this......¡±

    ¡°Just a dull pact,¡± replied Seibers faintly, ¡°no wiser than the trifles of mortals, no more foolish, honorable, sacrificial nor worthy than the cares of saints.¡±

    ¡°Obsession,¡± Medissa said, ¡°Your pact with whom, Darkness Dragon? Seiber, you¡¯re still guarding the secrets of the Miner, knowing full well that you are no longer able to make aeback ......¡±

    Seibers looked at the young princess of the Silver Elves with a nd look as if the world was a speck of dust in his eyes. Even the oath he guarded itself was meaningless, the past, the future, and all else was vanity. He suddenly moved the de of his sword away from Peyia¡¯s neck, and then slowly drew a line in front of him.

    ¡°Let us take this line as the boundary between life and death. Mortals, stay back. The things I guard are too heavy for you. Death seems to me a straight line, but in your eyes it is a fading and parting. This is the crossing over to River Styx, while the trivialities of the mortal world still have color in your eyes, retreat-¡±

    There was silence.

    Seibers. This name that came out from Medissa¡¯s mouth did not yet mean anything to the others present, but Brendel¡¯s next words were enough to make them understand the weight of the name. ¡°Beware, he is Seibers Ansu, the Miner¡¯s Frost Knight lord, one of the leaders of The End Battle. You Kirrlutzians should know him as you have given him a title, the Lone Wolf of the Hignd, the Hitman of Everwinter-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± Veronica, Mephisto, and Laurenna all turned pale, the Commander of Azure Skies even subconsciously drew her sword from the sheath. Shido let out a low cry of fright, and even His Highness, who was suspected of having facial paralysis, could not help but raise his eyebrows. No matter what, whether he was an enemy or friend, Seibers was still the hero of thest era, an era where his fame was at its maximum during the most dramatic period of history on the continent of Vaunte.

    To be harsh, Veronica and Mephisto were even less significant than children in front of Seibers.

    ¡°Medissa, how is it?¡± Brendel asked again in a small voice.

    ¡°The peak level of Elemental Enlightenment. I have no major injuries, but his strike seems to be a test......¡± Medissa stretched out her right hand, and the zing white light formed a long silver pike in her hand. But she looked a little nervous, ¡°Lord, Seibers¡¯ strength was much more than this when he was alive, he¨C¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Brendel interrupted her, ¡°I know, what is important now is that you¡¯re okay.¡±

    Medissa opened her mouth but did not reply. She felt warm in her heart.

    Brendel raised his head and looked at the Miner¡¯s lord who looked at them from above, who once called the shots, and in whom the meaning of power and majesty could be found to this day.

    ¡°Lord Sanorso.¡± He called out in his mind.

    ¡°That King of the Frost Knights transformed himself into an Undead with an oath as a binding, preserving at most less than a quarter of its strength when he was alive. No, this thing is no longer Seibers, but at best a shell trapped by obsession. But it must have inherited some of this body¡¯s abilities in life, plus the oath of transformation itself will also give the Undead extraordinary power of the Undead. You have seen the White Knight Abram, be careful, Brendel, this shell is much stronger than just what you see.¡± Sanorso reminded him in his mind.

    But she suddenly stopped talking, ¡°Brendel...... he seems to have noticed me......¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Brendel was stunned for a moment, he would never believe that anyone could see through the elerated Thought, even if they were people who could do that, it would not be Seibers, ¡°Lord Sanorso, you are-¡±

    ¡°He seems to have something in his hand that can have a connection with me, only the dead understand the fondness of the living, he sensed my existence through that thing......¡± Sanorso frowned slightly in Brendel¡¯s mind as she interrupted Brendel¡¯s words with a somewhat urgent tone.

    ¡°Something connectable?¡±

    ¡°Wait, I get it, it¡¯s the Wing Ring .....¡± Sanorso suddenly sucked in a cold breath, ¡°No, I¡¯m wrong, that thing is not on him, it¡¯s on that little girl! ¡±

    ¡°Little girl?¡± Brendel suddenly reacted: ¡°You mean Peya?¡±

    The Wind Empress nodded slowly.

    Brendel looked up, just in time to see Seibers turn towards him, his eyes were golden, and his gaze was as sharp as a sword but it made Brendel¡¯s body shiver; the King of the Frost Knights seemed to see something, his eyebrows twitched slightly, but his face remained impassive, ¡°What a long dream, the Elves of Loxhaven, the Elves of Alfheim, gathered here today finally; me and dust, you all pursue the ruin¡¯s ashes of reborn, mortals, truly blind and ignorant.¡±

    Of all the people present, only Brendel and Sanorso understood the meaning of these words. The Mist Elves originated from Loxhaven of the Howling Halls while the Silver Elves originated from Alfheim of Holy Silver Valley, which were coreferencing to Medissa and Sanorso which was only a secret known to a few people. Brendel saw the little Silver Elf Princess look back at herself with a somewhat strange look.

    Veronica was a little nervous, a few people saw the female chief her sword in her hand, her whole body tensed like a bowstring. Every time Seibers¡¯ Undead made the slightest movement, she held back from acting on her impulse, and even shivered a little, but her reaction was not too much. As the highest level of power in the Kirrlutz Empire she was maintaining a good rtionship with the Holy Cathedral of Fire, no one knew better than her what weight the title King of Frost Knights carried.

    The me King, Gretel, was able to escape after battling with Seibers, and this was written in the Pale Poem. Yes, the me King escaped alive. As one of the nine most powerful Miner¡¯s lords under Odin, the Darkness Dragon , Seibers was once the most difficult enemy of the Four Saints in history.

    But Seibers just took one nce at her.

    ¡°Do you understand, little girl, what it means in our etiquette to turn your weapon on a stranger?¡± The dead soul of the knight smiled somewhat carelessly and asked in a t tone.

    ¡°Seibers, I am a descendant of Gretel the me King, you and I are enemies, not friends, you should understand my pride-¡± Veronica took a breath and replied in a low voice.

    ¡°I, understand your pride.¡± Seibers nodded, ¡°Eagle-like pride, that should spread its wings in the sky and not walk in the shadows. You are a Kirrlutzian, I will give you a chance to fight.¡± After saying that, he put Fingus the Soul Detainer into his sheath, held Cynna the Frost Chant in his right hand, and raised his sword de.

    ¡°Come challenge me, like your forefathers did a thousand years ago, with honor, loyalty, and worthlessness, but that is your choice.¡±

    ¡°Lord Commander!¡±

    ¡°Commander!¡± Shido and Laurenna spoke at the same time. They knew very well the temper of this female chief, if she had decided to do so, a terrible battle might ur today. Veronica reached out to stop her two subordinates and replied, ¡°Shido, Laurenna, remember, the Miner have always been the enemies of the civilized world, we are the descendants of the me King, we do not have the right to forgive them¨C¡±

    When Veronica raised her longsword, Brendel was having a heated discussion with Sanorso.

    ¡°Brendel, what do you want?¡±

    ¡°I think we may not need to fight him.¡±

    ¡°You really think so?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see.¡±

    Brendel looked up and suddenly called out to Veronica, ¡°Wait.¡±

    He turned back to Seibers and asked in a loud voice, ¡°I know who you are, King of the Frost Knights, and I even understand why you are standing guard here. It has been a thousand years, Seibers, it is time, and I know who you are waiting for. Seibers, that legacy has returned from beneath the dark abyss, get out of the way, we are not mortals, get out of the way of the doors of your treasury-¡±

    Seibers was slightly stunned.

    He lowered his head.

 Chapter 747 - Eternity (24)

    <h4>Chapter 747 Eternity (24)</h4>

    A chilling voice echoed throughout the cavern.

    ¡°SO THAT¡¯S HOW IT IS...¡±

    The ominous voice boomed, causing a cold gust to stir up a cloud of diamond dust. Everyone felt a sudden drop in the temperature. In an instant, the group became much more alert and stepped into their Elemental Realm.

    A golden aura appeared around Brendel and the female dragon; Shitah¡¯s was silver; Veronica was surrounded by a shade of green; the Ash Sword Saint¡¯s silhouette was grey; the air around Shia was tinted a lightning blue; meanwhile a pale white glow emanated from Medissa.

    But it was all useless.

    The freezing gale picked up speed, distorting and dispelling the Lines of Laws. ¡°This is-!¡± Brendel heard Veronica¡¯s trembling voice as well as the Ash Sword Saint¡¯s bewildered gasp. Before their very eyes, Marsha¡¯sw was crumbling from the might of the natural world¡¯s shallowest force. The howling wind was tinted white from the ice particles in the air, forming white currents of freezing winds that blew past everyone. It was as if time had slowed down, their movements and their thoughts became sluggish.

    Feeling his eyelids getting heavier, Brendel struggled to keep his eyes open. In that instant, he could feel a familiar power. It was the Bronze Breath, originating from the natural world¡¯s most primal and majestic force.

    All of a sudden, the blizzard swallowed everything around Brendel. The only thing visible was the Frost Knight King standing nearby liike a statue, unmoving and unspeaking. Everything else, including Brendel¡¯spanions, were nowhere to be found.

    Time took on a new meaning for Brendel. He could see the ancient iceberg start to melt, as if time had been dted. All around them, the environment shifted. Mountain rose up and the ground beneath sank, forming into a valley,plete with forests andkes. Then, it became the shoreline where a new sea met thend. In the blink of an eye, the scene had changed to another one of a lush in teeming with life.

    That instant had already be an eternity.

    The iceberg was already a thing of the past. In front of Brendel was a scene akin to the colors of mes. Red and orange hues reflected in the sky by the golden sun setting in the west, giving off a warmth that nurtured the swaying grass under their feet.

    It was dawn. The grass rustled in the soft breeze.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Seibers¡¯s tone was rxed and nonchnt, as if there was no meaning to his words.

    Brendel felt his body rx, finally regaining his motor functions. However, he stood rooted to the spot, trying toprehend the view in front of him. He knew this ce. The entire location was not real, nor had he been brought back in time. This was the Ultimate Realm. He could tell because of the magical energy that was present all around him. In the blink of an eye, Seibers had pulled him into his realm right before Brendel¡¯spanion¡¯s eyes. In this lifetime, it was his second timeing to this ce. If he counted his past life, then the number of visits was uncountable. However, the experience he had in-game could notpare to reality. It was truly as if ten thousand years had passed in the blink of an eye.

    Turning a moment into eternity, no matter how advanced the game was, it could not emte the same feeling.

    However, the power of Eternity definitely could.

    ¡°This is the sunset that existed back in my time. It still breaks my heart to look at it after a thousand years. It is unfortunate that even if time stopped flowing, mankind must still march on. I bet you¡¯ve never stopped to look at this scene. The constant fighting of you people sicken me.¡± Seibers¡¯s eyes twinkled with surprise at Brendel¡¯s calm expression. He thought that it was an admirable quality, not knowing the Brendel had already gotten used to it long ago.

    However, Seibers face disyed none of his thoughts. To a dead spirit like him, the past only served as a source of pain and regret.

    Brendel did not reply to Seibers. Instead, he had another question in mind. ¡°Empress Sansoro, you once said that his level was that of Law Peak. I don¡¯t think a person of that caliber could drag others into the Ultimate Realm.¡±

    ¡°I also did say that it was not his true power,¡± Sansoro replied casually.

    Brendel made the wise decision to stop questioning her. He understood that if she did not do things without a proper reason. He knew better than to start a debate with a woman who had centuries worth of knowledge and wisdom. She was revered as a sage by many, even if she spent most of her time asleep, Brendel still did not dare to go against her words.

    Brendel felt that he had no need for this lesson. It was normal for a person to make a mistake due to ack of knowledge, but making the same mistake again was a matter of whether the person even had a brain.

    Brendel snapped out of his thoughts. He looked at the Frost Knight King who had pulled him into the Extreme Realm, knowing that he was definitely not here to talk about the scenery. Memories were the most painful thing a spirit could experience. Every memory meant that the spirit would have to relive the pain and regret they harbored. They could only suffer in silence, awaiting the day that they could move on. Seibers¡¯s key to his release was the oath that he had sworn.

    The reason that he had brought Brendel to this ce could only be for the Blood of God that belonged to the Darkness Dragon.

    That was the Fool¡¯s Legacy.

    The King of Miirna.

    ¡°Child, are you the one that he had chosen?¡± Seibers spoke after some silence.

    ¡°If the person you are talking about is your king, the Darkness Dragon Odin, then yes,¡± replied Brendel.

    ¡°In a way.¡± Seibers continued, ¡°But did you think that you could speak with me on equal terms just because you possess a page of the Seven Page Seal?¡±

    Brendel shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s your view. To me, there is no need for a reason to speak to someone as an equal. In my eyes, everyone is equal.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Seibers pondered in silence before saying, ¡°So what right do you have to save those people? You are not the messiah. Some people are fated to die struggling, yet you have changed their fate.¡±

    Brendel was shocked at his words. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Did you know, history has shown that it will always repeat itself.¡± The Frost Knight King traced a circle in the air. ¡°Be it a kingdom or a dynasty, it will rise to glory then fall into the eventual ruin. History will always march on its course. Yet, here you are, trying so hard to pull it back to its ¡®right¡¯ way, not knowing that by doing so, you¡¯re going against the very history itself. Just like a fool¡¯s errand...¡±

    ¡°You can see my memories?!¡± Brendel¡¯s shocked expression disyed his thoughts. Seibers was evidently judging his actions. He had barely spoken to this person, having only been a few moments since they met, yet somehow he knew all about Brendel¡¯s past.

    The only possible exnation was that Seibers could read minds.

    <i>But that¡¯s impossible! It¡¯s ssified as a forbidden Dark Magic in the game!</i>

    ¡°No,¡± Seibers broke out in a small grin. Brendel could see the Soul Fire that was in his eyes. ¡°History Backtracking. It¡¯s just a little trick, I¡¯m sure that you have heard of it. You should be happy. With thisw, Marsha can recognize you as a proper hero.¡±

    ¡°That spell...¡± Brendel suddenly remembered about it. His eyes widened as he asked, ¡°I thought that it couldn¡¯t be used against yers?¡±

    ¡°yers?¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡± Brendel realized that he had made a mistake. ¡°It¡¯s nothing... so, you can see my whole past?¡± Brendel suddenly became very cautious. Everything about the previous world had to be kept a secret. If this secret were to be leaked out, he would definitely be branded as a heretic.

    It was just too hard to exin about the game.

    ¡°No, only a small part of it. After all, no one is born a legend. However, you are a rather peculiar case. Your life before neen years old ispletely nk. It¡¯s as if there is some power that is blocking the spell. Is it Marsha? But you don¡¯t seem like you¡¯re the Chosen One.¡± Seibers muttered while shaking his head.

    Brendel breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°Okay, what is it that you want to say? Sir Knight, it couldn¡¯t be that you brought me here just to ask these inconsequential questions, could it?¡±

    ¡°Inconsequential? Is that how you see it?¡± The Forst Knight King eyed Brendel. ¡°These are my genuine questions. Don¡¯t you think your actions are paradoxical? Who are you trying to save by changing history? You are not a sage, you cannot give others the fate they want, nor do you know what people want.¡±

    Seibers raised his head to look at Brendel. ¡°How do you know that what you are doing is right? You might be able to save this kingdom now, but eventually it will turn to ash. Nothing canst forever. Perhaps because of your actions, they had lost their only hope of salvation. You think that you are saving people when you are actually domming them. Eventually, there wille a day where the me is ced upon you.¡±

    ¡°So you are saying that everything that you worked for in life was all in vain? It sure is funny for you to say that,¡± Brendel replied defiantly.

    The Frost Knight King furrowed his brow at Brendel¡¯s usation. With an agitated tone, he said, ¡°I have no answer to that question of yours. No one does. But at the very least, I have no regrets.¡±

    ¡°No regrets? What a joke.¡±

    Seibers suddenly unsheathed his sword. In his hands, he held the blood-red Soul Detainer. The Frost Knight King¡¯s eyes shone with a cold glint. In an instant, his mood had shifted from a peaceful inquirer to a savage warmonger. ¡°Let me tell you this, child. I find the answer that you gave to becking. Because of your ipetence, I have decided to kill you right now to save the noble bloodline from further shame. After you have died by my sword, we shall see if you have any regrets.¡±

    Immediately after he finished speaking, Seibers dashed towards Brendel, his sword ready to take a life.

    Brendel had no time to react. As his eyes saw a sh of red, only one thought ran through his mind.

    <i>Attacking me just for that? This man is insane!</i>

 Chapter 748 - Eternity(25)

    <h4>Chapter 748 Eternity(25)</h4>

    The detainer Fingus¡¯ narrow, fishy red sword body brought up the residual light like a red line constantly changing trajectory, and could not even see the Miirna¡¯s lord lending a hand on the ground, he suddenly left the ground, the whole body was like a cannonball shot towards Brendel. How long was that moment? It was as if Brendel opened his lungs toplete a breath, but before his chest cavity could

    The pale, indifferent, wrinkled, and eyes burning with the fire of the soul of the face of Seibers has appeared in his eyes because the distance is so close, can even see the deep folds crisscrossing each of the changes carved in the other face.

    <i>Quickly! </i>Brendel was horrified, the magic in the flowing air from the two Lines of Laws of the Shallow Seas and the Mountain of Quelled Storms had not moved, neither the Elemental power of the earth¡¯s hub. This was not the skill of the Guardian of the Frost Earth, the King of the Frost Knights may have simply used the skill of swordy to achieve this speed ¨C almost beyond the speed of the sh Strike Sword. The time for Brendel to react was almost zero and he could not retreat as the Soul Detainer Fingus would reach him before he could even tighten his muscles. The sword would have pierced his left shoulder, go downwards, move from left to right and cut his chest open right across his heart urately. Therefore, even with his indomitable talent, Brendel did not want to take that risk.

    <i>What about raising the sword to block it? No, it¡¯d be still too slow, the King of the Frost Knights will definitely change his tactics. </i>All consideration shed through his minds like a million thoughts, if that narrow de retracted and cut upward from the bottom, he felt that he had no possibility and no chance to make a second block.

    There was only one chance.

    Seibers shed his sword down while his cold expression remained, the de seemed to cut into Brendel¡¯s body from his left shoulder like how a hot knife cuts through butter. But Brendel still raised his sword as if he was not hurt and stabbed towards this King of Frost Knights, the wide and thick de of the Earth Sword pointed straight at Seibers¡¯ chest. ¡°Huh¨C¡± Seibers¡¯ eyebrows raised slightly, but Brendel¡¯s movements were too slow in his eyes.

    The de of the Halran Gaia was still about two inches away from his chest when Seibers calmly withdrew his sword and gently tapped the spine of his sword on Brendel¡¯s. The entire image of Brendel stalled and then dissipated into countless tiny magic particles with the wind.

    As if he had expected this scene, the Miirna¡¯s lord did not hesitate, he stepped forward with his right foot, and retracted the Soul Detainer Fingus slightly as if he would open his talons like a swooping falcon as soon as he found the direction of Brendel¡¯s retreat. But to his surprise, there was nothing behind those stars of light blue magic particles after they dispersed.

    There was a muffled thud and a huge force suddenly came from behind him, Although the Undead could not feel excruciating pain, he still had to bear the impact of the blow. Seibers stumbled forward, with his face showing a look of mixed incredulity and pain at the same time; due to theck of defense, Brendel¡¯s sword has almost shaken his Soul Fire.

    As Seibers was turning around, the long sword wound on his back began to heal, and Brendel even saw pieces of armor that he had cut off float up from the ground and reassembled themselves onto the Frost Knight King¡¯s body. But he knew that this was only a superficial phenomenon, the source of the power of the Undeades from their dark and twisted soul, he could be sure that his sword had at least carved a mark on his opponent¡¯s soul.

    This was evident by Seibers¡¯ frown, and the other evidence was the pale damage numbers that appeared on thetter¡¯s body, unlike the living who would not have this phenomenon.

    ¡°He really made a right guess that I would use the Nine Luminaries.¡± Brendel said in his mind with a slight sideways nce.

    ¡°As I said, he must have discovered my presence, this guy is a terrifying warrior, your Nine Luminaries Sword Art has little advantage in front of him.¡± The voice of Sanorso replied thus.

    ¡°What -a- fight!¡± Seibers sighed, ¡°The sh Strike and Nine Luminaries, have appeared in one person at the same time for thousands of years, makes me sigh with wonder at the passage of time and how everything is changing. But why don¡¯t you show me another legacy, Alphonse, the Dragon of Fury, or Tiamat, the Dragon of War?¡± Once again he raised the bloody sword in his hand.

    But unlike the sudden attackst time, this time Brendel was also prepared and hurriedly took a small step back, lowered his center of gravity, raised the Halran Gaia, and took a defensive stance.

    ¡°This guy is really keen, he immediately guessed our trick.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just your trick, I told you that this guy Seibers was born to fight, he rose from the status of amoner to the position of a lord. Indeed, a ¡®superman¡¯, a myth among the Miirna.¡± Sanorso replied indifferently.

    ¡°But I always feel as if this guy is testing me.¡± Brendel replied in a small, puzzled voice in his mind.

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°Just now, although that blow was amazing, I can feel that it was still not that guy¡¯s full potential, that even after perfecting the Bronze Body, it does not stop there. If he had gone all out, I would have been dead by now, not to mention that this was his Ultimate ins, and if he had used the Power of the Laws, I would have had no chance of escaping. I feel that he has deliberately suppressed his power so that the power of the body is only at the uppermost level of the Elemental Activation-¡±

    Everything that happened between the two was finished in a sh, in fact, at this time Seibers had alreadyunched a second attack, a mediocre straight thrust, no characteristics to speak of, but was as fast as lightning. It left no way for people to evade, but to only raise their swords to fight. Brendel distracted the sword to the side, but before the de of the Halran Gaia touched the Soul Detainer Fingus, Seibers had already retracted his sword and stabbed him in the abdomen.

    Both swords ys were typical of ssical swordsmanship, any contemporaneous sword saint would have been confused, not because of inferior skills, but because most of the ancient swordsmanship¡¯s technical specifications were very different from the contemporary world¡¯s. However, Brendel was an exception. He had had experience with swordsmen from ancient times, and there were plenty of opportunities in the odd quests of The Amber Sword, where yers have developed ways to acquire ancient skills, so they would not be unfamiliar with many things from that era.

    The Miirna¡¯s battle swordy formation was nothing more than what he expected.

    A human¡¯s blink of an eye is less than a fifth of a second, only a few people would pay attention to this subtle action of their kind. In the moment of blinking, humans close their vision and rece it once again, as if it were a frame with scenes in a continuous switch. However, in this moment when the scene in the frame was switching, Seibers stabbed straight, Brendel deflected his swords sideways, Seibers retracted tis sword, stabbed again, Brendel blocked with the hilt, Seibers cut across, Brendel stepped back and defended with his sword. The two exchanged movements several times, as if the movements preceded the speed of sound transmission, it was only after a round of exchange that Sanorso heard the crunching sound of the two swords meeting.

    The King of Frost Knights looked up-

    ¡°You can predict the trajectory of my sword?¡± Even though his gaze was like burning fire, the shock in the Miirna¡¯s lord¡¯s eyes was still visible. His voice buzzed in the ears of everyone, ¡°What¡¯s going on? I noticed that the Silver Elf¡¯s former young princess is among yourpanions, which means you have mastered their uncanny battle technique? No, wait, not only that, although the Silver Elf¡¯s battle technique is strange and mysterious, but to put it bluntly, it is just a pre-read move, your reaction is even one step ahead of that, you know in advance how I will-¡±

    Brendel breathed heavily, he did not have the leisure of Seibers to worry about these issues, the King of the Frost Knight¡¯sbat education had exceeded his expectation, although thetter seemed to have suppressed his potential within a certain range, but the swordy alone was enough to have no chance of rxation. There was no technique, just speed. Brendel did not know how someone could practice the battle swordy formation so quickly. It was obviously three rigid moves, if it was anyone else Brendel could have eliminiate the other party easily, but for Seibers, three moves were just as if one, leaving Brendel¡¯s hands numbed as he merely blocked them.

    He and Seibers were both equally surprised.

    <i>How can it be so fast?</i>

 Chapter 749 - Eternity(26)

    <h4>Chapter 749 Eternity(26)</h4>

    <i>How can the three sword moves that are clearly unrted merge together? </i>Brendel thought of his grandfather at that moment, as facing Seibers gave him the almost same feeling of facing that old man. The fear of facing that old man was because his grandfather had the understanding of sword art beyond human, while Seibers made Brendel feel a fear of death. Seibers¡¯ sword art was murderous.

    Brendel subconsciously loosened his grip on the hilt of the sword in his hand, as overly tight muscles were not conducive to swordy, but what can he do? The three sword moves were as fast as lightning that it was impossible for him to keep up with the rhythm if he did not tense his muscles. He still felt the muscles of his wrist and forearms sore and aching, his muscles¡¯ usage was almost beyond its limit with just that momentary outburst of energy.

    That was when Sanorso¡¯s voice came in ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean anything, no one goes all out in their first attack, little guy, don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to. If Seibers uses the Power of the Laws, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to use the Godyer Cone, but I have to remind you that although magic items that can imprison Elemental powers are rare, it was not unheard of in our time. Seibers is not a fool, you be careful, his level of power usage is far more higher than the Williams you have met.¡±

    Comparing Williams and Seibers, was indeed describing the difference between a dull star and the light of the bright moon, but Brendel was not a country bumpkin who had not seen the world, he himself had reached the level of a Perfect Body, he knew very well what kind of realm that was. But Sanorso¡¯s words dispelled at least one of his thoughts. For the existence of a Perfect Body, using the Godyer Cone was indeed not necessary. When they use their power, it would just be a sh moment when the Ultimate ins and Lines of Laws would shine up like a, but at his current level, he could not seize that opportunity at all.

    Seibers did not immediatelyunch a third attack, which gave Brendel a chance to catch a breather. He felt Sanorso look at him with a somewhat strange gaze, ¡°But he seems to want me to show him the heritage of the Darkness Dragon, I feel that this guy has another intention, otherwise I would not have even made it through these three sword moves, it¡¯s just too scary......¡±

    ¡°You are wrong to think so, Brendel, Seibers will definitely go all out, even if you are really Odin¡¯s heir, it makes no difference to him, as long as he makes a move, it must determine life and death. He did not hold back even the slightest during the previous attack, if you were a little slower to react, you would have long be a frozen corpse.¡± Sanorso paused for a moment, ¡°Perhaps your hunch is true but you should also face this battle with the mindset of really facing a life and death struggle, Odin will not need a cowardly sessor, you should understand this.¡±

    Brendel nodded, the nervous tone of the Wind Empress made him feel slightly sentimental, ¡°I can see that, thanks.¡±

    ¡°So what are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°What else can I do?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s voice suddenly became low, he raised his head, ck mes suddenly spread out from his body, starting from his back, extending to his shoulders and arms. The mes instantly covered the Halran Gaia, burning vigorously, forming horns on his forehead, wings like a dragon on his back. This was a vision that could only appear in the world of pure Law and magic; the Fool¡¯s Blood belonged to the mark of Tiamat, the Dragon of War, was almostpletely opened, and at that moment it was as if a wild fire had been released from deep inside. The power of his flesh instantly doubled, and he bared his white teeth, which was somewhat different from his usual character. Brendel only felt a me burning inside him, shouting wildly for him to release his wild nature.

    ¡°He¡¯s forcing me to unleash the power of the Fool¡¯s Blood, and I don¡¯t seem to have much room to oppose it -¡± Brendel¡¯s eyes lit up frighteningly, ¡°Only a battle will fix this.¡±

    ¡°Very well¨C¡±

    Seibers seemed to be very delighted to see this scene, he passed the blood red longsword from his right hand to the left, and then ttened out his right hand. Brendel saw a whirlwind of ice dust in the air, converging in the hands of the King of the Frost Knights , and then condensed together to form the glittering blue longsword -Front Chant Cynna. Seibers held the red sword in his left hand, and the blue sword in his right, he then lowered his hands with a slight smile on his face, ¡°Mortal, I give you onest chance, back off, or you will not die -¡±

    ¡°He is intimidating you, if you back off, you will only have little to do with Odin¡¯s legacy. But if he says he is going to let you go, it may not really be believable either, you have the Fool¡¯s Blood, he will not let the legacy of the Darkness Dragon be lost on the earth.¡± Sanorso immediately reminded.

    ¡°I know ......¡± Brendel¡¯s almost groaned. Of course he knew, but the problem was that the magic floating in the air was bing restless, the Lines of Laws from the three Elemental nes at the same time produced unstable fluctuations, only the skill of the Guardian of the Frost Earth would link the power of the three elemental nes of the Shallow Seas, the Earth Hub and the Mountain of Quelled Storms. Seibers was called the King of the Frost Knights in his time, not the Sword Saint, and Brendel knew very well the difference between the two.

    ¡°You n to back off?¡±

    ¡°Of course not¨C¡±

    <i>What kind of yer backs up in front of a mission thates to hand? </i>This was not in line with Brendel¡¯s values. He raised his head, staring intently at Seibers¡¯ next move. If that suspicion of his was correct, even the King of Frost Knights was not invincible. At such a moment, he suddenly remembered the experience of confronting Alberton at that time, the same difference in power levels, the same duel between life and death, but still having the same chance of survival amidst the deadly situation.

    ¡°Gaining confidence through the surge of power?¡± Seibers said, ¡°Life and death can¡¯t be changed by determination.¡± He raised his sword, the magic floating in the air suddenly paused, from the the Lines of Laws from the three elemental nes sunk down at the same time. With the King of the Frost Knights as the center, a hundred-foot radius of thend seemed to be injected with some kind of magic, the cracked ground brightened up slightly, followed by a loud noise. Countless ice prisms then grew out from all directions in a spiral, and ice and frost covered the entirend in the blink of an eye.

    Frostbite Field. One of the core skills of the Guardian of the Frost Earth, where the Guardian of the Frost Earth¡¯s mobility would increase, while the enemy¡¯s mobility would be doubly reduced. In the first moment of the Field¡¯s unfolding, all creatures on the ice would be imprisoned for half a second (decreasing depending on the level difference).

    Half a second sounded like a sh moment, but for this level of existence, it was a difference between life and death.

    Seibers knew very well that the Nine Luminaries was pointless even under such arge coverage attack; as long as it remained on the ground, it was a dead end. But unfortunately, at that moment he did not hear Brendel¡¯s inner cry. <i>Sure enough, this is the moment- </i>Seibers was trying to spot Brendel¡¯s figure in the ice fog, but s, in vain. He then looked up in surprise and saw Brendel who had leaped into the air.

    This......

    If Seibers was not mistaken, since his n disappeared from the earth, the profession of the Guardian of the Frost Earth should have disappeared from the continent for nearly a thousand years. Even if it was Sanorso, even if it was the Wind Empress the mortals knew, it was impossible for her to have seen this move from him. A thousand years of loneliness, in addition to the watch, the only thing he did was to push over the heritage of the Guardian of the Frost Earth. The Frost Knight now had long been not that brute who used the power of the three nes during the War of the Holy Saints to bombard the world, but what he did not expect was that the first strike after a thousand years-

    -was predicted by his opponent.

    ¡°Brendel.¡± Sanorso¡¯s voice in Brendel¡¯s mind sounded equally surprised, ¡°Sometimes I really doubt if you can read minds, I myself have not seen this move of Seibers, how did you manage to react in time.......¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t, it¡¯s just a fluke.¡±

    <i>Isn¡¯t this is not the fucking standard starting move of early Frost Knights, frostbite control, Frost Wind output, what¡¯s so unexpected about it? </i>This was what went on in Brendel¡¯s mind in fact.

    The tactics developed by those Guardian of the Frost Earth¡¯s yers in theter stages were much more unbelievable than this.

    ......

 Chapter 750 - Eternity (27)

    <h4>Chapter 750 Eternity (27)</h4>

    Thest blow obviously worked.

    The world receded like tides, into a patch of light like a butterfly fluttering and dissipating. After the sunset view of the endless wilderness receded, the original frozen cave in the ice was seen, then a cold wind whistled and a chill went down both Brendel and Ciel¡¯s spine. ¡°Lord!?¡± Before anyone could react, Medissa¡¯s slightly concerned voice was heard. Another inquiring voice was slightly more subdued, ¡°Brendel, that thing pulled you to the Ultimate ins-?¡± This was Veronica, the female army chief¡¯s low and Cielismatic voice.

    <i>Where is the Ultimate ins? </i>Brendel jerked his head up, but there was no sight of dusk, the sun, nor the wilderness, but only the blue ice cave, the Fs couple, Veronica, the little female Dragon, and her little brother who loved food, Ciel, Medissa and the hunter maiden she was holding, the Ash Sword Saint Mephisto, the prince, and the royal eldest son of the Kirrlutzians who was standing a little farther away. All of them were here as if nothing has happened. Brendel looked around him, and finally, his gaze stopped on Barbossa and the Witches around her a little further away.

    Barbossa¡¯s eyes were burning with fervor, and those witches who usually seemed to disdain to deal with mortals were exchanging nces with each other. Without exception, they were all looking at Brendel suspiciously.

    Then there were the little female Dragon¡¯s somewhat puzzled golden eyes, which seemed to have a me within them.

    ¡°You have some strange smell.¡± Aloz said as she inhaled and frowned.

    Brendel took a deep breath. He was covered in bruises and in pain, but he was surprisingly calm when he heard this question from the little female Dragon.

    He almost thought it was all a dream ¨C

    But luckily, the Witches¡¯ stares and the little female Dragon¡¯s question answered his doubts.

    He could not help but hold his right hand with his left, and what was in it was the answer to everything that had happened before. But the others apparently did not notice this subtle action of Brendel, Ciel exchanged a nce with him, while Veronica and Mephisto¡¯s eyes fell on Brendel¡¯s left hand ¨C Brendel¡¯s Halran Gaia had long been ced back into its sheath, slung behind his back, while he was clutching another sharp sword.

    The de was like a thin de, frost blue, like ice crystals.

    ¡°Cynna the Frost Chant¨C¡± Veronica¡¯s voice asked, ¡°Brendel, what exactly happened, were you just pulled into the Ultimate ins?¡±

    <i>What happened?</i>

    This was a good question, especially for Brendel. He looked up, but everything that happened before still seemed to be reying in his mind:

    ¡°Frostbite Field!¡± Along with Seibers raising the slender, bright de of the Frost Chant Cynna in his hand, a cold aura like a ripple spread out in all directions from his body as the center. Thatyer of ice mist swept through, followed by the crunching sound of the ground cracking, countless frost-white ice prisms broke out from the ground, like fangs reaching for the sky, and in the blink of an eye, they covered an area with a 100 feet radius. Brendel finally remembered this move and he was so familiar with it, ¡®frostbite control, Frost Wind output¡¯. One could get nostalgic at the sight of something from the past, this feeling was actually from the human¡¯s reminiscence of the time that has passed- it was the same for Brendel now. This retro routine seemed to remind him of the first three versions of The Amber Sword. He felt his blood stirred up, not even needing time to react, his body could move instinctively.

    His muscle power exploded, he leaped high, a sharp whistling sound was heard from his leap, his boot soles brushing against the ice prisms that protruded from the ground.

    At that moment the Undead of the ages looked up in unbelief.

    Brendel remembered when Seibers¡¯ re was like phosphorus fire, he raised the sword in his hand once again, the de shining equally bright, the ice dust behind him converged, suddenly turning into a cyclone, and then as if out of nowhere a burst of icy wind headed straight for Brendel. Frost Wind, or called Milos¡¯ Sword, the sharp edge of those swords were the countless shiny ice crystals shattered in the cold wind, those ice crystals are as thin as cicada wings, hard as solid steel, which can easily cut through even the hardest armors. The cold wind swept forward, with Seibers and his sword in hand as ifmanding the storm forward like a general, he pointed his sword forward and the storm would swallow everything in front of him.

    That was such a spectacr scene.

    Brendel was like a drifting dead leaf in mid-air, who was about to be swept into the center of the storm. Countless ice crystals would pierce through his body, but his limbs did not split apart and blood did not flood the ce as he had imagined. In the nick of time, he once again pulled out a sh Strike. The dark and heavy de swung out as if this move had been practiced a thousand times, the speed was the fastest the world could bear, the surrounding space buzzed and shook, stretching towards one direction around him. The sharp spear-like ice crystal fragments seemed to had been seized by an invisible force, naturally sliding away to the sides and was thrown behind and past him.

    In front of him, the distance of space had long been distorted by the same majestic force, the pale face of Seibers seemed to cross hundreds of feet of distance at once, appearing in front of him.

    Brendel shed his sword at Seibers¡¯ waist ¨C a defenseless area for the Frost Knight King when his sword was raised.

    But at the moment before his de reached Seibers¡¯ body, the dirt beneath Seibers¡¯ feet was lifted, as if it was given life. The dirt arched automatically, forming a solid wall, causing Brendel¡¯s sword tond heavily on it; there was a muffled thud, and a shockwave visible to the naked eye spread out in all directions with Brendel¡¯s de as the center of the wall, then fine cracks immediately appeared on the wall and continued to expand further before breaking apart and copsing.

    But Brendel¡¯s attack also stopped here, and his only achievement was cutting down an earth wall.

    But of course, this was not an ordinary wall.

    This was one of the Frost Knight¡¯s life-saving skills, Frost Earth Wall. Frost Earth Wall: The Guardian of the Frost Earth draws 20% of his current EP to create a wall from the ground (the material of the wall is determined by the environment he is in at the time if the Guardian of the Frost Earth has the ¡®Eerie Ice¡¯ specialty, the wall will have an additionalyer of ice on it: +2 hardness), the wall will automatically resist lethal damage and return the remaining life to the caster. The Guardian of the Frost Earth could only perform this skill if it was on the ground. One hit for a life-saving skill of Seibers and Brendel was satisfied, at least his attack proved to be a threat to his opponent, and this knowledge gave him a boost of confidence.

    However, before he even had time to be pleased, a pair of iron boots- no, ck iron armor appeared behind the crumbling Frost Earth Wall. The edges were painted with skeletal patterns- it was well known that the Miners have fervent worship of death. Because of the obstruction of vision, Brendel simply did not have time to react, he felt a heavy kick in his stomach which felt as if getting hit head-on by a huge Dragon, and before he could sense pain from the stomach, he flew out backward like a cannonball.

    <i>This guy was not even forced to use his life-saving skills! </i>In a sh of light, Brendel managed toe back to his senses, he realized that Seibers released the Frost Earth Wall only to obstruct his vision. <i>I didn¡¯t know this move could be utilized in this way......</i>

    If this was a game, Brendel had more than likely to rejoice, as each skill system had basically been developed under certain circumstances in this era of the game, so being able to discover a new way of thinking would definitely be enough to shake up the entire order of the game. A brand-new way of thinking was too important for experts, especially for first-tier yers, by no means top yers like him, such an opportunity might be enough to let him step on the altar.

    Although this move had enlightened him now and The Amber Sword had many schools of thought, there were extremely few offensive life-saving skills, and even rarer to be used to disrupt the enemy. After all, not everyone was as confident as Seibers; Brendel had seen too many skills, specialties, and talents, if Seibers only limited his vision to the typical usage of the Frost Earth Wall, Brendel would have long found countless ways to deal with his move.

    But not now.

    He suddenly came back to his senses and became aware of his current situation- in the next moment, he would have fallen heavily into the sharp ice prisms. The damage was not much to be afraid of, but the freezing temperature would kill him. Brendel was sure that he would not withstand Seibers¡¯ Frost Wind; although his Willpower attribute was in the hundreds, it was still far from enough when facing the existence of a Perfect Body.

    Seibers pointed the Frost Chant Cynna into another direction. Apparently, Brendel did not guess wrong, he had been waiting for this moment.

    <i>Do not put it down</i>

    ¡°Brendel!¡±

    The thoughts in his mind arrived almost simultaneously with Sanorso¡¯s reminder, but he could not do anything about it as in this state he could lend a hand from anywhere nor anywhere to adjust his stance; not to mention the setup of the basic stance of the sh Strike, even the Nine Luminaries did not allow him to produce discement, let alone the Holy Knight? The skills of the Holy Knight also seemed to be of little use at this time. As for the basic skills of the warrior¡¯s charging and piercing strike, etc., it would all be disabled when one is losing bnce, the Elements of more than twenty levels was not worth mentioning, did one have to perform the Unyielding Talent here?

    No.

    Brendel clenched his jaws, he knew very well a deadly battle wasing up. Arreck would not be easy to deal with, not to mention the crazy followers of the All For One around him. it would be not worth it if he were to use his Unyielding Talent in this current situation which seemed like a mere test.

    ¡°Don¡¯t risk it, Brendel!¡± Sanorso seemed to have read Brendel¡¯s thoughts and could not help but remind him immediately.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t take any risks, don¡¯t worry, Lord Wind Empress.¡± Brendel raised his head as he started to think which only took a moment, then he felt a piercing coldnessing crippling up his back. As long as he hesitates for even one more second, he would smash into that ice field, then trigger the effect of the Frostbite Field and be imprisoned into an ice crown. Although all this would take only less than 0.5 seconds, it was still enough for Seibers to kill him 10,000 times.

    The only thing that could help him now seemed to be that one possibility left.

    His other identity.

    He knew that the Darkness Dragon also possessed this same identity, so perhaps Seibers was no stranger to this thought; as long as this thought arose, a circle of azure light appeared in his hand ¨C the woven threads of Law intertwined in his hand, which did not belong to any kind of power that could be perceived by mortals. The Soul Fire in the Undead knight Seibers¡¯ eyes lit up when he saw the blue light, and let out a soft eek, ¡°It¡¯s surprising that it¡¯s this......¡±

    That was the power of the neswalker.

 Chapter 751 - v4c126 Eternity (27)

    Chapter 751 v4c126

    Eternity (27)

    Less than an inch from the sharp edges of the ice prisms, awork of silver lines extending from the ice surface appeared behind Brendel in time; the wall, defined in the Laws as a barrier between the inside, outside, and surface, also had an implication of stopping. Brendelnded heavily on the equidistant grid of silver lines, and the corresponding force was transported back from the Wall of Laws, which helped him roll backward, but at least he did not fall into the Frostbite Field, meanwhile, the silver threads bent downward, absorbing the tremendous impact of hisnding. Only then did a clear and bright voice emerge from among the bitterly cold wind, ¡°In the name of the Laws, the Wall, tension, shelter, the Terashoho Staff, the lightning strikes back-¡±

    A five-foot-tall, five-foot-wide, emitting blue force field-shaped shield appeared in front of Brendel, while a lightning bolt tore through the frost-condensed fog, emitting a sizzling sound and stabbed Seibers who was at the center of the tundra field like a winding golden snake; although the King of the Frost Knight tugged at the beam of electricity, tore it to pieces and was unaffected, he looked up, the frosty fog dispersed, and saw the young Mage floating in mid-air behind him ¨C Ciel.

    After the first battle of Ampere Seale, Brendel had been researching ways to counter the Ultimate Realm. After the neswalker¡¯s card deck was disyed, it would be linked to the neswalker ording to the rules, and once blocked, there was unlikely another way to re-summoned it except during the reset moment each day. So the idea of making a neswalker card deck was born from then on, as a secondary

    authority separated out from Brendel. There was no doubt in the Laws that the neswalker card deck was considered part of his body, so Brendel could summon any card from the neswalker card deck to his side at any time, regardless of distance or the limits of the realm. This meant that Brendel could even leave the Ultimate ins at any time now if he wanted to.

    It was just that it was pointless as he understood that he could only get the reward for that quest if he defeated Seibers here.

    He knew exactly what that could be.

    The silver-white eyes of the King of Frost Knights looked surprised. After the fog parted, it was as if he did not see silver-robed Ciel,the neswalker card deck holding a silver staff and d in a patterned white robe, but time reversing. It was as if he had gone back to a thousand years ago, the man who was crowned with the title of Dragon of the World: Darkness. It was just that one was facing him and one was back-facing him, and they both spoke at the same time.

    ¡°Seibers, can you see the tomorrow of thisnd?¡±

    ¡°King of the Frost Knights, I thank you for your hospitality, but it is my turn to attack next-¡±

    The two voices echoed in his ears, Seibers narrowed his that were burning quietly with phosphorus fire; different answers, but with the same ability and breath, the same destiny and pursuit, he could even warily remember the terrifying power ¨C the scene of thirteen supreme managers in the ancient battlefield with unknown enemies when the organization still existed was still vividly visible as if it just happened yesterday. It was just that the aura of the young man in front of him was unlike any he had ever seen, neither Odin the head of the army, nor Kinins of the Arbitration Sword, was there another supreme manager in this world?

    But time was running out for him to think ¨C

    Brendel supported himself with the silver isometric and charged at him while the summoned Ciel who was floating in the sky, was chanting a new spell, it was a resounding Dragonnguage that was full of magic words, its pressure like a sharp w piercing the restless space. Seibers saw all of it but as someone who had experienced millions of battles, these were nothing but minor skills in his eyes.

    He seemed to be able to easily dissolve everything by just raising his hand, but he still watched the scene with interest, as if he was admiring the process of an interesting thing sprouting.

    ¡°Maybe this is the one.¡± He thought to himself.

    There were sparks in the gap between electricity and light, the Halran Gaia in Brendel¡¯s hand heavily chopped on the spine of the Frost Chant Cynna. He was taken aback as he did not even see Seibers move, which was faster than he expected. The next moment, five zing golden-red lines had gone around him, like sharp daggers stabbing into Seibers¡¯ back. This was not a convergence of the Elements and the formation of me, they were purely golden lines of the Laws of high temperature.

    ¡°ze, heat and movement -¡± Ciel¡¯s voice was sharp like a sword¡¯s de.

    The golden-red me straight up hit the King of the Frost Knight¡¯s back, Brendel could even see the explosive mes and sparks rising up, but to his dismay, Seibers was unaffected, and the pale damage number reflected on the faint projection on his retina was a huge zero. No defense? How could this guy¡¯s defense capability suddenly rise by so much! Seibers turned his head, his eyes lit with the pale phosphorous fire looking straight at anxious Brendel and he almost forgot to breathe.

    ¡°Lord, I feel that he had froze the Laws!¡± Ciel warned sharply through the Psychic Connection.

    The King of Frost Knight still has this ability? Brendel felt a chill run down his spine, he quickly tried to avoid the other party¡¯s sight while trying to find a proper time to cut in using the Nine Luminaries. Unfortunately, Seibers behaved like an experienced veteran swordsman at this moment, he was calmly waiting for Brendel¡¯sst blow, which unevitably discouraged Brendel.

    The King of Frost Knight still has this ability? Brendel felt a chill run down his spine, he quickly tried to avoid the other party¡¯s sight while trying to find a proper time to cut in using the Nine Luminaries. Unfortunately, Seibers behaved like an experienced veteran swordsman at this moment, he was calmly waiting for Brendel¡¯sst blow, which unevitably discouraged Brendel. In fact, at this moment, Brendel was thinking of retreating, he had experienced many battles and knew very well which battles had a chance of winning and which did not. As a wise yer, or a swordsman at this moment, he should know when to opt for a retreat.

    He decided to fight onest time, the Protection Law Ciel casted was still upon him; if this blow could not make it, he would have Hipam (Faith deck, Priest Himilude deck) to pull him and Ciel out of the Ultimate ins.

    It was at this time that Seibers suddenly spoke once more, with a soft thud, he used the Soul Detainer Fingus to block Brendel¡¯s sword again. Then that deep and hoarse voice asked, ¡°Young man, I am curious what is the purpose of your pursuit of power?¡±

    Brendel was slightly stunned, but he subconsciously thought that this was just a means to distract him, and after a brief pause, he did not respond.

    In a sh moment, there were two or three more sword exchanges ¨C

    ¡°You may not understand this, only when you understand what Odin¡¯s legacy means then I can transfer it to you with confidence......¡±

    This time Brendel was finally moved, he deflected Seibers thrusting de and quickly asked, ¡°What are you trying to say, Your Honorable King of the Frost Knights?¡±

    ¡°I am saying that behind this power contains a secret at the tip of the iceberg that you may have vaguely guessed, but only those who truly ept it may be considered worthy to receive the ultimate legacy of the Darkness Dragon.¡±

    While the two men were exchanging conversations, their hands did not slow down at all, three long swords staggered like shes of lightning. Brendel in a series of retreat, he could not help but grit his teeth, at least in swordy, he found himself unable to take advantage of the other side in the slightest. Seibers swordy had be more and more matured, as if he was teasing Brendel. Finally, he seized a chance to speak up, ¡°Secret?Are you talking about the hidden truth of the War of the Holy Saints?¡±

    The Soul Fire in Seibers¡¯ eyes suddenly brightened up even more, and he suddenly withdrew his sword to give Brendel a chance to catch his breath, ¡°You are smarter than I thought, young man.¡±

    This actually had nothing to do with intelligence, because for the War of the Holy Saints, Brendel knew no less about that war than the two people present ¨C Seibers and the Wind Empress Sanorso. As a spectator, he might have even saw it more clearly; although there are many mysteries in the War of the Holy Saints, Brendel thought that perhaps there was no deeper reason behind it, the Miirna¡¯s day-to-day arrogance, brutality, and their endless oppression towards the Silver Folk had led to war.

    The tension of this war spread across the continent, ¡®the seers who led the first people in the darkness of the barbaric thorns, the Silver Folk scattered across thend¡¯ was referring to this history. But the Bugas and Misty Elves finally won, they set the order after the War of the Holy Saints, only that the ck Dwards rose up.

    This was an official setting, not to be pushed back.

    When Seibers put his sword away, Brendel took the opportunity and propped the Halran Gaia on the silver grid, breathing heavily, looked up and asked, ¡°Are you trying to say that the Four Saints covered up the truth and that Odin, the Darkness Dragon, was actually the righteous one in the War of the Holy Saints?¡± His tone was not trusting, which worked up the Wind Empress Sanorso¡¯s curiosity, who was quietly watching the battle from the side. She had the impression that Brendel was different from people under the governance of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. Whenever he spoke about the four Kirrlutzians and her, although with admiration, there was no reverence, which was different from those brainwashed believers. But at this moment, one could tell Brendel was undoubtedly biased towards their side through his tone of speech.

    Although Sanorso had a clear conscience for history, there was no doubt that she was delighted to have Brendel¡¯s trust at this moment.

    ¡°No, not really, I don¡¯t want to talk about history in terms of sess or failure, that¡¯s just your mortal superficial opinion, I have no intention to believe in it, young man, I just want to show you something.¡± Seibers smiled slightly and replied, the look in his eyes was clearly very interesting.

    Brendel frowned.

    He had actually privatelymunicated with Sanorso, but there was a sense of curiosity in her reply, ¡°No, let him go on, Brendel, I think perhaps he is not wrong about anything ¨C remember, Seibers is not one of those coquettish sycophants around that guy, he is a real warrior!¡±

    Brendel nodded, he looked at the King of the Frost Knights, and after the other side withdrew his sword, the battle between them came to an end. Although this fight made Brendel extremely upset, it was purely a suppression of strength, if he could still maintain the strength of his heyday, he felt that he might be able to take down the King of Frost Knights, ¡°What do you want to show me?¡± He opened his mouth and asked.

    ¡°Just a battlefield.¡±

    Seibers replied slyly, he raised his hand, and the scenery on the Ultimate ins changed dramatically once again ¨C

    ¡°There is an eternal battle in our world.¡±

    Brendel was figuring out what he meant by these words, but his pupils were already reflecting images that surprised him. There was an endless sight of wilderness, but there was more to the wilderness than just meadows that rolled in the wind like waves of wheat; at the end of the view, two huge armies were marching. Even the Wind Empress Sanorso let out a soft eek and Brendel might had understood why. The army on the horizon was none other than the Miirna¡¯s ck Wings Legion, known as the right wing of the Darkness Dragon, the Miirna¡¯s elite.

    ¡°The ck Wings, we defeated this army in the midst of the Great Swamp, at the cost of many lives, and Eleranta lost an eye in the battle.¡±

    Brendel nodded, he even knew the story behind it and the sacrifice of Orthlyss. This battle was written as a magnificent poem inter times for poets to praise the dedication and sacrifice of their forefathers.

    ¡°What is this ce then, and have you had another war with them?¡±

    Sanorso shook her head in bewilderment.

    Apparently, she was also surprised by the scene in front of her.

    Brendel gazed at the other side of the sky, curious as to who the enemy of these high-minded Miirnas really was ¨C the army that was also asrge and as ck as the clouds that overwhelmed the city.

    On the other hand, Seibers still seemed to be immersed in his own memories, narrating such a story, ¡°In this war, I belonged to the seventh column of the Earth Legion, and I was honored to be amander under Lord Odin -¡±

    ¡°The Earth Legion? Isn¡¯t it the ck Wings?¡± Brendel seemed to have heard this name for the first time, but found it rather familiar.

    The King of Frost Knights gave him a look and replied, ¡°Unlike what you think, this Legion has been passed down from an even longer time than you think, and even we don¡¯t know the origin of the system. It is as if this Legion¡¯s sequence existed before the Miirnas were born, some say it evenes from the time of the Divine Folk, from before the destruction of Ebabel Fort. But warriors like us, are part of the bloodline, we were born to be part of this Legion. This memory seems to be inherited from the soul, so that we understand our ce in this huge sequence, each of us, has such a responsibility. ¡±

    ¡°Can you, can you imagine -¡±

    Brendel opened his mouth slightly, hepletely did not understand what the other party was saying for a while.

    A Legion that one was born with? What was this? He suddenly felt as if he had heard such a name in the game before.

    ¡°As I said, it is an eternal battle, as if it has no beginning and no end, the Earth Legion exists eternally, as if only to fight against their predestined enemy.¡± The King of Frost Knights replied slyly.

    ¡°Predestined enemies?¡±

    ¡°Brendel ......¡± Sanorso said suddenly, ¡°Look over there!¡±

    Brendel had rarely heard the Wind Empress speak to him in such an urgent tone. He frowned and subconsciously looked back, but what he saw was a sh on the horizon, not a magical glow, but some kind of strange refracted light. Was it a reflection of the armor? No, it didn¡¯t look much like that. Brendel squinted his eyes, and at that moment he finally saw what the refracted light came from.

    It was the color of a crystal.

    The Crystal Wights.

    No, it should be called a Crystal Wight Legion.

    Brendel could not help but subconsciously hold his breath, Martha high above, both here and in the game, he had never seen or imagined such arge number of Crystal Wights.

    What exactly are those?

 Chapter 752 - v4c127p1 Eternity (28)

    Chapter 752 v4c127p1

    Eternity (28)

    The weapons in the Miirna¡¯s hands and the Crystal Wrights¡¯ shimmering body surface were like two shining lines on the horizon, ovepping each other. It was a scene that ordinary people who had not experienced war could not imagine. The earth issued a deafening roar, the sound of killing sounded like a tsunami, drowning the livings¡¯ cries of grief, fear, hesitation, and all negative emotions. The smoke raised by the war covered the sky, dulling the dazzling daylight.

    The scene at sight was unbearable to watch and real.

    But the history books did not have records of such a war, not even the literature that piled up in the Bugas¡¯ Ivory Tower that was covered in dust and cobwebs, nor in the Secret Strange Land in the game¡¯s forum where yers exchanged information.

    The Crystal Wrights, a species that yers remembered as being born in the crystal jungle, seemed to be fragmented in the game that had been isted from the mainline of history. They existed in the rare corners of the world, only asionally making an appearance in the explorers¡¯ journey. Their historical records was a nk, from the appearance of the Divine Folk to the destruction of Ebabel Fort, the opening of the second era of mortals by the Golden Folk, the rise of the Silver Folk, and the rise of the ck Dwarfs when mes spread across thend and the g of the Eagle and Hydra had risen. Throughout this long history of the schrs, the white-robed Mages only leftments with a few boring words ¨C ¡°They have no intelligence, no sentience, as if a Crystal derivative, with an instinct to attack the intruders close to the territory.¡±

    The yer¡¯s perception originated from this, which was not far from it ¨C as if the Crystal Wrights were set up by the system as natural stragglers and cannon fodder, only to add some sense of mystery to this bizarre world.

    But whoever thought that there was such a great war in the historical background.

    On one side of the war, the noble Golden Folk, the Mirrnas, the founders of the empire, the first people, and the servants of the Darkness Dragon were once the enemies of the world, but hatred could not deny their glorious bloodline ¨C the Golden blood that flowed in the descendants¡¯ bodies as promised by the Divine Folk. On the other hand, beyond the imagination of Brendel ¨C or the other half of his soul, Sophie ¨C was the Crystal Wrights, whom he had an impression of being a rare and fragmented group.

    The seers recorded that they should act on instinct like beasts, but here, the Crystal Wrights had formed a structured army, who had their own gs, armors, and weapons, who were disciplined, organized, and no less than the Divine Folk they had faced.

    Brendel realized that he might have seen another civilization, an unfamiliar one that he had never heard of, isted from history.

    The civilization of the Crystal Wrights.

    ¡°Wait, I should have seen iting ......¡± Brendel suddenly realized that they all seemed to have overlooked one thing. These beings born in the crystal, when exactly did they start to appear on the earth? Looking back, there was no rted history recorded, however, from the first line of the Pale Poem which was written to create this world, these tiny beings already existed.

    At this time he suddenly remembered Ina the Deer Demoness Ina¡¯s words, ¡®The master fought with that man against a strange enemy.¡¯ The master, was Kelsie, that man, was Odin, the Darkness Dragon, and those enemies were the Crystal Wrights.

    Then-

    Then what exactly are they, and where did theye from?

    Why did they make enemies of the Mirrnas, and where did they go after the War of the Holy Saints?

    He turned his gaze to Seibers ¨C the King of the Frost Knights who was the only person present back then and could possibly answer his question. Seibers sighed softly, ¡°Do you understand now, Sanorso?¡±

    Brendel did not understand what this rhetorical question meant at all, perhaps only the soul of the Wind Empress in his ring could answer, but the always strong-spirited Elven royal sister chose to be unusually silent at this moment. After a few momentster, her voice was finally heard, ¡°Thank you for answering a question that has always been in my mind, but it doesn¡¯t mean anything, you want to say that it is Odin and the Earth Legion under him who guards this world, but the Golden Folk¡¯s decay and depravity do not manifest itself at one end. Seibers, it is not we who rise up against you, but you yourselves who have chosen to go down this path of certain failure-¡±

    ¡°- a thousand-hundred-years-ago.¡±

    Brendel frowned, confused as he listened to the two¡¯s conversation. But Seibers let out a sorrowful sigh, ¡°I understand this too, Sanorso, the Azure Knights opened up the era of mortals, the stars fell onto the earth, forming the earth, after which the Golden Folk was wiped out, the Silver Folk was scattered across thend, following by the rise of the ck Dwarfs. You, and Gretel the me King, built up the kingdom single-handedly. I¡¯m not saying they were worthless. Do you remember what I said? Being right or wrong is not the point here-¡±

    ¡°Seibers, what are you trying to say?¡±

    ¡°I just want to say that my king predicted the defeat of the Mirrnas and the establishment of the four kingdoms long ago.¡±

    ¡°This is impossible!¡±

    ¡°It is possible, Sanorso, you are an Elf and I am a human, and even though I am a Golden Folk, I can still feel the greed and desire that belonged to this body before it was born ¨C this is the source of civilization.¡± The Soul Fire in Seibers¡¯ eyes, who was standing on top of the meadow, was bright and wise as if piercing through the shackles of time, ¡°History has been repeated for thousands of years, and there has never been an exception, human or Elven, dynasties have fallen. It be like that. From the dynasty of the Mirrnas, to the empires of Kirrlutz, to this little kingdom that our little friend is in, the rise and fall, has there been an exception? The struggle for power and profit, intrigue and trickery, is no exception.¡±

    ¡°Sanorso, where are the Mist Elves who once followed you?¡±

    The Wind Empress¡¯ mind was shaken, and even Brendel felt the soul of this Elven royal sister shake. She did not say another word.

    ¡°So why did Odin make this choice, was it out of desperation? And where did these Crystal Wrights go after the War of the Holy Saints?¡± Brendel opened his mouth to ask the question that he most wanted an answer to at this moment.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Seibers¡¯ answer was simple and clear.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± This reply almost drove Brendel crazy. ¡°If you don¡¯t know, then what¡¯s the point of putting all this out there?¡±

    ¡°Thend where the war took ce was called Minhur in ournguage, and today, it should be to the east of Farnezain and Sanorso. As you know it, I followed my ancestors across the Alkash Mountains to fight these mysterious enemies, about whom I know no more than you do, except that the ancientnguage inherited from my bloodline tells me that they existed before the Minhurs did. They were our enemies, and the war went on for a long time. But in my time, the Mirrnas and Crystal Wrights¡¯ warsted only a short time, during which five neswalkers like you participated, after which I returned to Alfalfa Wilderness with the ck Wings Legion to suppress the growing rebellion in the Empire, and it seemed that soon after that the war died down.¡± Seibers said.

    ¡°Then why did you appear here, Seibers, since this war is no longer relevant to you?¡± Brendel asked with a frown.

    The King of Frost Knight stared at Brendel and replied. ¡°Because I have been ordered to wait here for someone toe who understands the true meaning of ¡®Fool¡¯.¡±

 Chapter 753 - v4c127p2 Eternity (28)

    Chapter 753 v4c127p2

    Eternity (28)

    Fool.

    Brendel remembered his own talent inherited from the Darkness Dragon, but what did the Fool really mean? From the description of Seibers at this moment, was it a savior? Or someone with a fanatical spirit of self-sacrifice? Brendel felt like he was neither, nor did he want to be. Except for Aouine in his memory, this world was perhaps not as rtable to him as he thought.

    But the question was, why did the Darkness Dragon choose him, or was it simply his luck that he happened to stumble upon it?

    This answer was not so tenable, perhaps for thousands of years, there were not many people who could touch the Sealing Stone of the Darkness Dragon, maybe only extremely few could, but why did Odin not choose Amman? Was it because Amman is the sacrifice of the Holy Cathedral of Fire? This reason might not be correct, because it could be seen from Seibers¡¯ description that Odin probably did not have the prejudice against the Four Saints and their descendants like how people thought.

    ¡°You are saying that I understand the meaning of ¡®fools¡¯, but I do not understand.¡± Brendel replied somewhat cautiously, it must be said that he was still worried that if he answered so, Seibers would choose to withdraw the heritage of the Darkness Dragon. This heritage undoubtedly still meant a lot to him. Whether it was a great power itself, or the support of the Witches behind it, of which the former in particr, has helped him defeat powerful enemies many times, and Barbara and her followers were also a potentially powerful force.

    No one knew better than Brendel how well the Witches understood the world.

    But he had to ask the question clearly, the sight that Seibers showed today was beyond his understanding, making him realize the great secret hidden behind the world. The ¡®Fool¡¯ gift could be hiding a great crisis. What if Seibers told me that if I inherited the Fool¡¯s gift, then I must inherit the responsibility to save the world? What choice should I make? Brendel felt that he was not yet that capable.

    Seibers¡¯ eyes were filled with Soul Fire for a moment.

    ¡°You wille to understand.¡± He replied slowly.

    ¡°What?¡± This answer was unexpected to Brendel. The King of the Frost Knights had been ying games with him, and this tone of certainty reminded him of the wrinkled faces beneath the tents of those gypsies, the Mirrnas¡¯s culture that revered mystery. In their eyes, fate was unknowable yet certain, there was no chance of anything but a certainty. But Brendel ¨C Sophie¡¯s double soul could not ept this answer, if this was a task, then he should have the right to know everything, to make a choice, not having to y along with some hide-and-seek or guessing game.

    If that was, he was still in the world of The Amber Sword.

    He stared at the other man with a look of determination signaling that he would not rest until he got an answer.

    But Seibers had expected this, ¡± ¡®Fools¡¯ don¡¯t have a fixed definition, it stands for such behavior, I read your past in your eyes, I think you are the one thete King is waiting for, young man.¡±

    ¡°My past?¡±

    ¡°Some people are destined to flounder, but some manage to work toward their goals from the beginning to the end, even if they clumsily repeat ridiculous failures, even if they are not understood; he may fail, but when he seeds, he is called a miracle and is recited by all ¨C most of these people became fools in the eyes of themon people, and their foolishness was not stubbornness, but a clearer understanding than others of what they were doing.¡±

    ¡°You mean Odin ......¡±

    ¡°I mean you, young man, you know exactly what you want to do.¡±

    Brendel fell silent, as he was indeed very clear about his goal. Perhaps to most people, the storms in Aouine were just repeating the history of a dynastic change. Decades ago, or a hundred years ago, it experienced the same history, the decay of the dynasty was mentioned in the newborn soil, the fall of the royal family of Sifah, followed by the rise of Covardo. But his master was a persistent and determined Aouine.This time was different as everyone had ignored the potential enemy in the east, the corrupted nobles who had been scattered and undisciplined for thousands of years, are now united under that supreme and unique Mercury Staff; perhaps forty yearster, history will repeat itself and the Aouine belonging to the Aouine people will cease to exist.

    This kingdom was probably just a name that represented something, but for him, there were many familiar bodies buried under that silver g, Her Highness, the Valkyrie, and the memory of many people fighting side by side in faith.

    So he had to be one step ahead of the others.

    Foolish?

    Perhaps in the eyes of Amandina, Her Highness, the Red Bronze Dragon Leto, all his followers, his enemies, and onlookers, there was something strange, just like how Carglise still did not understand why he always had to n ahead, he and Amandina thought that his lord had greater ambitions in mind- to be like thete King Erik. Brendel indeed wanted to be that kind of existence, but the title was not to be the king of thend, but the seer who led the people out of the bitterness and darkness.

    ¡°Is this being...... a fool?¡± Brendel asked himself.

    ¡°It is not limited to this, I can¡¯t tell you much, but a voice in my bloodline tells me that you will certainly understand all this one day. Young man, you, me, and the noble soul in your ring, all of us are searching, the world is an absurd arena in the eyes of many, a ce of fame and fortune, a gloomy ce of rivalry and intrigue; they have bound their gaze in a superficial cage, a cage of their desires and thoughts,¡± the King of Frost Knights smiled mysteriously, ¡°but not in our case. You know what I¡¯m saying, because the world is not as simple as it appears, is it?¡±

    Brendel was horrified.

    The world is not as simple as it seems.

    He did not know if Seibers meant it, but at least it seemed to him that he did. Because he knew the past life of this world, and it had another name, called The Amber Sword, a name that only he knew. Those who knew, as he did, what the name stood for, were at the moment cut off from him and were in another world.

    ¡°This secret ......¡± Brendel hesitated for a moment and asked, ¡°is it rted to those Crystal Wrights?¡±

    ¡°Maybe, but maybe not, there is a voice in the underworld telling me the truth behind the cover-up of that war, but I know very little about it. Lord Odin can not tell me much, he sealed his life¡¯s knowledge in this heritage, he did not force you to choose anything, but history repeats itself, what will happen will always happen, the War of the Holy Saints did not happen very chance. if I am not wrong, the war is about toe to this world again.¡±

    Brendel did not answer, but he knew that the Seibers had guessed was correct.

    It was just history repeating itself, perhaps not because of any predestination in the underworld, but because of the selfishness and greed of civilization, that kept repeating itself. The uing war over the tablet was a footnote to this.

    So in the end, would it still be the fault of civilization itself?

    Brendel frowned and shook his head, he felt like his head was going to explode, these things were perhaps not what he should worry about. He exhaled, although he did not understand what Sanorso, Seibers, and Odin were really after, at least he understood what he was after, superficial or noble, he had to do it after all, and he clung to the stubborn character he had developed in the midst of the game.

    He looked up and decided not to y dumb with the King of Frost Knights, which, in his opinion, might be entirely Seibers¡¯ own bad sense of humor. The Mirrnas¡¯s admired mystery, they always yed their agnosticism carefully, but Brendel himself had his own way of doing things. He interrupted Seibers¡¯ long speech, ¡°You mean that I am only qualified to inherit the Darkness Dragon¡¯s legacy if I understand it all?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Seibers shook his head, ¡°The fact is that the strength you showed at the beginning has already qualified you to inherit the legacy, I just want to tell you everything that happened behind the scenes of this war, whether it¡¯s the Kirrlutzians or the Wind Elves, it¡¯s far from being to be able to rest on yoururels.¡±

    Brendel quietly stared at Seibers.

    He meant to say, ¡®If that¡¯s the case, what¡¯s the point of all that nonsense you said earlier?

    If it were a living person, he might feel a little embarrassed in the face of Brendel¡¯s questioning gaze, but Seibers was an Undead, the thousand of years of being under the icy wind had thickened his skin so much that he did not even have a slight change in expression, ¡°Because this is the mission I am waiting for here.¡±

    ¡°And what does that have to do with me?¡± Brendel asked rhetorically, he hesitated for a moment, but decided to speak the truth, ¡°There is no way I will follow the path of the Darkness Dragon, in my opinion, what I will inherit will only be the legacy he left behind, not his will. I hope you understand this.¡±

    Brendel felt some approvaling from within himself as he said these words.

    ¡°Lord Sanorso?¡± He could not help but be a little puzzled.

    But the Wind Empress did not give a response.

    ¡°Are you saying that you are not afraid that I will take back your heritage, young man?¡± Seibers¡¯ tone was calm.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not for you to decide, honored King of the Frost Knights, although I don¡¯t know why Odin chose me, that¡¯s my will.¡± Brendel¡¯s tone became certain, if, after such a long trial, he still did not understand this guy¡¯s meaning, then he could really just be straightforward, ¡°Whether you ept it or not, both are true, I am Brendel, not the Darkness Dragon- ¡±

    ¡°What an identical stubbornness.¡±

    The King of Frost Knights was slightly stunned and thenughed lightly.

    Augh filled with the hollow voice of the Undead.

 Chapter 754 - v4c128

    Chapter 754 v4c128

    The Dragon and the Journal

    The street was still permeated with morning fog.

    Holding a candlestick, the girl from the candle shop walked along White Rose Avenue. As dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight hit the Ash City, the doors of the grocer opened up. Mapelli greeted the girl who was passing by.

    ¡°Seti! Aren¡¯t you up this early!¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Mr Mapelli,¡± Seti replied with a smile. ¡°Things are rather busy at the pce, so I need to get there earlier.¡±

    ¡°I noticed that you were workingtest night. Are you sure you are not overworking yourself?¡±

    ¡°Ah, my father¡¯s legs are not as well as they used to be, so I¡¯m just doing whatever I can to help.¡±

    ¡°That old Chris sure is lucky to have such a kind daughter, unlike that brat of mine!¡± Mapelliined.

    Seti giggled. Just as she was about to reply, there was amotioning from the direction of the pce. The sound of thundering hooves rumbled throughout the city. The crowd immediately fell silent and parted. They looked to the south, where the sound wasing from.

    The fog dissipated in the distance.

    A ck carriage materialized from the murky fog, apanied by a troop of grey-clothed knights. The knights paved the way on their horses of midnight dark wearing armor gilded with silhouettes of mes.

    The Grey Knights of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    After the carriage faded into the horizon, only then did the cacophony of speech and footsteps return.

    ¡°It¡¯s House Kirk,¡± Mapelli spoke up once more. ¡°Seti, I heard that the nobles in the south had already lost. Is your brother...?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he is fine.¡±

    In San Cotepe Pce, the floor was made entirely of ck marble, with only roses of silver outlining a path. At the end of this path, sat the empire¡¯s ruler upon a throne of stone, listening to the seven tolls of the church bells.

    Every rose has its thorns. These words were etched upon the crown that rested on her head. The Silver Queen of Kirrlutz, Her Imperial Highness, Empress Constance. With her beautiful and youthful face, her body looking as if she had not aged a day past twenty-five, and her golden locks that fell to her waist, she looked like a perfectly crafted doll from a foreignnd. In reality, the queen was a prim and proper Kirrlutzian who was a mother of seven children.

    To other tribes, a typical Kirrlutzian would have immeasurable pride in themselves, always looking down on others. Whenever they were involved in political matters, this would often trante into a tyrannical personality, which described the empress very urately.

    The queen looked at the city thatid in front of her. Just as her pce had no doors, her power had no limit. Anything that sheid her eyes upon would be part of the empire if it weren¡¯t so already.

    But towards the north of the pce, dark clouds hung low in the skies, foreshadowing a storm that was toe. Wardnt had never experienced a storm of this caliber in a thousand years, perhaps even forever, thus no one knew what changes it would bring.

    The queen¡¯s eyes went back to the subjects in front of her who were fervently discussing. Impatiently, she raised her hand, cutting of the nobles who were speaking.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anything more about the south. House Ashric, the matter about your eldest daughter angering the druids at the Loop of Trade Winds, I am overlooking this matter.

    ¡°House Rupert, Williams may have suffered a defeat at the hands of Aouine, but he is dead. The dead are free of crime.

    ¡°I only want to know two things. One, who gave Williams the authority to deploy the Frontier Navy? Two, who is this neer Duke Trentheim, does he know how to use Heaven¡¯s Armament, and what is the rtionship between him and those insufferable knights from the north?¡±

    The instant Constance stopped speaking, an old man scrambled forward to kneel before the throne. The representative of Williams¡¯s house said, ¡°Your Highness, please give us another chance, we will definitely find out about this person. Not only is he the empire¡¯s enemy, he is also our family¡¯s nemesis!¡±

    Constance looked at Count Cecil for a moment.

    After a while, she said, ¡°Aouine is no longer important to the empire right now. I just want them to agree to take part in the Holy War under the Holy Cathedral. Since the mages of Ba want to get in the way, we will have Aouine deal with them for us. Just as long as they do not ally with Sanorso.¡±

    ¡°But Your Highness, Aouine has always been under the jurisdiction of our Holy Cathedral of Fire!¡± Constance looked towards the source of the voice that had interrupted her. It was Archbishop Quirk.

    ¡°Archbishop Quirk, are you here to discuss politics, or are you here to preach your sermons?¡± she said, her facial expression remaining unchanged.

    Quirk¡¯s face paled, and he chose to keep silent for the rest of the meeting.

    ¡°I¡¯m also interested in the rumors of the Azure Lance being found in Aouine. I¡¯ll leave this matter to you, your majesty.¡±

    Constance rose from her seat. Despite her short stature, no one dared to try and look down on her. The nobles held their breaths as she surveyed the room before leaving with her servants.

    In a corner of the pce, House Kirk and House Ashric had gathered together. After the queen had left, Count Rodney said to Duke Helix, ¡°If you have never met Her Highness before, it sure is hard to imagine that she has been ruling the empire for forty years. To be honest, I used to fantasize about her when I was younger.¡±

    ¡°Her Highness only looks young because of special circumstances. When I was your age, Her Highness had already had this appearance.¡± Duke Helix¡¯s white hair and weathered face showed his age, yet he had no problems talking casually with Count Rodney, who was about half his age. Everyone knew that both their families were very close. In fact, the current head of House Ashric, Veronica was teaching two of Duke Helix¡¯s granddaughters the at of the sword. ¡°However, Her Highness¡¯s body must not be the same as it was, or she would never have permitted the princes to travel about.¡±

    Count Rodney nodded. He looked towards Count Cecil and gleefully said, ¡°House Cecil is in deep trouble this time. Williams really brought this predicament on them.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited.¡± Duke Helix shook his head. He had seen many types of situations in his life. ¡°He might appear meek and obedient in front of the empress, but he can easily deal with the both of us.¡±

    Rodney was left confused at those words. ¡°Why would he antagonize us? We didn¡¯t do anything to him.¡±

    ¡°Tell that to your sister. Everyone knows about the stunt she pulled at the Loop of Trade Winds. Do advise her not to get too close with those people from Aouine. I don¡¯t think the empress is pleased with her.¡± Duke Helix replied.

    Reminded once more of his sister, Rodney could only sigh. ¡°How can I even do that when she is so stubborn? Hopefully, Her Highness will forgive her since she is the prince¡¯s teacher.¡±

    Helix patted the youngster¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Which is why I¡¯m saying, our situation might not be any better than House Cecil¡¯s. We can only me our misfortune. Ever since Veronica brought back the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter, she had already angered many people. Couple that with her actions at the Loop of Trade Winds, many families who had lost their children will definitely be unhappy with us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that serious? What should we do now?¡± Rodney shivered, suddenly feeling the graveness of the issue.

    ¡°We need to find someone.¡±

    ¡°Find someone?¡±

    Duke Helix nodded his head. ¡°Right now we should ignore the opinion of other people. We need to change Her Highness¡¯s disposition towards us before she sends us to the chopping block. Furthermore, Her Highness was clear that she was not interested in Aouine, she only desires the Azure Lance.¡±

    ¡°The Azure Lance... Wait, are you talking about Duke Trentheim?¡±

    ......

    ¡®Month of Scrolls, 22nd, Sunny ¡ª

    Thanks to the efforts of our guide, our carriage is nearing White Rose Castle. ording to our guide, this side of the Arreck Mountain Ranges is facing the Sea of Dying Moon, so we should be able to see some ships that are traveling in the same direction as us. Unfortunately, we had just entered the summer season. Because of the change in wind and ocean currents, there are only a few ships on the ocean. Today, we will finally bid farewell to the hardships of mountain trekking, we will soon arrive in the territories of Lantonn ¡ª

    ¡ª Luther, in Odape¡¯

    Brendel did not know that he was a topic of discussion of people leagues away. All that he could do now, was answer Veronica¡¯s question.

    ¡°The Awakening God?¡±

    The Awakening God Surash, it was one of the legends in ¡®The Amber Sword¡¯.

    In the game, there were a total of eight bosses in the Deadly Tundra: Daughter of Hati, Dim Korfa; Disaster Twins of the Dusk Wolves, Mayne and Mel; Ice Eater who upies Luohua Hall; Achmage of the ck Fire Cult, ¡®Dreamcaster¡¯ Eric; Automated Defender of Milos¡¯s Heart, Frost Core; Leader of the ck Fire Cult, ¡®First Dark me¡¯ Roderick; and the one with Brendel right now, the Guardian Frost Dragon, Shitah.

    There was also a rumor circting among the yers, that the Holy Cathedral actually had another boss hiding within. This boss was the Awakening God, Surash.

    Located in White City, at the headquarters of the Knights of the Faraway Eagles, there was a journal that could activate one of the tasks. This diary belonged to one of the former leaders of the order. His identity was trivial, but the contents of the journal were immensely important.

    In his past life, Brendel had journeyed to Gretius¡¯s Knight Squad, and he had purposely done this task in the meantime, so his memory of the journal¡¯s contents was still fresh.

    The journal told of the story of the leader when he was still young. At the time, he was merely a foot soldier, not even one that belonged to the Knights of the Faraway Eagles. He had recorded his expeditions along with a group of schrs. One could tell that he was very proud of his experience as it was not amon urrence to witness archaeological expeditions. However, he was also perplexed by some of the things he had seen.

    The most famous mystery was Odape¡¯s Mystery.

    The journal entry was written in Summer 312, the Year of Thunder, about half a century ago. Anson the Eleventh, who had just ascended the throne to Aouine, had given out the order to conscript citizens into the army, marking the beginning of the Era of Expansion. The owner of the journal had just arrived in a tiny country at the edges of Aouine with his band of schrs.

    They crossed the hignds between Aouine and Kirrlutz. After investigating the fossils left by the Miirnans they headed south, past Ampere Seale, eventually arriving at a fishing vige in Odape. The owner of the diary had written down every little detail that they hade across.

    They found out that the locals worshipped a deity that was unknown to the schrs.

    ¡®This was an extremely fascinating situation. The locals said that the god had a thunderous expression, his eyes were two orbs of glowing fire, and his skin lustrous like silver. Every night he woulde from the south in a chariot of mes, returning whence he came from after circling around the sky one time. But from what I know, ever since the Azure Knights broke the Sky Dome and caused the stars to fall to the ground, the struggle among the gods had already ceased. After that all the gods left Wardnt. Thews that they left behind still protect our world, but the deity depicted by the locals should not exist on thisnd anymore.¡¯

    This was what the soldier wrote. But the most astonishing thing was that soldier wrote down that he had witnessed this deity appear before his very eyes.

    ¡®A red pir of me rose from the south. The horizon seemed as if it had been torched aze, painting the entire night sky a brilliant red. I witnessed a miracle happen. Suddenly in the sky, a road that did not exist had materialized. The deity walked this path that encircled the sky above. Afterpleting a round, he returned to the pir of fire. To prove that I am not making things up, I am writing down a description of this god. His skin was shining, as if it were made of metal, his body was surrounded by arcs of blinding lightning, and his eyes were spitting out mes.¡¯

    The schrly group immediately set off to the south, intending on investigating this matter. Unfortunately, en route from Bida Vernon to Dual Forest Town in the Golden Forests, they were attacked by a dragon. While there were no casualties, all of their supplies had been destroyed, forcing them to cancel their journey.

    After returning to White City, the owner of the journal had many questions about what had happened. However, that expedition turned out to be hisst, as he was made to join the Knights of Faraway Eagles. With his impressive skill and talent, he rose through the ranks quickly. Even so, the mysterious happening at Odape¡¯s fishing vige never left his mind.

    This mystery was never solved even after his death. It waster forgotten until the yers chanced upon this journal.

    In the Year of the Ocean Harp, the fishing vige was constructed into Violet Castle by Count Odape, turning it into themercial center of Odape. And today, to the south of Violet Castle, was the Deadly Tundra.

    ording to historical records, since the Year of Forest Shadows, the locals had stopped seeing any visions in the night sky. Even though this urrence had reached the ears of Lantonn¡¯s Han Church (one of the autonomous sects of the Holy Cathedral of Fire), the organization¡¯s attempts to investigate this matter never came to fruition. Slowly, the urrence of the deity became rarer and rarer, until it stopped happening altogether.

    Because of this, any records of the feisty were extremely rare, which made it very difficult for the yers who were looking into the god. After that, the yers had grown strong enough to enter the Deadly Tundra by themselves, but the mystery was still unsolved.

    The questions of the Knights of the Faraway Eagle¡¯s leader became the most mysterious legend among the yers.

    ¡°If Arreck was actually trying to find that thing, that would make things easier for us,¡± Brendel said after exining the story about Surash to Veronica and the others, barring the part about the yers. ¡°If Seibers was actually hinting us about this, then we can save a lot of time.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that, my lord?¡± Shido could not control her curiosity. ¡°Is there any important information recorded in the journal?¡±

    Of course there wasn¡¯t. If there were, this mystery wouldn¡¯t cause such an uproar among the yers. Brendel thought to himself.

    However, they had an unexpected surprise that could benefit them.

    Brendel and Veronica looked at Shitah.

    Before they could speak up, Aloz had beaten them to the punch.

    ¡°So, care to exin?¡± Aloz turned her golden orbs to stare at her fellow dragon, baring her fangs menacingly to show that she was serious. ¡°If you tell me that you did not hear anything he said, I¡¯m going to twist your ears off.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± The fat dragon cried out pitifully. ¡°I don;t know anything! I may have been here for a long time, but I was sleeping for most of it, I¡¯m sure you know that too sister Aloz!¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so? Does that mean you have been terrorizing carriages in your sleep?¡± Aloz lunged forward and pulled on Shitah¡¯s ear, prompting a painful squeal from thetter. Viciously, she snarled, ¡°Stop lying and tell the truth!¡±

    ¡°Ow-ow-ow! Please ease up, sister! I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll talk!¡± Shitah yelled out.

 Chapter 755 - v4c129

    Chapter 755 v4c129

    Brendel¡¯s Decision

    ¡°Don¡¯t hit me, I remember now, it seems that there is indeed something like that ......¡± Shitah hurriedly sped his head with his fat and short hands full as he screamed, ¡°I¡¯ll say it! I did in fact rob them, but those guys were just a bunch of poor people, they had no food at all!

    The little female Dragon grabbed the back of his neck, yanked him backward, and interrupted, ¡°Nobody is asking you that! Tell us, where is that Surash?¡±

    ¡°Oh no, I really don¡¯t know the guy you¡¯re talking about.¡± The little fat Dragon was pulled to a stumble; as he stiffened his neck he eximed in frustration, ¡°Really, I promise, I swear, I swear on the third scale of Lord Bahamut!¡±

    ¡°The Dragon God wouldn¡¯t want a disgraced fellow like you, stop trying to be slick!¡±

    ¡°Aloz, that¡¯s enough.¡± Brendel had to stop this farce, ¡°You let go of Shitah, I have questions for him.¡±

    The little female Dragon replied rather nonchntly, ¡°Why should I take orders from you?¡± That being said, she still let go of Shitah. The poor thing was so dizzy he took almost a while to recover.

    Shitah took a breath as he finally realized that his future employer seemed to have some dignity infront of the female Tyrannosaurus, Aloz. A natural slickness in him made him immediately want to hide behind Brendel, but he was just about to move his short legs when Aloz red at him with her golden eyes and put him in his ce.

    Brendel pretended not to see the guy¡¯s small movements, ¡°Shitah, you say you do not know Surash? Then that being with whom you made a contract, who was that?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the same thing at all. The one who made a contract with me, but-¡± The young Frost Dragon stuttered.

    ¡°But?¡± Aloz bared her white and dangerously sharp teeth.

    ¡°No, no, no,¡± Shitah hurriedly wiggled his short, fat hands, ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t know about that thing you guys are talking about, actually ......¡±

    ¡°Then say it!¡± The grumpy little Female Dragon lifted her little leather boots and kicked him.

    ¡°Owhhh!¡± Shitah managed to react quickly and avoid it despite his size, while screaming: ¡°I¡¯m not trynig to hide anything, I¡¯m just- I¡¯m not sure!¡±

    ¡°Shitah, you can say it.¡± Veronica who was watching Aloz and Shitah fight in front of her frowned. She could not help but speak up, the two Dragons¡¯ sense of time annoyed her a bit, not knowing if it was a result of their long life span or if the Dragons themselves were disdainful of these ¡®small¡¯ dangers.

    ¡°Because I saw the red pir of fire stated in the log. I remember it was around the Year of Thunder; whenever night fell, the pir of fire would appear and shoot straight up into the sky, forming golden vortices on the clouds.¡±

    ¡°How long did itst?¡± Brendel continued to ask.

    ¡°Half a year, such a scene continued for half a year before gradually subsiding!¡± The little fat Dragon replied, ¡°But I really do not know what that was, I would not want to get a closer look at obviously risky things like this.¡±

    ¡°This is surprisingly consistent with your timid characteristic,e on, let me hit you.¡± Alozmented sarcastically.

    ¡°This is not timidity, it is being wise. A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall, owhhh-¡± The little fat Dragon had not finished his sentence before he was almost scratched in the face by Aloz¡¯s sharp ws.

    Veronica looked back. After experiencing a direct encounter with Seibers, the egotistical Kirrluzians behind her seemed to have finally learned to humble themselves. The noble officers had be unusually careful and cautious at the moment, their faces were more or less pale, either from the cold or from being frightened.

    But it was Brendel who the femalemander was really paying attention to, ¡°How is it, little one?¡±

    ¡°Lord Veronica, I¡¯m not as smart as the Inir¡¯s Pythian who have lots of ideas,¡± Brendel looked a bit helpless because of the femalemander¡¯s blind trust and the memories of his previous life did not always apply in this Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator with scarce information; even if it was him, he could only specte based on his experience.

    But after thinking about it, he replied, ¡°But I probably do have some ideas.¡±

    ¡°Look.¡± Veronica looked at him with her emerald green eyes, yfully raising her arched eyebrows at him. But only Brendel this subtle action of hers that was inappropriate or at least unsuitable for her age and status.

    Around the Year of Thunder, whichsted about six months, was surprisingly consistent with the time described in the journal. Brendel pondered for a moment, and although there was a slight difference in the description, he was at least 80% sure that what Shitah had described was the same thing as what the Master of the Faraway Eagles had seen in his youth days.

    He ended his thought and looked up: ¡°Shitah, let me ask you, do you remember the direction of the pir of fire rising at that time?¡±

    Shitah was dodging Aloz¡¯s attack, and replied stammeringly, ¡°It was northeast, and I still remember the mes I saw that night, appearing in the night sky to the northeast ¨C Dear Lord, keep Aloz away from me, she¡¯s going to bite me! Ah!¡±

    ¡°The night sky to the northeast?¡± Brendel ignored the little fat Dragon¡¯s cry for help, he subconsciously looked in that direction, and in his vision, all he saw wereyers of ice and neverending darkness; during the next moment, he seemed to remember the ce, ¡°Surprisingly, it is there.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got something?¡± Veronica observed the young Lord¡¯s subtle change of expression.

    Brendel shook his head, he also did not expect to be in that ce, the ce described by Shitah was far away from the core area of the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator, there were spiral-shaped ck ice, so it was called the Spiral Hall.

    But the Spiral Hall was only a partial hall of the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator; there was nothing there, only some cold Icy Breath that blocked the way. The Icy Breath was a kind of magic awakened by the Dark Magic from the ancient battlefield, it was one of the many small monsters in the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator. Brendel remembered that the drop list of this small monster was good, so many yers came here in groups to get it.

    There was the outer edge of the Cathedral, without having to enter the center of the quest of the Time Seal, the monster difficulty was moderate, had no threshold. To say the least, there were thousands of yers who had explored this area, there was no reason for any secrets to not be discovered by the yers.

    Could it be that there really was some kind of oversight? Brendel could not help but be confused.

    ¡°What exactly is going on, little one, what are you thinking about?¡± Veronica asked.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing,¡± Brendel snapped back, ¡°there¡¯s good news and bad news.¡±

    ¡°What good news and bad news? Can you tell us, Count?¡± Miss Schr was always curious about riddles and could not help but interrupted.

    ¡°The bad news is that Arreck will most likely not have to go through the Time Seal at the center of the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator at all. My previous prediction was wrong, he might have even bypassed the maze and headed straight for his destination.¡±

    Shido looked a little worried, ¡°So what¡¯s the good news?¡±

    ¡°The good news is that I happen to know where that ce is, and I even know of a shortcut that will save us a lot of time.¡± Brendel said with some hesitation.

    ¡°In that case, what are you still hesitating about?¡± Veronica looked at him in disbelief.

    ¡°What I¡¯m hesitating about is that this is all based on my own judgment. If I make a mistake in judgment, then we most likely won¡¯t have time to fix that mistake.¡± Brendel took a breath.

    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about?¡± Veronica looked at him incredulously.

    What do you mean, isn¡¯t this something to worry about? Brendel looked at the others with some confusion, as almost every one of them looked at him with a gaze as if they had heard some funny joke.

    ¡°All this time, we have never seen you make a mistake in judgment, Count Trentheim. I don¡¯t understand why you are questioning yourself instead when the matter is at hand. But I prefer to believe in my own eyes and what I have been seeing, and I am sure you must have your own reasons for judging so, Lord Count.¡± Shido could not help but reply aloud, the schrdy stared at him with seriousness.

    Brendel was dumbfounded as he have been able to judge correctly previously because he still had the memory of his previous life. But the deeper one went inside the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator, the less information avable on the forum, and further on, one would have to rely on oneself¡¯s own judgment.

    But he was very clear about the limits of his abilities, the level 130 warrior yer in the past Amber Sword was not even considered a top tier yer in the game, let alone the top.

    His personalbat power was outstanding, but it was only in the upper ranks. Some of the qualities that top professional yers had were excellent judgment, the ability to lead a team, a guild in decision making, and that maddening sense of ingenuity, which he did not had, not even one of them.

    And this was the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator, a team quest that represented the pinnacle of an era in the game in the past. Even the first-tier yers did not dare to get involved in this team quest; the ones who could conquer it were the best of the best in the field.

    They were those who had their ID inscribed on the glorious wall of The Amber Sword, and Brendel could still recall those names and still found them familiar.

    It would undoubtedly be too arrogant for him to think that one day his name could be ranked alongside them.

    He had such perseverance and caprice, but some things depended on talent.

    If Shitah had told him that the ce Arreck was headed to was Frost Square, or even the Main Hall of Sekhs, he would not have hesitated to take his team there ¨C for these two ces were also recognized as the most likely ces to hide the Awakening God.

    To take a step back, the Hall of the Ringed Serpent, the console, was also eptable. But instead it was the Spiral Hall , a ce that had been trodden down by thousands of people, with nothing worth mentioning but the Icy Breath.

    But now the question was, should he trust his first instinct or his rational judgment?

    For the first time sinceing to this world, Brendel began to feel some headache. He could not help but look at the others only to find everyone looking at him , waiting for him to make up his mind.

    Including the Kirrlutzians, unknowingly, almost everyone was used to listening to this Lord¡¯s orders. As long as someone could lead the evesting victory, who would care if he was a Kirrlutzian or an Aouine?

    Only one voice echoed in the ice cave. ¡°With all due respect, Count Trentheim, although I don¡¯t understand what you are hesitating about, but I would like to ask, do you have a second judgment for us to choose other than that?¡± The one who asked was the royal eldest son of Kirrlutz, who nced at Brendel and asked coldly.

    Brendel was slightly stunned.

    ¡°Lenaretteis right, Brendel, if there is no better choice, then we can only choose the rtively less bad judgment.¡± Veronica also interrupted, ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re suddenly confused, you¡¯ve never made wrong judgments, and I¡¯m sure this time is no exception.¡±

    After saying that, she added, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t specifically trick me, would you, little one?¡±

    Brendel could not help butugh bitterly, as he was not sure who was tricking whom. In case Arreck really detonated the thing in his hand, no matter the Awakened God or the Twilight species, they would turn to ashes.

    When the time woulde, they would naturally turn into ashes. But they might not give up just like that because the Kirrlutzians lost their hard-earned first heir.

    Besides, if Haruz died here, Princess Gryphine would have hated him to death, right? And little Romaine, Brendel thought of that little merchant girl, and could not help but smile a little.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so.¡± He finally nodded, ¡°I can only promise to do my best.¡±

    He looked up and instructed Medissa, who was not far away, ¡°Medissa, check the condition of the siblings, we¡¯ll take them and prepare to leave.¡±

    The Silver Elf Princess smiled faintly and nodded her head in reply, ¡°Yes, Lord.¡±

    Brendel looked back as he gradually lost focus. Even if the Spiral Hall was a partial hall, it was also considered the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator within this team quest. Even if one took a shortcut, it was inevitable that one will encounter a battle, which was already some deviation from his original n. He thought Arreck would be stopped in the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator.

    Coming here this time, the only BOSS he intended to challenge was Shitah who was already on his side, but now the situation had obviously far exceeded his expectations.

    Do I really want to bring such a group of people to challenge the central quest of the Dead Tundra?

    Brendel could not help but look at the others. Far away, those Kirrlutzian nobles were whispering, obviously not discussing what they could do to better carry out his orders. When he saw such a scene, he could not help but sigh as his heart felt heavy.

    ......

 Chapter 756 - v4c130 White Valley(1)

    Chapter 756 v4c130

    White Valley(1)

    Just asBrendell headed to the Spiral Hall, an exhausted group of knights was walking through the shimmering cold Frozen Forest. The Forest was silent in the midst of a silvery world, and every branch growing from the snow-white trunks was as crystalline and fragile as ss, which looked like they would turn into powder at the slightest touch.

    The sound of heavy footsteps from far away came closer and closer, the pace of varying depths hinted at the owner¡¯s nervousness.

    It was followed by a trailing rustling sound, like insects crawling under the grass, but it was actually the soft footsteps of some kind of four-legged beast.

    ¡°Damn all these!¡± The young knights of the Folded Sword Squad gritted their teeth and cursed as they turned and drew their longswords.

    The next moment, Devils with white fur emerged from the darkness ¨C they were snow-white wolves, full white, except for a pair of cold eyes that glowed in caramel yellow; the wolves charged at the knights through the thorny forest with low growls from the bushes, from under the snowdrifts, and from all four directions.

    Time seemed to stand still at that moment, with the growling wolves on one hand and the roaring knights on the other.

    ¡°Fifteen wolves.¡±

    ¡°Seven on this side.¡±

    A Winter Wolf¡¯s lunging movement was fixed in the cold air, then a narrow and bright sword de pierced its throat, then retracted like lightning, and the white beast tumbled and fell to the edge of the bush.

    The knights took a uniform step back, leaving a long line of corpses with foul ck blood flowing silently; ck smoke rose from the Devils¡¯ body and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

    The remaining wolves were like a rolling wall of snow crossing the corpses of their own kind, growling as they stood side by side. Their silver fur rattled in the absence of the wind, as they growled in a low voice, the Dark Magic in the forest was gathering up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

    The magic formed intertwining blue curves and then condensed into crystal-like ice prisms which suspended in mid-air for a moment. In the next moment, it was like a storm.

    ¡°Mar-sha-high-above!¡±

    Apanied by a hoarse roar, one after another, auras from the Knights of the Folded Sword Squad unfolded, the knights wielded their longswords to smash the ice prisms to pieces, and the few that passed through the gaps would hit the aura on the armor and explode into a cloud of icy mist.

    Brund frowned as he punched the Winter Wolf in its open, bloody maw, almost throwing it back with a punch, along with the stter of blood and broken teeth. Then he flipped his sword and shed at the slender face of another Winter Wolf who was waiting for an opportunity to bow and pounce, leaving a bone-deep wound there.

    The beast whimpered, turned tail, and fled with its bloody wound, disappearing into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

    ¡°Hahahahaha,¡± Alea¡¯s roughughter came from one side, Brendel looked in that direction and saw hispanion who was with a mouth full of blood, had surprisingly bitten a wolf to death. Heughed loudly, ¡°If they bite me, I bite it back, what do you mean by fairness? This is fairness. That¡¯s why I like to fight, everyone is equal here regardless of origin, Brendel.¡±

    The thick gauze wrapped around his neck was shaky and his face was as pale as paper; blood continued to seep out from where he had been woundedst night, but that did not stop his violent temper and loud voice, and in fact, someone had tried stopping him from getting up from the stretcher to join the fight.

    Brendel frowned, ¡°Where¡¯s your upbringing, Alea?¡±

    ¡°I only have manners for people with manners, who talks to dogs about manners,¡± Alea replied with carelessness.

    ¡°This is not a dog, this is a wolf.¡± Lolo corrected.

    ¡°It¡¯s all the same.¡±

    Brende did not bother with the two guys, he shook off the beads of blood on the ck and heavy steel de, and raised his head to look around ¨C the forest looked like a ck hole of illusion, with all the shadows of white beasts far and near.

    And in the farther direction, the elegant stag was resting on a snow-white rock, as if waiting for them to move forward.

    Since following it, they had been trekking through the snow for hours on end, and the Winter Wolves had been tracking them through the forest all night. Every one of them was cold and tired and their will was the only thing sustaining them.

    Like the Aouines, the Kirrlutzians believed in good fortune are brought about by these rare and graceful creatures of the forest, and the stag did in fact lead them all night to find a path through the darkness as if blessed by the spirits.

    However, the good times did notst long. By now it was dawning as the first rays of morning sun appeared in the eastern sky, and everyone could see a long white wall in the sky miles away ¨C a cial cliff spanning the forest canopy, its crystalline ice glistening under the morning sunlight.

    The sight of the cier set a weight on Brendel¡¯s chest, making his heart thump.

    Is there really a way ahead?

    Freya gasped slightly, her bright light brown eyes were also full of doubt.

    ¡°Both of youdies, I¡¯m afraid there is no road ahead, what now?!¡± A knight of the Folded Sword Squad shouted.

    ¡°There may be a path, as the cier can not be neverending; since the stag brought us here, it means there must be some way to get around it.¡± Little Pero replied.

    This sickly Cruz young man wrapped in a thick bearskin coat with a thin sword in one hand and a crossbow in the other, was not inferior to hispanions in battle. Many Winter Wolves have fallen at his feet and each of their wounds was deadly.

    Seeing the others shift their eyes to themselves, young Pero only slowly continued to answer, ¡°Just find the natural edge of these broken ciers-¡±

    ¡°Will there be?¡± Freya blurted out but covered her mouth right away, as such words thatck confidence really did not seem like something amander should say.

    ¡°There will be,¡± Little Pero replied with certainty, after just one look at Freya, ¡°if it is indeed a naturally formed cier.¡±

    ¡°And if it¡¯s not?¡± Alea stepped up two steps to catch up from behind, just in time to hear the conversation.

    The sickly young man swept him a nce and did not reply.

    Alea opened his mouth. He was not afraid of the great noble family bornBrendel, not even in front of the eldest son of the royal family, but he could not hold up his head like a mouse in front of young Pero, and he did not know why either.

    But this did not mean he would stop talking, he thought for a moment andined, ¡°If you ask me, we should not trust a stag, I really do not know what is going on in your heads.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s my decision.¡± Freya stepped forward and replied.

    ¡°I don¡¯t hold it against you, Commander. I¡¯m just a little surprised that there are so many of us, how we all seem to be possessed, and no one raised an objection at that time.¡± Alea replied. Although this femalemander from Aouine was far less powerful than them, and her tactical level could only be described as average, but that did not mean they could disrespect her.

    If it was not for investigating the cause of the deaths of Anika and the other women, she would not have even fallen into the trap and find herself in this situation.

    At least she had the awareness and drive to be amander, a feeling much like what they often felt when around Veronica.

    ¡°That¡¯s the peculiar thing about the whole matter.¡±Brendel also came forward after repelling a wave of attacks from the Winter Wolves, ¡°Alea, we Kirrlutzians and Aouines grew up listening to the legends of the stag, the stag among the ck Forest is the embodiment of goodness and Order like the unicorns, they once guided the me King, as well as Erik. Today it is here to guide us again. You didn¡¯t stand up against it because you agreed with it from your heart.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense.¡± The rugged knight tightened his lips.

    ¡°Alea, it¡¯s understandable that you Inirs have never heard of the legend of the stag,¡± Brendelughed lightly, ¡°but you have to admit there are things in this world that are mysteriously unexinable.¡±

    It was then Freya noticed that Alea did seem to be part Inir, as evidenced by the light blonde curls that clung to his forehead, had a long nose, and also had a strong regional ent when he spoke; the knight looked like he was from Farnezain or further north.

    But Alea jumped as if he had been pierced in the sole,¡± Brendel, what do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Just as I meant in my words, if you were a little more confident, you wouldn¡¯t attack someone based on their origin and bloodline,¡± Brendel replied unconcernedly.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Alea grunted heavily as he stopped replying.

    Regarding these two people¡¯s argument, Freya had long been ustomed to it since the start of the night, but even if they were allowed to argue, it would not help to solve the current problem.

    The immediate thing that needed to be done was to firstpletely contain the wolf pack¡¯s attack.

    ¡°No matter what, we have to crush them first, then we can go around the cier and continue to the north.¡± Freya paused for a moment and said to the others, ¡°If possible, rendezvous withBrendell and Lady Veronica.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s too hard to get away from the wolves in the forest.¡± Lolo frowned and shook his head.

    ¡°How will we know if we don¡¯t try?¡± Alea replied, full of concern.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know wolves, Alea, you don¡¯t know how cunning they are.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s natural, I¡¯m not a mountain man, how would I know about these beasts.¡± He stretched his hands as he said so ignorantly.

    The dark-skinned mountain knight stared at the former without saying a word.

    ¡°Exactly,¡± said the young girl from the Be countryside as she pulled off her cloak, ¡°that¡¯s why we need to fight back. We can¡¯t lose them easily once we get involved with them, we have to take the initiative and smash them until they don¡¯t dare to chase us anymore.¡±

    Little Pero saw Freya tying her cloak to a spear and immediately understood what she was thinking, ¡°That¡¯s too risky if you expose your position, maybe those silver monsters are ambushing just around us now, and they¡¯re obviouslying for you.¡±

    Freya hesitated, ¡°There¡¯s no way to think about it more, we¡¯re all exhausted, and I don¡¯t want to be driven forward by the wolves like this and sit around until I¡¯m too tired to walk.¡±

    She raised the g in her hand, ¡°I am the Commander, now I will direct the breakout, if I fall, you will take over my g and pass the message of that monster to Brendel and Lady Veronica.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re only a traineemander.¡±

    A slightly icy voice came from behind her, then Freya felt someone hold the spear in her hand. She was stunned when she turned around to see Maynild¡¯s expressionless face.

    ¡°Senior Maynild?¡±

    ¡°Leave the g to me.¡± The ck-haired female knight gently snatched the simple battle g from her hands, ¡°The order is yours to give.¡±

    ¡°Senior ......¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap and give the order.¡±

    Freya took a deep breath as she looked back to the others, and both little Pero and Brendel nodded to her. Her gaze swept over the undting forest and snowfield, with a n in mind.

    ¡°Descendants of the me King, Knights of Kirrlutz, with the g as the center, both nks to the center.¡±

    The young girl¡¯s clear voice resounded through the forest, all the knights of the Folded Sword Squad turned around in consternation, a silver g had been raised horizontally in the middle of the forest, which was clearly a cloak that danced in the morning wind.

    The cloak also had the emblem of the White Lion embroidered on it.

    ¡°Knights, prepare to assault forward!¡±

    ......

 Chapter 757 - v4c131 White Valley(2)

    Chapter 757 v4c131

    White Valley(2)

    The snow-covered woond seemed to have gone through a fierce battle; the snow and bushes were full of the corpses of Winter Wolves. The corpses were turning into ck particles, like ck smoke, and the winner of the battle obviously belonged to the other party who was not lying down on the battlefield: the human knights from Kirrlutz.

    Yoakam expressionlessly watched this scene, while slowly advancing along the clearing between the woond. His leather boots stepped into the umted snow, ¡°Damn it.¡± Yoakam cursed in a low voice and frowned as he lifted his foot, took his boots off, patted the barrel of the boots, shook the snow out, and then put them back on.

    A grayish-white Winter Wolf came out of the bushes and whimpered to him a few times. Yoakam lifted his head and rubbed his chin, ¡°A quarter of an hour or so? They¡¯ve fled to the north?¡±

    ¡°Who are they, the group of Kirrlutzians?¡±

    ¡°I guess so, there¡¯s no one else to be found in this forest except them.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re just resisting, they can¡¯t get far.¡±

    The Winter Wolf whimpered, and Yoakam seemed to understand what the beast was trying to say as he touched its forehead.

    Although he had long since ceased to be as self-appointed as he had been in Ampere Seale, he had indeed been killed by the swords of the disorganized soldiers in the rout in that war, and the wounds on his body from that time had then left him with indelible damage. Now his skin was as pale as paper,cking radiance and moisture; his bare arms and palms were like bones wrapped with just skin, and permanently blind in one eye so he wore an eye patch with a skull printed on it.

    He was also left with a fatal wound on his chest, which was caused by a heavy sword, which had not yet healed. The wound led to a gap in the rib cage, piercing the heart, but the heart once born as a human¡¯s had long since decayed and no longer beated, instead, it was reced by a zing white me.

    All because of the deal he made when alive to those unnamed beings who promised him the power of eternal immortality, which he did enjoy in death, but in a different way.

    He became an Undead.

    Only after being an Undead he understood how painful eternal immortality was, as the Soul Fire was constantly bringing up the memory, pain, regret, anger, sorrow, and all kinds of negative emotions from the past, torturing him day and night. Day after day, humane emotions gradually wore away, leaving only cold hatred for everything in the past in his mind now.

    Although he had be an Undead, he was not entirely at lost, as those unnamed beings did keep their words and gave him power; summoning the Winter Wolves in the forest was just one of them.

    This was a power that was far beyond the mortal world, a power that was very different from the shallow power of humans that was based on status; it was a true power that could be mastered.

    More and more Winter Wolves were surfacing in the forest like ghosts, and the wolves started dividing into smaller groups as they ran away in all directions.

    Yoakam listened side-eared, and it did not take long before a wolf howl was heard from a distance. He smiled coldly as he knew his pets had really found the other party¡¯s traces.

    ......

    In the clearing between the forest, several Winter Wolves circled around the corpses of theirpanions, raising their heads as if they were sniffing the smell of blood in the air. Then the leading wolf let out a long howl and turned to charge in one direction.

    Such a scene was ying out everywhere.

    The wolves soon found more traces. Corpses were buried under the snowdrifts, among the thorny bushes, and some were even hidden above the tree trunk; all the way north, more and more traces of the battle were found. As if to outline such a scene, the knights of the Kirrlutzians fought and retreated, but they could not escape the wolves¡¯ tracking.

    The sword wounds on the corpses confirmed his suspicions. At first, the Kirrlutzians had time to dispose the corpses or at least bury them under the snow, but they eventually had to leave the battlefield haphazardly, leaving the corpses of the Winter Wolves exposed in the woond.

    Later on, the young men were simply fleeing the battlefield, with most of the wolves¡¯ corpses remaining wherever they had been killed.

    This meant that the Kirrlutzians no longer had time to deal with the corpses, and they are running away in a hurry.

    On the other hand, it also meant that the wolves were getting closer and closer to them.

    Yoakam trailed unhurriedly, he sometimes even had time to look up at the bright cier to the north. If the other side knew the real name of that cier, then they would surely regret their choice.

    That was not a natural cier, but the outer wall of the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator, which was buried in the cier.

    To bypass that wall, one would have to be able to bypass the entire central area of Milos¡¯ Breath.

    About a quarter of an hourter, the wolves stopped in front, as if they had found something.

    Yoakam separated the herd and walked to where they had stopped, and when he saw what his pets had found, he could not help but smile like a winner.

    It was footprints, a long series of footprints in the middle of the snow that were obviously the Kirrlutzians¡¯. The footprints left behind headed all the way into the ck pine forest of Grinoires ahead.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t even have time to clean up the trails, they seemed to have noticed me.¡± Yoakam thought for a moment and snapped his fingers. He got the wolves to spread out and run through the entire forest like arge.

    ......

    Freya¡¯s group trudged through the ck pine forest, and the steep ice wall was close at hand. The blue stag was still leading the way, walking along the edge of the cier, jumping from one sloping ice surface to another, never slipping or losing its bnce, as steady as ever.

    But this section of the road was a bit difficult even for the young Knights of the Folded Sword Squad. Although almost every one of them was Gold-rank masters, notcking Golden Upper rankings like Brund¡¯s, there were still people slipping and falling from time to time.

    In view of Freya¡¯s own meager strength, Maynild and little Pero have taken special care of her, but even so, she still fell several times. The first time she fell and hurt her arm and now her forehead was still red from the second time she fell. She looked as if she was going to cry at any moment, which made her very embarrassed.

    Because of this, the team¡¯s advancement became slower and slower, and everyone was silent. Not only this steep cial cliff looked like there was no end to it, but also because the forest was getting quieter and quieter, which meant that those white Devils had already starteding through this ck pine forest behind them.

    ¡±Ch¨C¡±, Brund casually threw the dry frozen food like a stone into the snow causing some snow to ssh into the air, to which the mass he saw rolled down the steep terrain and eventually fell into an ice chasm and disappeared. If one fell here, they might face the same perilous situation; those ice chasms were connected to the bottomless ciers underneath, if one identally lost their bnce, it would be impossible for them to be able to climb back up by themselves.

    Not to mention in a ce like Milos¡¯ Breath, even in the great cier to the east of Farnezain, many adventurers disappeared under the cier every year.

    He felt cold and hungry, his eyelids were so heavy as if they were filled with lead, but unfortunately, they did not have time to stop to take a short rest, let alone build a fire.

    ¡°How long is this stag going to take us along this cier? If we keep going at this rate the Winter Wolves are going to catch up on us.¡± Alea could not help butin again, ¡°It took us a lot of effort to drive them away.¡±

    ¡°No one would think you¡¯re dumb if you stayed quiet.¡± Brund replied, not knowing why this guy was talking so much, ¡°The wolves will have to slow down when they cross the cier, and the only one who can walk freely in this kind of terrain is that guy.¡±

    As he said this, he stared at the ghostly blue shadow in front of him.

    But it was at this time that someone in the group suddenly let out a low cry, ¡°Look over there!¡±

    Alea was about to say something back when he heard this but could not help but look back. Everyone, including him, saw several white shadows appear at the edge of the dark forest in the distance.

    They were clearly wolves, and apparently, they spotted the Kirrlutzians trekking along the craggy edge and nced over at the far side before turning around and re-entering the forest.

    ¡°Oh, damn it. Now, what do you have to say about that?¡± Alea said as he looked back at Brund.

    ¡°What¡¯s there for you to be happy about?¡± Although it was so sarcastic, Brund lightly pped his mouth for a moment and muttered, ¡°How did they arrive so quickly.¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Alea, however,ughed out loud as if he was not afraid of death, ¡°I have no regrets even if I die to see you get defeated.¡±

    ¡°You can jump from here if you want to die, Alea,¡± Little Pero said as he heard the nonsenseing from his mouth, ¡°no one will hold you back.¡±

    Strangely enough, once the short young man from Vincennes, Kirrlutz, spoke, Alea stopped talking. He snorted awkwardly, ¡°I¡¯m just saying. Besides, I really can¡¯t walk anymore, so if the Lord Commander orders me to stop to guard the back, I¡¯ll never refuse to have a good fight with those beasts.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Freya did not know how to react. She really had some admiration for little Pero, who could shut that guy up. When she was the captain of the militia, there were some slick bastards in the team, butpared to Alea, they were nothing.

    This Kirrlutzian knight in front of her really changed her impression she had towards Kirrlutz.

    ¡°It stopped.¡± While everyone was arguing, Lolo was the only one who was still staring ahead. At this time he suddenly saw the beautiful ghostly blue creature stop near a wall of ice in front of him, and it looked over to the human side as if to tell them that they had arrived at their destination.

    The next thing everyone noticed was this scene. ¡°Go over and take a look.¡± Little Pero spoke up first.

    So Alea and Brund stopped arguing and the team continued to move forward. About a quarter of an hourter, they finally arrived at the ce.

    But everyone froze at the next moment. As they approached the cier, they realized that the cier had sunk inward, forming a narrow canyon.

    The foggy canyon, like a cleft struck by lightning, appeared before the eyes of the Folded Sword Squad......

    ......

 Chapter 758 - v4c132 White Valley(3)

    Chapter 758 v4c132

    White Valley(3)

    The foggy canyon, like a cleft struck by lightning, appeared before the eyes of the Folded Sword Squad. This cleft divided the entire cier, making mortals look tiny in the face of nature¡¯s masterpiece. As Freya looked up at the fractured section of the cier, she had a feeling that she was a speck of dust beneath the feet of a giant.

    The narrow cleft stretched ahead for miles, inteced between the sloping ice surface, forming a winding path. Theyers of ice, icicles, and ice cones that formed on the crags on both sides made the entire canyon look as intricated as a maze.

    ¡°This is spectacr!¡± Brund muttered, and behind him, the young knights from Kirrlutz also looked at the scene with awe.

    ¡°Where¡¯s that stag ......?¡± Faced with such scenery, Alea also had to admit that following that stag was a knack, but even so, he did not want to admit it verbally.

    ¡°It went in.¡± Lolo, the mountain rider replied affirmatively.

    ¡°But I don¡¯t see it now, does it want us to go in? That¡¯s not good, these ice walls are full of traps underneath, they remind me of those dangerous wilderness valleys in the Sukaras Valley when we were training. As the master, it should at least escort us in even if it wasn¡¯t nning to stay and lead the way for us. Besides, God knows how long this canyon is, what if it¡¯s a dead-end inside?¡± Alea asked rhetorically.

    Lolo did not bother to argue with this guy after ncing at him.

    In the end, it was young Pero who came out to calm things down, ¡°Well, Alea is right, although it was the Holy Spirit who guided us here, there is something ahead that we don¡¯t know yet after all; I suggest splitting the squad to scout groups, just like how we did when we were training in the middle of those winding valleys in Sukaras.¡±

    Brund frowned, ¡°But then we were doing survival training, and now we have a Winter Wolf pack trailing behind us, wouldn¡¯t it slow things down if we split up the squad and find our way forward?¡±

    ¡°We only have this choice, the canyon is like a maze. It would not be as easy as it is outside for those Winter Wolves to track us down¡± Little Pero huddled under his bearskin coat and shook his head slowly, ¡°Let¡¯s see what Miss Commander has to say.¡±

    Everyone turned back to Freya, but found the Aouine girl staring at the never-ending cier, her eyes had long since drifted off to some ce. She stood there, looking like she was listening and looking out at the same time, as if there was something in the ice talking to her; it was only when little Pero called her name two or three times that she came back to her senses.

    ¡°Ah, what¡¯s up?¡± Freya was slightly stunned and looked to the others, ¡°Did something just happen? Did the wolves catch up?¡±

    ¡°No, no.¡± Brund shook his head: ¡°Rather, you, Lord Commander, what happened, did you detect anything?¡±

    Freya looked at the piece of steel-like blue cier with some confusion. In fact, she did find something, but this was not the main reason she wandered off; she always felt as if something had just happened, but aftering back to her senses she could not seem to recall it.

    She thought for a moment and slowly shook her head, ¡°I do have an idea about everyone¡¯s opinion. I just don¡¯t know what Mr. Little Pero and Senior Maynild have to suggest.¡±

    Maynild looked at her, while Little Pero replied directly, ¡°Just say it, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°I want to ambush Marquis Yoakam.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡± Before Little Pero could speak, Brund was so surprised that he blurted out, because in his opinion, this femalemander had been performing only moderately, although there were some convincing qualities in her, but in terms of intelligence, she was inferior to a knight¡¯s like Little Pero.

    In fact, her performance before this also showed that hermands during several were like the most standard textbook answers ¨C that was, one could neither find any highlights, nor could one pick any faults.

    He could not imagine why she would suddenlye up with such a risky and radical idea, it was not like what she would do.

    This time it was Maynild who spoke up first after a moment¡¯s consideration. The woman who graduated from the Royal Cavalry Academy in Aouine with top honors quickly became an official knight and was promoted to a Knight Commander asked in her usual icy tone, ¡°Why do you think so?¡±

    ¡°...... Actually, I¡¯ve always had this idea, Sister Maynild,¡± Freya¡¯s tone softened a bit in the face of this stern senior, as if she had only managed to build up her dignity for a moment and turned back to the young girl from the countryside of Be, she said softly, ¡°I just haven¡¯t found a good opportunity before, and the terrain here is to my liking. The Infantry Handbook says......¡±

    ¡°Never mind the handbook, say what you think.¡± Maynild sighed and interrupted her with a bit of frustration.

    The young people from Kirrlutz did not know what to know as they listened to the conversation between the two. They could hardly imagine that such a ¡®weak¡¯mander had led them so far; even within the territory of the Kirrlutz Empire, they were known to be untamed, except under Veronica¡¯s leadership, most of the superiors who had governed them would have probably ck listed them, which is what they took pride of.

    But it must be said that sometimes the fate between humans were full of wonders.

    Feeling that the Kirrlutzian Knights were not convince, Freya felt embarassed but still replied in a serious tone, ¡°Yes, senior. Winter Wolves are, after all, magical creatures, and if we find a way to kill the one whomands them, then it will be difficult for them to pose a threat to us anymore. We can¡¯t keep fleeing in the middle of this icynd.¡±

    ¡°How can you say it¡¯s fleeing, we¡¯re executing established tactics.¡± Alea hurriedly corrected, but his movement was too big that he stretched his wound, which left him in pain, ¡°The Knights of the Folded Sword Squad will never run away from the enemy, Commander, you must remember this.¡±

    ¡°You shut up, the Knights of the Folded Sword do not rely on bragging to defeat the enemy.¡± Brund nced at this guy, then turned back and asked, ¡°But the question is whether we can kill him or not... Commander, it¡¯s risky, that guy obviously won¡¯t be at the front of the pack, and if we can¡¯t get it with just one hit, we could get surrounded by the pack.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s more is that ...¡± he hesitated, ¡°...what if that silver monster is with him?¡±

    ¡°I say you, boy, trying to grasp at everything won¡¯t bring you anywhere.¡± As he understood Brund¡¯s intention to oppose, Alea immediately said, ¡°One would have to rely on luck on the battlefield. If you can 100% anticipate the enemy, what for fight a battle, you might as well directly ask him to send in his men to surrender for good.¡±

    ¡°Haha, that guy might really send a wolf to surrender to you, Brund, do you understand wolfnguage?¡± This guy joked and asked.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether I understand wolfnguage or not, what matters is that you just opposed it and now you support it, Alea, can you Inir people not be two-faced?¡± Brund was finally provoked by this guy and could not help but mock him back.

    Alea, however, did not care and replied, ¡°The past is the past, the current is now; You supported it just now so it was naturally for me to oppose; now you are against it, so I have to support it. What¡¯s wrong, do you have any dissatisfaction?¡±

    ¡°I have no time to be upset with a guy like you¨C¡± Brund was so exasperated that he wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Little Pero. The short Kirrlutzian Knight folded his hands in the sleeves of his bearskin coat and began as if he had not heard Brund¡¯s argument with Alea until this moment, ¡°Everything else is nothing to worry about, but have you thought about that silver monster?¡±

    This problem was what was troubling the entire Folded Sword Squad. If it was just the Winter Wolves and Marquis Yoakam, they would have already turned around and send a bloodbath.

    But the problem was that the silver monster was too terrifying, and had left a deep impression on everyone during the previous night¡¯s battle.

    Even Freya, who proposed it, fell silent when she heard the question.

    Would that silver monster be present? If so, what could be done about it?

    ......

    ¡°Lucky guy.¡±

    Yoakam let out such an exmation as he stood at the crack of the cier, tilting his head to admire the imposing natural beauty. He unconsciously turned the emerald jewel on the Ringed Serpent Ring, just like when he was still in his castle, he used to make some small subconscious movements when he was thinking, as if it helped him to calm down.

    It was just that it was cold and windy here, extremely different from the pleasant climate in his territory near the Grey Mountains. The owner of the ring no longer needed such a small gesture to stay calm, his Undead mind was as cold as ice and it was now nothing more than just a habit.

    Before the wolves found the cleft, he would not have believed that this group of Kirrlutzians could find such an exit by chance. Who would have thought that the knights could find the only cleft on the outer area of the Holy Cathedral od the Hibernator by chance?

    White Valley, which should be the name of this ce. Before the Kirrlutzians arrived here, he and Arreck had spent several days looking for this cleft, but they did not find anything so they had to turn back and go through the main gate guarded by the Frost Dragon.

    But no one expected that he would find this ce as he was tracking the knights.

    Although he was a little upset that the Kirrluzians had escaped once again, he was a little surprised to find this shortcut, and even felt that it was an unexpected gain.

    At that moment, several wolves emerged from under the cier, and they growled at Marquis Youakam, who quickly understood what his pets meant.

    The Kirrluzians had indeed entered the canyon.

    ¡°Really bold of them,¡± Yoakam pressed his lips together, ¡°but forget it, it does not matter; they can hide, but they can¡¯t run. They will soon understand that only you guys are the masters of the cier, I would like to see how far those lucky guys can go.¡±

    Then two Winter Wolves came to his side, and Yoakam stroked their silver manes with his cold and dry palms and sneered, ¡°Let¡¯s go, the hunt is far from over.¡±

    As if they understood his words, they lowered their heads and whimpered.

    Yoakam heard his pet¡¯s whimpering and frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t mind that guy, he¡¯s just a psycho, they are just the servants of the Twilight Dragon, who think highly of themselves. They better not think that nobody knows about their defeat in the ancient times once; if that n of theirs was really as powerful as it is spoken of, how would they still lose to the Azure Knights? In the end, they still had to rely on our power.¡±

    ¡°All For One, the brains of those guys who are full of killing thoughts and only have a handful of brute strength left, how would they understand that they are nothing more than fighting creatures shaped by Chaos?¡±

    He patted his pet¡¯s head, ¡°Of course, I understand, that little girl may indeed seem a bit odd, and I¡¯ve heard rumors about her. I suspect that she is the daughter of that Earth Sword Saint, Everton. Heh, the King¡¯s party ims that that rebel is dead, thinking we don¡¯t know about the lies they tell. But it doesn¡¯t matter, as our first goal is still to kill those Kirrlutzian knights, having them stay with Veronica is a danger, something that old man Arreck wouldn¡¯t like to see; and as for that little girl, she can¡¯t escape anyway.¡±

    ¡°Go on, my pets, go after them so they have no way to escape.¡±

    Yoakam said loudly as he looked up, but did not realize that behind theyers of ice walls above his head, in the crevices of the cier, a sharp arrow on the string of the long bow, was aiming at him.

    At this moment, even Alea, who had been chattering all along, held his breath, and all the Folded Sword Knights hiding on the ice wall were looking nervously at the Winter Wolf pack that was like a rushing torrent that surrounded Yoakam.

    The wolves were passing by Marquis Yoakam and entering the canyon.

    ¡°Luckily we stayed,¡± Brund was an orthodox knight who had learned archery but was not good at it, so at this moment he stood behind everyone holding his longsword, and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead as he watched this scene, ¡°if we continue to run away, sooner orter we would have been hunted down ......¡±

    Until this moment was when he really looked at Freya with some admiration.

    But at this moment, that young girl from the countryside of Be was frowning harder than everyone else at this moment.

    She also did not expect that the number of Winter Wolves would be sorge.

    ......

 Chapter 759 - v4c133 White Valley (4)

    Chapter 759 v4c133

    White Valley (4)

    Freya bit her lip as she saw the wolf pack gather and then spread out suddenly, revealing something in the center- a few wolf corpses piled up together. Traces of a fierce battle could be seen everywhere in the snowy in, which had been arranged beforehand to ensure that Yoakam and his team would enter the best shooting range.

    After Yoakam found the corpses, he walked over slowly, followed by four gigantic wolves that were the size of war horses and surrounded him. They were the ghosts of the winternds that often appeared in folk tales- the descendants of Warg Hati, the Pale Sons, far more terrifying than the Winter Wolves in the forest.

    ¡°Are you confident?¡± Brund, relieved to see that Yoakam had indeed squatted down beside those wolf corpses and started examining them, asked as he nced sideways.

    ¡°I can give it a try.¡± Lolo replied.

    After the simple conversation, the Folded Sword Squad made a final adjustment, took a deep breath, held it, kept the hand holding the bow steady, and then slowly pushed the bow to the right string. The bow made a creaking sound; most of the bows that were suitable for the power level of the Gold-rank were magical bows, and only thepound bows that had been treated with Laws such as ¡®strong¡¯ and ¡®toughened¡¯ could withstand a hundred times the power of ordinary people. But even so, every time the bow was used it meant that the life span of the bow would decrease and this degeneration was irreversible. In Aouine, magical bows on the market could be bought for 17,000 Taels a set, and even if they were made by the masters in the royal workshops, the lifespan of most of these bows would not exceed 100 shots. Every time it was fired, it was as if squandering gold coins equal to the weight of the bow.

    The wind had not yet picked up in the canyon, and Yoakam was still unaware of it, but it was as if he had a natural sensitivity to danger that made him look up.

    Freya exhaled softly as if to tell herself to calm down a bit.

    ¡°Fire!¡± Maynild gave the order to attack in a cold voice at almost the same time.

    The power attached to the arrow was so great that it left the bow with a deafening buzzing sound, and where it passed, the air currents stirred, and from afar it looked like space was shaking.

    The first arrow passed by the nk of the Winter Wolves, stirring up a whirlwind that blew the wolves off their feet. Under such an attack, Yoakam had no time to react; an arrow had already swooped down in front of him just as he turned his head. Across a distance of hundreds of yards, everyone could clearly see his frightened expression on his face.

    The giant wolf beside him saved his life. The huge Pale Son leaped up and blocked the arrow¡¯s path, then it was hit by an arrow on one side of its back, and the huge impact drove it directly into the snow, sshing snow everywhere.

    The arrow fell upon them like rain.

    The four Pale Sons around Yoakam instantly became like hedgehogs as the arrows shot them, but at least they bought some time for the Marquis to finally react to what had happened.

    He never dreamed that those disoriented Kirrlutzian knights would dare to take the initiative to attack him. And when he realized this, everything had be irrevocable.

    Yoakam got down on the ground and lunged into the pack of Winter Wolves; he tried to use them as cover to retreat to the other side of the canyon to find a ce to take cover. But unfortunately, the ambush point chosen for him by Little Pero and Maynild was a t area, and the small group of Winter Wolves that surrounded him earlier soon fell one by one, while other Winter Wolves were still far away on both nks or had already run into the canyon.

    Yoakam began to regret that he probably should not have ventured so far, but now it was toote to say anything. As the wolves gradually spread out, an arrow struck him, and he cried out in agony and fell down in the snow, with the arrow prating his left calf and pinning him directly to the ground.

    If he was still alive, he would be sweating in pain at this moment, but one of the benefits of the Undead is the loss of pain sensation. Yoakam hurriedly gritted his teeth and turned back, pulling out his sword from his belt and tried to cut the long feathered arrow that was pinning him to the ground.

    At the same time, the wolves in the canyon finally found the attacker. The lead wolves in the pack let out long howls, and the wolves closer to the pack had already started to turn around and pounce towards the Kirrlutzian Folded Sword Knights on the cliff.

    The Winter Wolves that were slightly closer, on the other hand, ran towards Yoakam, in an attempt to protect their master.

    ¡°Brund, Alea, go block them!¡± Freya stared at the Winter Wolves that were everywhere, lunging towards the direction they were in as if an avnche in reverse, a scene so simr to the one she had seen in Ampere Seale that it seemed like it had just happened yesterday. The Valkyrie clutched her sword in her hand, impossible not to be nervous; after all, she was just a knight captain at that time, but at this moment, everymand she gave determined whether everyone present would be buried dead or make it out alive.

    She gripped the sword so hard that her knuckles were turning white from the loss of blood, but she was oblivious to it. Thousands of Winter Wolves were only a hundred feet away from them, and it would only take a duration of two breaths for the Winter Wolves to get to them. The wolves like waves of the ocean, each of which bared its clearly visible sword-like teeth.

    ¡°Lolo, prepare for the second round of fire.¡± Freya took a deep breath and ordered and she tried to keep her voice as steady as possible.

    Lolo licked his lips. Even for the Kirrlutzians, such a dramatic scene was not often seen, not to mention that they were just some ¡®newbies¡¯. The battlest night was nothing in front of the battle that is currently happening before their eyes, even the scene of the wolves charging in the open terrain outside the forest was truly an eye-opening one.

    Tiny sweat droplets seeped out from everyone¡¯s hands, including Lolo¡¯s.

    But their training hade in handy at this point. The young Kirrlutzian knights raised their bows while the knights in the back row raised their shields and longswords to form a thin blocking formation that was 20 steps away from the line, with Brund and Alea in the lead.

    The wolves were only fifty feet away.

    The knights lowered their long shields, thrust the pointed end of their shields into the snow, and lowered themselves, readily preparing for the impact.

    Lolo narrowed his eyes and raised the longbow in his hand a little higher, aiming his arrow higher and higher, gradually aiming over the wave of rushing wolves. Then the flickering arrow was aimed at the lowest part of the canyon.

    ¡°Release!¡±

    Maynild waited until all the bowmen were adjusted and immediately gave the order.

    At the same time, Yoakam finally managed to roll over and cut the arrow stuck in his left leg with his sword. Although Undeads could not feel pain, it did not mean he would not be bothered by the injury. The decrease of his soul¡¯s power left him breaking in a cold sweat. After he did this, he did not rush to escape, but dropped the longsword with some dismay, strained to turn over, and then looked at the sky.

    Yoakam¡¯s pale eyes shone with a kind of grayish light, and the look within was both madness and despair.

    In his vision, arrows were raining down from the sky.

    He opened his mouth, revealing his white teeth as if he was letting out a final cry, but not a single sound came out of him. Almost in an instant, more than twenty arrows nailed him to the ground as well as the Winter Wolves that had just arrived.

    Yoakam lifted his head and held on for onest moment before he slumped down.

    ......

    Dull thuds were heard as the Winter Wolves collided into the shields¡¯ the impact of these beasts was so great that if the knights were ordinary human knights, they would have been sent flying into the air. When Count Longde dealt with therge scale of Tundra Wolves on the teau, he often needed to line up his knights in arge square formation of seven columns, far beyond the extent ofbating heavy cavalry.

    But the Winter Wolves were also facing an extraordinary opponent. The dozens of Kirrlutzians knights in the front row were all of Gold-rank, and in front of them, the Winter Wolves were not much different from ordinary wolves.

    The knights either used their shields to flip off the wolves that crashed into them, or nailed them to the ground in the snow with their swords, then stepped back slightly and waited for the second attack. Unlike Alea, who was shing and killing, Brund was carefully calcting the distance they had to retreat. ording to his calctions, they had tost at least five rounds of attacks and had to buy enough time before then, the more the better.

    But after the third attack, the Kirrlutzian knights suddenly felt a void in their immediate field of vision- the repulsed Winter Wolves surprisingly did note up once again.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Everyone subconsciously looked down into the canyon below. Amidst the foggy haze, countless white beasts were scattering and fleeing in all directions in the distance.

    Only at this moment, cheers were heard from the shooters behind.

    Little Pero, Maynild, and Freya all looked nervously at the ce where Yoakam had fallen, for no one could guarantee whether the Winter Wolves would actually leave after Yoakam¡¯s death. The only thing they could count on was that at least after losing theirmander, the Winter Wolves would only have the instinct of beasts, or at least would not move in an orderly manner like an army.

    The chances to break through arge army was an astronomical figure, but if the opponent was just a group of beasts that act by instinct, it might be another case.

    But the situation was far better than what they had imagined; the moment Yoakam had fallen, although there were still a few Winter Wolves that were attacking them, in the distance, the wolves that were moving on arge scale had begun to show signs of hesitation and scattering.

    The Kirrlutzian knights who were holding their longbows were the first to notice this sign and could not help but cheer in unison.

    Then Little Pero let out a sigh of relief as he turned back to Freya and congratted her, ¡°Looks like we made the right bet, Commander.¡±

    Freya nodded slightly. Yoakam was already dead, as everyone had seen with their own eyes. The wolves were also scattering, although there were still a few still pestering them, their numbers were now no longer a threat to them at all.

    But even so, she was still a bit uneasy.

    There was only one problem. If the silver monster is not with Yoakam, where is it? Nobody had the answer to this question.

    Maynild keenly felt her junior¡¯s apprehension, she looked back at thetter and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Just a little worried.¡± Freya replied, ¡°Sister Maynild, I think we¡¯d better leave here as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re worried about that monster?¡± Little Pero also remembered that problem, ¡°But if it¡¯s here, it can¡¯t possibly let Yoakam be ambushed by us, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Freya shook her head gently, ¡°But I have a hunch that something is not right here.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just being too nervous, Commander.¡± Little Pero shook his head. As someone who had received professional militarization training, hunches were the most untrustworthy kind of thing for a knight.

    But Maynild thought differently from him, the female knight frowned and asked, ¡°A hunch? Did you miss something?¡±

    Freya was slightly stunned, she looked at her senior with some surprise as she did not expect the other party to know so well what was on her mind. It was indeed such a feeling, that she felt that she had missed something.

    Maynild stared at her without saying anything. But if Brando was here, he would have been twice as much alert.

    The Valkyrie¡¯s ¡®hunch¡¯, in his world, was something well-known.

    ......

 Chapter 760 - v4c134 Breaking Cocoon (1)

    Chapter 760 v4c134

    Breaking Cocoon (1)

    A small group of Kirrlutzian knights climbed down the steep cial cliff and slowly approached Yoakam¡¯s corpse. The body was nailed to the ground in a grotesque position by the tremendous force of the arrow. This Undead had long since perished, with ck eyes and its Soul Fire extinguished.

    The knight in the lead could not help but let out a long sigh, the warm breath in the cold canyon woven into thin white mist, merging into the surrounding dense ice fog.

    The wolves have long receded, and there were still some wolf corpses left around, with bloodstains and broken arrows all over the ce. The canyon was so quiet that it was a bit creepy. He should have confirmed the news of Yoakam¡¯s death and returned immediately, but he looked around for a while more because of the eerie silence.

    In a trance, he seemed to see something standing deep in the canyon, a beast the size of a pony standing behind the mist, its hair unbothered by the wind.

    He was startled but as he fixed his eyes on it, there was nothing there. What was thought to be a beast was nothing more than fog floating in the deep valley; but even so, the knight could not help feel a chill down his spine.

    After the short ambush, the canyon plunged into this eerie atmosphere, which was even more frightening than when they were being chased by the wolves. He took a breath, seemingly ready to stabilize his emotions. I am a member of the Folded Sword Squad and one of the best of Kirrlutz¡¯s younger generation, how could I be frightened of a quiet canyon? How humiliating!

    But as he was about to exhale when he realized that something around him did not seem right.

    ¡°Ca-Captain .......¡±

    A stuttering voice came from behind him, it was the voice of his subordinate. The knight looked up suddenly, and at some point, a pair of cold, yellow eyes had appeared in front of him.

    ......

    ¡°Wolf-!¡±

    Little Pero, Brund, Maynild, and the crowd was silently waiting for a reassuring news toe back from below, but all they heard was a terrified scream.

    ¡°Ch-ch-¡± There was a soft sound, and a magic creature with a silver mane jumped down from nowhere andnded in front of everyone. The Pale Sons. The anxiety and uneasiness within Freya, became a reality instantly.

    Everyone knew that Yoakam was the one driving the Winter Wolves forward, and the one controlling the Pale Sons was the silver monster.

    Two then three of them, one after another, the demons came from above andnded around the group of Kirrlutzian knights. The Pale Sons neither let out a threatening roar nor ventured in, but simply surrounded them, with their heads held high, gazing at the humans with an icy gaze.

    Their eyes were full of whatever that should not belong there based on the beasts¡¯ intelligence, and that was what made everyone¡¯s heart drop.

    Freya was the first to react, she raised her head, with her light brown pupils retracting under the morning sun. She indeed saw several white figures appearing on the shimmering top of the cier.

    Somehow, the Pale Sons had appeared above as well. In other words, these demons had already begun to unfold their encirclement while they were still confidently ambushing Yoakam.

    How could this happen?

    Later ofst night, since the Pale Sons and the silver monster never appeared, everyone thought they had moved separately from Yoakam; but now it seemed that the fact was they had arrived here from early on.

    The young girl from Be felt her heart drop, Does this mean that the knights of the Folded Sword Squad had lied to me? But what good would it do them?

    She shook her head as hard as she could, hoping to throw this absurd idea out of her mind. The Kirrlutzians were in the same shoes as her at the moment, it was unlikely that they would lie about such a matter. That meant that their scouts had indeed not seen the Pale Sons that were behind the Winter Wolves.

    She could not help but look to Brund, who obviously was thinking the same as his face had turned pale too. He was the leader of the Folded Sword¡¯s scouts team after Anika¡¯s death, and right now the job had gone awry under his supervision.

    ¡°ck de.¡± Brund growled low as he burst out in anger.

    ¡°Captain, it¡¯s not my fault, I dare to swear in the name of the me King, I definitely didn¡¯t see the Pale Sons among the Winter Wolves ...... except for the four by Yoakam¡¯s side.¡± The knight who was called out had an aggrieved face and exined in a low voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s not his fault,¡± Freya was relieved when she saw the reaction of the two so she quickly whispered to stop the argument, ¡°These demons have gone around above us, which means they should have at least arrived before Yoakam; but it does not make sense, if so why would they watch Yoakam die?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s probably because the silver monster had a conflict with Yoakam itself.¡± Alea pressed his wound and stared at the monsters that surrounded them with a shrug.

    That was one of the possibilities, but Freya instinctively felt that that was not the truth of the matter.

    ¡°Demonic creatures, there are so many of them!¡± Shouts came from far down the canyon, ¡°Little Pero, Brund, Lord Commander, look out, they¡¯reing for you!¡±

    Then came the sound of fierce engagement- the sounds of man and beast fighting and killing each other.

    All the Kirrlutzians in the front row subconsciously raised their swords in their hands, which shone brightly in the cold air, and turned to face the demonic giant wolves that were baring their teeth.

    The next moment, a scream suddenly came from the crowd. Everyone looked back and saw that somehow a Pale Son hade among them and bit off the arm of a Folded Sword knight.

    The knight pressed against the bloody broken arm and pierced his sword into the left eye of the Pale Son. The Pale Son wailed and backed away immediately.

    The knight next to him then stepped forward to shield hispanion.

    ¡°Be careful, they know invisibility spells!¡± The knight with the broken arm shouted through gritted teeth.

    The faces of all the people changed.

    ¡°Watch out all around!¡± Freya shouted, remembering the tactics of the invisible ghosts she had seen in the middle of the forest, she instinctively felt that these invisible magical creatures might fight with the same tactic.

    Sure enough, a giant beast suddenly appeared on her left like flowing transparent liquid in the air, opened its huge mouth, and tried to bite her.

    But before it could bite her, an azure light emerged from Freya¡¯s armor, which was hard enough to block the teeth outside the wall of light.

    ¡°Half-te Wind Armor!¡± Brund cried.

    And at this time Maynild had taken a step forward to stab her sword into the throat of the stunned beast. Since the night Brando encountered the Crystal Stag, with the help of the raw energy stones, her improvement progress was rapid. The me of Gold burnt within her, as if she was ready for Elemental Activation. That sword sh, was a worthy illustration of the rapid progress of the female knight these days. The sword was shimmering with a faint ck aura that was imperceptible to outsiders, and it broke through the Dark Magic protection that covered the body of the Pale Son, piercing through its throat.

    As if it had not thought it would die so easily, the giant wolf struggled for a moment before copsing with a crash.

    ¡°This is the armor that he gave you?¡± Maynild asked as she drew her longsword back from the giant wolf¡¯s throat and wiped it on its silver mane.

    ¡°Well, yes ......¡±

    ¡°Although the Half-te Wind Armor is a standard armor, the one that has been passed down to this day is also worth a lot of money, and it looks like he cares a lot about you.¡± Maynild replied intentionally. Her nce made Freya¡¯s heart pound.

    Freya exhaled slightly. If it was not for the Half-te Wind Armor, the giant wolf would have bitten her entire right shoulder, shoulder de, and ****. She felt as if she could almost feel the cold and sharp teeth prating her body, and it would most likely have killed her.

    Brando had saved her once again. She could not count the number of times she had benefited from his grace.

    She gripped the sword in her hand before she came back to her senses and looked away, trying to avoid the odd gaze of her senior. She felt like her senior had other meanings to her words and she did not know how to respond.

    At this time, the knights and the Pale Sons were already in a fight; the Pale Sons¡¯ unexpected attack had put the Kirrlutzians in great disadvantage and loss. Without Freya¡¯s previous warning, the oue would have been more than just a heavy loss.

    However, the knights of the Folded Sword were taken back by the unexpected appearance of the magical creatures and was spread out. The Pale Sons seemed to have emerge from all directions by invisibility spells; these nightmares of the wintends were not as weak as their close rtives, the Twilight species. Even after a thousand years of being weak, they still retained a power level of at least Peak Silver to early Gold, and the Kirrlutzian knights were immediately put into a bitter fight against these difficult opponents.

    Or maybe it was not quite the right word, because, from the beginning, the young Folded Knights were already at a disadvantage and were gradually losing their formation and contact. Freya was then scattered along with Maynild, and by her side, only Alea and Brund were soon left, and even Little Pero was lost.

    ¡°Commander, which direction do we break out?¡± Alea asked with narrowed eyes from the side.

    Freya shook her head; all they could choose at the moment was to just move toward the center of the canyon and see if they could gather the others there.

    ¡°I still can¡¯t figure out where the hell these things areing from.¡± Brund could not help but curse, ¡°ck de could not be wrong, and if that silver monster is to our left, how could it stand by and watch Yoakam get killed. Even if they had a conflict, it would be easy to kill us, so why y this game of hide-and-seek with us?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that cats have the habit of teasing mice.¡± Alea replied.

    ¡°It is not a cat, and we are not mice.¡± Brund said with a little frustration.

    Freya listened to the conversation between the two and frowned. The same question was on her mind. She raised her head and carefully observed the smooth break at the top of the cier. From time to time, some Pale Sons jumped down from above andnded in the middle of the crowd.

    Seeing this scene, she suddenly had a jolt and remembered something.

    ¡°Brund, do you remember the direction those giant wolves came from?¡±

    ¡°Commander, they came from above the cier, obviously.¡±

    ¡°No, I meanst night.¡±

    Brund¡¯s face changed: ¡°From the forest, they came from the forest.¡±

    ¡°They can¡¯t be inhabiting the forest, the forest is the territory of Winter Wolves, and two kinds of wolves can¡¯t live together. If behind the forest is all this cier......¡±

    ¡°Wait, Sir Commander, are you saying ......?¡± Brund reacted at once.

    ¡°I remember Brando often told some legends about the Deadly Tundra; the center of the forest is a huge maze, which is the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator of Milos, the Frost Giant. I suddenly remembered, this is not a cier, but the outer wall of the Holy Cathedral of the Hibernator......¡±

    ¡°These magical creatures ...... areing from inside the Cathedral.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡± Alea finally heard the conversation between the two, ¡°You mean, these monsters reside here? This is theirir?¡± This news, which would have made people frown, made him sound happy instead, ¡°Commander, you mean that the magical creatures we see here did not arrive here first, but are wild, so they have nothing to do with that silver monster?¡±

    It sounded as if he was relieved to not have to deal with that silver monster.

    But unfortunately Freya obviously did not think so, the hunch had gradually became reality, and at this moment the chaos in her mind became a thousand times clearer.

    She raised her head and looked at the three: ¡°I was wondering, if these magical creatures came from here, which then, where did that silver monstere from?¡±

    Brund and Alea¡¯s faces suddenly changed, and even Maynild raised her eyebrow.

    And it was at this moment that a sharpugh interrupted Freya¡¯s words.

    ¡°Indeed the descendant of the War Goddess, so sharp.¡±

    Freya suddenly widened her eyes and shouted, ¡°Watch out, Brund, behind you!¡±

    ......

 Chapter 761 - v4c135 Breaking Cocoon (2)

    <h4>Chapter 761 v4c135</h4>

    Breaking Cocoon (2)

    Freya saw Brund subconsciously turned back, but his entire body seemed to be suddenly pushed from behind as his chest thrust forward, and a blood-stained silver spike pierced through from under his chest armor. Brund grunted, with his eyes opened wide, as if he had gotten a heavy blow; he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something to her, but as soon as he opened his mouth, blood foam caused by his pierced lung immediately gushed out from the corner of his mouth.

    ¡°No-!¡± Although it is not the first time witnessing death on the battlefield, this time was different; this time she was themander, which meant that everyone¡¯s lives were in her hands. The trust Brund and the others had in such a mediocremander like her was exchanged for a cold-blooded death.

    All because of her decision.

    It was wrong.

    She saw the silver monster converge behind Brund like mercury, first the torso, then the head, and in the blink of an eye it had taken shape. The silver face without features, a crescent-shaped mouth like a silent mockery- it seemed to be mocking her and amander¡¯s tactlessness and weakness. She warned him, but her warning came toote, but just by a little.

    The pale, calm face of the dead Lyse, the burning vige among the Yulsong mountains, and Brund, who was now staring at her with a blood-stained face and wide eyes, all seemed to sh before her eyes at once.

    ¡°Monster!¡±

    ¡°Monster¨C!¡± Freya felt as if the blood in her body had frozen, she subconsciously and stiffly drew her longsword and her duties as amander had long been thrown to the back of her mind. She was like a warrior who felt her blood boil and rushed through her body, she wanted to put her life on the line to avenge herpanion so as to make up for her shame.

    But it was at this time that a roar was heard, overpowering her voice instead.

    ¡°Monster!¡± She heard Alea ¨C the same rugged fellow who had always seemed to have a problem with Brund ¨C make this sound as if he were snarling, with bloodshot eyes, and almost without thinking, he elbowed the giant wolf lunging at him and knocked it away, then turned back and shed his sword at the silvery monster, snarling, ¡°You damned beast!¡±

    Such a scene seemed to freeze and slow down in her eyes, making here back to her senses. Everyone could lose their minds out of anger, but she as amander did not have the right to do so.

    Day after day, she thought of her days studying in the Royal Cavalry Academy and the person that opened the door to another world for her; she came from the countryside of Be, an awkward girl who came as a rmended student to a ce she had never heard of before and had never dared to think about, with nothing but fear and anxiety in her heart. And while everyone around her soared in their achievements, she had to memorize the knowledge that seemedmon to the others. Just because everyone else was so brilliant, she had to follow suit and work twice as hard as the others, but even so, she was still the Cindere who carried the princess¡¯ long dress.

    [Note: Cindere who carried the princess¡¯ long dress= Someone who lives in other¡¯s shadow; someone with insignificant status.]

    But she did not choose to give up, or rather, did not dare to give up ¨C

    ¡±The nobles will eventually give up the Be people, because the weak have no choice to make decisions.¡±

    ¡±Freya, you have to go to this ce if you want to change the fate of the group.¡±

    It was like a lightning bolt in the dark night, and like a voice that was heard only by her, telling her something.

    ¡°Freya, you can not make your efforts go to waste, you have persevered all the days and nights in the academy, you have aplished all the things that you did not dare to think about before.

    You¡¯ve worked twice as hard as anyone else, isn¡¯t that what you¡¯re trying to prove right now? You can do it, you are no worse than anyone else. One day, the Be people will be able to dominate their own destiny and take back the lostnd.

    ¡±Brundl ......¡±

    This murmur turned into an assertivemand, ¡°Alea, I order you toe back!¡±

    Brund, whose mouth was full of blood, looked at her in surprise. He opened his mouth, but it closed right away as he did not have the strength to make a single sound.

    Alea¡¯s longsword had chopped at the monster¡¯s right arm.

    The sword shed the monster¡¯s mercury-like arm like a hot knife cutting through butter, but it was ineffective. As soon as the de cut through, the wound recovered.

    The silver monster turned back, expression unchanged ¨C or no expression at all, with only its big mouth cracked open, it let out a hollow sneer. It then waved its left hand and swept a stream of silver metal-like long whip towards the side of the knight¡¯s neck.

    But a ck de suddenly sliced between the two.

    ¡°Dang ¨C ¡± The long, narrow de of the sword turned around, causing the metal stream to crashpletely on top of the spine of the sword, scattering into countless water droplet-like silver particles.

    Maynild drew her sword back swiftly and cleanly before she looked back at Freya with some surprise. The girl from Be who had her cheeks flushed red and her facial expression marked with remorse and regret, was left with nothing but determination that could be seen through her eyes.

    She had seen such a look before, in another dream; and only asionally when this clumsy little girl was struggling to learn to keep up with the crowd.

    ¡°Hurry ...... re-retreat ......¡±

    Brund finally managed to force out a sound this moment.

    ¡°I¡¯ll never leave you, you stupid bastard, Brund!¡± Alea replied with a burst of anger.

    ¡°Protect themander ......¡± Brund¡¯s mouth opened and closed as if he was trying to say the words.

    Freya felt like crying when she looked at the young knight who could barely speak, but she understood that she could not lose herposure at all. ¡°There must be a silver lining in a desperate situation¡± ¨C this was a famous saying from ¡°Introduction to the War of the Waldenses¡±.

    ¡±That monster ising for itself¨C¡±

    ¡±It wanted to kill us.¡±

    ¡±But with the Pale Sons, it is not enough.¡±

    ¡±It must not be messed up, Freya.¡±

    The silver monster drew back its blood-stained right hand from behind Brund¡¯s back and nced at Alea who was lunging at itself like a mad dog, but it did not care about this insignificant human and proceed to turn its gaze to Freya, if it even had eyes at all.

    Alea¡¯s second sword sh came as expected, and at the same moment Brund was released by the monster, he fell weakly to his knees as if drained of strength.

    All this happened in just a sh of lightning.

    ¡°Senior Maynild, please go and cooperate with Alea!¡± Freya suddenly whispered.

    Maynild paused slightly; she did not turn around, but asked, ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing, Freya?¡±

    ¡°We still have a chance to save Brund.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sure of that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±

    The female knight gave a slight nod, ¡°You are themander, I trust you.¡± With that, she drew her longsword and stood with Alea with each on one side to face the silver monster.

    Freya opened her mouth, standing in the cold wind, fingertips a little pale. She never understood why Brando and Maynild senior believed in her so much. The academy had so many other people with more potential, why did they choose me? Is this the real-life story of the ugly duckling? Or is it because they saw their past in me?

    These were not reliable, it might be possible for Brando, but not for senior Maynild; she once inquired about the other party¡¯s past, her background was so good to the point that one could not be jealous. If there were a million stars shining in the sky, Maynild must had been the brightest one.

    Even if Freya was confident, she would not think she had anything inmon with such a person, and the same for Brando. Besides Maynild, could one find someone better than him?

    It was hard for her to believe.

    Freya did not understand a lot of things, and sometimes always felt that the world was tooplicated for her, but the good thing was, she understood one thing.

    For her, there was only one Be.

    She came back to her senses after just a momentary trance; she did not have much time left, she must immediatelye up with a decision. She raised her head, as if she had gathered all the courage in her body to raise her voice calmly, and gave this order.

    ¡°Senior Maynild, Alea, you stop that monster,¡± then she took out the trombone from her waist ¨C themand trombone of the Kirrlutzians, the witness of the glory of the Folded Sword Squad. Brund and Little Pero gave this trombone to her for safekeeping, a heavy trust in itself, and without hesitation, Freya gathered inhaled deeply and blew hard.

    ¡°Whoo-ooh...¡±

    The long sound of the horn resounded through the valley, trembling but distant as if it contained a rambling whisper from the ancient times; when the horn rang through the mountains, not only the wolves in the valley but also the knights who were fighting alone, heard it.

    As if subconsciously, they tilted their heads to listen.

    ¡°Knights of the Folded Sword Squad, don¡¯t fight alone, lean towards me and rendezvous at the bottom of the valley, we have a chance to win if we are united in our will.¡±

    A voice echoed between the valley.

    The young girl¡¯s voice was calmer and steadier than what she imagined. Before this, she could not believe that she could remain calm in such a situation.

    The young men of the Folded Sword Squad looked back while defending themselves from the enemy and saw the silver g that had been torn and tattered between the rushing wolves.

    As long as the g was still there, the Folded Sword would still fight through their way.

    The knights let out a roar in unison.

    ¡°Retreat? Don¡¯t even think about it, don¡¯t presume tomand in front of me, who do you think you are?¡± only Alea continued yelling, ¡°Brund, hold on, I¡¯ll get you back in a minute!¡±

    Freya was as if she did not hear what he said, she stared at the monster while Alea attacked the silver monster like a madman; Maynild was assisting him, the female knight often did not attack, but only stalled the attack of the silver monster, exactly like what Freya had ordered- covering Alea to save Brund.

    The monster seemed to sense the movement on the battlefield; it raised its head, and although its face had no hint of expression, the young girl from Be actually sensed the anxiety within it for the first time ever.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to get me, monster, you¡¯ve lost your chance.¡±

    She stared at the other party and said word by word.

    After saying that, she held up the makeshift ¡®battle g¡¯ with one hand while turning around and retreating towards the bottom of the valley. Among the several people present, only Maynild, who had been watching the movement behind her, and Brund, who was kneeling on the ground, noticed her move.

    There was a sh of light in the female knight¡¯s eyes, but Brund reacted before she did.

    ¡°Stop it!¡± The young knight on his knees seemed to tremble for a moment, and suddenly let out a hoarse roar, ¡°Alea, or I¡¯ll cut you off!¡±

    Maynild subconsciously tried to turn around, but she had only just turned around when a mercury-like curtain hadpletely divided her from Alea on the other side.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to run, the trick from a thousand years ago won¡¯t work anymore!¡±

    A cold voice crossed over her and instantly lunged in Freya¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything foolish, Freya, do you know what are you carrying?!¡± The female knight¡¯s heart drop, she suddenly understood Freya¡¯s real intention, but what she did not expect was that the child had learned to lie to her.

    The next moment, the mercury-like curtain had knocked her and Alea out of the way.

    ......

 Chapter 762 - v4c136 Breaking Cocoon (3)

    Chapter 762 v4c136

    Breaking Cocoon (3)

    Sensing that the monster was approaching, Freya felt incredibly nervous but also a little excited. Much like tightrope walking, the activity puts the daredevil on thin ice; Irreversible danger would arrive as soon as a mishap happened. However, it was always moments like this that boost one¡¯s confidence. The momentary sharpness of her mind had brought out her abnormal potential.

    So this was what an adventure felt like.

    Yet, the monster was closing in speedily. When Freya whipped her head around after running a few steps forward, it was already in her proximity. It was faster than expected. Freya¡¯s anxiety grew. She willed to hasten her footsteps but she was concerned about attacks from the surrounding Pale Sons; it was at that very moment that a Pale Son flew straight into the back of her shoulder. The strength gap between silver and gold had Freya feeling like a dragon had crashed into her. She was thrown forward. The impact forced her into a few rolls on the snowy ground. The g in her grip was thrown out to a distance in the process.

    ¡°Mmph.¡± Freya made a silent noise. Before she could even register the pain, the monster¡¯s footsteps could be hearding from behind. She hurriedly mbered up and picked up her g. The Pale Son earlier seemed relentless, choosing to trail her again after making a round behind.

    Oh, right.

    Freya¡¯s light brown eyes settled. She took a deep breath and deliberately slowed down. As anticipated, the huge wolf took the bait. It growled lowly and pounced- which was exactly what Freya was waiting for. In that split second, she slightly inclined her body to the side, allowing the Pale Son to brush her by. The wolf¡¯s sharp ws brought along a backset that grazed her cheek painfully. Blood was seeping through the light cuts created but the girl couldn¡¯t care less. Once the distance between her and the wolf was closed, Freya leapt hard and threw herself onto its wide spine.

    The Pale Son immediately noticed that something was off. It roared and tossed around in an attempt to push Freya off the wolf¡¯s back. This was Freya¡¯s hard-earned opportunity, she was not about to let it have its way. With one hand, she strangled the demon¡¯s neck with her g pole tightly. With the other hand, she pulled on the Pale Son¡¯s long silver hair. They could twist and throw however they wish but Freya was not getting off her spot.

    Shocked and enraged, the Pale Son let out a low howl and began to dash maniacally. It was almost as if it wanted to borrow the chaos to push Freya off. Unbeknownst to it, its dash was what Freya was looking for. Though the Pale Son had only possessed Lower Gold to Middle rank powers and definitely much weaker than the silver monster; and thought its ranking had decided its physical constituent, there were no guaranteed gaps in other aspects.

    Just like how a normal adult could never outrun a normal grey wolf or the difference between a wizard and a warrior at the same level of strength, this had nothing to do with power ranks. This was purely a focus on difference.

    The Pale Son and the silver monster were simr. The silver monster was skilled at closebat and was able to use various magic. Its strength and dexterity were excellent, it was obviously a well-rounded warrior. Though the Pale Sons were four-legged canine animals of the Twilight species¡¯ variation, it still retained some of its basic beast abilities. Speed was one of them.

    Freya wasn¡¯t all that knowledgeable. If Brando was present, he would¡¯ve analyzed it for her. But for a country bumpkin from Be with the slightest training received, it didn¡¯t take much for her to understand that the wolf could run faster than her.

    That was more than enough.

    Caught in the chaos, Freya could barely open her eyes due to the wind. The bangs that curtained her forehead were dancing wildly and her tears were spilling due to the harshness of the wind. Hence, she chose to mp her eyes shut and focus on pulling the Pale Son¡¯s hair. The violent demon was growing aggressive. With no reservations, all of its limbs were off the ground. When the shake was strong, the heavy collision of the breastte against her chest made Freya want to cough out loud. There were several instances where she was almost thrown away because of a ckened grip.

    But fortunately, she took the time to look back. The silver monster had been left far behind. Though, she found it strange- Why did that thing bore so much hatred towards her? Yet, even so, it still continued to hang far behind her all the time. It seemed to have said something like ¡®Goddess of War¡¯. Freya too recalled Brando saying the same thing to her. But Vaunte never had a War Goddess. Be it the Kirrlutzians or the Aouines and even the gods worshipped by the Wind Elves, there was only the War Dragon.

    Unfortunately, she soon ran out of time to consider such detail. The Pale Son had brought her across a huge span of the battlefield and soon they would arrive at the valley¡¯s bottom. Like a gust of wind, they passed through several locations where warriors were still battling against the giant wolves. Freya squinted her eyes amidst the strong wind to peer ahead.

    The bottom of the cial Canyon was just right ahead.

    She gritted her teeth and remained a hard grip on the wolf¡¯s silver fur while reducing the pressure over its neck. Just as they passed a soft snowy ground, Freyanded the g on it.

    ¡°Knights, gather around!¡±

    Freya¡¯s shout echoed around the mountains, the war g erected proudly at the bottom of the canyon. Surrounded by a pack of wolves, it was difficult to make out what was underneath the war g. At the same moment the g was erected, the Pale Son had carried the Be bumpkin into a narrow gap among the cier. Instinctively, Freya reached for the horn on her waist. She feared that her voice could not reach the others. Unfortunately, as the Pale Son shook violently, she lost her grip and the horn went flying away.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Freya was almost dumb-founded. The horn was a token of the Folded Sword Squad. Little Pero and the others had reminded her repeatedly to take good care of it. She wasn¡¯t expecting to lose it now. As the horn broke into several pieces against the hard icy surface, it was not difficult to imagine how upset Freya was.

    ¡°You damned animal!¡± screamed the girl, visibly irritated.

    But the giant wolf was even more displeased than she was. How could it be pleased for the little rat stuck to its back hadn¡¯t been lost after several miles? Suddenly, it felt the woman on its back loosen her grip. It immediately screeched to a halt and tossed its body sideways. The abrupt halt had produced great energy that waspletely reflected on Freya.

    Before she could even say anything, the inertia had lifted her off the back of the Pale Son. She hadn¡¯t foreseen this change at all. When she realized that she was in the air, her heart felt like it was about to jump out of her throat. Even in that situation, Freya¡¯s mind was still sharp. She had yet to let go, her left grip still tight around a tuft of silver mane.

    Though she thought her arm was about to be twisted off, the tight grip had ultimately saved her life. She made a round in the air like a ragdoll before returning with a heavy thud onto the Pale Son¡¯s back. The impact of thending had her burst into tears.

    Even the Pale Son couldn¡¯t help but let out a low growl. It was obvious that the sensation was ufortable for it as well. But of course, its growl had borne more frustration and unsettledness as the pesky little rat on its back wasn¡¯ting off no matter how it tried.

    Having dashed a couple of miles, the demon was panting. It was almost like it had inherited the simrities of its species- Great explosive force butcklustre stamina. It had to slow down a little and it even had the idea of rolling on the ground in an attempt to peel Freya off its back.

    But Freya had received enough of its torment. She was not about to let it rest. Just as the demon showed signs of rolling over, Freya was shocked. As if the moment had arrived, she drew her dagger from her boot and drove it into the Pale Son¡¯s hip.

    This was a subconscious decision. There were several unique approaches to stimte warhorses, as taught in riding lessons. Although warhorses were the most intimate partners of the cavalry, knights had to learn these skills to face different circumstances on the battlefield in the absence of spurs.

    Freya was applying everything she learnt, directly utilizing her knowledge on the Pale Son beneath her. And it worked as expected. The giant wolf let out a pitiful howl, its voice filled to the brim with displeasure and wrath. Sure enough, the pain had caused the demon to pick up its pace. It was almost as if it was desperate to escape the scary woman on its back. It rushed forward.

    As it dashed, Freya continued to cling to the wolf tightly. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this misery waspletely self-inflicted.

    This run continued for an extended period. Clung to the wolf¡¯s back, Freya could only sense the changing scenery shing by. They were moving faster and faster. The ice walls lining both sides looked like it was oneplete piece, almost akin to a pale blue light.

    She was in awe. Who would¡¯ve thought that these demons were capable of such speed? No wonder it could track them down easily in the forest. Most knights in the Folded Sword Squad were of Gold rank No regr person could track them down, let alone catching up to them.

    As she was deep in thought, her vision ahead went nk. After the cial gap was an open valley. At the bottom of the valley, the cliffs stretched on with their rocky walls covered in thick ice and snow.

    At this moment, Freya abruptly felt the giant wolf beneath it fall to its knees. Losing its centre of gravity, it tumbled forward. The female knight on its back was not spared from the fall. This time, the tuft of silver wolf mane that brought her luck could not save her. Freya was thrust into the air and with a scream, shended among the snow.

    ¡°Ah!¡± screamed the girl in agony.

    It took her a moment to recollect herself and mber out of the snow. Sheid t on the ground, unable to pick herself up. She had no strength left and she felt like she was falling apart.

    Thinking back at the series of events, fear couldn¡¯t help but seize her heart. She would¡¯ve never dreamt of experiencing something like this. This was all too crazy. Freya had no idea what influenced her decision, it wasn¡¯t like her at all.

    ¡°If this goes on, I¡¯m going to end up like that fe...¡±

    She clenched her jaw and forced herself to sit up. Instinctively checking her surroundings, she noticed the silver humanoid figure approaching her from a distance.

    Freya was startled. She was expecting the monster to still be chasing after her. Just how much did it hate her?! She turned to check on the fallen Pale Son- all signs of life were gone. Perhaps it had suffered sudden death from over-exhaustion.

    ¡°Ah, this can¡¯t be it...¡±

    Freya panicked, probably not expecting herself to kill a Pale Son in that manner. If she was still in Be, this would¡¯ve been a great topic to boast around. But this wasn¡¯t the case for now. She painstakingly stood up. Earlier, she desperately hoped to kill the wolf. But now that her temporary transport was dead, she couldn¡¯t help but bite her lip and worry.

    The monster was closing in soon and it was practically impossible for her to outrun it. Freya frantically studied her surroundings. She needed to figure something out fast!

 Chapter 763 - v4c137 Breaking Cocoon (4)

    Chapter 763 v4c137

    Breaking Cocoon (4)

    Freya nced around. The open area was vastly different from the entrance of the earlier canyon. At least the towering blue ciers, cracks along the ice and narrow openings were no longer in sight. The geography was no longer confusing- There were noyers of scattered ice walls along with ice cones and ice beams that stretched on forever. The only thing visible was the steep canyon walls and the open valley bottom, which was nketed by ayer of soft snow that rolled off the cliff.

    She took the scene in curiously as she limped over to one of the canyon walls. Her steps were imbnced, the force asionally tugging on her wound painfully, each spike of difort forcing her to suck in a mouthful of winter air. Freya¡¯s shoulder armour was missing a piece and her breastte waspletely out of shape. The girl was in such an incredibly flustered state.

    After a distance, she lifted her head and studied the white cliffs. The valley¡¯s end could not be seen at all, it just seemed to stretch on infinitely. Freya took another look back, the monster was already getting close.

    She clenched her teeth tight, trying to think if there was anything on her that could be useful. Her dagger was lodged in the Pale Son¡¯s body. She had forgotten to retrieve it before leaving but it wouldn¡¯t be of much use either in the current situation.

    The only weapon left was the Lionheart Sword, which had been in good care, along with some misceneous belongings. Freya rummaged through her satchel, only finding a few day¡¯s worth of dried food that had been frozen solid by the cold. Underneath it was a jar of wild berry jam made by Romaine, something that even Brando didn¡¯t possess. This was an item that Freya declined constantly and it wasn¡¯t meant to be a joke. The merchant¡¯s cooking standards were akin to the fairytale witches.

    But again, it wasn¡¯t that Romaine was bad at cooking. The merchant¡¯s creativity was just far too spontaneous, she had a tendency to add unorthodox ingredients into her creations.

    Then, she found six of the Explosive Crystals gifted by Amandina. Initially, she was supposed to share this with Brando equally but thetter had found no use for it. That was why he gave all of the crystals to her, saying that it would be useful against unforeseen emergencies during the ambush.

    As she studied all the items, Freya stroked the ring around her finger in a daze. She felt slightly calmer now. The ruby ring was first given to her by Brando. She had returned the ring to Brando on the day he left for Braggs out of concern for his safety.

    And then a year passed when they finally met again. Compared to their first encounter, Brando was much stronger now. Naturally, the ring was no longer useful to him anymore. Hence, the ring was returned again. The exchange of rings between the both of them held a special meaning to the girl.

    It looked like she wasn¡¯t out of options but the only usable things were the Explosive Crystals and ring. Fireball skills could be manifested with the ruby ring. Freya had already used it once in the battle yesterday, it should be charged with enough power soon. However, yesterday had proven that fireballs were not effective against the monster. She couldn¡¯t ce much hope in the Explosive Crystals either.

    Freya looked up. She was getting closer to the cliff¡¯s wall. She turned around, the silver monster had arrived at the bottom of the valley. There was barely a mile between them now. To the monster, this distance was only about a finger snap away.

    Freya took a deep breath, anxiety pooling at the bottom of her heart. She suddenly recalled that there was something else that could be useful, quickly rattling her satchel bucket open. The heavy te was indeed inside in undamaged condition.

    She sighed in relief. The te was a gift from Brando. She could still remember the odd legends Brando ryed when he handed the te to her. It had something to do with the War Goddess and bloodlines, but she couldn¡¯t understand a single thing. Brando too hadn¡¯t bothered to provide any exnation. Seeing that there was a corrtion between the te and her predicament, the faintest hope was birthed. Perhaps the te might be her saviour.

    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t take long for the girl to notice that the te still looked the same as it did normally. No matter how she fiddled with it, it gave no response. In other words, it was no different from a regr piece of rock, just that it was icy due to the harsh temperature.

    A sigh escaped her. This wasn¡¯t the first time she doubted Brando¡¯s judgement. It was just a rock... And the te wasn¡¯t anything novel either. Many ck markets in Vaunte would market some sort of rune te as a scheme. From ancient documents to rune bs used by first-generation witches, the only thing they had inmon was its inauthenticity.

    ¡°Did Brando fall for some scam...?¡±

    Freya began to entertain irrelevant thoughts in an attempt to calm her nerves. But even so, she could only beat herself up over herpulsive decision. She certainly hadn¡¯t thought this through. She wasn¡¯t the only one at risk, everyone waspromised.

    Though she wasn¡¯t sure if she was a stubbornmander, Freya understood one thing- When everyone needed to gamble for a slight chance during a desperate situation, she had toe forward and shoulder the responsibility.

    If she failed, Freya might face death or even doubts. Brando would be struck with troubles too.

    Despite that, she decided to gamble.

    Brando didn¡¯t want a in Freya. She too shared the sentiment. At this moment, she felt like she could understand the hope in Maynild¡¯s eyes.

    This was her final attempt. Freya wiped the blood on her forehead and smudged some on the te, just like the necessary process for a divine tool to recognize its master in the knight novels. Though this seemed a little stupid, her failure was sadly the reality. The te hadn¡¯t changed the slightest bit.

    She couldn¡¯t help but feel defeated.

    In the next moment, she suddenly halted in her tracks.

    Freya silently gazed upwards, the silver figure was indeed in her field of vision. At some point, the monster had managed to circle to her front. She wasn¡¯t expecting their gap to be so small after such a short moment.

    However, this time, she made no move to back away or flee. Freya unsheathed the Lionheart swordnguidly.

    Adjusting her grip on the hilt, she stood still and grounded herself. Almost as if her nerves had dissipated, Freya¡¯s light brown eyes were concentrated into a firm gaze as she pointed the tip of her sword at the silver monster.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to run?¡± A hollow, mocking voice rolled out of the silver monster¡¯s wide mouth. ¡°You put yourself at risk to lure me to this ce so that you can sacrifice yourself for the sake of yourrades?¡±

    ¡°ording to human standards, I guess your actions can be considered noble.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s just a pity that such behaviour is nothing in the infinite flow of time and the whole wide world. It¡¯s essentially pointless. Your choice is destined to be meaningless.¡±

    Freya allowed it to speak patiently, using the downtime to ease her bodily pain. She gave its words no response but a quiet muttering, ¡°That¡¯s enough bullshit, monster.¡±

    The monster jolted slightly in surprise before it broke into a bark of maniacalughter.

    ¡°What were you trying to say? Don¡¯t tell me you actually see yourself as the War Goddess? There¡¯s merely a speckle of the bloodline flowing through your veins. It means nothing,¡± came the silver monster¡¯s jeer. ¡°Alright, little girl. It¡¯s about time to end this game.¡±

    It raised its hand. With its right arm morphed into a silver de, it lunged forward for Freya.

    Freya had seen this tactic before. She held her sword and ¨C ng!- blocked the monster¡¯s arm de. Though she had received the attack with the correct sword technique, she did not consider the power difference between them. As soon as the Lionheart sword came in contact with the arm de, Freya immediately felt that something was wrong. Almost like a merciless storm, its power was channelled through the contact point of the swords. She couldn¡¯t respond in time and was thrown into the snow.

    Despite the soft snow, the heavy fall was stronger than Freya¡¯s earlier impact. She could feel the concave state of her breastte. The armour piece was pressed into her ribs, causing fractures and driving the shards into her lung. Immediately, Freya began to spit blood.

    ¡°Wah.¡± Another mouthful of blood escaped her lips. She could only bear the pain and roll to the side on reflex. The monster had indeed morphed its de into a whip. The whip struck her initial spot, flipping snow up in the process.

    The silver monster probably wasn¡¯t expecting a Silver rank fe to be so sharp. It was stunned momentarily but quickly came to a realization. It had been repeating attacks from earlier but the girl had managed to remember everything at first nce.

    Since it had realized that, it quickly changed its approach. This time, it morphed its right arm into a spear and began stabbing it in the direction where Freya was rolling to.

    All movements were calcted in advance. Under normal circumstances, there was no way Freya could avoid this blow. Suddenly, a dazzling light began to glow amongst the snow and a pair of golden light wings fluttered open. With a light p, the wings brought Freya away from the ground, allowing her to avoid the attack.

    ¡°An iplete War Goddess?¡± The silver monster looked up. Freya was already pping her wings for the skies. Her eyes were aplete silver and the mark of the War Goddess shined once again on her forehead. It was radiant.

    She had once disyed such ability during a cavalier tournament by ident. Then, it was used again during the battle of Ampere Seale. This was the third time she had triggered the mark of the War Goddess duringbat but this instance was visibly much more skilled than before.

    Ever since she received the raw energy stones from Brando, her powers had grown significantly. After entering Milo¡¯s Dying Breath, she was already in the Upper Silver category. And at this moment, she had transcended into Gold rank, though with some external help.

    Taking advantage of the silver monster¡¯s stunned state, Freya wasn¡¯t about to ck off. She adjusted her wings, turned around and began flying towards the canyon walls.

    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?!¡± The silver monster wasn¡¯t expecting the human girl to start escaping again in its daze. The monster was shocked and angry, it quickly began to chase after her. Unfortunately for it, Freya in the War Goddess mode was faster. Before long, she neared the wall.

    As soon as she reached the wall, Freya halted abruptly and made a circle in the air. She had circled to the adjacent cliff.

    The silver monster tilted its head upwards, suddenly realizing the girl¡¯s strategy. It growled, ¡°How dare you!¡±

    Freya paid the monster no mind. But of course, the Be bumpkin was nervous as hell. She feared that she¡¯d miss a step, hence the silence to its angry questions. She couldn¡¯t even afford to think about provoking it.

    She swept across the snow and came behind the monster. Freya raised her hand and the ruby ring gleamed. ¡°Fme.¡± An unfamiliar word rolled past her lips. The ring glowed bright and a basin-sized fireball came whizzing out.

    The fireball wasn¡¯t a threat at all to the silver monster. Yet, it wasn¡¯t weak by all means. When it dragged its long tail to the rocky wall above the monster¡¯s head, the true capability of the spell was properly showcased.

    The fireball had struck a spot with a thick nket of snow and the spell had happened to explode on the supporting rocks below. The huge fire st created by the fireball was enough to crack the rocky wall open. The snow above began to slide downwards. An abnormal avnche was about to ur.

    But this was not the end.

    When Freya flew by the pile of snow earlier, she had thrown the six exploding crystals onto it one by one. The magical fluctuations generated by the fireball explosion earlier had detonated these unstable energy polymers instantly.

    In that split moment, multiple bright clusters of light were produced along the top of the cliffs. The explosion sound shook the whole valley and the supporting rock walls fell apart. Snow began to cascade like a ruthless flood, rushing straight for the silver monster.

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh! Damn it!¡± The silver monster finally let out an angry screech.

    But Freya¡¯s eyes went wide.

    The monster¡¯s screams were not out of fear but out of wrath. It was angry because it was toyed with. It quickly buried its head as thin strips of liquid silver began to grow out of its back like water droplets. Soon, the metal strips had be a pair of long silver wings.

    It could fly!

    ¡°Shit...¡± Freya¡¯s heart went cold.

 Chapter 764 - v4c138 Breaking Cocoon (4)

    Chapter 764 v4c138

    Breaking Cocoon (4)

    The avnche came like raging waves, threatening to cover anything in its path. However, the silver monster had spread its wings and it began to vibrate like dragonfly wings. It quickly rose off the ground.

    The silver monster lunged towards Freya. No calction was needed for her to anticipate that. With the current speed of the avnche, the monster was almost certainly able to avoid it.

    In that split second, thoughts shed through her mind. She seemed to have arrived at a decision subconsciously. The golden wings of light stretched wider, lifting her higher into the air. Freya was then rushing towards the silver monster.

    At that moment-

    The crescent moon-like mocking smirk across the silver monster¡¯s featureless face finally went stiff.

    ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡±

    It screeched in surprise.

    Like a golden shooting star, Freya collided with the silver monster head-on. The monster tried to force her away by waving its arm de crazily but she was unfazed. Not only did she not scoot away, but she also did not shy away either. Freya allowed its de to slide through her lower abdomen. Under the monster¡¯s attack, the girl¡¯s armour felt almost like a thinyer of paper. The slit was elongated and rosy blood began to splutter out mindlessly. Despite that, the girl continued to push on the monster¡¯s waist, forcing it backwards violently.

    Her strength was far less powerful than the enemy. But this was no longer a skewed battle of life and death. Past this momentary inconvenience, everything would be easier.

    ¡°No.¡±

    The silver monster¡¯s rising momentum was only paused for a mere second and the avnche had smashed down on it. In the face of the invincible force of nature, everything felt as insignificant as dust. Freya and the silver monster were just small glowing dots in the midst of the cascading pale snow, soon they vanished out of sight.

    ...

    On the other end of the valley.

    The battle between the Folded Sword Squad and the Pale Sons had reached its peak. Relying on guidance provided by the war g Freya nted, the knights finally converged. Their strength was not inferior to these demons, some of them even possessed superior powers. However, the Pale Sons had the upper hand for a while through the advantage of surprise attacks and numbers.

    When the knights had converged, the giant wolves on the other end of the forest could no longer receivemands from the silver monster. The tables were immediately turned. The knights utilized the narrow spaces of the canyon strategically to stop the winter wolves¡¯ attacks. Both ends had received significant damages and the ambush attack had morphed into a stalemate trench warfare.

    This was great news to the humans as they were at a disadvantage since the beginning. However, the Pale Sons¡¯ waves of attacks had proven to be difficult to withstand. After Brund was retrieved by Alea and Maynild, he had fallen unconscious. Maynild had the mind to search for Freya but she was surrounded heavily by the wolf pack with the other knights. It was obviously difficult to get past the wolves.

    Little Pero, on the other hand, had managed to bring Lolo and the others back from the other side. Their side had suffered even more losses. Almost everyone was injured, especially after a night of chasing and fleeing. At this moment, even the toughest Kirrlutzians couldn¡¯t help but pant.

    Everyone didn¡¯t look too well.

    But Lolo had been staring at the other end of the valley neurotically.

    ¡°Did you hear something?¡± asked Little Pero, noticing Lolo¡¯s odd behaviour. He knew that Lolo lived in the mountains. Among everyone, he was the one with the sharpest senses.

    ¡°I think I heard an explosion.¡±

    Physical over-exhaustion had gotten to Lolo, causing his eyes to go dull and his forehead to be drenched in cold sweat. Despite his weakened state, Lolo¡¯s answer came after a momentary pause to listen closely.

    ¡°Is it support?¡± Someone asked loudly.

    ¡°I¡¯m just afraid it isn¡¯t. Maybe themander created it,¡± answered Little Pero, shaking his head.

    Maynild furrowed her brows. She was aware of the ruby ring and Explosive Crystals on Freya. It had been at least an hour since Freya¡¯s departure. There had been no news of her and the monster had yet to turn back. Maynild was certain about the power gap between the monster and Freya. Even if Freya had activated the mark of the War Goddess, the monster wouldn¡¯t take more time than defeating both Alea and Brund to defeat Freya.

    They weren¡¯t on the same level since the beginning.

    ¡°I think you should worry about yourselves.¡± Alea waspletely drenched in blood, he was panting harshly beside Brund. The new wounds were sustained when he rescued Brund. If the injury courtesy of the Pale Son yesterday was considered a tiny souvenir, this would be a medal that weighed one ton.

    Alea had lost all ability to fight. If the Folded Sword Squad was forced to leave now, he and Brund would be made to stay behind.

    Even so, it did nothing to change his annoying personality.

    The bastard was still a doomsayer as usual. However, matters had progressed out of his expectations. Out of the blue, the frontmost knights had let out a loud shout. Little Pero sensed something, quickly pushing past the crowd to get a clear view. An unfathomable scene had presented itself before their eyes.

    All the Pale Sons, near and far, swayed and halted their assaults. They looked as if they were drunk, slumping one by one onto the ground. Then, their bodies began to emit ck smoke. It was almost as if they were evaporating under the sun, turning into ashes gradually until dull dark magic crystals were all that were left in the snow.

    The phenomenon wasn¡¯t singr nor was it limited to any particr pack of wolves. All hundreds of the Pale Sons near and far had doubled over at the same time and turned into dark smoke. The spectacr sight had stunned every knight present.

    ¡°These demons were indeed summoned.¡± Little Pero quickly responded. ¡°Looks like ourmander had aplished something amazing.¡±

    He turned around to look at Maynild.

    Weirdly, there wasn¡¯t a single ounce of relief on the female knight¡¯s face. She gingerly took out themunication crystal from her cor. The crystal waspletely grey, indicating that Freya¡¯s crystal wasn¡¯t lighting up due to ack of imbued magic.

    ...

    Yet, in the valley, Freya¡¯s disced Communication Crystal was indeed glowing amidst the snow- A clear indication that someone was attempting to establish contact via awork of spells. Sadly, the owner of the ne was not within its proximity.

    Freya had struggled to crawl out from under the pile of snow on the other side.

    A low groan escaped her throat. Her physical condition was worse than expected, every inch of skin covered in ugly bruises and grazes. Blood that escaped the wound on her lower abdomen had soaked the battle attire beneath the armour. There was even a huge depression in her breastte. The bleeding continued under the crack and blood was seeping through the corners of her eyes, nose and lips.

    Freya let out a few light coughs. Luckily, she and the monster were at the topyer of the avnche and she was coincidentally at a higher position. Despite that, they were both swallowed by the snow. She saw the silver monster getting sucked under the rubble and snow by the vortex while she managed to escape with her life.

    But even so, this little glee was short-lived. Freya could feel how wrecked her body was. The more life-threatening injuries hade from the impact sustained by her chest and the stab wound on her lower abdomen. The heavy blood loss had brought along a dizzy spell and her limbs were growing cold. This was bad, especially in an environment like this.

    The most stressful thing was her realizing that she had lost the satchel containing vials of Health Potion to the avnche.

    ¡°Am I about to die...?¡±

    Freya flipped over. Sheid t on the snow silently to watch the sky in equal silence. The girl was fully aware of the distance between her current location and the others. The Kirrlutzians definitely wouldn¡¯t reach her in time. She could already feel the chilliness turning her body and heart numb. Sleep and exhaustion would sink in soon.

    ¡°Thank goodness it didn¡¯t fail.¡±

    Freya sighed quietly. This was the bravest decision and the most insane action she had ever executed in her life. Yet, she could never be that person. This was the only time and thest.

    She closed her eyes, weing the speckles of lights in a span of darkness. The speckles soon gathered together and became the majestic Be mountains. Then, it turned into a familiar face.

    ¡°Brando...¡±

    Freya¡¯s heart was at peace, silently waiting for the moment to arrive. Unfortunately, it seemed as though the gods had no wish to honour this girl. Just as she was about to close her eyes, a crisp sound rang from the snowy ground.

    The movement was slight, but the noise it produced was no less than thunder to Freya. Her eyes flew open, head whipping towards its direction harshly. Indeed, a dull grey arm was extended out of the snow.

    ¡°How...?¡±

    Freya was screaming internally. Aside from the silver monster, there was no way someone else was beneath the snow. She reflectively reached for the Lionheart Sword but the monster was quicker to respond.

    With a loud bang, a huge force exploded from under the snowyer and a ck mass littered in snow shot out from the ground. Instantly, the silver monster was pressing Freya¡¯s neck into the snow with one hand while the other restrained her sword-holding hand.

    With its head lowered, it studied the human girl that had managed to wreck it over coldly.

    Compared to Freya, the monster was indeed worse for wear. It was no longer its glorious self with only one of its wings attached to its spine. Its liquid silver-like body was no longer smooth, scarred by countless holes and depressions all around and its original shiny silver skin had turned dull. The silver monster was now a dull metal grey.

    Freya had seen this colour in yesterday¡¯s battle. At this point, the monster would choose to extract someone else¡¯s life force. This indicated that it was close to death in this state.

    ¡°How... unfortunate...¡±

    Freya helplessly thought. She obviously felt her remaining life force getting drained away by the monster¡¯s hands. Earlier, she could at least squint at the creepy monster but soon, even breathing had be aborious task.

    Her breath became shorter.

    Yet, the silver monster regarded it with a cold smirk. ¡°Your race is still as cunning as it was a few millennia ago.¡± It kneeled beside Freya, then lifted her up by the neck, as if nning to admire the sight of her dying fromck of oxygen.

    But it was this movement that allowed the te in Freya¡¯s satchel to fall out with a thud. The silver monster was caught aback. Noticing the te, it looked surprised. ¡°What is this? Wait, is this...¡±

    It reached its other arm over to pick up the te. As soon as the grip around Freya¡¯s sword-holding hand was released, the girl used herst remaining strength to growl, ¡°Take this!¡±

    She held the sword with both palms and drove it into the monster¡¯s lower abdomen.

    Perhaps the silver monster had noticed her n or it was caughtpletely by surprise, but the sword was lodged into its lower abdomen without resistance. It jolted slightly then raised its head to watch the little human girl weirdly.

    ¡°Do you think scrap metals like this can hurt me? Attacks from mortals are ineffective against me.¡±

    It patted her cheeks mockingly. ¡°How foolish.¡±

    Freya¡¯s narrowed eyes were only left with a raging me.

    She stared at the faceless monster, ring at the smirking wide jaw that looked like a crescent moon. Oh, how she wished to kill it with a sh.

    However, her prayers seemed to be answered by an unknown deity. In that split second, the crescent moon across the monster¡¯s face drooped down.

    An exceptionally painful expression had appeared on its face.

    It let out a sudden screech, throwing away Freya to w at its wound. It backed away frantically. Violent mes were suddenly bursting out of the Lionheart Sword lodged in its abdomen. The fire followed the lines of the opening and set its body ame.

    ¡°This... This is impossible!¡± It howled in agony, falling to its knees. ¡°The damned mark of the War Goddess...!!! Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!¡±

    The silver monster had almostpletely turned into a burning ball of fire. Unfortunately, Freya wasn¡¯t able to admire the fruition of her efforts. Just as she was thrown aside, she could feel a burning sensation travelling from her heart to every inch of her body, immediately bestowing upon severe pain.

    Yet, Freya said nothing. Contrastingly, her eyes were filled with amazement.

    She understood what this meant.

    The golden mes had been ignited.

    At that moment, the te on the snow beside her had finally blossomed with the most dazzling light.

 Chapter 765 - v4c139

    Chapter 765 v4c139

    Beware, Traps!

    Traces of artificial carvings were immersed in the darkness. Rows of columns had extended forward and backwards at equal intervals. Peering upwards through the narrow gaps between the cliff walls, the columns seemed shortened and ovepping at the far end of the field of view; together, the smooth wall looked as if it was paved with obsidian. However, its surface was covered with atticework to transmit energy. This looked like the one Brando had seen in the Valha underground. This was no different from the properties of Milo¡¯s remains that were scattered in the ciers.

    Truthfully, simr material could be found readily in several historical sites within Vaunte. The only knowledge enthusiasts shared inmon was that they hade from the previous era.

    This indeed looked like a long corridor, perhaps it could be referred to as so in the previous era. But now, only half of the corridor remained. No one knew what disaster had befallen it for the corridor to be cut in the middle. There was only a bottomless abyss awaiting it on the other end. The long corridor was built on the cliff while its structure winded to the ground.

    In the game, this was the Frozen Corridor.

    A group of people were slowly passing through the half corridor from thest era, and possibly even way before the chaotic era.

    Among them was a blonde, who was tugging along a short and stout boy to lead the advance. They were Aloz and Shitah. Following closely behind them were Brando and Veronica, while the female schr was tailed behind the female squad leader. Once the ice-covered route had be increasingly dangerous, she was no longer asking Brando any weird questions. Everyone could not afford to be careless, keeping a distance of one person behind every three people. Carrying a piece of baggage that was higher than her being, Scarlet was silent. She merely hung her head low while her red long ponytail swayed with her footsteps asionally. Honestly, there was no need for her to go through such trouble. At Brando¡¯s request, the Buga Craft Mage had already cast illusion magic on the Azure Lance. Practitioners of the Secret Realm Law among the Buga folks had dedicated their lives to studying illusion magic. They were known as the Guardians of the silver holy wall; they were the best Dreamcasters in the Amber Sword. One would require to be two ranks superior to their existence to see the ws in their illusion.

    The caster this time was the leader of the Practitioners of the Secret Realm Law, the Head Mage of the Silver League¡ª- Roan. His capabilities wereparable to William and were at least two levels superior to him in the field of spells. Aside from the saint of Eleranta, perhaps there were no such entities to exist in this world.

    Brando was naturally not afraid that Eleranta woulde forward to Aouine to expose his n.

    Right behind was the little prince. The future king of Aouine was stumbling along the path. He had sustained bruises all over his face. If they were still in the pce, servants would¡¯ve quickly tended to him and helped him forward. But of course, only in the absence of one particr strict woman. At this moment, Ciel, Hipam and Medissa were within his vicinity. However, they had yet to offer his assistance. Unbeknownst to the prince, the self-proimed youngest mage instructor in Aouine history was snickering to his heart¡¯s delight. Even Medissa was trying her best to suppress the smirk that was threatening to burst past her lips. They were only in charge of keeping the little prince away from the abyss; the rest would have toe from Brando¡¯s instructions.

    Further behind was the Laurenna couple and the eldest son of the Kirrlutz Royal Family along with many Kirrlutzian nobles, whose entourage had consisted of Babasha and another three excellent Witches. At the end of the group was the Ash Sword Saint, who was the strongest existence among them all. Mephisto¡¯s main responsibility was to protect everyone from behind. There was no guarantee that the bottom of the abyss would be safe. Even Brando didn¡¯t dare say that he understood this quest of the game. The man literally hadn¡¯t ventured deep into this ce, so it was safe to say that he knew close to nothing. Who knew if there would be any changes to the ¡®Real Vaunte¡¯?

    After gradually getting used to this world, Brando could almost confirm that this world named Vaunte wasn¡¯t a part of the game; it wasn¡¯t an illusion or dream either. Though he had once doubted that someone was trying to y a malicious prank on him, or that this was just a ¡®Truman Show¡¯ scenario, he no longer bore those fantasies as time passed. He began to call this world the ¡®Real Vaunte¡¯. Everything was operating in this world more naturally than in the game. Though there were some simrities and differences, they felt more genuine.

    Though a real game world was indeed kinda odd.

    After passing through the underground cier, Shitah was really leading them to the underground entrance of the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep. They were not far from where Peja¡¯s brother had fallen. Brando couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sceptical, feeling as though something had been guiding them to this ce in the dark. Arreck was obviously new to the path beneath the cier so why was Peja¡¯s brother here? This was something worth debating.

    Unfortunately, the hunter siblings were still unconscious so Brando had no way of getting answers.

    He had heard about the underground entrance to the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep previously. The upper portion of the abyss was called the White Valley, where the only entrance to the cathedral lies. It was separated into two parts, one aboveground and one underground. The one aboveground would lead to the Zweit ciers where the Ice Eater resides while the underground entrance was connected to the Frozen Corridor.

    Brando moved forward with the rest of the formation carefully. He walked as he ced a palm on the icy blue corridor pirs sandwiched between the ice and snow. There was one at about five to six metres apart, protruding from the wall like a rib. The sensation of these pirs was cold, heavy and very realistic; very much different from the game¡¯s simtion. Though Brando hadn¡¯t been here before, he knew that this material would feel special when touched in the game. It was almost as if one could feel the malice and bloodshed of the previous era. This was a sensation so strong that it could seize Brando¡¯s heart with chilliness- an atmosphere created by the special emotional system in the game.

    However, it wasn¡¯t the case for this ce. All of the corridors were made of regr stone, giving off a solid feeling upon touch. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it feels like,¡± thought Brando to himself. Even though this adventure was dangerous, Brando was intrigued by the opportunity to experience the game truly.

    The female squad leader noticed his odd behaviour. She asked hushedly, ¡°Have you been here?¡±

    Brando was in so much shock that he almost slipped. He quickly answered, ¡°Never.¡±

    ¡°Never? You look like you were reminiscing the past earlier,¡± rebuked Veronica directly. She didn¡¯t like how this little bastard was always beating around the bush.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯ve seen this corridor, the pirs and the walls elsewhere,¡± answered Brando, puffs of hot air escaping his mouth.

    ¡°Where have you seen it?¡±

    ¡°From a book.¡± Brando didn¡¯t require much to produce this answer, it felt almost natural to say that. Theoretically, a forum was pretty close to a book. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the corridor today once upon a time in a book. For real, I realized it after measuring the pirs.¡±

    The reasoning was eptable. Though the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep was forbidden territory, it didn¡¯t mean that no one had ever stepped foot into this ce in history. The people of Miirna had once frequented this path and the Buga Mages and Mist Elves had followed their footsteps to this ce. Approximately ten years after that, the ck Fire cult had upied the cathedral, thus making it a famous copy forter generations. The Holy Cathedral of the Sleep was no stranger to Veronica¡¯s ear. Yet, she continued to stare at Brando suspiciously. Did the Tower Mage really own such an extensive library of information? This little bastard had always been excusing all of his reasonings as a contribution of the Tower Mage¡¯s intellectual collection. The Tower Mage hade from the Silver Rank Bugas, Veronica didn¡¯t believe that they had always brought the Bugas literature collection during migration.

    Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t much exchange going on between the Kirrlutz Empire and the Tower Mage. If it wasn¡¯t the case, Veronica would¡¯ve tried to verify Brando¡¯s sources. For now, she could only remain dubious about his statements.

    At this moment, Shido, who was following behind the two spoke, ¡°Seeing really is believing. Words are merely descriptions of the author¡¯s opinion but personal rectification really is the key to trueprehension.¡± There were sparkles in her eyes. Hertter statement was the real why she decided to leave the academy for Aouine. ¡°Just like the Count, I¡¯ve learnt a lot today.¡± Shido¡¯s words were filled with emotions. It seemed as though the schr had reached some sort of enlightenment.

    Veronica sighed, finding Shido¡¯s words somewhat reasonable. She casted onest nce at Brando, no longer doubting the man.

    Brando was relieved. However, he was still rather troubled by the sharpness and intelligence of the female squad leader. This served as a good reminder for him to be warier of his actions. Brando retracted his hands, no longer reaching out to caress anything along the corridor. The forum had mentioned that the Frozen Corridor should only take thirty minutes to reach its end, the current time had indicated that they were almost past the halfway point of the distance. Thetter half of the corridor had led deep into the ground to the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep¡¯s interior. Brando pursed his lips. Thest two-thirds of the corridor was where the Disaster Twins of the Dusk Wolves, Mayne and Mel, would make their appearance. It was just a matter of time until the two ck wolves woulde into sight.

    Mayne and Mel were the veryst generation of the Dusk Wolves. They were birthed by the seventh daughter of Chief Warg Hati, Jynhai. Jynhai was the ruler of the Moon of Eternal Darkness, hence the twins¡¯ power was mostly associated with darkness and shadow. Mayne and Mel¡¯s appearance was simr, looking exactly like gigantic ck wolves with a long horn protruding out of their forehead. Despite that, Mayne had lost his left eye in a battle with the Dragon of Cmity, leaving behind an eye with a long scar running along its socket that could be used to distinguish between the brothers.

    The wolves were of SS drop rate in the ¡®Amber Sword¡¯, imprisoned in one of the secret passages that lead to the ground above the Holy Cathedral. Brando was bound to meet them through travelling along this path. If they had entered the cathedral through the front entrance, they would¡¯ve missed them. As SS rank characters, Mayne and Mel were one of the most powerful bosses in the first four acts. Usually, Brando would hope to avoid them as much as possible in the game but now, he just couldn¡¯t wait for their appearances.

    The reason? Well, when one¡¯s formation had consisted of characters like Mephisto, Veronica and the little female dragon, difficult characters like Mayne and Mel were now just a mobile treasure to Brando. His nominal teacher, Ash Sword Saint Mephisto, had already been maxed out in statistics. Mephisto¡¯s advancement had even gone further than in the game. Brando had no doubt that Mephisto alone could easily defeat the Twins of the Dusk Wolves.

    The drop list of the twins was only second to the final SS rank wave of this game quest.

    Despite that, there was a concern. There was no guarantee that the wolves would appear. Brando could only pray and hope his luck was good enough.

    Based on the current situation, everything around them was silent. The only audible noises hade from the sound of crushing ice beneath their soles. Brando pulled his lips into a taut line and studied the environment. Hipam and Laurenna held torches. Other than the small area illuminated by the torch, everything else wasplete darkness. It was at that moment when Brando noticed Aloz tugging on Shitah¡¯s ear toe to a halt.

    The little female dragon stopped because a door had appeared.

    She squinted her golden eyes, studying the stone door intently. Strictly speaking, this wasn¡¯t aplete door. Just like the Frozen Corridor, there was only half left to the stone door. Perhaps its other half had been lost with the missing corridor parts to the bottomless abyss during the same disaster. There were shattered portions to the door remains, stone chips scattered all around the path. The little female dragon turned around to look at Shitah. ¡°What lies behind this and why is there a door here?¡±

    ¡°How would I know?¡± The little stout dragon grumbled with displeasure. ¡°I haven¡¯t even been to the insides of the cathedral, my task was only to lead everyone to the entrance beneath the ciers.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your promise to him. I don¡¯t care, you must find the Awakening God. You need to find the Heart of the Dragon you lost too!¡± demanded Aloz barbarically.

    ¡°Wait. Sister Aloz, it wasn¡¯t the Heart of the Dragon!¡±

    ¡°The Heart of the Dragon has nothing to do with me. What I¡¯m saying is that you need to return me that fun toy!¡± The little female dragon hissed and red at Shitah once before giving him the cold shoulder. Shitah immediately shrank into himself and said nothing.

    Hearing their conversation, Brando automatically ignored the second half of it. Aloz¡¯s interest in the Awakening God was a little suspicious. Had the interest stemmed from personal interest or was there some ulterior motive? Aloz was a juvenile dragon who was aplete scatterbrain. But as the Golden Race in the game, Dragons were always given special tasks. At least they had fought off the dusk in the past. As far as Brando¡¯s knowledge went, the Bugas had built many monitoring stations to monitor the order of the border and ck Forest. ording to Medissa, the Silver Elves were notpletely ignorant of the world. If they had been ignorant, they wouldn¡¯t have returned to Warndt because of the Great Demonic Wave.

    It seemed as though everyone was working towards a goal, save for the carefree ck Dwarfs.

    At this point, Brando couldn¡¯t help but cast another nce at Aloz.

    Aloz was in the front instructing Shitah to push the stone door open. Though the door was hefty, it was nothing to the Dragon race. The damaged stone door had rolled backwards after a push was delivered by Shitah¡¯s round paw. Behind it was a huge hall that was split in half. Perhaps it might be more appropriate to call it a square as the ceiling was mostly gone and the hall was left with half. Even so, the area was insanelyrge. The Pce of Gold in Aouine too had a square with a fountain; but inparison to this ce, it was immediately humbled. Brando and the others stood outside the hall, trying to find the hall¡¯s end with no sess. Brando was suddenly reminded of what this pce was. At this moment, a ck shadow shed behind the door and there came Shitah¡¯s little exim of surprise. ¡°Aiyo!¡± It sounded almost as if something had knocked into Shitah, causing the dragon to roll backwards like a ball and only stopping when it mmed into a corridor pir.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡±

    The little female Dragon¡¯s voice rang from the front. Though she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to wave her ws at Shitah, it was merely out of the internal conflict between Dragons. Dragons were prideful creatures and they refused to be trampled over. Something had dared to send Shitah flying in front of her, this behaviour waspletely unforgivable! But soon, the ck shadow took a leap back and stood still, finally allowing everyone to catch a clear glimpse¡ª¡ª¨C It was not human but a wolf.

    ¡°A male wolf?¡± stated Veronica mindlessly.

    It did look like the male wolf Brando encountered in Valha. Its physique was as sturdy as a small hill and had taken up almost half of the hall. Its smooth long fur was grown behind its neck, looking just like a luxurious ck brocade. However, it looked drastically different from regr wolves- It had a long horn between its brows. There was even a cloud of dark smoke wafting off the horn, a clear indication that it was no regr being.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a male wolf! It¡¯s a Dusk Wolf!¡± Brando cheered internally. SS rank characters in the ¡®Amber Sword¡¯ were highly intelligent. He was sincerely concerned that the two wolves wouldn¡¯t fall for their trap and avoid them. Yet, the wolves were indeed dull. Since Mel had appeared before them, the single-eye Mayne shouldn¡¯t be far. At that moment, Brando remembered this ce.

    This was the Hall of Traps.

    The little female dragon took a clear look at the beast before it. With a low growl, she lunged forward. She could sense that this Dusk Wolf was only about as powerful as her. But she was a Dragon, one of the best inbat among the Golden Races. To Aloz, this stupid wolf was in no way superior to her and she had a mission¡ª¨C Regardless if it was a matter of establishing dominance in Shitah¡¯s face or to protect the pride of the Dragons, she must be the first to teach this unweed guest a lesson.

    However, she wasn¡¯t expecting that once her ws were brandished, Brando had sensed that something was amiss. He willed to warn her but unfortunately, the little female dragon was one step faster to react. As soon as thetter pounced, green lightning began to manifest out of the ceiling and the floor. The bolts of lightning seemed almost alive. As soon as it appeared, it went straight for Aloz. Dragons were blessed with a defence mechanism- their scales were incredibly resistant. Dragon scales were incredibly resistant to magic and physical attacks. Aloz would not be fazed by one or two of the lightning strikes but things were different. At this moment, thousands and millions of lightning bolts had swallowed the little female dragon whole, leaving behind her shrill scream of agony.

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡±

    Brando couldn¡¯t help but palm his face.

    What was she expecting of a ce known as the Hall of Traps?!

 Chapter 766 - v4c140

    Chapter 766 v4c140

    Can¡¯t We just Focus on Killing Monsters Nicely?

    Covered in soot, Aloz sat on the ground. No one dared to approach her for her golden eyes were burning with the violent me of wrath. Everyone was concerned that the dragon wouldsh out at them next. Brando made the smart choice to keep mum. If he were to tell Aloz that this was actually the Hall of Traps, one of the most famous locations in the game and that one-third of the difficulty to go against the Twins of the Dusk Wolves was attributed to the venue, Aloz would definitely take it as a jab. The little female dragon¡¯s temperament was never docile. Aloz would¡¯ve transformed into a giant dragon and swallowed Brando whole if such remarks were made. Brando¡¯s silence was decided after careful considerations and a raise of his brow.

    Mel was bound to die horrifically- This would be its oue for angering a dragon. Strictly speaking, Aloz¡¯s strength was about the same as the Twins of the Dusk Wolves. However, Mel wasn¡¯t ounting for a furious Aloz. Surprisingly, the little female dragon morphed into a golden giant dragon and shed its w across the ck wolf. The wolf was sent flying and before it could even register anything, it was already rolling down the abyss. The battle was over so fast that this might just be the fastest boss sacrifice in the ¡®Amber Sword¡¯.

    Brando went to the edge of the cliff, craning his neck over to see where Mel could¡¯vended. What a pity. One-half of the twins had fallen, there really was nothing left. At this moment, he received an icy question. ¡°What do they call that filthy animal?¡± Aloz¡¯s voice made Brando¡¯s heart thump in fear. He wasn¡¯t nning on agitating her further but the dragon seemed to have no ns to spare him.

    ¡°Mel.¡±

    ¡°Mel, the Twin of the Dusk Wolves,¡± said Aloz with a cackle. The response sent shivers down Brando¡¯s spine, he was beginning to suspect that the little female dragon was rewired by the lightning trap earlier. Aloz narrowed her golden eyes and stated, ¡°Ha, I can¡¯t believe the legendary leader of the Dusk Wolves couldn¡¯t defeat me. Looks like I can go through with mying-of-age ceremony.

    ¡°Jeez!¡± Brando retracted with wide eyes. He had seen narcissists but he had never encountered anyone so arrogant. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Mel was still in its sealed state. Its strength wasn¡¯t at its prime. After all, this was the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep. If this battle had taken ce outdoors, it would probably take more than ten Aloz to stand a chance against any of the Disaster Twins. Despite that, Brando had never heard of the Dragon Race¡¯sing-of-age ceremony. If it called for a challenge against a demon whose strength exceeded theirs- Brando involuntarily cast another nce at Aloz. <i> Could Aloz be thinking of using Mel to aplish that requirement? Dragons couldn¡¯t be that unreliable, right? </i>

    ¡°What about it?¡± There was a sharp change in Aloz¡¯s tone, her words filled with slight threat.

    ¡°No, nothing.¡± Brando turned away from the edge. Mainly, he was worried that the little dragon would p him off to the abyss to apany Mel. That would be too unfortunate. His deliberate distance from the edge did not escape Ciel¡¯s eyes. The young mage squire immediately betrayed his lord. The Silver Elf Princess beside him, who knew Brando better, couldn¡¯t help but giggle discreetly. Only the mountain bishop, Hipam, had found the scene unfolding unbelievable. Hipam innocently asked, ¡°Sir wouldn¡¯t do that, right?¡±

    Shido, who was beside, nodded. To her, Brando was already a true dignified schr.

    Ciel could only shrug his shoulders at the two innocent girls. Meanwhile, Brando had already moved to Aloz¡¯s other side. He changed the topic. ¡°Say, does the Dragon Race¡¯sing-of-age ceremony really include gimmicks like that?¡±

    ¡°Gimmicks?¡± Aloz wasn¡¯t too pleased by what Brando had said. But she had noticed that the cunning human had already left the edge of the cliff, prompting her to snicker under her breath. There was a moment that Aloz had seriously contemted pushing Brando off the cliff. How dare he not warn her despite knowing full well that this ce was full of traps? The little female dragon barred her teeth. ¡°Since the Silver Ages, the number of giant Dragons had decreased drastically and the age of adulthood had been lowered. I¡¯m old enough for aing-of-age ceremony but I have to kill a stronger Twilight species to be eligible. Then, I¡¯d need to take another test.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s just to achieve eligibility.¡± Brando finally understood. Looks like the Dragon¡¯sing-of-age wasn¡¯t trifling at all, it was actually asking for one to kill a twilight species and not the demon he had in mind. Twilight species were verymon before the era of chaos. Before the Twilight Dragons had died off, ancestors of these ferocious demons had roamed the continent. Today, one could only catch a glimpse of the Twilight species from ancient ruins. Stronger Twilight species were even more difficult to find. After the Azure Knights had split the skies, the superior figures of the Chaos Army were either dead or sealed. Their existences were nowhere to be found in Warndt thousands of yearster.

    Aloz studied Brando¡¯s expression, aware of his thoughts. She harrumphed, ¡°Do you really think the Twilight Dragon is dead? At the border of civilization, the world beyond the ck Forest, living beings from the Chaos are not hard to find. The stronger ones are out of your imagination.¡±

    The Twilight Dragons hadn¡¯t gone extinct yet. Brando wasn¡¯t surprised to learn that. After the te War, there were plenty of clues that pointed to its presence. The Twilight Dragons had been defeated multiple times. It could just be hibernating now, awaiting the call for its awakening. If the Twilight Dragon was long dead, the Order of Chaos that worshipped it wouldn¡¯t be so fanatic. Plus, Brando was aware that the Twilight Dragon bore no physical form. It was just a representation of Order. Just like the world of Vaunte- where Order and Chaos coexisted. Order and Chaos were opposed but interdependent.

    Aloz¡¯s words made a lot of sense. The world beyond the ck Forest was unchartered territory for all gamers around the globe. If something was in there, it was reasonable.

    Aloz continued delightedly, ¡°After Mister Mephisto kills that one-eyed wolf, I¡¯ll present it to the council as the result of my test. The Twins of the Dusk Wolves... Hahaha. The elders would definitely approve of it. At this rate, my performance will be the best the Dragon Race has ever seen in centuries!¡±

    Brando was ck-jawed. ¡°Wait, but you¡¯re not the one who killed it.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Aloz rolled her eyes. ¡°How are they going to find out? Who¡¯s going to tell them? You or those Kirrlutzians?¡±

    The way the little female dragon rolled her eyes was oddly charming, or at least this was a rare sight of her girly attitude for Brando. Almost immediately, she barred her ivory teeth to threaten everyone present. There was no way in hell Brando would expose her. He wouldn¡¯t benefit from being a whistle-blower and worse even- No, it could almost be confirmed that Brando would suffer consequences delivered personally by Aloz. He could totally ignore it but his territory would suffer. Imagine having an evil dragon that bore malicious intent towards you near your territory. The dragon didn¡¯t even need to be ferocious. Aloz could just instruct Shitah to hide in one of the mountains to attack passing merchants and make them lose their supplies along with sustenance. Brando couldn¡¯t afford such damage. Trade was the one that barely brought Trentheim its prosperity. If the trade route waspromised, it wouldn¡¯t take long for Trentheim to return to its impoverished state.

    As for the Kirrlutzians... If they wished to expose Aloz, could they even locate the Dragon Race¡¯s territory? It wasn¡¯t a small pitiful country like Aouine. It also most definitely was not a ce that one could leave and enter at will.

    Regardless of everything, Brando found it weird. Did the Giant Dragons not care much about theiring-of-age ceremony? He stared at Aloz oddly before thetter respondednguidly, ¡°It can be considered that I went on an adventure with everyone.¡±

    So this was what true teamwork was, huh?

    Brando could finally confirm that the Dragon Race¡¯sing-of-age ceremony had indeed borne no substance.

    Just as his mind was fixated on the abnormalities of the Dragon Race¡¯sing-of-age ceremony, news had finally arrived from the front. Mayne, the one-eyed wolf had been defeated by Mephisto and Veronica. This should be an honour to the unlucky Dusk Wolf as it had been killed under the hands of a maximum level Sword Saint and a Law Peak¡¯s Sword Saint, who was also a squad leader of the empire. Brando could count the few who had received such honour in the game with a few fingers.

    The messenger was a young knight, perhaps instructed by Veronica as Mephisto was currently considered to be on Brando¡¯s side. Hence, Mayne was killed through the joint efforts of a Kirrlutzian and Aouine. The victory was shared equally. The Kirrlutzians desired to obtain Mayne¡¯s magic crystal and blood. The magic crystal of a demon as strong as Mayne was incredible, it was almost on par with the giant dragons. Veronica too shared the same desire. Unfortunately for her, Brando knew better that Mayne and Mel¡¯s drop list was one of the best in the game- They had the drop list of the highest rank world boss. Though their levels were honestly a tad lower, anything more superior were items that Brando couldn¡¯t utilize. Therefore, they shared the loot naturally.

    He had asked the knight some simple questions before bringing the Laurenna couple to where Veronica and Mephisto was. Before Mayne could escape far, Mephisto had killed it with one stab at the corridor on the other end of the hall. This had even required Mephisto and Veronica to chase after it for a while. As the nominal teacher, Brando would¡¯ve already killed the wolf as soon as it moved.

    Brando came to stand beside the huge carcass, noticing that a big hole was made atop the wolf¡¯s skull. The magic crystals were probably dug away. He turned to face Veronica, who was smiling delightfully after having collected such a big loot. Noticing Brando¡¯s gaze, she quickly said, ¡°Hey, kid. If you want some, I can give you the monster¡¯s blood. You know it too. With the Holy War around the corner, high-level magic crystals are just too important to the empire.¡±

    This sounded like a joke to Brando. Of course he knew what high-level magic crystals could be used for; it was mainly utilized to power top-level magic-driven weapons. In the Holy War, the Holy Cathedral of Fire was expected to be fully devoted to the battle. This was a battle between authorities, any cowardice would not be tolerated. However, Veronica¡¯s manner was a little too outrageous. Brando couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of magic crystal had she obtained.

    But of course, Brando was sure that the squad leader would never let loose. He turned around and looked at Mephisto, who nodded and promptly signalled something.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Brando immediately cursed at his poor luck. The magic crystal was indeed as powerful as a Dragon Crystal. At this rate, the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s war machines had found their power source. However, he genuinely wasn¡¯t that jealous. High-level magic crystals did not amount to much for him. Though it could be an energy source for Valha¡¯s growth, middle and lower-level magic crystals could achieve the same too. There was no need for valuables with no demand like these.

    ¡°You can keep the blood. As long as the empire can remember the contributions presented by me and the Royal Highness Princess, and not trouble us at critical moments, I will be eternally grateful,¡± answered Brando calmly. Honestly, he wasn¡¯t all that interested in Mayne¡¯s blood. Though the blood of the twilight species were high-level demon blood and was a fundamental material to various higher rank equipment, it was different from the magic crystals. No matter how powerful or how much energy was stored in the Chaos being¡¯s blood, it was never considered as the best material. There was no other reason for that- It was too impure. The top blood was still the Golden Blood. If it was permissible, Brando would¡¯ve nned to have Aloz bleed some time ago.

    Naturally, this n just didn¡¯t make too much sense. The little female dragon¡¯s temperament was in evil. Perhaps Shitah would be a better choice. With the existence of a moving blood vault like the little stout dragon, how was Brando supposed to be interested in impure blood?

    Brando¡¯s answer had Veronica shaking her head with a bitter smile. She understood what Brando meant but the empire¡¯s decision was nothing she could alter. Gryphine wanted to rebuild the kingdom and this went against the interests of the empire. The empire couldn¡¯t just change their idea because of a mere high-level magic crystal. But of course, there was no way she would willingly return her attained benefit. Hence, she decided to keep quiet and stand her ground- Perhaps this was one special benefit limited todies.

    Brando stepped over to Maybe¡¯s body and lifted its huge w. Then, he turned around and asked Laurenne, ¡°Madam Laurenne, can I borrow your fiance for a moment?¡±

    The female knight was blushing furiously. ¡°W-What are you talking about?¡± She answered stiffly before delivering a p onto Fs¡¯ back hard. Thetter was already moving over to Brando¡¯s side with a mischievous smile. In the ¡®Amber Sword¡¯, lower-level beasts provided no drops. Their parts were already material, which could either be bones, fur or blood. In the case of demons, things were the same except for the addition of magic crystals. High-level beasts werepletely different. Demons that had mastered dark magic would typically collect magic items and a small part, like dragons, would carry them around. The other demons would opt to store it with magic. The Dusk Wolves were the same. Brando learnt that it would normally hide its loot between a magic space between its ws.

    Fs pressed a finger against Mayne¡¯s w tip and a tter was heard suddenly. It sounded as if something had fallen out of nowhere and onto the ground.

    Everyone lowered their heads in response- It was a peculiar golden pocket watch.

    The pocket watch had no cover and only half of its dial was left. There were only minute and hour hands on the dial and despite theck of a pointer, it was still working like a dream. It was as if it wasn¡¯t damaged at all... Or one could say that the remaining half of the watch¡¯s mechanism was still working fine. From Brando¡¯s perspective, one would notice the incredibly detailed internal precisionponents exposed on the side of the watch. The gears along the fracture were left in halves, but this didn¡¯t seem to hinder its operation.

    As soon as Brando caught a glimpse of it, his vision went dark.

    ¡°What the fuck?!¡±

    He screamed internally.

    This was the psed Pointer, a sub-artefact, the top drop in Mayne¡¯s drop list! Fs was definitely worthy of his Face Fighter. With just a casual touch, he could score that one in a ten thousand chance. However, the crux of the problem wasn¡¯t that but a whole iing ordeal that made Brando wish to vomit blood¡ª¨C The pocket itself wasn¡¯t the sub-artefact.

    Specifically, this was a sub-artefact set.

    When two watches- the psed Pointer and the Backtracking Dial- werebined, they could only be considered as aplete sub-artefact. The current issue was that these two items were supposed to appear together. But Mel, who was supposed to provide the Backtracking Dial, had been pped off the cliff into the abyss courtesy of Aloz. The abyss beneath the ciers had led to the Sulfur River below the giant hive. How was he supposed to retrieve Mel¡¯s carcass? It had probably be some demon¡¯s meal.

    At this moment, Brando felt like crying. The bosses he defeated after arriving in this world were already of two digits. He couldn¡¯t believe that when he finally encountered a rare sub-artefact, it was only left with half.

    Only half of it...

    And it was the most pitiful half- The psed Pointer.

    ¡®The psed Pointer ¨C Once activated, time will elerate around you. You can achieve effects equivalent to time eleration. The eleration speed is up to your discretion but it cannot exceed ten times faster. When time elerates, any time-based effects (eg: Cooldown, Recharge, Recovery) will elerate as well. Time eleration will lengthen your lifespan. When you activate the psed Pointer, you¡¯d lose one-thousandth of your total experience per second. With faster eleration factores corresponding Experience loss.¡¯

    ¡®The Backtracking Dial ¨C Once activated, time will reverse around you. You will be returned to your state ten minutes ago. All your statistics (eg: Life Status, Experience and all other time-based statuses) will reset ording to recorded time. The Backtracking Dial requires 72 hours to recharge after each use.¡¯

    An psed Pointer without its Backtracking Dial was notorious as the trigger to many ounts of rage-quits. A two-minute usage could easily return the yer to its earlier stage before everything else was unlocked. There were many words Brando wanted to say but his violent urge to kill the little female dragon was stronger. <i>Can¡¯t we just focus on killing monsters nicely?</i>

 Chapter 767 - Dim Korfa

    <h4>Chapter 767 Dim Korfa</h4>

    There was only a ray of light shining down amidst the pitch dark hall that illuminated the metal cold marble floor. Scattered upon the chilly stone floor were numerous corpses in dark robes. Red blood was flowing out of their necks through a stab wound in a mesmerizing manner. It followed the circr grooves on the floor, forming a peculiar symbol. The scarlet blood followed the pattern sluggishly, making it look like demon summoning rituals often depicted in legends.

    Just as the trickle of blood convergedpletely, it seemed toe alive. It began flowing against gravity towards the centre of the magic array. The blood entered the elegant beingying atop the array. In the next moment, the White Wolf slowly stirred from its lengthy dormancy. Its body began to move weirdly. Starting from the head, its pale snowy fur began to peel backwards- as if it was stripping off a fur coat- to reveal a beautiful girl¡¯s crown. The sight of long lustrous ebony hair was presented. Next, a pair of frail shoulders and unblemished milky skin appeared. As the wolf¡¯s fur gradually fell off, the delicate curves of this unrivalled beauty were finally disyed to the world.

    The girl¡¯s wless body was finally in front of everyone. Her eyes were still tightly shut as if her soul was trapped in a never-ending dream. The subtle rise and fall of her chest was the only indication that the eldest daughter of Hati wasn¡¯t dead. Amotion was stirred in the hall, and some of their breathings had turned heavy.

    Korfa¡¯s eyshes fluttered slightly, just like the first blooming flower of spring. Her lids made way to reveal a pair of silver misty eyes. She mbered up from the groundnguidly, allowing the once scattered long locks to gather into themselves like a ck reverse waterfall. The girl lifted her head and stared at the few people who stood before her, bewilderedly.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Her voice was clear and maic. Yet, it had a hint of piercing coldness.

    Dim Korfa, the legendary eldest daughter of Warg Hati and the holder of the Arrogant Moon. Korfa was also one of the twelve Running Wolves under the Twilight- a ferocious beast before the era of chaos. In the legends, she had perished in a battle at Ebabel Fort... until this moment. This notorious name in all of history was no longer just a legend to halt children¡¯s tears but now had returned to thend of Vaunte after a long slumber.

    Arreck inhaled sharply in an attempt to calm his palpitating heart. He stepped forward and greeted, ¡°Oh, mighty Korfa. Me and the others before you are true followers of Truth.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± realized Korfa. ¡°I get it now. You¡¯ve summoned my return to reactivate the Twilight, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m still weak. There is nothing much I can help you with.¡±

    ¡°It is alright, mighty Korfa. There is a lot of time. Once you are released from the seal, your strength will return to its peak under the influence of the Great Demonic Wave.¡±

    Korfa seemed a little troubled. ¡°But I don¡¯t wish for that.¡±

    Arreck and the higher members were stunned by her answer. Immediately, Korfa was showered with confused gazes.

    The girl lowered her eyes, looking as if she was a little intimidated. She borated, ¡°I don¡¯t wish to join the war anymore. My mother has promised me before that it would be myst run in the Twilight. I have offered my life for my mother and I¡¯m a free being now.¡± She lifted her head, staring back with misty silver eyes. ¡°Can I leave now?¡±

    The hall was dead silent.

    ...

    ¡®The Fourth Mark- ¡°Ferdioso¡¯s judgement may not necessarily be urate. But since the date of signing, it had been our only choice all along.¡± The Fourth Mark enhances its bearer¡¯s bloodline properties. It is equivalent to 5% of a certain attribute.¡¯

    Once the stone door sealed by ice was pushed apart, a bone-chilling wind swooped right in. It was so harsh that everyone couldn¡¯t help but bury their heads into their necks. It was at that sudden spark of difort that brought Brendel out of his thoughts. The Fourth Mark was a skill he had obtained from the Second Seal of the Fool¡¯s Talent. It had originated from the Wisdom Dragon¡¯s Crystal but the skill was useless to him. Bloodline was the main feature of Spellcasters but he was a Warrior. Even Ascended Holy Knights and future Guardians of the Lost Earth had nothing to do with magic.

    He looked up, a line of snowy mountains and equally snowy grounds entered his vision. The chilly wind raged in the valley and the flying snow had reduced their visibility range to less than five metres. This was the lowest area of the White Valley, where a cier formed by the fallen body of Milos from the Twilight War eray. It was where the Frost Worms lived. Immediately, Brendel felt odd. Theoretically, with the Twilight Twins dead, the king of the Frost Worms should appear around this area. This was the game¡¯s setting but things felt different here.

    There was only harsh wind roaring outside the valley without a single hint of life.

    ¡°Be careful,¡± warned Brendel as he pulled his cloak tighter around his body.

    The exit of the Frozen corridor was halfway up the mountain. The team slid down the steep ice wall and eventually reached the bottom of the valley. Yet, the anticipated monster hadn¡¯t appeared. There seemed to be nothing in the valley, other than the visible pile of snow and ice. And, of course, the merciless whistling wind. Veronica and the others who had received Brendel¡¯s heads-up turned their eyes to Brendel as if questioning him. He felt a little embarrassed but this couldn¡¯t be exined easily. So Brendel chose to say nothing.

    ¡°The information noted in the documents are often outdated.¡± Surprisingly, Veronica had quickly stepped in to exin on his behalf, ¡°The location of the demon nest could change. A few thousands of years are more than enough for it to migrate elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. This phenomenon is prettymon.¡± Shido nodded. She was the expert after all.

    Brendel nodded along, despite the full knowledge that he wasn¡¯t rying facts from books. However, Veronica¡¯s statement had allowed him to ponder another possibility that was contrary to their hypotheses. Perhaps the Frost Worms hadn¡¯t left but they had yet to build their nest here. After all, the current game time was before the start of this copy- The ck Fire cultists hadn¡¯t invaded this holy cathedral; not many had known of this site in Aouine during this time.

    If that was the case, this route was indeed much safer. Though so, Brendel still couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly restless.

    The lower portion of the White Valley wasn¡¯t supposed to be the first found area in the game. The yer would first defeat Shitah and enter the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep from its main entrance. Then, things would progress along the standard plotline until the Leader of the ck Fire Cult was defeated. It was only then that yers could explore the side route in the cathedral. After that, the spiral hall would be discovered and then the yer would be led to the current cier. The Frozen Corridor and the underground entrance of the cathedral would be their final findings. Some things in the copy could be changed permanently. Based on the sequence of events, the challenges met could possibly be different.

    As Brendel continued to think about it, there was amotion at the end of the group. He turned around, finding that the hunter girl Peja and her brother had awakened.

    ¡°Brendel.¡± A voice rang from his heart. It was the voice of the elf, Sanorso. Brendel raised his brows, slightly sensing that Sanorso wasn¡¯t the only presence in his mind.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Sanorso sounded surprised. ¡°You noticed it? Looks like you¡¯re way sharper than before. Your mental strength and bloodline potential are slowly showing through. You¡¯re no longer the confused young boy from the start, you¡¯ve changed greatly.¡±

    Brendel understood that she was referring to those days after he had departed Be. From that moment onwards until the incident beneath Schafflund¡¯s silver mine, Brendel had not once noticed that there was another soul residing in his mind. Speaking of which, he was indeed a little slow.

    ¡°Who are the other two?¡± There seemed to be two other entities beside Sanorso. Even without asking, he could somewhat guess their identities.

    ¡°This is Anguili and Ivan. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t need me to introduce them, right?¡±

    Angui and Ivan were Sanorso¡¯s closest knights. The former was once known as the Queen of the Dragons and was perhaps the most famous female Dragon Cavalry in the history of the Mist Elves. Thetter was themander of the soldiers of Whispering Woods. He was vastly different from the imposter, Orthylss; Ivan was a real expert in archery.

    ¡°Greetings, my name is Brendel. Currently, I guess I can be considered as Empress Sanorso¡¯s heir.¡±

    ¡°Greetings, Mister Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Greetings.¡± Two replied were heard in tandem. The first was a sophisticated male voice while the second voice was feminine but chilly. Her answer was curt too. Their voices were filled with their distinct differences, one could almost get a general understanding of their personalities through it.

    Suddenly, Brendel was reminded that Sanorso had mentioned that the hunter sibling pair each had a token of hers. In that case, things were getting interesting. Just how many Wing Rings had made it into Aouine? Logically, the Wing Rings were Sanorso¡¯s treasures. If any was lost, it would naturally end up in stronger countries like Kirrlutz and Farnezain. It was only nobles of these countries that possess sufficient wealth and foundation to collect artefacts of this level.

    ¡°This is odd.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Just how many Wing Rings had made it into Aouine? With the one on me, there¡¯s already three.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re forgetting the one on Williams, it¡¯s the one that¡¯s currently with Maynild,¡± teased Sanorso.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t count.¡± Brendel shook his head.

    It was then that the elf exined, ¡°I asked Ivan earlier. The ancestors of the siblings should probably be descendants of the Miirnans and Hignders that were expelled by Sanorso.¡±

    Brendel gasped, things were making more sense now. There were many conflicts between the Miirnans and the Mist Elves. Perhaps the former had stolen their rings and escaped but this could be a far reach. After all, everything had taken ce more than thousands of years ago.

    ¡°So does that consider the siblings as your sessors?¡± asked Brendel.

    ¡°Mister Brendel, they have potential but based on current events, their capabilities are weak. If it wasn¡¯t for her Majesty¡¯s presence, we wouldn¡¯t have awakened today.¡± It was Ivan¡¯s turn to answer. However, Brendel could feel Anguili nodding beside him.

    ¡°Unless they¡¯re met with danger?¡±

    This time, Ivan offered no answer. Anguili was the only one nodding. Brendel¡¯s heart came to a conclusion. The Dragon Queen was the one behind Peja¡¯s lucky survival from the icy river. But what about her brother, Yaruta? After a thorough inspection by Medissa and the others, Yaruta was found to have suffered rtively severe injuries. Even with timely medical attention, his survival rates were not more than 70%. Mysteriously, his wounds had healed naturally without any intervention. The wounds were nasty and were left at least one to two weeks ago. Was this also courtesy of the elf hero spirits?

    But of course, this was not totally impossible. After all, he had a simr experience in Be when his Unyielding Talent was awakened and he promptly fell unconscious. Brendel was supposed to die regardless but the Wind Empress Sanorso had rescued him.

    Despite everything, Brendel still had to ask.

    ¡°Why was Peja¡¯s brother under the cier and not with Arreck and the others?¡±

    ¡°That is what I¡¯m about to tell you, Brendel.¡± The elf woman continued, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that no one could trulyprehend his experience.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Ivan¡¯s senses had been cut off for a while, until just earlier.¡±

    ¡°How powerful must one be to cut off Master Ivan¡¯s senses?¡± asked Brendel sharply.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t that difficult. That teacher of yours could achieve it.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that one must at least be of Ultimate Realm?¡± There was a small thump in Brendel¡¯s heart. None of the entities in the whole Holy Cathedral of the Sleep was supposed to be that strong. ¡°Does he know anything?¡± This time he was referring to Yaruta.

    ¡°I¡¯ve asked but the child himself doesn¡¯t know much. He felt as if he was dreaming, and that he faintly recalls a voice guiding him forward in a lucid state.¡± Sanorso paused briefly. ¡°But he did mention something about a blue shadow.¡±

    ¡°A blue shadow?¡± Brendel narrowed his eyes slightly. ¡°Medissa had said something simr in the past.¡±

    ¡°Mm?¡±

    ¡°The Kirrlutzians were the ones who told her about it. I think she mentioned this to Freya before,¡± mumbled Brendel. He lifted his head, the cier ahead was filled with a tight weave of wind and snow. Yet, the vague feeling hiding beyond the mist and fog felt clearer than before. He could almost confirm that something was guiding them to this ce.

    But it certainly wasn¡¯t the king of the Frost Knights.

    ...

    The dark hall was in pin-drop silence.

    Until Arreck disrupted the deafening quietness. He answered,

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Korfa stared at everyone else, confused. ¡°My mother had promised me freedom. Who are you to stop me?¡±

    Arreck¡¯s brows were scrunched into a bunch. He certainly didn¡¯t expect things to y out this way. The eldest daughter of Warg Hati, the holder of the Arrogant Moon, the first wolf that brought disaster and war, was haggling with him like an innocent young girl. She even questioned the reason behind his desire to trigger war. But wasn¡¯t that supposed to be her role? If it wasn¡¯t for the sincerity in her silver eyes, Arreck would¡¯ve thought that this mighty being was joking around.

    But at this point of the n, things must go on. Backing off or giving up was not a choice.

    Arreck exchanged looks with the other All For One members. Then, they turned around and answered, ¡°Because you¡¯re the eldest daughter of Warg Hati. This is your duty. Judgement Day is about to arrive and you are the first wolf to awaken to the Twilight.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not willing,¡± retorted Korfa meekly.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that this isn¡¯t about willingness, mighty Korfa.¡± Arreck sighed heavily. His answer rolled out deep and dark.

    Scared, the girl took a step back. But ayer of red light web had manifested behind her almost immediately, causing her back toe in contact with it. This was a kind of magic restraint. She struggled rather frantically, only to find that her effort was futile. The long dormancy had caused her rank to drop significantly. In the past, she could¡¯ve broken past this restraint with a breath but it was almost impossible now.

    She turned around, eyes wide with fear. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±

    At this moment, Arreck produced a ck crystal ball from his robes. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to use this today. Frankly, I simply do not wish to owe those bastards a favour.¡± The Duke shook his head and raised the crystal ball. Korfa noticed the colour of the ball had changed abruptly. Her eyes went wide to stare at the despicable human standing before her. She screamed panicked, ¡°That¡¯s a shard of my soul! Why do you have it?!¡± Korfa¡¯s face turned ghastly, looking almost about to start shivering.

    Yet, Arreck was unfazed. What came next was his respectful request, ¡°Please forgive my intrusion, mighty Korfa.¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ...

    Brendel was still in the middle of a conversation with Sanorso but suddenly remembered something. He stopped the exchange, quickly plunging himself into deep thoughts. The female elf in his mind was quick to notice the silence. She asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Brendel?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just remembered something,¡± replied Brendel with a low groan.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°One of Warg Hati¡¯s daughters is in eternal slumber within the holy cathedral.¡±

    ¡°The Dim Korfa, Warg Hati¡¯s eldest daughter. Didn¡¯t you mention this before?¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡± Brendel cluelessly shook his head but his heart was fixated on something else. In the game, Korfa was titled ¡®Double-Faced Goddess¡¯ as yers would fight her through two stages repeatedly. In those two stages, Korfa¡¯s temperament would switch between a pure innocent girl and the evil eldest daughter of Warg Hati. To be honest, the kind Korfa had a very significant fanbase among the yers but this itself wasn¡¯t all that special. The boss battles in the Amber Sword were unique and out of this world, she was not the only bipr boss in the game. But the reason why he was suddenly reminded of this fact was that some people think that the evil Korfa was not her true character.

    There was a saying among yers who had experienced Korfa¡¯s battle- Korfa was manipted by someone to be in her evil mode.

    But there was no base to the im. Brendel had once thought that this was merely an opinion from her fanatic fans. Yet, when he thought about the voice that led everyone into the holy cathedral and the blue shadow, a chill was sent down his spine. That thing had once signed some kind of contract with Shitah long ago and even Shitah himself couldn¡¯t describe what kind of entity the other party was. Who exactly was it and what motive did it bore?

    All Brendel could think of was to rte it to the Awakening God.

    But what even was the Awakening God? And why was it trying to bring them to his ce?

    The more he thought about it, the more he felt like this was a trap.

    Unfortunately, there was no way to turn around now. Once Arreck activated the star-shaped diamond in his possession, everyone and the whole woods would turn into ashes.

    ¡°What kind of crap luck is this?¡± Brendel felt a little helpless.

    ...

 Chapter 768 - v4c142p1

    Chapter 768 v4c142p1

    A Bet

    After crossing the entire cier, the King of the Frost Devourer, Frost Teeth, had yet to appear. Only some Frost Souls were seen in the snow, which was Undead creatures that generate from haunting souls of travelers frozen to death under the cier. They were simr to ghosts but looked like the ice demon from the snowy forest. Fortunately, they were not considered strong so the little female dragon, Brendel, and Veronica could easily dispatch them without the Ash Sword Saint¡¯s involvement. Of course, Ciel and the other three managed to get quite some Experience.

    In thisrge copy, these small demons had substantial Experience and Drops, but unfortunately getting the psed Pointer today made Brendel lose his reputation. None of the Frost Souls had dropped one good thing, not even a high-level white piece. Brendel felt numb. It would be worth it if we could get even one set of the psed Pointer, then losing some reputation wouldn¡¯t hurt. This is so unfair.

    After passing through the cier, through a hidden cave in the valley, the team entered the mountains again. Under Brendel¡¯s guidance, the crowd turned into a long manmade corridor, as if suddenly a spectacr scene appeared in front of them.

    The Holy Cathedral was so majestic as if sandwiched in the mountains independently supporting the ciers on both sides like a giant; when people made their way out of this narrow walkway, they would feel as insignificant as dust.

    Everyone eximed, even Brendel who had read the description in the Strategy was amazed. This was the Eternal Extinction Square, and beyond that was the Spiral Hall. It was a creation of civilization from thest era. The Square still echoed the war¡¯s tragic screaming, and then everything fell silent, leaving only the silence of a million yearster.

    ¡°What is that?¡± The young prince, who didn¡¯t know when he hade to the front, asked as he stared curiously at the group of ghostly blue balls of light swimming in the Square below.

    ¡°The Icy Breath.¡±

    Those were the Revitalizing Magic awakened by the Dark Magic from the ancient battlefield, but the number was somewhat rming. From this end of the Square to that end, there were at least a thousand of them, spread out in all directions like stars in the night sky. Veronica saw this scene and felt that it was going to be difficult, as this kind of ancient Revitalizing Magic was quite difficult to deal with. It would be easy to deal with if there were only a few dozen of them, but there were thousands of them. Even if she and the Ash Sword Saints had gone out together, along with the little female dragon or Brendel, they would still not be able to cope with the situation.

    ¡°Should we Cielge directly?¡± She inhaled a deep breath. This scene right now also proved the tragedy of that ancient battle, how intensive the magic outbreak needed to be to cause so much Revitalizing Magic to converge here thousands of yearster. There was another ancient battlefield in Vaunte, where the battle between the Four Wise Men and the Darkness Dragon broke out. Nowadays, it was called the Dead Land, where arge number of Revitalizing Magic was active; but the amount was not as outrageous as how it was here now, the battlefield was more than 10 miles long with only hundreds of Revitalizing Magic roaming around, unlike here...... Veronica couldn¡¯t help but shake her head, ¡°I¡¯m afraid this will take days to clear up.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have that much time, behind us is the Spiral Hall, by this time Arreck and the others should be close, we have to get a step ahead of them.¡± Brendel immediately replied, ¡°I¡¯ll distract these things, I¡¯ll give you the signalter, you all cross the Square.¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± Brendel was slightly stunned and looked back, but found that it was the little female dragon and Medissa who spoke against him. The little female dragon looked at him from up to down and replied with some dissatisfaction, ¡°You are my toy, before you make any decisions yourself, shouldn¡¯t you first consult your master?¡±

    Medissa was more worried, ¡°Lord, your status is different now, there is no need to risk your life. As a superior, you need to learn how to act as a superior.¡±

    Brendel raised his eyebrows. How¡¯s this line so familiar? He looked at the little Silver Elf Princess and asked, ¡°What else did Amandina say to you?¡±

    The Silver Elf Princess face was tentatively red, stammering, she said, ¡°No, no... these words are from me. ¡±

    Brendel looked at the red-faced Medissa and found it funny because he had never seen this side of her. He was about to relieve the other party when Veronica voiced out her opinion which was simr to Medissa, ¡°Brendel, you are not considered the strongest among us, the princess is right, leave it to me or Mephisto.¡±

    Brendel shrugged, directly ignoring the little female dragon¡¯s nonsense. While for Veronica, he had his own opinions on the issue. In fact, it wasn¡¯t as dangerous as they imagined; attracting monsters was something somon that it would be impossible for a professional to not know this.

    This was a necessary means. Although Brendel had not personally tried, he would still know how.

    By saying this it did not mean that Mephisto and Veronica couldn¡¯t learn this skill, it was not something difficult after all. The problem was that a prerequisite was required, which was to be familiar with the terrain. Out of all the people present, only Brendel was barelypetent enough for these conditions. There was no room for error. Once surrounded by all the Icy Breath, even Mephisto would not be able to escape easily. Nobody wanted war. As Veronica had said, a war like this wouldst for more than a few days.

    So he finally shook his head, ¡°Lord Veronica, teacher, luring these monsters away isn¡¯t hard, but do you know where to lead them to? I know because I¡¯m more familiar with this ce than you guys. Let me give it a try first, I will think of a way to retreat if it gets tough.¡±

    ¡°How will you retreat?¡± Brendel¡¯s perfunctory manner obviously could not be hidden from this Kirrlutzian Army Chief.

    ¡°Uh......¡± This wasn¡¯t a good lie to tell. Brendel hesitated for a moment before answering, ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet, I¡¯ll think of a way.¡±

    Veronica stared at him suspiciously.

    Brendel sighed and exined, ¡°Lord Veronica, please don¡¯t worry. Do I look like someone reckless? Well, for the sake of Aouine I might be, but in terms of working for you Kirrluztians, I¡¯m still not sublime enough to do that. So please believe in me, okay?¡±

    This statement convinced the female chief. Although it sounded less pleasant that even Lenarette who was behind, snorted, thinking that Brendel was being narcissistic. Did the Kirrlutzians even ask the Aouines for help? Veronica looked at him and replied somewhat coldly, ¡°That¡¯s true. A little slick like you can¡¯t bepared to those who boast about sacrifice, although you often put on such apulsive face.¡±

    Brendelughed bitterly at this, he knew Veronica was talking about what happened in the Loop of Trade Winds. But at that time he didn¡¯t bother to sacrifice himself for Druid or the Tree Elves, he just wanted to find a way out of the desperate situation. He looked back and saw most of the Kirrlutzians who were unfamiliar with this in bewilderment, while several of his own men were snickering, especially the Silver Elf Princess.

    But in any case, Veronica finally did not object.

    He turned back again, and his teacher, the Ash Sword saint, still didn¡¯t say a word but only gave him a slight nod as he replied indifferently, ¡°Since this is what you asked for, be careful and take the opportunity to hone yourself. It¡¯s good for you.¡± Brendel raised his eyebrows. His teacher was admittedly also a strange person. Perhaps killing thousands of demons was nothing to him, after all, he was someone who was able to kill a way out from the core area of the Kirrlutz Empire under siege.

    This was naturally iparable, to know that those who participated in the siege were notcking Veronica¡¯s level. Comparing to these people, the Icy Breath was just like a pet dog.

    He shook his head and he thought of this. He then gestured to his Mage squire not far away, ¡°Ciel, youe with me.¡±

    Luring monsters was a skilled job. Although it can bepleted by a single person, his current strength was still not entirely sufficient to do so. But things would be different with the help of a Mage. The key was that Ciel was summoned by him, so if in danger, he could rece Ciel any time. But if he brought others, they would more or less be in the way instead of being helpful during critical moments. And the main reason was that he was not willing to let Veronica find out the little secrets of his.

    Facing his Lord¡¯s summons, all Ciel could do was sigh. He wrung his hands as if it was expected. It was going to be hard work anyway, that certainly meant he would be needed.

    ¡°Lord, I did not owe you anything in myst life, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say, but I think I probably owe someone.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Someone?¡±

    The young Mage turned back, only to find that Brendel had only taken one step out when someone yanked on his coat. Brendel turned back helplessly and was met with Scarlet¡¯s bright and somewhat worried eyes, ¡°Wait for me here, Scarlet, I¡¯ll be right back. Oh, no, I mean we¡¯ll rendezvous on the other side right away, okay?¡± Brendel felt that the phrase ¡®I¡¯ll be right back¡¯ to be odd. Why would hee back here? So he hurriedly changed his words.

    However, the red-haired girl looked at him and shook her head seriously.

    That meant ¡®not good¡¯.

 Chapter 769 - Chapter 769 v4c142p2

    Chapter 769 v4c142p2

    A Bet

    The effective range of the Ice Breath was about thirty feet, the Revitalizing Magic was poorly perceived, and his level was theoretically a little higher than the entry level of the Holy Cathedral of the Sleeper. That was why Brendel approached about twenty-five feet or so before stopping. Ciel was also behind; the Mage¡¯s sneaking ability was far inferior to the Warrior ss upations, let alonepared with the Night Swallows. But magic could solve this trouble, he used a Law of sound absorption to eliminate the sound of his footstepspletely, so his footsteps now sounded a bit lighter than Brendel¡¯s.

    The next was Scarlet. Brendel could not convince this mountain girl, so he had to let her follow. Fortunately, Scarlet was not weak, and she had Dragon blood. It would be hard for her if she had to conceal noise in front of scouting magic creatures, but in the face of Icy Breath, the half-deaf, half-blind thing, it was not a problem for her.

    But Brendel looked back again and saw the two sneaky faces of Aloz and Shitah.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Brendel red at them without good grace.

    ¡°Afraid I¡¯ll lose my toys.¡± Aloz replied rightfully.

    ¡°She forced me toe along.¡± Shitah replied helplessly.

    Brendel was a bit speechless. If he had known, he might as well have brought everyone along to break the siege. It¡¯s a nightmare to lure the monsters together with all these four or five people. He could only gesture furiously at Aloz, ¡°Listen to mymandter.¡±

    ¡°What kind of attitude is that!¡± The little female dragon seemed to be very dissatisfied, but after squirming for a moment she added, ¡°...but if it makes sense, I¡¯ll consider it.¡±

    Brendel snorted softly, hiding behind the first pir and pointing to the other side and said, ¡°Look over there, the Icy Breath¡¯s attack in ray form, the range is about one hundred and twenty feet, their way of moving is flying, moving speed is about fifteen feet per second. We have five chances to avoid them through the pir, so their own speed can not reach more than twelve feet per second, so be good and retreat.¡±

    With that, he turned back to look at the others.

    But Aloz looked at him as if Brendel was an idiot, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking a question.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°Are you an idiot? We are Dragons.¡± The little female dragon replied impatiently, ¡°We can walk faster than you can run.¡±

    ¡°Him too?¡± Brendel pointed at the little fatty beside Aloz.

    ¡°Lord, although I don¡¯t like sports much, I¡¯m still faster than you anyhow.¡± Shitah replied in a jarred voice as he rubbed his tummy.

    Brendel couldn¡¯t help but rub his face, feeling a little blundered. Giant Dragons, as a Golden Race and abat-oriented race, were naturally physicallypetent. He knew that of course, but he asked the question out of habit of being the head of the army. He looked at Scarlet again, but the mountain maiden did not answer. She had half of the Dragon¡¯s bloodline, so there was no need to say more. He then shifted his gaze to Ciel.

    ¡°Lord, I have the Dimension Gate.¡± The Mage squire deliberated for a moment and replied with a smile.

    ¡°So, I¡¯m still the slowest?¡± Brendel instantly felt a little embarrassed.

    ¡°Well, kinda...¡± Ciel looked at the others- Aloz and Shitah were huge Dragons, Scarlet could be said to be half-Dragon, and he himself had magic, so yes, it seemed that indeed the Lord was the weakest.

    ¡°How about that, little Brendel?¡± Aloz seemed to be very happy to see Brendel embarrassed and giggled, ¡°Now you understand that we are here to help you. Without my help, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯d be very difficult for you toplete this task, which isn¡¯t the primary concern here. If you are taken out by these flies, my hard-earned toy will be gone, that would be unpleasant.¡±

    Brendel knew that this little female dragon was deliberately working against him, as if she had been holding a grudge since she knew that he had given the Golden Apple to Scarlet, but his mind raced and suddenly he had a n, ¡°Aloz, how about we make a bet?¡±

    ¡°A bet?¡± The little female dragon narrowed her eyes and subconsciously got a little wary.

    ¡°Well, what I¡¯m trying to say is that it¡¯s not as easy as you think to lure these monsters away so that the others can get through. If you guys think that just being fast enough is enough, that¡¯s a big mistake, and I can tell you that even with speed, you can¡¯t match me here.¡± Brendel replied, ¡°So with that said, I suggest you and Shitah would be better off going back and moving with the others, leaving this job to the professional.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯te at me like that, I¡¯m not going to be provoked by you,¡± Aloz grunted, ¡°but how do you want to bet?¡±

    Brendel secretlyughed, this little female dragon was obviously thinking differently than what she said. He certainly knew this. He hastily replied, ¡°I told you, it¡¯s a race of speed, to see who reaches the finish line first.¡±

    ¡°Competing with the Dragons for speed,¡± Aloz¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°are you crazy?¡±

    Brendel nodded seriously, ¡°The loser will have to unconditionally agree to one condition for the victor.¡±

    ¡°Condition?¡± Aloz was slightly stunned, she covered her chest with both arms, and with a red face she angrily shouted, ¡°What are you trying to do?! Shameless!¡±

    What the fuck are you thinking about? Brendel almost yelled at the little female dragon¡¯s reaction. He hurriedly put up a finger, gesturing for silence, and then probed out to look. Fortunately, the roaming Icy Breath outside didn¡¯t seem to notice them in the slightest, owning up to being called half deaf and half blind. He let out a sigh of relief and turned back to Aloz, reprimanding her in an annoyed tone, ¡°Are you crazy? Do you want to die here?¡±

    Aloz looked at him with hatred, showing her sharp teeth and argued, ¡°Who told you to make such a shameful request?¡±

    ¡°Shameful request?!¡± Brendel suddenly saw the odd expressions of Ciel and Shitah, as well as Scarlet, who was blushing too. He simply wanted to strangle this stupid little female dragon to death, ¡°I mean, if I win, you have to give me the real Heart of the Dragon.¡± Brendel paused when he said this, after all, the Heart of the Dragon was a secret treasure of the Dragon Race, and he didn¡¯t know how valuable that thing really was to the Dragons.

    It¡¯s just that Princess Magadal had to rely on the Heart of the Dragon to recover, so he was in a hurry toe up with this solution.

    Sure enough, just as he spoke, Shitah hurriedly shook his head, ¡°The Heart of the Dragon is mine!¡± But unfortunately, Aloz gave him a suspicious look and asked, ¡°Just this? Then okay, I promise.¡±

    ¡°Sister Aloz!¡± The little fat dragon¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you participate in the bet as well.¡± Aloz tapped her cheap brother on the shoulder and replied with a big grin, ¡°This way if he loses, he will owe us one request.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s how it works?¡± Ciel¡¯s jaw dropped, and he hurriedly raised his hand, ¡°Then I¡¯ll join in too.¡±

    Brendel looked at them coldly. Watching his young Mage squire seeking his own death, he couldn¡¯t help but sneer in his heart. With some curiosity, he asked, ¡°What kind of bet do you want?¡± The reason was that in Brendel¡¯s usual impression, Ciel seemed to be the kind with indifferent and nonchnt nature- except for the necessary magic research, he seemed to have no other desire.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about that, it¡¯s just that I think it¡¯s cool, isn¡¯t it? Think about it, your master owes you a request, it¡¯s filthy and unreasonable.¡± Ciel couldn¡¯t help but raised his eyebrows and replied with a naughty grin.

    ¡°What the fuck.¡± Brendel had nothing to say to such an odd idea from his squire.

    Then he looked back, only to see that Scarlet, who was blushing, raised her hand as well.

    ¡°You¡¯re in too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°The fuck!¡± For a moment, a thought involuntarily came to Brendel¡¯s mind.

    This was indeed very filthy and unreasonable.

 Chapter 770 - v4c143 Icy Breath

    Chapter 770 v4c143

    Icy Breath

    Just as Brendel¡¯s bet was going on, Duke Arreck and his men were being led through the central maze by Korfa. The road ahead opened up, forming a cavity-like long aisle that was as high as a few hundred feet, with pirs of more than 30 feet in diameter that were supporting the base like a beast¡¯s rib. Looking up, these majestic pirs were embedded into the walls on both sides.

    The hall was not empty, the prehistoric battle extended to this ce as skeletons of all sizes could be seen around the aisle. These skeletons remained in the form of killing before death, as if a fierce battle was suddenly interrupted by a disaster, and everyone froze the moment they took theirst breath. Skeletons filled the space, so Arreck and his men had to look for actual ground to step on as they were advancing. As he walked around a skeleton with wings, that skeleton could be seen wearing a half armor covered in silver feathers still, but the former glory of the armor had lost its glow and had turned into just a pile of rusted iron.

    This was a godly servant¡¯s corpse, a Seraphine, a Golden Race that waspletely wiped out in the Ebabel¡¯s battle, leaving a scant few of its people to hide beyond the Elemental Frontier and disappear along with the gods. And today there were still some secondary gods in Vaunte, but they were not the best among the Silver Folkpared to these horrible yet beautiful creatures. Duke Arreck noticed the skeleton of the giant wolf that had fought this Seraphine. The skeleton¡¯s third spine from the skull was visibly white, typical of the third generation of Dusk Wolves, Fenir¡¯s descendants, who with their ancestors had been prisoners of the Divine Folk, and the chains had left permanent scars that ran deep into the marrow of their bones.

    Arreck¡¯s gaze withdrew from the skeletons and he narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°What is this ce?¡±

    ¡°The Promenade of Meditation.¡±

    ¡°What ce does it lead to?¡±

    ¡°The ce where you all want to go.¡±

    Arreck turned back. Beside Devard, the eldest daughter of Hati shrouded under a dark robe that had some red pattern on it; the dark fabric made her skin look so pale as if it shone like white snow, the hood was so deep that only her pointed chin was visible. But one could still feel the coldness from her red eyes glittering in the depths of the shadows. When Arreck did not speak, Korfa would remain in total silence. Ever since she absorbed the other half fragment of soul, she had be this way, no longer showing her pure and innocent side.

    But when Arreck was not looking, the young girl would show an awful look on her face. She frowned.

    Arreck could vaguely feel that the eldest daughter of Hati had not forgotten everything before. Those stinking demons from the Sulfur River gave him a fragment of her soul, telling him that this thing could make the unruly Korfa obedient, but she was neither unruly, nor did she show obedience. However, she did be quiet as she led them out of the maze.

    ¡°Lord Korfa.¡± Arreck thought for a moment and spoke with a somewhat hoarse voice.

    Korfa looked at him.

    ¡°Do you remember what happened in this war?¡±

    ¡°What does it have to do with you guys?¡±

    ¡°Just wanted to gain some insight into that great war.¡±

    The girl looked up and around the hall with a cold gaze, ¡°This is where Mayne¡¯s subordinates, the descendants of Fenir, collided head-on with the seventh legion of the Seraphines when they attacked into the Promenade of Meditation, and they fought here, as you can see.¡±

    ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°There was no then, the dying Milos activated the central core and the glow of death enveloped the entire battlefield. Me, the brothers Mayne and Mel, and the third column of Nohs and theirmander, in an instant, were frozen forever at this moment in time. The Frost Giants lost their father forever, and the Twilight Legion suffered heavy losses.¡±

    ¡°The central core?¡±

    ¡°It should still be around here somewhere, only rest assured that that too should be too badly damaged to be a threat to you guys anymore.¡±

    Arreck nodded and stopped speaking but his heart was stirred. He could imagine what kind of war it was, the Nohs, the descendants of Fenir, the Seraphines, the Frost Giants, all the most fearsome names of the ancient times, but were all turned into ashes in just an instant. Even a being like Korfa was not an exception, and this was the Twilight.

    Thinking about this, he could not help but bow his head respectfully.

    ¡°I have offended before, Lord Korfa, please forgive me.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    No fluctuation was seen in Korfa¡¯s blood-colored gaze under the hood. She looked at the human in front of her, without joy or sorrow. But deep in the bottom of her eyes, a fiery light stirred.

    ......

    Even Brendel would not know that the central defense core of the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep had such a glorious past. In his memory, that was just one of the BOSS in the Holy Cathedral, and even its strength was not as strong as the Twins of the Dusk Wolves. The core was located in the centralbyrinth in one of the halls. Before the yer restarted it, it would have just sunk silently into the dust forever, and even in an activated state, the central core was nothing more than that.

    And at this moment, Brendel was fulfilling his bet.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Aloz¡¯s voice was sharp but pleasant to the ear. She red at Brendel, ¡°You are not allowed to use that thing you got earlier.¡±

    <i> So she still remembers the psed Pointer. </i> Brendel thought to himself, she was not so stupid after all. He spread his arms. He was not so crazy to burn Experience just for a bet.

    ¡°Other items cannot be used either,¡±Aloz added.

    ¡°You¡¯re bossy, who bets like you do anyway?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re trying to cheat!¡± Aloz showed her sharp canine teeth, as if she was going to bite him if Brendel did not agree to her request. Brendel had to throw up his hands in surrender, ¡°Okay, okay, you have the final say.¡±

    The little female dragon wascent and felt that she had prevented Brendel from being sneaky, with her own ability. She did not think that Brendel could get ahead of her, as she was a Dragon, and was still the strongest Golden Dragon among the Dragons. Although she was not as fast as the Blue Dragon, she would never lose to a human.

    But immediately, she knew what a big mistake she had made.

    It turned out that the core of this bet was to pass through the monsters, and not simplypare whose speed was faster. The little female dragon¡¯s heart was full of despair as she realized this.

    With thousands of Icy Breath, even a Giant Dragon would not dare test their limits, every time she tried to advance, Revitalizing Magic converged like a wall, blocking her way forward. Aloz naturally dared not dive right in, there was no choice but to go around them. Fortunately, Brendel pointed out six pirs to them that could be used to bypass these Revitalizing Magic, if not, the little female dragon would have gone crazy.

    If she did not follow the route pointed out by Brendel, she would have realized that she would not be able to take half a step forward.

    But that cunning human was able to pass through the gaps between the monsters every time, and even at that close range, only a few freeze rays hit him. To be fair, each of them had Ciel¡¯s cast to resist the Frost Boundary, so it was nothing to Brendel when the few freeze rays hit him.

    ¡°Holy shit, there¡¯s a constant Dimensional Anchor in this ce!¡±

    Ciel¡¯s strange shout came from out of nowhere.

    In short, in addition to Scarlet, only one person and two Dragons remained with persistence, the young Mage attendant finally knew why his Lord was smirking at him. It turned out that he was looking for his own death.

    Brendel was secretlyughing.

    Aloz would never understand what the problem was. In fact, before someone invaded, the Icy Breath was naturally distributed across the entire Square, and since it was naturally distributed, the huge amount of Icy Breath could not lie evenly and tly on every inch of the ground. It was also true that before being stimted by external objects, most of these Revitalizing Magic actually gathered together in groups of three or five, but because there were so many that it looked as if they were everywhere across the Square.

    That being said, there were actually still one or two fixed entry routes ¨C

    These ssic entry routes were summed up by previous yers from time to time. A pattern was only found after a thousand failures, and no matter how intelligent or talented Aloz was, it was impossible to find out the correct path with just a nce among thousands of Icy Breaths. But Brendel could, and that was the benefit of being ahead of the information ¨C or in other words, cheating.

    He cut into the only correct route, and then broke into among the Icy Breaths, as if stirring a ho¡¯s nest. Although Brendel was not extremely quick, he was not too slow either. So to speak, he was exactly on point, jamming exactly the reaction speed and firing distance of the Icy Breaths, so these Revitalizing Magic could do nothing to this fly that passed between them. But, have you ever seen a swarm of angry bees? These Icy Breaths were just like that, although their reaction was very slow, but once they moved, their overwhelming amount could make them extremely frightening. Especially when Brendel was trying to disrupt their pace, making them congregate behind him.

    The Revitalizing Magic that spread across the ce like countless stars behind Brendel was chaotic. Aloz, Shitah, and Ciel, who were behind Brendel could only clench their teeth at this moment. It was impossible for them to find the correct path after the Icy Breaths took action, not to mention that they could not even find the path before this. In front of them, the Icy Breaths were like a restless wave, and anyone who would jump in was expected to be left with nothing, not even bones.

    Aloz went further in distance, only to stop and say, ¡°Brendel, you damn cunning human!¡± The little female dragon waved her ws and roared at Brendel¡¯s back from afar.

    Brendel pretended not to hear her. He was going around thest pir, while backhandedly throwing two stones into the two piles of Icy Breath not far behind the swarm. This action was not much different from stabbing a ho¡¯s nest, the Revitalizing Magic over there immediately dived into a frenzy of rage, chasing him in his direction. He looked back again, the Revitalizing Magic in the middle and front of the hall had lost him for a good distance, except for a few who were attracted to attention by Aloz and Ciel, most of them were led by him in this direction.

    If he remembered correctly, there were two exits to the north of the Eternal Extinction Square; the eastern exit led to the central maze, which was where he was nning to lead these Icy Breaths to. But there was a problem here, one was that based on his current speed, it would be hard to dodge the opponent¡¯s attack and guard the two giant Revitalizing Magics; the second one was he did not know how to retreat after attracting these Revitalizing Magics. It is not that there was no way to do so in the game, but he was a Warrior, not a Night Swallow known for its agility. In fact, this was the difficulty of attracting monsters. But Brendel knew that most of the techniques of that era were somewhat wed, for example, he himself had modified a number of meaningless action paths. For himself, he was still very confident, after all, he had a pure profession as a Warrior with more than a hundred levels.

    If one was not sensitive enough, one could make up for it by experience.

    As he looked back, those clusters of Icy Breaths could be seen to be closer, but their huge number rather limited their advancing speed. Brendel estimated and found that the left and right side of the Revitalizing Magic was more threatening to him. In fact, this time the two sides have started to shoot several freeze rays at him, but Brendel easily dodged them all. He passed through the hall horizontally, came near to thest pir, raised his head and saw that the eastern exit was already close at hand. And indeed, there were two gigantic Revitalizing Curses guarding in the direction near the exit.

    Those things looked like an erged model of an Icy Breath, with each having a height of at least 60 or 70 feet in diameter, with dazzling blue light spots around their bodies, surrounding them like orbiting satellites. Brendel knew that that was their means of attack, so he deliberately avoided some of them. However, no matter what, he would eventually have to go through the middle of those two Icy Breaths. It was something he could not pull tricks on, so he could only rely on Ciel.

    He immediately sank his consciousness into the world of his mind andmanded, ¡°Ciel.¡±

    ......

    The long queue of people in ck robes stopped before an ancient gate, which was also made of the same kind of obsidian material found everywhere in this ce, but covered with star-like textures, and in the center of the gate, stars wrapped around a sun, and where that sun was, only a groove remained. Everyone looked up at the huge door, which was a hundred and twenty feet high, with two skeletons clinging to the side of the door, each holding a giant ice-blue axe, with their heads hanging down and their helmets splitting in two.

    ¡°This is the Frost Giant Forbidden Guard?¡± Devard hissed.

    Arreck nodded.

    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived?¡±

    ¡°The Spiral Hall is behind this.¡± Korfa replied coldly.

    The Duke turned back, and the ck robed knights of All For One came into his field of vision, ¡°Find a way to open this door, and the others, guard this hall.¡±

    He took a breath, his heart finally stirred up a little. His n had finally reached the final step, sess was just around the corner. But Arreck suddenly narrowed his eyes and noticed the dark walkway leading in one direction from the Promenade of Meditation, he nced over there and asked, ¡°Where does that lead to?¡±

    There was silence in the hall and no one answered him, so he had to turn back to the eldest daughter of Hati. Thetter gave him a silent look.

    ¡°The Eternal Extinction Square.¡±

    ¡°What is that ce?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Korfa shook her head as if she really didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°But I know that the Mayne brothers escaped in that direction. What, you don¡¯t believe me?¡± Korfa¡¯s bloody red eyes met with Arreck¡¯s, which were so calm that there was no hint of fluctuation.

    Arreck frowned.

    ¡°Devard,¡± he instructed, ¡°you take someone over there.¡±

    As if unconcerned by the other¡¯s order, Korfa looked back and quietly stared at the huge obsidian door in front of her.

 Chapter 771 - v4c144p1 Freyas Hidden Mission?

    <h4>Chapter 771 v4c144p1 Freya¡¯s Hidden Mission?</h4>

    Freya woke up groggy from the cold, but what she saw was not the endless sight of ciers and canyons, nor did she hear the sound of icy wind whistling. She remembered that she was at the windward side of the cier when she passed out, but now she was in a mountain with a quiet breeze. She did not know how long she had been unconscious, the cold had seemed to seep into her limbs. She clenched her jaws as she managed to get up from the snow. But Freya suddenly noticed something she had never seen before.

    Not far from her shaky, blurry vision, stood a small thing that was a little like a small snowman. Its slender arms were not the usual dry branches, but ice crystals; the small thing had folded its arms at the waist and was half bent over looking at Freya from a distance, a little like the butler in the Lord¡¯s castle. On the other hand, it was not tall, and its beard and ice brows were covered with ice crystals. And there was pair of shiny eyes underneath.

    Freya was startled as she had never seen such a thing in her life. When she came to her senses, she sat up from the snow as quick as a spring- though she did not expect her sudden movement to frighten the other party as well. The little thing was so frightened that it took two steps back and tripped over a tree root, then sat on its butt in the snow. It took a long time to get up, and then the two of them stared at each other with wide eyes.

    The snowy space was filled with an awkward silence.

    After a long time, Freya finally noticed that the other party did not seem to have hostile intentions. She deliberated for a while and asked tentatively, ¡°Did you bring me here?¡±

    The snowman was stunned, hurriedly patted the snow off the end of its body and stood up, respectfully bowing to Freya, ¡°No, not me, it was the master who brought you here, respectful little master.¡± It could also speak Kirrlutzian, but spoke with a slightly strange ent. It was a curious ent too, which sounded like a duck quacking.

    Freya¡¯s mouth opened into an ¡®O¡¯ shape, shocked by the other party¡¯s address to her. ¡°Wait, what did you call me, and who is your master?¡±

    ¡°The master is the master, little master.¡± The snowman replied in a very matter-of-fact tone, as if that was the correct answer to the question.

    ¡°Hold up, I¡¯m not anyone¡¯s little master, have you mistaken me for someone else?¡±

    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m not a little master, are you mistaken?¡±

    ¡°The master said you are the most honored guest here, and the master told us to treat you with the manners of a little master, that¡¯s what the master said, the master must be right.¡±

    Freya felt that her brain was running short of brain juice, she just felt that if only Brendel was here, he would be able to figure out what was happening very quickly. Even so, the young girl from the Be countryside was not stupid. So she first touched the side of her harness: the Lionheart Sword was still in good condition and in ce; then she touched her belt pouch: The stone te given by Brendel was also safe and sound, and even the ruby ring was still in her hand. She was slightly relieved because it showed that the other party at least did not mean any harm.

    She calmed down a little, and after a while, she asked the snowman, ¡°Hello, how should I address you?¡±

    The snowman ced a branch-like hand on its chest, and saluted her with human etiquette, ¡°We are Tolifen Goblins who have lived here for generations, Your Honour Little Master, we have no names, you may call us ¡°hey¡± or e here¡±, as we all look simr to each other in your eyes anyway. But actually, we do have differences from one another, you just need to observe our beards and brows, and you would notice that some have more while some have less. The shape of them is different too.¡±

    Before the Tolifen Goblin could even finish his introduction, Freya burst out inughter. This little thing learned the human etiquette so precisely, but whatever said did not make sense so she found it hrious. She tried to contain her fits ofughter and asked, ¡°Where is your master?¡±

    ¡°The master is in the house.¡±

    ¡°House? Can I meet him?¡±

    ¡°The master said that if the little master has awakened, I may bring you to meet him.¡±

    ¡°Bring me to meet him?¡± Freya felt suspicious, ¡°Can you do that now?¡±

    The Tolifen Goblin nodded.

    Freya got up from the snow and patted the corner of her coat before she realized her wounds and injuries had healed. She remembered that she was severely injured before she passed out and thest blow that killed the silver monster, but she could not remember exactly what happened. All she could vaguely remember was the silver te falling out from her bag that glittered in the snow, while she fell in suffering before she passed out. But now the silver te was ced safely in her pouch. She squeezed it and found it to be the same cold object.

    Freya did not know whether the healing of her injuries had something to do with the changes at that time, or with the mysterious master of the goblin. At this point, she saw that the snowman had reached the opening of the mountain, it was standing under a snow-white thorn bush and waving to her. She quickly got up and rushed towards the snowman.

    Freya found herself in a somewhat secluded valley. She followed behind the Tolifen Goblin, and they passed through a dense forest made up of white thorns. The entire valley seemed to be covered in this nt, which grew extremely tall, just like the other trees outside. Its tips were curled, with shiny fruits hanging from it. They were like street lights, with its soft light lighting up the winding pathway.

    There were many animals in the white woods, at least Freya saw a kind of squirrel with grayish white fur, looking for seeds of shrubs under the thorn bushes, asionally crossing the path in groups, or watching out for her as an outsider with big dark eyes. On the thorns that crossed overhead were many birds that looked like speckled sparrows, only that this bird had silvery feathers and long tail feathers. They were not afraid of unfamiliar beings, allowing Freya and the goblins to walk underneath them, cocking their heads to survey her as an unexpected visitor.

    After walking for a while, the white thorns suddenly parted left and right. Freya¡¯s eyes lit up slightly, and a look of surprise appeared on her face. The thorny bushes parted to reveal a mountain spring surrounded by jungle, and the spring hung down from the rock wall and fell into a pool, with steam rising from the water. It was apparently a geothermal hot spring. But these were not as surprising, as she saw on thend next to the hot spring that was full of emerald green vegetation and meadow,y a dark blue stag.

    The stag obviously noticed her too. Freya did not know whether she hallucinated, but she saw the other party showing her a kind look.

    She immediately recognized the other party ¨C the stag that led them all out of the predicament that night.

    She immediately seemed to understand something. But at this time the Tolifen Goblin stopped and turned back to look at Freya. The young girl who was in surprise looked ahead and found that the white thorn bushes hade to an end. All she could see was a clearing in front of a mountain wall, and an artificial building was carved out of the mountain wall, forming an archway that was three or four people high. Freya looked at the arch, then at the Tolifen Goblin, and asked, ¡°Is this the entrance for me to go in?¡±

    The snowman nodded.

    Freya had to gather the courage to take a few steps forward into the cave as the surrounding light dimmed down, but after adjusting to the dim environment, she gradually saw the interior of the cave. Behind the arch was a natural cave, as if the outside of the artificial axe marks were decorations at the entrance to the cave. Like most cial caves in this area, the interior walls of the cave consisted of smooth ice but was not deep. It extended 20 to 30 feet inward before ending abruptly, cut off by a vertical wall of ice.

    Freya could not help but stare. <i>Where¡¯s the master the goblin talked about? </i> The cave was clearly empty.

    But just as she was amidst confusion, the ice wall in front of her suddenly melted away, forming a small door, and then a voice said, ¡°Pleasee in, Miss Freya.¡±

 Chapter 772 - v4c144p2

    Chapter 772 v4c144p2

    Freya¡¯s Hidden Mission?

    ¡°You know me?¡± Freya was startled and asked.

    But the voice did not answer. Freya was nervous and curious, extremely worried about Brendel, Maynild and the young prince¡¯s safety. But she was not sure where she was. She waited for a while, seeing that the voice had no intention of continuing to speak, she lowered her body to pass through the small door in the ice wall. The thick ice wall was about ten feet, and after passing through the small door, she suddenly felt a bright light in front of her eyes, and the temperature around her rose a few degrees. Instead of the previous cold in the valley, there was an air of warmth.

    Freya looked up in surprise and found that behind the ice wall was a very pleasant room, just like the furnishings of the nobleman¡¯s study she had seen in Ampere Seale, with a table, a high-backed chair, a bookshelf, and a firece with a thick carpet on the floor and a bright me burning in the firece, a bookshelf full of books, a silver candlestick and a dinner te on the table. The table was filled with food of all colors, and the food was steaming as if it had just been brought out of the oven.

    The room was empty, but someone automatically pulled out a chair for Freya and put a te, knife, and fork on the table, as if inviting her to take a seat. ¡°Please sit down.¡± The voice sounded once again and said so.

    Freya knew that if she didn¡¯t do what she was told, the voice would ignore her again, she hesitated but sat down eventually. Immediately a white porcin teacup automatically flew down from a nearby shelf and was ced in front of her, and then the silver teapot on the table seemed to be lifted by an invisible hand as it was tilted slightly to pour her tea.

    The tea was a beautiful red, like onyx in a cup.

    Freya was a little nervous, she put her hands on her knees, suddenly remembering what she had learned in etiquette ss, and subconsciously said, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The voice looked like it could see the restraint of the girl from the countryside of Be and couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    ¡°No need to be nervous,¡± he said, ¡°no need to be nervous, it¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve had hospitality here.¡±

    Freya inhaled gently. She did not know what it meant that there had not been guests for a long time. Does he mean that there had been guests here, or does he mean something else? She asked, full of doubt, ¡°Hello, are you the owner of this ce, are you the one who saved me?¡±

    ¡°This question, we will discuss about itter, taste my tea first.¡± The voice replied gently.

    In apletely strange ce to drink something of unknown origin was not a wise thing to do, but Freya felt that the other party had no need to do more than that. She hesitated, but still held up the white porcin tea cup, and gently took a sip. The ck tea was very delicious; it had a thick milk vor that seemed to relieve the body after entering one¡¯s mouth. Even the aches and pains caused by sleeping in the snow disappeared in an instant, but she didn¡¯t felt like enjoying tea, so she just took a sip and put down the cup with heavy hands.

    ¡°How is it?¡± The voice asked.

    ¡°Well, very well, thanks for the hospitality.¡± Freya replied, weighing her words.

    ¡°You¡¯re worried?¡±

    Freya was no fool, she could now confirm that the other party was the master of this ce.

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t know what kind of ce this is, and I¡¯m confused.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a ¡®ce¡¯ because it¡¯s not fundamentally different from other ¡®ces¡¯, and if you consider this seriously, you¡¯ll see that it doesn¡¯t matter to you, right? ¡± the voice replied.

    Freya found this statement odd, but couldn¡¯t say that it was wrong; her real concern wasn¡¯t really where she was, but how far away she was from Brendel and Maynild. She nodded honestly, ¡°Yes, I am worried about mypanions, with whom I have gotten lost. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not saying this to cause you any trouble, it¡¯s just that... can you help me get out of here?¡±

    She paused for a moment, ¡°...... or, or you can instruct the goblins.¡±

    ¡°There is no need to hurry,¡± the voice said, ¡°Miss Freya, there is no need to hurry, I have led each of you to this ce because I want you to do me a favor.¡±

    ¡°You are the one who has been guiding us?¡± Freya remembered the stag that she had seen outside the door, so she believed a little, ¡°But who are you, and what kind of favor can we do for you?¡±

    ¡°My power is already very weak, but it is not difficult to lead you to this ce, because I know the purpose of your visit, so I just need to tell you the direction.¡± The voiceughed, ¡°Long story short, after all, I¡¯m running out of time, so, I¡¯ll first introduce myself. My name is Milondal, as the Kirrlutzians call it- it¡¯s Milos.¡±

    ¡®ng!¡¯ The teacup in Freya¡¯ hand fell onto the trap, and she did not even notice that her tea had spilled onto the tablecloth.

    Snapping, the teacup in Freya¡¯s hand fell onto the tray, and she was unaware of even the spill of tea on the tablecloth. Beforeing here, she had never even heard of this name, but soon, the name was engraved into her memory like the ciers and frosts of this forest, and Brendel¡¯s words echoed in her mind over and over again, shaking her to the core.

    ¡°You, you, you ......¡±

    ¡°You guessed correctly, I am none other than the first Frost Giant in this world, they honor me as a father, you humans call me a god, I ept all of these names one by one, because I am precisely qualified to do so.¡±

    ¡°But ......¡± Freya wanted to say but since the stars fell to earth, the gods have long since departed from this world, and legend had it that they went far away with the Twilight Dragon, never to return. And although many shrines to them had been built in Vaunte tomemorate that gods and people co-existed in the era, everyone understood that the era of mortals had long sincee. But she could not say a word, she was stunned by what she heard.

    ¡°Are you confused?¡± The voice, as if it knew what was on her mind.

    Freya managed to calm herself down and nodded her head.

    ¡°Actually, there is no need to be so surprised, Milos perished long ago, and I am just a myth left behind by a great will.¡±

    ¡°Myth?¡±

    ¡°People¡¯s thoughts will repeatedly haunt the questions they most wanted to unravel during their lifetime, and such myths will asionally be ghost-like, but if your own existence is too strong, such thoughts will be as if they are substantial, just like an existence like me.¡± The voice replied gently.

    ¡°Are you saying that something is bothering you? But aren¡¯t gods supposed to be omniscient?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps only Lord Marsha can be omniscient, we just think more than you do, but my myths have nothing to do with you, they are just mediocre. But today I want you to do me a favor, Freya, this matter concerns not only, you, but also yourpanions, and the young master of Valha. I know him, don¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Brendel?¡± Freya was so shocked she almost stood up.

    The voice didn¡¯t answer, but Freya had the odd feeling that the other man had nodded silently.

    ¡°What do you want me to do for you?¡± Freya could only ask cautiously, although she felt that this must be some mistake. How could she solve a problem that even the gods were troubled by?

    There was a moment of silence in the room.

    ¡°I want you to stop me from resurrecting.¡±

    It was only after a long time that the voice spoke slowly.

    ¡°What!¡± Freya seemed to be electrocuted as she bounced up from the chair. She felt as if she had heard the most ridiculous thing since she was born, her face full of unconcealed shock, ¡°What did you say?!¡±

    ¡°Stop my resurrection, Freya.¡±

    ¡°That great will is gradually awakening from the darkness, and you do not understand what will happen, but it is an ill fate for all of Vaunte. The age of the gods is over, it has nothing to do with the myth, I do not know the answer to that question, but the knight of Azure Lance has given you an answer, and that answer can no longer be rewritten, Freya.¡±

 Chapter 773 - v4c145p1

    Chapter 773 v4c145p1

    It¡¯s Not A Coincidence

    ¡°Ciel!¡±

    Brendel finally lured the two gigantic Revitalizing Curses. Countless light rays floated from the Revitalizing Curses, making them look like stars from the dwarf category- gravity could no longer bound the burning gas around the stars, the inneryer started to crumble, and the burning hot atmosphere started to expand tremendously. Those two light balls were almost as big as half of the Square as they expanded, and a bright blue line shone from within their body.

    The gap between the two gigantic Revitalizing Curses was only as wide as a carriage, and the gap was quickly bing smaller. Brendel was crazily increasing speed, attempting to pass through in between before it closes. He activated Dash, leaped from the ground, and that long pathway seemed to be just upon an arm¡¯s reach. But it was at this moment, that a fluid-like light floated from the Revitalizing Curses¡¯ body, and dashed at Brendel as it spun like a ring around a.

    At this moment, countless winding Lines of Laws stretched from the side of Brendel¡¯s body, advanced in front, and created two firm light walls. The fluid-like light rays crashed into the light wall, causing the Lines of Laws to tremble and shone blindingly bright. That was when a shadow appeared from Brendel¡¯s body, the light walls crumbled and were consumed by all the light around. But Brendel had alreadynded on the ground and as he looked back, the Revitalizing Curses were just behind him, countless Icy Breaths that were chasing after him crashed into the sun-like light balls, like moths flying into a fire, forming light patches on the ball of light, then they vanished. [Note: Moths flying into a fire (Chinese idiom) = finding one¡¯s own death].

    Brendel stopped for a moment, kept his sword, then ran towards the eastern exit.

    At the south, the changes in the entire Eternal Extinction Square could be clearly seen. The Kirrlutzian nobles were surprised and afraid at the same time; surprised by Brendel¡¯s capability and afraid because of their previous arrogance. Lenarette was frowning in silence while Veronica raised her eyebrows. They never expected Brendel to attract these monsters just like that; if they were put into this position, they would have to give more than a second thought on how to aplish this.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Lord Count was capable of this...¡± Shido was amused as she muttered.

    ¡°That¡¯s just a technique.¡± Veronica shook her head after she replied. It was indeed a technique, but what really mattered was how much would it take one could figure out the shorings of the thousands of magical creatures. Well, she couldn¡¯t do that. It was only after she saw how Brendel was dashing through the gaps in the sea of monsters that she followed him to find the safest route, but she still didn¡¯t know if that route was the only one or it was one among many others. No matter which one it was, she would be amused. If it was the previous, she couldn¡¯t imagine how Brendel found it in a sh of lightning; if it was thetter, it would mean that Brendel could see beyond the sea of monsters while she needed a bunch of time to figure out just one of the routes.

    Veronica looked towards the north of the Square in confusion. Although she was unwilling to admit this, the intelligence of that young man was indeed amusing that it made her feel uneasy. That young man was an Aouine, and he was the most persistent Aouine she had ever seen. The female chief looked down, thinking that it would be great if there were young Kirrlutzian men who were as capable. That way, whenpared to Brendel, he would be insignificant.

    ¡°If only there were young men like this in Kirrlutz.¡± She said as she shook her head.

    But of course, Brendel did not expect Veronica to misunderstand his actions and therefore, had overestimated his capability. In truth, the Icy Breaths that were like rushing waters left him with no time to think, he was starting to feel that the problem was getting hard to deal with.

    In his eyes, the Square gradually became a promenade that led to an unknown ce. It should be the Promenade of Meditation towards this direction, which was the exit of the central maze and an infamous area in the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep. If he remembered correctly, there should be a hall not far away ahead that should not be a lot smaller than the Eternal Extinction Square with no roaming monsters. It was almost a natural ce to rest and vacate, so Brendel was nning to change directions there. But the problem was that this time he attracted too many monsters. Before him, there was no one who dared to attract all the Icy Breaths and both the two gigantic Revitalizing Curses here.

    It would be harder to change directions with more monsters. He definitely did not want to turn back and dive into the monsters. After giving in some thought, he could not find a logical way to avoid them; Although the bet had ended so he would not be considered cheating, he still did not want to use the psed Pointer because it would cost him his Experience, especially when he just Activated his Elemental Power. It wouldn¡¯t be fun if he downgraded.

    But it was as if Marsha was standing on his side again this time, just when he couldn¡¯t find a clue, some light suddenly appeared amidst the pitch ckness. Brendel¡¯s heart moved slightly. Obviously, there couldn¡¯t be yers down here in this underground, and ck Fire cultists would not enter the Holy Cathedral of Sleep at this time of the year either. The only ones moving in this Holy Cathedral, besides them, could only be Arreck and the members of All For One. But no one knew who wasing their way, could it be Arreck himself? But no matter who it was going to be, it was enough for Brendel.

    He immediately had an idea.

    ......

    After receiving Arreck¡¯s order, Devard led the knights in ck robes to patrol along the long hall, which was in a different direction from the Promenade of Meditation. The ck hall was empty, with long arched windows embedded in the walls, and they looked as tiny as ants when they passed these giant arched windows. The windows were made of ciers that had been around since who knew when, and the eerie blue light came out from behind the ice walls, streaking through the hall.

    Just a few minutes ago, they turned at a corner and saw such a spectacr view. But as to what this ce was, and what this hall was called, no one knew. The group advanced slowly, walking through light and shadow, the sound of footsteps intertwining into constant hollow echoes from the other end of the hall, the kind of sound that rumbled and reverberated in a wide yet enclosed space. After only a few moments, a ck-robed knight suddenly stopped and called out, ¡°What¡¯s that!?¡±

    Everyone followed his gaze, only to see a sudden surge of light in the darkness that was gradually brightening, like some glowing-haired beast waving its tentacles that emerged from behind the corner in front. The tentacles slowly extended forward, and then its body appeared in the vision of Devard and the group of knights behind him. Everyone¡¯s eyes widened. They saw two huge balls of light upying the space of the promenade one after the other and were pressing towards this direction.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Revitalizing Curses!¡± Devard was quite knowledgeable and recognized the other party at once, but he had never heard of such big Revitalizing Curses. He looked back and saw that the knight beside him had panicked in drawing his sword, so he hurriedly struck off the knight¡¯s sword from his hand and yelled to him, ¡°What are you doing?! Run!¡±

    Most of the Revitalizing Curses were formed by tier three to tier nine spells, and Revitalizing Curses that were more than tier nine were generally called Wandering Magic. Because they wereposed of pure and powerful spells, except for spells that disarm and spell dismantle, any spell would have a healing effect on Wandering Magic. The Revitalizing Curse were all without material existence and was only in the form of energy. The physical attacks of the mortal world could only cause very limited damage to them, so Wandering Magic, although its not as strong as Elemental Activation, it was one of the most terrifying monsters among the Gold Peak.

    The two in front of them could no longer be called Wandering Magic. Even though Devard had only seen Revitalizing Curses twice in his life, he recognized it at first nce because it was the Lord of Wandering Magic of more than ten tiers, without the slightest falsification of Elemental Rank.

    Only a Mage and the same-level Mage hunters could confront it. Swordsmen like them or All For One¡¯s ck-robed knights would be insignificant despite their numbers. ¡°Run, let¡¯s split up, there are just two of them, some of us should be able to get back to the Duke.¡± Devard immediately yelled to the others.

    Only then did the ck-robed knights came back to their senses and hurriedly scattered and retreated. But just as Devard spoke, more countless stars emerged from the darkness again. ¡°My Lord, look over there!¡± Someone shouted out in rm. In fact, without the other ck-robed knights¡¯ reminders, Devard had already seen what was happening- countless Icy Breaths were surfacing in the darkness, just like a sudden monster wave.

    ¡°How is it possible!¡± Devard¡¯s first reaction was thinking that they had inadvertently activated some kind of trap, otherwise, how could these Revitalizing Curses in the Holy Cathedral riot for no reason ande straight at them. That was until someone next to him warned him. ¡°Someone¡¯s here!¡± The knight on his left suddenly shouted out, ¡°Someone is leading them here!¡±

    The Hignder¡¯s Hawk was slightly stunned before processing the words. He then immediately looked in that direction and became extremely furious.

    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

 Chapter 774 - v4c145p2

    Chapter 774 v4c145p2

    It¡¯s Not A Coincidence

    Devard seemed as if he lost all his tolerance and roared out in anger, his face was full of indignation as if he had seen an imcable enemy. Faced with such a Hawk, Brendel felt innocent. He even felt that it was too much of a coincidence. When they first met, he cut off one of the other party¡¯s hand;, the second time they met, the other party almost died on the battlefield; and this time, it was clear that the next thing to happen would be something this man wouldn¡¯t like to see.

    Brendel felt pity for the Hignder¡¯s Hawk in his heart, but that didn¡¯t stop him from saying what he had to say next, ¡°Mr. Devard, has your hand grown back?¡±

    ¡°Count Trentheim, you deserve to die!¡± Devard¡¯s face was as gloomy as ck tar. Brendel could feel his anger. If this anger was turned into substance, then at this moment Brendel would have already been wounded, but unfortunately, the Hawk was still far from being able to kill from a thousand miles away with consciousness, so Brendel had nothing to worry about at the moment.

    Of course, Mr. Devard¡¯s courage was unquestionable because if he could, he would have drawn his longsword and dismembered Brendel, or at least sacrifice his life upon killing Brendel in order to avenge his shame. But now Devard felt as if his legs were heavily nted into the ground, not to mention to fight with Brendel, it would be difficult for him to even take a step forward.

    Because Brendel was leading the two giant Wandering Magic Lords behind him, and a tidal wave of Revitalizing Magic ¨C the Icy Breaths wereing directly towards them. As long as one¡¯s intellect was still sound, one would understand what this Count Trentheim had in mind. After all, it was not a very impressive ploy with such a move.

    But here¡¯s the thing...

    Devard found that there was only one way left for them to deal with this despicable ploy. ¡°Vile bastards!¡± He cursed and turned around, giving the single most impable order to deal with the situation at hand, ¡°Retreat!¡±

    Brendelughed inside. Just as Devard had realized, it was also how he had nned long ago- what both parties were going to do now was run a torturing race. They did not need to run extremely fast, they just needed to be faster than each other. But it was not easy for Devard to slip away one step ahead of him. Brendel snapped his fingers and spun his index finger in the air, then the ck-robed knights who were retreating suddenly felt their feet go numb, and the originally solid ground seemed to turn into a rotten mud floor.

    Secondary Quicksand Spell, a tier one earth element spell which only effect was to soften the ground. Because the spell¡¯s effect was on the ground and not the people walking on it, the ck-robed knights didn¡¯t even have the chance to resist the spell with magic resistance. Although in general, this spell itself was not necessary to resist, because it only makes the ground a little softer, and not like the real Quicksand Spell that would swallow things up. Except to limit the cavalry on a battlefield, this spell¡¯s effect was minimal. Furthermore, the range of the spell was so small that unless hundreds of Mages cast it together, it would be meaningless on a battlefield that could be miles wide.

    However, wouldn¡¯t it be better for a few hundred Mages to cast some other spell to deal with cavalry?

    This spell had a minimal effect even on the ck-robed knights. Although their speed inevitably slowed down on the soft ground, the change in speed was so minimal that it did not hurt. Devard heard someone snort softly, obviously feeling some disdain at Brendel¡¯s childish move. If this happened six months earlier, he might have thought the same thing too. It was totally ridiculous to use a tier one spell against beings of Elemental Activation.

    But now he was rmed. Was the other party easy to deal with? The scar on his arm was the answer to this question.

    What happened next immediately confirmed his thoughts.

    The next thing that happened was that airflow stagnation, turbulent wind, secondary rust, ice feet, chains of inmmation, elerated fatigue, slightly increased gravity, one after another tier one spells fell upon everyone. Though each spell¡¯s effect was minimal, the good thing was that it did not require casting time. Brendel was almost running all the time while casting these low-level spells, throwing them at the ck-robed knight, not needing to seed in prating the ck-robed knight¡¯s magic resistance every time. But as soon as one spell took effect, these high-ranking devotees of All For One would slow down.

    Normally, this slowdown would be almost meaningless because it was short-term and just as time-consuming, but at the moment, for all the ck-robed knights, it was a death knell. One by one, Brendel surpassed the knights he had slowed down, and the giant Wandering Magic Lords that followed him as well as the countless Icy Breaths swallowed them up in an instant, like stones thrown into the sea, disappearing in the sea of monsters.

    ¡°Vile!¡±

    The senior believers of All For One were normally perceived as the most sinister, cunning, and ruthless existence by mortals, but at this moment in their hearts, Brendel was the real evil. The Nine Phoenix had an old saying, which is called being a helper of the evil, and this was exactly the kind of role Brendel was ying in their minds right now. If it was just Brendel, they could easily defeat him by joining forces, at least that¡¯s what the ck-robed knights thought. But unfortunately, Brendel obviously would not give them this opportunity, instead, he would only cast spells over them and let the Icy Breaths behind finish them off one by one.

    This was simply a fox borrowing the majesty of the tiger. [Note: A fox borrowing the majesty of the tiger (Chinese idiom)= relying on other¡¯s power to confront other people.)

    Of course, there were a few ck-robed knights who can¡¯t stand the humiliation and returned with their swords drawn, wanting to put their lives on line and attack Brendel. But unfortunately, they soon realized a problem- Brendel was a pent-up Elementalist, but his swordsmanship was surprisingly good. Then with such astonishing thoughts, they were swept into the group of monsters behind by Brendel¡¯s Nine Luminaries.

    One by one, the numbers of knights reduced, and soon, only Devard was left alone in Brendel¡¯s field of vision.

    The Hawk was worthy to be Arreck¡¯s sidekick. Brendel felt that the opponent might have the Meditation Amulet, or secondary Spell Resisting Brooch-ss magic equipment because when tier one or tier two spells hit him, they would instantly disappeared without trace. So Brendel tried releasing a tier three fire vector, staggering the opponent and leaving a scorched ck mark on his back armor. It was indeed the Meditation Amulet because the secondary Spell Resisting Brooch was resistant to spells below tier four. But Brendel shook his head as he only knew the fire vector from tier three spells, and he didn¡¯t have enough EP to repeatedly use it. After all, to rely on tier three spells to kill an Elemental Activated opponent was ridiculous.

    If only he had the tier three Wind Bondage that could hold Devard back for even just a second, would be enough for him to suffer.

    Brendel had to admit he was an unqualified Elementalist. Activating tier two spells was already a struggle to him, not to mention it was with the help of high Willpower, activating tier three spells had been a real challenge. And obviously, he could not stand still to cast the spells.

    And now Brendel had to face two problems.

    One, Devard could run faster than him. And two, he seemed to have no way to slow down Devard down.

    Obviously, Mr. Hawk knew this too after Brendel¡¯s multiple attempts. He couldn¡¯t help but gave Brendel a smug look and although looking a little wretched, he still turned back and mocked loudly, ¡°You¡¯re crazy, do you know what you¡¯re really doing? Could it be that you n to keep running away like this? Haha, then you will definitely die before me!¡±

    After Devard shouted these words, he felt a burst of happiness inside, as if ever since facing Brendel, this was the first time he was at advantage. But thiscency did not have time to been shown on his face before it died out. He froze when he saw Brendel looking at him pitifully.

    If anyone else looked at him like that, he would have felt angry, insulted, and belittled.

    But Devard was rmed because the one looking at him like that now was Brendel.

    <i> He must be up to something! </i>

    <i> He must be nning to lure me into some trap! </i>

    Devard was simply too familiar with this young man. Although they¡¯ve only gotten to know who the biggest beneficiary of the battle was, that the other party had nned their failure as if predicted, and toyed around with them as well as the Duke. If there is anything in this world that he can consider to be evil, then the other party¡¯s face must be the same face in front of him now.

    Devard felt the goosebumps on his skin. He was focused on Brendel¡¯s every move, immediately rehearsing all kinds of counterattacks in his mind with every slightest movement Brendel made.

    But Brendel only made one move.

    He spoke one sentence to him in lipnguage.

    Mr. Hawk was slightly stunned. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t know how to read lips, but what Brendel said to him was too strange.

    ¡°Watch out in front?¡±

    ¡°Watch out for what in front?¡±

 Chapter 775 - v4c146

    Chapter 775 v4c146

    Milondal

    Devard scrambled up to his feet, finally understanding what Brendel meant when he said to be careful in front. The corner at the long promenade outside the nameless hall was where they passed when patrolling. He ran at full speed into the wall that was harder than iron. It seemed like Brendel was reminding Devard, but in fact, Brendel was distracting him; and when he realized that, it was already toote.

    Brendel passed Devard, took a few steps forward, then stood straight against the wall. The army of Revitalizing Magic behind him was no more than a hundred feet away, but they were even closer to Devard.

    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Devard looked at Brendel, not knowing why he stopped suddenly.

    ¡°To watch a good show.¡±

    ¡°A show?¡±

    As soon as Devard said that, he saw Brendel taking a long sheet from his backpack. Oh, no.

    Not a sheet, but a grey cloak. But this cloak was too big and too long for a normal human, it looked like it belonged to some giant. Devard was startled slightly, then found it familiar at once. He saw Brendel raise the cloak over his head, cover himself up from head to toe, and vanish before his eyes.

    ¡°No- you monster!¡± Devard suddenly understood Brendel¡¯s intentions. He growled angrily and turned back; though his face paled in an instant. Two Wandering Magic Lords were already standing in front of him like two mountains.

    ¡°No, I will never let you get away with this, Count Trentheim!¡± Devard was furious as he stood there, not moving. He looked determined that he would lure these Revitalizing Magics away even if he had to die.

    The giant Revitalizing Curses that looked like shining stars continued to move forward, their tentacles that emitted soft light swept through the entire hall like a river of stars.

    Devard¡¯s face turned pale. At first he was motionless, but as the tentacle swept across his head with a whizzing sound, his expression changed, ¡°Save me or I¡¯ll take you down too!¡± He gritted his teeth as he yelled towards Brendel¡¯s direction.

    Unfortunately, it was as if Brendel had indeed vanished. No sound was heard from that direction.

    ¡°You¡¯ll regret this!¡± Devard finally panicked. He was aware that he was sounding a false threat, but did not expect Brendel to actually not respond. Breaking cold sweat, finally he yelled with all he had, ¡°Count Trentheim, I know that you want me to lure all these monsters to Duke Arreck, but you won¡¯t get what you want, I will never give in!¡±

    Rendel, who was hiding under Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak, felt delighted as he heard Devard say that. That guy¡¯s imagination is something else. Brendel really had not thought of that, after all, these Revitalizing Magics were stirring energy bodies. If only there was only one in 10000 chance that he could detonate the precious thing in Arreck¡¯s hand, then it would be fun. But if Devard was going to be stubborn enough here, then it wouldn¡¯t be pleasant. Although Brendel had Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak and won¡¯t be harmed, it would be a problem if the Revitalizing Magics lose their target reset and cross paths with Veronica¡¯s team.

    As he thought of this, he finally spoke up, ¡°What are your terms?¡±

    He used a little trick though. He used Sound Dispersion, a tier two air spell, which would disable the other party¡¯s ability to discern where the voice wasing from.

    For the first time ever, Devard felt like Brendel¡¯s voice was the sweetest sound he could ever hear at that moment. He shouted like a maniac, ¡°Save me!¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Brendel replied, ¡°If I save you, who¡¯s going to lure these monsters away?¡± Although usually this fellow looked dumbed, he was considerably reliable. But what he was saying now was as if his IQ plummeted.

    When Devard saw that the promenade was once again silent, and those Revitalizing Magics were only a dozen meters away from him, he gritted his teeth and hurriedly ran a few steps forward, and stopped again. He himself realized that he had said something stupid, but he was not really a fool after all, and after a little consideration, he understood what Brendel was really trying to do, ¡°I will lure these monsters away, but you have to make a promise.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I want you to promise that Her Highness will spare the Duke¡¯s life.¡± Devard took a breath and replied.

    ¡°Who am I to promise such a request for the princess?¡± Brendel couldn¡¯t help butugh a little, thinking that this guy¡¯s brain was malfunctioning, otherwise why would he say silly things one after another.

    ¡°You are Count Trentheim, the one who saved the princess¡¯ brother when the Royal Faction betrayed them. You signed an agreement with His Highness, ostensibly to rest and recuperate, but in reality is to bnce power, so the rtionship between Her Highness and the Royal Faction would remain broken and she would have no choice but to rely on you. You rule Trentheim, making Radner yours in the future, and no one would be able to get their hands on you nor your position in Aouine. In the battle of Ampere Seale, you were the greatest winner, you are Aouine¡¯s future ruler and the real one in power, how can Her Highness not obey you?¡± Devard roared.

    Brendel was slightly stunned as he did not expect this guy to find so many reasons. What¡¯s this strange idea of signing an agreement with His Royal Highness to bnce out the power? He suddenly shook his head with a bitter smile, thinking that it must have seemed this way to outsiders, including Her Highness, just that it was impossible to voice it out in front of him. It was only now that he suddenly understood why Princess Gryphine¡¯s attitude changed dramatically after the battle of Ampere Seale, he once thought it might have been out of gratitude, but now he thought he had been too naive. He was afraid that the princess had already thought it through that night. She clearly wanted to kill him that night, but she suddenly suppressed herself and signed an agreement with him. She was a princess from a royal family, how could she do that?

    Maybe only a guy like him who had no knowledge in politics would take such a dramatic change in attitude for granted.

    Keeping such an enemy like the king¡¯s eldest son to prevent Her Highness and the Faction from abandoning the benefactor (Brendel) upon achieving their goal, then uniting the Hignd Knights with Duke Viero to sweep Count Radner off his feet? Brendel had not even thought that Radner would surely be his territory in the future, otherwise Trentheim would not be the Count¡¯s territory, and why would the princess give him the title as the Count? When he was to be the Duke of Radner, he would be Aouine¡¯s future ruler in the eyes of others whether he liked it or not. Brendel could imagine what the following path would be like. Marrying Her Highness, then bing the regent of Aouine. What Arreck could not do today, was within reach to him.

    To be even more sinister, restructuring the dynasty and everything within did not seem impossible, as long as the prince fell into some trouble.

    Brendel broke out in cold sweat. If even I could figure this out, what¡¯s going through the princess¡¯ mind? She would never tolerate any threats to her brother. He suddenly realized that Princess Gryphine let Haruz be his student and follow him around, this was obviously a deliberate arrangement. Because Brendel was not considered ¡®fully grown¡¯ yet, it was impossible for him to strike at Haruz now; giving him the title of a teacher might just be an act of holding back. Both Aouine and Kirrlutz extremely emphasized honor and righteousness, the dynastic change was often in ordance with those nebulous conventions and legends. Just like House Seifer¡¯s declination, which was simply because they had lost the favor of the Lionheart Sword.

    And the Yanbao Family could use the broken Sword Throne as a reason to ask Her Highness and her brother to abdicate. Duke Arreck had been in business for generations, he could be said to be above the royal family¡¯s strength, but yet, he did not dare to act rashly. To covet the throne, one would still need a reasonable reason to intervene. For example, political marriage. The northern nobles were the same, no matter how powerful one was, they relied on the Seifer¡¯s family which had declined a thousand years ago, because this was a tradition and a rule that everyone mustply with.

    But Aouine would not tolerate a regicide, a teacher-murderer, or someone who conspired to kill his own students to take the throne, because these were dishonorable.

    The princess was indeed well-intentioned. Brendel could not help but sigh, he was almost certain that this was a test, and Maynild who was with him was the princess¡¯s spy. If the princess knew the true origin of Maynild, she would immediately change someone to take her ce. These were the so-called coincidences of history, but Brendel shook his head, he did not have any thoughts about these, the throne of Aouine or the fate and future of this country, had nothing to do with him if it was not for the experience of the other world.

    I think this would be the case with my senior.

    Most of the time, people tend to be rational, but his life was often governed by emotions.

    No matter who it was- Arreck, Devard, Her Highness, or even Amandina, or the others around him, they would never truly understand what he was after. Perhaps only one person could, as she had once asked innocently, ¡°Brendel, what is it that you want to do?¡±

    ¡°I want to be a merchant in the future.¡± He replied that he wanted to save Aouine, to drag the kingdom back from its track towards destruction, and everyone would think that this was just an excuse; they were certain that their Lord had greater ambitions.

    But it was really that simple. She wants to be a merchant, and I want to be a savior. It seemed as easy as a child saying that he wants to be a general or a king; it seemed as easy as just doing what one wanted, without any reason.

    Brendelughed slightly as he shook his head, secretly feeling suffocated while taking Devard¡¯s words as a joke.

    Although it was just a brief moment, the Revitalizing Curses¡¯ army was tangibly close at hand. Devard simply did not know what he had said wrong again that made the damn conspirator, the devil and the fraud stop talking. Even if he wants to leave me to die, say something, damn it. Looking at the current situation, Devard would have immediately cursed at him if he didn¡¯t need to get Brendel¡¯s favor.

    But Brendel suddenly came to his senses, shook his head, and replied, ¡°Your request is impossible.¡±

    It was a refusal. Devard sighed, ¡°You¡¯re being too harsh, Lord Count.¡±

    ¡°Devard, it is not up to us to decide whether Duke Arreck would die or live. Besides, he has not failed yet, it doesn¡¯t seem that nice for you to be here to arrange your master¡¯s funeral.¡± Brendel sneered.

    He wouldn¡¯t have failed, but now it¡¯s hard to say since you¡¯re here. Devard thought to himself in hatred. Arreck was still not aware that Brendel and Veronica had caught up, which in itself showed that things had elerated faster than what they expected, or perhaps the Duke had a back-up n. But the young man in front of him was not so simple to deal with. In fact, Devard had a strange feeling, maybe they had failed, and Brendel¡¯s appearance here was just to get something back.

    Devard didn¡¯t know that his own spection was close to the truth, but Brendel¡¯s words managed to shut him up. After all, even if that was the fact, he could not curse his master to fail, right? He pondered for a moment and finally replied, ¡°I have only one request.¡±

    When Devard said this, he had already rushed forward, pulling a longer distance from the Revitalizing Curses behind him again.

    ¡°Say it.¡± Brendel replied.

    ......

    The huge obsidian door was humming low, and Korfa withdrew her hand from it as streams of light were flowing through the texture of the door, all of which were concentrated in the central groove, forming a bright neb. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± The eldest daughter of Hati replied coldly, and behind her, all the members of the All For One had a gleam of excitement in their eyes, except for Arreck whose expression remained unchanged. He and his gloomy face, as if the whole n hade to a final end, but instead had nothing more to do with him.

    ¡°I have opened this door for you as promised, but you don¡¯t seem to be happy, human?¡± Korfa sensed this keenly, and she asked distractedly.

    ¡°What is there to be happy about when humanity and civilization are one step closer to their destruction again?¡± Arreck replied indifferently.

    ¡°Huh,¡± the eldest daughter of Hati showed interest for the first time, her lips under the shadow of the hood showed a curious curve, ¡°I thought that is your lifelong goal, and now that the wish is achieved, you¡¯re neither satisfied nor excited?¡±

    ¡°That is indeed the goal of my life,¡± Arreck was silent for a moment, before replying in a hoarse voice, ¡°But everything should have a final inevitable result, which makes it seem ordinary. Civilization is drifting away from the path of folly, and their demise could only be med on themselves. But in any case, I am still one of them, and their destruction, that is, would be our destruction. So what is there to celebrate?¡±

    ¡°Then why did you still go for it?¡± Korfa didn¡¯t understand these humans.

    They were not of the Golden Race, which was the servant of the Divine Folk, the staunchest defender of Order. They were not the Silver People either, who were the followers of the Law. From the wilderness of the four realms to the shallow sea, from the borders of the ck Forest to the most distant Elemental Frontier, they watched and witnessed the changes of Order, and no one ever had ever heard of any betrayers among the Gold People and Silver People. But these people in front of her, thest generation of the ck Dwarfs, was Korfa¡¯s first time dealing with them, which gave her a strange feeling.

    She seemed to have realized something, but immediately shook her head and put this odd feeling at the back of her mind.

    After a low roar, the giant obsidian doors gradually receded to the sides, revealing the dark walkway behind them. The soft light emanating from the magical gems held aloft in the hands of the members of All For One poured in through the open gaps, illuminating the walkway that had been dusty for thousands, if not millions, of years under the dust.

    The Spiral Hall-

    There was even a low whispering noise.

    ¡°Miss Korfa, you are not human and cannot understand human emotions. Men are most of the time self-described as rational, but his life is often driven by feelings that¡¯ll make him do things that seem very impulsive and iprehensible to others.¡± Arreck did not seem to care about what was happening in front of him, and he rarely seemed interested in going up to talk with the nobledy.

    ¡°Does it apply to you as well?¡± Korfa narrowed her eyes and stared at the old man who appearedpletely wretched, but she could feel his wretched body being supported by a powerful dignity and determination. Although it seemed a bit ridiculous to her, it was impossible for others around to offend him.

    ¡°I am also human, so I¡¯m not excluded.¡± Arreck replied.

    ¡°Bringing Order to truth, don¡¯t you agree that this is a great purpose?¡± Korfa asked again

    ¡°It is indeed a great purpose, greatly further beyond those flies that are all about power and profit. I have seen too much folly who ended up choosing that path. In order to ensure that I¡¯m right, I¡¯ve even referred to many documents and sources, and only a few people know that I have studied in the White Tower of the Bugas for quite some time. I participated in thest Holy War, but everything I have seen, is verifying my suspicions ¨C the me King had established Kirrlutz for only a thousand years, but would his descendants remember the glory from a thousand years ago? Wind Elves turned their heads and betrayed their sages, and where have the Sun, Moon and Star Elves gone? Furthermore, today¡¯s Farnezain is vulgar and unbearable, long gone from the transcendence of those days, and their civilization and Order is no more than simply repeating mistakes from a thousand years ago. I am sick and tired of this cycle of sameness, instead of letting future generations keep repeating the tragedies of their predecessors, let¡¯s put an end to it once and for all.¡±

    Korfa raised her thin eyebrows slightly. She didn¡¯t expect to draw out this old man¡¯s long-windedness, but she immediately asked with her usual acumen, ¡°I hear you speak with great righteousness, but it¡¯s not hard to hear resentment in your words, human.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never acted with great righteousness, I just make sure what I do is right. You¡¯re right, it¡¯s private indignation that drives me, but that¡¯s my own secret and there¡¯s no need to tell that to outsiders.¡± Arreck replied indifferently, shaking his head as if he did not want to continue on this topic.

    The team slowly advanced along the dark passage. After passing through a narrow archway, an open space suddenly appeared in front of them. It was a spherical hall, with simr arches on all sides of the hall, and each road extended from the archway to form a long bridge that spiraled to connect the center of the hall, where a giant tform stood. But the tform was not empty, there was a stone throne with a purple crystal hovering over it. When the members of the All For One entered the hall, they saw a tall, ghostly blue figure sitting on the throne standing up to meet them.

    ¡°Humans, this is not the ce where you shoulde, back off now, you still have room to regret.¡± When the blue figure spoke, the whole hall buzzed.

    The Witch had told them about magic in thenguage before, but this was only when the members of All For One truly understood the legend¡¯s truth. The other party¡¯s words were not exorbitant, but the voice came like a shocking wave, with each word like thunder. It was obviously just a short sentence of warning, but they, including Arreck, felt as if were caught in an endless storm, trudging through the bitter cold wind, while the peak of the mountain where the storm stopped appeared in front of them, and there were endless ciers in all directions, and in the blink of an eye, they were going to bepletely buried under the ice.

    This thundering voice made his identity known to all at once.

    Milos ¨C the God of Frost Giants.

    Even Korfa bent down and bowed, greeting him with a clear voice, ¡°Lord Milondal, long time no see.¡±

    The voice let out a sigh, ¡°Little Korfa, I thought you have strayed far away from the war, but it seems like things don¡¯t go as you wish.¡±

    As soon as the words left his mouth, the illusion in front of Arreck and the others disappeared.

 Chapter 776 - v4c147

    Chapter 776 v4c147

    The Spiral Hall

    The voice let out a sigh, ¡°Little Korfa, I thought you have strayed far away from the war, but it seems like things don¡¯t go as you wish.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not up to me, Lord Milondal.¡±

    The blue illusion nodded his head and stopped talking to Korfa, but instead, turned to Arreck and the others, ¡°I know why you¡¯re here, but you might not know the truth behind what you¡¯re doing. You¡¯re all ck Dwarfs, based on my agreement with the crystal, I will not make things difficult for you. The Awakening God is under this throne, and you can determine this world¡¯s future yourselves.¡±

    After he said this, he looked at Korfa once more and gradually vanished, leaving Arreck and his men in the hall.

    ¡°So the agreement was true.¡± Arreck said in a low voice, ¡°The Crystal Dragon signed an agreement with the gods, that the next generation of ck Dwarfs could determine their own destiny. The gods would stray from Vaunte and would no longer interfere with everything in thend. The Azure Knight shattering the Heavens, was just an opportunity for this history to begin, and I¡¯m curious about what happened before and after the Battle of Ebabel. ¡±

    He looked at Korfa, but this time the eldest daughter of Hati had her lips pressed together tightly and did not answer.

    That must be a big secret.

    Arreck thought to himself. But this secret was destined to be buried under the dust, because once Milos awakened, that dark soul would take advantage of the situation, and Milos, the God of Giants, would no longer be the guardian of Order, but a true dark giant. In its power, Aouine would usher in a true Twilight. At that time, the so-called secrets would be worthless, because the dead do not need secrets.

    He looked to the others, ¡°Do it, open the portal to the Sulfur River near the throne.¡±

    The members of All For One all had a gleam of excitement in their eyes as they walked along the long spiral bridge toward the central tform. Arreck watched the scene quietly, then turned back to Korfa and said, ¡°Once that soul has obtained the body of Milos, ording to the agreement, you will be free, which is also the agreement between you and Lord Hati, and we have no intention to offend.¡±

    Korfa nodded and didn¡¯t seem to care about these small offenses.

    She looked in a certain direction in the hall and replied softly, ¡°It seems that a guest of yours has arrived, human.¡±

    Arreck was slightly stunned, then looked up in that direction, and within a few moments, a line of people appeared.

    It was Veronica and her group.

    And just as Arreck spotted the other party, Veronica apparently also spotted the presence of All For One.

    ¡°Arreck!¡± It was Veronica¡¯s voice, ¡°I never thought you would stoop so low. You are the descendant of the noblemen of the sages, and now you stand in line with the enemies of civilization. Your actions have brought shame to your forefathers, and from this moment on the high ground, the banner of the Wolf would no longer stand high, and a family will fall apart because of its unworthy descendants. And that is what you are doing.¡±

    Arreck raised his eyebrows, not expecting Veronica to arrive so quickly. But he did not panic and replied disdainfully instead, ¡°Clich¨¦s, Veronica, being in a high position has made you ustomed to such grandiloquent rhetoric. But they mean nothing to me, family and glory, you can go to the refugees struggling with hunger and cold to say that the so-called glory is less meaningful to them than a copper te. It¡¯s the same for me, because I don¡¯t care about such things. Mortals are always weighed down by vanity, and that¡¯s why they make those cheap mistakes over and over again.¡±

    ¡°Veronica, tell me, what are family and glory?¡± He grunted coldly, abandoning Veronica¡¯s words.

    ¡°Simply unbelievable.¡± Veronica muttered, ¡°This guy is just crazy.¡±

    Brendel listened to the conversation between the two from the back and couldn¡¯t help butugh bitterly. This was probably due to the difference in identity, thus, different perspectives on the issue. Although Arreck was also a noble, he was obviously more enthusiastic about being a cultist, for those who appeared as maniacs in the eyes of normal people, family and glory was meaningless.

    In fact, it seemed like he had admitted that Arreck had a point. Indeed, in many cases, lory was actually worthless. Nobles liked to use the sense of glory as a guideline for everything in the world, but in Brendel¡¯s opinion, this was at best a guideline for the nobility only.

    But he was just thinking about it and would n¡¯t dare to say it out loud. He understood that he had such thoughts because half of the soul in the body originally came from another era, and in the current Vaunte, Veronica¡¯s earlier words were still rtively mainstream. Brendel did not want to be non-mainstream, let alone be lectured by this Lord Commander in privateter, so he wisely chose not to dwell on this issue with the other party.

    But that didn¡¯t mean he agreed with Arreck¡¯s view.

    ¡°Arreck, the generation of ck Dwarfs can dominate their own destiny, but it does not mean that you can dominate the destiny of others. The world¡¯s right or wrong, is not up to you, nor is it up to All For One.¡±

    After responding to Dejar¡¯s request, Brendel returned to Veronica and her party with Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak. And after crossing the Eternal Extinction Square, technically they had entered the Spiral Hall, but they were dyed a little in figuring out how to open that door outside, and thus entered the hall a stepter than Arreck. But even so, they heard thest words of Arreck¡¯s conversation with Milos.

    Arreck looked at Brendel with slight surprise, ¡°It seems you know my purpose very well, young man, but I never said whether what I think is right or wrong needed to be acknowledged by others. You guys want to stop me? I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that simple.¡±

    Brendel had spotted the All For One¡¯s member who was drawing an Array in the center of the hall at a nce. Brendel¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he noticed that the entire hall was exactly the same as the one he had seen in the game, except for the pir-shaped crystal suspended above the throne. He thought back carefully and confirmed that he really hadn¡¯t seen anything simr. It seemed that this was indeed the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep¡¯s first activation, which was still slightly different from thetter days.

    ¡°There is something odd about that crystal, everything else is fine. Our primary target is not the array in the center of that, but the star-shaped stone in Arreck¡¯s hand.¡± He immediately remembered.

    Veronica nodded. Since a battle was already inevitable, she didn¡¯t hesitate much and gave the order directly, ¡°Everyone, focus on attacking the array in the center of the hall!¡±

    Brendel was slightly stunned and couldn¡¯t help but look back at this female army chief. But although the other party was verbally ordering this, her gaze never left Arreck. After a moment¡¯s consideration, he understood what this female army chief was thinking, and indeed, Veronica immediately turned back to him and said in a low voice, ¡°Later, Mephisto and I will distract him, you and Miss Aloz will go together to snatch the star-shaped stone.¡±

    Brendel nodded. He had to admit that this Lord Commander of the Kirrlutzians was really true to her name.

    With Veronica¡¯s order, the atmosphere in the hall became tense. In fact, the Kirrlutzians¡¯ officers had already started to spread out along both sides of the hall, standing on the bridge and aiming their magic bows at the central tform. Although these noble knights were usually pampered, most of them had at least the strength of the Gold after all. Under the preemptive strike, two members of All For One fell to the ground immediately; one of them was shot in the face, and his whole head almost exploded like a watermelon, while the other one was shot through the arm, which was only a minor injury.

    The cultists then reacted and supported a magical shield on the tform to block subsequent attacks. Brendel took a look at the shield and immediately understood that there were Elemental-Activated level Mages on the tform, the Wall of Truth, a spell of at least tier eight, could forcibly separate the areas on both sides of a wall into two different worlds, and waspletely immune to all physical attacks. This was a spell that even Ciel could not release. The Witches who came here with him tried to cast spells to lift that spell, and they all failed without exception.

    The fact that Brendel could recognize the wall, naturally it was not difficult for Veronica and Mephisto to do so as well. It seemed to them that Arreck was really prepared for a battle involving Elemental-level beings, and anybat power below Gold Peak would be almost meaningless ¨C with the exception, of course, of those outside the specs like Brendel. He had engaged with Elemental-Activated enemies for more than once before Awakening his Elemental Powers, but of course, that was only thanks to the neswalker system.

    Veronica and Mephisto drew their swords and floated up at the same time. Azure and gray Lines of Laws reflected each other, and it was only then that Brendel realized that these two were a perfect match, an Ash Sword Saint and an Azure Sword Saint, working together as if they had been partners for many years. Sometimes old rivals could be the best partners, because they would have known each other too well. In thest life, there were people keen on the gossip about Veronica and Mephisto. Brendel used to scoff at it, but today he came to believe that there must be a reason for the existence of any hot topic in ¡°The Amber Sword¡±.

    Veronica and Mephisto joined the fight. The center of the tform of All For One suddenly became precarious. The highest strength of the Mages amidst the crowd would only be at Elemental-Activation level, while Veronica was at a Law Peak. The Ash Sword Saint Mephisto was even more impressive, as he was almost the first one to cross into the Ultimate Realm in thest fifty years of the Kirrlutz Empire. Thest one who did so was the Queen of Kirrlutz, which was due to special circumstances, and even further back in time, it would only be that old monster.

    Because when Veronica struck, the Mage could barely hold on, but once Mephisto struck his sword, the magic shield immediately fell apart, and all the members on the tform were as if pped in the face out of nowhere, and they all fell to their feet.

    Looking at the battle¡¯s situation, Arreck could no longer hold back, ¡°Mephisto!¡± He squeezed this name out from between his teeth. He had heard that Mephisto was with that young man but he didn¡¯t expect him to lower himself to ask the Kirrlutzians for help. It was totally out of Brendel¡¯s expectations. But fortunately he was not unprepared, he saw Arreck pointing forward with his cane, and five ck-robed knights behind him rose up in the air.

    Flying without the help of spells was the most significant sign of Elemental Activation. But Arreck was apanied by nearly a two-digit number of Elemental-Activation level beings, which made Brendel wonder if Arreck¡¯s status in All For One was supreme, or that the strength of All For One was simply powerful.

    But those Elemental-Activation level beings themselves were only at the beginning of entering Elemental Activation, adding them up together would barely suppress Veronica easily, but to throw the Ash Sword Saint off board was unlikely. Arreck obviously knew this, he had to take a step back and look at Korfa, ¡°Miss Korfa, I can only ask you to step in.¡±

    Korfa did not say a word and just nodded indifferently.

    But when she looked back, the depths of her eyes shed with a bright light that even Arreck could not detect.

    Brendel saw someone from All For One fly up into the air again in less than a moment. While sighing at the abundance of talented beings Arreck had, he suddenly realized something was wrong. Looking up carefully, he saw Korfa¡¯s head of conspicuous white hair and crimson eyes that was simply too striking. Brendel¡¯s heart cried out. Isn¡¯t this the ember Korfa? He was simply too familiar with her, the ice beauty of the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep. What yer would not recognize her? Not to mention that it was still in the Dark Soul control state.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Arreck to really wake her up,¡± Brendel knew by heart Korfa¡¯s strength, although it was still iparable to that cheap teacher of his, Korfa was an ancient Twilight species and the daughter of Hati. It could simply be said that her bloodline was pure, unlike those two scraps, Mayne and Mel. And as a BOSS, she had a lot of special skills that maybe Veronica and Mephisto would lose badly. Thinking about this, he hurriedly raised his voice to remind them, ¡°Be careful, teacher, Lord Commander, that¡¯s Korfa!¡±

    Brendel¡¯s voice caught Korfa¡¯s attention ¨C not many people knew her at the moment, except for Arreck, and that was because they had seen her in person. But she didn¡¯t expect someone on the opposing side to recognize her in human form at once. Although she was flying towards Mephisto, she actually had other ns in mind, and she was very annoyed to be called out.

    Korfa¡¯s eyes burned with hatred and she red at him, but what she didn¡¯t expect was that Brendel, who seemed to know her very well, dragged the little female dragon beside him in time and lifted the protection cloak to cover the two of them.

    ¡°Concealment cloak!?¡± Korfa only managed to see Brendel¡¯sst movement, before those two peoplepletely disappeared. General invisibility spells could not be concealed from her perception, but right now she seemed to havepletely lost Brendel. But she was smart, so naturally, she immediately guessed what the other party was trying to do.

    Unfortunately, she could not guess her way out as Buni was a god that was on the same level as Milos and her mother during that era. So the effect of his cloak was not something she could see through.

    The young girl secretly gritted her teeth and memorized Brendel¡¯s appearance, then with a U-turn, she continued to fly towards Mephisto.

    Brendel, who was hiding under the cloak, saw her turn away and felt relieved. However, it was not something to joke about to be remembered by a demigod-like being. Brendel, of course, did not know that he had been held in contempt, and thought he had escaped. While he breathed a sigh of relief, he noticed a look of contempt on the face of Aloz next to him.

    ¡°Pussy.¡± The little female dragonmented incisively.

    How arrogant. Brendel red at the little female dragon, ¡°You still owe me a promise. Believe it or not I want you to immediately turn into a dragon, carry me, and fly over as I will be making Arreck¡¯s life difficult anyway.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± The little female dragon was startled. Although there are often legends of dragon riders in history, in fact no dragon would be willing to be someone else¡¯s mount. Like the Dragon Queen Anguili, her mount was only a rtively pure-blooded flying Dragon. If Brendel really got her as a mount, Aloz would be ashamed to return to the Dragon Race. Well, even if she had the courage to return, the elders would have skinned her. This was bringing shame to the Dragon Race.

    Of course, although she was outwardly unting her teeth and ws, she had some fear in her heart. The Dragons value oaths more than anything else. In their opinion, agreements made under the stars were made in the presence of Bahamut, so they did not take oaths lightly. Once an agreement was made, even azy guy like Shitah would have to spend hundreds of years in such an unpopted ce.

    She previously thought that Brendel would definitely lose and that¡¯s why she pulled Shitah along to make a bet with Brendel. Damn it, Shitah only needed to hand out that useless Heart of the Dragon, which of course, seemed useless to Aloz. But she was unlucky, and she still didn¡¯t know what strange and bizarre demands Brendel would ask of her.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare, it just depends on whether I want to or not. So you have to treat me with some respect, understand?¡± Brendel was simply too delighted, all this time being tossed around by this little female dragon, he could now finally make his revenge, and that feeling simply can not mention how good.

    ¡°Is this a request?¡± The little female dragon asked in a small voice.

    ¡°Of course not!¡±

    ¡°Then why should I respect you?¡±

    ¡°You can try otherwise, but I cannot guarantee that I will forget about making you my mount.¡± Brendel replied rightfully.

    ¡°You ......¡± Aloz¡¯s eyes turned red, ¡°You are despicable!¡±

    ¡°As you are,¡± Brendel replied, ¡°well, no more nonsense with you, nowe with me to ambush Arreck. If you manage to snatch that star-shaped stone, you may be able to use it to exchange a request with me.¡± He knew that the female dragon would be unwilling as he kept on threatening her, but if he were to be kind, then the other side would surely fall for it.

    The little female dragon¡¯s eyes lit up, because she found that Brendel was being reasonable. If she grabbed the star-shaped stone first, she could use it to threaten Brendel and if he dared to withdraw that bet, she would have to detonate the star-shaped stone. Anyway, the worst would just be dying together. The little female dragon thought about this and was delighted as she thought she was smart.

    The two of them had their own agendas, but they could be considered to be in agreement. The Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak had been used twice today, so there was not much time left. They immediately took action- with the cloak, they flew carefully against the wall of the hall in the direction of where Arreck was.

    And at this time, the battle in the hall had just started to intensify.

 Chapter 777 - v4c148 Change

    <h4>Chapter 777 v4c148 Change</h4>

    When the battle began, the ck-robed knights around Anrek spread out, upying the long bridges on both sides, so Brando had to cross one of the lines of defence to sneak up on him. The good thing was that this wasn¡¯t a problem for Brando, who had a Concealment Cloak and flew over the crowd directly. The little female dragon found this thrilling and exciting that she asked with great interest, ¡°I didn¡¯t know this cloak was so interesting, otherwise I would have asked William for it. Brando, I¡¯ll borrow it to y with for two days, okay?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Brando had always been reluctant to ept deals that wouldn¡¯t benefit him.

    ¡°Petty.¡± The reasonable request was refused, at least, it was reasonable to Aloz¡¯s. She immediately pulled a fierce face, revealing her snow-white teeth; after a nce, she found Brando still holding her wrist and not letting go. The little female dragon took a bite without hesitation.

    ¡°Tsk-¡± Brando inhaled and hissed in pain. Even though his skin was as hard as steel, those were Dragon teeth. <i>Does she think she¡¯s a dog??? </i>He turned his head back in disgust, but did not expect Aloz to lie on his back and bite his neck this time. Brando¡¯s face turned pale at once, and he grabbed Aloz¡¯s wrist, yanking her over. He was about tosh out at her when he saw Aloz staring at him with her golden eyes and pouting, looking like she was about to cry.

    Brando paused. He was confused until he remembered that Aloz was just a little girl after all, even though she acted like a devil most of the time. Based on the age of Dragons, she was just equivalent to a 12 year old girl in human age. Brando was sweating at this thought, feeling guilty for almost making her cry with his strong grip. They were currently on a battlefield, so he stared at her, hinting her not to cry. Though Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak could cover them, it wasn¡¯t as powerful as how it¡¯s usually shown in movies.

    ¡°You¡¯re hurting me.¡± Aloz pulled her arm back as she said softly.

    Brando even in the deepest nightmares had never imagined such a side of the little female dragon. He thought for a moment, and realized that he really did not seem to have a talent for coaxing girls. If it was Freya, then it might have been better as she could be talked out with reason, but when faced with an unreasonable little girl like Aloz, he was at his wits¡¯ end. He was stumped for almost a second before he came out with, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°No one has ever been so mean to me!¡± Aloz looked at him with red eyes.

    <i>Oh fuck. </i>Brando realized that she was doing what girls do best ¨C flirting. He had no other choice though, as they had crossed thest bridge and was only twenty meters away from Anrek, who was surrounded by ck-robed knights. He should think about how to strike to catch the old man off guard, rather than here to coax the little girl.

    This was really the most sinister situation ever, Brando thought. He could bet that if he didn¡¯t put Aloz at ease, the little female dragon would make a big fusster on, and it would be a big deal if she wasn¡¯t calmed down, not to mention raiding Anrek.

    Brando looked at Aloz, certainly knowing what the little female dragon wanted just by looking at her red eyes that were fixed on the cloak in his hands. Brando gritted his teeth and said softly, ¡°it¡¯s okay, don¡¯t cry, I¡¯ll lend you the cloakter, okay?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s okay?¡± Aloz was still teary-eyed, but very despising frowning, ¡± You don¡¯t even know how to coax a girl, can¡¯t you be more gentle? Don¡¯t try to brush me off, try again.¡±

    <i>The heck? </i>Brando grew frustrated as he looked in the direction of Anrek, and immediately snapped, ¡°Be grateful, or I will have to die with you.¡±

    Aloz gave a soft ¡®hmph¡¯ as she fiddled with her blonde curls. The light golden eyes underneath her hanging longshes nced at him- ¡®I¡¯m not afraid of dying with you.¡¯ She continuedining, ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re rude as hell, not a gentleman at all. I don¡¯t understand what Amandina likes about you, don¡¯t think no one knows about the things you did in Anrek, you sure know how to bully women.¡±

    Brando¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°What did I do?¡±

    ¡°Like forcibly kissing that human princess.¡±

    ¡°And¨C¡±

    ¡°Stop!¡± Brando hurriedly begged for mercy, he finally realized that this little female dragon¡¯s voyeuristic fetish had not been here since a day or two. He thought she arrived at the end of the war in Ampere Seale, it turned out that she had already been around since earlier on. But the little female dragon¡¯s words finally hit his soft spot, and he was now the most reluctant to talk about the impulse of that night. Even until now sometimes Her Highness still looked at him differently, so one could imagine how his actions had impacted her at that time. In fact, when he thought about it now, he sometimes wanted to bury his head underground and forget about it, he hurriedly begged for forgiveness, ¡°Stop, stop, I was wrong, I¡¯m sorry, okay?¡±

    ¡°Hehehe, it seems that you still care about this matter,¡± Aloz finally broke into a smile, she promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just lend me the cloak to y with, I will return it to you in two days. Andter I will help you to beat Anrek up hard.¡± She also tip-toed and patted Brando¡¯s shoulder.

    Brando directly ignored the first half of the little female dragon¡¯s sentence because thest time she borrowed Scarlet¡¯s Azure Lance to y, the Bugas had to send three Mage chiefs, William, Logar and Ajaniand Tman, a former Mage chief, to get the Azure Lance back, in which numerous humiliating treaties were signed. Only a simple-thinking girl like Scarlet would think of lending the Dragons something. for which she wasined by the Bugas for a long time.

    But about beating Arreck up hard, Brando thought that he had nothing to do with Arreck. Their grudge was settled in the battle of Ampere Seale, and now they were just here to beat up some losers. The real victim this time was the Kirrlutzians, and Brando was just doing his job. So if the victims didn¡¯t demand anything, why would he go and beat Arreck up? Brando just couldn¡¯t understand the little female dragon¡¯s logic.

    But the little female dragon¡¯s next sentence immediately left him in a mess.

    ¡°I know you like the mixed-blood princess, right? How dare the old man steal the marriage from you! Even though I can not bear this sight, he deserves to be beaten up.¡± Aloz licked her lips with her little tongue, both her lips and eyes also glistening, and violence could be seen from within her gaze.

    Brando, however, almost spit out a mouthful of blood. He hurried to stop the little female dragon from speaking, or even he would not know the consequences of this. In fact, he had seen Veronica looking around the hall in mid-air, obviously looking for him and Aloz to see why they had not appeared by now.

    Brando, however, almost spit out a mouthful of blood. <i>What the hell is this. </i>He hurriedly stopped the little female dragon from continuing, otherwise there was no telling what woulde out from her mouth next. In fact, he saw Veronica looking around the hall in mid-air. Needless to say, she was obviously looking for him and Aloz and wondering why they hadn¡¯t shown up by now.

    Brando raised a finger, signaling Aloz to keep quiet. They had both actually flown over Anrek¡¯s head at this time, and the Duke was surrounded by ck-robed knights who were very heavily guarded. Brando looked left and right and he figured that he could only get behind him. But behind Anrek stood a figure dressed in ck robe, neither looking like a knight nor like a cultist. Brando did not dare not confirm the background of that person, but if Anrek dared to let this person protect him from behind, Anrek clearly had great trust in his ability and so, Brando thought that he had at least the strength of Elemental Activation.

    ¡°Can you see through that guy¡¯s capability?¡± Brando looked at him for half a day and still had no clue, but Buni¡¯s Concealment Cloak would only remain effective for ten more seconds or so. Brando could only turn back and hope to rely on the little female dragon¡¯s ability.

    ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡±

    ¡°Weird?¡±

    ¡°I smell our scent on that guy.¡± Aloz said so as she sniffed, and then frowned.

    ¡°You guys? You mean that¡¯s a Dragon?¡± Brando was startled and was d he hadn¡¯t rushed into it yet.

    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t say that,¡± the little female dragon rolled her eyes at him, ¡°I mean he smells like us, but this smell is unfamiliar to me, at least I haven¡¯t smelled it before. If he really is a Dragon, he must be from another continent.¡± She thought about it, and then wrinkled her nose with disdain and added, ¡°Of course, not only Dragons have the Dragon bloodline flowing in them, we also have some inferior distant rtives, it could be those things. But in any case, you need to confirm yourself.¡±

    ¡°You might as well not say anything then.¡± Brando saw Aloz showing her sharp teeth again, rushing to a stop, ¡°Stop. If you want to take a bite you bite all you wantter, but not now. Later I¡¯ll take a shot at Anrek, you help me deal with that strange guy behind.¡±

    ¡°No, what if it¡¯s a Dragon? I don¡¯t want to take a shot at one of my own.¡± Aloz shook her head.

    ¡°Okay, then you go deal with Anrek, I¡¯ll help you deal with that strange guy.¡± Brando thought about it for a while and thought that this was also more feasible, although the little female dragon was not very reliable, she was still much stronger than him. But he saw how Aloz looked like she was delighted. He didn¡¯t know what was going through her mind again.

    There were three seconds left on the cloak.

 Chapter 778 - v4c149The Age of Mortals (1)

    <h4>Chapter 778 v4c149 The Age of Mortals (1)</h4>

    ¡°How-how will I do this?¡± Freya looked up at the sky, where the sound wasing from, not knowing when she stood up from the round table, ¡°How can I stop a god from waking up?¡± Her thoughts were in a bundle and she had no idea why Milos would choose her. She was just an ordinary human being who had nothing to do with the gods. She thought she had high eptance already. She hadn¡¯t been able to wrap her mind around everything that happened since her escape from Be, but as soon as her mind was clearer and she had started to get used to being a knight, this new thing urred out of nowhere. Why would a god want her to stop him from reviving?

    What capability did she have to bear such a responsibility? Was she going to draw her Lionheart Sword and kill the Giant God? Of course, it would probably be written this way in future legends. At the end of the Year of the Sword, when summer wasing to an end, the female knight Freya had stabbed and killed thest god- The Father of Front Giants, Milos, putting an end to the era of the gods, following the Azure Knights. These ounts would then gradually be dusted off in scrolls over time, collected in the bottomyers of the Mages¡¯ parchment literature, and would not be revisited until thousands of yearster.

    Freya suddenly pulled herself back from her imagination and shook her head as blood rushed up her cheeks. <i>This is ridiculous. How could I, a mortal, kill a god?? </i>No matter how she thought about it, it seemed nothing but ridiculous. Drawing out the Lionheart Sword and killing the Frost Giant? Absurd. This may only be possible if Brendel was the author of the history, only he could write such ridiculous stories.

    She patted her cheeks lightly as she tried to calm herself down while waiting for Milos to say something.

    Milos finally said something after a while,

    ¡°It¡¯s actually quite simple. Just stab me with the Lionheart Sword when I wake up, that¡¯ll do the job.¡±

    Freya widened her eyes and her jaws dropped. She stopped patting her cheeks. She was frozen.

    Milosughed out loud suddenly, ¡°What an imagination you¡¯ve got there youngdy. But as you are thinking, it¡¯s not something so simple.¡±

    Freya blinked her eyes, hershes following her eyelids¡¯ movement as she came back to her senses, realizing that the Father of Frost Giants was teasing her. She felt a bit bitter but could not say anything, as he was a god. <i>How could a divine creature joke with a mortal? Does this even happen? </i>But even if it was a dog, it was still as quirky as Brendel. Freya thought for a moment before pulling herself back from her overwhelming thoughts. Flustered, she said, ¡°You can read my mind?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a divine creature after all. Don¡¯t worry, youngdy, I don¡¯t mind those things.¡± Milosughed.

    ¡°Back to what I was saying, youngdy, this task is actually not something hard to you.¡±

    ¡°How could that be? I¡¯m just an ordinary mortal. It¡¯s impossible for me to stop you from waking up.¡± Freya shook her head, convinced that she was incapable of doing so.

    ¡°Because you¡¯re a mortal. That¡¯s exactly why you¡¯re chosen.¡± That voice replied.

    Freya was startled. She knew that there was an underlying meaning in that sentence. Confused, she asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because in an era like this, only a mortal has the right to choose their destiny.¡± That voice stopped for a while, then continued, ¡°Have you heard of the story of the Azure Knights?¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about the incident where the Azure Knights striked through the Heavens, causing the stars to fall to earth, thus bringing about the age of the mortals?¡± Freya nodded mncholy, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of such a story when I was little.¡± That time, she was still surrounded by the greenery of the Be mountains. During spring, flowers bloomed in the mountains and fields. The term ¡®war¡¯ was something far away and unfamiliar. Who would have thought that ten yearster a day like this woulde?

    Milos seemed to notice the downslide in the girl¡¯s mood. He consoled in a gentle voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I must¡¯ve made you think of the past. But this story, is important to both you and I.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a tale?¡± Freya lifted her head and asked warily.

    ¡°Do you believe that it¡¯s happened before?¡±

    This was a good question. Freya was stunned at this question and she just stood there, frozen. Did she believe in legends and tales? There were countless legends and tales in Aouine and Kirrlutz, from the Pale Poem to the story of King Erik and his knights conquering newnds, there were even folklores such as stories that scared children, the Dark Prophecy Book. But the question was, should people believe in these stories? Some were fabricated while some had truths to it. But after decades or even hundreds of years of muse, and with more or less of the art of exaggeration, many of them had long lost their original face.

    Maybe the legend of King Erik was nearer to her than she had imagined while the story of the me King and the other three wise men are left as glorious descriptions on a mural. About the legends of the Twilights, it seemed so far away to her like some dreand. Of those dreams, there were good dreams and nightmares, but nobody knew which of them were real and which were fake.

    Freya froze for quite a moment before she asked, ¡°That¡¯s real, right?¡±

    ¡°Some of it, yes. It has happened before on thisnd.¡±

    Freya knew what Milos was going to say next was the important point, so she quieted down and listened to the Father of the Frost Giants. The surroundings were quiet, leaving only the flickering sound of the firewood burning in the firece. She sometimes felt that this spacious room might be located in the mountains as d she could even feel the trembling from the depths from the mountains. Not knowing since when, a deep humming echo sound could be heard from all around.

    The tea¡¯s aroma lingered, and the tea beads that were spilled onto the tablecloth was still warm; silver knives, forks, and white porcin tes reflected the warm candlelights that were flickering.

    ¡°It¡¯s linked to the war of the Twilight Dragon. Because the gods knew that in the future there would be a war, Marsha and our mother watched us from beyond the hall as usual. Ebabel Towerter became ruins because of the war but at least in those days, where we were still in the hub of civilization, the golden Holy Cathedra, were marble floors as beautiful as floating clouds. The gods lined up there, while I could only stand at the end of the long line. At the peak of the war, the entire hall echoed with the voices of Alphonse and Crystal.

    ¡°You mean the Dragon of Fury and the Knowledge Dragon right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡° ¡°Why do we have to carry out this n?¡± Alphonse said so sharply. He was the most irascible of all his mother¡¯s children; Tiamat, though more rigid, was much moreposed than he.¡± The voice said slowly, as if telling a story he had seen with his own eyes, ¡°Crystal did not return, but Alphonse continued to sneer, ¡®The generation of Bronze has been lost, in my opinion, the ancient times are more in line with the beauty of Order. We should not even bother to listen to those stupid lies, let alone put the decision in the hands of those useless dogs, this is a plot by the Twilights, just in time to wipe us out.¡±

    ¡±Shut up, Alphonse.¡± At this time, Crystal finally said something. She is the youngest sister of Alphonse, the rtionship between the two was once considered by the gods to be stronger than the immortal pinnacle that never breaks. ¡±They are also mother¡¯s children, are you saying that to make mother sad?¡±.

    Under the aggressive attack of his sister, Alphonse panicked, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to.¡± He replied, but Crystal¡¯s wisdom is endless so she continued, ¡°The arbiters will judge what you have just said and they will decide if it¡¯s right and wrong, our task is just to guard the operation of the Order and not to interfere. You can only choose.¡±

    After staying silent for a moment, Alphonse replied, ¡°I will never agree.¡±. He looked at his sister as disappointment overflowed from within her. The break between the two was like the birth of a new sea, the gulf was quickly formed and could not be bridged.¡±

    Freya listened quietly to the unfolding story. By just listening to Milos¡¯ description, she could imagine the fierce dispute in the floating cloud Holy Cathedral, but she felt some wonder as to how it was possible to have a dispute between the gods. Weren¡¯t they supposed to be the guardians of the Order, like generous elders, quietly watching over the beings on the continent of Vaunte? Be it mortal¡¯s nder or gratitude, that favor had alwayse from heaven, but there had never been any demand.

    ¡°Why?¡± She finally couldn¡¯t help and spoke, ¡°The ¡®useless dogs¡¯, is it referring to us?¡±

    Milo paused for a moment, ¡°Yes, our dispute stems from one choice.¡±

    ¡°A choice?¡±

    ¡°A choice whether to continue the mistakes made since the days of the gods or to leave the choice to the mortals. Especially in the face of an enemy like the Twilight Dragon, such a choice seemed to be extremely burdensome even to the gods.¡±

    ¡°But why did such a choice need to be made?¡± Freya asked.

    ¡°Do you know the generation of Bronze?¡±

    Freya frowned and shook her head.

    ¡°Actually, you¡¯ve seen them.¡± The voice prompted.

    The young girl was slightly stunned, but this time Milos didn¡¯t left her in doubt, but proceeded to answer, ¡°The expression ¡®generation of Bronze¡¯ is rarely spoken of anymore, both the Silver Folk and the Golden Folk have destroyed all the relevant documents, and the few parts that have been preserved are locked deep in forbidden ces beyond the reach of ordinary people. Because it once proved Lord Marsha wrong, although mother did not care, it did not mean that we children could easily ept that, same goes to the Bugas. As for the generation of Bronze, they are the magical monsters that are scattered across the earth. On thisnd once upon a time, in addition to the Glory Folk of Order, was the Twilights of Chaos. To the monsters, there was no such thing as middle ground between Order and Chaos.¡±

    Freya waspletely stunned, she knew both the Golden Folk and Silver Folk, as well as the ck Dwarfs. The generation of Bronze that was left behind in between the Gold and Silver... How did that happen? She subconsciously rubbed her forehead, feeling a little dizzy. Milos noticed this, and he asked, ¡°Are you feeling a little incredulous?¡±

    Freya nodded.

    ¡°That would have to start with the Order of the pre-ancient era.¡±

    ......

    Korfa¡¯s cold voice echoed in the hall-

    ¡°Before the world of Vaunte was born, the Divine Folk and Marsha ¨C the Supreme Being ¨C were the first to appear in the Chaos. With the help of Marsha, the Divine Folk wove this world and created 17,000 gods to govern it. And then the gods created the Golden Folk out of the blood and corpses of the Divine Folk, and that is how the Golden Folk came to be.¡±

    ¡°The Golden Folk, were servants as well as warriors, and were firm guardians of Order.¡±

    ¡°And then came the Silver Folk, who were created with Elements because of a pact made between Marsha and the four Elemental monarchs. There were millions of Silver Folk, who live in the kingdoms of the earth, and are the subjects of the Order.¡±

    ¡°This is the ancient ssical Order, which was the most glorious era. The Ebabel Tower stood in the centre of the world, watching over the earth, with a fortress above each of the four realms of the kingdom, Valha and Avalon were just two of them. Legend has it that in those days the ground was paved with silver, the sky shone with the light of diamonds, the trees bore the fruit of gold, and the rivers flowed with rich milk.¡±

    ¡°But such a glorious dynasty fell in the Twilight as well.¡±

    ¡°In the following two eras, the Divine Folk rebuilt the world twice, but what was the result? The Divine Folks passed away one by one, and all the wisdom of the ancient era that has survived to this day were left in scraps, and the most glorious victory of civilization over the Twilight Dragon was from thest war.¡±

    As she was saying each word, the entire Spiral Hall was trembling under some power¡¯s control. The central tform had beenpletely distorted under the huge force, more than ten long bridges twisted into a knot and were pulled downward into the abyss below. At first Brendel thought that the sudden change was a life saver, but turned out it was just a path into the tiger¡¯s den.

    The reason for everything was due to Korfa¡¯s previous action.

    Everyone¡¯s attention was focused on the middle of the fierce battlefield when Brendel and the little female dragon happened to be raiding Arreck, resulting in chaos on this side as well. The eldest daughter of Hati took this opportunity to fly towards the Ash Sword Saint Mephisto. She had only battled with him once in mid-air when she was shed by his sword at the waist. Just as Mephisto was still wondering how this demigod-level being from the Chaos era was so weak, Korfa was thrown to the ground with a sh from the Ash Sword Saint.

    She fell in the direction of the center of the hall, and behind her, in addition to the throne on the tform, the purple crystal hanging in the air.

    The battle was so intense that the two fighting parties had no time to see in what direction Korfa had fallen, but it was this neglect that gave her the greatest opportunity. In the moment of approaching the crystal, Korfa turned back in mid-air and grabbed the crystal. If Mephisto had noticed this subtle movement of Korfa, he would have been aware of her acting skills, because the force of that grasp was so terrifying that it was at least at Law Peak, and with just one grip, the crystal instantly shattered in pieces.

    In a moment, it happened that Brendel managed to dodge the Lizardman Sword Saint Zu¡¯s sword.

    The Spiral Hall shook and then the whole ground rotated and sank downward, all the long bridges above the abyss were torn into a long thin belt. Except for the small number of people with the ability to fly or had spells, most people, including even those ck-robed knights fell first time on unstable footing. Brendel then knew things were going downhill. He looked up, barely able to look across the hall, where Scarlet who struck the Azure Lance into the wall. Luckily, she didn¡¯t fall, but the Laurenna couple was not to be seen anymore in the crowd, not to mention the young prince and the royal eldest son of the Kirrlutzians.

    Nothing was heard from Ciel and the others. Brendel tried tomunicate with them through the Psychic Connection, but he only heard buzzing white noise. What on earth is disrupting the Psychic Connection in this hall?

    In this ce, he could only think of one thing.

    In just a second, he saw a huge mouth emerge from the darkness below. It was something like a giant sandworm, its mouth packed with teeth. Brendel knew what it was in just a nce- Devourer¡¯s Teeth. <i>This damn thing has been here all along. </i>It did not live within the ciers, but instead, it had been trapped under the hall.

    He should¡¯ve thought of this sooner.

    But he gripped the edge of the long bridge with one hand and looked up, somewhat puzzled, at Korfa in mid-air, not understanding exactly what she wanted. He had never heard of such a y in the game.

    ¡°I once experienced that war myself.¡±

    Korfa floated in mid-air and finally finished herst sentence, with some confusion in her eyes she said, as if she was reminiscing.

    ......

 Chapter 779 - v4c150 The Age of Mortals (2)

    <h4>Chapter 779 v4c150 The Age of Mortals (2)</h4>

    It seemed as if Korfa had gone crazy, not knowing who was her enemy and who wasn¡¯t at that moment. She floated above the hall as she spoke gibberish. Brendel didn¡¯t fall down into the abyss as he was holding onto the bridge, he lifted his head and looked at that Lizard Sword Saint who was hanging from somewhere higher than him. He was gripping onto the wall with one hand and holding Duke Arreck with the other. Brendel looked at both sides but he didn¡¯t see Aloz. <i>Did she make it? </i>But the star-shaped star wasn¡¯t in Arreck¡¯s hand anymore, seeing as he looked frustrated, the stone must¡¯ve been taken or lost.

    All For One that came with Arreck had scattered everywhere, those who were lucky enough to survive were those who had at least Elemental Awakening. Except for those floating in the middle of the hall, Brendel counted a total of 11 more. Even if he excluded two to three lucky ones, there were still eight to nine of them. This number was terrifying as Brendel had already defeated Devard outside the hall, and every one of them here was at least Elemental Awakeners, which had outnumbered the entire Aouine¡¯s superiors¡¯ strength.

    This was the situation in the hall-

    On the highest level of the hall, only Mephisto was left. Further down a little, there was Veronica and those ck-robed knights that fought with her, about four or five of them. Further down even more, was Korfa mumbling to herself beside the shattered purple crystals. The throne of Milos beneath her had crumbled into the dark abyss and none of the All For One members on the tform survived, except that Elemental Awakened Mage that flew back up from the dark. The Mage was obviously injured.

    Looking around the hall, the ck-robed knights that were on the bridges and Aouine¡¯s noble knights were all injured and in despair. Only a few that had astonishing reaction time were hanging from the cliff, while the rest had fallen down below. The hall was full of smoke. Except for Arreck, the Lizard Sword Saint and Scarlet, Brendel couldn¡¯t spot anyone else. He was extremely worried for Ciel, Medissa, and the young price, especially when the Frost Devourer was slowly rising from below. Its teeth were spinning in its mouth like a food processor, no one would survive something like that.

    After that fatal force swept across the hall and vanished, the Laws of Lines stabilized again. Brendel felt himself regain the power to fly, so he flew from the bridge. But he didn¡¯t dare to get too close to that Red-Ring Lizard Sword Saint, as he knew how big of a threat he was after that sword sh. Its power might be greater than when Veronica was in the Loop of Trade Winds. Although both of their powers weren¡¯t too big of a difference, one of them had an upper hand at defence while the other had better attacking sword skills.

    And since the star-shaped stone was no longer in the hands of Anrek, Brendel did not intend to stay any longer either. With the cover of the diffusing smoke, he carefully flew in the direction of Scarlet- the hall buzzed, the surrounding walls started cracking significantly, which indicated that there might be a second copse. Brendel felt that the dome of the Hall of Spirals would copse this time as well, which would make it ridiculous to even stay on for a minute longer.

    ¡°Korfa, what are you doing!?¡± It was at this time that Anrek¡¯s low, hoarse growl came from behind him.

    No one expected that Korfa would choose this time to retaliate, she had hidden her dark side and was waiting for the right moment. Anrek¡¯s face turned pale, but at this moment it was toote to repent, Korfa single-handedly turned the entire battlefield into a mess, andpletely overturned his n.

    ¡°You will not be able to imprison me, human.¡± Korfa smiled somewhat smugly, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see the Awakening God? It¡¯s about time.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Korfa did not answer. She suddenly had a look of extreme pain on her face and opened her mouth slightly, along with her scream, a stream of ck smoke came out of her mouth, then her eyes, nostrils and ears; the ck smoke rolled together above the girl, forming a blurred human-form object. While Korfa herself hung her head down helplessly and curled up in mid-air, her skin was so pale that it was nearly bloodless, she was like an empty shell that had lost its strength and soul.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand what happened in that war, human.¡± A voice like thunder came out from the rolling ck smoke, and Korfa¡¯s icy voice could be heard faintly, ¡°That was the only time in several eras that the Twilight was repulsed.¡±

    ¡°This can¡¯t be!¡± Anrek roared, ¡°After the battle of Ebabel, even the gods failed, the Golden Folk was almost wiped out, and the Silver Folk were hidden from view. This was the greatest victory that ever belonged to Chaos.¡±

    The Duke raised his arms in the air and hissed like a madman, ¡°What is left of Vaunte today? The gods have abandoned thisnd long ago, the most glorious era has passed, and what remains is just insignificant trash. When the Twilightes again, what can the trash resist? They themselves are still fighting for power and profit, drunkenly living and dying for some fleeting illusions, such a group of people, is the so-called civilization?¡±

    At the end, he said, almost contemptuously, ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous.¡±

    There was a moment of silence in the hall, but faintly one could hear the sound of the believers of All For One chanting prayers fervently.

    ¡°You are simply insane, Anrek.¡± Veronica never thought a person would be so crazy. She had never believed in the facy of the All For One.The war between the Twilight Dragons and the gods was long ago, and only those evil-minded cultists would hail these nebulous myths as scripture. She didn¡¯t know what the future of Vaunte would be. Would it be destroyed, or would itst? But none of that mattered, for humans with short lives, so what mattered most was the present.

    As for her, as long as the Kirrlutz Empire still existed, she must fight for it. Whether for her family or for the Empire itself.

    Ash Sword Saint Mephisto also shook his head.

    ¡°Ridiculous indeed,¡± the voice in the ck smoke sneered, ¡°Who told you that the gods left Vaunte after defeat? Who told you that the Golden Folk died on the battlefield at Twilight? The Silver Folk are not hiding, not because they are discouraged. Those human legends that have been passed down to this day, some of them are not empty, but you just don¡¯t want to believe them.¡±

    ¡°But there is one thing you are not wrong about,¡± the voice in the ck smoke sighed, ¡°Today¡¯s Vaunte, indeed, no longer takes to be that ssical and glorious era.¡±

    ¡°When authority is given into the mortals, the time that belonged to the gods will never return.¡±

    Brendel was quietly crossing the lowermost smoke-filled area of the hall, and he was soon to return to where he had entered the hall earlier ¨C that is, the other side of the direction where Anrek was. The argument between the two sides above the hall was going on fiercely, the scene was a bit like the long opening scene of many important BOSSES in the game, but the aura of gravity really hung over the whole hall, everyone could feel a storm of energy gathering in the air ¨C Brendel felt something, and realized that the key to summoning the Awakening God was actually in Korfa, and no one in the game seemed to have pulled Kovacs to this ce.

    But this design was indeed a pain in the ass, although from the plot it didn¡¯t seem to make sense, Brendel couldn¡¯t help but nder the nner in his heart a few times.

    He looked down and saw that the Frost Devourer had risen another hundred feet and was almost within reach. This discovery took him by surprise, so he hurriedly flew up a few more times. Korfa, Veronica and the others were almost above his head now, but he didn¡¯t dare to fly up anymore for the others to discover his presence, especially Korfa. <i>Who knows if this demigod-like being will hold a grudge for what happened earlier?</i>

    ¡°This is a time for each of you to choose your own destiny, so take care of yourselves.¡± The rumbling voice in the ck smoke still echoed.

    Under the ck smoke, Korfa moved her eyshes slightly, ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± She murmured softly.

    The ck smoke sighed, ¡°You are free, Korfa.¡±

    ¡°And I, too, will be reborn.¡±

    Mephisto¡¯s face suddenly changed, ¡°Get out of the way!¡± He shouted, the words justnded when the group of ck smoke enveloped above Korfa¡¯s head and spread out suddenly, rising up towards the hall dome. Several dodging ck-robed knights were caught in it, before they could let out a scream, theypletely disappeared without a trace. Assimtion. Veronica also turned pale. This was the most typical power of Chaos. She hurriedly flew upwards, but unfortunately it was still a little toote, Korfa¡¯s dark soul rose very fast, and was about to swallow her up when the female army chief felt someone tugging her from above, dragging her out of a certain death.

    Veronica¡¯s face turned pale and she looked back to find that it was Mephisto who had struck. She was a little surprised, but then blushed. She frowned andined, ¡°Where are your noble manners, Mr. Mephisto, how could you grab ady¡¯s hair?¡±

    Mephisto didn¡¯t answer, but just gave her a look.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The female army chief was stunned for a moment before she replied in a small voice.

    A dramatic change was taking ce in the middle of the hall.

    The ck smoke hadpletely merged into the dome, and the voice let out a loud, arrogantugh. A silver bell-likeughter lingered throughout the hall for a long time. But the change did not stop there, the echoing sound in the hall became louder and louder. Brendel saw several long bridges had brokenpletely and fallen into the abyss below, bitten by the Frost Devourer that climbed up from below. Its appetite was good and it wasn¡¯t picky at all. It dly swallowed everything, be it stone or metal, it was just like a gradually approaching ck hole.

    The walls around the hall cracked in all directions, some were already several inches wide. The whole hall was shaking,rge chunks of rock fell from above, and in a short while a ¡®sky window¡¯ was opened in the dome. It¡¯s just that outside the sky window wasn¡¯t a bright sky, but a pitch-ck mountain. In fact, the whole mountain shook at this moment, and the rock wall split into two parts, half of which had begun to slowly sink.

    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Brendel finally reacted ¨C this was going to be andslide.

    ¡°Get out of here!¡±

    He looked around and had a hard time finding the exit he had entered from earlier. In just a blink of an eye, the ce was already like a fallen castle of sand, falling apart into a pile of rubble. There were a total of seventeen arches in the hall and half of them went missing in just a second. Brendel¡¯s jaw dropped when another third of the remaining disappeared. He hurriedly flew towards thest remaining exits, but it was at this time that he felt a mass of something hit him from above, knocking him downward. The thing let out a muffled grunt, or a girl¡¯s voice.

    There wasn¡¯t any woman from Anrek¡¯s side, so Brendel subconsciously thought it was either Medissa or Scarletor, the schr girl. But the voice wasn¡¯t very familiar, and he thought it might be the schr girl, so he wrapped his arms around her immediately. Due to such a dy, thest few arches disappeared. Brendel took a look and felt as if he couldn¡¯t do anything but cry, because at this time the whole hall had apparentlye to the end of its long life, with the walls on all sides falling towards him, and there was no avoiding it.

    ......

    At some point, as if from the depths of the mountain, the humming sound became louder and louder but Freya was unaware of it. She quietly listened to Milos¡¯ narrative, which was a long story, as if it brought her thoughts to that distant and glorious era as well. The tall towers that stood in the sky, the floating cloud-like cathedrals, the Golden Folk dressed in white linen robes, prostrating themselves in pilgrimage outside the pces made of gold, the air seemed to be filled with the faint smell of vani- it was a world of Order and civilization. While nowadays, humans instead seemed to be struggling in obscurity.

    After a long time, she blinked her eyshes slightly, raised her head and asked, ¡°That is to say, the gods gave the mortals the power to choose their destiny, and after that, the Azure Knights led our ancestors and defeated the Twilight Dragon instead. After the stars fell to earth, to fulfill that pact, the gods turned away from Vaunte andpletely handed thend over to us. That glorious era is gone, and Vaunte today is an era where we choose our own destiny, whether it be destruction or rebirth in the future.¡±

    ¡°You are wise.¡± The gentle voice replied.

    ¡°But there is still something I don¡¯t understand... Why is it that what the gods cannot do, we can do instead?¡±

    There was a moment of silence in the room.

    ¡°Because you are people of this world and you don¡¯t have to fight against it.¡±

    Freya paused, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t understand what that means.¡±

    ¡°I remember I once mentioned that half of the Twilight¡¯s bloodline flowed in the bodies of the ck Dwarf, but unlike the Bronze¡¯s generation, youpletely gave up your power, and that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t turn into those magical creatures whose sanity was corrupted by the darkness.¡±

    Freya nodded her head.

    ¡°That¡¯s why.¡± The voice replied, ¡°The world of Vaunte was woven out of a Chaos by Marsha, and when She lowered the Laws of Tiamat over the sea of Chaos, the world was born. The root of our worldes from the Order that is built on top of Chaos, so from the beginning of the world, this opposition is rooted in it ¨C the stronger the power of the Order, the stronger the resistance from Chaos. The power of Chaos has no limit after all, which means that one day, this power will even surpass the control of the gods, and our world will vanish. This is where Twilightes from.¡±

    ¡°Over the course of several eras, Vaunte has in fact long since experienced several destructions, and the history of the earliest the Golden Folk is long since far from traceable. This is called the error of the gods, and for countless ages, the sages and wise men from other servant races and the gods have searched for a way to end this cycle of error. We have established countless civilizations and Orders, but in each case, without exception, they have failed.¡±

    ¡°Dusk hase six times, and we have failed six times.¡±

    ¡°The only time we came closest to sess was at the end of thest era, when your heroes, the Azure Knights, shattered the heavens and caused the stars to fall to the earth, separating Vaunte from each other, but also truly ending the Twilight. It was the only time that civilization was notpletely wiped out, and although it had hit hard, it at least showed us the possibility of sess.¡±

    ¡°The root of everything stems from a proposal of the Darkness Dragon.¡±

    ¡°Is it Odin?¡± Freya interrupted.

    ¡°No, earlier than him,¡± although not visible to her, the girl could feel the owner of the voice slowly shake his head, ¡°The previous generation of the Darkness Dragon had long since perished in the battle of the Twilight, but like Odin, it was a figure of great wisdom. It was he who made us think about the problem in turn, not just to enhance the power of the Order, but to simply preserve the fire of civilization. Therefore, we could have created a weak civilization, which is no longer glorious, and can even be said to bepromised to Chaos,ck of power, obscurantism, and even prated by the Twilight Dragon. However, in this case, we almost seeded. ¡±

    ¡°Because even Chaos could not devour itself.¡±

    Freya opened her mouth slightly, she vaguely felt that Milos seemed to be hiding something, but what this voice just said was already the most heavenly legend she had ever heard.

    The gods had actually given in to the Twilight Dragon.

    ¡°No matter how bad it is, is it okay to just exist?¡± Freya was a little less thanfortable, after all, no one wanted to be treated like a bugbear.

    ¡°No, little girl, civilization grows.¡± Milos¡¯ voice rose with pride, ¡°This is the greatness of the Mother, because this time, it will be a civilization rooted in this world, no longer created and interfered by us, it will carry the mark of the Twilight Dragon, growing up little by little, gradually growing, and finally bing one with the origin of this world, and at that time, no one can destroy it anymore.¡±

    But civilization was after all a civilization and Order is, after all, different from Chaos. Freya vaguely felt that something wasn¡¯t right. She shook her head, ¡°Then when will the Twilight Dragon descend?¡±

    It was silent for a moment.

    ¡°It will.¡±

 Chapter 780 - v4c151 The Age of the Mortals (3)

    Chapter 780 v4c151

    The Age of the Mortals (3)

    ¡°It will.¡±

    Freya slowly sat back in the chair, gripping her knees with her hands uneasily. After a moment, she asked, ¡°Then what about us? What are we going to fight the Twilight Dragon with?¡± This time, the Golden Folk is no longer here for us, the Silver Folk are hidden from the world, even the Azure Knights aren¡¯t here to lead us. We are bare-handed and in this fight with each other. Once the Twilight falls, would we still have a chance?¡±

    Milos didn¡¯t reply. A spark popped from the bright me in the firece.

    Time was like sand in an hourss, passing through bit by bit, echoing a boring humming sound in the space.

    ¡°About the road ahead, it is as blurry as fog to us both. Not just to me, but even a wise being like Crystal wouldn¡¯t dare to say that he knows all the secrets of the universe.¡±

    ¡°Not even gods?¡±

    ¡°Even Mother doesn¡¯t know everything.¡±

    Freya¡¯s mouth opened slightly.

    ¡°But as long as you have your destiny in your hands, then there¡¯s still a chance. The generation of the ck Dwarfs must hold their destiny firmly in their own hands, this is thest blessing given to you by Mother.¡±

    ¡°This is the age of the mortals, neither the gods nor the Twilight Dragons can interfere. Whether if its good or bad, it¡¯s up to you-

    ¡°Is that why you chose us toe here, Lord Milos?¡± The female knight took a soft breath and finally understood the purpose of the Father of the Frost Giants. In such an era, no matter what the reason was, there was no need for an awakened god, because the gods are long gone, like dust and smoke that are destined to vanish and remain only in the vast scroll of history.

    ¡°You are very clever.¡± The voice repeated.

    ¡°What should I do?¡± Freya asked softly.

    ¡°As I said, use the longsword in your hand and kill it-¡±

    Freya¡¯s eyes widened slightly, she had always thought it was a joke, but this time, the voice was serious. ¡°But how could I possibly do that, kill a god?¡± She blurted.

    ¡°Little girl, in your time, there are no more gods, no matter how it is revived and what kind of identity it has, when it appears in this world, it is already destined to be just a false god.¡± That voice sighed and paused slightly, ¡°And you, Freya, this is the era that belongs to you...¡±

    Freya looked across the table in a daze, and there, in an empty chair, seemed to have been sitting a wise elder, who had just told her a long story.

    And many things that she had not needed to know ¨C

    ¡°Kacha-¡±¡¯, a long crack suddenly appeared in the floor of the room, and the humming sound that had been low this moment finally converged into a shrill roar. The whole mountain shook as if it was slowly sinking, and even the whole floor of the room tilted up. Freya was almost thrown out of her seat, she hurriedly held the table and looked in that direction in surprise.

    ¡°This ce looks like it¡¯s going to be gone in a minute ......¡±

    That voice paused slightly, then said with a softugh.

    ¡°Lord Milos?¡±

    ¡°Freya, remember my words, I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡±

    Freya held her breath for a moment, perhaps unwillingly, or perhaps deliberately ignoring this, as if until this moment, she suddenly remembered that this Father of Frost Giants wanted her to kill- kill himself. Amidst the rumbling sound, the cabin in the cier had been tilting more and more and all four walls were covered with spider-web like cracks before sinking. The ground was falling apart as if it was going to disappearpletely in the blink of an eye. Freya grabbed the edge of the table with all her might and looked at the empty chair.

    ¡°Lord Milos!¡±

    ¡°Are you going to say goodbye, little girl?¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± Freya shook her head, struggling to keep her bnce as she managed to straighten up, then bowed to the chair. What she was going to say was thank you, but these words were sometimes unnecessary, as silence was better than a thousand words.

    A crack that ran across the entire ceiling was directly above the young girl and the ground beneath her began to shake, sink, and crack, revealing ice beneath.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± The voice smiled slightly, as if shaking its head, ¡°There is no need to do so.¡±

    ¡°But children should always send their greetings to their elders before they go forth alone.¡±

    The female knight straightened up, rubbed her eyes and replied with a smile.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Then I will see you in the midst of history.¡±

    The voice fell silent and a white aura unfolded over Freya, a faint shimmer that bounced off all the ice falling on the maiden, allowing her to stand tall as if in the middle of the copsed room. And right in the middle of Freya¡¯s vision, the round table was sliding to one side, while opposite it, the empty chair suddenly toppled backwards, then they were swallowed by the shattered ice and disappeared.

    ¡°Thanks...¡±

    She replied quietly in her mind, and the next moment, the copsed ice tilted and crumbled down, burying everything that was here under darkness.

    ......

    Nobody knew how long the darkness pertained.

    Brendel was like a blind and deaf guy lying on top of a cier. The smooth and cold sensation on his back told him that he was surrounded by thick ice, with perhaps some snow. Except for those, what¡¯s left was darkness. There was a soft breathing sound a few feet away. Other than his own breathing sound, the soft breathing seemed particrly harsh in the silence.

    Not knowing how long he¡¯d slept there, or how many times he¡¯d tried, he was surprised to find that he could finally barely control his numb limbs, first his fingers, then his wrists, and finally his whole arm. He gritted his teeth and sat up reluctantly with his arms supporting him, and it took several minutes of tossing and turning before he finally got his legs back to consciousness as well. Then he tried to get up from the floor, but just before he raised his head, his head hit the ceiling.

    What a narrow space.

    This was Brendel¡¯s first thought.

    What is this ce?

    This was his second thought. The ability to think seemed to gradually return to his frozen, stiff brain. He gradually recalled everything that had happened before he fell unconscious. Korfa seemed to have used her dark side of the soul to awaken the Awakening God, and the key to everything was the purple crystal suspended on the tform, and then the entire Spiral Hall copsed, which was something that had never happened before even in the game, and now this ce ......

    This ce should be somewhere under the abyss of the Spiral Hall, right?

    Right, where¡¯s the Frost Devourer? He remembered that huge worm and thought he had been eaten by it when he fell, he didn¡¯t expect to get away with it again.

    Unfortunately, the Illumination tool wasn¡¯t with him, and he had used up his EP when dealing with Devard, otherwise he could at least cast a spell now to see what was going on around him instead of guessing blindly. Brendel thought for a while and decided to check out this ce first. He remembered that there was another breathing sound not far from him when he was lying on the ground, so he immediately lowered his body and felt his way over there. But only after a few steps, his hand immediately came across a soft human body with a slight temperature.

    ¡°Phew. Looks like it¡¯s alive.¡± Brendel groped on the body for a while, and suddenly felt something wrong. He grabbed it with his hand and realized that it seemed to be a woman. It startled him and as he was about to withdraw his hand, the other party woke up and let out a soft ¡®mmm¡¯ sound. It was the voice of a stranger girl. Brendel¡¯s stomach tightened as he let go in a hurry and asked, ¡°Miss Shido?¡±

    There was only darkness and no response. Brendel only saw the other party open her eyes.

    How did he know the other party had opened her eyes?

    Because it was a pair of silver eyes that glowed in the darkness.

    In that instant, a cold sweat appeared on Brendel¡¯s forehead, ¡°Silver Folk, Golden Folk?¡± Holy shit, no way, is it Aloz? Could it be such a coincidence that she was the first one that Brendel touched? If he had touched Aloz, he would be ridiculed by the little female dragon, maybe as a thirsty pervert or so. And the next best thing was what if she gets mad? Or what if she throws a fit again? Aloz¡¯s earlier performance in the Spiral Hall haunted him.

    He immediately shook his head. No, this couldn¡¯t be Aloz. Aloz¡¯s eyes are golden with a hint of light silver, the typical eyes of the Golden Folk. The pair in front of him, was unlike those from Silver, because the Silver Folk¡¯s eye color isn¡¯t as light as this. Instead, these eyes looked a bit like Princess Gryphine¡¯s. But of course Princess Gryphine isn¡¯t here, could it be the little prince then? Brendel broke out in cold sweat once more. It had been ridiculous enough already to put the little prince in women¡¯s clothing, and now he¡¯s making himself a joke out of this. Oh my... how would the little prince see me as a teacher?

    Wait. This is impossible. How could the little prince have ****? Brendel immediately found his thoughts leading down the wrong path, then he suddenly remembered that he seemed to have caught a girl before falling. He thought at first that it was Shido, but now it seemed that the guess was somewhat wrong.

    Brendel took a step back and looked at the other party quietly, not being able to confirm whether she was friend or foe, so all he could do was to wait for her to react first.

    He was just backing away when he heard a voice so hollow like an empty valley, ¡°May I ask why you recognized me then, I mean, how did you recognize me in my human form?¡±

    This sentence was as if a lightning bolt, striking Brendel¡¯s head and travelling down his entire body. Brendel froze.

    ¡°Dim Korfa?¡±

    ¡°Mmm.¡± The silver eyes blinked gently, as if they had disappeared for a moment in the darkness and reappeared, ¡°That was my old name, and I haven¡¯t used it for a long time. I am now called Korfa, you can just call me Korfa.¡±

    That¡¯s not right. Brendel thought to himself. The first running wolf in the Twilight, the eldest daughter of Hati. As the Twilight Wolf n, shouldn¡¯t she have a pair of blood-red eyes? Shouldn¡¯t she have a cold and exquisite voice that he was familiar with before? What about this one? Was Aloz pulling a prank on him? Impossible, Aloz wouldn¡¯t make such an obvious mistake, especially the eye color. It¡¯s not that difficult to change eye color with a spell either.

    He frowned and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°You... are really Korfa? The eldest daughter of Hati, the first running wolf in the Twilight one of the supreme magical creatures?¡±

    The silver eyes moved up and down. She nodded her head.

    Brendel inhaled deeply.

    Brendel finally came to his senses. This was not Korfa, this was the good side of Korfa. But this realization in turn made him confused, what is going on? Korfa¡¯s dark side became the Awakening God, while she¡¯s left with only the good side. That meant that she didn¡¯t have a personality disorder, but she was one with two souls. He suddenly remembered what she had called the other Korfa before ¨C sister.

    This script wasn¡¯t right. Brendel cried out in frustration. The dark side of Korfa became the Awakening God, and the good side of Korfa also survived, this was not the same as in history! Brendel remembered that in the history of the game, both Korfa¡¯s dark side and good side died together, and after the quest of the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep, the eldest daughter of Hati no longer existed.

    But since now this was what happened, history had somehow changed.

    Could it be that this was the original setting in the game? If the Awakening God resurrects, then the game would enter this history line; if the Awakening God isn¡¯t resurrected, then the game would enter that history line in the game. Brendel suddenly realized why no one had ever seen the God of Awakening again in the game. This was all because history had changed and the results had justified this.

    But now there was a problem.

    No, not just a problem, but a big one.

    Brendel realized that his people had seemed to inadvertently change history, and not just like the Ampere Seale Conference that had changed the history of just a ce, Aouine. The difference between the eldest daughter of Hati, Dim Korfa and a conference was obvious and unnecessary to borate further, it¡¯s obvious which one was more important. And if Brendel remembered correctly, the next big chapter after the first birth of the empire was the return of Hati.

    This would be a change that could even affect the course of the entire Great Demonic Wave, and might even change the future direction of Vaunte, shaking the foundations of that terrible warter.

    What was more crucial was that this change wasn¡¯t the same as Ampere Seale¡¯s Conference. This change happened without him realizing it, and it waspletely beyond his expectations. No one knew whether it was good or bad. Brendel could only be sure of one thing: In the game, Hati was killed by a yer. Before Hati was revived, her twelve daughters were also sessively killed, the process was almost the same as the killing of Korfa in this quest of the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep.

    But now, Korfa survived, so what about Hati? And if Hati didn¡¯t die, what would be of Vaunte?

    Brendel could only think of five words.

    The Twilight of the world.

    He just looked at Korfa in a daze. His mind had been jumbled with all these thoughts, and for a while, he even forgot to reply. After a while, Korfa broke the silence by saying softly, ¡°I seem to have frightened you, have I?¡±

    Brendel jumped and hurriedly shook his head.

    ¡°Then why did you stay silent?¡±

    ¡°Because I was thinking if I should kill you,¡± Brendel replied seriously.

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Korfa was startled, but looked a little puzzled, ¡°Why would you want to kill me, Mr. Human?¡±

    Brendel was silent for a moment. In fact, he wasn¡¯t joking about what he had just said. ¡°Because you are the daughter of Hati, the first wolf in the Twilight, and in the near future, your mother will be resurrected once again. If you are still alive at that time, it will be unfortunate news for humanity. As you live, many, many more will die.¡±

    Korfa blinked for a moment.

    ¡°You seem to be a prophet, nothing can be hidden from you, Mr. Human,¡± she paused, ¡°My mother once told me that in the midst of the darkness, which no one can see, a river flows quietly, leading to some unknown future. Those who can see that river can see the end of the future. Mr. Human, can you tell me why you seem to be able to see everything behind that mist?¡±

    Brendel pursed his lips, ¡°For a special reason.¡±

    He already had the intention to kill her so he didn¡¯t hide it anymore. After all, lying is exhausting. Telling Korfa these had made him feel more at ease. He exhaled. The good Korfa was very popr among the yers, and he had no ill feelings towards this innocent-looking young girl. But her very existence was a threat to Vaunte, and she herself apparently understood this, so it wasn¡¯t as surprising after all.

    And exactly because of this, the more nervous Brendel became, because it proved that his suspicions might be right.

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me your secrets, aren¡¯t you, Mr. Human?¡± The young girl replied slyly, looking very frank, ¡°You¡¯re telling me this because you understand I can keep your secrets, right?¡±

    Brendel nodded. The kind Korfa was wise, she had guessed what he had in mind.

    ¡°But what would happen if there was a third person here who heard our conversation?¡± Korfa asked again.

    Brendel was horrified as he knew that the other party would never just say anything for the sake of intimidating him. Since Korfa said so, it must mean something. He hurriedly turned back, and this time Korfa chanted a spell, lighting up the dark underground. Brendel squinted his eyes under this sudden light, and then he finally saw the wretched man sitting not far away from the other end of this ice cave.

    ¡°Arreck!¡±

    Brendel felt strange. Korfa, Arreck, and him, gathered in this small ce. What a wrongbination of people to be with. He immediately felt that something was off. This ce was so small, and in such a close distance, with his perception how could he not detect the breathing of the third person? Even if he didn¡¯t notice it before, there was no reason not to notice it aftering to his senses.

    Thinking about this, he looked back and saw a mischievous cunning look in Korfa¡¯s eyes, ¡°I pulled some tricks, Mr. Human, you won¡¯t me me, will you?¡±

    Being teased by a real demigod. Brendel almost was so frustrated he almostughed. He pointed at the wretched Arreck and simply asked, ¡°You expect to rely on him to save your life? If it was someone else, it would be fine. But this person, it seems, happens to be my enemy, right?¡±

 Chapter 781 - v4c152 Beneath The Ice

    Chapter 781 v4c152

    Beneath The Ice

    The Light Orb shone brightly and lit up the surroundings. The miserably bright white light outlined the ice surface¡¯s uneven zigzag lines that formed an upside-down bowl-shaped ice cavity, narrow and quiet. About Brendel¡¯s question, Korfa just looked at him and smiled slightly. There was only calmness in her eyes, she wasn¡¯t going to argue or refute. On the other hand, Arreck didn¡¯t say a word at all as he leaned against the ice wall with his wounded forehead. His wrinkled face was full of blood and looked extremely wretched.

    This had put Brendel in a difficult situation. Did Korfa really want him to kill her right now? If the other party was a fucking monster, he wouldn¡¯t feel stressed out, but who he was facing now was a youngdy that seemed harmless and innocent. Although her existence might lead to a very bad future, discing many people and killing families, that was after all only a possibility. If the girl was eager to argue, he might still think that she could be malicious. But Korfa was very smart, she did not say a word and was as if she wasn¡¯t hiding anything. Brendel couldn¡¯t do anything.

    Brendel held the sword in his hand, but he finally sighed and put down the ck and heavy de. He couldn¡¯t kill because of a trumped-up possibility after all.

    He was still too soft-hearted.

    Brendel shook his head. If Amandina saw this, she would¡¯ve admonished him again in private that a man of great importance shouldn¡¯t be hesitant. However, he didn¡¯t know that Amandina was always loyal to him because he was different from other noblemen who were hesitant but unfaithful. She wasn¡¯t cold-blooded after all, but was afraid that Brendel would be ruined by those cold-blooded nobles.

    A disdainful grunt came from behind.

    Brendel turned around and saw Arreck¡¯s dishevelled face like a beggar¡¯s, but his expression was full of contempt, as if Brendel¡¯s kindness to him meant nothing. Brendel was suddenly furious. I can¡¯t do anything to Korfa, but do you think I can¡¯t do anything to you? Arreck¡¯s hands were stained with the blood of the Aouines, and his actions in Ampere Sealepletely pushed him to the opposite side of civilization. In Aouine under the rule of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, colluding with Devils was a serious crime, not to mention leading the Devil Army onto the earth and stealing the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s Portal. Moreover, he also destroyed the port of Ampere Seale that had hundreds of thousands of people. Even if Arreck died a thousand times, his debt wouldn¡¯t be paid for all the things he did.

    Brendel looked into the eyes of this Duke who was once powerful in Aouine.

    Arreck also looked up at him at the same time, his eyes under his long eyebrows. He only said one word that immediately made Brendel freeze, ¡°The Darkness Dragon?¡±

    Brendel inhaled, almost couldn¡¯t resist nailing this guy directly to the ice with his sword, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°As far as I know, there is only one person who can see through the mists of history,¡± Arreck replied slowly, ¡°and that is the Darkness Dragon, foreseen by the Witches.¡±

    ¡°I have not won a fight against anyone who walks ahead of the past.¡± He closed his eyelids as if resigning to his fate.

    This guy seemed to have decided that Brendel was the Darkness Dragon. Brendel was speechless, thinking if those Witches from Bunosong had a sense of confidentiality. Why are their prophecies known to everyone? Aren¡¯t they afraid of the Holy Cathedral of Fire finding out the sessor of the Darkness Dragon and killing him first?

    But he immediately found that thinking so seemed wrong. In the Dark Prophecy, it was said that the Darkness Dragon who reappeared in Vaunte was all-seeing and all-knowing so he was able to see through the mists of history. Since he was so powerful, he wouldn¡¯t be killed by the Holy Cathedral of Fire; and if the Darkness Dragon died, it would only prove that he was not the real Darkness Dragon, which was a paradox. Brendel now finally appreciated the strength of these guys who wrote prophecies. Anything could make sense after all, it just depends on how one interpreted it.

    Just like Arreck at this moment, Brendel suddenly understood his thoughts. The Duke was proud and unwilling to admit defeat to a mortal, so he simply identified Brendel as the Darkness Dragon. Furthermore, this was the only way to exin Brendel¡¯s previous conversation with Kofar.

    Of course, this stubborn conjecture would be a joke for the average person and it could beughed off. But for Brendel, it¡¯s a bit of a different meaning. First of all, he himself had the heritage of the Darkness Dragon. Though this thing was hidden very deeply, it wouldn¡¯t bepletely impossible to find out if the Holy Cathedral of Fire investigated it. Secondly, it seemed that only with the rumors of the Dark Prophecy could he exin his ability to provide judgment of the future, even though he knew that the reason for this was not because of omniscience, but because he hade from the future.

    But the question was, who would believe it?

    Another thing that puzzled Brendel was Arrek sumbing to his fate. From what he knew, the Duke was definitely a guy who wouldn¡¯t let go until the end, this defeated loser did not seem like the Arreck he knew at all. As far as he knew, Duke Arreck had a rich life of experience, he had not had a smooth time since birth; he encountered numerous setbacks,rge and small, and even in his youth he lost the woman he loved most because of the struggle to inherit the title. Brendel once suspected that it was for this reason that drove him to madness and paranoia, making him a cultist instead of pursuing the Duke title.

    And in any case,pared to those experiences, this defeat wouldn¡¯t seem to be a huge setback in Arreck¡¯s life. Who is Duke Arreck putting up a show for? The only two people here were Brendel and Korfa. Korfa was definitely not able to save him, so was he putting up a show for Brendel as a n to retreat?

    Did the Duke really think Brendel was too soft-hearted to take his life?

    Brendel frowned as he knew it wasn¡¯t that simple. He couldn¡¯t help but take a closer look at Arreck, and his gaze soon stopped on Arreck¡¯s hand. His hands didn¡¯t look like they belonged to a Grand Duke, they looked as if worn out, just like his knights. But this wasn¡¯t the main thing, the main point here was the shining ring on his index finger. A ring that was like a snake attached from head to tail.

    Ringed Serpent Ring.

    So this was the trick. Brendel was relieved that he didn¡¯t forget about this. This ring had caused him big trouble when he first came to this world, so he wouldn¡¯t forget what this ring is for. If he ever ¡®identally¡¯ killed Arreck at this ce right now, the superiors of All For One would know that he was the Darkness Dragon immediately. The Darkness Dragon was the Four Wise Men¡¯s enemy, but the saying ¡®an enemy¡¯s enemy is a friend¡¯ couldn¡¯t be applied in every situation. The Darkness Dragon and the Twilight believers were on bad terms, so All For One would be happy to see him fight with the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    At the thought of this, Brendel couldn¡¯t help but break out in a cold sweat. So this guy was nning this all along. Arreck must¡¯ve put this ring in the most obvious ce ever as a warning.

    ¡°What?¡± Arreck saw Brendel¡¯s expression change before he asked, ¡°Has the Darkness Dragon gone so easy to the point that he doesn¡¯t dare to kill?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true, it just took a fancy to your ring. How about this, you remove the ring and give it to me, I will let you have your way, and reluctantly arrange for you to meet with your master, the Twilight Dragon.¡± Brendel replied impatiently.

    Arreckughed, as if he had finally recovered from that earlier embarrassment. ¡°There is no need to go to such trouble, this is just an ordinary ring, there is no problem of magic dissipation. You can just kill me with one sword ande and get it yourself.¡±

    Old fox! Brendel cursed in his heart. This was a typical case of bargaining.

    ¡°Little slick! Arreck also cursed, and he couldn¡¯t help but be d that the eldest daughter of Hati was here, so that he had ground to bargain with Brendel. Otherwise, in his current state, Brendel would¡¯ve dealt with him already. But Brendel¡¯s keen response also left him surprised. Arreck thought he¡¯d have to threaten Brendel verbally, he didn¡¯t expect the other party toe to senses after just a nce at his ring, which required not only brains but also a great understanding of the internal structure of everything.

    Where did this monstere from? Arreck couldn¡¯t help it but doubt.

    Naturally, Brendel couldn¡¯t kill Arreck now. The good thing was that Brendel had Arreck in his hands right now so he might not easily reveal the secret. Otherwise, his only card would be gone. Brendel knew clearly that this Duke wouldn¡¯t give in to death so easily. If he hadn¡¯t spotted the Ringed Serpent Ring just now, Arreck might¡¯ve had to threaten him in his face or remind him at least. His goal was to stay alive, and not to reveal the secret.

    Now both of them could be said to have mastered each other¡¯s weaknesses and thoughts. At one moment they were mutually scornful, but now they have reached some sort of ¡®bnce¡¯. Although not said out loud, both of them knew that very well.

    Brendel simply ignored the old guy Arreck as there were still empty spaces in the dungeons of the Coldwood Castle. Once he gets his territory, he would naturally find a way to make the ring ineffective. As for what was going on in Arreck¡¯s head, he couldn¡¯t care less anyway, as Arreck iming that he was the Darkness Dragon would be his greatest advantage. In fact, Brendel had many more secrets buried deep down. Since Arreck wanted to take the dark route, Brendel might as well go along with him.

    Both of them had their own dark ns. Brendel turned back and looked at Korfa, he saw her lying on the ground watching the scene with interest. Brendel asked, ¡°What do you want me to do with you, Miss Korfa, Her Highness the Princess of the Twilight?¡±

    ¡°No need to call me that,¡± Korfa replied smartly with a faint smile, ¡°since you didn¡¯t kill this gentleman, you won¡¯t kill me until he¡¯s dead, right?¡±

    Brendel sighed. He had been seen through again. Didn¡¯t people say that people with big breasts are less smart? Why wasn¡¯t it the case when it came to Korfa? Was it because the physiology of the Twilight Wolves and humans were different? He couldn¡¯t help but look at the girl who was lying quietly on the ice, only wearing a thin robe but didn¡¯t look like she felt cold. Her chest was moving up and down following the pace of her breathing. If one could ignore her identity as the eldest daughter of Hati, she could be considered a goddess. At least her figure was considered wless like a goddess¡¯ that even real goddesses would definitely be jealous of her.

    Not even her loose ck robe could hide the delicate curves of her body.

    Brando stared and suddenly he recalled what he felt just now. He felt his body heat up and quickly pinched his nose to stop thinking about it so he wouldn¡¯t embarrass himself.

    Korfa smiled slightly with an innocent look, as if it didn¡¯t bother her at all.

    Since he couldn¡¯t resolve anything, Brando thought he might as well figure out the ce they were at. He only remembered the scene of him falling down from the Spiral Hall, and nobody knew what was below the abyss. But there seemed to be some people who had gone down the abyss before and found ciers that ovepped each other everywhere. These types of ciers could be found everywhere in the Deadly Tundra, so nobody wouldn¡¯t have the time to explore all of them.

    These crevices in the cier had been here since ancient times. They could berge ones that were miles across in width and some could be as small as the cavity they were in right now.

    ¡°Can I borrow your magic?¡± Brando asked Korfa.

    Korfa nodded and the Light Orb was delivered right away in his face.

    Brando felt his way along the ice wall for a while. The narrow ice cavity stretched for dozens of meters and consisted of a dark blue ice surface, which sometimes refracted and reflected light, making the entire cavern appear strange. But Brando didn¡¯t find an exit even after a walk around, the entire ice cavity waspletely sealed, and there wasn¡¯t even an opening on the top. He checked again and again and finally gave up, feeling disappointed as he returned to where he came from. He wondered, if this was an entirely enclosed space, how did they fall in here? Or were they buried in thendslide caused by the copse of the Spiral Hall?

    If it was the second possibility, that would be a big problem. He clearly remembered that it was half a mountain wall, who knew how thick that thing would be when it copsed?

    And it¡¯s hard to say how much oxygen was still inside this ice cavity.

    Korfa watched him return and asked in a soft voice, ¡°Mr. Human, are you looking for a way out?¡±

    Brando looked up suddenly at the eldest daughter of Hati and asked, ¡°Do you know what this ce is?¡±

    Korfa nodded, ¡°This should be below the Spiral Hall, the God¡¯s Eternal Resting ce.¡±

    ¡°God¡¯s Eternal Resting ce?¡± Brando thought about this term and suddenly reacted, ¡°This is the dormant ce of Surash?¡±

    ¡°Surash?¡±

    ¡°I mean the Awakening God.¡± Brando replied.

    Korfa nodded again.

    ¡°So here it is,¡± Brando dawned, and he looked to Korfa, ¡°You seem to know it well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always been well aware, Mr. Human.¡± Korfa replied, ¡°Actually, the god who would wake up is Milos, and although we fell into eternal sleep after that battle, it¡¯s just a figure of speech, just like I can wake up, so can Lord Milos.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not right,¡± Brando was a bit puzzled, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Milos be on our side? Then what is the point of you going to all the trouble of bringing it back to life?¡±

    ¡°Ignorance.¡± Arreck interrupted.

    Brando nced back at him, understanding that there must be some other meaning, but he did not expect the Duke to tell him voluntarily, so he simply looked back at Kou Hua. Korfa smiled wryly, ¡°The birth of gods on the earth once again after the age of mortals is indeed not good news for you. And the crux of the matter is that what controls Milos now is the other side of me.¡±

    Brando frowned. These were all he knew, but he always felt that Anrek Was still hiding something. ¡°There is a problem here. If I remember correctly, although Milos is only the god of the Frost Giants, he is at a level that is not less inferior than your mother. Moreover this can be said to be his home turf, your other soul shouldn¡¯t be able to take the wheel, even if Milos had just woken up. Not to mention, Miss Korfa, that is only half of your soul.¡±

    ¡°ording to normal circumstances, that is indeed the case,¡± Korfa replied, ¡°but Lord Milos¡¯ consciousness is not within his body.¡±

    ¡°What!¡± Brendel was taken aback at this, ¡°You mean the God of Frost Giants merely had his body awakened?¡±

    Korfa nodded her head for a moment.

    This was a big problem. Wasn¡¯t this saying that Surash and the dark side of Korfa were very simr? It¡¯s basically a Twilight descendant full of resentment controlling a god¡¯s lifeless body. This wasn¡¯t funny. It wouldn¡¯t be too bad if Milos¡¯ body only had his own power, but if it also had the functions and domain of a god, then it¡¯d be a hell of a disaster. But Brando thought that since it was the BOSS of the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep, then its strength wouldn¡¯t be too overwhelming. Of course, this could only be a dream as history had changed and they weren¡¯t in a game right now, who knew what would happen?

    ¡°I remember you called your other half-sister?¡± Brando asked, ¡°Your sister doesn¡¯t seem to have a good personality.¡±

    Korfa looked at him awkwardly, ¡°Mr.Human...¡±

    Of course Brando understood where the awkwardness wasing from because up until here, only he knew these one-body-two-soul ¡®sisters¡¯.

    The kind Korfa had been a peacemaker from the start. On the forum, it was stated that she wanted to be a garden keeper. Of course, no one knew where this weird saying came from, but it was somehow reliable information. And for Korfa¡¯s ¡®sister¡¯, she was definitely a war monster. The dark side of Korfa was the main reason for the BOSS¡¯ existence. Her goal coincides with arreck, which was to resurrect the Twilight Dragon.

    But the dark side of Korfa would asionally be in a good mood, perhaps appearing less crazy. For example, the way she acted in the hall at first. But such things were too nebulous and Brando didn¡¯t dare gamble with such things. He looked at the sealed space, thinking that his first task was naturally to find a way out, and the only thing he could think of was digging. He could only pray that the ice overhead wasn¡¯t too thick, or hope for good luck digging into an ice crevice. Unfortunately, because he didn¡¯t know how much more oxygen was left in the cavity, he had to get to work immediately.

    But this obviously couldn¡¯t be done by just him alone.

    He looked back at Anrek and Korfa to ask, ¡°Both of you, you don¡¯t n on dying here together right?¡±

 Chapter 782 - v4c153p1 The Young Prince Who Puts His Teacher In Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 782 v4c153p1</h4>

    <h4>The Young Prince Who Puts His Teacher In Trouble</h4>

    The ice was thicker than he¡¯d imagined, but fortunately, the neverending ciers were only more solid objects in Brendel¡¯s eyes. Other than having strength an infinite times stronger than normal people, he also mastered the construction of the world¡¯s most fundamental rules ¨C Lines. So whatever was considered solid, might be different here. Brendel didn¡¯t dare to use his strength that was so much stronger than a normal person¡¯s to st the ice, such as piercing strikes that Medissa used to kill an army with thousands of knights as it could cause arge copse in the ice. This would more likely cause a second copse that might bury them for real in the cold and dark underground.

    So he could only chip away the iceyer byter while avoiding the structurally fragile ces. As much as he didn¡¯t want to, he had to sometimes start digging in another direction all over again if he found that he was working on a fragile area. Nobody would want to gamble with their own lives. The Light Orb was an air-based tier magic that couldst for half an hour and Korfa¡¯s spell went off twice in the meantime. But she was extremely well-behaved that she didn¡¯t need any reminders to make up for it immediately.

    She was exactly like an educated nobledy, and not the so-called eldest daughter of Hati, the monster. Brendel could get used to this side of her much more easily than Arreck as he had heard a lot about her before then.

    After all, Korfa¡¯s dark side was the nature of the eldest daughter of Hati. Nobody knew where this good-girl side of her came from.

    For Brendel, chipping ice was a purely physical job that didn¡¯t require skill, it was just tiring. He dug a tunnel that was enough for one person to pass, and after digging forward for about 150 meters, of course that was after numerous detours, he was exhausted and had to rest. Arreck snorted disdainfully and took Brendel¡¯s ce. Although he was in the army, he had learned systematic magic skills after joining All For One, so though he was not as powerful as Elemental Activation, it was more than enough to burn down the ice.

    It must be said that a fight between a mage and a swordsman was generally nothing fancy. Considering a swordsman¡¯s speed, a mage would need to use the most robust and simple spells to end the battle, so a fight between these two often involves only the purest strength from both sides and the winner could be determined within a few rounds. But seriously speaking, in other aspects besides battling, a mage would still have a bigger advantage. It, therefore, exins why Arreck would look down on Brendel. He cast a few fire spells, melting the ice almost right away and created a pit. It was much faster than what Brendel did.

    Unfortunately, the Duke started to pant after casting just a few spells, which left him in unexpected surprise. Although a Mage¡¯s physical strength hadn¡¯t always been the best, it wasn¡¯t so bad to the point where he would feel ill after casting just a few spells. The reason was theck of air in the ice cavity. There wasn¡¯t much air in here even from the start. Adding on to the fact that Arreck cast fire spells, he was basically sabotaging himself. Therefore even though his face turned all red and embarrassed after being ridiculed by Brendel, he had no choice but to switch spells.

    He then chose the Wind de spell, which turned out to be no different from Brendel¡¯s choice and it certainly didn¡¯t save him any embarrassment.

    As he didn¡¯t progress much, the progress made was almost the same as Brendel¡¯s. He dug forward a hundred meters and came out dizzy. His strength was already far from Brendel¡¯s, not to mention that it consumes more energy for a Mage to cast spells than for a knight to swing his sword. Then two men stepped down and Korfa took their ce. At first, Brendel suggested for him and Arreck to take turns while Korfa could just be responsible for the lighting, as it¡¯d be super embarrassing and ridiculous if the two men made thedy do the hard work.

    No matter how fanatical Arreck was, the fact that he was from the upper ss of society couldn¡¯t be changed. With the education he had received alone, it was nothing Brendel could catch up with.

    But what came to them unexpectedly was, the delicate-looking Miss Korfa had a power that took them by surprise. They didn¡¯t even manage to see what spell she cast beforeyers of ice gradually disappeared before their eyes. The speed was 10 times faster than Arreck¡¯s, even Brendel could only stare with his eyes widened. The two were so taken aback that they forgot they were enemies for a second and immediately asked what kind of spell that was, but Korfa shut them up with only two words.

    ¡°Divine power.¡±

    They both could only shut up. Korfa had the purest bloodline of the Twilight. Though the Twilight Dragon was from Chaos, it itself was a manifestation of the rules, so it could be said to be a god in a way. But Hati was the real ancient god, it¡¯s just that she was from a different lineage than Marsha. Hati¡¯s daughter, from Korfa to Jynhai, all of them were demigods, which was known to Brendel.

    And divine power, in fact, was a real power that existed.

    It was something that Brendel could only hope for, but could never achieve.

    Arreck went silent for a while as he saw Korfa open up the tunnel through the ice. It was as if the Duke was thinking about something. He looked back at Brendel after a while, ¡°Count Trentheim, what are you thinking about?¡±

    Brendel was stunned. He was thinking about Ciel, Medissa, and Hipam, who he had not heard from since the copse of the Spiral Hall. He didn¡¯t even know if they were dead or that this ce blocked off Psychic Connection naturally. Brendel wanted to believe in the second reason, because Medissa, Ciel and the others had decent strength, had experience, and weren¡¯t any inferior to Arreck. So if Arreck was alive, the three of them would¡¯ve made it out too. So Brendel insisted that there wasn¡¯t Psychic Connection here to justify not getting any response from them.

    Moreover, this was God¡¯s Eternal Sleeping ce. ording to the game, this was the core BOSS¡¯ area, which was normal for it to have some special forbidden effect on certain things. After all, even outside the Spiral Hall were constant Dimensional Anchors.

    He was more worried about the little prince, the little prince¡¯s own strength is not even silver, ah, if he identally lost the little prince here, Princess Gryphine had to tear him apart. Of course the princess might not be fit to be his opponent now, but Brendel didn¡¯t want her to hate him for life.

    As he was getting more and more annoyed, he didn¡¯t expect that Arreck hade to talk to him, which was out of this world. Although they hadmunicated earlier, that was limited to ¨C ¡°You¡¯re ignorant.¡± ¡°Stupid.¡± ¡°You¡¯re burning up the oxygen here, are you nning to die with me?¡± and so on.

    Brendel couldn¡¯t help but look at him a little strangely.

    ¡°I am a little curious,¡± Arreck didn¡¯t wait for Brendel to answer, ¡°with such ability, so young, and having such strength, you can achieve a career anywhere. I heard that Veronica had shown you goodwill in the Loop of Trade Winds, with someone like you who has no background and no origins, you would¡¯ve been put to great use by the Empire, isn¡¯t that better than stirring up trouble in Aouine?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Arreck continued, ¡°I forgot that you are the grandson of Darius. But with the rtionship between Darius and the Wind Elves, you can be a real Count in Sanorso easily. And if I remembered correctly, you have a useless title as a Count now, and you even have to conquer thend by yourself. What is the difference between you and those cheap pioneer knights of the Holy Cathedral?¡±

    This old man said all these while shaking his head, obviously confused as to why Brendel had to stay in this little Aouine ande against him. After a short time together, he was now almost certain that without Brendel, the oue of the battle of Ampere Seale could have been much different.

    Brendel looked at the guy, not expecting him to still be thinking about other things at this time. He simply couldn¡¯t understand what this guy was doing for the sake of the All For One to the world, and even hurt himself so deeply. But for Arreck¡¯s question, he really couldn¡¯t answer that himself. He stayed in Aouine for some odd reason that if he were to tell the Duke about it, the Duke might just pass out. After all, two-thirds of the reasons were actually to oppose the Duke.

    And nationalism wasn¡¯t something new to yers, but for this era of Aouine and the Kirrlutzians it¡¯s something a little too far ahead of its time. Aouine basically could be considered the birth of nationalism in the whole of Vaunte, which was rted to the process of the kingdom¡¯s founding and history; but even so, the Aouines were willing to ept themon governance of the Holy Cathedral of Fire and were even willing to identify themselves as descendants of the me King. It¡¯s just about the difference in their beliefs.

 Chapter 783 - v4c153p2

    Chapter 783 v4c153p2

    The Young Prince Who Puts His Teacher In Trouble

    But for Brendel, he was very much against the Holy Cathedral of Fire. Most of the yers were almost the same as him; in their opinion, Aouine was Aouine, Kirrlutz was Kirrlutz, the concept of countries would then be much clearer for the yers.

    But he couldn¡¯t tell Arreck these reasons, so he nced at the Duke with some contempt and didn¡¯t reply.

    But it seemed like Arreck had gotten the wrong idea. He shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s normal for young people to admire power, and I can understand the idea that you¡¯d rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a cow. But what is in it for you if you be the king of Aouine? The praises you¡¯d receive wouldn¡¯t be a lot more than now, people may fear you, but that¡¯s because of the power in your hands and not you. Until the end of time, it¡¯s all going to turn into dust. I think you should look farther, there¡¯s something called truth in this world.¡±

    Brendel felt a little dizzy. How dare this guy try to convert me into a believer of All For One at such a time like this? Unbelievable. However, All For One was somehow attractive to some people in this world, because Vaunted does have some mysterious existence after all On Earth, right and wrong was just a definition of human beings; but here, it was one of the basis for the existence of the Laws ¨C some crazy people pursued these things all their lives, for example, Arreck. But Brendel scoffed at this. He was about to open his mouth and be sarcastic when he heard some weird sounds.

    He immediately waved his hand and gestured for Arreck to quiet down, and then warned, ¡°Miss Korfa, stop for a moment.¡±

    When all the noises stopped, Brendel finally heard the sound clearly. It was a sound like a creak of a saw sawing wood, or someone plowing through the cier with an iron plow. At first the sound was soft, but then it suddenly became louder and louder that now even Arreck could hear it. The expression on the Duke¡¯s face changed, ¡°This sounds familiar.¡±

    Brendel found the sound familiar as well.

    The sound had a regr pattern. It advanced a little before it stopped again. Then after a few minutes, it resumed.

    After a while, Korfa ran out from the ice tunnel and said to the two men, ¡°The sound is ahead of us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s advancing in our direction?¡± Brendel asked.

    Korfa nodded.

    ¡°Can we turn around?¡± Brendel asked, suddenly getting a bad feeling.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s toote, I suppose it came over because it heard us,¡± Korfa replied.

    Brendel immediately turned back to look at Arreck. Earlier in the ice cave, the Duke was talking at the top of his voice, forgetting that there might be something under the cier. Of course, the main problem now was nobody knew what exactly was that thing. Who would know what could be under all this ice? It¡¯s still okay if they were a few ferocious magical creatures, but it would be a disaster if they were to meet something unimaginable. They have nowhere to hide or run.

    The entire world below Vaunte was a famous hive, below the ciers was no exception. Even Brendel wasn¡¯t sure about everything down here, he only knew that it was the area after the nieth level.

    Thinking about it, he couldn¡¯t help but re at Arreck.

    Arreck was so embarrassed he didn¡¯t say a word. He had put himself in shame for who knew how many times in a single day already.

    The three of them just stood there for a moment. Arreck suddenly came back to his senses after hearing the sound of ice breaking in the direction ahead of them, as if to make up for his foolishness. ¡°We can make another ice tunnel with a smaller entrance on the other side and hide in it. Magical creatures under the ciers are generally veryrge because they need to store fat. I suggest letting Miss Korfa do this, as only she wouldn¡¯t make a sound when doing it.¡±

    Brendel nodded. What Arreck just said was simr to his idea, which had slightly surprised him. Vaunte¡¯s terrain varied, so there were also various types of magical creatures. Arreck seemed to be quite knowledgeable about this.

    They hurried back for about 30 or 4 meters, and opened a T-shaped side tunnel and hid in it. Brendel and Arreck had no choice but to huddle together. Brendel fixed the entrance of this tunnel before they hid in it, he made it look like a natural crack, which was a skill he learned in the game. Only him out of the three knew this skill, not even Korfa.

    Not long after the three ducked into the side tunnel, they heard a ttering dragging sound from the front. It sounded like the ice was shattering like ss and then copsed down to the sides,it was so loud that Brendel couldn¡¯t help but stammer. The magic creature must be amazinglyrge, although indeed as Arreck said, most of the magic creatures under the cier wererge in order to reserve fat, but it was rare for something to be thisrge to this extent. The sound soon came near, the sound of ice peeling off was almost deafening. Brendel was tempted to reach out and see what the hell it was. Well, if he was a yer he would have done it. Dying and losing a level wouldn¡¯t be a big deal, as a yer¡¯s curiosity was more important than ranking.

    But now he could only hold back. It was then he saw that Korfa was about to say something.

    He was slightly stunned and realized it immediately

    He knew what Korfa was going to say.

    Two words.

    Devourer¡¯s Teeth.

    Fuck. Brendel finally knew what was out there. It was the damn King of the Devourer¡¯s Teeth. All the hair on Brendel¡¯s body stood up. The underground of the cier was basically these creatures¡¯ home turf. He had seen the King of the Devourer¡¯s Teeth once before in the Spiral Hall, and was impressed by the meat grinder-like teeth. That thing didn¡¯t just wake up from eternal sleep like Mayne and Mel and would be in its weak phase, it had been under the cier for who knew how long and could only be described as terrifying. And the main point was that if it attacked, with a size like that, they wouldn¡¯t be able to defend themselves at all.

    Brendel knew that in the game, they had to rely on the ground terrain of the cier and siege weapons to defeat such monstrous leaders. It was how the game was set.

    But under the cier and being bare-handed, Brendel estimated that they needed at least 10 warriors that had a level of 130 like him to solve the problem.

    Moreover, the underground of the cier was the best terrain for the Devourer¡¯s Teeth. They have better perception and mobility herepared to onnd and Brendel had started to doubt if the thing had noticed their hiding ce. But fortunately, Marsha seemed to be on their side, the King of the Devourer¡¯s Teeth had slowly passed through outside the side tunnel and didn¡¯t seem to notice the three small ¡®rats¡¯ that were hiding in there. That creature slowly cruised away.

    It came to Brendel¡¯s realization that this creature might be heading towards the big cier outside the Eternal Extinction Square. It must be the period when the King of the Devourer¡¯s Teeth escaped, which then became the famous BOSS in the Holy Cathedral of the Sleepter on.

    But instead of realization, he was filled with fear.

    Beside him was the once undefeatable Duke Arreck, whose face had turned pale.

    The three of them heard the creature move further and further away from them. Brendel suddenly thought that it must¡¯ve left a long pit behind, which would save them a lot of work. This pit might lead to the ground at the Spiral Hall, because the Devourer¡¯s Teeth was originally shut in that ce.

    Brendel was still thinking about it when Korfa suddenly spoke to him again.

    What was she saying this time?

    Brendel was startled. He looked as Korfa moved her lips, but it was harder to understand her this time.

    ¡°Above? What above?¡± Brendel looked up inexplicably, and his pale turned pale.. He saw a long crack extending across the ceiling above them, revealing a blue icy surface that was gradually turning white- it¡¯s going to copse. Holy shit. What do they do now? Should they escape or should they stay? If they escaped now, they would walk into the King of the Devourer¡¯s Teeth.

    It¡¯s not something to take lightly, especially if the cier copsed and buried them alive.

    He was breaking out in a cold sweat as he tried to make a decision. The cier was cracking faster than he thought, and before he could even say a word, the ice above fell. But what caught him unaware was that it wasn¡¯t thick ice that fell and buried them, but instead just a thinyer of ice followed by a few people from above.

    ¡°Ouch!¡¯

    ¡°That hurts!¡±

    Brendel cried in joy in his heart. It was the voice of the little prince. But before he could express joy his expression changed, he reached out and grabbed the falling boy into his arms and rushed to cover his mouth. The little prince obviously didn¡¯t expect someone else down there and was unexpectedly dragged into Brendel¡¯s arms. Startled, he looked back and eximed, ¡°Teacher?! Wooooo!¡±

    It was at this moment.

    Brendel felt the King of the Devourer¡¯s Teeth stopped outside. It must¡¯ve noticed some movement. Brendel wrapped his arms around the little prince who was struggling in arms, and he could only feel chills down his spine.

    You¡¯re getting your teacher into trouble, little prince!

    Brendel helplessly thought in his mind.

 Chapter 784 - v4c154 The Devourers Teeth

    <h4>Chapter 784 v4c154 The Devourer¡¯s Teeth</h4>

    Haruz widened his eyes. He finally saw that the person covering his mouth was his teacher, the Count of Tonigal, who instinctively stopped him from speaking. And this time Brendel also saw the others who fell- the second and third who rolled down were Firas and Laurenna, then another figure slid down to sit on them,nding on top of Firas. It was the schrdy holding the thick diary, who rolled down from the female knight and plunged headfirst into the snow and let out a shout of pain. Thest was a tall guy who was a bit unlucky. He fell directly head-on into the ice. Brendel watched this one crawl up with a red forehead before recognizing that the other was none other than Prince Lenarette.

    ¡°Mr. Brendel!¡±

    ¡°Lord Count!¡± Firas and Shido immediately shouted out in surprise when they saw Brendel clearly. Brendel looked at these two people with a bit of hatred, but he didn¡¯t bother to tell them to be silent, because the sound of the iron plow plowing through the ice outside was pouring back from afar and it was toote to say anything now. They had to run immediately.

    He hesitated for a moment, calcting how much chance he had, but finally said, ¡°Miss Korfa, I¡¯ll leave this side to you, please open a passage immediately, I¡¯ll block it for a moment.¡±

    ¡°No problem, Mr. Human.¡± Korfa immediately nodded and prepared to cast a spell.

    The little prince seemed to finally realize that he was in trouble and looked at Brendel with a somewhat pale face. Brendel looked back at his frazzled student and sighed, he had never been a teacher to anyone in his life and cherished this only student, not to mention the other was the crown prince of Aouine, the future king. He patted Haruz¡¯s shoulder, signalling him to not worry. The young prince had matured a lot after the dream, and the previous situation was not all his fault, as anyone in that situation would react just like that.

    Haruz, however, looked very excited as he took a deep breath and said, ¡°Teacher, I¡¯ll stay with you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, remember your identity clearly, act like a mature man okay? I won¡¯t tell Her Highness those childish words you just said.¡± Although fighting side by side with the future royal students sounded very tempting, especially in a battle of life and death, it was believed that it would leave a deep impression on Haruz. But Brendel did not want to dig his own grave, he estimated the script and concluded that he had some chance against the Frost Devourer alone, that was if he didn¡¯t have someone around who would mess it up.

    Not to mention he didn¡¯t really need the influence of Haruz.

    Upon hearing his sister¡¯s name, Haruz didn¡¯t dare to speak another word. That was how afraid he was of his sister.

    Brendel looked back, trying to find a reliable person to protect Haruz. He first looked at Firas and Laurenna, then shook his head, they were too unreliable. But Shido was incapable too, Miss Schr herself was a ¡®princess¡¯ who needed to rely on others for everything, not to mention that she also had little ability to protect someone else. Finally his gaze fell on Prince Lenarette. He hesitated and spoke, ¡°Your Imperial Highness, I now formally entrust my country¡¯s future crown prince to your protection. I believe in the credibility of the Kirrlutz royal family, and I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t let me down, right?¡±

    Lenarette was slightly stunned, he nced at Haruz who was standing beside Brendel and nodded his head. Brendel let out a sigh of relief. Although the nobles on the continent of Vaunte often fought with each other, the rtionship between the royal families was rtively good, after all, they had severalmon enemies. First, it was the divided lords, the second was the powerful religious forces. And finally, coupled with the fact that the various royal families often intermarried with each other, there would actually be more or less kinship. However, the fact that the eldest son of the Kirrlutzians dared to take the Kirrlutz royal family¡¯s reputation as a guarantee had changed Brendel¡¯s impression of them. Now at least it proved that he was worthy of being proud of himself. As the heir to a huge empire, he was not a weakling who didn¡¯t dare to take responsibility.

    Brendel then thought that Lenarette might be nning to pull some strings with Aouine, after all, he had been very close to Haruz from the beginning.

    But this had nothing to do with him. He then looked to Arreck, ¡°Lord Duke, you stay with me.¡±

    Arreck didn¡¯t even raise his gaze to look at Brendel and didn¡¯t retort, he probably understood that Brendel didn¡¯t trust him and couldn¡¯t let him stay with the young prince, in that case, he didn¡¯t bother to talk more.

    In just a moment, outside the ice tunnel, the King of the devouring giant worm¡¯s purplish-red fat body was squirming as it advanced. Through the iceyer, its huge muzzle could be seen trailing at the front. After Brendel gave reminders to everyone, he walked to the entrance and sliced the body of the gigantic worm without saying a word. He was surprised that the ck and heavy de of the Halran Gaia could easily cut into the body of the Frost Devourer, but it felt as if it had cut into ayer of fat skin. Its thick skin was so tough that it didn¡¯t cut through but almost made the de bounce back.

    Brendel was dumbfounded. The Halran Gaia was a holy sword at least, and the person using the sword was Elemental Activated. With all might, not even a mark was left? A mark? Not even a dent was seen! As soon as the sword de bounced off, the skin was restored as before.

    What kind of sick defense is this?

    Not only Brendel, even Korfa wasn¡¯t ready to cast the spell yet. Everyone hiding in the side tunnel saw the scene and was left in shock. Even if they didn¡¯t know about the sword in Brendel¡¯s hand, he was the continent¡¯s most outstanding genius in the past thousand years. He was twenty years old but with the strength of Elemental Activation, and at the same time the Sword Saint candidate of Aouine. And with all his might, he couldn¡¯t break a fat worm¡¯s skin?!

    ¡°Lord Count,¡± Shido¡¯s face went white and she apologized quickly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s all our fault.¡± She thought it was the noise of their fall that attracted the worm. Well, this guess was actually not far from the truth, except that the real culprit was not her, but the little prince beside Brendel. Brendel waved his hand at her, indicating that it¡¯s okay. He took a step back, the white light on the sword gathered, and then he shed down again.

    This time Brendel used the piercing strike technique. The defence-breaking property finally took effect, and the sword pulled a long, bloody gash on the King of the Frost Devourer ¨C of course, it was long to them, and to this BOSS, it was just like being cut by a needle. Still, the severe pain made the Devourer¡¯s Teeth jump violently, and it let out a howl of pain as that ring of its body jumped up from the ice. It crashed into the ceiling once, twice, and Brendel felt as if it was an earthquake. Broken ice ends rustled straight down overhead.

    ¡°Done, Mr. Human!¡± At this time Korfa suddenly shouted happily. She finally finished casting that mysterious spell, and the ice wall disappeared inyers before her like a magic trick. The young girl walked forward and immediately eroded a long tunnel under the cier.

    ¡°You guys continue, I¡¯ll distract it for a while,¡± Brendel said to the others while stabilizing himself with one hand on the shaking cave wall. The Frost Devourer was no longer retreating after being in pain, but directly turned its head and lunged at them. Being on ice was like being underwater to it, nothing could stop it in the slightest, it opened its muzzle as it advanced, and thousands of teeth inside its big mouth did their job and punctured a big hole under the ice.

    The sound of ice cracking in front of him gave Brendel goosebumps. He nced at the side- Haruz went into the pit first, followed by Shiduo, Laurenna and Firas, and finally the eldest son of the Kirrlutz, seeing this scene made Brendel feel at ease. <i> He¡¯s quite reliable even in the face of danger. </i> Brendel thought about it- Lenarette was someone who had his name written in history, and the most famous emperor of the Kirrlutzes in the following decades, so naturally he wouldn¡¯t just be an ordinary person.

    After everyone entered the pit, only Brendel and Arreck were left. But Brendel couldn¡¯t enter the pit. Korfa¡¯s speed of digging in with magic was definitely not as fast as the Frost Devourer¡¯s, and if he went in, it would be the end of everyone. He must stay to distract the monster for a while, and then find a way to slip away from that pit.

    But soon Brendel felt that he was trying too hard to be heroic. In front of him, the ice was crackingyer byyer, and it looked like a snow-white rose was blooming beneath the blue ice, but the two people present understood that it was not a rose, but more and more cracks beneath the ice.

    Eventually,yers of cracks appeared on the surface of the ice. The ice protruded and exploded, it shattered and flew forward. Brendel only saw a sh before his eyes, and countless teeth that grew out of the ice wall were in front of him, rotating and lunging towards him. All the ice was swallowed into those teeth, and then a writhing mouthpiece was revealed. A pungent stench hit Brendel, and he knew that he was face-to-face with the King of the Frost Devourer.

    ¡°Arreck, don¡¯t y small tricks if you want to live!¡±

    At this point, Brendel had no other choice. With all his courage, he yelled and pierced his sword into the roof of the monster¡¯s mouth. The wriggling mouth was like a round te packed with teeth from the outeryer to the inneryer. The part that Brendel pierced was the upper part of the circr mouth, he had first tried out the approximate defense of this thing and with no hesitation, he pierced its upper roof right away. With the de facing upwards, almost the entire sword was pierced through. Pus and blood rushed out from above, showering Brendel¡¯s face.

    This move cost Brendel all his courage. It was almost as if he was standing in the mouth of the monster, which had closed its mouth due to the excruciating pain. Tomorrow, there would be no more Count Trentheim in Vaunte, only the excrement of the Frost Devourer. Fortunately, the monster¡¯s excrement was simr to some substance like ice crystals that were colourless and tasteless, so it wasn¡¯t too disgusting.

    But it was too early to say if Brendel had made the right move or not. He held the sword hilt tightly with one hand and pressed the upper jaw of the monster covered with sharp teeth with the other. Good that he wore the blessing of Bahamut his hand wasn¡¯t pierced into a sieve. At the same time, he used his foot to step on the lower jaw of the monster, not letting it close its mouth. Unfortunately, the Blood Flesh Armor had beenpletely ruined in the battle of Ampere Seale, so he only had a pair of ordinary military boots on now. In order to prevent slippage, he had yet to add a metal sole to this pair of boots.

    He could feel that the entire sole of his foot was pierced, the pain was so unbearable that he was twitching. But the good thing was the monster wasn¡¯t in any better condition, its upper jaw was pierced by the Halran Gaia and it was in so much pain that it wanted to roll around on the ice floor. It desperately wanted to swallow that little thing stuck in its mouth, but Brendel had activated his Berserk Skill. With double power amplitude, the Frost Devourer was helpless.

    Brendel knew very well that the Frost Devourer was strong in defense, so yers needed to use the magic crossbow to deal with it. Its attack level was the level of the general BOSS at this stage, or even weaker, otherwise the battle would be impossible to fight, and the yers would have toin to the gamepany. And here it was the same, Brendel felt that this monster¡¯s attack might be only slightly stronger than in the game, but also limited. A tank without Elemental Activation could handle this BOSS at this stage of the game, so there was no reason for him, who was Elemental Activated and had activated the Berserk Skill, to not be able to deal with this monster and save himself some time.

    But in the game, there was aplete backup team behind the tank which he didn¡¯t have. He knew very well that he couldn¡¯t fight a prolonged battle with this thing, or it would definitely be over with him.

    ¡°Arreck, what¡¯re you waiting for?¡±

    Arreck, of course, wasn¡¯t waiting for anything. It¡¯s just that even someone like him was also dumbfounded at the scene, the mouth that was densely packed with teeth reminded him of his underground torture chamber that was covered with barbed winches. The giant mouth had now be a ttened oval, with Brendel stuck in it. He certainly knew that Count Trentheim was waiting for him to make a move, but he paused and his facial expressions changed.

    He was clear that all he needed to do was strike from behind, and it¡¯d be the end for Brendel. But the problem was that if Brendel died, it would be his turn next. This worm wouldn¡¯t know that ¡®an enemy¡¯s enemy is a friend¡¯, obviously. If some sort of teleportation spells could be used, well of course he could leave Brendel behind and run away. But since entering the Promenade of Meditation, almost the entire Spiral Hall¡¯s area waspletely under the constant Dimensional Anchor, so any teleportation spell would be nothing more than just imagination here.

    He sighed. Brendel obviously would¡¯ve thought of this as he dared to backface Arreck. Unless he risked his life and died together with Brendel, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t dare toy a finger on Brendel right now.

    After he made up his mind, Arreck asked, ¡°How do you want me to help?¡±

    ¡°Do you have any spells to jam this guy¡¯s mouth?¡± Brendel asked, covered in blood.

    ¡°There is, but it¡¯s hard to say how effective it will be.¡± Arreck replied, ¡°You know very well that it¡¯s difficult for you, who is Elemental Activated, to take this guy down. I¡¯m not sure if my spell will work.¡±

    It didn¡¯t surprise Brendel when Arreck said so. In fact, Brendel would¡¯ve expected everything that went through Arreck¡¯s mind, which was to escape and ditch him or die together with him. Even in the worst case, if Arreck was willing to give up his life and die with Brendel, it would only be a delusion. He still had the psed Pointer in his hand and could revive a life with it anytime. With a ten-time eleration of the passage of time, the whole world was basically standstill to him. And it was because of this that he dared to stay and buy some time.

    ¡°Then use an ice wall spell to jam his mouth,¡± Brendel said.

    ¡°Ice wall spell?¡± Arreck was stunned, that thing could be used to block the goblins, but this thing?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, release it.¡± Brendel roared.

    The Duke grunted in displeasure, but his hands didn¡¯t waste any seconds. He gestured with his cane and a thin ss-like ice surface appeared in front of Brendel, just right in ce to seal the mouth of the Frost Devourer. But Arreck felt that this spell was not very reliable at all, because only a few momentster, there were obvious cracks in the ice wall.

    But the next moment, he suddenly saw a purple mist gushing out from the giant worm¡¯s throat. The mist just happened to be blocked behind the ice wall, and Arreck, having seen a lot of things, immediately recognized what it was, ¡°Petrified Spit?!

    ¡°Count on you to have some knowledge.¡± Brendel replied, ¡°Now your task is to continuously strengthen this ice wall. We will hold for half an hour, then we can retreat.¡±

    Arreck looked at Brendel with great suspicion and became more and more convinced that this guy was the sessor of the Darkness Dragon. A normal Front Devourer worm would not have any spitting ability. How could he predict the ability of this mutant magic creature so urately? However, after thinking, he asked, ¡°How are we going to retreat?¡±

 Chapter 785 - v4c155p1 Awakened (1)

    Chapter 785 v4c155p1

    Awakened (1)

    ¡°I have my own way,¡± Brendel replied. He wouldn¡¯t hastily reveal a secret about having the psed Pointer. The Petrified Fog, which was the only threat to this big worm, had been sealed, and strength-wise, Brendel was no match for it. The Berserk Skill could stillst for a good while, so staying on like this for fifteen minutes more wouldn¡¯t be a problem. He now felt d that they weren¡¯t on the ground because the Devourer¡¯s Teeth couldn¡¯t use skills like trembling and rolling under the ice, if not, Brendel could just get his grave ready by now.

    Noticing that Arreck was still a little uneasy, Brendel added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if I were to kill you I would¡¯ve done so already. With all the deeds you¡¯ve done in Ampere Seale, you deserved to die more than a thousand times. But since I didn¡¯t kill you just now, I won¡¯t kill you now either, at least before I get your Ringed Serpent Ring.¡± This was an open secret between the two. Since Brendel didn¡¯t bother and decided to bring it out, Arreck sneered and didn¡¯t reply. Brendel knew that he was obviously upset and was trying to find a way out.

    With the word said, Arreck settled down a lot, at least Brendel needn¡¯t worry if Arreck would think about absurd ways about dying together for now.

    Then it was a boring period where everyone just waited. Arreck kept thickening the iceyers, and the ice wall spell had created a gigantic lump of ice in the Devourer¡¯s Teeth¡¯s throat. Fortunately, this thing didn¡¯t breathe with its lungs, otherwise it would¡¯ve be the first BOSS who died of suffocation. Although so, Brendel¡¯s eScarletstence made it suffer. It was struggling and tried to move around at first, but after ten minutes or so, it stopped moving and quieted down as if its energy had replenished. It wasn¡¯t moving but Brendel could feel its warmth, so that¡¯s how he knew it was still alive.

    He didn¡¯t know if the thing was ying dead or it¡¯s just purely tired, but anyway, it was a good sign that the monster had settled down now. With a few more minutes, Brendel could stick to his n and escape.

    Brendel didn¡¯t know how far Korfa had dug, but it had been a quarter of an hour, so she must¡¯ve gug a few hundred meters forward already. The Devourer¡¯s Teeth didn¡¯t have much intelligence, as long as they didn¡¯t make a noise it wouldn¡¯t catch up on them. Brendel was relieved that this thing didn¡¯t rely on sense of smell but instead hearing, otherwise it would track him down considering the bloody stench he was covered in.

    But as he rxed a little, he felt the thing he was suppressing trembled and so he slightly lifted his head up to look.

    ¡°What¡¯s it trying to do?¡± Brendel froze.

    He felt the Devourer¡¯s Teeth backing up. Was it trying to escape? But it felt otherwise. He was confused when the Devourer¡¯s Teeth backed up slightly and charged forward with all its might all of a sudden. Even Arreck couldn¡¯t move quick enough and was sent flying to one side. He would¡¯ve been squashed into a patty if he reacted one second slower. The unfortunate one was Brendel, who was stuck in its mouth. Brendel finally understood what it was trying to do.

    It¡¯s going crazy!

    They didn¡¯t know if it was due to the ¡®toothpick¡¯ that was stuck in its mouth, or the big lump of ice that was in his throat that made it ufortable, whatever the cause was, the BOSS was going insane. It headed straight and mmed into the ice wall, creating an enormous dent, then moved all-around in the underground cier. This movement was something normal to a Devourer¡¯s Teeth, but to Brendel, it was horrendous. The monster mmed into ice walls one after another along with Brendel, even though he had great physique, he was on the verge of vomiting blood.

    Brendel started seeing stars above his head. It shouldn¡¯t be this way... Even if he wanted to activate the psed Pointer now, he couldn¡¯t. He dared not move his hands because if the big worm ever bites down, he would be sent to see Marsha right away; but if he didn¡¯t move, who knew where he would be brought to.

    He only felt himself travelling further into the dark underground, not knowing the distance he had gone. His back was numb from all the trauma. Suddenly, he felt nothing against his back anymore, and the sound of the whistling wind was all he could hear.

    He only felt himself in the dark underground shuttle, but also didn¡¯t know how far away, anyway, the back had been hit numb, suddenly, behind an empty, only the sound of whistling wind in the ears. Brendel instinctively thought that they had passed the cier area, but when he turned back to look, it was as if his soul left his body.

    This thing actually took him out and was heading towards the edge of the cliff. And down was the abyss, which looked more outrageous than the abyss below the Spiral Hall. The bottom couldn¡¯t be seen and the darkness seemed to be endless as if it could lead directly to the Sulfur River.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Brendel shouted wildly. This time he finally couldn¡¯t care less and hurriedly released the sword in his hand, then grabbed the psed Pointer hanging from his neck.

    And it was at that moment, the Devourer¡¯s Teeth let out a wail, and most of its body rushed out off the cliff like a derailed train, heading down into the abyss along with Brendel. It was only at this time that Brendel finally touched the object, ¡°Activate it for me!¡± He shouted wildly in his heart. Then he heard a crisp click and he felt as if a flowing ripple was expanding in all directions with himself as the center. Then in that instant, he saw the world around him slow down.

    He saw himself and Devourer¡¯s Teeth still falling down, but they were now falling down at a slow speed. The big worm seemed to be half-hanging in the air, and the big hole it had burrowed through the cliff was just within a hand¡¯s reach.

    ¡°I¡¯m saved!¡±

    Brendel shouted wildly in his heart as he hurriedly drew his Halran Gaia, crawling out from the Devourer Teeth¡¯s horrifying mouthpiece. He then climbed up along the thing¡¯s long body in an attempt to get back on top of the cliff.

    But it was at this time that he suddenly felt something was wrong.

    As if something was prompting him, he turned to look backwards ¨C

    .....

    Time had rewound to half an hour ago. At the other end of the dark underground world, the mountain maiden blinked her eyes as she slowly awakened. She stayed in the dark for a long time before remembering what happened before she passed out, and hurriedly struggled to sit up. The girl was usually quiet and strong in front of Brendel, but now she was fumbling around on the ground in a panic. She managed to grab a long, cloth-wrapped object, and she removed the cloth quickly. She used her hands to identify the object inside in the darkness. It was a halberd. But Scarlet looked as if she had recovered some rare treasure and let out a long sigh of relief.

    She sat holding the halberd for a while as if she hadn¡¯t adapted to the current situation. However, her vision finally slowly adapted to the darkness, and gradually she could identify the surrounding situation by the slightest lighting from the cier above. The scenery and surroundings she saw were different from Brendel¡¯s. This was the bottom of a long underground ice crevice and the widest part of it could amodate as many as seven or eight people. It looked like a canyon from afar, but the canyon gradually extended into the darkness until it disappeared from her vision.

    Scarlet waited for a while but still, no one showed up. She started to feel afraid that she stood up and began to call out softly, ¡°Lord...¡±

    ¡°Lord......¡±

    Echoes transmitted along the ice wall, echoing like a ghostly voice in the valley.

 Chapter 786 - v4c155p2 Awakened (1)

    Chapter 786 v4c155p2

    Awakened (1)

    The mountain maiden¡¯s face turned pale. She pursed her lips, her mind trying to recall what had happened when the hall copsed. She watched as the young prince and Medissa fell in front of her and disappeared into the abyss below, then the whole hall fell apart. She seemed to have fallen with the long bridge that broke off, which she then lost all consciousness. She felt as if she was being pierced in the chest right now, she must have broken a few ribs. But the good thing was that she was a mercenary, so this injury wasn¡¯t that big of a deal to her. She was grateful that she survived but rather worried about the Lord¡¯s well-being.

    She shivered in fear every time she thought of this. The mountain maiden looked around, hoping to find Brendel on her left, but at the same time she was afraid that she might see a cold corpse instead. After searching for a while with this ambivalence, Scarlet suddenly found a pair of feet buried under the ice not far away. She nearly stopped breathing at the sight of it. But as she approached it she was relieved because it was just a pair of Kirrlutzian¡¯s boots. A Kirrlutzian noble must¡¯ve died here.

    She inhaled gently and began to move along ice and snow that had fallen from above, and soon found that the snowdrifts were strewn with the corpses of Kirrlutzian nobles, some of which had beenpletely crushed by the umted ice, their bodies and limbs in a weird posture. But these things didn¡¯t make Scarlet feel anything, she sat expressionlessly between these strange-shaped corpses, looking more and more relieved. As she finally confirmed that none of them were someone she knew, she couldn¡¯t help but let out a breath of relief.

    However she was suddenly frustrated. So where on earth is the Lord? She had never left Brendel¡¯s side ever since he took her in and this was the first time. Without him around, she felt lost. She pressed her hand on her chest as she felt empty, not understanding what she was feeling.

    And just as she was moving aimlessly along the ice crevice, she was startled by a weak moan that suddenly came from among the crushed ice. She stopped and listened carefully sideways and realized that the voice wasing from beneath the ice. She hesitated. She was very sensitive to voices, and it was certainly not the Lord¡¯s, nor that of anyone she was familiar with. But after some consideration, the mountain maiden dug away the ice and saw that there was indeed a young man buried underneath wearing a Kirrlutzian uniform.

    She took a look at the gold line on the other side of the cor and recognized the young man as a viscount. She wouldn¡¯t have known this if she didn¡¯t stay by Amandina¡¯s and Brendel¡¯s side all the time. The young viscount was most likely a descendant of arge family, not to mention that anyone who could be by Veronica¡¯s side was most likely people who have a strong background in the Kirrlutz Empire. The Empire was martial sorge families liked to send their sons to the army to gild the lily, and even the royal family is no exception. All these were told to her by Brendel.

    The girl felt better at the thought of Brendel.

    The young man was turning purple from the cold. If it was an ordinary person he might have died, but this group of noble officers traveling with Veronica would at least have the strength of Gold or higher, so these people would recover quickly. The young man sat again for a while, took a breath and opened his eyes. His eyes were blue like the sea, typical of the Kirrlutzians. He was of the same bloodline as Faina and was admired in the Empire.

    But unfortunately, it meant nothing to Scarlet, who looked at the other man, brewed for a moment, and asked, ¡°Can you walk by yourself?¡± Scarlet seemed to realize that she hadn¡¯t spoken such a long sentence of her own ord in a long time, and even her voice had be a bit raspy; she hadn¡¯t been like this before when she was in the Grey Wolf Mercenaries until the incident with Makarov that was too much for her to take.

    The young man nodded and replied somewhat gratefully, ¡°I am grateful for the kindness of saving my life.¡± He staggered and barely got up from the ground, expecting this beautifuldy to give him a hand. But not only did she not, but she also stood there like a statue and stared at him emotionlessly. He felt a little embarrassed, but still went on and introduced himself, ¡°My name is Babarn, and I¡¯m¨C¡±

    Unfortunately, Scarlet had turned away before he could even finish his sentence. He finally realized that the other party didn¡¯t seem to want to talk to him much and hurriedly called out to her, ¡°Wait a minute, please.¡±

    Only then did Scarlet stop and look back at him with eyes full of wariness. It was as if she was going to leave immediately if he didn¡¯t have anything important to say.

    Babarn shook his head with a bitter smile, ¡°I¡¯m certainly not the only survivor under the ice, so please, Miss, can you do me a favour and get them out? Or at least help me move the corpses of those fellow survivors out, I can¡¯t let them be exposed in the wilderness like this.¡±

    Scarlet shook her head without thinking twice.

    Babarn swallowed, feeling that it was a little too difficult to deal with thisdy. But somehow, he instead felt that the mountain maiden was sincere. He was the son of arge family, and had seen many ¡®high-ss¡¯dies, but they were really nothing more than that. On the contrary, he felt his heart skip a few beats at the sight of Scarlet. He scratched his head and thought to himself. I¡¯m not a brat anymore, what¡¯s wrong with me today?

    Babarn hesitated for only a moment before pausing and replying immediately, ¡°Thisdy, you are also looking forpanions, right? Forgive me for saying this, but I mean in case they are also sealed under the ice like me, they would be in need of your help at this moment.¡±

    Scarlet paused at what Babarn had just said but finally nodded.

    She wasn¡¯t afraid that Brendel might be sealed underneath, as such a thinyer of broken ice couldn¡¯t trap the lord. It was the little prince that she was worried about. Brendel had entrusted Haruz to her and Medissa¡¯s care, and now that the little prince had disappeared, the responsibility was hers.

    So the two began to search and rescue along the ice crevice. Within twenty minutes, seven or eight people were rescued one after another, but more were corpses, and the bodies of the Kirrluzians wereid out in a long line at the bottom of the valley. At first, Babarn was still in the mood to be attentive around Scarlet, butter, he gradually became silent. Most of these people were noblemen, how could almost all of them die here? Furthermore, Veronica couldn¡¯t be med for this one, because they were the military observation group of the empire, and frankly, they were here to supervise Veronica. If the Knights of the Folded Sword were lost here, most of them would gloat. But it wasn¡¯t until Babarn dug thest Kirrlutzian corpse out from under the ice that he looked at the surviving leader with a pale face, who was emotionless.

    Inside the pile of corpses, everyone else was fine, but there were two people who were the heirs of House Cecil, and that was a bit of a problem. House Cecil and House Ashric were dead rivals in the empire, and these two people hade with the thing Veronica had done at the Loop of Trade Winds against her, thinking that this would be a pleasant trip. The empire¡¯s military observer group would never go to the front line, and so, they would not encounter any danger under normal circumstances. Who knew that this time Veronica was determined to enter the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep. Of course, they could have stayed outside, but these two guys were also obsessed and had to encourage the others to follow them, to see what Veronica was up to.

    Of course, they suspected some kind of collusion between Veronica and Count Trentheim, which was a known secret within the observation group. People like Babarn weren¡¯t willing to get involved in the mess between House Cecil and House Ashric, but weren¡¯t willing to offend the heirs of the two great families as well. With the acquiescence of the head, they all followed the two in. The main point was that even Prince Lenarette didn¡¯t object, which hinted at approval.

    But now the problem was that they didn¡¯t know what was going on in Veronica¡¯s mind and both of the two heirs of House Ashric were dead. It would¡¯ve still been okay if only one had died, but now it was impossible to exin anything.

    Thinking clearly about this, including Babarn, all of them sat next to the pile of corpses with their heads hung low, unable to find a solution. If nothing unexpected happened, they were sure to be retaliated by House Cecil as theserge families weren¡¯t reasonable nor easy to deal with. Babarn would be fine because his family was enough to keep him out of this whirlpool, but the others weren¡¯t as lucky.

    But there was an exception among these people.

    Scarlet.

    The mountain maiden didn¡¯t know about the rivalry between these noblemen. It could be said she was neither lucky nor unlucky, none who she had dug out were people she knew. The young prince, Medissa, and Aloz had all seemed to vanish, which made her feel empty yet relieved at the same time. She felt empty because she felt helpless alone, but relieved because she didn¡¯t see their cold, dead bodies.

    As for the Kirrluzian nobles in despair, what did they have to do with her? She didn¡¯t even look at them, and walked away with her Azure Lance in her arms. Knowing that Brendel didn¡¯t like the Kirrluzians, she instinctively turned away from these arrogant Kirrluzian nobles.

    The Lord must have his reasons anyway.

    The mountain maiden¡¯s mind was simple and straightforward.

    What she didn¡¯t know was that as soon as she walked away, she attracted the attention of those Kirrlutzians.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that little girl?¡± someone among those desperate nobles asked.

 Chapter 787 - v4156p1

    Chapter 787 v4156p1

    Awakened (2)

    ¡°Who¡¯s that youngdy?¡±

    Someone from the crowd asked. Everyone paused and the chattering stopped, then nced at Babarn. ¡°She seems to be that country bumpkin¡¯s servant.¡± Babarn replied with his mind somewhere else. He was thinking of how to get her from Count Trentheim and if he would agree to it. I guess he will? He wouldn¡¯t mind having another friend anyway. Babarn was confident about it as this friendship woulde from within the empire.

    The nobles were a little disappointed at the answer as she was just an insignificant person. They would¡¯ve teased her on a normal day but they weren¡¯t in the mood to do so now. The conversation then quickly switched back to the possibility of House Cecil hunting them down and so they started sighing again. But they didn¡¯t sumb to the circumstances. One of them said, ¡°This wasn¡¯t something of our responsibility in the first ce, if it wasn¡¯t for that country bumpkin, all this wouldn¡¯t happen.¡±

    Everyone started agreeing to it, forgetting that they had a choice to note at first. Veronica wasn¡¯t in a ce to rule their army and Brando only brought these burdens along because he didn¡¯t have a choice. But those who led these nobles here had turned into frozen corpses now, but they didn¡¯t dare me people from House Cecil so nobody brought that up.

    But everyone knew thatining was useless. House Cecil might look for Count Trentheim and put the me on him, but it didn¡¯t mean that they would get out of this safely. These ¡®high-up¡¯ people wouldn¡¯t give a shit about insignificant people like them. But someone voiced out amidst the sighing, ¡°Maybe Till and Jon were right?¡±

    This assumption was like a devil¡¯s temptation. The valley below the cier had a moment of silence.

    Everyone froze where they were and only their eyeballs moved to look around. No one dared to say anything, their faces were full of fear, shock, and unbelief. There was a little expression of hope left on their faces. Till and Jon were those two heirs of House Cecil who were frozen ¨C of course, two out of many. As for what they said, everyone present knew if it was right or not.

    After quite some time only then someone spoke, ¡°This... this may be the only way to go, but if it fails, we¡¯re going to face wrath from both sides.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s from one side or both sides, we can¡¯t die twice.¡± Everyone felt more bold now since someone took the lead.

    ¡°But what about the evidence?¡± Another person asked cautiously.

    ¡°Evidence? What evidence do we need? We are the Officer Observation Corps, WE, are the evidence,¡± the one who spoke from the back nced at everyone and replied grimly, ¡°You all saw it with your own eyes, that Ash Sword Saint, who clearly was our enemy, saved her life. On what grounds? His duchy is still within the territory of the empire, will he be willing? Tthere must be some kind of conspiracy here.¡±

    In fact, everyone present felt that it was just a gentlemanly gesture by Mephisto. The Ash Sword Saint hated the Empire but he needn¡¯t y tricks in this pce. With his character, he would only defeat enemies in an upright manner. No one refuted at the moment but someone asked, ¡°You mean, Veronica and Mephisto conspired to restore the country?¡±

    ¡°But what good does it do her? It doesn¡¯t make sense, Her Majesty is not a fool.¡± Someone shook his head.

    ¡°You¡¯re all forgetting one thing,¡± the man pontificated, ¡°Mephisto is the teacher of that country bumpkin Count, Veronica is close to that Count, they must have some kind of private deal.¡±

    ¡°But how can we know the insider story of the deal? His Majesty can¡¯t just listen to our side of the story, she is the real head of the army, the empire can¡¯t do anything to her without definite evidence.¡±

    ¡°It is because she is the army chief that His Majesty would be more suspicious. As for the inside story of the deal, it is true that we do not have evidence for it now, but we will soon.¡±

    The man looked at the direction where Scarlet disappeared, revealing his white teeth and smiled coldly.

    ......

    A prismatic tform stretched across the darkness, like an ind above a darkke, with countless pathways extending from all sides, connecting to the base of this tform below.

    Brando seemed to be fixed there as if someone casted a spell on him. He clearly remembered that the Devourer¡¯s Tooth rushed out of the cliff into a bottomless abyss when he looked back behind him, but now, this strange tform had appeared out of nowhere, less than 300 feet below him and the King of the Devourer¡¯s Tooth. What was this ce? Absolutely no yer in the game had found such a ce. And how the hell did this tform appear?

    Was it because he was too nervous earlier and overlooked? No, this could never be. Brando suddenly thought of something which he then coordinated his limbs and tried to climb up along the back of the giant insect. After about ten meters, he suddenly felt as if he had passed through a thinyer of something like a water screen.

    This is it!

    He looked back and saw the same unfathomable abyss behind him. He took a breath, and slowly returned behind the water screen. At that moment, the scene in front of him seemed to ripple up, and when his vision regained rity, the tform appeared in front of him once again.

    No doubt that this was an illusion! There was a huge illusion hidden beneath this cliff! An uncontroble chill went down Brando¡¯s spine. He didn¡¯t even have to think to hard to understand that the scene hidden under this illusion couldn¡¯t be any ordinary ce, it must be the God¡¯s Eternal Resting ce that Korfa mentioned, the real location of the game¡¯s hidden BOSS, Surash.

    But he immediately calmed down and asked himself a question. Should he go back the way he came, or should he go down and take a look? It was more logical for him to not stir up anymore trouble as the little female dragon had grabbed the star-shaped stone and Anrek¡¯s plot waspletely foiled. It would be best for him to leave this ce as soon as possible and look for Freya, Xi, Char and other people. After that he should go outside and wait for Veronica to rendezvous, both to eliminate the potential threat of Eruin, but also to get the Cruz people¡¯s favor. This way, it could be said to be a great profit.

    But Brando looked at the ¡®abyss¡¯ below. There was another voice in his mind, like a devil¡¯s, telling him to go take a look. Marsha on top, how rare of an opportunity this was. Countless yers have spent countless hours without finding the secret, and now it was just in front of him. He only had to turn back a few steps and the legendary BOSS would appear in front of him.

    Brando took a deep breath as he took onest look at the tform. This was, after all, not in the game; here, he only had one chance, and once he made the wrong choice, he would regret it. What¡¯s more was that at this moment he was no longer alone. In this Holy Cathedral, there was Char, Metisha, and Freya waiting for him; outside the Holy Cathedral, his destiny had long been linked to everyone within the Firbur territory.

    He simply understood one thing- he could not let down those who looked up to him.

    Although Brando¡¯s heart was overwhelmed, he managed to finally calm down. What a pity. He turned around and climbed up along the Devourer Tooth¡¯s back.

    But it was at this time that a slightly contemptuous voice sounded in his mind.

    ¡°Coward.¡±

    Brando froze. This wasn¡¯t Sanorso¡¯s voice. He subconsciously turned back to look for the source of the voice, but instead saw an unexpected scene. At that moment, as if right in front of him, a peculiar circle of ripples appeared across the darkness.

    It was like an isted wave of water that started at one point that gradually expanded out in all directions, and quickly passed him by.

    In the space where time almost stood still.

 Chapter 788 - v4c156p2

    <h4>Chapter 788 v4c156p2</h4>

    <h4>Awakened (2)</h4>

    Brendel looked up suddenly, and in that instant, he sensed that aura of power that had appeared in Korfa, it¡¯s just that this one was more majestic and unrivalled. It was an existential power above the Laws ¨C the power of the gods. Everywhere the ripples passed, the Lines of Law disintegrated, and Brendel watched as the hands on his Pointer hanging on his chest began to slow down, as if time around him once again began to flow.

    The psed Pointer wasn¡¯t working anymore!

    The wail of the Devourer¡¯s Tooth still echoed above the abyss. While he was still falling, Brendel was greatly rmed as he knew that he might have caught the Awakening God¡¯s attention. Only existential power could easily restrain the power of the inferior artifact.

    Without even a single second to spare, a loud thud was heard. The Devourer¡¯s Tooth hadnded heavily on the square¡¯s solid ground with him hundreds of feet below, the creature¡¯s body that weighed hundreds of tons ripped open. It sounded like cloth being ripped. Blood gushed out from it, revealing the bloody body and flesh underneath. Then it bounced up high andnded heavily once again, making a sound simr to a deted ball hitting the ground, and fell to the ground like a mass of rotten meat, motionless.

    As if a bursting pipe, uncountable blood gushed out of the cracks all over its teared body, forming streams of blood at its side. This once unbeatable magic creature hade to the end of life.

    Brendel was in no better condition.

    The moment the Devourer¡¯s Toothnded, Brendel intended to use the Elemental Force to make himself fly, but unfortunately, the Lines of Law was already in pieces after that wave of existential force, so it was impossible to activate it. Hended heavily on the ground together with the King of the Devourer¡¯s Tooth, and the impact sent him flying right away. Fortunately didn¡¯t have a body mass like the monster, and he had it as an ¡®airbag¡¯, so Brendel was just heavily thrown to the ground. At thest moment, Brendel managed to adjust his posture beforending. He rolled a few times, and although he was dizzy, that¡¯s about it.

    Of course, this is also because of his own capability. If it was an ordinary person, they might have long be a meat pie. But for Elemental Activated beings, falling from hundreds of feet in the air was nothing. If he had prepared in advance, he could even jump down directly without cushioning and still wouldn¡¯t be injured.

    But this time it was unexpected. Brendel staggered from the ground when he stood up, feeling so dizzy as if his brain had been hit by a hammer that it took him several attempts to get on his feet, only to see stars above his head. The only thing he remembered was that the person who pulled him back to this square must be a foe and not a friend, so he immediately raised his Halran Gaia and took a defensive stance.

    ¡°Who is it!?¡± He shouted.

    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±

    A woman¡¯s voice came from the square.

    ¡°Korfa!¡± Brendel recognised the voice at once.

    ¡°You call both my sister and I Korfa, it seems you¡¯recking sincerity.¡± The woman¡¯s voice replied.

    Brendel was stunned. He immediately came to his senses and realized that he was now talking to the dark side of Korfa who had escaped previously. Since she appeared here, then he probably was in the God¡¯s Eternal Resting ce. He calmed down and looked around, but apart from this bare square, he didn¡¯t see the so-called Awakening God. He narrowed his eyes slightly and replied in response to the other party¡¯s words, ¡°So what should I call you, honoreddy?¡±

    Brendel still felt a little dizzy so he tried to talk some nonsense, so as to dy some time for himself to return to his best state as soon as possible. The time on the psed Pointed had ended, and while he quietly checked his status, the system had automatically deducted part of his EXP, but the good thing was that it seemed to think that he had killed the Devourer¡¯s Tooth, and the EXP of the BOSS alone was a generous reward. His EXP was instead a lot more than before.

    The woman let out a ¡®hmph¡¯ softly, as if a sneer. She certainly knew what Brendel was trying to do, but did not bother to pay attention to it. She teasingly asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you very bold before? Why have you suddenly be timid, Mr. Human?¡±

    ¡®Mr. Human.¡± This sounded exactly the same as how the other Korfa called him. They were indeed an existence of two souls in one body. However, Brendel was a bit puzzled. Why did he feel that this eldest daughter of Hati had some personal opinions towards him? He looked up in confusion and asked, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±

    ¡°Earlier in the Spiral Hall, the person who called out my name and almost made all my efforts go to waste was you, right?¡±

    Korfa said coldly.

    Brendel¡¯s brain buzzed. He didn¡¯t expect her to see it. Korfa¡¯s dark side was notoriously vengeful, so no wonder she stepped in to stop him, it looked like she was here to deal with him. He broke out in a cold sweat but didn¡¯t bother to say more. She was the hidden BOSS here, and he is now in this square, a fight between them was naturally inevitable. He tightened his grip on the Halran Gaia and waited for her to strike.

    But it is at this time that a ¡®whirring¡¯ of ck mes suddenly appeared above the square. Brendel tilted his head and saw the mes part from it, from which slowly came out a young girl with a figure simr to Korfa¡¯s, except that her entire body, including her clothes, was made of burning ck mes. She was floating in mid-air, looking down at him.

    ¡°I¡¯m curious as to why you recognize me in my human form.¡±

    ¡°Do not use your poor excuses to put me off, even the Bugas have never seen my appearance,¡± Brendel was about to speak, but the girl seemed to have read his mind and blocked his retreat route first. But she also muttered to herself, somewhat strangely: ¡°How strange, I can¡¯t even see where youe from... who are you?¡±

    Brendel was appalled: ¡°You can read my mind?¡±

    ¡°I am a god after all.¡±

    The young girl¡¯s voice buzzed and echoed in the darkness.

    ¡°You¡¯re a god?¡± Brendel responded, ¡°No, this is not your power, this is Milos!¡±

    ¡°How clever,¡± the young girl smiled, but Brendel didn¡¯t sense innocence from her. She smiled eerily, ¡°You asked what you should call me, right? I am Surash, the only god on the continent of Vaunte after the Year of the Fallen Star. But I am no longer the Awakening God- I am the Awakened God!¡±

    <i>In your dreams. </i>Brendel thought to himself. <i>If you¡¯re a real god, how can the yers still y? </i>This was after all a level 50 or 60 quest, although it was said to be a hidden BOSS, but as long as it was a BOSS, there was a possibility of defeat.

    Brendel suddenly thought that this self-proimed ¡®sister¡¯ of Korfa, who imed to be Surash and whose mind seemed a little less sober, seemed to have the same thing in mind as him, which was to buy herself some time. It was conceivable that Milos¡¯ original body shouldn¡¯t have fully awakened yet and this wasn¡¯t a short process. Brendel suddenly thought of those huge wrecks they saw on the cier, and what the true form of that giant god was already imaginable.

    ¡°Brendel.¡± Just as Brendel was trying hard to not be sarcastic, Sanorso¡¯s voice suddenly arose in his mind, ¡°Someone is approaching from above.¡±

    ¡°How do you know, Lord?¡± Brendel was slightly stunned. Since when did this Elven imperial sister have the function of a radar? He had not heard of it before.

    ¡°Idiot. I can feel Anguilli and the others.¡±

    ¡°What about Yaruta and Peya?¡± Brendel looked up at the infinite cliffs above, ¡°The two siblings can¡¯t fly.¡±

    ¡°The two siblings can not, but someone can. Someone should be leading them and quickly too, most likely that teacher of yours.¡±

    ¡°Mephisto?¡± Brendel¡¯s stomach tightened. If it was the two of them, then the remaining one would most likely be Veronica. Although no one knew how they found out this direction, if these two could join the battle, it would be much more certain to deal with this impostor god Surash. Upon this thought, he didn¡¯t intend to confront the other party, but instead he yed along.

    ¡°In that case, Lord Surash, what is the purpose of bringing me here? Although I inadvertently almost ruined your n in the first ce, but as a god, it seems like you don¡¯t need to be bothered by a mortal like me, right?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, I won¡¯t bother with you.¡± The youngdy¡¯s voice was cold, ¡°On the contrary, as my first guest, I will also show you something amazing.¡±

    ¡°Something amazing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you how a god is reborn, and from this moment on, the history of Vaunte will be permanently changed, you should feel honored to participate in it, mortal.¡±

    Brendel didn¡¯t feel honored at all, instead, he picked out the other party¡¯s wednguage and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the god who has awakened, Miss Korfa? That seems a bit inconsistent, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Pfft¨C¡± Brendel heard the sound of Sanorso holding back herughter.

    Korfa felt a little embarrassed as her cheeks turned red and said, ¡°Shut up, you just watch.¡±

    Brendel shrugged. He had confirmed his suspicion anyway, which was enough. As long as Korfa wasn¡¯t a true god, then there would be a way to defeat her. On the other hand, Sanorso said to him whileughing, ¡°You are so ungentlemanly, Brendel, how can a girl¡¯s slip of the tongue be corrected like that.¡± The two were whispering on one side, but they also paid attention to the young girl¡¯s every move, only to hear an extremely bizarre buzzing sounding from the darkness just after she spoke. Brendel looked in that direction, and immediately saw the darkness of those dense pathways lit up in sections like something was flowing inside, and gradually approaching the tform.

    At the next moment, the whole tform vibrated.

    <i>Oh no. </i>Brendel frowned. The vibration wasn¡¯t from the tform, nor from the abyss below, but the whole crag. The entire valley was shaking. His expression gradually changed. This was the resonance of the mountains, he could almost feel that the trembling came from the entire Deadly Tundra of the ciers. The ciers have awakened at this moment, and they are making a sound that belongs to them.

    Thousands of yearster, that sound appeared once again above the earth.

    And something, something was beginning to change.

    ...

 Chapter 789 - Awakened (3)

    <h4>Chapter 789 Awakened (3)</h4>

    Seropo, on the outskirts of White City...

    The Seropo Church wasn¡¯t exactly the most majestic of its kind in White City. After the three megachurches, Serowait Church, On Church and Babarissa Church were erected during the Year of the Wilderness, the Year of the Lush Forests and the Year of the Croaking Frogs respectively, it paled inparison. Yet, based on history alone, this old weathered church that stood atop the hill was one of the oldest pilgrimage ces in all ten cities. Its head priest, Father Salian, was the proudest disciple of Bishop Bryluen. The particr faction of the Marsha religion preached humility and so it was gradually forgotten by the public.

    Today, the outskirts of White City were met with a violent storm. Standing on the podium behind the church altar, a tan-skinned priest stared at the holy water vessel before him.

    The holy water vessel had been a gift from Great Priest Farnezain. The silver container was currently filled to the brim with magical holy water. Legend has it that its water surface would show a sinner¡¯s sin and the greedy would see how hideous they truly were inside. Devoted worshippers, on the contrary, would see a promised hope but only the purest would receive an oracle from heaven. While this was just a legend, the holy water vessel was prized as the holiest artefact of the church; it would only be used as a prop during the most important rituals.

    asionally, the impoverished would ask the church for some holy water for it was rumoured to provide healing effects and Father Salian was more than willing to spare some. But at this moment, rumbling thunder was echoing throughout the church, rippling the otherwise calm surface of the holy water. A veil of ck smog was forming on its surface and soon, a line of gilded words emerged and petered out.

    This peculiar phenomenon hadsted for a full quarter of an hour.

    Beads of cold sweat dotted Father Salian¡¯s forehead. He drew crosses in front of his chest and chanted hymns. Despite that, the thunderstorm outside only seemed to grow stronger. Shouts of monks and their apprentices could be heard through the window from time to time. Before long, a drenched ascetic monk rushed through the side door, bringing in scriptures wrapped in oiled cowhide. ¡°Father Salian, all the scriptures have been moved to the cer. The storm is too strange, it seems that the demonic wave is hitting stronger than ever.¡±

    Father Salian turned around, face ghastly pale. The monk was caught aback.

    ¡°Father Salian...?¡±

    ¡°Quick. Inform Bishop Gonzalez to notify the Bugans....¡±

    ¡°The Bugans? Father Salian, what¡¯s going on?¡± The ascetic monk was shocked.

    ¡°Have the Bugans shut down the watch station at Element Frontier,¡± Salian¡¯s hands trembled uncontrobly, his voice eerily hoarse like it hade from the depths of hell, ¡°Milo¡¯s constetion has been restored. A god has been resurrected in Vaunte...¡±

    A st of thunder struck the ground, its buzzing echo tormenting the church.

    The ascetic monk was still frozen to his spot on the aisle between three rows of chairs, his initial intentions long forgotten.

    ¡°Go, go quickly.¡±

    ¡°I need to see the Holy Saint...¡±

    Salian looked out of the window and shivered.

    The rain continued to pour.

    ...

    Shallow Water Town...

    After the eighth month, green had finally returned to the east of Lantonn. The woods were no longer a patch of dying brown and the healthy rustling of leaves could be heard when caressed by the cooling breeze of Lake Kurkel. Two youngsters were fishing off a trestle bridge by theke, respective buckets by their feet. One of them was hollering, as if not worried that his volume would startle the prey away.

    ¡°Hey, Rando. I¡¯ll definitely get a damned fish today so we can gough at John and the others.¡±

    ¡°Shut up. You¡¯re scaring the fishes away.¡±

    Hispanion was pissed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the right time has yet toe. I¡¯ll pipe down soon. Don¡¯t you find the wind outrageously strong today? I think it won¡¯t be easy to reel our catch inter.¡± The first youngster leaned back against a wooden post with crossed arms behind his head.

    ¡°For god¡¯s sake, can you just s-¡±

    Before the second youngster could finish, the ground shook. The sudden impact jolted the bridge, causing him to bite his tongue, eliciting a pained scream. The other youngster mbered up frantically to inspect their surroundings. His gaze finally fell on theke, where a conspicuous ripple was travelling from the shore to its centre.

    Surely, that couldn¡¯t be counter-current.

    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s going on? Did the ground move just now?¡±

    ¡°Damn it... My tongue...!¡±

    The youngster, whose name was Rando, curled into himself out of pain. Highly rmed, the other youngster stared into the distance. He had a gut feeling that something was wrong. He lifted his head... The forest was oddly quiet. Following that, buzzing noises could be heard from the north. It sounded like the bees raised in Old Vernon¡¯s house up north, but he knew it was unlikely.

    Instinctively, he lifted his chin and saw approaching dark clouds from the direction of the Deadly Tundra.

    Something big was happening!

    The youngster remembered that a group of nobles had entered the forest about half a month ago.

    Without thinking, he grabbed Rando and began sprinting towards the shore. It was at that moment a second quake struck. The forest in the distance was rippling and dirt was arching in waves; the shockwave had swept across the entire shore of Lake Kurkel mercilessly. The youngster couldn¡¯t help but yelp as they leapt off the trestle bridge andnded on the shore.

    Behind him, shockwaves continued to whip the trestle bridge violently. With a resounding crack, the trestle bridge that stood by Lake Kurkel for fifteen long years was dismantled unceremoniously and reduced to a pile of rotting wood.

    The youngster stared at it dumbfoundedly.

    What the hell was going on?

    ...

    The White Valley vanished.

    cial canyons were melting in pieces and avnches were sliding off the mountains. Peaks and ridges were fragmented and sinking into the ground, leaving behind only a number of wide cracks. The earth roared as a hymn echoed through the trembling mountains as ice and snow continued to copse with every note sung. A cier, that was half the size of a town, rolled off and plummeted into the abyss. Its demolition elicited thunderous sounds.

    The young knights of the Folded Sword Squad gaped at the sight. The entire valley was ttened, cialyers rolling off either side like sand in an hourss. The precarious situation had some of them stumbling among the fallen snow, prompting people nearby to help steady them.

    Alea shook his hood to rid the fallen snow before lifting his head to watch the chaos. Unwittingly, he felt helpless. ¡°Oh Lord Marsha, what is happening? Brund, had you offended the gods? Are they condemning us now?¡±

    ¡°Shut your trap!¡± From the stretcher, Brund huffed angrily.

    Maynild was at the forefront of the team. She climbed up a cliff, then stretched her arms behind to help Little Pero up. ¡°Thank you,¡± thanked thetter as he dusted off the snow that had fallen on his bearskin coat.

    ¡°This is as far as we can go.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Look ahead!¡± Someone in their group eximed.

    Little Pero narrowed his eyes and peered forward. The White Valley ahead waspletely gone, now reced by a plunging valley. At its bottom, white mist gradually dissipated to expose an endlesswork of ck buildings. It looked like stacked obsidian cubes, with each possessing a side length of more than tens of thousands of feet. The mist-shrouded obsidian cubes were a sight to marvel at, it looked like the legendary Titan¡¯s Ark in a nce.

    ¡°Lord Marsha... What the hell...?¡± Alea gaped, watching the ck fortress rise from beneath.

    Maynild merely watched in silence, a distant but familiar memory shing through her mind at the sight.

    Little Pero tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Miss Maynild?¡±

    ¡°Retreat.¡±

    ¡°But we have nowhere else to run.¡± Little Pero pointed at the ck fortress and asked, ¡°Miss Maynild, are you aware of what this is?¡±

    Maynild turned around, dark eyes boring holes into the shorter Kirrlutz knight. She offered no exnation, allowing Pero to retract his question. Little Pero noticed the warning in her eyes and took a step back instinctively. Her response had left him flustered. Before he could say anything else, Maynild interrupted, ¡°You want to know what it is?¡± And then she mouthed-

    ¡°Milos.¡±

    ...

    All energy channels were lit up as a tform emerged with a low hum. The darkness had faded away like a sheer veil, allowing light to spill from the top and hit the contours of the abyss. On the smooth cliff wall were countless energy-transportingttices in neat arrangements, in which some were arranged in beautiful circles. The whole wall was just like a gigantic machine, eachponent functioning seamlessly.

    The tform rosenguidly to the centre of the valley before it stopped and cut the noise.

    Korfa stood in the centre of the tform, eyelids fluttering only when all movement ceased. The ck mes shrouding her body scattered like falling leaves, exposing a tinum body made of pure lightning beneath. She opened her silver eyes, wisps of electricity dancing off the arc of her cheek and reached down her neck. Her locks were a bundle of lightning bolts.

    ¡°It feels good to be alive again.¡±

    Two voices resonated above the tform; one belonged to Korfa while the other sounded like the rumble of weak thunder. Eventually, the distinct voices converged to be one.

    Korfa parted her lips, and a bolt of lightning struck from mid-air. It pierced through her body and the tform below. Electric current exploded like sshes of molten steel on the obsidian tform and surged into its deep cracks. One by one, tinum light travelled along with the primitive pattern; and the tform came to life.

    Holographic projections were refracted off the illuminated energy channels into the air. Shining ancient runes emerged- fme, eaam, oss, aryn- and rained down to create an ethereal stream of scripts and a light wall. Brendel was stunned by the phenomenon until Korfa¡¯s booming voice brought him back to reality.

    ¡°The same dispute had lingered even in heaven since aeons ago. The pathetic gods have no choice but to admit their own failure because they had nned a future for Vaunte that would lead to destruction. You shall meet your fates soon, lowly creatures.¡±

    ¡°While you have defeated Twilight aeonster, chaos is rooted deeply in your hearts. Greed, sin, mayhem and endless conquests... You¡¯ll find yourselves en route towards the doomsday you once saw in the prophecy.¡±

    ¡°The order of the bygone days is a thing of the past, only entropy could exist for eternity. Today, god has awakened for you once again and everything shall be returned to its start. The world will be born and destroyed by chaos; the prophecy will be realized and reality will confirm it once and for all! Mortals, this is your reward!¡±

    Then, there was a sharp shift to her tone, almost as if another emotion had ovee her.

    ¡°You have chosen your destiny again, mortal.¡±

    ¡°We had allowed you to decide your own destiny but here you are again as if only to prove Alphonse¡¯s prophecy.¡±

    ¡°You have summoned our awakening and we shall respect your decision. Now that god has returned to thend, we shall reorganize for the next era.¡±

    ¡°And this marks the end of your era¨C¡±

    Brendel spaced out dumbly. There was a beat of silence before he lifted his head and blurted, ¡°Who exactly are you? Are you Korfa or Milos?¡±

    Korfa lowered her head to meet Brendel¡¯s eyes, silver gaze reflecting two vastly different emotions. But soon, she settled on one and answered,

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m Korfa.¡±

    ¡°But I AM Milos.¡±

    Another booming voice answered.

    Lifting her arm up lightly, the space in front of Korfa rippled with circr motions. Soon it revealed a holographic projection behind. Brendel could recognize the cities projected- Kirrlutz¡¯s Waloz, Krenc near the edge of the Four Realms and the Lion Beastmen¡¯s fortress. He could even see the towering gold Spire Guards, the White City, the Thousand Sails Harbour, the reconstructed golden vault of the great Ampere Seale cathedral, the quasi-fortress of Kurkel Pce, Sanorso¡¯s Elven Tip, the pale grey fortress and even the Bull City that Brendel visited once in the cial ins.

    Brendel¡¯s breathing grew anxious. He red at Korfa. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±

    Korfa faced him delightedly. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell?¡±

    Realization struck Brendel like lightning

    . ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡± he shouted through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    Oddly enough, this was asked with a soft feminine voice.

 Chapter 790 - v4c158 Awakened (4)

    Chapter 790 v4c158

    Awakened (4)

    Kurkel Pce, four in the afternoon¡ª¨C

    Lemo jolted awake from atop his couch, weed by the sight of his tables and cabs shaking like a leaf. His furniture was slowly rumbled towards a corner, and the teacups on the table ttered like no tomorrow. ¡°An earthquake!¡± His mind finally settled on the fearsome thought. Abruptly, the guards had broken through his walnut wood door with a loud bang.

    His trusted crony barged in, facepletely pale. ¡°S-Sir, I think you should see this...¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the princess?!¡±

    Lemo leapt off the couch like a leopard. He fisted the man¡¯s shirt and yelled, ¡°Evacuate everyone out of the pce now!¡±

    The man could only shake his head fervently. It was at this moment that a calm voice came through the door. ¡°Sir Knight Captain, let go of him. You need to calm down.¡± As if stabbed, Lemo immediately released his crony. He lifted his head, meeting the eyes of the half-elven girl standing behind trembling doors. Princess Gryphine was here, apanied by a few knights while Duke Viero stood by her side. They looked unfazed, no one even seemed to mind the debris falling off the ceiling onto their shoulders.

    Lemo was flustered, face turning red. He hadn¡¯t expected the princess to be here already. ¡°Your majesty, we must leave the buildings at once,¡± he suggested dutifully.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. This is not an earthquake.¡±

    Princess Gryphine continued, ¡°Sir Knight Captain, bring your men and have the mages at the Tower of Moon and Stars activate the city¡¯s magic defences.¡±

    ¡°Magic defences?¡±

    Lemo was caught aback. Were they under attack?

    He instinctively cast a questioning gaze to the others, earning a sigh from Gryphine. Only the crony had approached Lemo to whisper, ¡°Sir, you¡¯ll understand once you see what¡¯s happening outside.¡±

    ...

    Vaunte, five minutes earlier¡ª-

    The rm bells of the Holy Cathedral rang loudly. The Lion¡¯s Mane Squad quickly ascended into the skies and split up in different directions. The lush greenery of the outskirts looked as if it had been visited by a storm; the emerald green canopy swayed with the wind, revealing the pale grey leaves below. As shockwaves prate through the clouds, monk soldiers rolled up the city walls in long lines. In all four corners of the city centre, the tip of the Spire Guard shone with a profound magical glow.

    Almost instantly, a pale lc hemispherical light screen opened up over the city; a veil was formed over the area from Mandolin Bazaar to the Water Gate.

    Frantic citizens were running along the streets to gather at the city centre, almost as if they were chased by some invisible terror.

    On Central Square, Officer Kenning watched the skies. It sure did seem like doomsday had arrived. He prayed,

    ¡°Oh Lord Marsha, please protect us!¡±

    Right behind him, the Head of Security roared like an enraged dragon, ¡°You damned idiots! What are you still standing around for?! Alert the Holy Cathedral of Fire right away! Go! Tell them we¡¯re in big trouble and we¡¯re all done for!¡±

    ¡°Have them investigate who¡¯s behind this spell!¡±

    The Patrol Knights quickly scrambled to work.

    ...

    Lion Beastman¡¯s fortress, ten past four in the afternoon¡ª

    Unlike the tense situation in Vaunte, the golden Lion¡¯s City seemed to be under the attack of a silencing spell.

    The entire city was eerily quiet. All the lion-faced, long-maned beastmen on every street, every square and even the bazaars and shops froze. Even the axe-bearing dwarfs and grey halflings were no exceptions. As if under a powerful spell, everyone was staring into the skies.

    The clouds were gloomy above the city. However, it seemed to be travelling closer to the city centre in a circle of ripples. Suddenly, shockwaves chased the dark clouds away in different directions. Thick clouds were torn apart, shredded and moulded into balls of lighter clouds akin to fish scales. It drifted away and left behind a brilliant blue sky that looked like a wless undisturbedke surface under the bright sun.

    There were no clouds in the sky.

    The golden Spire Guard of the Asamoyed Cathedral glimmered in the sun.

    There were no cheers and no praises for such a miracle. No one dared to even make the slightest noise.

    The gates of the golden pce were opened. Under the chaperone of a group of monks, an elderly beastman sacrifice stepped out of the Holy Cathedral. His white robe swayed with every step taken like beach waves. Yet, everyone still had their eyes glued to the skies. They knelt down almost desperately and begged the gods for forgiveness.

    Up above in the dark blue skies.

    The white lines of the Tiamat array were so clear that they looked like exnation diagrams drawn on the ckboard. Yet, its arched lines of varying thicknesses were not intertwined, each spanning across half the sky; giving it a diameter of more than tens of thousands of miles. The lines looked like white trails that exited the lighter clouds at the far end. It crossed the top of their heads, connecting itself to the other side of the horizon.

    Several vertical lines were connected to the centre of the array; a spectacr scene that could only be seen on the clearest day.

    But today, the sight was harrowing to those that witnessed it.

    The white array continued to rotate and ovepped each other, almost as if they were moving away from the other end of the sky. While there was no sound, it was a sight that could make hearts roar like rolling thunder. Every movement had brought the array through hundreds of miles across the sky. Eventually, the rotating gears were positioned right above the Lion Beastmen¡¯s fortress.

    Without a single warning, an overwhelming pressure came from the sky.

    Everyone in the city mbered down to the ground as if receiving the teachings of the gods.

    ...

    Maynild raised her head.

    The buzzing sound was growing intense and the Folding Sword Squad had started to back away slowly. Yet at this very moment, those at the scene felt an indescribable feeling. It felt like they were watching the birth of some inexplicable majestic force. Maynild and Little Pero, who were at the tail end of the retreating group, turned their heads in unison.

    As if on cue, there was a sh of light and everyone saw a circle of faint light patterns gathering towards it. It looked slow but it was actually very fast. At a nce, Little Pero could tell that the light patterns had started from around the Violet Castle and went east towards Kurkel. It had travelled a distance of a few hundred miles at the speed of light. The light rays went across their heads and headed straight for the centre of the obsidian buildings.

    Everything had happened too fast.

    The light patterns gathered together and formed a blinding ball of light. Then, a light pir was erected from its centre. Buzz! It pierced straight through the clouds like it was nothing but water. As the clouds rippled, dread overwhelmed everyone.

    ¡°This... This is...¡±

    ...

    All it took was one light tap from Korfa¡¯s finger and a pure screen of white was all that was left behind.

    Light flooded around with the pir and engulfed the entire city like a merciless tsunami. The proud towers, walls, fortresses and the most iconic golden Spire Guard were devoured by the blinding light. There was no sound of destruction, no explosions, no screams and no fire. It looked like the moment Marsha made a spark and birthed the world.

    When the light dissipated, the proud fortress of the lion beastmen was wiped off the surface of this world; not a hint of it remained. The thirty-four thousand beastmen, dwarves and halflings living in this city were wiped out of existence. The only proof of the incident was the multiple gigantic craters left behind on the ins that had smokeing out of it.

    Brendel felt his jaw ck at the scene.

    It was the God¡¯s Judgement, the light element fourteen-ring divine guide spell.

    Without reservation, Korfa ced her finger on another projection¡ª¨C Vaunte.

    ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡± roared Brendel. The next two projections were harrowing; he recognized the Ampere Seale and Kurkel.

    Princess Gryphine was still in Kurkel!

    Korfa turned to face him with dull silver eyes. ¡°Why would you say that, human? Weren¡¯t you the one who awakened me?¡± Her voice resonated in the spacious hall with no ounce of regret nor excitement.

    ¡°You were awakened by the All for One worshippers, not us! Those people had nothing to do with this!¡±

    ¡°The worshippers of All for One are a generation of Peak Iron, they reserve the right to decide the world¡¯s fate.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re nothing but a bunch of bastards that had their hearts defiled by Twilight!¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve turned yourselves into the messengers of destruction?¡± Korfa smiled amusedly.

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    Brendel lunged forward and shed at Korfa. But before his de could evene close, his attack was reflected away with a buzz. It was as if Korfa was protected by a light wall. The violent impact shook the ground, shockwaves urring as hexagonal light patterns on the ground. Korfa nced over and moved her left hand towards him. Searing white static assaulted him, Brendel screamed and was sent flying away. He fell heavily on the ground.

    With that, a quarter of his life was lost.

    Through clenched teeth, he immediately bounced back to his feet. At this moment, a handnded on his shoulder. Brendel wasn¡¯t sure when Veronica and Mephisto hade behind him. The Sword Saints ced Peja and Yaruta down. The siblings seemed to have fallen unconscious again in the process of falling. Both of them lifted their heads to look at Korfa in unison, who was in the middle of the hall. ¡°Brendel, what¡¯s going on?¡± Veronica was the first to ask.

    ¡°She needs to be stopped immediately. She is about to destroy all the cities on the projection and she has gained control over Milo¡¯s body. She¡¯s able to use all of Milo¡¯s powers at will!¡± Brendel inhaled shakily. Now that Veronica and his master were here, he felt relieved. Theirbined capabilities wereparable to a level-fifty pack in the game.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Veronica to recognize Vaunte from the projections. Her expression shifted but remained still, the thin sword on her waist unsheathed automatically and appeared in her grip. Brendel took a look at the thin sword; it wasn¡¯t the Azure Skies but a high-quality magic sword. It finally dawned upon Brendel that the female squad leader seemed to have improved significantly, though he wasn¡¯t sure if it was caused by the Loop of Trade Winds incident or the demonic wave.

    ¡°A fully awakened real god?¡± asked Mephisto with furrowed brows.

    The question helped root Brendel down.

    No. Judging from Korfa¡¯s voice, she was still in the middle of getting used to Milo¡¯s body. Under these circumstances, she could only be considered a fake god at best. Yet, there were vast differences between a fake god and mortals. The light screen floating beside her was the legendary Divine Screen and it was resistant against mortal attacks. Jeez, how were they supposed to win this battle? If they failed to kill Korfa, a massacre would happen.

    Impossible.

    If Korfa really was the legendary hidden boss, surely there were hints hidden in the Awakening God¡¯s words.

    Brendel narrowed his eyes, catching Veronica charging towards Korfa with a shocking speed. In an instant, a green shadow appeared behind Korfa. Veronica tilted her sword side to side and manifested a green dragon that lunged for Korfa. Unfortunately, its attempt had ended up like Brendel¡¯s earlier attack; it was reflected away by a hexagonalwork as soon as it contacted the light screen. The dragon was instantly broken and an electric ring bounced out of the light screen. Yet, this ring didn¡¯te close to Veronica but instead cut her dragon into halves.

    Within a breath, Veronica had attacked and retaliated. Shended gently beside Brendel, brows deeply scrunched. ¡°An Absolute Gap?¡± She looked at Brendel.

    Brendel nodded.

    The Absolute Gap entailed a difference between mortal powers and divine powers. This was the core principle to thews of Tiamat, which was also known as the ultimatew. The power of existence took priority overw and order. Only the powers of existence could affect divine beings, rendering mortal powers nothing but bubbles. In this aspect, fancy tricks and attacks were just meaningless.

    ¡°If she isn¡¯t a real god, why is there an Absolute Gap between us?¡± Veronica seethed through clenched teeth.

    Brendel could only shake his head helplessly.

    Indeed, Korfa wasn¡¯t a real god. So why was there an Absolute Gap? The Divine Screen was clearly resultant of the Absolute Gap. How were they supposed to continue their fight? Brendel was certain that something was amiss. This battle was too tough to be included in the game. He looked around, hoping to find a clue but he already had his suspicion.

    This was a world mission.

    The game¡¯s world boundary had been separated into two.

    Back then, yers would choose the former but he had unintentionallynded himself in thetter. The future plot progression waspletely different and he wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing yet.

 Chapter 791 - v4c159 Awakened (5)

    <h4>Chapter 791 v4c159 Awakened (5)</h4>

    Eventually, after the cialyer had fallen off, the aggregation of dark buildings in the abyss became more visible. On the obsidian-like smooth wall, tinum light had reached forward following its notches which quickly provided the whole walkway with light. Aloz and Medissa walked along the passage in tandem, looking a little lost. They had no idea how long they¡¯ve been trapped in this ce.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been walking in circles, Sister Aloz.¡±

    Red seized the little female dragon¡¯s cheeks. With one arm around the star-shaped stone, she waved her ws and answered forcefully, ¡°How is that possible? I think you must be mistaken.¡±

    Medissa offered a light smile.

    ¡°True, true.¡± She nodded, still smiling. ¡°It¡¯s just like when we were in the Wilderness of the Four Realms. We¡¯re not there yet because we¡¯re too slow.¡±

    As if electrocuted, Aloz sharply turned around. She stared at Medissa with wide eyes. ¡°You... How did you find out?!¡±

    ¡°I also know that you were once the youngest dragon in the War of The Holy Saints.¡±

    ¡°In Moros, you were caught by the Wind Elves¡¯ Secret Army when you snuck out to meet Master Frofa. Master Eleranta certainly didn¡¯t hold back on you two.¡± Medissa lowered her voice. ¡°Do you still remember what she said? ¡®How can you possibly lose your way while trysting?! How can my subordinates be worse than Gretel and that little idiot Sanorso?! This is too embarrassing! Scram!¡¯¡± The little elven princess reenacted.

    Aloz¡¯s lips were parted in shock. Like a little puppy, her canines were on disy as her cheeks flushed a violent red. ¡°Impossible! How would anyone hear of this? W-who exactly are you?!¡±

    Medissa tilted her head and smiled. She offered no answer.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Aloz screamed. Her expression shifted into surprise. ¡°I remember now! It¡¯s you! You¡¯re the New Moon Princess! Why are you using such a strange name?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s myst name, Sister Aloz.¡± She sighed. ¡°Medissa¡¯s my given name.¡±

    The female dragon stuck her tongue out and replied rather annoyedly, ¡°You look so different.¡±

    Medissa massaged her temples. ¡°Sister Aloz, I¡¯m an elf. My appearance could never change.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Aloz palmed her round cheeks. ¡°I must¡¯ve remembered wrongly.¡±

    ¡°How about I lead the way?¡± offered Medissa. ¡°You know, just like when we worked together back then.¡±

    But no answer came from Aloz. Instead, the female dragon urgently pressed a digit against Medissa¡¯s lips. ¡°Shh! Did you hear something?¡±

    Medissa was caught by surprise, quickly taking a small step to stare at her.

    ¡°Really! I heard something!¡± She hurriedly exined.

    ¡°Really?¡± The Silver Elf Princess¡¯s brows were raised. The five senses of the Golden Race were the sharpest. Abruptly, her sharp elf ears twitched ever so slightly. The both of them turned around; there was a crossroad at the end of the long corridor where a distressed figure was limping across slowly.

    After a beat, Aloz and Medissa carefully emerged from their invisibility spell.

    ¡°He looks familiar.¡± The female dragon brandished her teeth. ¡°Suspicious.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Duke Arreck,¡± replied Medissa.

    They turned to look at each other.

    ...

    The blinding beam pir prated the skies.

    Maynild and the others turned around to stare in that direction.

    That was the second time!

    In this midst of Veronica¡¯s seething wrath, she watched yet another projection drowned by white at Korfa¡¯s will. Waloz, the city on the borders of Kirrlutz was reduced to ashes. She was furious that her grip almost broke the hilt of her thin sword. Brendel held onto the female squad leader tightly, fearing that she¡¯d lose control. The three of them had attempted multiple attacks but all their efforts were futile. The Divine Screen was like a barrier of despair, a grim reminder of the difference that separated mortals and gods.

    There was just no way to get past it.

    Korfa nced over to the next projection¡ª Oltsqween, a city of the Wind Elves. Brendel watched the switching images anxiously, there were two more images and one of them was the beautiful pce on the banks of Lake Kurkel.

    His palms were sweating profusely.

    This was an unfair battle.

    He needed to find a way.

    Suddenly, Korfa lifted her chin. She seemed to be staring at something, her voice once again echoing around the tform.

    ¡°Sister, you¡¯re finally here.¡±

    Brendel was startled. He turned around and saw the young prince and Crown Prince Lenarette on the cliff. ¡°Master!¡± ¡°Veronica!¡± He and Shido called out. Following that, only did Brendel notice another Korfa standing behind them. The dark Korfa in the middle of the gigantic hall frowned while the kind Korfa merely offered a light nod in acknowledgement.

    Was the kind Korfa the key to this battle? The idea shed through Brendel¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Who is she?¡± Mephisto asked.

    ¡°That is Korfa as well. Her depraved soul is the one controlling Milos now.¡±

    ¡°Two existences in one body?¡±

    Brendel nodded, close enough. ¡°Ah, wait!¡± He watched Veronica lunged forward without warning. Obviously, the female squad leader had the same idea; it was just that Veronica was more assertive than Brendel. Before he could even respond, the tip of Veronica¡¯s sword was already near Korfa.

    The kind Korfa was utterly shocked, standing still with widened eyes. She had no idea why this human female was so intent on killing her at first sight. Even if she hadn¡¯t been caught by surprise, the kind Korfa wouldn¡¯t be capable of avoiding Veronica¡¯s weapon. After all, she was a Mage while Veronica was a warrior. Korfa was no match for her in closebat.

    Korfa could only part her lips, watching Veronica¡¯s dee closer and closer to her heart. Yet, it was at this moment that Brendel¡¯s urgent scream was heard.

    ¡°Haruz! Stop her!¡±

    The young prince drew his sword and shielded Korfa without hesitation. But Veronica ignored him for they were truly not on par. The young prince felt a soft powering from his hand just as his weapon was unsheathed. The longsword flew out of his grip and chuck itself into the top of the cave. The dy allowed Korfa to react. ¡°Ah!¡± She let out a loud cry and fell to the ground.

    Veronica¡¯s green sword aura went over her head, only managing to sh a few strands of hair. The female squad leader frowned. As she got ready for another attack, dark Korfa¡¯s retaliation finally arrived.

    ¡°How dare you!¡± Dark Korfa¡¯s voice was explosive, whipping a white bolt of electricity towards Veronica. She didn¡¯t dare block it. She dodged it skilfully and allowed it to strike the wall, where it managed to remove a huge chunk violently.

    The momentary distraction had cost Veronica a chance at attacking the kind Korfa.

    She couldn¡¯t help but turn her head around to re at Brendel.

    Yet, Brendel felt relieved.

    Frankly, Brendel had already thought everything through. Korfa wasn¡¯t the key to victory as she and the young prince had only reached the tform just a while ago. Her appearance was a gamble and it made no sense for her presence to be an important factor. Did that mean that there was no way toplete this battle in the kind Korfa¡¯s absence?

    That clearly was illogical.

    He quickly signalled to Veronica, indicating that he had something to discuss. But right at the moment, Brendel noticed the huge debris resultant of Korfa¡¯s earlier attack on Veronica had mmed right into one of the energy transmission pipes. Clink! A dent was made and the illuminated pipe dimmed.

    His heart thumped at the sight.

    ¡°Ah! I understand now! There it is!¡±

    Brendel raised his head to shout at Mephisto and Veronica. ¡°Attack the tform and the pipes!¡±

    The Sword Saints looked at him questioningly, not understanding his instruction. Brendel jumped impatiently and started to sway his arms around. ¡°She- Korfa is just a fake god, she has no divine barrier, to begin with! Milos is the one giving her an Absolute Gap! The tform is feeding her powers and she hasn¡¯t merged with Milos fully! All you need to do is destroy her connection with the tform!¡±

    As soon as his words fell, dark Korfa¡¯s expression hardened.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong!¡± She frantically argued, still afloat in mid-air.

    It was a tant lie. Veronica and Mephisto locked gazes and immediately split up for the energy pipelinework on either side of the tform. Their swords glinted in the air, and a few dozen pipes were shed. Magic began to flow out of the severed ends like the pulse of a new star and soon, explosions followed; craters were created on the densework.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Korfa let out a shrill scream. No longer able to maintain herposure, she raised her arms and summoned manifested countless lightning. shes of lightning crackled towards Brendel, Mephisto and Veronica. Avoiding her attacks was manageable for both Mephisto Veronica; a little focus was all they needed to deflect the lightning assault. Brendel, on the other hand, was in a pinch. It felt almost as if their opponent was in for revenge; most of the bolts hade for him. He had managed to block three but was zapped by the fourth. Body held down by the abrupt numbness, Brendel was quickly showered in a storm of lightning. If it wasn¡¯t for his exceptionally high willpower, he probably would have been off to see Marsha already.

    Even so, the aggressive lightning attack had taken away two-thirds of his remaining life. Worst, his cosmetic appearance was reduced to tattered beggar clothes, which Brendel couldn¡¯t decide betweenughing or crying at. He was fully aware that the damages dealt by the aoe attack should¡¯ve been shouldered by all members of the pack. Yet, the three of them were the only ones present out of the group. Plus, Korfa held a heavy grudge against him, so Brendel could only me his shitty luck.

    After the storm of lightning, Veronica and Mephistounched another attack. This time, Korfa was smarter. Shepletely gave up on retaliating to feed all her powers into the ground to build a strong shield on the pipelines. Previously, a sh from Brendel was enough to destroy a few pipes. Now, it would take a few shes from the yer to get the deed done. He nced over, noticing that Mephisto and Veronica were making slower progress.

    Despite that, Brendel found Korfa¡¯s idea rather stupid. Although she did slow them down significantly, she wasn¡¯t initiating attacks. They¡¯d destroy all the pipes sooner orter.

    But of course, while Korfa¡¯s decision was unwise, no one would dare to take the supposed simplicity of the boss battle for granted.

    There was this faint feeling that ate at Brendel- He feared that the situation might not be that simple.

    ...

    ¡°Hold on.¡±

    Scarlet heard someone call out from behind. She turned around to look at the young man catching up to her, faintly recalling this young man had introduced himself as Barbarn... or some other name. Scarlet found the name weird as it was rare in Aouine, hence the man had left quite an impression.

    The young man¡¯s sprint had left him gasping for air. Was it an emergency? The young Hignder girl stared at him dumbly. She waited for a moment before figuring that she should ask, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Beautifuldy, you haven¡¯t told me your name.¡±

    Scarlet¡¯s brows were furrowed. ¡°What does my name have to do with you?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to intrude. I just wish to thank you properly.¡± The young man panted between words. Caught aback by her hostility, he felt the need to exin himself.

    ¡°To thank me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You saved us. You saved our lives.¡±

    Scarlet considered the request.

    Barbarn¡¯s nerves were obvious. For some reason, he had always felt uneasy in front of her. He had mistaken it as an attraction in the beginning but after spending some time together, he eventually realized that she had a unique aura that faintly exuded intimidation.

    While he remained unaware that Scarlet was of the Dragon and God of Thunder bloodline, he had merely found the count¡¯s servant unordinary. He began to feel a little nervous, regretting his choice of working with those bastards.

    At this moment, Scarlet finally broke out of her daze. She lifted her head, gaze stopping on the surrounding cliff walls. Her following questions sounded deliberate. ¡°You wish to thank me but is this an expression of your gratitude?¡±

    The young man was startled.

    But Scarlet was already pointing her halberd in a few specific directions on the cial beneath. ¡°All the rats hiding in the corner are yourrades, no?¡±

    Barbarn¡¯s expression changed.

    Simrly, the noble soldiers pointed out by the Hignder girl didn¡¯t look too pretty. They shuffled out of the shadows awkwardly and looked at Scarlet with surprise. Only the leader apuded and praised dryly, ¡°Wow, this is beyond my expectations. I wasn¡¯t expecting you to be a real master.¡±

    Scarlet watched them in cautious silence. Her brows were furrowed, body ready for defence. She used to be a mercenary; their intentions were ill based on the way they were positioned.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry.¡± The person continued, ¡°We merely intend to thank you properly. I hope you can return with us to Kirrlutz. Those from the Imperial Capital make the best hosts and we assure you that you¡¯ll be in good hands.¡±

    Barbarn nodded fervently. ¡°Yes. We wouldn¡¯t trouble you. We just wish to ask you for a favour.¡±

    ¡°A favour?¡±

    ¡°Yes, miss. If you could grant us that, I¡¯ll personally beg His Majesty to free you. You¡¯ll be a free Kirrlutz citizen and you will never need to bow to anyone. Plus, with your capabilities, it won¡¯t be difficult for you to be one of the Imperial nobles,¡± exined Barbarn.

    He had no idea what offended her. Just as he mentioned that Scarlet could regain her freedom, the fierce glint of a beast¡¯s eye manifested in the seemingly innocent Hignder girl.

 Chapter 792 - v4c160 Scarlet Is In Danger

    Chapter 792 v4c160

    Scarlet Is In Danger

    Babarn sensed that Scarlet who was in front of him had disappeared and immediately came back to his senses. She didn¡¯t disappear, but instead had overtaken him and circled behind him. It was so fast his eyes widened and he looked back somewhat stiffly, seeing only a fiery red streak in the corner of his eye ¨C the end of a long ponytail.

    Behind Viscount Babarn, the Kirrlutzian nobleman who had been leading the agitation saw the scene even more clearly. In his eyes, the mountain maiden was bargaining with Babarn a moment before, but suddenly, she was already one body position away from thetter. She stepped her left foot gently onto the ground, with her whole body tilted to the same side, and thence de in her hand was one step ahead, reflecting a cold light. She raised her head and stared at him, with a golden me from within that could be seen in her eyes; her crimson ponytail fluttered with her movements, as if it were a dancing plume.

    In the blink of an eye, the fire dragon was right in front of him.

    Oh shit!

    The hair on the Kirrluzian nobleman¡¯s body stood up straight, and he subconsciously raised the longsword in his hand.

    Tsing-

    A line of sparks appeared. The Kirrlutzian noble staggered back, the force from thence was so strong that he had to hold his own longsword with both hands to block it, but even so, it made him lose the opportunity to counterattack. The Kirrlutzian nobleman was filled with chills, and only one thought was going around in his mind. How fast! He never thought that this seemingly introverted and gentle maiden would make a move without saying a word. And her target was not Barbara, but him. How did she know? He anxiously looked at the sword in his hand and saw a dent on the de.

    The Kirrlutzian nobleman¡¯s hands were shivering.

    Scarlet backed off immediately after she missed and frowned slightly. She had wanted to take out the leader first by surprise, but she didn¡¯t expect the other party to react so quickly, the Kirrlutzian soldier was indeed true to his name.

    ¡°Stop her!¡± Only then did someone react.

    All who survived the fall in the ice had at least the strength of Gold, and even the nobleman who led the group as well as Viscount Babarn himself were Elemental Activated like X. Because they didn¡¯t feel threatened at first, it took them seven or eight people to fight against one. Moreover, the other party was a woman, so they thought that there was no danger.

    But they never expected that Scarlet was no longer a mere human. To be exact, her bloodline has long surpassed the generation of the ck Dwarfs.

    The Kirrlutzian nobles roared in unison and pounced from all sides at the same time, their longswords shing reflecting light, blocking Xi¡¯s retreat from all directions. They weren¡¯t only outstanding swordsmen, but also well-trained soldiers. But s, their opponent was Scarlet ¨C a mountain maiden with arguably the most distinguished and unique swordsmanship apaniment in the world. Brendel was familiar with the sword arts of the Kirrluzians, the Aouines, the Farnezains, the Undead of Madara, and even the Wind elves of Sanorso. He was basically familiar with all of the most dominant sword arts of the era.

    Not to mention that he had countless ways to deal with each of these sword arts.

    As soon as the Kirrlutzian noble soldiers made their move, Scarlet had already reacted. Shended gently on her heels in the midst of her rapid retreat, putting all bnce on one foot as she turned around and drew a semicircle with thence in her hand, forcing the approaching Kirrlutzians on her right to step back. At the same time, the girl lowered herself,nding on the ground with another foot and pushed herself up with explosive strength that shot forward like a sharp arrow.

    She chose to head in the direction of the weaker left nk, where there were only three swordsmen, one of whom was only at the early Gold.

    And her target, too, happened to be this person.

    That person had been long stunned. The mountain maiden¡¯s sudden advance took everyone by surprise, she was three times faster than someone with Gold Peak. Every time Scarletnded, a long arc of electricity-like substance would appear. She looked like a lightning bolt jumping forward to everyone present. She was a bright light, eliminating darkness wherever she was, and in just a blink of an eye, she was in the face of that Kirrlutzian nobleman.

    In the man¡¯s eyes, all that was left was the golden me in the eyes of the girl.

    ¡°She has been hiding her capabilities!¡±

    The Kirrlutzian nobleman could only hear a loud buzz in his mind.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not right, that¡¯s not the strength of Elemental Activation. Those are two levels of existence and this little girl¡¯s power is still in the Gold realm, but why is there such a big difference ......¡±

    He would never have gotten the answer himself, as he would never have thought about the Dragon race. Because if Scarlet was a Dragon, she wouldn¡¯t have been a servant for a human, nor would she waste her time and y along with them here. Unfortunately, no one would¡¯ve figured out that Xi¡¯s current encounter was from a conspiracy, and an unexpected spoof.

    Scarlet had torn through the defense line, but was still not out of danger. She looked back and saw that the Kirrluzian nobles were still approaching, one on both sides who were the two noble soldiers she had left behind, and behind them came the guy who was taking the lead. She simply raised her left hand with her five fingers slightly closed, making a choking gesture. Everyone saw that Xi¡¯s left arm seemed to be purely energized for a moment, turning into a zing white gold color, with an electric arc around her arm, and then suddenly ¡®zzzzst¡¯, the electricity shot out towards the three, ¡°Entity Elementalization!¡± The noble soldier on the left was terrified and rolled to the side to avoid this blow.

    Hispanion, however, wasn¡¯t as lucky. He got hit by the electric arrow in the chest and spat out arge mouthful of blood as he flew backwards, crashing into the crowd. The people behind him scrambled to help him up, only to find that the guy¡¯s chest armor had been struck through. There was arge hole due to the melting of the armor, and the soft material behind hadpletely burnt. The man¡¯s eyes were open wide, staring soullessly into the air, apparently having gone to see Marsha.

    The leader of the nobleman struck the lightning in defense angrily as he was startled. The Lines of Law wrapped around his sword, ripped away and dissipated into countless arcs of electricity like tearing cotton wool.

    Scarlet no longer stayed reserved. Her entire body was wrapped in electric arcs, as if half of it had be a zing white lightning. Her speed in this state had exceeded the Kirrlutzian nobles¡¯ expectations. Her speed was simply like a beam of light travelling through the darkness, unstoppable. The nobles were dumbfounded at the sight of the scene, they hadn¡¯t seen such a skill before. It was a special skill of Elemental Lightning and Elemental Air, how could it appear in a human? Even if it was the Law of Elemental Lightning, it would only allow humans to manipte lightning... How could it turn into real lightning? All this that was appearing in front of their eyes was simply subverting their knowledge of the Law.

    That blinding lightning had drawn a beautiful arc in the darkness.

    In fact, hald-elementalization was something Scarlet identally mastered after she Elemental Activated. ording to Brendel, this ability itself couldn¡¯t be found as it generally only existed in those close to the Elemental races, so naturally very few humans could obtain this ability. He suspected that it was the highly inclusive nature of the Dragon blood in Scarlet¡¯s body towards magic that further catalyzed the power of Thor¡¯s Blood and gave her part of the Elemental bloodline. It¡¯s just that Scarlet didn¡¯t have the same attribute panel as he did, otherwise checking the racial talent column would exin everything.

    But unfortunately, half-elementalization required a certain amount of gradual time, otherwise she could have used this ability to break through the encirclement in the first ce.

    ¡°Why is she turning back?¡± The leading nobleman looked at the long arc in the darkness in surprise.

    ¡°She¡¯sing to fight us again!¡±

    ¡°Damn it, Babarn, you¡¯ve pissed her off and now she¡¯s going to kill us!¡± The Kirrluztian noble soldiers shouted in panic, they were full of thought that they were just dealing with a small girl, not expecting that she would be a big wolf with sharp fangs in just a blink of an eye and now they¡¯re red riding hood. The change was so drastic that it became a little too much for them to ept.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Babarn had sweat all over him. He still had good feelings towards Scarlet and thus felt both startled and happy at the same time. He was startled because he didn¡¯t know how this battle was going to turn out at the end of the day and was happy due to the increasing satisfaction he had towards the mountain maiden. But he hasn¡¯t been able to figure out which of his words drove her anger. Although the words he said were somehow threatening, they weren¡¯t to the extent to be called uneptable.

    How could a servant¡¯s temper be so bad? How did that count stand her?

    But Babarn got one thing right at least. Scarlet had indeed gone intoplete fury, she sped forward in her lightning form, heading straight for the crowd. The girl¡¯s sharp face hadpletely turned into an energy body like ¡®divine Korfa¡¯, her hair and eyebrows were like white-gold electric beams that flew in the strong wind, especially her long ponytail which looked amazingly beautiful. Scarlet frowned, and her eyes were burning with a ze of anger. She had only one thing in mind right now, ¡°To death all of you nasty guys!¡±

    Since the disbanding of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, Scarlet has put almost all her heart and soul into maintaining those few remainingpanions, and since most of them joined and became Brendel¡¯s private army, she too chose to follow the somewhat strange young nobleman in silence. The former mountain maiden, Scarlet of the Grey Wolves Mercenaries, from that moment on had been long gone. That girl no longer existed in this world. She began to be silent and either spent the whole day practicing herbat skills or daydream. No one knew what she was thinking.

    Because even she herself didn¡¯t understand what she was thinking about.

    Perhaps she was just thinking about the count¡¯s words, who was sometimes very unlike a nobleman, but sometimes more noble than all nobles.

    How could one control one¡¯s own destiny? Day after day she made herself be more and more cold-blooded, more and more adept at battling, and less-trusting, like a machine. But inside, she became increasingly fragile. Sometimes she even felt that she was walking alone in a wilderness all alone. She looked around and felt as if the world around her had copsed.

    On more than one asion, Scarlet wept alone in the dark. All she had experienced over the ten years or so was a nightmare with an elongated shadow that she couldn¡¯t escape.

    But until that day, when the quirky Lord handed her the golden apple, telling her that he wouldn¡¯t give up on her no matter what, it felt as if a warm brightness had entered into her dark dream. It was something that Lord Makarov, Grandmaster Fleetwood, and even everyone in the Grey Wolves Mercenaries had longed for and the Lord had handed it to her with just a simple promise.

    She wasn¡¯t good at words and didn¡¯t know how to repay him except for following him silently. She became even more silent because of this obsession, and until this day, when the disgusting Kirrluzians were trying to destroy her only remaining hope, angerpletely took over her reasoning.

    These people must die.

    Two screams were heard. One noble soldier¡¯s head hit the ground, while the other hissed and squeezed his arm. The area under the wrist was already charred ck, with brittle bones that could no longer withstand the weight of the longsword and was cut off by the longsword thatnded on him. His hand turned into ck ash and fell to the ground.

    The leading nobleman, sweating profusely, turned around and shouted at Babarn, ¡°Babarn, if you don¡¯t do something, it will be impossible to end today!¡±

    Aren¡¯t we dealing with this shit now because of you? Babarn secretly regretted because he initially had nothing to do with these people¡¯s conspiracy, but he indeed wanted to ¡®invite¡¯ the mountain maiden back to Kirrlutz as a ¡®guest¡¯. He thought that this was love at first sight and wanted her to be his. It¡¯s just that he never had thought that things woulde to this point.

    He sighed and took out a folded hand crossbow from his sleeve. It was the only thing that could help him now.

    He loaded the crossbow, and raised it.

    The lightning bolt that Xie turned into just now passed through the crowd, and Babarn immediately turned and aimed in that direction. He didn¡¯t take precise aim, but of course there was no point in taking precise aim considering Scarlet¡¯s current speed. The Viscount mumbled something as the patterns on his crossbow lit up. In the Amber Sword, a magical weapon that can be activated voluntarily must be a Silver item of ancient rank or higher, but this crossbow wasn¡¯t just that, in fact, it had a great deal more to it. If Brendel was here, he would¡¯ve recognized the identity of this crossbow, and furthermore the identity of Babarn as well. But s, it was Scarlet who was in front of them now and she had no idea yet.

    A silver light pierced through the darkness.

    The lightning wrapped around her exploded, forming dazzling sparks of light and electricity, and the mountain girl fell forward like a kite with a broken string, hitting the ice heavily. Although she immediately gritted her teeth and got up, everyone saw that the crossbow was stuck in her waist. The girl gritted her teeth and covered the injured area with one hand, and supported herself with hernce with the other hand, shivering and barely able to stand up.

    The noble soldiers let out a cheer in unison.

    The girl¡¯s vision started to turn dark as she heard the cheer once again. Although the sound seemed to being from faraway, what made chills go down her spine was the approaching Kirrlutzian nobles. She gently gasped as she tasted a metal taste in her mouth. She subconsciously clenched her teeth and gripped thence in her hand.

    ......

    ¡°Those tubes are probably here to ¡®feed¡¯ sister Korfa¡¯s elder sister magic... We should find a way to help Lord Count and the others to cut off those tubes.¡± The schr girl was lying on the edge of the ice wall as she said it while watching the battle below. But as she said it, she was somewhat concerned about the look of the Korfa beside them. This Korfa gave her a smile without saying anything. Only after receiving the approval, Shido felt relieved and asked, ¡°Your Royal Highness, do you have any solution?¡±

    Lenarette nodded. He nced down, though he was still as expressionless as ever, ¡°The level of the battle below is not something we can wade through, if we go down we¡¯re only going to burden the teacher and Count Trentheim. The good thing is that we don¡¯t need to go down to participate in the battle. I have a bow and Shido you are able to use spells, let¡¯s make our move before that woman notices us.¡±

    Upon saying this, the royal highness nced at the Brendel below with some envy in his gaze. He was slightly older than Brendel, but the other party¡¯s strength was something he couldn¡¯t be in the ce to be jealous of.

    A 20 year-old Holy Knight. How amazing this would be for anyone to hear it. What¡¯s good was that there were only a few of the two countries¡¯ top brass who knew about it and the Holy Cathedral o f Fire who should be very clear about it as well wouldn¡¯t leak the information. The man wasn¡¯t a Kirrlutzian after all, which was the most unfortunate thing. He now slightly understood what was going on in Veronica¡¯s mind.

    But luckily, the rtionship they had with Count Trentheim was decent. He was nominally Veronica¡¯s student and his political leaning was also supported by House Paluhi. It was natural to consider Brendel and Veronica friends as they were close.

    ¡°Then what about me?¡± Haruz asked.

    ¡°You stay here and help us monitor the surrounding movement well,¡± Lenarette replied.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The little prince¡¯s jaw dropped and he hurriedly shook his head vigorously, ¡°M-my teacher is still fighting down there, how can I stand by and watch!¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t to stand by and watch, His Royal Highness is right. Young prince, this time you have to keep an eye on the guys and not let the All For One people mess things up behind our back.¡± A voice suddenly came from the back of the ice cave, ¡°You don¡¯t think we¡¯re the only ones who got down here.¡±

    Prince Haruz¡¯s eyes lit up slightly, and he shouted back in surprise, ¡°Mr. Char!¡±

    Then after a moment of bewilderment, he added, ¡°Sister Hipam!¡±

    It was two of the three neswalker Mage summoners under Brendel who walked out from the cave.

    ......

 Chapter 793 - v4c161 Blazing Wing Ambassadors

    Chapter 793 v4c161

    zing Wing Ambassadors

    Brendel was naturally overjoyed about the sudden appearance of Char and Hipam, but Dim Korfa might not be. In fact, the scene was now very unpromising for her, in addition to Brendel, Mephisto and Veronica were extremely good at that kind ofrge-scale damaging sword art. With them, even if the tubes under the tform were enchanted with magical protection, they could only hold out for a while more. In just a moment, a third was decreased.

    At this moment came Char and Hipam, who were both legitimate spell caster, and spell casters ¨C whether an Elemental, Law Mage, Witch, or even a Summoner, were masters of rangedbat. Even spell casters like the priests and bishops were much more professional than warriors.

    After a series of battles, especially after sharing the huge experience of the battle between Mayne and Mel, Ciel and Hipam had reached level 39 at this time, in fact, could already be considered a Gold beginner. Although far from their heyday, cutting some tube would be nothing to them.

    In addition to Lenarette who was the real Gold holder, plus the other half-spell caster Shido, even if they could only help from a distance, the Dim Korfa¡¯s defense would also quickly be precarious.

    The situation wasn¡¯t optimistic. She became anxious and shouted, ¡°Little sister, are you going to watch the outsiders deal with me?¡±

    Everyone was aghast, especially Shido, who hurriedly turned back to look at Korfa. But thetter frowned and shook her head, replying, ¡°I am not going to participate in the battle, that is not what I aspire to. Sister, give up the unrealistic wish, the gods no longer belong to this world, I know you want to take the opportunity to let Twilight arrive earlier, but Twilight is Twilight after all, it represents the eternity of the Sea of Chaos. It doesn¡¯t matter whether it¡¯s earlier orter, this itself is an unchanging truth.¡±

    ¡°Let me be resurrected, whose choice was it?¡±

    ¡°Mortals are always presumptuous, I am merely carrying on the will of Milos to teach them a lesson.¡± The two voices replied, and the Dim Korfa herself sneered through clenched teeth, ¡°Of course, I am happy to see this as well, Milos is going to follow his agreement with the crystal and the Darkness Dragon. When the gods are resurrected, they are going to make the world repeat in ssical Order. I, on the other hand, am simply tasting the destruction of it. We each get what we want, and that is not contradictory.¡±

    ¡°But there are more people here who don¡¯t want to see the gods resurrect, and you can¡¯t make them choose just one or the other,¡± Korfa replied.

    Dim Korfa was short of words. ¡°Forget it, I won¡¯t argue with you about these pointless matters, I don¡¯t expect you to stand with me anyway. Just watch and see how I take care of these idiots.¡±

    Brendelnded steadily on one of the tubes. He had known that Korfa would have a n B. Fighting with a BOSS couldn¡¯t be that simple, not to mention that she was a hidden BOSS. Also, ording to the game, they hadn¡¯t even passed the first stage of the BOSS yet. The tip of the Halran Gaia stood between his legs as he pressed his hands down steadily on it. He then lifted his head and looked at the newborn ¡®goddess¡¯ at the center of the tform.

    ¡°Teacher Brendel, watch your head!¡±

    Haruz¡¯s childish voice came from above. Lenarette asked him to help monitor the movement around, not expecting it toe in handy at this moment. But what he saw was not the ck-robed knight of All For One, but dozens of heavy constructs falling from the sky. The light over the tform was almost faintly dimmed as 32 heavily armored constructs with double-headed swords and a pair of wings made of six light feathers behind their armor slowly descended in a circle with no particr order.

    zing Wing Ambassadors.

    So it¡¯s this kind of thing-

    ¡°Drive them away!¡± Dim Korfa¡¯s voice echoed through the hall, ¡°But don¡¯t kill them, I want them to witness how the Order of this one era is ending!¡±

    The red light under the helmets of the 32 constructs shed, and the wings on their backs zed out at the same time. As soon as their formation moved, the perfect arc in mid-air copsed, and all the zing Wing Ambassadors flew in four directions at the same time, and countless interwoven spirals appeared in mid-air.

    These divine weapons from ancient times whistled and swooped down on every person in the hall.

    The first to bear the brunt was naturally Mephisto who was in the uppermost airspace of the hall. seven zing Wing Ambassadors fixed their eyes on him, but the Ash Sword Saint, who had already crossed into the Ultimate Realm was unconcerned about these artificial creations, because even the most cutting-edge magical statues designed by the Haizaiers, who were the greatest master of magic craftsmanship on the continent of Vaunte, were only at the rank of Elemental Activation.

    The Haizaiers could use numbers to defeat the Holy Cathedral of Fire, but seven Elemental Activated constructs were just flies that could be waved away by the Ash Sword Saint at this time.

    He calmly looked up, and all the seven zing Wing Ambassadors came into view. From this moment on, in all directions with him in the center, they were all within his attack range. He raised his sword straight, with the de between him and the zing Wing Ambassadors, it was as if two worlds were divided ¨C one was still, and the other was moving.

    The Ash Sword Saint didn¡¯t move, then he gently shed the sword against one of the zing Wing Ambassadors in the air.

    With a sound of metal shattering, the zing Wing Ambassador disintegrated in mid-air without leaving a trace behind. In fact, it wasn¡¯t entirely correct to say no trace was left behind, because a thin gray line that first appeared on the armor of this structure was visible, and then along that thin line, it split into two at first, then four, and then eight before turning into gray ash and dissipating in the air.

    Upon seeing this scene, Even Brendel couldn¡¯t help but secretly admire the most famous fantasy sword art in the Amber Sword, each of which has an intoxicating beauty when it is performed.

    It¡¯s just a pity that this sword art needed the gray element as foundation, so he couldn¡¯t learn it even if he wanted to.

    At this time, Mephisto shed at the second zing Wing Ambassador, but this time, he missed the bullseye. The two-handed sword-holding body suddenly lurched in mid-air, rolled horizontally, and a gray ripple cut straight through its left arm and shoulder armor, starting from the shoulder de.

    The entire left half of the zing Wing Ambassador turned into ash, and even the double-headed sword was unstable and fell into the abyss.

    Mephisto was also slightly surprised.

    But this was a divine creature trait, the same ss of creatures would share memories and EXP, they could often grow quickly on the battlefield, and sometimes even be more fearsome than skilledbatants. Brendel didn¡¯t n on reminding Mephisto anything, as he was his teacher after all, not to mention that the seven zing Wing Ambassadors were nothing to Mephisto. The main point was that, at the corner of his eye, he saw another seven zing Wing Ambassadors flying towards Veronica at the same time, while on the other side, a full twelve zing Wing Ambassadors were flying towards him.

    Dim Korfa¡¯s hatred for him was evident and obvious.

    Brendel could only shake his head andugh bitterly.

    ¡°Teacher, be careful!¡± Overhead, the little prince couldn¡¯t help but remind loudly. He was so nervous that he could barely breathe when he saw that there were as many as twelve zing Wing Ambassadors surrounding Brendel from all sides. His hands were sped tightly around the scabbard of the Lion¡¯s Fang, and his little face turned pale.

    Lenarette also looked in that direction. He thought a bit and got up with the white longbow in his hand. The bow was called the Far Tranquility, which was a famous fantasy weapon in the royal collection of Kirrlutz. The eldest son of the emperor opened his bow without an arrow on the bowstring, but the airflow automatically converged to form a beam of arrows in his hand.

    He aimed in the direction where Brendel was, ready to pick one or two constructs to deal with.

    But Korfa seemed to be able to read the minds of all present. And before Lenarette could even release the string, the hole he was looking through slightly darkened and a zing Wing Ambassador appeared in front of him.

    That thing let out a soft sound simr to a buzzing sound, and raised its two-handed giant sword and stabbed at them.

    Shido was so frightened that she held her head in her hands, while Lenarette thought nothing of it, squinted his eyes and released the bowstring. An arrow prated into the ck face under the helmet of the zing Wing Ambassador.

    In the tform around the battlefield, three zing Wing Ambassadors headed for Ciel and two blocked Hipam¡¯s pathway. A chaotic battle was about to start. Brendel looked at the twelve zing Wing Ambassadors that were swooping down on him from all sides. He felt a little nervous as it had been so long since he came to an encounter with these things. But the zing Wing Ambassadors of this era were iparable to those in the other era. Excitement arose within him, and he felt as if his blood was flowing through his arteries like rushing water.

    Come on! Brendel revealed his snow-white teeth, like a predator.

    The first zing Wing Ambassador arrived in a sh, ttening out one side of its two-headed sword, determined to use its swooping speed to swipe past Brendel. But in its spherical vision, its target suddenly disappeared. The reaction speed of the zing Wing Ambassador wasn¡¯t fast, and although he continued forward under the effect of inertia, he had already turned around in mid-air, and the double-headed sword in his hand shed backwards. But unfortunately, it missed.

    A red light was seen shing under its helmet, as if very it looked up in surprise. In its spherical field of vision, a ck and heavy de came to meet its face.

    With a crash like the sound of shattering ss, the Halran Gaia sliced along the helmet of the zing Wing Ambassador, destroying it from up to down, splitting its head in half and a bright glow of escaping magic exploded out. The de then continued down, cutting into the torso and splitting it in half with the spine in the center.

    All the other zing Wing Ambassadors saw this scene with their very own eyes. At the moment right after Brendel¡¯s descended from the sky and cut their kind into half, the remaining eleven reoriented themselves and came around with a humming sound. While at the same time, a blood-red ray suddenly shot out from under their helmets that went straight for Brendel.

    Three of the rays missed their target while the remaining eight rays pierced through Brendel¡¯s head. Fuck. Brendel was pierced through his thigh and left arm, but unfortunately for the Ambassadors, these attacks were meaningless. Brendel¡¯s sword had yet to be withdrawn from the body of the first zing Wing Ambassador, but at the same time, a second, then third, and fourth zing Wing Ambassador appeared right behind him.

    The second zing Wing Ambassador was pierced through its heart by a sword before it could even react and fell into the abyss; the third one only had time to turn his head before Brendel stretched out his left hand, pressed his helmet, and a me burst from Bahamut¡¯s Grip, causing the other party to tremble. Brendel then took the opportunity to thrust a sword into its throat and turned the hilt 180 degrees. This unlucky zing Wing Ambassador¡¯s head immediately separated from its body which Brendel then threw it to the side and hit the other zing Wing Ambassador with a loud bang.

    The zing Wing Ambassador immediately gave Brendel his full attention and raised his sword in mid-air, swinging it in a full circle, and shed it down at Brendel. The de sliced through Brendel¡¯s shoulder and Brendel¡¯s figure then distorted before he vanished.

    This was Brendel¡¯s fourth zing Wing Ambassador already, but this time the opponent dodged his first sneak attack, causing him to miss. However, Brendel found his opponent¡¯s evasive maneuvers exciting. These divine creatures had gradually started to be more powerful, and at this time there were still 23 of them left. Brendel and Mephisto took three down, Veronica took two, and Ciel took one. Brendel knew that the ones left were more powerful than those he had just encountered.

    But this wasn¡¯t a difficult task for Brendel.

    This time, if the zing Wing Ambassadors still had the ability to think, they would have noticed that Brendel seemed to know their attack pattern very well. The fourth zing Wing Ambassadors turned to counterattack, but it noticed that Brendel seemed to have expected it to do so, and he managed to dodge it easily. In its eyes, all he could see was Brendel¡¯s mockery. Suddenly, it also saw a palm in metal gloves that came and grab its wrist.

    Before the zing Wing Ambassador had time to react, it was lifted into the air and then crashed heavily into something.

    Brendel mmed the two zing Wing Ambassadors together, reached for his sword with a backhand and killed them all together.

    At the same moment, Mephisto killed another zing Wing Ambassador, which meant that at this moment Brendel¡¯s killing speed was ahead of everyone else present.

    Lenarette was wearing a stiff expression and panting when he finally finished up their only opponent with the help of Shido¡¯s spell. Shido looked at the odd piece of machinery that had stumbled and fallen through the hole, gasping for breath and then at the notebook she was holding that had a deep cut on it. If it wasn¡¯t for this thick notebook, Shido might already be lying in a pool of blood. Butpared to that, Miss Schr would actually rather be lying in a pool of blood. She looked at her hard-earned notes, trying to hold her tears back.

    Haruz, who was covered in ice g, was more nervous than both of them. He rushed to his feet and ran to the cave, as if afraid that his teacher would be killed by those monsters. He saw how powerful those monsters were with his own eyes as it took Lenarette, Shido and him to kill just one of them.

    He looked down to the tform, but was surprised to find that the battle below was going on differently than what he imagined.

    Brendel was also injured.

    But the injury was an exchange for three zing Wing Ambassadors. His right hand was drenched in blood, and blood was still dripping down the hilt of his sword, around his gauntlet, and down the ckened de of the Halran Gaia. But around him, the original twelve zing Wing Ambassadors had fallen to pieces, leaving five floating wobbly in mid-air, asionallyunching themselves from all directions.

    But this time Brendel has been fully integrated into the memories of past battles. A yer¡¯s instincts, it seemed, had returned to him. He was no longer a neswalker Mage, but a true warrior veteran. His attacks were then not limited to swordy, and the yer¡¯s attacks consistently sought results without focusing on the process. Haruz was dumbfounded, his jaw dropped as he saw his teacherpletely abandoning defense, rushing towards one of the zing Wing Ambassadors like a meteor. The zing Wing Ambassador immediately stabbed his teacher with its double-headed sword, the speed of both was so fast that even the young prince thought his teacher was going to be injured, but it was as if Brendel had anticipated it and so the attack fell shortpletely. Brendel plunged his sword into the creature¡¯s chest, emitting a crunching sound as if a gear had broken.

    And this time the rest of the zing Wing Ambassadors came up and surrounded him. Not only did Haruz see his teacher not even turn his head back, butshed out a backhand punch, which surpassed everyone¡¯s expectations, directly hitting the side of the helmet of the zing Wing Ambassador. That was, its cheek, with such force that its entire head was almost dented. The young prince saw the strange machinery flying out. The punch must have hurt, he couldn¡¯t help but squint a little as he saw the head of the odd machine twist excessively, as if even the parts and gears inside had been put out of ce.

    Haruz himself also knew sword art, he estimated the reaction of the odd machine, and thought that the other party might have been paying attention to Brendel¡¯s sword only and didn¡¯t expect Brendel to attack him with his bare hands.

    ¡°Teacher ...... is really ......¡±

    Haruz, dumbfounded, swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Although Brendel was the one who taught him swordy, he had never seen his teacher fuming like this. He had heard one or two things from his sister before that Lord Count seemed to be a highly skilled summoner, but he did not expect such swordy from him.

    This king of Aouineid stunned at the entrance of the cave, feeling a little overwhelmed for a moment, but at the same time feeling his heart pumping in excitement. This was the kind of battle I anticipated.

 Chapter 794 - v4c162 Sublimation

    Chapter 794 v4c162

    Sublimation

    ¡°My lord, your swordsmanship...it¡¯s...¡± Shido was awestruck. ¡° I have never seen anything like this...¡±

    ¡°Efficient and effective, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lenarette Aurelius exhaled. He still had quite a few wounds across his body, but the Kirrlutzian prince was not whiny about it. Like a genuine warrior, he clenched his teeth as he added, ¡°Though I do admit it is a little unrefined, hardly fit for royalty.¡±

    ¡°This style of sword art...was clearly made with the sole purpose of winning...¡± Shido mumbled.

    ¡°This sword art style was made solely for the kill because the sword is a weapon of murder.¡± The young prince remained silent but was suddenly reminded of his sister¡¯s words, ¡°Your master¡¯s fighting style could even be said to not be birthed from the context of war, but instead one that focuses on instant termination of a fight. I guess that exins its no-nonsense sword art style...which makes me curious, where can it possibly stem from?¡±

    Because it was the fighting style of a gamer.

    It was less about channelling full force to a single strike, but more towards a rapid session of swift attacks when opportunity presented itself, dealing the maximum damage one could deal, even if it was at the expense of minor injuries.

    Meanwhile, Veronica was also fixated on the battleground. She was initially convinced that Brendel would be stuck in a tough battle, readying her troops for immediate backup once the tides were against him. What was beyond her expectations however was that not only was Brendel not overpowered, he was on the offensive.

    Her emerald green pupils glistened from awe, watching as Brendel weaved through portals high and low. With the terrain at his aid and that strange machine at his whim, he was constantly pulling bizarre yet impressive attacks.

    The Gods of mes were stabbed in the back, or stumbling into each other, or just casually shoved to the wall. Carrying the electric sparks with them as rows and rows of foot soldiers fell into the abyss.

    This had nothing to do with the sword art!

    This was from experience!

    The female squad leader was bewildered by what she was seeing, but she knew full well that it was not because of the Aouine¡¯s military sword art, nor was it due to the resemnce to sh Strike Sword Art as mentioned in those reports. It was pure fighting experience.

    What her mind can¡¯t seem toprehend was the actual existence of a person of such calibre!

    Brendel was only a mere twenty years old, she knew well of that, and from all the intel that she had gathered, that was true in its entirety. But for a youth of his age, not only did he possess otherworldly prowess, but how did he gather such experience in fighting and war?

    Sometimes she was not even convinced anyone would ever subdue an opponent that way, yet there she was, witnessing it with her own two eyes as Brendel had done it, leaving her with just one question. This can¡¯t just be Brendel¡¯s own thought process!

    But that was just nonsensical, outrageous even, that she would have acknowledged that this youngd possessed a fighting experience beyond that of her own.

    Her conscience could begrudgingly admit that she was right, but her experience would not allow her to believe it.

    Veronica was conflicted, she too was a sword saint herself! And a renowned one at that! Themander of the Kirrlutzian Azure skies division herself,ying waste to the Haizaiers, the demons, the heretics!

    Evaluating her fifty-odd years of living, half of it spent in the fields of war, her pride and her gut would never allow for her to admit this. But she knew deep down that this was beyond just pure talent, but a convincing exnation eluded her.

    She unwittingly lifted her head back up, crossing nces with Mephisto from a distance, the Ash Sword Saint shared the same awestruck look on his face.

    But his leaned more towards genuine surprise, hers however was regret.

    ¡°You got yourself a good student, Mephisto.¡±

    Veronica was envious, thinking about how she would have been first in line to invite Brendel into her division back at the Loop of Trade Winds, if she knew then.

    Shemented. Who cares if he¡¯s Kirrlutzian or Aouine, if I got Brendel to be one of my students, he would have sided with the Kirrlutz people eventually anyway! Auoine is too small to be threat for the Kirrlutz empire!

    Why didn¡¯t this even once cross my mind?

    Meanwhile, Dim Korfa was anxious.

    Initially, she wanted to first remove the weakest among Veronica, Mephisto and Brendel, but never would she ever ponder the possibility that she had gravely underestimated Brendel, and the surprise he brought.

    ¡°You hid your power!¡± From her perspective, that was the only reason. A twenty-year-old young adult having such monstrous fighting experience, she caught glimpses of her previous opponents in young Brendel.

    Even though he was not quite the level of the Darkness Dragon, Odin nor Alphonse, the Dragon of Fury, or the Crystal, but his level was akin to that of the Twilight war already!

    In the words of the mortals, this is the skill of a demigod!

    Going through all the usible reasons she could think of, there was none but one, that her previous adversaries took the form of a mortal to seek vengeance upon her. This reasoning was the most legitimate, for if she could have awoken from her previous state, who was to say others could not? The divine power was now far gone, but the divine influence was still very much present and alive, the most famous of which were Odin¡¯s Azure knights.

    With her forgone deduction, her expression shifted for the worse as her electrified hair began floating in midair. She howled, ¡°You aren¡¯t just a ck dwarf...you, you are one of the Divine folk! Who the hell are you?!¡±

    Divine folk huh.

    Brendel pulled himself back from Korfa¡¯s deafening roar, at that point he had already rid all enemies within his radius, while also breaking Hipam out from a losing position. The young priestess had multiple times fallen into a losing position, her fighting ability some distance away from that of Ciel as she was clearly huffing and puffing from a close encounter being surrounded by three gods of mes.

    ¡°Thank you, milord.¡±

    She had suffered several wounds, her robe torn from battle as she gradually caught her breath, through windows of gasps she expressed her gratitude.

    Brendel was rather agitated by the battered condition of his subordinates, yet nheless kept his attention perked by Dim Korfa¡¯s mention of divine folk.

    What does that even mean?

    Does Odin count as divine folk? Or the Azure knights? Are they divine folk? Odin once mentioned that they do have a portion of the highborn blood flowing within them, they could be the descendants of the Divine folk, but they likely aren¡¯t purebloods.

    He had always been curious about the rtionship between the Divine folk and the gods. From its definitive meaning, divine folk would be the offspring of the gods. One of Vaunte¡¯s mainstream teachings was that the Divine folk were the first true inhabitants of Vaunte, the servants of the gods, and from them came the golden age.

    In the time of the Silver race, as the Pale poem has mentioned, the Divine folk would at least be on equal standing with Marsha or the Divine beings themselves, because the poem clearly mentioned that the Divine folk and Marsha were ones who have woven the world into existence!

    But from what Korfa is saying, she seems to mean something entirely different, because she would know for sure what all of this means. Like she said, the Gods will no longer walk thisnd, and she was thest awoken God from the Vaunte. But why would she proim that I am not a member of the ck dwarfs, but instead a Divine folk?

    Even if Dim Korfa¡¯s words sounded like a slip of a tongue, Brendel precisely captured the words he wasn¡¯t intended to hear, that Korfa knows for a fact: The Divine folk aren¡¯t gods.

    Pondering the true definition of the term ¡°Divine folk¡±, Brendel had his suspicions. What if the divine folk are neswalkers, which would be the legendary handlers. If that¡¯s the case, it would connect all the dots.

    There¡¯s one thing though, be it Odin or the Azure knights, they called themselves the descendants of the Divine folk, but never the Divine folk themselves. But they are actual neswalkers after all...are they just being humble? Or is there a more sinister truth?

    Brendel began connecting the dots, confident that his own bizarre system had something to do with this mystery.

    He then lifted his head as he snickered right to Dim Korfa¡¯s face, ¡°Korfa oh Korfa, this has nothing to do with the divine folk.

    It¡¯s just that the ythings you put out are way too shabby don¡¯t you think? If you wanted to talk about the Divine folk, aren¡¯t there already a few around here?¡± He casually pointed at Mephisto and Veronica, who at that point had cleared themselves of all the minor Gods of mes, even Ciel managed to subdue the other two that were onto him.

    Evidently, Hipam and Ciel might be on the same level of prowess on paper, but experience-wise, thetter was on a far superior level.

    ¡°Do not y me as a fool,¡± Korfa actually took the bait as she sneered, ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about your skill level, I am talking about fighting ability, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re giving far too ridiculous an excuse for it to even be believable? A bug closing in on activation, but with a fighting skill akin to that of amander.¡±

    Commander level fighting skill, Brendel caught a new term, and he now knows roughly where his fighting skill stood amongst the rest and where it originated from.

    Well, that experience was from over 130 levels of fighting experience, one that would require drastically less time to be done as a yer than an NPC, one that would take a locale over several centuries to achieve, or even more.

    He knew with his current experience, he had significantly exceeded the levels of this era, encroaching on the divine realm even. What wascking now was but his actual power level.

    ¡°With amander level fighting ability, does that make me a member of the Divine folk?¡± Brendel halfheartedly chuckled.

    ¡°Of course not, are you from the Divine realm? Are you Alphonse, Crystal or ze?¡± Dim Korfaughed maniacally as the entire space shook, she seemed brimmed with pride that she had seen through his scheme.

    It¡¯s no wonder this psychotic bitch thinks she¡¯s exposed my weakness, she knew for a fact that no ck dwarf would have any knowledge of the prehistoric era, God or any memory of the period, not even anyone from the Silver race!

    Brendel finally understood where her interpretation was from. In Korfa¡¯s point of view, with hismander level prowess, he would have to be either a God, or a member of the Divine folk, there was no other way around.

    He was also reminded that Dim Korfa had, among the Twilight ranks, yed a leader figure. Her description of amander was one of her equal from the side of order, an opponent of the same calibre. From the ranking system of Kirrlutz mythology, he would be of demigod level or above.

    Brendel was intrigued.

    This was actually his first time encroaching on the muddy scenes from the prehistoric era. Knowing the game mechanics, anything from that time period was bombastic, the lore, the missions and the rewards.

    In the game, anything pped with the ¡°prehistoric¡± title was immensely prestigious, even items like the sh Strike Sword Art or the Nine Luminaries Sword Art were present era items, with the battle of the Ebabel fort as the demarcation event. Anything before that was the convoluted prehistoric era, jumbled with myths and legends.

    There was only one in-game item that the yers could obtain, and it was the War Stone Tablet.

    Just that alone had created an absurd fever hype.

    ¡°Tell me, where are you from?¡± Korfa took to ask, ¡°Eleven, Twelve or Seventeen?¡±

    What do those numbers even mean? Brendel was dumbfounded, yet with the same stoic expression he wistfully replied, ¡°It isn¡¯t something I could tell.¡±

    What was unexpected was the almost entirely electrically charged Dim Korfa abruptly gone quiet, her electrically imbued pupils staring terrifyingly at him, ¡°Strange, not a member of the Divine folk, then what creature are you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the damn creature, bloody hell!¡± Brendel cursed under his breath, but he was not expecting his enemy to take a 180-degree approach.

    Recalling the preceding events, the hint could only have been on the row of numbers she spewed, but he just couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it, and Korfa was definitely not going to give him any further clues.

    Right then, Veronica and Mephisto came up to him, each on one side.

    ¡°Brendel, what game are you ying with her?¡± Veronica was first to pop the question, albeit with a baffling look on her face which Brendel caught at once. She resembled a little child looking right at a toy she yearned that another kid had.

    Just that simple thought gave him chills.

    Half-expecting the Squad leader toe out with more strange ideas, he promptly answered, ¡°I have no idea what she¡¯s saying, mdy, I just wanted to squeeze some intel out of her.¡±

    ¡°So you did as she said?¡± Veronica snapped.

    Brendel nodded.

    Their conversation was duly observed by Dim Korfa, even though the first daughter of Hati was expecting it, she was still visibly perturbed.

    For someone of her status and regard, to be yed by one of the ck dwarfs had her rattled. Naturally, she was not aware of Brendel¡¯s otherworldly experience, and even then he might still be beneath her. But right then, all sheprehended was that she was tricked by a puny little bug.

    Even worse still in front of her little ¡®sister¡¯.

    If she still had her physical body, she would be flushed with embarrassment by now, but right then, all she could do was to channel her shame and anger to a thunderous rant!

    ¡°You mortals will pay for this!¡±

    Right then, the entire space trembled, everyone instantly turned towards Dim Korfa, only to see her engulfed in a cluster of blinding electric currents, tens of thousands of electric bolts, thick as a human arm, fused into her body.

    Watching the scene as it was ying out, Brendel was the first to react, ¡°The Divine barrier is broken, the bitch is doing it herself!¡±

    Without a twist, the invisible shield shattered like ss around Dim Korfa, only able to see its opaque shape in the split second as it burst, before vanishing into the air around it.

    Within moments, the electric currents encircled Korfa, forming a scintiting electric sphere.

    And Korfa was like a butterfly in her cocoon, shielded entirely in the electric ball, her body was remotely visible, but her pupils were glowing in blinding re.

    ¡°Sublimation of divine power...¡± Shido, stared blindly at the scene as it unfolded while mumbling, ¡°Sublimation of divine power, this is the sublimation of divine power!¡±

    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Haruz confusedly turned to the others for rification.

    Miss Schr was clearly stunned,pletely oblivious of his enquiry, and it was instead Korfa behind him that replied, her eyes glimmering from the rustling sparks of electricity, ¡°In your tongue, this is the ignition of the divine me.¡±

    ......

    The once weakly ember going by the name of the ze of Divine Power was lit, gradually growing from its initial ember spark into roaring mes.

    Milos¡¯ residual power was like a dormant seed nted, and at that moment, nourished and nurtured by Dim Korfa, breaking through its seed into a sapling. A sapling so immensely powerful Brendel could feel it resonate throughout the entire space, akin to a deste cry for help within this precarious space. Rays of energy began forming from within thin air, translucent to sight as they lurched towards the electric cocoon that Korfa was in.

    At that moment, Dim Korfa¡¯s dark soul appeared to be forming a reaction with the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep. No, it was with Milos¡¯ remains!

    Brendel ultimately clicked on the identity of these translucent energy charges.

    They were order.

    They were thew.

    They were the divine power of the space ¡ª Milos¡¯ spiritual awareness.

    Brendel¡¯s expression shifted rather dramatically as he frantically yelled out to the others, ¡°Watch out, her integration with Milos is getting tighter!¡±

    ¡°So this is the power ofw and order.¡±

    Dim Korfa¡¯s voice rustled ever so slightly.

    The owner of the once proud, conceited and ice-cold tone seemed to flip like a switch, now all that was left was the roaring voice of what akin to a queen.

    Brendel could identify at this point the nearly perpendicr tone of hers to Milos¡¯, just that it was still feminine.

    ¡°Order and chaos intertwine and intercept, like the presence of light and shadow,¡± Dim Korfa raised her hand from within the electric cocoon, ¡°Nevertheless, these are unchanging facts of the world, and it does not belong to just you mortals. Allow me to stand in Milos¡¯ ce in restructuring this Earth.¡±

    She proudly lifted her chin, her palm wide open, ¡°ept your penance.¡±

    Immediately after her words dropped, a hundred bolts of lighting rose from all around her while Brendel andpany watched in terror.

    Like an ashen peacock boasting the majestic extent of its feathers, the nearing hundred blinding bolts of lightning hovered in mid-air, before taking a sharp turn, aimed directly at each and every one of her adversaries in the hall!

 Chapter 795 - v4c163 Bitter Fight

    Chapter 795 v4c163

    Bitter Fight

    Space was promptly saturated with scorching spears of blinding light.

    Like a meteor shower seen from up close, the fiery darts of magic narrowly shot past Brendel, Veronica and Mephisto, or crashing onto Ciel magic defence shield.

    As more and more fatal radiating beams rained down, Hipam managed to retreat to the edge, albeit at great effort, yet helplessly watched as her Staff of tribute was struck and splintered into pieces.

    Meanwhile, some of the lightning bolts were directed at the crown prince of Kirrlutz, hitting the surrounding icicles first before reaching him. Ice pieces of varying sizes came crashing down from above, smashing right on the heads of the screaming Shido and Haruz.

    Before the first wave of lightning bolts was cleared, the second was already charged, loaded and fired! Upon the ck canvas that was their surroundings were arrows of white light, scattered like loose cannons, their destinations could be on any of these potential victims in the space!

    ¡°Brendel, the hunter siblings!¡± Veronica snapped out of her thoughts as she yelled.

    Brendel had an instant change of expression. Considering the fact that all this while they had their hands full with countering the advances of Dim Korfa, they werepletely oblivious of the fact that Peja and Yaruta were still around.

    This time around, Korfa unleashed a berserker attack in all directions, and with the hunter siblings only slightly more capable than normal humans, more so now that they were unconscious, a single hit from the lightning bolt would undoubtedly kill them in an instant.

    Regardless, it was a bted thought that had crossed their minds moments toote, and now they were all a notable distance away from the hunter siblings.

    A blinding lightning bolt shed before their eyes...

    Watching powerlessly as tragedy struck before his eyes, Brendel was riddled with guilt. To think he promised Peya that he would keep them safe at all costs...

    The first lightning struck painfully close to where Peya wasying, the tform red with a sharp sh.

    Yet at that moment, a second strike was aimed right at the young hunterdy¡¯s chest!

    Just when all hope seemed to be lost, the Shield of Light appeared in the nick of time, engulfing the hunter siblings within its protection, sessfully protecting them from what seemed like certain death.

    It was none other than Hipam, the only magic wielder in the arena!

    Brendel was caught off guard and still had an ominous feeling within.

    He watched as the Lady Bishop, tossing away her splintered staff, selflessly came to the aid of the hunter siblings Peya and Yaruta.

    ¡°Watch out for yourself!¡± Brendel yelled out to Hipam, knowing full well the consequences of her emphatic action.

    At that moment, a blinding sh pierced through her left arm, leaving her shrieking from pain as she stumbled ever so slightly before a second followed immediately, this time prating her tiny waist.

    ¡°Ugh,¡± The young Lady Bishop grunted as blood squirted across the tform, its host copsing on the ground.

    ¡°Hipam!¡± Brendel screamed in agony before another lightning bolt came right at him.

    He niftily did a backflip into the magic transport funnels, watching as dozens of light beams collided into one another before bursting into an array of sparks. ¡°Ciel!¡±

    Brendel navigated to the lower end of the funnel, untangled a bottle and tossed it right to his nearest mage apprentice.

    ¡°Pass it on!¡±

    Ciel hurriedly turned the shield to another direction, sloppily blocking a lightning bolt as it rippled on the emerald light shield. He then casually caught the bottle, popped it open and promptly identified it as Health potion No. 13.

    Veronica on the other hand was adeptly waving her swords, blocking the darts of light as they came. Lifting her head, reflected on her emerald green pupils was the third wave of electric waves rising from behind Korfa.

    At that moment, the entire space was once again saturated with blinding white light.

    ¡°Buddy, Mephisto. We need an actual n, we can¡¯t go on like this forever!¡± She knew full well that they were heading towards an increasingly strenuous position.

    ¡°Milord, we are also facing some issues over here,¡± Ciel was panicking watching as deathrays of lightning came raining down on them, leaving him maimed to his position.

    This was a death trap, and unless theye up with a way to cut Dim Korfa¡¯s endless supply of energy from Milos, this would drain them down.

    Brendel grunted ever so slightly before he rushed towards his mentor, ¡°Teacher, any ideas of getting close to Dim Korfa, at least diverting her attention from constantly attacking all of us?¡± Among the five, only Mephisto had the residual ability to retaliate.

    Mephisto rushed directly towards Korfa, and in response near-infinite amounts of white light shot right towards him! Yet every blinding light shot towards the Ash Sword Saint was diverted, the more rapid and blinding the lightning bolts were, equal numbers of light beams were reflected away towards the spaces around Mephisto, akin to that of a walking prism.

    The Ash Sword Saint seemingly tore his way through the overbearing waves of lightning and explosions, catching Korfa off guard in the process.

    ¡°Goddamn, Goddamnit!¡± Korfa howled from anger, before turning much of her attack towards Mephisto, which in turn cleared the path drastically for the others.

    However, that left Mephisto with no choice but to retreat for the time being, preserving his strength for the seemingly increasingly tedious fight.

    Ciel was finally able toe to Hipam¡¯s defense, grabbing the shield as he rushed empathetically towards her.

    The air, blindingly white from the impervious streaks of lightning as they came towards him only to bounce off his magic shield.

    Back on the tform, Hipam, who was hit by the stray lightning bolts struggled as she lifted herself upright. Nevertheless, impaired by the wound on her shoulder as blood gushed out from it, with a dull grunt she copsed into a pool of her own blood. Ciel was anxious to reach her, despite being in in sight, the distance between them was so close yet so far. At that moment, Korfa seemed to have seen through their fair scheme as she once again reorganised her attack back towards the direction where Ciel was positioned.

    Ciel¡¯s magic shield began to flicker as the attacks were actively taking a toll on his magic power. Beads of sweat began dripping down his forehead, If this goes on I¡¯ll have to retreat into the tunnel again.

    Brendel naturally noticed the precarious situation he was in as his nerves rattled. Out of options, he shouted, ¡°Ciel, turn the shield towards me!¡±

    Ciel was baffled.

    ¡°Now!¡±

    ¡°But Milord...you cannot take this risk...¡± Hipam¡¯s voice was heard from within their souls, seemingly holding back from the immense pain she was experiencing, ¡°I...haven¡¯t been following you for too long, let me go.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about, this isn¡¯t a business deal!¡± Brendel then red at Ciel,

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s an order!¡±

    Ciel chuckled awkwardly, yet did not turn his shield towards Brendel, but instead extended its radius to cover the position that Brendel was in.

    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Brendel let out a sigh of brief relief as he praised. Ciel then replied, ¡°But you have to consider my life too, Milord...¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, are you just going to let her die?¡±

    Ciel shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ll cover you.¡±

    ¡°Milord...Mr Ciel...¡± Hipam lying in her pool of blood as she mumbled feebly.

    Brendel did not waste any more time as he pulled out his sh Strike Sword and pointed it towards Ciel. Woosh!

    Ciel¡¯s magic shield trembled more than ever from the sudden ally attack as Ciel terrifyingly replied, ¡°Master, are you trying to kill me?¡±

    ¡°Shut it!¡± Brendel knew he was saying it half-jokingly, but he was not in the mood for jokes.

    Pulling out his sword from Ciel¡¯s magic shield, in a sh he reappeared right next to Hipam as the young bishop painfully watched.

    Drenched in blood was his bishop apprentice, barely breathing. Lifting her soft, feeble body off the ground, Brendel was furious.

    Right at that moment, he saw an array of blinding lights heading right at him, right then all he could do was to somersault with Hipam in his arms, as theynded on the edge of the tform. Taking a quick look, to his surprise were several passageways that couldfortably shield a few people.

    Without hesitation, Brendel took the leap, gently cing Hipam on the tunnel in a sitting position. He was shocked by what he saw.

    Hipam¡¯s cheeks were patched with bloodstains, her eyes tightly shut but beads of tears were continuously rolling down, her chapped lips mumbling inaudibly. Brendel was heartbroken to witness his selfless apprentice, this battered and terrified.

    Only then did he realise how much courage it must have required for her to say what she said earlier, which aches his heart. Patting her gently on the back as a means to reassurance, he took out a bottle of No. 13 health potion and caringly fed her some.

    Moments after, Hipam¡¯s eyshes twitched, gradually opening her eyes. Her sky blue pupils were overwhelmed with regret as she then said, ¡°My apologies, Milord, I...¡±

    ¡°Hush, you did more than enough,¡± Brendel replied. For a Gold level with little battle experience, her performance could be deemed perfect.

    Most importantly, it was the bravery she disyed, which Brendel knew full well came from her loyalty to himself, yet have no clearprehension of.

    To him, her loyalty and dedication seemed to be far more sincere than just about anyone else, almost to the level of a religious follower to their God. I guess it must be the in-game card and personality settings...

    Nheless, he was moved.

    ¡°Get some rest, we¡¯ll handle the rest.¡±

    Hipam was not satisfied with the arrangement, noticeably biting on her lip.

    Brendel was beating himself up for the reassurance that he gave to her, one that even he himself wouldn¡¯t believe. At this point, Dim Korfa had clearly overpowered them, on the brink of even breaking Mephisto, and he ranked only second to Sage level!

    Brendel then gently tugged Hipam to a morefortable position for her to recuperate, lifted his head, his eyes now fixated back onto the lightning bolts and explosion in the air above. Korfa was unsurprisingly still in the center of the tform, effortlessly controlling the countless lightning strikes, unleashing them on each and every one of her adversaries present.

    ¡°Argh!!¡± Brendel then heard a scream of pain from above, it was Haruz¡¯s voice. He knew he could no longer dy anymore.

    His only shot was to hit where it mattered. Right at Dim Korfa.

    He knew he had to take the risk, patting his Staff of Earth as a rallying call.

    In the criss-cross of blinding lights, Dim Korfa could feel her energy rapidly growing from within. Her eyes closed tight, with the imbued confidence that she could make all of this disappear with a stroke of her hand.

    This level of control was incredible, not even something she experienced in her prehistoric era, when she was at her peak. So this incredible feeling is what it means to be a God in the world of Order! Licking her lips, she was ecstatic.

    Even if those before her were nothing but puny insects, it was a gratuitous feeling to manipte them at her will. Knowing the energy she obtained from nature could break the world into pieces, that was an immensely satisfying feeling.

    On the other side of the aisle, the group of people were at their lowest.

    The image once again reappeared right around her, Oginsk burned to the ground, and the city up next being Ten Arm city, with an imaginary hourss hovering over it. Once the time is up, the city would be blown to ashes.

    Destruction was a pleasure to Dim Korfa, as it had always been. Yet this time around she couldn¡¯t help but burst into maniacalughter.

    Like a demon, her piercingugh echoed through the entire space.

    Mephisto, Veronica and the lot were beginning to show signs of exhaustion from the constant assault, and were unaware that at that moment, Brendel had vanished.

    Haruz was leaning weakly on the ice walls, pale as a sheet as he mumbled inaudibly.

    The young schr was tactless- panicking, she grabbed the remaining clothes she had in her backpack as he tried to cover his wounds, hoping they would keep him from bleeding out. But there heid in a pool of blood, his body temperature rapidly dropping as blood did not stop gushing from the wounds on his chest.

    ¡°Am...I dying?¡±

    ¡°No no no, you won¡¯t. Right, Haruz, don¡¯t you think you look just like your sister?¡± Shido, under the advice of Lenarette tried her best to divert the young prince¡¯s attention, hoping to keep him conscious for as long as they could.

    Haruz feebly nodded.

    ¡°Is it though?¡± Shido replied with a tone of suspicion. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s prettier than you.¡±

    Haruz wanted to cry, but couldn¡¯t, yet wanted to defend his manly pride as he weakly scoffed, ¡°Miss Shido, I don¡¯t...find itforting to hear that.¡±

    ¡°Who the hell are you people?!¡± Right then, a tone of hostility from Mr & Mrs. Laurenna that had been standing guard by the entrance of the cave thus far was heard. But naturally it was mostly Fs¡¯ taunts.

    What came after was a dull thud, the sounds ofbat, leaving the Crown prince to stare towards the direction of where the ominous noises were from. A frown on his forehead, it did not take long before they saw Laurenna supporting the injured Fs as they retreated back.

    Shido lifted her head, and her expression changed.

    All she saw presented before her, were a suffocating parade of the ck Knights!

    ¡°All life will be one.¡±

    ......

    Struggling to focus her vision, Scarlet recalled a distant experience of her encounter with a pack of wolves back in the forest.

    To her, her current circumstance reminded her of the exact event in her life, in the dark of night, lighted faintly by the reflection of the full moon as wolves howled through the night. The wolves resembled ghouls of the forest, haunting her presence.

    Seemingly everywhere, the wolves are social animals, cunning and brutal. From her perspective, carbon copies of the Kirrlutzian Nobles as they hinted at one another, growling and snarling like soulless carnivores.

    Revealing their terrifying fangs, Scarlet reactively shook her head, and only then in the seconds of rity identified that it was instead the spears of the militant Kirrlutz nobles.

    She was fully surrounded.

    Scarlet gathered all her energy to make sure her eyelids were kept open, even for the slightest of moments. She caught glimpses of a young man wielding a crossbow not far from her, his words just seemed like white noise. Under herckluster conscience, hisugher, exposing his neat rows of sparkly teeth, felt ever more sinister to her.

    That went on for moments.

    She then felt the presence of a certain someoneing towards her. Clenching her teeth she ruggedly retreated, and it was then she came to the grim realisation that she was in no condition to resist. ¡°Milord...¡± Scarlet was mortified, fearing for her life, horrified by the idea that she would never see her lord ever again.

    Her expression went dull as tears began streaming down her cheeks. Right then, a spine chilling touch from an inanimate weapon resting on her shoulder, before quickly followed by an immense pain on her scalp. Someone was dragging her by the hair and forcing her head up!

    By then, her vision was already blurry from the pain she had endured. Weaving in and out of consciousness, she could picture a man with an extensive scar across his face, a sinister look in his eyes.

    ¡°The queen monkey of the forest...oh, what¡¯s that look on your face?¡± Through her minimal consciousness, she could hear her captor enjoying his dominant position as he teased.

    Scarlet felt a stab as she struggled. Her captor howled before he grabbed her by her luscious hair and tossed her across to the icy periphery.

    The teenage Hignder felt her vision cking out as she choked.

    A series of hostile arguments was heard, albeit periodically audible to her. What sounded like a young man ming hispanions, all sounded hostile to Scarlet. At that moment, all she wanted was to curl up like a child, protecting herself from the terrors of the world. But reality snapped back at her fast as someone violently grabbed her by her hair as she jerked towards him, her face adjusted to face him as he aggressively patted her on the face, seemingly saying something she was too dazed to understand.

    Something about Veronica, the Pahiru family, some plot, some treason, the Empress and the like, even the lord was mentioned briefly, but Scarlet was zoned out from focus. Attempting her best to piece together what her captor just said, yet his voice appeared increasingly muddled from distance now, her eyelids closing on themselves, her head began to nk out.

    That man finished his interrogation, before stopping to take a good look at her.

    But she seemed in a trance.

    The captor reactively gave her a brutal smack across her face, her head tilted to a side, swollen and dull at that point, her eyes so swollen it was barely open. Yet there she was, staring to a distance with a smirk on her face.

    She clenched on her teeth as she watched on her adversaries, yet it was then she seemed to havee into realisation, that the real target was not her, the ones they were looking to undermine was the lord, and Miss Veronica.

    The revtion was like a remedy to sobriety.

    Through her ever-narrowing vision, she witnessed the young Babam man pushing her interrogator aside, before the two parties got involved in a heated argument.

    ¡°No...I need to report to...the lord...¡±

    The young Hignder had a thought in her head, and it was clear.

    Just then, a voice seemed to have crept into the deepest, darkest alleys of her soul.

    ¡°Scarlet, right...I remember that¡¯s what you were called once upon a time, isn¡¯t it right?¡±

 Chapter 796 - v4c164 Black Knight

    Chapter 796 v4c164

    ck Knight

    The ck Knights strode on the ice surface towards the core of the cave where the tformid. Laurenna, Fs and Lenarette along with Shido surrendered, their arms held high, with weapons that appeared to have been made of ck crystals held to their necks. The ck Knights wore a long, pitch ck, hooded cape made of velvet. Devoid of any expression, they resembled holograms made from the dark spells.

    The ice caves were ransacked, and the chipped ice and crumbled walls all around the cave provided clear evidence of the intense battle taken here not too long ago. The ck knights dragged two of their dead out of the caves, leaving a trail of blood by their feet.

    Arger than usual ck Knight came before Dim Korfa, prompting the young woman to turn towards him.

    Her metallic pupils gazed fearlessly upon him, but all she saw were the shrouded pupils glowing from within the darkness of the hood, and a long, deprived chin.

    The ck knight gazed at Korfa¡¯s porcin neck for a while, contemting if he should drive his de to it, ¡°Please move aside,¡± Korfa grunted.

    ¡°Ms Korfa,¡° That knight ced his hand over his chest, ever so slightly kneeling to her, the nking between the bulky armor and the chainmail underneath was clearly heard with every move.

    Korfa then took to ask, ever so frankly as she nced over to the trembling Shido, ¡°Are you here to do to me what they have done?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare, mdy,¡± The knight replied with his head hung low.

    Korfa cracked a half-smile, barely visible to sight as she thought. These soldiers are devout worshippers of the Twilight, so their respect for me must surely because of my ¡®sister¡¯!

    Korfa was convinced that they see her ¡®sister¡¯, being the oldest daughter of Hati, to be the rightful leader of the demons of the Twilight Legion. The way mortals worship the gods and Marsha, these fanatics would worship her as one of their divine beings too!

    She might be simple-minded, but she couldn¡¯t help but sigh at the thought that these people were only keen to believe what they perceived as true.

    ¡°Then can I ask for you to release them in my stead, would you do it?¡± She calmly requested.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannot.¡±

    ¡°Are you not worried that I might be furious, that I might tell my sister on you,¡± Korfa was stone cold.

    ¡°I¡¯m certain Lady Korfa will not put the me on us over something so menial, these people,¡± he turned back for a nce, ¡°are your enemies, are they not?¡±

    ¡°I am not in a battle with anyone. These are not my enemies.¡±

    ¡°Then they surely are your sister¡¯s, aren¡¯t they, little princess?¡± The knight¡¯s lips tweaked ever so slightly.

    Korfa kept her silence for a bit, turning towards the shrivelling Shido, ¡°Then at least let that one go, she¡¯s but a child, there is no threat she could pose to us.¡±

    The knight once again turned behind for a look and nodded. The ck Knight by Shido¡¯s side withdrew his sword, and the schr feebly slid to the ground. She promptly began wailing.

    The knight frowned from dismay as he stared to the exit, where an intense battle was taking ce, hardly anyone over on the other side of the entrance was paying any attention to the events unfolding within. He then let out a sigh, turned towards Korfa and said, ¡°Please remain in here, mdy.¡±

    Korfa then faced the knight, with neither agreement nor disagreement, ordered him to stand down. Once again focusing her gaze towards Shido, who was by that point drenched in a pool of tears. She gave her nod of sympathy, which was acknowledged as the sound of crying slowly stiffened.

    The knight agreeably noted, raised his right hand and gave hisrade a signal. Soon after, a small unit of ck knights, armed with longbows, walked past their leader and cautiously headed towards the exit of the cave.

    Haruz bafflingly watched as the scene yed out, yet quickly realised their intentions as they approached the cave entrance.

    Panicking, his jaw was hung wide, ready to yell for caution.

    Right then, two feet stood right before him. Lifting his head to take a glimpse of the towering presence before him, he saw a pair of eyes prying down on himself.

    ¡°If I were you, your Highness, I would shut the hell up.¡±

    ......

    ¡°What the hell is he doing?¡±

    There Aloz and Medissa stood, side by side beneath the cier. Not too far from them, Arreck was limping as he made his way towards the exit, seemingly in severe injury as he huffed and puffed, taking interval breaks despite hardly covering any ground.

    The man was bruised and tattered, far from his usual posh demeanour as Count.

    His grey hair hung unkempt, Count Arreck was drenched in dirt and sweat, wrinkled and fatigued, akin to that of a beggar as he struggled to catch his breath, leaning on the walls for support as he painfully navigated himself towards his destination.

    Nevertheless, it did not take long before he tripped and copsed on the frozen ground. Crawling and dragging himself forward until his body could provide no more. He then rolled over,id disheartened for a full 15 minutes as Aloz and Medissa watched, before defeatedly pushing himself into a sitting position, and staggered as he stood, looking at the exit that was so close yet so far.

    ¡°He seems like he really wanted to go somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Where do you think that is?¡±

    ¡°Beats me.¡±

    ¡°But he does seem like he knows the way around.¡±

    Aloz and Medissa shared a gaze, nodded and both crawled out of the cier, stealthily trailing behind.

    Arreck waspletely oblivious of his surroundings and that he was being followed. Stumbling his way through the exit, he then took a twisted little path through the back alleys, a ce he seemed well ustomed to. At each crossroad, he hesitated just a short moment before picking the right direction.

    Medissa, as themander of the Silver elves, was naturally immensely adept with directions, and after a few turns, she could deduce that they were indeed heading north.

    It did not take long before civilisation and man-made creations ended, and what appeared before Arreck was a naturally created pit within a towering wall of ice.

    Aloz and Medissa watched as he rested by the entrance, removed a certain object from his clothes, and started munching on it. From the difficulty it took for Arreck to bite it off, it was clearly identified by the women to be a piece of stale jerky.

    ¡°He¡¯s recuperating,¡± She excitedly mentioned, ¡°Which means we are almost there, he didn¡¯t seem to be doing anything like this earlier.¡±

    ¡°What is he recharging for?¡± Medissa was rather baffled.

    ¡°Who knows,¡± Aloz was equally unbothered as she replied, ¡°We¡¯ll know soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Should we go ahead and stop him?¡± Medissa was going through her options, visibly restless about the situation they were in.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Aloz shook her head, ¡°What if we are not actually there yet, seeing how frustratingly stubborn this crusty fool is, he¡¯s not going to tell us.¡±

    The Silver elf princess nodded in agreement.

    Just as the two were whispering with each other, the Count had gobbled down on the piece of food in his hand.

    Retrieving a bottle of powder, white as snow, he sprinkled a fair amount in his palm, twirled it ever so slightly before hurling down his throat with an irk on his face.

    Aloz and Medissa finally got the full picture. The bottle was snow, and it was stored up by Arreck from the ciers before. Due to the sub-zero climate they were in now, it had not melted, but that surely confirmed their deductions from before.

    Gulping down the snow, Arreck coughed in disgust, clearly unustomed to it. Nevertheless, he unhurriedly stood back on his feet, with hardly any hesitation, limped his way, step by step into the cier.

    Watching this from a stone¡¯s throw away, Aloz was thrilled. She hinted at Medissa as the two women once again resumed their stalking.

    The cier was narrow yet long. Following the ethereal blue glow from within the walls of ice, they continued for an hour and a half, through its twists and turns.

    Aloz then abruptly stopped and patted Medissa on the shoulder.

    ¡°Medissa, did you hear that?¡± Under the dim environment, her golden eyes stood out more than ever, as its shimmering glow illuminated within the oversaturation of blue.

    Medissa and Aloz shared a glimpse, the elf princess nodded. Owing much to herrger than life pointy ears, the elves had a sense of hearing far better than most other races. She could hear the sounds on the other side of the cier from a mile away.

    ¡°It¡¯s lightning.¡±

    ¡°That means we¡¯re in the right ce,¡± Aloz added with an excited grin on her face, ¡°He must have some sinister n in store. But with the great Marsha on our side, he¡¯s dead meat.¡±

    Medissa however seemed slightly perturbed as she stared at Aloz, ¡°Regardless, let¡¯s make it there quick. Aloz, I¡¯m worried we might have missed the timing.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the hurry sister?¡±

    ¡°I...think I hear the voice of the Lord.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    On the other side of the cier was an exit above the cliff. Ten miles from the exit was a deep gorge. Beyond that was an apocalyptic thunderstorm taking shape from the massive gathering of lightning,ying waste on the entire gorge.

    And exactly because of that, from Dim Korfa¡¯s tform it was hard to observe this side of the cier, but from the exit, Arreck could see all without obstruction.

    wing onto the edge of the cier, pale as a skeleton, he silently watched as long drop below, Veronica, Mephisto, Ciel, Brendel and the rest were engaged in a furious battle. An ominous grin appeared on his face, seemingly quickly moving on from the disheartenment from just moments ago.

    But it didn¡¯t take long before he could feel his heart beating like a racehorse as he clenched his other hand on it. Cold sweat dripped down his face as he nodded and shook, seemingly in response to a certain someone through telepathy.

    ¡°I understand, mdy.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    It ended with him monologuing for a short moment. Watching from hiding behind the crevices of the cier, Aloz and Medissa motionlessly observed as he retrieved a dagger from his boot, and started diligently carving a certain something on the ice floor.

    They quickly identified it as a circr array.

    ¡°It must be an order from Korfa. That exins how he could navigate through this maze of a route,¡± Medissa soon came to realize, ¡°Sister, can you identify his array?¡±

    ¡°Seems to be a navigation array.¡±

    ¡°A navigation array?¡± Medissa began to panic, watching the precarious situation their side was in miles below, she could hardly wait to fly her unicorn down below to fight alongside Brendel. Yet she knew the importance of the secluded position she was in. Themander must not have known of Arreck¡¯s presence hidden from above, but she did, and that was where she could y her part.

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen an array of this size don¡¯t you, something akin to that of the Silver elves¡¯ war teleportation array. An array this massive cannot be initiated by the magic of a single person, it is a ritualistic array that requires an automatic umtion of magic from its surroundings to activate.¡±

    Aloz¡¯s eyes flickered with the bling of golden mes, licking her fearsome canine teeth, ¡°I understand now, the ingredients stolen from the Kirrlutzians for the Door of mes must be here with him now. Korfa is using him to open a transportation array right here, to summon demons to fight in her stead.

    ¡°We cannot let that happen,¡± Medissa blurted.

    ¡°That¡¯s for sure.¡±

    The mother dragon sneered as she nodded agreeably. If she had her tail, it would be standing upright.

    Arreck huffed and puffed as hepleted the first array. Nevertheless, for a teleportation array as grand as the Door of me, a single array would hardly be enough. Ruggedly wiping off the sweat on his forehead, he made his way on the other side and began drafting the second array.

    Right then, he noticed a pair of shoes, a pair of fawn coloured cow-leather boots to be exact, tipped with metal,ced with silver, he knew exactly who it belonged to. The owner of this pair of boots stole the ¡®Heart of the dragon¡¯ from within his grasp, he would die before he forgets.

    There he froze.

    ¡°Keep going,¡± Aloz chuckled, ¡°Why did you stop, your array is pretty decent.¡±

    Arreck then started murmuring like he was possessed before he roared and hurled himself at Aloz. She however did not flinch.

    He barely even took two steps before he was tripped by a clunk, and down he went, toppling once again on the ice surface. Arreck howled from pain, before subsequently feeling something resting on his shoulder.

    Without looking back, he could already identify what it was by side-eyeing the silver metalloid ced by his cheek.

    ¡°Human, do you not feel regret?¡± Aloz teased, before cing the Star-shaped rock on the ground, then sitting on it.

    From above, she gazed below onto the battered Arreck with a smile.

    ¡°Rest assured however, for your life is not in any critical danger, at least for the moment. Why don¡¯t we make a deal, haha, I¡¯d sure like to see what Brendel would do!¡±

    The mother dragon was thrilled. Medissa on the other hand was less so.

    The Silver elf princess warily called out upon her, ¡°Sister,¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Look there.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t those ck knights...?¡±

    ......

    After taking Hipam to safety, Brendel did not return to the tform, but insteadid low, weaving his way through the cobwebs of the underground tunnels, right to the back of Dim Korfa.

    He knew Dim Korfa had at this point willingly removed the Divine shield, and as such raised her attack prowess by multitudes of hundreds, at the expense however of her defense. Regardless, as much as she hoped to be, she was not a real god, and Brendel was well aware of that crucial truth.

    It did not take too long before Dim Korfa quickly realised that there was someone missing from the battlefield, and took a quick look at the back, catching a glimpse of none other than Brendel¡¯s silhouette as it vanished into thin air.

    It was right then she came into realisation of the lurking danger surrounding her.

    Subconsciously lightning seemed to rapidly umte around the half of the tform behind her back, one that even Korfa herself couldn¡¯t exin. Given that there was a sword saint right above her within reach of her head, she had instead gathered much of her power against the novice that had only just elementally activated!

    Being a demigod herself, and at that moment even assuming the position of Milos¡¯ possession and divinity, her perception was thousand times greater, her awareness a thousand times more precise, what she perceived to resemble the first ages when Marsha created the world and witnessed the gods and the twilight of the world.

    The saturation of white light weaved perfectly to form a wall of electricity behind her, the rattling sounds of zapping were heard as the lightning bolts hit the tform, the entire back half of the tform seemed as though it was about to melt.

    Amidst the criss-cross of lightning bolts, Brendel came unscathed.

    Everyone watched nervously as Brendel maneuvered through space like a phantom in the night, revealing and disappearing as he pleased. Lightning bolts ran through his silhouette like a smoke screen.

    In no time, he was now right before the eye of the hurricane. Right before Korfa¡¯s eyes.

    Earlier, when Brendel armed himself against Ciel, no one took to notice the slightest details on the battleground.

    But this time, it was unmissable.

    ¡°sh strike!¡± Veronica shouted.

    In the ice cave, Lenarette and Shido couldn¡¯t help but watch in bewilderment.

    Brendel had then swung his sword down for the critical blow.

    Just then, Dim Korfa let out a sigh of relief as she stared stoically at Brendel¡¯s de closing in upon her, her tone remained cold as ice, ¡°The Dragon tribe¡¯s control on space maniption too derived from the Descendants of Twilight, you dare disy such mediocracy before me?!¡±

    Upon finishing, countless bolts of lightning intertwined before her, and under the rumbling of the space she single-handedly blocked his attack.

    What seemed like a fatal blow was so effectively negated to naught, leaving Veronica, Lenarette and Shido mortified.

    This waspletely iprehensible to them, for it was the sword art of the me King Gretel himself, the one that the Kirrlutzian civilization hailed as divine sword art!

    This sword art, passed down by the Dragon tribe through millennia was thought to only have two oues for the receiver, one was to take the hit at full force, or to evade the attack from within the split second the attack was toy waste on its victim. There was no known third oue.

    Not until now.

    They witnessed the almost mythical sword art prematurely halted by sheer force.

    Amidst the roaring thunder and trembling walls, the turbulence in the hearts of those present was evident.

    Yet amongst all of those in attendance, it was Brendel that was least intimidated by Dim Korfa. Ever so slightly surprised he was, but he knew full well that the sh Strike Sword Art was hardly the only sword art that the Dragon tribe had passed down.

    Nevertheless, there was a visible gap between the levels of the Dragon tribe and Hati¡¯s daughter, and ites to no surprise that she could repel the sh strike sword art, which was hardly a point of amazement to Brendel.

    The Dragon tribe and the descendants of Twilight had always been stark rivals for a significant part of history after all.

    Just when everyone was expecting the worst, Brendel abruptly retrieved the Staff of Earth, and promptly shed right at Dim Korfa.

    ¡°Again?¡±

    Dim Korfa scoffed at his brash attempt for a fight in which the oue she deemed was already written on stone.

 Chapter 797 - v4c165 Time And Space

    <h4>Chapter 797 v4c165</h4>

    Time And Space

    Brendel once again utilised the sh strike sword art to circle around Korfa.

    Milos¡¯ daughter scoffed at his seemingly tactless actions as she anticipated his next move.

    Her sleek arm shifted to the direction that he was in, she then opened her fingers which led a multitude of scorching bolts to intertwine with one another, forming a shield.

    Only after it was done did she turn towards him, with an ice-cold look of scorn on her face her gaze was fixated at Brendel.

    Brendel replied with nothing but a faint smile.

    Dim Korfa was slightly startled as she frowned.

    In Brendel¡¯s arm, the de of the Staff of Earth continued to drive deeper.

    The pitch-ck de was supposed to be halted by the circr shield formed by the meshed lightning, and surely it did, as space began shaking and rumbling. Yet simultaneously there was another responding variable, the sable sword continued to breach deeper and deeper into her defense, and ultimately stabbed her on the shoulder!

    Dim Korfa howled from pain before copsing onto the tform like aet at the end of its journey.

    What seemed like individual events happening in parallel contexts somehow intercepted with one another, miraculously crossing paths as they merged into one.

    In the barrel-shaped cier, the sky full of lightning promptly vanished, and gone were the blinding stripes saturated in the air, the tform once again returned to its previous tranquil, all as if the preceding events never happened.

    Dim Korfa crawled and staggered back into a standing position. ring furiously at Brendel, her left hand was clutching onto the wound by her pale shoulder as blood spurted out of the porous wound.

    Brendel learnt a crucial truth from the situation, that his opponent was not just aplete body of energy, but instead a hybrid, simr to that of Scarlet.

    One major difference was the source: Scarlet¡¯s partial elementation came from the elemental powers, while Hati¡¯s oldest daughter¡¯s strength naturally came from Milos.

    This exnation aligned perfectly with his deduction.

    ¡°What...just happened?¡± With a de to his neck, Fs was not intimidated even the slightest, even brazenly whispering into the ear of his fiancee by his side.

    ¡°It¡¯s...elemental,¡± Laurenna could feel her throat drying up.

    ¡°Count Trentheim, milord...the elements...¡±

    Brendel covered his lips, still maintaining his position from when he managed to infiltrate Dim Korfa¡¯s defenses and actually leave a dent on her.

    Hovering in mid-air, watching Korfa in disarray, partly shrouded in mists as the remnants of the gold thread of Law flickered and vanished.

    ¡°Time...¡± Dim Korfa squeezed out several words piece by piece, ¡°The...Top...Tier...Ele-ment!¡±

    ¡°Miss Korfa, if my guesses are right, you have no resistance against elemental power do you,¡± Brendel taunted with a smile.

    Dim Korfa¡¯s face promptly dulled. Biting on her lip, she then red at Brendel, no words were said between the sides thereafter.

    ¡°You have yet fully recovered, thus you draw from Milos¡¯ power. Regardless, under thews of the gods, there is only one absolute gap.

    This meant not only are you in god ss, you now have ess to the realms.

    But all of those are just privileges, what matters is that you can now control lightning, even as far as wielding the shield of the Divine power.

    Yet those are all just from Milos¡¯ staff, not until you be a god yourself can you possess Divinew.¡±

    ¡°So what if I can¡¯t?¡± Dim Korfa grunted, muffling her voice to hide her underlying emotions, Brendel could tell the anxiousness in her tone.

    ¡°If I am Milos, I wouldn¡¯t mind as much, but Milos is not the father of the Giants. Being a part of order, he represents aw of his own. You, on the other hand, are of the Twilight race, the Chaos species does not possess anyw.¡±

    Brendel light-heartedly remarked, but it sounded all too sinister in the ears of Dim Korfa. He then continued, ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say, I¡¯m guessing you should know by now.¡±

    ¡°Only Law...can defeat Law. Other powers...are just specks in this mortal world...¡±

    Brendel and Korfa¡¯s voice seemingly echoed through space, while Shido was still mumbling to herself.

    ¡°I think you might have made a mistake there,¡± Dim Korfa bitterly rebuked, clenching on her teeth, ¡°There is more to the world than the power of Order, even Order itself is but a disy of Chaos, and Chaos...Chaos is the pinnacle of the Law.¡±

    Brendel nodded, ¡°True, at your best, I would hardly even cross your mind. But for a person who has just begun her rejuvenation, you¡¯re just a shadow in Milos¡¯ clothing.

    And this clothing, this shell I might say, does have a fatal weakness for you. I¡¯m sure you must think of it as a pity, for if I were to overlook it for just a couple of moments more, your n would be perfect.¡±

    Dim Korfa at that point was beyond just rage, her tinum pupils began rapidly saturated by strokes over strokes of lightning!

    This was already the second time Brendel exposed her facade, and it leaves her with no answers as to why this mere mortal could see through her critical weaknesses so quickly time and time again, and then proceeded to provoke her time and time again!

    Enraged, she yelled out to him, ¡°You fucking rascal!¡±

    Knowing that she was in no position to retaliate, she knew it would be ideal for the endless flow of energy to continue imbuing into her physical body while the mortal boasted.

    In a quarter of an hour, herself, with the borrowed body of Milos, shall awake from the Earth and be reborn once more!

    And when the momentes, this scum will be nothing more than a bug in the dirt!

    Just then, she felt slightly queasy, that Brendel, gazing upon her from above might have already seen through her schemes.

    No, it¡¯s impossible, but why is he not doing anything? With one hand supporting her wounded shoulder, her eyes filled withplex yet murked thoughts she contemted and was ready to pry into his intentions before being promptly interrupted by Brendel, still with a smile on his face, ¡°I¡¯m sure you must be wondering why I hadn¡¯t struck while the iron is hot?¡±

    Dim Korfa was dumbfounded, watching her thoughts exactly proimed by her enemy.

    ¡°Well, the truth is pretty simple. With my power I can only strike with this one sword,¡± Brendel continued, ¡°Good thing I¡¯m not alone.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s words drove deep into Dim Korfa¡¯s heart, feeling a harrowing chill through her spine as she frantically turned to the back, only to see an Ashen sword charging right at her!

    The de was silent as it encroached, bringing along the ash realm as it seeped in, seeming to draw all noise into its ashen void!

    The Ash elemental, one she could identify almost immediately, the sword art style of a certain mortal sword saint, one that subjectively was less threatening as that of Brendel¡¯s ¡°time¡±, but his individual skill, the Ultimate realm, was one she would prefer to avoid.

    Just like Brendel had mentioned ever so precisely, she had no way of repelling Elemental power. Under much frustration, she could only frantically roll over the ground to evade the Ash sword saint¡¯s attack.

    Yet with that dogged dodge, she had evidently proven Brendel¡¯s point, one that Korfa herself was clear of.

    As she made her way back on the tform, her face was as gloomy and dull as a dustpan.

    Once he found his opportunity, Mephisto quickly followed with a series of sessive attacks, so rapid the attacks Dim Korfa couldn¡¯t even summon lightning toe for her defense.

    Without the Milos¡¯ privilege as a shield in her possession, for a recently rejuvenated person she was nowhere near a formidable opponent to the Ash saint. If it were not for her ster fighting experience, more so than anyone present, she would have been pinned dead on the tform a long while ago.

    ¡°How did you guess it?¡± Watching the scene as it yed out from a distance, Veronica turned around, with an explosion of curiosity she enquired.

    The truth was far simpler than one would expect. When this copy was firstunched, the yers had no knowledge of Elemental activation. If the boss could manipte the elements, then there was no possible way the yers could win.

    ¡°Only the Law could defeat the Law, other powers are but the dust of the mortal world...¡± was the exact title from the Elemental activation chapter, the concept of the Law of Tiamat.

    Brendel could recall all of it by heart.

    By taking the initiative to identify the result then deducing the process, whilst silently watching Dim Korfa¡¯s every move, it was hardly challenging to find the solution he needed.

    ¡°Early on when Master¡¯s Ash realm effortlessly broke through her lightning barrier I had my suspicions. The Ash realm is not a Top tierw, at least not on par with Lightning as her Elementalw.

    And with Master¡¯s ability, in contrast to her current condition, it should be a fair fight, which led to my assumptions,¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Veronica was rather skeptical, not on his exnation but the fact that the cheeky brat would so wholeheartedly exin it to her.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it,¡± Brendel decisively nodded.

    Veronica kept her silence for a moment, before awkwardly shaking her head, ¡°You little brat, you make me question myself time and time again if it was right to keep you around after the Loop of Trade Winds. Even if she is still not yet a true god, but as False god she is closing in on god status, yet here she is being messed around by the likes of you, not too sure what more can I say of this situation...¡±

    Brendel shook his head with a grin on his face, ¡°The battle is not yet won, mdy. Korfa is Hati¡¯s oldest daughter, she¡¯s not going to give in like this.¡±

    ¡°But what more could she have done?¡± Veronica doubtingly winced her eyes, ¡°She¡¯s not a god, and only Law could defeat Law.¡±

    ¡°Besides Priesthood, she does have another privilege from Milos,¡± Brendel exined while gazing towards Korfa, who then was still stuck in a heated battle with Mephisto.

    ¡°His realm.¡±

    As if she was eavesdropping, once his words dropped Dim Korfa let out time a fit of rage, and in a split second, sky blue static electricity rapidly engulfed the entire valley.

    Just like prints with ever-expanding bandwidth, the light waves ultimately weaved through everyone in attendance, and right then, their connection with the original world was broken.

    The feeling as if they never left their original position, and everything around were exactly where they were, but somehow they were transported to apletely foreign world.

    Brendel, Mephisto, Ciel, Veronica and Hipam, who was still lying in the shelter of the tunnels, felt it most evidently.

    ¡°This...¡± Ciel was amazed.

    ¡°So this is the world created from the Law of Lightning,¡± Veronica held her eyes tight, relishing the shifting surroundings, ¡°Even though it isn¡¯t part of Korfa¡¯sw, this still resembles it...¡±

    ¡°She attempted to use Milos¡¯w to negate our elemental advantage,¡± Brendel saw through Korfa¡¯s schemes, or more so her schemes were within his expectations.

    ¡°The third stage has begun, I will have to leave the rest to you, Madame Veronica.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the Third stage?¡± The female squad leader of the Kirrlutzians blurted out.

    ¡°Not much, under current circumstances your speed should be the fastest, so Madame we will require you to help with the tunnels,¡± Brendel shook his head, ¡°I need to back my master up,¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Veronica followed up with a question doubtfully, ¡°Are you sure about that?¡±

    Brendel was rather taken aback.

    ¡°We should all hope so don¡¯t we.¡±

    ......

    The entire valley seemed like a prison cell, engulfed in a cage of static shock, as the air wasplemented by bands of sky blue. On the tform, it was a drastically different sight.

    Mephisto¡¯s Ash realm no longer had its absolute superiority as the blue lights continuously restricted its radius into only a tiny scope. Korfa meanwhile seemingly had regained her footing as she retaliated, her bloody left hand pointed towards him, a loud ¡®pop¡¯ was then heard as a new ring of light waves was released!

    The Ash Sword saint appeared once again to have found his sword caught within the shield of Divine power, hovering in mid-air.

    Mephisto frowned ever so slightly. Korfa¡¯s retaliation sure doesn¡¯t seem like a shield spell, but instead causing my sword to stop in mid-air, even when I am still wielding it! This is strange!

    Right then, Brendel lightly propelled himself next to him, ready to battle at his aide.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Mephisto asked.

    Brendel shook his head, he knew they were now within Milos¡¯ territory, but he had never once entered the realm of the Divine folk, the closest he had ever got to experience such levels of power was when he underwent Elemental activation, at the Ultimate realm, deep within the holdings of Law.

    In the Ultimate realm, Elemental power of allies will be heightened hundreds of times, while enemy Elemental power will greatly decrease. If possible, no side would want a fight in enemy territory.

    Korfa naturally chose this realm because she was certain it would drastically restrict Mephisto¡¯s ash realm. At least that was what Brendel deduced.

    But what he found strange was that Korfa chose to expand Milos¡¯ realm instead. Since her power before theplete merging was Chaos, it meant in this realm, her own power would be repressed.

    Nevertheless, from what they were seeing with their own two eyes, her power was hardly restricted as she once again hovered herself into midair. With vengeful eyes she red at her adversaries.

    ¡°What is happening?¡± Brendel was baffled, because from what he felt, Dim Korfa was now impably merged into this realm.

    But Dim Korfa no longer had the patience or temperament to allow them contemtion, given how it nearly led to her demise just moments ago.

    Raising her arm, she tapped onto the air before her.

    ¡°When the Giant dragons of Alga took to the skies, after the Northern winds blew, Jubius strapped chains onto their wings, and from then on, the skies and these pathetic organisms no longer intercept.¡±

    ¡°The Pale poem?¡± Brendel was slightly taken aback. Not knowing what Korfa meant by that, he turned around and to his surprise, found Ciel, Veronica, Mephisto and the others standing motionlessly at their spot, seemingly frozen in time.

    Brendel¡¯s expression promptly shifted for the worst, quickly identifying this trick that Dim Korfa had pulled on him, Truth magic. Regardless, Truth magic alone would not be able to bring forth an Ultimate realm on a whim unless the summoner was a sword saint, and it was only a moment of showcase.

    Theoretically speaking, once someone achieves Elemental Activation, this spell is no longer of any use.

    But Korfa once again broadened Brendel¡¯s horizons, lest in the ways he was notfortable with.

    ¡°Truth magic?¡±

    ¡°How are you still moving?!¡± Both took to questioning at shockingly matching timing.

    Korfa¡¯s eyes then lit up as she deduced, ¡°I knew it, you are a Divine folk after all! I know who you are...¡± She hesitated for a moment, before making a smart guess, ¡°Odin, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you gotta guess again,¡± Brendel unamusedly replied. There¡¯s no way I can admit to that with all these people watching on the sidelines!

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if you admit,¡± Korfa scoffed, ¡°But you can no longer cover up your ability. What you possess is a level belonging to the Divine folk, no, miles ahead of the Divine folk! Such a pity though, that bastard Odin as the representative of thest descendant of that wretched bloodline could surely be used to bully the pathetic mortals, but in a battle of this calibre, all your efforts are futile. You¡¯ll know soon enough, that in my world, only my rules apply...¡±

    Brendel was startled ever so slightly as the being before him had already started pointing fingers as she taunted, ¡°Alphonso has already witnessed everything at the final battle with his own two eyes. On the battlefield of Babel, watching as legions of ten thousand came swarming towards him at once, he knew well enough that an era had officially ended.¡±

    It was the Pale poem once again.

    But Brendel was well alert and far more prepared this time around. He took a quick step back and held firmly onto the staff of Earth, just then, what akin to a miracle that happened right before his eyes!

    One second he stood his ground on the tform, the next he found his distance with Dim Korfa exponentially increased, and what came in between them was a vast, rapidly expanding grasnd.

    Over on the edges of the horizon was a cliff, hovering hundreds of meters above ground level where he stood, and right there from the top, was Dim Korfa, gazing down at him from the towering heights above.

    Right at the edge of the expansive fields, where it ended and the cliff began, were tightly packed rows of gs.

    Brendel could identify the gs by their emblems, the Winter Wolves, Frost Leaf, Ice de, these were all legendary affiliations of the Frost giants. It didn¡¯t take him long toe into realisation on what was about to happen. At the far side of his vision, the Frost giant army was armed and ready for battle.

    At this moment, however, there just wasn¡¯t a word that he could use to describe the circumstance he was in. The two of them were on the tform just moments ago, and it sure felt that way, but what Brendel saw before himself right then was Dim Korfa far and high above himself, while an army legion lined the horizon.

    This scene sure was bizarre, to say the least, but Brendel knew well enough that his ominous visions were now not an illusion, but an actual urrence in this lightning-gue world.

    This is the nation of Milos, the Storm ins, the hearnd of the Frost giants!

    But how did Korfa manipte Milos¡¯ realm? Is herw not impure to begin with?

    #

 Chapter 798 - v4c166p1 The World

    <h4>Chapter 798 v4c166p1</h4>

    The World

    Dim Korfa pompously sneered, yet in her eyes, there was clear rage.

    In the piercing cold, the overcast sky speckled with muffled lightning and roaring thunder, the rows of erected gs on the ground fluttered aggressively in the air, like a call to arms in the preceding moments of war.

    On the tip of each gpole was a golden dragon emblem, refracting what little light there was from the edges of the storm clouds.

    Milos¡¯ Frost Giants worship the Giant Dragon, which was the tradition since the prehistoric era, and naturally helmets with dragon horns gradually appeared as time went by.

    Across the endless ins, right then, an ancient yet powerful tune was heard from all corners around Brendel. Taking a quick nce around his surroundings, Brendel knew he was surrounded.

    ¡°May the spirit of the ancestors bless us with the strength to y our enemies.¡±

    ¡°For blood will overflow across these ins as we ovee our adversities.¡±

    ¡°Our nativend, where the Giant Dragon lives.¡±

    ¡°Under the storm clouds, the brightest stars lie beneath.¡±

    From an extensive overview of the world they were in, it was as if a long-forgotten period of the prehistoric era came back to life.

    It was barren, vast and seemingly boundless, yet only duplicates of the hundred-meter radius they were in, suspended in mid-air upon a tform within the barrel-shaped valley they were located in.

    It seemed as if the horizon were expanded through a panorama shot, a bizarre sight to behold yet immensely usible.

    Brendel just could notprehend how Korfa could so impably merge into Milos¡¯ realm as if it was hers all along.

    In his deductions, Dim Korfa could have utilized Milos¡¯ realm only because Milos¡¯ kingdom, despite drastically restricting all foreignws or elements, does not affect her much, given that her Power of Chaos was still weak from her recent rejuvenation, and she would still greatly benefit by using her ster fighting experience to secure her win.

    Yet what Brendel witnessed before his eyes was far beyond his earlier predictions, for Dim Korfa did indeed summon Milos¡¯ kingdom, but not only was her power not restricted, she appeared to be at full control of its ebb and flow, like the actual king of thesends.

    This seemed entirely impossible from Brendel¡¯s perspective because if she had everything under control the way it was now, why would she put herself in such a precarious position, even resulting in such rugged escapes and an injury dealt upon herself?

    The overcast sky began to rain with the asional sprinkle of snow, as the chilling raindrops rolled down the noticeably pale cheeks on Brendel¡¯s face, cleansing the scars he received as remnants from the Cmity of Wolves. The Frost Giants hum to the tone of the battle song as they march on, as terrifying as they were many.

    Brendel however did not react but instead contemted a counter-solution for the situation he was in.

    The abruptly made cliff akin to that of a lone fang amidst the empty in, and on top of it stood Korfa, which Brendel was fixated upon.

    ¡°Why is she so furious?¡± Brendel caught hold to that single clue in the eyes of the darkness surrounding him, yet what he found does not appease him. Korfa had single-handedly erased her own conscience.

    Brendel was anxious, for that was the only reasoning he had, and if Korfa were to remove her own Law then she essentially would have removed her own identity, to be one with Milos! So that¡¯s why she could merge this perfectly into Milos¡¯ kingdom!

    She was no longer Dim Korfa, but was still not Milos yet.

    Then a thought came to Brendel. ¡®It¡¯s...¡±

    The Awakening God, Surash.

    ¡°She actually went to such lengths...she¡¯s gonna die with Milos!¡± Brendel took to realize that she was forced into this state, and the root cause was him.

    No wonder she was eyeing me with such hatred and fury. This disgust she has in her towards me will never subside now!

    Brendel was at a loss for words, Why would she do that, there is no reason for her to do that, now what¡¯s going to happen?

    The Front Giant legion closes in. Even though they were not actually the genuine legion encroaching from the pages of history, now that the fellowship were in Milos¡¯ kingdom, under hisw, Korfa is the supreme king with absolute power, and if she were to sacrifice her army, they would do as shemanded.

    At this point, this was not just a battle between mortals and gods, it was the ultimate gap.

    ¡°There might still be a slim chance out there, I have to think this through.¡±

    Under such strenuous circumstances, however, Brendel was far calmer than before, not long before an interesting idea sparked.

    Lifting his head, his eyes sparkled with a bizarre thought as he proimed, ¡°I shall grant you with one more chance, eldest daughter of Hati!¡±

    He then dropped the staff of Earth and headed in the direction of the Frost giants.

    ¡°What is he doing?¡± Dim Korfa was dumbfounded, her tinum-coloured eyshes lifted with confusion as they fluttered like willow leaves in the wind.

    ¡°Has he gone mad?¡±

    But at that point, she had be increasingly wary of Brendel, and would not offer him any opportunities.

    Watching as Brendel headed in her direction, she thought to herself. If he¡¯s being arrogant then I should just tighten the formation of the Front giant legion. No matter how good he might get, there is no way he could break through the hordes of Frost giants, they would crush him alive!

    She was keen to witness the futility of all his schemes.

    She was ready to put up to a sacrifice, and would not allow for any mishaps to happen again. Caution and utmost attention had be her new talent, yet such traits were never in her core personality, which frustrates her most that Brendel had single-handedly ingrained them into her.

    Meanwhile, Brendel watched as the organized Frost Giants marched closer and closer towards himself.

    At that moment, he contemted on how much of an upper hand it would be if the Frost Chant, Cynna, was still avable for him to use, and how effective it would have been against the Frost Giant n legion. Even as one of the legendary armies, they would not be able to withstand such power.

    Nevertheless, he had to snap out of the wishful thinking, since the one handed to him by Seibers Ansu was a broken piece, and who knows when it would ever be fully repaired.

    Letting out a sigh, the ck crystal on his forehead began to flicker from sight.

    It was time to utilize the Heart of Hati.

    On the vast ins, the wolves began to howl.

    Dim Korfa was ever so slightly alerted.

    She knew the far-reaching howls from the wolves were not ordinary beasts, but instead were her kin, the Twilight wolves n.

    The howls were hollow and mncholic as if they had foreseen the end of the world, the day the sun and moon, day and night no longer exist, as the world returned to its mould. Wolves would then begin devouring the Earth and the sky.

    It irked her more that the pack of wolves were the Wolf tribe closest to her mother, the ck wolves, and their males.

    She watched unfathomably at Brendel from afar, as he strolled across the ins while the wolf pack came closing in from behind.

    Poetic as it was, it was eerie.

    As the leader of the Demons, Hati¡¯s eldest daughter among his twelve, here she was however,manding a legion of Frost Giants, representing Order and the gods.

    As the sessor of the Darkness Dragon, Marsha¡¯s handpicked, now being chased by a pack of Twilight wolves, it seemed like the prehistoric battle had now flipped entirely. Yet there Korfa was, watching from above yet immensely uneasy, an ominous feeling lingered with no way of sweeping it.

    Those who had lived in the ssical golden era would watch as their subsequent generations do worse than before, ultimately culminating in a brutal war that would erode their legacies to dust, fading into the emptiness of time.

    As for the generation of ck dwarfs that had been corrupted by dark magic, ultimately gained their long-awaited freedom, escaped their murky past, came to the ins and lighted their own mes of destiny. No longer with Divine glory behind their backs, and instead with an unidentified silhouette in its ce, one that even Korfa couldn¡¯t verify. The attack-defense positions undoubtedly had switched.

    On these vast grasnds, in the face of the hordes of Frost Giants, the mortal man and his wolves seemed as insignificant as specks of sand on a beach.

    The wolves went through Brendel like waves on the ocean.

    Brendel ordered them to form a wedge formation. The ck wolves, including the males, were no match with the fighting experience of the battle-hardened Frost Giant legion. All he could hope for was that the wedge formation would crack a gap in between their airtight formation.

    The wolves, under his order, began elerating, while their opponent did the same. Under the ever heavier storm of rain and hail it became a symbolic scene to behold, as the opposing sides sped through the rain, ready to sacrifice their all.

    The next moment, both armies ultimately came into collision with one another.

    Korfa¡¯s Frost giant legion had an average height of over 4 meters.

    Even the ck wolves that were the size of horses were only as big as mortal wolves in the eyes of the Frost Giants. The prehistoric species had been at the crossfire for as long as history was first recorded, archenemies for tens of millennia.

    The wolves with their speed advantage did manage to tear through the Frost Giant¡¯s formation, it was the ck sunstone panthers instead that were dusted in an instant! Not only did they do hardly any harm to the Giants, but they were also effortlessly smashed into bits by their opponents!

    Only as the back row of the ck wolves began cutting in did the Frost giant legion finally receive their first casualties. They were forced back as they stumbled, asionally onto one another, some even trampled to death. Nevertheless, after a hundred meters, the wolves were once again deeply surrounded, owing to their enemies¡¯ far superior numbers.

    A male wolf came towards Brendel, one of his eyes branded with a scar across, a remnant of the battle of the Loop of Trade Winds.

    Charred fur was seen in patches across the beast, likely from the Battle of Ampere Seale.

    This alpha wolf has been of assistance to Brendel for the longest, Brendel could even recall the first day they met, when he made it through the ck Forest.

    shback went through his head, bittersweet. The wolf then came up to him, Brendel ran his fingers over its thick fur over the beast¡¯s face, before it abidinglyid down on his belly.

    Brendel understandably held onto the thick fur on its back, strode over and satfortably on its back.

    Brendel once again raised the Staff of Earth.

    #

 Chapter 799 - v4c166p2

    v4c166p2

    The World

    The male wolf understood his order as he majestically howled, with the illuminating moon serving as backdrop.

    Brendel lifted his head once again and stared right at Korfa, on the cliff that she had taken her ce, at this point more or less only a kilometer away from Brendel himself. Even from a distance, he could see the confounded expression on Korfa¡¯s face.

    Murdering her own kin had ced her in a precarious position, especially having to witness it with her own eyes. To watch the baffled look on her face meant there were too many problems she no longer had answers to.

    A grunt and off they went, the rider and the regal wolf.

    They once again returned to the arrowhead formation, this time more effective than ever, with Brendel at the helm. The Frost Giants¡¯ formation tore through like snow in spring, crumbling in the heat of battle.

    Korfa, witnessing the scene was furious, long gone was her tinge of sympathy for the mortal man, what reced it now was her seething rage as shemanded the Frost Giants to regroup and take down her sole enemy, Brendel.

    nking the wolf pack were two Frost Giants, each on one side, at which Brendel could sense that Korfa¡¯s attention was now fixated upon himself. He jostled his staff ahead, next came a mild glow from the half-circle radius before the wolf pack.

    Long-range attack, the ability gained after a member of the Warrior lineage gains elemental activation.

    The attack was far more powerful than the White Raven Sword Art, but it also burns significantly more energy. The light swept through the Frost Giants¡¯ frontline like a crescent moon, leaving a blood bath in its waste.

    Several Frost Giants, upon copsing on the ground, saw their hair fade rapidly from its original cyan color to ashen, gray. Their faces quickly crinkled up like salt on the tongue as they withered and shrivelled, eventually leaving behind a hollow corpse.

    It was a typical passive effect of the Time element, pse, one that naturally was also witnessed by Korfa, leaving her face grimmer than ever.

    Brendel attack was hardly the end of the Frost Giants¡¯ bane, for with Resonance of the Earth between the staff and ground, an earth shattering rumble was heard, and a row of pikes erupted from the ground, tearing the unfortunate Frost Giants within its range into parts.

    The attack took up almost all the energy he had to offer, as Brendel was seen burnt out from casting the spell, but was evidently worth it, given the visible thirty-meter wedge between the Frost Giants¡¯ formation.

    He reactively took a breath of relief that the Frost Giants were far less powerful than he had imagined. Given that they were an imitationw by Korfa, they only retained mid to lower level powers of the Gold n. With Brendel¡¯s current ability, that would hardly pose too much of a problem.

    His experience shot through the roof in what little time he had. Well aware however that he was still some distance from the next level, he did not bother to check his stats, blending immactely with his newfound mount as he clenched onto the brains of the closest Frost Giant, with Bahamut¡¯s blessing watched as they burst into mes.

    As the alpha wolf leaped and pounced, Brendel sliced and diced, literally cutting a path out of an entire legion of Frost Giants several times his size.

    Nevertheless, casualties especially began to take a toll on his side, as the wolf pack began noticeably narrowing down, while the Frost Giants seemed to spawn endlessly.

    Watching around his surroundings. He was decisively outnumbered. There was no way out.

    Thest male wolf copsed onto the ground, dead.

    Hisst, and only chance hade then.

    Brendel knew what he had to do. He patted the wolf on his neck, in sitting position the alpha wolf at this point was bruised and battered, ¡°Let¡¯s go on onest ride, buddy,¡± He mumbled to the wolf, in which the wolf responsively grunted.

    Crossing eyes with Brendel, his ashen gaze cold and stiff.

    The wolf then turned back, led out a dull growl, and the next thing Brendel could see was his surroundings clearing up, feeling himself much lighter than just a moment ago, both emotionally and physically.

    He knew then, that the alpha wolf had already taken its leap.

    Just three hundred meters between Korfa and himself.

    Brendel could feel that the alpha wolf had already brought him to the peak of its leap.

    Down below him were the skulls of the Frost Giants, paving the path for his eventual faithfulnding.

    The wolf then let out an uplifting howl, seemingly offering a signal of sorts, Brendel nodded in acknowledgement.

    He then raised the Staff of Earth to his front, with all his might propelling himself into the air.

    Under the luminescent full moon, a mere mortal carved a route for himself through the towering legion.

    All of a sudden, blood and innards went flying.

    What came next was an elongated rock spike emerging from the ground, stabbing into the legion of Frost giants, single handedly creating a mile long walkway with the corpses of the Frost Giants.

    Brendel, with his elemental powers severely restricted by Milos¡¯w, can no longer fly, but with the mild elevation on the rock spike pathway, he could sufficiently hurl himself from the back of the alpha wolf onto the path.

    A quick nce behind his back saw the male wolfpletely outnumbered by Frost giants, left for dead.

    Brendel could hardly stop to gasp as he quickly made his way towards the cliff where Korfa was located.

    Two hundred meters more.

    Korfa never once considered that Brendel could ughter his way out, being a mortal who had just achieved elemental activation. But he was persistent, and strong-willed, far surpassing any expectations.

    As he closed in upon her, Korfa no longer cared about keeping herposure as she screamed at the top of her lungs, ¡°Milos¡¯ Giant dragon, stop him!¡±

    A screech was heard from within the clouds.

    Brendel could feel his scalp numbing from just the echoing sounds of these sentient beasts. His head lifted high, there he watched as two dragons, one ahead of another came swooping towards him.

    As to the whereabouts of the dragons prior to this, it was simple, in Milos¡¯ kingdom, his imagination was the limit.

    Korfa at that point had lost all conscience. There was a cap on the power she could draw from the kingdom, and just for the extermination of this one person she had taken too much, way too much more than she should.

    But Brendel¡¯s was clear of the immense animosity on himself, especially for a woman who was drenched in hatred at this point.

    The air seemed to vibrate from the massive dragon wings every time it pped, Brendel finally understood how it must have felt for the Halfling cavalry in the face of Aloz. He could feel a sharp jolt across his entire body, radiating into his spine, his mind went nk. If he could look himself in a mirror he would see pupils dte, his face pale as a sheet. It was harrowing. So tense in fact that he ultimately could not take this anxiety anymore that he exploded into a fit of rage.

    In the most crucial of moments he activated the Dash skill.

    And with his sudden dash of eleration he managed to brush past the first Giant Dragon.

    Brendel let out a much-needed sigh of relief. Now with knowledge from experience, his imbued fear has markedly resolved. Yet at that point, the second Giant dragon was already encircling him in the sky above, hovering and eyeing its prey. Brendel knew the Giant dragons were highly intelligent creatures, seeing what itspanion had experienced, it would not allow itself to be fooled the same way.

    Besides, Brendel had run out of CD for a second Dash skill.

    The dragon iled its wings, gradually lowering its altitude, and before long was within range of Brendel¡¯s range of vision. It was a red dragon, beating on its wings as me followed behind. Every inch of air the me touched, rain and mist evaporated in an instant. As it roared, the scorching air radiated around its radius.

    Brendel could not help but initiate the Tree Strengthen skill, but even then, the me swept through where he stood, and in an instant, the young knight was burnt to crisp.

    Dim Korfa witnessed the scene and could not control her excitement and relief, which nevertheless was short-lived.

    For in the next second, Brendel once again appeared in sight, right behind the red dragon.

    It was a Dreamcast, her dragon was deceived.

    Dim Korfa clenched her fists with rage.

 Chapter 800 - v4c167

    v4c167

    Revival

    The curtain of fire brushed upon the top of his head as Brendel frantically patted onto the residual mes on his head, yet had to watch as his coat sumbed to fire, akin to one made of the same material. A gust of wind swept onto him, spawns of fire flickered into the air, leaving the young Count topless in the blistering cold of the symphony of rain and hail, lonesomely enduring the frostbiting cold.

    Brendel, shaking like a leaf, would have beenpletely fine half-naked cultivating in the snow given his current stats. But in this realm, the piercing cold seeped right into his bones.

    It was all from the Icy Law.

    ¡°Fucking hell, now this is the real song of ice and fire!¡± He couldn¡¯t help but curse at the circumstance he was in, yet apuding his luck for cheating death by evading the Giant Dragon with the Nine Luminaries Sword Art.

    Dragon breath was nheless still something that would terrify him upon sight.

    Even within a radius of dozens of meters, the heatwave that came along with a single p of its wings would burn him into crisp, one that leaves him with a timely reminder of the malevolence of the Giant Dragons. After having Aloz as the friendly representative of the Giant Dragons around him, he nearly forgot that the tribe was the Soaring overlords of the skies, the most fearsome and dominant presence this world ever had.

    Brendel then turned back to look, only to see the two Giant dragons taking flight towards the far direction, with no sign of turning back anytime soon. Right then, he could once again focus his sights on Korfa, whose presence was only a cliff away.

    Brendel stopped right by thest pike, his head lifted high.

    Dim Korfa stood motionlessly where she was at the edge of the cliff, her pupils seemingly shining through the drizzling overcast sky as their eyes met.

    The Frost Giants¡¯ attacks too appeared to be on hold from Korfa¡¯s sole action.

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen the Mother?¡± She solemnly asked, her voice stern but hardly loud, yet it resonated through the battlefield. Dim Korfa at this point had toned down her rage, from her tightly sealed lips and her stone-cold gaze at least.

    But deep down Brendel knew she had only concealed her immense fury within.

    He nodded.

    ¡°Then how did you control the Wolf pack?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a quick guess?¡± Brendel answered with a smile.

    Dim Korfa watched, slightly perturbed at the brash young mortal, ¡°It does not matter, for today you will die here, with me,¡± The teenager remarked, stern-faced.

    ¡°I guess not, because I never nned to die here,¡± Brendel shook his head as he smiled, broader than ever, ¡°Not just that, I¡¯m also here to save you.¡±

    ¡°Save me?¡±

    Dim Korfa was caught off guard, her immense hatred delved down into a smile as she rebuked, ¡°Hrious, utter nonsense,¡± She raised her hand, and what came next was a bolt of lightning slithering through the clouds, lighting up the sky in a blinding sh, followed closely by roaring thunder. Amidst all that was DimKorfa¡¯s stoicmand, ¡°Daughters of the sea, demolish your enemies!¡±

    Brendel could see the turbulent waves, crashing onto the cliff on which Korfa stood. Just moments before, across the vast ins, waves came rushing in, swallowing it whole. Next came several elongated skeletons, one after another poking out of the water. They were deep-sea creatures that all shared the same name, the Offspring of Hydra.

    Countless Hydras, twelve-headed snakes and fifteen-headed serpents revealed themselves before Brendel, alling with the waves.

    Their gigantic structures towered over thendscapes, like rolling hills one after another, totalling up to over a hundred.

    And behind their hill-like bodies, shrouded behind the clouds was a towering presence, seemingly outlining the horizon.

    Brendel could instantly identify what it was just from the silhouette of such an enormous being.

    Sentient beasts.

    However, at this point, she was no longer the Demon of Hati. In this realm, she was the King of Hydras, and as the overlord of the realm, Korfa¡¯s imagination came to her aid.

    Watching the terrifyingly massive figure partially shielded behind the clouds, Brendel finally understood the crucial difference between the Ultimate realm and the Divine kingdom.

    This was a world of self-sufficient systems.

    Except one thing.

    ¡°Korfa is truly going mad,¡± Brendel shook his head in dismay. If her only goal was to see him dead, she had undoubtedly gone beyond the path of no return.

    The dramatic scenes unfolding before him were majestic nheless, but just to defeat him was absolutely beyond necessary, and by doing so Dim Korfa was just extensively burning her energy.

    She knew, yet she insisted. Call it thick-headedness, but it was mostly just for her to vent pent-up rage.

    At the end of the day, Hati¡¯s Eldest daughter was just not an actual god.

    Naturally, she was still attempting to try her luck in finding the truth behind the nation of the true gods. Regardless, Brendel thought the chances were very small, and from the recorded interactions there were with the prehistoric era, she was never the eternally cunning person. Instead,paratively, Compassionate Korfa was far wiser and well-tempered than she was now.

    Deep down Brendel had the misconception that Korfa was actually the masterminding eldest daughter of Hati, and Dim Korfa was just another side of her that she had hidden away from the world until now. What he could never wrap his head around was how a warm andpassionate young woman would be themander of the Twilight Wolf tribe from the prehistoric era.

    To think the Compassionate Korfa, who wouldn¡¯t risk involving another person into any battle, less so to die in her stead, would summon legions of creatures to their deaths was mind-boggling to Brendel. She was the true peace bringer. Was.

    Brendel shook off the convoluting thoughts in his head, for before himself, the Hydras began to creep onshore, slowly surrounding him.

    He once again looked up towards Korfa as he took to asking, nheless with a smile on his face, ¡°Ms. Korfa, I do have a question however...¡±

    Dim Korfa appeared tense as she curled her brows, notprehending as to why that bastard of a mortal was not even remotely struggling when his life was at stake, but instead, wasting thisst moment asking silly questions.

    ¡°Do you have something in mind, or have you given up?¡± She lightly sighed, but seeing how he appeared to be unbothered for his life, she was more than d toply with his questionnaire.

    ¡°Questions?¡±

    ¡°What feud does your family have with the Sentient beasts?¡±

    Dim Korfa was stunned, ¡°What do you mean?¡± She was slightly taken aback, yet uncertain at that moment on how to act. Looking at the muffled grin on his face, seemingly teasing herself instantly fueled the ever-burning rage within her.

    ¡°You damned scum, how dare you y a fool of me at the brink of your demise!¡±

    She clenched her teeth, ready to call the attack, but just then, Brendel carefreely leapt off the cliff, and into the Frost Giant¡¯s barricade.

    ¡°You¡¯ve given up?¡±

    She just could not fathom what other reason would induce him to do such a thing.

    But yet she was spun dizzily by the absurd decisions the mortal chose to take, time and time again. One moment intentionally provoking her, the next seemingly surrendering. What the hell is the meaning of this, is this to provoke me?

    But none of it was child¡¯s y.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let him die, seize him!¡± She outright demanded as he ranted, ¡°Dying is too much of a mercy.¡±

    The words were just out before something even more peculiar happened.

    Dim Korfa noticed that Brendel, upon taking his back hop off the cliff, had vanished into thin air, no sign of him or his scent.

    Dim Korfa was petrified. Worried that she had made a grave mistake, she frantically searched all corners of Milos¡¯ realm, now that it was also hers to own, there was no nook or cranny that he could have hid from her vision. A quick scan with Perception found the scents of the usual few, Ash sword saint Mephisto, Veronica, Ciel, Peja and Yaruta, and no one else.

    Then her brows twitched, ever so slightly. She felt a life hidden under the tform, which instantly perked her memory. It was the human priest, she actually managed to escape from certain death, impressive. But these bugs do not matter. Where is he? Where. Is. Brendel?!

    Her Awareness scanned through the entire tform like antivirus software. Unsurprisingly, it was still the usual few once again, no other mortal was found in her realm.

    ¡°How is this possible?¡± Dim Korfa was stupefied. Given the current situation, Brendel must have been sent away by a certain spell or transported to a different realm.

    But those are impossible oues for multiple reasons! Notwithstanding the obvious truth that it is impossible to hide in my realm, this entire tform is fenced off by the Dimension anchor, any Space or realm spell would be locked, how can he achieve such magic under these circumstances!

    Her mind was in a frenzy, paranoia of the unknown. A living person vanishing from her realm under her breath, what sorcery was this?

    Just then, the voice she was anticipating to hear came from behind her, calm as ever.

    ¡°Are you looking for me?¡±

    Dim Korfa at that moment was distraught, like a toddler separated from her mother. Gradually turning to look at the mere mortal that had, through the preceding events became her greatest nightmare, she pointed with her mouth hung wide, ¡°You...this...you¡­.you¡­¡±

    Whilst she struggled to finish her sentence, her mind was flipping through all the possibilities for his abrupt disappearance and subsequent reappearance. Upon sharing a nce, she realized it was all too simple.

    Brendel that appeared before her right then had no human scent at all and was instead covered with overwhelming demon scent. It identically resembled the Hydra she summoned.

    ¡°You, how did you do it?¡± Korfa¡¯s voice nearly cracked.

    Many magic skills could mask him as a demon.

    But if it was a masking skill it would not have been effective at all in her realm, seeing as the magic surge would expose the skill itself, the same applied to magic items.

    And the Brendel before her eyes had no magic surge, neither was there any effect from magic items. What she felt was the real deal, a true demon, without any frills.

    Brendel cracked a faint smile once again, yet kept his silence.

    The logic was actually rather simple, he was now a Demon, and his Demon energy came from his Elite skills, a skill that on its own was already a Demon-type skill. The term ¡°Elite¡± however was never heard on a yer¡¯s title.

    Elite skill: Demonize

    Level 1: [Basics] [Expert/Normal]

    In what little time,pletely masking himself with the scent of a demon, ensuring any demon below the level of Lord would refrain from any attacks unless the user were to attack first.

    Unfortunately, if only Korfa did not wipe her ownws clean, if she was still the Chief Warg, Hati¡¯s eldest daughter, and was not currently a god, as the lord of Demons, she would have easily identified him. But history does not offer second chances, ifs or buts, and Brendel was holding in his teasingughter that coincidences, one after another lined up perfectly leading him to stand where he was, right before her.

    He raised the staff, standing in position as beads of chilling rainwater ran down his upper torso, following the structure of his chiselled abs.

    ¡°No!¡± Korfa seemed to finally snap back to reality, channelling electricity to form a whip initiating from her palm.

    Upon taking shape, she immediately whipped it forward, seemingly focusing her bottled rage into that attack, with the sole intention of killing Brendel.

    At that moment, however, the protection rings around him once again sparked in all its shimmering beauty. The Lightning whip first tore through the fire shield of Bahamut¡¯s blessing, then promptly bored a hole through the Colliding Halo before wing into the Tree Armor summoned that was acting as Brendel¡¯sst defence.

    Brendel grunted from the excruciating pain, one so gruelling it prated deep within the innermost corners of his soul, despite his best efforts to tolerate it through his defenses and sheer will.

    As his life instantly hung by a thread, the Unyielding Talent was initiated to gatekeep his soul.

    But he never once stopped moving forward. What came next was the longsword in his arm, shining bright like a ming torch, the Colliding Halo, Tree Armor, along with his other defenses instantly vanished, in favor of the Staff of Earth as all energy was channeled into his weapon.

    The Crown of Thorns.

    Converting all defense power to attack, the ultimate skill of the Holy knight was in a full, vibrant disy. The Staff of Earth then abruptly hit onto the Line of Law surrounding Korfa, the huge impact nearly creating a dent on the Line of Law.

    Korfa howled in pain- not from Brendel¡¯s attack, instead of from the internal damage caused by the Blood of Sun.

    Dim Korfa under pseudo-god conditions was weak on defense but strong on attack. And the consequence of her full power attack had finally taken its toll. The immense pain seemed totch onto her soul as she nearly began to bber, even her Line of Laws began to quiver.

    And right at that moment, Brendel¡¯s Piercing Strike that was on snooze all this while explodedpletely as a piercing beep was heard.

    Dim Korfa¡¯s midnight blue Line of Law began to expose itself to human sight, before it rapidly bent, and ultimately burst!

    An unwavering Law that had been firmly shielding her all this while crumpled before her eyes. Korfa frantically attempted to retaliate, but all she could see was Brendel¡¯s silhouette as he vanished from before her once again, and in the next second, he could feel a pair of firm hands grasping onto her!

    Time...no...space elemental.

    Dim Korfa had a disoriented thought in her head. He said that the Power of Order that he had could only allow him to cast once¡­.but he lied! He lied to me, again! And again! Her eyes cked out, nearly losing her consciousness from the overbearing fury that she bore inside.

    She just could not fathom that Brendel would set a trap for her to fall into even when he had the upper hand, for it all seemed too unnecessary.

    But it sure seemed to matter now.

    Brendel dropped the Staff of Earth, visibly with no intention of killing Dim Korfa since he was not confident at all that he would be able to destroy that damn woman.

    Bosses sure as hell gonna have more H/P than that, but the crippling of the Lines of Law only happens once in a blink of an eye, I have to grasp this opportunity!

    He then clenched his grip on Dim Korfa¡¯s shoulders and forced her to the ground.

    Dim Korfa was not expecting an attack of this manner as she was mped down on the ground, her visionblurred, horrified that a mortal man had physically overwhelmed her in such a deplorable way.

    ¡°How dare you¡­¡±

    She was both disconcerted and furious, at certain moments entirely caught off guard,pletely forgetting that she had to repel him as she watched nky, what came next was out of her wildest expectations.

    Just as her eyes were popped wide from confusion and disdain, Brendel retracted an arm and bizarrely jabbed his finger into his own forehead, leaving a bloody wound.

    Blood began flowing down his arms with the rain, a mixture of which went dripping down onto Korfa¡¯s face.

    Even though the bloodied raindrops would evaporate uponing in contact with her lightning-structured body, she was still bewildered nheless.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing you, you filthy human!¡±

    She then quickly took to notice the ck crystal from Brendel¡¯s forehead as he was removing it.

    Dim Korfa in that fragment of a second seemed to be bewitched by magic as she stared nkly, all she felt were the stiffening limbs from the cold.

    ¡°No,¡± She screamed, ¡°You cannot do this, let me go you rat!¡±

    Brendel, whose face at this point was smeared with blood, cracked a smile at Hati¡¯s eldest daughter, a smile so haunting she could feel the cold seeping deep within her bones.

    He then pinched the ck crystal, now too drenched in a fusion of blood and rainwater, and gently ced it on her head, ¡°Miss Korfa, you¡¯re after all the oldest daughter of thete Chief Warg Hati, the chieftain of the Wolf tribe, their chosen leader by birth¡­¡±

    ¡°You can erase your own Laws, but you cannot wash away the memories and rtionships.¡±

    ¡°So, you shall return.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Korfa was at this point drenched in tears.

    An earth-shattering roar was heard the moment Brendel¡¯s hand came into contact with Korfa¡¯s forehead, as a cataclysmic shockwave was sent across the entire battlefield, wiping all existence, be it the Hydra, the vast ins, the rough seas, the storm clouds, and the lurking presence of an enormous creature behind it, from the face of the realm.

    Brendel too was ejected from his position off the cliff, propelled far across the cold, moisture-saturated air. He lifted his head, minced his eyes to catch sight of Korfa being hurled to the exact opposite direction, weakly struggling like a kite in the winds.

    But that was sufficient as he let out a long-awaited sigh of relief. The colossal impact came from the repelling of Milos¡¯ Law with another Law, and the fact that it urred had undoubtedly proven that Dim Korfa could no longer blend into this realm.

    His assumption was right, Korfa did murder herself, erasing her own Laws in their entirety.

    Depressing, however, she would never know that Brendel would have it in his possession in her wildest dreams.

    Hati¡¯s tribtion.

    Just like Brendel had deduced, given that she was still the leader of the Wolf tribe, by blending in the Alpha wolfw of the Heart of Hati into her, all her effort would be burnt to ash in an instant. From that moment onwards, the brief existence of Surash was gone once again, and Dim Korfa was once again brought back to this world.

    Like himself, the only difference was that now, she too will have her power negated in Milos¡¯ realm.

    And what came next, is a fair fight.

 Chapter 801 - v4c168

    v4c168

    The Mortal¡¯s Decision

    The illusion dissipated.

    The battle once again returned to the tform within the deep ravine, as the atmosphere fell back to utter silence. No time was lost at all.

    Everyone was frozen exactly where they were in time. Veronica was still frozen in the position when she was diving towards the lower sections of the tform. Ash saint Mephisto held onto the broadsword, charismatically he stood.

    Ciel¡¯s magic was still sparkling in his hands, yet all were stationary at the exact moment in time they were paused. The crumbling ice walls were halted in mid-air, and within the cave itself, four of the ck knights were in a raised bow position.

    On the tform, Brendel and Dim Korfa each took half the space, one in motion and the othercking thereof, a stark contrast between them both.

    Brendel slowly got back on his feet, still topless as blood began weaving down his forehead.

    From there it slithered down his neck, along his shoulder, biceps, arm, and eventually to his wrist, akin to a stark tattoo.

    Dark red droplets gradually rolled down the pitch-ck Staff of Earth, slowly and steadily before they made their way to the ground.

    Brendel silently watched from afar, and there Dim Korfa was, in a kneeling position, wickedlyughing as if she had just lost her mind. Her body then began shivering as she vigorously coughed, on for several moments as she gradually shrivelled up into a ball.

    The teenager¡¯s forehead was sttered with blood, but it was Brendel¡¯s, the blinding lightning had now dissipated from her body. Her pupils returned to its gentle pink, her luscious ck hair, dark as coal, a stark contrast to her fair, pale skin.

    Her ck robe spread out evenly on the tform like a ck rose on the verge of blooming atop the unforgiving tform.

    ¡°Hahahaha...cough cough...hahaha¡±

    Dim Korfa coughed and wheezed, seemingly jubnt yet shoulders shuddering. Lifting her head across as their gazes met, with detest and loathe she stared at him with condescending eyes.

    At that moment, she resembled a lone wolf and its cold and calcting gaze.

    ¡°Haha...cough cough...did you feel that?¡±

    Brendel was quiet, for, from his vision, his surroundings slowly became light grey, and as its radius readily expanded with Korfa in the center, it gradually crept towards where he stood.

    With the increasingly rapid expansion of the sphere of grey, seemingly having a life of its own, engulfed where Brendel stood, and from there, silently he could feel an old, ancient yet bearing the vibrant energy of a new beginning, gradually blending into this world.

    Milos¡¯ Power of Law.

    ¡°Hahaha cough cough...you sure are a genius aren¡¯t you, mortal,¡± Dim Korfa cracked a bright smile, taking a quick gasp of breath, then shaking her head.

    Pitifully she remained curled up where she was, like a feeble young teenage girl, even appearing rather exhausted as she remarked to her adversary, ¡°You are so close to seeding...¡±

    It¡¯s a pity¡­¡±

    ¡°You are a god now.¡±

    Brendel solemnly replied.

    As the Laws of the world went into reset, all space and time beyond the God¡¯s Eternal Resting ce went to an extended pause.

    And within this vast emptiness, a new me was reignited. Like the birth of a new light, it rekindled each of the prehistoric era¡¯s line of Laws, and along with them a name.

    The call of a name that was deep asleep in the dark abyss.

    Milos.

    The father of the Frost Giants.

    From beyond the line of separation, Dim Korfa had reached God-level. Beads of tears hung frivolously by the edges of her eyes, there she cracked a broad, genuine smile for the first time in forever, ¡°Huh, so do you still think you have a chance?¡± Whilst speaking, her head tilted as her gaze fixated upon Brendel, curiously anticipating her reply.

    Yet this curiosity carried unfathomable vengeance. As Dim Korfa mellowed her smile, her canine teeth were prying through her lips.

    Brendel remained fixated on the ever-expanding silver realm.

    ¡°Five more minutes,¡± He then solemnly remarked, ¡°Until I¡¯ll kill you for good.¡±

    The teenage girl cracked a smile, once againsted hardly any time before she started choking and coughing.

    ¡°Cough cough...sure, if only you were a real mortal¡­¡± Her coughs got ever more severe, yet on the verge of tears fromughing at Brendel as if she just heard the most hrious joke she had evere across.

    In her blood-red eyes was a sympathetic gaze, ¡°A pity isn¡¯t it, that the Gods and the Crystal signed a treaty to hand the mortals the power of the future.¡±

    ¡°Brendel,¡± Dim Korfa was still happily smiling, almost attractive in a way, ¡°Meaning I, as the descendant of the Darkness dragon, cannot be killed by a member of the Divine folk, specifically, you.¡±

    ¡°Only a mortal can kill me.¡±

    ¡°But thanks to you, hehe, only the Divine folk could move within this realm.¡±

    ¡°Do you understand? Nobody can stop me¡­¡± She stumbled as she came onto her own two feet, softly she added, ¡°Millions of yearster, humans would have chosen their fate, but this time around, nobody could change it.¡±

    Brendel remained silent.

    But an answer came from an external source.

    ¡°Brendel couldn¡¯t,¡± This voice was crisp and decisive, ¡°but I can.¡±

    Brendel and Korfa¡¯s expressions took a swift turn in opposite directions.

    ¡°Who are you?!¡± Korfa¡¯s face instantly dulled, panicking she shouted into the abyss. Out of mid-air, in the sidelines of the standoff between the two, a door was drawn on the air by a ray of blue light, and out came a young woman, d in Cavalry uniform as she strode onto the tform.

    She turned towards Dim Korfa, with a serious tone she remarked, ¡°I do not know where Brendel is from, or why he is unable to defeat you, but I know one thing, Your Divine highness, that I can make that choice.¡±

    ¡°Because I,¡± She pressed onto her chest, word for word she dered, ¡°am from Be, and I am that mortal that you have chosen to name.¡±

    As she proimed those words, Dim Korfa¡¯s reactions were equally interesting, as if all her emotions were clumped into one.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Desperately shaking her head in denial, ¡°It cannot be...no, you have to make the right choice, for it influences the future of this world.

    Now heed this advice, young maiden, for it was Marsha that had granted you everything, your kind cannot betray her virtues.¡±

    She watched as Freya solemnly drew her longsword, the light reflected upon the de was blinding to Korfa, her face now paler than ever, ¡°No, I can make you a demigod, you can be with him till the rest of time, we can return this world to its historical glory.¡±

    Her continuous rambling seemed to bepletely disregarded by the Cavalry maiden, and as she held onto the Lionheart sword, she turned back to look at Brendel.

    Brendel gave her an acknowledging smile.

    ¡°Freya.¡±

    ¡°Brendel.¡±

    Brendel raised his Staff of Earth, ¡°Show me what they¡¯ve taught you at the Royal Cavalry Academy.¡±

    In Milos¡¯ realm, all abilities have been fully repelled, even Korfa¡¯s own.

    Now they had with them five minutes, five minutes until the Silver realm fully merged with Dim Korfa.

    And in these five minutes, it was a battle purely rested upon skill and experience.

    The two adversaries were dead silent. Korfa seemed to have lost her ability to speak, her face appearing stiff, for she had witnessed the sky blue radiance between Freya.

    ¡°Why, Milos?!¡±

    ¡°This is my agreement with the Crystal, Korfa, and it is only right that we offer them with more options,¡± A voice seemed to resonate from the background.

    ¡°But that¡¯s unfair!¡±

    ¡°Korfa, you and I are from different camps, we have different beliefs and faiths, but I do have a tiny request that I would like to seek from you...to allow fairness to blossom in the sands of history,¡± The voice appealed.

    ¡°If you are certain Chaos is the only Truth in the universe, then you shan¡¯t be worried that it would fail, is that not so?¡±

    The voice stopped, with a more prominent tone it then remarked, ¡°For the same decision befalls upon me.¡±

    Dim Korfa scoffed but with no words in rebuke. Lifting her head, she sees a man and a woman.

    Both in an attacking stance.

    The Staff of Earth vibrated ever so slightly as Brendel shut his eyelids. Before him was now a summer night, and amidst the darkness was a night skyplimented by scattering stars. There he made his steps forward, feeling each and every step with his body, and there by his side was Freya, doing the same, almost to identical beats.

    The obsidian-colored de and its metallic counterpart hovered in mid-air as they charged.

    ¡°You remember the battle of Be?¡± Brendel took to asking, still in stance, ¡°the battle of the Golden garden.¡±

    Freya was caught off-guard, yet nodded nheless.

    ¡°This time,¡± Brendel continued, ¡°I shall cover you again.¡±

    Heid down the Staff of Earth.

    ¡°Freya.¡±

    Dash was once again initiated, and like a ray of light Brendel went straight at Korfa, this time around it had nothing to do with the Laws, or the Elemental powers, even the power of Milos¡¯ realm was restricted to the bare minimum.

    It was just a simple battle of life and death.

    Dim Korfa¡¯s rage could easily be noted through the fiery gaze, yet she adeptly took a step back and conveniently blocked off Brendel¡¯s de. Her reaction was from pure battle experience, one that was undoubtedly among the best.

    It was a pity for Korfa however that Brendel was not fighting alone.

    ¡°Alternate attack!¡±

    A sky blue silhouette presented herself as Brendel, the Aouine Cavalry uniform was all the more eye-catching to the Eldest daughter of Hati. The metallic gleam of the Lionheart sword revealed itself like a fang of the lion, thrust towards her.

    Maynild once entrusted all hope that this sword could change the fate of a kingdom, but here it was instead, ready to change the fate of someone else.

    These people covered the entire Warndt maind.

    Dim Korfa howled, witnessing Freya¡¯s sword art was on full disy, one she deemedpletely vulgar. In visible disdain, she retaliated with a w towards the warrior maiden, yet what came next was a de, ck as obsidianing in between!

    ¡°You damned brat!¡± She lifted her head and once again Brendel was there in her way, and yet again with a vague smile on his face. She couldn¡¯t help but gripped Brendel¡¯s de instead, forcing it away before taking an abrupt step back to avoid Freya¡¯s attack this time around.

    Brendel, however, was not going to let anything go her way. Tossing away the Staff of Earth, he instead grabbed onto her wrist.

    ¡°You scum!¡± Korfa was furious, without second doubt she thrust a concealed dagger with her other hand towards Brendel¡¯s waist.

    Nevertheless, after the attack was struck, she thought of herself: This cunt before me is already a dead man! Korfa lifted her head, and all she saw was Brendel ominously smiling at her.

    Oh fuck! Hati¡¯s eldest daughter instantly nked out.

    And with a snick, she could feel the weapon in her hand unobstructedly piercing into Brendel¡¯s abdomen. Yet there Brendel was, barely twitching, devoid of any signs of pain as he clenched onto her hand. A single jerk and she was pulled towards him.

    Into Brendel¡¯s embrace she fell before he forced him to turn around towards Freya.

    ¡°No!¡± Korfa screeched.

    Right then,

    Freya and Dim Korfa both had their eyes wide from terror.

    Dim Korfa gasped as she watched a de thrust into her heart. It was the Lionheart sword. Her eyes opened wide, yet there she was, voiceless, gasping and slowly suffocating, before blood spewed from the edges of her lips. The teenage woman furrowed her brows, her face wrinkled as she huffed and puffed, even in immense pain, she was not yielding, not like this.

    Not like this¡­

    Watching the tform that was supposed to bring her glory and praise, then onto the barrel-like valley, then to Freya.

    Andstly, with ast-ditch effort, she forced her head behind to take a look at Brendel, the one mortal that was the bane of her existence.

    ¡°Korfa, this is the answer¡­¡±

    ¡°Vile¡­¡± She feebly spouted.

    Freya, almost restless witnessing the goddess sinking to her death, pulled out the sword. Her lips twitched, a thousand words she was ready to speak yet words were stuck in her throat.

    Ultimately, a simple reassurance she settled upon, ¡°Brendel, are you¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± Brendel let out a sigh of relief, Dim Korfa gradually feeling lighter in his arms, as she had begun fading into obscurity once again. Time and space around them began to gradually resume into action.

    Staring to the far corners, Brendel noticed that the grey regions at the edges of the tform had finally begun to dissipate.

    Milos¡¯w was now once again returning to the dark void.

    A good marker for a new beginning.

    Letting out a deep breath, he wearily replied, ¡°Good thing she avoided the heart.¡±

    Whilst speaking, he began coughing, a chain of fatigue and chills came up at him as if they had been waiting for the battle to end. He faltered and stumbled, on the verge of copse before a reassuring embrace came to his rescue.

    It was Freya. Freya was there for him.

    ¡­¡­

    Time in its normal order seemed to have resumed the moment Dim Korfa died, Haruz was baffled watching the caped ck knights raise their bows and to have marched towards the edges of the cier.

    The ck Knights¡¯ actions were so natural, it was as if there weren¡¯t any pauses in-between time, not even acknowledging the obvious changes on the tform. To them, it all seemed as though it happened in a blink of an eye.

    Like clockwork, they raised the longbows within their grasps and raised it as nned.

    Right then, the ice shards that were stuck in mid-air since time was paused came crashing into the valley.

    The ck knights aimed directly at Brendel and Freya. As time was fleeting, they were not aware of where Freya had originated from nor did they care. All that intuitively recognized was that Freya was Count Trentheim¡¯s ally, and as such, they drew their bowstrings.

    Haruz took two quick, panicked breaths, and just as he was going to speak, Shido by his side seemed to have guessed his motives as her eyes popped wide. She frantically shook her head, hinting at him to not make rash decisions, yet the young prince only had his teacher¡¯s safety in his mind.

    Given his almost childlike innocence, his own circumstances were early on relegated as an afterthought.

    The riders let loose their arrows, and faint swishes were heard.

    The long arrows were released from their source.

    ¡°Teacher, watch out! The ck knights, they are here!¡±

    The young prince screamed at the top of his lungs.

    The leader of the ck Knights quickly reacted, drew his sword, and came towards the exposed delinquent!

    Just as his sword was headed towards the neck of the young prince, he found himself frozen in position, mid-way from his attack. The truth was, each and every one of the ck Knights present was too.

    The Line of the Golden Law seemed to have extended within the cier and coiled around every person, startling the ck Knights by the cavern entrance as all their arrows seemed to deflect off a massive figure.

    It was a dragon.

    The dragon spread its wings, its scales shimmering from the golden flow, its equally golden pupils burning with scorching me.

    Lifting its head, both horns in full, majestic disy as the Giant dragon stared down upon its adversaries.

    The Giant dragon, one that could only possibly appear from prehistoric times, which moments ago was just unting its regal wings on the other side of the valley, had now made its way right before their eyes.

    ¡°Master Aloz!¡±

    Shido, on the verge of tears, couldn¡¯t help but call out her name.

    ¡°Haha, can¡¯t believe our lives are spared!¡± Fs too remarked.

    Right beside him, Laurenna let out a sigh of relief. Naturally, everyone did, even the likes of the tense Kirrlutzian crown prince, which now could finally catch a breath, only to watch as the younger prince shouted out a rash call of warning.

    From the immeasurable anxiety, his body gave in.

    ¡°If I was you,¡± Aloz warned, albeit teasingly as she winced her eyes towards the leader of the ck knights, ¡°I would drop the sword.¡±

    The knights were not in their wildest dreams expecting a dragon before themselves. Visibly shaken, the leader of the ck knights raised his sword, then loosen his grip as his weapon fell, a loud clunk was heard as it hit the ground.

    In the ice cavern, the ck Knights shared an understanding gaze, pausing momentarily before the nging of heavy metal was heard as weapons were thrown to the ground.

    ¡­¡­

    Brendel turned his gaze to the skies as the silhouette of a massive sentient beast soared past.

    His head, now resting on the young woman¡¯sp, was attached to a body which at this point was utterly depleted, giggling from genuine joy radiated from deep within.

 Chapter 802 - v4c169

    v4c169

    Cataclysm

    ¡°Charice, Charice.¡±

    Old Bayard was calling from the other side of the house, and inside was a teenage girl, around thirteen, fourteen of age, lying on a wooden table, her face asionally clear to sight as the candlelight flickered from the winds. Not too far away, the sky had been gloomy for the past few days, dark clouds loomed over the vige, every now and then there were shes of purple lightning.

    Lifting her head to be greeted by poor weather, she sighed as she dragged herself to the door, ¡°Daddy, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Go grab my cape, and bring the horse cart. With the weather this awful, I don¡¯t think we can do anything on the grounds, I am gonna bring the equipment down to the city for Betos to have a quick check, ¡± Old Bayard delegated whilst putting on his boots by the long stool.

    Charice stood by the door of her room, staring out at the dispiriting weather beyond the living room, frowning for their livelihood, her fair arms crossed over her apron. ¡°Do you need to go out in this weather?¡± she reluctantly reminded.

    Old Bayard could tell the sincerity in his daughter¡¯s tone as he nced at the weather outside, and reassuringly he replied, ¡°Just a little wind and drizzle, I¡¯m guessing it¡¯d get worse the next couple of days. Wouldn¡¯t want to go out then.¡±

    Charice let out a sigh, wiped her hands on her apron, and then bobbed her way across the living room to retrieve the cape, and wrapped it over her father, ¡°Watch after Ansel and Arnold for me, alright. The young ones must be terrified of the lightning,¡± Old Payard briefly closed his eyes as his daughter wrapped the cape across his shoulders, and caringly tied a ribbon knot in the center. Whilst both were indulging in the little bonding moment between father and daughter, Charice then affectionately added, ¡°Be careful daddy, the road must be slippery for the horses with all the puddles.¡±

    ¡°No worries my lovely child, those kiddos wouldn¡¯t being out in this weather,¡± Old Bayard cracked a smile.

    Charice knew her father was reassuring her of the Gnome and bandit attacks along the road, which had greatly reduced since the region went under new management, but she was still wary, with her hand over her mouth.

    ¡°Alright, go on,¡± Old Bayard told her off while looking at his daughter, who resembled histe wife the older she grew.

    Charice nodded, turned around out the door, ran under the rain into the courtyard where the stable was located at the back. She forced open the wooden gate, under the dimly lit stable were two mares, both uneasy due to the unsettling weather.

    Charice trampled across the hay to a mare named Ansel, gently patting her on the neck, humming them a luby to soothe their anxiety. But today, unlike others, the ashen maned mare was anxiously stomping its feet, its watery eyes wider than usual, reflecting whatever light that managed to seep into the stable, visibly restless.

    ¡°What is it,¡± Charice frowned. It didn¡¯t take long before the teenage girl noticed that Ansel¡¯s offsetting reaction was not a result of the lightning from the skies, but the ground.

    She squatted down slightly, her sparkling pupils fixated on the ground, she instantly noticed a fair tremor from below, rustling through the pirs.

    Right then, the maiden knew the earth was shaking!

    A deeply ominous feeling took over as she stood up, hurried over to the stall doors, clenched her teeth as she unfastened the bulky metal chains andtches, threw them on the ground, and forced the stable gates open!

    The horses were set free in the process as they galloped out of the stable without any dy to spare.

    The ground at this point was already visibly shaking, water puddles and potholes began to rustle from the tremor. And just as Charice made her way out of the stable, a strange rumble was heard from the north side.

    She paused, reactively turned behind towards the North end, where the endless Anserra forests lie.

    Above the canopy of the forest, a humongous ball of light rose from within as it continuously moved upwards, prating the clouds and beyond. It was so blindingly bright the entire sky went dull for a moment as it went above the clouds, its roar so deafening it was as if the sky itself had cracked.

    The detonation was a mixture of ear-piercing pitch and earth-shattering rumble. A shockwave was sent through the air like waves, one after another, eventually overshadowing all other sounds within the vicinity.

    Trees shook and leaves scattered from the explosion, a symphony of lightning and thunder, horrid rain and gusts of wind leaving nothing left for the imagination.

    Unjustly left in the center of the scene straight from a doomsday scenario, Charice, horrified, stood and watched as the hemisphere of mes gradually increased in size, systematically engulfing the sky, clouds into its circle of inferno as the world copsed around her.

    All of a sudden, the bright white light shattered, and out came clouds of fire as it zed and propelled!

    It started rtively slowly, before instantly swallowing the Anserra forest whole.

    As the fiery monstrosity encroached towards the vige, the upright cedar, the sturdy ck pine, or the rolling hills had all sumbed to the bright, red mes.

    As the heatwave crept in, Charice¡¯s long hair had now fluttered in the increasingly suffocating air, watching as her stable had now been uprooted, Charice screamed and was on the verge of running.

    But she was a tad bit toote.

    A huge thud was heard, and in the subsequent moments after the cataclysmic mushroom of death demolished the entire vige to the ground.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    Charice¡¯s eyes sprung open in panic. Drenched in a cold sweat, her face was pale as a sheet.

    Supporting her arm on the bedside shelf, she realized that she had once again another nightmare, over a month after the catastrophic explosion.

    Only after did she realized that the explosion happened on the north side of the Deadly Tundra, and the radius was only until slightly north of Goldfinch Mountains, the regions east of the Falling Needle Hills, yet every night she was haunted by recurring nightmares of Anserra forest and the vige, the entire region of Lantonn sumbing to the fiery ws of death.

    Her head raised, watching the main pathway onwards to Kirrlutz outside her window, the forests pleasantly lining the road, providing necessary shade. Above it was a gorgeous, blue sky, clouds shaped in ways as far as the imagination could go. Since the explosion, the weather had been improving significantly day after day.

    asionally, riders made it past the avenue, rarely crowded, those with Noble crests were usually knights, while others were apanied, mostly adventurers.

    These people had been gradually passing through since half a month ago, even though usually around this time of year, the visitors were adventurers that were just passing through heading north. Rarely anyone stops in Bernicel.

    ¡°Charice!¡± A voice was heard calling out her name.

    Charice peered out to find the source of the voice mentioning her name. It was the hunter living next door, one that might have been gone to the city for quite some time now, ¡°Uncle Becher, have you seen my father?¡± She was quick to ask, ¡°Old Bayard? I¡¯ve seen him at the cksmith, what is it?¡± The hunter replied.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I was just worried. Uncle Becher, do you know what happened?¡± She nced over at the knights as she whispered.

    ¡°You mean those knight geezers?¡± The hunter stood by the stable and nced over to the shy Noble knights men, shaking his head, ¡°I¡¯m guessing they must be looking for someone.¡±

    ¡°Looking for someone? Here?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Castle Vallendaren.

    It has been more or less five weeks since the explosion, Eikkel, Yo, Makarov, and Count Audine could tell that the princess might appear indifferent, but privately she was restless.

    It was fortunate however that the count¡¯s dealings were still a sess, given that Duke Viero was Count Radner¡¯s nemesis in the public eye, both on and off the two had been involved in countless battles. If either was given the chance, they would naturally not slip up on the opportunity to crush the other once and for all.

    A feud even the young brat Eikkel could identify, that Duke Viero was where he was due to his rtionship with thete king.

    Not to mention the Duke¡¯s own daughter was the mother of the princess, once they witnessed as Princess Gryphine addressed her grandfather, everyone in attendance, even the oldest ranked in seniority, Makarov and Oberwei were all stunned to hear.

    A fact about the Duke that seemed to line the edges of everyone¡¯s collective memories was that, when younger, Duke Viero was adies man and eventually wedded an elf as his wife, yet no one seemed to have seen the Duchess¡¯ face, nor were they aware that Aouine kingdom even had an elf as Duchess.

    Nevertheless, Makarov and the rest, whilst at shock, seemed to realize that the once obedient child was no longer as blindly abiding as they wished for her to be. The truth was, the princess had always had the fire of rebellion in her.

    King Oberg the Seventh¡¯s wedding was wholly handled by the royal family. Even though news of the king marrying a half-elf would undeniably bring about rumors and dismay among the civilians, the old king still managed tomandingly disy his thick-headedness. Furthermore, as the queen of the kingdom was still a human, the royal n would never want to get on King Oberg the Seventh¡¯s bad side for this.

    It was today they found out that the stubborn,te king was not actually in pursuit of a simple, aimless rtionship.

    As for the Hignd knights, no one knew where their generosity and affection originated from, given that the impending war had nothing to do with them.

    Nevertheless, not only did they send a ck Tower Mage into the official envoy trope, they even swore to stand by the princess if she were to dere war on Count Radnor. This was not just an alliance, this was them swearing fealty to the kingdom.

    This left the royals even more clueless than before. The Hignd Knights of Aouine and the political environment that they adapted, even though historically were out of the norm, were never one to pledge allegiance to anyone else. Even at the peak era of the kingdom, the knights and the mages had only remained a rtionship of mutual respect with the kingdom royalty.

    In a time like this, they were the side on literal high ground, and the princess, after handling the Ampere Seale incident, had mostly relied on its tiny territory and a controversial subordinate in Count Trentheim to be in their current position.

    If Duke Viero did not choose to side with them, the tide of battle would have leaned towards the Northern crown prince.

    Yet the situation was now moving along with the current puzzling development. With the sworn loyalty of the Hignd Knights, for House Griniores to pledge their allegiance was no longer a surprising turn of events, for it was unterally known that Count Grinoires was not an ambitious man, and was only a Noble by name and nothing else, for the man was hardly interested in the changes in politics.

    Interestingly, when Count Grimoires sent out his party of envoys, the crowds rather derogatorily spected among themselves if the Count actually arranged the envoy party himself, or was it his council or family members behind it instead.

    Naturally, it was hardly a tough guess, yet the details bore the masses, and everyone was satisfied with just the revtion.

    But the details did, however, provide some context.

    The destiny of the Aouine throne, the recurring thought that haunted the young princess day in and day out, worsened as the war approached.

    Buga and Oberwei had already taken the original route back to Lantonn, since the cataclysmic explosion happened between the borders of Lantonn and Viero, and both parties were eager to find the root cause.

    The news from the frontlines was hardly reassuring. From the initial reports, nearly the entire Deadly Tundra forest had been wiped from existence, and east of the Gunn mountains, south of Violet castle there seemed to be an entirely new Necromancy realm appearing from within.

    From the residual energy, it could prove that there was a recent explosion of gargantuan levels.

    Much evidence described a massive crater in the core of the explosion, but no living witness was found to this day.

    Amongst the circle of the kingdom¡¯s rulers, especially the princess and her closest aides, that could only mean one thing:

    The young prince had not returned.

    Count Trentheim was also nowhere to be seen.

    And now, what kept Makarov and Count Audine in distress was that the Kirrlutzian first in line to the throne had been missing since the explosion, along with their formidable Royal observation brigade and the Azure skies legionmander.

    But both royalties had each received news at this point, that the Kirrlutzian envoys had already left a while earlier, and were en route to Aouine.

    This was hardly favorable news.

    Not until earlier that day.

    An unexpected guest visited Castle Vallendaren.

    Unsurprisingly, it was a visitor that was long sought after by the princess herself.

    Outside the window, the green vines dangling from the city walls danced ever so slightly with the wind. Beyond that, the tranquil winds forest and the Gonn mountains supplemented the luscious view.

    The warm, afternoon sun gradually shone over the windowpane, its soothing radiance lightened the room with a golden re. Inside, behind an exquisite dark wood study desk, Princess Gryphine sat silently on her red woolen executive chair.

    Trying her best to remain herposure, multiple times she asked for the time. ¡°She¡¯s almost here, Your Highness. She is now making her way across the hallway,¡± The handmaiden replied with an awkward smile.

    Princess Gryphine nodded, took a quick breath, and right then a sessive knocking was heard by the door. The entire room returned to silence for several moments, before she lightly replied, ¡°Come in.¡±

    The door was pushed open, and in came Freya, still in her Auoine military uniform. The only difference was this time her charisma and stance far exceeded herst visit, and besides her slightly reddish face, she was like the carbon copy of the ck knight, Maynild.

    Slightly perplexed to see Princess Gryphine before her own eyes, as her original ns were to meet Macarov or Count Audine, prompting her to do a knight¡¯s salute.

    ¡°Your Royal Highness.¡±

    ¡°Please rise,¡± The half-elf maiden appeared rather calm on the outside, yet only after several deep breaths was she fully calm, ¡° The Count...is he alright?¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, Brendel...he¡¯s...doing fine,¡± Freya carefully replied.

    Yet Princess Gryphine quickly got the point, despite her best efforts of masking her emotions, she could hardly hide her restlessness as she quickly followed with a second question, ¡°What about my brother?¡±

    ¡°Prince Haruz is doing well too, they are both doing well.¡±

    The half-elf princess finally let out a faint sigh of relief. Despite restraining all her actions to avoid exposing her anxiety, she still appeared rather somber, her head at that moment was fuzzy.

    There she sat for a long while, both relieved yet rather disappointed, notably towards Count Trentheim¡¯s remarks. Yet it did not take long before she returned to her usual calm, ¡°Why didn¡¯t the Counte by on his own?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Maynild and others are still recuperating from injury, the lordmander would like to send them back to Frada or the Firbur group to be treated first.¡±

    Princess Gryphine lowered her gaze, visibly in contemtion. Momentarily after, she turned towards Freya, her grey pupils seemed to brighten with rity, ¡°Freya, this is an excuse isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Freya was left embarrassed by her weak excuse. The true reason for Scarlet¡¯s disappearance was still under investigation by Brendel, with all the bits and pieces he could find of the Hignd maiden.

    Deeper reasonsy within as she recalled Brendel¡¯s warning to the servants by the princess¡¯ side. Shen then offered a simple nod towards the handmaiden.

    Princess Gryphine tilted her head ever so slightly towards her handmaiden, ¡°Go tell the Hignd knights that the Count will not be arriving anytime soon, but he is still alive, ask if they have any opinions on this.¡±

    The handmaiden nodded and dutifully left.

    The princess then turned back and took to asking, ¡°Tell me what really happened, and that explosion, I want to know everything about it.¡±

    Freya took a deep breath.

    ¡°Alright, Your Highness, this is how it went¡­¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Deldtal harbor.

    Around dusk, a horse carriage fully upied with goods came trotting into town, towards the direction of the harbor. But right then, there appeared to be an increasing crowd gathered before the route the horse carriage was heading.

    A certain incident seemed to have happened on the road to the harbor.

    Not long after, the crowd had grown sorge that the carriage had to stop. The driver got down and went into the crowd for an inquiry, and down came a man shrouded under a dark cape.

    He seemed to be in a fairly recent injury, his movements slightly disjointed as he limped towards the front of the carriage, leaned in to talk to the driver, and then limped back onto the carriage again.

    Right then, a voice resonated from inside the tinted carriage, ¡°What is it, Boymer?¡± The man sounded crusty, akin to that of an elderly man.

    ¡°It¡¯s good news, Babarn, rescue is on the way!¡± The man in the front was gleeful as he came towards the carriage. Whispering, he said, ¡°It¡¯s our band of envoys, they have just docked.¡±

    The carriage remained silent.

    Viscount Babarn sat by the hay, his face pale as a sheet, seemingly suffering from terminal illness. Hearing the words from hispanion, he could finally let out a sigh of relief.

    Painfully, he forced his way into a sitting position, his hands unveiling a ck cloth to reveal a whole crystal.

    And in that crystal was a redhead maiden, holding a spear. The young maiden was almost humanlike, stunning as she was intriguing. But this time, Babarn was not paying attention to Scarlet, he was bewitched by the halberd in her grasp, unable to look away.

 Chapter 803 - v5c1

    v5c1

    The Lance of Subversing Mortality 1

    ¡°Scarlet, do you still remember my name?¡±

    Inplete darkness, the voice came to her like a beacon of light.

    They say that the human awareness was at its sharpest when inplete distress, and it seemed to be the case for Scarlet, as she could tell instantly that it was Ovina.

    The Holy Lance of Heaven had been silent for so long, notably since it had epted her back in Ampere Seale, sealing the sacred agreement. There was no way Scarlet could have mistaken.

    It was to her the lifesaving straw at the moment of life and death. Exhrated, despite the arguments of the Kirrlutzian royals a slight distance away, right then, she could feel nothing else. Her feeble and earnest expressions were however promptly brushed off by Ovina, as she rhetorically asked, ¡°Do you need me to save you?¡±

    The young maiden nodded, tears oozing from the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°You are weak, Scarlet,¡± Ovina sighed, ¡°The Azure Lance is a de meant to guard the mortal realm. I have once brought forth the question to you, that as the skies crumble, and the stars have fallen, it is then which marks the beginning of a history of mortals conquering destiny. Can youprehend the courage that lies within?¡¯ And I took heed of your reply. Your emotions are now within me, but courage isn¡¯t about perseverance or resolution, it is wisdom. And youck that, do you understand me?¡±

    Scarlet nodded.

    ¡°So, can you still fight?¡±

    Scarlet was slightly taken aback but promptly nodded with all she had. As the Kirrlutzians, with Babarn as leader were furiously arguing, before letting loose a punch to the face of the Noblemenmander, then tangled together as they hustled while bystanders tried to stop the fight. Amidst themotion, nobody was paying attention to what the Hignder maiden was about to do.

    ¡°Great,¡± Ovina was equally unbothered by the ruckus as she nodded agreeably. After all, those Noblemen were nothing but specks of dust to her, nevertheless, as her signatory was still weak and underprepared, she will not allow for her to lose to what she akin as mere bugs. It was a matter of pride.

    ¡°The one who shot you earlier was slightly more powerful than you. The weapon he is using is a tinum rose-type weapon, or a replica of it. Its capabilities were to enable sure-fire under the space elemental, supported with lifesteal.

    As the lifesteal is rather modest, it wouldn¡¯t trigger the Undefeated destiny to get to you.¡±

    Ovina then routed her remark back to Scarlet, ¡°But all of that shouldn¡¯t be a problem in the first ce if you were at least capable at all.

    If your lord is here, he would never have been shot by those bugs. More than anything, you have toprehend that insects will be insects. They can possess weapons of magic, however powerful they are, but with their skill levels they could never even imagine dealing any real threat to a capable person.¡±

    ¡°Now, stand up, let me tell you what a real battle is.¡±

    Scarlet kneeled on the ground, her body all limp, face swollen and red from being smacked earlier. Her head was dizzy and her mind fuzzy, but Ovina¡¯s words did initiate a thought in her mind.

    But to stand now? Can I defeat these Kirrlutzian Noblemen soldiers?

    Stupefied, she asked, ¡°Now?¡±

    ¡°Definitely. I asked if you could fight, and you nodded, didn¡¯t you?¡± Ovina coolly replied.

    Fighting is one thing but winning is another. If it was Brendel, he would have questioned if that was even feasible. But it was Scarlet in this position, and Scarlet was innocent, she was faithful that Ovina wouldn¡¯t cause her harm, so she chose to believe. Clenching her teeth, she held onto the stool as support as she pushed herself back into a standing position.

    The Kirrlutzian Noblemen that were deep in an argument went silent. It was the soldier just across Scarlet who noticed strange behavior from the teenage maiden, and soon after all the others turned towards her.

    All of them watched bafflingly, unsure of what she had in mind.

    What is she attempting?

    Only after a while did someone whistled, ¡°Hey Babarn, look at this little chick over here, stubborn as hell isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re done for!¡±

    Babarn pushed aside the aggressive nobleman. Wiping off the blood stain by his lips, he strutted towards Scarlet, his face far from his best, ¡°Lady, you¡¯re heavily injured, you cannot fight us. I swear by the pride of a noble that I wouldn¡¯t let any of them hurt you. Give up, we¡¯ll hold on to our word.¡±

    Scarlet¡¯s lips were sealed.

    Ovina watched on as the frail, young maiden stood strong in the face of adversity, prompting her to nod with satisfaction. Her contractee didn¡¯t have to be the best in the world, but she must possess a heart of pure gold.

    And the teenage girl before her suited that requirement, clearing all doubts she had for the girl when Brendel agreed for her to raise the Holy Lance of Heaven.

    Right then, she could do nothing but ept that the human¡¯s decision for her was indeed worthy.

    It was true thatpared to Brendel himself, Scarlet was better suited for the Azure Lance, for in its core purpose it was to guard the realms of the living. That little brat surely has his own path to partake¡­ Ovina shook her head as she contemted, ¡°The Azure Lance was truly not for him to wield, even though it does seem like it was custom-made for him now.¡±

    Scarlet kept her silence. Babarn was pushed aside by the leader among the noblemen squad unit, drawing his sword, he taunted as he strode towards Scarlet, ¡°This little babe doesn¡¯t seem to be listening to you, Babarn.¡±

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Babarn howled.

    ¡°Babarn, look at yourself,¡± that nobleman soldier sneered, regurgitated before spitting out a sludge of blood and spit. The blood in his throat was caused by Babarn¡¯s punch, to begin with, a punch so hard he gagged.

    Grinding his teeth, he replied, ¡°How much time do you think we have here? If the peasant count were to discover our ns, you, me, and the rest of us would be dead meat. The peasant royal has two dragons in his array, which one of us has two dragons? You, or do I now?¡±

    He swung his sword while the rambling continued, ¡°Which I¡¯ve been saying, if you cannot control little Sweet-cheeks over here, then I¡¯ll take over. And I assure you she will not be dead, that¡¯d be a waste for such a beauty. She would be a good ything to have around, but can¡¯t guarantee that she¡¯s not up for a little punishment.¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Babarn cut him off, ¡°She took a stab from my arrow, the oneced with the Throat of the Silver Dragon, there¡¯s not a lot left in her so save your strengths.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you mean her, the girl shot by an arrowced with the Throat of the Silver dragon toxin, the one standing over there? Pardon me, Babarn, but your little relic of a bygone era over there sure doesn¡¯t seem to work, does it? Or is it because of your amateur shooting skills?¡± Nobleman squad leader Fellock mocked.

    Babarn was left speechless, taking a good look at the silver crossbow in his arm he too started to doubt its efficacy. The Throat of the Silver Dragon was his family heirloom, passed down for generations. It was rumored that the first count cut down a white oak tree only to find a crossbow in its center, one with magic power far exceeding most magic crossbows or even magic imbued heavyweight crossbows, one that was even supplemented with the ability of lifesteal.

    This was a weapon famed throughout history and its battles, and this was the first time he had been able to wield it with the authority of the mantle as family heir, originally brought along for self-defense, but now it seemed to have left him in a demeaning position.

    Babarn was left speechless, which in turn consolidated Fellock¡¯s point, which thetter manipted to his full advantage. He had decided to vent his anger on Babarn¡¯s little beauty of a hostage, not to the extent of killing her, but keen on leaving her defaced.

    His sinister intentions include stabbing her in the abdomen, leaving her in a position bound for a slow and agonizing death, yet would stay long enough to even meet the king before she goes cold.

    With that in mind, he was rather enthusiastic to watch the sickly prisoner before himself gutted like livestock. Yet he was not ready for what was toe.

    Before he could take a clear look at his captive, one of his men alerted, ¡°Frellock, watch out!¡± Frellock was not in his wildest dreams expecting Scarlet to still be able to retaliate. Earlier when he was grabbing her by her hair and flinging her to the wall, he knew that Throat of the Silver Dragon did not lose its ability at all, but it was beyond him as to why the girl would still be able to stand, even when she waspletely battered earlier on.

    With the first warning, he was expecting an attack from Babarn at the back instead. Yet when he hastily turned behind, half furious that his own men would attack him over a foreign peasant.

    All he managed to see was the inaction from Babarn, who was evidently watching what was in front, no, behind him as they spoke.

    Frellock felt a piercing cold in his heart.

    Which evidently marked hisst. With a quick jab through the back of his heart, the Kirrlutzian Noblemanmander wriggled a little, his eyes wide, arms iling in hopes of grabbing a certain something only to no avail.

    Death quickly crept onto him like a cloaked knight in the dark, and there he went, copsing on the ground, his mind nking out for itsst.

    Under the cier, was a long stretch of silence.

    Just as everyone terrifyingly watched the Hignd girl behind Frellock¡¯s lifeless body, they were also dumbfounded by the attack stance that she had after she crawled back onto her two feet. The stance that she had, they could swear with their lives, was nothing they had ever seen before.

    It was as if Scarlet had vanished from before them, and what was left on the ice, was ice cold Law.

    This was thatw.

    When Scarlet raised hernce, she had no strength left in her, the Laws of that space manipted the flow of her attack. As they ordered her to hit her target, hit her target she did.

    Everyone was stupefied by the turn of events. Even Babarn was caught off guard, knowing now that Scarlet was not chosen at random, but that also meant he was not an idiot for trusting his heirloom.

    ¡°Johann, Messius, nk her, earn some time for me. But be careful, don¡¯t let her get close to you!¡± Babarn shouted his orders.

    Ovina stood by Scarlet, stoically watching onto the two Kirrlutzians on each side. Back in her days, the Kirrlutzians were still barbarians of the grasnds, the Inir people of Farnezain were even ves of the Miirna people. To think one day in the future beyond herself that these humble ck Dwarfs would one day steal the limelight.

    ¡°The one on the left would arrive before the right, but you need not capture their moves, it¡¯s all just for show. What you need to take note of are the various kinds of power.¡±

    ¡°Just like those distributed across the silver line, their size, direction, and purpose each were decided. So no matter the oue, they can still be predicted. The moment they decide to act, the oue is already decided.¡±

    ¡°This is how it is in the realm of ants. Now, let me teach you how a proper attack is dealt.¡±

    ¡°A real attack?¡± Scarlet, holding onto hernce, weaved left and right while gorgeously avoiding the attacks from the Kirrlutzian Nobles. Her strength was at its lowest, but she thankfully was under the guidance of Ovina.

    Without even moving too much, she couldfortably evade the iing attacks. Exactly like what Ovina had mentioned, the moment the Kirrlutzians attacked, she was already beyond their range of attack.

    That was an immensely enlightening feeling, especially for a young girl that had been getting the shorter end of the stick all this while. It now seemed like they were ying a scripted game of rock, paper, scissors.

    Scarlet could feel that this was not the first time she had witnessed an attacking style like this. Several times before, she had witnessed Brendel in simr scenarios, watching as the opponents¡¯ sword arts were all within his expectations. It too seemed like his adversaries were intentionally drawing nks, it was hrious to watch.

    And now she got to watch it from a first-person perspective.

    The two Kirrlutzian noblemanders were furious, watching as a severely injured petite maiden making fools out of themselves, and not only did they not manage to deal any damage, it was horrendous and deeply insulting for them. It was as if they were engaged in a scripted battle sequence and they were intended to miss.

    The bystanders, including Babarn, watching were dumbfounded. They surely knew theirpatriots were not acting out a scene with Scarlet, but what they were watching was bizarre, to say the least.

    Ovina silently watched, until all of a sudden she alerted Scarlet, ¡°Close your eyes!¡±

    Two longswords wereing right at Scarlet, and instinctively the Hignd maiden shut her eyes. At that moment, a marvelous scene appeared. She ¡°witnessed¡± within the darkness were silver lines, some floating and some vanishing. And amongst them were two, both extending towards her.

    She instantly identified them.

    The two longswords by the Kirrlutzian Nobles were as agile as sea serpents in the water, but in Scarlet¡¯s field of ¡®vision¡¯ they were only two unidentified lines, and all she had to do was use them as a reference as she raised hernce, and¡­

    Block!

    Johann and Messius were astonished, watching their right hands numbed by her rend. They were unable to fathom how she could sessfully guess where their attacks were headed.

    ¡°Next, how do you n to attack?¡± Ovina took to rify.

    Scarlet witnessed the curved silver line and promptly thrust hernce to the origins of both silver lines.

    ¡°You n to attack by trailing the route, are you confident of your deduction?¡±

    Scarlet was taken aback, noticing that the silver lines had now begun to shift courses, and were blocking her attack route. She was aware that if she were to pursue the source of the attack routes the opponent would be able to intercept.

    She stopped, and then further revised her attack points once or twice, yet no matter how she envisioned pushing ahead with her silver lines, her opponents were still able to mp down on her attacks.

    She couldn¡¯t help but frown at her hypotheses.

    What the Hignd maiden wasn¡¯t aware of, however, was that whilst she was in deep contemtion and frustration, her adversaries were drenched in a cold sweat. Johann and Messius were unable to wrap their heads around how the young woman had abruptly be this powerful. From her initial defense to counterattacking notably in a waypletely foreign to them. If Scarlet were to pursue several more of these methodologies, they would have been dead by now.

    Babarn noted their disadvantage and subsequently ordered the other two to join the attacking squad.

    Even then, four perfectly abled militants facing off against an extensively injured Elemental Awakener and yet only managed to tie in a fight was unimaginable.

    But Ovina was far from satisfied.

    ¡°You are still imprisoned by your pre-existing attacking thought process,¡± She shook her head, ¡°The Azure Lance is the defender of the living, but to fulfill its full potential, you will have to break the rules.¡±

    ¡°Breaking the Law?¡±

    ¡°Without restricting your thoughts, try breaking your attack out from those primitive lines. The Line of Laws cannot be restricted in one ne,¡± Ovina added, ¡°Just like when I told you to lurch your spear.¡±

    Scarlet paused ever so slightly.

    Then she withdrew hernce.

    The next moment, Azure Lance, like a raptor prowled towards Johann. Johann was terrified, certain that his death hade for him, only to take a good look and realized there was no follow up to her attack, just in directly at him.

    He was dumbfounded but filled with glee.

    This was the most basce attack he had ever seen, worse than that of a beginner.

    Certain that the captive had now exhausted all her strength, hence leading to such gaping error, he was exhrated. He reached out to his sword and went straight ahead to block with no intention of contemting her next move. His goal was to wear her down, which he was positive would take hardly any time at all.

    Just as he was thinking about the near future that he presumed was almost certain to happen, a nk was heard as his longsword blocked the opposingnce, but while it happened, thence had also prated his chest, almost identical to that of Choroque¡¯s.

    His eyes were wide from disbelief, watching a recurring scene yed out once again, yet it was as harmonious as ever. While he did manage to block the attack, it ultimately was not enough, and it was a price he had to pay with his life.

    A sharp pain cut off his thought process as he fell into an endless abyss.

 Chapter 804 - v5c2

    v5c2

    The Lance of Subversing Mortality 2

    ¡®Look at that...thatnce looks kinda strange¡­¡±

    Not sure who it was from, but as exmations were heard, the weapon broke apart, like ss it fractured and cracked, and the true Azure Lance revealed from within.

    Majestic like jade, two bolts of intertwining lightning rotated across the Azure Lance; its de radiated golden rays as Johann¡¯s corpse shot out, beads of tainted blood-spattered.

    Jaws dropped as everyone promptly froze, even the Kirrlutzian nobles were left dead silent.

    The reveal of the Azure Lance left everyone terrified. Witnessing as thence cut through the Lines of Laws, Johann¡¯s sword actually did block Scarlet¡¯snce, but thence seemed to have appeared from a different realm, and there it pierced right through Johann¡¯s heart,pletely negating any form of defense.

    It was a recurring scene proimed in the Pale poem.

    The Kirrlutzians¡¯ own creationary myth.

    The Lance of Subversing Mortality.

    ¡°This is thence art of the master,¡± Ovina proudly dered, ¡°Its true purpose was for it to break the rigid order, and to bring forth a new future.¡±

    Watching Scarlet herself gradually opening her eyes, and was bewildered by what she saw in her hands, it just meant she had not yet fathom what had just happened, and Ovina felt it a pity, ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate that you could yetprehend the greatness within it, for it had no equal, not before, not now, not ever.¡±

    ¡°I...I don¡¯t really understand¡­¡± Scarlet frowned, for she could wrap her head around what had just happened, all she knew was that the Azure Lance broke through a certainw in ce, and twisted its way to hit a target that was logically impossible to hit.

    The truth was it all felt rather muddy to her like even after she wielded thence, killed her adversary it all still seemed like a pure coincidence.

    ¡°The truth is simply because the logic of obeying the natural order is not the actual truth. Just like good and evil, right and wrong, they are all just concepts with value.¡±

    Ovina nced over at the baffled young woman and was greeted with perplexity, btedly aware that none of what she said was getting to her.

    She said, then decided to make it simple and short, ¡°Alright let¡¯s put it this way. In most cases, whether our attacks hit the target or otherwise, it relies on the understanding of both attacking parties, and the key factors naturally include strength and bnce; these are the usual rules of the game, yed by two sides.

    But what if I¡¯m telling you now that the Holy Lance of Heaven broke this rule, and the mortal rules no longer apply? Its attacks now adhere to the Laws of its own creation.

    These Laws are far superior to the usual ¡°game rules¡±, for a mortal dodging from an attack with conventional rules can never avoid the attack of the Azure Lance.¡±

    The Kirrlutzian nobles at that moment had finally snapped out of their panic and distress, prompting Ovina to speed up her debrief. Scarlet also took notice as she strenuously drew her weapon back into a defensive stance. Nevertheless, she followed up on Ovina¡¯s exnation, ¡°So...what is this Law called?¡±

    Ovina¡¯s reply was emphatic.

    ¡°Reverse cause to effect.¡±

    Babarn ultimately snapped back into reality, but he sure wished he never did. It all just felt like pping himself in the face.

    The Aouine people dug the Azure Lance from under the Ampere Seale, then handed it over to the Buga people, which was a truth that no one could sugarcoat, not even Princess Gryphine to begin with. Instead, she ought to scapegoat other parties for this mishap, even intentionally requesting Brendel to brazenly spread it out into the world.

    And throughout the entire process, one name was unable to hide from public attention, the one of Count Trentheim, since Brendel was the star of the Battle of Ampere Seale. Not to mention that the Holy Lance of Heaven was dug out from beneath the city after its besiege. If anyone were to divert the finding from that name it would only attract unnecessary suspicion.

    The Lance of Subversing Mortality had a recurring presence in the Pale poem. Legend has it that it could pierce through the world, negating the Laws of the mortal realm.

    And here it was, presented before their eyes.

    Now along with Scarlet¡¯s identity, and all the tumultuous history between the Aouine and Buga peoples, if Babarn by now could notprehend that he, along with the other Kirrlutzians had been yed a fool by Brendel and the Buga people, he would have been an unredeemable idiot.

    He sure got this point by now, but another arose in his mind. The truth of this enormous secret is exposed before me, but the problem now is, can we survive this to tell the tale?

    He couldn¡¯t help but share a nce with the others, each sharing the sentiment of greed alongside utter fear.

    ¡°Even until then, they wanted to snatch the Azure Lance from you!¡±

    Babarn at that point knew that hispatriots were all familiar with the origins of the weapon in her grasp, and even if one or two of them were still slow to react, they could have guessed just from the looks of their fellow noblemen.

    It was the greed in them however that left him astonished, yet it was forting, for it was a shared sentiment that the mere spark of thought was about to lead to a forest fire.

    It was the crown jewel among those named in the Pale poem, a true weapon from the preceding era, thence that pierced through its cocoon, leading to a new era, the weapon of the warrior of the Azure skies. Whoever possesses it might just be the king of the World!

    But Babarn had not yet sumbed to their shared delusions. Aware that the divine weapon was not suitable to be wielded by just about anyone, after all, it was a Holy Object from the prehistoric era. Not to mention fame almost on par with its capabilities, the Wind Elves, the Farnezains, and themselves the Kirrlutzian people were all ogling this divine weapon!

    After all, who wouldn¡¯t?

    Now even the Silver level Buga people are on the search; the dragon tribe might not have officially heard of its return, but given their self-indulgence they would never give up the divinence without a fight. These forces, we can¡¯t fight these forces! But Babarn knew well that he had another option, and that was to hand the Azure Lance to the king.

    As his thoughts spiraled, they began to saturate his mind. Unable to consider otherwise, he could not help but mumble into the ears of the other nobles, ¡°Guys, I¡¯m sure you all know what that is by now, Veronica and Count Trentheim¡¯s dirty little secret, now exposed to us. The fate of our names and sess lies here todayds, right now!¡±

    Listening to Babarn, the others were slightly riled up, with all eyes on him at this point.

    But these were all the cream of the crop among the noblemen, now aroused by Babarn¡¯s grand n,pared to their original scheme to keep Scarlet as hostage to ckmail Veronica, this seemed far easier.

    The Azure Lance was right here within an arm¡¯s reach, it was ripe for the taking. Besides, with Veronica being their superior, who would believe their empty words? As one of the highest-rankedmanders, this was her own misdeed, but now with such a grand gift within grasp, they have the leverage they needed before the royals!

    With their new n, not only would they be left unscathed when they return, they might even be generouslypensated. And when that happens, as the heroes who returned the Azure Lance to the kingdom, House Cecil would have to think twice before seeking their revenge.

    If they yed their hand well, House Cecil would throw the me on Veronica, which would break the alliance between House Ashric and themselves!

    Upon this point, the Kirrlutzian noblemen were now all solemn and keen. Their gazes fixated upon Scarlet, from the preceding fright, their gaze was now imbued with thirst, like gamblers at the sight of a casino.

    ¡°Babarn¡¯s right, this is a huge secret and she¡¯s not gonna let us live with this. Life or death, we have got to decide.¡±

    ¡°Enough with this garbage talk, we all know about this. Let¡¯s get her!¡± One of the Kirrlutzian was rather brash and bold. Nevertheless, it was not his usual tone, he was just nervous.

    Scarlet took a few steps back, ¡°They seemed to realize that this is indeed the Azure Lance,¡± Frowning, she whispered to Ovina.

    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t matter to you, if there¡¯s anything just kill them, dead men tell no tales,¡± Ovina brushed her concern off, unfazed.

    Clearly, she had gone through the potential oues the moment she shed thence art, considering that Scarlet was still far too weak, having the news that she had the Azure Lance would be a call for trouble.

    Scarlet nodded at Ovina¡¯s ¡°solution¡±, but chose to keep her silence.

    Killing without remorse had yete naturally to Scarlet, and would still leave her hesitating on her decision. That said, killing was not the issue, for she was a mercenary, to begin with.

    Thest days of intense and harrowing events had taught her several decades worth of experience in the span of weeks, and had made her see clearly how the world really was.

    Now the thought she had instead, as if she hadn¡¯t saved Babarn from beneath the ice sheet, how different it would all have been. The Hignd maiden was now a changed woman.

    She was now inclined to believe she should not offer mercy to strangers, and the only one she would offerpassion to was her Lordmander. Him and only him.

    Raising hernce, the same weapon that made her hesitate her mortality just moments ago after Ovina revealed its true capabilities, had now ced her beyond the reaches of the specks of humanity.

    On the other side of the battle, the nobles were fueled with insatiable greed. Weapons were drawn as they eyed thence like deprived hyenas at a carcass.

    Humans are just delusional in a way, even when suspended above the jaws of death, they would still give in to greed, eyeing the chance of fortune at the expense of their lives. More so that the prize was one that would drive anyone mad, confidence on both sides was at a high. The fight was nigh.

    A brutal fight ensued.

    Scarlet, from the moment she held the true Azure Lance, felt her chi transformed. It was now that she was no longer at the helm, for it was Ovina instead in the battle.

    That was the power of the Lance of Subversing Mortality.

    In the minds of mortals, what they could perceive as Laws of battle no longer apply to thence. The battle had promptly morphed into a massacre. The Azure Lance now boasted the rules beyond the Laws, and defense was nothing but a flimsy concept.

    If there was a target it was aimed to hit, it will hit.

    The piercing of thence was the filler to the absent narrative. As the de had already ripped through the human body, the world would not allow for a gaping hole in the flow of space and time while a mortal life was taken. Hence thence at its endpoint provided a haphazard reminder of its otherworldly oue.

    Scarlet held thence, two steps back and one lunge forward, and upon that the Kirrlutzian noble seemed to have set himself up as a human sacrifice, with despair and distraught he was brought against his will through the middle of the de, with his heart sliced apart in its center.

    Scarlet stoically tossed the corpse from her weapon, turn around, and thrust it towards another Kirrlutzian, of which he intended to block with his sword, only for the Azure Lance to cut through like butter, along his shoulder, as it btedly detached and fell like it was meant to be.

    Only a blink of an eye and the battle was set.

    Babarn and thest remaining Kirrlutzian noble, retreated in horror, fearing for their lives. Only then did they fathom why the Azure Lance was held in such divine regard in the Kirrlutzian book of creation.

    It was this gift, bestowed upon by the heavens. This gift, that was not supposed to be in this world, yet with an unparalleled purpose it was brought about to the mortals, and hence opening a brand new page in the history of the world.

    That was the Lance of Subversing Mortality no less.

    ¡­¡­

    A boat rocked above the choppy seas. Babarn took a sip of water, still feeling the dryness in his throat as he narrated his experiences before, albeit with bits and parts intentionally left out.

    As he narrated, still visibly shaken, under the dim and flickering oilmps within the damp and tapered lower-ss cabin, it felt as if they were in the sailors¡¯ ¡°cages¡±.

    Under the barrel-shaped cabin was a few hammocks, and on them sat three people, Babarn, Boymer, and another in exquisite clothing. Their outfits were in stark contrast with that of the peasant ss cabin, but they felt right at home.

    Well, they didn¡¯t have much of a choice.

    Viscount Bernie sat before Babarn, this time as the special envoy for Her Majesty the Queen, with a special mission but was defaulted before he could even step on Aouinends.

    He was not disappointed, however, feeling more fortunate instead that the Aouine people were not notified beforehand of his supposed arrival. It would raise suspicions if he did, but now he had far more urgent issues to deal with, for the ¡°item¡± was on this ship.

    This was far more crucial than anything else he would have had to handle in Aouine. By a mile.

    Patiently interpreting Babarn¡¯s narration, he mimicked his exact action in the process, raising the cup for a sip, a cup filled with watered-down rum. It was revolting, a taste that leaves the drinker far thirstier than he started with.

    Quietly he sat, and after several moments he took to ask, ¡°So, why didn¡¯t she kill you, and how did she be like this?¡±

    Babarn was perplexed, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. Boymer across from him was hardly doing better as they both appeared shell-shocked.

    After what seemed like a deep contemtion they finally replied,

    ¡°It was the explosion¡­¡±

    ¡°The explosion?¡±

    Viscount Bernie naturally did not experience the battle, hence was far quicker in recovering than the other two.

    Frowning at the battered men before himself, he was ready to me yet ultimately thought it was not worth the hassle. After all, it was chilling just to hear the events of three dozen Gold-level noble militants ughtered in an instant, and it was within the same ranks!

    At this point, he was not sure if Babarn was lying, and instead determined that the mey in its entirety on Scarlet and Brendel.

    After a quick thought, he calmly added, ¡°Speak in detail, so we can save the hassle when we meet the queen.¡±

    Babarn was rather touched as he gazed over to the Viscount. Viscount Bernie was from the Pratt family, a closely acquainted royal n to the queen. And for a member of a highly regarded n to even offer his attention was rather surprising, to Babarn at least, and it also confirmed the queen¡¯s interest in the Azure Lance.

    Guess I won the bet this time! After a long pause, he replied, ¡°She did intend to kill us, but a certain something cut her short of murdering us all.¡±

    ¡°The explosion?¡±

    Viscount Bernie frowned, wondering to what extent an explosion would stop the Azure Lance.

    But all of a sudden, a face of bewilderment shed through his face, as Babarn and Boymer watched in confusion. The Viscount exhratingly hopped off his hammock, his face reddened as he strode in circles within the narrow cabin.

    After several moments, he took a deep breath, halted his circling, and aggressively patted Babarn on the shoulder as he shouted,

    ¡°It¡¯s the explosion! It must be! The explosion of the Deadly Tundra forest must be rted to the Azure Lance, it¡¯s alling together now! Viscount Babarn, please enlighten me on the incident from start to finish, make it as borate as possible.¡±

    Viscount Bernie was thrilled, but he could sense that his tone was rather aggressive, given that his unnoteworthy audience might one day in the future be of great admiration by the Queen Her Highness.

    Promptly, he tried again, this time with his words rephrased, ¡°I¡¯m sure the both of you are aware of my trip this time around, Her Highness is rather concerned by the recent explosion.¡±

    Babarn btedly nodded, but his reply was noticeably vague.

    ¡°That explosion...I don¡¯t actually know how it happened¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait, fill me in if it¡¯s rted in any way with the Azure Lance.¡± Viscount Bernie cut him short.

    Babarn nced over to the Viscount, slightly taken aback by his obsession with that matter, yet chose to only reply with a shake of the head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe not, can¡¯t really tell. But one thing¡¯s for sure, is that the explosion happened behind us. I could feel the strong re and humming but the whole thing was rather sudden, nobody knew what was actually happening.

    It just felt like the Earth was shaking and the entire world fell into a blinding white void. If you find this hard to believe you can ask Boymer, he¡¯s experienced just as much.¡±

    Overhearing the conversation, Boymer appeared rather traumatized as he nodded.

    Viscount Bernie turned towards him, paused for a moment, before he continued, ¡°What happened after that?¡±

    ¡°After that? After that a strange woman was saying, ¡®Damnit, what is this...be careful, I¡¯ll protect you!¡¯ but I can¡¯t promise that it was true, the voice was loud, and it might be part of my imagination,¡± Babarn replied.

    ¡°No, Viscount, I heard it too,¡± Boymer further verified.

    Bernie nodded, with a frown he continued, ¡°So what I¡¯m getting is that all of you were close to the site of the explosion, but you have all lived, is that so?¡±

    Babarn let out an awkward grunt.

    After a moment of hesitation, he ultimately nodded.

    ¡°Yes, Viscount.¡±

 Chapter 805 - v5c3

    <h4>v5c3

    Misceneous Tasks By The End of Summer</h4>

    A miniature scarab waddled over the shiny ss surface of the hourss, its feet leaning on the hourss crevice, attempting to climb onto the ss, only to slip time and time again. Eventually, through much effort it grappled onto the wooden pir in the hourss center, gradually making its way to the top, only for a pale, delicate finger to force it down again.

    Furious, it unted its wings while spinning in circles, scrunching over the sand. Frustratingly, it fell back on the walnut desk, making a little spin, and its routine began once again.

    Sunlight was radiating through the windowpane, on the other side of it was lush greenery. Downstairs, Madam Camille was trimming the bushes.

    The parterres down in the courtyard were inherited from the Graudin era.

    Madam Camille was specifically invited from Ampere Seale by Amandina as a professionalndscaper, but it was clear that Madam Camille had yet ustomed herself to the heat and humidity of Trentheim.

    Nheless, she was all praises for the young socialite Amandina, certain that she was a truedy not seen in the near hundred-mile radius. Her elegance and etiquette were not beneath the princess.

    And quite likely due to the mistress of the house, the proud woman agreed to the position in Firbur, which she deemed an impoverished, squalor of a vige.

    ¡°Brendel, you...don¡¯t me me do you?¡± In the study, Aloz, in one of her rare, nearly unprecedented moments where her head was hung low, puppy-eyed towards Brendel, one that left the ashen-haired blond, tall and sturdy, right next to her, visibly dumbfounded.

    The once ferocious and proud Mother of dragons had this soft-spoken side to her?!

    Amongst the three great catastrophes of the Dragon tribe, Aloz was in clear first. If the news of her today were to spread, not a single soul would believe it. Hence, he was certain that it was just an illusion, likely from the zing heat blinding his senses.

    It sure was a bizarre urrence however that the heat had not receded even as summer wasing to a close, but instead seemingly backtracking to its seasonal peak. The days grew warmer one day after another.

    And it had been over two weeks since thest rainfall.

    ¡°Lordmander, this isn¡¯t Miss Aloz¡¯s fault, it¡¯s my oversight,¡± Medissa, with a muffled tone, pleaded.

    Brendel turned to look at the Silver elf princess, knowing that this was inrge part due to the negligence of young Mother Dragon Aloz, upon using the star-shaped rock as a stool, went ahead to save the day but crucially left the rock behind. Throughout, Medissa was oblivious of it.

    And it was of pure coincidence that Arreck was in the right ce at the right time, and seized the opportunity he did. Since Scarlet vanished after the explosion, Aloz had been restless, which came to Brendel¡¯s surprise for he was not expecting her to care as much, which in turn soothed his nerves.

    Regardless, Scarlet was not his biggest concern at the moment. When the Star-shaped rock exploded, Milos¡¯ myth appeared in the nick of time, blessing everyone present and keeping them alive, in turn rectifying that the Hignd maiden did not after all lose her life in the catastrophe.

    For even if a god¡¯s word was not to be trusted, then the absence of the Azure Lance in the rubble was a double confirmation. Now the question remains. Where can Scarlet be?

    But that was not too severe an issue. Brendel was confident that with Scarlet¡¯s current skill level, anyone that could put up a real threat against her in the entirety of Aouine was far and few between, so naturally Brendel was not too concerned for her livelihood.

    Instead, from what Milos had said, if she survived the gargantuan explosion, she must be bogged down by events in between. Now that search knights and mercenaries had been dispatched from the main base and Lantonn, with the Deadly Tundra forest now effectively wiped off the face of the earth, it should not take long before news of her whereabouts return.

    He was still deeply troubled by Scarlet¡¯s condition however, but not to the extent of throwing me on anyone.

    What his main concern had been, was Arreck¡¯s death.

    Upon Arreck¡¯s death, the revtion of him being the Darkness dragon can no longer be hidden any further, and this was a bane to Brendel¡¯s position. Now he was eager to know who Arreck¡¯s handler was, and to dig that person out from the wide expanse of the world was like a needle in a haystack.

    Staring back at Aloz, the young Mother Dragon, along with the man next to her, who evidently was also a dragon, apparently here to escort her back to the Dragon tribe. It was known that Aloz was caught cheating in her exam previously and was hence expelled from the home tribe. Even though it was of her own making, Brendel felt she was pitiful enough already.

    Shaking his head, he calmly replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine, how long are you going back this time around?¡±

    ording to his knowledge, imprisonment from the Dragon tribe was measured by centuries, and if Aloz¡¯s wrongdoing was severe enough, it mightst just as long, which would mean his momentous efforts to connect with them were to no avail.

    ¡°It¡¯s three centuries this time,¡± Aloz pouted as she said, her grim expression then promptly reced by hope as she proimed, ¡°But fret not, for they can never keep it locked up for long, I¡¯ll be back in no time.¡±

    Brendel was stupefied by her remark, instantly turning towards the blond-haired man next to her. The man wittily kept his eyes towards the ceiling, seemingly drawing the line at where it was his problem.

    Noticing that, Brendel could finally let out a sigh of relief. Even though he was not entirely sure of the man¡¯s actions, whichprehensibly was rted to Aloz, he promptly red at thetter.

    If you were to jailbreak then do it without informing the world about it!

    I know you¡¯re fearless, but what about the rest of us? What if they know about me and think I¡¯mplicit? If the Dragon tribees to us, even ten Valhas would note to our defense this time!

    Aloz noted his nce and promptly rolled her eyes. I get it, geez!

    The young Mother Dragon then proceeded to whine and scoff, and added several otherments along the lines of ¡°Don¡¯t you dare forget me!¡±, ¡°I¡¯ll be back very soon¡±, before being escorted away by the blond-haired man.

    At which point Medissa too, bid her farewells, and among her words of formalities she mentioned that Veronica wanted to meet with him.

    Brendel knew the female legionmander must have hurried her way back to the kingdom, after what she would consider a grand victory. Yet Brendel noted the uneasiness on her face, which led him to agree to Medissa¡¯s request.

    And then, it was back to just the two of them in the massive estate.

    The study reverted back to its pin-drop silence, and Brendel once again directed his gaze beyond the window panes.

    Between the flower beds, right next to the horse stable, Kodan was monitoring as the servants groomed two gant Arreck horses. Through the refracted sunlight over the luscious greenery, he seemed like a crusty old veteran.

    Nevertheless, the princess¡¯ ns to act on Radner were no longer a secret to Brendel and his subordinates, for Brendel knew exactly what Kodan had known, even if he did not take to confirm it. Regardless, he was dispirited, on one side it was the kingdom that he had sworn loyalty to, on the other hand, was his old master.

    At this point Kodan seemed to have taken the role of the old butler within the castle, a role that Brendel wouldn¡¯t mind, after all, despite his antics, he was well acquainted with histe grandfather, and at this point, Brendel sees him more as a guest of Trentheim.

    Further away, over at the Coldwood castle, its white walls now covered with moss and overreaching rhizome fern. Within, there was a flight of stairs leading straight towards the walkway on the castle walls, and naturally there stood several patrolling guards. The corridor had built-in embrasures connecting to the arrow tower.

    The helmets of crossbowmen reflecting the lights from the pinnacle of the arrow tower, one of them busy chatting with his colleague.

    Outside the city walls was Coldwood castle¡¯s main street, and by then the straw huts lining both sides had long been demolished.

    Taking their ces were sturdier and longersting stone houses,plemented by stone-paved roads that now provided a contemporary appeal. On the street today was a merry sight as crowded citizens weaved between one another, packed like sardines.

    The only thing visible from above were the red-tiled roofs, with the asional tree in between. From a birds-eye view, it resembled a parsley patch.

    Witnessing this invigorating sight undoubtedly lightened the frustration Brendel had within, reced by a newly reunited sense of pride, watching the rebirth of Coldwood city that was but a crumbling wastnd just a year ago.

    At least it now regained its semnce of a city,pared to Bunosong and Magitan, the cities that he had visited, Coldwood city was now on par with the others, in certain ways even more prosperous. It was a sight not even present in the game.

    And it was all his own deeds. Nevertheless, he gave praise to where it was due, namely the efforts of Amandina and Romaine. To be honest, in terms of its prosperity, it was the unsung merchant girl that deserved all the praise.

    The revitalization n was her own idea, and it was her making that led to the bustling business scene in Trentheim of today.

    Today, the water belt from Port Gris to Ampere Seale connected the entire north, bringing countless ships into the waters of the kingdom. Under the watch of the Shining Scale Nagas, this sea route had be the safest waterway the entire Aouine kingdom had ever had, news of its sess by now rapidly spread across the world.

    His agreement with Winter Dew had yet shown any visible benefits but had perked the attention of traders and businessmen alike, after all, they were always the most attentive of the changing tides.

    Countless supplies entered the waterways into Firbur, and from Firbur city to the Loop of Trade Winds. Any concern that these supplies and raw ingredients were not readily utilized would be delighted to know of the ck forests as the untapped region awaiting its glorious awakening.

    T¡¯was only been two months, but Master Bosley had already recruited many students and subordinates to distinguish the grounds where precious ores like tinum, gold, bronze or mithril could be extracted, not to mention the best of forestry, countless hunting game, a wide variety of rare herbs and and of fertile soil millenia in the making!

    Through the centuries, this stretch of the forest had always kept mortals away for its haunting aura and the frightful beasts lurking within.

    Yet today, the me of Order within the core of the Loop of Trade Winds has been lit.

    With the Knga mountain range as centrepoint, Order was once again stabilized, the druids and the tree elves joined Brendel¡¯s legion, forcing open the final gate for the Aouine people.

    With the supplies steadily imported from the entire North, the dream of buried treasure was gradually bing reality. With the cargo ships by the port, loaded to full capacity returning to where they came, effectively ying the roles of manpower, technical support, and magic manufacturing that Brendel so eagerly sought after.

    The shipping route had be a symbol of a path of gold, as every single person taking the route left richer than they were yesterday. Anyone with a tiny bit of grit, wisdom, and spirit could achieve what they wanted, and it was all due to the grace of the ever-generous fiancee of the great Lordmander.

    All thanks to Romaine, despite not being able to keep all harvest festivals in check as neat and tidily the way Amandina did before, she single-handedly revived the market scene, thriving and reinvigorated as it was today.

    And the sardine-packed crowds within the city, and the traders in the guesthouses, along with the bustling scenes by the harbor was all her tireless work, deal by deal, one after another.

    A city that had virtually nothing in the beginning, all thanks to the effort of the young, unremarkable girl and her words sessfully convincing the Merchant¡¯s guild, which started the flow of goods, led to the prosperity and glory of today. Ships would arrive in Port Gris empty and leave filled to the brim with goods and supplies.

    Brendel acknowledged that he never paid much attention to the business side of things, but he felt fortunate that what felt like a blink of an eye and all of this were here before him.

    Nevertheless, he was never in any doubt that the little merchant girl, now a merchantress in her own right, would coordinate and restructure Trentheim to new heights.

    Bystanders were expecting him to acquire Radner¡¯snds before he could initiate his great n, but never would they expect that Aouine¡¯s future was now presented before their eyes.

    And it all began with the young maiden beside him, and the blueprint she drafted.

    He couldn¡¯t bear to look Romaine in the eye. The Merchantress herself retracted her fingers, like white scallions supporting her chubby cheeks, her bubbly eyes staring intensely at her ything.

    The ything in mention was naturally the scarab that was tirelessly crawling to the top, but unsurprisingly, each time it reached the top it was forced back down by its merciless owner. It would continue for several times more, to the interest of both owner and pet.

    The Merchantress was wearing a noble robe, yet sitting in a slouched position, leaving them crumpled and creased. Topped off with the sleeves folded, she effectively converted clothing of elegance to the corniness of a vige maiden.

    If Madam Camille saw her looking like this, she would have nagged and sighed. Brendel recalled the time when she wrongly assumed Amandina to be his fiancee, and only when Amandina herself went to rify did the misunderstanding cleared, but nevertheless left a peculiar expression on Madam Camille.

    Brendel would look a true god in the eye without flinching, but for a rustic old woman like Madam Camille to re at his side-eyed brought chills to his spine. That instance might just be one and only time Brendel had ever run from a fight in this world without even attempting a battle.

    Brendel and the Merchantress sat side by side. With that proximity, he could feel her body warmth, and the sweet fragrance she exuded into the air.

    He appeared rather preupied, seemingly in deep contemtion of a certain something before he proactively reached out her tiny waist, so sleek his arm effortlessly wrapped around it. The Merchantress felt the sudden warmth that he offered and reactively nced towards him.

    Her lips lifted ever so slightly, yet subtle as she lovingly kicked Brendel on the leg, before reverting to teasing the pitiful scarab.

    Brendel¡¯s mind was muddled with bits and pieces of everything, but he noticed that when Romaine was interacting with the businessmen, she was rather obsessed with the whereabouts of every little penny, yet never stingy on the money in her possession.

    The truth was, besides the deal on hand that she was brokering, the Merchantress was incredibly generous to everyone who crossed her path. And every time he noticed he would take to asking, and every single time her answer would be identical to thest.

    Detaching her scarab from the top of the hourss for the millionth time now, she solemnly replied, ¡°In certain ways, trade is like war. On the battlefield, you¡¯ve got to count your artillery, but for sess toe your way, you¡¯ve got to adjust your focus on the long run. Stinginess isn¡¯t going to take you anywhere.¡±

    Brendel was baffled, yet rather amused, ¡°Hmm, where did you get this from, your aunt too?¡±

    ¡°Well nah, not this time. My aunt doesn¡¯t do business herself, it¡¯s my own philosophy, pretty great right?¡±

    Brendel could only watch in awe, at the girl who he would perceive as raw talent on disy.

    Romaine on the other hand seemed to have something entirely different in focus, as her excited grins quickly faded as she pouted, ¡°Speaking of which, felt like forever since Ist saw my aunt. Say, Brendel, aren¡¯t you supposed to be looking for her, haven¡¯t heard anything from you recently.¡±

    Just a mere mention from Romaine left Brendel red as a tomato, embarrassed for his clearck of effort in that aspect.

    If Romaine never took to mention, Brendel would have forgotten about Aunt Jenny entirely. After all, Aunt Jenny had always felt just like Brendel¡¯s own family in this world, which felt like mere side characters, never carrying any genuine weight.

    Even though he did send an envoy to Be to gather intel on her whereabouts, it was just an afterthought, he never even told Amandina about this! And once there was news from Be that she was nowhere to be seen, the hunt ended prematurely and it had relegated to the back of his head since.

    Not to mention the ever-increasing tasks to handle, notably since half a year ago when he wholeheartedly offered to pull Aouine back to relevance from the brink of destruction. Since then, time had been a raremodity.

    With barely any time to stop for a breath, how else could he afford a manhunt?

    Now that I¡¯m thinking about it, for all Romaine has done for me, only to leave her looking this dispirited, can¡¯t say I don¡¯t feel guilty about this¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll pick up news about her really soon. Aouine is a big nation, and I bet your aunt is also eagerly searching for you from wherever she is. You¡¯ve made a name for yourself now, as long as we give it a little more attention, I know we¡¯d reunite with her in no time!¡¯ He pinched Romaine¡¯s little chubby cheeks as a gesture of reassurance.

    Romaine chuckled, her eyes winced like a petite arctic fox.

    ¡°Haha aww, Brendel, you feel bad now huh?¡±

    ¡°Cough cough,¡± Brendel¡¯s cheeks were bright red, nearly forgetting about how observant the young entrepreneur was, regardless of how amicable she was to him. Given how little room she offered him to back into, he scoffed at the remark by the cheeky little maiden.

    What he was not expecting was for Romaine to stare right at him, with a solemn gaze on her face, shaking her head as she added, ¡°It¡¯s fine really. Brendel, I know you have a legendary goal for yourself, and so do I. Back then, when I talk about my dreams, even Freya would burst intoughter, but only you believed in me. You took my dreams seriously.¡±

    ¡°Brendel, you have always tolerated my goals, so Romaine will also tolerate Brendel¡¯s goal.¡±

    ¡°You know what? Aunt Jenny once told me that mortals¡¯ dreams are like the stars in a summer night sky, shining so bright yet so far away. But if one dares to reach out for it, who knows one day you might actually grasp the shining stars in your hands. For the sky full of shimmering stars belongs to everyone appreciating its beauty.¡±

    Brendel stared right back at Romaine, awe-inspired, right then her brilliant eyes seemed to reflect the starry Be night.

    He had always wondered why this little maiden, rather nd on the surface, ever since Be would follow him around, and would help him unconditionally. One he had always assumed was part of her personality, that as long as it was someone close to her, she would offer her all to support them where she could.

    But it had never crossed his mind that she genuinely believed she could do it. And like she said, in a starry summer night scattered with the brightest stars, if one were to reach it, they might actually catch them in their grasp.

    Doesn¡¯t matter if the star he wanted was the brightest one in the night sky.

    ¡°Do you know what I wanted to do, little Romaine?¡±

    Romaine nodded and proceeded with a concise reply.

    ¡°I do. Brendel, your dream is to marry Her Highness Princess Gryphine, and be the true king of Aouine.¡±

    ¡°Pfft¨C¡±

 Chapter 806 - v5c4 Mages, Dragons & Kingdoms(1)

    <h4>Chapter 806 v5c4 Mages, Dragons & Kingdoms(1)</h4>

    Beyond the study was a long balcony sidewalk, every few steps was a stone pir supporting the ceiling. Overgrown moss covered its granite surface, sunlight refracted through the lush greenery as it appeared fragmented across the ground.

    Sparrows rested leisurely by the curb as they chirped away, seemingly in a merry mood.

    Brendel, after lecturing Romaine cranked open the door, scaring the birds as they fluttered away. Just as the door creaked and closed on his way out, his habitual remark,

    ¡°Scarlet, prepare the carriages, we¡¯re going to Port Gris,¡± was just about to be uttered but promptly caught at the tip of his tongue.

    In his memory, the teenage girl with her trademark long ponytail had always stood by the second stone pir by the corridor, hernce leaning on it while she asionally fed the hungry sparrows.

    Several times he saw the exact scene. The young maiden was stunning and elegant, quiet as she was, resembling the heart of an illustrious painting.

    But as if time had wiped it all away, for this time, there was no one else by the second stone pir awaiting his call, nothing but shimmering sunlight and overgrown moss.

    Brendel lightly sighed.

    He could not help but crack a bitter smile.

    Far across the other end of the corridor, Amandina, holding a cluster of sheepskin scrolls stopped as she watched her Lordmander appearing rather disoriented, and had promptly understood as she too let out a dispirited sigh.

    Her fingertips appeared pale, nearly creasing the sheepskin papers, of which were important documents of internal affairs within the kingdom. The Lordmander himself has yet to read through any of these. Afraid that she might have smudged the details, Amandina frantically loosened her grip and in turn, dropped all the scrolls across the floor.

    Amandina panicked, biting on her lower lip as she stared nkly at the ground. After a long pause, btedly bent down and hastily began recollecting the sheepskin paper scrolls.

    Nonplussed, she reached out for the ne under her cor, it was a ne without its pendant. Yet she pinched on it as if it was never gone, and momentarily got back on her feet, nced over towards Brendel on the far side before promptly retreating the other direction.

    Brendel stood by the study room door for several minutes beforeing back to his senses. It was from a certain point on he had gotten ustomed with the young Hignd maiden by his side, silent as she was.

    He had always teased her for this exact reason, for things like when she was nning to get married, yet little did he know, now that she was genuinely away from him, that the one truly unprepared to let her go was actually himself.

    ¡°What¡­¡± Brendel nudged himself around his temples, ¡°Brendel O¡¯ Brendel, Scarlet can¡¯t be by your side for eternity, she has her own life too doesn¡¯t she?¡±

    The more he contemted, the more frustrated he became. Shaking his head, he wanted to cleanse the rapidly clustered thoughts from his mind.

    Veronica and her ensemble settled for the night at a local guesthouse at Port Gris, from Coldwinter castle to Port Gris by carriage only required half a day, but Brendel understood why the Squad leader herself chose not to lodge at the Coldwinter Castle. Understandably due to her role as the Squad leader of a foreign nation, she was wary of being too chummy with a foreign count.

    This was not news, notably since the wanted criminal Mephisto was also in her squad, and having him staying in Brendel¡¯s castle would be treacherous, she made the respectable decision to keep her distance.

    Nevertheless, Brendel was rather surprised by the news of her summon for a meeting with himself. Given that she had arrived in Trentheim for about two weeks now, ording to rough estimates, she should be back at the kingdom by now. After all, her mission had alreadye to a natural endpoint, and most importantly she was escorting the crown prince and the Folded Sword Squad in her legion.

    He could not quiteprehend the female Squad leader¡¯s arrangements.?<i>Why is she still hesitant and wary, the kingdom¡¯s internal affairs have been experiencing a peace spell¡­and besides the asional squirmish by the bordends there shouldn¡¯t be anything much happening¡­</i>

    Filled with suspicion he strode across the corridor and down the flight of stairs. In the outdoor hall, a few of Ciel¡¯s disciples were in an argument on magic-rted issues.

    Ciel built his Mage tower within the castle, and hence his disciples were to reside within the castle, albeit in the servant quarters. But due to the rigid rules in the world of mages, the disciples had not brought too much of a change to the life within the walls of the castle.

    The few disciples noted Brendel passing by and instantly offering their greetings to the Lordmander, which Brendel took to acknowledge them one by one.

    These youngsters were chosen from descendants of adventurers or local nobility and with that, the families were eternally grateful to Brendel for offering an opportunity for their children to learn magic.

    Most mages in Warndt do not leave legacies, while Academy party mages were mostly from Buga. But what good was there to learn from Silver mages?

    Even in Kirrlutz, only a naturally gifted apprentice like Shido would receive the adoration of the Silver Race, which meant mages with legacies to offer, whether in Aouine or Kirrlutz held a respectable status among society, way above the random brutes around.

    As for Ciel who inherited from a ck tower mage, despite being a fraction of the Buga mages, was renowned enough for people to fight for a ce amongst his disciples.

    A chance to receive guidance from a proper master for local nobility of far-offnds like Trentheim was quite literally a gift from the gods, even more so for the less well-off families of journeymen and adventurers.

    Amandina, too, was aware of that point, and with her position as organizer and advisor to Brendel she took the opportunity as a chance to offer its limited positions to the families loyal to him. Sue, daughter of Leto, the Red Bronze Dragon for example, and along with others secured their loyalty to the Lord as an all-epassing war machine.

    But Brendel naturally did not align with Brendel¡¯s expectations in the beginning.

    He did agree in part that it was a good position to seek the loyalty of his most prolific subjects, but he sees the training of young disciples more so as long-term nning for the future of Trentheim.

    After all, an army without a mage squad is merely a third-tier battle legion, and it was not even topare with the Kirrlutzians or the Wind Elves, in which their tantalizing Air Force had a mage at the helm of each and every unit!

    With that armada in ce, it was not too much of a supetive to consider the mages as Vaunte¡¯s high-tech operatives, for each and every one of them cost a huge fortune, but they were undoubtedly worthy investments.

    And this was only the forties, the era before even the te Wars.

    Naturally, in certain ways Amandina had a point, not to mention that Ciel acknowledged on more asions than one that Sue had brilliant gifts, which Brendel himself took notice of, beyond the rosy cheeks and her finely twisted braids of the teen. As a result, it prompted Brendel to consider their suggestions and kept a selected number of them.

    In the Battle of Ampere Seale, Sue disyed incredibleposure despite her age, and that was the core aspect of being a mage, yet only few others several times her age could do quite as well. From that, it was clear that she could notice the Line of Law, and in her future lies a path of greatness.

    As a bonus from their recruitment, just as Amandina expected, the Red Bronze Dragon was beyond grateful to Brendel. Who knew the only weakness the old veteran of the Eleven Months War, unfazed in the face of death had, was his daughter. One he would readily give up the world for.

    Originally, Leto wanted to leave behind a proper business for his young daughter, but it was sheer bad luck that the Madara attacked. Now that Sue was offered the opportunity to be a full-fledged mage, even if it weren¡¯t too outstanding a position, to him, he found sce in the fact that at least she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about her next meal, now standing on her own two feet.

    That however seemed to have backfired for Brendel, as the old brute many a time beat around the bush to interrogate his true intentions, trying to know if he was actually interested in his daughter, yet insisted that Brendel had no idea of his ¡®subtle¡¯ interrogation, which Brendel felt deeply insulted by, prompting him to drive him back to Mindel range several times.

    And that was hardly a single urrence, which with its repeated incidents, reasons unknown to Brendel, left him noticeably irked.

    Nheless, in Vaunte, women seemed to possess Magic privilege at a rate far higher than males. Even though male mages were more likely to be true geniuses, like Ciel and Fleetwood, the poption of female mages far outweighs their male counterparts.

    And that urately tranted to Ciel¡¯s own disciples, now mostly female, he too began to experience visible suspicions by the many on whether his school was actually but an borate scheme to recruit aspiring concubines.

    In a small, rather backward town like this, the rumors spread like wildfire. Nevertheless, not only did it not deter the minor lords and local nobilities, they began promoting their self proimed ¡°talented¡± Ladies of the region to the Ciel and his Lordmander, which Brendel could not be bothered about as he promptly told Ciel to send home any and all of which without any Magic privilege.

    This repeated urrence that was the pinnacle of Brendel¡¯s annoyance quickly turned into a recurring joke within his social circle and was definitely teased by Medissa and Amandina on more than one asion.

    <i>What a putrid society!</i>

    Just the thought of it left him shaking his head in dismay, but as he walked out the dome of the hallway, he frowned at the aroma of grilled meats.

    He paused, turned around, and questioned, ¡°What is that?¡±

    A few of Ciel¡¯s disciples were distraught as they all hung their heads low.

    ¡°Ciel didn¡¯t teach any of you the mime spell did he?¡± Brendel grumbled, despite having assumptions of his own at this point.

    Just when he was done venting, a round-faced, young maiden, pale as a sheet, her nose sprinkled with freckles, which Brendel was informed was the daughter of the Head of the silversmith association, stuttered as she replied, ¡°Mi¡­milord, Mr. Shitah told us not tell anyone.¡±

    <i>I knew it!</i>?Brendel shook his head from displeasure.?<i>Even Aloz was taken away but this little bastard is still here out in the loose?! Screw it, since we signed a contract, as ridiculous as it was, at least it¡¯s better than sending him back into a cell with the Dragon Tribe!</i>

    Waving his hands, he hinted at the young female disciples not to worry. Then, following the smells of charcoal and searing meats attempted to locate the little chubby dragon, hoping he did not light the castle on fire by ident.

    Which apparently was a genuine concern, given how thest time he was grilling meats in a sawmill it got burned into half, leaving Romaine to pay out a huge sum of money inpensation, and worse still was head butler Amandina heartbroken for days.

    Turning around to the corner of the castle engulfed by unkempt vines, under a grape rack there the Little Chubby Dragon was, stealthily controlling a bonfire, on it was a mesh rack, with several evenly grilled shrimp. The glutton even sttered the shrimp with condiments, naturally from the kitchen.

    This cheeky little bastard was bang average in battle, but in terms of sneaky businesses, there were few quite as good as he was, even the Night Swallows Masters within the halfling ranks might even need to kowtow to him instead.

    Then again, someone who could sneak off with two dozen carriages under the noses of Veronica and Mephisto was a formidable presence in his own right.

    Brendel walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder, leaving Shitah shellshocked as he turned around, his chubby cheeks powdered with charcoal soot. Just his appearance alone could hardly draw any resemnce to the fact that he was a dragon, now more closely aligned with that of an adolescent bear.

    The moment Shitah turned around and saw Brendel, he howled like a lost child, petrified, ¡°I didn¡¯t cut down the grape trellis, I didn¡¯t steal any of this! They¡­they lent it to me!¡±

    ¡°Haha, funny,¡± Brendel sneered. The parterres were left behind by Graudin to Amandina, and it had been her prized possession since. Even though he had never seen the young noblewoman furious at any point before, Brendel would really not want to push a calm and collected woman to her limits.

    Genuinely amused, he patted Shitah on the shoulder, ¡°You¡¯re a braved Shitah, but lest I remind you that the one handling the daily arrangements in the Coldwood Castle is none other than Miss Amandina?¡±

    ¡°So what?¡± Shitah was baffled but was pleasantly surprised to see Brendel in a rxed mood.

    ¡°It¡¯s not much really,¡± Brendel chuckled, ¡°If the kitchen prepared one less serving of dinner or a main course or whatnot, it is actually a genuine logical oversight since they have so many mouths to feed every day. Honestly, even if that happened for a few days in a row, it¡¯s understandable.¡±

    Shitah¡¯s jaw hung low, his face dulled almost immediately as he red at Brendel, his eyes wide, beads of sweat on his forehead. He seemed like he never once experienced the shady side of society his entire life.

    ¡°But that isn¡¯t the worst of it, there were rumors around that someone ate something they weren¡¯t supposed to, and it turned out to be poisonous! They¡¯re probably dead now. I¡¯m sure you know how close the ck forest is from here, not to mention all the ingredients we have in the warehouses, I¡¯m sure there are some that¡¯d fit a Giant dragon well.¡±

    Shitah was on the verge of tears, considering how these were all possible oues. What further reinforced his thoughts was when Amandina too, appeared gloomy and her lips tightly sealed, it was almost like they didn¡¯t want him around, and were scheming to get rid of him!

    He began to bber as he held up the grilled shrimp from the pit fire, tears, and snot dripping from his face as he pleaded, ¡°Lordmander, please don¡¯t expose me. Here, have a shrimp, you take this and we¡¯re all in this together.¡±

    ¡°Screw you, don¡¯t drag me down this brazenly,¡± Brendel was not having any of it, seeing the grease and soot on the ws of the Frost dragon alongside mustard smudges, which seemed oddly familiar, which prompted him to ask, ¡°Where did you get the shrimp?¡±

    ¡°The kitchen.¡±

    ¡°No it¡¯s not,¡± Brendel interpreted, ¡°Have you been to Hipam¡¯s room?¡±

    The fatty rolled his eyes, his head vigorously shook sideways like a bongo drum.

    Brendel in turn found it rather hrious, for the shrimps in Hipam¡¯s room were her prized possession, when they were still alive at least. He had no idea why she had a hobby of rearing shrimp, but she sure did put in a lot of effort into cleaning the tanks and refilling the tank with freshwater, so it must be significant enough for her.

    Now they were nothing but finger food on Shitah¡¯s te, decisively ending her morning routine.

    Just that a certain person or dragon for that matter will need to pay a hefty price for his misdeed.

    He sympathetically stared at Shitah, then turned around and proceeded to leave him.?<i>Well damn, don¡¯t want to be affiliated with this troublemaker over here!</i>

    But Shitah was surprisingly witty this time around, noticing the look on Brendel¡¯s face that he was in deep waters, hastily wrapped his shrimps into a paper bag and ran behind Brendel like a long-lost brother.

    ¡°The hell are you doing?¡± Brendel was stressed out.

    Shitah, still preupied with savoring the grilled shrimps on one hand, stuffing himself a mouthful, and even licking his fingers, yet mumbled incoherently at the sight of Brendel leaving, ¡°Lordmander, are you on your way out?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re smarter than I thought you¡¯d be,¡± Brendel sarcastically replied, ¡°Are you plotting your exit now?¡±

    ¡°Nope, Milord you have signed a contract with me haven¡¯t you, and to fulfill my end of the contract I will stand by your guard.¡±

    Shitah gave it a serious thought, and while licking his lips he added, ¡°It¡¯s a dangerous world out there.¡±

    <i>My ass it is!</i>?It might still be half a year ago, but now Trentheim is safer than it ever was, arguably the best in the southern realms! The streets were lined with patrolling knights, the forests guarded by the Cave Dwellers, there wasn¡¯t even room for monsters or bandits even if they were to set up camp.

    Besides, ordinary monsters and bandits were hardly more than an inconvenience for himself, Brendel thought.?<i>This cheeky little bastard actually lied to my face!</i>

    Brendel couldn¡¯t be bothered as they headed towards the stables, one before the other. Passing by the flower beds handled by Madam Camille, Brendel was reminded of a certain something as he turned around with a question, ¡°Come to think of it, why hadn¡¯t the Dragon tribe send anyone to drag you little pest back to base?¡±

    He half-expected Shitah to be delighted at his question, after all even Aloz was captured and escorted back, but this cheeky bastard was out and about, moving freely as he pleased. It must have been a worthy brag.

    Notably, without the monitoring of the little Mother Dragon, the younger of the two would be free to do as he pleased, but the response he got instead was a diminished look on that chubby face.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Brendel was rather surprised.

    ¡°Aloz actually willingly went back with them. The truth is, our tribe rarely engage on any in-fighting, if she genuinely wanted to stay right here, they wouldn¡¯t force her otherwise,¡± Shitah replied, albeit unamusedly, ¡°But Aloz insisted to be treated as one of them, and as such had to abide by their rules.¡¯

    Brendel wittily picked up on the keyword, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t actually have gotten expelled from the dragon tribe too do you?¡±

    ¡°Pfft, what good is it to stay in there, all they hoard are strange things,¡± Shitah rather boastfully replied.

    ¡°They don¡¯t understand, food is the most important resource there is! So what if we have gold, tinum, mithril, and all those precious ores if people can¡¯t even sustain themselves from hunger?¡±

    ¡°The hell is that logic, aren¡¯t you an old-fashioned one,¡± Brendel found it hrious that the chubby dragon was clearly unsatisfied with the oue but was still acting like he couldn¡¯t care less.

    ¡°But for us, our impression of Giant dragons, for them to be this obsessed with food is to uhm¡­bizarre. In our culture, Giant dragons would be sitting on fire mountains spouting fire, burning all and every other living thing near it, adventurous treasure hunters or whatnot. Dragons to us are mythical and formidable creatures.

    If the Giant dragons in the myths were to sit upon a giant pile of grain, think about that, the majestic factor of it would have been drastically diminished.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just what you think!¡± Shitah trampled furiously.

 Chapter 807 - v5c5p1

    v5c5p1

    Mages, Dragons & Kingdoms(2)

    Brendel even prepared his own carriage, but what he was not expecting were four stationary carriages already parked by the street the moment he got to the courtyard. The tinted carriages were branded with the Coldwood range crest. There were only a few households within the castle that uses horse carriages, which meant this was more than likely prepared for him.

    But he found it peculiar that someone cared enough to ready these carriages for him. Could it be Medissa? The Silver Elf princess seemed nice, but I don¡¯t think she be bothered with what she¡¯d surely consider a servant¡¯s job¡­

    Only after circling to the far side of the carriage did he finally discover the one that he was looking for. Amandina stood by the door, head hung low, rolls of sheepskin scrolls still in her embrace clearly awaiting his arrival.

    ¡°Milord, the carriages are well prepared for your trip to Port Gris,¡± Amandina respectfully mentioned, her arms crossed over her long skirt.

    ¡°In the carriage drawer are some biscuits and cakes, knowing you probably won¡¯t have time for a proper meal, I told the kitchen staff to prepare beforehand. On the lower shelf of the desk are some intel documents on the kingdom, even though there aren¡¯t many, I thought it¡¯d be of some help to you, milord.¡±

    As she stoically murmured along as if it were all memorized, Brendel felt the warmth from within. After all, who would have arranged a carriage for him anyway? Who else but Amandina? He was a little taken aback by how he never thought of her earlier.

    The only person that could get his chaotic life in such order, and the only one that could lecture him to his face, always reminding him to keep his life more tardily. To think that this girl was a noblewoman herself, had a proper education, and here she is putting herself in such a position, this young, introverted girl¡­

    There was only her.

    ¡°Thank you Amandina,¡± Brendel stood right across the head butler, while Shitah was close behind, still sucking on his fingers as he cracked a smile at her.

    Thete summer breeze blew across the castle walls as leaves rustled.

    A flock of birds weaved through the gaps between the tree where rays of sunlight shone through, the fluttering of their petite wings seemingly evading the aimless conversations below. Amandina nagged a little, before looking back up at Brendel, her dark pupils sparkled ever so slightly before she shyly dulled her head again.

    ¡°This is my responsibility anyway,¡± She mentioned, yet lightlymented, ¡°If it was Miss Romaine, I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t have thanked her so courteously, right¡­¡±

    Brendel bizarrely stared back at her rosy cheeks, now red as a tomato as seemingly gathered all her courage to utter the words just said.

    He contemted deeply on her words, the underlying meaning was like an everflowing song, muted nheless, yet filled to the brim with emotions. He then reached out for the door handle and hopped up the carriage, seemingly evading each other¡¯s eyes.

    Brendel then added, ¡°I sure wouldn¡¯t,¡± He freed his hand, cranked the other door open, and faced the staring Amandina. Stoically he replied, ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t be telling her to hop on will I, Miss Head Butler. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s go on a spin to meet with the Kirrlutz Kingdom envoys.¡±

    Right then, Amandina froze at her spot.

    The wind seemingly muffled, clouds instantly seemed to crawl through the azure blue sky. Time, for a split second, seemed to be moving backward.

    His lips cranked up by the edges, ¡°Or are you waiting for me to lift you, dear miss?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine¡­¡± Amandina¡¯s head sung even lower, elegant was her stance yet her face was blushing red, ¡°There is so much left to do in base, and the documents that I have yet to arrange. No, I...won¡¯t be going, I¡¯ll leave it to you, milord¡­¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t the documents already in your arms? C¡¯mon now, we can always handle it during the ride. From here to Port Gris is a half-day ride, we¡¯ve got plenty of time. The view in Trentheim between the transitioning seasons of summer and fall is worth dying for, and I¡¯d love to see it with you. Thends that belong to us.¡±

    Brendel cut her off as he hopped off once again. Despite the carriage doors all wide opened, Amandina was still in much hesitation, yet her heart took the final decision as she awkwardly aboard the carriage.

    She could finally see that her Lord Commander actually understood her feelings.

    And that was more than enough for her. The young maiden ced both hands on herp, nheless tightly clenched, her head hung so low almost attached to her chest. Never once in her life could she have expected their rtionship to reach this stage.

    Brendel allowed thedy to enter first, then promptly hopped back in before Shitah shamelessly squeezed his way upst. In the carriage, all three were dead silent. In the silent air was a faint scent of blossomingvender by the end of summer, and the thoughts of a nervous maiden.

    The horses began trotting along, passing by the castle gates, over the door bridge, past the bustling streets and ultimately leaving Coldwood castle in hindsight. The crowded scenes gradually morphed into fields of green, rolling hills, lush green paddy fields, then on to faraway forests, windmills, and the weaving rivers shimmering from the mid-noon sunlight.

    As the carriage strode along the shady path, lined by invigorating forests, and onwards across a white stone paved bridge, Trentheim from a distance seemed like a series of paintings to adore.

    Brendel sat quietly by the door window, silently immersing himself into all its glory, a sense of warmth promptly erupted from within.

    For the first time ever, he was no longer alone in this world.

    He was the sole reason many were choosing to live for, and for many he himself too, and that was the connection that humans have with one another, and that is how a civilization could proceed and prosper. Warmth, love, and rtionships, like the blood circting within each one of us, sustain mankind.

    It is ever-flowing and incessant. It was a question that Milos and Korfa had. What was the purpose of this dark, muddy, pathetic civilization, and what had it to do with Order? What was its true meaning?

    Sure, in many ways, it was not as heroic as the prehistoric era, or as relentless and gant as the Silver ages, but that was not what this era represented.

    It waspassion.

    And hope.

 Chapter 808 - v5c5p2

    v5c5p2

    Mages, Dragons & Kingdoms(2)

    Port Gris was no longer what it was before, mncholy had long ceased to exist, and in its ce a crowded port and bustling streets. The fifteen trestles of the harbor were now deep at the bottom of the crystal blue waters, now a full-fledged port deep enough for huge cargo ships.

    Rows of cobblestone streets stretched out to all directions as huge hooded carts weaved through the streets from the port through a neat grid leading outwards.

    Just like back in Coldwood city, the old shantytowns had long been demolished, and in their ces were sturdy constructions, rows and rows of brick and mortar houses in impable grids, now a symbol of the city¡¯s rebirth. At this point in time, the only part where old fishing viges could be found was by the northern forests.

    The Be Herders, the guesthouse opened by Romaine¡¯s merchants¡¯ guild, located within close proximity to the city center was the only one by the port that had official status, notably for not being constantly overwhelmed by crowds like the others around town.

    The reason for that was because only traders approved by Count Trentheim were allowed to reside within, which asionally include Medissa and Amandina, or the others from the castle that was visiting.

    Henceforth, to call it a guesthouse was quite a stretch when it was operated more akin to that of Trentheim¡¯s official lodge.

    Nheless, recently there had been an uptick in guests upying the guesthouse, the only difference however was that they were mostly blonde.

    Even though their interactions with the general public were still courteous and respectable, the Aouine people found the snobby attitude of Kirrlutzian people, particrly towards outsiders displeasing, even though it was less of their personal behavior, but more of tribal pride that was built up through generations.

    Regardless, the owner of the guesthouse, an aged war-savvy veteran, had enough of their revolting behavior and chose to just dere himself sick, and thus leaving the bulk of the guesthouse processes to his subordinates, and had been gone for over a week since.

    Brendel¡¯s carriage finally arrived by the guesthouse entrance, and they were promptly greeted by several sights.

    By the entrance was the apprentice, Shido, hugging a drawing board in her arms as she captured the view through painting, which she found interesting. Trentheim¡¯s scenery was a spectacle to behold for the young foreigner.

    What amazed her more was the thought that this entire port city was nothing but a backwater fishing vige of less than a hundred people until less than a year ago.

    Up until that point, the only Noblemen that the vigers would see were tax collectors from Coldwood city, something that was well documented from all parts of Aouine.

    Yet right here Count Trentheim had provided her with a vastly different outlook of the kingdom.

    A few young knights voluntarily stood by the young maiden as her bodyguard of sorts, all of which recognizing Brendel almost immediately as he appeared, yet in truth were closer to Maynild and Freya.

    As he stood within reach, the knights had all came to pay their respects, which was rare given the Kirrlutzian mentality of things. If the owner of the guesthouse was here, his eyes would fall off from shock and would undoubtedly idolize Brendel more than ever.

    Brendel respectfully replied with a smile and personal acknowledgments to each of them while Amandina tailed closely behind. Amandina being more ustomed to Brendel¡¯s reputation was only mildly surprised by her lordmander¡¯s fame within the Kirrluzians, but she naturally did not find it too hard to believe.

    It instead was Shido that hadid down her brush as Brendel walked by. She promptly stood up, gave him an earnest bow, which left Brendel slightly dumbfounded, given how Shido¡¯s form of greeting was that of a student to her mentor, which he felt was rather excessive.

    He couldn¡¯t help but stare nkly at the young Kirrlutzian.

    Shido then proceeded to exin, ¡°My mentor once told me that respect should be given to all that is virtuous. You, Milord are an honorable man and a role model to all Nobles of my generation. Upon our return to Kirrlutz, your deeds will be brought forward to all my teachers.

    For now I am finally aware that the Ancestral nobles have not taken all glory away from thisnd. All that was taken and defended by the gracious King Erik is evidently still nurtured and presented among us today!¡±

    Brendel noted the determined gaze within her eyes and responded with a shake of the head paired with an awkward smile.

    The young Noblewoman was as pure and innocent as always.

    Got to say that¡¯s a little too much! Pretty embarrassing to hear that in person, but just can¡¯t get mad at this pure-hearted girl!

    Even if he was delighted to witness all of this, some that have happened on thisnd were not his intention and were done at the spur of the moment.

    He shook his head from the convoluted thoughts. Just then, Lenarette appeared at the junction to the stairs leading to the second floor of the guesthouse. The moment he spotted them, he lightly nodded, yet no words were uttered.

    Brendel understood that it could be the female squad leader¡¯s orders, and there shouldn¡¯t be anyone else with Veronica at the moment besides the crown prince, maybe even Shito, but the female apprentice does not seem like one that could be kept in one ce for too long.

    He promptly bid his farewell to the rest and went up the flight of stairs.

    Lenarette was surprisingly quiet as he led in front, and right their room, cracked open the door, what Brendel would witness next left him genuinely terrified.

    Veronica was indeed but not alone, but her partner was beyond his wildest expectations!

    He knew exactly who that was, a bald man with a thick beard paired with an eye patch, an appearance many could instantly recognize. It was Mangrove, the squad leader of the ck Legion, the Legionmander of the third Holy war.

    Brendel nearly cursed out from shock, rather annoyed that none of his subordinates even noticed his arrival. It felt like a serpent slipping into his pond and he had absolutely no knowledge of it.

    As one of the four Great Squad Leaders of the Empire, skill level even above the great Veronica herself, only behind his mentor Mephisto. Having an individual of such capacity in the kingdom was like having a nuclear weapon at their disposal.

    And this nuclear weapon was now right under his nose, and he wasn¡¯t the slightest aware of it!

    He couldn¡¯t help but turn back to look at Amandina, her face appearing sickly, clearly already identified the unexpected guest, and unsurprisingly already knowing who he was.

    ¡°Great, Brendel, you¡¯re finally here,¡± Veronica finally noted Brendel¡¯s arrival, along with Amandina closely behind. Mangrove and Veronica were both sitting by a low table, the former biting on a cigarette butt.

    The cigarette was giving itsst hurrah as it lit and dimmed, as Mangrove subsequently breathed out a cloud of smoke, leaving the indoor venue hazed.

    Brendel frowned at the sight, knowing Veronica well, as a mildly mysophobic person herself she wouldn¡¯t have tolerated the current environment they were in, but did have two deductions.

    First, Mangrove sure is way above her in terms of seniority.

    Second, there must be something that¡¯s so deeply troubling for her that she couldn¡¯t care less about trivial things like the cloud of smog in this room!

    Veronica seemed to have noticed Brendel¡¯s solemn grimace, instantly understanding what he was eager to know, then promptly indicated the crown prince to close the doors, leaving only Brendel, Amandina, and the two legendary squad leaders inside.

    Brendel noted as the door closed shut behind him. Feeling slightly uneasy that Lenarette wasn¡¯t even allowed to sit in the discussion they were about to hold, certain that the incident seemed to have exceeded his imagination, he tried to refrain from his emotions and first allow Veronica to take the initiative.

    ¡°Brendel, this is, well whatever I¡¯m sure you already knew who this is, let¡¯s skip the introduction,¡± The squad leader cut herself short.

    Taking a sigh, notably frustrated at Brendel¡¯s cautious demeanor, she continued whilst ncing over at him, ¡°I can see that you¡¯re very keen about the situation in the kingdom, and I can sense the walls you build around us.

    I can¡¯t exactly say why, but you can calm down, Mangrove here is selected through exclusive measures, evading even the Holy Cathedral of Fire, so it¡¯s understandable if you weren¡¯t aware of his arrival.¡±

    Brendel noticed that Mangrove was carefully staring at a map of Kirrlutz without even batting an eye at himself, which was rather typical for a Kirrlutzian nobleman, notably given his identity as a mere Count of the hapless Aouine kingdom.

    He then turned to Veronica, seemingly acknowledging the female squad leader¡¯s exnation. If even the Holy Cathedral of Fire was oblivious of his presence in Aouine, Brendel himself wouldn¡¯t dare consider himself to be superior to thework within the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    But Veronica¡¯s voice somehow appeared to carry a tinge of lurking danger.

    Mangrove was a special envoy sent by the Kirrlutzian Empire¡¯s internal military sect, so something must have happened internally within the ruling ss for a significant figure like Mangrove to be sent under such risk to meet with Veronica, even so far as to creep under the noses of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    Brendel¡¯s mind then began to spur. Is there an internal conflict between the religious sect and the royal sect? Is the Kirrlutz Empire heading for a civil war?

    That would be the perfect scenario, for Aouine that was almost godsent! The weaker Kirrlutz was, the less pressure it had on Aouine. It was a known fact.

    Yet Brendel shook his head, contemting that the world would never have offered such an obvious advantage towards them. Ever since the father of the current Kirrlutzian king clenched the true authority from the scheming hands of the Cultist sects nearly a century ago, the royal sect had been rather secure in position.

    Furthermore, as the national religion of the Kirrlutzians, the Holy Cathedral of Fire, the order of culture and belief within the nation would never have taken such a treacherous route. Even if there were a few at the top with heinous ploys, the majority of them should have known better.

    From what Brendel has known, the current person at the driving seat was still ¡®Vr the Farsighted¡¯, and if it was that man heading the Holy Cathedral of Fire, he would never have allowed such blunder to happen.

    But it was possible for the Queen.

    Brendel was actually not too familiar with the queen of the Kirrlutzians, but instead more acquainted with Lenarette Aurelius, the future king of the Kirrlutzian empire. The Queen might be known for her iron fist, even earning the nickname ¡®Ironheart queen¡¯, but it was just her stern way of conducting daily tasks.

    Nevertheless, she never had more than two years in themanding seat, and as long as Lenarette Aurelius returns to the kingdom, he will be coronated as the true king, and then the Kirrlutzian empire will enter an era of rapid industrialization, which simultaneously meant the beginning of the Aouine tragedy.

    So what chord are they ying now?

    Brendel watched the two famous characters before himself and instantly sense something ominous in the get-go.

 Chapter 809 - v5c6

    v5c6

    Mages, Dragons & Kingdoms(3)

    ¡°Brendel, do you still remember when we first returned to Trentheim, I told you to keep our whereabouts a secret, and to refrain from exposing the news beyond our circle, right?¡±

    As smoke gobbled up the room, Veronica was ultimately the first to initiate. Brendel nodded, it was something he did agree to, which even Princess Gryphine had to wait until Freya had returned to Castle Vallendaren to be able to announce her safety.

    The band of injured travelers including Maynild and members of the Folded Sword Squad was assigned to Schafflund, while the Korfa sisters left for Valha.

    All that was left within Aouine were Medissa, Hipam, and a few others, whose movement radius was only within the confinement of the castle.

    Even if these remaining people were still allowed to freely interact with the servants and Ciel¡¯s disciples within the castle, they were not allowed to exit the castle except for special asions, and thatw was strictly enforced by Amandina.

    At least until the Harvest Festival, no information shall be allowed to be leaked out into the open.

    As for the Princess, even if it all seemed harsh for a concerned sister on the wellbeing of her own brother, when Veronica somberly requested of Brendel, he knew full well the urgency of the matter, without much contemtion earnestly epted the task and kept to his promise since.

    Noticing Veronica¡¯s expression, he btedly was left in shock, did the news slip?

    If that was the case, then it has to be from the Herder¡¯s guesthouse. However, the owner was an experienced veteran under the Red Bronze Dragon, not to mention a respectable war veteran of the Eleven Months War...his background is a guarantee on its own, doesn¡¯t sound likely that he would be bribed.

    Or could it be that the younger members of the Folded Sword Squad got spotted? But the chances for that are way too small. Now that Port Gris is a business hub, with significant Kirrlutzians presence, a few young men in inclothes would not be too much of an eye-catcher.

    Brendel thought about it but ultimately decided to wait for Veronica to reply.

    Amandina stood silently behind, never once interrupted, her eyes aimed to the ground, saturated withplexity from deep contemtion.

    As rings of smoke fizzled off to clouds of smog in the room, they formed various shapes of mountains or beasts. The Commander himself was unsatiated as he smoked and smoked away, the far end of his cigarettes glowed incessantly in the dimly lit room.

    His arm of which the hand the cigarette was held supported on his knee, the other holding onto his thigh, his head unsurprisingly still fixated upon the sheepskin map as if there was a treasure to be found.

    Veronica awkwardly snickered as she added, ¡°Do you want to know the reason?¡±

    Brendel shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not used to digging into other people¡¯s secrets, but I do know that this is crucial to you, and it requires hardly any effort from me, so it was not a tough call.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Brendel,¡± Veronica nodded with admiration.

    Right then, Mangrove knocked on his wooden low table a few times before finally lifting his head. With his remaining left eye, he scanned Brendel from head to toe, yet Brendel did not feel the usual arrogance from a Kirrluztian. Instead, it appeared more like a general evaluating his soldier.

    ¡°Good to meet you, Mr. Baron, I see you¡¯ve not let your grandfather down.¡±

    Mangrove spoke with a heavy Anker ent of Kirrlutzian, derived heavily from his brought up in the northern ins, and hence carrying the Northern Kirrlutzian brute ir.

    But the prolific old soldier just left the remark as it was, without any follow-up or genuine conversation was he keen to start, then reverted back to taking a whiff of his cigarette.

    Brendel was caught off-guard at this remark, seeing how the man before him was the Commander General of ten thousand Kirrlutzian troops after just a year of conscription, taking over his own grandfather as the united armymander, and was now ced on the same status as the Holy Cathedral and second to the Queen herself.

    ¡°Brendel, the truth is I would like to keep Lenarette here in your base for longer. And whatever arrangements you¡¯ve had so far to maintain secrecy, please kindly retain them in ce.¡±

    Veronica hesitated midway, then with conflicted emotions added, ¡°What I meant is, I want you to inform the world of his ¡®death¡¯, do you understand what I¡¯m trying to say?¡±

    Brendel was stunned.

    Royal dissent. The term subconsciously came into the limelight as a continuous series of events began ying out in his head.

    First that came to mind was the explosion, for after that the line of session would naturally be questioned. After all, from an outsider¡¯s perspective, nobody would have expected anyone to have survived the fallout.

    But if that was the excuse they were going with, shouldn¡¯t they instead broadcast to the world that he lived? What could Veronica be nning on?

    Unless...unless the military had somebody else in mind, and would rather see the Kirrlutzian crown prince be exiled forever in Trentheim?! That was a treacherous thought!

    Beads of cold sweat began rolling down Brendel¡¯s forehead, but one crucial point noted, however, was that Lenarette was still free to move about, which effectively raised his suspicions.

    If the squad leader¡¯s words were to be believed, then the crown prince would have been kept in house arrest away from the prying eyes of the public.

    Veronica and Mangrove shared a gaze, the former appearing rather conflicted while thetter was once again seemingly unbothered as he puffed out a smoke ring, then decisively nodded at her.

    ¡°We¡¯re suspecting that Her Highness the Queen was about to kill her eldest son,¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Brendel and Amandina yelled out almost synchronically.

    They too shared a nce, noticing the shock in each other¡¯s eyes.

    Amandina found it nearly impossible to believe, her first instincts prompted her to suspect all that was said, at her spot she stood still as a statue. On the other hand, Brendel was far moreposed, taking a subtle breath, forcing himself to calm down as he inquired, ¡°And why is that?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s calm demeanor left Veronica rather surprised as she replied, ¡°Have a seat, I¡¯ll catch you both up on the entire plot.¡±

    Brendel nodded as he hinted at Amandina to sit on the couch across from him. Mangrove at that moment was still upied with his chain-smoking, while Veronica paused to recollect her thoughts, and subsequently went ahead to exin the events leading to the point they were in.

    ¡°This has to begin with a brief update on the political climate back in the empire now. Our situation is notably different from Aouine¡¯s, I¡¯m sure you know this much. For thest millennium, the main issue that the empire¡¯s ruling ss had was the conflict between the royal authority and the church.¡±

    As she narrated, her voice was calm and reasonably paced, which Brendel found rtively easy to follow. Behind the mist of cigarette smoke, her green pupils seemed to sparkle like emeralds as she diligently briefed on. Her fingers crossed and ced before her chest, her words, and the notable truths from within, were not as mysterious as they first appeared to be.

    The me King Gretel of the Kirrlutzians, just like the Aouine founding father King Erik, was among one of the four Holy Saints, and to leave his people with a faith of their own, he founded the Holy Cathedral of Fire. After his death, the Kirrlutzian people had never had a king quite as gant as he was.

    Upon then, the royal sect and the church began to separate far from one another, and from that point on, the internal conflict between the royal sect and the church over the session of the kingdom began to take shape.

    Since then for a thousand years, that conflict had never once ceased, but unfortunately for all neighboring kingdoms, the Holy Cathedral was almost entirely headed by the wise and the farsighted, which never once led the kingdom to any real dissociation.

    Nevertheless, the conflict gradually began a norm within the ruling ss, evolving into a cycle through various points of history.

    Several sects had since taken shape within the kingdom.

    The first was the Holy Cathedral of Fire, representing the welfare of the mortals, among which was House Cecil. Among one of whose lives Brendel had taken, Williams was a member of this n, and so were a majority of the Holy Knights and Cardinal Order.

    Second of which was the Royal sect, among which was where the centralized power of the kingdom still remained, among which two of the three self-governing ranges within the empire were bound to by marriage.

    House Kirk of Flowerleaf Ranges was a key representative of this sect. With every generation wedded into the royal family, nearly all members had at least half-Kirrlutzian descent, their connections with the ebb and flow of the Royal sect were inseparable, one notable member of the House was Faina, who Brendel had met at the Loop of Trade Winds.

    And the third sect was the military. Kirrlutzians were fundamentally a battle-hardened people, naturally then that the army enjoyed pinnacle status within the nation. The Empire¡¯s four squad leaders were all descended from the three outstanding Noble families of the North, making the North nearly synonymous with the Kirrlutzian military Nobles.

    Due to their recent longstanding confrontation with the Haizaiers, all regions north of the Anker mountains were prime breeding grounds of the military. Notable representatives of the Noble ns include Ashric, Nigel, and Nonage.

    The military houses usually align with the Royal sect, markedly except the Marines, as most of the marines were from the wealthier, Southern regions. The affluent southerners werergely educated in religious schools, received higher education, and were naturally the greatest believers of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    With the three sects in an internal dissent with one another, their effects could be felt inside-out across the empire. The turning point happened one hundred and fifty years ago, when the devoted Rion passed, the significance of the church in politics faded. The then ruler, with the help of the prime minister of the time, Nedwin restructured the government and allocated all power to be centralized around the crown.

    After that, the cycle was supposed to begin again, until the Silver Queen took reign. The Queen herself was a rarity among the empire, she despised House Kirk of her mother¡¯s allegiance, while also unconfident about the royal sect. Regardless, what she detested the most was the religious sect, of which she brazenly denounced and relinquished from her court with the help of the now powerful House Pratt of her blessing.

    It was undeniable that she rushed her hand, but in turn gained the reverence of the Holy Cathedral and the Archbishop Vr, solidifying the tough and unbreakable image of the Queen. Thereafter, thepromise was brought forward.

    But Constance, during her reign, had offended nearly all of the Noble factions, and in herter years experienced a fall from grace. Upon Lenarette¡¯s session, she was quickly forgotten by her subjects, a tragic ending to her tale.

    Nevertheless, the Silver Queen created a miracle of sorts, achieving a four-decade rule despite general hatred from her most prolific subjects, and throughout she managed to shave down the authority of the other sects and solidified herself as the sole decision-maker throughout the empire.

    The renowned Ironheart Queen did wholeheartedly live up to her name.

    ¡°Her Highness has gone mad,¡± Veronica sighed, ¡°She ordered servants to draft the entire map of the continent, and on more private asions than one proimed her goal to unite the entire Vaunte under Kirrlutzian rule. Kirrlutz has been rapidly expanding the military behind closed doors, and our deductions are that Her Highness would use the opportunity of the Holy War tounch an all-out invasion in all sides.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, you¡¯re suspecting she will murder her own son because of this?¡± Brendel bafflingly shook his head.

    ¡°Of course not, with the Queen¡¯s health condition now, her rule shouldst two-three years at the very most. To conquer the entire Vaunte in two to three years, what are the chances, Brendel?¡±

    ¡°So you guys are suspecting that she was defiant to the prospects of abdication, but her health wouldn¡¯t allow it?¡± Brendel rhetorically added. From memory, the Silver Queen did indeed abdicate after two years.

    ¡°Brendel, the keyword there is ¡®should¡¯. But Her Highness is getting younger by the day, and her health conditions and vigor seem to be moving backward towards her peak!

    Her Highness once had a mythical encounter, and since then her appearance appears to be sealed in herte teens, but that was just her appearance. This time, her entire person seemed to have reinvigorated, like the seconding of puberty!¡±

    That¡¯s not possible! Mortals of Vaunte could extend their lives after an encounter with the Law, that¡¯s true. Holy Saints of that matter do exist, and they could easily live up to centuries, but never once had they managed to reverse the aging process! Brendel thought to himself.

    Even with the fountain of youth, only the appearance can revert back to its younger days. To reverse the flow of life goes against the basicws of the world.

    Veronica cracked an awkward smile, ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t believe us, but what we¡¯ve said is all true. Mangrove wouldn¡¯t lie to you. Lenarette is the royal sessor that we in the military agreed upon too. This is an issue that directly affects our future, for glory or shame.¡±

    Brendel paused for several moments, before rhetorically asking, ¡°So you¡¯re saying this is the reason he doesn¡¯t want Lenarette to be in the kingdom?¡±

    Veronica nodded, letting out a sigh as she replied, ¡°As an exchange for the recognition of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, thete king once made a verbal agreement with the Vr that the crown will be handed to the first in the line of session. Fifteen years have passed since the Year of the Fire Ritual, so now there is only a year and a half left.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, will the Holy Cathedral of Fire allow her to do as she pleases?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, Brendel, for all these years, the Vr had only chosen to tolerate the royals because behind the throne were the support of the Dragon tribe,¡± The female squad leadermented.

    ¡°The Dragon tribe?¡± Brendel was stunned, it was an unprecedented revtion. He looked up at the two squad leaders, Veronica was frustrated, while Mangrove unabashedly chain-smoked until the entire cigarette was burnt out.

    Reaching out into his coat he brought out a new box of cigarettes, appearing to be deeply immersed in his smoking habits, seemingly unfazed by the impending civil war back in his home nation.

    But from the faces of them both, Brendel knew they were not lying.

    Veronica nodded, ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m familiar with anything deeper than what I¡¯ve already told you, but the Dragon tribe did after all owe her a huge favor, and it does seem to be interconnected with her unaging beauty.¡±

    She paused for a moment, before visibly ufortable as she continued, ¡°Even though it might seem rather disrespectful to be discussing Her Highness¡¯ personal connections, but with the pressing situation at hand it cannot be helped any longer.

    Brendel, despite Her Highness acting the way she is now, you must know that she wasn¡¯t like this before, not at all. She was once a graceful and soft-spoken princess, loved by all throughout the empire. Even thest Archbishop was deeply enamored by her.

    But ever since that incident, her personality took a huge turn, she had be tough, cold, and self-centered. As to what really caused the sudden change in personality was a mystery to most. One thing is certain, however, is that the Dragon Tribe was involved in this one or another.¡±

    ¡°You said it happened four decades ago?¡± Brendel took to ask.

    ¡°Yes, and after that, as remuneration to her, a contract was signed behind closed doors, of which only the preceding King knew about the contents agreed upon. A proof that this contract truly exists was during Her Highness¡¯ coronation. The Dragon tribe envoys were present throughout.

    Her Highness is after all the firstborn child of the empire. Nheless, thew of thend abides by male primogeniture, and only the eldest son could be nominated as crown prince and henceforth first in the line of session.

    Thete king too, seemed to have silently acknowledged Her Highness¡¯ right to rule, and it was rumored that even the Archbishop was there to witness the event as it happened, and no objection was noted. With that, we as servants of the empire would just take it as we¡¯ve seen.¡±

    Brendel thought for a moment, before he pursued, ¡°From what I¡¯m seeing here, the Dragon tribe are bound for a return right?¡±

    Veronica shown a face of bemusement, even the old Mangrove stopped his cigarette rolling and gave Brendel a decent, long stare.

    Brendel knew he guessed right once again. If that¡¯s the case, the Dragon tribe must have been suppressed by the Holy Cathedral of Fire. Besides, now that the Queen herself could continue her reign, the Holy Cathedral naturally had no reason to force her abdication. As for the promise, well that¡¯s just a verbal promise.

    If that¡¯s the case,

    Lenarette truly does have a clear reason to die.

    Brendel frowned at the thought, trying his hardest to recall this part of The Amber Sword. At this point in the game¡¯s history, these events were noted to happen.

    The Silver Queen will abdicate after two years, as for what was bound to happen in between the yers were not expected to know. After all, no one would be directly involved in the royal family¡¯s decision-making, not even himself.

    The possibilities, however, were endless, maybe in the actual game history the Queen herself had truly run berserk, but was eventually held back by the Holy Cathedral, Veronica, and the rest of the highly-ranked officials, and then history repeated itself.

    But they were all just huge ¡®if¡¯s.

    Lifting his head once more, facing Veronica he took to ask, ¡°What evidence do you have to prove all this?¡±

    ¡°Before I left the Kingdom, Prince Ratchet went missing, along with his sister,¡± Veronica solemnly replied, but her words were chilling as they were suspicious.

    ¡°Her Highness seemed rather unbothered about it, however, which left Mangrove suspicious, thereafter prompting him to request for me to use the opportunity of taking Lenarette on a training excursion as justification, and brought the Crown Prince out of White Rose Avenue.¡±

    Ratchet was the fourth prince of the Kirrlutzian kingdom, and an incident like this sure felt usible to happen, but this little event had slipped Brendel¡¯s memory at this point. After all, schemes and plots for the throne were justmon urrences amongst the royal family.

    As long as the one dead was not the first in session, hardly anyone would pay attention, less so if they were just ¡®missing¡¯. But Brendel felt that something was off, ¡°And she actually approved this? You think she never suspected as much?¡±

    Mangrove tapped his cigarette on the ashtray, finally decided to speak, ¡°For the crown prince to depart for a training excursion has been a long tradition of the kingdom. Even for Her Grace the Queen, without a genuine reason she wouldn¡¯t have unconditionally stopped this tradition from proceeding.¡±

    Veronica nodded in agreement, ¡°The core n here is that, as long as Lenarette is alive, the Queen cannot officially dere the negation of this verbal agreement, and as long as it still holds true, Lenarette shall continue to hold the highest im to the throne.¡±

 Chapter 810 - v5c7p1

    v5c7p1

    Mages, Dragons & Kingdoms(6)

    These were just suspicions and not genuine evidence. Nheless, with Mangrove risking his life to get here, there must be solid evidence to be presented, and Brendel was aware of that.

    ¡°Anything more?¡±

    ¡°About a week ago, Kirrlutzian envoys arrived in Aouine,¡± Veronica replied.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Brendel frowned at the statement, which was no longer breaking news at this point. With one of Kirrlutz¡¯s Squad leaders and their crown prince missing during the catastrophic explosion, it made perfect sense that the Kirrlutzians sent a special envoy to investigate and potentially locate their whereabouts.

    If they don¡¯t however, it would have raised even more suspicion on the ruling ss. He wasn¡¯t quite sure why Veronica would mention this as noteworthy as he side-eyed the Squad leader herself.

    ¡°On the surface, it sure is protocol,¡± Mangrove finally lowered his cigarette, on a leisure pace he continued, ¡°But the problem is that there is an unnecessary excess of a person within the parade.¡±

    ¡°Unnecessary person, you say?¡±

    ¡°His name is Donnace Bernie, and he is the secret envoy of Her Highness. Before he left the kingdom we got intel that he was here to confirm the death of the crown prince.¡±

    It all instantly clicked. It meant somebody wanted the crown prince to die, and this person could just be the Silver Queen herself, because Count Bernie is one of her closest subordinates. But I¡¯ve gotta be careful, this is a revolt in the making and it could be treason if the wrong assumptions are made.

    Giving it some thought, he proceeded with another question,

    ¡°That¡¯s just one proof, it could be a coincidence. After all, this isn¡¯t a minor technical mishap, the line of session is crucial to the future of the empire, it is reasonable if the Queen sent someone close to her to investigate the alleged death of the crown prince.¡±

    Veronica nced towards Mangrove, before she answered, ¡°That is true, but we have another.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Brendel was surprised but seeing that the both of them were this certain they must have something ready. Regardless, he knew it would be far too treacherous for them to have kidnapped an envoy from the Queen to the guest house.

    What caught himpletely off-guard was Veronica¡¯s subsequent reply, ¡°Brendel, do you remember the Lizard Sword Saint that you¡¯ve met at the Spiral tform?¡±

    ¡°Shang,¡± Brendel readily answered. It was a man that he shared a life and death scenario with, that name wouldn¡¯t have slipped past him just yet.

    ¡°I¡¯m familiar.¡±

    ¡°You know him?¡± Veronica was rather astonished.

    Brendel nodded, ¡°There aren¡¯t many Sword Saints from the other species, to begin with. Besides, I¡¯m acquainted with the Grey Fins Nagas, I¡¯m familiar with their archenemy.

    Shang is from the Red Ring Lizard race, and they are known to be of servitude to the Grey Fins Nagas. Shang however was the greatest warrior amongst them, and has been a Sword Saint for decades now.¡±

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s locked under this very guesthouse as we speak.¡±

    ¡°What the f...¡± Brendel was terrified, nearly jumping out of his seat. He had always assumed the brute had returned to the Shining Sea after the explosion, only now was he finally notified that he was held prisoner by Veronica.

    He couldn¡¯t think of what he was supposed to react next besides, ¡°What you are saying is¡­¡±

    Veronica fanned the smog before her face as she replied, ¡°Brendel, there is something I can guarantee you wouldn¡¯t know. The Grey Fins Nagas have aligned with Her Highness.¡±

    ¡°So¡­?¡± A bold thought shed through Brendel¡¯s mind.

    The female Squad leader did not reply, but she did, however, offer a nod in response. For a servant of the empire and the crown, a discussion of such a matter was already treasonous as it was, but for her to mouth those words would require her head off her shoulders.

    Nheless, that was more than what he needed to know. It all went as he imagined, Shang was actually sent here by the Silver Queen to assassinate the crown prince!

    He found it rather hrious however that he initially thought their remarks were targeted at him. But now he truly considered it, there were just so many gaping plot holes. It turned out the Grey Fins Nagas were in search of an ally onnd.

    But they wouldn¡¯t settle for a bloodsucker like Arreck, despite his insistence that they would ally with him, in turn making their archnemesis allying with other enemies of their own. Btedly, however, he found out that his perspective had only been restricted to Aouine.

    The truth was, the Grey Fins Nagas didn¡¯t even see Arreck as an equal, they wanted someone onnd that would support them militarily and not one that would pick a fight with Brendel.

    With that in mind, the Kirrlutzians were truly the best options there were. If the Silver Queen were to take over the entire Vaunte, she¡¯d definitely need a partner from the sea.

    Furthermore, in his first encounter with Shang on the Spiral tform, his first reaction was to murder himself. But what baffles him with this deduction was that, if the Grey Fins Nagas were to assassinate him, they would have done that at Trentheim, since it was by the sea.

    Even if that was his home base, the only other person amongst the party that could put up a genuine fight was his mentor Mephisto, yet here the Grey Skins Nagas chose the Deadwood forest deep ind instead.

    Besides the obvious downsides for the Sea Lizards and the Nagas to arrange an assassination miles away from the sea, they knew full well then that Brendel had formidable allies Veronica, Mephisto, and Aloz by his side, the news of which was well known to the public, it would be a shocker if the Nagas were not informed.

    Henceforth, the only assumption Brendel had now was that Shang was there with further motives.

    But what could they be?

    It was not usible for them to be helping Arreck, the Grey Skins Nagas were not a charity organization, to enter deep within Aouine territory to support a rebel organization, especially one with clear ties to the All-for-one society was strange, to say the least.

    Now with the revtion that the Grey Skins Nagas were working with the Silver Queen, all dots seemed to have finally connected, and that Shang¡¯s goal was aimed directly at the Crown prince.

    The conclusion pointed towards the Lizardman Sword Saint being down on his luck and his assault was caught red-handed by Veronica herself.

    In the history of the game, Veronica was notably not on par with Shang. However, after the Battle of the Loop of Trade Winds, the squad leader had drastically improved in fighting prowess and had far exceeded herself at the same point within the game lore.

    Shang understandably executed his mission with predetermined expectations, breaking in expecting it to be an effortless fight, only to be decisively overwhelmed and caught.

    Just with the time of a few breaths taken on words exined and now Brendel had all the information he needed toe to a conclusion. If Veronica can so confidently say all of that, then Shang must¡¯ve exposed enough intel to them, after all, there is no reason for him to hang tight to that information, not like he¡¯s part of the death squad of the Kirrlutzian forces.

    Brendel, arms crossed, thoroughly considered all aspects of Veronica¡¯s requests.

    Earlier on, he agreed to conceal the information of Veronica and thepany¡¯s arrival back to Trentheim per her request because it was an effortless affair. But this time, given the chain reaction that it might bring upon them, he had to genuinely consider all factors.

    It involves the seat of the throne, which could be an immensely deadly ordeal. Given the power and authority at stake, Nobles and clergies alike would do whatever it takes to bend the oue towards their favor. An agreement of this matter with the Kirrlutzianmanders might drag the newly revitalized Trentheim into the danger of war, and he would hate to see Kirrlutzian spies of all factions lurking in the corners of Coldwood city.

    But from a counter-perspective, it was an opportunity.

    Even though the prospect of the truth that the crown prince was still hiding within Trentheim would surely enrage the Queen, but if expanding the empire was within her aspirations, then Aouine that was right across the border would definitely be part of that grand n, and by then it would hardly matter if the revtion ticks off Queen Constance or not.

    That said, with a portion of the most elite Kirrlutzian forces allied with Aouine, when the time trulyes for the Queen to execute her world domination n across Vaunte, it might cause an internal uproar within the ruling factions, potentially breaking the empire and creating a civil war in the process.

    If that truly happened, Brendel, thrilled at the thought alone, would beughing in his sleep.

    Furthermore, with the Holy Cathedral of Fire still influential within Kirrlutz, even with the oppression by the Queen¡¯s support of the Dragon tribe, if a threshold was to be broken, it would not sit well with a leader like Archbishop Vr.

    The Queen, now at the throne for forty long years, of which the Holy Cathedral had been sidelined and diminished for just as long. With the end now within sight, if the Dragon tribe were to provoke, he would no longer tolerate any further.

    Brendel, cing himself in the shoes of Archbishop Vr, would not have tolerated this. Even if the Archbishop was endearingly named by the people as ¡°Vr the Wise¡±, if one day the Queen goes too far to the detriment of the Holy Cathedral, the church sect would initiate a retaliation, and the civil war would be on the brink.

    Brendel was as silent as a dead man as he rewinded the details of the proposal more times than he had kept track of. These underground schemes and shady ploys were not his strengths, which was why it took longer than ever to offer even a brief reply.

    But Veronica and Mangrove did not appear to be in a hurry. Veronica took a sip of her teacup, Mangrove rolled up a full box of cigarettes, pulled out one, hung it sloppily off his lips, lit a match, and lighted it up as he took a strong mouthful, clearly enjoying the process.

    The room was left silent for long stretches of time, while Amandina was anxiously watching over at the two people sitting across her Lord Commander. The chain of events she had just heard like a narrated tale now involved a conflict of session far beyond their paygrades. Knowing the magnitude of the decision, she would prefer to keep her silence, afraid even, to offer any sort of potential world-changing opinions.

 Chapter 811 - v5c7p2

    v5c7p2

    Mages, Dragons & Kingdoms(6)

    Brendel took a prolonged, deep breath.

    ¡°Besides leaving the crown prince in Trentheim, what other arrangements do you guys have in mind?¡±

    Noticing the change in attitude and tone from Brendel, Veronica gently ced down her teacup, let out a faint sigh as she replied, ¡°Along with the crown prince, Shido and the Folded Sword Squad will remain here. We¡¯d like to keep our returning party to the bare minimum, for secrecy¡¯s sake.

    They might all be my trustworthy students, but this is a crucial issue, and I would prefer to exclude the youngins from bearing the brunt.¡±

    ¡°You n on returning to the kingdom?¡± Brendel noted the direction the conversation was heading.

    Veronica nodded, ¡°If Shido and the rest won¡¯t be returning, I¡¯ll have to. Due to my negligence leading to the destruction of the Folded Sword Squad and the death of the crown prince, first in the line of session, I will have to return to face my trial.

    But I believe this wouldn¡¯t be too big of an issue. After all, from the moment the crown prince left the kingdom for training, all idents and fatalities were considered, and it was not the first time it happened. My crime will be the mishandling of my legion, and will only be tried as that.

    It is expected that no further punishment would be added to the sentence, for if so, no one else would be willing to take responsibility of this sort. I¡¯m sure Her Majesty and the courts would understand that with great poweres great responsibility.¡±

    She then nced over to Mangrove, ¡°The Northern Houses were pre-informed of my crime, the military would defend my innocence in court, but I will likely be demoted, nheless keeping my title I assume. Her Highness will need a closely acquainted Military Squad leader as part of our deal with her. If Lenarette survives, our options are open. The future is still within our grasp.¡±

    Brendel was noticeably disappointed as he gazed towards Veronica, a much-celebrated Legionmander and Squad leader of the kingdom¡¯s history, now caught in the crossfires of the line of session to the throne and will likely see her careere to a premature end.

    But that all spells good news for Aouine, for that was a small aspiration he had within him, not to mention the obviousplexity between this Squad leader and his mentor, Mephisto, and their rtionship that desperately needed more context.

    If maybe, just maybe, that the Silver Queen were to abuse her power in the near future, and Veronica is sidelined, who knows, Aouine might just have a prolific new countess!

    If Veronica would opt not to fight against Kirrluzian forces, there are always more fronts that she could be handling instead. Besides, there¡¯s also the Madara problem!

    Historically, Veronica and Freya once had a mentor-mentee rtionship, when both nations were the closest of allies. With the current circumstances at y, if the two of them were given the opportunity to rebuild this rtionship, the young and the experienced can emerge as partners once again on the battlefields of Madara!

    Brendel began connecting the dots.

    Nevertheless, he continued asking, ¡°But did either of you consider the oue if things didn¡¯t go as you¡¯ve expected, and the crown prince never returned to the kingdom, would Her Highness have selected a different sessor?¡±

    Sitting on the couch, shrouded behind clouds of smoke as he uttered those words, mysterious and intriguing. Veronica and Mangrove shared a nce, but from their expression, one could tell that the two great Squad Leaders of the empire have not considered this oue, but their answers were nheless right there for all to see.

    It was a risk they were determined to take.

    ¡°Is the crown prince himself on board?¡±

    Veronica hesitatingly nodded. Brendel could piece out the flow of events now. It seems like the Lizardman Sword Saint, Shang did boost their confidence. After all, the Grey Fins Nagas have nothing to do with the Kirrlutzians, their boundaries don¡¯t even ovep with one another, there was no reason for him to berate a foreign kingdom¡¯s Queen.

    Brendel hung his eyes low as let out a dispirited sigh. After a prolonged moment of thought lifted his head once again, and decisively he remarked, ¡°Let¡¯s talk details.¡±

    The female Squad leader¡¯s face instantly brightened, naturally weing the favorable decision from Brendel, especially given how it was not even his problem, to begin with.

    She presumed that the younger leader must have made the decision inrge part due to their rtionship, which left her rather embarrassed and appreciative. Ever since the Loop of Trade Winds, the younger of them both had been sessively offering help to her, which left her feeling much indebted to him, especially being his senior.

    Veronica nced at Brendel, who appeared much softer and loving at this point, like a true senior expressing gratitude to a junior of her own kin.

    She sighed, slightly remorseful despite the entire situation turning outpletely different from her expectations. In her mind, for a brilliant individual like Brendel, no matter how drastic the changes in the politicalndscape, he would still retain a Nobleman status one way or another.

    Even if he eventually pledged his allegiance to the empire, his position would likely be even higher than he was now. In the eyes of traditional Nobles like herself, the authority of royalty and local powers were separate and distinct. In Brendel¡¯s case, Aouine¡¯s fate lies only upon the fate of Aouine¡¯s royal family, and the kingdom¡¯s rise and fall should not be much of a concern to local lordships like Brendel.

    Which was not far from the truth.

    But what Veronica wouldn¡¯tprehend in a million years, is that the Kingdom of Aouine was structured bottom-up, the decision that Count Brendel made was a decision made from the perspective of the entire kingdom, despite the fact that his decision would still ultimately be beneficial towards Trentheim.

    Regardless, from the scope of the entire kingdom, it serves a far significant function long term. In the eyes of others, Brendel might have agreed upon a proposal at a losing position, but to him, it was a clear win-win.

    Brendel instantly noticed the change in attitude from Veronica, which he found confounding that she would ever be this influenced by her emotions, but it sure was a good opportunity for negotiation from his end.

    Even if he did agree to a deal for the political exile of Prince Lenarette, there were many imbued details that were still up for debate, and he was confident that he could get a good trade-off to shift the bnce to his favor.

    ¡°I have one request,¡± He added, ¡°The Folded Sword Squad, I wouldn¡¯t mind if you leave them in Trentheim, even the entire Squad. The concern I have is that these young and able-bodied soldiers in a foreignnd with no clear purpose might be a controversy in the making.

    Not to mention that Trentheim isn¡¯t their homnd, requiring them to live in exile with aliases in a foreign nation would be a tough call, especially when no personal benefit is of concern.¡±

    Looking at Veronica, he continued before she could reply, ¡°I am aware, Madam squad leader, that they are military men, and their roles first and foremost are to abide by the mandate of heaven.

    But soldiers or not they are humans too. After the armors are removed and hung aside, it is only a matter of time before they forget order and glory, and without glory at stake, they¡¯re nothing.¡±

    Veronica could only keep her silence. He was right after all, and she was aware that she took it too literally before.

    Mangrove nodded, his military journey was far longer, and could thoroughly understand the reasoning of the young foreign count. Lowering his cigarette, agreeing, ¡°The count is right, so what is your solution then?¡±

    ¡°I need them to remove their Kirrlutzian armor and uniform and join my legion. As long as they remain in the boundaries of the Kingdom of Aouine, they will swear loyalty to myself and Crown Prince Lenarette,¡± Brendel replied, steadfast.

    ¡°Aouine is going through a turning point, and here it offers a path for the youngins to show their strength. Besides, the army is a huge organization, even for a group of such caliber to blend in, few from the outside world would notice. That way, the chance of news breaking through the embargo would be slim. Counterwise, if a few hundred people like this appear in any other environment it would draw the attention of basically anyone.¡±

    ¡°The key thing is that young people get opportunities to train in thisnd, and when they return to Kirrlutz, they can be experienced, capable leaders, and no longer a bunch of whiny brats, filled with hatred.

    One day, when Lenarette returned to the kingdom, these young people who¡¯ve sworn loyalty to him will be his trusted servants for decades toe,¡± Brendel stopped his speech short, awaiting the responses from the two Squad leaders before him.

    Mangrove nodded, but Brendel suspected he was only moved by hisst line.

    Veronica seemed to have hesitated a little, before stoically she replied, ¡°But I want you to swear to me that you will keep them safe here. They¡¯re my most significant students after all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll defend them like I defended Freya,¡± Brendel said, ¡°They¡¯re Freya¡¯spatriots, and now they are my allies.¡±

    Veronica nodded satisfyingly from that answer.

    ¡°You are good with your words, maybe consider venturing into politics. Being with soldiers all the time must have been tough on you,¡± Mangrove concluded with a half sarcastic remark, unsurprisingly with a cigarette between his teeth.

    Brendel was exhrated. Hahaha! Great, now I have my own Gold stage army squad, the best amongst the Kirrlutzian, the celebrity squad! Doesn¡¯t matter if the civil war erupts in the near future, just this gift alone is more than worth the trip down here!

 Chapter 812 - v5c8

    v5c8

    September

    The carriage had been silent since the beginning of the ride until Brendel finally decided to break the silence. ¡°Amandina, what are your thoughts on this issue?¡±

    Amandina was shocked, and so she did not immediately respond. After a few moments, she appeared to snap out of her stupor, her voice straining to remain calm. ¡°I think that this decision was made too hastily, My Lord. At the very least, it should have been dyed until Radner¡¯s battle had ended. Honestly, I think that the current situation is rather advantageous for Aouine, but My Lord must not be the one to do it because of your status as a leader. The princess might not be suspicious of you, but others might see this as a sign of tyranny. Unlike before, the current circumstances require My Lord to be conscious of your rtionship with the princess.¡± Amandina delivered her response softly, yet an aura of wisdom could be detected within her gentle voice.

    Brendel was thoroughly impressed at her answer. He thought the cute yet serious noblewoman would immediately give him a lecture, reminding him that his impulsive actions might endanger his territory. She had always taken things too seriously when it came to Brendel. However, she disyed her intellect and coolness by astutely discerning his intentions based on his actions. Amandina¡¯s reply was a much-needed reminder. He was so focused on creating the perfect opportunity that he had almost forgotten about the possibility of human interference.

    Looking at Amandina, Brendel could still remember her following him around, trying to sort out the details of the festival with the vigers. In the blink of an eye, she had be an expert strategist who wasparable to the likes of Oberwei and Makarov. So even thisdy has leveled up, he thought as his heart was filled with curiosity.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, my lord?¡± Amandina was unsettled by Brendel¡¯s intense gaze. However, she was unlike Scarlet or Freya, all she could do was avert her gaze, her cheeks flushed. Reminding herself of her position as his subordinate, she managed to calmly voice her question despite her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

    ¡°Call me Brendel.¡±

    Amandina gaped at his words, her face turning redder by the second.

    ¡°Do you have any solutions?¡± asked Brendel nonchntly. He found it amusing to watch Amandina try andpose her thoughts right after flustering her.

    Of course, the person being teased did not notice her lord¡¯s nasty sense of humor. She took in a light breath and nodded, ¡°I think that it wouldn¡¯t hurt to exin the situation to the princess. This task was given by Lady Veronica, Bren- My Lord had no proper say in this matter. Her Highness should be able to understand your plight.¡±

    Brendel acknowledged her words with a nod before turning to look out the window. The carriage was riding through a forest right outside Port Gris. Rays of sunlight pierced the canopy of leaves, illuminating patches of the forest shrub hiding in the shadows. He pondered while taking in the scenery, turning his focus back into the carriage after a short while. He looked beside him, where the restless Shitah sat. He had just finished the cakes that Amandina prepared for him, and was now scouring the drawers for more.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to look anymore, Shitah. There¡¯s nothing left. By the way, have you perchance heard of the name ¡®Silver Queen¡¯ or ¡®Constance¡¯?¡± said Brendel.

    The chubby dragon closed the drawer disappointedly. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    Brendel had already expected this reaction. ¡°Then do the dragons have some kind of treasure that allows one to regain their youth?¡± he asked once more.

    ¡°Youth,¡± Shitah wiped his mouth with his sleeve, staining his expensive clothes with crumbs. ¡°We do have a lot of those things. Fountains of Youth are deemed as rare treasures to you humans, but we have quite a few. Oh yeah, Aloz has one too.¡±

    Noticing Amandina¡¯s eyes light up, Brendel let out a sigh. Even with all her seriousness, she was still tempted by the prospect of never losing her youthful appearance, just as most girls were. Brendel shook his head in response to Shitah. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about. I¡¯m talking about literally turning back the clock. Not just the appearance, but also the flesh. A treasure that can revert oneself to their prime once again.¡±

    Shitah stared at Brendel in disbelief. ¡°How can such a thing exist? If there were, we dragons would already be immortal!¡±

    ¡°Not to the extent of immortality, but if it could work at least once. Is there such a thing?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Shitah shook his head vigorously, ¡°that would be viting Marsha¡¯sws.¡± He eyed Brendel for a moment before adding, ¡°My dear Lord, you are still young, you should enjoy life while you can. Stop chasing after these non-existent objects. I¡¯ve heard that every human king who has searched for immortality were all tyrants. However, if you truly seek an answer, I suggest that you go to Madara and ask the skeletons.¡±

    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Brendel jabbed at the dragon with his leg. To Amandina, he said, ¡°Write a letter.¡±

    ¡°To Her Royal Highness ¨C¡±

    ¡­¡­

    In the Viero region, the departure of summer signified the beginning of autumn. In the week that Freya had arrived at Castle Vallendaren, wisps of gold had appeared amongst the vibrant green forests. Princess Gryphine stood in the courtyard, her silver eyes gazing towards the Gonn Range in the south. One of her maids had draped a cape over her shoulders tobat the chilly autumn wind. The thickness of the cape entuated her delicate build, but her upright posture exuded authority, just like her forefathers did. Her silver hair blew in the Sarmin wind as she opened up the letter in her grasp. As she read the letter, her fingertips started to go white as her grip on the letter tightened. Her heart filled with rage, she crumpled the letter the moment she finished reading it.

    Her actions startled the servants nearby. One of them plucked up the courage to ask, ¡°Your Highness?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. That bastard Radner.¡± The princess was mentally cursing at Brendel as she could not say it out loud. If any animosity between the Count of Trentheim and her were to leak out, it would surely bring disastrous consequences to the southern regions which had just recently stabilized.

    Her grandfather could only help her so much. After all, Duke Viero was first and foremost a duke, one of the nobles of the kingdom.

    ¡°Would Your Highness like us to call for Lord Oberwei or the Count?¡± asked one of the maids. She thought that the letter was a report from the army in the south, but she did not dare to venture any more guesses. She was merely a servant after all.

    Gryphine understood that the ¡®Count¡¯ her maid mentioned was referring to Audine. She shook her head frustratedly, ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Looking back to the piece of paper in her hands, she held back the urge to stomp it into the ground. Instead, she unfolded the crumpled letter. The letter was now full of creases, just like her image of the knight who she once thought as perfect. Neither could return to their original undamaged selves. The half-elf felt a pang of despair. Why is it always like this? Makarov, Fleetwood, Arreck, and now this bastard, is there no one in Aouine that I can fully trust?

    She could never let anyone know her feelings. Every single word on Brendel¡¯s letter was like a punch to her chest. He had interfered with the empire¡¯s heir situation of his own ord, only after that did he tell her about his decision. Gryphine could not resist clenching her jaw in anger when she remembered what had happened. As bad as it was, she was even more furious at the fact that Brendel did not understand how scary it was to incur the wrath of the entire empire.

    This matter was not something that could be discussed with Oberwei nor Audine. Even though the Wolf Baron was her instructor as well as her ally, he was not someone who Gryphine fully trusted. Thankfully Oberwei understood that fact well, he had never overstepped his boundaries. Count Audine¡¯s political awareness was definitelyckingpared to Oberwei, but Gryphine could tell that his loyalty to the kingdom was sincere. However, neither of them were the best candidates for the minister¡¯s position.

    For some unknown reason, Gryphine always felt that there was an ominous shadow looming over her. With a final click of her tongue, she turned and walked towards her study.

    ¡°Your Highness?¡± asked a few of her maids.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to write a letter.¡±

    Within the short span of five days, the princess received a second letter from Trentheim. Unlike the first one, this lettercked any sort of formality. The contents described the details of Prince Lenarette¡¯s escape, as well as Brendel¡¯s own thoughts on the matter and the potential effects of their actions. Gryphine¡¯s fingers traced over the mutinous words on the letter. I might have misjudged him, she thought. But he had already promised Veronica. This course of action will bring no benefits to his own territory. Is he really doing this just to clear his name?

    Unlike thest time, after checking if the magic seal was working, the half-elf carefully folded the letter and ced it into her silver chest. The only two people who had the key to this chest were herself and Haruz. It was a gift from King Oberg the Seventh. No matter where she went, Gryphine would always bring it with her.

    After storing Brendel¡¯s letter, she immediately started to pen her reply. In the first half of the letter, she wrote her words like a princess regent addressing her subjects, stating that she did not see a problem with this issue as long as he did not create any more grievances. However, her tone shifted to one that was more gentle in theter parts of the letter. ¡°Dear Count, I might be presumptuous and rude for saying this, but I would like to seek your advice. Please tell me your true thoughts on this kingdom¡¯s future, as well as what you think will happen to the rtionship between myself, Haruz, the kingdom, and the Count. I hope that the kind knight I had met a long time ago would answer my questions earnestly,¡± she wrote.

    Upon receiving her letter, Brendel could not help butugh. The princess had no way to deal with him, so she had to resort to sympathy. However, he was devoid of ambitions. He replied to Gryphine with yet another letter. This time, no words were written. In its ce was a nk sheet containing the brooch that the princess had gifted to him.

    After a week, he received yet another letter.

    Her reply was only one sentence.

    ¡°Mr Brendel, do as you will, the future of Aouine and Haruz is now in your hands.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    The leaves rustled in the wind.

    Princess Magadal was lying in her bed which seemed to be growing out of the wooden walls. Her golden hair was spread over the white sheets, her eyes shut tight, like a sleeping beauty from a fairytale. However, everyone in the room could feel that the princess was actually breathing. Her chest rose and fell with every breath she took, her eyshes would quiver every so often, as if she would be waking up at any time.

    Brendel let out a sigh of relief. He signaled for the others to leave the room. Ciel, Hipam, Shitah, and the twin sistersplied. Brendel turned around and said to the stone-faced girl, ¡°Thank you for your help, Miss Frofa.¡±

    Shitah had hidden his Heart of the Dragon in another nest within the Deadly Tundra Forest, but it was destroyed in the explosion. The one in Magadal¡¯s body was brought over at the behest of Aloz. Although reluctant at first, she still kept her promise. Initially, Aloz was supposed to transnt the Heart of the Dragon onto Magadal, but she was still under confinement. The only way was to have the stone-faced girl from the dragon tribe fulfill the promise. Coincidentally, Brendel had already met Frofa before at the Legacy of the Holy Saints.

    At the start, Brendel was extremely worried that there might be some problems, but it turned out that Frofa was much more reliable than Aloz. The transnt process was very quick, and so far it seemed that it was aplete sess.

    His gratitude was one of utmost sincerity. Ever since the battle at Ampere Seale, he had regarded Magadal as his friend. If it weren¡¯t for them, the princess would not be in this situation either. Every time he thought of the night the princess was murdered, an immense wave of guilt would swamp him. The Nun Princess must have been afraid and despairing, yet she still went ahead for the sake of her friendship with Princess Gryphine. In this day and age, the friendship between the two princesses was like a rare glimmer of light in the dreary darkness.

    It was a tragedy that history did not allow this kind-hearted girl a happy ending.

    Frofa looked the same as when Brendelst saw her. She turned to look at Brendel, silently holding out her palm.

    Brendel was confused at her actions.

    ¡°The earring.¡± Frofa¡¯s voice was like water droplets falling on ice.

    The respect that Brendel was starting to build up for Aloz was immediately erased. Ever since they first met, he felt like she was constantly trying to catch him in one of her traps. At that moment, the biggest bomb was right in front of him, ticking slowly, counting down the seconds until it would explode. Unfortunately for him, Frofa¡¯s earring had already shattered back in Ampere Seale, he had no way of returning it to her.

    He gathered up his courage to look her in the eye. Thinking back to Aloz and Shido¡¯s words about what a dragon¡¯s earring meant, Brendel struggled to fight down his blush. ¡°About that, Miss Frofa, I may have identally lost your earring.¡±

    The dragon continued to stare coldly.

    Brendel felt as if a sword was hanging above his head. ¡°That¡­ I think,¡± he stammered, ¡°About marriage, I don¡¯t think it should be reliant on an object, there are other important factors too¡­... But you see, you¡¯re a dragon, I¡¯m a human, we both have different cultures too. I hope you can understand, Miss Frofa. What I¡¯m trying to say is I didn¡¯t know what it meant at that time.¡± Truthfully, Brendel could take on Aloz herself in battle, not to mention a teenaged dragon like Frofa. However, he found it shameless if he were to make the first move. If he were to do so, it would mean throwing away his pride as a leader.

    Frofa¡¯s expression was still that frigid look.

    ¡°So you don¡¯t want to marry me?¡±

    Fuck! Brendel stared at her, his eyes wide with shock as he tried to understand how she came to that conclusion. He was silent for a good minute, before replying, ¡°That¡­ that was not what I meant.¡±

    Frofa¡¯s gaze turned even colder than before. Brendel could tell through her eyes that he was dead to her. ¡°I never thought you were such a person, Duke. I absolutely hate womanizers like you. You had better stop this attitude of yours.¡± Finishing her sentence, she walked out of the door, mming it behind her as she left, leaving behind a baffled Brendel.

    Aloz! What the hell did you do?! Brendel screamed in his mind.

 Chapter 813 - v5c9p1

    v5c9p1

    Scarlet¡¯s Voyage(1)

    The silhouette of Zhengrong Cape became clearer as a ray of light shone through the veil of fog,nding on the Bisca. Recognizing it as a guiding light, the sailors furled the sails under the first mate¡¯s orders, awaiting the pilot boat to reach them. Captain Dailin held a pipe between his lips, a drenched coat hanging loosely from his shoulders. He nced towards one of the sailors near him and winked. The sailor immediately ran below deck to spread the news.

    Grey Harbor was right before them.

    After receiving said news, Viscount Bernie immediately went to notify Babarn and Boymer. Thetter two had already guessed what was happening based on the actions of the sailors. Rats were scuttling all over the deck, yet the sailors were ignoring the unwee pests. Most of the hatches were already open, allowing seawater to flow beneath the main deck, bringing along the smell of the salty sea spray. To put it mildly, it looked like a mess.

    Bernie led Babarn and Boymer further below deck, in the opposite direction of the sailors who were rushing outside. The three of them wore a solemn expression on their faces, not a word spoken between them as they arrived in front of a chained door. The viscount nced towards hispatriots, fishing out a key from his pockets. With a turn of the key, the chains rattled onto the ground, granting the three men unrestricted ess past the door.

    Behind the door was a storeroom. Most of it was littered with empty barrels and chests, but at the far end of the room was a golden crystal covered by a curtain. Viscount Bernie stared at the edges of the soaked curtain and said, ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± His question was answered with a nod from Babarn and Boymer.

    Originally, the return journey would have taken them through the Silver Lagoon, which was the territory of the Holy Cathedral of Earth. Even though the Holy Cathedral of Earth¡¯s navy forces were very weak, the viscount did not want to take this risk. He chose the safer route, which was tond at Grey Harbor, then travel through ck de Bulwark onnd to reach the empire¡¯s territory. This route would cost them one week of time, and it was another month to reach Lusitar from the empire¡¯s borders, but it was much safer than the sea route. The northern parts of Aouine were still under the control of the traditional nobles, so the empire still had some influence in these regions. Reminded of the negative effects brought by the battle at Ampere Seale, the viscount sighed internally. If it were not for House Cecil¡¯s errors, the empire would not have lost its control over Aouine¡¯s southern regions. Right in front of Bernie was the final obstacle of the Royal Family of Aouine, the First Fleet of the Imperial Navy which was stationed at Grey Harbor. The port officers had already been bribed, but the problem was how to move the giant crystal off the ship without attracting any attention.

    Bernie¡¯s first thought was to break the crystal and rescue the people trapped within, but he had already tried that a few days ago with his sabre. Just as the enchanted de touched the crystal, it had shattered into pieces. He had spent thousands of Kirrlutzian money to purchase the silver grade weapon from the hands of another noble, but it had already shattered before it could see its first battle. The viscount had no time to feel sorry for himself. Although the hardness of the crystal exceeded his expectations, there was still some hope. Boymer had told him that Babarn had brought along his family heirloom, the Throat of the Silver Dragon. Perhaps the Mythical Artifact would be able to break the crystal. Initially, Boymer was hesitant, afraid of hurting the girl inside the crystal. Viscount Bernie scoffed at hispanion¡¯s naivety. ¡°If we canplete this mission, once we return to the empire, we would have high status as well as all the women we want! Why should we care about some random hignd girl?¡±

    Luckily for Bernie, Babarn was easily convinced by his words. This time, Babarn readied his silver crossbow, aiming at the crystal without a hint of hesitation. The viscount looked on with satisfaction, admiring Babarn¡¯s decisiveness which the more careful Boymercked. He looked towards Boymer, who hurriedly removed the curtain. The viscount sighed internally at Boymer¡¯s actions, knowing that this had cemented Boymer¡¯s position as the lowest of the three. His actions had cost a future of promotions and recognition. Bernie had given equal opportunities to Babarn and Boymer, but in the end, it was their own personalities that decided their fates.

    Babarn pulled the crossbow trigger, a silver beam of light shot towards to glimmering crystal. Before anyone could react, the silver beam was reflected back at an even faster speed, piercing the right hand which held the crossbow, shattering every bone in it. Like a fish, the beam swam into Babarn¡¯s chest and exited through his back. With a resounding ¡°thunk¡±, the bolt shot into the wooden walls, its blood-soaked fletchings still quivering from the impact.

    Babarn¡¯s eyes and mouth were both wide open, fear and regret present in his blue pupils. Thest thing he saw was the face of the slumbering girl in the crystal before he copsed on the floor. His body stirred up a final white spray of water before it was dyed red with blood. Boymer was startled at the sudden development, while Viscount Bernie¡¯s expression darkened. There was nary a scratch on the crystal.

    ¡°What are you standing there for? Carry Sir Babarn out of here!¡± Bernie snapped.

    ¡°Carry? To where?¡± Boymer almost yelled out, the panic in his voice evident. The meaning behind his words was clear too ¡ª Babarn was already dead.

    Bernie turned his steely re towards Boymer and said, ¡°Sir Babarn has sacrificed himself for the sake of the empire. Are you telling me we should leave his corpse to soak in the water?¡±

    Boymer quickly grabbed Babarn¡¯s shoulders, dragging the corpse out of the storeroom. ¡°Stop!¡± The viscount immediately yelled out after he saw Boymer head above deck. ¡°Don¡¯t bring him back up, are you stupid? Bring him to his cabin!¡±

    A sailor passed by Boymer and Babarn. He gave them a curious look before walking towards Viscount Bernie. He said with a low voice, ¡°Lord Viscount, the port officers have asked us to dock the ship and prepare for inspection.¡±

    ¡°Tell them this is the envoy ship of the Kirrlutz Empire, we will not ept inspections from other countries. Also, have them prepare a doctor or priest. Say that we have someone who died during a pirate attack. We need to prepare a proper funeral and embalm the body, we cannot let a brave warrior of the empire be buried in foreign ground. Go,¡± Viscount Bernie answered calmly.

    ¡°Pirates?¡± The sailor was confused at first, but he understood after taking another look at Babarn. Nodding his head, the sailor quickly rushed away.

    ¡°Wait,¡± the viscount called out to the sailor. ¡°Prepare a box.¡±

    ¡°A box, Lord Viscount. How big should this box be?¡± the sailor paused on the stairs and turned back to ask.

    ¡°Very big, one that can fit a horse in it.¡±

    ¡°Lord Viscount, unfortunately, there is no such box on the ship. We would have to obtain it from the docks.¡±

    ¡°Then tell the people in charge that we have prepared a gift for the Queen and we need their help in this matter.¡±

    ¡°Is that all, Lord Viscount?¡±

    ¡°That is all,¡± Bernie nodded. He waited until the sailor had disappeared up the stairs before turning back to look at the crystal. Only a Divine Artifact can break this thing?

 Chapter 814 - v5c9p2

    <strong>v5c9p2</strong>

    <strong>Scarlet¡¯s Voyage(2)</strong>

    Frofa had already been gone for two days, within that time period Princess Magadal had woken up once. Brendel had been at New Valha, waiting for the arrival of the Folded Sword Squad and the Kirrlutzian prince, but it seemed that Veronica still had a lot of matter to attend to. She had yet to leave Port Gris with Mangrove. Reports from the north and south were piled up on his desk. Most of the reports were about the movements of the northside nobles, but some of them were to inform him that Count Radner had finished mobilizing. There were also ounts of people seeing troops travel south from Magitan. In the south, the war that had been brewing for so long was soon to begin.

    The Lantonn-Viero alliance was heading south, but the exact route they were taking was still unknown. Brendel looked towards the giant map of Aouine hanging on the wall. His eyesnded on the Manoweir region, he estimated that the army would be in that area based on the time past. As for Radner and the Bloodstaff, he had no idea what the future held in store. Right now, Brendel was waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity for Trentheim¡¯s army to attack. But before that moment arrived, he would not make a single move.

    Another one of the reports mentioned that the undead near Be were acting strangely, but Brendel had already predicted this, to the point where even the person who wrote the report had less information than he had. Trentheim¡¯s intelligence-gathering team wasprised of Trentheim¡¯s first adventurers, as well as the Red Bronze Dragon mercenaries. After going through multiple selections and battles, the remaining members were elites who had the utmost faith in Brendel. However, their abilities were stillcking. The ones in Ampere Seale had the most excellent performance, followed up by the team in the north, but the teams in Madara and Kirrlutz still left much to be desired.

    However, the internal conflicts of Aouine were not the biggest problem, rather it was the threat of the undead in the south that spelled potential disaster. Furthermore, at the northern side, Kirrlutz had begun to slowly make their move, Brendel¡¯s intelligencework in that area was starting to weaken. He needed someone with the right talents, someone reliable and capable. Amandina, Ciel, Freya nor Romaine were fitting for this role. The only other person Brendel could think of was Sue. Her ster performance at Ampere Seale really caught his eye. She could remain calm and clear-headed despite the chaos, and she was not easily swayed by her emotions. She was the perfect fit for the role. Even though Brendelcked expertise in this area of work, he did not let it stop him from discovering the talents of others.

    Perhaps it is time I have Ciel send her here, he thought to himself while flipping through the reports. He frowned.

    There was still no news of Scarlet.

    It seemed as if the hignder had vanished from this world. After catching a glimpse of her at Spiral Hall, Brendel had heard nothing of her, even the settlements surrounding the Deadly Tundra Forest had not seen her. Brendel dropped the stack of papers on the desk in frustration. It had already been half a month, his hope was quickly dwindling. Sometimes, he wondered if Scarlet had decided to leave his side, or perhaps she might have hit her head during the explosion and lost her memories. Not only were these thoughts illogical, but they also could not exin why no one has seen her either.

    Could it be that Milos¡¯s Myth was misleading Brendel? But a deity would not need to resort to such methods right? Brendel thought to himself.

    Brendel stood up from his seat then sat back then, unsure of the course of action he should take. His fingers drummed on the desk as he pondered on the matter. He felt the urge to personally go to the Deadly Tundra Forest to see for himself, but he knew that it would be a fruitless endeavor. He had a hunch that Scarlet was not in the Deadly Tundra Forest, she might have even left the ce long ago. However, he was still perplexed as to why no one had seen her leave.

    He could only rely on Lantonn to aid him in his search. Brendel knew that Duke Carnon had suspicions as to why he was treating Scarlet so well, but Brendel paid the duke no mind.

    At this moment, the doors swung open. White dress, white hair, silver eyes ¡ª it was Kind Korfa, the younger sister. Following behind her was the obviously impatient elder sister. Dark Korfa red at Brendel with her red eyes, hostility evidently permeating the air. Brendel had no doubt that if given the chance, he would have his throat ripped out by her fangs. Behind the sisters, Brendel spotted another figure. Maynild could already walk since a few days ago, right now she was going around Valha and doing whatever she was capable of doing as part of her recovery process. Her injuries were recovering at an astonishing pace, to the point where Brendel suspected that she had some special abilities.

    Maynild looked at Brendel, the message clear in her eyes. I¡¯ve brought them here like you asked.

    Brendel nodded in thanks.

    He turned back to look at the Korfa sisters.

    ¡°Lord Count, we meet again,¡± greeted Kind Korfa with a sweet smile.

    Conversely, her sister only grunted.

    Brendel did not mind the rudeness disyed before him. He had invited them here because he wanted to confirm the rtions between the sisters, Valha, and his own territory. At thest battle at the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep, Dark Korfa had decided to give up on Milos¡¯s godhood to preserve her own Soul Seal, and so she did not perish in the Godme with the Giant God¡¯s body. Right now, her state of being was something between a Heroic Spirit and another Law. However, this did not bother her too much as this was one of the ways that Twilight projected themselves into this world.

    No matter how the Korfa sisters chose to exist in the world, it was a fact that history as Brendel knew had already been changed. Hati¡¯s eldest daughter was still alive, will the fates of the other daughters remain the same? What about the eldest daughter herself? Brendel did not have the answers to these questions. He could feel that he was touching another Line of Vaunte¡¯s world, the changing of the Kirrlutz empire¡¯s fate was the beginning, and the trip to the Deadly Tundra Forest marked the end. However, he still had no idea what to do with the sisters.

    Brendel decided to leave his worries forter. He said to the twin sisters, ¡°Miss Korfa, have you gotten used to this ce by now?¡±

    ¡°The Lord¡¯s territory is very peaceful, the people are happy and removed from violence. I like it very much. Valha has many beautiful sceneries to offer too. I am fortunate to be able to live in this legendary fortress. I have noints at all,¡± Kind Korfa replied sincerely with a smile.

    Dark Korfa looked at her sister, or one could also say her weaker and softer self, disappointment oozing from her gaze. ¡°Hmph, even if I said that I despise this ce, you would not let me go either. Pretentious bastard.¡±

    ¡°You are not wrong, Miss Korfa. But do you remember my words? If I spare you, then I will be in great danger. I¡¯m sure you understand. You are part of Twilight, and so you are a threat to this world. However, I know that you are kind, and I do not wish to murder an innocent based on a possibility. It goes against my principles. Even so, I must still take responsibility for my mercy, so I hope that you do not leave the vicinity of my protection, is that okay?¡± asked Brendel.

    Kind Korfa nodded, ¡°Ipletely understand, Lord Count.¡±

    Looking at the pure-hearted girl in front of him, Brendel could not help but wonder if this was truly the eldest daughter of Hati. Her innocent and pure attitude was enough to make every human feel guilty, even he had a hard time being suspicious of her. Brendel had already decided that he would not change his mind based on a moment of pity. Afterposing his emotions, he turned to look at Dark Korfa.

    Dark Korfa was slightly taller than her sister, which Brendel guessed was caused by her more forceful personality. She stared at Brendel with her blood-red eyes. ¡°Is this why the count has brought us here? What a joke. Right now, we are just weak little girls who can¡¯t even protect ourselves, a single order from the count and we wouldn¡¯t be able to leave thispound. We wouldn¡¯t even be able to resist if you wanted to vite us right here and now, there is no need to put on this act and ask us for our consent.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s eyebrows crept high on his forehead in disbelief. What do you mean weak little girls? Kind Korfa¡¯s strength has been returning slowly ever since she left the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep, she is already close to the level of a peak Elemental Activator! As for you, you lost your powers because you were trying to steal Milos¡¯s godhood for yourself! Now you are trying to make me look like the viin?! He narrowed his eyes at the older sister. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you are mistaken. My words just now were meant for your younger sister. As for you, Miss Korfa, as a prisoner of war, you will not be enjoying the same privileges as your sister.¡±

    Dark Korfa frowned, a hint of panic creeping into her expression. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You took something of mine, so it is only fair that you repay your debt,¡± replied Brendel.

    Her eyes widened, her red pupils staring at Brendel in shock. ¡°When did I ever take your stuff?¡±

    Brendel shook his head, thinking back to what happened before.

 Chapter 815 - v5c10

    v5c10

    Daughters of Hati

    ¡°Lord Milos, she must be judged properly. Because of her, millions of lives have been lost at Toquenin and Lozka. While I have no rtions with these people, if I sit by and do nothing, I am just as much of a culprit as she is. I am not looking to exact my revenge, I am just trying to uphold justice. No one should be able to walk away freely aftermitting a crime,¡± Brendel replied to the tall figure in front of him while lying in the embrace of Freya. He stood on a tform in a world of emptiness and darkness, a cube of Light Law separating the ne on which he stood and the void beyond. Ferocious currents of raw energy raged within the darkness, but all its power could not break the lightning-blue hue of the Light Law. The godly strength of Milos was still thousandfold the strength of Dark Korfa.

    Milos shook his head gravely, his voice rumbling, ¡°If you kill her, the other Korfa who is innocent will die too.¡±

    The frown on Brendel¡¯s face deepened as he pondered over Milos¡¯s words. Dark Korfa¡¯s sins were unforgivable, but if her punishment would extend to the other Korfa, then the issue had be much moreplicated. Both of their weapons had been cast aside, the Lionheart Sword and the Halran Gaiaid on top of each other, the matte ck and lustrous silver of the des contrasting with each other. A short distance away, Korfa¡¯s face was as white as a sheet of paper as sheid amidst a pool of her own blood, her ebony locks fanned out on the tform. At that moment, she looked like a sacrificial offering. Despite her predicament, a pair of blood-red eyes was staring at Brendel, the hatred burning within them was still far from perishing.

    Veronica¡¯s weak voice drifted into their ears. ¡°But she isn¡¯t innocent. She had been sharing a body with this person all this while. It is because of her actions that Dark Korda has managed to spread such destruction, so it cannot be considered unfair for her to receive the same punishment. She should have understood this when she decided to separate her darker self from her body.¡± Her voice was low, her manner of speech betraying the anger she felt. Lozka, which Dark Korfa had destroyed, was a city under the rule of the empire. It was understandable for someone to be enraged at the person who would harm their country, of course themander would feel the same.

    ¡°That may be so,¡± Milos¡¯s gravelly voice replied, ¡°But her sins do not warrant that she pays with her life.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°She was merely following my will. If the one who awakened had been me instead of her, the consequences would still remain. She may havemitted some wrongdoings because of her fickle personality, but she does not need to die.¡±

    ¡°Then does this mean that the millions of people who died deserved it? Lord Milos!¡± Veronica yelled. Brendel looked at themander with respect. Despite knowing that she was standing before a deity, she still had the courage to speak in this manner. The war goddess of Kirrlutz would truly never turn her back on her people.

    Milos let out a sigh.

    ¡°Trying to summon a deity into this world is already a mistake. You may perceive it as cold and uncaring, but the awakened one must carry out the promise. Even though I cannot understand the feelings of mortals, I understand that they are precious to you. I too do not wish for such tragedies to happen, but since they already have, the person responsible will be held ountable. However, that person is not Korfa. Your anger is misced, and it will not bring peace to the souls of the dead.¡±

    Brendel had already expected this reply.

    ¡°In my eyes, this world is weak and ignorant, filled with impurities and falsehoods. It is not as glorious as the Ancient Civilization, nor is it as exciting as the Golden and Silver Ages,¡± Milos¡¯s grave voice said. ¡°But, it is precious to your kind, and that is enough reason to let it exist. There is still tomorrow for your kind, and so there is hope. Cherish this hope of yours, and tell your people to stop repeating the mistakes of the past. Let the knowledge of Order and deities be buried with history, your kind no longer has any need for us.¡±

    His voice grew louder and louder, like thunderps ovepping, before disappearing entirely.

    The room they were in disappeared as the Law copsed.

    ¡°Lord Milos?¡± Veronica furrowed her eyebrows, feeling that there had been a change.

    ¡°He has recognized Freya¡¯s decision.¡± It was impossible for a mortal to kill a deity, but Milos had managed to keep his promise. When Arreck¡¯s group had made their choice, he had been brought back to this world. Because of his promise with Alphonse and Crystal, he was forced to destroy the current Order. He would try to manifest the glory of the olden days, whether it be through the hands of Korfa or another person. However, there was another myth within Milos¡¯s heart, after a millennia of pondering it had be something that resembled mankind. Perhaps he had given proper thought to Crystal¡¯s words at the Holy Cathedral in the clouds, and he hade to agree with those words.

    Thus, when Freya made the decision once more, it had self-destructed, disappearing from this world entirely.

    Just like how the Azure Knights broke into heaven.

    Once more¨C

    A mortal had killed a deity.

    Milos said that someone had to pay for the world¡¯s sins. That person was him. He had already forgiven Korfa. Brendel could not fathom how the two former enemies hade to understand each other. He looked at Dark Korfa. Instead of ring at him, she was now looking into the darkness. Brendel caught a glimpse of her blinking hard, trying to hide the redness in her eyes.

    ¡°Utterly hopeless. The weak get weaker, the strong be stronger, that is the truth of this world. That person tried to go against it, which is why he failed. A false Order,¡± she said distastefully. ¡°In the past, he had also waged war against us, the winner would get to decide the truth. Does he think he is some hero just because he was willing topromise?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be happy right now? You have one less enemy, and you are one step closer to your goal,¡± said Brendel. The founder of the Frost Giants had already shouldered all of the responsibility, so he could not go after Dark Korfa anymore. Just as Milos said, she didmit a few wrongdoings, but it did not mean she had to die. However, her attitude and mannerism were still extremely infuriating. Brendel wondered where she got her rudeness from.

    Korfa sighed dramatically. ¡°My enemy, at least he was an honorable man, battling against him was something I took pride in. But the only enemies I have now are you people. So weak and insignificant, I don¡¯t even think you are worthy of opposing me.¡±

    ¡°Well, these ¡®weak and insignificant¡¯ people are going to kill you,¡± Brendel threatened.

    ¡°H-how dare you! You already promised Milos!¡±

    Dark Korfa widened her eyes at Brendel, her expression exactly the same as back then. However, they were not on the ground of the Deadly Tundra Forest, nor were they within Milos¡¯s protective cube; they were in the hall under New Valha¡¯s tree, basking in the warmth of the sunlight shining through the windows. Brendel put down the papers in his arms, pointing to his forehead before turning his finger towards the pale-as-snow brow of Dark Korfa. ¡°Did you already forget?¡±

    Dark Korfa¡¯s face immediately became flushed. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°How dare you mention it! Do you know how much it hurt when you poked it in? You had absolutely no consideration for me! Plus there was so much blood!¡±

    Maynild and Kind Korfa were shocked at her words. The both of them looked towards Brendel with disgusted eyes, as if they were seeing their leader in a new light.

    ¡°My Lord, what did you do to my sister?¡± The words tumbled heatedly out of Kind Korfa. The next moment, she lowered her head embarrassedly, her blush reaching her neck. ¡°Forgive me. What I meant was, if you want to do something to my sister, please seek out my permission too¡­¡­ Even though this seems unnecessary, the both of us share the same body, so anything that happens to her will happen to me as well.¡±

    Brendel almost choked at both their words. He turned to re at Dark Korfa. ¡°Stop with the nonsense. That thing is now in your body. Unless you have a way to return it to me right now, you will be working for me.¡±

    Dark Korfa turned pale, she touched her fingers towards her forehead. She had lost Milos¡¯s godhood, and the power of the Month of Lies resided in Kind Korfa¡¯s body. At that moment, she was as weak as a normal human girl. If she were to open up her forehead to retrieve that thing, she would not be able to survive the process. After some consideration, she said weakly, ¡°After the thing has been returned, will you let me go?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Dark Korfa snapped. Defeatedly, she eximed, ¡°I¡¯mpletely powerless right now. I am no different from a normal human, so what could you possibly want from me?¡± Immediately after she said it, a horrified expression appeared on her face. ¡°Could it be¡­... You are after my body?¡±

    ¡°Stop it!¡± Brendel interrupted her. ¡°What I need is your knowledge. I¡¯m sure that no one in this world could match up to your knowledge about the eras that came before.¡±

    ¡®You mean the ancients?¡± Korfa¡¯s expression changed into one of calmness. ¡°If you are trying to obtain the secrets of Twilight, you can just give up. Even if I die, I will not betray the Twilight Dragon.¡±

    Brendel was surprised at the determination shown by Dark Korfa. He shook his head in response, ¡°I have no interest in that. Right now, I have a few items with me that I need your help identifying.¡± As he was talking, Brendel started taking out the items from his Dimension Space, cing them onto his desk.

    Korfa¡¯s expression turned bitter the moment she saw the first item. The pair of gloves was made with silver silk, with pearls adorning it. Most prominently, there was a blood-red gemstone on the back of the gloves surrounded by mysterious arrays, with silver threads connecting the arrays to the fingertips. She looked at the other items and her anger grew tenfold. She turned to re at Brendel, her eyes seething with rage.

    The second item was a breastte with a double-headed eagle carved on it. The strange part about the breastte was that it seemed to fade in and out of reality. Despite standing in front of it, the mystical armor piece felt as if it only existed in a different dimension.

    Next was a bow, but the bow grip was actually the skull of a demon. The demon¡¯s two pairs of horns extended vertically to form the limbs. Instead of a bowstring, a faint purple imprint connected the ends of the limbs.

    The fourth item was a cane. The cane mildly resembled a hammer because of the stone cross that sat atop the cane. On top of the cross was a statuette of the goddess Gaia. This was amon item to see in the Holy Cathedral of Earth because it was often used as a staff. However, this staff was different from the ones normally seen. There were four glowing runes on the staff, which Brendel recognized to be the Ancient Runes of the Law of Earth. To his eyes, the runes were not a cheap knock-off, which made him even more curious about the origins of the staff.

    The final item was a soldier¡¯s sword. It was a simple-looking sword that looked like the works of an elven smith. The only thing that stood out was a carving of the me Elven King at the hilt of the sword.

    Among the five items, Brendel could only recognize one of them, which was the gloves ¡ª the Dragon¡¯s Mystery. This pair of gloves had the almost same effect as Bahamut¡¯s Blessing, except that the gloves were meant for women. Another difference was that Bahamut¡¯s Blessing was more focused on defense, while the Dragon¡¯s Mystery was offense-oriented. Both of the items could perform instant alchemy, but the Dragon¡¯s Mystery could also summon magic arrays. Magic Array Arts were the strongest Calction Magic, but it was also very cumbersome andcked versatility. Since most of the Array Arts required rituals to operate, it would require prior preparation of the arrays and a lot of people to activate the array. The Dragon¡¯s Mystery was the perfect artifact for an Array Spellcaster.

    This was the reason why Bahamut¡¯s Blessing was only a Mythical Artifact, while the Dragon¡¯s Mystery was an Ancient Relic, just slightly below a Divine Artifact.

    Looking at the items on the desk, Korfa felt a burning rage in her chest. She stared at Brendel¡¯s with eyes that seemed to spit fire. ¡°These things are all mine!¡±

    ¡°And now they are my spoils of war,¡± replied Brendel.

    ¡°So you want me to tell you how to use them?¡± Dark Korfa responded through gritted teeth.

    Korfa, I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t be satisfied by bing a normal person, would you?¡± asked Brendel. ¡°Even if I let you go, the best you could do is use your good looks to be a concubine for another ruler. I know you won¡¯t be satisfied with that. You are someone who can control your own destiny, I¡¯m sure you would not want to be restricted by someone else. Once upon a time, you stood at the top, normal humans were merely ants beneath your feet. It¡¯s hard to live a normal life after experiencing the view from the top, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Am I not being restricted by you now?¡± Dark Korfa muttered angrily. She put on a charming smile and said, ¡°But I¡¯ve heard that in the history of humans, there have been many women who were the true rulers, manipting their kings from behind. With my wisdom and capabilities, I don¡¯t think it would be too hard to climb to that position. If that ever happens, I will do everything in my power to oppose you. We shall see how you deal with me then.¡± She giggled.

    Brendel went silent as he tried to imagine the situation she described. Brendel wondered if this woman was someone tasked to specifically antagonize him. She had already caused him a lot of trouble. Luckily for him, it was nearly impossible for that situation to happen. He knew that Dark Korfa would rather kill herself than submit to the whims of another man. With his worries resolved, his emotions started to calm down. He shook his head at her and answered, ¡°Why go through all that trouble, Miss Korfa? The Heart of Disaster is already with you. If you can utilise it properly, you will be able to regain your phenomenal strength and write your own legend.¡±

    ¡°Heart of Disaster?¡± Korfa was shocked at his words. ¡°What Heart of Disaster?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m talking about Hati¡¯s Heart of Disaster.¡±

    ¡°Hati¡¯s Heart of Disaster, My Lord?¡± This time, the one who was speaking was not Dark Korfa but her younger sister. Kind Korfa, who had been silent ever since her sister had started bickering with the Count of Trentheim, wore an expression that was a mixture of shock and awe. Brendel looked at her curiously, wondering what piqued her interest.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Dark Korfa suddenly yelled, as if she had realized something. She furrowed her eyebrows like she was trying to sense something. Looking at her expression, Brendel understood that she did not actually detect what was in her forehead. Maybe it was because she thought it was a trap set by Brendel, or perhaps it was because she had lost her powers, so it did not give her any signs.

    She raised her head, her blood-red eyes staring at Brendel with a perplexed look.

    ¡°Mother¡¯s key¡­¡­ My dear mother¡¯s key¡­¡­¡± she muttered to herself, her voice sounding excited yet confused. ¡°You gave me this thing because you were trying to harm me?¡±

    She leered at Brendel. ¡°Humans truly are stupid! This thing that you gave me, do you even know what it is? This is the key that opens the door to that world! Now that you¡¯ve handed me this key, you arepletely done for this time, little Brendel!¡± She let out a cackle.

    A shiver ran down Brendel¡¯s spine. Did I make a mistake when judging the power of Hati¡¯s Heart of Disaster?

    ¡°Sister, the key has to mature before it can be used. The process takes a very long time, so stop scaring the Lord already,¡± Kind Korfa reminded her sister.

    ¡°You idiot! Why did you expose me?¡± Dark Korfa yelled angrily.

 Chapter 816 - v5c11p1

    v5c11p1

    Crown of the Mountains & King of Cielmann(1)

    ¡°So you agreed?¡± Brendel couldn¡¯t care less about Dark Korfa¡¯s opinion, he did notice however that she had softened up a little, it appeared that Heart of Hatred was an unexpected finding for her, even so far as to dilute the hatred and defeatedness from the failure of Deadwood from her face.

    Dark Korfa fell back into deep contemtion, after a long pause she uttered, ¡°I have a request.¡±

    ¡°Speak.¡±

    ¡°You have to promise me to guarantee our safety, and if anyone were to wrong me or my sister, regardless of who, I want you to give me your word that you will guarantee our safety. And, under the circumstances that I can once again protect myself and I choose to leave, you cannot stop me from doing so. Only then can I agree to your hard-pressed requests.¡±

    Brendel stared at Dark Korfa¡¯s blood-red eyes, decisively he added, ¡°Thest use we¡¯ll have to tweak a little, until the day you can defeat me, you shall be given the choice to leave.¡±

    Dark Korfa clenched her teeth, bearing the razor-sharp canine teeth unique to the Twilight Wolves n, ¡°When that day arrives, I will tear you into pieces.¡±

    She gave it some thought and ultimately decided to agree to Brendel¡¯s terms. Thest condition was just her trying her luck to deceive him into agreeing, only for Brendel to take notice almost immediately, leaving her with no reason to dabble further.

    Only then did Brendel gently prodded the breastte outward, with a stoic tone he asked, ¡°This breastte, what is its origins?¡± Dark Korfa¡¯s protection use was well within his expectations. He understood that the current situation would ce her in unease, even though he did promise Milos not to kill her, but handing her over was a whole different story.

    In the world of the light, along with the Four Holy Cathedrals and their pursuance of the power of Order, if the Holy Cathedral of Fire were to discover her whereabouts and request for her extradition, without proper leverage in ce Brendel had no reason to refuse from handing one of his potential enemies out.

    Brendel knew for a fact that this was in her consideration, for despite her tough exterior, she was always rather appreciative of her life.

    Furthermore, with her lust for power and authority, it would make her feel superior if she could get Brendel to agree to one of her terms, terms that Kind Korfa would instead perceive as reasonable.

    Dark Korfa solemnly scanned across the breastte, rather unwillingly she replied, ¡°This breastte is called Lonia¡¯s Gap, it was custom made for the Supreme Lord of the People of the Dawn, Lonia himself. An armor worthy for the hero himself.

    Part of this armor was called the Sin of Logic back in our times, for it can bend Laws at will, normal lines of Law could bepletely twisted and nullified upon contact.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make this indestructible?¡± Brendel rather awestruckly nced at the breastte again, an armor piece easily at Divine level.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that great of a deal, calm your horses, we don¡¯t need to know how dimwitted you are.¡±

    Dark Korfa reluctantly replied, ¡°It¡¯s just a little dented, still far from beingpletely Law insnt,¡± Brendel did not wait for her exnation to finish as he investigated the breastte, its material was from the ¡°Prehistoric era¡±, but after Dark Korfa¡¯s description it was revealed as:

    Lonia¡¯s Gap (breastte):

    Defense: 5

    Power: +15

    Endurance: +75

    Gate of Law: Decrease Law Attack by one level

    This is an ancient item, even from the stats alone this is basically invincible! How is she so quick to dismiss this? Brendel gulped at the thought that its skill could reduce opponent attack by one full level.

    That meant for opponents of Elemental Awakening level, when Lines of Laws were used the attack would bepletely negated, Elemental Activation attacks would be diminished to peak Gold level standards! The only weakness the breastte had was that its skill would be useless against opponents below the level of Elemental Awakening.

    But then again, it wouldn¡¯t matter much after all. Ever since he awakened his elemental power it had always been defending that was the biggest issue.

    Nevertheless, this was only part of the full armor, and Brendel could not imagine what attribute aplete Lonia¡¯s gap would be.

    ¡°People of the dawn are Twilight descendants?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Korfa shook her head, ¡°They are the Golden descendants.¡±

    ¡°Golden descendants?¡± It suddenly clicked to Brendel that this armor item might just be one of Korfa¡¯s spoils of war as she boasted on,¡± This is naturally one that I tore off from the corpse of Lonia, it¡¯s worthless. I kept it as a souvenir, one with his sigil on it.¡±

    ¡°You goddamn bastard¡­¡± Brendel finally understood how fearsome Korfa must have been in prehistoric times, one that mortals wouldn¡¯t have known. For her to fall to such circumstances must truly have been dispiriting for her.

    ¡°What about this?¡± Brendel moved the breastte aside, and on his desk ced a Devil longbow. Prehistoric weapons have vague level differences, and if Lonia¡¯s Gap had mythical item level abilities, then in some sense the item had close to a secondary Divine weapon status.

    Even if it does not possess game-changing abilities, most Secondary divine weapons were derived from formidable origins, surely they were worthy to be in the same conversation.

    ¡°The Bow of Retribution.¡±

    ¡°What is its purpose?¡±

    ¡°Pfft, it has a nickname, the Life Debtor bow, as in a life for a life, this bow was forged with the skull of a me Demon Lord from the depths of the Sulphur River. To me, however, it¡¯s just an interesting toy.¡±

    Brendel frowned at her description, having an ominous feeling of the weapon before him. Investigating its attributes after Korfa briefly described it, it was once again clear for view:

    The Bow of Retribution.

    Attack: 75-105

    Retribution: Sacrifices a soul for every shot.

    No attributional bonus, but the attack was among the highest he had ever encountered, nearly that of the Azure Lance. Peeking into its skills, he could tell that this was a Devil item through and through, and he wouldn¡¯t want to go near anything of that kind. Nheless, his curiosity took center stage as he added, ¡°So the wielder has to sacrifice some of its soul to fire from the bow?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, who the hell would use something as dumb as that? This bow burns the lives of others, effortlessly killing off someone from what you mortals call Elemental Activation level, like squeezing the life out of an ant, so to speak,¡± Korfa replied.

    Brendel was stupefied. This bow bears that much power? To sacrifice a life for a firing opportunity sounds sinister no doubt, but in a warzone, there will be many enemy lives to spare. The wielder could always burn the life of a lesser opponent to gain a round of shots towards those with Elemental Activation.

    An Elemental Activation level individual would have been a highly respected person in any region of this world, this bow must be incredible.

    Dark Korfa instantly took notice of his expression as she blurted, ¡°Cut your dreaming, redneck, ordinary souls wouldn¡¯t activate it. To power this bow the bare minimum will require at least the Seeds of Law.¡±

    ¡°The Seeds of Law?¡±

    ¡°From your description, I¡¯m guessing we will need at least Elemental Activation.¡±

    ¡°Pfft, the fuck,¡± Brendel instantly lost interest in the bow, Devil items were named as such for a reason after all. And it smells like chicken ribs.

    ¡°What¡¯s this then?¡± Brendel retrieved the bulky stone scepter as he casually dropped the question. What he was not expecting was for Dark Korfa to actually pay attention, and with a slight twinkle in her eye replied, ¡°The origin of this item I¡¯ll get to in a bit. Let¡¯s talk about this knight sword first.¡±

    Brendel was slightly caught off-guard but was not anxious to know. Nheless, he nodded, and Dark Korfa retrieved the pod-shaped gauntlets. It resembled amander sword, the design was also intricate and seemingly fit for a ceremonial asion.

    ¡°This is created by the me spirits. They molded this sword from a huge furnace into the design they fancied. Now it¡¯s also one of my relics,¡± Dark Korfa exined, rather sulkily nheless, ¡°I call it the Realm of mes.¡±

 Chapter 817 - v5c11p2

    v5c11p2

    Crown of the Mountains & King of Cielmann(2)

    Brendel was rather taken aback by the name, for he recalled in his past life that his senior once had an item with a simr name, the ¡°The Realm of Wind¡±, which was also an ancient item. With the simr designs and craftsmanship, along with carvings of the King of the Wind Spirits on the pommel, the resemnce was uncanny.

    ncing over to Maynild, noticing that she was also staring strangely at the sword, which had unsurprisingly also invoked memories of her own, ¡°Could the sword and this staff be a set?¡± Brendel held up the sword.

    Realm of mes.

    Attack:55-87

    Bloodline/Power:+100

    Bloodline of mes: The Realm of mes converts attributes to power when engulfed in mes. Simultaneously, the wielder will be unscathed when in contact with the mes, and any damage will be converted to healing.

    When the wielder disys any magic spell associated with the fire attribute, spellcasting speed +3

    The stats of this weapon sure are extreme! Brendel thought to himself. Extreme attributes on prehistoric artifacts are rare among current-era items to say the least, but this sword is quite literally the standard for a magic sword. This sword in the possession of any adept Magic swordsman would be like icing on the cake!

    Once again, Brendelmented the fact that he did not choose the path of Magic Swordsman. ncing over to Maynild, he then ced the weapon down and awaited Dark Korfa¡¯s final exnation.

    Unsurprisingly, the most valuable of the five items had to be the stone staff.

    Korfa took a good look at the staff, before she then sighed, ¡°This staff, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of it, also known as the Crown of the Mountains.¡±

    ¡°The Crown of the Mountains?¡± It was Maynild who remarked this time around, her forehead wrinkled, ¡°You mean the Holy object of Gaia herself?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what it is!¡± After Maynild¡¯s reminder, Brendel too recalled its existence. Until this very day, the Southwestern boundaries of the Kirrlutzian empire, bordering Aouine was a vast grasnd, a region named the Benning grasnds, and it was still a traditional stronghold of the Holy Cathedral of Earth.

    North of it was a range of snow-capped mountains, steep and impassable by most mortals. The Mountain dwarfs cut the empire¡¯s southernmost bordends from the Benning grasnd, and thend was now where the Lion Beastmen Kingdom stood. Throughout the history of lore, the Goldenmane people evaded the Covenant of the Gods, which left them in great shame.

    After the victory of the War of The Holy Saints, the Lion Beastmen and the Holy Cathedral of Earth were detached from one another, which in turn built a sense of ingrained hatred between the two races to this very day. Currently, the Lion Beastmen would still pige and ransack human viges by the border, which presumably were their means of reliving their glorious past.

    Even longer ago, when the strength of the Holy Cathedral of Earth was not as diminished as it was today, before the copse of Ebabel Fort, in the center of the Benning grasnds by the Northern Hignds, there stood a Holy cathedral of the Earth Goddess, and within itid three Divine Artifacts.

    The first was the Staff of Earth, the second was the Azure Lance, and the final piece was the Crown of the Mountains.

    Amongst the three Divine Artifacts, the Staff of Earth was a Holy Sword gifted to the champions of the giants, Mikhail. Upon Mikhail¡¯s death, it was also lost in the abyss.

    What Brendel had in his hands, the mysterious Halran Gaia, was exactly this. Nevertheless, due to the ravage of the Dusk war, the weapon experienced the same fate as its owner, and was now only left with Fantastical level power. It was fair to say at this point it served more of a symbolic purpose to the Holy Cathedral of the Earth than actualbat use.

    The Azure Lance and its origins were a no-brainer, it was renowned as the Holy gift from Gaia to the mortal heroes.

    Thest of the three Divine artifacts was the Crown of the Mountains, a holy weapon created by the Goddess of Earth for her own. Legend had it that only those who genuinely worship her would be permitted the ability to wield the weapon. Its next owner, a holy bearer chosen by the Goddess Gaia herself shall also be the next master of the Holy Cathedral of Earth.

    And fortunately for them, there was one person in hispany that fits the description perfectly.

    The Himilude Shepherd girl, Hipam.

    Priestess Himilude pays tribute to the daughter of the Goddess Gaia, the Tundra Goddess Himilude, a subsidiary of the World Goddess herself. The key point was that in this era, the Priests of the Holy Cathedral of Earth pay tribute to the Giant Mikhail, for he was the creator of the dwarfs and the patron guardian of the race.

    The true worshippers of Gaia were long gone after the War of The Holy Saints. Nevertheless, Hipam¡¯s priest was one of the closest mortal lineages to the Gods.

    Brendel suppressed the glee within himself as he carefully held onto the scepter, it was heavy and slightly cold.

    Amongst the three Holy Objects of Gaia, there was the Staff of Earth, Azure Lance, and the Crown of the Mountains.

    All of which was Divine artifacts of their own right, without any duplicates of their name. Besides the Staff of Earth that was slightly worn, the others were kept in pristine condition. With that in mind, he was certain that the staff in his grasp was the legitimate artifact.

    Raising the staff, a dull, semitransparent gold menu screen appeared before his eyes.

    Crown of the Mountains (Divine artifact)

    Attack 1-215

    Power +(1-400)

    To the chosen one of the Mountains and Earth:

    The wielder obtains Summoner warrior level and fighting experience + Earth blessing skill will be merged into the wielder¡¯s fighting style.

    The higher the blessing she received, the more powerful the staff could get, in terms of attack and elemental ability.

    Specialty: Only the chosen worshipper of Gaia will be allowed to wield this staff.

    Brendel promptly noticed the stats and was stupefied. What the fuck is this stat, 1-215 attack?

    Which means nearly double that of the Azure Lance?! Azure Lance is already one of the weapons with the highest attack in the world!

    Taking a closer look into the attack description, he nearly burst into awkwardughter. So this the legendary judgemental staff?

    Continuing with the attributional bonus, which he noted was a variable, he was left further baffled.

    A variable attributional bonus?

    Shifting his focus onward to the specialty stat, he finally understood the reason for such drastic difference, yet he was unfamiliar with Earth¡¯s blessing. No idea what any of this even means, gotta talk to Hipam about this¡­

    Pausing for a moment, he finally decided to ce the divine artifact down. Just then, a glowing ball of light hovered in from the peephole on the roof and paused mid-air, right before Brendel, and down with it came a letter. Brendel turned to look at the letter and was surprised to notice the sigil of the Grey Wolf.

    He was less confused but rather caught off-guard. He never thought this opportunity woulde right then, it was as if the long wait hade into fruition. ¡°Carglise is finally here.¡±

    Letting out a long breath of relief, then lifting his head towards Kind Korfa, thetter by now already read his mind, with a gentle smile she remarked, ¡°I heard Lord sir had been preparing for war, it seems the opportunity hase. Unfortunately, Korfa had no interest in any of this, and I will have to leave you now.¡±

    Brendel felt rather embarrassed that the Divine power would seem like a symbol of astonishment in the eyes of mortals, and he knew well that this Korfa wouldn¡¯t be up to no good but he still felt ufortable to be revealing this before her.

    He couldn¡¯t help but exin instead, ¡°This isn¡¯t for war, this is for the pursuit of peace,¡± Brendel replied, hoping it wouldn¡¯t leave a bad taste from her perspective.

    But the teenage maiden decisively rejected, ¡°I understand, milord, that not all wars are meaningless, some are for personal greed, others for justice, there are many reasons they are started and continued, some even to the extent of defending the light from dark. But that is not what I meant, milord, for I am not against it, I just do not fancy it, please do not misunderstand.¡±

    Once she was done speaking, she tilted her head forward ever so slightly, gave him a bow, and excused herself out, disying hardly any semnce of a demigod, but instead an elegant and courteous Noblewoman.

    Dark Korfa on the other hand seemingly ignored the conversation her sister had with Brendel. Standing at her exact spot, after her sister took leave, she shook her head in dismay, ¡°How innocent.¡±

    Brendel surely was not expecting the wretch to be this spiteful with her own identical twin sister, but what he found more unexpected was that Maynild who was observing by the sidelines the whole time appear to agree with her. Nevertheless, he btedly thought it true and agree that Kind Korfa was indeed too naive in her decision.

    Hating the concept of war was naturally not a bad thing, but sometimes when war creeps onto your doorstep, it bes less of an option to evade war. By doing so, it would just mean the responsibility of fighting would be passed on to the ones who offered shelter.

    Eventually, people that were willing to fight for you would all be gone, and you will run out of options, who will be fighting then? In her case, Arreck would involve them in the battle one way or another, and by then Dark Korfa would be fighting on behalf of her sister, but what if she was no longer there?

    Brendel shook his head, only then had he decided to reply to the little ball of light, ¡°Pardon me, please retrieve Monica.¡±

    The little spirit nodded vigorously at him, and in a blink of an eye flew out of the main hall.

    Brendel tore the envelope along its edges, and on the letter was a familiar name.

    ¡°Lest shall I forget your deeds, milord,¡±

    ¡°Ko.¡±

    He looked towards a distance, his vision seemingly beyond the stained ss arch window. Zooming across the upliftingly blue sky, on the far end of the clouds, was a range of mountains. The Autumn War had officially begun.

 Chapter 818 - v5c12p1

    v5c12p1

    Year 376 of Madara(1)

    Earlier during harvest month, from Be to North Goran Elson, all civilians living along the region were notified of the scheming on the ck Roses of Bromantonu from the other side.

    Now camped on these grounds were the White-Winged Knights from Braggs. Deputy squad leader Walter had received notice from the princess and had begun the rming evacuation of the civilians in the path of a potential war.

    The tasks, however, turned out to be far moreplicated to execute than previously expected, especially when the vigers¡¯ most prized possession was at stake, the full harvest. A plea for the peasants, in the peak of fall, to abandon their harvest, and for the Nobles to move their subsidiaries to the barren Northernnds while their own profitsid golden across the fields was a heart wrenching sight.

    If they were to leave at this point of year, all their harvest would woefully go to waste. Not only would their livelihood for the rest of the year be in jeopardy, but the uncertainty that was bound to follow in the uing year was truly a hurdle to ovee.

    With that in mind, it came to no surprise that nearly everyone decidedly chose to stay, all but a handful of factory workers.

    North of Be however, the exact opposite urred as the orders faced little resistance from the civilians, many still with vain memory of the war just a little over a year ago, the trauma and forlorn still imbued in their hearts.

    Most of the refugees from the previous year were gathered within the outer ring of Praguesse, and with the looming fear of the impending war, more and more arrived each day, with the city now pushed to its limits.

    City mayor Baron Kervell, in an attempt to sustain sufficient army rations, had little option but to reduce the sustenance provided to foreign refugees, which unsurprisingly prompted a widespread hatred towards the city management and the city dwellers themselves.

    Early September, a letter from Freya had finally arrived in the hands of Princess Gryphine.

    ¡°Your Grace, Madara could by today materialize the unification, the Battle between the army merger and the ck Roses had now seen aparatively drastic change of events. On the south side of the Seas of the Dying Moon, many Lords of the Necromancers had pledged allegiance to the King Necromancer, and now the Madara army has seen a significant increase of necromancers in their ranks. Do be wary, Your Highness.¡±

    Gryphine, when she received the news and the envelope was in the midst of researching the history of the Vaunte maind with Madam Veshath, and as she scanned through the details of the sender on the envelope, she was shocked pale.

    The princess apologized to her teacher, a wise and attentive individual who had sworn servitude to the Royal family for decades. Madam Veshath was a well-connected person, and from the look of her royal mentee, could instinctively tell the gist of its contents. She politely nodded to the princess with a gentle smile, packed up the teaching materials, and excused herself out of the study.

    Princess Gryphine, only upon noticing the doors closed behind her teacher could she cut open the envelope and went through its details. She then hurriedly summoned Oberwei, the Wolf Baron to review the contents of the letter. Oberwei rushed over, scanned through the letter, and was left perplexed. Putting eyes within Madara was not an easy feat, and for that, the royal n spent countless efforts to insert just a few of their spies within the outer ranks of the hostile nation. Even then, all informed reverence was that the situation was all normal and nothing was out of the expected, but here there was this Count Trentheim that had retrieved all this insight seemingly singlehandedly?

    He flicked on the edges of the letter before letting out a frustrated sigh, ¡°Your Grace, can you confirm the origins of this letter?¡±

    ¡°This is a letter handed to me by Freya herself, in person. I believe its legitimacy can be upheld,¡± Her cheeks at that point were poppy red. The letter bore the customized letterhead that only Brendel and herself knew about, and she had decided there was no reason to disclose it to anyone else. But in this scenario, she was wondering if Oberwei would doubt her instead.

    Meanwhile, Oberwei was solemn as he shook his head, ¡°This is truly a peculiar piece of intel...the Count, how did he retrieve this information?¡±

    ¡°My dear servant Oberwei, I do not see why Count Trentheim would lie to us on such a matter,¡± Gryphine frowned, finding potential ways to justify her reasoning, leaving Oberwei rather perplexed on his mentee, in name at least.

    Not too long ago, he was informed of the friction between Trentheim and the princess herself, but what was unexpected was that their rtionship was as good as before in such a short amount of time. Nevertheless, it was great news. Knowing Brendel in person for an extended period of time earlier on, before his rapid surge in fame, Oberwei knew him as less power-hungry than what the rumors were to say.

    Even though time could change a person, a person¡¯s true core values would not change so easily, he was certain. Furthermore, due to Aouine¡¯s current need for peace, if the Princess were to fight for fame and power with her loyal servants across the nation, it would spell trouble for the hard-earned stability that they had right now.

    I trust Her Highness sees the big picture.

    Oberwei nodded, but almost immediately shook his head, ¡°The letter mentions that Madara wouldplete their general unification by today.

    If what the letter says is true, it would prove an immensely crucial insight. However, Your Grace if you may, in my humble opinion, over the course of a year and a half, I am highly suspicious on whether Madara could achieve such significant transformations over this limited amount of time, for they too experienced war and its consequences, and a nation asrge as Madara, the distribution of wealth, profits and funding would be far moreplicated to agree upon.

    As for what Count Trentheim once said, that the war was Bloodstaff and Cheque¡¯s own selfish provocations, to that, I wholeheartedly agree. Events like these have happened multiple times throughout the course of history, be it in Madara, or within our own borders even, when our Lordships dismissively entered Madaran territory to invade and pige.¡±

    He awkwardly chuckled at what he chose to hide from Princess Gryphine throughout her early years. The truth was that it was more frequent decades ago when Bloodstaff invaded Karsuk to avenge the Goldcity lordship. Back then, Madara¡¯s internal affairs were a mess, while Aouine was a stable, centralized kingdom. There was never a tradition of the weaker side invading a stronger opponent in the history of this world.

    Nevertheless, ever since the War of the ck Roses, the situation began to change. Many within the kingdom¡¯s educated Nobles were fully aware that the stalk of Bromantonu ck Rose could be pollinating by now, but for the Madarans to rapidly unite and immediately pursue an all-out war was hardly believable.

    However, if Brendel was present, he would have mentioned the unique circumstances of current affairs. To put it simply, the Supreme ruler of Madara and the Queen of the Demons Alvitr must have plotted a show to lure Bloodstaff to his death.

    On official terms, Madara was indeed fractured into pieces, but as Oberwei himself noted earlier, in truer terms it had now reunited, and the battle was the Supreme Leader¡¯s y to remove the undesirables in his nation. Right now, with the resources and power all unified and jointly umted once again, the next war would be one of revitalization for the Darkened Kingdom.

    Bloodstaff on the other hand, under the persuasion of both formal and informal alike, hadpleted the changes required to his legion, which would be the first ¡°New Madaran¡± army that the Aouine kingdom would be facing very soon. In the history of this world, this was where Count Grinoire would meet his tremendous defeat.

    Unfortunately however that Brendel was not around to exin any of this, all he could do was to pin his hopes on the understanding and support of his suggestion.

    Gryphine patiently listened as Oberwei spoke, but was still indecisive, for this time around, her enemies were one that she had little to no knowledge or experience about. Before the Battle of the ck Roses, the Madara issue was but a border skirmish, barely an itch for the kingdom, and was only moderately dealt with per the wishes of local lordships.

    If it weren¡¯t for the majority of Nobles deciding upon solving the Radner issue once and for all, the War of Autumn was nothing but another border defense conflict.

    Princess Gryphine at this moment even had her interest perked on the revitalization of Madara on the potential security concerns of her ancient kingdom, but in the current context, did not know how to raise the topic with the count.

    She gave it some thought, before eventually offering a reply, ¡°Your judgment might be logical but it could be too abrupt a conclusion. I believe the count himself wouldn¡¯t pull a decision thisckluster.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I am suspicious of the count,¡± Oberwei chuckled awkwardly, noting that his mentee truly does have a mind of her own, and after the Battle of Ampere Seale, seemed all too keen to trust the military prowess of Brendel. Nevertheless, even the more vignt of the Nobles could not deny that Brendel truly does have an outstanding record of decision-making in the face of changing tides and military events.

    Given it a thought, he was assuming it might be from his narration of Brendel¡¯s battle history to her that he might have romanticized a little too far. He initially presumed he was to provide her with a vivid image of an experienced counterpart that he held in high regard. After all, Brendel was indeed a true diamond in the rough from within Trentheim, even more so one renowned for his loyalty to his country and his personal goals.

    Compared to Nobles like Makarov and Fleetwood, he appreciated a youngster like Brendel more.

    In spite of that, he too disapprovingly noted to the princess that it was important to her to have her own decisions, and not to sway her affection towards any of her subordinates too much, for the benefit of herself, her country, and naturally for Brendel too.

    He contemted for a moment before he reasoned, ¡°I am just wary that Count Trentheim might have received a misdirection in information.¡±

    Gryphine¡¯s facial expression darkened.

 Chapter 819 - v5c12p2

    v5c12p2

    Year 376 of Madara(2)

    ¡°You¡¯re saying Brendel...Count Trentheim might have misinterpreted the situation on the ground, and that it might even be a trap?¡± Gryphine snapped.

    Oberwei nodded.

    Half an hourter, Audine, Duke Viero, and the envoys of the Hignd Knights were summoned. Duke Viero scanned through the details within the letter at hand and promptly requested the entry of his own subordinates.

    A middle-aged knight came into study, with a bow of respect to the princess, the self-proimed pundit on all matters regarding the ck Roses of Bromantonu from his long history with the Madarans was notified of the princess¡¯ dilemma.

    Shaking his head, he then replied, ¡°In recent times there has been recurring news that the Madaran Kingdom was going through a series of historical changes in structure, and naturally with that, they should be keeping an extremely low profile in their motives right now. If the words of Count Trentheim were to be true, how does it exin the sudden resolute support from the Madaran Supreme Leader on Bloodstaff?¡±

    ¡°I believe the main adversary that we should be concerned about is Radner,¡± Duke Vieroid out his opinion, ¡°Given that we have just recently signed an agreement with the Kingdom of Madara, I do not believe they would allow Bloodstaff to do as he pleases unless they were offered an opening by Count Radner, from which he decided to wield the opportunity as a mean to please their overlord.¡±

    Duke Viejo¡¯s reply appeared to be overtly subjective and left everyone in attendance to shake their heads in disapproval, the princess even frowning at this response. Noticing the stark difference between her maternal grandfather¡¯s suggestion with Brendel¡¯s, she could identify that Count Trentheim¡¯s priority was ced upon the Madarans, which evidently aligned with her own.

    Naturally, having made up her mind, she was reluctant to make a change in opinion, and decidedly ignored her grandfather¡¯s suggestion and turned towards the knights.

    The squad leader of the Hignd Knights envoys was an experienced, stoic, old knight, but his spokesperson appeared to be a younger mage, as he exined, ¡°ording to our informants, we do not agree with Count Trentheim¡¯s suggestion.

    Even though the Supreme Leader of Madara had already united the perspectives of the Dark Nobles, Madara, to this day, was still yet to be officially reunited. The Vampire Houses mostly support his direction, and the Darkened lords too appear as such, but they were all individually scheming on something behind each others¡¯ backs. The Necromancers would bow down to the pressure of the former powers, which leaves us with the Queen of the Demons, Alvitr. With the support of the Holy Pce of Eloideniel, they are decisively in opposition to the merger. From our predictions, a war is brewing from within them.¡±

    Aware that all Nobles in attendance, along with their gathered intel, had gone against Brendel¡¯s deductions, Princess Gryphine was in a tough position.

    Even though deep down she was slightly wary of Brendel¡¯s underlying goals, she had always been trusting of Brendel¡¯s inferences on future events, and had time and time again chosen to align with the Count from Trentheim, notably due to their uniquely aligned political stance. But now with all odds seemingly against her, how can she convince the others, or has Brendel finally made a mistake this time around?

    At this point, Freya couldn¡¯t help to interrupt, ¡°Could it be that Alvitr and the Queen¡¯s ns were just the same wine in different bottles? With Bloodstaff now bloodthirsty, and notably pestering our border regions, wouldn¡¯t that mean he has disobeyed the treaty between our two nations? Sure if he were to win it would be able to justify his loyalty, but what if he loses? He would be decimated.

    Bloodstaff was renowned as part of the faction that was most defiant even amongst the Dark Lords, he had no interest to abide with Madara¡¯s Supreme leader, Cheque, the King of the Necromancers. Cheque is a brutal, vile leader filled to the brim with greed. He at one point allowed his hot-headed temper to get the best of him during his avengement of Karsuk.

    Once again challenging and sidestepping the Supreme rulers¡¯ authority, if that persists, it would make sense of the current situation.¡±

    Her words left the entire study in pin-drop silence.

    Nobody knew who was the closest to the truth. After all, it was not something even Freya would know, all she did was make assumptions based on what Brendel mentioned that one time, and drew her own conclusions.

    After a long pause, she noticed the Hignd Knights all shaking their head in displeasure, even Duke Viero took to chastising the young maiden,

    ¡°Gibberish, you¡¯re clearly just patching up hearsay. This is a war we¡¯re talking about, why would we even bother about the feud between the Supreme Leader and Bloodstaff? Not to mention that¡¯s all nk assumptions, what proof do you even have?¡±

    ¡°Proof?¡± Freya¡¯s face turned red as a tomato. The ¡®proof¡¯ was obviously provided to her by Brendel, and she knew full well of that, but that was not solid evidence.

    Gryphine at that moment came to her defense, ¡°Regardless, let¡¯s take Count Brendel¡¯s suggestion, we can never be too cautious after all. I will like all of you to hand the contents of the letter down to the generals.¡±

    After that, the princess nced towards the daughter of the Earth Knight, and reactionarily shook her head. She knew it was Brendel¡¯s intention to allow the young maiden to stand her own ground since, after the preceding events, she now had a background of formidable experience and had noticeably matured since then. Nevertheless, in an argument that involved Count Trentheim, she stumbled in the face of pressure.

    Nevertheless, deep down the princess was rather envious of Freya. Brendel¡¯s political decisions were now also hers, and defending against Madara was also within her consideration, but she could not voice her opinions confidently the way Freya did to defend the suggestions of the Count from Trentheim.

    For she was the sister of the future King of Aouine, and at this point the true ruler of the kingdom.

    Oberwei took notice of the names on his de-facto student¡¯s notes. They were all names suggested by Brendel.

    He shook his head in disapproval, thinking that the Princess was still too naive for the position, leaving too much to the decision of her underlings despite the fact that Duke Viero and Lantonn were clearly uninterested, the Hignd Knights were too hardly enthusiastic.

    He was wary that a top-down effect might persist. If the leaders were absent-minded about their position, he could only wonder how many of the subordinates would take it seriously.

    What the Wolf Baron was not aware of however, was that in a brief while it would not be of anyone¡¯s problem any longer, for before this order was sent beyond the gates of the Castle Vallendaren, The ck roses of the Bromantonu under the shadows had patiently blossomed.

    Grinoires corridor.

    This corridor was located on the Northern side of the Pine mountain range, between the Tusankard Forests and Be, better known for its nickname, the Cielmann region.

    Just like othernds by the Aouine border regions, Cielmann had no expanse of riches. The region was hilly and rocky, and the only t area was by the eastern sides by the river valley, where a sprinkle of viges and farnds were located.

    By the southern reaches were two rivers, one through Be, and the other through Cielmann river valley and ultimately into Vallendaren Lake, thetter of which was the lifeline of the Cielmann region.

    From the beginning of harvest month, three big armies of knights were scattered throughout this lifeline of a water source. Nevertheless, what sounded like a massive army presence was actually a loosely collected group scattered across each city and township.

    It was more adequately considered to be just one or two mid-sized armies.

    To prevent further dispersion of forces, Deputy Squad Leader Walter assigned most of his army around the Owl town where most of the wealth in this region was gathered.

    Subsequently, he broke down the legion into small teams of knights as patrols or guards to monitor the south side of Pine Mountain Pass.

    Nheless, as the day came to dusk, the patrol guards that were supposed to be returning on time to change shifts gradually went missing.

    Evening, seven o¡¯clock. There had been reports of a cluster of undead sighted on the south side of the river pass. Regardless, at this point, most still took the Cielmann river pass with a mentality of luck, and amongst them included Walter, certain that it was just a test of waters from Madara¡¯s end.

    Given the terrain, it was easy to understand his reasoning. After all, with the Kingdom of Madara holding the nds of the Be region, it made little sense for them to attack from the narrow Cielmann river pass.

    Eight-thirty. Walter met with messengers from Vanmier, only then was he notified of the assault on Vanmier¡¯s defense by a horde of the Undead Legion.

    Madara¡¯s main attack was indeed via Be, he thought. Only then did Walter let out a sigh of relief.

    Even though he did receive a direct warning from the princess herself, the Vanmier legion, well-known to align closer to Count Grinoire over the royal family, did not heed the advice.

    Princess Gryphine took the effort to notify the count and his legion but was swiftly dismissed, certain that they knew exactly what they were facing, even so far as to insist that the royalty was just calling misnned shots from far away.

    What the undead legion was plotting beyond the mountains, they were certain they knew just as well as the back of their hands.

    By ten o¡¯clock that night, Walter rubbed his eyes, half asleep to take thest observation, only to be greeted by a miracle of a night sky full of shimmering stars.

 Chapter 820 - v5c13p1

    v5c13p1

    The Demise of Cielmann(1)

    Hello, Child Of Weather here. This shall be thest month where TAS will be hosted on Veratales before we move over to Webnovel! As such, I¡¯ll be giving an approx. 10% off for Patreon tiers above 30 dors as well as setting a 50 advance chapters tier at the price of $90. Link to Patreon here: <https://.patreon/childofweather>Pages of loose paper danced through the night sky, propelled by the chilly autumn winds across the eerily quiet city streets.

    By the Commons board, a notice from three months ago, regarding the assault on the miners within Tusankard Forest by unarmed bandits fluttered its corners in the wind, alongside several wanted notices, feebly hanging onto the notice board.

    Civilian volunteers and patrol knights ran aimlessly across the streets, their incoherent screams and howls in conjunction with the high pitch screeching of whistles blown resonated through the entire town.

    The bell tower at the peak of the Holy Cathedral began chiming unceremoniously, seemingly acting as the final warning for what was toe. The terror of midnight loomed over the heads of the townsmen, as an ominous feeling lurked within the darkness.

    Even so, some had chosen to retain theirposure, and face the horror of the night head-on. Shonnary strapped on his White Winged Knight¡¯s armor, went out the Administration building where he stood, arms crossed, leaning on the pir closest to the entrance as he stoically watched on as a young couple debated, amidst the dim lights.

    ¡°Lonnie put this on, I heard Stephano mentioned that some of those ces can get pretty cold during the winter season, you¡¯ll need this,¡± A young teenager, donning the Patrol Knights armor, handed his scruffy wool coat into the hands of a teenage maiden on a carriage.

    There were other passengers on board, all dull and dead silent, all but the pale young maiden, desperately hanging onto her lover, ¡°Evan,e with us, I beg you!¡±

    The teenager chuckled, ¡°Lonnie, I am a member of the Patrol Knights. I pledged my loyalty to the princess, and swore my allegiance to the kingdom, and to the future king.

    To defend thisnd, to protect everyone is my responsibility. C¡¯mon now, be a good girl and take everyone to safety now. I¡¯ll be with you guys very soon. Besides,¡±

    He then drew his sword, the gleaming de brought a chill to the hearts of everyone watching, ¡°My swordsmanship is among the best in patrol knights, what¡¯s there to worry about some skeletons. Lonnie, wait for me alright, I will build something out for the both of us, like Knight Bet and Count Trentheim.¡±

    The young maiden quivered as she stared lovingly into his eyes, and was halted abruptly by a rapid session of whistles beeping from around them. The teenage boy turned around hastily to look, and then promptly patted his lover on the hand,

    ¡°The Instructor is calling us, go now. Wait for me in Stephano, fret not, it¡¯s just a dispersed group of Madarans. Their main army is still over the mountains at Be. The White Winged Knights told us that this battle shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem.¡±

    Only then did she nodded, with stifled tears.

    Shonnary got bored of the sappy scene ying before him and decided the turn away. Right then, he saw hisrade approaching with his horse from within the courtyard of the City hall, which he instantly followed up with a question,

    ¡°The captain managed to convince them?¡±

    ¡°Those shallow-minded dicks,¡± The female cavalry pouted as she replied, albeit solemnly. Shonnary knew then that they must have sessfully convinced the town¡¯s leadership, but from the state of her reply, the process must have been excruciating.

    <i>Shallow-minded dicks, only obsessed with the benefits before their eyes huh</i> He wholeheartedly agreed. But then again, that was not to say every single one of the Vanmier Legion was righteous individuals. Far from it in fact, notably in these parts, the names of the legion were more likely to garnered negative connotations instead.

    With an arm on the saddle, he adeptly hurled himself onto his horse.

    With one hand, he swept over his back, keeping his cape and the saber strapped to his waist well distinguished on each side of the horse. Turning over, Rosa was doing the same.

    Both were experienced knights by now, and after a disastrous war just a year ago, Shonnary recalled the day he stood before the sea of skeletons, raising his weapon and charging into the enemy lines.

    In the dark of night, before himself were the roaring mes of sulfur, swept through the entire in like a sea of inferno. It was truly a crippling sight to behold.

    Given it a thought, there were ounts mentioning thereafter that it was exactly the scenes of anarchy that the army witnessed that led to the dy in actions of the mortal army, which created a gap of oblivion that was in turn swiftly monopolized by their enemy of the undead. Many were speared dead almost immediately before they could even react.

    Now familiar with the fighting tactics of the Madarans, the humans began to realize that the skeletons¡¯ fighting power were only mediocre at best, and with those boney structures, they could hardly deal much damage to full-grown humans on their own.

    Nevertheless, a full army on the opposing side that does not tire, does not fear, was truly an unforgettable introspection.

    Shonnary lightly caressed the scar across his face as he asked, ¡°Where to?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s meet up with the squad,¡± Rosa lifted the mesh rope across the belly of her horse, upon tightening the horse sprinted ahead. Shonnary noted his partner taking leave and pped the horse to catch up.

    All of a sudden, a deafening gush of whistles were heard over their heads as tiles crumbled down the walls.

    He instinctively lifted his head to grasp the situation.

    Evan held onto his sword and ran with all his might towards the gathering spot, only to be halted by sudden screeching across the night. Looking up into the gloomy sky, from the southern end of the town, numerous specks of light gradually rose from below.

    These stars reached mid-air, clustered into a group, and then promptly broke apart, like birds taking a pitstop. A momentter, the teenager finally came into terrifyingprehension of their true identities.

    ¡°Take cover!¡±

    Not knowing where the screeching was from, the sky saturated with me arrows rain down upon the town. Several civilians still running north on the streets were tragically shot down almost instantly.

    Like blocks of wood, they fell one after another, as the ice-cold, magically imbued arrowheads effortlessly pierced through the flesh of mortals. The Soul Fire inscribed upon the arrows then erupted into fire and rapidly corrupted across their bodies as if they were coated with oil.

    In a blink of an eye, the struggling victims burst into a ball of mes.

    Only a handful of quick-thinking individuals managed to survive the onught, and Evan was of the few. Not knowing where he was at the spur of the moment, and only when the wave of arrows were grounded did he snap back into reality, realizing that he hadnded before the entrance of a pottery shop. The patrol knight training had ultimately saved his life.

    Stiffly lifting his head up, the sign of the pottery shop had already been engulfed by eerily blue mes.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    He turned around, only to notice the stone-paved street, now littered with broken arrows, resembling grass between the cracks, alongside charred corpses, living civilians inplete hysteria, and the burning debris from copsing buildings. Evan was mortified. It was as if he had descended into hell.

    Right then, a second screech was heard across the sky over what remained of the town, as it pped its wings the entire ground shook from resonance. A beast he had never once witnessed in his entire life perched upon the peak of the bell tower.

    ¡­¡­

    The Knight Captain of the White Winged squad Seventh Regiment was frozen to his spot, with multiple attempts reaching towards hismander¡¯s sword, only to no avail.

    Not too far from him, countless boney arms began breaking out from within the earth, then skulls with burning eye sockets, the cor bone paired with shoulder armor, and finally the torso.

    As unfathomable amounts of skeletons began crawling out from the ground, the Netherworld iron chainmail hung shabbily over them. With a longbow on one arm, they adjusted their bodies and went towards the predetermined positions.

    Raising the longbows, the arrows were now lit with ghost fire. It did not take long before a whole formation of bowman was formed within sight, seemingly from thin air, all in position to fire.

    Almost the entire cavalry by Captain Gage¡¯s side was stupefied, looking around them and beyond, it was pandemonium from where they were positioned all the way to the main passageway of the Cielmann river bed.

    In the dark of night, the skeleton archers along with lit sulfur fire arrowheads illuminate through the dark night like a long continuous string of light, unbroken from west to east to as far as the eye could see.

    But the key issue was how did they get here in the first ce? The scouts? Where the hell were the scouts? How did these damn skeletons make it past the defensive line? Did theye from the ground?

    It was the questions from the hearts of everyone present.

    But for Gage, all of those questions were all quickly followed by the same question:

 Chapter 821 - v5c13p2

    v5c13p2

    The Demise of Cielmann(2)

    As the second wave of arrows rained down upon them, the White Winged Cavalry¡¯s petrified Deputy squad leader Walter eventually snapped out of his delusion.

    He could by then confirm that this was not just some minor skirmish.

    Even during the War of the ck Roses, he had never seen that many Skeleton Archers. Madara¡¯s Dark Leader preferred separating his legion into small groups and individuallymanding them. Usually, one necromancer would manipte a dozen skeletons.

    But it all depended on how many necromancers and Darkened knights the Dark Lord had in his legion. With their current formation in ce, it appears the formation would be one where the hordes of skeleton soldiers were to be led by knights on horseback.

    Only in a massive war setting would the mortals ever witness thousands upon thousands of skeleton armies controlled by Necromancers swarming towards them. It was the scenes of nightmares that would haunt the dreams of mortals.

    Fortunately for them, an encounter like this even for the ck Rose of Bromantonu was particrly rare. First of all, to gather thousands of Necromancers was in its own a grueling task toplete, usually requiring the collective efforts of the many chieftains, and that was by far the hardest thing to achieve in Madara.

    Hence, when Walter stared beyond the frontlines and noticed seemingly endless rows of impably lined skeleton archers, his first reaction was that he must have been yed, for there were at least three to four Dark Leaders in tight cooperation, side by side.

    Only then did he btedly realize that the narrow strait over the Cielmann river bed was indeed the main attacking point of the Madaran army, despite its terrain clearly favoring the defensive side. Once he managed to wrap his head around the situation they were in, his next question was:

    ¡°What now? How do we deal with this? Can we even deal with this?¡±

    The only leverage he could boast about then was that his army were all knights in contrast to the face of the footsoldiers that his opposing army was mainlyposed of. Sure, the Madaran army had the ck Knights in their ranks too, but with so few to speak off, he knew they had a clear advantage in that regard.

    The Deputy squad leader tried his best to calm down, but the assault came far too sudden, it was an ambush upon his legion that they could never have seening, and before they could fathom the circumstances they were thrown into, the entire outer circle of allied cavalries was swept out of y.

    The cavalry might not bepletely obliterated from the ambush, but with the survivors of the initial onught scattered across the battlefield, it would truly be a miracle if any form of organization could be built with their current situation. Knowing his subordinates well, he was not cing any faith in any of it happening, what he could n ahead was the two divisions he had left with him.

    And that was sufficient. It had to be.

    ¡°Gather to positions!¡± He finally made up his mind as he roared his order.

    The orders miraculously did manage to pass down to the soldiers amidst the chaos, just when only two cavalry squads were left in the Cielmann river bed, frantically merging to fight the left-wing demon fire arrows from the skeleton archers. Just like Walter had predicted, the First Legion of the White Winged Cavalry was consumed into the chaos.

    Themander of the First legion cavalry, mid Golden level knight Galin was tragically shot by the first round of the rain of fire arrows and died on the spot. Promptly after, the skeleton army crawled out of the ground where they stood, and the first legion was hence drawn into the war, prematurely and ill-prepared.

    In less than half an hour, the Fourth middle squad was obliterated, the Seventh squad¡¯s Captain Gates was killed, and the Eighth squad captain Oppomu was knocked unconscious. The responsibility was left on the only man inmand, Deputy Captain of the Eighth squad, Pornd.

    That man however had no strategy in mind and did exactly the only thing he knew to do. He ordered theplete retreat of what was left within the first legion. The Madaran army had officially relinquished all disruptions.

    The two remaining cavalry squads were now exposed to the full frontal of the offense.

    Walter on the high ground witnessing the scene as it yed out was enraged beyondprehension, by then Oppomu must have been beheaded several times in his mind. Nevertheless, he was clear that there was no time to assign me, what he could do instead was to hope the Madaran army would dy in shifting their offensive towards his direction, potentially buying his army time to regroup.

    Or if his own army were ster enough to withstand one or two waves of attack with minimal damage and then take the offensive to break through the skeleton archers. Once the enemy frontline formation was to be broken, the rest would be far more manageable. After all, the fact that they were all cavalry troops, while their adversary was overwhelmingly foot soldiers leveled the ying field.

    If it was the War of the ck Roses, the White Winged Knights would have already crumbled by now. But it had been a year since, and the difference a year made for the mentality, experience, andposure of the knights were paramount.

    In the hearts of the veterans of the preceding war, the skeletons had now once again reverted back to nothing more but obnoxious bone structures, and no longer the synonym of death they once were revered as.

    Besides their obviousck of emotion or senses, their physicalities were not even on par with ordinary human soldiers. The fear the mortals once had for the ck Roses of Bromantonu were now converted to no more than a bare inconvenience.

    Walter thought about it, clenched his teeth, and mumbled his prayers, ¡°O¡¯ Marsha, may you watch over us, and ensure that Madara was not the only thing time has changed.¡±

    The truth would turn out just as he assumed.

    Patches of Magical Illumination went off on the battlefield, effectively illumining the stretch of earth between the hundreds to a thousand cavalry soldiers and their undead adversaries. Among theggard cavalry squads, the mages one after another propelled themselves into mid-air.

    With their magic, they would effectively ce the White Winged Cavalry in the sights of the skeleton archers, but the knights were now on their final pursuit.

    Under the darkness of the battlefield, the battle technique could not be utilized to its full potential. Even though some were rumored to be unaffected by the environment, themanders at this point could afford no slip-ups.

    The Captain of the Second cavalry division, Wunce, watched on as he was overtaken by one after another of his countrymen on horseback, as the entire Second division were in full eleration. The First division was only less than a hundred meters away.

    Valerie¡¯s division was slightly ahead of them, for their objective was to break a wedge from within the sea of skeleton foot soldiers, and then subsequently hitting right where it was most crucial, the Necromancers.

    Wind spells were beginning to show their effects on the knights and their mounts, more so than the entric magic spells that existed in the far corners of the world. Valerie could feel herself moving with the brace of the winds.

    A product derived from the War of the ck Roses, the cavalry could now sustain a gant charge in the dead of night despite the haphazard terrain.

    Prior to the war, the royal army had always abided with the tactics gained from the First Holy War, which by then were already notably outdated and ineffective, revealing visible ws in their subsequent battles against non-humans.

    War was fair to both sides on the battlefield, even when the Madaran army before them was far stronger than they were before, there was something that remained the same since theirst encounter, ¡°Watch and see, you damn pile of bones!¡±

    Excitedly waving his longsword, performing arguably the greatest creation in the history of wars of this world, the Cavalry Battle Technique. Utilizing this legendary formation, along with warhorses and heavily armored soldiers armed with longswords on both sides, they were essentially invincible.

    Resembling a wall of steel and iron charging at full speed, every participant could feel the might imbued upon them. A power so great it would make the hunkiest man blush.

    To Wunce, it was not much of a difference.

    As arrows rained down upon them, and subsequently bounced off armor, hardly any damage was done. The cavalry¡¯s horses were not close rtives of the workhorse, but instead were tamed monsters. Species-wise, they were actually much closer to that of a unicorn. Nevertheless, they were nowhere near the abilities of their wild cousins, but still far above regr animals.

    After the barrage of arrows wasrgely negated by armor, whatever remained that came into contact with the soldiers were modest.

    But the foremost knights had already begun howling in pain.

    From that distance, magic strikes could now be made. Necromancy magic to be exact. The mages at the back were now in ce, once they broke through thest barrier, what remained was a legion of the defenseless skeleton army.

    Before the War of the ck Roses, there weren¡¯t many that would go head-on against a skeleton legion. Nevertheless, times had changed for the better. On the mysterious fur coats donned by this legion, now faded in color from the years of fermenting in old closets, were veterans, notably those who fought in the first war. What they saw before them were nothing but loose structures of bones, and this time, for old feuds or new conflicts, they were here to pay it back twice.

    The lower-ranked officers were rallying their new recruits, hoping that the idea was clear.

    They were the cavalry, and the enemy were foot soldiers, and whatever the oue of the war, the adversaries before themselves cannot possibly outrun them.

    Their only concern was time.

    As for the ck knights, given how dispersed the skeletons were, they were still manageable, and the opposingmanders did not seem to be too experienced in battle.

    Vance did not notice the whereabouts of the ck knights, the riders and the Nightmare horses should not be able to hide in an open space this vast. The river beds were wide and hardly eluding, with the nearest hills over a thousand miles away. Wunce was certain they cannot possibly be in ambush, and let out a sigh of relief.

    What he found deeply puzzling was that the anticipated magic strike had yet arrived.

    ¡°What is the Madaramander doing?¡± He thought to himself, baffled, as he stared into the direction of Valerie, ¡°They are about to miss the final window of opportunity¡­¡±

 Chapter 822 - v5c14

    v5c14

    The Demise of Cielmann (2)

    ¡°What is the Madaranmander doing?¡± The First Cavalry Brigade Captain Valerie had the same question in mind. Raising her head, the magic luminescence on the other end of the battlefield from the strange gestures that the army of the undead was doing caught her eye.

    The opposing legion was leisurely moving forward, albeit almostckluster in the face of their aggressive charge. At a pace closer to that of an elderly on the verge of death, the enemy, she was certain would not be able to face them head-on upon collusion.

    With the left nk of the Madaran army now exposed to direct assault from two Aouine divisions at once, her deductions were that even if her cavalry divisions were to tear a rift within the opposing formation, they could hardly make it on time to surround them.

    It was a golden opportunity.

    Yet their enemies¡¯ reply to the charging from Valerie and her cavalries was by separating into two parts within themselves, seeming awaiting their entry. If the enemy were humans, amon exnation was that the opposing army had lost the will of battle and was on the verge of crumbling, and all that was left from them to do was to fend off the remaining army.

    But as a captain of the cavalry army and one adapted to the tides of war, notably with an enemy that was ubiquitously known to be devoid of any emotion, could it be the manipting Necromancers that were affected? She wondered.

    Is someone nking the Madaran legion from the back? Just when she began to see their situation as a fluke, something urred around the edges of the vision that instantly mellowed her spirits.

    She watched as a silhouette began to take shape at the end of the strait from between the Undead legion, it was not the bulky Ghouls or the Crusaders, or even the ck Knights that were churning soul fire from beneath their obsidian armor. It was a peculiar knight, riding on a skeleton of a horse, armored with chain mail ck as the night under the new moon.

    Shrouded in the mists, riding the skeletal warhorses, wieldingnces were just a handful in the beginning, but as the wedge between the Undead legion grew bigger, the actual army size became clearer to the eye of their mortal adversaries.

    Valerie was stupefied, her eyes forced wide from shock. Behind the Skeletal archers packed like sardines were an immactely aligned row of cavalry soldiers, which almost certainly were not ck Knights, as there were never that many. And with a cavalry army lined side by side for almost a mile, the unknown army formed a wall dark as coal.

    ¡°Hold, change course!¡± Greeted by the ominous sight, Valerie felt like a thorn wedged into her heart, she finally came to identify what was actually awaiting them.

    It was a trap and they took the bait.

    Skeletal Knights, an unforeseen new army rank created by the Kingdom of Madara.

    On the other side of the battlefield, a piercing whistle was heard. Valerie turned across to look, and knew Wunce had too noticed the strange knights, they were quick to realize. Unbeknownst to them however were the actual military size of their enemy, but one thing was for sure, they were greatly outnumbered.

    If the Skeletal Knights could catch up to them on horseback, the chances of them winning was dispiritingly slim. This could spell disaster for the White Winged Cavalries.

    Even though they were effective, they were exposed. If they were bogged down by their Undead equivalent, the tens of thousands of Skeletal foot soldiers would catch up, and there would only be an ending left for the rest of them.

    A brutal death, and to be reanimated as one of these feign, soulless monsters.

    If the Grimoires passage loses this cavalry legion, that would mean the Cielmann river bed all the way to Karsuk would be leftpletely exposed, effectively boring a hole to which hostile forces could trample onwards. The region would fall, and it was an oue Valerie could not even imagine happening.

    That could be a replica of the War of the ck Roses once again, maybe even worse. Now that most of the Southern forces were still in Ampere Seale, once Grimoires had fallen, the only semnce of a defense army left would be in Karsuk.

    The White Winged Cavalries seemed to have realized the significance of the battle they were in, as the experienced knights almost seamlessly, one after another changed course at top speed. But to Valerie, it was all still too slow. Anxious, she turned towards the encroaching Skeletal knights, noticing that they were gaining momentum, the entire legion functioned like a massive robotic beast.

    Right then, the female knight finally understood the true capabilities of the Skeletal knights, and was quickly reminded of another terrifying truth, that this legion, like the ck Knights, does not tire.

    She felt a chill down her spine.

    Just then, all hope was ced upon themand of Walter the Deputy squad leader. What was deeply unsettling to her was that themander did not order for retreat. Is he nning to bury the entire White Winged cavalry division here tonight?! To prove the terror of the Madaran army by sacrificing the entire legion?

    Valerie panickingly turned back ahead, facing towards the hills on the northern side, hoping she would see the predetermined signal, but s, none was present.

    Right then, a haunting screech resonated above the entire battlefield. The mortals all turned their heads to the skies in near unison, and within their sights were rapidly increasing numbers of air-borne beasts.

    ¡­¡­

    The town at that point had be a sea of inferno, every corner engulfed in raging blue mes. Besides the defense structures flimsily built in a hurry by the Patrol Knights or the White Winged cavalries, which by now were ransacked and demolished, the town was littered with corpses at every corner. Uniforms of patrol knights, White Winged cavalry, or other police squads, donned by their owners as they took theirst breaths. The owners all had one thing inmon, they were by then drenched in pools of blood, and were no longer alive.

    Evan¡¯s vision ever so briefly paused upon the dead bodies all around himself, as they gradually navigated past these areas of the town, with a small team of other members closely behind. He just received news that the first beast to visit the town, the one first perched on the clock tower of the cathedral had murdered their coach. It was a beast they were all familiar with, the Phantom of Terror.

    There was worse news, that Be¡¯s first cavalry toon had been obliterated during the battle of the alleys, Commander Pornd was murdered, and the entire toon crumbled. The very few that lived had no longer any will to fight on but had only one thought left in mind, to make it out alive.

    Just a moment ago all of them were enthusiastic to fight for Aouine, the beauty of a dream, only for reality to turn out so brutally painful, a lesson they took like a cold snap in the dead of winter.

    The only form of reassurance Evan had at that point was that Lonnie¡¯s carriage had left the town before the battle began. Since he heard arrangements that the White Winged cavalries were fighting in the outer radius of the town, that would mean his lover and her family would have made it safely en route to Darth Venfarno.

    Regardless, what lies in the future should be thest of his concerns, he thought. With the Madaran legion of Undead overwhelming their soldiers from all sides, the young man began growing suspicious as to whether they could even defend the town at all.

    The rugged group of youngsters crept across the town, one nearly unrecognizable to them at this point. Like vagrants scouring for their next shelter, they were however abruptly halted before they managed to cover any semnce of an escape route.

    Across the only street leading out of town, there was a huge ongoing battle between the Madaran skull-heads and the Civilian Brigade, a battle so lopsided it was a massacre in the making.

    There were no survivors on sight. The Necromancers reanimated the fresh corpses, soldiers that were just fighting for the glory of Aouine a minute ago, now brought back to their feet to fight another day, as a demonic spawn.

    ¡°It¡¯s R and the gang, they¡¯re all dead,¡± A Patrol Knight replied, albeit rather dispiritedly.

    Evan¡¯s expression changed from bad to worse. Watching the civilian brigades, townsfolk that he met out and about on any ordinary day in the town, now be something nauseatingly supernatural. Watching the ghastly Necromancers from across the street, he clenched his teeth.

    ¡°Shit we have the worst luck, take heed boys, a Necromancer!¡± Madon the Deputy Captain replied, with his sword out he dered, ¡°We¡¯ve gotta find a way to kill him off, or else we¡¯d be trapped here longer than we should. The Necromancer¡¯s power is in his staff, try catching his attention, I¡¯ll cut off his cursed arms. If we maim him, this fight can still go on!¡±

    Evan side-eyed him upon the remark, clearly not too enthusiastic about it, ¡°Be careful,¡± He warned, ¡°Look here, there were supposed to be at least three to four squads of Civilian troops. This is the only road leading out from the town, and they were supposed to be the final stronghold.¡±

    ¡°What is your point?¡±

    ¡°Teacher thought us that the Necromancer can lead up to a dozen skeletal troopers, you cannot fight that many.¡±

    ¡°I disagree,¡± Madon shook his head, ¡°Those are Civilians brigades, they never had any fighting prowess to begin with. We¡¯re different, we¡¯re upational soldiers.¡±

    Evan noted Madon¡¯s clear reluctance of taking advice of any sort from himself and decisively chose to keep his silence. He then turned back and hinted at the others, signaling them to attack all at once upon notice, to draw the Necromancer¡¯s attack.

    The distance between themselves and their adversary was just a mere fifty meters, their concern was not too much on a direct attack, after all, they had an advantage in numbers, and the Necromancer could only summon about two to three Skeletal foot soldiers at once.

    Madon might be right, the Civilian brigade must be overpowered in a battle setting like this, there were even instances where Civilian brigades were overwhelmed by mere skeletal soldiers, so it made sense that they were terrified of their encounter and lost theirposure.

    Notwithstanding however the Skeletal Archers hiding within burning buildings that were causing a great deal of disruption, nearly half of all dead and wounded were caused by just two undead archers within the protections of the crumbling building.

    Fortunately for them, however, despite the battle going sideways from their initial expectations, the Necromancer¡¯s puppets were brought down one after another from their hands.

    Right at that moment, Madon saw an opening and would not see himself missing it. He subtly dashed to the other side of the building hidden under the shadows, stealthily closing in on the Necromancer, with his sword drawn and ready to blow.

    But the unexpected happened.

    ¡°Madon, watch your head!¡± Evan shouted. He was never too confident with Madon at the helm, for he was always fixated on only one direction.

    Just when Madon was about tond his stealth attack, a silhouette swooped down from the clouds.

    The scene was all too familiar, it was how their instructor died.

    Madon btedly noticed the threat, but tragically for the Deputy team leader of the Patrol Knights squad, it was seconds toote. Pieces of debris and tiles came crashing down on him, and before he coulde to his senses, the beast wed him by the shoulder, its razor-sharp ws pierced through his cor bone and armor effortlessly, and uprooted him from the ground.

    Madon howled in pain as the beast was finally visible for the rest to see.

    It was like a shrunk version of the Skeletal dragon, only a skeletal structure covering its body, paired with a massive skull with soul fire filling its sockets, like light beams within a chilling void.

    It had a pair of razor-sharp teeth, its only difference with the Skeletal Dragon was its noticeable, pointy beak.

    ¡°Phantom of Terror!¡±

    Someone took to yell out its identity, but it was easily the worst decision made. It did not save Madon by any means, far from it instead, as the Phantom of Terror snapped the skull of the Deputy Captain like it was a twig, his body then lifelessly toppled onto the ground like a deted football.

    The Phantom promptly discarded Madon¡¯s beheaded body and went on to look for its next prey, while letting out a deafening screech.

    Evan could feel a chill to his spine, his mind went nk, everyone around him was much more alert however as they instinctively darted to safety. A Patrol Knight member let out a terrified shriek, then frantically turned around running for his life. Regardless, just steps away, he was shot by a green beam, his body then rapidly inted into a balloon and blew up like a pop of blood and innards.

    That scene left everyone petrified, not to mention the Necromancer that was also within close proximity.

    And they were no easy opponents.

    Evan watched as the monstrosity lifted its skull staff, and despite his intention to hide, he waspletely paralyzed.

    ¡°Lonnie...¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Shonnary solemnly held Rosa¡¯s eyes shut. The female knight¡¯sst glimpse of the world before her life was taken was the empty night sky above her. The Necromancer blew a gaping hole through her heart, so clearly defined all the organs within the circr radius were disintegrated and were leftpletely unidentifiable.

    He was dead silent, taking off his uniform to wrap it over her. They have met for quite some time, experiencing the War of the ck Roses, along with a few other significant battles side by side.

    Within the cavalries, their battle experience moved them up the ranks, and were now both Nonmissioned officers.

    Nevertheless, what first appeared as a border skirmish became thest farewell between the partners.

    Even though they were both emotionally prepared for the abrupt departure of their partner many times throughout the past year, it was still not something he could get ustomed to.

    As for the opposing side, new army types were built, ones like the Phantoms of Terror, only seen in the battlegrounds of Karsuk, were now visibly present within themand of the Darkened Lords. Even the Necromancer count was unusually high.

    If it were not for their premature assumptions of the army size of their enemies, leading to the massive blunder of leaving themselves wide after the first Necromancer and the phantom, providing an opening for the second Necromancer to take its shot, Rosa would still be alive to fight another day. Shonnary was riled up by the rage within him, furious with the scouts that were non-existent leading towards their disastrous ambush.

    He watched somberly upon Rosa¡¯s face, giving it the final attention he could offer, before bringing himself back on his two feet and giving his surroundings a good look.

    The streets were littered with corpses, many were defaced and decapitated, but there were also a few that were rather well preserved.

    Most of which were at least pierced through by arrows one or two. He then halted out of the blue and took notice of one of the faces within the heaps of death. It was one-half of the young couple that was a while ago rather melodramatically confessing their love for each other.

    ¡°What a pity,¡± He mumbled as he walked towards him.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s fate that I¡¯ve seen you before, kid.¡± He grunted, ¡°Let me do you a little favor so this doesn¡¯t look too tragic,¡± He thought to himself as he dragged the body from within the debris.

    Just as he held onto those motionless hands, he was rather spooked to feel a pulse, warmth even, ¡°This bastard¡¯s not dead,¡± He came to his senses, applying pressure to his chest, even pping him on the face in attempts to wake him up.

    Evan regained consciousness and was greeted by the blood-stained face of Shonnary, a face he too found familiar. They met eyes when he was by the Administrative building, the prideful fellow was with a female knight, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re dead too¡­¡± He drowsily uttered.

    ¡°What the fuck are you rambling about?¡± Shonnary smacked him on the face, ¡°Wake the hell up you twat! It¡¯s your lucky day that you met me. If you¡¯d like to meet your little girlfriend again, get your shit together.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not dead?¡± Evan appeared instantly invigorated by the revtion, ¡°Really?¡± His tears began flowing down his cheeks the next moment.

    Shonnary was dumbfounded by the pathetic boy before himself, on the verge of just kicking him back on the ground for good. But after giving it a fair thought, he sighed and turned back longingly at Rosa.

    ¡°Alright alright that¡¯s enough, be a man for once,¡± He reached out and helped the teenager to his feet, ¡°The town ispletely wiped out, there are no other survivors left here. I¡¯m guessing you know the way around here, take us out of this cursed ce.¡±

    Evan looked him in the eye and frantically nodded.

    ¡­¡­

    Vrie understood that the White Winged cavalries were done for, yet what she could not fathom was why the Deputy Squad Leader did not provide any response at all. Could he have left long ago? But that made no sense to her.

    She watched as the Skeletal knight thrust thence into her heart, with a twist she felt her life rapidly seeping out from her body. Painfully lifting her head to make a final nce of her surroundings, all she saw were heaps of corpses of her forgone allies.

    But that meant nothing, for now, she was on her way to join them, she thought.

    Wunce was dead, now Vrie too, the remaining White Winged knights were crippled and scattered, countless Phantoms of Terror prevented their chances of escape. The entire battlefield at this point was like a cursed painting of death and catastrophe, soul fire from across the hills manifested itself forward.

    The Skeleton army hunted down the deserting cavalries. On foot, it was only a matter of time before the tireless undead caught up to the weary soldiers in a stamina race mortals could never win.

    Evan stood petrified as he watched the events yed out before his eyes.

    He had always assumed the tragedy that befell the town was just part of the war, but now it seemed less of a war, but more a massacre in session.

    Shonnary was equally disheartened. He knew for a fact that the White Winged cavalries were obliterated, he knew better than Evan did, but he never thought the battle would be this one-sided, he was certain that the Second and Third Brigade would be able to make it out alive.

    In the worst possible scenario he could think of, the Second or the Third brigade, upon being cut off from the rest, he was expecting at least one of them to make it out alive. But now, all hope seemed to be lost, what he could think about at that point were that the remaining Madaran legion could now march across the Grinoires passage unhindered.

    The Southern border had fallen.

    And now with just the two of them left against the odds of the entire visible night sky gued with the Phantoms of Terror, his final objective was to escape in one piece.

    ¡°What...what¡¯s gonna happen to us?¡± Evan stared at the knight as he timidly mumbled. The horse that he was riding even belonged to Rosa. He wasn¡¯t too ustomed to riding a horse just yet, but with the circumstances he was in, he was hardly given a choice. Thankfully for the Patrol Knight training he had, he was ruled out of being strapped to the horse.

    ¡°Go east,¡± Shonnary gloomily replied, ¡°The Eastern Molehills are our only chance of survival. There are some bandits and rascals within those mountains, let¡¯s hope they are keen to offer refuge to the likes of us.¡±

    Bandits and rascals.

    Evan instinctively stared at the direction, vaguely recalling that there was indeed a band of petty criminals of the kind, but they were mostly the responsibilities of the Civilian brigade and the Knights patrol, and less of theirs.

    ¡°They seemed to be from the Tusarkand, truly the most brutal among even misfits, will they even take us in?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    ¡°Bandits or phantoms, choose one.¡±

    ¡°Bandits.¡± The boy replied almost instantly.

 Chapter 823 - v5c15

    v5c15

    Riverbed

    With Cielmann riverbed, now in mes and ashes under the moonlight, the Madaran army from above was seen to split into several legions, moving towards the direction the river flow towards.

    Owl town was left with singr remnants of demolished buildings within every ten-meter radius, and nking the ruins of the town were countless skeleton soldiers on both sides, the barrennds now reverted to its unteral sounds of bone cking.

    Between the two endless army lines of the undead were mountain heaps of corpses, the necromancers at that point pre-upied with choosing bodies nearpletely intact to reanimate as undead fighters.

    The cold snap from the midnight winds of fall, derived from the mountain pass came blowing, seemingly in near synchrony of their eerie spells, leaving the riverbed far more haunting than it already was.

    Bloodstaff stood lonesomely against the howling winds of midnight, his Ghoul cloak fluttering as he stood still as a statue, fixated upon a disfigured corpse, one that might have belonged to the Civilian brigade. From the wounds inflicted, it was almost definitely the work of a Phantom of Terror.

    Only half his torso was left, his hand still clenching on a rock, one could only imagine how desperate he was to break free of his destiny, but the Phantom of Terror never ceded, and tore his person into half.

    Turning towards the far end of the riverbed, the war had ended, nothing alive was left standing in the radius as far as the eye could perceive.

    They had achievedplete victory.

    As written in the Book of Dark Prophecy, the Eastern Dark kingdom shall rise again.

    ¡°Those pathetic Aouine scum must have died not knowing what¡¯sing for them,¡± Stood close behind Bloodstaff was a hauntingly pale young man as he remarked, his teeth white as snow.

    He had no fangs, and his eyes did not burn with Soul fire as the ck knights did, nor were there any psychic runes on his body. He was no mage of the Undead.

    Dressed in a spotless ck gown, it was as if he was ready to attend a funeral.

    He took a deep breath as hemented, ¡°The magic in thesends was fragrant, sweet as nectar. If this is in the Seas of the Dying Moon, only the Supreme Leader is worthy to rule thisnd.¡±

    He turned towards Bloodstaff, with pity and arrogance he cynically shook his head, ¡°I can¡¯t seem to fathom, Bloodstaff, how you¡¯d lose to an opponent this pitiful. Regardless, these pathetic insects do not deserve and this precious, we shall leave this kingdom with only graves and tombstones.¡±

    Bloodstaff scoffed at his remark. These Darkened lords originated from the Seas of the Dying Moon, and legend had it that the Undead mages from those magic-barrennds were ruthless to one another for as long as time was recorded, due to their thirst for magic. Those were the grounds of the Four Wars.

    Nevertheless, these despicable individuals were exceptionally powerful, and had invented a spell to draw the half ethereal half bodily Phantoms of Terror from the corpses of Winged dragons, and the spells for Necromancers tomand Skeletal Knights, resulting in the greatly improved might of their legion.

    With their enhanced armies at y, Aouine was no longer deemed a worthy opponent. To them, be it the Southern Legions or the Vanmier Legions, were hardly any resistance, the only ones they were looking forward to crossing arms with were the Hignd Knights.

    ¡°There are rumors that the human kingdoms have a White Lion Legion in the north, I wonder how they fight?¡± The younger of the two proimed.

    ¡°There was, mind you, for the Southern legion had destroyed them. ording to our knowledge, the little princess of theirs have disbanded the army built by her own brother, now it is no longer of any value to this kingdom.¡±

    Aouine¡¯s North-South civil war had only ended for less than four months, Bloodstaff naturally was not clear of the details involved. Regardless, countless rumors and personal experiences from the losing side had seeped into the Darkened kingdom, and he too had chosen to piece the news together into one most would agree to be usible.

    ¡°Then it is not worth a mention.¡±

    The words of contempt from the younger individual resonated beyond with the winds of night, over their heads and into the putrid air. A Phantom of Terror soared through the starry night sky, letting out a deafening screech that shook the earth.

    Dozens of simr winged beasts spanned across the riverbed region, ravaging everything that crossed their paths.

    From above the clouds, speckles ofher light dotted across the region, forming three immensely orderly rows, like serpents slithering towards its next prey. The serpents¡¯ heads had now crossed beyond the Grinoires passageway and into the Slofavien region. Ahead of them, were the vast lownds terrain.

    That was where the Regional Administrative capital, Kurkel Castle was located.

    Further away in the Eastern hills region, around the edge of the forests were a small array of fourteen men.

    ¡°One, two, three, four¡­¡± A malnourished young man with jaundiced skin counted under his breath upon the lights he witnessed down in the riverbed regions.

    The closest patch of light from that distance was only the size of fingernails, those even further away were like specks of glowing sand, panned across the entire Cielmann riverbed, leaving the young man paler than he already was.

    Once he was done counting, he turned over to the others, ¡°The White Winged Cavalries must have beenpletely wiped out. Owl town, Roden, Motown, all destroyed in the wake, I¡¯m guessing survivors must be few and far between. Big Thumb and the others came back just a few days ago from Roden and mentioned there weren¡¯t many who fled.

    These people must be all dead.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t need to go into details, it¡¯s painful to hear,¡± The youths on horseback sneered at this deration. If it was any other day they would be apuding the demise of the White Winged Cavalries, but today, to witness the massacre of entire towns along with them left a bad taste.

    Every patch of fire in the darkness were countless lives, now dead, which reminded them of their hometowns, and like the lordmander once mentioned, maybe one day the entire Aouine would end up like this, it was a thought that weighed on them.

    The entire party at that moment reacted almost in unison, turning towards the young man in a vest at the far end. Carglise lowered his brass telescope and handed it over to the fledging White Lion Battalion officer.

    After the battle of Ampere Seale, this man along with his equally youthfulpatriots had matured beyond their delinquency from when their days in Trentheim, and now resembled more of a legitimate militant.

    He watched upon his band of young men dressed in Hignder clothing, amongst them must be the ones the Lordmander had rescued from the Schafflund¡¯s silver mine.

    Brendel once mentioned that these men were born to achieve. He was initially hesitant, but now, with ample evidence, he could safely admit that the lord was right after all, word for word. His talent in predicting the future was truly impable.

    The youngster named Cowan led the people away from Schafflund, across the har mountains, ambushing the mines within Southern Tusankard Forest when the Southern armies were absent, broken out an army of penal workers, and led them eastward into the Cielmann areas. From them, a renegademunity was created amongst their own within these hills.

    Cowan made himself king of the mountains, despite being unable to shed the bandits¡¯ perception of his band of merry men from the eyes of the outsiders. These men that he had chosen to break free were specifically the ones penalized for dismissing Nobles, the most genuine of characters and the strongest of wills. Even though they might seem rough on the edges for many, thick-headed even, but there were merits to be discovered from these selected bunch.

    The young man especially was not to be underestimated. Carglise contemted.

    ¡°Mr. Carglise, what now, shall we return for the night?¡± Right then, a younger man on horseback by the side took to ask.

    ¡°Shh,¡± Carglise raised a finger before his lip, hinting at them to stay silent.

    ¡°What is the situation?¡±

    Carglise nodded.

    ¡°Hide!¡±

    The merry band hastily retreated from the t peaks of the hilltops into the forests from where they came.

    About a minuteter, a loud gush was heard from above their heads.

    The younger men cowering under the bulky trees petrifyingly watched on as silhouettes hovered over them, there were seven in total, flying past one after another. Carglise was the first to pull his horse from lower ground, the White Lion officer shook his head as he blurted, ¡°That¡¯s not a Bone vulture, I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡±

    ¡°Is that a skeletal dragon?¡± The youngsters babbled within themselves.

    Carglise held his hand over his mouth as he shook his head. It was not a Skeletal dragon, for the Skeletal dragons were still dragons, and they carry with them a higher status among the Madara creatures, instilling fear internally and beyond.

    He had also met Aloz at Valha and was slightly familiar with the mannerisms of a Dragon species. Those that had just flown past him were notably absent of any sign of pride or status, and even for Skeletal dragons, they were significantly smaller.

    ¡°Mr. Carglise?¡±

    ¡°They seemed to be looking for a certain something,¡± Carglise replied, ¡°We¡¯ll stand back and wait it out. They wouldn¡¯t find us as easily in the hills, we¡¯ll wait till dawn, by then the Undead will retreat to defense positions, we can always return by then.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Dozens of Skeletal knights gave chase across the mountain paths, the metal chainmail on their warhorses nking and banging as the hoofs clucked across the ground. The galloping however sounded nothing like ordinary horses, they were hollow and empty-ended, easily identifiable as Nether creatures grazing the world of the living.

    Eyeing below on towards the valley, the burning soul fire from their eye sockets gazed upon the two frantically escaping human cavalries. They have been taking this route for half an hour now, their mounts visibly reaching their limits.

    The leader amongst the Skeletal Knights pointed his Netherworld Iron Scimitar at the direction of the deserters, and upon the signal two dozens Skeletal Knights immediately gave chase, sprinting into the woods and down the slope.

    In this terrain, despite the vegetation still being rather untangled, a noticeable number of Skeletal Knights still ran straight into centuries-old trees and smashed their skeleton structures into hundreds of loose bones upon contact. The remaining undead did not bother to turn around to peek at the welfare of theirpatriots, for they had only one goal, and it was the track down the prisoners of war.

    Running through a hundred meters of forest terrain, they were thrust into grasnd territory.

    Evan turned back and caught a fair glimpse of the scene. Under the illuminating moonlight, eleven bone structures resembling knights and their mounts sprinted, identifiable by their soul-piercing demonic mes as eyes, came dashing out of the dense forests. Their barren skeletal structures heldnces and scimitars gleaming in the moonlight, terrorizing the teenage boy who bothered to peek.

    ¡°Shonnary, we¡¯re so dead!¡±

    ¡°Shut the hell up!¡± Shonnarymbasted, yet deep down knew his life might havee to its timely end in these unweingnds, in the hands of skeletons with infinite stamina to waste away.

    They might be giving chase until the break of dawn, but dawn was still hours away. After sprinting at top speeds for thus long, even on mountainous terrain, he knew even the warhorses were closing upon their limits.

    ¡°Hey, little brat,¡± He yelled across.

    ¡°What?¡± Evan huffed and puffed as he replied, his face pale as a ghost, cold sweat dripping down his forehead like he was sick for a gue.

    His horseriding skills were the bare minimum and were only trained for leisure horseriding for daily duties. In the face of looming death, however, it was a miracle he had managed to keep the warhorse sprinting in the right direction for this long.

    But across all that he experienced within thest few hours, there were more close calls than he would like for several lifetimes, and if it were not for sessive strokes of luck, he would have fallen off the cliffs or ran right into the treelines through the dense forests.

    ¡°I¡¯ll lead them away, you keep east back into the forests. Once you hit the parts too thick for the horse to proceed, leave her and rush in on foot. Once you get in there you¡¯ll be safe,¡± Shonnary panted as he advised.

    The teenager was petrified. Watching the back of the veteran cavalry, he nearly burst into tears, but painfully tucked it in, ¡°No, we broke free together. You¡¯ve rescued me, I will not leave you, I cannot!¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t do it we¡¯re both gonna die you idiot,¡± Shonnary rebuked.

    ¡°Then so be it!¡±

    ¡®Stop this bullshit kid, we got no reason to give them the satisfaction of getting us both,¡± Shonnary reprimanded, before he mumbled, ¡°Even if they did, not like it¡¯s that big of an achievement.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll draw them away. You¡¯ve risked your life for mine once, I¡¯ll repay the favor. That way we¡¯re even,¡± Evan replied.

    Shonnary was dumbfounded as he scoffed, ¡°Cut it out, with your shitty riding skills it¡¯s Marsha¡¯s blessing that you made it this far without dying, now you wanna draw them away? What difference is it gonna make?¡±

    Evan was frustrated beyond means, but none of that said were not the truth.

    ¡°Enough talk, you have a fiancee to reunite with, I don¡¯t have anything tying me to this world anymore. I¡¯ll break some chair support in a moment, you¡¯re gonna live and work my part when all of this is over.¡±

    The veteran cavalry shook his head as he continued on, ¡°Listen, newbie, stop acting like a pussy. The favors you owe in battle would stack more than the grains in your dinner bowl. I¡¯ve owed my oldrades too much, and now is my turn to return the favor. You wanna thank me? You best live on.¡±

    Evan stared nkly at him, Shonnary¡¯s determination was clear as day, his resolution decisive and final. Clenching on his teeth, he tried his best not to tear up, yet words could not be muttered as he nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good boy.¡±

    Shonnary seemed to be mumbling on to himself, before then unanticipatedly let out a war cry, clenched onto the ropes on his horse, turn his mount around, and went charging towards the Skeletal Knights.

    Under the howling winds, it sounded like the roar of a beast.

    The teen eventually managed to phrase his words together. ¡°For Aouine.¡±

    Evan then adjusted his gaze forward, tirelessly pushed his warhorse forward, as Shonnary gradually faded into the background.

    On the other hand, Shonnary rushed into enemy lines, his sword quickly cut down a Skeletal Knight from his mount, then proceeded to slice through their formation. The simpleton undead was caught off-guard by the sudden change of reaction by their mortal prey, some that had gone beyond stiffly changed course back towards him.

    From Evan¡¯s perspective, both his ally and his pursuers vanished from sight. For now at least.

    Secondster, he caught hold of a faint howl from within the corners of the forests.

    ¡°You damn skeleton bastards, go back to hell you fucks!¡±

    ¡°For Rosa!¡±

    Evan began coughing vigorously, it was as if the air choked on his windpipe. Yet, he knew that the diversion that Shonnary gifted to him was limited, the skeletons would catch up soon if he falters, he needs to stay vignt. He needs to make it to the forest.

    In the horizons were open meadows at the base of the mountains, t as the eye could see. Slightly distant were loose forests that were wide and spaced out. It would not suffice to evade the chasing Skeletal Knights.

    He frantically pushed his mount forward, circling past therge patch of open forests, strode across what felt like endless grasnds, and then beyond the far edges of the horizon, was a faint patch of ck.

    <i>The forests!</i>

    Evan was exhrated. However, it was short as itsted knowing how far away it was, at least several miles of meadow more. He wouldn¡¯t even ce faith on the warhorse going this far more.

    Hollow hoofbeats were heard once again across the far end of the horizon. Turning back, his soul froze. There were indeed several Skeletal Knights giving chase by the edge of the preceding forests. As they all came to sight, there were seven in pursuit, four were brought down by Shonnary alone, but even then, he was gravely outnumbered.

    ¡°No, I have to live on!¡± Evan clenched his teeth. His life doesn¡¯t just belong to him now. He had to fight on for his fiancee, for Shonnary, and no matter what stands between that, he had to fight on.

    He tightened his legs on the mount, hoping the spurs could push the warhorse a little more, breaking the distance between himself and his pursuers.

    Yet right then, Evan could feel his torso lighter than ever, like a huge force dragging him from behind as he hovered into the air, and then painfully copsing on the ground.

    His fall was ill-prepared and as a result, he btedly felt the pain from the bruises all over his body. It took a while to process what he had just experienced, but as he wed his way through the dirt, he took a glimpse of his mount, now copsed on the ground, foaming within its mouth.

    Evan can¡¯t help but scream into the night, just about a hundred meters more to safety, but at the nick of time his luck ran out.

    He struggled to his feet but promptly copsed onto the ground from immense pain.

    Only then did he realize he fractured one of his legs.

    <i>It¡¯s over.</i>

    Evan was distraught as the nightmarish riders closed in to where he sat, he held his eyes shut, epting his fate.

    Just then, a silver beam shone through the darkness of the forest before him. A silver beam he felt, prompting him to open his eyes once more, was almost unfathomable to Evan.

    Before he could react, the Skeletal Knight first in line came crashing down his horse. His hollow skull pierced through with a still vibrating arrow, right at its core.

    What seemed like a light at the end of a dark tunnel was just merely the beginning. Before he could fathom what was about toe, roughly two dozen silhouettes came dashing out of the forests, they were cavalries, but were not affiliated with the White Winged brigades. As the third party approached them, he got a good look at their armors, shimmering under the moonlight, and on the armors, the golden mane of a roaring lion.

    Knights brushed past him from the opposite direction, thunderous gallops were heard, the teenager felt like he was dreaming. Within the deepest corners of his memories, he recalled that he was once informed of this specific army.

    ¡°Soldiers, keep close to me, we¡¯ll crush these boneheads!¡±

    Carglise¡¯s roar echoed through the valley.

 Chapter 824 - v5c16

    v5c16

    Valha Four Months Later

    With Cielmann riverbed, now in mes and ashes under the moonlight, the Madaran army from above was seen to split into several legions, moving towards the direction the river flow towards.

    Owl town was left with singr remnants of demolished buildings within every ten-meter radius, and nking the ruins of the town were countless skeleton soldiers on both sides, the barrennds now reverted to its unteral sounds of bone cking.

    Between the two endless army lines of the undead were mountain heaps of corpses, the necromancers at that point pre-upied with choosing bodies nearpletely intact to reanimate as undead fighters.

    The cold snap from the midnight winds of fall, derived from the mountain pass came blowing, seemingly in near synchrony of their eerie spells, leaving the riverbed far more haunting than it already was.

    Bloodstaff stood lonesomely against the howling winds of midnight, his Ghoul cloak fluttering as he stood still as a statue, fixated upon a disfigured corpse, one that might have belonged to the Civilian brigade. From the wounds inflicted, it was almost definitely the work of a Phantom of Terror.

    Only half his torso was left, his hand still clenching on a rock, one could only imagine how desperate he was to break free of his destiny, but the Phantom of Terror never ceded, and tore his person into half.

    Turning towards the far end of the riverbed, the war had ended, nothing alive was left standing in the radius as far as the eye could perceive.

    They had achievedplete victory.

    As written in the Book of Dark Prophecy, the Eastern Dark kingdom shall rise again.

    ¡°Those pathetic Aouine scum must have died not knowing what¡¯sing for them,¡± Stood close behind Bloodstaff was a hauntingly pale young man as he remarked, his teeth white as snow.

    He had no fangs, and his eyes did not burn with Soul fire as the ck knights did, nor were there any psychic runes on his body. He was no mage of the Undead.

    Dressed in a spotless ck gown, it was as if he was ready to attend a funeral.

    He took a deep breath as hemented, ¡°The magic in thesends was fragrant, sweet as nectar. If this is in the Seas of the Dying Moon, only the Supreme Leader is worthy to rule thisnd.¡±

    He turned towards Bloodstaff, with pity and arrogance he cynically shook his head, ¡°I can¡¯t seem to fathom, Bloodstaff, how you¡¯d lose to an opponent this pitiful. Regardless, these pathetic insects do not deserve and this precious, we shall leave this kingdom with only graves and tombstones.¡±

    Bloodstaff scoffed at his remark. These Darkened lords originated from the Seas of the Dying Moon, and legend had it that the Undead mages from those magic-barrennds were ruthless to one another for as long as time was recorded, due to their thirst for magic. Those were the grounds of the Four Wars.

    Nevertheless, these despicable individuals were exceptionally powerful, and had invented a spell to draw the half ethereal half bodily Phantoms of Terror from the corpses of Winged dragons, and the spells for Necromancers tomand Skeletal Knights, resulting in the greatly improved might of their legion.

    With their enhanced armies at y, Aouine was no longer deemed a worthy opponent. To them, be it the Southern Legions or the Vanmier Legions, were hardly any resistance, the only ones they were looking forward to crossing arms with were the Hignd Knights.

    ¡°There are rumors that the human kingdoms have a White Lion Legion in the north, I wonder how they fight?¡± The younger of the two proimed.

    ¡°There was, mind you, for the Southern legion had destroyed them. ording to our knowledge, the little princess of theirs have disbanded the army built by her own brother, now it is no longer of any value to this kingdom.¡±

    Aouine¡¯s North-South civil war had only ended for less than four months, Bloodstaff naturally was not clear of the details involved. Regardless, countless rumors and personal experiences from the losing side had seeped into the Darkened kingdom, and he too had chosen to piece the news together into one most would agree to be usible.

    ¡°Then it is not worth a mention.¡±

    The words of contempt from the younger individual resonated beyond with the winds of night, over their heads and into the putrid air. A Phantom of Terror soared through the starry night sky, letting out a deafening screech that shook the earth.

    Dozens of simr winged beasts spanned across the riverbed region, ravaging everything that crossed their paths.

    From above the clouds, speckles ofher light dotted across the region, forming three immensely orderly rows, like serpents slithering towards its next prey. The serpents¡¯ heads had now crossed beyond the Grinoires passageway and into the Slofavien region. Ahead of them, were the vast lownds terrain.

    That was where the Regional Administrative capital, Kurkel Castle was located.

    Further away in the Eastern hills region, around the edge of the forests were a small array of fourteen men.

    ¡°One, two, three, four¡­¡± A malnourished young man with jaundiced skin counted under his breath upon the lights he witnessed down in the riverbed regions.

    The closest patch of light from that distance was only the size of fingernails, those even further away were like specks of glowing sand, panned across the entire Cielmann riverbed, leaving the young man paler than he already was.

    Once he was done counting, he turned over to the others, ¡°The White Winged Cavalries must have beenpletely wiped out. Owl town, Roden, Motown, all destroyed in the wake, I¡¯m guessing survivors must be few and far between. Big Thumb and the others came back just a few days ago from Roden and mentioned there weren¡¯t many who fled.

    These people must be all dead.¡±

    ¡°You really don¡¯t need to go into details, it¡¯s painful to hear,¡± The youths on horseback sneered at this deration. If it was any other day they would be apuding the demise of the White Winged Cavalries, but today, to witness the massacre of entire towns along with them left a bad taste.

    Every patch of fire in the darkness were countless lives, now dead, which reminded them of their hometowns, and like the lordmander once mentioned, maybe one day the entire Aouine would end up like this, it was a thought that weighed on them.

    The entire party at that moment reacted almost in unison, turning towards the young man in a vest at the far end. Carglise lowered his brass telescope and handed it over to the fledging White Lion Battalion officer.

    After the battle of Ampere Seale, this man along with his equally youthfulpatriots had matured beyond their delinquency from when their days in Trentheim, and now resembled more of a legitimate militant.

    He watched upon his band of young men dressed in Hignder clothing, amongst them must be the ones the Lordmander had rescued from the Schafflund¡¯s silver mine.

    Brendel once mentioned that these men were born to achieve. He was initially hesitant, but now, with ample evidence, he could safely admit that the lord was right after all, word for word. His talent in predicting the future was truly impable.

    The youngster named Cowan led the people away from Schafflund, across the har mountains, ambushing the mines within Southern Tusankard Forest when the Southern armies were absent, broken out an army of penal workers, and led them eastward into the Cielmann areas. From them, a renegademunity was created amongst their own within these hills.

    Cowan made himself king of the mountains, despite being unable to shed the bandits¡¯ perception of his band of merry men from the eyes of the outsiders. These men that he had chosen to break free were specifically the ones penalized for dismissing Nobles, the most genuine of characters and the strongest of wills. Even though they might seem rough on the edges for many, thick-headed even, but there were merits to be discovered from these selected bunch.

    The young man especially was not to be underestimated. Carglise contemted.

    ¡°Mr. Carglise, what now, shall we return for the night?¡± Right then, a younger man on horseback by the side took to ask.

    ¡°Shh,¡± Carglise raised a finger before his lip, hinting at them to stay silent.

    ¡°What is the situation?¡±

    Carglise nodded.

    ¡°Hide!¡±

    The merry band hastily retreated from the t peaks of the hilltops into the forests from where they came.

    About a minuteter, a loud gush was heard from above their heads.

    The younger men cowering under the bulky trees petrifyingly watched on as silhouettes hovered over them, there were seven in total, flying past one after another. Carglise was the first to pull his horse from lower ground, the White Lion officer shook his head as he blurted, ¡°That¡¯s not a Bone vulture, I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡±

    ¡°Is that a skeletal dragon?¡± The youngsters babbled within themselves.

    Carglise held his hand over his mouth as he shook his head. It was not a Skeletal dragon, for the Skeletal dragons were still dragons, and they carry with them a higher status among the Madara creatures, instilling fear internally and beyond.

    He had also met Aloz at Valha and was slightly familiar with the mannerisms of a Dragon species. Those that had just flown past him were notably absent of any sign of pride or status, and even for Skeletal dragons, they were significantly smaller.

    ¡°Mr. Carglise?¡±

    ¡°They seemed to be looking for a certain something,¡± Carglise replied, ¡°We¡¯ll stand back and wait it out. They wouldn¡¯t find us as easily in the hills, we¡¯ll wait till dawn, by then the Undead will retreat to defense positions, we can always return by then.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Dozens of Skeletal knights gave chase across the mountain paths, the metal chainmail on their warhorses nking and banging as the hoofs clucked across the ground. The galloping however sounded nothing like ordinary horses, they were hollow and empty-ended, easily identifiable as Nether creatures grazing the world of the living.

    Eyeing below on towards the valley, the burning soul fire from their eye sockets gazed upon the two frantically escaping human cavalries. They have been taking this route for half an hour now, their mounts visibly reaching their limits.

    The leader amongst the Skeletal Knights pointed his Netherworld Iron Scimitar at the direction of the deserters, and upon the signal two dozens Skeletal Knights immediately gave chase, sprinting into the woods and down the slope.

    In this terrain, despite the vegetation still being rather untangled, a noticeable number of Skeletal Knights still ran straight into centuries-old trees and smashed their skeleton structures into hundreds of loose bones upon contact. The remaining undead did not bother to turn around to peek at the welfare of theirpatriots, for they had only one goal, and it was the track down the prisoners of war.

    Running through a hundred meters of forest terrain, they were thrust into grasnd territory.

    Evan turned back and caught a fair glimpse of the scene. Under the illuminating moonlight, eleven bone structures resembling knights and their mounts sprinted, identifiable by their soul-piercing demonic mes as eyes, came dashing out of the dense forests. Their barren skeletal structures heldnces and scimitars gleaming in the moonlight, terrorizing the teenage boy who bothered to peek.

    ¡°Shonnary, we¡¯re so dead!¡±

    ¡°Shut the hell up!¡± Shonnarymbasted, yet deep down knew his life might havee to its timely end in these unweingnds, in the hands of skeletons with infinite stamina to waste away.

    They might be giving chase until the break of dawn, but dawn was still hours away. After sprinting at top speeds for thus long, even on mountainous terrain, he knew even the warhorses were closing upon their limits.

    ¡°Hey, little brat,¡± He yelled across.

    ¡°What?¡± Evan huffed and puffed as he replied, his face pale as a ghost, cold sweat dripping down his forehead like he was sick for a gue.

    His horseriding skills were the bare minimum and were only trained for leisure horseriding for daily duties. In the face of looming death, however, it was a miracle he had managed to keep the warhorse sprinting in the right direction for this long.

    But across all that he experienced within thest few hours, there were more close calls than he would like for several lifetimes, and if it were not for sessive strokes of luck, he would have fallen off the cliffs or ran right into the treelines through the dense forests.

    ¡°I¡¯ll lead them away, you keep east back into the forests. Once you hit the parts too thick for the horse to proceed, leave her and rush in on foot. Once you get in there you¡¯ll be safe,¡± Shonnary panted as he advised.

    The teenager was petrified. Watching the back of the veteran cavalry, he nearly burst into tears, but painfully tucked it in, ¡°No, we broke free together. You¡¯ve rescued me, I will not leave you, I cannot!¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t do it we¡¯re both gonna die you idiot,¡± Shonnary rebuked.

    ¡°Then so be it!¡±

    ¡®Stop this bullshit kid, we got no reason to give them the satisfaction of getting us both,¡± Shonnary reprimanded, before he mumbled, ¡°Even if they did, not like it¡¯s that big of an achievement.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll draw them away. You¡¯ve risked your life for mine once, I¡¯ll repay the favor. That way we¡¯re even,¡± Evan replied.

    Shonnary was dumbfounded as he scoffed, ¡°Cut it out, with your shitty riding skills it¡¯s Marsha¡¯s blessing that you made it this far without dying, now you wanna draw them away? What difference is it gonna make?¡±

    Evan was frustrated beyond means, but none of that said were not the truth.

    ¡°Enough talk, you have a fiancee to reunite with, I don¡¯t have anything tying me to this world anymore. I¡¯ll break some chair support in a moment, you¡¯re gonna live and work my part when all of this is over.¡±

    The veteran cavalry shook his head as he continued on, ¡°Listen, newbie, stop acting like a pussy. The favors you owe in battle would stack more than the grains in your dinner bowl. I¡¯ve owed my oldrades too much, and now is my turn to return the favor. You wanna thank me? You best live on.¡±

    Evan stared nkly at him, Shonnary¡¯s determination was clear as day, his resolution decisive and final. Clenching on his teeth, he tried his best not to tear up, yet words could not be muttered as he nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good boy.¡±

    Shonnary seemed to be mumbling on to himself, before then unanticipatedly let out a war cry, clenched onto the ropes on his horse, turn his mount around, and went charging towards the Skeletal Knights.

    Under the howling winds, it sounded like the roar of a beast.

    The teen eventually managed to phrase his words together. ¡°For Aouine.¡±

    Evan then adjusted his gaze forward, tirelessly pushed his warhorse forward, as Shonnary gradually faded into the background.

    On the other hand, Shonnary rushed into enemy lines, his sword quickly cut down a Skeletal Knight from his mount, then proceeded to slice through their formation. The simpleton undead was caught off-guard by the sudden change of reaction by their mortal prey, some that had gone beyond stiffly changed course back towards him.

    From Evan¡¯s perspective, both his ally and his pursuers vanished from sight. For now at least.

    Secondster, he caught hold of a faint howl from within the corners of the forests.

    ¡°You damn skeleton bastards, go back to hell you fucks!¡±

    ¡°For Rosa!¡±

    Evan began coughing vigorously, it was as if the air choked on his windpipe. Yet, he knew that the diversion that Shonnary gifted to him was limited, the skeletons would catch up soon if he falters, he needs to stay vignt. He needs to make it to the forest.

    In the horizons were open meadows at the base of the mountains, t as the eye could see. Slightly distant were loose forests that were wide and spaced out. It would not suffice to evade the chasing Skeletal Knights.

    He frantically pushed his mount forward, circling past therge patch of open forests, strode across what felt like endless grasnds, and then beyond the far edges of the horizon, was a faint patch of ck.

    The forests!

    Evan was exhrated. However, it was short as itsted knowing how far away it was, at least several miles of meadow more. He wouldn¡¯t even ce faith on the warhorse going this far more.

    Hollow hoofbeats were heard once again across the far end of the horizon. Turning back, his soul froze. There were indeed several Skeletal Knights giving chase by the edge of the preceding forests. As they all came to sight, there were seven in pursuit, four were brought down by Shonnary alone, but even then, he was gravely outnumbered.

    ¡°No, I have to live on!¡± Evan clenched his teeth. His life doesn¡¯t just belong to him now. He had to fight on for his fiancee, for Shonnary, and no matter what stands between that, he had to fight on.

    He tightened his legs on the mount, hoping the spurs could push the warhorse a little more, breaking the distance between himself and his pursuers.

    Yet right then, Evan could feel his torso lighter than ever, like a huge force dragging him from behind as he hovered into the air, and then painfully copsing on the ground.

    His fall was ill-prepared and as a result, he btedly felt the pain from the bruises all over his body. It took a while to process what he had just experienced, but as he wed his way through the dirt, he took a glimpse of his mount, now copsed on the ground, foaming within its mouth.

    Evan can¡¯t help but scream into the night, just about a hundred meters more to safety, but at the nick of time his luck ran out.

    He struggled to his feet but promptly copsed onto the ground from immense pain.

    Only then did he realize he fractured one of his legs. The silver luminescence of the moonlight refracted over the thick trees and scattered upon the town square, far less crowded than it usually was.

    Brendel stood by the balcony of the town hall, peering upon the serene wilderness and forests on the far end of the Southern region. Valha four monthster had fully incorporated the structure of a small town. The age-old colossal tree stood towering amidst the spaces encircled by the Northern Schafflund mountain ranges, the width of the shade extended to almost an entire kilometer, canopying over the town below.

    The inhabitants of the town included the tree elves, Green vigers, and a visible poption of humans, most of which were from the Valha Wind Archers squad, while the rest werergely new Kirrlutzian residents. The remaining few were the youngsters of the Folded Sword Squad, who now too had taken residence in the lower city areas.

    Valha¡¯s massive root system separated the town into four distinct districts.

    The newly constructed military camps, the work of the light spirits were located in the western district.

    From the za above, the structure of the western district was neatly arranged in a grid system, its praiseworthy city design tracing right back to Odum.

    As the descendant of the Rune Dwarves, he did retain much of their qualities and was the main protagonist for the city nning of Valha.

    The western district was further divided into two main street areas of north and south, separated by a wide, well-paved road right in the center. The road also extended across the other districts and encircled the entire town in a loop, which Brendel wittily nicknamed the intercity highway. Naturally, no one in this world actually understood what it meant. Nevertheless, after a while, themon term stuck and now it was now a name thoroughly epted.

    The intercity highway was also part of Odum¡¯s creation, clearly modeled after Valha¡¯s two existing orbits above and under, hence the highway was thus also coined ¡°the third orbit¡±.

    The structural design of the orbit was brilliant without question, but Brendel was also aware that the elderly dwarf was in further discussion with gentle Monica to connect Valha¡¯s root to its center by installing a cross-section intersection at the core of the tree trunk, and through its interior connecting all three orbits into one extended route, officially connecting the entire town.

    The benefits of the design were naturally no surprise to Brendel, whoprehensibly was the only one who had experienced urban city nning and its benefits, but for Odum, who prioritized the defense of the city first and foremost, connecting the areas together would be beneficial in the creation of a stronghold of the town.

    In regards to this proposal, Monica was rather weing to the idea. Given how massive Valha was, to open a passageway through its core would not pose any significant issues owing much to the fact that it was not a living tree, but in all intents and purposes a magic-fuelled city.

    In the North-South street areas of the western district, the North area majorly consisted of a military camp, and certain structures resembling human buildings. Noble military camps to be exact.

    The Noble army camps of Aouine were essentially the same as all other human nations, it consisted of training grounds and barracks. ording to game theory, however, it was a functional building, a type of building that would raise the speed for army training and offer a boost to stationed army spirits. They were significant buffs but not too shy.

    Brendel considered that the constructions would generally improve the discipline within the army, just that the game digitized it into stats.

    The White Lion Battalion was stationed in the army camp, directly across the Wind Archers by North area. Nevertheless, this massive district housed only those two main functional buildings mentioned, hence appearing rather empty from the outside. Regardless, they were far more developed than the other three districts that were at this point stillrgely vacant.

    Brendel wanted to move the entire Coldwood city to Valha, for which he believed the secret of the city under the gargantuan tree cannot remain a secret for much longer. As Odum ordered the construction of the city¡¯s outer walls, many had already guessed the Lordmander¡¯s intention for the future of Valha.

    They however could not have guessed the gist of this myth thatid within. Brendel announced to the world that this was the Elven great tree that was nted by the tree elves, given his close acquaintance with the druids, nobody found his exnation the least peculiar. After all, many towering trees in the ck Forest were sighted by the druids, and cities were built upon its structures anyway.

    Maybe one day the Valha lie would be revealed to the world, but Brendel was not worried the least. After all, he expected not much was required for him to hide by then anyway.

    But for now, at least, Valha was still notably vulnerable and fragile, and would still require extensive measures to shelter its development.

    Besides the few closest to him, everyone else essentially took his tall tale to heart.

    Even Veronica who had personally taken to visiting Valha was convinced it was a gift by the druids to Brendel. Regardless, without the legendary fort to rely on, Valha was currently far from the myths she assumed, for she was aware that the fort was well buried within the Loop of Trade winds.

    As for the others, including the youths of the Folded Sword Squad, were in much anticipation upon being drafted by Brendel himself to the tree.

    Amongst them were some who were told by the Lady of the Flowerleaf Ranges about the magnificence of this tree city, and felt beyond honored to be chosen to visit and reside within it in person.

    They were enthusiastic, to say the least.

    It was not the first time the female schr came to him in the request for permits to visit the city, Brendel recalled. Even though Monica was skeptical towards having foreigners loitering in the city, Brendel, excluding the core areas of the interior Valha, offered Shido free reins around the city. From the bottom orbit all the way to the Upper orbit tform, she was permitted to visit wherever she pleases. His generous actions further dispel the suspicion the residents had, among which included the crown prince.

    The youths of the Folded Sword Squad by then were still temporarily residing in the North area. Multiple tents were set up across the vacant spaces, while army facilities and the respective ns intended for them were still in nning stages.

    For the past four months, Monica¡¯s nsmen had increased in poption to nearly five hundred strong. Now they were omnipresent in the canopy, like fairies glittering through the leaves and branches. Under their oversight, Valha¡¯s construction had grown faster by the day.

    Nevertheless, the growth of the city however would be panned out, as Monica had put it, and to enter into the next stage would require at least a few more years.

    On one hand, it was because the supply of magic had reached its threshold. Valha and its incessant need for magic power was a ck hole in itself, but now that two-thirds of the ck Forest crystals had already been extracted to the city, it would only be enough to sustain existing usage.

    Trentheim¡¯s reliance on the sales of Magic crystals had greatly reduced for the past few months, which Amandina had in one way or another reminded him about.

    Nheless, the businessdy was rather optimistic about the situation, after all, she was aware from the start that the trade of magic crystals would not be sustainable long-term anyway, so any insistence on the continuation of its sales would be futile, not to mention the sensitivity of the product in the eyes of the ck market.

    In usual cases, one crystal mine would produce high purity crystals for the first few months, followed by a long period of drought that would require miners to venture deeper and deeper into the mines, while the production greatly decreases as the years go by.

    Just like the discovery of the crystal mine within the ck Forest, which was a rare finding on its own, if Trentheim were to continue exporting high purity magic crystals, it would lead to rumors that there was a high volume crystal mine within the region, bringing in unwanted attention.

    Now that Valha required materials to grow, it would justify the expected reduced exportation of mined crystals.

    As for the diminishing revenue source, the excavation of other resources and specialties within the ck Forest would gradually bnce out the checkbook.

    Crucially, most resources within the territory were achieving levels of self-sustainability, and as such greatly negated the economical reliance upon foreign imports.

    As for the poption of the light spirits, Monica and five hundred of her nsmen sessfully pushed forward the development of Valha from stage one to stage two in a time period slightly shy of half a year.

    With limited manpower however, that was as far as the pace could go. With just the force of hermunity at work, to proceed into stage three would require at least five years more, and if Brendel were to shorten the time to a year, he would require a poption of at least two to three thousand light spirits in total.

    The Vortex of Light¡¯s production was still at its constant of twenty a month, while the Moon tower was now in Coldwood castle in service to Ciel¡¯s mage tower.

    Weighing in the nurturing of Trentheim¡¯s first, very own batch of mage disciples, to further boost the production of the Vortex of Light, even if the production of light spirits were to multiply, achieving the target poption would require a few years, and was evidently not worth the effort.

    His only n now was to focus on the development of the base, at the very least ensuring that Valha was self-sufficient. As for the strategies to bnce investments with revenue, it was well expected to be a long-running process and further implementations were to be taken. There were many solutions to increase the ability of magic and production, but it would have to be procedural.

    Valha now only had buildings such as the crystal pools, mage tower, Vortex of Light, and the Moon Tower, but Brendel knew that the aforementioned high-level buildings could greatly improve the development of the territory.

    Then again, more blueprints would be required, along with more Magic pools.

    While contemting the issues of concern, Brendel took a deep breath and finally turned his sights away from the city districts back indoors as he headed inwards from the balcony into the hall.

    As night fell, the Hall of Tree Valha became merrier than it was when the sun was out.

    Excluding Carglise, nearly every single captain of the White Lion Battalion was present, along with their counterparts, the leaders of the Folded Sword Squad, Medissa, Hipam, Amandina, Ciel, and a few other mercenary squad leaders on the other side of the hall.

    Brendel¡¯s old subordinates and his trustedpanions all rallied within their own circles, while the odd group remaining was notably the one consisting of the Crown prince and Shido, along with the Laurenna couple and the young prince Haruz. Nheless, the istion of the Crown Prince from the youths of the Folded Sword Squad was what initially left Brendel rather perplexed.

    But it did not take long before he made several in-depth deductions. The Folded Sword Squad appeared to be avoiding any chances of dismissing the crown prince in a venue that was not their own. It was a political statement.

    Be it due to his status as a guest or that he saw no need for action, Lenarette was well aware that Brendel could not possibly attract these capable youthspletely under his wing, for these young Kirrlutzians were loyal to their kingdom, where their families, their future and their prospectsid.

    If Aouine was a massive empire the way their Kirrlutz homnd were, it might spell attraction for these young talents, but Aouine was but a petite kingdom in the grand scale of the world, and they knew there was no reason these Folded Sword Squad youths would pledge allegiance to the minnow Count of Trentheim.

    With thatid bare, the Crown Prince naturally saw no reason to partake in the conversations or activities of the mid-low level civil servants of his own empire, he was royalty, and he preferred to make clear his supreme right as their seeding monarch.

    The Crown prince must have given it a good thought and well understood that if he were tomand this squad, he needed to present to his subjects a sign of reverence that demanded respect, for the Folded Sword Squad by name were obliged to swear loyalty to the Crown.

    Everyone knew the underlying meaning of his intentional distancing, for the Nobles had always prized the uphold of their reputation, more so for the royal ss. Nobody took to reach out to the Crown Prince, and neither did he to anyone, for it was in clear that he sought exclusivity, and even the Folded Sword Squad knew not to challenge him.

    Henceforth, Brendel could only proceed exactly as nned. Might just be why Veronica, Mangrove, and the lot agreed to let me keep them. He thought to himself.

    Brendel realized he might have begun to take them for granted as he shook his head. Gotta set it straight, these men were never going to join our legion anyway. It¡¯s a deal for them to fight Madara on our side.

    As the Eastern kingdom in the shadows grew more powerful by the day, Brendel knew his own intensively trained White Lion Battalion might be gant in the context of Aouine, butpared to the Kirrlutzian exclusive operations squad, the Folded Sword Squad, there was an undeniable gap in their prowess.

    The key point was that he no longer had much time left until the Second War of the ck Roses would unanimously begin. By then, if the Aouine army were not fully militarized and ready for battle, it would akin to entering a brawl of beasts whilst defanged and dewed.

    A lone Freya was evidently not enough.

    Would the Folded Sword Squad suffice?

    Entering the hall, the starkly divided groups were still in a heated argument, it was a messy yet bustling sight. Their argument mostly revolved around whether to strike Count Radner or Madara¡¯s Undead legion first. Brendel shifted his gaze inches higher towards the massive Aouine map on the wall, and on it was a big, red cross struck across the Cielmann region.

    The White Winged Cavalries were defeated.

    The events unfolded exactly like the history lore, the only difference this time around was that he had already taken to warn the Nobles of the Grinoires region, and yet once again they made the same mistake.

    Initially, the royal sect and himself had an intense argument on whether to break the news to Duke Grinoires, as Sir Makarov¡¯s original n was to trick Bloodstaff and his legion into the designated area and thoroughlyy waste upon the invaders, but that meant secrecy was key.

    If they don¡¯t notify House Grinoires, regardless of how the battle will turn out, the princess might risk losing public trust, and most importantly causing significant damages to the poption of the Cielmann and Be regions.

    Ultimately, Her Grace the princess wrote a letter to the Duke rifying the incident, for Brendel found it rather amusing how some among the royal sect had their petty reasons to justify their actions.

    It¡¯s been one year since thest war, and both Madara and Aouine had already been keeping each other at arm¡¯s distance, deeply wary of one another. If one side were to brazenly strengthen their army for war, while the other did nothing of semnce, it would further raise the suspicion of the other. After all, it was no longer the Year of Summer Blossoms and Leaves, it was the closing season of the Year of the Sword.

    Brendel found it further depressing that the events turned out the way they did, while simultaneously deepening his detestation of the feudal Noble hierarchy of a bygone era. To think these impotent dickheads are the descendants of the Ancestral Nobles, what a disgrace to this social ss!

    Letting out a sigh, he was certain that Bloodstaff would charge right towards Viero, just like it was stated in the history lore.

    It was ubiquitously known that he was scheming with Radner by now, but they naturally had different goals to achieve. Bloodstaff¡¯s goal was to conquer the Grinoires and Viero regions, which in turn cutting off Karsuk from the rest of what remains of Aouine.

    Only with achievements like this could he justify his lone war with Aouine in the eyes of the Supreme Leader of Madara. Only by elevating the status of the Supreme leader could he dampen the distrust his monarchy had on himself. Otherwise, he was bound for eventual eradication.

    But Count Radner was different, his goal was to align with Madara, and in turn obtain a strategically advantageous piece ofnd for himself. By now, he had broken all ties he once had with the royal sect entirely.

    The oue he sought would be to dere independence from Aouine, and build a third-party buffer state in between both the kingdoms. Even if all were to fail, he could still retreat into Madara.

    With that said, thends he was eyeing were naturally the Cielmann and Slofavien regions, but he did share a simr target with Bloodstaff, and that was Castle Kurco.

    However, given the positioning of his troops, Radner had the advantage in proximity over Bloodstaff for Castle Kurco. With his usual antics at y, he would have pledged to the crown to send reinforcements to the gates of Castle Kurco way before it was known that he was scheming with Madara. After all, that would require the least effort.

    Even if his ns were to be exposed, it would be a walk in the park if he were to besiege the castle now. Knowing now that Bloodstaff no longer had any obstructions on his path within Aouine, the Vanmier Legion would be sent deep south from Praguesse to prevent further invasion by the Undead Legion. By then, the back nk of the castle would be shabbily defended, it would be no match to Radner¡¯s army.

    But that was just an assumption.

    For there were still unexpecting foes that were awaiting Radner to fall into his own trap. The oue of this war for Radner and Bloodstaff was already decided, what they needed to n now was how.

    Cutting short his own thought process, Brendel made way back by Maynild¡¯s side, her gaze unwaveringly fixated upon the terrain map on the strategy desk.

    She noticed Brendel approaching and turned over to face him, with a whisper she remarked,

    ¡°Since returning from the Deadly Tundra Forest, you¡¯ve gotten stronger.¡±

    Brendel was baffled, it was the first time his senior had shown any semnce of an initiative to start a private conversation with him since his return from the Deadly Tundra Forest.

    He nodded without any reply. The experience from the final battle with Milos was almost entirely shared between Freya and himself, and even though he wasn¡¯t sure if anyone else received any benefit from the battle, to him at least, it was a massive reward, on par even to that of even the Loop of Trade Winds.

    The Holy Knight and Mercenary sses had been raised to their peak by Brendel, thereafter any stats increase for both ascended sses was no longer required.

    The Guardian of the Lost Earth obtained from Seibers was now unlocked. Brendel however was hesitant to allocate experience upon it at the meantime, given that high-ranking sses had many branches of enhancements that could be made. It was a decision he had to choose wisely.

    Maynild quietly nced over to him, before she followed up with another question, ¡°You kept Dark Korfa and Kind Korfa behind, was it for Hati?¡±

    Brendel was caught off guard, thinking if that was her actual inquiry.

    ¡°You felt them?¡± He asked.

    ¡°It differs from the game.¡± The female knight replied.

    ¡°The future of this world.¡±

    It¡¯s over.

    Evan was distraught as the nightmarish riders closed in to where he sat, he held his eyes shut, epting his fate.

    Just then, a silver beam shone through the darkness of the forest before him. A silver beam he felt, prompting him to open his eyes once more, was almost unfathomable to Evan.

    Before he could react, the Skeletal Knight first in line came crashing down his horse. His hollow skull pierced through with a still vibrating arrow, right at its core.

    What seemed like a light at the end of a dark tunnel was just merely the beginning. Before he could fathom what was about toe, roughly two dozen silhouettes came dashing out of the forests, they were cavalries, but were not affiliated with the White Winged brigades. As the third party approached them, he got a good look at their armors, shimmering under the moonlight, and on the armors, the golden mane of a roaring lion.

    Knights brushed past him from the opposite direction, thunderous gallops were heard, the teenager felt like he was dreaming. Within the deepest corners of his memories, he recalled that he was once informed of this specific army.

    ¡°Soldiers, keep close to me, we¡¯ll crush these boneheads!¡±

    Carglise¡¯s roar echoed through the valley.

 Chapter 825 - v5c17

    v5c17

    Brendel¡¯s Army

    It was indeed different from the game. In the game, the maze in the centre of the vast Deadly Tundra Forest remained silent until the era of the Eternal Darkness, when the Korfa sisters died in the seventh expedition of the yers in the Year of Silver, a feat aplished unexpectedly, when Aouine was the most powerful yer association at the time. The Year of the Forest, a year named after the rapid spread of the ck Forest on the borders of Farnezain, in which Madara defeated the Wind Elves towards their heyday, followed five yearster by the Battle of the nted Forest in the Year of Astrology. But another major event urred during the year that took the yers¡¯ attention away from the destruction of the small kingdom of Aouine, the Year of Astrology at the end of autumn, the Holy War that hadsted intermittently for nearly half a century ended in the White Stone Wilderness. In Ansa Tower, the first war tablet was unearthed, followed by the yers¡¯ discovery of the Great Relic of Agast, just three months after, during the Moon of Lyre, Misa, the third daughter of Warg Hati, was killed.

    Brendel suddenly remembered that the Moon of Lyre and the Lyre horoscope were symbols of fate, and the source of power for Witches of the Fate lineage, to which Romaine and her aunt once belonged.

    He shook his head gently.

    The year after that, the Year of the Bright Moon, the gloomy Moa, the cold As was killed, and it was the most powerful yer association in Kirrlutz, the Guardians of the Bloodstream, who aplished both kills in seven months. Five yearster, the Mountain King Cielifinger was crowned in the Grey Fortress, the year a wolf awoke from the Twilight. In Sanorso, the aborigines of the Cloud Mountains witnessed the wolves devouring the moon, then five Twilight Wolves descended in Sanorso one after another. In the Autumn, the Night Swallow¡¯s song killed the wise Triesthe in the Wilderness of the Four Realms, the other four daughters of Warg Hati. The whispering Maiden Octavia, the beautiful Tadesha, the arrogant Agatha, and the hypocritical Kasthenia were also in one by one.

    This is the story of the Year of Blood. A yearter, that was, the first century, the Year of the Dragon Shadow in the year 434, the Pce of Gold Asgard¡¯s relic quest group was discovered, a quest of what was called the most epic battle ever fought, and within ten months the top one hundredrge yer associations in Vaunte had sunk their teeth in, because their enemy was the arrogant Jynhai, the most powerful fighting presence among the twelve daughters of Warg Hati.

    It was only two yearster that the legend ended. In 436, the year of the Long Night, when the arrogant Jynhai was killed and the reticent maiden Odious was in.

    The year 437, which was the year of the Running Wolf, one of the youngest daughters of Warg Hati, and also one of the most popr BOSSes among yers, the Heretic Moon, the wless Triniyss was killed. Subsequently, Warg Hati appeared in the former southern border of Aouine, the White Mountains, the Great cier and Eleranta respectively. The final battle started and the Earth Sage Eleranta reappeared. After three years of hard fighting, the yers finally killed this Twilight Wolf in the Alkash Mountains.

    The following year, the year 4400 of the First Age, Eternal Darkness descended, the Second Age began, and the te War came to an end.

    But at this moment, history had a turning point at the end of the Year of the Sword in the year 376. Milos disappeared, the maze under the cier of the Dead Tundra Forestpletely vanished into ashes, but the Korfa sisters survived, and more critically, the newsing from the north also made Brendel feel uneasy. The Lion Beastmen¡¯s fortress of Toquenin, the frontier city of Vollez and the Wind Elves¡¯ port of Oskin were struck by devastating magic at the same time, and all three parties were suspecting each other as to who was the real killer. A spark detonated. The information that came out of this made Brendel feel a heavy pressure, so it only represented a possibility that the Holy War that really began in the Year of the White Griffin in history might have to start earlier.

    And after that, the future world will return to Chaos, his advantage of foresight for the future would no longer exist as well. History finally returned to square one at this moment, as if all its participants were pulled back to the same starting line. It was for this reason that Brendel had a deep sense of urgency. The advantages that Aouine had umted over this period of time were far from enough, and in fact the ancient kingdom had no advantages at all, but had only brought back some of its previous disadvantages.

    But it was still small and weak, although there were links with the Dragons and the Bugas, plus the situation in the country was much better than that of Aouine in the game, but it was still far from enough.

    ¡°There are many things happening in the Dead Tundra Forest, indeed not quite the same as we remembered in history, but Warg Hati was still far from us, I am more worried about the present moment. Korfa manipted the will of Milos to attack Vollez, Toquenin and Okin with Divine Judgment, and now there is unrest on the borders of Toquenin, Kirrlutz and Sanorso. I did not let Korfa, especially the dark Korfa, leave because I was afraid that she would leak the events of that day.¡± Brendel replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s more than that, do you think they are the key to a turning point in the future? ording to what we talked about, in that ¡®game¡¯, I still remember some details from the dream, like Cicters such as Korfa, which are called NPC based on the dream. In such arge plot, they must be the key to the game¡¯s plot. Brendel, do you think you can take advantage of this?¡± Maynild asked in a low voice. After conversing in the Dead Tundra Forest, she gradually stopped rejecting the memories of the past dreams.

    Brendel was suddenly startled, he suddenly realized that he may have such an intention because of the subconscious habits of the past and not necessarily for benefits. He just wanted to control the variables within his capability. He vaguely felt some insecurity and this feeling had be more and more obvious since he came to this world. He sometimes wondered, what was the reason for his return to the end of the year of 375, the Year of Blossoms and Leaves? Was it just to save Aouine? And what about the prophecy about the Darkness Dragon?

    He subconsciously nced at the corner of the hall, where the Witches were sitting and whispering. They seemed to have recently learned Romaine¡¯s identity, thus bing more and more respectful to him.

    ¡°You are very disturbed.¡± Maynild replied, ¡°Actually there is no need, just remain as how it was before, do your best and I believe you can do well.¡±

    Brendel looked back at her, a little surprised. Her words did not sound like something that woulde from the female knight that he almost thought was Senior Bai Jia preaching to him. He looked at the other party in a daze for a moment, but was given a re. Maynild turned back, pretending not to care, and asked, ¡°So, what you care about is the situation of the Holy War in theing period?¡±

    Brendel nodded and asked, ¡°Who do you think will make the first move?¡± He pretended to be listening to the others arguing about how to attack Radner¡¯s n, but in fact his mind was not on it at all, and had long since drifted to the border between Kirrlutz and the great ins. Maynild looked down at the map on the table, which did not show the boundaries of the Kirrlutz Empire, but merely a partial topographical map of the Cielmann region. However, she likewise seemed to see the rolling hills in the southwestern part of Kirrlutz and she whispered, ¡°The symbolic significance of the Toquenin Fortress to the Goldenmane is very important, and I guess they will be the first to press in making the first move. They will attack the Alstom area, just like in history.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s mind was full of Veronica¡¯s words, he had been considering how reliable the words of the imperial military were, but Maynild¡¯ words made him realize that she knew about the ns of the Kirrlutz military, after all she also had to stay in Valha to meet Prince Lenarette and the others. On the other hand, she was the person in Cielge of the Princess that was left with him, and since he hadmunicated with the princess, then there was no need to hide it from this female knight. The point was that Maynild had a very special ce in his heart at the moment, although she did not want to admit it, but Brendel still saw her as a senior, or at least half of his soul took it this way. Moreover, why would Maynilde to the same conclusion as stated in history, when she knew exactly how crazy that Queen of the Kirrlutzians was now?

    ¡°Do you know something, senior?¡± He asked in a low voice. Brendel knew that in the game, Maynild and her team had established a rtionship with the Aouine nobility early on. So in this era, it was likely that she knew some insider information long before him. These insiders were precisely what hecked in this part of history, just like a lot of his judgments about Aouine actually came from analysis on the forums rather than from his own personal experience.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± Maynild gave him a stern look. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure. I¡¯m waiting for a message, if that messagees as expected, then it would mean that the Holy War is about to start and will unfold as I said. If not, then it is not yet certain. But in any case, you have to be ready for a full-scale war.¡±

    Brendel looked at her with a bitter smile, ¡°A full-scale war seems to have little to do with me as a local lord.¡±

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking,¡± Maynild replied indifferently, ¡°The thoughts of all of us are now converging on you alone, no need to beat around the bush with me.¡±

    Brendel then gathered his thoughts again and the sound of argument in the hall seemed to return to his ears. In fact, the main argument now was still between the White Lion Battalion and the Folded Sword Squad. Rather than discussing ways to attack, it was more like a personal matter between the Kirrlutzians and the Aouines, which made him a little disappointed. Fortunately, Ciel, Medissa and the others did not participate in this child¡¯s bickering, even the first few mercenary leaders that followed him, Leto who came all the way from Mintai also seemed much calmer. Kodan did not say a word either, the old swordsman was tasting Valha¡¯s special kind of tree wine. Old men were indeed old men, although perhaps they were not as sharp as the youths, but Brendel had more or less been able to sense his temperament.

    In fact, he already had a n, but he just wanted to test these young people of Trentheim. But unfortunately, he was a little disappointed that the young Lions of the White Lion Battalion, like most Aouines in this era, thought that the focus of the war was Count Radner rather than Madara. And in this regard, even the young sergeants of the former White Lions were more radical than the young men of the White Lions under him. The young men from the north were a little more radical and paid a little more attention to Madara, while the natives of Trentheim did not seem to take the ck Rose of Bromanonu seriously. But Brendel knew that it was not their fault, after all, the only impression they have of those skeletons was the confrontation that happened six months ago.

    This actually had nothing to do with excellence in ability, it was purely a difference in insight.

    But Brendel was still slightly disappointed, becausepared to that, the young people of Kirrlutz were indeed much better, especially the second son of Lord Ralston, young Pero, and Brund, the knight beside him. They were not inferior to Rouka. If only all those excellent students of the Royal Cavalry Academy were here, then it would be great. Unfortunately, they had to go to the north toplete the takeover of the White Lion Legion. So the idea waspletely unrealistic.

    ¡°The direction from which to attack and how depends on the purpose of the war,¡± the voice of young Pero was low. He looked particrly thin after he took off the bearskin coat, as if a gust of wind could blow him off his feet, ¡°is not the purpose of this war is to remove civil unrest and restore stability to the southern border of Aouine? ¡± Someone interrupted him very rudely, ¡°So isn¡¯t your argument in favor of the idea that we should let Radner go behind our back and attack Magitan first to cut off that old guy¡¯s retreat route?¡± Little Pero did not seem to mind this rude interruption and calmly replied, ¡°For us to attack Magitan is indeed to cut off Radner¡¯s back up n, but it might not be the case for that Count. Radner will either fail and retreat after the ambush or win and merge with the Bloodstaff, and in the end, Magitan would be insignificant for his purpose. What they want to open is the road to Viero, so if they fail, they will simply retreat to Madara.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s unlikely that Radner would retreat back to Magitan after a failure and get himself killed, so the idea of cutting off his retreat route is pure nonsense.¡± Little Pero finished, looked at everyone, and stopped talking.

    ¡°How did you know that Radner would attack Viero?¡±

    Brendel could not help but shake his head when he heard this question, these young people under him still failed to pay attention to Madara. In fact it was not Radner who was going to attack Viero, but the skeleton of Madara, which was the inevitable choice of the Bloodstaff. He listened for a while and could not help but sigh. The young sergeants of the White Lion Legion still did not realize who their real enemy was. He did not bother to repeat the story to them as reality would tell them everything. After this battle, they would understand who their real opponent was.

    Little Pero had actually almost guessed his thoughts. Trentheim¡¯s army would go through Chablis, bypassing the Cielmann region to directly cut off the Bloodstaff¡¯s retreat route. The Bloodstaff knew that there was a resistance army there that was extremely hostile to the Aouine nobility, and it certainly would not have gone into the barren hills to trouble those mountain people just for nothing. But it also must not have imagined that the King of Cielmann was, in fact, none other than Brendel¡¯s old acquaintance.

    The battle¡¯s oue was actually predetermined from the very beginning, it was just that the details of how to rewrite it still needed his careful deliberation. What he was concerned about was just how strong Madara¡¯s army was in this era. There was good news on the magical letter from Carglise. They had rescued a guard who had participated in the battle that night, and it was said that there were already skeleton cavalry and fearful spirits in Madara¡¯s army, indicating that the terrible dark mercenaries of the Sea of the Dying Moon had joined the war. The number of Skeleton Archers proved his concern about the number of Necromancers, but there was something else that had not yet shown. That guard could not see the proportion of average skeletons and Skeleton Knights in the entire Madara army. In fact, this was what Brendel was most concerned about. In Madara¡¯s Skeleton Army, those skeletons and zombies temporarily evoked by the Necromancers werepletely different from those properly hardened by magic and could use equipment skillfully. In history, after Tharma joined, Madara had directly invented a Psychic Array that could be evoked from corpses. Moreover, Madara had advanced the Skeleton Swordsmen in the early stages of the War of the ck Rose. Brendel wanted to know how much he had changed history.

    If history was still as unchanged as expected, then Viero¡¯s army might also be in trouble.

    Because the dark nobles of the Sea of the Dying Moon joined the battle earlier than stated in history.

    On the contrary, what about Valha? Brendel thought of the strength he possessed and felt slightly relieved. The few times he went to Ampere Seale to crack the perilous situation of Aouine, he only had a few high-endbatants left at hand in addition to a hundred or so White Lion Guards. The army avable in Trentheim was almost But the time it was different, when he was in Ampere Seale battling with the Demons and Kirrlutzians, Valha¡¯s army finally showed the first signs of sess after that great battle under Monica¡¯s single-handed arrangement.

    The first is the Wind Archer. When he went to Ampere Seale, the Wind Archer could only put a hundred or so Tree Elves into battle, in addition to about three hundred new recruits. But now, the Wind Archer had be an army. They had exactly two brigades of six hundred people. One should know that after thepletion of the advanced Wind Archer camp, this army had beenpletely transformed. They now used longbows at long range and the rank of soldiers were higher than the White Lion Guards led by Freya. Trentheim¡¯s reformed White Lion Guard could now be considered a third-rank army, while the Wind Archers, ording to Medissa¡¯s estimate, was at least fourth-rank long-range soldiers. What was more terrifying was that their capability have exceeded a normal ck Iron- ranked army with a pair of scimitars just recently. This army was now the real elite in the frontal battlefield of Aouine.

    On the other hand, the White Lion Guard was also greatly strengthened; not in quality, but quantity. Brendel, although in name, could not take over the old White Lion Legion, Her Highness had either secretly or officially drawn arge number of people from the old White Lion Legion, the Royal Cavalry Academy, and even local security to enrich her own guard. In just six months, the White Lion Guard had been filled from an original empty shelf to the current size of nearly 1,500 people, and this was all done under Brendel¡¯s restrictions. Because Brendel was very clear that the future of the Holy War¡¯s cannon fodder was not worth mentioning, he wanted to build a legion as elite as the White Lion Infantry led by the ancient sage Erik, rather than the old White Lion in the north of Aouine.

    Not to mention the fact that he now had the Knights of the Folded Sword in his hands, Brendel¡¯s intention was to let these young Kirrlutzian heroes pull up a real army for him. That was the long-term n. At least for now, he only intended to let these Kirrluztians fight independently. This was also a golden army of hundreds of people, after all, it was not surprising to say that these knights were unable to maximize their potential in this ce. The entire kingdom of Aouine had to gather the strength of the country toe up with apatible army.

    With these three armies, Trentheim for the first time ever, had the strength for foreign expeditions.

    And Brendel was very clear that Valha¡¯s next-generation army n had already unfolded. Not needing to wait until after this war, Monica would be able to give him an answer. Upon this thought, Brendel suddenly looked up with a sense of purpose, just in time to see a little light spirit wobbling and flying in. She did not care about the other people in the hall, flew to his side, and said with haste and surprise, ¡°Lord, it worked!¡±

 Chapter 826 - v5c18

    v5c18

    Knights and Craftsmen(1)

    Monica was referring to thepletion of the Valurian Warrior Hall. The first time Brendel left Valha for Ampere Seale, he instructed Monica to build buildings that could be built in Valha at that stage. Although the focus was on training Wind Archers andpleting the first stage of Valha into the second stage of cultivation, Monica still found time toplete the construction of the Valurian Warrior Hall during his free time when he left for the Dead Tundra Forest. Perhaps it could not be said to bepleted, as thepletion was just recent, but the light spirit girl came to report to him only once a few days ago.

    In fact, the reason why Brendel made the Wind Archer the focus of the initial construction of Valha, on one hand, was because he had ready Elf Archers as a source of soldiers, and on the other hand, it was because Valha did not have a single introduction about this Valurian Warrior Hall, unlike the Wind Elf Archer Camp and the Tree Nest, which had clear instructions on what types of soldiers were produced, how to train them, and what prices and resources were needed for Monica to know a thing or two.

    But the description of the Valurian Warrior Hall was only one sentence ¨C ¡®It is a functional building.¡¯

    Brendel had only seen such a description in auxiliary buildings like the Mage Tower, the Moon Tower, and the Crystal Pool, which were generally built by the yers themselves before they could even figure out its purpose. But the Valurian Warrior Hall, which sounded like a training building simr to the barracks of the nobles of Aouine, was so vague, making Brendel feel very unusual. However, at the time when Trentheim was first built, and soon to face a possible war, Brendel did not dare to y his curiosity in such matters, so he chose the more secure Wind Elf Archer camp.

    But this did not mean that he was not curious about this so-called Valurian Warrior Hall. In fact, as a yer, he was simply curious as hell, and today, he could finally satisfy this curiosity.

    Although Monica was clearly avoiding eye contact with him when she came to report, making him think that there was something wrong-

    Valha¡¯s first loop was still in the first stage of the World Tree¡¯s growth ¨C this loop spiraled upward, connecting to the square area at the top of the tree, allowing for three or four carriages to run alongside, like a wooden street. There were not many buildings on the loop yet, only a dozen or so Elf Arrow Towers around the circumference; these towers seemed to grow from the trunk of the tree, and the base was tightly integrated into the wooden avenue. Between the Arrow Towers were long walls of vines that reached about chest height, simr to a chest wall, with one thorny side and with naturally formed battlements. In addition, between the arrow towers there were many ancient tree-like structures as well. These ancient trees had a human face on their trunks, most of the time with their eyes closed, only asionally talking to the patrolling Tree Elf Archers. These were the Tree Nests, their root systems were in fact the Vine Root Guards that spread throughout Valha. The number of Tree Nests throughout Valha had now reached as many as 220, with more than 2000 Vine Root Guards that were fully capable of guarding the entire upper level area.

    The Valurian Warrior Hall was located between these Tree Nests, like a part of the extension from the ring road, two thick solid tree branches held up this tform, with the entire tform of the building looking extremely majestic. This magnificent hall was somewhat like the Vikings¡¯ longhouse that Brendel had seen in his previous life, but much more magnificent than that. The interior of the building was also spacious and bright, with twelve huge pirs supporting the towering vaulted ceiling of the hall, and some of the giant warriors up to three or four meters tall sparring with each other in the hall¡¯s center. They were holding spears or heavy swords, divided into groups of two or four fighting against each other, banging and sparking. Even Brendel¡¯s arrival did not attract the attention of these valiant warriors at all.

    Those were Cloud Giants.

    Brendel looked at these giants with delight, filled with surprise and curiosity. The noblest bloodline of the giants originated from Milos ¨C but the Frost Giants had long since be history, and their descendants, the Cloud Giants and Fire Giants, were disced from thend like the rest of the Silver People after the Holy War, leaving only the descendants of the ck Dwarfs to live north of today¡¯s Folded Hammer Mountains, the hills of the Holy Cathedral of Earth¡¯s giants. While the Fire Giants were legendary for being warlike and tyrannical, the Cloud Giants were a legendary race not inferior to the Silver Elves, who live in the Mountain of Quelled Storms, who were a tribe of extremely traditional people. In the Twilight War, the Cloud Giants found a human baby and raised him. The human babyter became the most famous hero in history ¨C the Azure Knight. The legendary Cloud Giants tribe who the Azure Knight grew up with in his early years was a mystery, both here and in the game.

    In fact this was the first time Brendel saw these giants with his own eyes.

    Their skin was very fair, different from the kind of barbaric look people would have imagined. The Cloud Giants, whether warriors or Craftsmen on the sidelines, were all wearing extremely fine armor and gorgeous clothing; most of them had sideburns and beards, but the sideburns were cleanly trimmed, and each one looked like a character from Greek mythology. Their eyes were light blue and jewel-like, their hair was made of gold that glittered; the weapons in their hands were etched with beautiful patterns on the surface, but still as strong as ever, creating sparks every time they collided with each other solidly.

    When Brendel,Monica and Princess Medissa crossed the hall, the Cloud Giants finally noticed their presence and stopped to look their way. A giant in a white robe with gold embroidery came out of the crowd, saw Brendel and recognized him. It bowed to him, ¡°Your Lordship, I am Babu, a Craftsman from People of the Clouds, and I am honored to be of service to you.¡± The giant replied in a gentle voice, appearing mannerly and courteous. But even so, Brendel could feel the other party¡¯s extraordinary aura.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, and it is my pleasure,¡± he replied, ¡°Are you all Elite Elves?¡±

    ¡°He is Babu, Lord!¡± Medissa eximed in a small voice, ¡°He is the most outstanding Craftsman in the history of the Cloud Giants! Ah! That¡¯s Gorju behind him, Esred, and Aftirodi, the King of Forges. They are all the most outstanding giants of different times, and oh my god, they are all in Valha!¡± Brendel recognized none of the names except for Babu ¨C the legend of Gaia forging the Azure Lance by his hand was a mythical story familiar to most people on the continent of Vaunte. He was the greatest Craftsman in the history of the Cloud Giants, and could even be crowned as the Craftsman of the Gods, while as for the others, Medissa¡¯s tone of speech spoke for itself.

    They were all existences of at least the same level as Babu.

    ¡°There are not many people who can recognize us in the present world, little girl, can you tell me your name?¡± Babu asked.

    ¡°Medissa, I am the Silver Elf, Lord Babu.¡± Medissa replied respectfully, Brendel had never seen her show such humility, even in front of him.

    ¡°Oh, the Silver Elf, I¡¯ve heard of you.¡± The giant Craftsman showed a dazed look, ¡°I heard that the Miirnas found a tribe in the Holy Silver Valley, those should be your people right? At that time, you all had only begun to learn to use the Law and break the obscurity. It has been so many years since then, and now you all should have built a glorious civilization. History rises and falls, one by one civilization rises in the long river, each shining brightly for an era. Seeing you reminds me of the past.¡±

    Medissa blushed a little and replied embarrassedly, ¡°Lord Babu, the era that belongs to us has passed, and now it is the era that belongs to the Lord and their civilization.¡±

    Babu froze, and then sighed,¡±It has been so long? It seems that ine¡¯s Lake has flowed for quite a long time.¡±

    Brendel listened to Babu and Medissa¡¯s conversation from the side, and was shocked to the core ¨C in Monica¡¯s description, Babu and the others all suddenly appeared at the moment this hall waspleted. What kind of existence were they? He naturally would not be unaware.

    Craftsmen- whether cksmiths, tailors, bootmakers, or candle makers, they were all ssified as separate professions in the game, just like Schrs and Alchemists. They were all part of the massive life profession system of ¡°The Amber Sword¡±. As a Craftsman, one would naturally have to learn professional skills. Different professions in the game not only restricted the upper level of professional skills, but also provided bonuses to different professional skills, such as cksmithing, smelting and preparation skills, which provide a high EXP bonus. But even so, to practice a professional skill to the level of a great master of the 20th level, one would need to upgrade to a single profession level of over 150 at least in the corresponding life profession. .

    Although the level of life professions was a little more lenient than thebat professions, this would also be a long process, requiring at least ten years of game time. And only when this requirement was met can a Craftsman be called a Grand Master of the trade.

    Not to mention the level of a Godsmith.

    After the skill level exceeds 20, each level of improvement was a rare but attainable opportunity. As far as Brendel knew, until thest era of the game, there would be three Godsmiths among the yers, belonging to the three most powerful yer organizations in the world. And there would be one NPC, that was,ter Madara¡¯s forging master Boheimunde. Brendel remembered that Boheimunde and Tharma had a rtionship of master and apprentice in Alchemy. I wonder if Madara has discovered him in this era...

    But throughout the history of the The Amber Sword, there had always been only one person who had been crowned as the Godsmith, that was Babu.

    And now this legendary figure was right in front of him along with seven or eight other presences who were probably also divine Craftsmen who might soon be in the service of Valha. Brendel now felt as if he was hit by a big pie in the face, although he vaguely sensed something from Monica¡¯s panicked tone, he did not expect the surprise toe so suddenly. After all, Monica was saying, ¡°Lord, you, you bettere and see! Something big has happened! There are a lot of strange guys in the recentlypleted Valurian Warrior Hall, and they seem to be Elite Elves from somewhere!¡±

    Brendel thought that Valha had sent him some instructors, simr to Monica. He did not expect that it would be Babu.

    This was Babu-

    It took him a moment to react and jacked in, ¡°Lord Babu, are you the owner of this Valurian Warrior Hall?¡±

    Babu then stopped talking to Medissa. Apparently he was very happy to meet ¡®acquaintances¡¯, he turned his head, nodded and replied, ¡°I am indeed the owner of this hall, Valurian means brave and fearless in Giantnguage, this hall in our mythology is the resting ce of the bravest warriors, where Craftsmen made the finest weapons and armors for them. This is also where they take up these weapons and go forth to kill after a sumptuous feast.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Brendel seemed to hear something and finally understood why the Valurian Warrior Hall, although called the Warrior Hall, had an introduction as a functional building. How misleading! He could not help but look up and ask, ¡°Lord Babu, you mean, this is a cksmith store?¡±

    Babu nodded again, ¡°You could say that.¡±

    Brendel was not at all disappointed to hear this answer from the other party, in fact he should say he was excited. He could not help but continued to ask with a little excitement, ¡°Does that mean that you will stay in Valha in the future to forge weapons and armors for the warriors of Valha?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, Lord. Valha is the final ce where I wait for the Elite Elves, we just didn¡¯t expect it to see the light of day again one day, it¡¯s our honor to be able to dedicate our part in this ce.¡±

    Brendel took a deep breath after hearing these words, almost jumping up and down with joy. If he was ying the game, he would have done so. Who am I kidding, it¡¯s a Godsmith! It IS the Godsmith, the most legendary Craftsman in history, and seven or eight others like him, what would Valha look like in the future with them as cksmiths? Brendel could already imagine a full-armed army, an army with ¡®underwear¡¯ that were Fantasy-ranked equipment walking across the continent. He was full of ¡®I¡¯m already invincible¡¯ thoughts, but after being a ¡®lord¡¯ for a while, especially under Amandina¡¯s verbal abuse, he became a lot moreposed and held back his excitement to ask after. ¡°Then may I ask if I can have you build armor and weapons for my army?¡±

    ¡°That is exactly my duty, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Brendel blurted out, ¡°Just ask for whatever materials you need. Please make sure to help me build a hundred sets of fantasy-rank archer lockets and longbows, and if you can finish them in time, that would be even better!¡±

    In his imagination, this was no big deal to Babu¡¯s group. These were all genuine divine Craftsmen, and there was even a caftsman who had actually built divine weapons ¨C not the kind of third-rate trash divine weapons, but the Azure Lance. Having such divine Craftsmen build Fantasy-ranked weapons and armor, was no more than having ordinary Craftsmen build whiteboard armors. As long as there were enough materials and magic crystals, creating Fantasy-ranked equipment would be like building a toy. Brendel once witnessed a Godsmith building a Fantasy armor, although it was not said to be the standard armor, but the sess rate of up to 87.3% still made him dumbfounded.

    For fantasy-level equipment, a scrap rate of less than 12 percent was perfectly eptable. ¡°No,¡± Brendel shook his head, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s eptable, I should say it¡¯s a huge profit!¡±

    But what he did not expect was Babu shaking his head to such a simple request. ¡°I¡¯m afraid this ...... will not work.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Brendel froze, ¡°Could it be that there is not enough time?¡±

    ]¡±No,¡± this Godsmith shook his head again, ¡°It¡¯s because it can¡¯t be done.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do it?¡± Brendel asked with great confusion, ¡°How is that possible, you are the legendary Godsmith.¡±

    Babu shook his head with a bitter smile, ¡°Lord, that was before. Our power now is closely rted to the power of Valha, which is still a fledgling territory, so our ability and EXP level are actually limited to a very low level.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Brendel could believe that it was just all in his head and had to immediately face the harsh reality. He suddenly came to his senses and realized that Valha was also a part of The Amber Sword¡¯s game system. If it was still in the game, it seemed unlikely that the nning and design would allow a newborn Lord to receive divine Craftsmen. Not to mention there was a group of them, which was indeed a bit illogical if one thought about it. If other people found out, it would be a big deal. He gave the matter some thought and realized that Valha was a territory with great potential, but this potential referred to the potential for future development, and one day it would be possible for Babu and the others to regain their peak level if Valha grew. But that was, after all, only a future possibility.

    Brendel came to his senses and calmed downpletely, understanding that the so-called someday was something faraway, especially in ordance with the level of consumption of Valha, perhaps one day it would be the most legendary fortress in the world, but before that it must also have consumed a legendary number of resources.

    This design was in line with the usual style within the game ¡°The Amber Sword¡±, which can be described as strict. That was, to draw you to a big pie full of temptation, but also to tell you that you had to take one step at a time. After all, one bite does not make a fat man.

    He froze for a long time before he had to ept this frustrating reality and asked in a somewhat demoralized manner, ¡°So Lord Babu, may I ask what level your current abilities are at?¡±

    ¡°Simr to those two masters under you.¡± Babu replied.

    Brendel was stunned, and then saw the two master Craftsmen, Tharma and Bosley who were among the giants. They were surprisingly one step ahead of him, and it seemed that they had already arrived here when the light spirits hadpleted his hall. Most of the people here were in their line of work and their legendary seniors, it was just that their seniors¡¯ powers were limited by the power of Valha, and that was why their levels were simr. Otherwise, ording to their level, they would have been inferior to all the others present.

    But he did not expect Babu and the other¡¯s levels to be limited to such a horrible extent. It was even too generous to say that they were at a low level. Although Tharma¡¯s future reputation was remarkable and he was considered a decent Godsmith, he could only barely be considered a very talented Alchemist the current ment; calling him a master would only be out of respect. As for Bosley, he indeed had the level of a master¡¯s. But after being in the Graudin dungeon for so long, his capability eventually decreased and he only had a fraction of what Tharma had. He might be one of the best in Trentheim or even the entire Radner, but he was no where near the divine level in Aouine. Looking at the entire territory of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, or even Farnezain and Sanorso, there were countless of masters with their current levels.

    The first thing Brendel thought was that he had harvested a group of God-ss talents, he certainly did not expect to only get a group of first-ss Craftsmen. Although the future potential was unknown, but the future was still too far away. At least for now he was frustrated. What a gap between dreams and reality.

 Chapter 827 - v5c19

    v5c19

    Knights and Craftsmen(2)

    Brendel was frustrated for a moment but then he rejoiced as he suddenly thought of Bosley and Tharma of this era. Although they were not the best of the best in the whole of Vaunte, they were still first-ss masters in Aouine. In the past year, both of them have supported two elite armies in the territory, the Wind Archers and the White Lion Battalion. Now, the armament of this small ce, Trentheim, had already been among the bests in the kingdom. This was something other lords did not dare to imagine in the past.

    In the past six months, the War of the ck Rose along with the massive influx of refugees from all over, Brendel had begun to get arge number of reserve soldiers in the training camps in Trentheim. As long as he wanted to, he could pull up an army a size not inferior to the private army of the nobles under Duke Radner or Duke Viero. Brendel came from ater era and had experienced the epic and magnificent te War, he simply despised the northern and southern noble armies. In his opinion, the army under the third rank could only be called a militia regiment, responsible for local security but not for war. It was for this reason that the armament of Trentheim had now be the main problem in preventing the expansion of the army. In the White Lion Battalion, only sergeant corps could wear low-quality magical armor and next level ordinary white lion armors were limited as the Firbur Group could only produce slightly more than a hundred of them every month. It was even worse for the Wind Archers because they needed to have both a wind archer lock armor and longbow that was limited by the production as well, so the expansion of this army was incredibly slow.

    Brendelughed bitterly at this thought. Fortunately, he did not dare to tell these people his true purpose, otherwise it would not have scared them all to death. In his n, the core force of Aouine¡¯s future army should be the White Lion Infantry, which was also the foundation of Aouine¡¯s army and equivalent to the second-tier local legion with thergest base in the Kingdom of Aouine now. As for the fourth, fifth and sixth-ranked soldiers at the back, they would also need to be cultivated. As Aouine¡¯s characteristic elite army, he now had a quasi-fourth-ranked soldier like the Wind Archers on hand, if he could convince the Centaurs to join his army and get the design of the Silver Crown Guards¡¯ armor and halberd from Eleranta, Aouine would have a real fourth-ranked army with just a little training; the fifth-ranked army would certainly be the Druid¡¯s Elder Guards or Ancient Tree Guards, but the Druid was too old-fashioned and thus might not join his chariot, so a more secure consideration was to turn to the Nagas. The four-armed Sirens and Poseidon Guards were weaker than most fifth-ranked soldiers onnd, but after all, they were also a ss of fifth-ranked soldiers, what was important was that the Nagas had no core conflict of interest with thend people, and the kingdom had a fleet that could be their firmest ally at sea. The Nagas would be likely to rent out their troops and Aouine could hire these overseas troops in the name of hiring. He already had ns in mind when he chose to ally with the Grey Fins Nagas previously and requested the Empire for the frigate¡¯s design in exchange after the first battle of Ampere Seale.

    The strength of Aouine, with its fourth and fifth ranked soldiers, should beparable to that of the kingdom in thete Erik Dynasty. At that time, the princess could rely on the central military power to subdue the whole country and make the kingdom highly unified, thus realizing the transformation from local feudalism to centralized power. As for the sixth-ranked soldiers, Brendel still had no clue. In the history of Aouine, there was only one type of soldier above the sixth rank- the Silver Elves Pantheon Sentinels with a quantity less than a hundred. He could only put his hopes in Valha now. But once Aouine got its sixth-ranked soldiers, it would be able to stand against Madara. After all, Aouine was not Madara¡¯s only enemy, and it could not fight the threat of such a frontiernd with its entire nation. Once Aouine gained such a capability, it could force Madara to shift its expansion to other kingdoms, and the ancient kingdom would return to its heyday.

    But these ns were an unrealistic dream for Amandina and the others, who saw Aouine as a rtively independent kingdom around Kirrlutz, whose military strength was not weak, but not strong either. It must be known that in the northern Kirrlutz Empire, although the four legions under the direct control of the central government were based on the fourth-rank Imperial Guards, the noble private army, the local garrison¡¯s third-rank Imperial Noble Cavalry and the second-rank Imperial Spearmen that ounted for thergest proportion of the Empire¡¯s military strength were still the main force. These local troops faced the same problem as the kingdom, that was, low level of training and copsing discipline caused by a long period of peace. Except for a few border areas, most of the Empire¡¯s army had such problems to a greater or lesser extent, and in the evaluation of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, thebat rating of the Imperial Noble Cavalry had fallen below the lower limit several times in the past two years to be on par with second-ranked soldiers.

    Of course, the Empire still had fifth-rank Pegasus Cavalry, fifth-rank Grail Cavalry, sixth-rank Sword-wielding Crusaders, sixth-rank Holy Oil Knights , Cathedral austere bhante, and even Royal Griffins, Royal Astrologers, Cathedral priests that were more than the seventh-rank and infamous upper-ranking forces like the Compassion me Knights with the tenth-rank and above. But these armies were deterrent forces, often in small numbers. Not to mention that in great empires like Farnezain and Sanorso, these huge empires, high-ranking soldiers were the prerogative of the empire, a game between the great powers. Once a small country like Aouine had soldiers above the sixth rank, it was basically to change the current continental order. Aouine was so rich in fame that even the Bugas were concerned about such a small kingdom, precisely because it once had the White Lion Infantry and a whole system of the Cathedral Guards.

    But that was just a sh in the pan, nearly ten centuries have passed and nothing like it has ever happened in the history of Vaunte.

    So whether it was Amandina, Kodan, or the mercenary leaders under Brendel, no one thought about it and only felt that their lord was being a little too idealistic. Brendel also did not bother to exin to them as his goal was never in the present. Such goals like purging the country was not worth mentioning, the northern nobles seemed to be a great threat, but with the growth of Valha they were nothing. The most important thing was that the future of the kingdom would depend on whether Aouine could build such an army to finally emerge from its established destiny.

    Brendel never forgot that the decadent nobles of Aouine was what sunk the kingdom, but truly, it was the rising and dangerous enemy to the east that brought about its demise.

    He was in power, arbitrary and unhurriedly carrying out his ns to expand his army, but underneath the apparent stability, he was actually more anxious than ever. Time did not stop waiting for anyone, in fact, there were signs that the development of history was not waiting for him, but instead it was developing more rapidly because of his arrival- the surrounding countries of Aouine had started to move, but the development of his territory was slow. Amandina and the others noticed this and reminded him both explicitly and implicitly to rx his demands and expand his army as soon as possible. How could he not understand this? The question he had was what was the point of recruiting cannon fodder?

    They simply did not understand what kind of an opponent Aouine was facing now.

    The whole kingdom was still looking at theing era of war and chaos with an old perspective, while in fact, Madara, Kirrlutz and even the Wind Elves and Farnezain were rapidlypleting military reforms in this era of dramatic change before the arrival of the Great Demonic Wave. Bromantonu Rose that was in darkness came first, followed by the Farnezains, then Sanorso, who were head-on enemies of Madara. But it was an empire. The empire¡¯s depth and the strong support of the Holy Cathedral of Fire allowed it a grace period for failutre. On the contrary, Aouine did not have this strong and deeply established strategies.

    Aouine could only learn from Madara, that it must be a step ahead of things, otherwise it would perish in the end.

    This war was a harbinger, the real beginning originated three yearster in the second War of the ck Rose, but that was something that happened in history. Brendel did not dare to guarantee that the second War of the ck Rose in this era would not start earlier. But in this war with the Bloodstaff, he must do his best to feel out how big the gap was between the kingdom and this era¡¯s Madara. Of course, it was best to give Madara a warning, so that the other party would not belittle and look down on the kingdom. This way, those skeletons might take more time to think beforeunching the second war of the ck Rose.

    Every minute of time was a hope of salvation for Aouine.

    So Brendel must be cautious and strengthen their own strength as much as possible before the war. With the addition of a group of master craftsmen like Babu, it had undoubtedly given him confidence, and he was simply overjoyed. Trentheim suddenly gained more than ten craftsmen with levels like Bosley and Tharma and that certainly meant something ¨C an exponential increase in production, especially of magical equipment. Its significance? The first step of his n was finally on track.

    Let the White Lion Guards be the foundation of the kingdom¡¯s central army.

    Brendel thought for a while beforeing back to his senses, as if he had snapped out of his long thought before asking, ¡°Lord Babu, can the Valurian Warrior Hall be put into operation right now?¡±

    ¡°As long as the materials are avable, it can be done anytime.¡± Babu replied.

    Brendel immediately took out a set of White Lion Armor from the sub-dimensional cave, pointed to the armor and asked Babu, ¡°Lord Babu, how long would it take you to produce a hundred sets of such armor?¡± Brendel took out the White Lion Armor that was not possessed. Babu took a nce at it and shook his head contemptuously, ¡°We will not produce armor like this, I think this kind of paper mache armor has no value at all.¡±

    The fuck. Though this set of armor was a little shabby, but at least it was thetest double-hinged armor designed by Bosley, with a Defense of up to 5 in the white te armor. It was supposed to be something to be proud of, he did not expect it to look like paper in Babu¡¯s eyes. Who are you joking? Why not put a set of paper in front of me right now? Brendel swore in his mind but he did not show the slightest change in his facial expression. He took out another set of armor that was possessed meant for nonmissioned officers and asked, ¡°What about this?¡±

    ¡°This barely made it.,¡± replied Babu, ¡°I remember I once built a toy set for my son, probably simr to this one.¡±

    Brendel almost coughed out blood. He finally understood. Although these giant craftsmen¡¯s EXP and level were limited, their insight still remained at an extremely high level. They were simply evaluating these armors with their perspectives of that era, it is then to nobody¡¯s surprise these look like paper in the eyes of the Cloud Giants that once existed on the earth. Then these giant craftsmen would have been shocked to see an armor that was not possessed.

    Brendel immediately had a sense of frustration, feeling despised. He could not help but breathlessly said, ¡°Lord Babu, how much of this armor can you build? I urgently need such a batch of armor for my army.¡±

    ¡°Lord, you should just address me as a craftsman,¡± replied Babu. He was a man above the world, but he was not a fool who did not understand courtesy in human interaction. When he saw Brendel¡¯s expression, he had guessed what kind of mistake he had made and replied, ¡°Rest assured, my lord. The forging technology is really simple for us, and it should be no problem to build 2000 sets of this kind of armor in a month.¡±

    Brendel was shocked. He looked around the Valurian Warrior Hall and then at Babu, if this guy was not famous, Brendel would have thought of him as some liar. A hall with only this size and around ten craftsmen¡­ They ARE Godsmiths, but 2000 sets? Are they going to make 2000 low quality armors? How¡¯s this possible? Even if Bosley and Tharma did it themselves, they would need around half a month to finish one armor. It must be known that Bosley and Tharma were not the only ones that kept the entire Firbur Group¡¯s production running, there were arge number of craftsmen in Firbur.

    ¡°2000 sets? Just all of you here?¡± He asked, as he felt his mouth dry out.

    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Babu shook his head, ¡°Lord, you¡¯ve misunderstood the situation. In this hall there are countless Elite Elf craftsmen, it¡¯s not only just now. We can get the Elite Elves toe work in the Warrior Hall. Although this Hall still looks shabby, making 2000 armors with that quality would not be a problem.¡±

    Brendel finally cleared his confusion after Babu¡¯s exnation. This Valurian Warrior Hall could get Elite Elves to work here, simr to Monica¡¯s Vortex of Light. But the Vortex of Light was different. The Warrior Hall could only have more craftsmen after the expansion, and Babu as well as the others here were the leaders of the craftsmen. He suddenly became excited. 2000 White Lion Armors? Possessed ones? This meant that the White Lion Legion could finally start recruiting at a big scale. Although new recruits would not be as reliable as old recruits, as long as they wore these possessed armors, the worse they could be was at the second rank. If not, why would the third-rank Kirrlutz noble cavalry still be at the second-rank after they had hit rock bottom? Of course, it was because they relied on equipment. Equipment usable by the empire¡¯s local troops and the noble¡¯s private army was made avable on arge scale to standard troops in Aouine. Despite needing a fortune, but at least a problem that could be solved marily was not a problem to Brendel at the moment.

    Some things could not be bought with money, anyway.

    Giving the Wind Archers of half this amount was enough to build an army of fourth-ranked archers. If they could rush it a little, it might even be possible to expand the army to one more time its size. An army made up of 1200 archers in the Year of the Sword? Brendel¡¯s eyes were shining with excitement and joy. Hr rubbed the corner of mouth quickly so that no one would notice the saliva flowing out, making Medissa who was at the side burst out inughter.

    But it was at this moment a hint of unharmony arose in the hall. ¡°Lord, forgive me for saying this. All these that you want to make are useful and are wasting this holy hall¡¯s worth.¡± The sound of the person was rough and loud, Brendel turned his head immediately. It was Gorju the Godsmith, a name he had never heard before. But the tone of speech made it obvious that his status was not inferior to Babu. Brendel quickly asked, ¡°Why do you say so?¡±

    Brendel was in fact a little frustrated. Of course he knew asking these Godsmiths to make such ¡®toys¡¯ was despising their capability, but what could he do? On one hand, he did not have any better design paper and materials; on the other hand, they were around the same EXP level as Bosley and Tharma, ording to Babu. Brendel certainly thought all they could do now was to quickly expand the two elite armies.

    Maybe they could spend half a year or a few months building ancient-level or even Fantasy-level equipment, but what was the point? Brendel was not looking for a certain individual¡¯s capability.

    Unexpectedly, Gorju shook his head. ¡°Lord, it seems like you still don¡¯t understand our true value.¡± He paused, then pointed at Bosley and Tharma who were not far away and continued, ¡°It has been long since we returned to the earth, we¡¯re unsure of what happened in Vaunte during the time, but at least we understand it is notmon to find craftsmen like these two masters. If you want to, recruiting 8 or 10 of them wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Is this all you think of this hall¡¯s value?¡±

    Brendel was slightly shaken. He realized this guy was implying something else and looked at Babu.

    The Godsmith then slowly nodded and continued, ¡°Lord, as I¡¯ve said before, this hall was named the Valurian Warrior Hall because it represented the rest ce of brave warriors in the legends. Providing these brave warriors weapons and armors are just a part of it.¡±

    Brendel finally understood and quickly responded, ¡°Are you saying, creating equipment is just one of this building¡¯s functions¡­ and that this is also a next?¡±

    ¡°Nexts need a Magic Pool to function, Lord.¡± Babu shook his head.

    ¡°Then what exactly do you mean?¡± Brendel was confused again.

    ¡°Well, Lord, have you heard of something called Valkyrie?¡±

    Babu asked word by word.

    ¡­...

 Chapter 828 - v5c20

    v5c20

    Knights and Craftsmen(3)

    ¡°Valkyrie?¡± Brendel¡¯s heart thumped, Odin¡¯s maid from Norse mythology, how could he not have heard of this name? He had long suspected that since there was Valha, it was natural for Valkyries to exist, but unfortunately ¡°The Amber Sword¡±, Valha was finally destroyed in a fire, and the legend about it was buried under the ashes altogether. Whether they had existed or not, it was a mystery. Now that Babu has mentioned this name, Brendel felt like it was something within his expectations, but he was also excited, ¡°Master Babu, do you mean to say that the Valurian Warrior Hall can still recruit Valkyries?¡±

    The legendary Valkyries were said to be extremely strong. She was the chosen one of the Elite Elves, patrolling the skies on a celestial horse, a legendary existence among mythological stories. Troops as such should not be lower than the sixth rank, right? But Brendel immediately shook this thought out of his head. Valha was still a primary territory, even if it was the most legendary one, it was still too outrageous to recruit a sixth-rank soldier.

    The fact that the Wind Archer, the first type of soldier produced in Valha, had a strength of up to quasi-fourth rank was already extraordinary. If it exceeded the sixth rank, it would have been a serious breach of bnce in ¡°The Amber Sword¡±. The world should still follow the rules of the game.

    So it¡¯s the fifth rank? Although this rank was a little too low for a Valkyrie, Brendel felt that this should be the most likely case. The legend was after all only a legend, not to mention that the fifth rank was still very powerful even among the more perverse types of soldiers. It was still a good match with thebat power of the sixth order. For example, Kirrlutz¡¯s Grail Knight. The Grail Knight joined with an oath to have a lifelong association with the Holy Relic. They vowed to stay poor, advocate justice and not marry. Although life as knights were very poor, they however gained strength from it. With the Holy Relic, they were able to resurrect once in the battlefield. This was the most powerful army in the known fifth ranked battle power.

    Brendel thought in his mind that the Valkyries should probably also be this type of fifth ranked army, not too much to destroy the bnce, but could disy its power. However, the answer for all this spection could only be answered by the Cloud Giant Godsmith Babu, so he raised his head to look at Babu.

    The hall was silent as Babu turned back and called out, ¡°Brunhilde,e out.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Brendel was stunned when he heard this name. In the Norse mythology and dic epic, Brunhilde was the famous Valkyrie and there were various legends about her. Some said she was Odin¡¯s daughter, others said her image came from the Visigoth Princess, Ostricia¡¯s Brunhilde. In many games and rted works in his world, she was depicted as the head of the Valkyries, and naturally he had heard of her name. It was just that he did not expect Babu to call out such a big character as soon as he asked. He could not help but look in that direction with curiosity. At that moment, outside the hall came a horse-neighing sound, then a Pegasus flew in the hall through the arched windows, fluttering its wings. Itnded on the edge of the tform, restlessly trotting. The Pegasus¡¯ back was d in a white gold battle armor; its feathers, mane, and hooves were burning with zing white mes, as if it just flew out of the mes. On its back, was a female rider covered in armor, wearing a winged war helmet that covered the face. It was only from her physique that one could vaguely guess her gender.

    This female knight was like her war horse, covered in fire. White mes seeped out from under the heavy armor constantly. Shended on the tform but did not dismount just yet. She held her head high, pulling the reins in mes to guide the horse and appeared in front of Brendel. Without saying a word, she looked down at the Lord.

    ¡°You¡¯re a Valkyrie?¡± Brendel thought he was looking at the Pale knights of Madara at first nce, but the Pale knights obviously would not have such luxurious armor, and their horses did not have wings. After Brunhilde came to him, he saw clearly that the other party¡¯s weapon was a grasp of a very long double-headed sword, the de of the sword was very slender, like two pairs of tinum feathers stuck together. In addition to her armor and the Pegasus, it was gorgeous. He almost looked dumbfounded and was about to ask about the other party¡¯sbat power before he remembered that he could retrieve the attributes of the creatures in Valha, just like how he did to Monica and the girls. He quickly blinked his eyes and pulled out a light-green screen. After looking at the screen that was floating beside Brunhilde, Brendel sucked in a breath.

    Brunhilde

    Level 60 Valkyrie (Chief)

    Strength: 1033, Physique: 732, Dexterity: 740, Bloodline: 180, Willpower: 100, Wisdom: 1.5, Perception: 155

    Skills: Magic Resistance, Spirit Resurrection, the Final Battle

    Combat value: VIII level

    ¡°An eighth ranked soldier!¡± Brendel almost passed out and nearly fell head first to the ground. The so-calledbat power value, in fact, was the type of soldiers¡¯ rating. He originally thought that the Valkyries would at best only be a sixth ranked soldier. ording to ¡°The Amber Sword¡±, a fifth ranked soldier was not impossible, it was just that at most, it would be given more powerful and practical skills. But the problem is that Brunhilde not only had strong skills. Although Brendel had never heard of ¡®The Final Battle¡¯, the Spirit Resurrection was exactly the same as the Letter Springer of the Grail Knights, but with Magic Resistance. There were three kinds of anti-magic skills gifted in ¡°The Amber Sword¡±- Magic Defense, Magic Resistance and Magic Immunity, of which Magic Immunity was the craziest, being able topletely ignore all magical effects, living up to its name, the Mages Nemesis. As for Magic Resistance, it could resist 75% of magical damage and the duration of the effect. Followed by Magic Immunity which was the most inferior, able to resist 50% of magical damage. Magic Immunity itself was a rtively strong skill. Only simr skills could be seen in Unicorns, Rune Dwarf Guards, and Farnezain¡¯s Spell Guards. ording to the rules of ¡°The Amber Sword¡±, soldiers with such strong skills would have gotten their base attributes cut down. For example, a Unicorn¡¯s life was generally lower than that of other sixth ranked soldiers and the Spell Guards¡¯ attacking skills were the lowest among the seventh ranked soldiers.

    This was because different upational base attributes are different when leveling up, but overall it was still bnced. Those with strong skills usually had weaker base additions, just like Brendel¡¯s Holy Knights who belonged to this upation, while mercenaries belonged to base upations with stronger additions. So theoretically, the Valkyries¡¯ base attributes should be considered somewhat weak in the eighth ranked soldiers as she had so many strong skills. But Brendel saw that Brunhilde¡¯s attributes were not weak, instead, they were stronger than other eighth ranked soldiers of the same level. Her attributes were already stable at the highest stage of Elemental Activation, just one step away from Elemental Enlightenment. Without looking at physical aspects, her level was currently slightly lower than him but her Strength was way higher, and her Dexterity as well as average attributes were terrifyingly high. Speaking from the basic attributes and realm, Brunhilde was superior to him.

    In other words, in addition to Mephisto and Aloz, the unreliable foreign aid, Brunhilde was now Valha¡¯s second stable fighting force.

    Average eighth ranked soldiers would usually only be at the start of Elemental Activation.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this cheating!?¡± Brendel felt that he had finally witnessed a backdoor rumored to be designed by the game¡¯s designer. How could a magic territory in the second stage recruit an eighth ranked soldier? Not to mention that this eighth ranked soldier was catching up with the ninth ranked soldiers! If this isn¡¯t a backdoor, what is?? Honestly speaking, Brendel certainly liked the idea of this ¡®pie¡¯ falling from the sky. The problem was that he never believed that good things woulde easily. With this ¡®reward¡¯, there might be some kind of trap that was to follow- the more tempting the bait, the sharper the knives behind. He had encountered such situations countless times in the game, so everything now did not make him feel the slightest bit of excitement, but a strong sense of rm. He calmed down and carefully asked a question.

    ¡°With this ability, she seems to not be considered an eighth ranked soldier anymore, right?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Babu looked at his lord with some curiosity, ¡°Lord, you can actually tell Brunhilde¡¯s at a nce?¡±

    ¡°Ahem¨C¡± Brendel then realized that words not meant to be said had slipped his lips in his momentarypse of concentration. Although Valha was connected to that system he brought with him, even Monica and the girls seemed to be unaware of this system. Since even Monica who managed Valha was not aware, it was impossible for Babu to know then. After thinking about this, Brendel hurriedly exined.

    ¡°It seems to be an ability given to me by Valha.¡±

    Babu shook his head, but did not doubt, ¡°I see, but there is one thing you misunderstood. Lord, Brunhilde is not considered an eighth ranked soldier, but a ninth ranked soldier.¡±

    ¡°A ninth ranked soldier.¡± Brendel was startled, ¡°You mean Valha can now recruit ninth ranked soldiers?¡± Babu¡¯s words did not help him understand the situation more, but instead made him even more confused. A second ranked territory could now recruit ninth ranked soldiers, who would believe that? How? Was there more to it when Valha was burned down by an inexplicable fire?

    The more he thought about it, the more he thought it was possible. ¡°The Amber Sword¡± followed the principle that rewards were generally proportional to the difficulty ofpleting a mission. Of course, some luck might be the case, but luck was generally only associated with risk. One might find some unexpected wealth, but that was definitely not in the course of a regr mission. Valha was obtained through the Loop of Trade Winds¡¯ mission, where the quest plot was epic. Valha¡¯s rewards were also beyond the ticket price, but everything before seemed normal and Brendel had taken it for granted. This one though, was a little too much,

    It might had even broken the bnce of the game.

    Unexpectedly, Babu still shook his head, ¡°No, Lord, Valha is not able to recruit ninth ranked soldiers now, even though this is a legendary territory, but your request is still a little too overwhelming for it.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean, Brunhilde is a ninth ranked soldier, didn¡¯t you say so yourself?¡± Brendel froze.

    ¡°What I meant was, Brunhilde is a ninth ranked soldier, but the other Valkyries are still eighth-order soldiers. Because Brunhilde is the king and the head of the Valkyries, her power is crowned above the others. In fact, there are four other chiefs of the Valkyries who also have quasi-ninth-rank power, but the other Valkyries, then, only have the power of a standard eighth-rank army.¡± Babu replied.

    Brendel finally understood. So this is why. But the fact that a second ranked territory summoned an eighth ranked army was still a little outrageous. He could not help but continued to ask, ¡°The fact that a second ranked territory can summon a ninth-order soldier is certainly a little too outrageous, but the summoning of eighth-order soldiers also seems to be a bit unbelievable.¡±

    Babu nodded rightfully, ¡°Naturally so.¡±

    ¡°So¨C?¡± Brando frowned as Babu¡¯s statements seemed to be going back and forth. How could he be this inconsistent?

    Babu nced at him, as if realizing that the lord seemed to have misunderstood something and quickly exined,¡±Lord, I¡¯m afraid you have some misunderstanding, I did not mean that the Valurian Warrior Hall can recruit Brunhilde and her people. Of course the Valurian Warrior Hall has a close connection with these valiant warriors, to be precise, this hall is a subsidiary building of the Holy Cathedral of Dawn.¡±

    ¡°The Holy Cathedral of Dawn?¡±

    ¡°All the Valkyries live in the Holy Cathedral of Dawn, it is their pce. This Cathedral does not exist in the present world itself, but there is an exit connected to the uppermost hall of Valha. Legend has it that the Holy Cathedral of Dawn extends to the present world where a silverdder could be seen, forged through the hands of our people in the Clouds, it is the passage connecting the Valkyries to the present world.¡± Babu replied.

    Brando now finally understood.

    In other words, the Holy Cathedral of Dawn was actually equivalent to a nest, and this nest could recruit the Valkyries¡¯ Spirits ¨C strong eighth ranked soldiers. The craftsmen here in the Valurian Warrior Hall could create the entrance and exit of this nest, a job no different from Monika and the girls¡¯ who cultivated other nests, barracks or functional buildings in Valha. The only difference was that only craftsmen of the People of the Clouds could do it, that was, they must rely on these Godsmiths in front of them, which was their true greatest value as Gorju had said.

    This was indeed quite a great value. Eighth ranked soldiers were not somethingmonly encountered even in ¡°The Amber Sword¡±, not to mention that they were such strong eighth ranked creatures like the Valkyries. Once Valha could get them, it could be said to be the greatest fortress in this era.

    If it could survive for a long time and not be destroyed by natural or man-made disasters like in the game, it was possible for this kingdom to be an empire one day.

    But Brando was very calm at this moment. Rewards do note out of nowhere. Summoning eighth ranked creatures in a second ranked territory should just stay as a dream. The fact that Babu and the others have given him so many conditions had obviously limited the premise of the emergence of the Holy Cathedral of Dawn, needless to say, there was no point in hoping to encounter these legendary warriors without costing a great amount of resources and time before Valha fully matured.

    He gave it some thought before lifting his head to ask, ¡°So Master Babu, are there any conditions to forge the silverdder that leads to the Holy Cathedral of Dawn?¡±

    Sure enough, Babu¡¯s first words were, ¡°That is a long process, forging thedder to the heavens requires lifelong efforts of countless craftsmen, even if we start now and work night and day, it will take at least one to two thousand years to recreate the former glory of the Holy Cathedral of Dawn.¡±

    The fuck? The game designer had never had the intention to let those things out, right? Although Brando had been mentally prepared, he could not help it but cursed in his mind. He suddenly felt as if he was wasting time. But then he thought of another problem. Monica has said that the time needed to cultivate Valha would be counted in hundreds of years before, but with enough Elite Elves and resources, it could be done in half a year. Thinking of this, a glimmer of hope arose within Brando. The Valurian Warrior Hall would apparently grow along the growth of Valha, and with the increase in the number of craftsmen in the people of the Clouds, maybe the time needed could also be tens times less?

    Of course he did not expect to see the Valkyries in just half a year. It would be an extremely wanted significant encounter in Aouine even if one could see a Valkyrie in ten years.

    Thinking about this, he could not help but continue to ask, ¡°If Valha grows slowly, how much of this time can be shortened?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, there are so many unknowns to the future.¡± Babu replied, ¡°But Lord, if you are anxious to see these brave warriors, we actually have another way.¡±

    Brando was slightly stunned and with some curiosity he asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°As you can see, not all Valkyries remain in the Holy Cathedral of Dawn. In fact, after the battle of Valha, many Valkyries and their souls remained in the present world, such as Brunhilde and several of her people, but most of the Valkyries in the war were severely wounded and passed away. Their spirits rested with their broken armor and weapons. We can revive these long-sleeping warrior women as long as we restore the armor and weapons and if the lord can recover their horses.¡± Babu replied.

    Brando took a deep breath.

    ¡°What materials are needed to repair their armor and weapons, how long will it take, and where should I go to retrieve their warhorses?¡± He got a little excited when he said this. If saying that getting rewards for doing nothing was unrealistic, then this would be a real quest in exchange. Brando knew very well that to awaken each of these female warriors, it would probably cost him a great deal, but it would definitely be worth it.

    The reason was that for every Valkyrie awakened, Valha would gain a top level warrior with at least Elemental Awakening or even close to Elemental Activation.

    Babu paused briefly before speaking, ¡°Lord, you would need to prepare the Gold of the River, the Sharp Teeth that cuts off the future, the Blood of the Hydra Lizard and the Singing Silver. As for the Valkyries¡¯ heavenly horses-¡±

    Monica spoke on behalf of the lord, ¡°The nest of the Imperial Wind Horses must be constructed.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit.¡± Brando nearly fainted after hearing these requirements.

    ......

 Chapter 829 - v5c21

    v5c21

    Warmongering Knight(1)

    Gold of the river, meant not just any gold hidden under the sands of river banks, but the magic-imbued gold bits under the serene flow of the river of fates within Ina¡¯s embrace. It was one of the most valuable treasures in the world, and was regrly used by witches in witchcraft that shaped the future, hence earning them the term, Witches¡¯ gold bits.

    Within folklore, it was regrly mentioned that the greedy witches hoarded gold, which was actually a reference to this exact item.

    It was a magic ore so excruciatingly rare, for only a piece the size of a fingernail would be worth the value of a castle.

    In the game, the Witches¡¯ gold bits had another important function, and that was the Line of Fate Breaking. To put it simply, toplete the highest level of Elemental Activation, the evolution from Sage Realm to Perfect Body, this item was vital.

    It was a part of the bridging spell from superhuman to saint level.

    Before the te Wars, Brendel never even heard of an ore of this name, it was just very briefly mentioned in certain reference books that he had encountered.

    The first time Vaunte yers were aware of the Witches¡¯ Gold Bits was after the Holy War. During the Year of the Sparks, the first te was found within the bordends of Sanorso.

    Upon then, yers began venturing into the ck Forests en masse, and the first Witches¡¯ Gold Bits were found and included in yer inventories.

    Nevertheless, these gold items were painfully elusive within the ck Forests. For a more generalizedparison, their encounter was of slightly lower rates than even the Fountain of Youth.

    Every revival of a War Goddess would require one pound worth of river¡¯s gold, one full pound! Brendel upon realization was nearly driven by impulse to murder Babu, for it was almost like a tant update to him that the War Goddesses cannot be revived. It would make more sense anyway!

    The remaining ingredients were far easier to locate. One of them was to cut off the Fangs of Future, which in this context meant Fenrir¡¯s fangs. Its descendants counted too.

    The Offsprings of Fenrir were ssified as Twilight Monsters, which meant they could only be encountered in the Cmity of Wolves, specifically therger urrences like the one in the Loop of Trade Winds.

    And if the Offsprings of Fenrir were seen in the Cmity of Wolves, it would theplete and utter destruction of that particr area, along with catastrophe and massacre.

    With that said, their fangs kept as souvenirs of war were more than rare, meaning they could easily be worth as much as money could buy.

    As for the Blood of Hydra, this to Brendel was instead the easiest to obtain, for he had five unhatched Hydra eggs in his possession. Now all he needed to do was to nurture them in a nest, and when the Hydras hatch he would have all the blood he¡¯d need.

    The ingredient up next would be the Singing Silvers. For this item, one will have to venture deep into the Pool of Song to encounter them, their rarity was only below that of the River¡¯s gold.

    There was only a handful in this world that would know how to put these magic metals to use, most would just keep them as souvenirs, resulting in them being sold in markets at unremarkable prices, asionally even found in the auction halls of Ampere Seale.

    All he needed to do was pay good attention to what was in store, invest some money and he was certain they would not be too hard to retrieve.

    Nevertheless, neither of those aforementioned couldpare to the final ingredient.

    The Nest of the Windbreaking Colts.

    Just the name alone left Brendel with a serious headache, ¡°This is a ss Six creature.¡±

    They were indeed. The Windbreaking Colts were ss Six creatures, and on the rarer side even for the ss Six species at that. Only in the Wind Elemental ne were they ever caught by men, but for their nest, no living person had ever encountered one.

    Naturally, that included Brendel himself. Who the fuck would want to build a Windbreaking Colt nest anyway?

    Unless Valha could sustain a nest for these creatures, otherwise it would be pure fantasy.

    Nevertheless, he never stopped chasing Monica for an answer, despite usually to no avail.

    The light spirit¡¯s reply was the same as always. ¡°What I know is limited to Valha.¡±

    Upon thepletion of the Valurian Warrior Hall, the Warrior goddess¡¯ information was imnted into her mind.

    As for everything else, she had no clue!

    But she did however provide Brendel with painfully effective advice, she suggested for him to buy a Windbreaking Colt himself, it would set them back 1.2 million taels, which was half the total revenue of the entire Trentheim territory. Brendel was inclined to lock her up into a drawer upon hearing that suggestion, he had enough of her bbering by his ear for once.

    There are no free meals in the world, be it for the Silver Ladder, or to awake a hibernating War Goddess, they were all far-fetched things it seems. He took a deep breath.

    Fortunately for him that Valurian Warrior Hall, upon its creation, had brought along a few more renowned War Goddesses, Brunhilde and her four assistants, Shijakul, Gale, Scotia, and Lagrace.

    These were all celebrated War Goddesses in history. Besides Brunhilde that was a ss Nine being with peak level Elemental Activation ability, the others were all had solid Quasi-ss Nine abilities too. Just from raw power alone, they were ahead of Brendel.

    But in turns of Combat power, it was a whole different story. Brendel had on asion dueled them individually, in which the most powerful amongst them, Brunhilde, had to channel the Nine Luminaries and sh Sword Art styles respectively to defeat him, while the others, from his monstrosity of a fighting experience alone, were easily bested.

    Given it a good thought, if his neswalker stats were to mature a little more, even if all five of the War goddesses joined forces, he could still put up a fight.

    What Brendel was not expecting was that his friendly duel with the War Goddesses earned him immense respect from their ranks. The Valurian Warrior Hall honored the powerful and the talented, and the Lordmander himself had earned the recognition of Brunhilde and the others, even Babu became more respectful of him ever since.

    All that recognition and respect he received meant nothing, however, for Babu actually mentioned that Brunhilde and the rest cannot leave Valha to join the war, for Valha could not sustain their magic expenditure. Brendel nearly saw his eyes nked out from that statement.

    Before the construction of the Holy Cathedral of Dawn, the War Goddesses¡¯ daily activities were fueled by the reserve magic of the Valha depository. If it was within the range of Valha¡¯s boundaries, their magic expenditure was negligible.

    ording to Babu¡¯s narration, they would require a few hundred up to a thousand units, which was about the magic of two dozen Moon crystals. Howbeit upon leaving the Valha territory, their magic expenditures would multiply over time. In just a week upon the Four War Goddesses leaving the radius, the magic required would equal to that required for the first stage development of the entire Valha.

    Over a hundred and thirty thousand units, a figure so staggering Brendel was left stupefied.

    Using the current war with Bloodstaff as a reference, even though it could be considered as a small-scale civil war and border conflict, it would still require them at the bare minimum a full month. In a month, he will have to prep no less than four thousand Moon crystals in his inventory to sustain them.

    It did not seem like a justifiable expense.

    And if the war were to drag on, he would be watching on revenue being flushed out like a sh flood. That said, it was no surprise that Brendel decisively ordered Brunhilde and the rest to stay put within the boundaries of Valha.

    On one hand, now that this war no longer required their input, a hidden w would be the sharpest when hidden. On the other, Brendel seemed to understand that the War Goddesses were now effectively mercenaries of the city, with multiple uses and immensely costly prices.

    If need be, he knew best not to use them wherever possible.

    He sighed, owing to the fact that it took him this long to figure out.

    Lifting his head once more,

    He gazed afar at the drizzling overcast sky. As the Month of Autumn entered its second half, the weather seemed to have shifted towards the colder end. Through the chilling breeze of the fringes of autumn, the cold would seep into the bone.

    Amongst the Mountains of Chablis, the air crisp and saturated with moisture, he perched on a hilltop, looking down below.

    In his field of vision were countless silhouettes weaving through the forests by the foot of the mountains.

    Under the Aouine canopies of sawde oak tree leaves and scattered Blue oak leaves were increasingly visible humanoid creatures marching their way forward.

    These people did not all hate the rain, some even uncovered their hood, exposing their enchanting faces, their long, golden blonde or green hair partially masking their sleek necks and shiny foreheads.

    Next to their hairpins were their pointy ears, carrying weapons a graderger than that of the generic Elven longbow. Armed with the renowned Wind Archer bow, one after another they navigated through the dense, primeval shrubs of wild strawberries.

    This was already the third day since leaving Valha, and for thest three days, the situation within the battlefields of the Cielmann region had been continuously arriving via Carglise with the assistance of Cole¡¯s scouts. Brendel would then review the information and categorize them into different fields of information.

    From the differentiated intelligence, he would then selectively inform the princess in private. The reason he carefully handpicked the news to be raised was because he knew most of it would reach the hands of Viero and Lantonn and their legionmanders.

    It was hardly a guarantee that those men had no spies and moles nted within the frontlines, and he would prefer not to risk exposing his rtionship with the King of Cielmann by surprise, which when publicly announced would raise the attention of Radner and Bloodstaff.

    Naturally, through their regr letter conversations, the princess had already been notified of the presence of the said ¡°Mountain bandits of Cielmann¡±.

    It was clear to him that the princess was skeptical about Cole and his men, unsurprising given her position of power. She was a descendant of the Noble ranks and the royal sect, which naturally meant she would prioritize the benefits of the Nobles. For a man like Cole that would periodically ransack Noblends, she would never consider the benefit of the doubt.

    The princess thus understandably had time and time again warned him not to get too chummy with men like Cole, for it might deter his reputation among the ruling ss.

    To Brendel however, Princess Gryphine¡¯s petty, almost childish advice left him in tears fromughter. Who Cole was through history was remarkably clear to Brendel. Knowing exactly who he was, it would be a hard stretch if Brendel were to side with the Nobles instead, on any given day.

    That was the history of the King of Radner, starting from scratch to overturn the Radner region, and in a time of conflict within Aouine received the recognition of all parties towards the independence of Radner and crowning himself as its king.

    All the way until right before the Battle of nted Forest, even Madara acknowledged his position, and for long periods of time, he served as the just arbitrator between Madara and Aouine.

    After the destruction of Aouine, he then backed Era in the war against Madara, but by then Aouine yers had all gradually moved on from the location, hence leaving its ending in the unknown.

    That said, it was clear that this man was no simple bandit.

    As the frontline situation was further dissected, it was revealed that Deputy Squad Leader Walter had been killed at war, on the same night Bloodstaff demolished the White Winged Cavalries.

    With that revtion, it duly confirmed the tragedy of the annihtion of the White Winged Cavalries, and the full exposure of the Grinoires passageway to the blooming thorns of the Madaran ck Roses. Vanmier Legion at this point had no other option but to enter the northern regions of the Tusankard Forest to salvage defenses.

    Nevertheless, the effects were proven disappointing, for the shoddily readied legion was trashed by their Undead adversaries and the remaining human armies haphazardly retreated to the southernmost boundaries of the Manoweir region. As frontline updates began to return, it was clear that the Legion of the Undead had made it past Slofavien, the busiest division within the Grinoires region.

    Or at least it once was. Now it was in a state of paranoia and apocalypse.

    Duke Grinoires chased reinforcements from the North and Karsuk, but to the eyes of others, the closest army was in Lantonn, and it was Duke Carnon¡¯s own army.

    Viero and Karsuk¡¯s armies were out of the question, owing to the distance. As water afar quenches not fire, it was not worthy of consideration, and everyone be it for or against them knew about that fact.

    The Madarans were absolutely sure that the war was already won. Even over at Ampere Seale, the Kirrlutzian envoys and the servants of the Holy Cathedral of fire watched on, albeit rather cynically at what they deemed another frankly stupid andpletely avoidable mistake made once and again by their Aouine neighbors.

    But only the few that were actually leading this war knew theplete truth, that an army by then had marched right under Bloodstaff¡¯s breath. A real battle was just about to take shape.

    Brendel watched over the Wind Archer garrison, then turned around and shifted his gaze towards Danir, right beside Medissa and Fennie. The Leader of the tree elves heard of his war strategies and hurried his way from the Loop of Trade Winds through day and night to meet with the Lordmander himself.

    In the rain he stood, folding the letter made with dried oak leaves, with a genuine smile he announced, ¡°Thank you for bringing me the words of the little brat. Danir, please pass this message on to Freya our young princess that we had never forgotten about her, and when the dayes that she bes the true Bishop of the Goddess of the Forest, we wee her back to Trentheim with open arms. She¡¯s always wee to lend a hand.¡±

    Danir nced towards him, ¡°Milord,¡± Brendel waved in response, ¡°Just call me Mr. Brendel, sounds better.¡±

    Danir frowned as he continued, ¡°Mr. Brendel, the elders would expect you to fulfill your oath. Our interactions with humans are far and few between, but regarding the...rumors that¡­¡±

    ¡°I understand, there are some cold-blooded merchants and Nobles that had tainted our reputation, but my purpose is different. The changes in the Loop of Trade Winds were there for all to see.¡±

    Brendel continued, ¡°The Elders should understand I assume, that the human greed and curiosity were too the exact personality traits that push them to incessantly seek to explore this unknown world. All I did was offered them with an opportunity.

    Nevertheless, only I am aware of how we should approach this, the exploitation of ck Forest can take no mishaps. Once humans had experienced its benefits, our achievements would no longer be a one-time event, it would create a culture of exploration towards the kingdoms of the future. Themencing of a brand new era, one that would bring us forward from the cowardly hermit cultures of today.

    Danir nodded. It was exactly this speech that Brendel had made that had convinced their Elven elders in the meeting. Otherwise, the druids, neutral by default would never agree to involve themselves in mortal conflict, whether Brendel was to lit the torch upon the Loop of Trade Winds or not.

    But with the given circumstances, Brendel¡¯s action sufficiently proved that he possessed the capability and vigor to detach the mortal world from darkness and develop clear boundaries between them. Henceforth, the druids had to stand with him in supporting his oversight upon this ancient kingdom. Brendel drew out attractive terms for them, and if his goal were to visualize, it would enable a dream the druids had yearned for generations.

    It was a goal so valiant and selfless Danir appeared visibly conflicted. Why would a human, a shallow, Nobleman at that, carry such Herculean aspirations?

    He turned towards Brendel once again as he replied, ¡°I will pass your words to the Chieftain. My children are now in your hands, treat them fairly and with kindness.¡±

    Brendel convincingly nodded.

    He does not yearn for war, but for the survival of Aouine, and its people, a war of resistance will have to be fought.

    ¡°Count, sir.¡±

    Right then, little Pero finally took to speak. Veronica left them here in Valha to watch after Prince Lenarette, for the youths of the Folded Sword Squad inherited the greatest quality of the Kirrlutzians, loyalty, and honor, traits that were undeniable throughout.

    But now they were left in an awkward position, for the Folded Sword Squad could not possibly serve as an independent military force within Trentheim, and little Pero and Brund were fully aware of this. Before the actual battles began, despite being notified to abide by themand of Brendel, the exact extent of their involvement was what they need to reaffirm.

    If Crown Prince Lenarette were to reside as an honored guest, then their role would be to serve as his private protection squad. If that was the case, Brendel could restrict the limits of their movements and power, but cannot directly give orders to their ranks.

    In a different scenario, however, if the crown prince was seeking refuge in Valha under the generosity of Trentheim authorities, then the Kirrlutzian crown prince naturally could not possess an army of his own, besides his own personal guard.

    Veronica had been noticeably vague about their roles in Aouine. Given the situation, however, it seemed to them that Crown prince Lenarette was indeed seeking asylum in Valha, but The Lord of Trentheim however did not demand their immediate return to the empire, which they find rather perplexing.

    Days ago, under Brendel¡¯s invitation, they had apanied the crown prince to attend a military meeting, and the insight obtained from the discussion was quite revealing in itself.

    The squad leader did not specify what their roles were, or if they had agreed to or declined the request. Nevertheless, it was rather evident that Lord Trentheim¡¯s intention was inclined to involve them in the war, or at least presented as such.

    As for the choice of the Folded Sword Squad, Pero was certain, just from the warmongering spirit imbued in their blood alone. They wanted to fight.

 Chapter 830 - v5c22

    Chapter 830 v5c22

    Warmongering Knight (2)

    They were certain that their stay in Aouine would be nd and uneventful, dull even, for this was not the empire. There were not many opportunities avable, and individual achievements were not incentivized, there were no adversaries like the Haizaiers, Wind Elves, Farnezain Knights, or even the Brutes.

    They were beginning to perceive their temporary residence within Valha as solely for their loyalty towards the crown and country. As members of the military, obeying direct orders was a sacred ground rule. Nevertheless, they were also young, hot-blooded cavalries. They joined the army to fight, to conquer, and to bring glory to themselves and the empire!

    Now that opportunity was presented to them, despite being in a foreign nation, a friendly nation to the empire, a nation led by the Aouine Nobles well-respected across the continent.

    If the crown prince were to allow it, they would in essence be fighting for the future crown of the Kirrlutzian empire.

    It did not take much to gather their enthusiasm.

    Little Pero, with further convincing from Brunhilde and the other War Goddesses went ahead to inquire the much sought after details from Veronica and the Crown Prince, and the reply they offered was that:

    Crown Prince Lenarette, as the most influential guest living in secrecy within Aouine territories, relied on the sess and uphold of Count Trentheim and his country. With that said, the war that Trentheim had involuntarily been dragged into was also a war for the crown prince.

    And if Count Trentheim permits, the Folded Sword Squad during their residence in Aouine would take direct orders from him, as long as it does not interfere with their top priority, which undoubtedly would be the protection of the crown prince.

    The reply was all the information they had intended to confirm and more, but Little Pero was in no mood to dissect the schemes and multi-faceted reasoning, he had received the greenlight he sought. For the people where fighting was their purpose, who wouldn¡¯t want to head out into the battlefield again to show what they¡¯re worth?

    Besides a war against their own mothend, they were more than willing to stand and fight against anyone else. War was their honor, scars were their des, and their names, collectively there was only one, the Knights of the Empire.

    Three days ago, Brendel in the name of an observation envoy once again ordered the entire Folded Sword Squad in his attendance, now even including Crown Prince Lenarette himself. Little Pero knew that their chance had arrived, and as days eyed closer towards departure for war, he could no longer wait any longer for the revtion.

    Brendel peeked over at him and found it funny. The young one must have been restless. Back when he epted Veronica¡¯s request to retain the Folded Sword Squad within Aouine¡¯s boundaries, they agreed that their allegiance to the crown prince would be an allegiance to him.

    But he was witty enough to y around with the agreement and held Veronica back from informing her hot-blooded squad of war-hardened militants. The reason was simple, he knew if he were to provide these youngsters with insights, they would be relentless.

    A good third of the Empire¡¯s future were gathered under hismand, knowing that the thirst for war and battle flows in the blood of these young Kirrlutzians, Brendel understood they could not bear the boredom of peace.

    These young warriors bore the most strenuous of training, experienced the most upromising of cavalry examinations, tested in real battle scenarios, they would never suffice with a mellow retreat through Aouine.

    They would ept their assignment of sitting put to ensure the safety of the future crown, sure, at the slight mention of a battle that they might participate in however, they would not hesitate to pursue the opportunity to once again draw their weapons.

    Little Pero, knowing he was now in the presence of the Count of Trentheim himself, there was no reason for Pero or the rest of the Folded Sword Squad to continue awaiting orders.

    Now that they took to engaging him, Brendel too was eager to witness their capabilities in battle.

    Despite all that had gone through his mind, he solemnly replied with ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡­¡­

    The Slofavien territory¡¯s mountainous terrain extended across the edges of Cielmann region¡¯s pine mountains, before they meet by the easternmost corners of the Mountains of Chablis at an intersection, effectively carving out the most unnavigable & hostile terrain of Grinoires passageway¡¯s northern stretches.

    This was also the Easternmost fringes of the Tusarkand forests. In the historical lore of this world, Eikkel and his fiancee Yo would lead Lantonn and Viero¡¯s Allied armies in this exact location, ambushing andunching a glorious surprise attack on Bloodstaff¡¯s legion. On this day, history seemed to y out in real-time as endless lines of the Madaran Army marched into the region.

    The overcast sky loomed over the mountains as a bone-chilling breeze swept across the region. It, however, meant nothing towards the Undead, be it freezing cold or sweltering heat as they marched forward inplete unison.

    Bone cackled monotonously as the ground shook. From atop, the green of the terrain was seemingly reced by the unsettling grey of the mindless bone structures, along with a pinch of Skeleton Knights by the far ends. Unlike humans, they rarely ustomed themselves to symbols or gs, for their obsidian maces were already their best representation.

    The unfolding war gradually became inconceivable.

    Notably for Bloodstaff, ever since the annihtion of the White Winged Cavalries at the Cielmann riverbed, the opposing Aouine forces went into retreat, Vanmier legion went intorge scale fortification, resulting in a fatigue-ridden, dispirited, and disorganized army.

    The effects were most evident in the battles spanning thest few days, the Undead legion nearly decimated each and every one of their enemies in defense, the Vanmier Legion was visibly crumbling, significantly worse than it did in the First War of the ck Roses.

    All of a sudden, Bloodstaff found himself in the absence of any notable opposition in his conquest across Aouine. The closest one his adversaries had were still in faraway Lantonn, even a momentary dispatch could only arrive in a week.

    By then, Kirkuk would have been a barren wastnd.

    As for Kirkuk and Viero armies, they were nowhere to be seen. Once the upation of Kirkuk waspleted, he was to merge with the human armies of Radner, by then Lantonn¡¯s army would be a mere afterthought.

    This was something even their Supreme Leader could not achieve, and here he was cruising through.

    He was bound for triumph and glory.

    To him, Grinoires¡¯ Aouine army was no longer worth a mention. Cruising through Karsuk, his true opponents were in the form of the Hignd Knights, which from his knowledge puts the dimwitted, pathetic Grinoires army to shame, especially given how they scurried and whimpered with their tails tucked when his legion decimated them.

    It seemed to him now that the One-Eyed Dragon, Tagus, was just big talk. He was once warned that a division in Be would pose an inconvenience from the Madaran Supreme Leader herself, who had the Mercury Staff in her possession when she slithered her way to the throne under the brace of the Vampires.

    Turns out she¡¯s not as great as her title boasts to be.

    To Bloodstaff, his reverence to the Supreme Leader gradually diminished as he covered more of Aouine¡¯snd.

    His eyes burning with the pale mes of phosphorus as he nced across the mountainous terrain, and over on his nks were his rapidly growing Legion of the Undead. Just a little more, a little greater, and upon my return to Madara she will have to think twice before she dare mess with me again!

    Nevertheless, one thing was still irking him, and that was the dark mercenaries hired from the Seas of the Dying Moon.

    Their greed superseded all expectations he had before, their initial ns of a magic-abundantnd were, upon witnessing the frailty of the mortals, superseded by a hunger of building on thesends cities of their own.

    He would never agree to such terms, for that would require countless skeletons and souls.

    What Bloodstaff could not fathom when evaluating the costs, however, was that the Dark mercenaries, even after spending almost their entire lives at war, a practice nearly synonymous to food and rest would only now notice the lurking ominosity of their surroundings.

    Usually, when the exterior of the main army was restricted, an inexperienced legionmander would take some time before realizing their forces had been inexplicably confined.

    But for a hardened war veteran, just a band of scouts going missing would set off the red alert within oneself, their hunch would make them question their surroundings and fuel their paranoia.

    But it took the dark mercenaries hired from the Seas of the Dying Moon only now to feel exactly that, after they lost five bands of scouts in an hour.

    The frontmost end of the legion at this moment seemed to be shrouded in a cloud of mist. The Dark Lords finally realized something was evidently wrong and instantly raised the message to Bloodstaff, requesting for a dispatch of more Skeleton Knights in that direction.

    Bloodstaff was a formidable adversary well-versed in Aouine affairs, and hade to a simple yet clear-cut conclusion: The Aouine people were eyeing to go all-in on his legion, and tounch a thorough andplete retaliation here with their best and exceptional in a final hurrah to halt them at their steps. If this final blockade copses, Kirkuk would be defenseless.

    It was a conclusion that was unterally epted by the Dark Leaders.

    Unlike Bloodstaff, these Dark lords from the Seas of the Dying Moon had no knowledge of Aouine, besides the Vanmier Legion, the only insight they had was the White Lion Brigade in far-away Ampere Seale.

    All information they had on the Southern Aouine forces derived from Bloodstaff, and if Bloodstaff were to tell them that no mortal army remains within the Grinoires region they will perceive it as true without a second thought.

    Ultimately, Bloodstaff¡¯s deduction was notpletely wrong. From Madaran intel, it was a fact that the Southern border regions of Aouine were in jeopardy.

    The princess might have united the forces of Ampere Seale, Arreck all the way to Trentheim, but Lantonn, Viero, Grinoires, and Karsuk, despite pledging allegiance to her on paper, were still embroiled in territorial rivalries between leaders.

    In the face of a genuine and ever-present threat, the chances of them uniting into one was mild to modest at best. What Bloodstaff would not have imagined even in his wildest dreams was that they possessed a wildcard in the name of Eikkel, the cavalry fanatic, a caricature of himself that did what he had done best, butting into the business of others.

    In the historical lore, this Necromancermander once again clumsily faltered into his own demise, and right then, it appeared to be history in the making.

    Furthermore, along with the man thousands of miles away in Trentheim urately predicting his sinister ploys, there was cavalry fanatic Eikkel right there this time to give him a lesson he would never forget.

    ¡­¡­

    Eikkel¡¯s forehead curled as he fixated his gaze upon the mapid bare before him. Right now, he was both the representative of Lantonn and the Noblemander of Duke Carnon.

    As usual, he had few ideas for the strategies they were about to attempt, and the actual masterminds of the retaliation n fell into the hands of Buga, Makarov, Odin, Yo, and Duke Viero¡¯s cavalry through intense discussion, revision, and strategizing.

    Amongst them naturally were the leaders of the Hignd Knights, sending in a special division of Silver level cavalries numbering at about four hundred men.

    They might not be many, but each with an average power level of Upper Silver, they more than sufficed in capturing the gazes of the masses. Not to mention the deployment package came with one-third the number of mages with simr power levels.

    This extravagant formation left everyone else awestruck, epting the Hignd Knights¡¯ undeniable position as the premier division within the nation, owing to their superior capabilities ahead even of the Aouine nation as a whole.

    After receiving the news from the princess herself, Brendel found the situation to be rather amusing. After all, there weren¡¯t many brigades within the Hignd Knights division to begin with, only three to be exact, and the one dispatched this time around must be the Holy Rock Knight Squad.

    Their actions however appeared rather out of the blue. Given that it wasmon knowledge that the Hignd Knights¡¯ position within the courts of Aouine did not happen out of the blue, their reactions seemed overtly passionate.

    Ever since the Battle of Ampere Seale, the knights had been acting strange from Brendel¡¯s perspective. They need not participate in the mess back then as it was not the least beneficial to them, but they did. If they decided to join for the sake of his grandfather, it would make less sense for him to wrap his mind around.

    He just could notprehend what the Hignd Knights were attempting to gain, but no further detail of this kind was mentioned in the letter.

    Now his concern was with something else, the entire war strategy. It was unsurprisingly Brendel all along that was the true author being the n of action, and it took quite an effort via the princess to convince the others to see Bloodstaff as their primary target.

    It was reasonable to perceive the Aouine people of this era with a certain embedded discrimination towards Madara, certain that the Dark nation was only capable of petty border skirmishes even after the First War of the Roses.

    It was a perception that likely stemmed from the fact that a year ago, during the war, the undead did not make it far into Aouine territory, even the worst battlefields loitered around the border regions.

    The only armies that were involved were the Vanmier Legion, the Southern army, and a handful of Hignd Knights. Hence in the eyes of the public and even amongst some of whom fought against them, their reputation was only of equal footing with middling bandits and thieves.

    Be it the royal sect or Duke Viero, their focus seemed to be allocated solely on Radner, for to them, if Count Radner¡¯s army were to be crushed, Bloodstaff will realize he had lost his internal aplice and would naturally retreat back to Madaran borders.

    Even the Hignd Knights had the same thought, considering they had the most encounters with the Madarans and their insights were most significant.

    Bloodstaff might have been known to once ravaged across Karsuk, but that was an exaggerated belief, for he could not even make it halfway through Cardiligial before being stopped in his tracks by the Hignd Knights west of Silverhorse city. He was eventually touted to retreat through a U-turn south of Gold city, and back to Madara.

    What the Madaran legion of undead was capable of, they would know better.

    On the flip side, there was Count Radner, the bane of the nation. As long as they see to the defeat of this traitorous menace, the southern Aouine regions would then be half-recovered. Notably to Duke Viero, watching the demise of Count Radner was part of a personal agenda.

    Solely on Brendel¡¯s corner thus far was Eikkel, but not for noble reasons, the cavalry fanatic just did not want to fight in an internal conflict when a foreign army was guing their nation.

    Brendel ultimately resorted to the possibility for Count Radner, upon his defeat, to escape into Madara as an exnation to convince everyone.

    Even though the oue of Count Radner¡¯s eventual escape mattered little to Aouine, it was this reasoning however that managed to convince Duke Viero, and the Duke sure would be least keen to letting Count Radner escape beyond his grasp. House Viero and House Radner had seen their rivalry and conflict persisted for several generations, it was also an unchanged fact at that point.

    Now that Duke Viero had sided with Brendel¡¯s n, along with Lantonn¡¯s representative Eikkel, the Hignd Knights no longer saw any reason to oppose the strategy. Brendel¡¯s n concluded with overwhelming support.

    They were to ambush and strike Bloodstaff first.

    This strategy was in its essence a carbon copy of Eikkel and Yo¡¯s previous ambush and assault strategy that led to the defeat of Bloodstaff, at the same spot as they were today. The Slofavien terrain, a clearly advantageous location.

    But this time, they had an upper hand over the written historical lore, for in history Eikkel would lose his way while searching the Cielmann region, ultimately entering from the Northern side of the Tusarkand forest, squandering huge amounts of time in the process.

    In this reality, Brendel managed to convince Cole and his band to open their gates, the entire Cielmann valley was now fully under their control. They couldmand a full legion under the noses of Bloodstaff and the Undead without them knowing until it was toote.

    However, exactly then Eikkel seemed to have been in trouble.

    ording to the original n, Viero and Lantonn¡¯s Allied armies would alert the Trentheim legion to arrive before they wouldunch an attack on Bloodstaff, but now with hours left until D-day, Duke Viero¡¯s cavalries began to feel restless.

    Eikkel was still trying to grasp the situation he was in, but Makarov and the squad noticed the intrinsic problem, Duke Viero¡¯s subordinates were convinced that Bloodstaff and his legion were like mice in the trap. They were certain that Count Trentheim¡¯s n was to share the achievement that was solely theirs.

    It was easy to see why. Lantonn¡¯s army along with Duke Viero¡¯s were nearly twice the size of Bloodstaff¡¯s, and it was known to all that in actual one-on-onebat, the Undead were actually inferior to that of the humans.

    With a military size double that of their opponents, be it necessary or otherwise, there was no possible oue that they would see themselves losing, so it hardly mattered then if they would wait for the Trentheim legion to arrive.

    Watching as Bloodstaff¡¯s legion came marching into their sights, the regional Nobles could feel their patience wearing thin and their thirst for war rise.

    As the news arrived from Makarov andpany to the ears of Eikkel, the cavalry fanatic was nonplussed. He would never in his wildest dreams have expected this to happen. The same would apply to even Brendel.

    Brendel recalled the ambush happening at this point in the history of this world, but critically forgotten that the Aouine Nobles in this era were not the ones created by the Princess and Freya to consolidate the nation a decadeter.

    Crucially, however, in history, the Lantonn Allied forces were indeed led by Eikkel. Now with the influence of Princess Gryphine and himself, Duke Viero sent out an army farrger than that in history, so whether Eikkel¡¯s orders would matter on the battlefield was truly a guess for all.

    This was no ordinary army, it was a Noble Allied legion,monly dispatched during a battle between Counts, oftentimes in secret by the lower-ranked officials within the House. Now as an allied force led by two counts, when the news arrived at Eikkel¡¯s, Duke Viero¡¯s cavalries had already left base.

 Chapter 831 - v5c23

    Chapter 831 v5c23

    Warmongering Knight (3)

    After witnessing the lord¡¯s hospitality in Valha, Little Pero no longer doubted who was the most powerful man in Aouine, and while everyone else was amazed at the splendor of Valha, he kept an eye out. He had always been observant and smart, so he could notice that the Elven maidens attending to them were all the most outstanding archers among the Tree Elves, and he noticed the magical armor worn by the sergeants of the White Lion Battalion as well. This was not the energy a local noble in a small country like Aouine would have. He thought to himself that those who opposed the Count were absolutely real fools, especially those nobles in the north of Aouine who were pussies and scattered sand that were not worth mentioning.

    This lord was absolutely capable of transforming this small kingdom ording to his own wishes, it could be seen at a single nce that he was a person with great ambitions. This group of people would be an advantage to have. But before he could even speak, Alea, who was at the side, interrupted. That guy pressed his lips together as if he had been holding the words in for quite a while, ¡°Lord, if you don¡¯t mind, you can invite guests to your hunting session. We happen to be free as well... we can help you hunt a bear or some elks down in this forest.¡±

    ¡°This damned, reckless fool!¡± Little Pero wanted to kick Alea real bad, but he had to admit that this kind of straightforwardness could sometimes be a good tactic. ¡°The Kirrlutzians are disgraced by him.¡±

    Brendelughed in secret and replied in a serious manner, ¡°As a host, it¡¯s embarrassing to entertain guests with a few stinky bones.¡±

    ¡°Lord, ording to the tradition of the Kirrlutzians, our hunts aren¡¯t always roasted on the campfire, you can nail their heads on a wooden board and hang them in the room.¡±

    ¡°Hanging the stinking head of a Bloodstaff in my room? I don¡¯t have that kind of bad taste.¡± Brendel thought to himself, This is the furthest I should go with my words. He turned his gaze to the Little Pero, understanding that the young man was the one who could speak up among the knights. Of course, there was also tacit approval of Lenarette, but the eldest son of the emperor had been living in seclusion for some time, rarely leaving the camp, almost like a noble daughter afraid of the light.

    Little Pero bowed his head, ¡°My lord, bears and elks are certainly not able to escape you, but I think the hunters may still have some problems.¡±

    ¡°Hunters?¡±

    ¡°My Lord, in the winter, hunters will often invite friends and rtives when they conduct roundups, and try to choose more experienced hunters, because everyone would want to be the first to shoot the best prey and young people are impatient, often frightening the animals.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s heart thumped, realizing what the other party was trying to say. He frowned, ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°My lord, I have studied some of the war history about Kirrlutz earlier, except for the war between the Holy Cathedrals, most of the wars between the lords below are rtively simple and full of variables. That¡¯s not to say they didn¡¯t want to arrange a detailed n to defeat their opponents in one go, but the lords mostly understood what kind of goods their vassals were, and their actions were often swayed by hot-headedness, or excess fear, often acting privately and undermining the whole picture, so the wars between the lords were often aparison of who made fewer mistakes.¡±

    Little Pero was almost saying that Brendel¡¯s n was all talk and no action. Thanks to the gloomy and misty rainy day, Brendel¡¯s flushed-red cheeks were not obvious.

    The battles hemanded in the past were executed by professional yers, and the so-called gap in execution and discipline of yers werepared to the modern army. But for the noble army of this era, it could simply be called a model. In ¡°The Amber Sword¡±, even the yers of small and medium-sized guilds wereparable to the White Lion Legion in terms of discipline and execution, and therge associations were even more orderly, after all, as long as the orders were not extremely unreasonable or restrictive of personal freedom, most yers would not have a problem with their association points. These memories from the past gave him an illusion that he almost forgot he was now working with neither the yers nor the disciplined White Lions, but the Duke¡¯s private army, which was not evenparable to the Southern Legion and the Vanmier Legion.

    His thinking was influenced by the stereotypes in the game. He considered everything but almost forgot about this one thing. The good thing was that Little Pero and the others were the most professional soldiers at this time, well trained in history of war and field analysis that they could spot the loopholes in his arrangement at a nce.

    He could not help but look at this thin young man again. The other party did not have a word of nonsense, but only a single sentence of analysis that convinced Brendel. ¡°It seems to be the right choice to let these Knights of the Folded Sword join the battle.¡± Indeed worthy of Kirrlutz¡¯s future. The deal is not a loss, at least, not yet.

    ¡°With the current situation, how should we make up for it?¡±

    ¡°My Lord, there is no need to fix it, Madara¡¯s situation is no better than ours, not to mention that this military action of Madara was a product of momentary impulsion. The Bloodstaff pulled in the Dark Leader from the Seas of the Dying Moon, but those lords are no different from our lords, their army is full of impulsion and misjudgment. This battle is an equal opportunity for both of us, not to mention that we have a head start, and our military strength is far more superior to those skeletons. Victory is inevitable in my opinion.¡±

    Brendel calmed down and realized that Little Perot¡¯s earlier remarks were merely to remind him not to take too much for granted and to highlight their role at the same time.

    ¡°My lord, what we are more concerned about than that is what you intend to use us for.¡±

    ¡°You all aren¡¯t quite suitable to appear on the frontal battlefield for the time being, but right now there is exactly one ce where I need you all to be. If those lords act rashly, it¡¯s inevitable that they won¡¯t need an army to go around the back of the Bloodstaff army to dy the pace of the skeletons turning in.¡±

    Little Pero looked at Count Trentheim with some admiration as the Count understood him at once. This count is certainly a wise man. But they also had their own pride, and replied indifferently, ¡°My lord, the army of the Bloodstaff won¡¯t be dyed, because they will not be able to move even one step.¡±

    Now this is what Kirrlutzians are like. Brendel thought to himself, but it was not impossible for a knightly order with an average strength above Gold and numbering up to hundreds to block the Bloodstaff¡¯s retreat.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make too much noise.¡±

    ¡°I will set up the position like the White Lion Guards under the Lord, and we will withdraw before the others arrive.¡±

    Brendel smiled. Talking to smart people saves me so much trouble. He looked at the present Folded Sword Knights. How nice it would be if all these people were Aouines? What a pity. Should we think of a way to keep them? This idea suddenly shed through his mind but then he shook his head. This matter was too crucial. If Little Pero and the others lose their sense of military glory, they might not grow to be true generals in the future. Things wouldn¡¯t turn out ideal if forced. Whatever, let¡¯s just take one step at a time. It¡¯s not that Aouine doesn¡¯t have any geniuses.

    After getting an answer from Brendel, the Folded Sword Knights, who have been depressed for a month, seemed to have been rejuvenated. These young knights were all very energetic, there was no way that they would stay idle. After knowing that they could go into battle and kill enemies, they could not help but rejoice. Moreover, Little Pero, Brund and Alea¡¯s preparations went very smoothly. In fact, the Folded Sword Knights have been anticipating Brendel¡¯s final answer for so long that they did not need prepare a lot. Just after half an hour, everyone was ready to go.

    Of course, it could also be seen that these young people from Kirrlutz were well-trained. If they were ced in a general Noble Cavalry, even if the departure was prepared in advance, the final preparation would take at least one or two hours.

    At this time, Freya arrived in Brendel¡¯s army under the escort of several Hignd Knights.

    The valkyrie¡¯s arrival brought bad news to Brendel.

    As expected by Little Pero, the vassals of Duke Viero had hastilyunched an attack before Brendel¡¯s arrival. After she learned the news from Eikkel, she immediately came to report to Brendel first. And ording to Freya, in order to cooperate with Viero¡¯s army, Lantonn¡¯s army and the Hignd Knights hadunched attacks as well, and the battle between the two was unfolding in the middle of the Slofavian hills, fighting to their death.

    After she finished exining, she couldn¡¯t help but look at Brendel¡¯s face, expecting him to be furious. To her surprise, Brendel only smiled bitterly and shook his head, as if he had expected it, ¡°Freya, go and get ready, the White Lion Guards are waiting for the order to attack. Metisha will act with you, this is the first real war for Trentheim¡¯s army, and I¡¯ll give youmand of the Wind Archers as well.¡±

    ¡°Brendel?¡±

    ¡°The armies of Viero and Lantonn have moved, we must also speed up to match them. If they want to suffer, let them be.¡±

    ¡°But is that okay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, the Bloodstaff can¡¯t win so only certain people will suffer a big loss. On the contrary, Freya, this is the first battle of the White Lion Guards and the Wind Archers since they became an army, and I want them to make asting impression on all the enemies of this kingdom.¡±

    ¡°All the enemies?¡±

    Brendel nodded his head.

    In his mind, those rotten, dead vines and rotten branches that blocked the path of this kingdom¡¯s advancement, were about to be swept away. Aouine will begin to usher in a new life from this moment, the sapling nted in Trentheim, would finally sprout and take root at this very moment.

    ......

    The battle began on a gentle slope to the west of the Slofavien hills, running east-west, with a thick forest of linden trees on the slope, where a noble knight from Viero hade to ambush with his squires a day earlier. This knight named nchet was neither a close one to the Grand Duke of Viero, nor an important vassal of the Grand Duke, but just an insignificant person. He came from the barren territories of the Tranquil Winds Forest, a real penniless person, to wade in this mess only for two purposes: for money and to be seen by the Duke. In order to achieve his ambition, he sold his family¡¯s money and belongings to gather all these people. And for the first time in his life, he rode a horse, put on a set of tailor-made leather armor, painted an emblem on the shield, pulled up the g and came with the army to Slofavien, a ce that was even poorer than his hometown.

    But nchet was both greedy for money and fame, he was not the kind of hot-headed young man. He already knew that this campaign was to deal with the skeletons of Madara before he came. The legend about those skeletons could not be described entirely in three days and three nights. During the First ck Rose War, there was even an army of Madara that entered the Viero province along the Anrek Mountains, and although nchet had not really seen these terrible opponents, he had heard about their ferocity from various sources.

    This knight thought twice before he really made up his mind to give it a go, but finally a bold n took shape in his mind. He did not know where he got to know that the skeletons of Madara were controlled by Necromancers which once they were killed, the skeletons would lose the ability to fight. Moreover, the Necromancers themselves were weak in fighting and would lose all their ability once attacked from behind. This was what nchet had in mind- to hide and wait for the skeleton army to pass, then rush out to ughter those unarmed Necromancers, finally effortlessly getting a big credit. Although he was illiterate, he was extremely satisfied with his n, thinking that was born with some kind of naturalmand ability. The Bloodstaff army has not yet arrived, but he was already imagining the scene of him bing a marquis or a minister in the future.

    However, when he arrived in Slofavien, nchet found that there seemed to be a gap between the ideal and the reality. First, it was drizzling in the hills after autumn, which brought great trouble to the army stationed in the forest, including himself, who would have to march every day in wetnd with muddy boots. And every day in the evening it would be as if he had rolled in the mud. But what was most unpleasant was that there was no dry andfortable ce to sleep, and sometimes they could only wrap their cloaks and spend the night in the mud. nchet had never suffered from such situations and wereining along with the others after only two or three days. The good thing was that after half a week of rain, the army finally entered the designated ambush area.

    Unfortunately, nchet found the situation in front of him different from expected once again. In his imagination, the so-called ambush would be hiding on both sides of the valley, waiting for the Bloodstaff army to pass; once they do, then they would attack all of a sudden and sh those skeletons. Of course he would be hiding until the end, just waiting to finish off the best deal with the Necromancers. But upon arrival at Slofavien, the knight only found that it was totally different ¨C the whole battlefield was bigger than imagined, there were hills everywhere, only neverending slopes that were connected to a forest. Nobody could tell where the road was, let alone tell the direction.

    Under such circumstances, nchet felt that it would be difficult to even figure out which direction Madara¡¯s army woulde from. Not to mention the whimsical thing of going around their backs to kill the Necromancers. At this time, those people in power had begun to divide the area one by one, ordering these scattered knights and lords to be stationed in their own ambush area. And for nchet, he was divided into a lime tree forest.

    This was not all.

    nchet was usually a happy-go-lucky man, however, and in such a situation, he was told to map out his surroundings. He soon found out that most of the people stationed around him were poor knights simr to himself and had ambitions to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune. This stressed him out as he thought he was the special one there, or at least the adventurous one who was willing to risk it all and grab the opportunity. He did not expect that there would be so many bold people like himself, he immediately started to feel the time constraint.

    But fortunately, he was received by a big man this morning. Of course, along with other knights, but it was enough to make nchet feel important, because it was said that the lord was a vassal of some sort of Duke Viero. The reception was about putting them on alert, since the Bloodstaff had been in contact with the Viero army earlier the day before.

    But nchet, with his natural sensitivity, understood another meaning in the other party¡¯s words, namely, with tacit approval, allowing them to attack at the right time without orders and without waiting for the scheduled time.

    Because this man said that opportunities on the battlefield were fleeting, the good knights must learn to seize the opportunity themselves. Of course, if nchet had some military sense, he would understand that this was just a bullshit statement, and if Brendel were here, he would probably sneer at these Viero nobles for doing such an obvious job in order to get the credit.

    But almost everyone thought that victory was at hand, a little indulgence did not seem to be a bad thing.

    Of course, all this had nothing to do with nchet. He only felt that this was a good sign in any case.

    And it continued as a good sign.

    That afternoon, he finally saw a small group of skeleton riders running from outside the linden forest. And immediately after this skeleton cavalry, an army of skeletons appeared that had several hundreds in number. But of course nchet could not count them, he only felt that he had never seen so many Undeads before, densely spread all over the hillside. This must be the army of the Undead.

    He was nervous, but a thirst for credit and money calmed him down as if he had ovee his fear. He felt his heart pounding, and the opportunity he had dreamed of was at hand.

    Sure enough, a few momentster, he saw a line of skeletons holding staffs and wearing robese into view. If he was familiar with Madara¡¯s army, he would have recognized these as the skeleton mages were those who cast detection spells in the vanguard and were responsible for supporting the scout troops, but to nchet, they had only one identity.

    The Necromancers.

    Here¡¯s our chance!

    nchet said to himself secretly.

    ......

 Chapter 832 - v5c24

    v5c24

    A Messy Failure

    nchet did not know that he might change the oue of a war.

    If he had understood this, he would have felt incredibly honored.

    Not even a quarter of an hour into the battle of Slofavien, many of Viero¡¯s lord knights noticed that something was wrong. In fact, it was unusual that they did not feel something was wrong. When the knight named nchet recklessly led his squire out of the linden forest and charged against a whole army of skeleton mages ¨C of course, he thought they were Necromancers ¨C the whole battle in Slofavien was destined to slide into the direction they could not have expected. nchet¡¯s move was like a signal to the other knights, asking them to go ahead and take their advantage. Although no one blew the trumpet, it was as if the horn had sounded at first, and all the knights who were ambushed in that area screamed and attacked from behind nchet.

    Just like that, the entire left nk of Viero¡¯s army was affected in an instant, and before theirmanders had time to react, they found that the entire front nk of the army was disconnected. Everyone could not help but be dumbfounded at that moment. Although they had more or less hinted to their subordinates that they could initiate the attack with their acquiescence to leave behind the troops from other regions topete for the credit, they did not have to wait for that predetermined moment.

    But the problem was that it seemed a little too early. The topmander on Viero¡¯s side was slightly stunned before he cursed, ¡°Who is that!¡± He roared, ¡°Whose men are those?¡± Everyone around him was silent at this moment, because nchet had indeed chosen a good time, so good that even the Bloodstaff¡¯s army had not yet actually entered the Viero army¡¯s encirclement.

    The sudden attack also stunned the Undead.

    The Dark Leaders from the Seas of the Dying Moon reacted very quickly and immediately stabilized their position. In their imagination, the humans were prepared and the skeleton army in the front was definitely untenable; they simply abandoned that army and retreated backwards to prevent the ambush of the human army from hitting their main force, but then the dark mercenaries, who were experienced in battle formations, were surprised to find that the human knights did not seem to notice them at all and instead, were charging forward in excitement. Of course, they did not think that the entire left nk of arge human army had broken off to attack their front, but that this was just a decoy, and if they dared to go forward to support or let the front retreat back to merge, then the main human force hidden in the surrounding hills would appear and give them a heavy blow.

    This was a logical way of thinking, after all, no one would expect their opponents to suddenly go crazy, although sometimes the truth may indeed be ridiculous.

    But at this time, the Bloodstaff could not help but be dumbfounded. ¡°They aren¡¯t the Vanmier army? Then where did all these human armiese from?¡± It would have been eptable if the knights were just a wing of the Viero army, but the problem was that the Bloodstaff and the lords under itsmand had preconceived the idea that what had appeared was just a vanguard decoy of the human army, a vanguard decoy of more than 2,000 men, so wouldn¡¯t the human army in ambush here be more than 20,000 or even 30,000? The Bloodstaff could not think of how these damn Aouines gathered so many people even if they used up al their brain juice. Of course, if they still had brain juice.

    The Madaran Army¡¯s hesitation fell on Viero¡¯s side and became something else. The Bloodstaff¡¯s army now had about a few thousand skeleton warriors visible, in which a third are already skeleton archers, in addition to a sizeable skeleton cavalry and mercenaries from the Seas of the Dying Moon. These were basically its entire force, plus hundreds of fearful spirits, as well as some ghosts, zombies and other misceneous Undeads, but they were notrge to be threatening.

    And now, the vanguard of the Madaran Army was under attack by the Aouines. The vanguard wasposed of hundreds of skeleton warriors and dozens of skeleton mages responsible for casting Detection Spells, plus a few teams of skeleton cavalry scouts. With just this number, they had been able to hold the entire left nk of Viero¡¯s army which put all themanders of Viero in a panic. If the Madaran made a charge now, the left nk of the Viero army would copse entirely.Many people were cursing the recklessness of the knights below, although they also wanted to leave Brendel alone for the glory and credit, but they did not expect the knights below to be more eager than them that even before the Bloodstaff army entered the encirclement, those damned guys had already started the charge in advance.

    At this moment, thesemanders immediately experienced the same helplessness that Brendel had experienced earlier.

    However, just when they themselves thought that they would definitely lose this time, Madara¡¯s side took a very cautious attitude, and those skeletons were obviously contracting their defenses, as if they were nning to abandon their own vanguard. Themanders of Viero¡¯s army were overjoyed by what they saw, and they could not help but feel a little suspicious. What were these skeletons doing?

    The lords of Viero¡¯s army were not really stupid, they quickly guessed what the Madarans were thinking, but even if they did, no one dared to make a move. They could only watch the whole left nk charge towards the opposing vanguard, praying that those fools would realize the situation and retreat when they had taken advantage, and of course, praying for Marsha¡¯s blessing so that those damn skeletons would never see the w. They did not dare to send more men to help the left nk nor make any reckless moves. Madara¡¯s skeletons thought that they had sent the front knights but once the other troops were exposed, then they would realize that they were being set up, and it would be all over.

    Duke Viero¡¯s suprememander could not help but sweat uncontrobly. He never dreamed that the battle woulde to this point, and could only quickly order the noble private army ambushed in the main formation and the right nk to quickly adjust their direction, in case the left nk was crushed they could still hold up for a while. On the other hand, he was also silently praying that the Lantonn Army could catch up with them and join the battle. The Madaran¡¯s had nearly 10,000 troops, while thebined forces of Viero and Lantonn had 15,000.

    But what made him feel bitter was that it was the consequences of leaving the Lantonn and Trentheim armies behind to act on their own that they were in this situation.

    At this moment, themander could not help but feel a sense of guilt.

    And so there is a strange bnce on the battlefield, both sides of the battle were praying for a miracle, Viero¡¯s side hoped that Madarans would not be so quick to recognize the cheap mistake they made, while the Blood Staff was anxious to find out who was ambushing them and how many human troops were in front of them. ording to the judgement of the Dark Leaders, there was at least an army of more than 20,000 people in front of them, and if this judgement was urate, the Bloodstaff could only pray for a miracle to happen so that their army could escape from the hills.

    They actually knew clearly that the army in front of them was probably from Viero or Lantonn at this point.

    But what happened next on the battlefield left everyone dumbfounded.

    As the knights¡¯ charge was underway, a light blue wave appeared on the meadows on the hillside and was moving forward.

    The most glorious moment of nchet¡¯s life was about to happen. He was on his horse, holding his shield high and holding hisnce. Although he stumbled all the way and his horsemanship was almost unsightly, but in any case, he was guiding an army tounch the attack. A thousand horses followed him ¨C he was like the tip of the sharp spear, at this moment, he finally understood what the knights meant by ¡®glorious¡¯. This was the glory they talked about. He couldn¡¯t help but shout, as if his voice alone could make these ¡®Necromancers¡¯ in front of him surrender their weapons.

    He felt that he was the first knight to attack, and was about to bring a glorious victory to Viero. This time he was sure to be an important official of the Duke. Of course, nchet could never have dreamed that the real important person beside Duke Viero, the suprememander of the Viero army, would have dismantled him if it was possible.

    But nchet was not aware at all, still immersed in the romance of being a glorious knight. He suddenly felt that he had lived the first half of his life in vain, and that this moment was the life he really wanted.

    For this moment, even if it meant death, it was worth it to him.

    But perhaps Marsha felt this desire in him and was happy to push him in the back and let him achieve his ultimate goal in life. All in all, in the eyes of nchet, those suckers, the Necromancers, should not make any resistance and just wait for him to kill them. These damned skeletons would be nothing and disappear in thin air. In the case of the human army, they might have been scared and pissed their pants at this moment.

    But unlike what nchet imagined, those skeletons raised their staffs right away.

    At that very moment, he felt he might have been deceived.

    Master nchet used to listen to the bards in the bar about the prowess of the Mages, and it was another dream of his to be one. It was not until thest moment of his life that he finally witnessed the splendor of magic.

    Actually, it was not that much splendorous ¨C

    The skeleton mage pointed a distant finger at him, and nchet barely reacted before half his body swelled up and exploded into a bloody mist with a bang. This death for the knight lord was not a very sessful end, but for the others it was only the beginning of the horror. This shocking way of death stunned all the squires who followed nchet from behind. A living person just exploded into a puddle of flesh, and the flying spray of blood and organs sshed all over the people behind. Such an impact was unbearable to these temporary noble soldiers, not to mention that even real professional soldiers may not be able to endure it as well.

    Therefore, naturally, the squires copsed right away.

    Their minds were in chaos and the only thought they could think of was to turn around and run. Then they collided with the knights behind them, and the center of the battlefield was in chaos. The skeleton mage¡¯s ck magic exploded the human knights one by one, and most of those knights were just at nchet¡¯s level. Although they had heard from various sources that the Undead was nothing much to be afraid of and could be weaker than human knights as long as they overcame their fear. Thinking about it, it seemed to be true. In fact, many of them went into battle with such a mindset, but the problem was that they soon discovered the gap between the ideal and the reality, and realized that oveing fear itself was not an easy task.

    Even the knights leading the group were scared out of their wits, not to mention the squires behind them. Those with a little more guts simply pulled the reins of their war horses around from both sides of Madara¡¯s front, and some of these people were lucky enough to survive. The less courageous ones turned around and most of them collided with their own people, knowing that this battlefield had a certain slope, this kind of collision led to the predictable result of arge swath of knights being thrown forward off their horses, flopping down on the grass, and then trampled over by their less skilled colleagues behind their backs, which was simply tragic.

    For those who werepletely in shock, they rushed straight to the skeleton army. But the problem was that the number of people in this part was too small, and the few who rushed into the formation got stuck on the dense spears.

    That was it.

    In a mere ten minutes, the entire left nk of the Viero army was defeated by the Undead who had less than a quarter of their number, or rather by themselves. Of course, this was not because the quality of Viero¡¯s noble private army was so bad to this point. On one hand, it was because theirmander made a mistake. Due to fear that those knights from all over the world would drag the Duke¡¯s private army down, they were all concentrated on the left nk. Of course, his intention was as it was because it seemed easier to battle this way due to the terrain, but he never thought that these damned guys would be so undisciplined and rush out on their own.

    They even copsed inexplicably.

    Of course, this was also because most of Viero¡¯s local army had never fought with Madara, just like in the first War of the ck Rose. Vanmier¡¯s Army faced the Undead army¡¯s defeat, in fact, that was not a reflection of realbat strength, but the human¡¯s natural fear of the Undead.

    But in any case, the current result was still a death sentence for the suprememander of the Viero side.

    No matter how weak their left nk was, the destruction of the entire left nk, exposing one side of their army for the opposite to attack, had announced the final oue of the war.

    The important vassal of Duke Viero stood there almost dumbfounded, his forehead already covered with cold sweat.

    And at this time, both Bloodstaff and the Dark Leaders of Madara were equally dumbfounded. One moment they were praying that they could get out of this ambush in one piece, but the next moment what happened was like a botched hrious drama that somehow yed out right in front of them. The human army that had taken the lead, hade prepared, and had several times the number of their vanguard, had just routed itself.

    What kind of drama was this?

    The Dark Leaders under the Bloodstaff looked at one another. They came from brutal battlefields on the border of the Seas of the Dying Moon, and both sides of the war were veterans who had been in the battlefield for a long time. Few people would make such a low-level mistake on the battlefield. When they saw this scene, ording to instinctive thinking, the first thing that came to mind was not that these humans on the opposite side were being funny, but that this was not a terrible trap. Imagine a trap that required the sacrifice of one or two thousand of their own people, the ultimate goal must be to wipe them out.

    If these Dark Leaders could still sweat, they would have been covered in cold sweat like the suprememander of Viero now.

    But of all people, the only one who reacted first was the Bloodstaff, which had the most dealings with these Aouine people and was well aware of some of the other side¡¯s temperament, and it realized almost immediately that there was something wrong here. Of course, their usual cautious self held them back from rescuing their vanguard, but they waved their cane and passed an order to the back. At the same moment he gave this order and a dozen Terror Phantom from the Undead whistled up and flew towards the Aouines in front.

    If Viero¡¯s suprememander thought he still had ast chance before this, his hope would have been crushed right now. He immediately understood that this time it was all over when he saw the horrible flying Undead with wings several meters wide. The Madarans would soon find out what was going on. Imagine an army that had lost one wing, and in a short time there was no way to gather it back, exposed to the main force of the opposing army, what kind of scene would that be?

    Not to mention that the other side still had the skeleton cavalry. They did not even have a chance to escape.

    If there was any remaining hope in the heart of thismander at this moment, it should be hoping that the Lantonn and Trentheim armymanded by that Lord Count, which they had previously left behind, would appear on the battlefield as soon as possible. The sooner the better.

    ......

 Chapter 833 - v5c25

    v5c25

    The Tinder of Aouine

    The sudden situation on the battlefield disrupted all the deployment, so that Brendel understood for the first time, the so-called sophisticated n in this era¡¯s art ofmand was basically equivalent to the decree of Heissian The First ¨C a joke. The noble army, especially the hierarchy between different knight rankings and theck of discipline was the enemy of allmanders. Praying that there would be no mistakes in such a situation was not what one would have to think about, but instead to pray that there would be no mistakes. A n with moreplexity would have more ws.

    The Slofavien region was located north to the Cielmann Valley, southeast of the Tusankard Forest, and the end of the Mountains of Chablis in the Grinoires Province. The low river valley hills cut off Lake Vallendaren¡¯s in from the Cielmann Valley, acting as a natural barrier. Several tributaries that feed into Lake Vallendaren cut through the hills, forming several rtively gentle valleys along the path of which the Bloodstaff¡¯s army was advancing, and Cowan¡¯s men had long trailed to spy out the direction of their march, detecting that these skeletons might pass between the two river valleys of Krivan and Chenier.

    Krivan and Chenier were two of the most important passages in the Slofavien hills. These two river valleys were surrounded by the Jondel Mountains and spread in a forked pattern to the north, with many small hills between them and manyrge linden forests spread on the gentle slopes that could be used for ambushes at this time of year. This ce was probably the most ideal ce to set up an ambush in addition to the fact that the Bloodstaff seemed to have never considered that an allied army from Lantonn and Viero would ambush them here. The previous victory made him arrogant and, so, a new history would be made in this ce.

    In Brendel¡¯s original n, the four armies of Viero, Lantonn, Trentheim and the Hignd Knights would set up ambushes in the two river valleys of Krivan and Cheniel, opening a circle of about 20 miles in circumference, so that Lantonn¡¯s army would be the first tounch a blockade, and then Viero and Trentheiml¡¯s cavalry-based army would go around to the back of the gentler river valley to attack andpletely destroy the Bloodstaff¡¯s army.

    But the current state of affairs has developed beyond everyone¡¯s expectations.

    The Bloodstaff¡¯s army divided into two, distributed in the river valley about seven or eight miles apart from each other. When one wing of vanguards encountered Viero¡¯s army, Viero¡¯s knights of the squire could not contain the fire of passion in them andunched an attack first. As a result, the Bloodstaff¡¯s spread-out army did not enter the encirclement at all, except for a small number of pioneers. Its main force was in fact still in the front of Lantonn and Viero¡¯s army, and farther away from Trentheim¡¯s army, an ambush started a battle.

    What was even more dangerous was that Viero¡¯s army had beenpletely exposed to Madara¡¯s army. They had lost one wing and their morale was copsing. For the others, especially the Lantonn army and the Hignd Knights, they were unaware of what was happening on their nks, and after learning that Viero¡¯s army had attacked first, they immediately changed their battle n to try to get around to the nk of the Bloodstaff¡¯s army, not knowing that their own people have created a hole in the encirclement.

    Eikkel, along with a few of his cavalry, were still rushing through the mountains and forests, praying that Viero¡¯s damn knights would not stir up too much trouble. But both Makarov and Audine were not too optimistic about that, they knew too well these noblemen of the private army. Those people could execute 70% to 80% of their strength in attacking or holding their ground , but once they were faced with a head-on attack, they would most likely copse in a matter of seconds.

    It must be said that these two old nobles knew very well the strengths and weaknesses of theirnd, although not seen with their own eyes, there was a high chance that they were right.

    Among everyone who participated in the war, Brendel received the earliest news from Eikkel through magic transmission. Magic transmission was rarely used in the wars during this era, because it could only transmit words and Vaunte had terrifyingly incredible decryption skills. They had some sort of ¡°Decrypt Text¡± magic that could restore the original meanings of ciphertexts, andmanders were naturally unwilling to have theirmands leaked to opponents.

    However, ¡°Decrypt Text¡± was not wless, there was a simple way to restrain it. As long as the person sending the message was divided into groups of two, with one person responsible for writing the text and the other to send it out. As the Mage apprentice would only need to copy it through magical transmission and the sender would only be thinking of the original text, the hidden message would not be leaked out. It was a simple thing after understanding the theory of magic, but the problem was that most mortals of the era did not possess that level of understanding of magic yet. They were still at the stage of knowing what it is but not how it worked. Silver Mages called them quacked warlocks. True interited Mages paid more attention to the knowledge of magic principles. Most Bugas were schrs, while most human Mages were magic casters, and this was the gap.

    In fact, the Buga Mages had long found a way to restrain this magic, but this was their secret and it would not be poprized in the army of the ck Iron until after the te War. But Aouine now had an exceptional existence in this situation ¨C Brendel. Therefore, knowledge was not inessible and he directly giarized the Mages¡¯ methods for use.

    But this method had no technical content so it would be extremely simple to spread out. Moreover, once Magic Transmission was poprized, countries with strong military forces such as Madara and Kirrlutz would benefit from it far more than Aouine. Therefore, Brendel had never publicly used this skill in the military, and only used it in some information exchange with his trusted men. Unless he was convinced that it would benefit Aouien inrge-scale wars in which they could take enough advantage to offset the subsequent impact, otherwise, he would never spread this secret for the Bugas easily.

    In fact, Brendel already had ns in mind, but the war with the Bloodstaff was not in such a crucial stage yet.

    He put away Carglise¡¯s magic letter in the drizzling rain. He had expected Madara to defeat Viero¡¯s old army, but it certainly caught him by surprise that Viero¡¯smander gathered the rebellious knights and put them in the left wing. I don¡¯t even know if this is overconfidence, or the self-cultivation of the actors. Brendel thought to himself. If those ¡®things¡¯ were handed to him, Brendel would rather gift them to Madara and be their enemies rather than having them under him. He described the subservient knights as ¡®things¡¯ as these armiesposed of insignificantndlords, wretched knights and opportunists left him with a deep impression. In history, they sacrificed the northern knights which was the same as today¡¯s stupidity. ¡°But themander may also be in a hard situation, at least these knights were still vassals of Duke Viero by time. If they are willing to wave the g for their master and Duke Viero dares to not ept them, then his reputation would be in ashes.¡±

    Brendel knew very well the game rules of these nobles. Knights and lords were the foundations of this era. Unfortunately, the foundation was starting to tremble at the bottom. ¡°Dear lords, your time hase to an end-¡± He still had the time to revise a poem recited by a poet in the game.

    Luckily. Brendel thought.

    Luckily Madara defeated Viero. He was most afraid that Duke Viero¡¯s army wouldunch an attack first and alert the Bloodstaff instead. If so, the ck Leader who was famous for being careful would have redirected the entire army and retreated back to Cielmann which would then be big trouble because Aouine still had a ce called Radner, which was where they were ambushing the Bloodstaff and fighting time. If Bloodstaff died in the ambush, then Radner would lose support as well as the retreat route to Madara. The army would then copse.

    But if the Bloodstaff reiterated back to Cielmann and gave Radner a chance to break through in this direction, then the trio of Trentheim, Viero, and Lantonn would be in the conserved hills and they would not be able to hold on for long.

    Once Rader and Bloodstaff merged, then nobody would see an end to the chaos in the sourthern border.

    Brendel knew how bad Viero¡¯s knights were but he was caught by surprise as he found out how much they actually sucked. When Carglise¡¯s letter said that Viero¡¯s left wing was being defeated by hundreds of skeletons, he almost thought that it was a joke. But Carglise would not joke with him at such a moment. Indeed, Viero¡¯s army was defeated.

    Miraculously stupid.

    He flicked the letter,walked to the side and grabbed the saddle as he got on is horse. Under the drizzling rian, the army was pulling out and everyone was getting on their horses one by one. Further away, Trentheim¡¯s young Mage group was being led by Ciel to be assembled. The Mages climbed onto the Phantom War Horses they summoned, wearing their silver-gray robes and hoods, they turned their heads in one direction one after another. Among them, there were warlocks originally from the mercenary group, the young people who have justpleted their apprenticeship trials in Valha and Coldwood Castle, a small group of Druids brought by Danir, and a group of Witches convinced by Babasha and two other Witches who mostly had pale faces and no expression were here to join Brendel ¨C the future Darkness Dragon.

    But in any case, Brendel finally had the first group of magicians in the South after all these people were put together. A total of 120 people with various strengths ¨C a quarter of them were from the various mercenary regiments of warlocks and Mages, two quarters were from the Royal Cavalry Academy and the academy of Trentheim, and thest quarter were Witches and Druids. This group of magicians was like beggars in the eyes of the regr army, but in the South, it was an unprecedented first.

    The head of the magician group was naturally Ciel, but the deputy was Amandina. Ever since the Trendsetter saw her talent and took her as an apprentice, Amandina began to learn magic knowledge systematically. Although she was still an apprentice, her attainment in magical guidance technology was beyond the reach of most people. Brendel was very clear about the magician group¡¯s future, so it was only natural for Amandina to take this position.

    Then came the Wind Archers.

    The legendary army of the Princess¡¯s Guard, an offshoot of the Silver Elf Linge Legion, had theirmander of both the present and the past, Medissa, sitting on a Unicorn with hernce hanging from her saddle, her hands folded in prayer. Like the warriors of the ancient Silver Elves, she prayed for the Elite Elves of the sages of the forest to shelter them and give them courage to defeat their enemies. It was also a prayer for the souls of those who had died in the war. The Silver Elf¡¯s song was ethereal, causing all the Tree Elf Archers to stop and listen, with a look of adoration on their faces.

    As for their second-inmand, Fina, haf long been the most ardent fan of the little Silver Elf Princess.

    Of all the troops under hismand, only the White Lion Battalion was the quietest and most orderly. Those young men from Trentheim seemed to be used to this atmosphere under Brendel, while the nonmissioned officers and soldiers who were brought in from the original White Lion Legion were full of curiosity. But they all had a sharp sword in their eyes, which shone in Freya¡¯s hands, and since this sword reappeared, the new White Lion had a soul.

    Their deputymander, Carglise, who was currently in the South of the Cielmann mountains, naturally could not be in this army at the moment.

    Only Hipam and Shitah were left at Brendel¡¯s side. Hipam was wiping the heavy surface of the Genus of the Mountain Range as rain fell on the stone scepter. The scepter emitted a circr green aura, as if it was burgeoning life in the mud, full of prosperity. But the Little Dragon did not dare to say another word at that time. She had roasted Hipam¡¯s shrimp and ate it herself, but the magistrate girl did not give her any trouble during dinner. Instead, Hipam went and got the Genus of the Mountain Range right away.

    It had to be known that Hipam was the biggest winner in the Dead Tundra Forest¡¯s battle and her strength had recovered to the levels of Elemental Awakening. Plus the nearly invincible Gaia¡¯s scepter, Shitah could imagine the worst oue that might be waiting for her. Since then she was like a rat whenever she saw Hipam.

    Thest group of people to appear in Brendel¡¯s view was the Kirrlutz¡¯s Knights of the Folded Sword.

    One by one, these proud knights crossed the hills below, raising their swords in greeting to him, and although they were few in number, only a few understood the fearsome nature of this group of knights. Little Pero, still wearing his thick cloak, with his crossbow stuck underneath it, looked up at Brendel with his head held high.

    ¡°My lord, is the news reliable?¡±

    ¡°No doubt.¡± Brendel replied. Little Pero looked slightly surprised. In this era, scouting the Madaran Army was difficult from two aspects. First, the ck Rose of Bromantonu rarely appeared in the eyes of the world before that, even in the eyes of Aouine, that dark kingdom was also a fractured and weak kingdom. Less than ten years before the first War of the ck Roses, the lords of Karsuk at that time still often led armies into the Madara territory to carry out revengeful plunder.

    Although the Undead during that era was horrifying, the ck Leaders were so scattered that they wished to see the humans attack their fellows so they could take advantage and seize thend. Moreover it was impossible for a Madaran leader to go against the entire Aouine empire. Therefore, except for the victimized people by the Madarans in the borders, Aouine nobles had always seen Madara as a weak country full of thieves. Nobody bothered to further understand this country.

    The War of the ck Roses was a nightmare for the entire kingdom of Aouine, and in fact, the nobles did not know exactly why they lost even up till now, as illustrated by the earlier disastrous defeat of the Viero Army against the Blood Staff.

    So this was a kingdom that knew nothing, a mystery in itself.

    Secondly, the vast difference between the Undead and the living made it hard for human scouts to get close to the Undead army. This problem remained the most difficult one to solve until Madara fought with Sanorso. Although Madara had not bordered the Kirrluz Empire onnd, but Little Pero and the others who were schrs from the science ss, still knew this very well, and were very skeptical of Brendel¡¯s words.

    Brendel¡¯s confidence came from knowledge beyond the time. In thetter days, the Wind Elves came up with many ways to deal with these skeletons, and Carglise was personally taught by him, so bypassing the Bloodstaff army was actually not difficult. At that time he had personally led the refugees to escape from Madara when he was in Be, while Carglise only led a few scouts to follow the army, which was even simpler, not to mention that this era¡¯s Madara actually did not understand their own means of detection had so many loopholes.

    Little Pero rushed to the Lord and saluted from afar, ¡°Since your Lordship is sure that the Bloodstaff would not retreat for a while, let¡¯s wait for our good news.¡±

    Brendel nodded, and the young men of the Knights of the Folded Sword pulled on the hoods of their cloaks in unison under his watchful eye, turned around and headed south. But in a short while, only the shadows of the tumbling cloaks remained in the rain. By this time, Freya had arrived at the front of the White Lion Battalion.

    ¡°Brendel,¡± she called out, ¡°Eikkel contacted us.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Brendel replied, standing proudly in the rain. ¡°Let those knightly lords of Viero understand that the times have abandoned them. Wee to the future, this new age!¡±

    Freya froze slightly for a moment.

    Ciel whistled andughed, ¡°Come on Freya, the Lord mean to save whoever.¡±

    ......

 Chapter 834 - v5c26

    v5c26

    The Commencement of War (1)

    Under the forest floors were the fleeing cavalry and their servants. To witness the current state of the battlefield for these unfledged Viero shoulders were akin to that of witnessing the arrival of an apocalypse, leaving them reeling from the terror that had befallen upon them.

    Sensing that the Phantoms of Terror were giving chase, they were helpless and distraught, ready for their demise in an unfamiliarnd. The privates were shaking as their legs began giving way to the horror befolding. They unabashedly dropped their weapons and scampered into every direction.

    In a turn of an eye, the army was utterly decimated.

    The Phantoms¡¯ ws were like w machines dangling in mid-air, and with every swift swoop over the hapless mortals below, futile cries were promptly heard echoing into the valley.

    Through the chilling howls and hollow cries, the guts and organs came slipping out of the torso as it was ripped into half. After an ear-shattering shriek, what remained of the disfigured torso came crashing down mid-air as blood sttered across its radius.

    Dropping off worn load, the Phantoms of Terror once again took flight as they shot out of the forest canopy and back into the air.

    The High Commander of the Viero army, Count Jacques watched in horror as the events unfolded, three to four dozens of the Phantom of Terrors pped their wings over the overcast sky, circling over and terrorizing the mortals below. What remained of the cavalry haphazardly ran into the safety of the woods. Due to the disastrous evacuation, many died without evening into contact with the Phantoms of Terror. Instead, they were killed by the unforgiving forest terrain, be it from tripping, running straight into the outgrown trees and branches, or just mercilessly trampled to death by other soldiers within their ranks.

    With the mindless stomping and trampling, a careless trip could mean the end.

    One to two thousand men were chased into the dense forests like scattering rats in the light was truly a depressing yet oddly humorous sight. If they were willing to pause, turn back and give their enemy a second thought, they might have made a more sustainable escape. But here they were, consumed by their own fear and dying unceremoniously as a result.

    A handful of Noblemanders and cavalry members of higher standing from the Viero Legion watched as tragic scenes yed out, but none found it hrious, not even the slightest.

    Count Jacques turned around and murmured his orders, then came a few bishops dressed in red robes and pointy hats, with their holy item in one hand each and the Divine bible of the Holy Cathedral in another as they emerged from within the shrouded darkness of the woods.

    Encircling the cavalries next to them, they began reciting. Before long, a white glow radiated from the Divine bibles within their grasps, slowly rising upwards and intersecting with one another, forming a spherical barrier around the entire legion.

    Count Jacques felt the warmth in his heart, it was not from any actual effect of the recital, but it was the barrier that was forming that truly soothed the tension and the sense of impending doom saturating his mind just a moment ago.

    It was a blessing of strength, the rattled Noble privates under the recitals of the Holy Cathedral bishops finally found a glimpse of sce.

    ¡°This is the barrier of fear. These wailing beasts must be of higher levels,¡± Jacques held onto his sword as he informed the others.

    Compared to his traumatized colleagues, Count Jacques, who was a veteran of the War of ck Roses, was among the selected few that had ever gone head to head with Madaran forces.

    On this issue, Duke Viero named him a trusted acquaintance, and previously when the princess came to the Duke for advice with Brendel¡¯s letter in hand he was chosen as the spokesperson in reply.

    Back then, however, he heeded no advice from Brendel, for in his rigid perceptions, the dark creatures lurking to the east of Aouine were nothing but pesky lowlifes who were capable of little, and the reason they had even any advantage at all during the War of the ck Roses was that Aouine defenses at the Be region were weak and mismanaged in the first ce.

    Theparison he had in mind was Karsuk, where the Hignd Knights stood guard and unsurprisingly the Madarans were kept at bay.

    But fast forward to a yearter now, Count Jacques was visibly shaken, for the Madaran armies before his eyes were drastically different from the one he met in Viero.

    In hisst encounter, the undead adversaries during his defense in Viero, despite their terrifying appearances, were merely disjointed skeleton structures flimsily marching towards them. The Madaran army thenunched their attacks through the forests and managed to cripple the vige recruits.

    But with solid footing from his trusted cavalry paired with a swift retaliation, they realized the skeleton armies were not much of an issue after all. What truly posed a significant threat were the Necromancers. Nevertheless, with skill levels tallying to that of his cavalry directly under hismand, they were promptly defeated.

    Naturally, the Count himself, smothered by his own ignorance, was oblivious of the fact that the troops that invaded Viero were under Frostw, who was a Ghoul. Ghouls were the lowest-ranked of Madara¡¯s Dark leaders, equalling only to the direct subordinates of Count Jacques¡¯ cavalry today.

    Their surprise assault into Viero back then was only to avoid the powerful Hignd Knights up north, while hoping to snatch a tiny advantage for themselves. Like nchet, they were shallow-minded, and more unfortunate was for them to fall right into Count Jacques¡¯ feet.

    They were engaged in directbat and were on nearly equal footing. Jacques came out of that war losing most of his cavalry, while Frostw lost significant numbers of Necromancers, resulting in his fall from grace, before eventually being consumed by other more powerful factions within the Madaran Empire.

    He was further oblivious that the initial invasion of Be was actually the elite forces of the Madaran War of the ck Roses, for Yinstar Dragon and Tagus were the close acquaintances of the Supreme Leader. One-Eyed dragon Tagus was even known to be highborn. The Vampire house until the era superseding the Battle of nted Forest was the most trusted power to the Madaran Emperor.

    The army that Bloodstaff had with him now, despite hismanders notably less morous than that of the Yinstar and Tagus duo, had the additional strength of the Dark Mercenaries of the Seas of the Dying Moon in their formations, and were now significantly more powerful than that of Yinstar¡¯s army back in the War of the ck Roses.

    The stark contrast was now crystal clear in the eyes of Count Jacques, as his heart sunk to the depths of hell.

    He might be an experienced veteran, and had shown hardly any change in facial expression besides the inaudible murmuring of ¡°Advanced undead creatures¡±, but he knew best himself, that it was just words from hearsay.

    Count Jacques¡¯ colleagues clearly knew his theatrics and did not offer much consolidation. They watch the Terror Phantoms behind them, before there came a few dozen more.

    Navigating across the gradually ttening mountain slopes, over the Linden forests, and then atop another row of modest hilltops. As the Terror Phantoms gave chase, despite still a distance away, they struck deep into the spirits of the hapless mortal army.

    The peak they were on was facing the Bernicel riverbed, and on the opposite shores of the riverbed, the fleeing cavalries were still several miles away. On the right corner was a stretch of dense pine forest, within it were heavily armed foot soldiers lurking, shielding the crossbow infantry from being picked out.

    This was originally an impressive blockade terrain, the cavalry on the left wing could effectively draw the Madaran legion of the Undead into this open riverbed of two dozen miles wide, earning the Trentheim and Lantonn legions some precious time.

    However, owing to the fact that the formations were now non-existent and the cavalry was in shambles, the heavily armored foot soldiers and crossbow infantry lost the outward protection from the cavalries, left to fend for themselves.

    One of Duke Viero¡¯s renowned knights eventually managed to distinguish that the Terror Phantoms were at least mid-silver level beasts, which meant they were ss Four creatures at the very least, leaving everyone else petrified.

    Over a hundred of these ss Four creatures could single-handedly annihte all of the nearly four thousand Noble infantry on the spot.

    Weighing in on their circumstances, Count Jeelin and Count Bormousse were insisting on a retreat with the reason of retaining the size of the remaining Allied forces.

    If they could escape before all four thousand of them werepletely obliterated by the time the Lantonn army arrives, or to withdraw half of the twelve divisions by then, they could at least ready themselves to fight another day. Otherwise, the events of the Cielmann riverbed were bound for a recurrence.

    The Noble cavalry were all keen on the idea, all but Count Jacques, who wasughing maniacally. He knew what they meant from that, despite sounding all noble and tactical, it was all just a thin veil of their cowardice. The decision to attack was a unteral decision earlier when the battle seemed like one they were bound to win, but now seeing that it was no longer the case, their instincts were to gutlessly retreat.

    Of course, it was not something Count Jacques would find hard to believe, after all, he himself was hardly a noble person. But are these bastards idiots? Does it still look like the ball is with us?! He was furious.

    As he contemted, he was trying his best to soothe his nerves. Inparison to hispatriots, he was at least more of a strategist.

    Count Jacques thrust his sword into the ground as he sneered, ¡°The count authorized me tomand this Allied army, because he trusts that I would be loyal and true to our Mother Nation of Aouine, to be the voice of reason to you lot. That said, do you think there is honor in a retreat without a battle?¡±

    Count Jeelin as a close friend of Jacques was dumbfounded. What the hell is he thinking? Has he gone mad?

    He had encountered those madmen of the royal sect, he knew his friend was not like them. Peeking over, he was anticipating the reveal of what his true intentions were.

    Other noblemen had the same thought, but from their gazes upon Count Jacques, there was notable tension and hostility.

    It was an unspoken rule amongst the wealthy circle, if one was to bepletely fair and unyielding, one will have to keep it starkly isted from the benefit of other Nobles, or their lives. If either was breached, then it was no longer within the protection of thew on the discrimination and intolerance from within the Noble circle.

    The Aouine of today was far from its glory days of the prehistoric era, as Brendel had put it. The nation-founding King Erik¡¯s court of Nobles was respectable and honorable, carving from these barren and untamednds a kingdom of their own. But generations after, their descendants had long lost the drive and dignity of their forefathers and were now just scheming and power-hungry scums.

    But what Jacques was beginning to piece together was the utter confusion on how short-sighted and remarkably stupid his fellow well-off friends were.

    Eyeing the disgruntled fools with a sense of disgust he decidedly took to rify,

    ¡°So you boys are thinking of a retreat, don¡¯t you? Oh, so all of you can outrun those Skeletal knights now? Or can you outrun those flying bastards in the sky? Whole bunch of idiots, this is our only chance of survival, we have to fortify this stretch of the forest until the Lantonn army arrives. Naturally, if you¡®d like to run just go for it, if you like the odd 1 percent chance of you squeezing past the horde of undead right outside these woods!¡±

    Count Jacques¡¯ words were stern yet solemn, as he let out a prolonged sigh. Not sure why, in the face of death I¡¯m d I said what I said. Somebody has to be the sane one here, and for once it¡¯s nice to know that¡¯s me.

    Everyone else was stupefied.

    These Noble lords, despite carrying the title of Viero¡¯s regional guards and cavalries, were mostly just inherited positions from being wealthy and respectable figures within the region.

    In the face of war, they had no experience of tactical skill to speak off. For the citizens of Viero, deep within the boundaries of the kingdom, war was a far-fetched tale, the closest event to one that they had experienced was the conflict between Duke Viero and Radner.

    Those curfuffles deemed less noteworthy than border skirmishes in Brendel¡¯s eyes, were akin to vige rivalries, and yet they had the nerve to named the young Nobles as manders¡± and ¡°generals¡±.

    As Brendel had repeatedly put it, ¡®What a disgrace.¡¯

    And amongst them at some point was Count Jacques himself, which now himself embarrassed to even be affiliated with those cowards.

    After moments of news passing from therades or friends closest to Count Jacques across the far end of what remained of the legion, many fell dead silent. His words struck deep into their hearts, although some intellectually challenged junior soldiers even took to ask if they can surrender to the Madarans.

    Of course, they all knew, that surrender was up on the table, but only when they were dead.

    It naturally was not a result any of them, upon realization of the options avable, were keen to ept. This was where the Madaran Kingdom differed from any mortal kingdoms or any kingdom of that matter.

    During an armed conflict between nations, surrender and ransom paying weremonce, and when Nobles were captured and imprisoned, they would be fairly treated while the captors await the ransom from the Noble Houses themselves. Once the deal waspleted, the hostage would be set free back to their home nation, and would receive a hero¡¯s return. It was fair knowledge to most.

    But Madaran did not take living prisoners, to lose to Madara would be to die. In a war with the Empire of Madara, even the most cowardly would be reluctant to surrender, most would choose to fight to the death.

    And now, it was Count Jacques¡¯ choice too. For there was no other path, to fight and maybe die in it, or to die as a deserter and a coward.

    ¡°What if the Lantonns are noting? What if they know we are done for and chose not to die here with us?¡± One of the Nobles could not resist rifying a looming thought in all their minds.

    ¡°If they dare!¡± Count Bormousse erupted. But after that, he found himself tongue-tied. It was them who broke their agreement in the first ce, after all, which they promptly took to realize.

    Now the Lantonn army actually had a valid reason for noting to their rescue, they could very well revert back to being their harshest critics from far away. Unsurprisingly, however, from the perspective of the Nobles, it sure will not be their own faults if that happens, and Lantonn¡¯s pettiness would be to me.

    The forests went drop-dead silent for moments.

    Count Jacques worried about the spirits of his army as he replied, ¡°Calm down, Count Trentheim might not being, from what I¡¯ve known he is such spiteful a person.

    But Lantonn¡¯s legionmander Eikkel, I know that guy. He¡¯s an idealist knight, if he gets toe, he wille for us. Naturally, you guys will have to stand up for yourselves until then. Unless we make it until the reinforcements arrive, or their journey here would be to retrieve your corpses.¡±

    With Count Jacques¡¯ speech, along with the reputation Eikkel built for himself from the Battle of Ampere Seale, the Viero Nobles were finally able to breathe easily.

    The truth was there were already private conversations mentioning Eikkel¡¯s personality as if the Knightsman himself could hear them from dozens of miles away.

    With the reinstated hope within his ranks, Count Jacques could finally lift the spirits of his army back from the solemn depth again, but not to win. Absolutely not. Nobody cared about winning at that point, all that mattered to them was to survive.

    Viero¡¯s army once again regrouped and began fortifying their lines within the forest. Their actions, however, quickly arrived at the ears of Bloodstaff through the Phantoms of Terror.

    The Madaran Dark leader was determined by then, for they were certain they could identify the unknown identities of the adversaries before them, they must be Lantonn or Viero¡¯s men.

    What mattered most was that they were decisively not the Hignd Knights.

    As for Count Trentheim? Who the hell is that? It hardly batted an eye amongst the Dark leaders of the Seas of the Dying Moon.

    To them, it was good news clear as day, that the foolish Lantonn and Viero armies hadpletely no knowledge of the Madaran army. They were different from the previous Grinoires army and resembled more the human armies from Aouine a year ago. And that army, be it to Bloodstaff or the untamed Dark Mercenaries were nothing.

    Not even worthparing to trash, for they were nothing.

    ¡°Seems like they have a reinforcement army,¡± The younger individual with pitch-ck hair gave the map a subtle knock, as he remarked into the ears of Bloodstaff, ¡°This army should be within our vicinity, but I do not fathom how the Aouine people can create a major blunder of this sort.

    s, they are no significant threat to us. For even if we pinch our pockets, with their fighting capabilities alone they are just a worthless pack. Besides, they have already squandered any chances of even an attempt of an assault, let us sit back and devour them piece by piece.¡±

    He chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s nice that they sent reinforcements, directly to us.¡±

    Bloodstaffughed maniacally, the half-witted attempts of the Aouines left the Dark Mercenaries baffled beyond means, but now seemingly getting used to their half-hearted schemes.

    Their encounter with the Vanmier Legion¡¯s White Winged Knights was an unexpected affair, far exceeding what they were initially expecting. This before them was what they rightfully perceived as actual Aouine army standards.

    Fixated upon a bleached white map drafted on the hide of an unknown animal, it seemed just like they were monitoring thends from above. The Legion of the Undead were now marching on a terrain a few miles wide. Unless the humans were able topletely barricade the entire area, otherwise, there was no stopping them.

    Sure, at least they had their chances, but their opponents were pathetically foolish.

    ¡°Send the skeletons to test what they¡¯ve got,¡± He stoically replied, setting on stone his war strategy.

 Chapter 835 - v5c27p1

    v5c27p1

    The Commencement of War (2)

    The wavy hilltops were like a crumpled floor mat. Retaining the colors ofte summer in its appearance, the lush greenery seemed to glisten under the drizzling rain as a thin veil of fog developed over the battlefield.

    On the opposing hills right next to the riverbed, within the Linden forest, gradually increasing silhouettes were visible. They were soldiers dressed in bulky armor paired with pointy helmets, on their right shoulders were each the skull of a white-maned lion. The eyelids of the maned lion hung low as if it was contemting, which reflected the stance of the legion.

    The first to step out of the forest was a squad of officers, on the fringes of their breastte was a symbol of a burning Devil with long ming horns to resemble their involvement in the War of Ampere Seale, the veterans who had returned from a bloody war against the Devil and lived to tell the tale.

    Right in front was a young man, under his steel helmet was a determined gaze. His name was Mars, not only did he participate in the Battle of Ampere Seale, he was there when the Cmity of Wolves urred in the Loop of Trade Winds. Within the earliest batch of Trentheim youngsters, a total of sixty strong that was dispatched with him, one-half of them lost their lives in the battlefields of Ampere Seale.

    But he lived, and for that, he received the honor of the White Maned helmet from the Count himself and was promoted to the ranks of Middle Cavalry Captain.

    He tilted his head towards another officer behind him, also bearing a simr helmet with a golden tassel. What was exposed were a pair of wheat-colored pupils, eluding wisdom from its bearer. He knew the man as Julian, even though he was not part of the Battle of Ampere Seale, he was one of the longest-serving officers under the Count, and among his oldest followers at that.

    And now just like himself, he was the heart and soul of the White Lion Battalion. There were many individuals like this back in Firbur, and under Brendel¡¯s two current systems, one was the original Red Bronze Dragon mercenaries, the leader none other than the Red Bronze Dragon, Leto.

    This war-hardened veteran was a Trentheim legend in his own right, many of his followers were the same group that had followed Brendel since the very beginning. This system now unofficially ys the role of Elder.

    Nevertheless, it was Brendel¡¯s intention to lighten the military positions of mercenaries and semi-professional parties within Trentheim, the Red Bronze Dragon mercenaries were now positioned in Mirtai, and was mostly responsible for the security of Firbur alongside the Cave Dwellers who were assigned the defense upkeep in the region. Leto was never one with huge ambitions and was more than satisfied with the arrangements.

    Naturally, Brendel¡¯s arrangements were not due to the concern on the positions of power, but to induce the future recruitment of professional military into Trentheim with the benefit of the kingdom in mind.

    No one was more aware of the innumerable faults of the traditional private armies derived from the Noble Houses than Brendel himself, and Viero armies¡¯ bloody encounter today was a clear testament to it. It was now evident to all the reasoning behind Brendel¡¯s arrangements, and those who had doubts before were left impressed and in awe.

    What they could notprehend, however, was that Brendel saw far beyond just this, he knew exactly what Aouine needed, now and beyond.

    Brendel¡¯s other system, which formed the White Lion Battalion and the Wind Archers Legion was created with the future of Trentheim in mind, but anyone from Brendel¡¯s first system was free to join regardless.

    Many saw this legion as the true core of Brendel¡¯s future arrangements, and views the White Lion Battalion in high regard, including those of Brendel¡¯s closest mercenarymanders.

    Besides Cornelius who was now in the logistics department, Jana and Forn had both taken the initiative to join the White Lion Battalion and were now the Knight Captains of the Third and Fourth Brigades respectively.

    These ex-mercenaries along with Trentheim¡¯s locale, topped off by the White Lion Battalions original members from the Royal Faction Youth division formed the three main divisions. But Brendel despised the fraternities of the divisions and made sure they remained only on ground level.

    Julian noticed the gazes of hisrades, turned back, and within the fringes of the forests, an impably tight formation of White Lion Infantries marched behind him. The young soldiers all drew their swords, almost in unison, their broadswords glistened under the drizzling rain of autumn.

    The g-bearers had yet raised the gs so the brigades were not yet distinguishable. On the far corners, under light fog were a few upright silhouettes on horseback.

    ¡°Are you nervous?¡± Under the chilly weather, every breath formed a cloud as Brendel spoke. But with his skill level, he naturally saw no need for a steel helmet or any burdensome heavy armor, donned only chainmail and a breastte.

    Under the metallic breastte was a leather strap tightly knotted to his waist, and on it were the crest of Double-headed griffin. It was a reward from his conquests, the Lonia¡¯s Gap.

    Turning towards Freya where the question was directed, the future War Goddess replied with a shake of her head, ¡°C¡¯mon Brendel, it¡¯s not my first stint anymore,¡± She recalled herst battle at Ampere Seale, where she nearly lost grip of her sword that she practiced so thoroughly before. Nevertheless, after sessive battles, she began getting used to the heat of war.

    Lifting her head and looking beyond the mists, ¡°This sure feels like Be, Uncle, Aunt, this time I¡¯ll send those repulsive invaders back where they came!¡±

    The same Pine mountains, and across the opposite side of these mists and rain were the same enemies as before, Freya had the fiery determination resembling the mes ravaging across Be that night.

    She instinctively clenched her Lionheart Sword.

    Within the fog came a row of men.

    ¡°Carglise!¡± Priestess Merial next to Brendel called out, like the release of huge tension. She was no longer cross-dressing, and had reverted back to a maiden¡¯s outfit. Her long, braided blonde hair made a name for herself as the renowned beauty of Firbur, but she decisively chose Carglise, to the dismay of many.

    Merial¡¯s parents were a Noble family from the south side of Ampere Seale. They carried Kirrlutzian lineage, which knowing that fact made it hardly surprising that her father had the snobby personality endemic to the Kirrlutzians, and had always disavowed her rtionship with a poor peasant youth in the form of Carglise.

    Not until Brendel¡¯s reputation exploded within the kingdom did Carglise¡¯s elitist father-inw acknowledge his potential, and chose to no longer stand in the way of their marriage. And exactly because of that, Merial and Carglise were deadly loyal to Brendel ever since.

    Carglise blushingly turned towards Merial as he approached, along with several other young men trailing behind.

    Brendel took a good look and noticed Cowan at the far end. He actually came in person.

    Slightly surprised, but Brendel did not express any of it on his face as he raised his hand, then tossed the helmet with the winged crest and a long tassel towards him.

    Carglise firmly received the helmet, with a teasing look on his face he replied, ¡°Carglise reporting for duty, Milord. We¡¯d like to request your return to the legion,¡± While watching as his Lordmander nodded, he snuck a peek at Merial and awkwardly added, ¡°Milord, why did you let here too?¡±

    ¡°Ms. Merial is the most ster priestess in the territory, and also the squad leader of the Army-Associated Bishop Division, so why can¡¯t she be here?¡±

    Brendel continued, albeit slightly disgruntled, ¡°True, on private matters you might have a say on this, but that shouldn¡¯t affect her interest in offering her capabilities towards the benefit of her territory, isn¡¯t that right Carglise? You¡¯ve got to think bigger.¡±

    Merial naturally was not the best priestess under Brendel, that spot goes to Hipam, but Hipam was a Priest of Himilude, and Aouine, under the influence of the Holy Cathedral of Fire can only allow for her to move in solitude or risk religious conflict.

    Brendel when delving into the topic was suddenly reminded of another who was temporarily residing in the territory, an individual far ahead of Merial both in terms of religious knowledge and position within the Holy Cathedral, and that was The Nun Princess of Antoburo.

    It was important to note however that Magadal was still yet to fully recover, and during her recuperation, despite how eager she was to repay the favor, Brendle would not allow for her to travel to Radner in such harsh weather, which could be brutal.

    The Priestess too was following on Brendel¡¯s remark, her cheeks reactively red as a tomato from the embarrassment, one that was mirrored by her husband Carglise despite his thick-skinned personality.

    He noticed that he was always engaged in friendly bickering with the Count of Trentheim, but recently the Lordmander himself seemed to be ahead of him in this matter. Truly in a league of his own.

    He naturally did not know Brendel in his past life were to receive messages hundreds or thousands of times the pace and volume as he did now. In terms of bickering and intellectual debates, it was bound to be one-sided, the only reason Brendel did not raise disputes often before was because he hadn¡¯t yet solidified his authority.

    It appeared that even Carglise did not realize that at this point he had now whole-heartedly acknowledged his Lordmander who might even be a year or two younger, awkwardly coughing to sweep the conversation under the carpet. Right then, Brendel was sharing gazes with Cowan from behind him. The young man appeared noticeably thinner than when theyst met. His cheeks were already curved inward, yet his dark pupils seemed sharper than ever, eluding his admirable perseverance.

    Draped in a thick, bulky hood made from animal fur, his stance resembled Little Pero. It had only been six months but he had grown taller, and despite being just a teenager, he had all the charisma of a regional leader.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Milord,¡± Cowan was first to speak.

 Chapter 836 - v5c27p2

    v5c27p2

    The Commencement of War (2)

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Milord,¡± Cowan was first to speak. Earlier on, he was rather intrigued by the bickering between Brendel and his subordinates, which was frankly bizarre to him.

    Given his upbringing from the mining regions under Radner¡¯s rule, he had been ustomed to the way Aouine Nobles treated the lower sses, and he detested each and every one of them. Just like all youths with a dream, Cowan decided to put his hatred and disdain into action.

    Nevertheless, the future ruler of Radner and his progressive worldview were limited by the societal barricades of his time. His pursuance of freedom and equality was limited even in imagination by the structures of society and hence was adamant of the peculiar actions from Brendel, the thorn amongst the Nobles.

    Seems like this Count Trentheim is truly just like the rumors put it, an individually acting person. Could it be his personality, or is it just a facade?

    He knew the answer as it was. Ever since they were indebted to Brendel deep within the Schafflund¡¯s silver mines, the Count had left asting image.

    He was different from the other Nobles of his social ss, he valued trust, encouraged faith, and resembled the mannerisms of the Ancient Nobles.

    Cowan did not intend to indiscriminately despise the nobles, he detested the morally corrupt and bygone ruling ss. Every Aouine citizen carried good faith in the principles of the first King Eikkel, Cowan was no different, and in Brendel, he saw a sign of that faith.

    Maybe this is who he had been looking for.

    The future King of Radner was saturated with conflicted emotions but showed little as he right back at Brendel.

    Brendel could guess at this point, but was still unable to believe that the future lord of a region would choose to pledge allegiance to him.

    In Brendel¡¯s eyes, an individual like Cowan, rising from refugee status to be the legitimate ruler of a region was one of the fables. The protagonist of a fairy tale, possessing wit, ambition, and drive.

    If it were not for Aouine¡¯s modest size, his future could be more than it was written. A man of his qualities in the other universe where Brendel¡¯s real nationality lies, he could build an empire and a dynasty bearing his own name.

    That man, that man decided to join me?!

    Ever since he ventured into this world, this was the first time he felt gant and proud. But from his observations, it was clear that the Cowan by his side was still far from the future King of Radner.

    He was now still just a mountain bandit, not yet exposed to the events in the lore, and because of his role in the narrative, he might never get to.

    During his stint in Schafflund, Cowan decisively chose not to pledge allegiance to him. One was because he was nothing but a bandit himself, naturally posing not much of an attraction for anyone to be interested in.

    The second was because Cowan naturally was not offering anything much consideration given that he was just a teenager then. His intention was to venture beyond Schafflund to see the outside world.

    Just half a yearter, much had changed in the heart of the young man, now with the inspiration of the world beyond through the experiences gained.

    ¡°Thank you for all that you¡¯ve done for the Cielmann region in the war thus far, Mr. Cowan. I believe this is a good time to remind you that lineage is not everything. Nobles aren¡¯t born superior, capable people are, and I am proud to be here telling you that you are among the best there is.¡±

    Brendel praised with a faint smile, ¡°There are people who start their race in life far ahead of you, owing much to their parents but are now far behind you. Mr. Cowan, when the forefathers carved the borders of the kingdom, nothing was set in stone nor were they predetermined by the Heavens, everything owed to just three words.

    Faith and grit.¡±

    Cowan¡¯s eyes brightened from his words, it was all he had been searching for thus far in his life. Brendel¡¯s speech, word for word, was what kept him contemting through countless nights. It was the source of his confusion. It almost seemed like Brendel indeed had mind-reading powers to him as he stared bewilderingly at Brendel.

    But the deduction of the future king of Radner was actually right, Brendel did in certain ways possessed the ability to understand his concealed thoughts and aspirations.

    In the historical lore of this world, Cowan had always pursued the glory of the Ancient Nobles, but it was not a rare aspiration in any way. It was the goal of every single Aouine citizen after all, but most could only dream, Cowan was one that had the grit to put in genuine strives towards that goal.

    Brendel knew exactly what the future king of Radner was thinking and naturally would not have interpreted it wrongly. He however was slightly concerned, as the experience of this man before him was no longer the same as it was in the historical lore, he began to wonder if his perceptions of the world or the concepts of ¡®good¡¯ and ¡®bad¡¯ had differed from what he had known.

    Cowan¡¯s expression however seemed to soothe his doubts significantly, ¡°That¡¯s good to know. Even though most of Vaunte¡¯s history had been chaos, there are certain details that have been remained intact thus far, unfortunately,¡± He thought to himself, despite already visibly more convinced than he was before they met.

    ¡°Cielmann is the most important buffer in our nation¡¯s southern border. What could happen to it has already been proven today. South of here is a nation of darkness, and the fledgling nation of evil will soon be the most terrifying enemy to our kingdom. Mr. Cowan, there is far more than you can achieve than what you have done today.¡±

    Cowan went silent for a moment, then kept hisposure as he denied, ¡°I¡¯m just a mortal, Milord. What I¡¯ve done today was not as noble as you have given me credit for. It was all to return what I¡¯ve owed you.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Cowan, no need for the niceties,¡± Freya at that point too, noted the intentions between the two. These two men might have unsettled issues, she figured, but her participation was one half for her aspiration in defending Be, while the other was tied with Brendel. It was clear as day that Brendel¡¯s intention was to recruit this young man before themselves, and by now she could tell from Brendel¡¯s primary actions alone on what he was nning and she would pre instinctively back his opinion.

    Cowan however looked right at the female knight before himself, shook his head but decidedly kept his silence.

    Brendel knew the conversational formalities Freya picked up from the Royal Cavalry Academy likely meant no significance to an ambitious young man like Cowan. Those rigid arts of persuasion would probably only work on a pure-hearted maiden like Freya, he reckoned.

    Facing Cowan, he replied, ¡°Aren¡¯t us both? For the faith towards this kingdom and a sincere heart that you now loiter in the fringes of the world, is that worth it? With such perseverance, everything else would mean little I¡¯m sure, so why concern yourself with theplexity of details?¡±

    Cowan sighed ever so slightly, but no longer refuted. With a slight nod, he moved himself to the side. Brendel could tell that he was convinced and no longer pursued any further. This was a man of much capabilities he believed, and with a brought up quite simr to his own, if he were to pledge his allegiance to a Noble house, it would be his.

    Panning his sights towards the entire kingdom, there really was no one else that would offer him the fair and respectable treatment that he offered. I guess I too wouldn¡¯t get to do what I have done so far it wasn¡¯t for Her Grace¡¯s unyielding trust or my lineage as the grandson of the Great Earth Sword Saint Darius. Who knows what the dirty Noble houses would¡¯ve done to me.

    The animosity between the Nobles and the peasants was deeply imbued and upheld.

    As the rain drizzled on, Brendel moved on from the question and now turned back towards Carglise by the sidelines, ¡°Right, how¡¯s the situation in the frontlines now? Is our Count Jacques dead or alive, how many of Viero¡¯s army remains?¡±

    Carglise was invigorated as he hurriedly took to reply, ¡°Tomob that rascal sure still is a man with guts. However, less can be said about his dumb cavalry under his directmand, nearly sending the Vierons to their graves. In Marsha¡¯s name, I have never seen such a spectacr failure, even as a joke.

    But surprisingly Milord, Tomob decisively forbade his army from deserting their positions, which in itself was already a miracle. Madara such is a terrifying ce to behold¡­¡±

    Just the mere mention of Madara made him shudder. Since the Battle of Ampere Seale, they had all put the White Lion Battalion in the highest regard and had never offered Madara much attention.

    Even though on more than one asion Brendel mentioned the fearful threat of Bromantonu¡¯s ck Roses, but in Carglise perspective, the terror of the Undead legion only applied to the aged and dysfunctional Aouine army, in which the Legion of the Undead in a direct encounter would trample across the Noble private army like twigs. On the other hand, if their opponent was the White Lion Battalion, they would not stand a chance.

    The White Lion Battalion in the Battle of Ampere Seale single-handedly bore the full force of the Devil Legion. Regardless of how terrorizing the tales of the Undead were, it was without a doubt that in terms of single unit Combat Skills, none couldpare to the Devils.

    But what he witnessed today was a fresh outlook, once again solidifying his admiration towards the lordmander.

    Evidently, all leaders of battle that just had their first encounter with the Undead army would have a simr reaction to that of Carglise. The Undead as a single entity would not be as terrifying as the Devils, but when assembled into a functioning army, it was one of the most formidable forces in the known world.

    This was an army silent, unopinionated, and devoid of emotion, they would never desert from pain or injury. Not until they werepleted destroyed would they resist or terminate any form of retaliation. They were renowned for the absence of despair, excitement, or greed. They march forward as ordered and devoured all that stood in their path.

    Their opponents could never experience a gant victory, for what sense of achievement can a living human gain from fighting emotionless structures of skeletons and bones. It was pointless, but they had to defeat them all, break them down to win.

    A battle against the Undead would leave the victors physically and emotionally exhausted, but the losers, the loser would not feel a thing. By then they would have already been a part of the ck Roses.

    The Roses of Bromantonu would never cease, and would never fade away.

 Chapter 837 - v5c28

    v5c28

    The Commencement of War (3)

    Carglise repressed his anxiety, notifying on everything he saw, the disintegration of Viero army¡¯s left wing resulting in Count Jacques¡¯ subsequent retreat and fortification within the forests, hoping to restrict the capabilities of Madaran cavalry via high ground advantage.

    In the absence of their left-wing cavalry, the Viero defense quickly narrowed and fell right into a pithole nked by the Madaran legion on all three sides. Madaran army then promptly dispatched Skeleton Swordsmen as their main attack, of which Viero¡¯s best crossbowmen could deal little damage in return. Only the crossbow arrows enchanted by the Holy cathedral bishop had any intended effect, but due to the severeck in numbers, it meant hardly anything in the scale of battle.

    The Skeleton infantry individually was less powerful, but the overwhelming strength in numbers meant the Viero crossbows could do little to keep them at bay, leaving the remaining thousand or so cavalry and heavy infantry to their own defense.

    Just like every other human army in battle against the Undead, the Vierans, despite their ferocity and tenacity, were just an everyday sight to the Madaran legion, and their solution was incredibly simple, to wear them down with the advantage in numbers. It had proven impably sessful thus far.

    Brendel upon hearing the news knew instantly that time was numbered for Count Jacques and what remained of his soldiers. The Skeletons have Arrow resistance and yet the Vierans didn¡¯t dispatch enough Military Bishops? That¡¯s suicide in the making! The Madaran soldiers have ample experience in this, and they most crucially do not tire, do not injure, and do not feel...humans definitely cannot watch theirrades die before their eyes one after another and not feel despair. This is bad...chaos within their ranks is guaranteed at this point...

    ¡°So does that mean the Vierans are done for?¡± Brendel took to asking.

    ¡°Quite so, Milord. They¡¯re now in an even battle with the Madaran infantry, no significant progress from either side thus far. Their bows had little use against the skeletons, but are a huge threat to the airborne Phantoms of Terror. Bloodstaff had lost two so far and was looking to bring down the Vieran elite crossbow division.

    Not to mention the clear advantage on the Madaran side, this is not an opportunity they would let fly.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen them with your own eyes?¡±

    ¡°I did, Milord.¡±

    ¡°Then what is your opinion on both parties?¡± Brendel, on horseback, pursued his answer.

    ¡°Viero¡¯s Directmand Cavalry is a joke, in my humble opinion, they should¡¯ve stayed in their bases. They practically dug a hole for Count Jacques and now exactly because of that the Vierans are in deep, deep waters.¡±

    ¡°Well Duke Viero sure didn¡¯t stop them froming,¡± Brendel chuckled with a pinch of cynicism.

    Everyone by his side couldn¡¯t help but frown at his response, especially noting the fact that Carglise was a highborn himself. Military men with their allegiances and loyalty pledged to the regional Nobles were heavily imbued into heritage, as it had been for centuries in Aouine and Kirrlutz. At this point, it was almost a civic duty that nobody would bat an eye about. Hearing him speaking against them so brazenly seemed to have stirred massive controversy among other Nobles in attendance.

    Only Brendel knew full well that times were now different. Back then the wars and battles between regional Nobles were just rivalries and local skirmishes, with no real stakes at y except likely a little loss of fortune.

    But this time it was clearly different. In this era, wars were started and ended to conquer and colonize whole nations. This was an era where the livelihood and the survival of kingdoms and nations alike relied on crucial battles won. An inefficient battle tactic, formation, or spirit would offer a deadly opening for the opponents.

    ¡°What about the rest?¡±

    ¡°Holding up fine so far. Tomob¡¯s Noble cavalry and heavy armor soldiers had the forces of Ampere Seale defense army and the Southern Legion, but they¡¯re now cut severely short, if the crossbowmen could offer what they¡¯re capable of there¡¯s still a fight, but now¡­¡± Carglise hesitated halfway through.

    Tomob was Count Jacques¡¯ first name. Carglise had always been considered the rebellious one amongst the Nobles, and besides Brendel and the princess he had never offered any regional Nobles any respect they don¡¯t deserve. Calling Count Jacques by his first name and not a nickname was already the most respect he would give to anyone else.

    And the ¡®fight¡¯ he mentioned was just the four thousand skeleton army. Bloodstaff did not even dispatch his best forces.

    ¡°The Lantonns?¡±

    ¡°Eikkel was caught up with the Madaran Skeleton Knights right across from us. They¡¯re thinking of backing up Tomob but the skeletons did not offer them any chances. But speaking of which, the Lantonns are pretty good at holding their ground too, I witnessed Eikkel and the cavalry in his directmand beating around the bush with the Skeleton Knights, I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re awaiting our arrival.¡±

    Brendel chuckled, certain that themander of that army must be Eikkel¡¯s fiancee Yo, the Blind Nine Phoenix Maiden. The young woman possessed extraordinary talent, and was truly The Chosen One. If it were not for the premature deaths of Eikkel and herself, Aouine history would undeniably shift significantly.

    At this point of the lore, there were a few formidable individuals in the southern regions, besides the aforementioned couple Eikkel and Yo, there was also Cowan right before him. With the alliance of these three championing the war,plemented by the Hignd Knights, the Madaran invasion might not turn out as smooth as they would like it to be. Back then when Bloodstaff was ambushed in the Tusarkand forest, Yo yed a significant role in its sess.

    ¡°Speaking of Madara,¡± He intentionally raised his voice to perk the attention of the others, for, besides Brendel, the majority in attendance were curious about this ¡°adversary¡± that their Count had been offering what they perceive as an obsession towards.

    From what they have known all this while, the skeletons were hardly an enemy worthy of a mention. Besides the likes of Brendel and Freya, not even the mercenaries escaping from Be would see Madara as a significant foe towards the Kingdom of Aouine. However, what they witnessed todaypletely flipped their perception of the Bromantonu Rose.

    Jana, dressed in full armor, made herselffortable upon the horse saddle. The Mercenary squad leader appeared uneasy donning heavy armor, yet simultaneously adoring the aesthetic of it. The exquisitely crafted armor was a fair portrayal of her Noble lineage.

    The position of Knight-Captain was a position she had always strived to be in. If she was able to achieve the position earlier, who knows, she might be able to save her sister, she wondered.

    as she let out a sigh. Listening to Brendel¡¯s remark, Yo pouted and turned towards Forn by her side as she scoffed, ¡°Milord is back at it again.¡±

    Karsuk¡¯s Cavalry Knight-Captain nced over, his gaze slightly dull but offered no reply.

    ¡°Are those boneheads really that powerful?¡±

    ¡°Better than what you¡¯d have imagined, but not as formidable as the Count puts it to be,¡± Forn replied.

    ¡°My guess is that the Count must have been shellshocked from his encounter with them back in Be, haha. Our Lordmander might be ridiculously capable, not to mention young and handsome, but I guess he¡¯s still a kid at the end of the day.¡± Yo giggled as she bbered.

    Forn red at her in response to what he deemed a disrespectful remark. Bloodstaff was a public enemy to every Karsukian citizen, and they each carried much hatred towards the demon incarnate, and that included himself. Upon the Count fulfilling his promise he was brought here, and he was more honored to be given an opportunity to ughter Bloodstaff with his own hands in the ce of all Karsukians.

    Just the mere thought of it fueled the spirits of this Karsuk Cavalry Mercenary Squad Leader to boiling point. Nevertheless, despite how much he agreed with Yo¡¯s deduction, he would never phrase his description of the Count of Trentheim in such a way.

    Meanwhile, before Brendel, Carglise paused for a moment before he continued, ¡°If possible, I wouldn¡¯t want to be their enemy, if we fight them we have to destroy them all. Just the thought of it sounds like a whole lot of effort.¡±

    ¡°Just that?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re also pretty powerful.¡±

    ¡°Powerful?¡±

    ¡°The one who crippled Tomob¡¯s army was a division of Skeleton Knights, in an attire I have never seen before. Their skill level far exceeds that of the usual skeletons, and what¡¯s more surprising is that I have nevere across any rumors about this type of Skeleton Knights ever.

    I am suspicious that besides the Phantom of Terror and the Skeleton Knight, there are many variations and types within Madaran forces that we have yet to familiarize ourselves with. High-level organizational military types, they never appeared in any previous battle that we know of,¡± Carglise hesitatingly reported.

    ¡°Mind describing a little?¡±

    ¡°That Skeleton Knight division acts rather different from a regr skeleton infantry, for they wield huge, dual broadswords.¡±

    ¡°Dual wielding swordsmen.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s precisely right, Milord,¡± Carglise nodded, ¡°And then there¡¯s another, with a different armor from the usual, and they wore only half an armor, no helmet yet appeared to be armed with metal protective footwear.¡±

    ¡°Regarding the half-armors, do they have a spider¡¯s crest?¡±

    Carglise rather bewilderingly turned towards Brendel, ¡°Milord, you¡¯ve seen them?¡±

    Brendel chuckled. So they¡¯re here, the spider archers. Fixated on Carglise, he inquired further, ¡°Anything more?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re indeed very powerful,¡± Carglise seemed to be shaken and in doubt. Before his dispatch to Cielmann, he understood the challenge he was tasked with. Besides the knowledge that Brendel had passed on to him about Madara, he even sought out Amandina to borrow some resources on the Darkened Kingdom.

    He was certain he went through every single page and every piece of information there were, but he had never seen any details on the peculiar Dual-wielding swordsman. Seeing how his Lordmander was far ahead of the ordinary, he threaded carefully as he replied, ¡°Ordinary cavalry is nowhere near their prowess, Milord, they have at least ss Three skill level.¡±

    ¡°ss Three? Organizational military?¡± Forn finally broke his silence, ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±

    Madara did possess numerous Higher-order Undead after all. Creatures such as the Skeletal Dragon goes up to ss Nine.

    Back then, in Yinstar Dragon¡¯s army, there were three, and just like the hierarchal positions within the Aouine army, it was easily the most recognizable targets on the battlefield. Since Aouine had their own Elementally Activated masters, the damage these Higher-order creatures could do on the battlefield was hence restricted.

    In Vaunte¡¯s Military Theory, only High-level organizational military types could be considered as Higher-order armies.

    But that led to a crucial issue. Madara, just like their Aouine counterparts, were notably short on Higher-order armies, for the base level armies usually consisted of Skeletons and Zombies, in many cases worse than regr human soldiers. In slightly higher orders were the Skeleton Knights and Spectres (Pale Cavalry were also ssified as a type of Spectre), but their numbers were far too low.

    If it were not for the Undead¡¯s unique element, Madaran¡¯s military strength might even be a bar lower than that of a modest kingdom like Aouine, and because of that, both sides manage to have fairly bnced battles with one another for the past millennium, instead of a full-on conquest.

    In terms of past records, Aouine even had the upper hand at certain points of history.

    Which was why Carglise¡¯s words left Korn, who in attendance had the most encounters with the skeleton army shell-shocked.

    ¡°But if Madara could amass an army of this power, why would they shield it away from the world all this while? If they want tounch a surprise conquest on our kingdom, this doesn¡¯t seem like the time,¡± Yo could not help but inquire.

    Brendel shook his head in slight dismay. This wasmonce amongst Aouine citizens of this era,pletely oblivious of what was happening on the Easternnds of their own country.

    But he knew for a fact that Carglise was not lying. Madara had never taken the effort to hide their existing military types, less so towards a minnow nation like Aouine, but the Spider Swordsmen indeed never appeared in any wars against Aouine, because they were just recently added into Madaran military rosters.

    Terror phantoms, Skeleton Knights, and now the new Spider Swordsmen were still introduced from within the Madara of today, despite the absence of Tharma from history.

    One character¡¯s involvement orck thereof appeared to be insufficient to shift the course of history. The Madaran unification of its four corners into a massive empire and the resulting dominance was terrifying, to say the least, but this was just the beginning. More was toe, as Brendel chuckled, he pondered on how he should inform these men and women in armor that the Spider Swordsmen would in time take on the role of basic footsoldiers. What would their reaction be like?

    After the Third War of the ck Roses, Madara was purged of any residual reasons to create skeleton warriors, for that was deemed a waste of spirit energy. And from that point on, Madara¡¯s most rudimentary of army ranks would be the future ss Four-level Avenging Spider Swordsmen.

    ¡°So now you¡¯ve all heard it,¡± Brendel finally decided to reply, ¡°In front of all of us now is what we¡¯re going against, an Undead legion potentially consisting of ss Three armies, even a ss Four airborne division. This is an opponent far different from that of the Kirrlutzians, Lion Beastmen, or even the Devils¡¯ armies. All of you are about to experience the ir of this legion.¡±

    The youths of the White Lion Battalion heard what their Lordmander hadid out and promptly fell into pin-drop silence. Brendel nced across the people within the fringes of the forest, before he lightly waved his hand.

    ¡°But that means nothing.¡±

    He suddenly cracked a broad smile.

    ¡°What¡¯s important is that today we will crush them here, tell the world that today the adversaries of Madara will, right here right now, carry along the pride and honor of our ancestors, and once again write our own legacy in the neverending scroll of history.¡±

    ¡°The White Lion of purity and glory, the gold of this sword as the oath to our faith, and the faith of our tradition.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± The Count, riding on horseback paused for a moment as if he was taking hisst breath, as he continued, ¡°For Our Beloved Nation, Aouine,¡±

    His rallying cry was not emphatic, just like the weakly drizzling rain, but it was invigorating, it was powerful, and it was more than enough to stir the courage within the hearts of his armies. It sufficed in rallying his soldiers to draw their swords and let on their final charge.

    Brendel raised his hand, and across the riverbed and the edges of the forests, g bearers sessively raised their gs, their sacred white gs fluttering in the autumn winds.

    On each waving cloth was the crescent moon of the kingdom, the pine-covered mountains, the shedding of the pine needles, and the Northern snow, as if they were carrying the heritage of the nation and revitalizing it upon thisnd.

    Upon it was the crest of the White Lion.

    The horn-bearers brought the horns to their lips, puffed their cheeks, and then thunderous sounds of the warhorns were signaled.

    The ground shook as the fog appeared to have cleared.

    ¡­¡­

    ¡°What¡¯re those before us?¡± Brendel abruptly inquired.

    ¡°They¡¯re two divisions from the Seas of the Dying Moon, Milord. Themanders are ¡®Deathwish¡¯ Mogkins, and the Silencer, Count Visgard, their army are formed by Spider Swordsmen and a handful of Skeleton Knights, Milord. Must be Bloodstaff¡¯s best.¡±

    ¡°They have nothing to do with Bloodstaff, they¡¯re the Royal dispatch.¡± Brendel chuckled.

    ¡°Royal dispatch?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing important, we¡¯re starting with them first, as a token of gesture to Bloodstaff.¡±

    A prolonged, thundering blow horn shook the entire riverbed, the first to react was the Lantonns, upon the dull sounds of the dragonhorn, Eikkel¡¯s eyes popped open.

    He clenched onto his mount tight, as he yelled into the distance, ¡°Hey, find out where¡¯s the horn from!¡± Lantonn cavalry hurriedly turned back, and in a moment someone took to yell, ¡°From the west sir, the west!¡±

    ¡°Hahah, the Trentheimds are here!¡± Eikkel pulled out his longsword, turned his horse around as he roared, ¡°The Count is sending his greetings to Bloodstaff, we shan¡¯t let them one-up on us! C¡¯monds, sound our horns! Prepare for a change of direction, we¡¯re gonna show the bonehead knights what we¡¯re made of!¡±

    Chased by a horde of far weaker opponents without being allowed to return the favor was exasperating for the knights, and now that they could finally respond, a unteral cheer was heard echoing through the mountains. A deafening rally cry was heard sweeping through the valley.

    A symphony of horns was heard as they resonated through the regionplemented by the autumn winds and the drizzling rain.

    Count Jacques, now covered in bloodstains raised his head, heard the far-reaching horn, and promptly broke down from the alleviated tension and despair. ¡°The Trentheim army is here, they¡¯re here! That is them and the Lantonn army notifying us¡­¡±

    The courageous veteran eximed as he began sobbing. After a moment to reorganize himself, he thenmented, ¡°But what use is that? It¡¯s useless, for it¡¯s my fault. I failed them...I failed them all! Tell them to leave, tell Her Grace the Princess, tell the Count, tell everyone...Madara isn¡¯t the one we know anymore! Hornsmen, notify them to retreat, quick tell them to retreat before the Undead spots them!¡±

    The hornblowers were stunned, standing next to their lord, they couldn¡¯t help but share silent gazes at one another.

    Are we really doing this?

    If they were to sound the horns, it¡¯s the end for them guaranteed, nobody wille. Stuck deep within enemy lines, they would be left for dead.

    If they were to blow the horn, like what the Count had said, what use would that be? The Legion of the Undead was no longer what it was before. Even the Lantonn army could break through their defenses, so what does it matter if the Trentheimers are here?

    That ce is just a poor outpost, even if the current Count of Trentheim could potentially be a power yer in the future of the kingdom, or that he might even be the only Sword Saint in Aouine for the first time in decades, so what?

    One man could not shift the tides of war.

    But if they were to sit back and resign to their deaths, the Nobles would not ept that, their cowardice would not allow them to reject the support that came with theirpatriots¡¯ arrival to the rescue. Watching silently at the horn-bearers, they all frantically shook their heads signifying them not to do it.

    ¡°Fellow soldiers,¡± Count Jacques noted the timid actions of hisrades, which he could not believe were still adamant of any honor as he sighed dispiritingly. Solemnly he continued,

    ¡°Many of you have children of your own, do you wish to see them die here with us today? To await their demise in pain and sorrow as us? Do you?! We are soldiers, responsibility might be too far-fetched for you lot to understand, but protecting the less capable is the basic integrity of what it means to be human. That¡¯s all I have to say, do you still wish to stop this?¡±

    Count Jeelin that was earlier panickingly shaking his head in denial now saw himself frozen to the spot.

    Offspring and descendants were the hope of the Nobles and their legacies, even those with unwavering principles now saw their perspectives sway.

    Sharing the same sky was Bloodstaff, staring out into the overcast sky as if he could see the source of the horn-blowing. Shifting his sight away from the sky he uttered in a hollow voice, ¡°What army?¡±

    ¡°From what the living human captives told us, they seemed to be from a ce called Trentheim.¡±

    ¡°Trentheim?¡± Bloodstaff was slightly caught off-guard, ¡°Where is that?¡±

    ¡°My apologies Milord, I have never heard of such a ce.¡±

 Chapter 838 - v5c29p1

    v5c29p1

    Magic And Warfare

    The Undead Legion of two thousand strong began setting up formation by the shallow riverbanks. The pitch-ck Spider Swordsmen arranged neatly one after another into wless grids, on their chests were the spider emblems of their namesake. Uponmand, in unison they all took a step forward, their hands held onto tar-ck broadswords with a grip the size of a whole palm. Taking a single step, they lowered the sword with the de onto the ground.

    One hand aligned with the chest whilst tightly gripping onto the sledgehammer, the other with the longsword, upright, leaning on their shoulders. With every single step, each of the two thousand one hundred skeleton structures repeated the same position as they marched forward, their impable rows of des shimmering under the overcast sky like the jaws of death.

    A small assemble of ck Knights gathered around Count Visgard. The Dark Noble leader, nicknamed the Silencer, too, donned the ck Knight¡¯s armor, but intentionally left out his helmet. Above the chest armor was a pale, white skull, with a pinch of greying hair on the crown of the skull akin to barren weed after an event of a catastrophe.

    On his face were patches of corpse spots, and in his eyes were theher mes ethereally burning, his entire presence exuded the resemnce of soulless death. In one hand was the grip of the immensely sharp de of ck Rose. Just as his namesake, he watched out into the western front without a word uttered.

    This was a hilly terrain over the riverbank, the rain formed a thinyer of fog, blurring the vision on both sides. Beyond the fog was a stretch of forests, the tree lines crisscrossing resembling a wall of nature.

    And right then, from within its depths came ever-increasing white gs as they emerged, then promptly reorganized into immacte rows of human infantry, their metallic armors reflected whatever little light was offered under the overcast sky.

    And as the sounds of footsteps grew louder and more evident, Count Visgard appeared a tinge perplexed, he had never heard of this army, but they were evidently well equipped and appeared no less of an official legion.

    A mile wide was the distance between them as both sides peeked across at each other.

    ¡°No shieldbearers, light foot-soldiers, sized at around five main divisions more or less,¡± Count Visgard with a quick nce estimated the rough military size of his mortal counterparts in a split second, but that was just child¡¯s y to him, many from the Seas of the Dying Moon could do it without a hassle.

    As a minnow autonomous region at servitude to the Madaran Empire, itcked nearly everything. Everything except militants that is, most notably experienced militants.

    It had the best mercenaries in the Darkened world, with hundreds of wars fought, the tension of war had be an imbued trait.

    ¡°One and a half squads,¡± He lowered his guard, Soul Fire belonging to the pride of the ck Rose began to take hold, and with it came discrimination of his mortal opponents.

    The Spider Swordsmen were the infantry and cavalry¡¯s biggest weakness, as long as there was no heavy cavalry, they would be the most powerful force on the battlefield, notwithstanding their opponents¡¯ clearly inferior numbers.

    Count Visgard stoically smirked, convinced that these prideful, arrogant human Nobles were still obliged to their archaic belief that infantries were only dispatched for defensive formations. What they¡¯ll never understand is that when the Madaran infantry show their fangs, they would be left to our mercy as we tear their faces into bits!

    ¡°Let the spiders announce the degree, that the era of mortals have nowe to an end,¡± The ck Knights Commander proimed as he eyed the Aouine forces, the White Lion Battalion¡¯s progress further confirmed his perception.

    Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the riverbank were twinkling lights from the ground up.

    ¡°They¡¯re initiating spells.¡±

    ¡°They have a Magician squad.¡±

    The ck Knights¡¯ conversations around him perked the attention of the Count as his brows raised ever so slightly. Hmm, this is no mere Noble army. It seems our adversaries were not so simple-minded after all. If they have magicians within their ranks this would at least be a Vanmier Legion-level army. It might even be a division of the Central Army...but which one is it?

    He frowned from contemtion. The Southern Army should be close to Ampere Seale by now, so what can this legion possibly be?!

    The shes of magic began to umte, and along with that the dulling of Count Visgard¡¯s expression. This scale, could it be the Aouine Royal Cavalry? Or could this be part of the ck de Squad or the White Lion Legion?

    But that can¡¯t be, those three Aouine armies would never be approved for a dispatch to the Southern border, unless they intend to forfeit Ampere Seale and everything north...

    He furthered his assumptions. But this army, it¡¯s far beyond ordinary. Even though we have Necromancers in our ranks, any keen eye can tell that Necromancers are not on par with that of mages! A Magician Squad of this caliber is not something we have ever seen! Even from the military history beyond the War of The Holy Saints, there was no record of this division.

    A thousand five hundred infantries, with a squad of over a hundred magicians...

    ¡°This is madness!¡± Count Visgard was driven to the point of insanity by the lineup of his mortal opponents, convinced his opponent must have gone mad, or that he had begun hallucinating.

    The thundering sounds of war horns continued resonating through the battlefield.

    ¡°The Vierans want us to retreat,¡± Brendel withdrew his sights inward from the fog of the riverbanks. Turning towards hispany of Cowan, Carglise, and Freya, he assented, ¡°Seems like they still have their conscience intact.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s great to know that the people we¡¯re about to bail aren¡¯tplete garbage,¡± Carglise chuckled as he replied.

    Cowan was tight-lipped, it was the first war the youth from Schafflund had participated in. The scenes that unfolded before him were far different from what he perceived them to be.

    As the White Lion Battalion began marching forward under the endless drizzling,mands ringing in their ears along with the words of ¡°Draw your weapons!¡±, ¡°March forward!¡±

    The youths of Trentheim upon leaving the forests were still rather disoriented, but a hundred meters in they promptly recalibrated into their formations. Themanders and herald officers on horseback sprinted from behind, the battle gs waving in the cold, crisp air.

    To Cowan, this painfully effective legion was notably different from what he witnessed from the other Noble armies, leaving him slightly emotional, it was as if the armies of the history books had came back to life.

    That section of history in question, was the Founding of Aouine.

    He instinctively turned across towards his Lordmander, Brendel, firmly held onto his sword, naturally on horseback. He watched upon his armies with charisma and belief, despite his expression devoided of any emotion.

    This army seems just alright in his eyes. Cowan thought to himself. What exactly is the army that he¡¯s nning to build?

    Brendel then cracked a faint smile. The White Lion Battalion had already begun to take shape, representing the first step that Aouine had taken, but what he was striving for was for himself to see the floodgates flung open with his own hands. On the other side of the shining, shimmering golden gates was another era. Its preceding era had begun in the Year of the Silver, and once they ventured beyond those gates, a new era would begin under his lead, today.

    From tomorrow onwards, the future was in sight.

    He raised his head, watching the sleek silhouette before himself, modestly shrouded in the rain. Just then, Freya too turned around to stare towards Brendel. On her snow-white warhorse she sat baffled, perplexed by his methodologies, What is he doing? That¡¯s not how you use a Magician squad¡­¡±

    In the Aouine Battle Tactics Handbook it was clearly stated that, the precious magician must receive the most established of defenses, if there were over a hundred magicians in a squad, they must receive an army¡¯s protection. Otherwise, they ought to be separated to prevent disruptive attacks.

    The Magician squad was a precious supporting force in battle, asionally even game-changing. Inparison, the mages possessed far superior individual battle capabilities and were undoubtedly more powerful as an individual unit on a battlefield. In conventional war strategies, they were supposed to be evenly sprinkled across an army, and as such receiving the defense they needed, while being able to focus on dealing the most impact on opposing forces.

    However, Trentheim¡¯s Magician squad was aligned into a neat row shoulder to shoulder with the infantry. Besides the minimal protection of the White Lion Battalion towards this formation, their chanting and songs melodious to the ear resonated throughout the riverbank like the jovial music of the Holy choir. Right then, a light shield began forming andyering before The White Lion Battalion.

    Carglise watched as the mellow light rings apanied by beads of rainwater fell upon each one of them, including himself.

    He rather intriguingly reached out to feel the energy shield just mere inches from his person, it was as if a visibleyer of pressure currents looped from all sides around him. As it came into contact with his fingers, they warped past it and formed a whirlpool.

    So this is the Shield of Winds.

    ¡°Magnificent,¡± Carglise murmured under his breath. To assign that many mages into an army of only a thousand and a half received nearlyplete opposition from everyone involved, most vocally from the likes of Amandina and Medissa, the formering from the perspective of the challenges it took to develop a full squad of mages from the territory. She nudged Brendel to treasure this extremely hard-earned squad. Thetter, Medissa reasoned with her experience as part of the Battle of the Holy Saints, and was not in support of Brendel¡¯s concentrated deployment of the magicians. As for the others, Freya included, most stood clear in opposition.

    Trentheim indeed had a significant number of mages at this point, but many were sourced from a plethora of mercenaries, witches, and the druids of the Loop of Trade Winds. The key point of concern was that they were not home-grown reserves, which meant depletion would be an obstacle when the timees to replenish the void.

    From the eyes of all in attendance in the past days of discussion, this was deemed a rare formation of a Magician squad, and they should be treated as such, and be kept a mysterious force and carefully wielded. Nevertheless, Brendel sensibly convinced his way through the bulk of the opposition with his words, grouped the mages together, and formed this Magician squad that they beheld today.

    This unprecedented Magician squad, since its establishment had received opposition from all sides, and ording to Carglise, even Ciel ced little faith in the future of the squad. The Kirrlutzians under themand of Veronica even saw it as a unt of a recent upstart.

    But is he one though?

    Carglise took a good look at theposed Brendel, scuffled his chin as he offered himself an answer, ¡°Hmm, right he does seem like one,¡± Regardless, with over two hundred in a Magician squad offering enhancement spells, it was more than enough to envelope the entire army into its protection. Asyer afteryer stacked upon the White Lion Battalion, the scenes were indeed quite spectacr for the beholders.

    ¡°The Lord Commander¡¯s insistence does seem justified now,¡± Yo took a final glimpse towards the opposite side of the riverbank, before pulling down her metal mouthpiece, under the chilly weather of autumn she spoke, as the air began to puff with every breath.

    Forn from a close distance shook his head from uncertainty. He then drew his longsword and began marching forward with his subordinates. He was visibly apprehensive.

    Gathering the mages was not apletely unprecedented move, but its effects were always deemed inefficient, as the enemies would naturally break the formation apart to diminish the effects of the spell.

    And even if they could obliterate a couple of enemy divisions, once the concentrated magician squad got hit, the cost of damage and demise of the valuable mages far outweigh the benefits. It was in nearly all cases hardly worth its expense, and hence with the sands of time the practice became obsolete, and ultimately left in the past.

    But why would the Lord Commander want to bring it back?!

 Chapter 839 - v5c29p2

    v5c29p2

    Magic And Warfare

    Carglise took a good look at theposed Brendel, scuffled his chin as he offered himself an answer, ¡°Hmm, right he does seem like one,¡± Regardless, with over two hundred in a Magician squad offering enhancement spells, it was more than enough to envelope the entire army into its protection. Asyer afteryer stacked upon the White Lion Battalion, the scenes were indeed quite spectacr for the beholders.

    ¡°The Lord Commander¡¯s insistence does seem justified now,¡± Yo took a final glimpse towards the opposite side of the riverbank, before pulling down her metal mouthpiece, under the chilly weather of autumn she spoke, as the air began to puff with every breath.

    Forn from a close distance shook his head from uncertainty. He then drew his longsword and began marching forward with his subordinates. He was visibly apprehensive.

    Gathering the mages was not apletely unprecedented move, but its effects were always deemed inefficient, as the enemies would naturally break the formation apart to diminish the effects of the spell.

    And even if they could obliterate a couple of enemy divisions, once the concentrated magician squad got hit, the cost of damage and demise of the valuable mages far outweigh the benefits. It was in nearly all cases hardly worth its expense, and hence with the sands of time the practice became obsolete, and ultimately left in the past.

    But why would the Lord Commander want to bring it back?!

    Brendel noticed the hesitation on Carglise¡¯s face and knew exactly what he was concerned about, ¡°You must be wondering about the mages aren¡¯t you, Carglise,¡± He took to asking.

    The mentioned hastily removed his metal mouthpiece, even though it was not too professional, he could guess that Brendel had already noticed his cheeky smile under the helmet as he stutteringly replied, ¡°Milord, the Battle Tactics Handbook says¡­¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon now Carglise. You¡¯re not an academic yourself, so you can keep the part about the Battle Tactics Handbook to yourself. Instead, tell me more about what you think,¡± Brendel was frank.

    ¡°Milord, I genuinely have no answer to your inquiry sir,¡± Carglise shook his head. He was no mage, how would he know how a mage functioned. What he knew were from hearsay that the mages were all celestial beings with near-infinite power, but were proven time and time again that these were no more than senseless rumors, ¡°But Princess Medissa she¡­¡±

    Brendel¡¯s loathed the Aouine¡¯s archaic Battle Tactics Handbook, but at that moment he did agree with Medissa¡¯s opinion.

    It was true that the War of the Holy Saints could arguably be the war with thergest scale since the Destruction of Ebabel Fort, as in that war there were Frost Knights, the Royal Dragon Cavalry, The Battalion of the Dusk Song of the Miirna people and the Silver Elves Princess Guards. The battle was one so grand in scale it would live on in evesting poems.

    But in that war, there just weren¡¯t any mages.

    The history of the mages began with Tuman.

    Tuman handed down the magic to the Silver people, and from him, Vaunte had its first generation of mages. Nevertheless, it was not until the pinnacle of the Be Kingdom did the history of mages truly began to flourish in this world.

    These Thieves of Laws were just a niche during the War of the Holy Saints, unrefined and minuscule like that of a chick newly hatched from its egg. In a battle of poweryers, all they could do was watch.

    The historical event where mages truly began to intertwine with the history of war will have to be traced even further, to the Relinquishment of the Covenant of the Gods, which directly led to the detachment of the Be people from the rest of the world.

    The Silver Elves retreated into the deep ravines as the era of mortals approached. And many, many yearster of today, the Laws of war had thoroughly and fundamentally changed.

    What is a mage?

    People like to think mages were a force to shape the tides of battle, that with their numerous and fascinating spells could bring about unexpected changes to the fields of battle. They could transform the most hardened of earth into moldable y, the driest of droughts could be countered with a sudden downpour, the lush, green forest could be swallowed whole by an inferno.

    They could build fortresses and trenches from within thin air, they could offerrades endless support and defense. But what they all selectively neglect was a crucial trait of mages.

    The power of a massacre.

    ¡°Mages represent firepower,¡± Brendel replied to Carglise as they both sat upon on their mounts, ¡°It is a power that could dominate the battlefield.¡±

    This description was simr to thest, despite the fact that Carglise could not fathom what ¡®firepower¡¯ could have meant, yet nevertheless, with the remark he could more or less piece together what his Count was saying.

    Nevertheless, he promptly brushed it off and persistently went ahead to justify his opinion, ¡°The powers of a mage are limited, Milord, but our enemies, they¡¯re undead. Commander Veronica mentioned once didn¡¯t she, that the Mages¡¯ precious spells consumed upon enemies that are spread wide apart are a huge waste.¡±

    This would be a genuine issue beyond the era of the War of the Great Demonic Wave, that was to happen farter on. Crucially, it had yet to happen. Hence, with the Magician Squad that he had with him today, it was more than enough to handle the skeletons on the other side of the riverbank.

    Brendel many a times would recall the events of the Battle of nted Forest, thinking about the miracle that came with the mages. He chuckled thinking about how this ¡®miracle¡¯ was about to rain down of the Madaran skeletons once again.

    Trentheim mage disciples had trained over tens of thousands of times for the battle they were in today, despite not knowing what they were about to bring to the table. It was only upon the luminescence of the light shield were they truly bewildered.

    Both armies were now within the final hundred and fifty yards from one another.

    Aouine soldiers then began to sound the horns with short intervals, hinting the White Lion Battalion to elerate, albeit in the most orderly fashion as expected of the elite squad. The officers that were previously on horseback had now dismounted their warhorses, raised their prized swords, and promptly joined the fray of their subordinates to lead the charge.

    At that moment, Brendel¡¯s gaze was gleaming with hope as he scanned across the Madaran army¡¯s snaking legion. The boneheads actually did spread out, I expect no less from the Royal dispatch of the Seas of the Dying Moon.

    Within a hundred yards, Count Visgard¡¯s Necromancers began to imbue strengthening spells on their Spider Swordsmen, more specifically theirmanders, with the prospect of bearing the magic attacks from their adversaries. After all, the Undead would never break formation. They could not.

    ¡°Their speed is far beyond what we¡¯d expected of them,¡± Count Visgard announced to his subordinates, ¡°This army looks beyond the ordinary.¡±

    White Lion Battalion and their striking Lionmane pauldrons began revealing themselves in the field of vision of their adversaries. And under the spell booster, the Trentheim infantry that only possessed the speed of a peak ck Dwarf was now moving at the speed of elerating light cavalry.

    Visgard clenched his teeth, aware that the army before him was not a defensive infantry of any sort, it was the counterpart of his spider swordsmen and were evidently an offensive-based infantry through and through.

    ¡°What are they like?¡± He turned back with a question.

    ¡°They appear just like the White Lion Legion from the myths,¡± A ck Knight replied in a dull, haunting voice.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it,¡± Count Visgard shook his head in disapproval, ¡°It cannot be.¡±

    He was rather disappointed to find out he was out of any vacant skeleton archers, otherwise, he would have sent them out to test the capabilities of his charging adversaries within arms reach. Nevertheless, it would concern little as the Royal dispatch from the Seas of the Dying Moon was personally selected by the Supreme Emperor himself, fittingly ssified as the most adept of Undead soldiers andmanders. Regardless of who stood in their way, there would only be one oue, and that was destruction.

    He raised a sign to order the raising of battle gs from the ck Knights, to send the message to the Necromancers in the army to stretch their formations. With the wide terrain by the riverbank, it would be more advantageous to their superior military size.

    Just then, there was a sh across the rain-drenched sky.

    Here theye.

    Count Jacques thought.

    Count Jacques on the peak of the mountain watched as nearly a hundred streaks of golden glimmer shed across the drizzling rain, like des of molten steel they intersected and vanished as the cycle continued, mesmerizing like the fireworks set off during the Winter Festival.

    Everyone was so astonished, thoughts could not realize in words.

    ¡°Magicians!¡± Someone took to yelling, ¡°The Trentheims brought so many of them!¡± The Count turned back to his men, watching as the Viero Nobles shared nces.

    How did they use magicians? Is the Count of Trentheim flushed with cash?!

    It was the burning thought on everyone¡¯s minds that none of them had an answer to.

    The fireballsnded like rain on the riverbanks, and what came after was supernatural, to say the least. The mushy sand and mud appeared to be imbued with life energy as they began having minds of their own. As the scene gradually unfolded, it was like doomsday was near.

    Even the White Lion Battalion officers werepletely stupefied by what they were witnessing. The first line of Count Visgard¡¯s armies was thoroughly bombarded by the rain of fireballs, and the initially loosely arranged skeleton swordsmen were now scantily arranged as they appeared before the White Lion Battalion.

    Right at that moment, a certain thought shed across Freya¡¯s head. She seemed to realize a certain something.

    The same was to be said of Count Visgard on the opposite lines.

    The round of shelling did not destroy his army. The truth was, the damage dealt to him was fairly limited, there was some destruction done butpared to the energy expenditure from the opposing mages, it wasparatively mild. What he was concerned about was that after the round of bombardment, there was now a White Lion Battalion squad before his rugged army.

    He was originally convinced that they were justmon infantry, there was no possible way for them to enter the frontline radius in time, but their speed was truly shocking, far beyond any expectations!

    This is no infantry, this is the damned cavalry without mounts!

    This is the historically renowned White Lion Infantry!

    ¡°Hurry!¡± Count Visgard howled, ¡°Send out the follow-ups, don¡¯t let them cut into the formation! Take them down!¡±

    And just then, the second round of magic bombardment came impably as nned.

    Brendel¡¯s gaze thennded on Ciel, who, despite letting out a sigh, went abidingly with the order to attack. Under the astonished gazes of the masses, the mages¡¯ spells reached beyond andnded between the first and second lines of Spider Swordsmen formations. At that point, the spot between them was just an empty plot of earth. Count Jacques and the Viero army behind him were confounded. ¡°What the hell are the Trentheimers doing? Have they gone mad, these things cost a fortune!¡±

    Count Jeelin held onto his words as he watched upon countless Phantoms of Terror taking leave from Bloodstaff¡¯s main base into the air and flocked towards the western side of the riverbank. The terrifying creatures swarm the skies as they leave their nests.

    ¡°Bloodstaff is sensing the problem,¡± Count Jacques, too, while witnessing as the event unfolded solemnly remarked, ¡°The two divisions on the south side are done for.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    A piercing whistle was heard from just above the riverbank.

    The effects of the spell were still far from over but Freya had already had her longsword raised, and under the firstmand of the war, she yelled. ¡°CHARGE!¡±

 Chapter 840 - v5c30

    v5c30

    Linge Legion

    ¡°Charge!¡±

    The sword was raised in the rain, as the mist cast a silver glow on its de. Freya swung her Lionheart Sword high, standing alone among the storm. The White Lion troopers looked at her, as they marched on with their weapons held up high, their zing white des shined through the blurry mist, as they lit up the forest with a cold glow. The phnx started to move in an orderly formation, as everyone slowly elerated, till they all started running. Sometimes, those who took the lead easily got overtook by those besides them. The White Lion vanguards charged in line, as the silver gloss of their armours blended in with each other. From afar, it seemed like a string of light in the rain.

    That string of light was ever changing, as they kept moving forward.

    The battalion charged on at the speed of sound, as if they were telling the world how a lion should be. Mogkin,mander of Madara¡¯s Undead Swordsmen, watched it all unveil with great horror, as if he was watching a silver rapid flushing down the forest. He was reminded of when the White Winged Cavalry attacked, but that was nothingpared to the catastrophe right in front of him. What kind of infantry is this?

    A frightening glow lit up the sky, as a fireball exploded not far away, mud sshed all over him, but Mogkin stood still, seemingly unknowing.

    The Undead were the world¡¯s greatest troops. As the crashes and mes slowly faded, the Spider Swordsmen at the front line stood still in ce, coldly holding their swords defending theirnd. The formation is no longer intact, everyone was scattered throughout the map. Crossfires screeched past above their heads, as the fireballs weaved a web of mes behind them. Count Visgard was screaming with a hoarse cry, trying to get their backup troops out there to fight on. It wasn¡¯t Count Visgard to me, and it wasn¡¯t the Undead troops to fault too, but as the Spider Swordsmen kepting fearlessly through the faint radiance of mes, fireballsnded upon them, exploding those skeletons into ashes. The heat melted their armour, letting the liquid metal slowly drip onto the ground. They cooled down in the rain, leaving a dark heavy piece of the metal disk.

    Only a few of the Spider Swordsmen managed to break through the of mes into the battlefield. The Aouine wizards cunningly focused their attacks onto the centre of the field. The troops swiftly filled up the sides of Madara, leaving a weak spot in the middle of the field. Count Visgard watched it all unfold with grief and terror. He had never seen a war like this before. He was now helpless like a weak little girl. He knew what the Aouines were up to, but he never knew how to stop them.

    ¡°Oh Marsha our lord, the goddess of all spiders, save us!¡± Undeads don¡¯t believe in crying tears of pity, but Count Visgard felt like shedding one today.

    The White Lions pierced through the camp by Magara¡¯s riverbank like a glowing silver spear. The youngsters taking the lead were now less than ten meters away from those living bones, standing tall in the drizzle, so close that they could see the neon fires in the skull, heatless, cold as ice. The White Lions were excellent warriors, but they were still uneasy facing off against an opponent like this. Themanders let off a thunderous war cry, roaring the hearts of everyone. With Jana, Forn, Mars and Carglise from behind, leading the generals at the front line,forted the initial hesitations of the troops. The g of the White Lions marched on in the rain as another woman led the way. She was in a white robe with chainmail all over, holding a crucifix in her hand, looking like the god of war.

    It was Hipam.

    No one knew why their lord decided to bring her female servant along, but as she raised her crucifix up high, Brendel felt something as he saw it happening from far behind. The elements of the neswalker started toe unstable. The elements of light and earth rose upon the Element Pool, before slowly fading away. As Brendel lifted his head, he saw the behavior of Madara¡¯s skeleton troops. Their inhuman movements as they swayed their swords up in an orderly and organised manner, slicing up hundreds of arcs.

    Ten metres away, a visible curved edge can be seen charging forward, evolving into a conical shock wave in a blink of an eye. It sliced through curtains of water, passing a White Lionmander in the front line with a swoosh. It was at that moment, a faint greyish glow radiated from the White Lions Battalion. The rays formed a cylindrical sphere upon impact with the shock wave. No matter how strong the impact was, the sphere showed no signs of breaking. As waves of shock waves swifted through thend, the riverbank was sliced off by an inch. The grasnds were blown away, leaving a dark muddy piece ofnd. Even so, everyone on this muddy ground was not hurt, not even by a bit.

    Praise the holy song.

    For the first time ever, Hipam showed everyone on the ground the powers of the neswalkers, shocking everyone who witnessed the scene.,

    ¡°What was that?¡± Count Visgard shrieked with fear from his hollow body.

    What kind of sorcery is this that¡¯s keeping everyone from the troop immune from harm? His hollow mind would never be able to figure out what kind of power was that. Even a Sage would never be able to get ahold of this magic. Only the gods, who exist above allws of mortals, were able to perform miracles like that. Mogkin was vacant too. He was a Lich that knew the terror of everything that happened just now. It was not any kind of spell or wizardry. It was worse.

    At that moment, he sensed a tremble in the clouds.

    Despite being an Undead, he felt helpless and grief, something he had not felt ever before. Ever since he became a Lich, he has forgotten how to feel like a living being. Meanwhile, the unharmed White Lions Battalion caught on with their battle with the Spider Swordsmen. Despite being new and naive, with the Trentheim not as organised as the Undead, they had one advantage. The wizards were finally able to showcase their roles. In The Amber Sword, they could buff an entire legion. Albeit in most cases, the effect is rather subtle, such as increasing valor by a minor fraction.

    Some other spells such as Wind Wings, Heaven des, Skin of Stone and more, could only be used a few at once. These spells work better on smaller scaled battles. For just a few wizards, if they were to cast these spells on an entire enemy legion, they might get worn out till death. Even if they don¡¯t, there would not be enough time for them to do so.

    But it was not a big deal for the White Lions.

    The entire White Lion Legion had only a thousand and five hundred troops, but they had a hundred and twenty wizards going along with them. Brendel arranged the troops into a hundred divisions, with each wizard being in charge of their assigned divisions. This allows them to buff everyone within a short period of time. The credits are not Brendel¡¯s though. After the Battle of nted Forest, when wizards started participating inrge scales, the smarter yers did some analyzing and came out with these strategies. Every minor detail, were experience and lessons passed down from their forefathers. However, there was an exception to this strategy.

    It originated from Madara.

    It was used by the wizards from Madara in the ter War that will happen in the future. The White Lions Legion were not at the level then yet, but they were able to dominate with that strategy in this era.

    On another asion, the Undeads of Madara once used the same tactic to defeat the Auorines, the Wind Elves and the Kirrlutzs. But today, what they did came and bit back at themselves. ¡°I wonder how am I doing as a student,¡± Brendel thought to himself, as he calmly watched the White Lions Legion fight against Count Visgard¡¯s troops. The Undead were tough and strong, but their weak formation failed to stop the White Lion vanguards. A silver line slowly cut through the darkness, and in a blink of an eye, they broke through the dams, charging straight towards the Madara forces.

    The ck rose wilted in the rain before it even had its chance to bloom. The White Lions slowly drowned out the outnumbered Spider Swordsmen and slowly took the upper hand in the battlefield. Enhanced with buffs, the human troops were able to overpower the Undead swordsmen. Madara¡¯s Undead troops were unable to protect their necromancers as well. When the necromancers fall one by one, the skeletons crumble into bones too. Although the Undead were fearless, they had one major w.

    The Undeads were built with the Power of Souls, which originates from the necromancers. When the necromancers pass away, they will disintegrate instantly. This was what the White Lions achieved. They tore apart the Madaran troops, leaving themanding necromancers exposed to their de. What nchet failed to aplish, Freya did.

    Freya now shifted her attention to Count Visgard and his Dark Knights. After their battle at the Deadly Tundra forest, her Blood of The War Goddess awakened. And with the Seal of The War Goddess activated, she already had the strength of a Middle Gold warrior. She wasparable to those other War Goddesses in history. After the Year of Swallows, she had the opportunity to awaken their Elemental Powers when she first met Veronica. One yearter, she crossed the Elemental Opening to be a true Aouine War Goddess.

    The female knight turned her horse around, heading in their direction. Mogkin took notice of it, and would like to help, but he stopped quickly after as a stone staff came crashing from beside him. In response, he unconsciously weaved a barrier with dark magic to block the impact. But what happened next was far beyond his expectations. He watched the staff hit his barrier, and the dark barrier started screeching. It then started shing before slowly disintegrating.

    And the staff connected right in the center of Mogkin¡¯s skull..

    With no time to react, his head shattered into pieces like shards of ss.

    ¡°What monstrous strength is this?!¡± he let out a cry on his skeleton horse, then tumbling and crashing to the ground.

    Hipam stopped, letting go of the genus of the mountains in her hand. She looked up to watch as the soul of the Lich shot against the sky, returning to where he came from, while admiring the power of the staff she held in her hand.

    This was the power of earth and the mountains.

    A deafening shriek sounded across the sky.

    Brendel looked up.He saw lifeforms stretching out their wings, within the dark clouds in the sky. The Phantoms of Terror had arrived.

    As they dropped down from mid air, they screeched in an ear piercing pitch that echoed through the valley, a scream sorrowful enough to send chills down everyone¡¯s spines. Unfortunately, it was nothing for the White Lions. Their courage and fearlessness were well recorded in old poems and legends of Aouine, making them the best troops to fight off the Undead.

    The Terror Phantoms flew through the rain, straight towards the Trentheim wizards. Hundreds of them shed down in a line, with deterrence strong enough to sprout fear among mortals. Some younger wizards shot fireballs into the air out of fright, but the phantoms dodged them easily. Some attempted to cast spells, but they got knocked on their heads before they could chant them out. As they turned around looking formands, nchet was staring strictly at them. ¡°Don¡¯t get your targets wrong!¡± Morgan was no longer the unlucky apprentice. After experiencing the Loop of Trade Winds, he grew fast, and now has the abilities of a Gold ranker. One of the few talented wizards taught by Ciel, he was now the leader of the magicians.

    Out of the blue, all the wizards started to aim at the Skeleton Warriors across the river.

    ¡°They are crazy!¡± The bloodstaff was slowly killing off the forces in front of them, making it easier for the Vieros, but as they turned around, they were only shocked by what they saw. ¡°Are the Trentheims giving up their wizards?!¡±

    Count Jacques felt equally confused, but he believed that the Trentheims were not dumb. They surely had a n, he thought. But what was the n? He thought as heid his eyes on the dark forest behind him.

    Bloodstaff stared into the forest too.

    At that moment, everyone on the field had an idea about what was going to happen. It was like a spark in the head, as if everyone had the ability to predict the future. As expected, an arrow came flying out of the woods. That moment, it felt as if the clock stopped ticking, and all eyes were now on the arrow as it curved in a terrible arc. It failed to hit any of the Phantoms, and instead, it lost its momentum halfway, falling onto Brendel¡¯s shoulder.

    Brendel stared at the arrow, confused, then peeked at the dark forest.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, it slipped,¡± Fini apologized. The Tree Elf archer looked at hermander with shame, ¡°The roars of those monsters scared me,¡±

    Medissa, dumbfounded, shook her head, as she turned around holding her bow up high.

    But the clumsy arrow seemed to insinuate what was about toe.

    The next moment, screams roared throughout the sky.

    A green wall was erected among the trees, formed by arge number of green dots. Every green dot was the shiny tip of an arrow. ¡°Are they trying to fight off the Phantoms with archers?¡± Bloodstaff sighed. The Vieros fought Terror Phantoms with crossbows before, but no matter how well they shot, only two of the Phantoms were slightly harmed. The Phantoms were too quick in the skies. And, simr to the skeletons, they were resistant to arrows.

    Not to mention, in the terrible weather they¡¯re in, it will be even harder for archers to hit their markpared to crossbowmen at that time.

    But before the skeletons could let out their cold grin, they were stunned by what they saw. The arrows were not like those shot by ordinary archers. They did not have their usual arcs, phasing through the Phantoms andnding on the ground without hitting anything.Instead, arrows were fired rapidly like storms, right into the ranks of the Phantoms,only to start losing momentum three or four miles away after that.

    But that wasn¡¯t too important.

    What¡¯s important is that around twenty Phantoms rained down from the sky after being shot by the arrows.

    ¡°The Elf Archers!¡± But at such a range¡­ Bloodstaff¡¯s brain was buzzing.. Only the best archers from the Elves are able to reach such terrifying range with their shots. But, it couldn¡¯t be the Wind Elves, nor it could be the Wild Elves, as they don¡¯t roam around here. He stared at the troops while asking himself:

    Where did these guyse from?

    In the meantime, Count Jacques screamed in shock, ¡°It¡¯s an enchanted arrow!¡± As he watched it all came down with fear, suddenly realizing the mistake he made.

 Chapter 841 - v5c31

    v5c31

    Archers

    There were four ranks of Wind Archers, and the same applies to the Terror Phantoms. The Terror Phantoms always prided themselves with their flexibility and swift movements, but those were not too effective while facing the archers. The Wind Archers¡¯ enchanted arrows were able to pierce through the phantom¡¯s body structure. With their immunity towards arrows now gone, the phantoms were left with their low HP gauges. These creatures skid above the White Lions Legion with wings full of little pores, letting out a terrifying scream. As Carglise looked up into the sky, all he could see were bodies fully pierced by arrows, dropping down like rain. By then, the monsters in the sky halved in numbers.

    Bloodstaff has yet to give a retreat order, as the remaining phantoms charged towards the Aourine wizards. ¡°Of course they¡¯re thinking of taking down our wizards. Our lord knows them too well,¡± as Medissa¡¯s eyes filled up with admiration. Raindrops creep down her cheeks as she peeked between the gaps of the woods, watching the monsters fly around. Same goes to the six hundred archers waiting beneath the cloak in a nearby forest, each pulling out a second arrow from their quivers.

    ¡°Arrow number 3,¡± Medissa whispered as she prepared her aim.

    White mes lit up the dark woods, like stars in the night sky.

    Meddisa nodded, ¡°We¡¯ll wait for them to reach closer to us first, wait for my cue.¡±

    As she was trying to estimate their distance, the phantoms were above the wizards. Many of the younger wizards were terrified, but they couldn¡¯t run away from the eyes of their respective leaders. The silver elf princess voiced softly, ¡°Follow my lead, shoot.¡± Her archery skills were not the best, but being amander from the Silver Elves Linge Legion a long time ago, she was considered top tier even among the tree elves. Her fingertips released the bow string as she shouted. A silver fine line flew straight out into the sky, hitting a phantom in its head.

    The phantom that got shot let out a loud cry. The arrow in its head started burning. In pain, the phantom started thrashing around, before it dropped to the ground as a huge fireball. When it reaches solid ground, only ashes remain.

    Sounds of arrows releasing can be heard, as a rain of mes came flying towards the Terror Phantoms. For the troops from Madara, that spelled disaster, as hundreds of phantoms came face to face with a storm of fire. One by one, the phantomsbusted into balls of fire, then falling to the ground. Their ashes scattered all around like a sandstorm. As the ashes slowly fell, visibility was restored, but now only a quarter of the phantoms can be seen.

    Over at Bloodstaff¡¯s side, the necromancers were puzzled, watching the number of phantoms they summoned decline gradually. No one knew what was going on, no one, but Bloodstuff. He held his staff tight, and the fire of souls in his eyes never reacted so intensely before. He now knew he was fooled by those damn Aouines.

    ¡°As I expected, they prepared their arrows with holy water,¡± Count Jacque sighed from afar. Compared to their opponents, they were like amateurs. For Brendel, they were indeed, amateurs, but what surprised him was the enchantment the Trentheims used in their first wave. If they had used the Holy Attribute Enchantment since the beginning, Bloodstaff would have retreated their phantoms. The Trentheims obviously thought it through, just so they could pull off their trick on Madara.

    If unenchanted arrows were used first, there would be too many phantoms to fight offter. This means that the Trentheims knew from the beginning, that bloodstaff will bring out his Terror Phantoms, how he will use them, and even their oues. They got it all nned out! Count Jacques thought. How did they figure these out?

    If he were to ask Brendel about his thoughts, Brendel would just brush them off as overthinking. For him, Bloodstaff was like an open book, everything about him was written all over his face, almost as if Brendel was cheating. Bloodstaff was always cautious and knowledgeable, but he was always arrogant when facing the Aouines, and was sure to catch hispse in judgement. He would start getting cautious if the first wave fell short. That was why the Wind Archers and a different enchantment was used instead of the Holy Attribute Enchantment which deals thergest harm on the phantoms, just so Bloodstaff could let his guard down and deploy his Terror Phantoms without caution.

    But being able to bring down that many Terror Phantoms, waspletely out of their expectations. There were too many variables on the battlefield, and no one could be confident enough about their ns. The whole operation was nned around Bloodstaff¡¯s character, but they never thought it would turn out so well that by then, just around ten Terror Phantoms can be seen flying around in the sky. In such small numbers, they were not able to deal any harm to the wizards. The wizards could still fight back, you know. Hence, the Necromancers called back their phantoms. If not, they might not even have enough for anything else in the future, in case they might need them again.

    The archers in the forest were overjoyed with their performance. Watching the phantoms fly back to where they came from, Medissa let out a breath of relief. The Wind Archers¡¯ first battle yielded great results , she thought. The current Wind Archers now were still nothingpared to their ancestors, but they are still unique in some way. The Linge Legion were once very versatile troops. They ride on unicorns while holding silver spears in close-distance battles, and their archery skills shine in long-distance fights. The Wind Archers in front of her, were of course still iparable to the legion she once led, but they¡¯re not bad for their time.

    Medissa was silent most of the time, but she still carried the arrogant character of the Silver People. Her troops had to be the best. Once, it was the Linge Legion. Now, it shall carry their name too. Ancient bads among the trees, recited the intelligence of their heroes, and their bravery fighting the evils. It was the bad of the woods.

    Brendel prepared three types of enchanted arrows for the Wind Archers. One, was the Wind Wings, which increased the range of the arrows. Second, was the Peaks of Stone, made for bringing down heavily-armored infantries. The third one was specially prepared for the battle in Madara ¨C The Holy Attribute. Usually, the archers brought twenty four ordinary arrows, along with six enchanted arrows, two of each kind. But for this battle, they would be fighting the Undead. Hence, they reced one Wind Wings and one Peaks of Stone with two Holy Attributes.

    These enchanted arrows cost Four Hundred and Twenty Taels. An ordinary troop would have wasted a year¡¯s worth of maintenance cost after the fight.

    For the Aourine aristocrats, it would be such a disgrace to spend that much on weapons. They would rather desert than to spend money on this costly war. Rather than calling it a battle, for them, it was more of a scheme to waste money.

    But it was all worth the money today. The Vierans shaking in the bushes would probably learn something from today.

    But how did our Lord see all theseing?

    The little princess¡¯ eyes were filled with curiosity and confusion. From what she learned about human history, there had never been such an era that happened before. The War of The Holy Saints seemed to be a distant memory. So, what on earth does their Lord know, allowing him to keep walking that far? Could it be like what Jana mentioned, that everything today happened, just because he left a deep impression in the Undeads of Be?

    She shook her head. Something didn¡¯t feel right. Our Lord had been preparing for something, and it was not just for what happened in Be. It just didn¡¯t make sense, considering his actions in Ampere Seale.

    With her thumb and index in her mouth, she turned around, letting out a loud, long whistle to her troops. ¡°Recess is over!¡±, she shouted. Her voice echoed throughout the trees. ¡°We had a good start. Next time, it will be our time to shine! We shall let them know the name of Linge!¡±

    ¡°Glory to the Linge Legion!¡± The girls cried.

    Medissa nodded her head.

    Brendel stood over at the high ground by the riverbank, watching how the tables had turned. With cover from the wizards, the White Lions Legion were able to break through Count Visgard and Mogkin¡¯s Undead camp. A glow swept through the riverbank, blowing up the Skeleton Swordsmen. As they tried to get back up, icicles drop down from the sky, smashing them to pieces. The White Lions ran over the remains of their enemies, while Freya and Forn killed Count Visgard. The g with ck roses and spiders started to tremble. In the next moment, it finally fell.

    Visgard had his arm cut off, with only a leg remaining still struggling to find bnce on its horse as the fight proceeded. Brendel was shocked indeed. Under such conditions, no usual human being could remain sane. But Visgard was calm, as he was an Undead. He had no fears, no determination nor any other feelings. Even while facing death, they could still be the same terrifying devil, still waiting for the chance to bite.

    The good news is, they underestimated their enemies.

    Following Mogkin¡¯s footsteps, Count Visgard has fallen. As the former died with great regrets, Hipam was able to acquire strength he never imagined before upon the amplification by the Crown of the Mountains. After the war in the deadly Tundra Forest, Hipam was already in the Elemental Awakening stage. Now, he acquired the skills and experience of a priest, turning him into a Dual Professional. Brendel had only heard about such urrences from NPCs, such as Eleranta from the north. Now, he was witnessing a legende true.

    To Brendel¡¯s horror, he now understood what it meant by ¡°He could incorporate the blessings of thend in his battle. The more the blessings, the bigger the damage of this Scepter¡± in the Crown of the Mountains. That Scepter has the ability to multiply its damage dealt infinitely. When it deals damage, it increases the enhancement spell¡¯s potency. Gaia¡¯s enhancement spells were still somewhat different from those of the Holy Cathedral of Fire. The spells from the Cathedral of Fire were mostly for personal purposes, hence they own the world strongest bishops and Compassion me Knight. Gaia¡¯s Holy Cathedral of Earth was the opposite. It has the strongest enhancement spells with bigger coverage.

    Brendel noticed that those White Lion Infantries around Hipam were now almost as strong as minibosses. It had not been long since the formation of White Lions Legion, and most of themanders were only Silver-ranked. Even after consuming the Dragonblood Potions, most of the troops were still stuck at peak Iron rank. Yet, under the blessing from Hipam, all of them had the skills of a Silver-ranked warrior.

    It was unbelievable, even for Brendel.

    The troops over at the left wing had huge advancements due to Hipam. They broke through two base camps of the Undead. As nned, none of them stopped to y around with the remaining troops of Visgard and Mogkin. Instead, they rushed straight towards Bloodstaff. It was not a long distance between them, and the White Lions picked up insane speed. Bloodstaff rearranged some troops back around him, leaving a very weak defense behind. If that falls, the necromancers in the middle will be in deep trouble.

    Brendel stared afar. At the other side of the river, the Undeads were trying hard to reassemble the Skeleton Swordsmen, but were disturbed by the men of Count Lantonn and Hignd Knights. The battle was intense over there. Seems like Bloodstaff wouldn¡¯t be counting on the Skeleton Swordsmen for a while, same with Brendel regarding Lantonn¡¯s men.

    Both sides had got a grasp on each other¡¯s weakness by now. Over at the Aouines, they were still surrounded in the forest. Even with enough willpower, they were very cautious while facing the skeletons. Their only troops which were intact were the crossbowmen, which were useless for their condition. Lantonn¡¯s men were busy stopping the Skeleton Swordsmen, but nothing much was done. Only Brendel¡¯s and Bloodstaff¡¯s troops were left fighting in the battlefield. At least for Brendel, Bloodstaff¡¯s armies were away from him, with Bloodstaff¡¯s defense already broken through from both sides. As long Trentheim¡¯s troops could deal the blow before Bloodstaff managed to reorder their formation, it would spell victory for Brendel.

    Bloodstaff had an advantage with hisrge number of troops. Behind them were only five troops of the White Lions, two groups of Wind Archers and some wizards. The Wind Archers had no way to deal with close-distance battles. It wasn¡¯t too possible for the White Lions Legion to keep on going after such a long fight with Visgard¡¯s men. Even if one or two troops managed to reach him, it wouldn¡¯t be too big of an issue to ovee them with therge numbers of Madara¡¯s men.

    No one seemed to have the time to rearrange their sides. The Trentheims were trying their best to break through the Undead¡¯s defenses, just so they could reach and deal with the necromancers. In the meantime, Bloodstaff was trying to reorganize their formation. It was a race against time. It would¡¯ve been great for anyone to have reinforcements now, it would have dealt a great boost for them.

    Unfortunately, none of them had back-ups.

    Things are now in deadlock.

    Yet, such a deadlock was favorable for Bloodstaff. ¡°Such recklessness!¡± Bloodstaff let out augh. What he needed was more time. It was indeed shameful for him to be in that situation despite facing a weak opponent, but it was better than losing. Furthermore, what he was dealing with was thest line of defense for the humans in the South. Once he took them down, it won¡¯t be any harder for him to face off with the Vierans, Karsuk or even the entire Ampere Seale anymore.

    He could let his ally, Radner, take control over this giant piece ofnd. It could act as a buffer between Madara and North Aourine.

    Bloodstaff was relieved. He could see victory right in front of him.

    Above the hill on another side, Count Jacques had a serious look on his face. What a huge mistake the Trentheims had made. Or maybe it shouldn¡¯t be called a mistake, since it¡¯s unavoidable. Count Jeelin even requested him to blow a warning siren for the Trentheims, but Count Jacques declined the request. For him, it was toote and pointless. No one believed that what the Trentheims did were right. It didn¡¯t look right from what was going on.

    They had too few troops.

    Count Jacques was in deep regret. Everything would¡¯ve been different if he hadn¡¯t sent the Vierans to their death. He grabbed his sword tight, his finger joints were pale. Never in his life had he felt so hopeless.

    No one there could have thought of what Brendel would have felt at that moment. As opposed to many others, he was pretty d at the situation. He was fairly rxed as he stood in the drizzle. Everything went ording to his expectations. Bloodstaff made a mistake.

    A very deadly mistake.

    He seriously thought the Trentheims had no more back-up.

    Brendel turned his head behind. Far behind in the forest, Medissa nodded to him. The little fairy princess grabbed the horn from her waist, it was The Fand Knight¡¯s Dragon Horn. The horn was ck in colour, with patterns of silver roses carved onto it. Drawings of a past war can be seen on its body. It was about a legend, where blue gs sway across Mrd¡¯snd, and spears with shining tips. It was about the distant cry of the horns, and the courage of the ancient fairies.

    It was about the Silver King who led his knights against the Miirna.

    The little fairy princess held the horn close to her lips, as she blew out loud.

    The sound of horns echoed through the mountain range.

    Silver celestial horsese galloping down the sky like snow, as the ground and mountains start to roar.

    At that moment, Bloodstaff¡¯s Scepter fell to the ground.

 Chapter 842 - v5c32

    v5c32

    That Knight Once Again

    A silver line appeared on the horizon, spreading across the hills and valleys, thundering and rolling, and only in the blink of an eye did ite close enough for people to see that it was countless silver horses. These slender, curvaceous French war horses came to the border of the forest before they began to slow down and stopped, twitching their ears and feasting on the meadows outside the forest, with the tallest horse in the herd raising its head to look in the direction of the forest.

    The Wind Archer girls who witnessed this scene were almost frozen, and they turned their curious eyes on Medissa, with admiration for the princessmander.

    Medissa blushed slightly, but quickly calmed down and calmlymanded, ¡°Linge Guards, on mymand, mount your horses.¡±

    Hearing the order, the young girls quickly put their longbows on their backs and walked out of the forest in turn, cautiouslying next to those handsome and unusual war horses; but they then found that these war horses behaved unusually friendly to them, not only without the slightest hostility, but also hung their heads down to be close to them, as if they were not meeting for the first time, but wererades who had been together for many years. The young girls were both surprised and curious, pulling down the hood of their cloaks while intimately touching the manes of their mounts, then grabbing the saddles and stepping on the stirrups, one by one, they rolled onto their horses.

    Their movements were extremely skilled, as if they have been trained for a long time.

    Thest one to get on the horse was Fini, the chief Tree Elf Archer, who looked hesitant at first, but when she got on the horse, she immediately got up in spirit and said happily, ¡°So this is why the Lord made us do horse training every day!¡±

    Brendel grabbed the reins of the horse and nced back at her, ¡°I wonder who was whining during training.¡±

    Fini replied without shame, ¡°I¡¯m here anyway. This horse is so tame, I¡¯ve never seen such a good horse, it¡¯s like I have a heart-to-heart connection with it when I hopped on.¡±

    The other girls also agreed.

    Brendel knew that the effect description of the card ¡®Cavalry Readiness¡¯ of the Fand Knight was ¡®Pay X wealth and the Fand Knight causes X followers to be cavalry, and if they are already cavalry, they gain the ability to fly.¡¯ It literally would transform infantry into cavalry and not just summoning war horses, which is why these Wind Archer girls felt the way they do now. It was just that a person who had never ridden a horse before would feel dismayed even if they suddenly gain riding skills when sitting on a horse for the first time, so basic riding training was still necessary, even if it was not effective for on a short term, but at least they could familiarize themselves with the feeling of being on horseback.

    For such a moment.

    In the lime tree forest ¨C

    ¡°Mounted Archers?¡± Count Jeelin asked with some disbelief.

    Count Jacques shook his head gently. Count Jeelin was obviously the kind of guy who did not know anything about the military but liked to hear from unreliable sources, ¡°The bows on their backs were more than 1.5 meters, which are typical infantry longbows, and they couldn¡¯t be used on horseback, so unless they carried short bows, it was unlikely that they are Mounted Archers.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they also have short bows, otherwise what do they summon these horses for?¡±

    ¡°That is also possible.¡± Count Jacques replied after thinking for a while, he could not figure out what the Trentheims had in mind. But the Count¡¯s ability to turn out with a cavalry gave him renewed hope. He rubbed the hilt of his sword and began to consider the timing of the Treintheims¡¯ attack in order to reverse the situation.

    In Madara¡¯s position, which was far away from them, the Bloodstaff wasing to the same conclusion. The Aouines suddenly had an extra cavalry that could threaten its nk, making it a bit of a danger. That army on the other side was just too bizarre, and it was considering what exactly the opposingmander wanted to do with that army of Mounted Archers, but could not figure out how.

    The other Dark Leaders also found it unbelievable, and they finally came to the unanimous conclusion that this army of horse-riding archers next to them was probably a suspicious army of the Aouines to distract them, and if they really split their nks, the central position would probably not be able to hold up when those five brigades of White Lion Infantryunched their attackster on. But letting such an army of ¡®Mounted Archers¡¯ hang around on their own did not seem like a solution, and eventually the Bloodstaff ordered thest remaining regiment of skeleton warriors to go up, at least so that the other side could not harass its nk.

    Seeing that the Bloodstaff was still acting in a moderate manner, Brendel could not help but smile a little, ¡°Now it¡¯s up to you, Medissa.¡±

    ¡°Lord, the victory has been decided, may you personally lead our charge this time.¡± The little Silver Elf Princess replied in a soft voice.

    Brendel nodded, ¡°Call Raban and the others out.¡±

    Medissa whistled, as if a Night Swallow, more than ten knights rode out from behind the woods after a while. They came close and it was Raban and his group, but their attire had long been very different from then. Raban wore a set of delicate and heavy armor, a set of armor with some of the White City¡¯s style ¨C shoulder armor and armpit armor tes connected, painted with white paint and patterned with sea monsters. He had ance and a sheathed sword and battle axe hanging from his waist, looking not like a mercenary, but like a knight. But Brendel knew that this was the elite knight¡¯s attire of the Faraway Eagles, the most famous mercenary group in the area of the White City.

    The others were also simrly dressed, except for the Fern sisters. The elder sister of the Wild Elves was wearing a leather gray robe, with the cloak on the back that looked like it was made of countless webbing and a brass ring under each webbing. This odd cloak also had a great origin ¨C the robe of the Magicite Chief. The younger sister, Tia, on the other hand, was wearing a wide white robe with a pointed wizard¡¯s hat and had be a full-fledged Elven ambassador. She was now looking at her lord on horseback with a smile.

    Raban greeted Brendel with a smile, ¡°Lord lord, long time no see, we¡¯re bored of all the training. Although the scenery of the gemstone ins was good, and the evening of Rochelle was still prosperous and beautiful, it was still not as good as this real world, not to mention that we were more eager for the fervent battle career.¡±

    ¡°When did you be so literate in your speech, Raban?¡± Brendel was also a little overwhelmed, though, ¡°Not anymore though.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Tia asked happily.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    In fact, maintaining the White City Pioneer only needed5 Winds and twenty EXP points per day from Medissa. Brendel nodded more, but Fern at the side let out a hum softly. He looked over there with some surprise, and the elder sister of the Wind Elves looked away , only leaving her pointed ears in his sight. Are you really getting mad... Brendel thought to himself. The card creatures are equipped with feelings and I still don¡¯t know how Morpheus and Andrea feel. Morpheus is okay, but Andrea might have wanted to kill me.

    He looked at the river bank direction, the battle had been very slow. Madara¡¯s side was like a huge turntable, slowly turning in the rain, and Freya wasmanding the White Lion Battalion, trying to break through the Spider swordsmen¡¯s shattered defenses. But the Undead are different from humans after all, and even in such a situation, they still caused Freya great trouble.

    Brendel locked the belly of his horse tightly between his legs and drove his warhorse to the front of the Linge Guards. He turned his horse¡¯s head to face the direction of Madara¡¯s army and ordered softly, ¡°Go around the direction of the White Lion Battalion¡¯s attack and follow me.¡±

    Therge army moved.

    Nearly a thousand pure silver war horses and the archer maidens on their backs slowly circled around the front of the White Lion Battalion¡¯s attack and around the nk of the Bloodstaff¡¯s army. Both Viero and the Undead of Madara stared intently at the scene, knowing full well that it was unlikely to be the dreaded Mounted Archers, but it still made the Bloodstaff vaguely uneasy to let such arge army directly threaten its empty nk. ¡°Have our archers keep an eye on that side again,¡± it instructed the Necromancer at its side, ¡°Don¡¯t let the Aouines get too reckless.¡±

    ¡°Our archers may not be a match for them.¡± A Dark noble replied in a hoarse voice.

    ¡°Of course they¡¯re no match for them. Those are Elven archers. Our archers are just posers in front of them! But if they really carry short bows, then short bows are a disadvantage in front of our longbows. Do you understand? Useless piece of thing!¡±

    Brendel watched the mobilization of the Bloodstaff and thought to himself that this old lord of Madara was extremely cautious. But s, some things were destined to be beyond the imagination of its hollow head. The Linge Guards advanced slowly and stopped when they got close to about a thousand feet from the Bloodstaff army. Everyone did not understand what the cavalry with longbows on their backs wanted at this distance, but they immediately gave the answer with their actions. As everyone watched, the Wind Archer girls rolled off their horses in unison, as if they had rehearsed countless times, and ran forward into the clearing to form up, then raised their longbows onmand, and before the Bloodswords could react, the Aouines¡¯ arrows were in the air.

    The Undeadmanders tilted their heads to look at the dense points of light. They flew to the highest point and then stalled slightly before whistling, and in a moment it looked like a rain of light had fallen on the Bloodstaff¡¯s nking positions. This was not the same as Viero¡¯s crossbowmen shooting, Wind Archer¡¯s arrows were faster, more prating and more urate. They were all Holy-attribute enchanted arrows, and a round of arrows rained down on the Bloodstaff¡¯s nk, knocking out several rows of skeleton archers.

    The Bloodstaff could not take it. At this distance, its skeleton archers could not shoot and attack, they could only take a beating. Nobody would have thought they were infantry riders and could only imagine how unexpected their opponent¡¯smander was. What the hell is he thinking? Can¡¯t he just battle like a normal person? However, the long-established Dark Leader still had to order his skeleton warriors to attack and drive away the army of Elven archers, otherwise it would have gone crazy if he had let those archers shoot at will.

    The Wind Archers under Brendel saw the skeleton army attacking and did not panic, they retreated to the array in an orderly manner, turning on their horses and whistling away, leaving only a distant back to the iing skeleton army. They ran some distance away and stopped their horses under Brendel¡¯smand, once again forming up and firing at the skeleton army.

    This time the Undeadmanders were dumbfounded. What could they do? They could not chase them nor shoot them down. If they still had the Terror Phantoms then they could get them to cling onto the opponents then order the skeleton army to wipe them out. However the Terror Phantom were inferior in number now, they would not make it even if they approached the opponent. Of course, they still had infantry, but if they fetched the infantry over, it would expose the entire side nk to the Lantonns. This way, they would be wiped out even quicker.

    The Bloodstaff was helpless, how was it going to fight this battle? If the other side was just some ordinary cavalry, it could still rely on the nearly unlimited stamina of the Undead to slow down the stamina of the other side¡¯s mounts, but the problem was that the other side¡¯s war horses were obviously all summoned, and when have we ever heard of summoned creatures with stamina limits? It was now beginning to understand what went through Visgard¡¯s mind when he was at the edge of life, he had no tears left to cry. What kind of army is this? The infantry ran faster than the cavalry, and the infantry archers were equipped with three horses, which was clearly the configuration of the elite cavalry.

    ¡°This ......¡± Count Jacques was left stunned when he saw this scene from afar, ¡°This is Farnezain¡¯ Dragon Cavalry tactics ......¡±

    ¡°To equip an archer with three war horses, this Count Lord is definitely rich enough.¡± Count Jeelin also eximed.

    ¡°Those war horses were summoned.¡± Count Jacques saw that his colleague had misunderstood something and had to exin, but he still sighed in his heart as well. He was afraid that the only one who could y this tactic in Aouine now was this Count Lord. He still could not figure out how the other side summoned these godly handsome war horses, and who was that Count Trentheim? However, now he suddenly understood a bit more. Only this kind of person could turn the battle of Ampere Seale with his own power.

    ¡°We have underestimated him a little too much, Count Jeelin.¡± He could not help but shake his head and sigh.

    The situation on the battlefield had gradually started to clear up.

    The anxious Bloodstaff had to let one of its own regiments of skeleton warriors to stall the opponent¡¯s Wind Archers ¨C or in truth, sacrificed that part of themselves. The only thing it was hoping for was that the opponent¡¯s Elven Archers would take more time so that it could free up its hands to deal with the White Lion Battalion on the riverbank first. Though the Elven archers were nasty, they were not the army that would win or lose the battlefield. Its nning seemed to be very sessful. Brendel¡¯s Wind Archers still had two Holy-attribute enchanted arrows that naturally could not be wasted on this skeleton army. It could only use ordinary arrows from afar to slowly consume their ¡®living¡¯ power. In this way, the Bloodstaff finally won time.

    It finally marshaled two regiments of Spider swordsmen to its front, together with the original one regiment of skeleton warriors and two regiments of skeleton archers. For the first time, Madara had absolutely overwhelming strength in the front of Brendel¡¯s White Lion Guard.

    And at this time, the White Lion Battalion had just finished clearing out the remainder of the Visgard and Mogkine, with the two brigadesmanded by Hipam and Freya as the tip of the spear, directly killing Madara¡¯s home front. The final decision on the battlefield was revealed at this moment, when the two armies were strangled at one point, once again, Aouine¡¯s magicians did their job and fireballs fell far across the river valley,nding amidst the Madara¡¯s army.

    Then the Necromancers and Skeleton Mages, after nearly half an hour of silence, also began to return fire for the first time. Green and golden beams of light staggered and flew to and fro over the two armies. Soon enough, the Aouine¡¯s magicians began to fall silent.

    ¡°Haha!¡± The dark mercenaries from the Seas of the Dying Moon naturally knew best what this meant, and they could not help but scream in excitement, ¡°Their Mages are out of EXP!¡±

    Confidence seemed to return to these dark nobles all of a sudden as almost for a moment they thought they had lost, ¡°Marsha high above, victory ultimately belongs to the ck Rose of Bromantonu!¡± Some even shouted. It was a pity that the Undead army had no morale, otherwise this moment would have been a morale booster that might have directly killed the White Lion army and disarmed them.

    Compared with the nobles of Madara, the Vieros were much more depressing. Count Jeelin had asked them several times to immediately send troops to help the Trentheims, this guy was the first to ask for retreat, and now the most fanatical. But Count Jacques had long seen the nature of this guy, and only shook his head indifferently. He stared at the top of the battlefield, the right time is still far from then. He believed that the Count still had a back-up n.

    Ciel stood in the Mages¡¯ square, looking at a thousand times brighter green light in the direction of Madara¡¯s Necromancer square. He had probably guessed what the other side was thinking, but he calmly waited until after the other side¡¯s third round of attacks before snapping his fingers at his subordinates.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to undo the magic barrier.¡±

    In a traditional battle between Mages, the first three rounds of a Mage¡¯s attack were the most violent and concentrated, especially if they perceive that they have run out of EXP, the other side would definitely double their efforts to eliminate them in one fell swoop. All of the opponent¡¯s guesses were right, but only one thing was wrong. After the magic barrier was removed, all of Trentheim¡¯s group of Mages did the same action.

    They opened the leather pouches on their belts ¨C there were three of these pouches, then took out a bottle filled with a light blue liquid from it, frowned, pinched their noses, tilted their heads and chucked it down. At the next moment, the spiritual power that had been depleted in these Mages instantly surged up again.

    The Bloodstaff was a Necromancer, whose eyesight depended on the power of the Laws, so it could clearly see such a scene several miles away, and it certainly knew what the other Mages had drank. It was not that it had never seen EP medicines before, but it had never seen so many of them. Hundreds of bottles of EP disappeared in an instant, and the reason for consuming them was just to defeat itself. Only those who dealt with magic knew what that meant. The Bloodstaff broke down at that very moment and weep. If he could, he would have punched the opponent¡¯smander in the face. If he knew he was so worthy, he would have requested for those medicines to be gifted to him as an exchange for his surrender.

 Chapter 843 - v5c33

    v5c33

    Last Hit

    Before they could wrap their heads around the first wave of fireballs, the second promptly mored down upon Bloodstaff¡¯s legion, as the Madaran side of the battle once again gleamed under the overcast sky. This time around, however, the winds of battle seemed to be taking a turn against them as the Necromancers burnt through their magic whilst the battle heavily tilted to be a show for the Magician squad to perform. History appeared to have repeated itself under the cover of the magic barrage, the White Lion Battalion once again sliced their way through the formations of the Madaran Legion.

    But this time would be slightly more challenging than thest, after all the formation of the Undead¡¯s core was unexpectedly well fortified with the umtion of firepower consisted of three to four squads. Notwithstanding the initial development of the White Lion Battalion, they were quickly bogged down as the two sides were once again engulfed in a ughter, so evenly matched it was hard to tell where the battle would go.

    Bloodstaff began shifting the armies from his two nks to enforce the central army, wary about the White Lion Battalion breaking his defenses who at this point, under the power scaling of various spells had achieved nearly ss Four military skill.

    Their opponents however only had a very small portion of ss Three Spider Swordsmen, most of which were no match even to the younger White Lions, only keeping them at arm¡¯s length with their sheer strength in numbers.

    The truth was by then Bloodstaff¡¯s wings were already inexplicably hollow.

    But at this point he could no longer worry about that, if the central positions were shaken, once the White Lion Battalion breaks through it would mark the end. As for the Wind archers squad, if they wanted to harass the nks he could only let them be.

    What he was not aware of was that Brendel was waiting for an opportunity.

    Under Brendel¡¯smand, the Wind archer maidens once again halted their adversaries at their tracks. This time, however, as they raised their longbows, on the string were now shining arrows of Holy Silver, and with a brush of the fingertip, the arrow tips were now burning with Holy mes.

    After a round of firing, the Skeleton army that was at their tails were now few and far between. They would then once again switch to the heavy arrows of the de of the Rock for a sessive round. Nevertheless, the Skeleton division was nowpletely relegated out of the driving seat.

    Brendel took a decent evaluation of the current scenario they were in, and in the drizzling rain, he raised the Halran Gaia, the Staff of Earth, and charismatically cleaved his way through the enemy lines. A dozen of White City Pioneers with Raban included closely followed behind. The thirteen knights formed an arrow formation.

    ¡°Medissa!¡± Brendel, under the faint shroud of the drizzling rain, yelled.

    ¡°Got it, Milord!¡± Medissa raised her longbow and under hermand, the Wind Archer Legion extended their shots right towards Bloodstaff¡¯s wing divisions.

    Brendel hurried his mount as they proceeded, with Raban and Fern on his two sides and the rest close behind. As the modest cavalry squad marched beyond the distance of one to two hundred feet, they instantly began elerating, directed at Bloodstaff¡¯s nks.

    Bloodstaff naturally noted the cavalry but under the pressure of engaging from a direct assault, he could not identify the single dozen soldiers that were in the vicinity. Making a rough assumption that it might be members from the Aouine personal guard, he ordered a mid-level central ck Knight squad towards the direction of the infiltration.

    Brendel andpany began making a short sprint, and only then did Medissa announce the finalmand, ¡°Third arrows!¡±

    She crucially did not disclose the direction of the wind. The wind direction in a battlefield had many a time influenced the events of the war, but with the notable exception of the Wind Archers. Their most recognizable skill was that regardless of the direction of the winds their aim will not be affected, and was hence the only all-weather long-range firing squad.

    The Archer maidens solemnly switched back to the Holy Silver arrows, activated the demonic spell, and off another wave of glowing arrows were set upon Bloodstaff¡¯s nks. The plot ofnd where skeleton archers and fighters stood just a moment ago had been promptly cleared up as if they were readying thends for Brendel and his band.

    At that moment, Brendel andpany had ventured into the range for the final spurt. As he lifted his head, the Madaran ck Knights squad that was dispatched earlier as counter-offense was there to wee them, but he did not offer a change ofmand, the only thing mentioned was for them to retain the charge.

    He was waiting for the moment.

    As the Wind Archers rained down thest round of arrows, they promptly dropped the longbows and hurried back to where their war mounts were. Clenched onto their saddles, they hurled themselves on and withdrew a Scimitar from within the pockets of their hoods. In an instant, the Wind Archer division was now an armed cavalry in waiting.

    Medissa too swapped her bow for a Silvernce, and promptly felt reminiscent of her time back in the War of the Holy Saints, picturing her squad behind as the gant Linge Legion of the day.

    Under the overcast sky, she tilted hernce into a horizontal stance, her unicorn at that moment began to stomp uneasily on its hooves. The young princess of the Silver Elves took a light breath and then gave hermand, ¡°Linge Legion, with me!¡±

    The legion marched ahead.

    ¡°The Trentheimers are using their bowmen as attacking cavalry!¡± Count Jeelin had to make a second take on the scenes unfolding before him. In a hair-gripping moment, he yelled, ¡°Are they out of their minds?¡±

    Count Jacques this time around preferred to remain silent, ignoring his mindless rhetorical question. He then turned towards the rest as he dered, ¡°Brace yourselves! We¡¯re bringing the fight to those Undead bastards this time, the time for the decisive battle hase!¡±

    He did not borate much, but a clear thought circted in his mind.

    In a certain myth, there was an army.

    It was a popr one amongst the civilians.

    Even Bloodstaff reacted to its close resemnce. The War of the Holy Saints left an evident mark on the history of this world, on how four saints defeated the world-dominating powers of evil and from within crafted four of the brightest and most influential kingdoms across Vaunte.

    Upon which, the four Holy Cathedrals conquered Vaunte for nearly a millennium, and the beautification of this era in history had left a profound impression in the hearts of the humans across thends.

    As for the Undead of Madara, it was also one of the legends. From memory, they were birthed from immense pain and suffering yet unable to free themselves from these burdens. It was a myth from a long time ago, one that Bloodstaff too, was incidentally reminded about.

    He noticed the longbow that was discarded on the ground, mounted his horse, and was ready to charge at the Elven Archer Legion, abruptly reminded that he was once informed of the name for this exact army.

    It was an alluring name.

    They were the Linge. That¡¯s right.

    ¡°Silver Elves,¡± Count Jacques, too, was reminded of the rumors he was briefed about, some of which were rted to Brendel¡¯s unique rtionship with the Silver Elves. Never would he expect that the Silver Elves would offer this legendary battalion in support of the Count of Trentheim, and for a man of such stature, could it be a blessing or a curse for him to be aligned with a modest nation like Aouine.

    Nevertheless, there were discrepancies in everyone¡¯s guesses.

    The archer maiden division of Wind Elves might have inherited the legendary name of Linge that was sealed for millennia, but they were not remotely as great as the illustrious military squad once bearing that name. Archers of the Tree elves and Wind elves might have received some closebat training, but for them to charge on mounts as cavalry was a stretch of their abilities.

    Nevertheless, upon Medissa¡¯smand, these archer maidens did not flinch or hesitate, their courage was on par, even exceeding that of the men.

    Brendel turned around as he witnessed the valiance of the all-female division, and promptly shifted his gaze back to his band of twelve as he notified Raban, ¡°Let¡¯s wedge an opening for the girls.¡±

    ¡°As requested, Milord,¡± Raban firmly replied.

    ¡°Charge!¡¯

    The thirteen-man strong cavalry upon their mounts began galloping at full speed into Bloodstaff¡¯s nk, now with nearly a hundred awaiting their arrival.

    Bloodstaff¡¯s directmand ck Knights were at least Higher Silver level in terms of skill, and were notcking any Peak-Silver level high-flyers, not to mention most of which were war-hardened and sufficiently adept inbat and war.

    Bloodstaff was confident that even if the band in question was the Aouine Royal Guard, it would hardly pose much of a problem in most circumstances. Unfortunately for him, this was no usual circumstance, and his enemies were nomon folk.

    Brendel at the lead was first to pierce into the enemy formation, and the first scene the Vierans were to witness upon charging out of the forests was exactly that.

    For a knight to lead his subordinates to battle wasmonce on the Vaunte maind, but for a Noble Count of the kingdom with actual ruling authority to lead a band of a dozen cavalry to battle was mindblowing to most, given how it was essentially non-existent after the Seifer Dynasty.

    The Vierans were convinced they were witnessing the actions of a madman, but little do they know, more was toe from the Count of Trentheim.

    The thirteen knights once again reinforced their arrow formation, with Brendel as the ¡°arrow tip¡±, he raised the Staff of Earth and cleaved across the ck Knight that wasing towards him.

    The ck Knight promptly raised his sword to parry, but what he was met with was himself, along with his weapon and the skeleton mount he was on fracturing into six parts, and promptly burst into a ball of Soul mes, before fading into the autumn winds.

    Another ck Knight inplete observation of hisrade disintegrating before his face from the hands of this mortal soldier was left stupefied, yet before he could react the Staff of Earth had already prated through a third ck Knight before himself and pierced right through his chest. All that was left was the quickly fading screams of a hollow voice.

    An overpowering force dragged them down from theirher horses and tossed far, before they ultimately copsed onto the other ck Knight within the radius.

    Only then did the power of the piercing damage truly exploded, with those particr ck Knights as its core it formed an impact shaped like a fan,plemented by a loud bang as all ck Knights in that direction toppled en masse.

    With just a mere two acts Brendel had thoroughly decimated one-fourth of the ck Knights before himself, as all in attendance, allied or foe, watched as the ck Knights¡¯ once air-tight formation now had a hole bored through its center like it was made of paper.

    What monstrous power is this?

    Vieran Nobles only then were reminded of the rumors that this young Count was not only of utmost importance in the Royal court, he was also a gifted swordsman, and legend had it that he has achieved the prowess of that of a Sword Saint.

    Despite how meager the overall believability of that rumor was, from the scenes before their eyes, it had evidently shown that the Count of Trentheim were at least a few levels higher than the self-proimed Gold-tier warriors.

    Could it be that since me King Gretel, there was now a second Elemental Activation genius here on this earth at the striking age of twenty?

    Deductions went rampant across all their minds.

    Compared to the genuine surprise jumbled with envious tendencies, Bloodstaff at that moment was distraught.

    He had now btedlye to realize, not only was the young oppositionmander Elementally Activated, his dozen-knight cavalry was no normal individuals either. Those twelve knights were each terrifyingly with at least Lower-Gold tier skills. Against the band of personal guards to the lord, Bloodstaffmented at the thought that he was quickly running out of options.

    What have I gotten myself into...if someone were to tell me this was the Royal Family¡¯s Secret Army I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to believe now. But the thought a squad of this might just appear apparently from thin air, it rattles me!

    Trentheim.

    The name was uttered on repeat as he tried to piece together how the most outback of the Aouine Kingdom¡¯s Southeastern territory could amass an army this ferocious.

    Not long into his contemtion, it was cut short as Bloodstaff had to shift his focus back onto his own army for arguably the most crucial moment in the war. They had to uphold their nks from enemy breakthrough, or else all their effort thus far would be futile.

    Bloodstaff paused ever so slightly for hesitation, then decided to lead his own squad of skeleton warriors to reinforce the crippling nks on both sides, now that his opponent had dispatched such prolific forces, he could no longer hold his hand back any further.

    On this battlefield, the only one that could match Brendel¡¯s wits, was himself.

    Bloodstaff was still rearranging his formations when Medissa and her apanied Wind Archers Squad shed with the Madaran side nks. Brendel had twice felt his elemental pool began to hum, and as he turned across to Medissa, she had hernce held into the air as she rallied,

    ¡°Under the name of the Holy Spirit, may you bless us on this battlefield, for we fight for the side of justice, and only for justice shall we assemble!¡± A beam of white light pierced through the storm clouds vertically to the ground, impably encapsting the Wind Archer Legion in its circumference, before countless angels began navigating towards each and every Wind Archer, to which they offered protection.

    Under their protection, Medissa and her subordinating Archer maidens witnessed an instant skill boost from their initial Mid-Silver tier powers to Peak Silver, bordering Gold tier!

    Rally

    Eternal Song V

    Light 5

    [SPELL]

    Consume half Elemental Points (Knight), Fand Knights rallies all allied forces, and hence are rewarded with a skill boost (Current level+5).

    Sustenance, Rally shall sustain until the Reset time on the following day.

    ¡°My Glory, shall be all your Glory!¡±

    Only then did Brendel truly experienced the capabilities of the Fand Knights. Originally of Mid-Silver tier Wind Archers on long-range attacks, now that they were converted to short-range cavalry, in terms of battle experience and skill they were only at Peak Iron tier, and their armors which prioritize flexibility naturally would be inferior inparison to the melee infantry armors of the Skeleton Warriors.

    Hence, even ss Four Wind Archers were only on par with ss Two Skeleton Warriors in hand-to-handbat.

    Nevertheless, after further spell buffs to Peak-Silver tier, the maidens¡¯ fighting prowess was now raised to Lower Silver tier. Given that Iron to Silver-tier was an upgrade in itself, now with their improved stats, one tier above the skeletons, were able tofortably shift their melee warfare in their favor.

    Before it wasplete, Medissa revealed a second card:

    Group Sprint

    Eternal Song IV

    Earth 2

    [SPELL]

    Consume 1 Glory, Fand Knight ordered that his followers receive Group Enchantment.

    Sustenance, Group Dash shall sustain until the Reset time on the following day.

    ¡°I saw with my own eyes, the Sabris howled as they initiated dash, and soldiers hundreds upon thousands began crumbling before his feet ¡ª Baron Vassaran Cardin¡±

    (Group Enchantment, all creatures possessing the same enchantment within a fixed radius would receive an additional 1% to their damage, damage further stacked with every unit of said enchantment within the affected radius)

    Under the enhancement of the sign, Medissa¡¯s Wind archers instantly received a boost in spirits, seeing their damage increased by one to two times.

    They broke free from the cavalry and became the personal guard to the general, and as the cavalry cut through their enemies, the defenses of the Undead crumbled upon contact. Originally estimating his nks to put up a fight, Bloodstaff, under Medissa¡¯s two-card advantage, saw his armies pulverized like dust.

    Bloodstaff brought along a squad of Skeleton Warriors on his own to catch the fight, but as his nks melted as if they were exposed in the summer heat as the Wind archers progressed, the tides of war seemed to bepletely favoring his adversaries as they look to rejoin the White Lion Battalion in the center of the battlefield.

    Watching as the scenes yed out, Bloodstaff knew it was all over, his armies were done for, and the Darkened Nobles from the Seas of the Dying Moon were done for. As for his aplice from within Aouine, Count Radner, at this point was no longer worth offering any thought.

    Bloodstaff was here intending to block Brendel¡¯s attacking tracks, but now eyeing the turn of events hastily took his turn and went back where he came with what remained of the Skeleton Cavalry that he could rally and promptly retreated.

    One form of reassurance that he could foster was that the Undead would never experience fatigue or face total destruction, but their mortal opponents would, and they could never hunt them down for eternity.

    But now the idea of winning was far beyond his reach, a sessful escape back into Madaran territory was already a flush of luck for him.

    The humans across the battlefield had already begun to cheer.

    Most of which were Vierans that were just gleeful that they could evade what could be akin to the jaws of death, especially the lower-ranked soldiers, unable to believe that the terrifying Madaran Legion was defeated just like that.

    Even though the battlefield was still scattered with thousands of skeletons, they noticed that the Trentheim Legion had utterly torn the Madara armies into separate parts, and as dozens upon dozens of Necromancers fell under their weapons, victory was only a matter of time.

    At this point, even the Viero Nobles could pause and see that even if they were to stop giving chase, the Skeleton structures were fracturing into dust and debris before their eyes.

    The Undead Legion was on the verge ofplete retreat, and Count Jacques was convinced that Bloodstaff was no longer confident that his conquest was anything more than beating a dead horse. He knew this was just a plot to offer them some time for escape. The match was set and what was left was to decide how drastic the score was.

    Nheless, what left the Vierans fidgety was that the oue of this war was ultimately detached from their participation.

    In their eyes, the Count of Trentheim had already begun to slow down his movements in the core of battle as the Undead Legion crumbled by his side.

 Chapter 844 - v5c34

    v5c34

    Opportunity For The Kingdom

    After the Year of the Running Wolf, the most illustrious of the military strategist in Wind Elves¡¯ history, the Lord of the Grey Mountain, Xan Griffin, long before he took up the position of Marshall once said in his acimed work, ¡°If effective damage cannot be dealt towards the Necromancers of the Madaran army, then there are no ways to truly cripple the Undead army.¡±

    Nevertheless, as the ck Rose of Bromantonu was truly defeated, the skeleton army defeated on the riverbanksrgely resembled that of their human counterparts, scattered and aimlessly fleeing across the terrain. The Undead, now headless without their masterminds, were in a state ofplete disarray.

    The Undead Leaders of the Seas of the Dying Moon were still able to takemand of their subordinates, but when they themselves were abandoning the war and all faith that initially came with it, the once terrifying Bloodstaff Legion was now but a barely functioning one at this point, for from top to bottom it had lost its purpose and determination, besides selfish intentions of self-preservation. It was like history repeated itself from the case of the Northern Nobles escaping from Ampere Seale.

    Nevertheless, a keen eye would notice the modest difference between the two events. To humans, as emotional beings, escape would be them sumbing to their internal panic, shaken by their mortal fears and anxiety, but Undead naturally do not feel such earthly emotions. Their self-perseverance was an act of pure rationality and hence would not resort to short-sighted decisions like trampling and selfish pursuits.

    Even if their human adversaries really did catch up to them, they would still retaliate for self-defense, yet it is within the nature of these dark creatures that they would not offer help out of pure goodwill towards theirpatriots in need, even if the act would result in a better oue for all of them.

    Count Jacques and Brendel rode across the riverbank side by side, and was visibly emotional by the sight, ¡°Turns out even the Undead Legion were imperfect, they too will make mistakes.¡±

    ¡°The Undead are not creatures birthed from nature, no one understands the mysteries of life and death more than they do, which in turn relish them of the fear for the unknown that most of us mortalse to when we think about death. Without the longing for one¡¯s life, there will no longer be desperation, or passion of that matter.

    Nevertheless, there are more to emotions, especially negative ones, fear and desperation naturally are only one of the many, as are greed, pride, trickery, and self-centeredness, which carries a heavier weight on the undead,¡± To the close counsel to Duke Viero Brendel he exined as they both watched on the progress of the battles across the riverbank.

    Count Jacques nodded solemnly, pondering upon Brendel¡¯s words as he looked across to the Count of the same position, both figuratively and literally, yet unbelievably younger. He then took to ask, ¡°Brendel sir, you do look like you know a whole lot about the Darkened Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt to keep your allies close, but your enemies closer does it, especially the enemies lurking just across our border,¡± Brendel faced the Count from the Landin region of Jacques. He knew this man,

    Jacques-Landin was the border region of the province of Viero with the administrative province of Karsuk, and the Count bearing the same name was too a veteran in Madaran affairs.

    Even though he had the same traits guing the Aouine Nobles of this era, his knowledge gathered from his encounters with the ck Rose of Bromantonu far exceeded his hapless counterparts in court. Crucially, albeit less surprisingly, he had immense trust from the Duke of Viero himself.

    ¡°Mr. Tomob,¡± Brendel continued, ¡°I¡¯d rmend for you to keep a fair amount of vignce on the ck Rose on the other side of this riverbank, despite what you¡¯ve witnessed today.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare not to, Brendel. You see, when I was a child, my father would go on winter hunts and he¡¯d bring back beasts, bears and wolves alike to show me. I, as a toddler, would watch them close, the beasts were injured and sedated but I sure didn¡¯t know any of that then. I thought to myself, so they are not so terrifying after all. Then one day, one slippery bastard got his way and left a scar through my back, a scar I still carry to this day. Painful as it may be then, it left me with a reminder to never underestimate any opponent that I¡¯de across.¡±

    Count Jacques skillfully applied an expression, to make sure Brendel was aware that he would not easily forget all that had happened today.

    Brendel, too, knew this battle would leave the Nobles changed, hopefully for the better, for this was what he had in mind all along. If these slimy Nobles don¡¯t get a lesson they deserve, they will neverprehend what enemy lies in store across the border. Only when they truly experience how real the threats are lurking from across the nation¡¯s borders, only then will this country truly move for the better.¡±

    He shook his head before he continued spilling more of Madara¡¯s secrets, ¡°However, Mr. Tomob, if you think you¡¯ve got a foothold on the skeleton army¡¯s weakness, you¡¯d once again put yourself in a dangerous position.¡±

    Count Jacques was rather taken aback as he promptly followed, ¡°Why so? I believe you sir have exined it quite inly, that the skeleton army does indeed have weaknesses of such.¡±

    ¡°Those are just the features of the Undead. Like humans, Mr. Tomob, humans do fear, Trentheimers, Vierans, Lantonns, we all find ourselves terrified in the face of the Undead Legion. Humans will also find themselves acting on impulse, on greed, or pride, selfishness, and distrust, but that doesn¡¯t mean our nation, civilization, orw and order shall crumble upon touch.

    That is because we have the concept of society, the idea of unity, and themon good. The Madarans do too, lest you forget they were not too long ago like a loose patch of sand, but as you¡¯ve experienced today, Bloodstaff¡¯s army was not that, and I hope you sir could trulyprehend what that could mean.¡±

    ¡°Yet Tomob, sir, the Madara we have graced our eyes upon today, might just be a mirage,¡± Before Count Jacques could respond, Brendel continued, noting that his mouth by then was unhinged from shock, but Brendel proceeded regardless,

    ¡°The Bloodstaff legion that we decimated today is built upon their clearck of understanding of our armies, while also due to the archaic militarymand system that they had kept used of.

    I¡¯m sure Mr. Tomob must have heard of the military reformation of the Madaran Royal armies, I suppose. A reformation seven years in the making as of today. Even before thest War of the ck Rose, they had essentiallypletely this historical calling, and presently there are over a thousand Royal dispatches across the nation.

    These Royal dispatches were nothing like Bloodstaff¡¯s armies you¡¯ve seen today. Bloodstaff is reckless and untamed and hence did not receive much favor from the Madaran Supreme Leader. Today on this battlefield he was keen to defeat us, likely to prove to the Supreme Leader that he, along with his methodologies, are more than capable of defeating her enemies and eliminating their adversaries.¡±

    He paused for a moment, ¡°The real Madaran army, with aplete system of low-middle range officers would not crumble into a scattered mess the way humans do just because their leaders have. The Madaran army will fight until thest Necromancer.

    Mr. Tomob, I would hope for you to give some thought to the way our enemies fought today, and how we could counter that, and win.¡±

    Count Jacques rather confusedly stared at the young Count, if Brendel were to tell him all of this earlier today, he would never in his right mind believe them as true. It all sounded like nonsense talk to anyone who was unfamiliar.

    By then, Brendel had disyed an insight on the Madarans that he could no longer easily dismiss, especially at the mention of a thousand Royal dispatches that hadpletely left his mind in a fuzzy, still in a hasty attempt to regain hisposure.

    His face, pale as a sheet, and in distraught was within Brendel¡¯s expectations, yet he naturally would not have told him that the direction of Madara¡¯s expansion was in Aouine¡¯s way, but their main adversaries were ultimately still the Wind Elves of Sanorso and the Farnezain even further to the north.

    Madara¡¯s over a thousand Royal dispatches were sent to defend the borders of the two massive empires, but then again what good it was to tell him about this either.

    Keeping him on his feet would be great for a change.

    The truth was that it meant little to Aouine how many soldiers Madara had, for in the future there will be a ck Count leading his army that would be the greatest challenge for Aouine¡¯s livelihood of all.

    Aouine of today still had a sliver of a chance, and that is to create the perception that it was not a kingdom that the Madaran army could trample across at will. There are other routes through multiple minnow kingdoms between Madara and Sanorso or Fornezain, and given that the wars between these kingdoms were ultimately inevitable, it would benefit Aouine¡¯s survival if they were excluded from the wars that would ensue.

    In the history of this world, due to the bted response from Aouine, the Princess was left with no choice, while the Kirrlutzians were themselves preupied and intentionally negligent, which led to the tragedy of the Aouine kingdom he knew too well.

    This time, however, it might not have to be that way.

    But first, the kingdom will require courage and prowess to put up a fight.

    Taking a good look at Count Jacques, the man by now turning frailer by the minute. He hastily dried his forehead, uncertain if it was rain or cold sweat, his heart seemed to dwell upon the impending terror that was the idea that a thousand Madaran Royal dispatches stood en garde across the border, as he hesitatingly added, ¡°Sir, is everything you said true?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Tomob, let¡¯s just say my intel is only a third correct, let¡¯s assume the Madaran side has just about three hundred Royal dispatch armies, what difference would that make to our kingdom?¡± Brendel distractedly watched on the aimlessly fleeing Madaran Legion as he stroked the mane of his warhorse, whilst calmly answering Count Jacques¡¯ enquiry.

    He was not anxious, but the same cannot be said the least about Count Jacques. He was conflicted about the truth in Brendel¡¯s words. He doesn¡¯t seem to speak in any attempt to appease me...but he is right. So what if only one-third of the information gathered is true? Even one-fourth of the Royal Dispatches is more than capable ofying waste on our kingdom!

    What difference does it make? None.

    In what state the kingdom was now, the Nobles were the clearest themselves. Since the Anson era, the conflicts between central and regional governments had left immense detriments on the strength of the Kingdom of Aouine, and the Battle of Ampere Seale only further maligned its condition.

    Meanwhile, just east of the border was the Darkened Kingdom, which carried long-standing traditions on keeping their military size big and always on the verge of war, albeit because of that had always been in a constant state of war and instability. Each Dark leader for their own, raging war on one another till the end of days.

    It was exactly that the perception of them being a nation of crippled disarray had been imbued into the minds of all their neighbors.

    But today, Madara under the rule of their Supreme Leader had almost miraculously united the kingdoms into one, the Dark lords once again pledging allegiance to the Mercury Staff for the first time in a millennium.

    As he fell deeper into contemtion, he knew Brendel might not be lying at all, it was just that their age-old mentality stuck in a bygone era had led them to instinctively disavowed this fact.

    Madara always had a massive army, and now that they were united once more, it was only a matter of time before they decide on a show of strength.

    It naturally would not start with the Wind Elves or the Farlezain, and the remainders were not worth a thought.

    Some things are like parchment paper, it sufficiently shrouds the truth and revtions under a thinly veiledyer of translucency, but once a hole is poked through, it is quickly revealed for all to see.

    It was exactly that Count Jacques was experiencing at that moment.

    Even if he would prefer if he never came to encounter this revtion, even if he would wish for himself to remain naive and ignorant, and to live out the good life, he was now thrust into the fray. The name ¡®Madara¡¯ now brought concern and distress that would haunt his very dreams into sleepless nights.

    The Undead cannot live alongside mortal beings, they do not surrender. The only option he had was the destruction of one or the other.

    Count Jacques, now drenched in a cold sweat as he fell into deep contemtion, it was not something he could unravel with a solution immediately, but for the fate of Aouine of today, it seemed it was left with the sole inevitable option.

    The Darkened kingdom is mighty and far-reaching, and they had the upper hand, these pathetic Nobles in the face of utter demise still could not bother to draw themselves out from their own pitiful delusions. He was truly out of any solutions tobat this issue.

    Are their only fate bound for a refuge in a foreignnd like Kirrlutz?

    Count Jacques turned his gaze back on Brendel, this time his eyes dull and muddled. Brendel was aware that he must be frightened off his wits, sighed, and thought to himself, The theory to this is simple, yet the Nobles evidently did not care to think this thoroughly. After all, they never would have imagined Madara to achieve such feats.

    The truth was that in historical lore, until the Second War of the ck Rose most were still certain that the Madaran Empire was still engulfed in a bloody civil war. And here Brendel was, to inform them that the unification process has beenpleted before most were even aware of, and now the Count himself had truly understood what was in store for the future of Aouine.

    Count Jacques was muffled, and Brendel decidedly let him be. He patted on his mount so that the warhorse could speed up, catching up upon the White Lion Battalion that had set off giving chase to the loose Undead knights.

    He knew deep down that the words of precaution said today were just a message for the Nobles, in hopes that one day they could realize their faults and truly consider the survival of Aouine. When the timees and there were still some amongst their ranks that were ignorant and boorish then that would leave him with little choice but to handle him his own way.

    The fate of the kingdom faced its first great challenge in the Battle of Ampere Seale, and upon then triggered a slew of slow changes.

    Brendel discreetly covered his mouth. It was not that he was against a massive revamp, clinically molding the nation to its rebirth, but having been in this world longer as days went by, he knew it was not as easy as he would like it to be.

    Nobles upon controlling the kingdom for too long had seen themselves rooted into the hierarchical tradition of the nation, and were influential in all sectors of governance across the kingdom. Besides, despite their corrupt and hedonistic behaviors disyed all so ubiquitously in the ruling ss, they too had their strengths as was not one that could be undermined or removedpletely in a limited time. It would cause great instability to the structure of the nation.

    His subordinates, Carglise, Amandina, Kodan, Meli, and much of the White Lion Knights were immensely intertwined with the Noble families and nships across the kingdom, regional and national alike.

    Across their existence were hints of a conservative upbringing, and to uproot all of this from its core would undoubtedly hurt the ones that mattered the most to himself, pushing even the limits of Princess Gryphine herself towards his reformations.

    He knew full well that the Princess¡¯ expectation of Aouine was not one rebirthed from the ashes.

    Neither does he.

    ¡°The opportunity is in your hands,¡± Brendel murmured, ¡°Whether you appreciate it or not is on all of you.¡±

    ¡­¡­

    Very quickly, the Lantonn cavalry had rushed across the Eastern riverbanks to reunite with the White Lion Battalion as the humans diligently followed the flow of the river in pursuance of what remained of the Undead Army fleeing south.

    Until moments before dusk fall, Viero, Lantonn, and Trentheim allied forces had exterminated the majority of mercenaries recruited by the Undead Leaders of the Seas of the Dying Moon.

    Most of the remaining Necromancers had escaped into the local forest scattered across the region, which was expected to pose a safety issue towards the region, but at that point, it was an afterthought for Brendel and Cowan, for this issue they agreed were better left for the Vanmier Legion.

    Bloodstaff and his close acquaintances blended into the crippled squad of Skeleton Knights, and this was when the clear advantage of the Undead army came to y, the absence of emotion and physical restrictions. Without the human trait of fatigue, the gap between the retreating Skeleton Army and Lantonn cavalry began to widen.

    Amongst Brendel¡¯s subordinates, only the Linge Legion on celestial horses could counter these Skeleton Knights, yet he naturally would not have allowed them to do so.

    After all, an arrangement to convert the ss Four archers to cavalry was feasible at times of battle against a significantly inferior opponent in the likes of the Skeleton Knights, but for them to give chase after an actual cavalry squad would be carelessly detrimental.

    And just like that, as the night fell, the Allied forces lost all traces of the residual Undead cavalry, leaving Eikkel inexplicably exasperated. Even Count Jacques¡¯ subordinates felt a sense of pity, yet the only party that was evidently not were themanders of the Viero army.

    Brendel heard Carglise mentioned that he had already sent out some messengers up north, and was instantly clear that the Count must have dispatched his envoys to seek the opinion of Duke Viero. Nevertheless, his speech earlier today went to no waste, now all that was left was what the nobles had the say.

    The Madaran insights were hard to obtain and even harder to reveal, but if they were genuinely keen, it was not impossible to get the Duke to offer the insights he received.

    From historical lore, none of the Nobles had any ideas of this sort. But this time, this time they were actually offering a response.

    Brendel however was notably unfazed by Bloodstaff¡¯s escape, notwithstanding the Kirrlutzian cavalry squad camped by the fringes, awaiting the fly to fall into the trap, even if he did by sheer luck managed to slip his way back into Madara, what good fate could possibly await him anyway?

    The Demon Queen Alvitr must have received wind by now, and would surely be brooding in the dark for his return. As a token of her rebellion against the Emperor of Madara and herself as the representation of free will and self-value, Bloodstaff has to die. As for how she would eventually pledge her allegiance to the Mercury Staff shall be a story for another time.

    Brendel stood within a valley, mesmerized by the beauty of a Slofavien night, befell ever so quickly ever since autumn graced upon thesends. The sun had yet ended its cycle but was readily shrouded in the shadowy depths of the Linden forests.

    This was just days apart from the culmination of summer, and the moon would still be crowned across the endless night sky, showering it with its illuminating embrace.

    But under the clouded sky, it was just pitch ck. Across the far edges of the valley were the tbeds and grasnds of the Cielmann region. Eyeing the calming flows of water down the river, he thought to himself, This must be when Bloodstaff meets his final batch of enemies right about now.

    As for how the Kirrlutzian youngsters would fare was the least of his concerns now. He had arranged prior for Cowan and his subordinates to return to Cielmann hills, standing in for the Folded Sword Squad in cleaning up the war zone.

    Right now, it was his intention to keep the Kirrlutzians from the public eye for the time being. After all, he had exposed much of Trentheim¡¯s military capabilities in the battle of today, and hopefully would suffice in keeping the Madarans at bay, at least for the time being. For now, I¡¯ll have to keep hiding as much as I can.

 Chapter 845 - v5c35

    v5c35

    Noble Cavalry From The Kingdom

    The night belonged to the existence of those that never sleeps, as the crippled remains of the Undead Legion trotted forward under the dark of night. The riverbed and rolling hills encapsting it appeared like beasts lurking in the night. The eerily silent forests, the uncaptivating bushes, and the riverbanks saturated with broken shells and splintered rocks hurriedly shed across the field of vision in the pale eyes of the Undead.

    Bloodstaff and his high-ranking Necromancer subordinates were shielded in the center of the Skeleton Knights, their shining skulls facing the southern end of the riverbed where they were headed, the river refracting what little light it received from the narrow opening within the valley, and right on the opposite direction was the exit towards the Cielmann Riverbed.

    Situated by the riverbed was a concealed military base, resembling a typical Undead camp. The base was demarcated by countless Cheval de frises surrounding a few scarcelyid out ck tents. One notable detail about the base camp however was its absence of movement of any sort.

    The Undead army under themand of Bloodstaff came to an abrupt halt. The base that originally housed a Necromancer squad along with a few hundred Skeleton Warriors now appeared to be abandoned. The upants seemingly perished into the night, nowhere to be seen.

    Bloodstaff sent out a handful of scouts to investigate the radius, but it took hardly any time before they hurried back, reporting as they had expected, no sign of any of theirrades, their belongings, or even any sign of a conflict.

    Bloodstaff was experienced enough to be able to tell by now that their stronghold had a hostile encounter.

    ¡°They found us,¡± Brund let out a sigh in the chilly autumn air, his breath puffing up. In the cold, drizzling night, his sword was dull as obsidian in the night with no refraction to be seen.

    ¡°Sensed, not yet discovered though,¡± Alea promptly corrected.

    ¡°Same thing.¡±

    ¡°No, far from it actually, in terms of tactical terminology, a discovery would mean they could pinpoint where we are, but sensing us would only mean they¡¯re suspecting our presence, there¡¯s the difference. What¡¯s with you today Brund, being crass is not your style.¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    Alea was ready to rebuke but Little Pero turned around and red at him, ¡°Cut it out,¡± Alea was perplexed, yet ultimately chose to swallow his words, as muffledughs resonated under the pitch-ck night. The Kirrlutzian youths must have gotten used to seeing Alea defeated by his own words by now.

    ¡°Those are the Undead?¡± A female knight curiously pointed out.

    Little Pero turned his gaze afar, then nodded in response.

    ¡°Our empire had an encounter with them back in Kree ind, this is what they would usually look like. Their nasty exploitations around the border territories by corrupting the local corpses should have been penalized by the Holy Cathedral a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡± Alea mindlessly blurted, ¡°I heard you women are terribly afraid of these skeletons.¡±

    ¡°Shut the hell up Alea!¡± The female knight hissed, ¡°What even pops up in that damned brain of yours!¡±

    ¡°They seemed to be on high alert, what should we do?¡± Brund intentionally ignored the looks of his dimwitted peer. Sitting on his mount straight as a rifle, his eyes were fixated upon the target on sight as he took to ask. Under the ever-drizzling weather, his uniform and hair were glued to his body in damp patches.

    Rainwater had by then seeped into the gaps between the armor donned by the Kirrlutzians, and now, drenched from head to toe were far from their mostfortable, but nevertheless, in the true fashion of Kirrlutzian military excellency they werepletely unfazed.

    ¡°Rest assured, this is a path they have to take, the Count truly is a man living up to his name, a war well fought and not many of these hideous creatures are left. All we have to do is wait, no need for any schemes against them at the moment,¡± Little Pero replied.

    ¡°The moreplex the tactic the higher the stakes of failing,¡± Brund added as if it was a recital.

    ¡°Military Dogmatics,¡± Alea dismissed under his breath.

    The Folded Sword Squad, on the other end of the Undead base camp about a hundred meters away from the riverbanks, began stretching out their formation into a human, hundreds of cavalry marched over the speckled rocks yet silent as a ghost, all that was seen were rows after rows of glimmering weapons under the moonlight and their sparkling blue eyes.

    Bloodstaff quickly noticed this strange cavalry surrounding him on the path, which caught him slightly off-guard. He was expecting an ambush but was rather taken aback that these boastful humans would actually set up a formation right before his army.

    They were pursuing a full-on battle.

    He felt rather dejected at the sight. Just a day ago a modest cavalry squad like this would never so emboldenedly stand in his way when he still had a little over a thousand Skeleton Knights at bay. Right then, nevertheless, it sure seemed to him that the humans were biting more than they could chew.

    Bloodstaff clenched furiously on the Skeleton Staff in his palm so tight it began to rattle, fueled by the Soul Fire set aze. His Necromancer disciples began timidly offering their advice to him in session, warning of a potential trap from the humans.

    Bloodstaff shook his head, before he could offer a proper reply, some of the Dark mercenaries began to chuckle through their dull, hollow grunts.

    Bloodstaff was rather infuriated as he red back, ¡°There is no need, this is a path we¡¯ll have to take. They want to fight us head-on, let them do it, no need for the secrecies.¡±

    ¡°Not even three hundred in total,¡± The Dark Mercenaries promptly gave an estimation of the Kirrlutzian army, the darkness was the eternal ally of the undead after all.

    ¡°These humans don¡¯t know what they are on for.¡±

    ¡°Send the scouting knights to test the waters,¡± Bloodstaff skillfully perceived the subtle dangers lurking.

    The Kirrlutzian youths watched on as the Undead Legion dispatched a minuscule squad of Skeleton Cavalry, instantly understanding their enemy¡¯s intentions. Little Pero remained silent as he hinted towards Brund to lead a small team of cavalry in response.

    The Folded Sword Squad naturally were no amateurs, even before their deathly encounter in the Deadly Tundra Forest, they had encounters with various enemies of all shapes and sizes, the skeleton army unsurprisingly did not faze them, they were after all just a mere blip in their military journey.

    Brund swiftly mped down upon the tiny squad of Skeleton Knights and both sides almost immediately went into battle, a battle ending just as quick as the Kirrkutzians decisively obliterated every single one of the Undead. What left Brund slightly taken aback was that none of the Skeleton Knights at any point thought to run.

    The undead army was indeed the opponent he encountered before.

    ¡°Silver-level skills, approximately between the range of middle to low levels,¡± A Dark Mercenary offered a prompt evaluation, the Soul mes in his eye sockets flickered ever so slightly as its slithery voice reported to Bloodstaff.

    ¡°It seems they still have forces hidden in their arsenal, which means Aouine has another ss Four cavalry squad,¡± Bloodstaff cleared his throat, ¡°That exins the cockiness.¡±

    His tone was reluctant in acknowledging the reality that was disyed before himself, and a sense of regret towards his initial decision to attack Aouine in the first ce. In a single day, his perspective of the kingdom had been flipped entirely, yet he was still unable toprehend where the human armies that far exceeded his expectations were kept all this while.

    There should not even be an army of this caliber this south in the kingdom, he thought to himself, neither was there any intel reaching him that had even once mentioned a significant army presence of any sort within the territories they were in.

    It was supposed to be the emptiest the south of Aouine has ever been in ages!

    Now, he began to realize his own people might have sold him out.

    Regardless, he was sharp. He realized long before that his return to Madara would spell chaos to himself, but now by drawing away the highest tiered Necromancers, his most significant, from the defeat earlier today, there was still an opportunity for him, an opportunity to start over.

    He recollected his thoughts, turning around towards the ¡®Aouine¡¯ army that he was all too certain about, his army at this point was nearly six times that of his opponents, regardless of whether they were indeed ss Four, the ball was in his turf.

    ¡°These humans need to know that the darkness belongs to the eternally undead.¡±

    Bloodstaff pointed with his Skeleton Staff forward.

    The Skeleton Knights then reactionarily began to disperse, the boney riders on horseback with mes in the sockets where eyes were supposed to be began trotting along the riverbank. With several quick organizations a wedge formation was now formed in attack without creating much attention throughout, the only sounds evident were the hooves of the hollow mounts.

    The ominous ambience within the region would suffocate any human army in that scenario, but not the youths of the Folded Sword Squad. Being a notable exception, they had witnessed the charging wolf pack on the frozen tundrandscape, and the Undead legion from their past encounter in the Deathly Tundra Forest. This time around, it was remarkably simr.

    ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± Alea gushed out rather excitedly in a muffled tone.

    ¡°Well, not like they have any other choice,¡± Brund remarked.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a killjoy.¡±

    Right then, Little Pero turned back towards his squad of elite fighters as he reiterated, ¡°Count Trentheim specifically requested for us to remain our skill level under Gold Tier, it directly corrtes with our main purpose in this kingdom. I assume all of you should know how this battle shall be fought right?¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    ¡°Ngaw¡­¡± A wave of whines and moans were heard almost in unison upon Little Pero¡¯s reminder.

    ¡°That¡¯s justme, Little Pero,¡± Alea couldn¡¯t help but grumbled, ¡°Look at us, all rusty and crusty now, let¡¯s give them a hearty ass-whooping!¡±

    ¡°Tell that to the Crown prince.¡±

    With the sole mention, the Kirrlutzians instantly fell back into silence. After all, a barter with the Crown Prince might as well just meant a prison sentence. They all knew the Crown Prince as an individual stern as a pickle, despite being around the same age as most of them, he was known to act as if he was yet another vain old Noble.

    Crucially, the Crown prince was backed by the squad leader herself. No matter how they would disregard the authority of the royal family, they could never speak up against Veronica herself.

    The cavalry was now drop-dead silent, only then did Little Pero nod satisfyingly, ¡°En garde, first wave.¡±

    He raised his hand.

    The Folded Sword Squad followed suit, causing the shadows around the forests to grow several inches higher in an instant.

    From that distance, Bloodstaff could not verify the motives of the Kirrlutzians, but his instincts tingled and he knew they had responded, despite the fact that the Skeleton Knights were now within the best distance of a full offensive charge, yet no visible action was noted. What could they possibly be nning?

    Are they not aware that in a battle, the side with the best-attacking position has a clear advantage?

    Especially when these ¡®Aouine¡¯ cavalries were clearly outnumbered by his own. Conventionally, most armies would utilize the benefit of their army fluidity to strike first, inpensation of their clearlycking military size, But they seemed unfazed to take any action at all? Are they all petrified at their positions?

    Bloodstaff naturally would not genuinely believe that, after all his adversaries were all ss Four militants, no militarymander of that level would allow for that to happen. He was however suspicious that there was a scheme lurking at where they stood, drawing them near. With his army now in full sprint, it was toote to make a turn or to halt them at their feet.

    ¡°What is happening?¡± He broke his silence as he sought rification from the Dark Mercenaries.

    The tactical masters within his scaled-down legion too werepletely caught off-guard, unsure of what these enemy cavalries were nning, and no words were uttered until an aged veteran from the barren, easternmost corner of the Seas of the Dying Moon eventually took to offer his suggestion, ¡°They seemed to be preparing on some sort of magic!¡±

    The Necromancer at that moment cut himself off before he could continue, because it was not a guess from mere sight, it was that the foreboding magical energy ever-expanding within the radius.

    ¡°...but what?¡±

    Bloodstaff waspletely stupefied, today alone he had witnessed longbow archers on horseback, cavalry without mounts, mages serving as archers, and now vaguely before his eyes were Knight Mages with donned armor!

    ¡°They are heavily armored from head to toe, but you¡¯re telling me now that they¡¯re preparing spells?!¡± Bloodstaff exploded.

    Just as he ended his rant, a blinding light shot into the night sky originating from the formations of the Folded Sword Squad.

    The young Kirrlutzian Knights raised their right hand, under the magic luminescence evidently different from most cavalry squads. Their gauntlets, unlike the usual weighty metal ones, were made from shimmering silver, and most significantly, all ten fingers were free to move when donned.

    It offered a ir of elegance and exquisite beauty, but besides the added benefit of aesthetics, these gauntlets could reveal the position of where the ring was worn, and needless to say they were no ordinary rings.

    Sourced from the vicinity of the Magic Triangle, coined ¡°tiny secrets¡± by the witches, they were Magic rings.

    The sparkling rings each worn on the hands of the Kirrlutzian youths, were of shining shimmering splendor, crafted with ruby, me agate, emerald, and blue crystals, each carved with mysterious scriptures that were impossible to count.

    Brendel¡¯s army might have appearedvish in the eyes of Count Jacques, but inparison with the future leaders of the Kirrlutzian elite, it was a gaping sight of rags and riches.

    Nearly four-fifths of all the members of the Folded Sword Squad were the descendants of Noble families and the bourgeoisie across the empire, and naturally, the expenses that went to their equipment, armor, and battle gear were easily worth an entire cavalry of most other nations. The resources spent were deemed as investments in the long term, and were just a scuffle for the Kirrlutzian Nobles to afford, hence were not seen as a huge deal, but in nearly any other context, the costs would have been astronomical.

    Bloodstaff was fortunate to witness the morous disy of Kirrlutzian elite forces, through their might and their abundance of wealth.

    In some ways, he might even be the first of his nation.

    ¡­¡­

    Alvitr stood next to her warhorse, under her stout white armor were the mes burning eternally, this Dark lord who was known to the world as the Queen of Devils rarely revealed her face in public, but here she was today, removing her helmet, and beneath it was a pale, lifeless face. This woman, if she was ever one, had exquisite features, yet on them no sign of any life. Her hair was burning from endless sulphuric fire, asionally with metallic debris flickering into the air as firebuds,plimenting her frigid forehead.

    Her eyebrows were sleek as a sword, paired with silver pupils hidden within the depths of her eyes. She, at that moment, had pursed her paper-thin lips, as her cheekbones curved inward.

    She did not utter a word, but her eyes, gleaming in the dark of night spoke a thousand by themselves.

    There were several female demon guards by her side.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± She took a quick look and turned around, her hands clenched tight on the back of her mount. The voice of the Queen of Demons was unequivocally hollow, chilling as it was unsettling.

    ¡°There is nothing left to see, Bloodstaff is done for.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, do you mean Bloodstaff had sumbed to the Aouine forces?¡± A female demon took to rify with a high-pitched voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m no longer the mandate of any kingdom, Winnie. There is only one ruler in Madara now,¡± Alvitr replied, ¡°Aouine¡¯s defeat of Bloodstaff should not be a surprise, he¡¯s but a pathetic joke of an existence. Yinstar got him spinning right from the beginning.

    That weakling was expecting acknowledgment from His Highness, hah, I¡¯m surprised Targus would bother to mingle with a sad excuse of a general like him. If it was Yinstar, Bloodstaff would still be licking his boots as he barters him off like a suckling pig.¡±

    Alvitr unhingedly mentioned the close associates to the Supreme Leader as the other female demons hissed, none of which would dare to offer any furtherments.

    Looking towards the lights from the other end of the mountains she mumbled under her breath, ¡°Aouine surprises me nheless. Behold, the hidden strength of an ancientnd. Lest we underestimate any of our enemies, after decent, age-old marination they sure have their own spectacr knowledge and secrets, always offering surprises.

    But a surprise amidst war is fatal, and that simple-minded Bloodstaff has once again outdone himself with his arrogance and the dismissal of his enemy. In a war for survival, knowing full well that he wouldn¡¯t hold back, so why would they?

    The new Dark Nobles within the empire have been eyeing their fair share of thisnd to build greatness of their own. Now His Highness will have just the excuse to offer them.¡±

    ¡°His Highness would never offer a second thought to a wretched little kingdom like Aouine.¡±

    Alvitr shook her head, yet said nothing in rebuke to her personal guard, for she knew that was indeed the truth. What the Supreme Leader sought was instead the deeper meaning behind the Four Holy Cathedrals. Today Aouine showed their fangs, which left the Madaran army curious about what they were defending within.

    The Count of Trentheim seems to be intertwined with the Wind Elves, and his power appears to match even the Holy Saints. A presence seemingly appearing from within thin air, but with such immense power.

    ¡°Hmm, interesting.¡±

    She murmured, ¡°Interesting indeed.¡±

    There was something in mind however that she chose not to say, a thought evoked from within, an instinctive feeling that he met this Aouine army somewhere before. The Queen of Demons then decisively shook off her doubts, albeit still with lingering suspicion.

    ¡°No, that is not possible.¡±

 Chapter 846 - v5c36

    v5c36

    Two Letters(1)

    For the residents in Praguesse, the period between the Month of Harvest and Month of Frost in the Year of the Sword seemed long but at the same time temporary. The horrible shadow left by the invasion of the Undeadst year seemed to emerge once again with the pace of the Bloodstaff army. Along with the Vanmier Army¡¯s continuous defeats, the situation deteriorated and some merchants and nobles even started to flee with their families to the Kirkuk region. First the news came that thebined forces of the Vieros, Lantonns and Trentheims had stopped the Bloodstaff army in Slofavien, and it did not take long for the rumors of Bloodstaff¡¯s defeat to be confirmed. The Undead retreated from the Cielmann region, and within a week the skeletons of the front line of Dragus and Vanmier had melted away; those who came from the south even confirmed that they were returning to the Be region without making stops. That was a time that passed faster than any moment, with new newsing in every day, as if the war had left far away in the blink of an eye.

    The Bloodstaff, a name that was a scandal to everyone half a month ago, had now be a speck of dust in history and had lost its meaning for both Aouine and Madara. After another half a month, the army of Count Radner was defeated near the Dwarf¡¯s Ring, east of Castle Kirkuk, south of the Sapphire Mountain Ranges. They had lost the chance to escape to Madara, and everyone understood that it was only a matter of time before the Count surrendered.

    Some people were destined to make a name for themselves in this war. Almost everyone was talking about the army of unknown origin, and in almost every tavern there were poets singing stories about the soldiers. There was even a rumor (not quite a rumor actually), spreading around that said it had been seen with conviction that thete King Erik had returned with the White Lion Legion to save the kingdom in peril, and most of those who heard such a rumor believed it.

    Because the Lionheart Sword shone brightly in the war, everyone witnessed the glorious victory.

    After the defeat of the Bloodstaff, Brendel had let Freya take over hismand of the Trentheim¡¯s army. Count Jacques had no desire to fight for the credit after that battle, and the Lantonn cavalry understood what kind of guy their leader was. Although Eikkel and his men hung around like buddies and had a reputation that everyone admired in the allied army, anyone who was not engulfed by a knight¡¯s overwhelming faith would understand who was the real reliable person in this allied army.

    Although on one hand, it was with the help of Trentheim army¡¯s amazing performance in that war.

    But the valkyrie from the Be countryside did not disappoint those who believed in her. After purging the Madara forces in the Cielmann region, she immediately turned north, urately judged the movements of Radner¡¯s army, and then wiped out all hopes the Count had in two clean battles. In thest battle, Freya used the Lantonn cavalry to establish her reputation. She used the cavalry twice to feint the nk of Radner, but in the final encounter, she suddenly attacked and crushed his central position, which was a textbook example, perfectly reproducing the glorious victory of the Aouine against the Wind Elf army in the forever ongoing war.

    He knew Freya would seed because she had a serious and rigorous nature. He thought that with the advantage on the battlefield Freya would be the most outstandingmander of the age because her meticulous judgment and meticulous execution would allow her to maximize her advantage without making mistakes and letting the enemy take any advantage.

    This future Valkyrie possessed an extraordinary talent in the use of cavalry, but he did not expect this talent to show itself so quickly.

    History had shown that Freya had be famous in the war between the South and the North, also through her outstanding cavalrymand, her riding skills were no joke. But at this moment, the history of the two lives seemed to reunite into one, and at that moment he saw Freya gleefully riding back from the battlefield, holding up the banner of Radner¡¯s army as if it were an offering, waving it in front of him and shouting his name: ¡°Brendel! ¡°Brendel! Look at me, I did it!¡±

    At that very moment he knew the historical Valkyrie had returned.

    He could not help but smile with delight then.

    Praguesse in the Month of Frost waspletely cold, but the streets were still full of pedestrians, and after the threat of war was lifted, every day in the city for half a month seemed like a celebration. Ribbons and drapes were hung all over the streets, with wooden tforms built and piled high with wine and food, and the knights returning from the front line were treated like heroes, riding through the markets, ready to stop and receive the cheers of the people, and even the adoration of maidens.

    As Brendel watched the scene, he smiled at Freya from his horse, ¡°They are talking about you, Lord Valkyrie of Aouine, it seems.¡±

    ¡°Brendel¨C¡± Freya blushed, knowing that in fact the most important battle of the war wasmanded by Brendel, but the world knew very little about the details of the battle that defeated the Bloodstaff. The allied forces had been under hermand ever since and her fame and reputation had been far ahead of Brendel¡¯s to the very end, which made her feel embarrassed and a little sorry for Brendel. But this was what Brendel was happy to see, he had always believed that the ws of the beast were to be hidden so it could make an appearance at its sharpest. Although during this war, Trentheim was forced to reveal a lot of its strengths that had been hidden all this while, Brendel still managed to carefully cover some core secrets about Valha and the Folded Knights. It would be best if he could hide them from the public.

    ¡°They do not understand, but Brendel, you know,¡± Freya blushed and whispered, she gripped the reins and bowed her head. As she heard the cheers around, she could not wait to find a crack to bury her head underground, ¡°that I am the worst one among the cadets of the same ss in the Royal Cavalry Academy. In fact, Carlo and the others are much stronger than me, it¡¯s just that I happened to be in the right ce. Bet, Carlo and any of them would have done better than me in the same situation.¡±

    Brendelughed a little when he saw Freya¡¯s ¡®deceiver¡¯s fear¡¯ face and shook his head. This country girl from Be was a bit too much, indeed, she isn¡¯t really the most talentedmander in the future history of Vaunte. Compared to such geniuses as Rouka, Little Pero, Brund, and Yinstar Dragon, shecked that talent but she had her own strengths. This future Valkyrie had a power to inspire and empower others, her persistence and earnest would touch everyone¡¯s heart. No one in today¡¯s Aouine who was more suitable for this honor than her. People like Carlo and Pero could be a talentedmander, but Freya was destined to to be the pride of this ancient kingdom.

    ¡°Opportunities are an important part of life,¡± he said, shaking his head, ¡°Freya, you need to be confident, not everyone can be themander of an army, but if you can lead your soldiers to victory, then there must be something special about you. The fact that you and I survived the life and death ordeal of the Bes proves a lot. Every Be is a good man, what Bet and I can do, you can do, don¡¯t disappoint Be.¡±

    As if the sentence ¡°don¡¯t disappoint Be¡± had convinced her, the young girl nodded, ¡°I understand, but they are upholding me up too much, the kingdom¡¯s Valkyrie? This is too outrageous.¡±

    Brendel secretlyughed, he could not help but nce to the side and met eyes with Amandina. The merchantdy looked at him somewhat prodigiously, because Brendel was the one who secretly arranged for this title to be spread out. If the shymander girl knew about it, she would have endlessints. Amandina smiled and did not say a word. Amandina only started to get in touch with Freya after the first battle of Ampere Seale, although the period was not long, but she had developed good impressions towards Freya. This female knight was as innocent as Romaine, but was not too hard to deal withpared to the merchantdy. Earnest people tend to give off good impressions anyways. This girl from Be had undoubtedly be one of the best in this category, though she might take things too seriously that she appeared nerdy.

    ¡°If you think people would have too much expectations on you, you just need to be firm in your convictions, you know you¡¯re not fighting for those false fame, right?¡± Brendel pretended to get serious and replied.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Freya replied embarrassedly, ¡°it¡¯s just that I feel too much shame, and I¡¯m afraid that Nemesis and Bet willugh at me if they know about it.¡±

    ¡°Is there such a thing? I think it suits you though, even Nemesis calls you that. I think it¡¯s a good idea to let Her Highness give you a proper title.¡±

    ¡°Brendel!¡± This time Freya heard Brendel¡¯s teasing tone and she red at him in frustration.

    Brendel, however, without any self-awareness, spread his hands and said, ¡°Really, I¡¯m not lying, if you don¡¯t believe me, ask Amandina.¡±

    The nobledy could not help but give her lord a nk look, chastising him for dragging her into the water. She hurriedly replied, ¡°At least the lord has another saying that I agree with, not everyone can be themander of an army, but if you can lead your soldiers to victory, then you must have something to offer. There have been many legions andmanders in Aouine throughout history, but there are only a few that can lead Aouine to victory.¡±

    Praises from different people naturally have different effects. Amandina¡¯s words made Freya blush and did not retort, but in her heart she could not help but sarcastically thought to herself. Amandina would naturally take your side.

    It was a pity that the merchantdy could not read her mind at the moment, otherwise she would probably be the one blushing at this moment.

    As Brendel saw Freya had stopped talking, he smiled and turned his head to look at the procession of knights being cheered on by the crowd on another street. Those people were mostly soldiers of the Vanmier Legion or some of the Lantonns, because the Viero and Trentheim armies should still be stationed in the territory of Radner. With the sessive defeats of the Duke Arreck and Count Radner, it was as if a series of problems guing the southern border of the kingdom had been solved, and with the support of the Duke Viero, Princess Gryphine had absolute dominion over the entire southern part of the kingdom for the first time ever. In the eyes of the people, Count Trentheim, who had made a name for himself in the war, was only a knight loyal to her and the Hignd Knights had expressed their deference. Duke Grinoires, who had been greatly wounded in the war, had neither the will nor the power to stop the Regent Princess from rising in power and prestige.

    It was as if the center of power in the kingdom had once again returned to the throne since the days of Anson. At least south of Ampere Seale, everything was moving in that direction.

    The king¡¯s party was rejoicing, but he himself did not stay in the coalition army to enjoy this victory that cheered everyone. In fact, after defeating the Blood Staff, he arranged for Carglise to stay behind to deal with the aftermath of the war, then let the Kirrlutzian Knights of the Folded Sword return from Chablis to the Firbur Group. However, he himself did not return the same way, but took Amandina and Freya to leave Cielmann and head for Praguesse.

    The reason for everything was simply because of a letter.

    Thinking about it, he could not help but frown. He then noticed that Antitina was looking at him with curiosity in her eyes. The letter was handed to him by her, and the contents were known to Amandina. But the person who sent the letter caught Brendel off guard, as it was sent by his mother ¨C to be precise, the closest blood rtive to whom half of Brendel¡¯s soul was anchored. The arrival of this letter was almostpletely unexpected and disrupted all his schedules. Since he came to this world, he had in fact never dealt with his rtives here. On one hand it was because he was afraid of retaliation and implication of his family when he was in Trentheim because he was not capable back then. On the other, he knew that the core reason was that he was not prepared to face his loved ones in this world.

    About them, Brendel had deep yet vague memories, as if they were the closest people yet strangers to him at the same time. He understood that this was the result of the fusion of two very different souls in his body.

    But in any case, at this moment, even if he did not receive a letter from his mother, he had a reason to go home nevertheless. He understood that the feelings and experiences could not be left there forever, something that if not faced head-on will only be a blemish on the soul. In fact, such a state of mind had begun to hinder him in the pursuit of power. He must now return to thend where he was born and raised to face everything that belonged to Brendel, as if this letter was an opportunity to bring him back to Praguesse.

    But he understood another meaning in this letter. His own mother, who came from a noble family in Cardiligial, said in the letter that someone from her hometown had asked her to look for him and ask him toe home. Her hometown was in Cardiligial, the easternmost part of Karsuk, the birthce of Hignd Knights and Mages. So the person from her hometown must be a Hignd Knight. There was a good chance that the person was the one behind this letter. What did those people want, and why did they not juste to him through the coalition?

    He had dealt with the Hignd Knights more than once in the coalition army, and even tested them before leaving. But the other party seemed to be unaware of the letter, which seemed a little exciting. He was even a little worried, although in his memory, his mother was a very knowledgeable woman, but that did not mean she might not be swindled. After all, he was now at a level that waspletely different from that of his father and mother, not to mention that he was more worried about whether Madara was ying a role in it.

    Because of all these reasons, he did not inform anyone but only brought Freya and Amandina along, arriving in Praguesse quietly. Amandina and Freya could be said to be from Praguesse as there were still arge part of people who escaped from Be were still living in the vicinity of Praguesse. It was natural for him to bring them along when he returned here. Freya had also wanted to visit her hometown more than once.

    The three of them crossed the street in silence without attracting anyone¡¯s attention. Brendel remembered that his home was in a manor outside the city, and he did note from a poor background. His father was a miller, and his mother was a daughter of a small nobleman, which was even better than Amandina¡¯s family. But he did not intend to go home immediately as the whole thing was strange. He wanted to find out more on the situation first, but before that, of course, he had to find a ce to stay in the city. Praguesse had many inns, but were not safe. If this was indeed an enemy plot, it would be too easy to station spies in these ces where peoplee and go.

    Now the three of them could be said to be well-known in the kingdom so it was hard to not get recognized, especially for Freya.

    The good thing was that Praguesse was also Amandina¡¯s hometown, and Brendel had not forgotten that she had a few properties here, although they were a bit dpidated, but they should be enough to stay. They soon passed the busy main street and turned into Gravedigger Street, which was the old town of Praguesse. The street looked cold. At this sight, Brendel suddenly recalled the scene when he first came here and dealt with Ian the cripple and came across the nobledy that the cripple had spoken of.

    Thinking of this, he could not help but look back at Amandina.

    The nobledy who was following behind was also looking at him, her eyes shining brightly, as if the encounter at that time was still in front of her eyes, as if all these led to so many wonderful stories afterwards. She remembered that her life seemed to change after that moment, and to this day, her destiny and this young man who seemed to have some wit and frivolity at that time have long been tied together, inseparable from each other.

 Chapter 847 - v5c37

    v5c37

    Two Letters(2)

    The hallway was as dpidated, narrow and dim as he remembered, with holes between the dusty wooden nks left by age and disrepair. Brendel came to a door from memory, stopped and asked, ¡°Is this the one?¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± A voice behind him replied softly, it was none other than Amandina¡¯s voice.

    Freya followed behind the two, frowning as she surveyed the ce. The nsk below their feet creaked as they walked through the walkway, and a choking smell of dust filled the air. Even the stables in Be were slightly cleaner than this ce. She could hardly imagine anyone living in such a ce.

    ¡°It seems to be locked.¡± Brendel said as he fiddled with the door handle.

    ¡°I locked it before I left.¡± Amandina replied softly.

    ¡°Do you have the key?¡±

    ¡°I always have it with me.¡± Amandina fumbled for a moment and took out a brass key. Brendel had a good memory and immediately recognized that the chain on which the key was hanging was her original ne. He remembered that he had seen this ne once or twice before and that there should be a beautiful crystal pendant on it, but it was not there. He took the key and weighed it in his hand, a little surprised, ¡°Why do you have this with you?¡±

    ¡°I thought it mighte in handy at some point.¡± Amandina replied with her usual seriousness.

    ¡°It does seem to havee in handy too.¡± Brendel smiled and gave her a look, which she returned with a subtle smile.

    He turned the key and opened the door, behind which the wooden door seemed to be the huge ck mouth of a monster waiting for its prey to throw itself at him. The three stood in the doorway for a moment before adjusting to the sudden darkening of the light. The room was as small and dusty as they remembered, but it was well-kept, and its owner had obviously decorated it carefully before leaving. ¡°Amandina, you used to live here?¡± Freya surveyed the room with some surprise. Even the old warehouse of the militia in Bell was much more spacious and bright than this ce, she had always thought that Amandina was of noble birth, but she never thought that she had been living in such a ce before she followed Brendel.

    ¡°Mhmm.¡±

    ¡°But I heard from Brendel that you were a daughter of a noble family ......¡±

    ¡°The lord lisn¡¯t wrong, i was, once upon a time.¡± Amandina replied, ¡°But after my father disappeared, the creditors came to me, and I had to sell the family fortune in order to pay off my foreign debts. I remember that shortly after that, my mother died of depression as well, and life became hard. I was left with no choice but to cut down on expenses.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Amandina, I didn¡¯t expect you to have such a past, I shouldn¡¯t have mentioned it.¡± Freya replied with some embarrassment.

    Amandina smiled and did not seem to mind it.

    Brendel went to the desk to lit the remaining candles. The candle lights were like beans, barely lighting up the room. The room was full of dust, but Antietina went to the bed to lift ayer of cloth off it, revealing a clean wooden bed that had a slight musty smell. Brendel looked at her with some surprise, his eyes full of praise. Freya, who was also from a lowly background, did not feel very ufortable in this small, dpidated house. She saw both of their actions and silently joined in to clean up the house, which did not take them long. None of them talked. Moments like this had be rare ever since they left Praguesse. The house seemed a little quiet, with only quiet noises of them cleaning.

    Amandina opened the window at the desk. She nced at the window pane, frowned, and closed it gently. She then pulled open the drawer and said, ¡°Someone has been in here.¡±

    Brendel was slightly stunned, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°After I left, someone entered this room.¡±

    Brendel started to frown, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°There should be more than one person, they came in through the window and checked the drawers first,¡± she stepped aside and opened the cupboard, ¡°They should have checked my cupboard too, the books in it have been gone through, they seem to be looking for something.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure, Amandina?¡± Brendel asked, somewhat rmed.

    ¡°Well, I put things away myself, I would never misremember them, someone must have moved my stuff.¡±

    ¡°Should we ask around?¡± Freya asked in a small voice.

    ¡°No, they certainly won¡¯t know anything,¡± Amandina shook her head. ¡°Whether it¡¯s a thief or another uninvited guest, they certainly won¡¯t deliberately let anyone find out.¡±

    ¡°Any clues?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of strange, it seems that these people weren¡¯t here recently because we didn¡¯t notice any footprints or anything else when we were cleaning. The umtion of dust in here looks very natural, which means that these people didn¡¯t patronize the house, at least, within these few months.¡±

    ¡°A year ago?¡± Brendel thought for a moment, it seemed like they had just left Praguesse not long ago then. Their reputation was not well known, and it seemed unlikely that anyone would have noticed them at that time. He thought about it and replied, ¡°If that was when, then it could only have been a thief.¡±

    Amandina smiled slightly: ¡°Then the thieves could only return empty-handed.¡±

    This sentence made Brendel feel suspicious. The people who live on Grave Street were mostly the poorest of the poor in the city, and it was unlikely that the people who hang out in the gray areas of the city to not know about this. He hesitated, and suddenly heard Freya say, ¡°There¡¯s only one bed here, Brendel.¡±

    Brendel froze, and then realized the awkward situation. He had almost forgotten that this room was Amandina¡¯s and of course, there would only be one bed in the room.

    Amandina was stunned, apparently also realizing the situation. After all, all this house had was a desk, a short cab, two chairs and a bed, it was difficult not to let people start thinking about the night. ¡°You two sleep together. With my current strength, no sleep for a day and night does not have much impact on me anyway.¡± Brendel thought for a moment.

    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t work,¡± Amandina shook her head, ¡°You are our Lord, how can the vassal let the lord suffer? Besides this was also because of my poor consideration.¡±

    Amandina did not agree, and of course, Freya naturally would not as well. She was not so shameless to enjoyfort on her own.

    As if Brendel had expected this, he looked at the two and sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about itter, I¡¯ll go get you guys something to eat first.¡±

    Amandina nodded gently.

    In the game, such a big city like Praguesse had many ces that sold food. As long as one could afford to pay, food was avable even from the street workshops. But here, one might go to the inn or tavern, the city¡¯s bakery or even farther to the mill estate out of the city. The inn and tavern were crowded, who knew if there were spies. Brendel naturally did not want to get involved easily, and there was no bread workshop on the avenue near Grave Street. However he would not trouble himself with such small matters, not to mention that poor areas like this were filled with idle people. He could just find a man to run errands with just a few Taels. He used his sword to carve the mark of a Night Swallow on the wall, so that the guy would not dare to take the money and not do anything.

    Of course, he was not short of money in his current position, but he could not ask the merchantdy and the future Valkyrie of Aouine to go hungry, he was at least a noble of the kingdom, how could he show such ipetence in front of thedies.

    The young man saw the deep mark he carved on the stone wall, and showed a look of uncertainty. Brendel knew that the other party was not afraid of his sword skills, but the symbol he had carved. Those who grew up in such gray areas would have came across the Thief brothers, or could have been one of their spies. The young man must have recognized that the mark he left was a more advanced form ofmunication between the Grinoires Thief Brothers, and he had learned the knowledge of the Night Swallows in the game in a superficial way. Though only in a superficial way, it was enough to scare the young man who had little knowledge.

    The young man was intimidated. After taking his money, he stood there, looking at Brendel cautiously and asked, ¡°Lord, is there anything else you want?¡±

    ¡°You live around here?¡± Brendel asked.

    The young man nodded.

    ¡°Do you know the tenant of that room?¡± Brendel asked, pointing to the window of the second room next to Amandina¡¯s.

    ¡°Yes, there is an old man living there, people call him the night lord and he used to be a loan shark. Not sure who he offended that he had to hide here.¡± The young man replied dryly.

    Brendel raised an eyebrow, not expecting to get a random person that was well-informed. But then he was relieved, these young people from the lower ss had nothing to do in the streets all day long, except for a few who could bear the hardship. Most of them did not want to be apprenticed to someone to be disciplined. In these times, information was closed, and it was normal for these people to be well-informed. But what they knew were rumors, nine out of ten were rumors. The ones who really had reliable information were the locals.

    ¡°What about this one?¡± He pointed again to the room next to Amandina¡¯s.

    ¡°It¡¯s been empty for a long time, my lord.¡±

    ¡°And then next to it?¡± Brendel¡¯s heart thumped and pointed to the Amandina¡¯s room. The young man hesitated, as if thinking for a moment before answering, ¡°The owner of this room seems to be a fallen nobledy, but I haven¡¯t seen her for a long time, I heard she is not well, probably died of illness.¡±

    If someone died of illness it should be you.

    He asked a few more uninformative questions, and then suddenly asked, ¡°Are there people who ¡®visit¡¯ this ce often?¡±

    The ¡®visitation¡¯ he was referring to naturally was not an open visit, he was referring to the thieves and the young man understood Brendel¡¯s meaning. He could not help but look at the very dignified gentleman with some awe and decided in his mind that this was a legendary Night Swallow, otherwise how could he have drawn the symbol that he didn¡¯t even recognize? That symbol was certainly the kind among thieves, but it was much moreplicated than he knew. Now he was referring to those dark words among the Brotherhood, which made him more and more sure of it.

    ¡°Of course not, my lord,¡± the teenager replied hurriedly, ¡°there is hardly any fortune here, they are unlikely to look at a ce like this, who would be happy to live in such a ce except for those poor mercenaries and old prostitutes?¡±

    ¡°There are always some unenlightened fellows.¡±

    The young man thought for a moment, probablyprehending Brendel¡¯s meaning, and he tried to think for a while before remembering something, ¡°My lord, however a year ago, someone from the patrol cavalry came here. It seems that they came to look for that nobledy.¡±

    Brendel remembered when they had dealt with those guys here. Was it about this? He frowned and asked some more relevant questions, but the young man could no longer give him answers he was looking for. As Amandina had said, whether they were thieves or uninvited guests, it was unlikely that they would be happy to have their whereabouts noticed. Finally he shook his head and tossed another silver coin to the young man, ¡°Well, go on, go early ande back early, I¡¯m still hungry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my lord, I promise not to spend a single penny.¡± The young man hurriedly replied with fear and trepidation.

    ¡°No worries about that, just buy three servings of food and any more left is yours, I¡¯m not short of money, but you¡¯d better not give me any trouble.¡± Brendel deliberately replied coldly.

    He asked for the young man¡¯s name then the other party answered and rushed off in a huff, as if afraid to stay by his side for even a second longer. Brendel let out a sigh of relief, fortunately some of the old tricks inside the game was notpletely forgotten. One year in this world, he had be toofortable as a noble lord, in addition to the foundation of swordy, his other skills were about to get rusty. In the past, these things were done properly by Amandina, Fern or Carglise for him; today, rarely on his own, he actually found some feeling of the past.

    He stopped and looked at the view of Praguesse before the evening, the western sky seemed to be red, under the clouds were different shades of gold. There was not much difference between this scene and a year ago, but it was at this time that he heard a coldugh, ¡°It seems that the Lord is really knowledgeable and not at all unfamiliar with these underground things.¡±

    Brendel looked up suddenly, the house where Amandina lived was located by the Praguesse River which crossed Praguesse horizontally. There was a small courtyard at the back of the house, next to the courtyard was the Praguesse River, and that ce originally had a staircase that led to the river, which was like a small dock. People with a little bit of assets would bolt a small boat to a post by the steps as another way to get around. The steps outside thepound had been abandoned for years, and the crevices in the stone steps were filled with weeds nearly a person¡¯s height. There was a figure in the grass.

    He squinted his eyes and immediately recognized the other person: ¡°Teste?¡± That person was Viscount Teste, whom he had met once in the auction house in Praguesse. Although the other party¡¯s appearance had changed greatly and his blond hair had somehow be gray, with wrinkles on his face as if he had suddenly aged for decades, he recognized his features and that unique look in his eyes, and so he called out the other party¡¯s name.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that the Count would still recognize me.¡± Teste stood on the stone steps with some emotion in his eyes. When he fought with the other party in the city¡¯s underground auction house and almost killed this man, he did not expect that in just one year, the other party¡¯s power had reached this point. He used to think he was a genius, but now he understood what a real genius was like. However, these no longer have any meaning to him, he came here just to seek relief.

    Brendel heard the other party¡¯s hoarse voice and asked with some confusion, ¡°How did you be like this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, that experience was a nightmare for me,¡± replied Teste, ¡°but to say the least, it has something to do with you, Lord Count.¡±

    ¡°What does it have to do with me?¡± Brendel frowned, he remembered that the only time he had dealt with this guy was in the underground auction house, and after that there was no more encounter. He saw the other party appear earlier, and thought he was looking for him to avenge the arrow back then.

    ¡°If the Count has time to listen to me talk such nonsense, just so I can slowly tell you this story, in return, I will tell the Count some secrets about that time.¡± Teste replied in a hoarse voice.

    Brendel¡¯s heart started pumping in curiosity. Did hee her ejust to tell me a story? He can¡¯t be crazy, right? <.i> But looking at him like this, there was an eight percent possibility that he had gone crazy, but he was quite interested in the other party¡¯s secret, he vaguely felt that it might be rted to All For One, and there was no greater threat to him now than that damn organization. He nodded and asked, ¡°Here?¡±

    ¡°Right here, there¡¯s no one around, it¡¯s torturous for me to dy a moment longer, and I really don¡¯t have the leisure to find another location.¡± Teste replied.

    Brendel looked at this guy, curious about what experience had turned him into this. Teste went silent for a moment and suddenly said, ¡°It¡¯s because of the Lionheart Sword.¡±

    ¡°The Lionheart Sword?¡±

    Teste nodded, and then told that story slowly, starting with his search for the Lionheart Sword for All For One.

 Chapter 848 - v5c38p1

    v5c38p1

    Two Letters(3)

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s your own damn fault regardless,¡± All the while Brendel stood silently and attentively waited until Teste ended his narration before he finally responded. But he was nevertheless baffled that he was only now informed of the past events involving the Lionheart Sword before it ultimately ended up in Freya¡¯s possession. Back when he first met Master Bosley, the Sage te began to resonate, it must have been then that the All for One reactivated the Lionheart.

    But if that was the case, his entire narration would sound too smooth sailing to be believable. After all, the protector of the Lionheart sword then was Knight of the Lake Krentel, and before he was an Elite Elf he possessed ability on par to that of Mephisto.

    Notwithstanding the determination that came with the swearing of the oath of protection, which would undoubtedly further stoke the will for war in its defense. If Teste, a Gold-level individual single-handedly picked a fight against such monstrosity, not much more can be med but his own foolish decision making.

    Otherwise, if he were to know that the Lionheart Sword was buried within the vicinity of the Lake of Fog, why wouldn¡¯t he just search there, but instead went through all the hassle to get to the Sage te?

    Speaking of the legendary knight by King Erik¡¯s side, Brendel was instantly reminded of the spirit that once loitered in Freya¡¯s shadow that was noted far less since. It appeared to have finally fully acknowledged Freya as the rightful owner of the Lionheart sword. asionally the knight spirit would still present itself in the courtyard of Coldwood castle, which by then due to the increasingly rare encounters would spook the castle servants into treating it as a ghost story.

    Teste noted Brendel¡¯s remark and did not rebuke, but dispiritedly he added, ¡°Milord, I shall not deny it, it is indeed my own damn fault, but I cannot recall at all what made me search for the sword in the first ce. All I could think of myself now is as a bumbling fool. Ever since I left the Lake of Fog I have been following that person, my whole conscience is muddled, it was...it was as if somebody was ordering me to do it against my will.

    I can¡¯t think for myself, I can¡¯t rest, I kept moving day and night as time flew past me, but I have no say in it. It was as if I was trapped in an endless loop of nightmares, and every moment of every day I loitered in the depths of my fear, like a ghost in the shell of a man. It was pure agony and suffering.¡±

    ¡°But you sure look pretty awake now,¡± Brendel looked straight into his eyes as he remarked.

    Teste did not disprove his deduction as he nodded, ¡°It is because when I have awoken today, I could feel myself close to the Lionheart sword,¡±

    ¡°You can feel it?¡± Brendel was rather astounded.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Now when I look at you, Milord, of course I could deduce that the Lionheart sword is nearby. But much earlier on, I could only feel an intense calling, as if the world before my eyes was a crumbling, rotting mess, and on the barren wastnd there was only one path of purity, and by following that path I was let straight here.¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t seem to be unfamiliar with what is happening in the world outside.¡±

    Only after the Battle of Ampere Seale was he knighted as Count, but from Teste¡¯s tone, he did not seem like he was devoid of any information from that point of time since.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell for sure, but everything that corrtes with the sword is almost naturally absorbed into my mind, whether my conscience cares for it or not,¡± Teste uttered in a coarse voice.

    Brendel¡¯s eyebrows lifted ever so slightly from thement, thinking that it might be due to a connection with the Lionheart sword, yet perceiving it as less about acknowledgment but more of a curse.

    He was promptly reminded of a myth rted to the Lionheart sword. Legend had it that if anyone not acknowledged by the swordys a finger on the holy artifact, they would be cursed for their entire existence, thest victim being thest emperor of the House Seifer. The sword was lost since, until it reappeared recently.

    But this man before him, his situation bore great resemnce to a Nameless soul. A Nameless soul is one who has lost all faith and beliefs, and as time went on would eventually lose their own sanity. Brendel would never have expected the Lionheart¡¯s curse to have such effects. Even though the members of the All for One were psychopaths, one thing they all had inmon was that they were all adamantly faithful to their faith.

    He decided to further evaluate the unweed guest as he pursued, ¡°I assume your visit isn¡¯t just to tell me all this?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, Milord. If the voice brought me here today, there must be a deeper meaning that lies within. All I need now is a release, to break free from this dogged life of very,¡± Teste, appeared destitute as he pleaded.

    ¡°I suppose you don¡¯t need toe to me for that.¡±

    ¡°Death doesn¡¯t solve anything, Milord,¡± Teste tookrge gasps of air as he sighed. A once formidable man, now appearing with a foot in the grave, ¡°I died more times than I¡¯d like, but this is like a dream, after every end, I will wake up and find myself in a different ce.¡±

    ¡°I bet you feel like a walking-dead now,¡± Brendel nodded. He felt no liking towards the members of the All for One, but not to the point of rubbing salt on their wounds, but neither did he feel sympathy, ¡°So when you said you¡¯re gonna tell me a secret from the past, I suppose it¡¯s to strike a deal?¡±

    Teste nodded.

    Brendel sighed for a moment. He was genuinely interested in hearing the secret, but he was not as familiar with curses as most would think, notwithstanding one that was associated with Nameless Souls, it was far too great a risk to take.

    Back when he was still in Deadwood forest, he entered the dreamscape of a Nameless soul, but that was because he was familiar with the copy. To solve the issues the Viscount was entangled in he will have to enter the dreamscape of the man. And if he had any disagreement with the host his journey within would be a death trap.

    If the Viscount was just a random stranger, he might have considered it, but he just happened to be an All for One cultist.

    Brendel was still not that selfless as to sacrifice himself for the life of an enemy, and after a good round of thought, he unwaveringly rejected, ¡°Frankly, I don¡¯t want anything to do with people like you. I would even offer a token of friendship to the Nobles I so despise, or tolerate the agonizing pride of Kirrlutzians, but never to the All for One.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know our religion often carries a bad reputation,¡± Teste responded weakly alongside his frown, but his tone visibly grew more anxious, ¡°Milord, I understand that it might be hard for you to ept, but¡­¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Brendel cut him off, ¡°Not just that, you lot are fanatical.¡±

    ¡°Fanatical? No, Milord, all we seek is the truth of this world. Some live their entire lives in search of power, but not us. I can safely say we are far better than some of those despicable Nobles you deal with from day to day,¡± Teste might be frail, but his words at times were still firm and self-righteous.

    ¡°Those men and women and their selfish pursuits at the expense of their own people andmunity, despicable, undoubtedly. But at the very least they do not leave the people in constant uneasiness and fear,¡± Brendel reasoned, ¡°No one wants to broker a deal with fanatics.¡±

    ¡°Stop beating around the bush with me, Count Brendel, I know you¡¯re interested in this secret that I have¡­¡±Teste could tell that Brendel was not offering him the benefit of a doubt as he anxiously cut him off, then continued, his voice gradually higher,

    ¡°But why wouldn¡¯t you consider giving me a chance? Give us a chance to prove ourselves, I guarantee you¡¯d appreciate the revtion! Milord, this affects one of your beloved associates, the safety of ady closely tied to you hangs in the bnce!¡±

    Brendel stared nkly at the hapless old tramp as his heart skipped a beat. The first to appear in his thoughts was Scarlet, the young maiden who had been gone for quite a while now, leaving no trace behind as if she vanished into thin air. None of the Lantonn or Coldwood envoys, spies, or patrols caught any resemnce of her thus far.

    Even with the help of the Bians, given that the Azure Lance was involved, were more than enthusiastic to help, but still, no sign of her was noted.

    His gaze then turned stark cold as he questioned, ¡°What¡¯re you trying to rally here?¡±

 Chapter 849 - v5c38p2

    v5c38p2

    Two Letters(3)

    As soon as he heard that, Teste clenched his palm upon one of the rusty bars on the metal fence as he red back at Brendel. His face was pale as a sheet, his eyes wandering everywhere but the person he was talking to. In close vicinity, he resembled a wandering spirit not long for this earth.

    He was in great contemtion on whether to reveal all he knew to Brendel that very instant but was adamant that Brendel would ept his end of the deal, yet unable to hide the utter desperation saturated on his expression.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have much time left, Milord...you and I, we had no qualms, and even the tiny misunderstandings back then I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all but moved on from by now. So, what do you say, I believe you as a trustworthy man no less, so all I need is your promise, and I will reveal this secret to you.¡±

    ¡°Viscount Teste, given your condition I don¡¯t see how you still have any leverage to strike a deal with me,¡± Brendel did not mince his words.

    Even though he was intrigued by what could possibly torment this once boastful Viscount to the way he was today, his thoughts were now entirely on the young redhead Hignd maiden with her trademark ponytail, and the anxiety that ensued with her abrupt disappearance.

    ¡°Milord, you¡¯re a heartless fool, you know that?! Disavowing the safety of your most trusted subordinates!¡± Teste suddenly twitched vigorously, his body awkwardly twisted as his grip on the rusty fence tightened. Whining he begged, ¡°I just need one promise from you!¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Brendel ultimately gave in, ¡°But I¡¯ll first need to make sure your secret is worthwhile.¡±

    Teste seemed to be instantly freed from his agony, his distorted face gradually free to align back to where it belonged as he added, ¡°...Milord, it concerns Miss Head butler¡­!¡±

    His eyes then instantly popped wide as he shrieked, ¡°No no no! Wait wait...wait, Milord, let me finish...ugh...Boke Nelson¡®s daughter...Magsk¡¯s henchmen...if you still care to know please free me from...No, don¡¯t take me away! I beg you both! Argh¡­¡±

    After a barrage of wailing and cries, Teste¡¯s voice dropped low into a series of growling, and just then, Brendel felt a certain movement across the nightscape.

    On the riverbank, an illuminating silhouette shed through the background from where they stood, but it was massive, and despite only once, it felt as if an army the size of tens of thousands just marched into the fray, and with a blink of Teste¡¯s eyes they were gone almost instantly.

    Only then did Brendel realized the corrtion and rushed to the riverbanks. By then the water was as serene as it always was, devoid of any signs of recent turbulence.

    Turning his gaze back towards the rusty fenced gate and its noticeably snapped end, it was visible proof that the scene he witnessed before was not a hallucination.

    Brendel stood by the riverside, indulging in the soothing breeze of the autumn nocturnal winds, yet with further contemtion of the chain of events prior a chill shed through his spine.

    Teste¡¯sst words seemed to radiate within his mind. Boke Nelson¡®s daughter...that¡¯s Amandina no doubt about that, but what does that old bag know about her? And Magsk is looking for Amandina, why?

    Magsk was a man he was fairly acquainted with, originally a squad leader of the White Winged Legion and a high-ranking member of the All for One cult, after the Battle of Ampere Seale and the subsequent squad reevaluation however, he was shuffled out from the picture. He should be burning on a stake by now...but what does all this mess have to do with Amandina?

    Originally here in Praguesse for family matters, he was now struck into theplicated mess against his will, and was left perplexed.

    He just could not fathom any reason for Amandina to be engulfed in this. Turning back to look at the crumbling building behind him, the flimsy structure nted to its side, on the verge of a total copse, and in the dark of night resembled a beast with its ws encroaching the beholder. Paired with the flickering lights nearby, which had the added effect of bone-chilling horror, he took a light breath, his heart extremely rattled with uneasiness.

    Momentarily after, the teenager that had previously taken leave came running back to him, huffing and puffing. It took little time for him to notice the grim expression on Brendel as he took to ask, ¡°Am I toote sir?¡±

    Brendel did not reply, but instead reverted with a question, ¡°Did you hear anything when you came?¡±

    ¡°Huh, no sir,¡± The teen replied with a baffled look on his face.

    Brendel took ast nce towards the rusty fenced gate, then retrieved the package, in it were a warm load of bread, several slices of ham, and a few baked potatoes fresh out the oven. It appeared less like the food sold on disy at the guesthouse, and much likely food from the youngster¡¯s home.

    It was in no way a hearty meal, but it was far better than any stale bread from the campsite. He wrapped up the food and tossed a silver coin to the teen as a tip.

    The teenager was rather bewildered, despite appearing cold and unapproachable from their first encounter, Brendel was rather generous however with his money.

    Brendel noted that the youth was the henchmen of the local warlord and with his liberal tip he had secured himself with a mode ofmunication and a temporary local hire.

    With the tip of one tael alone, equivalent to a week¡¯s wages for a master craftsman, the teenager would prefer nothing more than to provide Brendel with anything he needed. A generous employer was hard toe by after all.

    Not to mention the tip.

    Brendel ordered the teenager to report back to him again the following day, took ast nce over the streets lining Be river, and then went back upstairs himself.

    Back in the room, he found the girls by the study desk, Freya was engrossed by the book she was reading under the candlelight, which Brendel quick noted was titled ¡®Suleiman¡¯s Cavalry Journal¡¯.

    It was a renowned benchmark for Cavalry tactics produced by the Aouine Royal Officer Academy themselves. Even though it was rather rugged, it was well known to him by now that the young maiden from the Bian countryside would diligently spend her pastime self-educating.

    He then turned his gaze towards Amandina. The skill level of the Head Butler herself was far from that of his own or Freya¡¯s, and was closer to that of any ordinary human. After days of prolonged carriage rides she was visibly exhausted and had fallen into slumber on the very desk she sat by.

    But that was Amandina¡¯s personality after all, despite how fatigue-ridden she was, she was in no way ready to tug in for the night.

    Brendel, observing the sight, let out a bitter smile whilst shaking his head. He gently shut the door behind him and ced the packed food before Freya, only then did she notice his presence as she appeared ever so shocked, instantly pulling herself back to reality.

    Brendel hurriedly ced his finger over his lip, hinting she kept her voice down, then pointed to Amandina as an exnation of why. Freya only then realized that the Head butler maiden fell asleep by the desk where she sat, and prompted let out an apologetic smile, ¡°My apologies Brendel, I was too immersed into the book I didn¡¯t realize she was¡­¡±

    As she hastily pieced together her exnation Brendel waved his hand as a reminder that it was all fine. Ever so slightly he carefully scooped Amandina up, with a hand over her back and the other by the curve of her neck. Amandina by then was deeply asleep, her eyshes twinkled ever so slightly, it was Brendel¡¯s guess as to what dream had popped into her head then.

    Brendel quickly noted the swirl of fragrance from the young maiden around his nose and promptly caught on. Meanwhile, Freya that was by the sidelines noted the sight and felt a tweak of jealously arose within her as she blurted, ¡°Brendel, should I help too?¡±

    Brendel hesitated for a moment and quickly realized it was more appropriate for Freya to be carrying her instead, just that when he noticed Amandina limply falling asleep on the study desk he felt sympathetic and reacted instantly, hence forgetting his surroundings at the moment.

    He paused momentarily, before shaking his head ever so slightly. What¡¯s started was already done, what difference would it make to stop now anyway., as he walked towards her bedside and gentlyid her down, before tenderly tugging the nket over her. Once certain that she wasfortable he turned towards Freya, noting that she tilted her head slightly away, however.

    ¡°You should get some rest too, I¡¯ll keep watch for the night.¡±

    ¡°No need, Brendel, I¡¯m not tired,¡± Freya decisively rejected.

    She then lifted her diary and flipped through a few pages but quickly realize that she was no longer in the mood, and could barely even take in a word. Frustrated, she paused for a moment and lifted her head to look across the room. Noticing Brendel was now seated on where Amandina was just a moment ago, she was just about to ask about his rtionship with Amandina but Brendel too, noticed that she was looking over was a tad quicker as he took to ask, ¡°Did you hear anything earlier?¡±

    ¡°Of what?¡± Freya frantically replied, noticeably caught off-guard by Brendel¡¯s abrupt question, and was certain he shifted the conversation in the nick of time, effectively keeping her from delving deeper into her curiosity.

    Brendel wrinkled his forehead by the thought, for Viscount Teste¡¯s final cry was not mellow in any means, it could¡¯ve reached over a hundred meters in radius along the river. He took to ask the teenager earlier but the response was exactly the same as Freya¡¯s.

    Hmm, that¡¯s strange, normally only under the one scenario that I¡¯m hallucinating will this happen, but the snapped metal gate definitely offers solid proof.

    Recalling Teste¡¯s words, he was reminded of Amandina¡¯s encounter with the limp, and the subsequent interaction with the patrol knights.

    I was sure those dishonest fellows were just on it to leech some pocket money, but now that I think about it again it sure seems littered with a bunch of plotholes. Aouine might be gued by systemic corruption, but the Nobles have their own set of rules, Amandina regardless is still one of them.

    Those patrol knights should know that. Even if they were to ckmail for some fast cash there surely are better targets out there, there¡¯s no need toe all the way here to get themselves into unnecessary trouble. Based on Teste¡¯s remarks today, Praguesse¡¯s patrol knights must also report back to the White Winged Cavalry.

    That would mean the people we met that day might actually be Magsk henchmen, and if Teste was honest, then what does the All for One want from Amandina?

    Coming to that conclusion, he couldn¡¯t help but peek over to the highborn maiden in deep slumber, bearing instant resemnce to the sleeping beauty from the stories. But in Brendel¡¯s mind, there was no mncholy in him, instead confusion and perplexity.

    ¡°Oh well.¡±

    Brendel shook off the thoughts in his head, what could not be deciphered might as well be left aside for the time being. Amandina is by his side anyway, if the All for One were to pester her they would nevertheless have to go through him first.

 Chapter 850 - v5c39

    v5c39

    Two Letters(4)

    Brendel and Freya ended up sitting together in silence for the whole night. The former seemed to have a lot on his mind, thetter, on the other hand, was willing to speak up, though she didn¡¯t know where to start. She was unsure of her feelings towards the man that was sitting right in front of her right now. She admired him, but she felt no deep affection for him. Also, she knew that Brendel and Romaine were in an official rtionship, so she didn¡¯t want to interrupt them. However, she was quite angry when she sensed instinctively that Brendel and Amandina had a thing going on.

    She sat on a wooden bench as she flipped through the pages of a booklet absent-mindedly for the whole night. The booklet wasn¡¯t thick, so it didn¡¯t take long for her to get to thest page. She then lifted her head and caught Brendel looking at her with his bright eyes. It startled her and she immediately looked downwards at the booklet again. She gritted her teeth as she thought to herself, This damn yboy. She then flipped through the booklet again frantically and thought, Why is he staring at me like that? That¡¯s so rude!

    Poor Brendel. He was actually just thinking about what Viscount Teste had said and the letter from his mother, and he was gazing at the wall behind Freya instead of her. And just like that, he¡¯d given the War Goddess the impression that he was a ck sheep of the nobles.

    Both of them remained silent for the entire night till the next morning.

    The first light of dawn was seen above the roof of the tall building that was located opposite this shabby wooden building. It then shone through the windows and fell onto the desk. Before the sunlight covered the entire desk, there was a knock on the door. Brendel was the first to react and sat bolt upright. He then noticed that Freya, who sat opposite him, had her hands on her knees with the booklet ced on top of her hands. Her head was facing downwards and her long ponytail dangled over her shoulders, it seemed like she had fallen asleep. It was amazing that she was still sitting upright, no wonder she was entitled ¡®The Knight of the Kingdom¡¯.

    He couldn¡¯t help butugh. He then patted her forehead. She was very alert and her eyes opened immediately. As she was about to draw her sword subconsciously, the booklet above her hands fell onto the ground with a loud thud. She got startled at the scene and her face flushed in embarrassment.

    ¡°Brendel, I-¡±

    ¡°No worries, I fell asleep just now as well.¡± He smiled. Because of their fitness, it didn¡¯t really matter much if they hadn¡¯t slept for a day or two. But a person¡¯s habits were difficult to change in such a short time, plus the one week of continuous battles had taken a huge toll on them.

    ¡°Was there a knock on the door?¡±

    Brendel listened to the rhythm of the knocks, nodded and replied, ¡°It¡¯s the guy I hired.¡± He then walked towards the door and opened it. Sure enough, the young man whom they metst night was standing awkwardly outside the door with a basket filled with bread and cheese in his hands. As soon as Brendel noticed the basket, the teenager quickly exined, ¡°Master, I was just wondering if you all wanted to have some breakfast.¡±

    Seeing how business-minded he was, Brendel burst outughing. He then immediately straightened his face and said, ¡°Just leave it here. Since you¡¯re here so early, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already done what I¡¯ve told you to do yesterday.¡±

    The young man quickly put the basket down. Although he still seemed a little reserved, he was able to cotton up to him. ¡°Of course, master. I wouldn¡¯t ck off on your orders. I¡¯ve already inquired about it.¡±

    ¡°Do you have the information on the miller named Scott?¡± Brendel asked. Scott was actually his father¡¯s name in this life, but the outsiders usually called him old Scott.

    ¡°Yes, and I came here as soon as I¡¯ve gathered some information. I didn¡¯t even get to sleep for the whole night,¡± replied the young man quickly. It was as if he was talented on this matter. He then continued in detail, ¡°There¡¯s indeed such a person. His manor is located by Be River, at the southern part of Praguesse. But I¡¯ve heard that his mills were just built decades ago and his family members were still foreigners when the former King was still on the throne. They also seem to have some ties with the Karsuk nobles.¡±

    It was quite a lot of information considering that he¡¯d just inquired about them in one night. Fortunately, his father was a miller who was somewhat well-known in the neighbourhood, otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be that easy to gather that much information if he was just a nobody. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± The young man furrowed his brows as he tried to recall more information. He scratched his head and said, ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯ve also heard that his son went missing during the war. That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±

    Brendel knew that he himself was the missing son that was mentioned. It seemed like not many people knew about it. After all, most outsiders had only heard about Count Trentheim¡¯s deeds and not of his real name. Even if they had, they wouldn¡¯t think that the descendants of Sword Saint Darius would have ties with a miller. Based on the culture in this era, it was verymon for people to share the same name, including the nobles. Otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be names like Anson the Tenth and King Oberg the Seventh.

    He nodded in a pretending manner. ¡°I¡¯ve also asked you to find out if they had any visitors recently, have you inquired about it?¡±

    The young man quickly nodded. ¡°I think so.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that? Were there any visitors or not?¡± Brendel wasn¡¯t satisfied with his reply at all. His previous questions were just to check if he¡¯d really gone to ask around for information and he wasn¡¯t bbering nonsense. Thest question was the key question, but to his surprise, the young man¡¯s reply to his question was somewhat ambiguous.

    The young man was a little taken aback by his reaction. When he looked at his facial expressions and realised that his ¡®very well-established¡¯ employer wasn¡¯t actually angry, he quickly licked his lips and said, ¡°I think they had visitors. I¡¯ve asked those who hade into contact with that family, and all of them said that there weren¡¯t any visitors or strangers around there recently. But I believe that those visitors might not want others to know their existence.¡± The young man then observed Brendel¡¯s expressions carefully. When he saw that Brendel was slightly surprised as he gave a nod of appreciation, only then did he let out a sigh of relief and continued, ¡°So, I changed my way of questioning.¡±

    ¡°You changed your way of questioning?¡± interrupted Brendel.

    The young man nodded.

    ¡°How did you ask them?¡±

    ¡°I asked if there were any caravans, mercenaries or any strangers who passed by old Scott¡¯s mills recently. As you know, outsiders rarelye here. So it¡¯s very easy for the locals to recognise outsiders such as adventurers, mercenaries and foreign merchants. Guess what, I found out that a group of knights passed by the mills a week ago. The road that leads to that ce is a dead end, so most people will usually not go there.¡±

    Brendel knew that the road wasn¡¯t actually a dead end. It stretched southwards to the sawmills which led to Fortress Riedon. He used to practice swordsmanship there with his grandfather when he was young, but the road waspletely abandoned ever since they were invaded by the Undead. So it was understandable to say that it was a dead end.

    ¡°A group of knights? What did they look like?¡± he asked.

    ¡°They were wearing green tabards, but the locals couldn¡¯t tell what heraldic symbols were on them.¡±

    ¡°Green tabards,¡± murmured Brendel. He knew who they were. Only the Hignd Knights wore green tabards in the whole of Aouine. Of course, there was a possibility that they were impersonators, but it was very unlikely for that to happen as it would be too bold of them to offend the Hignd Knights. He¡¯d actually impersonated them once as ast resort, and it was almost impossible to find another daredevil like him in Aouine. ¡°Were they really the Hignd Knights?¡± He shook his head. He still couldn¡¯t figure out why they would look for his parents instead of him. Could it be that it was because they wanted to regain the rtionship with his grandfather so that they could get closer to him? It didn¡¯t seem necessary for those knights to do so though.

    He put away his thoughts and looked at the young man in front of him. ¡°Is your name Dean?¡±

    ¡°Yes, master,¡± replied the young man respectfully. It seemed like he¡¯d noticed something, he then continued astutely, ¡°I¡¯ll always be at your service, whenever and wherever.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? Are you willing to leave Praguesse then?¡± Brendel was impressed at Dean¡¯s inquiry skills and he was talented at observing others¡¯ reactions and expressions. He¡¯d just gotten Sue from Ciel and he was nning to build an informationwork in Kirrlutz and Madara, so he needed a talented person like Dean.

    Dean¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard the question as he knew what Brendel was implying, but he hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, master.¡±

    Brendel was curious as to why he¡¯d refused because he could tell that Dean was interested. He then asked, ¡°Why not? Are you afraid of stepping out of yourfort zone and broadening your horizons?¡±

    Dean immediately shook his head and exined, ¡°Not really, master. It¡¯s just that I have to take care of my mother. She¡¯s not in good health, so I can¡¯t be too far away from home.¡±

    Brendel suddenly nced at the food that was in the basket on the ground. He chuckled and asked, ¡°So, did your mother make these?¡±

    Dean blushed. He didn¡¯t realise that Brendel already knew what he was up to. He then exined embarrassedly, ¡°My mother¡¯s cooking isparable to the hotel chefs¡¯.¡±

    Brendel looked at the young man again and became more interested in him. Although Dean always bummed around the streets, he wasn¡¯t a thug, so he made up his mind and said, ¡°You can head home first, and I¡¯ll send someone over to look for youter on. Don¡¯t worry, you can bring your mother along if you have to leave Praguesse. I think your mother would be worried about you as well.¡±

    Dean looked at him in surprise. ¡°Master, are you serious?¡± He¡¯d guessed Brendel¡¯s intention of hiring him as his attendant, and he was more than happy to work for a generous master like him, though it was his first time hearing that a master would allow his attendant to bring his family members along.

    ¡°Do I look like someone who has the time to joke with you?¡± replied Brendel grimly.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯re the kindest person I¡¯ve ever met,¡± Dean said sincerely.

    Brendel spent another silver coin to send his new attendant off. He then carried the basket and closed the door. When he turned around, he realised that Amandina was already awake and she was lying on the bed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not being much of a use, my Lord.¡± She whispered after he turned around. As a gentleman, Brendel didn¡¯t make a fuss about it as he should let her rest on the one and only bed there. Instead, he shook his head and asked, ¡°Did you hear everything?¡±

    Amandina nodded.

    ¡°What do you think of it?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s probably not lying. This means that your mother was referring to the Hignd Knights in her letter.¡± She said softly.

    ¡°But it¡¯s weird. Why did they have to visit my family if they wanted to look for me?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps they wanted to avoid the other nobles, my Lord,¡± replied Amandina.

    Brendel could only think of this possibility as well. But he was curious as to why the Hignd Knights had to avoid the other nobles to look for him. In fact, these knights had piqued his curiosity ever since the first battle of Ampere Seale. Although he was Darius¡¯ grandson, they seemed to be too friendly towards him. Darus was once the marshal of the United Army and he was prestigious in Aouine, but he was never themander of the Hignd Knights. They also didn¡¯t have any rtionships with his grandfather, let alone with him. It was kind of ridiculous that they were very enthusiastic towards him and would even get involved in a war just because he was the descendant of a Sword Saint.

    From what they¡¯d found out today, it seemed that there were some secrets between the Hignd Knights and his grandfather¡¯s family.

    ¡°Ciel is very tight-lipped as well,¡±ined Brendel. He¡¯d tried to sound Ciel out before this trip, but he just yed dumb and acted as if he¡¯d forgotten everything that had happened before this life. Brendel knew that this was impossible as Medissa was a ssic example. He ended up sending him back to the territory out of anger and didn¡¯t even bother bringing him along to Praguesse.

    He was definitely relieved when he knew that the visitors were indeed the Hignd Knights instead of someone else who¡¯d coerced his family. After letting out a sigh of relief, he said, ¡°Well, we¡¯re going to find out what they had up their sleevester.¡±

    ¡°Brendel, are you going to visit them?¡± asked Freya curiously.

    ¡°Yes, of course. What other choice do we have?¡± replied Brendel grimly. ¡°Plus, it¡¯s been a long time since Ist went home. It¡¯s now time for me to go home and meet my family.¡±

    ¡°Are we tagging along as well, my Lord?¡± asked Amandina.

    He nodded. ¡°Of course, you¡¯re both my assistants. Both of you will have to help me out.¡±

    Although Brendel didn¡¯t think of it as much of a big deal, Amandina thought otherwise. She hid under the nket and fell silent as her face flushed.

    After packing their things, the three of them headed out of the city. Brendel remembered that his house was located at the southern part of Praguesse, along the ¡®dead route¡¯ to Fortress Riedon and the sawmills in Stag Forest. It matched urately with Dean¡¯s description. He thought that he would have to rack his brain to remember the way home as he¡¯d been away from home for two years, and if he was Sophie¡¯s soul, he had never visited that ce before.

    A whileter, he could see the familiar pinnd around Be River. There weren¡¯t any major changes to this area in the past two years. He strolled slowly along the river as he observed his surroundings. Every ck pine and even every pattern of the rocks along the river coincided with his memory. It felt very strange. It was as if he¡¯d been there more than once in his dreams.

    He looked at the scenery quietly and felt a feeling that he¡¯d never felt before.

    It was guilt.

    It¡¯d been almost two years since he left his home, and his family hadn¡¯t heard from him since a year ago. He suddenly realised that his parents would be very worried, especially his mother, who was a Cardiligial noble. Although his mother was quite knowledgeable, she was a gentle and reserved woman. Apart from doing house chores, she devoted almost all of her energy to her son.

    He was a troublemaker. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have gone to a remote area like Be alone.

    All of a sudden, he seemed to remember his grandfather¡¯s sustenance and his parents¡¯ expectations. He was initially hesitant to return home, but he felt something different right now.

    The feelings were sudden.

    It was as if something was awakened in his blood. His mouth opened and he felt a little excited and scared at the same time. He then took a deep breath and stopped walking.

    ¡°Brendel?¡±

    A voice with a hint of surprise was heard from not far away. Brendel trembled slightly and looked toward that direction. A middle-aged man who was walking towards him with a donkey suddenly stopped and looked at him as if he¡¯d seen a ghost. When Brendel saw the familiar face, he blurted, ¡°Uncle Dowen!¡±

    ¡°Brendel, is it really you? You¡¯re alive and you¡¯re back home?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m back home.¡±

    At this moment, Brendel felt something welling up in his eyes.

 Chapter 851 - v5c40

    v5c40

    Two Letters(5)

    The trios led by Daughn stepped on a damp pine needle into his manor and old Scott¡¯s mill is on the banks of the Be River. It was shrouded in a lush pine forest, but by this season a pine needle had long been dyed light brown-and-yellow. Through the woods, from this direction can be seen a wood-stone structure of the water truck mill and one-third of the huge water truck immersed in the Be River, slowly turning with the white ssh. The Be River is flowing rapidly, but it is so clear that the bottom of the fine pebbles can be seen.

    In Brendel¡¯s memory, this is only a corner of the manor, there are some houses in the woods, a warehouse behind the house, and a piece of farnd behind it. The end of the farnd is connected to the endless dense forest, which is the south of Praguesse stag forest; this is and full of his childhood memories, even without the initiative to recall, these pictures will automatically surface in his mind.

    Daughn has been nagging about what happened in Praguesse over the past two years ¨C he was an old servant on the manor, in fact, a farmer. In this small estate, the identity is not so meticulous after all. Brendel only knew that before he was born, ever since his grandfather¡¯s era, this man has been working on the estate. He also has a wife called Noosa, working in the manor as a cook and Brendel grew up calling her Aunt Noosa. Other than that, there are several other servants in the manor who have simr situations.

    Brendel deliberately looked at this uncle-level figure man whom he has known for nearly two decades. The man remained just like how he remembered; long-winded like a woman, bitter-mouthed good-hearted admonition. In short, Daughn would never let him run away without any news for such a long period, but to put it bluntly, Daughn¡¯s attitude to this little master is still very humble.

    Brendel had only a slight smile on his face, not giving much focus to those words. However, he paid special attention to Daughn¡¯s palm, which is by no means a pair of hands that holds agricultural tools. Only a long-time swordsmen will have those scars on his hands, especially those that wield heavy swords. He knew that both Aouine and Kirrlutz soldiers preferred heavy swords to fight, especially the Hignd¡¯s cavalry.

    This so-called Uncle Daughn had at least a potential of a Silver rankerd and could be a captain of the Hignd Knights. Brendel thinks that he himself was so ignorant of these details in the past that he didn¡¯t know what to say.

    He did not expose Uncle Daughn, but chose to silently follow him, listening to him nagging. In fact, Brendel knows about the incidents that were mentioned, after all, he stayed in Praguesse for a long time after the War Of The ck Roses. It was the most turbulent period in Praguesse. The undead retreated, followed by the influx of refugeesand the loss of Be, the huge changes in the southern Grinoires had a great impact on this border town. But hearing that his mother cried almost every day after he went missing, Brendel¡¯s heart burst out in guilt.Brendel had a grim look. Daughn noticed his master¡¯s shift in expression, therefore he reassured him, saying, ¡°It¡¯s good as long as you are back now.¡±

    Both girls followed in the back and listened quietly. They have known Brendel for a long time, but were still curious about his mysterious background. The nagging old servant, the little manor hidden in the woods, and even the squeaky water cart over there, had greatly satisfied their curiosity. Amandina didn¡¯t learn of her lord¡¯s background until the Ampere Seale, but she never knew that the legendary Sword Saint Darius would hid himself in such a ce after his disappearance to be a miller. While Freya on the other hand spected that Brendel may be a noble son from the beginning, she didn¡¯t know if he¡¯s a grand noble or a small time noble, she only spectes the owner of the manor to be a powerful figure. She thought to herself that her guess of Brendel was right, not to mention when Brendel is the grandson of Lord Darius.

    Daughn indeed noticed the two girls but he did not think much, he just felt that his little master is indeed a capable figure. Although the noble¡¯s daughter anddy knights are not the prettiest, in the Praguesse terrestrial, they are a rare beauty, especially Amandina who was born the daughter of a duke. Every move she made exude noble elegance. As a person who understood how society works, he knew that Amandina could not have been someone with amon background, which got him to mutter in his heart, ¡°how did he even kidnap this daughter of some duke?¡±

    Freya¡¯s identity shocked Daughn even more. He knew at an instant that she¡¯s a soldier, and is a knight at that. He identally caught a glimpse of Freya¡¯s shoulder badge, and he cursed in his heart, wondering where did his master find thisdy knight captain. Born into the Hignd knighthood, Daughn naturally understood Aouine¡¯s military system. He knew that Freya must at least be in the Silver peak stage. However, Daughn couldn¡¯t tell Brendel¡¯s potential. After all, after reaching Elemental Activation stage, all signs of one¡¯s strength disappear. Currently, Brendel looks like an ordinary person to outsiders, and nobody will think of a twenty-year-old young man as someone in the Elemental Realm.

    Even he wasn¡¯t sure what level his master has achieved. If Brendel told him that he has reached Elemental Activation since one and a half years ago, he would definitely burst outughing.

    It was at this point that he remembered about the guests in the manorand got a headache. Due to how amazing these twodies are, it sure will be troublesome to deal with the other people.

    Of course, he didn¡¯t speak out his mind, but Amandina and Freya felt Daughn¡¯s abnormal nce at them and understood what was on his mind.

    As soon as the trio stepped into the manor, Brendel teared up. There was a familiar silhouette blended within the stables. That person was around forty or fifty years old. A tall man wearing themon farmer¡¯s hat and a smoking pipe in his mouth. That person did not notice that someone was behind him, as he slowly brushed the donkey¡¯s mane. But as soon as he heard the rustling noiseing from behind, he turned around with his eyebrows frowned as he looked at Brendel.

    This was Brendel¡¯s father, Old Scott.

    Brendel was still hesitating on how to start the conversation prior to arriving at the manor. But as soon as he saw that man¡¯s face, he subconsciously blurted out, ¡°I¡¯m back, old man...¡±

    His voice was almost a little squeamish. His chest pumped with a strong urge telling him that this was his home, his father. His closest family member. He wanted to continue speaking but he was dry of words.

    Old Scott only looked at him in silence before dropping his brush and turned around to get into the house, leaving Brendel to stand there awkwardly.

    ¡°Well, ¡± said Daughn, who couldn¡¯t help but sigh when he saw this situation, ¡°Brendel, Mr Scott he...¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it, Uncle Daughn, I understand. ¡± Brendelughed bitterly. He knew it was his fault considering that old man¡¯s stubborn temper, which he prefers to call it a soldier¡¯s fortitude now. Just from that surprised glimpse, he had understood that the secret of this family is probably hidden from him only. His father is not just a miller, his level was even higher than Daughn¡¯s. Plus, the professional aura that he¡¯s exuding can only be found among the Hignd Knights in Aouine.

    He now understood that his father might have fought in the Eleven Months War and was even his ancestor¡¯s subordinate.

    He looked back and saw Freya looking a little uneasy, while Amandina only gave him a suspicious gaze. He just sighed, ¡°Uncle Daughn, you should go ahead and do your work first.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Daughn knew of Brendel¡¯s temper. He took ast nce at Brendel and the two other girls as he led the donkey to the back of the farm. He had other ns originally, but those are just trivial matters now that his lord is back.

    ¡°Brendel, are you all right?¡± Freya saw Daughn leave and asked Brendel in a somewhat uneasy way.

    Brendel gave her aforting look, assured that it¡¯s fine, but they could tell that their lord, who stayed calm while facingrge armies back then, was really nervous now. Amandina looked at her lord¡¯s appearance and wanted to give him a few words offort

    But she didn¡¯t know what to say. After all, it was her lord¡¯s matters¡­

    After a while,a woman hurriedly ran out of the house. She froze on the spot after she saw it was Brendel standing outside. At that moment, Brendel felt his chest get stuffed. It was a feeling that couldn¡¯t be described by words. He didn¡¯t expect her face to age as he had only left for half a year. His mother¡¯s name is Windsor, a known beauty in this neighbourhood. However, she has wrinkles in the corners of her eyes, silver strands in her hair. It was a small difference, but it was evident that time had passed.

    At that moment, Brendel feared the worst. Will this be thest time I see her?

    Windsor was already in tears when she carefully asked, ¡°Brendel, is that really you?¡±

    Brendelpletely broke down upon hearing that. He pursed his lips. He wanted to say something, but he didn¡¯t know what to say. His vision blurred, and he only nodded to agree with his mother.

    ¡°Silly boy, silly boy, ¡± Windsor rushed to Brendel¡¯s side, fondly touching her son¡¯s face. ¡± It¡¯s fine as long as you are back, you don¡¯t have to be sorry.¡±

    ¡°Mother...¡±

    Even with all the words that are in his head, he could only utter that one word. All the memories that he had, both as Sophie and as Brendel, shed back in his head, the emotions pumping out in his chest. He has done many things, even changed this country and the fate of the people in it, but it wasn¡¯t until this moment that he realized how blessed he was.

    He had everything¡­

    A home. A shelter that represents all those who are waiting for him. He once felt estranged from this world, but only till this day that he realized it was nothing more than a bulwark representing his fear.

    And the warmth he felt from his mother can tear down even the strongest walls in his heart.

    Brendel finally awakened at this moment. Some things are just waiting for the right opportunity before it arrives. And when it does, it will explode like a scream of desperation from the heart, drowning away all sense of rationality. Brendel and Sophie¡¯s past entwined together, and he finally made sense of this crazed world.

    This world is not an illusory realm.

    It¡¯s definitely not a game.

    It exists somewhere in the universe.

    It¡¯s the Vaunte that belongs to everyone, including him, in this world.

    Brendel silently bent down, allowing his mother to caress him like a child, her tears to fall on his shoulders. His heart was finally at peace. All the lethargy was put down and he finally felt as if he returned back to the era while everything was void of worry. Amandina looked at this scene in an envious manner. She once had everything like this too. But eventually, that life was gone everywhere except for her memories. She remembered thest time her mother was in the sickbed, putting her child¡¯s hand in her own while calling out her name, ¡°Amandina. Amandina...¡± The voice was so weak yet so gentle, her mother¡¯s palm was so cold that it made her heart feel just as cold. Without realizing it herself, she suddenly bit her lip and cried.

    Suddenly, she felt someone tug on her hand from behind. She turned and, to her surprise, saw Freya teared up as well. Freya was raised by the Cecil family and she never once saw her real parents. She looked as if she didn¡¯t once care about that fact, but the scenes she was witnessing today seemed to have tugged on her heartstrings.

    Brendel spent a lot of effortforting his mother, but he did not expect the twodies to cry as well. He looked at them somewhat inexplicably, but he soon came up with an idea and whispered something to his mother.

    Windsor had already noticed Amandina and Freya who came alongside her son. In one nce, she realized they were fine girls. She couldn¡¯t help but nce at Brendel, ming him for theck of care he¡¯s treating them. She felt even more pitiful upon hearing Brendel¡¯s exnation and went over to grab the palms of both the girls.

    Amandina calmed down very quickly. She wiped away her tears, and introduced herself in an embarrassed manner to Brendel¡¯s mother. She imed to be Brendel¡¯s assistant, only to have Windsor nce over at Brendel in a distasteful manner. Brendel can¡¯t help but cry bitterly in his heart. He winked at Amandina for her to pity him, but she only snickered.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Brendel realized that Amandina was just being toying with him all along. While he had never seen a noble act this way, he figured that all women are the same all along.

    On the other hand, Freya was still that innocent Be country girl she was in the past. When Windor grabbed her hands, her face reddened and she was so embarrassed her lips cramped up. Brendel witnessed everything and was feeling puzzled by his mother¡¯s actions. Just when he was about to point out that fact, Windsor suddenly looked back at him with a serious look and said, ¡°Brendel, Freya and Amandina are good girls. You better not fail them.¡±

    As soon as she said that, Amandina looked at Brendel with blushing face while Freya got so shy that she almost buried her head in her chest.

    ¡°Wha-what a-are you talking about??¡± Brendel was just about to exin something when his mother red at her. ¡°So, how are you going to exin to Uncle Bunide?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Bunide? What do I have to exin to him?¡± Brendel was a little confused. It took him a while before he remembered just who that was: The Hignd Knights¡¯ Captain, Bunide!

    They are indeed in this manor, but¡­

    He looked back at his mother and asked,

    ¡°What is it that I have to exin to him?¡±

 Chapter 852 - v5c41

    v5c41

    Two Letters(6)

    ¡°Brendel, your father should be the one telling you these.¡± Windsor touched the faint scars on her son¡¯s cheeks. They were from the Cmity of Wolves. Though no longer obvious, she still felt a pang of heartache from looking at them. ¡°It¡¯s time to tell you about our family matters, but now, why don¡¯t you tell me what happened in the past few days? You must¡¯ve suffered a lot, right?¡±

    ¡°No such thing. Mom, are you going to make me stand here and talk?¡±

    ¡°Oh, look at me. I¡¯m getting old and forgetful.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not old. Everyone knows you¡¯re a beauty who¡¯s prettier than the Deer Demoness with evesting youth. Those from Cielmann, Be, Manoweir, and Castle Kirkuk envy Dad.¡±

    Windsor grinned at his words. Freya and Amandina giggled too. They had never seen Brendel act like that. Thedy of the manor held the twodies¡¯ hands and brought them into the cozily decorated living room. There was a firece by the wall, with racks of flowers, and even spider nts. Next to the living room was the kitchen with rows of condiment jars in the cabs. In the middle of the living room was a sofa, a coffee table. A spread of freshly prepared desserts was ced on the table.

    Brendel still remembered the taste of his mother¡¯s desserts. Freya and Amandinavished praises on them, but their refined manners stopped them from overeating.

    Then, Brendel recounted his past experiences to his mother. Though he wasn¡¯t a good storyteller, his words were clear and easy to understand. When he spoke about how he escaped from Fortress Riedon, Windsor sighed in relief.

    ¡°I heard from your father that a mercenary brought the refugees out of the fortress, but I never imagined you to be one of them. Why didn¡¯t you look for us? Your father is still upset over this.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to.¡± Brendel blushed. ¡°You¡¯re also aware of the trouble I might bring upon our family if my identity is exposed. After all, I¡¯ve crossed All For One.¡±

    ¡°My poor child.¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Windsor, I can assure you that Brendel¡¯s telling the truth. He got into trouble with that cult because he wanted to save me. It was all my fault for being reckless. Please put in some good words to Mr. Scott on behalf of Brendel.¡± Freya mustered up the courage to chime in.

    Windsor smiled at her. ¡°Silly girl, I don¡¯t me you or Brendel. Brendel¡¯s father is just sulking. He¡¯s stubborn, and he¡¯ll get over it soon. Freya, Amandina, if you don¡¯t mind, just call me Mom. This is now your home.¡±

    The girls flushed, too embarrassed to call her that. Nheless, they felt a surge of warmth in their hearts. Freya managed topose herself, whereas Amandina almost burst into tears again.

    Brendel knew what his mother was up to, so he quickly diverted her attention. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m not done with my story.¡±

    His attempt was a sess. ¡°Oh? Oh, right. Where did you go next?¡±

    ¡°To help the refugees settle down, I went to Trentheim.¡±

    ¡°Trentheim? I think I¡¯ve heard of this ce. Oh, they had a bigwig there, called Count Trentheim. I heard he took advantage of the Kirrlutzan at Ampere Seale and even defeated Madara recently. Then, he helped the princess to defeat Raldner¡¯s army, so I guess his name will be changed to Count Raldner soon.¡±

    Brendel was well aware that his mother was wise, as an ordinary peasant would not know about Raldner or Trentheim, nor could they know about theplicated rtions between those two. Judging from grandfather¡¯s identity, Mom¡¯s background should be rather impressive.

    Nevertheless, he was more surprised to learn that she was clueless about Count Trentheim¡¯s identity. Bunide didn¡¯t tell her?

    ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t know who Count Raldner is?¡±

    ¡°How would I know that? Silly child, I only know about this because I heard the rumours in town.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± That gasp came from Amandina, not Brendel. She exchanged nces with him.

    Brendel wondered why did the Hignd Knights not inform his family. What is going on?

    Questions flooded his mind, and he could not help thinking about what was up with that strange group of knights.

    ¡°Brendel, do you know Count Trentheim?¡±

    He nodded and was about to speak when Daughn walked out of the room. ¡°Brendel, Mr. Scott asked you to go in,¡± thetter said.

    Brendel shut his mouth and nced at Windsor, who nodded at him. ¡°Go on. Let your father take a look at you. He might be acting in this way, but he has been worried about you all this while. He even asked for favours from his old acquaintances. Your grandfather... Nevermind. Go on. Your father will tell you everything.¡±

    Brendel nodded. He initially wanted to bring Amandina along but thought it was too suggestive. Instinctively, he nced at her, who read his mind immediately. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with Mrs. Windsor.¡± She offered.

    ¡°Mom.¡± Windsor corrected her.

    Amandina blushed and muttered something incoherently. Windsorughed and ushered Brendel. ¡°Go on, Brendel. Let your father take a good look at you. You¡¯re a grown man now.¡±

    Only then did Brendel stand up and follow Daughn. They walked past the house and arrived at the backyard. His father was standing under a tree with someone. He recognized the other person as the mercenarymander of Hignd, Bunide. Then, he saw a youngdy standing not too far from them. The moment he caught sight of her face, he stood rooted to the ground.

    The youngdy dressed in a silver dress noticed him too. She tilted her head and sized him up. Her pointy ears were peeking out of her silver hair as she stared at him calmly. ¡°It¡¯s been a long while, Brendel.¡±

    ¡°Y-Your Highness?¡±

    Brendel thought of all kinds of possibilities, but he never expected Princess Gryphine to show up before him.

    Why is Her Highness here? It felt like he was struck in the head. His mind went nk, and he lost the ability to think. The visit of the Hignd Knight did note to him as a surprise. After all, his grandfather was Darius, and his mother was born in a noble family in Cardiligial. That information had hinted that he was born into a family of Hignd Knights. However, the knights were not part of the political system in Aouine, so how did they be associated with royalty?

    Brendel nced at Bunide, Gryphine, and his father.

    His brain was short circuit as everything was beyond hisprehension.

    He looked towards his father, hoping to get an exnation from him. Scott was wiping his sword meticulously. Once his sword became shining clean, he raised his head and met his son¡¯s gaze. ¡°I heard that you went through a lot in the past year. Her Highness has also made you a count. Has your swordsmanship improved?¡±

    Bunide chuckled. ¡°Scott, your son cannot be underestimated. I am no match for him.¡±

    Shock shed across Scott¡¯s eyes, though his face remained stern as he looked at Brendel. He knew his son ran off to the rural areas in Be because he could not handle the harsh training. Even if Brendel had talent in swordsmanship, he waszy and refused to work hard, which infuriated him many times. Back when his father was alive, he was the one who trained Brendel and even prohibited everyone else in the manor from showcasing their swordsmanship. That was why he could not intervene with Brendel¡¯s training. However, with the passing of his father, Brendel ran off to Be like a reinless horse.

    Scott assumed Brendel was dead after everything that had happened until Bunide showed up at his door.

    He then nced at the sword in hand. It had apanied him for many years. For the past twenty years, he had stored it safely, and today was the first time he could use it again. He raised the sword, swung it in the air a few times before looking at Brendel.

    ¡°Dad, what¡¯s going on?¡± Brendel was getting more and more puzzled.

    ¡°If you truly wish to know, defeat me, and I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Scott raised his swordand struck a defensive stance. ¡°If you wish to inherit something, you have to show me that you¡¯re worthy of it. Otherwise, I¡¯d rather have you stay as an ordinary person. Come.¡±

    At first nce, Brendel knew it was Aouine¡¯s military sword art, but it was a dual-wielding technique. Frankly, his father was in the Gold rank and was considered an elite in Aouine, yet, he spotted many ws in his pose. Dad iscking a lotpared to Grandpa.

    Despite that, he shed Scott a sheepish smile. ¡°Dad, forget about it.¡±

    He was not afraid of losing. Rather, he was afraid of embarrassing Scott. Besides, Gryphine and Bunide were around. With how stubborn Scott was, he would probably be in trouble if he defeated his own father.

    ¡°Mr. Scott, let me do it.¡± Gryphine suddenly spoke.

    ¡°Your Highness?¡± Scott was startled.

    ¡°Scott, let Her Highness try.¡± Bunide smiled.

    After hesitating for a moment, Scott nced at his son and Gryphine and nodded. ¡°All right. Please be careful, Your Highness.¡±

    Brendel had been keeping an eye on Bunide. When he saw the sly smile on his face, he could not help but wonder what kind of tricks thetter was up to. Gryphine took the sword from Scott and lifted her skirt to stand before Brendel. ¡°Count Brendel, you¡¯re Haruz¡¯s teacher when ites to swordsmanship, and that makes you my teacher too.¡± She raised the sword and bowed.

    Despite the glinting sword in her hand, the half-elf resembled a blooming lily, causing his heart to flutter. However, when she straightened her body, her aura had changed to one of a knight. As she looked at Brendel with her silver eyes, she took a step forward and plunged her sword towards him.

    Scott nodded to himself when he saw her move. It was a firm movement, which meant she had put a lot of hard work into the basics. Brendel wouldn¡¯t be able to take this blow. He could not resist the urge to look at his son.

    Contrary to his expectations, Brendel was calm. He took a step back and dodged Gryphine¡¯s sword. Then, he bumped the sheathed Staff of Earth against it, causing the sword to skew. She looked at him in surprise, having not expected him to counter her attack so easily.

    She could feel that he had not put much strength into it. Even his speed was average. All he used was a technique.

    Scott frowned. To a knight like him who was experienced in battles, what Brendel did was more than a simple technique. Along with it wasbat experience. Only an experienced knight could deflect a sword attack so nonchntly. At that point, he could not help but look at his son incredulously. Though Bunide had yet to tell him about Brendel¡¯s achievements, he could guess that he had impressive encounters in the outside world.

    Seeing that she had failed the first attack, Gryphine aimed for Brendel waist. A silver arch formed in the air as she swung the sword, but it was less captivatingpared to her dancing skirt, which caught Brendel¡¯s attention. Her second attack was different from before, and he could not dodge it. Instead, he used the sheathed Staff of Earth to press her sword down. Then, he took a step forward to block her path. The moment she felt something heavy on her sword, Brendel had stood before her. She tried to retract her sword, but it was toote. With a clunking sound, the sword fell to the ground.

    That attack was a rather renowned move in the White Raven Sword Art, known as the Circle of Wings. Brendel was extremely familiar with that move, and instinctively, he countered her attack with the one he was the best at. However, with his sheathed sword pressed against her neck and one hand around her wrist, he was practically hugging her from behind. As soon as he realised his foolish act, he froze on the spot.

    I¡¯m doomed!

    That was the only thought he had in his mind.

    He wasn¡¯t the only one surprised by the turn of events. Scott almost jumped in ce from shock. He never thought his son could be that bold, defeating Gryphine and even taking advantage of her. At that moment, regret washed over him. I should¡¯ve taught him how to act like a gentleman! Nevertheless, he felt relieved that he did not insist on sparring with his son. Otherwise, it would have been a test for himself instead of the other way around. He would never be able to keep his head up before Bunide.

    At the same time, he was proud of Brendel. As a family of knights, swordsmanship represented their dignity. Not only did Brendel not embarrass the Kardiloso family, but he also exceeded their expectations.

    Silence nketed the backyard.

    After being momentarily stunned, Gryphine struggled softly. ¡°Could you let me go now?¡± There was no sign of indignation on her face.

    Brendel snapped out of it instantly and let her go. His face turned red as he thought, Oh my gosh! What have I done! Then, he recalled the time he made a fool out of himself at Ampere Seale and wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole. He snuck a nce at Gryphine, but she seemed unfazed. She picked up the sword from the ground and nced at Brendel silently. Once she stopped panting, she said, ¡°Mr. Scott, Commander, could I talk to Count Brendel in private?¡±

    Scott and Bunide exchanged nces and nodded.

    Before leaving, Bunide told Brendel smilingly, ¡°Your courage is admirable. I¡¯ll pray for you.¡±

    Scott¡¯s reaction was more subtle. He merely red at his son and reminded. ¡°Mind yourself.¡±

    Even after the two had left the scene, he still could not understand why Gryphine had requested to talk to him in private. He turned around and saw her standing under the tree with the sword as support. Rays of sunlight shone through the leaves, creating a mosaic pattern on her shoulders. As she looked past the field and forest outside the manor, she uttered, ¡°Mr. Knight, can I still call you this?¡±

    Brendel¡¯s face was still hot, and he felt awkward being alone with Gryphine. Though his mind was wandering from the earlier incident, he still nodded.

    She looked at him with an unfathomable gaze, and he wondered if the emotions within those beautiful silver eyes were joy or sorrow.

    ¡°You must be wondering why I showed up here with a Hignd Knight, right?¡±

    Brendel nodded in response.

 Chapter 853 - v5c42

    v5c42

    Two Letters(7)

    The breeze blew past the treetops and the leaves rustled, creating a melody.

    ¡°It all began during your grandfather¡¯s era.¡± Her Highness¡¯ gentle voice seemed to harmonize with the melody, ¡°Around sixty years ago, when Anson the Eleventh was still on the throne, the kingdom had Darius, the Sword Saint, and Tulman, the Lord of the Silver Fortress. It was the Year of Thunder, Aouine had just issued the decree for militia training, and it was the time where Vanmier started to build its defence line at Fortress Riedon. It was the most glorious period in this ancient kingdom ever since the Seifer Dynasty, and your grandfather¡¯s name was one of the most dazzling names in that era.¡±

    Brendel looked towards the field quietly. The clouds floated over Stag Forest and Yulsong¡¯s mountains could be seen faintly in the distance.

    Sword Saint Darius was indeed a legend in that era, being the strongest Sword Saint in Aouine, and the only general in the kingdom to have served as the marshal of the United Army of Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    But the light of this star didn¡¯tst long. Soon after the Holy War ended, he¡¯d inexplicably disappeared. Some said he was dead, some said he¡¯d just gone missing, and there were even rumours saying that the Sword Saint would return to rescue Aouine when the kingdom was in danger again. But Brendel knew that it was only a fond wish as these legends had been buried underground along with the kingdom¡¯s destruction, and no one would remember them a thousand yearster.

    If he wasn¡¯t experiencing what he was going through right now, he wouldn¡¯t have known that Darius had never left the kingdom. He was born and had hisst breath in thisnd, and he was buried anonymously in the city that was located at the edge of the kingdom.

    No one would¡¯ve imagined that the kingdom¡¯s former hero had once lived and was buried in this inconspicuous mill that was located by Be River outside the city of Praguesse.

    ¡°Princess Gryphine,¡± said Brendel. These matters weren¡¯t rted to his current situation, but he felt that there was some kind of connection. ¡°Can you tell me what exactly happened to my grandfather in the end? What made him leave the capital and live here in seclusion? I know that it must¡¯ve something to do with Bunide¡¯s Hignd Knights, and perhaps with Aouine¡¯s Royal Family as well. This is why you¡¯re here now, right?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re always exceptionally sensitive to the way things are, my lord. You seem to be able to see the past and the future. I¡¯ve always admired you and I still do till this day,¡± whispered Gryphine. She then shook her head and said, ¡°I would never lie to you, I really don¡¯t know what happened to your grandfather. All I know is that after there was a decline in the royal power, the kingdom became weaker day by day and Aouine¡¯s glory was gone. Before you appeared, my brother and I were in the depths of despair after my father died.¡±

    Brendel could hear his heartbeat. He looked at Princess Gryphine while thinking of why she¡¯d told him that. At this moment, the afternoon breeze brushed through her silver hair gently and her skirt swayed along with the wind. She held her longsword with her delicate hands as she stood there with her face expressionless. It was as if she¡¯d just casually brought them up, and no one could tell what was on her mind.

    Brendel pursed his lips. He knew that she would tell him something eventually, otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have written a letter and even avoided the Royal Faction and her grandfather just to meet him here. So, he waited patiently for her to talk.

    Sure enough, a few momentster, Gryphine continued, ¡°But don¡¯t you worry, I can at least assure you that your grandfather and your family members weren¡¯t at fault during that turmoil. Your grandfather took the me because of some other reasons and chose to live in seclusion with your family. I don¡¯t know much about what had happened back then, but secrets are passed down in a Royal Family for generations, and my father told me that House Covardo will always owe the Kardiloso family a favour.¡±

    She then nced at Brendel with her silver eyes and said, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s probably two favours now¡­¡±

    Brendel was stunned.

    His thoughts ran wild in his mind. After hearing what Her Highness had said, he quickly assembled the information in his head, gradually piecing out a rough outline. This meant that his grandfather, Sword Saint Darius, wasn¡¯t at fault for anything that¡¯d happened in Alkash Mountains that day, and he¡¯d taken the responsibility for someone else. Everything started to make sense. No wonder the Holy Cathedral of Fire didn¡¯t investigate further into his grandfather¡¯s disappearance after he lived in seclusion. It seemed like the Holy Cathedral of Fire knew the inside story and they just put on a show after that.

    Though he was still curious about the person whom his grandfather had taken the responsibility for. The princess¡¯ words made it seemed like he¡¯d taken the responsibility for Aouine¡¯s Royal Family, but it didn¡¯t really make sense because none of the Royal Family members participated in the Holy War, and it wasn¡¯t rted to the battle at Alkash Mountains. But if it was for someone else, why did House Covardo owe the Kardiloso family a favour? What kind of person could let his grandfather and the Royal Family make such a big sacrifice for him?

    Brendel knew very well that if his grandfather didn¡¯t leave the capital when he was in his prime, Aouine¡¯s royal power wouldn¡¯t have declined so quickly. This ancient kingdom would probably fall one day, but nobody would¡¯ve expected it to happen so soon.

    Is it for the Holy Cathedral of Fire?

    He then shook his head shortly after, as the Holy Cathedral of Fire¡¯s attitude wouldn¡¯t be like that if it was for them.

    ¡°Your Highness, do you really not know a single thing about what had happened at that time?¡±

    ¡°My lord, these have long been history when I was born. I¡¯ve only heard about them from my father and my history teacher, so I¡¯m just as curious as you are about the history of that era.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Gryphine shook her head gently, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m more resigned to this than you. I don¡¯t understand why thete King Anson had made that choice. If he didn¡¯t do so, the kingdom wouldn¡¯t be this weak now, allowing others to trample upon it.¡±

    Brendel saw a glimpse of light in her eyes and was suddenly soft-hearted. Wasn¡¯t this his doubts and his wishes?

    May the ck pines be evergreen, may Aouine live forever; may faith shine still as always, may the longswords stay as sharp as ever.

    This ancient song gave hope to everyone who was attached to this homnd.

    He then paused, suddenly remembering what the princess¡¯ intentions were. Did she invite him all the way here to meet up with him alone just to tell him this? She said that the Covardo family would always be indebted to the Kardiloso family, but it wasn¡¯t necessary for her to bring this up now. If she still thought fondly of the rtionship between the Covardo family and the Kardiloso family, then there wouldn¡¯t be bad blood between the Royal Family and Trentheim right now. Though Brendel knew very well that the princess had never fully trusted him.

    She was always careful of the rtionship between him and her and her brother, even though she knew that he was the grandson of Sword Saint Darius.

    ¡°My lord, I still remember how you described this kingdom¡¯s future in your letter, saying how ideal Aouine could be. I¡¯ve always wished that the citizens will have a different faith in this kingdom.¡± Princess Gryphine suddenly changed the subject and said softly, ¡°Since Count Radner has been defeated and Arreck is dead, there¡¯re no enemies standing in your way now. Can you tell me what¡¯ll happen in the future?¡±

    Brendel shuddered.

    He looked at the delicate half-elf girl, who stood there with her sword in her hands. She just asked him that question straightforwardly, as if she¡¯d asked a question that was as simple as whether he¡¯d eaten his lunch or not.

    Brendel fell silent for a moment.

    ¡°What does Your Highness think?¡± he asked.

    Gryphine didn¡¯t say anything. She was a little disturbed. She thought that she was surrounded by a lot of trustworthy people who had the same beliefs as her and would fight towards the same goal together, which was to change the face of this ancient kingdompletely. But she then realized that these were just her wishful thinking. Nobody knew how the kingdom would turn out in the future, and the future she wanted was just one of the possibilities.

    She looked at Brendel. Her silver eyes were emotionless, she just wanted to see through him.

    ¡°A while ago, my brother wrote me a letter saying that he intends to betroth his sister to you,¡± said Princess Gryphine quietly.

    This information seemed to have hit Brendel hard.

    At that moment, he understood what her thoughts were.

    Trentheim was now very powerful, and Valha¡¯s army had disyed their great strength in the battles with Madara and Radner. Now that Arreck and Radner were dead, there didn¡¯t seem to be an army in the South that could stand in the way of this new count. Lantonn¡¯s army was his best allies, whereas Viero¡¯s army was old and decrepit, and Karsuk¡¯s Hignd Knights would definitely side with him. Princess Gryphine realized that there was no longer a reliable force around her that could hold Brendel back.

    She tossed and turned every night as she¡¯d suddenly realized that there was another Arreck around her.

    Brendel had promised to give her an ideal Aouine in the future, but she didn¡¯t know how to trust him. Perhaps he¡¯d really had that thought, but people would change, just like Grandmaster Fleetwood and Sir Makarov. When a person had a higher status, their thoughts would be different. She was born in a royal family and had been betrayed by the royals before, so she had trust issues.

    The only way she had now was to get Brendel onto her chariot.

    She lowered her head and there was a slight flush on her neck. ¡°In order to repay the favour that was owed by the Covardo family back then, thete King Anson wanted Princess Gloria to marry your father, but Scott was engaged to your mother at that time. After Anson the Great, his brother, King Oberg the Sixth, seeded to the throne and the matter was put on hold. But until King Oberg the Seventh¡¯s era, there was always a marriage contract between the Covardo family and the Kardiloso family, so every Hignd Knight¡¯s descendant had to be betrothed to a Cardiligial noble. Do you know why you didn¡¯t have to do so, Brendel?¡±

    It was her first time calling his name. She then said softly, ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re betrothed to me, and Chief Bunide already knew this a long time ago.¡±

    Brendel took a deep breath.

    He was confused, yet he knew very well that he¡¯d longed for her to be his wife. But the princess he liked was the strong, independent and the one who never gave up, not someone who¡¯d easily promised to marry him in order to repay favours or to get him onto her chariot. What did she treat him and Romaine as?

    He stared closely at her silver eyes, hoping that he could get a clue from them.

    But he got nothing from them.

    ¡°I am not Arrek, Your Highness.¡±

    Gryphine¡¯s face flushed, feeling deeply insulted. She clenched her fists in anger and looked at him. ¡°My lord, I¡¯ve never had that thought.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you had. You knew that there¡¯s a marriage contract between us, but why did you only bring it up today? It¡¯s because you just realized that the marriage contract is of value to you. It¡¯s just an insignificant verbal agreement before this, right?¡± Brendel¡¯s heart was cold and he felt that his faith was destroyed. He continued angrily, ¡°I¡¯m disappointed in you, Your Highness. You should know by now that everything I¡¯ve done for you isn¡¯t superficial.¡±

    After taking a deep breath, he continued, ¡°Well, I admit that I had once longed for you, but the person I longed for was someone who has the same dreams and beliefs as me, not a woman whopromised just for the sake of it. Do you still remember the ideal kingdom that I¡¯ve described to you in the letter? Your Highness, what you¡¯re doing right now is bringing disgrace to it.¡±

    Princess Gryphine¡¯s face turned pale. She shuddered and looked at Brendel incredulously.

    ¡°But you speak with a strong sense of righteousness.¡± Tears welled up in the half-elf¡¯s silver eyes. She clenched her fist while sobbing. ¡°My lord, do you remember what you did to me in Ampere Seale that day?¡±

    Brendel felt as if a sharp sword had pierced through his heart.

    He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

    He finally understood why Princess Gryphine didn¡¯t trust him as much as before after the incident in Ampere Seale. All this while, he¡¯d always thought that she was wary of how his power would endanger Aouine¡¯s royalty in the future. But now he realized that his irrational behaviour at that time had traumatized this seventeen-year-old girl.

    Brendel wanted to p himself badly. His face flushed as he stood there.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    At that moment, he could only think of those two words to express his feelings.

    Princess Gryphine bit her lower lip and looked at him with tears on her face. She was so angry that she almost shivered, but she calmed down eventually. She wiped her tears and looked away as if she was going to something irrelevant, ¡°So, can I still trust you, my Lord?¡±

    Brendel also calmed down.

    Both of them stood in the courtyard as the breeze blew past them. They could only hear the insects chirping at that moment. In the distance, Brendel saw a few elks galloping through Stag Forest.

    There was a moment of silence.

    Atst, he nodded his head.

    ¡°You said that everything you¡¯ve done for Aouine isn¡¯t superficial and you¡¯re still working towards the ideal kingdom, right?¡± asked Gryphine softly. She looked towards the forest with her face slightly flushed.

    Brendel nodded his head again.

    Princess Gryphine opened her mouth as if she felt suffocated after knowing the answer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for ming you wrongly, my lord.¡±

    Brendel replied with great embarrassment, ¡°I¡¯m the one who is supposed to apologize, Your Highness.¡±

    When Gryphine turned around and saw how awkward she was, she burst intoughter. The smile on her face at that moment was the same smile she showed when Oberwei told her the story of the young knight that day. That story reminded her of the kingdom that was once strong and powerful.

    ¡°Brendel, do you still remember the story of your grandfather that I¡¯ve told you just now?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Do you want to know the truth?¡±

    Brendel was slightly stunned and he looked at her confusedly. Gryphine shook her head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, my lord, I didn¡¯t lie to you. Though I know that there are a few people who¡¯d survived the battle in Alkash Mountains.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Brendel asked excitedly. It was as if he¡¯d caught a ray of light in the darkness.

    ¡°Silver Queen Constance, the King of Wind Elf, and Great Priest Farnezain.¡±

 Chapter 854 - v5c43

    v5c43

    Two Letters(8)

    It was a chilly night. Brendel walked along a deserted and winding path slowly in the quiet forest. He could hear the flowing river as the right side of the forest glittered under the moonlight. It was in the direction of Be River. After passing by the bushes, he could vaguely see a dpidated wooden house in front of him, hidden behind the dense foliage.

    He was very familiar with this route as he¡¯d walked through this forest every day for ten years. He then saw an old man and a teen standing next to a tree stump. The old man was looking at the teen, and the young man was waving a wooden sword repeatedly. Reality then hit him as he saw the same stump that was now covered in moss and there were brown mushrooms growing at the roots of the tree. The figures he saw dissipated under the moonlight.

    The sawmill was abandoned ten years ago. The owner of this mill sold it to a local noble, but it was closed down shortly after due to poor business. Brendel only had memories of it from that time until his grandfather¡¯s death.

    The quiet scenery seemed to calm his troubled mind, but Princess Gryphines¡¯s words were still lingering in his mind.

    ¡°Silver Queen Constance, the King of Wind Elf, and Great Priest Farnezain know what¡¯d happened back then.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not only the witnesses, they¡¯re also the survivors of that battle. They¡¯re the only ones who know what¡¯d really happened in Alkash Mountains. Also, the Wind Elves owe Darius a favour.¡±

    Brendel shook his head as it wasn¡¯t that simple. He remembered what Veronica had told him. The Holy War ended forty years ago, and Silver Queen Constance only started climbing thedder of supremacy then. She had a miraculous encounter when she was young, allowing her to stay young forever. The Dragons even owe her a favour because of it. The jumbled threads seemed to begin to connect gradually. After knowing all of this, Brendel finally saw a glimpse of the Golden race.

    Dragons.

    Why are the Dragons also involved in this matter?

    A name popped up in his mind at this moment ¨C Aloz.

    Brendel walked along the river bank which was surrounded by tree stumps. Stag forest stood on the other side of the river. There used to be a lot of rumours about that forest which had brought a lot of fun to him when he was a child, such as old witches, fairies, white stags and a haunted castle. The adventurous spirit in young boys was an adult¡¯s nightmare. Although children were forbidden to enter the forest, he¡¯d managed to enter the forest twice.

    His childhood memories gradually washed away the doubts in his mind. He suddenly thought of the brat, Bet, who was the leader of the group of children from outside the city. He would always mix around with the noble children in the city and beat them up. He couldn¡¯t win a fight against Bet back then, and the feud between both of them started since then.

    He shook his head, and the faces of the children vanished in his mind. Bet headed north and nobody knew how he was doing right now. They¡¯d resolved their conflict in Ampere Seale. His father, Sir Harbouche, visited his family after hearing about him from the elites of Vanmier Legion. Brendel still remembered that he was a sheriff, but he¡¯d resigned from his job in the noble council and retired in peace. When Brendel saw Harbouche again, he had white hair, as if he¡¯d aged ten years.

    Harbouche visited his family to ask about Bet and he just told the truth. Bet had actually asked Brendel to pass a message to his family when they were in Ampere Seale. But when he saw sir Harbouche, who had white hair and a hunched back, talking to himself, Brendel realized that time really flew by quickly.

    ¡°Be doesn¡¯t know how to behave himself and deal with people nicely. You¡¯ve known him since young, Brendel, so you must keep an eye on him and don¡¯t let him offend too many people.¡±

    Brendel couldn¡¯t help butugh a little when he thought of Sir Harbouche¡¯s words. He remembered that Bet was indeed such a person, but he was no better. If it wasn¡¯t for his stubbornness when he was young, his grandfather¡¯s teachings wouldn¡¯t have gone to waste. He sighed and walked along the riverbank slowly. He could hear the insects chirping in the sawmill.

    Everything was the same just like ten years ago, the only difference was that the moonlight was now brighter and the sound of the flowing river was clearer.

    Brendel walked past this familiar scenery slowly. Every tree stump seemed to remind him of his memories. He¡¯d suddenly realized that this world was bing clearer and more realistic in his eyes. There seemed to be a dissociation between a passerby and a yer¡¯s mentality now, and he could even hear ss-shattering sounds.

    He looked up and saw heavy shadows floating in front of his eyes, and the whole world turned into the colour of old stained photos. He saw the past, where he practised his swordsmanship with his grandfather here. He could remember every step and every movement he¡¯d made.

    He saw himself being hit repeatedly and then getting back up again. Heined and threw a tantrum at times.

    But the old man just watched him in silence.

    For a moment, he saw the legendary Sword Saint Darius raised his head and looked in his direction. Brendel broke out in a cold sweat and stood still under the bright moonlight, letting his memories run through his mind.

    He could see the development stages in his life, from birth to a grown man, from him being ignorant to a mature person. He also saw thest moment of being awoken from his dream, his skeletons were iid with a sword that was covered in ck roses. The images intertwined and spun rapidly, forming a straight line. Brendel realized that this was thew.

    The Wall of Laws became clearer in front of him. It then copsed a secondter. Brendel looked up and saw the whole world expanded in a void of space. A tall, white tower stood in the centre of this world.

    The second world, Olivia¡¯s White Tower, was said to control the order in Vaunte. It was the endpoint of all Lines of Laws, and all thews formed a circle that was called ¡®World¡¯ around the tower. Marsha wrote all of the Truths and Laws on top of the tower, and travellers would climb the tower to seek the true meanings of the world.

    It was as if a child and an elder walked hand in hand to seek Elemental Enlightenment.

    Brendel suddenly opened his eyes and had a question in mind. What were space and time? They both described the state of matter, it was as if they both existed in the world, yet at the same time, they didn¡¯t exist. But the moment he touched Vaunte, the Core of the Laws of this world finally opened up to him.

    Brendel raised his hand, and a stone that was supposed to exist at a certain position suddenly disappeared and reappeared right in front of him. He had a feeling that he could change the nature of matter easily. The surface of the stone eroded, it then crumbled and eventually turned into powder.

    It was as if it had gone through millions of years.

    This was the ultimate unification of Law and Willpower.

    Brendel then realized that he was standing in front of the gate of Elemental Enlightenment. His mind had finally merged with this world after going through a long journey. His identities of Brendel and Sophie were no longer separated from each other. His past knowledge, experiences, memories and feelings merged together perfectly. Although he didn¡¯t feel like he got more powerful, he felt that he could defeat Korfa and Williams easily now.

    Brendel smiled. The first thing he did was to open the panel.

    [Human, male, 20 years old.

    Power System: Element Realm (Self Determination), upper threshold.

    Time and space: (In the eyes of the Haseir Divine Folk, time and space were a concept used to describe the state of existence of the world. If matter and energy didn¡¯t exist, then time and space wouldn¡¯t exist as well. But the concept often extended to the power of definition and imagination, which was the root of Laws and the key to existence.)

    Elemental Powers (4/4)

    Domination: ¡®Space is bounded and governed by you.¡¯

    As long as the Lines of Laws were stable, the controller of time and space could make the next attack on any coordinate in space, and you could make any object appear on any coordinate.

    Consumption: 50 Power of Order

    Stabilization: ¡®Space is the farthest distance between people, if you can¡¯t cross it, how can you hurt me? ¨C Sadin, King of the Law Mages.¡¯

    The Lines of Laws protected the user¡¯s armour and weapons. As long as the attacks failed to pierce through the Laws, the armour and weapons were undamageable. In addition, stabilization provided the controller of time and space an additional +2 defence.

    Consumption: Passive

    Time: ¡®Time is my ally, but it¡¯s your enemy.¡¯

    The controller of time and space couldpletely destroy or heal a character. The degree of destruction and recovery depended on how much Power of Order the controller had allocated.

    Consumption: Any

    Space: ¡®You seem to be in the middle of a gap in time, its flow is always particrly slowpared to you.¡¯

    The controller of time and space no longer aged naturally, thus doubling their lifespan and enhancing their body functioning through metabolism.

    Consumption: Passive

    Power of Order: 0/3000]

    The four pirs of Elemental Powers had changedpletely, domination and time were now necessary. Domination allowed him to control himself and everything within the Lines of Laws, including enemies. Time, on the other hand, enhanced one¡¯s ability to age and also provided the power to backtrack. Having such power was equivalent to being a deity, but it took up a lot of energy. He¡¯d tried using Power of Decay to turn a stone into powder, and it¡¯d cost him 3000 Power of Order to reach the peak of Elemental Activation.

    Brendel smiled bitterly. It would be amazing to have such power, but his level of power wasn¡¯t enough for him to do so. At least his Elemental Activation and spatial abilities were better now. His ageing rate had slowed down and his body functioning was enhanced. All these attributes seemed to be of help to him, but they were now only passive skills.

    There were only major changes to his levels.

    Mercenary had reached level 40. In addition to Military Swordsmanship, Weapon Mastery, Dash, Deep Analysis, Piercing Strike, Nine Luminaries Sword Art, sh Strike Sword Art, and Horsemanship, there were three other new skills, Stealth, Gretius¡¯ Sword Art and Sword of Disintegrating Army.

    The elementalists had reached level 27. There weren¡¯t many changes to their skills, but their alchemy skills increased to level ten.

    The Holy Knights reached level 30. Blood of the Burning Sun, Crown of Thorns and Colliding Halo increased to level fifteen, and they had a new skill called Holy Power Infusion.

    Guardian of the Lost Earth reached level 25. Though, their skills were just the same as before as they couldn¡¯t learn anything new. They only knew Frostbite, a basic enchantment for their sword.

    The Schrs grew the most as their level increased drastically from level 15 to 50. They¡¯d acquired a variety of knowledge, such as grey knowledge, geography, nature, engineering and all kinds of local knowledge, including Farnezain¡¯s religious knowledge and Madara¡¯s local knowledge.

    Underneath all these sses, there was a profession that Brendel was extremely familiar with.

    Dual Wielding Swordsman, level thirty.

    Brendel almost shed a tear when he saw this profession. He didn¡¯t really understand what was going on when he saw the changes in his attributes before this, but it was all clear to him right now after seeing this profession. This profession was the one that Sophie had always wanted to be since the start ¨C a level 130 Dual Wielding Swordsman.

    He¡¯d learned Stealth from the Night Swallow yers in White City and the famous sword art from Gretius¡¯ Knight Squad. He¡¯d also fought using the only advanced sword art he knew, Sword of Disintegrating Army, in the ruins of Vta. He acquired his Holy Knight¡¯s skills before Aouine was destroyed, and he¡¯d acquired his alchemy skills when the game first started. He then stopped learning new alchemy skills after learning Blood Alchemy. Also, he¡¯d learned about the grey areas of the world when he dealt with the bandits in Aouine. He¡¯d also been to Sanorso, Farnezain, Gretius and Madara to broaden his horizons.

    But all of these were in the past.

    He already had all these experiences in his memory.

    But it was only at this moment that the system finally recognized this knowledge and experiences, merging them with Brendel¡¯s experience in this world, just like how he had the experiences of militia and swordsmanship that had remained in Brendel¡¯s soul when he took over his body. So now, Sophie¡¯s experiences and knowledge were finally integrated into this body as well. But the militia and swordsmanship experiences that were gained from the game weren¡¯t as substantial as the ones that were gained from realbats, so it seemed like the system only recognized less than a quarter of them.

    However, this quarter of experiences was already enough for him to reach the peak of Elemental Activation.

    Elemental Enlightenment was just around the corner.

    This was really an unexpected gain.

    Brendel heaved a sigh of relief. All this while, he could feel theyer of separation between himself and the world, which had slowed down his developmental progress. He¡¯d gained a lot of experience from several professions, but there weren¡¯t any improvements in his Elemental Realm. He¡¯d finally figured it out today, and the path towards the Power of Existence was now clear. Although he knew that there was still a long way to go, at least it was no longer out of his reach.

    His mind seemed to have returned to its shell. He could now hear the river flow and the insects chirping around him again. But this time, he heard a weird sound.

    Brendel furrowed his brows. He felt that his five senses were sharper than before. Before this, he didn¡¯t notice this subtle sound at all. He could tell that the sound wasing from someone who was practising their swordsmanship as he was very familiar with it. But who would practice their swordsmanship in the middle of the night here? Brendel looked in that direction puzzledly.

    ¡­

    Amandina stood by the creaking waterwheel, holding an overcoat while looking at the river that was glistening under the moonlight. Her mind kept reying what she¡¯d seen in the afternoon, and she sometimes thought she might have been better off if she hadn¡¯t seen it. She remembered that when she was passing by the short hedges at the back of the manor and while everyone was admiring Old Scott¡¯s waterwheel, she spotted her lord and the princess together.

    Her eyes widened when she saw the princess walked closer to her lord, stood on her tiptoes, tilted her face upwards and gave him a gentle peck on the lips.

    At that moment, she was so shocked that she almost screamed out loud.

    Even up till now, she still felt like she must¡¯ve been seeing things.

    Suddenly, she saw a figure peeking at her from a bush not far away. She was definitely seeing things. It was alreadyte at night, so it was very unlikely that someone would be there at this hour. Amandina kept her guard up. She wasn¡¯t seeing things, there was indeed someone in the bushes. She furrowed her brows, looked in that direction alertly and whispered, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    A beggar-like teenager then came out of the bushes. He looked at Amandina dubiously and asked, ¡°Excuse me, are you Brendel¡¯s wife? I¡¯m looking for him.¡±

    Amandina blushed. Instead of denying it, she asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°My name is Dean, and I have something urgent to tell Brendel.¡±

    The teenager replied.

    ......

 Chapter 855 - v5c44

    v5c44

    Two Letters(9)

    Brendel had mentioned the teenager to her before, so Amandina asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Dean looked at her dubiously. ¡°Mydy, can you make decisions on behalf of Mr Brendel?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Amandina asked.

    Dean hesitated for a moment as he looked at her carefully. He wasn¡¯t sure whether he could trust her or not. He suddenly recalled something and said in surprise, ¡°Ah, I remember, you¡¯re the noblewoman who lives on 52 Gravedigger Street. I¡¯ve met you once before.

    ¡°You¡¯ve met me before?¡± Amandina didn¡¯t remember seeing such a person.

    ¡°I happened to have seen you once from afar when those bad guys came to look for you, mydy,¡± replied Dean.

    Amandina figured that he was referring to the moment where her creditors came to her house about a year and a half ago. The locals in Praguesse usually called these loan sharks ¡°Nottres¡± and said that they were people whose souls have been charmed with money by the greedy Nottre Demon King. Based on what the teenager had said, he was obviously indicating that he was on her side. But these weren¡¯t enough to tter her as she wasn¡¯t the down-and-out and rich noblewoman whom she used to be. She nodded her head and asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Mydy, I¡¯m sure you know that Mr Brendel has asked me to go home and pack my things so that I can leave Praguesse anytime with my mother. I¡¯ve done it as soon as possible and waited for Mr Brendel to send someone over. But I suddenly remembered something, so I went back to 52 Gravedigger Street and I happened to see a group of bandits ransacking your house.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Amandina was rmed. She didn¡¯t know what Teste and Brendel had talked about, but she could recall that someone had broken into her house before. ¡°What did those people look like?¡±

    ¡°They all dressed up as burrs, but I could tell that they were either bandits, fugitives, mercenaries or adventurers.¡±

    ¡°When was this?¡±

    ¡°Quite some time ago, mydy. It took me a while to look for you and Mr Brendel,¡± replied Dean.

    Amandina furrowed her brows. She then asked, ¡°Do you know what were they looking for?¡±

    Dean shook his head, and he quickly exined, ¡°Of course, mydy, I¡¯ll always do my best when ites to the orders that are issued by Mr Brendel. There were around seven or eight people there, but if I¡¯ve acted rashly back then and alerted the enemies, then I may not be able to tell you all this information right now. They were in the house and I didn¡¯t know what they were looking for, but I followed them after they left the house and discovered something new. They went somewhere else after leaving 52 Gravedigger Street.¡±

    ¡°You did the right thing.¡± Amandinaforted him as she knew what he was trying to exin to her. ¡°Where did they go after that?¡±

    ¡°They went to 47 Juan District. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve heard of that ce before, mydy.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Amandina eximed. Nelson¡¯s old mansion was located in 47 Juan District and she¡¯d lived there when she was a child. But she had to mortgage the mansionter on to cure her mother¡¯s illness, and she¡¯d never gone back since then. Her face turned pale and she pressed her neck subconsciously. ¡°They went there?¡±

    ¡°Yes, mydy,¡± answered Dean truthfully. Amandina kept her tone light, so he didn¡¯t notice anything unusual.

    ¡°What were they doing there?¡± She asked carefully.

    ¡°They seem to be digging something in the courtyard there,¡± he replied.

    ¡°In the courtyard?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the mansion seemed to be vacant and there was an old tree in the backyard. They dug under that tree for quite some time -¡±

    ¡°Did they dig anything up?¡± She suddenly interrupted.

    ¡°No.¡± Dean looked at her in a strange manner. ¡°They left empty-handed.¡±

    Amandina felt relieved all of a sudden. A ray of light suddenly shed through her mind. ¡°The date at Baden Ball.¡± She recalled the words her father had written to her mother in his will. She should¡¯ve thought of this earlier, those guys were after her father¡¯s inheritance. Though she was a little confused as she didn¡¯t remember her father having any rtionships with such a group of bandits.

    But she couldn¡¯t care less about it at this moment. ¡°I must tell Brendel about this immediately. Can you get back to 47 Juan District as soon as possible?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°If something happens along the way, can you find someone to pass us the message?¡± Amandina asked.

    ¡°No problem, I have a number of reliable friends around here,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Mountains of Chablis. Remember this code word and tell your friend to mention this code word when he passes on the message.¡±

    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll get going then, mydy.¡± Dean got a silver coin from Amandina as a reward. I¡¯ve made the right trip again, He thought to himself. He then turned around and dived into the bushes. As she saw the teenager disappear into the woods, she bit her lower lip and felt a strange feeling. Her father¡¯s will brought the lord into her life a year and a half ago. She didn¡¯t think that this matter would resurface a year and a halfter when they returned to Praguesse.

    She looked up at the night sky absent-mindedly.

    ¡­

    Brendel walked in the direction where the sound wasing from. He passed through the bushes, stepping on the thick pine needles. After walking past a wooden shed, he arrived at the forest behind the sawmill and saw a figure of a young girl. She was wearing the uniform of Aouine¡¯s cavalry. Her long ponytail swayed along as she swung her sword upward and downward repetitively. She was very focused and didn¡¯t notice that there was someone around her.

    Brendel stood still for a moment.

    Freya had obviously arrived here earlier than him. He was here to find some memories of Brendel, but the young girl from Be was here toplete her mission.

    She was Aouine¡¯s past, present and future War Goddess. She had once carried the beliefs and dreams of all the yers in Aouine, but not many of them knew that it wasn¡¯t her talent behind her sess, it was all her hard work and perseverance. Freya was thest ce when she entered the Royal Cavalry Academy, and she was only a mediocre student among the cadets. She¡¯d caught the Royal Highness Princess¡¯ fancy because she was Everton¡¯s daughter, but the fact that this ordinary girl had be one of the legendary generals in Aouine¡¯s history due to her hard work and efforts had impressed the princess more.

    The kingdom would fall once she was dead. She was thest hero in Aouine.

    Brendel looked at Freya quietly as she swung her sword under the moonlight. A whileter, she finally noticed something wasn¡¯t right and stopped what she was doing. She was startled when she saw Brendel. ¡°Brendel!¡± She panicked like a child who had just been caught stealing food. ¡°Why¡­ why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I used to practice sword art with my grandfather here. It¡¯s been a long time since Ist came here, so I thought I¡¯de by,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Well...¡± Her face flushed. He wasn¡¯t sure whether it was due to the elerated blood flow after exercising or because she was embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯ve heard you say¡­ I, I was just a little curious about the ce where Darius had taught such an excellent person like you, Brendel¡­¡±

    Brendel froze. He then smiled and asked, ¡°So, how¡¯s it?¡±

    Freya nodded gently and replied in a somewhat disheartened tone, ¡°It¡¯s quiet here, I really like this ce.¡±

    ¡°Actually, it wasn¡¯t this quietst time. This used to be one of the main roads to Fortress Riedon. Ever since Be¡­¡± Brendel suddenly paused and looked at Freya apologetically. She smiled reluctantly and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll get it back one day. You¡¯ve already defeated them, so I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll get it back soon.¡±

    Brendel nodded, though he didn¡¯t quite agree with it. Defeating Bloodstaff was indeed seen by many as a vengeance on the War of The ck Roses, but in fact, the war between Aouine and Madara had just begun. It wasn¡¯t that easy to make such a huge dark empire retreat.

    ¡°Brendel, you seem to have gotten stronger again,¡± She looked at him and said suddenly.

    Of course, he¡¯d be stronger after acquiring Sophie¡¯s experiences and gaining so many extra levels. Although they were somewhat fragmented, it was equivalent to a career level of 57 or 58 when they werebined together. This level wasparable to Veronica¡¯s level when she was at the Loop of Trade Winds, he just didn¡¯t have her temte of a special NPC leader. In fact, his attributes were actually simr to the Peak of Elemental Enlightenment. But his knowledge of Laws wasn¡¯t perfect yet, so he was at thest threshold of the Elemental Activation stage now. Though this threshold wasn¡¯t a problem for him at the moment as the two most difficult realms of Elemental Activation was to break through the Elemental Barrier and enter the Ultimate ins. It was a matter of course to pass the other stages.

    He was surprised by how observant Freya was as she didn¡¯t have a strong sense of judgement before this. He looked at her and replied, ¡°You¡¯ve improved a lot as well, Freya. Everyone knows how sessful you are.¡±

    Freya looked downwards. She couldn¡¯t believe that she would have the opportunity to enter the Golden Realm. It was all like a dream to her. ¡°Thank you, Brendel. I know that you¡¯ve given me all of this. It was you who¡¯ve given me the opportunity to enter the Royal Academy, and I can get to where I am today because you¡¯ve fought for me in front of the princess. You also gave me that te.¡±

    She sighed gently. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so kind to me, Brendel, but I¡¯ll remember it for the rest of my life. Aunt Ciel said that I¡¯m a stupid girl, but I¡¯ll never forget those who treat me well.¡±

    ¡°Freya?¡± Brendel realized that she was acting a little strange.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Freya shook her head gently and lifted her head up. She then looked at him with her bright eyes. ¡°Brendel, can I ask you a question?¡±

    He looked into her eyes, vaguely sensing something. ¡°Sure,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Brendel, did you already know about my origin a long time ago?¡± She looked at him and asked softly.

    He stiffened for a moment. He then replied, ¡°Did the Royal Highness Princess tell you about this?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°What do you think of it?¡± he asked.

    Freya didn¡¯t answer and had a forlorn look on her face.

    He immediately understood what this silly girl was thinking. ¡°Did you think that you¡¯ve caught our fancy just because of your origin and status?¡±

    She stared at him nkly. Her eyes were full of sadness, it was as if they were saying, ¡°Isn¡¯t it true?¡± When the princess told her about this matter, she immediately thought of Maynild, the princess, the care she¡¯d gotten from the Royal Faction, and Brendel. She could still vividly remember Brendel¡¯s words when they first met in Be.

    ¡°Freya. You¡¯re Freya? Freya? Alicia, born in the Year of the Sakura, whose father is Everton?¡±

    She thought that it was just a casual question back then. But now that she thought about it, she felt as if a knife had pierced into her heart.

    Brendel was obviously also aware of this and he scratched his head. He knew that Freya¡¯s origin had indeed caught the princess and the Royal Faction¡¯s fancy. After the Frost Revolution, the Royal Faction fell apart. Everton took full responsibility for it back then and eventually died in prison. Whereas his wife and children were protected by the Royal Faction and managed to flee from Monsterros. Freya was then adopted by her aunt and uncle in Be.

    Because of this, Everton was always the banner of the Royal Faction. He had a high reputation, and Oberwei, the Wolf Baron, was one of his many students during King Oberg the Seventh¡¯s era. He was indeed very powerful.

    So, the Royal Faction decided to take care of Freya. But since they were guilty about Everton¡¯s death, they¡¯d concealed her origins from her just in case she would hold a grudge against them. The Royal Faction never revealed her origins to the public before she was sessful, so everyone would think that she became a War Goddesster on because she had no choice.

    But Brendel didn¡¯t understand how this had happened in advance.

    After pondering upon it, he suddenly realized that it was his fault again. He had a conversation with the princess in the afternoon to clear all her doubts. Although he was willing to work towards achieving an ideal Aouine with the princess, he didn¡¯t expect that she would tell Freya about her origins so quickly. Though he could roughly guess what her intentions were ¨C she didn¡¯t want to lie to Freya anymore.

    This matter drove Brendel crazy. He would rather want the Royal Faction to continue keeping this as a secret from Freya as he knew that she was self-abased. She was only a country girl and now she was a cadet in the Royal Academy, standing alongside the young elites from all over Aouine, so there was always a gap between her origins and qualifications and theirs. It was all due to her hard work and perseverance that she could be so sessful today.

    But now that she realized that these achievements might be based on a lie and everyone around her was only interested in her origins and not her efforts, she was devastated. If she¡¯d known about the truthter on when she was more mature and determined to fight for Aouine, then she wouldn¡¯t be so affected by this. But she was only a young girl now, and Brendel could easily tell that she would be disheartened by this lie.

    Of course, perhaps some people would be surprised instead of disappointed if they¡¯d suddenly discovered that they were actually a noble all this while. But Brendel was very sure that the strong and independent girl in front of him wasn¡¯t one of those people. He could tell that she was anxious and confused, and she came here to practice her sword art to calm herself down.

    The evil we brought on ourselves were indeed the hardest to bear. Brendel wanted to p his forehead. Of course, the princess¡¯ intentions were good, but sometimes, good intentions could turn out bad for others.

    He had to think of a way to fix the situation. ¡°Freya, do you trust me?¡± Brendel suddenly asked in a serious manner.

    Freya was stunned for a moment. She then looked at him confusedly. ¡°Of course I trust you, Brendel.¡±

    He exhaled gently. Suddenly, an idea popped up in his mind. ¡°Follow me, I¡¯ll take you somewhere.¡±

    Before Freya could react, she felt arge and warm hand holding her hand. ¡°Brendel!¡± His actions startled her. He then put his finger at his lips and motioned her to keep quiet, and dragged her towards Stag Forest.

 Chapter 856 - v5c45

    v5c45

    Two Letters(10)

    Brendel and Freya walked in the forest under the moonlight. The shadows of the pine trees looked like a narrow tunnel. The sounds of their footsteps could be heard softly. The full moon shone brightly above the pine trees as the hoots of the owls were heard throughout the whole forest. Brendel walked very quickly and she could barely keep up with his pace. She pressed the hem of her dress with one hand to prevent it from getting caught in the jagged bushes. Though all she could think about right now was her hand that was held in his hand. She didn¡¯t have the chance to spend time with him alone ever since they parted ways in Praguesse. She remembered thest time they did that was when they walked side by side at night in Stag Forest, which was coincidentally where they were right now.

    ¡°Brendel, where are we going?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know when we reach thereter.¡±

    Freya stopped talking. Although she was a little shy, she still let him hold her hand tightly. Both of them walked slowly in the forest. It felt like a long yet short trip. Soon, the forest became less dense and they could see the faint moonlight. Only then she realized that they¡¯d reached the other end of the forest, but she didn¡¯t know where she was.

    We¡¯re here. It¡¯s still here. Brendel thought to himself.

    They arrived in front of a gate that had a lively bazaar behind it. The bazaar was located at the edge of the forest and it was filled with lights as if the faries were holding a feast and lit a bunch of torches as they gathered around there. But when Freya saw the crooked shacks and wooden huts in the distance, she realized where she was. She put her left hand on her heart and her mouth opened slightly.

    Ever since the War of The ck Roses ended, the refugees from Fortress Riedon and Be gathered near Praguesse. Some of them left this ce and brought their families to northern Manoweir, Kirkuk and Magitan. But those who were attached to their homnd and the old and weak people who couldn¡¯t move stayed behind. They didn¡¯t have the power to fight with the locals for thend, so they could only build a ce to stay around the forest. The refugees who escaped Riedon with Brendel were grateful for his kindness as they headed to Trentheim with the apaniment of Leto¡¯s mercenaries. But only a few left their homnd and a majority of them chose to stay behind, such as the refugees from Be and the northern region.

    ¡°Look, Freya, these are the people who are counting on you. They¡¯re not in a good ce right now. You can ask everyone who¡¯d survived that catastrophe in Be if they respected and looked after you because of your origins,¡± said Brendel emotionally. He knew these ces very well from his past life and these settlements were established throughout his novice era. He also knew what these people who lived in the wooden sheds were like.

    At this moment, Freya held his hands tightly and broke down in tears. This was her hometown and the origin of her dreams and beliefs.

    Did Aunt Ciel, her uncle, Captain Madden, little Phineas and everyone else trust her because of her origins?

    This was a question that didn¡¯t need to be answered.

    ¡°Remember the vow you made, Freya.¡±

    ¡°Brendel¡­ Brendel¡­,¡± she murmured as if she was interrogating herself.

    ¡°Freya, you¡¯re Everton¡¯s daughter, but you¡¯re Be¡¯s daughter as well. No matter what your aplishments are in the future, this is a fact that will never change,¡± replied Brendel.

    ¡°I understand¡­ I should¡¯ve known¡­¡± She closed her eyes and shook her head vigorously. ¡°I was wrong, Brendel, I¡¯m sorry. ¡±

    He patted her shoulder gently. His intention was to bring her back to visit the folks in Be. ¡°Do you want to go in and take a look?¡± he asked softly. Freya took a deep breath, looked at him apologetically and nodded.

    Ever since the Year of Summer Blossoms and Leaves, the constant influx of refugees had be the biggest headache for the Be nobles as they couldn¡¯t afford and didn¡¯t have the time to resettle these homeless people. With the locals and military forces shirking their responsibilities, the refugees¡¯ livelihoods went down day by day, and after the kingdom chose to give in to Madara, their hopes of returning to their homnd were gone. The nobles in the grey castle were busy fighting for power and profit, it was as if the kingdom¡¯s defeat in the war turned into the sharpest spear and sword in their hands and they used them to pierce through the opponents¡¯ chests. Some people were unlucky and fell from power and eventually got executed, and those who sang the song of victory weren¡¯t necessarily acting in good faith for the ancient kingdom.

    Even the locals, who were led by the gentry of the manor, ostracized the outsiders. Although the people who were at the bottom of the socialdder were innatelypassionate, they would only behave this way if it doesn¡¯t affect their interests, and the selfishness in human nature would still make the situation worse for these poor people. They couldn¡¯tpete with the locals for living resources, so they had no choice but to take care of each other in the forest. But even so, they still had to face discrimination and suspicion from the locals. It was a tough life for these refugees from Be.

    They were also anxious about their future because the ce they lived right now actually belonged to a count in Praguesse. The nobles didn¡¯t want to cause a riot, so they just ignored the refugees¡¯ doings. But the count wasn¡¯t satisfied with the way the nobles dealt with this matter as he would be a fool in their eyes if it was only his loss. The count had actually requested the noble council to evict these ¡°bandits¡± who had upied hisnd.

    This might sound unbelievable to the ordinary people, but the noble council had to consider the count¡¯s request as they had the responsibility to protect the legitimate property of the nobles.

    Madden sat by a campfire. He was wearing the police force¡¯s uniform although the colour of some parts of the uniform had already faded off. This uniform was his pride although it was in the past. He¡¯d heard about what the noble council had discussed. He looked at the night sky and sighed. It was as if his sorrow could be seen on every wrinkle on this old man¡¯s forehead. He didn¡¯t choose to leave with Be and Freya that day because taking care of Be was his responsibility. The young people could do anything they wanted, but he¡¯d already experienced a lot in Be, so he wanted to bury his body in thatnd.

    He couldn¡¯t part with thisnd and the familiar smell of the soil in Be. Everyone was still here, so he couldn¡¯t leave.

    But the situation worsened day by day. They couldn¡¯t produce anything on that barrennd and the count forbade the refugees to hunt in the forest. Although they could keep themselves warm from the firewoods, they were starving. The problem was that they were all numb and dispirited, it was as if they were living like zombies every day. They lost the ability to think and stopped looking forward to the next day. When did all of this start happening? Madden felt disheartened whenever he recalled those days in the past.

    The only thing thatforted him was a rumour he¡¯d heard recently.

    He then heard loud noises in the distance.

    He frowned. Phineas and the group of young people were never idle.

    ¡°Essen and Markham, go and block their way!¡±

    ¡°Nibeto, go and get d, Ike and the others. Hurry up, stop dawdling!¡±

    The pedestrians on the street retreated as if they were used to being in this situation. After they cleared the way, two groups of young men stood in separate rows facing each other. They were all wearing either militia or police uniforms, though most of the uniforms seemed a bit old and they were full of patches. The hilt of their swords was wrapped in ropes and some of them didn¡¯t even have a handguard. Whereas on the other side, Praguesse¡¯s Patrol Knights were well-equipped and their boots were glimmering. One could easily tell that they were from Praguesse.

    Young Phineas was themander of Be¡¯s militia. He was wearing the police uniform and he¡¯d now grown at least a head tallerpared to a year and a half ago. After the War of The ck Roses, he was elected by Madden as a reserve member of Be¡¯s police force. But the police force became a part of history not long after and didn¡¯t exist anymore.

    The young men from the Patrol Knights shouted, ¡°Phineas! Count Nagin wants hisnd back, why don¡¯t you ouws just surrender?¡±

    Phineas spat disdainfully. ¡°It¡¯s not toote to talk about this matter when the noble council has finalised their decisions. You all just want to take this opportunity to harass us. Don¡¯t forget who was the one who got beaten up badlyst time.¡±

    ¡°What did you say!?¡±

    ¡°You little brat!¡±

    His words obviously hit their weak spot and they started cursing at him. They initially thought that they were able to make some extra money with their high status, but they ended up getting beaten up badly by Phineas. Both parties were young and strong, so they didn¡¯t have toe out with a scheme to fight each other. But now that they were recovered, they wanted to take revenge.

    Both parties intended to make a move and they would get into a fight as soon as there was a disagreement. Theoretically, the Patrol Knights were well-equipped and well-trained, so they should have the upper hand, but these young people from Be were not easy to mess with as well as they were mostly Madden¡¯s students. Madden was a veteran in the Eleven Months War and he¡¯d received the Candlelight Medal. None of his pupils were cowards, and Edson and Mackemie, the militia veterans, had been on the battlefield and fought head-on with Madara before. They could easily win a fight against the Patrol Knights by themselves.

    Though Phineas was the most powerful one there as he was innately very talented in sword art and he¡¯d learn a trick or two from Brendel. Now that he was taught by Madden personally, his swordsmanship was one of the best in Praguesse. The Patrol Knights knew that he was very strong, so they¡¯d sent out three people to deal with him. When they were fighting, Phineas somehow managed to stab one of them in the thigh. The man screamed and immediately dropped his sword and surrendered. Although both parties were in a heated battle, they still abided by the rules. Phineas stopped disturbing the man when he saw him drop his sword and went on to fight with the other two guys.

    They continued fighting. He tolerated the pain in his injured shoulder and flung the opponent¡¯s sword away. The man looked at his sword that flew away, shook his head helplessly and also raised his hands and surrendered. Thest man knew that he was no match for Phineas, so he immediately retreated towards arge pile of boxes. He then threw the boxes towards Phineas and shouted, ¡°Hey, Mr Eugene! This kid is too powerful, I need some help here!¡±

    Little Phineas blocked those boxes with his hands and cursed under his breath. It was at that moment that he suddenly realized that someone was trying to attack him with a sword. It startled him and he found out that the person had already pressurised a few men in his squad to surrender. ¡°Damn, he must be the captain.¡± He quickly raised his sword to block his attack and a loud nk was heard. He was surprised when his sword almost flew out of his hand. He then realized that he¡¯d underestimated his opponent. ¡°He has a Silver Rank!¡±

    But it was toote to only realize it now. There was a crack in his sword, and the opponent had the upper hand. Little Phineas watched as the man rushed towards him. Though he clenched his teeth and refused to give up just yet. There was only one thought in his mind at that moment, I¡¯m screwed. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be able to meet my elder sister and Brendel again in the next life.

    Before his eyes closed, a shiny sword appeared next to him and nged into the man¡¯s sword. He then saw his opponent retreat after two consecutive sword attacks. He was fascinated by the speed of the attacks as he¡¯d never imagined that a person¡¯s swordsmanship could be so perfect and neatly done. And just a secondter, the captain of the Patrol Knights surrendered. The person pressed their sword against his chest and pushed him, and he fell onto the ground.

    Everyone was shocked. Both parties stopped fighting and looked in his direction.

    At this moment, Phineas could finally see who his lifesaver was. His eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Big¡­ big sister! Ouch!¡± Freya pulled his ear before he could finish his sentence. ¡°Ouch, it hurts! Stop it!¡± It was so painful that he almost cried, but he didn¡¯t dare to fight back. His initial calm andposed look was gone, and he looked like a child who¡¯d just done something wrong.

    ¡°Did you think you could beat him? Why didn¡¯t you just throw your sword just now?¡± asked Freya furiously.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It won¡¯t happen again next time.¡± Phineas grimaced. He then noticed Brendel from the corner of his eyes. ¡°Brendel, you¡¯re back too!¡± he eximed in surprise.

    Freya snorted softly and let go of his ears. Phineas ran away quickly as if she was a dragon waiting to devour him. He rubbed his face as he looked at the two people in front of him, it was as if he was dreaming. Both parties stopped fighting and returned to their initial positions. Most of the young people from Be recognised both of them, only a few from the northern region hadn¡¯t seen them before. The Patrol Knights knew that they were on the opposing side, and they also knew how powerful Freya was, so they didn¡¯t dare to offend her.

    As one of the Patrol Knights went to help their captain up and asked him what their next move was, he noticed the patch on Freya¡¯s shoulder.

    She was the captain of the Royal Cavalry.

    His face turned pale. He would¡¯ve never imagined that the Royal Family had the backs of this group of refugees. He thought that they were rootless and helpless, and nobody would help them out if they were bullied. But now, they had someone of high status to stand up for them and she was even the captain of the Royal Cavalry. He wouldn¡¯t have thought that there was someone who was more powerful than Marsha in a rural ce like this.

    Brendel greeted Essen and Makemie from afar. He then looked at the Patrol Knights and asked Phineas, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± asked Freya at the same time. She blushed when she realised she had the same thoughts as Brendel and quickly closed her mouth. Phineas giggled as he could tell that she still had feelings for Brendel. He looked around and couldn¡¯t help but wonder where the witch had gone. Everyone in the militia knew about Brendel and Romaine¡¯s rtionship, but the inhabitants in Be had always called Romaine and her aunt witches.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± scolded Freya. She knew what was on his mind.

    Phineas jumped. He lowered his head in embarrassment. Freya used to be the captain of the militia when she was in Be, and even until now, he was still afraid of her. Brendel found them amusing and he felt relieved as it seemed like Freya had temporarily forgotten about the matter regarding her origins, which was exactly what he wanted. Though he was surprised by Phineas¡¯ swordsmanship. He knew that he was talented when they fled from Be, but he¡¯d now improved drastically. Brendel and Freya watched the entire battle just now and they both agreed that Phineas was almost at the Silver Rank. He was improving very quickly although he was just receiving guidance from Madden for more than a year and a half in Be. He wasn¡¯t like Freya and Bet who¡¯d gained experiences from many encounters.

    Brendel also noticed that the strength of this group of young people was mostly at the Iron Rank and a number of them were almost reaching the Silver Rank. He wouldn¡¯t have thought that this was possible in the past. After pondering for a while, he realized that they were influenced by the Great Magic Wave.

    He then cleared his thoughts, smiled at Phineas and said, ¡°Little Phineas, tell us what this is all about.¡±

    Phineas behaved himself in front of Brendel as he admired him a lot. He quickly described the entire incident from when the Patrol Knights came to cause trouble, to Count Nagin¡¯s proposal.

    After hearing this, Freya¡¯s face fell.

    ...

 Chapter 857 - v5c46

    v5c46

    Two Letters(11)

    Freya¡¯s eyes were still red from crying. She had gone to see Aunt Ciel and her uncle¡¯s graves. The cemetery was located in the forest and it was just made up of wooden headstones. Most of the graves had no owners, they were just there to console the souls of those who¡¯d died in the war. The Patrols Knights squatted in the square while being under the surveince of the guys from Be. Though they didn¡¯t give them a hard time and even took care of the wounded knights.

    Brendel and Madden stood together while having a conversation. The old man rushed over as soon as he heard the news and bumped into Brendel and Freya unexpectedly. This veteran of the Eleven Months War and the captain of Be¡¯s police force was very pleased with how sessful Brendel and Freya were, especially in terms of their current status and position. They were the hope of the people in Be. Madden knew the personality of Aouine¡¯s nobles quite well and he felt that it wasn¡¯t a problem for Freya to change the situation that the people in Be were in right now without the help of Trentheim. With her status as the captain of the Royal Cavalry, Count Nagin wouldn¡¯t be willing to offend her with a piece of foresnd.

    This was a matter of life and death for the people in Be, but it was just a matter of reputation for Nagin. As a noble, he obviously didn¡¯t want to let a group of refugees have the upper hand. But it would be different if this group of refugees had a princess who got their backs. Once Freya revealed that she was from Be, Nagin would naturally withdraw his proposal from the noble council without her reminder.

    The news of the battle between the Patrol Knights and the people from Be spread like wildfire.

    This wasn¡¯t a small matter. The people from Be knew what the nobles in Praguesse thought of them. Everyone was worried and rushed over to them. They didn¡¯t know what was going on and thought that the noble council had alreadye to the conclusion to evict them. It was soon crowded and all kinds of rumours were spreading. Most of them were sad and angry, but nobody made amotion. It was very depressing because nobody knew what to do next. The atmosphere was heavy and filled with anger. When the Patrol Knights saw this, they realized that they¡¯d just caused trouble.

    Fortunately, Freya spoke up for herself. As Brendel had said, she was Be¡¯s daughter after all and she¡¯d led the Rideon refugees out of the siege with Brendel before, so many people recognized her. They were still sceptical about it when they found out that she was sessful and had made a name for herself, but they felt relieved and less agitated.

    Brendel let out a sigh of relief. In the past, during the Month of Frost in the Year of Rain Swallow, the conflict between the Praguesse nobles and the refugees intensified after it had been ongoing for three long years. When the nobles started to evict the refugees, the refugees couldn¡¯t hold it any longer and started multiple riots around Praguesse. There were a lot of deaths, and the living condition of the people in Be worsened under the suppression of the natives and the nobles. Grinoires was also badly affected by it, but the worse thing was that everyone had suspicions and was indifferent to the people in this area, causing the kingdom to lose its prestige.

    But it seemed like history wasn¡¯t going to repeat itself today.

    Freya, however, looked somewhat dispirited when she returned to Brendel¡¯s side. ¡°Brendel, this is a little different from what I¡¯ve imagined,¡± she said softly.

    ¡°Do you remember what I¡¯ve told you? One day, you¡¯ll be able to use your own powers to protect Be, so that the people in Be can take charge of their own destiny and no longer have to listen to the nobles¡¯ orders.¡± Brendel seemed to understand what was on her mind and quicklyforted her. ¡°Everything you¡¯ve done today proved that your efforts are not in vain. You¡¯ve set a goal for yourself and you¡¯ve finally achieved it.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°But what?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help but think what would¡¯ve happened if I¡¯m not where I am today. Brendel, I really want the people in Be to have control of their own destiny, but it seems like the power to determine their fate is just being transferred from the nobles to my hands. They may be able to live a peaceful life from now on, but they may not realize that everything will be the same again if I push them into the fire pit one day,¡± replied Freya.

    ¡°My child, but you wouldn¡¯t do that, would you?¡± asked Madden.

    ¡°I know, but...¡±

    It seemed like the old man knew what she was about to say, he interrupted her, ¡°This is the nobles¡¯ rule. You are one of them, so you must abide by it. You¡¯ve done well, my child.¡±

    Freya pursed her lips. She wanted to say something, but she didn¡¯t know where to start. She always felt that something was wrong, but she didn¡¯t know what the problem was. What Uncle Madden said was right, but she felt aggrieved. She felt like she had already done her best, but the oue wasn¡¯t what she wanted. Though she had a vague feeling that if there was a person here who could answer her doubts, then that person must be Brendel.

    Every time she felt confused, she would look at Brendel first.

    ¡°Captain Madden is not wrong, Freya,¡± said Brendel calmly. It was as if this wasn¡¯t a problem to him at all. ¡°ording to the rules in our era, this is the best solution we have.¡±

    Brendel¡¯s words were like fire, illuminating the darkness in Freya¡¯s heart. She suddenly lifted her head and asked, ¡°Brendel, does it mean that we can change the rules?¡±

    He smiled and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this what we¡¯ve been doing all this while? Me, you, the princess, and everyone else is looking for ways to move forward.¡±

    Freya gasped.

    Madden also seemed to get the hint of what he meant. He couldn¡¯t help but look at this young man whom he¡¯d onlye into contact with twice during the War of The ck Roses. He felt that he knew more about this young man every time he met him, but he would always be surprised by him each time.

    Brendel continued, ¡°So, Freya, stop belittling yourself. You have to know that what you¡¯re doing right now is much more glorious than you think. Your origins and qualifications are just like a grain of sand which is insignificantpared to your dreams and beliefs. Those who mock you don¡¯t understand you at all because they don¡¯t know that the glory of the ancient times of Aouine was led by ordinary people, just like the vow that thete king made in front of his sword.¡±

    ¡°Young man, is this what you believe in?¡± asked Madden after a while.

    Brendel nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sure of it because I know that many people have given it all to fight for this dream and belief. I dare not say whether it will seed or fail, but I definitely know that I¡¯ll not let it end halfway for sure.¡±

    He turned and said to Freya, ¡°Freya, do you remember that day when you made a vow to fight for an autonomous destiny for the people in Be so that those who seek happiness and goodness can one day be free from being controlled by others? Do you remember what I¡¯ve said to you that day?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Freya nodded vigorously. It was as if the troubles in her mind were just like ayer of mist, and they disappeared with a gentle blow. She then continued saying, ¡°Brendel, I get it now. I will never give up and even if my blood runs dry one day, I¡¯ll never regret it. Brendel, do you trust me? I will make it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already made it, silly girl.¡± In Aouine¡¯s history, this War Goddess had indeed shed herst drop of blood for this ancient kingdom.

    The past glory of Aouine was just what the legends had described it as. Madden dared not imagine how Aouine would be like in the future, but he wouldn¡¯t criticize the enthusiasm and impulsiveness of these young people easily. Anyway, he would already be satisfied as long as the people in Be can have a better life in the future. He¡¯d already heard of a lot of unrealistic ideas and he was getting old, so he no longer believed in this so-called beautiful dream. He felt that it was just a delusion, but he knew for sure that Freya was a good person and she would never push the people in Be into the fire pit.

    The people in Be, who¡¯d gone through war and sufferings, only wished for a peaceful life like before.

    The crowd gradually dispersed, but the Patrol Knights dared not move an inch. A whileter, these young people finally figured out the identities of the two people in front of them, and they all felt like they were in bad luck. Praguesse had just gone through a war, and it was Trentheim, Lantonn and the Vierans who¡¯d rescued them. They all knew how prestigious Count Trentheim, the princess and this War Goddess were. They had rtionships with the nobles and the army, so they definitely had heard of both of them. Once they found out that both of them were from Be, they all felt as if they¡¯d been kicked onto the iron te.

    They couldn¡¯t me Count Nagin for this because it seemed like he was unaware of it as well. After all, they were the ones who ran into both of them, and if the Count wanted to punish them, no one would dare to stand up for them.

    The Patrol Knights were still in fear, but Brendel and Freya had already forgotten about them. After all, Brendel wasn¡¯t that petty-minded and he knew the customs of Grinoires and the Karsuk region well. It wasmon for these vigorous young men to fight each other and both parties were still quite disciplined. Although there were some injuries, no one was dead, so he didn¡¯t really care about it. It wasmon practice for the Patrol Knights toe here and make some extra money, so he couldn¡¯t stop it even if he wanted to. Plus, he believed that after they knew about his and Freya¡¯s background from this incident, they wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake again. There was no need to offend them for no reason as the people in Be still had to live their life there. If they really offended the Patrol Knights, both of them couldn¡¯t always be there to take care of things.

    Besides, Freya never even had the thought of fighting them at all. It was rare for her to return to her hometown and see all those familiar faces. Little Phineas and the militiamen surrounded her and demanded her to tell them her experiences when she was gone and the story of her and Count Trentheim, though she and Brendel didn¡¯t have much to tell. Her face flushed red in embarrassment and she started stammering.

    Eugene, the captain of the Patrol Knights, stood there in fear and anxiety for a long time as he waited for someone to announce their execution or receive a pardon. At first, he thought that the Count had purposely left them there, but after waiting for a while, he realized that this was not the case. He then found the courage to ask a young militiaman, who had previously surrendered to him, about this matter. After the young man asked Brendel how he wanted to deal with those Patrol Knights, only then he remembered that there was a group of people waiting there for their punishment.

    Brendel found it amusing when he saw how scared Eugene was. He knew these guys very well from his past life as a yer andter on when he met these arrogant cavalrymen in Fortress Riedon. In the early years, the Patrol Knights were responsible for the security and defence of the kingdom, but after the police force was established, they became a job opportunity for the nobles¡¯ children, therefore the aristocratic nature of the army had inevitably led to corruption andx attitude toward discipline. After the Year of Summer Blossoms and Leaves, the Patrol Knights were not essential in many cities anymore. The Patrol Knights in border cities like Praguesse still had somebat power, but those who were in the cities that were further away from the border were basically useless.

    Actually, he¡¯d forgotten about those guys because he thought that they¡¯d already escaped. He was a powerful Count, so the Patrol Knights didn¡¯t have the guts to leave without asking, even if they were the most courageous group of people.

    Eugene was a little surprised when he first saw Brendel because he couldn¡¯t believe that the legendary Count was so young. But he felt relieved when he recalled the stories about Count Trentheim and some rumours about him and the Royal Highness Princess, and he knew that he was the grandson of Sword Saint Darius. Plus, he¡¯d often heard that this Count was a once-in-a-century young prodigy in Aouine, and Brendel¡¯s appearance fitted that title well. He coughed and immediately fixed his posture, bowed to Brendel, and said ¡°My Lord, today¡¯s incident¡­ is actually, in fact, a misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°A misunderstanding?¡± Brendel was still wondering how this guy would apologise to make up for it, and he wasn¡¯t expecting such ame apology with no creativity at all. He yawned and asked, ¡°What kind of misunderstanding?¡±

    ¡°Oh, everyone thinks that we¡¯re here to help Count Nagin to get rid of them from the forest. This is indeed just a rumour. Even if it is true, it¡¯s not our duty to evict them. In fact, my lord, we¡¯re here for other businesses,¡± said Eugene hurriedly.

    ¡°Other businesses?¡±

    ¡°My lord, we heard that there is a group of vicious ouws in Praguesse, and they left the city around evening. Later on, our informants told us that they¡¯d spotted them around here, which is why we¡¯re here right now.¡±

    ¡°Let me guess, then you bumped into little Phineas and had a fight with him incidentally, right?¡±

    Eugene nodded in embarrassment. He could¡¯ve actually shifted the me onto something else, but he knew that he might not be able to fool this young Count, so he might as well be honest and tell the truth so that he wouldn¡¯t offend anyone. Brendel nodded and roughly understood the cause and effect of this matter. The Patrol Knights searched their way here and bumped into Phineas and his group of men. Both parties already had a grudge against each other and the Patrol Knights had more people in their group, so they wanted to seize the opportunity to take revenge on them. This was a more reasonable exnation. Brendel knew that their mission didn¡¯t mean much to these nobles. They would take the credit if they had caught the vicious ouws, but it wouldn¡¯t matter much to them if they didn¡¯t manage to catch them as they didn¡¯tck money anyway.

    But he was a little curious about what kind of people the ouws were. Theoretically, there were many ouws in Praguesse, and they must meet at least two conditions to attract the attention of the Patrol Knights. Firstly, they must not be locals as most of the local ouws, bandits and organizations in the grey area had connections with the local nobles, so the Patrol Knights wouldn¡¯t go after their own people. Although Brendel couldn¡¯t understand why the Patrol Knights would side the local ouws, it was considered as one of the cultures in Aouine in this era. Secondly, there must be a number of them. The Patrol Knights wouldn¡¯t care if there were only one or two ouws. It wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t want to care, but it was because they wouldn¡¯t notice the existence of only one or two ouws based on their work efficiency.

    The situation at hand, apparently, was that arge group of ouws had entered the city. If the Patrol Knights were aware of this, Brendel felt that they might be the Evil Cultists.

    When he asked about this matter, Phineas ran over to him before Eugene could say anything. ¡°Brother Brendel, I think I know these guys,¡± said Phineas.

    ¡°You do?¡±

    Brendel looked at him curiously.

 Chapter 858 - v5c47

    v5c47

    Two Letters(12)

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where those guys are from, but they had an Erdek ent and they looked like smugglers from Greywater Bay or somewhere around that area. There were about ten of them, most of them were the kind of people that I¡¯ve just mentioned, but there were two or three men who were quite different from the rest of the group. They were taller and sounded like they were locals. Nibeto noticed that they had the same long and thin sabres with two feathered wings embossed on the handguard. Those guys lived at a campsite that was abandoned in the forest and they rarely socialised with outsiders. They¡¯ve stayed there for around half a month and Captain Madden had actually sent some of his men to monitor them at first, but we then realized that they only moved around in a small area in the forest and they weren¡¯t affecting us, so we didn¡¯t care much about themter on. They weren¡¯t that powerful, but of course, perhaps one or two of them were tricky to deal with, but they weren¡¯t a worrisome problem to us. The campsite was abandoned by its original owner when he fled to the north before the war happened. The campsite is not far from here. We¡¯ll be able to see a path that leads to that ce after walking southwards for about one and a half hours into the forest.¡±

    ording to Phineas¡¯ description, Brendel led ¨C or rather escorted the group of Patrol Knights into the forest. At this moment, the first full moon, Ginhae, had already fallen below the horizon, and the second moon, Moa, had just risen above the mountains. The grey moon illuminated their way as they walked southwards along a narrow and winding path in the foothills. A whileter, they found the hunter¡¯s campsite.

    The moon was bright that night. They could see the campsite from miles away. Brendel stood at the hilltop as he looked towards the direction of the campsite. He then asked Phineas who was next to him, ¡°Is it over there?¡± Phineas replied softly, ¡°Yes, Brother Brendel. Captain Madden used to bring us here for training, but the Skeletons were making too much noise at one point, so it was upied by otherster on.¡± He then bragged and said, ¡°Honestly, if it wasn¡¯t for Captain Madden who told us to stay out of trouble, I would¡¯ve brought some men to kick their asses. Those guys don¡¯t seem nice at all¡­ Ow!¡±

    Freya smacked his head and red at him. She hadn¡¯t seen him for a year, and he was already recing her as the new head of Be¡¯s militia. Esson and Mackemie were more mature than him, but the young people preferred a capable leader. If they were still in Be, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to bring his men for a fight. Freya got furious at the thought of it, the militia under her leadership was never synonymous with causing trouble.

    At this moment, the young Patrol Knights couldn¡¯t help but snicker. Phineas rubbed his red forehead and looked at them angrily. He felt that his pride had been hurt. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you guys think that I¡¯m not capable of doing so?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, Mr Phineas, we admire you a lot.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± The Patrol Knights quickly replied.

    Eugene alsoplimented him. ¡°The Count¡¯s young friend has an amazing talent in swordsmanship. He¡¯ll definitely achieve great things one day.¡±

    Brendel agreed with Eugene as he looked at Phineas. There were two extraordinary people in Be in this era, which were Freya and Bet, but Phineas¡¯ swordsmanship was way better than theirs. He didn¡¯t know whether this young man would end up dying in Be as he hadn¡¯t heard of his name in Aouer on. ¡°Little Phineas, what are your ns for the future?¡± asked Brendel.

    ¡°Captain Madden has rmended me to join the police force in Manoweir. He said that he has some friends there who knows aboutws.¡± Phineas was open to Brendel and he didn¡¯t want to hide anything from him.

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Brendel nodded, ¡°What do you think about it?¡±

    Phineas looked at him and said, ¡°Brother Brendel, I want to learn swordsmanship from you.¡±

    Brendel suddenly thought of Haruz and nodded silently. He actually had this thought before when he saw Phineas¡¯ outstanding swordsmanship. He couldn¡¯t let such a precious gem turn into dust here. Phineas¡¯ name didn¡¯t exist in history, but he must belong to a ce in this world. He had this feeling when he first left Be, but when he thought about it right now, Aouine was probably going to lose a real talent.

    Phineas had the potential to be a Sword Saint like his grandfather in the future. Though he¡¯d probably forgotten that he was gradually gaining the prestige and reputation of Darius himself. Most of the nobles knew that Darius had a grandson who¡¯d already possessed Elemental Activation and had the strength of a Sword Saint when he was only in his early twenties. After Anson¡¯s era, there would soon be a true Sword Saint in Aouine.

    ¡°Brother Brendel, does it mean that you¡¯re willing to teach me?¡± asked Little Phineas excitedly.

    ¡°Brendel, don¡¯t pamper him too much. The captain must have his own reasons for this, so I think you should ask Uncle Madden about it first,¡± interrupted Freya.

    ¡°Freya, why are you helping an outsider instead of me!¡±

    ¡°Hey, how dare you say that? Brendel isn¡¯t an outsider!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Brendel is indeed not an outsider to you, Freya. My bad.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ you brat!¡± Freya fumed when she heard what he said.

    Brendel giggled when he saw both of them arguing. It was as if he¡¯d gone back to the good old times in Be. He wasn¡¯t concerned about Freya¡¯s worries at all. Madden had nned to let Phineas join the police force in Manoweir because he didn¡¯t know about Brendel and Freya¡¯s situation. Now that they were back in Be, Madden would definitely ask for his help. This veteran of the Eleven Months War knew exactly where Phineas would have a better future.

    He looked at the hunter¡¯s campsite again. He wasn¡¯t here on a whim to impersonate Praguesse¡¯s sheriffs. Rather, it was Phineas¡¯ description of the men that caught his attention. ¡°There were about ten of them, most of them were the kind of people that I¡¯ve just mentioned, but there were two or three men who were quite different from the rest of the group. They were taller and sounded like they were locals. Nibeto noticed that they had the same long and thin sabres with two feathered wings embossed on the handguard.¡± Those sabres weremonly used by the cavalry, and there was only one group of people in Grinoires who had those kinds of sabres ¨C the White Winged Cavalry. So, these three men were probably deserters. He suddenly thought of what Teste had told himst night. He kept his guards up and wanted to get to the bottom of this matter.

    Though he hadn¡¯t told Freya and Phineas about this yet since it was just a guess.

    The group of people approached the campsite slowly. Brendel instructed the Patrol Knights to encircle the entire campsite. These young men from Praguesse seemed to bepetent as they were able to spread out quickly and encircle the campsite quietly under Eugene¡¯s leadership. As everyone got closer to the campsite, they could see a few wooden huts scattered out in the woods. The campsite was enclosed by a wooden wall that was as tall as a person, though the walls were already broken and covered with cracks and gaps. The campsite was also overgrown with weeds, it seemed like nobody had taken care of it for a long time. Based on this, these people didn¡¯t intend to stay here for a long time. In this era, refugees were basically the same as ouws.

    Eugene looked around carefully and told Brendel, ¡°These guys are really back here. They¡¯re brave, I thought they¡¯ll move to somewhere else.¡±

    Brendel had an acute sense of hearing, so he¡¯d heard twelve breathing sounds in the huts a long time ago. He then looked at the captain of the Patrol Knights curiously and asked, ¡°How did you know that they¡¯re here?¡±

    Eugene looked at him weirdly and pointed at the second hut. Brendel looked in that direction and coughed softly. It turned out that there was a guy on the lookout in front of the door. He hit his head gently. He¡¯d only listened to the sounds and didn¡¯t notice that there was a bandit right in front of him. It was too embarrassing. He quickly kept a straight face so that the others wouldn¡¯t realize that this count had made a fool of himself.

    After listening carefully again for a while, he discovered that the strength of these people was just very ordinary, just like what Phineas had said. The guy on the lookout roughly had the strength of an Iron Rank, and the strength of the other men was simr to his. There was a silver-ranked guy in the third hut, but since he was too far away, Brendel couldn¡¯t tell what tier he was in, though he was probably just a Middle-Silver-ranked man at most. After all this judgement, Brendel was disappointed because they were too weak. Even if they were Evil Cultists, they weren¡¯t the core characters. These ouws weremonly found to be roaming around andmitting murders or other sensational crimes in Vaunte, but he wouldn¡¯t cross paths with them in their world.

    After confirming this, Brendel shook his head in disappointment and gestured to the Patrol Knights.

    His gestures indicated how many people there were in the huts, where they were located and what their strengths were. They were tactical gestures that were often used by the Patrol Knights. Eugene was impressed at how skilful Brendel was in using hand gestures, which made him couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he was also a Patrol Knight in the past. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t think that Brendel was a low-level minion like them, he thought that he was most probably the seniormander or the leader of the Patrol Knights. But what he didn¡¯t know was that his former thought was closer to the truth.

    Although these few Evil Cultists just seemed like they were thieves, Brendel wouldn¡¯t let them go so easily. He didn¡¯t intend to do the job personally, instead, he wanted to give the credit to the young Patrol Knights. After all, they¡¯d apanied him in the wilderness for half a night, so he wanted to give them some benefits, even if they were not willing to do so.

    Under Brendel and Eugene¡¯s orders, the Patrol Knights immediately took action. They sneaked into the campsite and took out the watchman quietly. Just as what Eugene had said, these ouws were so bold that they¡¯d only arranged one person to keep watch over the whole campsite, and the watchman was even dozing off. They obviously weren¡¯t expecting the Patrol Knights toe and take out their nest. The Patrol Knights didn¡¯t wake the bandits up until they entered the third hut and a battle broke out immediately after that.

    The silver-ranked cultist was the first to react. He grabbed his sword and lunged at the Patrol Knights. Eugene also rushed towards him with his sword, and their swords shed with each other. It seemed like defeating this cultist was quite a challenge for the Patrol Knight¡¯s captain. Unfortunately, his men were weaker and they were defeated by the Patrol Knights easily. A whileter, the cult leader was the only one left in the hut. It seemed like he knew that he had no chance of escaping, so he suddenly let out a roar, stabbed his sword into his throat, and fell dead to the ground.

    The battle ended sooner than expected. Brendel was still a little stunned by the Patrol Knight¡¯sbat powers. Though this didn¡¯t mean that the kingdom¡¯s Patrol Knights were powerful, instead, it was the opposite. These ouws were so daring because the strength of these cavalrymen, who were in charge of the local security, was usually not up to par, so they wouldn¡¯t have expected that there would be a surprise attack by the cavalry in the middle of the night. If Brendel hadn¡¯t let them witness this personally, they must¡¯ve thought that it was just an illusion.

    But the young Patrol Knights were obviously unaware of this, and they gleefully escorted the bandits, who were still breathing, out of the huts one by one. Phineas didn¡¯t want to fall behind, so he got one bandit for himself as well. The cultists lined up outside the campsite as there were five left in the huts. The others had their throats slit in their sleep. Brendel looked at the two taller men out of the remaining five, and sure enough, he noticed that they had the White Winged Cavalry¡¯s sabres.

    And as for that third person, Brendel figured that he was probably already dead.

    ¡°Did you manage to get any information from them?¡± he asked.

    Eugene smiled and shook his head. He was slightly older than his men, though he was only in his thirties. ording to how the years were calcted in Vaunte, he was still considered a young man and yet he was already the captain of these Patrol Knights. His men had found out that they were the Evil Cultists from All For One. Capturing twelve of them in one fell swoop with five of them still alive was indeed a great achievement. Plus, there were three deserters from the White Winged Cavalry among them. Eugene could already see a medal beckoning to him.

    He replied Brendel cheerfully, ¡°My Lord, these guys are all Evil Cultists. They¡¯re hard-mouthed and they aren¡¯t willing to say anything. But that¡¯s okay, they¡¯re all going to be dead anyway. They¡¯ll be hanged in less than a week after they¡¯ve been sent back. When the timees, I¡¯ll arrange a better tform and invite you to watch it in person.¡±

    Brendel wasn¡¯t interested in watching the hanging as he didn¡¯t care about it. He shook his head, but he agreed with what Eugene had said. Once the members of All For One turned into ouws and were sent to nobles like Arreck, most of them wouldn¡¯t utter a word as they knew that they would be dead once their identities were exposed, so they would just rather give up on hoping for mercy.

    Though this meant that he¡¯d made a trip for nothing tonight.

    As he was thinking about this, a young patrol knight suddenly ran out of the hut with a piece of paper in his head. He shouted excitedly, ¡°My Lord, I¡¯ve found another piece of evidence!¡±

    As the guy ran closer towards him, only then he noticed that he was holding a map. He opened it in front of Eugene like it was a treasure and Brendel immediately knew why this guy was so excited. The map had the topography of the streets in Praguesse. It was very detailed, so it should be a military map. Brendel looked at the two feathered markings on the map and figured that it was most likely used by the White Winged Cavalry. It was already a crime to keep military maps for personal use in this era, not to mention that it was stolen from the army.

    As Brendel squinted his eyes, he felt Freya touching his hand gently.

    She also knew how to read military maps. She saw at a nce that there were two faint red circles on the map, and one of them was marked on 52 Gravedigger Street.

    ¡°Brendel,¡± she whispered as a reminder.

    He understood what she meant and immediately whispered in her ear, ¡°Freya, go and get Amandina right away.¡±

    ¡°Amandina?¡±

    He nodded. He thought he¡¯d guessed it wrongly, but every cloud had a silver lining. In front of him were the deserters and the leader, Magusk, of the White Winged Cavalry, who belonged to All For One. He¡¯d also heard Teste¡¯sst wail and he had the map. A faint ray of light seemed to have appeared right in front of his eyes. But he was curious as to why these guys from All For One would keep pestering Amandina. She was only a noble, so how could she have something that could spark their interest?

    After pondering upon it for a while, he shook his head in confusion. This matter was indeed very strange. Teste and Magusk were obviously the elite members of All For One, so they wouldn¡¯t be involved in this insignificant matter at all. What was the real intention behind this matter?

    As he thought about this, he turned around and patted Eugene¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Mr Captain, can you do me a favour?¡±

    ¡°What kind of favour?¡± Eugene looked at him in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid these people are more than what they appear to be. I think you shouldn¡¯t send them to Praguesse¡¯s prison first, instead, you should find a ce to interrogate them properly,¡± replied Brendel.

    After hesitating for a moment, Eugene nodded. Compared to getting the credits, he was clearly more afraid of offending Brendel.

    Brendel smiled at him. ¡°Thank you very much, Mr Captain. Don¡¯t worry, the credit will still definitely belong to you and your boys.¡±

    When Eugene heard Brendel thanking him, he was overjoyed. He felt that he¡¯d made the right decision this time.

 Chapter 859 - v5c48

    v5c48

    Two Letters(13)

    It was alreadyte when Freya returned to the manor. Amandina, however, waited until now after sending the teenager away.

    After listening to Freya¡¯s story, she finally understood what was going on. She was a little surprised at the coincidence of what had happened. She was quick-witted and smart, and she immediately figured out that the people who¡¯d been caught by the lord were the same group of ouws that Dean had met. She asked Freya to wait for a moment and went into the house to get a shawl and the ne without the pendant. Then, she went to meet up with Brendel.

    By the time both of them arrived at the campsite, the Patrol Knights had wasted another two or three hours as they still couldn¡¯t get a word out of the cultists. After searching the campsite over and over again, they finally found a sixteen-page book which had a ck cover, named ¡°Code of All Things¡±. It had a wooden Ouroboros sculpture carved on it. It seemed like the sculpture had been often used in various rituals as the surface was worn smooth and it was very clean. Eugene immediately threw the Code of All Things aside the moment he held it as the Holy Cathedral of Fire had strictly forbidden him to read it and spread the information. It was as if he was afraid that the book woulde to life and bite him and cause him trouble.

    His men, on the other hand, were more cautious. They flipped through the pages of Code of All Things to make sure that there wasn¡¯t anything in it and felt around its cover. They then used their sword to rip through the cover and found a thin piece of parchment, but unfortunately, it was nk. The Patrol Knights tried all sorts of ways to make the text on it appear, such as dripping some potions on it, burning it with fire and putting it under the moonlight. Brendel had even tried a few magic tricks, but all their methods were to no avail. So, they just ended up putting it aside.

    The young Patrol Knights were enthusiastic at first as they wanted to impress their beloved count, but they ran out of steam after a few hours. It was as if those cultists were made out of special materials as they wouldn¡¯t utter a word no matter how much the Patrol Knights tortured them. They¡¯d even killed one of them to threaten them to say something, but the rest of them just trembled with fear and clenched their teeth. Apparently, they were more afraid of the torture after their deathpared to dying. These people had already dedicated their souls to the Devils and twilight. If they revealed something and went to hell, they would face consequences that were worse than death.

    After the gloomy Moa sank below the horizon among the mountains in the east, Tadesha, which only appeared in the autumn night sky, was halfway through its journey as the stars in the northern and southern skies shifted. It was almost dawn and everyone was exhausted and empty-handed. Eugene looked at Brendel apologetically but Brendel wasn¡¯t angry as this oue was what he¡¯d expected. Brendel looked at the dispirited young man, and although he knew that he was just trying to impress him, he was still very satisfied with his efforts. He nned to search the campsite for onest time at dawn and he would think of another method if he still couldn¡¯t find anything. These people would always leave some traces.

    At this moment, Freya and Amandina finally arrived at the campsite.

    Amandina was smart. When she saw the mess and the Patrol Knights who looked like they hadn¡¯t slept for at least a week, she knew that the lord was doing this for her. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have cared so much about these cultists. He wasn¡¯t Praguesse¡¯s sheriff, and even if he was, he wouldn¡¯t deal with this trivial matter himself. She bowed to Brendel before asking him about the whole story. She looked at the cultists to make sure that she hadn¡¯t met them before and then proceeded to examine the bits and pieces that they had found at the campsite. When Brendel mentioned the nk parchment, she looked at him and said, ¡°My Lord, you should let Captain Eugene send these ouws away first. I¡¯m sure you know that they wouldn¡¯t utter a word.¡±

    Brendel looked at her. They had been working together for quite some time, so he could tell that she was hinting something to him. He nodded.

    The Patrol Knights quickly tied the cultists up, no matter whether they were dead or alive. It was their achievement for capturing these cultists, and since the Count had already offered them the credits, they would dly ept it. Although these credits might not be much of a use to them, they could receive arge sum of bounty for capturing them.

    As the Patrol Knights were busy doing their work, Amandina pulled Brendel and Freya aside and whispered, ¡°My Lord, I think I know what they¡¯re here for.¡±

    Brendel was stunned by her words as he looked at her confusedly. Amandina then told both of them about Dean¡¯s encounters. Lastly, she asked, ¡°My Lord, do you remember my father¡¯s will?¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°Marsha, I¡¯m probably going to die soon. If I¡¯m dead and someone is lucky enough toe across this will, I would like to legally transfer all my possessions to this person. Besides that, I have ancestral property, and I would like to divide this fortune into thirds. A third of it is for this person, another third of it is for my wife, Sidey, and the rest of it is for my daughter¡­¡±

    Amandina recited the will word for word, as if she was reading it. ¡°If anyone reading this will is interested in having this fortune, please pass the will to my wife along with my token and tell her about the date at the Baden Ball, she¡¯ll know what to do.¡±

    She then paused for a moment before reciting thest line. ¡°Last but not least, I¡¯m sorry, Sidey. May Lord Marsha punish me.¡±

    Brendel looked at her. He knew that she wouldn¡¯t say something pointless at this moment, so he waited for the rest of her story. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°There was a period of time where my father was very poor, and it was at that time where he met my mother at a ball, and they soon fell in love. At that time, they bought a mansion in an old city in Praguesse, and my father bought arger courtyard when he¡¯d earned some money after I was born. I think I know where my father kept his inheritance.¡±

    Brendel burst intoughter. Amandina always took things seriously. He was short of money at that time, which was why he¡¯d valued the will that was left by her father. But now, Bokenelson¡¯s inheritance wasn¡¯t enough for Trentheim at all as he was just a noble. ¡°Amandina, since you remember where your father¡¯s inheritance is, why don¡¯t you find a way to get it and keep it as a souvenir?¡± He suddenly stopped talking and looked at her in surprise. ¡°Wait, do you mean that these people are after your father¡¯s possessions?¡±

    She nodded gently.

    It would partly exin why these low-level cultists would be interested in that small amount of money. They¡¯d probably heard of it and wanted to make a fortune. But then, it didn¡¯t make sense if Teste and Magusk were coveting it as well. Perhaps they were interested in something else, but as Brendel looked at the two deserters from the White Winged Cavalry, he felt that their rtionship with Magusk was clearly not a coincidence and what he surmised was incorrect.

    If only they would talk, but unfortunately that was impossible.

    Amandina saw Brendel furrowing his brows. She then said softly, ¡°My Lord, I think I might have a clue about that nk parchment.¡±

    ¡°You do?¡± he asked.

    She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s just a guess, I need to have a look at it first to be sure.¡±

    The parchment was ced together with the Code of All Things and it was sandwiched between the pages. Brendel asked a young man to bring the book over. Amandina opened the book, took out the piece of parchment andid it t. After hesitating for a moment, she said, ¡°My Lord, this is a letter. I think I can make the texts appear, but¡­ but I have to do this job alone.¡±

    ¡°A letter?¡± Brando was slightly stunned. He looked at her in confusion, but then he eventually nodded.

    ¡°Thank you, my Lord.¡± Amandina was grateful. Brendel didn¡¯t ask her what she wanted to do at all. His trust in her made her feel satisfied and relieved. She excused herself, went into a wooden hut with the parchment and took off the ne that was on her neck. The ne had the key to the house at 52 Gravedigger Street. She ced the parchment and the ne together on the floor, kneeled down, bit her finger and let her blood drip into the part where the pendant was initially located on the ne. At this moment, something miraculous happened. The blood droplets trickled downwards, stopped in mid-air, and formed into a crystal. The blood crystal shimmered and Amandina shone it on the piece of parchment. The texts on the parchment soon emerged line by line.

    Amandina looked at the text and let out a long sigh. Once the ne stopped glowing, she put away the parchment, put on her ne, and covered it carefully with her shawl.

    Brendel waited for her outside the hut. When she finally came out, she handed him the parchment. ¡°Did you manage to do it?¡± he asked. She nodded gently.

    He surveyed her as he thought to himself that she might be keeping a secret from everyone else. But he trusted her and knew that she would never hurt him, so he didn¡¯t ask any more questions. Everyone had their own secrets and he respected her choice. He unfolded the parchment, skimmed through the first two paragraphs and raised an eyebrow.

    He read the purple text on the letter.

    ¡®Dear Parminder, my brother,

    We¡¯re so close to finding out the truth now. I can see that the fragmented puzzles are finallying together to form aplete picture, and I¡¯ve already taken care of The Marshall¡¯s possessions. Next, I¡¯ll be heading out to find the truth. I believe that one day, me, you and everyone else will get the justice we deserve. It has been thirty years, the nightmare that you and I had witnessed in that ce is still circling in my mind all the time. But I¡¯m sure that the choices we made that day were made for righteous and selfless purposes, and I¡¯ll prove that to you soon.

    I think The Marshall may reject the princess¡¯ request, but there are still some things that we must aplish. Ciel, you, and I have agreed to keep this promise, and I¡¯ve been given the honour to preserve some of the evidence, which I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be a great testimony in the near future. I¡¯ve kept a few pieces of evidence in the same ce and it¡¯ll be a part of my inheritance for my descendants as we both know that this job is full of risks and uncertainties. If I meet my doom one day, at least these puzzles can still be preserved in the hands of my wife. Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you that I¡¯m married. My wife, Sidey, is the most beautiful girl in the world. I love her as much as I love myself, my parents and the people I respect most in the world. I really hope that you can meet her one day if that¡¯s possible. You¡¯ll like her. She¡¯s quiet, gentle, sensible, intelligent and shy. Sometimes I wish that she¡¯s the only princess in the world, and I¡¯m the knight who protects her. But, I¡¯m often away. I owe her too much and I often feel very guilty about it.

    Sidey and I have a precious daughter. We named her Amandina, which means flower of hope in Elven. My daughter looks a lot like my wife, but I believe she¡¯ll be a knight like me in the future. She¡¯s very smart and I can see it in her eyes ever since she was a kid. I¡¯ve only seen such wisdom in the eyes of the princess. I¡¯ve often thought howpatible it would be if Lord Scott had a son who would marry Amandina, they would surely be the brightest stars of Aouine¡¯s future. Haha, you might think I¡¯m being ridiculous, but I¡¯ve heard that Scott is married as well. He¡¯s married to the beautiful and gentle Cardiligial whom we¡¯ve met before, but unfortunately, I never knew where they stayed, otherwise, I would¡¯ve definitely gone to their wedding. What an honour it would¡¯ve been!

    Last but not least, may you always be healthy and as fit as an ox. And may all the things we¡¯ve done be worthy to The Marshall, the Royal Highness Princess, and all those who were involved in it.

    May the ck pines be evergreen, may Aouine live on forever; may faith shine still as always, may the longswords be as sharp as ever.

    From your brother, Cipard, who has missed you immensely since the Year of the Ocean Harp.¡¯

    After reading thest sentence carefully, Brendel looked at thedy in front of him. Amandina¡¯s face was slightly flushed, it was obvious that she¡¯d read the entire letter beforehand. She bit her finger anxiously and said softly, ¡°Please don¡¯t mind it, my Lord. That¡¯s just my father¡¯s wishful thinking. You¡¯ll be engaged to the Royal Highness Princess, and Miss Romaine¡­ please just take it as a joke, I¡­¡±

    This letter was initially not a big deal anyway, anyone could tell that it was just a family letter and the contents in it were just a joke between the family members. But since Amandina was the one who revealed the texts, there might be something fishy going on. Amandina had an uneasy feeling and thought that Brendel might think that she¡¯d purposely added that into the letter. Though he didn¡¯t care about that matter at all. Instead, he was more interested in the other contents of the letter. He looked at Amandina and smiled bitterly, ¡°Amandina, this is the letter that your father has left behind, right?¡±

    His words startled her. She nodded.

    ¡°Do you know this Parminder guy?¡±

    Amandina shook her head. She furrowed her brows and was deep in thought. But a whileter, she shook her head again.

    ¡°Your father¡¯s real name is Cipard, right?¡± asked Brendel. He¡¯d never heard of this name before. After all, this story was from forty or fifty years ago and it was only briefly mentioned in the game.

    Amandina quivered and then nodded gently. ¡°I think so, he may have mentioned it to me once or twice. My father was a Seiferan and the people there usually have names with two sybles. In private, the family members would often address each other by their nicknames they were given when they were a child.¡±

    Brendel thought for a moment. He looked at the letter in his hand and had a rough outline in his mind. It seemed like his grandfather probably had a superior-subordinate rtionship with Amandina¡¯s father. And by the look of the names in the letter, he was probably born in the same generation as his father and Ciel, and that Parminder was one of the sergeants, and he was most likely a close friend of his grandfather¡¯s men. This was greatly unexpected as he¡¯d never thought that there was such a connection between him and Amandina. He¡¯d never believed in fate before, but now he did. It was as if there was an invisible thread that connected him to Amandina.

 Chapter 860 - v5c49

    v5c49

    Two Letters(14)

    Both of them fell silent. It seemed like they were both thinking about the same thing.

    A few momentster, Brendel asked, ¡°Amandina, do you know what has your father done before?¡±

    She shook her head gently. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Our lives have been quite peaceful and substantial, it was simr to the other families of the same social ss. My father had several properties in Praguesse and his source of ie was quite stable before he disappeared. I only know that my father was financially crippled when he was young, but I don¡¯t really know the details as my parents had never told me about it.¡±

    Brendel pursed his lips.

    A few things popped up in his mind. What did ¡®the truth and the fragmented puzzles are finallying together to form aplete picture¡¯ mean? What had they and his grandfather gone through? Who was the princess that was mentioned in the letter? He was sure that it wasn¡¯t Princess Gryphine as she and Haruz weren¡¯t born at that time yet. Lastly, why did these insignificant cultists have this letter in their hands? All for One was secretive and did things meticulously, it was highly unlikely for Magusk and Teste to let a group of minions handle such an important matter.

    Seeing that these ouws had kept this letter carefully within the cover of the Code of All Things, it was obvious that they knew how valuable the letter was.

    ¡°Amandina, do you think that there is any chance that they could¡¯ve found a way to read the contents of this letter?¡± asked Brendel as he waved the letter.

    Of course, he was referring to the cultists. Amandina looked over there and shook her head firmly. ¡°There¡¯s no way they could see it. Only my father¡¯s family is able to make the texts appear.¡±

    ¡°By the way, how did you recognize this letter?¡± Brendel suddenly remembered.

    ¡°Because my father has left a special seal on his letter. They can¡¯t see it, but I can,¡± replied Amandina.

    ¡°But you¡¯ve never seen this parchment before, right?¡± Brendel was confused.

    Amandina froze for a few seconds before answering, ¡°My Lord, Dean told me earlier that these men were the ones who broke into my house and they¡¯ve even found my father¡¯s old mansion in Juan District, so I¡¯ve suspected it since then. I think they¡¯ve heard about my father¡¯s inheritance, that¡¯s why they¡¯ve gotten the letter. But I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve read the letter, otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have wasted their time and efforts looking for it.¡±

    Brendel pressed his hand on the parchment. He was interested in what she¡¯d said. ¡°You said that their efforts were in vain, so you knew a long time ago that your father¡¯s inheritance wasn¡¯t there. By the way, where did your parents first live?¡±

    ¡°An old city in Grey Mouseman Street.¡±

    While Brendel and Amandina were busy having a discussion, Freya and Phineas assisted the Patrol Knights to keep an eye on the restless cultists. After a chaotic night, the eastern sky turned bright as Tadesha sank below the horizon. A new day had arrived.

    The Patrol Knights cleaned up the hunter¡¯s campsite before dawn, and Eugene thanked Brendel repeatedly before leaving. The Patrol Knight¡¯s captain kept fawning over him, it seemed like having a good rtionship with the count was more important to him than getting a small credit.

    Brendel didn¡¯t expose him. Instead, he thanked him sincerely as well. Both parties parted outside the forest. The Patrol Knights really liked this humble count, they reminded him over and over again to visit them during the ouws¡¯ execution. Brendel couldn¡¯t understand why they were so excited for their execution, it was as if it wasn¡¯t a punishment but a kind of entertainment for them. Eugene had even promised to convince the House of Nobles to give him a bronze Starme Medal, but Starme Medals were ubiquitous since Anson¡¯s era and they weren¡¯t as valuable as the Candlelight Medals that were only awarded by the Royal Family and the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    ......

    The old city in Gray Mouseman Street hadpletely changed after the Year of the Howls and had merged into the public cemetery, which was not too far away from Amandina¡¯s residence in Gravedigger Street. They just had to cross the street that faced the underground crypt, which was sparsely popted and chilly even during the day. The cemetery was located behind a cathedral that belonged to the God of Death, which was located at the junction of Gray Mouseman Street and Gravedigger Street. Dean had to bribe all the monks in the cathedral so that they were allowed to go into the public cemetery. An old monk in a grey-brown robe led them through the corridors that were supported by numerous arch beams, and they arrived at the back of the cathedral through a small door. After walking through a forest, they finally arrived at the cemetery.

    The ce was quiet and surrounded by trees. There were many anonymous and named gravestones lying around. A few stone paths encircled that area which led to the foggy and unknown depths of the forest.

    ¡°Is he not worried about us?¡± Freya couldn¡¯t help but ask in surprise when she saw the old monk returned to the cathedral and close the door.

    ¡°He¡¯s just scared. I¡¯ve heard all kinds of rumours about this cemetery. There are many strange things roaming around here, and people get killed around here every year,¡± replied Phineas rather disdainfully.

    ¡°It¡¯s actually not that horrifying. They just said that to deceive outsiders because there are people who do illegal things here, such as murder and carrying out secret deals. The old monks know what¡¯s going on as they¡¯ve heard all the conspiracies and malicious schemes that were discussed in the forest. Anyways, they wouldn¡¯t care what we¡¯re up to as long as they were paid,¡± Dean said with a smile.

    ¡°But aren¡¯t they afraid...?¡± Even though Freya had seen a lot of these, she still couldn¡¯t believe it.

    ¡°Grave-robbing and selling corpses are all open secrets. There are even necromancers who secretly buy corpses from the monks as materials for their research. There is a huge underground ck market here, so how could these monks not know about it?¡±

    Freya exhaled gently and scoffed, ¡°What a sphemy.¡±

    ¡°The necromancers believe in Marsha as well, don¡¯t they?¡± asked Dean.

    Freya furrowed her brow and nced at him. The young man realized that he¡¯d said the wrong thing and quickly added, ¡°Those monks and the Holy Cathedral of Fire have an inextricable rtionship, so even the nobles are not willing to mess with them. Plus, since the nobles have a family crypt, they¡¯re not willing to interfere with this matter, so we can¡¯t do anything about it. Also, most of the necromancers are members of the Grey Realm, so nobody dared to offend them.¡±

    Although Freya knew that he was telling the truth, she didn¡¯t want to hear it. She furrowed her brow and gritted her teeth so tightly that it seemed like she would draw her sword and stab it through the old monk¡¯s heart if he ever appeared in front of her again.

    On the other hand, Brendel¡¯s face was expressionless as he was used to seeing these types of things. Though he felt that the cemetery was still quite dangerous as a normal ce wouldn¡¯t be as foggy and gloomy as here in the middle of the day. Plus, the visibility in there wasn¡¯t more than 10 metres. The cemetery was canopied by tall trees and it seemed like the sunlight couldn¡¯t even prate through the leaves. It was only noon, but it was gloomy and it felt like it was veryte in the evening in the cemetery. There was also a mysterious underground cemetery that wasrger than the one they were at. The underground public crypt in Praguesse was perilous as it was full of ghouls and moving skeletons. Not many people dared to go down there ever since the Year of the Howls.

    Though that wasn¡¯t their purpose ofing here today. He asked Amandina, who was standing beside him, ¡°Amandina, are you sure that it¡¯s in here?¡±

    The temperature in the cemetery suddenly dropped drastically and Amandina was freezing. She covered herself with her shawl and replied softly, ¡°The neighbourhood around there was demolished twenty years ago and had turned into a cemetery, but I heard that my parents were lucky enough to keep the house that they¡¯d originally rented and there¡¯s a grave keeper living there now.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a grave keeper here?¡± Freya was surprised. She thought that this ce was only upied by ouws.

    ¡°Well, nominally.¡± After all, Amandina was a local and she¡¯d heard about what Dean had said as well. She just didn¡¯t want to say it out. She frowned and said, ¡°I heard that he helps the tomb raiders to run this under-the-table business by transporting the corpses out.¡±

    ¡°Business,¡± she scoffed. Freya was fuming.

    Brendel could hear her gritting her teeth.

    After a short walk, they found the house where the grave keeper lived. Amandina still remembered the directions and Dean knew where it was. After walking through the lush forest and past the gravestones, they saw a two-storey wooden house standing alone in the misty forest. Dean had contacted the grave keeper beforehand. He obviously didn¡¯t know Brendel¡¯s identity, but when he heard that he was a noble, he thought that he¡¯d gotten a great deal, so he waited for him in front of the house respectfully.

    The grave keeper was called Old Slick. Nobody remembered his real name, it was as if it was buried into the ground like a skeleton. His appearance looked exactly like what Brendel had in mind for this type of profession. He looked like a living ghoul with a hunchback, simr to Quasimodo from Notre Dame de Paris. Though thetter had a noble heart and the former was just pure evil. It was hard to guess his age, his face was full of wrinkles but his eyes were actively moving around, it was as if he was constantly having eerie thoughts. He was bald and there were only a few strands of hair sticking out on his head, it looked a lot like a replica of the misty forest.

    Freya looked at the guy coldly, but Brendel didn¡¯t bother to make things difficult for him. Sometimes they might not be willing to do this under-the-table business voluntarily, they just didn¡¯t have the choice but to do so. He knew that everyone must¡¯ve had lost something in this era and he shouldn¡¯t put the me on a person, otherwise, it would be indignation. But this didn¡¯t mean that he would be willing to be close to this kind of person. He looked at the guy and asked him directly without even bothering to greet him first, ¡°You know what we want, right?¡±

    The grave keeper quickly nodded and handed a bunch of keys to Brendel respectfully. Dean had told him about this beforehand, and although he didn¡¯t know why the young noble wanted to borrow his house, Dean had given him arge sum of money, and he knew that it was obviously not Dean¡¯s money. He also knew very well that he couldn¡¯t ask anything about it as it would be more dangerous for him to know more. Who knew what this noble was up to? Plus, some nobles had odd fetishes. He nced at the two beautifuldies behind Brendel and had some shady thoughts, though he didn¡¯t express them on his face.

    Getting the money was all that mattered to him.

    Freya watched the grave keeper walk further away and into the mist. She clenched and unclenched her fists several times as she thought about how that guy looked at her with his greedy and filthy eyes and thought that she didn¡¯t notice it. There were a few times where she couldn¡¯t hold herself back and almost threw a fit, but she wasn¡¯t the little girl who¡¯d just walked out of Be and didn¡¯t know much about the world anymore, so she just put up with it. Brendel looked at her and Amandina a little apologetically, and both of their anger gradually dissipated.

    As the three of them entered the house, Dean and Phineas stood guard outside. Actually, Brendel didn¡¯t need to avoid Phineas, but thetter knew that he had to stay and look after this teenager, which Brendel had instructed him to do so beforehand. Amandina entered each room one by one and looked inside in hopes to find the traces of her parents¡¯ life in this old house, but she was doomed to disappointment as the house was filled with coffins and smelled disgusting. After heading upstairs and back to the living room, her face turned green and she felt like throwing up.

    ¡°Is it over here?¡± Brendel asked with concern when he saw how ufortable she looked.

    Amandina nodded quietly.

    ¡°Do you where is the exact ce?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a ck pine tree behind the house. It should be right underneath the tree if I¡¯m not mistaken. There¡¯s a small pond there, so I don¡¯t think it has turned into a cemetery. My father told me that he met my mother at the Baden Ball, and they had their first date at this very spot¡­¡± She paused at looked at the ce with some disgust, ¡°Of course, it was still a residential area here back then. You can see Be River over there.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s head to the backyard then,¡± said Freya as she furrowed her brows, ¡°I really don¡¯t want to stay here any longer. How could this guy turn the ce where Amandina¡¯s parents used to live into this? It¡¯s a mess!¡±

    Brendel grimaced. He didn¡¯t think the same way about what Freya had said. It was normal for a grave keeper¡¯s house to have the stench of corpses and it would be unfair if he was criticized for this. But he didn¡¯t dare to say this in front of thedies because he saw Amandina looking at Freya gratefully.

    It seemed like they became closer friends after the day they cried in front of their own mother.

    The house had the same traditional structure as the ones in Praguesse. After passing through the kitchen to the back door, Amandina brought them to the backyard. There was indeed a sturdy ck pine tree behind the house, but the pond had already dried up. Fortunately, the grave keeper didn¡¯t turn his backyard into a graveyard, so nothing much had changed in the yard. Though Amandina wasn¡¯t exactly sure where her father¡¯s inheritance was buried, so Brendel and Freya had to dig around the tree. Luckily there were shovels in the grave keeper¡¯s house and both of them were full of energy.

    They couldn¡¯t find anything after digging for two hours. It seemed like Amandina¡¯s father had buried it very deeply, or maybe they were wrong and it wasn¡¯t there at all, or maybe it¡¯d already been dug up. Whatever it was, there was still no sign of it no matter how deep they¡¯d dug. But after Freya dug about two or three meters deep in a specific location, she suddenly heard a ng and the shovel seemed to have knocked into something hard. She immediately realized that she might have found something and quickly swept the soil away with her hands. Sure enough, there was a rusty iron chest buried underneath.

    The chest was only as big as a suitcase. Freya quickly called Brendel and Amandina over for help and the three of them dug the chest out together. After cleaning the chest, they could see an emblem embossed on its surface. The shield-shaped emblem was divided into four parts and there was a crescent moon on each of the two interlocking parts. Brendel was shocked when he saw the emblem. The crescent moon was the symbol of Aouine. The royal emblem of House Seifer was a crescent moon that was embedded in a full moon on the shield, while the emblem of House Covardo was derived from the royal Seifer emblem, which was three diagonal crescent moons on the shield. Any emblem that had a crescent moon on it was rted to the royal bloodline.

    Brendel looked at Amandina. He didn¡¯t know that her family had some sort of coteral rtionship with the Royal Family. It was unfortunate that he didn¡¯t know much about heraldry, otherwise, he could¡¯ve probably recognized which royal family he was descended from.

    ¡°My father is a noble from Seifer, my Lord,¡± exined Amandina softly.

    When he heard this, he wasn¡¯t surprised anymore as the nobles from Seifer obviously had some ties with the Royal Family. Though this doubt onlysted in his mind for a short moment. He quickly dropped his thoughts and looked at Amandina. She was the most capable of opening the chest right now.

 Chapter 861 - v5c50

    Two Letters (15)

    v5c50

    ¡°Amandina, go ahead and open it,¡± said Brendel while looking at the chest.

    Amandina was startled for a moment. She looked at him and was somehow touched by his words. She then nodded gently.

    She ced her hand on the cold iron chest, strongly suppressing the excitement in her heart. She chant the incantation softly in a low but clear voice, and the words spat out from her soft lips chunks by chunks. The lock on the chest slid open by itself as if it was lifted by an invisible hand and it fell to the ground with a clunk. She took a deep breath and opened the chest. There was a waterproof tarpaulin and underneath it was three parcels that were tightly tied up. The parcels were also wrapped in tarpaulins, and on top of the parcels was an envelope that was embossed with the same emblem that they¡¯d seen earlier on.

    She then opened the envelope and read the letter thoroughly. The content of the letter was simr to the one in the will ¨C if someone had found this inheritance, it was to be hoped that they would split it into three parts. They would be able to get the most lucrative part of it, whereas the two remaining parts and some misceneous items would be distributed to Amandina and Sidey so that they at least had something to live on and it was a souvenir for them. There were also some words that were left for Amandina in the letter, saying that he hoped that she could be happy and forgive him for being such an irresponsible father. After reading thest sentence, she held onto the letter for a long time without saying anything. She hung her head as her thick eyshes quivered like feathers.

    Brendel and Freya looked at each other. Freya¡¯s eyes were full of sympathy as she shared Amandina¡¯s sorrow. Her heart turned soft as she thought about her own life experiences.

    A long timeter, Amandina finally put the letter down. She acted as if nothing was the matter, but her face was terribly pale. ¡°My lord, let¡¯s open these parcels.¡±

    Brendel couldn¡¯t bear to talk to her when he saw her like this. He just nodded and suddenly wondered if he¡¯d made the right decision toe to this ce. He thought that she¡¯d already forgotten about her dark past, but he realized that her grief was buried very deeply in her heart. Amandina opened thergest parcel first and the golden light immediately shone on the faces of the three people. There were gold and silver ingots neatly arranged inside the parcel, as well as some jewellery and mortgage deeds. After a rough calction, she estimated that the inheritance was worth at least 100,000 Taels, which was arge sum of money for a small noble family. But this fortune was reserved for the one who found the inheritance, so Amandina put it aside and opened the second parcel.

    The second parcel contained simr items, but it only had half the amount of the previous one. It was left for her mother as there was an envelope with her mother¡¯s name, Sidey, on it. Amandina didn¡¯t open the envelope, she just looked at it for a long time and put it down gently afterwards. She then picked up the third parcel, which was the smallest parcel. It was only as big as a cosmetic case and it was for her.

    She couldn¡¯t breathe properly when she held the parcel that was for her. Though she eventually held her breath and opened it carefully. After unwrapping the tarpaulins, she found a delicate walnut box inside. She opened the box and saw a ring and a ne. Her tears rolled down her cheeks the moment she saw the ne.

    Brendel and Freya also fell silent when they saw the ne. The crystal pendant on the ne was a beautiful Recording Crystal. When the box opened, the crystal emitted light and projected a man and a woman standing side by side. The man had ck hair and the shape of his face was simr to Amandina¡¯s. He smiled gently at Amandina and said, ¡°Anna, if you ever open this box, I believe it means that I¡¯ve already long been gone. My beloved daughter, I dare not ask for your forgiveness for being an irresponsible father, but you have to trust that your father had spent his whole life pursuing the most righteous thing in this world because I know that the person who gives and takes responsibility for this world can never be the sinner. Anna, I hope that one day you can see the truth in this world and not be blinded by falsehoods because you are so wise and having you as my daughter was the pride of my life.¡±

    ¡°This ring is the token of my engagement to your mother. I kept it and left it here with your mother¡¯s consent in hopes that it could one day be a witness to your happiness and your beloved other half.¡±

    ¡°Anna,¡± A woman who was as gentle as Amandina smiled gently and said, ¡°I hope you¡¯ll be able to find your own happiness one day.¡±

    ¡°Liar...¡± Amandina burst into tears. It was as if all the feelings that she¡¯d been suppressing finally burst out at this moment, like water gushing out from a broken dyke and like how the whimpers of a wounded beast turned into howls. Amandina was usually calm and quiet, so Brendel had never seen this side of her. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed, like a helpless child.

    Brendel didn¡¯t know how tofort her. There were some feelings in this world that would always touch and hit the softest spot in one¡¯s heart and family love was one of those feelings. No matter how tough and indifferent she looked, and it seemed as if she¡¯d forgotten everything in the past, she still cried like a child in front of her parents. She didn¡¯t just bite her lips and had tears welling up in her eyes, she wailed as loudly as a wild beast andpletely lost her voice.

    Freya also turned around and wiped the tears in her eyes.

    A long timeter.

    Amandina finally calmed herself down and stopped crying. Her face was red and she tried not to look at Freya and Brendel as she was afraid that they mightugh at her. ¡°My lord, I¡¯ve checked thoroughly and it seems like Darius¡¯ inheritance is not here.¡± As soon as she opened her mouth, her face flushed redder as her voice was so hoarse that it seemed like it was someone else talking.

    Brendel looked at her and asked worriedly, ¡°Is everything all right?¡±

    Amandina nodded and sighed. Her mind was in such turmoil that she couldn¡¯t tell for a moment if she was really all right. But after receiving her father¡¯s gift for her, her hatred for her father who left without saying goodbye seemed to have dissipated slightly. She thought to herself that perhaps her mother had already known a long time ago where her father had gone when she grabbed her hand on her deathbed. They¡¯d always known about it because her father would never lie to her mother, so they¡¯d actually joined forces and lied to her together. She smiled and shook her head gently. Although there were still tears on her cheeks, she still looked cute with her smile.

    Brendel heaved a sigh of relief. He then looked at Freya, the kind-hearted girl from Be, who also looked relieved.

    Darius¡¯ inheritance wasn¡¯t in the box, contrary to what was written in the letter, which was both expected and unexpected by Brendel. After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°Amandina, your father couldn¡¯t guarantee that you¡¯ll be the one who finds his inheritance and he also couldn¡¯t guarantee that the person who found it would keep their promise and split the inheritance with you and your mother, so he wouldn¡¯t put something so important in there.¡±

    Amandina nodded.

    Freya asked confusedly, ¡°But he¡¯d written it clearly in his letter¡­ It¡¯s a personal letter, so he didn¡¯t have to lie, right?¡± She then suddenly realized something. ¡°I get it. He didn¡¯t have to put Darius¡¯ inheritance in his, but he could leave a clue in there.¡±

    Brendel looked at her in surprise. ¡°You¡¯ve suddenly be smarter.¡±

    Freya grimaced and red at him.

    ¡°If my father has left a message for me in his inheritance, I think it can only be in my parcel,¡± Amandina thought for a moment and replied.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t there a possibility that it could be in your mother¡¯s parcel?¡± asked Freya.

    Amandina shooked her head. ¡°My father expected that there would be some greedy people, so my mother¡¯s parcel is just full of money and assets. Whereas most of mine are misceneous items, so nobody would pay attention to them. Plus, I¡¯ve checked my mother¡¯s parcel as well as the letter, and there was nothing noteworthy in it.¡±

    ¡°Amandina, you¡¯ve guessed this a long time ago, haven¡¯t you? You¡¯re smart,¡± said Freya enviously. She wasn¡¯t the smartest in the Royal Cavalry Academy, but she wouldn¡¯t be jealous and would only envy those who were really gifted and intelligent. The Royal Highness Princess told her that her father was the most talented knight in the previous era of Aouine, and this had made her question herself as to why she was so clumsy.

    Amandina smiled.

    ¡°Have you checked through the items?¡± asked Brendel.

    Amandina nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve checked the ne, the ring and the box and I couldn¡¯t find any clues.¡± She paused and thought for a moment, ¡°I don¡¯t think my father would leave such important information in in sight. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to disassemble them to find out where the clues are.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s thest thing your father has left for you...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, my lord. It¡¯s my father¡¯s wish as well and I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll me us for it. Besides, if we miss someone, it should be in our hearts, instead of dwelling on external objects.¡±

    As soon as she opened the box, Brendel pressed her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it. Pass me the ne.¡±

    Amandina was startled. She looked at him, nodded, and ced the ne on his hand. Brendel took the ne and examined it carefully. He then pinched the pendant and turned it gently. A split secondter, the pendant loosened up. He took the pendant out, held it up towards the light in the room and pulled out a strip of paper from it.

    He didn¡¯t hesitate at all before dismantling it. It was as if he¡¯d thought of all of this beforehand and had guessed that the note was hidden in the ne. Freya and Amandina were utterly dumbfounded.

    Amandina was startled. She looked at him, nodded, and ced the ne on his hand. Brendel took the ne and examined it carefully. He then pinched the pendant and turned it gently. A split secondter, the pendant loosened up. He took the pendant out, held it up towards the light in the room and pulled out a strip of paper from it.

    He didn¡¯t hesitate at all before dismantling it. It was as if he¡¯d thought of all of this beforehand and had guessed that the note was hidden in the ne. Freya and Amandina were utterly dumbfounded.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Amandina¡¯s jaw dropped. She felt that he was indeed an all-knowing deity.

    The crystalline structure of the Recording Crystal was hollow, and it was the first thing that came to Brendel¡¯s mind when he examined the ne. He didn¡¯t expect that he could remove the pendant so easily in one fell swoop, and it was a coincidence that he found the clue in it. He returned the ne to Amandina and smiled bitterly as he told her the reason for it. She was enlightened, but she still looked at him with great respect. She had done a lot of research in Magicite and was very familiar with all kinds of crystals, but the Recording Crystal was an exception because it was an artificial magic crystal therefore it was difficult to gauge what its physical properties were. Only Brendel, who was so knowledgeable, could tackle it so easily.

    The three of them opened the note and found that there were some strange symbols drawn on it, it seemed as if a child had scribbled on it. While Brendel and Amandina were figuring out what they were, Freya blurted, ¡°Ah, this is the military secret code.¡±

    ¡°Military secret code?¡± Brendel froze. He knew that the military often had to transmit confidential information and each kingdom had its own set of codes and symbols that were adapted from the ancient runes. He was very familiar with Aouine¡¯s military codes and he could decipher the ¡°Anson Code¡± from thirty years ago and the ¡°New Code¡±, but the ones on the note were neither one of them. He looked at Freya dubiously and she nodded affirmatively.

    ¡°These are the Kirrlutzian¡¯s military codes and they are the old codes that were used half a century ago. I happened to have learned this at the Royal Cadet Academy.¡±

    When she said that, Amandina seemed to have recalled something. ¡°Oh yeah, my father has taught me some of these codes when I was a child, but he didn¡¯t tell me what they were at that time.¡±

    Brendel didn¡¯t know that Freya had learned Kirrlutz¡¯s military codes before. He asked immediately, ¡°Can you decipher them?¡±

    After reading through it thoroughly, Freya nodded and replied, ¡°Of course, Brendel. This seems to be a map¡­¡±

    ¡­

    ¡°What are these?¡±

    There were three items in front of Freya ¨C a light grey crystal, some reddish-brown rocks, and a papyrus map that had only a few lines outlined on it. All of those items were taken out from the same iron box that she¡¯d found under the floor of an old mansion in Hood District after deciphering the secret codes. And of course, she didn¡¯t recognize any of the items.

    Brendel told Dean to spend some money to smuggle Amandina¡¯s father¡¯s inheritance out of the cemetery. He cast Elemental Guardian spells on the chest so that nobody else could open it. Plus, there was a lot of ¡®work¡¯ going on in and out of the cemetery, and those mages who practised ck magic secretly wouldn¡¯t transport the corpses out one by one with much fanfare, so it wouldn¡¯t be weird to use a chest. Brendel was initially worried about attracting suspicions, but he forgot that these things were verymon among the grave robbers.

    After receiving a sum of money from Dean, the grave keeper patted on his chest and told him that it wouldn¡¯t be a problem at all to transport a few coffins out from the cemetery, let alone a chest. He then found some handypeople, and Brendel felt that the way they did things was simr to the group of bandits. Anyway, with the help of those people, the chest was smuggled out smoothly like they were just carrying a box of rocks and they didn¡¯t even bother taking another look at the chest. Little did they know that it was filled with gold and silver ingots.

    Though Brendel was d that he was smart enough to cast a Wind Spell on it. Otherwise, these experienced people would¡¯ve suspected something.

    By the time they transported everything back to the manor and went to Hood District to retrieve Amandina¡¯s father¡¯sst inheritance, or rather Darius¡¯ inheritance, it was almost evening. Brendel opened the box in his study room and took out the items one by one.

    Freya looked puzzled, but Brendel and Amandina had different expressions on their faces.

    ¡°My lord, these rocks¡­¡± Amandina seemed to have recalled something, ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen them when I was a child. My father first bought them from a merchant and he treated them like treasures. Andter on, he went everywhere to collect and look for these rocks. I also remember he was fiddling with them for quite a long time.¡±

    ¡°Did he tell you anything about them?¡± asked Brendel as he stared at the grey crystal.

    After thinking for a while, she shook her head. ¡°I was too young at that time, but I can vaguely remember that my father had said a few times that these rocks lead to something like a key. Later on, I rarely saw these rocks and I thought that my father had lost interest in them. I never knew that he¡¯d kept them.¡±

    ¡°Amandina, do you think that these items are rted to my grandfather?¡± asked Brendel.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. ording to the letter, this box contains Darius¡¯ inheritance and fragments of that ¡®picture¡¯ that my father had mentioned. Is he referring to these rocks?¡± she asked in return.

    Brendel didn¡¯t reply.

    Instead, he just stared at the grey gemstone.

 Chapter 862 - v5c51p1 The Third Letter

    v5c51p1

    The Third Letter

    The grey gemstone was dull yet luminous under the light. This contradiction blended in together so naturally in this gemstone. It was as if anyone would be captivated by it and they would know that it was something extraordinary at first nce. But this grey gemstone looked so familiar to Brendel. When he opened the Dimension Space, took out an identical gemstone from it and opened his palm slowly, Freya gasped softly.

    ¡°Brendel, the gemstone in your hands is exactly the same as the one your grandfather left behind. Did Darius leave this behind for you?¡±

    Brendel gave her a look that startled her. Freya had never seen him show such a weird look before, so she thought she¡¯d said something wrong.

    Brendel took a deep breath and put the gemstone back. As a matter of fact, he had another simr gemstone. He¡¯d seen something simr on two separate asions. He saw it for the first time at the Loop of Trade Winds, and the second time under the ciers at Deadly Tundra Forest. At the Loop of Trade Winds, Archbishop Aman and Sanorso, the Wind Empress, called it the Sealing Stone. Whereas at the ciers, Miirnans worshipped it like a holy object. But he knew very well that the gemstone was a fragment of the soul of the Darkness Dragon.

    The grey gemstone emitted a strange light because it¡¯d turned transparent, which meant that the heritage within the gemstone had already been extracted.

    And this gemstone was his grandfather¡¯s inheritance.

    Was Sword Saint Darius the Darkness Dragon? Brendel was startled by this sudden thought, which seemed to exin why Darius was put to trial by the Holy Cathedral of Fire and exiled, and why he chose to leave the centre of power in the kingdom and lived in exclusion. It also seemed to exin why the friendly forces suddenly turned against each other during the Holy War. Everything that had happened seemed to make sense now. But then he shook his head as it couldn¡¯t exin why they would be attacked by the Madaran Army during the third Holy War in the game.

    Moreover, if his grandfather was the Darkness Dragon, it was highly unlikely that the Holy Cathedral of Fire would just let him go so easily. After all, the Darkness Dragon was the mortal enemy of the four Holy Cathedrals.

    The other questionable point came from his grandfather¡¯s lifespan. He remembered that his grandfather died of disease, but it was also because of the gradual ageing of his body functions. His lifespan was longer than an ordinary person¡¯s, but it was considered that he had died at an early age based on Darius¡¯ strength. He¡¯d suspected this earlier, not to mention that his lifespan would be greatly increased after receiving the Darkness Dragon¡¯s heritage. He knew very well what the heritage of the Darkness Dragon was ¨C it was the Blood of God.

    Brendel curled his knuckles and tapped on the desk. His mind was full of doubts. It was as if there was a thread in his thoughts, but he couldn¡¯t catch what it was.

    Suddenly, Freya said, ¡°Brendel, Amandina,e over here and take a look at this map.¡±

    At this moment, Brendel already had some guesses and conclusions. The moment he raised his head and looked at the map, he was stunned. The papyrus map had a few lines drawn on it and some annotations. Nobody could tell what was drawn on the map, but he suddenly felt as if he¡¯d seen this map before.

    Was it during the game?

    He immediately shook his head. There were very few secret maps in the game. Sophie hade across a few of them, but they were all clearer than this one. And in this life, there were even fewer secret maps, even almost close to none. He¡¯d seen this map before, but he couldn¡¯t recall where he¡¯d seen it.

    Freya looked at him and Amandina and said, ¡°The annotations are also secret codes. I think there¡¯s a ce named Osopao on it.¡±

    ¡°Osopao? There¡¯s no such ce in Aouine,¡± said Amandina.

    ¡°Neither is Kirrlutz,¡± replied Brendel. He took a deep breath and continued, ¡°It¡¯s a ce named by the Miirnans. The Miirnans once had a huge battle with the Kirrlutzians and the Wind Elves there.¡±

    He suddenly recalled it. It felt as if another image had subconsciously surfaced in his mind, an image that ovepped with this map. He jolted, suddenly remembering that he¡¯d seen this map before in Miirnan, Tuman. He¡¯d suppressed a map in his memory when he officially embarked on the journey of bing a neswalker. The map would asionallye to his mind, but he couldn¡¯t remember a thing about it when he tried to actively recall it. And this was the reason why he felt that the map was familiar yet unfamiliar previously.

    He¡¯d figured it outpletely by now. The map that was given by Tuman only had outlines of hills and rivers, whereas Amandina¡¯s father¡¯s map had markings on it. The ce that Freya pointed at was Osopao ins, also known as Wild Four Leaf Clover. Brendel felt that there were ces that were named by Miirnans that corresponded to the names of ces today. Though there was a huge nk space on the map that was left by Amandina¡¯s father. Brendel couldn¡¯t understand why Bokenelson had drawn this map, but he could guess that thetter was probably looking for something, and the thing wasn¡¯t only rted to the war between the Miirnans and the ck Dwarfs a thousand years ago.

    Perhaps it also had something to do with his grandfather.

    ¡°Grandfather, where are you?¡± groaned Brendel.

    As he looked at the three items on the desk, the doubts in his mind grew even moreplicated than when he didn¡¯t have these clues. It was as if he saw more gloomy clouds after the fog had cleared and it was pitch-ck. He was so confused that he finally couldn¡¯t hold himself back from asking Ciel and Medissa for help. ¡°Ciel and Medissa, are you all there? I have got a question for both of you.¡±

    Unexpectedly, as soon as he spoke, he heard Ciel¡¯s surprised voice. ¡°Ha! My lord, what a coincidence, I was looking for you as well. Our minds are in sync...¡±

    ¡°Cut the crap,¡± interrupted Brendel. ¡°Ciel, do you happen to know Parminder and Hippard?

    ¡°My goodness, why did you bring them up, my Lord?¡± She was shocked.

    ¡°Does that mean you know them?¡±

    ¡°Of course, they were your grandfather¡¯s attendants. Parminder is from the Anna Family and he is the second son of Count Cordo. Hippard, on the other hand,es from a small noble family in Seifer and he was well-known for being a genius back then.¡±

    Ciel paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Brendel, have you found them?¡±

    Brendel shook his head. ¡°I just heard about them by chance.¡±

    ¡°Did your father tell you about them? I¡¯ve been looking for them too.¡± Ciel sighed.

    ¡°So does that mean that you don¡¯t know what they¡¯re up to recently?¡±

    ¡°My lord, they left without saying goodbye after receiving the Royal Highness Princess¡¯ order. I knew they must¡¯ve known something, so I¡¯ve been looking for them since then,¡± replied Ciel.

    Brendel immediately furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°The Royal Highness Princess?¡±

    Ciel fell silent. A whileter, she said, ¡°Ah, I think you¡¯ve misheard me, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Ciel, I heard from Raban that the scenery in ins of Gem is very beautiful, and I think it¡¯s time to give you a vacation.¡± Brendel threatened her.

    She was on the verge of tears. ¡°Okay, okay, Brendel, I¡¯ll tell you about it, please don¡¯t lock me up. Alright, that princess... I¡¯m sure you know that your father almost got engaged to Princess Gryphine¡¯s aunt.¡±

    ¡°Which aunt?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t reveal her name, I have to protect a woman¡¯s reputation after all. Besides, she won¡¯t necessarily want to meet you,¡± said Ciel helplessly.

    ¡°Are you telling the truth?¡±

    ¡°Definitely.¡± She swore.

    Brendel furrowed his brows as he always felt like he couldn¡¯t trust her fully. But if what she said was true, then the leads woulde to an end once again.

    He shook his head. He then suddenly remembered that she was looking for him. ¡°Why did you look for me?¡±

    ¡°Ah, didn¡¯t you want to ask Medissa something as well?¡± Ciel broke out in a cold sweat and tried changing the subject, but when she heard him grunt, she quickly replied, ¡°Well, I mean, if your matter isn¡¯t very urgent, then I have some news for you.¡±

    ¡°What news?¡± Brendel froze.

    ¡°A countess passed on a magic message to one of her subordinates and told her to pass it on to me.¡±

    ¡°Dilferi?¡±

 Chapter 863 - v5c51p2

    v5c51p2

    The Third Letter

    There was a silver brooch in front of the Royal Highness Princess. She picked it up, admired it, and put it back down.

    She still remembered what happened that afternoon.

    The afternoon sun seemed to have a feeling of peace and harmony. The surrounding was quiet other than the rustles of the leaves. She stood on tiptoe and then lowered her heels gently. Her lips were icy-cold. Brendel stared at the princess confusedly.

    ¡°Brendel, I am truly grateful to hear that you¡¯re still going along this path. But, I still hope that you will consider our engagement seriously.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± asked Brendel while furrowing his brows.

    ¡°Aouine is a small country, so we have tobine the strength of the entire kingdom or maybe even restore the ancient system if we want to fight back against potential enemies.¡± Gryphine took a few steps back and looked at him carefully with her light silver-grey, bright eyes. ¡°But I know this ancient kingdom, which has been ruled by House Seifer and my family, too well. The nobles who are under my father¡¯s rule have different thinkings and are narrow-minded. There are a few of them who have dreams and beliefs, but we can¡¯t trust all of them.¡±

    She shook her head gently, reinforcing her statement, ¡°The kingdom must recentralize its power, re-establish the local taxation system that has been discontinued since Anson¡¯s era, and weaken the military power of the nobles, but...¡±

    Brendel suddenly realized the implicit meaning of her word ¡®but¡¯. The South already had the basis for the restoration of royal power, but the future of the South depended solely on him as he was the one who had to make the decision. If he supported the princess unreservedly, then the votes of Count Lantonn, Duke Viero or Duke Grinoires wouldn¡¯t change the final oue at all, even if all of them opposed it. The Autumn War had disyed that Trentheim had such decisive military power.

    But if he opposed it or maintained the status quo, then all the local nobles would follow his lead and nothing would change. It was true that Duke Viero was the princess¡¯ grandfather, that Count Lantonn was nominally her ally, and that the Hignd Knights were above the fray, but there was obviously a contradiction between the local nobles and the Royal Family. Duke Viero would never risk losing his power to support his granddaughter, nor would Count Lantonn. They were happy to have the Royal Family close to them, but they would never want to be inferior to them.

    This was a natural conflict between the princess¡¯ philosophy and the core interests of the dukes.

    But what could he do about it?

    The kingdom must recentralize its power, and Trentheim and Valha couldn¡¯t be above the fray as they must bear the brunt of it. The princess wanted him to set an example to the others, but could he trust this half-elf? He¡¯d built up Trentheim and Valha with his own hands, and the hopes and future of many people such as the Red Bronze Dragon mercenaries who¡¯d gone through the Eleven Months War, the adventurers who were persecuted by Graudin, the vigers in Green Vige, Amandina and Carglise all depended on him. This was the responsibility that came with his power, so how could he pass this responsibility on to others?

    He weighed his options carefully in his mind. If he thought emotionally, he would be willing to trust the princess as she was able to hold on to her beliefs and sought mercy and justice. As the eldest princess of Aouine, she¡¯d subdued countless yers throughout history. But no one was perfect. She might be influenced by the noble¡¯s mentality andpromised on being conservative, and this would affect the fate of many people. And if he thought rationally, he felt that the princess had a soft spot in her heart and being a reformer wasn¡¯t in her nature.

    It all depended on her personality.

    The past was already history; the present and future depended on his decision. Brendel was well aware of the difference between himself and the princess. His only ties in this world were his parents, whom he¡¯d just met today, but Princess Gryphine had an inextricable rtionship with the nobles. She wasn¡¯t ruthless like Silver Queen Constance.

    He looked at the princess who was standing right in front of him. She was half a head shorter than him. She lifted her head slightly and looked at him with her light silver-grey eyes while pursing her lips. Her silver hair shone beautifully under the sunlight and her pointy ears could be seen among her long hair, disying her elven genes. Nobody would doubt the beauty of this princess, which was a mix of the elegance from the royalty and the nature of the forest.

    Brendel definitely wouldn¡¯t forget that his lips still had her fragrance on them.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, Brendel. But you¡¯re someone who can decide the kingdom¡¯s future. If you¡¯re too naive, it may not be a good sign for both of us,¡± said Princess Gryphine.

    Brendel could tell that there was a hidden meaning behind her words, so he asked, ¡°What do you think I should do then?¡±

    Princess Gryphine looked at him. He could actually take the same path as Arreck, dethrone her and Haruz and make himself the king. He was actually much stronger than her, plus he was more capable and he had the time to do so. But if he did so, he would lose his reputation and his rightful status. If he only wanted a throne and supreme power, then he could certainly choose this path. But if he chose thetter path, he had far more to lose than to gain.

    The princess¡¯ eyes lit up slightly as she looked at the extraordinary noble in front of her and replied softly, ¡°Marry me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Haruz¡¯s sister, so I¡¯m actually in session to the throne. And ording to the kingdom¡¯s tradition, you can manage and rule the kingdom rightfully if you¡¯re my husband. By that time, Trentheim and Valha will be the Royal Family¡¯s territories, and it is only right that Viero, Lantonn, Grinoires and even Karsuk submit to you,¡± she paused for a moment, ¡°¡­ But if the throne is empty again during this dynasty, only Haruz or his descendants can inherit this position.¡±

    She was referring to Arreck. After listening to what she¡¯d said, Brendel smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Your Highness, but this doesn¡¯t sound like you¡¯re married to me. It sounds more like I¡¯m married to you.¡±

    Princess Gryphine chuckled. She could tell that Brendel didn¡¯t care about the power in his hands.

    ¡°But I already have a fianc¨¦e. Let¡¯s just put this matter aside first,¡± replied Brendel helplessly.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll wait for your answer then.¡± Princess Gryphine smiled. She wasn¡¯t annoyed at his reply at all.

    Brendel could only flee from that situation.

    Gryphine pressed on the brooch and stopped recalling her memories. She looked at the evening sky outside of the window. The sun was as red as fire, hanging below the golden clouds.

    Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. She jumped. After listening to the movements behind the door, she said, ¡°Pleasee in, Mrs Hill.¡± When the door opened, it was indeed her maidservant standing outside. The woman who was in her forties had an envelope in her hand. She greeted respectfully, ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alreadyte. What brings you here?¡± asked Princess Gryphine while looking at her.

    ¡°There¡¯s a letter from Castle Vallendaren,¡± replied Mrs Hill.

    ¡°Is it for me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s from Mr Oberwei.¡±

    Gryphine took the envelope and opened it. After reading the letter, she raised her eyebrows and the expressions on her face changed.

    ¡°I would like to inform Your Highness that Silver Queen Constance from Kirrlutz has recently granted a countess title by exception. ording to reliable sources, this newly promoted countess is from Aouine and she has a close rtionship with Count Trentheim.¡±

 Chapter 864 - v5c52p1

    v5c52p1

    Different Choices

    ¡°The Kirrlutzian¡¯s envoy?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a person named Donnace Bernie. He¡¯s a viscount¨C¡±

    ¡°Wait, I know him,¡± Brendel interrupted, recalling that Veronica once told him this name. He was a secret envoy for Constance. After the explosion in Deadly Tundra Forest, Kirrlutz sent a group of envoys to investigate the whereabouts of the eldest prince, and that man was the leader of the group. Veronica even told him that the person¡¯s true purpose was to confirm the death of the eldest prince.

    ¡°I know this group of envoys,¡± he added, finally remembering this matter. Brendel had been busy with issues that came one after another, though it was mainly because of the war in autumn and the princess¡¯s letter that caused him to forget about this particr matter.

    ¡°Is the Kirrlutzian preparing to return to Kirrlutz? Why would Dilferi tell us about this suddenly?¡±

    ¡°No, My Lord. As a matter of fact, Kirrlutzia¡¯s group of envoys are stopping over in Lantonn. ording to the information we obtained, their leader is someone else. This Sir Bernie has never shown up,¡± Ciel answered.

    ¡°What exactly is going on?¡± Brendel frowned.

    ¡°Apparently, Sir Bernie suddenly fell ill and returned with the fleet at Deldtal. He never went ashore at Arreck.¡±

    Brendel thought it was obviously an excuse. Since Donnace was the Queen¡¯s secret envoy, he would not return early without aplishing anything. At first thought, Brendel thought the Kirrlutzian must have discovered something but quickly realised Dilferi would not have known about this if that was the case. Only a handful of people in the territory knew about the Folded Sword Squad and Lenarette¡¯s whereabouts.

    Suppressing his doubts, he asked, ¡°This is the Kirrlutzian¡¯s internal affairs. Why would Ms. Odinar inform us about this?¡±

    Ciel naturally understood what he was implying, and he answered, ¡°My Lord, here¡¯s what happened. Apparently, during the return of the Kirrlutzian¡¯s fleet, they hunted a rare beast in Shining Sea and intended to present it to Her Majesty. In order to guard against the attacks from the Holy Cathedral of Earth, they chose to travel onnd. The fleet docked at Grey Harbor. Sir Bernie and his servants and assistants traveled past the territory of Grey Harbor and Yanbao. You know the current condition of Yanbao. No one knows how Count Yanbao is doing. Some say he¡¯s severely ill, while some say he¡¯s dead. Anyhow, ever since April, he has not appeared before the public. As for Ms. Odinar, uh, she¡¯s now visiting Trentheim... as a guest.¡±

    When he mentioned ¡°guest¡±, he felt awkward since everyone knew Dilferi was worried about her father and was eager to return to Yanbao. However, she was confined to Coldwood by Brendel. Well, this was also the princess¡¯smand as an act to protect Dilferi¡¯s safety so that she would not act recklessly.

    After pausing for a while, he continued, ¡°All in all, Yanbao iscking a leader. Under Baron Dahl¡¯s lead, those guys spread all kinds of rumours to seize the chance to usurp Count Yanbao. However, with the reputation of House Odinar, they would not be able to seed within a short amount of time. Besides, Kirrlutz had umted quite arge amount of influence in Yanbao, so they would not give up on the chance to butter up Sir Bernie. I don¡¯t know if you still remember this, but you and Her Highness once ordered Count Jansu to investigate Yanbao. Not long after that, Count Jansu sent a group of people into Yanbao, and they performed their job pretty well. Very quickly, they contacted the former subordinates of Dilferi and established a rtionshipwork with them.¡±

    Brendel knew it was the princess¡¯s order, and he had nothing to do with it.

    However, Ciel made it sound as if he lost half the merit.

    Brendel knew it was a kind of ttery, but he did not bother to expose him, or rather he was used to it. Only then did he find out something was amiss.

    Ciel continued, ¡°These people reported this matter to Count Jansu and even provided videos of Sir Bernie and his people recorded using the Recording Crystal. Then, Count Jansu sent theplete crystal and reports to Ms. Odinar. This matter by itself isn¡¯t important, but Ms. Odinar heard about you, Mdm. Veronica, and Prince Lenarette enter Deadly Tundra Forest together. After finding out the true purpose of the group of envoys, she was worried that the Kirrlutzian would hurt you, so she sent the items to Medissa. Unexpectedly, Her Highness did notice something weird¨C¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Brendel was already frowning lightly by then.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with Sir Bernie, but Princess Medissa recognised someone among his entourage.¡±

    ¡°Recognised someone?¡± Brendel thought of something. ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°This person should be someone from the convoy of the Kirrlutzian and Veronica. I have some impression of him, but it¡¯s not as deep as Medissa had.¡±

    Medissa¡¯s voice rang out at that moment, and she sounded gentle and logical as usual. ¡°My Lord, if I remember correctly, this person is called Boymer. I¡¯ve heard someone address him in that way. At that time, he entered the cier with us. He¡¯s part of the Kirrlutzian royal army and looks young. I think he¡¯s only in his twenties.¡±

    Brendel felt chills down his spine, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. Then, he took a deep breath. Though he had yet to speak, Amandina and Freya could see the seriousness on his face. Worried, they exchanged nces before looking at him again. Brendel propped his arm on the desk as images shed across his mind. After pondering for a moment, he blurted, ¡°When did Kirrlutzian¡¯s group of envoys arrive at Deldtal?¡±

    ¡°August 19th. It was the Hignders¡¯ Fire Festival,¡± Amandina answered without thinking twice.

    ¡°August 19th,¡± Brendel muttered under his breath, repeating the date. ¡°It¡¯s the fourth week after we left Deadly Tundra Forest. Exactly one month.¡±

    Then, he asked again, ¡°Ciel, how long has it been since Sir Bernie arrived at Yanbao?¡±

    Ciel calcted the time. ¡°Ms. Odinar received the letterst week, but it took some time before it arrived Trentheim, so I¡¯m pretty sure he has been there more than a month.¡±

    A month. That¡¯s enough time for the Kirrlutzian to walk back to Lusitar, Brendel sneered in his mind.

    Freya, who had been watching the changes in his expression, finally asked, ¡°Brendel, what happened?¡±

    ¡°It seems like we¡¯ve overlooked something, Freya,¡± he enunciated each word.

    ¡°Overlooked?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault. This never even crossed my mind.¡± He patted his forehead in frustration. Then, in a deep voice, he said, ¡°Ciel, have our scout ask around, search the vicinity of Deadly Tundra Forest, and spread that guy¡¯s image around. Affirm if others have ever seen him¡ªNo, I¡¯m sure someone has seen him before. I want to know where and when. I want to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. Also, try to dispatch a group of people to Kirrlutz. If it¡¯s not possible, ask Count Jansu for help. He won¡¯t reject us.¡±

    ¡°My Lord, Ms. Romaine had sent someone out before I recounted this piece of news to you. Everyone in our territory has been engaged. However, the mercenarymanders are still unaware of the whole situation and wanted to ask if you¡¯re making a mountain out of a molehill. That¡¯s also why Medissa and I havee to see you.¡±

    ¡°She made the right decision.¡± Brendel let out a long breath when he heard this. Then, he said solemnly, ¡°Wait for the news. Let¡¯s hope that the Kirrlutzian won¡¯t regret¡ª¡±

    He paused when he felt someone touching his arm. Turning around, he saw Amandina looking at him with a worried gaze.

    ¡°Do you have news about Scarlet?¡± she asked.

    He nodded slowly.

    The victory of the war in autumn had not spread to the southern regions, but rumours had spread in nearby ces affected by the battle, causing people in Radner to feel uneasy in the initial two weeks. At the same time, they were feeling expectant. On one hand, their uneasiness stemmed from their fear of being negatively affected by the battle. On the other hand, they were hoping for the young and aplished count to be their new ruler. In contrast to the countless rumours spreading throughout the southern region, Viero and Trentheim were eerily silent. In Viero, Castle Vallendaren had been sending out messengers every day, carrying secret messages back and forth to the northern and southern regions.

    Meanwhile, only a few perceptive people managed to realize that a storm was brewing in Trentheim beneath the peacefulness. Even the merchants at Port Gris could tell that the frequency of soldiers patrolling the area had increased. The interrogation had also be more stringent. Moreover, the export of goods had changed secretly. Magic Crystals within the ck Forest had decreased in the few months and seemed to have depleted. Leather goods and metal ores had been reced by other goods. Besides that, the number of ships with imports docking at Port Gris had increased tremendously.

    People were specting that Trentheim was preparing for a new war.

 Chapter 865 - v5c52p2 Different Choices

    v5c52p2

    Different Choices

    The weather had be colder day by day, but the ck pines in the forest were thriving. Although the rivers had yet to frost, most of the ces were already covered in snow. At the beginning of November, it was rumoured that a troop of knights appeared from nowhere in Mirtai, emerging from the mes. Like gods, they patrolled the sky for a week and disappeared. Those who witnessed that peculiar scene proimed that they were the servants of war. Their appearance signified a war era would soon begin.

    As the legend spread across all ces, a message brought by a messenger pigeon came to Ciel.

    ¡°We have received an update, My Lord.¡± When he voiced through Psychic Connection, Brendel was telling his mother about the matters that had happened recently. As it was winter, the fire was burning brightly in the firece. Although he had told Windsor many times about those experiences, she never got bored with it. Windsor was especially delighted to learn that her son had a fianc¨¦e who was kind and good at housekeeping in Trentheim. Well, that was Brendel¡¯s description of Romaine. He figured she was innocent enough to be described as kind. Since she was good at deceiving others, in a sense, it could count as being good at housekeeping.

    However, when he heard Ciel¡¯s words, he stood up abruptly from the sofa and gestured towards thedies before excusing himself into a corner. Then, in a low voice, he asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°You guessed correctly. Someone has seen that person near Deadly Tundra Forest. The witness is a farmer near Bernicel, and his name is Old Bayard. He has a daughter named Charice, and they rented a horse-drawn carriage to the person after the explosion. He said that person gave them money and never showed up anymore after that. Someone was with him. ording to the girl¡¯s description of thatpanion, Medissa thinks he¡¯s a royalty named Babarn.¡±

    ¡°They rented a horse-drawn carriage,¡± Brendel mumbled to himself. ¡°Bernicel has inns, so why would they rent that from a farmer? Farmers use hooded carriages, and royalties would not ride those.¡±

    ¡°They used it to carry items,¡± Ciel answered.

    ¡°Did anyone see that horse-drawn carriage near Deldtal? No, if I were them, I would be more careful. Did they change to another carriage halfway?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve hit the mark. They changed at Alucher and Winterrose Castle. Once we confirmed their route, it was easier to find out the details. Thest carriage they used wasst seen at Deldtal. Someone saw them in the middle of August.¡±

    ¡°In the middle of August,¡± Brendel repeated. ¡°Deldtal, Kirrlutzian.¡±

    Taking a deep breath, he balled his fists so tightly and squeezed out the next sentence through gritted teeth. ¡°The ¡®rare beast¡¯ they were transporting must be on the carriage, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Ciel answered after a long silence.

    Amandina and Freya, sitting on the sofa, watched as Brendel¡¯s face darkened.

    ...

    The firece at the study was burning brightly, reflecting light on a few faces.

    Gryphine put down the letter in her hand and looked at Makarov. This was the tenth letter she received in two weeks, and he personally sent it over. From this, she could tell that when the royalties had foreseen the changes in the situation. It was not weird for Kirrlutz to bestow someone with the title of a countess. In fact, it had nothing to do with Aouine. However, the background of this countess was rted to a person who had a touchy status in the kingdom.

    After reading the letter, she dismissed thest shred of hope she had and put it on the desk.

    Drained of energy, she ordered her servant, ¡°Please invite Count Trentheim here, Mrs. Hill.¡±

    The woman left the room.

    Gryphine turned around and sighed as she looked at the yellow leaves outside the window.

    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Makarov voiced softly.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything, Makarov. I understand.¡± Gryphine cast him a nce and answered.

    Shortly after, Brendel arrived at the study. His expression seemed rather stiff, as if he had not recovered from the news he had just obtained. After bowing at Gryphine, he looked up and noticed her and Makarov. His gaze lingered on Sly Fox for a while, then shifted his attention to Gryphine.

    No one spoke, but they seemed to have read each other¡¯s minds.

    She lowered her head and looked at the letter as she spoke softly. ¡°Count Trentheim, I have to tell you about this¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about the Azure Lance, right?¡± Brendel interrupted.

    Gryphine looked up at him, the emotion in her silver eyes unfathomable. In the end, she recounted the whole incident regarding Scarlet. Constance had bestowed the title of a count on her. In the past two weeks, information obtained from all over the kingdom confirmed the authenticity of this news, including her identity as a Hignder and her rtionship with this count of Trentheim. After saying everything, she asked softly, ¡°Brendel, what are you nning to do?¡±

    After a moment of silence, he said coldly, ¡°Your Highness, what do you think I would do if the Kirrlutzian were to ask me this question?¡±

    Gryphine¡¯s hands that were above herp clenched her skirt tightly. She could hear the anger hidden beneath his calm tone.

    Instead of answering him, she merely stared into his eyes, thinking as she did.

    Makarov was the one who spoke first. ¡°Count Trentheim, they¡¯re Kirrlutzian.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Her Highness is telling you this out of respect for you. But I have to ask you one question ¡ª have you thoroughly considered the rtionship between Trentheim and the kingdom, Trentheim, and Kirrlutz?¡±¡®

    ¡°So?¡±

    Makarov sighed and persuaded, ¡°Do not put the kingdom in danger in a fit of rage. The Azure Lance is important to the kingdom but not to the extent that the lives of the innocents should be sacrificed.¡±

    As if he had heard a joke, Brendel shook his head. Staring at the important member of the kingdom, he replied, ¡°Sir Makarov, you seemed to have misunderstood something. I do not care about the Azure Lance. Kirrlutz has made a sole mistake today for taking her out of this kingdom against her will. Of course, you might not care about this person, but I have to tell you one thing¡ª¡±

    His voice was not loud, but like a formless magic spell, it caused the room to fall into deadly silence.

    Gryphine and Mrs. Hill had never seen a royalty be so disrespectful towards a colleague. While Gryphine could still maintain herposure, thetter gaped at Brendel.

    Makarov¡¯s expression was grim. It suddenly urred to him that this was not the first time Brendel had rebuked him.

    Brendel did not care about his opinion. Instead, he said softly, ¡°If the people of Kirrlutz think they can force the royalty of Aouine to back down by waging war, then I only have one sentence for them. I, Brendel, the casten of Coldwood, the leader of Trentheim, the count of Aouine, do not tolerate bandit-like behavior.¡±

    Facing Makarov, he enunciated each word, ¡°I swear that the people of Aouine would not be sacrificed without reason, but the kingdom should protect its people, for it¡¯s the most glorious thing in the world. The people of Aouine can suffer today for their fellow and then tomorrow, more people will suffer because of them. Sir Makarov, this is the pride and integrity of a nation. If others think they can trample upon our pride and dignity, they cannot be more wrong.¡±

    At the end of his sentence, he bowed to Gryphine like a knight bidding farewell to his king before leaving for war.

    He turned around and opened the door. Before he left, he said, ¡°Your Highness, I promised a little girl that I¡¯ll protect everyone one of them, and I¡¯ll keep my word. Whether the enemy is Kirrlutz or Madara, I¡¯ll not have any regrets, even if I have to fight against the world. If this is what the Kirrlutzian want, then I can only answer them with one word: war.¡±

    With a creaking sound, the door was shut before the three people in the room.

    Various emotions crossed Makarov¡¯s face. His lips quivered as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, all that left his lips was a sigh. He then left the study after Brendel.

    After a long moment, Mrs. Hill finally recovered from the previous shock. Patting her chest to suppress the lingering fear, she said, ¡°How could Count Trentheim act that way? D-Does he n on waging war against Kirrlutz?¡±

    Gryphine turned around and looked at her in a daze.

    ¡°Mrs. Hill, did you know how the royalties under my father¡¯s reign answered me when faced with the same question?¡±

    She took a deep breath as she recalled the rainy night at Ampere Seale.

 Chapter 866 - v5c53

    v5c53

    Countess

    Under the towering vaults, the Holy Song finally came to an end. The faces of the twelve high-level bishops were ghastly pale. As they staggered to their feet, their servants and subordinates quickly came forward to support them. These influential people were either bishops in Lusitar or academicians. Their standings were prominent and could be said to be inferior only to those that administered the Holy Cathedral of Fire. In line with their statuses were their abilities.

    Amongst them, Archbishop Christoph of Cohen, Andrels, and Sarton, the academician, had long stepped into Elemental Enlightenment and were a step away from Holy Realm. Other than those three, the other nine people had reached Elemental Activation. Usually, they would hardly preside over holy ceremonies or sacrificial ceremonies, but they would not be so haggard even if they did.

    ¡°How impressive.¡± The one who spoke was Vr. Those who had never seen the person administering Holy Cathedral of Fire would never imagine him to be a benevolent old man. His eyebrows and goatee were white, and his body had shrunk. Wearing a red shawl with white fur, he stood with his hands behind his back. The old man seemed so vulnerable as if a gust could bring him down. However, the eyes that gleamed with wisdom under those droopy eyelids and overly obvious lines at the side of his tightly pursed lips were signs that showed the man who had controlled the Holy Cathedral of Fire for half a century was not as simple as he seemed.

    People called them the bishop who brought iron and fire to the world. As the only one who had experienced theplete Holy War, there was a saying about him¡ªthe bishop was definitely not merciful. It was a description of his personality, indicating that he was not as benevolent as he looked.

    At that moment, he was standing at the altar with two other people. The person he was speaking to was a woman standing behind him. She was tall, wore a white shawl and a crown, and held a sceptre with a golden fire emblem on it. Her long cape dragged onto the obsidian floor. However, her facial features were not so womanly; her cheeks were sunken in, making her appear overly grave. A long thin braid hung over the shawl beneathher tinum blonde shoulder-length hair. This woman was Sidney Metfalica, the third biggest administrator in Holy Cathedral of Fire, also the fourth-strongest person in Kirrlutz. There were countless legends about her, and it was rumoured that she fought the leader of the fourth Buga Mage. Though she lost, it was a glory defeat.

    People usually use the word eagle to describe a sharp gaze, but it was too weak of a description for Sidney. Her gaze was sharp and piercing, and just by shooting a nce, people would be able to understand what she meant. Deep within her iris was a circle of golden fire rings connected to the divine power she possessed¡ªthe Holy Sword of the angel Akroma. No one in Kirrlutz couldpare to her attainments in the Holy Words, not even Vr.

    Caesar was the other person next to Vr, who ranked rather low amongst the twelve bishops. Despite the extravagant silk robe he was wearing, he looked more like a merchant with his benevolent appearance. Although his name sounded imperious, and he was a hardworking man, he barely had any major achievements.

    Sidney remained silent as usual. Even when the leader of the Holy Cathedral of Fire spoke before her, she showed no signs of entertaining him. Nheless, Vr admired her personality. This generation of inheritors in the Holy Cathedral of Fire was rather young. Compared to the era where the previous bishops lived, these youngsters were too radical and not steady enough, except for her.

    ¡°Her Majesty issued a decree on the 14th, and those people entered the city. People from the academy are the most enthusiastic about this.¡± Caesar reminded softly.

    Vr nodded. He understood what Caesar was implying. The imperial power had finally reached the pinnacle in the recent century, and he could not help but wonder if he was born in his teacher¡¯s era. At that time, the holy cathedrals could freely expand their power in small kingdoms, such as Aouine and Antoburo, and could intervene in worldly affairs. In that era, the churches held the greatest power, and even the bishops had control over the inheritance of the throne. However, things had changed.

    At that thought, the man felt sorrowful.

    ¡°After this time, I¡¯m afraid Her Majesty¡¯s influence in the internal body of the holy cathedral will grow bigger.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Vr shook his head. People from the academy had always been close to the royalty. From the Year of Thunder, they had been trying to revolutionise the churches and were dissatisfied with him. Even though some people were cleared out after the Holy War, it was still insufficient to stop those lunatics. However, he, too, realised the holy cathedral needed a transformation, but it did not mean those people should handle it. Otherwise, that would be the end of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    He knew Caesar was reminding him that he should not fulfill Constance¡¯s request. Even though the imperial power was slowly reaching into the cathedral, they still had the authority to decide their own internal affairs. His decision had allowed the queen to influence their affairs and had stirred dissatisfaction amongst the other people. It was obvious since only he, Sidney, and Caesar showed up here. Sidney was not interested in authority while Caesar was timid.

    ¡°But it¡¯s the Azure Lance.¡± Vr sighed.

    The queen was too hard to deal with, and at times, he wondered if it was fortunate for Kirrlutz or unfortunate for the Holy Cathedral of Fire to have her as the queen. Azure Lance was a holy artifact, an item from the Second Age brought upon by the Azure Knights after shattering the heavens. In the Pale Poem, it was described as the hope of humanity, ance that changed fates. It was easy to imagine how much the prestige of the Holy Cathedral of Fire would increase if they could be acknowledged by the artifact. Anyhow, he could not reject it.

    Caesar, too, kept quiet as he also understood what it meant. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he turned around and nced at his colleague. Even the stony-faced Sidney looked expectant.

    After all, it was the Azure Lance.

    ¡°How unfortunate that the holder of thence is a Hignder.¡±

    If Caesar did not know the Azure Lance would be transported out of Aouine and that it already had an owner, he would have thought that this was all part of the queen¡¯s n. That was because everyone knew that in the nations under the reign of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, only the Hignders did not obey Gretel. They believed in animism and were referred to as the barbarians. However, the Azure Lance acknowledged them.

    ¡°Your Majesty, you¡¯re ying with fire, handing an item that can change fate to a foreign tribe just to subdue us. Humans cannot have control over the future as God views it as a sin,¡± Vr mumbled to himself.

    From then onwards, the trio remained silent as they watched the crystal in the center of the hall be thinner and eventually disappear. Thedy within it had her eyes tightly closed. With ance in her hand, she dropped to her knees weakly, as if she had lost her bnce. In the next second, she fell and fainted on the ground covered withyers andyers of arrays.

    Vr stared at the crystal fragments on the floor and felt as if he could see the shattering holy cathedral. The academy was no longer on their side, and the local bishops were fickle. Williams¡¯s failurended a devastating blow on the prestige of the Holy Cathedral of Fire in Kirrlutz. Reminded of that useless person, Vr was enraged.

    It was humiliating to him, House Cecil, and the holy cathedral that a Pdin lost to a youngster.

    After that, he was reminded of the count in Aouine, the grandson of the legendary Sword Saint Darius, and he mumbled, ¡°Why is it this guy again? He¡¯s everywhere.¡±

    When Caesar heard his mutter, he shuddered, for he still remembered what happened forty years ago. The decline of the holy cathedral happened because of that unjust verdict. ncing at the bishop beside him, he suddenly realised Vr might not have agreed to the queen¡¯s condition so readily only because of the Azure Lance. Caesar recalled that in the royal banquetst week, the queen seemed to have disclosed that the new countess was rted to the count in Trentheim.

    At the thought of this, he broke out in a cold sweat and rposed himself, afraid that Vr would see through him.

    However, Vr did not even look at him. Instead, he turned to Sidney and said, ¡°Sidney, bring the count to freshen up. Be nicer to her.¡±

    She was startled at first but soon nodded impassively.

    ¡­

    Scarlet was dressed to the nines. In a yellow dress befitting a princess, she looked around anxiously. Her long red hair cascaded down her slender neck and corbone where a silver ne with a red gemstone pendant was seen. The amber colour of the pendantplemented her glowing skin.

    As if intending to dress her like a porcin doll, the hem of the dress was lined with rose-like frills, the sleeves were heavilyyered, and there was even a giant bow before her chest. The corset tied around her body was so tight that she could barely breathe.

    The past day had been like an outrageous dream to her. She dreamed that she was in a deep slumber within an enormous amber. Throughout the time she was inside there, she experienced many things and saw many odd sceneries. However, at most times, she was covered by a ck cloth or was locked in a box. When she felt unsettled, a voice would talk to her but not frequently. Thedy in the Azure Lance was haughty, and it always felt like she wanted to call Scarlet an idiot.

    Then, Scarlet ¡°saw¡± herself being transported into a magnificent holy cathedral, and many bishops surrounded her to perform a rite. All she could hear were murmurs from them chanting the Holy Song. After that, she felt herself waking up, and a woman dressed in white ordered some servants to bathe and clothe her. As she had never experienced something like that, Scarlet tried to run away a few times. However, the woman would stop her each time. The strength she was ever so proud of was useless before the woman.

    Scarlet remembered that each time the woman looked at her, she would chant a prayer. Later on, a force fell from the sky, prated the cathedral¡¯s vaults, and pressed onto Scarlet, stopping her from moving.

    Now, she was sitting in an extravagant wooden chair that resembled a throne. Even when she was at the lord¡¯s castle, she had never seen such a beautiful chair like this.

    Scarlet looked at her reflection in the mirror before her in a daze, though thedy looking back at her was too pretty to be her.

    A few servants surrounded her,bing her hair and putting makeup on her. Knowing that she could not resist, Scarlet remained still like a puppet and let them do whatever they wanted.

    As theybed her hair and put on sparkly earrings on her, they whispered to each other and giggled, making Scarlet feel embarrassed. She had yet to find out where she was, how she got here, and why she was wearing such an odd outfit. Though she wanted to contact Ovina, it seemed like thetter was busy today. However, she was relieved to sense the presence of the Azure Lance still.

    The servants were cute and energetic, meaning they were handpicked to serve her. By their red hair of different shades and lengths, it was easy to tell their background and bloodline. Scarlet could not bring herself to be angry at them since they were her kins and were speaking softly to her. All she could do was suppress her temper. Of course, she knew that themanding female bishop was outside.

    ¡°Lady Courtesy,¡± a round-faced servant called her in an envious tone. ¡°You¡¯re truly our princess, the most beautiful woman amongst the Hignders.¡±

    ¡°W-What did you call me?¡± Scarlet was not used to interacting with strangers, but the servant¡¯s words made her blurt out in shock.

    ¡°Oh, Lady Courtesy, you don¡¯t know about this yet. You¡¯re the first ever person receiving the title of a countess from Her Majesty within the past centuries. Your territory is the richest and most beautifulnd of the kingdom. It¡¯s near the Wilderness of Four Realms!¡±

    ¡°Yes! I¡¯ve been to the maple forest there. My goodness, it was so beautiful. Her Majesty sure is fond of you.¡±

    ¡°Most importantly, it¡¯s near to our homnd¡ªWachia Mountain Ranges! I really want to go home for a visit.¡±

    Scarlet was utterly confused as she listened to their excited chatter. She could not understand what they were saying. Though she had heard about the homnd of the Hignders, Wachia Mountain Ranges, those there too far away from her. Her mind was muddled from all the terms¡ªterritory, Her Majesty, Lady Courtesy. Nothing came to her memory.

    Nheless, she could tell that the servants truly admired her. ¡°Lady Courtesy, we heard that Her Majesty intends to hand the authority of thatnd over to you. Once you have that territory, it¡¯ll be like it has returned to our people! We¡¯ve been dreaming for freedom and independence for millennia, and it can finally be fulfilled through you!¡±

    Soon, the enthusiasm in their voices died down.

    The treatment the Hignders received in Kirrlutz was worse than in Aouine. The Kirrlutzians viewed them as barbarians, and the royalties captured them as though they were animals. They were caged, taken away from their homes, and sold to royalties as servants if they were lucky. Otherwise, they would die in a random mine.

    No one would want to leave their homes, but the history of the Hignders resisting against the Kirrlutzians had be a legend. The minority of the tribes submitted themselves to houses in the kingdom, and the majority lived a hidden life in the forests like animals. Those who did not belong to either category were captured and enved.

    It seemed that the girls shared the same life experience. After a long silence, they started sobbing. The round-face servant struggled to speak amid sobs. ¡°Lady Courtesy, do you know that thanks to you, we will no longer be forced to leave our homes and be separated from our families nor would we be hunted like animals by the Kirrlutzians. Lady Courtesy, your name has spread across the mountain ranges in the kingdom. One day, you¡¯ll be the hero of the Hignders!¡±

    Scarlet opened her mouth, but no words came out.

    Thinking that she must be dreaming, she grabbed the armrest and tried to walk, but the crystal shoes hindered her movements. She staggered forward like a puppet until the servants quickly supported her and prevented her from tripping on her dress.

    Scarlet looked around and asked numbly, ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand what you all are talking about. Where¡¯s the Lord?¡±

    ¡°Lord? Isn¡¯t that you?¡±

    Scarlet shook her head and wanted to rebut when someone knocked on the door. Following that, Sidney¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°Countess Mitra, if you¡¯re ready, someone wishes to see you.¡±

    The servants fell silent as if they had be puppets, for they knew only one person woulde over at this time.

 Chapter 867 - v5c54p1 The Curtain Raises Slowly

    v5c54p1

    The Curtain Raises Slowly

    The autumn breeze in the area south of the Anvil Mountain Ranges, known locally as Ancr, was blowing lightly across the great ins and forming ripples of varying depths simr to waves on the undting hills. A young Lion Beastmen mounting a golden lion was on the peak of a mound, looking out over the horizon to the north of the ins.

    The lion beneath him was d in magnificent armor with beautiful pendants dangling from its mane. As it stood amidst the tall white dead grass, the lion would asionally bob its massive head and sneeze softly. The white wilderness was the symbol of Toquenin and the origin of the name St. White ins, a in that stretched from the Silver Sand coast in the west to the borders of the human kingdom in the east. To its north, beneath the endless mountains,y the mighty kingdom called Kirrlutz.

    The Lion Beastmen boy stared intently in that direction.

    ¡°Nell, we should head back. That direction is as far as we can patrol. If you keep going forward, I can¡¯t should her responsibility.¡± Behind a mound, another Lion Beastmen stood next to its lion and called out to the young boy.

    Without turning his head, the Lion Beastmen boy replied, ¡°It¡¯s all right. We¡¯ll cross over there tomorrow.¡± His emerald-like eyes glinted with certainty. He was considered a rather handsome Lion Beastmen, with a beautiful golden mane, a well-proportioned physique even by human standards. Even though he was more powerful than most humans, his muscles were not bulging. He was half-naked, only wearing heavy armor over his right shoulder and arm and a ne made of animal fangs on his chest.

    The Lion Beastmen below him could not see behind the mound, but he knew a majestic fortress once existed there, built of pure white stones brought in from the ins. However, only the scattered rubble among the grasses remained the only proof it had ever eScarletsted.

    ¡°Nell, the humans will pay the price,¡± he said.

    ¡°Yes, Amon,¡± the Lion Beastmen boy replied.

    ...

    Scarlet, assisted by her maids, took a lot of effort to go through a long corridor before she met the ¡°someone¡± Sidney had mentioned in a courtyard. Unlike what she had imagined, it was neither a cold, harsh nobleman nor a graceful noblewoman who appeared before her but a young girl, a little younger than she was. Well, that was Scarlet presumed. Apart from the indifferent expression on her face, her figure and face resembled those of a teenage girl. She wore an extremely masculine silk robe despite her waist-length blonde hair and doll-like exquisite facial features. The edges were hemmed with ferret fur, and it was so long that it almost trailed across the floor.

    The maiden looked in this direction with eyes as blue as the sea, and the mere look of authority silenced the maids, who took half a step back to let go of Scarlet and bowed respectfully. The uneasy Scarlet was standing alone, and she wondered she should do the same thing as them.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one they brought back from the south?¡± Constance spoke. Her voice sounded as clear as bells. She looked at Scarlet, her eyes gleaming as she praised, ¡°What a beauty.¡±

    ¡°My name is Scarlet. May... may I ask what exactly is this ce?¡± Seeing that the other party was a young girl a few years younger than herself, the uneasiness in her heart subsided slightly, and she opened her mouth to ask in a small voice. However, that act of hers gave the maids a scare.

    Although Constance was a woman, she was colder and more indifferent than men. They had never seen anyone dare to speak to her so presumptuously. At that instant, they were petrified that Scarlet would identally offend the temperamental mighty queen.

    To their surprise, Constance did not mind it the slightest bit and even smiled faintly, which was rare of her to do so. ¡°This is my pce.¡±

    ¡°W-What did you say...?¡± Scarlet looked at her numbly.

    The maids who were talkative before this turned pale. Her Majesty¡¯s words were so obvious, but this naive countess still asked what she meant by that. It¡¯s equivalent to calling Her Majesty by her name! They could almost imagine Constance bursting in a fury and the ensuing questioning and anger directed at them, and they could not help but shiver in fear.

    Contrary to their expectations, Constance was amused. She had never seen such a simple maiden in her years of living in the pce. Seeing the seemingly dumbstruck Scarlet, a feeling of pride rose in her heart, and she smiled somewhat teasingly. ¡°You heard me right. This is the White Rose Garden of San Cotepe Pce. I think you should have heard of this ce. As for me, I believe no one would dare to object me if I say that the whole pce, and even the widernd beyond it, belongs to me.¡±

    Constance thought that these words would frighten the poor little girl, but she did not expect that they would instead have a far less shocking effect on Scarlet than the preceding words. That was because the Hignder knew what the sentence ¡°This is my pce.¡± stood for, but she did not necessarily know the meaning behind the White Rose Garden of San Cotepe Pce. Under the rule of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, anyone with a little knowledge should have heard of the White Rose Garden of San Cotepe Pce, the center of power in Kirrlutz. Unfortunately, Scarlet, who grew up in the woods of Chablis, was the rare exception. To her, the political-sounding name was no different from the ces in Valha and Coldwood Castle.

    Disappointed, Constance watched as the Hignder blinked and asked uneasily, ¡°But how did I end up here?¡±

    ¡°I had my people invite you here.¡± Constance was a queen after all, and this spur-of-the-moment failed prank left no mark in her mind, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

    Those words silenced Scarlet.

    Constance¡¯s words seemed to have filled her mind with countless fragments of jumbled memories, and she finally recalled what had happened after Orvina had sealed her into the Undefeated Boundary to protect her. Everything that happened within that dream had actually taken ce. She was transported from Lantonn to the sea, through Grey Harbor and Yanbao, across half the Kirrlutz to the political center of the kingdom, and finally freed from the crystal in the holy cathedral.

    Although she still did not quite understand how she had somehow be some countess, she was not a fool. At that moment, she realized who the ¡°young girl¡± standing in front of her really was.

    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± she replied, evidently unease.

    Constance nodded in satisfaction.

    The maids behind Scarlet were so relieved that they almost patted themselves on the chest. Thankfully, Lady Courtesy isn¡¯t too dumb. However, as if going against them, Scarlet¡¯s next words brought them back to the bottom of the abyss from which they had just climbed.

    Constance watched as Scarlet frowned and clenched her fists hard. Then, arching an eyebrow, she asked, ¡°You seem displeased to be here and be the countess of Kirrlutz.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a countess or anything, Your Majesty. I just want to go back to Aouine.¡±

    The maids almost fainted at her words¨Cif they were allowed to¨Cbut the queen was before them, so they could only hope with all her heart that Scarlet would not say any more presumptuous words.

    Constance seemed a little offended, too, as she asked, ¡°Why do you want to return to Aouine? Because you want to return to that count of yours? I heard that count is still a young man. Well, it is natural that a young girl of your origin would fall for a dashing young man like him.¡± She shook her head. ¡°But you must understand that you and he are not meant to be together. He has a great future ahead of him, so how can he possibly fall for you? The person who can be on the same bed as him will either be the daughter of a certain duke or that princess of yours. Whereas you, you are destined to be nothing more than a mistress. Ask yourself, is that what you want?¡±

    Scarlet stared wide-eyed at the ¡°young girl¡±. She wanted to retort but could not open her mouth. Though she had never thought of Brendel in that way, it made no difference. After all, he already had a fianc¨¦e, and all she could do was watch everything happen silently. Constance¡¯s words pierced her heart like a thorn. Suddenly, she realised she had had the desire to be Brendel¡¯s mistress. Once that thought popped up in her mind, she hurriedly shook her head. No, Scarlet, you must not think that.

    The Hignder looked up, her cheeks burning.

    Constance watched her coldly, then asked, ¡°Do you still want to go back?¡±

    Scarlet nodded.

    The queen¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°Do you think I would let the Azure Lance leave Kirrlutz, little girl? I would rather destroy it than ever witness such a thing happen.¡± Her voice was so chilling to the bones. The dignified aura she had umted over the years almost made the Hignder maids shiver. It seemed as if they would copse onto the ground at any moment.

    However, Scarlet looked stubbornly at her, and her gaze seemed to have answered the question¨C even if she had to die, she would die by Brendel¡¯s side.

    Constance had no trouble feeling that insistence, and she snorted coldly.¡± It¡¯s easy if you want to court death, but aren¡¯t you afraid of dragging that lord of yours down with you? After all, he has a great future ahead of him.¡±

    Scarlet shuddered and clenched her fists in anger, still staring at her.

    Constance could not help but shake her head as she looked at Scarlet in this state. Then, raising her head, she said to the terrified maids, ¡°Leave us alone here.¡±

 Chapter 868 - v5c54p2

    v5c54p2

    The Curtain Raises Slowly

    Immediately, the maids bent their backs and retreated, giving Scarlet furtive nces before retiring, as if they were afraid that the unworldly girl would offend the queen too severely and be beheaded. The round-faced maid even risked her life by grabbing Scarlet¡¯s hand and giving it a firm shake. Naturally, her movements did not go unnoticed by Constance, but she pretended to have seen nothing. Once the maids had left, she said, ¡°Although it¡¯s your first meeting with them, they seem to care about you a lot. Do you know the situation of the Hignders in Kirrlutz?¡±

    Scarlet was not a puppet, so she could feel the concern from these young girls of the same birth. Though she was slightly touched, she remained silent.

    ¡°What a stubborn little girl,¡± Constance remarked. ¡°But it will do you no good to be stubborn. You are the countess of Kirrlutz today, and you will forever be one. Whether you ept this title or not, you must pledge your allegiance to me.¡±

    She warned, ¡°I can tell you unequivocally, Scarlet, that if you dare to leave the White Rose Garden at San Cotepe Pce even half a step, then I will send an army to attack Aouine and hang that beloved count of yours.¡±

    Scarlet looked at her in disbelief, her face paling from terror. However, Constance, unbothered, continued, ¡°Of course, until you swear allegiance to me, I will set aside thatnd in the Wilderness of Four Realms as your territory, as promised. But remember, there is not much time left for you. I¡¯m sure that you do not want to gamble with the future of your Lord Brendel, do you?¡±

    The Hignder almost staggered to their feet when she heard that nameing out of the queen¡¯s mouth, and for a moment, she felt like the world was spinning around her. Even though she felt helpless, she mustered up her courage that seemingly came from nowhere.

    Gritting her teeth, she raised her hand, and the emerald-colourednce suddenly appeared in her hand. With a low, beastly growl emitting out of her throat, she raised it and stabbed Constance in her abdomen, almost piercing through the Silver Queen. Then, as if she was drained of energy, she panted. She looked up but could not see any signs of pain on Constance¡¯s face. Instead, thetter looked at her grimly. ¡°Is this your answer?¡±

    ¡°You...¡± Scarlet looked at thence in her hand in bewilderment.

    Constance raised one hand and ced it on the Azure Lance, then pulled it out of herself inch by inch. ncing at her blood-stained abdomen and then at Scarlet, she shook her head in disappointment.¡± Azure Knights acknowledge you; there is no way you or your Azure Lance can hurt me. Go down. You need to clear your head. But mark my words, if you dare act rashly again, I¡¯ll be the first to take Aouine to the task.¡±

    Scarlet was petrified.

    ¡°Guards!¡± Constance shouted coldly with one hand over her abdomen. ¡°Bring Countess Mitra down.¡±

    A moment after the guards escort Scarlet away, a look of resignation finally appeared in her eyes as she grimaced before releasing the hand pressed to her abdomen. Her palm was already covered in blood. However, instead of summoning a bishop or physician, she nced behind a bush in the garden and said coldly, ¡°Come out. It¡¯s not decent to be sneaking around.¡±

    A few minutester, the bush rustled, and out came a man dressed as a chambein. He looked at Constance with some trepidation and asked respectfully, ¡°Your Majesty, are you all right? Do you want-¡±

    Constance interrupted, ¡°What are you doing hiding there? Are all heralds out there dead?¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty, of course not. It¡¯s because it¡¯s a secret document from the Wilderness of Four Realms.¡± The man was startled and replied in a meek manner.

    ¡°A secret message from the Wilderness of Four Realms.¡± Constance frowned. ¡°What is going on with the elves again?¡±

    The man hurried a little closer and whispered something to her.

    Constance¡¯s face fell slightly as she listened. ¡°Is this letter credible?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±

    ...

    North of Janirasu and Grey Mountain regions, the infiltration of the Lion Beastmen was dwindling by the day, and such a situation seemed unusual in the north where tensions were increasing. Human scouts headed north and soon found an unprecedentedlyrge army on the grasnd. This army was converging from all directions, and at the moment, was headed north, approaching the pass of Anvil Mountain. This piece of news soon made its way to the Shining Sea, over Ampere Seale, and ind to those who needed it.

    ¡°Brendel,¡± Gryphine called out to Brendel in the courtyard when thetter was preparing the saddles for the horses. Brendel was slightly startled at the sight of Gryphine, who stepped out of the house. ¡°Your Highness, I was just about to go to your ce.¡±

    ¡°Come to say goodbye to me?¡±

    Brendel scratched his hair in an ungraceful manner. Although he did intend to do so, it was still quite embarrassing to be pointed out by Gryphine just like that. After all, this was his home, and she was his guest, so to leave his guest out in the cold while he rushed back to his territory was a bit impolite, to say the least. However, it just was not the time for him to care about courtesy.

    ¡°I am sorry, Your Highness. My subordinate has been missing for some time now, and I must hurry.¡± That was the only reply he could give.

    Gryphine was slightly displeased. ¡°You weren¡¯t so polite the other evening when you mmed the door out of my study.¡±

    ¡°I mmed the door?¡± Brendel was shocked. If word got out that he treated Gryphine so rudely, he might actually be stripped of his title. Besides, he only left the room first because he did not want to waste his time talking to Makarov. He sure did not m the door behind him.

    Gryphine looked at him quietly. ¡°Brendel, it¡¯s fine for you and the Royal Faction to have opposing views in politics. I understand your ideals¨Cbut the power of the old nobles are deeply rooted in the kingdom, and the Royal Faction is part of them. You have offended them many times, and they may not let it slide.¡±

    Brendel was a little disdainful. He knew too well about those old nobles that she had spoken of in his previous life. They were simply a bunch of worthless people. The Royal Faction was considered to be slightly better than them, but it was no more than that.

    He shrugged and said, ¡°I am just stating my stance. I admire Sir Makarov and the others¡¯ decisiveness, but I just don¡¯t agree with it. Today, the people of Kirrlutz can take one man from our kingdom, and so can they take more tomorrow. If Aouine cannot even protect their people, then what dignity can this ancient kingdom speak of?¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Gryphine replied, ¡°but what do you intend to do, Brendel? Are you really nning on dering war on Kirrlutz, as you say?¡±

    ¡°Are you here to dissuade me, Your Highness?¡±

    Gryphine shook her head gently. ¡°I can¡¯t dissuade you, but I¡¯m sure you know the limits, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Brendel heard the resignation in her tone, and he could not help but soften a little. Being too proud in front of ady did not appear to be seemly. He was silent for a moment and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not so irrational. As for the war, it depends on Kirrlutz¡¯s attitude, but I must bring my subordinate back from the hands of the Kirrlutzians. It¡¯s hard to say if the queen will be furious, but either way, Aouine needs to be prepared for war.¡±

    Gryphine breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°I knew that you would be rational.¡±

    She paused for a moment then said, ¡°Well then, I will appoint you as the head of the next Aouine lead envoy to Kirrlutz. What do you think?¡±

    Brendel watched as she looked up at him. Her pale silver-grey eyes seemed to contain some sort of cunning glint, and it stunned him for a moment.

    ¡°Envoy? What envoy?¡±

    He could not wrap his head around this for a moment. Could it be that Her Highness had formed a group of envoys to condemn Kirrlutz into returning the hostage? Wait, that¡¯s too outrageous. I was nning to sneak into Kirrlutz¡¯s territory with a small group of people and rescue Scarlet secretly, but Her Highness¡¯ suggestion is simply much greater than mine. Kirrlutz would surely feel humiliated!

    ¡°Your Highness, that... is a little inappropriate, isn¡¯t it?¡± Brendel was taken aback and carefully weighed his words.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Uh...¡± He pondered over it and thought that the princess might be a bit too idealistic. Left with no choice, he exined, ¡°The Kirrlutzians value their reputation, and that Silver Queen even more so. If we do that, wouldn¡¯t we be humiliating them?¡±

    ¡°Where were you thinking of, Brendel?¡± She looked at him in surprise. ¡°I am asking you to be the ambassador of Aouine in the Holy War.¡±

    ¡°Holy War?¡± Brendel could not help but raise his voice. ¡°The Holy War has begun?¡±

 Chapter 869 - v5c55p1 Preparation of the Envoys(1)

    v5c55p1

    Preparation of the Envoys(1)

    The first Holy War, generally referred to as the War of The Holy Saints, took ce a thousand years ago. It was a glorious and sacred war in which the four Holy Saints led the ck Dwarfs to end the tyrannical ruling of the Darkness Dragon.

    The second Holy War began at the end of the Year of Mayhem, waged by the Farnezain, the Kirrlutzian, and the Wind Elves to open up the vast wilderness and the ck Forest between the three kingdoms. It was a time that belonged to the pioneering knights. The sorrowful timested until after the founding of Aouine, after which the three empires took shape, leaving only the narrow ck Forest as a buffer between the kingdoms. This war was equally dramatic,sting nearly two centuries, and the name of the Holy War was established as a result.

    The third Holy War began in the Year of Glory andsted nearly half a century¨Ca war that proved to be neither morous nor honorable. The battle in thest seven years became the only piece of memory of the people in which immense bloodshed had urred. What led to the beginning of the war was the Magicite technology brought upon by the rising Haizaiers. The introduction of the new technology led to the most prosperous era of the nations, but the dangers of the expanding poption also became apparent. As the poption began to pour across the borders, the kingdoms had to shift their attention to the remaining unexplorednds.

    From the Year of Glory, the three kingdoms, inpliance with the Covenant of the Gods, advanced together to the borders of the Wilderness of Four Realms and began the war from south of Alkash Mountains. However, it eventually turned into a terrible mistake.

    Throughout the war, because of conflicts over the division of thends, conflicts between the mistrust of the royal houses and the doctrines of the churches, as well as the sabotage and demagoguery of the followers of the All For One, the local legions of Vollez, Kirrlutz suddenly attacked the nks of their ally, Wind Elves, in the year 320 of the First Era. It was a battle that was ostensibly in retaliation for an earlier conflict, but the role yed by All For One was evident.

    The human legions on the Wind Elves¡¯ side then retaliated in kind,pletely inming the conflict. Humans and Wind Elves fought each other on a narrow battlefield while All For One infiltrated the orderly society of nobles, invoking disputes that ultimately led to battles. By the time most of them came to their senses, the oue was already irreversible.

    However, this was, in fact, a reflection of the human heart in a way, as the schr of Runeburg, Ron Samirian, wrote in his book: ¡°People too often me some evil force for their sins, instead of reflecting on their own faults, when in fact history has long proved that this force has only served as a sort of catalyst in the course of the war and has merely exposed the ugly side of human nature.¡± This statement described the scene of the war at that time.

    After six months, the Farnezain joined the war, followed by Lion Beastmen and duchies and kingdoms,rge and small. The war dragged all the participants into an endless battle that began out of hatred, greed, or whatever it was. Just like that, they fought each other to the point of exhaustion.

    The Kirrlutzian came out of the war upying the entire Wilderness of Four Realms plus a small portion of the Four Leaf Clover ins, including arge swath ofnd that originally belonged to the Wind Elves. The Farnezain were the biggest winners, taking advantage of both sides. The Lion Beastmen fulfilled their need to resolve their hatred while many duchies were enved in the war because of the nobles¡¯ greed or the need for the course of the war. On the surface, it appeared that the second Holy War had ended around the Year of the Cave Beast, but in truth, the seeds of a deeper hatred had been nted long ago. Thest trust between empires was lost, and friction in the borders was growing. Almost everyone understood that the three beasts had merely lost their strength and needed a brief respite. Each of them was eager to jump up and bite the other immediately.

    The Kirrlutzian needed to make some sort of payback for the blood of the nobles shed in the war of thest seven years. While they gained from the war, it was more of suffering. The entire noble ss became fiery, driving them to extricate themselves from that dishonorable war and impose punishment on the Farnezain and Wind Elves. This social conduct led the Kirrlutzian to increase their exploitation of the smaller nations and gave a wider area for the infiltration of All For One. However, the same hatred was engrained in their bones for the Wind Elves, both toward the Farnezain and for the Kirrlutzian. After all, they had lost their territories in the war and naturally wanted it back. Farnezain, the only ones hoping to retain the gains of the previous war, gradually began to grow impatient because of the constant provocations of the Kirrlutzian and Wind Elves.

    The fourth Holy War, or widely known as the third as the world, was increasingly reluctant to associate the third Holy War with the War of The Holy Saints, especially the schrs. Many did not regard the War of The Holy Saints as the same kind of war for territorial expansion but rather weed it out of history alone and put it aside. That was so that the misery from the second Holy War, destined to erupt in the third, were something that all nations had anticipated, but it really began earlier than anyone had expected.

    Inte July, an explosion happened in Deadly Tundra Forest.

    On the same day, the regions of Toquenin, Vollez, and Ogins were bombarded with the tier fourteen spell¨CDivine Judgment, killing and injuring countless people and reducing three cities to almost ashes.

    Within the next two months, the Lion Beastmen began to assemble arge army and began attacking from Grey Mountain Ranges, Janirasu, crossing St. White ins and finally advancing toward Kirrlutz. At the beginning of the Month of Frost, they left the warm, great ins and reached the Lion Fortress. The news of the imminent war spread throughout the Kirrlutz within half a month. In the same month, the avengers of the Wind Elves set out from the ruins of Ogins and ambushed Crimson Legion of Kirrlutz on Four Leaf Clover ins. Soon, the Wind Elves recovered several towns and forts on the ins and held their own with the Kirrlutzian on the Wilderness of Four Realms borders.

    As for the Farnezain, though still seemingly inactive, their armies had long since begun to assemble from White City and Greyhus.

    When the decree from Constance and Vr¡ªsummoning the envoys and nobles of the nations under the rule of the Holy Cathedral of Fire to Lusitar, arrived, Brendel understood the second chapter in the game¨Cthe era of war and chaos¨Chade early.

    Gryphine chose the group of envoys in the shortest possible time.

    Naturally, the head of the envoy was Brendel. Although there was much opposition in the Royal Faction, Gryphine suppressed all the dissent with a flourish. She understood well the true purpose of Brendel¡¯s trip and supported him in going for it. Most of the opponents of the Royal Faction saw it as an act of indulging in childishness and impulsiveness, but she did not think so. Brendel¡¯s words, ¡°this is the pride and integrity of a nation,¡± finally struck her. The kingdom did need to have some pride of its own, and Gryphine understood that such a banner would get her some real supporters, not just cowardly and fearful nobles.

    They had parted ways with her back in Ampere Seale, and she had not cared about that the slightest bit.

    If the nobles of a kingdom did not stand with her, then she must at least stand with its citizens. Brendel¡¯s words seemed to have lighted up a beacon of light for her in the midst of darkness.

    As for the envoys from the royal family, Gryphine still stubbornly chose Haruz ¨C which made Brendel feel a bit ttered. After all, he was well aware of the rules among the nobles of Vaunte and thus knew the reason she made such a choice. That was because Haruz was the future crown prince of Aouine, and the Kirrlutzian could not possibly hold him within their kingdom for whatever purpose. Otherwise, Constance would not only offend all her vassals but would also leave an extremely bad reputation among the Kirrlutz¡¯s royalty.

    However, making such a decision came with risks. Haruz¡¯s expedition itself was fraught with danger, and Lenarette, who was still living in seclusion in Trentheim, was a ready example of that. Nheless, Gryphine was determined, willing to let her beloved brother take the risk and protect Brendel, the head of the envoys because she understood very well what Brendel meant to Aouine at this moment. If he died in Kirrlutz, her and Haruze¡¯s futures were equally bleak. She knew exactly what she was about to do, and in her opinion, it was time for Haruz, as the future king of Aouine, to take responsibility for the future of this kingdom.

    These were her exact words to her only brother. ¡°Haruz, your experience on this mission with your teacher will likely be the most valuable treasure of your life. This may be thest time I tell you this¨Cyou must be strong alone, for you are King of Aouine.¡±

 Chapter 870 - v5c55p2 Preparation of the Envoys(1)

    v5c55p2

    Preparation of the Envoys(1)

    Haruz disyed some objection, merely frightened by his sister¡¯s sternness that he almost cried out. With a fierce re from Gryphine, he held back his tears and nodded.

    On the other hand, Brendel returned to Trentheim while harboring some gratitude for the princess and began to select the ¡®attendants and deputies¡¯ that would apany him. He knew full well that this so-called diplomatic mission was just a cover, and everyone around him knew exactly what he was really going to do, so this so-called group of envoys needed not true diplomats but an army that could turn Kirrlutz upside down.

    This ¡®army¡¯ was small in number, and he already had the right people in mind.

    ¡°Since almost all the money in the territory is invested in preparation for the war¨Cmainly the recruitment and training of the White Lion Battalion, the forging of weapons and armor, the expenses for Magic Crystals, daily maintenance, the acquisition of rare materials, et cetera. All in all, the construction within the ck Forest has basicallye to a halt now, and this situation willst for about three to four months. In less than six months, our previous achievements will be affected.¡±

    The carriage was lurching, shadows of the passing forests fleeting across the windows, leaving dappled patterns on the ck gown as the wheels moved forward. Brendel¡¯s face lighted up and darkened by the transition between light and shadow. With his chin propped in one hand, he listened to the merchant girl reading him a report. It was a rare moment as it was something that could not have seemed more boring to Romaine, judging by the way her eyebrows were knitted into a knot. As part of her interest as a merchant, she did not mind reading mountains of ounts or literature of simr type, but having to read them all out loud like an audiobook was beginning to make her mouth feel a little dry.

    However, that was what Brendel wanted her to do, so she used that excuse to convince herself for about five minutes but immediately found a new excuse. Brendel always liked to see her troubled expression, and it made her very unhappy. When she began to realize that, she raised an eyebrow and moved her lips quickly to read. ¡°The White Lion Battalion suffered almost a hundred casualties in the previous war...¡±

    Brendel red at her. ¡°Wait, what was the second half of what you said? I totally missed it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what the second half is about, isn¡¯t it? You didn¡¯t hear it clearly because I spoke too fast, but I¡¯ve finished it.¡± The merchant girl began to act unreasonably as usual.

    ¡°You¡¯re being cheeky. I thought it was agreed that you would read the report to me this afternoon. I have to know the recent events in the territory,¡± Brendel replied without a smile.

    ¡°But I¡¯ve already read it, using what my aunt taught me¨C¡®the witch¡¯s way of speed reading¡¯. You didn¡¯t hear me clearly because you¡¯re not a witch. That has nothing to do with me.¡± Romaine swiveled her eyes around and shoved the stack of reports into Fern¡¯s hands. ¡°But you can have Fern read it for you, she doesn¡¯t know ¡®the witch¡¯s way of speed reading¡¯, so you don¡¯t have to worry about not hearing it clearly.¡±

    Brendel was sure that her ¡°the witch¡¯s way of speed reading¡± must be made up at thest minute, but he rolled his eyes and did not bother to expose her. Anyhow, she would be able to round everything up. It was a special skill of Romaine, which ordinary people could not learn.

    He looked to Fern, who sat across from the two, ignoring their dramatics, including her lord¡¯s, as she silently organized the papers and continued to read, ¡°The casualties of the White Lion Battalion have been made up by recruits drawn from Trentheim, the Mirtai regional Patrol Knights. Besides, we¡¯ve recruited another five hundred men, so in total, we now have a total of fifteen hundred men. These recruits are still training in both Trentheim and Radner and will not be avable for a short time.¡±

    ¡°Carglise did a good job,¡± Brendel praised.

    The scenery outside the window had long since changed to the serene mountains. This was his second day back in Trentheim, and he found himself feeling more rxed back in his territory. It was very cozy at home in Praguesse, but he found it still very awkward to face his father. After all, this was the ce he had built up single-handedly. He had wanted his parents to move to Trentheim, but Scott stubbornly refused to ept. On the other hand, his mother, Windsor, had seemed a little tempted, but it did not work out in the end. Nheless, Bunide had promised to send someone to look after his family, and with the protection of the Hignd Knights, he need not fear the possible reprisals from Madara.

    Brendel could not bid Gryphine farewell, for she had toe to Trentheim herself to examine the party he had picked out for the diplomatic mission, in case the count was really bringing an army to Kirrlutz. Of course, this was only an excuse since it was, in fact, somewhat unorthodox for the princess to travel privately to a vassal¡¯s territory, and it would have a detrimental effect on her reputation. Regardless, everyone knew that Trentheim and Radner were close to Frada, and it was not unreasonable for her to insist on a detour through Trentheim.

    However, Brendel knew in his heart that she would not leave so easily when she came to Coldwood City this time. Him leaving Aouine for Kirrlutz was an unsettling factor for the situation within the kingdom. At least on the surface, in the eyes of the world, the princess was still backed by the people of Trentheim. If he, the Count of Trentheim, was no longer in the kingdom for a short period, then she might face the danger of being stripped of power by the Royal Faction once again.

    She hade to her territory this time, namely with the intention of inspecting his territory when he was away and also to show the outside world their close rtionship. Regarding her considerations, Brendel had not thought too much about it at first and only thought that she hade to bade him farewell. Only after Amandina reminded him did he understand. In fact, Trentheim and the royal family were also interdependent. During the period when he was not in the kingdom, this territory of his especially needed to be approved by the royal family, which was rted to the legitimacy of the territory to avoid being taken advantage of by the Royal Faction.

    Thus, after understanding the princess¡¯s considerations, he tacitly began to act in cooperation.

    For this reason, Gryphine had conferred him the title as Count of Radner on his first day of arrival in Trentheim. It was actuallypensation, as Trentheim had never been the territory of a count. Originally, Brendel had little ambition for Radner. In his original n, it would have been better for Radner and Arreck to be incorporated into the royal domain to strengthen the central power further and serve as an example to the rest of thend. Besides, Arreck had the second-best troops in the kingdom, the Hignders (the main source of troops in Aouine came from Grey Mountain). With these two territories, the royal family would have a significant say in Aouine.

    As for himself, the title of Count Trentheim was nothing more than a ruse. The explored Land of Order in the Loop of Trade Winds was nearly half the Southern Realm¡¯s size. Once it was fully grown, it would not be difficult to recreate an Aouine. Most importantly, it contained tempting minerals and resources that made him have little interest in running other territories at all.

    However, Gryphine¡¯s actions had him dispelled that idea. She had told him gravely told him the title itself was not only a reward but also a recognition. With his current status and rtionship with her, if he did not receive the title of Count Radner today, it would easily arouse suspicion from the outside world, making the situation within the kingdom unstable. After hearing this, Brendel realized that his thoughts were a bit too naive and thus followed her advice.

    Having been bestowed upon the title of Radner¡¯s count, nominally, he was given a part of themand of the Southern Legion, and this expansion was, in fact, carried out under that name.

    Gryphine just pretended not to see it and did not mention a word about the former Southern Legion, which was still resting in the area of Ampere Seale, and Brendel, too, yed along. Just like that, the two of them kept a tacit agreement to act out this show. Outsiders merely thought that the two young people had not yet understood the operation of the local forces of the kingdom, including the Royal Faction. Almost no one reminded them of this, as if they were waiting to see them make a fool of themselves. However, there were quite a few people within Trentheim who understood that their lord had obviously received some kind of mandate and was ready to have the local nobles and military forces in the Southern Realm in check.

    The n was just getting off the ground, but Brendel had to put it off for a bit and hand it over to Carglise or Gryphine because of the trouble Kirrlutz had caused him. He interrupted the elf before him and skipped right over the paragraph to ask, ¡°In terms of preparations for war, the stockpiling of supplies can be slowed down a bit. If we do go to war with Kirrlutz, it can¡¯t just be a matter of Trentheim alone. Her Highness will find a way to help. The focus of the resources and finances should be on Valha. Fern, if I need to use all the War Goddess, how long can the territory afford to do so?¡±

    ¡°If we slow down the pace in other areas, with the supply from that Magic Crystal mine within the ck Forest, it should be no problem to sustain for a year, My Lord,¡± The elf maiden replied without a change in her expression.

    ¡°What if we have to keep the facilities within the ck Forest?¡±

    ¡°Three months to six months.¡±

    Brendel nodded. ¡°What about the acquired materials?¡±

    ¡°At the moment, only the Phoenix¡¯s Feather and Silver Tune are avable, but both in very scarce quantities. As for the other materials you wanted, there is no sign of them yet,¡± Fern said as she looked at him.

 Chapter 871 - v5c56 Preparation of the Envoys(2)

    v5c56

    Preparation of the Envoys(2)

    The carriage arrived at Valha. After passing through the city gate, it stopped at the central district. Brendel looked at the scenery outside and made a gesture to Fern to stop the carriage. He opened the door and jumped out of the carriage. The young prince was waiting for him not far away.

    ¡°Teacher.¡±

    Haruz saluted Brendel respectfully. Maynild and another figure dressed in a white linen robe like an ancient Greek goddess but with snake hair and prismatic pupils stood behind him. She was a Medusa. Brendel had heard of this Medusa who was named Lysemeka, but it was his first time meeting her.

    ¡°Your Highness, how has your swordsmanship progressed over the past two months?¡±

    Haruz¡¯s face flushed red and he didn¡¯t know what to reply.

    It didn¡¯t seem like it was good. Brendel smiled and patted the young prince¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s okay.¡±

    Suddenly, there were several turquoise vines hanging down from the few hundred-meter-tall trees. The vines were as thick as a person¡¯s arm and they intertwined to form a basket. Brendel, Haruz, Maynild, and Romaine got into one basket, and the rest of them got into the other basket. After giving amand, the vines rose up slowly. Although it wasn¡¯t Romaine¡¯s first time riding in such transportation, she was still very excited. She made the vine basket swing around in mid-air and shouted loudly, which had frightened Haruz as he grabbed tightly onto the sides of the basket. But as soon as they reached a certain height, the merchant girl clenched onto the sides of the basket as well and dared not move.

    ¡°Swordsmanship isn¡¯t everything, Haruz,¡± Brendel looked at the hills that gradually became smaller and the brown forests underneath his feet, and continued where he left off, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯ll turn thirteen after next month.¡±

    Haruz looked at his teacher confusedly and nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you magic from next month onwards.¡±

    ¡°Magic?¡± Haruz was shocked. ¡°Can I learn magic too, teacher?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Brendel nodded his head. Suddenly, he felt as if someone was staring at him. It was Maynild. The knights injuries seemed to have already recovered and she donned a tight-fitting military uniform today, looking very heroic. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Ms. Maynild?¡± asked Brendel.

    ¡°Have you told the princess about this?¡± asked Maynild.

    ¡°Not yet, but Haruz is quite talented in magic. He has wasted too much time on swordsmanship, perhaps it¡¯s time for him to try something different. It¡¯s toote to learn swordsmanship at the age of thirteen, but it¡¯s the right time to learn magic now. Maybe he¡¯ll be a magnificent mage in the future, who knows?¡± He smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll report this matter to the princesster.¡±

    The vine basket soon rose to the top. There were a number of wooden bridges that extended from the central square so that it was easier for the people in the vine basket to exit from it. Amandina, who was the first to arrive at Valha, was waiting for them there with a bunch of parchment in her hands. Tia and the Raban Mercenaries were behind her. When Tia saw Brendel, Romaine, and Fern, she squealed with delight. Amandina, on the other hand, nced at Brendel. He got the hint and asked, ¡°Are they here yet?¡±

    Amandina nodded.

    ¡°Where are they?¡± asked Brendel.

    ¡°Ms. Tania doesn¡¯t like staying in a noisy environment, so she¡¯s now resting in another hall.¡±

    If she didn¡¯t like being in a noisy environment, why did she open a store in the downtown area of Ampere Seale? Brendel shook his head in confusion. ¡°Let¡¯s go and meet her first.¡±

    The nominal owner did arrive as expected.

    Amandina pushed open an arched door with ornamental engravings on it, and there sat a faerie on a cushion by the round wooden table in the hall. There was a small porcin tea set filled with fragrant tea on the box-sized tea table. When she saw Amandina and the group of people, she turned her head back towards the table, scooped the teacup with both hands, took a sip of tea, and put it back down gently.

    ¡°The council is displeased, young man.¡± Everyone in the hall fell silent after she spoke.

    Medusa Lysemeka stared intently at the silver star brooch on the faerie¡¯s chest, feeling as if she¡¯d been stabbed.

    ¡°Initially, not everyone has agreed to ce Azure Lance here for protection. It was Master William and I who managed to convince the council to reach a consensus, but now you¡¯re making us seem very passive.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Tania, this is not entirely our fault. I¡¯m sure you know this,¡± Brendel gestured to Fern to close the door as he replied innocently, ¡°You all are the ones who swore to me that the illusion you¡¯ve cast on Azure Lance would never be broken by anyone in the first ce unless that person is a living holy saint. But now, that holy saint is still in Eleranta and your gun has been stolen by the Kirrlutzians.¡±

    Tania lifted her eyelids and looked at him in surprise through her silver-rimmed sses. ¡°Don¡¯t get smart with me, young man. How could the illusion on Azure Lance have dissipated if you hadn¡¯t used it to fight against a real god?¡±

    ¡°But Scarlet wasn¡¯t around at that time. If it couldn¡¯t even withstand a little surge of divine power, I think this so-called strongest illusion is too much of a misnomer, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°If I told Roan what you¡¯ve just told me word-for-word, do you want to bet that he¡¯lle and find you for a battle like a mad lion?¡± Tania almost couldn¡¯t hold herself back fromughing at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that a little surge of divine power could destroy three cities and blow up the Deadly Tundra Forest. We¡¯ve heard of it, okay?¡± She knocked on the white porcin teacup and asked, ¡°This is a nice cup, why do you have a tea set for faries here? It is prepared specially for me?¡±

    ¡°Those are for the light spirits,¡± replied Brendel after taking a look at the tea set.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know how to make women happy, just like your grandfather.¡± Tania rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Anyway, the council wants us to retrieve Azure Lance.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy,¡± interjected Brendel, ¡°With your strength, you can subdue the Holy Cathedral of Fire easily, right? Plus, Azure Lance is ours in the first ce and the Kirrlutzians were in the wrong from the start. So if you step in and ask them to return it, I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t dare to decline with all sorts of excuses.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so naive, it¡¯s not that simple,¡± replied Tania, ¡°Although Buga is the most powerful country in the world, the Kirrlutzians are not to be underestimated. Plus, the Holy Cathedral of Fire has a vast territory with arge poption. There will be a lot ofplicated issues if suchrge forces are in conflict, and there may even be war. To be honest with you, young man, there is zero chance of convincing the council.¡±

    ¡°And you want to retrieve Azure Lance, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Brendel suddenly came to the realization. ¡°Oh, I see. You guys are counting on me again.¡±

    The faerie squinted at him. ¡°Stop pretending, you knew it all along, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Brendel smiled. ¡°But Aunt Tania, as you can tell, I¡¯m not a match for Kirrlutz at all. Unless there¡¯s someone aiding Aouine behind the scenes.¡±

    ¡°Apart from direct intervention,¡± said Tania.

    ¡°Apart from direct intervention,¡± Brendel repeated with certainty.

    ¡°So, what do you want us to do?¡±

    Brendel made a gesture to Amandina who was next to him, and she quickly unrolled the rolls of parchment that she¡¯d been holding in her arms andid them on the table. They were blueprints. After looking at the blueprints, the faerie said, ¡°This is a Kirrlutzian warship. You want us to help you build this thing?¡± Sheid down on the drawings and looked at Brendel. He nodded and then shook his head.

    ¡°I want you to help me build ten of these warships, at your own expense, of course. And I also want you to build arge magical dock in Valha that is of post-Year of Thunder technical standards, which is at least capable of building the smallest Type 4 battleship. The dock must have a gargoyle foundry that can provide the dock and the port with at least a brigade of gargoyles as an air defense force, and also to help this dock train three boatmen as well as supporting professional mages.¡±

    Tania looked at him in surprise. ¡°You seem to know a lot about magical shipbuilding.¡±

    ¡°Just a little,¡± replied Brendel smugly, ¡°just so I don¡¯t get duped.¡±

    ¡°This is just a piece of cake. Any city-state in Buga is capable of building such a dock, so there is no need for us to falsify this matter,¡± replied Tania disdainfully as she casually flipped through the Kirrlutzian warship blueprints that Brendel and Amandina regarded as their treasures. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who thinks highly of such trashy blueprints.¡±

    ¡°Trashy?¡±

    ¡°The origin of the Kirrlutzians¡¯ technology is from the Wind Elves. Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t know who taught the Wind Elves the technology of magical warships.¡±

    Brendel knew, of course, that the Craft Mages in Buga were the only ones who were capable of doing so. One of the two extremes of Vaunte¡¯s Magical Technology was right in front of him at this moment. He inhaled gently and asked, ¡°Does this mean that you can build a Model-1 battleship for us? The Akagas Dragon ss?¡±

    ¡°Huh? How do you know about the Akagas Dragon ss?¡± asked Tania in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±

    The Akagas Dragon ss was thetest model of battleship that Buga had been building since the Year of the Cold Moon. It would be the revolutionary main battleship for the te War in the future, so Brendel didn¡¯t think that it would be possible as well. It was just a casual remark. He then asked another question, ¡°What about the older ones?¡±

    ¡°That would be impossible as well.¡±

    ¡°What about the warships?¡±

    Tania shook her head. ¡°Young man, just drop the idea forever. The Silver Council has already made an exception to be willing to help you. It is impossible to convince the old guys. We can only use the Wind Elves¡¯ or the Kirrlutzians¡¯ technology if we want to build a magical dock. As for the gargoyles, it¡¯s a technology that has already been exposed before the second Holy War, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. As for the others, you shouldn¡¯t think too much about them.¡±

    Brendel sighed. He¡¯d expected this. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why did you have to give me false hope, Aunt Tania?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re stupid,¡± the faerie replied uncharitably, ¡°Although we can¡¯t do it, someone else can.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°The Haizaiers. They are the sworn enemies of the Kirrlutzian, and if you ever do stand against the empire one day, I can find a way to contact them for you. I¡¯m sure those arrogant dwarves will be more than happy to help you be a threat to the empire¡¯s southern border.¡± She took a look at Brendel before continuing, ¡°You don¡¯t look down on their technology, do you?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!¡± Brendel was full of joy. They were one of the two extremes of Magical Technology, so he definitely wouldn¡¯t look down on them. It was just that the Haizaiers rarely came into contact with the outside world, so the thought of it didn¡¯t cross his mind.

    Tania patted on the blueprints and asked, ¡°So are these all your requests?¡±

    Brendel shook his head immediately. ¡°Of course not, Aunt Tania. I¡¯m obviously not bringing ten warships to the empire to retrieve Azure Lance. The previous request is just for a precaution in case the empire retaliates against Aouine after I¡¯ve gotten Azure Lance back. Retrieving Azure Lance is a difficult task on its own, so I¡¯m going to need your unreserved support in order to do so.¡±

    The faerie had expected that he would say that. She looked at him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re going to need a battleship to head to the empire.¡±

    Brendel smiled awkwardly. She¡¯d said what was on his mind. He quickly shook his head and said, ¡°Obviously not. I just want a small favor from you, Aunt Tania.¡±

    After reaching the initial consensus, the discussion that followed was much moreid-back. But of course, it was only rxing for one party. After two hours of bargaining, Brendel was satisfied, but Tania didn¡¯t seem happy. ¡°If your grandfather was half as shrewd as you, he wouldn¡¯t have ended up in that mess.¡± These were the faerie¡¯s exact words. Of course, although she looked very dissatisfied, she still epted Brendel¡¯s invite to the banquet in Valha. After all, both parties knew very well that these business deals were insignificant to Buga.

    When Amandina followed Brendel out of the hall, she still felt as if she was dreaming. She was used to seeing asions like this, but she still whispered to Brendel and asked dubiously, ¡°My lord, did Ms Tania really promise to give us a thousand gargoyles?¡±

    Brendel nodded his head.

    ¡°And three hundred Iron Golems?¡±

    Brendel nodded again.

    ¡°And Ether Dragons?¡±

    Brendel could guess what was on her mind. He turned around and replied, ¡°We¡¯re just helping the Bugas to get rid of their stock. These are all outdated technology for them, which are just stored in the warehouse and they have to pay for the maintenance every year. If they want to discard them, it will cost arge sum of money, so it¡¯s more worth it if they gave them to us instead. They¡¯re not a gift for nothing anyway, we have to risk our lives for them.¡±

    ¡°But those are gargoyles, my lord. In the earlier years in Aouine, if any noble had a gargoyle as a guard in their castle, it was something honorable. It¡¯s unbelievable that we have so many of them at once.¡± Amandina couldn¡¯t believe that all of these things were just junk that the Bugas was eager to dispose of. It was at this moment that she realized how powerful the legendary Silver Kingdom was. Of course, she also admired Brendel¡¯s bargaining capabilities. She wouldn¡¯t dare to price herself out of the market if it was her.

    Actually, Brendel was more concerned about thatst little dealpared to those things. He wanted Tania to help him gather some special materials that Valha desperately needed. The white-bearded mages in the Silver League had the richest collection in the world.

    It took a while for Amandina to recover from being stunned. She rubbed her forehead and asked softly, ¡°My lord, where are we heading next?¡±

    Brendel nodded.

    ¡°The Kirrlutzians gave us trouble, so we have to give them some trouble too. Come on, let¡¯s go and meet Prince Lenarette,¡± he replied.

    Both of them left the hall, and when Prince Haruz was about to follow them, someone grabbed his arm. He turned around and realized that it was Medusa Lysemeka. He looked at her confusedly and asked, ¡°Sister Lysemeka, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Lysemeka held a finger in front of her lips and gestured him to shush. She then whispered, ¡°Is that count your teacher?¡±

    Haruz nodded.

    ¡°Is he supportive of you being the king?¡±

    Haruz shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the king, Lysemeka. Please don¡¯t tell my sister, she¡¯ll scold me.¡±

    ¡°Alright, young man,¡± Lysemeka patted his head, ¡°whether or not you want to be the king, you must hold on to this teacher of yours. I¡¯m afraid there is no one who is more capable than him in your little kingdom.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Haruz was puzzled.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Suddenly, Lysemeka asked, ¡°Little prince, can I tag along with your mission to that empire?¡±

    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to go.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I guess you can. I¡¯ll choose some men to go with me and ask Mrs Wenzel to stay behind.¡±

    ¡°Thanks a lot, young man,¡± Medusa Lysemeka licked her lips with her forked tongue and looked in the direction that Brendel had gone to, ¡°it¡¯s interesting that he can persuade the Bugas.¡±

 Chapter 872 - v5c57p1 Preparation of the Envoys(3)

    <h4>v5c57p1 Preparation of the Envoys(3)</h4>

    Brendel had prepared Prince Lenarette¡¯s amodation in the east of Valha, which was a pce formed by hollowed-out tree trunks. This was one of Valha¡¯s abilities. As long as magic was cast in the town hall, the Tree Fortress could generate an unlimited number of hollow spaces in it. Of course, decorations and furnishings were needed to turn these hollow spaces into rooms. Brendel instructed Amandina and Odum to design Valha¡¯s guest room like the Coldwood Castle. This luxurious guest room was now upied by the eldest son of the Kirrlutzian king, with the Folded Sword Knights being on guard twenty-four-seven outside his room.

    Most of the Folded Sword Knights knew Brendel. After obtaining Lenarette¡¯s permission, they guided him inside respectfully. The entrance of the pce was cleverly designed. It was located on a terrace, connected by a path of vines. The other end of the path was connected to the second level of Treetop Square. The entrance was very remote and it was guarded by the Tree Elf Archers. Right in front of the terrace was the main trunk of the giant tree, where the Tree Elf Archers were stationed. Although there were tree houses between the branches, the beautiful scenery in the distance could still be seen. It was a perfect design as the ce was safe and the owner could enjoy the wonderful scenery at the same time.

    There were vines with turquoise leaves hanging down from the tree walls at the entrance, forming a curtain. The back of it was the main hall of the pce, which was also semi-open-aired. There was a giant crystal hanging from the ceiling of the hall, which could filter the light from outside, so that the sunlight or moonlight would turn into liquid and drip onto the Magic Fountain in the center of the hall, causing the sparkling spring water to ripple over the pebbles. As Brendel and Amandina entered the hall, the eldest son of the Kirrlutzian king was standing by the fountain while looking at the glistening stream of water. It seemed like he was pondering on something.

    ¡°Your Highness Lenarette, are you satisfied with your stay?¡± greeted Brendel as he walked towards him and stopped at a distance near him.

    Lenarette turned his head and looked at them. He then nodded without saying anything, waiting for them to speak.

    <i>This guy is boring as ever,</i> Brendel thought to himself. He then took the initiative to start the conversation. ¡°Your Highness, the Wind Elves have started a war at the Wilderness of Four Realms and the Goldenmanes are gathering their armies as well. The Holy War has begun, so what are your thoughts on this?¡±

    Since the Holy War had begun, Silver Queen Constance had no choice but to rely on the military nobles in the empire, and most of these nobles supported the eldest son of the emperor. Lenarette nodded and said, ¡°ording to the customs, the Holy Cathedral of Fire should¡¯ve already summoned the envoys from each kingdom to Lusitar. I haven¡¯t had the chance to congratte you, Mr Count, on being appointed as the head of the diplomatic mission.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness has been staying in Trentheim for quite some time already. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have to return to the empire soon, right?¡±

    Lenarette raised his head and looked at him with his light blue eyes. His cold eyes seemed to be saying, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you, an insignificant count in Trentheim, would also want to interfere in the heirship of the empire.¡±

    Brendel waved his arms and smiled. ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s not that I want to act as a cat¡¯s-paw and it¡¯s nothing like that. I have no choice but to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kirrlutzians, especially the most troublesome dispute over the royal family. But now that things havee to this point, I have to find some ways to protect myself. This matter is beneficial for us, but there are disadvantages for me as well, so I hope I can get some advice from you.¡±

    ¡°What kind of advice?¡± asked Lenarette.

    ¡°I need to know who would spare no effort to support you in the empire.¡±

    Lenarette furrowed his brows, contemting the value of this meeting. After a moment of consideration, he made a gesture to Brendel and told him to continue the conversation inside. He then turned around and walked towards the study room. It seemed like Brendel had expected this. He brought Amadina and followed along with him. There were a few Light Spirits in the study room waiting for Lenarette¡¯s orders. He instructed them to clean up the room and prepare some ck tea and snacks. Although these Light Spirits obeyed Brendel¡¯s orders as well, Brendel was nice enough to let Lenarette exercise his powers, though his power was only limited to within this pce.

    A few momentster, after the Light Spirits flew out of the room, Lenarette said solemnly, ¡°Mr Count, House Octavia is my wife¡¯s family, so Duke Ludwig will support me unreservedly.¡±

    Brendel didn¡¯t expect that the eldest son of the Kirrlutzian king already had a wife at such a young age, but this kind of marriage of convenience was beneficial in Vaunte as this would mean that House Octavia and Lenarette would be bound together for good or ill. So, Duke Ludwig was someone that Lenarette couldpletely trust in Kirrlutz. ¡°Who else?¡± he asked.

    ¡°House Nona is my ally.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± asked Brendel.

    ¡°Marquis Innon has publicly opposed thete king¡¯s passing of the throne to the queen mother, and thus had enmity with my mother, which would not resolve with time, so the one who is most keen to have the queen mother to abdicate is House Nona. I have a secret agreement with House Nona, and Marquis Innon has promised to give me a part of the shares of the mines and to support me unreservedly to ascend the throne,¡± Lenaret replied calmly.

    It suddenly dawned on Brendel. No wonder Mangrove was in such a hurry to head to Trentheim before this. The empire was divided into four regiments. Marquis Innon Mangrove was the current ck de Squad Leader and Azure Legion was now in the hands of House Ereshik. Whereas House Nigel, who was blood-rted to the Royal Family, controlled the White Legion on the borders of Haiza and the Red Legion on the borders of Sanorso¡¯s side. These three families were the typical representatives of the northern military nobles and they generally favored the eldest son of the emperor to seed to the throne. But ording to Lenarette, only House Nona was willing to put in the effort and contribute.

    Brendel made a note of this and asked, ¡°Anyone else?¡±

    ¡°Prime Minister Nedwin.¡±

    ¡°Prime Minister Nedwin?¡± repeated Brendel. He couldn¡¯t believe what he¡¯d just heard. The Kirrlutzian Prime Minister, Nedwin, wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. He was more than 150 years old now and he was the minister to three emperors in this empire. He was the one who¡¯d helped the former Kirrlutzian Prime Minister to regain power from the hands of the Holy Cathedral 100 years ago. If there were any legends in Kirrlutz, it was most probably him.

    With his status and wisdom, why would he pick sides so easily?

    Brendel looked at the eldest Kirrlutzian Prince suspiciously. Lenarette then replied calmly, ¡°The queen mother favors the Pratt family so that she can use the power of the local nobles to suppress other forces in the court. The military nobles in the north rarely intervene in political affairs, so everyone is well aware of her intentions, including the prime minister and the Holy Cathedral. The prime minister knows that the queen mother is not interested in him, so he obviously won¡¯t side with her.¡±

    ¡°But he may not be on your side either.¡± Brendel thought to himself, <i>The empire has a lot of princes and princesses, so it wouldn¡¯t fall apart just because they¡¯ve lost the eldest prince. But there is one thing that the prince was right about, that is, no matter which prince or princess is chosen to seed to the throne, the prime minister will never side with Silver Queen Constance.</i>

    And that was enough.

    Brendel calcted quietly in his mind. Among the three forces that Lenarette had mentioned, which were the royal family¡¯s distant rtives, military nobles, and the general nobles, the most hardcore party was probably Duke Ludwig from House Octavia, followed by House Nona. Prime Minister Nedwin could only be seen as a potential ally or not as an enemy. He still remembered that he¡¯d offended the Kirrlutzian Prime Minister¡¯s precious granddaughter once before, so he would try his best to not provoke him as much as possible.

    Kirrlutz had several forces, such as the royal family, military nobles, local nobles, and the Holy Cathedral.

    These four forces basically controlled most of the empire¡¯snd, poption, resources, and military. The empire¡¯snd, poption, and resources were of little significance to Brendel, the military was the key to his ns. Among the empire¡¯s military, the four traditional legions were controlled by the military nobles, two of which were controlled by the royal family by means of marriage. Whereas the patrol knights from each region and the local garrisons had been the sphere of influence of the local nobles, which also included the newly emerged navy. The local nobles were divided into two groups, where each of the groups was controlled by the royal family and the Royal Cathedral respectively. The royal family had a closer rtionship with the autonomous grand duchies in the north, whereas the Royal Cathedral mainly had control over the lords in the south. Andstly, the Holy Cathedral had a powerful military, such as the Bishop Squad and the Compassion me Knight Squad.

    Suddenly, Brendel realized he¡¯d missed something out.

 Chapter 873 - v5c57p2 Preparation of the Envoys(3)

    <h4>v5c57p2 Preparation of the Envoys(3)</h4>

    ¡°What about Veronica? Doesn¡¯t she support Your Highness?¡± He raised his head and asked Lenerratte curiously.

    The eldest son of the Kirrlutzian king looked at him and shook his head. ¡°Mr. Count, she supports me for the honor and the sense of justice of a soldier. But her family, House Ereshko, might not necessarily be on my side.¡±

    It dawned on Brendel after listening to what this was all about. He was in awe. The names that were mentioned by Lenarette, including the military nobles in the north, were only qualified politicians at best. But this female squad leader was the empire¡¯s true soldier and knight.

    Tapping his knuckles, he began analyzing while replying to Lenarette, ¡°I think I¡¯ve understood the whole situation, Your Highness. So let¡¯s determine what our goal is now.¡±

    Of course, Brendel¡¯s biggest wish was for the prince to return to the empire directly and gather his supporters to fight against Her Majesty. The mild consequence of this would be a coup, but it was more likely that a civil war would happen. Of course, this was only his thoughts. The prince wasn¡¯t stupid, neither were his supporters.

    The ultimate goal of a n depended on the power they now held. A beggar wouldn¡¯t ask for the moon and set his goal to be a king; a farmer¡¯s vision was to own a few more acres ofnd, rather than owning a business all over the world and be rich. So, Brendel suggested that the goal for Lenarette was self-preservation.

    ¡°Self-preservation?¡± The eldest son of the Kirrlutzian king digested the word carefully. ¡°Self-preservation. Does this mean that I have to protect myself and make sure that my supporters in the empire will not be swept away by my mother?¡±

    <i>Damn!</i> Brendel cursed in his mind. Although he¡¯d heard about how intelligent the prince was, he still felt as if his intelligence was crushed by the prince¡¯s when he met him in real life. This decision was finally made after he¡¯d discussed with Amandina and Carglise several times, and he couldn¡¯t believe that the prince could guess what his intentions were right away.

    Silver Queen Constance had set such an ambitious goal of unifying Vaunte, so she would definitely consolidate the army by making a move on House Nona first. Also, her previous suppression of the northern nobles was to prepare for this day as well. The military nobles weren¡¯t stupid, they obviously knew the principle of being bound together for good or ill. The only way for Her Majesty to deal with them was to reduce the military and the power in the hands of these nobles during peacetime. But the early arrival of the Holy War had left Silver Queen Constance with no choice but to let go of the constraints of the northern nobles as she knew that she still had many opponents in the empire. If she lost in the Holy War, then these opponents who were hiding in the shadows would jump out together and force her to abdicate.

    She¡¯d reigned over the empire for forty years. ording to the earlier agreement, she should¡¯ve given up the throne a long time ago. If she wanted to continue to rule this huge empire, then she must enhance her prestige, so that she had a justifiable reason to not give up the throne.

    And the best reason for it was that she could lead the Kirrlutzians to victory.

    This was the opportunity for Brendel and the prince, but they couldn¡¯t stand up against the supreme one right now. They must also be careful about it and try not to let Her Highness catch their mistakes. It seemed like Lenarette was only in control of the ck Legion and Count Dervig could influence the local nobles in the north, but in fact, Silver Queen Constance was only in control of the Red and White Legions.

    But she had more potential enemiespared to the prince. She feuded with House Kirk, the Holy Cathedral, and the Prime Minister. Plus, the Ereshko Family was close with the Flowerleaf Ranges, so they might not support Her Majesty. On the contrary, although they weren¡¯t the prince¡¯s loyal allies, there was a chance of them bing friends as they had amon enemy.

    Brendel had proposed Lenarette first secretly contact his forces in the empire to aid each other and then hide deeply in the shadows, which was a means of self-preservation. Self-preservation, in itself, was a defense, yet defense was also a form of counterattack. This Holy War was an indescribable vortex for Kirrlutz. The Holy Cathedral wanted to win and Silver Queen Constance wanted to win as well, but the Holy Cathedral wasn¡¯t willing to make a wedding gown for the Silver Queen, and the empire¡¯s elites also had the same thoughts.

    The local nobles had their own axes to grind. There were the queen¡¯s hardcore supporters and there were supporters for the Holy Cathedral. When two parties wrestled with each other, the prince had the power to be one of the pivotal forces. If he chose to be silent, then the Silver Queen¡¯s n to integrate the power of the empire to win the Holy War would fail.

    In situations like this, Prime Minister Nedwin would most probably just sit on the sidelines and the local nobles¡¯ attitude would change over time.

    It was because of a very simple reason.

    There was a difference in the ruling power between a newly enthroned emperor and an iron-blooded queen who had ruled the empire for forty years, and no nobles would like an overpowering emperor. This was amon truth in Vaunte, so it was self-evident as to who they would eventually favor. As Her Majesty¡¯s prestige wanes day by day as she sunk deeper and deeper into the quagmire of war, then there would be a day where the nobles would reach a consensus to force her to abdicate.

    At that moment, Lenarette could return to the empire and get the nobles¡¯ support.

    This was the final counterattack.

    Of course, carrying out self-preservation at this stage was advantageous for Brendel. He would be heading to the empire to retrieve Azure Lance and Scarlet, and there was a high chance that Her Majesty and the Holy Cathedral would be his enemies. So, he definitely wouldn¡¯t want to face apletely unified empire, no matter whether it was in the name of the Silver Queen or the Holy Cathedral. Therefore, he nned to maintain the status quo of the empire¡¯s strife and seek opportunities for himself with the help of multiple rivalries. And at the same time, Lenarette¡¯s allies in the north could also provide him protection and make some arrangements for him to escape from the empire safely.

    He and the prince then shared amon interest in this regard.

    Of course, carrying out self-preservation at this stage was advantageous for Brendel. He would be heading to the empire to retrieve Azure Lance and Scarlet, and there was a high chance that Her Majesty and the Holy Cathedral would be his enemies. So, he definitely wouldn¡¯t want to face apletely unified empire, no matter whether it was in the name of the Silver Queen or the Holy Cathedral. Therefore, he nned to maintain the status quo of the empire¡¯s strife and seek opportunities for himself with the help of multiple rivalries. And at the same time, Lenarette¡¯s allies in the north could also provide him necessary protection and make some arrangements for him to escape from the empire safely.

    He and the prince then shared amon interest in this regard.

    After listening to Amandina¡¯s analysis carefully, Lenarette nodded and looked at Brendel. His gaze was no longer indifferent. He pondered for a moment before replying, ¡°Mr Count, thank you for your frank proposal. I think I can trust you fully, and if I ascend the throne one day, then our friendship today will be a precious testimony.¡±

    Brendel smiled, finally feeling relieved. ¡°Looking forward to working with you then, Your Royal Highness,¡± he replied.

    Lenarette nodded slightly, but he still kept a straight face. After thinking for a while, he suddenly blurted, ¡°As a friend, I have some personal advice for you.¡±

    Brendel froze for a moment and asked, ¡°What advice?¡±

    ¡°I know my mother¡¯s personality very well. Your subordinate is in her hands, so she¡¯ll definitely use you and Aouine to coerce her into submission. In my opinion, Mr Count, if your subordinate isn¡¯t iron-willed, then I think you¡¯d better make some moves to give her some confidence,¡± the prince replied coldly.

    Unsurprisingly, the prince already knew what his real intentions ofing here were. But Brendel also figured that the information he provided was useful to him as the queen would indeed never give up and she would do anything and everything to get what she wanted. Thinking of this, he suddenly felt that he¡¯d gain something valuable from this trip. He then quickly nodded at the prince and said, ¡°I know what to do now, thank you so much.¡±

 Chapter 874 - v5c58 Departure

    <h4>v5c58 Departure</h4>

    In thest days of the Month of Frost, the weather outside was cold enough to make one¡¯s teeth chatter. The deciduous trees around Mirtai and Schafflund could not escape the fate of a drabndscape. A thickyer of dead leaves had been falling on the ground since the end of autumn. In regions more to the north, there were even a few snowfalls. Though the ces were not snowed under, at least it signified theing winter of Year of the Sword.

    It was the worst month of the year to start a war, yet it was the beginning of the Holy War. That was how unreasonable history was, sometimes more whimsical than the stories.

    In the midst of the warlike atmosphere in Coldwood, only the ck pine forest outside the count¡¯s castle remained green, except for the inky hue that seeped through the canopy. It looked as if the whole shaded parts were monsters hovering overhead from afar. The cold wind that whistled through the pines¡¯ tips would make a blood-chilling sound. Trentheim¡¯s guests were stamping their feet and rubbing their hands under the trees in the courtyard, filled with grumbles about the weather. Most of them were well-dressed with an air of people from bigger cities, hence evidently not locals. A dozen carriages were parked side by side outside the courtyard, their dark bodies painted with various emblems, each one representing the glorious history of a family. Most of these nobles from all over Aouine were new to the less developed Trentheim.

    They were here for one purpose only¨Cto travel to Kirrlutz as envoys.

    It was also a rare time of year when Coldwell Castle became lovely, whether or not the owner wanted to receive these guests.

    Although Brendel was nominally the head of the diplomatic mission and could choose the apanying members as he wished, an old tradition made it necessary to have a number of fixed members, people he could not designate.

    One of these was the royal family¡¯s representative, and Haruz was to represent the House Covardo as such. He could also choose twodies, an attendant, and a knight, to apany him. On the original list were Madam Windsor and Madam Signy¡ªthe two nannies of his in Winterw Castle. However, Haruz asked Brendel to rece Madam Windsor with Medusa, making thetter wonder if the prince was reaching puberty.

    Brendel¡¯s attendant was a young man from House Covardo¨Csomeone he had not heard of before. Thus, he reckoned the man must be a royal family member. The knight apanying him was naturally Maynild, Gryphine¡¯s most trusted person.

    In addition to House Covardo, the former royal house of Aouine, House Seifer, should also send a representative, ording to the agreement made with the Holy Cathedral. However, unsurprisingly, this representative would not travel through Ampere Seale for two weeks to meet them at Coldwood. Gryphine¡¯s brother had written them a letter of reassurance in advance, saying that he had already chosen a candidate and that thetter and their entourage would meet them at Grey Mountain.

    The other envoys were representatives of the counts of Viero, Grinoires, Lantonn and Karsuk, Jansu, Yanbao, Grey Mountain, and the marquis from Balta. There should also have been representatives from Arreck and Radner, but the two territories had joined the royal domain. Since the battle in Ampere Seale, the Arreck Family had gone practically extinct. On the other hand, Count Radner¡¯s family was still imprisoned in the dungeons of Magitan, so naturally, they could not send any representatives.

    Of the counts, Count Viero sent his youngest daughter, Count Lantonn sent Eikkel, and Count Karsuk sent a stout man, said to be his second son. As for Count Grinoires, he sent his seven-year-old daughter. Count Jansu was a follower of the Silver Lions and had no children, so he sent an energetic young male official. The envoy sent by Count Grey Mountain, too, like House Seifer was waiting to join them at Grey Mountain.

    Lastly, there was a slight twist in the choice of Count Yanbao¡¯s envoy, as he had long been out of contact. In the middle of Month of Frost, Dahl sent an envoy over, who Gryphine chased out in a fit of rage. Hence, Dilferi decided to be the representative of Yanbao, so that the Holy Cathedral of Fire would have an impression of the future heir of Yanbao and so that she could foil Dahl¡¯s plot. Considering her health, Brendel purposely arranged arger horse carriage for her.

    Most of these noblemen had their own retinue, as few as one or as many as three, so together, they added up to a huge group of twenty-odd men and six carriages. However, if one were to think that the group wasrge enough, they would be mistaken.

    Brendel soon discovered some unexpected guests in the party, one of whom was Magdal, who, as Princess of Antoburo, naturally had to represent her duchy on the mission to Kirrlutz. The empire had thought she had perished in the war in Ampere Seale, so the decree was sent to the duchy, hoping they would dispatch another envoy. However, the news somehow reached The Nun Princess¡¯s ears. When she learned of it, she insisted on going to Kirrlutz as the envoy of Antoburo and wrote to the royal family of Antoburo in private, so Brendel could not stop her.

    After all, the princess was recuperating in Trentheim, not under house arrest. Therefore, he had no reason to restrict her freedom to contact the outside world.

    The other uninvited guest was now in front of Brendel.

    At that moment, he was staring at the merchant girl¡¯s eyes. With the thick fur coat, boots, gloves, a scarf, and a bearskin hat covering most of her, he could only see her eyes. After ncing at therge suitcase she was tugging with her small hands, he finally could not resist the urge to ask, ¡°Well, can you tell me now what you are intending to do?¡±

    ¡°To Kirrlutz with you; I¡¯ve never been there,¡± Romaine replied matter-of-factly as she lifted her chin and peeked her mouth out from under the scarf.

    Brendel rolled his eyes. ¡°Of course I understand that, but I have already said that there are no more ces avable. Besides, you seem to have forgotten that I told you to stay in Trentheim and stay in a safe ce. Don¡¯t make me worry about you, got it?¡± He could not help but hold his forehead.

    <i>Yesterday, when I told her there¡¯s no more space in the group, she promised to behave and stay here to assist Amadina and would never take up a quota in their diplomatic mission... Wait!</i>

    Brendel suddenly froze in ce when it dawned on him. Then, he red at her and said, ¡°Oh, damn it, you¡¯re ying word games with me again!¡±

    ¡°No,¡± replied Romain, smiling as she puffed white air into her hand. ¡°I¡¯m here as of right!¡±

    ¡°Of right, my ass,¡± he said as he pinched her cheeks. ¡°Stay in Trentheim, and don¡¯t go anywhere.¡±

    It had been a long while since he did this to her. Blinking from the pain, she stuttered, ¡°I-I-I am telling the truth... Brendel, l-let me go!¡±

    Brendel squeezed the merchant girl¡¯s face for a few moments, but when she kept waving her hand to free herself from his grasp and never changed her tune, he became a little suspicious. This was not in keeping with her temperament. At that thought, he let go of his hand and asked dubiously, ¡°All right. Tell me, what exactly do you want to do in Kirrlutz?¡±

    Romaine rubbed his reddened cheeks and put on a fierce expression. ¡°I¡¯m invited by the Holy Cathedral of Fire, as the president of the Seven Seas Merchant¡¯s Guild, to attend the Holy War ceremony in Kirrlutz as the honoured guest of the cathedral.¡±

    She deliberately emphasised the word ¡°honored guest¡± heavily and then handed the invitation to Brendel. He opened the parchment and almost fell headlong to the ground. It was true that the Holy Cathedral of Fire invited some famous merchants, poets, and even artists and schrs from various fields who worked closely with them to attend the annual celebration or the opening rally of the Holy War. Still, he had never dreamed that this list would include Romaine¡ªhis seemingly unreliable fianc¨¦e.

    Unable to fathom it, he read the letter over and over again. Only after finally confirming that the magic wax seal on that letter was a genuine emblem of the Holy Cathedral of Fire was he forced to admit that it was not a forgery.

    He looked up at Romaine as if he were looking at an alien. ¡°When did your business expand so much?¡±

    ¡°I was invited by the Holy Cathedral of Fire to the Harvest Festival this year, but I have been there, so I didn¡¯t want to go,¡± Romaine replied lightly as if the invitation from the Holy Cathedral of Fire seemed to be an invitation to go on a trip, and it was her liberty to decide whether to go or not. Brendel was impressed that he almost praised her.

    This tradition of inviting famous people to the Holy Cathedral of Fire had existed in the game. At that time, there were some famous merchant guilds among the yers in Aouine. Until the Second Era, those yer merchant¡¯s guilds, which often had major sponsors behind them, would fight over such an invitation letter. They even came close to starting a war between the guilds on a few asions. At least, he had seen them happen a few times.

    Brendel looked carefully at his invincible fianc¨¦e. No matter how he thought about it, he felt that there must be some cheat code, like Marsha¡¯s daughter.

    Afterwards, Amadina, who stood aside, voiced up to clear up his confusion. It turned out that many of the materials produced in the ck Forest, including some precious magical materials and Magic Crystals, were materials that the Holy Cathedral of Fire desperately needed, especially in the period leading up to the Holy War.

    Trentheim bulk exports over the past year had long made it an important partner in the eyes of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, so it was no surprise that Romaine, the nominal president of the Seven Seas Merchant¡¯s Guild, was highly valued.

    However, Brendel shook his head, still thinking that the merchant girl had a secret cheat code. After all, to be a trader who could trade with the Holy Cathedral of Fire on a reciprocal basis was not just a matter of having a source of goods but also required a rather extensivework of connections. It was easy to guess that Romaine had gone through thework of the merchant¡¯s guilds in Ampere Seale, but it was impossible to figure out how she did it.

    Amadina, too, exined it as a miracle.

    ¡°Can I go now, Brendel?¡± Romaine asked pitifully while covering her face, but there was a clear hint of triumph in his voice.

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Brendel replied uncharitably, feeling that his intelligence and presence as a count had been severely degraded in front of his fianc¨¦e, and it hurt him greatly.

    ¡°Then, Brendel, prepare a carriage for me. I want the one which I usually use, with a brazier in it that holds charcoal.¡±

    ¡°No, be a good girl and go to my carriage!¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    After dismissing Romaine and the second son of Count Karsuk, who had been trying to get close to him, Brendel managed to get out of the circle of nobles. Then, he made his way to the side of the caravan just in time to see Ferning out of the castle with a notepad. As soon as he saw the Wild Elf, he knew that the preparations werepleted, so he hastened to greet her, ¡°Fern!¡±

    ¡°My Lord.¡±

    ¡°Are the Brunhildes ready?¡±

    The Wild Elf nodded.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Brendel said, finally relieved.

    He wasn¡¯t really taking this group of young nobles on a trip; it was just for show. Gryphine had appointed him as head of the diplomatic mission and themander of Southern Legion¡ªan appointment that had arrived a little earlier¡ªapparently so that he could choose the elites in Trentheim to form the mission¡¯s apanying guards.

    It was a default tradition, customary since the first Holy War in which Kirrlutz summoned ambassadors from all its kingdoms and duchies before the start of the Holy War. Until then, it had be a means for the Holy Cathedral of Fire to confirm the confidence of the participating members and mobilise them for war and a way for the vassals topare themselves with each other and also seek higher status in the cathedral.

    The diplomatic mission would begin with the noble families meeting with the representatives of the sovereign, which in itself represented a form of subservience and a way of pledging allegiance to the Holy Cathedral of Fire. Well, of course, it was more of a subtle form of meeting.

    The Holy War was, after all, a war, and each kingdom needed to show its power to the Holy Cathedral of Fire in order to gain a position in the war and beyond. The guards were used as a means to disy power and usually consisted of the most elite forces of each kingdom, representing the pride of the nobility and the royal family.

    In order to maintain their dignity, the guards of these envoys would evenpete with each other and sh with each other in Kirrlutz, but, of course, such shes rarely resulted in bloodshed. However, the one who lost would most likely not have a good time after returning to their kingdoms.

    The strongest envoy guards of the Holy War was the one from ck Crows in the west of Kirrlutz, which bordered both the Haizaiers and the Holy Cathedral of Earth. Although they were loyal followers of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, their residents were half-beasts or werebeasts, hence possessing immense strength. At that time, their envoy guards were made up of bear warriors, which oupeted the other guards by number or strength, unfortunately, lost to Aouine of that era.

    Aouine¡¯s group of envoys at that time was the shabbiest, consisting of representatives of nobles and less than twenty officers from White Lion. However, it was led by Earth Sword Saint Darius, and the deputy leader was Tulman, a schr of the Silver Fortress. These two men alone took down everyone, including the Kirrlutzian.

    As to howter Brendel¡¯s grandfather became the marshall of the United Army, that would be another story.

    The envoy guards were the face of Aouine, and Trentheim was now the most powerful force in the whole of Aouine, so the Royal Faction dared not oppose Gryphine¡¯s choice of appointing Brendel as the leader of the envoys.

    As for Brendel and Gryphine, the two scheming partners had reached an understanding, using this as a pretext to insert men into the so-called guards tantly, but it would be hard to say what they would do in Kirrlutz.

    Brendel took the notepad from Fern and flipped through it casually. Then, looking up at the whole caravan, he said softly, ¡°Let¡¯s get going then. I¡¯ll see you in Kirrlutz.¡±

    In the end, he added in a low voice, ¡°Holy War, here Ie.¡±

 Chapter 875 - v5c59

    v5c59

    The Last Two Members

    The moment Brendel set foot on thend of Grey Mountain, he felt the word ¡°rvaslit¡± thoroughly. It described how the mountains looked like fangs piercing the sky, as used by the Hignders. Undeniably, it was a perfect adjective to those steep peaks with grey limestone cliffs. The curving ridges of the mountains make the distant skyline equally twisted. Overhead was the pale grey sky, and beneath was a deep, endless valley.

    Sunlight poured down on the other side of the valley¡¯s cliffs, carving the shadows of the peak where they stood. Unknown birds circled on the streams afar, its asional shrill growl echoing far and wide between the mountains.

    Only when the young prince whispered to them that it was a gyrfalcon¡ªa raptor that only inhabited the Grey Mountain¡ªdid it ur to Brendel that they were close enough to Haruz¡¯s homnd.

    If one could look beyond the mountains, one could see the londs where the Beales had lived for generations. One could also see the great in to the north, with its scattered hills and ck pine woonds, and the great royal capital.

    Brendel then asked Haruz if this was the same route he had taken when he fled, and thetter said yes. However, they had left by a carriage at night, entering the Grey Mountain in the darkness. In a state of trepidation, the mountains that looked like sleeping beasts left a deep impression on him. Now that he was with his teacher, there was no need to fear.

    Haruz¡¯s words made everyoneugh. It was a harmonious and warm atmosphere in the carriage. Other than Brendel and Romaine, Magadal, Dilferi, Maynild were on it. Supposedly, this carriage belonged to Magadal and Dilferi, and Romaine and Haruz came on afterwards.

    Romaine did have a carriage of her own, but Dilferi¡¯s carriage had a special charcoal brazier, so the sneakydy had that in mind from the start and managed to coax the soft-hearted countess into inviting them on board.

    Fortunately, Dilferi did not mind at all. She was more than happy to have a few more people to talk to, and Romaine¡¯s chattering and endless stories, albeit mostly made up, were right up Dilferi¡¯s alley. Hence, it was not long before the two became good friends who could talk about anything.

    Magadal listened with a soft smile on her face the whole time, as if she had no intention of intervening in the conversation, only asionally speaking up when asked. Nheless, every utterance she made carried meaning, disying her bearing as The Nun Princess of the Holy Cathedral of Fire.

    The carriage went along for a while more, then a knock sounded, and Brendel opened the door. As soon as he did, a cold breeze poured in from outside, causing the temperature in the carriage to drop several degrees. Thedies paled a little, with the exception of Maynild, thedy knight sitting beside Haruz while holding her sword hilt. Her eyes were downcast as she counted the tassels on the curtains.

    Outside the carriage was the formermander of a mercenary and the current leader of the White Lion Battalion, Jana, who travelled alongside the carriage on her horse. When she saw Brendel open the door, she leaned down and said to him, ¡°My Lord, Fortress Tiscow is right ahead.¡±

    So we¡¯ve arrived.

    Brendel told the coachmen to slow down before jumping out of the carriage and closing the door. Right after he set his feet on the ground of the Grey Mountain, he finally had a grip on reality.

    It was the first time he had crossed Ampere Seale to this northernnd since arriving in this world. He could not help but nce back at the carriage, but through the foggy window, he could not see the expression on the face behind it clearly.

    By then, Jana had brought him a horse from behind, and he silently took the reins from her. He climbed onto his horse and then asked in passing, ¡°How is it? Are you getting used to the northernnd?¡±

    Jane was a little surprised at how he sounded like a master as she wiped the frosty snow from her brow. Shaking her head, she said in a somewhat amused tone, ¡°My lord, I know thisnd better than you do.¡±

    Brendel froze slightly. Turning to look back at his subordinate, he recalled he had never asked about their origins.

    ¡°You¡¯re from Grey Mountain?¡±

    ¡°Sort of¡­ We lived in Covardo for a while before my sister¡¯s ident. Well, frankly, that experience made me hate the nobility, and sometimes I wonder if I hade to my senses earlier¡­ Never mind. I don¡¯t even want to talk about it anymore¡­¡± Jana replied softly with a sudden sigh, looking at the hills, somewhat fascinated by them.

    Brendel nodded as well and did not ask further questions.

    Jana was the captain of the guards for the trip, but she was not the best man for the job. The best man for the job would, in fact, have been Kodan, but the old man was now adamant about staying out of Trentheim¡¯s affairs, whether big or small. After Count Radner was imprisoned, he bought a plot ofnd in the area of Mirtai, as if he was determined to be a carefree estate owner or a farmer. Nheless, he still rmended Jana to him.

    Out of the five mercenarymanders working under him, Leto intended to stay out of the battle for power within Coldwood, only interested in making things better for the refugees he had brought out of Riedon. Carglise and others had privately referred to him as the head of the refugees and to which the Red Bronze Dragon dared not refute them.

    As for Batum, he was immersed in maintaining the order in the ce as if satisfied with being a magistrate. He had confessed before that he had no ambition and that his life now was his dream.

    Brendel had no intention of forcing his two earliest followers, not to mention that he knew Batum was indeed limited in his abilities and that being a magistrate was all he could do. In spite of that, Amadina constantlyined about him.

    The three mercenarymanders who joinedter were more ambitious. Cornelius, who was under Amadina¡¯smand and in charge of the logistics of the local army, could now almost handle things on his own.

    Forn, on the other hand, had long made his mark in the White Lion Battalion, and his military experience in the Karsuk had aided him a lot in Brendel¡¯s army. After the battle in the Month of Autumn, he had be another important deputy to Carglise, who intended to put him inmand of the cavalry. However, this army had yet to be formed.

    However, Jana¡¯s performance in the White Lion Battalion was mediocre, although she had done well as a mercenarymander. It seemed that her experience as a mercenarymander limited her vision. Keeping their experience and loyalty in mind, Amandina had been meaning to give them a better position.

    Forn and Clenchia were both capable of epting the position, but Jana was in an awkward position. Moreover, she refused to climb up the rung by making use of her rtionship with Brendel, so she remained a minor infantry captain in the White Lion Battalion.

    When Brendel was given the task of going on the diplomatic mission, he intended to find amander capable ofmanding a small team, and Jana was the first toe to his attention. Kodan, too, suggested to him that Jana¡¯s experience could make her extremely useful whenmanding the guards, made up of multiple professions and types of soldiers, simr to a mercenary regiment.

    Of course, Brendel actually had a better option, and it was Freya. However, it would be a waste of her talents. Besides, she had only just gained a little prestige and needed to stay behind to strengthen her position in the Southern Legion, not to mention he and Maynild had to head to Kirrlutz.

    Gryphine needed someone loyal to aid her, so having Freya, Amadina, Carglise, and Cowan, who was far away in Cielmann, with her, he was much morefortable with leaving. Even if the old nobles wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble, Gryphine and Trentheim would not be in immediate crisis, not to mention that he had left behind the Tree Elves and the White Lion Battalion, leaving Freya with enough military power at hand to use.

    For this reason, he chose Jana in the end. Her performance was satisfactory too. In this diplomatic mission, he brought along Medissa, Ciel, Hipam, Raban¡¯s mercenary group, Mars¡¯ troop in White Lion Battalion, hundreds of iron golems, gargoyles, several witches, four War Goddesses, and a certaindy who could not be seen under broad daylight. With her experience, Jana made proper arrangements for the different people, soldiers, and war machines.

    Apart from the overt White Lion Battalion and Raban¡¯s mercenary group, Brendel wanted the golems and gargoyles provided by the Bugas to be hidden, not to mention the witches and War Goddesses, of course. More than anything else, it was best to stay out of sight if they could. Thus, Jana divided these troops into two squads overnight, devising a marching route specifically for them. She was very experienced in travelling through the mountains and keeping them from getting lost, and some of the routes she created were routes that Brendel had used in his previous life in the game, which impressed him greatly.

    After more than a week of travel, Brendel could fully confirm that making her an infantry captain was a waste of her talents. Some people were born to be mercenary leaders and amander of an elite squad, and Jana was certainly such a talent.

    Only then did Brendel look up at the carriages moving in procession along the narrow mountain road. There were mainly five carriages, the first with the representatives the counts Eikkel and Jansu, the second with the son of Count Karsuk, the third with the daughter of Count Viero and the young girl of House Grinoires, the fourth with Romaine. All the carriages were apanied by a number of attendants plus the guards, making the already not very spacious path congested.

    Brendel was wise enough to put the hundreds of men of the guards behind the caravan, leaving only a small group in front of them to clear the way. Otherwise, they would have been stuck on the trail.

    A wall had appeared ahead of this group, casting a tall shadow over the procession. The fortress stretched across the mountain pass. One side of the tower clung to the steep mountain walls, and the other side seemed to hover over a cliff. From afar, it looked imposing.

    Fortress Tiscow was the most important pass when traveling from Seifer to Covardo. In his previous life, Brendel had been here several times in the game, but because of the presence of yers, the fortress was not so solemn and much more lively in the game. He also remembered that there was supposed to be a marketce built by the yers on this mountain road.

    Leading Jana forward through the crowd, they arrived under the wall, where Medissa and Ciel were waiting, along with the second son of Count Karsuk. After all these days, Brendel had figured out how to pronounce the guy¡¯s awkward name¡ªEltham or Augustus. When Eltham saw Brendel, heined loudly to him about the fact that the ce was full of uneducated hicks who had to see Brendel himself before they would open the gate and that they were being rude.

    Brendel was immune to this level ofint, but he was a little confused. Normally, soldiers would not dare to offend the nobility since, in this era, no one would dare to impersonate one as he did before. If Eltham¡¯s words were true, someone must be deliberately making things difficult for them, or something must have happened in the fortress.

    At that thought, he cast a questioning gaze at Medissa and Ciel. The little elf princess replied softly with a frown on her face, ¡°By the sound of their tone, it sounds like there¡¯s been a burry in the fortress.¡±

    Upon hearing this answer, Brendel almost thought the viscount in Fortress Tiscow was making things hard for them on purpose. It was a poor excuse since it was not as if the fortress was inhabited only by soldiers and officers but also by their families and the nearby Hignders. All in all, it was not a small town. If the appearance of a burr required them to be on guard at such a scale, then they would have to maintain such practice 365 days a year and 24 hours a day.

    Ciel, who obviously knew better, hastened to exin with a smile, ¡°My lord, I have asked around. I¡¯m afraid that Mr. Eltham has misunderstood. I heard it was because the burr stole something from the owner of this ce, which is why we are in the present situation.¡±

    It was then that it dawned on Brendel. For a burr to steal something from a nobleman, especially a military nobleman, on his own turf, it would make sense for the viscount to be furious. Although many of Aouine¡¯s tales praised thieves and Night Swallows, shaping them as righteous figures who specialised in robbing the rich to help the poor, in reality, those who really knew the trade would understand that there were grey areas of existence for those who make a living out of it.

    Most of them are inextricably linked to the nobility, not to say that the nobility secretly supported them in their work, rather for their own benefits to remain unaffected. Thus, the nobility would know the number and the identity of the thieves in the area. They would asionally buy dirty goods from them, but otherwise, the two sides do not cross paths.

    Brendel concluded that the perpetrator must therefore be a foreigner, but he wondered who had the audacity to do so.

    The guards soon identified them. With a creak, the drawbridge was lowered, and the gate was opened to let them into the fortress. Brendel stared at the slowly rising gates, knowing full well that the so-called identification was just a pretext and that the dy was probably due to the fact that they had reported to the viscount. The guards were unwilling to take responsibility, so the viscount himself had to give permission to let them in.

    What Brendel did not know was that the bold burr he muttered about was really a local and not some foreigner.

    Inside Fortress Tiscow, two carriages were parked in the shade of a tree¡ªalthough the so-called tree barely had any leaves left. A number of servants crowded outside the carriages. At first nce, they did not look like attendants of upstarts in the countryside who wore extravagant outfits and were indolent. On the contrary, they were well-trained. As their masters remained in the carriage, they stood silently like puppets in two rows by the side.

    As for the two carriages, the emblem on one had been removed, while the other was one of a ck wolf. In fact, one look of that emblem alone was enough to stop anyone in Fortress Tiscow from approaching, for it was the family emblem of the Grey Mountain Family.

    Inside the carriage sat two youngdies¨Cone in herte teens, the other with her curly hair tucked away under a mortarboard and thick sses. She looked like an old schr, but she was short like a dwarf. Judging from her t chest, she obviously had yet to undergo puberty and was about eleven or twelve years old.

    Both of them were talking, but surprisingly, the young girl was leading the conversation.

    Brendel heard the younger girl say, ¡°So slow, so slow. I hate people who are tardy.¡±

    The noblewoman sounded a little worried as she asked carefully, ¡°Chiara, they seem to have found out they have lost something.¡±

    ¡°Of course they¡¯ll find out,¡± Chiara replied matter-of-factly, ¡°that viscount isn¡¯t an idiot.¡±

    ¡°But will we get into trouble?¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Chiara twirled a card-like object in her hand and surveyed the trinket with considerable interest. ¡°I¡¯m just a little interested in this thing. Would he dare disobey me if I told him to give it to me? I just didn¡¯t want to owe him a favour, so I had to do it myself. Besides, I¡¯ve never failed.¡±

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